Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/564

 Herein the  parable  follows  the  course  of  religion even to  our  own  times  by  refuting  the  arch-heresy  of the  latter  days — the  Protestant  theory  of  salvation. " The  good  alone,"  say  they,  "  belong  to  the  Church, and  faith  alone  shall  save  them." But the  parable teaches that  faith  may  be  possessed  by  and  procure admission alike  for  bad  and  good,  but  that  if  one  lack charity he  is,  though  admitted,  practically  an  outcast. Think of  it,  Brethren,  there  are  numbers  of Christians  in  the  world,  in  this  parish,  here  to-day, led to  Church  every  Sunday  by  a  sense  of  duty,  the outgrowth of  their  faith,  who  imagine  they  are  thus fulfilling the  whole  law,  but  who,  because  they  have not charity,  because  they  are  habitually  in  the  state of mortal  sin,  are  little  better  than  reprobates,  and, but for  God's  mercy,  would  have  been  long  since  irrevocably cast  into  exterior  darkness. But God's mercy  surpasseth  all  understanding. So, as  one  accepts the  invitation  at  all,  however  unworthy  he  may be, there  is  still  hope  that  God  will  do  the  rest,  for He temporizes  and  would  fain  be  friends  with  the very worst. Especially is  this  so  under  the  law  of mercy — the  Christian  dispensation. Of all  the guests only  one  was  expelled. On the  judgment day, it  may  be  that  from  the  many  called  few  will  be chosen. But that  thought  should  not  be  a  discouragement to  Christians. Of those  invited  secondhand one  only  was  found  unworthy. Up to  the  time of Christ,  practically  all  had  refused  the  invitation and were  lost;  so  that  were  even  all  Christians,  or,  as I  confidently  believe,  the  vast  majority  of  Christians