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The Divine Institutes

Chap. XXX.--Of Avoiding Heresies and Superstitions, and What is the Only True Catholic Church.

But since many heresies have existed, and the people of God have been rent into divisions at the instigation of demons, the truth must be briefly marked out by us, and placed in its own peculiar dwelling-place, that if any one shall desire to draw the water of life, he may not be borne to broken cisterns ¹ which hold no water, but may know the abundant fountain of God, watered by which he may enjoy perpetual light. Before all things, it is befitting that we should know both that He Himself and His ambassadors foretold that there must be numerous sects and heresies, ² which would break the unity ³ of the sacred body; and that they admonished us to be on our guard with the greatest prudence, lest we should at any time fall into the snares and deceits of that adversary of ours, with whom God has willed that we should contend. Then that He gave us sure commands, which we ought always to treasure in our minds; for many, forgetting them, and abandoning the heavenly road, have made for themselves devious paths amidst windings and precipices, by which they might lead away the incautious and simple part of the people to the darkness of death: I will explain how this happened. There were some of our religion whose faith was less established, or who were less learned or less cautious, who rent the unity and divided the Church. But they whose faith was unsettled, ⁴ when they pretended that they knew and worshipped God, aiming at the increase of their wealth and honour, aspired to the highest sacerdotal power; and when overcome by others more powerful, preferred to secede with their supporters, than to endure those set over them, over whom they themselves before desired to be set. ⁵

But some, not sufficiently instructed in heavenly learning, when they were unable to reply to the accusers of the truth, who objected that it was either impossible or inconsistent that God should be shut up in the womb of a woman, and that the Majesty of heaven could not be reduced to such weakness as to become an object of contempt and derision, a reproach and mockery to men; lastly, that He should even endure tortures, and be affixed to the accursed cross; and when they could defend and refute all these things neither by talent nor learning, for they did not thoroughly perceive their force and meaning, they were perverted ⁶ from the right path, and corrupted the sacred writings, so that they composed for themselves a new doctrine without any root and stability. But some, enticed by the prediction of false prophets, concerning whom both the true prophets and he himself had foretold, fell away from the knowledge of God, and left the true tradition. But all of these, ensnared by frauds of demons, which they ought to have foreseen and guarded against, by their carelessness lost the name and worship of God. For when they are called Phrygians, ⁷ or Novatians, ⁸ or Valentinians, ⁹ or Marcionites, ¹⁰ or Anthropians, ¹¹ or Arians, ¹² or by any other name, they have ceased to be Christians, who have lost the name of Christ, and assumed human and external names. Therefore it is the Catholic Church alone which retains true worship.

This is the fountain of truth, this is the abode of the faith, this is the temple of God; into which if any one shall not enter, or from which if any shall go out, he is estranged from the hope of life and eternal salvation. No one ought to flatter himself with persevering strife. For the contest is respecting life and salvation, which, unless it is carefully and diligently kept in view, will be lost and extinguished. But, however, because all the separate assemblies of heretics call themselves Christians in preference to others, and think that theirs is the Catholic Church, it must be known that the true Catholic Church is that in which there is confession and repentance, ¹³ which treats in a wholesome manner the sins and wounds to which the weakness of the flesh is liable. I have related these things in the meanwhile for the sake of admonition, that no one who desires to avoid error may be entangled in a greater error, while he is ignorant of the secret ¹⁴ of the truth. Afterwards, in a particular and separate work, we will more fully and copiously ¹⁵ contend against all divisions of falsehoods. It follows that, since we have spoken sufficiently on the subject of true religion and wisdom, we discuss the subject of justice in the next book.

General Notes by the American Editor.

I.

(On cap. 29.)

Here we should look for something also concerning the Holy Spirit. But our author's principle is doubtless a reflection of the prevailing sentiment of the Church at this period, which was perhaps a violent exaggeration of our Lord's example (Mark iv. 33). And see something of this on p. 140, note 6, infra; also Matt. vii. 6.

II.

(On cap. 30.)

The simplicity with which our author gives a note of the Catholic Church, in accordance with African canons and the teaching of Cyprian, is very noteworthy. It never occurred to him that communion with any one particular See was the note. Hippolytus alone would have reminded him that the worst heretics had been in communion with both Zephyrinus and Callistus in his days (see vol. v. pp. [^68]156 and [^69]160; also Ibid., [^70]125, [^71]130), and that orthodoxy had been persecuted by these bishops of Rome.

Translation Hide
Institutions Divines

XXX.

Comme il y a des erreurs et des hérésies et que la malice du démon a mis la division parmi le peuple de Dieu, il est à propos de décrire en peu de paroles le lieu où se trouve In vérité, afin que ceux qui désirent boire de l'eau qui donne la vie éternelle, la puisent dans la source qui est Dieu même, au lieu de la puiser dans des lacs où elle ne conserve point sa pureté. Il faut savoir avant toutes choses, que le Sauveur et les apôtres ont prédit qu'il s'élèverait des sectes et des hérésies, qui rompraient l'union du corps des fidèles, et nous ont avertis d'éviter les pièges que nous dresse l'ennemi contre lequel nous sommes obligés de combattre, sans nous laisser jamais tromper par ses ruses. Plusieurs, au lieu de suivre ces avis si salutaires, ont pris des chemins écartés et bordés de précipices où ils ont traîné une foule de personnes simples et ignorantes jusqu'à la mort éternelle. Les ailleurs d'une si funeste division ont été des hommes qui, n'étant pas assez fermes dans leur foi, assez solides dans leur doctrine, assez prudents dans leur conduite, ont brûlé d'un désir ardent de posséder des richesses, et de jouir des honneurs, et ont porté leur ambition sacrilège jusqu'à la dignité la plus sacrée, qui est celle du sacerdoce ; en ayant été exclus par d'autres qui en étaient plus dignes qu'eux, ils ont mieux aimé se retirer avec ceux de leur parti que de se soumettre a ceux qui leur avaient été préférés.

D'autres n'étant pas assez instruits de la science de l'Église, pour répondre aux ennemis de la vérité qui leur objectaient qu'il était impossible qu'un Dieu se fût enfermé dans le sein d'une femme, qu'il se fût exposé au mépris, aux railleries, et aux outrages, qu'il eût souffert les tourments les plus cruels et la mort la plus infâme, et que toutes ces faiblesses et ces misères ne convenaient nullement à l'excellence ni à la grandeur de sa nature; et n'ayant jamais compris les véritables raisons de ces mystères, ils se sont éloignés du bon chemin, ont corrompu l'Écriture, et ont inventé une doctrine qui n'a aucun fondement. Quelques-uns, trompés par de faux prophètes, selon que les véritables prophètes l'avaient prédit, ont renoncé à la doctrine du Sauveur et à la tradition de son Église. Toutes ces personnes étant malheureusement tombées dans les pièges du démon, qu'elles devaient éviter, ont perdu le nom de chrétiens. En effet, quand on les appelle phrygiens, novatiens, valentiniens, marcionites, anthropiens, ariens, ou de tout autre nom particulier autre que celui de chrétiens, on marque très clairement qu'ils sont retranchés de la société des fidèles. Il n'y a qu'une Église catholique qui conserve le vrai culte:

c'est la source de la vérité, le domicile de la foi, le temple de Dieu, où quiconque n'entrera pas, et d'où quiconque sortira sera privé de l'espérance du salut éternel. Que personne ne se flatte dans l'opiniâtreté avec laquelle il soutient ses sentiments. Il s'agit de la vie éternelle et du salut, on ne saurait avoir trop de soin de les conserver. Il n'y a point cependant d'assemblée hérétique, qui ne donne à ceux qui la composent la qualité de chrétien, et qui ne croie être l'Église catholique. La véritable est celle où se trouve la confession et la pénitence, par laquelle les péchés, qui sont les blessures de l'âme, sont guéris. J'ai bien voulu donner cet avis, comme en passant, et pour que ceux qui souhaitent d'éviter l'erreur n'y tombent pas par ignorance. Je réfuterai plus au long et dans la suite les mensonges et les impostures de toutes les sectes. Maintenant, après avoir parlé de la véritable religion et de la véritable sagesse, je m'en vais parler de la justice.

judicavit

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