Chapter 6. On the First Gate of the House of God, Which Is Faith.

HAVING explained these points, it now remains for us to consider what is the gate by which we shall be enabled to enter that most blessed House. But our Lord Him self, in the Gospel, not only makes mention of the gate, but also tells us that it is very narrow, for, being asked, " Lord, are they few that are saved?" He answered: "Strive to enter by the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able. But when the Master of the House shall be gone in, and shall shut the door, you shall begin to stand without, and knock

• Do Civitate Dei, cap. 30.

at the door, saying : Lord, open to us. And He shall say to you : I know not whence you are : depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." (St. Luke, chap, xiii.) Thus our Lord plainly teaches us, that the "gate" of the house of God, which is in heaven, is very narrow, although the House itself is most extensive; and that, because it is narrow, many will not enter therein who otherwise would ; that they indeed desire to enter, but will not strive for it, nor be will ing to suffer any violence.

But we will explain how it is that the gate of this most extensive House is narrow. The gate has four divisions — the threshold, the inner court, and two side passages— that is, four stones: one below, another above, and two at the sides ; which, in our gate, are four virtues, essentially necessary in order to enter the heavenly house. These are faith, hope, charity, and humility. Faith and hope are the two lateral stones, charity is the inner court, humility is the threshold on which we walk. But all these stones — that is, all these virtues — have their length and breadth so small, that in themselves they are narrow, and, accordingly, they make the gate very narrow.

Let us begin with faith. True Christian faith is so narrow that, unless the mind do violence to itself, and suffer itself to be re duced as it were into captivity, to be bound and trampled upon, no one can enter by it. This is what St. Paul means in his Second

Epistle to the Corinthians : "Bringing into captivity every understanding unto the obedience of Christ." (chap, x.) The Chris tian faith proposes many things to be be lieved, which are so beyond all understand ing that it is most difficult to give our con sent to them ; and yet are we commanded to believe them so firmly that we should be prepared (if necessary) to die a thousand times rather than deny one article of faith. This is a difficult duty, and 110 wonder so few comply with it. This is the reason why so many go over to Mahometanism and other heresies, because they cannot bear the strictness of faith, but have made the gate very wide, which nevertheless leads, not to life, but to destruction, according to the words of our Lord in St. Matthew : ' Wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat.'7 (chap, vii.) Every one naturally desires knowledge, but all do not readily assent to a proposition, unless it be demonstrated, or a probable reason for it be given. St. Paul, the Apostle, expe rienced this; for, although he eloquently preached from an infused and acquired learning, and by the gift of tongues, yet when he spoke of the Resurrection of the dead many laughed at him, and. others said, " What is it that this word-sower would say?" And when he preached " Christ crucified," it appeared foolishness to the Gentiles, and to the Jews a stumbling-

block, as he mentions in his First Epistle to the Corinthians. Hence, the ancient heretics, in order to 'Widen the narrow gate, invented various errors. Some denied the mystery of the Trinity, as the Sabellians and Arians ; others the mystery of the Incarnation, as the Nestorians and Eutychians; others the Resurrection of the dead, as the Origenists, &c. But all these gates (besides many more) being built by human architects, and wanting a solid foundation, fell in a short time, so that now we scarcely know their names : and these even would not have reached us, had we not read them in the works of those who exposed them, as St. Irenseus, Philaster, St. Epiphanius, St. Augustine, Theodoret, &c. The Maho metans, whose sect is now so widely extend ed, have cast away nearly all the most dif ficult points in the Christian faith — the blessed Trinity, the Incarnation of the divine Word, the death and resurrection of the Son of God, the sacrament of Penance, and the holy Eucharist. These being thus cast aside, the gate is widened to admit an innumerable multitude.

But the heretics of our own time have endeavoured to enter by another way, for they have taken away those narrow barriers which relate not so much to the understand ing as to action. The Christian faith teaches that all sins are to be avoided ; that we shall have to give an account even of every idle word ; that if we fall into mortal

sin, we must confess it to a priest, and blot it out by serious contrition and^satisfaction; that good works, though laborious and dif ficult, are to be performed if prescribed by our superiors ; that the kingdom of heaven can be acquired by good works, as a crown of justice, and a reward of labour; that " celibacy" is to be observed by priests; that monks and nuns are obliged to keep their vows. These and other points, which make the gate narrow, the heretics have so taken away as to make it very wide. For they assert, that " faith alone is neces sary for salvation, so that a Christian could not perish, though denied with every sin, provided only he believed ; that there is no need of confessing our sins to a priest, but only to ,God; that contrition is not required, a certain terror of the mind being sufficient ; that works of penance and satis faction are not necessary ; that a priest is at liberty to marry, and monks and nuns to Violate their vows ; that superiors cannot oblige the faithful to perform good works, &c. These and other doctrines of faith being taken away, the heretics made the gate of salvation very wide for themselves : but they opened a way that leadeth to destruction, and through it they brought to perdition, together with themselves, an immense multitude of foolish men.^ But neither do all Catholics keep within the narrow boundaries of faith, for, although they believe what their faith teaches them,

yet^because they live differently from what their faith commands, they are proved to be in the number of those of whom St. Paul speaks where he says: " They profess that they know God, but in their works they deny him." Thus, these likewise enter in at the wide gate that leads to destruction. Wherefore, with regard to faith, when our Lord was asked, " If they are few who are saved ? " we answer, few there are ; and hence all must strive to enter in at the narrow gate.