Q. 13. What, then, is to be said of those, who, being brought up in a false religion, have no opportunity of hearing about the true Church and Faith of Christ? or, of hearing of it only in a false and odious light? Can such as these be saved if they live and die in their invincible ignorance of the Truth?
A. The learned author of the book called Charity And Truth, who seems willing to go as far as possible in favor of those who are not joined in the communion of the Church of Christ,candidly owns, that it is quite uncertain if any such will be saved, even though in invincible ignorance; for in laying down the true state of the question, he says, “The meaning is, that no one is saved unless he be in the Catholic communion, either actually or virtually, either in fact or desire; and that we are not sure, generally speaking, that anyone is saved out of the Catholic Church, who is invincibly ignorant of the true Religion,” (Ch. I.Q.3) The fact is, there is not one single testimony of the Holy Scripture which gives reason to think that anyone will be saved out of that communion, but there are great numbers, as we have seen above, which very strongly declare the contrary. So that all the reasons which are brought in favor of those who are out of the Church, are taken from the supposition of cases that perhaps never exist, and from our imperfect notions of the goodness of God, or from the idea which some frame for themselves of what is meant by being a member of the True Church; and those people of whom we speak in the present question afford the principal grounds of these reasonings. For it is argued in this manner: Suppose a man born and baptized in an heretical sect, and afterwards, when he comes of age, to be in such circumstances as never to have an opportunity of hearing about the True Religion, or, if he does, it is always in such a false and odious colors as serve only to make him detest it, and to make him more and more attached to his own way; and, on this account, to be in invincibly ignorance of the Truth. It is acknowledged by all, that this man, by his baptism, is made a member of the Church of Christ, and that if he die before coming to the age of reason, he will certainly be saved in his baptismal innocence. **Let us now suppose further, that, when he comes to age, and continues to live an innocent life, and by co-operating with the graces which God bestows upon him, perseveres in his innocence and does his best, according to the knowledge he has, and would do better if he knew it; is it not inconsistent with the goodness of God to suppose that such a man, living and dying in that state, would be lost? Is he not always in the sight of God, a real member of the Church of Christ, though not joined in her communion? And, if he die in his innocence, must he not then be saved? **Such is the argument proposed on this subject; and, to be sure, it has a dazzling appearance.
But it must be observed, that there is the strongest reason to doubt that such a case as is there supposed ever was, or ever will be; for (1) There is not the smallest ground in scripture to suppose it. (2) As it is impossible for man, in his present fallen state, to persevere in it to the end of his life, without a special and extraordinary grace from God; and, as a grace of this kind is justly esteemed one of the most singular favors given by God to His Faithful servants, who are members of His Church and enjoy all the powerful helps that are only to be found in Her communion, to enable them to persevere in their baptismal innocence to their deaths; ***is it to be supposed that God will bestow this so singular a favor upon anyone who is not in her communion, and is deprived of her helps? And if it be supposed that he loses his baptismal innocence by committing a mortal sin, but recovers the grace of justification by a sincere repentance, the difficulty still increases. For a repentance without the help of the sacraments sufficient to obtain the grace of justification, includes a perfect contrition, founded in a perfect love of God above all things; a favor so seldom granted to sinners, even in the Church itself, that the sacrament of penance is appointed by Jesus Christ as the standing means of supplying for our deficiency in that respect. Now, what likelihood is there that Almighty God will bestow so very singular a favor upon one who has lost his innocence, and is not in the communion of His Church, and deprived of the helps she affords for recovering it? ***
But, (3) Let us suppose the case to happen as it is proposed, and that Almighty God gives this man these extraordinary graces by which he preserves his baptismal innocence to the last, dies in the grace of God, and goes to heaven; would not this be making God contradict Himself, and act directly contrary to His revealed Will? All the testimonies of the scripture above displayed concur to prove, that God has appointed True Faith in Jesus Christ, and the being in communion with the Church of Christ, as necessary conditions of salvation; and yet, in the present case, the person would be saved who had not the True Faith in Jesus Christ, and was not in communion with His Church, but lived and died in an heretical congregation. There is therefore the greatest reason to believe that such as case will never happen, but that a person brought up in heresy, and invincibly ignorant of the Truth, being by that means deprived of all the helps and graces which are the consequences of the True Faith, and which are only found in the True Church, will not preserve his innocence but continuing in his heresy, and dying in his sins, will be lost; not precisely because he had not the True Faith, of which he is supposed to be invincibly ignorant, and therefore not culpable in wanting it, but his other sins in which he dies guilty.
