Summa summae S. Thomae, Tomus III

1° : The Church of Christ taken generally, according to every state, place and time, is « the Congregation of the faithful united in the true worship of God, under Christ their head. » And thus it embraces the faithful of the Old Testament, not only those who belonged to the Synagogue, namely the Jews, but also other faithful outside the Synagogue, such as Job, Melchisedech, etc. Likewise it embraces the blessed, even the angels in heaven, the suffering souls in Purgatory, and the faithful wayfarers. In the blessed it is called the Church triumphant; in the souls of Purgatory, the Church suffering; in wayfarers, the Church militant : not that they are different Churches, but different parts or different states of the same Church.

Nor does it stand in the way that at the time of the Old Testament Christ had not yet come; for the faithful of the Old Testament believed that Christ would come, and in view of his future merits attained salvation. And therefore Christ was their head.

I say 2° : The Church of Christ militant is « the society of baptized faithful, united among themselves by the profession of the same faith, by the participation of the same sacraments, by the same worship, under one head, Christ in heaven, and under his Vicar on earth, the supreme Pontiff. » This definition is commonly received.

I say 3° : Neither all nor only the predestined are in the Church.

The first part is clear. For Paul, while he persecuted the Church, was not in the Church, and yet he was predestined. He says the same of many Jews and pagans.

Proof. of the second part. 1° John the Baptist, Matth., III, 12, compares the Church to the threshing floor in which are wheat and chaff to be burned with fire unquenchable. In the same place XIII, 47, Christ compares it to a net cast into the sea gathering fish of every kind, in which not only good ones are contained, but also bad ones to be thrown out ; in the same place, XXII, 2 seqq., to a marriage feast, into which enter those who have not the wedding garment, and who therefore are to be cast into the exterior darkness. The Apostle, II Tim., II, 20 et 21, compares it to a great house in which are vessels, some unto honor, others unto dishonor. But it is certain that the predestined are not to be burned with fire unquenchable, are not to be thrown out, are not to be cast into the exterior darkness, nor are they vessels unto dishonor. Therefore not only the predestined are in the Church.

2° All those are in the Church who have entered it through the sacrament of faith, that is, Baptism. But not only the predestined are baptized. Therefore.

3° Since predestination is known to no one, if the Church consisted only of the predestined, the Church would be invisible, the opposite of which we shall prove below; neither could the pastors recognize their sheep, nor the sheep their pastor.

I say 4° : Not only the just, but sinners, even manifest ones, are in the Church.

Proof. 1° from the three comparisons of the threshing floor, the net and the marriage feast, concerning the preceding conclusion. For they prove equally of sinners.

2° Christ, Matth., XVIII, 17, commands that a sinner corrected privately and not amended be denounced to the Church, and if he does not hear her, be cast out by her. Therefore he supposes sinners to be in the Church. 1 Cor., V, 1, in the Church of Corinth the incestuous man is found.

3° Christ instituted in the Church the sacrament of Penance, by which sinners would rise again and be healed. Therefore he supposes there to be sinners in the Church; otherwise this sacrament would be in vain.

4° The Church is the society of baptized faithful ordered in the same faith, under the same head. But sinners who are neither heretics, nor schismatics, nor excommunicated, are baptized faithful ordered in the same faith, under the same head. Therefore.

The same doctrine the holy Fathers hand down. Chrysostomus, in Psal., XXXIX; Hieron., contra Lucifer., c. 8; Aug., in many places, expressly Tract. VI in Ioann., n. 12, where he says : « We confess that in the Church there are both the good and the evil, but as grain and chaff. »

Dices 1° : Many Fathers, Cyprian., Epist. ad Magnum.; Hieron., ad Ephes., 5; Aug., lib. I contra Petilian., last chapter, and elsewhere, say that the evil are not members of the Church, nor do they pertain to the Church. Therefore.

Resp. either the praised Fathers speak of the perfect members of the Church, who live the perfect life through charity; or understand by the name of the evil the unfaithful; or take the Church in a restricted sense, as it is the congregation of the nobler members, or of the just alone.

Dices 2° : Sinners belong to the Babylonian city, according to Aug. Therefore not to mystical Jerusalem, namely the Church.

Resp. Dist. of the consequence. Therefore not to mystical Jerusalem, under the same aspect, conc.; under a diverse aspect, nego. They belong to the Babylonian city by reason of sin, to the Church by reason of faith.

Whence you will infer that the propositions 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77 et 78 in Quesnel were rightly condemned.¹

Proof. 5° None enters into the Church and becomes its member except through baptism. Therefore. 2° All who are in the Church are capable of the sacraments of the Church. But catechumens are not capable of these, since Baptism is the door of the other sacraments, as will be said when we treat of Baptism.

Nor does it stand in the way that Christ influences them; for although Christ influences all the members of the Church, he does not influence them in it alone, as appears in the excommunicated, if they repent.

I said, « really and properly ; » because, since catechumens ask to enter the Church, and already have faith and sometimes charity, they can be said to be in the Church proximately, inchoatively and in vow, and thus to be saved.

I say 6° : Heretics, not only manifest, but also occult and internal, are not so in the Church as to be its true members.

Thus I state the conclusion on account of occult and internal heretics, concerning whom the difficulty principally lies, who although they are in the Church in a certain respect, that is, exteriorly and apparently, we judge more probable, however, that they are not of the Church, nor its true members; just as, if a wolf covered with a sheepskin were found among the sheep, he would be in the sheepfold, but would not be of the sheepfold, as its true part.

Proof. 6° 1° The Church is the society of the faithful. But heretics, even occult ones, are not faithful. Therefore.

2° The Church is a body having union, not only external, but also internal of the members among themselves and with the head. But heretics, even occult ones, have no internal union among themselves and with the head; for faith is the first uniter, and the foundation of the rest.

3° Christ is not the actual head of heretics, even occult ones. Therefore. — Proof. of the antecedent. He infuses nothing vital supernatural into heretics, even occult ones; for faith is the foundation and beginning of supernatural life. Therefore.

Nor say that he influences into them the baptismal character; for the baptismal character is not something vital supernatural uniting in one believed or loved object, and otherwise Christ would have to be called the head of damned baptized persons, which St. Thomas denies, IIIa p., q. 8, a. 3, ad 3°.

Nor even say that he influences actual graces; because 1° these are not vital, but only dispositions to life. 2° They are not permanent; but the bond uniting the members of a body ought to be something permanent. 3° Because otherwise Christ ought also to be called the head of infidels, into whom he likewise influences actual graces.

I say 7° : Schismatics and the excommunicated by major excommunication are not in the Church.

Proof. Although both can retain faith, nay, the excommunicated can have charity, if they truly repent, yet de facto they are cut off from the Church; because schismatics voluntarily separate themselves from the head and from the members, for schism is a voluntary rent; the excommunicated are separated by legitimate authority from the same body. Therefore neither are any longer associates or conjoined; but the Church is a society.

It is confirmed. The Church in Parasceve prays for schismatics, as for heretics, that they may return to the Church. And Christ, Matth., XVIII, 17, speaking of the excommunicated, says : Let him be to you as the heathen and the publican.