Summa de Ecclesia

¹

Further it must be considered whose head Christ is, or who are called members of Christ or of his body which is the Church. Whether namely he is to be called head of all men, or is head of some and not of others. For this it must be noted that on this matter we find three ways of speaking among those who discuss this subject. Some have wished to say that only the predestined are members of Christ, and consequently that Christ is to be called head of the elect alone, whose motives or arguments are as follows. For they argue first from that passage to Eph. 5, Christ is head of the Church, Saviour of his body: it follows, Christ loved the Church and delivered himself for it, that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of the water of life, that he might present it to himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or anything of this kind. From this authority it is argued thus: Christ is Saviour of the elect alone as to efficacy, and they alone are to be glorified and to be without all spot and wrinkle: therefore it seems that Christ is head of the predestined or elect alone and that only such are to be called members of Christ.

²

Second, the Apostle says 2 Tim. 2, God knows who are his. Upon this the Gloss says thus. Those whom he foreknew would be made conformable to his image, that is he predestined, called, justified and glorified: it follows, the number of such is a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed, a well of living waters, a paradise with the fruits of apples. From this seems what was said before.

³

Third it is argued from that passage 1 John 2, where concerning the wicked who withdrew from the faith of Christ he says: They went out from us, but they were not of us. Which word blessed Aug. in the book on correction and grace, also found on penance, dist. iiii, ch. if from good, § cum ergo, treating says thus: When therefore the sons of God say concerning those who did not have perseverance, they went out from us but they were not of us, and add, for if they had been of us they would have remained: what else do they say but that they were not sons of God, even when they were in the profession and in the name of sons of God?

⁴

Fourth it is argued from that passage of blessed Aug. on Ps. 103. Charity is the proper and singular fount of goods, in which no stranger shares. But strangers are all who are to hear from the Lord, I know you not: therefore it seems that the foreknown do not pertain to the members of Christ, since as is clear from the Gloss to Rom. 8, the society and unity by which we are made one body of the only Son of God is effected and constituted by charity itself.

⁵

Fifth thus from that passage of Aug. in the book on Christian doctrine. That is not truly the body of Christ which will not be with him for eternity, but no foreknown man will be with the Lord for eternity: therefore nothing of any foreknown man will be of the body of the Lord, and consequently neither a member of him, and so it follows in consequence that only the elect, since they alone will reign for eternity with Christ, are members of Christ.

⁶

Sixth they adduce that authority of Aug. in book 4 against the Donatists. There are also some in that number who still live wickedly, or even lie in heresies or in the superstitions of the gentiles, and yet there the Lord knows who are his, for in that ineffable foreknowledge of God many who seem to be within are without.

⁷

Seventh through that passage of the same in the same book. Many also who openly are without, and are called heretics, are better than many good Catholics. What they are today we see, what they will be tomorrow we know not, and to God indeed, with whom things to come are present, things to be are already. From this they argue that Aug. says such are better in the present, he does not say will be, and that he says they are better not according to present justice, because he presupposes that they do not have it since he says they lie hidden in heresies; therefore it must be understood according to divine foreknowledge, with which things to be already are.

⁸

Eighth thus. The Master of the Sentences in book iii, dist. xxiii, last chapter, and according to the scholastic doctors there, it must be conceded simply. God from eternity loved the elect and hated the reprobate. But there seems no greater reason concerning the love of God than concerning his preordination, that the elect be his members. It follows that just as this must be conceded simply, All the elect are loved by God, whether the elect themselves be in grace or in sin or in heresy or do not yet actually exist in their nature, so it seems that this ought to be conceded simply: All the elect are members of Christ, whether they are or are not yet actually existing, and whether they will be or exist in sins.

⁹

Ninth thus. From the sayings of blessed Aug. in the book on correction and grace, also placed on penance, dist. iiii, ch. This society. For he says thus: Nor let it move us that to some of his sons God does not give this perseverance. For far be it that it should be so concerning those predestined and called according to purpose who truly are sons of the promise. For these when they live piously are called sons of God, but because they will live impiously and will die in the same impiety, he does not call them sons of God. For the foreknown are sons of God who are not yet with us and are already with God. Concerning whom John the Evangelist says: Because Jesus was to die for the nation, and not only for the nation but also to gather into one the scattered sons, who indeed were to be by believing through the preaching of the Gospel, and yet before it was done they were already sons of God; for in the memory of their Father they are written with unshaken stability. And there are again some who for the temporal grace received are called sons of God by us, and yet are not sons of God. Concerning whom the same John says: They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. He says much on this, but at the end of the chapter. Moreover I said to you that no one comes to me unless it has been given him by my Father. From this many of his disciples went back, and now walked no more with him. Were not these also called disciples when the Gospel speaks? And yet they were not true disciples, because they did not remain in his word, according to what he says: If you remain in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed. Because therefore they did not remain, they did not have perseverance; just as they were not truly disciples of Christ, so neither were they truly sons of God, even when they seemed to be, and so were called. We therefore call the elect, and disciples of Christ, and sons of God who are to be called, whom we see regenerated living piously; but then they truly are what they are called, if they remain in that for which they are so called. Thus Aug.

¹⁰ Tenth thus. The true body of Christ is a figure of the mystical body, as Aug. says and the Master deduces in book iiii, dist. viii.; but the whole true body of Christ was to be glorified: therefore it seems that only those pertain to the mystical body who are to be glorified in the future with Christ, such as are the predestined alone.

¹¹ Those who hold such a way of speaking concerning the members of Christ assert the following propositions.

¹² First, that not all justified believers are members of Christ, but only the elect who will finally reign forever with Christ.

¹³ Second, that no one when justified begins to be a member of Christ who was not a member of Christ before being justified.

¹⁴ Third, that no one when falling from the state of justification through mortal fault ceases to be a member of Christ who was a member of Christ when just.

¹⁵ Fourth, that the predestined man always remains a member of Christ, although he sometimes falls from the grace of justification.

¹⁶ Fifth, that Paul, Aug. and the thief, when they were unbelievers and persecuted Christ, were sheep of Christ and members of Christ.

¹⁷ Sixth, that Judas at the time when, justified with the other apostles, he followed Christ, was not a sheep of Christ nor a member of Christ.