Chapter 19.—27. Let us therefore not flatter the Catholic who is hemmed in with all these vices, nor venture, merely because he is a Catholic Christian, to promise him the impunity which holy Scripture does not promise him; nor, if he has any one of the faults above mentioned, ought we to promise him a partnership in that heavenly land. For, in writing to the Corinthians, the apostle enumerates the several sins, under
each of which it is implicitly understood that it shall not inherit the kingdom of God: "Be not deceived," he says: "neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."1450
He does not say, those who possess all these vices together shall not
inherit the
kingdom of
God; but neither these nor those: so that, as each is named, you may understand that no one of them shall
inherit the
kingdom of
God. As, therefore,
heretics shall not possess the
kingdom of
God, so the covetous shall not
inherit the
kingdom of
God. Nor can we indeed doubt that the punishments themselves, with which they shall be
tortured who do not
inherit the
kingdom of
God,
will vary in proportion to the difference of their offences, and that some will be more severe than others; so that in the
eternal fire itself there will be different
tortures in the punishments, corresponding to the different weights of guilt. For indeed it was not idly that the
Lord said, "It shall be more tolerable for the
land of
Sodom in the day of
judgment than for thee."
1451
But yet, so
far as failing to
inherit the
kingdom of
God is concerned, it is just as certain, if you choose any one of the less heinous of these vices, as if you choose more than one, or some one which you saw was more atrocious; and because those will
inherit the
kingdom of
God whom the
Judge shall set on His right
hand, and for those who shall not be found worthy to be set at the right
hand nothing will remain but to be at the left, no other announcement is left for
them to hear like
goats from the mouth of the
Shepherd, except, "Depart into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels;"
1452
though in that fire, as I said before, it may be that different punishments will be awarded corresponding to the difference of the sins.
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
