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| Chapter VI. The united doctrine of the Catholics is to be received as the orthodox faith.
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Chapter VI.
The united doctrine of the Catholics is to be received
as the orthodox faith.
This confession of his
therefore, which was the faith of all Catholics was approved of by all
the Bishops of Africa,2384
| 2384 The attesting
Bishops who subscribed his recantation as witnesses were Aurelius of
Carthage; Augustine of Hippo Regius; Florentius of the other Hippo; and
Secundinus of Megarmita. | whence he
wrote, and by all those of Gaul, to whom he wrote. Nor has there ever
been anyone who quarrelled with this faith, without being guilty of
unbelief: for to deny what is right and proved is to confess what is
wrong. The agreement of all ought then to be in itself already
sufficient to confute heresy: for the authority of all shows undoubted
truth, and a perfect reason results where no one disputes it: so that
if a man endeavours to hold opinions contrary to these, we should in
the first instance rather condemn his perverseness than listen to his
assertions, for one who impugns the judgment of all announces
beforehand his own condemnation, and a man who disturbs what has been
determined by all, is not even given a hearing. For when the truth has
once for all been established by all men, whatever arises contrary to
it is by this very fact to be recognized at once as falsehood, because
it differs from the truth. And thus it is agreed that this alone is
sufficient to condemn a man; viz., that he differs from the judgment of
truth. But still as an explanation of a system does no harm to the
system, and truth always shines brighter when thoroughly ventilated,
and as it is better that those who are wrong should be set right by
discussion rather than condemned by severe censures, we should cure, as
far as we can with the Divine assistance, this old heresy appearing in
the persons of new heretics, that when through God’s mercy they
have recovered their health, their cure may bear testimony to our holy
faith instead of their condemnation proving an instance of just
severity. Only may the Truth indeed be present at our discussion and
discourse concerning it, and assist our human weakness with that
goodness with which God vouchsafed to come to men, as for this purpose
above all He willed to be born on earth and among men; viz., that there
might be no more room for falsehood.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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