Sermon to the People of the Church of Caesarea · §6 · Augustine of Hippo

Outside the Catholic Church everything except salvation

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Augustine is addressing the congregation about Emeritus, the Donatist bishop present among them, and now turns to the limits of what the Donatist party can possess.

But what can we do except bear our brother's weakness and not give up? I believe this sweat of mine will bear fruit. The Lord our God, who willed that we come to you, who commanded us to seek him, who brought it about that we have found him face to face for now, will help us through your prayers to find his heart, to rejoice in his concord, and to give thanks to God for his salvation—which he cannot have except in the Catholic Church. Outside the Catholic Church he can have everything except salvation. He can have honor, he can have the sacraments, he can sing alleluia, he can answer 'amen,' he can hold the gospel, he can have faith in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and preach it—but nowhere except in the Catholic Church will he be able to find salvation. All these things pass away, my brothers. Right now he thinks he will be great among his own people if he does not give in and is called a martyr of the Donatist party. God forbid! In the name of the Lord, let that pride be taken from his heart. He knows it himself, he has read it himself: If I hand over my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3). I am not saying that if he boasts of having suffered some injuries or some earthly losses for the Donatist party, it profits him nothing. I say more: if he suffers outside at the hands of an enemy of Christ—not a Catholic brother seeking his salvation, but an enemy of Christ—if he suffers outside the Church of Christ and an enemy of Christ says to him, 'Put incense to the idols, worship my gods,' and he refuses to worship and is killed by the enemy of Christ, he can shed blood, but he cannot receive the crown.

Latin

Sed quid faciamus, nisi fraternam infirmitatem feramus et non deficiamus? sudor iste meus credimus quod erit fructuosus. dominus deus noster, qui uoluit ut ueniremus ad uos, qui iussit ut eum quaereremus, qui fecit ut eum interim facie tenus inueniremus, adiutos orationibus uestris faciet nos inuenire cor eius, laetari de concordia eius, gratias agere deo de salute eius, quam non potest habere nisi in ecclesia catholica. extra catholicam ecclesiam totum potest praeter salutem: potest habere honorem, potest habere sacramenta, potest cantare alleluia, potest respondere 'amen', potest euangelium tenere, potest in nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti fidem habere et praedicare, sed nusquam nisi in ecclesia catholica salutem poterit inuenire. transeunt enim omnia ista, fratres mei. modo putat quia magnus erit apud suos, si non consenserit et dictus fuerit martyr partis Donati. absit! tollatur in nomine domini de corde eius iste typhus. nouit et ipse, legit et ipse: si tradidero corpus meum ut ardeam, caritatem autem non habeam, nihil mihi prodest. ego non dico: si aliquas iniurias quasi iactet se passum esse pro parte Donati aut aliqua damna terrena, nihil ei prodest. ego plus dico: si patiatur foris inimicum Christi, non catholicum fratrem suum quaerentem salutem eius, sed inimicum Christi si foras patiatur et dicat ei foras ab ecclesia Christi inimicus Christi: 'pone thus idolis, adora deos meos', et non adorans occidatur ab inimico Christi, sanguinem fundere potest, coronam accipere non potest.