George Hay

“ Here, then, it is manifest, that all fellowship with those who have not the doctrine of Jesus Christ, which is "a communication in their evil works " that is, in their false tenets, or worship, or in any act of religion is strictly forbidden, under pain of losing the "things we have wrought, the reward of our labours, the salvation of our souls." And if this holy apostle declares that the very saying God speed to such people is a communication with their wicked works, what would he have said of going to their places of worship, of hearing their sermons, joining in their prayers, or the like? ”

“ That when a person is called upon by public authority to give an account of his religion, he is obliged in conscience openly to declare his faith, because the honour of God then requires him to do so, and obliges him not to be ashamed of Christ nor of His words, even though his doing so should cost him all he has in this world, even life itself. ”

“ If, therefore, a person, however learned, shall offend Almighty God in doing what is dishonourable to his holy faith, is not this provoking God to withdraw from him that gift of which, by his disobedience, he renders himself unworthy? ”

“ If we consider what our holy religion teaches, we shall see that even the most learned cannot answer for themselves when they culpably expose themselves to danger. St Paul assures us that "by grace we are saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, for it is the gift of God," Eph. ii. 8. Our faith, then, being a gift of God, our perseverance in it is no less so. ”

“ On this account the same holy apostle exhorts us in the most pressing manner to take care not to be seduced from the light of our holy faith by the vain words and seducing speeches of false teachers, by which we would certainly incur the anger of God; and, to prevent so great a misery, he not only exhorts us to walk as children of the light in the practice of all holy virtues, but expressly commands us to avoid all communication in religion with those who walk in the darkness of error. ”

“ And is it not surprising that, if we hear our friend, father, or prince spoken evil of, we think ourselves obliged to take their part and defend them, and yet that we should be cold and backward to defend the cause of the great God, when we hear His divine truths blasphemed, or ashamed to show ourselves Christians, lest we should be ridiculed by men? ”

“ That when a person living among those of a false religion conceals his faith, though he keep it in his heart, and in order to conceal it neglects all its external duties, and even transgresses the sacred laws and precepts of the Church lest he should be discovered, and meet with some temporal loss or inconvenience, he is guilty of a sin, because he is ashamed of the faith of Christ, disobeys His holy Church, and prefers his own worldly ease and interest to the glory of God and the honour of His holy Gospel. ”

“ As for the motive of curiosity to see and hear what they do and say, it is certainly a disgrace to a Christian, or even to a reasonable person, to have recourse to such an excuse for doing a thing forbidden by lawful authority, but much more for doing what is so frequently, so severely, and for such important reasons forbidden by the law of God, and of His Church. ”

“ That if any outward action or dress, or the like, be either of its own nature, by the laws of the country, or the custom of the place, considered a distinctive sign of a false religion, it is always unlawful and a sin in any member of the Church of Christ to do that action or wear that dress, whatever may be his private intention in doing so; because in the eyes of the world it is an open profession of that false religion, nor does it depend upon his private intention to make it otherwise. ”

“ She knows her heavenly spouse has declared that "no man can serve two masters; we cannot serve God and Mammon;" and therefore she must either have them to be hers entirely, or she cannot acknowledge them as such. She knows His holy apostle has protested that there can be no "participation, no fellowship, no concord, no part, no agreement between the faithful and the unbeliever;" and therefore she never can allow any of her faithful children to have any religious communication with those of a false religion and corrupted faith. ”

“ It is impossible there should be any reason in favour of falsehood capable of convincing the understanding of a person who is well instructed in the faith of Jesus Christ; but the most learned and best instructed are not proof against their own passions and the seduction of the heart, and therefore can have no security against these if they culpably expose themselves to danger, by which they offend God and provoke Him to withdraw His grace from them, leaving them a prey to their passions, which we have seen has frequently occurred. ”

“ And in Scotland the distinctive sign of the faithful from others is, that Catholics do not go to their churches; and for the most part nothing else is required of Catholics as a profession that they have forsaken their own Church than to go to the meetings of others, which, if they do, they are no longer esteemed Catholics, but apostates from their faith. ”

“ Among large numbers of men many are always found who trangress the most sacred laws both of God and His Church, and in many cases it is impossible to censure and punish them for so doing; yet this by no means alters the nature of the law, which will stand at the great day as a testimony against them, and though here they escape the censure of men, they will not escape the just punishment of their trangression at the tribunal of God. ”

“ How many instances have there been in the world even of clergymen who perfectly well knew their religion, and yet lost their faith, and were seduced by exposing ,themselves to these or similar dangers? Their learning in such cases is of no service for their preservation; it is the heart that is seduced, and then their knowledge makes them only the more guilty in the sight of God. Hence the Scripture declares that it is "by pleasing speeches and good words" that false teachers "seduce the hearts of the innocent," Rom. ”

“ In which words the apostle declares, that it is an article of Divine faith, revealed by God, and preached as His word by the apostles, that if we confess Jesus outwardly, and believe Him in our hearts, we shall be saved; for though the internal faith of the heart is sufficient for our justification that is, for being reconciled with God through repentance yet, if occasion be given, we are also bound to confess outwardly, both by words and actions, without shame, or fear of the world, the faith which we believe in our hearts, in order to obtain salvation. ”

“ It was not always required of these blessed martyrs openly to renounce their faith, or to abandon it entirely. Merely saying certain words, or doing some action, which was to be interpreted as a disavowal of their religion, or an approbation of the then established religion of the country, was frequently all that was required of them to save goods, liberty, and life. ”

“ That if this person, the more effectually to conceal his religion, not only neglects its duties, but even joins in acts of the false religion of those with whom he dwells by being present at their prayers, or going to their churches, his sin is still more grievous, because he positively professes a false religion, denies the true religion of Jesus Christ before men, and therefore must expect to be denied by Him at the great day. ”

“ All such dissimulation in religion is detestable in the sight of God, not only for the reasons given above, but also because of the injury it does to His holy religion itself; for when it is discovered, as it seldom fails sooner or later to be, it gives the enemies of our holy faith cause to believe that it approves such dissimulation, and increases their hatred and aversion to it. ”

“ To read bad books is forbidden by the law of nature and by the law of God, as well as by the positive law of the Church, precisely on account of the danger of being seduced by them to evil. Now, suppose a person to be thoroughly learned, and in no probable danger of being seduced by them, yet he cannot read them with a safe conscience, unless he have received permission from his spiritual superiors to do so, even though with the design of refuting them. ”

“ See here whom we are to avoid "those that cause dissensions contrary to the ancient doctrine; "all those who, having left the true faith and doctrine which they had learned, and which has been handed down to us from the beginning by the Church of Christ, follow strange doctrines, and make divisions and dissensions in the Christian world. ”

“ He affirms that, if we do a thing innocent in itself, but which has the appearance of evil, and much more so if it be evil, by which our brother is encouraged or otherwise induced to do it, believing it to be evil, or knowing it to be such, we commit a grievous sin, by ruining our brother's soul, and sinning against Christ, who died for our salvation. Meats offered to idols, in reality contract no uncleanness on that account, because an idol is nothing, and therefore in themselves they may be eaten without any scruple ”

“ The next general command to avoid all religious communication with those who are heretics, or have a false religion, is this, "A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, AVOID; knowing that he that is such an one is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned by his own judgment," Tit. ”

“ Here it is to be observed that, though the apostle says that silly weak people, and especially women, are most apt to be deceived by such false teachers, yet he gives the command of avoiding all communication with them in their evil ways, to all without exception, even to Timothy himself; for the epistle is directed particularly to him, and to him he says, as well as to all others, "Now these avoid," though he was a pastor of the Church, and fully instructed by the apostle himself in all the truths of religion ”

“ Nay, the scandal arising from the example of such learned people must be much greater than from that of others, because every one of the faithful well knows that it is a sin to go to such places, and therefore all must be much more offended by seeing a person who ought to know his duty better than others acting so contrary to it, and the weaker will be much more influenced by his example. ”

“ Every action or way of speaking which either includes, or seems to include, a contempt and disapprobation of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, or an approbation of what is contrary thereto, and which scandalises weak brethren, or tends to lead them into error or sin, is still more detestable in the eyes of God ”

“ Is it a grievous sin to deny Christ, or His faith and Church?
A. It is of its own nature a grievous sin of the deepest dye; for Christ Himself says, "Whosoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father Who is in heaven," Mat. x. 33; and again, "He that shall deny Me before men, shall be denied before the angels of God," Luke, xii. 9. On this authority St Paul declares the same truth as a faithful saying, and commands his disciple Timothy, and in him all the pastors of God's Church, to preach and inculcate the same to their people: "A faithful saying. ... ”

“ Now, though another who has knowledge may lawfully eat such meat, yet, if his doing so induces his weak brother to do the same, he is guilty of the ruin of his brother. "Take heed," says he, "lest perhaps this your liberty become a stumbling-block to the weak; for if a man see him that hath knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not his conscience, being weak, be emboldened to eat those things which are sacrificed to idols? ”

“ For we are informed that ye are compelled, under the most grievous penalties, to go to the churches of heretics, to frequent their meetings, and be present at their sermons. Indeed we are fully persuaded that ye who, with so much fortitude and constancy, have hither-to undergone almost infinite miseries, that ye might walk without stain in the law of the Lord, will never consent to be defiled by communicating with those who have forsaken the Divine law. ”

“ In these countries, if any of the faithful appear in the public places of worship, whether the established or those permitted by law, their doing so is generally looked upon as a defection from their own faith, and a joining with those who are separated from it, which is denying their faith before men. ”

“ Which last words show that in Scotland it is particularly criminal to go to such places, as including a denial of their holy faith, in the estimation of the world and in the eye of the law, and on that account, also, must be attended with greater offence and scandal to all the faithful. ”

“ And if this be the case with all in general, how much more with those who are well instructed and better versed in their religion than others? for their doing any of these things must be a much greater crime than in ignorant people, because they know their duty better. ”

“ And do not examples of the most learned men who have lost themselves by this means effectually prove that this is frequently the case? In the primitive ages, Tertullian and Tatian were most learned men, great champions of the Christian faith, having written many excellent things in defence of it, yet, by exposing themselves to these very dangers, they were miserably seduced, lost their faith, and fell into the most unreasonable heresies. ”