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There are some, too, who found upon the expression of Scripture,
"He that endureth to the end shall be saved," and who promise
salvation only to those who continue in the Church catholic; and
though such persons have lived badly, yet, say they, they shall be
saved as by fire through virtue of the foundation of which the apostle
says, "For other foundation hath no man laid than that which is
laid, which is Christ Jesus. Now if any man build upon this
foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day of the Lord
shall declare it, for it shall be revealed by fire; and each man's
work shall be proved of what sort it is. If any man's work shall
endure which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. But
if any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he
himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire." They say,
accordingly, that the catholic Christian, no matter what his life
be, has Christ as his foundation, while this foundation is not
possessed by any heresy which is separated from the unity of His body.
And therefore, through virtue of this foundation, even though the
catholic Christian by the inconsistency of his life has been as one
building up wood, hay, stubble, upon it, they believe that he shall
be saved by fire, in other words, that he shall be delivered after
tasting the pain of that fire to which the wicked shall be condemned at
the last judgment.
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