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THIS confession of his therefore, which was the faith of all Catholics
was approved of by all the Bishops of Africa, 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.
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