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Brethren, this is a mystery to which Christ's words may be appropriately applied — that it is known to no man, no, not even to the angels in heaven, but to the Father alone. That is why the Church, in one of her prayers, says: " O God, to whom only is known the number of the faithful to be admitted to the happiness of heaven." That, too, is why the Church, as such, has never committed herself to a dogmatic statement on the subject, but leaves the question still open to conjecture and argument. True it is, the weight of private opinion among theologians inclines to the doctrine that only a small minority will be saved; but that, at best, is private opinion; and it is worthy of remark that the greatest living theologian, though he teaches this doctrine in his written works, has more than once retracted it from the pulpit and in the class-room. It is true, also, that on May 22, 1772, the doctrine of " Salvation for the majority " was put on the Index, but we must not forget that decisions of a Congregation deciding individual disputes are by no means infallible. In the thirteenth chapter of St. Luke, a certain man questions Christ: " Lord, are they few that are saved? " Christ answered him: " Strive to enter by the narrow gate, for many shall seek to enter and shall not be able." Again, in the seventh chapter of St. Matthew, Christ says: "Wide the door and broad the way that leads to perdition, and many there are that travel by it; how small the gate and narrow the path that leads to life, and few there are that find it." He avoids a direct answer. To spur men on to