he does not make the college of the apostles the body of the church, I Cor. 12:28, but he says: "God hath set some in the church, first apostles, second prophets, thirdly teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings," etc. And making a comparison of the body of the church with a man's natural body, he says, "For as there is one body and it has many members but all the members of the body being many are one body: so also is Christ," namely, he is one, because he is one person with his holy church, which is his body.
The second part of this statement, that all the predestinate are not that college, is evident of itself. Therefore, better would the doctors have said that Christ is the head of the holy Roman church, and each of the predestinate a member and that all together are the body, which is the church, than to have said that the pope is the head of the Roman church and the college of cardinals the body, for in this case they would have agreed with the apostles and with the saints quoted in Chapter I, especially with St. Augustine, de doct. christ. III [Nic. Fathers, 2:569], who says: "For, in truth, that is not the Lord's body which will not remain with him through eternity."[1] If, therefore, the college of cardinals will not remain through eternity, a thing which is hidden from me, how is it the body of the holy Roman church or of Christ? In a similar way, how is the pope with the aforesaid college the holy Roman church against which the gates of hell cannot prevail?
Therefore, we will speak more safely with St. Augustine who, Commentary on Psalms, 80:1 [Nic. Fathers, 7:386], says: "Finally by this testimony, the confession is made both of Christ and the vine that is the head and the body, king and people, shepherd and flock, and the whole mystery
- ↑ Augustine here, in reply to Tychonius, the Donatist, denies that the "body of the Lord" can be properly said to be "twofold." The full quotation is: "Twofold is not 'a suitable word, for that is really no part of the body of Christ which will not be with him in eternity.'" Hypocrites may be said to belong to the mixed church, but not to be of "the body of Christ."
