Those Who Have Faith

Man in the state of innocence before the fall, and angels before their confirmation in grace and glory, had faith. Some of the truths which for us are in the object of faith were doubtless in their knowledge, but they could not have known all the divine truths thus; they held some by faith.

The fallen angels have faith. St. James (2:19) says:“The devils … believe and tremble.” Yet their faith is not a living faith, not a virtue. It is formless or lifelessfaith, and consists, not in the infused virtue, but in the fact that the fallen angels see many signs by which they understand thatthe teaching of the Church is from God and is therefore true.

To reject any article of the faith is to reject the faith itself. This is like pulling one stone out of an arch; it is like putting one hole in the hull of a ship. The whole arch tumblesdown; the whole ship sinks. A man who has the faith, accepts God’s word. Now, God’s word has set up the Church asman’s infallible teacher and guide. If a man, therefore,rejects one article of the faith, and says that he believes all theother articles, he believes these by his own choice and opinion,not by faith. Rejecting one article of the faith, he rejects thewhole authority of the Church, and he rejects the authority of God which has set up and authorized the Church to teach truth. Hence,it is entirely incorrect to say that a man may have lifeless orformless faith in some articles of the Creed while he rejects others; such a man has not the faith at all, living or lifeless.

One man’s faith can be greater than that of another in the sense that one man can have a fuller and more explicit knowledge of the truths of faith than another has. And oneman’s faith may be called greater than the faith of another inthe sense that he has a greater confidence and devotion in the practice of faith than another has. But the faith, considered in itself, is one thing, not capable of being lesser or greater.