4. If this faith be taken away from human affairs, who but must observe how great disorder in them, and how fearful confusion must follow? For who will be loved by any with mutual affection, (being that the loving4    Dilectio itself is invisible,) if what I see not, I ought not to believe? Therefore will the whole of friendship perish, in that it consists not save of mutual love. For what of it will it be able to receive from any, if nothing of it shall be believed to be shown? Further, friendship perishing, there will be preserved in the mind the bonds neither of marriages, nor of kindreds and relations; because in these also there is assuredly a friendly union of sentiment. Spouse therefore will not be able to love spouse in turn, inasmuch as each believes not the other’s love, because the love itself cannot be seen. Nor will they long to have sons, who they believe not will make them a return. And if these be born and grow up, much less will the parents themselves love their own children, whose love towards themselves in those children’s hearts they will not see, it being invisible; if it be not praiseworthy faith, but blameable rashness, to believe those things which are not seen. Why should I now speak of the other connections, of brothers, sisters, sons-in-law, and fathers-in-law, and of them who are joined together by any kindred or affinity, if love is uncertain, and the will suspected, that of parents by sons, and that of sons by parents, whilst due benevolence is not rendered; because neither is it thought to be due, that which is not seen in another not being thought to exist. Further, if this caution be not a mark of ability,5    Ingeniosa but be hateful, wherein we believe not that we are loved, because we see not the love of them who love, and repay not them, unto whom we think not that we owe a return; to that degree are human affairs thrown into disorder, if what we see not we believe not, as to be altogether and utterly overthrown, if we believe no wills of men, which assuredly we cannot see. I omit to mention in how many things they, who find fault with us because we believe what we see not, believe report or history; or concerning places where they have not themselves been; and say not, we believe not, because we have not seen. Since if they say this, they are obliged to confess that their own parents are not surely known to them: because on this point also they have believed the accounts of others telling of it, who yet are unable to show it, because it is a thing already past; retaining themselves no sense of that time, and yet yielding assent without any doubting to others speaking of that time: and unless this be done, there must of necessity be incurred a faithless impiety towards parents, whilst we are, as it were, showing a rashness of belief in those things which we cannot see. Since therefore, if we believe not those things which we cannot see, human society itself, through concord perishing, will not stand how much more is faith to be applied to divine things, although they be not seen; failing the application of which, it is not the friendship of some men or other, but the very chiefest bond of piety6    “Religio,” (toward parents). that is violated, so as for the chiefest misery to follow.

4. Si auferatur haec fides de rebus humanis, quis non attendat quanta earum perturbatio, et quam horrenda confusio subsequatur? Quis enim mutua charitate diligetur ab aliquo, cum sit invisibilis ipsa dilectio, si quod non video, credere non debeo? Tota itaque peribit amicitia, quia non nisi mutuo amore constat. Quid enim ejus poterit ab aliquo recipere, si nihil ejus creditum fuerit exhiberi? Porro amicitia pereunte, neque connubiorum neque cognationum et affinitatum vincula in animo servabuntur; quia et in his utique amica consensio est. Non ergo conjugem conjux vicissim diligere poterit, quando se diligi, quia ipsam dilectionem non potest videre, non credit. Nec filios habere desiderabunt, quos vicissim sibi reddituros esse non credunt. Qui si nascantur et crescant, multo minus ipsi parentes suos amabunt, quorum erga se amorem in eorum cordibus, quia est invisibilis, non videbunt; si ea quae non videntur, non laudabili fide, sed culpabili temeritate creduntur. Quid jam de caeteris necessitudinibus dicam, fratrum, sororum, generorum atque socerorum, et qualibet consanguinitate et affinitate junctorum, si charitas incerta, voluntasque suspecta est, et filiis parentum, et parentibus filiorum, dum benevolentia non redditur debita ; quia nec deberi putatur, quando in alio quae non videtur, esse non creditur? Porro si non ingeniosa, sed odiosa est ista cautela, ubi nos amari non credimus, quod amorem amantium non videmus, vicemque non rependimus, quibus eam nos debere mutuam non putamus: usque adeo res humanae perturbantur, si quod non videmus, non credamus, ut omnino funditus evertantur, si nullas credamus hominum 0174 voluntates, quas utique videre non possumus. Omitto dicere quam multa isti, qui nos reprehendunt, quia credimus quae non videmus, credant famae et historiae, vel de locis ubi ipsi non fuerunt; nec dicant, Non credimus, quia non vidimus. Quoniam si hoc dicant, coguntur fateri incertos sibi esse parentes suos: quia et hinc aliis narrantibus, nec tamen quia jam praeteritum est id ostendere valentibus, crediderunt, nullum retinentes illius temporis sensum, et tamen aliis inde loquentibus adhibentes sine ulla dubitatione consensum; quod nisi fiat, incurratur necesse est adversus parentes infidelis impietas, dum quasi vitatur in his quae videre non possumus credendi temeritas.

CAPUT III.

Indicia quae confirmant fidem. Prophetiae de Ecclesia impletae. Si ergo non credentibus nobis quae videre non possumus, ipsa humana societas, concordia pereunte, non stabit: quanto magis est fides, quamvis quae non videntur, rebus adhibenda divinis; quae si non adhibeatur, non amicitia quorumlibet hominum, sed ipsa summa religio violatur, ut summa miseria consequatur?