Reading in Turretin today on Natural Theology (i.e., what God makes clear to us just by the view that he gives us of nature...and how responsible this viewing makes us).

I found something really interesting. Turretin takes issue (or sort of takes issue) with Zwingli's assertion that we will find pagans in heaven--pagans in heaven. Here is story. Turretin asserts (biblically and correctly) that Christ is the only way of salvation and that the natural world, however much it shows us God's glory and power, can not show us the gospel...which is, again, the only way of salvation. Zwingli, however, says the following in his work called "A Short and Brief Exposition of the Christian Faith" (Ch. 10):

Here you will see the the Adams, the redeemed and the redeemer, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, Phineas, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, and the Virgin Mother of God of whom he prophesied,David, Hezekiah, Josiah, the Baptist, Peter, Paul; here too, Hercules, Theseus, Socrates, Aristides, Antigonus, Numa, Camillus, the Catos and Scipios; here Louis the Pious, and your predecessors, the Louis, Philips, Pepins, and all your ancestors who have gone hcnce in faith. In short there has not been a good man and will not be a holy heart or faithful soul from the beginning of the world to the end thereof that you will not see in heaven with God.

The highlighted people are people that (as far as we know) never heard the gospel. Turretin says that Zwingli is stretching the Scriptures at this point, although he notes that Zwingli's view is NOT that these virtuous pagans can earn their way to heaven with their good works, but that God can mysteriously work faith in those who have not heard the gospel. In this, Zwingli agrees with Dante who famously put Rhippheus the Trojan and the Roman Emperor Trajan in heaven. I think that Turretin is right on the theological point that Christ's sacrifice is the only way of salvation (of course, I do not think Zwingli or Dante would put up much of a fight there).

One has to wonder, however, whether Turretin's guarding of this important point is no too knowing. God can and may show grace where he will and if he wants to raise a Roman Emperor from the dead so that a bishop can convert him then so be it (btw, I do not think that this legend is true in fact I am just saying that limiting God's ability to work in whatever way He sees fit). God can save people in whatever way he wants. Note, also, that at least for Dante there are but two of these odd cases. That would be two out of millions and millions. If I am pleasantly surprised to find Cato in heaven, I will just wonder even more at God's grace.