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cæcorum. Et improbat tales cultus (13): Omnis plantatio, quam non plantavit Pater meus cælestis, eradicabitur.'

which urge traditions, 'Let them alone; they be blind leaders of the blind' (Matt. xv. 14). And he condemneth such services: 'Every plant which my. heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up' (ver. 13).

Si jus habent Episcopi one- If Bishops have authority to burrandi ecclesias infinitis tradi- den the churches with innumerable tionibus, et illaqueandi conscien- traditions, and to snare men's contias, cur toties prohibet Scriptu- sciences, why doth the Scripture so ra condere et audire traditiones? oft forbid to make and to listen to cur vocat eas (1 Tim. iv. 1) do- traditions? Why doth it call them ctrinas dæmoniorum? num fru- the doctrines of devils? (1 Tim. iv. stra hæc præmonuit Spiritus 1.) Hath the Holy Ghost warned Sanctus? us of them to no purpose? Relinquitur igitur, cum ordi- It remaineth, then, that (seeing nationes institutæ tanquam neces- ordinances, instituted as necessary, sariæ, aut cum opinione prome- or with the opinion of meriting rendæ gratiæ, pugnent cum Evan- grace, are repugnant to the Gospel) gelio, quod non liceat ullis Epi- it is not lawful for any Bishops scopis tales cultus instituere aut to institute or exact such worship. exigere. Necesse est enim in ec- For it is necessary that the doctrine clesiis [in der Christenheit] reti- of Christian liberty should be mainneri doctrinam de libertate Chri- tained in the churches [Christenstiana, quod non sit necessaria dom]; that the bondage of the law servitus legis ad justificationem; is not necessary unto justification, sicut in Galatis scriptum est as it is written to the Galatians: (v. 1): Nolite iterum jugo ser-Be not entangled again with the vitutis subjici. Necesse est reti-yoke of bondage' (Gal. v. 1). It is neri præcipuum Evangelii lo- necessary that the chiefest point of cum, quod gratiam per fidem in all the Gospel should be holden Christum, gratis consequamur, fast, that we do freely obtain grace, non propter certas observationes, by faith in Christ, not because of aut propter cultus ab hominibus certain observances, or of services institutos. devised by men.

Quid igitur sentiendum est de What is, then, to be thought of die Dominico et similibus riti- the Lord's day, and of like rites of bus templorum? Ad hæc re- temples? Hereunto they [ours] spondent [die Unsern], quod li- answer, that it is lawful for Bishceat Episcopis seu Pastoribus fa- ops or Pastors to make ordinances, cere ordinationes, ut res ordine whereby things may be done in gerantur in Ecclesia, non ut per order in the Church; not that by illas mereamur gratiam, aut satis them we may merit grace, or satisfy faciamus pro peccatis, aut obli- for sins, or that men's consciences gentur conscientia, ut judicent should be bound to esteem them as esse necessarios cultus, ac sen- necessary services, and think that tiant se peccare, cum sine offen- they sin when they violate them, sione aliorum violant. Sic Pau- without the offense of others. So lus ordinat (1 Cor. xi. 15) ut in Panl ordained, 'that women should congregatione mulieres velent ca- cover their heads in the congregapita' (1 Cor. xiv. 30), ' ut ordine tion' (1 Cor. xi. 6); 'that the interaudiantur in Ecclesia interpreters of Scripture should be heard pretes, etc. in order in the Church' (1 Cor. xiv. 27), etc.

Tales ordinationes convenit Such ordinances it behooveth the ecclesias propter caritatem et churches to keep for charity and tranquillitatem servare eatenus, quietness' sake, so that one offend ne alius alium offendat, ut or- not another, that all things may be dine et sine tumultu omnia fiant done in order, and without tumult in ecclesiis (1 Cor. xiv. 40, comp. in the churches (1 Cor. xiv. 40 and Phil. ii. 14): verum ita, ne con- Phil. ii. 14), but so that consciences scientiæ onerentur, ut ducant res be not burdened, so as to account esse necessarias ad salutem, ac them as things necessary to salvajudicent se peccare, cum violant tion, and think they sin when they eas sine aliorum offensione, sicut violate them, without offense of nemo dixerit peccare mulierem, others; as no one would say that quæ in publicum non velato ca- a woman sins if she went into pubpite procedit, sine offensione ho- lic with her head uncovered, provided it were without the offense of men.

minum.

Talis est observatio diei Do

Such is the observation of the

minici, Paschatis, Pentecostes et Lord's day, of Easter, of Pentecost, similium feriarum et rituum. and like holidays and rites. For Nam qui judicant Ecclesiæ au- they that think that the observation toritate pro Sabbato institutam of the Lord's day was appointed by esse diei Dominici observatio- the authority of the Church, instead nem, tanquam necessariam, longe of the Sabbath, as necessary, are errant. Scriptura abrogavit Sab- greatly deceived. The Scripture, batum, quæ docet omnes ceremo- which teacheth that all the Monias Mosaicas, post revelatum saical ceremonies can be omitted Evangelium omitti posse. Et ta- after the Gospel is revealed, has men, quia opus erat constituere abrogated the Sabbath. And yet, certum diem, ut sciret populus, because it was requisite to appoint quando convenire deberet, apparet a certain day, that the people might Ecclesiam [die christliche Kirche] know when they ought to come toei rei destinasse diem Dominicum, gether, it appears that the [Chrisqui ob hanc quoque causam vide- tian] Church did for that purpose tur magis placuisse, ut haberent appoint the Lord's day: which for homines exemplum Christianæ li- this cause also seemed to have been bertatis, et scirent, nec Sabbati nec pleasing, that men might have an alterius diei observationem neces- example of Christian liberty, and sariam esse [dass weder die Hal- might know that the observation, tung des Sabbaths, noch eines an- neither of the Sabbath, nor of andern Tages vonnöthen sei].' other day, was of necessity.

Extant prodigiosa disputatio- There are certain marvelous disnes de mutatione legis, de cere- putations touching the changing of moniis novæ legis, de mutatione the law, and the ceremonies of the Sabbati, quæ omnes orta sunt new law, and the change of the Sab

1 This view of the Christian Sabbath, which was held by all the Reformers, and still prevails on the Continent of Europe, overlooks the important fact that the Sabbath has a moral as well as a ceremonial aspect, and is a part of the Decalogue, which the Lord did not come 'to destroy, but to fulfill' (Matt. v. 17, 18; comp. xxii. 37-40; Rom. iii. 31; x. 4). As a periodical day of rest for the body, and worship for the soul, the Sabbath is founded in the physical and moral constitution of man, and reflects the rest of God after the work of creation (Gen. ii. 3). Under this view it is of primitive origin, like the institution of marriage, and of perpetual obligation, like the other commandments of the Decalogue. A lax theory of the Sabbath naturally leads to a lax practice, and tends to destroy the blessing of this holy day. The Anglo-American churches have an unspeakable advantage over those of the Continent of Europe in their higher theory and practice of Sabbath observance, which dates from the close of the sixteenth century. Even Puritan rigor is better than the opposite extreme.

ex falsa persuasione, quod opor- | bath: which all arose from the false teat in Ecclesia cultum esse si persuasion, that there should be a milem Levitico, et quod Chri- a service in the Church, like to the stus commiserit Apostolis et Epi- Levitical; and that Christ comscopis excogitare novas ceremo- mitted to the Apostles and Bishnias, quæ sint ad salutem neces-ops the devising new ceremonies, sariæ. Hi errores serpserunt in which should be necessary to salEcclesiam, cum justitia fidei non vation. These errors crept into the satis clare doceretur. Aliqui Church, when the righteousness of disputant, diei Dominici obser- faith was not plainly enough taught. vationem non quidem juris di- Some dispute that the observation vini esse, sed quasi juris divini; præscribunt de feriis, quatenus liceat operari. Hujusmodi disputationes quid sunt aliud, nisi laquei conscientiarum? Quan- lawful to work in them. What else quam enim conentur epiikeizare are such disputations-but snares for [zu lindern und epiiciren] tra- men's consciences? For though ditiones, tamen nunquam potest they seek to moderate traditions, æquitas deprehendi [so kann yet the equity of them can never man doch keine Eikiav oder be perceived so long as the opinion Linderung treffen], donec manet of necessity remaineth; which must opinio necessitatis, quam manere needs remain, where the righteousnecesse est, ubi ignorantur justi-ness of faith and Christian liberty tia fidei et libertas Christiana. are not known.

of the Lord's day is not indeed of the law of God, but as it were of the law of God; and touching holidays, they prescribe how far it is

Apostoli jusserunt (Acts xv. The Apostles commanded to 20) 'abstinere a sanguine. Quis abstain from blood' (Acts xv. 20). nunc observat? Neque tamen Who observeth that nowadays? peccant, qui non observant, quia And yet they do not sin that obne ipsi quidem Apostoli volue- serve it not. For the Apostles runt onerare conscientias tali themselves would not burden men's servitute, sed ad tempus prohi- consciences with such a servitude; buerunt propter scandalum. Est but they forbade it for a time, beenim perpetuo voluntas Evange- cause of scandal. For in the delii [das Hauptstück christlicher cree, the will of the Gospel is alLehre] consideranda in decreto. ways to be considered.

Vix ulli Canones servantur Scarcely any Canons are preaccurate, et multi quotidie exo- cisely kept; and many grow out lescunt apud illos etiam, qui of use daily, yea, even among diligentissime defendunt tradi- them that do most busily defend tiones. Nec potest conscientiis traditions. Neither can there be consuli, nisi hæc æquitas serve- sufficient care had of men's contur [wo diese Linderung nicht sciences, except this equity be kept, gehalten wird], ut sciamus eos that men should know that such sine opinione necessitatis servari, rites are not to be observed with nec lædi conscientias, etiamsi tra- any opinion of necessity, and that ditiones exolescant. men's consciences are not hurt, though traditions grow out of use. Facile autem possent Episcopi The Bishops might easily retain legitimam obedientiam retinere, lawful obedience, if they would not si non urgerent servare tradi- urge men to observe such traditiones, quæ bona conscientia ser- tions as can not be kept with a good vari non possunt. Nunc impe- conscience. Now they command rant cælibatum, nullos recipiunt, single life; and they admit none, nisi jurent se puram Evangelii except they will swear not to teach doctrinam nolle docere: Non the pure doctrine of the Gospel. petunt Ecclesiæ, ut Episcopi ho- The churches do not desire of the noris sui jactura sarciant con- Bishops that they would repair cordiam, quod tamen decebat bo- peace and concord with the loss of nos Pastores facere. Tantum their honor (which yet good pas petunt, ut injusta onera remit- tors ought to do): they only desire tant, quæ nova sunt, et prae- that they would remit unjust burter consuetudinem Ecclesiæ Ca- dens, which are both new and retholicæ [wider den Gebrauch ceived contrary to the custom of der christlichen gemeinen Kir- the Catholic [Christian Universal] chen] recepta. Fortassis initio Church. It may well be that some quædam constitutiones habue- constitutions had some probable runt probabiles causas, quæ ta- reasons when they began, which men posterioribus temporibus yet will not agree to latter times. non congruunt. Apparet etiam It is evident that some were requasdam errore receptas esse; ceived through error. Wherefore quare Pontificia clementia esset, it were a matter for the pontifical VOL. III.-F

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