6

irrita, quia omnis cultus Dei, void: because that all the worship ab hominibus sine mandato Dei of God, instituted of men without institutus et electus ad prome- the commandment of God, and rendam justificationem et gra- chosen to merit remission of sins tiam, impius est, sicut Christus and justification, is wicked; as ait (Matt. xv. 9): Frustra co- Christ saith: In vain they do lunt me mandatis hominum. Et worship me, teaching for doctrines Paulus ubique docet, justitiam the commandments of men' (Matt. non esse quærendam ex nostris xv. 9). And Paul doth every where observationibus et cultibus, qui teach that righteousness is not to sint excogitati ab hominibus, be sought of our own observances, sed contingere eam per fidem and services which are devised by credentibus, se recipi in gratiam men; but that it cometh by faith a Deo propter Christum.

to those that believe that they are

received into favor by God for Christ's sake.

But it is evident that the monks

Constat autem monachos docuisse, quod facticia religiones did teach that these counterfeited satisfaciant pro peccatis, mere- religions satisfy for sins, and merit antur gratiam et justificatio- grace and justification. What else nem. Quid hoc est aliud, quam is this than to detract from the de gloria Christi detrahere, et glory of Christ, and to obscure and obscurare ac negare justitiam deny the righteousness of faith? fidei? Sequitur igitur, ista vo- Wherefore it followeth that these ta usitata impios cultus fuisse; common vows were wicked servquare sunt irrita. Nam votum ices, and are therefore void. For impium et factum contra man- a wicked vow, and that which is data Dei non valet, neque enim debet votum vinculum esse iniquitatis, ut Canon dicit.

made against the commandments of God, is one of no force; neither, as the Canon saith, ought a vow to be a bond of iniquity.

Paulus dicit (Gal. v. 4): ‘Eva- Paul saith,'Christ is become of cuati estis a Christo, qui in no effect unto you, whosoever of lege justificamini, a gratia exci- you are justified by the law; ye distis. Ergo etiam, qui votis are fallen from grace' (Gal. v. 4). justificari volunt, evacuantur a They, therefore, who wish to be VOL. III.-E

Christo, et a gratia excidunt. | justified by vows, are made vo Nam et hi, qui votis tribuunt Christ, and fall from grace. justificationem, tribuunt propriis they also who attribute justi operibus hoc, quod proprie ad tion to their vows, attribute to t gloriam Christi pertinet. Ne- own works what properly beld que vero negari potest, quin mo- to the glory of Christ. Nor t nachi docuerint, se per vota et can it be denied that the mo observationes suas justificari et taught that they are justified mereri remissionem peccatorum, their vows and observances, a imo affinxerunt absurdiora, dixe- merit the remission of sins; n runt se aliis mutuari sua opera. they invented yet greater absur Hæc si quis velit odiose exagge- ties, and said they could trans rare, quam multa possit colli- their good works to others. If a gere, quorum jam ipsos mona- man wished to expand these thing chos pudet.

so as to excite odium, how ma

things might he rehearse where the monks themselves are no ashamed!

Moreover, they would persuad

Ad hæc persuaserunt hominibus, facticias religiones esse men that these invented religion statum Christianæ perfectionis. orders are a state of Christian per An non est hoc justificatio- fection. Or is this not attribu nem tribuere operibus? Non ting justification to works? It i est leve scandalum in Eccle- no light offense in the Church to sia, populo proponere certum propound unto the people a certain cultum ab hominibus excogita- service devised by men, without the tum sine mandato Dei, et do- commandment of God, and to teach cere, quod talis cultus justificet that such a service doth justify men homines: quia justitia fidei, because that the righteousness of quam maxime oportet tradi in faith, which ought especially to be Ecclesia, obscuratur, cum ille taught in the Church, is obscured mirifica religiones angelorum, si- when those marvelous religions of mulatio paupertatis et humili- angels, the pretense of poverty and tatis, et cælibatus offunduntur humility, and of celibacy, are cast oculis hominum. before men's eyes.

Præterea obscurantur præcepta

Moreover, the commandments of

dei et verus cultus Dei, cum God, and the true worship of God, aunt homines, solos mona- are obscured when men hear that

re

esse in statu perfectionis, monks alone are in that state of a perfectio Christiana est se- perfection; because that Christian 1 timere Deum, et rursus con- perfection is this, to fear God sinere magnam fidem, et conficerely, and again, to conceive great te propter Christum, quod faith, and to trust assuredly that beamus Deum placatum, pe- God is pacified towards us, for Che a Deo, et certo expectare Christ's sake; to ask, and certainly xilium in omnibus rebus ge- to look for, help from God in all ndis, juxta vocationem; inte- our affairs, according to our calling; im foris diligenter facere bona and outwardly to do good works pera, et servire vocationi. In diligently, and to attend to our vois rebus est vera perfectio et cation. In these things doth true terus cultus Dei, non est in cϾ- perfection and the true worship of batu, aut mendicitate, aut veste God consist: it doth not consist in sordida. singleness of life, in beggary, or in vile apparel.

Verum populus concipit mul- The people doth also conceive tas perniciosas opiniones ex illis many pernicious opinions from falsis preconiis vitæ monastica. these false commendations of the Audit sine modo laudari cali- monastic life. They hear celibacy batum: ideo cum offensione con- praised above measure; therefore scientiæ versatur in conjugio. with offense of conscience they live Audit solos mendicos esse per- in marriage. They hear that menfectos: ideo cum offensione con- dicants only are perfect; therefore pientiæ retinet possessiones, nego- with offense of conscience they keep fiatur. Audit consilium Evan- their possessions, and buy and sell. gelicum esse de non vindican- They hear that the Gospel only do: ideo alii in privata vita giveth counsel not to take revenge; non verentur ulcisci, audiunt therefore some in private life are enim consilium esse, non præ- not afraid to avenge themselves; ceptum. Alii omnes magistra- for they hear that it is a counsel, not tus et civilia officia judicant in- a commandment. Others do think digna esse Christianis.

that all magistracy and civil offices

are unworthy Christian men.

Leguntur exempla hominum, We read examples of men who, qui deserto conjugio, deserta rei- forsaking wedlock, and leaving the publicæ administratione, abdide- government of the commonwealth, runt se in monasteria. Id vo- have hid themselves in monasteries. cabant fugere ex mundo, et quæ- This they called flying out of the rere vitæ genus, quod Deo magis world, and seeking a kind of life placeret, nec videbant, Deo ser- which is more acceptable to God: viendum esse in illis mandatis, neither did they see that God is to quæ ipse tradidit, non in man- be served in those commandments datis, quæ sunt excogitata ab which he himself hath delivered, hominibus. Bonum et perfec- not in the commandments which tum vitæ genus est, quod habet are devised by men. That is a good mandatum Dei. De his rebus and perfect kind of life which hath necesse est admonere homines. the commandment of God for it. Et ante hæc tempora reprehen- It is necessary to admonish men of dit Gerson errorem monachorum these things. And before these de perfectione, et testatur, suis times Gerson did reprehend this temporibus novam vocem fuisse, quod vita monastica sit status perfectionis.

error of the monks concerning perfection; and witnesseth, that in his time this was a new saying, that the monastical life is a state of perfection.

Thus many wicked opinions do cleave fast unto vows: as that they merit remission of sins and justification, that they are Christian per

Tam multæ impia opiniones hærent in votis, quod justificent, quod sint perfectio Christiana, quod servent consilia et præcepta, quod habeant opera super- fection, that they do keep the counerogationis. Hæc omnia Hæc omnia cum sels and commandments, that they sint falsa et inania, faciunt vota have works of supererogation. All irrita.

ART. VII.-De Potestate Ecclesiastica.

Magna disputationes fuerunt

these things (seeing they be false and vain) do make vows to be of none effect.

ART. VII.-Of Ecclesiastical Power.
There have been great controver

de potestate Episcoporum, in sies touching the power of Bishops;

quibus nonnulli incommode com- in which many have incommodimiscuerunt potestatem Ecclesias- ously mingled together the Eccleticam et potestatem gladii. siastical power and the power of the sword.

Et ex hac confusione maxima And out of this confusion there bella, maximi motus extiterunt, have sprung very great wars and dum Pontifices, freti potestate tumults, while that the Pontiffs, clavium, non solum novos cultus trusting in the power of the keys, instituerunt reservatione casu- have not only appointed new kinds um, violentis excommunicationi- of service, and burdened men's conbus conscientias oneraverunt, sed sciences by reserving of cases, and etiam regna mundi transferre et by violent excommunications; but imperatoribus adimere imperium have also endeavored to transfer conati sunt.

worldly kingdoms from one to another, and to despoil emperors of their power and authority.

Hæc vitia multo ante repre- These faults did godly and learnhenderunt in Ecclesia homines ed men long since reprehend in pii et eruditi. Itaque nostri ad the Church; and for that cause consolandas conscientias coacti our teachers were compelled, for sunt ostendere discrimen ecclesi- the comfort of men's consciences, asticæ potestatis et potestatis gla- to show the difference between the dii, et docuerunt utramque pro- ecclesiastical power and the powpter mandatum Dei religiose er of the sword. And they have venerandam et honore afficien- taught that both of them, because dam esse, tanquam summa Dei of God's commandment, are dutibeneficia in terris.

fully to be reverenced and honored, as the chiefest blessings of God upon earth.

Sic autem sentiunt, potesta- Now their judgment is this: that tem clavium seu potestatem Epi- the power of the keys, or the power scoporum, juxta Evangelium, po- of the Bishops, by the rule of the testatem esse seu mandatum Dei, Gospel, is a power or commandpradicandi Evangelii, remittendi ment from God, of preaching the et retinendi peccata, et admini- Gospel, of remitting or retaining strandi Sacramenta. Nam cum sins, and of administering the Sac