Part 6 (1/2)
It is pure invention that pope, bishops, priests and monks are to be called the ”spiritual estate”; princes, lords, artisans, and far and hypocrisy
Yet no one should be frightened by it; and for this reason--viz, that all Christians are truly of the ”spiritual estate,” and there is a them no difference at all but that of office, as Paul says in I Corinthians xii We are all one body, yet every member has its oork, whereby it serves every other, all because we have one baptism, one Gospel, one faith, and are all alike Christians [1 Cor 12:12 ff]; for baptism, Gospel and faith alone make us ”spiritual” and a Christian people
[Sidenote: The Priesthood of Believers]
But that a pope or a bishop anoints, confers tonsures, ordains, consecrates, or prescribes dress unlike that of the laity,--this es[15], but it never h baptism all of us are consecrated to the priesthood, as St Peter says in I Peter ii, ”Ye are a royal priesthood, a priestly kingdom,” [1 Pet 2:9] and the book of Revelation says, ”Thou hast s” [Rev 5:10] For if we had no higher consecration than pope or bishop gives, the consecration by pope or bishop would never ht anyone either say ive absolution Therefore when the bishop consecrates it is the saation, all of whom have like poere to take one out of their nue hih ten brothers, all king's sons and equal heirs, were to choose one of themselves to rule the inheritance or theh one of the
To roup of pious Christian laymen were taken captive and set down in a wilderness, and had a them no priest consecrated by a bishop, and if there in the wilderness they were to agree in choosing one of thee hi and preaching, such a h all bishops and popes had consecrated hiive absolution[16], which would be irace and power of baptish destroyed and caused us to forget through the canon law[17] It was in the manner aforesaid that Christians in olden days chose from their number bishops and priests, ere afterwards confirmed by other bishops, without all the shohich now obtains It was thus that Sts
Augustine[18], Ambrose[19] and Cyprian[20] became bishops
[Sidenote: The Temporal Rulers, Priests]
[Sidenote: The Priest an Office-holder]
Since, then, the temporal authorities are baptised with sarant that they are priests and bishops, and count their office one which has a proper and a useful place in the Christian community For whoever comes out of the water of baptism[21] can boast that he is already consecrated priest, bishop and pope, though it is not seemly that every one should exercise the office Nay, just because we are all in like manner priests, no one must put himself forward and undertake, without our consent and election, to do what is in the power of all of us For what is common to all, no one dare take upon himself without the will and the command of the community; and should it happen that one chosen for such an office were deposed for malfeasance, he would then be just what he was before he held office Therefore a priest in Christendo else than an office-holder While he is in office, he has precedence; holder when deposed, he is a peasant or a townser a priest when he is deposed But now they have invented _characteres indelebiles_[22], and prate that a deposed priest is nevertheless so different from a mere layman They even drea else than a priest All this is mere talk and man-made law
From all this it follows that there is really no difference between laymen and priests, princes and bishops, ”spirituals” and ”temporals,”
as they call them, except that of office and work, but not of ”estate”; or they are all of the sah they are not all engaged in the same work, just as all priests andof St Paul in Romans xii [Rom 12:4 ff] and I Corinthians xii [1 Cor 12:12 ff], and of St Peter in I Peter ii [1 Pet 2:9], as I have said above, viz, that we are all one body of Christ, the Head, all members one of another Christ has not two different bodies, one ”temporal,” the other ”spiritual” He is one Head, and He has one body
Therefore, just as those who are now called ”spiritual”--priests, bishops or popes--are neither different from other Christians nor superior to theed with the administration of the Word of God and the sacraments, which is their work and office, so it is with the temporal authorities,--they bear sword and rod hich to punish the evil and to protect the good [Rom 13:4] A cobbler, a smith, a farmer, each has the work and office of his trade, and yet they are all alike consecrated priests and bishops, and every one by means of his oork or office must benefit and serve every other, that in this way many kinds of work may be done for the bodily and spiritual welfare of the community, even as all the members of the body serve one another
See, no Christian is the decree which says that the temporal power is not above the ”spiritual estate” and may not punish it[24]
That is as much as to say that the hand shall lend no aid when the eye is suffering Is it not unnatural, not to say unchristian, that one member should not help another and prevent its destruction? Verily, the more honorable the member, the more should the others help I say then, since the temporal power is ordained of God to punish evil-doers and to protect them that do well [Rom 13], it should therefore be left free to perforh the whole body of Christendom without respect of persons, whether it affect pope, bishops, priests, monks, nuns or anybody else For if thethe Christian offices than has the office of preachers or confessors, or of the clergy, then the tailors, cobblers, masons, carpenters, pot-boys, tapsters, farmers, and all the secular trades pope, bishops, priests and , houses,them tribute But if these laymen are allowed to do their work unhindered, what do the Roman scribes mean by their lahich they withdraw themselves from the jurisdiction of the temporal Christian power, only so that they may be free to do evil and to fulfil what St Peter has said: ”There shall be false teachers aned words make merchandise of you” [2 Pet 2:1 ff]
On this account the Christian temporal power should exercise its office without let or hindrance, regardless whether it be pope, bishop or priest whouilty, let him suffer All that the canon law has said to the contrary is sheer invention of Roman presumption For thus saith St Paul to all Christians: ”Let every soul (I take that to her powers; for they bear not the sword in vain, but are the ministers of God for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well” [Rom 13:1, 4] St Peter also says: ”Submit yourselves unto every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, for so is the will of God” [1 Pet 2:13, 15] He has also prophesied that such men shall come as will despise the temporal authorities [1 Pet 2:10]; and this has coh the canon law
So then, I think this first paper-wall is overthrown, since the temporal power has become a member of the body of Christendoh its work is of a temporal nature
Therefore its work should extend freely and without hindrance to all the members of the whole body; it should punish and use force whenever guilt deserves or necessity deard to pope, bishops and priests,--let them hurl threats and bans as uilty priests, if they are surrendered to the tenities, which would not be right unless the temporal sword had previously had authority over theain, it is intolerable that in the canon law so much importance is attached to the freedoh the laity were not also as spiritual and as good Christians as they, or did not belong to the Church Why are your life and limb, your property and honor so free, and mine not? We are all alike Christians, and have baptiss alike If a priest is killed, the land is laid under interdict,[26]--why not when a peasant is killed? Whence coreat distinction between those who are equally Christians? Only froood spirit who has invented such exceptions and granted to sin such license and iainst the works and words of the evil spirit, and to drive him out in whatever e can, as Christ coht we, then, to suffer it in silence when the pope or his satellites are bent on devilish words and works? Ought we for the sake of men to allow the suppression of divine commandments and truths which we have sworn in baptism to support with life and limb? Of a truth we should then have to answer for all the souls that would thereby be abandoned and led astray
It must therefore have been the very prince of devils who said what is written in the canon law: ”If the pope were so scandalously bad as to lead souls in crowds to the devil, yet he could not be deposed”[27]
On this accursed and devilish foundation they build at Roo to the devil, rather than resist their knavery If the act that one man is set over others were sufficient reason why he should escape punishment, then no Christian could punish another, since Christ commands that every man shall esteem himself the lowliest and the least [Matt 18:4]
Where sin is, there is no escape froory[28]
also writes that we are indeed all equal, but guilt puts us in subjection one to another Noe see how they whom God and the Apostles have made subject to the te it of its liberty by their oickedness, without warrant of Scripture It is to be feared that this is a gan that he is close at hand
[Sidenote: The Second Wall--The Pope the Interpreter of Scripture; Papal Infallibility]
The second wall is still more flimsy and worthless They wish to be the only Masters of the Holy Scriptures[31] even though in all their lives they learn nothing from them They assu of words they would persuade us that the pope, whether he be a bad ood man, cannot err in le letter of it
Hence it comes that so many heretical and unchristian, nay, even unnatural ordinances have a place in the canon law, of which, however, there is no present need to speak For since they think that the Holy Spirit never leaves them, be they never so unlearned and wicked, they make bold to decree whatever they will And if it were true, where would be the need or use of the Holy Scriptures? Let us burn them, and be satisfied with the unlearned lords at Roh He can possess only pious hearts! Unless I had read it myself[33], I could not have believed that the devil would
But not to fight them with mere words, ill quote the Scriptures
St Paul says in I Corinthians xiv: anyone so to another in God's Word, then the first, who is speaking, shall hold his peace and give place”
[1 Cor 14:30] What would be the use of this co or who has the highest seat?
[John 6:45] Christ also says in John vi, that all Christians shall be taught of God Thus it may well happen that the pope and his followers are wickedtrue understanding On the other hand, an ordinary ; why then should we not follow him? Has not the pope erred many times? Who would help Christendom when the pope errs, if ere not to believe another, who had the Scriptures on his side, more than the pope?