Part 46 (2/2)

Mark the word of Christ, Who calls it vain worshi+p to serve God after the doctrines of men For Christ is not drunken or a fool; on His e els and creatures [Gal 1:8]

III

The same Christ in the saoeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of thehtily overthrows all teaching, custouishes between foods, and it sets all consciences free fro food and drink; so that it is allowable to eat s, cheese and meat every day, whether it be Sunday or Friday, Lent or Advent; and no one needs to pay butter-money or buy butter-letters For this word stands firoeth into the mouth doth not defile a man”

[Sidenote: Fast-days]

From this it follows, first, that it is a lie when they say that St

Peter instituted the fast-days and that the cos, butter, milk and meat on fast-days For neither St Peter nor the Church institutes or teaches anything contrary to Christ And if they did, we must not obey them

To do what they ask would indeed not be wicked; but it is wicked to make a necessity and a co does defile and is sin of which Christ Himself says that it is no sin and does not defile

[Sidenote: Dispensation]

It follows, secondly, that it is sheer devil's knavery for the pope to sell letters and grant permission to eat butter, meat, etc; for Christ in this word has already made it a matter of liberty and has permitted it

[Sidenote: Special Fast-days]

In the third place, it is an error and a lie to say that goldfasts[1], banfasts[2], and the fasts on the eve of Apostles' days and saints'

days must be observed and that their non-observance is sin, because the Church has so co of the kind stands this word of Christ: ”That which goeth into theshould be free and voluntary, both as to the day and as to the food, forever

[Sidenote: The Orders]

Fourthly, the orders of St Benedict, and of St Bernard, the Carthusians, and all others which avoid the use of meat and other food because they hold that this is necessary and commanded and that not to do so would be sin, contradict Christ For their law flatly contradicts the word of Christ and says: That which goeth into the mouth defileth Then they oeth into theof Christ htily condeoeth into the mouth does not defile, how much less will that defile which is put on the body? whether it be cowl, coat, shi+rt, hose, shoes, cloak, whether green, yellow, blue, red, white, motley, or whatever one wish And the same is true of places, whether churches, cells or the rooards it a sin for a o without the dress of his order, and would not leave it a matter of freedom, also makes Christ a liar and makes that a sin which Christ freed from sin, and says Yes! where Christ says No! What then are such monks but people who say to Christ's very ace Thou liest! there is sin in that which thou sayest is not sin It will not help theory, St Francis and other saints We must hear what Christ says, Who alone has been made our Teacher by the Father, when on Mount Tabor He said, Matthew xvii, 5, ”This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him” [Matt 17:5] He did not say

Hear ye St Bernard, St Gregory, etc, but, Hear ye Him, Him, Him, ht in this matter? What they did, they did not of necessity nor by commandment

Or if they did it as of necessity and by commandment, they erred, and we must not forsake Christ to follow them

All this is confirmed by Christ in the words which follow in Matthew xv, 11, ”That which cometh out of theforth frohts, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies, etc

These defile a man” [Matt 15:11] Here we ask, If that alone is sin and defiles a ly argues and decides, how then can butter, s, cheese defile, which proceed not from the mouth nor from the heart, but come from the belies of cows and of hens? Who has ever seenout ofuscalves

Therefore, all the laws ofand places and all things that are external, are not only blasphe, but the buffoonery of apes It is true, a man may have an inordinate desire to eat excessively and to dress extravagantly; but that proceeds froray homespun as well as to red velvet In short, Christ does not lie when He says, ”That which goeth into the mouth defileth not a man, but that which cometh out of the lect to do what men command neither defiles nor is sin, then on the other hand, the keeping and doing of ive us merit; since only the opposite of sin and of the unclean is clean and gives merit

Therefore, all of the ives merit And that is what the Lord Christ means when He says, Matthew XV, 9, ”In vain do they worshi+p me with the commandlecting the them is no merit, but both are free They deceive themselves, therefore, and make awhere there is no sin, as Psalm xiv, 5, says, ”There have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear” [Ps 14:5]

IV

St Paul in I Timothy iv, 1-7 says: ”Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter ti spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their consciences seared with a hot iron; forbidding toto abstain froiving of them which believe and know the truth For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be reused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer If thou put the brethren in reood minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained But refuse profane and old wives' fables” [1 Tiainst all the works, doctrines and orders of men First, if they boast that they have derived their practice froment be? Will He not say, ”Paul, My Apostle, is My chosen vessel, as Luke writes Acts ix, 15: why then have you not ascribed greater authority to his word than to that of the pope and the fathers, of whom you do not knohose vessels they are?” [Acts 9:15] Hoill they stand before Him?