Part 48 (1/2)

VII It is clear enough that he means our spiritual estate when he says, ”If ye be dead with Christ, why do ye burden your consciences with ordinances, such as: This thou shalt not touch, this thou shalt not eat, this thou shalt not wear, etc” Who can here deny that God through St Paul forbids us to teach and to hear all doctrines of men, in so far as they constrain the conscience? Who then can with a good conscience be a monk or a priest, or be subject to the pope? They must confess that their consciences are taken captive with such laws Thus thou seest what a ainst all doctrines of men

It is dreadful to hear that they forsake Christ the Head, deny the faith and so must needs become heathen, and yet think their holiness upholds the world

VI

Paul, in Galatians I, 8, says: ”But though we, or an angel froospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let hiain, If any ospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” [Gal 1:8 f]

[Sidenote: God's Ban]

In these words you hear a judgainst the pope and all doctrines of men, which says that they are under the ban And this ban is not like the pope's ban; it is eternal and separates a man fro that is good, and ment is this! Look nohether the pope, priests and monks do not proclaiht by Christ and His Apostles We said above that Christ teaches, ”What goeth into the mouth doth not defile a man” Contrary to this and beyond it the pope, priests andof meat defiles a Carthusian and condemns him; and the sa Christ on theother doctrines than He taught? Therefore it is a just judgreat holiness are condemned like blasphemers of God with an eternal ban

VII

Paul, in titus i, 14, says: ”Teach theive heed titus to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn them from the truth” [titus 1:14]

[Sidenote: Christ, or Men?]

This is a strong coard the coives his reason: they turn men from the truth, he says For as has been said above, the heart cannot trust in Christ and at the same time in the doctrines or the works of men Therefore, as soon as a man turns to the doctrines of ard it On the other hand, he who finds his coard the commandments and the works of men Look nohose ban you should fear most! The pope and his followers cast you far beyond hell if you do not heed their commandments, and Christ commands you not to heed them on pain of His ban Consider whom you wish to obey

VIII

II Peter ii, 1-3: ”There shall be false teachers a in daht them, by reason of whoh covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you”

[Sidenote: The Orders damnable Heresies]

So then, the orders and monastic houses are damnable heresies Why?

Because they deny Christ, and blaspheme the way of faith How? Christ says, there is no sin and no righteousness in eating, drinking, clothes, places and works of men; this they condehteousness are in these things Hence Christ ether with His teaching and faith And they ned words, and make much of their obedience, chastity and worshi+p; but only through covetousness, that they ht all the wealth of the world into their possession, on the ground that they are the people who by their worshi+p would help every man to heaven For this reason they are and remain damnable and blasphemous heresies

IX

Christ says, in Matthew xxiv, 23 ff: ”Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect Behold, I have told you before, Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not”

Tell me, how can a monk be saved? He binds his salvation to a place and says, ”Here I find Christ; if I did not remain here, I should be lost” But Christ says, ”No, I am not here” Who will reconcile these two? Therefore, it is clear from this word of Christ that all doctrines which bind the conscience to places are contrary to Christ

And if He does not allow the conscience to be bound to places, neither does He allow it to be bound tothat is external There is no doubt then that this passage speaks of the pope and his clergy, and that Christ Himself releases and sets free all priests and monks, in that He condeo not out,” etc

He says the sadom of God cometh not with observation, and men shall not say, Lo here! or, Lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” [Luke 17:20 f]

Is not this also clear enough? The doctrines of s; and since the kingdom of God is not external, both teachers and disciples o astray Nor will it help them to say that the holy fathers instituted the orders For Christ has already destroyed this arguht be misled, that is, they will err, but not rereat error, if the elect were notand the practice of the saints be what it will, the words of Christ are certain and clear Hi and works are uncertain What He says stands fir[6] you, and not at a distance, either here or there”

X

Solomon, in Proverbs xxx, 5 f, says: ”Every word of God is purified: and is a shi+eld unto all them that put their trust in it Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar”

[Prov 30:5 f]

With this I will end or the present; or there is much more in the prophets, especially in Jeremiah, of which I have written in the treatise on Confession Here then Soloht to the words of God; for the Word of God alone is to teach us, as Christ says, Matthew xxiii, 8, ”Be ye not called masters

One Master is in you, even Christ” [Matt 23:8] Amen