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 Solomon concludes that he is a liar who adds aught 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.
A REPLY TO TEXTS QUOTED IN DEFENSE OF THE DOCTRINES OF MEN The first is Luke x, 16, where Christ says, "He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me." [Luke 10:16] He spoke similar words in Matthew x, 40 [Matt. 10:40], and in John xiii, 20 [John 13:20]. Here, they claim, Christ demands of us that we accept their man-made laws.
[Sidenote: The Command of Christ] I reply: That is not true. For immediately before speaking these words, Christ says, "Go and say, the kingdom of God is at hand." [Matt. 10:7, Luke 10:9] With these words Christ stops the mouths of all the teachers of the doctrines of men, and commands the apostles what they are to teach, and Himself puts the words in their mouth, saying that they shall preach the kingdom of God. Now he who does not preach the kingdom of God is not sent by Christ, and him these words do not concern. Much rather do these words demand of us that we hear not the doctrines of men. Now to preach of the kingdom of God is nothing else than to preach the Gospel, in which the faith of Christ is taught, by which alone God dwells and rules in us. But the doctrines of men do not preach about faith, but about eating, clothing, times, places, persons and about purely external things which do not profit the soul.
[Sidenote: The Perversion of the Text] Behold how honestly the pious shepherds and faithful teachers have dealt with the poor common people. This text, "Who hears you, hears me," they have in a masterly fashion torn out of its context and have terrified us with it, until they have made us subject to themselves. But what precedes, "Preach the kingdom of God," they have taken good care not to mention, and have bravely leaped over it, that they might by no means be compelled to preach nothing but the Gospel. The noble, and most excellent teachers! We ought to thank them for it!
In Mark, the last chapter, we read that He sent out the disciples to preach. Let us hear what command He gives them, and how He sets a limit to their teaching and bridles their tongues, saying, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth, shall be saved," etc., Mark xvi, 15 [Mark 16:15]. He does not say, Go and preach what you will, or what you think to be good; but He puts His own word into their mouth, and bids them preach the Gospel.
In Matthew, the last chapter, He says, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptise them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; and teach them to observe all things which I have commanded you." Here, again. He does not say, Teach them to observe what you devise, but what I have commanded you. Therefore the pope and his bishops and teachers must be wolves and the apostles of the devil; it cannot be otherwise, for they teach not the commands of Christ, but their own words. So also in Matthew xxv, 15, in the parable of the three servants, the Lord points out that the householder bade the servants trade not with their own property, but with his, and gave the first five talents, the second two and the third one. [Matt. 25:15] Our second text is Matthew xxiii, 2 f., where the Lord says, "The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do."
Here, here, they say, we have authority to teach what we think to be right.
[Sidenote: Moses' Seat] I answer: If that is what Christ means, then we are in a sorry plight. Every pope might then create more new laws, until the world could no longer contain all the laws. But they quote this text as they quote the first. What do the words "sit in Moses' seat" mean? Let us ask, what did Moses teach? And if he still sat in his seat today, what would he teach? Beyond a doubt, nothing but what he taught of old, namely, the commandments and the word of God. He never yet spoke the doctrines of men, but what God commanded him to speak, as almost every chapter of his shows. It follows, then, that he who teaches something else than Moses teaches, does not sit in Moses' seat. For the Lord calls it Moses' seat, because from it the doctrines of Moses should be read and taught. The same meaning is contained in the words which follow, in which the Lord says, "But do not ye after their works, for they say, and do not; for they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." [Matt. 23:3 f.]
See, here He reproves their works, because they add many laws to the doctrines of Moses and lay them on the people, but themselves do not touch them. And afterward He says, in verse 13, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind; for whether is greater? the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?" [Matt. 23:13, 16 f.] Is it not clear that Christ here condemns their doctrines of men? He can, therefore, not have confirmed them by speaking of sitting in Moses' seat; else He would have contradicted Himself. Therefore Moses' seat must mean no more than the Law of Moses, and the sitting in it no more than the preaching of the Law of Moses.
This is what Moses himself said of his seat and doctrine, Deuteronomy iv, 2, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you." [Deut. 4:2] And in Deuteronomy xii, 32, "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it; thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it." [Deut. 12:32] These doctrines they were required to teach in Moses' seat; therefore Moses' seat cannot endure any doctrines of men.
[Sidenote: St. Augustine] St. Augustine is quoted as having written in _the Book against the Letter of the Manicheans_[7], "I would not believe the Gospel if I did not believe the Church."
Here you see, they say, we are to believe the Church more than the Gospel.
[Sidenote: Authority] I answer: Even if Augustine had used those words, who gave him authority, that we must believe what he says? What Scripture does he quote to prove the statement? What if he erred here, as we know that he frequently did, as did all the fathers? Should one single sentence of Augustine be so mighty as to refute all the texts quoted above? That is not what God wills; St. Augustine must yield to them.
Further, if that were St. Augustine's meaning, he would contradict himself; for in very many places he exalts the Holy Scriptures above the opinions of all teachers, above the decrees of all councils and churches, and will have men judge of him and of the teachings of all men according to the Scriptures. Why then do the faithful shepherds pass by those sayings of St. Augustine, plain and clear as they are, and light on this lonely one, which is so obscure and sounds so unlike Augustine as we know him from all his writings? It can only be because they want to bolster up their tyranny with idle, empty words.
[Sidenote: Words Perverted] Furthermore, they are deceivers, in that they not only ascribe to St. Augustine an opinion he did not hold, but they also falsify and pervert his words. For St. Augustine's words really are, "I would not have believed the Gospel if the authority of the whole Church had not moved me." Augustine speaks of the whole Church, and says that throughout the world it with one consent preaches the Gospel and not the Letter of the Manicheans; and this unanimous authority of the Church moves him to consider it the true Gospel. But our tyrants apply this name of the Church to themselves, as if the laymen and the common people were not also Christians. And what they teach they want men to consider as the teaching of the Christian Church, although they are a minority, and we, who are universal Christendom, should also be consulted about what is to be taught in the name of universal Christendom. See, so cleverly do they quote the words of St. Augustine: what he says of the Church throughout all the world, they would have us understand of the Roman See.
But how does it follow from this saying that the doctrines of men are also to be observed? What doctrine of men has ever been devised that has been accepted and preached by all of the universal Church throughout the world? Not one; the Gospel alone is accepted by all Christians everywhere.
[Sidenote: Their True Meaning] But then we must not understand St. Augustine to say that he would not believe the Gospel unless he were moved thereto by the authority of the whole Church. For that were false and unchristian. Every man must believe only because it is God's Word, and because he is convinced in his heart that it is true, although an angel from heaven and all the world preached the contrary. His meaning is rather, as he himself says, that he finds the Gospel nowhere except in the Church, and that this external proof can be given heretics that their doctrine is not right, but that that is right which all the world has with one accord accepted. For the eunuch in Acts viii, 37, believed on the Gospel as preached by Philip, although he did not know whether many or few believed on it [Acts 8:37]. So also Abraham believed the promise of God all by himself, when no man knew of it, Romans iv, 18 [Rom. 4:18]. And Mary, Luke i, 38 [Luke 1:38], believed the message of Gabriel by herself, and there was no one on earth who believed with her. In this way Augustine also had to believe, and all the saints, and we too, every one for himself alone.
For this reason St. Augustine's words cannot bear the interpretation they put upon them; but they must be understood of the external proof of faith, by which heretics are refuted and the weak strengthened in faith, when they see that all the world preaches and regards as Gospel that which they believe. And if this meaning cannot be found in St. Augustine's words, it is better to reject the words; for they are contrary to the Scriptures and to all experience if they have that other meaning.
[Sidenote: The Apostles Also Men] Finally, when they are refuted with Scripture so that they cannot escape, they begin to blaspheme God and say, "But St. Matthew, Paul and Peter also were men; therefore what they teach is also the doctrine of men. And if their doctrine is to be observed, let the pope's doctrine be observed as well!" Such blasphemy is now being uttered even by some princes and bishops, who count themselves wise. When you hear such utterly hardened and blinded blasphemers, turn away from them or stop your ears; they are not worthy that one should talk with them. If that argument were to hold, then Moses also was a man, and all the prophets were men. Then let us go our way, and believe nothing at all, but regard everything as the doctrine of men, and follow our fancy.
[Sidenote: Answer] [Sidenote: Answer] But if you will talk with them, do so, and say, Well, let St. Paul or Matthew be the doctrine of men; then we ask, Whence comes their authority? How will they prove that they have authority to teach and to be bishops? Or how shall we know where the Church is? If they say that St. Matthew has so asserted in Matthew xvi, 19 [Matt. 16:19], or St. Paul in some place or other, do you say, But that does not hold: they are the doctrines of men, as you say; you must have God's Word to confirm you. And then you will find that these hardened blasphemers put themselves to shame and confusion with their own folly. They cannot even distinguish between a man who speaks for himself and one through whom God speaks. The words of the Apostles were commanded them by God, and confirmed and proved by great miracles, such as were never done for the doctrines of men. And if they are certain in themselves, and will prove it to us, that God has commanded them to teach as they do, we will believe them as we believe the Apostles. If it is uncertain whether the words of the Apostles are of God, who will give us certainty that their doctrines of men are of God? _O furor et amentia his saeculis digna!_[8] [Sidenote: Why Doctrines of Men are Condemned] But we do not condemn the doctrines of men because they are the doctrines of men, for we would gladly endure them, but because they are contrary to the Gospel and to the Scriptures. The Scriptures set the consciences of men free, and forbid that they be taken captive with the doctrines of men. The doctrines of men take captive the conscience. This conflict between the Scriptures and the doctrines of men we cannot reconcile. Hence, because these two forms of doctrine contradict one another, we allow even young children to judge here whether we are to give up the Scriptures, in which the one Word of God is taught from the beginning of the world, or the doctrines of men which were newly devised yesterday and change daily? And we hope that every one will agree in the decision that the doctrines of men must be forsaken and the Scriptures retained. For they cannot be reconciled, but are by nature opposed to one another, like fire and water, like heaven and earth; As Isaiah Iv, 8 f. says: "As the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways." [Isa. 55:8 f.] Now he who walks on the earth cannot at the same time walk in heaven, and he who walks in heaven cannot walk on the earth.
Therefore we request the papists that they first reconcile their doctrines with the Scriptures. If they accomplish that, we will observe their doctrines. But that they will not do before the Holy Spirit has become a liar. Therefore we say again. The doctrines of men we censure not because they are spoken by men, but because they are lies and blasphemies against the Scriptures. And the Scriptures, although they also were written by men, are not of men nor from men, but from God. Now since Scriptures and the doctrines of men are contrary the one to the other, one must lie and the other be true. Let us see to which of the two they themselves will ascribe the lie. Let this suffice.
FOOTNOTES [1] Goldfasts are the ember-fasts, on the three ember-days of each of the four seasons of the year; possibly called "goldfasts" because on these days rents were collected. See _Realencyklopädie_, 5: 780, 9.
[2] The fasts enjoined upon a people by a public edict or ban. The term "ban" as here used does not denote the Church's excommunication, but an authoritative proclamation.
[3] The Tatianists, followers of Tatian, who lived in Syria in the middle of the second century. Tatian, apparently basing his view of marriage upon 1 Cor. 7:5, ascribes the institution of marriage and the whole Old Testament Law to the devil. Eusebius held that Tatian was the founder of a sect known as the _Encratites_, or _Abstainers_. Modern historians see in the _Encratites_ groups of ascetic Christians found frequently in the early Church, somewhat similar to the later monks and nuns, so that Harnack can write that Tatian "joined the Encratites." _Dogmengeschichte_3, I, 227 n. See _Realencyklopädie_3, 19, 386-394 on Tatian; 5, 392 f. on the Encratites.
[4] The Manicheans, strictly speaking not a Christian sect, but a rival religious community, which made inroads upon the Christian Church. Founded by the Babylonian Mani, who was born in the third century, they taught the inherent evil of all matter, and consequently had many fasts, averaging seven days in each month, while the "perfect" among them abstained from meat, wine and marriage. See _Realencyklopädie_ 3, 12, 193-228; von Orelli, _Religionsgeschichte_, 279-291.
[5] The Greek _anathema_ Luther here translates _ein Bann_, "let him be a ban." This explains the reference to the ban below.
[6] _Stehet untereuch_, whereas above Luther writes _ist inwendig in euch_.
[7] _Contra Epistolam Manichaei_, vi, _Paris Ed._, 1839, 28: 185: _Ego vero Evangelic non crederem, nisi me ecclesiae catholicae commoveret anctoritas_. On the preceding page Augustine had written: "If the claim of truth be shown to be so evident that it cannot be called into question, it is to be preferred before all those things by which I am held in the Catholic faith."
[8] O raging madness, worthy of our age!
INDEX SCRIPTURE REFERENCES INDEX Abel Abraham Absolution power of Abuses Accident and substance Adam Adjutories Administratio Adversity Agnes, St. Agricola Agriculture Ahasuerus Ahaz d'Ailly Albrecht of Brandenburg Alexander of Hales Alexander VI. Alien sins Allegories Alveld Ambrose Amen, meaning of Amerbach, Boniface Amsdor Angelic Sum Angels Angelus de Clavissio Armas Annates Amie, St. Anniversaries Anniaities Anthony, St. Antichrist Antonius of Florence Antwerp Apostles Apostolic Council Aquinas, Thomas Archbishop Aristotle Articles of faith Attrition Augsburg, Diet of Augustine, St. Augustinian fathers Augustinus Trimnphus Auriaber Avarice Babylon Babylonian captivity Balaam Balaam's ass Bamberg Ban power of greater and lesser purpose of penalty of Ban, danger of harms no one a medicine to be respected to be loved unjust, to be desired or debt abuses of does not exclude from Gospel Banfasts Baptism grace of makes priests foundation of sacraments a ship God's work formula of by wicked minister efficacy of significance of vows of comfort of Bar to grace Barbara, St. Barnabas Basel, Council of Beer-money Begging Belief and faith Belvidere Benedict, St. Benefit of clergy Berlepsch, Hans von Bernard, St. Bethaven Biel, Gabriel Bigamy Birettas Bishops Bishops' paths Blandina, St. Blasphemy Bohemians Bonaventure Boniace VIII. Both kinds in the sacrament Botschaten Brandenburg Bread, Sacrament of the Altar daily, is Christ Breves Brotherhood, Christian Brotherhoods perversion of kinds of proper conduct of Bull, Coena Domini papal Burer, Albrecht Butter-letters Cæsarini, Cardinal Caiaphas Cairo Cajetan Cambray, Cardinal of Campolore Canaan Canon law Canon of the mass Canonical hours Canonization Canonry Captivity of the Church v. Babylonian Captivity. Cardinals Carlstadt Carmelites Carthusian Castor and Pollux Casus reservati Catechisms Cathedrals Celibacy Ceremonialist Ceremonies Certainty of salvation Chancery, rules in Chapters Character indelebilis Charity Charles the Great Charles V. Chartreuse Chastity Christ spiritual body of as king and priest sacrifice of the altar sacrament faith in Christian nobility, duty of Christian, the name what makes marks of a Christianity Church authority of cannot institute sacraments community of Christians our mother and state Church laws Cicero Circumcision Circumstances Clement V. Clement VI. Clement VII. Clergy Coadjutorships Cognatio legalis and spiritualis Collect Cologne Commandments of God Commandments, Ten Commend Commerce Communio Communion worthy in two kinds of saints Complutensian polyglott Compositions Concordat of Vienna Confession Confessionalia Confirmation Congregations, power to elect priests, Consanguinity, spiritual Conscience Constance, Council of Constantine, Emperor Contested benefices Contrition Corporal cloths Corporations Corpus juris canonici Councils Councils can err Courtesans Creed Cremona Crusades Crying sins Cyprian Daniel the pope as Datarius David Deacons Death must serve the Christian Decretals Devil Dignities Dionysius, Areopagita Disparihtas religionis Dispensations Divorce Doctorate Doctrines of men Dominic, St. Donation of Constantine Donatus, St. Dress, extravagance in Dims Scotus Durandus Eck, John Economic reforms Edification of the Church Elevation of the host Elisha Elvira, Council of Emperor Emser England Erasmus Erurt Estates of Christendom Eternal life Eugenius IV. Evil spirit Excesses in eating and drinking Excommunication Executio Exemptions Extortion Extreme unction Ezekiel Fable quoted Faculties Faith not a work and promise and works alone justifies all things depend on fulfils commandments unites with Christ and love Fasts Fathers of the Church Feast days Feldkirchen Fellowship, twofold spiritual Five senses, sins of Florence, Council of Forgiveness of sins Forma sacramenti Foundations France Francis, St. Franciscans Fraternities Frederick, Duke Frederick, Elector Frederick I. Frederick II. Free will Fruits of the mass Fugger of Augsburg General Council George of Saxony German knights bishops and princes nation emperors empire mass Germans Germany Gerson, John Gibeonites Gideon Glosses God, faith in God's bosom Golden rule Golden years Goldfasts Gospel Goths Government, good, a gift of grace Grammatical sense of Scripture Gratiæ expectivse Greek Church emperor Greeks Grimmenthal Hadrian VI. Halberstadt Halle Hamburg Henry IV. and V. Henry VIII Heresy Heretics Herod Hess, John Hezekiah Himmelsbriee Hindrance of crime error Holy Ghost, faith in Hubert, St. Huss, John Hussites Hutten, Ulrich von Hymns of praise Iconoclastic controversy Idolatry Ignorance Images Immersion Impediments Impedimentum criminis erroris ligaminis ordinis Impotence Incarnation Incompatibilia Incorporation Indulgences Indulta Infant baptism Ingenwinkel, Joh. Innocent I. Innocent III. Innocent VIII. Inquisition Intercessions Interdict Investiture Irregular monks Isaiah Isolani, Isidore Israel Italy Jahrmarkt James, St., Epistle of Jehu Jereboam Jeremiah Jerome of Prague John XXII. Jonas, Justus Jordan, crossing of Joseph, affliction of Jubilee years Judas Judgment day Julius II. Jus patronum Jus verbi Justification by faith Kessler, John Keys, power of Kingdom of God Kingship of the Christian Kirchweihen Koran Laity Lang, Johan Lateran Council Law, the Law in the universities Laws as snares for souls of men V. Doctrines of men. Lay-baptism Legal relationships Leipzig Disputation Leo III. Leo X. Letters of confession Liberty not external and service Licenses Link, Wenceslaus Livings Lombard, Peter Lord's Prayer Lord's Supper Lotther, Melchior Louis, King of France Louvain Love Luther pastoral concern the German as a fool knowledge of Aristotle not a mathematician as a musician compelled to speak his progress his duty recantation appeal to a council zeal separation from Rome appeal to the pope friend of the pope his faith as a reformer purpose of writing Magdeburg Magistrate Mainz Man, nature of inward outward of sin Manichaeans Manoah Marcus Aurelius Margaret of Braunschweig Marriage of the clergy forbidden degrees a type a sacrament hindrances Martyrs Mass sacrifice of letters anniversary mortuary endowed Maximilian, Emperor Mecklenburg Medicine in universities Meissen Melanchthon Melchizedek Memorial days Mendicants orders Merchants Merseburg Miltitz, Carl von Ministerium Ministry Miracles Missa catechumenorum and fidelium Monasteries Monastic life Monstrance Moses Moses' seat Mother of God Mühlphort, Hieronymus Murner, Thomas Mute sins Mystery and sacrament Mystics Name of God Naples and Sicily, Kingdom of Nathan Natural law revelation New Testament Nicæa, Council of Nimrod Noah Nobility, German Nürnberg, Diet of Oblations Observance Occam, William of Officia of the pope Officials Old Testament Opus operantis Opus operatum Order to be observed Orders, monastic Ordinaries Ordination Origen Ottilia, St. Our Lady Pallium Palmers Papacy Papal court secretaries months family servant letters homage Parents, duty toward Participations Passover Patience Patron saints Paul, St. Penalties to be abolished Penance second plank Penitence Persia Peter, St. Pfeffinger, D. Philip of Hesse Philosophy Picards Pilate Pilgrimages Pius, Pope Pope power of can be deposed errors of tyranny an idol compared with Christ wealth of infallibility of worldliness of vicar of crucified Christ vicar of absent Christ duty of temporal power of letter to Power not to be trusted Prague Prayer Preachers Preaching, true Prebend Precepts of the Church Presbyters Prierias, Sylvester Priesthood of believers why men seek is ministry of the Word Priests Priests, officeholders duty of Primate Private confession mass Privilegium fori Promise of God Proprius motus Prostitution Proverbs quoted Purgatory Quedunburg, convent Real presence Reason Reformation Reforms suggested Regeneration Regensburg Regression Remission of sins Rentenkauf Repentance Res sacramenti Reservatio pectoralis Reservation, right of Reserved cases Rhine-toll Rods, three Roman curia Roman Empire Roman See Romanists Rome Rulers, wicked Sacrament of the Altar institution of reception of not a law not a sacrifice daily use of significance of preparation for benefit of a sign purpose of misuse of faith of right use of necessity of Sacrament, types of and the pope Sacraments parts of signs of two principal grace of fount of love not a good work efficacy of of Old and New Law significance of not effective signs of grace institution of Sacramentum is mystery Sacrifices Safe conduct Saints Saints' days Samuel Sardica, Council of Satisfactions Saul Schism Schismatics Schools, Christian for girls Scrinium pectoris Scriptures commands and promises Sebastian, St. Secret sin Sects Sedulius, Cœlius Sentences Sententious theologians Sermons Signatura gratiæ and justitiæ Signiicasti, Chapter Simony Sins demand punishment seven deadly Siricius, Pope Sixtus IV. Slanderers Social evil Sodalities Solite, Chapter Solomon Soul immortality of Spalatin Spice trade Spiritual, what makes us duties relationship law States of the Church Stationaries Staupitz Stephen, St. Sternberg Strassburg Students, restriction of Substance and accident Sycophants Synaxis Tatianists Teachings of men, v. Doctrines of men. Temporal estate power Temptations Ten Commandments Testament Testament, words of Tetzel Teufelsbriefe Theodidacti Theodosius Theology in the universities text-books Theses, XCV Thomists Timothy Titus Transaccidentation Transubstantiation, of communicant Trent, Council of Trier Triple crown Truth Tulich, Herman Turks worst in Rome Types Tyranny, Roman Unbelief Unchastity Unio Unity of the Church Universities Usury Valentine, St. Valla, Laurentius Varna, Battle of Venice Vergil Vienna, Council, of Virgin Mary Visions Votaries Votive masses Vows of celibacy ceremonial laws triple Wallbrüder Walls, the three, of Rome Wartburg Wicked, success of Will of God Wilsnack Witchcraft Wittenberg Wladislav Word of God Works measure of good, are sins do not justify Works of love six, of mercy World Worms, Diet of Worship, true Würzburg, 82 Wyclif Zedekiah Zink, Johaimes Zinskau Zwickau Prophets Zwilling, Gabriel SCRIPTURE REFERENCES II. Samuel 7:16 Esther 1:5 Job 31:27 Song of Solomon 2:16 Ezekiel 2:6 Joel 1:5 Jonah 3:5 Habakkuk 2:4 Zechariah 2:8 Malachi 2:7 II. John 10 OLD TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA Judith 6:15 Wisdom 6:8 II. Maccabees 4:8, 12