voti naturam esse, quod non against the nature of a vow, that it sponte, quod inconsulto admit- is not done of a man's own accord, titur. nor advisedly. The Canons for the most part

Plerique Canones rescindunt vota ante annum XV. contracta, disannul vows which are made bequia ante illam ætatem non vi- fore fifteen years of age; because detur tantum esse judicii, ut de that before one come to that age perpetua vita constitui possit. there seemeth not to be so much Alius Canon, plus concedens judgment that determination may hominum imbecillitati, addit an- be made concerning a perpetual nos aliquot, vetat enim ante an- life. Another Canon, permitting num XVIII. votum fieri. Sed more to the weakness of men, doth utrum sequemur? maxima pars add some years more; for it forhabet excusationem, cur mona- biddeth a vow to be made before steria deserant, quia plurimi ante hanc ætatem voverunt.

one be eighteen years of age. But which of these shall we follow ? The greatest part have this excuse for forsaking monasteries, because most of them vowed before they came to this age.

Postremo, etiam si voti vio- Last of all, even though the latio reprehendi posset, tamen breaking of a vow were to be repnon videtur statim sequi, quod rehended, yet it seems not to folconjugia talium personarum dis- low directly that the marriages of solvenda sint. Nam Augustinus such persons are to be dissolved. negat debere dissolvi, XXVII. For Augustine, in his 27th quest. quæst. I. Cap. Nuptiarum; cu- 1st chap. Of Marriages, doth deny jus non est levis auctoritas, that they ought to be dissolved; etiamsi alii postea aliter sense- and his authority is not lightly to be esteemed, although others afterwards have thought otherwise.

runt.

And although the commandment of God touching wedlock doth free most men from vows; yet our teach

Quanquam autem mandatum Dei de conjugio videa tur plerosque liberare a votis, tamen afferunt nostri et aliam ers do also bring another reason conrationem de votis, quod sint cerning vows, to show that they are

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 mandata Dei non valet, neque enim debet votum vinculum esse iniquitatis, ut Canon dicit.

a wicked vow, and that which is 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 void of Nam et hi, qui votis tribuunt Christ, and fall from grace. For justificationem, tribuunt propriis they also who attribute justificaoperibus hoc, quod proprie ad tion to their vows, attribute to their gloriam Christi pertinet. Ne- own works what properly belongs que vero negari potest, quin mo- to the glory of Christ. Nor truly nachi docuerint, se per vota et can it be denied that the monks observationes suas justificari et taught that they are justified by mereri remissionem peccatorum, their vows and observances, and imo affinxerunt absurdiora, dixe- merit the remission of sins; nay, runt se aliis mutuari sua opera. they invented yet greater absurdiHæc si quis velit odiose exagge- ties, and said they could transfer rare, quam multa possit colli- their good works to others. If any gere, quorum jam ipsos mona- man wished to expand these things, chos pudet.

so as to excite odium, how many things might he rehearse whereof the monks themselves are now ashamed!

Ad hæc persuaserunt homi- Moreover, they would persuade nibus, facticias religiones esse men that these invented religious statum Christianæ perfectionis. orders are a state of Christian perAn non est hoc justificatio- fection. Or is this not attribunem tribuere operibus? Non ting justification to works? It is 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 illa 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 before men's eyes.

oculis hominum.

Præterea obscurantur præcepta

Moreover, the commandments of

Dei et verus cultus Dei, cum | God, and the true worship of God, audiunt homines, solos mona- are obscured when men hear that chos esse in statu perfectionis, monks alone are in that state of quia perfectio Christiana est se- perfection; because that Christian rio timere Deum, et rursus con- perfection is this, to fear God sincipere magnam fidem, et conficerely, and again, to conceive great dere propter Christum, quod faith, and to trust assuredly that habeamus Deum placatum, pe- God is pacified towards us, for tere a Deo, et certo expectare Christ's sake; to ask, and certainly auxilium in omnibus rebus ge- to look for, help from God in all rendis, juxta vocationem; inte- our affairs, according to our calling; rim foris diligenter facere bona and outwardly to do good works opera, et servire vocationi. In diligently, and to attend to our vohis rebus est vera perfectio et cation. In these things doth true verus cultus Dei, non est in cœ- perfection and the true worship of libatu, 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 scientiæ retinet possessiones, nego- with offense of conscience they keep tiatur. 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; 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.

non

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, error of the monks concerning perquod vita monastica sit status fection; and witnesseth, that in his perfectionis. time this was a new saying, that the monastical life is a state of perfection.

Tam multæ impia opiniones Thus many wicked opinions do hærent in votis, quod justificent, cleave fast unto vows: as that they quod sint perfectio Christiana, merit remission of sins and justifiquod servent consilia et præ- cation, that they are Christian percepta, quod habeant opera super- fection, that they do keep the counerogationis. Hæc omnia cum sels and commandments, that they sint falsa et inania, faciunt vota irrita.

ART. VII.-De Potestate Ecclesiastica.

Magna disputationes fuerunt

have works of supererogation. All 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;