they rob Christ of his glory, who alone can justify us, and transfer this glory to their vows and monastic life. It is moreover a corruption of the divine law and of true worship, to hold up the monastic life to the people as the only perfect one. For Christian perfection consists in this, that we love and fear God with all our heart, and yet combine with it sincere reliance and faith in him through Christ: that it is our privilege and duty to supplicate the throne of grace for such things as we need in all our trials, and in our respective callings; and to give diligence in the performance of good works. It is in this that true perfection consists, and the true worship of God, but not in begging, or in a black or a white cap. This extravagant praise of celibacy, is calculated to disseminate among the people, erroneous views on the sanctity of the married life. — Examples are on record, of persons who abandoned their wives and children and business, and shut themselves up in a monastery, under the vain impression that thus they came out from the world, and led a holier life. They forgot that we ought to serve God according to his own directions, and not the inventions of men.1 1 For a view of the abominable and outrageous licentiousness of these places, see The master key to Popery by Antonio Gavin, and Cramp's Textbook of Popery, p. 326, &c. The life of Ricci, by De Potter, 3 vols. 2d ed. Brussels, 1826. The disclosures contained in these volumes are of the most disgusting and horrifying description. The prioress of the convent of St. Catharine of Pistoie, says "With the exception of three or four religious persons, all the monks now dead or alive, whom I have ever known, were of the same character. They all made the some professions and adopted the same conduct. They live with the nuns on more familiar terms than married people. Vol. I. p. 316. For endeavouring to put a stop to these disorders, Ricci was stigmatized by Pope Pius the VI. as "a fanatic, a liar, a calumniator, seditious, and a usurper of other men's rights." Vol. I. p. 423. He died Jan 27, 1810. See also the Canadian Nun recently published in New York. CHAPTER VII. Of the Power of the bishops or clergy. We extract from this extended article, so much as relates to the usurpations of civil and political power by the Roman pontifs and ecclesiastics. Much has been written on this subject in former times, and an unnatural commixture of civil and ecclesiastical power has been effected. Extensive wars and rebellions have thus been produced by the pontiffs, who under pretence of authority from Christ, have not only invented new methods of worship, and thus under penalty of excommunication oppressed the consciences of men; but even presumed to dethrone kings and emperors at pleasure, and to place others in their stead! This presumption has in former times often been censured by learned and pious men. Hence we have been compelled to point out the lines of distinction between civil and ecclesiastical power; and have inculcated the duty of paying due respect to each, as among the most important appointments of God. Accordingly we teach that the power of the keys or the office of the ministry, according to the gospel, consists in a divine command and commission to preach the gospel, to remit and retain sins, (that is, to announce the conditions on which God will pardon penitent sinners,) and to administer the sacraments. For Christ sent forth his disciples with the command, "As my Father hath sent me, even so I send you-Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." But this power of the keys or clergy relates entirely to the doctrine and preach1 John 20: 21. ing of God's word and the administration of the sacraments to the people of their charge. Inasmuch then as the power of the church or of the clergy confers only spiritual gifts, and is exerted through the preaching of the gospel, it cannot interfere with the civil government. For the latter relates to matters entirely different, and protects not the souls of men, but their bodies, against external violence, by the sword and bodily penalties. The civil and ecclesiastical governments ought therefore not to be united. The church is commanded to preach the gospel, and administer the sacraments; and ought therefore not to interfere with the powers of the civil government, by dethroning, or making kings, by absolving subjects from allegiance to the civil government, nor enact laws on subjects belonging to civil legislation. Christ himself has taught us, My kingdom is not of this world;1 and Who hath made me a judge over you? And Paul to the Philippians,3 says, Our citizenship (thus has Luther correctly rendered nolitevμa, bürgerschaft) is in heaven. And again, The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.1 This, according to our view, is the difference between the civil and ecclesiastical power.-If ministers have any civil office at all, they derive it from their political government, and it has nothing to do with their office as ministers of the gospel. It is the duty of the church to give heed to the bishops, according to the declaration of Christ, He that heareth you, heareth me. But if they teach or appoint any thing contrary to the gospel, we are commanded by God himself not to obey them: "Beware of false prophets." And Paul says, "But though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.1 And to the Corinthians he says, "For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth." And St. Augustine says, Nor is it our duty to obey those bishops who have been duly elected, if they err, or teach or command any thing contrary to the word of God.-The power of the clergy to solemnize marriage, they derive from the civil government. us. Conclusion. The foregoing are the principal subjects of dispute between It were indeed easy to enumerate many other abuses and errors, but for the sake of brevity we have omitted them. Much complaint, for example, has existed concerning indulgences, pilgrimages, and the abuse of excommunication. The clergy have also had endless disputes with the monks about confession and numberless other subjects. These things we have omitted in order that those of more importance may be the more carefully weighed. Signed, JOHN, the Elector of Saxony. GEORGE, Earl of Brandenburg. ERNEST, Duke of Luneburg. 1 Gal. 1: 8. PHILIP, Landgrave of Hesse. JOHN FREDERICK, Duke of Saxony. FRANCIS, Duke of Luneberg. WOLFGANG, Prince of Anhalt. THE SENATE AND MAGISTRACY of Nuremberg. 45 2 2 Cor. 13: 8. The Romish Church since the Reformation. The theory, to which Romanists refer, as well for authority as for vindication of the flagrant usurpations of civil power by the popes, is ingeniously set forth by one of their ablest and most authentic writers, Cardinal Bellarmine, in a series of Lectures on the Papal power, delivered in Rome itself, by appointment of Pope Gregory, fourteen years after the council of Trent. "It is asserted, that the Pope has not directly, and immediately, any temporal power; but that, by reason of his spiritual power, he may possess, at least indirectly, supreme power in directing the temporal affairs of all Christians, in order to the bestowment of spiritual good." This assertion is illustrated by the following analogy :-as man is compounded of flesh and spirit, which though separate, are closely connected; and the latter rules the former, so that if the end proposed by the spirit is hindered by the flesh, the flesh must be punished by fasts and other methods, and if necessary the tongue be prevented from speaking, the eyes from seeing &c. In like manner, society is subject to political and to spiritual power, the end of the one being temporal peace, of the other eternal salvation. They constitute one body, and the inferior must be subject and subordinate to the superior. The spiritual power does not intermeddle with temporal matters, if the spiritual design be not hindered. But if any thing of that kind take place, the SPIRITUAL POWER MAY AND OUGHT TO COERCE THE TEM "The PORAL POWER, in every suitable and necessary manner. Pope cannot," says Bellarmine, "as Pope, ordinarily depose temporal princes, although just reason exists, in the same man See Cramp's Text book of Popery, p. 311. |
