The Defense of the Augsburg Confession
Articles VII and VIII: Of the Church.
38] The adversaries say that universal
traditions are to be observed because they are supposed to have been handed
down by the apostles. What religious men they are! They wish that the rites
derived from the apostles be retained; they do not wish the doctrine of the
apostles to be retained. 39] They must judge concerning these rites
just as the apostles themselves judge in their writings. For the apostles did
not wish us to believe that through such rites we are justified, that such
rites are necessary for righteousness before God. The apostles did not wish to
impose such a burden upon consciences; they did not wish to place righteousness
and sin in the observance of days, food, and the like. 40] Yea, Paul calls such opinions doctrines
of devils, 1 Tim. 4:1.
Therefore the will and advice of the apostles ought to be derived from their
writings; it is not enough to mention their example. They observed certain
days, not because this observance was necessary for justification, but in order
that the people might know at what time they should assemble. They observed
also certain other rites and orders of lessons whenever they assembled. The
people [In the beginning of the Church the Jews who had become Christians]
retained also from the customs of the Fathers [from their Jewish festivals and
ceremonies], as is commonly the case, certain things which, being somewhat
changed, the apostles adapted to the history of the Gospel, as the Passover,
Pentecost, so that not only by teaching, but also through these examples they
might hand down to posterity the memory 41] of the most important subjects. But if
these things were handed down as necessary for justification, why afterwards
did the bishops change many things in these very matters? For, if they were
matters of divine right, it was not lawful to change them by human authority. 42] Before the Synod of Nice, some observed
Easter at one time and others at another time. Neither did this want of
uniformity injure faith. Afterward the plan was adopted by which our Passover
[Easter] did not fall at the same time as that of the Jewish Passover. But the
apostles had commanded the Churches to observe the Passover with the brethren
who had been converted from Judaism. Therefore, after the Synod of Nice,
certain nations tenaciously held to the custom of observing the Jewish time.
But the apostles, by this decree, did not wish to impose necessity upon the
Churches, as the words of the decree testify. For it bids no one to be
troubled, even though his brethren, in observing Easter, do not compute the
time aright. The words of the decree are extant in Epiphanius: Do not
calculate, but celebrate it whenever your brethren of the circumcision do;
celebrate it at the same time with them, and even though they may have erred,
let not this be a care to you. Epiphanius writes that these are the words of
the apostles presented in a decree concerning Easter, in which the discreet
reader can easily judge that the apostles wished to free the people from the
foolish opinion of a fixed time, when they prohibit them from being troubled, 43] even though a mistake should be made in
the computation. Some, moreover, in the East, who were called, from the author
of the dogma, Audians, contended, on account of this decree of the apostles,
that the Passover should be observed with the Jews. Epiphanius, in refuting
them, praises the decree, and says that it contains nothing which deviates from
the faith or rule of the Church, and blames the Audians because they do not
understand aright the expression, and interprets it in the sense in which we
interpret it, because the apostles did not consider it of any importance at
what time the Passover should be observed, but because prominent brethren had
been converted from the Jews, who observed their custom, and, for the sake of 44] harmony, wished the rest to follow
their example. And the apostles wisely admonished the reader neither to remove
the liberty of the Gospel, nor to impose necessity upon consciences, because
they add that they should not be troubled even though there should be an error
in making the computation.
45] Many things of this class can be
gathered from the histories, in which it appears that a want of uniformity in
human observances does not injure the unity of faith [separate no one from the
universal Christian Church]. Although, what need is there of discussion? The
adversaries do not at all understand what the righteousness of faith is, what
the kingdom of Christ is, when they judge that uniformity of observances in
food, days, clothing, and the like, which do not have the command of God, is
necessary. 46] But look at the religious men, our
adversaries. For the unity of the Church they require uniform human
observances, although they themselves have changed the ordinance of Christ in
the use of the Supper, which certainly was a universal ordinance before. But if
universal ordinances are so necessary, why do they themselves change the
ordinance of Christ's Supper, which is not human, but divine? But concerning
this entire controversy we shall have to speak at different times below.
47] The entire Eighth Article has been
approved, in which we confess that hypocrites and wicked persons have been
mingled with the Church, and that the Sacraments are efficacious even though
dispensed by wicked ministers, because the ministers act in the place of Christ,
and do not represent their own persons, according to 48] Luke 10:16: He that heareth you heareth Me.
Impious teachers are to be deserted [are not to be received or heard], because
these do not act any longer in the place of Christ, but are antichrists. And
Christ says Matt. 7:15: Beware
of false prophets. And Paul, Gal. 1:9: If any man
preach any other gospel unto you, let him be accursed
49] Moreover, Christ has warned us in His
parables concerning the Church, that when offended by the private vices,
whether of priests or people, we should not excite schisms, as the Donatists
have wickedly done. 50] As to those, however, who have excited
schisms, because they denied that priests are permitted to hold possessions and
property, we hold that they are altogether seditious. For to hold property is a
civil ordinance. It is lawful, however, for Christians to use civil ordinances,
just as they use the air, the light, food, drink. For as this order of the
world and fixed movements of the heavenly bodies are truly God's ordinances and
these are preserved by God, so lawful governments are truly God's ordinances,
and are preserved and defended by God against the devil.
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