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nostrorum.

telligi posset de hac re doctrina exaggerating nothing, to the end that the doctrine of our churches touching this matter might be understood.

Primum de his, qui matri- First, concerning such as conmonia contrahunt, sic docent tract marriage, thus they teach apud nos, quod liceat omnibus, among us: that it is lawful for qui non sunt idonei ad cœliba- any to marry that are not adapttum, contrahere matrimonium, ed for a single life; forasmuch as quia vota non possunt ordina- vows can not take away God's ortionem ac mandatum Dei tol- dinance and commandment. The lere. Est autem hoc mandatum commandment of God is, 'To avoid Dei (1 Cor. vii. 2): 'Propter for- fornication, let every man have his nicationem habeat unusquisque own wife' (1 Cor. vii. 2). And not uxorem suam.' Neque manda- only the commandment, but also tum solum, sed etiam creatio et the creation and ordinance of God, ordinatio Dei cogit hos ad con- compelleth such unto marriage as jugium, qui sine singulari Dei opere non sunt excepti, juxta illud (Gen. ii. 18)): 'Non est bonum homini esse solum.' Igitur non peccant isti, qui obtemperant huic mandato et ordinationi Dei.

without the special work of God are not exempted; according to that saying, 'It is not good for man to be alone' (Gen. ii. 18). They, therefore, that are obedient to this commandment and ordinance of God do not sin.

Quid potest contra hæc oppo- What can be said against these ni? Exaggeret aliquis obligatio- things? Let a man exaggerate the nem voti, quantum volet, tamen bond of a vow as much as he will, non poterit efficere, ut votum yet can he never bring to pass that tollat mandatum Dei. Canones the vow shall take away God's docent, in omni voto jus supe- commandment. The Canons teach, rioris excipi: quare multo mi- 'that in every vow the right of the nus hæc vota contra mandata superior is excepted:' much less, Dei valent.

Quodsi obligatio votorum nul

therefore, can these vows, which are contrary to God's commandment, be of force.

If so be that the obligation of

las haberet causas, cur mutari | vows has no causes why it might possit: nec Romani Ponti- be changed, then could not the Rofices dispensassent; neque enim man Pontiffs have dispensed therelicet homini obligationem, quae with. For neither is it lawful for simpliciter est juris divini, man to disannul that bond which rescindere. Sed prudenter ju- doth simply belong to the law of dicaverunt Romani Pontifices God. But the Roman Pontiffs have æquitatem in hac obligatione judged very prudently, that in this adhibendam esse. Ideo sæpe de obligation there must equity be votis dispensasse leguntur. Nota used; therefore they often, as we historia de Rege Arrago- read, have dispensed with vows. num, revocato ex monasterio, The history of the King of Arraet extant exempla nostri tem-gon, being called back out of a monporis. astery, is well known; and there are examples in our own time. Deinde, cur obligationem exag- Secondly, why do our adversaries gerant adversarii seu effectum exaggerate the obligation or the voti, cum interim de ipsa voti effect of the vow; when in the natura sileant, quod debet esse mean time they speak not a word in re possibili, quod debet esse of the very nature of a vow, that voluntarium, sponte et consulto it ought to be in a thing possible, conceptum. At quomodo sit in ought to be voluntary, and taken potestate hominis perpetua ca- up of a man's own accord, and stitas, non est ignotum. Et with deliberation? But it is not quotusquisque sponte et consulto unknown how far perpetual chasvovit? Puella et adolescentes, tity is in the power of a man. And priusquam judicare possunt, how many a one amongst them persuadentur ad vovendum, in- is there that doth vow of his own terdum etiam coguntur.

Quare non est æquum tam rigide de obligatione disputare,

accord and well advised? Maidens and youths, before they know how to judge, are persuaded, yea, sometimes also compelled to vow.

Wherefore it is not meet to dispute so rigorously of the obligation,

cum omnes fateantur contra seeing that all men confess that it is

1 The ed. princeps reads possibi—a typographical error.

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.

Postremo, etiam si voti vio

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.

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

runt.

be esteemed, although others afterwards have thought otherwise.

Quanquam autem manda- And although the commandment tum Dei de conjugio videa of God touching wedlock doth free tur plerosque liberare a votis, most men from vows; yet our teachtamen afferunt nostri et aliam ers do also bring another reason conrationem de votis, quod sint cerning vows, to show that they are

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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.

nem.

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 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 serv quare sunt irrita. Nam votum ices, and are therefore void. For impium et factum contra man- a wicked vow, and that which is data Dei non valet, neque enim debet votum vinculum esse iniquitatis, ut Canon dicit.

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.

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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 exaggerare, quam multa possit colligere, quorum jam ipsos monachos pudet.

ties, and said they could transfer their good works to others. If any man wished to expand these things, 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 Ecclesia, obscuratur, cum illa mirifica religiones angelorum, simulatio paupertatis et humilitatis, et cælibatus offunduntur oculis hominum.

Præterea obscurantur præcepta

faith, which ought especially to be taught in the Church, is obscured when those marvelous religions of angels, the pretense of poverty and humility, and of celibacy, are cast before men's eyes.

Moreover, the commandments of

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