_The Confutatio Pontificia:
         In Reference To The Matters Presented To His Imperial Majesty
          By The Elector Of Saxony And Some Princes And States Of The
            Holy Roman Empire, On The Subject And Concerning Causes
           Pertaining To The Christian Orthodox Faith, The Following
                Christian Reply Can Be Given._ August 3, 1530.
                              Edited by J.M. Reu.
                                 Published in
              _The Augsburg Confession, A Collection of Sources._
     (Fort Wayne, IN: Concordia Theological Seminary Press), pp. 349-383.


                             VI. Of Monastic Vows.

 Although many and various matters have been introduced in this article by the
 suggestion of certain persons (Another text, Cod. Pflug., reads "Preachers"),
 nevertheless, when all are taken into consideration with mature thought, since
 monastic vows have their foundation in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
 Testaments, and most holy men, renowned and admirable by miracles, have lived
 in these religious orders with many thousand thousands, and for so many
 centuries their ordinances and rules of living have been received and approved
 throughout the entire Christian world by the Catholic Church, it is in no way
 to be tolerated that vows are licentiously broken without any fear of God.
 For, in the Old Testament, God approved the vows of the Nazarenes, Num 6:2ff,
 and the vows of the Rechabites, who neither drank wine or ate grapes, Jer.
 36:6, 19; while he strictly requires that the vow once made be paid, Deut.
 23:21f; "It is ruin to a man after vows to retract," Prov. 20:25; "The vows of
 the just are acceptable," Prov. 15:8. God also teaches specifically through
 the prophet that monastic vows please him. For in Isa. 56:4, 5 it is read as
 follows: "Thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my Sabbath, and
 choose the things that please me and take hold of my covenant, Even unto them
 will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than
 that of sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that shall
 not be cut off." But to what eunuchs does God make these promises? To those,
 undoubtedly, whom Christ praises, "which have made themselves eunuchs for the
 kingdom of heaven's sake," Matt. 19:12; to those, undoubtedly, who, denying
 their own, come after Christ and deny themselves and follow him, Luke 9:23, so
 that they are governed no longer by their own will, but by that of their rule
 and superior. In like manner, according to the testimony of the apostle, those
 virgins do better who, contemning the world and spurning its enticements, vow
 and maintain virginity in monasteries, than those who place their necks
 beneath the matrimonial burden. For thus St. Paul says, 1 Cor. 7:28: ÒHe that
 giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage
 doeth better." Also, concerning a widow, he continues: "She is happier if she
 so abide, after my judgment." No one is ignorant of the holiness of the hermit
 Paul, of Basil, Anthony, Benedict, Bernard, Dominic, Franciscus, Wiliam,
 Augustine, Clara, Bridget, and similar hermits, who indeed despised the entire
 realm of the world and all the splendor of the age on account of love to our
 Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, the heresy of the Lampetians was condemned in
 most ancient times, which the heretic Jovinian attempted in vain to revive at
 Rome. Therefore, all things must be rejected which in this article have been
 produced against monasticism - viz. that monasteries succeeded vows. Of the
 nunneries it is sufficiently ascertained that, though pertaining to the weaker
 sex, how in most cloisters the holy nuns persevered far more constantly to
 vows once uttered, even under these princes and cities, than the majority of
 monks; even to this day it has been impossible to move them from their holy
 purpose by any prayers, blandishments, threats, terrors, difficulties or
 distresses. Wherefore, those matters are not to be admitted which are
 interpreted unfavorably, since it has been expressly declared in the Holy
 Scriptures that the monastic life, when kept with proper observance, as may by
 the grace of God be rendered by any monks, merits eternal life; and indeed
 Christ has promised to them a much more bountiful reward, saying: "Every one
 that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or
 wife, or children or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundred-fold,
 and shall inherit everlasting life," Matt. 19:29. That monasteries, as they
 show, were formerly literary schools, is not denied; nevertheless, there is no
 ignorance of the fact that these were at first schools of virtues and
 discipline, to which literature was afterwards added. But since no one putting
 his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of heaven, Luke
 9:62, all marriages and breaking of vows by monks and nuns should be regarded
 as condemned, according to the tenor not only of the Holy Scriptures, but also
 of the laws and canons, "having damnation, because they have cast off their
 first faith," as St. Paul says, 1 Tim. 5:12. Moreover, that vows are not
 contrary to the ordinance of God as been declared with reference to the second
 article of the alleged abuses. That they attempt to defend themselves by
 dispensations of the Pope is of no effect. For although the Pope has perhaps
 made a dispensation for the king of Aragon, who, we read, returned to the
 monastery after having had offspring, or for any other prince on account of
 the peace of the entire kingdom or province, to prevent the exposure of the
 entire kingdom or province to wars, carnage, pillage, debauchery,
 conflagrations, murders, - nevertheless, in private persons who abandon vows
 in apostasy such grounds for dispensations cannot be urged. For the assumption
 is repelled that the vow concerns a matter that is impossible. For continence,
 which so many thousands of men and virgins have maintained, is not impossible.
 For although the wise man says (Wisd. 8:21): "I knew that I could not
 otherwise be continent, unless God gave it me," nevertheless Christ promised
 to give it. "Seek," he says, "and ye shall find,Ó Luke 11:9; Matt 18:28; and
 St. Paul says: "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above
 that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that
 ye may be able to bear it," 1 Cor. 10:13. They are also poor defenders of
 their cause when they admit that the violation of a vow is irreprehensible,
 and it must be declared that by law such marriages are censured and should be
 dissolved, C. Ut. Continentiae, xxvii. Q. 1, as also by the ancient statutes
 of emperors. But when they allege in their favor C. Nuptiarum, They accomplish
 nothing, for it speaks of a simple not of a religious vow, which the Church
 observes also to this day. The marriages of monks, nuns, or priests, have
 therefore never been ratified. Futile also is their statement that a votive
 life is an invention of men, for it has been founded upon the Holy Scriptures,
 inspired into the most holy fathers by the Holy Ghost. Nor does it deny honor
 to Christ, since monks observe all things for Christ's sake and imitate
 Christ. False, therefore, is the judgement whereby they condemn monastic
 service as godless, whereas it is most Christian. For the monks have not
 fallen from God's grace, as the Jews of whom St. Paul speaks, Gal. 5:4, when
 they still sought justification by the law of Moses; but the monks endeavor to
 live more nearly to the Gospel, that they may merit eternal life. Therefore,
 the allegations here made against monasticism are impious. Moreover, the
 malicious charge that is still further added, that those in religious orders
 claim to be in a state of perfection, has never been heard of by them; for
 those in these orders claim not for themselves a state of perfection, but only
 a state in which to acquire perfection - because their regulations are
 instruments of perfection, and not perfection itself. In this manner Gerson
 must be received, who does not deny that religious orders are states wherein
 to acquire perfection as he declares in his treatises, "Against the
 Proprietors of the Rule of St. Augustine", "Of Evangelical Counsels", "Of
 Perfection of Heart", and in other places. For this reason the princes and
 cities should be admonished to strive rather for the reformation of the
 monasteries by their legitimate superiors than for their subversion - rather
 for the godly improvement of the monks than that they be abolished; as their
 most religious ancestors, most Christian princes, have done. But if they will
 not believe holy and most religious fathers defending monastic vows, let them
 hear at least His Imperial Highness, the Emperor Justinian, in "Authentica,"
 De Monachis, Coll. ii.

       _________________________________________________________________
       This text was converted to ascii format for Project Wittenberg by
           Karen Janssen and is in the public domain. You may freely
        distribute, copy or print this text. Please direct any comments
       or suggestions to: Rev. Robert E. Smith of the Walther Library at
                        Concordia Theological Seminary.
       
                          E-mail: smithre@mail.ctsfw.edu
          Surface Mail: 6600 N. Clinton St., Ft.  Wayne, IN 46825 USA
       Phone: (260) 452-3149                        Fax: (260) 452-2126
       _________________________________________________________________