What they afterwards assert concerning the distinction of meats and like
traditions, of which they seem to make no account, must be rejected. For
we know from the apostle that all power is of God, and especially that
ecclesiastical power has been given by God for edification: for this
reason, from the Christian and devout heart of the holy Church the
constitutions of the same holy, catholic and apostolic Church should
be received as are useful to the Church, as well for promoting divine
worship as for restraining the lust of the flesh, while they enable us
the more readily to keep the divine commands, and when well considered
are found in the Holy Scriptures; and he who despises or rashly resists
them grievously offends God, according to Christ's word: "He that
heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he
that despiseth me, despiseth Him that sent me." Luke 10:16. A prelate,
however, is despised when his statutes are despised, according to St.
Paul, not only when he says: "He that despiseth, despiseth not man, but
God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit," 1 Thess. 4:8, but
also to the bishops: "Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves and to all
the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to rule
(Vulgate) the Church of God," Acts 20:28. If prelates, therefore, have
the power to rule, they will have the power also to make statutes for
the salutary government of the Church and the growth of subjects. For
the same apostle enjoined upon the Corinthians that among them all
things should be done in order, 1 Cor. 14:40; but this cannot be done
without laws. On that account he said to the Hebrews: "Obey them that
have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your
souls, as they that must give an account," Heb. 13:17. Here St. Paul
reckons not only obedience, but also the reason for obedience. We see
that St. Paul exercised this power, as, in addition to the Gospel, he
prescribed so many laws concerning the choice of a bishop, concerning
widows, concerning women, that they have their heads veiled, that they
be silent in the church, and concerning even secular matters, 1 Thess.
4:1, 2, 6; concerning civil courts, 1 Cor. 6:1ff. And he says to the
Corinthians very clearly: "But to the rest speak I, not the Lord."
1 Cor. 7.12, and again he says elsewhere: "Stand fast and hold the
traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle,"
2 Thess. 2:15. Wherefore, the princes and cities must be admonished to
render obedience to ecclesiastical statutes and constitutions, lest when
they withdraw obedience that is due God, obedience may be withdrawn also
from them by their subjects, as their subjects attempted in the recent
civil insurrection, not to allow themselves to be seduced by false
doctrines. Most false also is their declaration that the righteousness
of faith is obscured by such ordinances; nay, he is rather mad and
insane who would observe them without faith. For they are given to
believers, and not to Turks or Ishmaelites. "For what have I to do to
judge them that are without?" 1 Cor. 5:12. Moreover, in extolling here
faith above all things they antagonize St. Paul, as we have said above,
and do violence to St. Paul, whom they pervert to evangelical works when
he speaks of legal works, as all these errors have been above refuted.
False also is it that ecclesiastical ordinances obscure God's commands,
since they prepare man for these, as fasts suppress the lust of the
flesh and help him from falling into luxury. False also is it that it is
impossible to observe ordinances, for the Church is not a cruel mother
who makes no exceptions in the celebration of festivals and in fasting
and the like. Furthermore, they falsely quote Augustine in reply to the
inquiries of Januarius, who is diametrically opposed to them. For
in this place he most clearly states that what has been universally
delivered by the Church be also universally observed. But in indifferent
things, and those whose observance and non-observance are free, the holy
father Augustine states that, according to the authority of St. Ambrose,
the custom of each church should be observed. "When I come back to
Rome," he says, "I fast on the Sabbath, but when here I do not fast."
Besides, they do violence to the Scriptures while they endeavor
to support their errors. For Christ (Matt. 15) does not absolutely
disapprove of human ordinances, but of those only that were opposed to
the law of God, as is clearly acknowledged in Mark 7:8, 9. Here also
Matt. 15:3 says: "Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by
your tradition?" So Paul (Col. 2) forbids that any one be judged in meat
or in drink, or in respect to the Sabbath, after the Jewish manner; for
when the Church forbids meats it does not judge them to be unclean,
as the Jews in the Synagogue thought. So the declaration of Christ
concerning that which goeth into the mouth (Matt. 15:11) is cited here
without a sure and true understanding of it since its intention was to
remove the error of the Jews, who thought that food touched by unwashen
hands becomes unclean, and rendered one eating it unclean, as is
manifest from the context. Nor does the Church bring back to these
observances Moses with his heavy hands. In like manner they do violence
to St. Paul, for 1 Tim. 4:1, 4, he calls that a doctrine of demons that
forbids meats, as the Tatianites, Marcionites and Manichaeans thought
that meats were unclean, as is clear from the words that follow, when
St. Paul adds: "Every creature of God is good." But the church does
not forbid meats on the ground that they are evil or unclean, but as an
easier way to keep God's commandments; therefore the opposite arguments
fail. If they would preach the cross and bodily discipline and fasts,
that in this way the body be reduced to subjection, their doctrine would
be commendable; but their desire that these be free is condemned and
rejected as alien to the faith and discipline of the Church. Nor does
the diversity of rites support them, for this is properly allowed in
regard to particular matters, in order that each individual province
may have its own taste satisfied, as Jerome says; but individual
ecclesiastical rites should be universally observed, and special rites
should be observed each in their own province. Also, they make no
mention of Easter for the Roman pontiffs reduced the Asiatics to a
uniform observance of Easter with the universal Church. In this way
Irenaeus must be understood, for without the loss of faith some vigils
of the apostles were not celebrated with fasting throughout Gaul, which
Germany nevertheless observes in fasts. The princes and cities must also
be admonished to follow the decision of Pope Gregory, for he enjoins
that the custom of each province be observed if it employs nothing
contrary to the Catholic faith, Canon Quoniam, Distinct xii. Hence we
are not ignorant that there is a various observance of dissimilar rites
in unity of faith, which should be observed in every province as it has
been delivered and received from the ancients, without injury, however,
to the universal rites of the entire Catholic Church.