Article XV (VIII): _Of Human Traditions in the Church._
In the Fifteenth Article they receive the first part, in which we say
that such ecclesiastical rites are to be observed as can be observed
without sin, and are of profit in the Church for tranquility and good
order. They altogether condemn the second part, in which we say that
human traditions instituted to appease God, to merit grace, and make
satisfactions for sins are contrary to the Gospel. Although in the
Confession itself, when treating of the distinction of meats, we have
spoken at sufficient length concerning traditions, yet certain things
should be briefly recounted here.
Although we supposed that the adversaries would defend human
traditions on other grounds, yet we did not think that this would
come to pass, namely, that they would condemn this article: that we
do not merit the remission of sins or grace by the observance of
human traditions. Since, therefore, this article has been condemned,
we have an easy and plain case. The adversaries are now openly
Judaizing, are openly suppressing the Gospel by the doctrines of
demons. For Scripture calls traditions doctrines of demons when it
is taught that religious rites are serviceable to merit the remission
of sins and grace. For they are then obscuring the Gospel, the
benefit of Christ, and the righteousness of faith. [For they are
just as directly contrary to Christ and to the Gospel as are fire and
water to one another.] The Gospel teaches that by faith we receive
freely, for Christ's sake, the remission of sins and are reconciled.
The adversaries, on the other hand, appoint another mediator, namely
these traditions. On account of these they wish to acquire remission
of sins; on account of these they wish to appease God's wrath. But
Christ clearly says, Matt. 15, 9: In vain do they worship Me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
We have above discussed at length that men are justified by faith
when they believe that they have a reconciled God, not because of our
works, but gratuitously, for Christ's sake. It is certain that this
is the doctrine of the Gospel, because Paul clearly teaches Eph. 2, 8.
9: By grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God; not of works. Now these men say that men
merit the remission of sins by these human observances. What else is
this than to appoint another justifier, a mediator other than Christ?
Paul says to the Galatians, 5, 4: Christ has become of no effect
unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the Law, i.e., if you
hold that by the observance of the Law you merit to be accounted
righteous before God, Christ will profit you nothing; for what need
of Christ have those who hold that they are righteous by their own
observance of the Law? God has set forth Christ with the promise
that on account of this Mediator, and not on account of our
righteousness, He wishes to be propitious to us. But these men hold
that God is reconciled and propitious because of the traditions, and
not because of Christ. Therefore they take away from Christ the
honor of Mediator. Neither, so far as this matter is concerned is
there any difference between our traditions and the ceremonies of
Moses. Paul condemns the ceremonies of Moses, just as he condemns
traditions, for the reason that they were regarded as works which
merit righteousness before God. Thus the office of Christ and the
righteousness of faith were obscured. Therefore, the Law being
removed, and traditions being removed, he contends that the remission
of sins has been promised not because of our works, but freely,
because of Christ, if only by faith we receive it. For the promise
is not received except by faith. Since, therefore, by faith we
receive the remission of sins since by faith we have a propitious God
for Christ's sake, it is an error and impiety to declare that because
of these observances we merit the remission of sins. If any one
should say here that we do not merit the remission of sins, but that
those who have already been justified by these traditions merit grace,
Paul again replies, Gal. 2, 17, that Christ would be the minister of
sin if after justification we must hold that henceforth we are not
accounted righteous for Christ's sake, but we ought first, by other
observances, to merit that we be accounted righteous. Likewise Gal.
3, 15: Though it be but a man's covenant, no man addeth thereto.
Therefore, neither to God's covenant, who promises that for Christ's
sake He will be propitious to us ought we to add that we must first
through these observances attain such merit as to be regarded as
accepted and righteous.
However, what need is there of a long discussion? No tradition was
instituted by the holy Fathers with the design that it should merit
the remission of sins, or righteousness, but they have been
instituted for the sake of good order in the Church and for the sake
of tranquillity. And when any one wishes to institute certain works
to merit the remission of sins, or righteousness, how will he know
that these works please God since he has not the testimony of God's
Word? How, without God's command and Word, will he render men
certain of God's will? Does He not everywhere in the prophets
prohibit men from instituting, without His commandment, peculiar
rites of worship? In Ezek. 20, 18. 19 it is written: Walk ye not in
the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor
defile yourselves with their idols: I Am the Lord, your God. Walk in
My statutes, and keep My judgements, and do them. If men are allowed
to institute religious rites and through these rites merit grace, the
religious rites of all the heathen will have to be approved, and the
rites instituted by Jeroboam, 1 Kings 12, 26 f., and by others,
outside of the Law, will have to be approved. For what difference
does it make? If we have been allowed to institute religious rites
that are profitable for meriting grace, or righteousness, why was the
same not allowed the heathen and the Israelites? But the religious
rites of the heathen and the Israelites were rejected for the very
reason that they held that by these they merited remission of sins
and righteousness, and yet did not know [the highest service of God]
the righteousness of faith. Lastly, whence are we rendered certain
that rites instituted by men without God's command justify, inasmuch
as nothing can be affirmed of God's will without God's Word? What if
God does not approve these services? How, therefore, do the
adversaries affirm that they justify? Without God's Word and
testimony this cannot be affirmed. And Paul says, Rom. 14, 23
Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. But as these services have no
testimony of God's Word, conscience must doubt as to whether they
please God.
And what need is there of words on a subject so manifest? If the
adversaries defend these human services as meriting justification,
grace, and the remission of sins, they simply establish the kingdom
of Antichrist. For the kingdom of Antichrist is a new service of God,
devised by human authority rejecting Christ, just as the kingdom of
Mahomet has services and works through which it wishes to be
justified before God; nor does it hold that men are gratuitously
justified before God by faith for Christ's sake. Thus the Papacy
also will be a part of the kingdom of Antichrist if it thus defends
human services as justifying. For the honor is taken away from
Christ when they teach that we are not justified gratuitously by
faith, for Christ's sake, but by such services, especially when they
teach that such services are not only useful for justification, but
are also necessary, as they hold above in Art. VII, where they
condemn us for saying that unto true unity of the Church it is not
necessary that rites instituted by men should everywhere be alike.
Daniel, 11, 38, indicates that new human services will be the very
form and constitution of the kingdom of Antichrist. For he says thus:
But in his estate shall he honor the god of forges; and a god whom
his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold and silver and precious
stones. Here he describes new services, because he says that such a
god shall be worshiped as the fathers were ignorant of. For although
the holy Fathers themselves had both rites and traditions, yet they
did not hold that these matters are useful or necessary for
justification they did not obscure the glory and office Christ, but
taught that we are justified by faith for Christ's sake, and not for
the sake of these human services. But they observed human rites for
the sake of bodily advantage, that the people might know at what time
they should assemble; that, for the sake of example, all things in
the churches might be done in order and becomingly; lastly, that the
common people might receive a sort of training. For the distinctions
of times and the variety of rites are of service in admonishing the
common people. The Fathers had these reasons for maintaining the
rites, and for these reasons we also judge it to be right that
traditions [good customs] be maintained. And we are greatly
surprised that the adversaries [contrary to the entire Scriptures of
the Apostles, contrary to the Old and New Testaments] contend for
another design of traditions, namely, that they may merit the
remission of sins, grace, or justification. What else is this than
to honor God with gold and silver and precious stones [as Daniel
says], i.e., to hold that God becomes reconciled by a variety in
clothing, ornaments, and by similar rites [many kinds of church
decorations, banners, tapers], as are infinite in human traditions?
Paul writes to the Colossians, 2, 23, that traditions have a show of
wisdom. And they indeed have. For this good order is very becoming
in the Church, and for this reason is necessary. But human reason,
because it does not understand the righteousness of faith, naturally
imagines that such works justify men because they reconcile God, etc.
Thus the common people among the Israelites thought, and by this
opinion increased such ceremonies, just as among us they have grown
in the monasteries [as in our time one altar after another and one
church after another is founded]. Thus human reason judges also of
bodily exercises, of fasts, although the end of these is to restrain
the flesh, reason falsely adds that they are services which justify.
As Thomas writes: Fasting avails for the extinguishing and the
prevention of guilt. These are the words of Thomas. Thus the
semblance of wisdom and righteousness in such works deceives men.
And the examples of the saints are added [when they say: St. Francis
wore a cap, etc.]; and when men desire to imitate these, they imitate,
for the most part, the outward exercises; their faith they do not
imitate.
After this semblance of wisdom and righteousness has deceived men,
then infinite evils follow; the Gospel concerning the righteousness
of faith in Christ is obscured, and vain confidence in such works
succeeds. Then the commandments of God are obscured; these works
arrogate to themselves the title of a perfect and spiritual life, and
are far preferred to the works of God's commandments [the true, holy,
good works], as, the works of one's own calling, the administration
of the state, the management of a family, married life, the bringing
up of children. Compared with those ceremonies, the latter are
judged to be profane, so that they are exercised by many with some
doubt of conscience. For it is known that many have abandoned the
administration of the state and married life, in order to embrace
these observances as better and holier [have gone into cloisters in
order to become holy and spiritual].
Nor is this enough. When the persuasion has taken possession of
minds that such observances are necessary to justification,
consciences are in miserable anxiety because they cannot exactly
fulfil all observances. For how many are there who could enumerate
all these observances? There are immense books, yea whole libraries,
containing not a syllable concerning Christ, concerning faith in
Christ, concerning the good works of one's own calling, but which
only collect the traditions and interpretations by which they are
sometimes rendered quite rigorous and sometimes relaxed. [They write
of such precepts as of fasting for forty days, the four canonical
hours for prayer, etc.] How that most excellent man, Gerson, is
tortured while he searches for the grades and extent of the precepts!
Nevertheless, he is not able to fix _epieicheian_ [mitigation] in a
definite grade [and yet cannot find any sure grade where he could
confidently promise the heart assurance and peace]. Meanwhile, he
deeply deplores the dangers to godly consciences which this rigid
interpretation of the traditions produces.
Against this semblance of wisdom and righteousness in human rites,
which deceives men, let us therefore fortify ourselves by the Word of
God, and let us know, first of all that these neither merit before
God the remission of sins or justification, nor are necessary for
justification. We have above cited some testimonies. And Paul is
full of them. To the Colossians, 2, 16. 17, he clearly says: Let no
man, therefore, judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of an
holy-day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath-days, which are a
shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Here now he
embraces at the same time both the Law of Moses and human traditions
in order that the adversaries may not elude these testimonies,
according to their custom, upon the ground that Paul is speaking only
of the Law of Moses. But he clearly testifies here that he is
speaking of human traditions. However, the adversaries do not see
what they are saying; if the Gospel says that the ceremonies of Moses,
which were divinely instituted, do not justify, how much less do
human traditions justify!
Neither have the bishops the power to institute services, as though
they justified, or were necessary for justification. Yea, the
apostles, Acts 15, 10, say: Why tempt ye God to put a yoke, etc.,
where Peter declares this purpose to burden the Church a great sin.
And Paul forbids the Galatians, 5, 1, to be entangled again with the
yoke of bondage. Therefore, it is the will of the apostles that this
liberty remain in the Church, that no services of the Law or of
traditions be judged as necessary (just as in the Law ceremonies were
for a time necessary), lest the righteousness of faith be obscured,
if men judge that these services merit justification, or are
necessary for justification. Many seek in traditions various
_epieicheian_ [mitigations] in order to heal consciences, and yet
they do not find any sure grades by which to free consciences from
these chains. But just as Alexander once for all solved the Gordian
knot by cutting it with his sword when he could not disentangle it,
so the apostles once for all free consciences from traditions,
especially if they are taught to merit justification. The apostles
compel us to oppose this doctrine by teaching and examples. They
compel us to teach that traditions do not justify; that they are not
necessary for justification; that no one ought to frame or receive
traditions with the opinion that they merit justification. Then,
even though any one should observe them, let him observe them without
superstition as civil customs, just as without superstition soldiers
are clothed in one way and scholars in another [as I regard my
wearing of a German costume among the Germans and a French costume
among the French as an observance of the usage of the land, and not
for the purpose of being saved thereby]. The apostles violate
traditions and are excused by Christ for the example was to be shown
the Pharisees that these services are unprofitable. And if our
people neglect some traditions that are of little advantage, they are
now sufficiently excused, when these are required as though they
merit justification. For such an opinion with regard to traditions
is impious [an error not to be endured].
But we cheerfully maintain the old traditions [as, the three high
festivals, the observance of Sunday, and the like] made in the Church
for the sake of usefulness and tranquillity, and we interpret them in
a more moderate way, to the exclusion of the opinion which holds that
they justify. And our enemies falsely accuse us of abolishing good
ordinances and churchdiscipline. For we can truly declare that the
public form of the churches is more becoming with us than with the
adversaries [that the true worship of God is observed in our churches
in a more Christian, honorable way]. And if any one will consider it
aright, we conform to the canons more truly than do the adversaries.
[For the adversaries, without shame, tread under foot the most
honorable canons, just as they do Christ and the Gospel.] With the
adversaries, unwilling celebrants, and those hired for pay, and very
frequently only for pay, celebrate the Masses. They sing psalms, not
that they may learn or pray [for the greater part do not understand a
verse in the psalms], but for the sake of the service as though this
work were a service, or at feast, for the sake of reward. [All this
they cannot deny. Some who are upright among them are even ashamed
of this baffle, and declare that the clergy is in need of reformation.
] With us many use the Lord's Supper [willingly and without
constraint] every Lord's Day, but after having been first instructed,
examined [whether they know and understand anything of the Lord's
Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments], and absolved. The
children sing psalms in order that they may learn [become familiar
with passages of Scripture], the people also sing [Latin and German
psalms], in order that they may either learn or pray. With the
adversaries there is no catechization of the children whatever,
concerning which even the canons give commands. With us the pastors
and ministers of the churches are compelled publicly [and privately]
to instruct and hear the youth; and this ceremony produces the best
fruits. [And the Catechism is not a mere childish thing, as is the
bearing of banners and tapers, but a very profitable instruction.]
Among the adversaries, in many regions [as in Italy and Spain],
during the entire year no sermons are delivered, except in Lent [Here
they ought to cry out and justly make grievous complaint, for this
means at one blow to overthrow completely all worship. For of all
acts that is the greatest most holy, most necessary, and highest,
which God has required as the highest in the First and the Second
Commandment, namely, to preach the Word of God. For the ministry is
the highest office in the Church. Now, if this worship is omitted,
how can there be knowledge of God, the doctrine of Christ, or the
Gospel,] But the chief service of God is to teach the Gospel. And
when the adversaries do preach, they speak of human traditions, of
the worship of saints [of consecrated water], and similar tripes,
which the people justly loathe, therefore they are deserted
immediately in the beginning, after the text of the Gospel has been
recited. [This practise may have started because the people did not
wish to hear the other lies.] A few better ones begin now to speak of
good works, but of the righteousness of faith, of faith in Christ, of
the consolation of consciences, they say nothing; yea, this most
wholesome part of the Gospel they rail at with their reproaches.
[This blessed doctrine, the precious holy Gospel, they call Lutheran.
] On the contrary, in our churches all the sermons are occupied with
such topics as these: of repentance, of the fear of God, of faith in
Christ, of the righteousness of faith, of the consolation of
consciences by faith, of the exercises of faith; of prayer, what its
nature should be, and that we should be fully confident that it is
efficacious, that it is heard of the cross; of the authority of
magistrates and all civil ordinances [likewise, how each one in his
station should live in a Christian manner, and, out of obedience to
the command of the Lord God, should conduct himself in reference to
every worldly ordinance and law]; of the distinction between the
kingdom of Christ, or the spiritual kingdom and political affairs, of
marriage; of the education and instruction of children, of chastity;
of all the offices of love. From this condition of the churches it
may be judged that we diligently maintain church-discipline and godly
ceremonies and good churchcustoms.
And of the mortification of the flesh and discipline of the body we
thus teach, just as the Confession states, that a true and not a
feigned mortification occurs through the cross and afflictions by
which God exercises us [when God breaks our will, inflicts the cross
and trouble]. In these we must obey God's will, as Paul says, Rom.
12, 1: Present your bodies a living sacrifice. And these are the
spiritual exercises of fear and faith. But in addition to this
mortification which occurs through the cross [which does not depend
upon our will] there is also a voluntary kind of exercise necessary,
of which Christ says Luke 21, 34: Take heed to yourselves lest at any
time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting. And Paul, 1 Cor. 9,
27: I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, etc. And
these exercises are to be undertaken not because they are services
that justify, but in order to curb the flesh, lest satiety may
overpower us, and render us secure and indifferent, the result of
which is that men indulge and obey the dispositions of the flesh.
This diligence ought to be perpetual, because it has the perpetual
command of God. And this prescribed form of certain meats and times
does nothing [as experience shows] towards curbing the flesh. For it
is more luxurious and sumptuous than other feasts [for they were at
greater expense, and practised greater gluttony with fish and various
Lenten meats than when the fasts were not observed], and not even the
adversaries observe the form given in the canons.
This topic concerning traditions contains many and difficult
questions of controversy and we have actually experienced that
traditions are truly snares of consciences. When they are exacted as
necessary, they torture in wonderful ways the conscience omitting any
observance [as godly hearts, indeed, experience when in the canonical
hours they have omitted a compline, or offended against them in a
similar way]. Again their abrogation has its own evils and its own
questions. [On the other hand, to teach absolute freedom has also
its doubts and questions, because the common people need outward
discipline and instruction.] But we have an easy and plain case,
because the adversaries condemn us for teaching that human traditions
do not merit the remission of sins. Likewise they require universal
traditions, as they call them, as necessary for justification [and
place them in Christ's stead]. Here we have Paul as a constant
champion, who everywhere contends that these observances neither
justify nor are necessary in addition to the righteousness of faith.
And nevertheless we teach that in these matters the use of liberty is
to be so controlled that the inexperienced may not be offended, and,
on account of the abuse of liberty, may not become more hostile to
the true doctrine of the Gospel, or that without a reasonable cause
nothing in customary rites be changed, but that, in order to cherish
harmony, such old customs be observed as can be observed without sin
or without great inconvenience. And in this very assembly we have
shown sufficiently that for love's sake we do not refuse to observe
adiaphora with others, even though they should have some disadvantage;
but we have judged that such public harmony as could indeed be
produced without offense to consciences ought to be preferred to all
other advantages [all other less important matters]. But concerning
this entire subject we shall speak after a while, when we shall treat
of vows and ecclesiastical power.