The Confutatio Pontificia | Page 9

new spirit; for
why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death
of him that dieth, saith the Lord God; wherefore turn yourselves and

live." Also St. Paul: "The spirits of the prophets are subject to the
prophets," 1 Cor. 14:32. Likewise 2 Cor. 9:7: "Every man according as
he purposeth in his heart; not grudgingly or of necessity." finally,
Christ overthrew all the Manichaeans with one word when he said: "Ye
have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do
them good." Mark 14:7; and to Jerusalem Christ says: "How often
would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathered her
chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" Matt. 23:37.
To Article XIX.
The nineteenth article is likewise approved and accepted. For God, the
supremely good, is not the author of evils, but the rational and
defectible will is the cause of sin; wherefore let no one impute his
midsdeeds and crimes to God, but to himself, according to Jer. 2:19:
"Thine own wickedness shall correct thee and thy backslidings shall
reprove thee;" and Hos. 13:9: "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but
in me is thy help." And David in the spirit acknowledged that God is
not one that hath pleasure in wickedness, Ps. 5:4.
To Article XX.
In the twentieth article, which does not contain so much the confession
of the princes and cities as the defense of the preachers, there is only
one thing that pertains to the princes and cities - viz. concerning good
works, that they do not merit the remission of sins, which, as it has
been rejected and disapproved before, is also rejected and disapproved
now. For the passage in Daniel is very familiar: "Redeem thy sins with
alms," Dan. 4:24; and the address of Tobit to his son: "Alms do deliver
from death and suffereth not to come into darkness," Tobit 4:10; and
that of Christ: "Give alms of such things as ye have, and behold all
things are clean unto you," Luke 11:41. If works were not meritorious
why would the wise man say: "God will render a reward of the labors
of his saints"? Wisd. 10:17. Why would St. Peter so earnestly exhort to
good works, saying: "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence by
good works to make your calling and election sure"? 2 Pet. 1:19. Why
would St. Paul have said: "God is not unrighteous to forget your work
and labor of love, which ye have showed towards his name"? Heb. 6:10.
Nor by this do we reject Christ's merit but we know that our works are
nothing and of no merit unless by virtue of Christ's pssion. We know
that Christ is "the way, the truth and the life,". John 14:6. But Christ, as

the Good Shepherd, who "began to do and teach," Acts 1:1, has given
us an example that as he has done we also should do, John 13:15. He
also went through the desert by the way of good works, which all
Christians ought to pursue, and according to his command bear the
cross and follow him. Matt. 10:38; 16:24. He who bears not the cross,
neither is nor can be Christ's disciple. That also is true which John says:
"He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as
he walked," 1 John 2:6. Moreover, this opinion concerning good works
was condemned and rejected more than a thousand years ago in the
time of Augustine.
To Article XXI.
In the last place, they present the twenty-first article, wherein they
admit that the memory of saints may be set before us, that we may
follow their faith and good works, but not that they be invoked and aid
be sought of them. It is certainly wonderful that the princes especially
and the cities have allowed this error to be agitated in their dominions,
which has been condemned so often before in the Church, since eleven
hundred years ago St. Jerome vanquished in this area the heretic
Vigilantius. Long after him arose the Albigenses, the Poor Men of
Lyons, the Picards, the Cathari old and new: all of whom were
condemned legitimately long ago. Wherefore this article of the
Confession, so frequently condemned, must be utterly rejected and in
harmony with the entire universal Church be condemned; for in favor
of the invocation of saints we have not only the authority of the Church
universal but also the agreement of the holy fathers, Augustine,
Bernard, Jerome, Cyprian, Chrysostom, Basil, and this class of other
Church teachers. Neither is the authority of Holy Scripture absent from
this Catholic assertion, for Christ taught that the saints should be
honored: "If any man serve me, him will my Father honor,"