“To these evils was added an opinion concerning vows, which, it is well known, in former times, displeased even those monks who were more thoughtful.  They taught that vows were equal to Baptism; they taught that, by this kind of life, they merited forgiveness of sins and justification before God.  Yea, they added that the monastic life not only merited righteousness before God, but even greater things, because it kept not only the precepts, but also the so-called ’evangelical counsels.’

“Thus they made men believe that the profession of monasticism was far better than Baptism, and that the monastic life was mere meritorious than that of magistrates, than the life of pastors and such like, who serve their calling in accordance with God’s commands, without any man-made services.  None of these things can be denied; for they appear in their own books. . . .

“These things we have rehearsed without odious exaggerations, to the end that the doctrine of our teachers, on this point, might be better understood.  First, concerning such as contract matrimony.”  Here the 27th Article rehearses in the main the argument of Article XXIII.

“In the second place, why do our adversaries exaggerate the obligation or effect of a vow, when, at the same time, they have not a word to say of the nature of the vow itself, that it ought to be in a thing possible, free, and chosen spontaneously and deliberately?  But it is not known to what extent perpetual chastity is in the power of man.  And how few are they who have taken the vow spontaneously and deliberately!  Young men and maidens, before they are able to judge, are persuaded, and sometimes even compelled, to take the vow.  Wherefore it is not fair to insist so rigorously on the obligation, since it is granted by all that it is against the nature of a vow to take it without spontaneous and deliberate action. . . .

“But although it appears that God’s command concerning marriage delivers many from their vows, yet our teachers introduce also another argument concerning vows to show that they are void.  For every service of God ordained and chosen of men without commandment of God to merit justification and grace is wicked as Christ says (Matt. 15, 9):  ’In vain they worship Me with the commandments of men.’  And Paul teaches everywhere that righteousness is not to be sought by our own observances and acts of worship devised by men, but that it comes by faith to those who believe that they are received by God into grace for Christ’s sake.”

The confessors then proceed to show how spiritual pride was fostered by the monkish teaching of perfection, and how by their rites and ordinances and rules the true worship of God was obscured, and men were withdrawn from useful pursuits in life to be buried in cloisters.  They conclude:  “All these things, since they are false and empty, make vows null and void.” (p. 57 ff.)