end be
all removed, whatever we have of the old Adam, as we heard above in
the first chapter. This is the only sacrifice that pleases and is
acceptable to God. From this you may perceive whereto our foolish and
blind leaders have brought us, and how this text has been kept under
the bench. Now you may say, If that is true, that we are all priests
and ought to preach, what sort of an institution is there? must there
then be no distinction among the people, and are the women, also, to
be priests? Answer. In the Old Testament it is permitted to no priest
to wear the tonsure. Not that it is wrong in itself; a person might
very well suffer himself to be shorn if he chose, but it is reason
that none make a distinction between himself and common
Christians,--a thing which faith will not permit. So that they who
are now called priests are all laymen like the others, and only some,
for the office' sake, are selected out of the Church to preach. Thus
there is only an outward distinction for the office' sake, inasmuch
as one is called of the Church; but before God there is no
difference, and some individuals are selected from the multitude, in
order that they may bear and exercise the office which they all have;
not that one is more elect than another. Therefore, no one should
rise up of himself and preach in the Church, but one is to be
selected and instituted out of the congregation, who may be removed
when it is desirable.

Yet have these men assumed a position of their own; as though
directed by God, they have arrogated to themselves such license, that
almost in the heart of christendom there is a greater distinction
than that which exists between us and the Turks. When you look upon
Christians you must observe no distinction, and you are not to say,
this is a man or a woman, a servant or a master, old or young; as
Paul tells us, Gal. iii.: They are all one and a purely spiritual
people. So that all alike are priests, all alike may proclaim God's
word, except that a woman is not to speak in the Church; but let the
men preach, because of the command that they are to be subject to
their husbands--as St. Paul teaches us, I. Cor. xiv.: Such order God
permits to remain, but makes no distinction of the election. But
where there are no men, but women only, as in the Nun's Cloisters,
there a woman may be selected to preach.

This is now the true priesthood, which consists in those three points
as we have heard,--namely, that we sa