hereby souls may be won, and eternal
life. Now there follows a just admonition, which Christ and Paul and
all the Apostles have also given, that each should look out for
himself and guard against false teachers.

It is especially necessary for us to observe it carefully, so that we
shall not suffer that right and authority which all Christians have,
to be torn from us, to judge and decide on all doctrines; and shall
not let it come to this, that we first wait till the Councils
determine what we are to believe, and then follow that. This we are
now to look at.

CHAPTER II.

V. 1. _But there were false teachers also among the people, as also
among you there shall be false teachers._ This is what St. Peter
would say: All prophecy must proceed from the Holy Spirit, even to
the end of the world, just as it has gone forth from the beginning of
the world, so that nothing shall be preached but what is God's word.
Yet it has ever so happened, that close upon the true prophets and
word of God, there have been false teachers, and so also it shall
continue. Therefore, since ye have God's word, ye should take heed to
yourselves that ye do not have false teachers besides. This is a
sufficient admonition, and it cannot fail where the true word of God
is preached; that close upon it false teachers also should rise up.
The reason is this,--not every one lays hold on the word, and
believes thereon, although it is preached to all. They who believe
thereon, follow it, and hold it fast; but the greater part, they who
do not believe, receive a false sense therefrom, whence they become
false teachers. This matter we have not seriously considered, nor
have we attended to this warning; but we have gone astray, and
whatever has been preached that we have done. Thereon we have
stumbled and fallen, and been led away by delusion, as though the
Pope, with his priests and monks, could not err. Thus those that
should have been on their guard against such things, have been the
first that have urged them upon us. So that we are not free from
blame, though we have a wrong belief, and follow after false
teachers: it shall be of no help to us, that we have not known, since
we were warned beforehand. Besides, God has bidden us that we should
each determine what this or that one preaches, and give account
thereof; if we do not, then are we lost; wherefore it concerns every
one's own soul's salvation to know what God's word is, and what false
doc