against the law of God, as Genesis vi. says: "Every thought and
imagination of man's heart is only evil continually." [Gen. 6:5]
Therefore the attempt to establish or defend divine order with
human reason, unless that reason has previously been established
and enlightened by faith, is just as futile as if I would throw
light upon the sun with a lightless lantern, or rest a rock upon
a reed. For Isaiah vii. makes reason subject to faith, when it
says: "Except ye believe, ye shall not have understanding or
reason." [Isa. 7:9] It does not say, "Except ye have reason, ye
shall not believe." Therefore this scribe would better have left
his perverted reason at home, or first have well established it
with texts of Scripture, so as not to put forth so ridiculous and
preposterous a claim and establish the faith and the divine law
by mere reason. For if this reason of ours draws the conclusion
that a visible community must have a visible overlord or cease to
exist, it also must draw the further conclusion, that as a
visible community does not exist without wives, therefore the
whole Church[19] must have a visible, common wife, in order not
to perish. What a valiant woman that would needs be! Again, a
visible community does not exist without a common visible city,
house and country; therefore the Church[19] must have a common
city, house and country. But where will you find that? Verily, in
Rome they are seeking just this with impatient eagerness, for
they have made nearly the whole world their very own. Again, the
Church[19] would likewise need to have in common its visible
property, servants, maids, cattle, food, etc., for no community
exists without them. See how gracefully human reason stalks along
on its stilts.

A professor of theology ought to have considered in advance the
clumsiness of such an argument, and proved the divine laws and
works by the Scriptures, and not by temporal analogies and
worldly reason. For it is written that the divine commandments
are justified in and by themselves, and not by any external
help.[20] [Ps. 19:9]

Again, the wise man says of the wisdom of God: "Wisdom hath
overcome the proud with her power." [Prov. 11:3] It is most
deplorable that we should attempt with our reason to defend God's
Word, whereas the Word of God is rather our defence against all
our enemies, as St. Paul teaches us. [Eph. 6:17] Would he not be
a great fool who in the thick of battle sought to protect his
helmet and