Page:The Church, by John Huss.pdf/324

Rh a drunkard or an extortioner, with such an one no not to eat," I Cor. 5:11: "Likewise it must be known that every one sinning mortally is excommunicated of God, in accordance with that Psalm, 'Cursed are those who depart from thy commandments,' and I Cor. 16:22, 'If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.'" And although this excommunication is called minor because it is not pronounced solemnly in public by a prelate, nevertheless I fear it more than the major excommunication, with which the prelates now assail me. But, besides, I fear the greatest excommunication more still with which the high priest, sitting in the sight of all the angels and men, will excommunicate the damned from participation in eternal blessedness, as he said: "Go, ye cursed into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels," Matt. 25:41. Of this excommunication the judge ought to think and he ought to beware lest he excommunicate unjustly. For whoever excommunicates another for temporal gain or chiefly for his own honor or to revenge an injury against himself or without any known cause of criminal offence this man excommunicates himself. For he ought to excommunicate him whom God excommunicates, for criminal offence which he knows [the possible offender] has committed and after the third warning and out of love, for the honor of God and for the salvation of the man whom he excommunicates and also for the advantage of others that they may fear and that he [the offender] do not infect them. So Paul did when, writing to the Corinthians, he charged them to ast out the public fornicator lest he should infect others and also that his soul might be saved, I Cor. 5:5.

Now, these things being considered, the faithful should know how many prelates, clergy and laity are excommunicated of God; for all who depart from the Lord's commandments are excommunicated, and also how many excommuni-