prevention of guilt. These are the words of Thomas. Thus the
semblance of wisdom and righteousness in such works deceives men.
And the examples of the saints are added [when they say: St. Francis
wore a cap, etc.]; and when men desire to imitate these, they imitate,
for the most part, the outward exercises; their faith they do not
imitate.

After this semblance of wisdom and righteousness has deceived men,
then infinite evils follow; the Gospel concerning the righteousness
of faith in Christ is obscured, and vain confidence in such works
succeeds. Then the commandments of God are obscured; these works
arrogate to themselves the title of a perfect and spiritual life, and
are far preferred to the works of God's commandments [the true, holy,
good works], as, the works of one's own calling, the administration
of the state, the management of a family, married life, the bringing
up of children. Compared with those ceremonies, the latter are
judged to be profane, so that they are exercised by many with some
doubt of conscience. For it is known that many have abandoned the
administration of the state and married life, in order to embrace
these observances as better and holier [have gone into cloisters in
order to become holy and spiritual].

Nor is this enough. When the persuasion has taken possession of
minds that such observances are necessary to justification,
consciences are in miserable anxiety because they cannot exactly
fulfil all observances. For how many are there who could enumerate
all these observances? There are immense books, yea whole libraries,
containing not a syllable concerning Christ, concerning faith in
Christ, concerning the good works of one's own calling, but which
only collect the traditions and interpretations by which they are