{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_1722/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_1722","id":"gutenberg_1722","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1722","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Christianity","Lutheran Church -- Catechisms -- English"],"text":"Ver.04.29.93*END*\n\n\n\n\nThis Etext prepared by Rev. Bob Smith <bob_smith@mail.ctsfw.edu>\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Large Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther\n\nTranslated by F. Bente and W. H. T. Dau\n\n\n\n\nPublished in:\nTriglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Ev. Lutheran Church.\nSt. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921), pp. 565-773\n\nPreface\n\nA Christian, Profitable, and Necessary Preface and Faithful, Earnest\nExhortation of Dr. Martin Luther to All Christians, but Especially to\nAll Pastors and Preachers, that They Should Daily Exercise Themselves\nin the Catechism, which is a Short Summary and Epitome of the Entire\nHoly Scriptures, and that they May Always Teach the Same.\n\nWe have no slight reasons for treating the Catechism so constantly [in\nSermons] and for both desiring and beseeching others to teach it, since\nwe see to our sorrow that many pastors and preachers are very negligent\nin this, and slight both their office and this teaching; some from\ngreat and high art [giving their mind, as they imagine, to much higher\nmatters], but others from sheer laziness and care for their paunches,\nassuming no other relation to this business than if they were pastors\nand preachers for their bellies' sake, and had nothing to do but to\n[spend and] consume their emoluments as long as they live, as they have\nbeen accustomed to do under the Papacy.\n\n\n And although they have now everything that they are to preach and\nteach placed before them so abundantly, clearly, and easily, in so many\n[excellent and] helpful books, and the true Sermones per se loquentes,\nDormi secure, Paratos et Thesauros, as they were called in former\ntimes; yet they are not so godly and honest as to buy these books, or\neven when they have them, to look at them or read them. Alas! they are\naltogether shameful gluttons and servants of their own bellies who\nought to be more properly swineherds and dog-tenders than care-takers\nof souls and pastors.\n\nAnd now that they are delivered from the unprofitable and burdensome\nbabbling of the Seven Canonical Hours, oh, that, instead thereof, they\nwould only, morning, noon, and evening, read a page or two in the\nCatechism, the Prayer-book, the New Testament, or elsewhere in the\nBible, and pray the Lord's Prayer for themselves and their\nparishioners, so that they might render, in return, honor and thanks to\nthe Gospel, by which they have been delivered from burdens and troubles\nso manifold, and might feel a little shame because like pigs and dogs\nthey retain no more of the Gospel than such a lazy, pernicious,\nshameful, carnal liberty! For, alas! as it is, the common people regard\nthe Gospel altogether too lightly, and we accomplish nothing\nextraordinary even though we use all diligence. What, then, will be\nachieved if we shall be negligent and lazy as we were under the Papacy?\n\n\nTo this there is added the shameful vice and secret infection of\nsecurity and satiety, that is, that many regard the Catechism as a\npoor, mean teaching, which they can read through at one time, and then\nimmediately know it, throw the book into a corner, and be ashamed, as\nit were, to read in it again.\n\nYea, even among the nobility there may be found some louts and\nscrimps, who declare that there is no longer any need either of\npastors or preachers; that we have everything in books, and every one\ncan easily learn it by himself; and so they are content to let the\nparishes decay and become desolate, and pastors and preachers to suffer\ndistress and hunger a plenty, just as it becomes crazy Germans to do.\nFor we Germans have such disgraceful people, and must endure them.\n\nBut for myself I say this: I am also a doctor and preacher, yea, as\nlearned and experienced as all those may be who have such presumption\nand security; yet I do as a child who is being taught the Catechism,\nand every morning, and whenever I have time, I read and say, word for\nword, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Psalms,\netc. And I must still read and study daily, and yet I cannot master it\nas I wish, but must remain a child and pupil of the Catechism, and am\nglad so to remain. And yet these delicate, fastidious fellows would\nwith one reading promptly be doctors above all doctors, know everything\nand be in need of nothing. Well, this, too, is indeed a sure sign that\nthey despise both their office and the souls of the people, yea, even\nGod and His Word. They do not have to fall, they are already fallen all\ntoo horribly, they would need to become children, and begin to learn\ntheir alphabet, which they imagine that they have long since outgrown.\n\nTherefore I beg such lazy paunches or presumptuous saints to be\npersuaded and believe for God's sake that they are verily, verily! not\nso learned or such great doctors as they imagine; and never to presume\nthat they have finished learning this [the parts of the Catechism], or\nknow it well enough in all points, even though they think that they\nknow it ever so well. For though they should know and understand it\nperfectly (which, however, is impossible in this life), yet there are\nmanifold benefits and fruits still to be obtained, if it be daily read\nand practiced in thought and speech; namely, that the Holy Ghost is\npresent in such reading and repetition and meditation, and bestows ever\nnew and more light and devoutness, so that it is daily relished and\nappreciated better, as Christ promises, Matt. 18, 20: Where two or\nthree are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of\nthem.\n\nBesides, it is an exceedingly effectual help against the devil, the\nworld, and the flesh and all evil thoughts to be occupied with the Word\nof God, and to speak of it, and meditate upon it, so that the First\nPsalm declares those blessed who meditate upon the law of God day and\nnight. Undoubtedly, you will not start a stronger incense or other\nfumigation against the devil than by being engaged upon God's\ncommandments and words, and speaking, singing, or thinking of them. For\nthis is indeed the true holy water and holy sign from which he flees,\nand by which he may be driven away.\n\nNow, for this reason alone you ought gladly to read, speak, think and\ntreat of these things if you had no other profit and fruit from them\nthan that by doing so you can drive away the devil and evil thoughts.\nFor he cannot hear or endure God's Word; and God's Word is not like\nsome other silly prattle, as that about Dietrich of Berne, etc., but as\nSt. Paul says, Rom. 1, 16, the power of God. Yea, indeed, the power of\nGod which gives the devil burning pain, and strengthens, comforts, and\nhelps us beyond measure.\n\nAnd what need is there of many words ? If I were to recount all the\nprofit and fruit which God's Word produces, whence would I get enough\npaper and time? The devil is called the master of a thousand arts. But\nwhat shall we call God's Word, which drives away and brings to naught\nthis master of a thousand arts with all his arts and power? It must\nindeed be the master of more than a hundred thousand arts. And shall we\nfrivolously despise such power, profit, strength, and fruit -- we,\nespecially, who claim to be pastors and preachers? If so, we should not\nonly have nothing given us to eat, but be driven out, being baited with\ndogs, and pelted with dung, because we not only need all this every day\nas we need our daily bread but must also daily use it against the daily\nand unabated attacks and lurking of the devil, the master of a thousand\narts.\n\nAnd if this were not sufficient to admonish us to read the Catechism\ndaily, yet we should feel sufficiently constrained by the command of\nGod alone, who solemnly enjoins in Deut. 6, 6 ff. that we should always\nmeditate upon His precepts, sitting, walking, standing, Lying down, and\nrising, and have them before our eyes and in our hands as a constant\nmark and sign. Doubtless He did not so solemnly require and enjoin this\nwithout a purpose; but because He knows our danger and need, as well as\nthe constant and furious assaults and temptations of devils, He wishes\nto warn, equip, and preserve us against them, as with a good armor\nagainst their fiery darts and with good medicine against their evil\ninfection and suggestion.\n\nOh, what mad, senseless fools are we that, while we must ever live and\ndwell among such mighty enemies as the devils are, we nevertheless\ndespise our weapons and defense, and are too lazy to look at or think\nof them! And what else are such supercilious, presumptuous saints, who\nare unwilling to read and study the Catechism daily, doing than\nesteeming themselves much more learned than God Himself with all His\nsaints, angels [patriarchs], prophets, apostles, and all Christians For\ninasmuch as God Himself is not ashamed to teach these things daily, as\nknowing nothing better to teach, and always keeps teaching the same\nthing, and does not take up anything new or different, and all the\nsaints know nothing better or different to learn, and cannot finish\nlearning this, are we not the finest of all fellows to imagine, if we\nhave once read or heard it, that we know it all, and have no further\nneed to read and learn, but can finish learning in one hour what God\nHimself cannot finish teaching, although He is engaged in teaching it\nfrom the beginning to the end of the world, and all prophets, together\nwith all saints, have been occupied with learning it and have ever\nremained pupils, and must continue to be such ?\n\nFor it needs must be that whoever knows the Ten Commandments perfectly\nmust know all the Scriptures, so that, in all affairs and cases, he can\nadvise, help, comfort, judge, and decide both spiritual and temporal\nmatters and is qualified to sit in judgment upon all doctrines,\nestates, spirits, laws, and whatever else is in the world. And what,\nindeed, is the entire Psalter but thoughts and exercises upon the First\nCommandment? Now I know of a truth that such lazy paunches and\npresumptuous spirits do not understand a single psalm, much less the\nentire Holy Scriptures; and yet they pretend to know and despise the\nCatechism, which is a compend and brief summary of all the Holy\nScriptures.\n\nTherefore I again implore all Christians, especially pastors and\npreachers, not to be doctors too soon, and imagine that they know\neverything (for imagination and cloth unshrunk [and false weights] fall\nfar short of the measure), but that they daily exercise themselves well\nin these studies and constantly treat them; moreover, that they guard\nwith all care and diligence against the poisonous infection of such\nsecurity and vain imagination, but steadily keep on reading, teaching,\nlearning, pondering, and meditating, and do not cease until they have\nmade a test and are sure that they have taught the devil to death and\nhave become more learned than God Himself and all His saints.\n\nIf they manifest such diligence, then I will promise them, and they\nshall also perceive, what fruit they will obtain, and what excellent\nmen God will make of them, so that in due time they themselves will\nacknowledge that the longer and the more they study the Catechism, the\nless they know of it, and the more they find yet to learn; and then\nonly, as hungry and thirsty ones, will they truly relish that which now\nthey cannot endure because of great abundance and satiety. To this end\nmay God grant His grace! Amen.\n\n\n SHORT PREFACE OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER.\n\n\nThis sermon is designed and undertaken that it might be an instruction\nfor children and the simple-minded. Hence of old it was called in Greek\ncatechism, i.e., instruction for children, what every Christian must\nneeds know, so that he who does not know this could not be numbered\nwith the Christians nor be admitted to any Sacrament, just as a\nmechanic who does not understand the rules and customs of his trade is\nexpelled and considered incapable. Therefore we must have the young\nlearn the parts which belong to the Catechism or instruction for\nchildren well and fluently and diligently exercise themselves in them\nand keep them occupied with them.\n\nTherefore it is the duty of every father of a family to question and\nexamine his children and servants at least once a week and to\nascertain what they know of it, or are learning and, if they do not\nknow it, to keep them faithfully at it. For I well remember the time,\nindeed, even now it is a daily occurrence that one finds rude, old\npersons who knew nothing and still know nothing of these things, and\nwho, nevertheless, go to Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and use\neverything belonging to Christians, notwithstanding that those who come\nto the Lord's Supper ought to know more and have a fuller understanding\nof all Christian doctrine than children and new scholars. However, for\nthe common people we are satisfied with the three parts, which have\nremained in Christendom from of old, though little of it has been\ntaught and treated correctly until both young and old who are called\nand wish to be Christians, are well trained in them and familiar with\nthem. These are the following:\n\n\nFirst.\n\nTHE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD.\n\n\n1. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.\n\n2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain [for the\nLord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain].\n\n3. Thou shalt sanctify the holy-day. [Remember the Sabbath-day to keep\nit holy.]\n\n4. Thou shalt honor thy father and mother [that thou mayest live long\nupon the earth].\n\n5. Thou shalt not kill.\n\n6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.\n\n7. Thou shalt not steal.\n\n8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.\n\n9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.\n\n10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor\nhis maidservant, nor his cattle [ox, nor his ass], nor anything that is\nhis.\n\nSecondly.\n\nTHE CHIEF ARTICLES OF OUR FAITH.\n\n\n1. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.\n\n2. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by\nthe Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate,\nwas crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; the third day\nHe rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on\nthe right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to\njudge the quick and the dead.\n\n3. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Christian Church, the\ncommunion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the\nbody, and the life everlasting. Amen.\n\n\nThirdly.\n\nTHE PRAYER, OR \"OUR FATHER,\" WHICH CHRIST TAUGHT\n\nOur Father who art in heaven.\n\n1. Hallowed be Thy name.\n\n2. Thy kingdom come.\n\n3. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.\n\n4. Give us this day our daily bread.\n\n5. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass\nagainst us.\n\n6. And lead us not into temptation.\n\n7. But deliver us from evil. [For Thine is the kingdom and the power\nand the glory, forever and ever.] Amen.\n\n\nThese are the most necessary parts which one should first learn to\nrepeat word for word and which our children should be accustomed to\nrecite daily when they arise in the morning when they sit down to their\nmeals, and when they retire at night; and until they repeat them, they\nshould be given neither food nor drink. Likewise every head of a\nhousehold is obliged to do the same with respect to his domestics,\nma-servants and maid-servants and not to keep them in his house if they\ndo not know these things and are unwilling to learn them. For a person\nwho is so rude and unruly as to be unwilling to learn these things is\nnot to be tolerated, for in these three parts everything that we have\nin the Scriptures is comprehended in short, pain, and simple terms. For\nthe holy Fathers or apostles (whoever they were) have thus embraced in\na summary the doctrine, life, wisdom, and art of Christians, of which\nthey speak and treat, and with which they are occupied. Now, when these\nthree arts are apprehended, it behooves a person also to know what to\nsay concerning our Sacraments, which Christ Himself instituted, Baptism\nand the holy body and blood of Christ, namely, the text which Matthew\n[28, 19 ff.] and Mark [16, 15 f.] record at the close of their Gospels\nwhen Christ said farewell to His disciples and sent them forth.\n\nOF BAPTISM.\n\nGo ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,\nand of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. He that believeth and is\nbaptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. So\nmuch is sufficient for a simple person to know from the Scriptures\nconcerning Baptism. In like manner, also, concerning the other\nSacrament in short, simple words, namely the text of St. Paul [1 Cor.\n11, 23 f.].\n\nOF THE SACRAMENT\n\nOur Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took\nbread; and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and gave it to His\ndisciples and said, Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you:\nthis do in remembrance of Me.\n\nAfter the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, gave\nthanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; this cup is\nthe new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the remission\nof sins: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.\n\nThus, ye would have, in all, five parts of the entire Christian\ndoctrine which should be constantly treated and required [of children]\nand heard recited word for word. For you must not rely upon it that the\nyoung people will learn and retain these things from the sermon alone.\nWhen these parts have been well learned, you may, as a supplement and\nto fortify them. lay before them also some psalms or hymns, which have\nbeen composed on these parts, and thus lead the young into the\nScriptures, and make daily progress therein.\n\nHowever, it is not enough for them to comprehend and recite these\nparts according to the words only, but the young people should also be\nmade to attend the preaching, especially during the time which is\ndevoted to the Catechism, that they may hear it explained and may learn\nto understand what every part contains, so as to be able to recite it\nas they have heard it, and, when asked, may give a correct answer, so\nthat the preaching may not be without profit and fruit. For the reason\nwhy we exercise such diligence in preaching the Catechism so often is\nthat it may be inculcated on our youth, not in a high and subtle\nmanner, but briefly and with the greatest simplicity, so as to enter\nthe mind readily and be fixed in the memory. Therefore we shall now\ntake up the above mentioned articles one by one and in the plainest\nmanner possible say about them as much as is necessary.\n\n\n\n Part First. The Ten Commandments.\n\n\nThe First Commandment.\n\n\nThou shalt have no other gods before Me.\n\n\nThat is: Thou shalt have [and worship] Me alone as thy God. What is the\nforce of this, and how is it to be understood? What does it mean to\nhave a god? or, what is God? Answer: A god means that from which we are\nto expect all good and to which we are to take refuge in all distress,\nso that to have a God is nothing else than to trust and believe Him\nfrom the [whole] heart; as I have often said that the confidence and\nfaith of the heart alone make both God and an idol. If your faith and\ntrust be right, then is your god also true; and, on the other hand, if\nyour trust be false and wrong, then you have not the true God; for\nthese two belong together faith and God. That now, I say, upon which\nyou set your heart and put your trust is properly your god.\n\nTherefore it is the intent of this commandment to require true faith\nand trust of the heart which settles upon the only true God and clings\nto Him alone. That is as much as to say: \"See to it that you let Me\nalone be your God, and never seek another,\" i.e.: Whatever you lack of\ngood things, expect it of Me, and look to Me for it, and whenever you\nsuffer misfortune and distress, creep and cling to Me. I, yes, I, will\ngive you enough and help you out of every need; only let not your heart\ncleave to or rest in any other.\n\nThis I must unfold somewhat more plainly, that it may be understood and\nperceived by ordinary examples of the contrary. Many a one thinks that\nhe has God and everything in abundance when he has money and\npossessions; he trusts in them and boasts of them with such firmness\nand assurance as to care for no one. Lo, such a man also has a god,\nMammon by name, i.e., money and possessions, on which he sets all his\nheart, and which is also the most common idol on earth. He who has\nmoney and possessions feels secure, and is joyful and undismayed as\nthough he were sitting in the midst of Paradise. On the other hand, he\nwho has none doubts and is despondent, as though he knew of no God. For\nvery few are to be found who are of good cheer, and who neither mourn\nnor complain if they have not Mammon. This [care and desire for money]\nsticks and clings to our nature, even to the grave.\n\nSo, too, whoever trusts and boasts that he possesses great skill,\nprudence, power, favor friendship, and honor has also a god, but not\nthis true and only God. This appears again when you notice how\npresumptuous, secure, and proud people are because of such\npossessions, and how despondent when they no longer exist or are\nwithdrawn. Therefore I repeat that the chief explanation of this point\nis that to have a god is to have something in which the heart entirely\ntrusts.\n\nBesides, consider what in our blindness, we have hitherto been\npracticing and doing under the Papacy. If any one had toothache, he\nfasted and honored St. Apollonia [lacerated his flesh by voluntary\nfasting to the honor of St. Apollonia]; if he was afraid of fire, he\nchose St. Lawrence as his helper in need; if he dreaded pestilence, he\nmade a vow to St. Sebastian or Rochio, and a countless number of such\nabominations, where every one selected his own saint, worshiped him,\nand called for help to him in distress. Here belong those also, as,\ne.g., sorcerers and magicians, whose idolatry is most gross, and who\nmake a covenant with the devil, in order that he may give them plenty\nof money or help them in love-affairs, preserve their cattle, restore\nto them lost possessions, etc. For all these place their heart and\ntrust elsewhere than in the true God, look for nothing good to Him nor\nseek it from Him.\n\nThus you can easily understand what and how much this commandment\nrequires, namely, that man's entire heart and all his confidence be\nplaced in God alone, and in no one else. For to have God, you can\neasily perceive, is not to lay hold of Him with our hands or to put Him\nin a bag [as money], or to lock Him in a chest [as silver vessels]. But\nto apprehend Him means when the heart lays hold of Him and clings to\nHim. But to cling to Him with the heart is nothing else than to trust\nin Him entirely. For this reason He wishes to turn us away from\neverything else that exists outside of Him, and to draw us to Himself,\nnamely, because He is the only eternal good. As though He would say:\nWhatever you have heretofore sought of the saints, or for whatever\n[things] you have trusted in Mammon or anything else, expect it all of\nMe, and regard Me as the one who will help you and pour out upon you\nrichly all good things.\n\nLo, here you have the meaning of the true honor and worship of God,\nwhich pleases God, and which He commands under penalty of eternal\nwrath, namely, that the heart know no other comfort or confidence than\nin Him, and do not suffer itself to be torn from Him, but, for Him,\nrisk and disregard everything upon earth. On the other hand, you can\neasily see and judge how the world practices only false worship and\nidolatry. For no people has ever been so reprobate as not to institute\nand observe some divine worship; every one has set up as his special\ngod whatever he looked to for blessings, help, and comfort.\n\nThus, for example, the heathen who put their trust in power and\ndominion elevated Jupiter as the supreme god; the others, who were bent\nupon riches, happiness, or pleasure, and a life of ease, Hercules,\nMercury, Venus or others; women with child, Diana or Lucina, and so on;\nthus every one made that his god to which his heart was inclined, so\nthat even in the mind of the heathen to have a god means to trust and\nbelieve. But their error is this that their trust is false and wrong\nfor it is not placed in the only God, besides whom there is truly no\nGod in heaven or upon earth. Therefore the heathen really make their\nself-invented notions and dreams of God an idol, and put their trust in\nthat which is altogether nothing. Thus it is with all idolatry; for it\nconsists not merely in erecting an image and worshiping it, but rather\nin the heart, which stands gaping at something else, and seeks help and\nconsolation from creatures saints, or devils, and neither cares for\nGod, nor looks to Him for so much good as to believe that He is willing\nto help, neither believes that whatever good it experiences comes from\nGod.\n\nBesides, there is also a false worship and extreme idolatry, which we\nhave hitherto practiced, and is still prevalent in the world, upon\nwhich also all ecclesiastical orders are founded, and which concerns\nthe conscience alone that seeks in its own works help, consolation, and\nsalvation, presumes to wrest heaven from God, and reckons how many\nbequests it has made, how often it has fasted, celebrated Mass, etc.\nUpon such things it depends, and of them boasts, as though unwilling to\nreceive anything from God as a gift, but desires itself to earn or\nmerit it superabundantly, just as though He must serve us and were our\ndebtor, and we His liege lords. What is this but reducing God to an\nidol, yea, [a fig image or] an apple-god, and elevating and regarding\nourselves as God ? But this is slightly too subtle, and is not for\nyoung pupils.\n\nBut let this be said to the simple, that they may well note and\nremember the meaning of this commandment, namely, that we are to trust\nin God alone, and look to Him and expect from Him naught but good, as\nfrom one who gives us body, life, food, drink, nourishment, health,\nprotection, peace, and all necessaries of both temporal and eternal\nthings. He also preserves us from misfortune, and if any evil befall\nus, delivers and rescues us, so that it is God alone (as has been\nsufficiently said) from whom we receive all good, and by whom we are\ndelivered from all evil. Hence also, I think, we Germans from ancient\ntimes call God (more elegantly and appropriately than any other\nlanguage) by that name from the word good as being an eternal fountain\nwhich gushes forth abundantly nothing but what is good, and from which\nflows forth all that is and is called good.\n\nFor even though otherwise we experience much good from men, still\nwhatever we receive by His command or arrangement is all received from\nGod. For our parents, and all rulers, and every one besides with\nrespect to his neighbor, have received from God the command that they\nshould do us all manner of good, so that we receive these blessings not\nfrom them, but, through them, from God. For creatures are only the\nhands, channels, and means whereby God gives all things, as He gives to\nthe mother breasts and milk to offer to her child, and corn and all\nmanner of produce from the earth for nourishment, none of which\nblessings could be produced by any creature of itself.\n\nTherefore no man should presume to take or give anything except as God\nhas commanded, in order that it may be acknowledged as God's gift, and\nthanks may be rendered Him for it, as this commandment requires. On\nthis account also these means of receiving good gifts through creatures\nare not to be rejected, neither should we in presumption seek other\nways and means than God has commanded. For that would not be receiving\nfrom God, hut seeking of ourselves.\n\nLet every one, then, see to it that he esteem this commandment great\nand high above all things, and do not regard it as a joke. Ask and\nexamine your heart diligently, and you will find whether it cleaves to\nGod alone or not. If you have a heart that can expect of Him nothing\nbut what is good, especially in want and distress, and that, moreover\nrenounces and forsakes everything that is not God, then you have the\nonly true God. If on the contrary, it cleaves to anything else, of\nwhich it expects more good and help than of God, and does not take\nrefuge in Him, but in adversity flees from Him, then you have an idol,\nanother god.\n\nIn order that it may be seen that God will not have this commandment\nthrown to the winds, but will most strictly enforce it, He has attached\nto it first a terrible threat, and then a beautiful, comforting promise\nwhich is also to be urged and impressed upon young people, that they\nmay take it to heart and retain it:\n\n[Exposition of the Appendix to the First Commandment.]\n\n\nFor I am the Lord, thy God, strong and jealous, visiting the iniquity\nof the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation\nof them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that\nlove Me and keep My commandments.\n\nAlthough these words relate to all the commandments (as we shall\nhereafter learn), yet they are joined to this chief commandment\nbecause it is of first importance that men have a right head; for\nwhere the head is right, the whole life must be right, and vice versa.\nLearn, therefore, from these words how angry God is with those who\ntrust in anything but Him, and again, how good and gracious He is to\nthose who trust and believe in Him alone with the whole heart; so that\nHis anger does not cease until the fourth generation, while, on the\nother hand, His blessing and goodness extend to many thousands lest you\nlive in such security and commit yourself to chance, as men of brutal\nheart, who think that it makes no great difference [how they live]. He\nis a God who will not leave it unavenged if men turn from Him, and will\nnot cease to be angry until the fourth generation, even until they are\nutterly exterminated. Therefore He is to be feared, and not to be\ndesisted.\n\nHe has also demonstrated this in all history, as the Scriptures\nabundantly show and daily experience still teaches. For from the\nbeginning He has utterly extirpated all idolatry, and, on account of\nit, both heathen and Jews; even as at the present day He overthrows all\nfalse worship, so that all who remain therein must finally perish.\nTherefore, although proud, powerful, and rich worldlings\n[Sardanapaluses and Phalarides, who surpass even the Persians in\nwealth] are now to be found, who boast defiantly of their Mammon, with\nutter disregard whether God is angry at or smiles on them, and dare to\nwithstand His wrath, yet they shall not succeed, but before they are\naware, they shall be wrecked, with all in which they trusted; as all\nothers have perished who have thought themselves more secure or\npowerful. And just because of such hardened heads who imagine because\nGod connives and allows them to rest in security, that He either is\nentirely ignorant or cares nothing about such matters, He must deal a\nsmashing blow and punish them, so that He cannot forget it unto\nchildren's children; so that every one may take note and see that this\nis no joke to Him. For they are those whom He means when He says: Who\nhate Me, i.e., those who persist in their defiance and pride; whatever\nis preached or said to them, they will not listen; when they are\nreproved, in order that they may learn to know themselves and amend\nbefore the punishment begins, they become mad and foolish so as to\nfairly merit wrath, as now we see daily in bishops and princes.\n\nBut terrible as are these threatenings, so much the more powerful is\nthe consolation in the promise, that those who cling to God alone\nshould be sure that He will show them mercy that is, show them pure\ngoodness and blessing not only for themselves, but also to their\nchildren and children's children, even to the thousandth generation and\nbeyond that. This ought certainly to move and impel us to risk our\nhearts in all confidence with God, if we wish all temporal and eternal\ngood, since the Supreme Majesty makes such sublime offers and presents\nsuch cordial inducements and such rich promises.\n\nTherefore let everyone seriously take this to heart, lest it be\nregarded as though a man had spoken it. For to you it is a question\neither of eternal blessing, happiness, and salvation, or of eternal\nwrath, misery, and woe. What more would you have or desire than that He\nso kindly promises to be yours with every blessing, and to protect and\nhelp you in all need?\n\nBut, alas! here is the failure, that the world believes nothing of\nthis, nor regards it as God's Word, because it sees that those who\ntrust in God and not in Mammon suffer care and want, and the devil\nopposes and resists them, that they have neither money, favor, nor\nhonor, and, besides, can scarcely support life; while, on the other\nhand, those who serve Mammon have power, favor, honor, possessions, and\nevery comfort in the eyes of the world. For this reason, these words\nmust be grasped as being directed against such appearances; and we must\nconsider that they do not lie or deceive, but must come true.\n\nReflect for yourself or make inquiry and tell me: Those who have\nemployed all their care and diligence to accumulate great possessions\nand wealth, what have they finally attained? You will find that they\nhave wasted their toil and labor, or even though they have amassed\ngreat treasures, they have been dispersed and scattered, so that the\nthemselves have never found happiness in their wealth, and afterwards\nnever reached the third generation. Instances of this you will find a\nplenty in all histories, also in the memory of aged and experienced\npeople. Only observe and ponder them.\n\nSaul was a great king, chosen of God and a godly man; but when he was\nestablished on his throne, and let his heart decline from God, and put\nhis trust in his crown and power, he had to perish with all that he\nhad, so that none even of his children remained. David, on the other\nhand, was a poor, despised man, hunted down and chased, so that he\nnowhere felt secure of his life; yet he had to remain in spite of Saul,\nand become king. For these words had to abide and come true, since God\ncannot lie or deceive. Only let not the devil and the world deceive you\nwith their show, which indeed remains for a time, but finally is\nnothing.\n\nLet us, then, learn well the First Commandment, that we may see how God\nwill tolerate no presumption nor any trust in any other object, and how\nHe requires nothing higher of us than confidence from the heart for\neverything good, so that we may proceed right and straightforward and\nuse all the blessings which God gives no farther than as a shoemaker\nuses his needle, awl, and thread for work, and then lays them aside, or\nas a traveler uses an inn, and food, and his bed only for temporal\nnecessity, each one in his station, according to God's order, and\nwithout allowing any of these things to be our food or idol. Let this\nsuffice with respect to the First Commandment, which we have had to\nexplain at length, since it is of chief importance, because, as before\nsaid, where the heart is rightly disposed toward God and this\ncommandment is observed, all the others follow.\n\n\n\nThe Second Commandment.\n\nThou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.\n\n\nAs the First Commandment has instructed the heart and taught [the\nbasis of] faith, so this commandment leads us forth and directs the\nmouth and tongue to God. For the first objects that spring from the\nheart and manifest themselves are words. Now, as I have taught above\nhow to answer the question, what it is to have a god, so you must learn\nto comprehend simply the meaning of this and all the commandments, and\nto apply it to yourself. If, then, it be asked: How do you understand\nthe Second Commandment, or what is meant by taking in vain, or misusing\nGod's name? answer briefly thus: It is misusing God's name when we call\nupon the Lord God no matter in what way, for purposes of falsehood or\nwrong of any kind. Therefore this commandment enjoins this much, that\nGod's name must not be appealed to falsely, or taken upon the lips\nwhile the heart knows well enough, or should know, differently; as\namong those who take oaths in court, where one side lies against the\nother. For God's name cannot be misused worse than for the support of\nfalsehood and deceit. Let4this remain the exact German and simplest\nmeaning of this commandment.\n\nFrom this every one can readily infer when and in how many ways God's\nname is misused, although it is impossible to enumerate all its\nmisuses. Yet, to tell it in a few words, all misuse of the divine name\noccurs, first, in worldly business and in matters which concern money,\npossessions, honor, whether it be publicly in court, in the market, or\nwherever else men make false oaths in God's name, or pledge their souls\nin any matter. And this is especially prevalent in marriage affairs\nwhere two go and secretly betroth themselves to one another, and\nafterward abjure [their plighted troth].\n\nBut. the greatest abuse occurs in spiritual matters, which pertain to\nthe conscience, when false preachers rise up and offer their Lying\nvanities as God's Word. Behold, all this is decking one's self out with\nGod's name, or making a pretty show, or claiming to be right, whether\nit occur in gross, worldly business or in sublime, subtle matters of\nfaith and doctrine. And among liars belong also blasphemers, not alone\nthe very gross, well known to every one, who disgrace God's name\nwithout fear (these are not for us, but for the hangman to discipline);\nbut also those who publicly traduce the truth and God's Word and\nconsign it to the devil. Of this there is no need now to speak further.\n\n\nHere, then, let us learn and take to heart the great importance of this\ncommandment, that with all diligence we may guard against and dread\nevery misuse of the holy name, as the greatest sin that can be\noutwardly committed. For to lie and deceive is in itself a great sin,\nbut is greatly aggravated when we attempt to justify it, and seek to\nconfirm it by invoking the name of God and using it as a cloak for\nshame, so that from a single lie a double lie, nay, manifold lies,\nresult.\n\nFor this reason, too, God has added a solemn threat to this\ncommandment, to wit: For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that\ntaketh His name in van. That is: It shall not be condoned to any one\nnor pass unpunished. For as little as He will leave it unavenged if any\none turn his heart from Him, as little will He suffer His name to be\nemployed for dressing up a lie. Now alas! it is a common calamity in\nall the word that there are as few who are not using the name of God\nfor purposes of Lying and all wickedness as there are those who with\ntheir heart trust alone in God. For by nature we all have within us\nthis beautiful virtue, to wit, that whoever has committed a wrong would\nlike to cover up and adorn his disgrace, so that no one may see it or\nknow it; and no one is so bold as to boast to all the world of the\nwickedness he has perpetrated, all wish to act by stealth and without\nany one being aware of what thy do. Then, if any one be arraigned, the\nname of God is dragged into the affair and must make the villainy look\nlike godliness, and the shame like honor. This is the common course of\nthe world, which, like a great deluge, has flooded all lands. Hence we\nhave also as our reward what we seek and deserve: pestilences wars,\nfamines, conflagrations, floods, wayward wives, children, servants, and\nall sorts of defilement. Whence else should so much misery come? It is\nstill a great mercy that the earth bears and supports us.\n\nTherefore, above all things, our young people should have this\ncommandment earnestly enforced upon them, and they should be trained to\nhold this and the First Commandment in high regard; and whenever they\ntransgress, we must at once be after them with the rod and hold the\ncommandment before them, and constantly inculcate it, so as to bring\nthem up not only with punishment, but also in the reverence and fear of\nGod.\n\nThus you now understand what. it is to take God's name in vain, that is\n(to recapitulate briefly), either simply for purposes of falsehood, and\nto allege God's name for something that is not so, or to curse, swear,\nconjure, and, in short, to practice whatever wickedness one may.\nBesides this you must also know how to use the name [of God] aright.\nFor when saying: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God, in\nvain, He gives us to understand at the same time that it is to be used\nproperly. For it has been revealed and given to us for the very purpose\nthat it may be of constant use and profit. Hence it is a natural\ninference, since using the holy name for falsehood or wickedness is\nhere forbidden, that we are, on the other hand, commanded to employ it\nfor truth and for all good, as when one swears truly where there is\nneed and it is demanded. So also when there is right teaching, and when\nthe name is invoked in trouble or praised and thanked in prosperity\netc.; all of which is comprehended summarily and commanded in the\npassage Ps. 50, 15: Call upon Me in the days of trouble; I will deliver\nthee, and thou shalt glorify Me. For all this is bringing 't into the\nservice of truth, and using it in a blessed way, and thus His name is\nhallowed, as we pray in the Lord's Prayer.\n\nThus you have the sum of the entire commandment explained. And with\nthis understanding the question with which many teachers have troubled\nthemselves has been easily solved, to wit, why swearing is prohibited\nin the Gospel, and yet Christ, St. Paul, and other saints often swore.\nThe explanation is briefly this: We are not to swear in support of\nevil, that is, of falsehood, and where there is no need or use; but for\nthe support of good and the advantage of our neighbor we should swear.\nFor it is a truly good work, by which God is praised, truth and right\nare established, falsehood is refuted, peace is made among men,\nobedience is rendered, and quarrels are settled. For in this way God\nHimself interposes and separates between right and wrong, good and\nevil. If one part swears falsely, he has his sentence that he shall not\nescape punishment, ad though it be deferred a long time, he shall not\nsucceed; that all that he may gain thereby will slip out of his hands,\nand he will never enjoy it; as I have seen in the case of many who\nperjured themselves in their marriage-vows, that they have never had a\nhappy hour or a healthful day, and thus perished miserably in body,\nsoul, and possessions.\n\nTherefore I advise and exhort as before that by means of warning and\nthreatening, restraint and punishment, the children be trained betimes\nto shun falsehood, and especially to avoid the use of God's name in its\nsupport. For where they are allowed to do as they please, no good will\nresult, as is even now evident that the world is worse than it has ever\nbeen and that there is no government, no obedience, no fidelity, no\nfaith, but only daring, unbridled men, whom no teaching or reproof\nhelps; all of which is God's wrath and punishment for such wanton\ncontempt of this commandment.\n\nOn the other hand, they should be constantly urged and incited to\nhonor God's name, and to have it always upon their lips in everything\nthat may happen to them or come to their notice: For that is the true\nhonor of His Name, to look to it and implore it for all consolation, so\nthat (as we have heard above) first the heart by faith gives God the\nhonor due Him, and afterwards the lips by confession.\n\nThis is also a blessed and useful habit and very effectual against the\ndevil, who is ever about us, and lies in wait to bring us into sin and\nshame, calamity and trouble, but who is very loath to hear God's name,\nand cannot remain long where it is uttered and called upon from the\nheart. And, indeed, many a terrible and shocking calamity would befall\nus if, by our calling upon His name, God did not preserve us. I have\nmyself tried it, and learned by experience that often sudden great\ncalamity was immediately averted and removed during such invocation. To\nvex the devil, I say, we should always have this holy name in our\nmouth, so that he may not be able to injure us as he wishes.\n\nFor this end it is also of service that we form the habit of daily\ncommending ourselves to God, with soul and body, wife, children,\nservants, and all that we have, against every need that may occur;\nwhence also the blessing and thanksgiving at meals, and other prayers,\nmorning and evening, have originated and remain in use. Likewise the\npractices of children to cross themselves when anything monstrous or\nterrible is seen or heard, and to exclaim: \"Lord God, protect us!\"\n\"Help, dear Lord Jesus!\" etc. Thus, too, if any one meets with\nunexpected good fortune, however trivial, that he say: \"God be praised\nand thanked; this God has bestowed on me!\" etc., as formerly the\nchildren were accustomed to fast and pray to St. Nicholas and other\nsaints. This would be more pleasing and acceptable to God than all\nmonasticism and Carthusian sanctity.\n\nBehold, thus we might train our youth in a childlike way and playfully\nin the fear and honor of God, so that the First and Second Commandments\nmight be well observed and in constant practice. Then some good might\ntake root, spring up and bear fruit, and men grow up whom an entire\nland might relish and enjoy. Moreover, this would be the true way to\nbring Up children well as long as they can become trained with kindness\nand delight. For what must be enforced with rods and blows only will\nnot develop into a good breed and at best they will remain godly under\nsuch treatment no longer than while the rod is upon their back.\n\nBut this [manner of training] so spreads its roots in the heart that\nthey fear God more than rods and clubs. This I say with such\nsimplicity for the sake of the young, that it may penetrate their\nminds. For since we are preaching to children, we must also prattle\nwith them. Thus we have prevented the abuse and have taught the right\nuse of the divine name, which should consist not only in words, but\nalso in practices and life, so that we may know that God is well\npleased with this and will as richly reward it as He will terribly\npunish the abuse.\n\nThe Third Commandment.\n\nThou shalt sanctify the holy day.\n[Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.]\n\n\nThe word holy day (Feiertag) is rendered from the Hebrew word Sabbath\nwhich properly signifies to rest, that is, to abstain from labor. Hence\nwe are accustomed to say, Feierbend machen [that is, to cease working],\nor heiligen Abend geben [sanctify the Sabbath]. Now, in the Old\nTestament, God separated the seventh day, and appointed it for rest,\nand commanded that it should be regarded as holy above all others. As\nregards this external observance, this commandment was given to the\nJews alone, that they should abstain from toilsome work, and rest, so\nthat both man and beast might recuperate, and not be weakened by\nunremitting labor. Although they afterwards restricted this too\nclosely, and grossly abused it, so that they traduced and could not\nendure in Christ those works which they themselves were accustomed to\ndo on that day, as we read in the Gospel just as though the commandment\nwere fulfilled by doing no external [manual] work whatever, which,\nhowever, was not the meaning, but, as we shall hear, that they sanctify\nthe holy day or day of rest.\n\nThis commandment, therefore, according to its gross sense, does not\nconcern us Christians; for it is altogether an external matter, like\nother ordinances of the Old Testament, which were attached to\nparticular customs, persons, times, and places, and now have been made\nfree through Christ. But to grasp a Christian meaning for the simple as\nto what God requires in this commandment, note that we keep holy days\nnot for the sake of intelligent and learned Christians (for they have\nno need of it [holy days]), but first of all for bodily causes and\nnecessities, which nature teaches and requires; for the common people,\nman-servants and maid-servants, who have been attending to their work\nand trade the whole week, that for a day they may retire in order to\nrest and be refreshed.\n\nSecondly, and most especially, that on such day of rest (since we can\nget no other opportunity) freedom and time be taken to attend divine\nservice, so that we come together to hear and treat of God's and then\nto praise God, to sing and pray.\n\nHowever, this, I say, is not so restricted to any time, as with the\nJews, that it must be just on this or that day; for in itself no one\nday is better than another; but this should indeed be done daily;\nhowever, since the masses cannot give such attendance, there must be at\nleast one day in the week set apart. But since from of old Sunday [the\nLord's Day] has been appointed for this purpose, we also should\ncontinue the same, in order that everything be done in harmonious\norder, and no one create disorder by unnecessary innovation.\n\nTherefore this is the simple meaning of the commandment: since\nholidays are observed anyhow, such observance should be devoted to\nhearing God's Word, so that the special function of this day should be\nthe ministry of the Word for the young and the mass of poor people, yet\nthat the resting be not so strictly interpreted as to forbid any other\nincidental work that cannot be avoided.\n\nAccordingly, when asked, What is meant by the commandment: Thou shalt\nsanctify the holy day? answer: To sanctify the holy day is the same as\nto keep it holy. But what is meant by keeping it holy? Nothing else\nthan to be occupied in holy words, works, and life. For the day needs\nno sanctification for itself; for in itself it has been created holy\n[from the beginning of the creation it was sanctified by its Creator].\nBut God desires it to be holy to you. Therefore it becomes holy or\nunholy on your account, according as you are occupied on the same with\nthings that are holy or unholy.\n\nHow, then, does such sanctification take place? Not in this manner,\nthat [with folded hands] we sit behind the stove and do no rough\n[external] work, or deck ourselves with a wreath and put on our best\nclothes, but (as has been said) that we occupy ourselves with God's\nWord, and exercise ourselves therein.\n\nAnd, indeed, we Christians ought always to keep such a holy day, and be\noccupied with nothing but holy things, i.e., daily be engaged upon\nGod's Word, and carry it in our hearts and upon our lips. But (as has\nbeen said) since we do not at all times have leisure, we must devote\nseveral hours a week for the sake of the young, or at least a day for\nthe sake of the entire multitude, to being concerned about this alone,\nand especially urge the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's\nPrayer, and thus direct our whole life and being according to God's\nWord. At whatever time, then, this is being observed and practiced,\nthere a true holy day is being kept; otherwise it shall not be called a\nChristians' holy day. For, indeed, non-Christians can also cease from\nwork and be idle, just as the entire swarm of our ecclesiastics, who\nstand daily in the churches, singing, and ringing bells but keeping no\nholy day holy, because they neither preach nor practices God's Word,\nbut teach and live contrary to it.\n\nFor the Word of God is the sanctuary above all sanctuaries, yea, the\nonly one which we Christians know and have. For though we had the bones\nof all the saints or all holy and consecrated garments upon a heap,\nstill that would help us nothing; for all that is a dead thing which\ncan sanctify nobody. But God's Word is the treasure which sanctifies\neverything, and by which even all the saints themselves were\nsanctified. At whatever hour then, God's Word is taught, preached,\nheard, read or meditated upon, there the person, day, and work are\nsanctified thereby, not because of the external work, but because of\nthe Word which makes saints of us all. Therefore I constantly say that\nall our life and work must be ordered according to God's Word, if it is\nto be God-pleasing or holy. Where this is done, this commandment is in\nforce and being fulfilled.\n\nOn the contrary, any observance or work that is practiced without\nGod's Word is unholy before God, no matter how brilliantly it may\nshine! even though it be covered with relics, such as the fictitious\nspiritual orders which know nothing of God's Word and seek holiness in\ntheir own works. Note, therefore, that the force and power of this\ncommandment lies not in the resting but in the sanctifying so that to\nthis day belongs a special holy exercise. For other works and\noccupations are not properly called holy exercises, unless the man\nhimself be first holy. But here a work is to be done by which man is\nhimself made holy, which is done (as we have heard ) alone through\nGod's Word. For this, then, fixed places, times, persons, and the\nentire external order of worship have been created and appointed, so\nthat it may be publicly in operation.\n\nSince, therefore, so much depends upon God's Word that without it no\nholy day can be sanctified, we must know that God insists upon a strict\nobservance of this commandment, and will punish all who despise His\nWord and are not willing to hear and learn it, especially at the time\nappointed for the purpose.\n\nTherefore not only those sin against this commandment who grossly\nmisuse and desecrate the holy day, as those who on account of their\ngreed or frivolity neglect to hear God's Word or lie in taverns and are\ndead drunk like swine; but also that other crowd, who listen to God's\nWord as to any other trifle, and only from custom come to preaching,\nand go away again, and at the end of the year know as little of it as\nat the beginning. For hitherto the opinion prevailed that you had\nproperly hallowed Sunday when you had heard a mass or the Gospel read;\nbut no one cared for God's Word, as also no one taught it. Now, while\nwe have God's Word we nevertheless do not correct the abuse; we suffer\nourselves to be preached to and admonished, but we listen without\nseriousness and care.\n\nKnow, therefore, that you must be concerned not only about hearing, but\nalso about learning and retaining it in memory, and do not think that\nit is optional with you or of no great importance, but that it is God's\ncommandment, who will require of you how you have heard, learned, and\nhonored His Word.\n\nLikewise those fastidious spirits are to be reproved who, when they\nhave heard a sermon or two, find it tedious and dull, thinking that\nthey know all that well enough, and need no more instruction. For just\nthat is the sin which has been hitherto reckoned among mortal sins, and\nis called _achedia_, i.e., torpor or satiety, a malignant, dangerous\nplague with which the devil bewitches and deceives the hearts of many,\nthat he may surprise us and secretly withdraw God's Word from us.\n\nFor let me tell you this, even though you know it perfectly and be\nalready master in all things, still you are daily in the dominion of\nthe devil, who ceases neither day nor night to steal unawares upon you,\nto kindle in your heart unbelief and wicked thoughts against the\nforegoing and all the commandments. Therefore you must always have\nGod's Word in your heart, upon your lips, and in your ears. But where\nthe heart is idle, and the Word does not sound, he breaks in and has\ndone the damage before we are aware. On the other hand, such is the\nefficacy of the Word, whenever it is seriously contemplated heard, and\nused, that it is bound never to be without fruit, but always awakens\nnew understanding, pleasure, and devoutness, and produces a pure heart\nand pure thoughts. For these words are not inoperative or dead, but\ncreative, living words. And even though no other interest or necessity\nimpel us, yet this ought to urge every one thereunto, because thereby\nthe devil is put to flight and driven away, and, besides, this\ncommandment is fulfilled, and [this exercise in the Word] is more\npleasing to God than any work of hypocrisy, however brilliant.\n\nThe Fourth Commandment.\n\nThus far we have learned the first three commandments, which relate to\nGod. First that with our whole heart we trust in Him, and fear and love\nHim throughout all our life. Secondly, that we do not misuse His holy\nname in the support of falsehood or any bad work, but employ it to the\npraise of God and the profit and salvation of our neighbor and\nourselves. Thirdly, that on holidays and when at rest we diligently\ntreat and urge God's Word, so that all our actions and our entire life\nbe ordered according to it. Now follow the other seven, which relate to\nour neighbor among which the first and greatest is:\n\nThou shalt honor thy father and thy mother.\n\nTo this estate of fatherhood and motherhood God has given the special\ndistinction above all estates that are beneath it that He not simply\ncommands us to love our parents, but to honor them. For with respect to\nbrothers, sisters, and our neighbors in general He commands nothing\nhigher than that we love them, so that He separates and distinguishes\nfather and mother above all other persons upon earth, and places them\nat His side. For it is a far higher thing to honor than to love one,\ninasmuch as it comprehends not only love, but also modesty, humility,\nand deference as to a majesty there hidden, and requires not only that\nthey be addressed kindly and with reverence, but, most of all that both\nin heart and with the body we so act as to show that we esteem them\nvery highly, and that, next to God, we regard them as the very highest.\nFor one whom we are to honor from the heart we must truly regard as\nhigh and great.\n\nWe must, therefore impress it upon the young that they should regard\ntheir parents as in God's stead, and remember that however lowly, poor,\nfrail, and queer they may be, nevertheless they are father and mother\ngiven them by God. They are not to be deprived of their honor because\nof their conduct or their failings. Therefore we are not to regard\ntheir persons, how they may be, but the will of God who has thus\ncreated and ordained. In other respects we are, indeed, all alike in\nthe eyes of God; but among us there must necessarily be such inequality\nand ordered difference, and therefore God commands it to be observed,\nthat you obey me as your father, and that I have the supremacy.\n\nLearn, therefore, first, what is the honor towards parents required by\nthis commandment to wit, that they be held in distinction and esteem\nabove all things, as the most precious treasure on earth. Furthermore,\nthat also in our words we observe modesty toward them, do not accost\nthem roughly, haughtily, and defiantly, but yield to them and be silent\neven though they go too far. Thirdly, that we show them such honor also\nby works, that is, with our body and possessions, that we serve them,\nhelp them, and provide for them when they are old, sick, infirm, or\npoor, and all that not only gladly, but with humility and reverence, as\ndoing it before God. For he who knows how to regard them in his heart\nwill not allow them to suffer want or hunger, but will place them above\nhim and at his side, and will share with them whatever he has and\npossesses.\n\nSecondly, notice how great, good, and holy a work is here assigned\nchildren, which is alas! utterly neglected and disregarded, and no one\nperceives that God has commanded it or that it is a holy, divine Word\nand doctrine. For if it had been regarded as such, every one could have\ninferred that they must be holy men who live according to these words.\nThus there would have been no need of inventing monasticism nor\nspiritual orders, but every child would have abided by this\ncommandment, and could have directed his conscience to God and said:\n\"If I am to do good and holy works, I know of none better than to\nrender all honor and obedience to my parents, because God has Himself\ncommanded it. For what God commands must be much and far nobler than\neverything that we may devise ourselves, and since there is no higher\nor better teacher to be found than God, there can be no better\ndoctrine, indeed, than He gives forth. Now, He teaches fully what we\nshould do if we wish to perform truly good works, and by commanding\nthem, He shows that they please Him. If, then, it is God who commands\nthis, and who knows not how to appoint anything better, I will never\nimprove upon it.\"\n\nBehold, in this manner we would have had a godly child properly\ntaught, reared in true blessedness, and kept at home in obedience to\nhis parents and in their service, so that men should have had blessing\nand joy from the spectacle. However, God's commandment was not\npermitted to be thus [with such care and diligence] commended, but had\nto be neglected and trampled under foot, so that a child could not lay\nit to heart, and meanwhile gaped [like a panting wolf] at the devices\nwhich we set up, without once [consulting or] giving reverence to God.\n\nLet us, therefore, learn at last, for God's sake, that, placing all\nother things out of sight, our youths look first to this commandment,\nif they wish to serve God with truly good works, that they do what is\npleasing to their fathers and mothers, or to those to whom they may be\nsubject in their stead. For every child that knows and does this has,\nin the first place, this great consolation in his heart that he can\njoyfully say and boast (in spite of and against all who are occupied\nwith works of their own choice): \"Behold, this work is well pleasing to\nmy God in heaven that I know for certain.\" Let them all come together\nwith their many great, distressing, and difficult works and make their\nboast, we will see whether they can show one that is greater and\nnobler than obedience to father and mother, to whom God has appointed\nand commanded obedience next to His own majesty; so that if God's Word\nand will are in force and being accomplished nothing shall be esteemed\nhigher than the will and word of parents; yet so that it, too, is\nsubordinated to obedience toward God and is not opposed to the\npreceding commandments.\n\nTherefore you should be heartily glad and thank God that He has chosen\nyou and made you worthy to do a work so precious and pleasing to Him.\nOnly see that, although it be regarded as the most humble and despised\nyou esteem it great and precious, not on account of our worthiness, but\nbecause it is comprehended in, and controlled by, the jewel and\nsanctuary, namely, the Word and commandment of God. Oh, what a high\nprice would all; Carthusians, monks, and nuns pay, if in all their\nreligious doings they could bring into God's presence a single work\ndone by virtue of His commandment, and be able before His face to say\nwith joyful heart: \"Now I know that this work is well pleasing to\nThee.\" Where will these poor wretched persons hide when in the sight of\nGod and all the world they shall blush with shame before a young child\nwho has lived according to this commandment, and shall have to confess\nthat with their whole life they are not worthy to give it a drink of\nwater? And it serves them right for their devilish perversion in\ntreading God's commandment under foot that they must vainly torment\nthemselves with works of their own device, and, in addition, have scorn\nand loss for their reward.\n\nShould not the heart, then, leap and melt for joy when going to work\nand doing what is commanded, saying: Lo, this is better than all\nholiness of the Carthusians, even though they kill themselves fasting\nand praying upon their knees without ceasing? For here you have a sure\ntext and a divine testimony that He has enjoined this, but concerning\nthe other He did not command a word. But this is the plight and\nmiserable blindness of the world that no one believes these things; to\nsuch an extent the devil has deceived us with false holiness and the\nglamour of our own works.\n\nTherefore I would be very glad (I say it again) if men would open\ntheir eyes and ears and take this to heart, lest some time we may\nagain be led astray from the pure Word of God to the lying vanities of\nthe devil. Then, too, all would be well; for parents would have more\njoy, love, friendship, and concord in their houses; thus the children\ncould captivate their parents' hearts. On the other hand, when they are\nobstinate, and will not do what they ought until a rod is laid upon\ntheir back, they anger both God and their parents, whereby they deprive\nthemselves of this treasure and joy of conscience and lay up for\nthemselves only misfortune. Therefore, as every one complains, the\ncourse of the world now is such that both young and old are altogether\ndissolute and beyond control, have no reverence nor sense of honor, do\nnothing except as they are driven to it by blows, and perpetrate what\nwrong and detraction they can behind each other's back; therefore God\nalso punishes them, that they sink into all kinds of filth and misery.\nAs a rule, the parents, too, are themselves stupid and ignorant; one\nfool trains [teaches] another, and as they have lived, so live their\nchildren after them.\n\n This, now, I say should be the first and most important consideration\nto urge us to the observance of this commandment; on which account,\neven if we had no father and mother we ought to wish that God would set\nup wood and stone before Us, whom we might call father and mother. How\nmuch more, since He has given us living parents, should we rejoice to\nshow them honor and obedience, because we know it is so highly pleasing\nto the Divine Majesty and to all angels, and vexes all devils, and is,\nbesides, the highest work which we can do, after the sublime divine\nworship comprehended in the previous commandments, so that giving of\nalms and every other good work toward our neighbor are not equal to\nthis. For God has assigned this estate the highest place, yea, has set\nit up in His own stead, upon earth. This will and pleasure of God ought\nto be a sufficient reason and incentive to us to do what we can with\ngood will and pleasure.\n\nBesides this, it is our duty before the world to be grateful for\nbenefits and every good which we have of our parents. But here again\nthe devil rules in the world, so that the children forget their\nparents, as we all forget God, and no one considers how God nourishes,\nprotects, and defends us, and bestows so much good on body and soul;\nespecially when an evil hour comes we are angry and grumble with\nimpatience and all the good which we have received throughout our life\nis wiped out [from our memory]. Just so we do also with our parents,\nand there is no child that understands and considers this [what the\nparents have endured while nourishing and fostering him], except the\nHoly Ghost grant him this grace.\n\nGod knows very well this perverseness of the world; therefore He\nadmonishes and urges by commandments that every one consider what his\nparents have done for him and he will find that he has from them body\nand life, moreover, that he has been fed and reared when otherwise he\nwould have perished a hundred times in his own filth. Therefore it is a\ntrue and good saying of old and wise men: Deo, parentibus et magistris\nnon potest satis gratiae rependi, that is, To God, to parents, and to\nteachers we can never render sufficient gratitude and compensation. He\nthat regards and considers this will indeed without compulsion do all\nhonor to his parents, and bear them up on his hands as those through\nwhom God has done him all good.\n\nOver and above all this, another great reason that should incite us the\nmore [to obedience to this commandment] is that God attaches to this\ncommandment a temporal promise and says: That thou mayest live long\nupon the land which the Lord, thy God, giveth thee.\n\nHere you can see yourself how much God is in earnest in respect to this\ncommandment, inasmuch as He not only declares that it is well pleasing\nto Him, and that He has joy and delight therein; but also that it shall\nbe for our prosperity and promote our highest good; so that we may have\na pleasant and agreeable life, furnished with every good thing.\nTherefore also St. Paul greatly emphasizes the same and rejoices in it\nwhen he says, Eph. 6, 2. 3: This is the first commandment with promise:\nThat it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.\nFor although the rest also have their promises contained in them, yet\nin none is it so plainly and explicitly stated.\n\nHere, then, you have the fruit and the reward, that whoever observes\nthis commandment shall have happy days, fortune, and prosperity; and on\nthe other hand, the punishment, that whoever is disobedient shall the\nsooner perish, and never enjoy life. For to have long life in the sense\nof the Scriptures is not only to become old, but to have everything\nwhich belongs to long life, such as health, wife, and children,\nlivelihood, peace, good government, etc., without which this life can\nneither be enjoyed in cheerfulness nor long endure. If, therefore, you\nwill not obey father and mother and submit to their discipline, then\nobey the hangman; if you will not obey him, then submit to the\nskeleton-man, i.e., death [death the all-subduer, the teacher of\nwicked children]. For on this God insists peremptorily: Either if you\nobey Him rendering love and service, He will reward you abundantly with\nall good, or if you offend Him, He will send upon you both death and\nthe hangman.\n\nWhence come so many knaves that must daily be hanged, beheaded, broken\nupon the wheel, but from disobedience [to parents], because they will\nnot submit to discipline in kindness, so that, by the punishment of\nGod, they bring it about that we behold their misfortune and grief? For\nit seldom happens that such perverse people die a natural or timely\ndeath.\n\nBut the godly and obedient have this blessing, that they live long in\npleasant quietness and see their children's children (as said above) to\nthe third and fourth generation. Thus experience also teaches, that\nwhere there are honorable, old families who fare well and have many\nchildren, they owe their origin to the fact, to be sure, that some of\nthem were brought up well and were regardful of their parents. On the\nother hand, it is written of the wicked, Ps. 109,13: Let his posterity\nbe cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted\nout. Therefore heed well how great a thing in God's sight obedience is\nsince He so highly esteems it, is so highly pleased with it, and\nrewards it so richly, and besides enforces punishment so rigorously on\nthose who act contrariwise.\n\nAll this I say that it may be well impressed upon the young. For no one\nbelieves how necessary this commandment is, although it has not been\nesteemed and taught hitherto under the papacy. These are simple and\neasy words, and everybody thinks he knew them a fore; therefore men\npass them lightly by, are gaping after other matters, and do not see\nand believe that God is so greatly offended if they be disregarded, nor\nthat one does a work so well pleasing and precious if he follows them.\n\nIn this commandment belongs a further statement regarding all kinds of\nobedience to persons in authority who have to command and to govern.\nFor all authority flows and is propagated from the authority of\nparents. For where a father is unable alone to educate his [rebellious\nand irritable] child, he employs a schoolmaster to instruct him; if he\nbe too weak, he enlists the aid of his friends and neighbors; if he\ndeparts this life, he delegates and confers his authority and\ngovernment upon others who are appointed for the purpose. Likewise, he\nmust have domestics, man-servants and maid-servants, under himself for\nthe management of the household, so that all whom we call masters are\nin the place of parents and must derive their power and authority to\ngovern from them. Hence also they are all called fathers in the\nScriptures, as those who in their government perform the functions of a\nfather, and should have a paternal heart toward their subordinates. As\nalso from antiquity the Romans and other nations called the masters and\nmistresses of the household patres- et matresfamiliae that is,\nhousefathers and housemothers. So also they called their national\nrulers and overlords patres patriae, that is fathers of the entire\ncountry, for a great shame to us who would be Christians that we do not\nlikewise call them so, or, at least do not esteem and honor them as\nsuch.\n\nNow, what a child owes to father and mother, the same owe all who are\nembraced in the household. Therefore man-servants and maid-servants\nshould be careful not only to be obedient to their masters and\nmistresses but also to honor them as their own fathers and mothers, and\nto do everything which they know is expected of them, not from\ncompulsion and with reluctance, but with pleasure and joy for the cause\njust mentioned, namely that it is God's command and is pleasing to Him\nabove all other works. Therefore they ought rather to pay wages in\naddition and be glad that they may obtain masters and mistresses to\nhave such joyful consciences and to know how they may do truly golden\nworks; a matter which has hitherto been neglected and despised, when,\ninstead, everybody ran in the devil's name, into convents or to\npilgrimages and indulgences, with loss [of time and money] and with an\nevil conscience.\n\nIf this truth, then, could be impressed upon the poor people, a\nservant-girl would leap and praise and thank God; and with her tidy\nwork for which she receives support and wages she would acquire such a\ntreasure as all that are esteemed the greatest saints have not\nobtained. Is it not an excellent boast to know and say that, if you\nperform your daily domestic task, this is better than all the sanctity\nand ascetic life of monks? And you have the promise, in addition, that\nyou shall prosper in all good and fare well. How can you lead a more\nblessed or holier life as far as your works are concerned? For in the\nsight of God faith is what really renders a person holy, and alone\nserves Him, but the works are for the service of man. There you have\neverything good, protection and defense in the Lord, a joyful\nconscience and a gracious God besides, who will reward you a\nhundredfold, so that you are even a nobleman if you be only pious and\nobedient. But if not, you have, in the first place, nothing but the\nwrath and displeasure of God, no peace of heart, and afterwards all\nmanner of plagues and misfortunes.\n\nWhoever will not be influenced by this and inclined to godliness we\nhand over to the hangman and to the skeleton-man. Therefore let every\none who allows himself to be advised remember that God is not making\nsport, and know that it is God who speaks with you and demands\nobedience. If you obey Him, you are His dear child; but if you despise\nto do it, then take shame, misery, and grief for your reward.\n\nThe same also is to be said of obedience to civil government, which (as\nwe have said) is all embraced in the estate of fatherhood and extends\nfarthest of all relations. For here the father is not one of a single\nfamily, but of as many people as he has tenants, citizens, or subjects.\nFor through them, as through our parents, God gives to us food, house\nand home, protection and security. Therefore since they bear such name\nand title with all honor as their highest dignity, it is our duty to\nhonor them and to esteem them great as the dearest treasure and the\nmost precious jewel upon earth.\n\nHe, now, who is obedient here, is willing and ready to serve, and\ncheerfully does all that pertains to honor, knows that he is pleasing\nGod and that he will receive joy and happiness for his reward. If he\nwill not do it in love, but despises and resists [authority] or rebels,\nlet him also know, on the other hand, that he shall have no favor nor\nblessing, and where he thinks to gain a florin thereby, he will\nelsewhere lose ten times as much, or become a victim to the hangman,\nperish by war, pestilence, and famine, or experience no good in his\nchildren, and be obliged to suffer injury, injustice, and violence at\nthe hands of his servants, neighbors, or strangers and tyrants; so that\nwhat we seek and deserve is paid back and comes home to us.\n\nIf we would ever suffer ourselves to be persuaded that such works are\npleasing to God and have so rich a reward, we would be established in\naltogether abundant possessions and have what our heart desires. But\nbecause the word and command of God are so lightly esteemed, as though\nsome babbler had spoken it, let us see whether you are the man to\noppose Him. How difficult, do you think, it will be for Him to\nrecompense you! Therefore you would certainly live much better with the\ndivine favor, peace, and happiness than with His displeasure and\nmisfortune. Why, think you, is the world now so full of unfaithfulness,\ndisgrace, calamity, and murder, but because every one desires to be his\nown master and free from the emperor, to care nothing for any one, and\ndo what pleases him? Therefore God punishes one knave by another, so\nthat, when you defraud and despise your master, another comes and deals\nin like manner with you, yea, in your household you must suffer ten\ntimes more from wife, children, or servants.\n\nIndeed, we feel our misfortune, we murmur and complain of\nunfaithfulness, violence, and injustice, but will not see that we\nourselves are knaves who have fully deserved this punishment, and yet\nare not thereby reformed. We will have no favor and happiness,\ntherefore it is but fair that we have nothing but misfortune without\nmercy. There must still be somewhere upon earth some godly people\nbecause God continues to grant us so much good! On our own account we\nshould not have a farthing in the house nor a straw in the field. All\nthis I have been obliged to urge with so many words, in hope that some\none may take it to heart, that we may be relieved of the blindness and\nmisery in which we are steeped so deeply, and may truly understand the\nWord and will of God, and earnestly accept it. For thence we would\nlearn how we could have joy, happiness, and salvation enough, both\ntemporal and eternal.\n\nThus we have two kinds of fathers presented in this commandment,\nfathers in blood and fathers in office, or those to whom belongs the\ncare of the family, and those to whom belongs the care of the country.\nBesides these there are yet spiritual fathers; not like those in the\nPapacy, who have indeed had themselves called thus, but have performed\nno function of the paternal office. For those only are called spiritual\nfathers who govern and guide us by the Word of God; as St. Paul boasts\nhis fatherhood 1 Cor. 4, 15, where he says: In Christ Jesus I hove\nbegotten you through the Gospel. Now, since they are fathers they are\nentitled to their honor, even above all others. But here it is bestowed\nleast; for the way which the world knows for honoring them is to drive\nthem out of the country and to grudge them a piece of bread and, in\nshort, they must be (as says St. Paul 1 Cor. 4, 13) as the filth of the\nworld and everybody's refuse and footrag.\n\nYet there is need that this also be urged upon the populace, that\nthose who would be Christians are under obligation in the sight of God\nto esteem them worthy of double honor who minister to their souls, that\nthey deal well with them and provide for them. For that, God is willing\nto add to you sufficient blessing and will not let you come to want.\nBut in this matter every one refuses and resists, and all are afraid\nthat they will perish from bodily want, and cannot now support one\nrespectable preacher, where formerly they filled ten fat paunches. In\nthis we also deserve that God deprive us of His Word and blessing, and\nagain allow preachers of lies to arise to lead us to the devil, and, in\naddition, to drain our sweat and blood.\n\nBut those who keep in sight God's will and commandment have the\npromise that everything which they bestow upon temporal and spiritual\nfathers, and whatever they do to honor them, shall be richly\nrecompensed to them, so that they shall have, not bread, clothing, and\nmoney for a year or two, but long life, support, and peace, and shall\nbe eternally rich and blessed. Therefore only do what is your duty, and\nlet God take care how He is to support you and provide for you\nsufficiently. Since He has promised it, and has never yet lied, He will\nnot be found lying to you.\n\nThis ought indeed to encourage us, and give us hearts that would melt\nin pleasure and love toward those to whom we owe honor, so that we\nwould raise our hands and joyfully thank God who has given us such\npromises, for which we ought to run to the ends of the world [to the\nremotest parts of India]. For although the whole world should combine,\nit could not add an hour to our life or give us a single grain from the\nearth. But God wishes to give you all exceeding abundantly according to\nyour heart's desire. He who despises and casts this to the winds is not\nworthy ever to hear a word of God. This has now been stated more than\nenough for all who belong under this commandment.\n\nIn addition, it would be well to preach to the parents also, and such\nas bear their office, as to how they should deport themselves toward\nthose who are committed to them for their government. For although this\nis not expressed in the Ten Commandments, it is nevertheless abundantly\nenjoined in many places in the Scriptures. And God desires to have it\nembraced in this commandment when He speaks of father and mother. For\nHe does not wish to have in this office and government knaves and\ntyrants; nor does He assign to them this honor, that is, power and\nauthority to govern, that they should have themselves worshiped; but\nthey should consider that they are under obligations of obedience to\nGod; and that, first of all, they should earnestly and faithfully\ndischarge their office, not only to support and provide for the bodily\nnecessities of their children, servants, subjects, etc., but, most of\nall, to train them to the honor and praise of God. Therefore do not\nthink that this is left to your pleasure and arbitrary will, but that\nit is a strict command and injunction of God, to whom also you must\ngive account for it.\n\nBut here again the sad plight arises that no one perceives or heeds\nthis, and all live on as though God gave us children for our pleasure\nor amusement, and servants that we should employ them like a cow or\nass, only for work, or as though we were only to gratify our wantonness\nwith our subjects, ignoring them, as though it were no concern of ours\nwhat they learn or how they live; and no one is willing to see that\nthis is the command of the Supreme Majesty, who will most strictly call\nus to account and punish us for it; nor that there is so great need to\nbe so seriously concerned about the young. For if we wish to have\nexcellent and apt persons both for civil and ecclesiastical government\nwe must spare no diligence, time, or cost in teaching and educating our\nchildren, that they may serve God and the world, and we must not think\nonly how we may amass money and possessions for them. For God can\nindeed without us support and make them rich, as He daily does. But for\nthis purpose He has given us children, and issued this command that we\nshould train and govern them according to His will, else He would have\nno need of father and mother. Let every one know therefore, that it is\nhis duty, on peril of losing the divine favor, to bring up his\nchildren above all things in the fear and knowledge of God, and if they\nare talented, have them learn and study something, that they may be\nemployed for whatever need there is [to have them instructed and\ntrained in a liberal education, that men may be able to have their aid\nin government and in whatever is necessary].\n\nIf that were done, God would also richly bless us and give us grace to\ntrain men by whom land and people might be improved and likewise well\neducated citizens, chaste and domestic wives, who afterwards would rear\ngodly children and servants. Here consider now what deadly injury you\nare doing if you be negligent and fail on your part to bring up your\nchild to usefulness and piety, and how you bring upon yourself all sin\nand wrath, thus earning hell by your own children, even though you be\notherwise pious and holy. And because this is disregarded, God so\nfearfully punishes the world that there is no discipline, government,\nor peace, of which we all complain, but do not see that it is our\nfault; for as we train them, we have spoiled and disobedient children\nand subjects. Let this be sufficient exhortation; for to draw this out\nat length belongs to another time.\n\nThe Fifth Commandment.\n\nThou shalt not kill.\n\nWe have now completed both the spiritual and the temporal government,\nthat is, the divine and the paternal authority and obedience. But here\nnow we go forth from our house among our neighbors to learn how we\nshould live with one another, every one himself toward his neighbor.\nTherefore God and government are not included in this commandment nor\nis the power to kill, which they have taken away. For God has delegated\nHis authority to punish evil-doers to the government instead of\nparents, who aforetime (as we read in Moses) were required to bring\ntheir own children to judgment and sentence them to death. Therefore,\nwhat is here forbidden is forbidden to the individual in his relation\nto any one else, and not to the government.\n\nNow this commandment is easy enough and has been often treated,\nbecause we hear it annually in the Gospel of St. Matthew, 5, 21 ff.,\nwhere Christ Himself explains and sums it up, namely, that we must not\nkill neither with hand, heart, mouth, signs, gestures, help, nor\ncounsel. Therefore it is here forbidden to every one to be angry,\nexcept those (as we said) who are in the place of God, that is, parents\nand the government. For it is proper for God and for every one who is\nin a divine estate to be angry, to reprove and punish, namely, on\naccount of those very persons who transgress this and the other\ncommandments.\n\nBut the cause and need of this commandment is that God well knows that\nthe world is evil, and that this life has much unhappiness; therefore\nHe has placed this and the other commandments between the good and the\nevil. Now, as there are many assaults upon all commandments, so it\nhappens also in this commandment that we must live among many people\nwho do us harm, so that we have cause to be hostile to them.\n\nAs when your neighbor sees that you have a better house and home [a\nlarger family and more fertile fields], greater possessions and fortune\nfrom God than he, he is sulky, envies you, and speaks no good of you.\n\nThus by the devil's incitement you will get many enemies who cannot\nbear to see you have any good, either bodily or spiritual. When we see\nsuch people, our hearts, in turn, would rage and bleed and take\nvengeance. Then there arise cursing and blows, from which follow\nfinally misery and murder. Here, now, God like a kind father steps in\nahead of Us, interposes and wishes to have the quarrel settled, that no\nmisfortune come of it, nor one destroy another. And briefly He would\nhereby protect, set free, and keep in peace every one against the crime\nand violence of every one else; and would have this commandment placed\nas a wall, fortress, and refuge about our neighbor, that we do him no\nhurt nor harm in his body.\n\nThus this commandment aims at this, that no one offend his neighbor on\naccount of any evil deed, even though he have fully deserved it. For\nwhere murder is forbidden, all cause also is forbidden whence murder\nmay originate. For many a one, although he does not kill, yet curses\nand utters a wish, which would stop a person from running far if it\nwere to strike him in the neck [makes imprecations, which if fulfilled\nwith respect to any one, he would not live long]. Now since this\ninheres in every one by nature and it is a common practice that no one\nis willing to suffer at the hands of another, God wishes to remove the\nroot and source by which the heart is embittered against our neighbor,\nand to accustom us ever to keep in view this commandment, always to\ncontemplate ourselves in it as in a mirror, to regard the will of God,\nand with hearty confidence and invocation of His name to commit to Him\nthe wrong which we suffer. Thus we shall suffer our enemies to rage and\nbe angry, doing what they can, and we learn to calm our wrath, and to\nhave a patient, gentle heart, especially toward those who give us cause\nto be angry, that is, our enemies.\n\nTherefore the entire sum of what it means not to kill is to be\nimpressed most explicitly upon the simple-minded. In the first place\nthat we harm no one, first, with our hand or by deed. Then, that we do\nnot employ our tongue to instigate or counsel thereto. Further, that we\nneither use nor assent to any kind of means or methods whereby any one\nmay be injured. And finally, that the heart be not ill disposed toward\nany one, nor from anger and hatred wish him ill, so that body and soul\nmay be innocent in regard to every one, but especially those who wish\nyou evil or inflict such upon you. For to do evil to one who wishes and\ndoes you good is not human, but diabolical.\n\nSecondly, under this commandment not only he is guilty who does evil to\nhis neighbor, but he also who can do him good, prevent, resist evil,\ndefend and save him, so that no bodily harm or hurt happen to him and\nyet does not do it. If, therefore, you send away one that is naked when\nyou could clothe him, you have caused him to freeze to death; you see\none suffer hunger and do not give him food, you have caused him to\nstarve. So also, if you see any one innocently sentenced to death or in\nlike distress, and do not save him, although you know ways and means to\ndo so, you have killed him. And it will not avail you to make the\npretext that you did not afford any help, counsel, or aid thereto for\nyou have withheld your love from him and deprived him of the benefit\nwhereby his life would have been saved.\n\nTherefore God also rightly calls all those murderers who do not afford\ncounsel and help in distress and danger of body and life, and will pass\na most terrible sentence upon them in the last day, as Christ Himself\nhas announced when He shall say, Matt.25, 42f.: I was an hungered, and\nye gave Me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink; I was a\nstranger, and ye took Me not in; naked, and ye clothed Me not; sick and\nin prison and ye visited Me not. That is: You would have suffered Me\nand Mine to die of hunger thirst, and cold, would have suffered the\nwild beasts to tear us to pieces, or left us to rot in prison or perish\nin distress. What else is that but to reproach them as murderers and\nbloodhounds? For although you have not actually done all this, you have\nnevertheless, so far as you were concerned, suffered him to pine and\nperish in misfortune.\n\nIt is just as if I saw some one navigating and laboring in deep water\n[and struggling against adverse winds] or one fallen into fire, and\ncould extend to him the hand to pull him out and save him, and yet\nrefused to do it. What else would I appear, even in the eyes of the\nworld, than as a murderer and a criminal?\n\nTherefore it is God's ultimate purpose that we suffer harm to befall no\nman, but show him all good and love; and, as we have said it is\nspecially directed toward those who are our enemies. For to do good to\nour friends is but an ordinary heathen virtue as Christ says Matt. 5,\n46.\n\nHere we have again the Word of God whereby He would encourage and urge\nus to true noble and sublime works, as gentleness patience, and, in\nshort, love and kindness to our enemies, and would ever remind us to\nreflect upon the First Commandment, that He is our God, that is, that\nHe will help, assist, and protect us, in order that He may thus quench\nthe desire of revenge in us.\n\nThis we ought to practice and inculcate and we would have our hands\nfull doing good works. But this would not be preaching for monks; it\nwould greatly detract from the religious estate, and infringe upon the\nsanctity of Carthusians, and would even be regarded as forbidding good\nworks and clearing the convents. For in this wise the ordinary state of\nChristians would be considered just as worthy, and even worthier, and\neverybody would see how they mock and delude the world with a false,\nhypocritical show of holiness, because they have given this and other\ncommandments to the winds, and have esteemed them unnecessary, as\nthough they were not commandments but mere counsels, and have at the\nsame time shamelessly proclaimed and boasted their hypocritical estate\nand works as the most perfect life, in order that they might lead a\npleasant, easy life, without the cross and without patience, for which\nreason, too, they have resorted to the cloisters, so that they might\nnot be obliged to suffer any wrong from any one or to do him any good.\nBut know now that these are the true, holy, and godly works, in which,\nwith all the angels He rejoices, in comparison with which all human\nholiness is but stench and filth, and besides, deserves nothing but\nwrath and damnation.\n\nThe Sixth Commandment.\n\nThou shalt not commit adultery.\n\nThese commandments now [that follow] are easily understood from [the\nexplanation of] the preceding; for they are all to the effect that we\n[be careful to] avoid doing any kind of injury to our neighbor. But\nthey are arranged in fine [elegant] order. In the first place, they\ntreat of his own person. Then they proceed to the person nearest him,\nor the closest possession next after his body namely, his wife, who is\none flesh and blood with him, so that we cannot inflict a higher injury\nupon him in any good that is his. Therefore it is explicitly forbidden\nhere to bring any disgrace upon him in respect to his wife. And it\nreally aims at adultery, because among the Jews it was ordained and\ncommanded that every one must be married. Therefore also the young were\nearly provided for [married], so that the virgin state was held in\nsmall esteem, neither were public prostitution and lewdness tolerated\n(as now). Therefore adultery was the most common form of unchastity\namong them.\n\nBut because among us there is such a shameful mess and the very dregs\nof all vice and lewdness, this commandment is directed also against all\nmanner of unchastity, whatever it may be called; and not only is the\nexternal act forbidden, but also every kind of cause, incitement, and\nmeans, so that the heart, the lips, and the whole body may be chaste\nand afford no opportunity, help, or persuasion to unchastity. And not\nonly this, but that we also make resistance, afford protection and\nrescue wherever there is danger and need; and again, that we give help\nand counsel, so as to maintain our neighbor's honor. For whenever you\nomit this when you could make resistance, or connive at it as if it did\nnot concern you, you are as truly guilty as the one perpetrating the\ndeed. Thus, to state it in the briefest manner, there is required this\nmuch, that every one both live chastely himself and help his neighbor\ndo the same, so that God by this commandment wishes to hedge round\nabout and protect [as with a rampart] every spouse that no one trespass\nagainst them.\n\nBut since this commandment is aimed directly at the state of matrimony\nand gives occasion to speak of the same, you must well understand and\nmark, first, how gloriously God honors and extols this estate, inasmuch\nas by His commandment He both sanctions and guards it. He has\nsanctioned it above in the Fourth Commandment: Honor thy father and thy\nmother; but here He has (as we said ) hedged it about and protected it.\nTherefore He also wishes us to honor it, and to maintain and conduct it\nas a divine and blessed estate; because, in the first place, He has\ninstituted it before all others, and therefore created man and woman\nseparately (as is evident), not for lewdness, but that they should\n[legitimately] live together, be fruitful, beget children, and nourish\nand train them to the honor of God.\n\nTherefore God has also most richly blessed this estate above all\nothers, and, in addition, has bestowed on it and wrapped up in it\neverything in the world, to the end that this estate might be well and\nrichly provided for. Married life is therefore no jest or presumption;\nbut it is an excellent thing and a matter of divine seriousness. For it\nis of the highest importance to Him that persons be raised who may\nserve the world and promote the knowledge of God, godly living, and all\nvirtues, to fight against wickedness and the devil.\n\nTherefore I have always taught that this estate should not be despised\nnor held in disrepute, as is done by the blind world and our false\necclesiastics, but that it be regarded according to God's Word, by\nwhich it is adorned and sanctified, so that it is not only placed on an\nequality with other estates, but that it precedes and surpasses them\nall, whether they be that of emperor, princes, bishops, or whoever they\nplease. For both ecclesiastical and civil estates must humble\nthemselves and all be found in this estate as we shall hear. Therefore\nit is not a peculiar estate, but the most common and noblest estate,\nwhich pervades all Christendom, yea which extends through all the\nworld.\n\nIn the second place, you must know also that it is not only an\nhonorable, but also a necessary state, and it is solemnly commanded by\nGod that, in general, in all conditions, men and women, who were\ncreated for it, shall be found in this estate; yet with some exceptions\n(although few) whom God has especially excepted, so that they are not\nfit for the married estate, or whom He has released by a high,\nsupernatural gift that they can maintain chastity without this estate.\nFor where nature has its course, as it is implanted by God, it is not\npossible to remain chaste without marriage. For flesh and blood remain\nflesh and blood, and the natural inclination and excitement have their\ncourse without let or hindrance, as everybody sees and feels. In\norder, therefore, that it may be the more easy in some degree to avoid\nunchastity, God has commanded the estate of matrimony, that every one\nmay have his proper portion and be satisfied therewith; although God's\ngrace besides is required in order that the heart also may be pure.\n\nFrom this you see how this popish rabble, priests, monks, and nuns,\nresist God's order and commandment, inasmuch as they despise and forbid\nmatrimony, and presume and vow to maintain perpetual chastity, and,\nbesides, deceive the simple-minded with lying words and appearances\n[impostures]. For no one has so little love and inclination to chastity\nas just those who because of great sanctity avoid marriage, and either\nindulge in open and shameless prostitution, or secretly do even worse,\nso that one dare not speak of it, as has, alas! been learned too fully.\nAnd, in short, even though they abstain from the act, their hearts are\nso full of unchaste thoughts and evil lusts that there is a continual\nburning and secret suffering, which can be avoided in the married life.\nTherefore all vows of chastity out of the married state are condemned\nby this commandment, and free permission is granted, yea, even the\ncommand is given, to all poor ensnared consciences which have been\ndeceived by their monastic vows to abandon the unchaste state and enter\nthe married life, considering that even if the monastic life were\ngodly, it would nevertheless not be in their power to maintain\nchastity, and if they remain in it, they must only sin more and more\nagainst this commandment.\n\nNow, I speak of this in order that the young may be so guided that they\nconceive a liking for the married estate, and know that it is a blessed\nestate and pleasing to God. For in this way we might in the course of\ntime bring it about that married life be restored to honor, and that\nthere might be less of the filthy, dissolute, disorderly doings which\nnow run riot the world over in open prostitution and other shameful\nvices arising from disregard of married life. Therefore it is the duty\nof parents and the government to see to it that our youth be brought up\nto discipline and respectability, and when they have come to years of\nmaturity, to provide for them [to have them married] in the fear of God\nand honorably; He would not fail to add His blessing and grace, so that\nmen would have joy and happiness from the same.\n\nLet me now say in conclusion that this commandment demands not only\nthat every one live chastely in thought, word, and deed in his\ncondition, that is, especially in the estate of matrimony, but also\nthat every one love and esteem the spouse given him by God. For where\nconjugal chastity is to be maintained, man and wife must by all means\nlive together in love and harmony, that one may cherish the other from\nthe heart and with entire fidelity. For that is one of the principal\npoints which enkindle love and desire of chastity, so that, where this\nis found, chastity will follow as a matter of course without any\ncommand. Therefore also St. Paul so diligently exhorts husband and wife\nto love and honor one another. Here you have again a precious, yea,\nmany and great good works, of which you can joyfully boast, against all\necclesiastical estates, chosen without God's Word and commandment.\n\n The Seventh Commandment.\n\nThou shalt not steal.\n\nAfter your person and spouse temporal property comes next. That also\nGod wishes to have protected, and He has commanded that no one shall\nsubtract from, or curtail, his neighbor's possessions. For to steal is\nnothing else than to get possession of another's property wrongfully,\nwhich briefly comprehends all kinds of advantage in all sorts of trade\nto the disadvantage of our neighbor. Now, this is indeed quite a\nwide-spread and common vice, but so little regarded and observed that\nit exceeds all measure, so that if all who are thieves, and yet do not\nwish to be called such, were to be hanged on gallows the world would\nsoon be devastated and there would be a lack both of executioners and\ngallows. For, as we have just said, to steal is to signify not only to\nempty our neighbor's coffer and pockets, but to be grasping in the\nmarket, in all stores, booths, wine- and beer-cellars, workshops, and,\nin short, wherever there is trading or taking and giving of money for\nmerchandise or labor.\n\nAs, for instance, to explain this somewhat grossly for the common\npeople, that it may be seen how godly we are: When a manservant or\nmaid-servant does not serve faithfully in the house, and does damage,\nor allows it to be done when it could be prevented, or otherwise ruins\nand neglects the goods entrusted to him, from indolence idleness, or\nmalice, to the spite and vexation of master and mistress, and in\nwhatever way this can be done purposely (for I do not speak of what\nhappens from oversight and against one's will), you can in a year\nabscond thirty, forty florins, which if another had taken secretly or\ncarried away, he would be hanged with the rope. But here you [while\nconscious of such a great theft] may even bid defiance and become\ninsolent, and no one dare call you a thief.\n\nThe same I say also of mechanics, workmen, and day-laborers, who all\nfollow their wanton notions, and never know enough ways to overcharge\npeople, while they are lazy and unfaithful in their work. All these are\nfar worse than sneak-thieves, against whom we can guard with locks and\nbolts, or who, if apprehended, are treated in such a manner that they\nwill not do the same again. But against these no one can guard, no one\ndare even look awry at them or accuse them of theft, so that one would\nten times rather lose from his purse. For here are my neighbors, good\nfriends, my own servants, from whom I expect good [every faithful and\ndiligent service], who defraud me first of all.\n\nFurthermore, in the market and in common trade likewise, this practice\nis in full swing and force to the greatest extent, where one openly\ndefrauds another with bad merchandise, false measures, weights, coins,\nand by nimbleness and queer finances or dexterous tricks takes\nadvantage of him; likewise, when one overcharges a person in a trade\nand wantonly drives a hard bargain, skins and distresses him. And who\ncan recount or think of all these things? To sum up, this is the\ncommonest craft and the largest guild on earth, and if we regard the\nworld throughout all conditions of life, it is nothing else than a\nvast, wide stall, full of great thieves.\n\nTherefore they are also called swivel-chair robbers, land- and\nhighway-robbers, not pick-locks and sneak-thieves who snatch away the\nready cash, but who sit on the chair [at home] and are styled great\nnoblemen, and honorable, pious citizens, and yet rob and steal under a\ngood pretext.\n\nYes, here we might be silent about the trifling individual thieves if\nwe were to attack the great, powerful arch-thieves with whom lords and\nprinces keep company, who daily plunder not only a city or two, but all\nGermany. Yea, where should we place the head and supreme protector of\nall thieves, the Holy Chair at Rome with all its retinue, which has\ngrabbed by theft the wealth of all the world, and holds it to this day?\n\n\nThis is, in short, the course of the world: whoever can steal and rob\nopenly goes free and secure, unmolested by any one, and even demands\nthat he be honored. Meanwhile the little sneak-thieves, who have once\ntrespassed, must bear the shame and punishment to render the former\ngodly and honorable. But let them know that in the sight of God they\nare the greatest thieves, and that He will punish them as they are\nworthy and deserve.\n\nNow, since this commandment is so far-reaching [and comprehensive], as\njust indicated, it is necessary to urge it well and to explain it to\nthe common people, not to let them go on in their wantonness and\nsecurity, but always to place before their eyes the wrath of God, and\ninculcate the same. For we have to preach this not to Christians, but\nchiefly to knaves and scoundrels, to whom it would be more fitting for\njudges, jailers, or Master Hannes [the executioner] to preach.\nTherefore let every one know that it is his duty, at the risk of God's\ndispleasure, not only to do no injury to his neighbor, nor to deprive\nhim of gain, nor to perpetrate any act of unfaithfulness or malice in\nany bargain or trade, but faithfully to preserve his property for him,\nto secure and promote his advantage, especially when one accepts money,\nwages, and one's livelihood for such service.\n\nHe now who wantonly despises this may indeed pass along and escape the\nhangman, but he shall not escape the wrath and punishment of God; and\nwhen he has long practiced his defiance and arrogance, he shall yet\nremain a tramp and beggar, and, in addition, have all plagues and\nmisfortune. Now you are going your way [wherever your heart's pleasure\ncalls you] while you ought to preserve the property of your master and\nmistress, for which service you fill your crop and maw, take your wages\nlike a thief, have people treat you as a nobleman; for there are many\nthat are even insolent towards their masters and mistresses, and are\nunwilling to do them a favor or service by which to protect them from\nloss.\n\nBut reflect what you will gain when, having come into your own\nproperty and being set up in your home (to which God will help with all\nmisfortunes), it [your perfidy] will bob up again and come home to you,\nand you will find that where you have cheated or done injury to the\nvalue of one mite, you will have to pay thirty again.\n\nSuch shall be the lot also of mechanics and day-laborers of whom we are\nnow obliged to hear and suffer such intolerable maliciousness, as\nthough they were noblemen in another's possessions, and every one were\nobliged to give them what they demand. Just let them continue\npracticing their exactions as long as they can; but God will not forget\nHis commandment, and will reward them according as they have served,\nand will hang them, not upon a green gallows, but upon a dry one so\nthat all their life they shall neither prosper nor accumulate anything.\nAnd indeed, if there were a well-ordered government in the land, such\nwantonness might soon be checked and prevented, as was the custom in\nancient times among the Romans, where such characters were promptly\nseized by the pate in a way that others took warning.\n\nNo more shall all the rest prosper who change the open free market into\na carrion-pit of extortion and a den of robbery, where the poor are\ndaily overcharged, new burdens and high prices are imposed, and every\none uses the market according to his caprice, and is even defiant and\nbrags as though it were his fair privilege and right to sell his goods\nfor as high a price as he please, and no one had a right to say a word\nagainst it. We will indeed look on and let these people skin, pinch,\nand hoard, but we will trust in God -- who will, however, do this of\nHis own accord, -- that, after you have been skinning and scraping for\na long time, He will pronounce such a blessing on your gains that your\ngrain in the garner, your beer in the cellar, your cattle in the stalls\nshall perish; yea, where you have cheated and overcharged any one to\nthe amount of a florin, your entire pile shall be consumed with rust,\nso that you shall never enjoy it.\n\nAnd indeed, we see and experience this being fulfilled daily before our\neyes, that no stolen or dishonestly acquired possession thrives. How\nmany there are who rake and scrape day and night, and yet grow not a\nfarthing richer! And though they gather much, they must suffer so many\nplagues and misfortunes that they cannot relish it with cheerfulness\nnor transmit it to their children. But as no one minds it, and we go on\nas though it did not concern us, God must visit us in a different way\nand teach us manners by imposing one taxation after another, or\nbilleting a troop of soldiers upon us, who in one hour empty our\ncoffers and purses, and do not quit as long as we have a farthing\nleft, and in addition, by way of thanks, burn and devastate house and\nhome, and outrage and kill wife and children.\n\nAnd, in short, if you steal much, depend upon it that again as much\nwill be stolen from you; and he who robs and acquires with violence and\nwrong will submit to one who shall deal after the same fashion with\nhim. For God is master of this art, that since every one robs and\nsteals from the other, He punishes one thief by means of another. Else\nwhere should we find enough gallows and ropes?\n\nNow, whoever is willing to be instructed let him know that this is the\ncommandment of God, and that it must not be treated as a jest. For\nalthough you despise us, defraud, steal, and rob, we will indeed manage\nto endure your haughtiness, suffer, and, according to the Lord's\nPrayer, forgive and show pity; for we know that the godly shall\nnevertheless have enough, and you injure yourself more than another.\n\nBut beware of this: When the poor man comes to you (of whom there are\nso many now) who must buy with the penny of his daily wages and live\nupon it, and you are harsh to him, as though every one lived by your\nfavor, and you skin and scrape to the bone, and, besides, with pride\nand haughtiness turn him off to whom you ought to give for nothing, he\nwill go away wretched and sorrowful, and since he can complain to no\none he will cry and call to heaven, -- then beware (I say again) as of\nthe devil himself. For such groaning and calling will be no jest, but\nwill have a weight that will prove too heavy for you and all the\nworld. For it will reach Him who takes care of the poor sorrowful\nhearts, and will not allow them to go unavenged. But if you despise\nthis and become defiant, see whom you have brought upon you: if you\nsucceed and prosper, you may before all the world call God and me a\nliar.\n\nWe have exhorted, warned, and protested enough; he who will not heed or\nbelieve it may go on until he learns this by experience Yet it must be\nimpressed upon the young that they may be careful not to follow the old\nlawless crowd, but keep their eyes fixed upon God's commandment, lest\nHis wrath and punishment come upon them too. It behooves us to do no\nmore than to instruct and reprove with God's Word; but to check such\nopen wantonness there is need of the princes and government, who\nthemselves would have eyes and the courage to establish and maintain\norder in all manner of trade and commerce, lest the poor be burdened\nand oppressed nor they themselves be loaded with other men's sins.\n\nLet this suffice as an explanation of what stealing is, that it be not\ntaken too narrowly but made to extend as far as we have to do with our\nneighbors. And briefly, in a summary, as in the former commandments, it\nis herewith forbidden, in the first place, to do our neighbor any\ninjury or wrong (in whatever manner supposable, by curtailing,\nforestalling, and withholding his possessions and property), or even to\nconsent or allow such a thing, but to interpose and prevent it. And, on\nthe other hand, it is commanded that we advance and improve his\npossessions, and in case he suffers want, that we help, communicate,\nand lend both to friends and foes.\n\nWhoever now seeks and desires good works will find here more than\nenough such as are heartily acceptable and pleasing to God, and in\naddition are favored and crowned with excellent blessings, that we are\nto be richly compensated for all that we do for our neighbor's good and\nfrom friendship; as King Solomon also teaches Prov. 19, 17: He that\nhath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath\ngiven will He pay him again. Here, then you have a rich Lord, who is\ncertainly sufficient for you, and who will not suffer you to come short\nin anything or to want; thus you can with a joyful conscience enjoy a\nhundred times more than you could scrape together with unfaithfulness\nand wrong. Now, whoever does not desire the blessing will find wrath\nand misfortune enough.\n\nThe Eighth Commandment.\n\nThou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.\n\nOver and above our own body, spouse, and temporal possessions, we have\nyet another treasure, namely, honor and good report [the illustrious\ntestimony of an upright and unsullied name and reputation], with which\nwe cannot dispense. For it is intolerable to live among men in open\nshame and general contempt. Therefore God wishes the reputation, good\nname, and upright character of our neighbor to be taken away or\ndiminished as little as his money and possessions, that every one may\nstand in his integrity before wife, children, servants, and neighbors.\nAnd in the first place, we take the plainest meaning of this\ncommandment according to the words (Thou shalt not bear false witness),\nas pertaining to the public courts of justice, where a poor innocent\nman is accused and oppressed by false witnesses in order to be punished\nin his body, property, or honor.\n\nNow, this appears as if it were of little concern to us at present; but\nwith the Jews it was quite a common and ordinary matter. For the people\nwere organized under an excellent and regular government; and where\nthere is still such a government, instances of this sin will not be\nwanting. The cause of it is that where judges, burgomasters, princes,\nor others in authority sit in judgment, things never fail to go\naccording to the course of the world; namely, men do not like to offend\nanybody, flatter, and speak to gain favor, money, prospects, or\nfriendship; and in consequence a poor man and his cause must be\noppressed, denounced as wrong, and suffer punishment. And it is a\ncommon calamity in the world that in courts of justice there seldom\npreside godly men.\n\nFor to be a judge requires above all things a godly man, and not only a\ngodly, but also a wise, modest, yea, a brave and bold man; likewise, to\nbe a witness requires a fearless and especially a godly man. For a\nperson who is to judge all matters rightly and carry them through with\nhis decision will often offend good friends, relatives, neighbors, and\nthe rich and powerful, who can greatly serve or injure him. Therefore\nhe must be quite blind, have his eyes and ears closed, neither see nor\nhear, but go straight forward in everything that comes before him, and\ndecide accordingly.\n\nTherefore this commandment is given first of all that every one shall\nhelp his neighbor to secure his rights, and not allow them to be\nhindered or twisted, but shall promote and strictly maintain them, no\nmatter whether he be judge or witness, and let it pertain to whatsoever\nit will. And especially is a goal set up here for our jurists that they\nbe careful to deal truly and uprightly with every case, allowing right\nto remain right, and, on the other hand, not perverting anything [by\ntheir tricks and technical points turning black into white and making\nwrong out to be right], nor glossing it over or keeping silent\nconcerning it, irrespective of a person's money, possession, honor, or\npower. This is one part and the plainest sense of this commandment\nconcerning all that takes place in court.\n\nNext, it extends very much further, if we are to apply it to spiritual\njurisdiction or administration; here it is a common occurrence that\nevery one bears false witness against his neighbor. For wherever there\nare godly preachers and Christians, they must bear the sentence before\nthe world that they are called heretics, apostates, yea, seditious and\ndesperately wicked miscreants. Besides the Word of God must suffer in\nthe most shameful and malicious manner, being persecuted blasphemed,\ncontradicted, perverted and falsely cited and interpreted. But let this\npass; for it is the way of the blind world that she condemns and\npersecutes the truth and the children of God, and yet esteems it no\nsin.\n\nIn the third place, what concerns us all, this commandment forbids all\nsins of the tongue whereby we may injure or approach too closely to our\nneighbor. For to bear false witness is nothing else than a work of the\ntongue. Now, whatever is done with the tongue against a fellow-man God\nwould have prohibited, whether it be false preachers with their\ndoctrine and blasphemy, false judges and witnesses with their verdict,\nor outside of court by lying and evil-speaking. Here belongs\nparticularly the detestable, shameful vice of speaking behind a\nperson's back and slandering, to which the devil spurs us on and of\nwhich there would be much to be said. For it is a common evil plague\nthat every one prefers hearing evil to hearing good of his neighbor;\nand although we ourselves are so bad that we cannot suffer that any one\nshould say anything bad about us, but every one would much rather that\nall the world should speak of him in terms of gold, yet we cannot bear\nthat the best is spoken about others.\n\nTherefore, to avoid this vice we should note that no one is allowed\npublicly to judge and reprove his neighbor, although he may see him\nsin, unless he have a command to judge and to reprove. For there is a\ngreat difference between these two things, judging sin and knowing sin.\nYou may indeed know it, but you are not to judge it. I can indeed see\nand hear that my neighbor sins, but I have no command to report it to\nothers. Now, if I rush in, judging and passing sentence, I fall into a\nsin which is greater than his. But if you know it, do nothing else\nthan turn your ears into a grave and cover it, until you are appointed\nto be judge and to punish by virtue of your office.\n\nThose, then, are called slanderers who are not content with knowing a\nthing, but proceed to assume jurisdiction, and when they know a slight\noffense of another, carry it into every corner, and are delighted and\ntickled that they can stir up another's displeasure [baseness], as\nswine roll themselves in the dirt and root in it with the snout. This\nis nothing else than meddling with the judgment and office of God, and\npronouncing sentence and punishment with the most severe verdict. For\nno judge can punish to a higher degree nor go farther than to say: \"He\nis a thief, a murderer, a traitor,\" etc. Therefore, whoever presumes to\nsay the same of his neighbor goes just as far as the emperor and all\ngovernments. For although you do not wield the sword, you employ your\npoisonous tongue to the shame and hurt of your neighbor.\n\nGod therefore would have it prohibited that any one speak evil of\nanother even though he be guilty, and the latter know it right well;\nmuch less if he do not know it, and have it only from hearsay. But you\nsay: Shall I not say it if it be the truth? Answer: Why do you not make\naccusation to regular judges? Ah, I cannot prove it publicly, and hence\nI might be silenced and turned away in a harsh manner [incur the\npenalty of a false accusation]. \"Ah, indeed, do you smell the roast?\"\nIf you do not trust yourself to stand before the proper authorities and\nto make answer, then hold your tongue. But if you know it, know it for\nyourself and not for another. For if you tell it to others, although it\nbe true, you will appear as a liar, because you cannot prove it, and\nyou are, besides acting like a knave. For we ought never to deprive any\none of his honor or good name unless it be first taken away from him\npublicly.\n\nFalse witness, then, is everything which cannot be properly proved.\nTherefore, what is not manifest upon sufficient evidence no one shall\nmake public or declare for truth; and in short, whatever is secret\nshould be allowed to remain secret, or, at any rate, should be secretly\nreproved, as we shall hear. Therefore, if you encounter an idle tongue\nwhich betrays and slanders some one, contradict such a one promptly to\nhis face, that he may blush thus many a one will hold his tongue who\nelse would bring some poor man into bad repute from which he would not\neasily extricate himself. For honor and a good name are easily taken\naway, but not easily restored.\n\nThus you see that it is summarily forbidden to speak any evil of our\nneighbor, however the civil government, preachers, father and mother\nexcepted, on the understanding that this commandment does not allow\nevil to go unpunished. Now, as according to the Fifth Commandment no\none is to be injured in body, and yet Master Hannes [the executioner]\nis excepted, who by virtue of his office does his neighbor no good, but\nonly evil and harm, and nevertheless does not sin against God's\ncommandment, because God has on His own account instituted that office;\nfor He has reserved punishment for His own good pleasure, as He\nthreatens in the First Commandment, -- just so also, although no one\nhas a right in his own person to judge and condemn anybody, yet if they\nto whose office it belongs fail to do it, they sin as well as he who\nwould do so of his own accord, without such office. For here necessity\nrequires one to speak of the evil, to prefer charges, to investigate\nand testify; and it is not different from the case of a physician who\nis sometimes compelled to examine and handle the patient whom he is to\ncure in secret parts. Just so governments, father and mother, brothers\nand sisters, and other good friends, are under obligation to each other\nto reprove evil wherever it is needful and profitable.\n\nBut the true way in this matter would be to observe the order\naccording to the Gospel, Matt. 18, 15, where Christ says: If thy\nbrother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between\nthee and him alone. Here you have a precious and excellent teaching for\ngoverning well the tongue, which is to be carefully observed against\nthis detestable misuse. Let this, then, be your rule, that you do not\ntoo readily spread evil concerning your neighbor and slander him to\nothers, but admonish him privately that he may amend [his life].\nLikewise, also, if some one report to you what this or that one has\ndone, teach him, too, to go and admonish him personally if he have seen\nit himself; but if not, that he hold his tongue.\n\nThe same you can learn also from the daily government of the\nhousehold. For when the master of the house sees that the servant does\nnot do what he ought, he admonishes him personally. But if he were so\nfoolish as to let the servant sit at home, and went on the streets to\ncomplain of him to his neighbors, he would no doubt be told: \"You fool,\nwhat does that concern us? Why do you not tell it to him ?\" Behold,\nthat would be acting quite brotherly, so that the evil would be stayed,\nand your neighbor would retain his honor. As Christ also says in the\nsame place: If he hear thee, thou host gained thy brother. Then you\nhave done a great and excellent work; for do you think it is a little\nmatter to gain a brother? Let all monks and holy orders step forth,\nwith all their works melted together into one mass, and see if they\ncan boast that they have gained a brother.\n\nFurther, Christ teaches: But if he will not hear thee, then take with\nthee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every\nword may be established. So he whom it concerns is always to be treated\nwith personally, and not to be spoken of without his knowledge. But if\nthat do not avail, then bring it publicly before the community, whether\nbefore the civil or the ecclesiastical tribunal. For then you do not\nstand alone, but you have those witnesses with you by whom you can\nconvict the guilty one, relying on whom the judge can pronounce\nsentence and punish. This is the right and regular course for checking\nand reforming a wicked person. But if we gossip about another in all\ncorners and stir the filth, no one will be reformed, and afterwards\nwhen we are to stand up and bear witness, we deny having said so.\nTherefore it would serve such tongues right if their itch for slander\nwere severely punished, as a warning to others. If you were acting for\nyour neighbor's reformation or from love of the truth, you would not\nsneak about secretly nor shun the day and the light.\n\nAll this has been said regarding secret sins. But where the sin is\nquite public so that the judge and everybody know it you can without\nany sin avoid him and let him go, because he has brought himself into\ndisgrace, and you may also publicly testify concerning him. For when a\nmatter is public in the light of day, there can be no slandering or\nfalse judging or testifying; as, when we now reprove the Pope with his\ndoctrine, which is publicly set forth in books and proclaimed in all\nthe world. For where the sin is public, the reproof also must be\npublic, that every one may learn to guard against it.\n\nThus we have now the sum and general understanding of this\ncommandment, to wit, that no one do any injury with the tongue to his\nneighbor, whether friend or foe, nor speak evil of him, no matter\nwhether it be true or false, unless it be done by commandment or for\nhis reformation, but that every one employ his tongue and make it serve\nfor the best of every one else, to cover up his neighbor's sins and\ninfirmities, excuse them, palliate and garnish them with his own\nreputation. The chief reason for this should be the one which Christ\nalleges in the Gospel, in which He comprehends all commandments\nrespecting our neighbor, Matt. 7, 12: Whatsoever ye would that men\nshould do to you, do ye even so to them.\n\nEven nature teaches the same thing in our own bodies, as St. Paul\nsays, 1 Cor. 12, 22: Much more, those members of the body which seem to\nbe more feeble are necessary; and those members of the body which we\nthink to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor;\nand our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. No one covers his\nface, eyes, nose, and mouth, for they, being in themselves the most\nhonorable members which we have, do not require it. But the most infirm\nmembers, of which we are ashamed, we cover with all diligence; hands,\neyes, and the whole body must help to cover and conceal them. Thus also\namong ourselves should we adorn whatever blemishes and infirmities we\nfind in our neighbor, and serve and help him to promote his honor to\nthe best of our ability, and, on the other hand, prevent whatever may\nbe discreditable to him. And it is especially an excellent and noble\nvirtue for one always to explain advantageously and put the best\nconstruction upon all he may hear of his neighbor (if it be not\nnotoriously evil), or at any rate to condone it over and against the\npoisonous tongues that are busy wherever they can pry out and discover\nsomething to blame in a neighbor, and that explain and pervert it in\nthe worst way; as is done now especially with the precious Word of God\nand its preachers.\n\nThere are comprehended therefore in this commandment quite a multitude\nof good works which please God most highly, and bring abundant good and\nblessing, if only the blind world and the false saints would recognize\nthem. For there is nothing on or in entire man which can do both\ngreater and more extensive good or harm in spiritual and in temporal\nmatters than the tongue, though it is the least and feeblest member.\n\nThe Ninth and Tenth Commandments\n\nThou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house. Thou shalt not covet thy\nneighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his\ncattle, nor anything that is his.\n\nThese two commandments are given quite exclusively to the Jews;\nnevertheless, in part they also concern us. For they do not interpret\nthem as referring to unchastity or theft, because these are\nsufficiently forbidden above. They also thought that they had kept all\nthose when they had done or not done the external act. Therefore God\nhas added these two commandments in order that it be esteemed as sin\nand forbidden to desire or in any way to aim at getting our neighbor's\nwife or possessions; and especially because under the Jewish government\nman-servants and maid-servants were not free as now to serve for wages\nas long as they pleased, but were their master's property with their\nbody and all they had, as cattle and other possessions. Moreover,\nevery man had power over his wife to put her away publicly by giving\nher a bill of divorce, and to take another. Therefore they were in\nconstant danger among each other that if one took a fancy to another's\nwife, he might allege any reason both to dismiss his own wife and to\nestrange the other's wife from him, that he might obtain her under\npretext of right. That was not considered a sin nor disgrace with them;\nas little as now with hired help, when a proprietor dismisses his\nman-servant or maid-servant, or takes another's servants from him in\nany way.\n\nTherefore (I say) they thus interpreted these commandments, and that\nrightly (although their scope reaches somewhat farther and higher),\nthat no one think or purpose to obtain what belongs to another, such as\nhis wife, servants, house and estate, land meadows, cattle, even with a\nshow of right or by a subterfuge, yet with injury to his neighbor. For\nabove, in the Seventh Commandment, the vice is forbidden where one\nwrests to himself the possessions of others, or withholds them from his\nneighbor, which he cannot do by right. But here it is also forbidden to\nalienate anything from your neighbor, even though you could do so with\nhonor in the eyes of the world, so that no one could accuse or blame\nyou as though you had obtained it wrongfully.\n\nFor we are so inclined by nature that no one desires to see another\nhave as much as himself, and each one acquires as much as he can; the\nother may fare as best he can. And yet we pretend to be godly, know how\nto adorn ourselves most finely and conceal our rascality, resort to and\ninvent adroit devices and deceitful artifices (such as now are daily\nmost ingeniously contrived) as though they were derived from the law\ncodes; yea, we even dare impertinently to refer to it, and boast of it,\nand will not have it called rascality, but shrewdness and caution. In\nthis lawyers and jurists assist, who twist and stretch the law to suit\nit to their cause, stress words and use them for a subterfuge,\nirrespective of equity or their neighbor's necessity. And, in short,\nwhoever is the most expert and cunning in these affairs finds most help\nin law, as they themselves say: Vigilantibus iura subveniunt [that is,\nThe laws favor the watchful].\n\nThis last commandment therefore is given not for rogues in the eyes of\nthe world, but just for the most pious, who wish to be praised and be\ncalled honest and upright people, since they have not offended against\nthe former commandments, as especially the Jews claimed to be, and even\nnow many great noblemen, gentlemen, and princes. For the other common\nmasses belong yet farther down, under the Seventh Commandment, as those\nwho are not much concerned whether they acquire their possessions with\nhonor and right.\n\nNow, this occurs most frequently in cases that are brought into court,\nwhere it is the purpose to get something from our neighbor and to force\nhim out of his own. As (to give examples), when people quarrel and\nwrangle about a large inheritance, real estate, etc., they avail\nthemselves of, and resort to, whatever has the appearance of right, so\ndressing and adorning everything that the law must favor their side,\nand they keep the property with such title that no one can make\ncomplaint or lay claim thereto. In like manner, if any one desire to\nhave a castle, city, duchy, or any other great thing, he practices so\nmuch financiering through relationships, and by any means he can, that\nthe other is judicially deprived of it, and it is adjudicated to him,\nand confirmed with deed and seal and declared to have been acquired by\nprincely title and honestly.\n\nLikewise also in common trade where one dexterously slips something out\nof another's hand, so that he must look after it, or surprises and\ndefrauds him in a matter in which he sees advantage and benefit for\nhimself, so that the latter, perhaps on account of distress or debt,\ncannot regain or redeem it without injury, and the former gains the\nhalf or even more; and yet this must not be considered as acquired by\nfraud or stolen, but honestly bought. Here they say: First come, first\nserved, and every one must look to his own interest, let another get\nwhat he can. And who can be so smart as to think of all the ways in\nwhich one can get many things into his possession by such specious\npretexts? This the world does not consider wrong [nor is it punished by\nlaws], and will not see that the neighbor is thereby placed at a\ndisadvantage, and must sacrifice what he cannot spare without injury.\nYet there is no one who wishes this to be done to him; from which we\ncan easily perceive that such devices and pretexts are false.\n\nThus it was done formerly also with respect to wives: they knew such\ndevices that if one were pleased with another woman, he personally or\nthrough others (as there were many ways and means to be invented)\ncaused her husband to conceive a displeasure toward her, or had her\nresist him and so conduct herself that he was obliged to dismiss her\nand leave her to the other. That sort of thing undoubtedly prevailed\nmuch under the Law, as also we read in the (Gospel of King Herod that\nhe took his brother's wife while he was yet living, and yet wished to\nbe thought an honorable, pious man, as St. Mark also testifies of him.\nBut such an example, I trust, will not occur among us, because in the\nNew Testament those who are married are forbidden to be divorced,\nexcept in such a case where one [shrewdly] by some stratagem takes away\na rich bride from another. But it is not a rare thing with us that one\nestranges or alienates another's man-servant or maid-servant, or\nentices them away by flattering words.\n\nIn whatever way such things happen, we must know that God does not wish\nthat you deprive your neighbor of anything that belongs to him so that\nhe suffer the loss and you gratify your avarice with it, even if you\ncould keep it honorably before the world; for it is a secret and\ninsidious imposition practiced under the hat, as we say, that it may\nnot be observed. For although you go your way as if you had done no one\nany wrong, you have nevertheless injured your neighbor; and if it is\nnot called stealing and cheating, yet it is called coveting your\nneighbor's property, that is, aiming at possession of it, enticing it\naway from him without his will, and being unwilling to see him enjoy\nwhat God has granted him. And although the judge and every one must\nleave you in possession of it, yet God will not leave you therein; for\nHe sees the deceitful heart and the malice of the world, which is sure\nto take an ell in addition wherever you yield to her a finger's\nbreadth, and at length public wrong and violence follow.\n\nTherefore we allow these commandments to remain in their ordinary\nmeaning, that it is commanded, first, that we do not desire our\nneighbor's damage, nor even assist, nor give occasion for it, but\ngladly wish and leave him what he has, and, besides, advance and\npreserve for him what may be for his profit and service, as we should\nwish to be treated. Thus these commandments are especially directed\nagainst envy and miserable avarice, God wishing to remove all causes\nand sources whence arises everything by which we do injury to our\nneighbor, and therefore He expresses it in plain words: Thou shalt not\ncovet, etc. For He would especially have the heart pure, although we\nshall never attain to that as long as we live here; so that this\ncommandment will remain, like all the rest, one that will constantly\naccuse us and show how godly we are in the sight of God!\n\n Conclusion of the Ten Commandments.\n\nThus we have the Ten Commandments, a compend of divine doctrine, as to\nwhat we are to do in order that our whole life may be pleasing to God,\nand the true fountain and channel from and in which everything must\narise and flow that is to be a good work, so that outside of the Ten\nCommandments no work or thing can be good or pleasing to God, however\ngreat or precious it be in the eyes of the world. Let us see now what\nour great saints can boast of their spiritual orders and their great\nand grievous works which they have invented and set up, while they let\nthese pass, as though they were far too insignificant, or had long ago\nbeen perfectly fulfilled.\n\nI am of opinion indeed, that here one will find his hands full, [and\nwill have enough] to do to observe these, namely, meekness, patience,\nand love towards enemies, chastity, kindness, etc., and what such\nvirtues imply. But such works are not of value and make no display in\nthe eyes of the world; for they are not peculiar and conceited works\nand restricted to particular times, places, rites, and customs, but are\ncommon, every-day domestic works which one neighbor can practice toward\nanother; therefore they are not of high esteem.\n\nBut the other works cause people to open their eyes and ears wide, and\nmen aid to this effect by the great display, expense, and magnificent\nbuildings with which they adorn them, so that everything shines and\nglitters. There they waft incense, they sing and ring bells, they light\ntapers and candles, so that nothing else can be seen or heard. For when\na priest stands there in a surplice embroidered with gilt, or a layman\ncontinues all day upon his knees in church, that is regarded as a most\nprecious work which no one can sufficiently praise. But when a poor\ngirl tends a little child and faithfully does what she is told that is\nconsidered nothing; for else what should monks and nuns seek in their\ncloisters?\n\nBut see, is not that a cursed presumption of those desperate saints who\ndare to invent a higher and better life and estate than the Ten\nCommandments teach, pretending (as we have said) that this is an\nordinary life for the common man, but that theirs is for saints and\nperfect ones? And the miserable blind people do not see that no man can\nget so far as to keep one of the Ten Commandments as it should be kept,\nbut both the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer must come to our aid\n(as we shall hear), by which that [power and strength to keep the\ncommandments] is sought and prayed for and received continually.\nTherefore all their boasting amounts to as much as if I boasted and\nsaid: To be sure, I have not a penny to make payment with, but I\nconfidently undertake to pay ten florins.\n\nAll this I say and urge in order that men might become rid of the sad\nmisuse which has taken such deep root and still cleaves to everybody,\nand in all estates upon earth become used to looking hither only, and\nto being concerned about these matters. For it will be a long time\nbefore they will produce a doctrine or estates equal to the Ten\nCommandments, because they are so high that no one can attain to them\nby human power; and whoever does attain to them is a heavenly, angelic\nman far above all holiness of the world. Only occupy yourself with\nthem, and try your best, apply all power and ability and you will find\nso much to do that you will neither seek nor esteem any other work or\nholiness.\n\nLet this be sufficient concerning the first part of the common\nChristian doctrine, both for teaching and urging what is necessary. In\nconclusion, however, we must repeat the text which belongs here, of\nwhich we have treated already in the First Commandment, in order that\nwe may learn what pains God requires to the end we may learn to\ninculcate and practice the Ten Commandments:\n\nFor I the Lord, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the\nfathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them\nthat hate Me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and\nkeep My commandments.\n\nAlthough (as we have heard above) this appendix was primarily attached\nto the First Commandment, it was nevertheless [we cannot deny that it\nwas] laid down for the sake of all the commandments, as all of them are\nto be referred and directed to it. Therefore I have said that this,\ntoo, should be presented to and inculcated upon the young, that they\nmay learn and remember it, in order to see what is to urge and compel\nus to keep these Ten Commandments. And it is to be regarded as though\nthis part were specially added to each, so that it inheres in, and\npervades, them all.\n\nNow, there is comprehended in these words (as said before) both an\nangry word of threatening and a friendly promise to terrify and warn\nus, and, moreover to induce and encourage us to receive and highly\nesteem His Word as a matter of divine earnestness, because He Himself\ndeclares how much He is concerned about it, and how rigidly He will\nenforce it, namely, that He will horribly and terribly punish all who\ndespise and transgress His commandments; and again, how richly He will\nreward, bless, and do all good to those who hold them in high esteem,\nand gladly do and live according to them. Thus He demands that all our\nworks proceed from a heart which fears and regards God alone, and from\nsuch fear avoids everything that is contrary to His will, lest it\nshould move Him to wrath; and, on the other hand, also trusts in Him\nalone, and from love to Him does all He wishes, because he speaks to us\nas friendly as a father, and offers us all grace and every good.\n\nJust this is also the meaning and true interpretation of the first and\nchief commandment, from which all the others must flow and proceed, so\nthat this word: Thou shalt have no other gods before Me, in its\nsimplest meaning states nothing else than this demand: Thou shalt fear,\nlove, and trust in Me as thine only true God. For where there is a\nheart thus disposed towards God, the same has fulfilled this and all\nthe other commandments. On the other hand, whoever fears and loves\nanything else in heaven and upon earth will keep neither this nor any.\nThus the entire scriptures have everywhere preached and inculcated this\ncommandment, aiming always at these two things: fear of God and trust\nin Him. And especially the prophet David throughout the Psalms, as when\nhe says [Ps. 147,11]: The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him,\nin those that hope in His mercy. As if the entire commandment were\nexplained by one verse, as much as to say: The Lord taketh pleasure in\nthose who have no other gods.\n\nThus the First Commandment is to shine and impart its splendor to all\nthe others. Therefore you must let this declaration run through all the\ncommandments, like a hoop in a wreath, joining the end to the beginning\nand holding them all together, that it be continually repeated and not\nforgotten; as, namely, in the Second Commandment, that we fear God and\ndo not take His name in vain for cursing, lying, deceiving, and other\nmodes of leading men astray, or rascality, but make proper and good use\nof it by calling upon Him in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, derived\nfrom love and trust according to the First Commandment. In like manner\nsuch fear, love, and trust is to urge and force us not to despise His\nWord, but gladly to learn, hear, and esteem it holy, and honor it.\n\nThus continuing through all the following commandments towards our\nneighbor likewise, everything is to proceed by virtue of the First\nCommandment, to wit, that we honor father and mother, masters, and all\nin authority and be subject and obedient to them, not on their own\naccount, but for God's sake. For you are not to regard or fear father\nor mother, or from love of them do or omit anything. But see to that\nwhich God would have you do, and what He will quite surely demand of\nyou; if you omit that, you have an angry Judge, but in the contrary\ncase a gracious Father.\n\nAgain, that you do your neighbor no harm, injury, or violence, nor in\nany wise encroach upon him as touching his body, wife, property, honor,\nor rights, as all these things are commanded in their order, even\nthough you have opportunity and cause to do so and no man would reprove\nyou; but that you do good to all men, help them, and promote their\ninterest, howsoever and wherever you can, purely from love of God and\nin order to please Him, in the confidence that He will abundantly\nreward you for everything. Thus you see how the First Commandment is\nthe chief source and fountainhead which flows into all the rest, and\nagain, all return to that and depend upon it, so that beginning and end\nare fastened and bound to each other.\n\nThis (I say) it is profitable and necessary always to teach to the\nyoung people, to admonish them and to remind them of it, that they may\nbe brought up not only with blows and compulsion, like cattle, but in\nthe fear and reverence of God. For where this is considered and laid to\nheart that these things are not human trifles, but the commandments of\nthe Divine Majesty, who insists upon them with such earnestness, is\nangry with, and punishes those who despise them, and, on the other\nhand, abundantly rewards those who keep them, there will be a\nspontaneous impulse and a desire gladly to do the will of God.\nTherefore it is not in vain that it is commanded in the Old Testament\nto write the Ten Commandments on all walls and corners, yes, even on\nthe garments, not for the sake of merely having them written in these\nplaces and making a show of them, as did the Jews, but that we might\nhave our eyes constantly fixed upon them, and have them always in our\nmemory, and that we might practice them in all our actions and ways,\nand every one make them his daily exercise in all cases, in every\nbusiness and transaction, as though they were written in every place\nwherever he would look, yea, wherever he walks or stands. Thus there\nwould be occasion enough, both at home in our own house and abroad with\nour neighbors, to practice the Ten Commandments, that no one need run\nfar for them.\n\nFrom this it again appears how highly these Ten Commandments are to be\nexalted and extolled above all estates, commandments, and works which\nare taught and practiced aside from them. For here we can boast and\nsay: Let all the wise and saints step forth and produce, if they can, a\n[single] work like these commandments, upon which God insists with such\nearnestness, and which He enjoins with His greatest wrath and\npunishment, and, besides, adds such glorious promises that He will pour\nout upon us all good things and blessings. Therefore they should be\ntaught above all others, and be esteemed precious and dear, as the\nhighest treasure given by God.\n\nPart Second. OF THE CREED.\n\nThus far we have heard the first part of Christian doctrine, in which\nwe have seen all that God wishes us to do or to leave undone. Now,\nthere properly follows the Creed, which sets forth to us everything\nthat we must expect and receive from God, and, to state it quite\nbriefly, teaches us to know Him fully. And this is intended to help us\ndo that which according to the Ten Commandments we ought to do. For (as\nsaid above) they are set so high that all human ability is far too\nfeeble and weak to [attain to or] keep them. Therefore it is as\nnecessary to learn this part as the former in order that we may know\nhow to attain thereto, whence and whereby to obtain such power. For if\nwe could by our own powers keep the Ten Commandments as they are to be\nkept, we would need nothing further, neither the Creed nor the Lord's\nPrayer. But before we explain this advantage and necessity of the\nCreed, it is sufficient at first for the simple-minded that they learn\nto comprehend and understand the Creed itself.\n\nIn the first place, the Creed has hitherto been divided into twelve\narticles, although, if all points which are written in the Scriptures\nand which belong to the Creed were to be distinctly set forth, there\nwould be far more articles, nor could they all be clearly expressed in\nso few words. But that it may be most easily and clearly understood as\nit is to be taught to children, we shall briefly sum up the entire\nCreed in three chief articles, according to the three persons in the\nGodhead, to whom everything that we believe is related, So that the\nFirst Article, of God the Father, explains Creation, the Second\nArticle, of the Son, Redemption, and the Third, of the Holy Ghost,\nSanctification. Just as though the Creed were briefly comprehended in\nso many words: I believe in God the Father, who has created me; I\nbelieve in God the Son, who has redeemed me; I believe in the Holy\nGhost, who sanctifies me. One God and one faith, but three persons,\ntherefore also three articles or confessions. Let us briefly run over\nthe words.\n\nArticle I.\n\nI believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.\n\nThis portrays and sets forth most briefly what is the essence, will,\nactivity, and work of God the Father. For since the Ten Commandments\nhave taught that we are to have not more than one God, the question\nmight be asked, What kind of a person is God? What does He do? How can\nwe praise or portray and describe Him, that He may be known? Now, that\nis taught in this and in the following article, so that the Creed is\nnothing else than the answer and confession of Christians arranged with\nrespect to the First Commandment. As if you were to ask a little child:\nMy dear, what sort of a God have you? What do you know of Him? he could\nsay: This is my God: first, the Father, who has created heaven and\nearth; besides this only One I regard nothing else as God; for there is\nno one else who could create heaven and earth.\n\nBut for the learned, and those who are somewhat advanced [have\nacquired some Scriptural knowledge], these three articles may all be\nexpanded and divided into as many parts as there are words. But now for\nyoung scholars let it suffice to indicate the most necessary points,\nnamely, as we have said, that this article refers to the Creation: that\nwe emphasize the words: Creator of heaven and earth But what is the\nforce of this, or what do you mean by these words: I believe in God the\nFather Almighty, Maker, etc.? Answer: This is what I mean and believe,\nthat I am a creature of God; that is, that He has given and constantly\npreserves to me my body, soul, and life, members great and small, all\nmy senses, reason, and understanding, and so on, food and drink,\nclothing and support, wife and children, domestics, house and home,\netc. Besides, He causes all creatures to serve for the uses and\nnecessities of life -- sun, moon and stars in the firmament, day and\nnight, air, fire, water, earth, and whatever it bears and produces,\nbirds and fishes, beasts, grain, and all kinds of produce, and whatever\nelse there is of bodily and temporal goods, good government, peace,\nsecurity. Thus we learn from this article that none of us has of\nhimself, nor can preserve, his life nor anything that is here\nenumerated or can be enumerated, however small and unimportant a thing\nit might be, for all is comprehended in the word Creator.\n\nMoreover, we also confess that God the Father has not only given us all\nthat we have and see before our eyes, but daily preserves and defends\nus against all evil and misfortune, averts all sorts of danger and\ncalamity; and that He does all this out of pure love and goodness,\nwithout our merit, as a benevolent Father, who cares for us that no\nevil befall us. But to speak more of this belongs in the other two\nparts of this article, where we say: Father Almighty\nNow, since: all that we possess, and, moreover, whatever, in addition,\nis in heaven and upon the earth, is daily given, preserved, and kept\nfor us by God, it is readily inferred and concluded that it is our duty\nto love, praise, and thank Him for it without ceasing, and, in short,\nto serve Him with all these things as He demands and has enjoined in\nthe Ten Commandments.\n\nHere we could say much if we were to expatiate, how few there are that\nbelieve this article. For we all pass over it, hear it and say it, but\nneither see nor consider what the words teach us. For if we believed it\nwith the heart, we would also act accordingly, and not stalk about\nproudly, act defiantly, and boast as though we had life, riches, power,\nand honor, etc., of ourselves, so that others must fear and serve us,\nas is the practice of the wretched, perverse world, which is drowned in\nblindness, and abuses all the good things and gifts of God only for its\nown pride, avarice, lust, and luxury, and never once regards God, so\nas to thank Him or acknowledge Him as Lord and Creator.\n\nTherefore, this article ought to humble and terrify us all, if we\nbelieved it. For we sin daily with eyes, ears, hands, body and soul,\nmoney and possessions, and with everything we have, especially those\nwho even fight against the Word of God. Yet Christians have this\nadvantage, that they acknowledge themselves in duty bound to serve God\nfor all these things, and to be obedient to Him [which the world knows\nnot how to do].\n\nWe ought, therefore, daily to practice this article, impress it upon\nour mind, and to remember it in all that meets our eyes, and in all\ngood that falls to our lot, and wherever we escape from calamity or\ndanger, that it is God who gives and does all these things, that\ntherein we sense and see His paternal heart and His transcendent love\ntoward us. Thereby the heart would be warmed and kindled to be\nthankful, and to employ all such good things to the honor and praise of\nGod.\n\nThus we have most briefly presented the meaning of this article, as\nmuch as is at first necessary for the most simple to learn, both as to\nwhat we have and receive from God, and what we owe in return, which is\na most excellent knowledge, but a far greater treasure. For here we see\nhow the Father has given Himself to us, together with all creatures,\nand has most richly provided for us in this life, besides that He has\noverwhelmed us with unspeakable, eternal treasures by His Son and the\nHoly Ghost, as we shall hear.\n\nArticle II.\n\nAnd in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the\nHoly Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was\ncrucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He\nrose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the\nright hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to\njudge the quick and the dead.\n\nHere we learn to know the Second Person of the Godhead, so that we see\nwhat we have from God over and above the temporal goods\naforementioned; namely, how He has completely poured forth Himself and\nwithheld nothing from us that He has not given us. Now, this article is\nvery rich and broad; but in order to expound it also briefly and in a\nchildlike way, we shall take up one word and sum up in that the entire\narticle, namely (as we have said), that we may here learn how we have\nbeen redeemed; and we shall base this on these words: In Jesus Christ,\nour Lord.\n\nIf now you are asked, What do you believe in the Second Article of\nJesus Christ? answer briefly: I believe that Jesus Christ, true Son of\nGod, has become my Lord. But what is it to become Lord? It is this,\nthat He has redeemed me from sin, from the devil, from death, and all\nevil. For before I had no Lord nor King, but was captive under the\npower of the devil, condemned to death, enmeshed in sin and blindness.\n\nFor when we had been created by God the Father, and had received from\nHim all manner of good, the devil came and led us into disobedience,\nsin, death, and all evil, so that we fell under His wrath and\ndispleasure and were doomed to eternal damnation, as we had merited and\ndeserved. There was no counsel, help, or comfort until this only and\neternal Son of God in His unfathomable goodness had compassion upon our\nmisery and wretchedness, and came from heaven to help us. Those tyrants\nand jailers, then, are all expelled now, and in their place has come\nJesus Christ, Lord of life, righteousness, every blessing, and\nsalvation, and has delivered us poor lost men from the jaws of hell,\nhas won us, made us free, and brought us again into the favor and grace\nof the Father, and has taken us as His own property under His shelter\nand protection, that He may govern us by His righteousness, wisdom,\npower, life, and blessedness.\n\nLet this then, be the sum of this article that the little word Lord\nsignifies simply as much as Redeemer, i.e., He who has brought us from\nSatan to God, from death to life, from sin to righteousness, and who\npreserves us in the same. But all the points which follow in order in\nthis article serve no other end than to explain and express this\nredemption, how and whereby it was accomplished, that is, how much it\ncost Him, and what He spent and risked that He might win us and bring\nus under His dominion, namely, that He became man, conceived and born\nwithout [any stain of] sin, of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary,\nthat He might overcome sin; moreover, that He suffered, died and was\nburied, that He might make satisfaction for me and pay what I owe, not\nwith silver nor gold, but with His own precious blood. And all this, in\norder to become my Lord; for He did none of these for Himself, nor had\nHe any need of it. And after that He rose again from the dead,\nswallowed up and devoured death, and finally ascended into heaven and\nassumed the government at the Father's right hand, so that the devil\nand all powers must be subject to Him and lie at His feet, until\nfinally, at the last day, He will completely part and separate us from\nthe wicked world, the devil, death, sin, etc.\n\nBut to explain all these single points separately belongs not to brief\nsermons for children, but rather to the ampler sermons that extend\nthroughout the entire year, especially at those times which are\nappointed for the purpose of treating at length of each article -- of\nthe birth, sufferings, resurrection, ascension of Christ, etc.\n\nAy, the entire Gospel which we preach is based on this, that we\nproperly understand this article as that upon which our salvation and\nall our happiness rest, and which is so rich and comprehensive that we\nnever can learn it fully.\n\nArticle III.\n\nI believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Christian Church, the communion\nof saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and\nthe life everlasting. Amen.\n\nThis article (as I have said) I cannot relate better than to\nSanctification, that through the same the Holy Ghost, with His office,\nis declared and depicted, namely, that He makes holy. Therefore we must\ntake our stand upon the word Holy Ghost, because it is so precise and\ncomprehensive that we cannot find another. For there are, besides, many\nkinds of spirits mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, as, the spirit of\nman, heavenly spirits, and evil spirits. But the Spirit of God alone is\ncalled Holy Ghost, that is, He who has sanctified and still sanctifies\nus. For as the Father is called Creator, the Son Redeemer, so the Holy\nGhost, from His work, must be called Sanctifier, or One that makes\nholy. But how is such sanctifying done? Answer: Just as the Son obtains\ndominion, whereby He wins us, through His birth, death, resurrection,\netc., so also the Holy Ghost effects our sanctification by the\nfollowing parts, namely, by the communion of saints or the Christian\nChurch, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the\nlife everlasting; that is, He first leads us into His holy\ncongregation, and places us in the bosom of the Church, whereby He\npreaches to us and brings us to Christ.\n\nFor neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe on\nHim, and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and\ngranted to our hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the\nGospel. The work is done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and\ngained the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc.\nBut if the work remained concealed so that no one knew of it, then it\nwould be in vain and lost. That this treasure, therefore, might not lie\nburied, but be appropriated and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to go\nforth and be proclaimed, in which He gives the Holy Ghost to bring this\ntreasure home and appropriate it to us. Therefore sanctifying is\nnothing else than bringing us to Christ to receive this good, to which\nwe could not attain of ourselves.\n\nLearn, then, to understand this article most clearly. If you are\nasked: What do you mean by the words: I believe in the Holy Ghost? you\ncan answer: I believe that the Holy Ghost makes me holy, as His name\nimplies. But whereby does He accomplish this, or what are His method\nand means to this end? Answer: By the Christian Church, the forgiveness\nof sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. For,\nin the first place, He has a peculiar congregation in the world, which\nis the mother that begets and bears every Christian through the Word of\nGod, which He reveals and preaches, [and through which] He illumines\nand enkindles hearts, that they understand, accept it, cling to it, and\npersevere in it.\n\nFor where He does not cause it to be preached and made alive in the\nheart, so that it is understood, it is lost, as was the case under the\nPapacy, where faith was entirely put under the bench, and no one\nrecognized Christ as his Lord or the Holy Ghost as his Sanctifier, that\nis, no one believed that Christ is our Lord in the sense that He has\nacquired this treasure for us, without our works and merit, and made us\nacceptable to the Father. What, then, was lacking? This, that the Holy\nGhost was not there to reveal it and cause it to be preached; but men\nand evil spirits were there, who taught us to obtain grace and be saved\nby our works. Therefore it is not a Christian Church either; for where\nChrist is not preached, there is no Holy Ghost who creates, calls, and\ngathers the Christian Church, without which no one can come to Christ\nthe Lord. Let this suffice concerning the sum of this article. But\nbecause the parts which are here enumerated are not quite clear to the\nsimple, we shall run over them also.\n\nThe Creed denominates the holy Christian Church, communionem\nsanctorum, a communion of saints; for both expressions, taken\ntogether, are identical. But formerly the one [the second] expression\nwas not there, and it has been poorly and unintelligibly translated\ninto German eine Gemeinschaft der Heiligen, a communion of saints. If\nit is to be rendered plainly, it must be expressed quite differently in\nthe German idiom; for the word ecclesia properly means in German eine\nVersammlung, an assembly. But we are accustomed to the word church, by\nwhich the simple do not understand an assembled multitude, but the\nconsecrated house or building, although the house ought not to be\ncalled a church, except only for the reason that the multitude\nassembles there. For we who assemble there make and choose for\nourselves a particular place, and give a name to the house according to\nthe assembly.\n\nThus the word Kirche (church) means really nothing else than a common\nassembly and is not German by idiom, but Greek (as is also the word\necclesia); for in their own language they call it kyria, as in Latin it\nis called curia. Therefore in genuine German, in our mother-tongue, it\nought to be called a Christian congregation or assembly (eine\nchristliche Gemeinde oder Sammlung), or, best of all and most clearly,\nholy Christendom (eine heilige Christenheit).\n\nSo also the word communio, which is added, ought not to be rendered\ncommunion (Gemeinschaft), but congregation (Gemeinde). And it is\nnothing else than an interpretation or explanation by which some one\nmeant to explain what the Christian Church is. This our people, who\nunderstood neither Latin nor German, have rendered Gemeinschaft der\nHeiligen (communion of saints), although no German language speaks\nthus, nor understands it thus. But to speak correct German, it ought to\nbe eine Gemeinde der Heiligen (a congregation of saints), that is, a\ncongregation made up purely of saints, or, to speak yet more plainly,\neine heilige Gemeinde, a holy congregation. I say this in order that\nthe words Gemeinschaft der Heiligen (communion of saints) may be\nunderstood, because the expression has become so established by custom\nthat it cannot well be eradicated, and it is treated almost as heresy\nif one should attempt to change a word.\n\nBut this is the meaning and substance of this addition: I believe that\nthere is upon earth a little holy group and congregation of pure\nsaints, under one head, even Christ, called together by the Holy Ghost\nin one faith, one mind, and understanding, with manifold gifts, yet\nagreeing in love, without sects or schisms. I am also a part and member\nof the same a sharer and joint owner of all the goods it possesses,\nbrought to it and incorporated into it by the Holy Ghost by having\nheard and continuing to hear the Word of God, which is the beginning of\nentering it. For formerly, before we had attained to this, we were\naltogether of the devil, knowing nothing of God and of Christ. Thus,\nuntil the last day, the Holy Ghost abides with the holy congregation or\nChristendom, by means of which He fetches us to Christ and which He\nemploys to teach and preach to us the Word, whereby He works and\npromotes sanctification, causing it [this community] daily to grow and\nbecome strong in the faith and its fruits which He produces.\n\nWe further believe that in this Christian Church we have forgiveness of\nsin, which is wrought through the holy Sacraments and Absolution,\nmoreover, through all manner of consolatory promises of the entire\nGospel. Therefore, whatever is to be preached concerning the Sacraments\nbelongs here, and, in short, the whole Gospel and all the offices of\nChristianity, which also must be preached and taught without ceasing.\nFor although the grace of God is secured through Christ, and\nsanctification is wrought by the Holy Ghost through the Word of God in\nthe unity of the Christian Church, yet on account of our flesh which we\nbear about with us we are never without sin.\n\nEverything, therefore, in the Christian Church is ordered to the end\nthat we shall daily obtain there nothing but the forgiveness of sin\nthrough the Word and signs, to comfort and encourage our consciences as\nlong as we live here. Thus, although we have sins, the [grace of the]\nHoly Ghost does not allow them to injure us, because we are in the\nChristian Church, where there is nothing but [continuous,\nuninterrupted] forgiveness of sin, both in that God forgives us, and in\nthat we forgive, bear with, and help each other.\n\nBut outside of this Christian Church, where the Gospel is not, there is\nno forgiveness, as also there can be no holiness [sanctification].\nTherefore all who seek and wish to merit holiness [sanctification], not\nthrough the Gospel and forgiveness of sin, but by their works, have\nexpelled and severed themselves [from this Church].\n\nMeanwhile, however, while sanctification has begun and is growing\ndaily, we expect that our flesh will be destroyed and buried with all\nits uncleanness, and will come forth gloriously, and arise to entire\nand perfect holiness in a new eternal life. For now we are only half\npure and holy, so that the Holy Ghost has ever [some reason why] to\ncontinue His work in us through the Word, and daily to dispense\nforgiveness, until we attain to that life where there will be no more\nforgiveness, but only perfectly pure and holy people, full of godliness\nand righteousness, removed and free from sin, death, and all evil, in a\nnew, immortal, and glorified body.\n\nBehold, all this is to be the office and work of the Holy Ghost, that\nHe begin and daily increase holiness upon earth by means of these two\nthings, the Christian Church and the forgiveness of sin. But in our\ndissolution He will accomplish it altogether in an instant, and will\nforever preserve us therein by the last two parts.\n\nBut the term Auferstehung des Fleisches (resurrection of the flesh)\nhere employed is not according to good German idiom. For when we\nGermans hear the word Fleisch (flesh), we think no farther than of the\nshambles. But in good German idiom we would say Auferstehung des\nLeibes, or Leichnams (resurrection of the body). However, it is not a\nmatter of much moment, if we only understand the words aright.\n\nThis, now, is the article which must ever be and remain in operation.\nFor creation we have received; redemption, too, is finished. But the\nHoly Ghost carries on His work without ceasing to the last day. And for\nthat purpose He has appointed a congregation upon earth by which He\nspeaks and does everything. For He has not yet brought together all His\nChristian Church nor dispensed forgiveness. Therefore we believe in Him\nwho through the Word daily brings us into the fellowship of this\nChristian Church, and through the same Word and the forgiveness of sins\nbestows, increases, and strengthens faith in order that when He has\naccomplished it all, and we abide therein, and die to the world and to\nall evil, He may finally make us perfectly and forever holy; which now\nwe expect in faith through the Word.\n\nBehold, here you have the entire divine essence, will, and work\ndepicted most exquisitely in quite short and yet rich words wherein\nconsists all our wisdom, which surpasses and exceeds the wisdom, mind,\nand reason of all men. For although the whole world with all diligence\nhas endeavored to ascertain what God is, what He has in mind and does,\nyet has she never been able to attain to [the knowledge and\nunderstanding of] any of these things. But here we have everything in\nrichest measure; for here in all three articles He has Himself revealed\nand opened the deepest abyss of his paternal heart and of His pure\nunutterable love. For He has created us for this very object, that He\nmight redeem and sanctify us; and in addition to giving and imparting\nto us everything in heaven and upon earth, He has given to us even His\nSon and the Holy Ghost, by whom to bring us to Himself. For (as\nexplained above) we could never attain to the knowledge of the grace\nand favor of the Father except through the Lord Christ, who is a mirror\nof the paternal heart, outside of whom we see nothing but an angry and\nterrible Judge. But of Christ we could know nothing either, unless it\nhad been revealed by the Holy Ghost.\n\nThese articles of the Creed, therefore, divide and separate us\nChristians from all other people upon earth. For all outside of\nChristianity, whether heathen, Turks, Jews, or false Christians and\nhypocrites, although they believe in, and worship, only one true God,\nyet know not what His mind towards them is, and cannot expect any love\nor blessing from Him; therefore they abide in eternal wrath and\ndamnation. For they have not the Lord Christ, and, besides, are not\nillumined and favored by any gifts of the Holy Ghost.\n\nFrom this you perceive that the Creed is a doctrine quite different\nfrom the Ten Commandments; for the latter teaches indeed what we ought\nto do, but the former tells what God does for us and gives to us.\nMoreover, apart from this, the Ten Commandments are written in the\nhearts of all men; the Creed, however, no human wisdom can comprehend,\nbut it must be taught by the Holy Ghost alone. The latter doctrine [of\nthe Law], therefore makes no Christian, for the wrath and displeasure\nof God abide upon us still, because we cannot keep what God demands of\nus; but this [namely, the doctrine of faith] brings pure grace, and\nmakes us godly and acceptable to God. For by this knowledge we obtain\nlove and delight in all the commandments of God, because here we see\nthat God gives Himself entire to us, with all that He has and is able\nto do, to aid and direct us in keeping the Ten Commandments -- the\nFather, all creatures; the Son, His entire work; and the Holy Ghost,\nall His gifts.\n\nLet this suffice concerning the Creed to lay a foundation for the\nsimple, that they may not be burdened, so that, if they understand the\nsubstance of it, they themselves may afterwards strive to acquire more,\nand to refer to these parts whatever they learn in the Scriptures, and\nmay ever grow and increase in richer understanding. For as long as we\nlive here, we shall daily have enough to do to preach and to learn\nthis.\n\nPart Third. OF PRAYER.\n\n The Lord's Prayer.\n\nWe have now heard what we must do and believe, in which things the best\nand happiest life consists. Now follows the third part, how we ought to\npray. For since we are so situated that no man can perfectly keep the\nTen Commandments, even though he have begun to believe, and since the\ndevil with all his power together with the world and our own flesh,\nresists our endeavors, nothing is so necessary as that we should\ncontinually resort to the ear of God, call upon Him, and pray to Him,\nthat He would give, preserve, and increase in us faith and the\nfulfillment of the Ten Commandments, and that He would remove\neverything that is in our way and opposes us therein. But that we might\nknow what and how to pray, our Lord Christ has Himself taught us both\nthe mode and the words, as we shall see.\n\nBut before we explain the Lord's Prayer part by part, it is most\nnecessary first to exhort and incite people to prayer, as Christ and\nthe apostles also have done. And the first matter is to know that it is\nour duty to pray because of God's commandment. For thus we heard in the\nSecond Commandment: Thou shalt not take the name of the lord, thy God,\nin vain, that we are there required to praise that holy name, and call\nupon it in every need, or to pray. For to call upon the name of God is\nnothing else than to pray. Prayer is therefore as strictly and\nearnestly commanded as all other commandments: to have no other God,\nnot to kill, not to steal, etc. Let no one think that it is all the\nsame whether he pray or not, as vulgar people do, who grope in such\ndelusion and ask Why should I pray? Who knows whether God heeds or will\nhear my prayer? If I do not pray, some one else will. And thus they\nfall into the habit of never praying, and frame a pretext, as though we\ntaught that there is no duty or need of prayer, because we reject false\nand hypocritical prayers.\n\nBut this is true indeed that such prayers as have been offered\nhitherto when men were babbling and bawling in the churches were no\nprayers. For such external matters, when they are properly observed,\nmay be a good exercise for young children, scholars, and simple\npersons, and may be called singing or reading, but not really praying.\nBut praying, as the Second Commandment teaches, is to call upon God in\nevery need. This He requires of us, and has not left it to our choice.\nBut it is our duty and obligation to pray if we would be Christians, as\nmuch as it is our duty and obligation to obey our parents and the\ngovernment; for by calling upon it and praying the name of God is\nhonored and profitably employed. This you must note above all things,\nthat thereby you may silence and repel such thoughts as would keep and\ndeter us from prayer. For just as it would be idle for a son to say to\nhis father, \"Of what advantage is my obedience? I will go and do what\nI can; it is all the same\"; but there stands the commandment, Thou\nshalt and must do it, so also here it is not left to my will to do it\nor leave it undone, but prayer shall and must be offered at the risk of\nGod's wrath and displeasure.\n\nThis is therefore to be understood and noted before everything else, in\norder that thereby we may silence and repel the thoughts which would\nkeep and deter us from praying, as though it were not of much\nconsequence if we do not pray, or as though it were commanded those who\nare holier and in better favor with God than we; as, indeed, the human\nheart is by nature so despondent that it always flees from God and\nimagines that He does not wish or desire our prayer, because we are\nsinners and have merited nothing but wrath. Against such thoughts (I\nsay) we should regard this commandment and turn to God, that we may not\nby such disobedience excite His anger still more. For by this\ncommandment He gives us plainly to understand that He will not cast us\nfrom Him nor chase us away, although we are sinners, but rather draw\nus to Himself, so that we might humble ourselves before Him, bewail\nthis misery and plight of ours, and pray for grace and help. Therefore\nwe read in the Scriptures that He is angry also with those who were\nsmitten for their sin, because they did not return to Him and by their\nprayers assuage His wrath and seek His grace.\n\nNow, from the fact that it is so solemnly commanded to pray, you are to\nconclude and think, that no one should by any means despise his prayer,\nbut rather set great store by it, and always seek an illustration from\nthe other commandments. A child should by no means despise his\nobedience to father and mother, but should always think: This work is a\nwork of obedience, and what I do I do with no other intention than that\nI may walk in the obedience and commandment of God, on which I can\nsettle and stand firm, and esteem it a great thing, not on account of\nmy worthiness, but on account of the commandment. So here also, what\nand for what we pray we should regard as demanded by God and done in\nobedience to Him, and should reflect thus: On my account it would\namount to nothing; but it shall avail, for the reason that God has\ncommanded it. Therefore everybody, no matter what he has to say in\nprayer, should always come before God in obedience to this commandment.\n\n\nWe pray, therefore, and exhort every one most diligently to take this\nto heart and by no means to despise our prayer. For hitherto it has\nbeen taught thus in the devil's name that no one regarded these things,\nand men supposed it to be sufficient to have done the work, whether God\nwould hear it or not. But that is staking prayer on a risk, and\nmurmuring it at a venture, and therefore it is a lost prayer. For we\nallow such thoughts as these to lead us astray and deter us: I am not\nholy or worthy enough; if I were as godly and holy as St. Peter or St.\nPaul, then I would pray. But put such thoughts far away, for just the\nsame commandment which applied to St. Paul applies also to me; and the\nSecond Commandment is given as much on my account as on his account, so\nthat he can boast of no better or holier commandment.\n\nTherefore you should say: My prayer is as precious, holy, and pleasing\nto God as that of St. Paul or of the most holy saints. This is the\nreason: For I will gladly grant that he is holier in his person, but\nnot on account of the commandment; since God does not regard prayer on\naccount of the person, but on account of His word and obedience\nthereto. For on the commandment on which all the saints rest their\nprayer I, too, rest mine. Moreover I pray for the same thing for which\nthey all pray and ever have prayed; besides, I have just as great a\nneed of it as those great saints, yea, even a greater one than they.\n\nLet this be the first and most important point, that all our prayers\nmust be based and rest upon obedience to God, irrespective of our\nperson, whether we be sinners or saints, worthy or unworthy. And we\nmust know that God will not have it treated as a jest, but be angry,\nand punish all who do not pray, as surely as He punishes all other\ndisobedience; next, that He will not suffer our prayers to be in vain\nor lost. For if He did not intend to answer your prayer, He would not\nbid you pray and add such a severe commandment to it.\n\nIn the second place, we should be the more urged and incited to pray\nbecause God has also added a promise, and declared that it shall surely\nbe done to us as we pray, as He says Ps. 50, 15: Call upon Me in the\nday of trouble: I will deliver thee. And Christ in the Gospel of St.\nMatthew, 7, 7: Ask, and it shall be given you. For every one that\nasketh receiveth. Such promises ought certainly to encourage and kindle\nour hearts to pray with pleasure and delight, since He testifies with\nHis [own] word that our prayer is heartily pleasing to Him, moreover,\nthat it shall assuredly be heard and granted, in order that we may not\ndespise it or think lightly of it, and pray at a venture.\n\nThis you can hold up to Him and say: Here I come, dear Father, and\npray, not of my own purpose nor upon my own worthiness, but at Thy\ncommandment and promise, which cannot fail or deceive me. Whoever,\ntherefore, does not believe this promise must know again that he\nexcites God to anger as a person who most highly dishonors Him and\nreproaches Him with falsehood.\n\nBesides this, we should be incited and drawn to prayer because in\naddition to this commandment and promise God anticipates us, and\nHimself arranges the words and form of prayer for us, and places them\nupon our lips as to how and what we should pray, that we may see how\nheartily He pities us in our distress, and may never doubt that such\nprayer is pleasing to Him and shall certainly be answered; which [the\nLord's Prayer] is a great advantage indeed over all other prayers that\nwe might compose ourselves. For in them the conscience would ever be in\ndoubt and say: I have prayed, but who knows how it pleases Him, or\nwhether I have hit upon the right proportions and form? Hence there is\nno nobler prayer to be found upon earth than the Lord's Prayer which we\ndaily pray because it has this excellent testimony, that God loves to\nhear it, which we ought not to surrender for all the riches of the\nworld.\n\nAnd it has been prescribed also for this reason that we should see and\nconsider the distress which ought to urge and compel us to pray without\nceasing. For whoever would pray must have something to present, state,\nand name which he desires; if not, it cannot be called a prayer.\n\nTherefore we have rightly rejected the prayers of monks and priests,\nwho howl and growl day and night like fiends; but none of them think of\npraying for a hair's breadth of anything. And if we would assemble all\nthe churches, together with all ecclesiastics, they would be obliged to\nconfess that they have never from the heart prayed for even a drop of\nwine. For none of them has ever purposed to pray from obedience to God\nand faith in His promise, nor has any one regarded any distress, but\n(when they had done their best) they thought no further than this, to\ndo a good work, whereby they might repay God, as being unwilling to\ntake anything from Him, but wishing only to give Him something.\n\nBut where there is to be a true prayer there must be earnestness. Men\nmust feel their distress, and such distress as presses them and compels\nthem to call and cry out then prayer will be made spontaneously, as it\nought to be, and men will require no teaching how to prepare for it and\nto attain to the proper devotion. But the distress which ought to\nconcern us most, both as regards ourselves and every one, you will find\nabundantly set forth in the Lord's Prayer. Therefore it is to serve\nalso to remind us of the same, that we contemplate it and lay it to\nheart, lest we become remiss in prayer. For we all have enough that we\nlack, but the great want is that we do not feel nor see it. Therefore\nGod also requires that you lament and plead such necessities and wants,\nnot because He does not know them, but that you may kindle your heart\nto stronger and greater desires, and make wide and open your cloak to\nreceive much.\n\nTherefore, every one of us should accustom himself from his youth\ndaily to pray for all his wants, whenever he is sensible of anything\naffecting his interests or that of other people among whom he may live,\nas for preachers, the government, neighbors, domestics, and always (as\nwe have said) to hold up to God His commandment and promise, knowing\nthat He will not have them disregarded. This I say because I would like\nto see these things brought home again to the people that they might\nlearn to pray truly, and not go about coldly and indifferently, whereby\nthey become daily more unfit for prayer; which is just what the devil\ndesires, and for what he works with all his powers. For he is well\naware what damage and harm it does him when prayer is in proper\npractice. For this we must know, that all our shelter and protection\nrest in prayer alone. For we are far too feeble to cope with the devil\nand all his power and adherents that set themselves against us, and\nthey might easily crush us under their feet. Therefore we must consider\nand take up those weapons with which Christians must be armed in order\nto stand against the devil. For what do you think has hitherto\naccomplished such great things, has checked or quelled the counsels,\npurposes, murder, and riot of our enemies, whereby the devil thought to\ncrush us, together with the Gospel, except that the prayer of a few\ngodly men intervened like a wall of iron on our side? They should else\nhave witnessed a far different tragedy, namely, how the devil would\nhave destroyed all Germany in its own blood. But now they may\nconfidently deride it and make a mock of it, however, we shall\nnevertheless be a match both for themselves and the devil by prayer\nalone, if we only persevere diligently and not become slack. For\nwhenever a godly Christian prays: Dear Father let Thy will be done, God\nspeaks from on high and says: Yes, dear child, it shall be so, in spite\nof the devil and all the world.\n\nLet this be said as an exhortation, that men may learn, first of all,\nto esteem prayer as something great and precious, and to make a proper\ndistinction between babbling and praying for something. For we by no\nmeans reject prayer, but the bare, useless howling and murmuring we\nreject, as Christ Himself also rejects and prohibits long palavers. Now\nwe shall most briefly and clearly treat of the Lord's Prayer. Here\nthere is comprehended in seven successive articles, or petitions, every\nneed which never ceases to relate to us, and each so great that it\nought to constrain us to keep praying it all our lives.\n\n The First Petition.\n\nHallowed be Thy name.\n\nThis is, indeed, somewhat obscure, and not expressed in good German,\nfor in our mother-tongue we would say: Heavenly Father, help that by\nall means Thy name may be holy. But what is it to pray that His name\nmay be holy? Is it not holy already? Answer: Yes, it is always holy in\nits nature, but in our use it is not holy. For God's name was given us\nwhen we became Christians and were baptized, so that we are called\nchildren of God and have the Sacraments by which He so incorporates us\nin Himself that everything which is God's must serve for our use.\n\nHere now the great need exists for which we ought to be most\nconcerned, that this name have its proper honor, be esteemed holy and\nsublime as the greatest treasure and sanctuary that we have; and that\nas godly children we pray that the name of God, which is already holy\nin heaven, may also be and remain holy with us upon earth and in all\nthe world.\n\nBut how does it become holy among us? Answer, as plainly as it can be\nsaid: When both our doctrine and life are godly and Christian. For\nsince in this prayer we call God our Father, it is our duty always to\ndeport and demean ourselves as godly children, that He may not receive\nshame, but honor and praise from us.\n\nNow the name of God is profaned by us either in words or in works. (For\nwhatever we do upon the earth must be either words or works, speech or\nact.) In the first place, then, it is profaned when men preach, teach,\nand speak in the name of God what is false and misleading, so that His\nname must serve to adorn and to find a market for falsehood. That is,\nindeed, the greatest profanation and dishonor of the divine name.\nFurthermore, also when men, by swearing, cursing, conjuring, etc.,\ngrossly abuse the holy name as a cloak for their shame. In the second\nplace also by an openly wicked life and works, when those who are\ncalled Christians and the people of God are adulterers, drunkards,\nmisers, envious, and slanderers. Here again must the name of God come\nto shame and be profaned because of us. For just as it is a shame and\ndisgrace to a natural father to have a bad perverse child that opposes\nhim in words and deeds, so that on its account he suffers contempt and\nreproach, so also it brings dishonor upon God if we who are called by\nHis name and have all manner of goods from Him teach, speak, and live\nin any other manner except as godly and heavenly children, so that\npeople say of us that we must be not God's, but the devil's children.\n\nThus you see that in this petition we pray just for that which God\ndemands in the Second Commandment; namely, that His name be not taken\nin vain to swear, curse, lie, deceive, etc., but be usefully employed\nto the praise and honor of God. For whoever employs the name of God for\nany sort of wrong profanes and desecrates this holy name, as aforetime\na church was considered desecrated when a murder or any other crime had\nbeen committed in it, or when a pyx or relic was desecrated, as being\nholy in themselves, yet become unholy in use. Thus this point is easy\nand clear if only the language is understood, that to hallow is the\nsame as in our idiom to praise, magnify, and honor both in word and\ndeed.\n\nHere, now, learn how great need there is of such prayer. For because we\nsee how full the world is of sects and false teachers, who all wear the\nholy name as a cover and sham for their doctrines of devils, we ought\nby all means to pray without ceasing, and to cry and call upon God\nagainst all such as preach and believe falsely and whatever opposes and\npersecutes our Gospel and pure doctrine, and would suppress it, as\nbishops, tyrants, enthusiasts, etc. Likewise also for ourselves who\nhave the Word of God, but are not thankful for it, nor live as we\nought according to the same. If now you pray for this with your heart,\nyou can be sure that it pleases God; for He will not hear anything more\ndear to Him than that His honor and praise is exalted above everything\nelse, and His Word is taught in its purity and is esteemed precious and\ndear.\n\nThe Second Petition.\n\n Thy kingdom come.\n\nAs we prayed in the First Petition concerning the honor and name of God\nthat He would prevent the world from adorning its lies and wickedness\nwith it, but cause it to be esteemed sublime and holy both in doctrine\nand life, so that He may be praised and magnified in us, so here we\npray that His kingdom also may come. But just as the name of God is in\nitself holy, and we pray nevertheless that it be holy among us, so also\nHis kingdom comes of itself, without our prayer, yet we pray\nnevertheless that it may come to us, that is, prevail among us and with\nus, so that we may be a part of those among whom His name is hallowed\nand His kingdom prospers.\n\nBut what is the kingdom of God? Answer: Nothing else than what we\nlearned in the Creed, that God sent His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, into\nthe world to redeem and deliver us from the power of the devil, and to\nbring us to Himself, and to govern us as a King of righteousness, life\nand salvation against sin death, and an evil conscience, for which end\nHe has also bestowed His Holy Ghost, who is to bring these things home\nto us by His holy Word, and to illumine and strengthen us in the faith\nby His power.\n\nTherefore we pray here in the first place that this may become\neffective with us, and that His name be so praised through the holy\nWord of God and a Christian life that both we who have accepted it may\nabide and daily grow therein, and that it may gain approbation and\nadherence among other people and proceed with power throughout the\nworld, that many may find entrance into the Kingdom of Grace, be made\npartakers of redemption, being led thereto by the Holy Ghost, in order\nthat thus we may all together remain forever in the one kingdom now\nbegun.\n\nFor the coming of God's Kingdom to us occurs in two ways; first, here\nin time through the Word and faith; and secondly, in eternity forever\nthrough revelation. Now we pray for both these things, that it may come\nto those who are not yet in it, and, by daily increase, to us who have\nreceived the same, and hereafter in eternal life. All this is nothing\nelse than saying: Dear Father, we pray, give us first Thy Word, that\nthe Gospel be preached properly throughout the world; and secondly,\nthat it be received in faith, and work and live in us, so that through\nthe Word and the power of the Holy Ghost Thy kingdom may prevail among\nus, and the kingdom of the devil be put down, that he may have no right\nor power over us, until at last it shall be utterly destroyed, and sin,\ndeath, and hell shall be exterminated, that we may live forever in\nperfect righteousness and blessedness.\n\nFrom this you perceive that we pray here not for a crust of bread or a\ntemporal, perishable good, but for an eternal inestimable treasure and\neverything that God Himself possesses; which is far too great for any\nhuman heart to think of desiring if He had not Himself commanded us to\npray for the same. But because He is God, He also claims the honor of\ngiving much more and more abundantly than any one can comprehend, --\nlike an eternal, unfailing fountain, which, the more it pours forth and\noverflows, the more it continues to give, -- and He desires nothing\nmore earnestly of us than that we ask much and great things of Him, and\nagain is angry if we do not ask and pray confidently.\n\nFor just as when the richest and most mighty emperor would bid a poor\nbeggar ask whatever he might desire, and were ready to give great\nimperial presents, and the fool would beg only for a dish of gruel, he\nwould be rightly considered a rogue and a scoundrel who treated the\ncommand of his imperial majesty as a jest and sport, and was not worthy\nof coming into his presence: so also it is a great reproach and\ndishonor to God if we, to whom He offers and pledges so many\nunspeakable treasures, despise the same, or have not the confidence to\nreceive them, but scarcely venture to pray for a piece of bread.\n\nAll this is the fault of the shameful unbelief which does not look to\nGod for as much good as will satisfy the stomach, much less expects\nwithout doubt such eternal treasures of God. Therefore we must\nstrengthen ourselves against it, and let this be our first prayer;\nthen, indeed, we shall have all else in abundance, as Christ teaches\n[Matt. 6, 33]: Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness\nand all these things shall be added unto you. For how could He allow us\nto suffer want and to be straitened in temporal things when He promises\nthat which is eternal and imperishable?\n\n The Third Petition.\n\nThy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.\n\nThus far we have prayed that God's name be honored by us, and that His\nkingdom prevail among us; in which two points is comprehended all that\npertains to the honor of God and to our salvation, that we receive as\nour own God and all His riches. But now a need just as great arises,\nnamely, that we firmly keep them, and do not suffer ourselves to be\ntorn therefrom. For as in a good government it is not only necessary\nthat there be those who build and govern well, but also those who make\ndefense, afford protection and maintain it firmly, so here likewise,\nalthough we have prayed for the greatest need, for the Gospel, faith,\nand the Holy Ghost, that He may govern us and redeem us from the power\nof the devil, we must also pray that His will be done. For there will\nbe happenings quite strange if we are to abide therein, as we shall\nhave to suffer many thrusts and blows on that account from everything\nthat ventures to oppose and prevent the fulfillment of the two\npetitions that precede.\n\nFor no one believes how the devil opposes and resists them, and cannot\nsuffer that any one teach or believe aright. And it hurts him beyond\nmeasure to suffer his lies and abominations, that have been honored\nunder the most specious pretexts of the divine name, to be exposed, and\nto be disgraced himself, and, besides, be driven out of the heart, and\nsuffer such a breach to be made in his kingdom. Therefore he chafes and\nrages as a fierce enemy with all his power and might, and marshals all\nhis subjects, and, in addition enlists the world and our own flesh as\nhis allies. For our flesh is in itself indolent and inclined to evil,\neven though we have accepted and believe the Word of God. The world,\nhowever, is perverse and wicked; this he incites against us, fans and\nstirs the fire, that he may hinder and drive us back, cause us to\nfall, and again bring us under his power. Such is all his will, mind,\nand thought, for which he strives day and night, and never rests a\nmoment, employing all arts, wiles, ways, and means whichever he can\ninvent.\n\nIf we would be Christians, therefore, we must surely expect and reckon\nupon having the devil with all his angels and the world as our enemies,\nwho will bring every possible misfortune and grief upon us. For where\nthe Word of God is preached, accepted, or believed, and produces fruit,\nthere the holy cross cannot be wanting. And let no one think that he\nshall have peace; but he must risk what whatever he has upon earth --\npossessions, honor. house and estate, wife and children, body and life.\nNow, this hurts our flesh and the old Adam; for the test is to be\nsteadfast and to suffer with patience in whatever way we are assailed,\nand to let go whatever is taken from us.\n\nHence there is just as great need, as in all the others, that we pray\nwithout ceasing: \"Dear Father, Thy will be done, not the will of the\ndevil and of our enemies, nor of anything that would persecute and\nsuppress Thy holy Word or hinder Thy kingdom; and grant that we may\nbear with patience and overcome whatever is to be endured on that\naccount, lest our poor flesh yield or fall away from weakness or\nsluggishness.\"\n\nBehold, thus we have in these three petitions, in the simplest manner,\nthe need which relates to God Himself, yet all for our sakes. For\nwhatever we pray concerns only us, namely, as we have said, that what\nmust be done anyway without us, may also be done in us. For as His name\nmust be hallowed and His kingdom come without our prayer, so also His\nwill must be done and succeed although the devil with all his adherents\nraise a great tumult, are angry and rage against it, and undertake to\nexterminate the Gospel utterly. But for our own sakes we must pray that\neven against their fury His will be done without hindrance also among\nus, that they may not be able to accomplish anything and we remain firm\nagainst all violence and persecution, and submit to such will of God.\n\nSuch prayer, then, is to be our protection and defense now, is to\nrepel and put down all that the devil, Pope, bishops, tyrants, and\nheretics can do against our Gospel. Let them all rage and attempt their\nutmost, and deliberate and resolve how they may suppress and\nexterminate us, that their will and counsel may prevail: over and\nagainst this one or two Christians with this petition alone shall be\nour wall against which they shall run and dash themselves to pieces.\nThis consolation and confidence we have, that the will and purpose of\nthe devil and of all our enemies shall and must fail and come to\nnaught, however proud, secure, and powerful they know themselves to be.\nFor if their will were not broken and hindered, the kingdom of God\ncould not abide on earth nor His name be hallowed.\n\n The Fourth Petition.\n\nGive us this day our daily bread.\n\nHere, now, we consider the poor breadbasket, the necessaries of our\nbody and of the temporal life. It is a brief and simple word, but it\nhas a very wide scope. For when you mention and pray for daily bread,\nyou pray for everything that is necessary in order to have and enjoy\ndaily bread and, on the other hand, against everything which interferes\nwith it. Therefore you must open wide and extend your thoughts not only\nto the oven or the flour-bin but to the distant field and the entire\nland, which bears and brings to us daily bread and every sort of\nsustenance. For if God did not cause it to grow, and bless and preserve\nit in the field, we could never take bread from the oven or have any to\nset upon the table.\n\nTo comprise it briefly, this petition includes everything that belongs\nto our entire life in the world, because on that account alone do we\nneed daily bread. Now for our life it is not only necessary that our\nbody have food and covering and other necessaries, but also that we\nspend our days in peace and quiet among the people with whom we live\nand have intercourse in daily business and conversation and all sorts\nof doings, in short, whatever pertains both to the domestic and to the\nneighborly or civil relation and government. For where these two things\nare hindered [intercepted and disturbed] that they do not prosper as\nthey ought, the necessaries of life also are impeded, so that\nultimately life cannot be maintained. And there is, indeed, the\ngreatest need to pray for temporal authority and government, as that by\nwhich most of all God preserves to us our daily bread and all the\ncomforts of this life. For though we have received of God all good\nthings in abundance we are not able to retain any of them or use them\nin security and happiness, if He did not give us a permanent and\npeaceful government. For where there are dissension, strife, and war,\nthere the daily bread is already taken away, or at least checked.\n\nTherefore it would be very proper to place in the coat-of-arms of\nevery pious prince a loaf of bread instead of a lion, or a wreath of\nrue, or to stamp it upon the coin, to remind both them and their\nsubjects that by their office we have protection and peace, and that\nwithout them we could not eat and retain our daily bread. Therefore\nthey are also worthy of all honor, that we give to them for their\noffice what we ought and can, as to those through whom we enjoy in\npeace and quietness what we have, because otherwise we would not keep a\nfarthing; and that, in addition, we also pray for them that through\nthem God may bestow on us the more blessing and good.\n\nLet this be a very brief explanation and sketch, showing how far this\npetition extends through all conditions on earth. Of this any one might\nindeed make a long prayer, and with many words enumerate all the things\nthat are included therein, as that we pray God to give us food and\ndrink, clothing, house, and home, and health of body; also that He\ncause the grain and fruits of the field to grow and mature well;\nfurthermore, that He help us at home towards good housekeeping, that He\ngive and preserve to us a godly wife, children, and servants, that He\ncause our work, trade, or whatever we are engaged in to prosper and\nsucceed, favor us with faithful neighbors and good friends, etc.\nLikewise, that He give to emperors, kings, and all estates, and\nespecially to the rulers of our country and to all counselors,\nmagistrates, and officers, wisdom, strength, and success that they may\ngovern well and vanquish the Turks and all enemies; to subjects and the\ncommon people, obedience, peace, and harmony in their life with one\nanother, and on the other hand, that He would preserve us from all\nsorts of calamity to body and livelihood, as lightning, hail, fire,\nflood, poison, pestilence, cattle-plague, war and bloodshed, famine,\ndestructive beasts, wicked men, etc. All this it is well to impress\nupon the simple, namely, that these things come from God, and must be\nprayed for by us.\n\nBut this petition is especially directed also against our chief enemy,\nthe devil. For all his thought and desire is to deprive us of all that\nwe have from God, or to hinder it; and he is not satisfied to obstruct\nand destroy spiritual government in leading souls astray by his lies\nand bringing them under his power, but he also prevents and hinders the\nstability of all government and honorable, peaceable relations on\nearth.\nThere he causes so much contention, murder, sedition, and war also\nlightning and hail to destroy grain and cattle, to poison the air, etc.\nIn short, he is sorry that any one has a morsel of bread from God and\neats it in peace; and if it were in his power, and our prayer (next to\nGod) did not prevent him, we would not keep a straw in the field, a\nfarthing in the house, yea, not even our life for an hour, especially\nthose who have the Word of God and would like to be Christians.\n\nBehold, thus God wishes to indicate to us how He cares for us in all\nour need, and faithfully provides also for our temporal support. and\nalthough He abundantly grants and preserves these things even to the\nwicked and knaves, yet He wishes that we pray for them, in order that\nwe may recognize that we receive them from His hand, and may feel His\npaternal goodness toward us therein. For when He withdraws His hand,\nnothing can prosper nor be maintained in the end, as, indeed, we daily\nsee and experience. How much trouble there is now in the world only on\naccount of bad coin, yea, on account of daily oppression and raising of\nprices in common trade, bargaining and labor on the part of those who\nwantonly oppress the poor and deprive them of their daily bread! This\nwe must suffer indeed; but let them take care that they do not lose the\ncommon intercession, and beware lest this petition in the Lord's Prayer\nbe against them.\n\n The Fifth Petition.\n\nAnd forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass\nagainst us.\n\nThis part now relates to our poor miserable life, which, although we\nhave and believe the Word of God, and do and submit to His will, and\nare supported by His gifts and blessings is nevertheless not without\nsin. For we still stumble daily and transgress because we live in the\nworld among men who do us much harm and give us cause for impatience,\nanger, revenge, etc. Besides, we have Satan at our back, who sets upon\nus on every side, and fights (as we have heard) against all the\nforegoing petitions, so that it is not possible always to stand firm in\nsuch a persistent conflict.\n\nTherefore there is here again great need to call upon God and to pray:\nDear Father, forgive us our trespasses. Not as though He did not\nforgive sin without and even before our prayer (for He has given us the\nGospel, in which is pure forgiveness before we prayed or ever thought\nabout it). But this is to the intent that we may recognize and accept\nsuch forgiveness. For since the flesh in which we daily live is of such\na nature that it neither trusts nor believes God, and is ever active in\nevil lusts and devices, so that we sin daily in word and deed, by\ncommission and omission by which the conscience is thrown into unrest,\nso that it is afraid of the wrath and displeasure of God, and thus\nloses the comfort and confidence derived from the Gospel; therefore it\nis ceaselessly necessary that we run hither and obtain consolation to\ncomfort the conscience again.\n\nBut this should serve God's purpose of breaking our pride and keeping\nus humble. For in case any one should boast of his godliness and\ndespise others, God has reserved this prerogative to Himself, that the\nperson is to consider himself and place this prayer before his eyes,\nand he will find that he is no better than others, and that in the\npresence of God all must lower their plumes, and be glad that they can\nattain forgiveness. And let no one think that as long as we live here\nhe can reach such a position that he will not need such forgiveness. In\nshort, if God does not forgive without ceasing, we are lost.\n\nIt is therefore the intent of this petition that God would not regard\nour sins and hold up to us what we daily deserve, but would deal\ngraciously with us, and forgive, as He has promised, and thus grant us\na joyful and confident conscience to stand before Him in prayer. For\nwhere the heart is not in right relation towards God, nor can take such\nconfidence, it will nevermore venture to pray. But such a confident and\njoyful heart can spring from nothing else than the [certain] knowledge\nof the forgiveness of sin.\n\nBut there is here attached a necessary, yet consolatory addition: As we\nforgive. He has promised that we shall be sure that everything is\nforgiven and pardoned, yet in the manner that we also forgive our\nneighbor. For just as we daily sin much against God and yet He forgives\neverything through grace, so we, too, must ever forgive our neighbor\nwho does us injury, violence, and wrong, shows malice toward us, etc.\nIf, therefore you do not forgive, then do not think that God forgives\nyou; but if you forgive, you have this consolation and assurance, that\nyou are forgiven in heaven, not on account of your forgiving, -- for\nGod forgives freely and without condition, out of pure grace, because\nHe has so promised, as the Gospel teaches, -- but in order that He may\nset this up for our confirmation and assurance for a sign alongside of\nthe promise which accords with this prayer, Luke 6, 37: Forgive, and ye\nshall be forgiven. Therefore Christ also repeats it soon after the\nLord's Prayer, and says, Matt. 6,14: For if ye forgive men their\ntrespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, etc.\n\nThis sign is therefore attached to this petition, that, when we pray,\nwe remember the promise and reflect thus: Dear Father, for this reason\nI come and pray Thee to forgive me, not that I can make satisfaction,\nor can merit anything by my works, but because Thou hast promised and\nattached the seal thereto that I should be as sure as though I had\nabsolution pronounced by Thyself. For as much as Baptism and the Lord's\nSupper appointed as external signs, effect, so much also this sign can\neffect to confirm our consciences and cause them to rejoice. And it is\nespecially given for this purpose, that we might use and practice it\nevery hour, as a thing that we have with us at all times.\n\n The Sixth Petition.\n\nAnd lead us not into temptation.\n\nWe have now heard enough what toil and labor is required to retain all\nthat for which we pray, and to persevere therein, which, however, is\nnot achieved without infirmities and stumbling. Besides, although we\nhave received forgiveness and a good conscience and are entirely\nacquitted, yet is our life of such a nature that one stands to-day and\nto-morrow falls. Therefore, even though we be godly now and stand\nbefore God with a good conscience, we must pray again that He would not\nsuffer us to relapse and yield to trials and temptations.\n\nTemptation, however, or (as our Saxons in olden times used to call it)\nBekoerunge, is of three kinds, namely, of the flesh, of the world and\nof the devil. For in the flesh we dwell and carry the old Adam about\nour neck, who exerts himself and incites us daily to inchastity,\nlaziness, gluttony and drunkenness, avarice and deception, to defraud\nour neighbor and to overcharge him, and, in short, to all manner of\nevil lusts which cleave to us by nature, and to which we are incited by\nthe society, example and what we hear and see of other people, which\noften wound and inflame even an innocent heart.\n\nNext comes the world, which offends us in word and deed, and impels us\nto anger and impatience. In short, there is nothing but hatred and\nenvy, enmity, violence and wrong, unfaithfulness, vengeance, cursing,\nraillery slander, pride and haughtiness, with superfluous finery,\nhonor, fame, and power, where no one is willing to be the least, but\nevery one desires to sit at the head and to be seen before all.\n\nThen comes the devil, inciting and provoking in all directions, but\nespecially agitating matters that concern the conscience and spiritual\naffairs, namely, to induce us to despise and disregard both the Word\nand works of God to tear us away from faith, hope, and love and bring\nus into misbelief, false security, and obduracy, or, on the other hand,\nto despair, denial of God, blasphemy, and innumerable other shocking\nthings. These are indeed snares and nets, yea, real fiery darts which\nare shot most venomously into the heart, not by flesh and blood, but by\nthe devil.\n\nGreat and grievous, indeed, are these dangers and temptations which\nevery Christian must bear, even though each one were alone by himself,\nso that every hour that we are in this vile life where we are attacked\non all sides, chased and hunted down, we are moved to cry out and to\npray that God would not suffer us to become weary and faint and to\nrelapse into sin, shame, and unbelief. For otherwise it is impossible\nto overcome even the least temptation.\n\nThis, then, is leading us not into temptation, to wit, when He gives us\npower and strength to resist, the temptation, however, not being taken\naway or removed. For while we live in the flesh and have the devil\nabout us, no one can escape temptation and allurements; and it cannot\nbe otherwise than that we must endure trials, yea, be engulfed in them;\nbut we pray for this, that we may not fall and be drowned in them.\n\nTo feel temptation is therefore a far different thing from consenting\nor yielding to it. We must all feel it, although not all in the same\nmanner, but some in a greater degree and more severely than others; as,\nthe young suffer especially from the flesh, afterwards, they that\nattain to middle life and old age, from the world, but others who are\noccupied with spiritual matters, that is, strong Christians, from the\ndevil. But such feeling, as long as it is against our will and we would\nrather be rid of it, can harm no one. For if we did not feel it, it\ncould not be called a temptation. But to consent thereto is when we\ngive it the reins and do not resist or pray against it.\n\nTherefore we Christians must be armed and daily expect to be\nincessantly attacked, in order that no one may go on in security and\nheedlessly, as though the devil were far from us, but at all times\nexpect and parry his blows. For though I am now chaste, patient, kind,\nand in firm faith, the devil will this very hour send such an arrow\ninto my heart that I can scarcely stand. For he is an enemy that never\ndesists nor becomes tired, so that when one temptation ceases, there\nalways arise others and fresh ones.\n\nAccordingly, there is no help or comfort except to run hither and to\ntake hold of the Lord's Prayer, and thus speak to God from the heart:\nDear Father, Thou hast bidden me pray; let me not relapse because of\ntemptations. Then you will see that they must desist, and finally\nacknowledge themselves conquered. Else if you venture to help yourself\nby your own thoughts and counsel, you will only make the matter worse\nand give the devil more space. For he has a serpent's head, which if it\ngain an opening into which he can slip, the whole body will follow\nwithout check. But prayer can prevent him and drive him back.\n\nThe Seventh and Last Petition.\n\nBut deliver us from evil. Amen. In the Greek text this petition reads\nthus: Deliver or preserve us from the Evil One, or the Malicious One;\nand it looks as if He were speaking of the devil, as though He would\ncomprehend everything in one so that the entire substance of all our\nprayer is directed against our chief enemy. For it is he who hinders\namong us everything that we pray for: the name or honor of God, God's\nkingdom and will, our daily bread, a cheerful good conscience, etc.\n\nTherefore we finally sum it all up and say: Dear Father pray, help that\nwe be rid of all these calamities. But there is nevertheless also\nincluded whatever evil may happen to us under the devil's kingdom --\npoverty, shame, death, and, in short, all the agonizing misery and\nheartache of which there is such an unnumbered multitude on the earth.\nFor since the devil is not only a liar, but also a murderer, he\nconstantly seeks our life, and wreaks his anger whenever he can afflict\nour bodies with misfortune and harm. Hence it comes that he often\nbreaks men's necks or drives them to insanity, drowns some, and incites\nmany to commit suicide, and to many other terrible calamities.\nTherefore there is nothing for us to do upon earth but to pray against\nthis arch enemy without ceasing. For unless God preserved us, we would\nnot be safe from him even for an hour.\n\nHence you see again how God wishes us to pray to Him also for all the\nthings which affect our bodily interests, so that we seek and expect\nhelp nowhere else except in Him. But this matter He has put last; for\nif we are to be preserved and delivered from all evil, the name of God\nmust first be hallowed in us, His kingdom must be with us, and His will\nbe done. After that He will finally preserve us from sin and shame,\nand, besides, from everything that may hurt or injure us.\n\nThus God has briefly placed before us all the distress which may ever\ncome upon us, so that we might have no excuse whatever for not praying.\nBut all depends upon this, that we learn also to say Amen, that is,\nthat we do not doubt that our prayer is surely heard and [what we pray]\nshall be done. For this is nothing else than the word of undoubting\nfaith, which does not pray at a venture, but knows that God does not\nlie to him, since He has promised to grant it. Therefore, where there\nis no such faith, there cannot be true prayer either.\n\nIt is, therefore, a pernicious delusion of those who pray in such a\nmanner that they dare not from the heart say yea and positively\nconclude that God hears them, but remain in doubt and say, How should I\nbe so bold as to boast that God hears my prayer? For I am but a poor\nsinner, etc.\n\nThe reason for this is, they regard not the promise of God, but their\nown work and worthiness, whereby they despise God and reproach Him with\nlying, and therefore they receive nothing. As St. James says [1, 6]:\nBut let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is\nlike a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not\nthat man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. Behold, such\nimportance God attaches to the fact that we are sure we do not pray in\nvain, and that we do not in any way despise our prayer.\n\nPart Fourth.\n\nOF BAPTISM.\n\nWe have now finished the three chief parts of the common Christian\ndoctrine. Besides these we have yet to speak of our two Sacraments\ninstituted by Christ, of which also every Christian ought to have at\nleast an ordinary, brief instruction, because without them there can be\nno Christian; although, alas! hitherto no instruction concerning them\nhas been given. But, in the first place, we take up Baptism, by which\nwe are first received into the Christian Church. However, in order that\nit may be readily understood we will treat of it in an orderly manner,\nand keep only to that which it is necessary for us to know. For how it\nis to be maintained and defended against heretics and sects we will\ncommend to the learned.\n\nIn the first place, we must above all things know well the words upon\nwhich Baptism is founded, and to which everything refers that is to be\nsaid on the subject, namely, where the Lord Christ speaks in the last\nchapter of Matthew, v. 19:\n\nGo ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of\nthe Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.\n\nLikewise in St. Mark, the last chapter, v. 16:\n\nHe that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that\nbelieveth not shall be damned .\n\nIn these words you must note, in the first place, that here stand\nGod's commandment and institution, lest we doubt that Baptism is\ndivine, not devised nor invented by men. For as truly as I can say, No\nman has spun the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer out\nof his head, but they are revealed and given by God Himself, so also I\ncan boast that Baptism is no human trifle, but instituted by God\nHimself, moreover, that it is most solemnly and strictly commanded that\nwe must be baptized or we cannot be saved, lest any one regard it as a\ntrifling matter, like putting on a new red coat. For it is of the\ngreatest importance that we esteem Baptism excellent, glorious, and\nexalted, for which we contend and fight chiefly, because the world is\nnow so full of sects clamoring that Baptism is an external thing, and\nthat external things are of no benefit. But let it be ever so much an\nexternal thing here stand God's Word and command which institute,\nestablish, and confirm Baptism. But what God institutes and commands\ncannot be a vain, but must be a most precious thing, though in\nappearance it were of less value than a straw. If hitherto people could\nconsider it a great thing when the Pope with his letters and bulls\ndispensed indulgences and confirmed altars and churches, solely because\nof the letters and seals, we ought to esteem Baptism much more highly\nand more precious, because God has commanded it, and, besides, it is\nperformed in His name. For these are the words, Go ye baptize; however,\nnot in your name, but in the name of God.\n\nFor to be baptized in the name of God is to be baptized not by men, but\nby God Himself. Therefore although it is performed by human hands, it\nis nevertheless truly God's own work. From this fact every one may\nhimself readily infer that it is a far higher work than any work\nperformed by a man or a saint. For what work greater than the work of\nGod can we do?\n\nBut here the devil is busy to delude us with false appearances, and\nlead us away from the work of God to our own works. For there is a much\nmore splendid appearance when a Carthusian does many great and\ndifficult works and we all think much more of that which we do and\nmerit ourselves. But the Scriptures teach thus: Even though we collect\nin one mass the works of all the monks, however splendidly they may\nshine, they would not be as noble and good as if God should pick up a\nstraw. Why? Because the person is nobler and better. Here, then, we\nmust not estimate the person according to the works, but the works\naccording to the person, from whom they must derive their nobility. But\ninsane reason will not regard this, and because Baptism does not shine\nlike the works which we do, it is to be esteemed as nothing.\n\nFrom this now learn a proper understanding of the subject, and how to\nanswer the question what Baptism is, namely thus, that it is not mere\nordinary water, but water comprehended in God's Word and command, and\nsanctified thereby, so that it is nothing else than a divine water; not\nthat the water in itself is nobler than other water, but that God's\nWord and command are added.\n\nTherefore it is pure wickedness and blasphemy of the devil that now our\nnew spirits, to mock at Baptism, omit from it God's Word and\ninstitution, and look upon it in no other way than as water which is\ntaken from the well, and then blather and say: How is a handful of\nwater to help the soul? Aye, my friend, who does not know that water is\nwater if tearing things asunder is what we are after? But how dare you\nthus interfere with God's order, and tear away the most precious\ntreasure with which God has connected and enclosed it, and which He\nwill not have separated? For the kernel in the water is God's Word or\ncommand and the name of God which is a treasure greater and nobler than\nheaven and earth.\n\nComprehend the difference, then, that Baptism is quite another thing\nthan all other water; not on account of the natural quality, but\nbecause something more noble is here added; for God Himself stakes His\nhonor His power and might on it. Therefore it is not only natural\nwater, but a divine, heavenly, holy, and blessed water, and in whatever\nother terms we can praise it, -- all on account of the Word, which is a\nheavenly, holy Word, that no one can sufficiently extol, for it has,\nand is able to do, all that God is and can do [since it has all the\nvirtue and power of God comprised in it]. Hence also it derives its\nessence as a Sacrament, as St. Augustine also taught: Accedat verbum ad\nelementum et fit sacramentum. That is, when the Word is joined to the\nelement or natural substance, it becomes a Sacrament, that is, a holy\nand divine matter and sign.\n\nTherefore we always teach that the Sacraments and all external things\nwhich God ordains and institutes should not be regarded according to\nthe coarse, external mask, as we regard the shell of a nut, but as the\nWord of God is included therein. For thus we also speak of the parental\nestate and of civil government. If we propose to regard them in as far\nas they have noses, eyes, skin, and hair flesh and bones, they look\nlike Turks and heathen, and some one might start up and say: Why should\nI esteem them more than others? But because the commandment is added:\nHonor thy father and thy mother, I behold a different man, adorned and\nclothed with the majesty and glory of God. The commandment (I say) is\nthe chain of gold about his neck, yea, the crown upon his head which\nshows to me how and why one must honor this flesh and blood.\n\nThus, and much more even, you must honor Baptism and esteem it\nglorious on account of the Word, since He Himself has honored it both\nby words and deeds; moreover, confirmed it with miracles from heaven.\nFor do you think it was a jest that, when Christ was baptized, the\nheavens were opened and the Holy Ghost descended visibly, and\neverything was divine glory and majesty?\n\nTherefore I exhort again that these two the water and the Word, by no\nmeans be separated from one another and parted. For if the Word is\nseparated from it, the water is the same as that with which the servant\ncooks, and may indeed be called a bath-keeper's baptism. But when it is\nadded, as God has ordained, it is a Sacrament, and is called\nChrist-baptism. Let this be the first part regarding the essence and\ndignity of the holy Sacrament.\n\nIn the second place, since we know now what Baptism is, and how it is\nto be regarded, we must also learn why and for what purpose it is\ninstituted; that is, what it profits, gives and works. And this also we\ncannot discern better than from the words of Christ above quoted: He\nthat believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Therefore state it most\nsimply thus, that the power, work, profit, fruit, and end of Baptism is\nthis, namely, to save. For no one is baptized in order that he may\nbecome a prince, but, as the words declare, that he be saved. But to be\nsaved. we know. is nothing else than to be delivered from sin, death,\nand the devil, and to enter into the kingdom of Christ, and to live\nwith Him forever.\n\nHere you see again how highly and precious we should esteem Baptism,\nbecause in it we obtain such an unspeakable treasure, which also\nindicates sufficiently that it cannot be ordinary mere water. For mere\nwater could not do such a thing, but the Word does it, and (as said\nabove) the fact that the name of God is comprehended therein. But where\nthe name of God is, there must be also life and salvation, that it may\nindeed be called a divine, blessed, fruitful, and gracious water; for\nby the Word such power is imparted to Baptism that it is a laver of\nregeneration, as St. Paul also calls it, Titus 3, 5.\n\nBut as our would-be wise, new spirits assert that faith alone saves,\nand that works and external things avail nothing, we answer: It is\ntrue, indeed, that nothing in us is of any avail but faith, as we shall\nhear still further. But these blind guides are unwilling to see this,\nnamely, that faith must have something which it believes, that is, of\nwhich it takes hold, and upon which it stands and rests. Thus faith\nclings to the water, and believes that it is Baptism, in which there is\npure salvation and life; not through the water (as we have sufficiently\nstated), but through the fact that it is embodied in the Word and\ninstitution of God, and the name of God inheres in it. Now, if I\nbelieve this, what else is it than believing in God as in Him who has\ngiven and planted His Word into this ordinance, and proposes to us this\nexternal thing wherein we may apprehend such a treasure?\n\nNow, they are so mad as to separate faith and that to which faith\nclings and is bound though it be something external. Yea, it shall and\nmust be something external, that it may be apprehended by the senses,\nand understood and thereby be brought into the heart, as indeed the\nentire Gospel is an external, verbal preaching. In short, what God does\nand works in us He proposes to work through such external ordinances.\nWherever, therefore, He speaks, yea, in whichever direction or by\nwhatever means He speaks, thither faith must look, and to that it must\nhold. Now here we have the words: He that believeth and is baptized\nshall be saved. To what else do they refer than to Baptism, that is, to\nthe water comprehended in God's ordinance? Hence it follows that\nwhoever rejects Baptism rejects the Word of God, faith, and Christ, who\ndirects us thither and binds us to Baptism.\n\nIn the third place since we have learned the great benefit and power of\nBaptism, let us see further who is the person that receives what\nBaptism gives and profits. This is again most beautifully and clearly\nexpressed in the words: He that believeth and is baptized shall be\nsaved. That is, faith alone makes the person worthy to receive\nprofitably the saving, divine water. For, since these blessings are\nhere presented and promised in the words in and with the water, they\ncannot be received in any other way than by believing them with the\nheart. Without faith it profits nothing, notwithstanding it is in\nitself a divine superabundant treasure. Therefore this single word (He\nthat believeth) effects this much that it excludes and repels all\nworks which we can do, in the opinion that we obtain and merit\nsalvation by them. For it is determined that whatever is not faith\navails nothing nor receives anything.\n\nBut if they say, as they are accustomed: Still Baptism is itself a\nwork, and you say works are of no avail for salvation; what then,\nbecomes of faith? Answer: Yes, our works, indeed, avail nothing for\nsalvation; Baptism, however, is not our work, but God's (for, as was\nstated, you must put Christ-baptism far away from a bath-keeper's\nbaptism). God's works, however, are saving and necessary for salvation,\nand do not exclude, but demand, faith; for without faith they could not\nbe apprehended. For by suffering the water to be poured upon you, you\nhave not yet received Baptism in such a manner that it benefits you\nanything; but it becomes beneficial to you if you have yourself\nbaptized with the thought that this is according to God's command and\nordinance, and besides in God's name, in order that you may receive in\nthe water the promised salvation. Now, this the fist cannot do, nor the\nbody; but the heart must believe it.\n\nThus you see plainly that there is here no work done by us, but a\ntreasure which He gives us, and which faith apprehends; just as the\nLord Jesus Christ upon the cross is not a work, but a treasure\ncomprehended in the Word, and offered to us and received by faith.\nTherefore they do us violence by exclaiming against us as though we\npreach against faith; while we alone insist upon it as being of such\nnecessity that without it nothing can be received nor enjoyed.\n\nThus we have these three parts which it is necessary to know\nconcerning this Sacrament especially that the ordinance of God is to be\nheld in all honor, which alone would be sufficient, though it be an\nentirely external thing like the commandment, Honor thy father and thy\nmother, which refers to bodily flesh and blood. Therein we regard not\nthe flesh and blood, but the commandment of God in which they are\ncomprehended, and on account of which the flesh is called father and\nmother; so also, though we had no more than these words, Go ye and\nbaptize, etc., it would be necessary for us to accept and do it as the\nordinance of God. Now there is here not only God's commandment and\ninjunction, but also the promise, on account of which it is still far\nmore glorious than whatever else God has commanded and ordained, and\nis, in short, so full of consolation and grace that heaven and earth\ncannot comprehend it. But it requires skill to believe this, for the\ntreasure is not wanting, but this is wanting that men apprehend it and\nhold it firmly.\n\nTherefore every Christian has enough in Baptism to learn and to\npractice all his life; for he has always enough to do to believe\nfirmly what it promises and brings: victory over death and the devil,\nforgiveness of sin, the grace of God, the entire Christ, and the Holy\nGhost with His gifts. In short, it is so transcendent that if timid\nnature could realize it, it might well doubt whether it could be true.\nFor consider, if there were somewhere a physician who understood the\nart of saving men from dying, or, even though they died, of restoring\nthem speedily to life, so that they would thereafter live forever, how\nthe world would pour in money like snow and rain, so that because of\nthe throng of the rich no one could find access! But here in Baptism\nthere is brought free to every one's door such a treasure and medicine\nas utterly destroys death and preserves all men alive.\n\nThus we must regard Baptism and make it profitable to ourselves, that\nwhen our sins and conscience oppress us, we strengthen ourselves and\ntake comfort and say: Nevertheless I am baptized; but if I am baptized,\nit is promised me that I shall be saved and have eternal life, both in\nsoul and body. For that is the reason why these two things are done in\nBaptism namely, that the body, which can apprehend nothing but the\nwater, is sprinkled, and, in addition, the word is spoken for the soul\nto apprehend. Now, since both, the water and the Word, are one Baptism,\ntherefore body and soul must be saved and live forever: the soul\nthrough the Word which it believes, but the body because it is united\nwith the soul and also apprehends Baptism as it is able to apprehend\nit. We have, therefore, no greater jewel in body and soul, for by it we\nare made holy and are saved, which no other kind of life, no work upon\nearth, can attain.\n\nLet this suffice respecting the nature, blessing, and use of Baptism,\nfor it answers the present purpose.\n\n [Part Fifth.]\n\nOF THE SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR.\n\nIn the same manner as we have heard regarding Holy Baptism, we must\nspeak also concerning the other Sacrament, namely, these three points:\nWhat is it? What are its benefits? and, Who is to receive it? And all\nthese are established by the words by which Christ has instituted it,\nand which every one who desires to be a Christian and go to the\nSacrament should know. For it is not our intention to admit to it and\nto administer it to those who know not what they seek, or why they\ncome. The words, however, are these:\n\nOur Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took\nbread; and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and gave it to His\ndisciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for\nyou:\nthis do in remembrance of Me.\n\nAfter the same manner also He took the cup when He had supped, gave\nthanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; this cup is\nthe new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the remission\nof sins: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.\n\nHere also we do not wish to enter into controversy and contend with the\ntraducers and blasphemers of this Sacrament, but to learn first (as we\ndid regarding Baptism) what is of the greatest importance, namely that\nthe chief point is the Word and ordinance or command of God. For it has\nnot been invented nor introduced by any man, but without any one's\ncounsel and deliberation it has been instituted by Christ. Therefore,\njust as the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the Creed retain\ntheir nature and worth although you never keep, pray, or believe them,\nso also does this venerable Sacrament remain undisturbed, so that\nnothing is detracted or taken from it, even though we employ and\ndispense it unworthily. What do you think God cares about what we do or\nbelieve, so that on that account He should suffer His ordinance to be\nchanged? Why, in all worldly matters every thing remains as God has\ncreated and ordered it, no matter how we employ or use it. This must\nalways be urged, for thereby the prating of nearly all the fanatical\nspirits can be repelled. For they regard the Sacraments, aside from the\nWord of God, as something that we do.\n\nNow, what is the Sacrament of the Altar!\n\nAnswer: It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in and\nunder the bread and wine which we Christians are commanded by the Word\nof Christ to eat and to drink. And as we have said of Baptism that it\nis not simple water, so here also we say the Sacrament is bread and\nwine, but not mere bread and wine, such as are ordinarily served at the\ntable, but bread and wine comprehended in, and connected with, the Word\nof God.\n\nIt is the Word (I say) which makes and distinguishes this Sacrament, so\nthat it is not mere bread and wine, but is, and is called, the body and\nblood of Christ. For it is said: Accedat verbum ad elementum, et At\nsacramentum. If the Word be joined to the element it becomes a\nSacrament. This saying of St. Augustine is so properly and so well put\nthat he has scarcely said anything better. The Word must make a\nSacrament of the element, else it remains a mere element. Now, it is\nnot the word or ordinance of a prince or emperor, but of the sublime\nMajesty, at whose feet all creatures should fall, and affirm it is as\nHe says, and accept it with all reverence fear, and humility.\n\nWith this Word you can strengthen your conscience and say: If a\nhundred thousand devils, together with all fanatics, should rush\nforward, crying, How can bread and wine be the body and blood of\nChrist? etc., I know that all spirits and scholars together are not as\nwise as is the Divine Majesty in His little finger. Now here stands the\nWord of Christ: Take, eat; this is My body; Drink ye all of it; this is\nthe new testament in My blood, etc. Here we abide, and would like to\nsee those who will constitute themselves His masters, and make it\ndifferent from what He has spoken. It is true, indeed, that if you take\naway the Word or regard it without the words, you have nothing but mere\nbread and wine. But if the words remain with them as they shall and\nmust, then, in virtue of the same, it is truly the body and blood of\nChrist. For as the lips of Christ say and speak, so it is, as He can\nnever lie or deceive.\n\nHence it is easy to reply to all manner of questions about which men\nare troubled at the present time, such as this one: Whether even a\nwicked priest can minister at, and dispense, the Sacrament, and\nwhatever other questions like this there may be. For here we conclude\nand say: Even though a knave takes or distributes the Sacrament, he\nreceives the true Sacrament, that is, the true body and blood of\nChrist, just as truly as he who [receives or] administers it in the\nmost worthy manner. For it is not founded upon the holiness of men, but\nupon the Word of God. And as no saint upon earth, yea, no angel in\nheaven, can make bread and wine to be the body and blood of Christ, so\nalso can no one change or alter it, even though it be misused. For the\nWord by which it became a Sacrament and was instituted does not become\nfalse because of the person or his unbelief. For He does not say: If\nyou believe or are worthy, you receive My body and blood, but: Take,\neat and drink; this is By body and blood. Likewise: Do this (namely,\nwhat I now do, institute, give, and bid you take) . That is as much as\nto say, No matter whether you are worthy or unworthy, you have here His\nbody and blood by virtue of these words which are added to the bread\nand wine. Only note and remember this well; for upon these words rest\nall our foundation, protection, and defense against all errors and\ndeception that have ever come or may yet come.\n\nThus we have briefly the first point which relates to the essence of\nthis Sacrament. Now examine further the efficacy and benefits on\naccount of which really the Sacrament was instituted; which is also its\nmost necessary part, that we may know what we should seek and obtain\nthere. Now this is plain and clear from the words just mentioned: This\nis My body and blood, given and shed FOR YOU, for the remission of\nsins. Briefly that is as much as to say: For this reason we go to the\nSacrament because there we receive such a treasure by and in which we\nobtain forgiveness of sins. Why so? Because the words stand here and\ngive us this; for on this account He bids me eat and drink, that it may\nbe my own and may benefit me, as a sure pledge and token, yea, the very\nsame treasure that is appointed for me against my sins, death, and\nevery calamity.\n\nOn this account it is indeed called a food of souls, which nourishes\nand strengthens the new man. For by Baptism we are first born anew; but\n(as we said before) there still remains, besides, the old vicious\nnature of flesh and blood in man, and there are so many hindrances and\ntemptations of the devil and of the world that we often become weary\nand faint, and sometimes also stumble.\n\nTherefore it is given for a daily pasture and sustenance, that faith\nmay refresh and strengthen itself so as not to fall back in such a\nbattle, but become ever stronger and stronger. For the new life must be\nso regulated that it continually increase and progress, but it must\nsuffer much opposition. For the devil is such a furious enemy that when\nhe sees that we oppose him and attack the old man, and that he cannot\ntopple us over by force, he prowls and moves about on all sides, tries\nall devices, and does not desist until he finally wearies us, so that\nwe either renounce our faith or yield hands and feet and become\nlistless or impatient. Now to this end the consolation is here given\nwhen the heart feels that the burden is becoming too heavy, that it may\nhere obtain new power and refreshment.\n\nBut here our wise spirits contort themselves with their great art and\nwisdom, crying out and bawling: How can bread and wine forgive sins or\nstrengthen faith? Although they hear and know that we do not say this\nof bread and wine, because in itself bread is bread, but of such bread\nand wine as is the body and blood of Christ, and has the words attached\nto it. That, we say, is verily the treasure, and nothing else, through\nwhich such forgiveness is obtained. Now the only way in which it is\nconveyed and appropriated to us is in the words (Given and shed for\nyou). For herein you have both truths, that it is the body and blood of\nChrist, and that it is yours as a treasure and gift. Now the body of\nChrist can never be an unfruitful, vain thing, that effects or profits\nnothing. Yet however great is the treasure in itself, it must be\ncomprehended in the Word and administered to us, else we should never\nbe able to know or seek it.\n\nTherefore also it is vain talk when they say that the body and blood of\nChrist are not given and shed for us in the Lord's Supper, hence we\ncould not have forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament. For although the\nwork is accomplished and the forgiveness of sins acquired on the cross,\nyet it cannot come to us in any other way than through the Word. For\nwhat would we otherwise know about it, that such a thing was\naccomplished or was to be given us if it were not presented by\npreaching or the oral Word? Whence do they know of it, or how can they\napprehend and appropriate to themselves the forgiveness, except they\nlay hold of and believe the Scriptures and the Gospel? But now the\nentire Gospel and the article of the Creed: I believe a holy Christian\nChurch, the forgiveness of sin, etc., are by the Word embodied in this\nSacrament and presented to us. Why, then, should we allow this treasure\nto be torn from the Sacrament when they must confess that these are the\nvery words which we hear everywhere in the Gospel, and they cannot say\nthat these words in the Sacrament are of no use, as little as they dare\nsay that the entire Gospel or Word of God, apart from the Sacrament, is\nof no use?\n\nThus we have the entire Sacrament, both as to what it is in itself and\nas to what it brings and profits. Now we must also see who is the\nperson that receives this power and benefit. That is answered briefly,\nas we said above of Baptism and often elsewhere: Whoever believes it\nhas what the words declare and bring. For they are not spoken or\nproclaimed to stone and wood, but to those who hear them, to whom He\nsays: Take and eat, etc. And because He offers and promises forgiveness\nof sin, it cannot be received otherwise than by faith. This faith He\nHimself demands in the Word when He says: Given and shed for you. As if\nHe said: For this reason I give it, and bid you eat and drink, that you\nmay claim it as yours and enjoy it. Whoever now accepts these words,\nand believes that what they declare is true, has it. But whoever does\nnot believe it has nothing, as he allows it to be offered to him in\nvain, and refuses to enjoy such a saving good. The treasure, indeed, is\nopened and placed at every one's door, yea upon his table, but it is\nnecessary that you also claim it, and confidently view it as the words\nsuggest to you.\n\nThis, now, is the entire Christian preparation for receiving this\nSacrament worthily. For since this treasure is entirely presented in\nthe words, it cannot be apprehended and appropriated in any other way\nthan with the heart. For such a gift and eternal treasure cannot be\nseized with the fist. Fasting and prayer, etc., may indeed be an\nexternal preparation and discipline for children, that the body may\nkeep and bear itself modestly and reverently towards the body and blood\nof Christ; yet what is given in and with it the body cannot seize and\nappropriate. But this is done by the faith of the heart, which discerns\nthis treasure and desires it. This may suffice for what is necessary\nas a general instruction respecting this Sacrament; for what is\nfurther to be said of it belongs to another time.\n\nConclusion\n\nIn conclusion, since we have now the true understanding and doctrine of\nthe Sacrament, there is indeed need of some admonition and exhortation,\nthat men may not let so great a treasure which is daily administered\nand distributed among Christians pass by unheeded, that is, that those\nwho would be Christians make ready to receive this venerable Sacrament\noften. For we see that men seem weary and lazy with respect to it; and\nthere is a great multitude of such as hear the Gospel, and, because the\nnonsense of the Pope has been abolished, and we are freed from his laws\nand coercion, go one, two, three years, or even longer without the\nSacrament, as though they were such strong Christians that they have no\nneed of it; and some allow themselves to be prevented and deterred by\nthe pretense that we have taught that no one should approach it except\nthose who feel hunger and thirst, which urge them to it. Some pretend\nthat it is a matter of liberty and not necessary, and that it is\nsufficient to believe without it; and thus for the most part they go so\nfar that they become quite brutish, and finally despise both the\nSacrament and the Word of God.\n\nNow, it is true, as we have said, that no one should by any means be\ncoerced or compelled, lest we institute a new murdering of souls.\nNevertheless, it must be known that such people as deprive themselves\nof, and withdraw from, the Sacrament so long a time are not to be\nconsidered Christians. For Christ has not instituted it to be treated\nas a show, but has commanded His Christians to eat and drink it, and\nthereby remember Him.\n\nAnd, indeed, those who are true Christians and esteem the Sacrament\nprecious and holy will urge and impel themselves unto it. Yet that the\nsimple-minded and the weak who also would like to be Christians be the\nmore incited to consider the cause and need which ought to impel them,\nwe will treat somewhat of this point. For as in other matters\npertaining to faith, love, and patience, it is not enough to teach and\ninstruct only, but there is need also of daily exhortation, so here\nalso there is need of continuing to preach that men may not become\nweary and disgusted, since we know and feel how the devil always\nopposes this and every Christian exercise, and drives and deters\ntherefrom as much as he can.\n\nAnd we have, in the first place, the clear text in the very words of\nChrist: Do this in remembrance of Me. These are bidding and commanding\nwords by which all who would be Christians are enjoined to partake of\nthis Sacrament. Therefore, whoever would be a disciple of Christ, with\nwhom He here speaks, must also consider and observe this, not from\ncompulsion, as being forced by men, but in obedience to the Lord Jesus\nChrist, and to please Him. However, if you say: But the words are\nadded, As oft as ye do it; there He compels no one, but leaves it to\nour free choice, answer: That is true, yet it is not written that we\nshould never do so. Yea, just because He speaks the words, As oft as ye\ndo it, it is nevertheless implied that we should do it often; and it is\nadded for the reason that He wishes to have the Sacrament free, not\nlimited to special times, like the Passover of the Jews, which they\nwere obliged to eat only once a year, and that just upon the fourteenth\nday of the first full moon in the evening, and which they must not vary\na day. As if He would say by these words: I institute a Passover or\nSupper for you which you shall enjoy not only once a year, just upon\nthis evening, but often, when and where you will, according to every\none's opportunity and necessity, bound to no place or appointed time;\nalthough the Pope afterwards perverted it, and again made a Jewish\nfeast of it.\n\nThus, you perceive, it is not left free in the sense that we may\ndespise it. For that I call despising it if one allow so long a time to\nelapse and with nothing to hinder him yet never feels a desire for it.\nIf you wish such liberty, you may just as well have the liberty to be\nno Christian, and neither have to believe nor pray; for the one is just\nas much the command of Christ as the other. But if you wish to be a\nChristian, you must from time to time render satisfaction and obedience\nto this commandment. For this commandment ought ever to move you to\nexamine yourself and to think: See, what sort of a Christian I am! If I\nwere one, I would certainly have some little longing for that which my\nLord has commanded [me] to do.\n\nAnd, indeed, since we act such strangers to it, it is easily seen what\nsort of Christians we were under the Papacy, namely, that we went from\nmere compulsion and fear of human commandments, without inclination and\nlove, and never regarded the commandment of Christ. But we neither\nforce nor compel any one; nor need any one do it to serve or please us.\nBut this should induce and constrain you by itself, that He desires it\nand that it is pleasing to Him. You must not suffer men to coerce you\nunto faith or any good work. We are doing no more than to say and\nexhort you as to what you ought to do, not for our sake, but for your\nown sake. He invites and allures you; if you despise it, you must\nanswer for it yourself.\n\nNow, this is to be the first point, especially for those who are cold\nand indifferent, that they may reflect upon and rouse themselves. For\nthis is certainly true, as I have found in my own experience, and as\nevery one will find in his own case, that if a person thus withdraw\nfrom this Sacrament, he will daily become more and more callous and\ncold, and will at last disregard it altogether. To avoid this, we must,\nindeed, examine heart and conscience, and act like a person who desires\nto be right with God. Now, the more this is done, the more will the\nheart be warmed and enkindled, that it may not become entirely cold.\n\nBut if you say: How if I feel that I am not prepared? Answer: That is\nalso my scruple, especially from the old way under the Pope, in which a\nperson tortured himself to be so perfectly pure that God could not find\nthe least blemish in us. On this account we became so timid that every\none was instantly thrown into consternation and said to himself: Alas!\nyou are unworthy! For then nature and reason begin to reckon our\nunworthiness in comparison with the great and precious good; and then\nit appears like a dark lantern in contrast with the bright sun, or as\nfilth in comparison with precious stones. Because nature and reason see\nthis, they refuse to approach and tarry until they are prepared so long\nthat one week trails another, and one half year the other. But if you\nare to regard how good and pure you are, and labor to have no\ncompunctions, you must never approach.\n\nWe must, therefore, make a distinction here among men. For those who\nare wanton and dissolute must be told to stay away; for they are not\nprepared to receive forgiveness of sin since they do not desire it and\ndo not wish to be godly. But the others, who are not such callous and\nwicked people, and desire to be godly, must not absent themselves, even\nthough otherwise they be feeble and full of infirmities, as St. Hilary\nalso has said: If any one have not committed sin for which he can\nrightly be put out of the congregation and esteemed as no Christian, he\nought not stay away from the Sacrament, lest he may deprive himself of\nlife. For no one will make such progress that he will not retain many\ndaily infirmities in flesh and blood.\n\nTherefore such people must learn that it is the highest art to know\nthat our Sacrament does not depend upon our worthiness. For we are not\nbaptized because we are worthy and holy, nor do we go to confession\nbecause we are pure and without sin, but the contrary because we are\npoor miserable men and just because we are unworthy; unless it be some\none who desires no grace and absolution nor intends to reform.\n\nBut whoever would gladly obtain grace and consolation should impel\nhimself, and allow no one to frighten him away, but say: I, indeed,\nwould like to be worthy, but I come, not upon any worthiness, but upon\nThy Word, because Thou hast commanded it, as one who would gladly be\nThy disciple, no matter what becomes of my worthiness. But this is\ndifficult; for we always have this obstacle and hindrance to encounter,\nthat we look more upon ourselves than upon the Word and lips of Christ.\nFor nature desires so to act that it can stand and rest firmly on\nitself, otherwise it refuses to make the approach. Let this suffice\nconcerning the first point.\n\nIn the second place, there is besides this command also a promise, as\nwe heard above, which ought most strongly to incite and encourage us.\nFor here stand the kind and precious words: This is My body, given for\nyou. This is My blood, shed for you, for the remission of sins. These\nwords, I have said, are not preached to wood and stone, but to me and\nyou; else He might just as well be silent and not institute a\nSacrament. Therefore consider, and put yourself into this YOU, that He\nmay not speak to you in vain.\n\nFor here He offers to us the entire treasure which He has brought for\nus from heaven, and to which He invites us also in other places with\nthe greatest kindness, as when He says in St. Matthew 11, 28: Come unto\nMe, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.\nNow it is surely a sin and a shame that He so cordially and faithfully\nsummons and exhorts us to our highest and greatest good, and we act so\ndistantly with regard to it, and permit so long a time to pass [without\npartaking of the Sacrament] that we grow quite cold and hardened, so\nthat we have no inclination or love for it. We must never regard the\nSacrament as something injurious from which we had better flee but as a\npure wholesome, comforting remedy imparting salvation and comfort,\nwhich will cure you and give you life both in soul and body. For where\nthe soul has recovered, the body also is relieved. Why, then, is it\nthat we act as if it were a poison, the eating of which would bring\ndeath?\n\nTo be sure, it is true that those who despise it and live in an\nunchristian manner receive it to their hurt and damnation; for nothing\nshall be good or wholesome to them, just as with a sick person who from\ncaprice eats and drinks what is forbidden him by the physician. But\nthose who are sensible of their weakness, desire to be rid of it and\nlong for help, should regard and use it only as a precious antidote\nagainst the poison which they have in them. For here in the Sacrament\nyou are to receive from the lips of Christ forgiveness of sin which\ncontains and brings with it the grace of God and the Spirit with all\nHis gifts, protection, shelter, and power against death and the devil\nand all misfortune.\n\nThus you have, on the part of God, both the command and the promise of\nthe Lord Jesus Christ. Besides this, on your part, your own distress\nwhich is about your neck, and because of which this command, invitation\nand promise are given, ought to impel you. For He Himself says: They\nthat be whole need not a physician, but they that be sick; that is,\nthose who are weary and heavy-laden with their sins, with the fear of\ndeath temptations of the flesh and of the devil. If therefore, you are\nheavy-laden and feel your weakness, then go joyfully to this Sacrament\nand obtain refreshment, consolation, and strength. For if you would\nwait until you are rid of such burdens, that you might come to the\nSacrament pure and worthy, you must forever stay away. For in that case\nHe pronounces sentence and says: If you are pure and godly, you have no\nneed of Me, and I, in turn, none of thee. Therefore those alone are\ncalled unworthy who neither feel their infirmities nor wish to be\nconsidered sinners.\n\nBut if you say: What, then, shall I do if I cannot feel such distress\nor experience hunger and thirst for the Sacrament? Answer: For those\nwho are so minded that they do not realize their condition I know no\nbetter counsel than that they put their hand into their bosom to\nascertain whether they also have flesh and blood. And if you find that\nto be the case, then go, for your good, to St. Paul's Epistle to the\nGalatians, and hear what sort of a fruit your flesh is: Now the works\nof the flesh (he says [chap. 5, 19ff.]) are manifest, which are these:\nAdultery fornication uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft,\nhatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,\nenvyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like.\n\nTherefore, if you cannot feel it, at least believe the Scriptures, they\nwill not lie to you and they know your flesh better than you yourself.\nYea, St. Paul further concludes in Rom. 7, 18: l know that in me, that\nis, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. If St. Paul may speak thus of\nhis flesh, we do not propose to be better nor more holy. But that we do\nnot feel it is so much the worse; for it is a sign that there is a\nleprous flesh which feels nothing, and yet [the leprosy] rages and\nkeeps spreading. Yet as we have said, if you are quite dead to all\nsensibility, still believe the Scriptures, which pronounce sentence\nupon you. And, in short, the less you feel your sins and infirmities,\nthe more reason have you to go to the Sacrament to seek help and a\nremedy.\n\nIn the second place, look about you and see whether you are also in the\nworld, or if you do not know it, ask your neighbors about it. If you\nare in the world, do not think that there will be lack of sins and\nmisery. For only begin to act as though you would be godly and adhere\nto the Gospel, and see whether no one will become your enemy, and,\nmoreover, do you harm, wrong, and violence, and likewise give you cause\nfor sin and vice. If you have not experienced it, then let the\nScriptures tell you, which everywhere give this praise and testimony to\nthe world.\n\nBesides this, you will also have the devil about you, whom you will not\nentirely tread under foot, because our Lord Christ Himself could not\nentirely avoid him. Now, what is the devil? Nothing else than what the\nScriptures call him, a liar and murderer. A liar, to lead the heart\nastray from the Word of God, and to blind it, that you cannot feel your\ndistress or come to Christ. A murderer, who cannot bear to see you live\none single hour. If you could see how many knives, darts, and arrows\nare every moment aimed at you, you would be glad to come to the\nSacrament as often as possible. But there is no reason why we walk so\nsecurely and heedlessly, except that we neither think nor believe that\nwe are in the flesh, and in this wicked world or in the kingdom of the\ndevil.\n\nTherefore, try this and practice it well, and do but examine yourself,\nor look about you a little, and only keep to the Scriptures. If even\nthen you still feel nothing, you have so much the more misery to lament\nboth to God and to your brother. Then take advice and have others pray\nfor you, and do not desist until the stone be removed from your heart.\nThen, indeed, the distress will not fail to become manifest, and you\nwill find that you have sunk twice as deep as any other poor sinner,\nand are much more in need of the Sacrament against the misery which\nunfortunately you do not see, so that, with the grace of God, you may\nfeel it more and become the more hungry for the Sacrament, especially\nsince the devil plies his force against you, and lies in wait for you\nwithout ceasing, to seize and destroy you, soul and body, so that you\nare not safe from him one hour. How soon can he have brought you\nsuddenly into misery and distress when you least expect it!\n\nLet this, then, be said for exhortation, not only for those of us who\nare old and grown, but also for the young people, who ought to be\nbrought up in the Christian doctrine and understanding. For thereby the\nTen Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer might be the more\neasily inculcated to our youth, so that they would receive them with\npleasure and earnestness, and thus would practice them from their youth\nand accustom themselves to them. For the old are now well-nigh done\nfor, so that these and other things cannot be attained, unless we train\nthe people who are to come after us and succeed us in our office and\nwork, in order that they also may bring up their children successfully\nthat the Word of God and the Christian Church may be preserved.\nTherefore let every father of a family know that it is his duty by the\ninjunction and command of God, to teach these things to his children,\nor have them learn what they ought to know. For since they are baptized\nand received into the Christian Church, they should also enjoy this\ncommunion of the Sacrament, in order that they may serve us and be\nuseful to us; for they must all indeed help us to believe, love, pray,\nand fight against the devil.\n\n\n\nThis text was converted to ASCII format for Project Wittenberg by\nAllen Mulvey and is in the public domain. You may freely distribute,\ncopy or print this text. Please direct any comments or suggestions to:\nRev. Robert E. Smith of the Walther Library at Concordia Theological\nSeminary.\n\nE-mail: bob_smith@mail.ctsfw.edu\nSurface Mail: 6600 N. Clinton St., Ft. Wayne, IN 46825 USA\nPhone: (219) 452-3149 Fax: (219) 452-2126\n\n\n\n\n\nProject Gutenberg Etext of The Large Catechism, by Martin Luther\n\n*** x-header ***","title":"Martin Luther's Large Catechism, translated by Bente and Dau","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":48339}