{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_31604/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_31604","id":"gutenberg_31604","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31604","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches","Category: History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Lutheran Church -- Early works to 1800","Theology -- History -- 16th century -- Early works to 1800"],"text":"Produced by Michael McDermott, from scans obtained from\nthe Internet Archive\n\n\n\n\n\nWORKS OF MARTIN LUTHER\nWITH INTRODUCTIONS AND NOTES\nVOLUME I\n\nPHILADELPHIA\nA. J. HOLMAN COMPANY\n1915\n\nCopyright, 1915, by A. J. HOLMAN COMPANY\n\nCONTENTS\nINTRODUCTION\nTRANSLATOR'S NOTE\nLUTHER'S PREFACES (C. M. Jacobs)\nDISPUTATION ON INDULGENCES (1517)\n    Introduction (C. H. Jacobs)\n    Translation (C. M, Jacobs)\nTREATISE ON BAPTISM (1519)\n    Introduction (H. E. Jacobs)\n    Translation (C. M. Jacobs)\nDISCUSSION OF CONFESSION (1520)\n    Introduction (H. E. Jacobs)\n    Translation (C. M. Jacobs)\nTHE FOURTEEN OF CONSOLATION (1520)\n    Introduction (A. T. W. Steinhaeuser)\n    Translation (A. T. W. Steinhaeuser)\nTREATISE ON GOOD WORKS (1520)\n    Introduction (A. T. W. Steinhaeuser)\n    Translation (A. T. W. Steinhaeuser)\nTREATISE ON THE NEW TESTAMENT (1520)\n    Introduction (J. L. Neve)\n    Translation (J. J. Schindel)\nTHE PAPACY AT ROME (1520)\n    Introduction (T. E. Schmauk)\n    Translation (A. Steimle)\nINDEX (W. A. Lambert)\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\n\nNo historical study of current issues--politics or social science\nor theology--can far proceed without bringing the student face to\nface with the principles asserted by the Reformation of the\nSixteenth Century and its great leader, Martin Luther. He has had\nmany critics and many champions, but neither his critics nor his\nchampions feel that the last word concerning him has been spoken,\nfor scarcely a year passes that does not witness the publication\nof a new biography.\n\nHad Luther been nothing more than a man of his own time and his\nown nation the task of estimating him would long since have been\ncompleted. A few exhaustive treatises would have answered all\ndemands. But the Catalogue of the British Museum, published in\n1894, contains over two hundred folio pages, averaging about\nthirty-five titles to the page, of books and pamphlets written\neither by or about him, that have been gathered into this single\ncollection, in a land foreign to the sphere of his labors, and\nthis list has been greatly augmented since 1894. Above all other\nhistorical characters that have appeared since the first years of\nChristianity, he is a man of the present day no less than of the\nday in which he lived.\n\nBut Luther can be properly known and estimated only when he is\nallowed to speak for himself. He should be seen not through the\neyes of others, but through our own. In order to judge the man\nwe must know all sides of the man, and read the heaviest as well\nas the lightest of his works, the more scientific and theological\nas well as the more practical and popular, his informal letters\nas well as his formal treatises. We must take account of the time\nof each writing and the circumstances under which it was\ncomposed, of the adversaries against whom he was contending, and\nof the progress which he made in his opinions as time went on.\nThe great fund of primary sources which the historical methods of\nthe last generation have made available should also be laid under\ncontribution to shed light upon his statements and his attitude\ntoward the various questions involved in his life-struggles.\n\nAs long as a writer can be read only in the language or languages\nin which he wrote, this necessary closer contact with his\npersonality can be enjoyed only by a very limited circle of\nadvanced scholars. But many of these will be grateful for a\ntranslation into their vernacular for more rapid reading, from\nwhich they may turn to the standard text when a question of more\nminute criticism is at stake. Even advanced students appreciate\naccurately rendered and scholarly annotated translations, by\nwhich the range of the leaders of human thought, with whom it is\npossible for them to be occupied, may be greatly enlarged. Such\nseries of translations as those comprised in the well-edited\nAnte-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Libraries of the Fathers have\nserved a most excellent purpose.\n\nIn the series introduced by this volume the attempt is made to\nrender a similar service with respect to Luther. This is no\nambitious project to reproduce in English all that he wrote or\nthat fell from his lips in the lecture-room or in the pulpit. The\nplan has been to furnish within the space of ten volumes a\nselection of such treatises as are either of most permanent\nvalue, or supply the best means for obtaining a true view of his\nmany-sided literary activity and the sources of his abiding\ninfluence. The aim is not to popularize the writer, but to make\nthe English, as far as possible, a faithful reproduction of the\nGerman or Latin. The work has been done by a small group of\nscholarly Lutheran pastors, residing near each other, and jointly\npreparing the copy for the printer. The first draft of each\ntranslation was thoroughly discussed and revised in a joint\nconference of the translators before final approval.\nRepresentative scholars, who have given more or less special\nstudy to Luther, have been called in to prepare some of the\nintroductions. While the part contributed by each individual is\ncredited at the proper place, it must yet be added that my former\ncolleague, the late Rev. Prof. Adolph Spaeth, D. D., LL. D.\n(died June 25, 1910), was actively engaged as the Chairman of the\nCommittee that organized the work, determined the plan, and, with\nthe undersigned, made the first selection of the material to be\nincluded.\n\nThe other members of the Committee are the Rev. T. E. Schmauk,\nD. D., LL. D., the Rev. L. D. Reed, D. D., the Rev. W. A. Lambert,\nJ. J. Schindel, A. Steimle, A. T. W. Steinhaeuser, and C. M.\nJacobs, D. D.; upon the five last named the burden of preparing\nthe translations and notes has rested.\n\nTheir work has been laborious and difficult. Luther's complaints\nconcerning the seriousness of his task in attempting to teach the\npatriarch Job to speak idiomatic German might doubtless have\nfound an echo in the experience of this corps of scholars in\nforcing Luther into idiomatic English. We are confident, however,\nthat, as in Luther's case, so also here, the general verdict of\nreaders will be that they have been eminently successful. It\nshould also be known that it has been purely a labor of love,\nperformed in the midst of the exacting duties of large\npastorates, and to serve the Church, to whose ministry they have\nconsecrated their lives.\n\nThe approaching jubilee of the Reformation in 1917 will call\nrenewed attention to the author of these treatises. These\nvolumes have been prepared with especial reference to the\ndiscussions which, we have every reason to believe, will then\noccur.\n\n    Henry Eyster Jacobs.\n    Luther Theological Seminary,\n    Mt. Airy, Philadelphia.\n\n\nTRANSLATORS' NOTE\n\n\nThe languages from which the following translations have been\nmade are the Latin and the German,--the Latin of the German\nUniversities, the German of the people, and both distinctively\nLuther's. In the Latin there is added to the imperfection of the\nform, when measured by classical standards, the difficulty of\nexpressing in an old language the new thoughts of the\nReformation. German was regarded even by Gibbon, two hundred and\nfifty years later, as a barbarous idiom. Luther, especially in\nhis earlier writings, struggled to give form to a language and to\nexpress the highest thoughts in it. Where Luther thus struggled\nwith two languages, it is evident that they have no easy task who\nattempt to reproduce the two in a third.\n\nModern Germans find it convenient to read Luther's German in a\nmodernized text, sometimes rather hastily and uncritically\nconstructed, and altogether unsafe as a basis for translation.\nWhere the Germans have had to modify, a translator meets double\ndifficulties. It may be puzzling for him to know Luther's exact\nmeaning; it is even more puzzling to find the exact English\nequivalent.\n\nIn order to overcome these difficulties, in part at least, and\npresent a translation both accurate and readable, the present\ngroup of translators have not simply distributed the work among\nthemselves, but have together revised each translation as it was\nmade. The original translator, at a meeting of the group, has\nsubmitted his work to the rest for criticism and correction,\namounting at times to retranslation. No doubtful point, whether\nin sense or in sound, has been passed by unchallenged.\n\nEven with such care, the translation is not perfect. In places a\nvariant reading is possible, a variant interpretation plausible.\nWe can only claim that an honest effort has been made to be both\naccurate and clear, and submit the result of our labors to a fair\nand scholarly criticism. Critics can hardly be more severe than\nwe have been to one another. If they find errors, it may be that\nwe have seen them, and preferred the seeming error to the\nsuggested correction; if not, we can accept criticism from others\nas gracefully as from each other.\n\nThe sources from which our translations have been made are the\nbest texts available in each case. In general, these are found in\nthe _Weimar Edition (D. Martin Luthers Werke. Kritische\nGesammtausgabe._ Weimar. Hermann B\u00f6hlaus Nachfolger, 1883 ff.),\nso far as this is completed. A more complete and fairly\nsatisfactory edition is that known as the _Erlangen Edition_, in\nwhich the German and Latin works are published in separate\nseries, 1826 ff. The text of the _Berlin Edition_ (Luthers Werke,\nherausgegeben von Pfarrer D. Dr. Buchwald, etc., Berlin, C. A.\nSchwetschke und Sohn, third edition, 1905, ten volumes) is\nmodernized, and where it has been used it has been carefully\ncompared with the more critical texts. The two editions of\nWalch--the original, published 1740-1753, in twenty-four volumes,\nat Halle, and the modern edition, known as the St. Louis, Mo.,\nedition, 1880 ff.--are entirely German, and somewhat modernized.\nFor our purpose they could be used only as helps in the\ninterpretation, and not as standard texts for translation. A very\nconvenient and satisfactory critical text of selected treatises\nis to be found in Otto Clemen, _Luthers Werke in Auswahl_, Bonn,\n4 vols., of which two volumes appeared in 1912.\n\n\nWORKS OF MARTIN LUTHER\n\n\nSELECTIONS FROM LUTHER'S PREFACES TO HIS WORKS 1539 and 1545\n\n\nI\n\nLUTHER'S PREFACE TO THE FIRST PART OF HIS GERMAN WORKS[1]\n\nEDITION OF 1539\n\n\nI would gladly have seen all my books forgotten and destroyed; if\nonly for the reason that I am afraid of the example.[2] For I see\nwhat benefit it has brought to the churches, that men have begun\nto collect many books and great libraries, outside and alongside\nof the Holy Scriptures; and have begun especially to scramble\ntogether, without any distinction, all sorts of \"Fathers,\"\n\"Councils,\" and \"Doctors.\" Not only has good time been wasted,\nand the study of the Scriptures neglected; but the pure\nunderstanding of the divine Word is lost, until at last the Bible\nhas come to lie forgotten in the dust under the bench.\n\nAlthough it is both useful and necessary that the writings of\nsome of the Fathers and the decrees of some of the Councils\nshould be preserved as witnesses and records, nevertheless, I\nthink, _est modus in rebus_,[3] and it is no pity that the books of\nmany of the Fathers and Councils have, by God's grace, been lost.\nIf they had all remained, one could scarce go in or out for\nbooks, and we should still have nothing better than we find in\nthe Holy Scriptures.\n\nThen, too, it was our intention and our hope, when we began to\nput the Bible into German, that there would be less writing, and\nmore studying and reading of the Scriptures. For all other\nwritings should point to the Scriptures, as John pointed to\nChrist; when he said, \"He must increase, but I must decrease.\"\n[John 3:30] In this way every one may drink for himself from the\nfresh spring, as all the Fathers have had to do when they wished\nto produce anything worth while. Neither Fathers nor Councils nor\nwe ourselves will do so well, even when our very best is done, as\nthe Holy Scriptures have done; that is to say, we shall never do\nso well as God Himself. Even though for our salvation we need to\nhave the Holy Spirit and faith and divine language and divine\nworks, nevertheless we must let the Prophets and Apostles sit at\nthe desk, while we sit at their feet and listen to what they say.\nIt is not for us to say what they must hear.\n\nSince, however, I cannot prevent it, and, without my wish, they\nare now bent on collecting and printing my books--small honor to\nme--I shall have to let them put their energy and labor on the\nventure. I comfort myself with the thought that my books will yet\nbe forgotten in the dust, especially when, by God's grace, I have\nwritten something good. _Non ero melior patribus meis_.[4][1\nKings 19:4] The other kind will be more likely to endure. For\nwhen the Bible can be left lying under the bench, and when it is\ntrue of the Fathers and Councils that the better they were, the\nmore completely they have been forgotten; there is good hope\nthat, when the curiosity of this age has been satisfied, my books\ntoo will not long remain; the more so, since it has begun to rain\nand snow books and \"Doctors,\" of which many are already forgotten\nand gone to dust, so that one no longer remembers even their\nnames. They themselves had hoped, to be sure, that they would\nalways be in the market, and play schoolmaster to the churches.\n\nWell, then, let it go, in God's Name. I only ask in all kindness\nthat the man who wishes at this time to have my books will by no\nmeans let them be a hindrance to his own study of the Scriptures,\nbut read them as I read the orders and the ordures of the pope[5]\nand the books of the sophists. I look now and then to see what\nthey have done, or learn from them the history and thought of\ntheir time, but I do not study them, or feel myself bound to\nconform to them. I do not treat the Fathers and the Councils very\ndifferently. In this I follow the example of St. Augustine, who\nis one of the first, and almost the only one of them to subject\nhimself to the Holy Scriptures alone, uninfluenced by the books\nof all the Fathers and the Saints. This brought him into a hard\nfray with St. Jerome, who cast up to him the writings of his\npredecessors; but he did not care for that. If this example of\nSt. Augustine had been followed, the pope would not have become\nAntichrist, the countless vermin, the swarming, parasitic mass of\nbooks would not have come into the Church, and the Bible would\nhave kept its place in the pulpit.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] Text as given in the Berlin Edition of the Buchwald and\nothers, Vol. I pp. ix ff.\n\n[2] I. e. The example set by preserving and collecting them.\n\n[3] \"There is moderation in all things.\"\n\n[4] \"I shall not be better than my fathers.\" Cf. 1 Kings\n19:4\n\n[5] _Des Pabats Drecet and Drecketal_. Luther makes a pun on\n_decreta_ and _decretalia_--the official names for the\ndecrees of the Pope.\n\n\nII\nDR. MARTIN LUTHER TO THE CHRISTIAN READER[1]\nEDITION OF 1545\n\n\nAbove all things I beseech the Christian reader and beg him for\nthe sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to read my earliest books very\ncircumspectly and with much pity, knowing that before now I too\nwas a monk, and one of the right frantic and raving papists. When\nI took up this matter against Indulgences, I was so full and\ndrunken, yea, so besotted in papal doctrine that, out of my great\nzeal, I would have been ready to do murder--at least, I would\nhave been glad to see and help that murder should be done--on all\nwho would not be obedient and subject to the pope, even to his\nsmallest word.\n\nSuch a Saul was I at that time; and I meant it right earnestly;\nand there are still many such today. In a word, I was not such a\nfrozen and ice-cold[2] champion of the papacy as Eck and others\nof his kind have been and still are. They defend the Roman See\nmore for the sake of the shameful belly, which is their god, than\nbecause they are really attached to its cause. Indeed I am wholly\nof the opinion that like latter-day Epicureans,[3] they only\nlaugh at the pope. But I verily espoused this cause in deepest\nearnest and in all fidelity; the more so because I shrank from\nthe Last Day with great anxiety and fear and terror, and yet from\nthe depths of my heart desired to be saved.\n\nTherefore, Christian reader, thou wilt find in my earliest books\nand writings how many points of faith I then, with all humility,\nyielded and conceded to the pope, which since then I have held\nand condemned for the most horrible blasphemy and abomination,\nand which I would have to be so held and so condemned forever.\nAmen.\n\nThou wilt therefore ascribe this my error, or as my opponents\nvenomously call it, this inconsistency of mine,[4] to the time,\nand to my ignorance and inexperience. At the beginning I was\nquite alone and without any helpers, and moreover, to tell the\ntruth, unskilled in all these things, and far too unlearned to\ndiscuss such high and weighty matters. For it was without any\nintention, purpose, or will of mine that I fell, quite\nunexpectedly, into this wrangling and contention. This I take\nGod, the Searcher of hearts, to witness.\n\nI tell these things to the end that, if thou shalt read my books,\nthou mayest know and remember that I am one of those who, as St.\nAugustine says of himself, have grown by writing and by teaching\nothers, and not one of those who, starting with nothing, have in\na trice become the most exalted and most learned doctors. We\nfind, alas! many of these self-grown doctors; who in truth are\nnothing, do nothing and accomplish nothing, are moreover untried\nand inexperienced, and yet, after a single took at the\nScriptures, think themselves able wholly to exhaust its spirit.\n\nFarewell, dear reader, in the Lord. Pray that the Word may be\nfurther spread abroad, and may be strong against the miserable\ndevil. For he is mighty and wicked, and just now is raving\neverywhere and raging cruelly, like one who well knows and feels\nthat his time is short, and that the kingdom of his Vicar, the\nAntichrist in Rome,[5] is sore beset. But may the God of all\ngrace and mercy strengthen and complete in us the work He has\nbegun, to His honor and to the comfort of His little flock. Amen.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] From the Preface to the Complete Works (1545). Text\naccording to the Berlin Edition of the Buchwald and others,\nVol. I, pp. xi ff.\n\n[2] Evidently a play on the Latin _frigidus_, often used in\nthe sense of \"trivial\" or \"silly\"; so Luther refers to the\n\"_frigida decreta Paperum_\" in his Propositions for the\nLeipzipg Disputation (1519).\n\n[3] i. e. Frivolous mockers at holy things.\n\n[4] See Prefatory Note to the _Fourteen of Consolation_,\nbelow, p.109.\n\n[5] Long before this Luther had repeatedly expressed the\nconviction that the Pope was the Antichrist foretold in 2\nThess. 2:3 f., and Rev. 13 and 17.\n\n\nTHE DISPUTATION OF DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER\nON THE POWER AND EFFICACY OF INDULGENCES\n(THE NINETY-FIVE THESES)\n1517\nTOGETHER WITH THREE LETTERS EXPLANATORY OF THE THESES\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\n\"A Disputation of the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences\" [1] is\nthe full title of the document commonly called \"The Ninety-five\nTheses.\" The form of the document was determined by the academic\npractice of the Middle Ages. In all the Medi\u00e6val Universities the\n\"disputation\" was a well-established institution. It was a\ndebate, conducted according to accepted rules, on any subject\nwhich the chief disputant might elect, and no student's education\nwas thought to be complete until he had shown his ability to\ndefend himself in discussions of this kind. It was customary to\nset forth the subject which was to be discussed, in a series of\n\"theses,\" which were statements of opinion tentatively advanced\nas the basis of argument. The author, or some other person he\nmight designate, announced himself ready to defend these\nstatements against all comers, and invited all who might wish to\ndebate with him to a part in the discussion. Such an academic\ndocument, one out of many hundreds, exhaling the atmosphere of\nthe Medi\u00e6val University, is the Disputation, which by its\nhistorical importance has earned the name \"The XCV Theses.\"\n\nThe Theses were published on the Eve of All Saints (Oct 31),\n1517. They were not intended for any other public than that of\nthe University,[2] and Luther did not even have them printed at\nfirst, though copies were forwarded to the Archbishop of Mainz,\nand to Luther's own diocesan, the Bishop of Brandenburg. The\nmanner of their publication too was academic. They were simply\nposted on the door of the Church of All Saints--called the\n\"Castle-church,\" to distinguish it from its neighbor, the\n\"Town-church\"--not because more people would see them there than\nelsewhere, but because that church-door was the customary place\nfor posting such announcements, the predecessor of the\n\"black-board\" in the modern German University. It was not night,\nbut mid-day[3] when the Theses were nailed up, and the Eve of All\nSaints was chosen, not that the crowds who would frequent the\nnext day's festival might read them, for they were written in\nLatin, but because it was the customary day for the posting of\ntheses. Moreover, the Feast of All Saints was the time when the\nprecious relics, which earned the man who \"adored\" them, long\nyears of indulgence,[4] were exhibited to worshipers, and the\napproach of this high feast-day put the thought of indulgences\nuppermost in the minds of everybody in Wittenberg, including the\nauthor of the Theses.[5]\n\nBut neither the Theses nor the results which followed them could\nbe confined to Wittenberg. Contrary to Luther's expectation and\nto his great surprise,[6] they circulated all through Germany\nwith a rapidity that was startling. Within two months, before the\nend of 1517, three editions of the Latin text had been printed,\none at Wittenberg, one at N\u00fcrnberg, and one as far away as Basel,\nand copies of the Theses had been sent to Rome. Numerous\neditions, both Latin and German, quickly followed. Luther's\ncontemporaries saw in the publication of the Theses \"the\nbeginning of the Reformation,\" [7] and the judgment of modern\ntimes has confirmed their verdict, but the Protestant of to-day,\nand especially the Protestant layman, is almost certain to be\nsurprised, possibly deeply disappointed, at their contents. They\nare not \"a trumpet-blast of reform\"; that title must be reserved\nfor the great works of 1520.[8] The word \"faith,\" destined to\nbecome the watchword of the Reformation, does not once occur in\nthem; the validity of the Sacrament of Penance is not disputed;\nthe right of the pope to forgive sins, especially in \"reserved\ncases,\" is not denied; even the virtue of indulgences is\nadmitted, within limits, and the question at issue is simply\n\"What is that virtue?\"\n\nTo read the Theses, therefore, with a fair degree of\ncomprehension we must know something of the time that produced\nthem, and we must bear two facts continually in mind. We must\nremember that at this time Luther was a devoted son of the Church\nand servant of the pope, perhaps not quite the \"right frantic and\nraving papist\" [9] he afterwards called himself, but as yet\nentirely without suspicion of the extent to which he had inwardly\ndiverged from the teachings of Roman theology. We must also\nremember that the Theses were no attempt at a searching\nexamination of the whole structure and content of Roman teaching,\nbut were directed against what Luther conceived to be merely\nabuses which had sprung up around a single group of doctrines\ncentering in the Sacrament of Penance. He sincerely thought that\nthe teaching of the Theses was in full agreement with the best\ntraditions of the Church,[10] and his surprise that they should\nhave caused so much excitement is undoubtedly genuine and not\nfeigned. He shows himself both hurt and astonished that he\nshould be assailed as a heretic and schismatic, and \"called by\nsix hundred other names of ignominy.\" [11] On the other hand, we\nare compelled to admit that from the outset Luther's opponents\nhad grasped far more completely than he himself the true\nsignificance of his \"purely academic protest.\"\n\n2. Penance and Indulgence.--The purpose of the disputation which\nLuther proposed to hold was to clear up the subject of the virtue\nof \"indulgences,\" and the indulgences were the most striking and\ncharacteristic feature of the religious life of the Church in the\nlast three Centuries of the Middle Ages.[12] We meet them\neverywhere--indulgences for the adoration of relics, indulgences\nfor worship at certain shrines, indulgences for pilgrimages here\nor there, indulgences for contributions to this or that special\nobject of charity. Luther roundly charges the indulgence-vendors\nwith teaching the people that the indulgences as a means to the\nremission of sins. What are these indulgences?\n\nTheir history is connected, on the one hand, with the history of\nthe Sacrament of Penance, on the other with the history of the\ndevelopment of papal power. The Sacrament of Penance developed\nout of the administration of Church discipline. In the earliest\ndays of the Church, the Christian who fell into sin was punished\nby exclusion from the communion of the Church. This\nexcommunication was not, however, permanent, and the sinner could\nbe restored to the privileges of Church-fellowship after he had\nconfessed his sin, professed penitence, and performed certain\npenitential acts, chief among which were alms-giving, fasting and\nprayer, and, somewhat later, pilgrimage. These acts of penitence\ncame to have the name of \"satisfactions,\" and were a condition\nprecedent to the reception of absolution. They varied in\nduration and severity, according to the enormity of the offence,\nend for the guidance of those who administered the discipline of\nthe Church, sets of rules were formulated by which the\n\"satisfactions\" or \"penances\" were imposed. These codes are the\n\"Penitential Canons.\" [13] The first step in the development of\nthe indulgences may be found in the practice which gradually\narose, of remitting some part of the enjoined \"penances\" on\nconsideration of the performance of certain acts which could be\nregarded as meritorious.\n\nThe indulgences received a new form, however, and became a part\nof the regular Church administration, when the popes discovered\nthe possibilities which lay in this institution for the\nadvancement of their own power and the furtherance of their own\ninterests. This discovery seems to date from the time of the\nCrusades. The crusading-indulgences, granted at first only to\nthose who actually went to the Holy War, subsequently to those\nalso who contributed to the expense of the expedition, were\nvirtually the acceptance of this work as a substitute for any\npenance which the Church might otherwise require. As zeal for the\nCrusades began to wane, the indulgences were used more and more\nfreely to stimulate lagging interest; their number was greatly\nincreased, and those who purchased the indulgences with money far\noutnumbered those who actually took the Cross. Failing in their\npurpose as an incentive to enlistment in the crusading armies,\nthey showed their value as a source of income, and from the\nbeginning of the XIV. Century the sale of indulgences became a\nregular business.\n\nAbout the same time a new kind of indulgence arose to take the\nplace of the now somewhat antiquated crusading-indulgence. This\nwas the Jubilee-indulgence, and had its origin in the Jubilee of\n1300. By the Bull _Antiquorum Habet Fide_, Boniface VIII. granted\nto all who would visit the shrines of the Apostles in Rome during\nthe year 1300 and during each succeeding centennial year, a\nplenary indulgence.[14] Little by little it became the custom to\nincrease the number of these Jubilee-indulgences. Once in a\nhundred years was not often enough for Christians to have a\nchance for plenary forgiveness, and at last, unwilling to deprive\nof the privileges of the Jubilee those who were kept away from\nRome, the popes came to grant the same plenary indulgence to all\nwho would make certain contributions to the papal treasury.[15]\n\nMeanwhile the Sacrament of Penance had become an integral part of\nthe Roman sacramental system, and had replaced the earlier\npenitential discipline as the means by which the Church granted\nChristians forgiveness for sins committed after baptism. The\nscholastic theologians had busied themselves with the theory of\nthis Sacrament. They distinguished between its \"material,\" its\n\"form\" and its \"effect.\" The \"form\" of the Sacrament was the\nabsolution: its \"effect,\" the forgiveness of sins; Its\n\"material,\" three acts of the penitent: \"confession,\"\n\"contrition,\" and \"satisfaction.\" \"Confession\" must be by word of\nmouth, and must include all the sins which the sinner could\nremember to have committed; \"contrition\" must be sincere sorrow\nof the heart, and must include the purpose henceforth to avoid\nsin; \"satisfaction\" must be made by works prescribed by the\npriest who heard confession. In the administration of the\nSacrament, however, the absolution preceded \"satisfaction\"\ninstead of following it, as it had done in the discipline of the\nearly Church.[16] To justify this apparent inconsistency, the\nDoctors further distinguished between the \"guilt\" and the\n\"penalty\" of sin.[17] Sins were classified as \"mortal\" and\n\"venial.\" [18] Mortal sins for which the offender had not received\nabsolution were punished eternally, while venial sins were those\nwhich merited only some smaller penalty; but when a mortal sin\nwas confessed and absolution granted, the guilt of the sin was\ndone away, and with it the eternal penalty. And yet the\nabsolution did not open the gate of heaven, though it closed the\ndoor of hell; the eternal penalty was not to be exacted, but\nthere was a temporal penalty to be paid. The \"satisfaction\" was\nthe temporal penalty, and if satisfaction was in arrears at\ndeath, the arrearage must be paid in purgatory, a place of\npunishment for mortal sins confessed and repented, but\n\"unsatisfied,\" and for venial sins, which were not serious enough\nto bring eternal condemnation. The penalties of purgatory were\n\"temporal,\" viz., they stopped somewhere this side of eternity,\nand their duration could be measured in days and years, though\nthe number of the years might mount high into the thousands and\ntens of thousands.\n\nIt was at this point that the practice of indulgences united with\nthe theory of the Sacrament of Penance. The indulgences had to do\nwith the \"satisfaction.\" [19] They might be \"partial,\" remitting\nonly a portion of the penalties, measured by days or years of\npurgatory; or they might be \"plenary,\" remitting all penalties\ndue in this world or the next. _In theory_, however, no\nindulgence could remit the guilt or the eternal penalty of\nsin,[20] and the purchaser of an indulgence was not only expected\nto confess and be absolved, but he was also supposed to be _corde\ncontritus_, i. e., \"truly penitent.\" [21] A rigid insistence on\nthe fulfilment of these conditions would have greatly restricted\nthe value of the indulgences as a means of gain, for the right to\nhear confession and grant absolution belonged to the\nparish-priests. Consequently, it became the custom to endow the\nindulgence-vendors with extraordinary powers. They were given the\nauthority to hear confession and grant absolution wherever they\nmight be, and to absolve even from the sins which were normally\n\"reserved\" for the absolution of the higher Church authorities.\n\nThe demand for contrition was somewhat more difficult to meet.\nBut here too there was a way out. Complete contrition included\nlove to God as its motive, and the truly contrite man was not\nalways easy to find; but some of the scholastic Doctors had\ndiscovered a substitute for contrition in what they called\n\"attrition.\" viz., incomplete contrition, which might have fear\nfor a motive, and which the Sacrament of Penance could transform\ninto contrition. When, therefore, a man was afraid of hell or of\npurgatory, he could make his confession to the indulgence-seller\nor his agent, receive from him the absolution which gave his\nimperfect repentance the value of true contrition, released him\nfrom the guilt of sin, and changed its eternal penalty to a\ntemporal penalty; then he could purchase the plenary indulgence,\nwhich remitted the temporal penalty, and so in one transaction,\nin which all the demands of the Church were formally met, he\ncould become sure of heaven. Thus the indulgence robbed the\nSacrament of Penance of its ethical content.\n\nFurthermore, indulgences were made available for souls already in\npurgatory. This kind of indulgence seems to have been granted for\nthe first time in 1476. It had long been been that the prayers of\nthe living availed to shorten the pains of the departed, and the\ninstitution of masses for the dead was of long standing; but it\nwas not without some difficulty that the Popes succeeded in\nestablishing their claim to power over purgatory. Their power\nover the souls of the living was not disputed. The \"Power of the\nKeys\" had been given to Peter and transmitted to his successors;\nthe \"Treasury of the Church,\" [22] i. e., the merits of Christ and\nof the Saints, was believed to be at their disposal, and it was\nthis treasury which they employed in the granting of\nindulgences;[23] but it seemed reasonable to suppose that their\njurisdiction ended with death. Accordingly, Pope Sixtus IV, in\n1477, declared that the power of the Pope over purgatory, while\ngenuine, was exercised only _per modum sufiragii_, \"by way of\nintercession.\" [24] The distinction was thought dogmatically\nimportant, but to the layman, who looked more to results than to\nmethods, the difference between intercession and jurisdiction was\ntrifling. To him the important thing was that the Pope, whether\nby jurisdiction or intercession, was able to release the soul of\na departed Christian from the penalties of purgatory. It is\nneedless to say that these indulgences for the dead were eagerly\npurchased. In filial love and natural affection the indulgence\nvendor had powerful allies.\n\n3. The Indulgence of 1515.--The XCV Theses were called forth by\nthe preaching of the \"Jubilee Indulgence\" [25] of 1510, which was\nnot placed on sale in central Germany until 1515. The financial\nneeds of the papacy were never greater than in the last years of\nthe XV. and the first years of the XVI. Century, and they were\nfurther increased by the resolve of Julius II. to erect a new\nchurch of St. Peter, which should surpass in magnificence all the\nchurches of the world. The indulgence of 1510 was an\nextraordinary financial measure, the proceeds of which were to\npay for the erection of the new Basilica, but when Julius died in\n1513, the church was not completed, and the money had not been\nraised. The double task was bequeathed to his successor, Leo X.\nOn the 31st of March, 1515, Leo proclaimed a plenary indulgence\nfor the Archbishops of Magdeburg and Mainz, and appointed\nAlbrecht, of Brandenburg, who was the incumbent of both sees and\nof the bishopric of Halberstadt as well, Commissioner for the\nsale of this indulgence. By a secret agreement, of which Luther\nwas, of course, entirely ignorant, one-half of the proceeds was\nto be paid to the Fuggers of Ausburg on account of money advanced\nto the Archbishop for the payment of the fees to Rome, and of the\nsums demanded in consideration of a dispensation allowing him to\noccupy three sees at the same time; the other half of the\nproceeds was to go to the papal treasury to be applied to the\nbuilding of the new church. The period during which the\nindulgence was to be on sale was eight years.\n\nThe actual work of organizing the \"indulgence-campaign\" was put\ninto the hands of John Tetzel, whose large experience in the\nselling of indulgences fitted him excellently for the post of\nSub-commissioner. The indulgence-sellers acted under the\ncommission of the Archbishop and the directions of Tetzel, who\ntook personal charge of the enterprise. The preachers went from\ncity to city, and during the time that they were preaching the\nindulgence in any given place, all other preaching was required\nto cease.[26] They held out the usual inducements to prospective\nbuyers. The plenary nature of the indulgence was made especially\nprominent, and the people were eloquently exhorted that the\npurchase of indulgence-letters was better than all good works,\nthat they were an insurance against the pains of hell and of\npurgatory, that they availed for all satisfactions, even in the\ncase of the most heinous sins that could be conceived.[27]\n\"Confessional letters\" [28] were one of the forms of this\nindulgence. They gave their possessor permission to choose his\nown confessor, and entitled him to plenary remission once in his\nlife, to absolution from sins normally reserved, etc. The\nindulgences for the dead were zealously proclaimed, and the duty\nof purchasing for departed souls release from the pains of\npurgatory was most urgently enjoined. So great was the power of\nthe indulgence to alleviate the pains of purgatory, that the\nsouls of the departed were said to pass into heaven the instant\nthat the coins of the indulgence-buyer jinked in the\nmoney-box.[29]\n\n4. Luther's Protest--The Theses were Luther's protest against the\nmanner in which this indulgence was preached, and against the Use\nconception of the efficacy of indulgences which the people\nobtained from such preaching. They were not his first protest,\nhowever. In a sermon, preached July 37th, 1516,[30] he had issued\na warning against the false idea that a man who had bought an\nindulgence was sure of salvation, and had declared the assertion\nthat souls could be bought out of purgatory to be \"a piece of\ntemerity.\" His warnings were repeated in other sermons, preached\nOctober 31st, 1516, and February 14th, 1517.[31] The burden of\nthese warnings is always the same: the indulgences lead men\nastray; they incite to fear of God's penalties and not to fear of\nsin; they encourage false hopes of salvation, and make light of\nthe true condition of forgiveness, vis., sincere and genuine\nrepentance.\n\nThese warnings are repeated in the Theses. The preaching of\nindulgences has concealed the true nature of repentance; the\nfirst thing to consider is what \"our Lord and Master Jesus Christ\nmeans,\" when He says, \"Repent.\" [32] Without denying the pope's\nright to the power of the keys, Luther wishes to come into the\nclear about the extent of the pope's jurisdiction, which does not\nreach as far as purgatory. He believes that the pope has the\nright to remit \"penalties,\" but these penalties are of the same\nsort as those which were imposed in the early Church as a\ncondition precedent to the absolution; they are ecclesiastical\npenalties merely, and do not extend beyond the grave; the true\npenalty of sin is hatred of self, which continues until entrance\ninto the kingdom of heaven.[33]\n\nThe Theses are formulated with continual reference to the\nstatements of the indulgence-preachers, and of the Instruction to\nthe Commissaries issued under the name of the Archbishop of\nMainz. [34] For this reason there is little logical sequence in\nthe arrangement of the Theses, and none of the attempts to\ndiscover a plan or scheme underlying them has been\nsuccessful.[35] In a general way it may be said that for the\npositive views of Luther on the subjects discussed, Theses 30-37\nand 41-51 are the most vital, while Theses 92-95 are sufficient\nevidence of the motive which led Luther to make his protest.\n\n5. Conclusion--The editors of this Translation present herewith a\nnew translation of the Theses, together with three letters, which\nwill help the reader to understand the mind of Luther at the time\nof their composition and his motive in preparing them. The first\nof these letters is that which was sent, with a copy of the\nTheses, to Albrecht of Mainz. The second and third are addressed\nrespectively to Staupitz and Leo X., and were written to\naccompany the \"Resolutions,\" [36] an exhaustive explanation and\ndefense of the Theses, published in 1518, after the controversy\nhad become bitter.\n\n6. Literature--(a) _Sources_. The source material for history of\nindulgences is naturally widely scattered. The most convenient\ncollection is found in Koehler, _Dokumente zum Ablassstreit_,\nT\u00fcbingen, 1900. For the indulgences against which Luther\nprotested, see, beside the Editions of Luther's Works, Kapp,\n_Schauplatz des Tetselischen Ablass-Krams_, Leipzig, 1720;\n_Sammlung einiger zum p\u00e4bstlichen Ablass geh\u00f6rigen Schriften_,\nLeipzig, 1721; _Kleine Nachlese zur Erl\u00e4uterung der\nReformationsgeschicte_, Leipzig, 1730 and 1733; also Loescher,\n_Vollst\u00e4ndige Reformationsacta_, I, Leipzig, 1720\n\n(b) _Secondary Works_. Beside the general works in Church History\nand History of Doctrine, see the Lives of Luther, in German\nespecially those of K\u00f6stlin-Kawerau, Kolde, Berger and Hausrath;\nin English those of Beard, Jacobs, Lindsay, Smith and McGiffert;\nalso Boehmer, _Luther im Lichte der neueren Forschung_, ad ed.,\nLeipzig, 1910.\n\nOn the indulgences in their relation to the Sacrament of Penance,\nH, C. Lea, History of Confession and Indulgence, especially Vol.\nIII, Philadelphia, 1896; Brieger, _Das Wesen des Ablasses am\nAusgang des Mittelalters_, Leizig, 1897, and Article\n_Indulgenzen_ in PRE.3 IX, pp. 76 ff. (Eng. in Schaff-Herzog v.,\npp. 485-88); Gottlob, _Kreuzablass und Almosenablass_, Stuttgart,\n1906 (especially valuable for the origin of indulgences).\n\nOn the indulgences and the XCV Theses, Koestlin, _Luther's\nTheologie_, Leipzig, 1883 (Eng. Trans, by Hay, The Theology of\nLuther, Philadelphia, 1897); Bratke, _Luther's XCV Thesen und\nihre dogmengeschictlichen Voraussetzungen_, G\u00f6ttingen, 1884;\nDieckboff, _Der Ablassstreit dogmengeschichtlich dargestellt_,\nGotha, 1886; Lindsay, _History of the Reformation_, I, New York,\n1906; Tschackert, _Entstehung der lutherischen und reformierten\nKirchenlehre_, G\u00f6ttingen, 1910.\n\nOn the financial aspects of the indulgence-traffic, Schulte, _Die\nFugger in Rom_, 2 vols., Leipzig, 1904.\n\n    CHARLES M. JACOBS.\n    Allentown, PA.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] _Disputato pro declaratione virutis indulgentiarum_.\n\n[2] Luther says, _Apud nostros et propter nostros editae aunt_.\n_Weimar Ed_., I. 528. On the whole subject see Letters to Staupitz\nand the Pope, below.\n\n[3] Cf. _Weimar Ed._, I, 229.\n\n[4] The Church of All Saints at Wittenberg was the repository of\nthe great collection of relics which Frederick the Wise had\ngathered. A catalogue of the collection, with illustrations by\nLucas Cranach, was published in 1509. The collection contained\n5005 sacred objects, including a bit of the crown of thorns and\nsome of the Virgin Mother's milk. Adoration of these relics on\nAll Saints' Day (Nov. 1st) was rewarded with indulgence for more\nthan 500,000 years. So, Vol Bezold, _Die deutsche Reformation_\n(1890), p. 100; see also Barge, _Karlstadt_, I, 39ff.\n\n[5] Luther had preached a sermon warning against the danger of\nindulgences on the Eve of All Saints (1516). See below.\n\n[6] See below, Letter to Leo X.\n\n[7] _Weimar Ed._, I, 230.\n\n[8] The Address to the Christian Nobility and the Babylonian\nCaptivity of the Church.\n\n[9] Introduction to the Complete Works (1545); above p.10.\n\n[10] See Letter to Staupitz, below.\n\n[11] See Letter to Leo X, below.\n\n[12] Cf. Gottlob, _Kreuzablass und Almosenblass_, p. I.\n\n[13] See Theses 5, 8, 85.\n\n[14] _Non solam plenam et largiorem, imo plenissimam omnium\nsuorum concedemus et concedimus veniam peccatorum_. Mirbt,\n_Quellen_, 2d ed., No. 243.\n\n[15] This custom of putting the Jubilee-indulgences on sale seems\nto date from the year 1390. Cf. Lea, _Hist. of Conf. and\nIndulg._, III, 206.\n\nNo mention is here made of the indulgences attached to adoration\nof the relics, etc. On the development of this form of indulgence\nsee Lea, _Hist. of Conf. and Indulg._, III, 131-194, 234-195, and\nGottlog, _Kreuzablass und Almosenablass_, pp. 195-254.\n\n[16] See Thesis 12.\n\n[17] See Theses 4-6, Note 2.\n\n[18] For Luther's opinion of this distinction, see the Discourse\nConcerning Confession elsewhere in the present volume.\n\n[19] \"Not even the poorest part of the penance which is called\n'satisfaction,' but the remission of the poorest part of\npenance.\" Letter to Staupitz, below.\n\n[20] There is ample proof that in practice the indulgences were\npreached as sufficient to secure the purchaser the entire\nremission of sin, and the form _a culpa et poena_ was officially\nemployed in many cases (Cf. Brieger, _Das Wesen des Abiases am\nAusgang des M A._ and PRE3 IX. 83 ff., and Lea, _History of\nConfession_, etc., III, 54 ff.). \"It is difficult to withstand\nthe conclution that even in theory indulgences had been declared\nto be efficacious for the removal of the guilt of sin in the\npresence of God,\" Lindsay, _History of the Reformation_, I, 226.\n\n[21] It is the basis of this theory that Roman Catholic writers on\nindulgences declare them to be \"extra-sacramental,\" i. e., outside\nthe Sacrament of Penance. So, e.g., Kent, in The Catholic\nEncyclopedia, Art. _Indulgence_.\n\n[22] See Theses 56-58.\n\n[23] The doctrine of the \"Treasury of the Church\" grew up as a\nresult of the indulgences. It was an attempt to answer the\nquestion, How can a \"satisfaction,\" which God demands, be waived?\nThe answer is, By the application of merits earned by Christ and\nby the Saints who did more than God requires. These merits form\nthe Treasury of the Church. Cf. Seeberg, PRE3 XV, 417; Lea,\n_Hist. of Confession_, etc., III, 14-28.\n\n[24] See Theses 26.\n\n[25] i. e. A plenary indulgence similar to those granted for\npilgrimage to Rome in Jubilee-years. See above, p.18.\n\n[26] See Theses 53-55.\n\n[27] See Thesis 75.\n\n[28] See Thesis 35.\n\n[29] See Thesis 27.\n\n[30] _Weimar Ed._, I, 63 ff.; _Erl. Ed._, I, 101 ff.\n\n[31] _Weimar Ed._, I, 94 ff,; _Erl. Ed._, I, 171 ff., 177 ff.\n\n[32] See Thesis 1.\n\n[33] See Thesis 4.\n\n[34] See Letter to Archbishop, below. The text of this\nInstruction in Kapp, Sammlung, etc. (1721), pp. 117-206.\nTschackert has surmised that even the number of the Theses was\ndetermined by the number of the paragraphs in this Instruction.\nThere were 94 of these paragraphs, and of the Theses 94 + 1.\n_Enstehung d. luth. u. ref. Kirchenlehre_ (1910), p. 16, note 1.\n\n[35] The following, based on an unpublished manuscript of Th.\nBrieger, is an interesting analysis of the contents and subject\nmatter of the Theses. For the sake of brevity the minor\nsubdivisions are omitted:\n    Introduction. The ideas fundamentally involved in the concept\n        of _poenitentia_ (Th. 1-7).\n    I. Indulgences for souls in purgatory (Th. 8-29).\n        1. Canonical Penalties and the pains of purgatory (Th. 8-19).\n        2. The relation of the Pope to purgatory (Th. 8-19).\n    II. Indulgences for the living (Th. 30-80).\n        1. The content and nature of the preaching of indulgences\n            (Th. 30-55).\n        2. The treasury of the Church (Th. 56-66).\n        3. The duty of the regular church-authorities on the\n            matter (Th. 67-80).\n    Conclusion (Th. 81-95).\n        1. The objections of the laity of the indulgence-traffic\n            (Th. 81-91).\n        2. The evil motive of the traffic in indulgences, with\n            special references to the statements of Th. 1-4 (Th.\n            91-95). H. Hermelink in Kr\u00fcger's _Handbuch der\n            Kirchengeschicte_ (1911), III, 66.\n\n[36] _Weimar Ed._, I, pp. 525 ff.\n\n\nI\n\nLETTER TO THE ARCHBISHOP ALBRECHT OF MAINZ\n\nOCTOBER 31, 1517\n\n\nTo the Most Reverend Father in Christ and Most Illustrious Lord,\nAlbrecht of Magdeburg and Mainz, Archbishop and Primate of the\nChurch, Margrave of Brandenburg, etc., his own lord and pastor in\nChrist, worthy of reverence and fear, and most gracious.\n\nJESUS[1]\n\nThe grace of God be with you in all its fulness and power! Spare\nme. Most Reverend Father in Christ and Most Illustrious Prince,\nthat I, the dregs of humanity, have so much boldness that I have\ndared to think of a letter to the height of your Sublimity. The\nLord Jesus is my witness that, conscious of my smallness and\nbaseness, I have long deferred what I am now shameless enough to\ndo,--moved thereto most of all by the duty of fidelity which I\nacknowledge that I owe to your most Reverend Fatherhood in\nChrist. Meanwhile, therefore, may your Highness deign to cast an\neye upon one speck of dust, and for the sake of your pontifical\nclemency to heed my prayer.\n\nPapal indulgences for the building of St. Peter's are circulating\nunder your most distinguished name, and as regards them, I do not\nbring accusation against the outcries of the preachers, which I\nhave not heard, so much as I grieve over the wholly false\nimpressions which the people have conceived from them; to\nwit,--the unhappy souls believe that if they have purchased\nletters of indulgence they are sure of their salvation;[2] again,\nthat so soon as they cast their contributions into the money-box,\nsouls fly out of purgatory;[3] furthermore, that these graces\n[i. e., the graces conferred in the indulgences] are so great that\nthere is no sin too great to be absolved, even, as they\nsay--though the thing is impossible--if one had violated the\nMother of God;[4] again, that a man is free, through these\nindulgences, from all penalty and guilt.[5]\n\nO God, most good! Thus souls committed to your care, good Father,\nare taught to their death, and the strict account, which you must\nrender for all such, grows and increases. For this reason I have\nno longer been able to keep quiet about this matter, for it is by\nno gift of a bishop that man becomes sure of salvation, since he\ngains this certainty not even by the \"inpoured grace\" [6] of God,\nbut the Apostle bids us always \"work out our own salvation in\nfear and trembling,\" [Phil. 2:12] and Peter says, \"the righteous\nscarcely shall be saved.\" [1 Pet. 4:18, Matt] Finally, so narrow\nis the way that leads to life, that the Lord, through the\nprophets Amos and Zechariah, calls those who shall be saved\n\"brands plucked from the burning,\" [Amos 4:11, Zech. 3:2] and\neverywhere declares the difficulty of salvation.\n\nWhy, then, do the preachers of pardons, by these false fables and\npromises, make the people careless and fearless? Whereas\nindulgences confer on us no good gift, either for salvation or\nfor sanctity, but only take away the external penalty, which it\nwas formerly the custom to impose according to the canons.[7]\n\nFinally, works of piety and love are infinitely better than\nindulgences,[8] and yet these are not preached with such ceremony\nor such zeal; nay, for the sake of preaching the indulgences they\nare kept quiet, though it is the first and the sole duty of all\nbishops that the people should learn the Gospel and the love of\nChrist, for Christ never taught that indulgences should be\npreached. How great then is the horror, how great the peril of a\nbishop, if he permits the Gospel to be kept quiet, and nothing\nbut the noise of indulgences to be spread among his people![9]\nWill not Christ say to them, \"straining at a gnat and swallowing\na camel\"? [Matt. 23:34][10]\n\nIn addition to this, Most Reverend Father in the Lord, it is said\nin the Instruction to the Commissaries[11] which is issued under\nyour name, Most Reverend Father (doubtless without your knowledge\nand consent), that one of the chief graces of indulgence is that\ninestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to God, and\nall the penalties of purgatory are destroyed.[12] Again, it is\nsaid that contrition is not necessary in those who purchase souls\n[out of purgatory] or buy _confessionalia_.[13]\n\nBut what can I do, good Primate and Most Illustrious Prince,\nexcept pray your Most Reverend Fatherhood by the Lord Jesus\nChrist that you would deign to look [on this matter] with the eye\nof fatherly care, and do away entirely with that treatise[14] and\nimpose upon the preachers of pardons another form of preaching;\nlest, perchance, one may some time arise, who will publish\nwritings in which he will confute both them and that treatise, to\nthe shame of your Most Illustrious Sublimity. I shrink very much\nfrom thinking that this will be done, and yet I fear that it will\ncome to pass, unless there is some speedy remedy.\n\nThese faithful offices of my insignificance I beg that your Most\nIllustrious Grace may deign to accept in the spirit of a Prince\nand a Bishop, i. e., with the greatest clemency, as I offer them\nout of a faithful heart, altogether devoted to you, Most Reverend\nFather, since I too am a part of your flock.\n\nMay the Lord Jesus have your Most Reverend Fatherhood eternally\nin His keeping. Amen.\n\nFrom Wittenberg on the Vigil of All Saints, MDXVII.\n\nIf it please the Most Reverend Father he may see these my\nDisputations, and learn how doubtful a thing is the opinion of\nindulgences which those men spread as though it were most\ncertain.\n\n    To the Most Reverend Father,\n        Brother Martin Luther.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] In the original editions the word Jesus appears at the head\nof the works, and the present editors have retained the use,\nwhich was apparently an act of obedience to the command,\n\"Whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the\nLord Jesus\" (Col. 3:17).\n\n[2] See Theses 18-24, 32, 52.\n\n[3] See Thesis 27.\n\n[4] See Thesis 75.\n\n[5] See Theses 5, 6, 20, 21.\n\n[6] _Gratia infusa_, meaning the working of God upon the hearts of\nmen, by means of which their lives become pleasing to God. Cf.\nLoors' Dogmengeschicte, 4th ed., pp. 562 ff.\n\n[7] See Thesis 5.\n\n[8] See Theses 41-47.\n\n[9] See Theses 52-55.\n\n[10] See Thesis 80.\n\n[11] See above, Introduction, p. 22 f.\n\n[12] See Theses 21, 33.\n\n[13] See Thesis 55, and Introduction, p.22.\n\n[15] viz., The Instruction to the Commissaries.\n\n\nII\n\nDISPUTATION OF DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER ON THE POWER AND EFFICACY OF\nINDULGENCES\n\nOCTOBER 31, 1517\n\n\nOut of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light,\nthe following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under\nthe presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of\nArts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same\nat that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to\nbe present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter.\n\nIn the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.\n\n1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said _Poenitentiam\nagite_,[1] willed that the whole life of believers should be\nrepentance. [Matt. 4:17]\n\n2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance,\ni. e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the\npriests.\n\n3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no\ninward repentance which does not outwardly work divers\nmortifications of the flesh.\n\n4. The penalty[2] [of sin], therefore, continues so long as\nhatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance,\nand continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.\n\n5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any\npenalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own\nauthority or by that of the Canons.[3]\n\n6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it\nhas been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission;\nthough, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to\nhis judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were\ndespised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.\n\n7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time,\nhumble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, the\npriest.\n\n8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and,\naccording to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.\n\n9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because\nin his decrees he always makes exception of the article of death\nand of necessity.[4]\n\n10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in\nthe case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.\n\n11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty of\npurgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown\nwhile the bishops slept. [Matt. 13:25]\n\n13. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not\nafter, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.\n\n13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are\nalready dead to canonical rules, and have a right to be released\nfrom them.\n\n14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, the imperfect\nlove, of the dying brings with it, of necessity, great fear; and\nthe smaller the love, the greater is the fear.\n\n15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone (to say\nnothing of other things) to constitute the penalty of purgatory,\nsince it is very near to the horror of despair.\n\n16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair,\nalmost-despair, and the assurance of safety.\n\n17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horror would\ngrow less and love increase.\n\n18. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, that they\nare outside the state of merit, that is to say, of increasing\nlove.\n\n19. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that all of\nthem, are certain or assured of their own blessedness, though we\nmay be quite certain of it.\n\n20. Therefore by \"full remission of all penalties\" the pope means\nnot actually \"of all,\" but only of those imposed by himself.\n\n21. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, who\nsay that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from every\npenalty, and saved;\n\n22. Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which,\naccording to the canons, they would have had to pay in this life.\n\n23. If it is at all possible to grant to any one the remission of\nall penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remission can\nbe granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the very fewest.\n\n24. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part of the\npeople are deceived by that indiscriminate and high-sounding\npromise of release from penalty.\n\n25. The power which the pope has, in a general way, over\npurgatory, is just like the power which any bishop or curate has,\nin a special way, within his own diocese or parish.\n\n36. The pope does well when he grants remission to souls [in\npurgatory], not by the power of the keys (which he does not\npossess),[5] but by way of intercession.\n\n27. They preach man[6] who say that so soon as the penny jingles\ninto the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory]. [7]\n\n28. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box,\ngain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the\nintercession of the Church is in the power of God alone.\n\n29. Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to be\nbought out of it, as in the legend of Sts. Severinus and\nPaschal.[8]\n\n30. No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere; much less\nthat he has attained full remission.\n\n31. Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so rare is also\nthe man who truly buys indulgences, i. e., such men are most rare.\n\n32. They will be condemned eternally, together with their\nteachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because\nthey have letters of pardon.[9]\n\n33. Men must be on their guard against those who say that the\npope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is\nreconciled to Him;\n\n34. For these \"graces of pardon\" concern only the penalties of\nsacramental satisfaction, and these are appointed by man.[10]\n\n35. They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that contrition\nis not necessary in those who intend to buy souls out of\npurgatory or to buy _confessionalia_.[11]\n\n36. Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission\nof penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon.\n\n37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in all\nthe blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted him\nby God, even without letters of pardon.\n\n38. Nevertheless, the remission and participation [in the\nblessings of the Church] which are granted by the pope are in no\nway to be despised, for they are, as I have said,[12] the\ndeclaration of divine remission.\n\n39. It is most difficult, even for the very keenest theologians,\nat one and the same time to commend to the people the abundance\nof pardons and [the need of] true contrition.\n\n40. True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but liberal\npardons only relax penalties and cause them to be hated, or at\nleast, furnish an occasion [for hating them].\n\n41. Apostolic[13] pardons are to be preached with caution, lest\nthe people may falsely think them preferable to other good works\nof love.\n\n42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend the\nbuying of pardons to be compared in any way to works of mercy.\n\n43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or\nlends to the needy does a better work than buying pardons;\n\n44. Because love grows by works of love, and man becomes\nbetter; but by pardons man does not grow better, only more free\nfrom penalty.\n\n45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need,\nand passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases\nnot the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God.\n\n46. Christians are to be taught that unless they have more than\nthey need, they are bound to keep back what is necessary for\ntheir own families, and by no means to squander it on pardons.\n\n47. Christians are to be taught that the buying of pardons is a\nmatter of free will, and not of commandment.\n\n48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting\npardons, needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer for\nhim more than the money they bring.\n\n49. Christians are to be taught that the pope's pardons are\nuseful, if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether\nharmful, if through them they lose their fear of God.[14]\n\n50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the\nexactions of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that St.\nPeter's church should go to ashes, than that it should be built\nup with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.\n\n51. Christians are to be taught that it would be the pope's wish,\nas it is his duty, to give of his own money to very many of those\nfrom whom certain hawkers of pardons cajole money, even though\nthe church of St. Peter might have to be sold.\n\n53. The assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is vain, even\nthough the commissary,[15] nay, even though the pope himself,\nwere to stake his soul upon it.\n\n53. They are enemies of Christ and of the pope, who bid the Word\nof God be altogether silent in some Churches, in order that\npardons may be preached in others.\n\n54. Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an\nequal or a longer time is spent on pardons than on this Word.[16]\n\n55. It must be the intention of the pope that if pardons, which\nare a very small thing, are celebrated with one bell, with single\nprocessions and ceremonies, then the Gospel, which is the very\ngreatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a\nhundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.\n\n56. The \"treasures of the Church,\" [17] out of which the pope\ngrants indulgences, are not sufficiently named or known among the\npeople of Christ.\n\n57. That they are not temporal treasures is certainly evident,\nfor many of the vendors do not pour out such treasures so easily,\nbut only gather them.\n\n58. Not are they the merits of Christ and the Saints, for even\nwithout the pope, these always work grace for the inner man, and\nthe cross, death, and hell for the outward man.\n\n59. St. Lawrence said that the treasures of the Church were the\nChurch's poor, but he spoke according to the usage of the word in\nhis own time.\n\n60. Without rashness we say that the keys of the Church, given by\nChrist's merit, are that treasure;\n\n61. For it is clear that for the remission of penalties and of\nreserved cases, the power of the pope is of itself sufficient.\n\n62. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of\nthe glory and the grace of God.\n\n63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the\nfirst to be last.\n\n64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally\nmost acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.\n\n65. Therefore the treasures of the Gospel are nets with which\nthey formerly were wont to fish for men of riches.\n\n66. The treasures of the indulgences are nets with which they now\nfish for the riches of men.\n\n67. The indulgences which the preachers cry as the \"greatest\ngraces\" are known to be truly such, in so far as they promote\ngain.\n\n68. Yet they are in truth the very smallest graces compared with\nthe grace of God and the piety of the Cross.\n\n69. Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries of\napostolic pardons, with all reverence.\n\n70. But still more are they bound to strain all their eyes and\nattend with all their ears, lest these men preach their own\ndreams instead of the commission of the pope.\n\n71. He who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons, let him\nbe anathema and accursed!\n\n73. But he who guards against the lust and license of the\npardon-preachers, let him be blessed!\n\n73. The pope justly thunders[18] against those who, by any art,\ncontrive the injury of the traffic in pardons.\n\n74. But much more does he intend to thunder against those who use\nthe pretext of pardons to contrive the injury of holy love and\ntruth.\n\n75. To think the papal pardons so great that they could absolve a\nman even if he had committed an impossible sin and violated the\nMother of God--this is madness.[19]\n\n76. We say, on the contrary, that the papal pardons are not able\nto remove the very least of venial sins, so far as its guilt is\nconcerned.[20]\n\n77. It is said that even St. Peter, if he were now Pope, could\nnot bestow greater graces; this is blasphemy against St. Peter\nand against the pope.\n\n78. We say, on the contrary, that even the present pope, and any\npope at all, has greater graces at his disposal; to wit, the\nGospel, powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written in I.\nCorinthians xii.\n\n79. To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms, which\nis set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth\nwith the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.\n\n80. The bishops, curates and theologians who allow such talk to\nbe spread among the people, will have an account to render.\n\n81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter,\neven for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope\nfrom slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity.\n\n82. To wit:--\"Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake\nof holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if\nhe redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable\nmoney with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be\nmost just; the latter is most trivial.\"\n\n83. Again:--\"Why are mortuary and anniversary masses for the dead\ncontinued, and why does he not return or permit the withdrawal of\nthe endowments founded on their behalf, since it is wrong to pray\nfor the redeemed?\"\n\n84. Again:--\"What is this new piety of God and the pope, that for\nmoney they allow a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out\nof purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God, and do not\nrather, because of that pious and beloved soul's own need, free\nit for pure love's sake?\"\n\n85. Again:--\"Why are the penitential canons,[21] long since in\nactual fact and through disuse abrogated and dead, now satisfied\nby the granting of indulgences, as though they were still alive\nand in force?\"\n\n86. Again:--\"Why does not the pope, whose wealth is to-day\ngreater than the riches of the richest, build just this one\nchurch of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the\nmoney of poor believers?\"\n\n87. Again:--\"What is it that the pope remits, and what\nparticipation[22] does he grant to those who, by perfect\ncontrition, have a right to full remission and participation?\"\n\n88. Again:--\"What greater blessing could come to the Church than\nif the pope were to do a hundred times a day what he now does\nonce,[23] and bestow on every believer these remissions and\nparticipations?\"\n\n89. \"Since the pope, by his pardons, seeks the salvation of souls\nrather than money, why does he suspend the indulgences and\npardons granted heretofore, since these have equal efficacy?\" [24]\n\n90. To repress these arguments and scruples of the laity by force\nalone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose\nthe Church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to\nmake Christians unhappy.\n\n91. If, therefore, pardons were preached according to the spirit\nand mind of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved;\nnay, they would not exist.\n\n92. Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of\nChrist, \"Peace, peace,\" and there is no peace! [Ezek. 13:10]\n\n93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of\nChrist, \"Cross, cross,\" and there is no cross![25]\n\n94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in\nfollowing Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and\nhell;\n\n95. And thus be confident of altering into heaven rather through\nmany tribulations, than through the assurance of peace. [Acts\n14:22]\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] Matt. 4:17. Greek, _\u00b5eta??e?te_; English \"repent\"; German\n_Bussetun_. The Latin and German versions may also be rendered, \"Do\npenance\"; the Greek, on the other hand, can only mean \"Repent.\"\n\n[2] The Roman theology distinguishes between the \"guilt\" and the\n\"penalty\" of sin. See Introduction, p.19.\n\n[3] Decrees of the Church, having the force of law. The canons\nreferred to here and below (Cf. Theses 8, 85) are the so-called\npenitential Canons. See Introduction, p.17.\n\n[4] Commenting on this Thesis in the _Resolutions_, Luther\ndistinguishes between \"temporal\" and \"eternal\" necessity.\n\"Necessity knows no law.\" \"Death is the necessity of necessities\"\n(_Weimar Ed._, I, 549; _Erl. Ed. op. var. arg._, II, 166).\n\n[5] This is not a denial of the power of the keys, i. e., the\npower to forgive and retain sin, but merely that the power of the\nkeys extends to purgatory.\n\n[6] i. e., Merely human doctrine.\n\n[7] An alleged statement of indulgence-vendors. See Letter to\nMainz and Introduction.\n\n[8] Luther refers again to this story in the _Resolutions_\n(_Weimar Ed._, I, p.586). The story is that these saints\npreferred to remain longer in purgatory that they might have\ngreater glory in heaven. Luther adds, \"Whoever will, may believe\nin these stories; it is no concern of mine.\"\n\n[9] Luther uses the terms \"pardon\" and \"indulgence\"\ninterchangeably.\n\n[10] For meaning of the term \"satisfaction,\" see Introduction, p.\n19f.\n\n[11] Privileges entitling their holder to choose his own\nconfessor and relieving him of certain satisfactions. See\nIntroduction, p. 22.\n\n[12] See above, Thesis 6.\n\n[13] i. e., \"Papal.\"\n\n[14] Cf. Thesis 32.\n\n[15] The commissioner who sold the letters of indulgence.\n\n[16] The best texts read _illi_, \"on it,\" i. e., the Word of God.\nThe _Erl. Ed._ has a variant _verbis evangelics_, \"the words of the\nGospel\" (_op. var. arg._, I, 289).\n\n[17] See Introduction, p. 20, note 2.\n\n[18] i. e., Threatens with \"thunder-bolt\" of excommunication.\n\n[19] See Letter to Mainz, above p. 26. For repetition and defense\nof the statement against which Luther here protests, see _Disp.\nI. Jo Tetzelii_, Th. 99-101; Loescher. I, 513.\n\n[20] Cf. Thesis 6.\n\n[21] Cf. Thesis 5 and note.\n\n[22] Cf. Theses 36, 37.\n\n[23] The letter of indulgence entitled its possessor to\nabsolution \"once in life and in the article of death.\"\n\n[24] During the time when the Jubilee-indulgences were preached,\nother Indulgences were suspended.\n\n[25] In a letter to Michael Dressel, 22 June, 1516, Luther had\nwritten: \"It is not that man, therefore whom no one disturbs who\nhas peace--which is indeed, the peace of the world--but he whom\nall men and all things harass and who bears all quietly with joy.\nYou say with Israel: 'Peace, peace,' and there is no peace; say\nrather with Christ, 'Cross, cross' and there is no cross. For the\ncross ceases to be a cross as soon as you say joyfully: 'Blessed\ncross, there is no tree like you'\" (Preserved Smith, _Luther_, p.\n32).\n\n\nIII\n\nLETTER TO JOHN STAUPITZ ACCOMPANYING THE \"RESOLUTIONS\" TO THE XCV\nTHESES\n\n1518\n\n\nTo his Reverend and Dear Father\n\nJOHN STAUPITZ,\n\nProfessor of Sacred Theology, Vicar of the Augustinian Order,\n\nBrother Martin Luther,\n\nhis pupil,\n\nsendeth greeting.\n\nI remember, dear Father, that once, among those pleasant and\nwholesome talks of thine, with which the Lord Jesus ofttimes\ngives me wondrous consolation, the word _poenitentia_[1] was\nmentioned. We were moved with pity for many consciences, and for\nthose tormentors who teach, with rules innumerable and\nunbearable, what they call a _modus confitendi_.[2] Then we heard\nthee say as with a voice from heaven, that there is no true\npenitence which does not begin with love of righteousness and of\nGod, and that this love, which others think to be the end and the\ncompletion of penitence, is rather its beginning.\n\nThis word of thine stuck in me like a sharp arrow of the mighty,\n[Ps. 120:4] and from that time forth I began to compare it with\nthe texts of Scripture which teach penitence. Lo, there began a\njoyous game! The words frollicked with me everywhere! They\nlaughed and gamboled around this saying. Before that there was\nscarcely a word in all the Scriptures more bitter to me than\n\"penitence,\" though I was busy making pretences to God and trying\nto produce a forced, feigned love; but now there is no word which\nhas for me a sweeter or more pleasing sound than \"penitence.\" For\nGod's commands are sweet, when we find that they are to be read\nnot in books alone, but in the wounds of our sweet Saviour.\n\nAfter this it came about that, by the grace of the learned men\nwho dutifully teach us Greek and Hebrew, I learned that this word\nis in Greek _metanoia_ and is derived from _meta_ and _noun_, i.\ne., _post_ and _mentem_,[3] so that _poenitentia_ or _metanoia_\nis a \"coming to one's senses,\" and is a knowledge of one's own\nevil, gained after punishment has been accepted and error\nacknowledged; and this cannot possibly happen without a change in\nour heart and our love. All this answers so aptly to the theology\nof Paul, that nothing, at least in my judgment, can so aptly\nillustrate St. Paul.\n\nThen I went on and saw that _metanoia_ can be derived, though not\nwithout violence, not only from _post_ and _mentem_, but also\nfrom _trans_ and _mentem_, [4] so that _metanoia_ signifies a\nchanging[5] of the mind and heart, because it seemed to indicate\nnot only a change of the heart, but also a manner of changing it,\ni. e., the grace of God. For that \"passing over of the mind,\" [6]\nwhich is true repentance, is of very frequent mention in the\nScriptures. Christ has displayed the true significance of that\nold word \"Passover\"; and long before the Passover, [Ex. 19:11]\nAbraham was a type of it, when he was called a \"pilgrim,\" [1 Cor.\n5:7] i. e., a \"Hebrew,\" [7] that is to say, one who \"passed over\"\ninto Mesopotamia, as the Doctor of Bourgos[8] learnedly explains.\nWith this accords, too, the title of the Psalm [Ps. 39] in which\nJeduthun, i. e., \"the pilgrim,\" [9] is introduced as the singer.\n\nDepending on these things, I ventured to think those men false\nteachers who ascribed so much to works of penitence that they\nleft us scarcely anything of penitence itself except trivial\nsatisfactions[10] and laborious confession, because, forsooth,\nthey had derived their idea from the Latin words _poenitentiam\nagere_,[11] which indicate an action, rather than a change of\nheart, and are in no way an equivalent for the Greek _metanoia_.\n\nWhile this thought was boiling in my mind, suddenly new trumpets\nof indulgences and bugles of remissions began to peal and to bray\nall about us; but they were not intended to arouse us to keen\neagerness for battle. In a word, the doctrine of true penitence\nwas passed by, and they presumed to praise not even that poorest\npart of penitence which is called \"satisfaction,\" [12] but the\nremission of that poorest part of penitence; and they praised it\nso highly that such praise was never heard before. Then, too,\nthey taught impious and false and heretical doctrines with such\nauthority (I wished to say \"with such assurance\") that he who\neven muttered anything to the contrary under his breath, would\nstraightway be consigned to the flames as a heretic, and\ncondemned to eternal malediction.\n\nUnable to meet their rage half-way, I determined to enter a\nmodest dissent, and to call their teaching into question, relying\non the opinion of all the doctors and of the whole Church, that\nto render satisfaction is better than to secure the remission of\nsatisfaction, i. e., to buy indulgences. Nor is there anybody who\never taught otherwise. Therefore, I published my\nDisputation;[13] in other words, I brought upon my head all the\ncurses, high, middle and low, which these lovers of money (I\nshould say \"of souls\") are able to send or to have sent upon me.\nFor these most courteous men, armed, as they are, with very dense\nacumen, since they cannot deny what I have said, now pretend that\nin my Disputation I have spoken against the power of the Supreme\nPontiff.[14]\n\nThat is the reason. Reverend Father, why I now regretfully come\nout in public. For I have ever been a lover of my corner, and\nprefer to look upon the beauteous passing show of the great minds\nof our age, rather than to be looked upon and laughed at. But I\nsee that the bean must appear among the cabbages,[15] and the\nblack must be put with the white, for the sake of seemliness and\nloveliness.\n\nI ask, therefore, that thou wilt take this foolish work of mine\nand forward it, if possible, to the most Excellent Pontiff, Leo\nX, where it may plead my cause against the designs of those who\nhate me. Not that I wish thee to share my danger! Nay, I wish this\nto be done at my peril only. Christ will see whether what I have\nsaid is His or my own; and without His permission there is not a\nword in the Supreme Pontiff's tongue, nor is the heart of the\nking in his own hand. [Ps. 138:4 (Vulgate), Prov. 21:1] He is the\nJudge whose verdict I await from the Roman See.\n\nAs for those threatening friends of mine, I have no answer for\nthem but that word of Reuchlin's--\"He who is poor fears nothing;\nhe has nothing to lose.\" Fortune I neither have nor desire; if I\nhave had reputation and honor, he who destroys them is always at\nwork; there remains only one poor body, weak and wearied with\nconstant hardships, and if by force or wile they do away with\nthat (as a service to God), they will but make me poorer by\nperhaps an hour or two of life. [John 16:2] Enough for me is the\nmost sweet Saviour and Redeemer, my Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom I\nshall always sing my song; [Ps. 104:33] if any one is unwilling\nto sing with me, what is that to me? Let him howl, if he likes,\nby himself.\n\nThe Lord Jesus keep thee eternally, my gracious Father!\n\nWittenberg, Day of the Holy Trinity, MDXVIII\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] \"Penitence,\" \"repentance,\" \"penance,\" are all translations of\nthis word. See above, p.29, note 1.\n\n[2] The _modus confitendi_, or \"way of confession\" is the\nteaching of what sins are to be confessed to the priest and how\nthey are to be confessed. The subject is discussed fully by\nLuther in his _Discussion of Confession_, below, pp. 81-102.\n\n[3] Gr. _\u00b5et?_, Lat., _post_. Eng., \"after\"; Gr. _????_, Lat.,\n_mens_, Eng., \"mind.\"\n\n[4] The Greek _\u00b5et?_ can also be translated by the Latin _trans_,\nwhich, in compounds, denotes movement from one place, or thing,\nor condition, to another.\n\n[5] Lat. _transmutatio_, \"the act or process of changing,\" not\nsimply \"a change\" (_mutatio_).\n\n[6] _Transitus mentis_.\n\n[7] The derivative of the term \"Hebrew\" is still disputed (v.\nPRE3 VII, p.507). Luther conceives it to mean _transitor_, \"one\nwho passes through tor across the land,\" \"a pilgrim.\" Cf. Genesis\n12:6.\n\n[8] _Burgenesis_, i. e. Paul of Bourgos (1353-1435).\n\n[9] Another bit of Medi\u00e6val philology.\n\n[10] See Introduction, p. 19.\n\n[11] Cf. Thesis 1, and foot-note.\n\n[12] Here again, as above, we have the double sense of\n_poentitentia_. Satisfaction is a part of sacramental penance.\nLuther's charge is that in preaching the remission of this part\nof the Sacrament the doctrine of true penitence (cf. Thesis 1) is\npassed by.\n\n[13] The Ninety-five Theses.\n\n[14] Tetzel's reply to the Theses (_Disputatio II, Jo.\nTetzelli_), 1517. Loescher, I, pp. 517 ff.\n\n[15] A Latin adage, _chorcorus inter olern_.\n\n\nIV\n\nLETTER TO POPE LEO X, ACCOMPANYING THE \"RESOLUTIONS\" TO THE XCV\nTHESES 1518\n\n\nTo the\n\nMost Blessed Father,\n\nLEO X.\n\nMartin Luther,\n\nAugustinian Friar,\n\nwisheth everlasting welfare.\n\nI have heard evil reports about myself, most blessed Father, by\nwhich I know that certain friends have put my name in very bad\nodor with you and yours, saying that I have attempted to belittle\nthe power of the keys and of the Supreme Pontiff. Therefore I am\naccused of heresy, apostasy, and perfidy, and am called by six\nhundred other names of ignominy. My ears shudder and my eyes are\nastounded. But the one thing in which I put my confidence remains\nunshaken--my clear and quiet conscience. Moreover, what I hear is\nnothing new. With such like decorations I have been adorned in my\nown country by those same honorable and truthful men, i. e., by\nthe men whose own conscience convicts them of wrong-doing, and\nwho are trying to put their own monstrous doings off on me, and\nto glorify their own shame by bringing shame to me. But you will\ndeign, blessed Father, to hear the true case from me, though I am\nbut an uncouth child. [Jer. 2:6]\n\nIt is not long ago that the preaching of the Jubilee\nindulgences[1] was begun in our country, and matters went so far\nthat the preachers of indulgences, thinking that the protection\nof your name made anything permissible, ventured openly to teach\nthe most impious and heretical doctrines, which threatened to\nmake the power of the Church a scandal and a laughing-stock as if\nthe decretals _De abusionibus quaestorum_[2] did not apply to them.\n\nNot content with spreading this poison of theirs by word of\nmouth, they published tracts and scattered them among the people.\nIn these books--to say nothing of the insatiable and unheard of\navarice of which almost every letter in them vilely smells--they\nlaid down those same impious and heretical doctrines, and laid\nthem down in such wise that confessors were bound by their oath\nto be faithful and insistent in urging them upon the people. I\nspeak the truth, and none of them can hide himself from the heat\nthereof [Ps. 19:6]. The tracts are extant and they cannot disown\nthem. These teachings were so successfully carried on, and the\npeople, with their false hopes, were sucked so dry that, as the\nProphet says, \"they plucked their flesh from off their bones\";\n[Mic. 3:2] but they themselves meanwhile were fed most pleasantly\non the fat of the land.\n\nThere was just one means which they used to quiet opposition, to\nwit, the protection of your name, the threat of burning at the\nstake, and the disgrace of the name \"heretic.\" It is incredible\nhow ready they are to threaten, even, at times, when they\nperceive that it is only their own mere silly opinions which are\ncontradicted. As though this were to quiet opposition, and not\nrather to arouse schisms and seditions by sheer tyranny!\n\nNone the less, however, stories about the avarice of the priests\nwere bruited in the taverns, and evil was spoken of the power of\nthe keys and of the Supreme Pontiff, and as evidence of this, I\ncould cite the common talk of this whole land. I truly confess\nthat I was on fire with zeal for Christ, as I thought, or with\nthe heat of youth, if you prefer to have it so; and yet I saw\nthat it was not in place for me to make any decrees or to do\nanything in these matters. Therefore I privately admonished some\nof the prelates of the Church. By some of them I was kindly\nreceived, to others I seemed ridiculous, to still others\nsomething worse; for the terror of your name and the threat of\nChurch censures prevailed. At last, since I could do nothing\nelse, it seemed good that I should offer at least a gentle\nresistance to them, i. e., question and discuss their teachings.\nTherefore I published a set of theses, inviting only the more\nlearned to dispute with me if they wished; as should be evident,\neven to my adversaries, from the Preface to the Disputation.[3]\n\nLo, this is the fire with which they complain that all the world\nis now ablaze! Perhaps it is because they are indignant that I,\nwho by your own apostolic authority am a Master of Theology, have\nthe right to conduct public disputations, according to the custom\nof all the Universities and of the whole Church, not only about\nindulgences, but also about God's power and remission and mercy,\nwhich are incomparably greater subjects. I am not much moved,\nhowever, by the fact that they envy me the privilege granted me\nby the power of your Holiness, since I am unwillingly compelled\nto yield to them in things of far greater moment, viz., when they\nmix the dreams of Aristotle with theological matters, and conduct\nnonsensical disputations about the majesty of God, beyond and\nagainst the privilege granted them.\n\nIt is a miracle to me by what fate it has come about that this\nsingle Disputation of mine should, more than any other, of mine\nor of any of the teachers, have gone out into very nearly the\nwhole land. It was made public at our University and for our\nUniversity only, and it was made public in such wise that I\ncannot believe it has become known to all men. For it is a set of\ntheses, not doctrines or dogmas, and they are put, according to\ncustom, in an obscure and enigmatic way. Otherwise, if I had been\nable to foresee what was coming, I should have taken care, for my\npart, that they would be easier to understand.\n\nNow what shall I do? I cannot recant them; and yet I see that\nmarvelous enmity is inflamed against me because of their\ndissemination. It is unwillingly that I incur the public and\nperilous and various judgment of men, especially since I am\nunlearned, dull of brain, empty of scholarship; and that too in\nthis brilliant age of ours, which by its achievements in letters\nand learning can force even Cicero into the corner, though he was\nno base follower of the public light. But necessity compels me to\nbe the goose that squawks among the swans.\n\nAnd so, to soften my enemies and to fulfil the desires of many, I\nherewith send forth these trifling explanations of my\nDisputation; I send them forth in order, too, that I may be more\nsafe under the defense of your name and the shadow of your\nprotection. In them all may see, who will, how purely and amply I\nhave sought after and cherished the power of the Church and\nreverence for the keys; and, at the same rime, how unjustly and\nfalsely my adversaries have befouled me with so many names. For\nif I had been such a one as they wish to make me out, and if I\nhad not, on the contrary, done everything correctly, according to\nmy academic privilege, the Most Illustrious Prince Frederick,\nDuke of Saxony, Imperial Elector, etc., would never have\ntolerated such a pest in his University, for he most dearly loves\nthe Catholic and Apostolic truth, nor could I have been tolerated\nby the keen and learned men of our University. But what has been\ndone, I do because those most courteous men do not fear openly to\ninvolve both the Prince and the University in the same disgrace\nwith myself.[4]\n\nWherefore, most blessed Father, I cast myself at the feet of your\nHoliness, with all that I have and all that I am. Quicken, kill,\ncall, recall, approve, reprove, as you will. In your voice I\nshall recognize the voice of Christ directing you and speaking in\nyou. If I have deserved death, I shall not refuse to die. For\nthe earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof. [Ps. 24:1] He is\nblessed forever. Amen.\n\nMay He have you too forever in His keeping. Amen.\n\nANNO MDXVIII.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] See Introduction, pp. 18, 21.\n\n[2] i. e. The papal laws regulating the methods of collectors of\nchurch-funds.\n\n[3] The Ninety-five Theses.\n\n[4] See Tetzel's _II. Disputation_, Theses 47, 48. Loescher, I, p.\n522.\n\n\nA TREATISE ON THE HOLY SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM\n1529\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\nThis treatise is not a sermon in the ordinary acceptation of the\nterm. It was not preached, but, according to the Latin usage of\nthe word \"sermo,\" was rather \"a discourse,\" \"a discussion,\" \"a\ndisputation\" concerning baptism. Even in popular usage, the term\n\"sermon\" implies careful preparation and the orderly arrangement\nof thought. Here, therefore, we have a carefully prepared\nstatement of Luther's opinion of the real significance of\nbaptism. Published in November, 1519, and shortly afterward in a\nLatin translation,[1] it shows that the leading features of his\ndoctrine on this subject were already fixed. With it should be\nread the chapter in the Large Catechism (1519), and the treatise\n_Von der Wiedertaufe_ (1538).[2] The treatment is not polemical,\nbut objective and practical. The Anabaptist controversy was still\nin the future. No objections against Infant Baptism or problems\nthat it suggested were pressing for attention. Nothing more is\nattempted than to explain in a very plain and practical way how\nevery one who has been baptised should regard his baptism. It\ncommits to writing in an entirely impersonal way a problem of\nLuther's own inner life, for the instruction of others similarly\nperplexed.\n\nHe is confronted with a rite universally found in Christendom and\nnowhere else, the one distinctive mark of a Christian, the seal\nof a divine covenant. What it means is proclaimed by its very\nexternal form. But it is more than a mere object-lesson\npictorially representing a great truth. With Luther, Word and\nSpirit, sign and that which is signified, belong together.\nWherever the one is present, there also is the efficacy of the\nother. The sign is not limited to the moment of administration,\nand that which is signified is not projected far into the distant\nfuture of adult years.\n\nThe emphatic preference here shown for immersion may surprise\nthose not familiar with Luther's writings. He prefers it as a\nmatter of choice between non-essentials. To quote only his\ntreatise of the next year on the Babylonian Captivity: \"I wish\nthat those to be baptised were entirety sunken in the water; not\nthat I think it necessary, but that of so perfect and complete a\nthing, there should be also an equally complete and perfect\nsign.\" [3] It was a form that was granted as permissible in\ncurrent Orders approved by the Roman Church, and was continued in\nsucceeding Orders.[4] Even when immersion was not used, the\ncopious application of the water was a prominent feature of the\nceremony. No one is better qualified to speak on this subject\nthan Prof. Rietschel, himself formerly a Wittenberger: \"The form\nof baptism at Wittenberg is manifest from the picture by L.\nCranach on the altar of the Wittenberg _Pfarrkirche_, in which\nMelanchthon is administering baptism. At Melanchthon's left hand\nlies the completely naked child over the foot. With his right\nhand he is pouring water upon the child's head, from which the\nwater is copiously flowing.\" [5]\n\nNor should it be forgotten that the immersion which Luther had in\nmind was not that of adults, almost unknown at the time, and as\nhe himself says, practically unknown for about a thousand\nyears,[6] but that of infants. In the immersion of infants, he\nfinds two things: first, the sinking of the child beneath the\nwater, and, then, its being raised out, the one signifying death\nto sin and all its consequences, and the other, the new life into\nwhich the child is introduced. Four years later Luther introduced\ninto the revised Order of Baptism which he prepared, the Collect\nof ancient form, but which the most diligent search of liturgical\nscholars has thus far been unable to discover in any of the\nprayers of the Ancient or Medi\u00e6val Church, expressing in\ncondensed form this thought. We quote the introduction, as freely\nrendered by Cranmer in the First Prayer Book of Edward VI:\n\"Almighty and Everlasting God, Which, of Thy justice, didst\ndestroy by floods of water the whole world for sin, except eight\npersons, whom of Thy mercy Thou didst save, the same time, in the\nark; and when Thou didst drown in the Red Sea wicked King Pharaoh\nwith all his army, yet, the same time, Thou didst lead Thy\npeople, the children of Israel, safely through the midst thereof;\nwhereby Thou didst figure the washing of Thy holy baptism, and by\nthe baptism of Thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, didst sanctify\nthe flood of Jordan, and all other waters, to the mystical\nwashing away of sin,\" etc.[7]\n\nThe figure is to him not that of an act, but of a process\nextending throughout the entire earthly life of the one baptised.\nSin is not drowned at once, or its consequences escaped in a\nmoment. It is a graphic presentation in epitome of the entire\nwork of grace with this subject.[8] Life, therefore, in the\nlanguage of this treatise, is \"a perpetual baptism.\" As the mark\nof our Christian profession, as the sacramental oath of the\nsoldier of the cross, it is the solemn declaration of relentless\nwarfare against sin, and of life-long devotion to Christ our\nLeader. As the true bride is responsive to no other love than\nthat of her husband, so one faithful to his baptism is dead to\nall else. It is as though all else had been sunk beneath the sea.\n\nIn the distinction drawn between the sacramental sign and the\nsacramental efficacy in paragraphs seven and eight, the\nProtestant distinction between justification and sanctification\nis involved. The one baptised, becomes in his baptism, wholly\ndead to the condemning power of sin; but so far as the presence\nof sin is concerned, the work of deliverance has just begun. This\nis in glaring contrast with the scholastic doctrine that original\nsin itself is entirely eradicated in baptism.[9] For baptism but\nbegins the constant struggle against sin that ends only with the\nclose of life. Hence the warning against making of baptism a\nground for presumption, and against relaxing the earnestness of\nthe struggle upon the assumption that one has been baptised. For\nunless baptism be the beginning of a new life, it is without\nmeaning.\n\nNor is the error less fatal which resorts to satisfactions,\nself-chosen or ecclesiastically appointed, for the forgiveness of\nsin committed after baptism. For as every sin committed after\nbaptism is a falling away from baptism, all repentance is a\nreturn to baptism. No forgiveness is to be found except upon the\nterms of our baptism. Never changing is God's covenant. If broken\non our part, no new covenant is to be sought. We must return to\nthe faith of our childhood or be lost. The Medi\u00e6val Church had\ndevised a sacrament of penance to supplement and repair the\nalleged broken down and inoperative sacrament of baptism.\nBaptism, so ran the teaching, blotted out the past and put one on\na plane to make a new beginning; but, then, when he fell, there\nwas this new sacrament, to which resort could be taken. It was\nthe \"second plank,\" wrote Jerome, \"by which one could swim out of\nthe sea of his sins.\" \"No,\" exclaimed Luther, in the Large\nCatechism, \"the ship of our baptism never goes down. If we fall\nout of the ship, there it is, ready for our return.\" [10]\n\nThere are, then, no vows whatever that can be substitutes for our\nbaptism, or can supplement it. The baptismal vow comprehends\neverything. Only one distinction is admissible. While the vow\nmade in baptism is universal, binding all alike to complete\nobedience to God, there are particular spheres in which this\ngeneral vow is to be exercised and fulfilled. Not all Christians\nhave the same office at the same calling. When one answers a\ndivine call directing him to some specific form of Christian\nservice, the vow made in response to such call is only the\nre-affirmation and application to a peculiar relation of the one\nobligatory vow of baptism.[11]\n\nWhile the divine institution and Word of God in baptism are of\nprime importance, the office of faith must also be made\nprominent. Faith is the third element in baptism. Faith does not\nmake the sacrament; but faith appropriates and applies to self\nwhat the sacrament offers. _Non sacramentum, sed fides sacramenti\njustificat_. Nor are we left in doubt as to what is here meant by\nthe term \"faith.\" In paragraph fourteen it is explicitly\ndescribed. Faith, we are then taught, is nothing else than to\nlook away from self to the mercy of God, as He offers it in the\nword of His grace, whereof baptism is the seal to every child\nbaptised.\n\nLuther's purpose, in this discussion, being to guard against the\nMedi\u00e6val theory of any _opus operatum_[12] efficacy in the\nsacrament, he would have wandered from his subject, if he had\nentered at this place into any extended discussion of the nature\nof the faith that is required. A few years later (1528), the\nAnabaptist reaction, which over-emphasised the subjective, and\ndepreciated the objective side of the sacraments, necessitated a\nmuch fuller treatment of the peculiar office of faith with\nrespect to baptism. To complete the discussion, the citation of a\nfew sentences from his treatise, _Von der Wiedertaufe_, may,\ntherefore, not be without use. Insisting that, important as faith\nis, the divine Word, and not faith, is the basis of baptism, he\nshows how one who regards faith, on the part of the candidate for\nbaptism, essential to its validity, can never, if consistent,\nadminister baptism; since there is no case in which he can have\nabsolute certainty that faith is present. Or if one should have\ndoubts as to the validity of his baptism in infancy, because he\nhas no evidence that he then believed, and, for this reason,\nshould ask to be baptised in adult years, then if Satan should\nagain trouble him as to whether, even when baptised the second\ntime, he really had faith, he would have to be baptised a third,\nand a fourth time, and so on _ad infinitum_, as long as such\ndoubts recurred.[13] \"For it often happens that one who thinks\nthat he has faith, has none whatever, and that one who thinks\nthat he has no faith but only doubts, actually believes. We are\nnot told: 'He who knows that he believes,' or 'If you know that\nyou believe,' but: 'He that believeth shall be saved.' [14] In\nother words, it is not faith in our faith that is asked, but\nfaith in the Word and institution of God. Again: \"Tell me: Which\nis the greater, the Word of God or faith? Is not the Word of God\nthe greater? For the Word does not depend upon faith, but it is\nfaith that is dependent on God's Word. Faith wavers and changes;\nbut the Word of God abides forever.\"[15] \"The man who bases his\nbaptism on his faith, is not only uncertain, but he is a godless\nand hypocritical Christian; for he puts his trust in what is not\nhis own, viz., in a gift which God has given him, and not alone\nin the Word of God; just as another builds upon his strength,\nwisdom, power, holiness, which, nevertheless, are gifts which God\nhas given us.\" [16] Even though at the time of baptism there be\nno faith, the baptism, nevertheless, is valid. For if at the time\nof marriage, a maiden be without love to the man whom she\nmarries, when, two years later, she has learned to love her\nhusband, there is no need of a new betrothal and a new marriage;\nthe covenant previously made is sufficient.[17]\n\nIn harmony with the stress laid in this treatise upon the fact\nthat baptism is a treasury of consolation offered to the faith of\nevery individual baptised, is the great emphasis which Luther, in\nother places, was constrained to lay upon personal as\ndistinguished from vicarious faith. Neither the faith of the\nsponsors, nor that of the Church, for which, according to\nAugustine, the sponsors speak, avails more than simply to bring\nthe child to baptism, where it becomes an independent agent, with\nwhom God now deals directly. Thus the Large Catechism declares:\n\"We bring the child in the purpose and hope that it may believe,\nand we pray God to grant it faith, but we do not baptise it upon\nthat, but solely upon the command of God.\" [18] Still more\nexplicit is a sermon on the Third Sunday after Epiphany; \"The\nwords, Mark 16:16, Romans 1:17, and John 3:16, 18 are clear, to\nthe effect that every one must believe for himself, and no one\ncan be helped by the faith of any me else, but only by his own\nfaith.\" \"It is just as in the natural life, no one can be born\nfor me, but I must be born myself. My mother may bring me to\nbirth, but it is I who am born, and no me else.\" \"Thus no one is\nsaved by the faith of another, but solely by his own faith.\" [19]\n\nThe treatise is found in _Weimar Ed._, II, 724-737; _Erlangen\nEd._, XXI, 229-244; St. Louis Ed., X, 2113-2116; Clemen and\nLeitzmann, _Luthers Werke_, I, (1912), 185-195.\n\n    HENRY E. JACOBS.\n\nMount Airy, Philadelphia.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] _Erl. Ed., op. var. arg._, III, 394-410.\n\n[2] _Erl. Ed._, XXVI, 256-294.\n\n[3] _Erl. Ed., op. var. arg._, V. 66. For an exhaustive treatment\nof Luther's attitude to immersion, sprinkling, and pouring, see\nKrauth, _Conservative Reformation_, 519-544.\n\n[4] For formulas, see H\u00f6fling, _Das Sacrament der Taufe_, II. 40.\n\n[5] Riechschel, _Lehrbuch der Liturgik_, II, 67 f.\n\n[6] \"If Infant Baptism were not right, then for one thousand\nyears there was no baptism and no Christian Church,\" _Erl. Ed._,\nXXVI, 287.\n\n[7] More literally, but with no great difference, in the Lutheran\nChurch Book, p. 323. The Book of Common Prayer, following the II.\nPrayerbook of Edward VI, has abbreviated it.\n\n[8] _Small Catechism_: \"Baptism signifies that the old Adam in us\nis to be drowned and destroyed by daily sorrow and repentance,\ntogether with all sins and evil lusts; and that again the new man\nshould daily come forth and rise, that shall live in the presence\nof God, in righteousness and purity for ever.\"\n\n[9] _Decrees of Trent_, Session V, 5: \"If any one asserts that\nthe whole of that which has the proper nature of sin is not taken\naway, but only evaded or not imputed, let him be accursed.\"\n\n[10] _Book of Concord_, Eng. Trans., p. 475.\n\n[11] Luther recurs to this subject in a subsequent treatise, the\n_Confitendi Ratio_, below pp. 81 ff.\n\n[12] i. e. The theory of the Roman Church that even without the\nfaith of a recipient, the blessing of the sacrament is bestowed.\n\n[13] _Erl. Ed._, XXVI, 268.\n\n[14] _Ibid._, 269.\n\n[15] _Erl. Ed._, XXVI, 292.\n\n[16] _Ibid_., 275.\n\n[17] _Ibid_., 275.\n\n[18] _Book of Concord_, English Translation, p. 473.\n\n[19] _Erl. Ed._, XI, 63, 48, 2d Ed., XI, 65, 61. See discussion by\nwriter in _Lutheran Church Review_, XVIII, 598-657, where passages\ncited may be found with full context translated, together with\nother statements of Luther and those who followed him, on the\nsame subject.\n\n\nA TREATISE ON BAPTISM\n\n[Sidenote: Meaning of the Word]\n\nI. Baptism [German, _die Taufe_] is called in the Greek language\n_baptismos_, in Latin _mersio_, which means to plunge something\nentirely into the water, so that the water closes over it. And\nalthough in many places it is the custom no longer to thrust and\nplunge children into the font of baptism, but only to pour the\nbaptismal water upon them out of the font, nevertheless the\nformer is what should be done; and it would be right, according\nto the meaning of the word _Taufe_, that the child, or whoever is\nbaptised, should be sunk entirely into the water, and then drawn\nout again; for even in the German tongue the word _Taufe_ comes\nundoubtedly from the word _tief_, and means that what is baptised\nis sunk deep into the water. This usage is also demanded by the\nsignificance of baptism, for baptism signifies that the old man\nand the sinful birth of flesh and blood are to be wholly drowned\nby the grace of God, as we shall hear. We should, therefore, do\njustice to its meaning and make baptism a true and complete sign\nof the thing it signifies.\n\n[Sidenote: The Sign]\n\nII. Baptism is an external sign or token, which so divides us\nfrom all men not baptised, that thereby we are known as a people\nof Christ, [Heb. 2:10] our Captain, under Whose banner (i. e.,\nthe Holy Cross) we continually fight against sin. Therefore in\nthis Holy Sacrament we must have regard to three things--the\nsign, the significance thereof, and the faith. The sign consists\nin this, that we are thrust into the water in the Name of the\nFather and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; but we are not left\nthere, for we are drawn out again. Hence the saying, _Aus der\nTaufe gehoben_.[1] The sign must, therefore, have both its parts,\nthe putting in and the drawing out.\n\n[Sidenote: The Thing Signified]\n\nIII. The significance of baptism is a blessed dying unto sin and\na resurrection in the grace of God, so that the old man, which is\nconceived and born in sin, is there drowned, and a new man, born\nin grace, comes forth and rises. Thus St. Paul, in Titus iii,\ncalls baptism a \"washing of regeneration,\" [Tit. 3:5] since in\nthis washing man is born again and made new. As Christ also says,\nin John iii, \"Except ye be born again of water and the Spirit of\ngrace, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.\" [John 3:5]\nFor just as a child is drawn out of its mother's womb and born,\nand through this fleshly birth is a sinful man and a child of\nwrath, [Eph. 2:3] so man is drawn out of baptism and spiritually\nborn, and through this spiritual birth is a child of grace and a\njustified man. Therefore sins are drowned in baptism, and in\nplace of sin, righteousness comes forth.\n\n[Sidenote: Its Incompleteness]\n\nIV. This significance of baptism, viz., the dying or drowning of\nsin, is not fulfilled completely in this life, nay, not until man\npasses through bodily death also, and utterly decays to dust. The\nsacrament, or sign, of baptism is quickly over, as we plainly\nsee. But the thing it signifies, viz., the spiritual baptism, the\ndrowning of sin, lasts so long as we five, and is completed only\nin death. Then it is that man is completely sunk in baptism, and\nthat thing comes to pass which baptism signifies. Therefore this\nlife is nothing else than a spiritual baptism which does not\ncease till death, and he who is baptised is condemned to die; as\nthough the priest, when he baptises, were to say, \"Lo, thou art\nsinful flesh; therefore I drown thee in God's Name, and in His\nName condemn thee to thy death, that with thee all thy sins may\ndie and be destroyed.\" Wherefore St. Paul says, in Romans vi,\n\"We are buried with Christ by baptism into death\"; [Rom. 6:4] and\nthe sooner after baptism a man dies, the sooner is his baptism\ncompleted; for sin never entirely ceases while this body lives,\nwhich is so wholly conceived in sin that sin is its very nature,\nas saith the Prophet, \"Behold I was conceived in sin, and in\niniquity did my mother bear me\"; [Ps. 51:5] and there is no help\nfor the sinful nature unless it dies and is destroyed with all\nits sin. So, then, the life of a Christian, from baptism to the\ngrave, is nothing else than the beginning of a blessed death, for\nat the Last Day God will make him altogether new.\n\n[Sidenote: Its Completion]\n\nV. In like manner the lifting up out of baptism is quickly done,\nbut the thing it signifies, the spiritual birth, the increase of\ngrace and righteousness, though it begins indeed in baptism,\nlasts until death, nay, even until the Last Day. Only then will\nthat be finished which the lifting up out of baptism signifies.\nThen shall we arise from death, from sins and from all evil, pure\nin body and in soul, and then shall we live forever. Then shall\nwe be truly lifted up out of baptism and completely born, and we\nshall put on the true baptismal garment of immortal life in\nheaven. As though the sponsors when they lift the child up out of\nbaptism,[2] were to say, \"Lo, now thy sins are drowned; we\nreceive thee in God's Name into an eternal life of innocence.\"\nFor so will the angels at the Last Day raise up all Christians,\nall pious baptised men, and will there fulfil what baptism and\nthe sponsors signify; as Christ says in Matthew xxiv, \"He shall\nsend forth His angels, and they shall gather unto Him His elect\nfrom the four places of the winds, and from the rising to the\nsetting of the sun.\" [Matt 24:31]\n\nVI. Baptism was presaged of old in Noah's flood, when the whole\nworld was drowned, save Noah with three sons and their wives,\neight souls, who were kept in the ark. That the people of the\nworld were drowned, signifies that in baptism sins are drowned;\nbut that the eight in the ark, with beasts of every sort, were\npreserved, signifies that through baptism man is saved, as St.\nPeter explains, [1 Pet. 3:20 f.] Now baptism is by far a greater\nflood than was that of Noah. For that flood drowned men during no\nmore than one year, but baptism drowns all sorts of men\nthroughout the world, from the birth of Christ even till the Day\nof Judgment. Moreover, it is a flood of grace, as that was a\nflood of wrath, as is declared in Psalm xxviii, \"God will make a\ncontinual new flood.\" [3] [Ps. 29:10] For without doubt many more\npeople are baptised than were drowned in the flood.\n\n[Sidenote: The Continuance of Sin]\n\nVII. From this it follows that when a man comes forth out of\nbaptism, he is pure and without sin, wholly guiltless. But there\nare many who do not rightly understand this, and think that sin\nis no more present, and so they become slothful and negligent in\nthe killing of their sinful nature, even as some do when they\nhave gone to Confession. For this reason, as I said above,[4] it\nshould be rightly understood, and it should be known that our\nflesh, so long as it lives here, is by nature wicked and sinful.\nTo correct this wickedness God has devised the plan of making it\naltogether new, even as Jeremiah shows. The potter, when the pot\n\"was marred in his hand,\" thrust it again into the lump of clay,\nand kneaded it, and afterwards made another pot, as it seemed\ngood to him. \"So,\" says God, \"are ye in My hands.\" [Jer. 18:4 f.]\nIn the first birth we are marred; therefore He thrusts us into\nthe earth again by death, and makes us over at the Last Day, that\nthen we may be perfect and without sin.\n\nThis plan He begins in baptism, which signifies death and the\nresurrection at the Last Day, as has been said.[5] Therefore, so\nfar as the sign of the sacrament and its significance are\nconcerned, sins and the man are both already dead, and he has\nrisen again, and so the sacrament has taken place; but the work\nof the sacrament has not yet been fully done, that is to say,\ndeath and the resurrection at the Last Day are yet before us.\n\n[Sidenote: Sins after Baptism]\n\nVII. Man, therefore, is altogether pure and guiltless, but\nsacramentally, which means nothing else than that he has the sign\nof God, i. e., baptism, by which it is shown that his signs are\nall to be dead, and that he too is to die in grace, and at the\nLast Day to rise again, pure, sinless, guiltless, to everlasting\nlife. Because of the sacrament, then, it is true that he is\nwithout sin and guilt; but because this is not yet completed, and\nhe still lives in sinful flesh, he is not without sin, and not in\nall things pure, but has begun to grow into purity and innocence.\n\nTherefore when a man comes to mature age, the natural, sinful\nappetites--wrath, impurity, lust, avarice, pride, and the\nlike--begin to stir, whereas there would be none of these if all\nsins were drowned in the sacrament and were dead. But the\nsacrament only signifies that they are to be drowned through\ndeath and the resurrection at the Last Day. [Rom. 7:18] So St.\nPaul, in Romans vii, and all saints with him, lament that they\nare sinners and have sin in their nature, although they were\nbaptised and were holy; and they so lament because the natural,\nsinful appetites are always active so long as we live.\n\n[Sidenote: Baptism a Covenant]\n\nIX. But you ask, \"How does baptism help me, if it does not\naltogether blot out and put away sin?\" This is the place for the\nright understanding of the sacrament of baptism. The holy\nsacrament of baptism helps you, because in it God allies Himself\nwith you, and becomes one with you in a gracious covenant of\ncomfort.\n\n[Sidenote: Man's Pledge]\n\nFirst of all, you give yourself up to the sacrament of baptism\nand what it signifies, i. e., you desire to die, together with\nyour sins, and to be made new at the Last Day, as the sacrament\ndeclares, and as has been said.[6] This God accepts at your\nhands, and grants you baptism, and from that hour begins to make\nyou a new man, pours into you His grace and Holy Spirit, Who\nbegins to slay nature and sin, and to prepare you for death and\nthe resurrection at the Last Day.\n\nAgain, you pledge yourself to continue in this, and more and more\nto slay your sin as long as you live, even until your death. This\ntoo God accepts, and trains and tries you all your life long,\nwith many good works and manifold sufferings; whereby He effects\nwhat you in baptism have desired, viz., that you may become free\nfrom sin, may die and rise again at the Last Day, and so fulfil\nyour baptism. Therefore, we read and see how bitterly He has let\nHis saints be tortured, and how much He has let them suffer, to\nthe end that they might be quickly slain, might fulfil their\nbaptism, die and be made new. For when this does not happen, and\nwe suffer not and are not tried, then the evil nature overcomes a\nman, so that he makes his baptism of none effect, falls into sin,\nand remains the same old man as before.\n\n[Sidenote: God's Pledge]\n\nX. So long, now, as you keep your pledge to God, He, in turn,\ngives you His grace, and pledges Himself not to count against you\nthe sins which remain in your nature after baptism, and not to\nregard them or to condemn you because of them. He is satisfied\nand well-pleased if you are constantly striving and desiring to\nslay these sins and to be rid of them by your death. For this\ncause, although the evil thoughts and appetites may be at work,\nnay, even although you may sin and fall at times, these sins are\nalready done away by the power of the sacrament and covenant, if\nonly you rise again and enter into the covenant, as St. Paul says\nin Romans viii. No one who believes in Christ is condemned by the\nevil, sinful inclination of his nature, if only he does not\nfollow it and consent to it; [Rom. 8:1] and St. John, in his\nEpistle, writes, \"If any man sin, we have an Advocate with God,\neven Jesus Christ, Who has become the forgiveness of our sins.\"\n[1 John 2:2 f.] All this takes place in baptism, where Christ is\ngiven us, as we shall hear in the remainder of the treatise.\n\n[Sidenote: The Comfort of the Covenant]\n\nXI. Now if this covenant did not exist, and God were not so\nmerciful as to wink at our sins, there could be no sin so so\nsmall but it would condemn us. For the judgment of God can endure\nno sin. Therefore there is on earth no greater comfort than\nbaptism, for through it we come under the judgment of grace and\nmercy, which does not condemn our sins, but drives them out by\nmany trials. There is a fine sentence of St. Augustine, which\nsays, \"Sin is altogether forgiven in baptism; not in such wise\nthat it is no longer present, but in such wise that it is not\ntaken into account.\" As though he were to say, \"Sin remains in\nour flesh even until death, and works without ceasing; but so\nlong as we do not consent thereto or remain therein, it is so\noverruled by our baptism that it does not condemn us and is not\nharmful to us, but is daily more and more destroyed until our\ndeath.\"\n\nFor this reason no one should be terrified if he feel evil lust\nor love, nor should he despair even if he fall, but he should\nremember his baptism, and comfort himself joyfully with it, since\nGod has there bound Himself to slay his sin for him, and not to\ncount it a cause for condemnation, if only he does not consent to\nsin or remain in sin. Moreover, these wild thoughts and\nappetites, and even a fall into sin, should not be regarded as an\noccasion for despair, but rather as a warning from God that man\nshould remember his baptism and what was there spoken, that he\nshould call upon God's mercy, and exercise himself in striving\nagainst sin, that he should even be desirous of death in order\nthat he may be rid of sin.\n\n[Sidenote: The Office of Faith]\n\nXII. Here, then, is the place to discuss the third thing in the\nsacrament, i. e., faith, to wit, that a man should firmly believe\nall this; viz., that this sacrament not only signifies death and\nthe resurrection at the Last Day, by which man is made new for an\neverlasting, sinless life; but also that it assuredly begins and\neffects this, and unites us with God, so that we have the will to\nslay sin, even till the time of our death, and to fight against\nit; on the other hand, that it is His will to be merciful to us,\nto deal graciously with us, and not to judge us with severity,\nbecause we are not sinless in this life until purified through\ndeath. Thus you understand how a man becomes in baptism\nguiltless, pure and sinless, and yet continues full of evil\ninclinations, that he is called pure only because he has begun to\nbe pure, and has a sign and covenant of this purity, and is\nalways to become more pure. Because of this God will not count\nagainst him the impurity which still cleaves to him, and,\ntherefore, he is pure rather through the gracious imputation of\nGod than through anything in his own nature; as the Prophet says\nin Psalm xxxii, \"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven;\nblessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.\"\n[Ps. 52:1 f.]\n\nThis faith is of all things the most necessary, for it is the\nground of all comfort. He who has not this faith must despair in\nhis sins. For the sin which remains after baptism makes it\nimpossible for any good works to be pure before God. For this\nreason we must hold boldly and fearlessly to our baptism, and\nhold it up against all sins and terrors of conscience, and humbly\nsay, \"I know full well that I have not a single work which is\npure, but I am baptised, and through my baptism God, Who cannot\nlie, has bound Himself in a covenant with me, not to count my sin\nagainst me, but to slay it and blot it out.\"\n\nXIII. So, then, we understand that the innocence which is ours by\nbaptism is so called simply and solely because of the mercy of\nGod, which has begun this work in us, bears patiently with sin,\nand regards us as though we were sinless, This also explains why\nChristians are called in the Scriptures the children of mercy, a\npeople of grace, and men of God's good-will. [Eph. 5:1, 9] It is\nbecause in baptism they have begun to become pure, [Luke 2:14]\nand by God's mercy are not condemned with their sins that still\nremain, until, through death and at the Last Day, they become\nwholly pure, as the sign of baptism shows.\n\nTherefore they greatly err who think that through baptism they\nhave become wholly pure. They go about in their unwisdom, and do\nnot slay their sin; they will not admit that it is sin; they\npersist in it, and so they make their baptism of no effect; they\nremain entangled in certain outward works, and meanwhile pride,\nhatred, and other evils of their nature are disregarded and grow\nworse and worse. Nay, not so! Sin and evil inclination must be\nrecognized as truly sin; that it does not harm us is to be\nascribed to the grace of God, Who will not count it against us if\nonly we strive against it in many trials, works, and sufferings,\nand slay it at last in death. To them who do this not, God will\nnot forgive their sins, because they do not live according to\ntheir baptism and covenant, and hinder the work which God and\ntheir baptism have begun.\n\n[Sidenote: Baptism and Repentance]\n\nXIV. Of this sort are they also who think to blot out and put\naway their sin by \"satisfaction,\" [7] and even regard their\nbaptism lightly, as though they had no more need of it after they\nhad been baptised,[8] and do not know that it is in force all\nthrough life, even until death, nay, even at the Last Day, as was\nsaid above.[9] For this cause they think to find some other way\nof blotting out sin, viz., their own works; and so they make, for\nthemselves and for all others, evil, terrified, uncertain\nconsciences, and despair in the hour of death; and they know not\nhow they stand with God, thinking that by sin they have lost\ntheir baptism and that it profits them no more.\n\nGuard yourself, by all means, against this error. For, as has\nbeen said, if any one has fallen into sin, he should the more\nremember his baptism, and how God has there made a covenant with\nhim to forgive all his sins, if only he has the will to fight\nagainst them, even until death. Upon this truth, upon this\nalliance with God, a man must joyfully dare to rely, and then\nbaptism goes again into operation and effect, his heart becomes\nagain peaceful and glad, not in his own work or \"satisfaction,\"\nbut in God's mercy, promised him in baptism, and to be held fast\nforever. This faith a man must hold so firmly that he would cling\nto it even though all creatures and all sins attacked him, since\nhe who lets himself be forced away from it makes God a liar in\nHis covenant, the sacrament of baptism.\n\n[Sidenote: Baptism and Penance]\n\nXV. It is this faith that the devil most attacks. If he\noverthrows it, he has won the battle. For the sacrament of\npenance also (of which we have already spoken)[10] has its\nfoundation in this sacrament, since sins are forgiven only to\nthose who are baptised, i. e., to those whose sins God has\npromised to forgive. The sacrament of penance thus renews and\npoints out again the sacrament of baptism, as though the priest,\nin the absolution, were to say, \"Lo, God hath now forgiven thee\nthy sin, as He long since hath promised thee in baptism, and as\nHe hath now commanded me, by the power of the keys,[11] and now\nthou comest again into that which thy baptism does and is.\nBelieve, and thou hast it; doubt, and thou art lost.\" So we find\nthat through sin baptism is, indeed, hindered in its work, i. e.,\nin the forgiveness and the slaying of sin; yet only by unbelief\nin its operation is baptism brought to naught. Faith, in turn,\nremoves the hindrance to the operation of baptism. So much\ndepends on faith.\n\n[Sidenote: Forgiveness and Sanctification]\n\nTo speak quite plainly, it is one thing to forgive sins, and\nanother thing to put them away or drive them out. The\nforgiveness of sins is obtained by faith, even though they are\nnot entirely driven out; but to drive out sins is to exercise\nourselves against them, and at last it is to die; for in death\nsin perishes utterly. But both the forgiveness and the driving\nout of sins are the work of baptism. Thus the Apostle writes to\nthe Hebrews, [Heb. 12:1] who were baptised, and whose sins were\nforgiven, that they shall lay aside the sin which doth beset\nthem. For so long as I believe that God is willing not to count\nmy sins against me, my baptism is in force and my sins are\nforgiven, though they may still, in a great measure, remain.\nAfter that follows the driving out of my sins through sufferings,\ndeath, etc. This is what we confess in the article [of the\nCreed], \"I believe in the Holy Ghost, the forgiveness of sins,\netc.\" Here there is special reference to baptism, for in it the\nforgiveness takes place through God's covenant with us; therefore\nwe must not doubt this forgiveness.\n\n[Sidenote: Baptism and Suffering]\n\nXVI. It follows, therefore, that baptism makes all sufferings and\nespecially death, profitable and helpful, since these things can\nonly serve baptism in the doing of its work, i. e., in the slaying\nof sin. For he who would fulfil the work and purpose of his\nbaptism and be rid of sin, must die. It cannot be otherwise.\nSin, however, does not like to die, and for this reason it makes\ndeath so bitter and so horrible. Such is the grace and power of\nGod that sin, which has brought death, is driven out again by its\nown work, viz., by death.[12]\n\nYou find many people who wish to live in order that they may\nbecome righteous, and who say that they would like to be\nrighteous. Now there is no shorter way or manner than through\nbaptism and the work of baptism, i. e., through suffering and\ndeath, and so long as they are not willing to take this way, it\nis a sign that they do not rightly intend or know how to become\nrighteous. Therefore God has instituted many estates in life in\nwhich men are to learn to exercise themselves and to suffer. To\nsome He has commanded the estate of matrimony, to others the\nestate of the clergy, to others, again, the estate of the rulers,\nand to all He has commanded that they shall toil and labor to\nkill the flesh and accustom it to death, because for all such as\nare baptised their baptism has made the repose, the ease, the\nplenty of this life a very poison, and a hindrance to its work.\nFor in these things no one learns to suffer, to die with\ngladness, to get rid of sin, and to live in accordance with\nbaptism; but instead of these things there grows love of this\nlife and horror of eternal life, fear of death and unwillingness\nto blot out sin.\n\n[Sidenote: Baptism and Good Works]\n\nXVII. Now behold the lives of men. Many there are who fast and\npray and go on pilgrimage and exercise themselves in such things,\nthinking thereby only to heap up merit, and to sit down in the\nhigh places of heaven. But fasting and all such exercises should\nbe directed toward holding down the old Adam, the sinful nature,\nand accustoming it to do without all that is pleasing for this\nlife, and thus daily preparing it more and more for death, so\nthat the work and purpose of baptism may be fulfilled. And all\nthese exercises and toils are to be measured, not by their number\nor their greatness, but by the demands of baptism; that is to\nsay, each man is to take upon him so much of these works as is\ngood and profitable for the suppressing of his sinful nature and\nfor fitting it for death, and is to increase or diminish them\naccording as he sees that sin increases or decreases. As it is,\nthey go their heedless way, take upon themselves this, that, and\nthe other task, do now this, now that, according to the\nappearance or the reputation of the work, and again quickly leave\noff, and thus become altogether inconstant, till in the end they\namount to nothing; nay, some of them so rack their brains over\nthe whole thing, and so abuse nature, that they are of no use\neither to themselves or others.\n\nAll this is the fruit of that doctrine with which we have been so\npossessed as to think that after repentance or baptism we are\nwithout sin, and that our good works are to be heaped up, not for\nthe blotting out of sin, but for their own sake, or as a\nsatisfaction for sins already done. This is encouraged by those\npreachers who preach unwisely the legends and works of the\nblessed Saints, and make of them examples for all. The ignorant\nfall eagerly upon these things, and work their own destruction\nout of the examples of the Saints. God has given every saint a\nspecial way and a special grace by which to live according to his\nbaptism. But baptism and its significance He has set as a common\nstandard for all men, so that every man is to examine himself\naccording to his station in life, to find what is the best way\nfor him to fulfil the work and purpose of his baptism, i. e., to\nslay sin and to die. Then Christ's burden grows light and easy,\n[Matt. 11:30] and it is not carried with worry and care, as\nSolomon says of it, \"The labor of the foolish wearieth every one\nof them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.\" [Eccl.\n10:15] For even as they are worried who wish to go to the city\nand cannot find the way, so it is with these men; all their life\nand labor is a burden to them, and yet they accomplish nothing.\n\n[Sidenote: The Vow of Baptism and Other Vows]\n\nXVIII. In this place, then, belongs the question whether baptism\nand the vow which we there make to God, is something more or\nsomething greater than the vows of chastity, of the priesthood,\nof the clergy, since baptism is common to all Christians, and it\nis thought that the clergy have taken a special and a higher vow.\nI answer: From what has been said, this is an easy question to\nanswer. For in baptism we all make one and the same vow, viz., to\nslay sin and to become holy through the work and grace of God, to\nWhom we yield and offer ourselves, as clay to the potter [13] and\nin this no one is better than another. But for a life in\naccordance with baptism, i. e., for slaying sin, there can be no\none method and no special estate in life. Therefore I have\nsaid[14] that each man must prove himself, that he may know in\nwhat estate he may best slay sin and put a check upon his nature.\nIt is true, then, that there is no vow higher, better, or greater\nthan the vow of baptism. What more can we promise than to drive\nout an, to die, to hate this life, and to become holy?\n\nOver and above this vow, a man may, indeed, bind himself to some\nspecial estate, if it seems to him to be suitable and helpful for\nthe completion of his baptism. It is just as though two men went\nto the same city, and the one went by the foot-path, the other by\nthe high-way, according as each thought best. So he who binds\nhimself to the estate of matrimony, walks in the toils and\nsufferings which belong to that estate and lays upon himself its\nburdens, in order that he may grow used to pleasure and sorrow,\navoid sin, and prepare himself for death better than he could do\noutside of that estate. But he who seeks more suffering, and by\nmuch exercise would speedily prepare himself for death and soon\nattain the work of baptism, let him bind himself to chastity, or\nthe spiritual order; for the spiritual estate,[15] if it is as it\nought to be, should be full of torment and suffering, in order\nthat he who belongs to it may have more exercise in the work of\nhis baptism than the man who is in the estate of matrimony, and\nthrough such torment quickly grow used to welcome death with joy,\nand so attain the purpose of his baptism. Now above this estate\nthere is another and a higher, that which rules in the spiritual\norder, viz., the estate of bishop, priest, etc. And these men\nshould be well practised in sufferings and works, and ready at\nevery hour for death, not only for their own sake, but for the\nsake of those who are their subjects.\n\nYet in all these estates the standard, of which we spoke above,\nshould never be forgotten, viz., that a man should so exercise\nhimself only to the end that sin may be driven out, and should\nnot be guided by the number or the greatness of works. But, alas\nhow we have forgotten our baptism and what it means, and what\nvows we made there, and that we are to walk in its works and\nattain its purpose! So, too, we have forgotten about the ways to\nthat goal, and about the estates, and do not know to what end\nthese estates were instituted, and how we are in them to keep at\nthe fulfilling of our baptism. They have been made a gorgeous\nshow, and little more remains of them than worldly display, as\nIsaiah says, \"Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with\nwater.\" [Isa. 1:22] On this may God have mercy! Amen.\n\n[Sidenote: The Joy of Baptism]\n\nXIX. If, then, the holy sacrament of baptism is a thing so great,\nso gracious and full of comfort, we should pay earnest heed to\nthank God for it ceaselessly, joyfully, and from the heart, and\nto give Him praise and honor. For I fear that by our\nthanklessness we have deserved our blindness and become unworthy\nto behold such grace, though the whole world was, and still is,\nfull of baptism and the grace of God. But we have been led astray\nin our own anxious works, afterwards in indulgences and such like\nfalse comforts, and have thought that we are not to trust God\nuntil we are righteous and have made satisfaction for our sin, as\nthough we would buy His grace from Him or pay Him for it. In\ntruth, he who does not see in God's grace how it bears with him\nas a sinner, and will make him blessed, and who looks forward\nonly to God's judgment, that man will never be joyful in God, and\ncan neither love nor praise Him. But if we hear and firmly\nbelieve that He receives us sinners in the covenant of baptism,\nspares us, and makes us pure from day to day, then our heart must\nbe joyful, and love and praise God. So He says in the Prophet, \"I\nwill spare them, as a man spareth his own son.\" [Mal. 3:17]\nWherefore it is needful that we give thanks to the Blessed\nMajesty, Who shows Himself so gracious and merciful toward us\npoor condemned worms, and magnify and acknowledge His work.\n\n[Sidenote: The Danger of False Confidence]\n\nXX. At the same time, however, we must have a care that no false\nsecurity creeps in and says to itself: \"Baptism is so gracious\nand so great a thing that God will not count our sins against us,\nand as soon as we turn again from sin, everything is right, by\nvirtue of baptism; meanwhile, therefore, I will live and do my\nown will, and afterwards, or when about to die, will remember my\nbaptism and remind God of His covenant, and then fulfil the work\nand purpose of my baptism.\"\n\nBaptism is, indeed, so great a thing that if you turn again from\nsins and appeal to the covenant of baptism, your sins are\nforgiven. Only see to it, if you thus wickedly and wantonly sin,\npresuming on God's grace, that the judgment does not lay hold\nupon you and anticipate your turning back; and beware lest, even\nif you then desired to believe or to trust in your baptism, your\ntrial be, by God's decree, so great that your faith is not able\nto stand. If they scarcely remain who do do sin or who fall\nbecause of sheer weakness, where shall your wickedness remain,\nwhich has tempted and mocked God's grace? [1 Pet. 4:18]\n\nLet us, therefore, walk with carefulness and fear, that with a\nfirm faith we may hold fast the riches of God's grace, and\njoyfully give thanks to His mercy forever and ever. Amen. [Eph.\n5:15]\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] Literally, \"lifted or raised out of baptism\"; in common usage\nsimply \"baptised.\" Cf. \"_aus der Taufe beben_,\" \"to stand sponsor.\"\n\n[2] See above, p.56, note 1.\n\n[3] Luther habitually quoted the Vulgate and quoted from memory;\nhence the many variations from the familiar test of Scripture.\n\n[4] See above, p. 58.\n\n[5] See above, p. 57.\n\n[6] See above, p. 57.\n\n[7] Good works prescribed as \"penances\" upon confession to the\npriest.\n\n[8] Literally, \"lifted up out of it.\" See above, p. 57, note 1.\n\n[9] See above, p.58.\n\n[10] Luther here refers to his _Treatise on the Sacrament of\nPenance_, which was published just before the present treatise on\nbaptism, in 1519. See _Weimar Ed._, II, pp. 709 ff and p. 724.\n\n[11] The power to forgive and retain sin, belonging, according to\nRoman teaching, to the priest, and normally exercised in the\nsacrament of penance.\n\n[12] Cf. _Fourteen of Consolation_, Part II, ch. II; below, pp.\n146 ff.\n\n[13] See above, p. 59.\n\n[14] See above, p. 67.\n\n[15] The \"spiritual estate\" or \"spiritual order\" includes all\nthose who have deserted the world and worldly pursuits for the\nreligious life. It includes monks and friars and nuns, as well as\npriests, etc.\n\n\nA DISCUSSION OF CONFESSION\n(CONFITENDI RATIO)\n1520\n\nThe _Confitendi Ratio_ is the culmination of a series of tracts\npublished by Luther after the memorable October 31st, 1517, and\nbefore his final breach with Rome.[1] In them is clearly\ntraceable the progress that he was making in dealing with the\npractical problems offered by the confessional, and which had\nstarted the mighty conflict in which he was engaged. They open to\nus an insight into his own conscientious efforts during the\nperiod, when, as a penitent, he was himself endeavoring to meet\nevery requirement which the Church imposed, In order to secure\nthe assurance of the forgiveness of sins, as well as to present\nthe questions which as a father confessor and spiritual adviser\nhe asked those who were under his pastoral care. First of all, we\nfind, therefore, tables of duties and sins, reminding us of the\nlists of cardinal sins and cardinal virtues in which Roman\nCatholic books abound. The main effort here is to promote the\nmost searching self-examination and the most complete enumeration\nof the details of sins, since, from the Medieval standpoint, the\ncompleteness of the absolution is proportioned to the\nexhaustiveness of the confession. Although the first of these\nbriefer tracts closes with its note of warning that the value of\nthe confession is not to be estimated by the enumeration of\ndetails, but that it rests solely in the resort that is had to\nthe Grace of God and the word of His promise, the transition from\nthe one mode of thought to the other is very apparent.\n\nIn the _Kurze Untetweisung wie man beichten soll_ of 1519, of\nwhich this is a Latin re-elaboration, and, therefore, intended\nmore for the educated man than as a popular presentation, he has\nadvanced so far as to warn against the attempt to make an\nexhaustive enumeration of sins. He advises that the confession be\nmade in the most general terms, covering sins both known and\nunknown. \"If one would confess all mortal sins, it may be done in\nthe following words; 'Yea, my whole life, and all that I do, act,\nspeak, and think, is such as to be deadly and condemnable.' For\nif one regard himself as being without mortal sin, this is of all\nmortal sins the most mortal.\" [2] According to this maturer view,\nthe purpose of the most searching self-examination is to exhibit\nthe utter impossibility of ever fathoming the depth of corruption\nthat lies beneath the surface. The reader of the _Tessaradecas_\nwill recall Luther's statement there, that it is of God's great\nmercy that man is able to see but a very small portion of the sin\nwithin him, for were he to see it in its full extent, he would\nperish at the sight. The physician need not count every pustule\non the body to diagnose the disease as small-pox. A glance is\nenough to determine the case. The sins that are discovered are\nthe symptoms of the one radical sin that lies beneath them\nall.[3] The cry is no longer \"_Mea peccata, mea peccata,_\" as\nthough these recognized sins were the exception to a life\notherwise without a flaw, but rather, overwhelmed with confusion,\nthe penitent finds in himself nothing but sin, except for what he\nhas by God's grace alone. Most clearly does Luther enforce this\nin his exposition of the Fifty-first Psalm, of 1531, a treatise\nwe most earnestly commend to those who desire fuller information\nconcerning Luther's doctrine of sin, and his conception of the\nvalue of confession and absolution. He shows that it is not by\ncommitting a particular sin that we become sinners, but that the\nsin is committed because our nature is still sinful, and that the\npoisonous tree has grown from roots deeply imbedded in the soil.\nWe are sinners not because particular acts of sin have been\ndevised and carried to completion, but before the acts are\ncommitted we are sinners; otherwise such fruits would not have\nbeen borne. A bad tree can grow from nothing but a bad root.[4]\n\nIn his _Sermon on Confession and the Sacrament_ of 1524, he\ndiscourages habits of morbid self-introspection, and exposes the\nperplexities produced by the extractions of the confessional in\nconstantly sinking the probe deeper and deeper into the heart of\nthe already crushed and quivering penitent. He shows how one need\nnot look far to find enough to prompt the confession of utter\nhelplessness and the casting of self unreservedly upon God's\nmercy. \"Bring to the confession only those sins that occur to\nthee, and say: I am so frail and fallen that I need consolation\nand good counsel. For the confession should be brief....No one,\ntherefore, should be troubled, even though he have forgotten his\nsins. If they be forgotten, they are none the less forgiven. For\nwhat God considers, is not how thou hast confessed, but His Word\nand how thou hast believed.\" [5]\n\nIn this is made prominent the radical difference between the\nRoman Catholic and the Lutheran conception of confession. In the\nformer, it is a part of penance, the second of the three elements\nof \"contrition,\" \"confession,\" and \"satisfaction,\" an absolute\ncondition of the forgiveness of every sin. In the Roman\nconfessional, sins are treated atomistically. Some are forgiven,\nwhile others are still to be forgiven. Every sin stands by\nitself, and requires separate treatment. No unconfessed sin is\nforgiven. To be forgiven, a sin must be known and lamented, and\nconfessed in all its details and circumstances to the priest,\nwho, as a spiritual judge, proportions the amount of the\nsatisfaction to be rendered by the penitent to the degree of\nguilt of the offence, as judged from the facts before him. Thus\nthe debt has to be painfully and punctiliously worked off, sin by\nsin, as in the financial world a note may be extinguished by\nsuccessive payments, dollar by dollar. Everything, therefore, is\nmade to depend upon the fulness and completeness of the\nconfession. It becomes a work, on account of which one is\nforgiven. The absolution becomes simply the stamp of approval\nthat is placed upon the confession.\n\nThe Lutheran conception is centered upon the person of the\nsinner, rather than on his sins. It is the person who is forgiven\nhis sins. Where the person is forgiven but one sin, all his sins\nare forgiven; where the least sin is retained, all sins are\nretained, and none forgiven, for \"there is no condemnation to\nthem that are in Christ Jesus\" (Rom. 8:1). The value of the\nconfession lies not in the confession itself, but in that,\nthrough this confession, we turn to Christ and the word of His\npromise.[6]\n\nIn Luther's opinion, there are three species of confession.[7]\nOne to God, in one's own heart, which is of absolute necessity,\nand which the true believer is always making; a second to our\nneighbor, when we have done him a wrong, which is also of divine\ncommand; and, a third to a \"brother,\" \"wherein we receive from\nthe mouth of that brother the word of consolation sent from God.\"\n[8] This last species, the _verbum solatii ex ore fratris_, while\nnot commanded in Holy Scripture, is commended because of the\ngreat value which it has for those who fed the need of\nconsolation, and the instruction for which it affords the\nopportunity. It is only by the individualizing of the confession\nthat the comfort to be derived by the individualizing of the\npromise can be obtained. Hence, as the Augsburg Confession\ndeclares (Article XI.): \"Private\" [i. e., personal] \"confession\nis retained because of the absolution.\"[9] Not that, without the\nabsolution, there is not forgiveness, but that, through it, the\none absolved rejoices all the more in the possession of that\nwhich he possessed even before the absolution, and goes forth\nfrom it strengthened to meet temptation because of the new\nassurance that he has of God's love. This form of confession,\ntherefore, instead of being a condition of forgiveness, as is our\ninner confession to God, is a privilege of the justified man,\nwho, before he has made such confession, has been forgiven, and\nwhose sins that lie still concealed from his knowledge are just\nas truly forgiven as those over which he grieves.\n\nThe confession, therefore, being entirely voluntary and a\nprivilege, penitents are not to be tormented with \"the ocean of\ndistinctions\" hitherto urged, such, e.g., as those between mortal\nand venial sins, whereof he says that \"there is no doctor so\nlearned as to draw accurately the distinction\";[10] and between\nthe inner impulses that may arise without the least consent of\nthe will resulting from than, and those to which the will, in\nvarying measure, may actually consent. On the contrary, it is not\nwell to look too deeply into the abyss. When Peter began to count\nthe waves, he was lost; when he looked away from them to Jesus,\nhe was saved. Thus, while \"the good purpose\" to amend the life\nmust be insisted upon as an indispensable accompaniment of every\nsincere confession, tender consciences may search within for such\npurpose, and be distressed because they cannot find satisfactory\nevidence of its presence. How excellent then the advice of this\nexperienced pastor, that those thus troubled should pray for this\n\"purpose\" which they cannot detect; for no one can actually pray\nfor such purpose without, in the prayer, having the very object\nhe is seeking.\n\nSo also he rules out of the sphere of the confession the\nviolation of matters of purely ecclesiastical regulation. Nothing\nis to be regarded a sin except that which is a violation of one\nof the Ten Commandments. To make that a sin which God's law does\nnot make sin, is only the next step to ecclesiastical regulations\nto the level of divine commands, we lower divine commands to the\nlevel of ecclesiastical regulations. Even Private Confession,\ntherefore, useful as it is, when properly understood and\npractised, since it rests after all upon ecclesiastical rule, is\nso little to be urged as a matter of necessity that Luther here\ndefends the suggestion of Gerson, that occasionally one should go\nto the Lord's Supper without having made confession, in order\nthereby to testify that it is in God's mercy and His promise that\nwe trust, rather than in the value of any particular outward\nobservance.\n\nThe treatment of \"Reserved Cases,\" with which this tract ends,\nshows the moderation and caution with which Luther is moving,\nbut, at the same time, how the new wine is working in the old\nbottles, which soon must break. The principle of \"the\nreservation of cases\" he discusses in his Address to the German\nNobility.[11] It is critical also in Augsburg Confession, Article\nXXVIII, 2, 41; Apology of the Augsburg Confession, English\nTranslation, pp. 181, 212. The Roman Catholic dogma is officially\npresented in the Decrees of Trent, Session XIV, Chapter 7,[12]\nviz., \"that certain more atrocious and more heinous crimes be\nabsolved not by all priests, but only by the highest priests.\"\nThus the power is centralized in the pope, and is delegated for\nexercise in ordinary cases to each particular parish-priest\nwithin the limits by which he is circumscribed, but no\nfarther.[13] The contrast is between delegated and reserved\nrights. The Protestant principle is that all the power of the\nChurch is in the Word of God which it administers; that wherever\nall the Word is, there also is all the power of the Church; and\nhence that, according to divine tight, all pastors have equal\nauthority. For this reason, Luther here declares that in regard\nto secret sins, i. e., those known only to God and the penitent,\nno reservation whatever is to be admitted. But there is still a\ndistinction which he is ready to concede. It has to do with\npublic offences where scandal has been given. As \"the more\nflagrant and more heinous crimes,\" If public, have to do with a\nwider circle than the members of a particular parish, the\nreparation for the offence should be as extensive as the scandal\nwhich it has created. In the Apology, Melanchthon claims that\nsuch reservation should be limited to the ecclesiastical\npenalties to be inflicted, but that it had not been Intended to\ncomprise also the guilt involved; it was a _reservatio poenae_,\nbut not a _reservatio culpae_.[14] Luther suggests the same here,\nbut with more than usual caution.\n\nIn the same spirit as in his Treatise on Baptism, he protests\nagainst the numerous vows, the binding force of which was a\nconstant subject of treatment in pastoral dealing with souls. The\nmultiplication of vows had caused a depredation of the one\nall-embracing vow of baptism. Nevertheless the pope's right to\ngive a dispensation he regards as limited entirely to such\nmatters as those concerning which God's Word has given no\ncommand. With matters which concern only the relation of the\nindividual to God, the Pope's authority is of no avail.\n\nLiterature.--Chemnitz, Martin, _Examin Concilii Tridentini_, 1578\n(Preuss edition), 441-456. Steitz, G. E., _Die Privatbeichte und\nPrivatabsolution d. luth. Kirche aus d. Quellen des XVI. Jahrh._,\n1854. Pfeisterrer, G. F. _Luthers Lehre von der Beichte_, 1857.\nKlieftoth, Th. _Lit. Abhandlungen, 2: Die Beichte und\nAbsolution_, 1856. Fischer, E., _Zur Geschichte der evangelischen\nBeichte_, 2 vols., 1902-1903. Rietschel, G., _Lehrbuch der\nLiturgik_, vol 2, particularly secs. 44, 45, _Luthers Affassung\nder Beichte_ and _Luthers Auffassung von der Absolution_.\nKoestlin, Julius, _Luther's Theology_ (English Translation),\nI:357, 360, 400. See also _Smalcald Articles_, _Book of Concord_\n(English Translation), 326, 899.\n\n    Henry E. Jacobs.\n    Mount Airy, Philadelphia.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] 1. _Decem Praecepta Wittebergenai praedicata populo_, 1518,\n_Erl. Ed., op. ex. lat._, I, 218. A series of sermons entering\ninto almost minute analyses of sins.\n\n2. _Die zehen Gebote Gottes mit einer kurzen Auslegung ihre\nErf\u00fcllung und Uebertretung_, _Weimar Ed._, I, 247 ff; _Erl. Ed._,\nXXXVI, 145-154. Reduces contents of the sermons to a few pages. A\nbrief handbook for use in the confessional first printed in\ntabular form, giving a very condensed exposition of each\ncommandment, followed by a catalogue of sins prohibited and\nvirtues enjoined. Written a month before the publication of the\nTheses, and published the next year.\n\n3. _Instructio pro confessione peccatorum abbrevianda secundum\ndecalogum_. Latin form of the above, published shortly after the\noriginal. _Erl. Ed., op. ex. lat._, XII, 229-230.\n\n4. _Kurze Unterweisung wie man beichten soll_. _Weimar Ed._, II,\n57 ff.; Erl. Ed., XXI, 245-253 prepared by request of Spalatin,\nfirst in Latin, and then translated, K\u00f6stlin thinks by Spalatin,\ninto German. Published 1518. Contains eight introductory\npropositions, followed by lists of sins against each commandment.\n\n5. _Confitendi Ratio_, published in 1520, a re-elaboration by\nLuther of the preceding German treatise. _Weimar Ed._, VI,\n159-169; _Erl. Ed._, IV, 152-170; _St. Louis Ed._, XIX, 786-806.\n\n[2] \"_Ja, mein ganzes Leben, und alles, das ich thu, handel, red\nund gedenk, ist also gethan, das es todlich und vordammlich\nist_.\" These are almost the words of the public confessional\nprayer in the Kirchenbuch of the General Council of the Lutheran\nChurch in America: \"_Also dans alle meine Natur und\nWesenstr\u00e4flich und verdammlich ist_.\"\n\n[3] _Erl. Ed., op. var. arg._, IV, 89 aq. \"_Si enim suum malum\nsentiret, infernum sentiret, nam infernum in se ipso habet_.\" See\nthis volume, p. 115f.\n\n[4] _Erl. Ed., op. ex. lat._, XIX, 1-154.\n\n[5] _Erl. Ed._ (2d ed.), XI, 173.\n\n[6] See the opening paragraph of this treatise.\n\n[7] _Erl. Ed._, XI, 166, XXIX, 352-359. Cf. with this, the still\nfuller treatment by Chemnitz, _Examin Concilii Tridentini_\n(Preuss edition), 441-453.\n\n[8] _Babylonian Captivity_, _Erl. Ed., op. var. arg._, V, 82.\n\n[9] Cf. _Augsburg Confession_, Art. XXV; _Apology in Book of\nConcord_, English Translation, pp. 133, 173, 185, 188, 196;\n_Smalcald Articles_, 330-339; Small Catechism, 371.\n\n[10] _Sermon vom Sacrament der Busse_, Erl. Ed., XX, 190. For\ndefinition of \"mortal and venial,\" see Introduction to XCV\nTheses, above, p. 19.\n\n[11] See Vol. II. of this edition.\n\n[12] Deninger, _Enchridion Symbolorum_, soc. 782; Sceaff's\n_Creeds of Christendom_.\n\n[13] \"As though the Word of God cannot forgive sins, except where\npower derived from the Pope assist it.\" Chemnitz, _Examen\nConcilii Tridentini_ (Preuss ed.), p. 456.\n\n[14] _Apology_, p. 212; \"There is a reservation of canonical\npunishments; there is not a reservation of guilt before God in\nthose who are truly converted.\"\n\n\nA DISCUSSION OF CONFESSION\n\n(CONFITENDI RATIO)\n\n1520\n\n\nFIRST\n\n[Sidenote: Need of Faith]\n\nIn this our age, the consciences of almost all have been led\nastray by human doctrines into a false trust in their own\nrighteousness and their own works, and knowledge about faith and\ntrust in God has almost ceased. Therefore, for him who is about\nto go to confession, it is before all things necessary that he\nshould not place his trust in his confession--either the\nconfession which he is about to make or the confession which he\nhas made--but that, with complete fulness of faith, he put his\ntrust only in the most gracious promise of God; to wit, he must\nbe altogether certain that He, Who has promised pardon to the man\nwho shall confess his sins, will most faithfully fulfil His\npromise. For we are to glory, not because we confess, but because\nHe has promised pardon to those who do confess; that is, not\nbecause of the worthiness or sufficiency of our confession (for\nthere is no such worthiness or sufficiency), but because of the\ntruth and certitude of His promise, as says the xxiv. Psalm: \"For\nThy Name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity.\" [Ps. 25:35] It\ndoes not say, \"for my sake,\" or \"for my worthiness' sake,\" or\n\"for my name's sake,\" but \"for Thy Name's sake.\" So it is evident\nthat the work of confession is nothing else than an occasion by\nwhich God is called to the fulfilment of His own promise, or by\nwhich we are trained to believe that we shall without doubt\nobtain the promise. It is just as if we were to say: \"Not unto\nus, O Lord, but unto Thy Name give glory, [Ps. 115:1] and\nrejoice, not because we have blessed Thee, but because Thou hast\nblessed us, as Thou sayest by Ezekiel.\" [Ezek. 20:44] Let this be\nthe manner of our confession, that he who glories may glory in\nthe Lord, and may not commend himself, but may glorify the grace\nof God; and it shall come to pass that \"confession and majesty\nshall be the work of God.\" [1] Psalm cxi [Ps. 111:3].\n\nSECOND\n\n[Sidenote: God's Promises]\n\nBut God, for the glory of His grace and mercy, has promised\npardon. And this can be proved from Scripture. First from Psalm\nxxxii, \"I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,\nand Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.\" [Ps. 32:5] Then from\nII. Samuel xii, from which this Psalm is taken. David first\nsaid, \"I have sinned against the Lord,\" and Nathan straightway\nsaid, \"The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.\"\n[2 Sam. 12:13] Again, from Jeremiah xviii, \"If that nation turn\naway from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to\ndo.\" [Jer. 18:8] Once more from I. John i, \"If we confess our\nsins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to\ncleanse us from all unrighteousness.\" [1 John 1:9] The true\ndefinition of the righteous man is found in Proverbs xviii, \"The\nrighteous man is his own first accuser,\" [2] [Prov.18:17] that is\nto say, he is righteous because he accuses himself. The verse\ngoes on to say, \"His neighbor (i. e., Christ) cometh and searcheth\nhim,\" that is, He seeketh him, and suffereth him not to perish;\nHe will even find him and bring him back from the depths of hell.\nHence Joshua vii. also calls the confessing of sin the glorifying\nof God, saying to Achan, \"My son, give glory to God, and confess,\nand tell me what thou hast done.\" [Josh. 7:19] St. Jerome\ncomments on this passage, \"Confession of sin is praise of God.\"\nNo wonder! For he who confesses his own sins speaks truth; but\nGod is truth; therefore he also confesses God. Thus Manasseh,\nKing of Judah, says in his most beautiful Prayer,[3] which is\nmost excellently suited for one who goes to confession, \"But\nThou, Lord, according to Thy goodness hast promised repentance\nfor the remission of sins, etc.\" [Prayer of Manasseh, 7] Truly,\n\"according to Thy goodness Thou hast promised,\" for our\nconfession is nothing unless the promise of God is sure, and it\nis altogether of His divine goodness that He has promised\nremission, which could not be obtained by any righteousness,\nunless He had given the promise. Thus faith in that promise is\nthe first and supreme necessity for one who is about to go to\nconfession, lest, perchance, he may presumptuously think that by\nhis own diligence, his own memory, his own strength, he is\nprovoking God to forgive his sins. Nay, rather it is God Himself\nWho, with ready forgiveness, will anticipate his confession, and\nallure and provoke him, by the goodness of His sweet promise, to\naccept remission and to make confession.\n\nTHIRD\n\n[Sidenote: The Purpose of a Better Life--Its Necessity]\n\nBefore a man confesses to the priest, who is the vicar, he ought\nfirst to confess to God, Who is the Principal. But he should\nregard this matter seriously, since nothing escapes and nothing\ndeceives the eye of God. Wherefore he ought here, without\npretence, to ponder his purpose to lead a better life and his\nhatred of sin. For there is scarcely anything which deceives more\npenitents than that subtle and profound dissimulation by which\nthey oftentime pretend, even to themselves, a violent hatred of\nsin and a purpose to lead a better life. The unhappy outcome\nproves their insincerity, for after confession they quickly\nreturn to their natural bent, and, as though relieved of the\ngreat burden of confession, they live again at ease, careless and\nunmindful of their purpose; by which one fact they can be\nconvicted of their sad pretending. Wherefore a man ought in this\nmatter to be altogether frank, and to speak of himself within\nhimself just as he feels himself moved to speak, just as he could\nwish to speak if there were do punishment, no God, no\ncommandment, and just as he would speak in the ear of some\nfamiliar friend, to whom he would not be ashamed to reveal\neverything about himself. As he could wish to speak quite freely\nto such a one about his faults, so let him speak to God, Who\nloves us far more than we love ourselves.\n\nFor if there is any one who does not find himself seriously\ninclined toward a good life, I know not whether it is safe for\nhim to make confession. This I do know, that it were better for\nhim to stay away from confession. For in this matter he need not\ncare for the commandment of the Church, whether it excommunicate\nhim or inflict some lesser punishment. It is better for him not\nto listen to the Church, than, at his own peril, to come to God\nwith a false heart. In the latter case he sins against God, in\nthe former case only against the Church; if, indeed, he sin at\nall in such a case by not listening to the Church, seeing that\nthe Church has no right to command anything in which there is\nperil to the soul, and a case of this kind is always excepted\nfrom the commandments of the Church. For whatever the Church\ncommands, she commands for God and for the soul's salvation,\npresuming that a man is capable of receiving her commandment and\nable to fulfil it. If this presumption falls, the precept does\nnot hold, since nothing can be decreed contrary to the\ncommandments of God, which bind the conscience.\n\n[Sidenote: The purpose of a Better Life--Its Difficulty]\n\nIt is certainly to be feared that many come to confession out of\nfear of the commandment of the Church, who in their hearts are\nstill pleased with their former evil life. If, however, a man is\nentangled in these difficulties, fearing to stay away from\nconfession, and yet perceiving (if the truth were told) that he\nlacks the disposition toward a better life, let him lay hold of\nthe one thing that remains, and hear the counsel of the Prophet,\n\"Pour out your heart before Him\"; [Ps. 62:8] and let him abase\nhimself, and openly confess to God the whole evil of his heart,\nand pray for and desire a good purpose. Who, indeed, is so proud\nas to think he does not need this counsel? There is no one whose\ngood purpose is as great as it ought to be. Let a man, therefore,\nfearlessly seek from God what he knows he cannot find in himself,\nuntil the thought of a better life begin seriously and truly to\nplease him, and his own life to displease him. For the doctrines\nabout the forming of a good purpose, which have been handed down\nto us and are everywhere taught, are not to be understood in the\nsense that a man should of himself form and work out this good\npurpose. Such an understanding is death and perdition; as one\nsays, \"There is death in the pot, O man of God.\" [2 Kings 4:40]\nAnd yet very many are grievously tormented by this idea, because\nthey are taught to strive after the impossible. But in very\ndespair, and pouring out his heart before God, a man should say,\n\"Lord God, I have not what I ought to have, and cannot do what I\nought to do. Give what Thou commandest, and command what Thou\nwilt.\" For thus St. Augustine prays in his Confessions. [4]\n\nFIFTH\n\n[Sidenote: The Purpose of a Better Life--Its Nature]\n\nBut what has been said about a good purpose, I wish to have\nunderstood with caution. For a good purpose ought to be twofold.\nFirst, a purpose with regard to open, mortal sins, such as\nadultery, homicide, fornication, theft, robbery, usury, slander,\netc. The purpose to avoid these sins belongs properly to\nsacramental Confession, and to confession before God it belongs\nat any moment after the sins have been committed; according to\nthe word of Ecclesiasticus, \"My son, hast thou sinned? Do so no\nmore, but ask pardon for thy former sins,\" [Ecclus. 21:1] and\nagain, \"Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord.\" [Ecclus. 5:8] In\nthe second place, however, as regards all the sins they call\n\"venial\" (of which more below), it is entirely vain to labor\nafter the forming of a good purpose, because if one rightly\nconsiders himself, he will find such a purpose altogether\nimpossible, if he wishes henceforth to live in the flesh; since\n(as Augustine says) this life cannot be lived without such sins\nas unnecessary and thoughtless laughter, language, imaginations,\nsights, sounds, etc. As regards such things it is uncertain\nwhether they are sins, or temptations by which merit is\nincreased. And yet it is marvelous how a patent is vexed and\nworried in these matters by the present wordy manner of\nconfessing. A purpose ought to be certain, and directed toward\nthings which are certain and which can be shunned in common\nliving, like the aforesaid open, mortal sins.\n\nSIXTH\n\n[Sidenote: Hidden Sins--Are They to be Confessed?]\n\nWhether the hidden sins of the heart, which are known only to God\nand the man who commits them, belong to sacramental confession or\nnot, is more than I can say. I should prefer to say that they do\nnot. For the need of confessing these sins can in no way be\nproved, either by reason or by Scripture, and I have often\nsuspected that it was all an invention of avaricious or curious\nor tyrannical prelates, who took this way of bringing the people\nof Christ to fear them. This is, in my opinion, laying hands on\nthe judgment of God and is a violation of the rights of God,\nespecially if men are forced to it.[5]\n\nHere comes in that whole sea of laws and impossible questions\nabout \"cases of sin,\" [6] etc., since it is impossible for a man\nto know when he has in his heart committed the mortal sins of\npride, lust, or envy. Nay, how can the priest know this, when he\nis set in judgment upon mortal sins alone? Can he know another's\nheart who does not thoroughly know his own? Hence it comes that\nmany people confess many things, not knowing whether they are\nsins or not; and to this they are driven by that sentence of\nGregory, \"A good mind will confess guilt even where there is no\nguilt.\" They [i. e., the priests] wish that what is offered to God\nshall be offered to themselves--so immense is the arrogance of\npriests and pontiffs, and so haughty the pride of the\nPharisees--and they do not see, meanwhile, that if this offering\nwere made to man, the whole of life would be nothing else than\nconfession, and that even this confession would have to be\nconfessed in another confession by the man who fears guilt where\nthere is no guilt, since even good works are not without guilt,\nand Job is afraid of all his works. [Job 9:28]\n\nSEVENTH\n\n[Sidenote: Hidden Sins--What Hidden Sins Should be Confessed?]\n\nLet some one else, then, explain this. I am content with this,\nthat not all the sins of the heart are to be confessed. But if\nsome are to be confessed, I say that it is only those which a man\nclearly knows that he has purposed in his heart against the\ncommandments of God;[7] not, therefore, mere thoughts about a\nvirgin or a woman, nor, on the other hand, the thoughts of a\nwoman about a youth, nor the affections or ardor of lust, that is\nto say, the inclinations of the one sex toward the other, however\nunseemly, nor, I would add, even passions of this sort; for these\nthoughts are frequently passions inspired by the flesh, the\nworld, or the devil, which the soul is compelled unwillingly to\nbear, sometimes for a long while, even for a whole day, or a\nweek; as the apostle Paul confesses of his thorn in the flesh. [2\nCor. 12:7]\n\nThe consequence of all this is that a purpose to avoid these\nthings is impossible and vain and deceitful, for the inclinations\nand desires of the sexes for one another do not cease so long as\noccasion is given them, and the devil is not quiet, and out whole\nnature is sin. But those who wish to be without sin and who\nbelieve that man is sound and whole, erect these crosses for us\nthat we may not cease to confess (even to the priest) what things\nsoever tickle us never so little. Therefore, if these hidden\nthings of the heart ought to be confessed at all, only those\nthings should be confessed which involve full consent to the\ndeed; and such things happen very rarely or never to those who\nwish to lead pious lives, even though they are constantly\nharassed by desires and passions.\n\nEIGHT\n\n[Sidenote: Mortal and Venial Sins]\n\nAt this place we should also speak of that race of audacious\ntheologians who are born to the end that the true fear of God may\nbe extinguished in human hearts, and that they may smite the\nwhole world with false terrors. It might seem that Christ was\nspeaking of them when he told of \"terrors from heaven.\" [Luke\n21:11 Vulg.] These are the men who have undertaken to distinguish\nfor us between mortal and venial sin. When men have heard that a\ncertain sin is venial, they are careless and wholly leave off\nfearing God, as if He counted a venial sin for naught; again, if\nthey have heard that the consent of the heart is a mortal sin,\nand if they have failed to listen to the precepts of the Church,\nor have committed some other trifling offence, there is no place\nin their hearts for Christ, because of the confusion made by the\nroaring sea of a troubled conscience.\n\nAgainst these teachers it should be known that a man ought to\ngive up in despair the idea that he can ever confess all his\nmortal sins, and that the doctrine which is contained in the\nDecretals[8] and is current in the Church, to wit, that every\nChristian should once in a year make confession of all his sins\n(so the words run), is either a devilish and most murderous\ndoctrine, or else is sorely in need of a loose interpretation.\n\nNot all sins, I say, either mortal or venial, are to be\nconfessed, but it should be known that after a man has used all\ndiligence in confessing, he has yet confessed only the smaller\npart of his sins. How do we know this? Because the Scripture\nsays, \"Cleanse Thou me from hidden sins, O Lord.\" [Ps. 19:12]\nThese hidden sins God alone knows. And again it says, \"Create in\nme a clean heart, O God.\" [Ps. 51:10] Even this holy prophet\nconfesses that his heart is unclean. And all the holy Church\nprays, \"Thy will be done\"; [Matt. 6:10] and thus confesses that\nshe does not do the will of God, and is herself a sinner.\n\n[Sidenote: Should All Mortal Sins be Confessed?]\n\nFurthermore, we are so far from being able to know or confess all\nthe mortal sins that even our good works are damnable and mortal,\nif God were to judge with strictness, and not to receive them\nwith forgiving mercy. If, therefore, all mortal sins are to be\nconfessed, it can be done in a brief word, by saying at once,\n\"Behold, all that I am, my life, all that I do and say, is such\nthat it is mortal and damnable\"; according to what is written in\nthe cxliii. Psalm, \"Enter not into judgment with Thy servant, for\nin Thy sight shall no flesh living be justified\" [Ps. 143:2]; and\nin the Epistle to the Romans, Chapter vii, \"But I am carnal, sold\nunder sin; I know that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing; the\nevil that I would not, that I do, etc.\" [Rom. 7:14, 18, 19]\n\nBut of all mortal sins, this is the most mortal, not to believe\nthat we are hateful in the sight of God because of damnable and\nmortal sin. To such madness these theologians, with this rule of\ntheirs, strive zealously and perniciously to drag the consciences\nof men, by teaching that venial sins are to be distinguished from\nmortal sins, and that according to their own fashion. For we read\nin Augustine, Cyprian, and other Fathers that those things which\nare bound and loosed are not mortal sins, but criminal offences,\ni. e., those acts of which men can be accused and convicted.\n\nTherefore, by the term \"all sins\" in the Decretal we should\nunderstand those things of which a man is accused, either by\nothers or by his own conscience. By \"conscience\" I mean a right\nconscience, not a conscience seared and deformed by human\ntraditions, but a conscience which is expert in the commandments\nof God, and which knows that much more is to be left solely to\nthe goodness of God than is to be committed to its own diligence.\n\nBut what if the devil, when a man is dying, raises the obstacle\nof sins which have not been confessed, as we read in many of the\nstories?[9] I answer. Let these sins go long with those of which\nit is said, \"Who can understand his faults?\" [Ps. 19:12] and with\nthose others of which it is written, \"Enter not into judgment\nwith Thy servant.\" [Ps. 143:2] Whatever stories have been made up\ncontrary to these sayings, have either been invented under some\ndevilish delusion, or are not rightly understood. It is enough\nthat thou hast had the will to confess all things, if thou hadst\nknown them or hadst been able. God wills that His mercy be\nglorified. But how? In our righteousness? Nay, in our sins and\nmiseries. The Scriptures should be esteemed more highly than any\nstories.\n\nNINTH\n\n[Sidenote: Distinction between Sins]\n\nBy thus getting down to the thing itself,[10] the penitent, of\nwhom I have so often spoken, does away entirely with that riot of\ndistinctions; to wit, whether he has committed sin by fear\nhumbling him to evil, or by love inflaming him to evil; what sins\nhe has committed against the three theological virtues of faith,\nhope, and charity; what sins against the four cardinal virtues;\nwhat sins by the five senses; what of the seven mortal sins, what\nagainst the seven sacraments, what against the seven gifts of the\nHoly Spirit, what against the eight beatitudes, what of the nine\n_peccata aliena_, what against the twelve Articles of Faith, what\nof the silent sins, what of the sins crying to heaven; or whether\nhe has sinned by or against anything else.[11] That hateful and\nwearisome catalogue of distinctions is altogether useless, nay,\nit is altogether harmful. Some have added to these evils a most\ntroublesome business of \"circumstances.\"\n\nBy all this they have produced two results. First, the penitent\nmakes so much of these trifles that he is not able really to give\nheed to the thing of chief importance, namely, the desire for a\nbetter life. He is compelled to tax his memory with such a mass\nof details, and so to fill his heart with the business of rightly\nexpressing his cares and anxieties, while seeking out forgotten\nsins or a way of confessing them, that he entirely loses the\npresent pangs of conscience, and the whole profit and salutary\neffect of confession. When he is absolved, therefore, he\nrejoices not so much because he is absolved, as because he has\nfreed himself once for all from the wretched worry of confession;\nfor what he has been seeking has been not the absolution, but\nrather the end of the laborious nuisance of confessing. Thus,\nwhile we sleep secure, everything is upset again. In the second\nplace, such penitents weary the confessor, stealing his time, and\nstanding in the way of other penitents.\n\n[Sidenote: The Commandments a Guide to Confession]\n\nWe ought, therefore, to look briefly at the Commandments of God,\nin which, if they are rightly understood, all sins are, without\ndoubt, contained.[12] And not even all of these are to be\nconsidered, but the last two Commandments are to be excluded\nentirely from confession. Confession should be brief, and should\nbe a confession chiefly of those sins which cause pain at the\ntime of confession, and, as they say, \"move to confession.\" For\nthe sacrament of confession was instituted for the quieting, not\nfor the disturbing, of the conscience.\n\nFor example, as regards the Commandment, \"Thou shalt not commit\nadultery,\" let the penitent quickly say in what manner he has\ngiven place to lust, either in act or word, or by consent, just\nas though he were describing himself entirely, with all his limbs\nand senses, in that Commandment. Why, then, should he uselessly\nbring in the five senses, the mortal sins, and the rest of that\nocean of distinctions? So in the case of the Commandment, \"Thou\nshalt not kill.\" Let him quickly say by what kind of wrath he has\nsinned, whether by hatred, slander or cursing, or by the act of\nmurder itself. And so with the rest; as I have tried to show in\nmy _Preceptorium_ and my writings on the Decalogue.[13]\n\nLet it not disturb anyone that in the Decretals on Penance and in\nthe IV. Book of the Sentences[14] this matter is differently\ntreated. For they all are full of human inventions; and no\nwonder! They have taken everything they say out of a certain\napocryphal and unlearned book called _De vera et falsa\npoenitentia_,[15] which is widely circulated, and ascribed, by a\nlying title, to St. Augustine.\n\nTENTH\n\n[Sidenote: Commandments of God and of Man]\n\nIn making confession diligence should be used to distinguish with\ngreat care between sins committed against the Commandments of God\nand sins committed against the statutes of men. I say this\nbecause of the mad opinion, which is now prevalent, that sins\nwhich are committed against the decretals of the popes are to be\nnoted with wondrous care, but sins committed against God, with\nlittle or none.\n\nLet me give you some illustrations:\n\nYou will find priests and monks who are horrified, as at some\nprodigy, if they stammer, or repeat even a syllable in the Canon\nof the Mass,[16] though this may be a natural defect of the\ntongue, or an accident, and is not a sin. Again, there is no\npriest who does not confess that he was distracted, or failed to\nread his _Preparatoria_, or other old-womanish trifles of the\nkind. There was one who, even when he was at the altar\ncelebrating, called a priest three times and confessed that\nsomething had happened. Indeed, I have seen these endless jests\nof the devil taken by many so seriously that they almost lost\ntheir minds. And yet the fact that they cherished hatred or envy\nin their hearts, that they had cursed before or after Mass, that\nthey had intentionally lied or slandered, all this moved them not\nat all. Whence this perversity? From the \"traditions of men who\nturn from the truth,\" [Tit. 1:14] as the Apostle says. Because we\nhave neglected to offer God a confession of true sins, He has\ngiven us up to our reprobate sense, [Rom. 1:24] so that we delude\nourselves with fictitious sins and deprive ourselves of the\nbenefit of the sacrament,[17] and the more we seem to seek it,\nthe more this is true.\n\n[Sidenote: They Tyranny of Ordinances]\n\nOf this stuff are those who make the neglect of the canonical\nhours[18] an almost irremissible sin, while they easily remit\nfornication, which is against the commandments of God, or the\nneglect of duty toward our neighbor. These are they who so\napprove of that dream or story about St. Severinus[19] that they\nthink they cannot read their Hours in advance, or afterward make\nthem up without sin, even if they have been hindered at the\nproper time by the most just cause, such as ministering to the\nnecessities of a neighbor, which is of six hundred times more\nmerit than their worthless and all but damnable prayers. So far\ndo they go in their failure to observe that the commandment of\nGod, in the service of one's neighbor, should be preferred to the\ncommandment of men, in the thoughtless mumbling of the words of\nthe Hours. To this class too belong those who think it a crime to\nspeak or to call a boy during the Canon of the Mass even in case\nof the greatest necessity or danger. Finally, these men make the\nfasting of nature one thing, and the fasting of the Church\nanother thing, and if one has thoughtlessly swallowed some drops\nof liquid, or has taken some medicine, they exclude him utterly\nfrom the sacrament, and make it a sin, even the very greatest\nsin. I wonder whence these men have the authority to set up such\nlaws as these and to trouble consciences with sins of their own\ninvention. By these illustrations other, similar cases may be\njudged.\n\nOf the laity, one confesses that he has tasted sweets, another\nthat he has listened to jests, smelted perfumes, touched things\nthat were soft.\n\nLet us come to greater things! The common people are persuaded\nthat to eat butter or eggs on fast-days is heretical; so cruelly\ndo the laws of men rave in the Church of God! And we\nunconcernedly profit by this superstition of the people, nay, by\nthis tyranny of ours, caring nothing that the commandments of God\nare taken in jest, so long as men tremble and turn pale at our\nlaws. No one calls an adulterer a heretic; fornication is a light\nsin; schisms and discords, inspired, preserved and increased by\nthe authority and in the name of the Church, are merits; but to\neat meat on Friday is the sum of all heresies. Thus we teach the\npeople of Christ, and permit them to be taught! But I am\ndisgusted, wearied, shamed, distressed at the endless chaos of\nsuperstitions which has been inflicted upon this most salutary\nsacrament of confession by the ignorance of true theology, which\nhas been its own tyrant ever since the time that men have been\nmaking its laws.\n\nELEVENTH\n\n[Sidenote: Communion Without Confession]\n\nI advise, therefore, as John Gerson[20] used to advise, that a\nman shall now and then go to the altar or to the Sacrament \"with\na scruple of conscience,\" that is, without confession, even if he\nhas been immoderate in drinking, talking, or sleeping, or has\ndone something else that is wrong, or has not prayed a single one\nof the Hours. Would you know why this advice is given? Listen! It\nis in order that a man may learn to trust more in the mercy of\nGod than in his own confession or in his own diligence. For\nenough cannot be done toward shaking that accursed trust in our\nown works. It should be done for this reason, too, that if a man\nis assailed by some necessity, whether temptation or death, and\nthose hidden sins begin to appear which he has never been able to\nsee or to confess, then he may have, ready and prepared, a\npractice of trusting in the mercy which God offers to the\nunworthy; according to the word, \"His heart is prepared to trust\nin the Lord.\" [21] [Ps. 57:7] How shall a man hope, in the face of\nthe sudden inroads of such a great mass of sins, if he has not\nlearned in this life, while there was time, to hope in the Lord\nagainst the smallest, nay, against even an imagined sin? If you\nsay, \"What if this were despising the sacrament and tempting\nGod?\" I answer, It will not be tempting God if it is done for the\nglory of God; that is, if you do it, not because you despise\nGod's sacrament nor because you want to tempt Him (since you are\nready to make the fullest confession), but only in order that you\nmay accustom a troubled conscience to trust in God and not to\ntremble at the rustling of every falling leaf. Do not doubt that\neverything pleases God which is done to the end that you may have\ntrust in Him, since it is all His glory that we trust with our\nwhole heart in His mercy.\n\nI do not wish, however, that a man should always go to the altar\nwithout confession; but I say that it should be done sometimes,\nand then only for the arousing of trust in God and the destroying\nof trust in our own act of confession. For a man will hardly go\nto mass without guilt, if he thinks his forgiveness sure because\nhe has confessed, rather than because God is merciful; nay, this\nis altogether an impiety. The _summa summarum_[22] is, \"Blessed\nare all they that put their trust in the Lord.\" [Ps. 2:12] When\nyou hear this word, \"in the Lord,\" know that he is unblessed who\nputs his trust in anything whatsoever that is not the Lord\nHimself. And such a man those \"artists of confession\" make; for\nwhat has the \"art of confession\" done except to destroy the art\nand practice of confiding, until at last we have learned to\nconfess a great deal, to confide not at all.\n\nTWELFTH\n\n[Sidenote: Reserved Cases--No Hidden Sins can be Reserved]\n\nIn the matter of reserved cases,[23] many are troubled. For my\nown part, because I know that the laws of men to be subject to\nmercy, and be applied with mildness rather than with severity, I\nfollow the custom and advice of those who think that in hidden\nsins no case is to be reserved, and therefore all penitents are\nto be absolved whose sins are hidden, as are the sins of the\nflesh, that is to say, every form of lust, the procuring of\nabortion, and the like. For it should not be presumed that any\npope would be willing, in matters of hidden sin, to set so many\nsnares and dangers for men's souls. But when a sin has been\npublic, an open reserved case, it should be left entirely to the\nauthorities of the Church, no matter whether they are just or\nunjust. In such case, however, the confessor may so moderate the\npower of the keys[24] as not to let the penitent depart without\nabsolution, for those sins at least which he knows to be not\nreserved. Just now, to be sure, I am in doubt, and have not yet\nfound a place for the proper discussion of it, whether any sin\ncan be reserved, or ever is reserved, so far as the remission of\nguilt[25] is concerned; that the penalty can be reserved is not\ndoubted; but of this let others judge. But even in the remission\nof the penalty, neither the confessor nor the penitent should be\ntoo much troubled by scruples. The penalty I have especially in\nmind is excommunication, or any other censure of the Church--what\nthey call their lightnings and thunders. Since excommunication\nis only penalty and not guilt, and can be laid upon the innocent\nand allowed to remain upon the man who has returned to his\nsenses, and, furthermore, since it is sometimes necessary to put\noff satisfaction, because of the length of the journey required\nor because of poverty; therefore the penitent who is\nexcommunicated or under censure should be absolved from all his\nsins, if he seeks absolution, and be dismissed to the higher\nauthorities to be loosed from excommunication and to make\nsatisfaction. Thus he should be absolved in the judgment of God\nand of conscience from guilt and sins, and sent to the judgment\nof the Church to be freed from the penalty. This is what is meant\nwhen it is said that the desire to make satisfaction[26] suffices\nfor the absolving of a sinner.\n\nLAST\n\n[Sidenote: Vows]\n\nThe subject of vows should also have consideration, for it is\nalmost the greatest question involved in this whole matter, and\ngives rise to much more confusion than does the reservation of\ncases, though this, too, rules its Babylon with great tyranny. If\none would wish to speak freely on this subject, \"the land would\nnot be able to bear all his words,\" [Amos 7:10] as the impious\nAmaziah says of Amos.\n\n[Sidenote: Their Abuse]\n\nThe first and best plan would be for the pontiffs and preachers\nto dissuade and deter the people from their proneness to the\nmaking of vows, to show them how the visiting of the Holy Land,\nRome, Compostella,[27] and other holy places, as well as zeal in\nfastings, prayers, and works chosen by themselves, are nothing\nwhen compared with the works commanded by God and the vows which\nwe have taken in baptism.[28] These vows every one can keep in\nhis own home by doing his duty toward his neighbors, his wife,\nhis children, his servants, his masters, and thereby gain\nincomparably greater merit than he can find by fulfilling vows to\ndo works chosen by himself and not commanded by God. The foolish\nopinion of the common people and the ostentation of the Bulls[29]\nhave brought it to pass that these vows of pilgrimages, fastings,\nprayers, and other works of the kind far outweigh in importance\nthe works of God's Law, although we never have sufficient\nstrength to do these last works. For my part, I could wish that\nthere should not henceforth be any vows among Christian people\nexcept those which we take in baptism, and this, indeed, seems\nformerly to have been the case; and I would wish all to\nunderstand what is required of them, namely, that they be\nobedient to the commandments of God. For the vows of baptism seem\nto have been altogether cheapened by the too great practice,\nparade, dispensation, and redemption of these other vows. Let us\nput all our strength to the task, I say, and we shall find that\nwe have vowed in baptism more than we are ever able to perform.\n\nSome vows, including oaths, are made to men, others to God. Those\nmade to men are admitted to be binding, so far and so long as he\nmay desire, to whom the vow is made. Accordingly, it should be\nknown that, as Gerson correctly thinks, the oaths and vows\nusually taken in the Universities or to worldly lords[30] ought\nnot to be so rigorously regarded that every violation of them\nshould be regarded as the breaking of a vow or an act of perjury.\nIt is more just not to consider vows of this kind broken unless\nthey are violated out of contempt and obstinate malice. It is\notherwise in things that are vowed to God.\n\n[Sidenote: Vows Made to God]\n\nIn vows made to God, I see dispensation granted by the pontiffs,\nbut I shall never be persuaded that he is safe to whom such a\ndispensation is granted. For such a vow is of divine law, and no\npontiff, either mediate or supreme, has any more authority in\nthis matter than any Christian brother, though I know that\ncertain of the Decretals and the Glosses on the Decretals venture\nmany statements about it which I do not believe.\n\nThis, however, I would readily believe, that a vow of chastity\ngiven before puberty, neither holds nor binds, because he who\nmade the vow was ignorant of what he was promising, since he had\nnot yet felt the \"thorn of the flesh.\" [2 Cor. 12:7] It is my\npious opinion that such a vow is counted by God as foolish and\nvoid, and that the fathers of the monasteries should be forbidden\nby a general edict of the Church to receive a man before his\ntwentieth, or at least his eighteenth, year, and girls before\ntheir fifteenth or sixteenth, if we are really concerned about\nthe care of souls.\n\n[Sidenote: Commutation of Vows]\n\nIt is also a great piece of boldness, in commuting or remitting\nvows, to impose what they call \"a better work.\" In the eyes of\nGod there is no difference in works, and He judges works not\naccording to their number or greatness, but according to the\ndisposition of the doer; moreover, \"the Lord is the weigher of\nspirits,\" [Rom. 8:27] as the Scripture says, and He often prefers\nthe manual labor of the poor artisan to the fasting and prayer of\nthe priest, of which we find an illustration in St. Anthony and\nthe shoemaker of Alexandria.[31] Since these things are so, who\nshall be so bold and presumptuous as to commute a vow into some\n\"better work\"? But these things will have to be spoken of\nelsewhere, for here we have undertaken to speak of confession\nonly as it concerns the Commandments of God, for the quieting and\ncomposing of consciences which are troubled by scruples.\n\n[Sidenote: Abuses of Penance]\n\nI shall add but one thing. There are many who set perilous snares\nfor married folk, especially in case of incest; and when any one\n(for these things can happen, nay, alas! they do happen) has\ndefiled the sister of his wife, or his mother-in-law, or one\nrelated to him in any degree of consanguinity, they at once\ndeprive him of the right to pay the debt of matrimony, and\nnevertheless they suffer him not, nay, they forbid him, to desert\nhis wife's bed. What monstrous thing is this? What new remedy for\nsin? What sort of satisfaction for sin? Does it not show how\nthese tyrants make laws for other men's infirmity and indulge\ntheir own? Show me the law-giver, however penitent and chaste,\nwho would allow such a law to be made for himself. They put dry\nwood on the fire and say, Do not burn; they put a man in a\nwoman's arms and forbid him to touch her or know her; and they do\nthis on their own authority and without the command of God. What\nmadness! My advice is that the confessor beware of tyrannical\ndecrees or laws, and confidently sentence a sinner to some other\npenance, or totally abstain from punishing, leaving free to him\nthe right of matrimony which has been given him not by man, but\nby God. For no angel in heaven, still less any man on earth, has\nthe power to enjoin this penance, which is the burning occasion\nof continual sin. Wherefore they are not to be heeded who wish\nsuch things to be done, and the penitent is to be freed from this\nscruple and peril.\n\nBut who may recount all the tyrannies with which the troubled\nconsciences of penitent and confessing Christians are daily\ndisturbed, by means of death-bringing \"constitutions\" and\ncustoms, administered by silly manikins, who only know how to\nbind and place on the shoulders of men burdens grievous and heavy\nto be borne, which they themselves are not willing to move with a\nfinger? [Matt. 23:4] So this most salutary sacrament of penance\nhas become nothing else than a mere tyranny of the great, then a\ndisease, and a means to the increase of sins. Thus in the end it\nsignifies one thing and works another thing for miserable\nsinners, because priestlings, impious and unlearned in the law of\nthe Lord, administer the Church of God, which they have filled\nwith their laws and their dreams.\n\n_Here follows, in the original, a paraphrase of the apocryphal\nPrayer of Manasseh._\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] Luther quotes from the Vulgate and frequently from memory, a\nfact which should always be remembered in comparing his\nquotations from the text of Scripture.\n\n[2] Vulgate, _Justus prior est accusator_.\n\n[3] The apocryphal Prayer of Manasseh was included by Luther as\nan appendix to this treatise.\n\n[4] _Augustine Conf._, X, 29.\n\n[5] i. e., Forced to confess hidden sins.\n\n[6] The so-called \"science of casuistry,\" by which the moral\nvalue of an act is determined and the exact degree of guilt\nattaching to a given sin is estinated.\n\n[7] Cf. _Small Catechism_, \"Of Confession,\" Ques. \"What sins ought\nwe to confess?\"\n\n[8] The decrees of the Popes collected in the Canon Law. The\ndecretal here referred to is _C. Omnis Utriusque, X. de\npoententiis et remissionibus_.\n\n[9] Anecdotes illustrating the doctrines of the Church were\nfavorite contents of the sermons in Luther's day. Various\ncollections of these edifying legends are still extant. Cf. p.\n224, and note.\n\n[10] i. e., By thinking of the nature of confession.\n\n[11] The reader of this minute classification of sins, which\ncould be duplicated out of almost any manual of casuistry, may\njudge for himself whether Luther was correct in calling it a\n\"riot of distinctions.\"\n\n[12] Luther steadily maintained that the Ten Commandments were a\ncomplete guide to holy living and that every possible sin his\nprohibited somewhere in the Decalogue. See, beside the various\nsmaller treatises (_Kurze Unterweisung wie man beichten soll_\n(1518), _Kurze Form des zehn Gobte_ (1520), etc.), the large\nDiscourse on Good Works, below, pp. 184 ff.\n\n[13] The writings mentioned are found in the _Weimar Ed._, Vol I,\npp. 250 ff, 258 ff, 398 ff. See above, p. 75, note 1.\n\n[14] The _Sentences_ of Peter the Lombard was the standard\ntext-book of Medieval theology.\n\n[15] \"On True and False Penitence,\" now universally admitted not\nto have been written by St. Augustine, but passing under his name\ntill after the Reformation.\n\n[16] That part of the liturgy of the Mass in which the miraculous\ntransformation of the elements into the Body and Blood of Christ\nis believed to take place.\n\n[17] i. e., Of the sacrament of confession.\n\n[18] The fixed hours of daily prayer observed in the monasteries,\nafterward applied to the liturgy for these services, viz., the\nBreviary. The daily reading of this breviary at the appointed\nhours is required of all clergy.\n\n[19] An Italian saint, d. 482, noted for the strictness and\nseverity of his ascetic practices.\n\n[20] Professor of the University of Paris; one of the most\npopular and famous of the later Scholastics. He died 1429.\n\n[21] Vulgate, \"_Cor ejus paratus est_.\"\n\n[22] We would say, \"the whole thing in a nutshell.\"\n\n[23] i. e., Sins for which the confessor was not allowed to grant\nabsolution without reference to some higher Church authority, to\nwhose absolution they were \"reserved.\" See Introduction, p. 79.\n\n[24] The power to \"bind and loose\" (Matt. 16:19), i. e., to\nforgive and to retain sins (John 20:23).\n\n[25] The Roman Church distinguished between the \"guilt\" and the\n\"penalty\" of sin. It was thought possible to forgive the former\nand retain the latter. Submission to the penalty is\n\"satisfaction.\" See Introduction to XCV. Theses, p. 19.\n\n[26] _Votum satisfactionis_. It was and is the teaching of the\nRoman Church that, where the actual reception of any sacrament is\nimpossible, the earnest desire to receive it suffices for\nsalvation. The desire is known as the _votum sacramenti_.\n\n[27] In Spain. The shrine of St. James at that place was a famous\nresort for pilgrims. Cf. below, p. 191, and note.\n\n[28] See the _Treatise on the Sacrament of Baptism_, above, pp. 68\nff.\n\n[29] Luther doubtless refers to the decrees of the popes by which\nspecial rewards were attached to worship at certain shrines.\n\n[30] The oath of office and the oath of allegiance.\n\n[31] The story is repeated by Melanchthon in the Apology of the\nAugsburg Confession, Ch. XIII, Art. xxvii, 38 (_Book of Concord_,\nEng. Trans., p. 288). The \"Alexander Coriarius\" of text is\nmisleading.\n\n\nTHE FOURTEEN OF CONSOLATION\n\nFOR SUCH AS LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN\n\n(TESSARADECAS CONSOLATORIA)\n\n1520\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\n1. When Luther's Elector, Frederick the Wise (1486-1525),\nreturned to his residence at Torgau, after participating in the\nelection of Emperor Charles V, at Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the\nsummer of 1519, he was stricken with a serious illness, from\nwhich there seemed little hope of his recovery Concerned for his\nnoble patron, and urged by Dr. George Spalatin, his friend at\ncourt, to prepare a \"spiritual consolation\" for the Elector,\nLuther wrote \"The Fourteen of Consolation,\" one of his finest and\ntenderest devotional writings, and, in conception and execution,\none of the most original of all his works.\n\nIts composition falls within the months of August and September\nof the year 1519. On August 29th, the Day of the Beheading of St.\nJohn Baptist, we find him writing in Part I, chapter vi: \"Does\nnot the example of St. John Baptist, whom we commemorate on this\nday as beheaded by Herod, shame and amaze us all?\" On September\n22d, he sends the completed manuscript (in Latin) to Spalatin,\nrequesting him to make a free translation of it into German and\npresent it to the Elector. By the end of November Spalatin had\ncompleted his task (one marvels at the leisureliness of this, in\nview of the serious condition of the Elector; or was the\nmanuscript translated and administered piecemeal to the noble\npatient?), and early in December he returned the original,\ndoubtless together with his own translation, to Luther, who had\nrequested its return, \"in order to comfort himself therewith.\"\n\nThe work was, therefore, in the strictest sense, a private\nwriting, and not in the least intended for publication.[1] But\nthe importunities of those who had seen it, particularly of\nSpalatin, prevailed, and on December 18th Luther writes to the\nlatter that \"the Tessaradecas, in both Latin and German, is in\nthe hands of the printer.\" On February 8th, 1520, he sends\nSpalatin a printed copy of the Latin, and six days later, one of\nthe German edition. The latter contained a dedicatory letter to\nthe Elector, which, however, by an oversight of the printer, and\nowing to Luther's absence at the time, was omitted in the Latin\nedition.\n\nIn 1535, fifteen years after its first appearance in print,\nLuther issued his Tessaradecas in a new and final edition, adding\na brief prefatory note. He no longer holds many of his former\nviews, and there is much in his little book that he has outgrown\nand might now correct. But with characteristic unconcern, he lets\nit all stand, and even restores many passages that had been\ncorrupted or omitted to their original form. It is a revised\nedition, with the errors, as it were, underscored. It is to be\nchiefly an historical record, to show the world how far he has\nprogressed since its first writing (1 Tim. 4:15), a mile-post on\nthe road of his inner development.[2] And more than this--and\nhere one fancies he can see the sardonic smile on the\nbattle-scarred face--it is to furnish his enemies with weapons\nagainst himself; he desires to show a favor to the hunters of\ncontradictions in his works, \"that they may have whereon to\nexercise their malice.\"\n\n2. The plan of the work is in the highest degree original and\nartificial. The title, _Tessaradecas consolatoria_, which we\nhave rendered \"The Fourteen of Consolation,\" [3] is explained by\nLuther in the dedicatory epistle to the Elector, pp. 110 ff. The\n\"Fourteen\" were the fourteen patron saints of medieval devotion,\ncalled the \"Defenders from all evils\" (_defendores_,\n_auxiliatores_). Whence the cult arose is not altogether\ncertain. It is said to have become popular in Germany since the\nvision of a Franconian shepherd, in 1446, to whom there appeared,\nin the fields, the Christ-child surrounded by the fourteen\nsaints. The _Vierzehnheiligenkirche_ at Staffelstein, a famous\nshrine for pilgrims, marks the spot. The names of the \"Fourteen,\"\neach of whom was a defender against some particular disease or\ndanger, are as follows: Achatius (Acacius), Aegidius, Barbara\n(cf. St. Barbara's cress), Blasius (the \"defender\" of those\nafflicted with throat diseases), Catharine (cf. St. Catharine's\nflower), Christopher (cf. St. Christopher's herb), Cyriacus,\nDionysius, Erasmus (Italian: San Elmo; cf. St. Elmo's fire),\nEustachius, George the Martyr (cf. St. George's herb), Margaret,\nPantaleon, and Vitus (cf. St. Vitus's dance). Luther's Sermons\non the First Commandment (1516) may be compared lot references to\nsome of these saints and to many others.\n\nAs over against these saints, Luther also invents fourteen\ndefenders or comforters, and arranges them in this writing in the\nform of an altar tablet; but his is not a tablet such as those\nfound in the churches, representing the fourteen defenders, but\nit is a spiritual tablet or painting, to uplift and strengthen\nthe pious heart of the Elector, and of all others who are weary\nand heavy laden. The first division, or panel, of this figurative\naltar-piece contains the images or paintings of seven evils\n(_maia_); the second, those of seven blessings (_bona_). The\ncontemplation of the evils will comfort the weary and heavy laden\nby showing them how small their evil is in comparison with the\nevil that they have within themselves, namely, their sin; with\nthe evils they have suffered in the past, and will have to suffer\nin the future; with the evils which others, their friends and\nfoes, suffer; and, above all, with those which Christ suffered on\nthe cross. Similarly, the contemplation of the blessings will\nhelp them to forget their present sufferings; for they are as\nnothing compared with the blessing within them, namely, their\nfaith; the blessings they enjoyed in the past, and those that\nawait them in the future, as well as those which arc enjoyed by\ntheir friends and foes, and, finally, the highest blessing of\nall, which is Jesus Christ, risen and glorified.\n\nWe can only conjecture as to the origin of this unique conception\nof Luther's. Of course, the evils and blessings came to him from\nthe passage in Ecclesiasticus 11:26.[4] The order and arrangement\nmay follow some contemporary altar-picture of the \"Fourteen\nSaints.\" There was a famous altar-painting of the \"Fourteen,\" by\nLucas Cranach, in St Mary's at Torgau, the residence of the\nElector. The fact is suggestive.[5]\n\n3. The Tessaradecas was favorably received by the Elector, was\nhighly praised by Spalatin, who urged its publication, and must\nhave been dear to Luther's own heart, since he desired the return\nof his manuscript for his own comfort. The little work soon\nbecame very popular, and passed through numerous editions, both\nin Latin and in German. During the first two years five Latin\neditions were printed, and up to 1525 seven German editions. A\ntranslation was published in the Netherlands in 1521, and one in\nEngland in 1578. Erasmus commended it to Bishop Christopher of\nBasle, in 1523; \"I am sending your Highness Luther's book of the\nfourteen pictures, which has won great approbation even from\nthose who oppose his doctrine at every point.\" Mathesius,\nLuther's pupil and biographer, judged that there had never before\nbeen such words of comfort written in the German language. The\nFranciscan Lemmens speaks of \"the beautiful and Catholic\nthoughts\" in it.\n\n4. Our translation is made from the Latin text, as found in the\nWeimar edition of Luther's works, volume vi, with continual\nreference to the German text, as given in the Berlin edition. We\nregret our inability to obtain a copy of the old English\ntranslation (A right comfortable Treatise conteining sundrye\npointes of consolation for them that labour and are\nladen....Englished by W. Gace. T. Vautrollier, London, 1578, sec.\ned. 1580), although the form of the title would seem to indicate\nthat it was made from Spalatin's translation, and not from the\noriginal.[6]\n\nThe many Scripture quotations, all naturally from the Latin\nVulgate, and most of them freely quoted from memory, and\nsometimes \"targumed\" and woven into the texture of the treatise,\nare rendered by us, unless the sense should thereby be affected,\nin the words of the Authorised Version. Important or interesting\nvariations are indicated in the foot-notes.\n\n5. The Tesseradecas deserves to be more widely known and used.\nIts value is more than merely that of an historical document,\nrepresenting a transition stage in Luther's reformatory views. It\ngives us, besides this, a deep insight into the living piety of\nthe man, his great heart so full of the peace of God that passeth\nall understanding. When we remember that this little work was\ncomposed in the midst of a very \"tempest\" of other writings,\nchiefly polemical (e.g., the savage onslaughts on Emser), it will\nappear akin to the little book of Ruth, lying so peacefully\nbetween the war-like books of Judges and First Samuel. At the\nLeipzig Disputation, earlier in the same year, Luther was seen to\nhold a bouquet of flowers in his hand, and to smell of it when\nthe battle waxed hot. The Tessaradecas is such a bunch of\nflowers. Its chief glory, however, that of a devotional classic,\nhas been somewhat dimmed by Luther himself, who with the\ncarelessness of genius refused to revise his outworn views in it;\nand yet, despite its relics of medi\u00e6valism, particularly by\nreason of its firm evangelical foundation, its scriptural warp\nand woof, its fervent piety, and its fresh and original\ntreatment, it is not less entitled to a high place in the\ndevotional and ascetic literature of the Church than the much\nbetter known _Imitatio Christi_. In this sense it is herewith\noffered anew to the English reader, with the hope that \"the\ndiligent reading and contemplation of these 'images' may minister\nsome slight comfort.\"\n\n6. Literature.--(1) The literary and historical introductions to\nthe Tessaradecas in the Weimar, Erlangen, and Berlin editions.\n(2) K\u00f6stlin-Kawerau, _Martin Luther, sein Leben und seine\nSchriften_. 5th ed., 1903, vol. I, pp. 280, 281. (3) H. Beck,\n_Die Erbauungslit. der evang. Kirche Deutschlands_, 1883. (4) On\nthe fourteen Defenders see articles in Wetzer und Welte and the\nCatholic Encyclopaedia, and especially the article _Nothelfer_,\nby Z\u00f6ckler, in PRE3, where also see further literature.\n\nA. T. W. Steinhaeuser\nAllentown, PA.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] Cf. the first sentence of the Prefatory Note, p. 109 of this\nvolume; also the dedicatory epistle of the _Treatise on Good\nWorks_, p. 184.\n\n[2] We have noted a few of the more glaring relics of medi\u00e6valism\nin the footnotes; the attentive reader will discover and dispose\nof others for himself.\n\n[3] The title furnishes peculiar difficulties to the translator.\nCole has simply transliterated it, \"The Consolatory Terradecad.\"\nSpalatin paraphrased it \"Ein trostlichs Buchlein,\" etc. The\nBerlin Edition renders it, \"Vierzehn Trostmittel,\" etc.\n\n[4] See p. 113.\n\n[5] Did the comment of Bernard of Clairvaux, on Romans 8:18,\nperhaps contribute its quota to the general conception? \"The\nsufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared\nwith the past guilt, which is forgiven (_remittitur_); with the\npresent grace of consolation, which is given (_immittitur_); with\nthe future glory, which is promised (_promittitur_).\"\n\n[6] An English translation, with some omissions that Luther\nhimself did not care to make is found in Henry Cole's _Select\nWorks of Martin Luther_, vol. II, London, 1824.\n\n\nTHE FOURTEEN OF CONSOLATION\n\n(TESSARADECAS CONSOLATORIA)\n\n1520\n\n\nPREFATORY NOTE[1]\n\nThis book was written, early in my career, for that most\nexcellent prince, Frederick, Duke of Saxony, when he was stricken\nwith a dangerous illness; but many desired that it be printed.\nAfter passing through various editions it has now become so sadly\ncorrupted and mutilated that many passages are missing, whose\noriginal form I myself have clean forgot. However, I have\nrestored the sense of them, as well as I was able, taking care to\nset down only such views as I held when the work was first\nwritten. I did not care to revise them now, as I might well do.\nFor it is my purpose in this book to put forth a public record of\nmy progress,[2] and also to show a kindness to the\n\"Contradictionists,\" [3] that they may have whereon to exercise\ntheir malice. For me it is enough if I please my Lord Christ and\nHis saints; that I am hated of the devil and his scales, [4] I\nrejoice with all my heart, and give thanks to God.\n\nDEDICATORY EPISTLE[5]\n\nTo the Most Illustrious Prince and Lord, Frederick, Duke of\nSaxony, Arch-Marshal and Elector Of the Holy Roman Empire,\nLandgrave of THuringia, Margrave of Meissen, his most gracious\nLord.\n\nOur Lord and Saviour Jesus hath left us a commandment, which\nconcerns all Christians alike,--that we should render the duties\nof humanity, or (as the Scriptures call them) the works of mercy,\n[Luke 6:36] to such as are afflicted and under calamity; [Matt.\n25:34 ff.] that we should visit the sick, endeavor to set free\nthe prisoners, and perform other like acts of kindness to our\nneighbor, whereby the evils of this present time may in some\nmeasure be lightened. And of this command our Lord Jesus Christ\nhath Himself given us the brightest example, in that, out of\ninfinite love to the race of men. He descended out of the bosom\nof the Father into our misery and prison-cell, that is, our flesh\nand life so full of ills, and took upon Him the penalty of our\nsins, in order that we might be saved; as He saith in Isaiah\nxliii, \"Thou hast made Me to serve with thy sins, and wearied Me\nwith thine iniquities.\" [Isa. 43:24]\n\nWhoever is not moved by so bright an example, and driven by the\nauthority of the divine command, to show forth such works of\nmercy, he will deservedly hear, in the last judgment, the voice\nof the angry Judge saying: \"Depart from me, thou cursed, into\neverlasting fire! For I was sick, and thou didst not visit Me;\nbut, basely ungrateful for the many blessings I bestowed on thee\nand on all the world, thou wouldest not so much as lift a finger\nto succor thy brethren, nay Me, Christ, thy God and Saviour, in\nthy brethren.\" [Matt. 25:41]\n\nSince, then, most noble Prince, I perceive that your Lordship has\nbeen smitten with a dangerous malady, and that Christ has thus\nfallen sick in you, I have counted it my duty to visit your\nLordship with a little writing of mine. For I cannot pretend to\nbe deaf to the voice of Christ crying to me out of your\nLordship's flesh and blood, \"Behold, here am I sick.\" For such\nills as sickness and the like are endured, not by us Christians,\nbut by Christ Himself, our Lord and Saviour, in Whom we live.\nEven as He plainly testifies in the Gospel, \"Whatsoever ye have\ndone unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it\nunto Me.\" [Matt. 25:40] And while we should visit and console all\nwho are afflicted with sickness, yet we owe this duty specially\nto those who are of the household of faith. For Paul clearly\ndistinguishes between strangers and those of the household, or\nthose who are bound to us by intimate ties, Galatians vi. [Gal.\n6:10]\n\nBut I have yet other reasons for performing this my duty. For I\nconsider that, as one of your Lordship's subjects, I must needs\nshare in your Lordship's illness, together with the remainder of\nyour many subjects, and suffer with you as a member with the\nHead, on which all our fortunes, our safety, and our happiness\ndepend. For we recognize in your Lordship another Naaman [2\nKings, 5:1], by whom God is now giving deliverance to Germany, as\nin times past He gave deliverance to Syria. Wherefore the whole\nRoman Empire turns its eyes to your Lordship alone, and venerates\nand receives you as the Father of the Fatherland, and the bright\nornament and protector of the whole Empire, but of the German\nnation in particular.[6]\n\nNor are we bound only to console your Lordship as much as in us\nlies, and to make your present sorrow our own, but much more to\npray God for your health and safety; which I trust your\nLordship's subjects are doing with all diligence and devotion.\nBut as for me, whom your Lordship's many and signal benefactions\nhave made your debtor above all others, I count it my duty to\nexpress my gratitude by rendering you some special service. But\nnow, by reason of my poverty both of mind and fortune, it is not\npossible for me to offer anything of value; therefore I gladly\nwelcomed the suggestion of Doctor George Spalatin, one of your\nLordship's court chaplains, that I should prepare a kind of\nspiritual consolation and present it to your Lordship, to whom,\nhe said, it would be most acceptable. Being unwilling to reject\nthis friendly counsel, I have put together the following fourteen\nchapters, after the fashion of an altar tablet, and have called\nthem, \"The Fourteen.\" [7] They are to take the place of the\nfourteen saints whom our superstition has invented and called,\n\"The Defenders against all evil.\" [8] But this is a tablet not of\nsilver, but of a spiritual sort; nor is it intended to adorn the\nwalls of a church, but to uplift and strengthen a pious heart. I\ntrust it will stand your Lordship in good stead in your present\ncondition. It consists of two divisions; the former containing\nthe images of seven evils, in the contemplation of which your\npresent troubles will grow light; the latter presenting the\nimages of seven blessings, brought together for the same purpose.\n\nMay it please your Lordship graciously to accept this little work\nof mine, and to make such use of it that the diligent reading and\ncontemplation of these \"images\" may minister some small comfort.\n\nYour Lordship's humble servant,\n\n    Martin Luther, Doctor.\n\nPREFACE\n\nThe Apostle Paul, treating in Romans xv. of the consolations of\nChristians, writes, \"Whatsoever things were written aforetime\nwere written for our learning, that we through patience and\ncomfort of the scriptures might have hope.\" [Rom. 15:4] In these\nwords he plainly teaches that our consolations are to be drawn\nfrom the Holy Scriptures. Now the Holy Scriptures administer\ncomfort after a twofold fashion, by presenting to our view\nblessings and evils, most wholesomely intermingled; as the wise\nPreacher saith, \"In the day of evil be mindful of the good, and\nin the day of good be mindful of the evil.\" [Ecclus. 11:26] For\nthe Holy Spirit knows that a thing has only such meaning and\nvalue for a man as he assigns to it in his thoughts; for what he\nholds common and of no value will move him but little, either to\npleasure when he obtains it, or to grief when he loses it.\nTherefore He endeavors with all His might to draw us away from\nthinking about things and from being moved by them; and when He\nhas effected this, then all things whatsoever are alike to us.\nNow this drawing away is best accomplished by means of the Word,\nWhereby our thoughts are turned from the thing that moves us at\nthe present moment to that which either is absent or does not at\nthe moment move us. Therefore it is true that we shall attain to\nthis state of mind only through the comfort of the Scriptures,\nwhich call us, in the day of evil, to the contemplation of good\nthings, either present or to come, and, in the day of good, to\nthe contemplation of evil things.\n\nBut let us, for our better understanding of these two series of\npictures or images, divide each of them into seven parts. The\nfirst series will treat of the evils, and we shall consider (1)\nthe evil within us, (2) the evil before us, (3) the evil behind\nus, (4) the evil on our left hand, (5) the evil on our right\nhand, (6) the evil beneath us, and (7) the evil above us.[9]\n\nCHAPTER I\n\nTHE FIRST IMAGE\n\nTHE EVIL WITHIN US\n\nThis is most certain and true--we may believe it or not--that no\nsuffering in a man's experience, be it never so severe, can be\nthe greatest of the evils that are within him. So many more and\nfar greater evils are there within him than any that he feels.\nAnd if he were to feel those evils, he would feel the pains of\nhell; for he holds a hell within himself. Do you ask how this can\nbe? The Prophet says, \"All men are liars\" [Ps. 116:11] and again,\n\"Every man at his best state is altogether vanity.\" [Ps. 39:6]\nBut to be a liar and vanity, is to be without truth and reality;\nand to be without truth and reality, is to be without God and to\nbe nothing; and this is to be in hell and damned. Therefore, when\nGod in His mercy chastens us, He reveals to us and lays upon us\nonly the lighter evils; for if He were to lead us to the full\nknowledge of our evil, we should straightway perish. Yet even\nthis He has given some to taste, and of them it is written, \"He\nbringeth down to hell, and bringeth up.\" [1 Sam. 2:6] Therefore\nthey say well who call our bodily sufferings the monitors of the\nevil within. And the Apostle, in Hebrews xii, calls them God's\nfatherly chastenings, when he says, \"He scourgeth every son whom\nHe receiveth.\" [Heb. 12:6] And He does this, in order by such\nscourgings and lesser evils to drive out those great evils, that\nwe may never need to feel them; as it is written, \"Foolishness is\nbound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall\ndrive it far from him.\" [Prov. 33:15] Do not loving parents\ngrieve more for their sons when they turn out thieves and\nevil-doers than when they receive a wound? Nay, they themselves\nbeat them until the blood flows, to keep them from becoming\nevil-doers.[10]\n\nWhat is it, then, that prevents us from feeling this our true\nevil? It is, as I have said, so ordered by God, that we may not\nperish on seeing the evils hidden in the depths of our hearts.\nFor God keeps them hidden, and would have us discern them only by\nfaith, when He points them out to us by means of the evil that we\nfeel. Therefore, \"In the day of evil be mindful of the good.\"\n[Ecclus. 11:26] Behold, how great a good it is, not to know the\nwhole of our evil! Be mindful of this good, and the evil that you\nfeel will press you less cruelly. Again, \"In the day of good be\nmindful of the evil.\" That is to say. Whilst you do not feel your\ntrue evil, be grateful for this respite; then will the evil that\nyou feel sit lightly upon you. It is clear, then, that in this\nlife a man's freedom from pain is always greater than his pain.\nNot that his whole evil is not present with him, but he does not\nthink about it and is not moved by it, through the goodness of\nGod, Who keeps it hidden.\n\nHow furiously do those men rage against themselves, to whom their\ntrue evil has been revealed! How they count as nothing whatever\nsufferings life may bring, if only they might not feel the hell\nwithin! Even so would every one do, who felt or truly believed in\nthe evil within him. Gladly would he call down all external evils\non his head, and count them mere child's play; nay, he would\nnever be more sorrowful than when he had no evils to bear, after\nthe manner of certain of the saints, such as David in Psalm vi.\n[Ps. 6]\n\nTherefore, this is our first image of consolation, that a man\nshould say to himself: \"Not yet, O man, dost thou feel thine\nevil. Rejoice and give thanks that thou dost not need to feel\nit!\" And so the lesser evil grows light by comparison with the\ngreatest evil. That is what others mean when they say, \"I have\ndeserved far worse things, yea, hell itself\"--a thing easy to\nsay, but horrible to contemplate.\n\nAnd this evil, though never so deeply hidden, yet puts forth\nfruits that are plainly enough perceived. These are the dread and\nuncertainty of a trembling conscience, when faith is assailed,\nand a man is not sure, or doubts, whether he have a gracious God.\nAnd this fruit is bitter in proportion to the weakness of one's\nfaith. Nay, when rightly considered, this weakness alone, being\nspiritual, far outweighs every weakness of the body, and renders\nit, in comparison, light as a feather.\n\nMoreover, to the evils within us belong all those tragic\nexperiences described by the Preacher, when he refers again and\nagain to \"vanity and vexation of spirit.\" [Eccl. 1:2, 14] How\nmany of our plans come to naught! How oft our hopes are deceived!\nHow many things that are not to our liking must we see and bear!\nAnd the very things that fall out according to our wish fall out\nalso against our wish! So that there is nothing perfect and\ncomplete. Finally, all these things are so much greater, the\nhigher one rises in rank and station;[11] for such a one will of\nnecessity be driven about by far more and greater billows,\nfloods, and tempests, than others who labor in a like case. As it\nis truly said in Psalm ciii,[12] \"In the sea of this world there\nare things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts,\"\n[Ps. 104:25] that is, an infinite number of trials. And Job, for\nthis reason, calls the life of man a \"trial.\" [13]\n\nThese evils do not, indeed, cease to be evils because they are\nless sharply felt by us; but we have grown accustomed to them\nfrom having them constantly with us, and through the goodness of\nGod our thoughts and feelings concerning them have become\nblunted. That is why they move us the more deeply when we do feel\nthem now and then, since we have not learned through familiarity\nto despise them. So true is it, therefore, that we feel scarce a\nthousandth part of our evils, and also that we estimate them and\nfeel them or do not feel them, not as they are in themselves, but\nonly as they exist in our thoughts and feelings.[14]\n\nCHAPTER II\n\nTHE SECOND IMAGE\n\nTHE FUTURE EVIL, OR THE EVIL BEFORE US\n\nIt will tend in no small degree to lighten any present evil if a\nman turn his mind to the evils to come. These are so many, so\ndiverse, and so great, that out of them has arisen one of the\nstrongest emotions of the soul; namely, fear. For fear has been\ndefined by some as the emotion caused by coming evil. Even as the\nApostle says in Romans xi, \"Be not highminded, but fear.\" [Rom.\n11:30] This evil is all the greater because of our uncertainty in\nwhat form and with what force it may come; so that there goes a\npopular saying, \"No age is proof against the itch,\" although this\nis but a little children's disease. Even so, no man is safe from\nthe evils that befall any other; for what one has suffered\nanother may suffer also. Here belong all the tragic histories of\nthe ages, and all the lamentations of the world. Here belong the\nmore than three hundred diseases--which some have observed--with\nwhich the human body may be vexed. And if there be so many\ndiseases, how great will be the number of other misfortunes that\nmay befall our possessions, our friends, and even our mind\nitself, that target of all evils, and trysting-place of sorrow\nand every ill!\n\nAnd these evils increase in power and intensity as a man rises to\nhigher rank and dignity;[15] in which estate he must needs dread\nevery moment the coming of poverty, disgrace, and every\nindignity, which may indeed swiftly overtake him, for they all\nhang by but a slender thread, not unlike the sword which the\ntyrant Dionysius suspended above the head of the guest at his\ntable.\n\nAnd if none of these evils befall us, we should count it our\ngain, and no small comfort in the evil that does befall us; so\nthat we should feel constrained to say with Jeremiah, \"It is of\nthe Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.\" [Lam. 3:22 f.] For\nwhen none of them befall us, it is because they have been kept\nfrom us by the right hand of the Most High that compasses us\nabout with such mighty power (as we see in Job) that Satan and\nall evils can but gnash their teeth in helpless rage. [Job 1:10]\nFrom this we see how sweetly we ought to love our Lord, whenever\nany evil comes upon us. For our most loving Father would by that\none evil have us see how many evils threaten us and would fall on\nus, if He did not Himself stand in the way, as though He said,\n\"Satan and the host of evils have desired to have thee, to sift\nthee as wheat; [Luke:22:31] but I have marked out bounds for the\nsea, and have said, Hitherto shaft thou come, and here shall thy\nproud waves be stayed [Job 38:10],\" as He saith in Job xxxviii.\n\nAnd, granted that perchance, if God please, none of these things\nwill come upon you; nevertheless, that which is known as the\ngreatest of terrors, death, is certain to come, and nothing is\nless certain than the hour of its coming. Truly, this is so\ngreat an evil that there are many who would rather live on amid\nall the above-named evils than to die once and have them ended.\nWith this one thing the Scriptures, which hold all others in\ncontempt, associate fear, saying, \"Remember thy end, and thou\nshalt never do amiss.\" [Ecclus. 7:40] Behold, how many\nmeditations, how many books, how many rules and remedies have\nbeen brought together, in order, by calling to men's minds this\none evil, to keep them from sin, to render the world\ncontemptible, to lighten suffering, to comfort the\nafflicted,--all by a comparison with this great and terrible, and\nyet so inevitable, evil of death. This evil even the saints\ndreaded, and Christ submitted to it with trembling and bloody\nsweat. [Luke 22:44] So that the divine Mercy hath been nowhere\nmore concerned to comfort our little faith than in the matter of\nthis evil, as we shall see below.[16]\n\nBut all these things are common to all men, even as the blessings\nof salvation under these evils are common to all. For\nChristians, however, there is another and a particular reason for\ndreading the evils to come, which easily surpasses all the evils\nthat have been mentioned. It is that which the Apostle portrays\nin I. Corinthians x, when he says, \"He that standeth, let him\ntake heed lest he fall.\" [1 Cor. 19:12] So unstable is our\nfooting, and so powerful our foe, armed with our own strength\n(that is, the weapons of our flesh and all our evil lusts),\nattended by the countless armies of the world, its delights and\npleasures on the right hand, its hardships and the plots of\nwicked men on the left, and, besides all this, master himself of\nthe art of doing us harm, seducing us, and bringing us down to\ndestruction by a thousand different ways. Such is our life that\nwe are not safe for one moment in our good intentions. Cyprian,\nwho in his _De Mortalitate_[17] touches on many of these matters,\nteaches that death is to be desired as a swift means of escape\nfrom these evils. And truly, wherever there have been\nhigh-hearted men, who brought their minds steadily to bear on\nthese infinite perils of hell, we find them, with contempt of\nlife and death (that is, all the aforesaid evils), desiring to\ndie, that so they might be delivered at one and the same time\nfrom this evil of the sins in which they now are (of which we\nspoke in the previous chapter), and of the sins into which they\nmight fall (of which we are treating now). And these are, indeed,\ntwo most weighty reasons why we should not only desire death, but\nalso despise all evils, to say nothing of lightly bearing a\nsingle evil; if the Lord grant us to be moved thereby. For it is\nGod's gift that we are moved thereby. For what true Christian\nwill not even desire to die, and much more to bear sickness,\nseeing that, so long as he lives and is in health, he is in sin,\nand is constantly prone to fall, yea, is falling every day, into\nmore sins; and is thus constantly thwarting the most loving will\nof his most loving Father! To such a heat of indignation was St.\nPaul moved, in Romans vii, when after complaining that he did not\nthe good that he would, but the evil that he would not, [Rom.\n7:19] he cried out, \"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver\nme the body of this death? The grace of God,\" [18] he answers,\n\"through Jesus Christ.\"\n\nThat man loves God his Father but little, who does not prefer the\nevil of dying to this evil of sinning. For God has appointed\ndeath, that this evil might come to an end, and that death might\nbe the minister of life and righteousness, of which more\nbelow.[19]\n\nCHAPTER III\n\nTHE THIRD IMAGE\n\nTHE PAST EVIL, OR THE EVIL BEHIND US\n\nIn this image, above all others, the sweet mercy of God our\nFather shines forth, able to comfort us in every distress. For\nnever does a man feel the hand of God more closely upon him than\nwhen he calls to mind the years of his past life. St. Augustine\nsays: \"If a man were set before the choice either of dying or of\nliving his past life over, it is certain that he would choose to\ndie, seeing the many perils and evils which he had so hardly\nescaped.\" This is a very true saying, if it be rightly pondered.\n\nHere a man may see how often he has done and suffered many\nthings, without any exertion or care of his own, nay, without and\nagainst his wish; of which things he took so little thought\nbefore they came to pass, or while they were taking place, that,\nonly after all was over, he found himself compelled to exclaim in\ngreat surprise: \"Whence have all these things come to me, when I\nnever gave them a thought, or when I thought of something very\ndifferent?\" So that the proverb is true, \"Man proposeth, but God\ndisposeth\"; [Prov. 16:9] that is, God turns things about, and\nbrings to pass something far different from that which man\nproposes. Therefore, from this consideration alone, it is\nimpossible for us to deny that our life and all our actions are\nunder the direction, not of our own prudence, but of the\nwonderful power, wisdom, and goodness of God. Here we see how\noften God was with us when we knew it not, and with what truth\nPeter has said, \"He careth for us all.\" [1 Peter 5:7]\n\nTherefore, even if there were no books or tracts, yet our very\nlife itself, brought through so many evils and dangers, if we\nwill but consider it, abundantly commends to us the ever present\nand most tender goodness of God, which, far above all that we\npurposed or perceived, carried us as it were in its bosom. As\nMoses says in Deuteronomy xxxii, \"The Lord kept him as the apple\nof His eye, and led him about, and bore him on His shoulders.\"\n[Deut. 32:10 ff.][20]\n\nHence arose those exhortations in the Psalter: \"I remember the\ndays of old; I meditate on all Thy works; I muse on the work of\nThy hands.\" [Ps. 143:5] \"Surely I will remember Thy wonders of\nold.\" [Ps. 77:11] Again, \"I remembered Thy judgments of old, O\nLord, and have comforted myself,\" [Ps. 119:52] These exhortations\nand the like are intended to teach us that, if God was with us\nwhen we thought it not, or when He seemed not to be with us, we\nshould not doubt that He is always with us, even when He appears\nto be far from us. For He Who, in so many necessities, has\nsustained us without our aid, will not forsake us in our smaller\nneed, even though He seem to be forsaking us. As He saith in\nIsaiah, \"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great\nmercies will I gather thee.\" [Isa. 54:7]\n\nMoreover, who had the care of us so many a night, while we slept?\nWho cared for us when we were at work, or at play, or engaged in\nall those countless things wherein we had no care for ourselves?\nIndeed, how much of our time is there in which we have the care\nof ourselves? Even the miser, careful as he is to gain riches,\nmust perforce put by his care in the midst of all his getting and\ngaining. And so we see that, whether we will or no, all our care\nfalls back on God alone, and we are scarcely ever left to care\nfor ourselves. Still, God does now and again leave us to care for\nourselves, in order to bring home to us His goodness, and to\nteach us how great the difference between His care and ours.\nHence, He suffers us now and then to be assailed by some slight\nmalady or other ill, dissembling His care for us (for He never\nceases to care), and yet at the same time preventing the many\nevils that threaten us on every side from bursting in upon us all\ntogether. Hereby He tries us as His well-beloved children, to see\nwhether we will not trust His care, which extends through all our\npast life, and learn how vain and powerless a thing is any care\nof ours. How little, indeed, do we or can we do for ourselves,\nthroughout our life, when we are not able to stop a small pain in\none of our limbs, even for the shortest space of time?[21]\n\nWhy, then, are we so anxious in the matter of a single danger or\nevil, and do not rather leave our care to Him? For our whole\nlife bears witness to the many evils from which He has delivered\nus, without our doing. To know this, is indeed to know the works\nof God, to meditate on His works, [Ps. 143:5, 119:52] and by the\nremembrance of them to comfort ourselves in our adversities. But\nthey that know this not come under that other word in Psalm\nxxvii, \"Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the\noperations of His hand, He shall destroy them, and not build them\nup.\" [Ps. 28:5] For those men are ungrateful toward God for all\nHis care over them during their whole life, who will not, for one\nsmall moment, commit their care to Him.\n\nCHAPTER IV\n\nTHE FOURTH IMAGE\n\nTHE INFERNAL EVIL, OR THE EVIL BENEATH US\n\nHitherto we have seen, in all the evils that we endure, naught\nbut the goodness of God, which is so great and so near that of\nall the countless evils with which we are surrounded in this\nlife, and in which we are shut up as in a prison, but a very few\nare permitted to approach us, and these never for long together.\nSo that, when we are oppressed by any present evil, it is only to\nremind us of some great gain with which God is honoring us, in\nthat He does not suffer us to be overwhelmed by the multitude of\nevils with which we are surrounded. For what wonder that a man,\nat whom an infinite number of blows is aimed, should be touched\nby one now and then! Nay, it is a mercy not to be struck by all;\nit is a miracle to be struck by but a few.\n\nThe first, then, of the evils beneath us is death, and the other\nis hell.\n\nIf we will but consider the deaths, so diverse and so terrible,\nwith which other sinners are punished, we shall soon see how\ngreat a gain is ours in that we suffer far less than we have\ndeserved. How many men are hanged, strangled, drowned or\nbeheaded, who perchance committed less sins than we! And their\ndeath and misery are held up to us by Christ as in a mirror, in\nwhich we may behold what we have deserved. For it is said in Luke\nxiii, when they told Him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had\nmingled with their sacrifices, that He replied: \"Suppose ye that\nthese Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because\nthey suffered these things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye\nrepent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon\nwhom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they\nwere sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you.\nNay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.\" [Luke\n13:1 ff.] For we need not expect that we, who have committed the\nsame or even graver sins, shall escape with a lighter punishment.\nNor will the justice and truth of God, which hath decreed to\nrender to every man according to his deeds, be turned for our\nsake into injustice and a lie, unless we hasten to make\nsatisfaction by at least bearing our trifling evil with\npatience.[22]\n\nAnd how many thousands are there in hell and everlasting\ndamnation, who have not committed the thousandth part of our\nsins! How many virgins, youths, and those whom we call innocents,\nare there! How many monks, priests, and married pairs! These\nseemed all their life long to be serving God, and, it may be for\na single lapse, are now being punished for ever. For, it may not\nbe denied, the justice of God is the same in the case of every\nsin, whatever it may be, and hates and punishes all sin alike, it\nmatters not in whom it is found. Do we not then see here the\ninestimable mercy of God, Who hath not condemned us, though we\nhave so many times deserved condemnation? Pray, what are all the\nsufferings life can bring, compared to eternal punishment, which\nthey indeed justly endure on account of one sin, while we go free\nand unpunished for our many sins, which God hath covered! [Ps.\n32:1] That we take no thought of these benefits of God, or but\nlightly esteem them, that is ingratitude, and the hardening of\nour unbelieving heart.\n\nMoreover, we must include here the many infidels, Gentiles, Jews,\nand infants, who, if to them had been granted the advantages that\nwe enjoy, would not now be in hell, but rather in heaven, and who\nwould have sinned far less than we. For this mirror also does\nChrist set before us, when He says in Matthew xi: \"Woe unto thee,\nChorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works,\nwhich were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they\nwould have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say\nunto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the\nday of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art\nexalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the\nmighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in\nSodom, it would have remained to this day. But I say unto you.\nThat it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day\nof judgment, than for thee.\" [Matt. 11:21 ff.] We see, therefore,\nwhat praise and love we owe to our good Lord, in any evil\nwhatsoever of this life; for it is but a tiny drop of the evils\nwhich we have deserved, and which Job compares to the sea, and to\nthe sand by the seashore. [Job 6:3]\n\nCHAPTER V\n\nTHE FIFTH IMAGE\n\nTHE EVIL ON OUR LEFT HAND\n\nHere we must set before our eyes the whole multitude of our\nadversaries and wicked men, and consider, first, how many evils\nthey would have inflicted on our bodies, our property, our good\nname, and on our souls, but could not, being prevented by the\nprovidence of God. Indeed, the higher one's station and the wider\none's sway,[23] the more is he exposed to the intrigues,\nslanders, plots, and stratagems of his enemies. In all this we\nmay mark and feel the very present hand of God, and need not\nwonder if we be touched now and then by one of these evils.\n\nAgain, let us consider the evils which these men themselves\nendure; not that we may exult over them, but that we may feel\npity for them. For they, too, are exposed to all these same\nevils, in common with ourselves; as may be seen in the preceding\ntimes. Only, they are in a worse plight than we, because they\nstand outside our fellowship,[24] both as to body and soul. For\nthe evil that we endure is as nothing compared to their evil\nestate; for they are in sin and unbelief, under the wrath of God,\nand under the dominion of the devil, wretched slaves to\nungodliness and sin, so that, if the whole world were to heap\ncurses on their heads, it could wish them no worse things. If we\nrightly consider this, we shall see how much more highly favored\nwe are of God, in that we may bear our slight bodily ill in\nfaith, in the kingdom of Christ, and in the service of God; and,\nindeed, are scarce able to feel it, being so rich in those high\nblessings. Nay, this wretchedness of theirs must so sorely\ntrouble a pious Christian heart as to make its own troubles seem\ndelights beside them. Thus St. Paul exhorts in Philippians ii,\n\"Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the\nthings of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in\nChrist Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, took upon Him the\nform of a servant, etc.\" [Phil. 2:4 ff.] That is to say, Out of\nfervent love He took our form upon Himself, bearing Himself\namidst our evils as though they were His own, and so completely\nforgetting Himself and all His goods, and humbling Himself, that\nHe was found in all things to be made in the likeness of men,\ncounting nothing human foreign to Himself, and wholly giving\nHimself over to our evils.\n\nAnimated with this love, and moved by this example, the saints\nare wont to pray for wicked men, even their enemies, [Luke 6:27\nf.] and to do all things for them after the example of Christ;\nand forgetting their own injuries and rights, to take thought\nonly how they may rescue them from their evils, with which they\nare far more cruelly tormented than with any evils of the body.\nEven as St. Peter writes of Lot, that he \"dwelt among them who\nfrom day to day vexed the just soul with unjust works.\" [2 Peter\n2:8]\n\nYou see, then, how deep an abyss of evils is here discovered, and\nhow great an opportunity for showing mercy and compassion, as\nwell as for overlooking our own trifling ills, if the love of God\ndwell in us; since that which God permits us to suffer is as\nnothing to that which those others endure. But the reason why\nthese things affect us so little is, because the eye of our heart\nis not clear enough to see how great is the squalor and\nwretchedness of a man lying in sin; that is, separated from God,\nand in the possession of the devil. For who is there so hard of\nheart that he must not sicken at the spectacle of those miserable\nforms lying at our church doors and in our streets, their faces\ndisputed, and all their members hideously consumed with\nputrifying sores; so that the mind is horror-struck at the\nthought and the senses recoil from the sight! And what does God\nintend, through these lamentable specimens of our flesh and\nbrotherhood, but to open the eyes of our mind, that we may see in\nhow much more dreadful a guise the soul of the sinner shows forth\nits disease and decay, even though he himself go in purple and\ngold, and tie among lilies and roses, as a very child of\nparadise! Yet how many sinners are there to one of those wretched\ncreatures? When these evils on the part of our neighbors, so\ngreat both in number and degree, are disregarded by us, it\nfollows that our one evil, be it never so trifling, will appear\nas the sole evil, and the greatest of all.\n\nBut even in respect of bodily evils, the wicked are of necessity\nin a worse plight than we. For what sweet and pure joy can be\ntheirs, so long as their conscience can find no peace? Or can\nthere be a more terrible evil than the unrest of a gnawing\nconscience? Isaiah says, \"The wicked are like the troubled sea,\nwhen it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is\nno peace, saith my God, to the wicked.\" [Isaiah 57:20 f.] This\nalso, in Deuteronomy xxviii, applies to them: \"The Lord shall\ngive thee a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of\nmind: and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou\nshalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy\nlife; in the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and\nat even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear\nof thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of\nthine eyes which thou shalt see.\" [Deut. 28:65 ff.] In a word, if\none regarded all the evils of the wicked in the right spirit,\nwhether they be those of his friends or his foes, he would not\nonly seem to be suffering nothing at all, but he would also, with\nMoses and the Apostle Paul, [Ex. 32:32, Rom. 9:3] be filled with\nan hearty desire to die for them, if it might be, and to be\nblotted out of the book of life, as it is written in Romans ix,\nthat thereby they might be set free. With such zeal and burning\nwas Christ's heart kindled, when He died for us and descended\ninto bell, leaving us an example that we also should be so\nregardful of the evils of others, and forgetful of our own, nay,\nrather covetous of evils of our own.\n\nCHAPTER VI\n\nTHE SIXTH IMAGE\n\nTHE EVIL ON OUR RIGHT HAND\n\nOn out right hand are our friends, in the contemplation of whose\nevils out own will grow light, as St. Peter teaches, I. Peter v,\n\"Resist the devil, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same\nafflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the\nworld.\" [1 Pet. 5:9] Thus also does the Church entreat in her\nprayers, that provoked by the example of the saints, we may\nimitate the virtue of their sufferings; and thus she sings,\n\n    What torments all the Saints endured,\n    That they might win the martyr's palm!\n\nFrom such words and hymns of the Church we learn that the feasts\nof the saints, their memorials, churches, altars, names, and\nimages, are observed and multiplied to the end that we should be\nmoved by their example to bear the same evils which they also\nbore. And unless this be the manner of our observance, it is\nimpossible that the worship of saints should be free from\nsuperstition. Even as there are many who observe all these things\nin order to escape the evil which the saints teach us should be\nborne, and thus to become unlike those whose feasts they keep for\nthe sake of becoming like them.\n\nBut the finest treatment of this portion of our consolation is\ngiven by the Apostle, when he says, in Hebrews xii: \"Ye have not\nyet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have\nforgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto\nchildren, My son, demise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor\nfaint when thou art rebuked of Him; for whom the Lord loveth He\nchasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye\nendure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what\nson is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without\nchastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards,\nand not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which\ncorrected us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much\nrather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For\nthey verily for a few days chastened us after their good\npleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of\nHis holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be\njoyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the\npeaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised\nthereby.\" [Heb. 12:4 ff.] Who must not be terrified at these\nwords of Paul, in which he plainly states that they who are\nwithout the chastisement of God are not the sons of God! Again,\nwhat greater strengthening and what better comfort can there be\nthan to hear that they who are chastened are beloved of the Lord,\nthat they are sons of God, that they have part in the communion\nof saints, that they are not alone in their sufferings! So\nforceful an exhortation must make chastisement a thing to be\nloved.\n\nNor is there here any room for the excuse that some have lighter,\nothers heavier, evils to bear. For to every one is given his\ntemptation according to measure, and never beyond his strength.\nAs it is written in Psalm lxxix, \"Thou shalt feed us with the\nbread of tears, and give us for our drink tears in\nmeasure\";[25] [Ps. 80:5] and as Paul says, \"God is faithful, who\nwill not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but\nwill with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may\nbe able to bear it.\" [1 Cor. 10:13] Where there is, therefore, a\ngreater evil, there is also more of divine help, and an easier\nway to escape; so that the unequal distribution of sufferings\nappears to be greater than it actually is. Does not the example\nof St. John Baptist, whom we commemorate on this day[26] as\nbeheaded by Herod, shame and amaze us all!--that so great a man,\nthan whom there was none greater born of woman, [Matt. 11:11] the\nspecial friend of the Bridegroom, [John 3:29] the forerunner of\nChrist, and more than all the prophets, [Matt. 11:9] should have\nbeen put to death, not indeed after a public trial, nor on a\nfeigned charge (as it was with Christ), nor yet for the sake of\nthe people; but in a dungeon, and for the sake of a dancing-girl,\ndaughter of an adulteress! [Matt. 14:3-11] This one Saint's\nignominious death, and his life so vilely and shamelessly given\nover into the hands of his sworn and adulterous enemy, must make\nail our evil light. Where was God then, that He could look on\nsuch things? Where was Christ, Who, hearing of it, was\naltogether silent? He perished as if unknown to God, and men,\nand every creature. Compared with such a death, what sufferings\nhave we to boast of; nay, what sufferings of which we must not\neven be ashamed? And where shall we appear, if we are unwilling\nto endure any suffering, when such a man endured so shameful a\ndeath, and so undeserved, and his body, after death, was given up\nto the insults of his enemies! [1 Pet. 4:18] \"Behold,\" He saith\nin Jeremiah, \"behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the\ncup have assuredly drunken: and art thou he that shall altogether\ngo unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt\nsurely drink of it.\" [Jer. 49:12]\n\nTherefore, that hermit, who was used to fall ill every year, did\nwell to weep and lament, when for one whole year he found himself\nin sound health, because, he said, God had forsaken him and\nwithdrawn His grace from him. So necessary and so salutary is\nthe Lord's chastening for all Christians.\n\nWe see, then, that all our sufferings are as nothing, when we\nconsider the nails, dungeons, irons, faggots, wild beasts, and\nall the endless tortures of the saints; nay, when we ponder the\nafflictions of men now living, who endure in this life the most\ngrievous persecutions of the devil. For there is no lack of men\nwho are suffering more sharp and bitter pains than we, in soul as\nwell as in body.\n\nBut now some will say, \"This is my complaint, that my suffering\ncannot be compared with the sufferings of the saints; because I\nam a sinner, and not worthy to be compared with them. They,\nindeed, suffered because of their innocence, but I suffer because\nof my sins. It is no wonder, then, that they so blithely bore\nall.\" That is a very stupid saying. If you suffer because of your\nsins, then you ought to rejoice that your sins are being purged\naway. And, besides, were not the saints, too, sinners? But do you\nfear that you are like Herod, and the thief on Christ's left\nhand? You are not, if you have patience. For what was it that\ndistinguished the thief on the left hand from him on the right\nbut the patience of the one and the impatience of the other? If\nyou are a sinner, well; the thief, too, was a sinner; but by his\npatience he merited the glorious reward of righteousness and\nholiness. Go, and do thou likewise. [Luke 10:37] For you can\nsuffer nothing except it be either on account of your sins or on\naccount of your righteousness; and both kinds of suffering\nsanctify and save, if you will but love them. And so there is no\nexcuse left. In short, just as soon as you have confessed that\nyou are suffering on account of your sins, you are righteous and\nholy, even as the thief on the right hand. For the confession of\nsins, because it is the truth,[27] justifies and sanctifies, and\nso, in the very moment of this confession, you are suffering no\nlonger on account of your sins, but on account of your innocence.\nFor the righteous man always suffers innocently. But you are made\nrighteous by the confession of your merited sufferings and of\nyour sins. And so your sufferings may truly and worthily be\ncompared with the sufferings of the saints, even as your\nconfession may truly and worthily be compared with the confession\nof the saints. For one is the truth of all, one the confession of\nall sins, one the suffering of all evils, and one the true\ncommunion of saints in all and through all.[28]\n\nCHAPTER VII\n\nTHE SEVENTH IMAGE\n\nTHE SUPERNAL EVIL, OR THE EVIL ABOVE US\n\nFinally, let us lift up our hearts, and ascend with the Bride\ninto the mountain of myrrh. [Song of Sol. 4:6] This is Jesus\nChrist the Crucified, Head of all saints, and Prince of all\nsufferers; of Whom many have written many things, and all all\nthings, as it is meet.[29] His memory is commended to the Bride,\nwhen it is said, \"Set Me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal\nupon thine arm.\" [Song of Sol. 8:6] The blood of this Lamb,\nsigned upon the threshold, wards off the destroying angel. [Ex.\n12:7, 13] By Him is the Bride praised, because \"the hair of her\nhead is as the king's purple\"; [Song of Sol. 7:5] that is, her\nmeditation glows red with the remembrance of the Passion of\nChrist. This is that tree which Moses was commanded to cast into\nthe waters of Marah (that is, the bitterness of suffering), and\nthey were made sweet. [Ex. 15:23 ff.] There is nothing that this\nPassion cannot sweeten, not even death itself; as the Bride\nsaith, \"His lips are lilies, dropping sweet-smelling myrrh.\"\n[Song of So. 5:13] What resemblance is there between lips and\nlilies, since lips are red and lilies white? But she says this in\na mystery, signifying that the words of Christ are most fair and\npure, and that there is in them naught of blood-red bitterness or\nguile; nevertheless, in them He drops precious and chosen myrrh,\nthat is, the bitterness of death. These most pure lips and sweet\nhave power to make the bitterest death sweet and fair and bright\nand dear,--death that, like precious myrrh, removes at once all\nof sin's corruption.\n\nHow does this come to pass? When, forsooth, you hear that Jesus\nChrist, God's Son, hath, by His most holy touch, consecrated and\nhallowed all sufferings, even death itself, hath blessed the\ncurse, glorified shame, and enriched poverty, so that death has\nbeen made a door to life, curse a fount of blessing, and shame\nthe mother of glory: how can you then be so hard and ungrateful\nas not to long for and to love all manner of sufferings, now that\nthey have been touched by Christ's most pure and holy flesh and\nblood, and made unto you holy, harmless, wholesome, blessed, and\nfull of joy?\n\nFor if Christ, by the touch of His most innocent flesh, has\nhallowed all waters unto baptism, yea, and every creature\nbesides; how much more has He, by the same contact of His most\ninnocent flesh and blood, hallowed every form of death, all\nsuffering and loss, every curse and shame, unto the baptism of\nthe Spirit, or the baptism of blood![30] Even as He saith of this\nsame baptism of His Passion, in Luke xii, \"I have a baptism to be\nbaptised with; and how am I straitened until it be\naccomplished!\" [Luke 12:50] Behold, how He is straitened, how He\npants and thirsts, to sanctify suffering and death, and make them\nthings to be loved! For He sees how we stand in fear of\nsuffering. He marks how we tremble and shrink from death. And so,\nlike a godly pastor or faithful physician, He hastens to set\nbounds to this our evil, and is impatient to die and by His\ncontact to commend suffering and death unto us. So that the death\nof a Christian is henceforth to be regarded as the brazen serpent\nof Moses, [Num. 21:8] which indeed hath in all things the\nappearance of a serpent, yet is quite without life, without\nmotion, without venom, without sting. Even so the righteous seem,\nin the sight of the unwise, to die; but they are in peace. We\nresemble them that die, nor is the outward appearance of our\ndying unlike that of others; but the thing itself is different,\nbecause for us death is dead. In like manner all our sufferings\nare like the sufferings of other men; but it is only in the\nappearance. In reality our sufferings are the beginning of our\nfreedom from suffering, as our death is the beginning of our\nlife. This is that which Christ saith in John viii, \"If a man\nkeep my saying he shall never see death.\" [John 8:51] How shall\nhe not see it? Because when he dies, he begins to live, and so\nhe cannot see death for the life that he sees. For here the night\nshines as the day; [Ps. 139:12] since the life that breaks upon\nhim is brighter far than departing death. These things are\nassured to all who believe in Christ, to the unbelieving they are\nnot.\n\nTherefore, if you kiss, caress, and embrace, as most sweet\nrelics,[31] consecrated by His touch, the robe of Christ, the\nvessels, waterpots, and what things soever He touched and used;\nwhy will you not the rather caress, embrace, and kiss the pains\nand evils of this world, disgrace and death, which He not only\nhallowed by His touch, but sprinkled and blessed with His most\nholy blood, yea, embraced with willing heart, and great\nconstraining love?[32] The more, since in these there are for you\nfar greater merits, rewards, and blessings than in those relics;\nfor in them there is offered to you the victory over death, and\nhell, and all sins, but in those relics nothing at all. O could\nwe but see the heart of Christ, when, hanging on the Cross, He\nwas so eager to slay death, and hold it up to our contempt! With\nwhat grace and ardor He embraced death and pain for us timid\nones, who shrink from them! How willingly He first drinks this\ncup for us sick ones, that we may not dread to drink it after\nHim! For we see that naught of evil befell Him, but only good, in\nHis resurrection. Could we see this, then doubtless that\nprecious myrrh, dropping from Christ's lips, and commended by His\nwords, would grow most sweet and pleasant unto us, even as the\nbeauty and fragrance of lilies. Thus saith also St. Peter, I.\nPeter iv, \"Forasmuch as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh,\narm yourselves likewise with the same mind.\" [1 Pet. 4:1] And St.\nPaul, Hebrews xii, \"Consider Him that endured such contradiction\nof sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your\nminds.\" [Heb. 12:3]\n\nIf we have learned, in the foregoing images, beneath us and above\nus, to bear our evils with patience, surely in this last, lifted\nabove and out of ourselves, caught up unto Christ, and made\nsuperior to all evils, we ought not only to bear with them, but\nto love them, desire them, and seek them out. Whoever is yet far\nfrom this state of mind, for him the Passion of Christ has little\nvalue; as it is with those who use the sign and arms of\nChrist[33] to ward off evils and death, that so they may neither\nsuffer pain nor endure death, which is altogether contrary to the\ncross and death of Christ. Hence, in this image, whatever evils\nwe may have to bear must be swallowed up and consumed, so that\nthey shall not only cause us no pain, but even delight us; if\nindeed this image find its way into our heart, and fix itself in\nthe inmost affections of our mind.\n\nPART II\n\nThe second part also consists of seven images, answering to the\nfirst; the first representing the internal blessing, the second\nthe future blessing, the third the past blessing, the fourth the\ninfernal blessing, the fifth the blessing on the left hand, the\nsixth the blessing on the right hand, and the seventh the\nsupernal blessing.\n\nCHAPTER I\n\nTHE FIRST IMAGE\n\nTHE BLESSING WITHIN US\n\nWho can recount only those blessings which every one hath in his\nown person? How great are, first, the gifts and endowments of the\nbody; such as beauty, strength, health, and the lively play of\nthe senses! To these there comes, in the case of the male, a\ngreater nobility of sex, that fits him for the doing of many\nthings both in public and in private life, and for many splendid\nachievements, to which woman is a stranger. And if, by the grace\nof God, you enjoy these excellent gifts for ten, twenty, or\nthirty years, and in all this time endure suffering for a few\ndays now and then, what great matter is that? There is a proverb\namong knaves, _Es ist umb ein bose stund zuthun_, and, _Ein gutt\nstund ist eyner posen werdt_.[34] What shall be said of us, who\nhave seen so many good hours, yet are not willing to endure evil\nfor a single hour! We see, therefore, how many blessings God\nshowers upon us, and how few evils barely touch us. This is true\nat least of the most of us.\n\nBut not content with these blessings, our gracious God adds to\nthem riches and an abundance of all things; if not in the case of\nall, certainly in the case of many, and of those especially who\nare too frail to bear the evil. For as I said before,[35] when He\ngrants fewer bodily gifts and possessions, He gives greater\nmental gifts; so that all things may be equal, and He the just\nJudge of all. For a cheerful mind is a greater comfort than much\nriches. Moreover, to some He grants offspring, and, as men say,\nthe highest pleasure, influence, rank, honor, fame, glory, favor,\nand the like. And if these be enjoyed for a long or even for a\nshort season, they will soon teach men how they ought to conduct\nthemselves under some small evil.\n\nBut more excellent than all these are the blessings of the mind;\nsuch as reason, knowledge, judgment, eloquence, prudence. And,\nhere again, God tempers the justice of His dealing, so that when\nHe bestows more of these gifts on some men. He does not therefore\nprefer them to others, since on these again He confers greater\npeace and cheerfulness of mind. In all these things we should\ngratefully mark the bountiful hand of God, and take comfort in\nour infirmity. For we should feel no surprise if among so many\nand great blessings there be some intermingling of bitterness;\nsince even for epicures no meat is savory without salt, nor\nscarce any dish palatable that has not a certain bitter savor,\neither native or produced by seasoning. So intolerable is a\ncontinual and unrelieved sweetness, that it has been truly said,\n\"Every pleasure too long continued begets disgust\"; and again,\n\"Pleasure itself turns at length to loathing.\" That is to say,\nthis life is incapable of enjoying only good things without a\ntempering of evil, because of the too great abundance of good\nthings, has arisen also this proverb, \"It needs sturdy bones to\nbear good days\"; which proverb I have often pondered and much\nadmired for its excellent true sense, namely, that the wishes of\nmen are contrary to one another; they seek none but good days,\nand, when these arrive, are less able to bear them than evil\ndays.\n\nWhat, then, would God have us here lay to heart but this, that\nthe cross is held in honor even among the enemies of the cross!\nFor all things must needs be tempered and sanctified with the\nrelics of the cross, lest they decay; even as the meat must be\nseasoned with salt, that it may not breed worms. And why will we\nnot gladly accept this tempering which God sends, and which, if\nHe did not send it, our own life, weakened with pleasures and\nblessings, would of itself demand? Hence we see with what truth\nthe Book of Wisdom says of God, \"He[36] reacheth from end to end\nmightily, and ordereth all things sweetly.\" [Wid. 8:1] And if we\nexamine these blessings, the truth of Moses' words, in\nDeuteronomy xxxii, will become plain, \"He bore him on His\nshoulders, He led him about, and kept him as the apple of His\neye.\" [Deut. 32:10] With these words we may stop the mouths of\nthose ungrateful praters who hold that there is in this life more\nof evil than of good. For there is no lack of good things and\nendless sweet blessings, but they are lacking who ate of the same\nmind with him who said, \"The earth is full of the mercy of the\nLord\" [Ps. 33:5]; and again, \"The earth is full of His\npraise\" [Hab. 3:3]; and in Psalm ciii, \"The earth is full of Thy\nriches\" [Ps. 104:24]; \"Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy\nwork,\" [Ps. 92:4] Hence we sing every day in the Mass; [37]\n\"Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.\" [Isa. 6:3] Why do we\nsing this? Because there are many blessings for which God may be\npraised, but it is done only by those who see the fulness of\nthem. Even as we said concerning the evils of the first\nimage,[38] that a man's evils are only so great as he in his\nthoughts acknowledges them to be, so it is also with the\nblessings. Though they crowd upon us from every side, yet they\nare only so great as we acknowledge them to be. For all things\nthat God made are very good, [Gen. 1:31] but they are not\nacknowledged as very good by all. Such were they of whom it is\nsaid in Psalm lxxvii,[39] \"They despised the pleasant land.\" [Ps.\n106:24]\n\nThe most beautiful and instructive example of this image is\nfurnished by Job, who when he had lost all said. \"Shall we\nreceive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?\"\n[Job 2:10] Truly, that is a golden saying, and a mighty comfort\nin temptation. For Job not only suffered, but was tempted to\nimpatience by his wife, who said to him, \"Dost thou still retain\nthine integrity? curse God, and die.\" [Job 2:9] As who should\nsay, \"It is plain that he is not God who is thus forsaking thee.\nWhy, then, dost thou trust in him, and not rather, renouncing\nhim, and thus cursing him, acknowledge thyself a mortal man, for\nwhom naught remains after this life?\" These things and the like\nare suggested to each one of us by his wife (i. e., his carnal\nmind[40]) in time of temptation; for the carnal mind[40] savoreth\nnot the things that be of God. [Matt. 16:13]\n\nBut these are all bodily blessings, and common to all men. A\nChristian has other and far better blessings within, namely,\nfaith in Christ; of which it is said in Psalm xliv, \"The king's\ndaughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought\ngold.\" [Ps. 45:14 f.] For, as we said concerning the evil of the\nfirst image,[41] that no evil in a man can be so great as to be\nthe worst of the evils within him; so too the greatest of the\nblessings which are in the Christian, he himself is unable to\nsee. Could he perceive it, he would forthwith be in heaven; since\nthe kingdom of heaven, as Christ says, is within us. [Luke 17:21]\nFor to have faith is to have the Word and truth of God; and to\nhave the Word of God is to have God Himself, the Maker of all. If\nthese blessings, in all their fulness, were discovered to the\nsoul, straightway it would be released from the body, for the\nexceeding abundance of sweet pleasure. Wherefore, of a truth, all\nthe other blessings which we have mentioned are but as the\nmonitors of those blessings which we have within, and which God\nwould by than commend unto us. For this life of ours could not\nendure to have than revealed, but God mercifully keeps them\nhidden, until they have reached their full measure. Even so\nloving parents give their children foolish little toys, in order\nthereby to lead them on to look for better things.\n\nNevertheless, these blessings show themselves at times, and break\nout of doors, when the happy conscience rejoices in its trust to\nGodward, is fain to speak of Him, hears His Word with pleasure,\nand is quick to serve Him, to do good and suffer evil. All these\nare the evidence of that infinite and incomparable blessing\nhidden within, which sends forth such little drops and tiny\nrills. Still, it is sometimes more fully revealed to\ncontemplative souls, who then are rapt away thereby, and know not\nwhere they are; as is confessed by St. Augustine and his\nmother,[42] and by many others.\n\nCHAPTER II\n\nTHE SECOND IMAGE\n\nTHE FUTURE BLESSING, OR THE BLESSING BEFORE US\n\nThose who are not Christians will find small comfort, amid their\nevils, in the contemplation of future blessings; since for them\nall these things are uncertain. Although much ado is made here by\nthat famous emotion called hope, by which we call on each other,\nin words of human comfort, to look for better times, and\ncontinually plan greater things for the uncertain future, yet are\nalways deceived. Even as Christ teaches concerning the man in\nthe Gospel, Luke xii, who said to his soul, \"I will pull down my\nbarns, and build greater; and will say to my soul, Soul, thou\nhast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat,\ndrink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night\nthy soul shall be required of thee; and then whose shall those\nthings be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up\ntreasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.\" [Luke 12:18\nff.]\n\nNevertheless, God has not so utterly forsaken the sons of men\nthat He will not grant them some measure of comfort in this hope\nof the passing of evil and the coming of good things. Though they\nare uncertain of the future, yet they hope with certain hope, and\nhereby they are meanwhile buoyed up, lest falling into the\nfurther evil of despair, they should break down under their\npresent evil, and do some worse thing.[43] Hence, even this sort\nof hope is the gift of God; not that He would have them lean on\nit, but that He would turn their attention to that firm hope,\nwhich is in Him alone. For He is so long-suffering that He\nleadeth them to repentance, as it is said in Romans ii, and\nsuffers none to be straightway deceived by this deceitful hope,\nif haply they may \"return to the heart,\" [44] and come to the true\nhope.\n\nBut Christians have, beside this twofold blessing,[45] the very\ngreatest future blessings certainly awaiting them; yet only\nthrough death and suffering. Although they, too, rejoice in that\ncommon and uncertain hope that the evil of the present will come\nto an end, and that its opposite, the blessing, will increase;\nstill, that is not their chief concern, but rather this, that\ntheir own particular blessing should increase, which is the truth\nas it is in Christ, in which they grow from day to day, and for\nwhich they both live and hope. But beside this they have, as I\nhave said, the two greatest future blessings in their death. The\nfirst, in that through death the whole tragedy of this world's\nills is brought to a close; as it is written, \"Precious in the\nsight of the Lord is the death of His saints\"; [Ps. 116:15] and\nagain, \"I will lay me down in peace and sleep\"; [Ps. 4:8] and\n\"Though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be at\nrest.\" [Wisd. 4:7] But to the ungodly death is the beginning of\nevils; as it is said, \"The death of the wicked is very evil,\"\n[Ps. 34:21] and, \"Evil shall catch the unjust man unto\ndestruction.\" [46] [Ps. 140:11] Even so Lazarus, who received his\nevil things in his lifetime, is comforted, while the rich glutton\nis tormented, because he received his good things here. [Luke\n16:25] So that it is always well with the Christian, whether he\ndie or live; so blessed a thing is it to be a Christian and to\nbelieve in Christ. Wherefore Paul says, \"To me to live is Christ,\nand to die is gain,\" [Phil. 1:21] and, in Romans xiv, \"Whether we\nlive, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the\nLord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.\"\n[Rom. 14:8 f.] This security Christ hath won for us by His death\nand rising again, that He might be Lord of both the living and\ndead, able to keep us safe in life and in death; as Psalm xxii.\nsaith, \"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,\nI will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.\" [Ps. 23:4] If this\ngain of death move us but little, it is proof that our faith in\nChrist is feeble, and does not prize highly enough the reward and\ngain of a blessed death, or does not yet believe that death is a\nblessing; because the old man is still too much alive in us, and\nthe wisdom of the flesh too strong. We should, therefore,\nendeavor to attain to the knowledge and the love of this blessing\nof death. It is a great thing that death, which is to others the\ngreatest of evils, is made to us the greatest gain. And unless\nChrist had obtained this for us, what bad He done that was worthy\nof the great price He paid, namely, His own self? It is indeed a\ndivine work that He wrought, and none need wonder, therefore,\nthat He made the evil of death to be something that is very good.\n[Gen. 1:31]\n\nDeath, then, to believers is already dead, and hath nothing\nterrible behind its grinning mask. Like unto a slain serpent, it\nhath indeed its former terrifying appearance, but it is only the\nappearance; in truth it is a dead evil, and harmless enough. Nay,\nas God commanded Moses to lift up a serpent of brass, at sight of\nwhich the living serpents perished, [Num. 21:8 f.] even so our\ndeath dies in the believing contemplation of the death of Christ,\nand now hath but the outward appearance of death. With such fine\nsimilitudes the mercy of God prefigures to us, in our infirmity,\nthis truth, that though death would not be taken away, He yet has\nreduced its power to a mere shadow. [Matt. 9:24] For this reason\nit is called in the Scriptures a \"sleep\" rather than death. [1\nThess. 4:13 ff.]\n\nThe other blessing of death is this, that it not only concludes\nthe pains and evils of this life, but (which is more excellent)\nmakes an end of sins and vices. And this renders death far more\ndesirable to believing souls, as I have said above,[47] than the\nformer blessing; since the evils of the soul, which are its sins,\nare beyond comparison worse evils than those of the body. This\nalone, did we but know it, should make death most desirable. But\nif it does not, it is a sign that we neither feel nor hate our\nsin as we should. For this our life is so full of perils--sin,\nlike a serpent, besetting us on every side--and it is impossible\nfor us to live without sinning; but fairest death delivers us\nfrom these perils, and cuts our sin clean away from us.\nTherefore, the praise of the just man, in Wisdom iv, concludes on\nthis wise: \"He pleased God, and was taken away, and was beloved\nof Him: so that living among sinners he was translated. Yea,\nspeedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his\nunderstanding, or deceit beguile his soul. For the bewitching of\nnaughtiness doth obscure things that are honest; and the\nwandering of concupiscence doth undermine the simple mind (O how\nconstantly true is this!). He, being made perfect in a short\ntime, fulfilled a long time; for his soul pleased the Lord:\ntherefore hasted He to take him away from the wicked.\" [Wisd.\n4:10-14]\n\nThus, by the mercy of God, death, which was to man the punishment\nfor his sin, is made unto the Christian the end of sin, and the\nbeginning of life and righteousness. Wherefore, he that loves\nlife and righteousness must not hate, but love sin, their\nminister and workshop; else he will never attain to either life\nor righteousness. But he that is not able to do this, let him\npray God to enable him. For to this end are we taught to pray,\n\"Thy will be done,\" [Matt. 6:10] because we cannot do it of\nourselves, since through fear of death we love death and sin\nrather than life and righteousness. And that God appointed death\nfor the putting to death of sin, may be gathered also from the\nfact that He imposed death upon Adam immediately after his sin;\nand that before He drove him out of paradise; in order to show us\nthat death should bring us no evil, but every blessing, since it\nwas imposed in paradise, as a penance and satisfaction.[48] For\nit is true that, through the envy of the devil, death altered\ninto the world; [Wisd. 2:24] but it is of the Lord's surpassing\ngoodness that, after having thus entered in, it is not permitted\nto harm us very much, but is taken captive from the very\nbeginning, and set to be the punishment and death of sin.\n\nThis He signified when, after having in His commandment foretold\nthe death of Adam, [Gen. 2:17] He did not afterward hold His\npeace, but imposed death anew, and tempered the severity of His\ncommandment, nay. He did not so much as mention death with a\nsingle syllable, but said only, \"Dust thou art, and unto dust\nshalt thou return\" [Gen. 3:19]; and, \"Until thou return unto the\nground, from whence thou wast taken\"--as if He then so bitterly\nhated death that He would not deign to call it by its name,\naccording to the word, \"Wrath is in His indignation; and life in\nHis good will.\" [49] [Ps. 30:5] Thus He seemed to say that, unless\ndeath had been necessary to the abolishing of sin, He would not\nhave been willing to know it nor to name it, much less to impose\nit. And so, against sin, which wrought death, the zeal of God\narms none other than this very death again; so that you may here\nsee exemplified the poet's line,[50]\n\n    By his own art the artist perisheth.\n\nEven so sin is destroyed by its own fruit, and is slain by the\ndeath which it brought forth;[51] as a viper is slain by its own\noffering. This is a brave spectacle, to see how death is\ndestroyed, not by another's work, but by its own; is stabbed with\nits own weapon, and, like Goliath, is beheaded with its own\nsword. [1 Sam. 17:51] For Goliath also was a type of sin, a giant\nterrible to all save the young lad David--that is Christ,--who\nsingle-handed laid him low, and having cut off his head with his\nown sword, said afterward that there was no better sword than the\nsword of Goliath (I. Samuel xxi). [1 Sam. 21:9]\n\nTherefore, if we meditate on these joys of the power Christ, and\nthese gifts of His grace, how can any small evil distress us, the\nwhile we see such blessings in this great evil that is to come!\n\nCHAPTER III\n\nTHE THIRD IMAGE\n\nTHE PAST BLESSING, OR THE BLESSING BEHIND US\n\nThe consideration of this image is not difficult, in view of its\ncounterpart, of the past evils;[52] we would, however, aid him\nwho undertakes it. Here St. Augustine shows himself an excellent\nmaster, in his Confessions, in which he gives a beautiful\nrehearsal of the benefits of God toward him from his mother's\nwomb.[52] The same is done in that fine Psalm cxxxvii, 'Lord,\nThou hast searched me,\" [Ps. 139:2] where the Psalmist, marveled\namong other things at the goodness of God toward him, says, \"Thou\nunderstandest my thoughts afar off, Thou compassest my path and\nmy lying down.\" Which is as though he said, Whatever I have\nthought or done, whatever I shall achieve and possess, I see now\nthat it is not the result of my industry, but was ordered long\nago by Thy care. \"And there is no speech in my tongue.\"[54] Where\nis it then? In Thy power.\n\nWe learn this from our own experience. For if we reflect on our\npast life, is it not a wonder that we thought, desired, did and\nsaid that which we were not able to foresee? How far different\nour course would have been, had we been left to our own free\nwill! Now only do we understand it, and see how constantly God's\npresent care and providence were over us, so that we could\nneither think nor speak nor will anything except as He gave us\nleave. As it is said in Wisdom vii, \"In His hands are both we and\nour words\"; [Wisd. 7:16] and by Paul, \"Who worketh all in all.\"\n[1 Cor. 12:6] Ought not we, insensate and hard of heart, to bang\nour heads in shame, when we learn from our own experience how our\nLord hath cared for us unto this hour, and given us every\nblessing? And yet we cannot commit our care to Him in a small\npresent evil, and act as if He had forsaken us, or ever could\nforsake us! Not so the Psalmist, in Psalm xxxix, \"I am poor and\nneedy; yet the Lord thinketh on me.\" [Ps. 40:17] On which St.\nAugustine has this comment: \"Let Him care for thee, Who made\nthee. He Who cared for thee before thou wast, how shall He not\ncare for thee now thou art that which He willed thee to be?\" [55]\nBut we divide the kingdom with God; to Him we grant (and even\nthat but grudgingly) that He hath made us, but to ourselves we\narrogate the care over ourselves; as though He had made us, and\nthen straightway departed, and left the government of ourselves\nin our own hands.\n\nBut if our wisdom and foresight blind us to the care that God\nhath over us, because perchance many things have fallen out\naccording to our plans, let us turn again, with Psalm cxxxviii,\nand look in upon ourselves. \"My substance was not hid from Thee\nwhen I was made in secret\"--that is, Thou didst behold and didst\nfashion my bones in my mother's womb, when as yet I was not, and\nmy mother knew not what was forming in her;--\"and my substance\nwas curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth\"--that is,\neven the form and fashion of my body in the secret chambers of\nthe womb were not hidden from Thee, for Thou wast fashioning it.\nWhat does the Psalmist intend with such words but to show us by\nthis marvelous illustration how God hath always been caring for\nus without our help! For who can boast that he took any part in\nhis formation in the womb? Who gave to our mother that loving\ncare wherewith she fed and fondled and caressed us, and performed\nall those duties of motherhood, when we had as yet no\nconsciousness of our life, and when we should neither know nor\nremember these things, but that, seeing the same things done to\nothers, we believe that they were done to us also? For they were\nperformed on us as though we had been asleep, nay dead, or rather\nnot yet born, so far as our knowledge of them is concerned.\n\nThus we see how the divine mercies and consolations bear us up,\nwithout our doing. And still we doubt, or even despair, that He\nis caring for us to-day. If this experience does not instruct and\nmove one, I know not what will. For we have it brought home to us\nagain and again, in every little child we meet; so that so many\nexamples proposed to our foolishness and hardness of heart may\nwell fill us with deep shame, if we doubt that the slightest\nblessing or evil can come to us without the particular care of\nGod. Thus St Peter says, \"Casting all your care upon Him, because\nHe careth for you.\" [1 Pet. 5:7] And Psalm xxxvi, \"Cast thy\nburden upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee.\" [Ps. 37:5] And\nSt. Augustine, in the Confessions,[56] addresses his soul on this\nwise: \"Why dost thou stand upon thyself, and dost not stand? Cast\nthyself on Him; for He will not withdraw His hand and let thee\nfall.\" Again, we read in I. Peter iv, \"Wherefore let them that\nsuffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their\nsouls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.\" [1 Pet.\n4:10]\n\nO could a man attain unto such a knowledge of his God, how\nsafely, how quietly, how joyfully, would he fare! He would in\ntruth have God on his side, knowing this of a certainty, that all\nhis fortunes, whatever they might be, had come to him, and still\nwere coming, under the guidance of His most sweet will. The word\nof Peter stands firm, \"He careth for you.\" [1 Pet. 5:7] What\nsweeter sound than this word can we hear! Therefore, he says,\n\"Cast all your care upon Him.\" If we do this not, but rather take\nour care upon ourselves, what is this but to seek to binder the\ncare of God, and, besides, to make our life a life of sorrow and\nlabor, troubled with many fears and cares and much unrest! And\nall to no avail; for we accomplish nothing good thereby, but, as\nthe Preacher saith, it is vanity of vanities, and vexation of\nspirit. [Eccl. 1:2,14] Indeed, that whole book treats of this\nexperience, as written by one who for himself made trial of many\nthings, and found them all only weariness, vanity and vexation of\nspirit, so that he concludes it is a gilt of God that a man may\neat and drink and live joyfully with his wife, i. e., when he\npasses his days without anxiety, and commits his care to God.\nTherefore, we ought to have no other care for ourselves than\nthis, namely, not to care for ourselves, and rob God of His care\nfor us.\n\nWhatever remains to be said, will easily be gathered from the\ncorresponding image of evils, as I have said,[57] and from the\ncontemplation of one's past life.\n\nCHAPTER IV\n\nTHE FOURTH IMAGE\n\nTHE INFERNAL BLESSING, OR THE BLESSING BENEATH US\n\nThus far we have considered the blessings which are ours, and are\nfound within ourselves; let us now turn to those blessings that\nare without us, and are found in others. The first of these is\nfound in those who are beneath us, that is, the dead and damned.\nDo you wonder what kind of blessing can be discovered in the dead\nand damned? But the power of the divine goodness is everywhere so\ngreat that it grants us to descry blessings in the very greatest\nevils. Comparing, then, these poor wretches, first of all, with\nourselves, we see how unspeakable is our gain; as may be gathered\nfrom the corresponding image of evils.[58] For great as are the\nevils of death and hell that we see in them, so great certainly\nare the gains that we behold in ourselves. These things are not\nto be lightly passed over, for they forcibly commend to us the\nmagnificent mercy of God. And we run the danger, if we lightly\nesteem them, of being found ungrateful, and of being condemned\ntogether with these men, and even more cruelly tormented.\nTherefore, when we perceive how they suffer and wail aloud, we\nought so much the more to rejoice in the goodness of God toward\nus; according to Isaiah lxv: \"Behold, my servants shall eat, but\nye shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall\nbe thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be\nashamed; behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye\nshall cry for sorrow of heart; and shall howl for vexation of\nspirit. And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my\nchosen.\" [Isa. 65:13 ff.] In short, as I have said,[59] the\nexamples of those who die in their sins and are damned are\nprofitable unto us for admonition and instruction, as St. Gregory\nalso observes in his Dialogues;[60] so that\n\n    Happy are they who caution gain\n    From that that which caused another's pain.\n\nThis blessing, indeed, affects us but little, because it is so\ncommon and well known; nevertheless, it is to be ranked among the\nvery highest blessings, and is comforted of no slight value by\nthose who have an understanding heart; and many are the passages\nof Scripture that bear upon it, those, namely, which treat of the\nwrath, the judgments, and the threatenings of God. These most\nwholesome teachings are confirmed to us by the examples of those\nwretched men; and their examples only then have their effect on\nus, when we enter into the feelings of them that endure such\nthings, and put ourselves as it were in their very place. Then\nwill they move and admonish us to praise the goodness of God, Who\nhas preserved us from those evils.\n\nBut let us also compare them with God, that we may see the divine\njustice in their case. Although this is a difficult task, yet it\nmust be essayed. Now, since God is a just Judge, we must love and\nlaud His justice, and thus rejoice in our God, even when He\nmiserably destroys the wicked, in body and soul; for in all this\nHis high, unspeakable justice shines forth. And so even hell, no\nless than heaven, is full of God and the highest good. For the\njustice of God is God Himself; and God is the highest good.\nTherefore, even as His mercy, so must His justice or judgment be\nloved, praised, and glorified above all things. In this sense\nDavid says, \"The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the\nvengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.\"\n[Ps. 58:10] It was for this reason that the Lord forbade Samuel\nto mourn any longer for Saul (I. Samuel xvi), saying, \"How long\nwilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from\nreigning over Israel?\" [1 Sam. 16:1] As who should say, \"Does My\nwill so sorely displease thee, that thou preferrest the will of\nman to Me?\" In short, this is the voice of praise and joy\nresounding through the whole Psalter,--that the Lord is the judge\nof the widow, and a father of the fatherless; that He will\nmaintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor;\nthat His enemies all be confounded, and the ungodly shall perish;\n[Ps. 68:5, 149:12] and many similar sayings. Should any one be\ninclined, in foolish pity, to feel compassion for that bloody\ngeneration, that killeth the prophets, yea, the Son of God\nHimself, and for the company of wicked men, he will be found\nrejoicing in their iniquity, and approving their deeds. Such a\none deserves to perish in like manner with them whose sins he\nwould condone, and will hear the word, \"Thou lovest thine\nenemies, and hatest thy friends.\" [2 Sam. 19:6] For thus Joab\nsaid unto David, when he grieved too sorely over his impious and\nmurderous son.\n\nTherefore, in this image, we ought to rejoice in the piety of all\nthe saints, and in the justice of God which justly punishes the\npersecutors of their piety, that He may deliver His elect out of\ntheir hands. And so you may see no small blessings, but the very\ngreatest, shining forth in the dead and damned; even the avenging\nof the injuries of the saints, and of your own as well, if you be\nrighteous with them. What wonder, then, if God, by means of your\npresent evil, should take vengeance also on your enemy, that is,\nthe sin in your body! You ought the rather to rejoice in this\nwork of the high justice of God, which, even without your prayer,\nis thus slaying and destroying your fiercest foe, namely, the sin\nthat is within you. But, should you feel pity for it, you will be\nfound a friend of sin, and an enemy to the justice that worketh\nin you. Of this beware; lest it be said also to you, \"Thou lovest\nthine enemies, and hatest thy friends.\" Therefore, as you ought\njoyfully to consent to the justice of God when it rages against\nyour sin, you should do even the same when it rages against\nsinners, those enemies of all men and of God. You see, then,\nthat in the greatest evils may be found the greatest blessings,\nand that we are able to rejoice in these evils, not on account of\nthe evils themselves, but on account of the supreme goodness of\nthe justice of God our Avenger.\n\nCHAPTER V\n\nTHE FIFTH IMAGE\n\nTHE BLESSING ON OUR LEFT HAND\n\nHere are our adversaries who are yet in this life; for in the\nforegoing image we considered those who are already damned and\ngiven over to devils. These we must regard with other feelings,\nand find in them a twofold blessing. The first is this, that\nthey abound in temporal goods, so that even the prophets were\nwell nigh moved to envy thereby; as we read in Psalm lxii, \"But\nas for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh\nslipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the\nprosperity of the wicked\" [Ps. 73:2 f.]; and again, \"Behold,\nthese are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in\nriches.\" [Ps. 73:12] And Jeremiah says, \"Righteous art Thou, O\nLord, when I plead with Thee: yet let me talk with Thee of Thy\njudgments: wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?\nWherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?\" [Jer.\n12:1] Why does He lavish and waste so many blessings upon them\nexcept to comfort us thereby, and make us to know how good He is\nto \"such as are of a clean heart\"? as it is said in that same\nPsalm lxxii. If He is so good to the wicked, how good will He not\nbe to the good? [Ps. 73:1] Except that He does not vex the wicked\nwith any evil, yet afflicts the good with many evils, in order\nthat they may acknowledge His goodness to them not only in the\npresent blessings, but even in those that are hidden and yet to\ncome, and that they may say, with the same Psalmist, \"But it is\ngood for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord\nGod.\" [Ps. 73:28] Which is as though he said. Even though I\nsuffer certain things, from which I see that those men are free,\nnevertheless I trust that God is far more good to me than He is\nto them. Thus the blessings which we see the wicked enjoy become\nto us an incentive to hope for those blessings which are not\nseen, and to despise the evils which we suffer. Even as Christ,\nin Matthew vi, bids us behold the foul of the air and the lilies\nof the field, saying, \"Wherefore if God so clothe the grass,\nwhich to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He\nnot much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?\" [Matt. 6:26 ff.]\nHence, by this comparison of the blessings in which the wicked\nabound with the evils that we suffer, our faith is exercised, and\nour consolation is placed in God alone, which is the only holy\nconsolation. So doth He make all things work together for good\nunto His saints. [Rom. 8:28]\n\nThe other blessing, which is more marvelous, is this, that the\nevils of our adversaries become blessings to us, under the\nprovidence of God. For though their sins are a stumbling-block to\nthe weak, to such as are strong they are an exercise of virtue,\nand an opportunity for conflict and the amassing of greater\nmerit.[61] For, \"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for\nwhen he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life.\" [Jas.\n1:12] What greater temptation can there be than a host of evil\nexamples? For this reason, indeed, the world is called one of the\nenemies of God's saints, because with its allurements and ungodly\nworks it incites, provokes, and entices us from the way of God to\nits own way. As we read in Genesis vi, \"The sons of God saw the\ndaughters of men, that they were fair, and they were made flesh.\"\n[Gen. 6:2,3] And in Numbers xxv, \"The people of Israel began to\ncommit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.\" [Num. 25:1] So it is\ngood for us to be always oppressed with some trouble or other,\nthat we may not, in our weakness, stumble at the offences of the\nworld, and fall into sin. Thus Lot is praised by Peter, in II.\nPeter ii., because he suffered many things because of the evil\nexample of the people of Sodom, so that he made progress thereby\nin his righteousness. [2 Pet. 2:8] It must needs be that these\noffences come, which furnish us an occasion for conflict and for\nvictory; but woe unto the world because of offences! [Matt. 18:7]\nBut if God procures us such great blessings in the sins of\nothers, should we not with our whole heart believe that He will\nwork, us much greater blessings in our own troubles; even though\nour flesh and blood judge it to be otherwise!\n\nNor does the world confer a smaller blessing on us from another\nside of its evils; namely, its adversities. For, when it is\nunable to swallow us up with its allurements, and through its\noffences to make us one with itself, it endeavors through\nsufferings to drive us out, and through pains to cast us forth;\nalways laying snares for us by the example of its sins, or else\nvisiting its fury upon us through the torment of its pains. This\nis indeed that fabled monster, Chimaera,[62] with the head of a\nmaiden, seductive, the body of a lion, cruel, and the tail of a\nserpent, deadly. For the end of the world, both of its pleasures\nand its tyranny, is poison and death everlasting. Hence, even as\nGod grants us to find our blessings in the sins of the world, so\nalso its persecutions, that they may not remain fruitless and in\nvain, are appointed unto us to increase our blessings; so that\nthe very things that work us harm are turned to our profit. As\nSt. Augustine says, concerning the innocents slain by Herod,\n\"Never could he have done them so much good with his favor as he\ndid with his hatred.\" And St. Agatha,[63] the blessed martyr,\nwent to prison as to a banquet chamber; \"for,\" said she, \"except\nthou cause my body to be well broken by thy executioners, my soul\nwill not be able to enter paradise, bearing the victor's palm;\neven as a grain of wheat, except it be stript of its husk, and\nwell beaten on the threshing-floor, is not gathered into the\nbarn.\"\n\nBut why waste words here, when we see the whole of the\nScriptures, the writings and sayings of all the Fathers, and the\nlives and acts of all the saints, agreeing together in this\nmatter; namely, that they who bring the most harm upon believers\nare their greatest benefactors, if only we bear with them in the\nright spirit. As St. Peter says, \"And who is he that will harm\nyou, if ye be followers of that which is good?\" [1 Pet. 3:13] And\nPsalm lxxxviii, \"The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son\nof wickedness afflict him.\" [Ps. 89:22] How is it that he shall\nnot harm us, seeing that oftentimes he even kills us? Because,\nforsooth, in harming us he is working us the very greatest gain.\n[Rom. 8:36] Thus we find ourselves every way dwelling in the\nmidst of blessings, if we are wise, and yet, at the same time,\nalso in the midst of evils. So wondrously are all things tempered\ntogether under the rule of the goodness of God.\n\nCHAPTER VI\n\nTHE SIXTH IMAGE\n\nTHE BLESSING ON OUR RIGHT HAND\n\nThis is the Church of the saints, the new creation of God, our\nbrethren and our friends, in whom we see naught but blessing,\nnaught but consolation; not, indeed, always with the eyes of the\nflesh (to which they would appear to belong rather under the\ncorresponding image of evils),[64] but with the eyes of the\nspirit Nevertheless, we must not disregard even those blessings\nof theirs which may be seen, but rather learn from them how God\nwould comfort us. For even the Psalmist did not venture, in Psalm\nlxxii, to condemn all those who amass riches in this world, but\nsaid, \"If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend\nagainst the generation of Thy children.\" [Ps. 73:15] That is to\nsay, If I should call all men wicked who possess riches, health,\nand honor, I should be condemning even Thy saints, of whom there\nare many such. Paul also instructs Timothy to charge them that\nare rich in this world, that they be not high minded;[1 Tim.\n6:17] but he does not forbid them to be rich. And Abraham,\nIsaac, and Jacob were rich men, as the Scriptures record. Daniel,\nalso, and his companions were raised to honor even in Babylon.\n[Dan. 2:48 f.] Moreover many of the kings of Judah were saintly\nmen. It is with regard to such persons that the Psalmist says,\n\"If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the\ngeneration of Thy children.\" [Ps. 73:15] God gives, even to His\npeople, an abundance of these blessings, for their own comfort,\nand the comfort of others. Still, these things are not their\nproper blessings, but only shadows and emblems of their true\nblessings, which consist in faith, hope, love, and other gifts\nand graces, which love communicates to all.\n\nThis is the communion of saints, in which we glory. And whose\nheart will not be lifted up, even in the midst of great evils,\nwhen he believes that which is indeed the very truth; namely,\nthat the blessings of all the saints are his blessings, and that\nhis evil is also theirs! For this is the sweet and pleasant\npicture which the Apostle Paul depicts, in Galatians vi, \"Bear ye\none another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.\" [Gal.\n6:21] Is it not a blessing to be in such a company in which,\n\"whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or\none member be honored, all the members rejoice with it\"? [1 Cor.\n12:26] as it is said in I. Corinthians vi[65]. Therefore, when I\nsuffer, I suffer not alone, but Christ and all Christians suffer\nwith me; as He saith, \"He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple\nof My eye.\" [Zach. 2:8] Even so others bear my burden, and their\nstrength becomes my own. The Church's faith supports my\nfearfulness, the chastity of others bears the temptations of my\nflesh, the fastings of others are my gain, the prayer of another\npleads for me. In short, such care have the members one for\nanother, that the comely parts cover, serve, and honor the\nuncomely; as it is beautifully set forth in I. Corinthians\nvi.[65] others as though they were my own; and they are truly my\nown when I find joy and pleasure therein. Let me, then, be base\nand vile; yet they whom I love and admire are fair and beautiful.\nAnd by my love I make not only their blessings, but their very\nselves my own; so that by their honor my shame is made honorable,\nby their abundance my poverty is filled, by their merits my sins\nare healed. Who, then, could despair in his sins? Who would not\nrejoice in his pains? For it is not he that bears his sins and\npains; or if he does bear them, he bears them not alone, but is\nassisted by so many holy sons of God, yea, even by Christ\nHimself. So great a thing is the communion of saints, and the\nChurch of Christ.[66]\n\nIf any one does not believe this, he is an infidel, and has\ndenied Christ and the Church. For even if it should not be\nperceived yet it is true; but who could fail to perceive it? For\nwhy is it that you do not sink in despair, or grow impatient? Is\nit your strength? Nay: it is the communion of saints. Otherwise\nyou could not bear even a venial sin,[67] nor endure a word of\nman against you. So close to you are Christ and the Church. It is\nthis that we confess in the Creed, \"I believe in the Holy Ghost;\nthe holy Catholic[68] Church.\" What is it to believe in the holy\nChurch but to believe in the communion of saints. But what things\nhave the saints in common? Blessings, forsooth, and evils; all\nthings belong to all; as the Sacrament of the Altar signifies, in\nthe bread and wine, where we are all said by the Apostle to be\none body, one bread, one cup.[69][1 Cor. 10:17] For who can hurt\nany part of the body without hurting the whole body? What pain\ncan we feel in the tip of the toe that is not felt in the whole\nbody? Or what honor can be shown to the feet in which the whole\nbody will not rejoice? But we are one body. Whatever another\nsuffers, that I suffer and bear; whatever good befalls him,\nbefalls me. So Christ says that whatsoever is done unto one of\nthe least of His brethren, is done unto Him. If a man partake of\nthe smallest fragment of the bread of the altar, is he not said\nto have partaken of the bread? If he despise one crumb of it, is\nhe not said to have despised the bread?\n\nWhen we, therefore, feel pain, when we suffer, when we die, let\nus turn hither our eyes,[70] and firmly believe and be sure that\nit is not we, or we alone, but that Christ and the Church are in\npain, are suffering, are dying with us. For Christ would not have\nus go alone into the valley of death, from which all men shrink\nin fear; but we set out upon the way of pain and death attended\nby the whole Church, and the Church bears the brunt of it all.\nTherefore, we can with truth apply to ourselves the words of\nElisha, which he spake to his timid servant, \"Fear not: for they\nthat be with us a remote than they that be with them. And Elisha\nprayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may\nsee. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw:\nand, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire\nround about Elisha.\" [2 Kings 6:16 f.] This one thing remains for\nus also; namely, to pray that our eyes may be opened (I mean the\neyes of our faith), that we may see the Church round about us.\nThen there will be nothing for us to fear; as it is said also in\nPsalm cxxiv, \"Mountains are round about it: so the Lord is round\nabout His people from henceforth now and for ever.\" [Ps.\n125:2][71]\n\nCHAPTER VII\n\nTHE SEVENTH IMAGE\n\nTHE SUPERNAL BLESSING, OR THE BLESSING ABOVE US\n\nI do not now speak of the eternal blessings of Heaven, which the\nblessed enjoy in the perfect vision of God; or father, I do speak\nof them in faith, and in so far as they some within our\ncomprehension. For this seventh image is Jesus Christ, the King\nof glory, rising from the dead; even as, in His Passion and\ndeath. He formed the seventh image of evils.[72] Here there is\nnothing at all of evil; for \"Christ, being risen from the dead,\ndieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.\" [Rom. 6:9]\nHere is that furnace of love and fire of God in Zion; [Isa. 31:9]\nas Isaiah saith. For Christ is not only born unto us, but He is\nalso given unto us. [Isa. 9:6] Therefore, His resurrection, and\nall that He wrought by it, are mine, and, as the Apostle exults\nin exuberant joy, \"how hath [73] He not also, with Him, given us\nall things?\" But what is it that He hath wrought by His\nresurrection? Why, He hath destroyed sin and brought\nrighteousness to light, abolished death and restored life,\nconquered hell and bestowed on us everlasting glory. These are\nsuch inestimably precious blessings that the mind of man dare\nscarce believe that they have become ours; as it was with Jacob,\nin Genesis xlv, who, when he heard that his son Joseph was ruler\nin Egypt, was like one awakened out of deep slumber, and believed\nthem not, until, after telling him all the words of Joseph, they\nshowed him the wagons that Joseph had sent. [Gen 45:26 ff.] So\ndifficult, indeed, would it be for us to believe that in Christ\nsuch great blessings have been conferred on us unworthy\ncreatures, did He not teach us to believe it, with many words,\nand by the evidence of our own experience; even as He manifested\nHimself to His disciples[74] in divers appearances. [Acts 1:3]\nSuch are our \"Joseph's wagons.\" This is indeed a most godly\n\"wagon,\" that He is made unto us of God righteousness, and\nsanctification, and redemption, and wisdom; [1 Cor. 1:30] as the\nApostle saith in I. Corinthians i. For, I am a sinner; yet am I\ndrawn in His righteousness, which is given me. I am unclean; but\nHis holiness is my sanctification, in which I pleasurably tide. I\nam an ignorant fool; but His wisdom carries me forward. I have\ndeserved condemnation; but I am set free by His redemption, a\nwagon in which I sit secure. So that a Christian, if he but\nbelieve it, may boast of the merits of Christ and all His\nblessings, even as if he had won them all himself. So truly are\nthey his own, that he may even dare to look boldly forward to the\njudgment of God, unbearable though it be. So great a thing is\nfaith, such blessings does it bring us, such glorious sons of God\ndoes it make us. For we cannot be sons without inheriting our\nFather's goods. Let the Christian say, then, with full\nconfidence: \"O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy\nsting? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the\nlaw. But thanks be to God,[75] which giveth us the victory\nthrough our Lord Jesus Christ.\" [1 Cor. 15:55 ff.] That is to\nsay, the law makes us sinners, and sin makes us guilty of death.\nWho hath conquered these twain? Was it our righteousness, or our\nlife? Nay: it was Jesus Christ, rising from the dead, condemning\nsin and death, bestowing on us His merits, and holding His hand\nover us. And now it is well with us, we keep the law, and\nvanquish sin and death. For all which be honor, praise, and\nthanksgiving unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.\n\nThis, then, is the highest image of all, in which we are lifted\nup, not only above our evils, but above our blessings as well,\nand are set down amid strange blessings, brought together by\nanother's labor; whereas we formerly lay among evils, heaped up\nby another's sin,[76] and added to by our own. We are set down, I\nsay, in Christ's righteousness, with which He Himself is\nrighteous; because we cling to that righteousness by which He is\nwell pleasing to God, intercedes for us as our Mediator, and\ngives Himself wholly to be our own, as our High-Priest and\nProtector. Therefore, as it is impossible that Christ, with His\nrighteousness, should not please God, so it is impossible that we\nshould not please Him. Hence it comes that a Christian is\nalmighty, lord of all,[77] having all things, and doing all\nthings, wholly without sin. And even if he have sins, they can in\nno wise harm him, but are forgiven for the sake of the\ninexhaustible righteousness of Christ that swalloweth up all\nsins, on which our faith relies, firmly trusting that He is such\na Christ unto us as we have described. But if any one does not\nbelieve this, he hears the tale with deaf ears,[78] and does not\nknow Christ, and understands neither what blessings He hath nor\nhow they may be enjoyed.\n\nTherefore, if we considered it aright and with attentive hearts,\nthis image alone would suffice to fill us with so great comfort\nthat we should not only not grieve over our evils, [Rom. 5:3] but\neven glory in our tribulations, nay, scarcely feel them, for the\njoy that we have in Christ. In which glorying may Christ Himself\ninstruct us, our Lord and God, blessed for evermore. Amen. [Rom.\n9:5]\n\nEPILOGUE\n\nWith these prattlings of mine, Most Illustrious Prince, in token\nof my willingness to serve your Lordship to the best of my poor\nability, I commend myself to your Illustrious Lordship, being\nready to bring a worthier offering, if ever my mental powers\nshall equal my desires. For I shall always remain a debtor to\nevery neighbor of mine, but most of all to your Lordship, whom\nmay our Lord Jesus Christ, in His merciful kindness, long\npreserve to us, and at last by a blessed death take home to\nHimself. Amen.\n\nYour Most Illustrious Lordship's\n    Intercessor,\n        Brother Martin Luther,\n            _Augustinian at Wittenberg._\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] Written by Luther for the last edition of 1535.\n\n[2] Compare to the Preface to the Complete Works (1545), page 11\nof this volume.\n\n[3] _Antilogistae_; the hunters of contradictions and\ninconsistencies in Luther's writings, such as John Faber, who\npublished, in 1530, his _Antilogiarum Mart. Lutheri Babylonia._\nCompare also reference in preceding note.\n\n[4] As over against Christ and the saints in His train, the devil\nand his followers are represented here, as frequently in Luther,\nunder the figure of a dragon with a scaly tail.\n\n[5] Omitted, through on oversight, from the Latin _editio\nprinceps_. See Introduction, p. 105.\n\n[6] On the political influence of Frederick, as a factor in the\nGerman Reformation, see Hermelink, _Reformation und\nGegenreformation_ (Kr\u00fcger's _Handbuch der Kirchengeschicte_, 3.\nTeil), p. 67.\n\n[7] _Tessaradecas_.\n\n[8] See Introduction, pp. 106 f.\n\n[9] In the body of the work Luther places (6) between (3) and\n(4).\n\n[10] A reminiscence of Luther's childhood?\n\n[11] Luther has particular reference to the Elector's high rank.\n\n[12] Luther follows the Vulgate numbering of the Psalms, which\ndiffers from the Hebrew (and the English and German). As far as\nPs. 8 both agree; but the Vulgate (following the Greek version)\ncounts Ps. 9 and 10 as one, thus dropping behind one in the\nnumbering. But it divides Ps. 147 into two; vv. 1-11 being\ncounted as Ps. 146, and vv. 12-20 as Ps. 147; and so both\nversions agree again from Ps. 148 to 150.\n\n[13] Job calls it a \"warfare\" (militia).\n\n[14] Luther harks back to his discussion of this point in the\nPreface, p. 113.\n\n[15] Particular reference to the Elector.\n\n[16] See pp. 147 ff.\n\n[17] _Cypr. de mortal_. c. V.\n\n[18] Vulgate reading.\n\n[19] See pp. 149 f.\n\n[20] From the Vulgate.\n\n[21] Luther is probably thinking of his own experience, when,\nnear Erfurt, he came near bleeding to death from an injury to his\nankle. See K\u00f6stlin-Kawerau, _Martin Luther_, I, 44.\n\n[22] Luther no longer held this view of \"satisfaction\" in 1535.\nSee also pp. 150 and 161.\n\n[23] Luther is thinking here specifically of the Elector.\n\n[24] He means the communion of saints. See next chapter.\n\n[25] According to the Vulgate (Douay Version).\n\n[26] August 29th. See Introduction, p. 105.\n\n[27] Cf. _A Discussion of Confession_, above, p. 82.\n\n[28] Luther might have considerably revised this whole paragraph.\n\n[29] This seems to refer to the writers of the Holy Scriptures.\n\n[30] A reference to the threefold baptism, commonly accepted,\nviz., (1) _fluminia_, (2) _flaminis_, (3) _sanguinis_; that is,\n(1) the Sacrament of baptism, (2) the baptism of the Spirit, or\nrepentance, (3) the baptism of blood, or martyrdom. Cf. PRE3,\nXIX, 414.\n\n[31] Frederick the Wise was a pious collector of relics, having\n5005 of them in the Castle Church at Wittenberg. They had\nsomething to do with Luther's choice of October 31st as the date\nof the posting of the XCV Theses. See Introduction to the Theses,\np. 16 of this volume, note 1.\n\n[32] Cf. Letter to George Leiffer, 15 April, 1516. See M. A.\nCueriz, _The Letters of M. Luther_, p. 7.\n\n[33] i. e., The sign of the cross.\n\n[34] As much as, \"We are in for a bad hour,\" and, \"A good hour is\nworth a bad hour.\"\n\n[35] See p. 134.\n\n[36] In this passage \"Wisdom\" is the subject.\n\n[37] In the _Sanctus_.\n\n[38] See p. 118.\n\n[39] Luther quotes a verse from Ps. 106, which sums up the\ncontents of Ps. 78.\n\n[40] Luther uses _sensualitas_ the first time, and _sensus_ the\nsecond.\n\n[41] See p.115.\n\n[42] _The Confessions of St. Augustine_, Book IX, chapter 1.\n\n[43] Luther is probably thinking of the sin of suicide.\n\n[44] From the Vulgate (Douay Version).\n\n[45] Namely, the hope of the passing evil and the coming of good\nthings. See above.\n\n[46] The last two passages read thus in the Vulgate.\n\n[47] See p. 122.\n\n[48] Cf. p. 127, note.\n\n[49] Thus the Vulgate.\n\n[50] _Ovid, Ars amat._, I, 656.\n\n[51] Cf. _Treatise on Baptism_, above, p. 66.\n\n[52] See pp. 123 ff.\n\n[53] _The Confessions of St. Augustine_, Book I, chap. vi.\n\n[54] Thus the Vulgate.\n\n[55] _Comm. in Ps. xxxix, No. 27_.\n\n[56] Book VIII, chap. xi.\n\n[57] See p. 152.\n\n[58] See pp. 126 ff.\n\n[59] See pp. 126 ff.\n\n[60] _Gregor. dialogorum libri iv_, containing number of examples\nof the terrible end of the wicked.\n\n[61] One of the passages Luther did not care to correct. Compare\np. 127, note.\n\n[62] Luther here unites the mythological figures of chimaera and\nalren.\n\n[63] An Italian saint whose festival is observed on February 5th,\nwhose worship flourishes especially in South Italy and Sicily,\nand whose historical existence is doubtful.\n\n[64] See pp. 133 ff.\n\n[65] Luther has mistaken the chapter.\n\n[66] For the various interpretations of the \"communion of the\nsaints\" among medi\u00e6val theologians, See Reinh. Seeberg, _Lehrbuch\nder Dogmengeschichte_, 1st ed., vol. ii, p.127, note. Luther in\nthe _Sermon von dem hochw\u00fcrdigen Sacrament des heiligen wahren\nLeichnams Christi_ (1519), still accepts the phrase as meaning\nthe participation in the Sacrament, and through it the\nparticipation in \"the spiritual possessions of Christ and His\nsaints.\" In our treatise, it is taken as the definition of \"the\nholy Catholic Church,\" in the sense of a communion with the\nsaints. In _The Papacy at Rome_ (later in the same year), it\nbecomes the communion or community (consisting of saints, or\nbelievers; as a _Gemeinde oder Sammlung._ Compare the classical\npassage in the _Large Catechism_ (1529): \"nicht _Gemenschaft_,\nsondern _Gemeine_.\"\n\n[67] See _A Discussion of Confession_, above, p. 88.\n\n[68] Changed to \"Christian\" in the Catechisms (1529), although\nthe Latin translations retain _catholocism_.\n\n[69] The Apostle does not say, \"one cup.\"\n\n[70] The translation here follows the reading of the _Jena Ed.\n(huc feratur intuitus)_, as against that of the _Weimar_ and\n_Erl. Edd. (huc foratur intutus)._\n\n[71] Thus the Vulgate.\n\n[72] See pp. 137 ff.\n\n[73] Vulgate.\n\n[74] Namely, after His resurrection.\n\n[75] Compare the different form of this verse on p. 112.\n\n[76] He means the sin of Adam.\n\n[77] The germ of _The Liberty of a Christian Man_ (1520).\n\n[78] Cf. Terence's _surdo narrare fabulam. Heauton.,_ 222.\n\n\nA TREATISE ON GOOD WORKS,\n\nTOGETHER WITH THE LETTER OF DEDICATION\n\n1520\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\n1. The Occasion of the Work.--Luther did not impose himself as a\nreformer upon the Church. In the course of a conscientious\nperformance of the duties of his office, to which he had been\nregularly and divinely called, and without any urging on his\npart, he attained to this position by inward necessity. In 1515\nhe received his appointment as the standing substitute for the\nsickly city pastor, Simon Heinse, from the city council of\nWittenberg. Before this time he was obliged to preach only\noccasionally in the convent, apart from his activity as teacher\nin the University and convent. Through this appointment he was in\nduty bound, by divine and human right, to lead and direct the\ncongregation at Wittenberg on the true way to life, and it would\nhave been a denial of the knowledge of salvation which God had\nled him to acquire, by way of ardent inner struggles, if he had\nled the congregation on any other way than the one God had\nrevealed to him in His Word. He could not deny before the\ncongregation which had been intrusted to his care, what up to\nthis time he had taught with ever increasing clearness in his\nlectures at the University--for in the lectures on the Psalms,\nwhich he began to deliver in 1513, he declares his conviction\nthat faith alone justifies, as can be seen from the complete\nmanuscript, published since 1885, and with still greater\nclearness from his Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans\n(1515-1516), which is accessible since 1908; nor what he had\nurged as spiritual adviser of his convent brethren when in deep\ndistress--compare the charming letter to Georg Spenlein, dated\nApril 8, 1516,[1]\n\nLuther's first literary works to Appear in print were also\noccasioned by the work of his calling and of his office in the\nWittenberg congregation. He had no other object in view than to\nedify his congregation and to lead it to Christ when, in 1517, he\npublished his first independent work, the _Explanation of the\nSeven Penitential Psalms_. On Oct 31 of the same year he\npublished his _95 Theses against Indulgences_. These were indeed\nintended as controversial theses for theologians, but at the same\ntime it is well known that Luther was moved by his duty toward\nhis congregation to declare his position in this matter and to\nput in issue the whole question as to the right and wrong of\nindulgences by means of his theses. His sermon _Of Indulgences\nand Grace_, occasioned by Tetzel's attack and delivered in the\nlatter part of March, 1515, as well as his sermon _Of Penitence_,\ndelivered about the same time, were also intended for his\ncongregation. Before his congregation (Sept., 1516-Feb., 1517) he\ndelivered the _Sermons on the Ten Commandments_, which were\npublished in 1518, and the _Sermons on the Lord's Prayer_, which\nwere also published in 1518 by Agricola. Though Luther in the\nsame year published a series of controversial writings, which\nwere occasioned by attacks from outside sources, viz., the\n_Resolutiones disputationis de virtute indulgentiarum_, _the\nAsterisci adversus obeliscos Joh. Eccii_, and the _Ad dialogum\nSilv. Prieriatis responsio_, still he never was diverted by this\nnecessary rebuttal from his paramount duty, the edification of\nthe congregation. The autumn of the year 1518, when he was\nconfronted with Cajetan, as well as the whole year of 1519, when\nhe held his disputations with Eck, etc, were replete with\ndisquietude and pressing labors; still Luther served his\ncongregation with a whole series of writings during this time,\nand only regretted that he was not entirely at its disposal. Of\nsuch writings we mention: Explanation of the Lord's Prayer for\nthe simple Laity (an elaboration of the sermons of 1517); Brief\nExplanation of the Ten Commandments; Instruction concerning\ncertain Articles, which might be ascribed and imputed to him by\nhis adversaries; Brief Instruction how to Confess; Of Meditation\non the Sacred Passion of Christ; Of Twofold Righteousness; Of the\nMatrimonial Estate; Brief Form to understand and to pray the\nLord's Prayer; Explanation of the Lord's Prayer \"vor sich und\nhinter sich\"; Of Prayer and Processions in Rogation Week; Of\nUsury; Of the Sacrament of Penitence; Of Preparation for Death;\nOf the Sacrament of Baptism; Of the Sacrament of the Sacred Body;\nOf Excommunication. With but few exceptions these writings all\nspeared in print in the year 1519, and again it was the\ncongregation which Luther sought primarily to serve. If the\nbounds of his congregation spread ever wider beyond Wittenberg,\nso that his writings found a surprisingly ready sale, even afar,\nthat was not Luther's fault. Even the _Tessaradecas\nconsolatoria_,[2] written in 1519 and printed in 1530, a book of\nconsolation, which was originally intended for the sick Elector\nof Saxony, was written by him only upon solicitation from outside\nsources.\n\nTo this circle of writings the treatise _Of Good Works_ also\nbelongs. Though the incentive for its composition came from\nGeorge Spalatin, court-preacher to the Elector, who reminded\nLuther of a promise he had given, still Luther was willing to\nundertake it only when he recalled that in a previous sermon to\nhis congregation he occasionally had made a similar promise to\ndeliver a sermon on good works;[3] and when Luther actually\ncommenced the composition he had nothing else in view but the\npreparation of a sermon for his congregation on this important\ntopic.\n\nBut while the work was in progress the material so accumulated\nthat it far outgrew the bounds of a sermon for his congregation.\nOn March 25. he wrote to Spatatin that it would become a whole\nbooklet instead of a sermon; on May 5. he again emphasizes the\ngrowth of the material; on May 13. he speaks of its completion at\nan early date, and on June 8. he could send Melanchthon a printed\ncopy. It was entitled: _Von den gutenwerckenn: D. M. L.\nVuittenherg_. On the last page it bore the printer's mark:\n_Getruck zu Wittenberg bey dem iungen Melchior Lotther. Im\nTausent funfhundert vnud zweynitzsgen Jar_. It filled not less\nthan 58 leaves, quarto. In spite of its volume, however, the\nintention of the book for the congregation remained, now however,\nnot only for the narrow circle of the Wittenberg congregation,\nbut for the Christian layman in general. In the dedicatory\npreface Luther lays the greatest stress upon this, for he writes:\n\"Though I know of a great many, and must hear it daily, who think\nlightly of my poverty and say that I write only small Sexternlein\n(tracts of small volume) and German sermons for the untaught\nlaity, I will not permit that to move me. Would to God that\nduring my life I had served but one layman for his betterment\nwith all my powers; it would be sufficient for me, I would thank\nGod and suffer all my books to perish thereafter...Most willingly\nI will leave the honor of greater things to others, and not at\nall will I be ashamed of preaching and writing German to the\nuntaught laity.\"\n\nSince Luther had dedicated the afore-mentioned _Tessaradecas\nconolatoria_ to the reigning Prince,[4] he now, probably on\nSpalatin's recommendation, dedicated the Treatise on Good Works\nto his brother John, who afterward, in 1525, succeeded Frederick\nin the Electorate. There was probably good reason for dedicating\nthe book to a member of the reigning house. Princes have reason\nto take a special interest in the fact that preaching on good\nworks should occur within their realm, for the safety and sane\ndevelopment of their kingdom depend hugely upon the cultivation\nof morality on the part of their subjects. Time and again the\npapal church had commended herself to princes and statesmen by\nher emphatic teaching of good works. Luther, on the other hand,\nhad been accused--like the Apostle Paul before him (Rom.\n3:31)--that the zealous performance of good works had abated,\nthat the bonds of discipline had slackened and that, as a\nnecessary consequence, lawlessness and shameless immorality were\nbeing promoted by his doctrine of justification by faith alone.\nBefore 1517 the rumor had already spread that Luther intended to\ndo away with good works. Duke George of Saxony had received no\ngood impression from a sermon Luther had delivered at Dresden,\nbecause he feared the consequences which Luther's doctrine of\njustification by faith alone might have upon the morals of the\nmasses. Under these circumstances it would not have been\nsurprising if a member of the Electoral house should harbor like\nscruples, especially since the full comprehension of Luther's\npreaching on good works depended on an evangelical understanding\nof faith, as deep as was Luther's own. The Middle Ages had\ndifferentiated between _fides informis_, a formless faith, and\n_fides formata_ or _informata_, a formed or ornate faith. The\nformer was held to be a knowledge without any life or effect, the\nlatter to be identical with love, for, as they said, love which\nproves itself and is effective in good works must be added to the\nformless faith, as its complement and its content, well pleasing\nto God. In Luther's time every one who was seriously interested\nin religious questions was reared under the influence of these\nideas.[5]\n\nNow, since Luther had opposed the doctrine of justification by\nlove and its good works, he was in danger of being misunderstood\nby strangers, as though he held the bare knowledge and assent to\nbe sufficient for justification, and such preaching would indeed\nhave led to frivolity and disorderly conduct. But even apart from\nthe question whether or not the brother of the Elector was\ndisturbed by such scruples, Luther must have welcomed the\nopportunity, when the summons came to him, to dedicate his book\n_Of Good Works_ to a member of the Electoral house. At any rate\nthe book could serve to acquaint him with the thoughts of his\nmuch-abused pastor and professor at Wittenberg, for never before\nhad Luther expressed himself on the important question of good\nworks in such a fundamental, thorough and profound way.\n\n2. Contents of the Work.--A perusal of the contents shows that\nthe book, in the course of its production, attained a greater\nlength than was originally intended. To this fact it must be\nattributed that a new numeration of sections begins with the\nargument on the Third Commandment, and is repeated at every\nCommandment thereafter, while before this the sections were\nconsecutively numbered. But in spite of this, the plan of the\nwhole is clear and lucid. Evidently the whole treatise is divided\ninto two parts: the first comprising sections 1-17, while the\nsecond comprises all the following sections. The first, being\nfundamental, is the more important part. Luther well knew of the\ncharges made against him that \"faith is so highly elevated\" and\n\"works are rejected\" by him; but he knew, too, that \"neither\nsilver, gold and precious stone, nor any other precious thing had\nexperienced so much augmentation and diminution\" as had good\nworks \"which should all have but one simple goodness, or they are\nnothing but color, glitter and deception.\" But especially was he\naware of the fact that the Church was urging nothing but the\nso-called self-elected works, such as \"running to the convent,\nsinging, reading, playing the organ, saying the mass, praying\nmatins, vespers, and other hours, founding and ornamenting\nchurches, altars, convents, gathering chimes, jewels, vestments,\ngems and treasures, going to Rome and to the saints, curtsying\nand bowing the knees, praying the rosary and the psalter,\" etc.,\nand that she designated these alone as truly good works, while\nshe represented the faithful performance of the duties of one's\ncalling as a morality of a lower order. For these reasons it is\nLuther's highest object in this treatise to make it perfectly\nclear what is the essence of good works. Whenever the essence of\ngood works has been understood, then the accusations against him\nwill quickly collapse.\n\nIn the fundamental part he therefore argues; _Truly good works\nare not self-elected works of monastic or any other holiness, but\nsuch only as God has commanded and as are comprehended within the\nbounds one's particular calling, and all works, let the name be\nwhat it may, become good only when they flow from faith, the\n\"first, greatest, and noble of good works.\" (John 6:19.)_ In this\nconnection the essence of faith, that only source of all truly\ngood works, must of course be rightly understood. It is the sure\nconfidence in God, that all my doing is well-pleasing to him; it\nis trust in His mercy even though He appear angry and puts\nsufferings and adversities upon us; it is the assurance of the\ndivine good will even though \"God should reprove the conscience\nwith sin, death and hell, and deny it all grace and mercy, as\nthough He would condemn and show His wrath eternally.\" Where such\nfaith lives in the heart, there the works are good \"even though\nthey were as insignificant as the picking up of a straw\"; but\nwhere it is wanting, there are only such works as \"heathen, Jew\nand Turk\" may have and do. Where such faith possesses the man, he\nneeds no teacher in good works, as little as does the husband or\nthe wife, who only look for love and favor from one another, nor\nneed any instruction therein \"how they are to stand toward each\nother, what they are to do, to leave undone, to say, to leave\nunsaid, to think.\"\n\nThis faith, Luther continues, is \"the true fulfilment of the\nFirst Commandment, apart from which there is no work that could\ndo justice to this Commandment.\" With this sentence he combines,\non the one hand, the whole argument of faith, as the best and\nnoblest of good works, with his opening proposition (there are no\ngood works besides those commanded of God), and, on the other\nhand, he prepares the way for the following argument, wherein he\nproposes to exhibit the good works according to the Ten\nCommandments. For the First Commandment does not forbid this and\nthat, nor does it require this and that; it forbids but one\nthing, unbelief; it requires but one thing, faith, \"that\nconfidence in God's good will at all times.\" Without this faith\nthe best works are as nothing, and if man would think that by\nthem he could be well-pleasing to God, he would be lowering God\nto the level of a \"broker or a laborer who will not dispense his\ngrace and kindness gratis.\"\n\nThis understanding of faith and good works, so Luther now\naddresses his opponents, should in fairness be kept in view by\nthose who accuse him of declaiming against good works, and they\nshould learn from it, that though he has preached against \"good\nworks,\" it was against such as are falsely so called and as\ncontribute toward the confusion of consciences, because they are\nself-elected, do not flow from faith, and are done with the\npretension of doing works well-pleasing to God.\n\nThis brings us to the end of the fundamental part of the\ntreatise. It was not Luther's intention, however, to speak only\non the essence of good works and their fundamental relation to\nfaith; he would show, too, how the \"best work,\" faith, must prove\nitself in every way a living faith, according to the other\ncommandments. Luther does not proceed to this part, however,\nuntil in the fundamental part he has said with emphasis, that the\nbeliever, the spiritual man, needs no such instruction (1.\nTimothy 1:9), but that he of his own accord and at all times does\ngood works \"as his faith, his confidence, teaches him.\" Only\n\"because we do not all have such faith, or are unmindful of it,\"\ndoes such instruction become necessary.\n\nNor does he proceed until he has repeated his oft repeated words\nconcerning the relation of faith to good works to the relation of\nthe First to the other Commandments. From the fact, that\naccording to the First Commandment, we acquire a pure heart and\nconfidence toward God, he derives the good work of the Second\nCommandment, namely, \"to praise God, to acknowledge His grace, to\nrender all honor to Him alone.\" From the same source he derives\nthe good work of the Third Commandment, namely, \"to observe\ndivine services with prayer and the hearing of preaching, to\nincline the imagination of our hearts toward God's benefits, and,\nto that end, to mortify and overcome the flesh.\" From the same\nsource he derives the works of the Second Table.\n\nThe argument on the Third and Fourth Commandments claims nearly\none-half of the entire treatise. Among the good works which,\naccording to the Third Commandment, should be an exercise and\nproof of faith, Luther especially mentions the proper hearing of\nmass and of preaching, common prayer, bodily discipline and the\nmortification of the flesh, and he joins the former and the\nlatter by an important fundamental discussion of the New\nTestament conception of Sabbath rest.\n\nLuther discusses the Fourth Commandment as fully as the Third.\nThe exercise of faith, according to this Commandment, consists in\nthe faithful performance of the duties of children toward their\nparents, of parents toward their children, and of subordinates\ntoward their superiors in the ecclesiastical as well as in the\ncommon civil sphere. The various duties issue from the various\ncallings, for faithful performance of the duties of one's\ncalling, with the help of God and for God's sake, is the true\n\"good work.\"\n\nAs he now proceeds to speak of the _spiritual powers_, the\ngovernment of the Church, he frankly reveals their faults and\ndemands a reform of the present rulers. Honor and obedience in\nall things should be rendered unto the Church, the spiritual\nmother, as it is due to natural parents, unless it be contrary to\nthe first Three Commandments. But as matters stand now the\n_spiritual magistrates_ neglect their peculiar work, namely, the\nfostering of godliness and discipline, like a mother who runs\naway from her children and follows a lover, and instead they\nundertake strange and evil works, like parents whose commands are\ncontrary to God. In this case members of the Church must do as\ngodly children do whose parents have become mad and insane.\nKings, princes, the nobility, municipalities and communities must\nbegin of their own accord and put a check to these conditions, so\nthat the bishops and the clergy, who are now too timid, may be\ninduced to follow. But even the civil magistrates must also\nsuffer reforms to be enacted in their particular spheres;\nespecially are they called on to do away with the rude \"gluttony\nand drunkenness,\" luxury in clothing, the usurious sale of rents\nand the common brothels. This, by divine and human right, is a\npart of their enjoined works according to the Fourth Commandment.\n\nLuther, at last, briefly treats of the Second Table of the\nCommandments, but in speaking of the works of these Commandments\nhe never forgets to point out their relation to faith, thus\nholding fast this fundamental thought of the book to the end.\nFaith which does not doubt that God is gracious, he says, will\nfind it an easy matter to be graciously and favorably minded\ntoward one's neighbor and to overcome all angry and wrathful\ndesires. In this faith in God the Spirit will teach us to avoid\nunchaste thoughts and thus to keep the Sixth Commandment. When\nthe heart trusts in the divine favor, it cannot seek after the\ntemporal goods of others, nor cleave to money, but according to\nthe Seventh Commandment, will use it with cheerful liberality for\nthe benefit of the neighbor. Where such confidence is present\nthere is also a courageous, strong and intrepid heart, which will\nat all times defend the truth, as the Eighth Commandment demands,\nwhether neck or coat be at stake, whether it be against pope or\nkings. Where such faith is present there is also strife against\nthe evil lust, as forbidden in the Ninth and Tenth Commandments,\nand that even unto death.\n\n3. The Importance of the Work.--Inquiring now into the importance\nof the book, we note that Luther's impression evidently was\nperfectly correct, when he wrote to Spalatin, long before its\ncompletion--as early as March 15.--that he believed it to be\nbetter than anything he had heretofore written. His book,\nindeed, surpasses all his previous German writings in volume, as\nwell as all his Latin and German ones in clearness, richness and\nthe fundamental importance of its content. In comparison with the\nprevalent urging of self-elected works of monkish holiness, which\nhad arisen from a complete misunderstanding of the so-called\nevangelical counsels (comp. esp. Matthew 19:16-22) and which were\nat that time accepted as self-evident and zealously urged by the\nwhole church, Luther's argument must have appeared to all\nthoughtful and earnest souls as a revelation, when he so clearly\namplified the proposition that only those works are to be\nregarded as good works which God has commanded, and that\ntherefore, not the abandoning of one's earthly calling, but the\nfaithful keeping of the Ten Commandments in the course of one's\ncalling, is the work which God requires of us. Over against the\nwide-spread opinion, as though the will of God as declared in the\nTen Commandments referred only to the outward work always\nespecially mentioned, Luther's argument must have called to mind\nthe explanation of the Law, which the Lord had given in the\nSermon on the Mount, when he taught men to recognize only the\nextreme point and manifestation of a whole trend of thought in\nthe work prohibited by the text, and when he directed Christians\nnot to rest in the keeping of the literal requirement of each\nCommandment, but from this point of vantage to inquire into the\nwhole depth and breadth of God's will--positively and\nnegatively--and to do His will in its full extent as the heart\nhas perceived it. Though this thought may have been occasionally\nexpressed in the expositions of the Ten Commandments which\nappeared at the dawn of the Reformation, still it had never\nbefore been so clearly recognized as the only correct principle,\nmuch less had it been so energetically carried out from beginning\nto end, as is done in this treatise. Over against the deep-rooted\nview that the works of love must bestow upon faith its form, its\ncontent and its worth before God, it must have appeared as the\ndawn of a new era (Galatians 3:13-35) when Luther in this\ntreatise declared, and with victorious certainty carried out the\nthought, that it is true faith which invests the works, even the\nbest and greatest of works, with their content and worth before\nGod.\n\nThis preposition, which Luther here amplifies more clearly than\never before, demanded nothing less than a breach with the whole\nof prevalent religious views, and at that time must have been\nperceived as the discovery of a new world, though it was no more\nthan a return to the dear teaching of the New Testament\nScriptures concerning the way of salvation. This, too, accounts\nfor the fact that in this writing the accusation is more\nimpressively repelled than before, that the doctrine of\njustification by faith lone resulted in moral laxity, and that,\non the other hand, the fundamental and radical importance of\nrighteousness by faith for the whole moral life is revealed in\nsuch a heart-refreshing manner. Luther's appeal in this treatise\nto kings, princes, the nobility, municipalities and communities,\nto declare against the misuse of spiritual powers and to abolish\nvarious abuses in civil life, marks this treatise as a forerunner\nof the great Reformation writings, which appeared in the same\nyear (1520), while, on the other hand, his espousal of the rights\nof the \"poor man\"--to be met with here for the first time--shows\nthat the Monk of Wittenberg, coming from the narrow limits of the\nconvent, had an intimate and sympathetic knowledge of the social\nneeds of his time. Thus he proved by his own example that to take\na stand in the center of the Gospel does not narrow the vision\nnor harden the heart, but rather produces courage in the truth\nand sympathy for all manner of misery.\n\nLuther's contemporaries at once recognized the great importance\nof the treatise, for within the period of seven months it passed\nthrough eight editions; these were followed by six more editions\nbetween the years of 1521 and 1525; in 1521 it was translation\ninto Latin, and in this form passed through three editions up to\nthe year 1525; and all this in spite of the fact that in those\nyears the so-called three great Reformation writings of 1520 were\ncasting all else into the shadow. Melanchthon, in a\ncontemporaneous letter to John Hess, called it Luther's best\nbook. John Mathesius, the well-known pastor at Joachimsthal and\nLuther's biographer, acknowledged that he had learned the\n\"rudiments of Christianity\" from it.\n\nEven to-day this book has its peculiar mission to the Church. The\nseeking after self-elected works, the indifference regarding the\nworks commanded of God, the foolish opinion, that the path of\nworks leads to God's grace end good-will, are even to-day widely\nprevalent within the kingdom of God. To all this Luther's\ntreatise answers: Be diligent in the works of your earthly\ncalling as commanded of God, but only after having first\nstrengthened, by the consideration of God's mercy, the faith\nwithin you, which is the only source of all truly good works and\nwell-pleasing to God.\n\n                    M. Reu.\n\nWartburg Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] (Enders, _Luther's Briefwechsel_, I, p. 29.) Luther here\nwriters: Learn Christ, dear Brother, learn Christ crucified;\nlearn to sing unto him and, despairing of self, to say: \"Thou,\nLord Jesus art my righteousness, I, however, am Thy sin. Thou has\ntaken unto Thyself what was mine, and has given me what is\nThine.\" In this faith, receive the erring brethren, make their\nsins your own, and if you have anything good, let it be theirs.\n\n[2] Above, pp. 103-171.\n\n[3] On Feb. 24, Luther answered Spalatin: _Die sermone bonorum\noperum nibil memini; sed et tot jam edidi, ut periculum sit, ne\nemtores tandem fatigam;_ but on Feb. 26, he wrote again: _Memoria\nmihi rediit de operibus bonis sermone tractandis, in concione\nscilicet id promisi; dabo operam, ut fiat._ (De Weite, _Luther's\nBriefe_, I, p. 419, 421, 430 ff.)\n\n[4] See Dedicatory Letter, above, p. 107.\n\n[5] We mention but one of many testimonies. John Dietenberger in\nhis book, _Der leye. Obe der gelaub allein selig mache_, printed\nin Strassburg 1523, says on leaf B26: \"Faith is a gift of God,\nwhich may appear bare or ornate; still it remains but one faith,\nwhich, however, has another effect when ornate than when bare.\nOrnate faith makes man a child of grace, an heir of the kingdom\nof heaven and justified. Bare faith, however, does not separate\nman from devils, helps not to the kingdom of heaven, and leads to\nno justification.\"\n\n\nA TREATISE ON GOOD WORKS\n\n1520\n\n\nDEDICATION\n\nJESUS[1]\n\nTo the Illustrious, High-born Prince and Lord, John, Duke of\nSaxony, Landgrave of Thuringia, Margrave of Meissen, my gracious\nLord and Patron.\n\nIllustrious, High-born Prince, gracious Lord! My humble duty and\nmy feeble prayer for your Grace always remembered!\n\nFor a long time, gracious Prince and Lord, I have wished to show\nmy humble respect and duty toward your princely Grace, by the\nexhibition of some such spiritual wares as are at my disposal;\nbut I have always considered my powers too feeble to undertake\nanything worthy of being offered to your princely Grace.\n\nSince, however, my most gracious Lord Frederick, Duke of Saxony,\nElector and Vicar of the Holy Roman Empire, your Grace's brother,\nhas not despised, but graciously accepted my slight book,[2]\ndedicated to his electoral Grace, and now published--though such\nwas not my intention--I have taken courage from his gracious\nexample and ventured to think that the princely spirit, like the\nprincely blood, may be the same in both of you, especially in\ngracious kindness and good will. I have hoped that your princely\nGrace likewise would not despise this my humble offering which I\nhave felt more need of publishing than any other of my sermons or\ntracts. For the greatest of all questions has been raised, the\nquestion of Good Works, in which is practised immeasurably more\ntrickery and deception than in anything else, and in which the\nsimple-minded man is so easily misled that our Lord Christ has\ncommanded us to watch carefully for the sheep's clothing under\nwhich the wolves hide themselves. [Matt. 7:15]\n\nNeither silver, gold, precious stones, nor any rare thing has\nsuch manifold alloys and flaws as have good works, which ought to\nhave a single simple goodness, and without it are mere color,\nshow and deceit.\n\nAnd although I know and daily hear many people, who think\nslightingly of my poverty, and say that I write only little\npamphlets[3] and German sermons for the unlearned laity, this\nshall not disturb me. Would to God I had in all my life, with all\nthe ability I have, helped one layman to be better! I would be\nsatisfied, thank God, and be quite willing then to let all my\nlittle books perish.\n\nWhether the making of many great books is an art and a benefit to\nthe Church, I leave others to judge. But I believe that if I were\nminded to make great books according to their art, I could, with\nGod's help, do it more readily perhaps than they could prepare a\nlittle discourse after my fashion. If accomplishment were as easy\nas persecution, Christ would long since have been cast out of\nheaven again, and God's throne itself overturned. Although we\ncannot all be writers, we all want to be critics.\n\nI will most gladly leave to any one else the honor of greater\nthings, and not be at all ashamed to preach and to write in\nGerman for the unlearned laymen. Although I too have little skill\nin it, I believe that if we had hitherto done, and should\nhenceforth do more of it, Christendom would have reaped no small\nadvantage, and have been more benefited by this than by the\ngreat, deep books and _quaestiones_[4], which are used only in\nthe schools, among the learned.\n\nThen, too, I have never forced or begged any one to hear me, or\nto read my sermons. I have freely ministered in the Church of\nthat which God has given me and which I owe the Church. Whoever\nlikes it not, may hear and read what others have to say. And if\nthey are not willing to be my debtors, it matters little. For me\nit is enough, and even more than too much, that some laymen\ncondescend to read what I say. Even though there were nothing\nelse to urge me, it should be more than sufficient that I have\nlearned that your princely Grace is pleased with such German\nbooks and is eager to receive instruction in Good Works and the\nFaith, with which instruction it was my duty, humbly and with all\ndiligence to serve you.\n\nTherefore, in dutiful humility I pray that your princely Grace\nmay accept this offering of mine with a gracious mind, until, if\nGod grant me time, I prepare a German exposition of the Faith in\nits entirety. For at this time I have wished to show how in all\ngood works we should practice and make use of faith, and let\nfaith be the chief work. If God permit, I will treat at another\ntime of the Faith[5] itself--how we are daily to pray or recite\nit.\n\nI humbly commend myself herewith to your princely Grace,\n\n    Your Princely Grace's\n        Humble Chaplain,\n            Dr. Martin Luther.\n\nFrom Wittenberg, March 39th, A.D. 1520.\n\nTHE TREATISE\n\n[Sidenote: Faith and the Commandments]\n\nI. We ought first to know that there are no good works except\nthose which God has commanded, even as there is no sin except\nthat which God has forbidden. Therefore whoever wishes to know\nand to do good works needs nothing else than to know God's\ncommandments. Thus Christ says, Matthew xix, \"If thou wilt enter\ninto life, keep the commandments.\" [Matt. 19:17] And when the\nyoung man asks Him, Matthew xix, what he shall do that he may\ninherit eternal life, Christ sets before him naught else but the\nTen Commandments. [Matt. 19:18 f.] Accordingly, we must learn how\nto distinguish among good works from the Commandments of God, and\nnot from the appearance, the magnitude, or the number of the\nworks themselves, nor from the judgment of men or of human law or\ncustom, as we see has been done and still is done, because we are\nblind and despise the divine Commandments.\n\n[Sidenote: Faith the Best Work]\n\nII. The first and highest, the most precious of all good works is\nfaith in Christ, as He says, John vi. When the Jews asked Him:\n\"What shall we do that we may work the works of God?\" He\nanswered: \"This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him Whom\nHe hath sent.\" [John 6:28 f.] When we hear or preach this word,\nwe hasten over it and deem it a very little thing and easy to do,\nwhereas we ought here to pause a long time and to ponder it well.\nFor in this work[6] all good works must be done and receive from\nit the inflow of their goodness, like a loan. This we must put\nbluntly, that men may understand it.\n\nWe find many who pray, fast, establish endowments, do this or\nthat, lead a good life before men, and yet if you should ask them\nwhether they are sure that what they do pleases God, they say,\n\"No\"; they do not know, or they doubt. And there are some very\nlearned men, who mislead them, and say that it is not necessary\nto be sure of this; and yet on the other hand, these same men do\nnothing else but teach good works. Now all these works are done\noutside of faith, therefore they are nothing and altogether dead.\nFor as their conscience stands toward God and as it believes, so\nalso are the works which grow out of it. Now they have no faith,\nno good conscience toward God, therefore the works lack their\nhead, and all their life and goodness is nothing. Hence it comes\nthat when I exalt faith and reject such works done without faith,\nthey accuse me of forbidding good works, when in truth I am\ntrying hard to teach real good works of faith.\n\n[Sidenote: All Works done in Faith are Good]\n\nIII. If you ask further, whether they count it also a good work\nwhen they work at their trade, walk, stand, eat, drink, sleep,\nand do all kinds of works for the nourishment of the body or for\nthe common welfare, and whether they believe that God takes\npleasure in them because of such works, you will find that they\nsay, \"No\"; and they define good works so narrowly that they are\nmade to consist only of praying in church, fasting, and\nalmsgiving. Other works they consider to be in vain, and think\nthat God cares nothing for them. So through their damnable\nunbelief they curtail and lessen the service of God, Who is\nserved by all things whatsoever that are done, spoken or thought\nin faith.\n\nSo teaches Ecclesiastes ix: \"Go thy way with joy, eat and drink,\nand know that God accepteth thy works. Let thy garments be always\nwhite; and let thy head lack no ointment. Live joyfully with the\nwife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity.\"\n[Eccles. 9:7] \"Let thy garments be always white,\" that is, let\nall our works be good, whatever they may be, without any\ndistinction. And they are white when I am certain and believe\nthat they please God. Then shall the head of my soul never lack\nthe ointment of a joyful conscience.\n\nSo Christ says, John viii: \"I do always those things that please\nHim.\" [John 8:29] And St. John says, I. John iii: \"Hereby we know\nthat we are of the truth, if we can comfort our hearts before Him\nand have a good confidence. And if our heart condemns or frets\nus, God is greater than our heart, and we have confidence, that\nwhatsoever we ask, we shall receive of Him, because we keep His\nCommandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His\nsight.\" [1 John 3, 19 ff.] Again: \"Whosoever is born of God, that\nis, whoever believes and trusts God, doth not commit sin, and\ncannot sin.\" [1 John 3, 9] Again, Psalm xxxiv: \"None of them that\ntrust in Him shall do sin.\" [Ps. 34:22] And in Psalm ii: \"Blessed\nare all they that put their trust in Him.\" [Ps. 2:12] If this be\ntrue, then all that they do must be good, or the evil that they\ndo must be quickly forgiven. Behold, then, why I exalt faith so\ngreatly, draw all works into it, and reject all works which do\nnot flow from it.\n\n[Sidenote: Faith the Test of Good Works]\n\nIV. Now every one can note and tell for himself when he does what\nis good or what is not good; for if he finds his heart confident\nthat it pleases God, the work is good, even if it were so small a\nthing as picking up a straw. If confidence is absent, or if he\ndoubts, the work is not good, although it should raise all the\ndead and the man should give himself to be burned. [1 Cor. 13:3]\nThis is the teaching of St. Paul, Romans xiv: \"Whatsoever is not\ndone of or in faith is sin.\" [Rom. 14:23] Faith, as the chief\nwork, and no other work, has given us the name of \"believers on\nChrist.\" For all other works a heathen, a Jew, a Turk, a sinner,\nmay also do; but to trust firmly that he pleases God, is possible\nonly for a Christian who is enlightened and strengthened by\ngrace.\n\nThat these words seem strange, and that some call me a heretic\nbecause of them, is due to the fact that men have followed blind\nreason and heathen ways, have set faith not above, but beside\nother virtues, and have given it a work of its own, apart from\nall works of the other virtues; although faith alone makes all\nother works good, acceptable and worthy, in that it trusts God\nand does not doubt that for it all things that a man does are\nwell done. Indeed, they have not let faith remain a work, but\nhave made a _habitus_[7] of it, [John 6:29] as they say, although\nScripture gives the name of a good, divine work to no work except\nto faith alone. Therefore it is no wonder that they have become\nblind and leaders of the blind. [Matt. 15:14] And this faith\nbrings with it at once love, peace, joy and hope. For God gives\nHis Spirit at once to him who trusts Him, as St. Paul says to the\nGalatians: \"You received the Spirit not became of your good\nworks, but when you believed the Word of God.\" [Gal. 3:2]\n\n[Sidenote: Faith makes all Works Equal]\n\nV. In this faith all works become equal, and one is like the\nother; all distinctions between works fall away, whether they be\ngreat, small, short, long, few or many. For the works are\nacceptable not for their own sake, but because of the faith which\nalone is, works and lives in each and every work without\ndistinction, however numerous and various they are, just as all\nthe members of the body live, work and have their name from the\nhead, and without the head no member can live, work and have a\nname.\n\nFrom which it further follows that a Christian who lives in this\nfaith has no need of a teacher of good works, but whatever he\nfinds to do he does, and all is well done; as Samuel said to\nSaul: \"The Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt\nbe turned into another man; then do thou as occasion serves thee;\nfor God is with thee.\" [1 Sam. 10:6] So also we read of St. Anna,\nSamuel's mother: \"When she believed the priest Eli who promised\nher God's grace, she went home in joy and peace, and from that\ntime no more turned hither and thither,\" [1 Sam. 1:17 f.] that\nis, whatever occurred, it was all one to her. St. Paul also says:\n\"Where the Spirit of Christ is, there all is free.\" [Rom. 8:2]\nFor faith does not permit itself to be bound to any work [1 Cor.\n3:17], nor does it allow any work to be taken from it, but, as\nthe First Psalm says \"He bringeth forth his fruit in his season,\"\n[Ps. 1:3] that is, as as a matter of course.\n\n[Sidenote: An Analogy]\n\nVI. This we may see in a common human example. When a man and a\nwoman love and are pleased with each other, and thoroughly\nbelieve in their love, who teaches them how they are to behave,\nwhat they are to do, leave undone, say, not say, think?\nConfidence alone teaches them all this, and more. They make no\ndifference in works: they do the great, the long, the much, as\ngladly as the small, the short, the little, and vice versa; and\nthat too with joyful, peaceful, confident hearts, and each is a\nfree companion of the other. But where there is a doubt, search\nis made for what is best; then a distinction of works is imagined\nwhereby a man may win favor; and yet he goes about it with a\nheavy heart, and great disrelish; he is, as it were, taken\ncaptive, more than half in despair, and often makes a fool of\nhimself.\n\n[Sidenote: The First Stage of Faith: Works]\n\nSo a Christian who lives in this confidence toward God, knows all\nthings, can do all things, undertakes all things that are to be\ndone, and does everything cheerfully and freely; not that he may\ngather many merits and good works, but because it is a pleasure\nfor him to please God thereby, and he serves God purely for\nnothing, content that his service pleases God. On the other hand,\nhe who is not at one with God, or doubts, hunts and worries in\nwhat way he may do enough and with many works move God. He runs\nto St. James of Compostella,[8] to Rome, to Jerusalem, hither and\nyon, prays St. Bridget's prayer[9] and the rest, fasts on this\nday and on that, makes confession here, and makes confession\nthere, questions this man and that, and yet finds no peace. He\ndoes all this with great effort, despair and disrelish of heart,\nso that the Scriptures rightly call such works in Hebrew _Aven\namal_ [Ps. 90:10], that is, labor and travail. And even then they\nare not good works, and are all lost. Many have been crazed\nthereby; their fear has brought them into all manner of misery.\nOf these it is written, Wisdom of Solomon v: \"We have wearied\nourselves in the wrong way; and have gone through deserts, where\nthere lay no way; but as for the way of the Lord, we have not\nknown it, and the sun of righteousness rose not upon us.\" [Wisd.\n5:6 f.]\n\n[Sidenote: The Second Stage of Faith: Sufferings]\n\nVII. In these works faith is still slight and weak; let us ask\nfurther, whether they believe that they are well-pleasing to God\nwhen they suffer in body, property, honor, friends, or whatever\nthey have, and believe that God of His mercy appoints their\nsufferings and difficulties for them, whether they be small or\ngreat. This is real strength, to trust in God when to all our\nsenses and reason He appears to be angry; and to have greater\nconfidence in Him than we feel. Here He is hidden, as the bride\nsays in the Song of Songs: \"Behold he standeth behind our wall,\nhe looketh forth at the windows\" [Song 2:9]; that is, He stands\nhidden among the sufferings, which would separate us from Him\nlike a wall, yea, like a wall of stone, and yet He looks upon me\nand does not leave me, for He is standing and is ready graciously\nto help, and through the window of dim faith He permits Himself\nto be seen. And Jeremiah says in Lamentations, \"He casts casts\noff men, but He does it not willingly.\" [Lam. 3:32]\n\nThis faith they do not know at all, and give up, thinking that\nGod has forsaken them and is become their enemy; they even lay\nthe blame of their ills on men and devils, and have no confidence\nat all in God. For this reason, too, their suffering is always an\noffence and harmful to them, and yet they go and do some good\nworks, as they think, and are not aware of their unbelief. But\nthey who in such suffering trust God and retain a good, firm\nconfidence in Him, and believe that He is pleased with them,\nthese see in their sufferings and afflictions nothing but\nprecious merits and the rarest possessions, the value of which no\none can estimate. For faith and confidence make precious before\nGod all that which others think most shameful, so that it is\nwritten even of death in Psalm cxvi, \"Precious in the sight of\nthe Lord is the death of His saints.\" [Ps. 116:13] And just as\nthe confident and faith are better, higher and stronger at this\nstage than in the first stage, so and to the same degree do the\nsufferings which are borne in this faith excel all works of\nfaith. Therefore between such works and sufferings there is an\nimmeasurable difference and the sufferings are infinitely better.\n\n[Sidenote: The Highest Stage of Faith: Torments of Conscience]\n\nVIII. Beyond all this is the highest stage of faith, when God\npunishes the conscience not only with temporal sufferings, but\nwith death, hell, and sin, and refuses grace and mercy, as though\nit were His will to condemn and to be angry eternally. This few\nmen experience, but David cries out in Psalm vi, \"O Lord, rebuke\nme not in Thine anger.\" [Ps. 6:1] To believe at such times that\nGod, in His mercy, is pleased with us, is the highest work that\ncan be done by and in the creature;[10] but of this the\nwork-righteous and doers of good works know nothing at all. For\nhow could they here look for good things and grace from God, as\nlong as they are not certain in their works, and doubt even on\nthe lowest step of faith.\n\n[Sidenote: The Works Rejected]\n\nIn this way I have, as I said, always praised faith, and rejected\nall works which are done without such faith, in order thereby to\nlead men from the false, pretentious, Pharisaic, unbelieving good\nworks, with which all monastic houses, churches, homes, low and\nhigher classes are overfilled, and lead them to the true,\ngenuine, thoroughly good, believing works. In this no one opposes\nme except the unclean beasts, which do not divide the hoof, [Lev.\n11:4] as the Law of Moses decrees; who will suffer no distinction\namong good works, but go lumbering along: if only they pray,\nfast, establish endowments, go to confession, and do enough,\neverything shall be good, although in all this they have had no\nfaith in God's grace and approval. Indeed, they consider the\nworks best of all, when they have done many, great and long works\nwithout any such confidence, and they look for good only after\nthe works are done; and so they build their confidence not on\ndivine favor, but on the works they have done, that is, on sand\nand water, from which they must at last take a cruel fall, as\nChrist says, Matthew vii. [Matt. 7:16] This good-will and favor,\non which our confidence rests, was proclaimed by the angels from\nheaven, when they sang on Christmas night: \"_Gloria in excel sis\nDeo_, Glory to God in the highest, peace to earth, gracious favor\nto man.\" [Luke 2:14][11]\n\n[Sidenote: The First Commandment]\n\n[Sidenote: Its Work is Faith]\n\nIX. Now this is the work of the First Commandment, which\ncommands: \"Thou shalt have no other gods,\" went which means:\n\"Since I alone am God, thou shalt place all thy confidence, trust\nand faith on Me alone, and on no one have a god, if you call him\nGod only with your lips, or worship him with the knees or bodily\ngestures; but if you trust Him with the heart, and look to Him\nfor all good, grace and favor, whether in works or sufferings, in\nlife or death, in joy or sorrow; as the Lord Christ says to the\nheathen woman, John iv: \"I say unto thee, they that worship God\nmust worship Him in spirit and in truth.\" [John 4:24] And this\nfaith, faithfulness, confidence deep in the heart, is the true\nfulfilling of the First Commandment; without this there is no\nother work that is able to satisfy this Commandment. And as this\nCommandment is the very first, highest and best, from which all\nthe others proceed, in which they exist, and by which they are\ndirected and measured, so also its work, that is, the faith or\nconfidence in God's favor at all times, is the very first,\nhighest and best, from which all others must proceed, exist,\nremain, be directed and measured. Compared with this, other works\nare just as if the other Commandments were without the First, and\nthere were no God. Therefore St. Augustine well says that the\nworks of the First Commandment are faith, hope and love. As I\nsaid above,[12] such faith and confidence bring love and hope\nwith them. Nay, if we see it aright, love is the first, or comes\nat the same instant with faith. For I could not trust God, if I\ndid not think that He wished to be favorable and to love me,\nwhich leads me, in turn, to love Him and to trust Him heartily\nand to look to Him for all good things.\n\n[Sidenote: All Works Without Faith are Idolatry]\n\nX. Now you see for yourself that all those who do not at at all\ntimes trust God and do not in all their works or sufferings, life\nand death, trust in His favor, grace and good-will, but seek His\nfavor in other things or in themselves, do not keep this\nCommandment, and practise real idolatry, even if they were to do\nthe works of all the other Commandments, and in addition had all\nthe prayers, fasting, obedience, patience, chastity, and\ninnocence of all the saints combined. For the chief work is not\npresent, without which all the others are nothing but mere sham,\nshow and pretence, with nothing back of them; against which\nChrist warns us, Matthew vii: \"Beware of false prophets, which\ncome to you in sheep's clothing.\" [Matt. 7:15] Such are all who\nwish with their many good works, as they say, to make God\nfavorable to themselves, and to buy God's grace from Him, as if\nHe were a huckster or a day-laborer, unwilling to give His grace\nand favor for nothing. These are the most perverse people on\nearth, who will hardly or never be converted to the right way.\nSuch too are all who in adversity run hither and thither, and\nlook for counsel and help everywhere except from God, from Whom\nthey are most urgently commanded to seek it; whom the Prophet\nIsaiah reproves thus, Isaiah ix: \"The mad people turneth not to\nHim that smiteth them\" [Isa. 9:13]; that is, God smote them and\nsent them sufferings and all kinds of adversity, that they should\nrun to Him and trust Him. But they run away from Him to men, now\nto Egypt, now to Assyria, perchance also to the devil; and of\nsuch idolatry much is written in the same Prophet and in the\nBooks of the Kings. This is also the way of all holy hypocrites\nwhen they are in trouble: they do not run to God, but flee from\nHim, and only think of how they may get rid of their trouble\nthrough their own efforts or through human help, and yet they\nconsider themselves and let others consider them pious people.\n\n[Sidenote: Faith Must Do all Works]\n\nXI. This is what St. Paul means in many places, where he ascribes\nso much to faith, that he says: _Justus ex fide sua vivit_, \"the\nrighteous man draws his life out of his faith,\" [Rom. 1:17] and\nfaith is that because of which he is counted righteous before\nGod. If righteousness consists of faith, it is clear that faith\nfulfils all commandments and makes all works righteous, since no\none is justified except he keep all the commands of God. Again,\nthe works can justify no one before God without faith. So utterly\nand roundly does the Apostle reject works and praise faith, that\nsome have taken offence at his words and say: \"Well, then, we\nwill do no more good works,\" [Rom. 3:8] although he condemns such\nmen as erring and foolish.\n\nSo men still do. When we reject the great, pretentious works of\nour time, which are done entirely without faith, they say: Men\nare only to believe and not to do anything good. For nowadays\nthey say that the works of the First Commandment are singing,\nreading, organ-playing, reading the mass, saying matins and\nvespers and the other hours, the founding and decorating of\nchurches, altars, and monastic houses, the gathering of bells,\njewels, garments, trinkets and treasures, running to Rome and to\nthe saints. Further, when we are dressed up and bow, kneel, pray\nthe rosary and the Psalter, and all this not before an idol, but\nbefore the holy cross of God or the pictures of His saints: this\nwe call honoring and worshiping God, and, according to the First\nCommandment, \"having no other gods\"; although these things\nusurers, adulterers and all manner of sinners can do too, and do\nthem daily.\n\nOf course, if these things are done with such faith that we\nbelieve that they please God, then they are praiseworthy, not\nbecause of their virtue, but because of such faith, for which all\nworks are of equal value, as has been said.[13] But if we doubt\nor do not believe that God is gracious to us and is pleased with\nus, or if we presumptuously expect to please Him only through and\nafter our works, then it is all pure deception, outwardly\nhonoring God, but inwardly setting up self as a false god. This\nis the reason why I have so often spoken against the display,\nmagnificence and multitude of such works and have rejected them,\nbecause it is as clear as day that they are not only done in\ndoubt or without faith, but there is not one in a thousand who\ndoes not set his confidence upon the works, expecting by them to\nwin God's favor and anticipate His grace; and so they make a\nfair[14] of them, a thing which God cannot endure, since He has\npromised His grace freely, and wills that we begin by trusting\nthat grace, and in it perform all works, whatever they may be.\n\n[Sidenote: Works and Faith Contrasted]\n\nXII. Note for yourself, then, how far apart these two are:\nkeeping the First Commandment with outward works only, and\nkeeping it with inward trust. For this last makes true, living\nchildren of God, the other only makes worse idolatry and the most\nmischievous hypocrites on earth, who with their apparent\nrighteousness lead unnumbered people into their way, and yet\nallow them to be without faith, so that they are miserably\nmisled, and are caught in the pitiable babbling and mummery. Of\nsuch Christ says, Matthew xxiv: \"Beware, if any man shall say\nunto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there\" [Matt. 24:23]; and John\niv: \"I say unto thee, the hour Cometh, when ye shall neither in\nthis mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship God, for the Father\nseeketh spiritual worshipers.\" [John 4:21 f.]\n\nThese and similar passages have moved me and ought to move\neveryone to reject the great display of bulls, seals, flags,\nindulgences, by which the poor folk are led to build churches, to\ngive, to endow, to pray, and yet faith is not mentioned, and is\neven suppressed. For since faith knows no distinction among\nworks, such exaltation and urging of one work above another\ncannot exist beside faith. For faith desires to be the only\nservice of God, and will grant this name and honor to no other\nwork, except in so far as faith imparts it, as it does when the\nwork is done in faith and by faith. This perversion is indicated\nin the Old Testament, when the Jews left the Temple and\nsacrificed at other places, in the green parks and on the\nmountains. [Isa. 65:3, 66:17] This is what these men also do:\nthey are zealous to do all works, but this chief work of faith\nthey regard not at all.\n\n[Sidenote: The Abundance of Works Included in Faith]\n\nXIII. Where now are they who ask, what works are good; what they\nshall do; how they shall be religious? Yes, and where are they\nwho say that when we preach of faith, we shall neither teach nor\ndo works? Does not this First Commandment give us more work to do\nthan any man can do? If a man were a thousand men, or all men, or\nall creatures, this Commandment would yet ask enough of him, and\nmore than enough, since he is commanded to live and walk at all\ntimes in faith and confidence toward God, to place such faith in\nno one else, and so to have only one, the true God, and none\nother.\n\nNow, since the being and nature of man cannot for an instant be\nwithout doing or not doing something, enduring or running away\nfrom something (for, as we see, life never rests), let him who\nwill be pious and filled with good works, begin and in all his\nlife and works at all times exercise himself in this faith; let\nhim learn to do and to leave undone all things in such continual\nfaith; then will he find how much work he has to do, and how\ncompletely all things are included in faith; how he dare never\ngrow idle, because his very idling must be the exercise and work\nof faith. In brief, nothing can be in or about us and nothing can\nhappen to us but that it must be good and meritorious, if we\nbelieve (as we ought) that all things please God. So says St.\nPaul: \"Dear brethren, all that ye do, whether ye eat or drink, do\nall in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.\" [1 Cor. 10:31] Now it\ncannot be done in this Name except it be done in this faith.\nLikewise, Romans viii: \"We know that all things work together for\ngood to the saints of God.\" [Rom. 8:26]\n\nTherefore, when some say that good works are forbidden when we\npreach faith alone, it is as if I said to a sick man: \"If you had\nhealth, you would have the use of all your limbs; but without\nhealth, the works of all your limbs are nothing\"; and he wanted\nto infer that I had forbidden the works of all his limbs;\nwhereas, on the contrary, I meant that he must first have health,\nwhich will work all the works of all the members. So faith also\nmust be in all works the master-workman and captain, or they are\nnothing at all.\n\n[Sidenote: Why Laws are Given]\n\nXIV. You might say: \"Why then do we have so many laws of the\nChurch and of the State, and many ceremonies of churches,\nmonastic houses, holy places, which urge and tempt men to good\nworks, if faith does all things through the First Commandment?\" I\nanswer; Simply because we do not all have faith or do not heed\nit. If every man had faith, we would need no more laws, but every\none would of himself at all times do good works, as his\nconfidence in God teaches him.\n\n[Sidenote: Four Kinds of Men]\n\nBut now there are four kinds of men: the first, just mentioned,\nwho need no law, of whom St. Paul says, I. Timothy \"The law is\nnot made for a righteous man,\" [1 Tim. 1:9] that is, for the\nbeliever, but believers of themselves do what they know and can\ndo, only because they finally trust that God's favor and grace\nrests upon them in all things. The second class want to abuse\nthis freedom, put a false confidence in it, and grow lazy; of\nwhom St. Peter says, I. Peter ii, \"Ye shall live as free men, but\nnot using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness,\" [1 Pet.\n2:16] as if he said: The freedom of faith does not permit sins,\nnor will it cover them, but it sets us free to do all manner of\ngood works and to endure all things as they happen to us, so that\na man is not bound only to one work or to a few. So also St.\nPaul, Galatians v: \"Use not your liberty for an occasion to the\nflesh.\" [Gal. 5:13] Such men must be urged by laws and hemmed in\nby teaching and exhortation. The third class are wicked men,\nalways ready for sins; these must be constrained by spiritual and\ntemporal laws, like wild horses and dogs, and where this does not\nhelp, they must be put to death by the worldly sword, as St. Paul\nsays, Romans xiii: \"The worldly ruler bears the sword, and serves\nGod with it, not as a terror to the good, but to the evil.\" [Rom.\n13:3 f.] The fourth class, who are still lusty, and childish in\ntheir understanding of faith and of the spiritual life, must be\ncoaxed like young children and tempted with external, definite\nand prescribed decorations, with reading, praying, fasting,\nsinging, adorning of churches, organ-playing, and such other\nthings as are commanded and observed in monastic houses and\nchurches, until they also learn to know the faith. Although there\nis great danger here, when the rulers, as is now, alas! the case,\nbusy themselves with and insist upon such ceremonies and external\nworks as if they were the true works, and neglect faith, which\nthey ought always to teach along with these works, just as a\nmother gives her child other food along with the milk, until the\nchild can eat the strong food by itself.\n\n[Sidenote: Charity Endures Unnecessary Works]\n\nXV. Since, then, we are not all alike, we must tolerate such\npeople, share their observances and burdens, and not despise\nthem, but teach them the true way of faith. So St. Paul teaches,\nRomans xiv: \"Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, to teach\nhim.\" [Rom. 14:1] And so he did himself, I. Corinthians ix: \"To\nthem that are under the law, I became as under the law, although\nI was not under the law.\" [1 Cor. 9:20] And Christ, Matthew xvii,\nwhen He was asked to pay tribute, which He was not obligated to\npay, argues with St. Peter, whether the children of kings must\ngive tribute, or only other people. St. Peter answers; \"Only\nother people.\" Christ said: \"Then are the children of kings free;\nnotwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea,\nand cast an hook, and take up the fish that first Cometh up; and\nin his mouth thou shalt find apiece of money; take that and give\nit for me and thee.\" [Matt. 17:25]\n\nHere we see that all works and things are free to a Christian\nthrough his faith; and yet, because the others do not yet\nbelieve, he observes and bears with them what he is not obligated\nto do. But this he does freely, for he is certain that this is\npleasing to God, and he does it willingly, accepts it as any\nother free work which comes to his hand without his choice,\nbecause he desires and seeks no more than that he may in his\nfaith do works to please God.[15]\n\nBut since in this discourse we have undertaken to teach what\nrighteous and good works are, and are now speaking of the highest\nwork, it is clear that we do not speak of the second, third and\nfourth classes of men, but of the first, into whose likeness all\nthe others are to grow, and until they do so the first class must\nendure and instruct them. Therefore we must not despise, as if\nthey were hopeless, these men of weak faith, who would gladly do\nright and learn, and yet cannot understand because of the\nceremonies to which they cling; we must rather blame their\nignorant, blind teachers, who have never taught them the faith,\nand have led them so deeply into works. They must be gently and\ngradually led back again to faith, as a sick man is treated, and\nmust be allowed for a time, for their conscience sake, to cling\nto some works and do them as necessary to salvation, so long as\nthey rightly grasp the faith; lest if we try to tear them out so\nsuddenly, their weak consciences be quite shattered and confused,\nand retain neither faith nor works. But the hardheaded, who,\nhardened in their works, have no heed to what is said of faith,\nand fight against it, these we must, as Christ did and taught,\nlet go their way, that the blind may lead the blind.\n\n[Sidenote: The Contradiction of Faith and Daily Sins]\n\nXVI. But you say: How can I trust surely that all my works are\npleasing to God, when at times I fall, and talk, eat, drink and\nsleep too much, or otherwise transgress, as I cannot help doing?\nAnswer: This question shows that you still regard faith as a work\namong other works, and do not set it above all works. For it is\nthe highest work for this very reason, because it remains and\nblots out these daily sins by not doubting that God is so kind to\nyou as to wink at such daily transgression and weakness. Aye,\neven if a deadly sin should occur (which, however, never or\nrarely happens to those who live in faith and trust toward God),\nyet faith rises again and does not doubt that Sin is already\ngone; as it is written I. John ii: \"My little children, these\nthings I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we\nhave an Advocate with God the Father, Jesus Christ, Who is the\npropitiation of all our sins.\" [1 John 2:1] And Wisdom xv: \"For\nif we sin, we are Thine, knowing Thy power.\" [Wis. 15:2] And\nProverbs xxiv: \"For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up\nagain.\" [Prov. 24:16] Yes, this confidence and faith must be so\nhigh and strong that the man knows that all his life and works\nare nothing but damnable sins before God's judgment, as it is\nwritten, Psalm cxliii: \"In thy sight no man living be justified\"\n[Ps. 143:2]; and he must entirely despair of his works, believing\nthat they cannot be good except through this faith, which looks\nfor no judgment, but only for pure grace, favor, kindness and\nmercy, like David, Psalm xxvi: \"Thy loving kindness is ever\nbefore mine eyes, and I have trusted in Thy truth\" [Ps.  26:3];\nPsalm iv: \"The light of Thy countenance is lift up upon us (that\nis, the knowledge of Thy grace through faith), and thereby hast\nThou put gladness in my heart\" [Ps. 4:7]; for as faith trusts, so\nit receives.\n\nSee, thus are works forgiven, are without guilt and are good, not\nby their own nature, but by the mercy and grace of God because of\nthe faith which trusts on the mercy of God. Therefore we must\nfear because of the works, but comfort ourselves because of the\ngrace of God, as it is written, Psalm cxlvii: \"The Lord taketh\npleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy.\"\n[Ps. 147:11] So we pray with perfect confidence: \"Our Father,\"\nand yet petition: \"Forgive us our trespasses\"; we are children\nand yet sinners; are acceptable and yet do not do enough; and all\nthis is the work of faith, firmly grounded in God's grace.\n\n[Sidenote: The Source of Faith]\n\nXVII. But if you ask, where the faith and the confidence can be\nfound and whence they come, this it is certainly most necessary\nto know. First: Without doubt faith does not come from your works\nor merit, but alone from Jesus Christ, and is freely promised and\ngiven; as St. Paid writes, Romans v: \"God commendeth His love to\nus as exceeding sweet and kindly, in that, while we were yet\nsinners, Christ died for us\" [Rom. 5:8]; as if he said: \"Ought\nnot this give us a strong unconquerable confidence, that before\nwe prayed or cared for it, yes, while we still continually walked\nin sins, Christ dies for our sin?\" St. Paul concludes; \"If while\nwe were yet sinners Christ died for us, how much more then, being\njustified by His blood, shall we be saved from wrath through Him;\nand if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the\ndeath of His Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved\nby His life.\"\n\nLo! thus must thou form Christ within thyself and see how in\nHim God holds before thee and offers thee His mercy without any\nprevious merits of thine own, and from such a view of His grace\nmust thou draw faith and confidence of the forgiveness of all thy\nsins. Faith, therefore, does not begin with works, neither do\nthey create it, but it must spring up and flow from the blood,\nwounds and death of Christ, if thou see in these that God is so\nkindly affectioned toward thee that He gives even His Son for\nthee, then thy heart also must in its turn grow sweet and kindly\naffectioned toward God, and so thy confidence must grow out of\npure good-will and love--God's love toward thee and thine toward\nGod. We never read that the Holy Spirit was given to any one when\nhe did works, but always what men have heard the Gospel of Christ\nand the mercy of God. From this same Word and from no other\nsource must faith still come, even in our day and always. For\nChrist is the rock out of which men suck oil and honey, as Moses\nsays, Deuteronomy xxxii. [Deut. 32:13]\n\n[Sidenote: The Second Commandment]\n\nXVII. So far we have treated of the first work and of the First\nCommandment, but very briefly, plainly and hastily, for very much\nmight be said of it. We will now trace the works farther through\nthe following Commandments.\n\n[Sidenote: The Second Commandment]\n\nThe second work, next to faith, is the work of the Second\nCommandment, that we shall honor God's Name and not take it in\nvain. This, like all the other works, cannot be done without\nfaith; and if it is done without faith, it is all sham and show.\nAfter faith we can do no greater work than to praise, preach,\nsing and in every way exalt and magnify God's glory, honor and\nName.\n\nAnd although I have said above,[16] and it is true, that there is\nno difference in works where faith is and does the work, yet this\nis true only when they are compared with faith and its works.\nMeasured by one another there is a difference, and one is higher\nthan the other. Just as in the body the members do not differ\nwhen compared with health, and health works in the one as much as\nin the other; yet the works of the members are different, and one\nis higher, nobler, more useful than the other [Rom. 12:4, 1 Cor.\n12]; so, here also, to praise God's glory and Name is better than\nthe works of the other Commandments which follow; and yet it must\nbe done in the same faith as all the others.\n\nBut I know well that this work is lightly esteemed, and has\nindeed become unknown. Therefore we must examine it further, and\nwill say no more about the necessity of doing it in the faith and\nconfidence that it pleases God. Indeed there is no work in which\nconfidence and faith are so much experienced and felt as in\nhonoring God's Name; and it greatly helps to strengthen and\nincrease faith, although all works also help to do this, as St.\nPeter says, II. Peter i: \"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give\ndiligence through good works to make your calling and election\nsure.\"\n\n[Sidenote: Its Positive Works]\n\nXIX. The First Commandment forbids us to have other gods, and\nthereby commands that we have a God, the true God, by a firm\nfaith, trust, confidence, hope and love, which are the only works\nwhereby a man can have, honor and keep a God; for by no other\nwork can one find or lose God except by faith or unbelief, by\ntrusting or doubting; of the other works none reaches quite to\nGod. So also in the Second Commandment we are forbidden to use\nHis Name in vain. Yet this is not to be enough, but we are\nthereby also commanded to honor, call upon, glorify, preach and\npraise His Name. And indeed it is impossible that God's Name\nshould not be dishonored where it is not rightly honored. For\nalthough it be honored with the lips, bending of the knees,\nkissing and other postures, if this is not done in the heart by\nfaith, in confident trust in God's grace, it is nothing else than\nan evidence and badge of hypocrisy.\n\nSee now, how many kinds of good works a man can do under this\nCommandment at all times and never be without the good works of\nthis Commandment, if he will; so that he truly need not make a\nlong pilgrimage or seek holy places. For, tell me, what moment\ncan pass in which we do not without ceasing receive God's\nblessings, or, on the other hand, suffer adversity? But what else\nare God's blessings and adversities than a constant urging and\nstirring up to praise, honor, and bless God, and to call upon His\nName? Now if you had nothing else at all to do, would you not\nhave enough to do with this Commandment alone, that you without\nceasing bless, sing, praise and honor God's Name? And for what\nother purpose have tongue, voice, language and mouth been\ncreated? As Psalm li. says: \"Lord, open Thou my lips, and my\nmouth shall show forth Thy praise.\" [Ps. 51:15] Again: \"My tongue\nshall sing aloud of Thy mercy.\" [Ps. 51:14]\n\nWhat work is there in heaven except that of this Second\nCommandment? As it is written in Psalm lxxxiv: \"Blessed are they\nthat dwell in Thy house: they will be for ever praising Thee.\"\n[Ps. 84:4] So also David says in Psalm xxxiv: \"God's praise shall\nbe continually in my mouth.\" [Ps. 34:1] And St. Paul, I.\nCorinthians x: \"Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever\nye do, do all to the glory of God.\" [1 Cor. 10:31] Also\nColossians iii: \"Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the\nName of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father.\"\n[Col. 3:17] If we were to observe this work, we would have a\nheaven here on earth and always have enough to do, as have the\nsaints in heaven.\n\n[Sidenote: The Praise of God]\n\nXX. On this is based the wonderful and righteous judgment of God,\nthat at times a poor man, in whom no one can see many great\nworks, in the privacy of his home joyfully praises God when he\nfares well, or with entire confidence calls upon Him when he\nfares ill, and thereby does a greater and more acceptable work\nthan another, who fasts much, prays much, endows churches, makes\npilgrimages, and burdens himself with great deeds in this place\nand in that. Such a fool opens wide his mouth, looks for great\nworks to do, and is so blinded that he does not at all notice\nthis greatest work, and praising God is in his eyes a very small\nmatter compared with the great idea he has formed of the works of\nhis own devising, in which he perhaps praises himself more than\nGod, or takes more pleasure in them than he does in God; and thus\nwith his good works he storms against the Second Commandment and\nits works. Of all this we have an illustration in the case of the\nPharisee and the Publican in the Gospel. [Luke 18:10 f.] For the\nsinner calls upon God in his sins, and praises Him, and so has\nhit upon the two highest Commandments, faith and God's honor.\nThe hypocrite misses both and struts about with other good works\nby which he praises himself and not God, and puts his trust in\nhimself more than in God. Therefore he is justly rejected and the\nother chosen.\n\nThe reason of all this is that the higher and better the works\nare, the less show they make; and that every one thinks they are\neasy, because it is evident that no one pretends to praise God's\nName and honor so much as the very men who never do it and with\ntheir show of doing it, while the heart is without faith, cause\nthe precious work to be despised. So that the Apostle St. Paul\ndare say boldly, Romans ii, that they blaspheme God's Name who\nmake their boast of God's Law. [Rom. 2:23] For to name the Name\nof God and to write His honor on paper and on the walls is an\neasy matter; but genuinely to praise and bless Him in His good\ndeeds and confidently to call upon Him in all adversities, these\nare truly the most rare, highest works, next to faith, so that if\nwe were to see how few of them there are in Christendom, we might\ndespair for very sorrow. And yet there is a constant increase of\nhigh, pretty, shining works of men's devising, or of works which\nlook like these true works, but at bottom are all without faith\nand without faithfulness; in short, there is nothing good back of\nthem. Thus also Isaiah xlviii. rebukes the people of Israel:\n\"Hear ye this, ye which are called by the name of Israel, which\nswear by the Name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of\nIsrael neither in truth, nor in righteousness\" [Is. 48:1]; that\nis, they did it not in the true faith and confidence, which is\nthe real truth and righteousness, but trusted in themselves,\ntheir works and powers, and yet called upon God's Name and\npraised Him, two things which do not fit together.\n\nXXI. The first work of this Commandment then is, to praise God in\nall His benefits, which are innumerable, so that such praise and\nthanksgiving ought also of right never to cease or end. For who\ncan praise Him perfectly for the gift of natural life, not to\nmention all other temporal and eternal blessings? And so through\nthis one part of the Commandment man is overwhelmed with good and\nprecious works; if he do these in true faith, he has indeed not\nlived in vain. And in this matter none sin so much as the most\nresplendent saints, who are pleased with themselves and like to\npraise themselves or to hear themselves praised, honored and\nglorified before men.\n\n[Sidenote: Avoiding the Praise of Self]\n\nTherefore the second work of this Commandment is, to be on one's\nguard, to flee from and to avoid all temporal honor and praise,\nand never to seek a name for oneself, or fame and a great\nreputation, that every one sing of him and tell of him; which is\nan exceedingly dangerous sin, and yet the most common of all,\nand, alas! little regarded. Every one wants to be of importance\nand not to be the least, however small he may be; so deeply is\nnature sunk in the evil of its own conceit and in its\nself-confidence contrary to these two first Commandments.\n\nNow the world regards this terrible vice as the highest virtue,\nand this makes it exceedingly dangerous for those who do not\nunderstand and have not had experience of God's Commandments and\nthe histories of the Holy Scriptures, to read or hear the heathen\nbooks and histories. For all heathen books are poisoned through\nand through with this striving after praise and honor; in them\nmen are taught by blind reason that they were not nor could be\nmen of power and worth, who are not moved by praise and honor;\nbut those are counted the best, who disregard body and life,\nfriend and property and everything in the effort to win praise\nand honor. All the holy Fathers have complained of this vice and\nwith one mind conclude that it is the very last vice to be\novercome, St, Augustine says: \"All other vices are practised in\nevil works; only honor and self-satisfaction are practised in and\nby means of good works.\"\n\nTherefore if a man had nothing else to do except this second work\nof this Commandment, he would yet have to work all his life-time\nin order to fight this vice and drive it out, so common, so\nsubtle, so quick and insidious is it. Now we all pass by this\ngood work and exercise ourselves in many other lesser good works,\nnay, through other good works we overthrow this and forget it\nentirely. So the holy Name of God, which alone should be honored,\nis taken in vain and dishonored through our own cursed name,\nself-approval and honor-seeking. And this sin is more grievous\nbefore God than murder and adultery; but its wickedness is not so\nclearly seen as that of murder, because of its subtilty, for it\nis not accomplished in the coarse flesh, but in the spirit.\n\n[Sidenote: The Seeking of Honor as a Motive for Good]\n\nXXII. Some think it is good for young people that they be enticed\nby reputation and honor, and again by shame and dishonor, and so\nbe induced to do good. For there are many who do the good and\nleave the evil undone out of fear of shame and love of honor, and\nso do what they would otherwise by no means do or leave undone.\nThese I leave to their opinion. But at present we are seeking how\ntrue good works are to be done, and they who are inclined to do\nthem surely do not need to be driven by the fear of shame and the\nlove of honor; they have, and are to have a higher and far nobler\nincentive, namely, God's commandment, God's fear, God's approval,\nand their faith and love toward God. They who have not, or regard\nnot this motive, and let shame and honor drive them, these also\nhave their reward, [Matt. 6:2] as the Lord says, Matthew vi; and\nas the motive, so is also the work and the reward: none of them\nis good, except only in the eyes of the world.\n\nNow I hold that a young person could be more easily trained and\nincited by God's fear and commandments than by any other means.\nYet where these do not help, we must ensure that they do the good\nand leave the evil for the sake of shame and of honor, just as we\nmust also endure wicked men or the imperfect, of whom we spoke\nabove; nor can we do more than tell them that their works are not\nsatisfactory and right before God, and so leave them until they\nlearn to do right for the sake of God's commandments also. Just\nas young children are induced to pray, fast, learn, etc., by\ngifts and promises of the parents, even though it would not be\ngood to treat them so all their lives, so that they never learn\nto do good in the fear of God: far worse, if they become\naccustomed to do good for the sake of praise and honor.\n\n[Sidenote: The Need and the Danger of a Good Name]\n\nXXIII. But this is true, that we must none the less have a good\nname and honor, and every one ought so to live that nothing evil\ncan be said of him, and that he give offence to no one, as St.\nPaul says, Romans xii: \"We are to be zealous to do good, not only\nbefore God, but also before all men.\" [Rom. 12:17] And II.\nCorinthians iv: \"We walk so honestly that no man knows anything\nagainst us.\" [2 Cor. 4:2] But there must be great diligence and\ncare, lest such honor and good name puff up the heart, and the\nheart find pleasure in them. Here the saying of Solomon holds:\n\"As the fire in the furnace proveth the gold, so man is proved by\nthe mouth of him that praises him.\" [Prov. 27:21] Few and most\nspiritual men must they be, who, when honored and praised, remain\nindifferent and unchanged, so that they do not care for it, nor\nfeel pride and pleasure in it, but remain entirely free, ascribe\nall their honor and fame to God, offering it to Him alone, and\nusing it only to the glory of God, to the edification of their\nneighbors, and in no way to their own benefit or advantage; so\nthat a man trust not in his own honor, nor exalt himself above\nthe most incapable, demised man on earth, but acknowledge himself\na servant of God, Who has given him the honor in order that with\nit he may serve God and his neighbor, just as if He had commanded\nhim to distribute some _gulden_[17] to the poor for His sake. So\nHe says, Matthew v: \"Your light shall shine before men, so that\nthey may see your good works and glorify your Father Who is in\nheaven.\" [Matt. 5:16] He does not say, \"they shall praise you,\"\nbut \"your works shall only serve them to edification, that\nthrough them they may praise God in you and in themselves.\" This\nis the correct use of God's Name and honor, when God is thereby\npraised through the edification of others. And if men want to\npraise us and not God in us, we are not to endure it, but with\nall our powers forbid it and flee from it as from the most\ngrievous sin and robbery of divine honor.\n\n[Sidenote: The Profitableness of Dishonor]\n\nXXIV. Hence it comes that God frequently permits a man to fall\ninto or remain in grievous sin, in order that he may be put to\nshame in his own eyes and in the eyes of all men, who otherwise\ncould not have kept himself from this great vice of vain honor\nand fame, if he had remained constant in his great gifts and\nvirtues; so God must ward off this sin by means of other grievous\nsins, that His Name alone may be honored; and thus one sin\nbecomes the other's medicine, because of our perverse wickedness,\nwhich not only does the evil, but also misuses all that is good.\n\nNow see how much a man has to do, if he would do good works,\nwhich always are at hand in great number, and with which he is\nsurrounded on all sides; but, alas! because of his blindness, he\npasses them by and seeks and runs after others of his own\ndevising and pleasure, against which no man can sufficiently\nspeak and no man can sufficiently guard. With this all the\nprophets had to contend, and for this reason they were all slain,\nonly because they rejected such self-devised works and preached\nonly God's commandments, as one of them says, Jeremiah vii: \"Thus\nsaith the God of Israel unto you: Take your burnt-offerings unto\nall your sacrifices and eat your burnt-offerings and you\nyourselves; for concerning these things I have commanded nothing,\nbut this thing commanded I you: Obey My voice (that is, not what\nseems right and good to you, but what I bid you), and walk in the\nway that I have commanded you.\" [Jer. 7:21] And Deuteronomy xii:\n\"Thou shalt not do whatsoever is right in thine own eyes, but\nwhat thy God has commanded thee.\" [Deut 12:8, 32]\n\nThese and numberless like passages of Scripture are spoken to\ntear man not only from sins, but also from the works which seem\nto men to be good and right, and to turn men, with a single mind,\nto the simple meaning of God's commandment only, that they shall\ndiligently observe this only and always, as it is written, Exodus\nxiii: \"These commandments shall be for a sign unto thee upon\nthine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes.\" [Ex. 13:9]\nAnd Psalm i: \"A godly man meditates in God's Law day and night.\"\n[Ps. 1:2] For we have more than enough and too much to do, if we\nare to satisfy only God's commandments. He has given us such\ncommandments that if we understand them aright, we dare not for a\nmoment be idle, and might easily forget all other works. But the\nevil spirit, who never rests, when he cannot lead us to the left\ninto evil works, fights on our right through self-devised works\nthat seem good, but against which God has commanded, Deuteronomy\nxxviii, and Joshua xxiii, \"Ye shall not go aside from My\ncommandments to the right hand or to the left.\" [Deut 28:14,\nJosh. 23:6]\n\n[Sidenote: Calling on God's Name]\n\nXXV. The third work of this Commandment is to call upon God's\nName in every need. For this God regards as keeping His Name holy\nand greatly honoring it, if we name and call upon it in adversity\nand need. And this is really why He sends us so much trouble,\nsuffering, adversity and even death, and lets us live in many\nwicked, sinful affections, that He may thereby urge man and give\nhim much reason to run to Him, to cry aloud to Him, to call upon\nHis holy Name, and thus to fulfil this work of the Second\nCommandment, as He says in Psalm l: \"Call upon Me in the day of\ntrouble; I will deliver you and thou shalt glorify Me; for I\ndesire the sacrifice of praise.\" [Ps. 50:15] And this is the way\nwhereby thou canst come unto salvation; for through such works\nman perceives and learns what God's Name is, how powerful it is\nto help all who call upon it; and Thereby confidence and faith\ngrow mightily, and these are the fulfilling of the first and\nhighest Commandment. This is the experience of David, Psalm liv:\n\"Thou hast delivered me out of all trouble, therefore will I\npraise Thy Name and confess that it is lovely and sweet.\" [Ps.\n54:7] And Psalm xci says, \"Because he hath set his hope upon Me,\ntherefore will I deliver him: I will help him, because he hath\nknown My Name.\" [Ps. 91:14]\n\n[Sidenote: In Prosperity]\n\nLo! what man is there on earth, who would not all his life long\nhave enough to do with this work? For who lives an hour without\ntrials? I will not mention the trials of adversity, which are\ninnumerable. For this is the most in dangerous trial of all, when\nthere is no trial and everything is and goes well; for then a man\nis tempted to forget God, to become too bold and to misuse the\ntimes of prosperity. Yea, here he has ten times more need to\ncall upon God's Name than when in adversity. Since it is written,\nPsalm xci, \"A thousand shall fail on the left hand and ten\nthousand on the right hand.\" [Ps. 91:7]\n\nSo too we see in broad day, in all men's daily experience, that\nmore heinous sins and vice occur when there is peace, when all\nthings are cheap and there are good times, than when war,\npestilence, sicknesses and all manner of misfortune burden us; so\nthat Moses also fears for his people, lest they forsake God's\ncommandment for no other reason than because they are too full,\ntoo well provided for and have too much peace, as he says,\nDeuteronomy xxxii: \"My people is waxed rich, full and fat;\ntherefore has it forsaken its God.\" [Deut. 32:15] Wherefore also\nGod let many of its enemies remain and would not drive them out,\nin order that they should not have peace and must exercise\nthemselves in the keeping of God's commandments, as it is\nwritten, Judges iii [Judges 3:1 ff.]. So He deals with us also,\nwhen sends us all kinds of misfortune: so exceedingly careful is\nHe of us, that He may teach us and drive us to honor and call\nupon His Name, to gain confidence and faith toward Him, and so to\nfulfil the first two Commandments.\n\n[Sidenote: The Error of Calling on Other Names]\n\nXXVI. Here foolish men run into danger, and especially the\nwork-righteous saints, and those who want to be more than others;\nthey teach men to make the sign of the cross; one arms himself\nwith letters, another runs to the fortune-tellers; one seeks\nthis, another that, if only they may thereby escape misfortune\nand be secure. It is beyond telling what a devilish allurement\nattaches to this trifling with sorcery, conjuring and\nsuperstition, all of which is done only that men may not need\nGod's Name and put no trust in it. Here great dishonor is done\nthe Name of God and the first two Commandments, in that men look\nto the devil, men or creatures for that which should be sought\nand found in God alone, through naught but a pure faith and\nconfidence, and a cheerful meditation of and calling upon His\nholy Name.\n\nNow examine this closely for yourself and see whether this is not\na gross, mad perversion: the devil, men and creatures they must\nbelieve, and trust to them for the best; without such faith and\nconfidence nothing holds or helps. How shall the good and\nfaithful God reward us for not believing and trusting Him as much\nor more than man and the devil, although He not only promises\nhelp and sure assistance, but also commands us confidently to\nlook for it, and gives and urges all manner of reasons why we\nshould place such faith and confidence in Him? Is it not\nlamentable and pitiable that the devil or man, who commands\nnothing and does not urge, but only promises, is set above God,\nWho promises, urges and commands; and that more is thought of\nthem than of God Himself? We ought truly to be ashamed of\nourselves and learn from the example of those who trust the devil\nor men. For if the devil, who is a wicked, lying spirit, keeps\nfaith with all those who ally themselves with him, how much more\nwill not the most gracious, all-truthful God keep faith, if a man\ntrusts Him? Nay, is it not rather He alone Who will keep faith? A\nrich man trusts and relies upon his money and possessions, and\nthey help him; and we are not willing to trust and rely upon the\nliving God, that He is willing and able to help us? We say: Gold\nmakes bold; and it is true, as Baruch iii. says, \"Gold is a thing\nwherein men trust.\" [Bar. 3:17] But far greater is the courage\nwhich the highest eternal Good gives, wherein trust, not men, but\nonly God's children.\n\n[Sidenote: Motives for Calling on God's Name]\n\nXXVII. Even if none of these adversities constrain us to call\nupon God's Name and to trust Him, yet were an alone more than\nsufficient to train and to urge us on in this work. For sin has\nhemmed us in with three strong, mighty armies. The first is our\nown flesh, the second the world, the third the evil spirit, by\nwhich three we are without ceasing oppressed and troubled;\nwhereby God gives us occasion to do good works without ceasing,\nnamely, to fight with these enemies and sins. The flesh seeks\npleasure and peace, the world seeks riches, favor, power and\nhonor, the evil spirit seeks pride, glory, that a man be well\nthought of, and other men be despised.\n\nAnd these three are all so powerful that each one of them is\nalone sufficient to fight a man, and yet there is no way we can\novercome them, except only by calling upon the holy Name of God\nin a firm faith, as Solomon says, Proverbs xviii: \"The Name of\nthe Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is\nset aloft.\" [Prov. 18:10] And David, Psalm cxvi: \"I will drink\nthe cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord.\" [Ps.\n116:13] Again, Psalm xviii: \"I will call upon the Lord with\npraise: so shall I be saved from all mine enemies.\" [Ps. 18:3]\nThese works and the power of God's Name have become unknown to\nus, because we are not accustomed to it, and have never seriously\nfought with sins, and have not needed His Name, because we are\ntrained only in our self-devised works, which we were able to do\nwith our own powers.\n\n[Sidenote: Other Works of the Second Commandment]\n\nXXVIII. Further works of this Commandment are: that we shall not\nswear, curse, lie, deceive and conjure with the holy Name of God,\nand otherwise misuse it; which are very simple matters and well\nknown to every one, being the sins which have been almost\nexclusively preached and proclaimed under this Commandment. These\nalso include, that we shall prevent others from making sinful use\nof God's Name by lying, swearing, deceiving, cursing, conjuring,\nand otherwise. Herein again much occasion is given for doing\ngood and warding off evil.\n\n[Sidenote: The Greatest Work of the Second Commandment:\nPreaching]\n\nBut the greatest and most difficult work of this Commandment is\nto protect the holy Name of God against all who misuse it in a\nspiritual manner, and to proclaim it to all men. For it is not\nenough that I, for myself and in myself, praise and call upon\nGod's Name in prosperity and adversity. I must step forth and for\nthe sake of God's honor and Name bring upon myself the enmity of\nall men, as Christ said to His disciples: \"Ye shall be hated of\nall men for My Name's sake.\" Here we must provoke to anger\nfather, mother, and the best of friends. Here we most strive\nagainst spiritual and temporal powers, and be accused of\ndisobedience. Here we must stir up against us the rich, learned,\nholy, and all that is of repute in the world. And although this\nis especially the duty of those who are commanded to preach God's\nWord, yet every Christian is also obligated to do so when time\nand place demand. For we must for the holy Name of God risk and\ngive up all that we have and can do, and show by our deeds that\nwe love God and His Name, His honor and His praise above all\nthings, and trust Him above all things, and expect good from Him;\nthereby confessing that we regard Him as the highest good, for\nthe sake of which we let go and give up all other goods.\n\n[Sidenote: Against Wrong]\n\nXXIX. Here we must first of all resist all wrong, where truth or\nrighteousness suffers violence or need, and dare make no\ndistinction of persons, as some do, who fight most actively and\nbusily against the wrong which is done to the rich, the powerful,\nand their own friends; but when it is done to the poor, or the\ndemised or their own enemy, they are quiet and patient. These see\nthe Name and the honor of God not as it is, but through a painted\nglass, and measure truth or righteousness according to the\npersons, and do not consider their deceiving eye, which looks\nmore on the person than on the thing. These are hypocrites within\nand have only the appearance of defending the truth. For they\nwell know that there is no danger when one helps the rich, the\npowerful, the learned and one's own friends, and can in turn\nenjoy their protection and be honored by them.\n\nThus it is very easy to fight against the wrong which is done to\npopes, kings, princes, bishops and other big-wigs.[18] Here each\nwants to be the most pious, where there is no great need. O how\nsly is here the deceitful Adam with his demand; how finely does\nhe cover his greed of profit with the name of truth and\nrighteousness and God's honor! But when something happens to a\npoor and insignificant man, there the deceitful eye does not find\nmuch profit, but cannot help seeing the disfavor of the powerful;\ntherefore he lets the poor man remain unhelped. And who could\ntell the extent of this vice in Christendom? God says in the\nlxxxii. Psalm, \"How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the\npersons of the wicked? Judge the matter of the poor and\nfatherless, demand justice for the poor and needy; deliver the\npoor and rid the forsaken out of the hand of the wicked.\" [Ps.\n82:2 ff.] But it is not done, and therefore the text continues:\n\"They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in\ndarkness\"; [Ps. 82:5] that is, the truth they do not see, but\nthey stop at the reputation of the great, however unrighteous\nthey are; and do not consider the poor, however righteous they\nare.\n\n[Sidenote: The Sin of Silence]\n\nXXX. See, here would be many good works. For the greater portion\nof the powerful, rich and friends do injustice and oppress the\npoor, the lowly, and their own opponents; and the greater the\nmen, the worse the deeds; and where we cannot by force prevent it\nand help the truth, we should at least confess it, and do what we\ncan with words, not take the part of the unrighteous, not approve\nthem, but speak the truth boldly.\n\nWhat would it help a man if he did all manner of good, made\npilgrimages to Rome and to all holy places, acquired all\nindulgences, built all churches and endowed houses, if he were\nfound guilty of sin against the Name and honor of God, not\nspeaking of them and neglecting them, and regarding his\npossessions, honor, favor and friends more than the truth (which\nis God's Name and honor)? Or who is he, before whose door and\ninto whose house such good works do not daily come, so that he\nwould have no need to travel far or to ask after good works? And\nif we consider the life of men, how in every place men act so\nvery rashly and lightly in this respect, we must cry out with the\nprophet, _Omnis homo mendax_, \"All men are liars, lie and\ndeceive\" [Ps. 116:11]; for the real good works they neglect, and\nadorn and paint themselves with the most insignificant, and want\nto be pious, to mount to heaven in peaceful security.\n\nBut if you should say: \"Why does not God do it alone and Himself,\nsince He can and knows how to help each one?\" Yes, He can do it;\nbut He does not want to do it alone; He wants us to work with\nHim, and does us the honor to want to work His work with us and\nthrough us. And if we are not wilting to accept such honor, He\nwill, after all, perform the work alone, and help the poor; and\nthose who were unwilling to help Him and have despised the great\nhonor of doing His work, He will condemn with the unrighteous,\nbecause they have made common cause with the unrighteous. Just as\nHe alone is blessed, but He wants to do us the honor and not be\nalone in His blessedness, but have us to be blessed with Him. And\nif He were to do it alone, His Commandments would be given us in\nvain, because no one would have occasion to exercise himself in\nthe great works of these Commandments, and no one would test\nhimself to see whether he regards God and His Name as the highest\ngood, and for His sake risks everything.\n\n[Sidenote: Against Spiritual Wickedness]\n\nXXXI. It also belongs to this work to resist all false,\nseductive, erroneous, heretical doctrines, every misuse of\nspiritual power. Now this is much higher, for these use the holy\nName of God itself to fight against the Name of God. For this\nreason it seems a great thing and a dangerous to resist them,\nbecause they assert that he who resists them resists God and all\nHis saints, in whose place they sit and whose power they use,\nsaying that Christ said of them, \"He that heareth you, heareth\nMe, and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me.\" [Luke 10:6] On\nwhich words they lean heavily, become insolent and bold to say,\nto do, and to leave undone what they please; put to the ban,\naccurse, rob, murder, and practise all their wickedness, in\nwhatever way they please and can invent, without any hindrance.\n\nNow Christ did not mean that we should listen to them in\neverything they might say and do, but only then when they present\nto us His Word, the Gospel, not their word, His work, and not\ntheir work. How else could we know whether their lies and sins\nwere to be avoided? There must be some rule, to what extent we\nare to hear and to follow them, and this rule cannot be given by\nthem, but must be established by God over them, that it may serve\nus as a guide, as we shall hear in the Fourth Commandment.\n\nIt must be, indeed, that even in the spiritual estate the greater\npart preach false doctrine and misuse spiritual power, so that\nthus occasion may be given us to do the works of this\nCommandment, and that we be tried, to see what we are willing to\ndo and to leave undone against such blasphemers for the sake of\nGod's honor.\n\nOh, if we were God-fearing in this matter, how often would the\nknaves of _officiales_[19] have to decree their papal and\nepiscopal ban in vain! How weak the Roman thunderbolts would\nbecome! How often would many a one have to hold his tongue, to\nwhom the world must now give ear! How few preachers would be\nfound in Christendom! But it has gotten the upper hand: whatever\nthey assert and in whatever way, that must be right. Here no one\nfights for God's Name and honor, and I hold that no greater or\nmore frequent sin is done in external works than under this head.\nIt is a matter so high that few understand it, and, besides,\nadorned with God's Name and power, dangerous to touch. But the\nprophets of old were masters in this; also the apostles,\nespecially St. Paul, who did not allow it to trouble them whether\nthe highest or the lowest priest had said it, or had done it in\nGod's Name or in his own. They looked on the works and words, and\nheld them up to God's Commandment, no matter whether big John or\nlittle Nick said it, or whether they had done it in God's Name or\nin man's. And for this they had to die, and of such dying there\nwould be much more to say in our time, for things are much worse\nnow. But Christ and St. Peter and Paul must cover all this with\ntheir holy names, so that no more infamous cover for infamy has\nbeen found on earth than the most holy and most blessed Name of\nJesus Christ!\n\nOne might shudder to be alive, simply because of the misuse and\nblasphemy of the holy Name of God; through which, if it shall\nlast much longer, we will, as I fear, openly worship the devil as\na god; so completely do the spiritual authorities and the learned\nlack all understanding in these things. It is high time that we\npray God earnestly that He hallow His Name. But it will cost\nblood, and they who enjoy the inheritance of the holy martyrs and\nare won with their blood, must again make martyrs. Of this more\nanother time.[20]\n\n[Sidenote: The Third Commandment]\n\nI.[21] We have now seen how many good works there are in the\nSecond Commandment, which however are not good in themselves,\nunless they are done in faith and in the assurance of divine\nfavor; and how much we must do, if we take heed to this\nCommandment alone, and how we, alas! busy ourselves much with\nother works, which have no agreement at all with it. Now follows\nthe Third Commandment: \"Thou shalt hallow the day of rest.\" [22]\nIn the First Commandment is prescribed our heart's attitude\ntoward God in thoughts, in the Second, that of our mouth in\nwords, in this Third is prescribed our attitude toward God in\nworks; and it is the first and right table of Moses, on which\nthese three Commandments are written, and they govern man on the\nright side, namely, in the things which concern God, and in which\nGod has to do with man and man with God, without the mediation of\nany creature.\n\n[Sidenote: Worship]\n\nThe first works of this Commandment are plain and outward, which\nwe commonly call worship,[23] such as going to mass, praying, and\nhearing a sermon on holy days. So understood there are very few\nworks in this Commandment; and these, if they are not done in\nassurance of and with faith in God's favor, are nothing, as was\nsaid above. Hence it would also be a good thing if there were\nfewer saint's days, since in our times the works done on them are\nfor the greater part worse than those of the work days, what with\nloafing, gluttony, and drunkenness, gambling and other evil\ndeeds; and then, the mass and the sermon are listened to without\nedification, the prayer is spoken without faith. It almost\nhappens that men think it is sufficient that we look on at the\nmass with our eyes, hear the preaching with our ears, and say the\nprayers with our mouths. It is all so formal and superficial! We\ndo not think that we might receive something out of the mass into\nour hearts, learn and remember something out of the preaching,\nseek, desire and expect something in our prayer. Although in this\nmatter the bishops and priests, or they to whom the work of\npreaching is entrusted, are most at fault, because they do not\npreach the Gospel, and do not teach the people how they ought to\nlook on at mass, hear preaching and pray. Therefore, we will\nbriefly explain these three works.\n\n[Sidenote: The Mass]\n\nII. In the mass it is necessary that we attend with our hearts\nalso; and we do attend, when we exercise faith in our hearts.\nHere we must repeat the words of Christ, when He institutes the\nmass and says, \"Take and eat, this is My Body, which is given for\nyou\" [Matt. 26:26 ff., Luke 22:19 ff.]; in like manner over the\ncup, \"Take and drink ye all of it: this is a new, everlasting\nTestament in My Blood, which is shed for you and for many for the\nremission of sins. This shall ye do, as oft as ye do it, in\nremembrance of Me.\" [1 Cor. 11:23 ff.] In these words Christ has\nmade for Himself a memorial or anniversary,[24] to be daily\nobserved in all Christendom, and has added to it a glorious,\nrich, great testament, in which no interest, money or temporal\npossessions are bequeathed and distributed, but the forgiveness\nof all sins, grace and mercy into eternal life, that all who come\nto this memorial shall have the same testament; and then He died,\nwhereby this testament has become permanent and irrevocable. In\nproof and evidence of which, instead of letter and seal, He has\nleft with us His own Body and Blood under the bread and wine.[25]\n\nHere there is need that a man practise the first works of this\nCommandment right well, that he doubt not that what Christ has\nsaid is true, and consider the testament sure, so that he make\nnot Christ a liar. For if you are present at mass and do not\nconsider nor believe that here Christ through His testament has\nbequeathed and given you forgiveness of all your sins, what else\nis it, than as if you said: \"I do not know or do not believe that\nit is true that forgiveness of my sins is here bequeathed and\ngiven me\"? Oh, how many masses there are in the world at present!\nbut how few who hear them with such faith and benefit! Most\ngrievously is God provoked to anger thereby. For this reason also\nno one shall or can reap any benefit form the mass except he be\nin trouble of soul and long for divine mercy, and desire to be\nrid of his sins; or, if he have an evil intention, he must be\nchanged during the mass, and come to have a desire for this\ntestament. For this reason in olden times no open sinner was\nallowed to be present at the mass.\n\nWhen this faith is rightly present, the heart must be made joyful\nby the testament, and grow warm and melt in God's love. Then will\nfollow praise and thanksgiving with a pure heart, from which the\nmass is called in Greek _Eucharista_, that is, \"thanksgiving,\"\nbecause we praise and thank God for this comforting, rich,\nblessed testament, just as he gives thanks, praises and is\njoyful, to whom a good friend has presented a thousand and more\n_gulden_. Although Christ often fares like those who make\nseveral persons rich by their testament, and these persons never\nthink of them, nor praise or thank them. So our masses at present\nare merely celebrated, without our knowing why or wherefore, and\nconsequently we neither give thanks nor love nor praise, remain\nparched and hard, and have enough with our little prayer. Of this\nmore another time.\n\n[Sidenote: The Sermon]\n\nIII. The sermon ought to be nothing else than the proclamation of\nthis testament. But who can hear it if no one preaches it? [Rom.\n10:14] Now, they who ought to preach it, themselves do not know\nit. This is why the sermons ramble off into other unprofitable\nstories,[26] and thus Christ is forgotten, while we fare like the\nman in II. Kings vii: we see our riches but do not enjoy them. [2\nKings 7:19] Of which the Preacher also says, \"This is a great\nevil, when God giveth a man riches, and giveth him not power to\nenjoy them.\" [Eccles. 6:2] So we look on at unnumbered masses and\ndo not know whether the mass be a testament, or what it be, just\nas if it were any other common good work by itself. O God, how\nexceeding blind we are! But where this is rightly preached, it is\nnecessary that it be diligently heard, grasped, retained, often\nthought of, and that the faith be thus strengthened against all\nthe temptation of sin, whether past, or present, or to come.\n\nLo! this is the only ceremony or practice which Christ has\ninstituted, in which His Christians shall assemble, exercise\nthemselves and keep it with one accord; and this He did not make\nto be a mere work like other ceremonies, but placed into it a\nrich, exceeding great treasure, to be offered and bestowed upon\nall who believe on it.\n\nThis preaching should induce sinners to grieve over their sins,\nand should kindle in them a longing for the treasure. It must,\ntherefore, be a grievous sin not to hear the Gospel, and to\ndespise such a treasure and so rich a feast to which we are\nbidden; but a much greater sin to preach the Gospel, and to let\nso many people who would gladly hear it perish, since Christ has\nso strictly commanded that the Gospel and this testament be\npreached, that He does not wish even the mass to be celebrated,\nunless the Gospel be preached, as He says: \"As oft as ye do this,\nremember me\"; that is, as St. Paul says, \"Ye shall preach of His\ndeath.\" [1 Cor. 11:26] For this reason it is dreadful and\nhorrible in our times to be a bishop, pastor and preacher; for no\none any longer knows this testament, to say nothing of their\npreaching it, although this is their highest and only duty and\nobligation. How heavily must they give account for so many souls\nwho must perish because of this lack in preaching.\n\n[Sidenote: Prayer]\n\nIV. We should pray, not as the custom is, counting many pages or\nbeads, but fixing our mind upon some pressing need, desire it\nwith all earnestness, and exercise faith and confidence toward\nGod in the matter, in such wise that we do not doubt that we\nshall be heard. So St Bernard[27] instructs his brethren and\nsays: \"Dear brethren, you shall by no means despise your prayer,\nas if it were in vain, for I tell you of a truth that, before you\nhave uttered the words, the prayer is already recorded in heaven;\nand you shall confidently expect from God one of two things:\neither that your prayer will be granted, or that, if it will not\nbe granted, the granting of it would not be good for you.\"\n\nPrayer is, therefore, a special exercise of faith, and faith\nmakes the prayer so acceptable that either it will surely be\ngranted, or something better than we ask will be given in its\nstead. So also says St. James: \"Let him who asketh of God not\nwaver in faith; for if he wavers, let not that man think that he\nshall receive any thing of the Lord.\" [Jas. 1:6 f.] This is a\nclear statement, which says directly: he who does not trust,\nreceives nothing, neither that which he asks, nor anything\nbetter.\n\nAnd to call forth such faith, Christ Himself has said, Mark xi:\n\"Therefore I say unto you. What things soever ye desire, when ye\npray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall surely have\nthem.\" [Mark 11:24] And Luke xi: \"Ask, and it shall be given you;\nseek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you;\nfor every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;\nand to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what father is\nthere of you, who, if his son shall ask bread, will he give him a\nstone? or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? or if he\nask an egg, will he give him a scorpion? But if you know how to\ngive good gifts to your children, and you yourselves are not\nnaturally good, how much more shall your Father which is in\nheaven give a good spirit to all them that ask Him!\" [Luke 11:9\nff.]\n\n[Sidenote: Mistaken Prayer]\n\nV. Who is so hard and stone-like, that such mighty words ought\nnot to move him to pray with all confidence joyfully and gladly?\nBut how many prayers must be reformed, if we are to pray aright\naccording to these words! Now, indeed, all churches and monastic\nhouses are full of praying and singing, but how does it happen\nthat so little improvement and benefit result from it, and things\ndaily grow worse? The reason is none other than that which St.\nJames indicates when he says: \"You ask much and receive not,\nbecause ye ask amiss.\" [Jas. 4:3] For where this faith and\nconfidence is not in the prayer, the prayer is dead, and nothing\nmore than a grievous labor and work. If anything is given for\nit, it is none the less only temporal benefit without any\nblessing and help for the soul; nay, to the great injury and\nblinding of souls, so that they go their way, babbling much with\ntheir mouths, regardless of whether they receive, or desire, or\ntrust; and in this unbelief, the state of mind most opposed to\nthe exercise of faith and to the nature of prayer, they remain\nhardened.\n\nFrom this it follows that one who prays aright never doubts that\nhis prayer is surely acceptable and heard, although the very\nthing for which he prays be not given him. For we are to lay our\nneed \"before God in prayer, but not prescribe to Him a measure,\nnumber, time or place; but if He wills to give it to us better or\nin another way than we think, we are to leave it to Him; for\nfrequently we do not know what we pray, as St. Paul says, Romans\nviii [Rom. 8:26]; and God works and gives above all that we\nunderstand, as he says, Ephesians iii [Eph. 3:20], so that there\nbe no doubt that the prayer is acceptable and heard, and we yet\nleave to God the time, place, measure and limit; He will surely\ndo what is right. They are the true worshipers, who worship God\nin spirit and in truth. [John 4:24] For they who believe not that\nthey will be heard, sin upon the left hand against this\nCommandment, and go far astray with their unbelief. But they who\nset a limit for Him, sin upon the other side, and come too close\nwith their tempting of God. So He has forbidden both, that we\nshould err from His Commandment neither to the left nor to the\nright [Deut 6:16, 28:14], that is, neither with unbelief nor with\ntempting, but with simple faith remain on the straight road,\ntrusting Him, and yet setting Him no bounds.\n\n[Sidenote: Weak Faith no Reason for not Praying]\n\nVI. Thus we see that this Commandment, like the Second, is to be\nnothing else than a doing and keeping of the First Commandment,\nthat is, of faith, trust, confidence, hope and love to God, so\nthat in all the Commandments the First may be the captain, and\nfaith the chief work and the life of all other works, without\nwhich, as was said, they cannot be good.\n\nBut if you say: \"What if I cannot believe that my prayer is heard\nand accepted?\" I answer: For this very reason faith, prayer and\nall other good works are commanded, that you shall know what you\ncan and what you cannot do. And when you find that you cannot so\nbelieve and do, then you are humbly to confess it to God, and so\nbegin with a weak spark of faith and daily strengthen it more and\nmore by exercising it in all your living and doing. For as\ntouching infirmity of faith (that is, of the First and highest\nCommandment), there is no one on earth who does not have his good\nshare of it. For even the holy Apostles in the Gospel, and\nespecially St. Peter, were weak in faith, so that they also\nprayed Christ and said: \"Lord, increase our faith\" [Luke 17:5];\nand He very frequently rebukes them because they have so little\nfaith [Matt. 14:30].\n\nTherefore you shall not despair, nor give up, even if you find\nthat you do not believe as firmly as you ought and wish, in your\nprayer or in other works. Nay, you shall thank God with all your\nheart that He thus reveals to you your weakness, through which He\ndaily teaches and admonishes you how much you need to exercise\nyourself and daily strengthen yourself in faith. For how many do\nyou see who habitually pray, sing, read, work and seem to be\ngreat saints, and yet never get so far as to know where they\nstand in respect of the chief work, faith; and so in their\nblindness they lead astray themselves and others; think they are\nvery well off, and so unknowingly build on the sand of their\nworks without any faith, not on God's mercy and promise through a\nfirm, pure faith.\n\nTherefore, however long we live, we shall always have our hands\nfull to remain, with all our works and sufferings, pupils of the\nFirst Commandment and of faith, and not to cease to learn. No one\nknows what a great thing it is to trust God alone, except he who\nattempts it with his works.\n\n[Sidenote: Prayer Without Ceasing]\n\nVII. Again: if no other work were commanded, would not prayer\nalone suffice to exercise the whole life of man in faith? For\nthis work the spiritual estate has been specially established, as\nindeed in olden times some Fathers prayed day and night. Nay,\nthere is no Christian who does not have time to pray without\nceasing. But I mean the spiritual praying, that is: no one is so\nheavily burdened with his labor, but that if he will he can,\nwhile working, speak with God in his heart, lay before Him his\nneed and that of other men, ask for help, make petition, and in\nall this exercise and strengthen his faith.\n\nThis is what the Lord means, Luke xviii, when He says, \"Men ought\nalways to pray, and never cease,\" [Luke 18:1] although in Matthew\nvi. He forbids the use of much speaking and long prayers, because\nof which He rebukes the hypocrites; not because the lengthy\nprayer of the lips is evil, but because it is not that true\nprayer which can be made at all times, and without the inner\nprayer of faith is nothing. For we must also practise the outward\nprayer in its proper time, especially in the mass, as this\nCommandment requires, and wherever it is helpful to the inner\nprayer and faith, whether in the house or in the field, in this\nwork or in that; of which we have no time now to speak more. For\nthis belongs to the Lord's Prayer, in which all petitions and\nspoken prayer are summed up in brief words.\n\n[Sidenote: Prayer is Work]\n\nVIII. Where now are they who desire to know and to do good works?\nLet them undertake prayer alone, and lightly exercise themselves\nin faith, and they will find that it is true, as the holy Fathers\nhave said, that there is no work like prayer. Mumbling with the\nmouth is easy, or at least considered easy, but with earnestness\nof heart to follow the words in deep devotion, that is, with\ndesire and faith, so that one earnestly desires what the words\nsay, and not to doubt that it will be heard: that is a great deed\nin God's eyes.\n\nHere the evil spirit hinders men with all his powers. Oh, how\noften will he here prevent the desire to pray, not allow us to\nfind time and place, nay, often also raise doubts, whether a man\nis worthy to ask anything of such a Majesty as God is, and so\nconfuse us that a man himself does not know whether it is really\ntrue that he prays or not; whether it is possible that his prayer\nis acceptable, and other such strange thoughts. For the evil\nspirit knows well how powerful one man's truly believing prayer\nis, and how it hurts him, and how it benefits all men. Therefore\nhe does not willingly let it happen.\n\nWhen so tempted, a man must indeed be wise, and not doubt that he\nand his prayer are, indeed, unworthy before such infinite\nMajesty; in no wise dare he trust his worthiness, or because of\nhis unworthiness grow faint; but he must heed God's command and\ncast this up to Him, and hold it before the devil, and say:\n\"Because of my worthiness I do nothing, because of my\nunworthiness I cease from nothing. I pray and work only because\nGod of His pure mercy has promised to hear and to be gracious to\nall unworthy men, and not only promised it, but He has also most\nsternly, on pain of His everlasting displeasure and wrath,\ncommanded us to pray, to trust and to receive. If it has not\nbeen too much for that high Majesty so solemnly and highly to\nobligate His unworthy worms to pray, to trust, and to receive\nfrom Him, how shall it be too much for me to take such command\nupon myself with all joy; however worthy or unworthy I may be?\"\nThus we must drive out the devil's suggestion with God's command.\nThus will he cease, and in no other way whatever.\n\n[Sidenote: What Men Shall Pray For]\n\nIX. But what are the things which we must bring before Almighty\nGod in prayer and lamentation, to exercise faith thereby? Answer:\nFirst, every man's own besetting need and trouble, of which David\nsays, Psalm xxxii: \"Thou art my refuge in all trouble which\ncompasseth me about; Thou art my comfort, to preserve me from all\nevil which surrounds me.\" [Ps. 32:7] likewise, Psalm cxlii: \"I\ncried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord\ndid I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before Him;\nI showed before Him my trouble.\" [Ps. 142:2] In the mass a\nChristian shall keep in mind the short-comings or excesses he\nfeels, and pour out all these freely before God with weeping and\ngroaning, as woefully as he can, as to his faithful Father, who\nis ready to help him. And if you do not know or recognise your\nneed, or have no trouble, then you shall know that you are in the\nworst possible plight. For this is the greatest trouble, that you\nfind yourself so hardened, hard-hearted and insensible that no\ntrouble moves you.\n\nThere is no better mirror in which to see your need than simply\nthe Ten Commandments, in which you will find what you lack and\nwhat you should seek. If, therefore, you find in yourself a weak\nfaith, small hope and little love toward God; and that you do not\npraise and honor God, but love your own honor and fame, think\nmuch of the favor of men, do not gladly hear mass and sermon, are\nindolent in prayer, in which things every one has faults, then\nyou shall think more of these faults than of all bodily harm to\ngoods, honor and life, and believe that they are worse than death\nand all mortal sickness. These you shall earnestly before God,\nlament and ask for help, and with all confidence expect help, and\nbelieve that you are heard and shall obtain help and mercy.\n\nThen go forward into the Second Table of the Commandments, and\nsee how disobedient you have been and still are toward father and\nmother and all in authority; how you sin against your neighbor\nwith anger, hatred and evil words; how you are tempted to\nunchastity, covetousness and injustice in word and deed against\nyour neighbor; and you will doubtless find that you are full of\nall need and misery, and have reason enough to weep even drops of\nblood, if you could.[28]\n\n[Sidenote: Prayer for Holiness, not Because of Holiness]\n\nX. But I know well that many are so foolish as not to want to ask\nfor such things, unless they first be conscious that they are\npure, and believe that God hears no one who is a sinner. All this\nis the work, of those false preachers, who teach men to begin,\nnot with faith and trust in God's favor, but with their own\nworks.\n\nLook you, wretched man! if you have broken a leg, or the peril\nof death overtakes you, you call upon God, this Saint and that,\nand do not wait until your leg is healed, or the danger is past:\nyou are not so foolish as to think that God hears no one whose\nleg is broken, or who is in bodily danger. Nay, you believe that\nGod shall hear most of all when you are in the greatest need and\nfear. Why, then, are you so foolish here, where there is\nimmeasurably greater need and eternal hurt, and do not want to\nask for faith, hope, love, humility, obedience, chastity,\ngentleness, peace, righteousness, unless you are already free of\nall your unbelief, doubt, pride, disobedience, unchastity, anger,\ncovetousness and unrighteousness. Although the more you find\nyourself lacking in these things, the more and more diligently\nyou ought to pray or cry.\n\nSo blind are we: with our bodily sickness and need we run to God;\nwith the soul's sickness we run from Him, and are unwilling to\ncome back before we are well, exactly as if there could be one\nGod who could help the body, and another God who could help the\nsoul; or as if we would help ourselves in spiritual need,\nalthough it really is greater than the bodily need. Such plan and\ncounsel is of the devil.\n\nNot so, my good man! If you wish to be cured of sin, you must not\nwithdraw from God, but run to Him, and pray with much more\nconfidence than if a bodily need had overtaken you. God is not\nhostile to sinners, but only to unbelievers, that is, to such as\ndo not recognize and lament their sin, nor seek help against it\nfrom God, but in their own presumption wish first to purify\nthemselves, are unwilling to be in need of His grace, and will\nnot suffer Him to be a God Who gives to everyone and takes\nnothing in return.\n\n[Sidenote: Common Prayer]\n\nXI. All this has been said of prayer for personal needs, and of\nprayer in general. But the prayer which really belongs to this\nCommandment and is called a work of the Holy Day, is far better\nand greater, and is to be made for all Christendom, for all the\nneed of all men, of foe and friend, especially for those who\nbelong to the parish or bishopric.\n\nThus St. Paul commanded his disciple Timothy: \"I exhort thee,\nthat thou see to it, that prayers and intercessions be made for\nall men, for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we\nmay lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.\nFor this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.\"\n[1 Tim. 2:1 ff.] For this reason Jeremiah, chapter xxix,\ncommanded the people of Israel to pray for the city and land of\nBabylon, because in the peace thereof they should have peace.\n[Jer. 29:7] And Baruch i: \"Pray for the life of the king of\nBabylon and for the life of his son, that we may live in peace\nunder their rule.\" [Bar. 1:21 f.]\n\nThis common prayer is precious and the most powerful, [Isa. 56:7]\nand it is for its sake that we come together. For this reason\nalso the Church is called a House of Prayer [Matt. 21:13],\nbecause in it we are as a congregation with one accord to\nconsider our need and the needs of all men, present than before\nGod, and call upon Him for mercy. But this must be done with\nheart-felt emotion and sincerity, so that we feel in our hearts\nthe need of all men, and that we pray with true empathy for them,\nin true faith and confidence. Where such prayers are not made in\nthe mass, it were better to omit the mass. For what sense is\nthere in our coming together into a House of Prayer, which coming\ntogether shows that we should make common prayer and petition for\nthe entire congregation, if we scatter these prayers, and so\ndistribute them that everyone prays only for himself, and no one\nhas regard for the other, nor concerns himself for another's\nneed? How can that prayer be of help, good, acceptable and a\ncommon prayer, or a work of the Holy Day and of the assembled\ncongregation, which they make who make their own petty prayers,\none for this, the other for that, and have nothing but\nself-seeking, selfish prayers, which God hates?\n\nXII. A suggestion of this common prayer has been retained from\nancient practice, when at the end of the sermon the Confession of\nSins is said and prayer is made on the pulpit for all\nChristendom. But this should not be the end of the matter, as is\nnow the custom and fashion; it should be an exhortation to pray\nthroughout the entire mass for such need as the preacher makes us\nfeel; and in order that we may pray worthily, he first exhorts us\nbecause of our sin, and thereby makes us humble. This should be\ndone as briefly as possible, that then the entire congregation\nmay confess their own sin and pray for every one with earnestness\nand faith.\n\n[Sidenote: The Power of Common Prayer]\n\nOh, if God granted that any congregation at all heard mass and\nprayed in this way, so that a common earnest heart-cry of the\nentire people would rise up to God, what immeasurable virtue and\nhelp would result from such a prayer! What more terrible thing\ncould happen to all the evil spirits? What greater work could be\ndone on earth, whereby so many pious souls would be preserved,\nso many sinners converted?\n\nFor, indeed, the Christian Church on earth has no greater power\nor work than such common prayer against everything that may\noppose it. This the evil spirit knows well, and therefore he does\nall that he can to prevent such prayer. Gleefully he lets us go\non building churches, endowing many monastic houses, making\nmusic, reading, singing, observing many masses, and multiplying\nceremonies beyond all measure. This does not grieve him, nay, he\nhelps us do it, that we may consider such things the very best,\nand think that thereby we have done our whole duty. But in that\nmeanwhile this common, effectual and fruitful prayer perishes and\nits omission is unnoticed because of such display, in this he has\nwhat he seeks. For when prayer languishes, no one will take\nanything from him, and no one will withstand him. But if he\nnoticed that wished to practise this prayer, even if it were\nunder a straw roof or in a pig-sty, he would indeed not endure\nit, but would fear such a pig-sty far more than all the high, big\nand beautiful churches, towers and bells in existence, if such\nprayer be not in them. It is indeed not a question of the places\nand buildings in which we assemble, but only of this\nunconquerable prayer, that we pray it and bring it before God as\na truly common prayer.\n\n[Sidenote: Proof From the Scriptures]\n\nXIII. The power of this prayer we see in the fact that in olden\ntimes Abraham prayed for the five cities, Sodom, Gomorrah, etc.,\nGenesis xviii [Gen. 18:32], and accomplished so much, that if\nthere had been ten righteous people in them, two in each city,\nGod would not have destroyed them. What then could many men do,\nif they united in calling upon God earnestly and with sincere\nconfidence?\n\nSt. James also says: \"Dear brethren, pray for one another, that\nye may be saved. For the prayer of a righteous man availeth much,\na prayer that perseveres and does not cease\" [Jas. 5:16 ff.]\n(that is, which does not cease asking ever more and more,\nalthough what it asks is not immediately granted, as some timid\nmen do). And as an example in this matter he sets before us\nElijah, the Prophet, \"who was a man,\" he says, \"as we are, and\nprayed, that it might not rain; and it rained not by the space of\nthree years and months. And he prayed again, and it rained, and\neverything became fruitful.\" There are many texts and examples in\nthe Scriptures which urge us to pray, only that it be done with\nearnestness and faith. As David says, \"The eyes of the Lord are\nupon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry.\" [Ps.\n33:18] Again, \"The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him,\nto all that call upon Him in truth.\" [Ps. 145:18] Why does he\nadd, \"call upon Him in truth\"? Because that is not prayer nor\ncalling upon God when the mouth alone mumbles.\n\n[Sidenote: Thoughtless Prayer]\n\nWhat should God do, if you come along with your mouth, book or\n_Paternoster_,[29] and think of nothing except that you may\nfinish the words and complete the number? So that if some one\nwere to ask you what it all was about, or what it was that you\nprayed for, you yourself would not know; for you had not thought\nof laying this or that matter before God or desiring it. Your\nonly reason for praying is that you are commanded to pray this\nand so much, and this you intend to do in full. What wonder that\nthunder and lightning frequently set churches on fire, because we\nthus make of the House of Prayer a house of mockery, and call\nthat prayer in which we bring nothing before God and desire\nnothing from Him.\n\nBut we should do as they do who wish to ask a favor of great\nprinces. These do not plan merely to babble a certain number of\nwords, for the prince would think they mocked him, or were\ninsane; but they put their request very plainly, and present\ntheir need earnestly, and then leave it to his mercy, in good\nconfidence that he will grant it. So we must deal with God of\ndefinite things, namely, mention some present need, commend it to\nHis mercy and good-will, and not doubt that it is heard; for He\nhas promised to hear such prayer, which no earthly lord has done.\n\n[Sidenote: Earnest Prayer]\n\nXIV. We are masters in this form of prayer when suffer bodily\nneed; when we are sick we call here upon St. Christopher, there\nupon St. Barbara[30]; we vow a pilgrimage to St. James[31], to\nthis place and to that; then we make earnest prayer, have a good\nconfidence and every good kind of prayer. But when we are in our\nchurches during mass, we stand like images of saints;[32] know\nnothing to speak of or to lament; the beads rattle, the pages\nrustle and the mouth babbles; and that is all there is to it.\n\nBut if you ask what you shall speak of and lament in your prayer,\nyou can easily learn from the Ten Commandments and the Lord's\nPrayer. Open your eyes and look into your life and the life of\nall Christians, especially of the Spiritual estate, and you will\nfind how faith, hope, love, obedience, chastity and every virtue\nlanguish, and all manner of heinous vices reign; what a lack\nthere is of good preachers and prelates; how only knaves,\nchildren, fools and women rule. Then you will see that there were\nneed every hour without ceasing to pray everywhere with tears of\nblood to God, Who is so terribly angry with men. And it is true\nthat it has never been more necessary to pray than at this time,\nand it will be more so from now on to the end of the world. If\nsuch terrible crimes do not move you to lament and complain, do\nnot permit yourself to be led astray by your rank, station, good\nworks at prayer: there is no Christian vein or trait in you,\nhowever righteous you may be. But it has all been foretold, that\nwhen God's anger is greatest and Christendom suffers the greatest\nneed, then petitioners and supplicants before God shall not be\nfound, as Isaiah says with tears, chapter lxiv: \"Thou art angry\nwith us, and there is none that calleth upon Thy Name, that\nstirreth up himself to take hold of Thee.\" [Isa. 64:7] Likewise,\nEzekiel xxii: \"I sought for a man among them, that should make up\nthe hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I\nshould not destroy it; but I found none. Therefore have I poured\nout Mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the\nfire of My wrath.\" [Ezek. 22:30] With these words God indicates\nhow He wants us to withstand Him and turn away His anger from one\nanother [Ex. 32:11 ff.], as it is frequently written of the\nProphet Moses, that he restrained God, [Num. 14:13 ff., 21:7]\nlest His anger should overwhelm the people of Israel. [Ps.\n106:23]\n\n[Sidenote: The Indifference of Man]\n\nXV. But what will they do, who not only do not regard such\nmisfortune of Christendom, and do not pray against Men it, but\nlaugh at it, take pleasure in it, condemn, malign, sing and talk\nof their neighbor's sin, and yet dare, unafraid and unashamed, go\nto church, hear mass, say prayers, and regard themselves and are\nregarded as pious Christians? These truly are in need that we\npray twice for them, if we pray once for those whom they condemn,\ntalk about and laugh at. That there would be such is also\nprophesied by Luke the thief on Christ's left band, who\nblasphemed Him in His suffering, weakness and need; [Luke 23:39,\n35] also by all those who reviled Christ on the Cross, when they\nshould most of all have helped Him.\n\nO God, how blind, nay, how insane have we Christians become! When\nwill there be an end of wrath, O heavenly Father? That we mock at\nthe misfortune of Christendom, to pray for which we gather\ntogether in Church and at the mass, that we blaspheme and condemn\nmen, this is the fruit of our mad materialism.[33] If the Turk\ndestroys cities, country and people, and ruins churches, we think\na great injury has been done Christendom. Then we complain, and\nurge kings and princes to war. But when faith perishes, love\ngrows cold, God's Word is neglected, and all manner of sin\nflourishes, then no one thinks of fighting, nay, pope, bishops,\npriests and clergy, who ought to be generals, captains and\nstandard-bearers in this spiritual warfare against these\nspiritual and many times worse Turks, these are themselves the\nvery princes and leaders of such Turks and of the devil host,\njust as Judas was the leader of the Jews when they took Christ\n[Luke 24:47]. It had to be an apostle, a bishop, a priest, one of\nthe number of the best, who began the work of slaying Christ. So\nalso must Christendom be laid waste by no others than those who\nought to protect it, and yet are so insane that they are ready to\neat up the Turk, and at home themselves set house and sheep-cote\non fire and let them burn up with the sheep and all other\ncontents, and none the less worry about the wolf in the woods.\nSuch are our times, and this is the reward we have earned by our\ningratitude toward the endless grace which Christ has won for us\nfreely with His precious blood, grievous labor and bitter death.\n\n[Sidenote: Prayer Better than Good Works]\n\nXVI. Lo! where are the idle ones, who do not know how to do good\nworks? Where are they who run to Rome, to St. James, hither and\nthither? Take up this one single work of the mass, look on your\nneighbor's sin and ruin, and have pity on him; let it grieve you,\ntell it to God, and pray over it. Do the same for every other\nneed of Christendom, especially of the rulers, whom God, for the\nintolerable punishment and torment of us all, allows to fall and\nbe misled so terribly. If you do this diligently, be assured you\nare one of the best fighters and captains, not only against the\nTurks, but also against the devils and the powers of hell. But if\nyou do it not, what would it help you though you performed all\nthe miracles of the saints, and murdered all the Turks, and yet\nwere found guilty of having disregarded your neighbor's need and\nof having thereby sinned against love? For Christ at the last day\nwill not ask how much you have prayed, fasted, pilgrimaged, done\nthis or that yourself, but how much good you have done to others,\neven the very least. [Matt. 25:40, 45]\n\nNow without doubt among the \"least\" are also those who are in sin\nand spiritual poverty, captivity and need, of whom there are at\npresent far more than of those who suffer bodily need. Therefore\ntake heed: our own self-assumed good works lead us to and into\nourselves, that we seek only our own benefit and salvation; but\nGod's commandments drive us to our neighbor, that we may thereby\nbenefit others to their salvation. Just as Christ on the Cross\nprayed not for Himself alone, but rather for us, when He said,\n\"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,\" [Luke\n23:14] so we also must pray for one another. From which every man\nmay know that the slanderers, frivolous judges and despisers of\nother people are a perverted, evil race, who do nothing else than\nheap abuse on those for whom they ought to pray; in which vice no\none is sunk so deep as those very men who do many good works of\ntheir own, and seem to men to be something extraordinary, and are\nhonored because of their beautiful, splendid life in manifold\ngood works.\n\n[Sidenote: The Lord's Day]\n\nXVII. Spiritually understood, this Commandment has a yet far\nhigher work, which embraces the whole nature of man. Here it must\nbe known that in Hebrew \"Sabbath\" means \"rest,\" because on the\nseventh day God rested and ceased from all His works, which He\nhad made. Genesis ii [Gen. 2:3]. Therefore He commanded also that\nthe seventh day should be kept holy and that we cease from our\nworks which we do the other six days. This Sabbath has now for us\nbeen changed into the Sunday, and the other days are called\nwork-days; the Sunday is called rest-day or holiday or holy day.\nAnd would to God that in Christendom there were no holiday except\nthe Sunday; that the festivals of Our Lady and of the Saints were\nall transferred to Sunday; then would many evil vices be done\naway with through the labor of the work-days, and lands would not\nbe so drained and impoverished. But now we are plagued with many\nholidays, to the destruction of souls, bodies and goods; of which\nmatter much might be said.\n\nThis rest or ceasing from labors is of two kinds, bodily and\nspiritual. For this reason this Commandment is also to be\nunderstood in two ways.\n\n[Sidenote: The Rest of the Body]\n\nThe bodily rest is that of which we have spoken above, namely,\nthat we omit our business and work, in order that we may gather\nin the church, see mass, hear God's Word and make common prayer.\nThis rest is indeed bodily and in Christendom no longer commanded\nby God, as the Apostle says, Colossians ii, \"Let no man obligate\nyou to any holiday whatever\" [Col. 2:16]--for they were of old a\nfigure, but now the truth has been fulfilled, so that all days\nare holy days, as Isaiah says, chapter lxvi, \"One holy day shall\nit follow the other\" [Is. 66:23]; on the other hand, all days are\nworkdays. Yet it is a necessity and ordained by the Church for\nthe sake of the imperfect laity and working people, that they\nalso may be able to come to hear God's Word. For, as we see, the\npriests and clergy celebrate mass every day, pray at all hours\nand train themselves in God's Word by study, reading and hearing.\nFor this reason also they are freed from work before others,\nsupported by tithes and have holy-day every day, and every day do\nthe works of the holy-day, and have no work-day, but for them one\nday is as the other. And if we were all perfect, and knew the\nGospel, we might work every day if we wished, or rest if we\ncould. For a day of rest is at present not necessary nor\ncommanded except only for the teaching of God's Word and prayer.\n\n[Sidenote: The Rest of the Soul]\n\nThe spiritual rest, which God particularly intends in this\nCommandment, is this: that we not only cease from our labor and\ntrade, but much more, that we let God alone work in us and that\nwe do nothing of our own with all our powers. But how is this\ndone? In this way: Man, corrupted by sin, has much wicked love\nand inclination toward all sins, as the Scriptures say, Genesis\nviii, \"Man's heart and senses incline always to the evil,\" [Gen.\n8:21] that is, to pride, disobedience, anger, hatred,\ncovetousness, unchastity, etc., and _summa summarum_, in all that\nhe does and leaves undone, he seeks his own profit, will and\nhonor rather than God's and his neighbor's. Therefore all his\nworks, all his words, all his thoughts, all his life are evil and\nnot godly.\n\nNow if God is to work and to live in him, all this vice and\nwickedness must be choked and up-rooted, so that there may be\nrest and a cessation of all our works, thoughts and life, and\nthat henceforth (as St. Paul says, Galatians ii. [Gal. 2:20]) it\nmay be no longer we who live, but Christ Who lives, works and\nspeaks in us. This is not accomplished with comfortable, pleasant\ndays, but here, we must hurt our nature and let it be hurt. [Gal.\n5:17] Here begins the strife between the spirit and the flesh;\nhere the spirit resists anger, lust, pride, while the flesh wants\nto be in pleasure, honor and comfort. Of this St.  Paul says,\nGalatians v, \"They that are our Lord Christ's have crucified the\nflesh with its affections and lusts.\" [Gal. 5:24] Then follow the\ngood works,--fasting, watching, labor, of which some say and\nwrite so much, although they know neither the source nor the\npurpose of these good works. Therefore we will now also speak of\nthem.\n\n[Sidenote: The Two Means to the Rest of the Soul]\n\nXVIII. This rest, namely, that our work cease and God alone work\nin us, is accomplished in two ways. First, through our own\neffort, secondly, through the effort or urging of others.\n\nOur own effort is to be so made and ordered that, in the first\nplace, when we see our flesh, senses, will and thoughts tempting\nus, we resist them and do not heed them, as the Wise Man says:\n\"Follow not thine own desires.\" [Sir. 18:30] And Moses,\nDeuteronomy xii: \"Thou shalt not do what is right in thine own\neyes.\" [Deut. 12:8]\n\nHere a man must make daily use of those prayers which David\nprays: \"Lord, lead me in Thy path, and let me not walk in my own\nways,\" [Ps. 110:35, 37] and many like prayers, which are all\nsummed up in the prayer, \"Thy kingdom come.\" For the desires are\nso many, so various, and besides at times so nimble, so subtle\nand specious, through the suggestions of the evil one, that it is\nnot possible for a man to control himself in his own ways. He\nmust let hands and feet go, commend himself to God's governance,\nand entrust nothing to his reason, as Jeremiah says, \"O Lord, I\nknow that the way of man is not in his own power.\" [Jer. 10:26]\nWe see proof of this, when the children of Israel went out of\nEgypt through the Wilderness, where there was no way, no food, no\ndrink, no help. Therefore God went before them, by day in a\nbright cloud, by night in a fiery pillar [Ex. 13:21; 16:4 f.],\nfed them with manna from heaven, and kept their garments and\nshoes that they waxed not old [Deut. 29:5 f.], as we read in the\nBooks of Moses. For this reason we pray: \"Thy kingdom come, that\nThou rule us, and not we ourselves,\" for there is nothing more\nperilous in us than our reason and will--And this is the first\nand highest work of God in us and the best training, that we\ncease from our works, that we let our reason and will be idle,\nthat we rest and commend ourselves to God in all things,\nespecially when they seem to be spiritual and good.\n\n[Sidenote: Fasting]\n\nXIX. After this comes the discipline of the flesh, to kill its\ngross, evil lust, to give it rest and relief. This we must kill\nand quiet with fasting, watching and labor, and from this we\nlearn how much and why we shall fast, watch and labor.\n\nThere are, alas! many blind men, who practise their castigation,\nwhether it be fasting, watching or labor, only because they think\nthese are good works, intending by them to gain much merit. Far\nblinder still are they who measure their fasting not only by the\nquantity or duration, as these do, but also by the nature of the\nfood, thinking that it is of far greater worth if they do not eat\nmeat, eggs or butter. Beyond these are those who fast according\nto the saints, and according to the days; one fasting on\nWednesday, another on Saturday, another on St. Barbara's day,\nanother on St. Sebastian's day,[34] and so on. These all seek in\ntheir fasting nothing beyond the work itself: when they have\nperformed that, they think they have done a good work. I will\nhere say nothing of the fact that some fast in such a way that\nthey none the less drink themselves full; some fast by eating\nfish and other foods so lavishly that they would come much nearer\nto fasting if they ate meat, eggs and butter, and by so doing\nwould obtain far better results from their fasting. For such\nfasting is not fasting, but a mockery of fasting and of God.\n\nTherefore I allow everyone to choose his day, food and quantity\nfor fasting, as he will, on condition that he do not stop with\nthat, but have regard to his flesh; let him put upon it fasting,\nwatching and labor according to its lust and wantonness, and no\nmore, although pope, Church, bishop, father-confessor or any one\nelse whosoever have commanded it. For no one should measure and\nregulate fasting, watching and labor according to the character\nor quantity of the food, or according to the days, but according\nto the withdrawal or approach of the lust and wantonness of the\nflesh, for the sake of which alone the fasting, watching and\nlabor is ordained, that is, to kill and to subdue them. If it\nwere not for this lust, eating were as meritorious as fasting,\nsleeping as watching, idleness as labor, and each were as good as\nthe other without all distinction.\n\n[Sidenote: The Limitation of Fasting]\n\nXX. Now, if some one should find that more wantonness arose in\nhis flesh from eating fish than from eating eggs and meat, let\nhim eat meat and not fish. Again, if he find that his head\nbecomes confused and crazed or his body and stomach injured\nthrough fasting, or that it is not needful to kill the wantonness\nof his flesh, he shall let fasting alone entirely, and eat,\nsleep, be idle as is necessary for his health, regardless whether\nit be against the command of the Church, or the rules of monastic\norders: for no commandment of the Church, no law of an order can\nmake fasting, watching and labor of more value than it has in\nserving to repress or to kill the flesh and its lusts. Where men\ngo beyond this, and the fasting, eating, sleeping, watching are\npractised beyond the strength of the body, and more than is\nnecessary to the killing of the lust, so that through it the\nnatural strength is ruined and the head is racked; then let no\none imagine that he has done good works, or excuse himself by\nciting the commandment of the Church or the law of his order. He\nwill be regarded as a man who takes no care of himself, and, as\nfar as in him lies, has become his own murderer.\n\nFor the body is not given us that we should kill its natural life\nor work, but only that we kill its wantonness; unless its\nwantonness were so strong and great that we could not\nsufficiently resist it without ruin and harm to the natural life.\nFor, as has been said, in the practice of fasting, watching and\nlabor, we are not to look upon the works in themselves, not on\nthe days, not on the number, not on the food, but only on the\nwanton and lustful Adam, that through them he may be cured of his\nevil appetite.\n\n[Sidenote: Foolish Fasting and Foolish Neglect of Fasting]\n\nXXI. From this we can judge how wisely or foolishly some women\nact when they are with child, and how the sick are to be treated.\nFor the foolish women cling so firmly to their fasting that they\nrun the risk of great danger to the fruit of their womb and to\nthemselves, rather than not to fast when the others fast. They\nmake a matter of conscience where there is none, and where there\nis matter of conscience they make none. This is all the fault of\nthe preachers, because they continually prate of fasting, and\nnever point out its true use, limit, fruit, cause and purpose.\nSo also the sick should be allowed to eat and to drink every day\nwhatever they wish. In brief, where the wantonness of the flesh\nceases, there every reason for fasting, watching, laboring,\neating this or that, has already ceased, and there no longer is\nany binding commandment at all.\n\nBut then care must be taken, lest out of this freedom there grow\na lazy indifference about killing the wantonness of the flesh;\nfor the roguish Adam is exceedingly tricky in looking for\npermission for himself, and in pleading the ruin of the body or\nof the mind; so some men jump right in and say it is neither\nnecessary nor commanded to fast or to mortify the flesh, and are\nready to eat this and that without fear, just as if they had for\na long time had much experience of fasting, although they have\nnever tried it.\n\nNo less are we to guard against offending those who, not\nsufficiently informed, regard it a great sin if we do not fast or\neat as they do. These we must kindly instruct, and not haughtily\ndespise, nor eat this or that in despite of them, but we must\ntell them the reason why it is right to do so, and thus gradually\nlead them to a correct understanding. But if they are stubborn\nand will not listen, we must let them alone, and do as we know it\nis right to do.\n\n[Sidenote: Suffering]\n\nXXII. The second form of discipline which we receive at the hands\nof others, is when men or devils cause us suffering, as when our\nproperty is taken, our body sick, and our honor taken away; and\neverything that may move us to anger, impatience and unrest. For\nGod's work rules in us according to His wisdom, not according to\nour wisdom, according to His purity and chastity, not according\nto the wantonness of our flesh; for God's work is wisdom and\npurity, our work is foolishness and impurity, and these shall\nrest: so in like manner it should rule in us according to His\npeace, not our anger, impatience and lack of peace. For peace too\nis God's work, impatience is the work of our flesh; this shall\nrest and be dead, that we thus in every way keep a spiritual\nholiday, let our works stand idle, and let God work in us.\n\nTherefore in order to kill our works and the Adam in us, God\nheaps many temptations upon us, which move us to anger, many\nsufferings, which rouse us to impatience, and last of all death\nand the world's abuse; whereby He seeks nothing else than that He\nmay drive out anger, impatience and lack of peace, and attain to\nHis work, that is, to peace, in us. Thus says Isaiah xxviii, \"He\ndoes the work of another that He may come to His own work.\" [Is.\n28:21] What does this mean? He sends us suffering and trouble\nthat He may teach us to have patience and peace; He bids us die\nthat He may make us live, until a man, thoroughly trained,\nbecomes so peaceful and quiet that he is not disturbed, whether\nit go well or ill with him, whether he die or live, be honored or\ndishonored. There God Himself dwells alone, and there are no\nworks of men. This is rightly keeping and hallowing the day of\nrest; then a man does not guide himself, then he desires nothing\nfor himself, then nothing troubles him; but God Himself leads\nhim, there is naught but godly pleasure, joy and peace with all\nother works and virtues.\n\n[Sidenote: The Holiness of Adversity]\n\nXXIII. These works He considers so great that He commands us not\nonly to keep the day of rest, but also to hallow it or regard it\nas holy, whereby He declares that there are no more precious\nthings than suffering, dying, and all manner of misfortune.[35]\nFor they are holy and sanctify a man from his works to God's\nworks, just as a church is consecrated from natural works to the\nworship of God. Therefore a man shall also recognise them as\nholy things, be glad and thank God when they come upon him. For\nwhen they come they make him holy, so that he fulfils this\nCommandment and is saved, redeemed from all his sinful works.\nThus says David: \"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death\nof His saints.\" [Ps. 116:15]\n\nIn order to strengthen us thereto He has not only commanded us to\nkeep such a rest (for nature is very unwilling to die and to\nsuffer, and it is a bitter day of rest for it to cease from its\nworks and be dead); but He has also comforted us in the\nScriptures with many words and told us, Psalm xci, \"I will be\nwith him in all his trouble, and will deliver him.\" [Ps. 91:15]\nLikewise Psalm xxxiv: \"The Lord is nigh unto all them that\nsuffer, and will help them.\" [Ps. 34:18]\n\nAs if this were not enough, He has given us a powerful, strong\nexample of it, His only, dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who on\nthe Sabbath lay in the tomb the entire day of rest, free from all\nHis works, and was the first to fulfil this Commandment, although\nHe needed it not for Himself, but only for our comfort, that we\nalso in all suffering and death should be quiet and have peace.\nSince, as Christ was raised up after His rest and henceforth\nlives only in God and God in Him, so also shall we by the death\nof our Adam, which is perfectly accomplished only through natural\ndeath and burial, be lifted up into God, that God may live and\nwork in us forever. Lo! these are the three parts of man: reason,\ndesire, aversion; in which all his works are done. These,\ntherefore, must be slain by these three exercises, God's\ngovernance, our self-mortification, the hurt done to us by\nothers; and so they must spiritually rest before God, and give\nHim room for His works.\n\n[Sidenote: The Circle of the Three Commandments]\n\nXXIV. But such works are to be done and such sufferings to be\nendured in faith and in sure confidence of God's favor, in order\nthat, as has been said,[36] all works remain in the First\nCommandment and in faith, and that faith, for the sake of which\nall other commandments and works are ordained, exercise and\nstrengthen itself in them. See, therefore, what a pretty, golden\nring these three Commandments and their works naturally form, and\nhow from the First Commandment and faith the Second flows on to\nthe Third, and the Third in turn drives through the Second up\ninto the First. For the first work is to believe, to have a good\nheart and confidence toward God. From this Sows the second good\nwork, to praise God's Name, to confess His grace, to give all\nhonor to Him alone. Then follows the third, to worship by\npraying, hearing God's Word, thinking of and considering God's\nbenefits, and in addition chastising one's self, and keeping the\nbody under.\n\nBut when the evil spirit perceives such faith, such honoring of\nGod and such worship, he rages and stirs up persecution, attacks\nbody, goods, honor and life, brings upon us sickness, poverty,\nshame and death, which God so permits and ordains. See, here\nbegins the second work, or the second rest of the Third\nCommandment; by this faith is very greatly tried, even as gold in\nthe fire. [Ecclus. 2:5] For it is a great thing to retain a sure\nconfidence in God, although He sends us death, shame, sickness,\npoverty; [1 Pet. 4:12] and in this cruel form of wrath to regard\nHim as our all-gracious Father, as must be done in this work of\nthe Third Commandment. Here suffering contains faith, that it\nmust call upon God's Name and praise it in such suffering, and so\nit comes through the Third Commandment into the Second again; and\nthrough that very calling on the Name of God and praise, faith\ngrows, and becomes conscious of itself, and so strengthens\nitself, through the two works of the Third and of the Second\nCommandment. Thus faith goes out into the works and through the\nworks comes to itself again; just as the sun goes forth into its\nsetting and comes again unto its rising. [Ps. 19:6] For this\nreason the Scriptures associate the day with peaceful living in\nworks, the night with passive living in adversity, and faith\nlives and works, goes out and comes in, in both, as Christ says,\nJohn ix. [John 9:4]\n\n[Sidenote: The Parallel with the Lord's Prayer]\n\nXXV. This order of good works we pray in the Lord's Prayer. The\nfirst is this, that we say: \"Our Father, Who art in heaven\";\nthese are the words of the first work of faith, which, according\nto the First Commandment, does not doubt that it has a gracious\nFather in heaven. The second: \"Hallowed be Thy Name,\" in which\nfaith asks that God's Name, praise and honor be glorified, and\ncalls upon it in every need, as the Second Commandment says. The\nthird: \"Thy kingdom come,\" in which we pray for the true Sabbath\nand rest, peaceful cessation of our works, that God's work alone\nbe done in us, and so God rule in us as in His own kingdom, as He\nsays, Luke xvii, \"Behold, God's kingdom is nowhere else except\nwithin you.\" [Luke 17:21] The fourth petition is \"Thy will be\ndone\"; in which we pray that we may keep and have the Seven\nCommandments of the Second Table, in which faith is exercised\ntoward our neighbor; just as in the first three it is exercised\nin works toward God alone. And these are the petitions in which\nstands the word \"Thou, Thy, Thy, Thy,\" because they seek only\nwhat belongs to God; all the others say \"our, us, our,\" etc.; for\nin them we pray for our goods and blessedness.\n\nLet this, then, suffice as a plain, hasty explanation of the\nFirst Table of Moses, pointing out to simple folk what are the\nhighest of good works.\n\n[Sidenote: Second Table]\n\n_The Second Table follows._\n\n[Sidenote: The Fourth Commandment]\n\n_\"Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother.\"_\n\nFrom this Commandment we learn that after the excellent works of\nthe first three Commandments there are no better works than to\nobey and serve all those who are set over us as superiors. For\nthis reason also disobedience is a greater sin than murder,\nunchastity, theft and dishonesty, and all that these may include.\nFor we can in no better way learn how to distinguish between\ngreater and lesser sins than by noting the order of the\nCommandments of God, although there are distinctions also within\nthe works of each Commandment. For who does not know that to\ncurse is a greater sin than to be angry, to strike than to curse,\nto strike father and mother more than to strike any one else?\nThus these seven Commandments teach us how we are to exercise\nourselves in good works toward men, and first of all toward our\nsuperiors.\n\n[Sidenote: Obedience and Honor to Parents]\n\nThe first work is that we honor our own father and mother. And\nthis honor consists not only in respectful demeanor, but in this:\nthat we obey them, look up to, esteem and heed their words and\nexample, accept what they say, keep silent and endure their\ntreatment of us, so long as it is not contrary to the first three\nCommandments; in addition, when they need it, that we provide\nthem with food, clothing and shelter. For not for nothing has He\nsaid: \"Thou shalt honor them\"; He does not say: \"Thou shalt love\nthem,\" although this also must be done. But honor is higher than\nmere love and includes a certain fear, which unites with love,\nand causes a man to fear offending them more than he fears the\npunishment. Just as there is fear in the honor we pay a\nsanctuary, and yet we do not flee from it as from a punishment,\nbut draw near to it all the more. Such a fear mingled with love\nis the true honor; the other fear without any love is that which\nwe have toward things which we despise or flee from, as we fear\nthe hangman or punishment. There is no honor in that, for it is a\nfear without all love, nay, fear that has with it hatred and\nenmity. Of this we have a proverb of St. Jerome: What we fear,\nthat we also hate. With such a fear God does not wish to be\nfeared or honored, nor to have us honor our parents; but with the\nfirst, which is mingled with love and confidence.\n\n[Sidenote: Despising of Parents]\n\nII. This work appears easy, but few regard it aright. For where\nthe parents are truly pious and love their children not according\nto the flesh, but (as they ought) instruct and direct them by\nwords and works to serve God according to the first three\nCommandments, there the child's own will is constantly broken,\nand it must do, leave undone, and suffer what its nature would\nmost gladly do otherwise; and thereby it finds occasion to\ndespise its parents, to murmur against them, or to do worse\nthings. There love and fear depart, unless they have God's grace.\nIn like manner, when they punish and chastise, as they ought (at\ntimes even unjustly, which, however, does not harm the soul's\nsalvation), our evil nature resents the correction. Beside all\nthis, there are some so wicked that they are ashamed of their\npatents because of poverty, lowly birth, deformity or dishonor,\nand allow these things to influence them more than the high\nCommandment of God, Who is above all things, and has with\nbenevolent intent given them such parents, to exercise and try\nthem in His Commandment. But the matter becomes still worse when\nthe child has children of its own; then love descends to them,\nand detracts very much from the love and honor toward the\nparents.\n\nBut what is said and commanded of parents must also be understood\nof those who, when the parents are dead or absent, take their\nplace, such as relatives, god-parents, sponsors, temporal lords\nand spiritual fathers. For every one must be ruled and be subject\nto other men. Wherefore we here see again how many good works are\ntaught in this Commandment, since in it all our life is made\nsubject to other men. Hence it comes that obedience is so highly\npraised and all virtue and good works are included in it.\n\n[Sidenote: Love without Fear]\n\nIII. There is another dishonoring of parents, much more dangerous\nand subtle than this first, which adorns itself and passes for a\nreal honor; that is, when a child has its own way, and the\nparents through natural love allow it. Here there is indeed\nmutual honor, here there is mutual love, and on all sides it is a\nprecious thing, parents and child take mutual pleasure in one\nanother.\n\nThis plague is so common that instances of the first form of\ndishonoring[37] are very seldom seen. This is due to the fact\nthat the parents are blinded, and neither know nor honor God\naccording to the first three Commandments; hence also they cannot\nsee what the children lack, and how they ought to teach and train\nthem. For this reason they train them for worldly honors,\npleasure and possessions, that they may by all means please men\nand reach high positions: this the children like, and they obey\nvery gladly without gainsaying.\n\nThus God's Commandment secretly comes to naught while all seems\ngood, and that is fulfilled which is written in the Prophets\nIsaiah and Jeremiah, that the children are destroyed by their own\nparents [Is. 57:5, Jer. 7:31; 32:35], and they do like the king\nManasseh, who sacrificed his own son to the idol Moloch and\nburned him, II. Kings xxi [2 Kings 21:6]. What else is it but to\nsacrifice one's own child to the idol and to burn it, when\nparents train their children more in the way of the world than in\nthe way of God? let them go their way, and be burned up in\nworldly pleasure, love, enjoyment, possessions and honor, but let\nGod's love and honor and the desire of eternal blessings be\nquenched in them?\n\nO how perilous it is to be a father or a mother, where flesh and\nblood are supreme! For, truly, the knowledge and fulfilment of\nthe first three and the last six Commandments depends altogether\nupon this Commandment; since parents are commanded to teach them\nto their children, as Psalm lxxviii. says, \"How strictly has He\ncommanded our fathers, that they should make known God's\nCommandments to their children, that the generation to come might\nknow them and declare them to their children's children.\" [Ps.\n78:5] This also is the reason why God bids us honor our parents,\nthat is, to love them with fear; for that other love is without\nfear, therefore it is more dishonor than honor.\n\nNow see whether every one does not have good works enough to do,\nwhether he be father or child. But we blind men leave this\nuntouched, and seek all sorts of other works which are not\ncommanded.\n\n[Sidenote: The Folly of Parents]\n\nIV. Now where parents are foolish and train their children after\nthe fashion of the world, the children are in no way to obey\nthem; for God, according to the first three Commandments, is to\nbe more highly regarded than the parents [Acts 5:29]. But\ntraining after the fashion of the world I call it, when they\nteach them to seek no more than pleasure, honor and possessions\nof this world or its power.\n\nTo wear decent clothes and to seek an honest living is a\nnecessity, and not sin. Yet the heart of a child must be taught\nto be sorry that this miserable earthly life cannot well be\nlived, or even begun, without the striving after more adornment\nand more possessions than are necessary for the protection of the\nbody against cold and for nourishment. Thus the child must be\ntaught to grieve that, without its own will, it must do the\nworld's will and play the fool with the rest of men, and endure\nsuch evil for the sake of something better and to avoid something\nworse. So Queen Esther wore her royal crown, and yet said to God,\nEsther xiv, \"Thou knowest, that the sign of my high estate, which\nis upon my head, has never yet delighted me, and I abhor it as a\nmenstruous rag, and never wear it when I am by myself, but when I\nmust do it and go before the people.\" [Beth. 14:16 Vulgate] The\nheart that is so minded wears adornment without peril; for it\nwears and does not wear, dances and does not dance, lives well\nand does not live well. And these are the secret souls, hidden\nbrides of Christ, but they are rare; for it is hard not to\ndelight in great adornment and parade. Thus St. Cecilia[38] wore\ngolden clothes at the command of her parents, but within against\nher body she wore a garment of hair.\n\nHere some men say: \"How then could I bring my children into\nsociety, and marry them honorably? I must make some display.\"\nTell me, are not these the words of a heart which despairs of\nGod, and trusts more on its own providing than on God's care?\nWhereas St. Peter teaches and says, I. Peter v, \"Cast all your\ncare upon Him, and be certain that He cares for you.\" [1 Pet.\n5:7] It is a sign that they have never yet thanked God for their\nchildren, have never yet rightly prayed for them, have never yet\ncommended them to Him; otherwise they would know and have\nexperienced that they ought to ask God also for the marriage\ndower of their children, and await it from Him. Therefore also He\npermits them to go their way, with cares and worries, and yet\nsucceed poorly.\n\n[Sidenote: Training Children a Good Work]\n\nV. Thus it is true, as men say, that parents, although they had\nnothing else to do, could attain salvation by training their own\nchildren; if they rightly train them to God's service, they will\nindeed have both hands full of good works to do. For what else\nare here the hungry, thirsty, naked, imprisoned, sick, strangers,\n[Matt 25:35] than the souls of your own children? with whom God\nmakes of your house a hospital, and sets you over them as chief\nnurse, to wait on them, to give them good words and works as meat\nand drink, that they may learn to trust, believe and fear God,\nand to place their hope on Him, to honor His Name, not to swear\nnor curse, to mortify themselves by praying, fasting, watching,\nworking, to attend worship and to hear God's Word, and to keep\nthe Sabbath, that they may learn to despise temporal things, to\nbear misfortune calmly, and not to fear death nor to love this\nlife.\n\nSee, what great lessons are these, how many good works you have\nbefore you in your home, with your child, that needs all these\nthings like a hungry, thirsty, naked, poor, imprisoned, sick\nsoul. O what a blessed marriage and home were that where such\nparents were to be found! Truly it would be a real Church, a\nchosen cloister, yea, a paradise. Of such says Psalm cxxviii:\n\"Blessed are they that fear God, and walk in His Commandments;\nthou shalt eat of the labor of thine hands; therefore thou shalt\nbe happy, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a\nfruitful vine in thine house, and thy children shall be as the\nyoung scions of laden olive trees about thy table. Behold, thus\nshall the man be blessed, that feareth the Lord,\" [Ps. 128:1-4]\netc. Where are such parents? Where are they that ask after good\nworks? Here none wishes to come. Why? God has commanded it; the\ndevil, flesh and blood pull away from it; it makes no show,\ntherefore it counts for nothing. Here this husband runs to St.\nJames, that wife vows a pilgrimage to Our Lady; no one vows that\nhe will properly govern and teach himself and his child to the\nhonor of God; he leaves behind those whom God has commanded him\nto keep in body and soul, and would serve God in some other\nplace, which has not been commanded him. Such perversity no\nbishop forbids, no preacher corrects; nay, for covetousness' sake\nthey confirm it and daily only invent more pilgrimages,\nelevations of saints,[39] indulgence-fairs. God have pity on\nsuch blindness.\n\n[Sidenote: Neglect of Children a Cause for Condemnation]\n\nVI. On the other hand, parents cannot earn eternal punishment in\nany way more easily than by neglecting their own children in\ntheir own home, and not teaching them the things which have been\nspoken of above. Of what help is it, that they kill themselves\nwith fasting, praying, making pilgrimages, and do all manner of\ngood works? God will, after all, not ask them about these things\nat their death and in the day of judgment, but will require of\nthem the children whom He entrusted to them. This is shown by\nthat word of Christ, Luke xxiii, \"Ye daughters of Jerusalem, weep\nnot for me, but for yourselves and for your children. The days\nare coming, in which they shall say; Blessed are the wombs that\nnever bare, and the paps which never gave suck.\" [Luke 23:28 f.]\nWhy shall they lament, except because all their condemnation\ncomes from their own children? If they had not had children,\nperhaps they might have been saved. Truly, these words ought to\nopen the eyes of parents, that they may have regard to the souls\nof their children, so that the poor children be not deceived by\ntheir false, fleshly love, as if they had rightly honored their\nparents when they are not angry with them, or are obedient in\nworldly matters, by which their self-will is strengthened;\nalthough the Commandment places the parents in honor for the very\npurpose that the self-will of the children may be broken, and\nthat the children may become humble and meek.\n\nJust as it has been said of the other Commandments, that they are\nto be fulfilled in the chief work,[40] so here too let no one\nsuppose that the training and teaching of his children is\nsufficient of itself, except it be done in confidence of divine\nfavor, so that a man doubt not that he is well-pleasing to God in\nhis works, and that he let such works be nothing else than an\nexhortation and exercise of his faith, that he trust God and look\nto Him for blessings and a gracious will; without which faith no\nwork lives, or is good and acceptable; for many heathen have\ntrained their children beautifully, but it is all lost, because\nof their unbelief.\n\n[Sidenote: Obedience to the Church]\n\nVII. The second work of this Commandment is to honor and obey the\nspiritual mother, the holy Christian Church, the spiritual power,\nso that we conform to what she commands, forbids, appoints,\norders, binds and looses, and honor, fear and love the spiritual\nauthority as we honor, love and fear our natural parents, and\nyield to it in all things which are not contrary to the first\nthree Commandments.\n\n[Sidenote: The Neglected Duty of the Church]\n\nNow with regard to this work, things are almost worse than with\nregard to the first. The spiritual authority should punish sin\nwith the ban and with laws, and constrain its spiritual children\nto be good, in order that they might have reason to do this work\nand to exercise themselves in obeying and honoring it. Such zeal\none does not see now; they act toward their subjects like the\nmothers who forsake their children and run after their lovers, as\nHosea ii. [Hos. 2:5] says; they do not preach, they do not teach,\nthey do not hinder, they do not punish, and there is no spiritual\ngovernment at all left in Christendom.\n\nWhat can I say of this work? A few fast-days and feast-days are\nleft, and these had better be done away with. But no one gives\nthis a thought, and there is nothing left except the ban for\ndebt, and this should not be. But spiritual authority should\nlook to it, that adultery, unchastity, usury, gluttony, worldly\nshow, excessive adornment, and such like open sin and shame might\nbe most severely punished and corrected; and they should properly\nmanage the endowments, monastic houses, parishes and schools, and\nearnestly maintain worship in them, provide for the young people,\nboys and girls, in schools and cloisters, with learned, pious men\nas teachers, that they might all be well trained, and so the\nolder people give a good example and Christendom be filled and\nadorned with fine young people. So St. Paul teaches his disciple\nTitus, that he should rightly instruct and govern all classes,\nyoung and old, men and women. [Tit. 2:1-10] But now he goes to\nschool who wishes; he is taught who governs and teaches himself;\nnay, it has, alas! come to such a pass that the places where good\nshould be taught have become schools of knavery, and no one at\nall takes thought for the wild youth.\n\n[Sidenote: The Worldliness of the Church]\n\nVIII. If the above order prevailed, one could say how honor and\nobedience should be given to the spiritual authority. But now the\ncase is like that of the natural parents who let their children\ndo as they please; at present the spiritual authority threatens,\ndispenses, takes money, and pardons more than it has power to\npardon. I will here refrain from saying more; we see more of it\nthan is good; greed holds the reins, and just what should be\nforbidden is taught; and it is clearly seen that the spiritual\nestate is in all things more worldly than the worldly estate\nitself. Meanwhile Christendom must be ruined, and this\nCommandment perish.\n\nIf there were a bishop who would zealously provide for all these\nclasses, supervise, make vitiations and be faithful as he ought,\ntruly, one city would be too much for him. For in the time of\nthe Apostles, when Christendom was at its best estate, each city\nhad a bishop, although the smallest part of the inhabitants were\nChristians. How may things go when one bishop wants to have so\nmuch, another so much, this one the whole world, that one the\nfourth of it.\n\nIt is time that we pray God for mercy. Of spiritual power we have\nmuch; but of spiritual government nothing or little. Meanwhile\nmay he help who can, that endowments, monastic houses, parishes\nand schools be well established and managed; and it would also be\none of the works of the spiritual authority that it lessen the\nnumber of endowments, monastic houses and schools, where they\ncannot be cared for. It is much better that there be no monastic\nhouse or endowment than that there be evil government in them,\nwhereby God is the more provoked to anger.[41]\n\n[Sidenote: Abuses in the Church]\n\nIX. Since, then, the authorities so entirely neglect their work,\nand are perverted, it must assuredly follow that they misuse\ntheir power, and undertake other and evil works, just as parents\ndo when they give some command contrary to God. Here we must be\nwise; for the Apostle has said, that those times shall be\nperilous in which such authorities shall rule. [1 Tim. 4:1 ff.]\nFor it seems as if we resisted their power if we do not do and\nleave undone all that they prescribe. [2 Tim. 3:1 ff.] Therefore\nwe must take hold of the first three Commandments and the First\nTable, and be certain that no man, neither bishop, nor pope, nor\nangel, may command or determine anything that is contrary to or\nhinders these three Commandments, or does not help them; and if\nthey attempt such things, it is not valid and amounts to nothing;\nand we also sin if we follow and obey, or even tolerate such\nacts.\n\nFrom this it is easy to understand that the commands of fasting\ndo not include the sick, the pregnant women, or those who for\nother reasons cannot fast without injury. And, to rise higher,\nin our time nothing comes from Rome but a fair of spiritual\nwares, which are openly and shamelessly bought and sold,\nindulgences, parishes, monastic houses, bishoprics, provostships,\nbenefices, and every thing that has ever been founded to God's\nservice far and wide; whereby not only is all money and wealth of\nthe world drawn and driven to Rome (for this would be the\nsmallest harm), but the parishes, bishoprics and prelacies are\ntorn to pieces, deserted, laid waste, and so the people are\nneglected, God's Word and God's Name and honor come to naught,\nand faith is destroyed, so that at last such institutions and\noffices fall into the hands not only of unlearned and unfit men,\nbut the greater part into the hands of the Romans, the greatest\nvillains in the world. Thus what has been founded for God's\nservice, for the instruction, government and improvement of the\npeople, must now serve the stable-boys, mule-drivers, yea, not to\nuse plainer language, Roman whores and knaves; yet we have no\nmore thanks than that they mock us for it as fools.\n\n[Sidenote: The Duty of Resisting Abuses in the Church]\n\nX. If then such unbearable abuses are all carried on in the Name\nof God and St. Peter, just as if God's Name and the spiritual\npower were instituted to blaspheme God's honor, to destroy\nChristendom, body and soul: we are indeed in duty bound to resist\nin a proper way as much as we can. And here we must do like pious\nchildren whose parents have become insane, and first see by what\nright that which has been founded for God's service in our lands,\nor has been ordained to provide for our children, must be allowed\nto do its work in Rome, and to lapse here, where it ought to\nserve. How can we be so foolish?\n\nSince then bishops and spiritual prelates stand idle in this\nmatter, offer no opposition or are afraid, and thus allow\nChristendom to perish, it is our duty first of all humbly to call\nupon God for help to prevent this thing, then to put our hand to\nwork to the same end, send the courtesans[42] and those who bear\nletters from Rome about their business, in a reasonable, gentle\nway inform them that, if they wish to care for their parishes\nproperly, they shall live in them and improve the people by\npreaching or by good example; or if not, and they do live in Rome\nor elsewhere, lay waste and debauch the churches, then let the\npope feed them, whom they serve. It is not fitting that we\nsupport the pope's servants, his people, yes, his knaves and\nwhores, to the destruction and injury of our souls.\n\nLo! these are the true Turks, whom the kings, princes and the\nnobility ought to attack first: not seeking thereby their own\nbenefit, but only the improvement of Christendom, and the\nprevention of the blasphemy and disgracing of the divine Name;\nand so to deal with the clergy as with a father who has lost his\nsense and wits; who, if one did not restrain him and resist him\n(although with all humility and honor), might destroy child, heir\nand everybody. Thus we are to honor Roman authority as our\nhighest father; and yet, since they have gone mad and lost their\nsenses, not allow them to do what they attempt, lest Christendom\nbe destroyed thereby.\n\n[Sidenote: The Hopelessness of General Councils]\n\nXI. Some think, this should be referred to a General Council. To\nthis I say: No! For we have had many councils in which this has\nbeen proposed, namely, at Constance, Basel and the last Roman\nCouncil;[43] but nothing has been accomplished, and things have\ngrown ever worse. Moreover, such councils are entirely useless,\nsince Roman wisdom has contrived the device that the kings and\nprinces must beforehand take an oath to let the Romans remain\nwhat they are and keep what they have, and so has put up a bar to\nward off all reformation, to retain protection and liberty for\nall their knavery, although this oath is demanded, forced and\ntaken contrary to God and the law, and by it the doors are locked\nagainst the Holy Spirit, Who should rule the councils.[44] But\nthis would be the best, and also the only remedy remaining, if\nkings, princes, nobility, cities and communities themselves began\nand opened a way for reformation, so that the bishops and clergy,\nwho now are afraid, would have reason to follow. For here\nnothing else shall and must be considered except God's first\nthree Commandments, against which neither Rome, nor heaven nor\nearth can command or forbid anything. And the ban or threatening\nwith which they think they can prevent this, amounts to nothing;\njust as it amounts to nothing if an insane father severely\nthreatens the son who restrains him or locks him up.[45]\n\n[Sidenote: Obedience to the Temporal Authorities]\n\nXII. The third work of this Commandment is to obey the temporal\nauthority, as Paul teaches, Romans xiii [Rom. 13:1], and Titus\niii [Tit. 3:1], and St. Peter, I. Peter ii [1 Pet. 2:14 f.]:\n\"Submit yourselves to the king as supreme, and to the princes as\nhis ambassadors, and to all the ordinances of the worldly power.\"\nBut it is the work of the temporal power to protect its subjects,\nand to punish thievery, robbery, and adultery, as St. Paul says,\nRomans xiii: \"It beareth not the sword in vain; it serves God\nwith it, to the terror of evil doers, and to the protection of\nthe good.\" [Rom. 13:4]\n\nHere men sin in two ways. First, if they lie to the government,\ndeceive it, and are disloyal, neither obey nor do as it has\nordered and commanded, whether with their bodies or their\npossessions. For even if the government does injustice, as the\nKing of Babylon did to the people of Israel, yet God would have\nit obeyed, without treachery and deception. Secondly, when men\nspeak evil of the government and curse it, and when a man cannot\nrevenge himself and abuses the government with grumbling and evil\nwords, publicly or secretly.\n\nIn all this we are to regard that which St. Peter bids us regard,\nnamely, that its power, whether it do right or wrong, cannot harm\nthe soul, but only the body and property; unless indeed it should\ntry openly to compel us to do wrong against God or men; [1 Pet.\n2:19 ff.] as in former days when the magistrates were not yet\nChristians, and as the Turk is now said to do. For to suffer\nwrong destroys no one's soul, nay, it improves the soul, although\nit inflicts loss upon the body and property; but to do wrong,\nthat destroys the soul, although it should gain all the world's\nwealth.\n\n[Sidenote: Why Temporal Authority Dare not, though Spiritual\nAuthority Must, be Resisted]\n\nXIII. This also is the reason why there is not such great danger\nin the temporal power as la the spiritual, when it does wrong.\nFor the temporal power can do no harm, since it has nothing to do\nwith preaching and faith and the first three Commandments. But\nthe spiritual power does harm not only when it does wrong, but\nalso when it neglects its duty and busies itself with other\nthings, even if they were better than the very best works of the\ntemporal power. Therefore, we must resist it when it does not do\nright, and not resist the temporal power although it does wrong.\nFor the poor people believe and do as they see the spiritual\npower believing and doing; if they are not set an example and are\nnot taught, then they also believe nothing and do nothing; since\nthis power is instituted for no other reason than to lead the\npeople in faith to God. All this is not found in the temporal\npower; for it may do and leave undone what it will, my faith to\nGod still goes its way and works its works, because I need not\nbelieve what it believes.\n\nTherefore, also, the temporal power is a very small thing in\nGod's sight, and far too slightly regarded by Him, that for its\nsake, whether it do right or wrong, we should resist, become\ndisobedient and quarrel. On the other hand, the spiritual power\nis an exceeding great blessing, and far too precious in His eyes,\nthat the very least of Christians should endure and keep silent,\nif it departs a hair's breadth from its own duty, not to say when\nit does the very opposite of its duty, as we now see it do every\nday.\n\n[Sidenote: The Errors of Temporal Authority]\n\nXIV. In this power also there is much abuse. First, when it\nfollows the flatterers, which is a common and especially harmful\nplague of this power, against which no one can sufficiently guard\nand protect himself. Here it is led by the nose, and oppresses\nthe common people, becomes a government of the like of which a\nheathen says: \"The spider-webs catch the small flies, but the\nmill-stones roll through.\" So the laws, ordinances and government\nof one and the same authority hold the small men, and the great\nare free; and where the prince is not himself so wise that he\nneeds nobody's advice, or has such a standing that they fear him,\nthere will and must be (unless God should do a special wonder) a\nchildish government.\n\nFor this reason God has considered evil, unfit rulers the\ngreatest of plagues, as He threatens, Isaiah iii, \"I will take\naway from them every man of valor, and will give children to be\ntheir princes and babes to rule over them.\" [Is. 3:2] Four\nplagues God has named in Scripture, Ezekiel xiv. [Ezek. 14:13\nff.] the first and slightest, which also David chose [2 Sam.\n24:13 f.], is pestilence, the second is famine, the third is war,\nthe fourth is all manner of evil beasts, such as lions, wolves,\nserpents, dragons; these are the wicked rulers. For where these\nare, the land is destroyed, not only in body and property, as in\nthe others, but also in honor, discipline, virtue and the soul's\nsalvation. For pestilence and famine make people good and rich;\nbut war and wicked rulers bring to naught everything that has to\ndo with temporal and eternal.\n\n[Sidenote: Wisdom Needed in the Exercise of Authority]\n\nXV. A prince must also be very wise and not at all times\nundertake to enforce his own will, although he may have the\nauthority and the very best cause. For it is a far nobler virtue\nto endure wrong to one's authority than to risk property and\nperson, if it is advantageous to the subjects; since worldly\nrights attach only to temporal goods.\n\nHence, it is a very foolish saying: I have a right to it,\ntherefore I will take it by storm and keep it, although all sorts\nof misfortune may come to others thereby. So we read of the\nEmperor Octavianus,[46] that he did not wish to make war, however\njust his cause might be, unless there were sure indications of\ngreater benefit than harm, or at least that the harm would not be\nintolerable, and said: \"War is like fishing with a golden net;\nthe loss risked is always greater than the catch can be.\" For he\nwho guides a wagon must walk far otherwise than if he were\nwalking alone; when alone he may walk, jump, and do as he will;\nbut when he drives, he must so guide and adapt himself that the\nwagon and horses can follow him, and regard that more than his\nown will. So also a prince leads a multitude with him and must\nnot walk and act as he wills, but as the multitude can,\nconsidering their need and advantage more than his will and\npleasure. For when a prince rules after his own mad will and\nfollows his own opinion, he is like a mad driver, who rushes\nstraight ahead with horse and wagon, through bushes, thorns,\nditches, water, up hill and down dale, regardless of roads and\nbridges; he will not drive long, all will go to smash.\n\nTherefore it would be most profitable for rulers, that they read,\nor have read to them, from youth on, the histories, both in\nsacred and in profane books, in which they would find more\nexamples and skill in ruling than in all the books of law; as we\nread that the kings of Persia did, Esther vi. [Esth. 6:1 ff.] For\nexamples and histories benefit and teach more than the laws and\nstatutes: there actual experience teaches, here untried and\nuncertain words.\n\n[Sidenote: Good Works for Rulers]\n\n[Sidenote: Economic Reforms: Gluttony]\n\nXVI. Three special, distinct works all rulers might do in our\ntimes, particularly in our lands. First, to make an end of the\nhorrible gluttony and drunkenness, not only because of the\nexcess, but also because of its expense. For through seasonings\nand spices and the like, without which men could well live, no\nlittle loss of temporal wealth has come and daily is coming upon\nour lands. To prevent these two great evils would truly give the\ntemporal power enough to do, for the inroads they have made are\nwide and deep. And how could those in power serve God better and\nthereby also improve their own land?\n\n[Sidenote: Luxury]\n\n[Sidenote: Rent-charges]\n\nSecondly, to forbid the excessive cost of clothing, whereby so\nmuch wealth is wasted, and yet only the world and the flesh are\nserved; it is fearful to think that such abuse is to be found\namong the people who have been pledged, baptised and consecrated\nto Christ, the Crucified, and who should bear the Cross after Him\nand prepare for the life to come by dying daily. If some men\nerred through ignorance, it might be borne; but that it is\npractised so freely, without punishment, without shame, without\nhindrance, nay, that praise and fame are sought thereby, this is\nindeed an unchristian thing. Thirdly, to drive out the usurious\nbuying of rent-charges,[47] which in the whole world ruins,\nconsumes and troubles all lands, peoples and cities through its\ncunning form, by which it appears not to be usury, while in truth\nit is worse than usury, because men are not on their guard\nagainst it as against open usury. See, these are the three Jews,\nas men say, who suck the whole world dry. Here princes ought not\nto sleep, nor be lazy, if they would give a good account of their\noffice to God.\n\n[Sidenote: Exections of the Church]\n\nXVII. Here too ought to be mentioned the knavery which is\npractised by _officiales_[48] and other episcopal and spiritual\nofficers, who ban, load, hunt and drive the poor people with\ngreat burdens, as long as a penny remains. This ought to be\nprevented by the temporal sword, since there is no other help or\nremedy.\n\n[Sidenote: Vice]\n\nO, would God in heaven, that some time a government might be\nestablished that would do away with the public bawdy-houses, as\nwas done among the people of Israel! It is indeed an unchristian\nsight, that public houses of are maintained among Christians, a\nthing formerly altogether unheard of. It should be a rule that\nboys and girls should be married early and such vice be\nprevented. Such a rule and custom ought to be sought for by both\nthe spiritual and the temporal power. If it was possible among\nthe Jews, why should it not also be possible among Christians?\nNay, if it is possible in villages, towns and some cities, as we\nall see, why should it not be possible everywhere?\n\nBut the trouble is, there is no real government in the world. No\none wants to work, therefore the mechanics must give their\nworkmen holiday: then they are free and no one can tame them. But\nif there were a rule that they must do as they are bid, and no\none would give them work in other places, this evil would to a\nlarge extent be mended. God help us! I fear that here the wish is\nfar greater than the hope; but this does not excuse us.\n\nNow see, here only a few works of magistrates are indicated, but\nthey are so good and so many, that they have superabundant good\nworks to do every hour and could constantly serve God. But these\nworks, like the others, should also be done in faith, yea, be an\nexercise of faith, so that no one expect to please God by the\nworks, but by confident trust in His favor do such works only to\nthe honor and praise of his gracious God, thereby to serve and\nbenefit his neighbor.\n\n[Sidenote: Obedience to Masters]\n\nXVIII. The fourth work of this Commandment is obedience of\nservants and workmen toward their lords and ladies, masters and\nmistresses. Of this St. Paul says, Titus ii: \"Thou shalt exhort\nservants that they highly honor their masters, be obedient, do\nwhat pleases them, not cheating them nor opposing them\" [Tit. 2:9\nf. 8]; for this reason also: because they thereby bring the\ndoctrine of Christ and our faith into good repute, that the\nheathen cannot complain of us and be offended [1 Tim. 6:1]. St.\nPeter also says: \"Servants, be subject to your masters, for the\nfear of God, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the\nfroward and harsh. For this is acceptable with God, if a man\nsuffers harshness, being innocent.\" [1 Pet. 2:18 f.]\n\nNow there is the greatest complaint in the world about servants\nand working men, that they are disobedient, unfaithful,\nunmannerly, and over-reaching; this is a plague sent of God. And\ntruly, this is the one work of servants whereby they may be\nsaved; truly they need not make pilgrimages or do this thing or\nthe other; they have enough to do if their heart is only set on\nthis, that they gladly do and leave undone what they know pleases\ntheir masters and mistresses, and all this in a simple faith\n[Eph. 6:5]; not that they would by their works gain much merit,\nbut that they do it all in the confidence of divine favor [Col.\n3:22] (in which all merits are to be found), purely for nothing,\nout of the love and good-will toward God which grows out of such\nconfidence. And all such works they should think of as an\nexercise and exhortation ever to strengthen their faith and\nconfidence more and more. For, as has now been frequently said,\nthis faith makes all works good, yea, it must do them and be the\nmaster-workman.\n\n[Sidenote: Duties of Masters]\n\nXIX. On the other hand, the masters and mistresses should not\nrule their servants, maids and workingmen roughly, not look to\nall things too closely, occasionally overlook something, and for\npeace' sake make allowances. For it is not possible that\neverything be done perfectly at all times among any class of men,\nas long as we live on earth in imperfection. Of this St. Paul\nsays, Colossians iv, \"Masters, do unto your servants that which\nis just and equal, knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.\"\n[Col. 4:1] Therefore as the masters do not wish God to deal too\nsharply with them, but that many things be overlooked through\ngrace, they also should be so much the more gentle toward their\nservants, and overlook some things, and yet have a care that the\nservants do right and learn to fear God.\n\nBut see now, what good works a householder and a mistress can do,\nhow finely God offers us all good works so near at hand, so\nmanifold, so continuously, that we have no need of asking after\ngood works, and might well forget the other showy, far-off,\ninvented works of men, such as making pilgrimages, building\nchurches, seeking indulgence, and the like.\n\n[Sidenote: Husband and Wife]\n\nHere I ought naturally also to say how a wife ought to be\nobedient, subject to her husband as to her superior, give way to\nhim, keep silent and give up to him, where it is a matter not\ncontrary to God's commands. On the other hand, the husband should\nlove his wife, overlook a little, and not deal strictly with her,\nof which matter St. Peter [1 Pet. 3:6 ff.] and St. Paul [Eph.\n5:22 ff., Col. 3:18 ff.] have said much. But this has its place\nin the further explanation of the Ten Commandments, and is easily\ninferred from these passages.\n\n[Sidenote: Summary]\n\nXX. But all that has been said of these works is included in\nthese two, obedience and considerateness.[49] Obedience is the\nduty of subjects, considerateness that of masters, that they take\ncare to rule their subjects well, deal kindly with them, and do\neverything whereby they may benefit and help them. That is their\nway to heaven, and these are the best works they can do on earth;\nwith these they are more acceptable to God than if without these\nthey did nothing but miracles. So says St. Paul, Romans ii: \"He\nthat ruleth, let him do it with diligence\"; [Rom. 12:8] as who\nshould say: \"Let him not allow himself to be led astray by what\nother people or classes of people do; let him not look to this\nwork or to that, whether it be splendid or obscure; but let him\nlook to his own position, and think only how he may benefit those\nwho are subject to him; by this let him stand, nor let himself be\ntorn from it, although heaven stood open before him, nor be\ndriven from it, although hell were chasing him. This is the right\nroad that leads him to heaven.\"\n\nOh, if a man were so to regard himself and his position, and\nattended to its duties alone, how rich in good works would he be\nin a short time, so quietly and secretly that no one would notice\nit except God alone! But now we let all this go, and one runs to\nthe Carthusians,[50] another to this place, a third to that, just\nas if good works and God's Commandments had been thrown into\ncorners and hidden; although it is written in Proverbs i, that\ndivine wisdom crieth out her commandments publicly in the\nstreets, in the midst of the people and in the gates of the\ncities; [Prov. 1:20 f.] which means that they are present in\nprofusion in all places, in all stations of life and at all\ntimes, and we do not see hem, but in our blindness look for them\nelsewhere. This Christ declared, Matthew xxiv: \"If they shall say\nunto you: Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not. If they\nshall say: Behold, He is in the desert, go not forth; behold. He\nis in the secret chambers, believe it not; they are false\nprophets and false Christs.\" [Matt. 24:23-26]\n\nXXI. Again, obedience is the duty of subjects, that they direct\nall their diligence and effort to do and to leave undone what\ntheir over-lords desire of them, that they do not allow\nthemselves to be torn or driven from this, whatever another do.\nLet no man think that he lives well or does good works, whether\nit be prayer or fasting, or by whatever name it may be called, if\nhe does not earnestly and diligently exercise himself in this.\n\n[Sidenote: The Limits of Obedience]\n\nBut if it should happen, as it often does, that the temporal\npower and authorities, as they are called, should urge a subject\nto do contrary to the Commandments of God, or hinder him from\ndoing them, there obedience ends, and that duty is annulled. Here\na man must say as St. Peter says to the rulers of the Jews: \"We\nought to obey God rather than men.\" [Acts 5:29] He did not say:\n\"We must not obey men\"; for that would be wrong; but he said:\n\"God rather than men.\" Thus, if a prince desired to go to war,\nand his cause was manifestly unrighteous, we should not follow\nnor help him at all; since God has commanded that we shall not\nkill our neighbor, nor do him injustice. Likewise, if he bade us\nbear false witness, steal, lie or deceive and the like. Here we\nought rather give up goods, honor, body, and life, that God's\nCommandments may stand.\n\n[Sidenote: The Fifth Commandment]\n\nThe four preceding Commandments have their works in the\nunderstanding, that is, they take a man captive, rule him and\nmake him subject, so that he rule not himself, approve not\nhimself, think not highly of himself; but in humility know\nhimself and allow himself to be led, that pride be prevented. The\nfollowing Commandments deal with the passions and lust of men,\nthat these also be killed.\n\n[Sidenote: The Duty of Meekness]\n\n[Sidenote: False Meekness]\n\nI. The passions of anger and revenge, of which the Fifth\nCommandment says, \"Thou shalt not kill.\" This Commandment has one\nwork, which however includes many and dispels many vices, and is\ncalled meekness.[51] Now this is of two kinds. The one has a\nbeautiful splendor, and there is nothing back of it. This we\npractice toward our friends and those who do us good and give us\npleasure with goods, honor and favor, or who do not offend us\nwith words nor with deeds. Such meekness irrational animals have,\nlions and snakes, Jews, Turks, knaves, murderers, bad women.\nThese are all content and gentle when men do what they want, or\nlet them alone; and yet there are not a few who, deceived by such\nworthless meekness, cover over their anger and excuse it, saying:\n\"I would indeed not be angry, if I were left alone.\" Certainly,\nmy good man, so the evil spirit also would be meek if he had his\nown way. Dissatisfaction and resentment overwhelm you in order\nthat they may show you how full of anger and wickedness you are,\nthat you may be admonished to strive after meekness and to drive\nout anger.\n\n[Sidenote: True Meekness]\n\nThe second form of meekness is good through and through, that\nwhich is shown toward opponents and enemies, does them no harm,\ndoes not revenge itself, does not curse nor revile, does not\nspeak evil of them, does not meditate evil against them, although\nthey had taken away goods, honor, life, friends and everything.\nNay, where it is possible, it returns good for evil, speaks well\nof them, thinks well of them, prays for them. Of this Christ\nsays, in Matthew v: \"Do good to them that despitefully use you.\nPray for them that persecute you and revile you.\" [Matt. 5:44]\nAnd Paul, Romans xii: \"Bless them which curse you, and by no\nmeans curse them, but do good to them.\" [Rom. 12:14 f.]\n\nII. Behold how this precious, excellent work has been lost among\nChristians, so that nothing now everywhere prevails except\nstrife, war, quarreling, anger, hatred, envy, back-biting,\ncursing, slandering, injuring, vengeance, and all manner of angry\nworks and words; and yet, with all this, we have our many\nholidays, hear masses, say our prayers, establish churches, and\nmore such spiritual finery, which God has not commanded. We shine\nresplendently and excessively, as if we were the most holy\nChristians there ever were. And so because of these mirrors and\nmasks we allow God's Commandment to go to complete ruin, and no\none considers or examines himself, how near or how far he be from\nmeekness and the fulfilment of this Commandment; although God has\nsaid, that not he who does such works, but he who keeps his\nCommandments, shall enter into eternal life. [John 14:15, 21;\n15:10]\n\n[Sidenote: Enemies an Occasion for Good Works]\n\nHow, since no one lives on earth upon whom God does not bestow an\nenemy and opponent as a proof of his own anger and wickedness,\nthat is, one who afflicts him in goods, honor, body or friends,\nand thereby tries whether anger is still present, whether he can\nbe well-disposed toward his enemy, speak well of him, do good to\nhim, and not intend any evil against him; let him come forward\nwho asks what he shall do that he may do good works, please God\nand be saved. Let him set his enemy before him, keep him\nconstantly before the eyes of his heart, as an exercise whereby\nhe may curb his spirit and train his heart to think kindly of his\nenemy, wish him well, care for him and pray for him; and then,\nwhen opportunity offers, speak well of him and do good to him.\nLet him who will, try this and if he find not enough to do all\nhis life long, he may convict me of lying, and say that my\ncontention was wrong. But if this is what God desires, and if He\nwill be paid in no other coin, of what avail is it, that we busy\nourselves with other great works which are not commanded, and\nneglect this? Therefore God says, Matthew v, \"I say unto you,\nthat whosoever is angry with his neighbor, is in danger of the\njudgment; but whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool (that\nis, all manner of invective, cursing, reviling, slandering), he\nshall be in danger of everlasting fire.\" [Matt. 5:22] What\nremains then for the outward act, striking, wounding, killing,\ninjuring, etc., if the thoughts and words of anger are so\nseverely condemned?\n\nIII. But where there is true meekness, there the heart is pained\nat every evil which happens to one's enemy. And these are the\ntrue children and heirs of God and brethren of Christ, Whose\nheart was so pained for us all when He died on the holy Cross.\nEven so we see a pious judge passing sentence upon the criminal\nwith sorrow, and regretting the death which the law imposes. Here\nthe act seems to be one of anger and harshness. So thoroughly\ngood is meekness that even in such works of anger it remains,\nnay, it torments the heart most sorely when it must be angry and\nsevere.\n\n[Sidenote: The Limits of Meekness]\n\nBut here we must watch, that we be not meek contrary to God's\nhonor and Commandment. For it is written of Moses that he was the\nvery meekest man on earth, and yet, when the Jews had worshiped\nthe golden calf and provoked God to anger [Sir. 45:4], he put\nmany of them to death, and thereby made atonement before God.\n[Ex. 32:28] Likewise it is not fitting that the magistrates\nshould be idle and allow sin to have sway, and that we say\nnothing. My own possessions, my honor, my injury, I must not\nregard, nor grow angry because of them; but God's honor and\nCommandment we must protect, and injury or injustice to our\nneighbor we must prevent, the magistrates with the sword, the\nrest of us with reproof and rebuke, yet always with pity for\nthose who have merited the punishment.\n\nThis high, noble, sweet work can easily be learned, if we perform\nit in faith, and as an exercise of faith. For if faith does not\ndoubt the favor of God nor question that God is gracious, it will\nbecome quite easy for a man to be gracious and favorable to his\nneighbor, however much he may have sinned; for we have sinned\nmuch more against God. Behold, a short Commandment this, but it\npresents a long, mighty exercise of good works and of faith.\n\n_Thou shalt not commit adultery._\n\n[Sidenote: The Sixth Commandment: The Duty of Purity]\n\nIn this Commandment, too a good work is commanded, which includes\nmuch and drives away much vice; it is called purity, or chastity,\nof which much is written and preached, and it is well known to\nevery one, only that it is not as carefully observed and\npractised as other works which are not commanded. So ready are we\nto do what is not commanded and to leave undone what is\ncommanded. We see that the world is full of shameful works of\nunchastity, indecent words, tales and ditties, temptation to\nwhich is daily increased through gluttony and drunkenness,\nidleness and frippery. Yet we go our way as if we were\nChristians; when we have been to church, have said our little\nprayer, have observed the fasts and feasts, then we think our\nwhole duty is done.\n\nNow, if no other work were commanded but chastity alone, we would\nall have enough to do with this one; so perilous and raging a\nvice is unchastity. It rages in all our members: in the thoughts\nof our hearts, in the seeing of our eyes, in the hearing of our\nears, in the words of our mouth, in the works of our hands and\nfeet and all our body. To control all these requires labor and\neffort; and thus the Commandments of God teach us how great truly\ngood works are, nay, that it is impossible for us of our own\nstrength to conceive a good work, to say nothing of attempting or\ndoing it. St Augustine says, that among all the conflicts of the\nChristian the conflict of chastity is the hardest, for the one\nreason alone, that it continues daily without ceasing, and\nchastity seldom prevails. This all the saints have wept over and\nlamented, as St. Paul does, Romans vii: \"I find in me, that is in\nmy flesh, no good thing.\" [Rom. 7:18]\n\n[Sidenote: Helps Against Unchastity]\n\nII. If this work of chastity is to be permanent, it will drive to\nmany other good works, to fasting and temperance over against\ngluttony and drunkenness, to watching and early rising over\nagainst laziness and excessive sleep, to work and labor over\nagainst idleness. For gluttony, drunkenness, lying late abed,\nloafing and being without work are weapons of unchastity, with\nwhich chastity is quickly overcome. [Rom. 13:12 f.] On the other\nhand, the holy Apostle Paul calls fasting, watching and labor\ngodly weapons, with which unchastity is mastered; but, as has\nbeen said above, these exercises must do no more than overcome\nunchastity, and not pervert nature.\n\nAbove all this, the strongest defence is prayer and the Word of\nGod; namely, that when evil lust stirs, a man flee to prayer,\ncall upon God's mercy and help, read and meditate on the Gospel,\nand in it consider Christ's sufferings. Thus says Psalm cxxxvii:\n\"Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth the little ones of\nBabylon against the rock,\" [Ps. 137:9] that is, if the heart runs\nto the Lord Christ with its evil thoughts while they are yet\nyoung and just beginning; for Christ is a Rock, on which they are\nground to powder and come to naught.\n\nSee, here each one will find enough to do with himself, and more\nthan enough, and will be given many good works to do within\nhimself. But now no one uses prayer, fasting, watching, labor for\nthis purpose, but men stop in these works as if they were in\nthemselves the whole purpose, although they should be arranged so\nas to fulfil the work of this Commandment and purify us daily\nmore and more. Some have also indicated more things which should\nbe avoided, such as soft beds and clothes, that we should avoid\nexcessive adornment, and neither associate nor talk with members\nof the opposite sex, nor even look upon them, and whatsoever else\nmay be conducive to chastity. In all these things no one can fix\na definite rule and measure. Each one must watch himself and see\nwhat things are needful to him for chastity, in what quantity and\nhow long they help him to be chaste, that he may thus choose and\nobserve them for himself; if he cannot do this, let him for a\ntime give himself up to be controlled by another, who may hold\nhim to such observance until he can learn to rule himself. This\nwas the purpose for which the monastic houses were established of\nold, to teach young people discipline and purity.\n\n[Sidenote: Faith as a Help to Chastity]\n\nIII. In this work a good strong faith is a great help, more\nnoticeably so than in almost any other; so that for this reason\nalso Isaiah xi. says that \"faith is a girdle of the reins,\" [Is.\n11:5] that is, a guard of chastity. For he who so lives that he\nlooks to God for all grace, takes pleasure in spiritual purity;\ntherefore he can so much more easily resist fleshly impurity: and\nin such faith the spirit tells him of a certainty how he shall\navoid evil thoughts and everything that is repugnant to chastity.\nFor as the faith in divine favor lives without ceasing and works\nin all works, so it also does not cease its admonitions in all\nthings that are pleasing to God or displease Him; as St. John\nsays in his Epistle: \"Ye need not that any man teach you: for the\ndivine anointing, that is, the Spirit of God, teacheth you of all\nthings.\" [1 John 2:27]\n\nYet we must not despair if we are not soon rid of the temptation,\nnor by any means immune that we are free from it as long as we\nlive, and we must regard it only as an incentive and admonition\nto prayer, fasting, watching, laboring, and to other exercises\nfor the quenching of the flesh, especially to the practice and\nexercise of faith in God. For that chastity is not precious which\nis at ease, but that which is at war with unchastity, and fights,\nand without ceasing drives out all the poison with which the\nflesh and the evil spirit attack it. Thus St. Peter says, \"I\nbeseech you, abstain from fleshly desires and lusts, which war\nalways against the soul.\" [1 Pet. 2:11] And St Paul, Romans vi,\n\"Ye shall not obey the body in its lusts.\" [Rom. 6:12] In these\nand like passages it is shown that no one is without evil lust;\nbut that everyone shall and must daily fight against it. But\nalthough this brings uneasiness and pain, it is none the less a\nwork that gives pleasure, in which we shall have our comfort and\nsatisfaction. For they who think they make an end of temptation\nby yielding to it, only set themselves on fire the more; and\nalthough for a time it is quiet, it comes again with more\nstrength another time, and finds the nature weaker than before.\n\n_Thou shalt not steal._\n\n[Sidenote: The Seventh Commandment: The Duty of Benevolence]\n\nThis Commandment also has a work, which embraces very many good\nworks, and is opposed to many vices, and is called in German\n_Mildigkeit_, \"benevolence;\" which is a work ready to help and\nserve every one with one's goods. And it fights not only against\ntheft and robbery, but against all stinting in temporal goods\nwhich men may practise toward one another: such as greed, usury,\novercharging and plating wares that sell as solid, counterfeit\nwares, short measures and weights, and who could tell all the\nready, novel, clever tricks,[52] which multiply daily in every\ntrade, by which every one seeks his own gain through the other's\nloss, and forgets the rule which says; \"What ye wish that others\ndo to you, that do ye also to them.\" [Matt. 7:12] If every one\nkept this rule before his eyes in his trade, business, and\ndealings with his neighbor, he would readily find how he ought to\nbuy and sell, take and give, lend and give for nothing, promise\nand keep his promise, and the like. And when we consider the\nworld in its doings, how greed controls all business, we would\nnot only find enough to do, if we would make an honorable living\nbefore God, but also be overcome with dread and fear for this\nperilous, miserable life, which is so exceedingly overburdened,\nentangled and taken captive with cares of this temporal life and\ndishonest seeking of gain.\n\n[Sidenote: Greed]\n\nII. Therefore the Wise Man says not in vain: \"Happy is the rich\nman, who is found without blemish, who does not run after gold,\nand has not set his confidence in the treasures of money. Who is\nhe? We will praise him, that he has done wondrous things in his\nlife.\" [Sir. 31:8 f.] As if he would say; \"None such is found, or\nvery few indeed.\" Yea, they are very few who notice and recognise\nsuch lust for gold in themselves. For greed has here a very\nbeautiful, fine cover for its shame, which is called provision\nfor the body and natural need, under cover of which it\naccumulates wealth beyond all limits and is never satisfied; so\nthat he who would in this matter keep himself clean, must truly,\nas he says, do miracles or wondrous things in his life.\n\nNow see, if a man wish not only to do good works, but even\nmiracles, which God may praise and be pleased with, what need has\nhe to look elsewhere? Let him take heed to himself, and see to it\nthat he run not after gold, nor set his trust on money, but let\nthe gold run after him, and money wait on his favor, and let him\nlove none of these things nor set his heart on them; then he is\nthe true, generous, wonder-working, happy man, as Job xxxi says:\n\"I have never yet relied upon gold, and never yet made gold my\nhope and confidence.\" [Job 31:24] And Psalm lxii: \"If riches\nincrease, set not your heart upon them.\" [Ps. 62:10] So Christ\nalso teaches, Matthew vi, that we shall take no thought, what we\nshall eat and drink and wherewithal we shall be clothed, since\nGod cares for this, and knows that we have need of all these\nthings. [Matt. 6:31 f.]\n\nBut some say: \"Yes, rely upon that, take no thought, and see\nwhether a roasted chicken will fly into your mouth!\" I do not say\nthat a man shall not labor and seek a living; but he shall not\nworry, not be greedy, not despair, thinking that he will not have\nenough; for in Adam we are all condemned to labor, when God says\nto him, Genesis iii, \"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat\nbread.\" [Gen. 3:19] And Job v, \"As the birds to flying, so is man\nborn into labor.\" [Job 5:7 Vulgate] Now the birds fly without\nworry and greed, and so we also should labor without worry and\ngreed; but if you do worry and are greedy, wishing that the\nroasted chicken fly into your mouth: worry and be greedy, and see\nwhether you will thereby fulfil God's Commandment and be saved!\n\n[Sidenote: Faith the Source of Benevolence]\n\nIII. This work faith teaches of itself. For if the heart looks\nfor divine favor and relies upon it, how is it possible that a\nman should be greedy and worry? He must be sure beyond a doubt\nthat God cares for him; therefore he does not cling to money; he\nuses it also with cheerful liberality for the benefit of his\nneighbor, and knows well that he will have enough, however much\nhe may give away. For his God, Whom he trusts, will not lie to\nhim nor forsake, him, as it is written, Psalm xxxvii: \"I have\nbeen young, and now am old; never have I seen a believing man,\nwho trusts God, that is a righteous man, forsaken, or his child\nbegging bread.\" [Ps. 37:25] Therefore the Apostle calls no other\nsin idolatry except covetousness [Col. 3:5], because this sin\nshows most plainly that it does not trust God for anything,\nexpects more good from its money than from God; and, as has been\nsaid, it is by such confidence that God is truly honored or\ndishonored.\n\nAnd, indeed, in this Commandment it can be dearly seen how all\ngood works must be done in faith; for here every one most surely\nfeels that the cause of covetousness is distrust and the cause of\nliberality is faith. For because a man trusts God, he is generous\nand does not doubt that he will always have enough; on the other\nhand, a man is covetous and worries because he does not trust\nGod. Now, as in this Commandment faith is the master-workman and\nthe doer of the good work of liberality, so it is also in all the\nother Commandments, and without such faith liberality is of no\nworth, but rather a careless squandering of money.\n\n[Sidenote: The Test of Liberality]\n\nIV. By this we are also to know that this liberality shall extend\neven to enemies and opponents. For what manner of good deed is\nthat, if we are liberal only to our friends? As Christ teaches,\nLuke vi, even a wicked man does that to another who is his\nfriend. [Luke 6:32 f.] Besides, the brute beasts also do good and\nare generous to their kind. Therefore a Christian must rise\nhigher, let his liberality serve also the undeserving,\nevil-doers, enemies, and the ungrateful, even as his heavenly\nFather makes His sun to rise on good and evil, and the rain to\nfall on the grateful and ungrateful. [Matt. 5:45]\n\nBut here it will be found how hard it is to do good works\naccording to God's Commandment, how nature squirms, twists and\nwrithes in its exposition to it, although it does the good works\nof its own choice easily and gladly. Therefore take your\nenemies, the ungrateful, and do good to them; then you will find\nhow near you are to this Commandment or how far from it, and how\nall your life you will always have to do with the practice of\nthis work. For if your enemy needs you and you do not help him\nwhen you can, it is just the same as if you had stolen what\nbelonged to him, for you owed it to him to help him. So says St.\nAmbrose, \"Feed the hungry; if you do not feed him, you have, as\nfar as you are concerned, slain him.\" And in this Commandment are\nincluded the works of mercy, which Christ will require at men's\nhands at the last day. [Matt. 25:35 f.]\n\nBut the magistrates and cities ought to see to it that the\nvagabonds, pilgrims and mendicants from foreign lands be\ndebarred, or at least allowed only under restrictions and rules,\nso that knaves be not permitted to run at large under the guise\nof mendicants, and their knavery, of which there now is much, be\nprohibited; I have spoken at greater length of this Commandment\nin the Treatise on Usury.[53]\n\n_Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor._\n\n[Sidenote: The Eight Commandment: The Duty of Truthfulness]\n\n[Sidenote: In Worldly Matters]\n\nThis Commandment seems small, and yet is so great, that he who\nwould rightly keep it must risk and imperil life and limb, goods\nand honor, friends and all that he has; and yet it includes no\nmore than the work of that small member, the tongue, and is\ncalled in German _Wahrheit sagen_, \"telling the truth\" and, where\nthere is need, gainsaying lies; so that it forbids many evil\nworks of the tongue. First: those which are committed by\nspeaking, and those which are committed by keeping silent. By\nspeaking, when a man has an unjust law-suit, and wants to prove\nand maintain his case by a false argument, catch his neighbor\nwith subtilty, produce everything that strengthens and furthers\nhis own cause, and withhold and discount everything that further\nhis neighbor's good cause; in doing which he does not do to his\nneighbor as he would have his neighbor do to him. [Matt. 7:12]\nThis some men do for the sake of gain, some to avoid loss or\nshame, thereby seeking their own advantage more than God's\nCommandment, and excuse themselves by saying: _Vigilanti jura\nsubveniunt_, \"the law helps him who watches\"; just as if it were\nnot as much their duty to watch for their neighbor's cause as for\ntheir own. Thus they intentionally allow their neighbor's cause\nto be lost, although they know that it is just. This evil is at\npresent so common that I fear no court is held and no suit tried\nbut that one side sins against this Commandment. And even when\nthey cannot accomplish it, they yet have the unrighteous spirit\nand will, so that they would wish the neighbor's just cause to be\nlost and their unjust cause to prosper. This sin is most frequent\nwhen the opponent is a prominent man or an enemy. For a man wants\nto revenge himself on his enemy: but the ill will of a man of\nprominence he does not wish to bring upon himself; and then\nbegins the flattering and fawning, or, on the other hand, the\nwithholding of the truth. Here no one is willing to run the risk\nof disfavor and displeasure, loss and danger for the truth's\nsake; and so God's Commandment must perish. And this is almost\nuniversally the way of the world. He who would keep this\nCommandment, would have both hands full doing only those good\nworks which concern the tongue. And then, how many are there who\nallow themselves to be fenced and swerved aside from the truth by\npresents and gifts! so that in all places it is truly a high,\ngreat, rare work, not to be a false witness against one's\nneighbor.\n\n[Sidenote: In Spiritual Matters]\n\nII. There is a second bearing of witness to the truth, which is\nstill greater, with which we must fight against the evil spirits;\nand this concerns not temporal matters, but the Gospel and the\ntruth of faith, which the evil spirit has at no time been able to\nendure, and always so manages that the great among men, whom it\nis hard to resist, must oppose and persecute it. Of which it is\nwritten in Psalm lxxxii, \"Rid the poor out of the hand of the\nwicked, and help the forsaken to maintain his just cause.\" [Ps.\n82:3 f.]\n\nSuch persecution, it is true, has now become infrequent; but that\nis the fault of the spiritual prelates, who do not stir up the\nGospel, but let it perish, and so have abandoned the very thing\nbecause of which such witnessing and persecution should arise;\nand in its place they teach us their own law and what pleases\nthem. For this reason the devil also does not stir, since by\nvanquishing the Gospel he has also vanquished faith in Christ,\nand everything goes as he wishes. But if the Gospel should be\nstirred up and be heard again, without doubt the whole world\nwould be aroused and moved, and the greater portion of the kings,\nprinces, bishops, doctors and clergy, and all that is great,\nwould oppose it and rage against it, as has always happened when\nthe Word of God has come to light; for the world cannot endure\nwhat comes from God. This is proved in Christ, Who was and is the\nvery greatest and most precious and best of all that God has; yet\nthe world not only did not receive Him, but persecuted Him more\ncruelly than all others who had ever come forth from God.\n\nTherefore, as at that time, so at all times there are few who\nstand by the divine truth, and imperil and risk life and limb,\ngoods and honor, and all that they have, as Christ has foretold:\n\"Ye shall be hated of all men for My Name's sake.\" [Matt. 14:9\nf.] And: \"Many of them shall be offended in Me.\" Yea, if this\ntruth were attacked by peasants, herdsmen, stable-boys and men of\nno standing, who would not be willing and able to confess it and\nto bear witness to it? But when the pope, and the bishops,\ntogether with princes and kings attack it, all men flee, keep\nsilent, dissemble, in order that they may not lose goods, honor,\nfavor and life.\n\n[Sidenote: Witnessing to the Truth Demands Faith]\n\nIII. Why do they do this? Because they have no faith in God, and\nexpect nothing good from Him. For where such faith and confidence\nare, there is also a bold, defiant, fearless heart, that ventures\nand stands by the truth, though it cost life or cloak, though it\nbe against pope or kings; as we see that the martyrs did. For\nsuch a heart is satisfied and rests easy because it has a\ngracious, loving God. Therefore it despises all the favor, grace,\ngoods and honor of men, lets them come and go as they please; as\nis written in Psalm xv: \"He contemneth them that contemn God, and\nhonoreth them that fear the Lord\" [Ps. 15:4]; that is, the\ntyrants, the mighty, who persecute the truth and despise God, he\ndoes not fear, he does not regard them, he despiseth them; on the\nother band, those who are persecuted for the truth's sake, and\nfear God more than men, to these he clings, these he defends,\nthese he honors, let it vex whom it may; as it is written of\nMoses, Hebrews xi, that he stood by his brethren, regardless of\nthe mighty king of Egypt. [Heb. 11:24 ff.]\n\nLo, in this Commandment again you see briefly that faith must be\nthe master-workman in this work also, so that without it no one\nhas courage to do this work: so, entirely are all works comprised\nin faith, has has now been often said. Therefore, apart from\nfaith all works, are dead, however good the form and name they\nbear. For as no one does the work of this Commandment except he\nbe firm and fearless in the confidence of divine favor: so also\nhe does no work of any other Commandment without the same faith:\nthus every one may easily by this Commandment test and weigh\nhimself whether he be a Christian and truly believe in Christ,\nand thus whether he is doing good works or no. Now we see how\nthe Almighty God has not only set our Lord Jesus Christ before us\nthat we should believe in Him with such confidence, but also\nholds before us in Him an example of this same confidence and of\nsuch good works, to the end that we should believe in Him, follow\nHim and abide in Him forever; as He says, John xiv: \"I am the\nWay, the Truth and the life,\" [John 14:6]--the Way, in which we\nfollow Him; the Truth, that we believe in Him; the life, that we\nlive in Him forever.\n\nFrom all this it is now manifest that all other works, which are\nnot commanded, are perilous and easily known: such as building\nchurches, beautifying them, making pilgrimages, and all that is\nwritten at so great length in the Canon Law and has misled and\nburdened the world and ruined it, made uneasy consciences,\nsilenced and weakened faith, and has not said how a man, although\nhe neglect all else, has enough to do with all his powers to keep\nthe Commandments of God, and can never do all the good works\nwhich he is commanded to do; why then does he seek others, which\nare neither necessary not commanded, and neglect those that are\nnecessary and commanded?\n\n[Sidenote: The Ninth and Tenth Commandments]\n\nThe last two Commandments, which forbid evil desires of the body\nfor pleasure and for temporal goods, are clear in themselves;\nthese evil desires do no harm to our neighbor, and yet they\ncontinue unto the grave, and the strife in us against them\nendures unto death; therefore these two Commandments are drawn\ntogether by St. Paul into one, Romans vii, and are set as a goal\nunto which we do not attain, and only in our thoughts reach after\nuntil death. For no one has ever been so holy that he felt in\nhimself no evil inclination, especially when occasion and\ntemptation were offered. [Rom. 7:7] For original sin is born in\nus by nature and may be checked, but not entirely uprooted,\nexcept through the death of the body; which for this reason is\nprofitable and a thing to be desired.[54] To this may God help\nus. Amen.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] Col. 3:17. See above p. 25, note 1.\n\n[2] The _Tessaradecas consolatoria_, printed in the present\nvolume, pp. 109-171.\n\n[3] Sexternlein.\n\n[4] Questions debated in the schools.\n\n[5] Here \"the Faith\" means the Creed, as a statement of faith.\n\n[6] I.e., In faith.\n\n[7] A quality, state or condition, independent of works.\n\n[8] _St. Jacob di Compostella_, a place in Spain, where the\nApostle James, the son of Zebedee, who was killed in Jerusalem\n(Acts 12:2), is in Spanish tradition said to have died a martyr's\ndeath; since the Ninth Century a noted and much frequented goal\nof pilgrimages. The name Compostella is a corruption of _Giacomo\nPostolo_, that is \"James the Apostle.\"\n\n[9] St. Bridget of Ireland, who died in 523, was considered a\nsecond Virgin Mary, the \"Mary of the Irish.\" Perhaps here\nconfused with another Bridget, or Brigita, who died 1373, a\nScottish saint, who wrote several prayers, printed for the first\ntime in 1492 and translated into almost all European languages.\n\n[10] I.e., by us men.\n\n[11] This translation indicates the imperfection of the German\nform of Bible quotation throughout this treatise.\n\n[12] Page 190.\n\n[13] Page 190.\n\n[14] A _Jarmarkt_; the reference here being to the bargaining\ncommon at such fairs.\n\n[15] The theme developed in the treatise _De Libertate_, 1520.\n\n[16] Page 190.\n\n[17] A gold coin, the value of which is very uncertain. It was an\nadaptation of the _florin_, which was first coined in Florence in\nthe year 1252, and was worth about $2.50. Of the value of the\ngold _gulden_ of Luther's time various estimates are given.\nSchaff, _Church History_, 3 vi., p. 470, calls it a _guilder_ and\nsays it was equal to about $4.00 of the present day. Preserved\nSmith, _Life of Luther_, p. 367, fixes its intrinsic value at\nabout fifty cents, but believes its purchasing power was almost\ntwenty times as great. To us a gold piece worth fifty cents seems\nalmost impossible; but the _New English Dictionary_ quotes, under\nthe year 1611: \"Florin or Franc: an ancient coin of gold in\nFrance, worth ij s. sterling.\" As the gold coins of those times\nwere not made of pure gold, rarely 17 carats fine, the\npossibility may be granted. But in 1617, the _Dictionary_ quotes\n\"The Gold Rehnish Guldens of Germany are almost of the same\nstandard as the Crowne Gold of England,\" and the Crown was worth\nat the time 6s. 3 1/2 d.--somewhat more than $1.50.\n\nThe later silver _gulden_, worth about forty cents was current in\nEurope until modern times, and a _gulden_, worth 48 1/2 cents,\nwas, until recently, a standard coin in Austro-Hungary.\n\n[18] _Grosse Hansen_.\n\n[19] Men who exercised a delegated authority and acted as the\nrepresentatives of pope and bishop in matters of church law.\n\n[20] See especially the _Address to the Christian Nobility_ and\nthe _Babylonian Captivity_.\n\n[21] On the number of the sections see the Introduction, p. 178.\n\n[22] Here, as also in his Catechism, Luther departs from the Old\nTestament form of the Third Commandment. His restatement of it is\nextremely difficult to put into English, because of the various\nmeanings of the word _Feiertag_. It may mean \"day of rest,\" or\n\"holiday,\" or \"holy day.\" By the use of this word Luther avoids\nthe difficulty of first retaining the Jewish Sabbath in the\nCommandment and then rejecting it in favor of the Christian\nSunday in the explanation.\n\n[23] _Gottesdienst_.\n\n[24] A reference to the Requiem Mass, sung both at the burial of\nthe dead, and on the anniversary of the day of death. The word\ntranslated \"memorial,\" _Beg\u00e4ngniss_, is literally, \"a burial\nservice.\"\n\n[25] See also the _Treatise on the New Testament_, elsewhere in\nthis volume.\n\n[26] The sermons were frequently either scholastic arguments or\npopular, often comic tirades against current immorality; the\nmaterials were taken from the stories of the saints as much as\nfrom the Bible.\n\n[27] Lived 1091-1153. Founder of the Cistercian monastery at\nClairvaux, of whom Luther says: \"If there ever lived on earth a\nGod-fearing and holy monk, it was Saint Bernard, of Clairvaux.\"\n_Erl. Ed._, 36, 8.\n\n[28] Cf. _Discussion of Confession_, above, p. 81 f.\n\n[29] The prayer-book and the rosary. The Breviary, a collection\nof prayers, was used by the clergy; the Rosary, the beads of\nwhich represent prayers, the smaller and more numerous _Ave\nMarias_, the larger of the Lord's Prayer, _Paternoster_, was the\nlayman's prayer book.\n\n[30] Cf. Introduction to _The Fourteen of Consolation_, p. 106.\n\n[31] See note, p. 191.\n\n[32] The German, _Oelg\u00f6tzen_, means the wooden images of saints,\nwhich were painted with oil paints. It was transferred to any\ndull person, block-head, sometimes also to priests, who were\nanointed with oil at their consecration.\n\n[33] _Sinnlichkeit_.\n\n[34] St. Barbara, a legendary saint, whose day falls on December\n4, was thought to protect against storm and fire. See above, p.\n237. St. Sebastian, a martyr of the third century, whose day\nfalls on January 20, was supposed to ward off the plague.\n\n[35] Cf. The _Fourteen of Consolation_, above, p. 162.\n\n[36] Page 194 f.\n\n[37] I. e., by fear without love.\n\n[38] The patron saint of music, of whose life and martyrdom\nlittle that is definite is known.\n\n[39] Canonisations, giving a dead man the rank of a saint, who\nmay be or shall be worshiped.\n\n[40] I.e., faith.\n\n[41] Cf. the similar statements in the _Sermon vom Wucher_\n(_Weimar Ed._, VI, 59) and in the _Address to the Christian\nNobility_ (ibid., 438).\n\n[42] A name for the dependents of the papal court at Rome.\n\n[43] At Constance, 1414-1443; at Rome, the Lateran council,\n1512-1517.\n\n[44] Or, \"Who is said to rule the councils.\"\n\n[45] This program of reform is further elaborated in the _Address\nto the Christian Nobility_.\n\n[46] Augustus Caesar, first Roman Emperor (B.C. 63-A.D. 14), the\nCaesar Augustus of Luke 2:1.\n\n[47] \"The purchase of a rent-charge (_rent, census, Zins_) was\none of the methods of investing money frequently resorted to\nduring the later middle ages. From the transfer from one person\nto another of the right to receive a rent already due the step\nwas but a short one to the creation of an altogether new\nrent-charge, for the express purpose of raising money by the sale\nof it...The practice seems to have arisen spontaneously, and to\nhave been by no means a mere evasion of the prohibition of\nusury.\" _Dictionary of Political Economy_, ed. by R. H. Inglish\nPalgrave, vol. ii. Cf. Ashley, _Economic History_, vol. i, p.t.\nii, \u00a7\u00a7 66, 74, 75. For a fuller discussion of the subject by\nLuther, see the _Sermon vom Wucher_ (_Weimar Ed._, VI, 51-60).\n\n[48] See note above, p. 220.\n\n[49] _Sorgf\u00e4itigkeit_, Luther's translation of the Vulgate\n_solicitndo_ in Rom. 12:8, where our English Version reads\n\"diligence.\" The word as Luther uses it includes the two kinds of\ncarefulness and considerateness.\n\n[50] A most strict monastic order; the phrase here is equivalent\nto \"becomes a monk.\"\n\n[51] _Sanftm\u00fcthlgkeit_.\n\n[52] Luther discusses these tricks in detail in his _Sermon von\nKaufhandlung und Wucher_ (1524) _Weimar Ed._, XV, pp. 279 ff.\n\n[53] _Sermon von dem Wucher, Weimar Ed._, VI, 36 ff. Cf. also\n_Address to the German Nobility_.\n\n[54] Cf. _The Fourteen of Consolation_ above, p. 149.\n\n\nA TREATISE ON THE NEW TESTAMENT\n\nTHAT IS THE HOLY MASS\n\n1520\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\nThe _Treatise on the New Testament, that is, on the Holy Mass_,\nwas published in the year 1520[1] In the beginning of August of\nthat year, Luther's Address to the Christian Nobility of the\nGerman Nation had appeared, in which he had touched upon the\nsubject of the mass,[2] but refused to express himself fully at\nthat time, promising to take up this question later, a promise\nwhich he had already made in his _Treatise on Good Works_, of\nMay, 1520.[3] He must have begun the preparation of this\n_Treatise on the New Testament_ while the _Address to the\nChristian Nobility_ was still in press, because on Aug. 3 it was\nalready finished and ready for publication.[4] The treatise,\ntherefore, takes its place between Luther's two famous writings,\nthe _Address to the Christian Nobility_ and the _Babylonian\nCaptivity of the Church_, which appeared in Oct, 1520. Its tone\nis remarkably quiet, and its aim predominantly constructive. It\nis one of those devotional tracts which Luther issued from time\nto time between his larger publications, and which appear like\nroses among the thorns of his polemical writings.\n\nThe doctrine of the Lord's Supper was one of the most corrupt\ndoctrines of the Roman Church, and it was, therefore, but natural\nthat Luther should have written extensively on this subject, even\nat the beginning of the work of reformation. From this period,\nwhen the opposition of the Sacramentarians[5] to the doctrine of\nthe Real Presence had not yet arisen we have four writings of\nLuther in which he makes this sacrament a subject of special\ndiscussion. These are (1) his mild-toned _Sermon von dem\nhochw\u00fcrdigen Sacrament_, etc., of 1519; (2) the present _Sermon\nvon dem neuen Testament_, etc., of Aug., 1520; (3) the\n_Babylonian Captivity of the Church_, of Oct., 1520; (4) the\nstrongly polemical tract _On the Abuse of the Mass_, 1522.[6] We\nshall have occasion to refer to some interesting points of\ncomparison among these works.\n\nThis treatise is divided into sections, ending with number 40,\nbut section 32 is omitted, so that there are only 39 in all.\nSection 1 contains the introduction, section 40 the conclusion.\nSections 2-15 are the positive, constructive part of the\ntreatise, dealing with the question. What is the Lord's Supper?\nIn sections 16-34 the sacrificial theory of the Roman Church is\nrejected; sections 35-31 discuss (1) in how far we may speak of\nmaking an offering in the sacrament, and (2) what follows for the\nconception of a true priesthood in the Church, viz., the\npriesthood of all believers. Sections 33-39 deal, among other\nthings, with the abuses to which an unscriptural conception of\nthe Lord's Supper has led. Of special interest is section 12, in\nwhich Luther gives a summary of all that enters into the\nSacrament of the Altar.\n\nKnowing, as we do, that Luther developed his doctrine of the\nLord's Supper gradually[7] and under stress of much opposition\nfrom all sides, it is interesting for us to note the stage of\nthat development which this treatise represents. We may,\ntherefore, inquire how he stood at this time on the question of\nthe Real Presence. This question is answered under the fourth\npoint of section 12. The true presence of the body and blood\ncannot be more clearly admitted than is done in sections 11 and\n12 of this treatise. We can safely say that there never was a\ntime when Luther was uncertain on this point. The point of view\nfrom which he discusses the significance of the sacrament in the\n_Sermon von dem hochw\u00fcrdigen Sacrament_ (1519) has sometimes been\ncited to the contrary, but even in this _Sermon_, with its\nemphasis upon the spiritual body of Christ, of which even those\nmay be partakers whom the pope might exclude from the external\ncommunion, he speaks of the bread and wine as being changed into\nthe Lord's \"true, natural flesh\" and into His \"natural, true\nblood,\" [8] which shows that Luther at that time, nine months\nbefore the appearance of this _Treatise on the New Testament_,\nstill held even to the conception of transubstantiation. He\ncannot, therefore, have had doubts about the Real Presence.\n\nIn view, however, of the rapid development of Luther's doctrinal\nconceptions, we might further ask: Did Luther still retain his\nbelief in transubstantiation at the time when he wrote the\n_Treatise on the New Testament_? At the beginning of October in\nthis same year, in his _Babylonian Captivity_, Luther comes out\nfor the first time with an attack on this Roman doctrine. He\nregards it as a mere human opinion, which one may accept or not\naccept, and clearly inclines to the belief that after\nconsecration not only the form (_Gestalt; species_), but also the\nsubstance of bread and wine is still present.[9] In the _Sermon\nvon dem hochw\u00fcrdigen Sacrament_ he spoke of the \"shape and form\nof the bread\"; in the present treatise he chooses the expression:\n\"His own true flesh and blood under the bread and wine\" (sec.\n12). This would soon to indicate that in this writing he already\nholds the opinion which he soon afterward expressed in the\n_Babylonian Captivity_. But while he believed in the real\npresence of Christ's \"own true flesh and blood,\" this body of\nChrist he regards--at this time, when he has not yet had to meet\nthe spiritualistic interpretation of the Sacramentarians--as a\nsign only, a thing signifying the blessing of the sacrament,\nwhich is forgiveness of sins and life eternal (sec 10). Exactly\nthe same view is expressed in the _Sermon_ of 1519[10]. \"Luther\ndoes not yet speak of 'any value which this body, sacramentally\nimparted, is supposed to have in and of itself.'\" [11]\n\nThe question next arises: How does the recipient of the sign\n(body and blood under bread and wine) become partaker of that\nwhich is thereby signified? It is through faith, as the receiving\norgan (sec. 13). So, too, in the _Sermon_ of 1519, where it is\ncalled the \"third part of the sacrament,\" \"in which the power\nlies\" (_wo die Macht anliegt_). At a later time Luther found it\nnecessary to emphasize the fact that it is not through the faith\nof the recipient that the sacrament gains its power and efficacy,\nsince this attaches to it simply by virtue of the Word[12]; but\nthat faith is the receiving organ for the blessing of the\nsacrament is a conviction which he never gave up.\n\nThe object of faith is the Gospel, i. e., the promise of the\nforgiveness of sins contained in the Words of Institution, which\nare a \"testament,\" a \"new and eternal testament\" (secs. 5-10).\nHence the title of the work, _Treatise on the New Testament_.\nWhile the _Sermon_ of 1519 speaks of the Gospel only in general,\nwe have here a special emphasis on the words of institution as\nembracing \"in a short summary\" the whole Gospel (sec. 33). The\nwords of institution are still further emphasized and interpreted\nin the work _On Abuse of the Mass_, of 1522. Because of the\nimportance of the Word in the sacrament, Luther declares that the\nwords of institution should be spoken aloud, not whispered, as\nwas and is done in the Roman churches, and in a language which is\nunderstood by the people (sec. 16).\n\nAn especially striking feature of this treatise is the repeated\nassertion that faith, which leans on the Word, and is the\n\"principal part of the mass,\" does not absolutely need the\nsacrament. \"I can daily enjoy the sacrament in the mass if only I\nkeep before my eyes the testament, that is, the words and\ncovenant of Christ, and feed and strengthen my faith thereby\"\n(sec. 17) [13]. He quotes Augustine: \"Only believe, so hast thou\nalready partaken of the sacrament.\" In interpreting this passage\nwe must remember that Luther was writing at a time when he was\ndaily expecting to hear that the pope had excommunicated him from\nthe Church. His comfort was that he and his followers could not\nbe excluded by papal dictum from the communion of true believers\nand saints, nor deprived of the spiritual feeding upon the true\nspiritual body of Christ.\n\nIn this treatise Luther also attacks for the first time the Roman\ndoctrine of the mass as a bloodless repetition of the sacrifice\nonce made on Calvary--a theory which forgets that the mass is a\ntestament and a sacrament, in which God promises and gives\nsomething to us, not we to Him (sec. 19). In much stronger\nlanguage, and quoting Scripture more extensively, Luther exposes\nand rejects this error, so fundamental to the Roman system, in\nhis work of 1522, _On the Abuse of the Mass_. In the _Babylonian\nCaptivity_ he remarks, \"When I published my Sermon of the\nSupper,[14] I was still caught in the prevailing conception, and\nwas indifferent whether the pope was right or not.\" [15] In this\ntreatise, then, we have the first clear statement of the reformer\non this subject.\n\nIt shows, however, the beautifully conservative character of\nLuther that even here, where he is compelled to reject the Roman\nsacrificial theory, we see him laboring to detect at least an\nelement of scriptural truth in the refuted doctrine. He says\n(secs. 26, 27) that in the Supper we use Christ as our Sacrifice\nand Mediator, by bringing our prayer and thanksgiving to the\nFather through Him. And this furnishes the basis on which he\nbuilds the evangelical doctrine of the priesthood of all\nbelievers (sec. 28); _alle Christenm\u00e4nner Pfaffen, alle Weiber\nPfaffinnen, es sei jung oder alt, etc._ This is still more\nstrongly emphasized in the _Abuse of the Mass_ of 1522.\n\nTwo more points need to be mentioned,--the withholding of the cup\nfrom the laity and the number of the sacraments. In the _Sermon_\nof 1519 Luther attaches little importance to the communion in\nboth kinds, though he thinks it would be well for the Church in a\nGeneral Council to restore the two elements to all Christians.\nBut in this treatise of 1520 he is already beginning to use\nstronger language. He would like to know who gave the power to\nwithhold the cup (sec. 34). In the _Babylonian Captivity_ and in\nthe _Abuse of the Mass_ he unsparingly condemns the Roman\npractice. On the number of the sacraments, Luther seems not yet\nto have been entirely in the clear when he wrote this work. In\nSection 24 he mentions, besides baptism and the Lord's Supper,\n\"confirmation, penance, extreme unction, etc.\" In the _Babylonian\nCaptivity_ he definitely reduces the seven sacraments of the\nRoman Church to baptism, the Lord's Supper and penance, but he\nhad his doubts on this point before he wrote this present work,\nas we may conclude from a remark in the _Sermon_ of 1519, in\nwhich he distinguishes \"baptism and the bread\" as the two\n\"principal sacraments,\" and also from a letter to Spalatin,[16]\nin which he writes that no one need expect from him a publication\non the other sacraments until he shall first have been taught by\nwhat passage of Scripture he may justify them.[17] In conclusion,\nit may be said that this whole _Treatise on the New Testament_ is\na beautiful illustration of the constructive power of Luther's\nwork. In the work of tearing down he proceeds with the greatest\ncare, ever mindful of his duty to replace the old with something\nnew which can stand the test of Scripture.\n\n    J. L. NEVE.\n\nWittenberg Theological Seminary,\n\n    Springfield, O.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] As the earliest prints, the following may be mentioned: (1)\nBy Joh. Gruenenberg in Wittenberg, 11520 (the basis of the Weimar\ntext); (2) by the same publisher, 1520; (3) by Melchior Lotther\nin Wittenberg, 1520; (4) by Silanus Ottmar in Wittenberg, Aug.\n21st, 1520 (this is the text of the _Erlangen Edition_); (5) a\nWittenberg print with no mention of the publisher, but otherwise\nidentical in appearance with No. 4; (6) by Fridrichen Peypus at\nN\u00fcrnberg, 1520; (7) a Wittenberg print, 1520, with no mention of\nthe publisher; (8) by Adam Petri in Basel, 1520; (9) a Wittenberg\nedition of 1520, revised by Luther (_anderweit gecorigiert durch\nD. Mart. Luther_); this edition in octavo, all the preceding in\nquarto. The text of this treatise in the following collections of\nLuther's works, Wittenberg, VII, 25 ff.; Jena, I, 329 ff.;\nAltenburg, I, 514 ff.; Leipzig, XVII 490 ff.; Walch XIX, 1256\nff.; Erlangen XXVII, 141 ff.; Weimar VI. 353 ff.\n\n[2] By the word \"mass\" Luther means the celebration of the Lord's\nSupper. Even after this sacrament was understood in an\nevangelical sense, the Lutherans for a long time kept the name\nmass. Thus Melanchthon writes in the Augs. Conf., Art. xxiv, \"Our\nchurches are falsely accused of abolishing the mass; for the mass\nis retained on our part, and celebrated with the greatest\nreverence.\"\n\n[3] Page 224.\n\n[4] De Weite, _Luther's Briefe_, I, 475.\n\n[5] The name given by the Lutheran theologians to those who\ndenied the real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the\nLord's Supper.\n\n[6] Two more might have been mentioned: (1) a discourse on the\nproper preparation of the Lord's Supper (_Erl. Ed._, XVII, 55\nff.) and (2) the _Discourse on Excommunication_ (_Ibid._, XXVII,\n29 ff.)\n\n[7] In the Introduction to _The Babylonian Captivity of the\nChurch_ he writes: \"I am compelled, whether I will or not, to\nbecome daily more learned, having so many notable teachers\ndiligently pushing me on and keeping me at work.\" (_Weimar Ed._,\nVI, 497.\n\n[8] Cf. Ko\u00ebstlin-Kaw\u00e4eau, _Martin Luther_, 4th ed., I, 284;\nKo\u00ebstlin-Hay, _Theology of Luther_, I, 399 f; _Luther's Werke,\nBerlin Ed._, III, 261-264, 374.\n\n[9] _Weimar Ed._, VI, 511 f.\n\n[10] Cf. Ko\u00ebstlin-Hay, op. cit., I, 340.\n\n[11] Ibid., p. 350.\n\n[12] _Erl. Ed._, XVI, 33, 92 ff.\n\n[13] So also with much emphasis in the _Sermon v. d. hochw.\nSac._, 1519.\n\n[14] He means the _Serm. v. d. hochw. Sac._, 1519.\n\n[15] _Weimar Ed._, VI, 502.\n\n[16] De Weite, _Briefe_, I, 378\n\n[17] Ko\u00ebstlin-Hay, op. cit., I, 355.\n\n\nA TREATISE ON THE NEW TESTAMENT,\n\nTHAT IS THE HOLY MASS\n\n1519\n\n\nJESUS[1]\n\n[Sidenote: The Multiplying of Laws]\n\n1. Experience, all chronicles, and the Holy Scriptures besides,\nteach us this truth: the less law, the more justice; the fewer\ncommandments, the more good works. No well-regulated community\never existed long, if at all, where there were many laws.\nTherefore, before the ancient law of Moses, the Patriarchs of old\nhad no prescribed law and order for the service of God other than\nthe sacrifices; as we read of Adam, Abel, Noah and others.\nAfterward, circumcision was enjoined upon Abraham and his\nhousehold, until the time of Moses, through whom God gave the\npeople of Israel divers laws, forms, and practices, for the sole\npurpose of teaching human nature how utterly useless many laws\nare to make people pious. For although the law leads and drives\naway from evil to good works, it is still impossible for man to\ndo them willingly and gladly; but he has at all times an aversion\nfor the law and would rather be free. Now where there is\nunwillingness, there can never be a good work. For what is not\ndone willingly is not good, and only seems to be good.\nConsequently, all the laws cannot make one really pious without\nthe grace of God, for they can produce only dissemblers,\nhypocrites, pretenders, and proud saints, such as have their\nreward here [Matt. 6:2], and never please God. Thus He says to\nthe Jews, Malachi i: \"I have no pleasure in you; for who is there\namong you that would even as much as shut a door for me,\nwillingly and out of love?\" [Mal. 1:10]\n\n[Sidenote: Sects and Divisions]\n\n2. Another result of many laws is this, that many sects and\ndivisions in the congregations [Gemeinden] arise from them. One\nadopts this way, another that, and there grows up in each man a\nfalse, secret love for his own sect, and a hatred, or at least a\ncontempt for, and a disregard of the other sects, whereby\nbrotherly, free, common love perishes, and selfish love prevails.\nSo Jeremiah and Hosea speak, [Jer. 2:28, Hos. 8:11,12] yea, all\nthe profits lament that the people of Israel divided themselves\ninto as many sects as there were cities in the land; each\ndesiring to outdo the others. Thence also arose the Sadducees and\nPharisees in the Gospel.\n\nSo we observe to-day, that through the Spiritual Law[2] but\nlittle justice and piety have arisen in Christendom; the world\nhas been filled with dissemblers and hypocrites and with so many\nsects, orders, and divisions of the one people of Christ, that\nalmost every city is divided into ten parties or more. And they\ndaily devise new ways and manners (as they think) of serving God,\nuntil it has come to this, that priests, monks, and laity have\nbecome more hostile toward each other than Turks and Christians.\nYea, the priests and the monks are deadly enemies, wrangling\nabout their self-conceived ways and methods like fools and\nmadmen, not only to the hindrance, but to the very destruction of\nChristian love and unity. Each one clings to his sect and\ndespises the others; and they regard the laymen as though they\nwere no Christians. This lamentable condition is only a result of\nthe laws.\n\n[Sidenote: The Mass Christ's Law]\n\n3. Christ, in order that He might prepare for Himself an\nacceptable and beloved people, which should be bound together in\nunity through love, abolished the whole law of Moses. And that He\nmight not give further occasion for divisions, He did not again\nappoint more than one law or order for His entire people, and\nthat the holy mass. For, although baptism is also an external\nordinance, yet it takes place but once, and is not a practice of\nthe entire life, like the mass. Therefore, after baptism there is\nto be no other external order for the service of God except the\nmass. And where the mass is used, there is a true service, even\nthough there be no other form, with singing, playing,\nbell-ringing, vestments, ornaments and postures; for everything\nof this sort is an addition invented by men. When Christ Himself\nfirst instituted this sacrament and held the first mass, there\nwere do patens, no chasuble, no singing, no pageantry, but only\nthanksgiving to God, and the use of the sacrament. After this\nsame simplicity the Apostles and all Christians long time held\nmass, until the divers forms and additions arose, by which the\nRomans held mass one way, the Greeks another; and now it has\nfinally come to this, that the chief thing in the mass has become\nunknown, and nothing is remembered except the additions of men.\n\n[Sidenote: Christ's Institution and Man's Ordinances]\n\n4. The nearer, now, our masses are to the first mass of Christ,\nthe better, without doubt, they are; and the farther from\nChrist's mass, the more perilous. For that reason we may not\nboast of ourselves, against the Russians or Greeks, that we alone\nhave a right to hold mass; as little as a priest who wears a red\nchasuble may boast against him who wears one of white or black.\nFor such external additions and differences may by their\ndissimilarity make sects and dissensions, but they can never make\nthe mass better. Although I neither wish nor am able to displace\nor discard all such additions, still, because such pompous forms\nare perilous, we must never permit ourselves to be led away by\nthem from the simple institution by Christ and from the right use\nof the mass. And, indeed, the greatest and most useful art is to\nknow what really and properly belongs to the mass, and what is\nadded and foreign. For where there is no clear distinction, the\neyes and the heart are easily misled by such shamming into a\nfalse impression and delusion; so that what men have invented is\nreckoned the mass, and what the mass is, is never experienced, to\nsay nothing of deriving benefit from it. Thus, alas! it happens\nin our times; for, I fear, every day more than a thousand masses\nare said, of which perhaps not one is a real mass. O dear\nChristian, to have many masses is not to have the mass. There is\nmore to it than that.\n\n[Sidneote: The Chief Thing in the Mass]\n\n5. If we desire to say mass rightly and understand it, then we\nmust give up everything that the eyes and all the senses behold\nand suggest in this act, such as vestments, in bells, songs,\nornaments, prayers, processions, elevations, prostrations, or\nwhatever happens in the mass, until we first lay hold of and\nconsider well the words of Christ, by which He completed and\ninstituted the mass and commanded us to observe it. For therein\nlies the whole mass, its nature, work, profit and benefit, and\nwithout them (i. e., the words) no benefit is derived from the\nmass. But these are the words: _Take and eat, this is My body,\nwhich is given for you. [Matt. 26:26] Take and drink ye all of\nit, this is the cup of the new and eternal testament in My blood,\n[Mark 14:22, 23, 24] which is shed for you and for many for the\nforgiveness of sins_ [Luke 22:19, 20]. These words every\nChristian must have before him in the mass and hold fast to them\nas the chief part of the mass, in which also the really good\npreparation for the mass and sacrament is taught; this we shall\nsee.\n\n[Sidenote: Faith and God's Promises]\n\n6. If man is to deal with God and receive anything from Him, it\nmust happen in this wise, not that man begin lay the first stone,\nbut that God alone, without any entreaty or desire of man, must\nfirst come and give him a promise.[3] This word of God is the\nbeginning, the foundation, the rock, upon which afterward all\nworks, words and thoughts of man must build. This word man must\ngratefully accept, and faithfully believe the divine promise, and\nby no means doubt that it is and comes to pass just as He\npromises. This trust and faith is the beginning, middle, and end\nof all works and righteousness. For, because man does God the\nhonor of regarding and confessing Him as true. He becomes to him\na gracious God, Who in turn honors him and regards and confesses\nhim as true. Thus it is not possible that man, of his own reason\nand strength, should by works ascend to heaven and anticipate\nGod, moving Him to be gracious; but God must anticipate all works\nand thoughts, and make a promise clearly expressed in words,\nwhich man then takes and keeps with a good, firm faith. Then\nfollows the Holy Spirit, Who is given him because of this same\nfaith.\n\n7. Such a promise was given to Adam after his fall, when God\nspake to the serpent: \"I will put enmity between thee and the\nwoman, between her seed and thy seed: she shall crush thy head;\nand thou shalt lie in wait for her foot.\" [Gen. 3:15] [4] In\nthese words, however obscurely, God promises help to human\nnature, namely, that by a woman the devil shall again be\novercome. This promise of God sustained Adam and Eve and all\ntheir children until the time of Noah; in this they believed, and\nby this faith they were saved; else they had despaired. [Gen. 9:9\nf.] In like manner, after the flood, He made a covenant with Noah\nand his children, until the time of Abraham (Genesis xii), whom\nHe summoned out of his fatherland [Gen. 12:1, 3], and promised\nthat in his seed all nations should be blessed [Gen. 18:18]. This\npromise Abraham believed and obeyed, and thereby was justified\nand became the friend of God. [Gen. 22:18; 15:6] In the same book\nthis promise to Abraham is many times repeated, enlarged and made\nmore definite, until Isaac is promised him, who was to be the\nseed from which Christ and every blessing should come. In this\nfaith upon the promise Abraham's children were kept until the\ntime of Christ, although in the mean time it was continually\nrenewed and made more definite by David and many prophets This\npromise the Lord in the Gospel calls \"Abraham's bosom,\" [Luke\n16:22, 23] because in it were kept all who with a right faith\nclung thereto, and, with Abraham, waited for Christ Then came\nMoses, who declared the same promise under many forms in the Law.\n[Ex. 3:6, 7, 8] Through him God promised the people of Israel the\nland of Canaan, while they were still in Egypt; which promise\nthey believed, and by it they were sustained and led into that\nland.\n\n[Sidenote: God's Promise in the Mass--the Testament]\n\n8. In the New Testament, likewise, Christ has made a promise or\nsolemn vow, which we are to believe and thereto come to godliness\nand salvation. This promise is the word in which Christ says:\n\"This is the cup of the New Testament.\" [Luke 22:20] This we\nshall now examine.\n\nNot every vow is called a testament, but only a last irrevocable\nwill of one who is about to die, whereby he bequeaths his goods,\nallotted and assigned to be distributed to whom he will. Just as\nSt. Paul says to the Hebrews that a testament must be made\noperative by death, and avails nothing while he still lives who\nmade the testament. [Heb. 9:16, 17] For other vows, made for this\nlife, may be hindered or recalled, and hence are not called\ntestaments. Therefore, wherever in Scripture God's testament is\nreferred to by the prophets, in that very word the prophets are\ntaught that God would become man and die and rise again, to the\nend that His Word, in which He promised such a testament, might\nbe fulfilled and confirmed. For if He is to make a testament as\nHe promised, then He must die; if He is to die, He must be a\nman. And so that little word \"testament\" is a short summary of\nall God's wonders and grace, fulfilled in Christ.\n\n[Sidenote: Difference between Old and New Testaments]\n\n9. He also distinguishes this testament from others and says, \"It\nis a new and everlasting testament, in His own blood, for the\nforgiveness of sins\"; whereby He disannuls the old testament. For\nthe little word \"new\" makes the testament of Moses old and\nineffective, one that avails no more. The old testament was a\npromise made through Moses to the people of Israel, to whom was\npromised the land of Canaan. For this testament God did not die,\nbut the paschal lamb had to die instead of Christ and as a type\nof Christ; and so it was a temporal testament in the blood of the\npaschal lamb, which was shed for the obtaining and possessing of\nthat land of Canaan. And as the paschal lamb, which died in the\nold testament for the land of Canaan, was a temporal and\ntransitory thing, so too the old testament, together with that\npossession or land of Canaan allotted and promised therein, was\ntemporal and transitory.\n\nBut Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, is an eternal divine Person,\nWho dies to establish the new testament; therefore the testament\nand the possessions therein bequeathed are eternal and abiding.\nAnd that is what He means when He contrasts this testament with\nthat other, and says: A new testament--so that the other may\nbecome old and of none effect. An eternal testament, [Heb. 8:13]\nHe says, not temporal like that other; not to dispose of temporal\nlands or possessions, but of eternal. In My blood, He says, not\nin the blood of a lamb. All this is to the end that the old\nshould be altogether annulled and give place to the new alone.\n\n[Sidenote: What is Promised in the Mass]\n\n10. What then is this testament, and what is bequeathed us\ntherein by Christ? Forsooth, a great, eternal and unspeakable\ntreasure, namely, the forgiveness of all sins, as the words\nplainly state, \"This is the cup of a new eternal testament in My\nblood, that is shed for you and for many for the remission of\nsin.\" [Matt. 26:8, Luke 22:30] As though He said: Behold, man, in\nthese words I promise and bequeath thee forgiveness of all thy\nsin and eternal life. And in order that thou mayest be certain\nand know that such promise remains irrevocably thine, I will die\nfor it, and will give My body and blood for it, and will leave\nthem both to thee as sign and seal, that by them thou mayest\nremember Me.\" [1 Cor. 11:25] So He says: \"As oft as ye do this,\nremember Me.\" [Luke 22:19] Even as a man who bequeathes something\nincludes therein what shall be done for him afterward [1 Cor.\n11:25], as is the custom at present in the requiems and masses\nfor the dead, so also Christ has ordained a requiem for Himself\nin this testament; not that He needs it, but because it is\nnecessary and profitable for us to remember Him; whereby we are\nstrengthened in faith, confirmed in hope and made ardent in love.\nFor as long as we live on earth our lot is such that the evil\nspirit and all the world assail us with joy and sorrow, to\nextinguish our love for Christ, to blot out our faith, and to\nweaken our hope. Wherefore we sorely need this sacrament, in\nwhich we may gain new strength when we have grown weak, and may\ndaily exercise ourselves into the strengthening and uplifting of\nthe spirit.\n\n[Sidenote: Promises and Signs]\n\n11. Furthermore, in all His promises God has usually given a sign\nin addition to the word, for the greater assurance and\nstrengthening of our faith. Thus He gave Noah the sign of the\nrainbow. [Gen. 9:9, 13] To Abraham He gave circumcision as a\nsign. [Gen. 17:11] To Gideon He gave the rain on the ground and\non the fleece [Judg. 6:37 ff.]; and we constantly find in the\nScriptures many of these signs, given along with the promises.\nFor so also worldly testaments are made; not only are the words\nwritten down, but seals and notaries' marks are affixed thereto,\nthat they may always be binding and authentic. Thus Christ has\ndone in this testament and has affixed to the words a powerful\nand most precious seal and sign; this is His own true body and\nblood under the bread and wine. For we poor men, since we live in\nour five senses, must always have, along with the words, at least\none outward sign, on which we may lay hold, and around which we\nmay gather; but in such wise that this sign may be a sacrament,\nthat is, that it may be external and yet contain and express\nsomething spiritual, so that through the external we may be drawn\ninto the spiritual, comprehending the external with the eyes of\nthe body, the spiritual and inward with the eyes of the heart.\n\n[Sidenote: The Parts of the Testament]\n\n12. Now we see how many parts there are in this testament, or the\nmass. There is, first, the testator who makes the testament,\nChrist. Second, the heirs to whom the testament is bequeathed, we\nChristians. Third, the testament in itself, the words of Christ\nwhen He says: \"This is My body which is given for you. This is My\nblood which is shed for you, a new eternal testament, etc.\"\nFourth, the seal or token, the sacrament, bread and wine, and\nunder them His true body and blood. For everything that is in\nthis sacrament must live; therefore He did not put it in dead\nwrit and seal, but in living words and signs which we use from\nday to day.\n\nAnd this is what is meant when the priest elevates the host,[5]\nby which act he addresses us rather than God, as though he said\nto us: Behold, this is the seal and sign of the testament in\nwhich Christ has bequeathed us remission of all an and eternal\nlife. With this agrees also that which is sung by the choir:\n\"Blessed be He that cometh to us in the name of God\" [Matt.\n21:9]?[6] so that we testify how we receive therein blessings\nfrom God, and do not sacrifice nor give to Him. Fifth, the\nbequeathed blessing which the words signify, namely, remission of\nsin and eternal life. Sixth, the obligation, remembrance or\nrequiem which we should observe for Christ, to wit, that we\npreach this His love and grace, hear and meditate upon it, by it\nbe incited and preserved unto love and hope in Him, as St. Paul\nexplains it: \"As oft as ye eat this bread and drink of this cup\nye show the death of Christ.\" [1 Cor. 11:26] And this is what an\nearthly testator does, who bequeaths something to his heirs, that\nhe may leave behind him a good name, the good will of men and a\nblessed memory, that he be not forgotten.\n\n[Sidenote: How the Mass Should be Regarded]\n\n13. From all this it is now easily seen what the mass is, how one\nshould prepare himself for it, how observe and how use it, and\nhow many are the abuses of it. For just as one would act if ten\nthousand _gulden_ were bequeathed him by a good friend: so, and\nwith far more reason, we ought to conduct ourselves toward the\nmass, which is nothing else than an exceeding rich and\neverlasting and good testament bequeathed us by Christ Himself,\nand bequeathed in such wise that He would have had no other\nreason to die except that He wished to make such a testament; so\nfervently desirous was He to pour out His eternal treasures, as\nHe says: \"With desire I have desired to eat this passover with\nyou before I die.\" [Luke 22:15] Hence, too, it comes that in\nspite of many masses we remain so blind and cold, for we do not\nknow what the mass is, what we do in it, nor what we get from it.\n\n[Sidenote: Faith in the word the True Preparation for the Mass]\n\nSince then it is nothing else than a testament, the first and by\nfar the best preparation for the mass is a hungry soul and a firm\njoyful faith of the heart accepting such a testament Who would\nnot go with great and joyful desire, hope and comfort, and demand\na thousand _gulden_, if he knew that at a certain place they had\nbeen bequeathed him; especially if there were no other condition\nthan that he remember, honor, and praise the testator? So, in\nthis matter, you must above all else take heed to your heart,\nthat you believe the words of Christ, and admit their truth, when\nHe says to you and to all: \"This is My blood, a new testament, by\nwhich I bequeath you forgiveness of all sins and eternal life.\"\nHow could you do Him greater dishonor and show greater disrespect\nto the holy mass than by not believing or by doubting? For He\ndesired this to be so certain that He Himself even died for it.\nSurely such doubt would be naught else than denying and\nblaspheming Christ's sufferings and death, and every blessing\nwhich He has thereby obtained.\n\n14. For this reason, I have said, everything depends upon the\nwords of this sacrament, which are the words of Christ, and which\nwe verily should set in pure gold and precious stones, and keep\nnothing more diligently before the eyes of the heart, that faith\nbe exercised thereby. Let another pray, fast, go to confession,\nprepare himself for mass and the sacrament as he will. Do thou\nthe same, but know that all that is pure fool's-work and\nself-deception, if you do not set before you the words of the\ntestament and arouse yourself to believe and desire them. A long\ntime would you have to polish your shoes, pick the lint[7] off\nyour clothes, and deck yourself out to get an inheritance, if you\nhad no letter and seal with which you could prove your right to\nit. But if you have letter and seal, and believe, desire, and\nseek it, it must be given you, even though you were scaly,\nscabby, stinking and most unclean. So if you would receive this\nsacrament and testament worthily, see to it that you bring\nforward these living words of Christ, rely thereon with a strong\nfaith, and desire what Christ has therein promised you: then it\nwill be given you, then are you worthy and well prepared. This\nfaith and confidence must and will make you joyful, and awaken a\nbold love for Christ, by means of which you will begin with joy\nto lead a really good life and with all your heart to flee from\nsin. For he who loves Christ will surely do what pleases Him, and\nleave undone what does not please Him. But who will love Him\nexcept he taste the riches of this testament which Christ, out of\npure mercy, has freely bequeathed to poor sinners? This taste\ncomes by the faith which believes and trusts the testament and\npromise. If Abraham had not believed the promise of God he would\nnever have amounted to anything. Just as certainly, then, as\nAbraham, Noah, and David accepted and believed their promises: so\ncertainly must we also accept and believe this testament and\npromise.\n\n[Sidenote: Who is Worthy]\n\n15. Now there are two temptations which never cease to assail\nyou; the first, that you are entirely unworthy of so rich a\ntestament, the second, that even were you worthy, the blessing is\nso great that human nature is terrified by the greatness of it;\nfor what do not forgiveness of all sin and eternal life bring\nwith them? If either of these temptations comes to you, you must,\nas I have said, esteem the words of Christ more than such\nthoughts. It will not be He that lies to you; your thoughts will\nbe deceiving you.\n\nJust as though a poor beggar, yea, a very knave, were bequeathed\na thousand _gulden_: he would not demand them because of his\nmerit or worthiness, nor fail to claim them because of the\ngreatness of the sum; and if any one should cast up to him his\nunworthiness and the greatness of the sum, he would certainly not\nallow anything of that sort to frighten him, but would say: \"What\nis that to you? I know full well that I am unworthy of the\ninheritance; I do not demand it on my merits, as though it had\nbeen due me, but on the favor and grace of the testator. If he\ndid not think it too much to bequeath to me, why should I so\ndespise myself and not claim and take it?\" So also must a timid,\ndejected conscience insist, against its own thoughts, upon the\ntestament of Christ, and be stubborn in firm faith, despite its\nown unworthiness and the greatness of the blessing. For this very\nreason that which brings to such unworthy ones so great a\nblessing is a divine testament, by which God desires above all\nthings to awaken love to Him. So Christ comforted those dejected\nones who thought the blessing too great and said: \"Faint-hearted\nlittle flock, fear not; it hath pleased your Father to give you\nthe eternal Kingdom.\" [Luke 12:32]\n\n[Sidenote: Abuses of the Mass: 1. The Suppression of the Words]\n\n16. But see now what they have made of the mass! In the first\nplace, they have hidden these words of the testament, and have\ntaught that they are not to be spoken to the laity, that they are\nsecret words to be spoken in the mass only by the priest. Has not\nthe devil here in a masterly way stolen from us the chief thing\nin the mass and put it to silence? For who has ever heard it\npreached that one should give heed in the mass to these words of\nthe testament and insist upon them with a firm faith? And yet\nthis should have been the chief thing. Thus they have been\nafraid, and have taught us to be afraid, where there is no cause\nfor fear, nay, where all our comfort and safety lie.\n\nHow many miserable consciences, which perished from fear and\nsorrow, could have been comforted and rescued by these words!\nWhat devil has told them that the words which should be the most\nfamiliar, the most openly spoken among all Christians, priests\nand laity, men and women, young and old, are to be hidden in\ngreatest secrecy? How should it be possible for us to know what\nthe mass is, or how to use and observe it, if we are not to know\nthe words in which the very mass consists?[8]\n\nBut would to God that we Germans could say mass in German, and\nsing these \"most secret\" words loudest of all! Why should not we\nGermans say mass in our own language, when the Latins, Greeks and\nmany others observe mass in their language? Why should we not\nalso keep secret the words of baptism: \"I baptise thee in the\nname of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen\"?\n[Matt. 28:19] If every one may speak in German, and aloud, these\nwords, which are no less the holy Word and promise of God, why\nshould not every one also be permitted to hear and speak those\nwords of the mass aloud and in German?\n\n[Sidenote: Word and Sign in the Sacraments]\n\n17. Let us learn, then, that in every covenant[9] of God there\nare two things which one must consider; these are Word and Sign.\nIn baptism these are the words of the baptiser and the dipping in\nwater.[10] In the mass they are the words and the bread and wine.\nThe words are the divine covenant, promise and testament. The\nsigns are sacraments, that is sacred signs. Now since the\ntestament is far more important than the sacrament, so the words\nare much more important than the signs. For the signs might be\nlacking, if only one have the words, and thus one might be saved\nwithout sacrament, yet not without testament. For I can daily\nenjoy the sacrament in the mass, if I only keep before my eyes\nthe testament, that is, the words and covenant of Christ, and\nfeed and strengthen my faith thereby.\n\nWe see, then, that the best and greatest part of all sacraments\nand of the mass is the words and covenant of God, without which\nthe sacraments are dead and are nothing at all; like a body\nwithout a soul, a cask without wine, a purse without gold, a type\nwithout fulfilment, a letter without spirit, a sheath without a\nknife, and the like; whence it is true that when we use, hear, or\nsee the mass without the words or testament, and look only to the\nsacrament and sign, we do not even half keep the mass. For\nsacrament without testament is keeping the case without the\njewel, quite an unequal separation and division.\n\n[Sidenote: The Testament ignored]\n\n18. I fear, therefore, that there is at present more idolatry in\nChristendom through the masses than ever occurred among the Jews.\nFor we hear nowhere that the mass is directed toward the feeding\nand strengthening of faith, for which alone it was ordained by\nChrist, but is only used as a sacrament without the testament.\n\nMany have written of the fruits of the mass, and indeed have\ngreatly exalted them; nor do I question the value of these\nfruits. But take heed that you regard them all, compared to this\none thing, as the body compared to the soul. God has here\nprepared for our faith a pasture, table and feast; [Ps. 23] but\nfaith is fed with nothing except the Word of God alone. Therefore\nyou must take heed above all things to the words, exalt them,\nhighly esteem them, and hold them fast; then you will have not\nsimply the little drops of blessing[11] that drip from the mass,\nbut the very head-waters of faith, from which springs and flows\nall that is good, as the Lord says in John vii, \"Whosoever\nbelieveth in Me, out of his belly shall flow streams of living\nwater\" [John 4:14, 15]; again: \"Whosoever shall drink of the\nwater which I give, he shall never thirst, and there shall be in\nhim a spring of living water unto everlasting life.\" We see,\nthen, the first abuse of the mass is this--that we have lost the\nchief blessing, to wit, the testament and the faith. What\nconsequences this has had we now shall see.\n\n19. It follows of necessity, where faith and the Word or promise\nof God decline or are neglected, that there arise in their place\nworks and a false, presumptuous trust in them. For where there is\nno promise of God there is no faith. Where there is no faith,\nthere everyone presumptuously undertakes to better himself by\nmeans of works, and to make himself well-pleasing to God. When\nthis happens, false security and presumption arise therefrom, as\nthough man were well-pleasing to God because of his own works.\nWhen this does not happen, the conscience has no rest, and knows\nnot what to do, that it may become well-pleasing to God.\n\n[Sidenote: Abuses of the Mass: 2. The Mass a Good Work]\n\nSo too I fear that many have made out of the mass a good work,\nwhereby they thought to do a great service to Almighty God. Now,\nif we have rightly understood what has been said above, namely,\nthat the mass is nothing else than a testament and sacrament, in\nwhich God pledges Himself to us and gives us grace and mercy, I\nthink it is not fitting that we should make a good work or merit\nout of it. For a testament is not _beneficium acceptum, sed\ndatum_;[12] it does not derive benefit from us, but brings us\nbenefit. Who has ever heard that he who receives an inheritance\ndoes a good work? He does derive benefit. Likewise in the mass we\ngive Christ nothing, but only take from Him; unless they are\nwilling to call this a good work, that a man be quiet and permit\nhimself to be benefited, to be given food and drink, to be\nclothed and healed, helped and redeemed. Just as in baptism, in\nwhich there is also a divine testament and sacrament, no one\ngives God anything or does Him a service, but instead takes\nsomething; so too in all the other sacraments, and in the sermon.\nFor if one sacrament cannot be a meritorious good work, then no\nother can be a work; because they are all of one kind, and it is\nthe nature of a sacrament or testament that it is not a work, but\nonly an exercise of faith.\n\n[Sidenote: Good Works Connected with the Mass]\n\n20. It is true, indeed, that when we come together to the mass to\nreceive the testament and sacrament, and to nourish and\nstrengthen faith, we there offer our prayer with one accord, and\nthis prayer, which arises out of faith, and is for the increase\nof faith, is truly a good work; and we also distribute alms among\nthe poor; as was done aforetime when the Christians gathered food\nand other needful things, which after the mass were distributed\namong the needy, as we learn from St. Paul. But this work and\nprayer are quite another thing than the testament and sacrament,\n[1 Cor. 11:21, 22] which no one can offer or give to God or to\nmen, but every one takes and receives of it for himself only, in\nproportion as he believes and trusts. Now just as I cannot\nreceive or give the sacrament of baptism, of penance, or of\nextreme unction in any one's stead or for his benefit, but I take\nfor myself alone the blessing therein offered by God, and there\nis here not _officium_, but _beneficium_, i. e., not work or\nservice, but reception and benefit alone; so also, no one can say\nor hear mass for another, but each one for himself alone, for it\nis purely a taking and receiving.\n\nThis is all easily understood, if one only considers what the\nmass really is, namely, a testament and sacrament; that is, God's\nWord and promise, together with a sacred sign, the bread and the\nwine, under which Christ's body and blood are truly present. For\nby what process of reasoning could a man be said to do a good\nwork for another when, like the others, he comes as one in need,\nand takes to himself the words and sign of God in which God\npromises and grants him grace and help? Surely, to receive God's\nWord, sign, and grace is not the imparting of good, or the doing\nof a good work, but is simply a \"taking to oneself.\"\n\n[Sidenote: Abuses of the Mass: 3. The Mass as a Sacrifice]\n\n21. Now, since the whole world has made a sacrifice of the mass,\nwherein they bring an offering to God, which without doubt is the\nthird and very worst abuse, we must dearly distinguish between\nwhat we offer and what we do not offer in the mass.\n\nBeyond all doubt the word \"offering\" in the mass has arisen and\nhas remained until now, because in the times of the Apostles,\nwhen some of the practices of the Old Testament were still\nobserved, the Christians brought food, money and necessities,\nwhich were distributed in connection with mass among the needy,\nas I have said before.[13] For so we still read in Acts iv, that\nthe Christians sold all that they had, and brought it to the feet\nof the Apostles, who then had it distributed and gave of the\ncommon possessions to every one as he needed. [Acts 4:34, 35]\nEven so the Apostle Paul teaches, that all food and whatsoever we\nuse shall be blessed with prayer and the Word of God, and thanks\nbe given to God therefor [Rom. 14:6, 7; 1 Cor. 10:30,31]; hence\nwe say the _Benedicite_ and _Gratias_[14] at table. Thus it was\nthe custom of the Old Testament, when men thanked God for gifts\nreceived, that they lifted them up in their hands to God; as is\nwritten in the law of Moses. [Exod. 34:26; Num.15:19, 20]\nTherefore, the apostles also lifted up the offerings in this way,\nthanked God, and blessed, with the Word of God, food and whatever\nthe Christians gathered. And Christ Himself, as St. Luke writes,\nlifted up the cup, gave thanks to God, drank of it, and gave to\nthe others, before He instituted the sacrament and testament.\n[Luke 22:17]\n\n[Sidenote: The Collect and Offeratory]\n\n22. Traces of this usage have survived in three customs. The\nfirst, that the first and last prayer of the mass are called\n\"collects,\" that is, \"collections\"; which indicates that these\nprayers were spoken as a blessing and thanksgiving over the food\nwhich had been collected, to bless it and give thanks to God,\naccording to the teaching of St. Paul [1 Cor. 10:30, 31]. The\nsecond, when the people after the Gospel proceed to the offering;\nfrom which the chant which is sung at that time is called\n\"Offertory,\" that is, an offering. The third, that the priest\nelevates in the paten and offers to God the still unblessed host,\nat the same time that the offertory is being sung and the people\nare making their offering; by which is shown that the sacrament\nis not offered to God by us, but only these \"collects\" and\nofferings of food and gifts that have been gathered, in order\nthat God may be thanked for them, and they may be blessed, to be\ndistributed to the needy.\n\nFor afterward, when the priest, in the \"low mass,\" [15] elevates\nthe blessed host and cup, there is not a word said about the\nsacrifice, where he should most of all make mention of the\nsacrifice, if the mass were a sacrifice: but, as I have said\nabove,[16] he elevates it not toward God, but toward us, to\nremind us of the testament, and to incite us to faith in the\nsame. In like manner, when he receives or administers the\nsacrament, he does not mention the sacrifice by a single word;\nwhich must and should be done were the sacrament a sacrifice.\nTherefore, the mass dare not and cannot be called or be a\nsacrifice because of the sacrament, but only because of the food\nwhich is gathered and the prayer with which God is thanked and\nwith which it is blessed.\n\n[Sidenote: The Offering at the Mass]\n\n23. Now the custom of gathering food and money at the mass has\nfallen into disuse, and not more than a trace of it remains in\nthe offering of the _pfennig_ on the high festivals, and\nespecially on Easter Day, when they still bring cakes, meat,\neggs, etc., to church to be blessed. Now in place of such\nofferings and collections, endowed churches, monastic houses and\nhospitals have been erected, and should be maintained for the\nsole purpose that the needy in every city may be given all they\nneed, that there be no beggar or needy one among the Christians,\nbut that each and all may have from the mass enough for body and\nsoul.\n\nBut all this is reversed. Just as the mass is not rightly\nexplained to men, but is understood as a sacrifice, not as a\ntestament, so, on the other hand, that which is and ought to be\nthe offering, namely, the possessions of the churches and\nmonastic houses, is no longer offered and is not given, with the\nthanksgiving and blessing of God, to the needy to whom it ought\nto be given. Therefore God is provoked to anger, and now permits\nthe possessions of the churches and monastic houses to become the\noccasion of war, of worldly pomp, and of such abuse that no other\nblessing is so shamefully and blasphemously managed and wasted.\nAnd since it does not serve the poor, for whom it was appointed,\nit is indeed meet and right that it should remain unworthy to\nserve for anything but sin and shame.\n\n[Sidenote: The Mass Not a Sacrifice]\n\n24. Now if you ask what is left in the mass to give it the name\nof a sacrifice, since so much is said in the Office about the\nsacrifice, I answer: Nothing is left. For, to be brief and to the\npoint, we must let the mass be a sacrament and testament, and\nthis is not and cannot be a sacrifice any more than the other\nsacraments--baptism, confirmation, penance, extreme unction,\netc.--are sacrifices.[17] Otherwise we should lose the Gospel,\nChrist, the comfort of the sacrament and every grace of God.\nTherefore we must separate the mass clearly and distinctly from\nthe prayers and ceremonies which have been added by the holy\nfathers, and keep the two as far apart as heaven and earth, that\nthe mass may remain nothing else than the testament and sacrament\ncomprehended in the words of Christ. What there is over and\nbeyond these words we are to regard, in comparison with the words\nof Christ, as we regard the monstrance[18] and corporal[19] in\ncomparison with the host and the sacrament itself; and these we\nregard as nothing but additions for the reverent and seemly\nadministration of the sacrament. Now just as we regard the\nmonstrance, corporal and altar-cloths compared with the\nsacrament, so we are to look upon all added words, works and\nceremonies of the mass compared with the words of Christ Himself,\nin which He gives and ordains this testament. For if the mass or\nsacrament were a sacrifice, we would have to say that it is a\nmass and sacrifice when the sacrament is brought to the sick in\ntheir home, or when those in health receive it in the church, and\nthat there are as many masses and sacrifices as the number of\nthose who approach the sacrament. If in this case it is not a\nsacrifice, how is it a sacrifice in the hand of the priest, since\nit is still one and the same sacrament, one and the same use, one\nand the same benefit, and in all respects the same sacrament and\ntestament with all of us?\n\n[Sidenote: The Spiritual Sacrifice in the Mass]\n\n25. We should, therefore, give careful heed to this word\n\"sacrifice,\" that we do not presume to give God something in the\nsacrament, when it is He who therein gives us all things. We\nshould bring spiritual sacrifices, since the external sacrifices\nhave ceased and have been changed into the gifts to churches,\nmonastic houses and charitable institutions. What sacrifices\nthen are we to offer? Ourselves, and all that we have, with\nconstant prayer, as we say: \"Thy will be done on earth as in\nheaven.\" [Matt. 6:10] Whereby we are to yield ourselves to the\nwill of God, that He may do with us what He will, according to\nHis own pleasure; in addition, we are to offer Him praise and\nthanksgiving with our whole heart, for His unspeakable, sweet\ngrace and mercy, which He has promised and given us in this\nsacrament. And although such a sacrifice occurs apart from the\nmass, and should so occur, for it does not necessarily and\nessentially belong to the mass, as has been said,[20] yet it is\nmore precious, more seemly, more mighty and also more acceptable\nwhen it takes place with the multitude and in the assembly where\nmen provoke, move and inflame one another to press close to God,\nand thereby attain without all doubt what they desire.\n\nFor so has Christ promised; where two are gathered together in\nHis name there He is in the midst of them, and where two agree on\nearth as touching anything that they shall ask, all shall be done\nthat they ask. [Matt. 18:19, 20] How much more shall they obtain\nwhat they ask, when a whole city comes together to praise God and\nto pray with one accord! We would not need many\nindulgence-letters if we proceeded aright in this matter. Souls\nalso would easily be redeemed from purgatory and innumerable\nblessings would follow. But, alas! that is not the way it goes.\nEverything is reversed; what the mass is intended to do, we take\nupon us and want to do ourselves; what we ought to do we give\nover to the mass. All this is the work of unlearned, false\npreachers.\n\n26. To be sure, this sacrifice of prayer, praise and\nthanksgiving, and of ourselves, we are not to present before God\nin our own person, but we are to lay it on Christ and let Him\npresent it, as St. Paul teaches in Hebrews xiii: \"Let us offer\nthe sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of\nthe lips which confess Him and praise Him,\" [Heb. 13:15] and all\nthis through Christ. For He is also a priest, as Psalm cx says:\n\"Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek\" [Ps.\n110:4]; because He intercedes for us in heaven, receives our\nprayer and sacrifice, and through Himself, as a godly priest,\nmakes them pleasing to God [Heb. 5:6, 10, etc.], as St. Paul says\nagain in Hebrews ix: \"He is ascended into Heaven to be a mediator\nin the presence of God for us\" [Heb. 9:24]; and: \"It is Christ\nJesus that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, Who is even at\nthe right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us.\"\n[Rom. 8:34]\n\n[Sidenote: Christ the Priest: Christians the Sacrifice]\n\nFrom these words we learn that we do not offer Christ as a\nsacrifice, but that Christ offers us. And in this way it is\npermissible, yea, profitable, to call the mass a sacrifice, not\non its own account, but because we offer ourselves as a sacrifice\nalong with Christ; that is, we lay ourselves on Christ by a firm\nfaith in His testament, and appear before God with our prayer,\npraise and sacrifice only through Him and through His mediation;\nand we do not doubt that He is our priest and minister in heaven\nbefore God. Such faith, forsooth, brings it to pass that Christ\ntakes up our cause, presents us, our prayer and praise, and also\noffers Himself for us in heaven. If the mass were so understood\nand therefore called a sacrifice, it would be well. Not that we\noffer the sacrament, but that by our praise, prayer and sacrifice\nwe move Him and give Him occasion to offer Himself for us in\nheaven, and ourselves with Him. As though I were to say, I had\nbrought a king's son to his father as an offering, when, indeed,\nI had done no more than induce that son to present my need and\npetition to the king, and made the son my mediator.\n\n[Sidenote: All Christians Priests]\n\n27. Few, however, understand the mass in this way. For they\nsuppose that only the priest offers the mass as a sacrifice\nbefore God, although this is done and should be done by everyone\nwho receives the sacrament, yea, also by those who are present at\nthe mass and do not receive the sacrament. Furthermore, such\noffering of sacrifice every Christian may make, wherever he is\nand at all times, as St. Paul says: \"Let us offer the sacrifice\nof praise continually through Him,\" [Heb. 13:15] and Psalm cx:\n\"Thou art a priest forever.\" [Ps. 110:4] If He is a priest\nforever, then He is at all times a priest and is offering\nsacrifices without ceasing before God. But we cannot be\ncontinually the same, and therefore the mass has been instituted\nthat we may there come together and offer such sacrifice in\ncommon.\n\nBut let him who understands the mass otherwise or uses it\notherwise than as a testament and sacrifice of this kind take\nheed how he understands it. I understand it, as has been said, to\nbe really nothing else than this, that we receive the testament\nand at the same time admonish ourselves and be minded to\nstrengthen our faith and not doubt that Christ is our priest in\nheaven, who offers Himself for us without ceasing and presents us\nand our prayer and praise, and makes them acceptable; just as\nthough I were to offer the human priest as a sacrifice in the\nmass and appoint him to present my need and my praise of God, and\nhe were to give me a token that he would do it. In this case I\nwould be offering the priest as a sacrifice; and it is in this\nwise that I offer Christ, in that I desire and believe that He\naccepts me and my prayer and praise, and presents it to God in\nHis own person, and to strengthen this faith, gives me a token\nthat He will do it. This token is the sacrament of bread and\nwine. Thus it becomes clear that it is not the priest alone who\noffers the sacrifice of the mass, but every one's faith, which is\nthe true priestly office, through which Christ is offered as a\nsacrifice to God. This office the priest, with the outward\nceremonies of the mass, simply represents. Each and all are,\ntherefore equally spiritual priests before God. [Rev. 1:6; 5:10,\n1 Pet. 2:9]\n\n[Sidenote: Faith the True Priestly Office]\n\n28. From this you can see for yourself that there are many who\nrightly observe mass and make this sacrifice, who themselves know\nnothing about it, nay, who do not realize that they are priests\nand can observe mass. Again, there are many who take great pains\nand apply themselves with all diligence, thinking that they are\nkeeping the mass properly and offering a right sacrifice, and yet\nthere is nothing right about it. For all those who have the faith\nthat Christ is a priest for them in heaven before God, and who\nlay on Him their prayers and praise, their need and their whole\nselves, and present them through Him, not doubting that He does\nthis very thing, and offers Himself for them, these take the\nsacrament and testament, outwardly or spiritually, as a sign of\nall this, and do not doubt that all sin is thereby forgiven, that\nGod has become their gracious Father and that everlasting life is\nprepared for them.\n\nAll such, then, wherever they may be, are true priests, observe\nthe mass aright and also obtain by it what they desire. For faith\nmust do everything. It alone is the true priestly office and\npermits no one else to take its place. Therefore all Christians\nare priests; the men, priests, the women, priestesses, be they\nyoung or old, masters or servants, mistresses or maids, learned\nor unlearned. Here there is no difference, unless faith be\nunequal. Again, all who do not have such faith, but presume to\nmake much of the mass as a sacrifice, and perform this office\nbefore God, are figure-heads. They observe mass outwardly and do\nnot themselves know what they are doing, and cannot be well\npleasing to God. For without true faith it is impossible to\nplease Him, as St. Paul says in Hebrews xi. [Heb. 11:6] Now there\nare many who, hidden in their hearts, have such true faith, and\nthemselves know not of it; many there are who do not have it, and\nof this, too, they are unaware.\n\n[Sidenote: Masses for the Dead]\n\n39. It has become a wide-spread custom to found masses for the\ndead, and many books have been written about it. If we ask now,\nOf what benefit are the masses celebrated for the souls which are\nkept in purgatory? the answer is: What is custom! God's Word must\nprevail and remain true, to wit, that the mass is nothing else\nthan a testament and sacrament of God, and cannot be a good work\nor a sacrifice, although it may be taken to include sacrifice and\ngood works, as was said above.[21]\n\nThere is no doubt, therefore, that whoever observes mass without\nthe faith aforementioned benefits neither himself nor any one\nelse. For the sacrament in itself, without faith, does nothing;\nnay, God Himself, Who indeed doeth all things, does and can do\ngood to no one unless he firmly believes Him; how much less can\nthe sacrament. It is easy to say, a mass is effective whether it\nbe performed by a pious or a wicked priest, that it is acceptable\n_opere operati_, not _opere operantis_.[22] But to produce no\nother argument except that many say this, and it has become a\ncustom, is poor proof that it is right. Many have praised\npleasures and riches and have grown accustomed to them; that does\nnot make them right; we should produce Scripture or reason for\nit. Therefore let us take heed lest we be made fools. I cannot\nconclude that the institution of so many masses and requiems can\nbe without abuse, especially since all this is done as a good\nwork and sacrifice by which to pay God, whereas in the mass there\nis nothing else than the reception and enjoyment of divine grace,\npromised and given us in His testament and sacrament.\n\n30. I will gladly agree that the faith which I have called[23]\nthe true priestly office, which makes of us all priests and\npriestesses, through which in connection with the sacrament we\noffer ourselves, our need, prayer, praise and thanksgiving in\nChrist and through Christ, and thereby offer Christ before God,\nthat is, give Him cause and move Him to offer Himself for us and\nus with Himself--this faith, I say, is truly able to do all\nthings in heaven, earth, hell and purgatory, and to this faith no\none can ascribe too much. And as I have said above,[24] if\nChrist promises to two persons the answers to all their prayers\n[Matt. 18:19], how much more may so many obtain from Him what\nthey desire!\n\nI know full well that some will be very ready to call me a\nheretic in this. But, dear fellow, you should also consider\nwhether you can prove as easily as you slander. I have read all\nthat, and I know the books on which you rely, so you need not\nthink I do not know your art. But I say that your art has no\nfoundation, and that you cannot defend it, and that out of a\nsacrament or testament of God you will never make a sacrifice or\na work of satisfaction, and, indeed, satisfaction itself is more\nof a human than a divine law.[25]\n\nTherefore my advice is, let us hold fast to that which is\nsure[26] and let the uncertain go; that is, if we would help\nthese poor souls in purgatory or any one else, let us not take\nthe risk of relying upon the mass as a sufficient work, but\nrather come together to mass, and with priestly faith[27] present\nevery besetting need, in Christ and with Christ, praying for the\nsouls [of the departed], and not doubting that we will be heard.\nThus we may be sure that the soul is redeemed. For the faith\nwhich rests on the promise of Christ never deceives nor fails.\n\n[Sidenote: The Need for the Sacrament]\n\n31. So we read that St. Monica, St Augustine's mother, on her\ndeath-bed, desired to be remembered in the mass.[28] If the mass\nwere sufficient of itself to help everyone, what need would there\nbe for faith and prayer? But you might say, if this is true,\nanyone might observe mass and offer such a sacrifice, even in the\nopen fields. For every one may indeed have such a faith in Christ\nin the open fields, and offer and commit to Him his prayer,\npraise, need and cause, to bring it before God in heaven, and\nbesides he may also think of the sacrament and testament,\nheartily desire it, and in this way spiritually receive it. For\nhe who desires it and believes, receives it spiritually, as St.\nAugustine teaches.[29]\n\nWhat need is there then to observe mass in the churches? I\nanswer: It is true, such faith is enough, and truly accomplishes\neverything, but how could you think of this faith, sacrifice,\nsacrament and testament if it were not visibly administered in\ncertain designated places and churches? The same is true in the\ncase of baptism and absolution, although faith is sufficient\nwithout them, where no more can be done; still if there were no\nplace for their administration, who could think of them and\nbelieve in them, or who could know or say anything of them?\nMoreover, since God has so ordered this sacrament, we must not\ndespise it, but receive it with great reverence, praise and\ngratitude. For if there were no other reason why we should\nobserve mass outwardly and not be satisfied with inward faith\nalone, yet were this sufficient, that God so orders and wills it.\nAnd His will ought to please us above all things and be\nsufficient reason to do or omit anything.\n\nThere is also this advantage: since we are still living in the\nflesh and are not all perfect enough to rule ourselves in spirit,\nwe need to come together to enkindle such a faith in one another\nby example, prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, as I have said\nabove,[30] and through the outward seeing and receiving of the\nsacrament and testament to move each other to the increase of\nthis faith. There are many saints, who like St. Paul the\nHermit,[31] remained for years in the desert without mass, and\nyet were never without mass. But such a high spiritual example\ncannot be imitated by everyone or by the whole Church.\n\n[Sidenote: The Mass a Proclamation of the Gospel]\n\n33. But the chief reason for outwardly holding mass is the Word\nof God, which no one can do without, and which must daily be used\nand studied. Not only because every day Christians are born,\nbaptised and trained, but because we live in the midst of the\nworld, the flesh and the devil, who do not cease to tempt us and\ndrive us into sin, against which the most powerful weapon is the\nholy Word of God, as St. Paul also calls it, \"a spiritual sword,\"\n[Eph. 6:17] which is powerful against all sin. This the Lord\nindicated when He instituted the mass and said: \"This do in\nremembrance of Me\" [Luke 22:19]; as though He said, \"As often as\nyou use this sacrament and testament you shall preach of Me,\" As\nalso St. Paul says in I. Corinthians xi, \"As oft as ye eat this\nbread and drink this cup ye shall preach and proclaim the death\nof the Lord until He come\" [1 Cor. 11:26]; and Psalm cii, \"They\nshall declare the glory of the Lord in Zion and His praise in\nJerusalem, as often as the kings (that is, the bishops and\nrulers) and the people come together to serve the lord\" [Ps.\n102:21, 22]; and Psalm cxi, \"He hath instituted a memorial of His\nwonders in that He has given meat to all who fear Him.\" [Ps.\n111:4, 5]\n\nIn these passages you see how the mass was instituted to preach\nand praise Christ, to glorify His sufferings and all His grace\nand goodness, that we may be moved to love Him, hope and believe\nin Him, and thus, in addition to this Word or sermon, receive an\noutward sign, that is, the sacrament, to the end that our faith,\nprovided with and confirmed by divine words and signs, may become\nstrong against all sin, suffering, death and hell and everything\nthat is against us. And but for the preaching of the Word He\nwould nevermore have instituted the mass. He is more concerned\nabout the Word than about the sign. For the preaching ought to be\nnothing but an explanation of the words of Christ when He\ninstitutes the mass and says: \"This is My body. This is My blood,\netc.\" What is the whole Gospel but an explanation of this\ntestament? Christ has comprehended the whole Gospel in a short\nsummary with the words of this testament or sacrament. For the\nwhole Gospel is nothing but a proclamation of God's grace and of\nthe forgiveness of all sins, granted us through the sufferings of\nChrist, as St. Paul proves in Romans x [Rom. 10:9, 11, 13]; and\nChrist in Luke xxiv [Luke 24:46, 47]. This same thing the words\nof this testament contain, as we have seen.\n\n34. From this we may see what a pity and perversion it is that so\nmany masses are said, and yet the Gospel is kept altogether\nsilent. They stand and preach, and give to poor souls chaff for\nwheat, yea, death for life, intending afterward to make up for it\nwith many masses. What sort of baptism would that be, if the\nwater were poured upon the child and not a word were said? I fear\nthat the holy words of the testament are read so secretly, and\nkept hidden from the laity, because God in His wrath is\ntestifying thereby that the whole Gospel is no longer publicly\npreached to the people, that even as the summary of the Gospel is\nhidden, so also its public explanation has ceased.\n\n[Sidenote: The Withdrawal of the Cup]\n\nNext, they took entirely from us the one element, the wine,\nalthough that does not matter much, for the Word is more\nimportant than the sign. Still, I should like to know who gave\nthem the power to do such a thing. In the same way they might\ntake from us the other element and give us the empty monstrance\nto kiss as a relic, and at last abolish everything that Christ\nhas instituted. I fear it is a figure and type that augurs\nnothing good in these perilous, perverted latter days. It is said\nthat the pope has the power to do it; I say that is all fiction,\nhe does not have a hair's breadth of power to change what Christ\nhas made; and whatever of these things he changes, that he does\nas a tyrant and Antichrist. I should like to hear how they will\nprove it.\n\nNot that I wish to cause a turmoil about it, for I regard the\nWord as mightier than the sign, but I cannot permit the outrage\nwhen they not only do us wrong, but wish to have a right thereto,\nand force us not only to permit such a wrong, but also to praise\nit as right and good. Let them do what they will, so long as we\nare not obliged to acknowledge wrong as right. It is enough that\nwe permit ourselves, with Christ, to be smitten on the cheek\n[John 18:22], but it is not for us to praise it, as though they\nhad done well therein and earned God's reward.\n\n[Sidenote: Superstitious Use of Mass]\n\n35. But what of those poor priests and laymen who have departed\nso far from the true meaning of the mass and of faith that they\nhave even made of it a sort of magic? Some men have masses said\nthat they may become rich and prosper in their business, others\nbecause they think if they hear mass in the morning they will be\nsafe during the day from all danger and want; some, again, on\naccount of sickness; others for still more foolish, yea, even\nsinful reasons, and yet they find priests perverted enough to\ntake their money and do their bidding.\n\n[Sidenote: Distinction of Masses]\n\nFurthermore, they have now made one mass better than another; one\nis valued as useful for this, another for that. Thus they have\nmade seven \"Golden Masses.\" [33] The \"Mass of the Holy Cross\" has\ncome to have a different virtue from the \"Mass of Our Lady.\" In\nthis matter every one is silent and permits the people to go on\nfor the sake of the cursed, filthy _pfennigs_, which through\nthese various titles and virtues of the mass come piling in. So\nmust faith, like Christ, be sold by its Judas, that is, by\ncovetousness and the thirst for money. [Matt. 26:15, 16]\n\nSome are to be found also who have mass said privately, for this\nand for that; in short, the mass must do all kinds of things,\nexcept its own peculiar work--faith, which no one regards. They\nnow are the best men on earth who have many masses said, as\nthough they thought thereby to lay up many good works. All of\nthis is the work of ignorance, which does not separate the hymns\nand prayers, which have been added, from the true, original mass.\nFor one mass is like another and there is no difference, except\nin the faith. For the mass is best to him who believes most, and\nit serves only to increase faith, and for nothing else. True,\nindeed, the added prayers do serve, one this purpose, another\nthat, according to the meaning of their words, but they are not\nthe mass or the sacrament.\n\n[Sidenote: Reduction in the Number of Masses]\n\n36. I would advise then, that where the masses are not directed\ntoward such faith, they be abolished, and that there be fewer\nmasses endowed for the souls of the dead. Truly we provoke God\nto anger with them more than we conciliate Him. To what purpose\nare the priests in the chapter houses and cloisters so strictly\nbound to observe the yearly[34] masses, since they are not only\nwithout such faith, but also are often of necessity unfit. Christ\nHimself did not desire to bind anyone thereto and left us wholly\nfree when He said: \"This do ye, as oft as ye do it, in\nremembrance of Me.\" [1 Cor. 11:25] And we men bind ourselves so\nfast and drive ourselves on against our own conscience. I see too\nthat such an institution often has no good reason, but a secret\ngreed is at the bottom of the obligation and that we burden\nourselves with many masses in order that we may have sufficient\nincome in temporal things; afterward we say that we do it for\nGod's sake. I fear few would be found who gratuitously and for\nGod's sake would thus burden themselves. But if all these masses\nare observed in the faith above mentioned, which I scarcely\nexpect, they are to be tolerated. But if not, then it would be\nbest that there be only one mass a day in a city, and that it be\nheld in a proper manner in the presence of the assembled people.\nIf at any time, however, we desire to have more, the people\nshould be divided into as many parts as there are masses, and\neach part should be made to attend its own mass, there to\nexercise their faith and to offer their prayer, praise and need\nin Christ, as was said above.[35]\n\n[Sidenote: Proper Preparation for the Mass]\n\n37. If, then, the mass is a testament and sacrament in which the\nforgiveness of sins and every grace of God are promised and\nsealed with a sign, it follows of itself, what is the best\npreparation for it. Without doubt, it is given to them that need\nit and desire it. But who needs forgiveness of sins and God's\ngrace more than just these poor miserable consciences that are\ndriven and tormented by their sins, are afraid of God's anger and\njudgment, of death and of hell, that would be glad to have a\ngracious God and desire nothing more greatly? These are truly\nthey who are well-prepared for mass. For them these words have\nforce and meaning, when Christ says: \"Take and drink, this is My\nblood, which is shed for you for the remission of sins.\" [Matt.\n26:27] Where such a soul believes these words, as it ought, it\nreceives from the mass all the fruits of the mass, that is, peace\nand joy, and is thus well and richly fed by it in spirit. But\nwhere there is no faith, there no prayer helps, nor the hearing\nof many masses; things can only become worse. As Psalm xxiii\nsays: \"Thou preparest a table before me against all my enemies.\"\n[Ps. 23:5] Is this not a clear passage? What greater enemies are\nthere than sin and an evil conscience which at all times fears\nGod's anger and never has rest? Again, Psalm cxi says: \"He hath\nmade His wonderful works to be remembered and hath given meat to\nthem that fear Him.\" [Ps. 111:4, 5] It is certain then that for\nbold, confident spirits, whose sin does not prick them, the mass\nis of no value, for they have as yet no hunger for this food, but\nare still too full. The mass demands and must have a hungry soul,\nwhich longs for forgiveness of sins and divine favor.\n\n[Sidenote: The Mass a Remedy against Despair and Doubt]\n\n38. But because this despair and unrest of conscience are nothing\nbut an infirmity of faith, the severest malady which man can have\nin body and soul, and which cannot at once or speedily be cured,\nit is useful and necessary that the more restless a man's\nconscience, the more should he approach the sacrament or hear\nmass, provided that he picture to himself therein the Word of\nGod, and feed and strengthen his faith by it, and ever see to it\nthat he do not make a work or sacrifice of it, but let it remain\na testament and sacrament, out of which he shall take and enjoy a\nbenefit freely and of grace, by which his heart may become sweet\ntoward God and obtain a comforting confidence toward Him. For so\nsings the Psalter, Psalm civ, \"The bread strengtheneth man's\nheart, and the wine maketh glad the heart of man.\" [Ps. 104:15]\n\n[Sidenote: A Sacrament for the Deaf and Dumb]\n\n39. Some have asked whether the sacrament is to be offered also\nto the deaf and dumb. Some think it a kindness to practice a\npious fraud upon them, and think they should be given unblessed\nwafers. This mockery is not right, and will not please God, Who\nhas made them Christians as well as us; and the same things are\ndue to them as to us. Therefore, if they have sound\nunderstanding and can show by indubitable signs that they desire\nit in true Christian devotion, as I have often seen, we should\nleave to the Holy Spirit what is His work and not refuse Him what\nHe demands. It may be that inwardly they have a better\nunderstanding and faith than we, and this no one should\npresumptuously oppose. Do we not read of St. Cyprian,[36] the\nholy martyr, that in Carthage, where he was bishop, he gave both\nelements to the children, although that has now ceased, for good\nreasons? Christ permitted the children to come to Him, and would\nnot suffer any one to forbid them [Mark 10:13 ff.]. And in like\nmanner He has withheld His blessings neither from dumb or blind,\nnor from the lame; why should not His sacrament also be for those\nwho heartily and in a Christian spirit desire it?\n\n[Sidenote: Conclusion]\n\n40. Thus we see with how very few laws and works Christ has\nweighed down His holy Church, and with how many promises He has\nlifted it up to faith; although now, alas! all is turned about,\nand we are driven by many long and burdensome laws and works to\nbecome pious; and nothing comes of it. But Christ's burden is\nlight [Matt. 11:30] and soon produces an abundant piety, which\nconsists in faith and trust, and fulfils what Isaiah says: \"A\nlittle perfection shall bring a flood full of all piety.\" [Isa.\n10:32 (Vulgate)] That burden is faith, which is a little thing,\nto which belong neither laws nor works, nay it cuts off all laws\nand works and fulfils all laws and works. Therefore there flows\nfrom it nothing but righteousness. For so perfect is faith, that\nwithout any other labor and law, it makes everything that man\ndoes acceptable and well-pleasing to God. As I have further said\nof it in my little book \"Of Good Works.\" [37]\n\nTherefore, let us beware of sins, but much more of laws and good\nworks, and only give heed to the divine promise and to faith;\nthen good works will come of themselves. To this may God help\nus. Amen.\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] See above, p. 25, note 1.\n\n[2] Luther's customary term for the law of the Church, or \"Canon\nLaw.\"\n\n[3] For the application of this principle to the sacrament of\npenance, see the _Discussion of Confession_ above, p. 82 f.\n\n[4] Luther quotes from the Vulgate, St. Jerome's Latin version of\nthe Bible.\n\n[5] The bread of the Lord's Supper.\n\n[6] The _Sanctus_ in the mass.\n\n[7] Luther says \"feathers.\"\n\n[8] _Darinnen die Messe steht und geht_.\n\n[9] _Gel\u00fcbde_, literally \"vow.\"\n\n[10] On the mode of baptism see the _Treatise on Baptism_ in this\nvolume. Cf. _Small Catechism_, Part IV, 4, and _Large Catechism_,\nPart IV.\n\n[11] _Tropffr\u00fcchtlein_.\n\n[12] \"Not a benefit received, but a benefit conferred.\"\n\n[13] See p. 309.\n\n[14] i. e., Blessing and Thanksgiving at Table; cf. Appendix II.\nof the _Small Catechism_.\n\n[15] Called the \"still\" mass because said without music.\n\n[16] See p. 302.\n\n[17] Luther at this period still acknowledges seven sacraments.\nBut see the _Babylonian Captivity_, written in October 1520.\n\n[18] The receptacle in which the consecrated host is shown to the\npeople.\n\n[19] The corporal-cloth spread over the altar during the\ncommunion service.\n\n[20] See p. 306.\n\n[21] See pp. 308 f., 311 ff.\n\n[22] It is the teaching of the Roman Church that a sacrament is\neffective _ex opere operato_, i. e., simply as a sacrament\nordained of God. Intended to guard against the idea that the\nvalidity of the sacrament depended on the character of the priest\nor of the recipient, it gave rise to the notion that the\nsacrament worked a sort of sacred magic.\n\n[23] See p. 316.\n\n[24] See p. 313.\n\n[25] Cf. XCV Theses, pp. 19, 41.\n\n[26] _Lasst uns des gewissen spielen_.\n\n[27] See p. 316.\n\n[28] Confessions of St. Augustine, Book IX, Chapter XI.\n\n[29] This is the _votum sacramenti_, which, according to Roman\nteaching, suffices for salvation if participation in the\nsacrament is impossible.\n\n[30] See p. 313.\n\n[31] Paul of Thebes, an Egyptian hermit of the III. Century,\nwhose life was written by St. Jerome.\n\n[32] The translators have followed the numbering of the text in\nthe _Weimar_ and _Erlangen Editions_, which omit No. 32 in\nnumbering the paragraphs.\n\n[33] The mass held for the Blessed Virgin in Hildsheim on the\nsecond Sunday after St. Michael's Day is, on account of its\nmagnificence, called \"golden.\" Du Cange.\n\n[34] The masses which are observed every day throughout the year.\n\n[35] See p. 313 f.\n\n[36] Bishop of Carthage, died 258.\n\n[37] See above, pp. 187 ff.\n\n\nTHE PAPACY AT ROME\n\nAN ANSWER TO THE CELEBRATED ROMANIST AT LEIPZIG\n\n1520\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\nLuther's declaration of emancipation from the spiritual\npre-eminence of the Church of Rome, which, said he, \"is proven\nsolely by the by the empty papal decretals of the last four\nhundred years, and against which there stands the testimony of\nthe authentic history of eleven hundred years, the text of Holy\nScripture, and the decree of the Nicene Council,\" appeared in\nprint in spring 1519.[1] It was in the form of a\ncounter-thesis[2] to Eck's specious and celebrated \"Thirteenth\nThesis.\" It culminated in the Leipzig Disputation in July.\n\nBefore another summer had passed, this Disputation bore marvelous\nand unlooked-for fruits. In a series of epochal pamphlets,\nwritten in part for the clergy, and in part for the newly\nawakened laity, Luther with remarkable rapidity developed his new\nand scriptural teaching on the nature of the Church, on the\nduties of the state, on the essence of the sacraments, and on the\ninner life of the individual Christian.\n\nThe tractates of 1520, to which that on \"The Papacy at Rome\"\nbelongs, like most of Luther's writings, were drawn forth from\nhim in large part defensively, under provocation from the other\nside, or by the exigencies of the occasion. His correspondence[3]\nduring the first half of 1520 reveals them as a result (with\nfresh causes arising) of the stir at Leipzig.\n\nSaid Luther (February, 1520), \"You cannot make a pen out of a\nsword: the Word of God is a sword. I was unwilling to be forced\nto come forward in public; and the more unwilling I am, the more\nI am drawn into the contest.\" Widely and eagerly read, these\npiquant publications made Luther the awakener, the developer, and\nas Harnack declares, the spiritual center of the reformatory\nthought that was now rising to a crisis.\n\nFortunate it was, that the infancy of modern and the birth of\nLuther were contemporary, and that Luther turned to the printing\npress to such an extent in that critical period, that in the\nsingle year under discussion the number of printed German works\nwas doubled.\n\nOur little book of June 26, 1520, is the earliest of his writings\nto present a full outline of his teaching on the nature of the\nChristian Church. Driven by an antagonist, to whom his work is a\nreply, to write[4] in German for the laity, Luther gives them a\nclear and fundamental insight into this burning subject. His\nteachings \"which he had just one year before maintained at the\nLeipzig Disputation are here unfolded, following to their logical\nconclusions and clearly presented.\"[5] This flying counter-attack\nagainst the \"famous Romanist at Leipzig\" thus becomes, in the\njudgment of K\u00f6stlin,[6] \"one of the most important of his general\ndoctrinal treatise of that period.\"\n\nLuther's reply was written in short order during the last two\nweeks in May.[7] It came about in this wise: Eck at the\nDisputation had driven Luther to declare that belief in the\ndivine supremacy of Rome was not necessary to salvation.\nFollowing this, in fall, a Franciscan friar, Augustine von\nAvleld, had risen to attack Luther and glorify the papacy, having\nreceived an appointment from Adolph, the Bishop of Merseburg (who\nhad posted the inhibition on the Leipzig churches against the\nDisputation,[8] to write against the Reformer. Alveld's work,\njustifying the divine right of the Apostolic Chair, to all\nlearned men, appeared early in May,[9] in the Latin language, in\na first edition full of errors, followed quickly by a second\nedition.[10] Alveld attempted to cut Luther to pieces with\n\"seven swords,\" of which the first was _recta ratio_; the second,\n_canonica scriptura_; the third, _vera scientia_ (gained through\nthe Church teachers and scholastics); the fourth, _pietas sacra_;\nthe fifth, _sanus intellectus_; the sixth, _simplex et pudica\nsapientia_; the seventh, _pura et integra scientia_.\n\nOn Alved's miserable jumble, in which the Reformer is alluded to\nas a \"heretic,\" \"lunatic,\" \"wolf,\" Luther was not willing to\nwaste any time (despite a threatening letter from Alveld); but\njotted down some points for John Lonicer,[11] who on June 1st,\npublished a sharp expos\u00e9[12] of the Leipzig Romanist's\nweaknesses[13]. Although the monastic authorities at Leipzig,\nfearing Luther, now attempted to suppress Alveld, that worthy at\nonce came out[14] with a new work[15] on the same theme and this\ntime in the German language[16]. It stirred Luther's blood. \"If\nthe jackanapes had not issued his little book in German to poison\nthe defenceless laity,\" he said, \"I would have looked on it as\ntoo small a matter to take up.\" As it was, with great rapidity he\nwrote his \"The Papacy at Rome against the Celebrated Romanist at\nLeipzig.\" Going to press in May, the book was completed on the\n26th of June. The twelve known editions are all quartos and range\nin size from twenty-two to thirty-two leaves. The first[17] two\neditions were printed by Melchior Lotther in Wittenberg; one by\nPeypus in Nuremberg; two by Silvan Otmar in Augsburg; one by\nGeorge Nadler in Augsburg; one by Adam Petri in Basel and one by\nAndrew Exatander.[18]\n\n_Incidentally_ Luther handles the \"Alveld Ass\" [19] and the Roman\ncause without gloves, but _in substance_ he explains to the\nlayman what Christianity really is,[20] i. e., unfolds to them\nthe essence of the Christian Church.[21] In doing so he takes\nadvanced ground for civil and religious liberty. The traditional\nmedi\u00e6val idea of universal monarchy is dealt a heavy blow.\nNeither in Civil Government nor in the Church is the need of a\nsingle monarchical head. \"The Roman Empire governed itself for a\nlong time, and very well, without the one head, and many other\ncountries in the world did the same. How does the Swiss\nConfederacy govern itself at present?\"\n\nAgainst the modern demand that the Church shall socialize itself,\nthat it shall organize as a public center in a community of the\npeople's civic life, that it shall enter the nation's political\nactivities for moral uplift, and that ministers should become\nwhat Luther would call \"preachers of dreams in material\ncommunities,\" our book places itself on record[22].\n\nAgainst the widespread demand that Christianity should get\ntogether into one world-wide visible ecclesiastical order,\nLuther's words are peremptory. He declares that the one true\nChurch is already a spiritual community composed of all the\nbelievers in Christ upon the earth, that it is not a bodily\nassembly, but \"an assembly of the hearts in one faith,\" that the\ntrue Church is \"a spiritual thing, and not anything external or\noutward,\" that \"external unity is not the fulfilment of a divine\ncommandment,\" and that those who emphasize the externalization of\nthe Church into one visible or national order \"are in reality\nJews.\"[23]\n\nLuther refers to those without the unity of the Roman Church as\nstill within the true Church. \"For the Muscovites, Russians,\nGreeks, Bohemians, and many other great peoples in the world, all\nthese believe as we do, baptise as we do, preach as we do, live\nas we do.\"\n\nBut if Luther attacks the supremacy of the outer organization in\nthe Church, he no less forcibly disputes the supremacy of man's\nown inner thinking, his reasoning, in theology. He defines human\nreason as \"our ability which is drawn from experience in temporal\nthings\" and declares it ridiculous to place this ability on a\nlevel with divine law[24]. He compares the man who uses his\nreason to defend God's law with the man who in the thick of\nbattle would use his bare hand and head to protect his helmet and\nsword. He insists that Scripture is the supreme and only rule of\nfaith[25], and ridicules the Romanists who inject their reason\ninto the Scriptures, \"making out of them what they wish, as\nthough they were a nose of wax to be pulled around at will.\"\n\nAs might be supposed, Luther's book, thus set against the\nexternal unity of human ecclesiastical organization, and against\nthe inner rule of human thinking, is equally strong against the\nhuman visualization of divine worship. He argues against those\nwho \"turn spiritual edification into an outward show\", and those\nwho chiefly apply the name Church to an assembly in which \"the\nexternal rites are in use, such as chanting, reading, vestments;\nand the name 'spiritual estate' is given to the members of the\nholy orders, not on account of their faith (which perhaps they do\nnot have), but because they have been consecrated with an\nexternal anointing, wear distinctive dress, make special prayers\nand do special works, have their places in the choir, and seem to\nattend to all such external matters of worship.\"[26]\n\nThe fallacy of the argument that because the Old Testament was a\ntype of the New, therefore the material types of the Old\nTestament must be reproduced in the New, is exposed by him. [27]\nThe open and fearless opposition to the popedom at Rome, which\nalready appeared in the Diet at Augsburg in 1518, and more\ncircumspectly, in the Leipzig Disputation in 1519, is very\nfree[28] in this booklet to the laity of 1520, and is preliminary\nto the more intense antagonism which will appear in \"The\nBabylonian Captivity.\" At Leipzig, Eck had laid emphasis on the\nScripture passage, \"Feed my sheep,\" and both this passage[29] and\nthe one of Matthew 16:18 (\"Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I\nwill build my Church\") are explained by Luther for the laity. He\ncharges the popes with having forsaken the faith, with living\nunder the power of Satan, and with being themselves\nheretical.[30]\n\nThis tractate applies doctrine to existing institutions, and\nmakes the truth clear to the laity. We see in it the power of\nLuther in stirring the popular mind. We do not regard the coarse\ninvectives of Luther (which many cultured men of to-day seem to\ncite with outward horror--and inner enjoyment) as a remark of low\npeasant birth, or of crudeness of breeding, but as the language\nof a great leader who, in desperate struggle with the powers that\nbe, knew how to attach himself to the mind of his age in such way\nas to influence it. How noble and great is his own remark at the\nclose of his booklet on others' allusion to himself in print!\n\"Whoever will, let him freely slander and condemn my person and\nmy life. It is already forgiven him. God has given me a glad and\nfearless spirit, which they shall not embitter for me, I trust,\nnot in all eternity.\"\n\nLuther in this pamphlet, insists that none are to be regarded as\nheretics simply because they are not under the Pope; and that the\nPope's decrees, to stand, must endure the test of Scripture.\nLuther wrote in May. In June he told Spalatin that if the Pope\ndid not reform, he would appeal to the Emperor and German\nnobility. Within another month that appeal appeared.\n\nThe men of Leipzig feared the work of Luther, and the rector of\nthe University had pled for mercy. Luther replied that Leipzig\ndeserved to be placed in the pillory[31], that he had no desire\nto make sport of the city and its university, but was pressed\ninto it by the bombast of the Romanist, who boasted that he was a\n\"public teacher of the Holy Scripture at Leipzig\"; and by the\nfact that Alveld had dedicated his work to the city and its\nCouncil. Alveld answered Lonicer and Luther bitterly, but Luther\nreplied no more.\n\n    Theodore E. Smauk.\n\n_Lebanon, Pennsylvania._\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] Still earlier, in his _Resolutions to the 95 Theses_\n(Resolut. Disputat., etc. Erl. Fr. Ed. II, 122 sqq., 137\nsqq.) Luther had in an historical and objective way spoken\nof a time when the Roman Church had not been exalted over\nthe other churches, at least not above those of Greece; that\nit was thus yet in the time of Pope Gregory I.\n\n[2] Luther's Thirteen Theses against Eck's Thirteen Theses.\nFrater Mar. Luth. Dsupt. etc., Erl.-Fr. Ed. III, 4 sqq., 11\nsqq. \"Bruder Martin Luther's Disputation und Entschuldigung\nwider die Anschuldigungen des D. Johann Eck.\" St. Louis Ed.\nXVIII, 718. The oldest print is doubtless one in possession\nof the University at Halle.\n\n[3] January 10, 1520, to Spalatin; January 26, to John Lang;\nFebruary 5, to Spalatin; February 18, to Spalatin; April,\nAlved to Luther; Ma 5, May 17, May 31, June 8, and June 20,\nto Spalatin, with a letter of July or August to Peter\nMosellanus, rector of the University at Leipzig.\n\n[4] He alluded to the subject in his Sermon on the Ban.\n\n[5] K\u00f6stlin, _Theology of Luther_, translated by Hay, I, 363.\n\n[6] _Martin Luther_, I, 299.\n\n[7] Alved's second book, the _Confutatio Inepti_, was dedicated\nto the Council and honorable citizens of the city of Leipzig on\nthe 23d of April, and appeared in print in the middle of May. Its\nsmooth and popular form roused Luther to this reply, which was\nput in press before the end of May, and published before the end\nof June.\n\n[8] See Luther to Spalatin, July 20, 1519.\n\n[9] See Luther to Spalatin, May 5, 1520. \"Exiit tandem frater\nAugustinus Afveidenais cum sus offs,\" etc. He characterises Alved\nin this letter, and refers to the approval it found in Meissen in\nhis letter to Spalatin of May 17th.\n\n[10] The title is as follows: \"Super apostolica ne-de, An\nVidelicet diuino sit iure nec ne, anque potifex qui Papa dici\ncaeptus est, iure diuino in ea ipea president, no paru laudanda ex\nsacro Biblior. canone declaratio. sedita p. F. Augustinu Ahldesem\nFranciscanu, regularis (vt dicit) observuat\u00edae sacredote, Prouin\nciae Saxoniae, Sancte crucia, Sa-criq Biblioru canonis publi-cu\nlectore i couetu Lipsico, ad Reurendu in Chro patre & dom, dom\nAdolphu pricipe Illust. i Anhaldt ic Episcope Mersen-burge sem.\"\nSee Super apostolica sed declario edita per Augustinum\nAlveldensem Bl.; E. S. Cyprian, N\u00fctsliche Urkunden, Leipzig,\n1718, II S. 160 f.\n\n[11] Luther's famulus. \"Ich werde meinem Bruder Famulus\nanstellen.\"--To Spalatin already on May 5th.\n\n[12] \"Contra Romanistam fratrem Augustinu, Alulden. Fran-ciscanu\nLeipaica Canonis Biblici publicu lictore eiusdem. F. Joanes\nLonicerus. Augustinianus. VVITTENBERGAE, APVD, COLLEGIVM NOVVM.\n_ANNO. M.D.XX._\"\n\n[13] Lonicer's reply had been preceded by one more detailed and\nless impetuous by Bernardi Feldkirch, teacher in the Wittenberg\nHigh School. This work is wrongly regarded as Melanchton's. Its\ntitle is: \"CONFUTATIO INEP-ti & impli Libelli F. August. AL-VELD.\nFranciscani Lipsici, pro D. M. Luthero. Vmittenbergae, apud\nMelciorem Lottherum iuniorem, Anno M. D. XX.\"\n\n[14] He requested the Nuncio Milits to secure authority for him\nto write.\n\n[15] Cf. Luther in the Tractate: \"They cling to me like mud to a\nwheel.\"\n\n[16] \"Eyn gar fruchtbar vu nutsbarlich buchbleyn vo d\u00eb Babstliche\nstul:  vmud von sant Peter: vund vo den, die warhafftige\nschef-lein Christi sein, die Christus vner herr Petro befolen hat\nin sein hute vnd reglrung, gemacht durch bruder Augustinu Alueldt\nsant Francisci ordens tzu Leiptsk.\"\n\nSee Cyprian, _Urkunden_, II, 161 f.\n\nOn May 31, Luther puts the whole situation graphically in a\nletter to Spalatin as follows: \"Lonicers Schrift wird morgen\nfergig sein. Die Leipziger sind besorgt, ihre Sch\u00fclter zu\nbehalten; sie r\u00fchmen, dases Erasmus zu ihnen kommen werde. Wie\ngesch\u00e4ftig und doch wie ungl\u00fcchlich ist der Neid. Vor einem\nJahre, da sie \u00fchrer uns, als w\u00e4hren wir besiegt, spotteten, saben\nsie nicht voraus, dass ihnen dies Kreut bevorstebe. Der Herr\nregiert...Ochsenfart soll sich wider das B\u00fcchlein Feldkirchens\nr\u00fcston, in welchem er durch gehechbelt wird. Ich habe ein\ndeutsches Buch wider den Esel von Alveld fertiggestellt, welches\njetzt under der Presse ist.\"\n\n[17] \"Von dem Bapstum zu Rome: wid der den hochberupton\nRomanisten zu Leipzck D. Martinus Lu-ther ther Agust.\nVuittenberg.\" 50 leaves, quarto, last page blank.\n\n[18] For titles of these editions see _Weimar Ed._, vi, 281.\n\n[19] Luther in this tractate aims beyond the \"undersized scribe\nof the barefoot friars at Leipzig,\" at the \"brave and great\nflag-bearers who remain in hiding, and would win a notable\nvictory in another's name,\" namely Prierias, Cajetan, Eck, Emser\nand the Universities of Cologne and Louvaine. Luther uses the\nepithet quoted above in one of his letters to Spalatin.\n\n[20] \"I welcome the opportunity to explain something of the\nnature of Christianity for the laity.\"\n\n[21] \"I must first of all explain what these things mean, the\nChurch, and the One Head of the Church.\"\n\n[22] \"On this point we must hear the word of Christ, Who, when\nPilate asked Him concerning His Kingdom answered, My Kingdom is\nnot of this world. This is indeed a clear passage in which the\nChurch is made separate from all temporal communities. Is not\nthis a cruel error, when one places the Christian Church,\nseparated by Christ Himself from temporal cities and places, and\ntransferred to spiritual realms, is made a part of material\ncommunities?\"\n\n\"No hope is left on earth except in the temporal.\"\n\n[23] Among many things that Luther says on this point are the\nfollowing: \"According to the Scriptures the Church is called the\nassembly of all the believers in Christ upon the earth. This\ncommunity consists of all those who live in true faith, hope and\nlove, so that the essence, life and nature of the Church is not a\nbodily assembly, but an assembly of the hearts in one faith.\nThus, though they be a thousand miles apart in body, they are yet\ncalled an assembly in spirit, because each one preaches,\nbelieves, hopes, loves, and lives like the other. So we sing of\nthe Holy Ghost: 'Thou, Who through diverse tongues gatherest\ntogether the nations in the unity of the faith.' That means\nspiritual unity. And this unity is of itself sufficient to make a\nChurch, and without it no unity, be it of place, of time, of\nperson, of work, or of whatever else, makes a Church.\"\n\n\"A man is not reckoned a member of the Church according to his\nbody, but according to his soul, nay, according to his faith...It\nis plain that the Church can be classed with a temporal community\nas little as spirits with bodies. Whosoever would not go astray\nshould therefore hold fast to this, that the Church is a\nspiritual assembly of souls in one faith, that no one is reckoned\na Christian for his body's sake; that the true, real, essential,\nChurch is a spiritual thing, and not anything external or\noutward.\"\n\n\"All those who make the Christian communion a material and\noutward thing, like other communities, are in reality Jews, who\nwait for their Messiah to establish an external kingdom at a\ncertain definite place, namely Jerusalem; and so sacrifice the\nfaith, which alone makes the kingdom of Christ a thing spiritual\nor of the heart.\"\n\nIn this and the following notes, for brevity's sake, various\nquotations are summarized and connected.\n\n[24] \"For the teachings of human experience and (Deut. xii:8)\nreason are far below the divine law. The Scriptures expressly\nforbid us to follow our own reason, Deut. xii: 'Ye shall not\ndo...every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes'; for human\nreason ever strives against the law (Gen. vi:5) of God. Therefore\nthe attempt to establish or defend divine order with human\nreason, unless that reason has previously been established and\nenlightened by faith, is just as futile, as if I would throw a\nlight upon the sun with a lightless lantern, or rest a rock upon\na reed. For Isaiah vii makes reason subject to faith, when he\nsays (vii:9): 'Except ye believe, ye shall not have understanding\nor reason.' He does not say, Except ye have reason, ye shall not\nbelieve. Therefore this scribe would better not have put forth a\nclaim to establish the faith and the divine law by mere reason.\"\n\n[25] \"That the serpent lifted up by Moses, signifies Christ, is\ntaught by John iii. If it were not for that passage, my reasoning\nmight evolve many strange and weird fancies out of that type.\nThat Adam was a type of Christ, I learn not from myself, but from\nSt. Paul. That the rock in the wilderness represents Christ is\nnot taught by my reason, but by St. Paul. None other explains the\ntype but the Holy Spirit Himself. He has given the type and\nwrought the fulfillment, that both type and fulfillment and the\ninterpretation may be God's own and not man's, and our faith he\nfounded not on human, but on divine words. What leads the Jews\nastray but that they interpret the types as they please, without\nthe Scriptures? What has led so many heretics astray but the\ninterpretation of the types without reference to the Scriptures?\"\n\n[26] \"The word Church, when it is used for such external affairs,\nwhereas it concerns the faith alone, is done violence to; yet\nthis manner of using it has spread everywhere, to the great\ninjury of many souls, who think that such outward show is the\nspiritual and only true estate in Christendom. Of such a purely\nexternal Church, there is not one letter in the Holy Scriptures.\nThe building and increase of the Church, which is the body of\nChrist, cometh alone from Christ, Who is its head. Christendom is\nruled with outward show; but that does not make us Christians.\nThe Church is a spiritual and not a bodily thing, for that which\none believes is not bodily or visible. The external marks whereby\none can perceive this Church is on earth, are Baptism, the\nSacrament and the Gospel. For where Baptism and the Gospel are no\none may doubt that there are saints, even if it were only the\nbabes in their cradles.\"\n\n[27] \"It is evident that a type is material and external, and\nfulfilment of the type is spiritual and internal; what the type\nreveals to the bodily eye, its fulfilment must reveal to the eye\nof faith alone. The bodily assembly of the people signifies the\nspiritual and internal assembly of the Christian people in faith.\nMoses set a serpent on a pole and whosoever looked upon it was\nmade whole. That signifies Christ on the cross. Whosoever\nbelieveth in Him is saved. And so throughout the entire Old\nTestament, all the bodily visible things in it signify in the New\nTestament spiritual and inward things, which one cannot see, but\nonly possess in faith. St. Augustine says on John iii: 'This is\nthe difference between the type and its fulfilment: the type\ngave temporal goods and life, but the fulfilment gives spiritual\nand eternal life.'\"\n\n\"Aaron was a type of Christ and not of the Pope. Paul says the\nhigh priest typifies Christ; you say St. Peter. Paul says Christ\nentered not into a temporal building. You make the fulfilment to\nbe earthly and external. If Aaron was a type in external\nauthority, vestments and state, why was he not a type in all\nother external and bodily matters? The Old Testament high priest\nwas not permitted to have his head shorn. But why does the Pope\nhave a tonsure? The Old Testament high priest was a subject. Why\nthen does the Pope have men kiss his feet and aspire to be king,\nwhich Christ Himself did not? Wherein is the type fulfilled?\"\n\n[28] Luther to Spalatin, June 8th: \"Gegen den Esel von Alveld\nwerde ich menen Angriff so enrichten dass ich des r\u00f6mischen\nPabstes nich uneingedenk bin, und werde keinem von beiden etwas\nschenken. Denn solches erfordert der Stoff mit Nothwendigkeith.\nEndlicheinmal m\u00fcssen die Geheimnisse des Antichrist offenbart\nwerden. Denn so drangen sie sich selbst hervor, und wollen nicht\nweiter vorborgen sein.\"\n\nTo this Luther adds the significant statement: \"Ich habe vor,\neinen \u00f6ffentlichen Zettel auszulassen an den Kaiser und den Adel\nim ganzen Deutschland, wider die Tyrannei und die\nNichstw\u00fcrdigkeit des r\u00f6mischen Hofes.\"\n\n[29] \"'Feeding' in the Roman sense means to burden Christendom\nwith many and hurtful laws. In 'feeding' it means to sit in the\nhighest place and to have an office, it follows that whoever is\ndoing this work of feeding is a saint, whether he be a knave, or\na rogue, or what not. Where there is no love, there is no\nfeeding. The papacy either must be a love, or it cannot be a\nfeeding of the sheep.\"\n\n[30] \"The greater part of the Roman communion, and even some of\nthe popes themselves, have forsaken the faith wantonly and\nwithout struggle, and live under the power of Satan. The majority\nof those who hold so strongly to the authority of the Pope, and\nlean upon it, are themselves possessed by the powers of hell.\nSome of the popes were heretics themselves and gave heretical\nlaws. These Roman knaves come along, place the Pope above Christ\nand make him a judge over the Scriptures. They say that he cannot\nerr.\"\n\n[31] \"Das Bemulhen der Leipziger Geh\u00e4ssigkeit.\" To Spalatin, Jan.\n10. \"Die Nichstw\u00fcrdigkeitem der Leipziger.\" To Joh. Lang, Jan.\n26. \"Die Kunstangriffder Leipziger Partei.\" To Spalatin, Feb. 5.\n\n\nTO THE PAPACY AT ROME\n\nAN ANSWER TO THE CELEBRATED ROMANIST AT LEIPZIG[1]\n\n1520\n\n\n[Sidenote: A New Adversary]\n\nAfter all these years of fruitful rain and abundant growth\nsomething new has appeared on the scene. Many have essayed to\nattack me heretofore with vile abuse and glorious lies, yet\nwithout much success. But the latest to distinguish themselves\nare the brave heroes at Leipzig on the market-place, who desire\nnot only to be seen and admired, but to break a lance with every\none. Their armor is so wonderful that I have never seen the like\nbefore. They have put the helmet on the feet, the sword on the\nhead, shield and breastplate on the back, they hold the spear by\nthe point, and the whole armor becomes them so well as to mark\nthem as horsemen of a new sort.[2] They would prove thereby not\nonly that they have not frittered away their time with\ndream-books without learning anything, as I accused them, but\nwould also achieve a great name as people who were conceived,\nborn, nursed, cradled, fondled, brought up, and grown up in the\nHoly Scriptures. It would be no more than fair that whoever\ncould, should be afraid of them, so that their labor and their\ngood intentions might not be entirely in vain. Leipzig, to\nproduce such giants, must indeed be rich soil.\n\nThat you may understand what I mean, observe: Sylvester, Cajetan,\nEck, Emser,[3] and now Cologne and Louvaine have shown their\nknightly prowess against me in most strenuous endeavor, and\nreceived the honor and glory they deserved; they have defended\nthe cause of the pope and of indulgences against me in such a\nmanner that they might well wish to have had better luck,\nfinally, some of them thought the best thing to do was to attack\nme in the same manner as the pharisees attacked Christ [Matt.\n22:35]. They put forward a champion, and thought: If he wins, we\nall win with him; if he is defeated, he suffers defeat alone. And\nthe super-learned, circumspect Malvolio[4] thinks I will not\nnotice it. Very well, in order that all their plans may not\nmiscarry, I will pretend not to understand their game. And I beg\nthem in return, not to take notice, that when I strike the pack,\nI am aiming at the mule. And if they will not grant this request,\nI stipulate that, whenever I say anything against the newest\nRoman heretics and blasphemers of the Scriptures, not merely the\npoor, immature scribe of the bare-foot friars at Leipzig shall\ntake it to himself, but rather the great-hearted flag-bearers,\nwho remain in hiding, and yet would win a notable victory in\nanother's name.\n\nI pray every honest Christian to receive my words--though\nsometimes barbed with scorn or satire--as coming from a heart\nthat is made to break with sorrow and to turn seriousness into\njesting at the sight now beheld at Leipzig, where there are also\npious people who would venture body and soul for God's Word and\nthe Scriptures, but where a blasphemer can thus openly speak and\nwrite, who esteems and treats God's holy words no better than if\nthey were the fabled pratings of some fool or jester at the\ncarnival. Because my Lord Christ and His holy Word, even He who\ngave His own blood as the purchase-price, is held to be but\nmockery and fools' wit, I must likewise drop all seriousness, and\nsee whether I, too, have learned how to play the fool and clown.\nThou knowest, my Lord Jesus Christ, how my heart stands toward\nthese arch-blasphemers. That is my reliance, and I will let\nmatters take their course in Thy name. Amen. They must ever abide\nThee as the Lord. Amen.\n\nI notice that these poor people are seeking naught else than to\ngain renown at my expense. They cling to me like mud to a wheel.\nThey would rather have questionable honor shamefully acquired\nthan remain quiet, and the evil spirit uses the designs of such\npeople only to hinder me from doing more useful things. But I\nwelcome the opportunity to give the laity[6] some explanation of\nthe nature of the Church,[7] and to contradict the words of these\nseductive masters. Therefore I intend to treat of the\nsubject-matter directly, rather than to answer their senseless\nprattle. I will not mention their names, lest they achieve their\ntrue purpose and boastfully regard themselves capable of arguing\nwith me in the Scriptures.\n\nTHE STATEMENT OF THE CASE\n\nWe are discussing a matter which, taken by itself, is\nunnecessary, for any one could be a Christian without knowing\nanything about it. But these idlers who tread under foot all the\ngreat essentials of the Christian faith, must needs pursue such\nthings and worry other people, in order to have some object in\nlife.\n\n[Sidenote: The Foundation of Papal Power]\n\nThis then is the question: Whether the papacy at Rome, possessing\nthe actual power over all Christendom (as they say), is of divine\nor of human origin,[8] and this being decided, whether it is\npossible for Christians to say that all other Christians in that\nworld are heretics and apostates, even if they agree with us in\nholding to the same baptism, Sacrament, Gospel, and all the\narticles of faith, but merely do not have their priests and\nbishops confirmed by Rome, or, as it is now, buy such\nconfirmation with money and let themselves be mocked and made\nfools of like the Germans. Such are the Muscovites, Russians,\nGreeks, Bohemians, and many other great peoples in the world. For\nall these believe as we do, baptise as we do, preach as we do,\nlive as we do, and also give due honor to the pope, only they\nwill not pay for the confirmation of their bishops and priests.\nThey will not, like the drunken, stupid Germans, submit to\nextortion and abuse with indulgences, bulls, seals, parchments,\nand other Roman stock in trade. They are ready, too, to hear the\nGospel from the pope, or the pope's ambassadors, and yet they are\nnot sent to them.\n\nNow the question is, whether all these may properly be called\nheretics by us Christians (for of such alone, and of no others,\ndo I speak and write), or whether we are not rather the heretics\nand apostates, because we brand such Christians as heretics and\napostates solely for the sake of money. For when the pope does\nnot send the Gospel to them, and his messengers to proclaim it,\nalthough they are eager to receive them, it is clear as day that\nhe is grasping for power and money through this confirmation of\nbishops and priests. But to this they will not agree, and\ntherefore they are branded as heretics and apostates.\n\nNow I have held, and still hold, that they are not heretics and\napostates, but perhaps better Christians than we are, although\nnot all, even as we are not all good Christians. This is\nchallenged, after all its predecessors, by the fine little\nbare-foot book[9] of Leipzig, which comes along on clogs--nay, on\nstilts. It imagines that it alone (among all the others) does not\nstep into the mud; perhaps it would gladly dance if some one\nwould buy it a flute. I must have a try at it.\n\n[Sidenote: The Insincerity of the Roman Claims]\n\nI say, first of all: No one should be so foolish as to believe\nthat it is the serious opinion of the pope and of all his\nRomanists and flatterers, that his great power is of divine\nright. Pray observe, of all that is by divine right not the\nsmallest jot or tittle is observed in Rome, nay, if they think of\nit at all, it is scorned as foolishness; all of which is as clear\nas day. They even suffer the Gospel and Christian faith\neverywhere to go to rack and ruin, and do not intend to lose a\nhair for it. Yea, all the evil examples of spiritual and temporal\ninfamy flow from Rome, as out of a great sea of universal\nwickedness, into all the world. All these things cause laughter\nin Rome, and if any one grieves over them, he is called a _Bon\nChristian_, i. e., a fool. If they really took the commands of\nGod seriously, they would find many thousand things more\nnecessary to be done, especially those at which they now laugh\nand mock. For St. James says, \"He that keepeth not one\ncommandment of God, breaketh all.\" [Jas. 2:10] Who would be so\nstupid as to believe that they seek God's command in one thing,\nand yet make a mockery of all the others? It is impossible that\nany one should take one command of God to heart, and not at least\nbe moved by all the others. Now there are ever so many who\nzealously guard the power of the pope, yet none of them ever\nventures a word in favor of even one of the other much greater\nand more necessary commandments, which are so blasphemously\nmocked and scornfully rejected at Rome.\n\nFurthermore, if all Germany were to fall on its knees, and to\npray that the pope and the Romans should keep this power, and\nconfirm our bishops and priests without payment, for\nnothing--even as the Gospel says, \"Freely ye have received,\nfreely give\" [Matt. 10:8]--and provide all our churches with good\npreachers, because they have a sufficient abundance of riches to\ngive money instead of taking it; and if it were urged and\npressed, that this is their duty according to divine command:\nbelieve it surely, we should find all of them arguing with more\ninsistence than any one ever did before, that it is not a divine\ncommand to go to so much trouble without pay. They would soon\nfind a little gloss[10] with which to wind themselves out of it,\njust as they now find what they desire, to weave themselves into\nit. All our beseechings would not drive them to it. But since it\nmeans money, everything they dare to put forth must be divine\ncommand.\n\n[Sidenote: Roman Greed and Extortion]\n\nThe bishopric of Mainz alone, within the memory of men now\nliving, has bought eight pallia[11] in Rome, every one costing\nabout 30,000 _gulden_--not to mention the innumerable other\nbishoprics, prelacies and benefices. Thus are we German fools to\nbe led by the nose and then they say: It is a divine command to\nhave no bishop without Roman confirmation. I am surprised that\nGermany, which is by one-half or more in the possession of the\nChurch,[12] still has so much as one _pfennig_ left by reason of\nthe unspeakable, innumerable, insufferable Roman thieves, knaves\nand robbers. It is said that Antichrist shall find the treasures\nof the earth; I trow the Romanists have found them to such an\nextent as to make our very life a burden. If the German princes\nand the nobility will not interfere very shortly, and with\ndecisive courage, Germany will yet become a wilderness and be\ncompelled to devour itself. That would furnish the greatest\npleasure for the Romanists, who do not think of us otherwise than\nas brutes, and have made a proverb concerning us at Rome:\n\"Squeeze the gold from German fools, in any way you can.\"\n\nThe pope does not prevent this scandalous villainy. They all wink\nat it, yea, they think far more highly of these supreme\narch-villains than they do of the holy Gospel of God. They\npretend that we are hopeless fools, and that it is a divine\ncommand that the pope should have his finger in every pie and do\nas he pleases with every one, just as if he were a god on earth,\nand should not rather be the servant of all,[13] without any pay,\nif he wished to be--or were--the very highest. But before\nconsenting to this, they would much rather surrender this power\nand not call this a divine command any more than any other.\n\nBut I hear you say, why do they fight so hard against you in this\nmatter? Answer: I have attacked some higher things, which concern\nfaith and God's Word. And when they were not able to contradict\nme, and saw that Rome does not trouble itself about such good\nthings, they dropped them too, and attacked me on indulgences and\nthe authority of the pope, in the hope of thus attaining the\nprize. For they knew very well that where money was concerned,\nthe chief school of knaves in Rome would support them and not\nremain quiet. But Dr. Luther is just a little proud, and pays\nvery little attention to the grunting and squealing of the\nRomanists; and this is well-nigh heartbreaking to them. But that\ndoes not bother my Lord Jesus, nor Dr. Luther, for we believe\nthat the Gospel will and must continue. Let a layman ask such\nRomanists, and let them give answer, why they despoil and mock\nall of God's commandments, and rant so violently about this\npower, whereas they cannot show at all why it is necessary, or\nwhat it is good for. For ever since it has arisen, it has\naccomplished nothing but the devastation of Christendom, and no\none is able to show anything good or useful that has resulted\nfrom it. Of this I will speak more fully if this Romanist comes\nagain, and then, please God, I will throw light upon the Holy\nChair at Rome and expose it as it deserves to be exposed.\n\nI have said this, not as a sufficient argument for disputing\npapal power, but in order to show the perverted opinions of those\nwho strain the gnats, but let elephants go through [Matt. 23:24],\nwho behold the mote in the brother's eye and permit the beams in\ntheir own to remain [Matt. 7:3], only to the end that others may\nbe stifled by superfluous and unnecessary things, or at least\nbranded as heretics or by any other epithet that occurs to them.\nOne of than is this delicate, pious Romanist at Leipzig. Let us\nnow have a look at him.\n\nI find three strong arguments by which this fruitful and noble\nlittle book[14] of the Romanist at Leipzig attacks me.\n\n[Sidenote: The Arguments of the Romanists--1. Luther a Heretic\nand a Fool]\n\nThe first, and by far the strongest, is, that he calls me\nnames--a heretic, a blind, senseless fool, one possessed by the\ndevil, a serpent, a poisonous reptile, and many other names of\nsimilar import; not simply once, but throughout the book, almost\non every page.[15] Such reproaches, slanders and calumnies are of\nno account in other books. But when a book is made at Leipzig,\nand issued from the cloister of the bare-foot friars, by a\nRomanist of the high and holy observance[16] of St. Frauds, such\nnames are not merely fine examples of mediation, but likewise\nstrong arguments with which to defend papal power, indulgences,\nScripture, faith and the Church.[17] It is not necessary that any\none of these should be proved by Scripture or by reason; it is\nquite enough that they have been put down in his book by a\nRomanist and holy observant of the order of St. Francis.\n\nAnd inasmuch as this Romanist himself writes that the Jews had\novercome Christ on the cross with such arguments, I, too, must\nsurrender, and acknowledge that as far as cursing and scolding,\nabuse and slander are concerned, the Romanist has surely beaten\nDr. Luther. On this point he doubtless wins.\n\n[Sidenote: The Argument from Reason]\n\nThe second argument, to express it tersely, is that of natural\nreason.\n\nThis is the argument: A. Every community[18] on earth, if it is\nnot to fall to pieces, must have a bodily head, under the true\nhead, which is Christ.\n\nB. Inasmuch as all Christendom is one community on earth, it must\nhave a head, which is the pope.\n\n[Sidenote: The Futility of the Argument]\n\nThis argument I have designated with the letters A and B for the\nsake of clearness, and also to show that this Romanist has\nlearned his A-B-C all the way down to B. However, to answer this\nargument: Since the question is whether the pope's power is by\ndivine right, is it not a bit ridiculous that human reason (that\nability which is drawn from experience in temporal things) is\nbrought in and placed on a level with the divine law, especially\nsince it is the intention of this poor presumptuous mortal to\nbring the divine law against me. For the teachings of human\nexperience and reason are far below the divine law. The\nScriptures expressly forbid us to follow our own reason,\nDeuteronomy xii, \"Ye shall not do...every man whatsoever is right\nin his own eyes\" [Deut. 12:8]; for human reason ever strives\nagainst the law of God, as Genesis vi. says: \"Every thought and\nimagination of man's heart is only evil continually.\" [Gen. 6:5]\nTherefore the attempt to establish or defend divine order with\nhuman reason, unless that reason has previously been established\nand enlightened by faith, is just as futile as if I would throw\nlight upon the sun with a lightless lantern, or rest a rock upon\na reed. For Isaiah vii. makes reason subject to faith, when it\nsays: \"Except ye believe, ye shall not have understanding or\nreason.\" [Isa. 7:9] It does not say, \"Except ye have reason, ye\nshall not believe.\" Therefore this scribe would better have left\nhis perverted reason at home, or first have well established it\nwith texts of Scripture, so as not to put forth so ridiculous and\npreposterous a claim and establish the faith and the divine law\nby mere reason. For if this reason of ours draws the conclusion\nthat a visible community must have a visible overlord or cease to\nexist, it also must draw the further conclusion, that as a\nvisible community does not exist without wives, therefore the\nwhole Church[19] must have a visible, common wife, in order not\nto perish. What a valiant woman that would needs be! Again, a\nvisible community does not exist without a common visible city,\nhouse and country; therefore the Church[19] must have a common\ncity, house and country. But where will you find that? Verily, in\nRome they are seeking just this with impatient eagerness, for\nthey have made nearly the whole world their very own. Again, the\nChurch[19] would likewise need to have in common its visible\nproperty, servants, maids, cattle, food, etc., for no community\nexists without them. See how gracefully human reason stalks along\non its stilts.\n\nA professor of theology ought to have considered in advance the\nclumsiness of such an argument, and proved the divine laws and\nworks by the Scriptures, and not by temporal analogies and\nworldly reason. For it is written that the divine commandments\nare justified in and by themselves, and not by any external\nhelp.[20] [Ps. 19:9]\n\nAgain, the wise man says of the wisdom of God: \"Wisdom hath\novercome the proud with her power.\" [Prov. 11:3] It is most\ndeplorable that we should attempt with our reason to defend God's\nWord, whereas the Word of God is rather our defence against all\nour enemies, as St. Paul teaches us. [Eph. 6:17] Would he not be\na great fool who in the thick of battle sought to protect his\nhelmet and sword with bare hand and unshielded head? It is no\ndifferent when we essay, with our reason, to defend God's law,\nwhich should rather be our weapon.\n\nFrom this, I hope, it is clear that the flimsy argument of this\nprattler fails utterly, and, together with everything he\nconstructs upon it, is found to be without any basis whatever.\nBut that he may the better understand his own mummery, even in\ncase I should grant that a process of reasoning might be entirely\nvalid without the Scriptures, I will show that neither of his\narguments is valid, neither the first, A, nor the second, B.\n\n[Sidenote: The Argument Answered]\n\nThe first, A, is that every community on earth must have one\nvisible head under Christ. This is simply not true. How many\nprincipalities, castles, cities, and houses we find where two\nbrothers or lords reign--and with equal authority. The Roman\nempire governed itself for a long time, and very well, without\nthe one head, and many other countries in the world did the same.\nHow does the Swiss confederacy govern itself at present? Thus in\nthe government of the world there is not one single overlord, yet\nwe are all one human race, descended from the one father, Adam.\nThe kingdom of France has its own king, Hungary its own, Poland,\nDenmark, and every other kingdom its own, and yet they are one\npeople, the temporal estate in Christendom, without one common\nhead; and still this does not cause these kingdoms to perish. And\nif there were no government constituted in just this manner, who\ncould or would prevent a community from choosing not one, but\nmany overlords, all clothed with equal power? Therefore it is a\nvery poor procedure to measure the things which are of God's\nappointing by such vacillating analogies of worldly things, when\nthey do not hold even in the appointments of men. But suppose I\nshould grant this dreamer that his dream is true, and that no\ncommunity can exist without one visible head; how does it follow\nthat it must likewise be so in the Church?[21] I know very well\nthat the poor dreamer has a certain conception, according to\nwhich a Christian community is the same as any other temporal\ncommunity.[22] He thus reveals plainly that he has never learned\nto know what Christendom, or the Christian community, really is.\nI had not believed it possible to meet such dense, massive,\nstubborn error and ignorance in any man, much less in a saint of\nLeipzig.\n\nFor the benefit, therefore, of this numskull, and of those led\nastray by him, I must first of all explain what is meant by these\nthings--the Church,[23] and the One Head of the Church.[23] I\nmust talk bluntly, however, and use the same words which they\nhave so barbarously perverted.\n\n[Sidenote: What is the Church?]\n\n[Sidenote: The Communion of Saints]\n\n[Sidenote: The Unity of the Church Not External]\n\nThe Scriptures speak of the Church[23] quite simply, and use the\nterm in only one sense; these men have added and brought into\ngeneral use two more. The first use, according to the Scriptures,\nis this, that the Church[23] is called the assembly of all the\nbelievers in Christ upon earth, just as we pray in the Creed: \"I\nbelieve in the Holy Ghost, a communion of saints.\" This community\nor assembly consists of all those who live in true faith, hope\nand love; so that the essence, life and nature of the Church[23]\nis not a bodily assembly, but an assembly of hearts in one faith,\nas St. Paul says, Ephesians iv, \"One baptism, one faith, one\nLord.\" [Eph. 4:5] Thus, though they be a thousand miles apart in\nbody, yet they are called an assembly in spirit because each one\npreaches, believes, hopes, loves, and lives like the other. So we\nsing of the Holy Ghost: \"Thou, who through divers tongues\ngatherest together the nations in the unity of the faith.\"[24]\nThat means in reality a spiritual unity, because of which men are\ncalled a communion of saints. And this unity is of itself\nsufficient to make a Church,[23] and without it no unity, be it\nof place, of time, of person, of work, or of whatever else, makes\na Church.[23] On this point we must hear the word of Christ, Who,\nwhen Pilate asked Him concerning His kingdom, answered: \"My\nkingdom is not of this world.\" [John 18:36] This is indeed a dear\npassage, in which the Church[23] is made separate from all\ntemporal communities, as not being anything external. And this\nblind Romanist makes of it an external community, like any other.\nChrist says even more clearly, Luke xvii, \"The kingdom of God\ncometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo, here, or\nlo, there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.\" [Luke\n17:20, 21]\n\nI am astounded, that such strong, clear words of Christ are\ntreated as a farce by these Romanists. For by these words it is\nclear to every one that the kingdom of God (for so He calls His\nChurch[25]) is not at Rome, nor is it bound to Rome or any other\nplace, but it is where there is faith in the heart, be a man at\nRome, or here, or elsewhere. It is a nauseating lie,[26] and\nChrist is made a liar when it is said that the Church[25], is in\nRome, or is bound to Rome--or even that the head and the\nauthority are there by divine right.\n\nMoreover, in Matthew xxiv. He foretold the gross deception which\nnow rules under the name of the Roman Church, when He says: \"Many\nfalse prophets and false Christs shall come in My name, saying: I\nam Christ; and shall deceive many, and show great signs, that if\npossible they shall deceive the very elect. Wherefore, if they\nshall say unto you: Behold, in the secret chambers is Christ,\nbelieve it not; behold, He is in the desert, go not forth.\nBehold, I have told you before.\" [Matt. 24:24-26] Is this not a\ncruel error, when the unity of the Christian Church[25],\nseparated by Christ Himself from all material and temporal cities\nand places, and transferred to spiritual realms, is included by\nthese preachers of dreams in material communities,[27] which must\nof necessity be bound to localities and places. How is it\npossible, or whose reason can grasp it, that spiritual unity and\nmaterial unity should be one and the same? There are those among\nChristians who are in the external assembly and unity, who yet by\ntheir sins exclude themselves from the inner, spiritual unity.\n\nTherefore, whosoever maintains that an external assembly or an\noutward unity makes a Church,[25] sets forth arbitrarily what is\nmerely his own opinion, and whoever endeavors to prove it by the\nScriptures, brings divine truth to the support of his lies, and\nmakes God a false witness, just as does this miserable Romanist,\nwho explains everything that is written concerning the Church[28]\nas meaning the outward show of Roman power; and yet he cannot\ndeny that the large majority of these people, particularly in\nRome itself, because of unbelief and evil lives, is not in the\nspiritual unity, i. e., the true Church.[28] For if to be in the\nexternal Roman unity made men true Christians, there would be no\nsinners among them, neither would they need faith nor the grace\nof God to make them Christians; this external unity would be\nenough.\n\n[Sidenote: What Makes a Christian]\n\nFrom this we conclude, and the conclusion is inevitable, that\njust as being in the Roman unity does not make one a Christian,\nso being outside of that unity does not make one a heretic or\nunchristian. I should like to hear who would dispute this. For\nthat which is essential must make a true Christian; but if it\ndoes not make a true Christian, it cannot be essential; just as\nit does not make me a true Christian to be at Wittenberg or to be\nat Leipzig. Now it is clear that external fellowship with the\nRoman communion[29] does not make men Christians, and so the lack\nof that fellowship certainly does not make a man a heretic or an\napostate. Therefore it must also be false, that it is a divine\ncommand to be in connection with the Roman Church.[28] For\nwhosoever keepeth one divine command, keepeth them all, and none\ncan be kept without keeping the others[30]. Therefore it is an\nopen and blasphemous lie against the Holy Ghost to say that the\nexternal unity under Roman authority is the fulfilment of a\ndivine commandment, since there are so many in that unity who\nneither regard nor fulfil any of the Divine commandments. Hence,\nto be in this place or that, does not make a heretic: but to be\nwithout true faith makes a man a heretic.\n\nAgain, it is clear that to be a member of the Roman communion[31]\ndoes not mean to be in true faith, and to be outside of it does\nnot mean to be in unbelief; otherwise those within it would all\nbe believers and truly saved, for no one article of faith is\nbelieved without all the other articles.\n\nTherefore all those who make the Christian communion[32] a\nmaterial and outward thing, like other communities, are in\nreality Jews (for the Jews likewise wait for their Messiah to\nestablish an external kingdom at a certain definite place,\nnamely, Jerusalem), and thus sacrifice the faith, which alone\nmakes the kingdom of Christ a thing spiritual and of the heart.\n\n[Sidenote: The Head of the Church]\n\nAgain, if every temporal community is called after its head, and\nwe say of this city, it is Electoral, and of that, it is Ducal,\nand of another, it is Frankish; then by right all Christendom\nshould be called Roman, or Petrine, or Papal. But why, then, is\nit called Christendom? Why are we called Christians, if not from\nour head, although we are still upon earth? Hereby it is shown\nthat for Christendom there is no other head, even upon earth,\nthan Christ, for it has no other name than the name of Christ For\nthis reason St. Luke tells us that the disciples were at first\ncalled Antiochians, but soon this was changed and they were\ncalled Christians. [Acts 11:26][33]\n\nFurthermore, though a man consists of two natures, namely, body\nand soul, yet he is not reckoned a member of the Church according\nto his body, but according to his soul, nay, according to his\nfaith. Otherwise it might be said that a man is a nobler\nChristian than a woman, because his physical structure is\nsuperior to that of a woman, or that a man is a greater Christian\nthan a child, a healthy person a stronger Christian than an\ninvalid; lords and ladies, the rich and powerful, better\nChristians than servants, maids, and the poor and lowly; whereas\nPaul writes, Galatians v, \"In Christ is neither male nor female,\nneither lord nor servant, neither Jew nor Greek,\" [Gal. 3:28;\n5:6] but as far as the body is concerned they are all equal. But\nhe is the better Christian who is greater in faith, hope and\nlove; so that it is plain that the Church[34] is a spiritual\ncommunity, which can be classed with a temporal community as\nlittle as spirits with bodies, or faith with temporal\npossessions.\n\nThis, indeed, is true, that just as the body is a figure or image\nof the soul, so also the bodily community is a figure of this\nChristian, spiritual community, and as the bodily community has a\nbodily head, so the spiritual community has a spiritual head. But\nwho would be so bereft of sense as to maintain that the soul must\nhave a bodily head? That would be like saying that every live\nanimal must have on its body a painted head. If this literalist\n(I should say, literary person) had really understood what the\nChurch[34] is, without doubt he would have been ashamed even to\ncontemplate such a book as his. What wonder, therefore, that from\na darkened and wandering brain issues no light, but thick, black\ndarkness St. Paul says, Colossians iii, \"Our life is not on\nearth, but hid with Christ in God.\" [Col. 3:3] For if the Church\nwere a bodily assembly, you could tell by looking at the body\nwhether any one were Christian, Turk or Jew; just as you can tell\nby the body whether a person is a man, woman or child, or whether\nhe is white or black. Again, I can tell whether one is gathered\nin temporal assembly with others in Leipzig, Wittenberg, or\nelsewhere; but I cannot tell at all whether he is a believer or\nnot.\n\n[Sidenote: The Church a Spiritual Thing]\n\nWhosoever would not go astray should, therefore, hold fast to\nthis, that the Church[34] is a spiritual assembly of souls in one\nfaith, and that no one is reckoned a Christian for his body's\nsake; in order that he may know that the true, real, right,\nessential Church[34] is a spiritual thing, and not anything\nexternal or outward, by whatever name it may be called. For one\nwho is not a Christian may have all those other things, and they\nwill never make him a Christian without true faith, which alone\nmakes Christians. For this reason we are called Christian\nbelievers, and on Pentecost we sing:\n\n    We beseech Thee, Holy Spirit[35],\n    Let true faith our portion be.\n\nIt is in this wise, and never in any other, that the Holy\nScriptures speak of the Holy Church and of Christendom.\n\n[Sidneote: The External Church]\n\nBeyond that, another way of speaking of Christendom has come into\nuse. According to this, the name Church[36] is given to an\nassembly in a house or a parish, a bishopric, an archbishopric,\nor the papacy, in which assembly external rites are in use, such\nas chanting, reading, vestments. And primarily the name of\n\"spiritual estate\" is given to the bishops, priests and members\nof the holy orders; not on account of their faith, which they\nperhaps do not have, but because they have been consecrated with\nan external anointing, wear crowns, use a distinctive garb, make\nspecial prayers and do special works, say mass, have their places\nin the choir, and attend to all such external matters of worship.\nBut violence is done to the word \"spiritual,\" or \"Church,\" when\nit is used for such external affairs, whereas it concerns faith\nalone, which, working in the soul, makes right and true\n_spirituales_ and Christians; yet this maimer of using it has\nspread everywhere, to the great injury and perversion of many\nsouls, who think that such outward show is the spiritual and only\ntrue estate in Christendom or the Church.\n\nThere is not one letter in the Holy Scriptures to show that such\na purely external Church has been established by God; and I\nhereby challenge all those who have made this blasphemous,\ndamnable, heretical book, or would defend it, together with all\ntheir followers, even if all the universities hold with them. If\nthey can show me that even one letter of the Scriptures speaks of\nit, I am willing to recant. But I know that they cannot do it.\nThe Canon Law and human statutes, indeed, give the name of Church\nor Christendom to such a thing, but that is not now before us.\nTherefore, for the sake of brevity and a better understanding, we\nshall call the two churches by different names. The first, which\nis the natural, essential, real and true one, let us call a\nspiritual, inner Christendom. The other, which is man-made and\nexternal, let us call a bodily, external Christendom: not as if\nwe would part them asunder, but just as when I speak of a man,\nand call him, according to the soul, a spiritual, according to\nthe body, a physical, man; or as the Apostle is wont to speak of\nthe inner and of the outward man. [Rom. 7:22] Thus also the\nChristian assembly, according to the soul, is a communion[37] of\none accord in one faith, although according to the body it cannot\nbe assembled at one place, and yet every group is assembled in\nits own place. This Christendom is ruled by Canon Law and the\nprelates of the Church.[38] To this belong all the popes,\ncardinals, bishops, prelates, monks, nuns and all those who in\nthese external things are taken to be Christians, whether they\nare truly Christians at heart or not. For though membership in\nthis communion[37] does not make true Christians, because all the\norders mentioned may exist without faith; nevertheless this\ncommunion is never without some who at the same time are true\nChristians, just as the body does not give the soul its life, and\nyet the soul lives in the body and, indeed, can live without the\nbody. Those who are without faith and are outside of the first\ncommunity, but are included in this second community, are dead in\nthe sight of God, hypocrites, and but like wooden images of true\nChristians. And so the people of Israel were a type of the\nspiritual people, assembled in faith.\n\n[Sidenote: The Church as a Building]\n\nThe third use of the term applies the word Church, not to\nChristendom, but to the edifices erected for purposes of worship.\nAnd the word \"spiritual\" is so stretched as to cover temporal\npossessions, not the possessions which are truly spiritual\nbecause of faith, but those which are in the second or external\nChurch,[39] and such possessions are called \"spiritual\" or Church\npossessions.[40] Again, the possessions of the laity are called\n\"worldly,\" although the laymen who are in the first or spiritual\nChurch[39] are much better than the worldly clergy and are truly\nspiritual. After this fashion it now goes with almost all the\nworks and the government of the Church;[39] and the name\n\"spiritual possessions\" has been so exclusively applied to\nworldly possessions that now no one understands it to mean\nanything else, and this has gone so far that men regard neither\nthe spiritual nor the external Church any more, and they squabble\nand quarrel about temporal possessions like the heathen, and say,\nthey do it for the sake of the Church and of spiritual\npossessions. Such perversion and misuse of words and things has\ncome from the Canon Law and human statutes, to the unspeakable\ncorruption of Christendom.\n\n[Sidneote: The Head of the Church: Christ]\n\nNow let us consider the head of Christendom. From the foregoing\nit follows that the first-named Christendom, which alone is the\ntrue Church, may not and cannot have Church: a head upon earth,\nand that no one on earth, neither bishop nor pope, can rule over\nit; only Christ in heaven is the head, and He ruleth alone.\n\n[Sidenote: Why the Church Cannot Have an Earthly Head]\n\nThis is proved, first of all, in this way: How can a man rule\nover anything which he does not know or understand? And who can\nknow whether a man truly believes or not? Aye, if the power of\nthe pope extended to this point, then he could take away a\nChristian's faith, or direct its progress, or increase it, or\nchange it, according to his pleasure, just as Christ can do.\n\nIn the second place, it is proved by the nature of the head. For\nit is the nature of every head joined to a body to infuse into\nall its members life and feeling and activity. This will be\nfound to be true of the heads in worldly affairs. For the ruler\nof a country instils into his subjects all the things which are\nin his own mind and will, and causes all his subjects to be of\nlike mind and will with himself, and thus they do the work he\nwishes to have done, and this work is truly said to have been\ninstilled into the subjects by the prince, for without him it\nwould not have been done. Now no man can instil into the soul of\nanother, nor into his own soul, true faith, and the mind, will\nand work of Christ, but this Christ Himself must do. For neither\npope nor bishop can produce faith in a man's heart, nor anything\nelse a Christian member should have. But a Christian must have\nthe mind and will which Christ has in heaven, as the apostle\nsays, I. Corinthians ii [1. Cor. 2:16; 3:23]. It may also happen\nthat a Christian member has the faith which neither pope nor\nbishop has; how then can the pope be his head? And if the pope\ncannot give to himself the life of the spiritual church, how can\nhe instil it into another? Who has ever seen a live animal with a\nlifeless head? The head must give life to the body, and therefore\nit is clear that on earth there is no other head of the spiritual\nChristendom but Christ alone. Moreover, if a man were its head\nhere below, Christendom would perish as often as a pope dies. For\nthe body cannot live when the head is dead.\n\nIt follows further, that in this Church Christ can have no vicar,\nand therefore neither pope nor bishop is Christ's vicar or regent\nin this Church, nor can he ever become such. And this is proved\nas follows: A regent, if obedient to his lord, labors with and\nurges on the subjects and instils into them the same work which\nhis lord himself instils, just as we see in temporal government,\nwhere there is one mind and will in lord, regents, and subjects.\nAnd if he were more holy than St. Peter, the pope can never\ninstill into or create in a Christian man the work of Christ his\nLord, i. e., faith, hope, love, and every grace and virtue.\n\nAnd if such illustration and proof were not without flaw, though\nfounded on the Scriptures, yet St. Paul stands strong and\nimmovable in Ephesians iv, giving to Christendom but one head and\nsaying, \"Let us be true (i. e., not external, but real and true\nChristians) and grow up into Him in all things, which is the\nhead, even Christ, from Whom the whole body fitly joined together\nand compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to\nthe effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh\nincrease of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.\" [Eph.\n4:15,16] Here the apostle says clearly that the building up and\nincrease of Christendom, which is the body of Christ, cometh\nalone from Christ, Who is its Head. And where can there be found\nanother head on earth to whom such nature could be ascribed,\nespecially since these \"heads\" in most cases have neither love\nnor faith? Besides, St. Paul referred in these words to himself,\nto St. Peter, and to every other Christian; and if another head\nwere necessary he would have been utterly false in saying nothing\nabout it.\n\nI know very well that there are some who dare to say in reference\nto this and similar passages that though Paul was silent [1 Cor.\n3:1], he did not thereby deny that St. Peter was also a head, but\nwas feeding the unwise with milk. Just listen to this: they claim\nthat it is necessary for salvation to have St. Peter for a head,\nand yet they have the effrontery to say that Paul concealed the\nthings which are necessary to salvation. Thus these senseless\ngoats would rather blaspheme Paul and the Word of God than be\nconvinced of their error, and they call it \"milk for babes\" when\nChrist is proclaimed, and \"strong meat\" when St. Peter is\nproclaimed, just as if Peter were higher, greater, and more\ndifficult to understand than Christ himself. And this is called\nexplaining the Scriptures and overcoming Dr. Luther; this is the\nway to run out of the rain and fall into the trough. What could\nsuch babblers accomplish if we should have a disputation with the\nBohemians[41] and the heretics? Truly nothing, except that we\nshould be made a mockery for all, and give them due cause to look\nupon us all as blustering idiots, and they become more strongly\nentrenched in their own belief through the foolishness of our\nside.\n\n[Sidenote: The Equality of Bishops]\n\nBut then you ask: If the prelates are neither heads nor regents\nof the spiritual Church, what are they?\n\nLet the laymen answer this, when they say: St. Peter is a\nmessenger[42] and the other apostles are messengers too. Why\nshould the pope be ashamed to be a messenger, if St. Peter\nhimself is no more? But beware, ye laymen, or the super-learned\nRomanists will burn you at the stake as heretics because ye would\nmake the pope a messenger and letter-carrier. But ye have a\nstrong argument, for the Greek _Apostolos_ is in German\n\"messenger,\" and thus are they called throughout the Gospel.\n\nIf, then, they are all messengers of the one Lord Christ, who\nwould be so foolish as to say that so great a lord, in a matter\nof such great importance for the whole world, sends but one\nmessenger, and he, in turn, sends other messengers of his own?\nThen St. Peter would have to be called, not a _Zw\u00f6lfbote_ (one of\nthe twelve messengers), but an only-messenger, and none of the\nothers would remain _Zw\u00f6lfboten_, but they would all be St.\nPeter's _Elfboten_ (i. e., his eleven messengers). But what is\nthe custom at court? Is it not true that a lord has many\nmessengers?  Aye, when does it happen that many messengers are\nsent with the same message to one place, as now we have priest,\nbishop, archbishop and pope, all ruling over the same city, not\nto mention other tyrants, who shove in their rule somewhere\nbetween the rest? Christ sent all the apostles into the world\nwith His Word and message with full, equal powers, as St. Paul\nsays: \"We are ambassadors for Christ.\" [1 Cor. 5:20] And in I.\nCorinthians iii. he says: \"What is Peter? What is Paul? Servants\nthrough whom ye believed.\" [1 Cor. 3:5] This ambassadorship means\nto feed, to rule, to be bishop, and so forth. But that the pope\nmakes all the messengers of God to be subject to himself, is the\nsame as if one messenger of a prince detained all the other\nmessengers, and then sent them out when it suited his pleasure,\nwhile he himself went nowhere. Would that be pleasing to the\nprince, if he found it out?\n\nShould you say: True, but one messenger may be above another; I\nwould reply: One may indeed be better and more skilful than\nanother, as St. Paul was when compared with Peter; but since they\nbring one and the same message, one cannot be above another by\nreason of his office. But, put the other way, St. Peter is not a\n_Zw\u00f6lfbote_ at all, but a special messenger and lord over the\nEleven. What can it be that one has above the others, if they all\nhave one and the same message and commission from the one Lord?\n\nForasmuch then as all bishops are equal by divine right and sit\nin the Apostles' places, I may gladly concede that by human right\none is above the other in the external Church. For here the pope\ninstils what is in his own mind, as, for instance, his Canon Law\nand human inventions, whereby Christendom is ruled with outward\nshow; but that does not make Christians, as I have said\nabove[43]; neither are they heretics who are not under the same\nlaws and ceremonies or human ordinances. For customs change with\nthe country.\n\nAll this is confined by the article in the Creed: \"I believe in\nthe Holy Ghost, one Holy Christian Church, the Communion of\nSaints.\" No one says: \"I believe in the Holy Ghost, one Holy\nRoman Church, a Communion of the Romans.\" Thus it is clear that\nthe Holy Church is not bound to Rome, but is as wide as the\nworld, the assembly of those of one faith, a spiritual and not a\nbodily thing, for that which one believes is not bodily or\nvisible. The external Roman Church we all see, therefore it\ncannot be the true Church, which is believed, and which is a\ncommunity or assembly of the saints in faith, for no one can see\nwho is a saint or a believer.\n\n[Sidenote: The Marks of the Church]\n\nThe external marks, whereby one can perceive where this Church is\non earth, are baptism, the Sacrament, and the Gospel; and not\nRome, or this place, or that. For where baptism and the Gospel\nare, no one may doubt that there are saints, even if it were only\nthe babes in their cradles. But neither Rome nor the papal power\nis a mark of the Church,[44] for that power cannot make\nChristians, as baptism and the Gospel do; and therefore it does\nnot belong to the true Church[44] and is but a human ordinance.\n\nTherefore I would advise this Romanist to go to school another\nyear, and to learn what the Church or the head of the Church[44]\nreally means, before he drives out the poor heretics with\nwritings of such height, depth, breadth and length. It grieves me\nto the heart that we must suffer these mad saints to tear asunder\nand blaspheme the Holy Scriptures with such insolence, license,\nand shamelessness, and that they make bold to deal with the\nScriptures, whereas they are not fit to care for a herd of swine.\nHeretofore I have held that where something was to be proved by\nthe Scriptures, the Scriptures quoted must really refer to the\npoint at issue. I learn now that it is enough to throw many\npassages together helter-skelter, whether they are fit or not. If\nthis is to be the way, then I can easily prove from the\nScriptures that beer is better than wine.[45]\n\nOf the same character is his statement in both his Latin and his\nGerman treatise[46] that Christ is the head of the Turks,\nheathen, Christians, heretics, robbers, harlots and knaves. It\nwould be no wonder if all the stone and timber in the cloister\nstared and hooted this miserable wretch to death for his horrible\nblasphemy. What shall I say? Has Christ become a keeper of all\nthe houses of shame, a head of all the murderers, of all\nheretics, of all rogues? Woe unto thee, thou miserable wretch,\nthat thou thus holdest up thy Lord for all the world to\nblaspheme! The poor man would write about the head of\nChristendom, and in utter madness imagines that \"head\" and \"Lord\"\nare one and the same. Christ is, indeed, Lord of all things, of\nall the good and the evil, of the angels and the devils, the\nvirgins and the harlots; but He is not the head, except only of\nthe good, believing Christians, assembled in the spirit. For a\nhead must be united with its body, as I showed above from St.\nPaul in Ephesians iv,[47] and the members must cleave to the head\nand receive from it their activity and life. For this reason\nChrist cannot be the head of an evil community, although it is\nsubject unto Him as Lord; even as His kingdom, namely\nChristendom, is not a bodily community or kingdom, yet all things\nare subject unto Him, be they spiritual or bodily, of hell or of\nheaven.\n\nThus in his first argument this reviler vilified and slandered\nme; in this second argument he reviled Christ much more than me.\nFor even if he thinks much of his own holy prayers and fastings\nin contrast to a poor sinner like me, yet he has not called me a\nbrothelkeeper and archknave, as he has Christ.\n\n[Sidenote: III. The Argument from Scripture]\n\nNow comes the third argument, in which the high majesty of God is\nmade a target, and the Holy Spirit becomes a liar and a heretic,\nso that by all means the contention of the Romanists may be\nupheld.\n\nThe third argument is taken from the Scriptures, just as the\nsecond was taken from reason and the first from folly, so that\neverything may be done in proper order. It runs as follows: The\nOld Testament was a type of the New Testament, and because it had\na bodily high-priest, the New Testament must have one\nlikewise--how else shall the type be fulfilled? For has not\nChrist Himself said: \"Not one jot or tittle of the law shall pass\naway; it shall all be fulfilled\"? [Matt. 5:18]\n\nA book more foolish, senseless, and blind I have never seen. Once\nbefore, another[48] wrote the same thing against me, so coarse\nand foolish that I could not but scorn it. But because they have\nnot sharpened their wits, I must speak bluntly for the\nthickheads; I see that the ass does not appreciate a harp, I must\noffer him thistles.\n\n[Sidenote: Type and Fulfillment]\n\nIn the first place, it is evident that a type is material and\nexternal, and the fulfilment of the type is spiritual and\ninternal; what the type reveals to the bodily eye, its fulfilment\nmust reveal to the eye of faith alone, or it is not really a\nfulfilment.\n\nI must prove that by illustration. By many miracles the Jewish\npeople came in a bodily manner out of the bodily land of Egypt,\nas is written in the book of Exodus [Ex. 13:18 ff.]. This type\ndoes not mean that we, too, shall in a bodily manner come out of\nEgypt, but that our souls by a right faith shall come forth from\nsins and the spiritual power of the devil; so that the bodily\nassembly of the Jewish people signifies the spiritual and\ninternal assembly of the Christian people in faith. Thus, as\nthey drank water from a bodily rock, and ate bodily manna with\nthe bodily mouth, so with the mouth of the heart we drink and eat\nof the spiritual Rock, the Lord Christ, when we believe in Him [1\nCor. 10:3]. Again, Moses set a serpent on a pole, and whosoever\nlooked upon it was made whole [Num. 21:8]. That signifies Christ\non the Cross; whosoever believeth in Him, is saved. And so\nthroughout the entire Old Testament, all the bodily, visible\nthings in it signify in the New Testament spiritual and inward\nthings, which one cannot see, but possesses only in faith. St.\nAugustine understood the types in this manner, when he says[49]\non John iii, \"This is the difference between the type and its\nfulfilment: the type gave temporal goods and life, but the\nfulfilment gives spiritual and eternal life.\" [John 3:14] Now the\noutward show of Roman power can give neither temporal nor eternal\nlife, and therefore it is not only no fulfilment of the type of\nAaron, but far less than the type, for that was established by\ndivine direction. For if the papacy could give either eternal or\ntemporal life, all the popes would be saved and be in good\nhealth. But he who has Christ and the spiritual Church, is truly\nsaved and has the fulfilment of the type, yet only in faith. And\nsince the pope's external show and the oneness of his Church can\nbe seen with the eyes, and we all see it, it is not possible that\nhe can be the fulfilment of any type. For the fulfilment of types\nmust not be seen, but believed.\n\n[Sidenote: The High-Priest Not a Type of the Pope]\n\nNow see--are they not skilful masters who make the high-priest of\nthe Old Testament to be a type of the pope, when the latter makes\nas much, nay more of an external show than the former, and thus a\nbodily thing is made to be the fulfilment of a bodily type! That\nwould mean that type and fulfilment are exactly alike. But if\nthis type is to stand, the new high-priest must be spiritual, and\nhis graces and adornment likewise spiritual. The prophets also\nsaw this when they said of us, Psalm cxxxii, \"Thy priests shall\nbe clothed with faith or righteousness, and Thine anointed ones\nshall be adorned with joy.\" [Ps. 132:9] As if he would say: Our\npriests are types, and are clothed externally with silks and\npurples, but your priests shall be clothed with grace inwardly.\nThus is this miserable Romanist routed with his \"type,\" and his\njumbling together of much Scripture has been in vain. For the\npope is an external priest, and they think of him in his external\npower and adornment. Therefore Aaron cannot have been a type of\nhim; we must have another.\n\n[Sidenote: Scriptural Types Interpreted in Scripture]\n\nIn the second place--in order that they may realize how far they\nare from the truth--even if they had been wise enough to give a\nspiritual fulfilment to the type, yet that would not stand the\ntest, unless they had a clear passage from the Scriptures, which\nbrought the type and its spiritual fulfilment together; otherwise\nevery one could make out of it what he desired. For instance,\nthat the serpent lifted up by Moses signifies Christ, is taught\nby John iii [John 3:14]. If it were not for that passage my\nreason might evolve very strange and weird fancies out of that\ntype. Again, that Adam was a type of Christ, I learn not from\nmyself, but from St. Paul in Romans v [Rom. 5:14]. Again, that\nthe rock in the wilderness signifies Christ, is not so stated by\nmy reason, but by St. Paul in I. Corinthians x. [1 Cor. 10:4]\nTherefore, let none other explain the type but the Holy Spirit\nHimself, Who has given the type and wrought the fulfilment, in\norder that both promise and performance, type and fulfilment, and\nthe interpretation of both, may be God's own and not man's, and\nour faith be founded not on human, but on divine works and words.\n\nWhat leads the Jews astray but that they interpret the types as\nthey please, without the Scriptures? What has led so many\nheretics astray but the interpretation of the types without\nreference to the Scriptures? And though the pope were something\nspiritual, yet even then it would count for nothing if I made\nAaron to be his type, unless I could point to a passage where it\nis explicitly stated: Behold, Aaron was a type of the pope.\nOtherwise who could prevent me from assuming that Aaron was a\ntype of the bishop of Prague? St. Augustine has stated that types\nare not valid in controversy unless supported by the\nScriptures.[50]\n\nBut now this poor chatterbox has neither: no spiritual, inward\nhigh-priest and no passage of the Scriptures; he goes at it\nblindly with his own dreams, and assumes as his basis that Aaron\nwas the type of St. Peter, the very thing which is in greatest\nneed of foundation and proof, and he just goes on prattling that\nthe law must be fulfilled and not one iota omitted. My dear\nRomanist, who has ever doubted that the law of the Old Testament\nand its types must be fulfilled in the New? There was no need of\nyour scholarship to establish that. But here you might make a\ngreat show and demonstrate by your ingenuity that this fulfilment\noccurs in Peter or in the pope. You are as mute as a stick when\nit is time to speak out, and a chatterbox when speech is\nunnecessary. Have you not learned your logic better than that?\nYou argue your major premises, which no one questions, and assume\nthe correctness of your minor premises, which every one\nquestions, and then you draw the conclusion to suit yourself.\n\n[Sidenote: A Lesson in Logic]\n\nListen to me, I will give you a better lesson in logic. I agree\nwith you in saying: All that is typified by the high-priest in\nthe Old Testament must be fulfilled in the New, as St. Paul says\nin I. Corinthians i. Thus far we agree. Now you continue: St.\nPeter, or the pope, was typified by Aaron. Here I say, Nay. And\nwhat can you do then? Now show your learning, and call the whole\ncrowd of Romanists to assist you, bring just one jot or tittle\nfrom the Scriptures in defence, and I will call you a hero. On\nwhat foundation have you builded, however? On your own dreams;\nand yet you boast you will argue against me with the Scriptures.\nIt was not necessary for you thus to play the fool against me, I\nshould have had a fool to overcome at any rate.\n\n[Sidenote: Aaron a Type of Christ]\n\nListen to me further: I say that Aaron was a type of Christ, and\nnot of the pope. And when I say this, I do not utter my own\ninvention, as you do; but I will prove it, so that neither you,\nnor the world, nor all the devils shall overthrow it. In the\nfirst place, Christ is a spiritual priest for the inner man; for\nHe sitteth in heaven, and maketh intercession for us as a priest,\nteaches us inwardly in the heart, and does everything a priest\nshould do in mediating between God and man, as St. Paul says,\nRomans iii, and the whole Epistle to the Hebrews. Aaron, the\ntype, is bodily and external, but the fulfilment is spiritual and\ninward, and the two agree together. [Rom. 3:25]\n\nSecondly, in order not to bring my own thoughts, I have the\npassage, Psalm cx, \"The Lord hath sworn and will not repent: Thou\nart a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.\" [Ps. 110:4]\nCan you also bring a passage like that about St. Peter or the\npope? For I think that you will not deny that this passage refers\nto Christ, as St. Paul, in Hebrews v. [Heb. 5:6] and at many\nother places, and our Lord Christ Himself, in Matthew xxii, so\nexplain it [Matt. 22:44]. Thus we can see how beautifully the\nRomanists treat the Scriptures and make out of them what they\nlike, as if they were a nose of wax, to be pulled around at will.\n\nNow we have proved by the Scriptures that Christ is the\nHigh-priest of the New Testament. Clearer still is Paul's\ncomparison of Aaron and Christ in Hebrews ix, when he says: \"Into\nthe first tabernacle the priests went every day, to offer the\nsacrifices; but into the second went the high-priest alone once\nevery year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and\nfor the sin of the people. The Holy Ghost thus signifying that\nthe way to the true, holy tabernacle was not yet made manifest,\nwhile the first tabernacle was yet standing, which was a type or\nfigure needful for the time then present. But Christ being come,\na high-priest of spiritual possessions to come, by a greater and\nmore perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not\nof this temporal building: neither by the blood of goats and\ncalves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy\nplace, having obtained an eternal redemption.\" [Heb. 9:6 ff.]\n\nWhat do you say to this, my super-learned Romanist? Paul says:\nThe high-priest typified Christ; you say, St. Peter. Paul says,\nChrist entered not into a temporal building; you say, He is in\nthe temporal building at Rome. Paul says, He entered in once,\nand hath obtained an eternal redemption, and makes the type to be\naltogether spiritual and heavenly, which you make to be earthly\nand external. What can you do now? My advice is this: Clench\nyour fist, smite him on the jaw, and say he is a liar, a heretic,\na poisoner, just as you do to me; and you will be like your\nfather Zedekiah, who smote Micaiah on the cheek [1 Kings 22:24].\nDo you not see, wretched blasphemer, whither your counsellors and\nyour own madness have brought you? [John 5:43] Where are they\nnow, those big-wigs, who interdicted my sermon on both kinds in\nthe Sacrament?[51] It served them right. They would not tolerate\nnor hear the Gospel, and now they shall hear instead the lies and\nblasphemies of the Evil Spirit, even as Christ says to the Jews,\n\"I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not; another\nshall come in his own name, him ye will receive.\" [John 5:43]\n\nBut you might say, St. Peter too is typified by Aaron, along with\nChrist; and I answer, if you must keep on, you could also say\nthat Aaron was a type of the Turk; and who could prevent you,\nsince you delight in such senseless chatter. But you have given\npromise to argue from the Scriptures; now do it, and leave your\ndreams at home. Moreover, where faith is concerned, one must\ncontend not with uncertain Scripture texts, but with those that\nrefer to the issue in a way that is certain, clear, and simple;\notherwise the Evil Spirit would toss us hither and yon, until at\nlast we should not know at all where we were; just as has\nhappened to many with these little words, _Petros_ and\n_Petra_[52] in Matthew xvi [Matt. 16:18].\n\nIt would have been something less of a lie and a blasphemy for\nyou to have said that Aaron was a type of Christ and also of St.\nPeter. But now you just scream with all your might that Aaron was\nnot a type of Christ, but of St. Peter, and wantonly you strike\nSt. Paul in the face. And in order that nothing may be lacking in\nthis perfect piece of folly, you go on to say: Moses was a type\nof Christ. And you say this not only without any cause or\nindication in the Scriptures--just as if you were more than God,\nand everything which you emit must be taken for Gospel--but\ncontrary to all the Scriptures, which make Moses a type of the\nLaw, as St. Paul does in II. Corinthians iii. [2 Cor. 3:7] It is\nnot necessary to go into this just now, else you might strike him\non the jaw again in your wantonness and insolence. Such venom you\nhave imbibed from that man Emser's heretical and blasphemous\noutput,[53] which I will give the answer it deserves when Sir\nKnight Eck comes along with his flourish.[54] You cannot carry it\noff in that way, my dear Romanists. I cannot prevent it by force,\nbut you shall not bring any Scripture in support of it. Praise\nGod, I am not quite ready to bite the dust.\n\n[Sidenote: Types of the Apostles]\n\nNow it is clear, I take it, that the third argument of his\nRomanist is rank heresy and blasphemy, for it flatly contradicts\nGod the Holy Ghost and makes Him a liar, and utterly demolishes\nSt. Paul. For since Aaron is a type of Christ, he cannot be a\ntype of St. Peter. For what the Scriptures ascribe to Christ must\nnot be ascribed to any other, so that the Scriptures may ever\nhave one simple, direct, indisputable meaning, on which our faith\nmay rest without wavering [Exod. 28:17 ff.]. This I will grant,\nthat Peter is one of the twelve precious stones in the\nbreastplate of Aaron, whereby there may be signified that the\ntwelve Apostles, chosen in Christ, and known from all eternity,\nare the highest and most precious jewels in Christendom, but I\ncan never allow Peter to become Aaron. Again, I will admit that\nSt. Peter is one of the twelve lions that stood beside Solomon's\ngreat throne [1 Kings 10:19], but Christ must remain for me the\none King Solomon. I will let the twelve Apostles be the twelve\nwells of water in the wilderness of Elim [Exod. 15:27], on this\ncondition, however, that the bright cloud and pillar shall be\nnothing other than Christ himself. And just as little as the\npower of any one of these twelve extends over the others, so\nlittle does Peter have power over the other apostles, and the\npope over other bishops and priests, by divine right.\n\n[Sidenote: Wherein the Pope is Untrue to the Type of Aaron]\n\nOne thing more, my good, dear Romanists, and then I have done. I\nask most graciously for a correct answer. If Aaron was a type of\nthe pope in external authority, vestments and state, why was he\nnot a type in all other external and bodily matters; if it holds\nin one thing, why not in all the others?\n\nIt is written that the high-priest shall not take a widow or a\ndivorced woman, but shall wed a virgin [Lev. 21:14]; why do they\nnot give the pope a virgin to wed, so that the type may be\nfulfilled? Nay, why does the pope forbid matrimony to the whole\npriesthood, not only contrary to the Old Testament type, but also\nin opposition to God, and against right, reason, and nature, a\nthing which he has no authority, nor power, nor right to do, and\nover which the Church has never exercised authority, nor should\nit ever do so. So by his own caprice, without need, he has caused\nChristendom to be filled with whores, sinners, and guilty\nconsciences, as St. Paul says of him, I. Timothy iv: \"In the\nlatter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to\nseducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in\nhypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron,\nforbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which\nGod hath created, etc.\" [1 Tim. 4:1 ff.]\n\nDoes Paul herein not hit the Roman laws, which forbid the\npriesthood to marry, and command all Christians to abstain from\nbutter, eggs, milk, and meats on certain days, while God Himself\nhas left it to the free choice of Christians in every estate to\neat or to marry, as they desire? Where are you now, my Romanist\nof the observance, with all your ranting that not one detail of\nthe Old Testament type shall be omitted, and that every iota must\nbe fulfilled? Yea, where is the pope, the successor of St. Peter,\nwho was married, as was St. Paul[55] and all the Apostles?\n\n[Sidenote: The Tonsure]\n\nAgain, the Old Testament high-priest was not permitted to have\nhis head shorn [Lev. 21:5]. But why does the pope have a tonsure,\nand all the other priests, too? Wherein is the type fulfilled\nhere to the very dot? Again, the High-priest was forbidden to own\nany portion of Israel's land, but subsisted entirely on the\nofferings of the people. Pray, why is the occupant of the papal\nthrone so furious to possess the whole world, and has not only\nstolen lands and cities, principalities and kingdoms,[56] but has\narrogated to himself the power to make kings and princes, seat\nand unseat and change them according to his pleasure, as if he\nwere Antichrist. Wherein is there here a fulfilment of the type?\n\n[Sidenote: Worldly Pretensions]\n\nAgain, the Old Testament high-priest was a subject under the rule\nof the kings. Why then does the pope have men kiss his feet, and\naspire to be king of kings, which Christ Himself did not? Wherein\nis the type fulfilled here? Again, the high-priest was\ncircumcised. And, finally, if having the external things in the\nNew Testament identical with those of the Old be the fulfilment\nof types, why do we not become Jews again and keep the whole law\nof Moses? If we must observe it in one particular, why not in\nall? If not in all, why in one?\n\n[Sidenote: Holy Men Not Under the High-Priest]\n\nIf it be desired to elevate the New Testament above the Old in\nthe matter of outward splendor, would it not be the reasonable to\nsuppose that there should be more than one high-priest in the New\nTestament, to make it more splendid and glorious than the Old,\nwhich did not have more than one? If reason should judge in this\ncase and follow its own bent, what do you suppose it would do?\nAgain, in the time of the Old Testament high-priest there were\nmany holy men who were not under him, such as Job and his\nfamily--for he was not alone. Likewise the king of Babylon, the\nqueen of Sheba, the widow of Zarephath, the prince Naaman of\nSyria, and many others in Eastern lands, together with their\nfamilies, who are all commended in the Scriptures. Why does not\nthe type hold in these instances, even to the letter? And yet the\npope will let no one be a Christian except he be subject to him,\nand buy his seals and parchments at any price his Romanists\nplease to charge. Or do the Romanists have power to interpret\ntypes as they please and as far as they please, without any\nwarrant of the Scriptures?\n\nDo you not see, my good Romanist, how envy and hatred have\nblinded you and your kind? Would it not have been a more seemly\nthing for you to have remained in your cell praying your vigils\nuntil you had been called or urged into this case? You do not\nknow what a type is or signifies, and yet you boast of being a\nteacher and master of all the Holy Scriptures.[57] Yea, verily, a\nmaster in corrupting the Scriptures, and blaspheming God, and\nlibeling truth. Come again, my dear Romanist, and I will deck you\nwith lilies and give you for a new year's present[58] to those\nwho have sent you.\n\nI, too, desire to say one thing that is not in the Scriptures.\nIn all estates which God has appointed there are always some who\nare saved, and no estate is without living saints on earth, as\nChrist says, Luke xvii, \"Two men shall be in one bed; the one\nshall be taken, and the other left,\" etc. [Luke 17:34] If the\npapacy were from God it would be impossible for a pope to be\ndamned, because there is but one person at a time in that estate,\nand whoever became pope would thereby be assured of his\nsalvation; which is contrary to all the Scriptures.\n\n[Sidenote: The Scriptural Foundation of Papal Power]\n\nNow let us see how these pious people treat the holy words of\nChrist in this case. Christ says to St. Peter, Matthew xvi: \"Thou\nart, or art called, Peter; and on the _Petram_ (i. e., on the\nrock) I will build My Church. And I will give unto thee the keys\nof the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on\nearth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose\non earth, shall be loosed in heaven.\" [Matt 16:18] From these\nwords they have claimed the keys for St. Peter alone; but the\nsame Matthew has barred such erroneous interpretation in the\nxviii. chapter, where Christ says to all in common, \"Verily, I\nsay unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound\nin heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be\nloosed in heaven.\" [Matt. 18:18] It is clear that Christ here\ninterprets His own words, and in this xviii. chapter explains the\nformer xvi.; namely, that the keys are given to St. Peter in the\nstead of the whole Church,[59] and not for his own person. Thus\nalso John, in the last chapter, \"He breathed on them and said,\nReceive ye the Holy Ghost; whosesoever sins ye remit, they are\nremitted unto them, and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are\nretained.\" To maintain the sole authority of St. Peter, when\nthere are two texts against one, many men have labored in vain.\nBut the Gospel is too clear, and they have had to admit until now\nthat in the first passage nothing special was given to St. Peter\nfor his own person.\n\nThus it was also understood by many of the ancient Church\nfathers. It is likewise proved by the words of Christ just before\nHe gave the keys to St. Peter, where He asks not Peter only, but\nall of them: \"What think ye of Me?\" [Matt. 16:15] Then Peter\nanswers for them all, \"Thou art Christ, the Son of the living\nGod.\" [Matt. 16:18] Therefore the words in Matthew xvi. must be\nunderstood in accordance with the words in chapter xviii. [Matt.\n18:16] and in John xx [John 20:22], and one passage must not be\nexplained in a manner contrary to two strong ones, but the one be\nproperly explained by the two. The proof is all the stronger\nwhere there are two instead of only one, and it is but fair that\none should follow the two, and not two the one.\n\n[Sidenote: Equality Among the Apostles]\n\nIt is plain, therefore, that all the apostles were equal to Peter\nin all matters of authority. This is shown by their acts as well\nas by their words, for Peter never selected an apostle, nor made,\nconfirmed, sent out, or ruled over one; although if he had been\ntheir superior by divine appointment this would have had to be,\nor all of them would have been heretics. Moreover, all of the\napostles together could not make St. Matthias and St. Paul\napostles, but this must needs be done from heaven, as it is\nwritten in Acts i. [Acts 1:23 ff.] and xiii. [Acts 13:2] How then\ncould St. Peter alone be lord over them all? This little nut no\none has been able to crack as yet, and I trust they will be so\ngracious, even against their will, to leave it uncracked a while\nlonger.\n\n[Sidenote: Roman Authority never Universal]\n\nAnd just as this Romanist boasts that the papal chair survives in\nspite of repeated assaults on its authority,[60] so I, too, boast\nthat the Roman See ofttimes, and to this very day, has striven in\nmad frenzy for such power, yet has never been able to attain it,\nand, God willing, shall never attain it. It is an utter farce\nwhen a man boasts that he has always kept what he has never had.\nWhy does not our dear Romanist boast also that the city of\nLeipzig has never been taken away from him, in which he does not\neven have a house? It would be a boast of equal value with the\nother. So they chatter on incessantly; anything that comes to\ntheir tongues is blurted out. Therefore, I say, that though the\nRoman tyrants have striven hard against the Gospel, to take the\ncommon power of the Church and make it their own, yet the word of\nChrist still stands, \"The powers of hell shall not prevail\nagainst it.\" [Matt. 16:18] Now if this power had been given to\nthe pope by divine right, God would not have desisted; at some\ntime it would have been fulfilled. For he says that \"not a jot or\nletter shall remain unfulfilled.\" [Matt. 5:18] But in the\nextension of Roman power over all Christendom not one letter has\never been fulfilled.\n\nAnd it does not help to say, it is not the fault of the Romans,\nbut of the heretics, that it has not been fulfilled. Heretic\nhere, heretic there! God's order and promise cannot be hindered\nor prevented by the gates of hell, much less by the heretics;\nsurely He is strong enough to make true His own Word, without the\nhelp of heretics. And inasmuch as He has never done so, and\nleaves it unfulfilled to this day, regardless of all the zeal,\ndiligence, toil and labor, and cunning and trickery besides,\nwhich the Romans have expended on it, I hope it is sufficiently\nestablished just what the pope's authority is, beyond that of\nother bishops and priests; namely, that it is of human and not of\ndivine right. Christ's kingdom has been at all times in all the\nworld, as is written in Psalms ii. [Ps. 2:8] and xix [Ps. 19:4],\nbut never was it entirely under the pope, even for one hour, in\nspite of those who say otherwise.\n\n[Sidenote: Two Passages versus One]\n\nAlthough all this is well-established truth, we shall\nnevertheless proceed to demolish their idle fairy-tales still\nmore, and say: Even if it were not valid that the two sayings in\nMatthew [Matt. 18:18] and John [John 20:22], which make the power\nof the keys a common possession, should explain the one saying of\nMatthew, which sounds as if the keys were given to Peter alone;\nyet the case cannot proceed any further than to establish a\ndoubt, whether the one passage shall interpret the two, or the\ntwo the one, and I hold as tenaciously to the two, as they to the\none. Furthermore, that doubt gives certainty to us, so that it is\nentirely for us to say whether we will have the pope for a head\nor not. For where a matter is in doubt, no one is a heretic,\nwhether he hold to one view or to another; this they themselves\nadmit. And thus their argument again is brought to naught, and\nthey can produce nothing but uncertainty and doubt. Therefore\nthey must either give up all three passages as inadequate to\nestablish their case, since their meaning is obscure; or else\nthey must cite others, which explicitly indicate that the two\nmust be interpreted by the one. This they cannot do; I defy them\nto try it.\n\nBut I will cite passages by which I shall prove that the one\npassage must follow the two.\n\nThus saith the Law--and Christ quotes it in Matthew xviii--,\n\"Every case shall be established through the mouth of two or\nthree witnesses, but at the mouth of one witness shall no man be\nput to death.\" [Deut. 17:6] And once I have two witnesses against\none, my case takes precedence, and the one passage must follow\nthe two; namely, that Peter received the keys not as Peter, but\nin the stead of the Church,[61] as Matthew xviii. and John xx.\nclearly say, and not as Peter alone, as Matthew xvi. seems to\nsay.\n\nMoreover, I am astounded at the great arrogance by which they\nwould make the power of the keys a ruling power, which really\nfits together as well as winter and summer. For a ruling power\nmeans far more than the power of the keys. The power of the keys\nextends only to the Sacrament of Penance,[62] to bind and loose\nthe sins, as Matthew xviii. [Matt. 18:18] and John xx. [John\n20:22] clearly state; but a ruling power extends likewise to\nthose who are pious and have naught to be bound or loosed; its\nscope includes preaching, exhorting, consoling, saying mass,\ngiving the Sacrament, etc. Therefore, none of the three passages\nfits the power of the pope over all Christendom, except he were\nmade the one confessor, or penitentiary,[63] or anathematizer, to\nrule only over the wicked and the sinners, which is not their\ndesire at all. And if these words should establish the papal\npower over all Christians, I should very much like to know who\ncould absolve the pope when he sins. He must certainly remain in\nhis sins; neither will it do for him to transfer his power to\nanother for his own absolution, for that would make him a heretic\nin acting contrary to divine command.\n\n[Sidenote: Person and Office]\n\nSome have invented the fiction that the pope's person and office\nare two different things;[64] that the person can be made subject\nto another, but not the office. That glitters for a moment, but\nis, in truth, like all such wares. For in their own laws, with\ngreat ado and show, they have forbidden any bishop of a lower\nrank to confirm a pope, although this confirmation is not the\ninstitution of the office, but the induction of the person into\nthe office. And if in this case the person is not subject to any\none, surely the same is true in absolution. But in all their\ndoings and glosses and interpretations, their minds are in a\nwhirl, and they say now this and now that; and in their twisting\nof God's Word they lose its true sense, forget where they are, go\ncompletely astray, and yet they would rule the whole world.\n\n[Sidenote: The Keys Given to the Whole Church]\n\nTherefore let every Christian believe that in these passages\nChrist does not give either to St. Peter or to the other Apostles\nthe power to rule, or to soar so high. What then does He give? I\nwill tell you. These words of Christ are nothing but gracious\npromises, given to the whole Church,[65] as was said above,[66]\nin order that poor sinful consciences may find comfort when they\nare \"loosed\" or absolved by man; and the words apply only to\nsinful, timid, troubled consciences, and are intended to strength\nen them, if they but believe. When these comforting words of\nChrist, given for the benefit of all poor consciences in the\nwhole Church,[65] are thus made to strengthen and establish papal\npower, I will tell you of what it reminds me.\n\n[Sidenote: A Parable]\n\nIt reminds me of a rich, kind prince who threw open his\ntreasure-house, and gave complete freedom to all the poor to come\nand take what they needed. Among the needy there came a rogue,\nwho made use of the permission all by himself and allowed none to\ncome in who did not bow completely to his will, and arbitrarily\nexplained the words of the prince to mean that the permission was\ngiven to him alone. Can you imagine what the kind prince would\nthink of this rogue? If you cannot imagine it, hear what St.\nMatthew says of that selfsame servant: \"If that evil servant\nshall say in his heart. My lord delayeth his coming, and shall\nbegin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the\ndrunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he\nlooketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and\nshall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the\nhypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.\" [Matt.\n24:48 ff.]\n\nAnd now see: in the same manner as this servant interprets the\nintention of his lord, so the Romanists interpret the words of\nGod, and this is the very best that can be said of their\ninterpretation. For when they go stark mad, they act as if yon\nservant had not only made barter of his lord's kindness for his\nown profit, but as if he actually changed the goods, and gave\nchaff and stubble for com, copper for gold, lead for silver, and\npoison for wine. And therefore it is still a matter of grace,\nthat they claim the keys for the pope at least in such a manner\nthat we may buy them by giving money and everything that we\npossess. But it is an utter calamity when they preach their\nlaws, authority, bans, indulgences and the like, in place of the\nGospel. That is what the Lord calls the smiting of the fellow\nservants by the evil servant, who should rather feed them.\n\n[Sidenote: Herod and the Romanists]\n\nI will use a plain illustration, so that any one may see the\ndifference between the true and the false interpretation of these\nwords of Christ. The high-priest of the Old Testament wore, by\ndivine appointment, an official robe. When King Herod elevated\nhimself over the people of Israel, he took that robe, and\nalthough he did not use it himself, yet he usurped the authority\nto regulate its use, and the people were forced to pay for that\nto which God had given them the right. The same is true now. The\nkeys have been given to the whole Church[65] as has been proved\nabove.[66] But along come the Romanists, and although they never\nuse them themselves nor exercise their office, yet they take to\nthemselves authority over the use of the keys, and we are forced\nto buy with money what is in reality our own, given by Christ.\nAnd, not satisfied with this, they apply the words of Christ\nconcerning the keys, not to the keys nor to their use, but to\ntheir usurped power and authority over the keys, so that the\npower of the keys, freely given by Christ, is now captive in the\nhands of the Romanists; and both the power of the keys and the\npower over the keys are supposed to come from the one word of\nChrist, just as if Herod had said that it was his power of which\nMoses was speaking, when he spake of the robe of the high-priest.\n\nIn like manner, a tyrant could obtain possession of a last\ntestament, and explain the words, wherein the property is\nbequeathed to the heir, to mean that authority is given him over\nthis testament, to decide whether he will allow its provisions to\ncome to the heir gratuitously or for a price. So it is also with\nthe power of the keys and the authority of the pope, understood\nas coming from one and the same word [of Scripture], whereas the\ntwo things are not only different, but the authority claimed is\nmore than the power of the keys; and yet they make of it one and\nthe same thing.\n\n[Sidenote: What is Meant by the Rock]\n\nTheir argument, that the external authority of the pope is\nconferred in the words of Christ, \"On this rock I will build My\nChurch,\" [Matt. 16:18] understanding the rock to mean St. Peter\nand his authority, I have refuted many times,[67] and now I will\nsay only this: First, they must prove that the rock means\nauthority. They will not do this, nor can they do it, so they\njust have voice to their own inventions, and all their drivel\nmust be divine command. Secondly, the rock can mean neither St.\nPeter nor his authority, on account of the words of Christ which\nfollow, \"And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.\" Now\nit is clear as day that no one is edified in the Church, nor\nwithstands the gates of hell by the mere fact that he is under\nthe external authority of the pope. For the majority of those who\nhold so strongly to the authority of the pope, and lean upon it,\nare themselves possessed by the powers of hell and are full of\nsins and rascality. Then, too, some of the popes were heretics\nthemselves, and gave heretical laws; yet they remained in\nauthority. Therefore, the rock does not signify authority, which\ncan never withstand the gates of hell; but it signifies only\nChrist and the faith in Him, against which no power can ever\nprevail.\n\n[Sidenote: Prevailing Against the Gates of Hell]\n\nThat this authority continues to exist despite those who battle\nagainst it, does not mean that it has withstood the gates of\nhell. For so the Greek Church has continued, and all the other\nChristians in the world; the Moscovites[68] and Bohemians\ncontinue, yea, the kingdom of Persia has continued for more than\ntwo thousand years, and the Turk for well nigh a thousand years,\nin spite of various and repeated attacks against them. And to\ntell you some more things that really should bring astonishment\nto such an illustrious Romanist: The world in its wickedness has\nstood from the beginning, and shall stand until the Last Day, and\nforever, even if God Himself with all holy men and angels never\ncease to preach, write and work against it. If you think good of\nit, my dear Romanist, defy God and all the angels, because the\nworld has stood even against all their words and work. Why did\nyou not ascertain, you poor, blind Romanist, before rushing into\nprint, what it means \"to prevail against the gates of hell\"? If\nevery prevailing means just as much as prevailing against the\ngates of hell, then the devil's kingdom prevails with a larger\nfollowing than God's kingdom. This is what it means to prevail\nagainst the gates of hell: Not to be in an external\ncommunion[69], authority, jurisdiction or assembly in a bodily\nmanner, according to your way of babbling about the Roman\ncommunion[69] and its unity, but by a firm and true faith to be\nbuilt upon Christ, the Rock which can never be suppressed by any\npower of the devil, even if he counts more followers and uses\nunceasing strife, cunning, and violence against it.\n\n[Sidenote: Evil Results of Roman Authority]\n\nNow the greater part of the Roman communion,[69] and even some of\nthe popes themselves, have forsaken the faith wantonly and\nwithout struggle, and live under the power of Satan, as is\nplainly to be seen, and thus the papacy often has been under the\ndominion of the gates of hell. And should I speak quite openly,\nthis same Roman authority, ever since the time it has presumed to\nsoar over all Christendom, not only has never attained its\npurpose, but has become the cause of nearly all the apostasy,\nheresy, discord, sects, unbelief and misery in Christendom, and\nhas never freed itself from the gates of hell. And if there were\nno other passage to prove that Roman authority was of human and\nnot of divine right, this passage alone would be sufficient,\nwhere Christ says, the gates of hell shall not prevail against\nHis building on the rock. Now the gates of hell ofttimes had the\npapacy in their power, at times the pope was not a pious man, and\nthe office was occupied by a man without faith, without grace,\nwithout good works; which God would never have permitted if the\npapacy were meant in Christ's word concerning the rock. For then\nHe would not be true to His promise, nor fulfil His own word;\ntherefore the rock, and the building of Christ founded upon it,\nmust be something entirely different from the papacy and its\nexternal Church.\n\nAccordingly I say further, that the Roman bishop has often been\ndeposed or appointed by other bishops. If, however, his authority\nwere by divine appointment and promise, God would never have\npermitted this to happen, for it would be against His word and\npromise. And if God were found to be unfaithful in so much as\neven one word, then would perish faith, truth, the Scriptures,\nand God Himself. But if God's words stand firm, then my\nadversaries must prove to me that the pope was never subject,\neven once, to Satan or to man. I would much like to hear just\nwhat my good Romanists have to say to this. I trust they are\nslain with their own sword, like Goliath [1 Sam. 17:51]. For I\ncan prove that the papacy has been subject not only to Satan, but\nto other bishops, yea, also to temporal powers, to the emperors.\nHow did the rock prevail then against the gates of hell? I will\nleave the choice to them: either these words mean defeat for the\npapacy, or God is a liar. Let us see which they will choose.\n\nNor is it enough that you try to squirm out of the dilemma by\nsaying that even if the papacy has been under Satan now and then,\nyet there have always been pious Christians under it. I reply:\nUnder the rule of the Turk there are Christians, and likewise\nthere are Christians in all the world, as there were aforetime\nunder Nero and other tyrants. How does that help you? The papacy\nand the pope himself must at no time have been under Satan if\nChrist's word refers to them when He speaks of \"a rock set\nagainst the gates of hell.\" See, thus do the Romanists interpret\nthe Scriptures in accordance with their mad folly. Faith they\nturn into authority, spiritual edification into outward show, and\nyet they are not heretics--they make all others to be the\nheretics. Such are the Romanists.\n\nAnother passage which they cite in support of their contention is\nthat in which the Lord says three times to Peter, \"Feed My\nsheep.\" [John 21:15] Here they reach real eminence as theologians\nwhen they say: Since Christ said to Peter in particular, \"Feed My\nsheep,\" He thereby conferred on him authority above all others.\n\n[Sidenote: Feeding the Sheep and Roman Authority]\n\nNow we shall see to what labor and pains they are put to bring\nabout that result. In the first place, we must know what they\nmean by \"feeding.\" \"Feeding,\" in the Roman sense, means to burden\nChristendom with many human and hurtful laws, to sell the\nbishoprics at the highest possible price, to extract the\nannates[70] from all benefices, to usurp authority over all\nfoundations, to force into servitude all the bishops with\nterrible oaths, to sell indulgences, to rob the whole world by\nmeans of letters, bulls, seals and wax, to prohibit the preaching\nof the Gospel, to appoint knaves from Rome to all the places, to\nbring all litigation to Rome, to increase quarrels and\ndisputes--in short, to allow no one to come freely to the truth\nand to have peace.\n\nBut if they say that by \"feeding\" they do not understand such\nabuse of authority, but the authority itself, it is simply not\ntrue. And I prove it in this wise: Where one protests very mildly\nagainst such abuse, and with all deference to the authority, they\nrail and threaten thunder and lightning, they clamor that it is\nheresy and high treason, that it is a rending of the seamless\ngarment of Christ, and they would burn up the heretics, rebels,\napostates and everybody in the whole world. By all of which it is\nclear that they hold \"feeding\" to mean naught else but such\npreying and flaying. In the meanwhile, however, we think that\nfeeding does not mean preying on others. Let us endeavor to see\nwhat it means.\n\n[Sidenote: Distinction of Person and Office]\n\nThey have a high-sounding, keen and subtile speech--as they\nimagine--when they say that person and office are not one and the\nsame, and that the office remains, and remains good, though the\nperson be evil. From this they conclude, and it must, indeed,\nfollow, that the word of Christ, \"Feed My sheep,\" means an office\nof external power, which even an evil man may have, for the\noffice makes no one holy. Very well. This is acceptable to us,\nand we will ask the Romanists a question. Whoever keeps and\nfulfils the word of Christ, he is truly obedient and pious, and\nshall be saved, for His words are spirit and life [John 6:63].\nIf, therefore, \"feeding\" means to sit in the highest place and to\nhave an office--even if the incumbent be a knave--it follows that\nhe feeds who sits in the highest seat and is pope; and whoever\ndoes this work of feeding is obedient to Christ; and whoever is\nobedient in one particular is obedient in all and is a saint\nTherefore it must be true that whoever is pope and sits in the\nchief room is obedient to Christ and is a saint, though he be a\nknave, or a rogue, or what not. Have thanks, my dearest\nRomanists! Now I know, for the first time, why the pope is\naddressed as \"your holiness.\" Thus must the word of Christ be\nexplained, so that knaves and rogues are made out to be holy and\nobedient servants of Christ, just as in the previous pages you\nhave made Christ an arch-knave and a brothel-keeper.[71]\n\n[Sidenote: Being Fed in the Roman Sense]\n\nFurther, if \"feeding\" means to sit in the highest place, then\n\"being fed\" must mean to be subject, so that just as \"feeding\"\nmeans external governing, \"being fed\" must mean to be governed,\nand, as they say, to live in the Roman fellowship.[72] Then it\nmust also be further true that all who are within the Roman\nfellowship,[72] be they good or evil, are saints, because they\nare obedient to Christ and are being fed. For none can be\nobedient to Christ in one thing, without being obedient in all,\nas St. James says [Jas. 2:10]. Now is that not a fine Church\nunder the Roman authority, where there are no sinners at all and\nnaught but saints! But what becomes of the poor indulgence, if\nno one needs it any more in the Roman fellowship?[72] What\nbecomes of the father confessor? How shall the world be robbed,\nif penance disappears? Nay, what becomes of the keys if they are\nno longer needed? But if there are still sinners among them, they\nmust go unfed and be disobedient to Christ.\n\nWhat do you say to this, my good Romanists? Come now and pipe\nyour lay. Do you not see that \"feeding\" must mean something else\nthan having authority, and \"being fed\" something else than being\nexternally subject to the Roman power, and how utterly senseless\nit is to cite the saying of Christ, \"Feed My sheep,\" in order to\nstrengthen Roman authority and its external unity or fellowship!\n\n[Sidenote: Feeding and Loving]\n\nChrist also says, \"He that loveth Me, keepeth My word; he that\nloveth Me not, keepeth not My words.\" Prick up your ears at this,\nmy dear Romanists. Ye boast that the word of Christ, \"Feed My\nsheep,\" [John 14:23] is a command and word of Christ. Let us ask,\nthen, where are they who keep it? You say, even the knaves and\nrogues keep it. Christ says no one keepeth it, except he love and\nbe a righteous man. Now come to some agreement with Christ in\nthis matter, so that we may know if you or He is to be charged\nwith lying. Therefore, the pope who loves not, and is not\nrighteous, does not \"feed the sheep,\" and does not keep Christ's\nword: neither is he a pope, nor has he authority, nor anything at\nall that is included in the term \"feeding the sheep.\" For Christ\nstands immovable, and says, \"He that loveth Me not, keepeth not\nMy word\"; nor does such a one perform any \"feeding of sheep,\"\ni. e., he is no pope at all, as they explain it. Thus it comes\nthat the same passages which are cited in its favor are against\nthe papacy; a just retribution for those who treat the holy Word\nof God in sheer madness, as though it were fool's talk, and who\nwould make out of it what they please.\n\nPerhaps you might reply, that a subject can be obedient to\ntemporal authority even if that authority were not righteous; why\nshould one not be obedient to the pope's authority? Therefore to\n\"feed,\" or to \"be fed,\" must not necessarily include the idea of\nobedience. Answer: The Scriptures do not call temporal authority\n\"feeding,\" and in the New Testament there is no instance where\nGod publicly appointed any one to temporal power, although no\nsuch power arises without His secret ordering. For this reason\nSt. Peter calls such powers \"ordinances of men,\" [1 Peter 2:13]\nbecause they rule not by God's word, but by God's governance, and\nit is not needful, therefore, that such rulers should be\nrighteous. But inasmuch as we here have God's word, \"Feed my\nsheep,\" neither the shepherd nor the sheep can fulfil this word\nexcept by obedience to God and righteousness of life. Therefore I\nlet bishop, pope, priest be what they may; unless they love\nChrist and are righteous, this term, \"feeding,\" is not for them,\nand they are something entirely different from the shepherds and\nfeeders of sheep who alone are meant in this word. For this\nreason it cannot be tolerated that this word of Christ shall be\nmade to cover external power, which has nothing to do with\nobedience or disobedience to Him; \"feeding\" can mean naught else\nbut to be obedient.\n\nAnd this is what Christ desired. For before saying three times to\nPeter: \"Feed My sheep,\" He asked him thrice if he loved Him, and\nPeter thrice answered that he loved Him. [John 21:15 ff.] It is\nevident, therefore, that there is no \"feeding\" where there is no\nlove. Therefore, the papacy either must be love, or it cannot be\na feeding of the sheep, and if the word \"Feed My sheep\"\nestablishes the papal chair, it follows that all are popes who\nlove Christ and feed the sheep. And this is perfectly true: for\naforetime all bishops were called popes, which title is now\nrestricted to the one at Rome.\n\n[Sidenote: A Distinction in Love]\n\nBut here look you what our Romanists do when they cannot overcome\nthese words of Christ, and must admit, though with great\nreluctance, that no one can feed except he love Christ, as the\nclearly expressed words of Christ declare. Gladly they would give\nHim the lie, or deny Him; but now that they are hit squarely\nbetween the eyes, so that their heads swim, hear what they say.\nThey say that Christ indeed demands love in the office of the\npope, but not that high love, which, they say, is meritorious\nunto eternal life; but the ordinary love is quite sufficient,\nsuch as a servant has toward his master.[73] Now see, this lying\nexplanation[74] of love they bring forth entirety out of their\nown heads, without warrant of the Scriptures, and yet they would\nhave it appear that they are dealing with me in the Scriptures.\nTell me, my dear Romanists, all of you melted together into one\nheap, where is there so much as one letter in the Scriptures\nconcerning this love of which you dream? If your vile brew of\nLeipzig[75] could speak, it would easily overcome such\nfeather-brains, and speak better than you do of love.\n\nBut let us follow this matter further. If there must needs be\nsome sort of love in the papacy, what becomes of it when a pope\ndoes not love Christ at all, and seeks in it only his own gain\nand honor? And there have been many such, yea, almost all since\nthe beginning of the papacy. You have not escaped me yet--you\nmust confess that the papacy has not always existed, it has often\nperished, because it was ofttimes without love. But if it had\nbeen established by divine right, in these words of Christ, it\nwould not have perished. Twist and turn as you will, these words\nwill not yield a papacy; or else the papacy must cease in\nChristendom whenever the pope is without love. Now you have said\nyourself that the person may be evil, but the office remains;\nagain you admit, and must admit, that the office is nothing if\nthe person be evil--or you must let \"feeding the sheep\" be\nsomething else than the papacy. And this is true; let us see what\nyou can bring against it.\n\n[Sidenote: A Shepherd's Love]\n\nBut let every one beware of the poisoned tongues and\ndevil-glosses which can invent a love of such description.\nChrist speaks of the highest, strongest, best love of which man\nis capable. He will not be loved with a false, divided love; here\nthere must be whole-hearted and pure love, or none at all. And\nthe meaning of Christ is that in St. Peter's person He is\ninstructing all preachers how they must be equipped; as if He\nwould say: \"See, Peter, if you shall preach My word, and thereby\nfeed My sheep, there shall rise against you the powers of hell,\ndevil, world, and all that therein is, and you must be willing to\nventure body, life, goods, honor, friends, and everything which\nyou have; and this you will not do if you do not love Me and\ncleave close to Me. And if you should begin to preach, and the\nsheep were being fed in the pastures, and the wolves would break\nin, and you would then flee as a hireling, and not venture your\nlife, but leave the sheep without care, to the wolves [John 10:12\nff.], it would have been better that you had never begun to\npreach and feed the sheep.\" For if he falls, who preaches the\nWord and should stand at the head, offence is given to every one,\nthe Word of God is brought to deepest disgrace, and more harm is\ndone to the sheep than if they had no shepherd at all. Christ\ncares much for the feeding of the sheep; He cares nothing at all\nhow many crowns the pope wears, and how in all his splendor he\nlifts himself far above the kings of the world.\n\nLet any one tell if he can, whether the papacy has such love, or\nif Christ, in these words, has instituted such a worthless\nauthority as the papacy is. Without doubt he is truly a pope who\npreaches with such love; but where can such a one be found? There\nis no passage that gives me as much sorrow in my preaching as\nthis one does--of love I feel not much, of preaching I do more\nthan enough. They accuse me of being rabid and revengeful; I fear\nthat I have done too little. I should have pulled the wool[76]\nmuch harder for the ravening wolves, who never cease to rend the\nScripture, to poison and pervert it to the great injury of the\npoor, forsaken sheep of Christ. If I had only loved them enough I\nshould have dealt quite differently with the pope and his\nRomanists, who with their laws and their prattle, their letters\nof indulgence, and the rest of their foolery, bring to naught out\nfaith and God's Word. They make for us what laws they will, only\nto capture us, and then sell them to us again for money;[77] with\ntheir mouths they weave snares for money, and yet boast that they\nare shepherds and keepers of sheep, whereas they are truly\nwolves, thieves, and murderers, as the Lord says in John x.\n\nI know right well that this little word, \"love,\" scares the pope\nand his Romanists and makes them weak and weary, nor are they\nwilling that it should be pressed, for it overturns the whole\npapacy. It made Dr. Eck weary at Leipzig;[78] and whom would it\nnot make weary, since Christ directly commands Peter not to feed\nthe sheep except there be love? He must have love or there can be\nno \"feeding.\" I shall wait a while now to see how they will parry\nthis thrust. If they prick me with \"feeding,\" I will prick them\nmuch harder with \"loving,\" and we shall see who prevails. This is\nthe reason why some of the popes in their Canon laws so neatly\npass in silence this word \"love,\" and make so much ado about\n\"feeding,\" thinking that thereby they have preached only to\ndrunken Germans, who will not notice how the hot porridge burns\ntheir tongue. This is the reason, too, why the pope and the\nRomanists cannot bear any questioning and investigating of the\nfoundation of papal power, and every one is accused of doing a\nscandalous, presumptuous and heretical thing, who is not\nsatisfied with their mere assertions, but seeks for its real\nbasis. But that one should ask if God is God, and seek in\nfrivolous presumption to penetrate all His mysteries, they suffer\nwith equanimity, and it does not concern them. Whence this\nperverted game? From this, that, as Christ says, John iii, \"He\nthat doeth evil, feareth the light.\" [John 3:20] Where is the\nthief or robber who courts investigation? Thus the evil\nconscience cannot bear the light; but truth loveth the light, and\nis an enemy to darkness, even as Christ says in the same chapter,\n\"He that doeth truth, cometh to the light.\" [John 3:21]\n\nNow we see that the two sayings of Christ, spoken to Peter, on\nwhich they build the papacy, are stronger against the papacy than\nall others, and the Romanists can produce nothing that does not\nmake them a laughing-stock. I shall let the matter rest here,\nand pass by whatever else this miserable Romanist spues out in\nhis book; since I have controverted it all many times before, and\nnow also some others have effectually done so in Latin.[79] I\nfind nothing in it, except that he soils the Holy Scriptures like\na sniveling child; in no place does he show a mastery of his\nwords or an understanding of his subject.\n\n[Sidenote: The Conclusion of the Matter]\n\nOn the subject of the papacy I have come to this conclusion:\nSince we observe that the pope has full authority over all our\nbishops, and has not attained it apart from the providence of\nGod--although I do not believe that it is a gracious, but rather\na wrathful providence which permits men, as a plague on the\nworld, to exalt themselves and oppress others--therefore I do not\ndesire that any one should resist the pope, but rather bow to the\nprovidence of God, honor this authority, and endure it with all\npatience, just as if the Turk ruled over us; in this wise it will\ndo no harm.\n\nI contend for but two things. First: I will not suffer any man to\nestablish new articles of faith, and to abuse all other\nChristians in the world, and slander and brand them as heretics,\napostates and unbelievers, simply because they are not under the\npope. It is enough that we let the pope be pope, and it is not\nneedful that, for his sake, God and His saints on earth should be\nblasphemed. Second: All that the pope decrees and does I will\nreceive, on this condition, that I first test it by the Holy\nScriptures. He must remain under Christ, and submit to be judged\nby the Holy Scriptures.\n\nBut these Roman knaves come along, place him above Christ, and\nmake him a judge over the Scriptures; they say that he cannot\nerr, and whatever is dreamed at Rome, nay, everything which they\ndare to come out with, they would prescribe for us as articles of\nfaith. And as if that were not enough, they would introduce a new\nkind of faith, so that we are to believe what we can see with our\nbodily eyes; whereas faith, by its very nature, is of the things\nwhich no one sees or feels, as St. Paul says in Hebrews xi [Heb.\n11:1]. Now the Roman authority and fellowship[80] is a bodily\nthing, and can be seen by any one. If the pope came to\nthat--which may God forbid!--I would say right out that he is the\nreal Antichrist, of whom all the Scriptures speak.\n\nIf they grant me these two things, I will let the pope remain,\nnay, help to exalt him as him as they please; if not, he shall be\nto me neither pope nor Christian. He that must do it may make an\nidol of him; I will not worship him.\n\nMoreover, I would be truly glad if kings, princes, and all the\nnobles would take hold, and turn the knaves from Rome out of the\ncountry, and keep the appointments to bishoprics and benefices\nout of their hands. How has Roman avarice come to usurp all the\nfoundations, bishoprics and benefices of our fathers? Who has\never read or heard of such monstrous robbery? Do we not also have\nthe people who need them, while out of our poverty we must enrich\nthe ass-drivers and stable-boys, nay, the harlots and knaves at\nRome, who look upon us as nothing else but arrant fools, and make\nus the objects of their vile mockery?\n\nIt is a notorious fact that the Russians desired to come into the\nRoman fellowship, but then the holy shepherds of Rome \"fed\" those\nsheep of Christ in such a manner that they would not receive them\nunless they first bound themselves to a perpetual tax of I know\nnot how many hundred thousands of ducats. Such \"food\" they would\nnot eat, and so they remain as they are, saying, if they must buy\nChrist, they would rather save their money until they come to\nChrist Himself, in heaven. Thus thou doest, thou scarlet whore of\nBabylon [Rev. 17:4], as St. John calls thee--makest of our faith\na mockery for all the world, and yet wouldest have the name of\nmaking every one a Christian.\n\nOh the pity, that kings and princes have so little reverence for\nChrist, and His honor concerns them so little that they allow\nsuch heinous abominations to gain the upper hand, and look on,\nwhile at Rome they think of nothing but to continue in their\nmadness and to increase the abounding misery, until no hope is\nleft on earth except in the temporal authorities. Of this I will\nsay more anon,[81] if this Romanist comes again; let this suffice\nfor a beginning. May God help us at length to open our eyes.\nAmen.\n\nAs for the slanders and evil names with which my person is\nassailed, although numerous enough, I will let my dear Romanist\noff without reply. They do not trouble me. It has never been my\nintention to avenge myself on those who rail at my person, my\nlife, my work, my doings. That I am not worthy of praise, I\nmyself know full well. But I will let no man reproach me that in\ndefending the Scriptures I am more pointed and impetuous than\nsome seem to like, neither will I be silenced. Whoever will, let\nhim freely scold, slander, condemn my person and my life; it is\nalready forgiven him. But let no one expect from me either grace\nor patience who would make my Lord Christ, Whom I preach, and the\nHoly Ghost, to be liars. I am nothing at all, but for the Word of\nChrist I give answer with joyful heart and vigorous courage, and\nwithout respect of persons. To this end God has given me a glad\nand fearless spirit, which they shall not embitter, I trust, not\nin all eternity.\n\nThat I have mentioned Leipzig, no one should consider an affront\nto the honorable city and University. I was forced to it by the\nvaunted, arrogant, fictitious title of this Romanist, who boasts\nthat he is a public teacher of ail the Holy Scriptures at\nLeipzig,[82] which titles have never before been used in\nChristendom, and by his dedication[83] to the city and its\nCouncil. If the jackanapes had not issued his book in German, in\norder to poison the defenceless laity, he would have been too\nsmall for me to bother with. For this clumsy ass cannot yet sing\nhis hee-haw, and quite uncalled, he meddles in things which the\nRoman chair itself, together with all the bishops and scholars,\nhas not been able to establish in a thousand years.\n\nI should have thought, too, that Leipzig ought to have been too\nprecious in his eyes, for him to smear his drivel and snivel on\nso honorable and famous a city; but in his own imagination he is\nno ordinary man. I perceive that if I permit the petulance of all\nthese thick-heads, even the bath-maids will finally write against\nme.\n\nBut I pray that whoever would come at me arm himself with the\nScriptures. What helpeth it, that a poor frog puffeth himself up?\nEven if he should burst, he is no ox.\n\nI would gladly be out of this business, and they force themselves\ninto it. May God grant both of us our prayers,--help me out of\nit, and let them stick in it Amen.\n\n    All glory be to God on high\n    And praise to all eternity. Amen.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n[1] Augustin Alveld, so named from the town of his birth, Alveld\nin Saxony, a Franciscan monk, Lector of his order at Leipzig. It\nis said of him that what he lacked in learning he made up for in\nscurrility, so that he himself complains that his own\nbrother-monks wanted to forbid his writing. John Lonicerus, a\nfriend of Luther, published a small book, _Biblia nova\nAlveldensis_, Wittenberg, 1520, in which he gathered a long list\nof Alveld's terms of reproach used against Luther. To him has\nbeen attributed the origin of the undignified style adopted by so\nmany since 1520 on both sides of the controversy about Luther's\nteachings. Vid. H. A. Erhard, in _Ersch und Gruber_,\n_Encyclopaedia_, iii, 277; _Algemeine Deutsche Biographi_, I,\n375.\n\n[2] Cf., Augustine's Confessions, III, vii: \"Just as if in armor,\na man being ignorant what piece were appointed for what part,\nshould clap a greave upon his head and draw a headpiece upon his\nleg...\"\n\n[3] The four chief literary opponents of Luther in the earlier\nyears of the Reformation--Sylvester Mazolini, usually called\nPrierias, after the city of his birth, a papal official\n(_Magister sacri palatii_) who had published three books against\nLuther prior to 1520; Thomas of Ga\u00ebtano, Cardinal, and papal\nlegate at the Diet of Augsburg, 1518; John Eck, professor in the\nUniversity of Ingolstadt, who had been Luther's opponent at the\nLeipzig Disputation in 1519; Jerome Emser, also active at the\nLeipzig Disputation, whom Luther was to make the laughing-stock\nof Germany under the name of \"the Leipzig goat,\" an appellation\nsuggested by his coat-of-arms.\n\n[4] The Theological Faculties of Cologne and Louvaine officially\ncondemned Luther's writings; the former August 30th, the latter\nNovember 7th, 1519. The text of their resolutions was reprinted\nby Luther with a reply, _Responsio ad condemnationem\ndonctrinalem_, etc. (1520); _Weimar Ed._, VI, 174 ff; _Erl. Ed._,\nop. var. arg., IV, 172 ff.\n\n[5] _Neidhart_.\n\n[6] The views which Luther expounds in this treatise had already\nbeen expressed in a Latin work, _Resolutiones super Propositione\nXIII. de protestate Papae_, 1519 (_Erl. Ed., op. var. arg._, III,\n293 ff; _Weimar Ed._, II, 180 ff). The present work is written in\nGerman \"for the laity.\"\n\n[7] _Christenheit_. Luther carefully avoids the use of the word\n\"Church\" (_Kirche_). The reason will appear in the argument which\nfollows. In many places, however, the word \"Christendom\" would\nnot Luther's meaning, and there is, for the modern reader, no\nsuch technical restriction to the term \"Church\" as obtained among\nLuther's readers. Where the word _Christenheit_ is rendered\notherwise than \"Christendom\" it is so indicated in a foot-note.\n\n[8] The chief point argued at the Leipzig Disputation, whether\nthe power of the pope is _jure divino_ or _jure humano_.\n\n[9] _Das feine barf\u00fcssische B\u00fcchlein_--i. e., a book written by a\nbare-footed friar. See below, p. 345.\n\n[10] A comment explanatory of a passage of Scripture or of the\nCanon Law.\n\n[11] Pallium, a scarf made of sheep's wool, which the pope is\nprivileged to wear at all times, and others only on specified\noccasions; conferred by the pope on persons of the rank of\narchbishops; on its bestowal depended the assumption of the title\nand functions of the office. The granting of pallis became a rich\nsource of revenue for the pope since each new incumbent of a\nprelacy had to apply for his own pallium in person, or by special\nrepresentative, and to pay for the privilege of receiving it. At\nthe appointment of Uriel as bishop of Mainz in 1508, even the\nemperor urged a reduction of one-half the usual fees, especially\nsince the previous incumbent had paid the full price but four\nyears previous. The request was denied. See Art _Mainz_ in PRE 1,\n2.\n\n[12] _Zur Halfte, so nicht mehr, geistlich_. See below, page 356,\nNo. 2.\n\n[13] Is this an allusion to the papal title, _servus servorum\nDei_, \"the servant of the servants of God\"?\n\n[14] Alveld's German treatise described itself in the title as a\n\"fruitful, useful little book.\"\n\n[15] Alveld's Latin treatise especially abounds in these\nappellations.\n\n[16] Alveld belonged to the branch of the Franciscan Order known\nas the \"Observants\" (_fratres reglaris observatiae_), from their\nstrict observance of the Franciscan Rule. See the title of the\nLatin treatise in _Weimar Ed._, VI, 277.\n\n[17] _Christenheit_.\n\n[18] _Gemeinde_--the German equivalent for the Latin _communio_,\n_communitas_, or _congregatio_. In Luther's use of the term it\nmeans sometimes \"community,\" sometimes \"congregation,\" sometimes\neven \"the Church\" (_Gemeinde der Heiligen_). In this case it\ntranslates Alveld's _civilitas_ (_Weimar Ed._, VI, 278).\n\n[19] _Christenheit_.\n\n[20] Luther quotes, in German, the reading of the Latin Vulgate.\n\n[21] _Christenheit_.\n\n[22] _Gemeinde_. A play on the word. On the second use of the\nterm, compare the similar employment of the English word\n\"parish.\"\n\n[23] _Christenheit_.\n\n[24] From _Veni Sancte Spiritus_, an antiphon for Whitsuntide\ndating from the eleventh century.\n\n[25] _Christenheit_.\n\n[26] _Es ist erlogen und erstunken_.\n\n[27] _Gemeinde_.\n\n[28] _Christenheit_.\n\n[29] _Versammlung_.\n\n[30] _Gemeinde_.\n\n[31] _Versammlung_.\n\n[32] _Einigkeit oder Gemeinde_.\n\n[33] A quaint interpretation of the passage: \"The disciples were\ncalled Christians first in Antioch.\"\n\n[34] _Christenheit_.\n\n[35] _Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist_, a popular\npre-Reformation hymn, of one stanza, for Whitsuntide, dating from\nthe middle of the thirteenth century; quoted in a sermon by\nBerthold, the Franciscan, a celebrated German preacher in the\nMiddle Ages, who died in Regesburg in 1272. Published by Luther,\nwith three stanzas of his own added, in his hymn-book of 1524.\nVid. Wackernage, _Kirchenlied_, ii, 44; Koca, _Geachicte des\nKirchenlieds_, i, 185; Julian, _Dict. of Hymnology_, 821. Also\nMiss Winkworth's _Christian Singers_, 38.\n\n[36] _Christenheit_.\n\n[37] _Gemeinde_.\n\n[38] _Christenheit_.\n\n[39] _Christenheit_.\n\n[40] All sources from which the Church or the clergy derived an\nincome were called in the broader sense, \"spiritual\" possessions.\nA further distinction was drawn between two kinds of\necclesiastical income--the _spiritualia_ in this sense being the\nfees, tithes, etc., and the _temporalia_ the income from\nendowments of land and the like.\n\n[41] The followers of John Huss.\n\n[42] _Zw\u00f6lfbote_, a popular appellation for the apostles, meaning\none of the twelve messengers.\n\n[43] See page 351.\n\n[44] _Christenheit_.\n\n[45] Literally, \"Rastrume better than malvoisie.\" \"Rastrum\" was a\nLeipzig beer reported to be extraordinarily bad; \"malvoisie,\" a\nhighly prized, imported wine, known in England as \"malmsey.\"\n\n[46] In the German treatise Alveld says: \"It is not enough to\nhave Christ for a shepherd or a head; if that were sufficient,\nall the heathen, all the Jews, all the errorists, all the\nheretics would be true Christians. Christ is a lord, a guardian,\na shepherd, a head of the whole world, whether we want him or\nnot.\" (_Weimar Ed._, VI, 301) In the Latin he says: \"No community\nor assembly (_civilitars seu pluralitas_) of men can be rightly\nadministered except in the unity of the head, under the Head\nJesus Christ.\" This proposition he develops in detail, saying\nthat \"No brothel (_contubernium meretricum_), no band of thieves,\nplunderers and robbers, no company of soldiers can be ruled or\nheld together, or long exist without a governor, chief and lord,\nthat is to say, without one head.\" (_Weimar Ed._, VI, 278).\n\n[47] See above, p. 358.\n\n[48] Jerome Emser, _De disputatione Lipsicense_ and _A venatione\nLuteriana aegocerotia assertio_.\n\n[49] Augustine, _In Joannia Ev._, 12, 3, 11. (_Migne Ed._, 35 149\nff.)\n\n[50] Cf. Augustine, _De unitate ecclesiae_, 5, 8. (_Migne Ed._,\n43, 396 f.)\n\n[51] In his _Sermon von Sacrament des Leichnams Christi_ of 1519\n(_Weimar Ed._, II, 742 ff.) Luther had made a plea for the\nrestoration of the cup to the laity. At the request of Duke\nGeorge of Saxony, the bishop of Meissen (Jan. 20th, 1520) forbade\nthe circulation of this tract in his diocese (_Weimar Ed._, VI,\n76; Hauerbath, _Luther_, I, 316). The controversy, to which\nLuther contributed is _Verkl\u00e4rung etlicher Artikel_, etc.\n(_Weimar Ed._, VI, 78 ff.), was bitterest in the Leipzig circle\nto which Alved belonged.\n\n[52] See pp. 373 and 380.\n\n[53] A reference to Emser's _De disputatione Lipsicense_, and _A\nventione Luteriana aegocerotis assertio_, see above, p. 363.\n\n[54] Luther's greeting to a forthcoming and much heralded work of\nEck's, which appeared under the title _De primatu Petri_.\n\n[55] This statement cannot be substantiated. But see commentaries\non Acts 26:10 f.\n\n[56] The memory of the warlike and avaricious pope Julius II. was\nstill fresh in the mind of Luther and his contemporaries.\n\n[57] Alveld so announced himself in the title of his Latin\ntreatise. In order go gain the necessary leisure for its\ncomposition he had obtained a dispensation from all the capel\nservices of his monastery. See _Weimar Ed._, VI, 277.\n\n[58] In a similar vein of satire Shakespeare uses this very\nphrase in \"Merry Wives of Windsor,\" III, 5.\n\n[59] _Gemeinde_.\n\n[60] Alveld had stated that the attempt had been made \"more than\n23 times\"; and again, \"The assembly has existed more than 1486\nunder the chair of St. Peter which Christ has established.\" See\n_Weimar Ed._, VI.\n\n[61] _Gemeinde_.\n\n[62] Still the old terminology.\n\n[63] Equivalent to father-confessor. The pope's own confessor is\nso called.\n\n[64] Alveld makes this distinction in both of his treatises.\n\n[65] _Gemeinde_.\n\n[66] See page 373.\n\n[67] See especially the _Resolutiones super Propositione XIII_.\n\n[68] i. e., The Russians, who were in ecclesiastical fellowship\nwith the Orthodox Greek Church. The metropolitan see of Moscow\nrepresented the opposition to union with Rome, which had been\nproposed in 1439; the second metropolitan see of Russia, that of\nKief, was until 1519 favorable to the union. See A. Palmieri and\nW. J. Shipman, in _The Catholic Encyclopedia_, X, 594 ff; XIII,\n255 f., and Adeney, _Greek and Eastern Churches_, 385 ff.\n\n[69] _Gemeinde_.\n\n[70] Annates (_annatae_, _annalia_), originally the income which a\nbishop received from the vacant benefices in his diocese, usually\namounting to a year's income of the benefice. By a decree of John\nXXII, 1317 (_Extrav. Jn. XXII, Lib. I, C. 2_), the annates are\nfixed at one-half of one year's income of the benefice reckoned\non the basis of the tithes, and payable on accession of the new\nincumbent. Two years later (1319) the same Pope set an important\nprecedent by claiming for himself the annates from all benefices\nfalling vacant in the next two years (_Extrav. Comm. 3, 2, C.\nII_). The right to receive annates subsequently became a regular\nclaim of the popes. The term was extended after 1418 to include,\nbeside the annates proper, the so-called _servitia_, payments\nmade to the curia by bishops and abbots at the time of their\naccession. Luther discusses the subject at greater length in the\n_Address to the Christian Nobility_. (See Vol. II)\n\n[71] See above, p. 362.\n\n[72] _R\u00f6mische Einigkeit_.\n\n[73] This is Alveld's explanation in his German treatise.\n\n[74] _Comment_, equivalent to \"lie\" or \"invention.\"\n\n[75] _Rastrum_, see above, note on p. 362.\n\n[76] The sheeps' clothing in which they come.\n\n[77] A reference to the sale of dispensations, more fully\ndiscussed in the _Address to the Christian Nobility_.\n\n[78] At the well-known disputation in the previous year.\n\n[79] John Lonicer in _Contra romanistam fratrem_, etc., and John\nBernhardi in _Confutatio inepti et impii libelli_, etc.; both\nreplies to Alveld's Latin treatise which appeared shortly before\nthis treatise of Luther's.\n\n[80] _Gemeinde_.\n\n[81] A promise fulfilled in his _Address to the Christian\nNobility_.\n\n[82] In the title to his Latin treatise.\n\n[83] Of the German treatise.\n\n\nINDEX\n\n\nSCRIPTURE REFERENCES\n\nINDEX\n\n    Aaron\n    Abraham\n    Abraham's bosom\n    Absolution\n    Abuses, in the Mass\n    Achatius\n    Adam\n    Address to the Christian Nobility\n    Adlolf of Merseberg\n    Adversity, blessings of\n        the greatest\n    Aegidius, St.\n    Agatha, St.\n    Agricola\n    Albrecht of Mainz\n    Altar-cloths\n    Alveld\n    Ambrose\n    Anapatist\n    Annates\n    Anthony, St.\n    Antichrist\n    Antilogistae\n    Apology\n    Apostate\n    Apostle\n    Apostles\n    Aristotle\n    Articles of faith\n    Assurance of salvation\n    Attrition\n    Augsburg Confession\n        Diet of\n    Augustine\n    Augustine's Confessions\n    Auxiliatores\n    Ave Maria\n    Aven amal\n\n    Babylon, king of\n    Babylonian captivity\n    Baptism\n        three parts of\n        the sign of\n        a flood of grace\n        a covenant\n        and penance\n        significance of\n        makes guiltless\n        comfort of\n        always to be remembered\n        false confidence in\n    Baptismal collect\n        vows\n    Barbara, St.\n    Barbara's, St., Day\n    Begangniss\n    Beggars\n    Bendedictite\n    Benevolence\n    Bernard of Clairvaux\n    Bernhardi, John\n    Bertholdt\n    Bible, Translation of\n    Bishop, qualifications of\n    Bishops all equal\n    Blasius, St\n    Blessings\n        within us\n        before us\n        behind us\n        beneath us\n        on left hand\n        on right hand\n        above us\n    Bohemians\n    bon Christian\n    Boniface VIII.\n    Books, heathen, are dangerous\n    Both kinds, communion in\n    Brandenburg, Bishop of\n    Breviary\n    Bridget, St.\n\n    Cajetan\n    Canon of the Mass\n        Law\n    Canonical Hours\n    Canonisation\n    Carthusians\n    Castigation\n    Casuistry\n    Catherine, St.\n    Celia, St.\n    Ceremonies\n        one instituted by Christ\n    Charity\n    Charles V.\n    Chastity\n        vows of\n    Children, training of\n    Chimera\n    Christ, our example\n        our greatest blessing\n        our Priest\n        righteousness of\n    Christ, the Rock\n    Christenheit\n    Christian, the name\n        Church membership does not make\n        lord of all\n    Christopher, St.\n    Church\n        authority of\n        corruption of\n        House of Prayer\n        spiritual mother\n        worldliness of\n        not bound to Rome\n        a spiritual community\n        three uses of the term\n        marks of\n    Cicero\n    Clergy\n    Collects\n    Cologne\n    Commandments, Ten\n        First\n        Second\n        Third\n        First three\n        Fourth\n        First four\n        Fifth\n        Sixth\n        Seventh\n        Eighth\n        Ninth and Tenth\n        of God\n        a guide in confession\n            in prayer\n        of the Church\n    Comment\n    Commissaries\n    Communion without confession\n        of saints\n    Community, government of\n    Compostella\n    Confession\n        Roman Catholic conception of\n        Lutheran conception of\n        why we confess\n        insincere\n        when not to make\n        justifies\n        of sin\n        Sacrament\n    Confessionalia\n    Confessional Letters\n    Conscience\n        troubled\n        evil\n    Considerateness\n    Constitutions\n    Contrition\n    Corporal\n    Councils\n    Courtesans\n    Covenant\n    Covetousness\n    Cranach\n    Cranmer\n    Creed\n    Cross of Christ\n    Cup, why withheld\n    Curse, a fount of blessing\n    Custom, value of\n    Cypriacus, St.\n    Cyprian\n\n    Damned, the\n    David\n    Day and night\n    Death and dumb, Mass for\n    Death\n        a blessing\n        bitterness of, due to si\n        a door to life\n        a penance and satisfaction\n    Decrees, papal\n    Decretals\n    Defensores\n    Devil\n    Dietenberger, John\n    Dionysus\n    Dionysus, St.\n    Diseases, number known\n    Dishonesty\n    Disobedience\n    Dispensation from vows\n    Disputation\n    Doctors\n\n    Easter Day\n    Eck\n    Elevation of the host\n    Elmser\n    Endowments\n    Enemies, duties toward\n    Epicureans\n    Erasmus, Disider\n    Erasmus, St.\n    Estates, why instituted\n    Esther, Queen\n    Eternal punishment\n    Eucharistia\n    Eustachiua, St.\n    Evils, within us\n        never fully known\n        before us\n        behind us\n        beneath us\n        on our left hand\n        on our right hand\n        above us\n        to be loved\n    Excommunication\n    Exodus, a type\n    Extreme Unction\n\n    Faith\n        the highest good work\n    Faith makes works good\n        the test of good works\n        makes all works equal\n        in the Mass\n        true priestly office\n        stages of\n        work of the First Commandment\n        includes all good works\n        and daily sin\n        and prayer\n        infirmity of\n        baptismal\n    Fasting\n    Fathers, Church\n    Fear\n    Feeding, meaning of\n    Feiertag\n    Fides, Informis, formata, informata\n    Flattery\n    Flesh, the\n    Flood, a type of baptism\n    Forgiveness of sin\n    Fourteen defenders\n    Frederick the Wise\n    Fuggers, the\n\n    Gel\u00fcbde\n    Gemeinde\n    General Councils\n    George of Saxony\n    George the Martyr\n    German Books\n        Mass\n    Germans, characterised\n    Gerson\n    Gideon\n    Glosses\n    Gluttony\n    God, Name\n    God, praise of\n        to have a god\n        wants our help\n    Goliath\n        a type of sin\n    Good name, danger of\n        need of\n        works\n        none pure\n        defined\n        how rejected\n        how they differ\n        Treatise.\n        outline\n        importance\n    Gospel\n    Gottesdienst\n    Graces of pardon\n    Gratia infusa\n    Gratias\n    Greed\n    Greek Church\n    Gregory\n    Guilt of sin\n        remission of\n    Gulden\n\n    Habitus\n    Head and lord\n        of Christendom\n    Heathen\n    Heaven\n    Heinse, Simon\n    Hell\n        full of God\n    Heresy\n    Heretic\n    Herod\n    Highpriest, a type of Christ\n    History, value of\n    Holidays\n    Holiness and prayer\n        as title of the pope\n    Holy Spirit\n    Home, a Church\n    Honor as a motive to good works\n    Hope\n    Husband and wife, duties of\n    Hymns quoted\n    Hypocrites\n\n    Idolatry\n    Imitatio Christi\n    Immersion\n    Indulgence Letters\n        fairs\n    Indulgences\n    Inner man\n    Instruction to indulgence sellers\n    Intercession of the Church\n    Israel, a type\n\n    Jahrmarket\n    James, St.\n    Jeduthun\n    Jerome\n    Jesus, Name of\n    Jews\n        the three\n    Job\n    Job's wife\n    John XXII.\n    John of Saxony\n    John Baptist, St., Day of\n    Joseph's wagons\n    Jubilee Indulgence\n    Judas\n    Julius II.\n    Justice of God\n    Justification\n        by faith\n\n    Keys of the Church\n        power of\n    Koestlin\n\n    Laity\n    Last Day\n    Law of Moses, abolished\n    Lawrence, St.\n    Laws\n        and works\n        produce sects\n        purpose of\n    Legends of saints\n    Leipzig\n        Disputation at\n    Leo X.\n        Letter to\n    Letters of pardon\n    Liberality\n    Liberty of a Christian\n    Life, a spiritual baptism\n        repentance\n        beginning of death\n    Lonicer\n    Lord's Day\n    Lord's Prayer\n        Supper\n    Louvaine\n    Love of God\n        required in a bishop\n    Low Mass\n    Luther's coarse language\n        inconsistency\n        indifference to slander\n        lack of love\n        love of peace\n        pride\n        submission to pope\n        zeal for Christ\n    Luther's zeal for the pope\n        writings\n        self-abasement\n        sense of duty\n        master of theology\n        called a heretic\n    Luxury\n\n    Mainz, Boshopric\n    Malvoisie\n    Man, two natures\n        three parts of\n    Manasseh, Payer of\n        king\n    Margaret, St.\n    Mass\n        a memorial\n        not a good work\n        not a sacrifice\n        fruit of\n        anniversary\n        golden\n        mortuary\n        requiem\n        yearly\n        of the Holy Cross\n        of our Lady\n        for the dead\n    Masters, duties of\n    Mathesius\n    Matthias, St.\n    Meekness\n        limits of\n    Meissen, bishop of\n    Melanchthon\n    Men, four classes of\n    Mersio\n    Metanoia\n    Micaiah\n    Mildigkeith\n    Miltitz\n    Modus confitendi\n    Monastic houses\n    Monica, St.\n    Monks\n    Monstrance\n    Mortal sin\n        when to be confessed\n    Muscovites\n    Moses\n    Mother of God\n\n    Naaman\n    New Testament\n        Treatise on\n        Year's Present\n    Noah\n    Nobility, German\n        Address to\n\n    Oaths\n    Obedience\n        to Church\n        to masters\n        to parents\n        to state\n    Octavianus\n    Oelgoetzen\n    Offering, in the Mass\n    Offertory\n    Officiales\n    Officium\n    Old Testament\n    Opus operatum\n        operati\n        operantis\n    Orders, monastic\n    Original sin\n    Our Lady\n    Outward man\n    Ovid\n\n    Pallium\n    Pantaleon, St.\n    Papacy, corruption of\n    Papacy, Luther's conclusion of\n        Treatise on\n    Papal bulls\n        pardons\n        power\n            of human right\n    Pardon\n    Parents, duties of\n        toward\n    Paschal, St.\n    Paschal Lamb\n    Passion of Christ\n    Passover\n    Pastor\n    Pater noster\n    Paul, St.\n        the hermit\n    Paul of Bourgos\n    peccata aliena\n    Penalty of sin\n        remission of\n    Penance\n        mistaken\n    Penitence\n    Penitential Canons\n    Persecution\n    Persia\n    Person and office\n    Personal faith\n    Peter, St.\n    Peter's, St., at Rome\n    Petros, Petra\n    Pfennig\n    Pharisee and Publican\n    Pharisees\n    Pilgrimages\n    Plagues\n    Pledge of Baptism\n    Plenary indulgence\n    Poentitentia\n    Pope\n        power over purgatory\n        powers of\n        the devil's vicar\n    Popes, some heretics\n    Power of the Church\n        of the keys\n    Praise of men, to be avoided\n    Prayer\n        as a good work\n        without ceasing\n        outward and inward\n        and holiness\n        common\n            power of\n        House of\n        in pulpit\n        thoughtless\n        what is to be prayed for\n        for the dead\n        in the mass\n    Preaching\n    Preceptorium, Luther's\n    Precepts of the Church\n    Preparation for the mass\n    Preparatotia\n    \"Prevail against the gates of hell,\"\n    Prierias\n    Priest\n        vicar of God\n        arrogance of\n    Priesthood of believers\n        reforms suggested to\n    Private confession\n    Princes, duties of\n    Promises of God\n    Prostitution\n    Protests against Indulgences\n    Proverbs quoted\n    Providence\n    Purgatory\n    Purpose of better life\n\n    Qu\u00e6stiones\n\n    Rastrum\n    Real Presence\n    Reason of man, perilous\n    Reformation\n    Reforms, suggested to princes\n    Relics\n    Rent-charges\n    Repentance\n        Roman Catholic doctrine\n    Requiems\n    Reservatio culp\u00e6\n        poen\u00e6\n    Reserved cases\n    Resolutiones\n        super prop. XIII.\n    Rest, bodily\n        spiritual\n    Reuchlin\n    Riches not sin\n    Rietschl\n    Right hand and left band\n    Righteous man defined\n    Rock, a type of Christ\n        does not signify authority\n    Roman Church\n        See\n    Rome\n        corruption in\n    Rosary\n    Russians\n\n    Sabbath\n    Sacrament\n    Sacrament of the Altar\n    Sacramental sign\n        efficacy\n    Sacramentarians\n    Sacraments, number of\n    Sacrifice, of the Haas\n        spiritual\n    Sadducees\n    Saints\n        worship of\n        days\n    Sanctification\n    Sanctus\n    Sanftm\u00fcthigkeit\n    Satisfaction\n        sacramental\n    Scriptures\n        estimate of\n        Roman usage of\n    Sebastian's, St., Day\n    Sects\n    Sentences, of Peter Lombard\n    Sermo\n    Sermon, the\n        v. Sacrament des Leichnams\n    Serpent, a type of Christ\n    Servants, duties of\n    Severinus\n    Shame\n        mother of glory\n        motive to avoid evil\n    Seal, the sacrament a\n    Sheba, Queen of\n    Signs, given by God\n        of the sacrament\n    Silence, when a sin\n    Sin\n        after baptism\n        daily, and faith\n        distinctions of\n        fictitious\n        mortal\n        secret\n        venial\n        the nature of the body\n        the three armies of\n    Sinful inclinations, do not condemn\n        are truly sin\n    Sinnlichkeit\n    Sixtus IV.\n    Solicitude\n    Solomon, a type\n    Sorgf\u00e4ltigkeit\n    Spalatin\n    Spenlein, Georg\n    \"Spiritual\"\n        authority\n            birth\n            contrasted with temporal\n            when to be resisted\n        estate\n        finery\n        wickedness\n    Spirituales\n    Spiritualia\n    Staupitz\n    Still Mass\n    Suffering\n        sanctified by Christ\n        second step of faith\n    Sunday\n    Superstition in the Mast\n    Sylvester, v. Prierias\n\n    Taufe\n    Temporalis\n    Temporal authority\n        contrasted with spiritual\n    Temptation\n        sent by God\n    Terence\n    Tessaradecas\n    Testament, defined\n        of the Mass\n        parts of\n    Tetzel\n    Thanksgiving, in the Mass\n    Theses, XCV.\n        text of\n    Thief on the Cross\n    Torgau\n    Transubstantiation\n    Treasure of the Church\n    Trent, Decrees of\n    Trust, in God\n    Truth loveth light\n        witnessing to\n    Truthfulness\n    Turk\n        Romans the true Turks\n    Type and fulfilment\n\n    Unbelief\n    Unity of the Church\n\n    Veni sancte Spiritus\n    Venial sin\n    Verkl\u00e4rung etlicher Artikel\n    Vicar, the pope no\n    Vierzehnheiligenkirche\n    Vitus, St\n    Votum saciamenti\n        satisfactionis\n    Vow, of baptism\n    Vows\n        commutation of\n        dispensation of\n\n    Wahrheit sagen\n    War\n    Wicked, prosperity of\n    Will of man, perilous\n    Witness to truth\n    Wittenberg, castle church\n    Woman\n    Word of God\n        the\n    Words of the Sacrament\n        of baptism\n    Works and faith\n    Work-righteous saints\n    Works of mercy\n    Worldly\n    Worry\n    Worship\n    Writings of men\n    Wrong, to be resisted\n\n    Young, training of the\n\n    Zarephath, widow of\n    Zedekiah\n    Zw\u00f6lfbote\n\n\nSCRIPTURE REFERENCES\n\n\nOLD TESTAMENT\n\n    Genesis--\n        1:31\n        1:51\n        2:3\n        2:17\n        3:15\n        3:19\n        6:2f.\n        6:15\n        8:21\n        9:9f.\n        12:1,3\n        12:6\n        15:6\n        17:11\n        18:18\n        22:18\n        45:28ff.\n    Exodus--\n        3:6ff.\n        12:7\n        12:11\n        12:13\n        13:9\n        13:18ff.\n        13:21\n        15:23ff.\n        15:27\n        16:4f.\n        18:17ff.\n        32:11\n        32:28\n        32:32\n        34:26\n    Leviticus--\n        11:4\n        21:5\n        21:14\n    Numbers--\n        14:15ff.\n        15:19ff.\n        21:7\n        21:8\n        25:1ff.\n    Deuteronomy--\n        6:16\n        12:8,32\n        17:6\n        28:14\n        28:65ff.\n        29:5ff.\n        32:10ff.\n        32:13\n        32:15\n    Joshua--\n        7:19\n        23:6\n    Judges\n        3:1ff.\n        6:37ff.\n    I. Samuel--\n        1:17f.\n        2:6\n        10:6\n        17:51\n        21:9\n    II. Samuel--\n        12:13\n        19:6\n        24:13f.\n    I. Kings--\n        10:19\n        19:4\n        22:24\n    II. Kings--\n        4:40\n        5:20\n        6:16f.\n        7:19\n        21:6\n    Esther 6:1f.\n    Job--\n        1:10f.\n        2:9f.\n        5:7\n        6:3\n        7:1\n        9:28\n        31:24\n        38:10f.\n    Psalm--\n        1:2\n        1:3\n        2:8\n        2:12\n        4:7\n        4:9\n        6\n        6:1\n        15:4\n        18:3\n        19:4\n        19:6\n        19:9\n        19:12\n        23\n        23:4\n        23:5\n        24:1\n        25:11\n        26:3\n        28:5\n        29:10\n        30:6\n        32:1\n        32:5\n        32:7\n        33:5\n        33:18\n        34:1\n        34:18\n        34:22\n        37:5\n        37:25\n        39\n        39:6\n        40:18\n        45:14f.\n        50:15\n        51:5\n        51:10\n        54:7\n        57:7\n        57:11\n        62:8\n        62:10\n        68:6\n        73:1\n        73:12\n        73:15\n        73:28\n        77:11\n        78:5\n        80:6\n        82:2ff.\n        82:3f.\n        84:4\n        89:23\n        90:10\n        91:7\n        91:14\n        91:15\n        92:5\n        102:22\n        104:15\n        104:24\n        104:25\n        104:33\n        106:23\n        106:24\n        110:4\n        111:3\n        111:4f.\n        115:1\n        116:11\n        116:13\n        119:35,37\n        119:52\n        120:4\n        125:2\n        128:1-4\n        132:9\n        137:9\n        138:4\n        139:2f.\n        139:5\n        139:12\n        139:13\n        142:2\n        143:2\n        143:5\n        145:18\n        146:12\n        147:11\n    Proverbs--\n        1:20\n        11:3\n        16:19\n        18:10\n        18:17\n        21:1\n        22:15\n        24:16\n        27:21\n        29:7\n    Ecclesiastes--\n        1:2,14\n        5:18\n        6:2\n        9:7ff.\n        10:15\n    Song of Songs--\n        2:9\n        4:6\n        8:6\n    Isaiah--\n        1:22\n        3:2\n        6:3\n        7:9\n        9:6\n        9:13\n        10:32\n        11:5\n        28:21\n        31:9\n        43:24\n        46:8\n        48:1\n        54:3\n        56:7\n        57:5\n        57:20\n        60:23\n        64:7\n        65:3\n        65:13ff.\n        66:17\n    Jeremiah--\n        1:6\n        2:28\n        7:21\n        7:31\n        10:23\n        12:1\n        18:4f.\n        18:8\n        27:6f.\n        29:7\n        32:35\n        49:12\n    Lamentations--\n        3:22f.\n        3:32f.\n    Ezekiel--\n        13:10\n        14:13ff.\n        20:44\n        22:30\n    Daniel 2:48\n    Hosea--\n        2:5\n        8:11f.\n    Amos--\n        4:11\n        7:10\n    Micah 3:2\n    Zechariah--\n        2:8\n        3:2\n    Malachi--\n        1:10\n        3:17\n\nAPOCRYPHA\n\n    Esther 14:10\n    Wisdom of Solomon--\n        2:24\n        3:2f.\n        4:7\n        4:10-14\n        5:6f.\n        7:16\n        8:1\n        15:2\n    Ecclesiasticus, or Wisdom of Sirach--\n        2:5\n        5:8\n        7:40\n        11:26\n        18:30\n        21:1\n        31:8f.\n        45:4\n    Baruch--\n        1:11f.\n        2:21f.\n        3:17\n    Prayer of Manasseh--\n        7\n\n    NEW TESTAMENT\n\n    Matthew--\n        4:17\n        5:16\n        5:18\n        5:22\n        5:44\n        6:2\n        6:7\n        6:10\n        6:26ff.\n        6:31f.\n        7:3\n        7:12\n        7:14\n        7:15\n        7:16f.\n        9:24\n        10:8\n        10:22\n        11:9\n        11:11\n        11:21ff.\n        11:30\n        13:25\n        14:3-11\n        14:30ff.\n        15:14\n        16:15\n        16:18\n        16:19\n        16:23\n        17:25\n        18:7\n        18:16\n        18:18\n        18:19f.\n        19:17ff.\n        21:9\n        21:13\n        22:35\n        22:44\n        23:4\n        23:24\n        24:9f.\n        24:23\n        24:24ff.\n        24:31\n        24:48ff.\n        25:34ff.\n        25:35\n        25:40\n        25:41\n        26:26ff.\n        26:27\n        26:28\n        28:19\n    Mark--\n        10:13ff.\n        11:24\n        14:22ff.\n    Luke--\n        2:14\n        6:27f.\n        6:32f.\n        6:36\n        10:6\n        10:37\n        11:9ff.\n        12:18\n        12:21ff.\n        12:32\n        12:50\n        13:1ff.\n        16:22f.\n        16:25\n        17:5\n        17:20\n        17:21\n        17:34\n        18:1\n        18:10f.\n        21:11\n        21:25\n        22:15\n        22:17\n        22:19ff.\n        22:20\n        22:32\n        23:14\n        23:28\n        23:35\n        23:39\n        24:46f.\n        24:47\n    John--\n        3:5\n        3:14\n        3:20f.\n        3:25\n        3:30\n        4:14f.\n        4:21f.\n        4:24\n        5:43\n        6:28f.\n        6:29\n        6:63\n        7:38\n        8:28\n        8:51\n        9:4\n        10:12f.\n        14:6\n        14:15,21\n        14:23\n        15:10\n        16:2\n        18:22\n        18:36\n        20:22\n        20:23\n        21:15\n    Acts--\n        1:3\n        1:23ff.\n        4:34\n        5:29\n        11:26\n        13:2\n        14:22\n    Romans--\n        1:17\n        1:24\n        2:3\n        2:4\n        2:6\n        3:8\n        3:25\n        5:3\n        5:4\n        5:8f.\n        6:4\n        6:8\n        6:12\n        7:7\n        7:14-19\n        7:18\n        7:19\n        7:22\n        7:24f.\n        8:1\n        8:2\n        8:26\n        8:28\n        8:32\n        8:34\n        8:36\n        9:3\n        9:5\n        10:9ff.\n        10:14\n        11:20\n        12:4\n        12:8\n        12:14f.\n        13:1\n        13:3f.\n        13:4\n        13:12f.\n        14:1\n        14:6\n        14:8f.\n        14:23\n        15:4\n    I. Corinthians--\n        1:30\n        2:16\n        3:1\n        3:5\n        3:23\n        5:7\n        10:3\n        10:4\n        10:6\n        10:12\n        10:13\n        10:17\n        10:30f.\n        10:31\n        11:21f.\n        11:23ff.\n        11:25\n        11:26\n        12\n        12:6\n        12:22ff.\n        12:26\n        13:3\n        15:55ff.\n    II. Corinthians--\n        3:7\n        3:17\n        4:2\n        5:20\n        10:30f.\n        12:7\n    Galatians--\n        2:20\n        3:2\n        3:28\n        5:6\n        5:13\n        5:17\n        5:24\n        6:2\n        6:10\n    Ephesians--\n        3:20\n        4:5\n        4:15f.\n        5:15\n        5:22ff.\n        6:5\n        6:7\n        6:17\n    Philippians--\n        1:21\n        2:4ff.\n        2:12\n    Colossians--\n        2:16\n        3:3\n        3:5\n        3:17\n        3:18ff.\n        3:22\n        4:1\n    II. Thessalonians 2:3f.\n    I. Timothy--\n        1:2ff.\n        1:9\n        4:1ff.\n        6:1\n        6:17\n    II. Timothy 3:1ff.\n    Titus--\n        1:14\n        2:8f.\n        2:1-10\n        3:1\n        3:5\n    Hebrews--\n        5:6,10\n        8:13\n        9:6ff.\n        9:16f.\n        9:24\n        11:1\n        11:6\n        11:24ff.\n        12:1\n        12:3\n        12:4ff.\n        12:6\n        13:15\n    James--\n        1:6\n        1:12\n        2:10\n        4:3\n        5:16\n    I. Peter--\n        2:7\n        2:9\n        2:11\n        2:13\n        2:14f.\n        2:16\n        2:18f.\n        2:19ff.\n        3:3\n        3:6ff.\n        3:20f.\n        4:1\n        4:12\n        4:18\n        4:19\n        5:7\n        5:9\n    II. Peter--\n        1:10\n        2:8\n    I. John--\n        1:9\n        2:1 f.\n        2:27\n        3:9\n        3:19ff.\n    Revelation--\n        1:6\n        5:10\n        13:17\n        17:4","title":"Works of Martin Luther, with Introductions and Notes (Volume I)","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":141584}