It seems to me that the baptism of underage children throughout the whole of Christendom and not waiting for them to grow up or come to their senses has come about through the special counsel and providence of God. And where now the great and the old should be baptized, I truly believe that the tenth part would not be baptized; yes, we would certainly have become vain, vain Turks long, long ago, as much as depended on us. For those who were not baptized would not go to the preaching of Christians and would despise all their doctrine and character, because it wants to make vain holy, pious people; as they do now, even though they are baptized and want to be Christians. If such an unbaptized crowd were to gain the upper hand, what else would soon become of it but pure Turkishness or paganism? And even if there were a few among them who went to Christian preaching, they would still postpone baptism until the last hour, as is now done with repentance and correction of life.
(2) And I would be willing to wager a great deal of money that the devil, through the spirits of the revivalists and the Anabaptists, does not have all this in mind, so that he cancels infant baptism and wants to baptize all the old and great. For his thoughts are certainly as follows: If I had done away with infant baptism, then I would deal with the old people so that they would forgive and postpone baptism until they had baptized, or until the last hour. In addition to such a postponement, I wanted to keep them from the sermon, so that they would neither learn nor keep anything from me, neither about Christ nor baptism. So I would first have the great multitude in the world with mighty examples, as Turks, Persians, Tartars, Jews and pagans, so that they would finally betray and say: What baptism! what Christians! where the multitude remains, there I also remain. Do you think that God will condemn all the world for the sake of three or four Christians?
What should I live with the despised few beggars and miserable people?
3 St. Augustine wrote of himself that his mother and other good friends had been deceived by his baptism and did not want him to be baptized in his youth, so that he would not fall into sin afterwards, but wanted to wait until he had passed his youth and would hold on to baptism even more firmly. This good opinion led to St. Augustine falling further and further away from baptism and the gospel, until he fell into the Manichaean heresy, and both Christ and his baptism were ridiculed until his thirtieth year, and it was extremely difficult for him to return to Christ from heresy, so that his mother shed many hot tears over it and had to atone for her good opinion and devotion, because she had forgiven her son's baptism.
4 For the devil sees that people are so crude and godless that the tenth part do not ask what baptism is, and hardly ever think about it, nor thank God that they have been baptized, much less that they should accept baptism and live like it with worthy conduct. What would become of them if they were not baptized at all and did not listen to the sermon, so that it is difficult for them to be and remain Christians, even if they teach, pray and practice baptism daily? And yet such baptism and teaching is a great advantage and strong admonition, which must finally move some to think further than an unbaptized heathen.
(5) All this can be seen and grasped by everyone, that people now hold the holy sacrament of the body and blood of our Lord in such low esteem, and oppose it as if there were nothing on earth of which they had less need than this sacrament; and yet they want to be called Christians, and make themselves believe that they are Christians because they have now received the papal blessing.
If they have become free from all constraints, they are no longer obliged to use this sacrament, but may well dispense with it and freely despise it without any sin. And if such sacrament were not used anywhere or were completely lost, that would be the same for them. Thus they show and confess by deed how much devotion and love they have gone to this sacrament before, since they were forced to it by the pope, and how fine Christians they have been. One also learns from this how finely people can be made Christians and devout by coercion, as the pope has subjected himself to with his laws, namely, that they have become vain false hypocrites, unwilling and coerced Christians. A forced Christian, however, is a very happy and pleasant guest in the kingdom of heaven, since God is particularly pleased with him, and will certainly put him on top among the angels, since hell is at its lowest.
(6) But I fear and hold it that all this is in great part our fault, we who are preachers, pastors, bishops and pastors, as we let the people go in their own way, not exhorting, not urging, not stopping, as our office demands, but snoring and sleeping as surely as they do, not thinking further, because he who comes, comes, he who does not come, stays outside; and so we go to both parts, that it would be better. For since we know that the infernal Satan and prince of this world does not celebrate, but goes about day and night with his angels, attacking, stopping, hindering, making lazy and lax to all worship, both ourselves and the people, so that he may weaken both baptism, sacrament, gospel, and all God's ordinance, to the least, where he cannot dampen them completely: so we should again think against it, that we would be our Lord Christ's angels and guardians, who should daily watch over the people against such devil angels and be valiant with incessant activity, teaching, exhorting, appealing and enticing, as St. Paul told his dear Timothy. Paul commands his dear Timothy, so that the devil would not have to exercise his will of courage among the Christians so surely and without resistance.
7 Therefore, I hereby declare that both of you, me
themselves and all pastors and preachers, with diligence and wholehearted earnestness, have asked fraternally that they, together with me, take diligent care of the people whom God has commanded as His own, acquired through His Son's blood and called and brought to baptism and His kingdom, and will demand a strict account for it, Apost. 20, 28, as we well know. For if we, who have the office and command, are lax and slothful in this, we must wait a long time before the people are admonished by him and come to him; if it still comes with difficulty, even if we persevere. For, as I said, the devil is there with his angels and is resisting. In this way, too, people must look to us and listen to our word, and not we in turn must look to them and what they do. And what was the point of the preaching office and the ministry, where the people could teach and admonish themselves? Christ might well have kept it and not have been allowed to raise it so dear. And what are we doing in such an office if we do not want to teach and exhort? In this way we would be no better, or perhaps worse, than the popes, bishops, priests and monks who have so far taken care of nothing of the people, neither with teaching nor exhorting.
(8) Though I know that some men are so wicked and hardened that they turn to no doctrine nor admonition, how shall we do this? We will be no better off than Christ and his apostles and all the prophets were. Christ says, Matth. 11, 17, that his Jews will neither dance nor mourn, they will whistle or howl; and St. Paul, 2Tim. 4, 3, says: "the time will come when one will not suffer sound doctrine." Nor does he give that one should not therefore desist, but confidently persevere with mischief and mischief. For we know again that teaching and admonishing is God's word, office and command and, as Isaiah, Cap. 55, 11, says, "cannot go without fruit," and should it win even one Zacchaeus or one tax collector or one thief on the cross. There will still be some when they hear the admonition that they will remember their baptism and do not want to be unbelievers.
The sacrament, which Christ so richly gave them and so dearly purchased, is despised by the rough, crude, loose Christians, who in the end would also take offense at this example and perhaps become different, as one knife sharpens another.
(9) Not that I have herewith advised to drive the people to the sacrament with laws for a certain time and days, as the pope has conceived it; for with this the pope has created lazy, safe days for himself and the pastors, so that they may not work with teaching and driving to the sacrament; but has caught and forced the consciences, so that they have run to it without desire and will, without benefit and salvation, and have made of it not a sacrament of faith, but a work of merit. And of course the devil could not have devised a closer or more powerful grip to destroy the sacrament completely than with such laws; the appearance and the shell have remained, but the core and power have been taken away, which no one has noticed. It must nevertheless be called a sacrament of Christ, since nothing but sacrifice and the work of men was made of it.
(10) And the ministry of preaching was not instituted by God to make safe, lazy preachers and unwilling, forced Christians. And whoever is not a Christian willingly and gladly or goes to the sacrament, let him stay far away from it and go wherever he goes; God does not like to have a forced ministry, as St. Paul says, 2 Cor. 9, 7: "God loves a cheerful giver. But it is designed to bring, entice and draw people, so that they come willingly and gladly, yes, so that they run, struggle and press for it with force; as Christ says, Matth. 11, 12: "The kingdom of God suffers force, and those who exercise force snatch it to themselves." He does not want the weary, disgusted, full souls; but the hungry and thirsty, who press and tear after it, as he says, Matth. 5, 6: "Blessed are the hungry and thirsty after righteousness, for they shall be filled."
(11) Therefore, I hereby give cause to the pastors and preachers to exhort and entice their people to the sacrament, and
to indicate certain things, so that they may be induced to go to the sacrament willingly and without compulsion from men, and to receive it with pleasure; as I have also done before in the Catechism. Those preachers who can do this better do not need this sermon; it is enough that they are admonished to do so. The others, however, who cannot do it better, might well record some of it or read it word for word to the people, where it pleases them; lest this holy sacrament lie so low and be despised. And I will divide the causes into two parts: the first concerns Christ himself; the other us who want to be Christians.
From the first.
(12) It should, indeed, be well known to a Christian that such a sacrament was not invented or contrived by men, but was instituted and established by Christ Himself out of the will and command of God His Father; not even for dogs, swine, wood or stones; but for us men, and especially for us Christians, out of great, heartfelt, causeless love, it was ordained and instituted to be used. But where a Christian heart considers such things, how is it possible that it should not be moved with devotion to seek and desire them willingly with desire and love, without all constraint and law? But if it is not moved by it, there is not a spark nor a drop of Christian thought in the same heart, and it is undoubtedly an unchristian, Turkish, pagan heart, which certainly does not believe that Christ instituted and commanded the use of this sacrament; much less does it believe that Christ ordained such things for us out of causeless, heartfelt love. For where one thing is truly believed, a heart cannot so lazily, lazily, and contemptuously place itself to it.
(13) Therefore, let each one look upon himself and examine his own heart: first, whether he believes that Christ, the Son of God, instituted and bequeathed such a sacrament to us humans? and second, whether he believes that he meant it so sincerely and faithfully out of causeless love for us? If you do not believe this, know that you are not a Christian, but an apostate.
you are a damned heathen and a Turk. For thou thinkest nothing at all, neither of Christ, nor of his command, nor of his love, nor of his faithfulness toward thee; but thou standest as though it were all a lie and a fool's work. But if you believe, this same faith will preach to you in your heart and say: You want to be a Christian and know that it is Christ's command and order to use this sacrament, but you let it stand for half a year, a whole year, three years and even longer. Do you hear it, dear Squire? How does that rhyme with a Christian? What does it matter, you will be ashamed and afraid of yourself over such preaching! If such preaching does not take place in your heart, then faith is not there that this sacrament is Christ's foundation, and your mouth lies when it says that you believe this; and you are a two-faced heathen and worse than no Turk; for you do not believe, that is one thing, and you lie even more when you say that you believe it.
(14) So you see and must confess that all lies, false living, contempt for divine order, sloth, laziness and indolence toward the sacrament, along with ingratitude and forgetfulness of Christ's unspeakable love for us, flow and come all and everything from unbelief, so that a heart does not believe that this sacrament is Christ's love and heartfelt order. For what a heart does not believe, it cannot respect, honor, love or praise. And what one despises, leaves or forgets is a sure sign that one does not think anything of it, does not believe anything of it, does not accept it. Again, what one believes and considers certain, one cannot despise, be it good or evil. If it is good, the heart loves and desires it; if it is evil, the heart fears and loathes it; as we have learned that this also happens in false faith and delusion, where one fears where there is no fear, and rejoices where there is no joy: such a troubled and busy thing it is about a faith.
(15) Therefore, the preachers are to present this first cause to the people, so that they may see and believe that this sacrament is God's gracious and fatherly ordinance, instituted for us men. We are not forcing anyone to believe, but we are indicating,
what belongs to faith, and whoever wants to be a Christian, that he knows what and how he should believe, so that he does not deceive himself under the Christian name and appearance and think himself a Christian, if he is nevertheless an un-Christian and a pagan, indeed worse than a pagan and an un-Christian. If someone wants to deny Christ, be an unbeliever and remain unbelieving, we will let him go without any constraint and will not ask about him without telling him: "He who does not believe is condemned", John 3:18. He will find his judge and prison. We are excused and have done our part. For it was not a joke nor a vain attempt on God's part that he instituted and instituted this sacrament for us men; therefore he does not want it to be despised, idle or unused, much less to be considered an unnecessary and insignificant thing, but to be used and well practiced.
16. And even if it were such a bad sacrament, which is neither useful nor necessary to us, as it would give us neither grace nor help, but would only be a mere commandment and law of God, who requires us to use it out of his divine power, to which we are subject and owe obedience; If, however, for the sake of this commandment alone, it should drive and excite us enough that we should not despise it, nor consider it unnecessary or insignificant, but should diligently practice and highly honor it with all seriousness and faithful obedience; since nothing greater and more glorious can be than what God gives and commands by His word. But it is not such a bad sacrament that it is a mere commandment, which we must practice without benefit and need; as the Jews had to keep their sacrifices and outward offerings without benefit and need, only as a burden and duty, so that they were forced and imprisoned, as the serfs or hirelings are in the worldly regime; but it is a sacrament rich in grace, full of benefit and salvation, in addition to innumerable and inexpressible goods. Therefore, it should not only be unnoticed and unforgotten, but also highly honored and most diligently used.
(17) And that we show this in part, behold first this, that he hath instituted this sacrament in remembrance of him; as
He says: "Do this in remembrance of me. Mark and consider this word "remembrance" carefully. It will indicate a great deal to you and almost irritate you very much. But I am not yet speaking of our benefit and need, which we may seek in the sacrament; but of the benefit that Christ and God Himself derive from it, and how necessary it is for His divine honor and service that it be diligently used and honored. For you hear here that he places his divine honor and service in this sacrament, that one should remember him in it. But what is "to remember him" but to praise, listen to, preach, praise, thank, and honor his grace and mercy, which he has shown us in Christ? To whom Christ he has directed and drawn all his glory and worship, so that apart from Christ he does not want any glory or worship, nor does he acknowledge it, nor does he want to be anyone's God, and has condemned and abolished his own old worship, given in the Law of Moses, together with all worship in the whole world, however great, beautiful, old or glorious it may be.
18. Because each one wants to be inclined and devout to honor Christ's suffering and to do God a service, and one does this, the other that: One runs to Rome, another becomes a monk, the third fasts; and who can count all the services that we have instituted and held up to now out of the devil's inspiration and our own devotion, so that we have darkened and forgotten this high, beautiful service, namely His memorial and the honor of Christ's suffering, which God Himself instituted and testified that it is heartily pleasing to Him, and instituted it in such a way that it can never be used up nor held enough? For who can remember God enough? Who can praise him too much? Who can thank him too much? Who can honor Christ's suffering too much?
(19) Why then have we great saints so shamefully raved as if we had no worship in this sacrament, or had long since performed it and had completely served it?
The Lord has created the suffering of his own devotion and self-chosen works and has filled the world with it; in addition, he has denied, desecrated and blasphemed this true worship of God. If you want to do a glorious, great service to God and honor Christ's suffering, think and go to the sacrament, in which, as you have heard, is His memorial, that is, His praise and honor, and practice with it, or help to practice this same memorial with diligence, and you will forget your self-chosen services. For, as I said, you cannot praise and thank God too often or too much for His grace shown in Christ.
(20) Such a memorial seems to be of little service, because it does not make much outward show with clothes, vestments, buildings and the like, so that the eyes and ears are filled, but only with the oral word, which has a low reputation before the eyes on earth; but how high and glorious it is before God and His angels, no eye can see, nor ear hear, nor heart comprehend. God's word and works are at first of little repute; therefore they must be considered with diligence and earnestness. He who does so will find them great. He himself says, Ps. 50:23, "Thank offerings praise me." What else is this said, but this much: Thank offerings give me my divine honor, it makes me God and keeps me God. Just as again, work offerings take away his divine honor and make him an idol and do not allow him to remain God. For he who does not give thanks but desires to earn it has no God, and inwardly in his heart and outwardly in his works makes another god out of the right God, that is, under the name of the right God; as he often complains in Isaiah and other prophets, and in the first commandment he harshly forbids that one should make no gods, nor make himself otherwise.
021 If then thou wilt be a godmaker, come hither, and hear; he will teach thee the art, that thou shalt not err, and make an idol, but the right god to the right god: not that thou shouldest make his divine nature, for the same is and abideth unmade for ever; but that thou mayest make him
2180 L.W, I74-NS. Admonition to the Sacrament of the Body and Blood etc. W. x, M-ses". 2181
make him a god to you, to you, to you, just as he is a god to himself. This is the art, briefly and surely stated: "Do this in remembrance of me. Learn to remember him, which is, as I said, to preach, to praise, to praise, to listen, and to give thanks for the grace shown in Christ. If you do this, behold, you confess with heart and mouth, with ears and eyes, with body and soul, that you have given nothing to God, nor may you, but have and receive everything and everything from Him, especially eternal life and unending righteousness in Christ.
(22) If this is done, you have made him your right God, and with this confession you have received his divine honor. For this is called a right God, who gives and does not take away; who helps and does not let help; who teaches and rules and does not let himself be taught or ruled. Summa, who does and gives everything, and has no need of anyone, and does all this for nothing, out of pure grace, without merit, to the unworthy and undeserving, even to the damned and lost. Such memory, confession and honor he wants to have.
(23) Behold, this worship therefore is without all splendor, not filling the eyes according to the flesh, but filling the heart, which otherwise cannot fill heaven and earth. But when the heart is full, then both eyes and ears, mouth and nose, body and soul, and all the members must be full. For as the heart is full, so are all the members, and everything is full of praise and thanksgiving to God. This then is another ornament and adornment, neither the golden chasubles; yes, the crowns of emperors, kings, popes, all the churches and all the world's ornaments and splendor are a disgrace against the glorious memorial of Christ, and a thought of this service sounds brighter, sounds better, resounds farther than all the drums, trumpets, organs, bells and what may sound on earth, even if they were all in one heap and all sound at the same time with all power. Behold, this is a different sound and song from all the singing and sounding of the earth, and yet it is not so loud to the ears from without.
But from within the heart it is so strong that all creatures seem to sound the same, and all men's songs are vainly mute and deaf.
(24) That praising and thanking God is as much as adorning and decorating God is clearly stated in the Song of Moses, Exodus 15:2: "This is my God, whom I will adorn; my father's God, whom I will praise. Behold, thou hearest how thou canst make thy God beautiful, adorn him, adorn him, and paint him in the finest manner, put on wreath and crown, adorn him with bracelets and chains, and need neither money nor brass, but believe with the heart, and praise with the mouth, and hear with the ears his praise and grace, and as more is said above. Whoever does not want to give such adornment and adornment to his God, what else should happen to him, but that he should become blinded and mad in the name of the devil, meanwhile go and adorn wooden and stone images, paint panels and walls, decorate altars and churches, clothe the sacrificial offerings with gold and silk and turn all his goods and power to monasteries, convents, pilgrimages and other more false, damned, own services. Not that I reject outward adornment altogether, but that it should not be called a worship, much less hinder or obscure this one right worship; but, if it wants to be useful, that it promotes and helps this worship of thanksgiving; or be condemned along with all other works and merit, so that one wants to win or buy God's grace.
(25) Now, if you had no other cause or benefit in this sacrament than such remembrance alone, should you not find enough of a drive and stimulus in it? Shouldn't your heart say to you, "Well, if I have no other use for it, I will still go to praise and honor my God, help him to maintain his divine honor and also be involved in making him a true God? If I cannot or do not have to preach, I will listen. For he who listens also helps to give thanks and to honor God; for where there is no listener, there can be no preacher. If I cannot listen, I still want to be among the listeners, and I want to do the least with the deed,
2182 2- 23, 176-178. VI. main st. - V. Of the Sacrament of the Altar esp. W. X, 2680-2682. 2183
to be there with my body and my limbs, praising and honoring God. And even if I could no longer do it, I still want to receive the Sacrament for the very reason that I may confess and testify with such reception that I am also one of them who wants to praise and thank God, and thus I want to receive the Sacrament in honor of my God. And such reception shall be my remembrance, so that I may think of His grace and give thanks for it, shown to me in Christ.
(26) For it is not a small thing that a man should love to be among the multitude praising and thanking God, which the ancient fathers desired with deep sighing, as the 42nd Psalm, v. 5, says: "I would gladly go over with the multitude, and go with them to the house of God in the sound of praise and thanksgiving, among the multitude that celebrate. And in the beautiful Confitemini *) Ps. 118, 15.: "There is a voice of joy and salvation in the tabernacles of the righteous"; and the like much more. For he that is among the multitude, if he be not false, is partaker of all the honors and thanksgiving that are done to God there. Therefore you must be a desperate rascal, because you can do such service and such great honor to God, and it costs you neither expense nor effort, but can accomplish everything with willing listening or with bodily feeling and with a grateful heart, and yet you do not want to show the same to your God; if you would gladly run to the end of the world, where you would know to find such a multitude, where one praises and honors God, and thus make yourself a partaker of the holy company.
(27) How did you walk before of the saints' graves, garments, and bones? How did you go to Rome, to Jerusalem, to St. James, only to see stone, bone, wood and earth, and nothing was thought of Christ? And here in your town or village, at your door, Christ himself is present with body and blood, with his memory, praise and honor alive, and you may not go and also help to give thanks and
praise? You are certainly not a Christian, nor a man, but a devil or devil's servant.
28. It would be wrong for such despisers and denied Christians to do otherwise than to be possessed, deceived and seduced by the devil as a punishment for their shameful ingratitude, so that they never hear or learn anything about the sacrament, but have papists or enthusiasts as teachers, so that the enthusiasts make vain bread and wine out of it, peel out the kernel and give them the husks; But the papists shall make of it a sacrifice and a trade, to forgive sins and to help out of all distress, and after that they shall put it into the monstrances and ciboria, and make processions and carry games, and do vain jugglery with it, until they keep even one form of it; and yet without fruit, with vain harm. For this they shall give money and goods, until they make emperors, kings, and princes of such their teachers. Right, all things right, "with the perverse thou consortest," says the 18th Psalm, v. 27. Why have they despised this worship, together with the memorial of Christ, which is so glorious, beautiful and great, and which they might have without cost or trouble? Well then, let them have the husks of it with all the harm to body and soul, goods and honor; as they will, so shall it be done to them.
(29) But he who keeps the memory of Christ and honors his suffering, as stated above, is safe and free from all error and from the deceit of all devils, and may not dare to incur any expense or trouble in doing so, and gains innumerable benefits. For he does two great services to God, two great honors. The first, that he does not despise its foundation and order, but uses it submissively and gladly; which honor is undoubtedly pleasing to God, as He has not instituted such a sacrament in vain, but to be used: and can have no pleasure in it, where it is so freely used.
and does not use them. For in doing so, it is almost as if one considers God a fool who decrees unnecessary endowments for us and does not know what he should endow for us; or as if he were a jailbird who carries around rotten, unfit goods and offers them to us. And who can calculate what dishonor is done to God and to our Lord Christ alone with the same piece, that one leaves his sacrament so despised, unpracticed and unused; and yet do not want to be papist, but evangelical? Which dishonor cancels and helps who holds to the dear Sacrament and honors and uses such God's foundation; for this God will honor him again, as it is written, 1 Sam. 2, 30: "Whoever honors me, I will honor again; but whoever despises me, he shall be despised again."
The other honor is that he keeps Christ's memory and helps to preserve it, that is, preaching, praising and giving thanks for Christ's grace, shown to us poor sinners through his suffering; for the sake of which memory God especially instituted this sacrament and also seeks and demands such honor in it, so that he may be recognized and kept as our God in Christ. How great an honor and glorious service this is, is said above, that divine honor is thereby received, and God is made the right God. In return, he will undoubtedly bring the same to divine honor and also make a God and God's child out of it And who can also calculate here what good such honor and worship create? For in this way he not only gives thanks and praise to God in Christ, which is the actual work of this divine foundation, but also publicly confesses before the world his Lord Christ and that he is and wants to be a Christian, and thus at the same time establishes the highest office of a true priest.
With thanksgiving, praise and honor to God, he makes the most beautiful sacrifice, the highest service and the most glorious work, namely, a thank offering. With his confession to the people he does as much as if he preached and taught the people to believe in Christ. In this way, he helps to increase and preserve Christianity, to strengthen the gospel and the faith.
crament, helps to convert sinners and to overthrow the devil's kingdom, and in sum, whatever the teaching of the Word does in the world, he helps and is part of the same work. But who can tell how great benefit happens here?
32) On the other hand, consider what wicked people are who despise the sacrament and are so lazy and lazy to use it. For these people may count and reckon their evil from the contradiction of this register. First of all, that they despise God Himself in His foundation and consider Him a fool for ordering such unnecessary services. Indeed, because they do not believe that a divine service is his divine order and gracious endowment, they disgrace him with such unbelief as a liar and a vain man; for unbelief is nothing else than blasphemy, so that he is taken for a liar.
Then they also despise the memorial of Christ, which God instituted and keeps in such a sacrament, and do no honor to Christ's suffering, do not thank Him for it, but commit the most abominable vice of ingratitude. In addition, which is even worse, they place themselves as those who do not like to hear about the thanksgiving and honor of Christ's suffering, or do not like to be present when it is honored and thanked; so that they deprive God of his divine honor, hinder and prevent him from being their God, nor from being recognized as a God in Christ, as was said above. And as much as they care, they want both Christ's suffering and all divine honor to be of no value at all in all the world and to be purely abolished, and to become our gods in the name of the devil. For they do not ask how Christ's suffering should be honored, how his memory should be kept, how his word should be preached, or how God should be known; this is much worse than if someone should throw dung on God's image or defile Christ himself.
34 Moreover, they set an evil example to others, and are guilty of all those who, according to their example, also abandon and despise this sacrament; so that, as much as is in them, Christ's memory is forgotten, His suffering is all in vain and useless, and finally the Christian faith perishes altogether:
without what good there still is, which they leave undone and hinder, so that they do not make a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God, do not confess their Lord Christ, do not teach, provoke and correct their neighbor by deed and example, but deprive God of the sacrifice of thanksgiving, deny Christ and lead their neighbor away. Dear, what wonder would it be that God would let the devil rage over us with daily pestilence, war, theurge, murder and misery? It is not enough for Turks, Tartars and all devils to plague such wickedness, since not only such great, horrible dishonor and contempt for God, but also such shameful and cursed ingratitude against Christ is abundant among the Christian people.
The Jews had to praise and give thanks for their exodus and redemption from Egypt and through the Red Sea every year in a most glorious way, and the dear prophets can nowhere sufficiently exalt and adorn this miraculous work of God. And we Gentiles, who were otherwise the devil's own and had no right to know or have anything about Christ, have come to such grace and glory that we have been made partakers of the redemption of Christ, who redeemed us not from Egypt and the Red Sea, but from sin, death, hell, devils, God's wrath and all misery; not even to the fleshly land of Canaan, but to eternal righteousness, life, heaven, grace and to God Himself. And all this not by Moses, nor by angels, but by Himself: made it so sour for Him, sweated blood over it, melted His heart like wax, let Himself be killed on the cross, wept and sighed for us, let Himself be blasphemed in the most shameful way. And ah, which tongue, which heart is here enough to mean or speak such love, grace and mercy?
(36) And for all this he shall not have deserved more from them for whom he did these things, than such thanksgiving and honor that he shall not be remembered, nor heard of; or be among them that keep his memory, and give thanks, and may not use his sacrament in his honor, but let him sit there with his sacrament in vain, and in vain require us to do so; because
go there, eat and drink, or probably do something nasty. It is a wonder that the sun has not turned coal-black long ago. Not a leaf nor grass should grow, not a drop of water nor air should remain in the world from such inhuman ingratitude. The Jews were wicked who crucified him; but we Gentiles are much worse, who so shamefully despise his suffering and are so ungrateful for it, who do not do so much for his love and honor that we use such a sacrament and help to keep such his memory. O pope, o bishops, o sophists, o monks, o priests, what have you done? that you are all to blame and cause, who have made this sacrament a sacrificial mass and work, thus obscuring and robbing the people of this proper custom, honor and thanksgiving; for they have sought nothing else in it, without their own work, obedience and merit; this you have taught them and forced them with commandment to such work, and yet have taken the One Form.
(37) You mosquitoes and cameleers, Matt. 23:24, have given great honor to the sacrament, which is to be placed in precious golden monstrances, with golden chalices and paten, and the priests' fingers are to be especially smeared with ointment; precious corporals, vestments and altar cloths, table, candles and flags, and various processions and chants are to be used for it; just as if much was involved. And you have considered that one must feel the great, faithful seriousness, that one should drink from the chalice with a reed, so that the blood of Christ would not be stirred, and that one should truly believe the whole of Christ in every form. But on the other hand, the dear sacrament must be a sacrifice and a work, so that you may purchase for yourselves the goods and honor of all the world.
Where has the teaching of the memorial of Christ remained here? When did you teach the people that they should use such a sacrament out of love, honor it as a foundation of God, and praise, extol and give thanks to Christ in it, receive it in honor of his suffering, and recognize his grace, given to us without our work or merit? Yes, you have taught them contrary to such remembrance.
You have made a work out of your own work and free will, and out of the sacrament itself you have made a work and everything wrong; and you do not want to atone for this, but you also defend it. O mockers! o jesters! o hypocrites! o blasphemers! O my Lord Christ, come soon with fire and brimstone from heaven, and put an end to such mocking and blasphemy, how they make it so very unpleasant and unbearable!
39. But when I come from this piece, you have here a mighty and excellent cause to go to the sacrament, so that your heart may admonish you in this way: Well then, I will go to the Sacrament, not to do a good work or merit, nor for the obedience or commandment of the pope or the church; but to praise and honor my God, who has instituted this for me to receive, and to love and thank my Lord and Savior, who has instituted this for me in honor of his suffering, to use and give thanks, so that I may be one of them who gives thanks to him for his suffering, and not be found out among the despisers and ungrateful; Nor will I give others an evil example to offend them and thus make myself partaker of their contempt and ingratitude, but rather give a good example and draw others to honor and praise it, and thus help to keep and strengthen the memory of Christ's suffering and at the same time confess my Lord as a Christian before the world. I will make such a thank offering to him, even if I have no other use for it. For it shall be my thanksgiving to the Lord for his bitter suffering, which he endured for my sake.
40 But I hope it is not necessary to teach here at length what is called Christ's remembrance, of which we have elsewhere often and much taught: namely, that it is not the contemplation of suffering, so that some, as with a good work, wanting to serve God and have obtained grace, go about mourning for the bitter suffering of Christ etc.; but this is Christ's remembrance: if one teaches and believes the power and fruit of his suffering. So that our works and merits are nothing, free will is dead and lost; but by Christ's suffering and death alone we are freed from sins.
and become devout; that it is a teaching or remembrance of the grace of God in Christ and not a work done by us against God. The entire papacy, with its foundations, monasteries and works of its own, strives against such doctrine and faith, and have also made the Sacrament into the meanest and greatest work, since it should be least of all about our works, but all about vain, mere grace; they have thus suppressed Christ's memory in all things and turned this gracious endowment of God into such a fearful abomination. Beware of this and learn to do nothing more here, except to thank your Lord Christ for His suffering and God for His grace and mercy. As a sign and confession of such thanks and praise, take and receive the Sacrament with joy.
41. Whether the papists would want to make sense of my speech, as they do, and boast against me that I myself make a sacrifice in the sacrament, when I have so far almost argued that the mass is not a sacrifice; so you should say: I make neither Mass nor Sacrament a sacrifice, but the memorial of Christ, that is, the doctrine and faith of grace against our merit and works, that is a sacrifice, and is a thank-offering, because with the same memorial we confess and thank God that we are redeemed, pious and blessed by pure grace through Christ's suffering. But the papists have rejected, condemned and blasphemed such a memorial, and still condemn it today; for they want to defend their works and merits, to keep monasteries and sacrificial masses, which strives against such a memorial of Christ; As we know, then, that they sell their works and masses, and communicate them to their benefactors and brethren, that their works, as they have too much and too much left for themselves, should also help other people to grace; and so they do that which Christ alone does by his suffering; they put themselves into Christ's office and work, and say: "I am Christ," Matth. 24:24, which is one thing I have contended against.
42) Secondly, they not only suppressed such a sacrifice of thanksgiving or remembrance, but instead of it they invented another sacrifice, namely, that they should take the sacrament they received from God, that is, the sacrifice of the Holy Spirit.
the body and blood of Christ, made a sacrifice and offered the same to God. And if they had not invented this sacrifice, they should not have become such lords to me. In addition, they do not consider Christ's body and blood as a thank offering, but as a work offering, so that they do not thank God for His grace, but earn Himself and others with it and acquire grace first of all; so that Christ did not acquire grace for us, but we want to acquire grace ourselves through our works, so that we offer God His Son's body and blood. This is the real main abomination and reason for all blasphemy in the papacy. Against such blasphemous sacrifices I have fought and am still fighting, so that we do not want to let the sacrament be a sacrifice, nor call it a sacrifice, but a sacrament or endowment of God, given to us.
We have done so much with such fencing that they themselves now feel that they are wrong, that the mass is not a sacrifice. But they do not want to revoke such injustice, nor do they want to atone for it; they start to tinker with the mallet; they want to adorn themselves with the little bell that the mass or sacrament should be a mysterial or memorial sacrificium, that is, a sacrifice of interpretation and work, so that one may interpret and remember the sacrifice of Christ, which he made on the cross. Yes, whoever has seals and letters that such a gloss is pleasing to God, who will assure us of that? Also, this little bell becomes an impudent, tangible lie, if one takes out the seals and letters in monasteries and convents, in which they sell to the founders the masses and vigils, both for the living and the dead, as an offering for work or for advertising. Their bishops and writings, which still exist, also testify to this; and it is to be expected that they intend to confirm the same old abominations with such little lies, because they neither revoke nor atone for them, but defend them; as St. Gregory also writes that he had the mass offered for thirty days for a dead man. But what good is it to reinforce the old abominations with obvious lies against the clear truth, without one thing disgracing the other even more?
44 Such little bells do not help the matter. Because because they have the sacrament with it
If we want to call it a sacrifice of interpretation or a sacrifice of thought, they nevertheless make it a work that we do against God for merit; and thus our work against God and not God's grace against us is nevertheless praised. Just as some have had the Passion painted and read in the booklet, and have given great honor to such a work, as the saying of Alberti taught, that once the suffering of Christ, badly considered above, is better than if one fasts a whole year, prays a Psalter every day, and stabs himself to the bone. Such a work would also become of the sacrament if it were to be called a sacrifice of interpretation or a memorial sacrifice, so that only the history and story of Christ's suffering might be considered. Such a work can be done by an ungodly man, or even by the devil; therefore Christ did not institute the sacrament for this purpose, but for his memorial, that we should teach, believe, love, and praise his grace, which work no ungodly man is incapable of doing. That is why the papists do not mean well with such a little bell, but want to preserve their sacrificial mass with lists and blind grips; they do not seek and mean the sacrament at all, but their belly and mammon.
(45) Notice that they, as priests, want to have something special, higher and better in the sacrament than all other Christians. For although the whole of Christendom uses, receives, believes, and gives thanks for the sacrament, it need not be called a sacrifice there; and here no one can use the sacrament or act for another, but each for himself alone. But if the priests do it, it is a sacrifice which they do not only for themselves, nor for thanksgiving, but for all other Christians, in order to obtain grace and help for them. Do you see and do you not grasp here that the words of Christ do not make a sacrifice of the sacrament, and in Himself there is also no sacrifice; but when the coffee and plate are added, it becomes a sacrifice. For although all holy Christianity performs the sacrament with hands and mouth, in chalices and cloths, with faith and love, with praise and thanksgiving, yes, all the angels in heaven, nevertheless it is not a sacrifice; but when the plate over the altar handles it, then it is a sacrifice.
a sacrifice. Such a powerful thing is the consecration, both of the person and of the altar. And, dear, ask me why the sacrament is not also a sacrifice, if the laity receive and use it? or if they have other sacraments, neither the laity?
(46) The churches in the papacy have two sacraments of the altar. The common Christian has no sacrament of sacrifice, but the simple sacrament, though half alone; the priests have a sacrament of sacrifice, and all of it. It is fraternal, and they have divided finely! Now Christ has given and left to all his Christians the same baptism, sacrament, and gospel, and has not wished any difference of persons; where then does such a difference come from, that our dear, comforting treasure becomes a sacrifice in the priest's hand and mouth, and cannot be a sacrifice in our hands and mouth, but must be a simple sacrament, and yet both are one and the same sacrament? Of course it comes from this: Sic volo, sic jubeo (So I will, so I command), from the full power of the pope, by which he can also make of the gospel that it must be called heresy or truth. As when Luther teaches the gospel that monks and nuns may marry, it is heresy; but when the pope allows monks and nuns to do so, it is the true gospel. And if someone abuses or obstructs the church property, it is said to be too close to the patrimony of Christ; but if they steal it from the poor, penetrate it with fornication and war, it is said to be sanctifying the patrimony of Christ. It is a mighty Creator and God.
47. But lest they think that I am quarreling about words; for where things are otherwise right, words should not matter so much, though in Scripture such things are dangerous; well then, let us admit this, and let us not call the sacrament itself, but the reception or use of the sacrament, a sacrifice, with such distinction and understanding: First, that it be not called a sacrifice of interpretation or work, but a sacrifice of thanksgiving; so that he who receives the sacrament shall have done so as a sign of his thanksgiving, that he may show that he is
Christo for his suffering and grace in his heart be grateful for himself. Secondly: That the priests also make no other sacrifice of it over the altar, but that they receive it neither otherwise nor of a different opinion, except as a sign, that they may show that they thank Christ in their hearts for themselves, as do the other Christians, to whom they offer it from the altar, that it may be one and the same Sacrament, both of priests and laity, and that the priests have nothing better nor other nor more in the Sacrament than the laity; even as they have neither better Baptism nor Gospel, than that which is received of them. Thirdly, that they henceforth sell no one the Sacrament or Mass as a sacrifice of work, nor offer it for others, in order to obtain grace, neither for the dead nor for the living; but simply every priest for himself alone, like another Christian, so that God may give thanks. Fourthly - o may I also touch this? - if the mass or sacramental custom has now become a sacrifice of thanksgiving, that they would atone for and give back all goods, seals and letters, as well as all monastery and foundation rents, which they have received and possess through the mass, as a sacrifice of work, because such goods are acquired with lies and deceit, yes, with blasphemy and treachery against Christ. For if kings and princes had known that a priest does nothing more with the sacrament on the altar than the layman who receives it, namely, that he gives thanks to God for himself alone; do you think that they would have been so foolish as to give such goods to one who does not sacrifice for them, nor propitiate God, but gives thanks for himself alone? Usch, lisch, Usch, how it tingles my teeth! I do not dare to raise this piece with them, I know that well.
48. Furthermore, I will also grant that they may also make such sacrifices of thanksgiving for others, just as I may also thank God outside of Mass for Christ and all His saints, yes, for all creatures; so that the priest may think in his heart: Behold, dear God, I need and take this sacrament in praise and thanksgiving to You, that You have made Christ and all Your saints so glorious. For who does not know that we are in any case
2194 L- 23,189-192, VI. Main st. - B. Of the Sacrament of the Altar esp. W. X, 2696-2699. 2195
do we owe it to God to give thanks for ourselves, for all people, for all creatures, as St. Paul teaches? Therefore, I can well tolerate that the priests give thanks to God in the Mass for all of us; only that they do not regard it as something special and different from the Sacrament of the laity, as if the laity could not and should not also take or use the Sacrament with such thanks. I do not want to suffer the special in the same and all common Sacrament. Much less do I want to suffer that they should give thanks for others, that is, instead of others, as if it should be the same if the priest gives thanks as if I gave thanks and I give him money that he gives thanks for me and in my place. No, I do not want the fair, nor do I want to suffer such changes and things.
If they do not want to accept these pieces, we also do not want to suffer their cunning, false little bell of the Deutopfer or Denkopfer, nor let the sacrament be called so. It is abusus et catachresis (an abuse and false expression), the misunderstanding too gross and dangerous. For Christ here separates the two things far from each other: sacrament and memorial, since he says, "Do these things in remembrance of me." Another thing is the sacrament and another thing is the memory. The sacrament we are to practice and do, he says, and next to it we are to remember it, that is, to teach, to believe, and to give thanks. The remembrance should be a thank-offering, but the sacrament itself should not be a sacrifice, but a gift of God, given to us, which we should accept and receive with thanksgiving. And I think that therefore the ancients called such an office Sacrament or Sacramentum Eucharistiae, that is, thanksgiving, that according to Christ's command one should give thanks to God at this Sacrament and use and receive it with thanksgiving. Which word thereafter, through misunderstanding, must also be called the sacrament alone. And it would not be bad manners to say that when one goes to mass or to a sermon: I will go to the Eucharist, that is, I will go to thanksgiving, namely, to the office where one gives thanks to God and praises Him in His Sacrament, as it seems that the ancients meant.
50 And therefore, I notice that many chants in the mass are so fine and glorious of thanksgiving.
and praise have been made and remained until now, as, the Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra etc. (Glory to God in the highest). (Glory to God in the highest etc.), the Patrem (the Nicene Creed), the Preface, the Sanctus, the Benedictus (Praise be to him who comes in the name of the Lord etc.).), the Agnus Dei In these pieces you will find nothing of sacrifice, but only praise and thanksgiving, which is why we keep them in our Mass; and especially the Agnus, above all the chants, serves well for the Sacrament; for it sings clearly and praises Christ that he has borne our sin, and with beautiful short words drives the memory of Christ powerfully and sweetly. And summa, what is evil in the mass from the sacrifice and work, God has wonderfully sent, that almost everything the priest reads secretly, and is called the silent mass; but what is sung publicly by the choir and among the crowd, are almost all good things and hymns of praise, as if God should say in effect: he wants to spare his Christians with the silent mass, so that their ears would not have to hear such abominations, and thus let the clergy plague themselves with their own abominations.
51. Let this be said of the first part or cause, which should stimulate and move us to go to the Sacrament with joy and love, namely, that we do this for praise and thanksgiving to God, for love and confession to Christ, for good example and correction to our neighbor, and finally for the preservation of the Sacrament, teaching, faith, and all of Christendom, regardless of whether we should or could earn anything by it; since we owe to do all these things anyway, since it is a general commandment of God that we should praise and give thanks to Him, love and honor Christ's suffering, improve our neighbor, and help to preserve doctrine, faith, and Christianity; how much more should we do it here, since He has established a special endowment for this purpose and also calls and entices us to it. And even if we would not or could not receive it, we would gladly be present and receive the same, and hear praise to God and thanksgiving to Christ; for such things do not come from our own devotion or human choice, but are founded here in the words of Christ: "Do these things in remembrance of me.
The other part.
Until now, we have said nothing about the benefits we can seek and obtain in the sacrament, but only about the benefits you can do for God Himself, for Christ, for your neighbor, for the gospel and the sacrament, and for all of Christendom. But who can understand what a great benefit all this is if you praise God, give thanks to Christ, honor His suffering, improve your neighbor, help promote and preserve the Sacrament and the Gospel together with Christianity, and help control and prevent the contradiction of all these fruits? Nevertheless, so that we may see what a full, complete, gracious endowment of God it is, so that we may warmly love it and gladly use it, let us now see what benefit is offered and given especially to us in it, and how Christ has not forgotten us in this Sacrament. However, I have touched on almost everything in the small catechism, so that a pastor who wants to be diligent or needs it, can make do with it. But I will also deal with it here.
(53) In the first place, as I said above that you should remember the word "in remembrance of me," so that Christ may tempt and entice you to go gladly to the sacrament for love and thanksgiving, and for praise and honor of his suffering, or else ever to be gladly present; so here also the word "for you" is to be remembered with diligence, since he says, "That which is given for you is poured out for you. For the two words "mine" and "yours" are mighty words, which should drive you to run over a hundred and a thousand miles to this sacrament. For if you consider who he is who says "My" when he says: "This is in remembrance of me", you will find that it is your dear Lord Christ Jesus, Son of God, who shed his blood and died for you. And desire no more with this word "my" than that thou wouldest know and believe such things, yet let it please thee and thank him for it, which has become so heartily sour to him, and not so shamefully despise him, and hold his sacrament so low and omit it, since it costs thee nothing at all, nor confess it.
54 So, if you consider who they are of whom he says "for you," you will find that it is you and I, together with all the people for whom he died. But if we are those for whom he died, it must follow that we have been in sins, death, hell, and among devils, as the words clearly imply, "shed for you for the remission of sins. If there are sins, then death is certainly also there; if death is there, then hell and the devil are certainly also there. This helps you to thank him more diligently and to go to the sacrament for the glory of his suffering. For what heart can ever sufficiently understand what a blessing and grace this is, that he is redeemed from death and the devil, from sin and all evil, and is justified, alive and saved without his own merit and doing, solely through the blood and death of the Son of God, who desires nothing in return but praise and thanksgiving, so that it may be recognized and believed, and not so shamefully despised or left standing?
(55) This, then, is the first benefit and fruit that comes to you from the use of the sacrament, that you may be reminded of such benefits and graces, and that your faith and love may be stirred up, renewed, and strengthened, so that you may not come to forget or despise your dear Savior and his bitter suffering and your great, manifold, eternal distress and death, from which he has helped you. Dear one, do not let such benefits be small. Yes, if there were no other benefit in the use of the sacrament, but this remembrance of such good deeds of Christ and of your need, so that you may be stirred to faith and love toward your Savior: Nevertheless, it would be of great enough benefit and fruit, since such faith is of great need to us, so that we may remain with Christ, with whom there is no abiding without such faith; and unbelief, on the other hand, is a dangerous, daily, unceasing devil, who wants to tear us away from our dear Savior and his suffering, both by force and trickery. It is toil and trouble, where one daily drives, stimulates and practices such faith, so that we do not forget Christ's good deeds and suffering, what will it be then, if one withdraws from it.
2198 D- 23,194-196 VI. main st. - B. On the Sacrament of the Altar esp. W. X, 2702-2704. 2199
seldom drives and despises or omits his memory and sacrament?
The other benefit is that where such faith is always refreshed and renewed, the heart is also always refreshed anew to love one's neighbor and to be strong and equipped for all good works, to resist sins and all temptations of the devil; since faith cannot be idle, it must practice fruits of love with doing good and avoiding evil. The Holy Spirit is there, who does not make us celebrate, but makes us willing and inclined to all good, and earnest and diligent against all evil; so that a Christian, through such a right use of the sacrament, is renewed and increased in Christ more and more every day; just as Paul also teaches us that we should be renewed and increased all the time. Again, if one abstains from the sacrament and does not need it, the harm must follow and cannot fail, that his faith daily becomes more and more weak and cold, from which it must further follow that he becomes lazy and cold in love toward his neighbor, lax and unwilling to do good works, He becomes unskilled and unwilling to resist evil, and thus gains less and less desire for the sacrament, until he becomes completely weary of thinking of his dear Savior, and thus despises and corrupts in himself from day to day, and becomes inclined and fond of all evil. For the devil is there, neither does he celebrate until he falls into sin and disgrace.
(57) I will, as an example to all who want to be warned, report my own experience here, so that one may learn what a cunning trick the devil is: It has happened to me several times that I have planned to go to the sacrament on this or that day. When the same day came, such devotion was gone, or some other obstacle came, or I thought myself clumsy, so that I said, "Well, I will do it for eight days! The eighth day found me again as clumsy and hindered as that one. Well, again I will do it for eight days! Such eight days became so much for me that I would have gotten away with it completely and would never have gone to the sacrament. But when God gave me the
When I realized the devil's deception, I said, "Satan, if you want, you will have a good year with your and my skill. And I tore through and went, even though I had not confessed several times, which I usually do not do, in defiance of the devil, especially because I was not aware of any gross sin.
58 And so I have found out for myself: If one has no desire nor devotion to the sacrament and yet dares to go there with earnestness, then such thoughts and the work in himself will also give him devotion and desire enough, and will also drive away such lazy, unfunny thoughts that hinder one and make him clumsy. For it is a graciously powerful sacrament; if one thinks of it only a little with earnestness and sends oneself to it, it ignites, stimulates and draws a heart to itself. Just try it, and if you do not find it so, punish me for lying; what does it matter, you will also find how the devil has so masterfully deceived you and so cunningly kept you from the sacrament, so that in time he would like to bring you completely from the faith and into forgetting your dear Savior and all your troubles.
(59) And if you had no other reason nor need to go to the sacrament, dear one, would it not be evil and needful enough that you find yourself cold and reluctant to go to the sacrament? what is this but that you find yourself cold and reluctant to believe, to give thanks and to think of your dear Savior and of all the benefits he has shown you through his bitter suffering, so that he may deliver you from sin, death and the devil, and make you righteous, alive and blessed? But with what will you warm yourself against such frost and unwillingness? With what will you awaken your faith? With what will you provoke yourself to thanksgiving? Will you wait until it comes to you, or until the devil gives you room for it, or until his mother holds you back? nothing will ever come of it. Here, in the sacrament, you must rub yourself and hold on; there is a fire that can set hearts on fire; there you must think about your need and thirst and hear and believe in the good deed of your Savior, and your heart will change and you will have other thoughts.
2200 D- 23, r96-i9s. Admonition to the Sacrament of the Body and Blood etc. W. x, 2704-2707. 2201
Therefore, God was right and well pleased to let us remain in such a state, where we must fight and struggle with sin, death, the devil, the world, the flesh, and all kinds of temptation, so that we may be compelled and forced to seek and desire His grace, help, Word, and Sacrament; otherwise, if this were not the case, no man would ask a hair's breadth for either His Word or His Sacrament, nor seek grace or help. But now that such hunting dogs, yes, devils, are behind us and are hunting us out, we must become lively, and like a hunted deer to fresh water, so we too must cry out to God, as the 42nd Psalm, v. 2, says, so that our faith may be well exercised, experienced and strong, and so we may remain and become firm in Christ.
61 But if thou sayest that thou feelest no sin, death, the world, the devil, etc. and hast no fight nor controversy with them, therefore do not necessity compel thee to the sacrament. Answer: I do not hope that you are serious, that you should be alone among all the saints and men on earth without such feelings; and if I knew that you were serious, then I would truly order that all the bells should be rung in all the streets where you walked, and that you should be proclaimed before them: Here, therefore, goes a new saint above all saints, who feels no sin nor has any. But I will say to thee bluntly, If thou feelest no sin, thou art certainly dead in sins, and sin reigneth over thee with power. And that I am silent about the grosser outward sins, as the air of fornication, adultery, anger, hatred, envy, revenge, pride, avarice, pleasure, etc., this is already too much and great sin, that you have no need nor desire for the sacrament; for by this it is evident that you also have no faith, do not respect the word of God, have forgotten Christ's suffering, and are full of ingratitude and all spiritual abominations.
62 Therefore my advice is, if you find yourself so insensitive that you do not feel sin, death, etc. then take hold of your mouth, noses, ears, hands, and feel whether it is flesh or stone. If it is flesh, believe the scripture; if thou canst not believe thy own feeling. But the Scripture says that the flesh contends against the spirit; item.
Rom. 7, v. 1, 8: "There is nothing good in the flesh," and the like. According to the same sayings, "Truly I feel that I have flesh in my body, so there will certainly be nothing good in it; therefore, as long as I have flesh, I certainly need to go to the sacrament, to strengthen my faith and spirit against the flesh, which is contrary to my spirit. Scripture does not lie to you, but your feeling and not feeling deceives you. For although sin is forgiven through Christ and thus overcome, so that it cannot condemn us, nor can it accuse us of knowledge, it still remains in so far as it can challenge us and thus exercise our faith.
63 Therefore, if thou feelest not the world, look around thee where thou art, whether thou dwellest not among men, where thou seest, hearest, and knowest murder, adultery, robbery, error, heresy, persecution, and all manner of wickedness. When thou seest these things, believe the scripture that saith, Let him that standeth see that he fall not: for into such things thou mayest fall every hour, not only in heart, but also in deed. For thou mayest well attack thine enemy, and hurt him, or hinder him from doing good etc. Therefore thou must say, Verily I see that I am in the world, in the midst of all manner of sins and vices, wherein I may well fall; therefore, as long as I am in the world, I have need that I go to the sacrament, that I may cleave unto my Savior, and strengthen my faith, that I may resist such an evil world, and be preserved from sins and vices. For although Christ has overcome the world so that it cannot force us to sin, it still remains in such a way that it can challenge, afflict and persecute us, and thus exercise our faith.
(64) Likewise, if you do not feel death, go to the charnel house and to the graves in the churchyard, or believe the Scripture that says: "It is appointed for all men to die once," Job 14:5, and you will find that you are not yet in heaven in the flesh, but that death is still before you and your grave is also waiting for you among others, and you are not sure of it for a moment. If you
2202 T. 23,199-201. VI. main st. - B. On the Sacrament of the Altar esp. W. X. 2707-271". 2203
When you see this, remember: Truly, I have not yet passed over, I still have to fight with death. As long as I am still alive, I need to go to the sacrament, so that I may strengthen my faith, so that death, if it overtakes me, will not frighten me and make me despondent, for it is a cruel enemy, unbearable to the unbeliever, yes, even frightening to the weak in faith. And though Christ has overcome him, so that he cannot devour us nor keep us, yet he has remained insofar as he can terrify us and make us despondent, and so exercise our faith.
So, if you do not feel the devil, how he can drive you to disbelief, despair, blasphemy and hatred, believe the Scriptures, which testify how he plagued David, Job, St. Paul and others with such things, and how he can still plague you. Therefore say, "Truly the devil is still a prince in the world, and I have not yet escaped from him, but as long as I am in his dominion, I am not safe from him; therefore I must go to the sacrament and hold on to my dear Helper and Savior, so that my heart and faith may be strengthened daily, lest the devil also spear me with his stake or strangle me with his fiery, lost arrows. For although Christ overcame the devil for us, he still remains a lord of the world in that he can afflict us with the high spiritual temptations and thus exercise our faith.
I have had to say this crudely and foolishly for the sake of the crude, lazy Christians who do not know how to think much about things. And so, all of a sudden, they let themselves become secure, as if they had no need of God or His word, and go about as if there were neither danger nor need with them; and so they lose faith and become incapable of good works. But God has left us such enemies, so that we would have to fight and not become lazy and secure, as it is written, Judges. 2:23, that He also left His people Israel some kings and princes around, so that they might learn war and remain in the habit of war. For the word of God is omnipotent, so is faith.
The spirit and the mind are busy and restless, and must always be busy and in the field. Thus, the Word of God must not be small, but have the most powerful enemies, against whom it can take honor according to its great power, as these four companions are: Flesh, world, death, devil; therefore Christ is called the Lord of hosts, that is, a God of armies or hosts, who always wars and is on the battlefield in us.
67 For this reason we are in great need of a gracious God who can help us. And not only that, but we must also be sure and certain that he will be merciful and help us without a doubt. But how can we be sure and certain of this if he does not give us an undoubted sign of his mercy and love towards us? Who else could know that he is thinking of us? This is what he has done here with the sacrament and has given us a sure sign of his love and grace. For the sacrament is not a sign of his wrath, and he would never give it to us if he were angry with us; but it is a sign of his supreme love and mercy; and how can he show greater love and deeper mercy than by truly giving us his own body and blood as food? Which is not only a gracious token, but also meat, that we may refresh and strengthen ourselves, all that fight with him in his host. And is actually the pay and provisions, so that he may pay and feed his army and warband until they finally prevail and keep the field with him. Oh, there is good coin, delicious red gold and pure white silver, lovely bread and good sweet wine, and all of it in abundance and plenty, so that it is very pleasant to be in this army.
68 But if you say, "Yes, St. Paul makes it especially terrible, 1 Cor. 11, v. 27, when he says, "Whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup unworthily eats and drinks judgment, and is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord," he makes us stupid and timid about the sacrament, for who is it that could consider himself worthy? Answer: Well, my dear, do you also see against whom St. Paul speaks, namely against those who are called the
2204 A- 23,201-203. exhortation to the sacrament of the body and blood etc. W. x, 2710-2712. 2205
The first time the saints fell in, and made the sacrament a bodily vessel, and used it no other way than as a daily bread and wine, despising it one among another, and keeping every man his own supper. But we speak of those who believe that it is not a sacramental meal, but the true body and blood of Christ, and who know that Christ instituted it for his remembrance and our consolation, and would gladly be Christians, praising, thanking, and honoring their Lord, and would gladly have his grace and love, and are afraid of their person and unworthiness, and so remain hindered and deterred by such false fear.
(69) Beloved, thou must not look to thyself, how worthy or unworthy thou art, but to thy need, how thou hast need of the grace of Christ. If you see and feel the need, you are worthy and skillful enough, for he has not appointed it for our poison and disgrace, but for our comfort and salvation. But above all you must consider that your Lord Christ, however unworthy you are, is all worthy, whom you should praise, honor and thank, and help to administer his order and foundation, as said above, as you owe him and vowed in baptism. So that your heart may think, "If I am unworthy to receive the sacrament, my Lord Christ is all the more worthy, so that I may give thanks and praise to him and honor his foundation, as I owe and vowed in my baptism; and again, if I am unworthy, I am needy. He who begs need not be ashamed; shame is a useless servant in a poor beggar's house. Thus Christ himself praises an impudent lecher, Luc. 11, 5. ff.
(70) Behold, then, you have two good ways and causes for receiving the sacrament: the first, that you give thanks and praise to Christ with it; the other, that you also obtain grace and comfort for yourself. These two ways cannot be evil or abusive, but must be right and pleasing to God. For we cannot act more against God than in two ways, namely, with thanksgiving and supplication. With thanksgiving we honor Him for the goods and graces that we have already received; with prayer we honor Him for the
Goods and graces, which we would like to have from now on. For whoever goes to the sacrament with such an opinion, what else does he do but speak with deed: Lord, I thank you for all your grace given to me, and I ask you to help my need even more. This is sacrificium laudis et sacrificium orationis (a sacrifice of praise and a supplication). You cannot do more to God, nor honor Him more.
(71) See, then, what a fine sacrament this is, when at the same time you give thanks for the previous grace and ask for the future graces. But who can give thanks and ask enough? Therefore, there is no reason here to become lazy, but rather a fervent, intense stimulation that one should gladly receive the sacrament with pleasure and joy. Oh, if the dear prophets and ancient fathers had seen and heard such a sacrament alone, how would they have been so joyful and eager for it; how would they have marveled at us that we were such blessed people toward them; but how it would have hurt them again if they had seen that we despised it so shamefully. But they should have been even more grieved if they had seen the cursed, horrible fair that the papists and sophists have made of it with angle fairs and the like.
Therefore see to it that you do not use the sacraments in any other way than these two ways, namely, in thanksgiving and prayer, Opinione laudis et precis. And beware of the abominations of the papists, who make a sacrifice of it, so that they do not give thanks for the previous grace, but want to acquire and earn the future grace as a work, not for themselves, but also for others, to whom they sell such sacrificial masses, as we have just heard. But you should thank God in the sacrament and praise Him for the previous grace, especially that shown to you in Christ, and desire and ask for future grace for your need, so that you will not be able to make a fair or merit out of it, which you would like to give or sell to others. Each one must thank God for himself and pray with all others.
73. this much I will indicate this time to the preachers who do not know any better, and next to it
They have asked that they might help to drive this into the people, and to spread it out. For even though some stubborn, unrepentant, crude people will not respect it, it will bear fruit in many; as the saying goes, "A good word finds a good place. And God Himself says, Isa. 55, 11: "My word shall not return void, but shall accomplish that which I send it. But where some of the same despisers are found, who do not turn to such admonition, and do not use the sacrament in a healthy and living body, they are to be left lying and not given the sacrament even at their death and last end. If they have lived like dogs and swine, let them also die like dogs and swine, unless they show strong signs of a repentant, believing heart; for we must not give the holy things to the dogs, nor cast the pearl before the swine, says Christ, Matth. 7, 6. And God Himself will also throw in with such despisers, so that they will not be worthy of Christ's supper, nor enjoy it. I will tell an example of this here, which recently happened in the city of Torgau, where both pastor and chaplain can still be witnesses.
74. There was also such a man, whose name I will not mention, who did not go to the sacrament in six or seven years under the cover of shame of Christian freedom, and postponed and saved it until his illness and in it still postponed it until the hour came; When he now began to feel the end of his life, he called for the chaplain and asked for the sacrament; when the chaplain brought it and now put it in his mouth, the soul went out and left the sacrament on the tongue in the open mouth, so that the chaplain had to take it again; but when it was disgusting that he should take it, and asked me where he should put it: I ordered him to burn it with fire. Dear one, let this be an example and sign to you that you do not live so crudely, even though you are not forced to take the sacrament now. If you can despise God in his sacrament, he can despise you again in your troubles, as he says, Proverbs 1:25, 26:
"You have all despised my good counsel, so I will mock you again in your destruction" etc. And it is also right that he who wants to be a Christian and bears such a name with shame should not use the sacrament if he can, so he should not use it even if he would like to.
75. Not that I want to coerce or force anyone to take the sacrament, nor set a commandment or time, as the pope has done, for God does not like to have a forced servant, much less does he want to give something to someone without his thanks; But I would like to admonish everyone to force himself, and out of his own devotion to compel himself to fetch such a noble and dear treasure of souls, and also to indicate how justly God is displeased that one so shamefully despises His offered grace and goodness; if it would help that people learn to seek and receive God's grace without coercion and law; for such great contempt and ingratitude deserve greater punishment than that which is that one must finally do without the Sacrament, as much greater will certainly follow.
Consider for yourself what a clumsy, desperate contempt and ingratitude this is. Before, under the papacy, when we were forced and urged to the sacrament, we ran to it with heaps, had to give money enough for it and buy everything at a high price; and yet they did not give us more than half the sacrament in the same form. And, what was even worse, we did not have to get it for our benefit, nor for God's honor, but simply so that we would be obedient to the pope as with a joyful service; for he does not ask much about our benefit, or what honor God would have from it, neither did his own preach and teach it; but he seeks only how great obedience he would have with us; yes, with our harm we had to get it, both in body and soul. For there was nothing taught of faith, but it had to be a work, that one might do well against God, under which the right use, benefit and fruit of the sacrament was hidden and robbed from us.
77 But now, if you do not do it alone for nothing
but also teaches the right custom, and in sum, can use it for our benefit and God's glory, we are so disgusting and shameful about it, as if we were not human beings, I will say Christians, but as if we were sticks and stones, which do not need it, and do not concern us at all. Why should it be a wonder that God also torments and punishes us again? Yes, because we want to be called Christians, and because we are so contemptuous and blasphemous against our Savior, it would be no wonder that God plagues us without ceasing with precious time, pestilence, war and all misfortune. For what can it be that we are so graciously redeemed from such a horrible prison of souls and from the priest's snares, and that such rich grace is offered to us, but we not only do not give thanks for such redemption, but also, as it were, scoff at the grace offered as an unnecessary, useless thing.
78. Therefore I say of God's will: If thou wilt not eat and drink of my supper, which I have prepared for thee so heartily, I will also send thee again a grievous time, that thou shalt find neither evening nor morning meal. If you are so full that you do not like my food, I will make you hungry enough that you will not have your food either; if you do not want the bread of life that I so abundantly offer you, have pestilence, fever and all kinds of sickness, and always die to the devil; if you do not want my food, I will make you hungry enough that you will not have your food either.
If you do not receive the sacrament of love, grace and peace that I give you in it, you will have war, discord, strife and all unrest. For what else shall God do to us? How can he suffer that his grace is always despised for and for, the longer the more, and the ingratitude becomes greater and greater, and yet he acquired it so dearly and had his own Son crucified for it. He must strike and let all plagues come upon us, as it has already begun and is going on. We force and urge him to anger, so that he must revoke his mercy and show disgrace. He can do nothing else in the face of our unceasing contempt and ingratitude.
79 Well, I will have done my part and faithfully asked the preachers to help me diligently in this, so that we do not provoke the wrath of God against us. Without a doubt, some pious hearts will accept this and mend their ways; for others I will be excused, their blood is on their heads, they have been told enough. May the same God of all grace and mercy grant us His Holy Spirit, who awakens and admonishes us to earnestly seek His glory and to give thanks with all devotion of heart for all His innumerable, unspeakable goods and gifts, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior; to whom be praise and thanksgiving, honor and glory forever and ever, amen, amen.
Several interpretations of this can be found in:
III. part, short interpretation of the ten commandments, § 29 ff, short avoidance of the worthy use of the holy communion. Communion.
XII. Part XV: Sermon on the Worthy Preparation for the Reverend Sacrament.
XII. Theil, XVI. Sermon von der würdigen Empfahung des heil, wahren Leichnams Christi.
XIII b- Theil, Pred. am Ostermittwoch, § 31 ff, von dem würdigen Genuß des heiligen Abendmahls.
2210 W, 167-163. VI. main st. - B. On the Sacrament of the Altar esp. W. X, 2718-2720. 2211
3. of the two forms of the sacrament.
Instruction and proof that the evangelical doctrine is to be confessed with mouth and deed and that the reception of the sacrament under both forms is not to be omitted out of fear of man.
To Count Albrecht zu Mansfeld. June 3, 1523.
To the noble and well-born Lord, Lord Albrecht, Count of Mansfeld and Lord of Schrappe! etc., my gracious Lord, grace and peace in Christ JEsu, our Lord and Savior.
Noble, well-born, gracious sir. Your Grace at Torgau has asked me for a writing in which it would be proven from the Holy Scriptures and good reason how our Christian doctrine is not only right, but also to be publicly confessed with the mouth and proven by deed; because your Grace has a good friend who is also inclined to the Gospel and preaches it loudly and purely. has a good friend who, well inclined to the Gospel, also lets it be preached loudly and purely, but still wants to refrain from administering the Sacrament in both forms and from having the Mass celebrated as instituted by Christ, until it becomes otherwise, because the authorities do not want to suffer this, and think that if the divine word is preached loudly, he can answer for it with a clear conscience.
2 In the first place, because the same friend of the gospel otherwise reports in part, the first part is to be dealt with recently, namely, that all men are sinners before God and may not earn grace before God with their good works, but acquire grace through Jesus Christ alone, without all merit. These sayings powerfully testify to this, Rom. 3, 23. 25.: "Here is no difference, they are all sinners and lack the glory they should have in God, but are made righteous without merit, by His grace, through the redemption that came by Christ, whom God presented as a mercy seat through faith in His blood." And Rom. 11, 6: "If it is by grace, it is not through the merit of works, otherwise grace would not be grace.
be." And Gal. 2, 21. "If by the works of the law righteousness comes, Christ died in vain." And Joh. 1, 16.: "We all take of his fullness grace for grace." And Apost. 15, 10. 11.: "Why do you tempt God by putting a yoke on the necks of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have endured? but we believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we will be saved in the same way as they were" etc. These and similar sayings do not suffer that our good works should help us, or, if they should help, then Christ is denied with it and died in vain, as St. Paul says, and God denied, as Peter says, 2 Ep. 2, 1.
(3) For the teaching and practice of this doctrine among Christians, he appointed that they should come together and keep two ceremonies, that is, baptism and the sacrament of his body and blood; as is evident enough in the gospels and epistles of St. Paul. Paul, in which not only such doctrine, faith and grace are received and daily increased, but also so that it may be publicly confessed before the world, as by deed, who is a Christian or not, and whether he also freely confesses such doctrine without fear, in honor of God and as a comforting example to his neighbor, as he himself says, "Do this in remembrance of me," 1 Cor. 11:24, 25. 11, 24. 25. Which is nothing else than publicly remembering, confessing, praising and thanking Him; as St. Paul interprets and says: "Do these things to proclaim the death of the Lord", 1 Cor. 11, 26.
These are all the things we are to do for God, namely, to preach and believe His Word and to receive the sacraments as a sign and confession. From this
The cross then follows upon those who so profess such doctrine. For the world and its prince, the devil, cannot stand it. "Patience belongs to the cross, and out of patience grows hope and the sure expectation of eternal life", Rom. 5, 3-5. Good works should now be done towards one's neighbor, be he friend or enemy, according to love, as the commandment says: "Love your neighbor as yourself", Matth. 22, 39. In this, one serves God for His good pleasure; not for reward or grace, for faith already receives this from God for free, but only for love and will, as a child serves its father or a good friend serves another.
From this it follows that all orders of the pope and the clergy are condemned, and that no monastic status or vows are valid before God. The reason is that they want to earn God's grace with it and do it not out of lust and love, but only to please God. Therefore, they make Christ's death useless to themselves and strive against faith, which alone obtains God's grace without any works, as has been said. This is for the first.
The other thing, that one must confess these things by deed and word, as one believes, is testified by many powerful sayings: Matth. 10, 32: "Whoever confesses me before men, him will I also confess before my heavenly Father who is in heaven"; and Marc. 8, 38.Whoever is ashamed of me and my words among this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels"; and Luc. 12, 8. 9: "Whoever confesses me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God. But he that denieth me shall be denied before the angels of God." Item St. Paul, Rom. 10, 9. 10.: "To believe with the heart makes righteous; but to confess with the mouth makes blessed. For if thou shalt believe in thine heart that Christ is the Lord, and shalt confess with thy mouth that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved"; and 2 Tim. 2:12: "If we deny, he also denieth us." St. John, Cap. 12, 42, 43, chides the rulers that they gladly believed in Christ, but they did not want to believe in him.
did not confess Him because of the Pharisees: "For they loved the glory of men rather than the glory of God."
(7) We see clearly that one should not deny God's word for the sake of either favor or honor of any authority or friend; but, as the time and case demands, it is necessary to confess all things, or one must be eternally lost, as one who does not have right or sufficient faith in the words of God. Whoever then is informed of this and believes that both forms of the sacrament are instituted by Christ to be received, and believes it to be God's word and will, must truly confess with deed or mouth, as the above-mentioned sayings require. And it will not help that he refrains or denies it out of fear or for the sake of his authority. The same is to be said of all papal laws and monasticism, where they go against the faith. It must be said and known that they are of no use before God and that they are free and harmful wherever they are relied upon.
There were heretics called Priscillians, even in St. Augustine's time, who taught this: one should conceal and deny the truth publicly before tyrants and the ungodly, but still teach and believe secretly, pretending that tyrants and the ungodly were not worth hearing: one should not cast pearls before swine, nor give the sanctuary to the dogs, Matth. 7, 6. 7, 6. But in essence, they were seeking that they would not have to suffer persecution and the cross, and that they would not have to endure any danger to body or good. One can find the same kind of people who would become Christians if they would teach and believe secretly and keep quiet and deny publicly for the sake of the tyrants. But Christian life is not Priscillian, carrying the tree thus on both armpits; but simple, plain and right; as it believes in the heart, so it speaks with the mouth and lives with the body, as the 116th Psalm, v. 10, says: "I believe, therefore I also speak." Wherefore the Priscillians also are rejected, when they publicly acted contrary to the saying of Christ, "Whosoever shall deny me, him will I deny again."
9. also does not help that someone wanted to say:
I will gladly confess Christ and his word in all other things, without being silent about one or two, which my tyrants do not like, as the two forms of the sacrament, or the like. For he that denieth Christ in one piece or word hath denied the same Christ in the one piece that would be denied in all pieces; for there is but one Christ in all his words altogether and specially.
(10) The Jews do not believe that God is man; therefore it does not help that they believe that God is the Creator of heaven and earth. Yes, they say, I lose my goods; life and limb are in danger. Answer: There is already a comfort given by Christ, when he says, Marc. 10, 29. 30.: "Whoever for my sake and for the sake of the gospel trusts in the house, goods etc. in this time, will receive it a hundredfold in this time and there eternal life. If this comfort is not enough for you, you certainly do not believe enough. For here it will be tried whether one loves the goods that we have from God more than God Himself.
(11) Therefore this is the sum of it above all things, that every man take heed that he lay hold on the faith in his heart, and be strong, that he may be most sure of the doctrine. For doubt or weak faith will not much confess nor stand firm. For confession is a great thing, despising all things, and is sometimes heavy and sour to strong faith. But those who are weak and doubtful do not subject themselves much to the Christian nature and confession, so that they are not noticed in their words, attacked and then forced to deny them; as we, unfortunately, experience much of this every day. But we should call upon God in Christ to strengthen our faith and to make us confident and firm in confession, for it is not our work, thought or ability.
12 That much seems to me, my lord, to be enough for this time, so that the good friend is not overwhelmed. But if something more is needed, your Lord will find me willing and obedient. God's grace be with us, Amen. Wittenberg, June 3, Anno Domini 1523.