A Christian, salutary and necessary preface and faithful serious exhortation by D. Martin Luther to all Christians, but especially to all pastors and preachers, that they should daily practice and always practice the Catechism, which is a short summa and excerpt of the entire Holy Scripture etc.
1. That we so nearly practice the Catechism, and both desire and ask to practice it, we have no small cause: for we see that, unfortunately, many pastors and preachers are very tardy in this, and despise both their office and this doctrine: some out of great high art, but some out of sheer laziness and belly care, who do not take a different attitude to the matter, but as if they were pastors or preachers for the sake of their belly, and had to do nothing but use the goods, because they live; as they were accustomed to do under the papacy.
(2) And though they have all that they ought to teach and preach now so abundantly, clearly, and easily before them, in so many wholesome books, and, as they called them aforetime, the right sermons per se loquentes, Dormi secure, Paratos et Thesauros; yet are they not so pious and honest as to buy such books; or, if they have them at once, yet neither look at them, nor read them. Ah, these are especially disgraceful gluttons and belly servants, who should be cheaper sow herders or dog servants, than soul guardians and priests.
And that they would do so much, because they are now rid of the useless heavy chatter of the seven times*), in the same place morning, noon and evening about a leaf or two from the catechism, prayer booklet,
They read the New Testament or the Bible and prayed an Our Father for themselves and their parishioners, so that they might again give honor and thanks to the gospel, through which they are relieved of many burdens and burdens, and be a little ashamed that they, like swine and dogs, do not keep more of the gospel than such lazy, harmful, shameful, carnal liberty. For the rabble, alas, is already too little mindful of the gospel, and we can do nothing special, even if we use all our diligence; what shall we do, then, if we want to be lazy and slothful, as we were under the papacy?
(4) Above all this, there is the shameful vice and secret evil of security and weariness, that many think that the Catechism is a bad little doctrine, which they read over at once and then can immediately throw the book into a corner and are ashamed to read more in it. Yes, one can find quite a number of good-for-nothings and felons even among the nobility, who pretend that henceforth they need neither pastors nor preachers, that they have it in books and can well learn it from themselves, and they also confidently let the parishes decay and fall into ruin, and both pastors and preachers suffer misery and hunger; as is proper for the foolish Germans to do. For we Germans have such a shameful people, and must suffer it.
But I say this for myself. I am also a doctor and preacher, yes, so learned
I still act like a child who is taught the Catechism, and also read and speak from word to word in the morning, and when I have time, the Ten Commandments, faith, the Lord's Prayer, Psalms etc. And I still have to read and study daily, and yet I cannot persevere as I would like, and I have to remain a child and student of the Catechism, and I like to stay that way. And these tender, disgusting fellows want to be a doctor above all doctors with one over-reading, can do everything and need nothing more. Well, this is also a certain sign that they despise both their office and the souls of the people, yes, and also God and his word, and must not fall, but have already fallen all too horribly; they would probably need to become children and begin to learn the ABC, which they think they have long since torn on their shoes,
(6) For this reason, I beg such lazy guards or presumptuous saints to be persuaded for God's sake and to believe that they are truly, truly, not so learned and so high doctors as they let themselves think, and never think that they have learned this thing or know it well enough, even if they think that they can do it all too well. For even if they would and could know it to the best of their ability, which is not possible in this life, there is nevertheless much benefit and fruit behind it, if it is practiced daily with thought and speech, namely, that the Holy Spirit is present in such reading, speech and remembrance, and always gives new and more light and devotion to it, so that it always tastes better and better and comes to pass, as Christ also promises, Match. 18:20: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
(7) This helps greatly against the devil, the world, the flesh and all evil thoughts, if one deals with God's word, speaks and writes about it, so that the first Psalm, v. 2, also praises blessed those who act day and night according to God's law. Without doubt, you will not burn incense or other incense more strongly against the devil,
For if you deal with God's commandments and words, speak of them, sing of them or think of them. This, of course, is the right holy water and sign, from which he flees and so that he can be chased.
Now you should read, speak, think and act such things gladly just for the sake of it, if you have no other fruit and benefit from it than that you can chase away the devil and evil thoughts with it, because he cannot hear nor suffer God's word; and God's word is not like another loose talk, as by Dieterich of Bern etc., but, as St. Paul, Rom. 1, 16, says, a power of God; indeed, a power of God, which helps the devil with his burnt suffering, and strengthens, comforts and helps us out of measure.
9 And what shall I say much? Where I should tell all the benefits and fruit that God's word brings about, where would I take enough paper and time? The devil is called a thousandfold artist, but how can one call God's word that chases away and destroys such a thousandfold artist with all his art and power? Of course, there must be more than a hundred thousand artists, and we should so lightly despise such power, benefit, strength and fruit, especially those of us who want to be pastors and preachers? Not only should we not be given anything to eat, but we should also be put to the sword and given lungs, because we not only need all this daily, like daily bread, but we must also have it daily against the daily and restless temptation and lurking of the thousand-favored devil.
(10) And even if this were not enough to admonish us to read the Catechism daily, God's commandment alone should compel us sufficiently, who, Deut. 6:7, 8, 9, earnestly commands that one should always remember His commandment "sitting, walking, standing, lying down, standing up" and have it, as it were, as a constant mark and sign before one's eyes and in one's hands. No doubt he will not call and demand this so earnestly in vain, but because he knows our danger and distress, as well as the constant and furious storming and temptation of the devil, he will warn us against it, prepare us and keep us as with good "armor against their fiery darts", Eph. 6, 16. and
with a good remedy against their poisonous, evil foulness and ingestion. O what mad, senseless fools we are, that we should dwell or ever lodge among such mighty enemies as the devils are, and for this purpose despise our arms and weapons, and be lazy to look upon them or think of them.
(11) And what do such overweening presumptuous saints do, who do not want or like to read and learn the Catechism daily, but that they consider themselves much more learned than God Himself is, with all His holy angels, prophets, apostles and all Christians. For since God Himself is not ashamed to teach such things daily, as He knows nothing better to teach, and always teaches such the same thing and does nothing new nor different, and all the saints know nothing better nor different to learn and cannot unlearn: Are we not then the very finest of fellows, which we allow ourselves to think, when we have once read and heard it, that we can do it all, and may neither read nor learn any more, and can learn that in one hour, which God himself cannot teach; if he has taught it from the beginning of the world to the end, and all the prophets together with all the saints have had to learn it, and have still remained pupils, and must still remain.
For this must be: He who knows the Ten Commandments well and completely must know all Scripture, so that he can advise, help, comfort, judge, and pass sentence on both spiritual and temporal beings in all matters and cases, and may be a judge of all doctrine,
Estates, spirits, rights, and what may be in the world. And what is the whole Psalter but vain thoughts and exercises of the first commandment? Now I know for certain that such lazy bellies or presumptuous spirits do not understand one psalm, let alone the whole of the holy Scriptures, and want to know and despise the Catechism, which is a short excerpt and copy of the whole of the holy Scriptures.
For this reason I ask all Christians, especially the pastors and preachers, not to be too early doctors and to presume to know everything. There is much to be done in the matter of knowledge and tense cloth; but practice it daily and always do it, and in addition beware with all care and diligence of the poisonous flesh of such certainty or conceited masters, but persevere steadily both in reading, teaching, learning, thinking and writing, and do not let up until they have experienced and become certain that they have taught the devil to death and have become more learned than God Himself and all His saints are.
14. if they will do such diligence, I will promise them, and they shall also realize what fruit they will obtain, and how fine people God will make of them, that in time they themselves shall finely confess that the longer and more they practice the catechism, the less they know about it and the more they have to learn about it, and then they, as the hungry and thirsty, will taste rightly what they may not smell now because of great abundance and surfeit. Then grant God His grace, amen.