The first commandment.
You shall not have other gods. (Ex. 20:3. Deut. 5:7.)
(1) That is, you alone shall take me for your God. What is this said, and how is it understood? What does "having a God" mean, or what is "God"? Answer: A God is the one to whom one should turn for all good things and have refuge in all troubles, so that "to have a God" is nothing else than to trust and believe in him from the heart; as I have often said that only the trust and faith of the heart makes both God and idol. If faith and trust is right, then your GOt is also right; and again, where trust is wrong and unjust, there neither is the right GOt. For
the two belong to Haufe (together), faith and God. What you now, I say, hang your heart on and rely on, that is actually your God.
2 Therefore the opinion of this commandment is that it requires right faith and confidence of heart, which meet the right one God and hang on Him alone. And will have said so much: Behold, let me alone be thy God, and seek no other: that is, what thou lackest in good, turn to me, and seek it of me; and where thou sufferest calamity and distress, grovel and cleave unto me. I, I will give thee enough and help thee out of all distress; only let thy heart cleave to no other, nor rest on any other.
3. that I must strike out a little roughly, so that one understands it and notices it with mean
Examples of the contradiction. There is a man who thinks he has God and everything when he has money and goods, and he relies and boasts so stiffly and confidently on this that he gives nothing to anyone. Behold, this man also has a god called Mammon, Matth. 6, 24, that is, money and goods, on which he sets all his heart, which is also the most common idol on earth. He who has money and goods knows himself safe, is cheerful and undaunted, as if he were in the midst of paradise; and again, he who has none, doubts and fears, as if he knew of no God. For you will find very few of them who are of good cheer, who neither mourn nor complain if they do not have mammon; it sticks and clings to nature all the way into the pit. So also, who trusts and defies that he has great art, wisdom, power, favor, friendship and honor, he also has a God; but not this right one God. This you see again, how presumptuous, sure and proud one is of such goods, and how despondent when they are not available or are taken away. Therefore, I say again that the correct interpretation of this passage is that "to have a God" means to have something in which the heart trusts completely.
(4) Consider what we have hitherto done in blindness under the papacy: if a tooth hurt someone, he fasted and worshipped St. Apollonia; if he was afraid of fire, he made St. Lawrence his emergency helper; if he was afraid of pestilence, he vowed himself to St. Sebastian or St. Roch, and countless other abominations, since every saint vowed himself to St. Sebastian or St. Roch. If he was afraid of pestilence, he vowed to St. Sebastian or Rochus, and of the abomination countless more, since each chose his saint, worshipped and called to help in times of need. Among them are also those who do it too roughly and make a covenant with the devil so that he will give them enough money or help them to become a bogeyman, protect their livestock, restore lost property, etc., as the sorcerers and black artists. For all of them put their hearts and trust elsewhere than in the true God, do not look to Him for good, nor do they seek it from Him.
5 So now you easily understand what and how much this commandment demands, namely the whole heart of man and all trust in God alone and no one else. For God
You can take it for granted that it cannot be grasped and held with the fingers, nor can it be put into a bag or closed in a box. But it is called grasped when the heart grasps it and clings to it. But to cling to him with the heart is nothing else than to rely on him completely. That is why he wants to turn us away from everything else that is apart from him and draw us to himself, because he is the only eternal good. As if he were to say, "Whatever you have previously sought from the saints or trusted in mammon and other things, turn all of it over to me and consider me to be the one who will help you and abundantly shower you with all good things.
(6) Behold, the true glory and worship that pleases God, which he also commanded in eternal wrath, that the heart should know no other consolation nor confidence but in him; neither be thwarted thereby, but rather dare and set at nought all that is on earth. On the other hand, you will easily see and judge how the world practices false worship and idolatry. For there has never been a nation so wicked as this, that has not set up and kept a divine service; for every man hath offered up to a strange god, whereunto he hath provided himself good, help, and comfort. For example, the pagans, who set their date on power and domination, raised their Jupiter to the highest god; the others, who sought wealth, happiness, or lust and good days, Hercules, Mercurius, Venus, or others; the pregnant women Diana or Lucina; and immediately everyone made him a god, for which his heart carried him. So that actually, also according to all heathen opinion, "to have a God" means to trust and believe. But their trust is false and unjust, for it is not placed in the only God, apart from whom there is truly no God in heaven or on earth, Isa. 44:6. Therefore the pagans actually make their own imaginary conceit and dream of God into an idol and rely on vain nothingness. Thus all idolatry is done, for it does not only consist in erecting and worshipping an image, but primarily in the heart, which looks elsewhere for help and comfort.
If a person seeks help from creatures, saints or devils, and does not accept God, nor sends so much good to him that he wants to help, he does not believe that anything good happens to him from God.
7. there is also a false worship and the highest idolatry, which we have practiced until now and still rule in the world, on which also all spiritual states are based, which concerns only the conscience, which seeks help, comfort and bliss in its own works; misses to force heaven from God, and calculates how much it has sacrificed, fasted. Mass has kept etc. It relies and insists on it as if it did not want to take anything from him as a gift, but wanted to acquire it itself or earn it superfluously, just as if he had to be at our service and be our debtor, but we had to be his feudal lords. What is this different from making an idol, even an apple god, out of God and taking himself for God and raising himself up? But this is a little too sharp, does not belong for the young disciples.
8. But let this be said to the simple, that they may well know and keep the meaning of this commandment, that one should trust in God alone and look to him for all good things and wait for them from him, as he who gives us body, life, food, drink, nourishment, health, protection, peace and all necessities of temporal and eternal goods, in addition to keeping us from misfortune and, if something happens to us, saving us and helping us out; so that God, as has been said enough, is the only one from whom all good things are received and all misfortunes are removed. Therefore, I think, we Germans call God by this name from time immemorial, more refined and more noble than any other language, after the word good, as He is an eternal fountain of water, who pours over Himself with goodness, and from whom everything that is good and is called good flows out.
(9) For though many other good things come to us from men, yet all things are said to be received from God, which are received by His command and ordinance. For our parents and all authorities, as well as every man toward his neighbor, are commanded to do us all kinds of good, so that we do not receive it from them, but through them from God. For the creatures are only the instruments and means by which we receive it.
God gives all things, as He gives breasts to the mother and milk to the child; grain and all kinds of plants from the earth for food; of which goods no creature can make any by itself. For this reason, no human being is to take or give anything, unless it is commanded by God to recognize His gifts and give thanks to Him, as this commandment requires. Therefore, neither are such means of receiving good through creatures to be rejected, nor to seek through presumption other ways and means than God has commanded. For that would not be to receive from God, but to seek from oneself.
(10) Therefore let every man take heed to himself, that he esteem this commandment above all things great and high, and not make a jest of it. Question and search your own heart, and you will find out whether it is attached to God alone or not. If you have such a heart, which can provide itself with only good things, especially in hardship and lack, and let go of everything that is not God, then you have the one true God. Again, if it hangs on to something else, if it trusts in more good and help than in God, and does not run to him, but flees from him when things go badly for him, then you have another god.
011 Therefore, that it may be seen that God will not be turned aside, but will keep it earnestly, he hath put in this commandment, first of all, a dreadful omen, and after that a goodly, comforting promise, which it is well to make, and to preach unto the young people, that they may understand it, and keep it: "For I am the Lord thy God, a strong zealot, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation, which have hated me. And do mercy unto many thousands that love me, and keep my commandments." Exodus 20:5, 6, Deut. 5:9, 10.
(12) Although these words apply to all the commandments, as we shall hear hereafter, they are set apart for this main commandment, because it is most important for a man to have a right head, for where the head is right, the whole body must also be right.
Life will go right. And again, learn from these words how angry God is with those who rely on something besides Him; again, how kind and gracious He is to those who trust and believe in Him alone with all their heart; so that the anger does not diminish to the fourth generation or generation, but the goodness or kindness extends over many thousands. So that one does not go so surely and strike himself in the entrenchment, as the rough hearts think, there is not great power in it. He is such a God, who does not leave it unsmelled that one turns away from him, and does not cease to be angry until the fourth generation, until they are thoroughly exterminated. Therefore he will be feared and not despised.
(13) He has also proved this in all histories and stories, as the Scriptures abundantly show us and daily experience can well teach us; for he has completely eradicated all idolatry from the beginning, and for its sake both Gentiles and Jews; just as he also overthrows all false worship in the present day, so that all who remain in it must finally perish. Therefore, even if one now finds proud, mighty and rich walls that defy their mammon, regardless of God's anger or laughter, as those who dare to endure His wrath, they will not carry it out, but before one knows it, they will fail with everything they trusted in; just as all others have perished who knew themselves to be safer and more powerful.
(14) And for the sake of such hard heads as these, who think that because he stands firm and lets them sit, he knows nothing about it or does not take it on himself, he must strike and punish so that he cannot forget it until their children's children, so that everyone may be offended by it and see that he is not joking. These are also the ones he means when he says, "those who hate me," that is, those who persist in their defiance and pride; they do not want to hear what is preached or said to them; if they are punished so that they recognize themselves and mend their ways before the punishment begins, they become mad and foolish, so that they honestly deserve the wrath; as we also now experience daily with bishops and princes.
(15) How terrible these words of doom are, there is so much more powerful comfort in the promise that those who keep God alone may be sure that he will show mercy to them, which is vain good and proves good not only for them, but also for their children to the thousandth and thousandth generation. This should move us and drive us to venture our hearts on God with all confidence, if we desire to have all good things temporally and eternally, because the high Majesty offers Himself so highly, appeals so warmly and promises so abundantly.
(16) Therefore let every man take it to heart, that it be not regarded as if it were spoken by man. For it is either eternal blessing, happiness and blessedness, or eternal wrath, misfortune and heartache. What more do you want or desire* than that he so kindly promises you that he will be yours with all good, protect you and help you in all troubles? Unfortunately, however, the world does not believe any of these, nor does it take them for God's word, because it sees that those who trust in God and not in mammon suffer sorrow and distress, and the devil opposes and resists them, so that they keep no money, favor or honor, and hardly even life; on the other hand, those who serve mammon have power, favor, honor and goods, and all the goods of the world. Therefore, such words must be taken against such appearances and know that they do not lie or deceive, but must become true.
(17) Think back thou thyself, or inquire of him, and tell me, they that have laid all their care and diligence to gather together great goods and money, what have they accomplished at last? thou shalt find that they have lost toil and labor; or though they have gathered together great treasures, yet they have perished and flown away. So that they themselves never became happy with their property, and afterwards it did not reach the third heirs. You will find enough examples in all histories, even from old experienced people; just look at them and pay attention to them. Saul was a great king, chosen of God, and a pious man; but
When he was seated and let his heart sink, clinging to his crown and power, he had to perish with all that he had, so that none of his children would remain, 1 Sam. 10, 1. Cap. 15, 17. 19. 26. Cap. 16, 14. Again, David was a poor, despised man, driven out and chased, so that he was nowhere secure in his life, yet (and yet) he had to remain before Saul and become king, 1 Sam. 16, 13. 16, 13. For these words had to remain and become true, because God cannot lie nor deceive, 1 Sam. 15,29. Only do not let the devil and the world deceive you with their appearances, which last for a while, but are finally nothing.
18. Therefore, the first commandment is for us to learn, that we may see how God will not suffer presumption nor trust in any other thing, and requires nothing more of us than a hearty confidence in all that is good, so that we may walk rightly and straightly before us and have all the goods that God gives, need no more than a cobbler needs his needle, awl and wire for his work and then puts them away, or a lodger needs food and shelter only for his temporal needs, each in his place according to God's order, and let none be his lord or god. That is enough of the first commandment, which we must strike out in words, because most of the power lies in it; so that, as said before, where the heart is well with God and this commandment is kept, the others all follow.
The second commandment.
You shall not take God's name in vain. (Ex. 20, 7. Deut. 5, 12.)
(19) Just as the first commandment instructed the heart and taught faith, so this commandment leads us out and sets the mouth and tongue against God. For the first thing that breaks out of the heart and is shown is the words. As I have taught you above to answer what it means to have a God, so you must also learn to understand this commandment and all the commandments, and you must say them from yourself. If one now asks:
How do you understand the other commandment, or what does it mean to take or misuse God's name in vain? Answer in brief thus: It means to misuse God's name when one calls God the Lord, in whatever way it may be done, to lie or to do all kinds of evil. For this reason, it is imperative that one does not take God's name in vain or use it in his mouth, since the heart knows otherwise, or should know otherwise, than among those who swear in court and one part lies to the other. For one cannot take God's name in vain more than to lie and deceive with it. Let the German and easiest understanding of this commandment remain.
20 From this, everyone can calculate for himself when and how God's name is misused in many ways, although it is not possible to tell all misuses. However, to recapitulate, all abuses of God's name occur first of all in worldly dealings and matters concerning money, property, honor, whether in public in court, in the marketplace, or otherwise, when people swear and take false oaths in God's name, or take the matter upon their souls. And this is especially common in matrimonial cases, where two people go and secretly betroth each other and then swear off. Most of the abuse, however, is in spiritual matters that affect the conscience, when false preachers stand up and offer their lies for God's word.
(21) Behold, this is called adorning oneself under God's name, or wanting to be beautiful and right in coarse worldly affairs or high subtle matters of faith and doctrine. And among the liars also belong the blasphemers; not only the very coarse ones, well known to everyone, who unashamedly desecrate God's name, who do not belong in our school, but in the school of the executioner, but also those who publicly blaspheme the truth and God's word and give it to the devil; of which there is no need to say more now.
(22) Now let us learn and take to heart how great is the importance of this commandment, that we beware and shun with all diligence all abuses of the holy name, as the highest sin that can be committed outwardly. For to lie and to deceive is to
This is a great sin in itself, but it becomes much more serious when one wants to justify it, and puts it on God's name to confirm it and makes it a cover of shame; so that one lie becomes a twofold, even manifold lie.
For this reason God added a serious word of caution to this commandment, which means: "For the Lord will not hold him innocent who takes His name in vain," Exodus 20:7, Deut. 5:11, that is, no one should be given a gift or go unpunished. For as little as he will let one's heart be turned away from him, so little will he suffer his name to be taken in vain. Now it is, unfortunately, a general plague in all the world that there are so few who do not use God's name for lies and all wickedness, so few as you are who trust in God alone from the heart.
(24) For this beautiful virtue is in all of us by nature, that he who has done wickedness would gladly cover and adorn his shame so that no one would see or know it; and there is no one so bold as to boast of wickedness committed before anyone; they all want to have done it wickedly before it is known. If one of them is attacked, God must take the blame with his name and make the evil pious and the disgrace honorable. This is the general course of the world, like a great deluge torn in all lands. That is why we have to pay what we seek and deserve, pestilence, war, flood, fire, water, women, children, servants and all kinds of misfortune. Where else would so much misery come from? It is still a great grace that the earth carries and nurtures us.
(25) Therefore, first of all, the young people should be taught and accustomed to keep this and other commandments in mind and, if they transgress them, to follow them quickly with a rod and to remind them of the commandment and always to instill it in them, so that they may be raised up not only with punishment but also to fear and reverence God.
(26) Now you understand what it means to take God's name in vain, that is, to repeat in the shortest possible way, either to lie, and to say something under the name of
to give that which is not, or to curse, to swear, to conjure, and summa, how to wreak wickedness. In addition, you must also know how to use the name correctly. For besides the word, when he says: "You shall not use God's name in vain", he nevertheless gives to understand that one should use his name well. For it was revealed and given to us for this very reason, that it should be used and be of use. Therefore, since it is forbidden here to use the holy name for falsehood or vice, it follows that it is commanded again to be used for truth and all good; namely, if one swears rightly where it is necessary and required. So also when one teaches rightly; item, when one calls on the name in need, praises and gives thanks in good etc. All these things are summed up and commanded in the saying, Psalm 50:15: "Call upon me in the time of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." For all this is to draw him to the truth and to use him blessedly, and thus his name is sanctified, as the Lord's Prayer prays.
27 Thus you have explained the sum of the whole commandment. And from this understanding the question has been easily resolved, so that many teachers have worried why in the gospel it is forbidden to swear, Matth. 5, 33. 34. when Christ, Joh. 14, 12. Cap. 16, 20. 23., St. Paul, 2 Cor. 1, 23. and other saints have often sworn. And this is the opinion recently: One should not swear for evil, that is, for lies and where it is not necessary and useful; but for good and the betterment of the neighbor one should swear. For it is a good work to praise God, to confirm truth and right, to repel lies, to bring people to peace, to render obedience, and to tolerate strife; for God Himself comes to the rescue and separates right from wrong, evil from good. If one part swears falsely, it has its judgment that it will not escape punishment. And even if it lasts for a while, they will not succeed, so that everything they gain will be lost under their hands and will never be enjoyed happily. As I have found out from many who have sworn their marriage vows
that they have not had a good hour or a healthy day after that, and thus both, in body and soul, and goods as well. Both body and soul, as well as property, are miserably spoiled.
28 Therefore I say and exhort, as before, that the children be accustomed in time to come to warnings and terrors, and to ward off and punish, that they shun lies, and especially to bring God's name to bear upon them. For where they are allowed to go in this way, nothing good will come of it; as now before our eyes, that the world is more evil than it has ever been, and no rule, obedience, faithfulness, nor belief, but vain, unruly people, on whom neither teaching nor punishment helps; which is all God's wrath and punishment on such wanton disregard of this commandment.
(29) Secondly, they should also be urged and encouraged to honor God's name and to keep it in their mouths in everything they encounter and encounter. For this is the right honor of the name, that one should take all comfort in it and call upon it, so that the heart, as mentioned above, first gives its honor to God through faith, and then the mouth through confession.
(30) This is also a blessed, useful habit, and very powerful against the devil, who is always around us and lurking, as he would like to bring us to sin and shame, misery and distress; but he does not like to hear and cannot stay long, where one calls and calls upon God's name from the heart, and many a terrible and horrible case should come to us, where God would not save us by calling upon His name. I have tried it myself and have experienced that often sudden great accidents have turned and gone away immediately by such calling. To the devil's sorrow, I say, we should always keep the holy name in our mouths, so that he could not harm us as he would like.
31) It also serves that we get into the habit of daily commanding ourselves to God, with soul and body, wife, child, servants, and what we have, for all random needs; hence also the Benedicite, Gratias, and other blessings in the evening and in the morning have come and remained. Item: the children's exercise, that one blesses oneself, if one does something monstrous and
See and hear terrible things, and say: Lord God, protect! Help, dear Lord Christ, or the like. Again, if someone does something good without thinking about it, no matter how small it is, he should say, "Praise and thanks be to God that God has given me. As children used to fast and pray to St. Nicholas and other saints. This would be more pleasant and pleasing to God than neither monastic life nor Carthusian sanctity.
(32) Behold, so would the youth be brought up childlike and playfully in the fear of God and honor, that the first and the other commandments might be kept in good time and constant practice. There something good could remain, grow up and produce fruit, so that such people would grow up, whose whole country would enjoy and become happy. This would also be the right way to raise children, because they can be accustomed to good things and pleasure. For what one is to force with rods and blows alone, no good way comes of it, and even if one goes far, they do not remain pious any longer than the rod lies on their neck. But here it is rooted in the heart that one is more afraid of God than of the rod and shillelagh. I say this so simple-mindedly for the youth that it may come to pass; for since we preach to children, we must also slur our words with them. Thus we have prevented the abuse of the divine name and taught the right use of it, which should consist not only in words, but also in practice and life, so that one may know that such things are heartily pleasing to God, and may reward it as abundantly as He wants to punish that abuse.
The third commandment.
You shall keep the holiday holy. (Ex. 20:8.
Deut. 5:12)
We have named the holiday after the Hebrew word Sabbath, which actually means to celebrate, that is, to stand idle from work; hence we use to say, to make a holiday, or to give a holy evening. Now, in the Old Testament, God set apart the seventh day to be celebrated and commanded that it be kept holy above all others.
keep. And according to this outward observance, this commandment is given to the Jews alone, that they should stand still and rest from rude works, that both man and beast might recover and not be weakened by constant labor. . Even though they then stretched it too tight and abused it grossly, that they also blasphemed Christ and could not stand such works, which they themselves did; as can be seen in the Gospel, Matth. 12, 2. ff. Luc. 13, 10. ff., just as if the commandment was to be fulfilled by not doing any outward work, which was not the opinion, but finally that they sanctified the feast or day of rest, as we will hear.
Therefore this commandment, according to the common sense, is of no concern to us Christians, for it is an entirely external thing, like other Old Testament commandments, bound to a particular way, person, time and place, which are now all freely desired through Christ. But to grasp a Christian understanding for the simple, what God demands of us in this commandment, notice that we keep holidays, not for the sake of the intelligent and learned Christians, for these do not need it anywhere; but first of all also for the bodily cause and necessity, which nature teaches and demands for the common crowd, servants and maids, who have waited the whole week for their work and trade, that they also take a day to rest and refresh themselves. After that, most of the time, on such a day of rest, because otherwise one cannot come to it, one takes space and time to wait for God's service; so that one comes together to hear God's word and act, then praise God, sing and pray.
But this, I say, is not so bound to time as among the Jews, that it must be this or that day-for none is better in itself than the other-but should be done daily; but because the people cannot wait, at least one day in the week must be set aside for it. But since Sunday has been set aside for this purpose from time immemorial, it should be left at that, so that it may proceed in harmony and no one may create disorder by unnecessary innovation. Thus
This is the simple opinion of this commandment, because otherwise one keeps holidays, that one arranges such celebrations to learn God's word; thus, that this day's actual office is the ministry of preaching, for the sake of the young people and the poor crowd; but that the celebration is not so tightly stretched that therefore other incidental work, which one cannot avoid, is forbidden.
36 Therefore, if one asks what is said, "You shall keep holy the holiday," answer, "Keep holy the holiday" means as much as "keep holy. What is "to keep holy"? Nothing else than to keep holy words, works and life; for the day does not need holiness for itself, for it is created holy in itself; but God wants it to be holy for you. So for your sake it becomes holy and unholy, if you do holy or unholy things in it. Now how do such holy things happen? Not by sitting behind the stove and doing no rough work, or by putting out a wreath and putting on one's best clothes, but, as I said, by doing God's word and practicing it.
(37) We Christians should always keep such a holiday, do holy things, that is, deal with God's word daily and carry it around in our hearts and mouths. But because, as I said, we do not all have time and leisure, we must set aside several hours a week for the youth, or at least one day for the whole group, so that we can devote ourselves to this alone and practice the Ten Commandments, faith and the Lord's Prayer, and thus direct our whole life and being according to God's Word. Whenever this is done during pregnancy and practice, a proper holiday is observed. If not, then it should not be called a Christian holiday; for the unbelievers can celebrate and go idle, just as the whole of our clergy can stand in church every day, sing, sound, but do not sanctify a holiday, for they neither preach nor practice the Word of God, but teach and live contrary to it.
For the word of God is the sanctuary above all sanctuaries, yes, the only one that we Christians know and have. For whether we have the bones of all the saints or the holy
and consecrated garments in a heap, it would not help us, because it is all dead things that cannot sanctify anyone. But the Word of God is the treasure that sanctifies all things, by which they themselves, all the saints, have been sanctified. Therefore, whatever hour one acts, preaches, hears, walks or thinks about God's word, person, day and work are sanctified by it, not because of the outward work, but because of the word that makes us all saints. For this reason I say at all times that all our lives and works must be in the Word of God, if they are to be pleasing to God or holy. Where this happens, this commandment is fulfilled in its power. Again, whatever is done apart from God's word is unholy in the sight of God, no matter how it may appear or glow, if it is treated with vain holiness, as there are the fictitious spiritual states that do not know God's word and seek holiness in their works.
39 Therefore notice that the power and authority of this commandment is not in celebration, but in sanctification; that is, that this day has a special sacred practice. For other work and business are not really called holy practices, unless the person is holy beforehand. Here, however, such a work must take place that a man himself becomes holy, which only happens, as we have heard, through God's word; for this purpose, the place, time, persons and the entire outward service of God have been established and ordered, so that this may also take place publicly.
40 Since God's word is so important that no holiday is sanctified without it, we should know that God wants to keep this commandment strictly and punish all who despise His word, do not want to hear it, nor learn it, especially the time appointed for it. Therefore, not only do those sin against this commandment who grossly abuse and desecrate the holiday, such as those who, for the sake of their avarice or frivolity, neglect to hear God's word, or lie in tabernacles, mad and full as swine; but also the other crowd, who hear God's word as another thing, and go to the sermon and out again only out of habit, and
When the year is over, they can celebrate Heuer as much as ready. For until now it was thought that it would have been celebrated if one had heard a mass or the Gospel on Sunday, but no one asked for God's word, just as no one taught it.
Now, because we have God's word, we still do not put off the abuse, we always let ourselves be preached to and admonished, but we hear it without seriousness and concern. Therefore know that it is not only a matter of hearing, but also of learning and retaining, and do not think that it is up to you or that you do not have great power over it, but that it is God's commandment that will require it, just as you have heard, learned and heard His word.
(42) Likewise, the disgusting spirits are to be punished, who, when they have heard a sermon or two, are sick and tired of it, as they can now do it themselves and no longer need a master. For this is the very sin that has hitherto been counted among the deadly sins, and is called akidia, that is, sloth and weariness, a hostile, harmful plague, so that the devil bewitches and deceives many hearts, so that he may abuse us and again secretly deprive us of the word of God.
43 For let it be told thee, that though thou couldest do well, and be master of all things, yet thou art daily under the power of the devil, which resteth not day nor night to creep upon thee, Revelation 12:10, 1 Peter 5:8, to kindle in thine heart unbelief and evil thoughts against the former things, and against all the commandments. Therefore you must always have God's word in your heart, mouth and ears. But where the heart stands idle and the word does not ring, he breaks in and has done the damage before it is noticed. Again, it has the power, where it is earnestly considered, heard and acted upon, that it never departs without fruit, but always awakens new understanding, desire and devotion, makes pure he^ and thoughts; for they are not idle, nor dead, but busy, living words. And even if no other benefit or need drives us, this should still provoke everyone, so that thereby the devil is frightened away and
chased away, so that this commandment is fulfilled, and is more pleasing to God than all other glittering hypocrisies.
The fourth commandment.
So far we have learned the first three commandments, which are against God. First, to trust, fear and love Him with all our hearts in all our lives. Secondly, not to misuse His holy name to lie or to do any evil thing, but to praise God, to benefit and to make one's neighbor and oneself happy. Thirdly, that in the celebration and rest of God's word we act and practice diligently, so that all our actions and lives may be in accordance with it. Now follow the other seven, set against our neighbor, among which is the first and highest:
You shall honor your father and [your] mother. (Ex. 20, 12. Deut. 5, 16.)
(45) To this status of father and mother God has given special praise above all the statuses that are under him, that he does not command to love the parents as such, but to honor them. For towards brothers, sisters and the neighbor in general he commands nothing higher than to love them; so that he separates father and mother and sets them apart from all other persons on earth and sets them beside himself. For it is a much higher thing to honor than to love, than that which not only comprehends love, but also a discipline, humility and shyness as against a majesty, hidden there. Nor does it only require that they be addressed kindly and with reverence, but most of all that they both, from the heart and with the body, stand and show themselves in such a way that they think highly of them and regard them as supreme in the eyes of God. For whom one should honor from the heart, one must truly regard as high and great. So that the young people may be made to think of their parents in God's stead, and thus think that, though they be lowly, poor, infirm, and strange, yet they are father and mother, given by God. They are not deprived of honors because of their faults or failures. Therefore it is not to be assumed
see the person as they are, but God's will, which thus creates and orders it. Otherwise, we are all equal in the sight of God, but there cannot be such inequality and proper distinction among us. Therefore, it is also commanded here by God that you obey me as your father, and that I have the upper hand.
46 First, learn what honor toward parents means, as required by this commandment, namely, to hold them above all things in honor and esteem, as the highest treasure on earth. After this, also with words, behave toward them in a disciplined manner; do not be angry, bang, or bluster; but be just and keep silent, even if they do too much. Third, also with works, that is, with body and goods, show such honor that one serves, helps and cares for them when they are old, sick, infirm or poor, and does all this not only gladly, but with humility and reverence, as if done before God. For he who knows how to keep them in his heart will not let them suffer need or hunger, but will put them above and beside him and share what he has and is able.
47 Secondly, see and notice how great a good and holy work is presented to the children here, which, unfortunately, is completely despised and thrown to the winds, and no one perceives that God has commanded it, or that it is a holy divine word and teaching. For if it had been considered so, everyone could have concluded from it that there must also be holy people who lived according to these words; so no monastic life or spiritual status could have been raised, if every child had remained by this commandment, and could have judged his conscience against God and said: "If I am to do good and holy works, I know no better than to render all honor and obedience to my parents, because God Himself has commanded it. For what God commands must be much and far more noble than anything we ourselves can devise: and since there is no higher nor better master to be found than God, there will certainly be no better teaching than he gives of himself. Now he teaches abundantly what one should do if one wants to practice righteous good works; and in that he commands it, he testifies that they are to be done.
please him. If it is God who gives such things and knows no better to provide, I will never do better.
(48) Behold, if a pious child had been taught rightly, brought up blessedly, and kept at home in the obedience and service of his parents, that good and joy might have been seen in it. But God's commandment was not to be obeyed, but left undone, or rushed about, so that a child could not consider it, and in the meantime open his mouth according to that which we have raised, and never once greeted God for it.
(49) Therefore, for God's sake, let us learn once and for all that the young people, putting all other things out of their sight, look first to this commandment: if they want to serve God with right, good works, that they do what is dear to their father and mother, or to those to whom they are subject in their stead. For whichever child knows and does this, has first of all the great comfort in his heart, that he can cheerfully say and boast in defiance of and against all who deal in works of their own choosing: Behold, the work is well pleasing to my God in heaven, that I know for certain. Let them, with their many, great, sour, heavy works, all stand up in a heap and boast: let them see if they can produce any that is greater and nobler than father's and mother's obedience, which God has set and commanded next to His Majesty's obedience; that when God's word and will is done and directed, none shall be more valid than the parents' will and word, so that he nevertheless remains under God's obedience and does not go against the previous commandments.
50 Therefore, you should be glad and thank God with all your heart that He has chosen you and made you worthy to do such a delicious and pleasant work for Him. And consider it great and worthy, even though it is considered the least of all: not because of our worthiness, but because it is and goes in the jewel and sanctuary, namely, God's word and commandment. Oh, how precious it should be for all Carthusians, monks and nuns to buy it, so that in all their spiritual being they may bring a single work before God, done from His commandment, and speak with a joyful heart before His eyes: Now know
I, that this work pleases you well. Where will they remain, the poor, miserable people, when they will stand before God and all the world with all shame before a young child who has lived in this commandment, and confess that with all their lives they have not been worthy to hold a candle to him? Does it also serve them right for the sake of the devilish perversion, because they trample God's commandment underfoot, that they have to torture themselves in vain with works of their own devising, and have mockery and shame as their reward.
51 Should not a heart leap and melt with joy, if it went to work and did what it was commanded to do, that it might say, Behold, this is better than all the holiness of Carthage, though they fast to death and pray without ceasing on their knees. For here you have a certain text and divine testimony that he commanded this; but of that not a word. But this is the lamentation and sorrowful blindness of the world, that no one believes such things; so the devil has bewitched us with false holiness and the appearance of his own works.
For this reason I would like, I say again, that people open their eyes and ears and take these things to heart, lest one day we be led astray again from the pure word of God into the devil's lying ways; so it would be well for parents to have all the more joy, love, friendship and harmony in their homes, so that the children could take all their hearts from their parents. Again, if they are disobedient and do not do what they are supposed to do, unless a shillelagh is put on their backs, they anger both God and parents, so that they deprive themselves of such treasure and joy of conscience and accumulate vain misfortune. That is why things are going on in the world now, as everyone complains, that both young and old are wild and unruly. Young and old are wild and unruly, have neither fear nor honor, do nothing but beat each other, and do what they can behind each other's backs: therefore God also punishes them, so that they come into all mischief and misery.
(53) This, I say, is the first and greatest thing that should drive us to this commandment; for which, if we had no father and mother, we should wish that God would present us with wood and stone to call father and mother. How much more, because he has given us living parents, should we be glad that we may show them honor and obedience; because we know that it is so pleasing to the high majesty and all the angels and annoys all devils, that it is the highest work that can be done according to the high service of God in the previous commandments; so that almsgiving and all other works toward one's neighbor are not yet equal to it. For God has placed this state above all others, even in its place on earth. Such God's will and pleasure should be cause and incentive enough for us to do what we can with will and desire.
We owe it to the world to be grateful for the goodness and all the good things we have from our parents. But the devil rules in the world again, so that the children forget their parents, as we all forget God, and no one considers how God nurtures us, protects us, and gives us so much good in body and soul; especially when an evil hour comes, we are angry and grumble with impatience, and all the good we have received all our lives is gone. We do the same to our parents, and there is no child who recognizes this and thinks about it, because the Holy Spirit gives it. God is well acquainted with this kind of wickedness in the world, which is why he reminds and drives them with commandments, so that each one may consider what his parents have done to him; in this way he will find that he has life and limb from them, and is also nourished and raised, since otherwise he would have suffocated a hundred times over in his filth. Therefore it is right and well said by all wise men: Deo, parentibus et magistris non potest satis gratiae rependi, that is, "God, parents and schoolmasters can never be sufficiently thanked nor repaid." Whoever looks at this and considers it, will probably do all honor to his parents and carry them on his hands, as God has done everything good for him through them.
55. Above all this, it should also be a great cause to provoke us even more, that God attaches a bodily promise to this commandment, saying: "That you may have long life in the land where you dwell. See for yourself how great an earnest God is about this commandment, because He not only expresses that it is pleasing to Him, that He has joy and air in it, but that it should also be good for us and prosper us for the best, so that we may have a gentle, sweet life with all that is good. Therefore also St. Paul, Eph. 6, 2. 3., highly esteems and praises this, when he says: "This is the first commandment, which has a promise: that it may go well with thee, and that thou mayest live long upon the earth." For though the others also have their promise included, yet to none is it set forth so clearly and expressly.
(56) Now you have the fruit and the reward, that whoever keeps it shall have good days, happiness and prosperity; again, also the punishment, that whoever is disobedient shall perish the sooner and not enjoy life. For "to have long life" the Scripture does not mean only: to be well aged; but: to have everything that belongs to long life, namely: health, wife and child, food, peace, good government etc., without which this life cannot be happily enjoyed, nor can it last long. If you do not want to obey your father and mother and let yourself be drawn, then obey the executioner; if you do not obey him, then obey the leg of the road, which is death. For this is what God wants in short: either, if you obey him, do love and service, that he may repay you abundantly with all good; or, if you anger him, that he may send both death and executioner upon you. Where do so many peelers come from, who have to be hanged, beheaded and broken every day, but from disobedience, because they do not let themselves be drawn with good, so that they are punished by God in such a way that one sees misfortune and heartache in them. For it happens very seldom that such wicked people die a right or timely death.
(57) But the pious and obedient are blessed to live long in good repose and to see their children's children, as above.
into the third and fourth generation. As it is also known that where there are fine old families that stand well and have many children, it is because some of them have been well brought up and have had their parents before their eyes. Again, it is written of the wicked, Ps. 109:13: "His seed must be cut off, and their name must perish in one generation. Therefore, let it be told you how great a thing it is with God for obedience, because He sets it so high, pleases Himself so well and rewards Him abundantly, and is so strict about punishing those who go against it.
(58) I am saying all this so that it may be impressed on the minds of the young people, for no one believes that this commandment is so necessary, yet it has not been respected or taught among the priests. They are bad and easy words, and everyone thinks he can do it anyway; that is why people go over it and look at other things, and do not see and believe that they anger God so much if they let this stand, nor do such deliciously pleasing works if they stick to it.
(59) In this commandment it is also necessary to say about all kinds of obedience to superiors who have to command and rule. For out of the parents' authority all other authority flows and spreads. For if a father cannot bring up his child alone, he takes a schoolmaster to teach it; if he is too weak, he takes his friends or neighbors to help him; if he goes away, he commands and gives the rule and supremacy to others who are ordered to do so; item, he must also have servants, menservants and maidservants under him to rule the house: so that all those who are called masters are in their parents' place and must take power and authority to rule from them. Therefore, according to the Scriptures, they are all called fathers, as those who are to exercise fatherhood in their regiment and bear a fatherly heart toward their own; just as from ancient times the Romans and other languages have called masters and wives in the house patres- et matresfamilias, that is, house fathers and house mothers. So also their sovereigns and overlords they have called Patres Patriae, that is, fathers of the whole country, us, the
We want to be Christians, to great shame that we do not also call them so, or at least think of them as such and honor them.
(60) Now what a child owes to his father and mother, all who are bound to the house government owe also. Therefore, servants and maids should see to it that they are not only obedient to their masters and wives, but also hold them in honor as their own fathers and mothers, and do everything they know that is wanted of them, not out of compulsion and unwillingness, but with pleasure and joy for the very reason that it is God's commandment and pleases Him above all other works; For the sake of which they should still admit wages and become glad that they might overtake masters and wives, have such a happy conscience and know how to do right golden works, which until now have been faded and despised, and for which everyone has run in the devil's name to monasteries, pilgrimages and indulgences, with harm and an evil conscience.
(61) If such a thing could be imagined for the poor people, a maiden would walk in vain leaps, praising and thanking God, and with neat work, for which she otherwise takes food and wages, she would get such treasure that all those who are considered the holiest do not have. Is it not a great glory to know this and to say: If you do your daily housework, that is better than all monks' holiness and strict life? And you have the promise that it shall prosper and go well with you; how will you be more blessed or live more holy, as far as works are concerned? For in the sight of God, faith alone sanctifies and serves Him, but works serve men. Then you have all good things, protection and shelter under the Lord, a happy conscience and a gracious God who will repay you a hundredfold, and you are a nobleman if you are only pious and obedient. But if you are not, you will have wrath and displeasure from God, no peace in your heart, and then all misery and calamity. Whosoever therefore will not be moved by these things, and shall be made saintly, let us deliver him to the executioner and to the stake. Therefore, let every man think who will have it said to him,
that God is not joking, and know that God is talking to you and demanding obedience: if you obey Him, you are the dear child; but if you despise Him, you will also have shame, sorrow and heartache to reward you.
62 Similarly, we must also speak of the obedience of secular authorities, which, as I have said, all belong to the fatherhood and are most widespread. For here is not a single father, but as many times father as he has countrymen, citizens or subjects. For God gives and sustains us through them, as through our parents, food, house and farm, protection and security. Therefore, because they bear such a name and title, as their highest prize, with all honors, we also owe it to them to honor and esteem them as the most precious treasure and precious jewel on earth.
He who is obedient, willing and servile and gladly does everything that concerns honor knows that he pleases God and receives joy and happiness as a reward. If he does not do it with love, but despises it, and locks himself in, or rumbles about, then let him know again that he has neither grace nor blessing, and if he thinks he can gain one guilder by doing it, he will lose ten times more elsewhere, or will be given to the executioner, or perish through war, pestilence and theft, or experience no good in his children, or have to suffer harm, injustice and violence from servants, neighbors, or strangers and tyrants, so that we may be paid and come home with what we seek and deserve.
(64) If only we could be told that such works are so pleasing to God and have such abundant reward, we would sit in vain abundant goods and have what our heart desires. But since God's word and commandments are held in contempt, as if they had been spoken by some holiness, let it be seen whether you are the man to disobey him. How hard will it be for him to pay you again? That is why you have ever lived more with God's grace, peace and happiness than with disgrace and misfortune. Why do you think that the world is now so full of infidelity, shame, misery and murder, that everyone wants to be his own lord and emperor free, to give nothing to no one and to give everything to no one?
do what he desires? That is why God punishes one boy with another, so that where you betray or despise your master, another will come along and play along with you again, so that you will have to suffer ten times more in your house from wife, child or servants.
We feel our misfortune well, grumble and complain about unfaithfulness, violence and injustice; but we do not want to see that we ourselves are boys who have honestly earned the punishment and will not get better from it; we do not want to have mercy and happiness, therefore we have cheap vain misfortune without all mercy. There must still be some (somewhere) pious people on earth that God still leaves us so much good; for our sake we should not keep a penny in the house, not a straw in the field. I have had to write all this in so many words, if anyone would take it to heart, so that we might be rid of the blindness and misery in which we are so deeply entrenched, recognize God's word and will correctly and accept them with earnestness. For from this we would learn how we could have enough joy, happiness and salvation for time and eternity.
(66) Thus we have three kinds of fathers in this commandment: of the blood, in the house, and in the land. In addition, there are also spiritual fathers; not like in the papacy, who may have called themselves that, but did not hold a fatherly office. For these alone are called spiritual fathers, who govern and preside over us through the Word of God, as St. Paul calls himself a father, 1 Cor. 4:15, when he says: "I have begotten you in Christ Jesus through the gospel." Because they are fathers, honor is due to them, even above all others; but there it is least due, for the world must honor them in such a way that they are driven out of the country and not allowed a piece of bread; and in sum, as Paul says in v. 13, they must be the refuse of the world and everyone's scabbard.
67) But it is necessary to drive this into the people as well, so that those who want to be called Christians owe it to God to give twofold honor to those who wait for their souls, Hebr. 13:17, 1 Tim. 5:17, to do good and to provide for them; God will also give you enough for this and will not leave you wanting. But
Everybody is afraid and resists, we are all worried that our stomachs will go flat, and we cannot feed one righteous preacher now, because we filled ten bellies before. So that we also deserve that God should rob us of His word and blessing, and again raise up false preachers, who lead us to the devil, and suck out sweat and blood from far away.
68. But those who keep God's will and commandment in mind have the promise that they will be repaid abundantly for what they do and honor both their physical and spiritual fathers: not that they will have bread, clothing and money for a year or two, but long life, food and peace, and will be rich and happy forever. Therefore do only what you owe, and let God see to it that He feeds you and provides enough. If he has promised and never lied, he will not lie to you. Such a thing should ever provoke us and make our hearts melt with delight and love for those to whom we owe honor, that we should lift up our hands and cheerfully give thanks to God, who has given us such a promise, according to which we should run to the ends of the earth. For even if all the world worked together, it could not give us one hour to live or one grain from the earth. But God can and will give you everything abundantly according to your heart's desire. . He who despises these things and throws them to the winds is not worthy to hear the word of God. Now this is said in abundance to all who come under this commandment.
69. In addition, parents should be preached to, and what their office is, how they should behave toward those they are commanded to govern. Although this is not expressly stated in the Ten Commandments, it is abundantly commanded in many other places in Scripture. God also wants to include it in this commandment when he calls it father and mother; for he does not want to have boys or tyrants in this office and rule, nor does he give them the honor, that is, the power and right to rule. Nor does he give them the honor, that is, the power and the right to rule, so that they may be worshipped, but he does consider that they are under God's obedience and that they are above all others.
The people of the land, who take care of their duty cordially and faithfully, not only to feed and provide for their children, servants and subjects, but also to raise them mostly for God's praise and glory. Therefore, do not think that this is at your own pleasure and discretion, but that God has strictly commanded and imposed it, to which you must also respond.
70. There is again the unfortunate plague that no one notices or pays attention to this: we go as if God would give us children to have our pleasure and amusement with: To use the servants like cows or donkeys for work alone, or to live with the subjects of our will; to let them go, as if it were none of our business what they learn or how they live; and no one wants to see that it is the command of high majesty, which will seriously demand and avenge such things; nor that there is such great need that the youth be taken care of with seriousness. For if we want to have fine, skilful people, both for worldly and spiritual government, then we really must spare no diligence, effort, nor expense on our children, to teach and educate them, so that they may serve God and the world, and not only think how we can collect money and goods for them. For God is able to nourish them and make them rich without us, as He does every day. But for this reason he has given us children and commanded us to raise and govern them according to his will; otherwise he would have no need of father and mother anywhere. Therefore, let each one know that he is guilty of losing divine grace, that he should first of all draw his children to the fear and knowledge of God and, if they are able, let them also learn and study, so that they may be needed for whatever purpose.
If this were done, God would also bless us abundantly and give us grace to raise up such people, whose land and people would be improved; as well as fine, educated citizens, chaste and domestic women, who would then raise up pious children and servants. Now think for yourself what murderous harm you are doing, if you neglect and fail to educate your child in a useful and blessed way, bringing all sin and wrath upon yourself, and thus bringing hell on your own head.
children, even if you were otherwise pious and holy. For this reason also God, because one despises such things, punishes the world so horribly that one has no discipline, rule, nor peace; which we also all complain of, but do not see that it is our fault; for as we draw them, so we have unruly and disobedient [children and] subjects. Let this be enough of an admonition; for to prolong such things belongs to another time.
The fifth commandment.
You shall not kill. (Ex. 20, 13. Deut. 5, 17.)
(72) We have now established both spiritual and temporal government, that is, divine and paternal authority and obedience. But here we go out of our house among our neighbors to learn how to live among ourselves, each for himself, against his neighbor. Therefore, in this commandment, God and the authorities have not moved in, nor have they taken away the power they have to kill. For God has given his right to punish evildoers to the authorities in the place of parents, who, in the days of Moses, had to put their children on trial themselves and sentence them to death. Therefore, what is forbidden here is forbidden to one against another, and not to the authorities.
73 This commandment is easy enough and often practiced, because it is heard yearly in the Gospel, Matth. 5, 21, where Christ himself interprets it and fasts it into one sum, namely, that one should not kill, neither with hand, heart, mouth, signs, gestures, nor with help and counsel. Therefore, in it everyone is forbidden to be angry, except, as has been said, those who sit in God's stead, that is, parents and authorities. For God, and what is in the divine state, is commanded to be angry, to rebuke and to punish, precisely for the sake of those who transgress this and other commandments.
The reason for this commandment is that God knows how evil the world is, and that this life is full of misfortune. That is why he has placed this and other commandments between good and evil. Now, as there are many
In this case, too, we have to live among many people who do us harm, so that we have reason to be hostile to them. As if your neighbor sees that you have a better house and farm, more goods and happiness from God than he does, he is displeased, envies you and speaks nothing good of you. So you get many enemies through the devil's incitement, who do you no good either physically or spiritually; when you see such, our heart again wants to rage and bleed and take revenge. Then cursing and beating arise, from which finally follows misery and murder. God then comes first like a kindly father, puts himself in the way and wants to separate the quarrels so that no misfortune arises from them, nor does one destroy the other; and in sum, he wants to have protected, freed and pacified everyone from everyone's evil and violence, and to have set this commandment as a wall, fortress and freedom around his neighbor, so that no harm or damage is done to his body.
(75) This commandment, then, is that no one should be harmed for the sake of any evil, even if he greatly deserves it. For where death is forbidden, all causes are forbidden from which death may spring. For some, even if they do not kill, curse and wish that whoever should have it on his neck would not run far. Since this is everyone's nature and custom, that no one wants to suffer from another, God wants to remove the root and origin by which the heart is embittered against the neighbor, and make us accustomed to always have this commandment before our eyes and to reflect ourselves in it, to look at God's will, and to entrust the wrong we suffer to Him with heartfelt trust and invocation of His name, and thus to let those who are hostile stare and rage, so that they do what they can. So that a man may learn to be quiet in anger and have a patient and gentle heart, especially against those who give him cause to be angry, that is, against his enemies.
76 Therefore, the whole summa of it,
To make it very clear to the simple what it means not to kill: First, that you do no harm to anyone, first with your hand or deed, then do not let your tongue be used to speak or advise; above all, do not use or allow any means or way by which anyone might be offended; and finally, that the heart be hostile to no one, nor give evil out of anger and hatred; that is, that body and soul be innocent of anyone, but really of him who wishes you evil or does you harm. For to do evil to one who does good to you is not human, but devilish.
(77) Secondly, not only he who does evil is guilty of this commandment, but also he who can do good to his neighbor, prevent, defend, protect and save him from harm or damage to his body, and does not do so. Now if you let a naked man go and clothe him, you have frozen him. If you see someone hungry and do not feed him, you let him die of hunger. If you see someone condemned to death or in similar distress, and do not save him if you know the way, you have killed him. And it will not help that you pretend that you have given no help, advice or action, because you have deprived him of love and charity, so that he would have remained alive.
78 Therefore God also justly calls all murderers, who do not counsel or help in distress and danger of life and limb, and will even bring upon them a terrible calamity on the last day, as Christ Himself proclaimed, saying, Matth. 25, 35. 36.I have been hungry and thirsty, and you have not fed me or given me drink; I have been a guest, and you have not given me shelter; I have been naked, and you have not clothed me; I have been sick and a prisoner, and you have not visited me"; that is, you would have let me and mine die of hunger, thirst and frost, tear the wild beasts, rot in prison and perish in misery. What else does that mean than being called murderers and bloodhounds? For even though you have not done this by deed, you have done this by deed.
Let him be stuck in misfortune and perish, as much as you care for him. And it is just as much as if I saw someone sailing and working on deep water, or fallen into a fire, and could reach out to him and pull him out and save him, and yet not do it; how would I stand before all the world but a murderer and a wicked man? Therefore, the final opinion of God is that we do no harm to any man, but show all goodness and love; and is, as I said, actually directed against those who are our enemies. For doing good to friends is still a bad pagan virtue, as Christ says, Matth. 5, 46.
79) Now we have God's word again, so that He may stir us up and drive us to right, noble, high works, such as gentleness, patience, and summa, love and kindness toward our enemies, and may remind us always to remember the first commandment, that He is our God, that is, that He may help us, assist us, and protect us, so that He may curb the desire to avenge us.
80 If this were to be done and practiced, we would have our hands full with good works. But this would not be preached for the monks, too much would be taken away from the spiritual state, too close to Carthusian holiness, and should probably be called good works forbidden and monasteries evacuated. For in this way the common Christian state would be considered as much, indeed far and much more, and everyone would see how they ape and deceive the world with a false hypocritical appearance of holiness, because they have thrown this and other commandments to the wind and considered them unnecessary, as if they were not commandments but counsels; and besides this, they unashamedly praised and proclaimed their hypocritical state and works as the most perfect life, so that they would lead a good, gentle life without cross and patience. That is why they ran into the monasteries, so that they would not suffer anything from anyone, nor do anyone any good. But know that these are the right holy and divine works, which he rejoices in with all the angels, whereas all human holiness is stink and filth, deserving nothing but wrath and condemnation.
The sixth commandment.
You shall not commit adultery. (Ex. 20, 14.
Deut. 5:18)
These commandments are easy to understand in themselves from the next, for they are all to beware of all kinds of harm to one's neighbor; but they are arranged neatly. First, on his own person; then on the next person or the next property after his body, namely his spouse, who is one flesh and blood with him; so that no greater harm can be done to him in any property. Therefore it is also clearly expressed here that one should not disgrace him with his wife. And it is actually said of adultery that in the Jewish people it was so ordered and commanded that everyone had to be found legitimate; therefore also the youth was counselled at the earliest possible time, so that virginity counted for nothing, nor was any public whoring and knavery permitted, as now. Therefore, adultery was the most common unchastity among them.
82. Because we have such a disgraceful mixture and basic soup of all unrighteousness and evil, this commandment is also set against all kinds of unchastity, as it may be called, and not only outwardly forbids the deed, but also all kinds of cause, stimulus and means; So that heart, mouth and the whole body may be chaste, giving no room, help or counsel to unchastity; and not only this, but also to defend, protect and save where there is danger and need, and again to help and counsel that his neighbor may remain in honor. For if thou neglectest these things, if thou couldst be before them, or lookest through thy fingers as if it were not thy business, thou art as guilty as the offender himself. Thus, to put it briefly, so much is required that each one live chastely for himself and also help his neighbor to do so; so that by this commandment God wants to limit and protect each spouse so that no one violates it.
83) Because this commandment is directed to the marriage state and gives reason for it, it is not a good thing.
You should well grasp and notice what I am talking about: First of all, how God so gloriously honors and praises this state that he both confirms and preserves it by his commandment. He confirmed it above in the fourth commandment: You shall honor your father and mother; but here, as I said, he has preserved and protected it. For this reason he also wants us to honor, keep and guide it as a divine, blessed estate, because he has seriously established it above all others, and for this reason he created man and woman differently, as before his eyes, not for the purpose of union, but so that they may keep together, be fruitful, beget children, nourish and bring them up to God's glory. For this reason, God has blessed him most abundantly above all ranks, and has directed all that is in the world to him, so that this rank may be well and abundantly provided for: so that it is neither a joke nor a joking matter, but an excellent thing and divine seriousness about married life. For he has every power to draw people who will serve the world and help it to know God, to live a blessed life and to fight against wickedness and the devil.
84. For this reason I have always taught that this estate should not be despised or held in contempt, as the blind world and our false clergy do, but should be regarded according to God's word, so that it is adorned and sanctified, not only to be equal to other estates, but to be above and before them all, be they emperors, princes, bishops, or whomever they wish. For what both ecclesiastical and secular estates are, they must humble themselves and all be found in this estate, as we shall hear. Therefore it is not a special, but the most general, noblest state, which goes and reaches through the whole Christian state, even through all the world.
85. Secondly, you should also know that it is not only an honorable, but also a necessary state, and seriously commanded by God, that in general all states, male and female, who are created for it, can be found in it; however, some, although few, are excepted, whom God has especially drawn out, that they are not capable of the marital state, or through high supernatural powers, are not capable of the marital state.
The Lord has freed them from the gift that they can keep chastity outside of the state. For where nature is as it is implanted by God, it is not possible to remain chaste outside of marriage; for flesh and blood remain flesh and blood, and the natural inclination and stimulation go unresisted and unhindered, as everyone sees and feels. For this reason, so that it would be all the easier to avoid unchastity to a certain extent, God has also commanded the marriage state, so that everyone may have his appointed portion and be content with it; although it still belongs to God's grace that the heart also be chaste.
From this you see how our papal crowd, priests, monks, nuns, strive against God's order and commandment, despising and forbidding the marriage state, presuming and vowing to keep eternal chastity, and deceiving the simple with lying words and appearances. For no one has so little love and desire for chastity as those who shun the marriage state in the face of great holiness, and either lie openly and brazenly in fornication, or do it secretly even worse, so that it must not be said, as one has, unfortunately, experienced all too much. And lately, though they abstain from the work, yet they are full of unchaste thoughts and evil desire in their hearts, so that there is an eternal burning and secret suffering, which can be avoided in married life. Therefore, by this commandment, all unchaste vows are condemned and given leave, and even commanded to all poor captive consciences, who are deceived by their monastic vows, to enter from the unchaste state into conjugal life; considered that, although otherwise the monastic life would be divine, yet it is not in their power to keep chastity, and where they remain in it, they must only sin more and further against this commandment.
This is why I say this, so that the young people may be taught to desire marriage and know that it is a blessed state and pleasing to God. For in this way, in time, it could be restored to its rightful place, and there would be less of the foul, wild, disorderly behavior that is now everywhere in the world, with public fornication and other shameful vices,
which are the result of contempt for married life. For this reason, parents and authorities are also obliged to look after the youth, so that they are brought up in discipline and respectability and, when they grow up, are consulted with God and honor. For this he would give his blessing and grace, so that one would have pleasure and joy from it.
From all this it may be concluded that this commandment not only requires that every man live chastely in his own works, words and thoughts, that is, mostly in the marital state, but also that he hold his spouse, given by God, dear and valuable. For where conjugal chastity is to be kept, husband and wife must first of all live together in love and harmony, so that one means the other with all his heart and with all his fidelity. For this is one of the most noble things that love and desire make for chastity, which, where it goes, chastity will also follow from itself, without all restraint. Therefore also St. Paul, Eph. 5, 22. 25. so diligently admonishes the spouses that one should love and honor the other. Now again you have a delicious, even many and great good works, which you can cheerfully boast about against all spiritual states, without mentioning God's word and commandment.
The seventh commandment.
You shall not steal. (Ex. 20, 15. Deut. 5, 19.)
(89) After your person and your spouse, temporal goods are next in order; God also wants to keep them, and has commanded that no one take away or shorten his neighbor's goods. For "to steal" means nothing else than to take another's goods unjustly; in this way, all kinds of advantage have recently been combined with the neighbor's disadvantage in all kinds of dealings. This is now a widely common vice, but so little respected and perceived that it is beyond measure: so that where they should all be hanged on gallows, which thieves are and yet do not want to be called, the world should soon become desolate and both hangmen and gallows should break down. For it shall not, as now said
Theft is not only the clearing of boxes and pockets, but also the spreading of money in the market, in all stores, wine and beer cellars, workshops, and recently, where people trade, take and give money for goods or work.
90. namely, that we may put it a little roughly for the common people, so that it may be seen how pious we are: If a servant or maid in the house does not serve faithfully and does harm or lets harm happen that she could well ward off, or otherwise neglects and neglects her property out of laziness, carelessness or malice, to the defiance and annoyance of masters and wives, and how this can happen wantonly - for I am not talking about that which is done with care and reluctance-; you can steal a year's worth of florins, thirty or forty and more; which, if another had taken or carried away secretly, he would have to strangle on the rope: But here you may still defy and insist, and no one may call you a thief. Similarly, I am talking about craftsmen, laborers, day laborers, all of whom need their courage and do not know how to translate people, and yet are careless and unfaithful in their work. These are all far above the sneak thieves, from whom one can put locks and bolts, or where one catches them, play along so that they do not do it anymore. But no one can beware of them, and no one may look upon them with anger or accuse them of theft, so that one should rather lose ten times from the bag. For there are my neighbors, my good friends, my own servants, to whom I give myself good things, who move me most of all.
91) In the market and in common dealings, too, it goes on with full power and force, as one publicly deceives the other with false goods, measures, weights, and coins, and overcharges him with agility and strange finances, or with dwindling funds; item, translates with the purchase, and according to his will, weighs him down, tortures and torments him. And who can tell or imagine all this? Summa, this is the meanest craft and the greatest guild on earth. And if one looks at the world now through all classes, it is nothing else than a great
For this reason, they are called chair thieves, land thieves, and street thieves, not box thieves, nor assassin thieves, who peck out of the barn; but those who sit on the chair and are called great noblemen and honorable, pious citizens, and rob and steal with a good pretense.
(92) Yes, here we should not even mention the small individual thieves, if we were to attack the great, mighty arch-thieves, with whom lords and princes keep company, who steal not one city or two, but the whole of Germany every day. Yes, where would remain the head or supreme patron of all thieves, the Holy See of Rome, with all its appurtenances, which has brought all the world's goods to itself with thievery and holds them to this day? In short, this is how it is in the world: whoever can steal and rob in public goes there safely and freely, unpunished by anyone, and wants to be honored for it; meanwhile, the petty secret thieves, who have once committed a crime, must bear the shame and punishment, make those pious and honorable. But they should know that they are the greatest thieves before God, who will also punish them as they are worth and deserve.
Because this commandment is so widespread, as is now indicated, it is necessary to reproach and emphasize to the rabble that they should not be allowed to go so freely and safely, but should always be made aware of God's wrath and inculcated with it. For we do not have to preach such things to Christians, but mostly to boys and villains, who should probably be preached by a cheap judge, cane master, or Master Hans. Therefore, let each one know that he owes God's disgrace not only not to harm his neighbor, nor to steal his advantage, nor to show any disloyalty or deceit in a purchase or in any trade; but also to preserve his property faithfully, to provide and promote its use, especially if he takes money, wages, and food for it.
(94) He who wilfully despises these things may go and escape the executioner, but he will not escape God's wrath and punishment, and if he long carries on his defiance and pride, he will remain a peasant and a beggar, and will have all the misery and misfortune that go with it.
Now you are going to keep your master's or your wife's goods, to fill your belly and your belly, to take your wages as a thief, to be celebrated as a nobleman; as there are many of them who still defy masters and wives and would not like to love and serve them, to keep (ward off) a loss. But see what thou gainest, that where thou hast overthrown thine own, and sittest at home, God will help with all misfortune, and it shall be found again, and come home, that where thou hast broken off a farthing, or done harm, thou shalt pay thirtyfold.
The same shall be the case with craftsmen and day laborers, from whom one must now hear and suffer unpleasant willfulness, as if they were squires in other people's property, and everyone must give them as much as they want. Let them toil confidently as long as they can; but God will not forget His commandment and reward them for their service, and hang them, not on a green but on a dry gallows, so that they will not prosper for the rest of their lives, nor bring anything before them. And indeed, if there were a proper regiment in the country, one could soon control and ward off such willfulness; as was the case with the Romans in ancient times, when they quickly grabbed the hood of such people, so that others had to bump into them.
So shall all others succeed who make of the open free market nothing but a drudgery and a house of robbery, since the poor are daily translated, made new burdens and hardships, and everyone needs the market according to his will, defies and prides himself on it, as if he had good reason and right to give his own as dear as he desires, and no one shall interfere with him. Let us watch them wait, toil, toil and toil; but trust in God, who will do it without that, that when you have toiled and toiled long, he will pronounce a blessing on you, that your grain on the ground, your beer in the cellar, your cattle in the stable will perish; yes, where you deceive someone for a guilder and overprovide, it shall rust and eat away the whole pile, so that you will never be happy.
We see and experience this being fulfilled before our eyes every day, that no stolen or falsely gained goods prosper. How many are they that scratch and scrape day and night, and yet get not a penny richer? And though they gather much, yet they have so much trouble and misfortune that they cannot enjoy it with joy, nor can they inherit it for their children. But since no one cares, and we go about as if it were none of our business, he must afflict us in some other way and teach us morality, so that he sends one land treasure over the other over us, or invites a bunch of lansquenets as guests, who clear out our boxes and bags for an hour and do not stop, because (as long as) we keep one penny, to burn and devastate our house and farm, to rape and kill our wives and children. And summa: if thou steal much, be sure that so much more will be stolen from thee; and he who robs and gains by violence and injustice, let another suffer who also plays along with him. For God is a master of this art: for everyone robs and steals from another, punishing one thief with another; where else would one take gallows and ropes enough?
Whoever wants to tell him this, let him know that it is God's commandment and should not be taken for a joke. For even if you despise us, cheat us, steal from us and rob us, we still want to endure your arrogance, suffer and, according to the Lord's Prayer, forgive and have mercy on you: For we know that the pious must have enough, and that you do more harm to yourself than to anyone else; but beware when the seven poor, who are now many, come, who must buy and eat for the daily penny, and you approach as if everyone had to live at your mercy, scraping and shaving to the ridge, and rejecting with pride and arrogance those to whom you should give and give. So it goes along, miserable and sorrowful, and because no one can complain, it cries and cries to heaven. Then beware, I say again, as of the devil himself; for such groaning and crying will not be jesting, but will have an emphasis that will be too heavy for you and for all the world. For it will
meet the one who takes care of the poor, afflicted her-
and will not leave it unsmelled. But if you despise it and defy it, see whom you have brought upon yourself; if you succeed and prosper, you shall call God and me liars before all the world.
We have admonished, warned and instructed enough; whoever will not respect or believe, let him go until he learns. But the young people must be taught to beware and not to follow the old unruly crowd, but to keep God's commandment before their eyes, lest God's wrath and punishment come upon them as well. Nothing else is due to us but to speak and punish with God's word. But that such public courage should be resisted, there belong princes and authorities, who themselves have eyes and the courage to set in order and keep order in all kinds of dealings and purchases, so that the poor are not burdened and oppressed, nor are they allowed to burden themselves with other people's sins.
100. That is enough to say about what stealing means, that one should not stretch it so tightly, but let it go as far as we have to do with our neighbor; And to summarize it briefly, as in the previous ones, it is forbidden, first of all, to do harm and injustice to one's neighbor - as there are many ways to think of to cut off, prevent, and withhold property and goods - and not to grant or permit such things, but to resist, to forestall them; and again, it is commanded to promote one's goods, to improve them, and, where he is in need, to help, share, and advance them to both friends and enemies.
Whoever seeks and desires good works will find enough here that are pleasing and pleasing to God from the heart, graced and showered with blessings, so that what we do for our neighbor's benefit and friendship will be repaid abundantly; as King Solomon also teaches, Proverbs 19:17: "He who has mercy on the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay his reward. Then you have a rich Lord, who is sure enough for you, and will not fail or lack anything; so you can enjoy a hundred times more with a happy conscience than you would with unfaithfulness and wrongdoing. Whoever does not like the blessing will find wrath and misfortune enough.
The eighth commandment.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Ex. 20, 16. Deut. 5, 20.)
102. Above our own bodies, spouses and temporal goods, we still have a treasure, namely honor and good report, which we cannot do without; for it is not worth living among people in public disgrace, despised by everyone. Therefore, God wants the neighbor's reputation, good name and righteousness, as little as money and goods, to be taken or shortened, so that each one may stand honestly before his wife, child, servants and neighbor. And first, the grossest sense of this commandment, as the words are, "Thou shalt not bear false witness," is put on public trial, where a poor innocent man is accused and oppressed by false witnesses, that he may be punished in body, goods, or honor.
Now this seems to be of little concern to us, but with the Jews it was a very mean thing. For the people were governed by a fine, orderly regime; and where such a regime still exists, it does not proceed without this sin. The cause is this: for where a judge, mayor, prince or other authority sits, there it never fails, it goes according to the course of the world, that one does not want to offend anyone, hypocrites and talks according to favor, money, hope or friendship; about this a poor man with his cause must be oppressed, be wronged and suffer punishment. And it is a general plague in the world that pious people seldom sit in judgment. For a pious man belongs before all other things to a judge; and not only a pious man, but also a wise, prudent, even a bold and bold man. So also a prudent man, and especially a pious man, belongs to the witness. For the one who is to judge all things rightly and carry out the judgment will often anger good friends, brothers-in-law, neighbors, the rich and powerful, who can do him much good or harm; therefore he must be blind, with eyes and ears closed, neither seeing nor hearing, but straight before him what comes before him, and conclude according to it.
For this reason, first of all, this commandment is given, that each one help his neighbor to his rights and not let him hinder or bend them, but rather promote them and keep them straight, God granting, be it judge or witness, and do whatever he pleases. And especially herewith a goal is set for our lords jurists, that they watch, deal rightly and honestly with the things; what is right, let it remain right; and again, do not distort nor cover up or keep silent, regardless of money, property, honor or dominion. This is a piece and the grossest sense of this commandment of all that is done in court.
(105) After this it goes much further, when it is to be brought into the spiritual court or regiment; there it happens that every man testifies falsely against his neighbor. For where there are pious preachers and Christians, they are judged by the world to be heretics, apostates, even rebellious and desperately wicked. For this, God's Word must be most shamefully and poisonously persecuted, blasphemed, punished with lies, perverted and falsely drawn and interpreted. But let this go its way; for it is the way of the blind world that it condemns and persecutes the truth and God's children, and yet considers no sin.
Third, as far as we are concerned together, this commandment forbids all sins of the tongue that may harm or offend one's neighbor. For "speaking false testimony" is nothing other than speaking with one's mouth. What one does with his mouth against his neighbor, God wants to have multiplied: be it false preachers with doctrine and blasphemy, false judges and witnesses with judgment, or otherwise outside of the court with lies and slander. Therefore, the unfortunate and shameful vice of after-talking or slandering, so that the devil rides us, is especially worth talking about. For it is a general pernicious plague that everyone prefers to hear evil rather than good spoken of his neighbor; and although we ourselves are so evil that we cannot bear anyone to repeat evil things to us, but would rather that all the world spoke good of him, yet we cannot hear anyone speak the best of others.
(107) Therefore we should remember to avoid this vice, that no one is commanded to publicly condemn and punish his neighbor, even if he sees him sinning; for he is commanded to judge and to punish. For there is a great difference between the two, judging sin and knowing sin. You may know it, but you shall not judge it. I can see and hear that my neighbor has sinned, but I have no command to repeat it to others. If then I go and judge and condemn, I fall into a sin greater than that. But if thou knowest, do nothing else, but make a grave of thine ears, and shut it, until thou be commanded to be a judge, and to punish ex officio.
(108) They are called after-readers, who do not stop at knowledge, but go on and take hold of the judgment, and when they know a little of another, they carry it into all corners, tickling and scratching themselves, so that they may stir up another's displeasure, like swine rolling in dung and rooting in it with their trunks. This is nothing else than God falling into his judgment and office, condemning and punishing with the harshest sentence. For no judge can punish more severely, nor go further, than to say: This man is a thief, a murderer, a traitor etc. Therefore, whoever dares to say such things about his neighbor goes as far as the emperor and all the authorities; for even if you do not wield the sword, you still use your poisonous tongue to disgrace and harm your neighbor.
For this reason God has ordained that no one should speak evil of another, even if he is guilty of it and he knows it; much less if he does not know it and has taken it from hearsay alone. But sayest thou, Shall I not tell it, if it be true? Answer: Why do you not bring it before the judges? Yes, I cannot testify to it publicly, then they might run over my mouth and reject it. Well, my dear, do you smell the fire? If you do not dare to stand and answer before proper persons, then keep your mouth shut. But if thou knowest, know it for thyself, not for another. For if you go on saying it, even if it is true, you will stand like a liar,
because you cannot make it true; do it like a villain: for no man shall be deprived of his honor and reputation, except it be first taken from him publicly.
(110) So false testimony is everything that cannot be proved as it should be. Therefore, what is not evident with sufficient proof, let no one make evident nor say for truth; and summa, what is secret, let it remain secret, or punish it secretly, as we shall hear. Therefore, if a useless mouth comes to you, which bears and slander another, speak to him plainly, so that he will be ashamed; then some will shut up, who otherwise bring a poor man into a cry, from which he can hardly come back; for honor and glory are soon taken, but not soon restored.
So you see that in short it is forbidden to speak evil of one's neighbor, with the exception of secular authorities, preachers, father and mother, so that this commandment may nevertheless be understood in such a way that evil does not go unpunished. Just as, according to the fifth commandment, no one is to harm anyone's body - but Master Hansen is excepted, who, because of his office, does no good to his neighbor, but only harm and evil, and does not sin against God's commandment, because God has ordained such an office for his own sake; for he has reserved for him the punishment of his own pleasure, as he decrees in the first commandment-: So also, although each one should neither judge nor condemn anyone for his own person, yet if those who are commanded to do so do not do so, they sin as surely as if he did it apart from the office of himself: for here necessity demands that evil be spoken of, that complaints be brought forward, that questions be asked, and that testimony be given. And it is no different from a physician who sometimes has to see and reach into secret places for the person he is to heal. Thus, authorities, father and mother, even brothers and sisters and other good friends are obliged to punish each other for evil where it is necessary and useful.
(112) Now this is the right way, if you keep the order according to the gospel, Matt. 18:15, where Christ says, "If your brother sins against you, go and punish him between you and him alone." There you have a
A delicious, fine teaching to govern the tongue well,' which is well to be remembered against the grievous abuse. Therefore, be careful that you do not soon bear your neighbor's grudge and repeat it, but secretly admonish him to improve himself. Likewise also, if another brings to your attention something that he or she has done, teach him to go and punish him himself if he has seen it; if not, to keep his mouth shut.
You may also learn this from the daily rule of the house. For this is what the master does in the house: when he sees that the servant is not doing what he should, he speaks to him himself. But if he were so foolish as to let the servant sit at home and go out into the street to complain to the neighbor, he would certainly have to hear: You fool, what do we care, why don't you tell him yourself? Behold, this would be rightly done in a brotherly way, that the wicked should be counselled, and thy neighbor remain in honor. As Christ also says there, Matth. 18, 15: "If he hears you, you have won your brother"; then you have done a great and excellent work. For do you think it is a small thing to win a brother? Let all the monks and holy orders, with all their works, come forth molten in heaps, if they can muster the glory of having won a brother?
114 Christ further teaches, "But if he will not hear thee, take unto thee one or two more, that all things may stand upon the mouths of two or three witnesses. So that one deals with the one whom it concerns, and not behind his knowledge. But if this does not help, then bring it publicly before the congregation, whether before the secular or the ecclesiastical court. For here you are not alone, but have those witnesses with you by whom you can convict the culprit, on which the judge can base, judge and punish; so you can properly and rightly come to a remedy or correction of the evil. Otherwise, if a man carries another around with his mouth through all the corners and stirs up the filth, no one is corrected; and after that, if one is to stand and testify, one does not want to have said it. Therefore, it would be right for such mouths to atone for the tickle, so that others may be offended by it.
80 E. 21:83-86 I. The Ten Commandments. The eighth, ninth, and tenth commandments. W. X. S6-SS. 81
You have to do it. If you did it for the betterment of your neighbor or for the love of truth, you would not sneak secretly, nor shun the day and light.
115 Now all this is said of secret sins. But where the sin is quite public, that judges and every man know well, thou mayest shun him without all sin, and let him go, as he that hath put himself to shame, and also testify of him openly. For what is manifest in the day, there can be no after-talk, nor false judging, nor witnessing; but that we now punish the pope with his doctrine, which is openly declared in books, and cried out in all the world. For where sin is public, public punishment should also follow, so that everyone may beware of it.
So now we have the sum and common sense of this commandment, that no one should be harmful to his neighbor, both friend and foe, with his tongue, nor speak evil of him, God grant, whether true or false, if it is not done by command or for correction; but to use his tongue and let it serve, to speak the best of everyone, to cover up his neighbor's sin and infirmity, to excuse it, and to embellish and adorn it with his honor. The cause should be mostly this, which Christ refers to in the Gospel, Matth. 7, 12, and with it all the commandments against the neighbor: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.
Nature also teaches this in our own bodies, as St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:22, 24: "The members of the body, which seem to us to be the weakest, are the most necessary, and those which seem to us to be the most dishonest, to them we give the most honor, and those which seem to us to be evil, to them we adorn the most. No one covers the face, eyes, nose and mouth, for they do not need it, as even the most honest members of ourselves have it; but the most fragile, of which we are ashamed, are covered with all diligence: hands, eyes, along with the whole body, must help to cover and veil them. In the same way, we should all adorn among ourselves what is dishonest and infirm in our neighbor and, with everything we can, in his honor.
serve, help and support, and in turn ward off what may bring him dishonor. And it is a particularly fine, noble virtue who can interpret everything he hears from his neighbor - if it is not openly evil - and interpret it in the best possible way, or who can hold it against the poisonous mouths, which, wherever they can find out and catch something, take pains to reproach his neighbor, and to make the worst of it and to pervert it, as is now happening primarily to the dear Word of God and its preachers.
For this reason, many good works are written in this commandment, which are most pleasing to God and bring unnecessary good and blessing, if only the blind world and false saints would recognize them. For there is nothing in the whole human being that can do more and more good and harm in spiritual and worldly matters than the tongue, which is the smallest and weakest member.
The ninth and tenth commandments.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall not covet his wife, servant, maid, cattle, or what is his. (Ex. 20, 17. Deut. 5, 21.)
(119) These two commandments are almost especially given to the Jews, though they still apply to us in part. For they do not interpret them from unchastity nor theft, because enough of these is forbidden above; they also thought that they would have done all of these if they had outwardly done the works or not done them. Therefore God added these two, that it should also be considered sinful and forbidden to covet one's neighbor's wife or property, and to stand after them in any way: And especially because in the Jewish regime servants and maids were not, as now, free to serve for wages as long as they pleased, but were the master's own with body and all they had, as well as cattle and other goods; and every man had power over his wife to put her away publicly by a bill of divorcement, and to take another. So they were in danger among themselves, if anyone liked another man's wife.
If he had any cause to put away both his wife from him and to alienate his wife from the other, that he might bring her to himself with good grace. This was neither a sin nor a disgrace with them, any more than it is now with the servants, when a householder gives his servant or maidservant leave (dismissal), or one otherwise wrests it from the other.
120 Therefore, I say, they have interpreted these commandments in this way, as is also right, although it also goes a little further and higher, that no one should take another's property, such as wife, servants, house and farm, fields, meadows, livestock, even with a good appearance and a makeshift, but to the detriment of the neighbor. For in the seventh commandment, vice is forbidden, in that one seizes another's property or withholds it from his neighbor, for which he has no right; here, however, it is also forbidden to take anything from one's neighbor, even though one may do so with honor in the eyes of the world, so that no one may reproach or blame you, as if you had taken it unjustly.
For nature is so skilful that no one gives so much to another as to himself, and each brings to himself as much as he can, and another stays where he can. And in addition they want to be pious, can adorn themselves in the finest way and hide their mischievousness, search for and write such nimble little finds and quick grasps as are now daily thought of in the best way, as drawn from the rights, may boldly refer to them and defy them, and do not want to have such called mischievousness, but modesty and prudence. This is also aided by lawyers and jurists who guide the law and stretch it as it wants to help the matter, tweaking the words and taking them as an aid, regardless of equity and the neighbor's need. And summa, whoever is the most skillful and decisive in such matters, the law helps him best; as they also say: Vigilantibus jura subvenimunt (The laws come to the aid of the prudent).
(122) Therefore, this last commandment is not given to the wicked before the world, but to the most pious, who want to be praised, to be called honest and upright people, who do not violate the previous commandments.
The Jews in particular wanted to be like them, and even greater nobles, lords and princes. For the rest of the common people belong still far below the seventh commandment, as they ask not much how they may gain their own with honor and right.
This is what happens most often in dealings that are based on law, by which one intends to gain something from one's neighbor and to push him away from his own. For example, if a dispute arises over a large inheritance, or over inherited property, then one brings in and takes to help what wants to have a semblance of a right, decorates it so that the right must fall to it, and keeps the property with such a title that no one has any complaint or claim to it. Item, if someone likes a. If someone would like to have a castle, a city, a county, or something else large, and does as much finance as he can through friendship and with what he can, that it be taken from another and granted to him, he confirms with letters and seals that it is won with princely title and honestly.
(124) The same is true in common sales transactions, where one man takes something from another's hand so that the latter has to look for it, or rushes and presses him, in which he sees his advantage and enjoyment, which the latter may not be able to keep or redeem without harm because of necessity or guilt, so that he may have found half or more of it; and it must nevertheless not have been taken or stolen unjustly, but bought honestly. There it is said: "the first the best"; and: "every man look to his entrenchment, another have what he can". And who would be so clever as to think up how much one can get for oneself with such a pretty pretense, which the world considers no wrong, and does not want to see that with it the neighbor is deprived and must leave what he cannot do without harm; yet there is no one who would have done such a thing to him, by which it can well be felt that such a makeshift and pretense is false.
(125) And so it was with the women of old, that when a woman pleased another, they could make such a bundle for themselves or for others, as some do.
The law is a law that was strong in the law, as we read in the gospel of King Herod, who set his own brother's wife free while he was still alive. Such a thing undoubtedly reigned strong in the law; as one also reads in the Gospel of King Herod, that he freed his own brother's wife while he was still alive, Matth. 14, 3. 4, who nevertheless wanted to be an honorable, pious man, as St. Marcus also testifies to him. But such an example, I hope, will not take place in our country, because in the New Testament it is forbidden for married couples to divorce each other; unless in such a case one of them raptured the other's rich bride with agility. But it is not uncommon in our country for one to steal and alienate his servant or maid from the other, or otherwise to force him away with good words.
(126) Now let all this be done as it may, but let us know that God does not want you to deprive your neighbor of something that belongs to him, to deprive him of it, and to fill your avarice, even though you may keep it with honor in the eyes of the world. For it is a secret, wicked mischievousness, and, as they say, it is played under a little hat, that it should not be known. For though you go as if you have wronged no one, yet you are too close to your neighbor; and if it is not called stealing or cheating, it is called coveting your neighbor's good, that is, standing by it and turning it away from him without his will, and not wanting to give him what God has given him. And even if the judge and everyone must let you have it, God will not let you have it, for he knows the heart of the wicked and the deceitfulness of the world, which, if you give it a finger's breadth, it will take a cubit's length to it, so that injustice and violence will also follow in public.
127 Let us therefore leave these commandments in the common mind, that first of all it is commanded that one should not desire harm from his neighbor, nor help nor give cause for it, but grant him and let him have what he has, and promote and receive what may be of use and service to him, as we have wished to do to ourselves; so that it is especially against envy and grievous avarice that it is commanded.
that God removes the cause and root from the way, from which everything arises, by which one harms the neighbor. That is why he clearly states it with the words: You shall not covet etc. For he primarily wants the heart to be pure, although we cannot achieve this as long as we live here, so that this remains a commandment, like all the others, which accuses us without interruption and shows how pious we are before God.
Decision of the ten commandments.
(128) Thus we have the Ten Commandments, a document of divine teaching, what we should do so that our whole life may please God, and the right fountain and tube, from and in which all good works must spring and go; so that apart from the Ten Commandments, no work nor being can be good and pleasing to God, however great and delicious it may be in the sight of the world. Let us now see what our great saints can boast of their spiritual orders and great, heavy works, which they have conceived and raised up, and let these go; just as if these were much too small or had already been accomplished long ago. I think that one should have one's hands full here, that one should keep these: meekness, patience and love against enemies, chastity, benevolence etc. and what such things entail. But such works are not valid and do not appear before the eyes of the world, because they are not strange and pompous, attached to a special time, place, manner and gift; but common, daily household works, which one neighbor can do against another, therefore they have no reputation.
But they open their eyes and ears, and help themselves with great pomp, expense and splendid buildings, and decorate them so that everything shines and glows. There they burn incense, there they sing and sound, there they light candles and lights, so that no one can hear or see anything else before them, except that a priest is standing in a golden chapel, or a layman is standing in a golden chapel.
*) A garment worn by priests at Mass (or also at Corpus Christi processions) over all other garments. It used to enclose the body like an enclosure, hence the name casula (little house).
is on her knees all day in church; that is a delicious work that no one can praise enough. But that a poor maiden of a young child waits and faithfully does what she is commanded, that must mean nothing. Otherwise, what should monks and nuns be looking for in their monasteries?
130. But behold, is it not a cursed presumption of the desperate saints, who presume to invent a higher and better life and estate than the ten commandments teach, pretending, as they say, that it is a bad life for the common man, but theirs is for the saints and the perfect; and do not see the miserable, blind people, that no man can bring it so far, that he keeps one of the ten commandments, as it is to be kept; but still both, faith and the Lord's Prayer, must come to help, as we shall hear, by seeking and asking and receiving such without ceasing. Therefore their boasting is just as much as if I boasted and said: I have not a penny to pay, but ten guilders I dare to pay.
This is what I am saying and doing, so that one may get rid of the grievous abuse that is so deeply rooted and still clings to everyone, and get into the habit in all classes on earth of only looking at this and worrying about it. For it will be a long time before any doctrine or status equal to the Ten Commandments can be raised, because they are so high that no one can attain them by human power, and whoever attains them is a heavenly, angelic person, far above all the holiness of the world. Only take them up and try hard, put all your strength and power into them, and you will gain so much that you will neither seek nor respect any other works or holiness. That is enough of the first part, the common Christian doctrine, as much as is necessary to teach and admonish both; but we must conclude by repeating the text that belongs to it, which we also dealt with above in the first commandment, so that one may learn what God intended, that one may well learn to practice the ten commandments.
I, the Lord your God, am a zealous God who brings sin upon those who hate me.
I will punish the children of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. But to those who love me and keep my commandments, I will do good to a thousand generations. (Ex. 20, 5. 6. Deut. 5, 9. 10.)
132 This addition, although it is added first to the first commandment, as we have heard above, is made for the sake of all the commandments, as they are all drawn here and should be directed to it. For this reason I have said that these things should also be held up and impressed upon the young, that they may learn and keep them, that they may see what urges and compels us to keep these ten commandments, and that they should not look upon it otherwise than as if this piece were set apart for each one, so that it should go into and through them all.
133. Now, as said before, these words contain both a wrathful threat and a friendly promise to frighten and warn us, to entice and provoke us, so that we may accept his word as a divine earnestness and respect it greatly, because he himself expresses (expressly says) how great he is concerned about it and how hard he wants to keep it, namely that he wants to punish horribly and terribly all those who despise and transgress his commandments; And again, how abundantly he will reward, do good and give all good things to those who esteem them great and gladly do and live by them. So that he will require that they all walk from such a heart that fears God alone and has him before its eyes, and out of such fear refrains from everything that is against his will, so that it does not anger him; and on the other hand also trusts in him alone and does to him for love what he wants, because he lets himself be heard so kindly as a father and offers us all grace and good.
This is also the opinion and correct interpretation of the first and most noble commandment, from which all others are to spring and proceed; so that this commandment, "Thou shalt not have other gods," does not mean anything else in the most simple way, except as much as is required here: You shall fear, love and trust me as your only true God. For where such a heart is against God, this and all others have been fulfilled: again, whoever fears and loves anything else in heaven and on earth, he shall neither
nor do they keep any of these. So the whole Scripture has preached and practiced this commandment everywhere, focusing everything on the two things, the fear of God and trust, and especially the prophet David in the Psalter through and through, when he says, Ps. 147, 11: "The Lord is pleased with those who fear him and wait for his goodness," as if the whole commandment were deleted with one verse, and just as much said: The Lord is pleased with those who have no other gods.
135 So then the first commandment shall shine and give its brightness to all the others. Therefore you must also let this piece go through all the commandments, as the bowl or bow (hoop) in the wreath, which joins the end and the beginning together and keeps them all together, so that it is always repeated and not forgotten, as in the other commandment, that one fears God and does not take His name in vain for cursing, lying, deceiving and other deception or fraud; but to use rightly and well calling, praying, praising and thanking, out of love and trust, according to the first commandment; likewise such fear, love and trust shall drive and compel that one not despise his word, but learn it, hear it gladly, keep it holy and honor it.
136. After this, by the following commandments against one's neighbor, so also: all by virtue of the first commandment, that one honor father and mother, lords and all authorities, be subject and obedient, not for their sake, but for God's; for you must neither look upon nor fear father or mother, nor do or leave them to love. But see what God will have of thee, and will confidently require; if thou neglect it, thou shalt have an angry judge, or again a merciful father. Item, that you do no harm, damage, or violence to your neighbor, nor are you too close to him in any way, whether it concerns his body, spouse, property, honor, or right, as is commanded in turn, even if you have room and cause for it and no man punishes you for it; but do good to everyone, help and promote as you can, only for God's love and favor, trusting that he will give you everything abundantly.
will reimburse. So you see how and where the first commandment is the head and fountain, which goes through all the others, and again, all withdraw and hang in this, that end and beginning are all tied and bound together.
This, I say, is useful and necessary to always hold up to the young people, to admonish and remind them, so that they will not be raised only with beatings and coercion, like cattle, but in the fear and honor of God. For where one considers this and takes it to heart, that it is not the commandments of man, but of the high Majesty, who keeps them with such earnestness, who wraths and punishes those who despise them, and in turn, so effusively repays those who keep them: there it will provoke and drive itself to gladly do God's will.
Therefore, it is not for nothing that the Old Testament commanded that the Ten Commandments be written on every wall and corner, even on the garments, Deut. 6:7, 8; not that they be left written and displayed alone, as the Jews did, Matt. 23:5.But to have it before our eyes and in constant remembrance without ceasing, to do it in all our doings and beings, and let each one make it his daily practice in all kinds of cases, business and dealings, as if it were written in every place where he looked, even where he walked or stood; so that both at home in his house and toward his neighbors there would be cause enough to do the ten commandments, that no one should walk far by them.
(139) From this we see once again how highly these ten commandments are to be exalted and praised above all ranks, commandments and works that are otherwise taught and practiced. For here we can defy and say: Let all wise men and saints appear, if they can produce a work, as these commandments, so God demands with such earnestness and commands with his highest wrath and punishment, in addition so glorious promise puts that he wants to shower us with all goods and blessings. Therefore, they should be taught above all others and held dear as the highest treasure given by God.