Preface D. Martini Lutheri.
1 I would have liked to see long ago, and still would like to see, that a pious, learned man would have taken on the books of the saints' lives and stories, which are called legends, cleansing them of the uncertain, incompetent ones, because many fables and unrhymed dreams are mixed in, which are much more highly respected and held than the true, good legends. My idle nobles, the papists, could well do this, if they were worthy before God to do something in the holy church, which they almost boast of, and next to the holy scriptures, there is no more useful book for Christianity than the dear saints' legends, especially those that are pure and righteous, as one finds in them quite lovely how they believed God's word from the heart and confessed it with their mouths, praised it with their deeds and honored and confirmed it with their suffering and death.
2. all these things out of measure comfort and strengthen the weak believers, and make even more courageous and defiant those who are strong before, because where the Scriptures alone are read without exemplification, they are not to be believed.
and histories of the saints. Although the spirit does its work abundantly inwardly, it helps greatly when one sees or hears the examples of others by heart. Otherwise, a weak heart will always think: "Behold, you alone are the one who believes and confesses, does and suffers such things. Therefore, God Himself describes in the holy Scriptures, in addition to the teachings of the dear patriarchs and prophets, life, faith, confession and suffering, and St. Peter 1 Petr. 5, 9. also comforts the Christians with all holy examples and says: "Know that the same suffering happens to all your brothers in the world", and the Psalter of all Christians who are afflicted in spirit is a comforting example.
3 Thus I have let this confession of the fine, worthy man Lazari Spengler go forth, as he, like a true Christian, accepted God's Word with earnestness in his life, believed sincerely, did great and much with it in deed, and now in his departure and death has blessedly confessed and confirmed such faith, for comfort and strength to all weak Christians, who now have much trouble in the world.
*) Adversaries had accused Lazarus Spengler, syndic of the city of Nuremberg, that he was associated with various dangerous errors. Therefore he added his confession of faith to his will. Luther liked it so much that he published it in 1535 and added his preface. The title of the book is: "Bekendnis Lazari Spengler weiland Syndici Der Stadt Nurmberg. With preface. D. Mart. Luth. Wittemberg. m.xxxv." 4 quarto sheets. At the end: "Gedruckt zu Wittenberg durch Joseph Klug. N.V.XXXV." Selnecker had this confession reprinted in 1582 and also added a preface. In the collections, Luther's preface is found: in the Wittenberg (1559), vol. XII, p. 359; in the Jena (1568), vol. VI, p. 307; in the Altenburg, vol. VI, p. 468; in the Leipzig, vol. XXII, appendix, p. 114; and in the Erlangen, vol. 63, p. 329.
The people of the Holy Land suffered all kinds of suffering and persecution for the faith of Lazari.
They are almost crying out now, and because they no longer have any pious, learned people who want to fence and cry out for them, they set up loose boys and cry out confidently. But let them cry out, they still have a long time to cry out before they cry out again that which Luther has sighed out for them with God's grace; and this silent confession of the united man (as
The innocent blood of the others, which they shed so murderously and viciously, which also cries out mightily to heaven about such murderers and bloodhounds, shall alone cry out more before God than all their screamers with all their cries. And what can they do more than shouting? They do not teach, only they shout. So let them remain screamers, and still scream, our sighing shall over-scream them.