End 1519.
First, since we have heard how the sacrament of the holy body of Christ is a sign of the communion of all saints, it is now necessary to know what the ban is, which is used by the power of the spiritual state in Christendom. For its primary, actual office and power is that it deprives a guilty Christian man and deprives him of the holy sacrament, therefore one cannot be understood without the other, because they are contrary to each other. For the word Communio in Latin means community, and this is what scholars call the Holy Sacrament. On the other hand, the little word excommunicatio means the disfellowshipping of the same communion, and this is what those who have turned away from it call the ban.
Secondly. Communion is of two kinds; just as in the sacrament there are two things, namely the sign and the signification, as is said in Sermon 1). The first communion is inward, spiritual, invisible in the heart, that is, when one is incorporated by right faith, hope, and love into the communion of Christ and all the saints, which signifies and is given in the sacrament; and this is the work and power of the sacrament. This communion can neither be given nor taken by any man, be he bishop, pope, even angels or all creatures; but only God Himself through His Holy Spirit must pour it into the heart of the man, who
1) This refers to the Sermon on the Sacrament of the Holy Body of Christ, No. 84 in this volume.
believe in the Sacrament, as it is said in the Sermon.
(3) Therefore no ban may reach or be here, but only the unbelief or sin of man himself, who may banish himself with it, and thus separate himself from fellowship, grace, life and blessedness. St. Paul proves this in Rom. 8, 35, 38, 39: "Who can separate us from the love of God? May it be fear or need? Hunger or poverty? Peril, persecution, or bloodshed?" No, no; "I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor angelic princes, nor angelic hosts, nor things present, nor things to come, nor things mighty on earth, nor things high, nor things low, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which we have in Christ our Lord." And St. Peter 1 Petr. 3, 13: "And what can be of any harm to you, if you diligently follow what is good?"
4. thirdly. The other communion is external, bodily, and visible; that is, when one is admitted to partake of the holy sacrament, and receives and partakes of it with others. A bishop or pope may separate a person from this communion and forbid him to partake of the sacrament because of his sin, and this is called excommunication. This ban was almost in use in former times, and is now called the small ban; for it extends 2) further, that one may also be baptized.
2) Jenaer: sterckt.
*This sermon appeared, as Walch states with certainty in his introduction to the 19th volume p. 82, in 1519 at Wittenberg under the title: "Ein Sermon von dem Bann D. Martin Luther Augustiner. In the old editions, likewise von Seckendorf, Hi8t. Imtü., Index III, year 1520, last note, and by Löscher, Ref.-Acta, vol. II, p. 376 it is assigned to the year 1520. It was delivered after the Sermon on the Sacrament of the Holy Body of Christ, to which Luther refers several times in this sermon, and thus was probably also published later. Since that sermon appeared at the beginning of December 1519, we will also have to place this sermon in December 1519, since the year 1519 is fixed. From the year 1520, many individual editions are available: one by Melchior Lotther in Leipzig; another by Valentin Schumann in Leipzig; another by Jörg Nadler in Augsburg; another by Adam Petri in Basel, and several without indication of place and printer. It is recorded in "Martini Luthers mancherlei Büchlein und Tractätlein," kc>1. IlOd to 120. In the "Gesammtausgabe": in the Wittenberg (1554), vol. VII, bl. 38d; in the Jena (1564), vol. I, bl. 282; in the Altenburger, vol. I, p. 474; in the Leipziger, vol. XVII, p. 450; and in the Erlanger, vol. 27, p. 50. We give the text according to the Jenaer, comparing the Wittenberger and Erlanger editions.
Burial, buying, selling, trading, walking and all kinds of community of people, finally also (as they say) water and fire, that is the great ban. Some do not have enough of this, but over all this they need worldly power against the exiles, to conquer them by sword, fire and war; but these are more new falsities than the thorough opinion of the Scriptures. For to act with a worldly sword belongs to the emperor, kings, princes and rulers of the world, and nothing at all to the spiritual state, whose sword should not be iron but spiritual, which is the word and commandment of God, as St. Paul says Eph. 6, 17.
The fourth. This outward ban, small and great, is what Christ instituted Matth. 18, 15. 16. 17: "If your brother sins against you, punish him between you and him alone. If he hears you, you will have won your brother. If he does not hear you, take one or two more to yourself, so that every word or transaction may be confirmed by the words of two or three witnesses. If he does not hear them, tell the whole community, the church. If he does not hear the church, consider him a pagan and a publican." Item, St. Paul 1 Cor. 5, 11: "If any of you be unchaste, or covetous, or worshiping idols, or swearing, or drunkards, or robbers, ye shall have nothing in common with him, neither shall ye eat with him." Item 2 Thess. 3:14: "If any man be not subject unto our doctrine in this scripture, mark him, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be put to shame." Item 2 John v. 10: "If any man come to you, and bring not this doctrine with him, neither harbor him, nor greet him: and whosoever greeteth him is partaker of his evil works."
(6) From all these words we learn how the ban should be done. First, that we should not seek revenge nor our own benefit, as is now a shameful custom everywhere, but the betterment of our neighbor. Secondly, that the punishment should not extend to his death or destruction. For St. Paul does not set the goal of the ban any further than correction, so that he will be disgraced if no one deals with him, and adds 2 Thess. 3:15: "You shall not consider him as
an enemy, but punish him as a brother." Now the angry tyrants deal with the people as if they wanted to cast them into hell, and yet they do not seek any improvement in them.
(7) Fifthly. It may often happen that a banished person is deprived of the holy sacrament, and also of burial, and yet is safe and blessed in the communion of Christ and all the saints, inwardly, as the sacrament indicates. Again, there are many who outwardly freely partake of the sacrament without being banned, and yet inwardly are completely alienated and banned from the fellowship of Christ, even though they are greeted with golden cloths under the high altar with all the pomp, bells and singing. Therefore, no one is to be judged as being under ban or outside it, especially if he is not banished for heresy or sin to reform himself. For to banish for the sake of money or any other thing is a new discovery, of which the apostles and Christ knew nothing.
8. sixth. Banishment is not, as some think, giving a soul to the devil and depriving it of the intercession and all the good works of Christianity. For where true faith and love of God remain in the heart, there also remains true communion of all goods and intercession of Christianity with all the fruits of the sacrament. Since the ban is nothing else, nor can it become anything else, but a deprivation of the outward sacrament or walk with the people. Just as if I were put in prison, I would be deprived of the outward company of good friends, but not deprived of their favor and friendship. Therefore, he who is banished must be deprived of the common sacraments and ways of men, but is not for that reason deprived of their love, intercession, and good works.
9 The seventh. It is true that where the ban is justly and deservedly pronounced, it is a sign, admonition and punishment, by which the banished person shall know that he himself, through iniquity and sin, has given up his soul to the devil, depriving himself of the fellowship of all the saints with Christ. For such unmistakable damage of sin wants to
the mother, the 1) holy church, denounce her dear son through the punishment of the ban, and thus bring him back from the devil to God. Just as if a natural bodily mother would warn and punish her son where he does evil, she does not give him to the executioner or wolf, nor does she turn him into a boy, but rather fends him off and shows him with the same punishment how he might come to the executioner, and keeps him with his father's inheritance. So if an ecclesiastical authority puts someone under ban, it should remember this: Behold, thou hast done this and that, that thou mightest give thy soul to the devil, earn God's wrath, deprive thyself of all Christian fellowship, and fall down before God in inward, spiritual matters, and wilt not cease nor come again; well then, I will put thee under ban also outwardly before men, and to thy shame I will deprive thee of the sacrament and fellowship of the people, so long [as] thou comest to thyself, and bring again thy poor soul.
10) Eighth. If any bishop, provost or official has a different opinion about excommunication, let him beware, he will banish himself forever, so that neither God nor the creature will help him. The ban is no more harmful and dangerous to anyone than to those who impose it, even though it is right and only imposed for the sake of iniquity, because they seldom or never have such an opinion, act without fear, and do not consider how perhaps they would be much more worthy of a hundred banishments before God. As the Gospel Matthew 18:24, 28 says of the servant who owed his master ten thousand pounds, and yet would not pay his journeyman a hundred pennies, where then will the poor wretched drivers remain who, for the sake of money, have caused such a mess with banishment, often with violence and injustice, that it is almost easier for the Turks and pagans to live than for the Christians? It is obvious that many of you are under ban before God, deprived of the fruit of the sacrament and inner spiritual fellowship, who do nothing more day and night than cite, tribute, banish and deprive other people of the outward sacrament.
1) Thus the Erlangen edition. In the Wittenberg and the Jena: of the holy churches.
ments, who are inwardly a thousand times higher before God, and live in the sacramental spiritual communion.
O miserable trade, O horrible food of such atrocious handling, I do not know yet whether such Publicusse and Officiale have been or want to become wolves, the work ever gives strong testimonies of them.
12. ninth. From this it follows that it is true that the ban, as much as there is in it, corrupts, condemns, or makes worse no one, but it seeks and finds a corrupt, damned soul to bring it back. For it is the nature and manner of all punishment to amend sin, but to banish is a louder punishment and a motherly punishment, therefore he makes no one worse or more sinful, but is ordered only to restore the inward spiritual communion if he is right, or to amend if he is wrong. St. Paul proves this and says, 2 Cor. 13, 10. 2): "That I deal with you by the authority which God has given me, not to corrupt but to amend." So 1 Cor. 5, 5. when he punished him who had taken his stepmother in marriage, he said, "I, with you, give him to the devil to kill bodily, that his soul may be preserved at the last day."
13. so he also said above 2 Thess. 3, 15.: "We should not regard the exiled as an enemy, but punish him as a brother, so that he may be put to shame and not be condemned." Yes, even Christ Himself after mankind has no power to separate a soul and give it to the devil, when He says Joh. 6, 37. 39.: "What comes to Me I will not reject." And, "This is the will of my Father who sent me, that I should not destroy or lose what he gives me." Item Luc. 9, 56.: "The Son of Man came not to destroy, but to redeem souls."
14 If Christ Himself and all the apostles have no other power than to help souls, and have left no other power in the church, why do the blind tyrants presume to boast that they have power over the souls of the people?
2) In the Erlanger, reprinted from the old Walch edition, there are three false Bible citations on the 57th page of the 27th volume alone. Cf. Walch, Saint Louis Edition, vol. XVIII, 885, note 2.
890 Eri. 27, 57-59. V. Luther's writings on the loosening and binding key. W. xix, iiok-iiv8. 891
How can we deny, condemn, and destroy those who deny them their own spiritual rights? Lib. 6, De Sen. exc. c. Cum medicinalis: "Since the ban is a medicine and not a killing, which alone punishes better, and does not root out corruptly, if the three is done, do not despise him. So every ecclesiastical judge should diligently take care 1) that he proves himself to be nothing else in exorcism, but that he improves and helps.
15 To the tenth. From this text it is clear that the ban, if it is not despised, is salutary and harmless, and not, as some stupid, pusillanimous consciences, frightened by some sacrilegious abuses, think, that it is corrupting to the soul, although in the time of the apostles it was powerful to give the body to the devil and to kill it, which still happens, where the judges do not exorcise out of outrageous violence, but out of humble faith and love to their neighbor for correction.
16 It further follows that the ban brings greater danger and terror to those who exercise it, where they are not careful to seek only the correction and salvation of the banished, according to the text. For the ban may be nothing else than a kind, motherly scourge, directed at the body and temporal goods, so that no one may be pushed to hell, but rather drawn out and forced from damnation to his blessedness, therefore we should not only suffer it without all impatience, but also receive it with joy and all honors.
17 But to the tyrants, who seek no more than their power, fear, and profit in it, it may not pass without terrible harm, for they pervert the ban and its work, and make a poison out of the medicine, and seek only how to make it frightening to fearful men, but they never think of correction, of which they will have to give a heavy account, woe to them!
Eighteenth, the eleventh. Now they have invented a proverb for themselves, which reads: "Our ban, whether right or wrong, is to be feared. They take comfort in this saying
1) Thus the Wittenberg. Jena and Erlangen: provided.
They are even free, puffing and blowing themselves up like vipers and may defy the heavens with them and threaten the whole world, and have torn down far and wide with such false fright, thinking that there is much more in the words than there is in them. Therefore let us strike them out, and offer a rebuttal to the same bubble, which rushes so horribly with its three peas.
(19) Well, it is true that one should fear the banishment and not despise it, whether it is right or wrong. But why do you assign this only to the ban, which is a motherly rod, and not to all other greater punishments and abominations? Or what great thing hast thou given to the ban, when thou givest it the fear, when we also ought to fear, when we are sick, poor, promised, despised, or when we are deprived of goods, interest, right, or denied? yea, even when the Turk and the enemy are incumbent upon us or challenge us? For in all these and other adversities, rightly or wrongly, we are to fear, suffer, forsake, and hold fast to all things, as if it were right for us, as the Lord teaches, Luc. 6:30: "Whosoever taketh from thee, demand it not again of him."
(20) Why are you not afraid, dear tyrant, when you are wronged, when your interest is denied, when goods are stolen, when justice is denied? And thinkest thou not to suffer it with fear, whether it be right or wrong? Do you think that others are commanded to suffer your violence with fear, whether it be right or wrong, and you are exempt from the same commandment, that you should not suffer violence or wrong with fear? You will find that you are also a man, and have the same commandment over you, that you may afflict others, and be puffed up with your foolishness.
Twenty-one, the twelfth. Now behold the perverse nature of the spiritual authorities, who therefore banish them and say that they should fear them and suffer them, whether they are right or wrong. But if they are wronged and wronged, they will not suffer it for a penny, but will take revenge and redeem themselves without fear and demand what is theirs. And so they draw from the commandment of God, in which they most of all have the most-
2) Wittenberger: much more. Erlanger: even after.
the example, should go. For if it is true that pope, bishops and whatsoever is of the state may resist without fear, injustice, harm, contempt in their own matters, it is also true that one may resist the ban, and drive out the ban as strongly as they do their cause. For there is no difference in the commandment of God, it affects everyone equally. But let God be foremost, let both suffer it with fear, be it banishment or whatever repugnance may happen, as the gospel teaches us.
22 Therefore, if anyone does you wrong and takes your interest, and you do not suffer it with fear, but want to scare him with a ban, especially if you do not seek his correction but your benefit or courage, you are already worse than he is. For thou wilt be out of fear, and draw him in, because thou hast no warrant, and he shall keep the gospel, which thou rendest, how wilt thou stand before God?
(23) Therefore when they say, Our ban is to be feared, whether it be right or wrong, we say against it, Yea, it is true. But it is also true that your unjust banishment is harmful to no one but you alone, in body and soul. And the right ban is more yearly to thee than to me, so thou shalt also suffer thy hurt with fear, whether it be right or wrong; and what thou blowest of the ban upon me, that will I blow upon thee of thy hurt. As if a wicked man were to take my skirt and say, "You shall suffer with fear and humility," I would say, "Not for the sake of your taking, which does me no harm, but for the sake of Christ's command. So I fear your banishment, not for the sake of 1) banishment, which no longer harms me, but for your own sake, but for the sake of Christ's command.
24 To the thirteenth. Although it is true that the ban is to be feared, whether it is right or wrong, the banner's position is always in greater danger than that of the banished. The banished man has no danger, for he only does not despise the ban, tolerate it, be it right or wrong. But the banner has, first, the peril of not suffering injustice with fear. Secondly,
1) Thus the Wittenbergers; Jenaers: ums.
that he avenges himself through the ban without any fear. Thirdly, that he does not seek simple-mindedness through the ban only for the correction of his neighbor's sin, which can be seen in the fact that he otherwise despises all and his own sin and only attacks those who harm him; and this is all contrary to the gospel. Thus it happens that nowadays in the cruelly perverse nature the banners pick up the spoon and trample the bowl, banish other people outwardly and condemn themselves inwardly, becoming so blinded to this that they boast that their outward banishment is to be feared, and in their inward condemnation rejoice freely, without all fear, like the possessed senseless people. 2)
(25) Therefore I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit did not devise the pompous word, "Our ban is to be feared, whether it be right or wrong. It is not fitting for a Christian, much less one of spiritual standing, to wrong others; how much less is it fitting to defy them and boast that their wrong is to be feared? It behooves me to say that your wrong is to be feared by me; it behooves you much more to care and fear that you do wrong to me, and, moreover, that I should suffer it with fear, for your wrong may harm me only temporally, but harm you eternally.
(26) Such a wicked and miserable time is now, that such fierce tyrants brazenly and publicly boast of their sin and eternal harm, which would be cruel to hear in the midst of the Turks and pagans, that they may only temporally defy and mock the sufferers to their misfortune; seeking not improvement, but only the fear and false fright of the people. Summa Summarum, the superior in all its works is always more dangerous than the inferior, and where the inferior should fear once, the superior must fear ten times. Therefore, the banners have no cause to defy the exiles or to clash with them, but rather to weep for themselves. For "God's judgment will not judge the small, but the mighty," as the wise man says, Wis. 6:7.
2) Thus the Wittenberg and the Jena edition. In the Erlangen: condemn themselves free without all fear, as the possessed, nonsensical people free.
894 Erl. 27, 63-64. V. Luther's Writings from the Loosening and Binding Key. W. XIX. 1111-1113. 895
27 The fourteenth. It would be better if Christians were taught to love the ban more than to fear it, just as we are taught by Christ to love punishment, chastisement, even death, and not to fear it. But the 1) talkers only attract fear in the ban, when they otherwise cheerfully bear all other punishments and teach accidents, so that they show their blindly condemned plea, that they intend to rule over the people of Christ by force and at the same time imprison the free Christian church in fear.
Therefore let us learn that 2) the most important thing to be observed in the ban is not to despise it or to bear it impatiently, and this for two reasons. The first is that the power of the ban is given by Christ to the Holy Mother, the Christian Church, that is, to the community of all Christians. Therefore we should honor and tolerate the dear mother, the church, and Christ in it. For what Christ and the church do, we should be pleased with, love and fear childishly.
The other is that the fruit and work 3) of the ban is also useful and beneficial, and never harmful, who tolerates it and does not despise it. That take a rough 4) If a mother punishes her beloved son, whether he deserves it or not, it is certain that she means no harm, and is a motherly, harmless, wholesome punishment, if the son tolerates it. But if he becomes impatient, does not let up, or does not do that for which he is punished, but rebels against his mother and despises her, see, there first of all his harm arises, there he falls foul of God's commandment, since he commanded Exodus 20:12: "You shall honor your father and mother," and makes for him even a small harmless, even meritorious punishment a cruel guilt and sin to eternal torment and punishment.
30 The fifteenth. So it happens in our time that some officials and their
1) Wittenberger: this.
2) Wittenberger: what.
3) d. i. Effect.
4) Thus the Wittenberg. Jenaer: gros.
5) So the Wittenberg and Jena. Erlanger: missing. In the preceding sermon this is expressed thus: "he becomes guilty of transgressing the commandment of God."
6) or are not safe in their bodies, which undoubtedly would not happen, or would happen less, if the people were not in the mistaken opinion that the ban was more harmful than useful to them, therefore they dare to practice such mischief, even in despair. Although this is an abomination, God's decree does justice to the tyrants, because they conceal the salvation and benefit of the ban from the people, and only abuse it to strengthen their power, without any request for correction. For although everyone is guilty of tolerating the ban, they are also guilty of not despising a poor, sinful or innocent person, as Christ says Matth. 18, 10: "Take care that you do not despise one of the least of these who believe in me, for I tell you, their angels see the face of my Father in heaven without ceasing.
31) Why do they wonder if sometimes they are beaten over the head by God's decree, for the sake of an unjust, violent ban, and their commandment is despised, because they act so insolently? 7) To act against God's commandment without ceasing, even though both are almost evil? But if the people were taught about the salutary, necessary power of the ban, and how it was not ordered and used to their detriment but for their good, then they would have less danger, more and quieter obedience, and even love, favor and honor from all the people and everyone.
32 The sixteenth. Therefore the people should be taught thus or in like manner: My dear people, do not let those who need and have the power of the ban accuse you, whether they are pious or wicked, whether they do you right or wrong; the power and the ban may do you no harm, but must always be beneficial to the soul, if you bear and suffer it otherwise rightly; their abuse does not hinder the virtue of the ban; or if it may not be suffered, try to get out of it with humility, not with revenge or repayment by word or deed. And in this do not have your eye on them, but on
6) Erlanger: Life.
7) Erlanger: dangerous.
the dear mother, the church; what do you care if she lays her rod and punishment on you through a pious or a wicked person? It is and remains nevertheless, your dearest mother's most salutary rod. It has been so from the beginning of the world and will remain so, that the spiritual and temporal authority is given more to the Pilates, Herods, Annens and Caiphs than to pious Peters, Pauls and their like. And as in all other ranks, so also in the authorities, there are always more wicked than pious. Nor is it to be expected or hoped for that a pious authority can be obtained; indeed, it must be by grace, or acquired by special prayer and merit, that a good regiment, authority or blessed custom of power can be had at all. For God punishes wicked subjects with wicked rulers, as he says Isa. 3, 4: "I will give them children as prelates, and their lords shall be childish men", will take from them all brave, wise, understanding, strong men 2c. Since it is God's punishment to have inept or wicked rulers, and there are so many of us among the multitude who deserve such punishment, we must not be surprised if the authorities do us violence and abuse their power over us; indeed, we must be surprised and thank God if they do us no violence and injustice.
33. to the seventeenth. Therefore, since the world is now, by the rest of the merit of its cruel sin, overloaded with young, incompetent, inexperienced rulers, mostly in the clergy, making this time of the year out of all proportion, we must act very wisely and see to it that we have authority and power in all honor, just as Christ honored Pilate, Herod, Anne, Caipha, and Caipha, and also the authority of the temporal princes, and not let ourselves be moved to despise such grave abuses and childish government of the prelates, so that we may not, for the sake of the unworthy persons who govern, at the same time despise the authority of the same, but cheerfully bear all that they interpret, or ever lay it aside with humility and reverence. 1)
1) discard - reject, if otherwise the reading is correct and it should not be "reject". In the ninth paragraph of the previous sermon it says äsolinsoaus.
For God does not like and does not want violence to be resisted in a vicious and thundering way, if it does not drive us to act against God or against his commandment; it acts against God for itself, as much as it likes, or harms us as much as it wants. He also wants to have those whom he himself judges and condemns, that is, the great and mighty tyrants, as well as those whom he helps, that is, the oppressed sufferers. Therefore, we should comply with his will and let the mighty fall to his sword and judgment, and in turn let ourselves be helped by him, as St. Paul Rom. 12:19 says: "O most beloved brethren, do not avenge or protect yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written [Deut. 32:35], Vengeance is mine alone, and I will repay each one."
(35) But the same prelates shall be told humbly, especially the preachers shall punish them, but only by the word of God, how they do against God, and what he would have them do, and pray for them diligently and earnestly against God. As Jeremiah wrote to the children of Israel in Babylon that they should pray diligently for the king of Babylon, his son and kingdom, who had taken them captive, disturbed them, strangled them and done them all harm. [Baruch 1:11, Jer. 29:7.]
(36) And this we could easily do, if we saw that the ban and all unrighteous violence may do us no harm to the soul, if we suffer them, and must always be useful, unless they are despised. They are also a thousand times more wicked in the sight of God than we, for which reason they are more to be pitied than to be despised. For the same reason it is commanded in the Law of Moses [Exodus 22:28] that no one shall speak evil of the rulers, that they are good or evil, though they give great cause. For in short, we must have evil or childish rulers; if the Turk does not, the Christians must.
(37) The world is far too wicked to be worthy of good and godly lords; it is too wicked to be worthy of good and godly lords.
2) Wittenberger: foolish. Erlanger: comforting.
898 Erl. 27, 66-W. V. Luther's Writings from the Loosening and Binding Key. W. XIX, 1116-1118. 899
must have princes who war, cherish and spill blood, and spiritual tyrants who suck and weigh them down with banns, letters and laws. This and other more punishments are their deserved reward, which resisting is nothing else than resisting God's punishment. But as humble as I am when God inflicts a disease on me, so humble should I be against evil authorities, which the same God also inflicts on me.
38. to the eighteenth. In the right and deserved banishment, we should pay more attention to doing or not doing what we are banished for, because the ban is always imposed for sin (which is much worse than the ban), although it is unfortunately also wrong, like all other things, that we only pay attention to how much the banishment hurts, and not why we are punished. Where do we now find those who fear to sin and anger God so much as they fear the ban? So it is that we fear the salutary punishments more than the atrocious sins; but the same must be tolerated and allowed to happen for the sake of our sensuality, which does not see the spiritual harm of sin as it feels the pain of punishment. Even though the fear of the ban has become too great because of the tyrannical urges and threats of the spiritual judges, who drive the people themselves more into the fear of punishment than of sin.
(39) But where the ban is unjust, we must beware lest we do, forbear, speak, or be silent, for which we are banished, unless it be without sin and harm to our neighbor, but rather bear the ban, and die humbly and freely therein, if it will not be otherwise. Nor should we be afraid if we do not receive the sacrament and are buried in the field.
40 Because truth and righteousness, since they belong to the inner spiritual community, and whoever forsakes them falls into God's ban, which is eternal, they should not be forsaken for the sake of outer community (which is immeasurably less) or ban. They shall also receive the sacrament and be buried in the churchyard a lot.
is less, because for their sake 1) truth and righteousness should remain. And that this be not strange unto any man, I say rather, that he also is not condemned that dieth in the right ban, unless he otherwise repent not of his sin, or despise the ban. For repentance and sorrow make all things evil; let him be dug up or cast into the water.
41. to the nineteenth. So the unrighteous banishment is much more delicious than the righteous banishment, or the outward fellowship. It is a noble great merit before God, and blessed is he who dies in unrighteous banishment. For the sake of truth, whether he is banished or not, God will crown him eternally. Here he has to sing with the 109th Psalm v. 28: "They have betrayed me, but you have given me." Only that we look on, and do not despise the violence, but humbly show our innocence; if that does not help, then we are free and excused before God. For if we are guilty according to Christ's commandment, Matth. 5, 25, of opposing our adversary, how much more should we oppose the Christian church's authority, 2) whether it comes upon us rightly or wrongly, through worthy or unworthy authorities!
(42) Just as a pious child, though undeservedly punished by its mother, is not harmed by unjust punishment; indeed, through such patience it becomes much more dear and pleasant to its mother: how much more will we become dear before God if we suffer undeserved punishment from evil authorities to our spiritual mother, the church! For she remains a mother while Christ remains, and does not turn into a stepmother for the sake of evil authorities.
(43) But let the prelates, bishops, and their officials restrain themselves, that they be not easily banished; for much banishing is no other than much giving of laws and commandments. To give many laws is to lay many ropes for the poor souls. And so by carelessly giving much ban-
1) Thus the Wittenbergers, Jenaers and Erlangers: their will.
2) Thus the Erlangen. The Wittenberg and Jena editions: zu willfahren.
3) Thus the Erlangen edition. The Wittenberg and the Jena editions: er.
The fact that they do not obey them does not cause more than much trouble and cause for sins, by which God is angered, even though the ban has been ordered to atone for him. And although we owe it to them to be obedient, they owe it much more to us to direct, change and order their commandment and authority according to our ability, need, improvement and blessedness. As it is said above by St. Paul, that authority is not given for destruction, but for correction [2 Cor. 13:10].
44. twentieth. The ban is not only to be pronounced on those who are unfaithful 1) but on all who sin publicly, as is shown above from St. Paul, 1 Cor. 5:11, which calls the swearers, usurers, unchaste, drunkards 2c. although in our times such sinners are left to sit quietly, especially if they are great merchants, and to the shame of this noble power they are banished only for monetary debts, sometimes so small that the letters and food affect far more than the principal debt. To decorate this, they have devised a new finding and say that they banish no one for guilt, but for disobedience, that he has not come to the citation, but if the guilt were not, they would well forget the disobedience, as one sees that they leave many others, even their own sin, unbanished. A poor man must become disobedient many times, if he is to lose time and food over so many miles, to the detriment of his craft. It is a loud tyranny, that one over field so far before court, summons.
45 And I praise the worldly rulers,
1) i.e. unruly.
who do not suffer such ban and abuse in their lands and people. What should rulers and councilors do, because they should not, any [rulers] in their city, community and subjects, act and judge such temporal things and guilt? The spiritual power should deal with God's word, with sins, with the devil, to bring the souls to God, to let the temporal good judge the worldly, as St. Paul writes 1 Cor. 6, 1. 2. 3. and indeed, as it stands 2) in our times, it would be sheer necessity that we banish the people into the church and not out of it.
46. twenty-first. If anyone is guilty or innocent of being under ban, no one shall drive him out of the church until the gospel has been read or the sermon has been preached. For from the gospel and the preaching no one shall be banished or banished; the word of God shall remain free for everyone to hear. Yes, those who are under the right ban should hear it most, whether they might be moved by it to recognize and improve themselves. Thus we read the old custom of the church, that they cast out the banished after the sermon, and where a whole congregation was in the ban, one should always let the sermon go on, as if outside the ban. For those who are in the ban, even if they are not allowed to remain at the proper mass after the sermon, nor to go to the sacrament, they should not stop there and go to the sacrament spiritually, that is, they should desire it heartily and believe that they will enjoy it spiritually, as is said in the sermon.
2) "it" is missing in the Wittenberg and Erlanger.