127 D. Matt. Luther's teaching of the saints to the church at Erfurt. *)
July 10, 1522.
Martinus Luther, Ecclesiastes at Wittenberg, all Christians at Erfurt, together with the preachers and servants, grace and peace in Christ our Lord.
1. Praise and glory be to God, who, after the abysmal riches of his mercy, is at this time again bringing forth his holy gospel of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we may come to the right knowledge of the Father of all mercy, which through him he has lavishly showered on us who believe, after the terrible darkness and error of the last Christ, in which we have all been drowned until now, and have rendered sour and grievous service to the God of this world with sins and all manner of ungodly conduct.
2 Therefore, when I have learned that the precious light of grace has also dawned upon you, dear brethren, I am glad, and I beseech the same Father of all mercies, who began this with you, to continue to give you together with us all fullness of wisdom and knowledge, that you may be assured in your hearts, and may know fully how the same Spirit who raised up our Lord also works in you with like power and might, in your faith, so that we also may be raised from the dead.
1) So the old issues. De bet: wants.
I give you the love to serve one another and to be of one mind in Christ our Lord, and that you do not fear the adversity, the fury of the fire tail, which still smokes a little, 2) and has now come to its end: May God the Father prevent his cunning from taking place against your pure faith, but strengthen you on both sides, so that your cross and suffering may become the blessed and firm hope of the future of our Savior Jesus Christ, whom we wait for daily, amen.
(3) It has also come before me, brethren, how quarrels and dissensions have sprung up among you from some of the preaching of
2) This is undoubtedly after Isa. 7, 4, where it is said of Rezin and Pekah: "Your heart is undaunted before these two smoking fires", spoken of the prince. In another place it is said of the impotently raging followers of the pope, Walch, old edition, vol. XXI, 39, § 7. From these two passages Dietz, in his Wörterbuche zu Luthers Schriften, has drawn the meaning of the word Brandschwanz as Widerwärtiger, Uiadolus; in any case erroneously, for the devil is not, as it is said here, "come to his end". Seidemann, in de Wette, Vol. VI, p. 630, Note 2, combines with our passage a similar-sounding expression in No. 157 of this volume, § 3: "a poor smoking fire," by which D. Mensing is meant. This is justified insofar as there, too, an impotently raging follower of the pope is referred to.
unnecessary things, namely, the ministry of the saints. But though the word of grace, as gold through fire, be tried through discord and all manner of evil, that its brightness and power may bring forth the more fruit, and be profitable to many, for the strength of the weak, and the correction of the strong: For this reason it is not to be feared that the foam over it will separate itself, and with its false glitter will annoy and deceive many; Nevertheless, we are to be careful and diligent that we always preach and praise God the Father with one mouth and mind, so that our hearts may be prepared and warned to always adhere to the One in need, whom Mary has chosen, and to turn away from the various questions and troubles that give Martha much to worry about without need. 10, 40. 42.].
4th Therefore I pray in Christ that your preachers will refrain from asking questions about the saints in heaven and about the dead, and turn the people away from there, so that there will be no end to the questions where you allow one, as St. Paul also teaches in 1 Tim. 1:4, and yet it is neither useful nor necessary for salvation. God did not want us to know how he treats the dead, for he who does not call on a saint, but only holds fast to the one mediator Jesus Christ, does not commit sin. Why then will ye turn from assurance and conscience, and strive with that which is neither need nor commandment?
(5) Do you think that you have too little to do, if you only wait for one thing, that you may teach and learn well as Christians? Beware, Satan has it in mind to stop you with the unnecessary and to hinder the necessary with it, and if he breaks in a hand's breadth to you, he will then introduce the whole body with sacks full of useless questions, as he has done so far in the high schools through philosophy. Therefore, be careful that you stay with the simple teaching of Christ, with the pure faith and right love, so that his cunning does not warp the simplicity of your mind, as he did to Eve [Gen. 3:4 ff].
6. but where you remain in this simplicity
and make sure that you do not wait for unnecessary things and questions, he will let go of himself and become tired of asking. Contemtus franget eum, observatio inflabit eum [Contempt will destroy him, attention will make him proud]. You have gained too much more than you have left, if you are allowed that there is no need to honor saints, but that it is abundant enough to cling to Christ alone. Whoever wants to continue to create unnecessarily, let him who creates get tired when he sees that his thing is not respected.
(7) Again, enough is allowed for others, that they may not be despised in their weakness. Let them call upon the names of the saints, if they will, so far that they may know and beware that they place their confidence and trust in no saint but Christ alone. For confidence is the highest honor due to God alone, as the One who is truth itself. We are sure that the saints are all in Christ, living or dead.
8. before him Abel lived more after death than in life; therefore, though there is no need to honor the saints, yet I take care not to condemn him who still honors them, if he does not put his trust in them; for whatever he does to them he does to Christ, and must also meet Christ when he meets their name; because they are in Christ, and Christ in them, and their name in Christ's name, and Christ's name in their name, wherever they are. Therefore spare the weak, and guide them carefully, that they may leave the unnecessary, and take hold of the one Christ as necessary. For we must finally leave the saints and ourselves, so that we know nothing but Christ, and everything else falls away, Moses and Elijah disappear, and neither Abraham nor Israel know us anymore [Deut. 32:6,1) Isa. 64:16].
1) De Wette also seems to have reprinted the Bible passages from Walch without having looked them up himself. Here the old Walch edition offers 5 Mos. 34, 5. which does not paht. 5 Mos. 34, 6. would be possible, but not as paht as the passage we have inserted. In the following 811 Walch, and him according to De Wette: 2 Cor. 10, 3. 4. while yet without doubt Eph. 6, 12. is the passage in question. The Erlangen edition has also here, as usual, reprinted the wrong Bible citations from Walch.
(9) Therefore, my brethren, press on to Christ alone, and punish superstition, and let the unnecessary remain unnecessary, and spare the weak. Henceforth Satan will raise many more such unnecessary things and questions, so that he may destroy the simple, necessary, simple knowledge of Christ, and he will be followed by the careless, imprudent spirits, and cause many sects, as is already the case in all places, alas! of misery. Therefore be wise, divide the paws, be simple in good, wise in evil. What is not necessary, let it go, so the foolish questions will leave you in peace.
(10) For what is it that ye go about to silence or overcome the stiff-necked sophists? Christ himself with all the apostles could not persuade his Jews. Do as Paul says [Titus 3:10, 11], "Avoid a stiff-necked man, when he is once and again admonished, and know that he is false." Teach plainly and give answer of your faith soothingly. He that followeth not, let him not follow; he that deceiveth, let him deceive; he that stinketh, let him stink further; he that sanctifieth, let him sanctify further. You are excused; God will judge it well; you cannot give anyone without his thanks.
(11) I also ask you, my dear brethren, to be careful that we do not stir up or give cause for sedition. There are many reckless people who think they can help the cause of the Gospel with the sword and the axe, and they want to have it well done when they revile or damage priests and monks. But they know not that our controversy is not against flesh and blood, but against the wickedness of the air [Eph. 6:12]. 1) Satan is a spirit, he has neither flesh nor legs, therefore nothing will be done to him with iron or with the fist. We must first cut off his heart by the word of truth; this is our sword and fist, which no one can resist.
1) At this point, the Jena edition has "2 Cor. 10." as a marginal gloss, and all Luther editions thereafter reprinted this sight unseen, just as it happened in the Tischreden Cap. 54, § 3, where Lauterbach's false Bible quotation: Hebr. 12. (instead of Hebr. 13.) runs through all editions. Cf. Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XXII, Introduction, p. 39, Col. 1.
Behemoth and cut him in two. Behold, wherewith I have smitten the pabstical and spiritual regiment, which before was terrible to all the world, when they sang unto it, Who can contend with the beast? For he had power to dispute and overcome even the saints" [Revelation 13:4, 7]. I have never yet lifted a finger against it, and Christ has slain it with the sword of his mouth [2 Thess. 2:8].
(12) There are some preachers who think they are not preachers unless they teach something more than Christ and above our preaching. These are the ambitious ecclesiastics, who leave our simplicity, and therefore, in peculiar wisdom, go about casting eyes upon them, saying, This is a preacher. Such should be sent to Athens, because they wanted to hear new things every day [Acts 17:21]. They seek their own glory and not Christ's, therefore their end will be disgrace [Phil. 3:19]. Beware of them, and stay with Paul, who wanted to know nothing but Jesus Christ crucified [1 Cor. 2:2].
(13) I also see to it that our guilt contributes much to all evil, that we preach much about how without God's grace we can do nothing, and yet want to start and create all kinds of things ourselves before we ask God with humble prayer to start and create them through His Spirit. So it is that we go to Egypt and see the work done by our own spirit, and do not ask his mouth beforehand.
(14) Therefore, my beloved, as we teach, so let us also do, that we may put all things in God's hands, and pray without ceasing that He may govern us, and counsel us, and help us, both in great and small things, and not allow us to do anything out of our own good sense and reason. For this will have no happiness, nor may it please God. But may our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you together with us in all the fullness of His knowledge, in honor of His Father and our Father, who is blessed for ever and ever, amen.
15 Greetings to Johann Lange, Georgium Forchheim, Johann Kulsamer, Antonium Musam, Egidium Mechlerium, Petrum Bamberger, and all yours. Greetings to you Philip and Jonas and all of ours. God's grace be with you all, Amen. Wittenberg, on the tenth day of the hay moon, Anno 1522.