Completed in print in early December 1540.
This history, which Melanchthon had sent to Luther on Nov. 14 (see No. 2728), appeared at the beginning of December (see No. 2757) in a single edition under the title: "Confession of Faith, which Robertus Barns, Doctor of Holy Scripture (in German lands called D. Antonius), made at Lunden in England. Anno 1540, on the 30th day of the month of July, when he was led to the fire without judgment and right, innocent, ""interrogated fact, and burned. Germanized from the English language. With a preface by Luther. Wittenberg 1540." In the editions: in the Wittenberg (1553), vol. VI, p. 417; in the Altenburg, vol. VII, p. 422; in the Leipzig, vol. XXI, p. 367 and in Walch, vol. XXI, 186*. Only the preface in the Jena edition (1568), vol. VII, p. 391 and in the Erlangen, vol. 63, p. 396. We give the text according to the Wittenberg edition. - On Barnes, see St. Louis edition, vol. XIV, 370, note.
Preface Doct. Martini Luther.
This Doctor Robertus Barns, who, out of special humility, did not want to be called a doctor in our country, called himself Antonius, for he had reasons, because he had previously been imprisoned in England by the holy bishops, Saint Papists, and had been redeemed with great difficulty, - This doctor, I say, we know well, and it is a special joy for me to hear that our good pious table companion and housemate is so graciously called by God to shed his blood for the sake of his dear Son, and to become a holy martyr. Thanks, praise and glory be to your Father of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, who has let us see the time again, as in the beginning, in which his Christians have passed away before our eyes and from our eyes and from our sides to the torture, that is, to heaven, and become saints who have eaten and drunk with us (as the apostles say of Christ Act. 10, 1) 41) and have rejoiced in honor. Who would have believed it 20 years ago that Christ, our Lord, would be so close to us, eating, drinking, talking and living over tables and at home, through his dear martyrs and dear saints? How even a shameful, desolate
1) In the editions: "Act. 4".
It was and still is the wretched, flattened papacy that left us no saint on earth, except that he called himself the Holy of Holies and charged us with self-chosen saints, knowing full well that it would be just as true as if he called the devil the Holy of Holies. No more of this now.
Since this holy martyr, Saint Robert, heard at that time that his king (with leave) Heinz of Engeland was hostile to the pope, he came again to Engeland, with hope to plant the gospel in his fatherland, and finally brought it to pass. To speak briefly of it, Heinz of Engeland let him like it, as is his way, until he sent him out, also to us in Wittenberg, in the marriage matter, about which thirteen universities had judged (as they said), and all of them gave Heinzen the right that he should take his queen, Mrs. Katherin, Emperor Karel's wife, away from him, and take another one (which he had done long before).
But since we had acted for a long time, and our most gracious lord, the Elector of Saxony, had suffered a great deal, it turned out in the end that Heinze of England had not auditioned his message because he wanted to become a Protestant, but that we in Wittenberg should agree to his repudiation or marriage, and I became exceedingly unhappy that I, together with our theologians, had worked so many weeks with them in the matter of religion, and when we came to the end, they said: Their king would not suffer the four things, both the form of the sacrament, priestly marriage, the mass and monasticism to be abolished. Yes, I said, now we have been well tossed about for so long; they should have let us know that first. Your king takes the money from the pope and keeps his regiment, so Heinz is pope, and pope is Heinz in Engeland.
He himself, Doctor Robertus Barns, often said to me: Rex meus non curat religionem, sed est etc.. But he loved his king and fatherland so fiercely that he gladly bore all this and always thought of helping the country; and it is true that it would have to be a shameful rogue who did not want to be favorable to his fatherland and did not wish his prince every good, as not only the Scriptures but also all rights teach. Therefore he had always
Letters from the year 1540. No. 2743.
the word in the mouth: Rex meus, regem meum, as his confession indicates that he meant the regem meum until his death with all love and loyalty, which is nevertheless badly rewarded by the king. Hope deceived him, for he always hoped that his king would ultimately be good.
Among other things, we often discussed why the king should have the abominable title: Defensor fidei, et in terris caput supremum et immediatum post Christain ecclesiae AngIicanae. But there was an answer, which read so much: it volo, sic jubeo, sit pro ratione voluntas, that one also sees now more well that Junker Heinze wants to be God, and do what he desires.
But the reason why he was martyred is still hidden, because Heinze must be ashamed. But it is similar to what many honest people testify orally, namely that Doctor Barns (like Saint John the Baptist against Herod) spoke against Heinze, and did not want to consent to the blasphemous deed, that he rejected the Lady of Jülich and took another; for what Junker Heinz wants, that shall be an article of faith, both to life and death. For Doctor Barns himself told me here that Morus and the bishop of Rossen (Roffen) were also almost executed by Heinzen because they did not want to agree to Heinz's article, which he had written.
But we let Heinzen go to his Heinzen, with his Heinzen, where they belong. We should thank God, the Father of all mercy, that He can use such devils and devil larvae so masterfully for our and all Christians' salvation, and for the punishment of both you and all who do not want to know God, as He has always done through the great tyrants. (As St. Paul says Rom. 8, 28.) [To those who love God,] 1) everything that is, happens, is done and is suffered must come to good. And again, all that is done to the worst of those who persecute God's children, just as is now happening to our Heinzen murderer, who creates so much good by doing harm that I think that even if he were to go to paradise, his wickedness should nevertheless bring him all the
1) Inserted by us.
to hell that what he wanted did not happen. More and better about that another time. Let us praise and thank God: It is a blessed time of Christ's chosen saints, and an unhappy, sorrowful time of the devil, blasphemers and enemies, and shall become even worse, amen.
[Confession of Faith of D. Robert Barnes.]
Anno 1540, in the month of July, Robertus Barns, who for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ had been placed in the tower of Lunden in England, was taken to the place called Schmidfelde, where he was burned.
On the way, he spoke kindly to many people in both English and German, comforted and blessed them, and went to his torture with such great joy that he never changed his color.
When he had come to the fire, where he was to end his life with a blessed end, he began to confess his faith, in which he intended to die and suffer the great torture, and began to speak, as follows:
That he believes that there is an eternal, almighty, living God, who created heaven and earth and all that is in them for our benefit by his almighty wisdom and power.
That One God is, and three persons of the one divine being, of equal power and glory.
That Adam was created righteously pious, and that he and all of us became sinners through his fall, and thereby subjected to death, malediction, the devil and hell.
That God has taken care of the human race from the beginning out of pure mercy and has promised it salvation and blessedness.
That the Son of God became man for our salvation and blessedness, and that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, the virgin who gave birth and who remains forever.
That Mary, the virgin, conceived and gave birth to Jesus Christ without the knowledge and will of any man.
He also completely rejected the Anabaptist opinion that the Lord Christ did not receive flesh or blood from Mary, but confessed that he believed that Jesus Christ was truly God and man, who lived among us, yet without sin, in the world as another man, preaching and proclaiming the will of his Father.
2) Wittenberger: "in die Thüre"; Walch: "in den Thur".
Letters from the year 1540. No. 2743.
That he was finally condemned to death and suffered death on the cross.
That the Lord Jesus Christ by his death reconciled the human race to God the Father, and that by his precious blood, shed for our sins, he took away all our guilt and punishment; that all the merits of the Lord Christ are to our credit, and that in him we have done all that he has done for our righteousness and redemption.
He also said and confessed that there is nothing in this world by which we can be justified and saved, but only by the one suffering of Jesus Christ, the Lord, who alone can be sufficient and blameless before God. And testified that he would rely solely on the merit of Jesus Christ the Lord, not doubting that he would thereby, by God's grace and mercy, receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life.
But since he and his kind, who praise God's grace and the righteousness of faith, are said to reject good works, he called God to witness that, in addition to the doctrine of the forgiveness of sin, he had always taught that one must do good works and practice faith in them and thereby prove it.
When the blessed D. Barns confessed his faith, one of them asked him what he thought Our Lady was and what he said about her. He answered that she was a pure virgin who had conceived and given birth to Jesus Christ.
When he spoke, the judge, who was standing by the fire, ordered him to be silent and said, "Master Barns, speak no more. Then Barns answered and said, "Oh, my dear judge, hear me this time without anger; you will hear me no more. If I say anything that you do not want me to say, wave your hand at me and I will let it go.
Immediately another of the servants came up and said, "Barns, what do you say about baptism and the sacrament of the altar? He answered:
Of baptism I say that it is God's order, and is necessary for the salvation of souls, and called God to witness that he had never kept it with the Anabaptists, and was innocently declared to be an Anabaptist.
Of the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, he gave this answer: "I have always taught, and still say, that through the holy and sacrificial power of the order, command, and word of Christ, the true body of Christ is miraculously formed,
who was conceived and born of Mary the Virgin, if it is properly used according to the order of Christ. He called as a witness to these two pieces a man called Master Poppe, who was there and who had heard his teaching about them, since he had spoken and disputed against the Anabaptists. The same Poppe also testified to him at the fire there and said yes to it.
The servant came out again and asked what he thought of the saints. He answered:
Of the saints I say that all those are holy who believe the holy Scriptures and the promise of God, have kept the same truthfully, have followed the word of God, and in such faith have died to praise, honor, and glory of God, with greater and higher thanksgiving than my senses can comprehend and my tongue can utter. But whether they pray for us or not, we have no certain report from the Scriptures. If I had found it in the Scriptures, I would not have told you. There is no need to ask, argue or preach much about this, for there is nothing certain about it in Scripture. But this is certain and certain, that Jesus Christ died for us, ascended to heaven, sits at the right hand of God, and intercedes for us.
But when he saw that he was burdened with unnecessary questions and that the end was near, he turned to prayer and spoke these words:
O eternal, justifiable, blameless God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the divine Trinity, three Persons and One God, be merciful to me, a sinner, for the sake of Jesus Christ, your dear Son.
O eternal, living God, I poor sinner humbly beg you, be merciful to me, O Lord, do not judge me, for I cannot stand before you. If I had nothing else to preserve me to salvation but my own righteousness, I would have to go to the devil.
God has given me two commandments, neither of which I have fulfilled before God. One is that I should love God. The other is love, so that I may be obligated to my neighbor, of which two commandments I am obligated to keep and fulfill both the one and the other.
With this he went to the judges and those who were in the king's court and spoke to them:
I ask you to commend me to the Lord King, for whose welfare and long life I have prayed daily in the prison, and I also ask that God the Lord may preserve his life for a long time.
Letters from the year 1540. No. 2743.
I also ask that you tell him, first, that I, Barns, desire and ask of him by the name of Jesus Christ, that he maintain and continue the true Christian religion and the holy gospel as he began in his kingdom, and that he take diligent care that he not be drawn away from it by anyone's persuasion.
Secondly, that His Majesty may have respect for the holy matrimony and may make an understanding that henceforth no one may be permitted to leave or cast out his wife without just cause and sufficient fault contrary to God's commandment; since at the present time some presume to leave their wives, either because they are enraged by them or because they otherwise have a displeasure with them, for Christ says: "What God has joined together, let not man put asunder."
That also the marriage state would like to be freely admitted to those to whom God and His Word permits and releases it.
Thirdly, tell him that I request from his royal majesty in the name of Jesus Christ that he will see to it that the damned swearing is forbidden and punished, for I have neither seen nor heard such swearing as is practiced in England all my life. Therefore I ask, Your Royal Majesty, to issue a decree. Therefore I ask your majesty to see to it, for God Almighty will punish it. And he addressed one of them and said: "Master Popp, I ask you to greet Master Erhard and to tell him that I, by the name of God, request of him that he cease his great swearing, or God will punish him and all the others.
Fourthly, tell him: "After the Lord Christ and we poor, miserable, despised people, among whom I am one, have led him to the knowledge of the truth through our preaching, by which he has learned to recognize, reject and destroy the papal and monastic superstition and hypocrisy, and thus have made him from half a king to a whole, because he came to it through our preaching, to which neither he nor his father had never come. And he has received no small benefit, nor any common wealth from the devastation of the abbeys and other spiritual goods, but he has neglected to do anything that God has commanded him to do with these goods.
When the blessed Doctor Barns continued to talk about this, he was told to be silent, but he said: "I do not want to say anything bad, but I ask that His Majesty would like to help the poor, needy people. Maj. would like to help the poor, needy people.
Do not forget to help them with the spiritual goods and jewels they have received.
May Jesus Christ keep his graces and let him live long, even the young prince, his son. May the Lord Christ graciously preserve him, and grant that he may live long after his father, and give grace that he may complete in religion the thing which his father began, amen.
When he had finished this speech, he began to speak to the judge and addressed him thus: Judge! Let me see the articles you have against me; let me hear them, that I may know the cause of my death.
To this the judge answered: We in the court have no articles against you. To this said D. Antonius: Since you have no articles against me, then I can well think that I am condemned by the previous Acta and Sentention of the Parliament. And then he said: I am ready and willing to die. Lord Jesus, have mercy on me.
He asked the people to pray for him while he was still alive, and no longer, because it would be too late.
And said unto the judge, Judge, pray for me. As the saints pray for us, so will I pray for you.
If I have ever offended anyone in my sermons or otherwise, I pray that they will forgive me.
Again, if anyone interpreted my sermon differently from what I said and meant, I forgive him.
If there is anyone who has heard my sermon and has doubts about it, let him come forward and I will tell him what I think and what I believe.
But because no one brought anything forward, he continued, "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me and on all those who have condemned me unknowingly; I beseech you, my God, do not count it a sin to them.
I also pray to you, my God, that you will make known their sin to those who have condemned me out of wickedness, that you will forgive them, and that you will grant them grace so that they may know the truth and what they have done and amend their ways.
I also ask you to greet Stephen, the Bishop of Winchester, whom I forgive everything in which he may have offended me, as completely as I want God to forgive my sin. I cannot forgive as completely as God forgives, but I forgive him as clearly and completely as one man can forgive another.
Then, blessedly completing his speech with life, he said, "O Lord, Heavenly Father,
into your holy hands I commend my spirit, O Lord, heavenly Father, into your holy hands I commend my spirit. And one, named Gerhard, who was burned with him, said to this: Amen.
The fire started with him, and in order to relieve himself of the torture, he gave himself to the fire with all his desire, and turned his face to the steam and fire, and suffocated in a short time.
No 2744.