The first reason why the papacy was challenged and overthrown by the gospel.
2. what the church is.
3. God must preserve His Church Himself.
4. the poor bad shape of the church annoys the worldly wise.
5. equality of the right and wrong church.
6. comparison of the church among the Gentiles and Judm.
7. the church should be in the midst of the world among the people.
8. definition of the right essential church of God.
9. difference of the true and false church.
10. new reformation of the papist church, and how to reform the church.
Where and which is the right church.
The church sheds its blood.
13. how the Christian church is doing.
14. the shape of the church.
There are many troubled consciences in the Christian church.
16. the church fear.
17. the shape of the church.
18. the world and church reputation.
19. why the church on earth is in misery.
20. testimony of the faith of the church.
21. glory of the church among all hypocrites.
The fruit in the womb is an image and likeness of the church.
Another likeness and image of the church.
24. from the oil tree.
25. useless fame of the pope from the Roman church.
26. from the saying of Augustine: I did not believe the gospel 2c.
27. defiance of the papists stands on the name of the church.
28. the difference between Christ's kingdom and the world's kingdom.
29 The Church's Annoyance.
(30) In which the righteous church stands.
31 Of the Sophists' Deception.
The first cause why the papacy was challenged and overthrown by the
Gospel.
(Cordatus No. 1253. 1254.)
The papacy is intolerable, because the pope not only presumes to be the head of the whole church (which could be granted to him after all), but beyond that he has also presumed to have power over God's word, which he has not preached, nor will he ever preach, that is not to be suffered. And this reputation of his sticks so strongly in the hearts of the opponents that they are not willing to believe our
doctrine if it were approved by the pope. This has been openly confessed by H[archduke 1) G[eorg], therefore he will go to his God, to whom he has given glory.
Those who praise the prestige of the church over the word are like those who say: I would like to love the son, but I must first beat the mother to death; for they ascribe more to the generated church than to the begetting word. But thank God that we are not heretics, but only schismatics, and that through their fault.
2. what the church is.
(Cordatus No. 1415.)
The church is an assembly of the people who are 1) well versed in things not before their eyes. The wicked see nothing but defects [peccata] in it, but they do not find crimes [in it].
3. God must preserve His Church Himself.
We say to our Lord GOD: If he wants his church, let him keep it, for we cannot keep it: and if we could, we should become the proudest asses under heaven. That is, I say it and do it. For God alone speaks, does nothing according to the opinion of the wicked, as they think it good and right.
4. the poor bad shape of the church annoys the world's worshippers. 2)
(Lauterbach, Jan. 16, 1538, p. 12.)
Therefore, Jerome S[churf] and the sages are offended by the image of the church, which is subject to perverts and sects, because he believes that the church is the pure, holy, undefiled dove of God. True, the church has such a reputation before God, but before the world it is similar to its bridegroom Christ, Is. 53, chopped up, scratched, scorched, crucified, ridiculed. 3)
5. equality of the right and wrong church.
(Lauterbach, Jan. 16, 1538, p. 13.)
The figure of the church and of Christ is the sheep, the figure of the hypocrites the snake, the viper, the adder; we learn this from the very bitter hatred of religion, which is far stronger than all human and brotherly hatred, as we have learned from Oecolampad, Zwingli and Bucer. Cochläus wrote to me very calmly at the beginning and exhorted me to the gospel, later he became a viper.
1) Instead of pruäsns, which would refer to seelssia, it is probably better to read xrruäsntis, which gives a more appropriate sense.
2) This § follows Cap. 27, § 101.
3) This is immediately followed by the following H.
6. comparison of the church among the Gentiles and Jews.
(Lauterbach, April 30, 1538, p. 74.)
When he was asked whether the church of the Gentiles or that of the Jews had a greater reputation according to what is before his eyes, he answered: "The church of the Gentiles is nothing compared to that of the Jews. For what, Christ [alone] excepted, is equal in the whole New Testament to the first three chapters of Genesis, of the creation? It is truly a great majesty of creation; as we sing: Great Creator of the stars, Eternal Light of the faithful [Conditor alme siderum, Aeterna lux credentium] 2c. Behold the deliverance from Egypt, the Red Sea, the pillar of cloud, the manna. But all this became small with the Jews. Behold the glory of baptism, which was glorious in the beginning! Are we not so accustomed to baptism that we miss the glorious act of baptism and run after the smallest spectacle, a barrel-stealer 4)? Consider if someone admires the reading of the Psalter as much as the style of ^erence or Cicero? In short: By frequency everything becomes small. Thus a papist exclaimed in the beginning of the Gospel: Eh, how the world is transformed! Now one wants to preach the ten commandments. Who has ever heard it before?
7. the church should be in the midst of the world among the people. 5)
(Lauterbach, Aug. 31, 1538, p. 126.)
That is why God placed His Church in the midst of the world, in the most diverse businesses and professions, so that Christians would not become monks, but would live in common society and our works and practices of faith would be known among men. For human society, as Aristotle says, is not an end in itself, but a means, its ultimate end being to instruct one another about GOD. Therefore, Aristotle says: Not a physician and a physician, an agriculturist and an agriculturist 2c. form a commonwealth. There are three estates: the ar-
4) At the beer show. (Seidemann.)
5) This § follows Cap. 26, § 49.
the healing, the warring and the ruling; of these the state consists. Therefore Plato says: As cattle are not governed by cattle, and goats by goats, so men are not governed by men, but by heroes.
8. definition of the right essential church of God.
Doctor M. Luther pointed out the correct definition of the true, essential, Christian Church, against the Papists' boast, namely, as it is written in the third part of our Christian faith, where we say: A holy catholic, that is, general church, a communion of saints. It does not say Roman. This is a good learned dialecticus, who can take from what precedes, ex antecedenti, and conclude the consequent, as certainly follows from it; so that the art of dialectica does not stand in rules alone, but most of all in works and examples; as U. Philippus is, who acts both, word and thing, not like Aristotle: Omne A est B, omne B est C, ergo etc..
9. difference of the true and false church.
The true church is thus distinguished from the false church, namely: The true church teaches that sins are forgiven out of pure grace and mercy of God, free of charge, for the sake of Christ, without our merit and works, to those who recognize and confess their sin from the heart and firmly believe in Christ with the heart. But the false church ascribes all this to our merit and works, and calls it doubting.
That is why we are burdened in the church, with the church, asking for the church, said D. M. Luther. For there are three things that preserve the church, and actually belong to the church: First, to teach faithfully; second, to pray diligently; and third, to suffer earnestly.
19. new reformation of the church, and how to reform the church.
(Lauterbach, 4. Der. 1538, p. 186, and 12. Der. 1538, p. 191.)
On December 4, D. M. Luthern received from Phil. Melanchthon a written refor
The Pope had received a copy of the Papists' Declaration under Duke George, which they had written themselves, since they feared Duke George's harsh and strict reformation. Having recently read it, he said: "These people want to reform the church and govern it according to their thoughts and human wisdom, since such things are much too high for human suggestions and counsels. If our Lord God wanted to reform His Church, it was done in a divine, not human, way, as in the time of Joshua the judge, Samuel the apostle, and in our time.
I can see that the papists are afraid. They are more afraid of H[Archduke] George than of Luther: they have asked H[Archduke] George to be their godfather, and now they want to get rid of him. . For if his Reformation should have its way, the pope would have to leave his splendor, and the bishop of Mainz would have to ride only with four horses, and so on.
Then they talked about the reformation of the papists under Duke George, and Luther said: "I would like to see what kind of church they want to establish, whether after the example of the first church at the time of the apostles or the martyrs: they will have to read all the fathers. Or if they want to follow the church of the time of the heretics, they will also have to read a lot, otherwise they will become the most unfortunate imitators. Our church is, by God's grace, closest to the apostolic church, because we have the pure doctrine, the catechism, the sacraments, the right custom of the world and domestic regiment. If the Word of God remains pure and in force, which alone makes the Church, all is well. The papists, however, who want to establish the church according to their canons and decrees, make a unity of discordant things, and will draw water with a sieve, however they trust in the wisdom of reason.
Where and which is the right church.
In 39, Jan. 16, there was talk about how the papists boasted about the name and authority of the church. M. Luther: "Where God's Word is pure and taught, there is also the church, for the church is sustained by the Holy Spirit, not by ordained authority.
succession and inheritance. For it does not follow and conclude: Peter was a pious, Christian bishop at Rome, and at that time a Christian congregation, therefore the popes and the Roman church are also Christian. Otherwise, if this were to be concluded and applied, one would have to say: Caiphas, Annas, the Sadducees would also have been a Christian church, because they boasted that they came from Aaron.
On 18 Jan. of the same 39th year, the Abbot of Naumburg at St. Georgen, 1) a good singer and cheerful man, dined at night with D. M. Luther and said much about the united argument of the papists, about the church; then D. M. Luther spoke. M. Luther said: "One should not be surprised that there was discord and disunity among the Gentiles, since the same church was also a people gathered by God; for this is what happens when one lets go of God's word and looks at persons and external things.
It is true that it is said that the church cannot err; but of this is the dispute, which is the church. Duke George has always hoped that our church would fall; but because he now sees that it is growing and increasing every day, and his parishes are becoming desolate, the leaf would almost fall from his eyes. The bishops, however, are blind, do not take care of the church, and would rather that all parishes be devastated and abandoned than that the gospel be taught righteously and purely. The princes have to deal with other things, do not despise God as much as the bishops. Many of them are presumptuous and make themselves believe that they know and understand the gospel very well, that they are masters rather than disciples. That is why St. Paul speaks to the Corinthians, out of great compassion and pity, thus: If God wanted you to rule, oh how I would like to grant it to you 2c. It is truly a bitter jronia and a fierce sting against the despisers and presumptuous, satiable spirits.
The church sheds its blood.
(Cordatus No. 985.)
It is impossible for the church to grow, or even be sustained, without blood;
1) Thomas Hebenstreit. (Förstemann.)
because the devil, their adversary, is a liar against the truth and a murderer against those who believe the truth. It grieves me that I should carry my blood to the grave, especially since many monks who have been preachers have died shedding their blood.
13. the state of the christian church.
The Christian church will be no different than a lamb that the wolf has caught by the wool and wants to eat. Our nobility, burghers and peasants also do not listen, do not mean differently, when we preach the gospel and scold the monks with their works, we preach good days and allow them to do what they want.
Alas, it will go badly with them, they sin too much and do not listen to what we say; if we cast out one devil, seven will take their place. If we expelled all the monks, we would get seven times worse than the present ones.
But I thought it would be more beneficial for a country to let up on the chasing and destroying, and I allowed everyone to move out and stay whoever wanted to. I hope they will soon devastate themselves. But the lords and the nobility are looking for their own, so they will get it like the dog gets the grass. Everyone wants to become rich from the beggars of the monasteries; but they take care that their wealth does not become beggars!
14. the shape of the church.
Worldly men see that the church is shapeless and despised, poor and miserable; but other ungodly men are brought forth and exalted, judging it by reason, without God's word; so they go. Hence they despise the whole religion, and say that the article of the resurrection of the dead was only invented to frighten the mob, and to put and keep them in fear. The peasants seldom come to despise God and religion, they just do not think about it otherwise; but the wise and prudent take care of it, think about it, measure it and judge it according to reason. So
has Erasmus Rotterodam, and others, the most learned, understanding and wise people, the Epicurer in the bosom.
But we know by the grace of God that the holy Scriptures are confirmed and corroborated by miraculous signs, which no other teaching is able to do, except to raise the dead and cast out devils 2c. That is why our Lord God warns us so often to stay with the Holy Scriptures and His Word.
(Here a section of 45 lines is omitted because contained in Cap. 1, § 89.)
There are many troubled consciences in the Christian church.
(Contained in Cap. 7, § 119, para. 2 u. 3.)
16. the church fear.
The church's mourning and lying in childbearing will last for a long time, but her age and time will come when she will be redeemed and have a happy countenance. Joh. 16, 20. 21.
17. the shape of the church.
The shape and appearance of the church is ugly, sad and distressed, but in truth it triumphs and wins with Christ. St. Paul says in Eph. 2, 6: "He has seated us together with Christ in the heavenly realm. Just as a bride is a dominatrix and wife of her husband's goods, so a believer is lord of all his bridegroom's goods, for he is raised with Christ and seated in the heavenly realm. Therefore, it is not a hope when we defy the devil for God's goods and gifts, which Christ has acquired for us and he, the devil, has lost. God sees nothing evil in His church and congregation, for He only looks at Christ, His dear Son, whom He loves so much that He sees nothing evil in His bride before such love, for He "has cleansed her through the bath of water in the Word," Eph. 5:26.
Item: In the form of the church nothing less is seen than that it is said of her that she is the Lord Christ: therefore one must open the eyes of the heart and lift them above oneself, and not look according to the outward appearance and according to our mind and
We do not judge in our own minds, for we feel sin and the devil's terror; but we are to judge according to God's word and promise.
18. the world and church reputation.
The world's appearance and reputation is like a paradise, but the reputation of the true Christian and God's church is very ugly, shameful and annoying in the eyes of the world; yet it is precious, high and dear in the eyes of God. Aaron the high priest, in his robes and adornments, walked gloriously in the temple, smelling well; but Christ walked badly and despised. Therefore we are not to be deceived nor disputing what and how the world thinks and judges of the church. Why do I ask that the usurers, nobles, peasants, burghers, miserly people, and scoundrels despise me and consider me filthy? I will do the same in his time, at the last day, and will despise them again. Therefore, we should not let ourselves be deceived, nor should we worry about what the world thinks of us with its smarties. Virtus est placuisse bonis: Honor and virtue is to please the pious.
10. why the church on earth is in misery.
First, that we may be reminded and admonished that we are exiled and cast out from paradise because of Adam's fall. Secondly, that we remember the misery of the Son of God, who became man for our sake, took our flesh and blood, yet without all sin, walked on this miserable valley of tears, suffered for us, died, and rose again from death, and thus brought us back to our fatherland, from which we were driven. Third, that such misery may teach us and remind us that our citizenship is not in this world, but that we are only pilgrims here on earth, and that another life, namely eternal life, is still left to us.
20. testimony of the faith of the church.
(Cordatus No. 29.)
That there is a church is an article of faith that can be grasped with faith.
not with eyes. Moreover, God hides them in a miraculous way, sometimes through sins, sometimes through disputes and errors, sometimes through weakness, all kinds of impulses, the death of the pious and the multitude of the wicked 2c. He hides them so much that he also needed the disunity of the apostles for this, as can be seen in the dispute of Paul against Peter, also in the disunity of Marcus, Barnabas and Paul. And one must believe that all of Asia, a very famous country in many respects, fell away from Paul for no other reason than that the church was hidden, which was certainly in Asia, but in very few who were known to God [alone].
21. fame of the church among all hypocrites. (Lauterbach, Dec. 5, 1538, p. 187.)
The name and fame of the church is their [the hypocrites'] strongest argument. In Acts (6, 13.) they cry out against Stephen: "He has spoken against the people, against the holy place and the law." The title was used by Cain, Ishmael, Saul, the Turk and the Jews, but Moses resolves it in Deut. 32, (v. 21.): "They have provoked me against that which is not God; with their idolatry they have provoked me to anger. And I will provoke them again" 2c. Piece by piece you can leave me, so I can leave you again. For GOD and the people, Word and Church are two things that belong together [correlativa] So the papists are called bishops, but they are not. We are not called bishops and yet we are, according to Paul's explanation, Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 5. The pomp of the papists would still be bearable, but their idolatry is the most godless.
The fruit in the womb is an image and likeness of the church.
Just as the child in the womb is surrounded and wrapped with a thin skin, which the Greeks call the chorion, we Germans call it the afterbirth, and desires no more nourishment than its cotyledons, as it is called, from which the fruit has its sustenance, bring. The afterbirth also does not break, unless the fruit is early and ripe and comes into the world to light.
is brought. Thus the church is also locked into the Word and bound to it, and seeks no other teaching of the will of God than that which is revealed and indicated in the same Word, with which it is satisfied, on which it also remains and rests through faith. Until such time as in that life she sees God's light and face present, and hears God himself preach of the secret and now hidden things, which we have here in faith, but there in sight.
But that some are so careless and glorious that they break the afterburden by untimely movement (like the Anabaptists and other enthusiasts and red spirits who despise the preaching ministry and wait for new inspiration and movement from heaven), these must become untimely fruit and dead children, as abortus et immaturae massae. Therefore, the church should learn, when considering this likeness and image, that it is bound by the word given to it by God, from which it should not depart one finger or one bit.
Another likeness and image of the church.
Amaranthus grows in the month of August, and is more of a stem than a flower; it likes to be broken off, and grows finely, happily and merrily. And when all the flowers are gone, and this is sprinkled with water and made moist, then it becomes pretty again and equally green, so that one can make wreaths from it in winter. It is called amaranthus because it does not wither or wither.
I do not know if anything can be more like the church than Amaranthus, this flower, which we call Tausendschön. For even though the church has chosen her garment in the blood of the lamb, as it is written in the first book of Moses and in the Revelation of John, and is dyed with red, she is more beautiful than any state or assembly on earth. And she alone does the Son of God love as his dear bride, in whom alone he has his delight and joy: to her alone does his heart cling, rejecting and disgusting all others who despise or falsify the gospel. Moreover, the church also likes to be broken off and plucked up, that is, it is willingly and gladly obedient to God in the cross, is
It is patient in this, and grows again with joy, and increases; that is, it receives the greatest benefit and fruit from it, namely, that it learns to know God rightly, to call upon Him, to confess the doctrine freely, and brings forth many beautiful, glorious virtues. Finally, the body and the trunk remain whole and cannot be cut off, even though some of the members rage and rage and are torn off. For just as the amaranthus, the thousand-flower, does not wither or die, so the church can never be destroyed or cut off. But what is more wonderful than amaranthus? If it is sprinkled with water and laid in it, it becomes green and fresh again, as if raised from the dead.
So we shall have no doubt that the church, raised from the graves by God, will come forth alive again, and praise, extol and glorify the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Son, our Savior and Redeemer, together with the Holy Spirit, forever. For though other empires, kingdoms, principalities, and dominions have their changes, and soon, like little flowers, wither and fall away, yet this kingdom, which is so high and deeply rooted, cannot be destroyed nor laid waste by any power or force, but abides forever.
24. from the oil tree.
An oil tree can stand, last and bear fruit for two hundred years, and is a beautiful image of the church. For oil means the sweetness and kindness of the gospel; wine, the teaching of the law. There is such a natural unity and relationship between the vine and the oil tree that when the vine is grafted and planted on an oil tree, it bears both grapes and oil. So the church, planted in the people, sounds and teaches the gospel, and needs both teachings, and brings forth fruit from both.
25. useless fame of the pope from the Roman church.
I am surprised, said D. M. Luther, that the pope praises the Roman church as the most noble, since the one in Jerusalem is the mother, where the doctrine is first revealed and taught.
The church of Antioch was founded by Christ, the Son of God, Himself and His apostles. After that is the church at Antioch, from which the Christians get their name. Third, is the church at Alexandria. And fourth, the Roman, though before it were Galatians, Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians 2c. Churches.
Is it such a great thing that St. Peter was in Rome? Since Christ our Savior was in Jerusalem, since all the articles of our Christian faith were made, since St. James was ordained and became bishop, and since the pillars of the church had their seat.
It is [the Roman church] the last wrath of God, which boasts and boasts with vanity, and burdens and torments many consciences with lies.
26. from the saying Augustini: Evangelio non crederem etc..
This saying of St. Augustine, when he writes: I did not believe the gospel, the church confirmed it before by her authority 1) 2c., (said D. M. Luther) is never written of the opinion, how the papists dream and invent. For Augustine never intended to write that one should believe his and other writings more than the Gospel; but wants that one should believe only the Holy Scriptures and God's Word, and not judge them according to our understanding and reason, as about the doctrines of men; as he testifies in another place with these words, in Prologo lib. 3. de Trinitate: "Thou shalt not believe my writings to please thee, but the holy Scriptures: what thou findest in them, believe without delay, and without all doubt, though thou didst not believe it before. But in my writings, what you do not believe to be certain, unless you understand it to be certain, do not believe it to be firm."
And in the 8th epistle to St. Jerome: I have learned to give this fear and honor to the holy Scriptures, so that I may not believe that anything in them is false. Or, if I find anything in it that might be contrary to the truth, I should think nothing else, but that the book is false, and that it is not true.
1) Cf. Cap. 57, § 11, 4th paragraph.
wrongly written; or that the interpreter has not attained the opinion of what is said; or do not doubt that he has not understood it. But if I read the others in this way, be they as holy or as learned as they please, I do not think that it is true because they have believed it to be so; but that they prove it to me with holy scripture or proven causes that it is true 2c. And again: So am I to read in the other books, as I would that others should be in my writings to understand the same 2c.
The sophists blame St. Paulo and blaspheme him, as if he had written desolately, messily and darkly. Oh dear Lord God, this great treasure, the holy scripture, belongs only to a frightened, bruised, humiliated heart, and which fears God's wrath, Ps. 51, 19. and Is. 64.
The wicked are to be punished severely, and their boasting is to be put to shame and disgrace, as St. Stephen did in Acts 7. 7 He spoke harshly against Jerusalem, the law that reigned at that time, against the people that flourished.
27. defiance of the papists stands on the name of the church.
The papists stand on it: the Church cannot err: we are the Church; ergo, therefore we do not err. To the erstell. Saying, majorem, I answer D. M. Luther: The church cannot err, is true, yes, namely, in doctrine, but in works and deeds she may well err, and often errs, therefore she asks: Forgive us our trespasses or sins. The minorem, the other saying, I deny completely.
Therefore, if one argues and says: what the church teaches is right and pure, that is true; then we admit it. But if one says: What the church does is right, we do not admit it, but say no to it. Therefore one should always look at the teaching, the teaching does it.
28. the difference between Christ's kingdom and the world's kingdom.
(Contained in Cap. 7, § 166.)
29 The Church's Annoyance.
(Contained in Cap. 20, § 4.)
(30) In which the righteous church stands.
(Lauterbach, Apr. 27, 1538, p. 70.)
On the 27th of April he said much about the church, which boasts the name church, but this name would be less, than the true church. For with the churches the dear prophets fought, as Isaiah soon begins in the first chapter in the beginning, as he describes two [different] church bodies. The true church was a weak group and of little reputation; but the one that is full of boasting and has the reputation is a body of sodomites. Paul also complains about this in Romans 8 and 9. In short, the true church consists in the election and calling of God, which is strong in its weakness.
The Sophists' Deception, Fallaciae Sophistarum.
(Lauterbach, April 19, 1538, p. 65.)
On April 19, one mentioned the intrigues of the sophists by which the godless deceive the simple. This is the kind of false conclusion: Every kingdom that suffers in temporal things is a temporal one; the church of Christ suffers in temporal things; therefore, the church of Christ and the kingdom of Christ are temporal. I answered, No, dear brother, the kingdom of Christ does not suffer, but our body is smitten by its sins, as Paul says in the Acts of the Apostles (14:22.): that "through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of GOD." It is not said that the kingdom of God suffers externally. Of this kind is also this fallacy: God is love; God justifies; therefore, love justifies. Such fallacies can deceive even an astute and well-trained person. Therefore, one should not answer soon, but take time to think, or speak: I do not know how to answer. For when Diogenes was thus pointedly said: What I am, that thou art not; I am a man; therefore thou art not a man: then he answered, Lift up the syllogismum on me; he could not at once discover the fallacy. Occam wrote a statement on the elenchum, in which he diligently warns against these fallacies.