1. D. Luther's Concerns of Church Property.
2. a pious matron's Christian testament.
3. deprivation of church property.
4. clerical goods whore wages.
5. tearing of the lords for spiritual goods.
6. the pope buys him the high potentates to friends with the church estates.
7. what spiritual goods can be used for.
8. church account of the common box.
9. from the church property shall be ordered preaching chairs and schools.
10. what pens could be used for.
11. abuse of spiritual goods.
12. interpretation of the saying: Divitias peperit etc..
(13) Spiritual goods shall be used for the maintenance of the preaching chair.
1. concerns of D. M. Luther of church properties.
My advice and concern has always been to let the monasteries and dioceses remain, for the benefit and use of poor students and schools. Since a dean or provost would not or could not preach at the monastery himself, he would transfer other pupils and students who are qualified for this, and let them study and preach at his expense. But if the princes and lords seize the spiritual goods and want to starve the poor students, then the parishes will become desolate, as it is already happening. Neither parish priests nor deacons can be obtained. If we had a hundred theologians here, what would it be among so many countries?
2. a pious matron's Christian testament.
A pious matron in W. 2) had put her house and farm in common boxes, from which 25 gulden were to be given annually to a poor student who was studying: in the fifth year, however, it was to be given to a poor virgin as dowry and dowry. This is a fine, Christian testament, said D. God will ever provide and give even more, if we would only be pious. The pope, even though he is our mortal enemy, must nourish us, even against his will and thanks; even though he rages and rages against us, but the emperor will not do the execution.
1) The Lady Mayor Hohndorf at Wittenberg. Bindseil II, 287.
3. deprivation of church property.
(Lauterbach, Aug. 14, 1538, p. 113.)
The robbery of all bishops and princes and the church goods was mentioned. When they complained about this, the doctor said: "It is a very bad time, because the church is neglected, nothing is given to it, but it is robbed. Once the kings and princes strengthened it, but now they rob it; for the church hangs more tattered than any beggar's cloak. Nothing is added to the sustenance of the poor and the church servants, but those who scatter to the right use suffer persecution; [it] will happen to them as it happened to St. Lawrence, who distributed the goods of the church among the poor against the emperor's command.
4. clerical goods whore wages.
(Lauterbach, Nov. 17, 1538, p. 174.)
Then it was said of the misfortune of King Ferdinand, who had eloquence and various other gifts in abundance, but because he was hostile to the Gospel and adhered to the papists, he was very unhappy. For he would receive a cardinal with him at very great expense, a useless man, since he could feed many very learned people with the same effort. Luther answered: The church goods under the papacy are not worthy of a pious use; they are gathered from whores' wages (Micha 1, 7.) and also return to it. 2)
2) Cf. cap. 27, 2 36.
5. tearing of the lords for spiritual goods.
(Lauterbach, Nov. 23, 1538, p. 178.)
On November 23, he spoke several things about future disunity of princes. For all kings and princes have their eye on the church estates and each will try to seize the bishoprics and the best monasteries, and will scramble for the spoils, none will want to miss. For the sooner he is there in time, the better is his right. Oh, they are beautiful brides, Magdeburg, Mainz, Trier, Cologne, Würzburg, so there is still a dance to be done. That is why the papists urge ours to surrender, so that they will have all the better to scuffle about until the pope is bald. I will diligently pray to God that He will not let me experience this time. These will be terrible times. For all dukes also wish to be defenders of the pope, so that they may have his power. And so the pope will be a prey of the nations according to the words of Revelation (19, 17. f.): "Come, you birds of the air, feed on flesh.
6. pope buys him the high potentates to friends with the church estates.
(Lauterbach, Nov. 25, 1538, p. 180.)
After that he said about the foolishness of the pope, who allowed the emperor, [King] Ferdinand and other princes to plunder the church goods in the hope that by this permission he would maintain his reputation with them. Thus he wrote to the King of England that he would gladly grant him the church goods if he only acknowledged that he was the highest priest [pontiff]. For the pope thinks thus: I must surrender to the will of those beasts in this perilous time. Even though the little ship of Peter is rocked by a wave, it will not be sunk. Even if the Lutherans rage for a hundred years, they will finally recognize the Roman Church again. I Martin Luther rejoice that I have lived until the time of the humiliation of the papacy, that he is forced to allow his patrons the plundering of all church property, so that he only maintains his reputation. Yes, because the word goes, nothing comes of it. What will become then when the monasteries and churches have fallen? The
will never be built. Now the prophecy is fulfilled in Revelation 17 (v. 16) that the kings will strip that beast bare and rob it. The papacy was a prey and will become a prey. Twelve years ago, the pope allowed Ferdinand to rob even the bishoprics, which had to be loosed. After that, at the Imperial Diet in Augsburg, it was announced to him that he should return those properties. Now he [the pope] admits it again. King Ferdinand may well swear with his sons [sunen] 1) against the gospel, if the pope only allows him [the robbery]. It is a very strange time, which we would not have thought of twenty years ago. For the pope, who was a terrible idol, is forced. He is forced to endure defiance and disgrace from his princes, since thirty years ago none of the emperors would have dared to offend him with a single word. Summa Summarum: The papists have the worst intentions. God forbid them. Let us only pray diligently through Christ.
7. what spiritual goods can be used for.
D. Martinus was asked whether a student could in good conscience have a canonry or vicarage, that is, the income from it, and use it for study. Then he said, "A poor student can certainly have church goods and use them for study, but only that he does not allow himself to be bound and entangled with ungodly and unchristian vows, and does not consent to nor have fellowship with the papists' errors. Oh, if we could get the seventh part of this skirt, the church goods, for the preservation of poor students!
8. church account of the common box.
On April 23, D. Martinus said of the account of the common box at N., since the councilors were thought suspicious, as if they went
1) The word "buzz" is probably correctly rendered with "sons", because in Old German "sun" stands for son", as in the beginning of the Hildebrand song "sunufadarungo" (son and father). By the sons of Ferdinand are probably to be understood the princes (duoks) mentioned in the beginning of this §.
They were not faithful with it, because they had not left the priest his key to it. The Elector's order is, he said, that one should have three keys to each common box: the priest one, the council one, and the box lords also one; so that no one can be held suspicious. For this reason, I will diligently and harshly insist that the parish priest be given his key back; but if they so assassinate and do not act publicly, they will give the Elector cause to take the church goods to himself with great damage to the church. For our treasury, praise God, has an abundant annual income: if it were to remain constant, the church services could be restored. Therefore, because I am alive, I want to make the keys work again.
9. from the church property shall be ordered preaching chairs and schools.
When it was said of spiritual goods that there might be a war over them, for kings and princes would be hungry for them, and would look diligently to them, D. Martinus said, "There is no need for us to have it all, for we would be worse off than they. Martinus said: "There is no need that it should remain all for us, for we would become worse than they: we should be content when we have plenty and abundance. If churches and schools are honestly provided for, we have enough. The rest they may distribute in peace for the maintenance of poor people and for common necessities; it has no blessing. It has come from whores' wages, and that is where it will come again; as the prophet says, according to the common saying: Evil gained, evil lost.
10. what pens could be used for.
Monasteries could well be reformed and do much good, for they are the treasury of the country: if they are torn apart, they will be shamed. I do not like to see that our princes have such a desire for bishoprics 1) because I fear that they will eat their death and lose their own over it.
1) So Stangwald instead of "bishops".
They want to exterminate the pope and the bishops by force; nothing will come of it. Just as the pope crushes his head when he wants to destroy the gospel, so our nobles will also crush their heads over the pope. God's word must break off the pope, otherwise no arms will do him any good; for he is the devil. In ancient times, it was said that if one strikes or hits a spirit, one wounds or hits oneself. A fine wise and true saying. If we draw the sword on the pope, we will strike ourselves.
11. abuse of spiritual goods.
When some said that our princes and lords of the Augsburg Confession had accepted the gospel in order to take the churches and spiritual goods, D. M. Luther said: Contrarium est verum, the contradiction is true: but Ferdinand the emperor and Albrecht the bishop of Mainz are stealing them. M. Luther: Contrarium est verum, the contradiction is true: but Ferdinand, the emperor, and bishop of Mainz, Albrecht etc. rob them. Ferdinandus has valued all monasteries. The bishopric of Würzburg recently had to give him a thousand florins; thus the emperor took the bishopric of Utrecht and robbed it. Bavarians are the greatest robbers of church property, for they have rich monasteries. My most gracious lord and the landgrave have poor beggar monasteries.
As it was discussed at the Imperial Diet that the monasteries should be handed over to the emperor so that he could put his captains in them, I myself advised, and I still want to advise, that the monasteries should be gathered into a heap beforehand. For who would want to suffer an imperial captain in his country? It is all the bishop of Mainz's transmission: these same fellows would have liked to keep the upper hand over the monasteries. So they would do, like the pope, who ate all the monasteries in Jtalia and abbeys. Now, because they cannot have them, they cry out: "One should do this reverence to the emperor, and leave and grant him such goods etc.
No, do you hear? such goods belong to Christian, righteous, faithful teachers in kitchens and schools, poor students, and otherwise house-poor people: so the lawyers also cry out that they are of the church. Give them back, they say, their monasteries, so that one may
If you have monks and nuns and say mass, they will let you preach.
Yes, where will we get food from? say our people. We will let you take care of that, they say. Yes, the devil thanks them.
12. interpretation of this saying.
Divitias peperit mater ecclesia honorificata, et postea filia perdidit matrem. And this is true, said D. M. Luther. For although the church has much wealth and goods, those who are not worthy use them. There is a fine example of this in the challenges of the Lord Christ, Matth. 4, 1. ff. First, the church is afflicted with poverty and hunger, as under the Roman emperors. Secondly, with heretics. Our Lord Christ is not led by the devil into the temple, but onto the battlements of the temple, that is, over the holy Scriptures. Thirdly, it is contested with riches and with violence; this happened under the popes, when they only ate, drank, and made merry, forgetting the Bible and the Holy Scriptures.
(13) Spiritual goods shall be used for the maintenance of the preaching chair.
Doctor M. Luther said: That the King of Denmark, Christianus, had written to him how he had deposed all the bishops in his kingdom, and in their place superintendents, doctores, and Christian pastors and teachers.
and made honest scholarships for them, and requested Luther's advice and concerns in this regard. Luther's advice and concern in this matter. But the king has put an article in the letter that all income, rent and interest of the bishops should come under the crown. There spoke D. M. Luther: This king may reach into it; but this article male olet, sua quaerere; I am worried that the crown would be moved too far for the poor parish priests, so that they would have to suffer hunger afterwards. Ille Rex non habet illum propensum animum ad alendos ministros verbi, ut noster Elector. Nam noster Princeps loannes Fridericus, Dei gratia, solus est defensor et nutritor pastorum. He may freely venture all spiritual goods again on the church servants. He has granted the Visitatoribus in Thuringia from the monasteries, for the entertainment of the parish priests and schoolmasters, handsome interest annually.
And after His Elector! Grace took the homage of the city and university of Wittenberg in 1532, he improved the scholarships of all professors, and gave the university a large allowance from several monasteries, and made certain pensions and incomes. This is a princely mind, that a lord does not seek his own benefit, but feeds poor parish priests, students and schoolmasters from spiritual goods: for His Princely Grace realizes that he will need parish priests who would instruct his subjects in God's Word.