from the eighth Psalm. *)
Delivered at Merseburg, August 6, 1545, printed in 1546.
[Letter of M. Matthias Wanckel.]
To the Reverend in God Father, Sublime, Highborn Prince and Lord, Lord Georgen, Prince of Anhalt, Count of Ascanien, Lord of Bernburg, Coadjutori of the Merseburg Chapter, and Cathedral Provost of Magdeburg, my gracious Lord,
Grace and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Sublime, high-born Prince and Lord! After offering my poor services and owed prayers for E. F. G., I wish and ask from my heart that the Father of our Lord JEsu Christ may give E. F. G. and his dear Christian congregation a blissful and peaceful following year, for the spreading of his holy Word and the increase of his Christianity, which he demands and gathers through the preaching of the holy Gospel, all here on earth, for an eternal life and eternal glory. Which his dear Christianity, as he has always protected it from the beginning of the world against the fury and rage of the devil and the world, and has also graciously preserved it in these times of ours, we ask from the bottom of our hearts that he will continue to take it into his gracious protection and protection this year, when there are all kinds of things to worry about, for the sake of his dear Son, who has purchased the church through his own blood. As he promised us when he said John 14:18: "I will not leave you orphans"; and Matthew 28:20: "I will be with you to the end of the world."
But further, Most Gracious Prince and Lord! After Christ our Lord, when he had fed the five thousand men, commanded the disciples that they should eat the fragments (so that nothing would perish) of the bodily bread that remained.
John 6:12, how much more does he want us to take up the fragments of the heavenly bread, from which we have eternal life, and not let them perish. According to the same command of our Lord Christ, I have received two sermons from the venerable and highly respected D. Martin Luther, my dear father and preceptor (one on the kingdom of Christ, from the eighth Psalm, the other on the state of marriage, to the cathedral dean, Sigismundo von Lindenau, against the pope's celibacy), which he preached in E. F. G.'s presence. F. G.'s presence in Merseburg in the collegiate church, in the previous year, 1) as special delicious chunks, and to the best of my ability, thus, as seen here, composed, and in print under E. F. G.'s name want to go out, so that other people, who hunger for God's word, and such sermon not personally heard, with these chunks may satisfy their hunger in part. For I and many other people have experienced how such hymns, so often published and printed by pious and learned people, have fed and strengthened many a hungry person, and still do. Humbly requesting, E. F. G., that you graciously put up with such my poor little service. Given at Halle in Saxony, Sunday Johannis Evangelistä, Anno 1546 [that is, December 27, 1545]. 2)
E. F. G.
subservient and willing N. Matthias Wanckel, pastor of Halle, at St. Moritzen.
1) on August 4, 1545 at Lindenau's wedding.
2) Compare Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. VII, col. 2176, note.
*On August 3, 1545, Luther ordained Prince George of Anhalt as Bishop of Merseburg; on August 4, he preached at the wedding of the dean of Merseburg Abbey, Siegmund von Lindenau, the "Predigt vom Ehestände," which is included in our edition, Vol. X, Col. 588. On the same day he traveled with Jonas to Halle and preached there on August 5 on Joh. 5, 39. (Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. VII, 2176). On August 6, returned to Merseburg, he preached on the 8th Psalm, "of the kingdom of Christ." The first printing of this present sermon is entitled: "Zwo Predigt D. Martini Luthers, Die erste, Vom Reich Christi, aus dem viij. Psalm, Lord vnser Ruler etc. The other, On Marriage, from the text Hebr, iij [so instead of: 13.] Marriage sol ehrlich gehalten werden bei allen, vnd das Ehebett unbefleckt. Preached at Mersburg. Printed at Wittemberg by Georgen Rhaw Anno XI^VI." This edition was organized by [1] Matthias Wanckel, whose letter we, like Walch, have prefixed to the sermon. In the collections, this sermon is found: in the Altenburger, vol. VIII, p. 487; in the Leipziger, vol. XII, p. 150; in the Erlanger (I. Aufl.), vol. 19, p. 25 and, in the second edition, vol. 20d, p. 394. After the latter, we give the text.
1(1) This is one of the chief psalms of the royal prophet David, which he wrote of Christ and his kingdom; and they are not dark or gloomy, but bright and clear words, easy and well to be understood. He describes the kingdom of Christ in such a way that, although it is in heaven with the work, it is also down here on earth and in all the world; and soon separates the kingdom of Christ from the worldly kingdom, which is ruled by worldly kings and authorities. These two kingdoms are here below on earth among the people. For Christ's kingdom also is and goes among men here below on earth.
(2) But there is a great difference, that though both the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the world are and are on earth, yet they are ruled and governed unequally. For the king, as the psalm says, though he has his kingdom on earth, yet he reigns spiritually and in a heavenly way; so that though his kingdom is not seen, as the worldly kingdom is seen, yet it is heard. Yes, how? "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast prepared a power." And is Christ's kingdom a hearing kingdom, not a seeing kingdom. For the eyes do not guide and lead us where we find Christ and come to know Him, but the ears must do it; but also such ears as hear the word out of the mouth of babes and sucklings.
(3) This is not how it is done in the secular government. For this is not only in the hearing, but in the work and emphasis, that one protects the pious, keeps them in justice and peace, and punishes the wicked, brutal and evil; that one also works with the fists, acquires goods and food. For with the ears you will not rule or become rich. For it is not with the ears that you get rich, but with the eyes and with the fists that you do it, that you take it up with your work, and that you do it with your hands.
1) In the first printing here is the superscription: "Eine Predigt D. Martini Luthers, Von dem Reich Christi aus dem achten Psalmen, Herr vnser Herrscher usw. Zu Mersburg, den vj. tag Augusti gethan, im xlv. jar." - Walch prefixed the text of the 8th Psalm in the old edition, which we have omitted because it differs in nothing from that of our Bible, and is not found in the original.
attack. In the pieces, the worldly government stands far apart from Christ, the spiritual kingdom; which kingdom, though it walks and is led here on earth, is not established by plows and our hands, but walks in the Word, and is led by the Word that proceeds from the mouths of young children and babes.
4. as when you see a preacher and hear him preach the word of God, through which he, by the command of Christ, proclaims repentance and forgiveness of sins, you see no plow or harrow, but see and hear that the preacher takes only the tongue and the word, and not his word, but the word of God, so that Christ reigns here on earth. So also, when we see the holy sacraments administered, wherein God accepts and gives us all our sins, grace, blessedness and eternal life, you do not see salvation and freedom from sins and death; nor do you see that you are no longer held captive in the devil's kingdom, but only hear that it is offered and given to you with the tongue of the preacher through the word.
(5) Thus, when a child is born young into the world, of father and mother, which is a sinful birth, we see how it happens; but when the child is brought to Christ, incorporated into Christ by baptism, and born anew or otherwise, washed of sins, becomes a child and heir of God, it is born otherwise and anew. Which is far a different birth than the first one we see and feel. The other and new birth, which is by water, word and spirit, is not seen; there only the words are heard; which, if I believe them, I become a child and heir of God and joint heir with Christ; not of the perishable life into which we are born by the first birth, but of eternal life; not an heir of money and goods, silver or gold, but I become an heir of the eternal and heavenly goods and gifts of God.
(6) I see none of these things, but hear only the word which commandeth me such things, and saith that they shall be so unto me.
2) "not" added by us.
If I then accept and believe it, it is also so, and I receive everything that the word commands, promises and gives me.
(7) So also in our infant faith we say, I believe in the Holy Ghost etc., forgiveness of sins, and an everlasting life. These are things which we do not see or feel; so they are not accomplished with hands, there is no plow involved, or other outward works, but the word; if I hear and believe these things, I receive and am given all that the word beckons and promises me, namely, forgiveness of sins and eternal life. For the word does not deceive; what it promises is yes, that is what happens; what it rejects is no. Whoever therefore keeps the word and its promise also receives all that it promises and entails.
(8) When I feel my sin and complain to God, and ask absolution or forgiveness of sin from my priest or minister of the word, the minister of the word lays his hand on my head and absolves me of my sins by the command of Christ our Lord. Then I hear and see nothing, but only the word, so that he absolves me of my sins; nevertheless, if I believe the word as it reads, then it is certain what it promises me, and so I receive forgiveness of all my sin through absolution, and confess a gracious God.
(9) Now here is someone who would say, "These are great and high things that you say; if it were true, how blessed we would be, that forgiveness of sins and all heavenly goods should soon follow the word, if I hear it and believe it, then I could no longer be afraid of death, nor despair because of my sin, nor fear the devil, but all this has now been lifted up for me through the word of absolution. Yes, I say, you have all this and will receive it, as the word promises you, if you accept it with a firm faith and do not doubt it. As soon as you begin to hesitate and doubt, you have and receive nothing. Here one must not hang on the groping and seeing, but on the word, that I believe it, then all this happens to me. Faith
1) maybe: get?
but I do not, but want to align and obtain it with tapping and seeing, so I also have nothing etc.
10. Whoever hears this with diligence, keeps it and notices it, will easily and well understand and notice what the two kingdoms, namely Christ's and the worldly, are for kingdoms, with which they have to deal and send; What is the difference between these two kingdoms, namely, that although they both walk and are governed here on earth, yet the outward and worldly kingdom stands alone in action and emphasis, where sight and fists belong; but the kingdom of Christ stands alone in hearing, so that I hear the word, accept it, and believe it. The word, even that which proceeds from the mouths of babes and sucklings, 2) taught and preached: if I believe it, I have all things.
(11) No emperor, king or prince can rule in this way; he must rule by deed. If I am to be rich, he must not give me words, but money and goods by deed; giving words does not do it. But here, in Christ's kingdom, the contradiction happens. If I were very rich here, and had all the goods of the world, yet they could not forgive my sin, nor blot out my sin with all their power, dominion, and authority, with all the plows and harrows, with all the wealth of all the goods and riches of this world. Why then, and how so? Did I mean that he who had money and goods, power and dominion, had everything? No, not so; he is far from having forgiveness of sins and eternal life, even if he is rich and has much wealth, and is powerful, he is far from it. For they do not hear the word; so they do not believe, but are in darkness, drowned in avarice and goods, not heeding a word nor God Himself. Where there is no word nor God Himself, there is darkness and the devil's kingdom, from which no money, goods, force or power can help him. But if he wants to be delivered from the kingdom of darkness and the devil, to have forgiveness of sins and eternal life, which is offered to us in Christ's kingdom through the Word, and which is given to us in the kingdom of God.
2) This is how Walch emended the text, which in the original reads: "auch aus dem Munde ... ausgehen."
is given, he keeps to the word, hears it, accepts it, and believes it, so he gets everything etc.
12 Thus the prophet speaks clearly and differently of the two kingdoms, that he does not abolish, but rather approves and confirms the worldly and external kingdom, which stands in action and emphasis. For one must have rulers who keep peace, judgment and unity, protect the pious and punish the wicked; otherwise there would be disorder of all things. Therefore the prophet does not abolish the same external kingdom.
13. But in the spiritual realm and in the realm of Christ, when a minister baptizes with the word and the water according to the command of Christ: if an ungodly, unbelieving man sees it, he ridicules it as a foolish thing to do in the sight of reason, because he neither sees nor feels what is being accomplished, namely, that all three persons of divine majesty are present and baptizing, accepting the man who was conceived and born in sins, and making him free from the devil's kingdom, and placing him in the kingdom of heaven, wherein is forgiveness of sins, grace and blessedness.
14 So also, when a godless, unbelieving man sees a priest lay hands on a sinner and a timid heart for his sin and forgive sin, or absolve him from sin, he also ridicules it, and would think much more of it if a crown of silver, gold, pearls and precious stones were placed on him: this an unbeliever regards much and a thousand times higher than the laying on of hands and the forgiveness of sin, which cannot be compared to any good or treasure in this world.
15. But a Christian, looking at it with different eyes and heart, pays no attention to the golden crown, but has regard to the word which he hears; to this he pays attention, and keeps to it, which thus says to him: "Believe and keep to the word, and you will live forever, and be lord over sin, the law, death, the devil and hell; though there may be other sins in you, they shall not be imputed to you, but shall all be covered up and blotted out for the sake of Christ Jesus, the Son of God. What could be more comforting to us than that all our sins are forgiven us, from
and shall be destroyed and gone 1), and shall have a gracious God, and shall have eternal life? This is wonderfully said; but you must believe, and all this will happen to you. For without faith thou remainest captive in sins and in the kingdom of the devil: but if thou believest, thou art loosed from sins, thou art delivered out of the devil's kingdom into Christ's kingdom.
(16) And if anyone would say here: If I have both a mouth and speak and make words as well as my pastor, nor does it follow from my words that they absolve me of sins and place me in the kingdom of God; how then is it possible that my pastor's mouth and word should have greater power to give all the goods, as told above [4 ff]? Here, then, one is to answer, "You see, there is a great difference between your mouth and the preacher's mouth, between your word and a preacher's word; which difference David here clearly indicates, saying, "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings you have, O Lord, prepared praise for yourself." Now this is a different word than my word or your word. This comes from the commandment of him that saith, Ite; "Go ye into all the world, preach the gospel, teach all nations, and baptize them. "etc. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Christ Jesus, Son of God, our HErr, who gives the command to his apostles, and to all Ministris Ecclesiae Dei, is here called to speak and preach; he puts a word in their mouth. This is another word than your word, namely the word of God, which is eternal and abides forever, and says: whoever believes in it shall be saved, but whoever does not believe shall be condemned. The word has another power to forgive sins that no other word has.
(17) Now if you hear me, who am a preacher, and hear me no other way than you hear another man, nor believe my words any other way than you believe other men's words, you are condemned with me, if I preach no more than my word. As the pope did, who taught his word and not God's word, whom we also call a
1) "away" is missing in the original.
I have heard the words of men, and I am still heard by many, all of whom are condemned with the pope, as those who are attached to the words of men. So you shall not hear me as a man who preaches the words of men. So if you hear me, it would be much better if you did not hear me at all.
(18) Also, you shall not hear your pastor as a man who speaks and preaches the words of men, but you shall hear him as one who speaks the word from the mouths of babes and sucklings, who say: I believe in the Holy Spirit, a holy Christian church that has the word, forgiveness of sins, the holy sacraments, and the right use of the sacraments. This church preaches the word of God, means to believe, forgives sins, gives sacraments, on the word, which is the right foundation and the right foundation, against which all devils are unable to do anything. I should trust and build on it. This is the command of Christ, which he gave and left to his church and congregation, namely, that in his name and from his command his word should be given and left to us, which he speaks and preaches through our mouth; this we are to hear, accept and believe as his word. Where therefore this is done, it is said [v. 3.], "Thou hast prepared a power for thine enemies' sake, to destroy the enemy and the revenger."
(19) Such a power is prepared, and is done by the word, so that he sets the rule, so that when sin comes, and wants to bite me and devour me, I may then say: If you want to bite, then go to the gallows; I know of no sin, for I am absolved from my sins by the word and absolved; I abide by it. Item, if the devil comes, he will also execute me, and knight me, that I then say: If you want to push, run against the wall or against the wall. So shall I also say to hell, and to death, Eh, death, I know of no death etc. Now as the word assures thee, so thou hast it all, if thou believest it. But if thou believest it not, thou hast and getest none, but abidest in sins under the power of the devil, and must await eternal damnation and death.
20. But the Christian church, which has such comfort and power, although it is considered foolish and despised in the face of the world, which deals with great and mighty things, has such great power and glory. But where does such great power come from the poor, despised little group, the church of Christ, which is mocked and ridiculed before the world? Worldly authority does not give it this power, nor does it have to give it, but the Word of God establishes such a power, kingdom and church, which is such a people here on earth, called by the holy gospel in all Christendom, which has the pure word, and the right use of the sacraments, and is mightier and more powerful than the devil, death and hell. And this not in one place, nor in one nation, but in the whole world, where Christians are scattered. Which kingdom of Christ, then, is established and governed without outward coercion and violence, by the mouth of babes alone, that is, by word and faith alone. These infants and minors are fools of the world and are despised. Well, so be it, it is so right, so shall they be called before the world; but before God they have other names, and a better reputation, are called Principes et Angeli Dei, and are so. For behold, what saith David here concerning this? [He says that the kingdom of the Lord Christ is such a kingdom, ruling and powerful in all the earth, not with armor, gold, silver, dominions, and principalities. How then does he establish such power? By the word alone, which proceeds from the mouth of babes and sucklings, and is heard.
For when our dear Lord Jesus Christ began this kingdom of his in this world, he did not take the Roman emperor, or the high priests of Jerusalem, or the best, the highest, and the mightiest of the people, but he took poor, despised beggars, poor fishermen, as Peter, Andrew, John, Jacob, Thomas, and other poor sinners, and put his word into their mouths, and sent them forth to preach. Who, notwithstanding that they are called, chosen, and sent of Christ, must yet be accounted fools before the world, and be called fools. But see how
What happened to them on the day of Pentecost? There their power shines and is noted, because from the first sermon of St. Peter three thousand were converted, and afterwards by their sermon many thousands were brought to the kingdom of Christ. Then their power was seen, and their authority and rule over Jerusalem and the Jewish people continued until he gathered out the wheat; then he set fire to the dead chaff and burned it through the Romans. There one saw what Christ would have done for a kingdom and power. The kingdom and the power are praised here by David, when he says, "Thou hast wrought a power for the sake of thine enemies." It is also worthy of praise and esteem.
22 Therefore great violence and injustice is done to us, who are also preachers of the word, that they should be so hateful and hostile to us, who bring with us not armor and weapons, nor poison, nor any other evil, but only the saving word of God. What are we doing, or what do we do to deserve it, so that they heresy us? What are the great sins that we commit? Here you speak: Yes, the pope has condemned you with your doctrine; therefore we also consider you heretics and condemned. But what can I do about it? surely I do not deserve it? surely the word and the teaching are not mine? If I did, and if it were my word, it should be condemned and accursed, as the word and doctrine of a man. But it is not my word, so I do not do it, but the mouth of babes and sucklings does it by the word, which is not mine, but God's word.
(23) We bring with us a beautiful and wholesome doctrine, the holy gospel, which believeth and giveth remission of sins, and life everlasting: which is indeed a beautiful and sweet doctrine, not ours, but of him that sent us, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. If we say it is ours, we do wrong; but if we teach and bring our own, and would guide and instruct men in our word, we would be rightly counted heretics, condemned and strangled, and no wrong would be done us. But since we are condemned, and must be scolded by them for heretics, for the sake of the holy
For the sake of the holy doctrine of the Gospel, which we bring with us (as we have heard) and yet is not ours, God have mercy on us, that we should be called heretics and be condemned for the sake of such a beatific doctrine.
24. Oh, dear God, what does the word do? or else, what does it do? What does it do to deserve that one is so hostile to it? This is what the word says and teaches, how you should get rid of your sins, death, the power of the devil and hell. Does that mean harm or something evil preached? I cried, one should run after the teaching and the word, which teaches us how to get rid of our sins, until the end of the world. This is not done, but it is pursued, teaches us to doubt, and directs me to many other places where I should seek salvation and forgiveness of sins: as that I should go to the oak in Grimmenthal, to the beautiful Mary in Regensburg, 1) to St. Jacob in Compostel and to many countless places more. What is the result when one returns home, but an empty bag and tired legs? Would it not have been better and more blessed if you had stayed at home and waited for your office and profession, to which you were ordained by God, and listened to your pastor, who preaches to you and shows you the right and certain path to salvation from the mouths of infants and minors, You are sure of the forgiveness of sins, because you have left your wife and child, you eat money, your legs are tired, and yet you do nothing, and afterwards you are even more uncertain of the forgiveness of sins than you were before.
(25) But here they say again, "Yes, but it goes away from the masses, which have borne much up to now. Well, what's the harm? If it does the harm, but it doesn't, what's the harm? If you have to go away and die, what good are the masses then? Who then will stay with the masses? Not one, they are all gone who have said mass and listened to masses. What does it help you that you have spent a long time
1) About these places of pilgrimage, compare Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. Ill, 1777, U 31 and 33. "The Oak" was four hours from Leipzig; the Grimmenthal in Franconia; in these two places, as well as "to the beautiful Mary in Regensburg" were small images of Mary painted on paper.
1) You have to hold on to them, too. Where have they gone, lying around buried in the cloisters? What good has the mass done them? What use has it been to them? They may have been and remained at the masses; the masses are here, but they are damned. With all our hearts we wish and grant them blessedness and eternal life; but you must desist from the masses; if not, you will have the eternal, hellish fire of it. Why don't you rather stick to the word, accept this, love this, and believe this etc.
(26) They also have the plea and excuse that they are poor and cannot support themselves otherwise, as he also said [Luc. 16:3]; that if they cannot or will not work, they are ashamed to beg. If thou wilt have it no other way, go thy way, but I hold to the eternal, imperishable promise and promise of the word; go thou always with thy temporal goods, masses, prebends, and canonries. Well, let us see, how sure are the canons of their ransom, probation and interest? That is certain, if our dear Lord God had not given the Gospel in Germany out of pure goodness and grace, you would have nothing to lend here now, neither prebends nor canonries, they would have been gone long before twenty years. But not by us, they must not worry about it before us; but the pope would have them all gone before twenty years. How? First of all, through the pallia, annals, bulls and letters of indulgence, about which the Emperor Maximilian complained with great gloom, probably forty-five years ago, since the pope had exhausted more than five times a hundred thousand florins from German lands by one indulgence; thus they became biting and greedy for the money, came back over three years later, with another indulgence, would have liked to take so much money from their indulgence every day. After that, what did they take annually from the great foundations and episcopalians, from the great prelatures? If I have noticed correctly, they take from the provostry every year
In Würzburg, three thousand florins; in other monasteries, more; all of which is a great deal of money every year. What does the pope do with the money? He gives it to his meretricibus, cynaedis, and chamberlains; the
he tells us. Now, back to the matter at hand. So I say, if the Gospel had not come, the pope and his Roman court would have seized all prebendaries, prelatures and canonries twenty years ago, so that there would not have been one in any episcopate that the pope would not have had to lend, that he would not have taken into his power by the titles: cooks, chamberlains, stewards etc. Which titles they work out and buy from the pope for a lot of money beforehand, so that they give and still give about a hundred florins, or even a thousand, after the title is great, for one title. For for this purpose the pope keeps approximately two thousand persons, whom he calls his commensals or table-goers, none of whom he feeds or keeps at table, but keeps them alone for this purpose, divides and gives out the titles to them in such a way that he takes all prelatures and prebends to himself through them. Then, as soon as any of them becomes vacant, his Commensales are there, ask them out; after that, they finally come to the pope.
(27) So it would have happened to you, dear lords, in Merseburg and in other monasteries, in Magdeburg, Halberstadt and Würzburg, long ago; the pope would have mustered you rightly through his cooks, chamberlains and commensals (who are not his cooks, nor commensals), if the gospel had done so. 2) For the pope, as I have said, keeps so many people around him that through them he draws to himself all the churches' goods and incomes, all the canonries and prelatures. As can be seen and seen publicly in Rome, since so many magnificent, large monasteries and convents have been devastated by the pope, such as St. Peter's and St. Paul's; item Agnetis, in which there were probably a hundred and fifty virgins or nuns inside, now there is not one left. In the same way, other monasteries, where there were many monks inside, have all been plundered, and leave no more than one inside.
2) that is, would not have resisted. In similar connections we find the word "thäte" in old translations rendered by: non odstaret or: non urZertzt.
inside. The same large, splendid churches and monasteries now stand like empty barns, which are certainly as large and wide, or larger, than this beautiful collegiate church is; in which many people were fed and nourished before, no one is nourished now. It would have been the same for your church and monastery and other bishoprics if the gospel had not come and resisted. Therefore, one must not blame the Gospel for the fact that bishoprics, canonries and monasteries are torn apart, but the pope.
28 This is certain, if the bishops do not desist, but always follow the pope and the Roman court, they will tear apart and destroy all bishoprics; but if they undertake a fine Christian reformation, so that the bishops preach the gospel and study the canonicals, and read in the monasteries to their vicarii and the young nobles who stay in the monasteries, then they would well remain. And why should we not prefer to keep such prelatures and canonries in our lands, rather than let them go away?
The bishops, if they wanted to, could find good counsel for the matter, if they consulted the infantium and heard of the power the Lord had given them. But they do not, but seek and counsel how they may shed much blood. But why this? Because they think we are heretics and cry out. What kind of heretics are we? We are such heretics that we preach the gospel, repentance and forgiveness of sins; teach how to be rid of sins and become blessed and have eternal life. This heresy, as they call it, we preach. Oh dear God, is this evil? Should one strangle and shed blood for it? We are not heretics, but preach the holy gospel purely and clearly; nevertheless, we experience with great sorrow and pain that they reproach us in this way and seek our blood. We do not mean any harm, but would like to help, and be most faithful to it, and advise that such glorious imperial foundations, canonries and prebendaries not be given to the unholy whores and knaves of Rome, but that they be turned to the good and right use for which they were first given and intended.
But one thing stands in your way here, namely the mass, which you would like to preserve. Oh what masses! Always let go and drop what does not want to stay. You never liked to say mass before. That is certain. And I know this about myself, who was a holy monk, and for fifteen years miserably and pitifully blasphemed Christ, my dear Lord, by saying mass, yet I never liked to say mass, no matter how holy and devout I was. Instead of masses, take the Bible, study and learn the Holy Scriptures, earn and keep your prebends with a good conscience, that is better than that the hopeless Romanists take them away. I did not want to take ten thousand guilders now and say mass. Since you were reluctant to do so before, why do you feel so strongly about the mass now? But if you ever feel like collecting money and giving it to the Romanists, then give it away, even all of yours afterwards; what is wrong with that?
31 But I advised with faithful diligence that, since the bishops do not do any reformation, let all things go and come away in such a way that the imperial majesty would have an understanding and would see to it that the pope does not take everything to himself in such a way, and would bring us in German lands because of it. What does he do about it? He throws us a bull for it; with it he leads us to the devil; that's all he does.
I must break off from this, I have gone too far from the matter. So I say: We, who are preachers, seek nothing else but that the word of God may sound and be taught from the mouths of babes and sucklings, and that such glorious scholarships may be given to those who diligently take it up and study it, and not to the pope and his whores, cooks and commensals, who do nothing for it.
Now this is the difference between the two kingdoms, of which David sings here in the psalm, namely, the kingdom of Christ, which is in the Word, and which gives us forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and is led here on earth by the mouth of babes and sucklings. Corporal, and the worldly kingdom also wants to be and give this, and gropes after it; but it is only groping,
and gives nourishment and protection alone. Christ's kingdom is a kingdom of faith, which cannot be seen nor felt, but heard alone. The external and worldly kingdom wants to be felt. But Christ's kingdom cannot say: I feel it, and grasp with my finger the forgiveness of sins, life and blessedness; but it wants to be believed. Now follow on, what kind of king this is in this believing and spiritual kingdom.
V. 5: What is man, that thou art mindful of him; and the child of man, that thou art mindful of him etc. You have put everything under him.
Here the king becomes God, and David describes the king, our Lord Christ, so that he is both true man and true God, as is clearly indicated here, but so that he will suffer and die, and on the third day rise again etc. He is God, because everything in heaven and earth is subject to him. For everything under his hand and power belongs to God alone, not to some creatures, not even to the angels, who are also under the power of the King, our dear Lord Jesus Christ. To Him be praise and glory forever and ever, Amen.