Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible PassagesMatthew 2

[[This very long sermon on Matt 2:1-12 is divided into 7 parts. In the electronic version, they are found in verses 1-2 (Part 1), verse 3 (Part 2), verse 4 (Part 3), verse 5-6 (Part 4), verses 7-8 (Part 5), verse 9 (Part 6), verse 10 (Part 7), and verses 11-12 (Part 8)]] ¹⁷² Ninthly, without natural affection. They do not with their heart mean anyone, that is they do not interest themselves in any one, they let every one fare as he will and go where he pleases. If they but have enough, they are satisfied. As has been said, it is the duty of the clergy to minister to the spiritual wants of the people, and also to see that the poor are provided with the necessities of life. Now it is evident that no one on earth manifests less interest in his fellowmen than does the clergy. And all this is caused by the aforesaid wickedness, love of money, unthankfulness and unholiness. They are a united people, bent upon their own profit and advantage in temporal as well as spiritual things. ¹⁷³ Or is there anyone who would call that kindness, when the pope and his allies shed the blood of so many Christians, when they instigate the whole world to war, when they exhaust, suck out and flay the world with their indulgences and all kinds of roguery? It is indeed a very fine virtue in rulers to interest themselves in their subjects and heartily to be concerned about their affairs and their needs in things of this world; but it is a still finer virtue when the clergy does likewise in spiritual matters, as they would do if they were truly Osii But now they are anosii and astorgi, unholy as well as unkind. ¹⁷⁴ In the tenth place, they are obstinate, not willing to help others. Here St. Paul vehemently attacks the holy canon law, which speaks so much of privileges, liberties and exemptions, and strikes the holy scrinium pectoris (heart-shrine) at Rome. Nature and God’s disposition ordain that people who must live together in one community unite to carry common burdens upon common backs and do common work with common hands. Thus they are bound together with common burdens. In disregard of this, the pope and the canon law have their privilegia, libertates, immunitates, indulta, gratias, nothing but exceptions; he and his allies avail themselves of the advantages which community affords but leave the doing of common work and the carrying of common burdens to others; yes, it were the greatest sin to follow St. Paul, to relinquish their privileges and to help carry the burdens of the community. And still they plainly see that such liberties cause people to look at them askance and with dissatisfaction and that it justly embitters their hearts and therefore is contrary to brotherly love. ¹⁷⁵ Moreover, the holiest father, the pope, has the power if members of the clergy would unite or had united with the community to tear all such bonds and to absolve them from their oaths and vows because they had been made to the detriment of the church. It is the fruit of unkindness that no one but they is to be free and rich, is to have the necessities and pleasures of life and is to live without the burden of danger and care. ¹⁷⁶ They exempt themselves from the obligations which they have as members of the community and are subject only to the pope; therefore St. Paul calls them aspondos, those that exempt themselves, the obstinate, who are of no service to their fellowmen, but wish to enjoy the service of everyone else, and who wish to enjoy the advantage in all things, but repudiate the disadvantage. Such a state of affairs can not be tolerated in any community and is indeed contrary not only to Christian love, but also to all fairness and all reason. ¹⁷⁷ In the eleventh place, they are slumberers and back-biters. What an awful vice of which St. Paul speaks here, which is most commonly found among the clergy, much more so than among other men, and also among those who, in the eyes of the people, are highly renowned as men of breeding, honor, and upright character. Do but take notice what attitude these people take toward the sins and faults of others; how they boast of their love and kindness as examples of good breeding, honor and uprightness, how they apply themselves with great earnestness to righteousness, that indeed there is nothing lacking in regard to love and mercy toward their neighbors. ¹⁷⁸ That we may understand this well, we shall speak of it carefully and slowly. In the former vices it has been shown what attitude these men take toward the person and the property of their neighbors. Here he particularly tells us what attitude they take toward the sins of their neighbors. Oh, how blind and ignorant they are here, how they are led by their own pleasure and haughtiness! The Scriptures teach us what attitude to take toward our neighbor’s sins, namely, this: ¹⁷⁹ First, we are not to be suspicious, but are to put, if at all possible, the best construction on everything that we see in our neighbor which is not an open sin. For thus writes St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 13:7: “Love believeth all things,” that is, it has the best opinion of every one and is suspicious of no one; it is of the opinion that others act and think as love itself acts and thinks. Love always means well, though its actions may be apparently evil at times; therefore it puts the best construction upon everything others do, no matter how evil it may appear. ¹⁸⁰ Secondly, when our neighbor’s deed is an open sin and cannot be otherwise construed, then love acts thus: Has this deed been seen by, or is it known to, no one else, then love will keep it quiet and not disclose it, will tell no one of it and will, if possible, Rover it, that no one else may know of it, and will thus preserve its neighbor’s honor; but love will also reprove him and pray for him, have patience and mercy with him, and will think as a certain father thought, he fell yesterday, I may fall today; or, if he sins in this thing, I sin in another; we both need the same grace. Therefore love will forgive and help, as we also pray that we may be forgiven and helped. Thus Christ teaches us, Matthew 18:15: “And if thy brother sin against thee (that is, secretly, that no one has seen it but you) go show him his fault between thee and him alone.” And St. Paul, Galatians 6:1: “Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, looking to thyself lest thou also be tempted.” ¹⁸¹ Thirdly, if our neighbor’s sin is committed publicly and cannot be covered because it is known to a number of people, then love will again act thus: love will keep silence, will tell no one else of this sin, but will go and make it known to his superior, whose duty it is to reprimand him and will let that suffice; then love will pray for him and have mercy as before. Thus we read, Genesis 37:2, that Joseph told his father Jacob the bad rumor which was spread concerning his brother. He did not tell their secret deed, but as the text says, the bad rumor concerning them, which was to show that their deed was no more a secret but had become public and the talk of the people. ¹⁸² Compare with this what these lovers of discipline and honor now do. In the first place, because they secretly think so much of themselves and are so well pleased with themselves, they think that no one acts and thinks as well as they do, they are the most suspicious people on earth, full of unnecessary care and anxiety that no one does right, and they put the worst construction upon everything; and even when a deed is good, they nevertheless think the intention is evil. Then they search for and meditate closely upon the intention that a person may possibly have and are not satisfied until they have heard something bad about their neighbor. Oh! what respectable and honorable people are addicted to this vice; and it really seems at times as though it were only cautiousness with them and fear of being deceived. But cautiousness considers casual danger and protects itself from being degraded, speaks openly: I believe that you have no bad intentions, but we are all human, you may change and err as well as I, etc. But suspicion considers the present deed only, thinking nothing good of it, and not of the casual danger; it thinks that that is already wrong which caution regards as good and for which it provides means to save it from becoming bad. ¹⁸³ Secondly, when suspicion sees the neighbor’s evil deed secretly or hears of it, it is delighted, for it can now show how pious it is and how bad other people are, how it loves righteousness, propriety and honor. The poor publican must submit to the Pharisee; Noah must suffer to have his son Ham see his nakedness. Yea, we are accustomed to say, what an honorable, pious man this is; every one must now hear of this neighbor’s evil deed. Some take great pleasure in hearing and talking about the sins of others and say: Indeed it is true. This vice has assumed greater proportions than any one believes, especially among those who seem to be honorable and well bred people. Here there is no one who would conceal, who would reprove, who would amend, who would intercede; but everyone slanders and defames and yet they are holy and spiritual people. ¹⁸⁴ Thirdly, when, however, they wish to reprove or accuse another, they deal as unmercifully with him as though they themselves were in need of no grace, and as though they themselves had never committed any sin. They do not tell his superior but revile him publicly before those who knew nothing of it before. Here the love of justice is bought for a high price, for thereby the neighbor is robbed of his honor and disgraced. Here it concerns them not when he is driven into despair, hazards his body and soul, becomes a desperate man. They have reproved the sin as pious, honorable people, but as to betterment, let another see to that. They cast him from them as one who would always remain a good-for-nothing. Oh, what a senseless mass of holy, honorable people they are; they have no scruples of conscience, they go and pray as though they had done their part well! Behold! to this vice they add the ones spoken of previously; they are boastful lovers of self and also without natural affection, obstinate, who concern themselves about no one, are of service to no one and seek only their own honor to the shame and detriment of others. For this reason St. Paul her calls them diabolus, slanderers, defilers, who know no other way of dealing with their neighbor’s sins than thereby to disgrace him, to rob him publicly of his good name that they only may be looked upon as pious, well bred and honored men: For if they were merciful and kind-hearted, they would seek to better and not to defame or cast away any one but destroy his sin. ¹⁸⁵ St. Paul has indeed described them perfectly; for experience teaches how insanely the clergy and men of this kind are bent upon listening to other people’s sins and shame, ridiculing, speaking about and spreading them, that they indeed are worthy of the name diaboli or devils. St. Paul always uses this little word diabolus in this sense; although some people use it for the devil, whose nature also is to expose, spread and magnify people’s sins. But when St. Paul speaks of the devil he usually says Satan. Thus he says, 1 Timothy 3:6: “A bishop must not be a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the diabolus,” that is, the slanderer, that he may not have occasion to judge evil of him etc. ¹⁸⁶ In the twelfth place, they are unchaste. How could it be otherwise when they are leading such a haughty, free, secure, indolent, gay and wanton life? How is it possible that they should remain chaste, addicted to all the aforesaid vices, when those scarcely succeed who live an irreproachable, virtuous life? Now, this vice is publicly known to exist among them, they indulge in it immeasurably and yet go unpunished. But no one is responsible for this unchastity but the pope, because he has forbidden the clergy to marry. If they were allowed to marry, many would abstain from the vices, but many of them would be obliged to choose a different calling. The evil spirit knew this well, and in order that such vice may be strengthened, he prompted the pope to forbid marriage. Thus has originated this peculiar institution, which is pleasing unto themselves. And lastly, he has beguiled them with this pretense, that they do not acknowledge, never regret, nor repent of, the eleven vices previously described, but regard them as right and virtuous, and enter heaven with them. But this twelfth vice is so coarse that they can not deny it. Here they do penance and confess it and thereby become as white again as snow, just as a sow that lies in the mud with its entire body. but keeps only one ear and a few bristles on its back clean. ¹⁸⁷ In the thirteenth place, they are fierce; that is, they are entirely untried, untrained, inexperienced people, who cannot understand any shame; when you touch them they loose their temper, and this must all follow from their unrestrained life in which they have been reared. As a child that has been left to do as it pleased becomes coarse and knotty, so they also are inflexible, ungentle, intolerable people. They are accustomed to be honored, to receive plenty, to have their will and to go unpunished; if anything else, therefore, comes in their way, they will not tolerate it. But if they were under discipline as others, they would oftentimes have to give way and abstain from that which they now freely do and would no doubt become more mellow and mild, so that one could get along better with them. This vice is also a very open one, especially in the monasteries, where they call themselves pas-donates; that is, such that easily become angry. ¹⁸⁸ In the fourteenth place, they are no lovers of good; that is, they do not regard the good, they are entirely unconcerned about performing good works and proceed as though they were not in need of good works and as if they knew another and better way to heaven. For they maintain that they are so superabundantly rich in good works, through holding mass and praying their horas that they can even sell them to others. They simply know of no other good works than their own self-imposed and self-chosen works, concerning which God has commanded nothing. Those who are the most pious make their testament when they die, institute masses and vigils, increase the fees of the officiating clergy and improve the possessions and the worship of the holy church. These are their good works; besides this their whole life is of no good and no benefit to anyone. Or would you call that a good work when they extort money from the poor people, as the Jews did, practice usury in all the lands and levy taxes on every house and head? Do not believe that they would ever give without returns, or loan without interest; on the contrary, they must gather for their wills and soulmasses. Therefore it has become proverbial that a priest’s testament is a sausage, remains a sausage, and will be a sausage. Therefore the will passes through and through the testators from one to the other; that the property is not worthy to be of any benefit to the poor people. Thus also other good works, such as visiting the sick, clothing the naked, comforting the downcast and the like; being of service and benefit to neighbors, is with them neither a matter of concern nor an act of worship. They abide by their masses and church — howling and make of the mass a good work and offering. This costs them neither trouble nor money, but brings money and secures indolent and good days. ¹⁸⁹ Then they proceed and speak of two kinds of works of mercy, spiritual and bodily ones, and say: The spiritual ones are better than the bodily; therefore they despise the bodily as inferior and abide by the spiritual as superior; and therefore secretly and without being aware of it, depart from the ways and commands of Christ. The spiritual works of mercy, they say, are the mass and its commands; what, therefore, is not mass and vigil is vile in their eyes. Thus they entirely forget and disregard good works. Tell me, I pray, how can the devil succeed better in beguiling them than by teaching them that they shall call their mass and prayer spiritual and better works than the bodily, which Christ commanded, who knows nothing of their spiritual works. ¹⁹⁰ Therefore the apostle has indeed pictured them most clearly when he reproves them for lack of interest in good works. He does not say that they do not know what good works are, but says that they have no regard for them. For they know very well that Christ has commanded them; yes, they themselves confess that there are bodily works of mercy. but now they come with their interpretation and destroy them with their spiritual good works. My dear friend, look at all the convents and monasteries and tell me who derives a farthing’s worth of benefit from these people. Whom do they serve? Whom do they help? They profess to do only spiritual works of mercy, which are nothing but their idolatrous masses and vile bawlings and murmurings in the churches. This they themselves call good spiritual works, but God does not, though they are certainly nothing more than the devil’s phantom. ¹⁹¹ Now this possibly could be endured if they alone would thereby go to hell, but this cursed rabble leads the whole world to damnation. For others learn from them to despise good works and follow and obey them in masses, vigils, prayers, gifts to the saints and similar satanical good works. Thus it happens that they live in indolence and laziness, that they are not allowed to do good to anyone but suffer others to do good to them and to give unto them so that all join with them in their spiritual good works and leave the bodily good works undone. No one helps another, but every one is bent upon doing these spiritual good works. They are spiritual good works, to be sure, wrought, however, not by the Holy Spirit, but by the evil spirit. ¹⁹² Oh, how many thousand times more blessed is the estate of matrimony or any secular profession! For married life necessitates good works toward the children and servants. A married man must of necessity be of bodily benefit to others as well as to himself; and a secular government must surely be of some benefit to its subjects. Servants, maids and all subjects must be of some benefit and service to others. But this miserable rabble is of no benefit to any one in this world, but wants every one to be of benefit to them, and they are drowned in their disregard for everything that is good. Still they pray and hold mass for other people, just as though prayer and mass were committed to them alone and not to the whole congregation. Oh Lord God, behold this cursed conduct and perverted divine service! ¹⁹³ In the fifteenth place, they are traitors. Ay, St. Paul! Whereto art thou going? When wilt thou cease? How thou dost bite and sting and strike so terribly this tender crowd with their soft ears! Are they indeed traitors of the race of Judas who sold Christ? Whereby have they rendered themselves guilty? A traitor accepts money or favor and with kind words leads his master or friend into danger and death: just as Judas accepted money and with loving greeting and kiss delivered the Lord into the Lands of his enemies. This also the pope and his clergy are continually doing spiritually by taking the treasures of the whole world and giving indulgences for them; and his preachers preach to the poor people his lies of indulgence and false works, speaking good words to them from faith to works, that they might lose Christ and fall into the meshes of the devil. This is indeed a great abominable treachery toward all the souls in the world. But still it is spiritual. St. Paul, however, must also be understood to mean bodily treason. ¹⁹⁴ We can often read how the popes with their sleek words incited kings and princes against one another and against the Turks by promising them heaven and thus destroying their body and soul and filling the world with the blood of Christians. And they continue still to betray the poor people in this way whenever they please; they preach and command to be preached, how sacred the wars are that are carried on for the sake of spiritual treasures and the church. Yet they are concerned only about their bellies and their preaching is nothing but lies. As to the pope himself, he has always been perfidious in dealing with emperors and kings, as history abundantly proves. And here the bishops and the clergy stand by him and help him; otherwise he could not have accomplished it. Perfidy is so common to all of them that the apostle justly calls them traitors. And they will continue whenever an opportunity presents itself to betray and sell emperors and kings: for they cannot otherwise suppress and overpower them. Now they must side with one, now with another, that they may subdue one after another and thus retain their power. ¹⁹⁵ And here they have no scruples of conscience; on the contrary, it is a great merit, for he who sides with the most holy father, the pope, is no traitor, but an obedient child of the Christian church. Just as they have bodily betrayed kings, countries and people, so also they themselves betray each other spiritually, suffering themselves to be led into treason with sleek words, as if it were an act of worship receiving the pope’s benediction and grace as their reward and helping to betray the whole world. Do you see how clearly St. Paul saw all these things long before and how correctly he describes the state of affairs as it exists now and has already existed long. He has not missed it by a hair’s breadth. ¹⁹⁶ In the sixteenth place, they are headstrong; that is, their treason and all their vices they commit freely, securely, boldly, without any timidity for men and without any fear of God, as though it were impossible for them to err or as though no one saw them who would judge and punish them. They are a most foolhardy, thirsty and presumptuous people in whatever they undertake. Because they have freed themselves from all duties and obligations, there is nothing occurring to them which they will not boldly and eagerly undertake, if they only have the chance and the right to do so. ¹⁹⁷ This vice we find particularly in the pope, who permits himself to be called plenitudinem potestatis (absolute power), likewise: proprium motum et certam scientiam (absolute will and infallible knowledge). The others are addicted to this vice also and they call it zelum veritatis et justitiae, reverentiam ecclesiae (zeal for truth and righteousness and reverence for the church), and the like. If they once get a person under their influence, then beware! there is nothing but pure malice and thirst. ¹⁹⁸ In the seventeenth place, they are puffed up, having a big turgid heart. This follows very naturally from the vice just mentioned, their headstrongness. For when they have committed treason and all wickedness in the most shameless manner they brag of it, blow it about and say: Who will punish us for it? Who will restrain us? Who will judge us on account of it? We are under obligations to no one; we may judge and punish, but no one shall judge and punish us. Thus they do not only wish to have liberty to do all kinds of knavery, but defy those who would restrain them, and go unjudged. One is to remain quiet about it and call them gracious young men and to suffer them to do all the harm they wish to the body, soul, goods and honor of all the world. ¹⁹⁹ Concerning this vice St. Paul also writes, 2 Peter 2:18, that they desire to go unpunished uttering great swelling words of vanity, as if their throat was swollen. Many laws in the pope’s canon law are of this kind, for here he puffs himself up like an adder and defies the whole world; no one is to interfere with whatever he does nor judge neither him nor his associates. And all the clergy follow his example, they are also haughty and bombastic, suffering themselves to be judged by no one, threatening with lightning, thunder and twenty and four hells, as experience teaches. For St. Paul says nothing about them which they have not publicly committed: and thus they richly and abundantly fulfill the words of St. Paul. ²⁰⁰ In the eighteenth place, they are blind. Be careful, holy apostle, be careful! These are the learned and the lights of the world, who have the power to make new articles of faith, and without whom no one can dare to interpret the Scriptures. Thou wouldst like to cause an uproar and incite the laity against the clergy; then the divine services would be turned upside down and the heavens, which rest upon them alone, certainly would fall. Thou better be still, or otherwise scold the laity alone; for to scold the clergy brings no good, fosters dissatisfaction among the people and causes them to despise the spiritual authority. Neither will these fellows be reformed by your admonitions, they only become angry and worse than before; they would like to put you under the ban, damn and burn you as a heretic. ²⁰¹ But why are they blind? Why do they concern themselves in such foolishness that even children and fools see its worthlessness? They do not see a spark of the true light of faith and of the Gospel. Egyptian darkness has so thickly settled on them and in them one can almost grasp it; and yet they consider them nothing but virtues. It is now the highest virtue of the bishops to be great, coarse unlearned ass-heads, who consider it a shame to be really learned. ²⁰² In the nineteenth place, they are “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” Hence the apostle agrees with the common proverb: The clergy has an easy life. If there is a life of sensual pleasure on earth, it is their’s; for they live without work, reap the fruits of the sweat and blood of others, lead a lazy life, eat and drink the very best, clothe themselves with the finest goods, have the best lands and houses and withal the most beautiful little maidens, or any other pleasure and amusement, so that it is commonly said: The good things belong to the clergy. ²⁰³ But the holy cross which Christ lays upon all his followers and which cannot be reconciled with sensual pleasure they have perverted in a masterly manner; they have enchased it in silver, for then it can be more easily carried and causes no pain; yes, they have sold its kisses and its blessing, and it has become a useful servant of sensual pleasure. But into their hearts the dear cross may not come and dare have nothing to do with their lives; for their liberty, thirst, scorn and pomp have placed a barrier between them and the cross. Nevertheless, they carry the Lord’s cross in silver to his praise and go to heaven thereby. If the Lord should now say to them: I have carried my cross myself and have not commanded you to carry it, let each one of you carry his own cross and follow me; then they would perhaps again outwit him by producing a twofold cross, as they have produced twofold works of mercy, and say that Christ’s cross is better than their’s; therefore they have abided by the best and have forsaken their own cross that they could honorably carry his; yes, honor it and worship it as their idol; as they now unfortunately lead these poor people and teach them to worship wood, silver and gold, telling them of their relation to God through the cross; just as if the poor, common man were able to grasp their subtle buffoonery when he prays to the holy cross. They are the enemies of the cross of Christ, that is the sum and substance of it all. ²⁰⁴ In the twentieth and last place, “Holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof.” How ruthlessly the apostle proceeds and anticipates a forcible question and objection, namely, that one should say: How is this possible? They pray and sing so much, daily hold mass and divine services with great pomp and honor. Thus the clergy have always lived in obedience, poverty and chastity under their holy orders and rules. To all this and to whatever may yet be brought forth the apostle briefly answers and says: It is nothing but pretense, glitter and color, beneath which are covered, adorned and fattened such abominable vices, for all their things are chosen and devised by men and not commanded by God. Therefore they abandon God’s commandments and adhere to their own nonsense and are veritable electors who do not the will of God but what they have chosen themselves. The Lord Jesus himself, Matthew 24:15, briefly mentions all these vices, under such pretense, and calls them an abomination and says: “When, therefore, ye see the abomination of desolution,” etc. For it is an abomination of which every one justly has a horror that under such a small pretense such great, ugly, offensive vices should grow and flourish. ²⁰⁵ He speaks also very intelligently: “They deny the power or the strength of the godly life, which is plainer and severer. They are without the power and activity of a godly life. They deny and antagonize. But what that means we shall consider later when we again come to Herod and speak of his worship. Let it suffice now that St. Paul is recognized in this text and that we see how he agrees with the Gospel. For here the wise men search and have the Scriptures with honest intentions and Herod has them also, but only in pretense and with wrong intention, namely, to hinder them for the sake of his kingdom, as the Papists also do. Therefore we shall consider St. Paul’s text to the end. ²⁰⁶ He says: “Beware! from these also turn away.” Here he warns us to guard ourselves against this clerical rule and orders and gives permission, yes, commands us to leave them if we have been caught in their meshes, as we shall hear; he throws open all monasteries and cloisters and frees every priest and monk. Thus Christ also teaches, Matthew 24:16, to flee from them and avoid them. ²⁰⁷ Furthermore he portrays some among them in particular when he says: “For of these are they that creep into houses and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Who can interpret this differently than that here are meant the mendicant orders, which the apostle here clearly foresaw? They are they who have always crept into houses. St. Paul calls that a house which we now call a church, for at his time there were no churches, but the Christians assembled in houses just as it may happen now that ten or twenty neighbors come together and preach and pray and all receive the sacrament. ²⁰⁸ Thus these mendicant orders now also creep into parish churches which do not belong to them and preach their sermons there. This right the pope has given them by reason of his own insolence and power. The other thing is that they alone rule almost the entire confession. This privilege the pope has also given them by reason of the same power through which he has allowed them to creep into the houses. This is truly the devil’s game and the women adhere to it, especially those who are already guilty of gross transgressions, as St. Paul here says, laden with sin. For when these foolish women are troubled in their conscience and do not know how to help or counsel themselves, they go and pour out their troubles before the priest and think that all is well. But then they are caught and they give and bring as much as they have and can. And then the holy fathers come and preach and admonish the people to confess their sins, citing many examples of how women who were in perdition and who appeared after death declare that they were damned because they had neglected the confession, and they utter such enormous papistical lies that the very stones tremble and sweat. ²⁰⁹ If you observe closely these examples which they adduce, you will discover that only women have been damned because of neglect of confession and not men; so that one can clearly see that a great arch-knave has ,contrived these examples who was eager to know the secrets of women’s hearts and who, having seen how the women out of natural faintheartedness are naturally more bashful than men, has said to himself: I will advise them rightly and through the fear of confession learn to know their hearts; and by the help of the devil he was successful. But he has withal entangled and damned many consciences who on account of shame and timidity which they could not overcome have not confessed and yet have thereby sinned against their consciences because they believed that it was necessary to confess and yet had not done so. For as you believe so God will judge you; if you believe that it is your duty to do something, and you do not do it, you sin. It is my conviction that such a knave who with such examples entangles and damns consciences through a false faith, deserves that not only his body but also his soul be torn and ground by all the devils into a hundred thousand pieces. What horrible murders of souls these hellish traitors and papistical liars commit in all the world! Oh, weep, he that can weep, over such lamentable destruction of poor souls. ²¹⁰ When poor timid women who are naturally simple and credulous, and wish to be devout and pious, hear such a sermon, they suffer themselves to be entrapped; and when they seek advice and help of their spiritual father, the coarse ass and blind leader cannot tell them anything about Christ and faith, but proceeds to teach them that they must atone for their sins through satisfactions and works. Then the torturing begins of which St. Paul here speaks; thus they are always learning and never come to a knowledge of the truth: therefore the woman’s conscience finds no rest, her sins oppress and torture her; she would like to be freed from them and cannot; then it follows what St. Paul says, that they are led away by diverse desires; then she begins to fast with water and bread, makes pilgrimages in bare feet to the saints; some scourge themselves until the blood flows, some give here to the church and there to the cup, and their diverse desires have neither end nor measure; whatever they hear as being good for the atonement of their sins they try to do in full earnest, but find no rest. In the meantime the holy spiritual father sits, and rests, having caught the poor creatures, which are of no more value to him so many milk cows. And when the women are caught the men will also be caught before long and what secret confession imposes upon them must be done. ²¹¹ If you would preach free penance correctly, then say thus: Dear women, if any one is burdened with sin, let her confess, if she will; if she confess, or if she do not confess, let her have a firm faith that Christ will forgive her sins, and let her confess them to him secretly, with entire, sincere confidence in his grace, which he has promised to all who desire it, never doubting, and then her sins are certainly forgiven. Then abstain from them and perform good works toward your neighbors who are in need of them, invite poor people, wash their feet and humbly serve them. Behold! this is the right way to rescue a sinful woman, and it can be done without burdening the conscience, with good will and delight, as is pleasing to God. But if this were done these men who murder souls and frighten spirits would lose the confession penny, the milk Cow would go dry, and the poor consciences would be freed, not led any more by their endless teaching and preaching. But this would hurt the holy clergy, yes, they would have to starve to death. For the apostle has not without reason mentioned the women who are laden with sins, for the others who are innocent they do not trouble with such devilish examples, teachings and incarcerations. In order that this milk may not be diminished they must urge such fright upon the consciences, especially such women who are easily misled; and that particularly, when they are burdened with an evil, sinful conscience. For then there is nothing that they would not obey, and too much can never be imposed upon them. They eventually become unsteadfast and finally despairing souls, who have learned to comfort themselves not with the grace of God but with their own works, and wish to have their sins taken away not through faith but through satisfaction, and this is impossible. ²¹² They request that we should spare the clergy, and not scold and reprove, but honor and excuse them. Yes, if they alone were evil and if they would ruin only themselves, I could well be silent; but their rule destroys the whole world. He who remains silent to this, and does not hazard his body and life, is no true Christian, and does not love his neighbor’s salvation as his own. If I were only able to tear the souls out of hellish jaws, I would then scold more temperately. They set the city on fire and say I should not cry, fire! nor quench the flames. “Cursed be he,” says Jeremiah, Jeremiah 48:10, “that doeth the work of Jehovah negligently, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.” God desires us to strike vigorously with our swords, that the blood may flow; he that does the work unfaithfully is accursed. They however wish to be treated leniently and with much indulgence. Not thus, dear man! ²¹³ St. Paul says further: “And even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth.” Here he does not speak of the mendicant orders only, but also of the aforesaid members of the clergy, who withstand the truth, and will not suffer the people to be led out of their rule of fear to the knowledge of free faith. Every one can now see that they fear that their rule and tyranny will be suppressed. Thus, when the children of Israel were oppressed in Egypt by King Pharaoh, and God sent Moses to deliver them. Moses performed two miracles, to prove that God had sent him; then two of King Pharaoh’s magicians, Jannes and Jambres, performed the same miracles, thereby detaining the king and rendering Moses’ miracles ineffectual so that the Israelites had to remain until the third miracle was performed: This the magicians could not perform and then it was known that they were wrong and that Moses was right. ²¹⁴ Thus it always is, the tyrants among God’s people have always had a pretense, they act as though they were the true saints. Thus they hinder and retard the simple, that they cannot become free; for they are weak in conscience and cannot clearly distinguish between show and reality, between pretense and truth. Therefore the people will always be en-trapped through show and pretense, and the truth is hindered and retarded. Thus the wise men were detained at Jerusalem through Herod who pretended to search the Scriptures. And now the clerical pageantry also prevents people from coming to faith and the truth, because it has a good appearance and is so much like the true worship. St. Paul says further: ²¹⁵ “Men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith.” Here you can see what they really are; their mind and their imagination are corrupted. For they insist that what they do is right and that there is nothing else, and yet they know nothing about faith. True faith alone can make uncorrupted minds and spiritual virgins. He teaches a correct imagination and a good mind who insists that the grace of God alone is our comfort. He who is not of this mind is a Christian like the harlot is a virgin, though he may perform the good works of all the saints. Where there is such a corrupted mind there is little hope that they will ever come to true faith; especially not when they have gone so far as to oppose true faith and when they suffer themselves to be corrupted after true faith had been planted in them by baptism. ²¹⁶ Further, “But they shall proceed no further; for their loll7 shall be evident unto all men.” Thus also the pope and our clergy will fare; the truth will remain and will be so strong against them that their empty show and knavery must be exposed; though they rage and storm and have four thousand Turkish emperors on their side. Show and lie cannot obtain in the end, for that is impossible, although they may save themselves and remain for a time. Let this now suffice concerning St. Paul’s text, and let us return to the Gospel and its interpretation. ²¹⁷ That Herod called the wise men and inquired of them secretly as to when the star appeared, indicates that the spiritual Herods do not deny the Gospel outwardly, but learn it from the true Christians, however, only, with this intention that they will use it to do mischief; just as Herod here intended to use the time the star appeared, to kill Christ and confirm his own kingdom. Thus also now, when we hold up the Gospel to our clergy they do not deny that it is the Gospel, they hear and accept it. They deny, however, that this is not the correct meaning, that it has a gloss and an interpretation which we shall get from no one but them, and that every one must acknowledge their interpretation. Thus they do not deny the Gospel, but rob it of its power, and under the name and appearance of the Gospel they teach their own dreams. This St. Paul, 2 Timothy 2:5, calls: “Holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof.” He does not say they have the power of the divine essence, although that is true also; but he says much more forcibly, that they deny it. Thereby he gives us to understand clearly, that they are godless not only in their life and walk, but also in their doctrine and government; that they lead themselves with their lives, and others with their doctrine away from the Gospel and salvation. This the pope and the clergy now do in all their sermons. Though they cry loudly: Gospel! Gospel! Yet they deny, damn and curse everything that is in the Gospel with all its contents. Just as Herod learned of the star, but endeavored to destroy everything the star signified. We will now consider a few of their doctrines, and guard against them. ²¹⁸ The Gospel teaches that salvation is by faith alone. This they hear and do not deny; nevertheless, they destroy all its power by saying that faith without works is useless. Thus they secretly depart from faith to works, and publicly condemn faith and ascribe everything to works. Therefore they retain the little word faith only in appearance, and deny, condemn and curse everything of the nature of faith, and begin to divide it into many parts; some say there is a natural faith, others a spiritual, some a common, some others a particular, some a simple, others a complex, and they themselves, these blind leaders, know less of what they are juggling, than any natural fool. The Gospel knows nothing of their manifold faith, has but the one, which is founded upon the pure grace of God, without any merit of works, of this they have not the faintest idea, yes, condemn it as the worst heresy, and yet they say that they will defend the Gospel and the Christian faith. ²¹⁹ Again the Gospel says that Christ is our Savior; this they hear, but then loosen and weaken every natural work, manner, and attribute of Christ inasmuch as they publicly teach that man can, through natural strength and works, earn the grace of God, therefore they condemn Christ and all his works, as St. Peter, (2 Peter 2:1) has prophesied of them: “There shall be false teachers among you denying even the Master that bought them.” For if nature itself can attain the grace of God, as now all high schools, institutions, and cloisters, hold and teach in harmony with the pope, then Christ was born and died to no purpose. Why should Christ have shed his blood to acquire grace for us, if we through our nature could have acquired ourselves? Yet they wish to be Christians, and raise aloft the name of Christ, under the appearance of which they revile and condemn as heresy the entire Christian essence. ²²⁰ Again, the Gospel teaches that the law of God is spiritual and cannot possibly be fulfilled by nature; but that the Spirit of God must fulfill it in us through faith, Romans 8:2-3. Therefore they deny neither the Spirit nor the law, but they nevertheless destroy all its power, and teach that man, without the help of the Spirit, can fulfill the law naturally in all its works, although he cannot thereby earn heaven. This is nothing less than denying the power of the law and of the Spirit, retaining only the name. ²²¹ Then they proceed and tear the law of God asunder where they think it too difficult for nature, making superfluous, unnecessary things of it; as for example, that it is neither necessary nor commanded that we should love God with the entire heart, that we give the cloak with the coat; again, that we should not go to court; again, that we should loan and give to everybody, without profit or gain. Again, that we should suffer evil and do good unto our enemies, etc. Thus they have destroyed the true nature of Christianity, which consists alone in this that we suffer wrong and do good to everybody. And then they institute in its stead their own command, that they wear tonsures and caps, eat no meat, eggs, butter, and milk, make a great noise in the church; that nothing remains now of the law of God. ²²² Again, the Gospel praises the pure grace of God as pardoning and destroying sin. Now they do not deny the little word grace, but hold it seemingly in high esteem; besides this, however, they teach a multiplicity of satisfactions for sin, payments of money, orders, divisions of repentance in order to purchase from God the forgiveness of sin, and to pay him for his grace. Therefore the nature and work of grace are destroyed and condemned to the very foundation; for grace is pure grace or nothing at all. ²²³ Again, the Gospel teaches that through original sin all men are under wrath and disfavor, and that all their works are thereby rendered sinful. They do not deny the expression, original sin, but destroy its force by saying that nature is still good, and its works are not sinful, and can as yet well prepare itself, yet for grace. They say also that original sin did not injure nature so that it should be condemned, but simply weakened it towards the good, and disposed it to evil. If it does not follow its inclination, which of itself it does not need to do, it does not deserve hell, and can also acquire the grace of God. Behold, this is as much as to say: original sin is not original sin; and under this name they deny the work and nature of sin. ²²⁴ Again, the Gospel teaches: that love does not seek its own, but serves others only. Now they indeed hold to the little word love, but curtail its entire nature, in as much as they teach, ordinary love begins with itself and loves itself first and most. Then they say, it is loving enough if, one simply wishes another well, it is not necessary to add the deed of serving him; for it would be dishonest for the pope to humble himself and serve his subject, but he permits his feet to be kissed, and thinks it enough simply to say: I wish everybody well except my enemies. Behold! here lie in ruins, the nature and power of love, and nothing remains but the simple empty name. ²²⁵ Again, the Gospel teaches how hope builds alone upon pure divine revelation; they confess the little word, hope, teach, however, that hope does not rest upon divine revelation, but upon its own merits. ²²⁶ Again, the Gospel teaches how God’s providence is eternally sure; they, however, teach that it rests upon the free will and is uncertain. ²²⁷ In short, they confess God and his name, but root out and condemn as the worst heresy whatever God orders, wills, does, establishes, and executes, from which we can clearly see how Christ’s suffering is now spiritually fulfilled under the rule of the pope. Behold, see they have in their teaching the appearance of faith, of hope, of love, of grace, of sin, of the law, of Christ, of God, of the Gospel; yet they deny all strength and nature of the same, and even condemn it all as the worst heresy. On this account the apostle spoke so sharply when he said: They deny the power of the whole divine worship and life, and live only the pretense of it. Oh, Lord God of heaven, where are the streams of water, yes, of blood that rightly should flow from our eyes in this last terrible and dreadful time of the unspeakable, immeasurable wrath of God upon the world because of its sin and thanklessness. ²²⁸ Further, Herod sends the wise men to Bethlehem and commands them diligently to seek the child, pretending that he also wished to come and worship him. Here our Herodians are shown another thing, namely, that they ought to live as they preach. Teaching and living are with them empty show and denial of the truth, for the life must be as the teaching directs. However the pope and the religious orders now do allow Christians to be pious, and command them to seek Christ and the truth; yet with this addition, that they must be his betrayers, and serve the priesthood in thus seeking Christ. For the pope now shamelessly and eagerly declares this to all the world: Anyone is allowed to seek Christ and to live righteously; but, if he does not also obey the pope’s orders and command, and serve him, with all his good life, be subject to his authority, he still cannot be saved. The people are thus made to think that more, or at least just as much, depends upon obedience to the pope than upon God’s commands. ²²⁹ See, this is Herod’s addition, that he not only sends the wise men to Bethlehem, but also holds them subject to himself and feels bound treacherously to destroy Christ. For what do all who thus hold that obedience to the pope is necessary to salvation, and that whoever does not hold it is condemned, do, except betray and surrender Christ that Herod may find and kill him. For Christian faith cannot exist beside such obedience or such conscience, as has often been said. For faith alone must save, and such obedience be counted useful and permitted, faith must perish, and Herod reign in Christ’s stead. That means then really to surrender and betray Christ and one’s faith. ²³⁰ But, when Herod says: I too will come and worship him, everyone sees that he lies, that these are mere words and a clear pretense, beneath which he is still planning something quite different, namely to kill Christ and to destroy his kingdom. Here you have in Herod the image of all unbelieving saints well and briefly set forth. In the first place Herod does not pretend any common thing: he does not say that he wishes to give him gold or myrrh, neither that he wishes to help him or to be his true friend; but undertakes the very highest and best thing that there is in the service of God, namely, humility and worship. I will come, he says, as a lowly one, and show the highest honor, even worship. ²³¹ Thus do now also the Herodians, the priests, who do not undertake any ordinary work, but the very highest, the service of God. This they appropriate to themselves, in that they exercise themselves, saying openly that the life of other men is temporal and worldly, but that they are in the service of God day and night, and, while others labor, they pray and serve God for the poor people. Do you not believe this? Well then, ask the bells about it which ring for their worship. To this they go in humble manner, let themselves be proclaimed God’s servants before all men, fattening their bellies right well in so doing, gather for themselves riches out of all the world, and build houses, as if they expected to live here forever. Accordingly we must here note the difference between true and false worship, that we may recognize and avoid the spirit of the villain Herod.

[[This very long sermon on Matt 2:1-12 is divided into 7 parts. In the electronic version, they are found in verses 1-2 (Part 1), verse 3 (Part 2), verse 4 (Part 3), verse 5-6 (Part 4), verses 7-8 (Part 5), verse 9 (Part 6), verse 10 (Part 7), and verses 11-12 (Part 8)]]

THE TRUE AND FALSE WORSHIP OF GOD.

²³² No better distinction is to be had here than God’s Word. The worship which is there taught must surely be the true worship; but that which is set up beside God’s Word or outside of it. as invented by men, must certainly be the false Herod-worship. Now the worship of God is nowhere established, except in his commandments. For without doubt he alone serves God who keeps his commandments; just as a servant in the house is said to serve his master only when he does, and attends to, whatever his master bids him to do. However, if he does not do this, even if he otherwise does the will of the whole town he is not said to serve his master. So then, whoever does not keep God’s commandments, does not serve God, even though he keeps the teachings and commandments of all men. ²³³ Now the worship of God consists in this that you confess, honor and love God with your whole heart, put all your trust and confidence in him, never doubt his goodness, either in life or in death, either in sins or in right living, as the first commandment teaches. To this we can attain through the merit and blood of Christ alone, who has gained for us and gives us such a heart, if we hear and believe his word; for our nature cannot have such a heart of itself. Behold, this is the chief worship of God and the greatest thing, to wit, an upright Christian faith and love to God through Christ. Therefore the first commandment is fulfilled by us through the precious blood of Christ, and God is faithfully served from the heart. ²³⁴ In the second place, if you honor God’s name, and call upon it in need, and openly confess it before the tyrants and persecutors of this true worship, not fearing them, but punishing the Herodians and guarding, as much as you can, that they do not dishonor God’s name with their false life and teaching, set forth under God’s name, which is truly a great thing and takes the burdens of the world upon itself. See, this is the second article of worship which is kept in the commandment. ²³⁵ Thirdly, if you bear the holy cross, and must suffer much because of such faith and confession, that you must risk for it body and life, goods and honor, friend and favor; this means rightly keeping and hallowing the Sabbath, since it is not you, but God only who works in you, for you are but a suffering, persecuted man. This is the third article of worship, and is included in the third commandment. See, here is the first table with the first three commandments, which are contained in the three articles, faith, confession, and suffering. By this the present life and the world are renounced and God alone is praised. ²³⁶ Fourthly, we come into the second table, and henceforth you serve God, if you honor father and mother, are subject and obedient to them, and help them where they need it before all mankind, and if you do not without their consent, go into orders, when they are in need of your services in some other way. ²³⁷ Fifthly, that you injure no one in body, but show kindness to everyone, even to your enemies, that you visit the sick and prisoners, and give a helping hand to all needy, and have a good, kind heart for all men. ²³⁸ Sixthly, that you live chastely and temperately, or always honor your marriage vow, and help others to honor theirs. ²³⁹ Seventhly, that you do not deceive or injure anyone, or take advantage in business; but that you lend and give to everyone or exchange with him, as far as you can, and protect your neighbor against injury. ²⁴⁰ Eighthly, that you guard your tongue, and injure, slander, or belie no one, but defend, excuse and spare everyone. ²⁴¹ Ninthly and tenthly, that you do not covet any man’s wife or property. ²⁴² See, these are the parts of truly good worship. This and nothing else God requires of you; if you do anything more, he does not value it. This is also clear and easy to be understood by everyone. Now you see that the true worship must be common to all classes, and to all men, and only this alone dare be found among God’s people. And, where another worship is found, it must certainly be false and misleading; as that is what will not be common to all, but limits itself to some especial classes and men. Thus far we have spoken of the true, universal, and only worship. ²⁴³ Now let us see the false, peculiar, factional and multifarious worship which is not commanded of God, but made up by the pope and his priests. There you may see many kinds of monasteries, orders, and cloisters, of which one has nothing in common with any other. One monk wears a large, another a small shaven crown; one wears gray, another wears black, another white, another woolen, another linen clothing, another made of hair; this one prays on such days and time; this one eats flesh, that one fish; this one is a Carthusian, that one a barefoot monk. This one has such ceremonies; that one others; one prays with the stool toward Rome; another with the bench toward Jerusalem; this one conducts mass so, that one differently; this one is bound to this monastery, that one to another; this one bawls in this choir, that one in another, and the churches are full of their mutterings. They live too in celibacy and have all kinds of disciplines. And who can name all their countless, factional, odd and sectarian practices? Well, now this worship has vomited forth another, yet more overgrown. There is neither limit nor measure to the building of churches, chapels, monasteries, and altars, to founding masses and vigils, to establishing hours of prayer, and to creating mass vestures, choir caps, chalices, monstrance’s, silver images and ornaments, candlesticks, tapers, lights, incense, tables and bells. He, what an ocean, what a forest of these things there is! into this has gone all the devotion, tribute, money, and property of the laity; this calling increasing the worship of God and caring for the service of God, as the pope calls it in his divine right. ²⁴⁴ Compare now this article with true worship, and tell me, where has God ever commanded anyone a letter of the article? Do you still doubt then that the whole clergy under the pope is nothing but the creature, the empty show, or the imposture of Herod, only that people may be hindered and turned away from the true worship? These are the altars and the groves over which the prophets lament regarding the people of Israel, that every town set up its own grove and altar, and forsook the true temple of God. Just so has this ungodly, superstitious, popish, Herodian worship filled all the corners of the world and has forced away and destroyed the only true worship of God. ²⁴⁵ Perhaps you look about and think: What, could so many people be wrong all at once? Beware, and do not let their number trouble you; hold fast to God’s word; he cannot deceive you, though all mankind be false, as indeed the Scriptures say, Psalm 116:11: “All men are liars.” Do not be astonished that so many are now in error for in the days of Elijah there were only seven thousand righteous men in all Israel,1 Kings, 19:18. Tell me, what were seven thousand men over against all Israel, of whom there were more than twelve hundred thousand fighting men, besides women and children? What was even the whole people over against the whole world that was all at one time in sin? What then is to be now, since Christ and the apostles have spoken such terrible things of these times that even Christ himself says, Luke 18:8: When the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? These must be great and terrible things and must lead a great many people astray, and those most of all of whom one should expect it the least shall be ruled by the Anti-Christ who leads the world astray. We should be certain, since we do not regard God’s judgment and do not take his wrath to heart, that it would be no miracle, if he retained scarce one man on earth as righteous. ²⁴⁶ This is the last and worst time, of which all Scriptures has spoken so terribly. Thank God, therefore, that you see his word, telling which is true and which the false worship. Then see that you remain therein and do not follow the mob that wanders without God’s word. If those scarcely remain steadfast who have God’s word and hold fast to it, where shall those stay who, without God’s word, follow their own head? Therefore, let him doubt who will; God’s word and worship convincingly show that the pope is the Anti-Christ and the priests his disciples who lead all the world astray. ²⁴⁷ See now, has it not been well arranged? The Herodian worship has brazen bells, and these are many and large, with which they allure the people to such worship. As the worship is, so also are the bells or allurements. God has given to the true worship other and right bells, namely the preachers who should ring and sound such worship into the people. But where are they now? Those are dead, senseless bells, and they would be more useful if one made pots and vessels of them. Just so the worship is dead and useless, and it would be better if one carried on such a business in the field of jugglery. ²⁴⁸ See, this is the worship of Herod which pretends to worship Christ and serve God, and is nothing but deception. Yet it plays the hypocrite so well that it daily deceives many good, pious people, and has often deceived them, as Christ says, Matthew 24:25, that they shall lead astray, if possible, even the elect. As it has happened to St. Bernard, to St. Francis, and to St. Dominic and others, who however, did not perish in error, nor remained in it, since their saving faith kept them safe through such error and led them out. ²⁴⁹ So also it happened to these pious wise men. They had a good, true faith and purpose; still they were mistaken in Herod, thinking his pretense true and believing his lies, and were ready also to do as they were told and to be obedient to him, had they not been otherwise instructed from heaven. So it happens today, and so it has happened, that many are obedient to the pope, and believing in simple faith that his existence is right and good, thus falling into error. However their Christian faith helps them that such poison does not in the end injure them, as Christ says, Mark 16:17-18: “And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them, if they believe in my name.” But what drink can be more deadly than such lies and hypocrisy of false teaching and wrong worship? ²⁵⁰ According as we have now learned to know Herod’s worship and perceived his artful hypocrisy, let us now see too his evil purpose and maliciousness, with which he plans to destroy not only the true worship, but also Christ, the King, and his whole kingdom. He attempts to do this in three ways. First, with the same hypocritical appearance of this false worship. For such an appearance of worship is so strong an enticement from true worship that it can be overcome only by especial grace, so that St. Paul well names it energiam erroris, a strong working of error. The people cannot defend themselves against such seduction, where there are not true bishops and preachers who preach the only true worship, hold the people to the pure word of God, and forbid the false worship; as the prophets did in Israel, and were all for that reason put to death. ²⁵¹ In the second place Herod destroys true worship through his teaching, of which we have already spoken. Thus he teaches works instead of faith, contrary to the first commandment to honor and serve God; in the second and third commandments he perverts and teaches one’s own works and sufficiency, and forbids to confess the faith and God’s name. As has been said, he teaches disobedience to father and mother, contrary to the fourth commandment. Contrary to the fifth he teaches that it is not necessary to love one’s enemy and to do him good. Contrary to the sixth he tears matrimony to pieces. He robs and steals and even justifies so doing, thus breaking the seventh commandment. He teaches also that it is not necessary to lend and give. Summa sum-mature, he teaches that it is not necessary to love God and one’s neighbor from the heart. That means, to be sure, that he destroys the whole Scripture and worship of God. ²⁵² In the third place, he is not satisfied with such poisonous examples and deadly teachings, but goes ahead and exercises two kinds of force in them; he banishes and execrates the souls that do not follow him, also burns, hunts and persecutes their bodies, property and honor in the most shameful way. What more could he do that is evil? I mean to say that he is a Herod; nevertheless he must leave Christ alone, and cannot carry out his will. He destroys many, but faith remains to the end of the world, although hidden, a fugitive, and unknown. ²⁵³ But here perhaps you ask me, what then should they do who are spiritual captives under Herod in false worship, in convents and monasteries? I answer: You cannot do otherwise than lay aside the false worship and hold to God’s word and true worship; or do as the wise men did, and drink the poison, firmly believing that it will not hurt you. You will find no other means: God’s word will remain unchanged to all eternity. But, although I have already spoken of this in another gospel, I must speak of it again. ²⁵⁴ Well now, we place before us one who holds fast in this matter and argues against us that a priest, a monk, or a nun, or any other person who has gone into orders, is bound to keep his spoken vow and may not in any way during his whole life leave it or turn aside. Such a man may take his stand in the Scripture, which says that one should fulfill what one has vowed. But let us, however, speak of vows which God has not commanded, but which men make of their own accord. For, since in baptism we vowed to serve God and keep his commandment, such a vow is demanded by God of all men, as the Scripture says, Psalm 22:25: “I will pay my vows before them that fear him,” and, Psalm 116:18: “I will pay my vows unto Jehovah, yea, in the presence of all his people.” But the vow of the religious orders he has not commanded. ²⁵⁵ With this opponent we shall deal in two ways. First, let us decide definitely upon those things in which there is no doubt or argument; secondly, let us dispute with him, explore and seek the truth. First, no one can or should doubt that all contrary to God’s command, whether it be to live or to die, to vow or to become free, to speak or to be silent, is to be condemned and by all means to be changed and to be avoided. For the will of God must soar above all and be done in heaven and on earth, as we pray, even if a man could work all miracles. This is clear and certain enough. So there is now no doubt or argument, but it is certainly determined: If anyone has been consecrated as priest, monk or nun against God’s will, such priesthood and monkery is nothing and altogether to be condemned, and he is bound to let it all go and change. Thus, if anyone has become priest or monk only for the purpose of stealing a chalice or ornaments, he has certainly taken the vow against God’s commandment, and has also sinned in so doing and his vow does not bind him. Such a man may and should return to secular life, or he must take the vow anew and from right motives. For his purpose has never been to enter the clergy; but, if thievishness had not urged him, he would certainly not have taken the vow and considered entering the order. Accordingly God cannot accept the vow, nor is it binding upon the man to observe it. ²⁵⁶ But before men it is different, for whoever has vowed anything must keep his vow, although he did not intend it in his heart. For man does not see his neighbor’s heart, and accordingly accepts his vow as honest and believes it to be from the heart. So he has the right to ask him to fulfill it, and may honestly state that he is not bound to believe that the promisor has changed his mind and rued his bargain. If, however, the other lied, the loss is his. But God cannot be deceived, and he judges only by the heart. Accordingly such a vow counts for nothing with him, and he does not ask it, but is angry to have anyone thus tempt him. ²⁵⁷ If now anyone had taken vows against the first great commandment of God of the first table, he would be much more obliged to give up his vow than that thief who had vowed against the seventh commandment, as the first commandment is higher than the seventh commandment. For whoever thus steals contrary to the seventh commandment steals only worldly property, the very least of created things. But he who deals contrary to the first commandment robs and denies God himself, the highest good and the Creator of all. The priests and monks, then, who sin against the first commandment, are many times worse than that thievish cheat and breaker of the seventh commandment. What, if we could now prove that nearly all priests and monks enter orders against the first commandment, and that they become spiritual just as little, or even less than these thievish roguish knaves. Oh, this means to throw open monasteries and convents and to set free the monks and priests. Well now, consider and listen. ²⁵⁸ The first commandment contains the Christian faith, for he who does not believe cannot have a God or know him; all unbelief is idolatry. This is Christian faith that trusts in God’s grace alone, gained for us and bestowed upon us through the blood of Christ, and that counts no work useful or good to win God’s favor. For this were too hard for nature, which is conceived and born in sin, and also lives, works and dies in it if Christ would not come to its help, gaining God’s mercy for us by his works alone and not by our own. Through him, too, we fulfill the first commandment and have a God on whose mercy we can depend with all confidence, so that without our merit he forgives all our sins and saves us in Christ, as has often already been said. Therefore it is impossible that this faith should permit beside itself a trust in works, as though anyone could obtain forgiveness of sins and grace and become holy and be saved by them, for this belongs to Christ alone, who does all this through his work. Thus we have only to believe and confidently to entrust ourselves to him ²⁵⁹ Therefore there is no penance, no satisfaction for sin, no acquiring of grace, no becoming holy, for we believe only in Christ, that he has done enough for our sin, won mercy for us and saved us. After that we should first of all do good works of free will, to his honor and for the good of our neighbor, not that we may become holy or be saved or put away sin thereby, for that must remain entrusted to Christ alone through faith. He does not grant to angels, much less to our good works that they should put away sin, win grace, and make holy: that belongs to him, he has done and does it alone. This he wishes to have us believe, and if we believe it then we have it. Of this St. Paul says: I do not make void the grace of God; for if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for naught, Galatians 2:21. That is to say, if we are able to do so much that God forgives our sins and gives grace and salvation on account of our works, then we do not need Christ. For what other reason did he die, except to atone for our sins and win grace, that we give up hope in ourselves and our works, make nothing of them, confide in Christ alone and hold with a fixed faith that he is the one whom God regards in our place and through whose merit alone forgives us our sins, becomes reconciled and saves us. This is a Christian faith, of which Christ says, Mark 16:16. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.” ²⁶⁰ Now let us consider the religious orders and estimate them over against the first commandment and Christian faith. Does anyone wish to become a priest or to take a vow in the Christian spirit so that he does not run against the first commandment and tempt God, then the intention of his heart must be that he can say: Well, I intend to become a priest, a monk, or nun, or to take some other vow, not that I consider the station of life or order a way to salvation, neither because I expect through such a life to become holy, to atone for sin and to win God’s grace. God protect me against this, for this would be against Christ and his blood, this would be destroying all his merit and honor and the worst scorn and mockery of God. For all that will I expect from him in pure faith, since I do not doubt that he has done it for me. However, since I must do something on earth, I will take up this life, exercise myself in it, chastise my body and serve my neighbor: just as another man works in the field or garden or at his trade without regard to merit and good in his works. See, where this purpose is not, there Christ must be denied and the first commandment destroyed, and vain, unchristian, unbelieving, Jewish and heathen life be found. This also says the mighty Scripture truth of St. Paul, Romans 14:23: “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” For without faith no one will be saved, Mark 16:16. So, too, without faith there can be no righteousness nor truth. ²⁶¹ Tell me now how many priests and monks, think you, are to be found who take vows and live under vows with so Christian a purpose? Do not nearly all of them speak thus: Well, if my order does not count more for me in atoning for sin, in becoming holy, and in getting to heaven than a farmer’s plough or a tailor’s needle does for him, then what am I doing in the order of priesthood? No, I will do good works, hold many masses, pray and do penance for myself and other people. What kind of word is that of an unbelieving heart that has denied Christ and that ascribes to its order and works that which should be expected of Christ alone through faith? ²⁶² Moreover, as has been said above, it is the meaning and teaching of all those in the religious orders that one can through his own work win God’s grace and put away sin. They are so devoid of shame that they sell, promise and divide to others their good works, merit and brotherhood; they are so bold as to do for men what Christ alone is able to do, namely, to put away men’s sins and to make them holy. Of this Christ has especially prophesied and said, Matthew 24:5: “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ.” Beloved, give heed to the word. Is it not true, as has just been said, that our priests and monks make themselves Christ? Although no one of them says with the mouth, I am Christ; nevertheless they say: I help other people, give them my merit, win grace for them, put away their sin, which is Christ’s work and office only. Accordingly, they are Christ, although they do not call themselves Christ. For Matthew does not say that they will say: I am called Christ, but I am Christ. It is not the name, but the office and work of Christ that they take for themselves. ²⁶³ Therefore we conclude here without any dispute or question or doubt that all in religious orders who are not priests, monks or nuns from the above named Christian purpose have certainly taken vows and live against the first commandment of God and are ten times worse than the thievish, tricky rascal of whom we have spoken. And they are truly the lost multitude, heathen and Jews, the Devil’s own, as they come and go; they are truly and exactly those of whom St. Peter says, 2 Peter 2:1-3: “Among you also there shall be false teachers denying even the Master that bought them. And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.” This they do to perfection, for all possessions and tribute come to the religious orders, because of their false, unchristian life, which they hold up with false words. ²⁶⁴ Accordingly, all these are to be advised to leave tonsures and caps, monastery and convent, and to cease keeping their vow; or to begin anew to vow such a life in Christian faith and purpose. For the vow observed in the Christian purpose counts no more before God than this much: See here, God, I vow to you not to be a Christian as long as I live. I recall the vow of my baptism, and will now make and keep for thee a better vow, apart from Christ, in my own doings and works. Is not that a terrible, horrible vow? Now it is nothing different, as can clearly be seen from the above. But these are the ones who take vows in the best way, as they suppose. ²⁶⁵ For the great, mad crowd who become priests and monks for their bellies’ sake, that they may be provided for in this world, and who compose the larger part of the clergy, are not worthy to be discussed and much less is their vow of any validity. These can surely become secular, if they wish, for they have never become nor been religious. And it would indeed be necessary for them to cease mocking God with their mummery, to give up their prebend, tenure, priesthood, monkery and nuns’ life. Oh, Lord God, how totally blind is the world, how perverted it is! The world now is religious and religious orders are now the world. How strong is the rule of Anti-Christ! ²⁶⁶ In the second place we shall now argue and say: Although some one had honestly taken the vow with Christian intention, has he not the power, if occasion demand, to return to secular life? Here I desire that only pious, honest spirits would give heed, who are not swift to judge, but are eager to learn and reason. For nothing can be said to the mad Papists and Herodians, no one can argue with them: they can only hold their ears, gnash their teeth and scream: Heretic, heretic, fire, fire, fire! We let these alone as irrational and talk with those who would gladly have their own and other people’s conscience instructed. ²⁶⁷ It is undeniable that a Christian purpose to take vows consists, as has been said above, in this, that it does not take the vow because the order is useful and necessary to abolish sin, to win grace, to become pious, to especially serve God and to be saved. These are properties of the common Christian faith only which nowhere, except in Christ. expects such blessings, but which, free and exempt from such unchristian madness, thinks only of accepting a good discipline of the body in this life. Just so undeniable it is that God accepts no vow or religious order, except it be taken with this Christian purpose, since St. Paul stands firmly here and says, Romans 14:23: “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” But God cannot accept sin, Psalm 5:5, Habakkuk 1:13. Because, therefore, God does not accept such vow and order otherwise than as voluntary and unnecessary to salvation, and because true Christian purpose does not begin nor vow otherwise, I should like to hear the man who thoroughly and with honest reason could deny that one in religious orders could reenter secular life without injury to his soul and with a good conscience before God, especially if he had cause to do so. ²⁶⁸ That many say: It is not customary, the holy fathers have done and written differently, settles nothing, as anyone can see. We ask here, not what custom does or what the writings of the fathers ask, but what is right and pleasing before God. Who will assure that custom is not wrong and that the fathers are not in error, since even Christ declares, Matthew 24:24, that even the elect shall be deceived by false Christs, such as those in the religious orders. Say what you will, it cannot be made to agree that anything which is free and unnecessary to the soul’s salvation as undertaken or vowed before God and the conscience, can not be let go, but, on the contrary must, at the risk of the soul’s salvation, be kept until death. The two things are exactly opposite, as you can see for yourself. ²⁶⁹ A Christian vow to take religious orders must before God be thus: See, dear God, I vow to thee to lead this life, which can be led free by nature and without regard to salvation. Ought not God answer here: Well, what then have you vowed to me here, and what are you keeping? Have you not enough necessary things to observe? In this you vow nothing to me, since you may observe it and again let it go. Good, this I will allow. And thus the vow before God naturally excludes that the life under the vow remains free to be observed or to be let go. It is just as if your servant made you a vow and promised: Master, I vow to you on this extra day free service, which I may do or leave undone; on the other days I am bound to serve you. Here, I think, whether the servant did or left undone, as it may happen, he would have done enough for his vow. ²⁷⁰ I cannot understand differently but that the vow of all those who are in religious orders is the same; for the reason that faith makes all things free, and it is impossible that anything should be necessary or should be made necessary to salvation, either through ourselves, through angels or through any creatures, faith alone excepted. And this is the liberty which Christ has won for us, of which St. Paul teaches, Galatians 5:1, and says against all the teaching of men: “For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore.” Therefore the vow of all those who are in orders must naturally have in it liberty again to leave this life and should read thus: I vow to God and you, chastity, poverty and obedience, according to the rule of St. Augustine, to be freely held or given up, until death. ²⁷¹ Here probably someone begins to laugh and to say that would be a foolish, ridiculous vow and a mere deception. I answer: Do not be surprised if men do ridiculous and foolish things, when they leave God’s ordering to follow their own blindness and to do, not what god’s Word teaches, but what suits them. Ridiculous, foolish and worthless such a vow is; but nevertheless by it God’s wrath is fulfilled and countless souls are led astray, so that scarcely the elect escape. ²⁷² Men have invented such vows and such a life, therefore it is and remains a human order. Many years ago when young people were accepted to be taught and reared in a Christian way, as now ought to be done in the schools, they were allowed, of their own free will, to remain for a while under discipline. Now some remained willingly in this state all their lives and became so accustomed to it that few forsook the company, but remained altogether in it until their end; thus finally monasteries and convents arose. Since now the masters have become lazy and the youth intractable, men invented these cords and chains of the vow and with it took the conscious prisoners and rid themselves with care and oversight by making each one constrain himself to be and to remain disciplined and pious for the sake of the bond of his vow; just as in the higher schools also, the abominable practice prevails of guarding and carrying out everything with oaths and vows to bind the poor youth so shamefully without any necessity. ²⁷³ Thus convents and cloisters have grown out of the free Christian schools, and faith has been perverted into works, and liberty destroyed and bound through vows. Accordingly, it is not surprising that, where Christian liberty again shines forth, human vows appear ridiculous and foolish. Christian liberty can at no time exist together with the timid vows of external works. One of the two must yield; that is unavoidable. Faith makes all external things free; the vow binds them fast; how then can both remain together? Thus faith is divine, the vow is human; therefore it is not possible that God should let faith go and regard our vow. Therefore it is not possible that he should sin against God or break his vow who remains priest, monk or nun as long as he wishes, and returns to secular life when he wishes. ²⁷⁴ We would further discuss this for the comfort of the wretched, imprisoned consciences, oppressed under this Herod and Anti-Christ. If we take for granted that vows made in a Christian way ought to be kept, what then will you say if one of these would become impossible for someone to observe? I take up the one that is the most plausible, the vow of chastity, which, as we see with our own eyes, cannot be kept by the majority: for nature is far too weak to keep it, where especial grace is not present. ²⁷⁵ Moses has written much of the natural sexual intercourse between man and woman, both while awake and asleep, of which no one dare now speak openly. So much purer have our ears become than the mouth of the Holy Ghost that we are ashamed where there is nothing to be ashamed of, and are not ashamed where there is cause for shame. Yet it is necessary that everyone should know and be instructed in these things, and especially the youth. Where especial heavenly grace is not found, there nature must be satisfied according to its constitution. If man and woman do not come together, nature takes its own course and is unrestrained, so that it would be better for man and woman to come together, as God created them and as nature prompts. Many teachings and books have been written about this; would to God they were all well written and helpful! ²⁷⁶ So now I ask, How will they advise one for whom it is impossible to restrain himself? You say that such should guard themselves with prohibitions. Well then, one of these three things will follow, where there is not especial grace. Man and woman will come together, if they can, as now takes place among priests; or nature will relieve itself; or, where neither of these happens, there will be a continual burning and secret suffering. Here then you have a diabolical torture, and it comes about that the man would take the ugliest woman on earth, and the woman the most disgusting man because of the raging evil lust of the flesh. ²⁷⁷ Modest ears should and will pardon me; I must lay hold on the sickness of souls as a physician does of the excrement and secret places if I am to help at all. Now God can and will have no forced, unwilling chastity, which is no chastity to him; it must be voluntary, as all other services of God must be voluntary, or he does not regard it. What are you doing then that you hold this poor man for his whole life in unchaste chastity, that without cessation he sins with the heart against his vow, so that it would be better for the young man to have a young woman and for the young woman to have a young man? ²⁷⁸ Here some teach that it is enough if one willingly begins the life of chastity and takes the vow accordingly, for by virtue of the willing beginning it will not harm, if he afterwards become unwilling. Oh, ye betrayers and blind leaders who adapt the service of God to works and not to the Spirit! All is in vain that is unwillingly done, and it would better be left undone. For it may happen that the man and the woman who live together have much less fire and lust than such solitary men and women; but the greater the lust the greater is the sin of unchastity. So now these three kinds of men can find no counsel; the Pope lets them burn and be martyred, as they may, so that I consider these to be the children who among the people of Israel were offered and burned before the fiery idol of Moloch. ²⁷⁹ Then you say, What shall I do otherwise? It is not fitting to let them marry, on account of the vow, since the Scriptures say: Vovete et reddite, vow and observe. That answer I would have. Now answer me again: It is not fitting to let them marry, you say; why then is it fitting to let them play the profligate, to have secret sexual intercourse and to burn? Will not the vow be violated worse here than if they were married? How cleverly this helps the vow when you forbid marriage and when you see that you can not prevent profligacy and lust. I think to do the latter would be to leave the beam in the eye and to draw out the mote. ²⁸⁰ Yes, say you, the man may at last leave the woman and live chastely, and this he could not do if married. My dear man, give me a few examples: It would happen sooner that married people separate and voluntarily abstain than such people. But let that go until another time. Answer me here: St. Augustine makes a rule that his brethren are not to go alone, but two by two. This I have vowed till death; well then, I am taken prisoner and compelled to be alone; tell me, what becomes of my vow? Shall I keep my vow here, then I must let myself be killed, rather than be alone. But what if they will not kill me and keep me alone by force, then my vow must be broken or I must always have made for myself this condition, that I vow to keep the rule in this and this particular, as far as it is possible for me. ²⁸¹ Further, I vow to pray, to wear a habit and other things of the kind according to the rule. Well then, I become sick, must keep my bed and cannot observe any of them. What becomes now of the command: Vovete et reddite, vow and observe? It does not help me that I am sick, for God’s commandment should always be kept in death as well as in life, in sickness as well as in health. What will you say to this? It does not count to invent careless, lazy, unfounded excuses here, we are to do with serious matters, on which the salvation of the soul depends, so that one should answer honestly, uprightly and thoroughly. Accordingly, if you should say: If I am imprisoned and forced to be alone, if I am sick that I cannot keep the other rules, it is enough that I have the will to keep them and that I act contrary to the rule against my will; God accepts the will, where the act cannot follow; then I say, My friend, that does not help; my vow rests on the deed and embraces not only the will but also the work prescribed in the rule. ²⁸² Therefore where the work does not follow, the vow is broken, or the vow excludes the possibility of the lack of ability. Otherwise I too might take a woman and say: I do this unwillingly and I would gladly by choice remain chaste, but it is impossible for me, my nature forces, seizes and draws me on. Who in the world is there who would not prefer to live chaste and alone if he could do as he would? You must answer here differently. ²⁸³ Now see, as in other points in religious vows impossibility is reserved (as no one can deny), and as no one sins, though he never in his life keeps the vow, because of impossibility, I should like to hear honest reasons why chastity alone must be observed, whether it is possible or impossible to observe it, and why not in the vow this condition should be made: I vow chastity, as far as it is possible for me. If we would speak without foolish talk, we must say that either the impossible chastity, like the other impossible things, shall never be vowed, or there never was a monk on earth. For there never has been one who has not at one time been sick or otherwise hindered that he had to leave undone certain parts of his rule which is contrary to his vow. ²⁸⁴ Concerning all this it is in accord with their usual custom to leave such parts of the rule in the power of the abbot, that he may give his inferiors dispensation and excuse them from keeping what he will; not only because of impossibility, but also for convenience’ sake, and as it seems good to him, all of which is contrary to the vow, where vows are to be understood without any condition. For what you vow to God to keep no creature can take away. Now you vow the whole rule and your prelate excuses you in whatever point he will or you have need, so that without doubt all monks’ vows can be considered as having this meaning: I vow to keep the rule as far as is possible for me and agreeable to my superior. If that is not the contents and meaning of the vow, then all orders and cloisters are false and damnable, or there never has been a monk on earth. For no one has ever believed and regarded this point differently. Why then should not a superior have the power to give a brother permission to become secular and to marry, when he sees how the fiery and restless temptations of the flesh are tormenting him? If he can not release from the vow of chastity, how then can he release from the others? But if he can release from the others, why not also from the vow of chastity, for which there is so much more cause than for the others? ²⁸⁵ Therefore it has come about that they have divided vows into substantialia and accidentialia; that is, some vows are fixed and others are removable. Of fixed vows they have made three: Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. All the others, with the whole rule and order, they call removable.

[[This very long sermon on Matt 2:1-12 is divided into 7 parts. In the electronic version, they are found in verses 1-2 (Part 1), verse 3 (Part 2), verse 4 (Part 3), verse 5-6 (Part 4), verses 7-8 (Part 5), verse 9 (Part 6), verse 10 (Part 7), and verses 11-12 (Part 8)]] ²⁸⁶ What a rascal the devil is and how full of a thousand tricks! If we ask them here for what reason they make such a difference, and who has given them the power to do this, they cannot say anything else than that they do it of their own power and without all reason and cause. For when they saw that it was impossible to vow the order and rule, and that it could not be kept, they thought: Well, what shall we do now, this is all vowed and will not be kept. If they should all be condemned, there is no monk in a state of holiness, and all orders and rules would be nothing else than impossible, foolish things. We will do thus with it. We will exclude three points that shall be called fixed, and whoever does not keep these shall be damned; the others shall be called removable and not damnable. And so it has also happened; so they all hold, practice and teach. But wait, dear sirs, we have something to discuss with you about this. ²⁸⁷ If it is true that you have the power to make vows fixed and removable, you have also the power to condemn people and to save them. But tell me, how shall I be sure that this division of yours is right and pleasing to God? Who will quiet my conscience and assure it, when it is pressed with the commandment, Vovete et reddite? Do you think that it will be enough for me that you so divide, or that you point out how it is not to be observed? No, your division and non-observance will not satisfy me against this storm: Vovete et reddite. I have vowed not only the fixed vows, but the whole rule, with removable and fixed vows. The judge of all will not permit that I change his word and say: Omnia vovete, aliqua reddite; but he will say: Quodcunque voveris, redde. Et iterum; Redde vota tua. ²⁸⁸ Therefore to exclude these three vows is surely a senseless, misleading thing, invented by mere human presumption, or all vows must be alike removable; for they are all vowed alike, demanded by the same commandment, and must alike be kept or given up. What can you say to this, dear sirs? You will say: Such a religious life is an impossible and useless thing. That is certainly true. We are fools, we vow and do not know what we vow, afterwards we would help ourselves and make possible, impossible, observe, let go, remove and fix as it suits us. But the Highest will not permit us this, he will not allow his commandment to move this way and that according to our will. ²⁸⁹ You have learned such things from the pope; he too takes this commandment of God, Vovete et reddite, and stretches it as far as he will. He will set aside all vows, except those of chastity and pilgrimages to Rome, to St. James, and to Jerusalem, and God’s commandment is now taking this meaning: Vow chastity and a pilgrimage to St. James, Rome, and Jerusalem; observe this; what you have vowed otherwise you dare not observe. See, it is to be in his power which of God’s commands are to be observed and what are not to be observed. Oh, thou cursed abomination, how impudent, how trifling is thy insolence towards thy God! But what reason and cause has he for this? No other but that chastity and pilgrimage are great things, and that the other vows are little. Behold here the senseless fool and blasphemer who sets aside God’s commandment if it commands a little thing and teaches to observe it if it commands a great thing. This is directly contrary to Christ, Matthew 5:19: “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” You should not hold, like the pope, that a thing is trifling. We listen to the command, Vovete et reddite, even in little things; while the religious orders do as their father, the pope, teaches them and say: Vovete et reddite the three fixed vows, but Vovete et non reddite the removable vows. See, then, whether the religious orders are not the devil’s own government and nature, founded on mere lies and blasphemy. ²⁹⁰ Is it not so, my dear man? Be it little or great, whatever is comprehended in God’s commandments should and must be observed. One must here direct himself, not according to works, but according to the commandment. You must not consider whether the work is great or little, but only whether it is commanded. If it is commanded, there should be no neglecting it, be the case as it may. For Christ says: Not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law till all be fulfilled. But the pope and his disciples take away not only jot and tittle from this commandment, Vovete et reddite, but also letters, text, meaning and everything. ²⁹¹ The religious orders cannot deny that they vow removable vows which they include under the word Vovete; for they call them Vota, vows, although they change them into removable ones. So they can never deny that they are bound to observe these, and that they are also to remain under the word Reddite. Otherwise you might be an enemy to your neighbor in your heart, and say that you are not bound to love him, but that it is sufficient that you do not kill him, thus keeping the larger part of the fifth commandment and neglecting the smaller part. Henceforth we could divide all God’s commandments into great and small or into removable and fixed parts and say that we are not bound to observe the small or removable ones. This is contrary to God, although the pope and the universities thus hold and teach and the religious orders follow them. ²⁹² What shall we now do? If the religious orders hold all their vows and rules as fixed, who among them can be saved? Will you then condemn them all? I would not willingly condemn one but would far rather that they all escaped from the cloisters or became holy in another way. In this way they must certainly all be condemned, if they tear and twist God’s word according to their whims. I have discussed all this in order that I conclude beyond contradiction that all vows be made removable or all fixed and equal; one must be like the other. And if one among them can be given up with a good conscience for some cause, then the vow of chastity too, and all the others can and should be given up, where need and cause demand. I hope I have now stopped the mouth of all gainsayers so that they on this account must be silent and have nothing to answer. ²⁹³ Since we now see plainly that the impossible vows must be given up, even by the holy people, and that God does not ask these of them, I shall have concluded that no vow will be otherwise accepted by God, or can otherwise be made, except with the restriction and meaning: If it is possible and pleases the Superior. Accordingly, we may give all young monks and nuns wives and husbands and let them re-enter secular life, where it is necessary, and where we cannot hold them with a good conscience so as to please God. By this means we shall restore the cloisters to their original purity and nature as Christian schools, in which boys and girls learn discipline, reverence and faith, after which they may freely remain there until death, or as long as they wish, if God has not otherwise planned and willed for them. ²⁹⁴ Further, we would have another encounter with them, that we may see how wholly confused and groundless a thing the “religious” life is. I grant that their dream of the three fixed vows, Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, is true. Poverty is of two kinds, spiritual and bodily. Concerning spiritual poverty Christ says, Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their’s is the kingdom of heaven.” This means that man is content and ready to deny himself all riches, and that he bears in his heart only a renounced desire for them, although he may have and control great riches, as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and many pious Christians. This poverty of spirit is vowed by all Christians in common at baptism and is not vowed by the religious orders; for their vow demands that the Christian, evangelical, common poverty first exist. ²⁹⁵ Bodily poverty means to possess or have no property outwardly. This is not possible. Christ neither demanded nor practiced it, for man cannot live without bodily food and clothing. Therefore they have made it mean this that bodily purity is, not to have anything of one’s own. This poverty Luke has described in Acts 4:34: “For neither was there among them any that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sold.” Christ also practiced this, for his purse, which Judas carried, was common to all the apostles, so that John does not say that Judas had Christ’s purse to carry, but: “Having the bag, took away what was put therein,” John 12:6. This word proves that the purse was common to all: otherwise he had said, He had Christ’s purse and carried what was given to Christ. ²⁹⁶ Now see, St. Bonaventura was a cardinal; Eugene, the pope, was St. Bernhard’s disciple, and many in religious orders have become bishops and popes. Tell me, what has become of their vow of poverty? They are always holy. And if their vow had not been removable and free before God, they would certainly have been damned, since they did not keep their vow until death. Now, popes, cardinals and bishops always have their own property and do with it what they will; which is directly contrary to the vow of poverty, so that being a pope, cardinal or bishop is considered by everyone as secular, as over against the monkish orders. ²⁹⁷ Will you say here: They have followed obedience and have risen to a more perfect order, and do not have their own property but that of the church in their control? My dear man, observe what you say; are not these empty words? Or do you think to stop my mouth with this? Is it not so, dear brother? I would say, first: Obedience here, obedience there; to keep one’s vows is God’s commandment and obedience, from which we ought not follow even an angel, as St. Paul says, Galatians 1:8: “But though we, or an angel from heaven should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we have preached unto you, let him be anathema.” Also St. Peter, Acts 5:29: “We must obey God rather than man.” Have they now left God’s obedience for the sake of the pope’s obedience? Then they have left heaven for hell. No, you dare not thus throw away God’s commandment and obedience. Then I too would say that you may depart also from the vow of chastity for the pope’s sake, and set aside all God’s commandments. If you can set aside one command of God, for the sake of men, then you can set them all aside. ²⁹⁸ Secondly, even if the orders of pope, cardinals, and bishop were a perfect order, we ought nevertheless not free ourselves from God’s commandment. For without God’s commandment there is no order, much less a perfect order, but nothing but error and seduction. Perfection is not contrary to God’s commandment, but it much rather follows God’s commandments and sees none but observes all. See, with what great lies and foolishness the people have to do, that it does not know what and of what it speaks, that it establishes perfection without God’s commandment and wishes thereby to abolish God’s commandment. But now because the orders of pope, bishop, and cardinal form a real aristocracy, and are the most imperfect, we shall not keep these saints, unless we confess that all vows exist before God only for a time and can be changed, as we see that this vow of poverty is here changed. For why should not the vow of chastity be changed on account of necessity and cause, since it is not vowed more strongly than poverty? But now let it be that such saints have passed out of the vow of poverty into the perfect state, then you must grant me that the state of matrimony is perfect over against the state of unchastity, or against impossible chastity, as St. Paul says, Corinthians 7:9: “It is better to marry than to burn.” It is always better to have a lawful wife than to live with a woman unlawfully or to burn. Well then, let those pass out into this perfect state of marriage who hold an unchaste chastity or an imperfect, unwilling state of chastity; or, if you will not have that, then your excuse of the perfect state counts for nothing. ²⁹⁹ In the third place, how can you be so bold as to say that the vow of poverty is not broken for the reason that they care not for their own property, but for that of the church. If that now were true, in what were they better than a secular servant or official? Why then do you not consider these also as “religious,” since they do not control their own property? This is empty, foolish chatter. But now is it not true that the bishops hold property of their own, and that, in respect of poverty, their life is a thousand miles removed from that of the monks. Accordingly, nothing can be claimed here, you must acknowledge that poverty is vowed no further than the prelate wishes or cause demands, if we would keep our saints. ³⁰⁰ And what is the need of so much round about talk? It is clear that a man in a religious order vows only the childish, slavish poverty, which consists in this ‘that he has no property in his hands; but is subordinate, and takes what people give him. As soon, however, as he comes into power and stands before others to administer property he is no longer under the vow of poverty, unless he is deposed and again becomes subordinate. For what difference is there between such a ruler and the secular housefather or official, as far as having, using, ruling over and administering property is concerned? These are only feigned words, as St. Peter says, what men speak to the contrary: in reality it is a purely secular office, work and order. Therefore we see that God does not accept vows, unless they be free and removable; otherwise no cloister could have a prelate; so that necessity compels us to support the cloisters or schools for the training of young people. ³⁰¹ In the same way obedience may and can not be understood otherwise than as childish and slavish obedience; for the words of the vow clearly demand obedience to the abbot or prior. If then one becomes a bishop or prelate, what becomes of his vow of obedience? People must now be obedient to him, and he is not obedient. ³⁰² Will you again bring forward your foolish pretense that such a one passes into a higher obedience, or keeps his heart willing to become again obedient? All this has already been set aside; for it says: Vovete et Reddite; against this word there is no gloss; God will not have his command destroyed for the sake of either higher, middle or lower obedience. It is clear then that those in the religious orders vow a subjection, not of the heart, but only of the body; for the willing subjection of the heart toward everyone is common to all Christians, as St. Paul says, Romans 12:10: “In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another: in honor preferring one another.” But now again the cloisters dare have no prelates and supply no bishops; or the word subjection ends with the vow. See therefore how cleverly those two vows are called immovable and what fables and reigned words they use. God allows his saints both to vow and to live; he suffers their folly; but he does not accept the fixed vows, as you see from all this discussion; since they are contrary to Christian liberty and all good order, and exist only that Satan may have his sport with the unbelieving and may work his deception in them, as St. Paul teaches. ³⁰³ Now there remains only the vow of chastity; that alone must remain fixed and unchangeable which justly should be the first of all and most removable. In all the others they say Vovete et non reddite; here alone it is like iron and steel, Vovete et reddite. Is not this a horrible perversion? But Satan has done it for this reason, that he may the more firmly hold souls in unchastity, and he grasps just where they are the weakest and most easily held; for he saw clearly that all other vows could be more easily kept. Accordingly he did not insist upon them; but he insists upon this impossible thing alone, that he may be sure of his tyranny. Alas, Oh God, what illusion and foolery does he carry on with the religious orders! ³⁰⁴ We find then in the whole “religious” life nothing fundamental, certain or permanent; everything shakes and moves without Scripture or reason, so that there is cause enough that we should run away from the whole thing. There is the especial reason that it has no Scripture foundation, and that it has so many kinds of errors and lies in its leading points. Moreover, it is so condemned and cursed by Christ in Matthew 24, by St. Paul in 2 Timothy 3, by St. Peter in 2 Peter 2, that, if you had taken ten vows and you saw that it was the Devil’s doing and against God, you would be obliged to give it up or to vow in a new, free way, as has been said above. ³⁰⁵ They have one thing that they advance: There have been holy fathers in the religious orders. But here they should be terrified when Christ says, that the elect may be deceived by them, as here the magi were deceived by Herod, and many other examples. The three children of Israel, Ananias, Azarias and MIsael, remained in the fiery oven of Babylon. Naaman the Syrian alone remained pious in the temple of the false god. Joseph remained pious in Egypt. What shall I say? St. Agnes remained chaste in an ordinary brothel, and the martyrs remained pious in dungeons, and Christians still daily remain pious in the flesh, in the world and in the midst of devils. Could God then not have been able to preserve Francis, Bernhard and their like in the midst of error, and although they have sometimes erred to rescue them from this error again? ³⁰⁶ He has allowed hardly any great saint to live without error. He allowed Moses and Aaron and Miriam, David, Solomon and Hezekiah and many more to stumble, that no one should rely without Scripture upon the mere example and work of the saints. But we throw in whatever we see and hear of the saints, and so we come upon and generally find that as men they have erred in their infirmity. This error has then to be for us a fundamental truth, and thus we build on the crooked wall of which Psalm 62:3-4 speaks. “How long will ye set upon a man, that ye may slay him, all of you; like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence. They only consult to thrust him down from his dignity; they delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly.” ³⁰⁷ But if all other things were good in the priesthood, the abuse of the mass would be enough to cause one to flee wherever one hears of it. I think that such abuse of the holy sacrament is reserved for this order as the worst, most destructive, and horrible that has Come upon earth, and which will be the greatest and last among evil things. Thus they make out of the mass a sacrifice and a good work which they sell to people and make all kinds of money out of it. Oh, the terrible perversion! What wrath ought it not merit? Would to God that all secondary masses were done away with; then there might be hope that God would be a little more merciful to us. But now, blinded as we are, we think that we should commit a great sin if we were to drop the masses; and we intend with such horrible abuse to propitiate and serve God. Thus there is no end to his wrath, and all our prayer becomes only sin, as Psalm 109:1-7 has declared. Only one mass a day should be held, and this should be treated as a sacrament for all, yes, one mass a week would be still better. But the matter cannot be improved; it is too deeply seated. ³⁰⁸ This utterance I wish to have made for the benefit of whom will use it; it makes no difference to me if the priests are angry at and cry over me. I prefer that they should be angry rather than Christ. I know that I am obliged to advise and help wretched consciences and souls, and to share with everyone that which God has given me. I will not leave the blame upon myself. I shall not be responsible for the man who does not accept it; he must take care of himself. He has my true service and advice so far; if I could do more for him, I would do more. Whoever will can enter and remain in a religious order; but whoever wishes to be saved must see to it that he becomes a Christian, and let priests and monks be priests and monks. ³⁰⁹ Here probably the chaste hearts and holy priests of God, whom nothing pleases except what they themselves speak and write, will pucker up their mouths and say: Oh, how the cowl presses the monk, how he wishes he had a wife! But let them slander and enjoy their malice, the chaste hearts and great saints; let them be iron and steel, as flay set themselves up to be; but do you not deny that you are a man of flesh and blood, and let God afterward judge between the strong, angelic heroes and you, the poor, despised sinner. I hope I have come so far that by the grace of God! shall remain as I am; although I am not yet over the mountain, and I do not venture to compare myself with the chaste hearts. I should be sorry to do this, and may God in his mercy keep me from it. For if you know them, who they are who pretend so great chastity and make a show of discipline, and what it is that St. Paul says, Ephesians 5:12, “For the things which are done by them in secret it is a shame even to speak of,” you would not consider their much-praised chastity fit for a whore to wipe her shoe with. Here too the perversion is found, that the chaste are the unchaste, and that whatever glitters deceives. ³¹⁰ Dear youth, do not be ashamed that you desire a girl, and that the girl desires a boy; only let this result in marriage, not unchastity, and then it is no more a disgrace than eating and drinking. Celibacy ought to be a virtue which happens among God’s miracles, as the instance of a man who neither eats nor drinks. It is beyond healthy nature, not to mention sinful, fallen nature. God has not let many virgins live long, but quickly hastened them out of the world, as Caccilia, Agnes, Lucia, Agatha and their like, for he well knows how noble the treasure is, and how difficult it is to preserve long. If in every city there were five young men and five young women, twenty years old and entirely pure who had discovered nothing of the natural flowings, then I could say that Christianity of today were better than in the times of the apostles and martyrs. ³¹¹ Alas, Lord God, I consider that in no other way has unchastity been able to spread faster or more terribly than through such a command and vow of chastity. What a Sodom and Gomorrah that the devil established through such a command and vow, and how altogether vile has he made this same chastity to indescribable wretchedness. There is neither the common house of prostitution nor any other allurement so destructive in this command and vow invented by the devil himself. ³¹² Here I shall say something of the boys and girls who have taken the vow before they felt what flesh and blood are, when they were only fifteen, sixteen or twenty years old. These should be taken out at once, if they so desire; for their vow is as yet nothing at all, as if a child had engaged itself to marry. Here the Shrove-Tuesday consecration is not to be regarded, whether the man be a priest, a deacon or hold any other religions rank. Such consecration is jugglery and counts for nothing with God. But enough of this, let us come again to our subject, where we left it. ³¹³ When the wise men came from Herod, and turned to Bethlehem, the star appeared to them again, and they became very glad. This always happens when, after the error and deception of human teaching, the heart comes again to the knowledge of the pure truth and of the Gospel. Then at once it is free from Herod and sees how altogether certain and light the way of the truth is, over against the appearances that the Herodians pretend; so the heart is made glad. For the Gospel is a comforting doctrine, which leads us out of human presumption into the confidence of the pure grace of God, as Psalm 4:7-8 says. ³¹⁴ Again, all who wander in the teachings of men and in their own strength lead a hard, anxious life, and still it does not help them. What heart should not rejoice to discover that the pope’s rule is merely trouble and burden for the conscience, and that it deceives the whole world with its pretense. Heavenly light and truth has this nature, that it lifts up the conscience, comforts the heart, and creates a free spirit; just as on the other hand the teaching of men naturally oppresses the conscience, tortures the heart and, quenches the spirit. ³¹⁵ The star thus goes before them and does not leave them until it brings them to Christ, yet it goes no farther, but remains at rest over where the child is. So too the light of the holy gospel does; it is as a light in the darkness, as St. Peter calls it, 2 Peter 1:19, and goes before us and leads us, if we only cherish it with a strong faith, it does not leave us until it brings us to Christ and to the truth; but it goes no further, for beside Christ it teaches us nothing. ³¹⁶ Accordingly, in this leading of a star the manner and work of the Gospel is shown, and through the wise men all · believers; so that, as the star led them bodily to Christ, and they followed it in the body, so the gospel spiritually guides the hearts of men in this world, and believing hearts see it and follow it with joy until they come to Christ. So too St. Paul boasts, 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.” And in Colossians 2:8, he forbids us to follow any doctrine which does not teach Christ. What else is this than that the star points to Christ alone, and nothing else, and goes no farther? In this figure, therefore, all doctrines of men are condemned, and should no longer be preached to Christians, but only the pure, simple light of the Gospel, is to be preached and we should follow this star only. Therefore pope, bishops, priests, and monks, with all their rule and teachings, are here condemned, and are to be avoided as the tyranny of Herod. ³¹⁷ Here too the mouth of the Papists and Herodians is closed, and their lies rightly punished, since they teach with deliberate sacrilege that we can find the Christian church and faith only with them; and whoever does not hear them, should be considered as if he did not hear the Christian church. They wish to be the sign and the star that leads to Christ, but this is all a lie. Do you wish to know where Christ and the truth are? Learn that here from this history. Do not look to the pope nor to the bishops, nor to the universities and monasteries, do not be led astray by their abundant preaching, praying, singing and holding of masses; do not mind that they sit in the place of the apostles and usurp spiritual jurisdiction: that may all deceive, and does deceive continuously; they are in error and teach error. There is only one sure sign whereby you can recognize where Christ and his church are, namely, the star, the holy Gospel; all else is false. But where the Gospel is preached, there this star shines, there Christ certainly is, there you surely find the Church. whether it be in Turkey, Russia, Bohemia, or anywhere else. It is not possible that God’s word should be heard, and God, Christ and the Holy Ghost not to be there. On the other hand it is not possible that God, Christ, the Holy Ghost, the Church, or anything holy should be where God’s Word is not heard, even if they worked all miracles; but there can be only Herodians and the devil’s rule at such a place. Now everyone can see how the pope and the clergy are occupied not with God’s Word but with human teaching. V.11. “And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him.” ³¹⁹ This house is the Christian church, the assembly of all believers on earth, in which alone you can find Christ and his mother; for in the Christian church alone are those who, being filled by the Holy Ghost, bring forth the fruits of Christianity and lead a Christian life. Everything that is outside of this house, however beautiful it may appear, however reasonable it may be, has neither Christ nor his mother; that is, there is no Christian there, for these cannot exist without faith and the Holy Ghost. ³²⁰ Therefore, if the pope, bishops, or anyone else demand of you that you should look to them, if you wish to see the church, then think of this Gospel, and look to the star. Be assured that where the star does not stand there is not the house where Christ and his mother are to be found. In other words, where the Gospel does not give its light, there the Christian church is certainly not found. This star will never fail you, and without it you will never arrive at the right place. It leads to this house and remains over this house, and just so the Gospel brings you into the church, and remains over the church, keeping its place and not letting itself be driven away by any persecution. Here it sounds and shines freely and clearly, to the vexation of all its enemies, as we see entirely fulfilled in the apostles, martyrs, and all saints, and still daily, where it is preached. And opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ³²¹ All bodily sacrifices in the law of Moses, wherever they occur, point to the spiritual sacrifice of which Hebrews 13:15, speaks. “Through him let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of the lips which make confession to his name.” And Hosea 14:2-3: “O Israel, return unto Jehovah thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and return unto Jehovah; say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and accept that which is good,” that is, take away the evil, which thou bringest over us through thy hand, and take the good into thy hand, that thou mayest give it to us; so will we render as bullocks the offering of our lips,” that is, praise and thanksgiving. These are the true bullocks that we should offer thee, of which also Psalm 51:21 speaks: “Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: Build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then wilt thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, then will they offer bullocks thine altar.” Also Psalm 50:7-15: “Hear, O Israel, I am thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices. What will you offer me? Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? If I were hungry I would not tell thee: For the world is mine, and all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field. Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the highest. The sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me, and that is the way to salvation.” From these verses we can see that sacrifice, if it is to find favor before God, must be praise and thanksgiving, or at least not without praise and thanksgiving. And where a sacrifice is offered without praise and thanksgiving, he will reject it, as he says, “What unto me is the multitude of your sacrifices? I have had enough of the burnt offerings.” ³²² Moreover we could not give God anything else, for everything is his already, and we have everything from him; praise thanks and honor only we can give him. So also Psalm 116:12-13 teaches: “What shall I render unto Jehovah for all his benefits towards me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of Jehovah. Thou hast loosed my bonds, I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving.” Now praise is nothing else than recognizing the favor received from God, and ascribing this, not to ourselves, but to him. And this praise and confession is rendered in two ways; first before God alone, and then before men, and is a true work and fruit of faith. St. Paul teaches of this in Romans 10:9-10: “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” This is as though St. Paul were to say: That is not the true faith, if you were to believe in Christ secretly in your heart and praise him in some hidden place; you must freely confess him with your mouth before everyone, even as you believe in your heart. This perhaps may cost you your life. For devils and men do not like to hear such confession, and the cross goes with such confession, as you see that even now the pope, bishops, priests, and monks cannot bear or endure Christ’s Word, so that the prophet well says: “I will take the wholesome cup, and preach the name of the Lord.” This is as though he were to say: If I praise and confess God, they will afflict and persecute me with the cup of the martyrs; well, I will take it in God’s name, and not cease from praising God. He will not harm me, but will be a savior to me, and help me quickly to salvation. This Christ too will do, Mark 8:38, “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man also shall be ashamed of him, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” ³²³ Many have commented upon these three offerings, one in this way, another in that, yet all agree that it is a threefold confession. Therefore we shall take from all what seems true to us. The offering of gold, they say, means that they confess Christ as king; the frankincense that he is a priest; the myrrh, that he died and was buried. All three articles apply to Christ according to his human nature; yet so that he is God, and that such things have happened to his humanity because of his divinity. ³²⁴ In the first place, the Christian faith confesses and rejoices that Christ is a king and lord over all things, according to the sayings of Psalm 8:6: “Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.” Also Psalm 110:1: “Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. This confession of the true faith is a high and strong defense and boast for all who believe in Christ against all that is against them, though it be, as St. Paul says, Romans 8:36, sword, hunger, cold or any other creature. Who can injure or terrify a Christian, if he offers this gold, believes and confesses that his Lord Christ is Lord also over death, hell, over the devils and over all other creatures, and that everything lies in his hands, yes, under his feet? ³²⁵ If anyone has a gracious prince, he fears nothing that is under the power of this prince, he boasts of glories and declares his master’s favor and power. How much more does a Christian boast and glory against pain, death, hell, and the devil, and say confidently to him: What can you do to me? Are you not under the feet of my Lord? Attach and devour me without his will! See, such a free heart makes this offering of gold. Oh, how rare has that become! Therefore it is truly comforting, if anything terrifies or injures you, to come out openly, confess Christ and say, Omnia subjecisti sub pedibus ejus, all things are under his feet; who will then be against me? ³²⁶ In the second place, they use incense in divine services, according to the law of Moses, to burn incense in the temple, which pertains to the office of priest. Therefore, to offer incense is nothing else than to recognize Christ as a priest who is an intercessor between God and us, as St. Paul says, Romans 8:34, that he speaks for us, and is our intercessor before God, which is most necessary for us. For through his kingdom and rule he protects us against evil in all things; but through his priesthood he defends us against all sin and the wrath of God, takes his place before us, and offers himself to propitiate God, that we through him may have confidence toward God, and that our conscience may not be terrified before his wrath and judgment, as St. Paul says, Romans 5:12: “Through him we have peace with God and access by faith into his grace.” ³²⁷ Now this is a much greater thing, that he makes us safe toward God and sets our consciences at peace, that God and ourselves are not at enmity, than that he should make the creatures harmless to us. For guilt is much greater than pain, and sin than death, since sin brings death, and without sin there would be no death, or it would not be injurious. As Christ is now Lord over sin and death, and has it in his power to give grace and life to all who believe on him; so to offer gold and incense is to recognize these two offices and works of his, and to thank him, as St. Paul does, Corinthians 15:55-56: “O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ³²⁸ This is surely a strong defense, that a man can set this high priest against his sin, against his bad conscience, against God’s terrible anger and judgment, and with unshaken faith say and confess: Tu es saderdos in aeternum, thou art a high priest forever. But, if thou art a high priest, thou interecedest for all sin of those who confess you as such a priest. As little as God’s judgment and anger, sin and a bad conscience may condemn or terrify you, do they condemn and terrify me, for whom thou art such a priest. See, this is to offer true incense, to be undismayed against all sin and the wrath of God through faith in Christ. ³²⁹ In the third place, they used myrrh to anoint dead bodies, that they should not corrupt in the grave. Therefore the death and resurrection of Christ are here set forth; since it is he alone who died and was buried and is not corrupted, but arose again from the dead, as Psalm 16:10 says: “For thou wilt not leave my soul to Shed, neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption.” And his incorruptibility is indicated through all who are preserved and kept through bodily myrrh. Accordingly to offer myrrh is as much as to confess that Christ died and yet remained incorrupt, that is, that death has been overcome by life, and that he never died according to his divinity, and that his human nature again awoke from death. ³³⁰ This confession is the most important of all the three, although all three are necessary and must be undivided. For, since he has become a king and priest for you, and given you so great a possession, you must not think that it has been done in vain, or that it has cost little, or come to you through your own merit. Sin and death have been overcome for you in him and through him, and grace and life given you; but it was bitter for him, and cost him much, and has been bought for a high price, namely, with his own blood, body, and life. For it was impossible to put away God’s wrath and judgment, conscience, hell, death, and every evil thing, divine righteousness must be satisfied, sin atoned for, and death overcome by justice. Accordingly it was St. Paul’s practice, when he preached God’s grace in Christ, to mention his suffering and blood together, that he might show how all our good things have been given through Christ, but not without his unspeakable merit and cost, as he says, Romans 3:25: “God has set him forth, to be a propitiation through faith.” Also, Corinthians 2:2: “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified,” etc. Therefore to offer myrrh is to confess the great cost and pains that it meant for Christ to become our priest and king. ³³¹ See, these are the three parts in which we should praise and confess his three works which he has shown us, and will show us daily until the day of judgment. And the order too is fine: but the evangelist puts gold in the first place. For it would not be possible that he should be king over all things for our good, if he had not first reconciled us to God and assured our conscience, that with calm and peace he might rule and work in us as in his own kingdom. Accordingly he must first be priest for us. But, if he is to be priest and to reconcile us to God according to his priestly office, he must fulfill God’s righteousness for us. But there was no other satisfaction; he had to give himself to death, and in his own person overcome sin with death. So too through death he came to the priesthood, through his priesthood to the kingdom, thus receiving the myrrh before the incense, and the incense before the gold. But the Scripture at all times declares the kingdom to be first, then the priesthood, and finally his death, as Psalm 110:1-7 also does, which Psalm describes for the first time his kingdom as follows: “Jehovah saith unto my lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” It follows then from his priesthood thus: “Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Finally he closes with his martyrdom thus: “He will drink of the brook in the way: Therefore will he lift up his head.” Here too he wishes to say: He will taste the myrrh, therefore he will become a priest; he is a priest, and therefore he will also be king; so that one follows from the other; one is the cause of the other, and they follow one upon another. ³³² With these simple and plain interpretations I let the matter rest, and commend the lofty considerations to people of leisure. Here it concerns us most to have care that we do not take any one of these three confessions alone, but offer them together. And although Isaiah 60:6, speaks of gold and incense only, and is silent about the myrrh, it may readily be on this account, namely, that Christ’s kingdom and priesthood have been from the beginning of the world, as St. Paul says, Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yea and for ever.” For all the saints have been redeemed from death and sin through him and his faith; and yet at that time the third part, his passion, the myrrh, had not yet been accomplished, which properly belonged to the evangelist to announce after its fulfillment. ³³³ But the Herodians and Papists have not only separated these three offerings, but also by an unspeakable outrage have destroyed them, retaining, however, the names and confessing with words that Christ is a king and priest, and that he has died for us. However, with other, contradictory words they deny all this with the heart and their whole life, and condemn it in the most shameful way. We, to observe such a thing, have begun with the myrrh, but they teach that man, without the grace of God, of himself and from the natural power of his reason and free will, may make himself worthy and receptive of divine favor. What else is this than to desire, without Christ’s blood and suffering, to satisfy through one’s own act the divine righteousness, to appease the worth and judgment of God, and to give the conscience peace? This is indeed to make nothing of Christ’s blood and all his suffering, yea, his whole humanity and all his work, to regard them as useless and to tread them under foot, of which St. Paul says, Hebrews 6:5-6: “It is impossible to renew to repentance those who fell away; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” For without Christ there is no grace nor repentance, but wrath only. Nevertheless the Papists teach that we can seek and find grace without him. Accordingly the offering of myrrh is entirely done away with. ³³⁴ Then the offering of incense must first cease to be. For how shall Christ be their priest and intercessor, if they are so good and pure that they do not need his blood and intercession, but intercede through themselves, and stand of themselves before God, and attain grace and eternal life through their own ability? Thereby they confess and teach that natural ability is pure and good, and therefore Christ need not be priest. Who would ever have believed that Christians would arrive at such a stage when some one would teach and hear such things which are dreadful to think of? ³³⁵ But now we see that all higher schools as well as the pope and his clergy do not teach and hold differently, yes, they condemn as heresy whatever does not conform to their teaching. How clearly has Peter described them, when he says, 2 Peter 2:1: “Among you also there shall be false teachers, denying even the Master that bought them.” He does not say: They will deny Christ, but: “the Master that bought them;” as if he wished to say: Christ they will confess with words; but they will not regard him as having bought them with his blood; but without his blood they will redeem themselves, through their own natural power they will attain God’s grace, which Christ alone has bought for us all with his blood. This is what they mean, when they say that is costs and affords nothing to attain God’s grace. Therefore they wish to redeem themselves and can not bear to hear of Christ’s redemption. ³³⁶ Where, however, Christ is not acknowledged as priest, there he is much less acknowledged as king. For they are in no wise subject to him, they are their own masters, that is, the devil’s own household. Although they do not suffer him to rule over them and to exercise his power in them, he is nevertheless a king, priest, and redeemer, without their consent, over all creatures. Behold, thus you see that now is the time when St. Peter thrice denies Christ. Would to God that they would hear the cock’s crow, that they would recover from their error, acknowledge their fall, cry bitterly, and go out from the house of Caiphas, that is, out from the diabolical assembly of the pope, where the fire of wordly love has been kindled, and where the pope’s household is to warm itself; for the divine love is utterly extinguished in them. Let this suffice of the spiritual offerings. We come now to: V.12. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. ³³⁷ This is the outcome and end, namely, that we are to shun human teaching, and are not to relapse into it, when we have once been redeemed therefrom; just as the wise men, having once been freed from Herod, do not return to him. Thus I also say that we are to shun the pope’s and all Papists’ law and teaching, if we do not wish to incur God’s displeasure and hazard our soul’s salvation, since we have already experienced the true evangelical truth. For their teaching brings us away from God and makes us follow our own reason and work. Thereby God’s work is hindered, who should and would give us and work in us all things, and who desires us also to expect that of him. ³³⁸ Human teaching, however, leads us so that we just begin all works, desire to be the first ones to seek God, and that we then expect God to come afterwhile and to look at what we have begun. Let me give you this for an example: Those that seem to be the best teachers of young people say to them that they are willing to pray and to go to church, to live chaste, and to be pious; however, they do not tell them where they are to begin and to seek all this; just as it were enough that they had instructed them to be pious. Again, when after this they are to marry or to enter orders, they think it is enough that they themselves have begun, they do not look at God, neither do they consult him about it; but, when they have begun, then they want God to come, to see what they have made and to be satisfied with it. ³³⁹ Yes, the young people are educated so that a girl is ashamed to ask God for a young man, and a young man to ask God for a girl; they consider it foolish to ask God for a such a thing, they want to do it themselves. Ought not a girl to be taught with all earnestness to come to God and to say with all confidence: See, dear God, I have become old enough to marry, be thou my Father and let me be thy child, give me a pious young man, and graciously help me to enter the estate of matrimony, or, if it pleases thee, give me a spirit to remain chaste. Thus also a young man is to ask for a girl, and is to begin nothing himself, but is to ask God that he may begin and to lay the first stone. These would be true children of God indeed, who begin nothing but consult God about it, no matter how insignificant it may be. Thus Christ would remain our king, and all our works would be his works and would be done well. But human teachings do not allow this, they act as if there is no God, and as if they would have to do whatever is to be done well. Behold, from these examples you can learn, how all human teaching is seductive and against God. ³⁴⁰ There are, however, three ways in which human teaching can be avoided: first, that it is avoided by the conscience only and not by the deed. For instance, when I confess, pray, and fast according to the pope’s canon, not as if it were necessary for us to do so, or as if it were sin, if I were not to do it; but when I do it willingly, of my own accord, not compelled by necessity, when I can leave it undone, if I wish so. Here the deed is under human teaching, but the conscience is free, it considers the doing no more nor no less than the not doing, it does not think it a sin to neglect it, nor a good work to do it; for it is not obedient but does it of its own accord. This is the best way. ³⁴¹ Thus the wise men are still in Herod’s land, they also travel under his rule, but they do not regard him, do not come to him, and are not obedient to him. He, therefore, who now also is under the pope, and who observes his law, not for the sake of obedience, but of his own accord, how, when, where, and as long as he pleases, he, I say, suffers no harm. This understanding, however, is above the average mind and is found with but few people, and as it was given to the wise men secretly in their sleep, so we experience it only in our heart through God’s Spirit; it can not be given to anyone with a heart from without, if the heart itself does not receive it from heaven. ³⁴² The second way is that human teaching is avoided by the conscience as well as by deeds, as those do who trample it under foot and only do the contrary with a glad secure conscience. And this way is the most necessary and best for weak consciences that they may be liberated and made strong, perfect, and free, as the foregoing. This can not be very. readily accomplished with words and conscience alone, if you do not show the contrary by examples; just as Christ did, who allowed his disciples, contrary to the law of the Pharisees, to neglect to wash their hands. Thus it were good, if we would neglect the prescribed confession, prayer, and fasting for a certain time and show by examples that the pope’s laws are foolery and deception, and if we would at another time do all this of our own accord. ³⁴³ The third way is that it is avoided by the deed alone and not by the conscience, as those do who boldly neglect human teaching and still believe that they do wrong in not observing it. And alas, such a conscience is ever to be found among the common people. For their sake St. Paul calls these times grievous times, 2 Timothy 3:1. For such consciences sin continually whether they observe or do not observe, and the pope with his law is the murderer of their souls and the cause of such danger and sin. If they observe, they do it against faith, which is to be free from all human teaching. If they do not observe, they do it against their conscience which believes that it must be observed. It is necessary that these are well instructed in the free Christian faith, and that they put aside this false conscience, or if they are not able to do this, that we bear their infirmities for a time as St. Paul teaches, Romans 15:1, and that we suffer them to follow and observe such a conscience together with faith, till they also have become large and strong. ³⁴⁴ Behold, this is the other way to depart into one’s own country and not to return to Herod. For generally, when people begin to be pious, they do it through human teaching and outward holiness, but we must abandon this and come to pure faith and not suffer ourselves again to fall from faith into works. Thus we surely come into our fatherland, from which we have come, that is, to God, by whom we have been created. The end thus comes together with the beginning as in a golden ring. God grant this through Christ, our king and priest, who be blessed to all eternity. (This sermon closes that part of the Postil which Luther edited in 1522. Therefore we find the following words at the end of this part: “Here we will tarry for a while that this book may not become too large and that the reader may not be wearied. I hope though that in the twelve Epistles and Gospels the Christian life has fully been pictured, that a Christian has been instructed enough in what is necessary for salvation. Oh, would to God, that my interpretation and that of all teachers perish and that every Christian himself would read only the Scriptures and the pure Word of God. You can see for yourself from your sermons how incomparably better the Word of God is than the word of any man and how no man with all his words is able sufficiently to expound and interpret a single Word of God. It is an infinite Word which must be comprehended and contemplated with a still spirit, as we read in the 84th Psalm: I will hear what God himself says in me. And no one but such a still contemplating spirit is able to comprehend it. For him who could attain this without glasses and interpretations, my glasses and those of other men would be unnecessary, yes, would be but a hindrance. Therefore into the Scriptures, into the Scriptures, dear Christians, and let my interpretation and that of other teachers be but a scaffold for the true structure that we may comprehend and taste the pure unadulterated Word of God and remain there. For there alone God lives in Zion, Amen.”)

[[The electronic version of this sermon is divided between the verses of Luke 2:33-40. Read all verses to see the entire sermon.]]

III. THE RETURN OF THE PARENTS OF JESUS TO NAZARETH, AND THE CHILDHOOD OF JESUS.

V.39. “And when they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.” ¹¹⁶ The Gospel for the day of Candlemas will explain what the things are which they accomplished according to the law of the Lord. The significance of Galilee and Nazareth will be explained in the Gospel for the festival of the Annunciation. But we must refer here to the words of St. Matthew (2:13 ff.), who writes that after the wise men had departed, who found Christ in Bethlehem and offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and bade him flee into Egypt with the child and his mother, and that Joseph did so. How does this agree with the narrative of Luke, according to whom they returned to Nazareth after six weeks had passed, and they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord? We must here either assume that they went into Egypt immediately after the expiration of the six weeks of purification, and then returned to Nazareth from Egypt in due time, or we must believe, which is also my opinion, that they returned home, immediately after the six weeks had elapsed, as Luke relates here. Then the appearance of the angel who commanded them to flee into Egypt, whereof Matthew speaks, occurred not in Bethlehem, but at Nazareth; and indeed it took place after the departure of the wise men, as Matthew says, but not directly afterward. But Matthew writes thus because immediately after the departure of the wise men he records the flight into Egypt, and omits what Luke relates here of the presentation in the temple. Thus it is clear that the two Evangelists do not disagree. ¹¹⁷ It is also pointed out here how they were obliged to take up their cross. After the poor mother had been away from home for seven or eight weeks on account of the sudden birth of her child, and after having now returned and settled down to rest from their travels, they must again leave everything behind and without delay start on a much longer journey. Thus the Lord Christ begins his journeys in his earliest childhood, always wandering on this earth and having no definite place or abode where he might stay. How differently from other children is this royal child reared and treated, how did he, especially in this case, taste the sorrows and troubles of life! The poor mother must flee with the poor child into Egypt from the wrath of Herod. We shall speak more of this when this Gospel is explained.