^, J »v _ - i \ ■ Ik- '' c «« "^^ -j**^' f:^ C i< rv t :>p ^L. ^ PRESIDENT WHiTE LIBRARY, CORNELL UNIVERSITY. Cornell University Library BR334 .018 1885 Luther's own statements concerning his t oiin 3 1924 029 256 687 Cornell University Library The original of tliis bool< is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029256687 TWRD AMERICAN EDITION. >\ W -^■Luther's Own Statements CONCERNING His Teaching and its Results. TAKEN EXCLUSIVELY FROM THE EARLIEST AND BEST EDITIONS OF LUTHER'S German and Latin Works. HENRY O'CONNOR, SJ. ' Most strange, but yet most truly will I speak." — Skakc^fiearc, Measure for Measure, Act V. New York, Cincinnati, and St. Louis : BEnSTZIGS-EK, BK. OTia:EK.S, Printers to the Holy Apostolic See, - - .. 138$. " . ■ ' , Copyright, 1884, by Eenzigek Ueothers. . " All rights reserved. Price 15 Gents, A.l LUTHER'S OWN STATEMENTS. , "iV marvel of industrious arid jpatient^ re- , search." , \ The Rigfht Rev. Tobias Mullen, ' Bishop of Erie, U. S. '.'Though modest and unpretending jn' ap- pearance this little work may be, it is in reality, in matter and value, woi-th many, voluffies on. the samp subject. . . ; a book to be preserved for reference, and studied' by levers of truth, that is, by men avTio will welcome and embrace the truth when shown it." The Right Rey. Thomas Hendricken, Bishop of Pravidmte. / -* . r^ - Luther's Own Statements 'J- \. V CONCERNING His Teaching and its Results. TAKEN EXCLUSIVELY FROM THE EARLIEST AND BEST EDITIONS OF LUTHER'S German and Latin Works. BY HENRY O'CONNOR, S.J. ' Most strange, but yet most truly will I speak." — Shakespeare^ Measure for Measure, Act V. THIRD KDITION. New York, Cincinnati, and St. Louis : BEUZIG-EK, BK,OTH[ERS, Printers to the Holy Apostolic See^ i88S. Copyright, 1884^ by Benzigek Brothers. All rights reserved. 33^ APPROBATIONS. I. ENGLAND. 1. His Eminence Cardinal MANNING, Arch- bishop of Westminster, August 25th, 1884 : 'I thank you for your courtesy in sending me your work on Luther: and still more for the work itself, which has the special value of making Luther bear witness against himself. No hand could destroy him so surely as his own. It is the best comment I have seen on the Lutheran Centenary and it will open many eyes. 2. His Eminence Cardinal NEWMAN: "I was riiuch pleased to receive the gift of your valuable book. " 3. The Most Rev. GEORGE ERRINGTON, Archbishop of Trebizond : " I have had much satis- faction in examining the work .... which .... will be ... . very useful .... through the selections made of the Arch- heretic's doctrines and practises, and the critical style in which all possibility of throwing doubt upon the authen- ticity of the passages adduced in confirmation is removed." 4. The Right Rev. WILLIAM BERNARD ULLATHORNE, O.S.B., Bishop of Birming- ham : " My own opinion has always been that the only way of rightly exposing that infamous man is by giving his own words from his authentic writings. This you have done veiy well." 5- The Right Rev. BERNARD O'REILLY, Bishop of Liverpool : " It is plain that no one can question the accuracy of the quotations." 6. The Right Rev. JOHN CUTHBERT HEDLEY, O.S.B., Bishop of Newport and Minevia, and Editor of tlie Dublin Review, June 30th, 1884: "Your book will always have its value as an excellent handbook of Evidence : I think I may say, as the most valuable pvMication in English which the recent commemoration has brought forth." 7. The Right Rev. ROBERT CORN- TH WAITE, Bishop of Leeds : " It is a most inter- esting subject." 8. The Right Rev. ARTHUR RIDDELL, Bishop of Northampton : " The evidence adduced ought to be accepted by all, even the most prejudiced in his favour." 9. The Right Rev. EDWARD G. BAG- SHAWE, Bishop of Nottingham : "I have rfeceived your learned work on Luther, and have already read a great part of it with deepi nterest. In the conflict of assertions it is just what is wanted, and if it can only get sufficiently known, will do the greatest service." 10. The Right Rev. HERBERT VAUGHAN, Bishop of Salford : " It will do much good if people will read it candidly." 11. The Right Rev. ^DMUND KNIGHT, Bishop of Shrewsbury : " I have been reading your 'Martin Luther' with the greatest interest. You have certainly made that 'unclean spirit' confess his own iniq- uity, and I thmk to all who read it only one conclusion can remain He is, in fact, 'twice slain.'" 12. The Right Rev. ROBERT COFFIN, C.SS.R., Bishop of Southwark : "It seems to me most conclusive, and calculated to open the eyes of all those who are not blinded by prejudice. " II. IRELAND. 13- His Eminence Cardinal MAC CABE, Archbishop of Dublin : "Accept my thanks for your brochure on Luther : It is well to have the wicked man condemned from his own testimony. Mischief has been sometimes done by our zealous accusers. So it is well that we should have the Apostle of Revolt giving his own character. " 14. The Right Rev. BARTHOLOMEW WOODLOCK, Bishop of Ardagh : "It contains 'reliable evidence' of the truly revolutionary and diaboHcal work which the unhappy man .... unfortunately .... achieved .... to the ruin of so many souls, and the devastation of many fair fields in Christendom. " 15. The Right Rev. THOMAS CARR, Bishop of Galway, and formerly Editor of the Irish Ecclesiastical Record : " I shall read it more than once, as I regard it with great interest, on account of the authentic exposition of Luther's doctrines which it con- tains." 16. The Right Rev. MICHAEL LOGUE, Bishop of Raphoe : " It must have cost you much labour to have got so much and such rare information, bearing on the life of Luther, condensed into such moderate space. " III. SCOTLAND. 17. The Most Rev. CHARLES EYRE, Arch- bishop of Glasgow: "With the greatest interest 1 perused it carefully." 18. The Right Rev. JOHN MACDONALD, Bishop of Aberdeen : " By your care and trouble in publishing this pamphlet, containing as it does so much in so concise a form, you have saved much trouble to, and laid under no small obligation, those who would wish to know Luther as the great ' doctor' and authority he wished to be considered, but who might find it inconvenient, or rather impossible, to have access to the original sources from which you have drawn." 19. The Right Rev. ANGUS MACDONALD, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles : " It must have in- volved a great deal of labour. " 20. The Right Rev. GEORGE RIGG, Bishop of Dunkeld : "I beg to thank you for your kindness in sending me your valuable work on the Archheretic, of whom so much has been made lately. I am sure it will do great good and open the minds of many who wish to see the truth." IV. AMERICA. 2 1. The Most Rev. JAMES GIBBONS, Arch- bishop of Baltimore. — "The Most. Rev. Archbishop directs me to say that what he was able to see of your wotk met his entire approval. [Signed), D. J. O'CONNKLL. " 22. The Most Rev. WILLIAM H.ELDER, Archbishop of Cincinnati : " I have looked at it enough to see how valuable it will prove. I do bless your work most cordially. I will encourage its circulation as much as I can. " 23. The Most Rev. CHARLES J. SEGHERS, Archbishop of Oregon : " I acknowledge the receipt of your work on Luther, and beg to thank you for the in- formation I derived from the perusal of it. Well done ! The inference one has to draw from a study of the character of that Reformer, is that it is a great pity he did not begin with reforming his own self." 24. The Most Rev. PETER RICHARD KENRICK, Archbishop of St. Louis : " I have carefully read it, and cannot but admire the zeal that prompted so laborious an undertaking as the examination of the Reformer's voluminous works, and the clear light in which you have placed the absence of anything like a | Divine Commission in his character." 25. The Right Rev. TOBIAS MULLEN, Bishop of Erie : " You have rendered a great service to the cause of religious and historical truth by the publication of Luther's Own Statements, extracted from his authentic writings. Whoever desires to know what the wretched heresiarch really taught will consult this work — A marvel of industrious and patient research.' 26. The Right Rev. JOSEPH DWENGER, Bishop of Fort Wayne. — "His Lordship thinks the book will accomplish a great deal of good. [Signed), Jno. F. Lang, S." 27. The Right Rev. KILIAN FLASCH, Bishop of La Crosse.— "Your efficient work displays a patient painstaking that is truly admirable. {Signed), E. J. FiTZPATRiCK, Respectfully, for the Bishop of La Crosse." 28. The Right Rev. D. MANUCY, Bishop of Mobile : " I congratulate you on the production of so useful a work and wish it the extensive circulation it de- 29. The Right Rev. THOMAS HEN- DRICKEN, Bishop of Providence : "Though modest and unpretending in appearance this Httle work may be, it is in reality in matter and value worth many volumes on the same subject .... a book to be preserved for reference, and studied by lovers of truth, that is, by men who will welcome and embrace the truth when shown it." V. SOUTH AFRICA. 30. The Right Rev. JAMES RICARDS, Bishop of Retimo, and Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern Vicariate: " I thank you very much for your able brochure on Luther. I consider it unanswerable and will treasure it as a safe book of reference, in case I have to sustain any more attacks from the followers of the unfortunate rebel." CONTENTS. Preface « Introduction TAG* 3-6 7-8 PART I.— LUTHER AND HIS TEACHING. CHAPTER. PAGE I. Luther Rejects the Authority of the Pope . 9 — 13 II. Luther Admits the Authority of the Devil . 13 — 19 HI. Luther proclaims His Own Authority and Infallibility 19 — 2c IV. Luther acts with Authority and Infallibility zi — 34 V. Luther's Intolerance against those who re- fuse TO SUBMIT to his AUTHORITY AND Infallibility ••■•««• 34 — 40 PART IL— RESULTS OF LUTHER S TEACHING. i.HAPTER. - PAGE I. Political Results , 41—50 II. Moral Results %,.,,,, 50 57 Conclusion •>••%,,, 58 62 PREFACE TO THE THIRD ENGLISH EDITION. 1. The extraordinary interest taken in everything connected with the Lutheran Centenary had entirely subsided before the first Edition of this little pamphlet had been published. It was, nevertheless, the opinion of friends, competent to judge, that, owing to the almost unique character of the original sources from which the information had been derived, and to the most scrupulous accuracy in translating and quoting, the book might be of some service to the public. Two English Editions ap- peared, and later on two American Editions were published by Benziger Brothers. The favourable reception accorded to the work far surpassed the most sanguine expectations. The issue of this third English Edition is due to the encouragement re- ceived from so many quarters. 2. I am glad of the opportunity thus afforded of publicly admitting the truth of a remark made to me in a friendly spirit by a Protestant author, viz., that in general the style of writing was incomparably coarser at Luther's time than it is at present. But while impartially conceding this much, I must distinctly assert that the degree of coarseness which we repeatedly come across in Luther's works is entirely incompatible with the character of a true Reformer. Luther surpasses himself in vul- garity in his famous work " against the Popery of Rome, in- stituted by the Devil." This extravagant and unseemly volume was published only one year previous to Luther's death. Some passages will be found quoted in the first Chapter of this little work. I defy any one to lay his hand on one single unbecoming word in the letters and writings of Ignatius of Loyola, the great Catholic Reformer of the sixteenth century. 3. The pamphlet being stereotyped, it is impossible for me to arrange the different parts of each Chapter or Section in chrono- iogical order, as The Dublin Review suggested. I may, how- ever, remark that, in the first part of the work, out of about one hundred and fifteen quotations from Luther's works, there are only three, the date of which cannot be ascertained by a careful reader. Tn some instances a slight knowledge of Latin or German would be necessary for the purpose. As to the second part, the Political Results of Luther's teaching are given m strict chronological order. The last Chapter which deals with the Moral Results, is the only one in which, generally speaking, it will be found impossible to verify the date of Luther's sayings. It will be sufficient to remark that the Reformer's complaints as to the sad state of morality among his followers steadily increased, and were never as loud as towards the end of his life. 4. Li deference to a second wish expressed by The Dublin Review, I herewith give the translation of Luther's celebrated Latin letter to Melanchton, only a fragment of which seems to be preserved. It covers three pages in De Watte (II., 34-37). The preface which is reprinted from the first and second edition of this pamphlet contains some information as to the high esteem in which De Wette's collection of Luther's letters is deservedly held. In the letter just mentioned, Luther, after dealing with the ^question of celibacy, and of Communion under one kind, .touches oh the calamities which are in store for Germany on account of its "unbelief, impiety and hatred of the Gospel." He ithen continues : " But this affliction will then be laid down at our jdoor, as ;if we [the believers in the new Gospel] had provoked ^Qod by being heretics, and we shall be the reproach of meh and jthe outcast ,9f the people, but they [those who do not believe in jthe new Gospel] will make excuse for their sins and will (justify themselves [they will consider themselves to be just on account of their good works], so that he [God] will show that ■reprobates are not changed for the better either by goodness or by wrath : and many will be scandalized. May, may the will of the Lord be (^one. Amen." ." If ypu [Meiaijchton] are a preacher of grace, do not preach ^cjatioijis, ibut re?d girace. If it is really grace, bear the weight of real, not of imaginary sin. God does not save imaginary sinners." " Be a sinner, and sin mightily, but trust and rejoice more mightily in Christ, who is the conqueror of sin, of death, and of the world. Sins must be committed, as long as we are in this state. This life is not the abode of justice, but, as Peter says, we await a new heaven and a new earth, in which justice dwells. It is sufficient that, through the riches of glory, we have acknowledged the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world ; sin will not separate us from it [the Lamb], not even if in one single day we were to commit .... murder, a thousand, a thousand times over. Do you believe that the price and ran- som paid for our sins, in such and so great a Lamb is so trifling?" " Pray powerfully, for you are a most powerful sinner. The feast of Peter, the Apostle, in the year 1521." (De Wette IL, 36-37-) I ^m of the opinion that, if we merely consider the words just quoted, it would be an exaggeration to say that Luther ordered his disciple to sin, or that he even positively advised him to do so. To my mind the words mean : "As far as the certain- ty of our own salvation is concerned, it does not matter one bit whether we sin or not, as long as we put our trust in Christ." Thus, whereas Christ preaches hatred of every sin, Luther pro- claims indifference towards every kind of sin, with the only ex- ception of unbelief. 5. Nine years later Luther's language is considerably bolder. In a letter to Jerome Weller, dated November 6th, 1 530, he points out the way of overcoming temptations to despondency : "We must," he says, " occasionally indulge more freely in drink, play, jest, and we must even commit some sin out of hatred and contempt of the Devil, in order not to allow him to trouble our conscience about very trifling matters, otherwise we shall be overcome, if we are too anxiously careful not to sin. ... I wish I could lay my hands on some signal kind of sin, just to mock the Devil, that he may understand that I neither acknowledge nor am conscious of any sin. We must put the whole deca- logue out of sight and mind, we, I say, whom the Devil thus attacks and annoys." (De Wette IV., i88.) The Reformer re- marks in conclusion that he will not be condemned for his sins, since Christ has suffered for them. In this letter Luther not only allows, but even wishes kzs friend to sin, when he is subject to the temptation of despondency. Now, every sin is contrary to the will of God. Therefore, Luther, the self-constituted Lawgiver of the sixteenth century, allows and recommends what God, the supreme Lawgiver of all ages, past, present, and future, forbids. DiTTON Hall, near Widnes, August, 1885. PREFACE. I. — Works Consut.ted. 1. Nearly two-thirds of the matter contained in this pamphlet is taken from the original editions of Luther's ozei-r^ Works, as published in Wittenberg, under the very eyes of the Reformer of Germany himself. Two hundred of such original \Vorks of Luther have been kindly lent to me. Thej were printed between 1513 and 1546, and are bound to- getlier in chronological order, in 15 volumes. / viay safely say, that very few such extensive collections of tite oldest editions of Luther's Works exist in the whole oj England or America. 2. The remaining part is, in great measure, taken from De Wette's collection of Luther's Letters, in 5 volumes : " Dr. Martin Luthers Briefe, Sendschreiben und Bedenken von Dr. Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette, Berlin, bei G. Reimer." 1825-1828. De Wette was a Professor of Protestant Divinity at Br.sle, in Switzerland, and a staunch supporter of Luther. In his introductory remarks he assures us, that whenever it was in any way possible, he invariably consulted Luther's manu- scripts and the first editions that Luther himself had revised. Kostlin, a learned Protestant Professor ai the University of Halle-Wittenberg, and perhaps the most prominent among Luther's scientific supporters in Germany, says : " The collection of Luther's ' Letters, Episdes and Consider- ations ' by De Wette deserves Sj;ecial mention.'' (Herzog, Real Encyklopadie fiir protestantische Theologie und Kirche. Zweite Auflage, Artikel, Luther). In fact, the accuracy and trustworthiness of this most critical work is fully acknowledged by all writers of history. 3- A certain amount of information is also taken from the complete edition of Luther's German Works. This was published at Erlangen in 1826, etc., and comprises no less than 67 volumes. A German Protestant periodical says of this Erlangen edition : " The most incontrovertible superi- ority of this edition is certainly the restoration of the primitive, correct text, in accordance with the original editions printed in Wittenberg itself, under Luther's o%vn eye." (Kurze Geschichte undCharakteristik allerGesammtausgaben von Dr. M. Luthers Werken abgedruckt aus der Zeit- schrift fiir Protestantismus und Kirche N. F. Eand XIX). In the article already quoted Kostlin says : "// certainly deserves the first place " (Herzog, Artikel, Luther). 4. The Walch edition is referred to in the " Moral Results" of Luther's Teaching. This edition was published by Gebauer, Halle, in 24 volumes, between 1740 and 1753. The work was carried on under the supervision of Professor D. Johann Georg Walch, of Jena. The Protestant periodical I quoted above says, that with the exception of the Erlangen edition, it is "undeniably the most complete and the most convenient " edition. 5. One or two passages are also taken from Aurifaber's Latin edition of Luther's Letters. Aurifaber was one of Luther's most devoted personal friends. 6. One of the most important quotations is from " D. Martini Lutheri Opera Latina, curavit Dr, Henricus Schmidt, Frankofurti ad M. et Erlangi," 1865-1873, 7. The Latin edition of Jena has also been consulted. 8. I give only six references which are not taken from Luther's own writings; one of them comes from Karl Hagen, a celebrated German Protestant Historian; the Dthers are chiefly from Kostlin, Luther's famous German ;hampion. These passages do not contain any new evidence :oncerning Luther; they merely confirm the accuracy of the statements made by the Reformer. I am, therefore, fully :iititled to state, that the evidence concerning Luther is " exclusively " derived from his own writings. 9. I have not taken any of my quotations from the Table Talk, which, though publibhed in the two best Protestant editions of Luther's Works, was nevertheless not written by Luther. IL — Accuracy and Trustworthiness. 1. Not a single second-hand quotation is to be found from beginning to end of my little work. 2. / have not quoted any one passage, either in this preface or in the body of the work, which I have not seen with my own eyes in the book referred to. 3. Not one of my quotations has been taken from a Catholic author. Even the editions of Luther's Works or Letters which I have consulted are all published by Luther's friends and admirers. 4. I have taken special care not to quote anything, that would have a different meaning, if read with the full context. In several instances I have studied the work quoted from beginning to end; in many other cases I have carefully looked over the whole work ; in every case I have at least satisfied myself that I was quoting in harmony with the context. 5. In every single case the translation from the German or the Latin is my oivn. The fact that I have spent seventeen years, either in Germany, or in the almost exclusive society of Germans, will guarantee a sufficient knowledge of German for the task which I have undertaken. The translation itself is both literal and accurate. 6. Exact foot-note references are given for every passage quoted. The old Wittenberg editions are, however, as a rule, not paged. I have, therefore, counted the pages myself, the title-page itself being looked upon as the first page. I can, of course, only answer for copies of the same edition as my own. The same work of Luther was often published three or four times during the same year. 7. The references are interesting from a scientific point of view, inasmuch as they are rdiable and trustworthy copies of the original titles. It is not necessary to remark that in the old German Works the titles are printed in German characters; moreover the commas arc a lined J. This does not api)ly to Luther's Latin Works. 6 I hav; also enabled the reader to detect when a new line begins in the original title-pages. The signs of a new line are: a. A considerable distance intervening, between two words. d. A hyphen (-), which in the old prints is ( = ). c. The mere separation of one word into two parts (Lu ther), when the hyphen is left out in the title-pages. In the first case the new line begins with a word, in the two latter instances it begins with the last syllable or syllables of a word. 8. The proof sheets have been corrected nf- to the point of inability of finding any further inaccuracy, either in the quotations, or in the translation, or in the rciercnces. 9. It is evident that the statements made in this work can be disproved only by showing, that the references are falsely given, or that the context does not support the mean- ing attributed to the passages quoted. No other manner o- dealing with the question can be accepted iiS either .scientific or conclusive. INTRODUCTION. r. This pamphlet does not pretend to be a Life oj Luther. 2. My only and sole purpose is to inquire into the question, whetner, in any sense of the word, Luther can be looked upon as a Reformer commissioned by Almighty God. 3. Now, God is a Being of Infinite Dignity, IViith, and Holiness. 4. Whenever, therefore, we read in the Bible that either Prophets or Apostles act as the chosen instruments of Heaven, we also find — a. That the matmer in which they teach is in accordance with the supreme Dignity of Him who sends them ; b. That the doctrines which they inculcaie are worthy of the God of all Truth; and, c. That the results of their teaching are such as to entitle them to be revered as the messengers of a God of Infinite Holiness. 5. If, therefore, Luther's character as a Reformer can stand this three-fold test, we must look upon him as a vessel Df election chosen by God to do a great work in His Church. If, however, Luther's teaching is not in accordance with this three-fold standard, we cannot reasonably admit his claims. 6. Now, as to the manner in which Luther taught : a. We find him rejecting the authority of the Pope with in amourvt of diplomacy and coarseness, utterly inconsistent with the sublime Dignity of Him, whose messenger he purposes to be. b. Luther assures us that Satan argued in favour of some of the principal doctrines of his new Creed. Now> it is beneath the dignity of God to allow His chosen legale to appeal to the testimony of Satan in support of his teaching. 7. As to the doctrines of the Reformer : a. Luther claims an amount of authority, and a degree of infallibility, which Protestants are, as a rule, unwillmg to admit in anybody since the days of the Apostles. b. He rejects the Epistle of St. James, the Epistle to the, Hebrews, and the Book of Revelations, although, ac- cording to the Thirty-nine Articles, these are " Canonical Books of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church." (Art. 6.) c. Whatever may be said about matters of minor importance, every fair-minded person will agree with me that the teaching of a Reformer, who has the sanction of Heaven, cannot possibly be in direct opposition to any of the most fundamental doctrines of Christian morality, such as the unity of Christian marriage, and the unlawfulness of adultery. d. Luther condemns, not only all the Jews and Roman Catholics, but even all Protestants differing from himself, to Hell. Now, scarcely any Christian of the present day believes this important article in the full extent as insisted on by Luther. 8. As to the political results: Neither Christ, nor the Prophets, nor the Apostles excited the pj-ssions of the people till the outbreak of a rebellion was almost unavoidable. 9. As to the moral results: Luther informs us, in numberless passages, that his followers became worse than they had been,under the Pope. It is idle to say that such must necessarily have been the case since the people were in the throes of a religious revolution. For the greatest religious revolution which the world has ever witnessed was that brought forth by the teaching of Christ and His Apostles. Now, the followers of Christ and of His Apostles did not lead worse lives than before ; on the contrary, the innocence, purity and holiness of their lives made them the admiration of the world. 10. The careful reader will find that I do not condemn Luther for anything that is not unjustifiable in the eyes of the great bulk of English or American Protestants. 1 1. Every fair-minded man will admit that, if I succeed in proving the facts mentioned in these introductory re- marks, Luther cannot be considered a Reformer sent by Almighty God, whatever bright spots his friends may admire, either in his character or in his teaching. St. Joseph's, Bedford Leigh. ' March, 1884. PART I. LUTHER AND HIS TEACHING. CHArxER I— LUTHER REJECTS THE AUTHORITY OF THE POPE. Pope Leo X. was startled at the account he heard of Luther's new doctrines. Negotiations began, during which Luther wrote to the Pope letters, that are masterpieces of diplomacy. 1. Luther ends one of these letters to the Pope with the following words : " Most Holy Father, prostrate at the feet of your Holiness, I offer myself with all that I am and have. Vivify, kill, call, re-call, approve, coiideinti, as you please ; I will acknowledge thy voice as the voice of Christ, who presides aid speaks in thee. If I have deserved death, I will not refuse to die. For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; Who is blessed for ever. Amen. May He also preserve thee for ever. Amen. Anno. M.D.XVIII."^ 2. According to De Wette, the letter we have just quoted was written May 30, 1518. On the 1 ith of December of the same year, therefore only six and a half months later, , Luther wrcLe to his friend, Wenceslaus Link : " I will send you my playful remarks (nugas), so that you may see, whether ; I am right in guessing, that the true Antichrist, according to Paul, reigns in the Roman Court : I think I am able to prove that he (the Pope) is now worse than the 'i'urks.'"' 3. Let us, however, see in what terms Luther addresses I. This is printed in the " KJesolutiones Mspii=tatiomim ff. /TOavtiiii Xutbev Bu^iistiniani, &£ in&uli|enti.nr. vii'=tute, ab ipso ear. autore, a plu=i'fbus incnMs lepurgatiE, Vuitteinbcrgn;." End of page : ''Liber C.indidum & liberum lectortni nolo." On last page we read ; " Ltp<;iae, apud Melchiorem LoLthcrum. Ai.no domiui Millesimo Quinsrentcsimo decimonono." p 6. i, De Wotte I. 193. the "Roman Antichrist," less than three months afterwards. He writes, March 3, 1519 : " Ncni', most Holy Fallier, before God and every creature of His, I declare that J have not intended, and that to-day also 1 do not intend in any way to touch, or by any artifice (versufia) to destroy the power oj the Roman Church and of your Holiness ; on the contrary, I most fully confess, that tlie power of this Church is above all, and that nothing, either in heaven or on earth, is to be preferred to it, except only Jesus Christ the Lord of all.'"* 4. Before this last letter of Luther could well have reached the Pope, in those days, when there were no railways, only ten days later, March 13, 1519, Luther wrote to Spalatin : " I am also looking over the decrees of the Popes for my disputation, and (I say it into your ear) I do not know, whether the Pope is Antichrist himself, or his Apostle: so miserably is Christ (that is, truth) corrupted and crucified by him in the decrees Wittembergae, Dominica Invocavit, anno MDXIX. F. Martinus Lutherus, August." (August- inian). *■ Luther had thus already, on March 13, 1519, studied the decrees of the Popes sufficiently to find out, that the Pope is either Antichrist, or the Apostle of Antichrist. He had, we may be pretty certain, been at this work more than ten days before acquainting Spalatin with this wonderful result of his studies. If so, Luther wrote to the Pope on March 3, 1519, telling him, that he did not intend attacking the power of the Roman Church and of his Holiness, at the very time, -when he was studying the decrees of the Popes with the express purpose of assailing the Rope in the disputation with I Jr. Eck, which was soon to take place. If this is not downright hypocrisy, I do not know what is. In one single chapter of the Bible Our Lord repeats no less than seven times the dreadful words: "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites." (Matth. XXIII). 5. On Dec. 10th, 1520, Luther openly, publicly and solemnly trampled the authority of the Pope under foot by burning the Papal Bull of excommunicationjust outside the gates of Wittenberg. In the same year he publislied a little 3 De W'etle 1 _j4. 4i De Wetcc 1. 239—240. book, in which he gives some very amusing reasons for this extraordinary act. ° 6. Only one year before his death, Luther published a famous work against the Pope. This work is so satanical in its title, so satanical in its beginning, so satanical in its almost every page, so suj>er-satanical in its conclusion, that it could have only been written by a man with a thoroughly satanical spirit. It is marvellous how anyone should have been able to fill one hundred and fifty-seven printed pages with such a number of satanical expressions that must have been borrowed from the very depths of Hell. In proof of my assertions I subjoin the following quotations : a. The title of the book is : " Against the Popery of Rome, instituted by the Devil." ^ h. The work itseli begins as follows : " The most devilish Father, St. Paul the Third."'' Paul the Third was Pope at that time. c. As to the general character of the book, space allows my giving only a few specimens, selected from about tivo hundred similar passages, which I have myself counted m this most monstrous work. Speaking of the Pope, Luther says that he will " try to comb the long, uncombed ears of the great coarse donkey."^ Again, he writes : " Well, if I was Emperor, I know well what I would do. I would tie and bind all the blas- phemous rascals, the Pope, the Cardinals, and every member of the Pope's household together. I would lead them not more than three (German) miles from Rome towards Ostia A water there, called in Latin Mare Tyrrhenum, is a precious curative for all diseases, injuries, and in- firmities of his Papal Holiness, of all the Cardinals, and of all his followers (literally, "of all his Chair," that is to say, of all who believe in the Chair of St. Peter). I would put them in there nicely, and would give them a bath. And 5. Warumb des Eapsts vnd sey-ner Jungern bucher von Doct. .Martino Lu ther vorbmt seynii. Lass aucb antzeygen wer do wil. warumb sie D. Lu-thers bucher vor-prcnnet ha-ben. Wittembergk. S.ffl). jy. fi. Wider das Bab stum zu Rom vom Teiifel ge-stifTt. Marc. Luth. D. ilD.2).£lv. 7. Ibidem, 3. 6. Ibidem, 37. 13 should they be afraid of the water, as people who are possessed (viz., by the Devil) and are mad, generally speak- ing, are afraid of water, I would give them, as their security, the rock on which they and their Church are built, the keys too, in order that they might be able to bind and to loose all that is in heaven and on earth, so that they might be able to command the water as they hked. Moreover, they should also have the shepherd's crook and staff, in order that they might be able to deal blows into the face of the water, so that its (the water's) mouth and nose might bleed What will you bet ? if they had bathed in that healing bath for half an hour, all their diseases, injuries and infirmities would cease and come to an erjd I could give Christ my Lord as a pledge for that."' Luther says : " The Popis Christ is the mother of the Devil." That is to say, the Christ, in whom the Pope and the Catholics believe, is the mother of the Devil. Again : " The Pope, the Cardinals, and the whole Romish Court and, mob, are nothing else but a stable full of big, coarse, stupid, dis- graceful donkeys." There is no mistaking the meaning of the following passage: " You are indeed a coarse donkey, arid you remain a donkey, you donkey of a Pope." Luther wrote only a year before the Council of Trent. Addressing himself to the " Emperor, the King, the Princes and Lords, and who- ever is able to attack " the supreme rulers of the Catholic Church, he says : "The Pope, the Cardinals ought to be taken and (as they are blasphemers) their tongue ought to be torn out through the back of their neck and nailed to the gallows After that let them hold one Council, or as many as they like, on the gallows, or in Hell among all the Devils." In fact this long work of one hundred and fifty- seven pages is overflowing with these and similar expressions : " Devil, all the Devils, thousand Devils, the Devil and his mother, devilish, hellish, Antichrist, rascal, archrascal, murderer, donkey, fool, stupid fool," etc., etc.^° d. Luther concludes his famous work with the following words : " Now, listen. Donkey of a Pope, with your long donkey ears and your damned lynt^ 9. Ibidem, 127-128. 10. Ibidem, 1^0, 1^2, 20, 00. 13 mouin But here I must stop ; if it is the will of God, / will do it still better in anotner book. If I die in the meantime, may it please God that some one else should do it a thousand times stronger. For the devilish Popery is the last misfortune on earth, and the first thing that all the Devils proclaim with all their might. May God help us, Amen."" I have come across several such utterly vulgar, coarse, and disreputable expressions in this work of Luther, that I would not venture to give them, even in the original German. I can only say in conclusion, that I believe this is one of the most monstrous books that has ever been written. In satanical expressions it will never be surpassed, except, perhaps, by Antichrist himself. If this book were accurately translated into English, extensively published, and carefully read by every Protestant Englishman, the whole nation would turn away with horror and disgust from the monster, who was capable of writing such a scandalous work Chapter II.— LUTHER ADMITS THE AUTHORITY OF THE DEVIL. 1. The long passage, which I am about to quote, is taken from the original Wittenberg edition of Luther's work against Private Mass and the Ordination of Priests. The copy lying before me while I write was printed in 1533. -"^^ 2. In the introduction, Luther tells us, how wonderfully he had succeeded in doing away with Indulgences, and he then expresses the wish, that God would also do away with Mass and Ordination, so that there would be neither Popes nor Bishops. 3. After this, Luther commences as follows : "I will begin with myself, and make a little confession to you, holy Fathers; give me a good absolution, that will also do you 11, Ibidem, 157. 12, Von der win-cke1messe vnd Pfaflfen Weihe. D. Mart. Luthpr. Wittemberg DMXXXIII. This is the title page. On the last page wc read : " Gedruckt zu Wittemberg durch Nickel Schir-lentz. /BS)XXXIII." X do not find any English word that fully expresses the contempt against Mass that the German word does. 1 translate "winckelmesse" simply by Private Ma^^; literally it is " Corner Mass " tMass said in a CnmKA 14 no harm. I once awoke at midnight, when the Devil began to dispute with me in my heart after the following manner (as he is able to make many a night of mine bitter and miserable enough) : ' Listen [it is the Devil who speaks to Luther], listen, you learned man, do you know that for fifteen years you have almost daily said Mass privately ? How will it be if, in such Masses, you have merely been practising idolatry, and have adored, and held up for the adoration of others, not the Body and Blood of Christ, but merely bread and wine?' I (Luther) answered : ' I am a consecrated Priest, have received chrism and ordination from the Bishop, moreover, I did all that according to order and obedience, why then should I not have consecrated, since I repeated the words seriously, and said Mass with all possible devotion ? You (the Devil) certainly know that.' — ' Yes,' he replied, ' it is true. But Turks and heathens also do everything in their churches according to order and earnest obedience. The Priests of Jeroboam at Dan and Bethel did everything with perhaps greater devotion than the true Priests in Jerusalem. What, if your ordination, chrism and consecration were also un- christian and false, like that of the Turks aixd of the Samaritans P'"!* 4. "Here indeed the sweat broke forth and my heart began to tremble and to beat The Devil knows well how to put his argument, and to push it further, and he has a deep, powerful voice. In suchlike disputations there are no frequent nor long pauses ; but in the twinkling of an eye answer follows answer. And from my own experience I can well understand how it is, that in the morning people may be found dead in bed. He (the Devil) can strangle the body. That is one way. But he can like- wise so frighten the soul in disputing with it, that in an instant it is forced to depart, as many a time almost happened to me. Well, he (the Devil) had attacked me in this disputation. And, in the sight of God, I did not wish to leave such an endless list of abominations lying on myself, but to defend my innocence." Immediately after this Luther continues : " Listen to the reasons which he (the Devil) alleged against my ordination and consecration."'^*' 13, Ibidem, 7-8. 14. Ibidem, 8. 15 5- " • For the hrst,' he (the Devil) said : • You know that you did not believe properly in Christ, and that concerning faith you have been as good as a Turk. For the Turk, yes, even I, with all the Devils, also oelieve all that is writtsn about Christ (James II), that is, how He was born, died, ascended into heaven. Yet none of us rejoice or trust in Him as in a Savinur. But we fear Him as a severe Judge. Such a faith you also had, and no other, when you were ordained and said Mass; and all the others, both the ordaining Bishop, and those whom he ordained, also bilieved the same. There- fore, you also all went over from Christ to Mary and to the Saints ; they had to be your consolation and your helpers against Christ. This neither you, nor any other Papist, can deny. Therefore, you were ordained and have said Mass as heathens, and not as Christians. How, then, have you been able to consecrate (to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ) ? For you have not been the persons who should consecrate. ""^ ^ 6. The Devil then gives several further reasons against Private Mass. At the end of the second reason he exclaims, " What an ordination and consecration is that ! Christ knows nothing of such an ordination. That is certain." '^^ 7. The Devil sums up his reasons against Private Mass with the following words : " Here you see that in your Mass, there is, first of all, not the person who ought to con- secrate, and is able to do so, namely, a man of Christian faith. Secondly, you have not the person before you, for whom you ought to consecrate and to whom you ought to give it (the -Sacrament), namely, the Christian congregation or people. But you, impious, unbelieving Priest, stand there alone, and you think that Christ has ordained it for your sake Thirdly, the final intention (die endlich meinung), and the fruit or use desired by Christ are wanting. For it (the Sacrament) is instituted in order to feed and strengthen the Christian people (gemeine), and to preach and praise Christ. Now, the Christian congregation knows nothing about your Mass, hears nothing from you, 15. Ibidem, 8.9. 16, Ibidem, xo. 10 receives nothing from you. But you are silent there -i the corner, and you swallow it alone, although you are an unbe- liever and unworthy, and you feed nobody with it, but you sell it, as you do your other good works Therefore your ordina- tion and also your consecration are nothing but blasphemy, and a tempting of God, and neither are you a Priest, nor is the hread in your Mass the Body of Christ."^' 8. Luther endeavours to defend himself. He says : " In this fear and danger I tried to drive the Devil away. I took hold of the old harness, which I had learnt to put on and to wear in Popery, scilicet intentionem et fidem Ecclesise (namely, the intention and the faith of the Church), that is to say, I said those Masses according tb the faith and to the intention of the Church. For even if I had not the proper faith and intention, nevertheless, the Church has the proper faith and intention. Therefore, my Mass and ordination must have been valid. Thereupon he (the Devil), attacked me th 1 « : ' Friend, tell me, where is it written that an impious, unbelieving person can step forward and consecrate ac(;ording to the faith and intention of the Church ? '"i '* The Devil is evidently not satisfied with the teaching of Catholic Theology. 9. Luther ends by saying : " This is pretty exactly the sum and substance of the disputation."^'^ 10. The discussion with the Devil covers exactly eleven pages of the Wittenberg edition. As soon as Luther has finished his account of it, he says : " Here the Holy Papists will make fun of me, and will say, ' Are you the great Doctor, and don't know how to answer the Devil ? Do you not know that he is a liar ? ' " Luther's reply to this question shows how fully convinced he felt, that it was really his Satanic Majesty, who had been contending against Private Mass. Luther begins with abusing the Papists, he then tells us, that D^vid and the Prophets complained about such disputations with the Devil, that even Christ suffered from his assaults, and that Emser and Oecolompad most likely died so suddenly through the force of his fiery onslaughts. Luther then 17, Ibidem. 12-13. 18, Ibidem, 16, 19, Ibidem, 18. »7 continues : " He is a liar, that is true. But Tie can tell lies better than a bad liar can For he quotes a truth in his own favour, which you cannot deny, and supports his lies with it, so that you cannot defend yourself. It was the simple truth, when he forced the conviction on the heart of Judas, that he had betrayed innocent blood; Judas could not deny that ; for it was a fact. But it was a lie, ivhen he told him to despair of God. No, dear brother, the Devil tells no hes, when he accuses us of our public evil works and life. There he has two witnesses, that nobody can drive out of court, namely, the commandment of God, and our conscience."^" 11. Luther's idea therefore is this: The devil told me the perfect truth about my wickedness in saying Mass privately during fifteen years, but he sought to force a lie upon me, when he tried to drive me to despair. 12. I will now make a few remarks about this famous passage. a. The Devil did not appear to Luther in a visible form on this occasion, as is evident from the words : " In my heart."" b. Luther's conyersation with the Devil about justification by faith alone, was, however, not a dream ; for Luther writes : " I once awoke at midnight, when the Devil began '"'■'■ ('•. Luther's conference with the Devil was also not a piece of mere imagitiation. When Satan tempts us, he does not indeed manifest himself in any visible form, yet the temptation is not an effect of simple imagination. On the contrary, his temptation is a very serious reality, and so powerful, that it often leads people into sin, and through sin to everlasting ruin. Now, such a temptation is a work of the Evil Spirit on the heart of a person. The Devil suggests reasons and motives why we should sin. And there "is sometimes a disputation in the heart of man with the Devil, man's reason arguing against the suggestions of Satan. Now, it is in this sense, that I look upon Luther's celebrated dis- cussion with the Devil. d. But was it really the Devil 1 There cannot be the ao. Ibidem, 18-19, 21, Ibidem, 7. 22, Ibidem. 7. i8 slightest doubt. Listen to Luther's words : " T once awoke at midnight, when the Devil began to dispute with me." Thi.j disputation with the Devil was so real that " the sweat brokt forth" from the noble brow of Dr. Martin Luther, who there- upon continues : " The Devil knows well how to put his argument, and to push it further." Luther is so thoroughly convinced of the presence of the Devil, that he mentions his •deep, powerful voice." Luther says: "Listen to th' 'reasons which he (the Devil) alleged against my ordination an< consecration." Then the Devil begins to speak : " ' For the first,' he (the Devil) said: 'You know that you did not believe properly in Christ For even L with all the devils, also believe all that is written about Christ Yet none of us ...trust in Him as in a Saviour. But we fear Him as a severe Judge. Such a faith you also had, and no other, when you were ordained (Priest) and said Mass; and all the otiiers also believed the same. Therefore, you also all went over from Christ to Mary and to the Saints This neither you, nor any other Papist, can deny.'"^^ In 1534 Luther wrote a letter of twenty pages about his work on the Mass. In this letter he says, that he believes in the Real Presence of our Lord and hates Mass, but he doei not retract one uwrd which he said about the Devil. ^ *■ e. Now, I do not, say that Luther here for the first time learnt the doctrine of justification by faith alone, or that he was taught for the first time on this occasion to do ' away with Mass, with Mary and the Samts. It is quite possible that some, or all of these doctrines, were preached by Luther before this celebrated disputation. But this 1 do say, and I say it most distinctly and most emphatically : Luther received the full and unqualified approval of the Devil for these new doctrines. It was the Devil who spoke in favour of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and .igainst Mass, Mary, and the S".ints. / Did Luther till a deliberate falsehood in a question of such immense importance? If so, are we to believe the rest of his teaching? Or, was Luther perhaps miserably 23, Ibidem, 7-9. 24. Ein brieff D. Mart. Luth. Von seinera Eucli der Winckel messen, an einen gwten freund. Wittemberg. M.D.XXXmi, Last page: '•Gedruckzu Wittemberg, durch Hans LufiTt. ,XXX11I1." 19 deceived ? Was it possibly, after all, only the outcome of his ovei--e::cited brain ? If so, at any rate, Luther himself believed that it was the Devil, and the Great Reformer of Germany continued preaching, although he firmly believed tliat the Devil had spoken in favour of the principal articles oi his new Creed. Or, did l.uther perhaps tell us the plain, honest truth ? Ii so, his teaching really has the approval and sanction of Satan. For, can any man of ordinary common-sense believe, that in a disputation covering eleven pages, every word of the Devil from beginning to end was the pure Word of God , and that Satan kept so strictly to the truth, in order to drive Luther to despair ? Moreover, I have read the eleven pages, and the Devil does not say one word about despair. g-. Be that as it may, T simply say : What are straight- forward Englishmen, what, I say, are they to think of a man, who in his own hand vriting, openly and publicly confesses that Satan speaks in fa\ our of his teaching ? 13. Luther's book against Private Mass may be divided into two parts; in the first, Luther gives the Devil's reasons ; in the second he gives his own. This extraordinary arrangement of -a work containing about one hundred pages, shows us how fully Luther agrees with the Devil's teaching concerning Mass. It is, therefore, not unfair to say that this lengthy book may be thus divided : — Part I. The reasons of the Devil against Private Mass. Part II. The reasons of the Disciple of the Devil against Private Mass. Chapter III— LUTHER PROCLAIMS HIS OWN AUi'HORIi'Y AND INFALLIBILITY. I. Let us see what Luther says about his Authority and Infallibility, in the book which he published against the King of England, in 1522 : — 1. "I am certain that I have my teaching from heaven."^' 2. "My doctrines will stand, and the Pope will fall, 23, CONTRA HENRICVM REGEM ANGLIAE MARTINVS LV-THER VVITTEMBERGvE. notwithstanding all the gates of hell, and all the powers of the air, the land and the sea."^^ 3. Luther enumerates nineteen different articles of his creed, "the Sacrament of the Altar" being one of these. For let It be remembered, that Luther firmly believed in the Real Presence. He then says : " I will for ever stick to such points as I have taught, and will say, 'Whoever teaches differently from what I have taught herein, or condemns me for it, ^« condemns God, and must be a child of HelU "^'' II. We select two quotations from Luther's work agamst the Pope and the Bishops. He writes : 1. " If I were to call myselt an Evangelist by the grace of God, I thmk I could prove it easier than one of you (Catholic Bishops) could prove your episcopal title or name. I am certain that Christ Himself calls me thus, and looks upon me as such, for He is the Master of my doctrine,, and on the last day He will also be a witness, that it is not mine, but His own pure Gospel "^^ 2. "I herewith let you know that in future, I will no longer do you the honour of allowing, you, or even an Angel from Heaven, to' judge my doctrine There has been enough of this stupid humility now for the~ third time at Worms, and, nevertheless, it was of no use ; but I will make myself heard, and, as St. Peter teaches, I will prove the motives and reasons for my teaching before the whole world, and / will not allow it to be judged by anybody, not even by any of the Angels. For, since I am certain of it, I intend, by means of it, to be your judge and also (as St. Paul says), that of the Angels / so that whoever does not accept my teaching, can- not be saved. For it is God's and not mine. Therefore, my judgment is at the same iime God's and not mine.'"^" Did any Pope ever proclami his Authority and Infalli- bility in r. inore unmistakeable manner? 26. Ibidem, 7. 27. Antwortt deutsch Mart. Lu-thers auff _ K0UJ3 Henrlchs von Engelland buch. Lugen thun myr nicht, Warhcyt schew ich nicht, 1522. On the last page , we read : "Gedruckt tzu Wittemberg, durch Nickell Schyrlentz, flO.B.Si'ii." p 4-5. 28. Wider den falsch genantte geystUchen stand des Babst vn der bisch-offen. D. Mart. Luther Ecclesiasten tzu "Wittemberg, 1522. On the last page we read : '* Gedruckt tzu Wittemberg durch Nickel Schyrlentz. my tzwey vii tzwentzigstS Jar." p. 2. sg. Ibidem, p. 3. SI Chapter IV.— LUTHER ACTS Vv'ITH AUTHORITY AND INFALLIBILITY. § I. Luiher's Authoritative and Infallible Decrees Concerning the Bible. I. Luther's Decrees Concerning Whole Books OF THE Bible. The five passages which follow are taken from Luther's New Testament. J have a copy of the very first edition of Luther's version of the Neiv Testament before me, while writing these words. It was published in Wittenberg in 1522.^° 1. Luther says: "Because John writes very little about the works of Christ, but very much about his sermons ; whereas the other three Evangelists write much about his works, and little about his words, the Gospel of John is the one choice (zart) really principal Oospel, and is to be very much pre- ferred to, and to be esteemed higher, than the other three. As also the Epistles of SS. Paul and Peter far surpass the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.''^^ 2. " The Epistle of St. James is really a straw Epistle in comparison to them ;" {i.e., to " St. John's Gospel and his First Epistle, to St. Paul's Epistles and to St. Peter's First Epistle.") =>" 3. In his introduction to the Epistles of SS. James and Jude, Luther says of the Epistle oj St. James " I do not ;ook upon it as the writing ot any Apostle, and this is my reason. First of all, because in direct opposition to St. Faul, and to all the other Scriptures, it (the Epistle of St. James) attributes justification to the works, and says, Abraham was justified by his works when he sacrificed his son. Whereas 30. Das Newe Testa-ment Deutzsch. Vuittcmberg. 31, Das Newe Testa-ment Deutzsch. Vuittemberg, Last page : "Geciruckt zu aVittenberg dui'ch Mel-chior Lotther yhm tausent funff-hundert Z2vey vnnd Z2ventzigsten Jar." The passage quoted occurs after the Introduction, in an article headed: "avilchs die rechten vnd Edlisten bucher des ne2ven testa-ments sind." V and V printed close to each other form aw; thus, 2V is the same as w ; at any rate the sign is very much like a 2, and together with the following v it is meant for w. It Ibidem, St. Paul, Rom. 4, on the contrary, teaches that Abraham was justified without works, through his faith alone Secondly (I reject the Epistle), because it professes to instruct Christians, and in such a long treatise (lere), it does not even mention the Passion, the Resurrection, the Spirit of Christ Whatever does not teach Christ, that is not apostolic, even if Peter or Paul were to teach it. Whereas, whatever teaches Christ, that is apostolic, even if Judas, Annas, Pilate and Herod were to do it. But this James does nothing else but drive on to the law and to its works, and he mixes up things in such , disorder, that I should say he was some good, pious man, who had heard certain sayings from the disciples of the Apostles, and then committed them to paper; or perhaps it (the Epistle) has been taken from his own discourse by some one else Therefore, I will not have him in my Bible in the number of the truly principal books : but I will not forbid any one to place him and to keep him as he pleases."*^ 4. " That this Epistle to the Hebrews is neither St. Paul's, nor that of any other Apostle, can be proved, because we read in the second chapter : ' This teaching has come down to us from those who have heard it from the Lord.' But it is not known who wrote it, and it will also remain unknowrj for some time, but this does not matter."^*" 5. Luther also rejects the Apocalypse or Book of Revela- tions. He writes in his introduction to it, in the same New Testament, published at Wittenberg, 1522: "As to this book of the Revelations of John, I will let everybody please himself. I will not bind anyone to my opinion or judg- ment. I say what I feel. I find many things defective in this book, so that I look upon it as neither apostolic nor prophetic. My first and principal reason is, that the Apostles did not concern themselves with visions, but they prophesied in clear and simple words This is reason enough for me not to think much of it, because Christ is neither taught nor known in it."^^ IL Luther's Decree Concerning Rom. IIL 28. I. The English. Protestant Bible thus translates Rom. Ill, 33. Ibidem, II. fol. LXVI. ^ " 34. Ibidem, II. fol. LIX. 35 Ibidem. II fol. LXXI' 23 2S : "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Luther's translation, taken from one of the copies of the original Wittenberg edition of 1522, is as follows : "So halten wyrs nu, das der mensch gerechtfertiget werde, on zu thun der werck des gesetzs, alleyn uurch den glawben." " " The literal translation of this into English is : " So v.-e now hold it, that man is justified, without doing the works of the law, alone through faith." 2. Tlie German word ("alleyn") used by Luther, some- times means " but" sometimes " alone." I'he question is, does not the word, as used by Luther, mean "but?" Or, to express it differently, ought not our translation of Luther's text to be : " So we now hold it, that man is justified with- out doing the works of the law, but by faith." ? My answer is : I am as certain that Luther's "alleyn" (Rom. III. 28) means " alone" and does not mean " but" as I am of my own existence. Seventeen years spent in Germany, or among educated Germans, enable me to speak with authority on a question of this kind. 3. It has been said that Luther's " alleyn " must mean "but" becauseit/r^«(f«j the substantive ("glawben"). This is an argument that would never have been used by a German, or by a man thoroughly acquainted with German. Every German knows that the following sentence is thoroughly in accordance with the idiom of the German language ; '' So halten wir es nun, dass der Mensch nicht gerechtfertigt wird durch die Werke des Gesetzes, sondern allein durch den Glauben." Now the only possible way of translating these words is : " So we now hold it, that man is not justified by t'ne works of the law, but alone through faith." Never- thelc:', "allein" has here exactly the same position with regard to the substantive " Glauben," as in Luther's text. 4. Modern German Dictionaries and Grammars are not of much authority in this question, because Luther wroie German, as it used to be in the sixteenth century, and not as it is at present in the nineteenth. But independent of this, it is vsty dangerous for Luther's English advocates to quote German Grammars or Dictionaries. If they are 36. Das Newe Testa-ment Deutzsch. Vuittemberg. '4 not very careful, they may be surprised to find that the real meaning of a rule quoted by them is quite difl'er^nt from what they understand it to be. " Alleyn " does not immediately precede the substantive " glawben " (faith), but is separated from it by the preposition "durch" (through), which comes between them : " al/eyn du/rA den glawben'' Now even according to the Winchester Tracts in such a case " alleyn " may mean " alone." How ridiculous it is for the author to quote this rule on page 7, and on page 8 to forget all about it, and to come to the "irresistible con- clusion "(1 I) that according to German Dictionaries "alleyn" (Rom. III. 28) must mean "but."^^ We can only attribute this to downright ignorance or prejudice. 5. But I have a far stronger proof, a proof which can only be disregarded by a man, who is willing to deny that the sun is shining in the skies on a bright summer-aay. Nobody is so good a judge of the meaning of " alleyn " (Rom. III. 28), as Luther himself, who is the author of the translation. For in Englishman to expect me to accept his interpretation of Luther's words, and to reject Luther's own authoritative explanation of his own translation, betokens something very much like literary insanity. 6. Now, Luther wrote to Wenceslaus Link on this very subject.. That part of the letter, which deals with the word "alleyn," covers exactly nineteen pages. Luther wrote for the express purpose of explaining why he used the word "alleyn" (Rom. III. 28). I have read the letter in the old Witten- berg edition of 1530 from beginning to end most carefully, and will now give the principal passages along with exact references to the whole context A. The Introduction. Luther says: " I have received your letter with the two questions or inquiries first, why in the third chapter to the Romans, the words of St. Paul: 'Arbitramur hominem justificari ex fide absque operibus legis,' were translated 37. Wtnchester Tracts VII Anno 1859. By Charles Hastings CoUette. The e tact words, (p. 7) are : " One may perceive hereby that aUein, like many other adverbs, can stand also with substantives ; the rea on of this is shown in the note, It stands then after the snbstantive, except ivhcit a />repasttion fcUoius it, or jilst precedes, ab it can also i\xad, be/oj-e it." (Tliese latter ita;i ;s ar« my own). 25 l>y me into German in the following manner: 'We hold that man is justified without the works of the law, (allein) through faith.' And at the same time you tell me what great fuss the Papists make, because the word Sola ("alone") is not in the text of Paul.'"*^ B. Luther's Answer to the Papists. 1. You Papists do not know how to translate. I have taken great pains to translate correctly, nevertheless, you must find fault with me, although one of you has published my translation with only some slight changes. — Such is the substance of his first answer to the Papists.^* 2. Luther continues : "And in order to return to the point. If your Papist makes much unnecessary fuss about tlie word (Sola, alone), say straight out to him. Doctor Maftinus Luther will have it so, and says, J'jfiists and donkeyi are one and the same thing. Sic volo, sic juijeo. sit pro ratione voluntas (thus I will have it, thus I order it, my will is reason enough). For we will not be the scholars or the disciples of the Papists, but their masters and judges. AVe must once in a way act a little haughtily and noisily with these jack-asses. " ■"* 3. Luther then tells us that he is more learned than the Papists, and continues : " This is my answer to your first question ; and as to their unnecessary noise a1;out the word Sola, 1 beg of you not to give those donkeys any other or further answer, but simply this much : D. Luther ivill havt it so, and says he is a Doctor above all Doctors in the whole oj Fopery.""^ C. Luthers Answer to his Protestant Friends. I. " But as to you and our friends (den vnsern), / will give you my reasons for using the -word (Sola). Although Rom. III. I did not use Sola, but Sohim or Tantwn. So carefully (fein) do the donkeys look at my text. But, 38. Ein Send-briefF, von Dolmet-schen, vnd FCirbit-te der Hei-ligen. D. Mart. Luther. Wittembcrg M.D.XXX. Last rnge: " Gedriickt zu Wit tetnberg durch Georgeii Ehaw." p. 5. Luther does not give the e\act words of the Wittenberg New Te.^tair-ni of tcsai He also writes " al'.ein " in this letter, and ■' alleyn " in Ir"' Mew 'i'estameau 39- Ibidem, j-g. 40. Ibidem, g. 4t. Ibidem, 9-10. 26 nevertlie'.ess, elsewhere I have said Sola fide and I will have both Solum and Sola."*^^ 2. Luther then assures his friends that he took very great pains to translate the Bible into good German, and adds : *' I kneTj very well that here, Rom. III., the word ( Sola) is not ill the Latin and Greek text, and it was not necessary for the Papists to teach me that. It is true, these four , letters, SOLA, are not in it, which letters the jack-asses look at as a cow looks at a new gate ; but they do not see that, nevertheless, it expresses the meaning of the text ; and if our German translation is to be clear and powerful, , it ought to be put in But this is the idiom of our German language, if mention is made of two things, of which one is asserted and the other excluded, we use the word Solum (alone) with the word Cnot or no), as when we say : •The peasant brings only corn (allein korn) and no money.' So also: 'I have really no money now, but only corn.' 'I have only eaten, and not yet drunk.' ' Have you only written, and not read it over ? ' and so on in innumerable expressions of daily life. Although in all these sentences the Latin or Greek language does not do so, nevertheless, the German does (use Solum), and it is customary (in German) .to add the word {alone), in order that the word (not or no) may be more powerful 'and clear. For although I also say; 'The peasant brings corn and no inoney,' nevertheless, the word (no money) is not as powerful and clear, as when I say 'The peasant brings only corn, and no money.' "^^ These examples selected by Luther show most clearly awd imost strikingly, how manifestly wrong and incorrect it was on the part of one of Luther's lawyers, to say that the German word '."alleyn" must necessarily mean "but" (Rom. III. z8), because it precedes the substantive Glawben (faith), instead oi following ,it. One of the sentences used by Luther is: 'Ich hab warlich itzt nicht gelt, sondern allein korn.' Now, in this sentence ''allein " precedes the substantive. Nevertheless, it is absolvtely impossible to translate " allein " .with "but." Let us try U-< do so. Our translation would then 42, Ibidem. IX. "Solum" and "Tanliim"mean "«.'(?«?," and never can meananythinj * else. The Lati^i word iat djft '*Sed" does not occur even once in the whole letter, ';whtch is written by Lnther for the express purpose of jiving his reasons ■foriising^he,wo>;4 ".»l'=in." i OB), III, 85.) 43. Ibidem, 31-13. 27 be : "I have really no money now, but but corn ; " which is perfectly ridiculous, whereas, if I translate " allein " with " alone," I have perfect sense : " I have really no money now, but only corn." Now, Luther tells us that he used the word "allein" in Rom. III. 28, in the same sense in which he uses it in this sentence. It would, therefore, be a monstrous mistranslation, if Luther's German text was given in English : " Man is justified without the works of the law, but through faith." 3. Luther then explains in the following pages, how necessary it is to consider the idiom of the German language when translating,' and again tells us what great pains he himself took.** Now, we are quite willing to admit that Luther's render- ing of Rom. III. 28 is thoroughly good German _ there cannot be the slightest doubt about that, but, as a translation, it is outrageous. The perfectly literal translation: "So halten wir es nun, dass der Mensch gerechtfertigt wird durch den Glauben ohne die Werke des Gesetzes," would be quite as good German, as the translation given in the English Protestant Bible: "Therefore we conclude that a man is justi- fied by faith without the deeds of the law," is good English. 4. He then argues that his translation fully expresses the meaning of St. Paul, and tries to prove the doctrine of justification -by faith alone.*® 5. He concludes his work by stating : " It is not only correct, but also most necessary to say it straight out in the clearest and most powerful manner: 'Faith alone, without the works, makes us pious,' And I am sorry that I did not also add 'all' and 'of all,' thus: 'without all works of all laws,' so that it might come out full and clear (rund). Therefore it shall remain in my New Testament, and if all the Popish donkeys were to get mad and crazy, they will not get it out But this is enough for the present. I will (if God gives His grace) say more about it in the book : De Justificatione."*" 6. It is therefore absolutely certain that Luther really added the word alone (Solum or Tantum) to Rom. III. 28. 44. Ibidem, 13-19, 45. Ibidem, 19-23. 46. Ibidem, 2^ 28 We have it on the infallible authority of Dr. Martin Luther himself, that such is indeed the case. For in the nineteen pages, which Luther wrote for the express purpose of explaining why he used the word " allein," he never once tells us, that this word may mean " butr On the other hand, he constantly reminds us, that his "allein," Rom. IIL 28, means " Solum^' ov " Tatitum." Now "Sohim" or " Tantum " are never used in the sense of the conjtinction " but " (sondern, aber) ; on the contrary, both " Solum " and " Tantum " necessarily mean '■'■alone." We certainly do not agree with Luther, but after all, we prefer the bold straight- foj-wardness ot the German Reformer, to the peity dishontsty of his English lawyer. 7. But Luther is determined to express his doctrme oj justification by faith alone, in a " clear and powerful" manner. The words of St. Paul: "Without the works of the law," are not ^'' clear and powerful" enough for him. Luther must trans- late them: "Without doing the works of the law." Again, St. Paul's words : "A man is justified by faith," are not sufficiently "clear and powerful" Luther must translate them : "A man is justified alone through faith" (Solum or Tantum), whence his text would be: "A man is justified alone through faith without doing the works of the law." But even that can be made still more "clear and powerful." Therefore the sentence is turned round, so that the opposition between faith and good works may come out still more pointedly and strikingly. For, whereas the English Protestant Bible, in strict conformity with the Greek text, simply says : " A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law," Luther boldly translates the passage : " A man is justified without doing the works of the law, alone through faith." *^ This position of "faith" at the end of the whole sentence adds more power and emphasis to the expression. o. Yet even this is scarcely enough, for Luther is sorry, that he did not make the text still more " clear and powerful," and translate it : " Man is justified without all works of all laws, alone through faith."* ^ 47. Das. Newe Testa-ment Deutzscli. .....^ulberg 4^. Ein Send-brleff, von Dolmet-schen, vnd Furbit-ce der Hei-lioen D. Mart. Luther. Witttmberg. M.D.XXX. Last pajc I *' Gedrnckt zu Wit temberfi diirch Georgen Ehaw," d zi- •29 If this is not reckless tampiring with scripture, I do nof know what is. 9. As to the text itself, it is sufficient to say, that St. Paul IS not speaking at all about good works in general, but only about " the works of the law." We Catholics also believe that we are justified by faith, as opposed to the works of the Jewish law ; but we do not believe, that we are justified by faith, as opposed to good works. An act of faith is in itself a good work ; whoever, therefore, believes that he is justified by faith, also believes that he is justified by a good work. But according to St. Paul, faith without charity \% of no use (I Cor., xiii.). We Catholics also believe, with St. Paul, ths; faith, including charity, is an unfailing pledge of eternal salvation. § II. Luther's Authoritative and Infallible Decrees Concerning Marriage. 1. In a letter to Chancellor Briick, January, 1524, Luther gives his opinion concerning the intention of a man to marry a second wife. He writes' : " / co?ifess that I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, nor is it contrary to the Holy Scriptures • but I should not like to see this kind of thing now for the first time introduced among Christians."** 2. In the year 1539, Luther positively allowed Prince Philip of Hesse to have two wives at the same time. I quote from de Wette, who gives the whole document both in Latin and in German. According to de Wette, the German seems to be only a translation , the original copy written by Melanchthon is then the original. De Wette was a Protestant Professor ot theology at Basle, in the early part of this century. In a few introductory remarks to this important document, which is signed by Luther and other theologians, de Wette says : " It (the letter) concerns the double marriage of this Prince (Philip of Hesse) In the document written out by Melanchthon's own hand (literally, "Through Melanchthon's pen") the theologians granted the dispensation, accompanied with a representation of the difficulties of the case, and under condition of its being kept secret.''^" 49, *' Ego sane fateor, me non po^^e prohibere, si qnis n'-res velit uxores ducere, ne^ repugnat sacris literis." De Wette II. 459. The letter was written .n January, 1524. 50. De Wette V. 236. 3° 3. De Wette also informs us that this document is found ui the Altenburg (viii. 977), the Leipsic (xxii. 469), and the Walch (x. 886) editions of Luther's works, but that these three editions suppressed the passage which grants the dis- ■pcr.mfion for the second marriage. Is this honest ?^ ■>• 4. I do not quote from the document, without having read every word of it most carefully, from beginning to end, in the original Latin text. The letter is addressed " To the most Serene Prince and Lord, Philip, Landgrave of Hesse, Count in Catzenelnbogen, Diez, Ziegenhayn, Nidda and Schauenburg, our most gracious Lord."^^ 5. I will now give ar summary of the whole document, which covers about five pages of de Wette. It will then be impossible to tell me that I am quoting without the context. The more important passages will be given in full. After the introduction, the principal thoughts occur in the following order : 6. Luther and the seven other theologians inform the Prince, that they could not sanction the universal introduc- tion of polygamy. " Your Highness will yourself see clearly enough, what a difference there is betweeri making a universal law, and making use of a dispensation in a certain case for grave reasons, by virtue of a divine concession. But no dispensation, granted in opposition to God, can be valid.""* 7. The theologians then answer the objection which they themselves raise : " What is right before God, certainly ought to be allowed." That is to say, God does not forbid polygamy ; why then do you not allow any one who chooses, to have several wives? In answer to this Luther remarks, that "other circumstances must be taken into consideration."^* 8. Luther and the rest then "approach nearer to the question." of the double marriage. First of all they remind his Highness, that in the beginning of the world only one husband and one wife were allowed by God. After that these theologians continue : " It is certain that later on, in the law of Moses, men were allowed to have two wives, as the Scripture, Deut. XXL, testifies." This is perfectly true. 5T. Ibidem, 236. 52. Ibidem, 237. 53. Ibidem, 237-238. 54. Ibidem, 238. Luther and the others, however, declare that on account of .the first institution of marriage by God, and also on account of the words of Christ: "Ther.; will be two in one flesh," a law allowing two wives must rot be made in the Church. Nevertheless they add the foUowi ig important words : "Never- theless, in certain cases there is rootn for dispensation. If a person were a prisoner among foreign nations, and were to take another wife, for the welfare and health of his body, or if a person had a wife suffering from leprosy, we do not know on what ground it would be justifiable to condemn such a man, were he, in these cases, to marry another woman, with the advice of his pastor, having no intention to introduce a new law, but (only) seeking a remedy for his necessity ."'^ 9, Luther then gives powerful motives, why it would be better or safer if the Prince were' to give up the thought of a second marriage j he also advises him to abandon his imjpure life. ^ * 10. The document continues : " Finally, if your Highness has altogether made up your mind to marry another wife, we declare under an oath that it ought to be done secretly No contradictions or scandals of any importance will be the consequence of this (of keeping the marriage secret), for it is nothing unusual for princes to have concubines ; and although the reason could not be understood by ordinary people, nevertheless, more prudent persons would under- stand it, and this modest way of living (!!!) would please more than adultery nor are the sayings of otJiers to he cared for, if our conscience is in order. Tims and thus far only do we approve of it."° '' " For what was alloived in the law of Moses concerning marriage, the Gospel does not revoke or forbid. Your Highness has, therefore, not only the decision (testimonium) of .us all in case of necessity, but also our foregoing considerations."^" 55 Ibidem, 238, '* Certis tamen caslbus locus est dispensation!.'* 56. Ibidem, 238-24T. 57. ibidem, 241. Latin I "Si recte cum conscientia agatur.'' "Sic el in tantum hoc approbamus " 58. Ibidem, 241. Latin: "Nam quod circa matrimonium in lege Mosis fuit permis. sum, Evangelium non revocat aut vetat Habet itaque Gels. Vestra non tantum omnium nostrum testimonium- in casu necessitatis, sed etiam antece* denies nostras consideratione» ** 3> That is to say : We allow the marriage, but at the same time we wish you also to consider, whetlier it would not be more advisable to give up all thoughts of the double marriage. 1 1. The letter concludes by saying that it would not he expedient for the Prince to take counsel of the Emperor in this matter. ^ ' 12. "Given at Wittenberg on the Wednesdav after the Feast of St. Nicolas MDXXXIX. (Dec. lo, 1539). Your Highness' AVilling and obedient Servants, Martinus Luthenis. Philippus Melanchthon. Martinus Bucerus, Antonius Corvinus. Adam F Johannes Leningus. Justus Winther. Dionysius Melander."" 13. The second marriage of Prince Philip of Hesse took place a few months later, early in 1540. 14. Kostlin, Luther's most prominent German champion, confesses that "this double marriage" is the "greatest blot in the history of the Reformation and in the life of Lnther."^'^ ' \\'e may add that the blot is so great, as to blot out every possibility of our ever looking upon Luther as a Reformer sanctioned and cominissioned by Almighty God. For marriage is one of the most important and most essential elements both of -the social and of the religious order. And God would not allow a Reformer really chosen by Himself to trample under foot the law concerning the unity of iiiarriage^ which was promulgated by Christ, trie first-born Reformer of the World. 15. If this weighty document, which sanctioned bigamy, had been issued by one of tne Popes of the 5g. Ibidem, 241. 60. Ibidem, 242. 61. K5stlin, Luther und J. Janssen, Third edition. 1883, p. 51, 33 Catholic Church, with what an outburst of indignation would it not have been hailed by the whole Protestant world I How many Anti-Romish tracts would have been written on the subject ! To what a pitch of excitement would not the eloquence of the Exeter Hall declamator have raised his astounded audience 1 But, alas I this dispensation was granted — not in Rome, but in Wittenberg — the cradle, the head, the heart, and the centre of Protestantism in those days. Unfortunately, it does not bear the signature of any Roman Catholic Pope, but the name of Martin Luther is written under it in indelible cha- racters. And only a few years before this took place, Pope Clement VII. absolutely refused to sanction the second marriage of Henry VIII., King of England. In consequence of this, England was lost to the Catholic faith. But the Pope would sooner see a whole country torn away from the unity of the Church, than give his sanction to a marriage, that was opposed to the bw of God. 1 6. However outrageous this document may oe, it is far out-done by one of the most disgraceful sermons, that have ever been preached. I allude to Luther's sermon on marriage, which I quote with a clear knowledge of the whole context. It was preached in Wittenberg, in 1522. 17. With the authority of a Christian preacher, with the additional authority which the extraordinary power of his popular eloquence gave him, with the unlimited authority which his exceptional position conferred upon him, from the lofty eminence of a once Christian pulpit, in the presence of men and women, married and unmarried, young and old, Luther positively sanctioned adultery in the clearest and most unmistakeable manner. It is true that he only allows it in certain given circumstances, and that he requires the previous riDprnvnl of the community. But this does not alter the truth of my statement. * " 18. I have read the whole sermon from beginning to end in the original Wittenberg edition of 1522. On my own authority, I calmly, deliberately and conscientiously accuse Luther of publicly sanctioning adultery. Moreover, I consider it to be a most aggravating circumstance that ia Vcm Eelichec Leben Martinus Luther. Witterabcrg, a}.E).i:irU. p. 1718. 34 Luther did so — not in the excitement of the moment — but in a prin.f }:Uf. On last page : " Gedruclct zii "Wittemberg Duzci Nickel Schyrlentz, Anno. /in..H).f Jiii " p. 30. 95. Ibidem, 34. 96. Ibidem. 37, 97. Ibidem, 37. 98. Ibidem 38. 45 "Tvvo Imperial, Inconsistent, and Disgusting Orders con- cerning Luther."** 1 8. " Here you see how the poor mortal sack of worms (Madensack), the Emperer, who is not sure of his life for a moment, shamelessly boasts that he is the true, supreme protector of the Christian faith "^°» 19. Nor are the last words of this work very compli- mentary to the German princes. Luther writes : " From the bottom of my heart I bewail such a state of things in the hearing of all pious Christians, that like me they may bear with pity such rrazy, stupid, silly, furious, mad fools May God deliver us from them, and out of mercy give us other rulers. Amen." ^ "' 1525- 20. The rebellion is now on the point of breaking out. The peasants appeal to Luther. He writes a book, in which he advises them to keep quiet, and bids the princes give in to such demands as are reasonable. ' " ^ It would be an injustice to Luther to say, that he was not sincere in this his endeavour to stop the full outbreak of the revolution. All that can be said is, that even in this work he more than once used language calculated, rather to excite, than to calm the disturbed minds of the peasants. 21. This work also contains unmistakeable proofs of the religious character of the veheWion. For the peasants published twelve articles, in which they insisted on what they looked upon as their rights. Now, Luther tells us that they " tried to prove (the articles) with sundry texts of Scripture" Moreover the peasants say, that they are willing to be advised, provided this be done '■^with clear, manifest, undeniable texts of Scripture." The "first article" ran thus : "'I'he whole Parish shall have the power of electing and of deposing their Parish Priest." The third article declared: "There are to be no serfs, because Christ lias liberated us all."^"^ 22, I said that even in this work Luther made use of expressions which, unintentionally on his part, were calculated 99. EriELnger Ausgabe XXIV. 210. 10 } Ibidem, 236. Toi Ibidem, 236-237. 102. Ermanunge zum fride aufF die zwolff artickel der Bawer schafft ill Scbwaben. Mart. Luther Wittemberg. 1525* 103. Ibidem, 3, 31, 33. 46 to increase the excitement among the peasants. He writes : " First, as to such disorder and rebellion, we are indebted to nobody on earth but to you. Princes, and Lords, especially tJow that we ought to be merciful, to give willingly, and to show 130. Walch, VIII. 2815. i^:. Wa'ch. X. 530 :f2. Wal. h.XI. 1758. 113. WaKh. Xlll. 89. 1)4. Walci . Vlll. 2683, 135. Walcl .VIII. 946-947. S3 mrselves thankful to God for the Holy Gospel nobody is willing to give, but only to take" ^ * " V. — Neglect of the Sick. 1. In 1527 an epidemic broke out at Wittenberg, Luther's headquarters and residence. Luther writes : "The pest has broken out here, but in rather a mild form (satis propitia) ; however, the fear and flight of the people is something dreadful."! =*' 2. For the second time a contagious disease broke ont in the same town, during 1539. Writing to Wenceslaus Link on the subject, I^uther says : " One person runs away from ihe other, so that you cannot find a servant. I think the Devil must have taken possession of the people with the real pestilence, to fill them with such terrible fear, that the brother forsakes his brother, the son his parents."!'* ^ ■ 3. Again, he says : " I am astonished, that the more we preach about the life in Christ, the greater the terror of death becomes among the people."^''* , 4. One of. Luther's explanations of the fact, thnt formerly, under the Pope, people were not so afraid is "because out of a false hope of life, they feared death tess."'^*'^ VI. — Sad ST.4.TE of the Youth. 1. Luther exclaims : " It is a shame how badly we nov/ bring up our children Parents allow their children to please themselves Mothers do not look after their daughters do not punish them, do not teach them to lead a modest and chaste life."!*! 2. " Everywhere complaints are made about the dis- obedience, lawlessness, and pride of the young people."!*^ 3. Luther tells us that drunkenness ^'^ has spread among the youth so that now the greater part of the finest, most talented young men (especially among the nobility and at Court), undermine their health, their body and their life before the time."^^^ 136, Walch. XI, 1758. 137, Epp ed. Aurif. II. 345-34S. 138 De Wctte V. 219 139. Walch. XXI. 1461. 140. Ibidem. 141. Walch, XI. 3095 3096. 142. Walch. XII. 895. 143. Walch. XI 1. T}o. 54 VIT. — Increase of Drunkenness. r. We "have just seen the prevalence and the frightful consequences of drunkenness among the youth. 2. Formerly, such was not the case. Speaking of drunk- enness, Luther says : "I remember, when I was young, what a very great shame this was considered to be among the nobility."^** Now, however, he tells us that these young men, the greater part of whom are given to drunkenness, are "especially among the nobility."^*" 3. " We have now got so far that coarse vices, excessive drinking, rioting are no longer looked upon as a disgrace, but drunkenness must now be called hilarity."^** 4. " Drunkenness has now, I am sorry to say, cot}ie down upon us like a deluge."'^ * ^ 5. " The people look upon the Gospel as a doctrine which teaches them to eat and drink. Such are the thoughts of almost everybody, from the lowest to the highest."'"-^ 6. "The people are like/?^.f, so to speak, dead and buried in constant drunkenness."^*''* VIII. — Increase in the Number of Suicides. Suicides became more and more frequent among his followers. On the 2Sth of July, 1542, three years and a half before his death, he said some suicides among his followers were caused by Satan, to whom God had given this power in the Lutheran Church as a punishment for contempt of the Word of God. His exact words are : " What you write concerning the power that the Devil has shown in the case of three men who have hanged themselves, I have read with fear, my Anthony. God gives us, ungrateful and arrogant creatures, a foretaste of His future anger, by conceding so much to Satan in our Church He (Satan) is the Prince of the Z44. Ibidem. 145. Ibidem 145. Walch. XIII. 1573. 147. Walch. XII. 788. 148. Walch. Vll. 1896. 149. Walch. XII. 789. Au.'ilcgung der Epistel am Sonntage nach dcr Ilimmelfahrl Christl. 55 world ; in order to bring us into contempt he pretends that those men hanged themselves, whereas he killed them, and, by working on their imagination, made them believe they had hanged themselves Satan's presence is visible."!**' IX. — Lower State of General Morality. 1. Luther says: " j4s soon as our Gospel began decency and modesty were done away with, and everybody wished to be perfectly free to do whatever he liked."''-^'^ 2. " AVe deserve that our Evangelicals (the followers of the new Gospel) should now be seven times worse than they were before. Because after having learnt the Gospel, we steal, tell lies, deceive, eat and drink (to excess), and practice all manner of vices." ^ * ^ 3. "After one Devil (Popery) has been driven out of us, seven worse ones have come down upon us, as is the case with Princes, Lords, Nobles, Citizens and Peasants."''- ^^ 4. " In all classes frivolity and every kind of vice, sin, and disgrace are now much greater than formerly."^** 5. " I think it must needs be the case, that those who follow the Gospel (literally "who become evangelical"), should be worse after (receiving) the Gospel than they had been before, not on account of the Gospel, but on account of the people who so abuse the Gospel."!^* 6. " The more and the longer we preach, the worse matters grow."'^^ 7. " People are now possessed with seven Devils, whereas formerly they were possessed with one Devil; the Devil now enters into the people in crowds, so that men are now more avaricious, unmerciful, impure, insolent. than formerly under the Pope."''^ '' 8. "After the dominion and power of the Pope has ceased the people, while despising the true doctrine, are now changed into mere irrational animals and beasts ; 150. DeWetteV 487-488. 151. Walch V. 114. 152. Walch- til. 3727. 153. Walch. Ill 2737. 154. Walch. V. 114. 155. Walch. XIII. 2193. 156. Walch. XII. 2120 ' 157. Walch. XIII ID. S6 the number of holy and pious teachers becomes constantly less."' « 8 9. About a year before his death, Luther confesses : " We are living in Sodom and Babylon everything is daily getting worse."^'" 10. The town of Wittenberg was the principal scene of Luther's activity. It was there that he resided. It was there, if anywhere, that the results of his teaching ought to have made themselves felt. Now, about seven months before his death, Luther wrote to his wife, "Away from this Sodom (Wittenberg) / will wander about, and sooner beg my bread than allow my poor old last days to be martyred ana upset with the disorder of Wittenberg. ''^^° 11. We find Luther owning that he would never have begun to preach, if he had foreseen these unhappy results, and that he scarcely knows whether he ought to continue preaching. His words are • " See how foolishly the people everywhere behave towards the Gospel, so that I scarcely know whether I ought to continue preaching or not."^'^ - 1 2. Writing on the same subject, he says : " If God had not dosed my eyes, and if I had foreseen these scandals, I would never have begun to teach tiie Gospel."^^^ 13. In 1538, more than twentv years after the beginning of the Reformation, Luther dwells on the same thought : " Who would have begun to preach, if we had known beforehand that so much unhappiness, tumult, scandal, blasphemy, ingratitude, and wickedness would have been the result V'^^^ 14. The new Gospel did not even make Luther himself better. Rewrites: "/ confess that T am much more negligent, than I was under the Pope, and there is now no- where such an amount of earnestness under the Gospel, as was formerly seen among Monks and Friests."'^^^ 15. If all these testimonies, taken wholly and solely from the very words of Dr. Martin Luther himself, should 158. Walch. I. 615. 159. De Wette V. 722. 160. Luther's Letter to his Wife, July, 1545, de Wette V. 753, 161. Walch. XI. 3052. 162. Walch. VL 920. 163. Walch. Vllf. 564. 164. Walch IX, 1311. 57 not De considered sufhcient, to prove that the state of general morality became worse in consequence of the teaching of the Reformer, I still have another argument in store, which, I think, will convince even the most prejudiced mind. During the last few years, Janssen has been publishing the first volumes of his History of Germany since the end of the Middle Ages (Geschicte des Deutschen Volkes seit dem Ausgang des Mittelalters). This standard work has caused a. thorough Revolution throughout historical circles in Germany. The excitement created by the publication of these volumes is principally due to the unlimited acquaintance of the author with the works and writings of Dr. Martin Luther. It is difficult to imagine a more thorough and scientific condemnation of the Reformation, drawn to a great extent from the words of Martin Luther himself. The sensa- tion caused by Janssen's History was so great, in both Pro- ■ testant and Catholic circles, that Protestant Germany could not remain silent. Professor Kostlin took up Luther's defence in a book entitled " Luther und J. Janssen." The proofs, however, brought forward by Janssen, were so clear and so striking, that Kostlin, the very man whose express object was to defend Luther, could not help saying : " There was really a certain increase of corruption at the time of the Reformation, We may also unhesitatingly admit that, in a certain sense, the Reformation had something to do tvith it."^"^ t6. I beg the reader to consider these two distinct admissions, especially as they are made by the most prominent and most weighty supporter of Luther's cause in Germany. a. He acknowledges that there was an increase of corruption at the time of the Reformation. b. He "unhesitatingly" adds that, "in a certain sense" uie Reformation contributed to this increase of corruption. 1 7. This fact that the Reformation had something to do with the increase of moral corruption must, therefore, be admitted by everyone who takes for the ground on which he stands, not fancy and imagination, but historical truth. 165. KSstlin, Luther und J, Janssen, p. 58 CONCLUSION. The following facts have been clearly established from Luther's own writings : 1. At the beginning of the Reformation, Luther acted as a downright hypocrite towards Pope Leo X., and shortly before dying, he wrote a most low, coarse, disreputable, and satanical book of one hundred and fifty-seven pages, against Pope Paul III. Even supposing Protestantism was right and the Catholic Church was wrong, such a book as Luther wrote " Against the Popery of Rome, instituted by the Devil," would be a lasting disgrace to any author. ^ * * 2. Having rejected the authority of the Pope, he admits the authority of Satan ; for he informs us in plain, un- mistakeable words, that the Devil argued in favour of his doctrine of justification by faith alone, and against Mass, Mary, and the Saints. ^ " ' 3. Strange to say, he expects Christ will approve of his preaching those very doctrines, which had met with the sanction of Satan. For Luther has the boldness to assure us, that Our Lord looks upon him as an Evangelist, and that he himself will not allow his teaching to be judged by anyone, not even by an Angel ^ " ^ 4. Having thus set the authority of the Pope at nought, admitted the authority of Satan, proclaimed his own authority as that of an Evangelist, who is not even to be' judged by an Angel, Luther boldly rejects the inspired Word of God, as contained in St . Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, and in the Apocalypse or Book of Revelations. As to the Epistle of St. James, it is only a straw epistle, 166. See above, pages 9-13. 167. PagcE 13-19. 168. Pages 19-20. 59 oecause, m opposition to Luther, St. James ventures to "attribute justification to the works."^"° 5. Not satisfied with this, he even falsifies the Bible by adding the word "alone" to Rotn. III. 28. He has the honesty to tell us why he does so. It was in order to express his doctrine of justification by faith alone in a more " clear and powerful " manner. The text in the English Protestant Bible is: " We conclude that a man is ustified by faith without the deeds of the law." Luther lanslates : " So we now hold it, that man is justified, without doing \k\(t works of the law, alone by faith."^'^" 6. We can hardly expect, that a man who thus deals with fhe inspired Word of God, will respect the laws of God. Now, one of the most fundamental laws, promulgated here on earth by the Son of God, is the law concerning the unity of Christian marriage. Luther's teaching, however, is in direct opposition to this. He says : " I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives." Nor does he, in the case of Prince Philip of Hesse, shrink from putting this his doctrine into practice ; for Luther wilfully and deliberately signed a document granting his Highness leave to have two wives at the same time. Moreover, in one of his sermons, the Reformer of Germany did not blush to sanction adultery under circumstances, which ought never to be mentioned from a Christian pulpit ^ ' ^ Is it God, or is it Satan who speaks through Luther ? 7. Whilst constantly asserting his own authority and acting with the utmost recklessness, concerning the Holy Bible and the unity of marriage, Luther treats with an insufferable arrogance and intolerance all those who refuse to svjbmit to his authority As to the Jews, it is well known how, in the Middle Ages, they were constantly pro- tected by the Popes, even in Rome itself, where they had a special quarter of the town allotted to them. How differently Luther acts. He says the churches (synagogues) and schools of the cursed Jews are to be burnt down, their houses destroyed, their Prayer Books taken away from them, their Rabbis i6g. Pages 21-22. 170, Pages i2-»9. 171. Pages '.•)-3«. 6o forbidden to teach, they are to be refused all legal pro- tection when they go into the country ; all their money is to be taken from them, and if all that is not sufficient, they are to be driven off like mad dogs. ^ ' ^ 8. A satanical hatred of the Pope and of all Roman Catholics is one of the characteristic features in the history and character of Luther. According to his views Popery is instituted by the Devil, the Pope is Antichrist, whose tongue ought to be torn out through the hack of his neck and nailed to the gallows ; the Catholic Bishops are " wolves, tyrants, murderers of souls, and the Apostles of Antichrist ;" twexy Catholic is "■at least a murderer, a robber, a persecutor." And he asks the Princes : " Why do we not wash our hands in their blood V'^''^ 9. But even Protestants differing from him do not £are any better. So, for example, he denounces those who do not believe that the very same Body of Our Lord which was nailed to the Cross is received in the Last Supper, as blasphemers and enemies of Christ, and he adds that they camiot hope for any communion with him (Luther). He says: "/ should have to condemn myself with them into the depths of Hell, if I were to hold with them."^ ' * Now, many Protestants in this country do not believe in the Real Presence, and, nevertheless, they praise Luther who condemns them to the everlasting flames of Hell. 10. The results of his teaching are such as might be expected from what we have already said. He maintains that the poor man " has ample reason to break forth with the flail and the club." The peasants do break forth with the flail and the club. Luther now advises them to go home quietly. They refuse. Luther then orders everybody to "strike in to strangle and stab, secretly or openly." "For in the case of a ?nan in open rebellion everybody is both chief justice and executioner."'^'''^ One hundred thousand peasants are killed or executed. 1 1. Such were the political consequences of his teach- ing. The moral results were even more disastrous ; foi 172. Pages 34-35. 173. Pages 35-36 and 12. 174. Pages 36-40. 175. Pages 41-50. 6i wherever Luther's teaching was accepted, the Last Supper was treated with contempt, the former generosity in supporting the clergy, churches, schools, the sick and the poor, ceased; children were neglected, drunkenness began to spread like a deluge, in fact every virtue decreased, and every kind of vice increased. Luther tells us that, under the Pope, people had had only one Devil, and that now, under the Gospel, they had "seven worse ones."^''^ Would it not have been better if he had left the poor people with the one Devil, and had spared them the six other worse ones ? 12. A man who pretends to be a Reformer is sent either by God or by Satan. Now, every single sign of a Divine mission is utterly wanting, both in Luther's teaching, and in the results of his teaching. How different in every respect are not Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and the prophets of old from the would be Reformer ? But, can Luther perhaps be compared to the Apostles ? Let us see. Did St. Peter, or St. Paul, or any of them, ever dare to allow a Christian to have two wives at the same time? Is not this fact alone sufficient to prove to every fair-minded man, that Luther was not sent by God ? Moreover, was the result of St. Paul's teaching an increase of drunkenness and every kind of vice, and a decrease of every kind of virtue ? No, certainly not. Luther, therefore, bears no resemblance to any of those men, of whom the Scripture tells us that they were sent by God as Reformers of their nation or of the world. We, therefore, refuse to believe in his Divine mission, and that on Scriptural grounds. But mark also another reason. Luther refused to believe that Carlstadt had the sanction of Heaven, and for a reason which is very instructive. Writing against this pretended Reformer, he says, " God does not break up the old order for a new one without working great signs. Therefore we cannot believe a person, who appeals to his own spirit and to his inward feeling, and rushes head-long against the usual order of God, unless he also performs miracles."^'''' 176 Pages 50-57. »77. ErU:ig£r Ausgabc. XXIX. 173, 62 13- Now, Luther, I judge you by your own test. Where are the miracles, with which you prove your Divine mission ? You know very well, that you never performed a single one. And therefore we would be acting in opposition to your own" advice, were we to believe in you. 14. But, if Luther was not commissioned by God, then the glorious old Church of our Forefathers, the Church of which we say, in the Apostle's Creed : " I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church^' is the true Church of God. And, in that case, not Luther, but the great and illustrious St. Ignatius, was the real Reformer of the sixteenth century. ERRATA. Page. Reference. Line. Read. Tn<;tead of 12 10 I 26 20 12 10 I 60 00 20 28 5 ym my 28 47 I Vuittemberg. (Indistinct.) 41 86 I 86 (Indistinct.) 42 89 I 236 23 55 157 I 19 10 These few coriections enable me to guarantee the absolute correctness of every single reference. Luther's Own Statements. PRESS NOTICES. I.AMERICA. ' I. THE CATHOLIC REVIEW, 1884, No. 16: "The best comment we have seen on the Lutheran Cen- tenary in afiy lang^Uage. . . a work of the mostminute and patient research, conducted in the* most dispassionate and impartial manner — ^a true photograph of the Reformer pro- duced byihe irradiance of his own bold statements, without any -colouring on the part of the: artist." 2. THE CATHOLIC WORLD, July, 1884: "There are as many facts compressed into this little work, as woAild furnislt material for . a bulky volume, and they are imarshaUed - in, such a rrianner that their ;force is irresistible.^' . . ' 3- tHE CATHOLIC HERALD, June 14, 1884 : "Of all the works concerning Luther, this one, literally written by himself, is (lie best." - II. GREAT BRITAIN. I. THE IRISH ECCLESIASTICAL RE- CORD, October, 1884 : " We advise -every student pf Church History tgprovidcJiimself with a copy." • 2. THE DUBLIN REVIEW, ;Gc'tober, 1884: "The work should be in every Priest's library." 3. the; MONTH, March, .1884 : " Perfiaps the most solid and (jffective. contribution to the Luther literature of ^;the day. " : ^ /4.' THE Tablet, May 17, 18.84: "FuII of th4 most remarkable and' useful historical extracts." 5. THE CATHOLIC TIMES, March, 13, iSSs : " The writer of this review, himself a German, has gone to the trotible of "testing the accuracy of a very considerable portion of the references. He can unhesitatingly affirm that he Was not able to come across a single mis- quotation, and ihat he invariably found the translation to be iri scrupulous conformity with the; original ' German or Latin text," - i .'> - '^ "■'," , ^v«r . ■v/