excitatae sint. Sunt et illic in vincula coniecti qui nescio quae novarunt. Ex horum motuum auctoribus huc advolarunt tres viri, duo lanifices, literarum rudes'; literatus tertius est. Audivi eos. Mira sunt quae de sese praedicant; missos se clara voce Dei ad docendum; esse sibi cum Deo familiaria colloquia; videre futura; breviter viros esse propheticos et apostolicos. Quibus ego quomodo commovear, non facile dixerim. Magnis rationibus adducor certe, ut contemni eos nolim. Nam esse in eis spiritus quosdam multis argumentis apparet, sed de quibus iudicare praeter Martinum nemo facile possit. Proinde cum vertatur hic Evangelii periculum, ecclesiae gloria et pax, modis omnibus efficiendum est ut his hominibus Martini copia fiat. Ad hunc enim provocant. Non scriberem haec ad C. V. nisi rei magnitudo postularet in tempore maturari consilium. Cavendum enim est simul ne Spiritus Dei exstinguantur, simul ne occupemur a Satana. . . . No. 52. Luther's reproof of Melanchthon, Venio ad prophetas, ac primum non probo tuam timiditatem, cum et maiori tam spiritu quam eruditione polleas quam ego. Ac primum, cum testimonium perhibeant de seipsis, non statim audiendi sunt; sed, iuxta consilium Ioannis, spiritus probandi. Habetis consilium Gamalielis differendi : nihil enim adhuc audio ab eis dici et fieri, quod Satanas non queat praestare vel aemulari. Tu autem ex mea parte hoc explores, an vocationem suam possint probare. Neque enim Deus unquam aliquem misit nisi vel per hominem vocatum vel per signa declaratum, ne ipsum quidem Filium. Prophetae olim ex lege et ordine prophetali ius habebant, sicut nos modo per homines. Prorsus nolo eos recipi, si nuda revelatione sese vocatos asserant, cum nec Samuelem quidem vellet loqui Deus nisi per auctoritatem consciam Heli. Hoc primum ad publicam docendi functionem pertinet. Iam vero privatum spiritum explores etiam quaeras num experti sint spirituales illas angustias et nativitates divinas mortes infernosque. Si audieris blanda, tranquilla, devota (ut vocant) et religiosa, etiamsi in tertium coelum sese raptos dicant, non approbabis. Quia signum filii hominis deest, qui 1 Nicolas Storch and Thomas Marx, of Elsterberg. 2 Mark Stübner, a student of Wittenberg. est Báoavas,.probator unicus Christianorum et certus spirituum discretor. Vis scire locum, tempus, modum colloquiorum divinorum? Audi: 'Sicut leo contrivit omnia ossa mea.' Non sic loquitur Maiestas (ut vocant) immediate, ut homo videat imo, Non videbit me homo et vivet.' . . . Et quid plura? Quasi Maiestas possit cum vetere homine loqui familiariter, et non prius occidere atque exsiccare, ne foeteant odores eius pessimi, cum sit ignis consumens. Etiam somnia et visiones sanctorum sunt terribiles saltem postquam intelliguntur. Tenta ergo et ne Iesum quidem audias gloriosum, nisi videris prius crucifixum. Ad causam, inquies, quid? Hoc enim est alios refutare, non nostra probare. At hoc quomodo possum absens, cum ignorem quid moveant, si nihil aliud excitant quam illud: 'Qui crediderit et baptizatus fuit, salvus erit,' et quod parvuli per se non credant. Prorsus me nihil movent. Quomodo enim probabunt eos non credere? At quod non loquuntur et ostendunt fidem, pulchre. Hac ratione quot horis et nos Christiani erimus, dum dormimus et alia facimus? Annon ergo eodem modo potest Deus toto infantiae tempore, ceu continuo somno, fidem in illis servare? Bene, inquies, hoc confutat adversarios de fide iam infusa. At hoc interim sufficit eos inveniri tales qui nihil probent et falso spiritu commoti sint. Quid de infundenda dicis? Nihil est reliquum prorsus nisi fides aliena quam si statuere non possumus, nihil disputandum est sed simpliciter damnandus baptismus parvulorum. Tu dicis infirma esse exempla fidei alienae ? Ego nihil firmius esse dico. . . . Stat enim fidelis promissio Christi, Matt. xviii [19] 'Si duo super terram, etc.' et 'Quaecunque petieritis, credite quia accipietis, et fient vobis'. . . . Et quid plura? Testimonia et exempla totius Scripturae stant a fide aliena, i. e., a propria fide quae impetret alteri fidem et quicquid volet. Cum igitur ad baptismum afferre non sit aliud quam ad Christum praesentem et manus gratiae aperientem in terra offerre, et ille universis exemplis ostenderit sese acceptare quod offertur: cur hic dubitamus? Saltem hoc prophetis istis abstulimus ne possint sua probare, cum desit eis exemplum et testimonium nobis autem adsint testimonia et exempla, tum eorum testimonium nobis non repugnat. Quis enim sic arguet, credendum est et baptizandum, ergo parvuli non sunt baptizandi. Non enim ex hoc loco istam consequentiam trahent, cum non probet parvulos non credere, quod ipsi praesupponunt, et aliunde probare debent atque non possunt. Quod ergo non est contra Scripturam, pro Scriptura est, et Scriptura pro eo.... Sed plura coram. Semper exspectavi Satanam, ut hoc ulcus tangeret, sed noluit per Papistas. In nobis ipsis et inter nostros molitur hoc gravissimum schisma, verum Christus conteret eum velociter sub pedibus nostris. Volo etiam scire ut tractaris illud, 1 Cor. vii [14]: alioqui filii vestri immundi essent, nunc autem sancti sunt.'. . . Nam hinc parvulos fuisse baptizatos ritu et tempore Apostolorum, optarim ostendi. . . . No. 53. The Confusion at Wittenberg. (a) Letter of 25 Jan. 1522. I would have you know that the University and the Town Council have agreed upon the way in which Mass should be celebrated in the parish church to which we all belong. First will come the hymn with the Introit, Gloria in excelsis, Epistle, Gospel, and Sanctus. Then follows the sermon, and afterwards the Mass as, our God and Lord Jesus instituted it in coena. The priest speaks the verba consecrationis aloud in German, and admonishes the people that to every one who feels the burden of sin and hungers and thirsts after God's grace, the body and blood of the Lord will be administered. When the people have communicated, Agnus Dei, Carmen [v. 1. Commun.] and Benedicamus Domino are sung. The Canon has been upset. For the future we will tolerate no beggar, be he monk or no. The poor shall be provided for from the common purse. . . . They will not endure images in church, and in time will remove them. Strong passages of Scripture are alleged against them. . . .' (b) Fröschel's Preface. These three men2 give out that no one should study or keep school, for Christ has forbidden all this in Matthew xxiii [8] with these words, 'Be not ye called Rabbi' or masters. In consequence of this many men of talent about this time left this place and forsook their studies, who might have been useful to their country and countrymen. Dr. Carlstadt went round to the houses of the townsmen, and asked them how they understood this or that passage in this or that prophet. And when the simple townsmen wondered at his question and said to him, 'Sir Doctor, how comes it that you learned men and doctors in Holy Scripture thus ask us poor, illiterate, unlearned folk such questions? Ye should rather tell us the meaning,' then Carlstadt answered them that 1 sc. Communio. 2 Carlstadt, Zwilling, and George Mohr, the schoolmaster. God had hidden it from them, as the Lord Jesus himself says in Matt. xi [25] and Luke x [21]. . . . Besides, these three persons began not only to storm against schools, but also against churches and images in churches, that they would cast these images out of the churches. And they gave out that no learned man should be allowed as preacher or priest in the churches, but laymen and handicraftsmen, who were only able to read, as I have known many such persons who wished to be called and chosen to the office. No. 54. Luther on his eight sermons of 9-16 March. Ut nuntius testari posset se pervenisse, ego scribo, optime Pater: alioqui nulla erat scribendi causa, praesertim mihi literis et fabulis et duxíais hominum occupatissimo.... Ego Carolostadium offendi quod ordinationes suas cassavi, licet doctrinam non damnarim, nisi quod displicet in solis ceremoniis et externis faciebus laborasse eum, neglecta interim vera doctrina christiana, hoc est, fide et caritate. Nam sua inepta docendi ratione eo populum perduxerat, ut sese Christianum arbitraretur per has res nihili, si utraque specie communicaret, si tangeret, si non confiteretur, si imagines frangeret. En malitiam Satanae, ut per novam speciem molitus est erigere ad ruinam Evangelii. Nam haec ego quaesieram hactenus, ut conscientiae ab istis contrariis faciebus liberarentur, et res ipsa per sese rueret communi consensu. At ille cupiebat fieri subito novus magister, et suas ordinationes in populo pressa auctoritate mea erigere. No. 55. From the Translation of the New (a) Preface to the Epistles of St. James and St. Jude, 1522.All the genuine books of Holy Writ agree in this, that one and all they preach and treat of Christ. This too is the true touchstone for testing all books, to see whether they treat of Christ or not, since all Scripture witnesses to Christ (Rom. iii. 21) and St. Paul desires not to know anything save Christ (1 Cor. ii. 2). Whatever does not teach Christ that is not apostolic, though St. Peter or St. Paul taught it. Conversely, whatever preaches Christ, that were apostolic, though Judas, Annas, Pilate, and Herod had the doing of it (Walch, xiv. 149). (b) Preface to the Exposition of 1 Peter, 1523 :-Those apostles who treat oftenest and highest of how faith in Christ alone justifies, are the best Evangelists. Therefore are St. Paul's Epistles more a Gospel than Matthew, Mark, and Luke. For these do not set down much more than the story of the works and miracles of Christ; but the grace which we receive through Christ, no one so boldly extols as St. Paul, especially in his letter to the Romans (Walch, ix. 626). (c) Preface to the New Testament, 1524.-John's Gospel, St. Paul's Epistles, especially that to the Romans, and St. Peter's First Epistle are the right kernel and marrow of all books... for in them thou findest written down not many works and miracles of Christ, but in a quite masterly way expounded how faith in Christ overcomes sin and death and hell, and gives life, righteousness, and peace. Which is, as thou hast heard, the right kind of Gospel.... Therefore is St. James' Epistle, in comparison with these, a mere letter of straw; for it has nothing evangelical about it (Walch, xiv. 104 sq.). XXIII ADRIAN VI AND THE DIET OF NÜRNBERG, 1522-3. Shortly after the outbreak, Aug. 1521, of the first war, 1521-6, between Charles and Francis, Leo X died, 1 Dec. 1521. He was succeeded, 9 Jan. 1522, by Adrian VI, by birth, 1459, a Netherlander, once Charles' tutor, and now his Viceroy in Spain. Adrian 'had no sympathy either with the New Learning or the New Theology' (Creighton, History of the Papacy, vi. 223 sq., ed. 1897); but he was genuinely desirous of disciplinary reform'. [No. 56] Aleander, among others, urged it upon him (J. Friedrich, Der Reichstag zu Worms, ap. Hist. Abhandlungen der k. Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, XI. Bd. iii. Abth. 89): and he sent as his nuncio to the Diet of Nürnberg, 17 Nov. 1522-9 Feb. 1523, Francesco Chieregato, Bishop of Teramo, 1522-+39, 'to prove to the Germans the willingness of the Pope to remedy abuses which could no longer be defended' (Creighton, vi. 252). On 8 Dec. in [No. 57] a conversation with Hans von der Planitz, the Elector Frederick's Chancellor (Wülcker and Virck, Des Kursächsischen Rathes Hans von der Planitz Berichte aus dem Reichsregiment in Nürnberg, 1521-3, 270 sqq.), the Legate seemed to agree that force was no remedy: but on 3 Jan. 1523 he commu |