And for the sake of good order and discipline in going up, not men and women together but the women after the men, men and women should have separate places in different parts of the church. As to private confession, I have already written enough about that: and my opinion may be found in the little prayer-book. [The elevation we desire not to abolish but to retain, for it fits in well with the Sanctus in German, and means that Christ has bidden us to think of Him. Just as the sacrament is bodily elevated and yet Christ's body and blood therein are invisible, so through the word of the preacher He is commemorated and uplifted, and in the reception of the sacrament recognized and worshipped: and yet it is all a matter of faith and not of sight, how Christ gave His body and blood for us and still daily intercedes with God to bestow His grace upon us. [m] The Sanctus in German, 'Jesaia dem Propheten das geschach,' &c.1 [n] Then follows the Collect: We thank thee, Almighty Lord God,' &c. [o] With the Blessing: The Lord bless thee and keep thee,' &c. So much for daily Divine Service and for teaching the Word of God, specially with a view to influencing the young and alluring the simple. Those who come out of curiosity and the desire to gape at something new will soon be sick and tired of the whole thing, as they were before of Divine Service in Latin. For that was sung and read in church daily, and yet the churches are deserted and empty and already they are prepared to do the same with the German Service. So it is best that such Divine Service should be arranged with an eye to the young and to those simple folk that may perhaps come to it. As for the rest, no law nor order, exhortation nor driving, that one can devise, is of any good to induce them to go willingly and of their own accord to Divine Service, so unwilling and reluctant are they to do so (though God takes no pleasure in forced service), so idle and good-for-nothing. As for feast-days, such as Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, Michaelmas, Purification and the like, we must go on, as hitherto, with Latin till we have hymns enough in German for the purpose. The work is but beginning, and all that belongs For this and the other hymns here mentioned see Lietzmann's Kleine Texte, Nos. 24, 25 (Bonn, 1907). to it is not yet ready. Only, as one knows, make a start one way and several ways and means will be discovered. Fast-days, Palm Sunday, and Holy Week may be retained. Not that we would compel any one to fast; but that the reading of the Passion and the Gospels appointed for these times should be observed. But we would not keep the Lenten veil, strewing of palms, covering up of pictures, and all the other mummery, nor sing the four Passions, nor preach on the Passion for eight hours on Good Friday. Holy week must be like other weeks, except that there should be sermons on the Passion for an hour daily throughout the week, or on as many days as is convenient, with reception of the Sacrament by all who desire it. For with Christians everything should be kept in God's service that has to do with the Word and the Sacrament. To sum up, this and every other order is so to be used that should any misuse arise in connexion therewith, it should be immediately done away with and another made just as King Hezekiah broke up and did away with the brazen serpent, which God Himself had commanded to be made, because the children of Israel misused it. Forms and Orders should be for the promotion of faith and the service of love, and not to injury of faith. When they have no more to do, they are forthwith dead and of no more worth; just as, if good coin is counterfeit, for fear of misuse it is abolished and destroyed ; or as, when new shoes have become old and dry, we wear them no longer but throw them away and buy new ones. Order is an outward thing. Be it as good as it may, it can fall into misuse. Then it is no longer order but disorder. no Order has any intrinsic worth of its own, as hitherto the Popish Order has been thought to have. But all Order has its life, worth, strength, and virtue in right use; else it is worthless and fit for nothing. God's Spirit and grace be with us all. Amen. No. 96. Melanchthon's Instructions for the So Luther's Preface.--[Allegat ante omnia visitationis exempla ex Novo Testamento, Petri nempe Act. ix. 32, Pauli et Barnabae, Act. xv. 36, Apostolorum Petrum et Iohannem mitten 1 Seckendorf's connecting words are in [ ]. The pages referred to are those of the corresponding paragraphs in the original German as printed in Sehling, Die Evang. Kirchenordnungen, i. 149 sqq. tium Act. viii. 14, immo et ipsius Christi circumeuntis. Dein ex Veteri Testamento Samuelis, Eliae et Helisaei. Postea Episcoporum, qui ipso nomine suo visitationis officium indicant, vetus institutum et morem laudat, quod pastores et populos sibi commissos olim visitaverint; neque tamen tacet quomodo ab Episcopis fastu saeculi insolescentibus salutare et necessarium hoc visitationis officium neglectum, et vicariis, ab initio quidem Canonicis capitularibus, quos vocant; deinde, cum et hi otio torperent, officialibus demandatum fuerit. At hi [ait] citationibus vexabant homines in causis nummariis, neminem autem visitabant. [p. 149] Tandem vero [pergit] eo delapsa est disciplina ut etiam Dominus officialis domi desideret et nebulonem quendam per oppida et pagos visitantem mitteret, qui audita in popinis aut a delatoribus suggesta officiali referebat. Is postea pro munere suo exactorio nummos corradebat ab innocentibus, quos honore et fama spoliabat, unde caedes et alia mala orta sunt. Reliquum etiam mansit nomen synodi, id est, ut, loco synodorum, visitandi causa ab Episcopis habendarum, per missionarios illos nil nisi artes plebem pecunia emungendi exercerentur, tum excommunicationibus saeviretur, aut aliquando ordo antiphonarum et versuum in templis cantandorum renovaretur. Nemo [ait] curabat quid doceretur aut crederetur, vel quomodo Christiane et secundum charitatem viveretur, aut pauperibus prospiceretur, solatia infirmis, censurae profanis adhiberentur, neque alia ad officium pertinentia. Non nisi helluones erant qui devorabant quae aderant, nec quidquam quod non damnosum esset agebant ita ut sanctissimum illud Episcopi et visitatoris munus in ludibrium versum sit. Nullus ordo sive status hominum purus et illibatus mansit, tot sectae quot collegia et monasteria ortae sunt, oppressa interim Ecclesia, extincta fide, versa in rixas et bella charitate, Evangelio occultato, et eius loco introductis humanis ordinationibus somniisque. Quid igitur mirum si Satanas larvis suis omnia repleverit, cum nemo opponeret autoritatem aut industriam? Quid enim in primitiva etiam Ecclesia diligentissima Apostolorum cura profecerit, ex Pauli querelis ad Corinthios, Galatas et Thessalonicenses constat. Quid igitur comedones, lurcones, ventres illi pigri efficerent! [p. 150] Nunc restituta per divinam misericordiam Evangelii luce et deprehensa foeda illa Christianae Ecclesiae confusione, desideravimus quidem ut verum illud Episcoporum et visitationis munus reduceretur; sed, cum nemo nostrum vocaretur aut iuberetur tantum opus aggredi, submisse petiimus a Serenissimo Electore, Iohanne Saxoniae Duce, Principe regionis indubitate a Deo constituto, licet lege humana ad id non obligetur, ut ex charitate Christiana et propter Deum, Evangelii et salutis subditorum curam susciperet, et graves quosdam viros ad hoc negotium delegaret. Petitis annuit Princeps, et Iohannem a Planitz Equitem, Hieronymum Schurfium Iurisconsultum, Erasmum ab Haugwitz (hos nempe in Thuringia, alios in aliis districtibus) et M. Philippum Melanchthonem mandatis instruxit. ... [p. 151] Quia diabolus divina opera non potest inviolata relinquere, iam per inimicos nostros multa in instituto hoc nostro sugillare coepit ita ut quidam glorientur poenituisse nos doctrinae nostrae et plurima retractasse (utinam modo ipsi ita revocarent); igitur decrevi omnia quae visitatores egerunt et Serenissimo Electori in scriptis exhibuerunt, ab ipsis diligenter collecta et ad me missa, typis publicare, ut omnibus constet nos nihil clanculum agere sed in lucem laetos prodire. Non edimus haec ut praecepta rigorosa nec Pontificia decreta denuo cudimus, sed historica et acta referimus et confessionem et symbolum fidei nostrae. Speramus tamen omnes pios et modestos pacisque studiosos pastores, quibus ex admonitione Pauli (Phil. ii. 2) unanimitas doctrinae evangelicae cordi est, agnituros curam Principis nostri nostramque charitatem et bonam intentionem, neque eam superbe contempturos sed potius ex genio charitatis. sponte secuturos esse, donec meliora Spiritus Sanctus per illos aut nos ostenderit. Qui hic resistere absque fundamento et ex malitiosa obstinatione velint, eos sinemus seipsos ut paleam a tritico separare, neque tamen opem Principis implorare penitus negligemus. Quanquam enim illi regimen Ecclesiae non est mandatum, curare tamen supremi magistratus merito debent, ne contentiones et schismata inter subditos oriantur, idque Constantini exemplo, Episcopos Nicaeam convocantis. [Votum addit] pro unanimitate, eique summa diligentia studendum esse [ait] neque tamen sic diabolum cessaturum esse ab astu et malitia sua. [Haec Lutherus in praefatione.] The Instructions [p.152]-§1 De doctrina. [Admonentur pastores et concionatores ut] doctrinam de poenitentia sive de agnitione peccatorum et ex ea oriente contritione et timore iudicii divini a doctrina de fide non separent, ne plebem ad securitatem deducant ut ea remissionem peccatorum se obtinere credat absque poenitentia et contritione. Hic error [aiunt idque infra repetunt] omnibus hucusque inveteratis deterior esset. Integre ergo doceri debet Evangelium, nihil addendum ut a Pontificibus plus satis factum esse merito querimur, sed et nihil detrahendum. Exhortati itaque sumus pastores ut plebem de peccatis manifestis arguant et a falsa sanctimonia ad veram ducant poenitentiam. Quamvis enim nihil priusquam de fide docere velint sed poenitentiam ut sequelam fidei proponere, ne adversarii nobis imputent ac si doctrinam nostram revocaverimus; considerare tamen debent poenitentiam et legem ad fidem (quatenus notitia est credendorum) pertinere (credi enim debet Deum esse qui minatur, mandat et terret), et rudi plebi proponenda est in tractatu de fide, etiam poenitentia, lex, timor etc. ut tanto distinctius intelligat quid sit fides iustificans [Rom. iii. 28] et quid sit lex et poenitentia, et a quaestionibus inutilibus abstrahatur. ... §2. De lege et contritione. De lege [idem specialius tractant et] explicari [iubent] decalogum, et exaggerari peccata in eo prohibita, eorumque poenas. [p. 153] Fides enim solatium et gaudium afferre debet, at hoc sentiri non potest nisi prius sentiatur contritio. Pauperibus enim praedicatur Evangelium. Duae sunt partes fidei sive religionis Christianae, poenitentia nempe sive contritio ob peccata, dein fiducia de remissione peccatorum, tertia est vitae Christianae sive bonorum operum exercitium, quorum praecipua recensentur. Bona autem sunt quae a Deo praecepta et proximo utilia sunt. (Of the remaining sixteen articles Nos. 3-13 deal with doctrine and are entitled § 3 of Prayer, § 4 of the Cross, § 5 of Baptism, § 6 of the Body and Blood of the Lord, § 7 of Penance, § 8 of Confession, § 9 of Satisfaction, § 10 of Church Order, § 11 of Matrimony, § 12 of Free Will, § 13 of Christian Liberty; No. 14 is 'of the Turk'; No. 15 of Daily Service in Church; No. 16 of Excommunication; No 17' of Superintendents'; No. 18, 'of Schools': and this last lays down the normal plan of education for the Latin schools of the country. See Sehling, i. 153 sqq.) No. 97. Luther's Short Catechism, July 1529. PREFACE Martin Luther to all faithful, pious pastors, and preachers: Grace, mercy, and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord. In setting forth this Catechism or Christian doctrine in such a simple, concise, and easy form, I have been compelled and |