Selections from the Table Talk of Martin Luther Part 11

Believest thou? then thou wilt speak boldly. Speakest thou boldly?

then thou must suffer. Sufferest thou? then thou shalt be comforted. For, said Luther, faith, the confession thereof, and the cross do follow one after another.

That the Enemies of the Gospel must bear Witness to the Doctrine of Faith, that thereby we only are justified before G.o.d.

John Frederick, Prince Elector of Saxony, told me himself, said Luther, that as Prince John, the eldest son of Prince George, was near the time of his death, he desired to receive the communion under both kinds. But when his father was informed thereof, he caused an Austin Friar to be called to his son, to give him good instructions for his soul's health, and to advise him to receive the Sacrament sub una specie, or under one kind, and that he should tell his son he was the same Friar who was privately acquainted with Martin Luther, and was very conversant with him; and, the better to make the Prince believe him, the Friar said that Luther himself lately had advised certain persons to receive the communion under one kind. Now, when this good and G.o.dly Prince was thus pitifully induced to give credit to the Friar's false information, he then received the communion under one kind.

But when the Prince, his father, saw that his son drew near to his last gasp, and must needs die, then he comforted his son with the article of justification by faith in Christ, and put him in mind to have regard only to the Saviour of the world, and utterly to forget all his own works and deserts, and also that he should banish out of his heart the invocating of the saints.

Now, when the son in his conscience felt great solace and comfort by these his father's admonitions, he asked his father why he did not cause the same comfortable doctrine to be preached openly through all his countries. His father answered and said, "Loving child, we must say thus only to those that are dying, and not to the sound and healthful."

Whereupon, said Luther, I told the Prince Elector that his Highness might perfectly discern how wilfully our adversaries do oppose the known truth. Albert, Bishop of Mentz, and Prince George do know and confess that our doctrine is according to G.o.d's Word, and yet, because it proceedeth not from the Pope, they refuse it; but their own consciences do strike them down to the ground, therefore, said Luther, I fear them not.

Of the Love towards the Neighbour.

The love towards the neighbour, said Luther, must be like a pure and chaste love between bride and bridegroom, where all faults are connived at, covered, and borne with, and only their virtues regarded.

Respecting ceremonies and ordinances, the kingdom of love must have the precedency and govern, and not tyranny. It must be a willing love, and not a halter love; it must altogether be directed and construed for the good and profit of the neighbour; and the greater he be that doth govern, the more, said Luther, he ought to serve according to love.

Of that Sentence, "Give, and it shall be given unto you."

This is a true speech which maketh people poor and rich; it is that which maintaineth my house. I ought not to boast, said Luther, but I well know what I give in the year. If my gracious lord and master, the Prince Elector, should give a gentleman two thousand guilders, yet he should hardly maintain my housekeeping one year, and I have but three hundred guilders pension per annum; yet G.o.d giveth sufficient and blesseth it.

There is in Austria a monastery which in former time was very rich, and remained rich so long as it willingly gave to the poor; but when it ceased in giving, then it became poor, and is so to this day. It fell out that, not long since, a poor man came thither and desired alms, which was denied. The poor man demanded the cause why they refused to give for G.o.d's sake. The porter belonging to the monastery answered and said, "We are become poor;" whereupon the poor man said, "The cause of your poverty is this: ye have had in this monastery two brethren; the one ye have thrust out, and the other is gone secretly away of himself. For after the one brother, 'Give' (Date), was put out and cashiered, so hath the other brother, 'So shall be given' (Dabitur), also lost himself."

And indeed the world is bound to help the neighbour three manner of ways-with giving, lending, and selling. But no man giveth, but robbeth, sc.r.a.peth, and draweth all to himself; would willingly take and steal, but give nothing; neither will any man lend but upon usury. No man selleth but he over-reacheth his neigbbour, therefore Dabitur is gone, and our Lord G.o.d will bless no more so richly.

Beloved, said Luther, he that intendeth to have anything, the same must also give; a liberal hand was never in want nor empty.

That giving must be done with a free Heart, without expecting a Requital.

In an evening, Luther, walking abroad to take the air, gave alms to the poor. Doctor Jonas, being with him, gave also something, and said, "Who knoweth whether G.o.d will give it me again or no?"

Whereat Luther, smiling, answered him and said, "You speak as if G.o.d had not given you this which you have now given to the poor. We must give freely and willingly."

Of the expounding of the Prophet Isaiah's Speech: "In Quietness and in Confidence shall be your Strength."

This sentence was expounded by Luther in this way: If thou intendest to vanquish the greatest, the most abominable and wickedest enemy, who is able to do thee mischief both in body and soul, and against whom thou preparest all sorts of weapons, but canst not overcome, then know that there is a sweet and loving physical herb which serveth for the same, and that herb is named Patientia.

But thou wilt say, "How may I attain to this physic?" Answer-Take unto thee faith, who saith; "No creature can do me mischief without the will of G.o.d." Now, in case thou receivest hurt and mischief by thine enemy, the same is done by the sweet and gracious will of G.o.d, in such sort that the enemy hurteth himself a thousand times more.

From hence floweth unto me, a Christian, the love which saith, "I will, instead of the evil which mine enemy doth unto me, do him all the good I can; I will heap coals of fire upon his head." This, said Luther, is the Christian armour and weapon, wherewith to beat and overcome those enemies that seem to be like huge mountains. In a word, love teacheth to suffer and endure all things.

Of Comfort against Envy.

A certain honest and G.o.d-fearing man at Wittemberg lately told me, said Luther, he lived peaceably with every one, hurt no man, but was still and quiet; yet notwithstanding, said he, many people were enemies unto him. I comforted him in this manner, and said: Arm yourself with patience, and give them no cause of envy. I pray, what cause do we give the devil? What aileth him to be so great an enemy unto us? but only because he hath not that which G.o.d hath. I know none other cause of his vehement hatred towards us. Therefore when G.o.d giveth thee to eat, then eat; when he causeth thee to fast, have patience; giveth he honour, take it; hurt or shame, endure it; casteth he thee into prison, murmur not; will he make thee a lord, follow him: casteth he thee down again, so care thou not for it, nor regard it.

That Patience is necessary in every Particular.

I, said Luther, must have patience with the Pope; I must have patience with heretics and seducers; I must have patience with the roaring courtiers; I must have patience with my servants: I must have patience with Kate my wife; to conclude, the patiences are so many, that my whole life is nothing but patience. The Prophet Isaiah saith, "In being silent and hoping consisteth our strength;"

that is, have patience under sufferings: hope, and despair not.

OF PRAYER.

What Power Prayer hath.

No human creature can believe, said Luther, how powerful prayer is, and what is it able to effect, but only those that have learned it by experience.

It is a great matter when in extreme need, as then one can take hold on prayer. I know, as often as I have earnestly prayed, that I have been richly heard, and have obtained more than I prayed for; indeed, G.o.d sometimes deferred, but notwithstanding he came.

Ecclesiasticus saith, "The prayer of a good and G.o.dly Christian availeth more to health, than the physician's physic."

O how great and upright and G.o.dly Christian's prayer is! how powerful with G.o.d; that a poor human creature should speak with G.o.d's high majesty in heaven, and not be affrighted, but, on the contrary, knoweth that G.o.d smileth upon him for Christ's sake, his dearly beloved Son. The heart and conscience, in this act of praying, must not fly and recoil backwards by reason of our sins and unworthiness, and must not stand in doubt, nor be scared away. We must not do, said Luther, as the Bavarian did, who with great devotion called upon St. Leonard, an idol, set up in a church in Bavaria, behind which idol stood one who answered the Bavarian and said, "Fie on thee, Bavarian"; and in that sort oftentimes was repulsed, and could not be heard: at last, the Bavarian went away, and said, "Fie on thee, Leonard."

But when we pray, we must not let it come to, fie upon thee; but must certainly hold, conclude, and believe, that we are already heard in that for which we pray with faith in Christ. Therefore the ancients finely described prayer, namely, that it is, Ascensus mentis ad Deum, a climbing up of the heart unto G.o.d, that is, lifteth itself up, crieth and sigheth to G.o.d: neither I myself, said Luther, nor any other that I know, have rightly understood the definition of this Ascensus. Indeed, we have boasted and talked much of the climbing up of the heart; but we failed in Syntaxi, we could not bring thereunto the word Deum; nay, we flew from G.o.d, we were afraid to draw near unto him, and to pray through Christ, in whom the strength of prayer wholly consisteth; we always prayed in Popedom conditionaliter, conditionally, and therefore uncertainly.

But let us pray in heart, and also with our lips; for prayer, by our loving G.o.d, supporteth the world; otherwise, without prayer, it would stand in a far more lamentable state.

Of the Power of Prayer, and of the Lord's Prayer.

Our Saviour Christ, said Luther, most excellently, and with very few words, comprehended, in the Lord's Prayer, all things both needful and necessary; but without trouble, trials, and vexations, prayer cannot rightly be made. Therefore G.o.d saith, "Call on me in the time of trouble," etc., without trouble it is only a cold prattling, and goeth not from the heart; the common saying is "Need teacheth to pray." And although the Papists say that G.o.d well understandeth all the words of those that pray, yet St. Bernard is far of another opinion, where he saith, "G.o.d heareth not the words of one that prayeth, unless he that prayeth heareth them first himself." The Pope is a mere tormentor of the conscience. The a.s.sembly of his greased and religious crew in praying was altogether like the croaking of frogs, which edified nothing at all. It was mere sophistry, and deceiving, fruitless, and unprofitable.

Prayer is a strong wall, and a fort of the church; it is a G.o.dly Christian's weapon, which no man knoweth nor findeth, but only he who hath the spirit of grace and of prayer.

The three first pet.i.tions in our Lord's prayer do comprehend such great and celestial things, that no heart is able to search them out. The fourth pet.i.tion containeth the whole policy and economy, or the temporal and house-government, and all things necessary for this life. The fifth prayer striveth and fighteth against our own evil consciences, against original and actual sins, which trouble the same, etc. Truly they were penned by wisdom itself; none but G.o.d could have done the like.

We cannot pray without faith in Christ the Mediator. The Turks, the Jews, and the unG.o.dly may rehea.r.s.e and speak the words of prayer after one, but they cannot pray. And although the Apostles were taught this prayer by Christ, and prayed often, yet they prayed not as they should have prayed: for Christ saith, "Hitherto ye have not prayed in my name;" whereas, doubtless, they had prayed much, and spoken the words. But when the Holy Ghost came, then they prayed aright in the name of Christ. If praying and reading of prayer be but only a bare work, as the Papists hold it to be, then the righteousness of the law is nothing worth. The upright prayer of a G.o.dly Christian is a strong hedge, as G.o.d himself saith, "And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none," etc. Therefore, said Luther, when others do blaspheme, let us pray. David saith, "He doth the will of them that fear Him, and heareth their prayers."

That we must daily go on in Praying.

I, said Luther, have every day enough to do to pray. And when I lay me down to rest, I pray the Lord's Prayer, and afterwards take hold on two or three sentences out of the Bible, and so betake myself to sleep, then I am well satisfied.

That Preachers ought to join their Prayers together.

Dr. Aepinus, Superintendent of Hambrough, coming to Wittemberg to speak with Luther, who, after his dispatch, and at his taking leave, said, I commend myself and our church at Hambrough to your prayers.

Luther answered him, and said, Loving Aepine, the cause is not ours, but G.o.d's: let us join our prayers together, as then the cause will be holpen. I will pray against the Pope and the Turk as long as I live: and I like it well that you take such course at Hambrough, earnestly to pray against Mahomet and the Pope.