Selections from the Table Talk of Martin Luther Part 5

The husbandmen and rich farmers, said Luther, are not worthy of so many benefits and fruits which the earth doth bear and bring unto them. I give more thanks to our Lord G.o.d for one tree or bush than all rich farmers and husbandmen do for their large and fruitful grounds. Yet, said he, we must except some husbandmen, as Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Isaac, who went out to see their grounds, to the end they might remember G.o.d's gifts in his creatures. (Gen. xxiv.)

The world will have night owls, said Luther, that is, sectaries, seducers, and unbelievers, about whom the birds do fly; that is, the world wonders at them, entertains them with great honour, and gives them money and wealth enough.

The Gospel discovereth the Wickedness of Mankind.

As the cold, said Luther, is always greater and more piercing in winter when the days begin to lengthen, and when the sun draws near unto us, for that maketh the cold thicker, and presseth it together: just so the wickedness of mankind is greater, that is, more visible, and breaks out when the Gospel is preached; for the Holy Ghost reproveth the world of sin, which the world neither can nor will endure.

The World's Unthankfulness towards the Servants of G.o.d.

He must be of a high and great spirit that undertaketh to serve the people both in body and soul, and nevertheless must suffer the utmost danger and highest unthankfulness. Therefore Christ said to Peter, Simon, etc., "Lovest thou me?" and repeated it three times together. Afterwards he said, "Feed my sheep," as if he would say, "Wilt thou be an upright Minister and a Shepherd? then love must only do it; thy love to me must do the deed, otherwise it is impossible." For who can endure unthankfulness? to study away his wealth and health, and afterwards to lay himself open to the highest danger and unthankfulness of the wicked world? Therefore he saith, "It is very needful that thou lovest me."

The Pope and Turk, said Luther, have thoroughly revenged our cause, and have done to the world a great deal of right, as by scourging experience they have thoroughly been taught, for so the world will have it. Upright and true servants of G.o.d they will not endure, nay, they murder them, therefore they must have such fellows, yea, and moreover, they must maintain and hold them in great honour and esteem, and yet nevertheless must by them be cursed and deceived.

The World must have stern and fierce Rulers.

The world, said Luther, cannot be without such stern Governors, by whom they must be ruled. King Ferdinand, with his Popish tyranny, is even a fine liquorish bit for the world; therefore said G.o.d, through the Prophet Samuel, to his people of Israel that prayed for a King, He would give them a King, but this shall be his rule: "He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his hors.e.m.e.n, and will take your daughters to be cooks,"

etc. As Ferdinand, the Prince Elector of Saxony, returned home from the election of the Emperor Charles at Cologne, he asked me how I liked the news, that they had elected Charles, King of Spain, to be Roman Emperor. I answered him and said, "The ravens must have a kite."

The World's highest Wisdom.

The highest wisdom of the world is, said Luther, to trouble themselves with temporal, earthly, and vanishing things; and as it happeneth and falleth out with those things, they say, "Non putaram"

(I had not thought it). For faith is a certain and a sure expectation of that which a man hopeth for, and maketh no doubt of that which he seeth not, as the Epistle to the Hebrews saith: Faith looks to that which is to come, and not to that which is already present. Therefore a true Christian doth not say, "Non putaram" (I had not thought it); but he is most certain that the beloved Cross is near at hand, and will surely come upon him; therefore he is not afraid when it goeth evil with him, and he is tormented. But the world, and those that live securely in the world, cannot brook misfortunes; they go on continually leaping and dancing in pleasure and delight, like the rich Glutton in the Gospel. He could not spare the sc.r.a.ps to poor Lazarus, but Lazarus belonged to Christ, and he took his part.

The Language and Doings of the World.

Albertus, Bishop of Mentz, had a physician attending on his person who was a Protestant, and therefore the less in the Bishop's favour; the same, being covetous and puffed up with ambition, recanted his religion and fell to Popery, uttering these words: "I will, for awhile, set Christ behind the door, until I be grown rich, and then I will take him to me again." Such and the like blasphemous words do deserve the highest punishments, as befell that wicked dissembling wretch, for the same night he was found in his bed in a most fearful manner, with his tongue torn out of his mouth, as black as a coal, and his neck wrung in twain. Myself, said Luther, at that time coming from Frankfort to Mentz, was an eye-witness of that just judgment of G.o.d. If, said he, a man could bring to pa.s.s, and at his pleasure could set G.o.d behind the door, and take him again when he listed, then was G.o.d his prisoner. They were words of a d.a.m.ned Epicure, and so accordingly he was rewarded.

Luther's Comparison of the World.

The world seems to me like unto a decayed house. David and the Prophets are the spars; Christ is the main pillar in the midst that supporteth all.

The World seeketh Immortality with their Pride.

Whereas all people do feel and acknowledge, yea, do see, that they must die and vanish away, every one therefore seeketh here on earth immortality, that he may be had in everlasting remembrance.

Sometimes great Princes and Kings sought it by causing great columns of marble stone and exceedingly high pyramids, buildings, and pillars four square to be erected, as at this time they do with building great churches, costly and glorious palaces and castles, etc. Soldiers do look and hunt after great praise and honour by overcoming and obtaining famous victories. The learned seek an everlasting name in writing books, as in our time is to be seen.

With these and such-like, people do think to be immortal. But on the true, everlasting, and incorruptible honour and eternity of G.o.d, no man thinketh nor looketh after the same. Ah! we are poor, silly, and miserable people!

What is to be considered in the executing of Offices.

If, said Luther, the great pains and labour which I take sprang not from love and for the sake of him that died for me, the world could not give me money enough to write only one book, or to translate the Bible. I desire not to be rewarded and paid of the world for my book; the world is too poor and simple to give me satisfaction. I have not desired the value of one penny of my master the Prince Elector of Saxony, so long as I have been in this place. The whole world is nothing else but a turned-about Decalogus, or the Ten Commandments backwards, a wizard, and a picture of the devil. All contemners of G.o.d, all blasphemers, all disobedient; wh.o.r.edom, pride, theft, murder, etc., are now almost ripe for the slaughter; neither is the devil idle, with Turk and Pope, heresies and other erroneous sects. Every man draws the Christian liberty only to carnal excess, as if now they had free liberty and power to do what they list; therefore the kingdom of the devil and Pope is the best government for the world, for therewith they will be governed with strict laws and rights, with superst.i.tion, unbelief, etc.

The world grows worse through the doctrine of G.o.d's Grace and preaching of the Gospel; for when they hear that after this life there is another, they are well enough content with this life, and that G.o.d should keep the other to himself; if they may have here but only good days, honour, and wealth, that is all they care for or desire.

At the time of my being in Rome, said Luther, there died a Cardinal very rich, and left behind him great store of money; shortly before his death he made his will, and laid it in a chest where the money was. After his death the chest was opened, and therein, by the money, was found lying a bull, written on parchment, with these words:

Dum potui, rapui; rapiatis, quando potestis.

(I extorted and oppressed as long as I was able; while ye have power, get what you can.)

Oh! said Luther, how finely, think you, must this Cardinal have departed and died?

The World is full of Dissemblers and Blasphemers: How many Sorts there be.

Luther discoursing, in the presence of the Prince Elector of Saxony and other Princes, of the many sorts and differences of wicked persons, said: Colax, Sycophanta, Cacoethes; these sins and blasphemies are almost alike the one to the other, only that they go one after another, as a man going up the stairs and steps ascends from one to another.

Colax, in my opinion, is he that in Terence they name Gnatho, an ear-scratcher, a dissembler, a trencher-licker, one that talketh for his belly's sake, and is altogether a man-pleaser. This is a sin of mankind, whose intent is to get all they can though others are hurt thereby.

Sycophanta is such a dissembler, traitor, and backbiter that would earn a grey coat. This sin is nearer allied to the devil than to mankind. Gnatho acts his part in the comedies, but Sycophanta in the tragedies. Phormio, in Terence, is a very honest person, nothing, or very little, stained with the other two vices.

Cacoethes is a wicked villain, that wittingly and wilfully prepareth mischief.

Of the Wealth and Treasure of the World.

The Fuggars {2} of Augsburg, on a sudden, said Luther, are able to levy one hundred tons of gold (one ton of gold is one hundred thousand rix dollars, making, in English money, two-and-twenty thousand pounds sterling, and more), which neither the Emperor nor King of Spain is able to perform. One of the Fuggars, after his death, left eighty tons of gold. The Fuggars and the money-changers in Augsburg lent the Emperor at one time eight-and-twenty tons of gold for the maintaining of his wars before Padua.

The Cardinal of Brixen, who died at Rome very rich, left no great sum of ready money behind him, but only there was found in his sleeve a little note of a finger's length. This note was brought to Pope Julius, who presently imagined it was a note of money, and therefore sent for the Fuggars' factor that was then at Rome, and asked him if he knew that writing. The factor said, "Yea, it was the debt which the Fuggars did owe to that Cardinal, which was the sum of forty hundred thousand rix dollars." The Pope asked him how soon he could pay that sum of money. He answered and said, "Every day, or, if need required, at an hour's warning." Then the Pope called for the Amba.s.sadors of France and England, and asked them if either of their Kings, in one hour's s.p.a.ce, were able to satisfy and pay forty tons of gold. They answered, "No." "Then," said the Pope, "one citizen of Augsburg can do it." And the Pope got all that money. One of the Fuggars being warned by the Senate of Augsburg to bring in and to pay his taxation, said, "I know not how much I have, nor how rich I am, therefore I cannot be taxed;" for he had his money out in the whole world-in Turkey, in Greece, at Alexandria, in France, Portugal, England, Poland, and everywhere, yet he was willing to pay his tax of that which he had in Augsburg.

Covetousness is a Sign of Death; we must not rely on Money and Wealth.

Whoso hath money, said Luther, and depends thereon, as is usual, it neither proceeds nor prospers well with that person. The richest monarchs have had bad fortune, and lamentably have been destroyed and slain in the wars; on the contrary, poor and unable people, that have had but small store of money, have overcome and had great fortune and victory. As Emperor Maximilian overcame the Venetians, and continued wars ten years with them, who were exceedingly rich and powerful. Therefore we ought not to trust in money and wealth, nor to depend thereon. I hear, said Luther, that the Prince Elector, George, begins to be covetous, which is a sign of his death very shortly. When I saw Dr. Goad begin to count his puddings hanging in the chimney, I told him he would not live long, which fell out accordingly; and when I begin to trouble myself about brewing, malting, and cooking, etc., then shall not I drive it long, but soon die.

The Popes' Covetousness.

The covetousness of the Popes has exceeded all others', therefore, said Luther, the devil made choice of Rome to be his habitation; for which cause the ancients have said, "Rome is a den of covetousness, a root of all wickedness." I have also read in a very old book this verse following:

Versus Amor, Mundi Caput est, et Bestia Terrae.

That is (when the word Amor is turned and read backward, then it is Roma), Rome, the head of the world, a beast that sucketh out and devoureth all lands. Truly at Rome is an abominable trading with covetousness, for all is raked to their hands without preaching or church-service, but only with superst.i.tion, idolatry, and with selling their good works to the poor ignorant lay-people for money; therefore St. Peter describeth such covetousness with express and clear words when he saith, "They have an heart exercised with covetous practices." I am persuaded a man cannot acknowledge the disease of covetousness unless he knoweth Rome; for the deceits and jugglings in other parts are nothing in comparison of those at Rome; therefore, anno 1521, at the Imperial Diet held at Worms, the State of the whole Empire made supplication against such covetousness, and desired that his Imperial Majesty would be pleased to suppress the same.

At that time, said Luther, my book was presented to the German n.o.bility, which Dr. Wick showed unto me. Then the Gospel began to go on well, but the Pope's power, together with the Antinomians, gave it a great blow, and yet, notwithstanding, through G.o.d's Providence, it was thereby furthered.

The Pope's power was above all Kings and Emperors, which power I opposed with my little book; and therewith also I a.s.saulted the Bull on the Pope, and, by G.o.d's a.s.sistance, overthrew it. I did not write that book on purpose against the Pope, but only against the abuses of Popedom; yet nevertheless it startled them quickly, for their consciences accused them.

Princes do draw and tear Spiritual Livings unto them.

The proverb is, said Luther, "Priests' livings are catching livings," and that "Priests' goods never prosper." This we know to be true by experience, for such as have drawn spiritual livings unto them are grown poor thereby, and become beggars, therefore this Fable I like very well: