Part 34 (1/2)
In brief, as wealth is the test of poverty, business the test of faithfulness, honors the test of humility, easts the test of temperance, pleasures the test of chastity, so cerehteousness of faith ”Can a man,” says Solomon, ”take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?” [Prov 6:27] Yet, as a man must live in the midst of wealth, business, honors, pleasures and easts, so also must he live in the ers Nay, as infant boys need beyond all else to be cherished in the boso, and yet when they are grown up their salvation is endangered if they associate with maidens, so the inexperienced and froward youth need to be restrained and trained by the iron bars of cere into vice after vice Yet it would be death or the that these justify theht that they have been so ihteous or gain greatevil, and hteousness of faith Such instruction they would not endure if the impulsiveness of their youth were not restrained Hence cereiven the same place in the life of a Christian asbuilders and artisans They are prepared not as per could be built or made When the structure is completed they are laid aside You see, they are not despised, rather, they are greatly sought after; but e despise is the false estimate of them, since no one holds them to be the real and periously foolish as to care for nothing all his life long except the most costly, careful and persistent preparation of plans and models, and never to think of the structure itself, and were satisfied with his work in producing such plans and mere aids to work, and boasted of it, would not all men pity his insanity, and estiht have been built? Thus we do not despise cerereat store by them; but we despise the false estimate placed upon works, in order that no one hteousness, as those hypocrites believe who spend and lose their whole lives in zeal for works, and never reach that for the sake of which the works are to be done; as the Apostle says, ”ever learning and never able to coe of the truth” [2 Tim 3:7]
For they seem to wish to build, they make their preparations, and yet they never build, Thus they reht in the form of Godliness and do not attain unto its power [2 Tim 3:5] Meanwhile they are pleased with their efforts, and even dare to judge all others who with a like shoorks Yet with the gifts of God which they have spent and abused in vain they reat things to the salvation of theht of God]
But since human nature and natural reason, as it is called, are by nature superstitious and ready to ihteousness h them; and further, since they are trained and confirivers, it is impossible that they should of themselves escape froe of the liberty of faith Therefore there is need of the prayer that the Lord ive us [John 6:45] and ht of God, and Himself, as He has promised, write His law in our hearts; otherwise there is no hope for us For if He Himself do not teach our hearts this wisdom hidden in a e it to be heretical, because nature is offended by it and regards it as foolishness So we see that it happened in olden times, in the case of the Apostles and prophets, and so Godless and blind popes and their flatterers do to me and to those who are like me May God at last be merciful to them and to us, and cause His face to shi+ne upon us [Ps 67:1 f], that weall nations, God, Who is blessed forever [2 Cor 11:31] Ae 304
[2] Sylvester Prierias See Vol I, p 338
[3] Cf Preface to Prierias' Epitoics_, I, 514
[5] Pope Eugene III, 1145-1153, for whom Bernard of Clairvaux wrote a devotional book, _De consideratione_, in which he rehearsed the duties and the dangers of the pope See Realencyklopadie II, 632; Kohler, Luther u die Kirchengeschichte, 311 f Cf Resolutiones disput de indulg virtute, 1518, Clemen, 1, 113
[6] John Maier, born in Eck an der Gunz, and generally known as John Eck; an aian, who first attacked his professor in Freiburg, then Erasainst Luther's XCV Theses (see Vol I, 10, 176, etc) He was the opponent of Luther and Carlstadt at the Leipzig Disputation (1519), to which Luther here refers
[7] Jacopo de Vio, born in Gaeta, Italy, in 1469, died in 1534 The name Cajetan he derived from his birthplace, the Latin name of which is Cajeta In the Dos are published under the title, _Thomae de Vio Cajetani opera_ He was made cardinal-presbyter with the title of S Sisto in 1517, and in the following year was sent as papal legate to the Diet of Augsburg Here hebecause he insisted that Luther must recant See Kolde in Realencyklopadie 3, 632 ff
[8] Carl von Miltitz was educated at Cologne, was prebendary at Mainz, Trier and Meissen, and later went to Roent for Frederick, Elector of Saxony, and Duke George the Bearded ”After the endeavours of Cardinal Cajetan to silence Luther had failed, Miltitz appeared to be the person ” (_Catholic Encyclopedia_, X, 318, where, however, the statement that Miltitz was educated at Mainz, Trier and Meissen is evidently a slip) It seeain came to Germany, where he was drowned in the Main, Noveeraphie_, 21, 759 f
[9] The Gerlected nothing which it was my duty to do”
[10] This was the usual title of the pope, hich the bull of excommunication opened: _Leo Episcopus Servus Servorum Dei_
[11] See above, pp 298, 300, and compare the letters of Miltitz to the elector Frederick in Smith, _Luther's Correspondence_, I, pp 367 f
[12] Here the German is more accurate: ”Every Christian man”
[13] German: _Wie man sein brauchen und niessen soll_, ”hoe are to benefit by and enjoy what He is for us”
[14] Gerkteit_
[15] Possibly a reminiscence of the _Leviathan serpentem tortuosum_ in Isa 27:1 Cf _Erl Ed_, xxiv, 73; xxvii, 323 f; xviii, 91 Lemme translates _Teuelswahn_
[16] Gerethan_
A BRIEF EXPLANATION (EINE KURZE FORM) OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, THE CREED, AND THE LORD'S PRAYER
1520
INTRODUCTION
The work here presented bears the German title, _Eine kurze Form der zehn Gebote, eine kurze Form des Glaubens, eine kurze Form des Vaterunsers_ It is the most important of Luther's catechetical works prior to the Catechisiven it, ”the first evangelical catechism”[1]