Short Christian Instruction, November 15223

Short Christian Instruction, November 15223

SHORT CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION

November 1523

(Z II: 628-663)

Translated and edited by H. Wayne Pipkin

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Introduction The year 1523 which began in Zurich with the first disputation between Zwingli and his Catholic opponent John Faber culminated in an event that was decisive for the nature of the Zwinglian

Reformation: the Second Zurich Disputation.

During the course of the year opposition to religious images, both inside church buildings and out, had flared. Some well-known images had been destroyed in acts of unlawful vandalism.

A disputation was called to consider both the matter of images and the question of the Mass.

A predominantly lay group of 900 men assembled October 26-28.

Under the decisive influence of Zwingli it was decided that there was no scriptural basis for understanding the Mass as a sacrifice or for maintaining images in the churches. Having assumed responsibility for modification in accordance with the word of God, the Council nonetheless did not immediately institute the called-for changes.

Instead, the Council appointed a committee, including the influential Zurich preachers Zwingli, Jud and Engelhart, to study the situation and report back their conclusions regarding the reform.

The Council then decided that Zwingli should write a brief summary of evangelical doctrine.

This summary statement was to instruct the pastors in the basic perspective of the Zurich reform which underlay the decision of the Council to omit the reference to the Mass as sacrifice and to take the images from the churches.

Johann Stumpf described in his reformation chronicle the efforts of the Council to bring about unanimity:

Meanwhile the pastors in the Zurich countryside were not of one mind in doctrine; also some did not receive happily the restoration of evangelical truth and apostolic doctrine.

Therefore, so that a uniform teaching might be reported to all the churches regarding images and the mass, and that the basis of such things be planted among the people, the honorable Council of the City of

Zurich conferred together with the scholars, heard an instruction read and ordered the publication of the same.

A copy was sent to each pastor with the order and command to read the contents of the same. [1]

Bullinger remarked in his Reformation History that the Council, recognizing the lack of unity in the matter of preaching the word of God, "authorized a short account as to how one might easily and simply preach the truth to the churches." [2] Thus the treatise was first of all intended to be an instruction in evangelical faith that would bring about unity of preaching and practice in the Zurich region.

The Instruction contained both a statement oi evangelical doctrine and critique of current church practice. The evangelical theology contained two major emphases: first, the individual suffers from the infirmity of sin, both from inheritance and from yielding to temptations; therefore, a person cannot come to God unaided.

Secondly, human access to God is provided by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, humanity's only mediator.

This work of grace has already been accomplished.

The Instruction also contains a criticism of current church practice. The use of images and the Mass as sacrifice are human attempts to merit the favor of God. These practices are evidence of false religion offered in lieu of true belief. Only the righteousness of God is effective for human salvation.

The practice of false religion must be abolished.

It is also significant that the Instruction was published by official mandate of the City Council.

It was the first official confessional statement of the Zurich Reformation.

With its "official" delineation of evangelical theology it was sent beyond the confines of Zurich to the Swiss confederates, to the University of Basel, and to the Bishops of Constance, Chur and Basel.

A reply was requested from the recipients. A deadline of Pentecost, May, 1524, was tendered.

The date was passed without response, though a late reply came from Bishop Hugo of Constance on June

| which was answered by Zwingli in August, 1524. [3] The Council had decided in the meantime to remove the images from the churches. Thus, on June 20, the three people's priests led a committee into the churches and systematically removed the images.

The Instruction has been included in two standard collections of Reformed confessions:

E. G. A. Boeckel's 1846 collection, Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-reformierten Kirche and E. F. Karl's 1903 edition, Die Bekenntnisschriften der reformierten

Kirche.

It was translated into Latin by Rudolf Gwalter and into New High German by Raget Christoffel. A modern German rendition is Gerhard Muras, Christliche Anleitung (Hamburg, 1962)

and a French translation has been published by Jacques Courvoisier, Breve Instruction Chretienne (Geneva, 1953).

HWP NOTES 1.

Johannes Stumpfs Schweizer-und Reformationschronik.

[Edited by Ernst Gagliardi, Hans Mueller and Fritz Busser.

Basel:

Verlag Birkhauser, 1952.

Bullinger, 1:155.

The reply of Bishop Hugo is found in Z Ill:146-149.

Zwingli's answer is in Z 1ll:155-229.

A SHORT

CHRISTIAN

INSTRUCTION,

SENT BY THE

HONORABLE

COUNCIL OF THE CITY

OF ZURICH

TO THE MINISTERS

AND

PREACHERS

LIVING IN THE TOWNS, VIL-

LAGES AND DISTRICTS, THAT THEY HENCE-

FORTH

UNANIMOUSLY

PROCLAIM AND PREACH THE

EVANGELICAL

TRUTH TO

THEIR SUBJECTS

Issued on the 17th day of November, 1523 [1] Mandate We, the burgomaster, the Council and the Great Council, as the Two Hundred of the City of Zurich are called, send first our greeting, favor and every good thing to each and everyone, both clerics and laity, prelates, abbots, deans, secular priests, ministers, pastors, and preachers of the word of God living in our towns, villages and districts. [1] As you perceived and understood in the last mandate we sent you, we promised to put into print as soon as possible a short instruction drawn by the scholars from the sacred Scriptures. [2] On our order such a work has been prepared.

We have listened to a reading of it and, in our opinion, it is solidly based on the divine, evangelical writings of the New and Old Testaments.

We do not want to keep this instruction from you; therefore, we are both publishing it at large and sending it to each of you individually.

Our demand and wish in this matter, therefore, is that you comply with the latest mandate announced above, and faithfully peruse this instruction and introduction of ours which is sent to you. Let the evangelical Scriptures declared therein be thoroughly and diligently reflected on in their original form. We certainly hope the Instruction will further lead you and many others into

the knowledge of the true divine Scriptures. [629] For this reason we admonish you with all earnestness, and for God's sake, as each office is required to do, both by the order of God and the command of Christ, so that the true knowledge and honor of God, Christian love and unity, and also the bettering of our morals, be learned from the word of God, increasing more and more.

For our wish always is that everywhere in our districts your teachings come up to and be of one mind with the gospel. However, should there be any negligent or disagreeable ones among you, who act without the basis of the holy, divine and evangelical Scriptures, we will proceed against them so that they shall be found to have acted unjustly and against the teachings of Christ.

Previously, in the general proclamation and in your convocation concerning the two articles, namely on images and the Mass, we invited and requested in a friendly manner our gracious lords, the bishops of Constance, Chur, and Basel, as well as the university at the latter place, and likewise our faithful, beloved confederates of the twelve regions and others, to help us by reporting on these articles through their learned messengers on the basis of the true, divine, evangelical Scriptures. Once again we desire that whoever is able advise us better or differently by the true divine Scriptures.

We shall gladly receive such advice from them with particular gratitude and joy. Hereby we also once again ask each and everyone, that whoever finds us in some way to have erred against God and his word of the holy gospel, or to be wrong, to point it out in a friendly way out of the true word of God and of the gospel for the sake of the honor of God, of truth, and Christian love. We shall receive and welcome such with the highest gratitude.

[630] [2] A Short Christian Instruction [3] First, since anyone may well observe that the controversies of today arise solely out of some people's misunderstandings, and since all human teaching is in vain unless God enlightens and draws people inwardly, so every Christian, as an individual and when one prays in community, should call anxiously upon God to let the light of his word shine forth and draw us poor ignorant ones by his grace, so that we may learn to know him truly. And, as we know him, to acquire true love and to order all our actions out of love to him according to his pleasure--after this time eternally to receive, enjoy, and possess him.

Such prayers of ours God will answer, for in Matthew 18:19 he has promised us that whatever we ask from him he will give. He also says in Luke 11:13:

"If you who are evil can give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give a holy or godly spirit to those who call upon him."

St. James also says, "If anyone of you lack wisdom, let him request it from God, who gives to all people

purely and simply, without reservation.

Thus it will be given to him; however, he should ask in faith or confidence, doubting nothing, etc." [James 1:5]

Consequently, without doubt it is fitting to begin the teachings of God in the same way Christ began. Now Christ began thus:

"Mend your ways! The kingdom of God is near?" according to Matthew 4:7 and Mark 1:15. Therefore, without doubt we should also cry in this sinful world:

"Mend your ways." Indeed, as John the Baptist added in Matthew 3:10, "The axe already has been laid to the root of the tree. Each tree that does not bring forth good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

For anyone to know why he should mend his ways, it is necessary for him to recognize his guilt. Therefore it is essential in the first place to know the source of sin. After we find that, each person will judge himself to be a sinner and trust himself to the mercy of God. [631] [3] Concerning Sin [4] We learn to recognize sin in a two-fold manner: first as coming from birth; secondly, we find it in our temptations.

From birth we are all sinners, for we are all born of Adam.

Now Adam fell into sin, weakness, and death before he ever gave birth. Thus it also follows that all who come from him inherit such weakness from him. [5] For, just as it is not possible for a person to beget an angel, so also the fallen, sinful Adam could not beget a sinless person. Adam fell as recorded in Genesis 2:17:

"When God in paradise forbade use of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he said, 'On the day you eat thereof, you will certainly die."

Now God cannot lie.

[Cf. Hebrews 6:18] And as Adam ate the forbidden food, he died. The result is a dead Adam, and inasmuch as no dead person can beget a living person so is it clear that all who are born of Adam are dead. The death of Adam is not only a bodily death, even though that also came with time, for the passage "then you will certainly die" means the following: the loss of the grace and friendship of God, the loss of the indwelling, ruling or leading of the spirit of God, the loss of the perfect order of human nature, and the fall into sin.

That is, after the destruction of his nature Adam and all his descendants are incapable of doing anything good; for they are sinful.

What is here called "sin" is nothing but the weakness of the fall and the impotence of our flesh as in Romans 7:17:

"I can therefore work nothing, but the sin which lives in me." This is the sin that is innate within me, the sinful fall through which death came

5l into us. According to Romans 5:12, "Sin came into all humankind through one person and death through sin."

This is the first death of Adam: he has lost the grace of God. Where there is no grace there is no salvation, but only complete despair. His shame of nakedness also signifies this. When the Lord called him, he said, "Lord, I heard your voice and was afraid, since I was naked, and hid myself." [Genesis 2:9f.] Note!

What is this [632] nakedness of Adam, since God created him naked and he had so walked before him?

It was nothing but that he had fallen into death, sin, transgression, misery, weakness, and powerlessness, and that he saw in himself nothing good, under which protective cover or cloak he would be permitted to come before God.

Which bodily death, do you think, which would so quickly have taken him out of shame, would have hurt Adam so much as the death of disaster, dishonor and weakness wherein he and all his descendants had to stand before God? They have nothing good with which they could cover or protect themselves; therefore, the first death is the more serious.

The other death is bodily, a punishment for sin inflicted on us by God.

And, as surely as all people who are conceived in sin must die, so certainly are they also children of Adam with regard to transgression, sin, powerlessness and nakedness.

For we are nothing but flesh, as God says in Genesis 6:3:

"My spirit will not remain with humankind, for it is flesh."

Since, however, we all know that the flesh is worthless, is incapable of anything and gives birth to nothing good, it follows that we, just as Adam, since we are nothing but flesh, are by nature incapable of anything that is either just or good. Rather, all our inclinations are directed only to evil, as God himself says in the previous passage:

"All thoughts of the heart are always directed to evil" [Genesis 6:5].

And likewise in Genesis 8:21 he says:

"The understanding and counsel of the human heart is evil from youth."

If it is evil from childhood on then it must come from the heritage of Adam.

This is the right understanding of original sin: the fall, transgression, powerlessness, loss of God, weakness, sin, or whatever you want to call it. It is clear how we are by nature all together the children of wrath.

See Ephesians 2:3.

And also how we have all sinned.

See Romans 3:12, 23.

Also how we are completely useless and do nothing good. See Psalm 14:1. For we are by nature all together the children of Adam and stand on the side of the transgressing party, and no one [633] can by nature perform either good or reconciling deeds--neither for oneself nor for anyone else, for we are all sinners [cf. Romans 3:23].

Secondly, we can become aware of the sin, that is, weakness, powerlessness, etc., in ourselves, for we feel in ourselves that sin dwells in us [Romans 7:18].

For so long as we live in the body, hereditary sin will bear evil fruit forever and forever.

M. ELLIOTT LIBRARY

icinnati Christian University

Now the sin and fall came out of inordinate desire, namely, that Adam wanted to know and to become great--indeed, to become like God [cf. Genesis 3:4-6]. Thus still today every person is selfish.

He pushes himself toward honor, name, power, riches, and reputation for himself.

He values himself more than he is worth; he believes that other people's work should serve him and he strives to that end.

Denial is of no use here.

If every person were to examine his own desires he would find them so great that no one could satisfy them. However, where a person does not destroy anything, it is through God's power--not his own.

We will speak about this later. We are speaking here of humankind and its reason, striving and power. By nature they always look out for themselves first and always regard themselves first.

In short, they do nothing just, but are completely selfish. Thus Paul says in Romans 7:18:

"I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh." Read the whole chapter; it will provide much understanding in the matter.

Therefore, the will of the flesh, that is, of broken humanity, is always opposing God.

Don't we all know how sweet it seems to us when God bids us die, suffer, endure.

It is all rooted in the sin of the first fall and in selfishness.

At this point you say:

"I do not know whether selfishness is just or unjust. How then can I perceive that sin is in me? Why should I not think of myself first?

Does not nature teach that to me?

The unreasoning animals care for themselves first."

I answer: you speak correctly that the unreasoning animals think of themselves first; however, you prove nothing but that if you also do it, you do nothing other than the animals who are nothing but flesh.

[634] Thereby you then see that you are in yourself nothing but flesh as Christ says in John 23:6, "What is born of the flesh is flesh." You think of nothing but what is of the flesh.

Here now your sin becomes evident.

If you were reasonable you would realize that you, without doubt, should think and act much differently than the unreasoning animals.

However, since you are exactly like them in your struggles--as Psalm 49:13 says, "Since man was in honor, he has not understood it, but has become exactly like the unreasoning animals"--you can well realize that the weakness must somehow come from a sickness which actually restrains us and is born in us, i.e., the fall of Adam.

However, since our reason by itself does not recognize the just and godly, God has revealed the law to us wherein we may see what would be just or unjust. For as Paul says in Romans 7:7, "I did not recognize sin except through the law only. For I would not have known that covetousness was sin had the law not said, 'You shall not covet."

In order to make clearer what this means, it is necessary for us to speak of the law.

[4] Concerning the Law The law is nothing but a manifestation of the will of God. As the will of God is eternal, so also is the law. Consequently we are speaking here only of the law which is conducive to the godliness of the inner person.

That is indeed nothing other than a manifestation of the divine will.

For example, this law:

"You should love your neighbor as yourself" [Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:30] is nothing but the law of nature that says "Whatever you want done to you, do also to another"

[cf.

Mt.

7:12; Lk. 6:31] and conversely:

"What you do not want, do also to no one" [Tobit 4:16].

Yes, this law of nature, which God made sweet with love, must only come from God. And although the heathen also accept it, it nevertheless does not come from human reason--let them say what they want.

For this same reason only considers itself and does not hold that it should show consideration for others, but that others should show consideration for it. Therefore all laws which make the inner person godly can be from no one but God. However, understand: laws do not have the power to make a person [635] godly or righteous; rather, they point out only how a person should be if he wants to live according to the will of God, become godly and come to God. According to Romans 7:12, "The law is holy and the commandment is also holy." Now it cannot be holy unless it comes from one who is holy. Insofar as it came from us it would not be holy, for we are not holy. Therefore Paul says again soon after:

"We know that the law is spiritual" [Rom.

7:14]. However, if we are carnal, then it is obvious that the law cannot be from us.

All this proves that the law which teaches the true inner godliness must flow alone out of the divine will.

Furthermore, if we now have the law we are not therefore righteous, for they are not recognized as godly who hear the law.

Rather they are reckoned godly who do the law.

What then is the law good for? The answer according to Romans 3:20 is that one recognizes sin through the law.

Therefore understand that with the following example:

"You should covet no one's spouse or possessions"

[Ex. 20:17] shows you without doubt that if you covet these things you sin. And you fancy that the desire would not be sin, for you think that if you were on your guard before the act that you would not have sinned.

But see our cunning:

We are godly only because of the outward deed, and yet inwardly the heart has already become adulterous, a thief, a usurer or a robber.

For if he were permitted to do it, then he would do it.

Now our God is not blind; he sees the heart of people.

If God finds the coveting or plotting therein, then the person has already incurred the penalty before God.

On the other hand it is not possible for us to be without temptations and lusts so long as we wear the skin of Adam. For the flesh bears its fruit forever.

For the law stands firm and does not let itself fall nor bend: you

shall covet the goods of no one.

And if we cannot be on our own power with the desire, so also are we also transgressors and fallen into the wrath and penalty of God.

All this will be clear in the words of Paul in Romans 7:8-9:

"sin was dead without the law," that is, one knows nothing of sin where there is no law.

"I have also lived once without the law," that is, so long as we have not yet been instructed with the word of God, as children are, then we live without the law. "When, however, the command has come," that is, after [636] the commandment is made known to us, "sin came alive," that is, I then realized what sin is. "And yet I have died," that is, when I recognized the law, I saw well that I was of death.

"Therefore the commandment that was given to me for good has become death for me," that is, I have seen therein how I am worthy of death since I cannot fulfill it, etc. Soon after that [Romans 7:14-20]:

"We know that the law is spiritual and yet I am carnal, for I have been given away or sold under the weakness of sin (understand: that which we bring here from Adam).

For that which I already do does not please me.

For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate," that is, since the time I heard the law and the word of God I want to avoid sin but the weak flesh does not let me come to that point. "If I only do that which I do not want, then I am in harmony with the law, which to be sure is good. However, if I do the opposite, it is the sin doing it," that is, the weakness which lies or lives in me, etc.

Soon after that [Romans 7:21-25]:

"Therefore I find that if I want to do the good or the righteous thing according to the instruction of the law, that evil lies close to me.

For I delight in the law of God according to the inner person.

I see in my members," that is, in my body, "another law.

The same fights against the law of the heart and leads me forth captive under the law of sin," that is, of the weakness which lives in my body.

"What a wretched person I am!

Who will redeem me from the body of death? I say, 'Thanks be to God, that I have been redeemed through Jesus Christ our Lord.'" See! In Paul's view we perceive and experience our own weakness and impotence.

If, however, no one can come to God unless he has no blemish, according to Psalm

15:1-3, and we cannot be without blemish, it then follows that we must despair in ourselves of being able to come to God. Here the grace of God that is shown to us in Christ will reveal itself.

Now follows, concerning the gospel.

Next we shall show how the law is abolished.

[5] The Gospel Although since the creation of the world Almighty God has dealt and spoken much with his. people, the powerlessness and sin of Adam has been so great that no one could fulfill his word.

[637] Therefore it also follows that no one could come to God. For although he is merciful, he is at the same time righteous, as Psalm 111:4 says, "The Lord is a tender God of mercy; he is also righteous." Therefore if we could perfectly fulfill his commandments in this age, we would no less need his pure grace so that he could give us the eternal kingdom and joy. For however great a person's merit would be, he would still have no account due against the eternal, as Romans 8:18 says, "The sorrows of this age are not worthy of the future glory which will be revealed in us." We shall remain silent here concerning the greatness of the splendor and joy.

Since, after all that, we are not only unable to fulfill what his righteousness demands but even cannot reach it because of the evil temptations and sins, nevertheless the righteousness of God must be met.

Therefore hear what a wise counsel the Divine Wisdom has taken. It is so wonderful that it is inconceivable and unbelievable for the human understanding, unless God enlightens a person's understanding, takes his heart and makes it faithful.

1. Adam, created by the Divine Wisdom who is the Son of God [cf. I Cor. 1:24], sinned out of pride.

Just as he fell into the more serious death of the disfavor of God and sin and also into bodily death, because he had transgressed the commandment of God, so also all we who are his children, are sinful, in the disfavor of God, and subject to both kinds of death even as he was.

And even if we were godly and without our sin, and served God all our lives according to his pleasure, human life still would not be worthy of the long, immeasurable eternity.

Also, heavenly joy is so wonderfully great, holy anc beautiful that no earthly life could deserve it, even if we were good, useful servants [cf. Luke 17:16].

Behold, how truly Chris has said that it is impossible for a person to be saved [cf. Mt [Eo However, note on the other hand how wisely God ha taken care of all our sins in Christ Jesus [cf. Isa. 53:4]. l. Christ was humbled even. to the humiliating deat of the cross as we read in Philippians 2:8, and he [638] throug

whom we were created, bore it for our sake. Thus we are redeemed by the Wisdom of God through whom we are created and against whom Adam sinned.

Christ did not have the guilt of any transgression in himself [Hebrews 4:15], for as I Peter 2:22 says, "he never did any sin and there was not found any unloyalty in his mouth."

He also had no sinful weakness of the corrupted nature in him, for he was not conceived in sin and the stain of Adam, but was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the pure body of the Virgin Mary.

Therefore, as he through whom we were created gave himself for us, so does he pay the divine righteousness for the burdensome death of the fall, of weakness and disfavor of God, and makes his believers cheerfully take on bodily death for his sake.

3. He obtained eternal salvation for all people for they were all created as well as redeemed through him.

And since he is eternal God he is sufficient and worthy enough to take upon himself the sin of all people for eternity and to lead us into eternal salvation, according to Hebrews 9 and 10.

He also embodies the beauty and image of the father according to Hebrews 1:3 and has let himself be so miserably spit on, mocked, and beaten for our sakes [cf. Mt. 27:29ff.]. Of that Isaiah 53:2 and 3 says, "he has neither form nor comeliness," and "he has truly carried our sin and sickness."

He also is the salvation which the angels rejoice to behold in I Peter 1:12. Yes, he bore misery for our sakes in order to obtain eternal joy and comeliness for us.

These few passages provide an instruction for the consideration and admiration of the eternal wisdom of God who has done these things for our redemption's sake, for no one can otherwise fathom or articulate it, as Romans 11:33-35 says.

Now when the savior of all people, Christ, was born of the holy, pure Virgin Mary, as Luke 2:10f. states, the angel spoke to the shepherds:

"See, I proclaim great joy to you, which all people will have, for to you a [639] savior is born who is Christ the Lord, etc."

Since then the gracious activity of God which he completed with us through his son is being called the gospel: that in all our need, impotence, and despair the Son of God is proclaimed to us, that a savior has come. who healed all our sins.

And therefore he has been called Jesus, that is, a savior, because he has healed humankind from their sin according to Matthew 1:21.

Here we have in short the entire foundation of the gospel, namely, that since it was impossible for us poor people to come to God on our merit, God ordained his son to take human nature and to be given for us unto death. He who was perfect in every way and without blemish was able to take away all our blemishes.

Whoever firmly believes in this activity and trusts the precious fruitfulness of the suffering of Christ has already believed the gospel and will be saved.

Whoever does not believe therein is lost, according to Mark 16:16. For it has previously been sufficiently pointed out that we can do nothing good. So also the works of the law cannot save us for we cannot fulfill them as God demands.

According to Galatians 2:16, "All flesh is not recognized as just by the works of the law."

This gracious activity, namely, that we are saved not by our works but by the pure grace of God through the redeeming

Lord Jesus Christ, we have basically in the word of God.

Christ says in Luke 17:10:

"When you do all things which are commanded of you, then say, 'We are unworthy servants, etc.'"" John the Baptist says in John 1:29:

"See!

The Lamb of God.

See!

He it'is that takes away the sin of the world."

If he takes it away, then the merit of our works does not take it away.

Christ says in John 10:10:

"I have come that people might have life, and also have it abundantly."

In John 5:24:

"Truly I say to you, whoever trusts in me has eternal life."

In John 3:14:

"If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things to me." [Check Jn.

12:32.] In John 6:50:

"That is the food or bread which comes from heaven"

(understand: the food of the word of the gospel) "and gives life to the world, etc."

In Matthew 11:28:

"Come to me all, etc."

The words of Christ are full of this view everywhere. Paul, before all others, has clearly presented and proven this view in the Epistle to the Romans and [640] the one to the Galatians, and in other places.

It is reasonable for every pastor to seriously consider this.

Here, however, there are many false or weak Christians who say:

"If our works do not save us, but only the grace of God which is given and assured to us in his son, then we do not need to do anything good anymore; rather, let us sin, or as Romans

3:8 says:

'Let us do much evil so that God may do much good in forgiveness through Jesus Christ.' Or, as Romans 6:1 says:

'Let us remain in sin."

I answer: whoever speaks thus has not yet experienced how sweet the Lord is, nor has he tasted the heavenly gift of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit recorded in Hebrews 6:4. For those who recognize their sin which descends from Adam, and their own inner deceit which every person well knows resides within, see their own misery and impotence to attain salvation.

And if, on the other hand, they see the grace and salvation of Jesus Christ and trust therein, then they have been born of God, as John 1:13 states.

If they are now the sons of God, then they will act like sons.

They devote themselves to the will of their father, after they have come again out of disfavor into grace.

In Luke 15:21 the lost son did not say, "Father, I know you do pardon me; therefore I will sin and be wicked," but "Father, | have acted against God and you, so that I am not worthy to be

called your son." Notice! It does not occur to him to do the former misdeeds again by which he had sinned against the father.

Thus, those who firmly believe they are reckoned among the sons of God also say, "Father, I am such a miserable wretch that I am not worthy to be called your son.

But since you have given your son for me--certainly the highest good that is in heaven or on the earth--I may think that you refuse me nothing." Hence Romans

8:32.

How could he?

Has not God given us all things with his son? Since you have now given him for our sin, I see that I may live in sin no longer. For since I have previously stood so hopelessly in sin, why would I wander more therein?

Since I am happy that I have been lifted out of the mire and have been washed, [641] why would I want to throw myself therein again? This is the view of Paul in Romans 6:2:

"Why would we who have been dead in sin want to live therein any longer?" And afterwards he so beautifully points out that as Christ died and has risen, so also, after we have been buried in baptism with him, as it were [Romans 6:3-4], shall afterwards rise up and lead a new life, etc.

For if we have trusted in Christ then this has come to pass with God's power.

Where God is, there all work is directed as to how one departs from sin.

It follows that those who speak thus have not trusted in Christ, even if they say with their mouth that they are Christians.

For the person whose only comfort and confidence is God cannot endure to think now that God is pleased by misdeeds.

However, if someone says now:

"No one would be able to come to God in this manner; for although a person trusts in God, he nevertheless falls into sin daily and accordingly loses the grace of God again," then we answer: that is true.

As long as we live, that rogue, the body, because of the temptation, will never let us live a godly life.

However, if we have trusted in God through Christ, then the fruits of the flesh cannot throw us down into damnation.

Rather, as Christ said to Peter:

"See!

The devil has lain in waiting for you so that he may sift you as wheat.

But I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith become neither unsteady nor weak"

[Luke 22:31f.].

Thus we must remain firm in faith so that all our sins will be forgiven through Christ, although both the devil and the flesh will force us through the sieve and entice us with sin to despair.

But, as Peter's external denial did not bring him into damnation, so also may no sin bring us to damnation, save one: unbelief.

Here, however, the true non-Christians say:

"I firmly believe in Christ." Yet they do nothing Christian.

Herein one sees that they are non-Christians, for one recognizes a tree by its fruit. [Cf. Mt. 7:16, 20.] Therefore, note for better understanding: as has often been pointed out before, whoever has securely trusted in the grace of God through Christ, after recognizing his sin, [642] cannot be without the love of God. Who would not love him who has so graciously taken away his sin and has begun first to love him, as I John 4:19 says, and to draw him to himself?

Where, now, the love of God is, there

is God; for God is love himself and whoever is in the love of God is in God and God is in him, as I John 4:16 says.

Now if God is in the right believer and he nevertheless sins, then it follows that it is as Paul says in Romans 8:10:

"If now Christ is in you, then the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit or soul lives because of justification." This justification is nothing but a person's placing himself in and devoting himself to the grace of God. This is true belief.

So the opinion of Paul is that our body is always dead and gives birth to works of death and sin. However, the same sins cannot damn us if we are righteous in faith, so that we trust with certainty the grace of God through the Lord Jesus

Christ.

We shall set here two persons as an example so that one may understand how it may come to pass that the believer is not damned, even if he sins, but that the sins are for him an occasion for resurrection and improvement.

Romans 8:28 says, "For all things work together for good for those who love God."

On the other hand, for those who judge themselves pious by their works--their good works serve to their detriment. Take the pharisee and the publican of Luke 18:10-14.

The pharisee holds his own works in high esteem and, as he looks at himself, thinks he is righteous and thanks God that he is not like other people.

The publican who has despaired of all his piety but not of God, said:

"God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

This one was adjudged by Christ more godly than the pharisee, not because he had lived more respectably, but because he considers God to be so merciful and true that he would hear him as he had promised us.

See.

Here is the true righteousness of faith made clear. The pharisee trusts in his works; therefore, he speaks nothing but naked arrogance and builds on sand. [Cf. Lk. 6:49.] "Lord,

I thank you that I am not as other people." See how our righteousness serves arrogance; therefore, [643] it is not righteousness but grave guilt.

For overweening opinion of one's self is the real type of sin against God.

See, however, on the other hand, the righteousness of faith: it rejects no one but itself, humbles itself, trusts in the mercy of God alone and builds on the rock. [Cf. Lk. 6:48.]

Now take this publican who so faithfully trusts in the mercy of God and let him live all life long in the body; he will not be without the temptations of the flesh.

However, he does not despair at them, but as often as he falls into sin, he is humbled by it and always says:

"O Lord, how wickedly I live in your eyes, but I hold myself to your mercy."

This diligent running to God and lamenting restrains all vices more than any other care and precaution.

For hope in God points out all sin, so reveals the secret scoundrel in the heart that he is not permitted to pass himself off as pious, and makes him more and more ashamed so that he always comes before God with the old vices. Observe the diligent, necessary watchman: faith.

This view you find in

Romans 6:12.

There Paul teaches that we should give attention lest sin rule in us and we become subject to sinful temptations.

Then the temptations of sin rule when we let them rage unimpeded, uncensored, and uninterrupted, and would pay for them later with our works.

Where there is such a plan, one gives free course to sin and seeks other works.

Afterwards one wants to force them on God, that he should take them for our sins. However, wherever the true watchman, faith, is, which contains in itself affection to God and fear, there one struggles again and again with the flesh, keeps guard and crucifies the flesh with its temptations, according to Galatians 5:24.

See!

Thus it happens that sin does not damage believers.

And only he will be saved who has such confidence in God.

[644] Hereby we also learn that no one will be more inclined to better himself from day to day except the one who puts all his trust in God. The guardian watches and admonishes constantly without intermission while the self-righteous one charges and debits for his sin as he wishes: he is a completely godless person. The believer is faithful through the Spirit of God.

Now where God is, there the good is always increased and grows.

And when we see some people who believe in the word of God and yet do not mend their ways, then it happens that either they are not believing and are play-acting before people as if they were believing, or they are still immature in faith, but will increase and grow until they acquire the perfect maturity according to the strength of Christ described in Ephesians 4:13.

To put it in a few words: where the love of God is, its efficaciousness is not less than that of lustful bodily love.

For more elucidation and strengthening of faith, Paul says in Romans 8:31:

"If God is on our side," that is, if God is so favorable to us, "who will be against us?" So that we see how

God is favorable to us he says further:

"He did not spare his own son but gave him for us all. Has he not given us all things with him?" [Rom.

8:32] It is as if he were to say:

"How could one reconcile the fact that he had given for us the greatest treasure, his own son, and would now deny us anything?"

With that God teaches us through the mouth of Paul to come to him in joy and in trust.

If we are simple and cannot speak to God then it is enough that we only show our trust in God through Jesus Christ in our hearts.

"He represents us before God with sighs which we cannot imagine," according to Romans 8:26. He is wise enough, for he is the Divine Wisdom and yet has become ours; therefore, he is our wisdom.

When we are unjust and impure, then he is just and pure and has paid for our unrighteousness.

When we are unholy and sinful, then he is holy and yet he is ours.

When we are mortgaged because of sin, then he is our ransom and payment.

Therefore, see: whatever is lacking in us, Christ obtains for us before God.

For whatever he is, he is ours.

This is why Paul says in I Corinthians 1:30, "He was made or given to us by God, so that he is our wisdom, our righteousness, [645]

our holiness and our salvation."

John says in I John 2:1f.:

"My son:

I write these things to you that you sin not. But if one has sinned, then we have an advocate or representative with the father, the righteous Jesus Christ, and he is the reconciliation for our sins, and not for ours alone, but for the sin of the whole world."

Here everyone sees that all confidence in God through Christ Jesus is certain.

Now let us hear the words of Christ himself.

In Matthew 11:28 he says:

"Come to me all who are burdened and heavily laden; I will give you rest."

See.

We are truly instructed with such clear teachings and proof that we should run to God confidently and full of trust in all distress, sorrow and concern, and he will grant to us all things through the Lord Christ Jesus. Therefore, all who teach coming to God through other mediators teach against God, for he calls us to himself.

Indeed, he says in John 10:1, "Whoever enters through another than me is a thief and a murderer."

And again. in John 14:6, "No one can come to the father but through me."

In I Timothy 2:5 he is also the only mediator:

"There is one God and one mediator between God and humankind-Jesus Christ." What would any person want to bring forward against these words of God?

Indeed I am not permitted to come before God; I am foolish, sinful, insignificant and unrighteous.

Do you not hear God saying that Christ is our wisdom, innocence, beauty, righteousness and payment?

Do you not hear that he calls us when we are heavily laden? Indeed, I must have another mediator, for I am not allowed rightly to come to God.

Do you not hear that no one but Christ Jesus alone can be our mediator?

Indeed, I must have an intercessor.

Do you not hear that Christ does everything?

You are lacking in that you still do not recognize him, for you do not trust yourself to him as to a father and yet you call him father. You reckon him a tyrant and a cruel oppressor.

Therefore, all who teach that one may not come to God without different mediators insult God, falsify to him his word, and drive away the believing hearts from our [646] merciful God and father.

These are the real, true anti-Christs. Everything they should ascribe to and attribute to Jesus Christ, our savior, they take away from him and give it wrongly and falsely to another creature--without any scriptural foundation, against the clear word of God.

In short, here no one should let himself be misled so as to seek grace from anyone but God himself.

For this reason we have the clear word of God.

Whoever does not hold this is not a Christian.

The pure faith cannot tolerate one's seeking another solace than the spouse of the believing soul:

God.

[6] Concerning the Abolition of the Law There are many who speak about the abolition of the law in a wholly clumsy fashion. As a result, the ignorant or, actually, willful ones speak so arrogantly that it is an insult to God.

Therefore, as promised above, I shall here discuss the abolition of the law.

Christ says in Luke 16:16f.:

"The law and the prophets lasted until John. From that time the kingdom of God is preached and everyone forces his way in strongly.

However, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than that a single letter or punctuation mark of the law become void." Here first we clearly hear that the law has lasted only until John; second that no letter or period of the law may become void. These two meanings appear to us to be contrary to one another and yet the mouth of God himself purposely has spoken and placed them together.

From which we well see that it has not happened in vain. We need not point out how the ceremonies of the Old Testament, that is, the external sacrifices: the washings, the burning of incense and candles have been abolished together with the costumes, vessels, form of the temple, etc.; for these things have been only a pointing to Christ.

Therefore, when Christ came, they ceased as a shadow does when the light comes.

However, one must say here how the law that concerns the inner person is abolished, such as "You shall love God with the whole heart, soul, mind, and power" [Mt.

22:37] and "You shall love your neighbor as [647] yourself"

[Mt.

22:39].

If these laws were abolished, then in fact faith, which is nothing but constant depending on God, would be abolished.

Therefore, pay attention to the following:

The law is a good thing in itself, for it shows the will of God, as said before.

Yet it kills us.

Not that the law kills us by itself, but that we learn from the law that if we do not follow it we deserve death. Thus the letter of the law kills, according to If Corinthians 3:6 and Romans 7:10. Thus all people learn from the law "You shall love God with all your strength" [Matthew

22:37] that they deserve death; for there is no one who does not either love other things more than God or many times forgets God. Therefore, everyone perceives one is justly damned according to the righteousness of God.

If, however, Christ does justice to it before God--for he is our righteousness--see, then we are redeemed from the law, that is, we are freed so that the law cannot kill us.

Nevertheless, the law remains firm for eternity.

So the law damned all people until Christ came--even though Christ pointed to John out of modesty. For no one had come yet to pay for us since we deserved death.

The speech of Christ is as if he said, "The prophets have predicted my coming and my nature.

This has lasted until John. In him and ih me everything is fulfilled which was previously predicted of us. The law made all humankind guilty of death. However, after John showed that I am the savior, it has not been able to bring anyone to death who has faith in me, for I am payment and redemption.

Nevertheless, all the law as far as concerns the inner person, remains valid eternally. This becomes clear by an example:

"You shall not steal"

[Ex. 20:15] is an eternal commandment. Yet if one has stolen and you redeem him before the judge from the gallows, then he is now redeemed from the law, that is, from the punishment of the law. Nevertheless, he is not redeemed so that in the future, contrary to the law he may continue to steal.

And, although one would redeem him from the gallows as often as he stole, he would never be made free from keeping the law. [648] Thus, although Christ has paid for our sin for eternity, nonetheless the law stands firm always.

But if we trust in Christ we cannot be damned by the law. This is one part of the abolition of the law: that we are redeemed from the punishment of the law if we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, our savior.

In the second place, the law was removed solely from the godly; indeed, according to I Timothy 1:9, it was never given to them. But who is called godly in the Scriptures? Not the person who does not sin, for none is without sin, so I John 1:8. Rather it is the one who believes as it is written in Habakkuk 2:4 and Romans 1:17:

"The believer shall live in faith."

That one alone is living who knows himself to be dead and powerless and who relies on the grace of God alone.

God now lives in him; he is dead. He alone is godly or righteous who recognizes his unrighteousness and who solely relies on the righteous Jesus Christ.

So it happens in the way Paul teaches in Galatians 2:19:

"I have died to the law through the law, so that I live for God. I am crucified with Christ, and I do no longer live; rather, Christ lives in me.

For when I now live in the body I live in the faith and trust of the son of God."

How can one die to the law through the law? Answer: as has often been said before, in that one correctly looks at the law and finds it impossible to keep and fulfill it. He further despairs of attaining salvation because of his works, and comes to the point where he surrenders himself solely to the grace of God.

Now he is in the grace of God, and through recognition of the law has died to the law; therefore, he now lives in the sole comfort of the grace of God.

He is now crucified with Christ if by despair in himself he has died in himself.

He lives no more, for in himself he has been found dead by the law. However, that he lives, i.e. that he has the comfort and certainty of the grace of God, means nothing but that he has placed all his comfort in trust of Jesus Christ. This person now lives in Christ, and Christ lives in him.

Such faith is not the result of human reason nor

power but of the hand and power of God.

Notice, whoever is such a believer does not need any law, but all his life sees only Christ who lives in him and is his comfort--just as a righteous, thankful [649] person looks in all his conduct and behavior to another person who grants him all of his life and necessities.

According to Romans 8:9, "Whoever has such a spirit of Christ is his." And, even though we know that we are still far from perfection, we still find in fact that the measure of goodness grows in us according to the measure of faith and confidence in Christ.

Just as faith is forever tested, so also does the flesh forever bear its fruits.

We do not grow weary of these fruits, except through the firmness of faith, which is nothing but our union with God through constant confidence and running to him.

Thus, those who are now in faith, that is, in the certain confidence of the grace of God, are under the law no longer, but are under grace.

Romans 6:5:

"Whoever lives therein lives in God and God in him."

For everything God demands from him is sweet, agreeable and pleasant according to the inner person, even if he cannot fulfill it because of weakness--for he holds on to the grace of God.

And whatever pleases God pleases him also, even if the flesh cannot follow.

For thus has the law of the living spirit redeemed him from the law of sin and death, according to Romans 8:2.

What is the law of the living spirit?

Answer: the leading and instructing which God offers to us out of a true understanding of his word if we have depended on him. According to John 6:45 and I John 2:27 we may learn this from no one.

Now we have two salvations from the law: one is from the ceremonies, that is, external things or empty church performances.

The other is from the punishment of our misdeeds.

If we have completely depended on God, we no longer need any law.

For there it is God himself who leads us, and as God needs no law, so also do those who live in God need no law--because God leads them. For where the Spirit of God is, there is freedom, as II Corinthians 3:17 says.

The person who depends on God is also free from the law which concerns the inner being. Nevertheless, he does freely and cheerfully all things that [650] are the duty of a Christian person.

One can recognize by their fruits those who are free in such a manner.

When they are humble it happens out of the indwelling Divine Spirit; Christ was also like that.

When they care for other people's salvation, then Christ did likewise; thus the care must come from Christ alone.

When they are patient, then it is the same; for. Christ was also patient.

When they are peaceful, then this, too, is from God; Christ was also. When they are courageous for the sake of the honor of God, Christ was, too.

When they are cheerful in calamity for the sake of the honor of God, then all this is from God, etc.

However, we find here a great number of false Christians who pass themselves off as if they were built on God and were free. Yet there is no humility in them, rather they want to become great, rich,

or esteemed through their pretensions.

Where they should care for others they care only for themselves.

They do not want to bear anything for the sake of God, but for the sake of their own profit and name they bear all things. They are not peaceful. Their business is nothing but to come into discord with other people, to fight and to destroy--even though the honor of God is seriously harmed thereby. They are learned and courageous in the defense of their deeds, however wrong they might be. Yet for increasing the honor of God and teaching their neighbors in friendly fashion, they are worth nothing--even though sometimes one must handle them in roughness. And, for the price of a small disagreeableness, if they lose a small temporary gain they fall away, etc. However, in calling someone to account, in not forgiving any weak person, in praising their skills (but not being the master of them), in boasting how one should kill the priests, burn the monks and drown the nuns, how one should punish the things of which they believe themselves free, in short, in embracing at once without investigation all external things, indeed in that they are "good" Christians.

However, finally, if you identify them well by their fruits, you will not find that they have first become Christians within themselves.

As a result, the teaching of God is dishonored and badly injured here by many who are good Christians only as it concerns the body and external appearance, though in time one must also do away with the abuse of things.

But the [651] inner sin they do not want to touch upon, although it is to be hoped that as far as they have begun to believe the word, they will in time allow themselves to be led truly.

In the third place, we Christians are also free from all those laws imposed on us for the purpose of making us pious or good. Herein belong all papal laws not grounded on the word of God: prohibition of foods, commands to chastity, vows, auricular confession, sacrifices, financial payments, indulgences and the whole worthless business.

We are also free from humanly devised teachings devised by men, such as intercessions to the saints, purgatory, images, church decorations, ordering masses, the purchase of vigils and other things, etc.; for they are not based on the word of God.

The foundation of everything is the sole word of Christ in Matthew 15:9:

"They honor me in vain if they teach the teachings and commandments of people."

In short, according to Luke 16:15 all that is considered good out of the teachings of humankind is an abomination before God.

Finally, on the pretext that they are Christians, some want to exempt themselves from obedience to true government which we call the temporal.

They are the worst enemies of the teachings of God. For in addition to acting contrary to the clear word of God, they also slander the teaching of Christ before other people and render it worthless.

In the Old Testament in Exodus 18:21-26 God established the government that keeps the human

community and justice for peace and rest.

In the New, Christ has ordered one's giving to Caesar (which we shall take to mean every government) what one owes to him [Matthew 22:21].

He also commands this through the mouth of Paul in Romans 13; read the whole chapter.

Through the mouth of Peter, Book One, Chapter Two:

"You should be obedient to the ruler and his governors or captains, etc." [Cf. I Peter 2:13-15.] And soon after:

"You should not make Christian freedom a pretext for evil, etc.

Fear God and hold the rulers in honor, etc." [I Peter 2:16-17] In Hebrews 13:17:

"Be obedient to your superiors, etc."

The proof texts are enough for us to see that we are to be obedient by divine command to the government, which carries the sword. However, a government shall command nothing [652: 1] that is against the honor of God and his word, or the true Christian will say, "One must be more obedient to God than people" as Acts 4:19 and 5:29 state.

Therefore, it is not appropriate for the government to demand anything contrary to the word of God if it wants to be truly Christian.

Now all those who in this time dare to extricate themselves from all obligations of rents, fees, tithes and other just obligations, break the commandment "You shall not steal"

[Exodus 20:15].

For it has become a virtual custom that everybody buys the piece of land on which he pays a tithe for exactly that amount less.

One must do away with the misuse of tithes or the whole order will founder.

These people are more evil thieves than others because they make Christ a pretext for their theitit if) should come to the point that under Christians one does not give a godly person what is his due, and as well not be obedient to the government, then it would be better to live with the Turks than with such a people. One cannot make a greater blasphemy of God than by protecting such wickedness in his name. However, every government should also pay attention to abolish the fraud, usury and malice of rents. As God has given the sword into the government's hand, it should see to it that it does not fight for the sake of its own profit, but that it punishes the evil with it and protects the good. Otherwise, God will find as well a way to shatter the government's power even as the priests' power.

The wanton ones sin also against the priests; for private individuals have presumed to revile them, to despoil them, to beat them to death--all of which is unchristian.

Their matter should be handled in this fashion: they are to be advised of their errors and are to do away with them.

Let them die in peace as they have come.

In this way lawful obligation will be fulfilled; for our, that is, the temporal government, has given them a promise that may not be broken to those who are dedicated to it, but no more may be established.

If, however, there are some stiffnecked ones that will not yield to the word of God [653] and yet cannot bring forward contrary evidence, the government,

not private individuals, shall deal with these. They will then fairly act according to Matthew 18:17 and Deuteronomy Chapter 13..

In short, the ruthless ones, who can do nothing but rob and steal, are such pernicious people that when they presume to gloss it over with the name of Christ, it would be better to have as many

Turks in their place. The supercilious priests who want to accomplish everything with their arrogance and authority are just as pernicious.

Therefore, the government must act earnestly lest the wantonness of both godless parties prove detrimental to the honor of God.

In short, every Christian should give to everyone what is his due, as Romans 13:7 says.

That is a duty which a government recognizes and considers as obligation.

But in this regard let the government really see that it prohibits or changes the duties which are unjust before God. And if one wants to limit the number of priests to the essential number, the goods they now possess still do not belong to you or to anyone else but to the poor, and that according to the decree of the government and each parish.

This is not the place to harp on this matter constantly. Insofar as a preacher of God's word has a clear, simple eye he will not proceed dangerously.

Everybody may well recognize that this Short Instruction, delivered for the unlearned is in vain when the teachers do not first earnestly pray to God that he give them grace, and afterwards search in the Scriptures diligently, remaining therein day and night, and as well finally when they do not show a disposition to build the true Jerusalem.

But if they advance the honor of God and the welfare of souls, as it is their duty, and look not to the temporal but to the eternal, then God will abundantly offer them the word of truth. He turns the shepherd Amos into a preaching prophet

[cf. Am.

1:1]. Therefore they ought to be rich in the word of God and they should teach the gospel, which may not be understood without the law, in such a way that good and evil persons may know how to come to God.

There also are many recalcitrant ones who must be sharply reprimanded.

[654] They praise themselves as being free of the law and yet they are in need of much harder laws in order to be kept on the way, and, in general, they teach which works are most pleasing to God, namely, what he teaches in Matthew 5-7 and John 13-17.

Also, one should softly and strictly fight against the superabundance of games, eating, clothing, swearing, fighting, quarreling and avarice.

There are beasts enough whom we can fight today without needing the preaching either of fables or sophistical arguments in the pulpit.

So much for the instruction of the doctrine of God.

[7] Concerning Images Concerning images: it is reasonable for everyone to teach, as has been found, that images are forbidden by God--so that, after they have been instructed and strengthened, the unlearned and weak ones may soon accept what should be done with the images. For this purpose, the little book that recently came out, On the Abolition of Images, will serve well because it has much scriptural evidence. [7] Whoever does not have this, let him read the following passages:

Exodus 20:23

(at the end on the silver idols); Exodus 34:

12-17; Leviticus 19:4; Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 4:3, 23-28; Deuteronomy 5:7-9; | Samuel 7:3-6; Numbers 25:4f.; Deuteronomy 7:5, 25f.3

Deuteronomy 11:16f.; Deuteronomy 13:6-18; Deuteronomy 27:15; Joshua 24:23; Judges 10:6-16; Psalm 96:5; Psalm 115:4-8; Isaiah 42:17; Isaiah 44:9-20; Jeremiah 10:2-16; Jeremiah 13:10; Ezekiel 14; Ezekiel 6; Micah 1:5-7; Habakkuk 2:18f.; ll Kings 18:4, 33-35; II Kings 10:15-30; Il Kings 23:4-23; Il Chronicles 31:1-7; | Corinthians 5:10f.3

Acts 15:20, 29; | Corinthians 8:4f.; | Corinthians 10:19-21; | Corinthians 12:2; Galatians 5:1, 20; | Thessalonians 1:9; | Peter 4:5; 1 John 5:21.

Of the passages noted, some forbid images or idols, some ridicule them, and some teach how one should abolish them.

At the same time, however, one is to proceed carefully so that evil does not result.

For until Christian people are instructed rightly, that one should not pay the images any honor, one may still have patience until the weak are also able to follow--so that the matter may be brought to a conclusion with unanimity.

Some passages praise those who have got rid of images.

Here some disagree in the following way:

"This command concerns only Jews and not us Christians."

One should answer thus: the two parts, "You shall not have foreign gods" [Exodus 20:3] and "You shall have no image or likeness"

[Exodus 20:4], are like a safeguard and explanation of the first commandment, "You shall trust in one God."

Look at Deuteronomy 5:6, where God says:

"I am your Lord God, who has led you out of Egypt, etc."

Observe that this is the first commandment, wherein God has set himself forth as our God. Now he forbids the things which want to lead us away from him and says immediately thereafter,

"You shall not have other gods after me or in my sight" [Deut.

5:7]. And that is a way through which the children of Israel were often led away--and we Christians the same.

For whoever has sought help and confidence from a creature which the believer ought to seek only with God, has made a foreign god for himself.

For that is forever one's god in which one takes refuge. Hence,

that is one thing that may draw us from God: foreign gods.

The other thing that may lead us away is images.

For that reason, God forbids them first:

"You shall make no carved image, nor likeness or copy of the things which are in heaven, on the earth or in the water" [Deut.

5:8]. See, one is simply not to make any. And if in some way we must have an image before us, as happened to Daniel and others in Daniel Chapter 3, then he says:

"You shall give them no honor"--neither genuflecting, bowing nor reverencing (for that is what the word schahah means),

"and render them no service either." The Latin words also sufficiently point this out:

"You shall not worship them; also show them no honor."

If one has them in a church [656] then one has already given the images honor. And, if one says

"I do not worship them; they teach and admonish me," that is all a fable. God does not speak here of worship, which we want to understand: he is above that, for he knows well that no wise person worships an image.

However, he forbids here all manifestations of honor, so that one may not bow, genuflect, kneel, light candles or burn incense before them.

If one is not honoring them, then what are they doing on the altar?

Indeed, one is honoring them no less than pagans do their images of idols when they have called them by the name of idols.

We have done likewise.

We name the pieces of wood with the names of the blessed.

One piece of wood we name Our Lady and the Mother of God, the other we name St.

Nicholas, etc. And those who do this cry that we want to destroy the honor of the saints, but when they call idols by saints' names they are already dishonoring the saints.

Moreover, it is also wrong that the pictures teach us.

We should be taught solely by the word of God. Instead, the idle priests, who should have taught us unceasingly, have painted the teachings on the walls for us.

And we poor simple people have therewith been deprived of the teaching and have fallen to images, and have honored them.

We have begun to seek from creatures what we should have sought only from God. And though they often should have taught us, they omitted teaching and held the Mass frequently instead.

We simple ones have not understood the Mass, and also the majority of them also, until it has come to the point that by far the majority of Christian people have not known the essential point as to how a person is saved.

Indeed, with their fables of the saints, some have pitiably turned us from the true word of God to the creature.

But if one objects that images are not forbidden in the New Testament, this also is wrong.

For where one finds in the New Testament idolum or simulachrum, there one should read in German bilder ("images") or glychnussen ("likenesses").

Let no one be mistaken that if he finds in the newly published New Testament in the designated passages the words [657] abgot ("idol")

or froembde goett ("foreign gods") it should always read "images" or "likenesses" instead.

Idolon, semeion, says Hesychius, "is the Latin 'simulachrum';" in German: a bild ("image") or glychnus ("likeness").

Now compare I John 5:21:

"Dear Children, be on your guard against images!" and other passages and see, therefore, whether or not images are also forbidden in the New Testament.

Acts Chapter

is advice by the Christians at Jerusalem that Christians should be on guard against the defilement caused by images.

Furthermore, if we say "The saints' images show us what they have done and suffered so that we do likewise," then one should ask us when our works are righteous. We must always say: if they are done in faith which is also the love for God, then they are pleasing to God according to I Corinthians Chapter 13.

One asks us further: on what basis have the saints done such?

We will say: out of true faith. Now let someone show us where they have painted or copied this faith.

We cannot show it save in their hearts.

Therefore it must always follow that we also must learn that faith is necessary in our hearts if we want to do anything pleasing to God.

This we cannot learn from walls but only from the gracious pulling of God out of his own word.

See.

We recognize here that the image leads only to external weakness and cannot make the heart faithful.

We see externally what the saints have done, but images cannot give us the faith wherein all things must come to pass.

If we now have pure and undefiled faith, see, we will ridicule ourselves for having had so ignorant and weak a faith that we imagined images admonish us--when, in fact, everything without faith is vain.

Here one makes another objection:

"Then it is not fitting for one to paint a story on his house, or to have any kinds of pictures painted or carved.

In the Old Testament we see two cherubim and woven or embroidered cloths with the cherubim and bronze serpents, and buttons, lilies and violets on the menorah and garlands on the ephod. [658] Also in I Kings Chapter 6, Solomon let them make cherubim, palm trees and numbers of paintings in the temple that were so beautiful they appeared to grow out of the walls.

Therefore it is without doubt also fitting for us to have such paintings or images."

I answer: it is certain that God has only forbidden all forms and images, lest one begin to honor anything or render honor to any creature in addition to him, as one can well understand in Deuteronomy Chapter 4. Therefore we may well note that such forms as flower patterns, lions' heads, wings and the like that never can be taken as God and as aids are not forbidden.

For Solomon would not have let such trees and flowers be made in the temple, nor would God have ordered the making of the menorah, if they had produced the danger of idolatry.

However, with regard to the images and the paintings which we have in churches, it is evident that they have

created the danger of idolatry.

Therefore, one should not leave them there any longer--nor in your chamber, in the marketplace, or anywhere one shows any kind of honor.

Especially are they intolerable in the churches, for everything we have there is holy to us.

Where anyone would have them outside the church as a representation of historical events without instruction for veneration, they may be tolerated.

But whenever one begins to bow before them and to give them honor, then they are to be tolerated nowhere on earth.

For then they are, in short, either an aid to idolatry, or idolatry itself.

[8] Concerning the Mass If one wants to speak of the mass, one should first point out, so as not to offend anyone, that none of us wants to abolish or belittle the body and blood of Christ, or to teach that it is nothing--but that the mass has a different purpose from that of eating and drinking the body and blood of Christ.

That is to say it has always been taught that the laity and priests eat one thing when they eat the body and blood of Christ.

This is true, for Christ made in it only one order and institution. Nonetheless, several hundred years ago the erring priests turned it into a sacrifice--which it is not.

No layman considers it anything but food for the soul.

[659] It is that, and God instituted it for that and nothing else, as will clearly be shown later.

Therefore it cannot be anything else. Here one must point out what people have meant in calling it a sacrifice and what a sacrifice is.

In short, the word "sacrifice" in the Old Testament stands for a gift that one has brought to God. The priest then took the gift, lifted it onto the altar and burned it, or raised it up, or moved it back and forth--in accordance with the type of sacrifice.

This was done for the purification of their sin. Now all this was but an image saying that Christ, the true priest, would come, and would offer for the sins of all the world not an animal nor an imperfect sacrifice, but a pure unstained sacrifice.

No person in all humanity could have been found to do this except Christ himself. Therefore he offered up himself as he suffered the death on the cross for us.

By this one death he purified and paid for the sins of the whole world for eternity.

This true meaning one finds grounded in the letter to the Hebrews, especially chapters 6 to 10. Now since Christ has suffered only once the death on the cross, thus he also has been sacrificed only once.

His dying is his sacrifice for us, and his sacrifice is his dying. His sacrifice is the purification of our sin and his death is also the purification of our sin. Therefore as he has died only once as Romans 6:10

states, so also has he suffered death only once and has been sacrificed only once.

And, therefore, where one finds in the Scripture that Christ's death has taken away our sin and finds in addition that his sacrifice has taken away our sin, and his shedding of his blood has taken away our sin, as Colossians 1:22 says, then they all together have only one meaning, namely, that Christ has saved us and paid for our sin, because he has given and sacrificed himself for us in the death of the cross.

As he died only once, thus has he been sacrificed only once.

However the claim of priesthood to sacrifice Christ for other people has been invented in themselves without foundation in the word of God. As a result there arise two serious blasphemies of God--and two big sins. [660] The first blasphemy of God is that through it the great value and treasure of the sufferings of Christ is obscured.

Christ, who is true God and human, is so high and valuable that his death offered only once is rich and precious enough to pay for all the world's sin for eternity; for he is eternal God. Therefore his suffering is also unceasingly fruitful for eternity.

If, now, the priesthood claims that they sacrifice for sin, then that must mean that Christ did not complete salvation perfectly with his suffering--or that it is no longer powerful. For if we believe that he, once sacrificed, has redeemed and paid for eternity for us, that is, the believers, then it must be a blasphemy to undertake it again, just as if it has not previously been accomplished.

The other blasphemy and abomination consists in that no one can sacrifice anything higher than himself, a sacrifice about which Paul teaches in Romans chapter 12:

"I ask you, dear brothers, through the mercy of God, that you offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, a holy sacrifice, a sacrifice pleasing to God, and that your service come from your mind and heart"

[Rom.

12:1] Observe that this is the highest sacrifice which a person can offer: oneself.

Now if one undertakes to sacrifice God, one blasphemes him, for he is making himself so great as if he were able to sacrifice God. But no one can sacrifice Christ other than he himself.

For as the sacrifice must be pure, so also must the priest be pure. As we have no priest in the entire human race who is without sin other than Christ alone, then also: can no one sacrifice him other than he himself. And, therefore, whoever calls himself a sacrificer takes Christ's honor away from him and gives it to himself. This is an intolerable abomination.

The two sins are these:

The first is that the wrong understanding of sacrifice has planted and encouraged all vices.

For all robbers, usurers, traitors, murderers, and adulterers have believed that their matter

becomes right if they let a mass be sáid for their misdeeds.

It cannot be other than that they have sinned as a result. One sees this well in their donating of religious foundations and purchases of masses, which they would not establish if it were not their last refuge. That's how much they love possessions. [661]

The other sin is that one has collected so much temporal good with the mass and has taken it for the fabricated sacrifice.

Even if it were a sacrifice it would still be an abomination to take money and rewards of temporal goods for it. Yet this was not enough.

They also used the possessions arbitrarily and even deprived the poor of that which belonged to them before all others.

The majority of all the alms has been made use of in that way.

For this purpose they have been as oppressive as they could be.

In the first place, they have called their eating a mass, that is, as much as a sacrifice or a sent sacrifice; but, as said above, it cannot be such.

For Christ has instituted it only once and in one way, and has not named it a sacrifice or mass but a testament and memorial.

Therefore, this name is incorrectly imposed on the body and blood of Christ.

Also, they have cut off one kind, namely the blood, which is never given to the common person, though Christ instituted the practice.

One fears this happened only for the reason that they had the one as a sacrifice and the other not, with many other ceremonies, vestments, crosses, and peculiar opinions.

In order that it may become obvious to every person how Christ instituted this food for the soul one should diligently look at the words of Christ which are in Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:

22-25, and Luke 22:19f. and explain them to the people. The same will be much clearer from the words of Paul of I Corinthians 11:23-26, which we also want to make our own here:

"I have declared to you what I have received or learned from God, namely that the Lord Jesus took bread the night he was betrayed, and after he gave thanks, broke it and said, 'Take.

Eat.

This is my body which is broken for you.

Do this in my memory.'

These are the words concerning the body. Here we see in the first place that Christ says, "the body, which is broken for you," that is, as I now [662] break the bread for you so will I be afflicted and killed for you.

Afterwards he says, "Do this in my memory"

[I Cor.

11:24] See.

He himself calls it a commemoration, and of the meal which he instituted himself.

From this we see Christ has not performed a sacrifice after the night's meal wherein he gave the disciples his flesh and blood, but only the day after when he died on the cross.

But his flesh and blood should be a remembrance of these things which he has done--as will be shown later.

Now follow the words concerning the blood:

"The same also, the cup after the supper saying, 'This cup is the New Testament in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in my memory.'

For as often as you will eat the bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until he will come"

[I Cor.

1l:

25-26]. These are the words concerning the blood of Christ wherein we shall first of all understand that this word "cup" is named here for the word "drink".

Accordingly, he calls the drink the "New Testament", that is, the new covenant and legacy.

For, as stated above, by shedding his blood Christ has reconciled us again to his heavenly father and made an eternal covenant through which we can come to God.

If we look at the characteristics of a testament we will see that a legacy is only established when its author dies.

Thus the testament of Christ is only established in his death on the cross.

Just as little as a person can establish a testament such as Christ did, so little can he perform a sacrifice.

However, a person can remember what Christ has done. And one who trusts in Christ's suffering and salvation is saved.

Of this Christ has left for us a certain, safe sign of his flesh and blood, and has called these two to be eaten and drunk in his memory.

And as to how the commemoration should be handled, Paul formulates here exactly and says, "For as often as you will eat the bread and drink the drink, you shall proclaim the death of the Lord"

[I Cor.

11:26] Thus we learn that the legitimate use of this sacrament should be as follows: as often in the year as it pleases the parish, one should proclaim and preach the suffering and death of Christ telling how much good and peace has been brought to us, and for the confirmation of all that, feed all the believers who wish it with the body and blood of Christ.

[663] This, in short, is the simple wish and intention of Christ.

If we now see that the mass is no special establishment of Christ, but considered by human beings as a sacrifice (where, nevertheless, this sacrament is nothing but the eating and drinking of the body and blood of Christ) then it should be a concern for all persons that such misuse will be abolished where one pretends to perform a sacrifice for others--nevertheless, with such discretion and prudence that a riot does not occur because of it. Then one can find good ways to abolish the abuses. Therefore the preachers shall excuse the ordinary mass-priests everywhere.

For, since these errors did not spring from them, they should not suffer for them.

Let all people be admonished so that they let them depart in peace as they came.

For the majority of them are so old that they cannot any longer be set to work. And no Christian should destroy the work of God on account of the supper, as Romans 14:20 says.

However, where some behave so indecently--by opposition without basis in the word of God--then nobody should act against them; rather, leave them to the government which will handle them as is fitting.

For, in short, when Almighty God

, 13; reveals his word, then people must sée that they comply with it, or they will invite the wrath of God on themselves.

[9] Conclusion And, if you fulfill what is written above, as you are obliged to do, and as we demand from you, then we have in God the certain hope that he will make his word fruitful and increase his honor by our improvement and peaceful lives. May God give this to us through Jesus Christ, our redeemer and savior. Amen:

Dated the 17th day of November, 1523.

NOTES 1.

On the role of the City Council of Zurich in the progress of the Reformation in Zurich, see Robert C. Walton, Zwingli's Theocracy, Toronto:

University of Toronto Press,

and Robert C. Walton, "The Institutionalization of the Reformation at Zurich," Zwingliana XIII/8 (1972):497-515.

Cf. Egli, Nr. 456.

The term Einleitung (Anleitung) may alternatively be translated as "Introduction".

The nature of this treatise, however, as both confessional and educational in intent is best rendered by the term "Instruction". lt is therefore used here.

For a study of the theology of the Instruction and its place in the Zurich reformation, as well as lengthy annotations comparing the content of the Instruction to other theologians, both contemporary to Zwingli and preceding him, see H.

Wayne Pipkin, "The Nature and Development of the Zwinglian Reformation,"

Hartford Dissertation, 1968.

This rubric is missing in the German, but was inserted by Gwalter in the Latin translation.

The reference to "original sin" as prest or prast is a peculiarity of Zwingli, to which many call attention.

It is difficult to render the term in English, due largely to its importance and its distinctiveness.

Where one expects to find erbsund in Zwingli, one finds erbprast.

It will be rendered by both "sin" and "weakness".

When the latter term is used, it must be kept in mind that the weakness intended is severe.

| am indebted to G. R. Potter for a succint statement

of the meaning of presten as "an inherent and irresistible inclination to sin".

For Zwingli it is the weakness inherent in the "flesh". For a discussion of current conclusions on the concept, see Gottfried W. Locher, "The Change in the Understanding of Zwingli in Recent Research," Church History XXXIV (1965):10.

For other places where Zwingli uses the term, see Z II:45:6,

Z V:369-396

(tr.

Jackson 1l:1-22).

See also:

Schweizerisches ldiotikon V:856ff.

The rubric, missing in the German edition, is supplied by Gwalter.

Zwingli is referring to the

treatise of Ludwig Hatzer published by Froschower:

Ein urtheil gottes unsers eegemahels, wie man sich mit allen goetzen und bildnussen halten sol, uss goettlicher gschrifft gezogen.

See Charles Garside, Jr, "Ludwig Haetzer's Pamphlet Against Images: a critical study," Mennonite Quarterly Review XXIV (1960):20-36.

Hatzer, a native of Zurich, was the secretary of the Second Disputation.

He later became an anti-trinitarian.

See G. H. Williams, The Radical Reformation, Philadelphia:

Westminster Press, 1962, pp.

80, 91-92, 192-95.

THE SHEPHERD

March 1524

(Z III: 5-68)

Translated and edited by H. Wayne Pipkin Wil

* € — cA Ht qi bathe air doct _ ~ 7

Introduction The Second Disputation of October, 1523 found 350 priests present among the

in attendance.

It was a rare opportunity for Zwingli to engage in the spiritual formation of the evangelical clergy.

To this end, on the third morning of the disputation, the memorial day of Saints Simon and Jude, Zwingli preached his influential sermon.

In it he described the ideal, or true shepherd, over against the false shepherd.

He called the assembled pastors to an evangelical spirituality that would dispense with the external forms of false religion and would be characterized by a firm commitment to biblical religion as it should be lived out among the people.

It is significant that in the context of the disputation that established the nature of the Zurich Reformation, the Reformer addressed himself to the matter of the spirituality of its guardians.

The importance of the statement was recognized and Zwingli was prevailed upon to publish it. An enlarged, reworked version was brought out by Froschower in March, 1524. On the recommendation of the St. Gall Reformer, Joachim Vadian, Zwingli dedicated the treatise to Jacob Schurtanner, evangelical pastor at Teufen, Appenzell.

The title, the Shepherd, was taken from the ancient Shepherd of Hermas, which Zwingli imagined could be replaced in the Reformer's day by his own sermon.

The published sermon should be read in conjunction with the Short Christian Instruction.

The two tracts together represent a concise statement of the life, doctrine and spirituality of the Zurich Reformation.

The sermon was translated into Latin by Rudolph Gwalter in his sixteenth century edition.

A new High German translation appeared in Raget Christoffel, Zeitgemasse Auswahl aus Huldreich

Zwinglis praktischen Schriften, Vol. III, Zurich, 1843.

An English translation enjoyed wide circulation throughout Great Britain under the title:

The ymage of bothe pastoures, sethe forthe by that mooste famous clerck, Huldrych Zwinglius, and now translated out of Latin and into Englishe by John Wernon

Synonoys.

A most fruitefull and necessary boke, to be had and redde in all churches, therewyth to enarme all symple and ignorant folkes, against the ravennige wolues and false prophets.

London, 1550.

HWP

THE SHEPHERD

How one can recognize true Christian shepherds and also the false, and also how one should behave in regard to them, written by Huldrych

Zwingli in the year 1524 To Jacob Schurtanner, Ceraunelateus, bishop, that is guardian and shepherd at Teufen in Appenzell, [1] his dear brother in God, Huldyrch Zwingli, offers grace and peace from God the Father and his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear brother!

When Dr.

Joachim von Watt, the capable physician of body and soul who is a credit and honor not only to the noble city of St. Gall and the entire confederation, [2] but to all Christians, was with me the last time he requested for your sake the sermon which I preached at the last disputation on Simon and Jude's day with God's help to the bishops, shepherds or guardians. [3] Although my intention was to write nothing for a while, [6] but to spend this half year entirely in the comparison of the Hebrew, Greek and Latin Old Testament, I was not able, however, to refuse anything either to him or to you. Although

I come later to the task, due to the many singular winds that have unusually and uncommonly thrust against me this year, thereby preventing me from taking up the task, I do come finally to do so, though not at all with so full a hand as I would wish. As you well know, Jerome verified that Hermas wrote a book in the Greek language called "The Shepherd", which was highly esteemed by the ancient Christians. [4] I have often wished that someone would emerge--since today there are so many god-fearing and learned persons--who would replace for us with true faithfulness the missing "Shepherd", so that everyone might be able to distinguish the true shepherds from the false. Since no one has emerged,

I have presumed to do so, for, although ignorant, I may dare as Paul [cf. 2 Cor.

1:6] and undertake such a thing. Now it did not turn out as well, but perhaps it will bring forth all the more fruit, for God enjoys overturning the wise and high things of this world with the poor and weak. [Cf. 1 Cor. 1:27] [7]

In the first part you will find the color and shape of a true shepherd painted with clear strokes.

This picture is for sure

not a pleasant incentive for the flesh.

Rather, it is an eternal, unending struggle with all that is of the flesh, with father and mother, etc., with itself, with all arrogant power, with everything that is not with God. From this we see very well that to administer undefiled such a difficult office is not by human but by divine power.

In the second part you will see also the false wolves which pass themselves off in sheep's clothing [cf.

Mt.

7:15], standing with their fangs and claws which the sheep's clothing cannot cover.

You will also thereby find that I have not placed very much in this writing for the friends of this world.

For they are few who preach the gospel as strictly and consistently as it should be taught. Among these I include even myself. May God improve the situation.

These same ones will therefore complain about the strong words.

The other wolves will not only cry, "Heretic:" as they have up to now, but they will cry, "Murderer: Thief! Traitor:"--and whatever greater things they can think up.

It will be like the time when the doctor and canon of Constance sat in the earlier disputation in his red hood, and already out of questionable willfulness began to call me a murderer. [5] I won't even mention his name.

All he achieved by that was that the strong, firm godly ones who heard have gotten to know, as I hoped, his brutal anger. For I will remain my life long an enemy of murderers, especially of soul murderers.

Yes, they will slander me so badly, but with the truth the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against me.

[Cf.

Mt.

16:18] God be praised and thanked that they cannot prevail over the divine word and now must turn to blasphemy just like angry women.

Also, as there is cause to suspect, they will not mend their ways, for [8] Jeroboam did not mend his ways even though his arm grew stiff [cf.

1 K.

13:4], nor did Pharoah, when God through Moses spoke to him and gave him signs. [Cf. Ex. 5:ff.] In the same way, the only goal which I have in mind, is to lead them away from their designs. Many persons, with gentleness and goodness, have attempted that before, but it achieved only as much as words of exhortation to unmoving horses.

One must use spurs, whips, switches and sticks in order to get them moving.

So one must take off his guest's hat and simply present the truth, so that if they do not mend their ways the godly Christian people will be on guard against them, so that with time the splendor and misuse of power will be taken away from them by the loss of the people.

In the meantime God's servants must work unceasingly, for those others will always entangle the princes and rulers with new artifices, so that they protect them by force from loss. Now they command that one should confess twice to the pastor, even though the papal laws themselves cannot force one to go to confes-

sion more than once. [9] They order that'one should make oblations.

Everywhere in the world that has been free. One should give for Our Lady's building at the cathedral.

Since time immemorial that has also been voluntary.

And yet the poor people need it much more for their own church buildings and other needs. They have allowed the eating of forbidden foods for six or nine kreuzer.

Now they stir up the authorities to punish it with imprisonment and heavy fines.

Yes, I hear of two princes who have raged even more foolishly. [6] They have now come to the point where they call good evil, and evil good [Isa. 5:20]. They have thereby also led astray the foolish princes, who indeed should know without doubt what is right, so that they hate the good and love the evil

[Mic. 3:2].

Yes, so must their evil-mindedness be sufficiently fulfilled.

They are the type who will stir up the world against itself for their own protection.

They have done that for a long time and wil keep on doing it.

In the final analysis, however, God will be master.

But if they daily suffer the loss of their profits so that they no longer have so much to make payments, than the princes and rulers will grow tired of their begging.

And where the princes and rulers do not dislike such, the people will begin to dislike the princes and rulers.

And if that happens then they will be despised along with the bishops--if nothing worse follows after.

God remains eternally one kind of God.

He saw how the children of Israel were oppressed in Egypt and he redeemed them.

We see today such a sudden opening up and accepting of the word of God, an increase the size of which no one had hoped for in so short a time.

It can only be the providence of God who has once again seen the captivity of his people and has sent redemption. Look at Exodus: chapter 3 and Psalm 110 [Ex. 3:7f.; Ps. 111:9].

We see that he has not forgotten us. He has [10] sent his word and made us whole. He has redeemed us from the havoc of ruination as he promised by the prophets [Ps. 107:20]. What more miserable thing could the Christian people encounter than such shepherds who have sold for money what they did not have and what they would not let be bought for money if they had it. They have left with this all consciences hungry and in doubt. For they themselves have not believed what they have offered to the world.

For had they believed it they would have lived differently. Now, however, the heavenly light so clearly discloses itself they will not be able to force anyone into the darkness.

Therefore, dear Jacob, be strong:

Do not let yourself be overcome, so that you are called Israel. [Cf. Gen. 32:25, 28] We must fight with the enemy until morning comes, until, as 2 Peter 1:19 says, the morning star rises in our hearts and the servants of darkness hide themselves in their night.

I do not say this because I in any way thought you will

quit; rather, I am encouraging you so you might also hear that your faithful diligence is a living fragrance among the believers.

For God is my witness as to how wonderfully great the joy was when the report came as to how the godly people of Appenzell have received the word of God.

I also would have been anxious as to how they could have been strengthened, were your faith, loyalty and love which you have for God not known to me.

I have no doubt that with these you will complete the good work with God which he has begun with them.

[Cf.

Phil.

1:6] It is well to be hoped that, just as they are the last of the regions to be admitted to the noble confederation, they will be neither the smallest nor the last in faith. [7] For they do not live in the midst of a land of amusement where the danger of selfishness and lasciviousness is the greatest, but in a rugged area where pious simplicity may better be protected.

This innocent simplicity together with sensible godliness [11] is a special home and dwelling place of faith.

For Christian doctrine and life is nowhere easier planted than with those people who know the least of all about the deceitful tricks of this world.

It is not that the godly Appenzellers lack anything in reason and wisdom. Rather, their unspoiled behavior shows us still something of the qualities of the confederation.

When the word of God comes to them, it will doubtless draw a wonderfully pious and god-fearing people, and will do away with the selfishness which Brother Claus von Unterwalden prophesied will be so detrimental. [8] Where this selfishness is not done away with, no government can continue.

Although some are of a different opinion, nothing other than the word of God has done away with the mercenary service with foreign lords in Zurich city and territory. That will be seen, if God wills, in the constant increase of faith and everything good.

Therefore, continue to exercise care for your children which were born to you as you have done until now, and teach them not to abandon the healing teaching of God because of any flattery or threats of the false shepherds. Put your foot firmly in between the teeth of the ravenous wolves and do not let the little sheep be snatched away from you. Above all watch out for the little papist fox [9] who would gladly, where permitted, eat [12] as the wolves.

I hear he has been sent to hinder and to lead astray. Follow after him strongly until you lead him away from error, and, failing that, away from the sheep.

Keep yourself strong and your heart firmly in God, of whose assistance you can be certain.

Give greetings to your loyal co-workers in the Gospel of Christ, the bishops of Gais, Bernhardin N., and to all who hold loyally to God. [10] We hear that the majority of your bishops, though their names be unknown to me, are loyal. Thanks be to God. Greet also the two daughters of Trogen. [11]

God bless you and the whole people of Appenzell.

Given at Zurich, 26 March, 1524.

Pray to God for me with all your people.

Dearest brothers in God and co-ministers in the household of God, the prophets in the Old Testament and many distinguished and pious Christians in the New have directed warnings and admonitions to the shepherds, as one still clearly sees in their writings.

Therefore I hope it is also proper for me to speak earnestly and faithfully with you concerning our office, especially in this divine gathering wherein have come together so many hundred shepherds and learned men, together with the great number of the people thirsting for the word of God.

Well, now: May God be gracious to us.

A shepherd and the sheep he tends bear so clearly a resemblance to God and to us that the writings of the Old Testament constantly portray the divine providence and caring for us poor people under the image of the shepherd--wherein God is understood--and the image of the sheep--wherein we are understood.

Also [13] in John 10:11 our savior Jesus Christ has called himself a shepherd since he is the true pasture and food, and in addition, the leader or shepherd who has led us out of the dark stall of ignorance and the bondage of human teaching into the light of divine wisdom and the freedom of sons.

Therefore it is also necessary that all those sent among his sheep as shepherds learn to administer their office and commission from no other model than the only true word of God, which has expressed itself visibly and in the most real sense now in the last times in the Lord Jesus Christ, true Son of God, and before that, though less clearly, in the Old Testament, in many fathers and prophets.

Thus in the first place we want to consider the word of God out of the mouth and activity of Christ, true God, and thereafter from the prophets and apostles, in order to see what and how big the office of shepherd is which we call bishop, pastor, people's priest, prophet, evangelist or preacher.

Next we also want to sketch the picture of the false prophets, so one can recognize them and show what their punishment will be so they will be reformed by this recognition, or, failing that, be deposed.

So that we do not delay a long time with the mysterious understanding of the incarnation and birth of Christ we want

to start with those things he did and taught after he revealed himself in this world. When Simeon took him in his arms and indicated that he would be the savior of the world, Simeon said to his mother in Luke 2:34f.:

"See!

This child is set forth for the fall and rising of many in Israel and to a symbol which many will oppose. A sword will pierce your own soul so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed."

Thus must every shepherd be prepared that in his pasture some will become worse, [14] but that some will be resurrected from their sins. He will also always be opposed by unbelievers, for the carnal person does not accept the spiritual word of God but fights against it with all his might

[1 Cor.

2:14].

For this reason the shepherd must always stand exposed to danger and persecution by the enemies of the word of God.

His father and mother and all his relatives must be prepared to have to see their children suffer the mockery and rejection of the world. The flesh does not let itself be so easily cheated that it does not break out and assert its attacks. So are the relatives distressed with sorrow and anxiety in their heart just as the Virgin Mary also suffered her sword.

Parents bear such love for their children that they have compassion with them in their sorrow not only when they are just but also when they are unjust, as David did over the disobedience of his son Absalom [2 S. 18:33].

On the other hand also the shepherd must leave father and mother and, without consideration of them, persist in the work of God, as Christ himself teaches in Luke 2:48f.

In that passage, Joseph and Jesus' mother had sought him in distress and found him on the third day in the midst of the scholars.

His mother scolded him:

"O Son, how could you do this to us?

In distress have I and your father sought you." He answered them:

"Why are you looking for me?

Did you not know that I had to be about my father's business?"

In the same way the shepherd must not let himself be led astray from the advancement of divine work by the distress of father and mother nor by child, wife, sister, brother or friend.

For so acted the obedient son of Mary, Jesus Christ. Therefore in Matthew 10:37 he says to his disciples when he sends them out to preach:

"Whoever loves his father or mother, son and daughters more than me is not worthy of me," or more to the point: he is of no use to me. [15] He must also not let himself be influenced by father or mother so that he limits or directs the word according to their will, for Christ gave a harsh answer to his dear mother when she wanted to admonish him to help the people with the wine at the wedding:

"Woman, what do I have to do with you?" [Jn.

2:4] See, the shepherd must so firmly lead to pasture that he is not ruled by the forwardness of any person, not even of father or mother.

But where they still want to do that and do not surrender

to the word of God, there the shepherd must become their enemy, must leave them and hate them.

For Christ sends the disciples forth with the following commission:

"You should not think I have come to bring peace to earth.

I have not come to bring peace but the sword.

For I have come to divide sons against fathers, daughters against mothers, etc."

[Mt.

10:39f.] "Whoever comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and child, brothers and sisters, and even his own soul, may not be my disciple."

[Lk.

14:26] So peculiar must the shepherd of God be: he must hate even the father and mother God otherwise calls to love and honor--if they try to make him unfaithful. These commands are not only for shepherds, but are for all people.

Nevertheless, primarily and first of all they are for the shepherd.

We have seen how the shepherd must be independent of father and mother, etc., and how they must be prepared to experience no earthly honor in their child, and if they are tempted so they would lead the shepherd, their child, astray, he must accept struggle, animosity and separation from them.

Now we want to see in addition how the shepherd must be in himself.

Christ says in Matthew 16:24f. and Luke 9:23:

"Whoever wants to come after me should deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.

For whoever wants to preserve his soul will lose or destroy it; however, whoever [16] will lose or destroy his soul for my sake, will preserve it or make it whole."

In the first place he must deny himself, for he wants always and everywhere to be something, to be capable and to be able.

He must be pawned and spurned in himself like a serf or menial servant; he must look up only to what God commands him, doing nothing on his own power or knowledge, but considering the only guide, God, and his word.

That happens only at the cross.

That he must take daily on himself.

For opposition will always fall his lot. This he must bear on himself and not avoid.

If a person has denied himself and looks to God alone he finds daily a greater number of those who do not deny themselves than those who have. Between these there originates as certain a strife as between fire and water; for the flesh always lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. [Gal. 5:17] The flesh also espouses the true and just, wants also to keep up with it and also be sincere in it. And when it sees its nature is only a deception against the work of God, it does not yield to God, even though it wants to appear to be God-fearing before people.

This, however, cannot remain hidden before that

person who has truly denied himself, for this one will notice immediately when self-seeking lifts itself. And as soon as he shows the flesh its falsity and malice, then it resorts to its weapons and scolds him who has stirred up the matter, and attacks him constantly with all strength, even to the point of killing him who has stirred it up. Therefore Christ teaches to be ready to bear the cross daily, for persecution grows the more the divine word grows. The more that grows, the more the flesh is angered. Therefore they are wrong who think they will soon obtain rest, that they will not have to suffer great persecution for the sake of the word of God.

Even though the people come to the word of God in droves, nevertheless there will be opposition enough from the high ones of this time.

Even if they were not there, then all the more the false teachers will stand up, who have more knowledge than love, [17] and for the sake of a hazelnut will wound all the simple and quiet ones to show how learned they are.

Hereby the cross becomes very burdensome and requires new strength; for offense of the simple does not take place without great concern by the strong who are concerned on behalf of the simple. As Paul also says in 2 Corinthians

11:29:

"Who is offended that I am not burned?"

In short, everyday there is a new cross; it must be so. Christ does not lie, since he says in Matthew 6:34:

"The day will have enough troubles and work of its own." "Whoever wants to preserve his soul, etc."

[Mt.

16:25; Lk. 9:24] Here the soul is not only taken for the bodily life but for human feeling, intention or counsel.

Whoever retreats from the word of God for the sake of this ephemeral life will lose his life.

Whoever depends on his own knowledge, counsel or feeling, thinking therewith to save himself, will destroy his own soul.

Therefore the shepherd must deny himself, throw off his self-love, and certainly prepare himself to bear each day a new cross. Christ Jesus himself did so, always subjugating his will to that of the Father, bearing every cross until he came to the honor of sitting at the right hand of God.

When now the shepherd, or any person, empties himself in this way, then the next thing is to be filled again with God, that is, he has all his confidence and consolation in God.

This Christ demonstrated in his disciples whom he cares for not only with temporal nourishment (since they follow him) in that they answered that nothing was lacking when he asked them whether they lacked anything as he sent them out without staff and sack.

[Cf.

Lk.

22:35] He also commanded them not to be concerned as to how they would answer when they were delivered up before the judge.

For in the same hour they would receive what [18] to answer when being delivered up before the judge [Mt.

10:19].

Christ also breathed on them and before he bestowed the office of preaching on them [Jn. 20:22] said to them:

"Take the Holy Spirit." For none is suitable for feeding the sheep unless he has emptied himself and only God dwells in him and speaks out of

him.

Therefore he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem until they had received the promised spirit. [Cf. Lk.

24:49; Acts 1:4] When they had received it with much joy and rejoicing they began from that hour on to preach.

Thus must the shepherd lead his sheep into no other pasture than that in which he has previously been nourished, that is, in the knowledge and trust of God.

So must he always know God beforehand and have all his solace in him.

Following that, he should begin to preach as Christ began:

"Repent!"

[Mt.

4:17] It was with this form that the forerunner John the Baptist also began. [Cf. Mt. 3:2] Now no one will repent who does not know how evil he is. Therefore here must sin be preached first, and then salvation.

Let no one here be led astray by the fact that Christ says in Matthew 10:7 and Mark 16:15 to preach only salvation or the gospel.

For always the illness must be recognized before one takes the medicine.

Christ also in those passages takes the word of salvation in terms of grace, for the gospel is the message of the certain grace of God. However, the recognition of sin, which also is necessary, brings nothing other than despair in ourselves and powerfully drives us to the mercy of God. Of that mercy we are certain, for God has given his son for us.

Therefore he names the means of redemption in those passages after the medicine.

However in Luke 24:47 he links repentance or remorse and forgiveness with one another, saying:

"thus in his name (that is, in Christ's) repentance or remorse and forgiveness of sins must be preached to all people."

See:

Here are the gospel and repentance connected; for no one really rejoices in the gospel who has not previously rightly recognized the disease of sin. [19]

Now if a person has recognized his misery and found after that salvation in Christ Jesus it is not seemly any longer to live in sin. For since we have died to sin in Christ, we may no longer live in sin, Romans 6:2. Therefore the shepherd must also carefully prevent the washed sheep's falling again in the excrement, that is, after the believers have come into knowledge of their savior and have experienced the friendly grace of God, they should thereafter lead a blameless life so that they no longer walk in death.

Just as Christ also, having risen from the dead dies no more, so also they, having laid aside the old being, should put on a new being [Eph. 4:22, 24] which is like God, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Putting on this new being is nothing other than living as he lived. Therefore he commands the disciples in Mt. 28:19ff.:

"Go forth:

Teach all people.

Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them also to hold all things which I have commanded you." For whoever does not change his life from day to day, after he has been redeemed in Christ mocks the name of Christ and disparages and disdains it before the unbelievers.

Therefore St. Peter in | Peter 4:1-3

' ai also says:

"Now as Christ suffered for us in the flesh so should you also be armed with the same mind.

For as he suffered in the flesh he has silenced sin so that you may live the rest of the time not in human desires but in the will of God. For it is enough that in the past time of our lives we have performed the willfulness of the Gentiles, walking in impurity, in lusts, drunkenness, gluttony, tippling and unseemly worship of idols, etc." Therein we see that it is not enough only to take possession of salvation, it is also necessary to take care so that one does not lose or despise it.

Most helpful toward that end is the shepherd's doing in practice what he teaches in words, which Christ demands most clearly in Matthew 5:19:

"Whoever dismisses one of the smallest commandments and teaches people to do so will be called the smallest in the kingdom of heaven.

However, whoever will act and teach will be great in the kingdom of heaven." This is certain: it is only hypocrisy when one speaks beautifully of God [20] but does not form one's life according to him. As Paul also in Titus 1:16 points out:

"They say they know God but with their actions they deny him. They are reprobate, disobedient and good for nothing." Again in Romans 2:21-24:

"You teach others but not yourself.

You preach that one should not steal and yet you steal. You say one should not commit adultery and you do so. You condemn idols but you are faithless in holy things.

You boast in the law and yet dishonor God with transgression of the law. Therefore it happens that the name of God is slandered among the heathen on your account." The shepherd must essentially guard against breaking with the deed what he teaches with words. For the weak believers too easily let the inconsistent deed turn them away from the word of God.

Here the shepherd should carefully guard against putting on a hypocritical dress for the true one, so that he decks himself out with cowls and hooded mantles while he is inwardly full of avarice--as for the most part the monks and theologians of this time do.

They bow low, but they have an arrogant disposition; they wear a white shirt, but are more unchaste than the wild boar; high shoes and hats, but are full of envy and hatred; murmur many psalms, but leave the clear word of God, etc.

The simple people learn by such works to live a life of hypocrisy only, while inwardly the temptations remain with them. Therefore the shepherd must not let himself be shaped according to humanly created teaching but according to the word of God which he preaches, or else he plants nothing but hypocrisy.

And since Christ is a perfect model, the shepherd must see that he relies only on his example.

If Christ did not need works, of hypocrisy, then it is not seemly to have anything to do with them. For the locus ab auctori-

tate is valid [21] in a negative sense with God; therefore, since he is so perfect a good, nothing may be lacking in him. Consequently no one may concoct anything that would improve or replace the divine.

Thus in these things the shepherd must prove himself to be an educator as is the right of a father.

He does not run around in disguise so as to deceive his children.

Rather, he sees to it that they are trained into undefiled lives, friendly, harmless, seemly in all things, and fleeing all intemperance.

So must the shepherd also act.

For this reason he is called a housefather or householder by Christ.

[Cf.

Lk.

12:42ff.] Paul also complains against the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 4:15 that though they had innumerable teachers they had too few fathers.

Therefore we clearly note that those who are not our fathers are also not true teachers.

Fathers are eager with deed and teaching to live without any advantages against their children.

Thus the shepherds are never right if they do not bear a fatherly disposition over against their charges.

If the teachers do not take pains in the things they teach then they are not true. However, if they practice those things which they teach from God, then that living example teaches more than a hundred thousand words.

However, if they do not teach God's word, but human teachings and trifles, and if they would live the same, then they are the genuine false prophets whom God commands to kill.

[Cf.

Jer.

14:15] Concerning these, more is to come later. Therefore the shepherd must represent a model, not out of everything we treasure as good, but of those things alone which God teaches and demands of us.

What should be preached, however, may clearly enough be understood from the above, namely nothing other than the word of God. [22] Therefore the shepherd is to bring his charges to an understanding of their infirmity.

If they understand that and perceive that they cannot be saved out of their power, then he should point them to the grace of God so they let themselves trust fully in it.

For God has given us for a certain assurance of his grace his only begotten son, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have forever a certain entry to God. [Cf. Rom.

5:2] If they, who were previously of the flesh and damnation, have believed the salvation and assurance of the grace of God and have now become God's, then they are also now obligated henceforth to live according to the will of God from now on--for they are a new creation.

[Gal.

6:15] Therefore the shepherd is zealously to prevent the healed sheep's falling again into sickness.

This must all be accomplished with the word of God; therefore, he must be well-trained in the same before all else.

The same he must learn only out of the writings of the Holy Bible. Now learning the letters is nothing if God does not draw his heart, so that the shepherd has faith in the word, not interpreting it according to his own understanding, but letting the word be free as the divine breath inspires it. All this is contained in short in the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16:

"All scripture which is inspired by

God is also useful for teaching, for punishment, for correction, for education in righteousness, so that the person who is of God may be whole, equipped for every good work and perfect." Therefore all nourishment offered by the shepherd is to be of this form.

Which books are biblical and which not I don't need to say here, for it is well enough known to all those who are well trained in the languages.

If now the shepherd is suited on account of his relations, his life and his teaching (divine love will be treated later), then it will consequently be [23] necessary that he know how he should behave in regard to the other external things and what earnings he should hope for.

We find that the shepherd must in the first place attack fearlessly the most harmful of all vices and let himself not be threatened by the inflated power of this world nor by any persecution.

As God says to Jeremiah in chapter |: "Look, I have set my word in your mouth and have established you in the present day over the peoples or heathen and nations, that you may tear out and break to pieces, destroy and take apart and then again to build and plant."

[Jer.

1:9ff.] Therefore the shepherd must attack and destroy all buildings which have raised themselves against the heavenly word, however high they may be.

[2 Cor.

10:5] Christ presented us a true model of that.

For when he saw the hypocrisy and avarice of the priests among the Jewish people as a cause for all the people straying from God and that they were held captive in the priests' avarice, statutes and willfulness, he attacked nothing more vigorously than the hypocrisy and avarice.

He had great sympathy with the misled people in that they were robbed of the word of God and had no fatherly shepherds, Matthew 9:36. For the most part he taught in a friendly way.

If he ever had to upbraid them he did not attack them so hard as he did the misleading priests. These he scolded as ignorant, blind, vipers, devil's children, hypocrites, deceivers, flatterers, and the like.

All this can be read throughout the gospels: prooftexts are not needed here.

If now in our time hypocrisy has come to the point that it is so rich and strong that it no longer needs to hide but dares to protect itself openly with a strong hand, what do you think, O pious servant of God, ought to be done to you?

If you keep silent, the blood of the dying will be demanded from your hands, Ezekiel 3:18.

Now, however, you see that the hypocrisy of the papists (that is, the whole crowd of those one calls spiritual, excepting those who clearly preach the word of God) has taken so many goods and power that [24] it no longer needs to hide, as happened with the Jews, but it is allowed to protect itself with bribes, gifts, wars, arson, destruction, killing and all kinds of evil, so much so that even the Sicilian tyrants could not be

more inhuman. For even these do not proceed so forcefully without just cause against anyone.

Most diligently, however, the papists wherever possible lead the rulers by means of bribes and gifts to think they act rightly if they persecute without just cause those who preach God's word.

Where they themselves have the power of the sword they rage against the innocent like tigers and crocodiles.

And if they were not afraid that the same that they have used against others would be used against them if they were attacked, then they would not be satisfied with normal killings, but, like Phalaris [12] they would devise new types of pain and death for the servants of God.

You see also, O pious servant of God, how the majority of those in power who hold the sword administer justice more out of avarice, arbitrariness, wantonness, and only for self-elevation and lust rather than out of love or fear of God--if in fact one can call it justice at all. Against their subjects it is nothing but raging, punishing, ill-treating, scraping, interest-bearing and mortgaging.

Against foreigners it is nothing but waging wars, robbing and fighting. Among themselves it is nothing but boozing, playing, whoring, slandering and dancing. See, pious shepherd, it is so evil around the leaders.

So, consider seriously what is to be done.

For if you do not speak, the blood of the perishing will be demanded from you, as said above.

However, if you speak you fall into their power. [25] The papal gang has insinuated itself among many of the princes by caring for their children, of which they made one son into a cardinal, another a bishop, an abbot, a commander, a provost, a guardian, an administrator or a coadjutator.

Consequently, the princes have become not a little indebted to the papists.

Also the papists have let them partake of the indulgence money that has been taken from their poor people.

If you want to attack the gang of hypocrites, on the basis of the model of Christ, then these jump forward as their defenders.

However, if you want to throw away the shield and spear and not perform the duty of your office, then you will be counted among the faithless shepherds who, upon seeing the wolf, leave the sheep and flee. [Cf. Jn.

10:12] Here one learns in passing what the power and strength of faith is. For wherever a person is placed in doubt, if he is faithful he knows to run to no one but God and his word, to take counsel therefrom and to trust faithfully in the same.

Therefore, come to Christ who says in John 10:12:

"The good shepherd gives his soul for his sheep. Therefore, if you want to be counted among the good shepherds, you must give your life for the sheep." He wakens us also with other words in Matthew

10:27f.:

"What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what is said in your ear, preach on the rooftops.

Do not fear those who kill the body, for the soul they cannot kill; rather, fear those who can destroy the soul and the body with eternal pain." Here we clearly hear that we should not withhold the word,

but publicly speak it forth without fear of those who can injure us.

We are responsible to act and speak against all those who sin, as he says again by the prophet in Jeremiah 1:7:

"You will go out everywhere, to those to whom I send you." And by Isaiah 58:1:

"Cry out:

Do not cease!

Lift your voice as a trumpet and proclaim to my people their vices."

Hence we note well that the shepherd is responsible [26] to come out against all enemies for the protection of the sheep. He also is to lift the sheep out of the mire of sin, for where, that is not, one does not need a shepherd. For if the sheep do not lack anything, they do not require a guardian.

However, they require a shepherd in case of danger.

However, if the shepherd wants to flee in the face of danger then it will be the same for the sheep as if they had no shepherd.

Therefore it is necessary that one look to Christ.

He says in John 10:11:

"I give my life for my sheep." He not only said that but fulfilled it with deeds.

When he was on the way to Jerusalem he spoke to the disciples publicly about the danger in Matthew 16:21. When Peter wanted to turn them aside he said to him, "Get behind me, Satan!

You hinder me, for you do not see the things that are of God but those that are of humankind."

[Mt. 16:23] After he had come to Jerusalem, he chased the buyers and sellers out of the temple, unmindful of the snares of the avaricious priests, scholars and authorities [cf.

Mt.

21:12f.; Mk.

11:15-18; Lk.

19:45f.] and he also spoke sharply and harshly in public before all the people about their vices of avarice, ambition, and hypocrisy in Matthew 23:1-33.

When the time came that he would sacrifice himself for us all, and the enemy sought to capture him, he went to meet them.

In order to give the understanding that a shepherd should prevent the bodily harm of his sheep, he gave himself not only for us, but also protected the bodily life of the disciples.

He said with divine power [Jn.

18:8], "If you are seeking me, let them go." Thus he laid out his life for us.

Therefore every shepherd, insofar as he is a shepherd among the sheep of Christ, should stand forth against all those who persecute him for the sake of God and his true word and also for the loyalty he has to his sheep, unmindful as to whether he must speak against the great Alexander, Julius, pope, king, princes or authority. This he should also do, not only when they contradict the word of God, but even if they overload their good folk [27] too much and unreasonably with temporal burdens.

This will all be treated later with examples and Scripture passages.

When God saw the excessive sufferings of the children of Israel under the king Pharaoh and the Egyptian people he sent

Moses to liberate them and to lead them out, for he no longer wanted to endure the unjust suffering of his people, Exodus 3:1-13.

Although Moses sought to excuse himself because of his unfitness [cf. Ex.

3:11] he had to lead out against the Pharaoh so great a number of people--through water, desert, enemy, hunger, thirst,

punishment and plague--that anyone would be seized with horror if he only heard of the trouble suffered.

Yet God has always given his promises and words power and he made Moses victorious with them.

Thus, if the tyrants excessively oppress their charges so unjustly and ungodly, then also should a shepherd step forth and defend the sheep.

Rulers should be doers of good, not oppressors, slave drivers and plunderers, Luke 22:25.

Seneca also says it, "regnum: beneficium", that is, the empire or government should be an office of good deeds. [13] One knows well that one owes the government something, Romans 13:7.

However, we are speaking here against the tyrannical offenders, in whom there is no fear of God and no love, indeed no consideration of neighbor.

Don't you think, O pious Christian, that God with special diligence is revealing his word so powerfully in this sinful time wherein such willfulness and destruction of piety, of justice, of virgins, of loyalty and faith and with that, shameless taking, robbery, usury, moneychanging, devaluation of money and everything for which the publicans were despised by the Romans, has grown up in a great number of the princes.

Since we [28] find at no time since the beginning of Christian faith that the word of God has been so strongly disclosed anywhere as at this time, it is good to realize that it serves us all for salvation.

The false hypocrisy of human teachings should be taken away.

Therefore woe to the shepherd who, in this time in which the children and the foolish are qualified to speak, is silent, places the light under the bushel [cf. Mt. 5:15;

Mk.

4:21; Lk.

11:33], does the work of God sluggishly and does not help to liberate the people of God.

God ordered Saul through the prophet Samuel to kill the Amalekites young and old and their livestock, and in no way to touch or desire their possessions.

Nevertheless, Saul erred and did not kill the Amalekite king Agag, also kept much livestock as sacrifice and booty for God and some precious clothes and treasures for himself.

The prophet Samuel did not overlook this impertinence, even though Saul was the king and recently victorious.

He went to him and said:

"Why have you not been obedient to the word and voice of God, but have turned to plunder and have done evil before the Lord God?"

Saul justified himself: he had been obedient, for he had killed the Amalekites and had taken their king Agag alive. The people also kept some possessions and livestock that they wanted to sacrifice to God. Therefore Samuel scolded him again and said:

"Do you think God takes pleasure in burnt sacrifices and other offerings and does not any longer demand that one should be obedient to his command? Obedience is better than sacrifice. Opposing God is just as much sin as witchcraft and fortune-telling and to not be obedient to him is the same as worshipping idols.

You have rejected the word of God and thus has God also rejected you so that you may no longer

be king, etc.,"

1 Samuel 15:1-30.

Afterwards the prophet Samuel hacked to pieces the captive king Agag. [1 S. 15:33]

This teaches us clearly that the shepherd should not excuse the king, prince or government anything, but as soon as he sees them departing from the way should point out to them their error. [29]

Therefore the prelate, whose name for God's sake I hold back here, has been impertinent. When, not long ago, he conferred a benefice on a priest, he earnestly counseled him not to scold his order with any word. He should also preach the gospel in such a way that he rebuked no one.

Look, what will the poor pastor preach?

The whole world lies in evil and he should not rebuke it. Why then do they need a shepherd? I know well that the good

Lord said that the gospel rebukes no one.

Dear sir, open your eyes better and look in Matthew 23:1-33; 3:2; John 8:1-59; 3:1-36, and in many other places and see how Christ and John spoke and acted. Probably he will further answer me:

Yes, the pastor should rebuke the peasants and draw them from vice. For he has boasted he would not want to be against the gospel, but that he is also for the same.

Herein lies the sin.

The high ones of this world would not mind that one preaches the truth insofar as one does not learn to recognize their tyranny thereby and does not touch them, so they do not also lose anything thereby.

The shepherd, however, learns there something else, namely, that one is not to overlook anything by the king, or the government and is to say:

"One must obey God rather than people." [Acts 5:29] Since, however, the papal gang also invests their obedience with these words, we want to speak further about them.

When Saul wanted to act more according to his own judgement than the word of God he committed the highest disobedience.

Therefore Samuel says to him that not doing what God has commanded is idolatry, damaging and deceptive--just as magicians and fortune-tellers deceive with their made-up fables.

Without doubt, if a person considers something good on the basis of reason and does not learn what is right and good from God alone and his word, the same has erected an idol in himself, namely, his own understanding and judgements.

Such an idol will be thrown over with difficulty, for he begins also externally with his wizardry, that is, with hypocritical pretense he sells himself before people as true and righteous.

And just as apes are well-pleased with their offspring so are also people pleased with their inventions.

[30] Just as Saul thought it was fitting that a king should not kill the other but take him captive, he thought it would also not be useful for the valuable clothes and treasures to be destroyed and the livestock to be killed.

Therefore he left to the people what was valuable as if it were founded in the commandment of love of neighbor, and ordered a great sacrifice to be offered to God and out of the livestock as if it were based on the com-

mandment, "You shall worship and honor the one God." [Ex. 20:3ff.] To that Samuel says, "Obedience is better than sacrifice." Which obedience?

Not as Saul ordered, not killing the king, giving the valuable things to the people and preserving the livestock as a sacrifice to God, even though that looks good. Rather the obedience

God wants is to observe firmly his word.

It is this Saul ought to have obeyed--not his own calculations.

Thus find the papists, monks, priests and nuns, that this word, "obedience surpasses sacrifice" is not for, but really against them.

These words say that a person may do no greater service of God than to follow without deviation the one word of God, letting no other person, nor judgements lead one astray.

If the whole gang of papists speak out of their statutes, teachings and opinions that are inconsistent with God's word, then we should always set that word against them. If they say: you should be obedient to the pope, the abbot, the prior, etc., then let one look to see if what they are commanding has any basis in the word of God. If it does, then one does not need their commandments, but one should take forth the word of God, hold to it, live under it, and not credit it to people.

However, if they command something which has no basis in the word of God and say, "even if we command something ungodly, you should be obedient to us, for obedience is above everything," then one should say, "that which you seek in obedience you should seek in God."

Thus, one should rather suffer death before one acts against the word of God.

Nothing is more pleasing to God than for one to be obedient to him and not to let oneself be led astray by anyone's opinions.

[31] Hence, if you now command what has no basis in the word, then one does God the highest service if one is not obedient to you.

When David took the dear wife of the godly Uriah [2 S. 11:4], while he in the meantime risked his life for David against the enemy, David arranged it so that he would be killed. Therefore

God sent the prophet Nathan to him to point out to him his murderous wickedness, that he had thus despised God and was not ashamed to do before God what he now would like to hide from the people.

Therefore the punishment of God was strongly proclaimed to him in 2 Samuel 12:9f.:

"You have killed Uriah with the sword and have taken his wife to yourself as wife. Therefore will the sword no longer depart from your home, etc."

See, here the prophet must lift up to the most powerful David his adultery and deathblow, indeed the unfaithful murder.

What do the powerless shepherds do now who daily encounter enormous adultery and yet do nothing to restrain it, but often help it, etc.?

What do we first want to say about the impure purity of the papists who daily behave worse than dogs before us, constantly bragging about their hypocritical purity.

It would be bearable if some of them would remain within natural limits.

2, Jeroboam, the king of Israel, was so sacrilegious that he erected two golden calves, one in Bethel, the other in Dan.

By that he perverted the festival of booths that one celebrated in Judah so that the people would not want to go to Jerusalem.

He was therefore the first king that brought Israel into idolatry, | Kings 12, 13. When the day of sacrifice came and Jeroboam stood by the altar and burnt incense, see, there came a man of God, a prophet from Judah, who cried out of the word of God what had been commanded him.

[32] "Altar, Altar!

Thus says the Lord:

Behold, there will be born a son with the name Josiah, born from the race of David.

He will slaughter or sacrifice on you the priests of the mountain churches who now burn incense on you, and will burn human bones on you."

The prophet gave with that a sign saying:

"See, the altar will split and the ashes on it will be split." At that the king stretched out his hand from the altar and said, "Seize him!"

In that moment the hand which he stretched out against the prophet withered so that he could no longer draw it back. The altar split and the ashes fell, as the prophet had said.

After the prophet prayed to God for him the hand again became healthy.

Still he did not turn away from the idolatry. See, what impenitence does.

Here the shepherd learns that he should not let the sheep be led into idolatry nor into any kind of unrighteousness. Although the sacrilegious and wicked Jeroboam has the impudence to do such, the prophet should stand over against the king even though he knows he will not be obeyed.

God knew well that Jeroboam would not abstain; nevertheless, he sent his prophet to him.

This is against the shepherds, who excuse their silence because they know that their speaking does not help. For Christ did not cease teaching the unbelieving Jews, even though he knew they would not accept his teaching.

Ahab was also a godless, sacrilegious king in Israel like the one above. Indeed, he surpassed all the evil kings, for in addition to all the other idolatry, he erected the idol Baal and installed many priests.

Therefore God stopped it from raining for three years.

Consequently, he sent Elijah to disgrace the priests of Baal and to lead the people again into the knowledge of him.

Thus he came to the great godless scoundrel Ahab. The king said to him:

"Is it you, who troubles Israel?"

Elijah answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and the family of your father.

You have left the commandments of God and have followed after the idolatrous Baalim."

Then [33] he agreed with him to gather the 450 priests of Baal and the 400 priests of the forest shrine on Mount Carmel so that one could see who was the true God, as it is written in 1 Kings 18:21. Then he said to the people:

"How long do you want to limp between both sides?

Is the Lord your God? Then follow him.

Is it Baal? Then follow him." They were not able to light the sacrifice in the way stipulated.

However,

when Elijah called on the true God of Israel it lit immediately.

What happened after will come later.

Here Elijah opposes the worship of idols before the furious king and before so many false priests although he had been the only prophet left, as it is written later on in | Kings 19:10. From this the shepherd can well learn that it is his duty to stand firmly with the word of God--even if the whole world would stand against him.

Also, he should not let the great number of the Baal priests frighten him.

Nor is it allowed for the people to limp between two sides, that is, not to lie in the error which says, "Yes, I trust in God; however, I trust also in the creatures who are blessed." God may not endure such limping.

He wants to be everything himself.

Nonetheless the Israelite people sometimes also did not honor the true God.

God, however, does not want to tolerate it.

It was just this Ahab who desired that a pious man, Naboth, sell him his vineyard which was well situated next to his palace.

[Cf.

| K. 21:1ff.] When Naboth did not want to do it, it made Ahab sick with anger.

His wife Jezebel came to him to help in such fashion: she secured two false witnesses against Naboth to say he had blasphemed God and ordered him to be killed. Then she ordered the man to get up and to be happy, because Naboth was dead and the vineyard had fallen to the king. Elijah, because of this shameful murder, was sent a second time and he said to Ahab:

"you have killed and appropriated to yourself unlawfully.

In the place where the dogs licked Naboth's blood they will also [34] lick yours, etc." Of Jezebel he said:

"The dogs will devour Jezebel in: the field. Jezrael,"

Ll. Kings^21:19, 23. AU of that came to pass.

Here the shepherd learns that he should step forth not only when an entire people is oppressed, but also when one individual person is oppressed, and that even against the greatest tyrant.

Since all the false prophets prophesied to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, and the oft-mentioned Ahab that they should fight against the Syrian king [cf.

1 K. 22:1-54] the only prophet Micaiah contradicted them and set before them all the things which encountered them later.

Although the arrogant prophet Zedekiah struck him on the cheeks and protested strongly that the spirit of God had instructed him to speak just as well as Micaiah,

Micaiah nevertheless persisted even when they put him in prison. Then in the same battle Jehoshaphat was wounded and Ahab was shot dead.

When they washed the chariot in which he had ridden in the pool of Samaria the dogs drank therefrom his blood, as God had said through Elijah. Here the shepherd learns that he also should oppose those who boast that they have the word of God, but actually don't have it but speak nothing except their own judgements or flattery.

If one violates the word of God, then the word itself will reveal it. Accordingly the shepherd also learns that he should rebuke and hinder the wanton warring of the princes.

Where are the papists, the high bishops and the

whole number of the so-called spirituals? How have they behaved themselves? They have for the last fifteen years set the greatest and strongest peoples against one another with the result that so many people's honor, bodies and possessions have been destroyed that it cannot be counted.

Lately they have been the most evil ones.

As often as they have begun to speak of peace, it always has been to their own advantage and consequently war has increased so that still today during the daytime one shudders with fear as soon as one hears them speak of peace.

They intend to send detriment, that is, injury into the world.

In short, whoever [35] would have peace, should take from this hour on the word of God that reveals itself clearly in this time, or he will never again m peace.

The axe is laid to the tree.

[Cf.

Mt.

23:10; Like! 3:9

What should one demonstrate himself out of the prophets as to how the shepherd should resist all evil?

If the shepherd would read the prophets then he would find nothing other than an eternal battle with the powerful and the vices of this world.

How Isaiah rebukes the powerful in chapter 1:23:

"Your princes are godless, societies of thieves.

They all like bribes and strive after bribes and payments.

They do not provide justice for the orphans and the cause of the widows may not come up before them."

Likewise Jeremiah also cries out in chapter 5:4f. that the powerful have exceeded the impiety of the community.

And our rulers say indeed they would obligate us not to touch them.

Still all evil comes here from the powerful and the authorities.

How does he rebuke the false prophets? Look at Ezekiel 34:2-10 where he threatens the shepherds who only nourish themselves, of which without doubt there were a great number. Still the prophet speaks against them. How Amos rebukes the powerful, calling them fat cows, telling them what great miseries they will encounter.

How Jonah [cf. Jonah 1:2; 3:4] has to go into a great godless city to preach that they will fall in forty days. How all those preached, prophesied and warned before the Babylonian captivity. Yet nothing helped.

The forerunner and baptizer of Christ, John, saw well how strong and powerful Herod was, so that the people were not permitted to say anything to him about his shameful life. Nevertheless, John sees that he should not overlook Herod, and when no one chastises him, John goes to him, points out his vices and says:

"It is not seemly for you to have the wife of your brother"

[Mk.

6:18], which, however, Herod did.

Consequently, John was taken captive and killed.

[Mk.

6:17-28] From this one learns that the shepherd must attack and hinder all that which one is not permitted to do omitting no one, standing over against princes, people and priests--letting himself not be frightened by size, strength, number, nor any kind of [36] intimidation from that hour in which God calls him, and not to cease until they are con-

verted, as Jeremiah | and 15 say:

"They shall be turned to you, and not you to them.

I shall give you to the people as a strong, bronze wall.

They will fight against you, but not overcome, for tam with" yous!" [Cie Jer. 1:£8£.5:15:20]

As there were ephors with the Spartans and tribunes with the Romans, so there are in many German cities today chief guildmasters who oppose the head when too much power is used. [14]

Likewise God has placed among his people officials--the Shepherds--who are to watch at all times.

God does not want anyone to have power so unqualified that no one may not point out his misdeeds to him.

And if the power who is entitled to act does not risk such out of treachery or fear, the prophet still should never sleep.

If the authorities help, then vice can be expelled with the greater peace, but if they do not, then the shepherd has to risk his skin and hope for no other help nor liberation than that from God.

In short, there must be watchfulness and restraint, for God always sends his prophets in time to warn the sinful world, as Jeremiah 25 and 29 point out. After the warning comes, nothing helps better than to change and improve. Then, if that does not take place, a greater evil is at the door--and that from day to day until the entire people is destroyed.

An example serves to illustrate this:

Sodom and Nineveh, and the Israelite people, who in the desert worshipped the calf and were pardoned. In turn, since the same people did not improve after all these warnings, they were led into the Babylonian captivity.

If now the shepherd must stand against all the great and high powers of this world and must fight against them, then it is necessary that he be well armed.

Therefore we must lead him into the armory of Christ, so that [37] he arms himself well with those weapons with which the Lord armed his disciples. [Cf. Eph.

6] He sends forth his disciples in Matthew 10:7-25; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-11 and 10:2-16:

"When you now go forth, preach, saying, "The kingdom of God is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, awaken the dead, cast out devils and preach, 'The kingdom of God is at hand.' Freely you have received; freely give. You should not take gold, silver, nor money in your purses, nor sacks for the road.

Do not take a spare coat, nor shoes, nor staff; for the worker is worthy of his food."

See!

Christ does not here at all want the shepherd to concern himself with any kind of temporal nourishment, but only with the carrying out of faithful work.

He does not doubt that you will never lack the necessary nourishment or whatever is needed.

For if you work faithfully, then you will always find that you lack nothing.

He is the clothier and feeder of birds and flowers.

How could he let his workers lack anything? He commands also that the gifts which he freely, gratuitously, gave to them for their work, they are gratuitously again to give away. The staff which by Mark 6:8 is allowed is for help on the way so they recognize that the pomp of the cart and of

riding is forbidden.

In Matthew 10:10 it is forbidden so that they do not use it for dealing out blows--and also so they learn to depend only on the care of their Lord and not on their own means.

Soon thereafter he says further:

And whoever does not receive you and accept your word, then go from that same house or city and shake the dust from your feet [cf. Mt. 10:14f.]:

"Truly I say to you, it will go better for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that same city." As he previously

[38] commanded using the key of loosing in preaching the gospel, namely, that the kingdom of God is at hand [Mt.

10:7], so does he also demand here again the binding of those who do not accept their word, that is, shaking the dust from their feet as a symbol that the unbelievers are held captive in their unbelief, that the believers of God should not have in common with the unbelievers their dust, which is a discarded thing. Thus did Paul in Acts 18:5f. also use the key of binding:

"When the Jews at Corinth were contradicting and reviling Christ he rent his clothes and said to them:

'The guilt of your blood be on your own heads; clean, I shall turn from you to the Gentiles." Thus we see here also that Christ does not want anyone to be forced by coercion into faith so that all power and honor be given to God and his word--though many pretend this faith before Christians and, it is to be feared, only aspire for temporal goods and the earthly kingdom.

He says further [Mt.

10:16-18]:

"See, I send you forth as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wary as serpents and innocent as doves. Be on your guard before the people; for they will deliver you up to their councils and in their gatherings they will flog you.

You will be led for my sake to the princes and the kings for witness to them and to the heathen, etc." See how he withdraws from them all comfort of this world.

What more dreadful things can be said to the flesh than "You will be placed before councils, princes, king, and will be betrayed and scourged.

A brother will give the other into death, and the father the son, and in return the sons the fathers."

And he says in addition, "They will be defenseless with regard to the body in the midst of the enemy, just like sheep among wolves. They have no mercy with the little sheep, however pitiable, virtuous and innocent an animal it might be. Thus will the shepherds and servants of God also find no mercy with the godless, but will be considered as sheep ordained for the butcher.

Everyone who kills them will think that they have performed a service to God. [39] These weapons and still many others, namely: they do not stand above the master, that as he is despised so will they be despised [cf.

Jn.

15:20]; the world will hate them and will call them seducers, etc.

[Cf.

Jn.

15:18] These might be seen more as a hindrance than a help, though they are truly nothing

other than weapons.

For if one is prepared before the attack, then he is armed so that no one can hurt him. Where the opponents can not hurt the shepherd, it must be that he has a strong armor against the attack.

Here I do not want to describe the armor portrayed in Ephesians 6:11; rather, I use the explanation which Christ used with few words in Matthew 10:26, 28. Immediately after he has enumerated the many things they will use against the shepherd, he says, "You should not be afraid," and soon thereafter:

"You should not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear much more him who can destroy body and soul in damnation." Not to fear is the armor.

So now you want to say:

I would without doubt certainly know even if Christ had not said so, that is, where I do not fear anything, there I would attack all things bravely. If it were given to me not to fear then I would stand steadfast, but not if | am only told not to be afraid. Therefore Christ shows us how to attain the point that we are without fear in John 16:33:

"These things have I spoken to you that you have peace in me. You will have anxiety or affliction in the world; but do not be afraid, for I have overcome the world."

Here we see the pioneer, Christ.

He calls us to be untroubled and to go forward in his work, although at the same time we are faced with affliction.

The world cannot do anything different to the shepherd. But herein lies our certain comfort, that he is the victor over the world.

And if we are his loyal servants, then he will also overcome these afflictions for us.

Therefore we should now be joyous. As Moses also says to the children of Israel in Exodus 14:14:

"The Lord will fight for you, and you will be still, silent, and rest."

So should the shepherd do the work of his Lord and accordingly let him rule and protect him. [40]

If, however, the shepherd would like to object here:

"yes, he protects me until I am killed," then I answer: indeed he has truly and rightly protected you; for no one who is not God's suffers death for the sake of God.

Here you will learn the first basis of faith and of love as has been previously promised.

[Cf.

Mt.

10:26-28] Do you believe there is one all-powerful God?

Yes.

Do you also believe he is your God, Lord and father?

Yes.

Do you also place all your confidence in him? Yes. Do you also believe without doubt that he has not promised you anything but what he will do for you? Yes. Do you have him for a father, so that you will also love him without doubt and follow him in everything that he demands? Yes.

Will you also have joy when you can serve him?

Yes.

Then follow out of the faith by which you have him for the highest God, for your God, for your father, that you hope for the first to come to him; indeed, you hurry to come to him.

If you have him for your father then you will also love him.

If you love him then you are not able to endure that his name not be honored, that one not believe his word, that one live so shame-

fully contrary to him. And just as you would rather die than shame your earthly father so all the more would you rather suffer death for the heavenly father than that you would live to the detriment of him.

If you believe that God's word cannot fail then you also will know that to die here for him is the greatest honor which a child can do to honor his heavenly God and Father.

The less you fear death, the stronger your faith is. The more you fear death, the less is there trust and love of God in you. Where true faith and divine love is, there the person knows that to die for the sake of God is gain, and a beginning of true life. He also knows that no one is conquered who dies by virtue of the constant confession of the word of God, but he who lets himself be turned away from God by the love of this life. Then he will no longer say:

"Yes, I am killed thereby," for that is a voice of the flesh.

Where, however, true divine love is, there may no external fire extinguish this love.

With this must the enemies of God be overcome.

As Paul in Romans 8:38 points out, "I am convinced that neither death nor life, angels nor powers, etc. can separate us from the divine love, etc." [41] If love now is necessary for the shepherd then we must show why and how it will be bestowed upon him.

Love is therefore necessary so that all things be judged and measured by it. For the carpenter is not so certain with his eye; for him, a ruler is also necessary.

All courage, skill and faith are nothing if they are not judged according to love. As | Corinthians

13:4-8 points out:

"Love is patient and friendly.

Love does not hate.

Love is not irksome.

It does not exalt itself nor is it rude or improper.

It does not seek its own needs.

It is not shorttempered.

It does not keep an account of evil. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness; however, it rejoices with the truth.

It bears all things, trusts all things, hopes all things.

Love never falls away nor commits mistakes."

Here you see the type of love that is necessary for the shepherd before all other godly virtues.

Just as the shepherd strikes some sheep--some with the hand, pushing some with the feet, calling others with a whistle, lures some with a piece of salt--so others if they are weak he carries and others he leaves at home until they are strong enough.

All this he still does for the good of his Lord so that the little sheep increase in number and become pure and healthy. Thus the shepherd of God should do all things out of love for the increase and advancement of the sheep of God, now rough, now hard, according as the sheep require it and as God may permit it. In short: where there is love it never fails. There one is never lazy. One increases the honor of God more and more and one can endure thereby all things. For without love a person falls easily into pride. Indeed, where there is no love of God everything is nothing but pride.

How one receives the love of God is easily learned from the words of Christ in John 6:44:

"No one comes to me unless my Father has drawn him." Thus clinging to God comes from the God who draws himself, for God himself is love, 1 John 4:16.

[42] Whoever now remains in love remains in God and God remains in him.

Thus it will be necessary for the shepherd earnestly to call on God that he ignite him with the fire of his love. How will he call upon him, however, if he does not trust him, Romans 10:14.

Therefore it now follows that calling upon God comes out of trust.

For we do not call upon him whom we do not expect to help us, or if we hope for help and he does not want to help us then we would not call upon him. Now if we trust that God is so faithful that he wants to compensate for our needs, and that he is so strong that he is capable of such response, then God is already in us; for our flesh does not recognize God in such a way.

Now if such knowledge and trust of God is in us, then it does not come from us but from God.

It is through his Son, Jesus Christ, that he instructs and makes certain in us these two things, that he can and wants to.

Whoever accepts him as the Son of God is already certain that God can and wants to help us, for he has given his only son for us--what would, for a person, be the highest act.

Whoever now is secure through Jesus Christ is born out of God and God is in him.

[Cf.

1 Jn.4:15] For we do not come so far out of our capability and understanding that we thereby accept Christ; it must come about from God.

If God is now in him then is he also certain that God will give him everything; therefore he calls on him.

From all this it follows that all those who complain about the coldness of God's love and do not want to suffer death for God's sake have not yet accepted Jesus Christ.

For whoever has accepted him is ashamed to devise such obstacles since God has so joyously and freely given forth his son for our sakes. Therefore whoever wants to have the love of God should ask God to effect in him the right knowledge of his son and to give him right confidence--then love is already present.

He will thank God if he wants to use his contemptuous body for his honor.

Although our flesh flee and is fearful--for even Christ had anxiety before death--nonetheless, it will be awakened with the stronger fire of confidence and love of God so Du ^ must follow.

Thus is love necessary and there one finds it.

[43 It is apparent that nothing other than divine love can bring the shepherd to deny himself, to leave father and mother, to go forth without purse, knapsack and staff, to be dragged before the princes, beaten, falsely accused and killed and that love may not exist without the fundamental of undoubting trust.

Now we have to see what his recompense is and whether he will serve loyally for his payment so that the recompense can attract him to so great a work.

Christ confirms the payment

in Mark 10:28-30 when Peter, in the name of the disciples, asks, "See, we have left all and followed after you. What will our payment be?"

In Matthew 19:29

Christ answered him:

"Truly, I say to you: there is no one who has left his house, brother, sister, father, mother, wife, child or land for my sake and the sake of the gospel who will not be rewarded a hundredfold of the value of houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land through persecutions, and in the future world, eternal life."

Here Christ promises a great recompense; however, he makes it very bitter for he says, "the same is given with persecution". Therefore one must see where the hundredfold payment is being given which he promises here.

In these days we find well the persecution, but the hundred houses, brothers, etc., we do not find. Observe: when Peter in Acts 2:41 preached there were three thousand persons converted to the faith.

Peter received here in one moment a much greater number of sisters and brothers, also houses, land and provisions than he had previously had, in that all those who believe in Christ he does not love less than his own naturally-born brothers.

Nor is he concerned about their possessions any less than as if they were his very own, namely, that they are not loved too much or misused against God. So have the true shepherds always done.

Now this recompense does not serve the body, but increases in the shepherd care and anxiety for his charges.

What should one say first of all concerning the promise of persecution which so certainly happens that the shepherds everywhere for a long time have been delivered unto death? You see well that the shepherds have not [44] served with a view to temporal payment.

Since eternal life is also promised here we must see whether one undertakes the shepherd's office for that reason.

What we find is that the shepherd, insofar as he is true, does not serve only for the sake of eternal reward. Here it is that we learn about our wages and payment.

Whoever serves for eternal recompense must know beforehand where it has been promised to him, who it is that has promised the same to him, and that he who has promised him does not lie and is not deceitful. When now a person knows the promised payment it is in the first place necessary that he is certain that the promisor does not deceive him.

If he has certainty, then he has right faith and trust in God. Where that is the case, then nothing else is possible but that the love for God follows after. For who could truly hold God to be a gracious, undeceiving, highest good and not love him, especially since he has assured us so dearly of his grace through Jesus Christ, his son?

It follows that a true shepherd cannot look for a reward.

For if he trusts that the recompense is certain then the faith is already certainly there.

If faith is there then along with it follows love.

Now if love and faith are already there then it is

out of these that work is done and not with a view to payment.

The servants look only at the payment, but the sons look not at the payment but work with loyalty in the house of their father, letting the fact and means of the payment be determined at the discretion of the father. Now we are the children of God [Gal.

4:7] and co-heirs with Christ [Rom.

8:17]. Why then do we, like the unfree servant, want to look to the payment and not only to the honor of God, our father, and accordingly let him divide the inheritance among us as it pleases him?

The shepherd who does not come to such a measure of love will often become unstable in the fire of persecution.

For that reason Christ, before he would let his disciples go out to preach, confirmed them beforehand with the Holy Spirit in the symbol of the tongues of fire and the deafening roar of a strong wind.

[Cf.

Acts 1:2; 2:1-13] The [45] wind came first to show the waves and turbulence of this world, and then the tongues of fire, signifying the confirmation of God ignited in our hearts through love for him.

Concerning the False Shepherds False shepherds are nothing other than false prophets which God often portrays in their true form. Still we do not want to know them.

Yet Christ describes them so clearly in Matthew 7:15f.::

"Beware of false prophets who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

You will recognize them by their fruits.

Does one gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?"

Here we see a general picture wherein we can recognize all false shepherds and prophets described by the truth itself.

First of all, they come in an unarmed, innocent form, just as if they, like the little sheep, could not injure--as we now see the papists coming with words. As with their external behavior and their servants they travel here just like tyrants all decked out in full armor; they also show by their bite that they are wolves.

Where they find that the simple word of God is preached they come to the government with words like:

"We see that the seamless robe of God is being evilly separated, and the Christian Church which Christ Jesus ordained in himself, and won and received with his own rose-colored blood is evilly disturbed, etc."

What believers would not have their eyes overflow with tears when they illustrate the painful death and blood of Jesus Christ? When their speech is at an end, see if it is for the sake of Christ or for the sake of their money chests.

Their complaints usually sound like this:

"No one any longer pays attention to the words of the fathers." [46] It is from these fathers, however, that they have the sinecures, pensions, first fruits, yearly church collections, excommunications payments, the ban for temporal goods, and the deplorable powers of their laws. "They are saying the mass is not a sacrifice." Here is where they have gathered the greatest hoard of their riches together.

"They reject confession." With confession they have held all consciences captive, not letting them out of their prisons until they have been paid an expensive ransom.

However, they do not ask for right confession where a person is led into true peace and displeasure of himself.

"They no longer hold to the Mother of God."

Therefore no one any longer dresses her with silver, gold and precious stones, wherein the worm of avarice has had a special harvest every year.

One should instead give such riches to the poor, as the poor son of Mary himself did. "The monks and nuns run out of the cloisters." Yes, the greatest fortress of the papists is in the cloisters.

Therein have they lured the children of the rich and the powerful to have them as hostages so that they are everywhere less vulnerable to attack.

That we see in this time.

The word of Christ is less resisted wherever there are few cloisters among a people.

"The priests take wives."

God himself orders that.

If they have whores and pay every year four guilders for a child and every fifth year a fine, or yearly for a visitation so that the bishop receives yearly four thousand guilders, then everything is right.

"What is being preached leads to disorder."

And they think the fact that they have brought the world, with no justification, into interest payments and subservience does not lead to disorder. Yet it is clear that all the rebellions which [47] have ever been in the world have only grown out of oppression by the powerful.

They put forward many such complaints at last so that one sees that they are hypocritically covering their desires with the gracious activity of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

If they do not already spread out their tails like a peacock then all one has to do actually is to look at their retinue and glory and observe whether they are there for God or for their own glory.

Christ never had such servants with him.

Since they, however, give prominence to the Christian church here, which Christ won with his bitter death and which he himself instituted, then one must see exactly what the Christian church is.

Where should one find that other than with Christ, that is, in his word itself?

If one finds in Christ that the papal conspiracy is the Christian church then one should simply consider them to be that.

If they, however, are not confirmed by Christ, why do they then maintain that they are the church? They would indeed like to be a papal church or assembly, but the Christian church which we believe (that is, the entire believing people) is a bride of Christ, and they are that as little as Belial is God.

If not, then our belief concerning the church would stand on deceiving, fallible humanity--which, however, cannot be the case.

The church, first of all, insofar as it is fitting to speak here about it, is taken to be all those who have built all their confidence and security of salvation on Christ, as he says in Matthew 16:18:

"On the same will I build my church." For that reason he gave Peter his name, that is, rock, which means, "I will reconcile my people with God [48] so that I am for their sin a compensating lamb and sacrifice.

Whoever trusts himself in that will be saved and is a member of my saints, that is, of my people and of my church."

Thus one finds in the word of Christ, that this Christ-believing church is all those who trust in Christ.

For truly, whoever is built on the rock is in the church; for the church is built on the rock.

In the second place the church is taken to be every parish.

Thus we call the church at Corinth [cf.

1 Cor.

1:2] that part of the universal church which was gathered at Corinth, who were otherwise all members 'of the church with all other believers.

Nonetheless they were also called a church, that is, a congregation or an assembly. Thus, the church at Appenzell is called the parish of Appenzell. They are nonetheless members of the whole Christian people, which is the true church in which we believe.

Just as the church at Corinth and at Appenzell cannot impose laws and prohibitions over all of Christendom, so little may the papal church impose statutes and laws on other people, for it is only one particular church

(if it has the faith of Christ!) that elevates itself.

All this is pointed out sufficiently in other places with many proofs based on Scripture, but here is not the place nor the need to speak thereof.

Therefore, when the papists complain about the break-up of the church, they are only complaining about their losses.

For the more people enter into the true Christian faith, the larger is the church, even if there were no pope nor higher bishop on earth.

Now this is a pretty picture: it's as if in caring for the sheep all they care about is the wool and the shearers.

For they should know that the church of God or the sheep of God or the people of God, whatever you want to call it, can be nourished in no other pasture than in the word of God.

If that is everywhere richly brought forth then they should not complain how [49] disruption would come into being; rather they ought to rejoice that the pasture of the divine word so richly grows everywhere.

It also does not help when they say, "Yes, if only they would present it according to the view of the fathers." For Christ has this word:

"A person will live by every word that comes from the mouth of God,"

Matthew 4:4, not by the judgement, law or mouth of the fathers; rather, he is speaking of the word that comes from his own mouth. See also Deuteronomy 8:3.

In short, so that every Christian understands: how did

LII it stand with the Christian faith, or what did one preach, before those whom they call the fathers were born? How did the holy apostles preach the word of God?

Thus it becomes clear that with the fathers they want nothing but to frighten the simple ones, and take the word of God captive with them. The Christian people never lived godlier and more innocently than when no human additions or obligations were added to the simple word of God.

Thus they first of all use words so that they deceive the simple by an illusion.

In fact, we ought to thank God that they begin now to speak thus.

Recently they have published three or four mandates,in which they, in the first place, forgot to recommend that one should preach God's word with all seriousness. [15]

Now they only come along as an afterthought, as one issued an invitation to the neighbor:

"Friend Hans, you, too, are invited!"

We want, they say, nonetheless that one preach the gospel. Now it has become so much better, for they are recommending for the first time that the gospel be preached, and then they come with the addition, "yet according to the understanding of the fathers and the common [50] understanding of the faithful." How well it turned out for God's word that the fathers appeared; otherwise it would not have been allowed for his word to be preached:

Suppose that no father would ever have explained the word of God in writing, would they let it be preached or not?

If it can now be preached more correctly, lucidly and clearly without the fathers, why do they bind the word then to the fathers even when their own canon law (Corpus iur. can.

Dist.

VIII and IX) points out that the fathers should give way to the word of God and not God's word to the fathers? Where, however, the proper understanding of the word of God comes from, one will find enough said in the little book, "On the Clarity of God's Word." [16]

Thus it is established that those who hold forth Jesus Christ our Lord and God in their demands as a pretense, and have nothing else in themselves, one sees that they only believe in Christ in order to be recognized as shepherds. Truly, however, if you inspect the false shepherds down to their feet, you will find their wolf's claws always sticking out.

This applies not only to the high bishops but to all those bishops or pastors to whom one must listen, whether they teach for the good of the sheep or for the good of their own kitchen.

These protect the papal church.

Indeed they affirm that what it says is even as good as the word of God (what a shameful idolatry that is, for how can the creature be set next to the creator?).

It destroys the passion of Christ when they say, "a human being must and can be saved by his own work," for if it were so then Christ would have died in vain, Galatians 2:21. They speak deception, however, for they know well that every person doubts his own works.

And if one depends on his works then he looks around for help with the works and accordingly returns to the priestly and monkish murmurings

of the psalms, to the holding of masses and to the increase of church decoration.

All that brings to the false shepherd the milk [51] and wool of the sheep.

This is expressed in the following words of Christ, where he says:

"You will recognize them by their fruits" [Mt. 7:16], that is, you will see well from what they seek whether they tend the sheep out of love for God or out of avarice.

Such a test of the shepherd he recommends to all Christians.

Therefore must the papists also allow themselves to be tested, indeed, by the simplest ones of all, for Christ says this to the sheep, or the church.

Thus must the fathers, along with the papists and bishops, let themselves be judged as to whether they are wolves or shepherds.

And if the church finds they are wolves and not shepherds, then God grant it be on guard against them, however much they might boast.

There follows further in the test of Christ in Matthew 7:17-20, "Every good tree brings forth good fruit but the bad tree brings forth bad fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit nor the bad tree good fruit.

Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore you will know them by their fruit." Here it is clearly to be seen, how earlier it was said of the true shepherd, that he should apply himself to what he finds and to what is taught in God's word and is not to bring forth his own hypocritical works.

Thus the people should also judge the shepherds not by humanly created works, but by those works which God has commanded.

But as the shepherd is not now tested by such works, there are, therefore, many ignorant ones who say, "Look, they are not holding the mass, they are not honoring the images, they no longer hold to singing in the church nor to indulgences.

No one any longer gives gifts and offerings to the monks, nuns and priests. They give nothing for prayer to Our Lady, etc."

If they only knew that bought-masses are a horror to God and that for the honoring of God one should clothe the living images of God-poor Christians--and not wooden and stone idols, and that to worship God in the spirit and the truth--not senseless yelling--[cf.

Jn. 4:24] [52] is the most God-pleasing song; that their indulgences have been nothing more than a permit for all vices, for with them they have robbed, stolen, practiced usury, fought, betrayed, indeed begun all great evils; that it is harmful for there to be so many loafers, priests, monks and nuns among the .Christian people, for they are the originators of all the wantonness and licentiousness.

Also, if they would consider that other than that of the only Lord Jesus Christ, truly God and truly human, no human work can be considered above another; that the highest honor to be offered the Virgin Mary is not the building of high walls, the riding of the cathedral canons on beautiful horses and eating with beautiful women, but that it is to be found among all those who hope in her Son, obtaining his help, and when all that which is spent on

the walls is given over to the protection of the godliness of poor daughters and women whose beauty is led into danger through poverty.

Yes, if the uninstructed would truly know what Christian works are, then they also would learn to recognize the shepherds by the works alone. Otherwise if the shepherd is avaricious, unchaste, a drunkard and a play actor, and at the same time passes himself off as God-fearing with much mass saying and external appearance of clothing and customs [cf. Tit.

1:7] then the simple sheep will think he is a shepherd, even though he is nothing other than a rapacious wolf.

How $Saint Paul described a true bishop, that is pastor, in Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7 I have diligently saved up to this point so that one may recognize darkness next to the light, the false shepherd next to the true.

"A bishop or pastor," says Paul, "shall be irreproachable, a husband of one wife, temperate, moderate, right-minded, of good morals, hospitable, capable to teach.

His children should be faithful and obedient, whom one cannot describe as unruly or wanton.

The bishop or pastor must not be stained with vices, for [53] that is fitting for a housekeeper of God.

Therefore he must not be stubborn or self-willed, not wrathful, not a winebibber, neither a violent person nor a scoffer, not covetous of dishonest gain. He must also be firm or tenacious in the doctrine of the true faith so that he can comfort and admonish in right, wholesome doctrine and draw out and rebuke the contentious ones."

See, in these words of Paul one learns how one can recognize the true shepherd.

Thus it must also follow that those who do not behave in this manner are false shepherds and are unfit for the office.

These descriptions are also contained in love, as we have previously heard.

If now a shepherd is accused or slandered, insofar as he is not honestly accused, it does no harm.

Unfortunately, nowadays it happens that everyone who is so inclined to enmity of the word of God defames with massive lies those who preach.

Insofar as he is guilty of public vice then he may be judged not to be worthy. of the bishops' office. Oh, how I would like to demonstrate here the loathsome faults of several high bishops who accuse me wrongly behind my back of great vices, as if their gossip bothered me:

It is also to be seen in the words of Paul, that every pastor who does not live chastely and yet does not marry is a false shepherd, for he is not ashamed of scandal. Indeed, he adds all the more to the scandal of the godly people.

Gluttons and carousers are false shepherds.

For we know well what is needed for moderate living.

He should not be a crank, half mad and immoderate in speech and [54] other things. The lying gossips and dreamers are false shepherds.

Those who lead an undisciplined manner of life in clothing and other things are not shepherds but wolves.

Those who do not shelter the poor are false shepherds.

In this matter the common shepherds of our time are not much to blame, for the prelates take away the tithes and rents and leave the pastors to suck on their paws. [17] Therefore every parish should see to it that their pastor is appropriately provided for out of their tithes and tributes and that he also be able to help the poor. Where that happens all these foolish works whereby people were enticed into offerings will fall away.

Above all they are not worthy to be called shepherds who cannot teach, or if they could teach, are not strong enough to withstand strongly those who oppose them.

The children of a shepherd should be proper, faithful and well brought up. Therefore one sees that one should not elect foolish young men as shepherds but those who now have maintained for a while a household and who have well-bred children.

Let it be someone like Timothy, a youth with the right gifts, who belongs to the office of bishop. [Cf. 1 Tim. 4:12ff.]

The rest of the characteristics one can measure for himself.

Thus, according to the words of Christ [cf. Mt. 7:17-20], one should actually learn to recognize the false shepherds by their fruits and one should know which fruits are divine and which are of the devil, so that one does not keep the chaff and throw away the seed. [Mt. 13:29] The meaning of the cut-down tree's being thrown into the fire will be treated later.

They are also all false shepherds who are inwardly not truly devout and not lovers of God, as was clearly pointed out previously by the example and words of Christ concerning the [55] shepherd.

One sees this lack of faith clearly in the works.

In the beginning we heard that the shepherd should leave father and mother, sister and brothers, etc., for the sake of God and his word. [Cf. Mt.

10:37] So those must be false who make their brothers and themselves rich with their shepherd's office, as we see daily with the high bishops who bring their relatives to great riches, with fictitious indulgence, permission and judgment

letters and numerous other foolish things of this sort.

Yes, no frivolous Bacchant has performed matchmaking service for them in their youth, so they must become a canon or a rich pastor.

So now those who in the world were previously poor, yet upon coming to the bishop's office have gathered riches for themselves and their families, leave us with a certain sign that they are false shepherds.

These riches belong to the poor.

It is they to whom God teaches us to do good, not those who misuse riches for greater and higher pomp.

Christ commands that we leave our relatives, but the false shepherds embrace them first.

We have also heard that the shepherd must be ready to take up the cross of Christ daily and carry it after him. From this we see that the bishops are false shepherds, who not only don't want to suffer death, but who cannot even suffer any disadvantage or slander for God's sake.

So much do many of them love their souls and bodies in this world that they think nothing at all of inciting all nations against one another only in order to be protected in their wanton lives.

Open your eyes, all you who sit in authority. The false shepherds have easily excited you to a great rage and vindictiveness. Many stories of our time point out what happens next, wherein such damaging wars were caused by the false shepherds, which they afterwards could not have averted.

Indeed, they did not want to. Therewith has the poverty and misery at home grown for the princes and people while they laugh up their sleeves. [56] Those are also false shepherds who in no way act as parents and do not let the pre-occupations and anxieties of the sheep be their own concerns but look only to their own matters, saying,

"ID want to have that which is mine."

However, what should one say about those who do not teach with the word and do nothing with works but destroy? As we have previously pointed out from the word of Christ, those who teach and do not fulfill their teachings with works are the smallest of all in the kingdom of God [Mt.

5:19], that is among Christians. Now if those who are unfit teachers are simply counted among the false shepherds what do we do with those who neither teach nor act and nevertheless want to bear the names of shepherds, bishops and fathers, for they collect the temporal payment of prophets and shepherds?

Don't worry yourself with it, pious one!

They are nothing but rapacious wolves.

We also see that all those who endeavor other works than God has commanded are nothing but false shepherds and hypocrites.

We have also heard that the unique office of the bishop or the shepherd is preaching and that preaching rebukes and restrains vices.

So it is obvious that all those who do not preach and restrain vice are neither shepherds nor bishops.

It is also obvious that the bishops who punish all vices only for the sake

of money are nothing more than rapacious wolves.

For if they were pained by vice, they would not be relieved of it by money.

Rather they would work to lead sinners away from vice with divine teaching.

That they do not do that is certain: rather they are only looking to their money purse.

One recognizes them by the seeking for gain which they practice.

It is a pity that one should now call them shepherds, for they are nothing other than real wolves.

Since the true shepherd is promised persecution with his payment it is clear that those who want to endure no persecution [57] are not shepherds; rather, they are cowardly hirelings.

With what names shall we call those who are hostile to the true shepherds, persecute them with all power, and, where their power does not reach that far, give others payment to persecute them? I would well like to name several of these along with their bribes, but it is not yet the time to do so. Their evil must first reach its full measure.

Then it will also come to light, for there is nothing that is hidden that will not be revealed, Mark 4:22.

There are also all those false shepherds who do not resist the kings and peoples who sin, but allow them constantly to go on sinning unashamedly, to the vexation of all godly folk.

The scandal would not be so great if these same false shepherds did not surpass the others.

It is shameful to speak of their unbridled and secret vices, Ephesians 5:12.

If one would dig through their walls and look at their secrets, as God revealed in Ezekiel 8:8-18, then the worst idolatry would be seen with their playing, whoring, leading astray of souls, and all other kinds of vices, so that we would say with Christ: why do they now have the world within?

We still too often consider the wolves as shepherds.

Still even that is not enough for them. Many of them are not even ashamed to do publicly what a person should never do in daylight, much less before other people.

Christ commands us to dig out such eyes and throw them away [Mt.

19:9] and we implant them more and more.

Christ has also forbidden [cf.

Mt.

10:10] the disciples to go forth preaching with staff, purse and sack. Thus it follows that those who have the staff, that is, worldly power along with the office of the shepherd, are not shepherds but wolves, for Christ has forbidden the shepherd all ruling according to the custom of the princes of this world, as he says in. Luke 22:26:

"You should not so rule," and in Matthew 20:25-27:

"You know that the princes of the Gentiles rule over them, etc.; it will not be so among you."

Do they have now the [58] staff which Christ has forbidden them to have?

Then they are false shepherds.

Do they have sack and purse?

Yes, truly they have it all. And if Christ had said, "You should see to it that you make all the possessions of this world your own," then they could not more diligently follow that same

command. Thus they have been spiritual until they have conquered the best and greatest part, and now they let the whole world serve them.

Indeed, the princes themselves must gape at them with empty hands. Look, they have left their sack and purse lying behind them and still they are taken as shepherds and not recognized as real, ripping, rapacious, ravenous wolves. For they disguise their avarice by using Christ or his mother or the baptizer John or others who have despised the whole world as dung, saying:

"It is of God, Our Lady, Saint John." These will only after their death, in eternity, be rulers since here they must beg, produce abundantly, be oppressed and threatened.

Yet while they were on earth they gave up all things and gave them to the poor. That means that they must be made fools. [18] We also know them by the fact that Christ has sent his shepherds into the midst of tyrants, as one sends sheep into the midst of wolves.

The false shepherds are just like wolves among sheep, for where do they not tear you apart, rob, kill and destroy you?

If the gospel is accepted by any people and they see that their plunder cannot escape notice, then only observe how they Sow destruction, unrest and enmity on every hand. Yet they always have on their lips: these preachers give birth to unrest and rebellion. However, the poor people are nonetheless so graced by God that the salvation of the soul cannot be stolen from them, even if they are so miserably plagued in the body. They cannot tolerate that, for they learn to help their neighbor [59] and not to give in to the shameless begging of the papists.

That is what they call inciting unrest when they are no longer given anything so that they can unsettle the whole world. Plainly their sin has been long enough condoned.

They have not wanted to be converted themselves by admonitions.

One must begin to press them with the simple, uncolored truth and after that to let God take charge.

And now a summary wherein you can recognize the false shepherds:

All who do not teach are nothing but wolves, though they might be called shepherd, bishop, or king. See in this connection how many teaching bishops there are.

Those who teach their own dreams rather than the word of God are wolves.

Those who teach the word of God, yet not to the honor of God, but for themselves and their head, the Pope, for protection of their fabricated high station, are harmful wolves, coming in sheep's clothing.

Those who teach already and teach even with the word of God, but do not, however, disturb the greatest aggravators,

the leaders, but allow their tyranny to grow, are flattering wolves or traitors of the people.

Those who do not practice with works what they teach with the word are nothing among the Christian people, destroying much more with their works than they build with their words.

Those who do not pay attention to the poor but let them be oppressed and burdened, are false shepherds.

Those who wear the name of shepherd, yet rule in the worldly sense are the most evil werwolves.

Those who gather riches, filling sack, purse, storehouse and cellar are true werwolves.

And finally, those who do other things with doctrine than undertaking [60] to plant the knowledge, love and childlike fear of God among the people are false shepherds.

They must soon be removed from the sheep or they will devour them entirely.

9. Therefore it is easy to understand that all those are false shepherds who lead from the Creator to the creature.

If now almighty God has for so long a time punished our sin with false shepherds who have not fed us with his word, and with wolves who have taken away our temporal goods, indeed, who have made us entirely their own, but has now ignited the light of his truth again so that we may see it everywhere and can well recognize it, then in that should the believing people not be hindered, but should let themselves be led out of the prison of the wolves.

What is to be considered here is not bodily injury but the falsification and concealment of the word of God.

For the false shepherds have either been silent or have falsified it.

They still press with all earnestness, power and deception that one either not preach the gospel at all or else preach with the deceitful, false mixture and power of human teaching.

For if we are being deceived once again, it stems solely from the fact that our vices are so great that we cannot endure the divine word: the brilliance of the truth blinds us. Thus our damnation is reasonable that we should doubly bear their yoke, for the light has come into the world and humankind has preferred the darkness to the light, John 3:19. Therefore one must seek to prevent all princes, rulers and people from such a relapse, for the Redeemer, after all, is here--we must simply follow him.

If we want to be true children of God then we must see and listen to his word alone and not listen to those who want to lead us away from it. Indeed, we must separate ourselves from them and not live among them.

Every father demands such from his children, how much more will the Heavenly Father demand it from his children whom with his Son he himself has made a chosen people and household. [Cf.

| Pet. 2:9]

Therefore we want to show further how we can get away from the false shepherds. [61] In the first place, we point out their wages and see if perhaps in viewing the reward they would stand down and not serve for such a payment any longer.

God says in Deuteronomy 13:1-5:

"If a prophet arise in your midst, or one who says how in his sleep a vision or dream has come forth and he prophesies a miracle or wonder, and if what he said also happens, and if he says to you, 'Let us go after other Gods, which you however do not know, and let us serve them,' then you should not listen to the words of the prophet or dreamer.

For your Lord God tempts you so that it will be obvious if you love him with your whole heart or soul. For you should follow you Lord God and fear him, hold to his commandments and hear his voice. Him should you serve and to him cleave. However this prophet or dreamer should be killed, for he has spoken so that he has turned you away from your Lord God, etc." See, O pious servant of God, how God so strongly tempts the believers that he lets the false prophets prophesy so that not only the simple but also the elect, Matthew 24:24, can be led into error. However he wants to teach that we should have more faith in his word than in miracles and he would test us to see whether we love him truly in heart and soul.

However, so that such temptations do not become too great, he says, "Kill the prophets." See: That is the payment which one should give the false shepherds if they lead us to foreign gods: they shall be beaten to death. However, if they would say, "We do not teach idolatry," therefore that law in the New Testament does not apply to us, then we answer first of all: all those who have taught taking refuge elsewhere than with the one true God, so that they have turned to creatures, have led to foreign gods. For that is one's God in which one trusts and in whom one takes refuge.

Moreover, the papists for centuries have more foolishly led people to their idol, the pope, than any worshipper of real idols ever did.

For the pagans honored the idolatrous images of Jupiter, Juno, Mars only as images of the true gods (as they thought of them) and never took any living [62] person to be a god. I shall disregard here that the flatterers have sacrificed to many as to idols.

That has never been with the consent of the wise and the pious.

However, the papists have called their idol, the pope, an earthly god and have honored him with much more adoration than the true one, our Lord and God.

Indeed, the poverty of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, they have held up for derision and still do so today, as if Christ did not know better how to live.

But their God knows how. [19] In time the pope has taken on another manner of life. Therefore, one will no longer live in the poverty of Christ.

Peter, too, is considered to have been a

fool.

Note here!

Has the pope created such a magnificent life according to the word of God? No. He undoubtedly never considered anything other than his own reason and dreams and has led the people away from God. Therefore the law condemns him to death, for God does not want to suffer such dreamers.

In Jeremiah 14:

13-15 the prophet says:

"Ah, Ah, Ah:

Lord, the prophets say to them: you will not see the sword and will not have hunger among you, but there will be true peace given in this place."

(Thus also in our sinful times the false shepherds want to promise peace, though they never want to pursue it.) If they would proclaim the message of the word of God then they should well know that either this sinful world must change and mend its ways or else it will suffer hunger, war, pestilence or captivity.

But they cry after peace where it is not to be hoped for.

As along as their rents and incomes remain then they are for peace. Then the Lord spoke to me:

"The prophets speak falsely in my name.

I have not sent them.

I entrusted them with nothing and have not spoken to them. They speak to you false visions or apparitions, deceitful sayings and the deceptions of their hearts.

Therefore God says these things to the prophets who speak in my name:

I have not sent those who say [63] that neither sword nor hunger will be in this land.

The prophets will die with the sword and hunger, erc See, God threatens here the false prophets with the sword.

However, so that none others can be understood than those who teach human doctrines, as the papists do, he paints it even clearer in the twenty-third chapter:

"Woe to those shepherds who destroy and devour the flocks of my pasture (see if he is not here speaking of the ravenous wolves who destroy with the manifold error of human teaching!) and speak the thoughts of their hearts.

| did not send them and they run forth.

I said nothing to them and they prophesy. How long will that be in the hearts of the prophets who teach lies and the seductions of their hearts?

They want to make my people forget my name for the sake of their dreams which they utter to their neighbors.

Whichever prophet has a dream speaks the dream and whichever has my word speaks my word.

What does the chaff have to do with the wheat?" [Jer.

23:11] Here one could hear well of which prophets God is speaking, namely, those who tell dreams and fairy tales. What does he promise them for a recompense?

"Their path will be like an icy or slippery path in darkness.

They will be pushed and fall therein, etc.

I will feed them with bitterness to eat and gall to drink."

See the slip, the fall into their darkness of ignorance and the great, heavy bitterness which grows in them daily.

Their fall comes no less than the fall of the broken wall of Isaiah 30:13f.

We find many other prooftexts in Scripture of this same kind wherein one may recognize the false prophets.

Particularly good is Ezekiel 34:1-10 since the false prophets are most truly

depicted there, but it is too long to quote here.

Nevertheless it always comes to the same end that one should do away with them.

As to doing away with them, and as to whether one should kill them violently, it is certain that no person is to strike another to death without the legal right or the command of God. Therefore the angry, ill-tempered Christians are unjust if they think that, according to the word of Deuteronomy 13 [64], one should strike them.

Rather one should leave them to God.

He will arrange it as he wants to have it. Until then be joyous and mindful of whose

Spirit you are and hold yourself to the gracious judgement of God who says in Matthew 7:19:

"Every tree which does not bring forth good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

If the shepherd is false, then do not listen to him.

If the entire parish recognizes his falsehood then cast him out unanimously.

If you cannot do that, then no one should listen to him.

Suffer death before you listen to the shepherd or wolf who will pull you away from God.

All this is clear enough in the previously cited passages of Scripture.

So also does Christ command us in Matthew 5:29:

"If our right eye vexes us then we should dig it out and cast it away." Thus we want to dig out the eye and cast it away: that is, dig out the falsely nourishing shepherds and the unuseful bad tree and let them be thrown into the fire by the Lord, as it please him. When he is separated from the office of teaching then we want to consider him among the common weeds which we should let stand until the harvest. [Cf. Mt. 13:30]

So God says also in Ezekiel 34:10:

"I shall demand an accounting of my flock from their hand and will bring their work as shepherds to an end so that they do not any longer nourish either my sheep nor themselves."

For that reason the text in Deuteronomy 123:5 states, "The powerful who bear the sword should indeed see whom they should kill." And if these same ones, bearing the same marks and colors, do nothing, then we must suffer as in a babylonian captivity until God with his own hand redeems us.

For that which we in the meantime endure is not a disadvantage but an embellishment of our robes and crowns.

Though God may be patient for a long time, yet no one may run away from nor escape him, Psalm 139:7.

Also we do not find that either Christ [65] or the apostles have attacked so hard that blood flowed.

However, every parish may properly separate themselves from the false shepherds, and even turn them over to those who bear the power of the sword to kill them if they do not change their perverse ways.

Do not stain your own hands, for God will not fail to act. He will, insofar as the wolves cannot be driven away from the land peacefully so that they come no more, raise up an Elijah who at one blow will kill 450 priests of Baal and 400 mountain priests. [Cf.

1 K.

18:40] He will not fail. Do not lose patience.

Christ did not condemn the adulterous

woman to death in John 8:3-11, even though she had sinned unto death according to the law. How pitiably did he repay the Jewish priests and people in the conquering of Titus?

Thus should we also follow the patience of God.

If we are able, we should never suffer the wolf in the place of the shepherd.

If we cannot, then we must wait for redemption.

For the gracious example of Christ is far more effective for me than the rough punishment of Moses.

Nevertheless, Christ will come when it pleases him and he will arm either the rulers or the people for vengeance.

Conclusion on the True Shepherds Therefore, all you most beloved brothers and co-workers in the vineyard of Christ,.do not let yourselves be frightened by the anxiety and turbulence of these stormy times, so that Christ rebukes you as being of little faith.

[Cf. Matthew 8:18, 23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25] For he does not sleep, but he is testing you to see how steadfast you are. And if it pleases him he will command the wind to be still and will hold you upon the water so you do not sink.

He does not let you be tempted beyond your ability to bear it, but always shows you the way out of the misery or out of the world [cf. 1 Cor. 10:13] and gives you power over dragons, lions and basilisks [cf.

Mk.

16:18] so that you can walk and tread over them. [66] [Cf. Lk. 10:19] You have agreed to trust and love him in the answer of Peter, when he asked Peter whether he loved him and Peter said, "Lord, you know that I love you." [John 21:15-17] Or you would have forcefully and by another way than through Christ entered into the stall of the sheep. [Cf. John 10:1] So let us now see who will be the first: the one who out of love of his Lord will be permitted to suffer. [Cf.

Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45] What useful thing could you bring to him, if you work and guide the ship to him only in beautiful weather, and when a thunderstorm arises, you flee from it?

The princes of this world have those who fight for them and suffer death for only a little money.

Should our heavenly father and Lord have no one who fights for his sake and suffers death for him who gives not mere perishing recompense but eternal joy and who has freed and redeemed us with his own Son? And all the while you only confess Christ when it goes according to your wish and then flee when it goes contrary; no one will believe because of your example.

If by the word you preach you do not expect to risk death, then everyone will think you do not believe in him yourselves.

Therefore if you see that when the roar and murmur of persecutions lift themselves up, even if they be far

from you, and you think of fleeing, consider instead that God has called you to arms as weak persons and is waiting to see how valiantly each of you holds yourself.

Shame on those who would think here of fleeing and not of placing themselves on the very front point for the sake of the sheep; so the Lord stands and fights. Lay before God earnest prayer about this so that he confirm that good work which he has begun in you [cf. Phil.

1:6], that you bring that to the end, that his name and word again be brought into the knowledge of the poor tempted sheep and that they live according to his will.

For only those will attain to salvation who endure to the end. [Mt. 24:13] Conclusion on the False Shepherds Therefore, you false shepherds, if there is still a tiny spark within you that thinks there is a God, if there is still a drop of human [67] kindness in your hearts, then, for the sake of God and human society, take care of the wishes of the poor people which you have for so long a time let suffer a hungering for the word of God and which you--above all you high bishops-have overladen with oppressive burdens. [Cf.

Luke 11:46] Let them out of captivity and do not confuse the whole world because of your avarice and love of splendor.

If you believe also that there is a God and that he will hold a universal judgement and trial over all people, how can you then always be so calm when your whole position is nothing other than a heavy burden to Christians, and you press them ever onward without rest or mitigation?

Therefore it is obvious that you fear neither God nor his strong judgement, for where there is fear there is also improvement.

Now if none of you do anything to relieve the unjust burdens, then it is true that you pay little attention to God. In whose name are you here, otherwise?

You trust yourselves to the cane staff of Egypt [cf. Isa. 36:6], that is, in the princes and powers of this world.

The staff will break in your hand and the splinters will injure badly.

For what is the power of the king other than his people?

If then the people do not help the king to protect you, as is certainly to be expected if everywhere they are depending en masse on the word of God, then where is your salvation? Where is the power of the king? Thus will your experience, if you do not relent, that you with them will come to misery at home.

If, in the meantime, by your letter and seal you break faith and trust and the pious proclaimers of the gospel are captured, tortured and killed, then by that you will only call in the wrath of God over you.

The gospel grows on that account until God sends his redemption--just as the Israelite people in Egypt,

when one began to kill them, continued to increase until Moses led them forth. [Exodus 1:1-7] It also does not help to call on councils.

No council will any longer be held.

[68] Accordingly you should do right and not burden his people against God. Elijah, under the unjust, ruthless tyrant Ahab, killed the priest of Baal and the mountain priests, a single prophet amidst so great a number of the enemies of God, | Kings 18:40. After that, with a beautiful craftiness, Jehu killed all the priests of Baal, 2 Kings 10:15-28.

Josiah, the godly king, did the same thing to all mountain priests, 2 Kings 23:4-15, 24.

Herewith be forewarned:

God has put up with you long enough.

He will come at the end finally with the rod.

For your loss will stand as much chance of being restored as it will be for Lucifer to re-enter Heaven.

Therefore set your hopes elsewhere, namely in God, the comforter of all hearts.

He wants to bring you into his knowledge so that you humble yourselves under the powerful hand and cross of Christ and be saved with all believers.

Amen.

NOTES 1.

Jacob Schurtanner (d. 1525) was the main proponent of the Reformation in Appenzell.

See Walther Klarer, "Geschichte der Reformation im Appenzellerlande," Appenzellische Jahrbücher 2. Folge. 8/1 (1873):86-106.

On October 8, 1523 Schurtanner reported to Vadian that "the pure word of God" had been accepted by the Council of Appenzell. He asked, in the name of all the preachers of Appenzell, that Zwingli not disdain nourishing the new reformed churches with milk until they could bear more substantial food.

Joachim von Watt, or Vadian (1484-1551), was the reformer of St.

Gall.

The standard work on Vadian is Werner Naf, Vadian und seine Stadt St.

Gallen, 2 vols., St. Gallen:

Fehr'sche Buchhandlung, 1944, 1957.

Zwingli preached the original version of The Shepherd as a sermon during the Second Disputation on October

28, 1525.

The Shepherd of Hermas is a second century apocalyptic work which is strong in its ethical content especially, but also notable for certain dogmatic aspects, particularly the doctrine of penance.

Cf.

Quasten 1:92-105.

The reference by Jerome is MPL 23:658.

See below, Friendly Exegesis, note Ill:6.

Zwingli is likely referring to the Emperor Charles V and Pope Leo X and their proceedings against Luther. Cf. Z Ilk9 n. 6.

Appenzell was admitted to the Swiss Confederation on December 12, 1513. EA Ill/2:1361-1364.

Niklaus von Flue (1417-1487), the only canonized Swiss, was a symbol both of Christian spirituality and Swiss unity. See Heinrich Stirnimann, Niklaus von Flue, Freiburg:

Freiburg University Press, 1981.

Walther Klarer, Appenzeller Geschichte, Urnasch:

Schoop & Co.

1964.

1:526: the opponent of the reform to whom Zwingli is writing is Theobald Huter, pastor in Appenzell.

10.

The pastor of the village of Gais in the Appenzell was Bernhardin Benz. See Klarer [:88ff.

11.

Emil Egli identified the reference here as to the two communities of Rehtobel and Wald. Cited in Z Ill:12 n. 4.

12.

Phalaris (c. 570-554 B.C.), the tyrant of Agrigentum, was notorious for his roasting his victims in a bronze bull. OLD:1372.

13.

The exact reference for this Seneca citation has not been identified, though the source is likely Seneca's de Beneficiis.

14.

On the role of the qguildmaster in Zurich, see Rene Hauswirth, "Die Zurcher Obristmeister (Oberzunftmeister) 1518-1547,"

Zwingliana XII (1964-1968):

596-602.

15.

Cf. Egli, Nrs. 251, 386. Also:

Strickler, Nrs. 464, 689.

16:298

C 129731:25855840

(Ere ECs 959-95)!

17.

For the expression an den Klauen saugen see Wander, ll:1569.

18.

For the expression einen am Narrenseile führen see Wander, lll:941.

A Latin variation is found in Erasmus, Adagia,

|. VIII:22

(Op. omnia Il, col.

307).

19.

That is, the Pope.

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