since this new doctrine came in; now we have all manner of mischiefs, deaths, wars, and the Turks.'

"All the fault," said Luther, "they put on our preaching; and if they could charge us with being the cause of the devil's falling from heaven, yea, and that we had crucified and slain Christ, they would not omit it.

"Therefore the Whitsuntide Sermons of the Holy Ghost are very needful for us, that thereby we may be comforted, and may boldly contemn and slight such blasphemy, and obtain from the Holy Ghost such strength and courage in our hearts, that we may stoutly thrust ourselves forward, let who will be offended, boldly and freely acknowledging and preaching Jesus Christ.

"It is the nature of the Gospel," said Luther, " to be a ridiculous and offensive preaching, which, in all places of the world, is rejected and contemned. If it were not so," said Luther; "if the Gospel were such a doctrine as offended and angered neither citizen nor countryman, neither prince nor bishop, then it would be a fine and acceptable preaching, and might be well tolerated, and people would hear and receive it with pleasure. But seeing it is such a kind of preaching as maketh people angry, (especially the great and high powerful persons, and such as will be deep learned ones in the world,) so needeth there truly a divine constancy, a courage of the Holy Ghost, to those that intend to preach the same.

"What an undaunted courage it was," said Luther, "in the poor beggars and fishers (the apostles) to stand up and preach in such sort as to bring down upon their backs the wrath and displeasure of the whole government, of both the spiritual and temporal estates, yea, of

open their mouths so wide, and to say, Ye are all traitors, murderers, &c. Truly the same could not have been done without the Holy Ghost. *

"A great wonder it was," said Luther," that the high priests, together with Pontius Pilate, did not cause those preachers to be put to death. For it sounded much of rebellion that the apostles stood up and preached of the crucified Jesus of Nazareth against the spiritual and temporal government; yet, notwithstanding, both high priests and Pilate must be struck with fear, as, indeed, they deserved well to be made afraid, even 'where no fear was,' to the end that God might show His power in the simple apostles' weakness.

"This is the manner and proceeding of Christianity," said Luther; "it goeth on in apparent weakness, and yet, in such weakness, there is so great and mighty strength and power, that all the worldly wise and powerful thereat may stand amazed and be in fear."

Luther said, in Dr. Hennage's + presence, that the Holy Ghost is the certainty itself in the Word, making us so sure and certain of the Word, that, without all wavering or doubting, we certainly believe that it is even so, and no otherwise than as God's Word declareth. Dr. H. objected, that people of all sects

* It was not the making such charges against the rulers which marked the power and presence of the Holy Ghost in the apostles, but that, being men in low estate, and naturally timid and fainthearted, they had the courage, calmly and deliberately, to say such things in such an assembly, with nothing to support them in it but a sense of the duty they owed to their God and Saviour, whose witnesses they were.

+ At that time rector of the university of Wittemberg.

might then claim the gift of the Holy Ghost, seeing they be so positive of the truth of their own tenets. Luther replied to him briefly, and then continued:"A true and godly Christian (while others doubt) saith thus, I regard nothing these doubtings; I neither look upon my holiness, nor my unworthiness; but I believe in Jesus Christ, who is both holy and worthy; and whether I be holy or unholy, yet am I sure and certain that Christ giveth Himself (with all His holiness, worthiness, and whatsoever He is and hath) to be mine own. For my part, I am a poor sinner, and that I am assured of out of God's word.'

*

"Therefore the Holy Ghost alone is able to say Jesus Christ is the Lord. The Holy Ghost teacheth, preacheth, and declareth Christ; all others do, in one way or another, blaspheme Him.

"The Holy Ghost," said Luther, "goeth first and before in what pertaineth to teaching; but in what concerneth hearing, the Word goeth first and before; and then the Holy Ghost followeth after. For we must first hear the Word, and then afterwards the Holy Ghost worketh in our hearts; He worketh in the hearts of whom He will, and when He pleaseth. To conclude, the Holy Ghost worketh not without the Word."

* i, e. in the heart of the Christian, 1 Cor. xii. 3.

TOUCHING

CHAPTER IV.

CERTAIN PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES OF

THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

Concerning Justification.

THIS article, how we are saved, is the chiefest of the whole Christian doctrine. All divine disputations must be directed to it. All the prophets agitated this question, and thereabout turmoiled themselves. For when this article, concerning the salvation of our souls, is kept fast and sure by a constant faith, then all other articles draw on softly afterwards, as that of the Holy Trinity, &c. God," said Luther, "hath declared no article so plainly and openly as this, that only by Christ we are saved. And although he spake much of the Holy Trinity, yet resteth He continually upon this article of the salvation of our souls; other articles are of great weight, but this surpasseth all.

"Where this article remaineth pure and clean, there remaineth also the church pure; but if the same be falsified, then the church is made a whore, and is gone, as we have well seen, in Popedom.

"It is a mischievous thing," said Luther, "that we, miserable sinful wretches, will upbraid God, and hit Him on the teeth with our works, and think to be justified thereby before God, but God will not allow

6

thereof. My own conscience telleth me," said Luther, "that I cannot be justified by works, yet the Papists will not believe it. We ought," said Luther, "to say, with the fifty-first psalm, Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight, that Thou mightest be justified in Thy sayings.' We should remember that it is said, Forgive us our debts. We ought to say at once, We neither will, nor desire to be, righteous before the judgment-seat of God; but, much rather, willingly to confess ourselves sinners. What could we more easily say than this, We, poor creatures, are sinners, but Thou, O God, are righteous? Then," said Luther, "the case with us would be clear (1 John, i. 8, 9.): but we are our own hangmen, and tormenters of ourselves. The spirit ought, indeed, to say, 'I am righteous and just* ;' but the flesh† must say, 'I am a sinner; Thou, O God, art righteous, ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis.""

“The nature of an upright and true faith (which holdeth itself only in Christ) is," said Luther, "not to be disputing whether thou hast done many good works, whereby thou mightest be saved, or whether thou hast committed many sins, whereby thou mightest be damned; but it concludeth, in most simple and plain manner, for certain, that although thou hast done many good works, yet thou art not thereby righteous before God; and, again, although thou hast committed great sins, yet that thereby thou art not damned.

"But," said Luther, "I will herewith not dishonour nor blaspheme good works, much less will I applaud

* i. e. in Christ, in whom I believe. -2 Cor. v. 21.