Good works (Theology); Lutheran Church -- Doctrines
O God, how blind, nay, how insane have we Christians become! When will
there be an end of wrath, O heavenly Father? That we mock at the
misfortune of Christendom, to pray for which we gather together in
Church and at the mass, that we blaspheme and condemn men, this is the
fruit of our mad materialism. If the Turk destroys cities, country and
people, and ruins churches, we think a great injury has been done
Christendom. Then we complain, and urge kings and princes to war. But
when faith perishes, love grows cold, God's Word is neglected, and all
manner of sin flourishes, then no one thinks of fighting, nay, pope,
bishops, priests and clergy, who ought to be generals, captains and
standard-bearers in this spiritual warfare against these spiritual and
many times worse Turks, these are themselves the very princes and
leaders of such Turks and of the devil host, just as Judas was the
leader of the Jews when they took Christ. It had to be an apostle, a
bishop, a priest, one of the number of the best, who began the work of
slaying Christ. So also must Christendom be laid waste by no others
than those who ought to protect it, and yet are so insane that they are
ready to eat up the Turks and at home themselves set house and
sheep-cote on fire and let them burn up with the sheep and all other
contents, and none the less worry about the wolf in the woods. Such are
our times, and this is the reward we have earned by our ingratitude
toward the endless grace which Christ has won for us freely with His
precious blood, grievous labor and bitter death.
XVI. Lo! where are the idle ones, who do not know how to do good works?
Where are they who run to Rome, to St. James, hither and thither? Take
up this one single work of the mass, look on your neighbor's sin and
ruin, and have pity on him; let it grieve you, tell it to God, and pray
over it. Do the same for every other need of Christendom, especially of
the rulers, whom God, for the intolerable punishment and torment of us
all, allows to fall and be misled so terribly. If you do this
diligently, be assured you are one of the best fighters and captains,
not only against the Turks, but also against the devils and the powers
of hell. But if you do it not, what would it help you though you
performed all the miracles of the saints, and murdered all the Turks,
and yet were found guilty of having disregarded your neighbor's need
and of having thereby sinned against love? For Christ at the last day
will not ask how much you have prayed, fasted, pilgrimaged, done this
or that for yourself, but how much good you have done to others, even
the very least.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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