Selections from the Table Talk of Martin Luther — John Shaqi
Selections from the Table Talk of Martin LutherLuther, Martin
ReligionChristian
Selections from the Table Talk of Martin Luther
Luther, Martin
Table-talk
The weak in faith, said Luther, do also belong to the kingdom of Christ,
otherwise the Lord would not have said to Peter, “Strengthen thy
brethren,” Luke xxii.; and Rom. xiv., “Receive the weak in faith;” also 1
Thess. v., “Comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak.” If the weak in
faith should not belong to Christ, where then would the Apostles have
been, whom the Lord oftentimes (also after his resurrection, Mark xvi.)
reproved because of their unbelief?
_That Christ is the only Physician against Death_, _whom notwithstanding
very few do desire_.
A cup of water, said Luther, if a man can have no better, is good to
quench the thirst. A morsel of bread stilleth the hunger, and he that
hath need seeketh earnestly thereafter. So Christ is the best, surest,
and only physic against the most fearful enemy of mankind, the devil, but
they believe it not with their hearts. If they knew a physician who
lived above one hundred miles off, that could prevent or drive away
temporal death, oh, how diligently would he be sent for! No money nor
cost would be spared. Hence it appears how abominably human nature is
spoiled and blinded; yet, notwithstanding, the small and little heap do
stick fast to the true Physician, and by this art do learn that which the
holy old Simeon well knew, from whence he joyfully sang, “Lord, now
lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy
salvation,” etc., therefore death became his sleep; but from whence came
his great joy? Because that with spiritual and corporeal eyes he saw the
Saviour of the world—he saw the true Physician against sin and death.
Therefore it is a great trouble to behold how desirous a thirsty body is
of drink, or one that is hungry of food, whereas a cup of water, a morsel
of bread, can still hunger and thirst no longer than two or three hours,
but no man, or very few, are desirous, or do long after the most precious
Physician, although he lovingly calleth and allureth all to come unto
him, and saith, “He that is athirst, let him come to me and drink” (John
vii.); so, “He that believeth in me, from his body shall flow streams of
living water.”
_Of the Temple of all the Gods (except Christ)_, _at Rome_, _called
Pantheon_.
In the year 606, Emperor Phocas, the murderer of that good and godly
Emperor Mauritius, and the first erector of the Pope’s primacy, gave this
temple Pantheon to Pope Boniface the Third, to make thereof what he
pleased. He gave it another name, and instead of All-Idols he named it
the Church of All-Saints; he did not number Christ among them, from whom
all saints have their sanctity, but erected a new idolatry, the
Invocation of Saints.
In my chronicle, said Luther, I expound the name of Bonifacius thus:
Bonifacius is a Popish name, that is, a good form, fashion, or show, for
under the colour of a good form and show he acted all manner of mischief
against God and man.
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