Works of Martin Luther, with Introductions and Notes (Volume I)Luther, Martin
ReligionChristian
Works of Martin Luther, with Introductions and Notes (Volume I)
Luther, Martin
Lutheran Church -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- History -- 16th century -- Early works to 1800
In making confession diligence should be used to distinguish with
great care between sins committed against the Commandments of God
and sins committed against the statutes of men. I say this
because of the mad opinion, which is now prevalent, that sins
which are committed against the decretals of the popes are to be
noted with wondrous care, but sins committed against God, with
little or none.
Let me give you some illustrations:
You will find priests and monks who are horrified, as at some
prodigy, if they stammer, or repeat even a syllable in the Canon
of the Mass,[16] though this may be a natural defect of the
tongue, or an accident, and is not a sin. Again, there is no
priest who does not confess that he was distracted, or failed to
read his Preparatoria, or other old-womanish trifles of the
kind. There was one who, even when he was at the altar
celebrating, called a priest three times and confessed that
something had happened. Indeed, I have seen these endless jests
of the devil taken by many so seriously that they almost lost
their minds. And yet the fact that they cherished hatred or envy
in their hearts, that they had cursed before or after Mass, that
they had intentionally lied or slandered, all this moved them not
at all. Whence this perversity? From the "traditions of men who
turn from the truth," [Tit. 1:14] as the Apostle says. Because we
have neglected to offer God a confession of true sins, He has
given us up to our reprobate sense, [Rom. 1:24] so that we delude
ourselves with fictitious sins and deprive ourselves of the
benefit of the sacrament,[17] and the more we seem to seek it,
the more this is true.
[Sidenote: They Tyranny of Ordinances]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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