Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/64

 and others. They are paradoxes to men of mediocre ability, who had not thought of them, but they are good doctrine and fair doctrine to the wise, and to me the best of doctrine/ Blessed be God who again commands light to shine in the darkness. . ..

Brother Martin Luder, Augustinian.

3IS, LUTHER TO GEORGE MASCOV, PROVOST IN LEITZKAU. Enders, L 98. Wittenberg, May 17, 1517.

Greeting. I sympathize, Reverend Father; I pity the fall of your brother and ours ; he yesterday, we to-day, or rather he yesterday, we yesterday, to-day and always are sons of Adam and, therefore, do the works of Adam. Yet we must not despair of God's powerful hand. It is difficult for me to judge and counsel you what to do with him, especially as I do not know your rules. If they do not punish such a transgression with death or life-long imprisonment, it seems to me that he should be made to suffer the full penalty. For it is not you who punish him thus, but justice and the law of which you are not the judge, but the officer. Let not the thought that you are an equal or greater sinner move you. It is enough to confess this to God. It is edifying to think that we must almost always correct those who are better than ourselves, teach those who are more learned, help the worthier, that the saying of the Lord* may be established, that the princes of the nations rule over them as their inferiors, but the princes of the faithful serve them as their superiors ; for, he says, whosoever is greatest amongst you let him be your servant. Therefore keep your heart humble and gentle to this man, but show the power of a strong hand, since the power is not yours, but God's, but the humility ought not to be God's, but yours. Who knows whether he was per- mitted to make the stench of his sin public because he could not cure it in secret, but only by public shame. God is wonderful in all his ways above the sons of men. He cures many of sin by sin, as poison is counteracted by poison. Where-

i*'Siuit igitur pandoxa modestis, et qui non ea cognoverint, sed eudoxm tt calodoza acientibus, mihi vero aristodoxa."
 * Liike xziL 1$.

��� �