Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/140

 Would that the princes would so watch over true studies that this great evil might be stopped, and stopped in such wise that it would not spring up again, jor it is now too late, perhaps, to argue about which party is to blame. It cannot be denied that Luther undertook a good work and began by taking up the cause of Christ, Who had almost been forgotten, thus earning the applause of the whole world, but I could wish that he had been better advised in his handling of this great matter and had shown greater moderation, both of mind and_ pen. I wish either that there were not so many good things in what he has written, or else that he had not spoiled the good things by others that are imbearable. Nevertheless, some of the Lutherans are greater sinners in this respect than Luther himself. Now that the controversy is waged on both sides with cruel hatred, there is danger that if Luther is worsted many good things may perish which I should be sorry to see done away, and the victorious party may put upon us certain things which no one who loves Christ would be able to endure, and some things would be lost, to the grave detriment of the glory of Christ and the purity of the Gospel. If I may speak freely to a prince as wise as he is kind, the world was asleep in scholastic opinions and human consti- tutions, and heard only of indulgences and compositions and the power of the Roman pontiff. Even though these things were indubitably true, nevertheless they do not contribute much to the power of the Gospel, do not inspire us with contempt of this world, do not inflame us with love of heaven. And yet these were things that were most insistently taught. The authority of the Pope is not to be despised, but all the glory is to be given to Christ alone. Moreover under these condi- tions certain men were in power who do not seek the things of Jesus Christ, but like that Demas whom the Apostle Paul mentions,^ they love this world. From this sleep the world ^ had to be aroused and the spark of Gospel power had to be ' revived again; would that it had been done with that gentle- j ness and carefulness with which that holiest of all taskaj ought to have been performed. Then, too, certain monks and monkish theologians mixed in the business and stirred

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