Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/278

 joyously call Him Father Who has freed us from the horrible darkness of the Antichrist and from the iron furnace of Egyp- tian sin and death and has led us into a large, safe, free, good and promised land

See now and consider what you once were, and be not found unthankful for God's great mercy, as some are who thereby awaken His wrath again. Rather stand fast, exercise your- selves and daily increase in the knowledge and grace of Jesus Qirist This is the right way of salvation which cannot fail you. Look to it that you stand fast in one mind and show brotherly love one to another, thereby proving that your faith is not false, sluggish and void, lest the enemy once driven out return again and find his house empty and garnished, and so take possession of it with seven spirits more evil than himself and the last state be worse than the first.

If you are slandered and persecuted for your faith, blessed are you. Have they called the master of the house Beelzebub, and shall they not call His servant the same? The servant is not greater than his lord. What can it hurt you that mis- erable men who pass away like smoke slander you when you are certain that thousands of thousands of angels and God Himself with all creatures rejoice over you and praise and commend you? Your faith and good conscience in the Holy Ghost feels this and bears witness that you have believed well and have Christ truly living and reigning in you, in which case such sufferings profit us and make for our salvation.

There is great danger that schism and sects and errors arise among Christians, and that the comfortable knowledge of the truth may lead them astray, taking them from the hidden grace of the spirit into outward ceremonies and works, as the false apostles did, and after them the heretics, and, last of all, the Pope. We must guard against this with all our might. I have no doubt and am certain that our Gospel is the right Gospel, wherefore it is necessary that it must be proved and tried and tempted on both sides; on the left hand by the open injury and hate of adversaries, and on the right hand by division and schism. Paul says, "For there must also be heresies, that they which are approved be made manifest."* Christ must


 * I Corinthians xi, 19.

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