Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/350

 to keep quiet when they are talking and to yield to them when they are disturbing our Church and weakening our authority. If they are afraid and unwilling to have the authority of their own teaching diminished, let them remember not to diminish ours. It is right to abstain from abuse, but how can men be answered or contradicted if it is not permis- sible to condemn and if the very word "condemn" is regarded as abuse? And is it not abuse when those very modest men in their published books charge us with being carnivorous, with worshiping an edible and impanated God, and with deny- ing the redemption made on the Cross? All the moderation is theirs ; we are falsely called immoderate. Yet we have en- dured it thus far, though they are unable to endure it when we say they are in error. Do they wish us to approve of everything they say? Certainly we shall not endure such things as these.

It is not sound advice when they urge that believers are to have their minds diverted from the question of the presence of Christ's body and blood, and directed only to the Word and to faith. Among us Word and faith are not present apart from the thing on which they rest, since the very words* involve the question whether the body and blood are there, and the mind of the people cannot be diverted from this question, no matter how many books are spread among them and received by them. It was these men's part to be silent at first ; it is now too late for them to demand silence.

But what are they afraid of, if their certitude rests, as they boast that it does, upon the experience of faith, and if they are neither deceivers nor deceived? Who are we to resist them? If they are so certain about this sort of faith, they are bound by the duty of their office to come forward and condemn us as in error. But they shrink from doing this, and seek another course; therefore we advise them to take heed to this second warning of the Spirit and look what they are doing. Men who are certain of their opinion because of the experience of faith do not seek such things as they seek or give the advice that they give. For the Spirit is not so timid and does not argue as they do.

1 /.#, the Words of Inttittttioii.

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