Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/383

 strengthened in the things of God against the clear words of Scripture, "This is My body." The boys on the street- comers are laughed at if they argue : Some animals run, there- fore all animals run. And yet this glorious spirit is confident of triumph when it argues: Some miracles of Christ are visi-

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ble, therefore it is necessary that all shall be visible. In that - case it is false that Christ is seated at the Father's right hand, reigns, lives and acts ; for all this is an invisible miracle. . ..

I am writing you this letter, my dear Heerwagen, so that you may by all means either prefix it or subjoin it to that fourth volume, if you issue another edition, and thus the reader may have in my book an antidote to Bucer's preface. But I give you permission to publish Bucer's translation of my Postils, for two reasons: First, because, as I have said, he excels, by the goodness of God, in the gift of easy style and apt translation (would that he would thankfully acknowledge it!) ; and then because by his very preface he testifies of me that I am a vehement opponent of his own sect; and would that pressure of business allowed me to be even more vehe- ment

To be sure he wishes it to appear that this is only a trifling disagreement and that it does no harm to faith. For this spirit thinks that faith is not lost if Christ is called a liar in respect of His own very words, which is sufficient proof of what he thinks of Christ and His whole kingdom. For since we both contend that Christ says thus and so, and our contentions are opposite, it follows of necessity that either we or they accuse Christ of falsehood and lying. But if to make Christ a liar is not to deny Christ and blaspheme His faith, what, pray, does blaspheming Christ mean? That spirit is so keen of vision that it takes a matter of such great im- portance for a trifling and harmless matter.

That is what I have always said, that those sacramentarian heretics make sport of Christ and have never seriously known Him or taught Him, however grandly they boast that they seek the Gospel and the glory of God. A good man does not seek the glory of God by not knowing or making light of it

bitter laugh. ... If this is not to calumniate— or, shall I say? to rag^— I know not what it is."

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