Luther primer; by Luther Martin 1483-1546 & Steinhaeuser Albert Theodore William 1876-

Author:Luther, Martin, 1483-1546 & Steinhaeuser, Albert Theodore William, 1876- [from old catalog] comp
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Columbia, S.C., Survey publishing company
Published: 1917-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

$8 LUTHER PRIMER

and withdraw itself from, the authority which the bishops, abbots, monasteries, foundations, etc., wield to-day, since it is evident that their teaching and rule are contrary to God and His Word.

But, secondly, since a Christian congregation cannot exist without the Word of God, it follows that it must have teachers or preachers to administer this Word. And forasmuch as, in these last accursed times [Luther believed, like the apostles before him, that the end of the world was near], the bishops and false spiritual rulers neither are nor desire to be such teachers, and will neither give us nor suffer us to have such teachers, and forasmuch as we ought not to expect God to send us down teachers from heaven: therefore we must do as the Scriptures say, and call and ordain, from among ourselves, men who are found fit for this work and whom God has enlightened with understanding and endowed with the necessary gifts.

Every Christian has both the right and the duty to teach and preach God's Word. Now you will say: "But unless he be called, he dare not preach, as you have repeatedly maintained." [Comp. above, p. 200] I answer that it depends upon what sort of people he finds himself among. If he is where there are no Christians, he needs no other call than the fact that he is a Christian, inwardly called and anointed by God. He is in duty bound, by the law of Christian love, to preach the Gospel to such erring heathen or non-Christians, even though no man call him to do so. But when he is among Christians, all of whom have the

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