The Twenty-first Article they absolutely condemn, because we do not
require the invocation of saints. Nor on any topic do they speak
more eloquently and with more prolixity. Nevertheless they do not
effect anything else than that the saints should be honored; likewise,
that the saints who live pray for others; as though, indeed, the
invocation of dead saints were on that account necessary. They cite
Cyprian, because he asked Cornelius while yet alive to pray for his
brothers when departing. By this example they prove the invocation
of the dead. They quote also Jerome against Vigilantius. "On this
field" [in this matter], they say, "eleven hundred years ago, Jerome
overcame Vigilantius." Thus the adversaries triumph, as though the
war were already ended. Nor do those asses see that in Jerome,
against Vigilantius, there is not a syllable concerning invocation.
He speaks concerning honors for the saints, not concerning invocation.
Neither have the rest of the ancient writers before Gregory made
mention of invocation. Certainly this invocation, with these
opinions which the adversaries now teach concerning the application
of merits, has not the testimonies of the ancient writers.
Our Confession approves honors to the saints. For here a threefold
honor is to be approved. The first is thanksgiving. For we ought to
give thanks to God because He has shown examples of mercy, because He
has shown that He wishes to save men; because He has given teachers
or other gifts to the Church. And these gifts, as they are the
greatest, should be amplified, and the saints themselves should be
praised, who have faithfully used these gifts, just as Christ praises
faithful business-men, Matt. 25, 21. 23. The second service is the
strengthening of our faith when we see the denial forgiven Peter we
also are encouraged to believe the more that grace truly superabounds
over sin, Rom. 5, 20. The third honor is the imitation, first, of
faith, then of the other virtues which every one should imitate
according to his calling. These true honors the adversaries do not
require. They dispute only concerning invocation, which, even though
it would have no danger, nevertheless is not necessary.
Besides, we also grant that the angels pray for us. For there is a
testimony in Zech. 1, 12, where an angel prays: O Lord of hosts, how
long wilt Thou not have mercy on Jerusalem? Although concerning the
saints we concede that, just as, when alive, they pray for the Church
universal in general, so in heaven they pray for the Church in
general, albeit no testimony concerning the praying of the dead is
extant in the Scriptures, except the dream taken from the Second Book
of Maccabees, 15, 14.
Moreover, even supposing that the saints pray for the Church ever so
much, yet it does not follow that they are to be invoked; although
our Confession affirms only this, that Scripture does not teach the
invocation of the saints, or that we are to ask the saints for aid.
But since neither a command, nor a promise, nor an example can be
produced from the Scriptures concerning the invocation of saints, it
follows that conscience can have nothing concerning this invocation
that is certain. And since prayer ought to be made from faith, how
do we know that God approves this invocation? Whence do we know
without the testimony of Scripture that the saints perceive the
prayers of each one? Some plainly ascribe divinity to the saints
namely, that they discern the silent thoughts of the minds in us.
They dispute concerning morning and evening knowledge, perhaps
because they doubt whether they hear us in the morning or the evening.
They invent these things, not in order to treat the saints with
honor, but to defend lucrative services. Nothing can be produced by
the adversaries against this reasoning, that, since invocation does
not have a testimony from God's Word, it cannot be affirmed that the
saints understand our invocation, or, even if they understand it,
that God approves it. Therefore the adversaries ought not to force
us to an uncertain matter, because a prayer without faith is not
prayer. For when they cite the example of the Church, it is evident
that this is a new custom in the Church; for although the old prayers
make mention of the saints, yet they do not invoke the saints.
Although also this new invocation in the Church is dissimilar to the
invocation of individuals.
Again, the adversaries not only require invocation in the worship of
the saints, but also apply the merits of the saints to others, and
make of the saints not only intercessors, but also propitiators.
This is in no way to be endured. For here the honor belonging only
to Christ is altogether transferred to the saints. For they make
them mediators and propitiators, and although they make a distinction
between mediators of intercession and mediators [the Mediator] of
redemption, yet they plainly make of the saints mediators of
redemption. But even that they are mediators of intercession they
declare without testimony of Scripture, which, be it said ever so
reverently, nevertheless obscures Christ's office, and transfers the
confidence of mercy due Christ to the saints. For men imagine that
Christ is more severe and the saints more easily appeased, and they
trust rather to the mercy of the saints than to the mercy of Christ,
and fleeing from Christ [as from a tyrant], they seek the saints.
Thus they actually make of them mediators of redemption.
Therefore we shall show that they truly make of the saints, not only
intercessors, but propitiators, i.e., mediators of redemption. Here
we do not as yet recite the abuses of the common people [how manifest
idolatry is practiced at pilgrimages]. We are still speaking of the
opinions of the Doctors. As regards the rest, even the inexperienced
[common people] can judge.
In a propitiator these two things concur. In the first place, there
ought to be a word of God from which we may certainly know that God
wishes to pity, and hearken to, those calling upon Him through this
propitiator. There is such a promise concerning Christ, John 16 23:
Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you.
Concerning the saints there is no such promise. Therefore
consciences cannot be firmly confident that by the invocation of
saints we are heard. This invocation, therefore, is not made from
faith. Then we have also the command to call upon Christ, according
to Matt. 11, 28: Come unto Me, all ye that labor, etc., which
certainly is said also to us. And Isaiah says, 11,10: In that day
there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign to
the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek. And Ps. 45, 12: Even the
rich among the people shall entreat Thy favor. And Ps. 72, 11. 16:
Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him. And shortly after: Prayer
also shall be made for Him continually. And in John 6, 23 Christ
says: That all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father.
And Paul, 2 Thess. 2, 16. 17, says, praying: Now our Lord Jesus
Christ Himself, and God, even our Father,... comfort your hearts and
stablish you. [All these passages refer to Christ.] But concerning
the invocation of saints, what commandment, what example can the
adversaries produce from the Scriptures? The second matter in a
propitiator is, that his merits have been presented as those which
make satisfaction for others, which are bestowed by divine imputation
on others, in order that through these, just as by their own merits,
they may be accounted righteous. As when any friend pays a debt for
a friend, the debtor is freed by the merit of another, as though it
were by his own. Thus the merits of Christ are bestowed upon us, in
order that, when we believe in Him, we may be accounted righteous by
our confidence in Christ's merits as though we had merits of our own.
And from both, namely, from the promise and the bestowment of merits,
confidence in mercy arises [upon both parts must a Christian prayer
be founded]. Such confidence in the divine promise, and likewise in
the merits of Christ, ought to be brought forward when we pray. For
we ought to be truly confident, both that for Christ's sake we are
heard, and that by His merits we have a reconciled Father.
Here the adversaries first bid us invoke the saints, although they
have neither God's promise, nor a command, nor an example from
Scripture. And yet they cause greater confidence in the mercy of the
saints to be conceived than in that of Christ, although Christ bade
us come to Him and not to the saints. Secondly, they apply the
merits of the saints, just as the merits of Christ, to others, they
bid us trust in the merits of the saints as though we were accounted
righteous on account of the merits of the saints, in like manner as
we are accounted righteous by the merits of Christ. Here we
fabricate nothing. In indulgences they say that they apply the
merits of the saints [as satisfactions for our sins]. And Gabriel,
the interpreter of the canon of the Mass, confidently declares:
According to the order instituted by God we should betake ourselves
to the aid of the saints, in order that we may be saved by their
merits and vows. These are the words of Gabriel. And nevertheless
in the books and sermons of the adversaries still more absurd things
are read here and there. What is it to make propitiators if this is
not? They are altogether made equal to Christ if we must trust that
we are saved by their merits.
But where has this arrangement, to which he refers when he says that
we ought to resort to the aid of the saints, been instituted by God?
Let him produce an example or command from the Scriptures. Perhaps
they derive this arrangement from the courts of kings, where friends
must be employed as intercessors. But if a king has appointed a
certain intercessor, he will not desire that eases be brought to him
through others. Thus, since Christ has been appointed Intercessor
and High Priest, why do we seek others? [What can the adversaries
say in reply to this?]
Here and there this form of absolution is used: The passion of our
lord Jesus Christ the merits of the most blessed Virgin Mary and of
all the saints, be to thee for the remission of sins. Here the
absolution is pronounced on the supposition that we are reconciled
and accounted righteous not only by the merits of Christ, but also by
the merits of the other saints. Some of us have seen a doctor of
theology dying, for consoling whom a certain theologian, a monk, was
employed. He pressed on the dying man nothing but this prayer:
Mother of grace, protect us from the enemy; receive us in the hour of
death.
Granting that the blessed Mary prays for the Church, does she receive
souls in death, does she conquer death [the great power of Satan],
does she quicken? What does Christ do if the blessed Mary does these
things? Although she is most worthy of the most ample honors,
nevertheless she does not wish to be made equal to Christ, but rather
wishes us to consider and follow her example [the example of her
faith and her humility]. But the subject itself declares that in
public opinion the blessed Virgin has succeeded altogether to the
place of Christ. Men have invoked her, have trusted in her mercy,
through her have desired to appease Christ, as though He were not a
Propitiator, but only a dreadful judge and avenger. We believe,
however, that we must not trust that the merits of the saints are
applied to us, that on account of these God is reconciled to us, or
accounts us just, or saves us. For we obtain remission of sins only
by the merits of Christ, when we believe in Him. Of the other saints
it has been said, 1 Cor. 3, 8: Every man shall receive his own reward
according to his own labor, i.e., they cannot mutually bestow their
own merits, the one upon the other, as the monks sell the merits of
their orders. Even Hilary says of the foolish virgins: And as the
foolish virgins could not go forth with their lamps extinguished,
they besought those who were prudent to lend them oil; to whom they
replied that they could not give it because peradventure there might
not be enough for all; i.e., no one can be aided by the works and
merits of another, because it is necessary for every one to buy oil
for his own lamp. [Here he points out that none of us can aid
another by other people's works or merits.]
Since, therefore, the adversaries teach us to place confidence in the
invocation of saints, although they have neither the Word of God nor
the example of Scripture [of the Old or of the New Testament]; since
they apply the merits of the saints on behalf of others, not
otherwise than they apply the merits of Christ, and transfer the
honor belonging only to Christ to the saints, we can receive neither
their opinions concerning the worship of the saints, nor the practise
of invocation. For we know that confidence is to be placed in the
intercession of Christ, because this alone has God's promise. We
know that the merits of Christ alone are a propitiation for us. On
account of the merits of Christ we are accounted righteous when we
believe in Him, as the text says, Rom. 9, 33 (cf. 1 Pet. 2, 6 and Is.
28, 16): Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Neither
are we to trust that we are accounted righteous by the merits of the
blessed Virgin or of the other saints.
With the learned this error also prevails namely, that to each saint
a particular administration has been committed, that Anna bestows
riches [protects from poverty], Sebastian keeps off pestilence,
Valentine heals epilepsy, George protects horsemen. These opinions
have clearly sprung from heathen examples. For thus, among the
Romans Juno was thought to enrich, Febris to keep off fever, Castor
and Pollux to protect horsemen, etc. Even though we should imagine
that the invocation of saints were taught with the greatest prudence,
yet since the example is most dangerous, why is it necessary to
defend it when it has no command or testimony from God's Word? Aye,
it has not even the testimony of the ancient writers. First because,
as I have said above, when other mediators are sought in addition to
Christ, and confidence is put in others, the entire knowledge of
Christ is suppressed. The subject shows this. In the beginning,
mention of the saints seems to have been admitted with a design that
is endurable, as in the ancient prayers. Afterwards invocation
followed, and abuses that are prodigious and more than heathenish
followed invocation. From invocation the next step was to images;
these also were worshiped, and a virtue was supposed to exist in
these, just as magicians imagine that a virtue exists in images of
the heavenly bodies carved at a particular time. In a certain
monastery we [some of us] have seen a statue of the blessed Virgin,
which moved automatically by a trick [within by a string], so as to
seem either to turn away from [those who did not make a large
offering] or nod to those making request.
Still the fabulous stories concerning the saints, which are publicly
taught with great authority, surpass the marvelous tales of the
statues and pictures. Barbara, amidst her torments, asks for the
reward that no one who would invoke her should die without the
Eucharist. Another, standing on one foot, recited daily the whole
psaltery. Some wise man painted [for children] Christophorus [which
in German means Bearer of Christ], in order by the allegory to
signify that there ought to be great strength of mind in those who
would bear Christ, i.e., who would teach or confess the Gospel,
because it is necessary to undergo the greatest dangers [for they
must wade by night through the great sea, i.e., endure all kinds of
temptations and dangers]. Then the foolish monks taught among the
people that they ought to invoke Chistophorus, as though such a
Polyphemus [such a giant who bore Christ through the sea] had once
existed. And although the saints performed very great deeds, either
useful to the state or affording private examples the remembrance of
which would conduce much both toward strengthening faith and toward
following their example in the administration of affairs, no one has
searched for these from true narratives. [Although God Almighty
through His saints, as a peculiar people, has wrought many great
things in both realms, in the Church and in worldly transactions;
although there are many great examples in the lives of the saints
which would be very profitable to princes and lords, to true pastors
and guardians of souls, for the government both of the world and of
the Church, especially for strengthening faith in God, yet they have
passed these by, and preached the most insignificant matters
concerning the saints, concerning their hard beds their hair shirts,
etc., which, for the greater part, are falsehoods.] Yet indeed it is
of advantage to hear how holy men administered governments [as in the
Holy Scriptures it is narrated of the kings of Israel and Judah],
what calamities, what dangers they underwent, how holy men were of
aid to kings in great dangers, how they taught the Gospel, what
encounters they had with heretics. Examples of mercy are also of
service, as when we see the denial forgiven Peter, when we see
Cyprian forgiven for having been a magician, when we see Augustine,
having experienced the power of faith in sickness steadily affirming
that God truly hears the prayers of believers. It was profitable
that such examples as these, which contain admonitions for either
faith or fear or the administration of the state, be recited. But
certain triflers, endowed with no knowledge either of faith or for
governing states, have invented stories in imitation of poems, in
which there are nothing but superstitious examples concerning certain
prayers, certain fastings, and certain additions of service for
bringing in gain [where there are nothing but examples as to how the
saints wore hair shirts, how they prayed at the seven canonical hours
how they lived upon bread and water]. Such are the miracles that
have been invented concerning rosaries and similar ceremonies. Nor
is there need here to recite examples. For the legends, as they call
them, and the mirrors of examples, and the rosaries, in which there
are very many things not unlike the true narratives of Lucian, are
extant.
The bishops, theologians, and monks applaud these monstrous and
wicked stories [this abomination set up against Christ, this
blasphemy, these scandalous, shameless lies, these lying preachers;
and they have permitted them so long, to the great injury of
consciences, that it is terrible to think of it] because they aid
them to their daily bread. They do not tolerate us, who, in order
that the honor and office of Christ may be more conspicuous, do not
require the invocation of saints, and censure the abuses in the
worship of saints. And although [even their own theologians], all
good men everywhere [a long time before Dr. Luther began to write] in
the correction of these abuses, greatly longed for either the
authority of the bishops or the diligence of the preachers,
nevertheless our adversaries in the _Confutation_ altogether pass
over vices that are even manifest, as though they wish, by the
reception of the Confutation, to compel us to approve even the most
notorious abuses.
Thus the _Confutation_ has been deceitfully written, not only on this
topic, but almost everywhere. [They pretend that they are as pure as
gold, that they have never muddled the water.] There is no passage in
which they make a distinction between the manifest abuses and their
dogmas. And nevertheless, if there are any of sounder mind among
them they confess that many false opinions inhere in the doctrine of
the scholastics and canonists, and, besides, that in such ignorance
and negligence of the pastors many abuses crept into the Church. For
Luther was not [the only one nor] the first to complain of
[innumerable] public abuses. Many learned and excellent men long
before these times deplored the abuses of the Mass, confidence in
monastic observances, services to the saints intended to yield a
revenue, the confusion of the doctrine concerning repentance
[concerning Christ], which ought to be as clear and plain in the
Church as possible [without which there cannot be nor remain a
Christian Church]. We ourselves have heard that excellent
theologians desire moderation in the scholastic doctrine which
contains much more for philosophical quarrels than for piety. And
nevertheless, among these the older ones are generally nearer
Scripture than are the more recent. Thus their theology degenerated
more and more. Neither had many good men, who from the very first
began to be friendly to Luther, any other reason than that they saw
that he was freeing the minds of men from these labyrinths of most
confused and infinite discussions which exist among the scholastic
theologians and canonists, and was teaching things profitable for
godliness.
The adversaries, therefore, have not acted candidly in passing over
the abuses when they wished us to assent to the Confutation. And if
they wished to care for the interests of the Church [and of Buffeted
consciences, and not rather to maintain their pomp and avarice]
especially on that topic, at this occasion they ought to exhort our
most excellent Emperor to take measures for the correction of abuses
[which furnish grounds for derision among the Turks, the Jews, and
all unbelievers], as we observe plainly enough that he is most
desirous of healing and well establishing the Church. But the
adversaries do not act as to aid the most honorable and most holy
will of the Emperor, but so as in every way to crush [the truth and]
us. Many signs show that they have little anxiety concerning the
state of the Church. [They lose little sleep from concern that
Christian doctrine and the pure Gospel be preached.] They take no
pains that there should be among the people a summary of the dogmas
of the Church. [The office of the ministry they permit to be quite
desolate.] They defend manifest abuses [they continue every day to
shed innocent blood] by new and unusual cruelty. They allow no
suitable teachers in the churches. Good men can easily judge whither
these things tend. But in this way they have no regard to the
interest either of their own authority or of the Church. For after
the good teachers have been killed and sound doctrine suppressed,
fanatical spirits will rise up, whom the adversaries will not be able
to restrain, who both will disturb the Church with godless dogmas,
and will overthrow the entire ecclesiastical government, which we are
very greatly desirous of maintaining.
Therefore, most excellent Emperor Charles for the sake of the glory
of Christ, which we have no doubt that you desire to praise and
magnify, we beseech you not to assent to the violent counsels of our
adversaries, but to seek other honorable ways of so establishing
harmony that godly consciences are not burdened, that no cruelty is
exercised against innocent men, as we have hitherto seen, and that
sound doctrine is not suppressed in the Church. To God most of all
you owe the duty [as far as this is possible to man] to maintain
sound doctrine and hand it down to posterity, and to defend those who
teach what is right. For God demands this when He honors kings with
His own name and calls them gods, saying, Ps. 82, 6: I have said, Ye
are gods, namely, that they should attend to the preservation and
propagation of divine things, i.e., the Gospel of Christ, on the
earth, and, as the vicars of God, should defend the life and safety
of the innocent [true Christian teachers and preachers].