[Sidenote: The Abuse of Images]
Dear Friends: We have heard the things which are necessary, as for
instance, that the mass is regarded as a sacrifice[16]. Then we
considered the things which are left to our liberty, such as marriage,
the monastic life, the abolishing of images. We have treated these
four subjects, and have said that in all these matters love is the
captain. On the subject of images, in particular, we saw that they
ought to be abolished if they are going to be worshiped, otherwise
not, although I wish they were abolished everywhere because they are
abused,--it is useless to deny it. For whoever places an image in a
church, imagines he has performed a service unto God and a good work,
which is downright idolatry. And this, the greatest, foremost and
highest reason or abolishing the images, you have neglected, and taken
up the very lowest. For I suppose there is scarcely any man who does
not understand that yonder crucifix is not my God, for my God is in
heaven, but that this is simply a sign. But the world is full of the
other abuse, for who would place an image of silver or of wood in a
church, if he did not think that in so doing he was doing God a
service? Think you that Duke Frederick, the bishop of Halle, and the
others would have placed so many silver images in the churches, if
they thought it counted nothing before God? Nay, they would not do it.
But this is not sufficient reason to abolish, destroy and burn all the
images; and why? Because we must admit that there are still people who
have not the wrong opinion of them, but to whom they may be useful.
Although they are few, yet we cannot and should not condemn anything
which is still useful to the devotions of any man. But you should have
taught that images are nothing, God cares nothing for them, and that
He is not served, nor pleased when we make an image for Him, but that
we would do better to give a poor man a gold-piece than to give God a
golden image, or God has forbidden the latter, but not the former. If
they had heard this teaching, that images count or nothing, they would
have ceased of their own accord, and the images would have fallen
without any uproar or tumult, even as it was already coming to pass.
[Sidenote: The Devil's Game]
We must, therefore, be on our guard, for the devil is after us,
through his apostles, with all his craft and cunning. Now, although it
is true, and no one can deny that the images are evil because they are
abused, nevertheless we must not on that account reject them, nor
condemn anything because it is abused. That would result in utter
confusion. God has commanded us not to lift up our eyes unto the sun,
etc. [Deut. 4:19], that we may not worship them, for they are created
to serve all nations. But there are many people who worship the sun
and the stars. Shall we, therefore, essay to pull the sun and stars
from the skies? Nay, we will not do it. Again, wine and women bring
many a man to misery and make a fool of him. Shall we, therefore, kill
all the women and pour out all the wine? Again, gold and silver cause
much evil, shall we, therefore, condemn them? Nay, if we would drive
away our one worst enemy, who does us the most harm, we would have to
kill ourselves, for we have no greater enemy than our own heart, even
as Jeremiah says, "The heart of man is crooked," [Jer. 17:9] or, as I
take the meaning, "always twisting to one side or the other." And what
good would that do us?
He who would blacken the devil must have good charcoal, for he, too,
wears fine clothes and goes to the fair. But I can catch him by asking
him: Do you not place the images in the churches because you think it
a special service of God? and when he says Yes, as he must, you may
conclude that what was meant as a service of God he has turned into
idolatry by abusing the images; he eagerly sought what God has not
commanded and neglected God's positive command, to help the neighbor.
But I have not yet caught him; he escapes me by saying: I help the
poor, too; cannot I give to my neighbor and at the same time place
images in churches? That is not true,--for who would not rather give
his neighbor a gold-piece, than God a golden image! Nay, he would not
trouble himself about placing images in churches if he believed that
God was not served thereby. Therefore I freely admit, images are
neither here nor there, neither evil nor good, we may have them or
not, as we please. This trouble has been caused by you; the devil
would not have accomplished it with me, for I cannot deny that it is
possible to find some one to whom images are useful. And if I were
asked about it, I would confess that none of these things give offence
to me, and if just one man were found upon earth who used the images
aright, the devil would soon draw the conclusion against me: Why
condemnest thou that which is still useful in worship? This challenge
I could not answer; he would have successfully defied me. He would not
have got nearly so far if I had been here. He played a bold game, and
won, although it does no harm to the Word of God. You wanted to paint
the devil black, but forgot the charcoal and used chalk. If you would
fight the devil, you must be well versed in the Scriptures, and,
besides, use them at the right time.
[Sidenote: Of Meats]
Let us proceed and speak of the eating of meats. It is true that we
are free to eat any manner of food, meats, fish, eggs or butter. This
no one can deny. God has given us this liberty. That is true;
nevertheless we must know how to use our liberty, and treat the weak
brother differently from the stubborn. Observe, then, how you must use
this liberty.
First of all, If you cannot give up meat without harm to yourself, or
if you are sick, you may eat whatever you like, and if any one takes
offence, let him be offended. And if the whole world took offence, yet
you are not committing a sin, for God can excuse you in view of the
liberty He has so graciously bestowed upon you, and of the necessities
of your health, which would be endangered by your abstinence.
[Sidenote: Liberty and Law]
Secondly, If you should be pressed to eat fish instead of meat on
Friday, and to eat fish and abstain from eggs and butter during Lent,
etc., as the pope has done with his fools' laws, then you must in no
wise allow yourself to be drawn away from the liberty in which God has
placed you, but do just the contrary to spite him, and say: Because
you forbid me to eat meat, and presume to turn my liberty into law, I
will eat meat in spite of you. And thus you must do in all other
things which are matters of liberty. To give you an example: If the
pope, or any one else would force me to wear a cowl, just as he
prescribes it, I would take of the cowl just to spite him. But since
it is left to my own free choice, I wear it or take it off, according
to my pleasure.
[Sidenote: Peter and the Gentiles]
Thirdly, There are some who are still weak in faith, who ought to be
instructed, and who would gladly believe as we do. But their ignorance
prevents them, and if this were faithfully preached to them, as it was
to us, they would be one with us. Toward such well-meaning people we
must assume an entirely different attitude from that which we assume
toward the stubborn. We must bear patiently with them and not use our
liberty, since it brings no peril or harm to body or soul, nay, rather
is salutary, and we are doing our brothers and sisters a great service
besides. But if we use our liberty without need, and deliberately
cause offence to our neighbor, we drive away the very one who in time
would come to our faith. Thus St. Paul circumcised Timothy because
simple-minded Jews had taken offence [Acts 16:3]; he thought, What
harm can it do, since they are offended because of their ignorance?
But when, in Antioch, they would insist that he ought and must
circumcise Titus, Paul withstood them all and to spite them would not
have Titus circumcised [Gal. 2:3]. And he held his ground. He did the
same when St. Peter by the exercise of his liberty caused a wrong
conception in the minds of the unlearned [Gal. 2:11 ff.]. It was on
this wise: When Peter was with the Gentiles, he ate pork and sausage
with them, but when the Jews came in, he would not touch this food and
ate no more with them. Then the Gentiles who had become Christians,
thought: Alas! we, too, must be like the Jews, eat no pork and live
according to the law of Moses. But when Paul found that it would
injure the liberty of the Gospel, he reproved Peter publicly and read
him an apostolic lecture, saying: "If thou, being a Jew, livest after
the manner of the Gentiles, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live
as do the Jews?" [Gal. 2:14] Thus we, too, should order our lives and
use our liberty at the proper time, so that Christian liberty may
suffer no injury, and no offence be given to our weak brothers and
sisters who are still without the knowledge of this liberty.