To John Lange letter 10 - Martin Luther

TO JOHN LANGE

Luther writes respecting private engagements, and the partaking of the sacrament. July 14, 1545.

My best beloved Lange, grace and peace in Christ! I am very much pleased with your views on private engagements, not only because you are on our side, but because your university, which is in high repute, shares our opinions, which must be a trial to the Papists, who were not aware of the side your school took, and may now fancy others are of the same way of thinking. Be courageous for the truth, for this is the path to heaven. Regarding the other question you are right. Those who aspire to be Christians should confess, at least once in the year, that they belong to Christ, although all through life they should do so. But they who excuse themselves by saying they feel no need of it, thereby show they have conceived a nausea of the grace of God and of the heavenly manna, being spiritually dead, and are longing for the foods of Egypt, and therefore cannot be considered Christians any longer.

Those again who as a pretext for not communicating adduce the prolonged war, these also cannot be exonerated, because at any moment they may become the prey of death; and what would they then do in the face of death? Would war and disputes not be placed in the background? For the soul meantime cannot be left without faith, without Christ, and without the Word; therefore such pretexts as war, etc., would not hold valid then. Thus they deny Christ and the faith, for through war and disputes all these things are hindered. I also have had much dissension with the Papists, as well as with the lawyers here, for a year past, and have appealed to the Elector, but this has not prevented me, nay, it has rather caused me, to partake oftener of the sacrament. You have now my opinion.

But you, with your gifts, know much better how to act in this matter than I. May you be blessed in

Christ, and pray for me, a dying sack of worms! MARTIN LUTHER . (De Wette.)