【英文读物】A Treatise on Good Works.docx

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1、【英文读物】A Treatise on Good WorksINTRODUCTION1. The Occasion of the Work.Luther did not impose himself as reformer upon the Church. In the course of a conscientious performance of the duties of his office, to which he had been regularly and divinely called, and without any urging on his part, he attain

2、ed to this position by inward necessity. In 1515 he received his appointment as the standing substitute for the sickly city pastor, Simon Heinse, from the city council of Wittenberg. Before this time he was obliged to preach only occasionally in the convent, apart from his activity as teacher in the

3、 University and convent. Through this appointment he was in duty bound, by divine and human right, to lead and direct the congregation at Wittenberg on the true way to life, and it would have been a denial of the knowledge of salvation which God had led him to acquire, by way of ardent inner struggl

4、es, if he had led the congregation on any other way than the one God had revealed to him in His Word. He could not deny before the congregation which had been intrusted to his care, what up to this time he had taught with ever increasing clearness in his lectures at the Universityfor in the lectures

5、 on the Psalms, which he began to deliver in 1513, he declares his conviction that faith alone justifies, as can be seen from the complete manuscript, published since 1885, and with still greater clearness from his Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (1515-1516), which is accessible since 1908;

6、nor what he had urged as spiritual adviser of his convent brethren when in deep distresscompare the charming letter to Georg Spenlein, dated April 8, 1516.Luthers first literary works to appear in print were also occasioned by the work of his calling and of his office in the Wittenberg congregation.

7、 He had no other object in view than to edify his congregation and to lead it to Christ when, in 1517, he published his first independent work, the Explanation of the Seven Penitential Psalms. On Oct 31 of the same year he published his 95 Theses against Indulgences. These were indeed intended as co

8、ntroversial theses for theologians, but at the same time it is well known that Luther was moved by his duty toward his congregation to declare his position in this matter and to put in issue the whole question as to the right and wrong of indulgences by means of his theses. His sermon Of Indulgences

9、 and Grace, occasioned by Tetzels attack and delivered in the latter part of March, 1518, as well as his sermon Of Penitence, delivered about the same time, were also intended for his congregation. Before his congregation (Sept., 1516-Feb., 1517) he delivered the Sermons on the Ten Commandments, whi

10、ch were published in 1518 and the Sermons on the Lords Prayer, which were also published in 1518 by Agricola. Though Luther in the same year published a series of controversial writings, which were occasioned by attacks from outside sources, viz., the Resolutiones disputationis de Virtute indulgenti

11、arum, the Asterisci adversus obeliscos Joh. Eccii, and the Ad dialogum Silv. Prieriatis responsio, still he never was diverted by this necessary rebuttal from his paramount duty, the edification of the congregation. The autumn of the year 1518, when he was confronted with Cajetan, as well as the who

12、le year of 1519, when he held his disputations with Eck, etc., were replete with disquietude and pressing labors; still Luther served his congregation with a whole series of writings during this time, and only regretted that he was not entirely at its disposal. Of such writings we mention: Explanati

13、on of the Lords Prayer for the simple Laity (an elaboration of the sermons of 1517); Brief Explanation of the Ten Commandments; Instruction concerning certain Articles, which might be ascribed and imputed to him by his adversaries; Brief Instruction how to Confess; Of Meditation on the Sacred Passio

14、n of Christ; Of Twofold Righteousness; Of the Matrimonial Estate; Brief Form to understand and to pray the Lords Prayer; Explanation of the Lords Prayer vor sich und hinter sich; Of Prayer and Processions in Rogation Week; Of Usury; Of the Sacrament of Penitence; Of Preparation for Death; Of the Sac

15、rament of Baptism; Of the Sacrament of the Sacred Body; Of Excommunication. With but few exceptions these writings all appeared in print in the year 1519, and again it was the congregation which Luther sought primarily to serve. If the bounds of his congregation spread ever wider beyond Wittenberg,

16、so that his writings found a surprisingly ready sale, even afar, that was not Luthers fault. Even the Tessaradecas consolatoria, written in 1519 and printed in 1520, a book of consolation, which was originally intended for the sick Elector of Saxony, was written by him only upon solicitation from ou

17、tside sources.To this circle of writings the treatise Of Good Works also belongs Though the incentive for its composition came from George Spalatin, court-preacher to the Elector, who reminded Luther of a promise he had given, still Luther was willing to undertake it only when he recalled that in a

18、previous sermon to his congregation he occasionally had made a similar promise to deliver a sermon on good works; and when Luther actually commenced the composition he had nothing else in view but the preparation of a sermon for his congregation on this important topic.But while the work was in prog

19、ress the material so accumulated that it far outgrew the bounds of a sermon for his congregation. On March 25. he wrote to Spalatin that it would become a whole booklet instead of a sermon; on May 5. he again emphasizes the growth of the material; on May 13. he speaks of its completion at an early d

20、ate, and on June 8. he could send Melanchthon a printed copy. It was entitled: Von den guten werckenn: D. M. L. Vuittenberg. On the last page it bore the printers mark: Getruck zu Wittenberg bey dem iungen Melchior Lotther. Im Tausent funfhundert vnnd zweyntzigsten Jar. It filled not less than 58 le

21、aves, quarto. In spite of its volume, however, the intention of the book for the congregation remained, now however, not only for the narrow circle of the Wittenberg congregation, but for the Christian layman in general. In the dedicatory preface Luther lays the greatest stress upon this, for he wri

22、tes: Though I know of a great many, and must hear it daily, who think lightly of my poverty and say that I write only small Sexternlein (tracts of small volume) and German sermons for the untaught laity, I will not permit that to move me. Would to God that during my life I had served but one layman

23、for his betterment with all my powers; it would be sufficient for me, I would thank God and suffer all my books to perish thereafter. Most willingly I will leave the honor of greater things to others, and not at all will I be ashamed of preaching and writing German to the untaught laity.Since Luther

24、 had dedicated the afore-mentioned Tessaradecas consolatoria to the reigning Prince, he now, probably on Spalatins recommendation, dedicated the Treatise on Good Works to his brother John, who afterward, in 1525, succeeded Frederick in the Electorate. There was probably good reason for dedicating th

25、e book to a member of the reigning house. Princes have reason to take a special interest in the fact that preaching on good works should occur within their realm, for the safety and sane development of their kingdom depend largely upon the cultivation of morality on the part of their subjects. Time

26、and again the papal church had commended herself to princes and statesmen by her emphatic teaching of good works. Luther, on the other hand, had been accusedlike the Apostle Paul before him (Rom. 3 31)that the zealous performance of good works had abated, that the bonds of discipline had slackened a

27、nd that, as a necessary consequence, lawlessness and shameless immorality were being promoted by his doctrine of justification by faith alone. Before 1517 the rumor had already spread that Luther intended to do away with good works. Duke George of Saxony had received no good impression from a sermon

28、 Luther had delivered at Dresden, because he feared the consequences which Luthers doctrine of justification by faith alone might have upon the morals of the masses. Under these circumstances it would not have been surprising if a member of the Electoral house should harbor like scruples, especially

29、 since the full comprehension of Luthers preaching on good works depended on an evangelical understanding of faith, as deep as was Luthers own. The Middle Ages had differentiated between fides informis, a formless faith, and fides formata or informata, a formed or ornate faith. The former was held t

30、o be a knowledge without any life or effect, the latter to be identical with love for, as they said, love which proves itself and is effective in good works must be added to the formless faith, as its complement and its content, well pleasing to God. In Luthers time every one who was seriously inter

31、ested in religious questions was reared under the influence of these ideas.Now, since Luther had opposed the doctrine of justification by love and its good works, he was in danger of being misunderstood by strangers, as though he held the bare knowledge and assent to be sufficient for justification,

32、 and such preaching would indeed have led to frivolity and disorderly conduct. But even apart from the question whether or not the brother of the Elector was disturbed by such scruples, Luther must have welcomed the opportunity, when the summons came to him, to dedicate his book Of Good Works to a m

33、ember of the Electoral house. At any rate the book could serve to acquaint him with the thoughts of his much-abused pastor and professor at Wittenberg, for never before had Luther expressed himself on the important question of good works in such a fundamental, thorough and profound way.2. The Conten

34、ts of the Work.A perusal of the contents shows that the book, in the course of its production, attained a greater length than was originally intended. To this fact it must be attributed that a new numeration of sections begins with the argument on the Third Commandment, and is repeated at every Comm

35、andment thereafter, while before this the sections were consecutively numbered. But in spite of this, the plan of the whole is clear and lucid. Evidently the whole treatise is divided into two parts: the first comprising sections 1-17, while the second comprises all the following sections. The first

36、, being fundamental, is the more important part. Luther well knew of the charges made against him that faith is so highly elevated and works are rejected by him; but he knew, too, that neither silver, gold and precious stone, nor any other precious thing had experienced so much augmentation and dimi

37、nution as had good works which should all have but one simple goodness, or they are nothing but color, glitter and deception. But especially was he aware of the fact that the Church was urging nothing but the so-called self-elected works, such as running to the convent, singing, reading, playing the

38、 organ, saying the mass, praying matins, vespers, and other hours, founding and ornamenting churches, altars, convents, gathering chimes, jewels, vestments, gems and treasures, going to Rome and to the saints, curtsying and bowing the knees, praying the rosary and the psalter, etc., and that she des

39、ignated these alone as truly good works, while she represented the faithful performance of the duties of ones calling as a morality of a lower order. For these reasons it is Luthers highest object in this treatise to make it perfectly clear what is the essence of good works. Whenever the essence of

40、good works has been understood, then the accusations against him will quickly collapse.In the fundamental part he therefore argues: Truly good works are not self-elected works of monastic or any other holiness, but such only as God has commanded, and as are comprehended within the bounds of ones par

41、ticular calling, and all works, let their name be what it may, become good only when they flow from faith, the first, greatest, and noblest of good works. (John 6:29.) In this connection the essence of faith, that only source of all truly good works, must of course be rightly understood. It is the s

42、ure confidence in God, that all my doing is wellpleasing to Him; it is trust in His mercy, even though He appears angry and puts sufferings and adversities upon us; it is the assurance of the divine good will even though God should reprove the conscience with sin, death and hell, and deny it all gra

43、ce and mercy, as though He would condemn and show His wrath eternally. Where such faith lives in the heart, there the works are good even though they were as insignificant as the picking up of a straw; but where it is wanting, there are only such works as heathen, Jew and Turk may have and do. Where

44、 such faith possesses the man, he needs no teacher in good works, as little as does the husband or the wife, who only look for love and favor from one another, nor need any instruction therein how they are to stand toward each other, what they are to do, to leave undone, to say, to leave unsaid, to

45、think.This faith, Luther continues, is the true fulfilment of the First Commandment, apart from which there is no work that could do justice to this Commandment. With this sentence he combines, on the one hand, the whole argument on faith, as the best and noblest of good works, with his opening prop

46、osition (there are no good works besides those commanded of God), and, on the other hand, he prepares the way for the following argument, wherein he proposes to exhibit the good works according to the Ten Commandments. For the First Commandment does not forbid this and that, nor does it require this

47、 and that; it forbids but one thing, unbelief; it requires but one thing, faith, that confidence in Gods good will at all times. Without this faith the best works are as nothing, and if man should think that by them he could be well-pleasing to God, he would be lowering God to the level of a broker

48、or a laborer who will not dispense his grace and kindness gratis.This understanding of faith and good works, so Luther now addresses his opponents, should in fairness be kept in view by those who accuse him of declaiming against good works, and they should learn from it, that though he has preached

49、against good works, it was against such as are falsely so called and as contribute toward the confusion of consciences, because they are self-elected, do not flow from faith, and are done with the pretension of doing works well-pleasing to God.This brings us to the end of the fundamental part of the treatise. It was not Luthers intention, however, to speak only on the essence of good works and their fundamental relation to faith; he would show, too, how the best work, faith, must pr