The Chief and Principal Articles of the Christian Faith, Title page – Preface
¶ The chiefe and pryncypall Articles of the Chriſten faythe, to holde againſte the Pope, and al Papiſtes, and the gates of hell, with other thre very profitable and neceſſary bokes the names or tyttels, whereof are conteyne in the leafe next followynge. Made by Doctor Marten Luther.
¶ To the Reader.
¶ In thys boke ſhal you fynde Chriſtian Reader the ryght probation of the righte Olde Catholyke Churche, and of the newe falſe Churche, whereby eyther of them is to be knowen.
Reade and iudge.
i. The chiefe Articles of the chriſten fayth, to holde agaynſt the Pope, and all Papiſtes, and the gates of hell.
ij. The Confeſſyon of the Faythe of Doctor Marten Luther.
iij. Of the ryght Olde Catholyke Churche, and the newe falſe Churche, whereby eyther of them is to be knowen.
iiij. The thre Symboles or Confeſſyons of the Chriſten faythe, in the Churche vnfourmely vſed.
❧ Doctor Marten Luther. ❧ Vvittemberg.
Preface of D. Marten Luther.
THeſe Articles hauehave I compyled, & for oure parte delyuered vp. Which alſo are receyued of oures and vnyformely confeſſed, and concluded.
That they ſhoulde (yf the Pope with hys adherentes, woulde ones be ſo hardy, withoute lyeng and diſſimulation, with earneſte and trueth, to kepe an vnfayned free counſayll, accordyng to hys duetye) be openly delyuered vp, and the confeſſion of our faith declared. But for as much as the Romyſhe courte ſo terribly feareth a generall Counſayll, and ſo ſhamefully abhorreth the light, that alſo thei, whithe be of hys own ſyde, are put to diſpayre, as though he woulde neuer abyde a free Counſayll, moche leſſe kepe it hymſelf. Whereon, as reaſon requyreth, duplicate page duplicate page they take occaſion to be offended, & moued to no ſmal encombraunce thereouer. As they that there by perceyue rightwell, that the Pope woulde rather ſee, the hole Chriſtianite caſte awaye, and all ſoules damned, than he woulde ſuffre hym ſelfe, or hys, to be refourmed, and a meaſure to be ſette vntounto hys Tyranny.
So hauehave I notwithſtandynge willed theſe Articles by open printe, to be brought to lyght to thintent, that yf I ſhoulde chaunce to dye, before anye Counſayl were kept (as doubteles I loke for none other) ſeynge theſe wretches ſo ſhamefully abhorring the light and eſchewinge the daye, take ſuche intollerable paynes to delaye and hynder a free counſayll. Vvhereby they that ſhall lyue and remayne after me may hauehave my witnes and confeſſion to ſhewe, aboue and beſydes that confeſſyon, whiche I dyd ſetfurth before, wherein alſo I hauehave perſiſted hitherto, and wyl perſiſte by Goddes grace.
For what ſhould I ſay, vntounto whome ſhoulde I complayne. I am yet a lyue, I writte, preache, and reade dayly, yet are there ſuche veninouſe people, not onelyonly amonge the aduerſaries, but alſo falſe bretheren, which fayne to be of oure parte, that take vponupon them, to interpretate my writtynges and teachynges directely againſt me. Euen before my face, that I may heare. Although they knowe fulwel, that I teache otherwyſe, and woulde coloure their poiſon with my laboures, and ſeduce the people vnderunder my name, what wyll be done then after my death.
Yea I ſhoulde by reaſon make aunſwer to all thynges, whyleſt I am yet on lyue. Yea agayne, howe can I alone ſtoppe all the mouthes of the Deuyll? Specially of ſuche (as they are all poyſoned) as wyl not heare, nor marke what we do writte. But onelyonly practyſe with all diligence, howe they myght mooſt ſhame fully peruerie, & infecte oure wordes, in all letters. VntoUnto ſuche to make aunſwer. I remitte vntounto the deuyl, or at the laſt vntounto goddes indignation accordynge to theyr deſeruynge. I remembre often the good gerſon, which doubteth, whether men oughte to writte any good thyng openly, yf men do it not, then are there many ſoules loſt, that might be preſerued. But yf menne do it, ſo is the deuyll ready at hande with innumerable euyll infected mouthes, whiche all thynges do infecte and peruerſe, ſo that the frute is kepte back, how be it, what they get by it, is openly ſene. For ſence the tyme, that they hauehave ſo ſhamefully lyed agaynſt vsus, and woulde vpholde the people with lyes hath God neuertheles g…ue forwarde with hys buſynes, and hath made their nōber ſtyll to decreaſſe, and oures to increace, and hath put thē with theyr lyes to confuſyon, and yet doth more and more.
I muſt recyte a Story. There was ſent hither to Vvittenberch, a certayn doctour out of Fraunce, which ſayde opēly before vsus: That hys kyng was ſurely certifyed, that by vsus, there was no Churche, no Superiorite, no matrimony, but wēt one amonge another lyke beaſtes, and that eueryevery mā did what he woulde. Nowe iudge, howe ſhall they in the later daye before the iudgemēt ſeate of Chriſt loke vponupon vsus, that hauehave by their writtinges infourmed the ſaid kyng, & alſo other Countryes ſuche rude and groſſe lyes to be very true? Chriſt the Lorde & iudg of vsus all knoweth right well, that they lye, & hauehave lyed, his iudgemēt muſt they heare agayne, that am I ſure of, God cōuerte them that are to be conuerted, to repētaunce. To the other it ſhall be ſaid, Vvo and Alaes for euer more.
And that I retourne agayne to my purpoſe, To ſee a right Counſayll I woulde truely be very glad, where by many matters might be redreſſed, and the people eaſed, Not that we hauehave nede of it. For oure Churches are nowe trough Goddes grace, with the ſyncere worde, and right vſe of the Sacramentes, with knoweledge of all manner of States, and righte workes, ſo illumined & ſette in order, that we for oure parte, care for no Counſayll, neyther do we loke or hope for any better reformation in theſe Articles by the Counſayll.
But there ſee we in the Byſſhoprykes eueryevery where, many Paryſſhes voyd and deſolate, which myght cauſe a mannes herte to breake. And yet neyther Biſſhops nor Chanōs care ho we the pore people do lyue or dye, for the whiche Chriſte neuertheleſſe ſuffered death, and ſhould not heare the ſame ſpeake with them as the right ſhepeherde with hys ſhepe. In ſo muche, that I am afrayde, and dredefull, leaſt he let one day an Angelical Counſail paſſe ouer Doucheland, which might vtterlye deſtroye vsus all, euen as Sodome and Gomorre, ſeyng, we are ſo obſtinate, morkyng, and geſtyng with the Counſayll.
Beſydes theſe neceſſary Churche matters, are there alſo in the laye ſtate innumerable great faultes, whiche had nede of redreſſe. There is diſcorde betwene Prynces, and States, Vſury and couetouſnes are broken in, euē as a mightye floude, and counted euen laufull and decent, wilfulnes, vnclenlynes, preſumption exceſſe in apparel, in eatynge, playeng, braggynge, with all manner of vngodlynes and iniquite, diſobedience of the ſubiectes, familye, and workemen, the inhaunſynge of al occupations and alſo of huſbandemen (and who can recyte it al) hauehave ſo preuayled, that with tenne counſaylles and twenty Conuocations it wyl not be brought agayn to the right trade.
Yf men woulde handle ſuche chiefe poyntes of the ſpirituall and temporall eſtates, whiche are againſt God, in the Counſayl, then ſhoulde they hauehave ynough to do, euen all handes full, So that in the meane ſeaſō, thei ſhould forgette all children playes, and foolyſhnes of long gownes, greate crownes, broade gyrdels. Byſſhoppes and Cardinalles hattes or ſtaues, and ſuche other iugglynges. When fyrſt we hadde executed the Commaundementes and ordinaunce of God, bothe in the ſpiritual and temporal eſtates, thē ſhoulde we fynde tyme ynough to refourme meates, garmentes, cronnes, and c…pes But when thei deuoure ſuche camelles, and in ſtede hereof wil ſee a moote, let the beame alone, and iudge the chippe, than myght we alſo well forbeare the counſayll.
Therfore hauehave I ſet but fewe Articles. For as muche as we beſydes that, hauehave of God ſo many commaundementes to do in the churche, in the ſuperiorite, within the houſſe, that we can neuer be able to perfourme them. Vvho then? or what doth it auayll? to make beſydes them many decrees and Statutes in the counſayl. Specially ſeyng theſe chiefe poyntes commaunded of God, are not regarded nor obſerued. Euen as though he ſhould ſet by oure iuglynge tromperies, becauſe we treade hys earneſt commaundementes vnderunder oure fete. But oure ſynnes ſuppreſſe vsus, and ſuffre not God, to be mercyfull vntounto vsus, neyther do we alſo repente, but will moreouer maynteyne and vpholde all abhomination.
O Lorde Ieſu Chriſte, kepe thou Counſayll thy ſelfe, and delyuer thy people by thy gloryous commynge, It is done with the Pope and hys adherētes. They wyll none of the: Therfore helpe thou vsus poore and miſerable, whiche ſygh vntounto the, and ſeke the with earneſt, accordyng to the grace, whiche thou haſte geuen vsus, through the holye Ghoſte, which lyueth and reygneth, with the and thy father, prayſed for euer and euer. AMEN.