Last Will and Confession, Title page – Preface
The laſt wil And laſt confeſſion of martyn luthers faith cōcerming the principal articles of religion which are in controuerſy / which he wil defend & maīteine vntil his death / agaynſt the pope and the gates of hell drawē furth by him at the requeſt of the princes of germany which hauehave reformed theier churches after the goſpel / to be offred vp at the next general councel in all their names & now publiſſhed before that all the world may hauehave an euydent teſtimony of his faith if it ſhal fortune him to dye before there be any ſuch coūcel / trā ſlated out of latyn
Beware of the pope & of his falſe prophetes and biſſopes for thei wil come in ſhepys clothing and in angels facys but yet inwardly thei are ravening woluys.
The articles conteined in this boke / be theſe folowing.
Of the diuine mageſty of god / and of the iij. perſons in one god heade.
Of the offyce of Ieſus chriſt & of mās redēpcyō
Of the maſſe wherin purgatory / appearing & walking of dead ſperites / pilgrimages / gyldes & almaner of brotherhode ſaintes reliques & pardons are confuted.
Of the inuocacyon of ſaintes
Of collegys & monaſterys how thei ought to be ordred.
Of the auctoryte of the pope.
Of ſinne.
Of penāce / cōtricyon cōfeſſyon & ſatiſfaccion.
Of the goſpel
Of baptime.
Of the baptime of infantes.
Of the ſacrament of the body & blode of chriſt.
Of the keys of the church.
Of confeſſyon or abſolucyon.
Of excommunicacyon.
Of geuing of orders & of the calling of miniſters.
Of the mariage of priſtes.
Of the church.
how mā is iuſtified before / god & god workes
Of the vowes of monkes & frires.
Of the traducions of men.
WHan Paul biſſhop of rome the third of that name did proclame & appoynt a general councell to be holden at mantua in the yere. 1537. at the feſt of pētecoſt which within a while after he wold hauehave had at ſome other place and not at mantua / in ſo moch that it was vncetten where he wold or might beſt appointe it / in the meane tyme we thought ſurely eyther to be called vntounto the councel to gether with other / or els to be condemned there vncalled / wherfor this labor was required at that time of me that ſhuld gather our whole doctrine in to certen ſpecyal chapters and principal articles / that if the councel ſchuld goo forward in erneſt / all men might hauehave a ſure knoulege wherin and how farre we wold or colud gyue place to the papiſtes / and againe in what ſentēce and mynd we hauehave determyned fully with our ſelues to abyde and remaine conſtantly for euer. And vp on this requeſt I dyd gather theſe prīcipal articles. ſet forth ī this boke / which I delyuered to the whole nomber of them that hauehave receiued our doctrine. And thei all with one cōſent did receiue and approue them / in ſo moch as it was determyned among them that if the pope with his part ſhuld ones dare be ſo bold as to hold a right free / and lauful councel without any falſe fraude diſceite or diſſimulacyon / that than theſe articles with the confeſſyon of our faith ſhuldbe offred vp vntounto them. But the court of rome abhorreth ſo ſore from a fre councel / and auoydeth from the light ſo ſhamefully / that it hath made euē them which ſtond on theer ſyde / vtterly to deſpaire of any general aſſemble / not only that this court of rome wil neuer call any free coūcel / but alſo that it wil neuer be content to ſuffer gladly any coūcel / to be had / with the which thing euē thei thē ſelues are offended & diſcontent / as thei hauehave a good cauſe / and are ſore greued therwith / for as moch as thei perceyue that the pope had rather all chriſten men to periſſh and go to the deuel / and that al theer ſowles ſſchuld perpetually be danned / than to ſuffer him ſelfe / his carnals / biſſhopys and ſhauelings to be reformed broght in to a right way or to oues ceaſe his tyranny. But I not with ſtōding thought it beſt to publyſſh & ſet fort theſe principal articles of our doctrine for this cauſe / that if it ſhu… fortune death to peruent me before any co…ſel ſhuld be gathered as I both hope and … / for as moch as theſe wretches / abhor… the perfit lyght like owels / cōtendand … ſo beſyly both night and day to hynder ād prolōg al mauer of cōſellesyit the peple myglit hauehave deuer more in time to come my confeſſyon and the teſtymony of my faith at hand to vſe reade and loke vponupon wherin as I hauehave continewed vntyl this day ſo wil I ſtil remayne ſo long as I lyue by the grace of god. for what ſhuld I ſay / or how ſhuld I complaime? I am yet alyue / I wryte I teach / I reade & preach dayly / and yet there be certen venemos ſerpentes not only amōg our aduerſarys but alſo among our falſe counterfet brethern which wil ſeme to hold withus which do vtter & betray them ſelues ſtudying malicioſly & falſely to wreſt myne own writīg myne own doctrine / againſt my ſelf / euen before my face / I my ſelf loking vp on them & alſo hearing them / and yet the themſelues knowe welinough that I teache the contrary. Thus like falſe theues thei abuſe the labors & ſwet of my browes to the maintenans of eher venom & poiſon. What wil they doo (thīke yow) whā I am dead? It is my part and duty therforto reſiſt / withſtand & confound them whils I lyue. But how can I alone ſtoppe all the mothes of the deuel? of them ſpecyally which (as they are all poiſoned and infect) wil neither heare nor conſidre or marke ſuch things as we write / but applye theer mīdes an ſtudy to this thing only. moſt ſhamefully to wreſt / corrupt miſtake / and peruert our wordes in eueryevery lyne The deuel of hell / or at the leaſt the wrath of god confute ſuch wretches as thei are worthy. I do often tymes remember the ſaing of good gerſō / which douteth whether any good boke ought to be publiſſhed in writing or no? If nothing ſhuld be writne thā are the ſoules of many one neglect and not regarded which by ſuch writings might hauehave moch help and remedy. And agayne on contrary part whan any thing is written / than the deuel with an infinyte nomber of moſt ſpiteful & peſtilēt tunges is redy at hād / to īfect / poiſon ād peruert all thīgs that no mā can receiue & take any profi therof. And yet not witſtonding all the world ſeyth what thei wynne: for after thei began ones to forge lyes vp on us / and wēt about to withdrawe mēs hartes from us and to wīne them to thē ſelues with lyīg / god hath done and wrought his worke and wil effectuoſly. and hath brought to paſſe that many do daily ſwarue frō thē andi oncline to us ād thus by their lyes thei hauehave procured thē ſelues ꝑpetual ſhame and diſhonor / which thīg god doth yet daily alſo. I muſt nedes ſhewe & vtter a certī ſtory that cometh now to my mid There was at wittenberg a certē do…tor ſent hether frō frāce which ſaid opēly before our faces th… the king his maſter did ſurely bileue that there was no maner of church or cōgregacion with… us / no maner of rulars nor officers. And that there ſhuld be no maner of matrimony but that eueryevery mā ſhuld rūne at large now to one womā now to a nother euē aftir the maner of brute beaſtes / and agaime that it ſhuld be lauful for eueryevery priuate mā to vſe or miſuſe / do or vndo all maner of thīghs after his own wil & iuſt &c. Now tel me I pray yow with what face ſhal theſe men dare loke vp on us at the latter day before the iudgement ſeate of chriſt which hauehave tolder perſuaded bi their letters & writīgs / this Fig & other peple & noble mē ſuch mō ſtros & abhominable lyes / for tru tales? Chriſt all our lorde / & the moſt rightful iudge, is our witneſſe that thei lye ſhamefully vp on us and hauehave euer done: whoſe ſentēce and iudgemēt cō demnīg them to euerlaſtīg dānacion thei ſhal not choſe but heare & abide. This am I ſure of Now god turn & cōuert thē to repētāce which cā by any poſſible meanes be cōuerted / as for other euerlaſtīg and moſt cruel poniſchment & dānaciō doth remaine for thē. But now to come to my putpoſe agaī / I wold wiſſh ſurely ones to ſee a true coūcel wherby many cōtrouerſys might be takē a way ād many mē might receiue profi: not that we our ſelues hauehave nede o any ſuch coūcel or plamēt for our churches are ſo lighned & cōfirmed ī the pure word / of god ī rhe true vſe of ſacramētes / ād in the knoulege of all good order & all good workes that for our cauſe we deſire no maner of perlament or councel / for we cannot think that any councel can teach vsus a more perfight order than we hauehave. But we ſee with depe ſorow & lamentacion of our hartes mani pariſſhes miſerably deſtitute / forſakē & vnregarded both of biſſhops and of prebendarys: we ſee in theer diocyſes & pariſſhes after what ſort the ſely miſerable peple do lyue and dye for whoſe ſaluacion Chriſt him ſelf ſuffred death vp on the croſſe: and yet thei cā not be ſuffred to heare nether him their tru ſhepard & paſtor / nor yet none of his ſpeaking and preaching vntounto them for the which cauſe tremble & feare vehemently leſſe god wil ſhortly call & bring all the world to a councel by ſome angel / which ſhal vtterley deſtroy us all / as he did ones Sodom & Gomor / for as moch as we contemne & mocke him ſo lightly thorow our councels. And beſide thoſe thīgs which are neceſſary to be reformed in the ſpiritualty / (as thei cal it) there be an infinite nomber of abuſes in the temporal regiment to be redreſſed. for there is vncharitable grudgd and diſſenſyon betwene princes and other nobles: and vſury & couetoſnes hauehave ſo farre preuayled & hath ſo drowned the temporalty euen lyke a flode or a ſee) that now in the place of the lawe are crept in / ryot / vnmeſurable exceſſe / wantones / pryde in apparel / glotony bankerting / diſe / cardes and pompe / withal kindes of vices & miſchefe / diſobedience of ſubiectes and houſoldes toward theer heades / peſtilent enhanſing of all maner of marchandiſe in biyng & ſeiling / theſe I ſay / with an infinyte ſort ſuch life / hauehave ſo preuailed that thei can not be reformed in X. councels nor in XX. aſſembles. Theſe principal matters both of the temporalty & of the ſpiritualty / if thei ſhuld be entreated of in a general coūcel / thei ſhuld make us to hauehave ſo moch labor and beſines / that we ſhuld ſone forget & litle regard the foliſſh triflyng about long gownes & brode ſhauyn crownes / fryres girdels / biſſhops forked cappes / carnal hattes / ād croſer ſtaues with ſuch other trifyls. for it were time inough to entreate of the choiſe of meates / the differēce of garmeetes ſhort or lōg of the ſhauīg of crounes & of cloiſters / after that the prīcipal articles of the faith with a godly politike ordre for the comonwelth were determined & cōcluded by the word of god. But if we wil ſwalow op Vhole camels / and ſtrayne gnaties / if we wil receiue & ſuffer gret beames in our eys & pluck out the ſmal motys / if we wil ſtomble at a ſtrane & leape at a block / we nede not be ſo gretly cariful for any councels. wherfor I hauehave made but a very fewe chapters & principal articles for els we hauehave ſo many cōmandmēts geuē vsus of god to be obſerued in his church / in the comynalty / and in eueryevery particular houſe & pariſſh / that we are neuer able to perform them. wherfor what nede is it to make many actes decreys and tradicions beſide? ſpecially if the principal articles and cōmandments enioined us bi god himſelfe be neglect and nothing regarded / as though god muſt geue place to our foliſſh trifles becauſe we treade his ſpecial cō mandmenas / vnderunder our fete like ſwyne. But our ſinnes do ſo ſore vexe oppreſſe & lade us that thei wil not ſuffer god to hauehave mercy vponupon ue / becauſe we do not repēt nor amend / but rather ſtudy and labor to ſtabliſſh & mainteyne all maner of wickednes. O merciful lord Ieſu chriſt / were ſaue then thy ſelf to celebrate a councel & to redeme thi elect thorow thy own glorios preſens for of the pope and of his adherents ther is no hope at all. thei wil in no wiſe receiue the. wherfor help thou us pore miſerable creatures / crieng & calling vntounto the / ſeking the erneſtly / for the abowndant mercys ſafe that thou haſt geuen thorow thi holy ſpirite which liueth & reigneth with the & with the father to be praiſed & glorified for euer and euer. Amen.