BOOKS.
THE LETTERS OF MARTIN LUTHER.'
GOETHE once wrote to a friend that there was nothing deserving of attention in the Reformation of the sixteenth century with the exception of the character of Luther. On historical subjects Goethe's judgment was less sure than usual, and his profound dislike of revolutions, political and religious, blinded him to the permanent importance of the Reformation as marking a great emancipating epoch in European thought and life. But it is true that Luther's character would continue to interest students of human nature even if they had ceased to care for the controversies of his age.
The principal sources for our knowledge of Luther as a man are his Table-Talk and his voluminous correspondence. The latter is the more instructive. In the Table-Talk be appears chiefly in his lighter moods, in the letters we see the whole man. Miss Currie's selection from the letters, although the translation is far from adequate, will give an opportunity to English readers of gaining some acquaintance with one of the most interesting letter-writers of the world.
Luther's character as revealed in his correspondence is on a large, luminous scale. Faults and virtues are equally visible, and whether on the page of history or upon the stage, such characters always command attention, exciting sympathy or antipathy. Whether Luther, as he makes himself known in his letters, will evoke the former or the latter feeling will depend upon the reader; it is impossible, in any case, to remain neutral in Luther's presence.
It is a commonplace to admire, or at all events to wonder at, the courage of the obscure monk who, standing alone, braved the wrath of the highest authorities in Church and State. His contemporaries, however, were better able to appreciate his "mad daring," as he himself termed it, than we who are familiar with the existence of various Christian denominations. Luther's daring did not consist in assailing the corruptions of the Curia, nor even in subjecting to criticism the teaching of the Roman Church. This had been done by others before him ; but former assailants of the Papacy had, without exception, remained Conformists, for to separate from the Roman Communion was in those days to go outside Christendom, there being no other Christian Church in Western Europe. Luther dared this, and thus proved that it was possible to serve and worship God in spirit and truth although excommunicated from the traditional centre of safety and holiness. It was his great legacy to the modern world.
The courage which emboldened Luther to take this step was founded upon the faith that God was the protector of himself and his cause, and that he need not fear what man could do mite him. • But this faith, as his letters shiny, was of gradual growth. Like the joyful confidence of the Hpbrew Psalmists, it arose out of the depths of prolonged and agonising experiences. His own, hesitations, it may be thought, ought to have rendered him patient with those who continued to hold his early opinions. But the leader of a revolt in Church or State cannot afford to do justice to the other side if he is to retain the allegiance of his own followers. At times Luther was content to treat his opponents
• The Letters of Martin Luther. Selected and Translated by Margaret A. Currie. Loudon Macmillan and Co. [l2s. net.] with high disdain. There is a fine example of this mood in a letter given in Miss Currie's volume addressed to his Prince, the Elector of Saxony, who desired to protect him, but doubted whether he possessed the power. Luther wrote assuring him that neither be nor his cause required the protection of an earthly Monarch. Not infrequently, however, Luther abandoned this lofty attitude, and assailed his opponents with coarse and scurrilous abuse, as will be seen in his letters. Except for purposes of amuse- ment, the ecclesiastical controversialists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are rarely worth reading. Luther's invective has a redeeming feature rarely found in ecclesiastical controversy,—it is humorous, and where humour is, kindliness is never far off ; we may conjecture that had they fallen into his hands his enemies would not have fared so badly. But his language is certainly unmeasured. For some of his foes the appellation "asses" is made to suffice. Others receive a more specific denomination. One Cardinal is a great Thomist, but "a muddle-headed, obscure, and incapable theologian." Duke George is personally addressed as "Most ungracious Prince," and is referred to as the Rehoboam of Dresden. Another, the Primate of all Germany, is a crocodile, but in a subsequent letter is pro- moted to the rank of the "Satan of Mainz." Henry VIII. figures as the "growling lion" who calls himself King of England. His ignorance is not to be wondered at in a Royal author, but his bitterness and lies are gigantic. Not much sympathy need be wasted on most of those on whose heads Luther emptied the vials of his wrath. But it is impossible to read without a feeling approaching to disgust the letter he addressed to his wise and gentle master Staupitz, to whom he owed his own self. Staupitz did not follow Luther in his secession from Rome, although be shared his evangelical principles. He judged it the better part to remain in the Church of his baptism. He was one of those who from his own days until ours have remained in the Roman Church, although aware of its corruption, and have done much to maintain spiritual life and a certain measure of intellectual enlightenment within that great Communion. It was not for Luther, nor for any man, to judge Staupitz, and to suggest that timidity and a desire to escape the Cross were the motives which influenced him.
There were contrasts in Luther's character which at first sight appear difficult to reconcile. At times inflexible to the verge, and beyond it, of unreasoning obstinacy, at other times he readily sacrificed his inclinations in order to meet the wishes of others. Like all leaders of movements who have left lasting results in the practical sphere, he was aware that in dealing with masses of men it is necessary to consent to compromises. With regard to ecclesiastical ceremonies and vestments he made concessions which many Protestants would repudiate :—
"Ceremonials," he wrote, "do not promote holiness, but they arrest the attention of the coarser natures. I speak chiefly of rites connected with the Mass, altars, &c., and of vestments, torches, and such like trifles which can be retained if not yet done away with. If so, restore them gradually, but let God's Word have the first place, so that no one's conscience may be offended. For they are useful for children and feeble folk who must be considered."
In another letter, he remarks, ceremonials are temporary things which will arrange themselves in time with the help of sensible rulers. He was fully alive to the dangers to which the new Church was exposed through immoderate counsels and rash changes, and he appealed on one occasion to the civil authorities to restrain the zeal of his former friend and associate Carlstadt. In a letter addressed to the Chancellor of Saxony he wrote :—
" Pray submit the following to your Prince at my request. Carlstadt has set up a printing-press at Jena in order to print what ho pleases, desiring to indulge his weakness for teaching where he is not wanted, and maintaining a persistent silence where he has a call to act. Although this cannot do much injury to our mnusterium, still it is apt to bring dishonour upon our Prince and University, as both have promised that nothing should be pub- lished without censorship by proper parties. Since the Prince and we have kept the bargain, Carlstadt and his adherents cannot he allowed in the Prince's land to emancipate themselves from all authority. Would the Prince therefore order him to send any work to any censor he pleases, or suppress his undertaking, so that we may not come into bad odour through breaking our promise " On the vexed question of prayers for the dead hie language is
equally moderate. Writing to one who had recently lost his wife, he begged him to cease from masses, vigils, and daily prayers for her soul. He added, however: "It is sufficient if your Excellency pray once or twice for her, for we are told that if we believe we shall receive what we pray for."
The letters in Miss Currie's selection which will give most pleasure to the general reader are those which throw light on the Reformer's kindly humanity. His domestic life was beautiful, and his relations to his strong-minded wife were always excellent, although sometimes amusing. He had a multitude of friends of both sexes, and although burdened with cares and overwhelmed with work, he never grudged the time to perform the offices of friendship. He offered spiritual counsels when these were needed, and he was equally ready with help for temporal necessities, even in trivial matters. When a poor pastor was about to be married he wrote to Spalatin begging him to see that game was sent from the castle for the wedding-feast. His feelings of friendship some- times took precedence of his sense of public duty, as when he wrote to the Elector asking him to appoint a friend Professor of Hebrew because the poor man had difficulty in supporting himself. He added, however, that he was competent for the duties of the Chair.
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