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011 - Sections 126-134 Discussion Part II-d · Bondage of the Will

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  Speaker 1: Sections one hundred twenty six through one hundred thirty four
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  Speaker 1: of the Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther, translated
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  Speaker 1: by Henry Cole. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: Discussion second part concluded section one hundred twenty six. The
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  Speaker 1: diatribe after this, having said that many such testimonies as
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  Speaker 1: Luther collects may be collected out of the Book of Proverbs,
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  Speaker 1: but which by a convenient interpretation, may stand both for
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  Speaker 1: and against free will, adduces at last that achillian and
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  Speaker 1: invincible weapon of Luther, without me ye can do nothing,
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  Speaker 1: and so forth John fifteen five. I too must laud
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  Speaker 1: that notable champion disputant for free will, who teaches us
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  Speaker 1: to modify the testimonies of scripture, just as it serves
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  Speaker 1: our return by convenient interpretations, in order to make them
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  Speaker 1: appear to stand truly in confirmation of free will, that is,
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  Speaker 1: that they might be made to prove not what they ought,
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  Speaker 1: but what we please. And who merely pretends a fear
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  Speaker 1: of one Achillean scripture, that the silly reader, seeing this
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  Speaker 1: one overthrown, might hold all the rest in utter contempt.
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  Speaker 1: But I will just look on and see by what
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  Speaker 1: force the full mouthed and heroic diatribe will conquer my Achilles,
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  Speaker 1: which hitherto has never wounded a common soldier, nor even athircities,
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  Speaker 1: but has ever miserably dispatched itself with its own weapons.
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  Speaker 1: Catching hold of this one word nothing, it stabs it
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  Speaker 1: with many words in many examples, and by means of
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  Speaker 1: a convenient interpretation, brings it to this, that nothing may
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  Speaker 1: signify that which is in degree and imperfect. That is,
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  Speaker 1: it means to say, in other words, that the Sophists
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  Speaker 1: have hitherto explain this passage. Thus without me you can
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  Speaker 1: do nothing that is perfectly. This gloss which has been
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  Speaker 1: long worn out and obsolete, the diatribe, by its own
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  Speaker 1: power of rhetoric, renders new and so presses it forward
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  Speaker 1: as though it had first invented it, and it had
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  Speaker 1: never been heard before, thus making it appear to be
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  Speaker 1: a sort of miracle. In the meantime, however, it is
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  Speaker 1: quite self secure, thinking nothing about the text itself, nor
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  Speaker 1: what precedes or follows it. Whence alone the knowledge of
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  Speaker 1: the passage is to be obtained, but to say no
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  Speaker 1: more about its Having attempted to prove by so many
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  Speaker 1: words and examples that the term nothing may in this
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  Speaker 1: passage be understood as meaning that which is in a
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  Speaker 1: certain degree or imperfect, as though we were disputing whether
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  Speaker 1: or not it may be, whereas what was to be
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  Speaker 1: proved is whether or not it ought to be so understood.
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  Speaker 1: The whole of this grand interpretation affects nothing, if it
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  Speaker 1: affects anything but this the rendering of this passage of
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  Speaker 1: John uncertain and obscure, and no wonder for all that
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  Speaker 1: the diatribe aims at is to make the scriptures of
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  Speaker 1: God in every place obscure, to the intent that it
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  Speaker 1: might not be compelled to use them, and the authorities
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  Speaker 1: of the ancients certain, to the intent that it might
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  Speaker 1: abuse them a wonderful kind of religion, truly making the
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  Speaker 1: words of God to be useless and the words of
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  Speaker 1: Man useful Section one hundred twenty seven. But it is
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  Speaker 1: most excellent to observe how well this gloss nothing may
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  Speaker 1: be understood to signify that which is in degree consists
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  Speaker 1: with itself. Yet the diatribe says that in this sense
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  Speaker 1: of the passage, it is most true that we can
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  Speaker 1: do nothing without Christ, because he is speaking of evangelical fruits,
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  Speaker 1: which cannot be produced but by those who remain in
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  Speaker 1: the vine which is Christ. Here the diatribe itself confesses
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  Speaker 1: that fruit cannot be produced but by those who remain
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  Speaker 1: in divine And it does the same in that convenient
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  Speaker 1: interpretation by which it proves that nothing is the same
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  Speaker 1: as in degree and imperfect. But perhaps its own adverb
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  Speaker 1: cannot ought also to be conveniently interpreted so as to
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  Speaker 1: signify that evangelical fruits can be produced without Christ in
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  Speaker 1: degree and imperfectly, so that we may preach that the
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  Speaker 1: ungodly who are without Christ can, while Satan reigns in
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  Speaker 1: them and wars against Christ, produce some of the fruits
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  Speaker 1: of life, that is, that the enemies of Christ may
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  Speaker 1: do something for the glory of Christ. But away with
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  Speaker 1: these things here, however, I should like to be taught,
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  Speaker 1: how are we to resist heretics who, using this rule
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  Speaker 1: throughout the scriptures may contend that nothing and not are
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  Speaker 1: to be understood as signifying that which is imperfect. Thus
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  Speaker 1: without Him nothing can be done. That is a little
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  Speaker 1: the fool hath said in his heart there is not
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  Speaker 1: a God, that is, there is an imperfect God. He
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  Speaker 1: hath made us, and not we ourselves, that is, we
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  Speaker 1: did a little towards making ourselves. And who can number
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  Speaker 1: all the passages in the scripture where nothing and nott
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  Speaker 1: are found? Shall we then, here say that a convenient
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  Speaker 1: interpretation is to be attended to? And is this clearing
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  Speaker 1: up difficulties to open such a door of liberty to
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  Speaker 1: corrupt minds and deceiving spirits? Such a license of interpretation
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  Speaker 1: is I grant convenient to you, who care nothing whatsoever
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  Speaker 1: about the certainty of the scripture. But as for me,
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  Speaker 1: who labor to establish consciences, this is an inconvenience than
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  Speaker 1: which nothing can be more inconvenient, nothing more injurious, nothing
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  Speaker 1: more pestilential. Hear me, therefore, thou great conquerests of the
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  Speaker 1: Lutheran Achilles, unless you shall prove that nothing not only
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  Speaker 1: may be, but ought to be understood as signifying a little,
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  Speaker 1: you have done nothing by all this profusion of words
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  Speaker 1: or examples, but fight against fire with dry straw. What
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  Speaker 1: have I to do with your may be, which only
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  Speaker 1: demands of you to prove your ought to be? And
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  Speaker 1: if you do not prove that, I stand by the
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  Speaker 1: natural and grammatical signification of the term laughing both at
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  Speaker 1: your armies and at your triumphs. Where is now that
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  Speaker 1: probable opinion which determined that free will can will nothing good?
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  Speaker 1: But perhaps the convenient interpretation comes in here to say
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  Speaker 1: that nothing good signifies something good, a kind of grammar
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  Speaker 1: and logic never before heard of, that nothing is the
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  Speaker 1: same as something, which with logicians is an impossibility because
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  Speaker 1: they are contradictions. Where now then remains that article of
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  Speaker 1: our faith, that Satan is the prince of the world, and,
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  Speaker 1: according to the testimonies of Christ and Paul rules in
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  Speaker 1: the wills and minds of those men who are his
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  Speaker 1: captives and servants. Shall that roaring lion, that implacable and
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  Speaker 1: ever restless enemy of the grace of God and the
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  Speaker 1: salvation of man, suffer it to be that man, his
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  Speaker 1: slave and a part of his kingdom, should attempt good
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  Speaker 1: by any motion, in any degree whereby he might escape
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  Speaker 1: from his tyranny, and that he should not rather spur
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  Speaker 1: and urge him on to will and to do the
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  Speaker 1: contrary to grace with all his powers, especially when the
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  Speaker 1: just and those who are led by the spirit of
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  Speaker 1: God and who will and do good, can hardly resist him,
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  Speaker 1: so great is his rage against them. You who make
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  Speaker 1: it out that the human will is a something placed
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  Speaker 1: in a free medium and left to itself, certainly make
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  Speaker 1: it out at the same time that there is an
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  Speaker 1: endeavor which can exert itself either way. Because you make
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  Speaker 1: both God and the Devil to be at a distance
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  Speaker 1: spectators only as it were, of this mutable and free will,
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  Speaker 1: though you do not believe that they are impellers and
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  Speaker 1: agitators of that bondage, will the most hostily opposed to
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  Speaker 1: each other. Admitting therefore this part of your faith, only
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  Speaker 1: my sentiment stands firmly established, and free will lies prostrate,
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  Speaker 1: as I have shown already. For it must either be
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  Speaker 1: that the kingdom of Satan in man is nothing at all,
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  Speaker 1: and thus Christ will be made to lie, or if
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  Speaker 1: his kingdom be such as Christ describes, free will must
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  Speaker 1: be nothing but a beast of burden, the captive of Satan,
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  Speaker 1: which cannot be liberated unless the devil be first cast
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  Speaker 1: out by the finger of God. From what has been advanced,
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  Speaker 1: I presume, friend, Diatribe, thou fully understandest what that is
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  Speaker 1: and what it amounts to. Where thy author, detesting the
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  Speaker 1: obstinate way of assertion in Luther, is accustomed to say,
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  Speaker 1: Luther indeed pushes his cause with plenty of scriptures, but
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  Speaker 1: they may all by one word be brought to nothing.
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  Speaker 1: Who does not know that all scriptures may by one
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  Speaker 1: word be brought to nothing? I knew this full well
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  Speaker 1: before I ever heard the name of Erasmus. But the
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  Speaker 1: question is whether it be sufficient to bring a scripture
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  Speaker 1: by one word to nothing? The point in dispute is
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  Speaker 1: whether it be rightly brought to nothing, and whether it
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  Speaker 1: ought to be brought to nothing. Let a man consider
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  Speaker 1: these points, and he will then see whether or not
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  Speaker 1: it be easy to bring scriptures to nothing, and whether
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  Speaker 1: or not the obstinacy of Luther be detestable. He will
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  Speaker 1: then see that not one word only is ineffective, but
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  Speaker 1: all the gates of hell cannot bring them to nothing
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  Speaker 1: Section one hundred twenty eight. What therefore the diatribe cannot
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  Speaker 1: do in its affirmative, it will do in the negative.
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  Speaker 1: And though I am not called upon to prove the negative,
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  Speaker 1: yet I will do it here, and will make it
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  Speaker 1: by the force of argument undeniably appear that nothing in
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  Speaker 1: this passage not only may be, but ought to be
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  Speaker 1: understood as meaning not a certain small degree, but that
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  Speaker 1: which the term naturally signifies. And this I will do
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  Speaker 1: in addition to that invincible argument by which I am
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  Speaker 1: already victorious, namely, that all terms are to be preserved
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  Speaker 1: in their natural signification and use, unless the contrary shall
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  Speaker 1: be proved, which the diatribe neither has done nor can do.
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  Speaker 1: First of all, then I will make that evidently manifest,
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  Speaker 1: which is plainly proved by scriptures, neither ambiguous nor obscure,
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  Speaker 1: that Satan is by far the most powerful and crafty
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  Speaker 1: prince of this world, as I said before, under the
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  Speaker 1: reigning power of whom the human will being no longer
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  Speaker 1: free nor in its own power, but the servant of
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  Speaker 1: Sin and of Satan, can will nothing but that which
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  Speaker 1: its prince wills, and he will not permit it to
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  Speaker 1: will anything good. Though even if Satan did not reign
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  Speaker 1: over it, Sin itself, of which man is the slave,
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  Speaker 1: would sufficiently harden it to prevent it from willing good. Moreover,
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  Speaker 1: the following part of the context itself evidently proves the
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  Speaker 1: same which the diatribe proudly sneers at, although I have
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  Speaker 1: commented upon it pery copiously in my assertions. For Christ proceeds.
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  Speaker 1: Thus John fifteen six. Whoso abideth not in me is
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  Speaker 1: cast forth as a branch, and is withered, And men
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  Speaker 1: gather them and cast them into the fire, and they
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  Speaker 1: are burned. This, I say the diatribe in a most
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  Speaker 1: excellent rhetorical way, passed by hoping that the intent of
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  Speaker 1: this evasion would not be comprehended by the shallow brained Lutherans.
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  Speaker 1: But here you see that Christ, who is the interpreter
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  Speaker 1: of his own similitude of the vine and the branch,
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  Speaker 1: plainly declares what he would have understood by the term nothing.
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  Speaker 1: That man who is without Crist is cast forth and
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  Speaker 1: is withered. And what can the being cast forth and
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  Speaker 1: withered signify? But the being delivered up to the devil,
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  Speaker 1: and becoming continually worse and worse, and surely becoming worse
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  Speaker 1: and worse, is not doing or attempting anything good. The
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  Speaker 1: withering branch is more and more prepared for the fire
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  Speaker 1: the more it withers. And had not Christ himself thus
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  Speaker 1: amplified and applied this similitude, no one would have dared
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  Speaker 1: so to amplify and apply it. It stands manifest therefore,
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  Speaker 1: that nothing ought in this place to be understood in
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  Speaker 1: its proper signification according to the nature of the term
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  Speaker 1: Section one hundred twenty nine. Let us now consider the
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  Speaker 1: examples also by which it proves that nothing signifies in
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  Speaker 1: some places a certain small degree, in order that we
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  Speaker 1: may make it evident that the diatribe is nothing and
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  Speaker 1: affects nothing in this part of it, in which though
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  Speaker 1: it should do much, yet it would affect nothing. Such
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  Speaker 1: a nothing is the diatribe in all things, and in
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  Speaker 1: every way it says. Generally he is said to do
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  Speaker 1: nothing who does not achieve that at which he aims,
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  Speaker 1: And yet for the most part, he who attempts it
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  Speaker 1: makes some certain degree of progress in the attempt. I answer,
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  Speaker 1: I never heard this general usage of the term. You
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  Speaker 1: have invented it by your own license. The words are
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  Speaker 1: to be considered according to the subject matter, as they say,
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  Speaker 1: and according to the intention of the speaker. No one
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  Speaker 1: calls that nothing which he does in attempting, nor does
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  Speaker 1: he then speak of the attempt, but of the effect.
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  Speaker 1: It is to this the person refers when he says
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  Speaker 1: he does nothing, or he affects nothing, that is achieves
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  Speaker 1: and accomplishes nothing, but supposing your example to stand good, which, however,
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  Speaker 1: it does not it makes more for me than for yourself.
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  Speaker 1: For this is what I maintain and would invincibly establish,
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  Speaker 1: that free will does many things, which nevertheless are nothing
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  Speaker 1: before God. What does it profit, therefore, to attempt if
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  Speaker 1: it affect nothing at which it aims, So that let
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  Speaker 1: the diatribe turn which way it will, it only runs
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  Speaker 1: against and confutes itself, which generally happens to those who
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  Speaker 1: undertake to support a bad cause with the same unhappy effect.
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  Speaker 1: Does it adduce that example out of Paul? Neither is
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  Speaker 1: he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God,
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  Speaker 1: who giveth the increase fors Corinthians three seven. That says
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  Speaker 1: the diatribe, which is of the least moment and useless
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  Speaker 1: of itself, he calls nothing. Who do you pretend to
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  Speaker 1: say that the ministry of the Word is of itself
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  Speaker 1: useless and of the least moment, when Paul everywhere, and
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  Speaker 1: especially in second Corinthians three six through nine, highly exalts
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  Speaker 1: it and calls it the minute pistration of life and
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  Speaker 1: of glory. Here again you neither consider the subject matter
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  Speaker 1: nor the intention of the speaker as to the gift
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  Speaker 1: of the increase. The planter and the waterer are certainly nothing,
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  Speaker 1: but as to the planting and sowing, they are not nothing,
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  Speaker 1: seeing that to teach and to exhort are the greatest
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  Speaker 1: work of the spirit in the Church of God. This
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  Speaker 1: is the intended meaning of Paul, and this his words
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  Speaker 1: convey with satisfactory plainness. But be it so that this
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  Speaker 1: ridiculous example stands good again. It stands in favor of me.
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  Speaker 1: For what I maintain is this that free will is
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  Speaker 1: nothing that is is useless of itself, as you expound
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  Speaker 1: it before God. And it is concerning its being nothing
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  Speaker 1: as to what it can do of itself that we
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  Speaker 1: are now speaking for as to what it essentially is
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  Speaker 1: in itself. We know that an impious will must be
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  Speaker 1: a something, and cannot be a mere nothing action one
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  Speaker 1: hundred and thirty. There is also that a first Corinthians
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  Speaker 1: thirteen two. If I have not charity, I am nothing.
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  Speaker 1: Why the diatribe adduces this as an example I cannot
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  Speaker 1: see unless it seeks only numbers and forces, or thinks
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  Speaker 1: that we have no arms at all by which we
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  Speaker 1: can effectually wound it. For he who is without charity
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  Speaker 1: is truly and properly nothing before God. The same also
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  Speaker 1: we say of free will. Wherefore this example also stands
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  Speaker 1: for us against the diatribe. Or can it be that
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  Speaker 1: the diatribe does not yet know the argument ground upon
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  Speaker 1: which I am contending. I am not speaking about the
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  Speaker 1: essence of nature, but the essence of grace, as they
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  Speaker 1: term it. I know that free will can by nature
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  Speaker 1: do something. It can eat, drink, beget rule, and so forth.
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  Speaker 1: Nor need the diatribe laugh at me as having prating
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  Speaker 1: frenzy enough to imply, when I prays home so closely
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  Speaker 1: the term nothing, that free will cannot even sin without Christ.
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  Speaker 1: Whereas Luther nevertheless says that free will can do nothing
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  Speaker 1: but sin. But so it pleases the wise diatribe to
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  Speaker 1: play the fool in a matter so serious. For I
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  Speaker 1: say that man without the grace of God remains nevertheless
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  Speaker 1: under the general omnipotence of the acting God, who moves
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  Speaker 1: and carries along all things of necessity in the course
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  Speaker 1: of his infallible motion. But that the man's being thus
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  Speaker 1: carried along is nothing that is avails nothing in the
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  Speaker 1: sight of God, nor is considered anything else but sin. Thus,
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  Speaker 1: in grace, he that is without love is nothing Why then,
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  Speaker 1: does the diatribe, when it confesses itself that we are
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  Speaker 1: here speaking of evangelical fruits, as that which cannot be
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  Speaker 1: produced without Christ, turn aside immediately from the subject point,
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  Speaker 1: harp upon another string, and cavil about nothing but natural
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  Speaker 1: works in human fruits, except it be to evince that
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  Speaker 1: he who is devoid of the truth is never consistent
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  Speaker 1: with himself. So also that of John three twenty seven.
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  Speaker 1: A man can receive nothing except it were given him
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  Speaker 1: from above. John is here speaking of man who is
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  Speaker 1: now a something, and denies that this man can receive
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  Speaker 1: anything that is the spirit with his gifts, For it
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  Speaker 1: is in reference to that he is speaking, not in
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  Speaker 1: reference to nature. For he did not want the diatribe
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  Speaker 1: as an instructor to teach him that man has already eyes, nose, ears, mouth, hands, mind, will, reason,
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  Speaker 1: and all things that belong to man. Unless the diatribe
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  Speaker 1: believes that the Baptist, when he made mention of man,
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  Speaker 1: was thinking of the chaos of Plato, the vacuum of Leucippus,
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  Speaker 1: or the infinity of Aristotle, or some other nothing which,
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  Speaker 1: by a gift from Heaven should at least be made
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  Speaker 1: to something. Is this produced seeing examples out of the scripture.
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  Speaker 1: Thus to trifle designedly in a matter so important, and
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  Speaker 1: to what purpose is all that profusion of words, where
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  Speaker 1: it teaches us that fire, the escape from evil, the
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  Speaker 1: endeavor after good, and other things are from heaven, as
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  Speaker 1: though there were any one who did not know or
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  Speaker 1: who denied those things. We are now talking about grace,
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  Speaker 1: And as the datribe itself said concerning Christ and evangelical fruits,
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  Speaker 1: whereas it is itself making out its time in fabling
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  Speaker 1: about nature, thus dragging out the cause and covering the
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  Speaker 1: witless reader with a cloud. In the meantime, it does
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  Speaker 1: not produce one single example as it professed to do,
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  Speaker 1: wherein nothing is to be understood as signifying some small degree. Nay,
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  Speaker 1: it openly exposes itself as neither understanding nor caring what
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  Speaker 1: Christ or Grace is, nor how it is that grace
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  Speaker 1: is one thing and nature another, when even the Sophists
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  Speaker 1: of the meanest rank know and have continually taught this
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  Speaker 1: difference in their schools in the most common way. Nor
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  Speaker 1: does it all the while see that every one of
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  Speaker 1: its examples make for me and against itself. For the
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  Speaker 1: word of the Baptist goes to establish this, that man
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  Speaker 1: can receive nothing unless it be given him from above,
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  Speaker 1: and that therefore free will is nothing at all. Thus
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  Speaker 1: it is then that my Achilles is conquered. The diatribe
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  Speaker 1: puts weapons into his hand, by which it is itself dispatched,
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  Speaker 1: naked and weaponless. And thus it is also that the
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  Speaker 1: scriptures by which that obstinate Asserter Luther urges his cause
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  Speaker 1: are by one word, brought to nothing Section one hundred
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: thirty one. After this, it enumerates a multitude of similitudes,
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: by which it affects nothing but the drawing aside the
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: witless reader to irrelevant things according to its custom, and
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: at the same time leaves the subject point entirely out
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: of the question. Thus, God indeed preserves the ship, but
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: the mariner conducts it into harbor. Wherefore the mariner does
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: not do nothing. This similitude makes a difference of work,
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: that is, it attributed that of preserving to God and
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: that of conducting to the mariner. And thus, if it
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: prove anything, it proves this that the whole work of
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: preserving is of God, and the whole work of conducting
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: of the mariner. And yet it is a beautiful and
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: apt similitude. Thus, again the husbandman gathers in the increase,
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: but it was God that gave it. Here again it
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: attributes different operations to God and to man, unless it
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: mean to make the husbandman the creator also who gave
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: the increase. But even supposing the same works be attributed
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: to God and to man, what do these similitudes prove?
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: Nothing more than that the creature co operates with the
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: operating God. But are we now disputing about co operation,
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: and not rather concerning the power and operation of free
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: will as of itself? Whither therefore has the renowned rhetorician
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: betaken himself? He set out with a professed design to
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: dispute concerning a palm, whereas all his discourses have been
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: about a gourd. A noble vase was designed by the potter.
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: Why then, is a picture produced at last? I also
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: know very well that Paul co operates with God in
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: teaching the Corinthians, while he preaches without and God teaches within,
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: and that where their works are different, And that in
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: like manner, he co operates with God while he speaks
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: by the spirit of God, And that where the work
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: is the same. For what I assert and contend. For
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: is this that God, where he operates without the grace
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: of his spirit, works all in all, even in the ungodly.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: While he alone moves, acts on and carries along by
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: the motion of his omnipotence, all those things which He
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: alone has created, which motion those things can neither avoid
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: nor change, but of necessity follow and obey each one
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: according to the measure of power given of God. Thus
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: all things, even the ungodly, co operate with God. On
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: the other hand, when He acts by the spirit of
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: his grace on those whom he has justified, that is,
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: in his own kingdom, he moves and carries them along
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: in the same manner, and they, as they are the
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: new creatures, follow and co operate with him, or rather
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: as Paul Saith are led by him Romans eight fourteen
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: and thirty. But the present is not the place for
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: discussing these points. We are not now considering what we
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: can do in co operation with God, but what we
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: can do of ourselves, that is, whether created as we
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: are out of nothing, we can do or attempt anything
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: of ourselves under the general motion of God's omnipotence, whereby
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: to prepare ourselves unto the new creation of the Spirit.
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: This is the point to which Erasmus ought to have answered,
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: and not to have turned aside to something else. What
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: I have to say upon this point is this, as man,
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: before he is created, man does nothing and endeavors nothing
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: towards his being made a creature. And as after he
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: is made and created, he does nothing and endeavors nothing
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: towards his preservation or towards his continuing in his creature existence.
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: But each takes place alone by the will of the
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: omnipotent power and goodness of God, creating us and preserving
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: us without ourselves. But as God nevertheless does not work
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: in us without us, seeing we are for that purpose
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: created and preserved that He might work in us, and
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: that we might co up with him, whether it be
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: out of his kingdom under his general omnipotence, or in
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: his kingdom under the peculiar power of his spirit. So man,
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: before he is regenerated into the new creation of the
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: Kingdom of the Spirit, does nothing and endeavors nothing towards
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: his new creation into that kingdom. And after he is
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: recreated does nothing and endeavors nothing towards his perseverance in
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: that kingdom. But the Spirit alone affects both in us,
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: regenerating us and preserving us, when regenerated without ourselves, as
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: James saith, of his own will begat he us by
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: the word of His power, that we should be a
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: kind of first fruits of his creatures James one eighteen,
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: where he speaks of the renewed creation. Nevertheless, he does
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: not work in us without us, seeing that He has
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: for this purpose created and preserved us, that He might
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: operate in us, and that we might cooperate with them him.
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: Thus by us he preaches, shows mercy to the poor
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: and comforts the afflicted. But what is hereby attributed to
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: free will? Nay, what is there left of it? But
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: nothing at all, And in truth it is nothing at
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: all Section one hundred thirty two. Read therefore the diatribe
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: in this part through five or six times, and you
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: will find that by similitudes of this kind, and by
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: some of the most beautiful passages and parables selected from
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: the Gospel and from Paul, it does nothing else but
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: show us that innumerable passages, as it observes, are to
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: be found in the scriptures which speak of the co
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: operation and assistance of God. From which, if I should
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: draw this conclusion, man can do nothing without the assisting
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: grace of God. Therefore no works of man are good.
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: It would, on the contrary, conclude, as it has done
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: by a rhetorical inversion. Nay, there is nothing that man
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: cannot do by the assisting grace of God. Therefore all
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: the works of man can be good. For as many
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: passages as there are in the Holy scriptures which make
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: mention of assistance, so many are there which confirm free will,
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: and they are innumerable. Therefore, if we go by the
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: number of testimonies, the victory is mine. Do you think
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: the diatribe could be sober or in its right senses
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: when it wrote this? For I cannot attribute it to
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: malice or iniquity, unless it be that it designed to
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: effectually wear me out by perpetually wearying me. While thus,
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: everlike itself, it is continually turning aside to something contrary
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: to its professed design. But if it is pleased thus
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: to play the fool in a matter so important, then
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: I will be pleased to expose its voluntary fooleries publicly.
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: In the first place, I do not dispute, nor am
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: I ignorant that all the works of man may be
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: good if they be done by the assisting grace of God.
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: And moreover that there is nothing which a man might
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: not do by the assisting grace of God. But I
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: cannot feel enough surprise at your negligence, who, having set
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: out with the professed design to write upon the power
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: of free will, go on writing about the power of grace.
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: And moreover, dare to assert publicly, as if all men
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: were posts or stones, that free will is established by
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: those passages of Scripture which exalt the grace of God.
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: And not only dare to do that, but even to
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: sound forth encomiums on yourself as a victor most gloriously triumphant.
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: From this very word and act of yours, I truly
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: perceive what free will is and what the effect of
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: it is. It makes men mad, For what I ask,
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: can it be in you that talks at this rate
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: but free will? But just listen to your own conclusions.
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: The scripture commends the grace of God, therefore it proves
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: free will. It exalts the assistance of the grace of God.
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: Therefore it establishes free will. By what kind of logic
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: did you learn such conclusions? As these. On the contrary,
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: why not conclude? Thus grace is preached, therefore free will
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: has no existence. The assistance of grace is exalted, therefore
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: free will is abolished. For to what extent is grace given?
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: Is it for this that free will, as being of
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: sufficient power itself, might proudly display and sport grace on
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: fair days as a superfluous ornament. Wherefore I will invert
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: your order of reasoning. And though no rhetorician will establish
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: a conclusion more firm than yours. As many places as
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: there are in the holy scriptures which make mention of assistance,
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: so many are there which abolish free will, and they
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: are innumerable. Therefore, if we are to go by the
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: number of testimonies, the victory is mine. For grace is
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: therefore needed, and the assistance of grace is therefore given.
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: Because free will can of itself do nothing, as Erasmus
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: himself has asserted, according to that probable opinion, that free
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: will cannot will anything good. Therefore, when grace is commended
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: and the assurance of grace declared, the impotency of free
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: will is declared at the same time. This is a
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: sound inference, A firm conclusion, against which not even the
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: gates of Hell will ever prevail. Section one hundred thirty three.
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: Here I bring to a conclusion the defense of my scriptures,
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: which the diatribe attempted to refute, lest my books should
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: be swelled to too great a bulk. And if there
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: be anything yet remaining that is worthy of notice, it
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: shall be taken into the following part, wherein I make
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: my assertions, for as to what Erasmus says in his conclusion,
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: that if my sentiments stand good, the numberless precepts, the
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: numberless threatenings, the numberless promises are all in vain, and
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: no place is left for merit or demerit, for rewards
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: or punishments. That moreover, it is difficult to defend the mercy,
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: nay even the justice of God, if God damn sinners
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: of necessity, and that many other difficulties follow, which have
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: so troubled some of the greatest men as even to
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: utterly overthrow them. To all these things I have fully
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: replied already. Nor will I receive or bear with that
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: moderate medium which Erasmus would, with a good intention, I believe,
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: recommend to me that we should grant some certain little
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: to free will, in order that the contradictions of the
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: scripture and the difficulties before mentioned might be the more
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: easily remedied. For by this moderate medium, the matter is
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: not bettered, nor is any advantage gained whatever, Because unless
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: you ascribe the whole and all things to free will,
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: as the Pallagians do, the contradictions in the scriptures are
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: not altered. Merit and reward are taken entirely away, the
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: mercy and justice of God are abolished, and all the
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: difficulties which we try to avoid by allowing this certain
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: little ineffective power to free will remains just as they
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: were before. As I have already fully shown. Therefore, we
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: must come to the plain extreme, deny free will altogether
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: and describe all unto God. Thus there will be in
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: the scriptures no contradictions, and if there be any difficulties,
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: they will be born with where they cannot be remedied.
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: Section one hundred thirty four. This one thing, however, my friend, Erasmus,
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: I entreat of you, do not consider that I conduct
• 32:51
  Speaker 1: this cause more according to my temper than according to
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: my principles. I will not suffer it to be insinuated
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: that I am hypocrite enough to write one thing and
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: believe another. I have not, as you say of me,
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: been carried so far by the heat of defensive argument
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: as to deny here free will altogether for the first time,
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: having conceded something to it before. Confident, I am that
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: you can find no such concession anywhere in my works.
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: There are questions and discussions of mine extant, in which
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: I have continued to assert down to this hour, that
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: there is no such thing as free will, that it
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: is a thing formed out of an empty term. Which
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: are the words I have there used. And I then
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: thus believed, and thus wrote, as overpowered by the force
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: of truth when called and compelled to the discussion. And
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: as to my always conducting discussions with ardor, I acknowledge
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: my fault, if it be my fault. Nay, I greatly
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: glory in this testimony which the world bears of me
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: in the cause of God. And may God himself confirm
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: the same testimony in the last day. Then who more
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: happy than Luther to be honored with the universal testimony
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: of his age that he did not maintain the cause
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: of truth lazily nor deceitfully, but with a real, if
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: not too great Ardor then shall I be blessedly clear
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: from that word of Jeremiah. Cursed be he that doeth
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: the work of the Lord deceitfully Jeremiah forty eight ten.
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: But if I seem to be somewhat more severe than
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: usual upon your diatribe, pardon me. I do it not
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: from a malignant heart, but from concern, because I know that,
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: by the weight of your name you greatly endanger this
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: cause of Christ, though by your learning as to real effect,
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: you can do nothing at all. And who can always
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: so temper his pen as never to grow warm? For
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: even you, who from a show of moderation grow almost cold,
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: in this book of yours, not unfrequently hurl a fiery
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: and gall dipped dart, so much so that if the
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: reader were not very liberal and kind, he could not
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: but consider you virulent. But however, this is nothing to
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: the subject point. We must mutually pardon each other in
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: these things, for we are but men, and there is
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: nothing in us that is not touched with human infirmity.
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: And to section one hundred thirty four,