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In Short, I Will Preach It [the Word], Teach It, Write It, But I Will Constrain No Man By Force, For Faith Must Come Freely Without Compulsion. Take Myself As An Example. I Opposed Indulgences And All The Papists, But Never With Force. I Simply Taught, Preached, And Wrote God's Word; Otherwise I Did Nothing. And While I Slept, Or Drank Wittenberg Beer With My Friends Philip And Amsdorf, The Word So Greatly Weakened The Papacy That No Prince Or Emperor Ever Inflicted Such Losses Upon It. I Did Nothing; The Word Did Everything.

-Martin Luther

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In Short, I Will

Martin Luther

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In Short, I Will Preach It [the Word], Teach It, Write It, But I Will Constrain No Man By Force, For Faith Must Come Freely Without Compulsion. Take Myself As An Example. I Opposed Indulgences And All The Papists, But Never With Force. I Simply Taught, Preached, And Wrote God's Word; Otherwise I Did Nothing. And While I Slept, Or Drank Wittenberg Beer With My Friends Philip And Amsdorf, The Word So Greatly Weakened The Papacy That No Prince Or Emperor Ever Inflicted Such Losses Upon It. I Did Nothing; The Word Did Everything.

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War For The Sake Of War Is Sin, But War For The Sake Of Defense Is Duty.

Whenever The Devil Harasses You, Seek The Company Of Men Or Drink More, Or Joke And Talk Nonsense, Or Do Some Other Merry Thing. Sometimes We Must Drink More, Sport, Recreate Ourselves, And Even Sin A Little To Spite The Devil, So That We Leave Him No Place For Troubling Our Consciences With Trifles. We Are Conquered If We Try Too Conscientiously Not To Sin At All. So When The Devil Says To You: Do Not Drink, Answer Him: I Will Drink, And Right Freely, Just Because You Tell Me Not To.

It Is False That The Will, Left To Itself, Can Do Good As Well As Evil, For It Is Not Free, But In Bondage...on The Side Of Man There Is Nothing That Goes Before Grace, Unless It Be Impotency And Even Rebellion.

What Will You Do In The Mundane Days Of Faithfulness?

As Is The Business Of Tailors To Make Clothes And Cobblers To Make Shoes, So It Is The Business Of Christians To Pray.

When I Am Angry I Can Pray Well And Preach Well.

My Temptations Have Been My Masters Of Divinity.

Also When It Is A Case Of Only Upholding Some Spiritual Tenet, Such As Infant Baptism, Original Sin, And Unnecessary Separation, Then . . . We Conclude That . . . The Stubborn Sectaries Must Be Put To Death.

I [i.e., God] Have Given You Baptism As A Gift For The Forgiveness Of Sins, And Preach To You Unceasingly By Word Of Mouth Concerning This Treasure, Sealing It With The Sacrament Of My Body And Blood, So That You Need Never Doubt. True, It Seems Little And Insignificant That By The Washing Of Water, The Word, And The Sacrament This Should All Be Effected. But Don't Let Your Eyes Deceive You.

All Which Happens Through The Whole World Happens Through Hope. No Husbandman Would Sow A Grain Of Corn If He Did Not Hope It Would Spring Up And Bring Forth The Ear; How Much More We Are Helped On By Hope In The Eternal Life.

Does It Follow From: 'turn Ye' That Therefore You Can Turn? Does It Follow From "'love The Lord Thy God With All Thy Heart' (deut 6.5) That Therefore You Can Love With All Your Heart? What Do Arguments Of This Kind Prove, But The 'free-will' Does Not Need The Grace Of God, But Can Do All Things By Its Own Power....but It Does Not Follow From This That Man Is Converted By His Own Power, Nor Do The Words Say So; They Simply Say: "if Thou Wilt Turn,telling Man What He Should Do. When He Knows It, And Sees That He Cannot Do It, He Will Ask Whence He May Find Ability To Do It..." 164

Many Pass For Saints On Earth Whose Souls Are In Hell.

This Is That Mystery Which Is Rich In Divine Grace Unto Sinners: Wherein By A Wonderful Exchange, Our Sins Are No Longer Ours But Christ's; And The Righteousness Of Christ Is Not Christ's But Ours. He Has Emptied Himself Of His Righteousness That He Might Clothe Us In It, And Fill Us With It: And He Has Taken Our Evils Upon Himself That He Might Deliver Us From Them.

Love Is An Image Of God, And Not A Lifeless Image, But The Living Essence Of The Divine Nature Which Beams Full Of All Goodness.

We Should Consider The Histories Of Christ Three Manner Of Ways; First, As A History Of Acts Or Legends; Second, As A Gift Or A Present; Thirdly, As An Example, Which We Should Believe And Follow.

It Is Not I That Smite, Stab, And Slay, But God And My Prince, For My Hand And My Body Are Now Their Servants.

If The Devil Were Wise Enough And Would Stand By In Silence And Let The Gospel Be Preached, He Would Suffer Less Harm. For When There Is No Battle For The Gospel It Rusts And It Finds No Cause And No Occasion To Show Its Vigor And Power. Therefore, Nothing Better Can Befall The Gospel Than That The World Should Fight It With Force And Cunning.

Bewilderment Is The True Comprehension. Not To Know Where You Are Going Is The True Knowledge.

Where You Are Going

I Am Afraid That The Schools Will Prove The Very Gates Of Hell, Unless They Diligently Labor In Explaining The Holy Scriptures And Engraving Them In The Heart Of The Youth.

Now Just Behold These Miserable, Blind, And Senseless People.

The Works Of The Righteous Would Be Mortal Sins If They Would Not Be Feared As Mortal Sins By The Righteous Themselves Out Of Pious Fear Of God.

A Penny Saved Is Of More Value Than A Penny Paid Out.

My Conscience Is Captive To The Word Of God

Cujus Region, Ejus Rligio (whoever's Reign, His Religion) ... He Who Owns The Country Owns The Church, And He That Makes Your Laws For You Has The Right To Make Your Religion For You.

Every Evening Brings Us Nearer God.

Unto Him Who Is Able To Keep Us From Falling, And Lift Us From The Dark To The Bright Mountain Of Hope, From The Midnight Of Desperation To The Daybreak Of Joy, To Him Be Power And Authority For Ever And Ever.

Strange, Though I Am Saved From Sin, I Am Not Saved From Sinning.

The Bible Is A Remarkable Fountain: The More One Draws And Drinks Of It, The More It Stimulates Thirst.

A Happy Fart Never Comes From A Miserable Ass.

There Is No Rustic So Rude But That, If He Dreams Or Fancies Anything, It Must Be The Whisper Of The Holy Ghost, And He Himself A Prophet.

Nothing Is More Unbecoming To A Teacher Of The Word Than Flippancy. He Must Be Serious And Should Not Act Like A Clown.

Original Sin Is In Us Like Our Beard. We Are Shaved Today And Look Clean; Tomorrow Our Beard Has Grown Again, Nor Does It Cease Growing While We Remain On Earth. In Like Manner Original Sin Cannot Be Extirpated From Us; It Springs Up In Us As Long As We Live.

There Can Be No Be No Better Instruction... Than That Every Man Who Is To Deal With His Neighbor To Follow These Commandments. 'whatsoever Ye Would That Others Should Do Unto You, Do Ye Also Unto Them,' And 'love Thy Neighbor As Thyself.' If These Were Always Followed, Then Everything Would Instruct And Arrange Itself; Then No Law Books Nor Courts Nor Judicial Actions Would Be Required. All Things Would Quietly And Simply Be Set To Rights, For Everyone's Heart And Conscience Would Guide Them.

It Is Impossible For A Man To Be A Christian Without Having Christ; And If He Has Christ He Has At The Same Time All That Is In Christ.

Christ Ought To Be Preached With This Goal In Mind--that We Might Be Moved To Faith In Him So That He Is Not Just A Distant Historical Figure But Actually Christ For You And Me.

The Secret Of Contentment Is The Realization That Life Is A Gift, Not A Right. Next To Faith This Is The Highest Art - To Be Content With The Calling In Which God Has Placed You.

Take A Look At Your Own Heart, And You Will Soon Find Out What Has Stuck To It And Where Your Treasure Is. It Is Easy To Determine Whether Hearing The Word Of God, Living According To It, And Achieving Such A Life Gives You As Much Enjoyment And Calls Forth As Much Diligence From You As Does Accumulating And Saving Money And Property.

Great God, What Do I See And Hear! The End Of Things Created! The Judge Of Mankind Doth Appear On Clouds Of Glory Seated! The Trumpet Sounds; The Graves Restore, The Dead Which They Contained Before; Prepare, My Soul, To Meet Him!

Whoever Sees Christ As A Mirror Of The Father's Heart, Actually Walks Through The World With New Eyes.

Our Lord God Doeth Work Like A Printer Who Setteth The Letters Backwards; We See And Feel Well His Setting, But We Shall See The Print Yonder - In The Life To Come.

God Freely Forgives Us On Account Of Christnot On Account Of Our Works, Contrition, Confession, Or Satisfactions.

This Is The Most Dangerous Trial Of All, When There Is No Trial And Every Thing Goes Well; For Then A Man Is Tempted To Forget God, To Become Too Bold And To Misuse Times Of Prosperity.

No One Can Believe How Powerful Prayer Is And What It Can Effect, Except Those Who Have Learned It By Experience. Whenever I Have Prayed Earnestly, I Have Been Heard And Have Obtained More Than I Prayed For. God Sometimes Delays, But He Always Comes.

When The Gospel Flourishes In The Church, Everything Flourishes With It.

Over Against The Devil And His Missionaries, The Authors Of False Doctrines And Sects, We Ought To Be Like The Apostle, Impatient, And Rigorously Condemnatory, As Parents Are With The Dog That Bites Their Little One, But The Weeping Child Itself They Soothe.

The Highest And Most Precious Treasure We Receive Of God Is, That We Can Speak, Hear, See, Etc.; But How Few Acknowledge These As God's Special Gifts, Much Less Give God Thanks For Them.

It Is Cheering To Note That [martin] Luther (1524) Did Not See Why Schools Should Not Be Fun As Well: "now Since The Young Must Leap And Jump, Or Have Something To Do, Because They Have A Natural Desire For It Which Should Not Be Restrained (for It Is Not Well To Check Them In Everything) Why Should We Not Provide For Them Such Schools, And Lay Before Them Such Studies?

Let Us Keep To Christ, And Cling To Him, And Hang On Him, So That No Power Can Remove Us.

We Are Nothing With All Our Gifts Be They Ever So Great, Except God Assist Us.

One Learns More Of Christ In Being Married And Rearing Children Than In Several Lifetimes Spent In Study In A Monastery.

It Is The Duty Of A Prudent Minister Of God To Hold His Ministry In Honor And To See To It That It Is Respected By Those Who Are In His Charge. Moreoever, It Is The Duty Of A Faithful Minister Not To Exceed His Powers And Not To Abuse His Office In Pride, But, Rather, To Administer It For The Benefit Of His Subjects.

God Has Set The Type Of Marriage Through Creation. Each Creature Seeks Its Perfection In Another.

We Must Not Regard What Or How The World Esteems Us, So We Have The Word Pure, And Are Certain Of Our Doctrine.

Lord God, I Thank Thee That Thou Hast Been Pleased To Make Me A Poor And Indigent Man Upon Earth. I Have Neither House Nor Land Nor Money, To Leave Behind Me. Thou Hast Given Me Wife And Children, Whom I Now Restore To Thee. Lord, Nourish, Teach, And Preserve Them As Thou Hast Me.

I Greatly Fear That The Universities, Unless They Teach The Holy Scriptures Diligently And Impress Them On The Young Students, Are Wide Gates To Hell.

Thus Every Matter, If It Is To Be Done Well, Calls For The Attention Of The Whole Person.

Of Whom Shall I Be Afraid? One With God Is A Majority.

It Is A Good Thing To Let Prayer Be The First Business Of The Morning And The Last Of The Evening.

If We Christians Would Join The Wise Men, We Must Close Our Eyes To All That Glitters Before The World And Look Rather On The Despised And Foolish Things, Help The Poor, Comfort The Despised, And Aid The Neighbor In His Need.

We Know That Death Never Skips Or Spares Anybody And That No One Ever Returns. And Yet We Go On Like The Blind, Who See As Little At Midday As In The Pitch-dark Night. We Do Not Take These Examples To Heart; We Do Not Realize That Today Or Tomorrow Our Turn Will Come.

When Satan Tells Me I Am A Sinner He Comforts Me Immeasurably, Since Christ Died For Sinners.

If It Were Art To Overcome Heresy With Fire, The Executioners Would Be The Most Learned Doctors On Earth.

Everything Is From God Himself, Both Commandment And Fulfillment. He Alone Commands; He Alone Fulfills.

The World Says Of Marriage: A Short Joy And A Long Displeasure. But He Who Understands It Finds In It Delight, Love, And Joy Without Ceasing.

I Often Laugh At Satan, And There Is Nothing That Makes Him So Angry As When I Attack Him To His Face, And Tell Him That Through God I Am More Than A Match For Him

It Is God Who Creates, Effects, And Preserves All Things Through His Almighty.

The Holy Ghost Is Not A Sceptic, And He Has Not Inscribed In Our Hearts Uncertain Opinions, But, Rather, Affirmations Of The Strongest Sorts.

Even If All The World Were To Combine Forces, They Could Not Bring About The Conception Of A Single Child In Any Woman's Womb Nor Cause It To Be Born; That Is Wholly The Work Of God.

We Ought Not To Criticize, Explain, Or Judge The Scriptures By Our Mere Reason, But Diligently, With Prayer, Meditate Thereon, And Seek Their Meaning.

If You See Yourself As A "little Sinner" You Will Inevitably See Jesus As A "little Savior".

All Our Work In The Field, In The Garden, In The City, In The Home, In Struggle, In Government-to What Does It All Amount Before God Except Child's Play, By Means Of Which God Is Pleased To Give His Gifts In The Field, At Home, And Everywhere? These Are The Masks Of Our Lord God, Behind Which He Wants To Be Hidden And To Do All Things.

Singing Has Nothing To Do With The Affairs Of This World: It Is Not For The Law. Singers Are Merry, And Free From Sorrows And Cares.

The Bible Is Alive, It Speaks To Me; It Has Feet, It Runs After Me; It Has Hands, It Lays Hold Of Me.

Without Armaments Peace Cannot Be Kept; Wars Are Waged Not Only To Repel Injustice But Also To Establish A Firm Peace.

Whatever You Love Most, That Is Your God.

I Do Not Deny That Medicine Is A Gift Of God, Nor Do I Refuse To Acknowledge Science In The Skill Of Many Physicians; But, Take The Best Of Them, How Far Are They From Perfection? A Sound Regimen Produces Excellent Effects. When I Feel Indisposed, By Observing A Strict Diet And Going To Bed Early, I Generally Manage To Get Round Again, That Is, If I Can Keep My Mind Tolerably At Rest. I Have No Objection To The Doctors Acting Upon Certain Theories, But, At The Same Time, They Must Not Expect Us To Be The Slaves Of Their Fancies.

A Great Variety Of Reading Confuses And Does Not Teach. It Makes The Student Like A Man Who Dwells Everywhere And, Therefore, Nowhere In Particular.

Music Is To Be Praised As Second Only To The Word Of God Because By Her All The Emotions Are Swayed. That Is Why There Are So Many Songs And Psalms. This Precious Gift Has Been Bestowed On Men Alone To Remind Them That They Are Created To Praise And Magnify The Lord.

I Cannot Neglect Prayer For A Single Day.

I Shall Never Be A Heretic; I May Err In Dispute, But I Do Not Wish To Decide Anything Finally; On The Other Hand, I Am Not Bound By The Opinions Of Men.

I Have Done Nothing; The Word Has Done And Accomplished Everything.... I Let The Word Do Its Work!

If We Esteem Them Too Highly, Good Works Can Become The Greatest Idolatry.

The Sin Underneath All Our Sins Is To Trust The Lie Of The Serpent That We Cannot Trust The Love And Grace Of Christ And Must Take Matters Into Our Own Hands

It Is The Duty Of Every Christian To Be Christ To His Neighbor.

Nothing Is More Beautiful In The Eyes Of God Than A Soul That Loves To Hear His Word.

Is It Not Wonderful News To Believe That Salvation Lies Outside Ourselves?

This Is The Good And Happy News, That Christ Has Paid For Our Sin, And Through His Suffering Has Redeemed Us From Eternal Death. It Is His Kingdom And His Ministry, To Preach The Gospel To The Poor; That Is His Purpose. For To The Great And Holy He Cannot Come. They Do Not Wish To Be Counted Sinners, And Therefore Do Not Need His Gospel.

There Are Three Conversions Necessary (for The Christian Life): The Conversion Of The Heart, The Mind, And The Purse.

For That Purpose Christ Instituted Holy Baptism, Thereby To Clothe You With His Righteousness. It Is Tantamount To His Saying, My Righteousness Shall Be Your Righteousness; My Innocence, Your Innocence. Your Sins Indeed Are Great, But By Baptism I Bestow On You My Righteousness; I Strip Death From You And Clothe You With My Life.

Let Christ's Righteousness And Grace, Not Yours, Be Your Refuge.

Our Faith Is An Astounding Thing-astounding That I Should Believe Him To Be The Son Of God Who Is Suspended On The Cross, Whom I Have Never Seen, With Whom I Have Never Become Acquainted.

The Fool Will Upset The Whole Science Of Astronomy.

You Have As Much Laughter As You Have Faith.

There Is No Wisdom Save In Truth.

God Is Not A God Of Sadness, Death, Etc., But The Devil Is. Christ Is A God Of Joy, And So The Scriptures Often Say That We Should Rejoice ... A Christian Should And Must Be A Cheerful Person.

How Often Have Not The Demons Called 'nix,' Drawn Women And Girls Into The Water, And There Had Commerce With Them, With Fearful Consequences.

Then They Began To Say: 'yes, But How Can We Know What Is God's Word, And What Is Right Or Wrong? We Must Learn This From The Pope And The Councils.' Very Well Then, Let Them Conclude And Say What They Please, Yet I Will Reply, You Cannot Put Your Confidence In That Nor Thus Satisfy Your Conscience, For You Must Determine This Matter Yourself, For Your Very Life Depends Upon It. Therefore God Must Speak To Your Heart: This Is God's Word; Otherwise You Are Undecided.

Merit Is A Work For The Sake Of Which Christ Gives Rewards. But No Such Work Is To Be Found, For Christ Gives By Promise. Just As If A Prince Should Say To Me, "come To Me In My Castle, And I Will Give You A Hundred Florins." I Do A Work, Certainly, In Going To The Castle, But The Gift Is Not Given Me As The Reward Of My Work In Going, But Because The Prince Promised It To Me.

We Believe That The Very Beginning And End Of Salvation, And The Sum Of Christianity, Consists Of Faith In Christ, Who By His Blood Alone, And Not By Any Works Of Ours, Has Put Away Sin, And Destroyed The Power Of Death.

Beginnings And Ends

How Is God's Name Hallowed Among Us? When Both Our Doctrine And Living Are Truly Christian.

I Think That We've Got To See That A Riot Is The Language Of The Unheard. And, What Is It That America Has Failed To Hear? It Has Failed To Hear That The Economic Plight Of The Negro Poor Has Worsened Over The Last Few Years.

I Cannot Choose But Adhere To The Word Of God, Which Has Possession Of My Conscience; Nor Can I Possibly, Nor Will I Even Make Any Recantation, Since It Is Neither Safe Nor Honest To Act Contrary To Conscience! Here I Stand; I Cannot Do Otherwise, So Help Me God! Amen.

When Asked What He Would Do If He Knew The World Would End Tomorrow, Martin Luther Said, "i Would Plant A Tree."

The Heart Overflows With Gladness, And Leaps And Dances For The Joy It Has Found In God. In This Experience The Holy Spirit Is Active, And Has Taught Us In The Flash Of A Moment The Deep Secret Of Joy. You Will Have As Much Joy And Laughter In Life As You Have Faith In God.

Look To It That You Do Not Try To Do All Of It, Do Not Try To Do Too Much, Lest Your Spirit Grow Weary. Besides, A Good Prayer Mustn't Be Too Long. Do Not Draw It Out. Prayer Ought To Be Frequent And Fervent.

Next To The Word Of God, Music Deserves The Highest Praise.

What Shall We Do With...the Jews?...their Homes Also Should Be Razed And Destroyed.

The Truth Of The Matter Is Rather As Christ Says, "he Who Is Not With Me Is Against Me." ... He Does Not Say "he Who Is Not With Me Is Not Against Me Either, But Merely Neutral.

The True Despisers Of The World Are The People Who Accept What God Sends Them, Gratefully Use All Things When They Have Them, And Gladly Do Without Them If God Takes Them Away

Faith Is A Living, Bold Trust In God's Grace, So Certain Of God's Favour That It Would Risk Death A Thousand Times Trusting In It. Such Confidence And Knowledge Of God's Grace Makes You Happy, Joyful And Bold In Your Relationship To God And All Creatures. The Holy Spirit Makes This Happen Through Faith. Because Of It, You Freely, Willingly And Joyfully Do Good To Everyone, Serve Everyone, Suffer All Kinds Of Things, Love And Praise The God Who Has Shown You Such Grace.

The Gospel Is Nothing Less Than Laughter And Joy.

Laughter And Joy

I Have Grounded My Preaching Upon The Literal Word; He That Pleases May Follow Me; He That Will Not May Stay.

Who Waits Until Circumstances Completely Favor His Undertaking, Will Never Accomplish Anything.

Procrastination

All The Cunning Of The Devil Is Exercised In Trying To Tear Us Away From The Word.

Riches Are The Pettiest And Least Worthy Gifts Which God Can Give A Man. What Are They To God's Word, To Bodily Gifts, Such As Beauty And Health; Or To The Gifts Of The Mind, Such As Understanding, Skill, Wisdom! Yet Men Toil For Them Day And Night, And Take No Rest. Therefore God Commonly Gives Riches To Foolish People To Whom He Gives Nothing Else.

Pray Like It All Depends On God, Then When You Are Done, Go Work Like It All Depends On You.

Those Who Lapse From The Gospel To The Law Are No Better Off Than Those Who Lapse From Grace To Idolatry.

For The Devil Is Better Pleased With Coarse Blockheads And With Folks Who Are Useful To Nobody; Because Where Such Characters Abound, Then Things Do Not Go On Prosperously Here On Earth.

I Have No Pleasure In Any Man Who Despises Music. It Is No Invention Of Ours: It Is A Gift Of God. I Place It Next To Theology. Satan Hates Music: He Knows How It Drives The Evil Spirit Out Of Us.

This Life Therefore Is Not Righteousness, But Growth In Righteousness, Not Health, But Healing, Not Being But Becoming, Not Rest But Exercise. We Are Not Yet What We Shall Be, But We Are Growing Toward It, The Process Is Not Yet Finished, But It Is Going On, This Is Not The End, But It Is The Road. All Does Not Yet Gleam In Glory, But All Is Being Purified.

Thought Provoking

It Is Necessary To Understand That Black Power Is A Cry Of Disappointment. The Black Power Slogan Did Not Spring Full Grown From The Head Of Some Philosophical Zeus. It Was Born From The Wounds Of Despair And Disappointment. It Is A Cry Of Daily Hurt And Persistent Pain.

The Bible Is The Cradle Wherein Christ Is Laid.

Christian Inspirational

The Jews Are The Most Miserable People On Earth. They Are Plagued Everywhere, And Scattered About All Countries, Having No Certain Resting Place. They Sit As On A Wheelbarrow, Without A Country, People Or Government... But They Are Rightly Served, For Seeing They Refused Have Christ And His Gospel, Instead Of Freedom They Must Have Servitude.

But Satan, The God Of All Dissension, Stirreth Up Daily New Sects, And Last Of All (which Of All Other I Should Never Have Foreseen Or Once Suspected) He Hath Raised Up A Sect Of Such As Teach That The Ten Commandments Ought To Be Taken Out Of The Church, And That Men Should Not Be Terrified With The Law, But Gently Exerted By The Preaching Of The Grace Of Christ.

Why Do You Rant And Brag With Such A Spate Of Words, As If You Wanted To Overwhelm Me With A Sort Of Tempest And Deluge Of Oratory-which Nevertheless Falls With The Greater Force On Your Own Head, While My Ark Rides Aloft In Safety?

This Is The Reason Why Our Theology Is Certain: Because It Seizes Us From Ourselves And Places Us Outside Ourselves.

You Must Learn That If You Are A Christian, You Will Without A Doubt Experience All Kinds Of Opposition And Evil Inclinations In The Flesh. For When You Have Faith, There Will Be A Hundred More Evil Thoughts And A Hundred More Temptations Than Before.

Whatever Man Loves, That Is His God. For He Carries It In His Heart; He Goes About With It Night And Day; He Sleeps And Wakes With It, Be It What It May - Wealth Or Self, Pleasure Or Renown.

When The Devil Wants To Cause Offense Against The True Doctrine And Faith, He Does Not Do So Through Insignificant People, Who Do Not Rate Highly With The World, But Through Those Who Are The Very Best, The Wisest, The Holiest, And The Most Learned.

Our Most Merciful Father, Seeing Us To Be Oppressed And Overwhelmed With The Curse Of The Law . . . Sent His Only Son Into The World And Laid Upon Him All The Sins Of All Men, Saying, 'you Be Peter That Denier, Paul That Persecutor, Blasphemer And Cruel Oppressor, David That Adulterer, That Sinner Who Ate The Apple In Paradise, That Thief Who Hung Upon The Cross, And Briefly, You Be The Person Who Has Committed The Sins Of All Men. See Therefore That You Pay And Satisfy For Them.'

There Are Only Two Days On My Calendar... Today And The Day Of Judgment

Those Who Love Music Are Gentle And Honest In Their Tempers. I Always Loved Music, And Would Not, For A Great Matter, Be Without The Little Skill Which I Possess In The Art.

After Theology I Give To Music The Highest Place And The Greatest Honor.

What Harm Would It Do, If A Man Told A Good Strong Lie For The Sake Of The Good And For The Christian Church ... A Lie Out Of Necessity, A Useful Lie, A Helpful Lie, Such Lies Would Not Be Against God, He Would Accept Them.

Our Lord God Doesn't Do Great Things Except By Violence, As They Say

I Am More Afraid Of My Own Heart Than Of The Pope And All His Cardinals. I Have Within Me The Great Pope, Self.

We Are Not To Look Upon Our Sins As Insignificant Trifles. On The Other Hand, We Are Not To Regard Them As So Terrible That We Must Despair. Learn To Believe That Christ Was Given, Not For Picayune And Imaginary Transgressions, But For Mountainous Sins; Not For One Or Two, But For All; Not For Sins That Can Be Discarded, But For Sins That Are Stubbornly Ingrained.

Remove Christ From The Scriptures And There Is Nothing Left.

The Law Is For The Proud And The Gospel For The Brokenhearted.

Sleep Is A Most Useful And Most Salutary Operation Of Nature. Scarcely Any Minor Annoyance Angers Me More Than The Being Suddenly Awakened Out Of A Pleasant Slumber. I Understand That In Italy They Torture Poor People By Depriving Them Of Sleep. `tis A Torture That Cannot Long Be Endured.

If Men Only Believe Enough In Christ They Can Commit Adultery And Murder A Thousand Times A Day Without Periling Their Salvation.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Them That Trespass Against Us.

At The Center Of The Christian Faith Is The Affirmation That There Is A God In The Universe Who Is The Ground And Essence Of All Reality. A Being Of Infinite Love And Boundless Power, God Is The Creator, Sustainer, And Conserver Of Values....in Contrast To The Ethical Relativism Of [totalitarianism], Christianity Sets Forth A System Of Absolute Moral Values And Affirms That God Has Placed Within The Very Structure Of This Universe Certain Moral Principles That Are Fixed And Immutable.

A Preacher Should Have The Skill To Teach The Unlearned Simply Roundly, And Plainly; For Teaching Is Of More Importance Than Exhorting.

Each Day Of The Holidays Comes Bringing Its Own Gifts. Open Your Heart, Untie The Ribbons, And Enjoy The Contents! Were Earth A Thousand Times As Fair Beset With Gold And Jewels Rare She Yet Were Far Too Poor To Be A Narrow Cradle, Lord, For Thee.

I Did Nothing. The Word Did It All.

Whoever Wishes To Be A Christian, Let Him Pluck Out The Eyes Of His Reason.

To Preach Christ Is To Feed The Soul, To Justify It, To Set It Free, And To Save It, If It Believes The Preaching.

Daily There Have To Be Many Troubles And Trials In Every House, City, And Country. No Station In Life Is Free Of Suffering And Pain, Both From Your Own, Like Your Wife Or Children Or Household Help Or Subjects, And From The Outside, From Your Neighbors And All Sorts Of Accidental Trouble.

Maternity Is A Glorious Thing, Since All Mankind Has Been Conceived, Born, And Nourished Of Women. All Human Laws Should Encourage The Multiplication Of Families.

Where The Battle Rages, There The Loyalty Of The Soldier Is Proved; And To Be Steady On All The Battlefield Besides, Is Mere Flight And Disgrace If He Flinches At That Point.

Great People And Champions Are Special Gifts Of God, Whom He Gives And Preserves; They Do Their Work, And Achieve Great Actions, Not With Vain Imaginations, Or Cold And Sleepy Cogitations, But By Motion Of God.

One Is Not Righteous Who Does Much, But The One Who, Without Work, Believes Much In Christ. The Law Says, 'do This,' And It Is Never Done. Grace Says, 'believe In This,' And Everything Is Already Done.

He Who Loves Not Women, Wine, And Song Remains A Fool His Whole Life Long.

Heaven And Earth, All The Emperors, Kings, And Princes Of The World, Could Not Raise A Fit Dwelling-place For God; Yet, In A Weak Human Soul, That Keeps His Word, He Willingly Resides.

Justice Is A Temporary Thing That Must At Last Come To An End; But The Conscience Is Eternal And Will Never Die.

Our Lord Has Written The Promise Of Resurrection, Not In Books Alone, But In Every Leaf In Springtime.

He That Has But One Word Of God Before Him, And Out Of That Word Cannot Make A Sermon, Can Never Be A Preacher.

All We Who Believe On Christ Are Kings And Priests In Christ.

We Must Make A Great Difference Between God's Word And The Word Of Man. A Man's Word Is A Little Sound, That Flies Into The Air, And Soon Vanishes; But The Word Of God Is Greater Than Heaven And Earth, Yea, Greater Than Death And Hell, For It Forms Part Of The Power Of God, And Endures Everlastingly.

The Kingdom Of God Does Not Consist In Talk, But In Power, That Is, In Works And Practice. God Loves The 'doers Of The Word' In Faith And Love, And Not The 'mere Hearers,' Who, Like Parrots, Have Learned To Utter Certain Expressions With Readiness.

If I Had Power Over The Jews, As Our Princes And Cities Have, I Would Deal Severely With Their Lying Mouth

When God Creates Faith In A Man, That Is As Great A Work As If He Created Heaven And Earth All Over Again.

A Christian Is Free And Independent In Every Respect, A Bond Servant To None. A Christian Is A Dutiful Servant In Every Respect, Owing A Duty To Everyone.

God Created Adam Lord Of All Living Creatures, But Eve Spoiled It All.

Be A Sinner And Sin Strongly, But More Strongly Have Faith And Rejoice In Christ.

You Should Point To The Whole Man Jesus And Say, That Is God.

It Is Not The Imitation That Makes Sons; It Is Sonship That Makes Imitators.

What Do We Older Folks Live For If Not For The Care Of The Young, To Teach And Train Them?

Anyone Who Is To Find Christ Must First Find The Church. How Could Anyone Know Where Christ Is And What Faith Is In Him Unless He Knew Where His Believers Are?

Pray, And Let God Worry.

At Poltersberg, There Is A Lake Similarly Cursed. If You Throw A Stone Into It, A Dreadful Storm Immediately Arises, And The Whole Neighboring District Quakes To Its Centre. 'tis The Devils Kept Prisoner There.

He That Will Maintain That Man's Free Will Is Able To Do Or Work Anything In Spiritual Cases, Be They Never So Small, Denies Christ.

I Was Born To Fight Devils And Factions. It Is My Business To Remove Obstacles, To Cut Down Thorns, To Fill Up Quagmires And To Open And Make Straight Paths. If I Must Have Some Failing Let Me Rather Speak The Truth With Too Great Sincerity Than Once To Act The Hypocrite And Conceal The Truth.

I Have So Much To Do Today That I Must Set Apart More Time Than Usual To Pray.

Let The Man Who Would Hear God Speak, Read Holy Scriptures.

When God Works In Us, The Will, Being Changed And Sweetly Breathed Upon By The Spirit Of God, Desires And Acts, Not From Compulsion, But Responsively.

Peter Erred In Life And In Doctrine. Paul Might Have Dismissed Peter's Error As A Matter Of No Consequence. But Paul Saw That Peter's Error Would Lead To The Damage Of The Whole Church Unless It Were Corrected. Therefore He Withstood Peter To His Face. The Church, Peter, The Apostles, Angels From Heaven, Are Not To Be Heard Unless They Teach The Genuine Word Of God.

Do Not Suppose That Abuses Are Eliminated By Destroying The Object Which Is Abused. Men Can Go Wrong With Wine And Women. Shall We Then Prohibit And Abolish Women?

Our Office...subjects Us To Great Burdens And Labors, Dangers And Temptations, With Little Reward Or Gratitude From The World. But Christ Himself Will Be Our Reward If We Labor Faithfully.

He Who Believes In God Is Not Careful For The Morrow, But Labors Joyfully And With A Great Heart. "for He Giveth His Beloved, As In Sleep." They Must Work And Watch, Yet Never Be Careful Or Anxious, But Commit All To Him, And Live In Serene Tranquility; With A Quiet Heart, As One Who Sleeps Safely And Quietly.

Anyone Who Can Be Proved To Be A Seditious Person Is An Outlaw Before God And The Emperor; And Whoever Is The First To Put Him To Death Does Right And Well. Therefore Let Everyone Who Can, Smite, Slay And Stab, Secretly Or Openly, Remembering That Nothing Can Be More Poisonous, Hurtful, Or Devilish Than A Rebel.

If I Could Today Become King Or Emperor, I Would Not Give Up My Office As Preacher.

The Devil, It Is True, Is Not Exactly A Doctor Who Has Taken Degrees, But He Is Very Learned, Very Expert For All That. He Has Not Been Carrying On His Business During Thousands Of Years For Nothing.

Faith Is Permitting Ourselves To Be Seized By The Things That We Do Not See.

You See Then, That Diatribe Truly Possesses A Free Choice In Her Handling Of Scriptures, So That Words Of One And The Same Type Are For Her Obliged To Prove Endeavor In One Place And Freedom In Another, Exactly As She Pleases.

The Holy Spirit Has A Way Of His Own To Say Much In Few Words.

If God Were Willing To Sell His Grace, We Would Accept It More Quickly And Gladly Than When He Offers It For Nothing.

Exhort Your Household To Learn [the Ten Commandments] Word For Word, That They Should Obey God…for If You Teach And Urge Your Families Things Will Go Forward.

It Is The Most Ungodly And Dangerous Business To Abandon The Certain And Revealed Will Of God In Order To Search In To The Hidden Mysteries Of God.

I Am So Busy Now That If I Did Not Spend Three Hours Each Day In Prayer, I Could Not Get Through The Day.

God's Entire Divine Nature Is Wholly And Entirely In All Creatures, More Deeply, More Inwardly, More Present Than The Creature Is To Itself.

In His Life Christ Is An Example Showing Us How To Live In His Death He Is A Sacrifice Satisfying Our Sins In His Resurrection A Conqueror In His Ascension A King In His Intercession A High Priest.

I Simply Taught, Preached, Wrote God's Word: Otherwise I Did Nothing. The Word Of God Did It All.

It Is With All These Qualities That We Must Stand Before God And Intervene On Behalf Of Those Who Do Not Have Them, As Though Clothed With Someone Else's Garmentbut Even Before Men We Must, With The Same Love, Render Them Service Against Their Detractors And Those Who Are Violent Toward Them; For This Is What Christ Did For Us.

A Person Whodoes Not Regard Music As A Marvelous Creation Of God, Must Be A Clodhopper Indeed And Does Not Deserve To Be Called A Human Being; He Should Be Permitted To Hear Nothing But The Braying Of Asses And The Grunting Of Hogs.

Unthankfulness Is Theft.

The Word And Works Of God Is Quite Clear, That Women Were Made Either To Be Wives Or Prostitutes.

Christian Women

People Go Through Three Conversions: The Conversion Of Their Head, Their Heart, And Their Pocketbook. Unfortunately, Not All At The Same Time.

Two Devils Rose From The Water, And Flew Off Through The Air, Crying, 'oh, Oh, Oh!' And Turning One Over Another, In Sportive Mockery.

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