by what text I can prove that they are sacraments. I esteem none of the others a sacrament, for that is not a sacrament, save what is expressly given by a divine promise exercising our faith. We can have no intercourse with God save by the word of him promising, and by the faith of man receiving the promise. At another time you will hear more about their fables of the seven sacraments. . . .
207. LUTHER TO JOHN LANG AT ERFURT. Enders, ii. 280. Wittenberg, December 18, 1519.
Greeting. Reverend Father, the money of Brother Caesar* shall be treated as you suggest. Caesar was not at home when your letter came. You shall decide whether to leave him here. Formerly you wrote for him tp stay here tmtil he could return to you as lecturer. He fgriw^lectures on the- ology, and his work is not bad, except that I am sorry I can- not send all the brothers to Melanchthon's lectures on Mat- thew at six o'clock in the morning. This little Greek beats me even in theology.
I do not know whether you have received both commentaries on the Psalms, mine^ and Melanchthon's. I expect that my other trifles reach you without my sending them. I have re- called my sermon on usury" after sending it to the press, as the pure doctrine of Christ offends many. I send everything else. Please let us have the report of the debate as soon as it is printed.*
Eck threatens something dreadful to me and Melanchthon and Carlstadt and our whole university, not to say the elector. He vomited up a chaotic German letter* to the elector; you would have thought him God Almighty talking. It is lucky that such a sophist has met such a prince.
Your Erfurt faculty are pleased to delay judgment. For the debate is now vain, and it is vain to expect the judgment of the Parisians, which, by God's favor, will give an opening
'John Caesar, an Augustinian, who matriculated at Wittenberg in May, 1518. "The Operationes in Psalmos.
- Tbe little sermon on usury. Weimar, ri. x.
- The notes of the Leipsic debate were submitted to the Erfcut factilty for
Judgment, and printed there, probably under Lang's care.
- Supra, no. 195.
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