will of God, or, rather, God Himself.
Secondly, honored Sir, I beg you to leave off those masses and vigils and daily prayers for her soul. It is enough to pray God once or twice for her, as He has said to us : "What- soever ye ask, believing, ye shall receive." If we keep always praying for the same thing it is a sign that we do not believe that our first prayers are answered, and unbelieving prayers only anger Him. If we pray often for what has not been granted us it is praying against God's will. It is true that we ought at all times to pray, but in faith, certain that we are heard, otherwise the prayer is lost. And we always have something new to pray for.
More especially I beg you to leave off the masses and vigils for her soul, for they are unchristian things which greatly anger God. Anyone can see that in vigils there is no serious faith but merely a useless mumbling. We must pray differently to be heard by God. Such services are a mockery to God, for He intended the mass to be a sacrament for the living, not an offering for the dead ; and it is a terrible, fearful thing that men should so pervert an institution of God. You should guard against this and not be a participant in this horrible error, which priests and monks have set up for their bellies' sake. A Christian should do nothing wittingly except what God has commanded. The clergy have no such command about masses and vigils, which are their own little invention to get money and property without helping either the dead or the living. You may inquire further about this from the aforesaid Vincent Wemsdorfer, who wishes you well, and, therefore, asked me to write to you. May it please you that I have done so and may you not err in those matters which are without God's command, a mere prattle and doctrine of men. May Christ enlighten and strengthen you in the right faith and love of your neighbor. Amen.
I am, honored Sir, your devoted Martin Luther.
633. ERASMUS TO MELANCHTHON.
CR., 1, 667. Basle, September 6, 1524.
At the end of August, or beginning of September, 1524, Erasmus issued his long-awaited attack on Luther. He chose as his subject the
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