of the Apostles came into any City wherein Christians were they ordained some one or other of them such as lived honestly and unblameable and had Wife and Children and also skilful in the Scriptures of God to have the Superintendency and charge over the rest And them they called Seniors or Elders whom afterward both St. Peter and also St. Paul called Bishops whereby we may note that Bishops were no other then the very same that were Elders Touching this purpose we read in the History of St. Martin how a certain man came unto a place in Africa and there in a poor Cottage found an Elderly man whom they thought to have been some plain Country-man Within a while they saw many people come flocking to him to whom he Preached and Expounded the Word of God whereby they perceived that he was their Pastor or Bishop For in those days there was no difference either in Apparel or manners between the Bishops and residue of Christians The Elders saith St. Peter upon whom the charge lyeth to feed the flock of Christ with the Word of God and to have care over them in the Lord I exhort which am also an Elder Whereby it manifestly appeareth that they whom he here nameth Elders were such as laboured in the Ministry of the Word and diligently preached the glad Tydings of the Gospel For such as he was that calleth himself their fellow Elder such also appeareth it that they were And here we see how far he humbleth and abaseth himself in that he taketh not upon him the name of a Prelate which in respect that he was an Apostle of the Lord he might have done but calleth himself a Fellow Elder and also a witness of the Sufferings of Christ As if he had said I do not only preach but I am also among those Confessors of Christ that are exercised in dayly Afflictions And withal he also sheweth that so many as be Christians must be persecuted and suffer affliction And this is a true Apostle of Christ unto whom if the Pope and his Bishops were any thing like as they are shameless enough to challenge to themselves the same Title we would not greatly stick willingly to kiss their feet Vers 1. And also a Partaker of the Glory that shall be Revealed This part of the Apostles Style and Title is of far more excellency then any that our Popish Bishops dare pretend to use For thereby doth St. Peter take and reckon himself Holy and a blessed Man And altho' he perfectly knew that he should be a Partaker of the Glory to come yet taketh he no Pride therein he lifteth not himself up in any swelling Glory but modestly containeth himself within the bounds of temperate softness and courtesy V. 2. Feed the flock of God which dependeth upon you caring for it not by constraint but willingly not for filthy Lucre but of a ready Mind Christ is the first and chiefest Pastour who hath many Pastours under him as he also hath many Flocks whom being dispersed in sundry quarters of the World he committeth to the charge and oversight of their Shepherds and Pastours as in this Epistle of St. Peter written into divers Countries and Regions appeareth But what is the charge of these Pastours to do Forsooth to feed the Flock of Christ This word Feed the Pope hath raked and haled unto himself whereby he goeth about to prove himself Lord and Prince of all and that it is in our own choice and Authority to deal with the Sheep as he listeth himself But alas who is so ignorant that knoweth not what this word Feed meaneth To wit that the Pastours and Shepherds ought to provide Pasture for their Sheep and to see them have their meat in convenient and due season whereby they may grow to be fruitful And moreover to watch that devouring Wolves rush not in among them and tear the Flock in pieces This word Feed signisieth nothing less then to kill and spoil Furthermore St. Peter calleth it peculiarly the Flock of Christ as tho' he should say Think not that the Flock is any of your own ye are but only Servants and Ministers to look unto it ye are no Lords nor Masters over it Contrary to the bold practice and customable dealing of many Bishops which account and call every one within their Diocess and Jurisdiction their Sheep We are the Sheep of Christ for he said afore Ye are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your Souls Bishops are the Ministers of Christ to keep his Sheep and to give them meat and pasture And therefore to Feed is nothing else then to preach the Gospel wherewith their Souls may be fed fatted and fructified that so the Sheep may be nourished with the Gospel This is the only and proper Office of a Bishop So said Christ unto Peter Feed my Sheep Joh. 21. that is the Sheep which I commit unto thee to feed are not thine but mine Howbeit these words have been so canvassed and wrested by my Lord the Pope that he thereby usurpeth and exerciseth an external Domination and Lordship over the Church of Christ whereas neither he nor any of his sacrilegious Chaplains preacheth so much as one word of the Gospel They brag that they have their Succession from St. Peter If it were so yet sear I that it could scarcely be proved that any Pope ever preached the Gospel for none of them hath left any thing behind him that is written and extant wherein a man may read the Gospel St. Gregory the Pope was surely an holy man and yet the things which he preached are not to be esteemed worth a straw whereby it may appear that the same See of Rome is peculiarly and specially accursed of God I deny not but sundry of the Popes suffered Martyrdom under cruel Tyrants for the Gospels-sake but yet there is nothing extant that was written by any of them which is Evangelical And yet they still brag and crack that it is their charge to feed whereas indeed they do nothing else but entangle and clogge mens Consciences with Laws of their own and make havock and sale of mens Souls never troubling themselves with preaching one word of Christ his sacred Gospel True it is that there are many to be found as well Women as men which are able to preach and that with no less Dexterity and sufficiency then he unto whom that charge and office is peculiarly committed But because the greatest number in the flock always is of weaklings therefore it is expedient that some be appointed to strengthen and confirm such and to keep back the Wolf from rushing in among them and devouring them For a Preachers Office and Duty is not only to feed that is to teach his Sheep how they ought to frame themselves to become true and sincere Christians but he hath the charge also to look that the Wolf be kept out and that none of the Sheep be devoured or seduced by false Doctrine and so
must learn to extenuate and lessen as much as vve can because Christ liveth and vve have his vvord This consolation is able to svvallovv up all terrors and maketh us able to say that all these things are in very deed but one thing But vvhen vve consider these things vvithout the Word and Christ in respect of our selves and of our ovvn strength then are they indeed not grass but such high and mighty mountains as cannot be passed over Where fore vvhen vve fight against our enemies vve must fight not as men consisting of Body and Soul but as Christians baptized in the name of Christ having the gift of the Spirit and the Word Novv therefore vvhen the Devil Death Hell it self the World and Cruel Princes are compared to a Christian they are but grass upon the house tops or if any thing can be said to be more vile and contemptible For he hath the Word vvhich is almighty and moreover he hath Christ himself Christians therefore are invincible 2 Cor. 12.9 yea even then when they are overcome and troden under foot For the Power of Christ is made perfect through weakness Thus did the holy Prophets and Martyrs comfort themselves against the World and the Kingdom of Satan and therefore they did so valiantly suffer all kinds of afflictions being persvvaded not that the grass vvhich vvithereth avvay of it sclf vvithout mans endeavour but the Word of God should have the victory For true it is that Basilius vvriteth vvhen he comforteth the people of Alexandria against the fury of Arius that through the Persecutions of the Enemies the Church doth more and more increase and multiply Which thing vve also have proved and God grant that yve and our Posterity may still so do THE Duty of a Good Shepherd BY Dr. MARTIN LVTHER Being his COMMENTARY Upon 1 Pet. 4.11 and 1 Pet. 5.1 2 3 4. 1 PET. 4.11 If any mnn minister let him do it as of the ability which God ministreth WHosoever executeth any function in the Church or hath the cure of Souls committed unto him may not deal as he list himself or to over-rule matters according to his own sensual Will Neither shall he say Tush I am a Prelate the people must all listen to that which I say and observe my Laws Ordinances and Injunctions without gainsaying For God requireth this that no man minister or do any thing contrary or repugnant to that which he commandeth and appointeth A Prelate or Bishop I say ought to do nothing in the Church unless he be certain and sure of the warrantise thereof by Gods Word For God cannot abide to have his service jumbled and mingled at pleasure with every foolish Guegaw and light trumpery And therefore he ought to have an assurance and certainty in his mind and Conscience that even God both speaketh and worketh in him and to stand upon so sure a ground for the verity thereof that his Faith dare boldly witness with him and say Whatsoever I have spoken and whatsoever I have done or dealt herein I am so out of doubt that the same in each respect is consonant to the Word and Will of God that I am ready and dare to seal the same with my blood and to confirm it with my Death For otherwise if I waver and totter this way and that way not knowing whose cause and business I have in hand my Faith is builded upon the Sand so that the Devil mine Adversary is able to shake and tumble it which way he list And therefore we are here straightly forbidden not to rely unto nor to allow whatsoever Decree or Constitution these Bishops list to obtrude and enjoyn unless they stand upon a sure ground that the things which they do are allowed of God yea done of God himself and unless they be able to say Do this for it is the Will and Commandment of God and we have his express Word and Commandment for our Warrant If they be not able to say thus they ought to be accounted as Lyars and Deceivers much less ought any Christian to yield unto them therein any Obedience or Subscription For the Lord hath so appointed that our Consciences should not elsewhere be stayed but upon the most sure and infallible Rock And thus much for publick functions wherein it is not lawful for us at any hand to follow our own wilful Devices and sensual Conceipts nor to prescribe any rule or order to be embraced unless we be undoubtedly assured that it standeth with the Will and Word of God Wherein we evidently see how clean against the Kingdom of the Pope his mitred Bishops as things therein are now handled Saint Peters mind and Judgment was long before any Popes were known in the World to rule the roste in such Pontificality as since they have done 1 PET. V. 1 2 3 4. 1. The Elders which are among you I beseech which am also an Elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ HEre Saint Peter teacheth those that have any charge of feeding the Flock of Christ how they ought to behave themselves In the Chapter afore he told that none should presume to teach or preach any thing unless he were certain and assured that the same was the sincere and pure Word of God upon which as upon a firm and strong Rock our Consciences may boldly stay For this in Duty is required of us Christians that we should be certain and know throughly what thing is allowed of Christ and what is not for they that waver in uncertainty of this knowledge are not to be taken as Christians He addeth also thus much that whosoever entreth into any Office or Function should so behave himself therein in each respect as that he should not doubt but that God was the Author thereof But what he here saith peculiarly belongeth to Bishops and Ecclesiastical Pastors wherein he teacheth them how they are to demean themselves in the Administration of their duties and charges and what manner of persons they ought to be We must here further be acquainted with the Phrase and Propriety of the Tongue wherein this Epistle was written that we be not deceived through ignorance of the signification and force of the Word For this Greek name Presbuteros which St. Peter here useth doth signfiy An Elder by which Word they also are called that be Senators that is men excelling in Age Gravity Vertue Wisdom and Experience After the same sort doth Christ call his Disciples Ministers and Senate to whose Office it belongeth to oversee and govern his spiritual Empire that is to preach and to take care of the Christian Congregation by the name of Elders And therefore marvail not a whit neither let any thing move thee though they which be Elders be now a days called by other Titles or Names whereof the Scripture maketh no mention at all But not respecting the order wherein things presently stand weigh and conceive the matter thus When St. Peter or any other
bear great sway and authority in the World He therefore exhorteth Bishops Eiders and Pastors that they practise not any Lordly Tyranny over the Flock as though the people were their Slaves and Underlings or as though they had such authority and Lordship over them to command what they list For we have but one Lord which is Christ and he it is which governeth our Souls Elders and Pastors have no further charge then to feed And here in one word Saint Peter utterly overthroweth all the Ringdoms of the Pope and concludeth that no Bishop hath any authority so much as in one word to clog and tye the conscience of the faithful to the observation of their Precepts For they themselves ought to be Servants and Ministers and to say Thus saith the Lord and these be the words of Christ it is not we the words are none of ours and therefore ye ought to do that which is here commanded According to that which Christ saith Luke 32. The Kings of the Gentiles reign over them and they that bear rule over them are called gracious Lords but ye shall not be so Contrary whereunto the Pope boasteth and braggeth saying We ought to be Lords and to us only belongeth to exercise chief Rule and Supream Authority Vers 3. But that ye may be ensamples to the Flock Vers 4. And when the chief Shepheard shall appear ye shall receive an incorruptible Crown of Glory See that ye be the formost in the battle using such honest conversation that your life may be a Lanthorn to give light and an example to the people to imitate you But our Lord Shaveliugs use to tell the people another tale bidding them to do this and that they themselves in the mean while leaning on their soft Cushions and taking their ease like Lordings laying upon us great and grievous burdens which they themselves will not touch nor lift at with one of their fingers not travelling any whit in Preaching the true Word of God but rather commanding others to do that which they themselves never did nor ever meant to do And yet must no man tell them thereof for if he do he should be sure quickly to feel the smart of it Again to such Pastors Bishops Elders and Superintendents as here in this world did their duties faithully truly sincerely and holily Saint Peter assigneth no temporal reward as though he should say your Office and Function is of more excellency and dignity then that in this life it can be requited and recompenced there is due and kept for you an Evelarsting Crown that shall be given unto you which faithfully and diligently feed the Flock of Christ And this is the exhortation wherewith Saint Peter encourageth them to whom the charge and cure of Souls is committed Whereby is manifestly concluded and proved that the Pope with his Cardinals and Bishops is the very Antichrist and and the professed Adversaries of Christ for that they do nothing of all these which Saint Peter here requireth For they neither teach others neither do they any thing themselves but are wholly and altogether in those devices and by-matters which are most opposite and contrary thereunto They neither feed the Sheep themselves neither will they suffer others to feed them but rather place the ravening Wolves devouring and murthering the Flock and yet brag they that they be Christs Vicar on Earth Too truly the more pity are they in the room and stead of Christ being absent after the manner and example of the Devil For wheresoever Christ is not in place there they bear sway and as Butcherly Tyrants raign and command most imperiously It is therefore very expedient and requisite that the Laity and simpler sort should perfectly remember this and such like places by the which they may be able to answer against that Antichristian Kingdom of the Pope whensoever they shall be called into question and examination as touching their Faith yea thus may they well say when they are brought unto such pinches Behold Christ saith thus and the Pope saith the clean contrary Christ saith yea the Pope saith nay They therefore thus teaching contrary and repugnant doctrines the one of them must needs lye Now that Christ should lye it is impossible and therefore it is the Pope that is the lying Ruffian of the world and not only a Devillish Lyar but even Antichrist himself Thus oughtest thou to be furnished armed with the Scriptures by the which thou mayst not only boldly call the Pope Anticrist but mayst also when thou hast so done most plainly and easily prove it so that thou mayst surely by the Word of God persist in thine opinion even to the death against the Devil and all his Infernal Army FINIS