Special and chosen sermons of D. Martin Luther collected out of his writings and…

Here against cometh forth reason our reverend mistress seeming to her self marvellous wise, yet in deed is unwise and blind, and is not ashamed to gainsay her God, & to reprove him of lying, she being furnished with her follies and very strawy armour, to wit, the light of nature, free will, the strength of nature, also with the books of the heathen and with the doctrines of men. She dareth with her evil sounding strings make a ⟨p. 277⟩noise against God, that the works of a man even not yet justified, are good works, and not works like unto Cains, (which God pronounceth) yea and so good, that he that worketh them is justified by them. For so Aristotle hath taught, that he that worketh well is made good. Unto this saying she leaveth and sticketh unmoveably, and wresteth the Scripture clean contrary, contending that God will have respect first to the works, then to the worker. Such very devilish doctrine beareth the sway now every where in schools, colleges & monasteries, wherein no other saints, then Cain was, have rule and authority. Now of this error an other immediately springeth. They which attribute so much to works, & do not accordingly esteem the worker and sound justification, go so far, that they ascribe all merit and sovereign righteousness to works done before justification, making almost no account of faith, alleging that which James saith, that without works it is dead. Which sentence of the Apostle when they little understand, they attribute almost nothing to faith, they always stick to works, whereby they think they do merit exceedingly of God, and are persuaded that for their works sake they shall obtain the favour of God, and by this means do they continually disagree with God, showing themselves to be the right posterity of Cain. God hath respect unto man, these to the works of man: God alloweth the works for his sake that worketh, these require that for the works sake the worker may be crowned. Now God goeth not from his sentence, as it is meet and just, and these will seem nothing less than to err in any respect. They will not have their good works contemned, reason to be nothing esteemed, free will to be counted uneffectuall, or surely, if thou doest here strive against them, they begin to be angry with God, and count it a small matter to kill their brother Abel.

Here against commeth forth reason our reuerend maistres seeming to her selfe meruelous wise, yet in deede is vnwise and blynde, and is not ashamed to gainsay her God, & to reproue him of lying, she being furnished with her follies and verie strawie armour, to wit, the light of nature, free will, the strength of nature, also with the bookes of the heathen and with the doctrines of men. She dareth with her euell sounding stringes make a