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

The servant went out, as Christ saith, and found his fellow servant, whom he taketh by the throat and dealeth rigorously with him, and will be wholly paid of him, showing him no mercy or favour at all. I have said elsewhere, that Christians must burst forth by works, & by their deeds before men witness that they have a sincere faith. God needeth no works, but faith sufficeth him, howbeit he therefore requireth them to be done of thee, that by them thou mayst show thy faith, both before thy self and also before the whole world, for he knoweth thy faith very well, but thou thy self and men do not yet throughly see it. Thou therefore must direct such works so, that they may profit thy neighbour. Now whereas this servant should thus have done, what doth he? even the same that we do, who seem unto our selves to believe, and partly have faith, and are glad that we have heard the Gospel, whereof we can dispute and talk many things,¹ but no man goeth about to express it in his life. We have brought the matter so far, that the doctrine and trifles of Satan are some what abated and laid aside, that we do now see and know, what is just, and what unjust: that we must have to do with God by only faith, and by works with our neighbour. But we can not bring it to this pass, that love may begin, and do that to an other which God hath done unto us, as we our selves complain, that many of us are become worse then they were before. As therefore this servant refused to remit his neighbour the debt, and dealt extremely with him, so also do we, saying: It is not meet that I should give that that is mine to an other, neglecting mine own right. If this man hath provoked me to anger, it is his duty to pacify me, & to labour by entreaty to put away mine anger. Truly thus the world teacheth and doth, for it affirmeth it to be just and right. Neither will any Prince or magistrate enforce thee to give that which is thine to an other, but will suffer thee to do what pleaseth thee with thine own goods. The magistrate in deed restraineth thee from doing what thou list with the good of an other, but he constraineth thee not to give thine own substance to an other, for that is against the Law of nations, which even reason pronouncing it, giveth to every ⟨p. 428⟩one that which is his own:

The seruaunt went out, as Christ sayth, and found his fellow seruaunt, whome he taketh by the throte and dealeth rigorously with him, and will be wholy payd of him, shewing him no mercy or fauour at all. I haue said elswhere, that Christians must burst forth by workes, & by their deedes before men witnes that they haue a syncere faith. God needeth no workes, but faith suffizeth him, howbeit he therefore requireth them to be done of thee, that by them thou mayst shew thy faith, both before thy selfe and also before the whole world, for he knoweth thy faith verie well, but thou thy selfe and men do not yet throughly see it. Thou therefore must direct such workes so, that they may profit thy neighbour. Now whereas this seruaunt should thus haue done, what doth he? euen the same that we doe, who seeme vnto our selues to beleeue, and partly haue faith, and are glad that we haue heard the Gospell, whereof we can dispute and talke many thinges,