Luther - Works of Martin Luther Vol. 6 - Righteousness is Love

42This showed itself in the excesses of Zwilling and his fellow-Augustinianswhich began with abrogation of daily Masses and Masses for the dead andended with the denuding of the churches, destruction of pictures andornaments and riotous interruption of the Mass by an easily led body ofstudents. In the midst of these excesses Luther returned from theWartburg; and while he may have expressed a sympathy for the generaltendency at one time, his actions now are eloquent, and proof of his ownattitude toward the harvest of the sowing of Carlstadt and others.Assuming the full garb of a monk, he enters the forsaken Augustinianmonastery and leaves this to deliver the famous Eight Sermons, preachedsuccessively, in which in a manner strangely restrained for Luther he firmlygives answer to the movement and its leaders. The climax is the Mass,celebrated in the accustomed vestments and in the accustomed manner —this by Luther in the face of that turmoil lHeretofore Luther had not hesitated to criticize in public utterances andwritings, and in no unmistakable terms, the many marked abuses connectedwith the worship of the Church. Judging from the way in which he reactedin connection with other matters, he must, at least, have been restive atsome of Carlstadt’s earlier activities. But now the situation cannot belonger ignored; it is forced upon him. Strange to say, it does not bring fortha mighty trumpet blast, but quite evident hesitation. It does not seem likeLuther to hold back so patiently, to act with such restraint. Could he havejudged himself inadequate to the task? He was not a well versedliturgiologist; but he had both native ability and good sense; and one maywell imagine that his hesitation was born of an appreciation of thetremendous difficulties involved. Matters had reached such a climax that hesimply had to face the issue and express himself definitely and formally onthis very important phase of the developing Reformation Movement.Circumstances noted above undoubtedly paved the way, but Luther’s firstformal statement was actually the result of a direct request for advice fromthe Congregation at Leisnig.In September, 1522, Luther had been at Leisnig to confer withrepresentatives of the congregation over regulations for the administrationof their common treasury. Out of this meeting grew the formal Regulationfor which Luther prepared a Preface. f10 Questions relative to their pastorsarose, and in order to seek advice and proper direction, the congregationsent a deputation to Luther at Wittenberg, which laid this matter before