登陆注册
6256900000055

第55章

Luther's clear deep force of judgment, his force of all sorts, of _silence_, of tolerance and moderation, among others, are very notable in these circumstances.

Tolerance, I say; a very genuine kind of tolerance: he distinguishes what is essential, and what is not; the unessential may go very much as it will.

A complaint comes to him that such and such a Reformed Preacher "will not preach without a cassock." Well, answers Luther, what harm will a cassock do the man? "Let him have a cassock to preach in; let him have three cassocks if he find benefit in them!" His conduct in the matter of Karlstadt's wild image-breaking; of the Anabaptists; of the Peasants' War, shows a noble strength, very different from spasmodic violence. With sure prompt insight he discriminates what is what: a strong just man, he speaks forth what is the wise course, and all men follow him in that. Luther's Written Works give similar testimony of him. The dialect of these speculations is now grown obsolete for us; but one still reads them with a singular attraction. And indeed the mere grammatical diction is still legible enough; Luther's merit in literary history is of the greatest: his dialect became the language of all writing. They are not well written, these Four-and-twenty Quartos of his; written hastily, with quite other than literary objects. But in no Books have I found a more robust, genuine, I will say noble faculty of a man than in these. A rugged honesty, homeliness, simplicity; a rugged sterling sense and strength. He dashes out illumination from him; his smiting idiomatic phrases seem to cleave into the very secret of the matter. Good humor too, nay tender affection, nobleness and depth: this man could have been a Poet too! He had to _work_ an Epic Poem, not write one. I call him a great Thinker; as indeed his greatness of heart already betokens that.

Richter says of Luther's words, "His words are half-battles." They may be called so. The essential quality of him was, that he could fight and conquer; that he was a right piece of human Valor. No more valiant man, no mortal heart to be called _braver_, that one has record of, ever lived in that Teutonic Kindred, whose character is valor. His defiance of the "Devils" in Worms was not a mere boast, as the like might be if now spoken.

It was a faith of Luther's that there were Devils, spiritual denizens of the Pit, continually besetting men. Many times, in his writings, this turns up; and a most small sneer has been grounded on it by some. In the room of the Wartburg where he sat translating the Bible, they still show you a black spot on the wall; the strange memorial of one of these conflicts. Luther sat translating one of the Psalms; he was worn down with long labor, with sickness, abstinence from food: there rose before him some hideous indefinable Image, which he took for the Evil One, to forbid his work: Luther started up, with fiend-defiance; flung his inkstand at the spectre, and it disappeared! The spot still remains there; a curious monument of several things. Any apothecary's apprentice can now tell us what we are to think of this apparition, in a scientific sense: but the man's heart that dare rise defiant, face to face, against Hell itself, can give no higher proof of fearlessness. The thing he will quail before exists not on this Earth or under it.--Fearless enough! "The Devil is aware," writes he on one occasion, "that this does not proceed out of fear in me. I have seen and defied innumerable Devils. Duke George," of Leipzig, a great enemy of his, "Duke George is not equal to one Devil,"--far short of a Devil! "If I had business at Leipzig, I would ride into Leipzig, though it rained Duke Georges for nine days running." What a reservoir of Dukes to ride into!--At the same time, they err greatly who imagine that this man's courage was ferocity, mere coarse disobedient obstinacy and savagery, as many do. Far from that. There may be an absence of fear which arises from the absence of thought or affection, from the presence of hatred and stupid fury. We do not value the courage of the tiger highly! With Luther it was far otherwise; no accusation could be more unjust than this of mere ferocious violence brought against him. A most gentle heart withal, full of pity and love, as indeed the truly valiant heart ever is. The tiger before a _stronger_ foe--flies: the tiger is not what we call valiant, only fierce and cruel. I know few things more touching than those soft breathings of affection, soft as a child's or a mother's, in this great wild heart of Luther. So honest, unadulterated with any cant; homely, rude in their utterance; pure as water welling from the rock. What, in fact, was all that down-pressed mood of despair and reprobation, which we saw in his youth, but the outcome of pre-eminent thoughtful gentleness, affections too keen and fine? It is the course such men as the poor Poet Cowper fall into. Luther to a slight observer might have seemed a timid, weak man;modesty, affectionate shrinking tenderness the chief distinction of him.

It is a noble valor which is roused in a heart like this, once stirred up into defiance, all kindled into a heavenly blaze.

In Luther's _Table-Talk_, a posthumous Book of anecdotes and sayings collected by his friends, the most interesting now of all the Books proceeding from him, we have many beautiful unconscious displays of the man, and what sort of nature he had. His behavior at the death-bed of his little Daughter, so still, so great and loving, is among the most affecting things. He is resigned that his little Magdalene should die, yet longs inexpressibly that she might live;--follows, in awe-struck thought, the flight of her little soul through those unknown realms. Awe-struck; most heartfelt, we can see; and sincere,--for after all dogmatic creeds and articles, he feels what nothing it is that we know, or can know: His little Magdalene shall be with God, as God wills; for Luther too that is all; _Islam_ is all.

同类推荐
  • 夏商野史

    夏商野史

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 元朝秘史

    元朝秘史

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 故宫漫载

    故宫漫载

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 大集譬喻王经

    大集譬喻王经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 灵宝自然九天生神三尊大有金书

    灵宝自然九天生神三尊大有金书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 无敌神威

    无敌神威

    王凡是一个平凡的大学生,因意外来到异世界,为了生存,他只能委屈求全,等待一发冲天的机会。天才算什么?那是我脚下的一条虫。妖才又如何?打的你像丧家之犬。圣女又怎样?不听话的统统镇压当暖床丫鬟。我就是天,凡想逆天者,统统震杀。无敌神威,正式开写了,喜欢的朋友支持下,平凡感激不尽。
  • 冷魅公主的复仇史

    冷魅公主的复仇史

    她们拥有着天使的容貌,魔鬼的身材,对亲人和好友十分友好;对外人却是十分冷漠。她,冷漠无情;她优雅大方,对人的感觉十分友好;她长相可爱,清纯天真。遇到与她们相同冷淡的四位王子,在她们的身上会发生什么样的故事呢?
  • 霸宠多金妻

    霸宠多金妻

    她虽是个钱奴,但绝对取之有道!臭男人想用钱收买她?哼,行不通!可为毛跟他呆了一晚上,她的肚子就越来越圆润了?本想带球落跑,可孩子的奶粉钱要挣啊!坑爹的坏男人想赖账?门都没有!乖乖准备好金屋银屋,等着我们母子入住吧!
  • 勉传

    勉传

    这是关于一个长生不老的男人跨越两千年的故事,在每一段历史的角落里都曾经留下过他的名字。他曾经是一些人心中的噩梦,也曾经把一些被噩梦困扰着的人们唤醒。故事的开始他的名字叫做吴勉,故事的结局他的名字叫做无敌
  • 一花一叶之只做你的猫

    一花一叶之只做你的猫

    谁能想到火遍全球的大明星居然会在晚上变成一只小猫咪?还拥有了超能力可以瞬间移动!!叶晨舔了舔自己毛茸茸的白爪子,一双湛蓝的圆滚滚的眼睛里充满了问号。这天华明明照常来操场的器材室喂流浪猫时,草丛里隐约闪现着一团雪球,与周围的没有化干净的雪混合在一起毫无违和感,湛蓝的眼睛对她手里的煎饼果子露出渴望的光芒。“喵~~~”“喵~~~”一人一猫就这么聊了起来,但谁也听不懂对方在说什么。。。。。。
  • 联邦党人文集(英文版)

    联邦党人文集(英文版)

    在美国政治文献中,除了《独立宣言》和《联邦宪法》之外,就属《联邦党人文集》最为重要了。它是美国建国时期最重要的一部政论著作。它是最有助于我们了解美国的政治制度和美国宪法的权威著作,被誉为美国宪法的"圣经",最好地表达了美国立宪建国的根本意旨。它是亚历山大·汉密尔顿、约翰·杰伊和詹姆斯·麦迪逊三人为争取批准新宪法,从1787年10月27日开始到次年5月28日在纽约《独立日报》、《纽约邮报》、《每日广告报》等报纸上共同以“?普布利乌斯(Publius)”的笔名发表的一系列论文文集。
  • 虏天传

    虏天传

    尘世遭劫现紫冥。天道绝情,难改初心。人间何处问仙途?浊世滔滔,沧海无垠。回首浮生转瞬间。侠骨铮铮,邪正分明。吾当执剑荡天地,何畏生死?唯斩不平!山民春福生逢乱世,因缘际会之下,生出灵根踏足修仙界,且看他如何在乱世中披荆斩棘,寻觅长生!
  • 热火高校

    热火高校

    在3870年外星人入侵地球,全国为了防御外星人的入侵,从大洋洲战役开始,外星人侵略地球全面展开,战争正式打响,3008年亚美成立,其中有一位少年,三水时,他的父母在战争中死亡,于是他长大后,参加了亚美军队,开始抗外星人……
  • 控风之子

    控风之子

    在帝国的支持下“欺诈师”渐渐兴盛。亲情,家庭,在一瞬间破灭,唯一活下来的少年,用自己的鲜血发誓,一定会让“欺诈师”们彻底消失
  • 宇宙制造者

    宇宙制造者

    叶勐,河北省作协会员。作品见于《人民文学》《芙蓉》等期刊。小说《老正是条狗》入选《2005年短篇小说年选》。《亡命之徒》电影改编。《塞车》被译成英文。《为什么要把小说写得这么好》获2008年度河北十佳优秀作品奖。现为河北省文学院签约作家。