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These now are Luther's own words, which I have made legible to Englishmen. Wherein it is manifest that he condemns the universities in the very institution and constitution of them, and chiefly in their chief studies, human learning, and school-divinity; and also, as to that gross popish opinion, that they are the fountain and nurseries of the ministry: and that none are fit to teach, or so fit to teach, as those that have been educated in them. Yea, though these be raw, foolish, ignorant fellows, yet being university graduates, must they be set over towns, and parishes; and the miserable people must not only hear them and their doltish doctrine, brought from the universities, but also must be constrained, by secular power and laws, to pay them well for such pains, which tends only to the ruin of their souls for ever: And no hand is yet strongly and resolutely stretched out, to deliver the people from this intolerable bondage. For the necks of the people of the world have never endured so grievous a yoke from any tyrants, as from the doctrine and domination of the clergy. For worldly tyrants have only afflicted mens bodies and temporal estates, which reacheth but to this short life: But these spiritual tyrants, the clergy or false ministry, when they have got countenance, strength, and aid from the worldly magistrates, how have they, with their academical, philosophical, heathenish divinity, infected, poisoned, and destroyed the people to eternal death, and nobody durst shun them; upon pain of temporal death, or punishments! But now, through the great goodness of God, and his mighty providences and works from heaven, it is a more happy age; and happy shall they be, who, being called forth, shall do the work of God against all discouragements and difficulties, and shall not, with Ephraim, being harnessed, turn their backs in the day of battle.

And now, to return to our business again, touching the

universities, let none object that Luther speaks against popish universities only; for this is but a weak and simple defence, and altogether unable to ward off the mighty blow of God's word from their heads and hearts. For the things condemned in the foregoing testimonies of Luther, are the self same, for the substance of them, as do live, prevail, and flourish in our present universities, as hath been before declared; and I leave it to every faithful christian to judge the truth in this matter. But men would fain preserve their titles, degrees, authority, dignity, state, stipends, and therefore, for the defence of these things, they must needs say something, though it be to never so little purpose: But yet, by such discourse, they sufficiently declare how cool and icy they are for Christ's interest, and how zealous for their own.

But certain it is, that as the universities were set up at first, as nurseries for antichrist's kingdom, men being therein so educated, according to the undertaking of Charles the great, in philosophy and school-divinity, that it might be said to them, vos estis sal terræ, et lux mundi, "Ye are the salt of the earth, and the light of the world," (which yet only agrees to the faithful, who are born of God:) so have they still remained the same hitherto in substance, though not without some small change of outward form.

2. For first, the philosophy taught and studied in the university, is the very same that it was at first; and this philosophy is nothing but the religion of the heathen. For what the law was to the Jews, and the gospel is to the christians, philosophy was, and is to the heathen; and in this study, the poor lads waste the flower and cream of their lives to no purpose, but to make them more heathenish, corrupt, and bold in evil, than they were by nature. And,

For their divinity, which they usually learn in the universities, out of the fathers, schoolmen, and systems ;

and in which they are trained up, to dispute either for it, or against it, in the schools (it being in seriousness, all one to them, what they hold and maintain in religion, seeing all is but opinion to them ;) and which they after teach to the people, with special regard to their own profit and advantage, this is not the true word, and ministry of the gospel. For the gospel is the word of faith; which word, is the word in our hearts, according to the tenor of the new covenant, wherein God saith, I will write my law in their hearts, and put it in their inward parts : But now the university divines, the truth being indeed dead in their hearts, and having no presence nor power there, they take it up out of the books and writings of men, wherein it hath been buried; and by this means, bring forth a dead doctrine to the world (which other men have spoken, but themselves have no experience of) and not the word of life, which hath quickened them; but only a dead letter, raised up like the living letter, which they present to them; as the witch of Endor raised up a dead Samuel, in the outward habit and appearance of the living Samuel, and presented him to Saul: So these university divines, bring forth the outward garment and appearance of the truth to the people, when they do best; but the substance, soul, and life of the truth, they cannot bring forth; because they have not the living word of God in their hearts, but have only a dead word, which they gather out of the books and writings of men. And this is the university divinity.

And lastly, The preachers, which the universities send forth, are usually in the greatest enmity to Christ and his gospel, of all other men whatsoever, and do bring greatest prejudice to Christ's kingdom, and greatest advantage to antichrist's. For when men without learning, and yet without the Spirit of Christ, will undertake to teach the people, as many also now do, their ignorance is manifest to all, and is judged of all, and they, through

their rudeness, can never long deceive the world; but now, when men are as destitute of the Spirit as they, and yet have human learning, and the letter of the word in a philosophical sense, to help them, this is that, that exceedingly endangers and deceives the world; the people supposing the doctrine of the gospel, according to philosophical learning, to be the ministration of the Spirit, and to be sufficiently enough to instruct the church. And so antichrist's kingdom is set up with credit and renown, by these Whereas the ignorant teachers, who are destitute of the Spirit, are able to do him no considerable service. But Christ will not have the learned men to be teachers in his church, through their learning; and as little will he have ignorant men to teach in his church, because of their ignorance; but whether men be learned or ignorant, according to the world, it is no matter in Christ's church, where each man is to speak in the Spirit of Christ, which makes both the ignorant and the learned, alike wise in Christ: And so the learned man becomes ignorant in the church, to be learned in Christ; and the ignorant man, without worldly learning, forthwith becomes wise in Christ; and the learned and the ignorant meet together, only in the wisdom of Christ, which is the wisdom of God, and swallows up at once, all the learning and ignorance of the world alike, and will have all wise alone in itself.

Wherefore, all universities being left and forsaken as to this matter, let learned and ignorant men come alike to Christ, to be made wise in him, who is made unto us of God, our only wisdom.

586

THE

RIGHT REFORMATION OF

LEARNING,

SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES,

According to the State of the Gospel, and the true Light that shines therein.

THOUGH I do not pretend to that wisdom which might direct the world, farther than the word of God is with me, yet shall I be bold, as one who desires to be faithful to Christ, and profitable to his true church, to offer my apprehensions and advice to the called, chosen, and faithful ones of Christ, that either now are, or hereafter may be, in authority in these nations, touching the instructing youth, and ordering schools.

1. First therefore, as to this matter, I do judge, there neither is, nor can be any greater evil, than to bring up children in ease and idleness, and to suffer them to live freely and without controul, according to those natural lusts and corruptions which they bring along with them into the world, which do soon wonderfully improve, through such a careless and unnurtured life. And such children and youth usually become an early prey to the devil, who readily fills them with all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of the heathen.

2. I conceive it meet, that the civil power, or chief magistrates, should take great care of the education of

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