imself, that He might please His Father.

Whence you see that that multitude has no claim to christian freedom
who will do nothing, neither what the world nor what God requires,
but abide in their insubordinate disposition, although they make
their boast of the Gospel.

Though we be free from all laws, we must yet have respect to weak and
ignorant Christians, since this is a work of love. Hence Paul says,
Rom. xiii.: "Owe no man anything, but to love one another." Therefore
let him who would glory in his freedom, do first what a Christian
should do: let him first do good to his neighbor, and thereafter make
use of his freedom in such a way as this. When the Pope, or even any
one, imposes his authority upon him, and would force him to obey it,
let him say, "My good fellow, Pope, I will not do it, for this
reason, because you choose to make a command of it, and invade my
freedom."[3] For we are to live in freedom as the servants of God,
(so St. Peter here says,) not as servants of man. Yet in case any one
desires that of me in which I can be of service to him, I will
cheerfully do it out of good will, not scrupulous whether it have
been commanded or not, but for the sake of brotherly love, and
because God also requires that I should do good to my neighbor. Thus
I will not be forced to become subject to worldly princes and lords,
but what I do I will do of my own self,--not because they command me,
but for service to my neighbor. Of this kind should all our works be,
springing forth from affection and love, and all having respect to
our neighbor, since we have no need on our own account to do good
works. It further follows:

[Footnote 3: In the views presented by Luther, in this connection, we
have a distinct enunciation of the noble principles of the
Non-conformists of England--principles which were familiar to the
great Reformers and to the early Puritans. They could not admit any
human authority to invade the domain of divine legislation. To a
conformity in externals which did not require them to admit the right
of the civil magistracy to enact laws for the church, they were
willing to yield as far as was necessary to edification. But when the
command issued from the ruling power, in usurpation of the
prerogative of the great and only head of the church, and obedience
was to be construed as acquiescence in such usurpation, their reply
was kindred in tone and spirit to that which Luther here puts into
the lips of a c