made a vow, indeed, not to punish him, but that is to be understood,
so long as David lived.

O Luther! Luther! ask your own heart if this is not Jesuit morality.


Chap. XXXIII. v. 367.

I believe (said Luther) the words of our Christian belief were in such
sort ordained by the Apostles, who were together, and made this sweet
'Symbolum' so briefly and comfortable.

It is difficult not to regret that Luther had so superficial a knowledge
of Ecclesiastical antiquities: for example, his belief in this fable of
the Creed having been a 'picnic' contribution of the twelve Apostles,
each giving a sentence. Whereas nothing is more certain than that it was
the gradual product of three or four centuries.


Chap. XXXIV. p. 369.

An angel (said Luther) is a spiritual creature created by God without
a body for the service of Christendom, especially in the office of the
Church.

What did Luther mean by a body? For to me the word seemeth capable of
two senses, universal and special:--first, a form indicating to A. B. C.
&c., the existence and finiteness of some one other being
'demonstrative' as 'hic', and 'disjunctive' as 'hic et non ille'; and in
this sense God alone can be without body: secondly, that which is not