point, or appoint the time and place; but that we should so preach as to
influence the people, without any law adopted, by us, to urge, and, as
it were, to compel us who are pastors, to administer the Lord's Supper
to them. Now this object may be attained, if we address them in the
following manner; It is to be feared that he who does not desire to
receive the Lord's Supper at least three or four times during the year,
despises the Sacrament, and is no Christian. So, too, he is no
Christian, who neither believes nor obeys the Gospel; for Christ did not
say: "Omit or despise this," but "This do ye, as oft as ye drink it,"
etc. He commands that this should be done, and by no means be neglected
and despised. He says: "This do."

Now he who does not highly value the Sacrament, shows thereby that he
has no sin, no flesh, no devil, no world, no death, no danger, no hell;
that is to say, he does not believe that such evils exist, although he
may be deeply immersed in them, and completely belong to the devil. On
the other hand, he needs no grace, no life, no Paradise, no heaven, no
Christ, no God, no good thing. For if he believed that he was involved
in such evils, and that he was in need of such blessings, he could not
refrain from receiving the Sacrament, wherein aid is afforded against
such evils, and, again, such blessings are bestowed. It will not be
necessary to compel him by the force of any law to approach the Lord's
Table; he will hasten to it of his own accord, will compel himself to
come, and indeed urge you to administer the Sacrament to him.

Hence, you are by no means to adopt any compulsory law in this case, as
the Pope has done. Let it simply be your aim to set forth distinctly the
advantages and losses, the wants and the benefits, the dangers and the
blessings, which are to be considered in connection with the Sacrament;
the people will, doubtless, then seek it without urgent demands on your