Martin Luther on Galatians 6:7

Verſe. 7. Be not deceiued, for God is not mocked. The Apoſtle proſecuteth this place of the nouriſhing and maintaining of miniſters ſo earneſtly, that to his former reprehenſion and exhortation he addeth now alſo a threatning, ſaying: God is not mocked. And here he toucheth to the quicke the propertie of our countrey men, which proudly deſpiſe our miniſterie. For they thinke it to be but a ſport and a game:Gentlemen, citizens and husbandmen deſpiſers of Gods miniſters. and therefore they goe about (eſpecially the Gentlemen) to make their paſtours ſubiect vnto them like ſeruaunts and ſlaues. And if we had not ſo godly a Prince, and one that ſo loueth the truth, they had ere this time driuen vs out of the countrey. When the paſtours aſke their dutie or complaine that they ſuffer penurie, they cry out: the prieſtes be couetous, they would haue plentie, no man is able to ſatiſfie their vnſatiable couetouſnes, if they were true Goſpellers they ſhould haue nothing of their owne, but as poore men ought to folow poore Chriſt, & to ſuffer all aduerſities, &c. Paule horribly threatneth here ſuch tyrannes & ſuch mockers of God, who ſo careleſly & proudly doe ſcorne the miſerable preachers, and yet will ſeeme to be Goſpellers, and not to be mockers of God, but to worſhippe him very deuoutly. Be not deceiued (ſayth he), God is not mocked, that is to ſay, he doth not ſuffer him ſelfe to be mocked in his miniſters. For he ſayeth: He that deſpiſeth you deſpiſeth me. Luke. 10.[illegible: 1 letter]6. Alſo he ſayeth vnto Samuel: They haue not caſt thee avvay, but me. 1. Sam. 8.7. Therfore, O ye mockers, although God differre his puniſhment for a ſeaſon, yet when he ſeeth time he will finde you out, and will puniſh this contempt of his word & bitter hatred which ye beare againſt his miniſters. Therfore ye deceiue not God but your ſelues, and ye ſhall not laugh at God, but he will laugh at you, Pſalme. 2. But our proud Gentlemen, citizens and common people are nothing at all moued with this dreadfull threatning. Neuertheles they ſhall feele when death approcheth, whether they haue mocked thēſelues or vs, nay rather not vs but God himſelfe, as Paule ſaith here. In the meane time, becauſe they proudly deſpiſe our admonitiōs wt an intollerable pride, we ſpeake theſe things to our cōfort, to the ende we may know that it is better to ſuffer wrong than to do wrōg: for patience is euer innocēt & harmles. Moreouer,Pſal. 34.10. Pſal. 37.19. God will not ſuffer his miniſters to ſtarue for honger, but euen when the rich men ſuffer ſcarſitie and honger, he wil feede them, and in the dayes of famine they ſhall haue enough.

Verſe. 7. For vvhatſoeuer a man ſovveth that shall he reape. All theſe things tende to this purpoſe that miniſters ſhould be nouriſhed and maintained. For my part I doe not gladly interprete ſuch ſentences: for they ſeeme to commend vs, and ſo they doe in dede. Moreouer, if a mā ſtand much in repeting ſuch things to his hearers, it hath ſome ſhew of couetouſnes. Notwithſtanding men muſt be admoniſhed hereof,Reuerence & neceſſary liuing due to the miniſters of the vvord. that they may know that they ought to yelde vnto their paſtours both reuerence and a neceſſary liuing. Our Sauiour Chriſte teacheth the ſame thing in the .10. of Luke. Eating and drinking ſuch things as they haue: for the labourer is vvorthy of his revvard. 1. Cor. 9.13.14. And Paule ſayth in an other place: Doe ye not knovv that they vvhich ſacrifice in the tēple, liue of the ſacrifices? & that they vvhich ſerue at the altare, are partakers of the altare? euē ſo hath the lord ordained that they vvhich preach the goſpel should liue of the Goſpel. It is good that we alſo which are in the miniſterie, ſhould know theſe things, leſt for our labour we might with euill cōſcience receaue the ſtipend which is geuen vnto vs of yt Popes goods. And although ſuch goodes were heaped together by mere fraud & diſceit: yet notwt ſtanding God ſpoyling the Egyptians,Exod. 3.[illegible: 2 letters]. that is to ſay, the Papiſtes of their goods, turneth them here amongſt vs, to a good and holy vſe: not when noble men and gentlemen ſpoile them and abuſe them, but when they which ſette forth Gods glory, and bring vppe youth vertuouſly are maintained therewith. Let vs know then that we may with good conſcience (ſince God hath ordained and commaūded that they which preach the Goſpell ſhould liue of the Goſpell) vſe thoſe things that are geuen vs of the Church goodes for the neceſſary ſuſtentation of our life, to the ende we may attend vpon our office the better. Let no man therefore make any ſcrupule hereof, as though it were not lawfull for him to vſe ſuch goodes.