1. The Occasion of the Work.—Luther did not impose himself as reformerupon the Church. In the course of a conscientious performance of theduties of his office, to which he had been regularly and divinelycalled, and without any urging on his part, he attained to thisposition by inward necessity. In 1515 he received his appointment asthe standing substitute for the sickly city pastor, Simon Heinse, fromthe city council of Wittenberg. Before this time he was obliged topreach only occasionally in the convent, apart from his activity asteacher in the University and convent. Through this appointment he wasin duty bound, by divine and human right, to lead and direct thecongregation at Wittenberg on the true way to life, and it would havebeen a denial of the knowledge of salvation which God had led him toacquire, by way of ardent inner struggles, if he had led thecongregation on any other way than the one God had revealed to him inHis Word. He could not deny before the congregation which had beenintrusted to his care, what up to this time he had taught with everincreasing clearness in his lectures at the University—for in thelectures on the Psalms, which he began to deliver in 1513, he declareshis conviction that faith alone justifies, as can be seen from thecomplete manuscript, published since 1885, and with still greaterclearness from his Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (1515-1516),which is accessible since 1908; nor what he had urged as spiritualadviser of his convent brethren when in deep distress—compare thecharming letter to Georg Spenlein, dated April 8, 1516.
Luther's first literary works to appear in print were also occasionedby the work of his calling and of his office in the Wittenbergcongregation. He had no other object in view than to edify hiscongregation and to lead it to Christ when, in 1517, he published hisfirst independent work, the Explanation of the Seven PenitentialPsalms. On Oct 31 of the same year he published his 95 Theses againstIndulgences. These were indeed intended as controversial theses fortheologians, but at the same time it is well known that Luther wasmoved by his duty toward his congregation to declare his position inthis matter and to put in issue the whole question as to the right andwrong of indulgences by means of his theses. His sermon Of Indulgencesand Grace, occasioned by Tetzel's attack and delivered in the latterpart of March, 1518, as well as his sermon Of Penitence, deliveredabout the same time, were also intended for his congregation. Beforehis congregation (Sept., 1516-Feb., 1517) he delivered the Sermons onthe Ten Commandments, which were published in 1518 and the Sermons onthe Lord's Prayer, which were also published in 1518 by Agricola.Though Luther in the same year published a series of controversialwritings, which were occasioned by attacks from outside sources, viz.,the Resolutiones disputationis de Virtute indulgentiarum, the Asterisciadversus obeliscos Joh. Eccii, and the Ad dialogum Silv. Prieriatisresponsio, still he never was di