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LIBRARY OF WELLESLEY COLLEGE
PURCHASED FROM LIBRARY FUNDS
fetanöarb (^ütticn of EutStt'g saiotfeä
THE PRECIOUS AND SACRED WRITINGS OF
MARTIN LUTHE
The Hero of the Reformation, the Greatest of the
Teuton Church Fathers, and the Father of
Protestant Church Literature
BASED ON THE KAISER CHRONOLOGICAL EDITION
WITH REFERENCE TO THE ERLANGEN
AND WALCH EDITIONS
EDITED BY
JOHN NICHOLAS LENKER, D. D.
IN CONNECTION WITH LEADING SCHOLARS OF ALL PARTS OF THE CHURCH
VOL. XIV
LUTHERANS IN ALL LANDS CO.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN,, U.S.A.
1305.
Copyright, 1905, by ProL J. N. LENKER, D. D.
u
,fc5
DEDICATION. To the Memory of Rev. Edmund J. Wolf, D. D., LL. D., Late Pret dent of the General Synod and Professor of Theology at Gettys- burg, Pa., for nearly thirty-one years, and author of "Luther- ans in America," etc., who just before his death wrote in the "New York Observer": "The English-speaking portion of Christendom owes its Reformation to Lu- ther's writings. . . . Luther is in the best sense modern, up-to-date, the prophet of our own times. . . . The monk who once shook the world needs but the oppor- tunity to shake it again, the oppor- tunity afforded by the Eng- lish tongue," this volume is gratefully dedicated.
LUTHER'S
CHURCH POSTIL
GOSPELS
THIRTEENTH TO TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.
TRANSLATED NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME INTO ENGLISH.
WITH INTRODUCTION, WALCH'S ANALYSES
AND BUGENHAGEN'S "SUMMARIES"
BY
PROF. JOHN NICHOLAS LENKER, D. D.
AUTHOR OF "LUTHERANS IN ALL LANDS," TRANSLATOR OK
LUTHER'S WORKS INTO ENGLISH, AND PRESIDENT OF
THE NATIONAL LUTHERAN LISRARV ASSOCIATION
YOL. Y. Second Thousand
LUTHERANS IN ALL LANDS CO.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., U.S.A. 1905.
CONTENTS: TWENTY-THREE SERMONS.
Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity. Page.
The Two Greatest Commandments and the Good Samaritan,
Luke 10, 23-87 17
SECOND SERMON: Christ Praises the Gospel Dispensa- tion and Gives a Picture of His Kingdom - - - - 36 Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Miracle of Cleansing the Ten Lepers, a Portrayal of
the Christian Life. Luke 17, 11-19 60
Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity.
God or Mammon, How Christians Should not be Anxious about their Food and Raiment. Mat. 6, 24-34 - - - 102
SECOND SERMIN: Incentive to Faith 118
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Son of the Widow of Nain Raised from the Dead.
Luke 7, 11-17 127
SECOND SERMON: The Resurrection of the Young Man
of Nain 140
Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity.
Christ Heals the Dropsical Man on the Sabbath, and of
Humility. Luke 14, 1-11 15S
Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Two Greatest Commandments, and How Christ is
David's Son and David's Lord. Mat. 22, 34-46 - - - If) SECOND SERMON: The Law and the Gospel, Christ - - 184 Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Palsied Man Cured. Christ's Kingdom, the Faith of
Others, and the Power to Forgive Sins. Mat. 9, 1-8 - 196 SECOND SERMON: The Righteousness of the World and of the Christian, and the Power on Earth to Forgive Sins 211 Twentieth Sunday after Trinity.
Parable of the Marriage-Feast the King made for His Son.
Mat. 22, 1-14 226
SECOND SERMON: The Kingdom of Christ, the King's Son's Marriage and the Wedding Garment - - - - 236 Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity.
Son of the Nobleman of Capernaum Healed, an Example of
Faith. John 4, 46-54 252
SECOND SERMON: Faith in General and in Detail - 262 Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity.
Parable of the Unrighteous Steward. Mat. 18, 22-35 - - 278 Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity.
Christ Answers the Question, If it were Lawful to Give
Tribute unto Caesar? Mat. 22, 15-22 - - - - 293
SECOND SERMON: The Pharisees' Counsel put to Naught 307 Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity.
Daughter of the Ruler of the Sj^nagogue Raised from the Dead and the Woman with an Issue of Blood Healed;
the Gospel and Christ. Mat. 9, 18-26 326
SECOND SERMON: Two Examples of Faith, and Christ's
Call from the Dead 344
Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity.
The Destruction of the Jewish Kingdom, the Abomination of Desolation, and the End of the World. Mat. 24, 15-28 - 363 Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Trinity.
Christ's Coming on the Last Day, and His Judgment of the Christians and the Godless. Mat. 25, 31-42 - - - 379
LUTHER AND THE PRESS.
Joel Swartz, D. D.
At Wartburg still the ink they show Which Luther at the Devil threw. In these last days we've learned to know He fought more wisely than he knew.
For this far more than flaming tongue Pilled Popes and devils with affright:
The inkstand by the printer flung Has put the Prince of hell to flight.
Now silent lies great Luther's tongue, And palsied is the hero's hand;
But that black thunder-bolt it flung Still rolls and smites from land to land.
With Argus eyes, Briarean hands,
And myriad tongues to curse or bless.
There walks the earth's enlightened lands One king of all — the Printing-press.
If sometimes with a backward fling
He smites when he should help instead.
Yet mainly aims this noblest king His inkstand at the Devil's head.
His Wartburgs crown a million hills;
The walls are all of paper made; His ink, which countless measures fills,
Is on these walls most deftly laid.
And whether by his hot breath blown. Or seized with all his hundred hands,
The whole around the world is thrown. To bless and brighten all its lands.
King of the inky sceptre, hail!
We own thy sway, court thy control; Thy power shall more and more prevail
Until it spread from pole to pole!
FOREWORD.
On this Pentecost Monday, 1905, as we send forth this fifth vol- ume of the boldly titled "Standard Edition of Luther's Works in English" we feel the truth of Luther's utterance, which he learned from experience, that "Translation is a special grace and gift of God." Translation of any kind is not easy, but it is easy in the degree the language into which you translate is richer in its gram- mar, dictionary and expressiveness than the language from which you translate. But to translate Luther from German into English seems almost to belong to the realm of the impossible. No apology is offered for the high ideal of our efforts because no promise was ever made that we would reach it.
In the religious literature appearing from the English press at present there are two facts very apparent which are hard to recon- cile. The first is the high praise that is being constantly paid to Luther, and the second is the ignorance they display of a knowledge of Luther's writings. It seems many who write on the Protestant problems are better posted in the literature of "Higher Criticism" than in the classic writings of Protestantism. As an example, in the recent volume on "Things Fundamental" by Dr. Jefferson, pastor of Broadway Tabernacle, New York City, on page 63 he says: "We are all under the sway of Martin Luther's soul." And on page 72 he adds: "Men in the Middle Ages cared little for the life of Jesus. Protestantism at first was not interested in the Gospels. Martin Luther began his sermons with the Psalms and ended them with Paul's letters to the Galatians and Romans." It is this Gospel side of Luther that is so hard for the English v/orld to appreciate. May the five volumes of his Church Postil on the Gospels, his six vol- umes of his House Postil and the twenty or more volumes he wrote on the Gospels help the English world to study the Gospel side of his life work!
Among the new features of this volume are the references at the head of each sermon to the page or column and volume of the Erlangen, Walch and St. Louis W^alch editions in German, where each sermon in the original may be found. Erl. stands for Erlangen edition; W. for the Walch, and St. L. for the St. Louis edition. The c. and other letters referring to different editions of Luther's com- plete works are according to the Erlangen edition. The number 14 on the back of the book and on the first title page correspond with the number of the same volume in the Erlangen edition.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
To the following colaborers grateful acknowledgment is hereby made: To Rev. J. Humberger, Steubenville, O., for translating the first sermons of the 13th, 14th, 18th, 19th, 22d and 24th Sundays after Trinity; Rev. S. E. Ochsenford, D. D., Professor of English, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa., for the second sermons of the 16th and 24th Sundays; Rev. J. D. Severinghaus, D. D., Chicago, for the sermon of the 17th Sunday and the second sermon of the 23d Sunday; Rev. C. Huber, D. D., Richmond, Ind., for the second sermons of the 18th and 25th Sundays; Rev. John Sander, late professor of Ger- man in Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., for the second sermon of the 19th and the sermon of the 26th Sunday, and to Prof. Hans Juergensen, of the German Department of the University of Minnesota, for assistance in proofreading. The other sermons and all the "Analyses" by Walch and "Summaries" by Bugenhagen were translated and the whole volume edited by the undersigned.
TRIBUTES TO LUTHEP. S WRITINGS.
TRIBUTES OF SCHOLARS TO
LUTHER'S AYRITIXGS.
When we read the innumerable and apparently extravagant tributes of praise so freely and heartily paid to Martin Luther from 1517 until the present time and, no doubt, will continue to be paid to him by all classes of thinlvers, we do not fully appreciate that they are, either directly or indirectly, praise to his writings, by which "he being dead yet speaketh." It is not a statue of Luther in bronze, nor a picture of him in oil, nor a biography about him in a story; but the real living Luther himself in his own writings, that is the best monument, picture and biography of the greatest Church Father since the days of the Apostles. When for example the world praises Shakespear and Gothe, Moses and Paul they mean their writings and principles. So the following tributes to Luther are tributes to his writings. Luther and his writings God has joined to- gether and no man can separate them.
John Brenz: "Luther lives alone in his writings; we all are in comparison with him a dead letter,"
Martin Chemnitz: "A man may tell how far he has advanced in theology, by the degree to which he is pleased with Luther's writings."
John Albrecht Bengei: "Luther was truly a great man. All his colleagues together could not have made a Luther. The death of Luther is an important boundary line in history. After the death of Luther, there was nothing new added to the work of the Reforma- tion."
Erasmus: "It is no small prejudice in his favor, that his morals are unblamable, and that calumny itself can fasten no reproach on him. ... I heard men of great merit, equally respectable for learning and piety, congratulate themselves for having been ac- quainted with his books. . . . Luther is a man of too great abilities for me to encounter; and I learn more from one page of his than from all the works of Thomas Aquinas."
Melanchthon: "Luther is too great, too wonderful for me to de- pict in words. If there be a man on earth I love with my whole heart, that man is Luther. One is an interpreter, one a logician, another an orator, affluent and beautiful in speech, but Luther is all in all; whatever he writes, whatever he utters, pierces to the soul, fixes itself like arrows in the heart — he is a miracle among men. ... It is also evident that the light of the Gospel has been kindled anev/ through the words and writings of Luther. . . . He translated the Scriptures into German, and that, too, in a style of such clearness that his version affords more light to the reader than very many commentaries. In addition he was the author of many expositions of the Scriptures, which even Erasmus used to say far surpassed any extant. ... No base passions or revolutionary designs were eVer observed in him; on the contrary.
8 LUTHER's works in ENGLISH.
he was at all times the counselor of peaceable measures."
Nicholas von Amsdorf: "If all commentaries, ancient and mod- ern, are collected into one mass, and that which is best be selected from them, it could not be compared with the writings of this man. I am not ignorant how boastful this must seem, and to how many such a tribute must be offensive. But however others judge this constant assertion, I so affirm, that since the Apostles no one has ever seen or ever will be furnished with such wisdom, faith and constancy, as we have witnessed in Dr. Luther; nor have I any doubt that godly posterity will have the same judgment."
Martin Bucer: "No one since the time of the Apostles has ever taught more clearly and faithfully the article of justification. None of the fathers have taught with such devotion and according to the mind of the Spirit concerning living good works, viz: those that flow from living faith and advance the welfare of one's neigh- bor. No one has explained the Holy Scriptures so purely or more happily, with such energy, and so many penetrating arguments. No one has taught so clearly the duties of the civil magistrates in regard to both tables of the law. The incredible success of the greatest works in the church, as the Augsburg Confession for ex- ample, was due largely to him. He was also the author of model prayers, psalms, hymns and chants."
John Calvin: "We sincerely testify that we regard him as a noble apostle of Christ, by whose labor and ministry the purity of the Gospel has been restored to our times. If anyone will carefully consider what was the state of things at the period when Luther arose, he will see that he had to contend with almost all the diffi- culties which were encountered by the Apostles. In one respect, indeed, his condition was worse and harder than theirs. There was no kingdom, no principality, against which they had to declare war; whereas Luther could not go forth except by the ruin of that empire which was not only the most powerful of all, but regarded all the rest as obnoxious to itself. . . . Luther is the trumpet, or rather the thunder — he is the lightning which has aroused the world from its lethargy — it is not so much Luther who speaks, as God, whose lightnings burst from his lips."
Ulrich Zwingle: "Luther is, it seems to me, such an excellent champion of God, who has examined the Scriptures with so great a zeal that he had no equal on earth for thousands of years, (I care not that the Papists call me a heretic also like him,) and in the manly, undaunted spirit with which he attacked the Pope at Rome, no one has ever been his equal, without underestimating any one, ever since the Papacy has been established. But to whom may we ascribe such a work? To God, or to Luther? Ask Luther himself, and I am sure he will answer, to God. Why then do you attribute other men's doctrine to Luther, when he himself attributes it to God, and submits nothing new but what is contained in the eternally unalterable Word of God."
John Gerhard: "Our confession does not depend upon Luther's doctrine or person, but on the unshaken word of God. We do not ascribe to Luther prophetic or apostolic authority, or absolute in- fallibility; nor do we make his writings equal to the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures; neither without proof from God's Word do we believe his statements; but we regard him an eminent teacher of the church, whom God in these last times has raised up for the benefit of his church oppressed by the papal yoke, and endowed with unique gifts, and furnished with excellent strength of soul, to re-
TRIBUTES TO LUTHER's WRITINGS. 9
move corruptions and abuses from the pure preaching of the Gos- pel, and to bring baclv to light the truth, almost covered by the darkness of error."
John Mathesius: "Dr. Luther wrote a Postil in the German lan- guage, and faithfully exhorted the people to saving faith and broth- erly love, patience in suffering and Christian humility, and earnestly warned against idolatry and human nonsense."
John Arndt quotes passages from the Church Postil, which he says "we should plant as beautiful flowers in the pleasure garden of our hearts."
P. J. Spener: "Among the books a pastor should have in his library, I should recommend first of all the Church Postil of our beloved Luther."
A. H. Francke: "I have often wished that our preachers and laity would read Luther's Postils more diligently, in which there is surely more spirit, power and life than in the modern refined sermons."
J. G. Walch: "The sermons in the Church Postil offer the erring full power for reformation, the weak a stimulating admonition, the godless a penetrating warning and the distressed a strong consola- tion."
John Bunyan: "I do prefer this book of Martin Luther upon the Galatians (except the Holy Bible), before all the books that ever I have seen, as most fit for a wounded conscience."
John F Buddeus: "The truth indeed fought for Luther, but no less did he fight for the truth, so that no mortal could have done more to defend it, and place it beyond the reach of its foes. His own writings leave no room for doubt that he argued from profound conviction of the truth. He asks no favors, makes no efforts to propitiate; he compels by the weight of proof, triumphs by demon- stration of the truth, and forces the unwilling to do homage to sound doctrine."
John Wesley: "In the evening, I went very unwilling to a society (the Moravians) in Aldersgate, where one was reading Luther's Preface to the Epistles to the Romans. About quarter be- fore nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed, I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assur- ance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
Alexander Bower, in his life of Luther: "It was in vain that the head of the church and the chief of the German empire combined to threaten and proscribe him. . . . While his doctrine spread far and wide, and v/ealthy cities would have been proud to receive him, Luther clung to the spot where he discharged the duty of a teacher and to the associates he had known in the season of humility."
Gotthold E. Lessing, Literary Critic: "In such reverence do I hold Luther, that I rejoice in having been able to find some defects in him, for I have been in imminent danger of making him an object of idolatrous veneration. The proofs that in some things he was like other men are to me as precious as the most dazzling of his virtues."
Frederick the Great: "Had Luther done nothing else but liberate the princes and the people from the servile bondage under which the dominion of the Roman papacy held them, he would deserve to
10 LÜTIIErV, V/ORKS in ENGLISH.
have a monument erected to his honor as the Liberator of his country."
Ernst Maurice Arndt, author of the patriotic son,-?, "Wha.t is the German's Fatherland:": "Luther was a man of God, a German, who thought more of hearty sincerity than of nonsense, who at- tached a higher value to truth than to lying, who believed in God and worshipped him, but fought and despised tlie devil. Shy and timid he is when first entering upon his course; but the further he advances, the stronger, the grander he grov/s."
John G. Doederlein: "Am.ong all the v/ritings of Luther, I know nothing more precious than his sermons and his letters. From both of these we can learn to know the man in his entire greatness."
John G. Herder: "He spoke the simple, strong, unadorned lan- guage of the understanding; he spoke from the heart, not from the head and from memorj^ His sermons therefore have been the models, especially of the preachers in our church who are of stable minds."
William Coxe: "Luther's Latin v/as copious, free and forcible, and he was perfectly master of his native tongue and wrote it with such puritj^ that his works are still esteemed as models of style by German critics."
Dr. Reuss: "Luther's Bible was, for its era, a miracle of science. Its style sounded as the prophecy of a golden age of literature, and in masculine force, and in the unction of the Holy Spirit, it remains a yet unapproaclied model 'History of the Holy Scriptures.' "
Samuel T. Coleridge: His son, Henry Nelson Coleridge, in the defense of his father's religious opinions, says: "He saw the very mind of St. Paul in the teachings of Luther on the Law and justi- fication by faith. My father's affectionate respect for Luther ia enough to alienate him from the High Anglican party. My father called Luther the most Evangelical writer he knew, after the Apostles."
Frederick von Schlegel, Catholic historian: "It is well known that all true philologists regard Luther's Bible as the standard and model of classical expression in the German language; and not only Klopstock, but many other writers of the fi.rst rank have fashioned their style and selected their phrases according to the rules of this version. As to the intellectual power and greatness of Luther, ab- stracted from all consideration of the uses to v/hich he applied them, I think there are few, even of his own disciples, who appreciate him highly enough. It was upon him and his soul that the fate of Europe depended. Fie was the man of his age and nation. He it was who gave permanency to the Reformation."
Robert Southey, Poet-laureate of England: "Blessed be the day of Martin Luther's birth! It should be a festival only second to that of the nativity of Jesus Christ."
Henry Hallam, Flistorian and Critic: "A better tone in preaching began with Luther. The hymns in use v/ith the Lutheran church, many of which are his own, possess a simple dignity and devoutness, never before excelled."
Heinrich Heine: "He created the German language. He was not only the greatest but the most German man of our history. Some- times he was wild as the storm that uproots the oak, and then again he was gentle as the zephyr that dallies with the violet. He was full of the most awful reverence and self-sacrifice in honor of the Holy Spirit. Pie could merge himself entire, in pure spirituality, and yet he was well acquainted with the glories of this world, and
TRiBUTr:s TO lutiier's writings. 11
knew how to prize tlieni. He was a complete man, I would say an absolute man, one in whom matter and spirit were not divided."
Frederick L. G. von Räumer, in reply to the charge against Luther by Palavicini, the historian of the Council of Trent: "Luther's hardest and least becoming language appears mild in comparison with the blood-thirsty intolerance of his opponents. A noble elo- quence supplanted the unintelligible prattle of the schools through him Germany once more learned to speak; the German people once more to hear. He who is displeased with his style or with his mat- ter, must yet confess that his writings reveal everywhere the inspi- ration of the fear of God and the power of faith. Luther never dissimulated. Persuasions, promises, threats, had no power to shake his rock-Iirm will, his indomitable purpose. Among his opponents not one can compare with him in personal qualities. He is a man in whose train follows a whole world of aspiration, effort, and achievement."
Dr. Thomas Chalmer, of Scotland, in a sermon on Jer. 6, 16, in London: "Luther's own heart nourished the germ of the greatest revolution the world ever saw. Many hearts caught his enthusiastic ardor, and his voice was echoed from the most distant corners of Europe. He entered the field as a champion of the rights of humanity; his might overcame every difficulty, and he stood for- ward as the victorious conqueror of ignorance and imposture."
C. C. J. Bunsen, Prussian minister to England: "It is Luther's genius applied to the Bible which has preserved the only unity which is in our days remaining to the German nation — that of language, literature and thought. There is no similar instance in the known history of the world of a single man achieving such a work. His prophetic mind foresaw that the Scriptures would pervade the living languages and tongues all over the earth — a process going on still with more activity than ever."
Prof. Gottfried Thomasius: "In Luther the principle, one may say the spirit of Protestantism, was made incarnate, and in a way so original that he has attained typical importance to the entire church called after him. Even to this day, it bears his signature."
K. F. A. Kahnis: "Never have the Christian and Teutonic spirit so thoroughly pervaded any one man as Luther. From head to foot he was full of genius, yet he submitted all his knowledge, will and affection to the Word."
Prof. James M. Hcppin, of Yale Seminary: "Luther plucked up preaching from the mire in which it had fallen, and reinstated it as the central light in the house of God. He spoke freely and directly out of the Word. Christ was his unceasing theme."
Merle D'Aubigne: "If in the history of the v/orld there be an individual we love more than another, it is Luther."
TJTomas Carlyle: "The Diet of Worms, Luther's appearance there on the 17th of April, 1521, may be considered as the greatest scene in modern European history; the point, indeed, from which the whole subsequent history of civilization takes its rise. Our petition — the petition of the whole world to him was: 'Free us; it rests with thee; desert us not.' Luther did not desert us. It is, as we say, the greatest movement in the modern history of men — English Puritanism, England and its Parliament, America's vast work these two centuries; French Revolution; Europe and its work everywhere at present — the germ of it all lay there. Had Luther in that mo- ment done differently, it had all been otherwise."
12 LUTHER^S WORKS IN ENGLISH.
Leopold Ranke : "Throughout we see Luther directing his weapons on both sides — against the Papacy, which sought to reconquer the world struggling for its emancipation — and against the sects of many names which sprang up beside him, assailing Church and State. The great Reformer, if we may use an expression of our days was one of the greatest conservatives that ever lived."
M. Gelzer: "Luther united — and this is the most extraordinary fact connected with him — to large endowments of mind and heart, and the great gift of imparting these intellectual treasures, the invincible power of original and creative thought, both in resisting and influencing the outer world."
Archdeacon Hare: "As he has said of St. Paul's words, his own are not dead words, but living creatures, and have hands and feet. It no longer surprises us that this man who wrote and spoke thus, although no more than a poor monk, should have been mightier than the Pope, and the Emperor to boot — that the rivers of living water should have swept half of Germany and the chief part of northern Europe out of the kingdom of darkness into the region of Evangelical light. . . . But Luther apart from the Reformation would cease to be Luther. His work was not something external to him, like Saturn's ring, on which he shone, and within which he revolved, it was his own very self, that grew out of him, while he grew out of his work."
Jules Michelet, Catholic Historian: "It is not incorrect to say that Luther has been the restorer of liberty in modern times. If he did not create, he at least courageously affixed his signature to that great revolution which rendered the right of examination lawful in Europe. And if we exercise in all its plenitude at this day this first and highest privilege of human intelligence, it is to him we are most indebted for it. Nor can we think, speak or write without being made conscious at every step of the immense benefit of this intel- lectual enfranchisement. ... To whom do I owe the power of publishing what I am now inditing, except to this liberator of mod- ern thought?"
Prof. Doellinger, Leader of the Old Catholics: "The Protestant doctrine was developed in the spirit of this German, the greatest German of his age. . . . For Germany the name of Luther is not simply the name of a distinguished man; it is the living germ of a period in the national life, it is the center of a new circle of ideas. . . . He controlled the mind and heart of the Germanic race as the hand of the musician wakes at will the strings of his lyre. No other man in the whole Christian era has given to his race as much as Luther gave to his — language, a manual of faith for the people (the Catechism), the Bible, the hymns; and everything his adversa- ries tried to put in conflict or in rivalry with him seemed flat and weak and pallid by the side of that eloquence by which he entranced men. His adversaries stammered ; Luther spoke. He alone has left the ineffaceable stamp of his own spirit alike upon the German tongue and the German mind. The very men among the Germans who from the depths of their soul abhor him as the terrible heresi- arch are forced to speak in his words and think in his thoughts."
Prof. K. A. Hase: "In popular eloquence his equal has never arisen in Germany. . . . He belongs not to one party, but to the German people and to Christendom."
J. M. V. Audin, Jesuit Historian: "Luther's translation is simple in the recital of the patriarch, glowing in the predictions of the prophets, familiar in the Gospels, and colloquial in the Epistles."
TRIBUTES TO LUTHEr's WRITINGS. 13
Prof. A. C. Hardwick, Cambridge University: "It has been calcu- lated that in one year (1523) as many as 183 books were published in his name."
Prof. Charles Hodge, Princeton: "No one knows Luther who has not read pretty faithfully the five octavo volumes of his letters, col- lected and edited by De Wette."
Bayard Taylor: "Luther was so equally great in many directions — as a personal character, as a man of action, as a teacher and preacher, and finally, as an author. He was a poet as well as a theologian, and, as a poet, he was able to feel as no theologian could, the intrinsic difference of spirit and character in the different books of the Old Testament — not only to feel but to reproduce them. . . . Sound and vigorous and many-sided was the new spirit which he infused into the language."
Prof. Chas. A. Stork, Gettysburg Seminary: "Luther was a mar- velously complete man. He was myriad-sided, multiform, carrying In his one individuality all the great types and features of human nature, at the top of their power. . . . We have only to call to mind Aristotle the unemotional, Plato the unpractical, Calvin with his cold side, and Wesley with his lack of intellectual grasp, to see how great a man may be and yet fall short of the greatest. In Luther we have the rare spectacle of a man sent into the world who was complete in his whole make. Emotionally, intellectually, prac- tically, he was complete and justly proportioned. . . . He had a great, loving, hungering heart, which nothing but God could fill; and after God he sought as a hunter seeks for game. When he found him he lived in him. When Luther speaks we seem to feel God close by. It is this that enabled him to grasp the heart of Europe of his day, and to hold it through all these centuries. He was a theologian and a most profound one. What Luther felt, what he saw, that he understood to apply immediately to life."
Philip Schaff: "There is no man in history after the incompara- ble St. Paul, who accomplished more for his race than Martin Luther. . . . His 'A Mighty Fortress is our God' is the great Marseillaise of Protestantism — its words and notes thrill on the heart like bugle-blasts from heaven."
J. M. Buckley, Editor Christian Advocate, New York: "Martin Luther belongs as fully to the nineteenth century as to the six- teenth, and he will be as much at home in the twenty-fifth as he now is in this century. . . . There are strong grounds for our American for the great name of Luther. His birth preceded the discovery of this country by Columbus only nine years. North America was thrown wide open to Protestant immigration. Even William Penn's colony of Quakers had a large Lutheran coloring, for Penn had been some time in Germany, had offered special in- ducements to Germans to emigrate to America. As a nation, then, we have ample reason to revere the memory of Luther. The cen- tral battlefield of Protestantism was Germany, and the victory every- where depended on the victory there. Luther was too large for one continent, or for one century."
Prof. Egbert C. Smyth, Andover Seminary: "No one touched men at so many points, helped them so much, entered so profoundly into the deepest secrets of their hearts, opened to them such sources of strength. Myconius in the little, rude cloister church in which Luther first preached the principles of the Reformation, a resem- blance to the manger of Bethlehem. It is not too much to say that through Luther, Christ was, a^ it were, again born into the world.
34 luther's works in English.
And it is in this coming again into the world of human thought and liie of its Redeemer and Lord, tliat modern history, in all that is most inspiring and encouraging, in all that is most nobly character- istic, finds its source and living impulse. As a new century of this history opens, Luther still witnesses, and with increasing power."
E. N. Zabriske of the Dutch Reformed Church: "If ever a man was called to he what Bunyan styles a Greatheart, it was this 'little monk' who led his age against the supreme powers of the world, the papacy, the empire, and the devil. Therefore we must not won- der to find his v/ritings and reported conversations bristling with sword-thrusts in the hearts of the King's enemies. His favorite Psalm was the second. 'I love it,' he said, 'with all my heart. It strikes and flashes valiantly amongst kings, princes, counsellors and judges.' "
J. T. Headley in his "Luther and Cromwell": "Luther was JDorn for action. He was one of those determined spirits that are at home in strife and danger; opposition and rage steadied him. For a long time held in bondage, not from fear of men, but because he could not find the truth, he no sooner discovered it and annouced himself its champion, than he became a different man. Luther's courage had a firmer basis than his own will — it rested on truth."
W. G. T. Shedd, Union Seminary, N. Y.: "Luther recognized the importance of a true and proper science of theology, and of a true and proper science of the human mind, to be employed in building it up out of the matter of revelation."
John W. Nevin, German Reformed Seminary, Lancaster, Pa.: "To understand the Lutheran Reformation, it is necessary, first of all, to understand Luther himself. He stands before us as himself the germ and pattern of the new order of life he served to introduce into the Christian world."
Isaac A. Dorner, Berlin University: "Having gone through con- flict and victory in his own spirit, he committed his experiences, with eloquent faith, to the hearts of his people, and so won among them the place of a competent and trustworthy leader in things pertaining to eternal salvation. True, he is a hero of the German national spirit, whose image even yet is of magical force for all circles, high or low. . . . His faith it was, emphatically, that gave him strength."
Geo. Wm. Curtis, in Harper's IVIonthiy: "Luther's hearty and afflu- ent nature sympathized with the joyousness of the Christian spirit which did not scorn the flowers of the field, and found Solomon less royally arrayed than the wild rose and the lily. None of the tra- ditional characteristics of the Puritan are associated with Luther. He attacks the common enemy not with austere severity, but with cheerful vigor. He who began the continuous organized movement of Protestantism, remains to this day the most comprehensive and satisfactory type of its spirit. Luther's name is the synonym of jubilant strength, of cheery health, of unquailing courage."
Bishop A. C. Coxe: "Luther sounded his tremendous trumpet, and waked such echoes as were never heard before from the War- tburg to the Odenwald, and along the highest Alps and Apennines, to the Vatican itself; nay, to the world."
J. C. Long, in National Baptist: "There is scarcely a spot on earth which has not felt and does not now feel his influence. He is a part of the United Germany of to-day; England stirs with the energy of his thoughts and spirit; and so does America. He went with Carey to India, with Livingstone to the heart of Africa. Every-
TRIBUTES TO LUTHER's WRITINGS. 15
where, recognized or unrecognized, tie moves among men. He is one of the great figures that come to stay and grow: to stalk down the ages and answer Here! at every roll-call of the centuries. . . . He vfas the child not of a part, but of the whole of his age."
S. Ireneus Prime, in N. Y. Observer: "In 1500, out of the 52,000,000 square miles which measure the earth's area, the Romish church covered nearly 4,000,000. The remainder was held by Pagans and Mohammedans. To-day the Romish church is dominant over 9,000,000 square miles, and the Reformation principles control the thought of the people in 14,000,000 square miles. . . . What makes the difference between Spain and England? What makes Scotland bet- ter than Ireland? What makes Germany stronger than France? What causes the difference in all the elements of greatness, and happiness, between North America and South America? Compare Mexico with Ohio, and explain the contrast. V\'hat but the Reforma- tion has given impulse to letters, to art, to science, to invention, to all that elevates, enriches and gladdens mankind."
James A. Froude, Historian: "The appearance of Luther before the Diet of Worms is one of the finest, perhaps it is the very finest, scene in human history. . . . Luther's mind was literally world- wide: his eyes were forever observant of what v/as round him. At a time when science was scarcely out of its shell, Luther had ob- served nature with the liveliest curiosity. He had anticipated by mere genius the generative functions of flowers. Human nature he had studied like a dramatist. His memory was a museum of histor- ical inform information, of anecdotes of great men, of old German literature and song and proverbs. Scarce a subject could be spoken of on which he had not something remakable to say. Great people, great lords, great ladies, great learned men, came from all parts of Europe. He received them freely at dinner. On reading the Table Talk of Luther, one ceases to wonder how this single man could change the face of Europe."
W. H. Jeffers in V/estminster Teacher: "Luther aimed always at the instruction of the rude, common man, rather than the gratifica- tion of scholarly tastes."
O. B. Frothingham in "The Critic": "Probably no man could have been more surprised at his fame than he, for he neither sought nor gave thought to it. Pie did not desire money. He lived and died poor. AATiile others made gain from his writings, he made none. . . . The more closely his character is studied the more honor- able it will appear; years will but add to its intrinsic worthiness. Protestantism and Martin Luther are synonymous terms."
Edward Le IVl. Heydecker, New York City: "The nations of the world which have accepted Luther's principles and em.bodied them in their public acts — Germany, England and the United States, the greater nations; Switzerland, Holland, Sweden and Denmark, the smaller ones — stand foremost in the world in political, social and moral development; while the nations where Loyola's influence has been strongest, Spain and Portugal, are the last in the list of European nations."
Prof. Geo. B. Fisher, Yale Divinity School: "What is it in Lu- ther that, after four hundred years are gone, stirs the heart of the Protestant nations? It is the great heart and the great mind, united together. . . . His catechisms, his sermons, his printed com- mants on portions of Scripture, his spirit-stirring hynms, his con- troversial treatises and tracts, productions, all of them, called out by the exigencif^s of the tir.ir^, and most effoctive for their ends, constitute a copious literature."
16 Luther's works in English.
Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia: "Luther stands forth as the great national hero of the Germa npeople and the ideal of German life. Perhaps no other cultivated nation has a heso who so completely expresses the nationa lideal. Goethe, Frederick the Great, and all others in this regard, pale before the German Reformer. He em- bodies in his single person the boldness of the battlefield, the song of the musician, the joy of the parent, the skill of the writer, the force of the orator, and the sincerity of rugged manhood, with the humility of the Christian."
New York Independent: "Christendom is Luther's monument; for Christendom is now predominantly Protestant. It has accepted his interpretation of Christianity. He was greater than poets or emperors, as religion is higher than literature or government. His monument — it is all about us; it is in us."
New York Observer: "It was not as a man of men — one of a thousand — that he succeeded, but as a man of God. He says himself: 'Obedience, and keeping to the articles of war — this is victory.' . . . Let it not he lost sight of that Lutherism stands for Freedom in tlie Trutli, not from it. He was the slave of truth, of the light as he saw it. Put him anywhere — in the law school, in the convent, in Rome, in Warthurg, at V/ittenberg, at Worms, at Spires, at Augs- burg, and not less in dealing with anarchic revolts of peasant and noble — he always set his firm and eager face toward the light, and could not be turned aside by fear or favor. To him truth meant 'as the truth is in Jesus.' And in him was fulfilled the promise, 'The truth shall make you free.' " See "Tributes to the Memory of Luther by Rev. P. C. Croll."
THE LUTHER MONUMENT. Joel Swartz, D. D.
Come, let us build a monument
To Luther's mighty fame; Let's carve upon it high and deep
The great Reformer's name.
How can we build to such a name?
What shall the structure be? It ought to be a shaft of flame
To light the land and sea.
But Luther hath his monuments —
Not wrought of bronze or stone; These hath he too, poor, lifeless forms.
Not his, but ours alone.
Then build in faith, but build in love.
Build first yourselves in one; O what a monument were reared.
If this grand work were done!
Build schools and churches, conscience, laws
On every continent; Thus, as ye build great Luther's cause. Ye build his monument.
J. N. LENKER. Minneapolis, Minn., Pentecost Monday, 1905.
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 17
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.
This sermon is not found in edition c. The second part under the heading: "Of the Law and the Gospel" was published earlier in the "Sermon von den Heilthumen." Compare the "Sermon on the Day of the Exaltation of the Cross" in vol. 15. This is also found in the collection of twelve sermons. Erl. 14, 1; W. 11, 2062; St. L. 11, 1536.
Text: Luke 10, 23-37. Arid turning to the disciples, lie said privately, Blessed arc the eyes ichicli see the things that ye see: for I say unto you, that 771 any prophets and kings desired to see the things which ye see, and sato them not: and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not.
And hchold, a certain lawyer stood up and made trial of him, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And he said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said. Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy souh and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him. Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou Shalt live. But he, desiring to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Jesus made answer and said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance a certain priest was going down that iray: and when he sato him, he passed by on the other side. And in like manner a Levite also, when he came to the place, arid saio him, jyassed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion, and came to him, and bound up his toounds, pouring on them oil and wine; and he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow he
18
LUTHER S CHURCH POSTIL.
took out two shillings, and gave them to the host, and saidy Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, I, when I come hack again, will repay thee. Which of these three, thinkest thou, proved neighbor unto him that fell among the robbers f And he said, He that showed mercy on him. And Jesus said unto him. Go, and do thou likewise.
CONTENTS: A SERMON ON THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL, OR THE TWO GREATEST COMMANDMENTS, AND THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
I. A SERMON ON THE LAW.
* The sum of this Gospel. ^.
A. What Preceded This Sermon. 2 f.
* The difference between the Apostles seeing Christ and the Prophets seeing Him. 3-4.
B. The Opportunity Given Christ to Preach This Sermon. 4-5.
C. The Sermon Itself.
1. How Christ gives us a good lecture in this sermon. 6.
2. This sermon contains the greatest and most important part of the teachings of Moses. It.
• The law claims the whole man.
• The blindness of the Jews in explaining the first com- mandment. 8-10.
• The form and ways of the hypocrite. 11.
3. How Christ in this sermon thoroughly puts to shame work-righteousness. 12.
4. How this sermon teaches we should love God.
1. With your whole heart. 3 3-14.
2. With your whole soul. 15.
3. With all your powers. 16.
4. With all your strength. 17.
5. How this sermon makes all men sinners. 18-19.
II. A SERMON ON THE GOSPEL THAT CHRIST DELIVERS TO US IN A PARABLE.
1. The occasion given Christ for uttering this parable. 20-21.
2. How this parable greatly puts
to shame the work-righteous persons. 22-23.
• In what a Christian life con- sists. 24.
The sense and understanding of this parable.
a. What is understood by the Samaritan. 25-27.
b. What by the wounded and the murderer. 28-29.
c. What by the Priest and Levite. 30-31.
d. What by the oil, poured in- to the wounds by the Sa- maritan. 32.
e. What by the wine the Sa- maritan poured into the wounds. 33.
f. What by the Samaritan placing the wounded one upon his own beast. 34.
g. What by the inn and the keeper of the inn. 35.
The summary of this parable. 36.
• In what does the ofiBce of a true preacher and bishop consist. 37.
• OF THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL.
a. The difference between them. 38.
b. No person can fulfill the Law. 39-40.
c. To what the Law should serve. 41.
d. The Sophists do not un- derstand the Law. 42-43.
e. When, where and how the Gospel shows it's power. 44-46.
THE SUMMARY OF THIS GOSPEL: 1. The disciples saw and heard' with their eyes and ears, and also understood in their hearts all that the prophets had desired to see and hear ; both of which the old sainted fathers did not experience, who desired to see and hear in the body, what they knew before in the spirit; but the Pharisees
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 19
saw and heard it, but understood it not, as Is. 6, 9-10 prophesied; and the Lord himself cites this passage of Isaiah in Mat. 13, 14; John 12, 40; Acts 28, 26.
2. The people of the law require works; but the law requires the the love of the heart.
3. The law concerning love, both toward God and toward our neighbor, condemns us all.
4. Our neighbor is the one who needs our help and to him we can do favors.
5. From the passage in this Gospel: "Whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee," foolish interpreters wish to confirm human laws; but they will not succeed. The two pence or shillings are the wine and oil the Samaritan poured into the wounds of the unfortunate man, or the law and the Gospel. For what should he leave the servant by which to serve the rich but the very things he had himself used? One can also say that the two pence are faith and love, which are the only things one should preach and bear to the people. Our foolish bishops now wish to do more than is committed to and commanded them.
6. "What is more" does not mean to burden the sick with human commandments and institutions; for what would be more foolish. But it means to give him faithful counsel where there is no revealed and clear word of God, as St. Paul did when he said to the Corinth- ians, 1 Cor, 7, 25: "Now concerning virgins I have no command- ment of the Lord; but I give my judgment." In like manner did Daniel, 4, 24, when he had no clear word nor commandment of God, he gave the king faithful counsel, etc.
I. A SERMON ON THE LAW.
1. I hope yon thoroughly understand this Gospel lesson, inasmuch as it recurs every year. And since it annually returns in the Pericopes we are required to consider it ; and this we will now gladly and briefly do. In the first place, the Evangelist relates how Christ our Lord led his disciples aside, and being alone with them rejoiced in his spirit, and earnestly and directly said to them:
^'Blessed are the eyes ichich sec the thinr/s that ye see: for I say unto you, that many prophets and kings desired to see the things that ye see, and saw them not: and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not.^^
2. This hearing and seeing must be understood simply and plainly as external seeing and hearing, namely, that they saw Christ and his office, heard his preaching, and witnessed the miracles he performed among the Jews. The Jews also beheld these things with their natural eyes and some of them indeed experienced them in part in their
20 Luther's church postil.
hearts. But in fact they did not recognize him as the Christ, like the Apostles did, and like Peter, who representing all the others, confessed and said in Mat. 16, 16: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." We indeed admit, that even some of the Jews like the Apostles recognized him as the Christ; but since they were but few who did, Christ therefore takes his Apostles here to himself apart.
3. However, in spirit, many prophets and kings saw Christ, as Christ himself says to the Jews concerning Abra- ham in John 8, ö6: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to sec m}^ day, and he saw it, and was glad." Then the Jews thought he spoke of natural seeing, but Christ spoke of spiritual seeing, as all pious Christian hearts saw him before he was born, and still daily see him. For if Abraham sav/ him, without doubt many more prophets in whom the Holy Spirit dwelt saw him. And although this seeing made the holy fathers and prophets blessed, yet they had a real heart- felt longing and desire to behold Christ the Lord in the flesh, as is intimated tim.e and again in the prophets.
4. Therefore the Lord here says to his desciples who saw both w4th their natural and their spiritual eyes: "Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see." As though he would say: This is a blessed time, an acceptable year, a special season of grace. That which is now at hand is so precious that the eyes which see it are truly called blessed. For in the past ages the Gospel was never preached so publicly and clearly unto all men as at present; the Holy Spirit was not yet publicl}' poured out: but was still con- cealed, and had as yet accomplished little. But Christ began the office of the Holy Spirit, and afterwards the Apostles con- tinued it in full earnest. Therefore he calls all those blessed, who see and hear such grace. Now when the Lord said this and w^as rejoicing in spirit, one presents himself, a lawyer, who acting as though he' also amounted to something, tempted the Lord and said :
"Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal lifer'
5. This lawyer was perhaps a wise man and well ac- ((uainted with the Scriptures, as his answer also suggests;
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 21
yet here lie becomes a fool, and must first begin to learn from the Lord, when he is put to shame and disgrace. For Christ teaches him a good lesson, and with one word takes out of him all his self-conceit. For he w^as in the delusion that he had kept the law wholly and perfectly, and was therefore something extra, above others, which undoubtedly he was, and imagined, because he was so pious and learned, that he w^as of course worthy to talk with the Lord. But now what does the Lord do to ensnare him in a masterly manner? He does this: he permits him to judge himself. For the Evangelist proceeds thus :
^^And lie said unto him, What is icritten in the law? hoic read- est thou? And he answering said: Thou ^halt love the Lord thy God tcith all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and tcith all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt liveP
6. I think the Lord gave this pious man a good lecture. Alas, it was not right, he should have spared him a little, he puts him to shame before all the world. For what good does it do him? Christ shows him that he has as yet done nothing, when he allowed himself to think he had done everythins:. He asks what he should do. I contend that he has enough to do now, if he is only able to do great things.
7. Now much might be said on these two commandments, and it is also really needed, had we the time, for these are the highest and greatest themes on which Moses wrote; yea, on these hang all the law and the prophets, as Christ himself says in Mat. 22, 40. Nevertheless, we will briefly consider some pliases of them.
8. When we examine the laws of Moses, we find they all treat of love. For the commandment : *'Thou shalt have no other Gods before me,'* I cannot explain or interpret other- wise than : Thou shalt love God alone. Thus Moses himself interprets it in Deut. 6, 4-5, where he says: **Hear, 0 Lsrael ; Jehovah our God is one Jehovah ; and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." From this passage the lawyer has
22 LÜTHER^S CHURCH POSTIL.
taken his answer. But the Jews nnderstand this law to mean no more than that they should not set up idols and imaLces to worship, and when they could say and confess with their lips that they have only one God and honor no other gods, they think they have kept this commandment. Thus this lawyer also understood it, but it was a false, erroneous knowledge of the law.
9. Now we must have high regard for the law. It says: *'Thou shalt have no other gods before me.'' Thou, thou, it says, thou, and everything thou art; and especially does it mean the heart, the soul and all thy powers. It does not speak of the tongue, or the hands, or the knees ; but it speaks of the whole body, and of all thou hast and art. If I am to have no other God, then I must surely possess the only true God with jny heart, that is, I must in my heart be affection- ate to him, evermore cleave to him, depend upon him, trust him, have my desire, love and joy in him, and always think of 'him. Just as we say at other times when we delight in something, that it tastes good in our very heart. And when one speaks or laughs and is not in earnest, and does not mean it from his heart, we say : You laugh, and your heart is not in it. The heart is quite a different thing than the lips. Therefore in the Scriptures the heart signifies the great and ardent love we should have for God. Those who- serve God only with their lips, with their hands or with their knees, are hypocrites, and God cares nothing for them. For God does not want only a part, on the contrary he wants the whole man.
10. The Jews abstained outwardlj^ from idolatry, and served God only with their lips; but their hearts were far from him, full of mistrust and unbelief. Outwardly they appeared beautiful, as though they meant it in all sincerity, but within they were full of idolatry. Therefore the Lord said unto them in Mat. 23, 27-28: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercj^ and faith. For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 23
inwardly are full of dead men's bones and of all unclean- ness. Even as ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of h>T)ocrisy and iniquity. ' '
11. They are really wicked people who become proud in external things, who desire to justify and make themselves pious by their works, as this lawyer here does. Behold, what a proud character he is, he presents himself in his own name, and thinks Christ will not rebuke him ; yea, he allows himself to think that the Lord will extol and praise his life in the presence of all the people, and does not think of learn- ing anything from the Lord, but only seeks his own praise. The ignorant pretender would have gladly heard a psalm of praise from the man whom the people esteemed, and at whom all men wondered. Thus all In^ocrites do, who out- wardly parade their excellent, great and noble works. They well say that they do not seek honor and praise, but inward- ly in their hearts they are full of ambition, and desire all the world to know of their holiness, and smile very nicely when they hear men speak of it.
12. Yet the Lord does not serve this lawyer thus, but puts him to shame. This Christ is an unfriendly, ungracious man, he tells the people the truth, and well deserves that they should hate him. The pious, holy lawyer still does his utmost, and knows nothing but how to harvest great honors and obtain high renown for his precious life; he thinks he has perfectly fulfilled this commandment, and hopes for a favorable answer, that the Lord will say: Dear Sir, you have done it all. But Christ goes to work and first tells him : **Do this!" That is to say in good German: You are a rogue in the hide, you have not done this during your whole life: yea, you have not kept a single letter of the law; and thus shows him his wickedness. The poor fellow thinks he should sit in the first seat, that he is really pure and beauti- ful, and by rights should sit among the angels, rather than here among the people. What a wonderful Christ is this! The people regard this lawyer as pious and holy ; but Christ says he shall first go and begin to fulfill the law. Be con- sistent with thyself I
24 Luther's church postil.
, 13. Now these are the very fellows who most of all sin against the first commandment, and think no further than the words read : I must love God, and think they have ful- filled the law, while it remains hovering on their tongues and over their hearts, but never enters. This, however, is not enough, it must reach much farther, namely, that I so love God that for his sake I can forsake all creatures, and should he require it, also body and life; yea, that I should love him above all things. For God is a jealous God and cannot suffer us to love anything above himself. But to love anything beneath himself, he of course allows. Just as a husband can easily allow his wife to love the maid servants, the house and house utensils, cattle and other things; but to love with the love she should have for him, he will not suffer her to love anyone besides himself; yea, he desires her to forsake all things for his sake ; and so again the wife also requires the same from her husband.
Thus God can also allow us to love his creatures ; yea, they are created for this purpose and are good. The sun is an excellent creature; gold and silver and all things that are attractive and beautiful by nature cause us to love them. This God indeed permits us to do. But that I should cling to the creature and love it with the same love with which I love God the Creator, this he can and will not allow; yea, his will is that I should deny and forsake all things, should he desire and require it of me, and be satisfied should I nevermore behold the sun, my money and possessions. The love of the creature should stand far, far below our love to him ; and as he is the chief good, his will is also to be loved in the highest degree, above all other good. If he will not allow me to love anything as much as I love him, much less will he allow me to love anything more than himself, though it be a creature of his own creation.
14. Now I think you understand what it is to love God with all the heart, with all the soul and with all the mind. To love God with all the heart is to love him above all creatures ; that is, although many creatures are quite lovely, as they please me and I love them, nevertheless, I am to
IHIRTEEXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 25
despise and forsake all tliese for God's sake, whenever God my Lord desires it.
15. To love God with all the soul is to devote your entire bodily life to him that you can say when the love of any creature, or any persecution threatens to overpower you: All this I will give up, before I will forsake my God ; let men cast me away, murder or drown me, let what God's will is happen to me, I will gladly lose all, before I will forsake thee, 0 Lord ! unto thee will I cling more than to all thy creatures, or to anything that is not thyself. I will risk all things together with what I have and am that I may not for- sake thee. The soul in the Scriptures signifies the life of the body, which acts through the five senses, eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and everything that the soul does through the body.
16. To love God with all our strength is to devote all our members and whatever we may be able to do through our bodies to the love of God, and sacrifice all rather than do anything contrary to his will.
17. To love God wuth all the mind is to take to nothing except that which is pleasing to God. By which is meant the self-conceit which man has that the same be directed to God and that all things be pleasing to him.
18. Thus you see what the commandment requires: "Thou Shalt love God." Thou, thou wholly and fully, not thy hands, not thy lips, not thy knees. Those who do this, fulfil the commandment in the right sense. But there is not a man on earth who thus fulfils the law ; yea, we all do just the opposite. Thus this law here makes us all sinners so that not the least letter of this commandment is fulfilled, even by the most holy persons in the world. For no one clings so firmly to God with all the heart, that he could for- sake all things for God's sake. We have, God be praised, be- come so competent that we can almost not suffer the least word, yea, we will not let go of a nickel for the sake of God.
How is it possible for us to love God, as long as his will displeases us ? For if I love God I love also his will. Now, when God sends us sickness, poverty, shame and disgrace,
26 Luther's church postil.
that is his will. But what do we do under such circum- stances? We thunder, scold and growl, and bear it with great impatience. And this is the least part, for what would we do if we had to forsake body and life for God and Christ's sake? Then we would act quite differently. Yet in the meantime I act like this Pharisee and lawyer does, I lead a fine outward life, honor and serve God, fast, pray, and appear very pious and holy. But God does not want this. He w^ants us to accept his will with joy and love, and this we are too tardy in doing.
19. Therefore, what the Lord here says to this lawyer, he says to us all, namely, that we have not yet fulfilled the law, and still he requires us to do it. On this account all men are guilty of death, and are the devil's own property. "All men are liars," Ps. 116, 11, vain and offensive. What they pretend does not avail before God. In our own affairs Ave are shrewd; how to scrape together money and goods, how to speak well of God before the people, and how to push ourselves ahead in a masterly manner. But what does God care for this? His will is that w^e should love him with all our hearts. This no man can do, and the conclusion is that we are all sinners, and especially those who walk in a beauti- ful outward show. Therefore it is safer that we go and confess that we all are sinners, than that we have respect to our works and cling to our beautiful, glittering lives.
II. A SERMON ON THE GOSPEL IN A PARABLE.
20. The foregoing is the first part of our Gospel lesson, and it is a sermon on the law. The second part now follows, and it preaches the Gospel, how and whence we are to receive power to fulfill the Law. This the good Samaritan will teach us.
21. How does this lawyer act now after the Lord had thus turned him away? He goes ahead, the Evangelist says, and desires to justify himself and says to the Lord:
"And who is my neighhorV^
22. He does not ask: Who is my God? As though he would say: *'I owe God nothinsr, with God I am in good
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 27
standing. I am also inclined to think that I am under obli- gations to no man; yet, I would like to know who my neighbor is ? The Lord answers and tells him a very beauti- ful parable, by which he shows that we are all neighbors among one another, both he who does another a kindness, as well as he who is in need of a kindness. Although the text reads as if Christ said that he is our neighbor who does another a kindness. In this, however, the Scriptures make no difference. Here they call him neighbor who does a kind- ness, and at other places him who receives the kindness.
23. By means of this parable the Lord concludes with the words, ^'Go, and do thou likeirise,^' so that this lawyer did not only sin against God, but also against his neighbor. He not only failed to love God, but he did not love his neighbor, and never did him a favor. By this the poor man falls into such a sweat that he is only deceived from head to foot. How could he be so mistaken, the highly learned and pious man? His mistake came in this way; he led a Pharisaical, feigned and hypocritical life. He did not look down to his neighbor to help him with his life, but only sought thereby his own vain glory and honor before the eyes of the people, and with this he stared piously toward heaven.
24. Now you have often heard that a Christian life con- sists in acting before my God in faith and with a pure heart, but toward my neighbor in right living and good works ; and not wait until my neighbor seeks a kindness of me, and asks me for something, but approach and meet him with kindness and freely offer it to him. Let us now see what the parable in itself teaches.
25. This Samaritan of course is our Lord Jesus Christ himself, who has shown his love toward God and his neigh- bor. Toward God, in that he was obedient to him, came down from heaven and became man, and thus fulfilled the will of his Father; toward his neighbor, in that he imme- diately after his baptism began to preach, to do wonders, to heal the sick. And in short, he did no work that centered in himself alone, but all his acts centered in his neighbor. And this he did with all his powers, and thus he became our
28 luther's church tostil.
servant, who could have well remained m heaven and been equal to God, Phil. 2, 6. But all this he did because he knew that this pleased God and was his Father's will.
26. When he entered upon that hif;h mission to prove that lie loved God with all his heart, he laid down his bodily life with all he had, and said: Father, here you have all, my bodily life, my glory and honor, which I had among the people; all this I give as it is for thy sake, that the world may know how I love thee. My Father, let my wisdom perish, so that the world may look upon me as most foolish. Let me be the most despised, who was heretofore praised by all the world. Now T am the worst murderer, who before was friendly, useful and serviceable to the whole world. Dear Father, all this I despise, only that I may not be dis- obedient to thee.
27. This is the Samaritan who came uninvited, and ful- filled the law with his whole heart. For only he fulfilled the law, and no one can deprive hiin of this honor. He alone merits it, and well maintains it all alone. Now this would be no special comfort for us ; but that he has compassion on the poor wounded man, takes him under his care, binds his wounds, takes him into the inn and waits on him, this avails for us.
28. The man who here lies half dead, wounded and stripped of his clothing, is Adam and all mankind. The murderers are the devils who robbed and wounded us, and left us lying prostrate half dead. We still struggle a little for life; but there lies horse and man, we cannot help our- selves to our feet, and if we were left thus lying we would have to die by reason of our great anguish and lack of nour- ishment ; maggots would grow in our wounds, followed by great misery and distress.
29. The parable stands in bold relief, and pictures us perfectly, what we are and can do with our boasted reason and free will. If the poor wounded man had desired to help himself, it would only have been worse for him, he would only have done harm to himself and irritated his wounds, and only prepared more misery and distress for himself.
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 29
Had he remained lying qniet, he would have had as much suffering. Thus it is when we are left to ourselves. We are always lost, we may lay hold where we will. Hitherto man has always acted thus, he has thought out many Ways and methods how we might reform our lives and get to heaven. One found this way, another that, therefore so many kinds of orders arose : in like manner the letters of indulgence and crusades originated; but they have only made evil Avorse. Such is the world, and it is thus finely portrayed in this wounded man, it lies in sins over head and ears and cannot help itself.
30. But the Samaritan who has fulfilled the law and is per- fectly healthy and sound, comes and does more than both priest and Levite. He binds up the sores of the wounded man, pours in oil and wine, lifts him upon his own beast, and brings him into the inn, takes good care of him, and when he departs he carefulJy commends him to the host, and be- sides leaves him a sufficient supply of money, while neither the priest nor Levite would do one of these kind acts. The priest signifies the dear sainted fathers before Moses; the Levite the priesthood of the Old Testament. All these how- ever have accomplished nothing by their works, and have passed by on the other side like this priest and Levite.
31. Therefore, if I had for example all the good works of Noah, Abraham and of all the dear fathers, they would still be of no benefit to me. They have indeed beheld the wounded man lying helpless and half dead, but they could not help it. He who lay there half dead, saw it too, but what of it, he could make it no better. The dear sainted fathers saw very well that the people lay in their sins over their ears, and also felt the anguish of sin, but what could they do to remedy it? They could make it only worse, but not better. These were the preachers of the law, and showed what the world was, namely, full of deadly sins, and it lay there half dead, and could not help itself, notwithstanding all its powers, reason and free will. Go then, thou beauti- fully painted rogue, and boast of thy free will, of thy merits and holiness !
30 LUTHER^S CHURCH POSTIL.
32. But Christ, the true Samaritan, takes the poor man to himself as his own, goes to him and does not require the helpless one to come to him; for here is no merit, but pure grace and mercy ; and he binds up his wounds, cares for him and pours in oil and w4ne, this is the whole Gospel from be- ginning to end. He pours in oil when grace is preached, as when one says: Behold thou poor man, here is your un- belief, here is your condemnation, here you are wounded and sore. Wait! All this I will cure with the Gospel. Behold, here cling firmly to this Samaritan, to Christ the Savior, he will help you, and nothing else in heaven or on earth will. You laiow very well that oil softens, thus also the sweet, loving preaching of the Gospel gives me a soft, mild heart toward God and my neighbor, so that I risk my bodily life for the sake of Christ my Lord and his Gospel, if God and necessit}^ require it.
33. But wine is sharp and signifies the holy cross that immediately follows. A Christian need not look for his cross, it is always on his back. For he thinks as St. Paul says, 2 Tim. 3, 12 : *' All that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution," This is the court-color in this kingdom. Whoever is ashamed of the color, does not belong to this king.
34. Then the Samaritan lifts the wounded man on his beast. This beast is Christ the Ijord himself, he carries us, we lay upon his shoulders, neck and body. There is scarcely a more lovely picture in the entire Gospel, than where Christ the Lord compares himself to a shepherd, in Luke 15, who carries the lost sheep on his shoulders back to the fold. He still continually carries his lost sheep thus at the present day.
35. The stable or inn is Christianity, here in this world, where we must remain for a short time. The host is the preacher of the Word of God and of the Gospel, who is to nurse and care for us.
( 36, Now here we have the substance of the Gospel, The kingdom of Christ is a kingdom of mercy and grace, in which there is nothing but a continual carrying of the lost, Christ carries our infirmities and sicknesses, he takes our
y'
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 31
sins upon himself and has patience when we fail. We still always lay about his neck, and yet he does not become weary of carrying us, which should be the greatest comfort for us when we are in conflict with sin.
37. Ministers in this kingdom are to comfort the con- sciences, deal gently with them and feed them with the Gospel, carry the weak, heal the sick, and know how to divide the Word rightly, and administer the same to every one according to his needs. This is the office of a true bishop and minister, and not to proceed with violence as our bishops do, who come threatening with stocks and the block, crying : ' ' Ho ! up there, up there, who will not, must ! ' ' This should not be, but a bishop or minister ought to resemble one who waits upon the sick, who treats them very gentty, gives kind words, speaks very friendly to them and exercises all dil- igence in their behalf . Thus a bishop or minister should also do, and remember that his bishopric or parish is nothing but a hospital and an infirmary, where he has very many and various kinds of sick people for treatment. When Christ is thus preached faith and life meet together and fulfil the commandment of love.*
OF THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL.
38. I have often told you, dearly beloved, that the entire Scriptures consist of two parts, of the law and the Gospel. It is the law that teaches what we are required to do ; the Gospel teaches where we shall receive what the law demands. For it is quite a difTerent thing to know what we should have, and to know where to get it. Just as when I am given into the hands of the physicians, where it is quite a different art to tell what my disease is than to tell what medicine I must take so as to recover. Thus it is likewise here. The law discovers the disease, the Gospel ministers the medicine. This you clearly see in today's Gospel. The lawyer comes desiring eternal life, and inquires what he shall do to secure it? The law tells him, and says: ''Thou shalt love the Lord
♦The following Luther preached on another occasion. Translator.
32 Luther's church postil.
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, Avith all 'thy strength and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself."
39. He who reads this only superficially as this lawyer here does, will not understand it. One must enter into it and portray and even behold himself in it. For if I try to love God with all my heart, I will soon see how far I fail. So, with all the soul, that is, with the inner soul which I feel in the flesh, that I love and experience love in all my senses ; for to love with the soul in the Scriptures means the love that a gallant youth feels towards his beloved. Again, with all thy strength, that is, with all thy members. Again, with all thy mind, that is, all thy senses, thoughts and de- lusions must be directed toward God. For if I am to love God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind, then my eyes dare not give one scornful glance, my tongue speak an angry word, my feet, hands, ears must all be one, and give forth no angry sign. That is to say: Thou shalt love God with all thy heart, so that thy whole body from the crowTi of the head to the soles of the feet, inwardly and outwardly, goes forth in love, and rejoices in God and honors him.
40. Now find me a man who is chaste or otherwise pious with a burning passion and love ; there is none such on the earth. We find ourselves much more inclined to anger, hatred, envy, worldly pleasures, than to tender heartedness and other virtues. And when I find in my inclination such a spark, it is all false, the law is not satisfied. But I find not only a spark in me, but a whole bakeoven full of the fire of evil inclinations, for there is no love in the heart, nor in any member of the body. Therefore I here see in the law as in a mirror, that everything I have is condemned and cursed ; for not one jot of the law shall pass away but all must be ful- filled, as Christ says, Mat. 5, 18 : ''For verily I say unto you. Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accom- plished."
41. Now you do not find in yourself, that you do with all your soul and with all your heart, with joy and pleasure.
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 33
what the law requires of you ; therefore you are condemned and the child of satan; then know by this how to govern yourself in the future. Behold, you must first come to the knowledge to confess that you are the devil's own property. But if you would know no more than how you are to treat him to be freed from him, you would have to perish. To this end the law serveth, that we may learn that we are con- demned, for this evil lust is found in us all, and yet we should not have a spark of it in us.
42. Our sophists failed to see this, and have taught, if a man does the best he can, God then gives him grace. They are blind guides, and themselves confess that man has little desire for the good ; yet still, if he go and do it, even though disorderly, unwillingly, indolently, he is nevertheless in favor with God. Christ here teaches the contrary that we should go forth with a passion and love and do the law with a joyful and happy mind. Now, whom would you rather believe, Christ or the sophists? I leave this to you. From such false knowledge the cloisters later arose, into which men entered and contended that if a man were only in a cloister, and it matters not how unwillingly he was there, then he would be saved. So they taught. But now Christ's will is that man should do good works willingly and joy- fully. Hence, if they are done Avith a troubled conscience and a heavy heart, it is sin. Therefore cease from all works that you do not perform with pleasure and love.
43. They therefore should have said: Man, do you see, you poor condemned creature, you should have delight in God's law, and you have no pleasure in it; hence show some delight and love, or you are God's enemy and the devil's friend. Thus the people would have bravely forsaken their own presumption and come to a knowledge of themselves and would have said: O God, now I am condemned. Yes, this is right. Here every one might soon know and con- clude, that we all belong to satan, as long as we find within us displeasure in the law of God. Therefore, boldly cast away all works from you, then a'^ou will find delight in and love for God's law in your heart. I experience indeed that
34 Luther's church postil.
God's law is holy, right and good, but it is my death. And if it could be, I would prefer that it did not exist. And thus all people are disposed in their hearts, as St. Paul very beautifully writes in the seventh chapter of Romans.
44. Had we now remained in this condemnation, we would have had to perish forever. Therefore another part is added, the Gospel, which speaks of consolation and teaches salva- tion, and whence we are to obtain it, so that the law may be satisfied. Now when I see by the law that I am con- demned, lying even among murderers, half dead, the devil has stolen my soul and taken it captive in Adam and Eve, with all faith and righteousness, and has left nothing ex- cept my bodily life which will soon be extinguished; now here come the Levite and the priest, who render human satisfaction and teach this and that; but it does no good, they pass by.
45. However when the Samaritan comes, he helps, that is, Avhen Christ comes and offers us his mercy, and says: Be- hold, you are indebted to love God with all your heart, but you have not done it; now believe in me, I will give you my sufferings: this will help me. Here he lifts me on his beast, that is, on himself, and takes me to the inn, that is, into the Christian Church. After this he comes and pours into me his grace, which is the oil, so that I feel I am lying on his shoulders, this gives me a very joyful conscience; moreover he pours into me wine, which is to devour and drown the old Adam. But even then I am not perfectly well. Health has indeed been poured into me and there is a turn for the better, but nevertheless I am not perfectly re- stored to health. Meantime Christ serves and purifies me by the grace he pours into me, so that day by day I become purer, chaster, milder, gentler and more believing until I die, when I shall be entirely perfect.
46. Thus when we now come before God the Father and are asked: whether we have also believed and loved God, and have wholly fulfilled the law; then the Samaritan will step forth, Christ the Lord, who carries us lying on his beast, and say : Alas, Father ! although they have not wholly
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY ABATER TRINITY. 35
fulfilled thy law, yet I have done so, let this be to their benefit because they believe in me. Thus all saints must do, however holy and pious they may be, they must lay on Christ's shoulders. If even the most holy people, as priests and Levites, could not satisfy the law, how shall we under- take to do so with oar feig:ned works, bald pates and caps? O our wretched and corrupt nature ! Let this be sufficient for the present, and let us call on God for grace.
36
Luther's church postil.
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.
Second Sermon. Luke 10, 23-37.
The following sermon is found in place of the foregoing one in the c. edition. Erl. 14, 20; W. 11, 20SG; St. L. 11, 1552.
CONTENTS: HOW CHRIST PRAISES THE TIME OF THE GOSPEL; PREACHES ON TRULY GOOD WORKS; AND HOW THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST IS REPRESENTED HERE IN A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE.
I. CHRIST PRAISES THE TIME OF THE REVELATION OF THE GOSPEL. * Summary of this Gospel. 1.
I. The Nature of this Praise. 2.
II. How this Praise Includes both an Admonition and a Lamentation.
A. The Lamentation.
1. The Lamentation in itself. 3-5.
2. This Lamentation was also needed in the time of the reformation. 6-8.
* The great punishment, that is visited upon the despisers of the Gospel. 8.
B. The Admonition.
1. Its foundation and aim. 9f.
* The Gospel should be highly and worthily es- teemed. 10-11.
2. How this Admonition stirs us to continue faithful to Christ and the Gospel. 12.
II. THE SERMON OF CHRIST ON TRULY GOOD WORKS.
I. The Occasion of This Sermon. 13-14.
* Hypocrites know of nothing but works. 14.
II. The Sermon Itself.
1. How it contains the summary of all the commandments. 15f.
2. How it presents the greatest wisdom and art ; which can never be learned perfectly. 16-17.
* It is shameful and unpleas- ant to have anything to do
with work-righteous per- sons. 18.
3. How a severe judgment is here passed upon all sophists and work-righteous persons. 19-21-.
4. How this sermon makes all guilty, so that none can glory before God. 22-25.
5. Whether the work-righteous persons do what this sermon teaches. 26-27.
III. THE REPRESENTATION OF THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST BY A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE.
I. The Occasion of This Representa- tion. 27-29.
* The shameful presumption of work-righteous people. 29.
II. The Representation.
1. How this representation puts to shame all hypocrisy. 30-31. ** The questions and disputes about the law are very harmful, where faith and the Gospel are not present. 31.
* The work-righteous persons understand not the law, yea, no one understands the law without the power of the Holy Spirit. 32.
2 How the interpretation by the Jews of our neighbor is to be rejected. 33-34f.
* What is understood here by our neighbor. 35-36.
3. H o w this representation teaches that those least be- long to the Kingdom of Christ,
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY,
37
who in the ej'es of the world are the holiest, wisest and mightiest. 37.
How Christ in this picture shows the kindness, help and consolation, we naturally ex- pect from him and his King- dom. 38-40. * The preaching of the Gospel.
a. How it is pictured forth by the oil and wine. 41.
b. How and to what end' Christ entrusted this to his church. 42.
c. Its power and working. 43-44.
d. Without the thought of this sermon the law can not be fulfilled. 44.
How to defend this represen- tation against the false inter- pretation of the monks and the sophists.
A. The first false interpreta- tion and its correction. 45-47.
B. The second false interpreta-
tion and its correction. 48-53.
I. HOW CHRIST PRAISES THE DISPENSATION OF
THE GOSPEL.
1. This Pericope contains especially three lessons. First, that Christ praises the time when the Gospel was revealed and published, which is rightly and justly called the time of grace. Secondly, w^hat truly good w^orks are according to the command of God, which he pictures by the beautiful example or history of the Samaritan's actions to the one wounded by robbers. In the same history he sets forth as in a loving picture the third lesson, a portrayal of the kingdom of Christ, or of grace, which the preaching of the Gospel makes known. The first lesson is given in these words :
"Blessed are the eyes ichicJi see the things that ye see: for I say unto you, that many prophets and kings desired to see the things u'hich ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, arid heard them not. "
2. The Evangelist says Christ spoke these words especial- ly to his disciples, and just at the time when he was great- ly moved with joy in his soul or with spiritual delight, and therefore he thanked and praised his heavenly Father from his heart for the revelation of the Gospel. Here we see that he was especially anxious to speak thus with his disciples, since their own salvation also depended upon that revelation. And such w^ords are nothing more than praise of the Gospel, that they lived in the time (and now hear and see) of the revelation of the Gospel, which brings to the
36
luther's church postil.
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Second Sermon. Luke 10, 23-37.
The following sermon is found in place of the foregoing one in the c. edition. Erl. 14, 20; W. 11, 208G; St. L. 11, 1552.
CONTENTS: HOW CHRIST PRAISES THE TIME OF THE GOSPEL; PREACHES ON TRULY GOOD WORKS; AND HOW THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST IS REPRESENTED HERE IN A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE.
I. CHRIST PRAISES THE TIME OF THE REVELATION OF THE GOSPEL. * Summary of this Gospel. 1.
I. The Nature of this Praise. 2.
II. How this Praise Includes both an Admonition and a Lamentation.
A. The Lamentation.
1. The Lamentation in itself. 3-5.
2. This Lamentation was also needed in the time of the reformation. 6-8.
* The great punishment, that is visited upon the despisers of the Gospel. 8.
B. The Admonition.
1. Its foundation and aim. Of.
* The Gospel should be highly and worthily es- teemed. 10-11.
2. How this Admonition stirs us to continue faithful to Christ and the Gospel. 12.
II THE SERMON OF CHRIST ON TRULY GOOD WORKS.
I. The Occasion of This Sermon. 13-14.
* Hypocrites know of nothing but works. 14.
II. The Sermon Itself.
1. How it contains the summary of all the commandments. 15f.
2. How it presents the greatest wisdom and art ; which can never be learned perfectly. 16-17.
* It is shameful and unpleas- ant to have anything to do
with work-righteous per- sons. 18.
3. How a severe judgment is here passed upon all sophists and work-righteous persons. 19-21-.
4. How this sermon makes all guilty, so that none can glory before God. 22-25.
5. Whether the work-righteous persons do what this sermon teaches. 26-27.
III. THE REPRESENTATION OF THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST BY A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE.
I. The Occasion of This Representa- tion. 27-29.
* The shameful presumption of work-righteous people. 29.
II. The Representation.
1. How this representation puts to shame all hypocrisy. 30-31. *" The questions and disputes about the law are very harmful, where faith and the Gospel are not present. 31.
* The work-righteous persons understand not the law, yea, no one understands the law without the power of the Holy Spirit. 32.
2 How the interpretation by the Jews of our neighbor is to be rejected. 33-34f.
* What is understood here by our neighbor. 35-36.
3. H o w this representation teaches that those least be- long to the Kingdom of Christ,
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.
37
who in the ej'es of the world are the holiest, wisest and mightiest. 37. 4. How Christ in this picture shows the kindness, help and consolation, we naturally ex- pect from him and his King- dom. 38-40.
* The preaching of the Gospel.
a. How it is pictured forth by the oil and wine. 41.
b. How and to what end Christ entrusted this to his church. 42.
c. Its power and working. 43-44.
d. Without the thought of this sermon the law can not be fulfilled. 44.
How to defend this represen- tation against the false inter- pretation of the monks and the sophists.
A. The first false interpreta- tion and its correction. 45-47.
B. The second false interpreta-
tion and its correction. 48-53.
I
I. HOW CHRIST PRAISES THE DISPENSATION OF
THE GOSPEL.
1. This Pericope contains especially three lessons. First, that Christ praises the time when the Gospel was revealed and published, which is rightly and justly called the time of grace. Secondly, what truly good works are according to the command of God, w^hich he pictures by the beautiful example or history of the Samaritan's actions to the one wounded by robbers. In the same history he sets forth as in a loving picture the third lesson, a portrayal of the kingdom of Christ, or of grace, w^hicli the preaching of the Gospel makes known. The first lesson is given in these words :
"Blessed are the eyes icliicli see the things that ye see: for I say unto you, that many prophets arid kings desired to see the things ichich ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things ichich ye hear, and heard them not. "
2. The Evangelist says Christ spoke these words especial- ly to his disciples, and just at the time when he was great- ly moved with, joy in his soul or with spiritual delight, and therefore he thanked and praised his heavenly Father from his heart for the revelation of the Gospel. Here we see that he w^as especially anxious to speak thus with his disciples, since their own salvation also depended upon that revelation. And such words are nothing more than praise of the Gospel, that thej^ lived in the time (and now hear and see) of the revelation of the Gospel, which brings to the
'iv
38 Luther's church postil.
world deliverance and salvation from sin and all misery. And of this time or revelation the beloved prophets former- ly prophesied in a glorious manner, and they longed and cried for it beyond measure in their very souls, as is manifest especially in the Psalms and in the Prophesy of Isaiah. Therefore, you are blessed and more than blessed; for you enjoy noAV the truly golden year, the pure kingdom of grace and the blessed time ; therefore only see to it that you retain it and make good use of it.
3. For such praise is true admonition, yea, an earnest discourse of lamentation; for he exhorts to thanksgiving for such grace. And on the other hand he laments over the great ingratitude of the world, that there are so few people who know and receive this, while so many despise it, there- fore he says Christ turned especially to the disciples and praised them ; as if he wished to say : Yes, your eyes and ears are indeed blessed, which see and hear this; for, alas! on the other hand there are many eyes and ears that do not wish to see or hear it, although they have it right before their eyes and ears. Christ thus shows however great and superabundant the treasure is and however comforting the preaching of it may be, yet among the great mass of people it is only despised and persecuted.
4. And now the times are changing, since the beloved fathers and prophets in their day would have given their body and life had they been able to live to see it, and had they experienced it their hearts would have blossomed to fruit in their bodies because of joy and they would have thought they were walking where there were only roses. As the pious, aged Simeon, Luke 2, 28f., embraced in his arms the Savior while he as an infant could not yet speak nor walk, and with all joy entrusted his life to him, and no longer eared for this life nor for anything in it. Dear mother Eve also, Gen. 4, 1, earnestly prayed and longed for this salvation, and was glad when God gave her a firstborn son; for she thought he would be the Savior; but when her hope in him failed, she longed still more for it. And later the hearts of all the fathers cluni? to and sighed for the
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 39
same deliverer until he came and permitted himself to be seen and heard. Then the whole world should have received him at once with all joy and gloried in being saved; just as he himself praises this grace.
5. Joyfully and with his whole heart aglow pious David thanks God when he heard the first time from the Prophet Nathan God 's promise, 2 Sam. 7, 12f ., that he would establish not only a dynasty and a permanent kingdom with his descendants; but also that he would let Christ be born of his body and thus he would found an eternal kingdom of his grace and mercy. And because of this his great joy he did not know what he should say before God and how he should thank him, and hence he composed so many beauti- ful Psalms about it, especially the 89, and besides in his last words and testament he praises this kindness in the highest manner and says: "He hath made with me an everlasting covenant; ordered in all things and sure: for it is all my salvation and all my desire," etc. 2 Sam. 23. But now the dear, blessed time has come, and there is a change, I say, so that people live and appear who wish neither to see nor to hear, neither to know nor to tolerate this rich grace and this highest favor of God bestowed so gratu- itously.
6. Just as we also see at present and easily understand how those who wish to be the Church and to be called Chris- tians, the Pope and bishops with their followers, who should lift their hands to heaven and thank God for their deliver- ance from darkness and blindness that they have again the pure light of the Gospel; these bring fire and water, wet their sword and polish their weapons to exterminate from the earth those who teach and confess the pure Gospel, and there are so many unthankful, false Christians among us just like them, who despise this salvation in the most defiant manner. Formerlj^ when we were captives under the Pope's tyranny, burdened with the preaching of lies, relating to in- dulgences, purgatory and all the dreams of the monks, what a sighing and longing there was then in all the world for the true preaching of the Gospel. How gladly would one
40 Luther's church postil.
then have given, labored and suffered all things possible to secure true instruction and comfort, and to be delivered with a good conscience from the fearful martyrdom of the confessional and other oppressive burdens imposed by the Pope! And how happy were many pious people at first because of this deliverance who learned it and thanked God for it! But now, how many are there who rejoice from their hearts and acknowledge how blessed they are in that they can see and hear this? How soon they took offense at this blessed treasure and then sought something else, when they forgot all they had received, and the world be- came again filled with fanaticism and false teachings.
7. Indeed it really depends upon seeing and hearing; it is fully revealed and it stands forth clearly in the light before our eyes and ears; but the great mass of the world can not see nor understand it, even if it were stuck in their eyes and continually rung and hammered into their ears. For if thev could hear and see a little of it, then it would accomplish something among them and improve them, so that they would become more reasonable and would not thus oppose the truth.
8. What did it help all the Pharisees that Christ himself preached the Gospel to them? And what would it help all the fanatics and critics even if it were preached twice as clearh^, how we obtain the forgiveness of sins and true consolation of the conscience, likewise how a Christian should live in every calling of life and should know that he pleases God. Of all this they heretofore knew and heard nothing, so that they themselves acknowledged that the teaching was indeed excellent, but at the same time they remained stone-blind and it never entered their hearts that they could walk and live in harmony with it, all is strange to them that they hear, read or they themselves speak concerning it For they are too completely chilled and choked with other thoughts of their own self-conceit and pleasure about things dear to them, so that aside from these they can neither see nor hear anything. Thus among them it is fulfilled as the prophets and Christ spoke before
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 41
to the Jewish people and all like them, that with eyes to see they shall not see and with ears to hear they shall not hear, in order that they may change and be saved. This is the highest, the most horrible and the most fearful punish- ment they can bring upon themselves, and in addition be tormented in that they must daily see and hear the word and work of God, that is offered to all men for their salva- tion; and yet they have not the grace to receive it, Mat. 13, 14; but only hear and see in it their vexation and thus, become so bitter against it that they would rather hear! and see the devil from hell.
9. On the other hand it is great grace and a precious treasure for him who receives this teaching that he sees and hears it aright, so that we should indeed declare such a one saved. For the seeing and hearing that enter the heart bring and give a fulness and richness of possessions in understanding, enlightenment, comfort, strength and growth of spirit, joy and life, that we can never hear and see enough of it and prefer to hear, to learn and to know this above everything else that may be preached, taught, sung or said, that it should help to our salvation. Yea, it lets all other things pass as if it heard and saw them not, although in civil government and life it must see and hear much, yet it clings alone to this light and knowledge, which is so great that it completely fills the eyes and heart, and darkens and blinds everything else.
10. In like manner the sun at its rising so completely fills the world with light that the moon and stars are no longer seen or thought of, although they give their light every night. Just so let those, who can, give light also here, be they learned, wise, holy people, even Moses, the Prophets, the fathers, or St. John the Baptist himself; yet they all should yield to Christ, yea, bear witness that he alone is the light, by whom all men are to be enlightened and that they themselves must become partakers of that light, and that in Christendom all light, wisdom and teaching aside from Christ must cease, or be found alone in him.
11. In the same manner should the beautiful sound and
42 LUTHER'S CHURCH POSTIL.
the lovely music of the Gospel of Christ so engage and fill our ears, that we may hear nothing else, as when a great bell or a kettledrum and trumpet sound and resound, the air is so full that whatever else is spoken, sung or cried cannot be heard. So should Christ's words constantly in all our lives and actions have the upper hand in our hearts through faith, and know of comfort, righteousness and sal- \ vation from none other. These would indeed be blessed eyes and ears that could thus make use of the blessed time or dispensation of the Gospel, and know what God has given them in it; for such eyes and ears God himself esteems as an excellent and precious treasure and a sacred and holy possession, which could not be purchased by the whole world even if it had many more and brighter lights and suns.
II. THE SERMOxV OF CHRIST ON TRULY GOOD WORKS.
12. This is an admonition of Christ to his dear disciples, yea, a consolation and encouragment heartily to stand by the Gospel, since he esteems and praises it to be so precious.
13. But how it is esteemed by others who are not true disciples of Christ, but are much smarter and holier them- selves than that they should need his teaching, the lawyer shows, who stands by (as they were all together with Christ wherever he came, and they heard whatever he spoke) ; he had heard that Christ speaks earnestly to his disciples that they hear and see what was never seen nor heard before. This lawyer could no longer retain his great skill and wisdom, he had to step forward and let himself be heard, and try if he could not put him to shame, and carry ofr the glory, that Christ was nothing, but he was the highly educated Rabbi, in that he propounds to him a much higher theme. Hence he steps forward and proposes to him this question:
^'Teacher, what shall I do to itiherit eternal lifeV^
14. That these are not the eyes and ears of one who hears and sees what Christ is, he himself makes manifest by his own words, as all must do, if they in the most perfect
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 43
way prove themselves to be such. For he hereby confesses he knows nothing more nor higher than the doctrine that treats of our own doings and works; of God's grace, Christ's office and work he knows nothing, he has as yet never understood anything about them, although he had heard Christ speak of them; he at once imagines he knows much better than Christ can teach him; he wished to say like our fanatics and critics: that which 1 have hitherto heard from you, is common ; you must ascend much higher to interest us. Dear sir, teach the people once to do something, by which man is saved. But Christ lets such a tempter rush ahead and gives him a good handle by which he in a masterly manner ensnares himself in his own words, bids him to report and answer himself, since he wishes to be so learned and clever, and says:
'^What is written in the law? Jioio readest tliouV^
15. As if he would say: I hear indeed that you profess to have higher wisdom than I. Come, deliver yourself, I will be a pupil of your discourse and consider you a teacher. In his answer Christ however forces him into the Scriptures, when he says: "How readest thou?" For it is not Christ's pleasure for people to propound and preach their own arrogance; and hereby he shows this lawyer (as he later draws from him through his own confession with the ques- tion, who is his neighbor etc.), that he does not understand the Scriptures, even in that part where they speak of our own works ; therefore much less does he understand the other higher teachings. Here he must not and cannot answer differently than as Moses in Deut. 6, 5 comprehended in the shortest form the summary of all God's commandments, how we should live in our relations both to God and men.
^^Thou shalt love the Lord thij God with all thy heart, and with all thy 801(1, and with all thy strength, and ivith all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thy self.''
1 6. That is teaching truly of high order ; yea, the greatest thing that can be required of a man; as Christ himself confesses and confirms, when he says: '*Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live." But it is nevertheless
44 LUTHER'S CHURCH POSTIL.
a tGaching tliat is common, that is well known to all the Jews as to the words, although they did not rightly under- stand them, and the disciples of Christ had also certainly heard them. Hence this critic should have indeed known that Christ spoke of another, a higher theme, since he said his disciples were especially blessed in that they see and hear what others did not. Bat all such hypocrites and fanatics must prove that they esteem Christ and his Gospel as nothing, and let themselves imagine they know everything much better.
17. Now, this commandment has often been explained and there is still much to be said about it; for it is indeed the highest art and wisdom, it is never learned perfectly, much less perfectly fulfilled and lived; so that God's Son had therefore to come from heaven, shed his blood and give us the Gospel, so that this commandment might be kept. Although here in this life it makes only a little beginning among Christians ; yet in the life beyond we will constantly and forever have it in our eyes and hearts, and live it. In short, it is far too high above the mind, heart and sense of all mortals what the words mean, to love God with all thy heart, with all thy strength, with all thy soul and with all thy mind. For as yet no one experiences it, except those a little, who have the Gospel and embrace Christ by faith, and receive the comfort and power of it in times of need, temptation and prayer, and thus experience a taste of it; yet these persons themselves feel and lament, like all the saints and Paul himself, that they are still far from it and their flesh and blood feel nothing but sin and death ; which of course would not be the case if this commandment had gone fully into practice and life.
IS. Therefore such proud, godless spirits are shameless and troublesome, as this lawyer who went forward so bold- ly, that they esteem nothing at all, neither the high and earnest command of God nor do they wish to hear and know the doctrine of the Gospel ; they imagine, it is enough if thej* have heard and can say the words: **Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and thy neighbor as thy-
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 45
self." They do not perceive that God wants such doctrines not only heard and spoken, but put into practice, and where one does not esteem this, it will bring upon him higher and unbearable condemnation, as Christ sa3's in Luke 12, 47: *'And that servant, who knew his Lord's will, and made not ready nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes," etc. Therefore Christ gave this lawyer no other reply than this : ''Thou hast answered right; this do and thou shalt Zire."
19. That means, preaching the law arif;ht and delivering a good strong lecture, yea, snaring him with his own words and taking hold of him at the right place, to show him where he was lacking. The doctrine he says is precious and true ; but, dear sir, do it also ; I would gladly see the doer of the law, then be a master and let your work of art be exhibited ; for you all have spoken, written and known it ; and you neevi nothing more; but just here you and others are lack- ing, that you do not do what you profess, but imagine it is enough to speak and think the words. No, in this way no one will live or be saved. The commandments must be kept and done, or the wrath of God and eternal death in- stead of life will abide upon you.
20. Such is the judgment upon the critics, who wish to know so much and teach everybody the way of salvation, yet they know nothing more than their own doings and works, and despise the teaching of the Gospel ; so that such talk is nothing but mere empty, wicked and vain non- sense, since nothing follows from it; as St. Paul says of these doctrines of the law and of works in Gal. 6, 13 : ^'For not even they who receive circumcision do themselves keep the law." Hence one may justly say to them, as Christ here says to this lawyer: Dear Teacher! Do yourself what you tell and teach others; and also as St. Paul, Rom. 2, 19-23, says: ''Thou art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind," etc. ''Thou therefore that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?" "Thou who gloriest in the law, through thy transgression of the law dishonorest thou God?"
21. Thus one sees in the papal sophists, fanatics and all
46 luther's church postil.
who are not of the pure Gospel teaching, what great and excellent works they profess and how they adorn themselves in the highest degree with them, as the saintly monks do; and yet they accomplish nothing. Yea, they only transgress Ood's law and oppose it; as is proved in their case and Christ shows in the following parable that no persons are more unmerciful, more unpleasant and of course more un- loving to their neighbor, more destitute of love to God, than such hypocrites.
22. Yea, ''this do" are the words of Christ, the eternal lesson and sermon that is here spoken and preached to all men, also to the saints, and it accuses them, that they can- not and dare not glory before God on account of their works, merits and sanctity. But they must, if they would know themselves aright and stand before God, con- demn themselves and their manner of life ; so that here no saint has ever been able to stand upon this foundation, neither in the Old nor in the New Testament. They must all be mirrored in these words, "this do," which mean nothing more than: See, you have not yet done this, nor fulfilled it. Like Moses himself, who had the honor of being faithful in all the things of God, and God called him his friend, with whom he spake by word of mouth and face to face; yet he had to say to God, Ex. 34, 6-7: "Oh, Lord God of all spirits and of all flesh! Thou art merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, thou forgivest iniquity, transgression and sin, and before thee none is guiltless. Here he casts away both his own holiness and that of all men and pleads guilty before God."
23. In like manner the prophet Isaiah, Is. 6, 5-6, when he stands before God and sees his glory confesses that he is unclean, and must be comforted by an angel that his sins are forgiven him, etc. And Jeremiah, when he prayed before God and gloried in opposing his persecutors, Jer. 17, 16-17: "Lord, thou knowest: That which came out of my lips was before thy face"; here he is holy and happy; and yet soon after he turns and says: "Be not a terror unto me; thou art my refuge in the day of evil." Likewise, Jer. 10, 24:
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 47
''Oh, Jehovah, correct me, but with measure'^, that is, with grace; ''not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing." Where is here the pious and holy man with whom the Lord is never angry? Why then does he fear that he will bring him to naught?
24. Thus also Daniel confessed his own sin and the sin of all his people and said in Dan. 9, 18 : " We do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies' sake." And David himself, when he received the forgiveness of his sins and sure consolation, that he had a gracious God, often glories, especially in Ps. 119, 97f., how he did what is right and pleasing to God ; and God himself bears witness of this concerning him, 1 Sam. 13, 14, that he had found a man after his own heart. Yet he prays and sings Psalms of the greatest fear and anxiety: "0 Jehovah, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure," etc. Ps. 6, 1. Likewise Ps. 143, 2: "0 Jehovah, enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight no man living is righteous."
25. In the same manner also St. Peter opens his mouth boldly in Acts 15, 10 and says of the whole law : "Now there- fore why make ye trial of God, that ye should put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" This he says of all saints, fathers, prophets, apostles and he should in this manner exclude all from heaven; as must have happened on account of the law and their doings, had they not remained under the heaven of irrace, as he in verse 11 further says: "But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they." And St. Paul in Acts 13, 38-39: "Through this man is proclaimed unto you re- mission of sins; and by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."
26. Now if the saints must confess this, who still have grace and the Holy Spirit, how will or dare the other blind, poor spirits presume and imagine that they have kept the commandments of God, when they form human thoughts
48 luther's church postil.
and dream they love God and their neighbor. And yet they are so far from it that they do not understand nor know what God's conimandment requires and how it is kept. This they prove when they are put to the test, when they are to exhibit in a becoming manner love to their God and their neighbor. As when they are required to suffer anything for God's sake, as injury and disgrace, either from men or when God himself visits them with his rod; then one sees that the thoughts springing from their own brain are really nothing, yea, they work only the opposite, they rage, mur- mur, curse and blaspheme against God, as if God did them an injustice, etc. In like manner they act to their neighbors. Where they. know not how to enjoy a neighbor or to secure some advantage and honor from him, but should serve him gratuitously and help the poor, as this Samaritan did the wounded one by the wayside, or expect also harm and in- gratitude for extending the helping hand ; then there is not only no spark of love, but at once they seek revenge, turn the people over to satan and think they do right in this and are under no obligation to love such persons.
III. A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE 01^ THE KINGDOM OF
CHRIST.
27. Even this blind hypocrite is of the same mind, he never thinks and speaks of what he owes his neighbor, and yet he wants to be considered saintly and holy, because he is a lawyer and knows how to speak of the law. And although he was indeed reproved by Christ, and he surely knows he was hit and was told he did not keep the law; yet notwithstanding he is so bold and impudent as to despise God's word, so that he beautifully adorns himself and shines brightly and begins to ask:
^'And tcho is my nelglihor?'^
28. He feels that he made a mistake in speaking and that he opened his mouth too wide against himself. He is now caught and taken captive by the Lord's answer, and he drives a pin before his tongue so that he is not able to take
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 49
it back. Yet he was not so pious that he did Christ and God the honor to humble himself and confess the truth, that he did not keep these commandments etc.; but he forges ahead and desires to be viewed as having done all, especially all that is due to God. Hence he does not even think of asking if he is indebted more to God, but desires no more than that Christ shows him who his neighbor is, to whom he should still be indebted anything and he has not per- formed it.
29. It is shameless presumption on the part of such saints of satan, that they are so very certain in their knowledge when God judges them: and even when they have been moved by the law, and it is sufficiently proved to them that they did not keep the law, they are not changed by it until they once meet the judgment and the wrath of God in their severity, so that they are compelled to feel them. However the lies and shame of such hypocrites are hereby sufficiently uncovered; although they will not be ashamed; nor turn red for it, so that they must show by their own confession that they do not yet understand what Moses and the law require; because those who still wish to be masters of the Scriptures prove themselves to be guilty in that they do not know or do not api)reciate who their neighbor is, as he is clearly enough set forth by Moses and in this com- mandment. Therefore Christ also shows the same to this lawyer clearly and plainly enough ; not from the Scriptures, but by means of a plain parable and picture, so that he himself must seize it and let fall upon him the judgment to his own shame that he did not wish to know or under- stand it.
^^A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to JericJio; and he fell among rohhers,^^ etc.
30. Now the lawyer hears for the first time the ap- propriate text that puts him and all hypocrites like him to shame, and publicly he is convinced that he never kept the law, yea, that he did not understand it, even in the smallest point referring to his neighbor, because he still doubts and does not know, whom to consider as his neighbor, otherwise
50 Luther's church postil.
he is inclined to love his neighbor. But thus it serves them right, who wish to master this man Christ and his word. And because they are very anxious to approach Christ with the law and plan to present it to him in a high and sharp manner, so they find also sharp opposition and they are obliged to depart in shame, and they see that he also knows something to say about the law, and that he lays hold of it and has Moses in his eye in a different way than they.
31. In brief, Christ shows here that he will not and cannot be caught by questions and debates relating to the law, and it is hurtful to no one but to those who let themselves fall into such questions and become entangled by them so that they can never get out again. For this surely happens to all, who deal with the law independent of faith and the right understanding of the Gospel. For where Moses alone with his shining light and rays, which are the horns going forth from his countenance, strikes us in our eyes, no one can stand before him. In short, whoever allows himself to be driven to Moses and will deal with the law, is lost; so that here even Christians must battle until they get out and are again wrapped up and enclosed in Christ, concerning which I have said more elsewhere.
32. Now in their folly and blindness all hypocritical saints resemble this lawyer, in that they not only fail to keep an iota of the law, however high they praise it; but as to its fundamental meaning they understand nothing about it ; nor do they know how to make the right use of it, unless they learn to repeat its words like crows. As St. Paul also says of them in 1 Tim. 1, 7: ''Desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor whereof they confidently affirm. ' ' Yea, verily it is true that no man on earth knows, except by the Spirit of Christ, either what God is, how he should honor and thank him, or who his neighbor is. For just as all the world make their own gods and never happen to produce the true God, but is divided into innumerable idolatries; so is the world also blind here in that it never meets its neighbor, whom it sees ever before its eyes; passes by him, lets him suffer in distress and
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 51
hunger, whom it should serve and help, since it in other ways gives very much and does many great works.
33. And especially are the Jewish hypocritical interpreta- tions hereby reproved and rejected, which paint and pol- ish their neighbor according to their own fancy, consider him a neighbor whom they like, that is, he who is a friend, who has well merited and is worthy of a kindness and of love, whom they have enjoyed or hope yet to enjoy; they imagine they are not indebted to serve and help the stranger, the unacquainted, the unworthy, unthankful enemies, etc.
34. Against such hypocrisy Christ answers with the history of this poor, wounded man, who fell among robbers and was lying half dead, whom the Samaritan alone re- ceives, serves and helps, and whom both the priest and the Levite pass by and leave lying helpless. Here the lawyer himself must answer that neither the priest nor the Levite was a neighbor to this man, but he who extended to him a kind helping hand was. The hypocrite did not dare to mention the Samaritan by name; for the Jews were bitter enemies to the Samaritans- their neighbors, considered them to be the worst people, like we look upon heretics or fallen Christians. By this, without any praise to himself, yea, against his own will, he is obliged to confess and say, who is a neighbor to another.
35. And truly it sounds strange that he should be called a neighbor who does a good act and loves another, since otherwise (to speak after the manner of the Scriptures and of this commandment) he is called a neighbor who needs a favor or should be served and shown love ; but both belong together and both are comprehended as in the predicate of relationship (praedicamento relationis) and they bind us all together so that every one is a neighbor to another. How- ever to be such neighbors among one another is twofold: the first only in name and with words, the other in deed and with works of love.
36. In this sense the Samaritan was neighbor to the wounded man, not the priest nor Levite, who by right should have been and were under oblio:ation to be. For in this
52 Luther's church postil.
respect all men are debtors to one another and have the same commandment: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor", etc. Hence there is no dift'erence, and in brief the meaning of this example is as Christ forces this hypocrite to confess, according to the common understanding of men, that they are neighbors, who before God belong together, where one needs help and another can give it, and here no one is excused nor free, be he priest or Levite.
37. And Christ is here especially sarcastic and vexed so that he attacks the priest and Levite, the most holy persons and the commissioned servants of God, and accuses, shames and scorns them by the example of the Samaritan, before whom they had a horror and an aversion as before a con- demned criminal. But by this he shows that those who are the greatest and boast most of keeping God's commandments and teaching others, and should go ahead with good examples, in brief, those who are considered to be the high, the wise, the influential, and the best, have the least neighbor love; especially to the poor, forsaken, persecuted Christians, who suffer for the sake of God and his Word. For with their eyes centered constantly on their own sanctity, wisdom, and great talents they imagine every person is obligated to serve them, they do not think, that wdiich they have is given by God only for the purpose that they might let their righteousness, wisdom, honor and possessions serve the needy, ignorant, sinful and despised. Hence this Samaritan is justlj^ praised to the everlasting shame of the priests, the Jewish saints and also this hypocrite, for he showed such kindness and love to this stranger and wounded man, wdio was doubtless a Jew ; Avhile his own priest, Levite and scribes left him lying in his misery and wretchedness and as far as they were concerned, dying aud perishing.
38. But by Christ making the Samaritan a neighbor of him who had fallen among the robbers, is meant especially to prove that he himself is and desires to be neighbor, who fulfils the law in the right sense and shows liis love to the poor, w^retched, and before God wounded and perishing consciences and hearts of all men. And by this he also is an
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 53
example that his Christians should do as he does, who is con- sidered as a Samaritan before the whole world and especially in the eyes of the great saints, his own Jewish countrymen ; that they do the same, since other people do it not, also that they take to themselves the need of the poor, forsaken and helpless, and know what they do to them they do to Christ as their neighbor.
39. Now here in this Samaritan Christ pictures and makes known the kindness, help and comfort, which he ministers in his kingdom through the Gospel; which is the same of which he spoke to his disciples at the beginning: ^'Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see", etc. He paints in the most comforting manner what faith possesses in him, and how far his Gospel differs from the doctrine of the law of the priests and Levites: concerning which I have said so much heretofore. We see in this picture how we, who have fallen in sin against God, lie under the wrath of God and must die the eternal death, are again rescued only by him, in that we receive God's grace and comfort, and a quickening of conscience, and we begin to keep the law.
40. This is the principal article of the doctrine of faith, that says we cannot save ourselves, neither can anything we do nor the doctrines of the law ; but he must begin faith in us, who does not force the law upon our attention, when we feel our sins and misery; for that is the work of the secure spirits like this lawyer, who resent being reproved as sinners. But he has tender mercy upon us, besides is friendly and consoling through his Word, and himself binds up the sores of the wounded, places him on his own beast, nurses and looks after him. For he had to accomplish our redemption alone and take our place, bear in his own body our sins and need; he himself publishes this and gives us the comforting word, by which our wounds are bound up and healed.
41. This is called pouring wine and oil into the wounds, both of which are good medicines for the injured. The wine preserves the flesh clean and fresh that the wounds may
54 LUTHER'S CHURCH POSTIL.
not corrupt or fester ; likewise this balsam is especially given to the land of the Jews, namely, the noble, precious oil, that is, the best remedy known for all kinds of injuries. It is the preaching of the holy Gospel, which does both ; it keeps the penitent conscience in the knowledge of its sins and' wickedness, that it neither becomes secure nor ceases to long for grace, and besides he comforts the conscience by grace and forgiveness, and thus ever makes man better un- til he is again v/ell and begins again to do the work of a healthy man.
42. And to this end he now makes use of the office and service of the Church, as Christ commands her to expect and take care of such by means of the same office and spirit, which he bestows, and asks her to be faithful in everything that ministers to their strength and improvement, to comfort, admonish, restrain, chastise, etc. ; and assures her what she does and sacrifices in such cases, he will reward.
43. Behold, this is the doctrine and the power of the Gospel and the treasure by which we are saved ; which brings us to the point that we also begin to fulfill the law. For where the great unfathomable love and favor of Christ are known and believed, thence flows forth also love both to God and to our neighbor. For by means of such knowledge and consolation the Holy Spirit moves the heart to love God, and gladly does what it should to his praise and thanks, guards against sin and disobedience and willingly offers it- self to serve and help everybody, and where it still feels its weakness it battles against the flesh and satan by calling upon God, etc. And thus while ever rising in faith it holds to Christ, where it does not do enough in keeping the law, its comfort is that Christ fulfills the law and bestows and imparts his ftüness and strength, and thus he remains al- ways our righteousness, salvation, sanctification, etc.
44. This is the right way to secure the observance of the law, of which our blind critics know nothing; but Christ beautifully shows by this, that one must hear the Gospel and believe in Christ before he can fulfill the law: other- wise there is nothing but hypocrisy and nothing but pure
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 55
boasting and talking- about the law without any heart and life in it all.
45. Here we should also answer those, who misuse to- day's Gospel to support their blasphemous doctrine, when Christ says of the Samaritan, he commended the sick to his host, and when he gives him the half dollar, says to him: "Whatsoever thou spendest more, I, when I come back again, will repay thee." For the monks and sophists have invented from these words their lies about works which they call the works of supererogation, works in excess or more than are required, when one does more than G-od commands him, which he is otherwise not obligated to do. And such lies they confirmed by other blasphemies in making rules from the sermon of Christ in which he explained the ten com- mandments, Mat. 5, 21f . ; and later applied them to their monastic life as if the monks were the greatest saints, for whom it was too insignificant a thing to keep God's com- mandments. As if they did on a higher plane many and great excessive works in their orders; for which God was obliged to give much more than heaven not only to them- selves, but to other people to whom they wished to impart their works of supererogation, namely, to sell their lies and blasphemies for money. Their god the pope confirmed this and canonized and exalted these his saints as those who hereby strengthened his godhead and influence also over the dead in purgatory.
46. This blasphemy is however entirely too base and shameless, far above the blindness and presumption of this lawyer and those like him; for they do not only wish to be praised for keeping God's commandments, none of which they understand, nor think of keeping the least one in earnest. But they wish to be considered as having done much higher and many more works than all the saints whom God himself praises in the Scriptures; all of whom nevertheless confess that they have not kept the law for themselves, and must therefore, because they did not fulfill the law, seek and pray for grace and forgiveness with Christ.
47. "What a shame ! that people in the Church of Christ
56 Luther's church postil.
dare speak of works and spheres of influence which should be superfluous, and they be said to have done more than God 's command required ; and still Christ said publicly of the lives of all men in Luke 17, 10: ''Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofltable servants ; we have done that which it was our duty to do." Thus you hear that it is purely a debt and a duty, even if one should reach the point, which no saint on earth can, that he had done all, and he would then have nothing' of which to boast, and for which God would be obliged to thank him. Still what better and higher work will one find or name that should have been com- manded by God? For although they have now for a long time driveled about virginity, I ask if such work can be bet- ter than what God calls here to love God with the whole heart, yea, if independent of this command it can succeed or be done, should it be good and well pleasing to God in a different or extraordinary way? How is it then possible to have an excess of good works or do anything better than God has commanded ? For what good can you do that you do not do either to God or to man out of love, which you are in- debted to do by reason of your eternal condemnation. What can father and mother do more for their child, yea, what more can God himself and Christ do for us, than to love us. What does it mean then to advance such shameless lies and foolishness about certain works, which are an excess over those that are commanded when no one has as yet fully attained to the measure of the ten commandments here up- on earth?
1 48. It is true the Papists are now ashamed of such slabbering, with which they have poured all their books full, but yet they cannot quit their blasphemy. Since they see now that this lie will not stand, they fall upon another inter- pretation that is just as blasphemous as the first ; they turn the words, ''Whatsoever thou spendest more'', from the life and works to the doctrine, and say we must do not only what the Scriptures teach, but hear also what the Church teaches and decrees concerning the same. For the Apostles
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 57
and bishops are commanded to add more to the two shillings, namely, to the Old and New Testaments.
49. Yet see how the devil juggles and distorts himself by his sophistry and blind tricks in that he adorns and colors his lies. They have heard and learned something of ns that in this parable the two shillings apply to the office of the ministry in the Church. For Christ is speaking of the office that should attend and care for the sick, and is administered for their relief and recovery. Hence, the two shillings are the Holy Scriptures or rather the pound as Christ calls them in another place, that is, the understanding of the Scriptures in the measure and the gifts of the Spirit, given to each one ; all which is still the one and the same understanding without one having it in a richer degree than another. These sox^hists wish now to cite these words to support the founda- tion of their lies, that in Christendom we must teach, believe and hold as essential for salvation more than Christ has given and commanded us to teach. They are blind, mad, perverted persons who always seek something different and more, both to do and teach, than God's Word require, and yet they do not do it nor teach it, but let that be realized which they wish to have taught and practiced.
50. Therefore we tell you here again as before: Beloved, what can you do or what do you know that is better and more necessary to teach, than what Christ taught or com- manded to teach? And what do we need more, to minister to the consciences in every thing that is necessary for them, to instruct, admonish, comfort, strengthen, correct and in short to do all that is necessary for salvation, than the doctrine of the Scriptures, namely, both of the law and of the Gospel? as St. Paul also shows in 2 Tim. 3, 16-17: * 'Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in right- eousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work." In these words you hear that the Scriptures richly contain and offer every- thing that serves to rieht livino: and good works; why will you then feign or seek something different that is to be
58 Luther's church postil.
taught above or along side of the Scriptures? Beloved, first explain the two shillings Christ gives and practice well the doctrine they teach, then we will see later what more you are able to explain or teach.
51. For this excess or explanation of the two shillings v/e may without danger and in harmony with the meaning of the Scriptures also interpret as the growth and exercise in the true doctrine and the understanding of it; as St. Paul admonishes in 1 Tim. 4, 13-15: "Give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching, neglect not the gift that is in thee, ' ' etc. ' ' Be diligent in these things ; give thyself wholly to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all.'' For the more one practices and exercises himself in the doctrines of the Scriptures, the more learned, gifted and powerful he becomes in them, as is the case in other arts. Therefore the explanation of this excess is, where one practices this doctrine among the people, as every one is bound to do, and according to his faithfulness in doing it he is either weak or strong, and needs more comfort, admonition, etc., than another.
52. But it is not the intention and the zeal of these sophists to be so faithful and diligent that they correctly explain the two shillings, that is, that they teach diligently what Christ commanded, since they do not wish to do or to know this, for they shun the Scriptures like they shun satan, they neither understand the teaching of the law nor of the Gospel. But they fill the Church with their prattle and human doctrines, pervert and counterfeit God's Word, as the devil advocates that this explanation of the two shillings must teach them something different than the Gospel teach- es; as they do nothing but propagate another and contrary doctrine of their cursed lying prattle against the faith of Christ among the people.
53. The summary is, since Christ himself and the Apostles everywhere forbid the introduction of other doctrines, it cannot stand the test that one should desire to confirm a different doctrine by this parable or allegory; so Christ will not expect of such sick persons anything different than
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 59
he himself gives to them; and that which can be further explained must not be anything different, but be in harmony with that which Christ himself has given. However it is possible that one should stud}^ a doctrine more and harder than another and thus he explains more; as St. Paul says of himself in 1 Cor. 15. 10, that he labored more and accom- plished more than all the other Apostles. And St. Ambrose also applies this explanation to himself and says: He did with his sermons and writings, which indeed are nothing more than Christ commanded him to teach, fill his measure to overflowing and he accomplished thereby more than others; but of himself and other preachers he says: God grant that we might make use of and compute what we have received of Christ.
60
LUTHER'S CHURCH POSTIL.
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.
In 1521 Luther published a sermon in pamphlet form on "The Ten Lepers," of which the following is a part. The sermon here given is found in all editions of Luther's Church Postil. The rest of the sermon of 1521 is printed in Luther's miscellaneous sermons. Erl. 14, 41; W. 11, 2113; St. L. 11, 1572.
Text: Luke 11, 11-19. And it came to jiass, as they were on the way to Jerusalem, that he was passing along the horders of Samaria a7id Galilee. And as he entered into a certain vil- lage, there met him ten men that icere lepers, tcho stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he teas healed, turned hack, with a loud voice glorifying God; and he fell upon his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus, answering said. Were not the ten cleansed? hut where are the nine? Were there none found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger? And he said unto him. Arise, and go thy loay; thy faith hath made thee whole.
CONTENTS: THE MIRACLE OF CLEANSING THE TEN LEP- ERS, IN WHICH IS PORTRAYED THE WHOLE CHRISTIAN LIFE, WITH ALL ITS INCIDENTS AND SUFFERINGS.
I. THE PORTRAYAL OP THE BE- GINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
Here there are two principal parts. The order Luke followed in describing the journeys of Christ. 1-3.
I. These Two Parts In General. 4.
II. These Two Parts In Detail. 5-30. A. Of Faith.
1. Faith and its attributes. a. The first characteristic and attribute of faith, and how they are dis-
covered in the lepers. 5- 9.
b. The second characteris- tic and attribute of faith, and how they are seen in the ten lepers. 10-11.
c. The third characteristic and attribute of faith, and how they appear in the ten lepers. 12-14.
1. Incentives to faith. 15-17. Of Love.
1. How Christ requires this love of his followers. 18f.
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.
61
2. This love and faith com- pose the whole Christian life. 19-20.
3. This love is a mark of true Faith and of the friendship of God. 21-23.
4. How Christ teaches us the works of love by his ex- ample.
a. The first work. 24-25.
b. The second work. 26-27.
c. The third work. 28-30.
II. THE DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
I. The Necessity of This Develop- ment and Growth. 31.
II. The Foundation and Cause of This Development and Growth. 32f.
* The Temptations to which faith is subject.
1. It can easily cause your fall. 33.
Because of it faith should in- crease and grow firmer. 31-35.
3. It continues as long as man lives. 36.
* Where God appears to be the farthest away he is the nearest. 37-38.
* The great harm that follows where one loses his faith. 39.
* Faith and Works.
1. Faith cannot fail. 40.
2. Faith and not works makes us pleasing to God. 41-43.
3. Faith is not idle, but ever active. 42.
4. The works of faith are spontaneous. 43.
III. How this Growth and Progress are Taught in the Example of the Samaritan.
A. In his returning to give thanks.
1. How it shows his great love. 44.
2. Why the other nine did not return with the Samaritan. 45f.
3. The barriers laid in the way of returning.
a. The first barrier. 45-40.
b. The second barrier. 50.
* Of the temptation of faith,
(1) The first form of
temptation. 51.
(2) The second form. 52.
(3) The third form. 53.
(4) How one should con- duct himself in these temptations. 54-55.
4. How his return shows the ex- cellent faith of the Samaritan. 56.
* What answer we are to give the Papists, when they say we must hear them, because the lepers were directed to the priests. 57-58. B. In his knowledge of the kindness
shown him and in the praise and
gratitude he offers to God.
1. Why the Evangelist ascribes to the Samaritan a knowledge of the help with the praise of it and denies it to the others. 59-61.
2. How this knowledge and praise teach what is the true divine worship. 62-63.
3. How this knowledge and praise compared with the re- turning of the Samaritan. 64f.
4. The nature of this knowledge and praise. 65-67.
* Of the hatred, which the Christians must suffer for the sake of Christ. 67-68.
* Of the praise of God. 69-71.
* The Christian life far sur- passes the natural life. 72.
5. Why the Evangelist in the narrative of this knowledge and praise adds the nature of the person in whom it is to be found. 7of.
* Of the two kinds of people God serves. 73-75.
6. Christ's conduct in the pres- ence of this knowledge and praise.
a. His conduct in itself. 76.
b. How Christ here comforts his own. 77.
c. How his conduct teaches us several good lessons. 78-80.
* Concerning faith, love and hope. 81-83.
SUMMARY OF THIS GOSPEL: 1. The Papists, contrary to God and the Scriptures, use this Gospel lesson to enforce the compulsory- confession of sin, just as if we were Jews and priests, descendants of the Levites. These lepers were not commanded that they should show their leprosy, but that they were cleansed and should do it according to the law. They were not cleansed by the priests, but in that they go to the priest according to the word and command
62 luther's church postil.
of Christ, they became cleansed. Therefore they were cleansed through the command of Christ while on the v/ay, and not by showing themselves to the priests; as Christ said to the one who returned and gave thanks. The others were not praised, but only the Samaritan who returned and ascribed all to the true priest. Consequently those, who wish to establish from this the Romish confession, show that they are blasphemers and perverters of the Word of God, who, since they have no argument in their favor, seek everywhere to maintain their tyranny with might and force. 2. Here you have a difference between those who are helped by the evangelical Word. Some acknowledge the grace, but some trust in the works of the law, and return not again to Christ; therefore outwardly they are considered clean and healthy.
I. THE PORTRAYAL OF THE BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE OR CHARACTER.
1. St. Luke excels the other Evangelists in that he not only describes Christ's work and doctrine like they, but also observes the order of his journeys and circuits. His Gospel to the thirteenth chapter shows how Christ began at Caper- naum to preach and do wonders, whither he moved from Nazareth and where he made his home, so that Capernaum is called his city in the Gospel. From there he went out every^vhere, into cities and villages, preaching and work- ing miracles. After he had accomplished all his work and had preached over the whole country, he prepared to go up to Jerusalem. This journey to Jerusalem he describes from the end of the ninth chapter to the close of his Gospel, how Christ during this journey preached and worked mira- cles. For this is Christ's last journey, and was finished in his last year at the close of his life. This is what he means here when he says: "And it came to pass, as they were on the way to Jerusalem, that he was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee." That is to say, this miracle he performed during his last journey to Jerusalem.
2. Now this was not the direct road from Capernaum to Jerusalem. For Galilee is north of Jerusalem, and Samaria is south of Galilee, and Capernaum is in Galilee. The Evangelist with special pains desires to show that he did not journey on the usual road, as he mentions Samaria and Galilee, and adds that he went through between them, and
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 63
not across their borders the nearest way. Christ journeyed from Capernaum eastward to the Jordan and southward from Galilee to Jerusalem, which was a tiresome, far and circuitous route, in doing which he took his own leisure and time. For he did not journey thus for his own sake, but in order to preach as much as possible and be of service to many. Therefore he journeyed on the borders of these lands to appear publicly, that people might come to him from all sides to hear him and obtain his help. For he was sent to offer his services to every one, that all might freely enjoy his favor and grace. Thus the Evangelist now describes the miracle and says:
^'And as he entered into a certain village^ there met him ten men that were lepers, icho stood afar off; and they lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.^^
3. One might ask the Evangelist how these lepers could stand afar off and lift up their voices, as lepers could not as a rule speak loud, and therefore they had to make a noise by rattling or clapping something? Of course he would answer they did not stand a mile away, only that they were not as near to him as those following him ; and that all lepers are not so entirely voiceless that they cannot be heard even at a distance. However, the Evangelist, according to the custom of Holy Writ, desires hereby to indicate the great earnestness of their desire, that the voice of their heart was great that compelled them to cry out bodily as loud as they could.
4. This entire Gospel, however, is a plain, simple history or transaction, which requires little explanation. Yet as plain as it is, great is the example it presents to us. In the leper it teaches us faith, in Christ it teaches us love. Now, as I have often said, faith and love constitute the whole character of the Christian. Faith receives, love gives. Faith brings man to God, love brings man to his fellow. Through faith he permits God to do him good, through love he does good to his brother man. For whoever believes has every thing from God, and is happy and rich. Therefore he needs henceforth nothing more, but all he lives and does,
64 luther's church postil.
he orders for the good and benefit of his neighbor, and through love he does to his neighbor as God did to him through faith. Thus he reaps good from above through faith, and gives good below through love. Against this kind of life workrighteous persons with their merits and good works terribly contend for they do works only to serve themselves, they live only unto themselves, and do good without faith. These two principles, faith and love, we will now consider as they appear in the lepers and in Christ.
5. In the first place it is a characteristic of faith to pre- sume to trust God's grace, and it forms a bright vision and refuge in God, doubting nothing it thinks God will have regard for his faith, and not forsake it. For where there is no such vision and confidence, there is no true faith, and there is also no true prayer nor any seeking after God. But where it exists it makes man bold and anxious freely to bring his troubles unto God, and earnestly to pray for help.
6. Therefore it is not enough for you to believe there is a God, and pray manj^ words as the wretched custom now is. But observe here in the leper how faith is constituted, how without any teacher at all it teaches us how our prayers may be truly fruitful. You here observe how they had a good opinion of and a comforting assurance in Christ, and firmly thought he would be gracious to them. This thought made them bold and anxious to bring their troubles to him, and to cry for help with great earnestness and a loud voice. For if they had not previously possessed this fancy and expectation, they would undoubtedly have remained at home, or would not have gone forth to meet him, nor would they with raised voices have cried to him, but their doubt would have advised them thus: What shall we do? Who knows whether he would like to have us ask him ? Perhaps he will not notice us!
7. O such wavering and doubt offer sluggish prayers, it does not raise the voice nor go forward to meet Christ ! It indeed murmurs many words and chants many songs very unwillingly. But it does not pray, and only desires first to be sure it will be heard, which is nothing else than to tempt
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 65
God. But true faith does not doubt the good and gracious will of God. Wherefore its prayer is strong and firm like faith itself. St. Luke does not relate three things of them in vain ; first, that they went to meet him ; second, they stood ; third, they lifted up their voices. By these three things their strong faith is commended and presented to us as an example.
8. The going forth to meet him is the boldness excited by comforting assurance. The standing is the firmness and sincerity against doubt. The lifting up the voice is the great earnestness in prayer, growing out of such confidence. But pow^erless doubt does not go forth, nor stand, nor call, but turns and twists and hangs the head, grasps it in the hands, opens the mouth wide and stammers, forth perpetually: Who knows? Who knows! If it were certain? How if it would fail? and similar faint-hearted expressions. For it has no favorable conception or thought of God, expects nothing of him, and hence will receive nothing, as James says, 1, 6-7: ''But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting; for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." Afterwards they come like the foolish virgins who spilt their oil, with their empty lamps, that is with their works, and think God should hear them knock and open to them. But he will not.
9. Behold this good inclination or comforting trust, or free presumption toward God, or whatever you may call it, in the Scriptures is called Christian faith and a good conscience, which man must have if he desires to be saved. But it is not obtained by human works and precepts, as we shall see in this example, and without such a heart no work is good. Therefore be on your guard, there are many lecturers who want to teach faith and conscience, and know less about them than a common blockhead. They think it is a sleepy, lazy thing in the soul, that it is enough for the heart to believe that God is God. But here you observe what a thoroughly living and powerful thing faith is. It creates wholly a neW' heart, a new man, who expects all grace from
66 Luther's church postil.
God. Therefore it urges to walk, to stand, makes bold to cry and pray in every time of trouble.
10. The second characteristic of faith is that it does not desire to know, nor first to be assured whether it is worthy of grace and will be heard, like the doubters, who grasp after God and tempt him. Just as a blind man runs against a wall, so they also plunge against God, and would first gladly feel and be assured that he can not escape out of their hands. The Epistle to the Hebrews says, 11, 1: ''Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen." This clearly means faith holds fast to what it does not see, feel or experience, either in body or soul, but as it has firm trust in God it commits itself to and relies upon it without any doubt but its hope will be realized. Thus it will also certainly be realized, and the feeling and experi- ence will come to it unsought and unsolicited, even in and through such hope or faith.
11. For Id! me, who had given these lepers a letter and seal that Christ Avould hear them? Where is there any ex- perince and feeling of his grace? Where is the information, knowledge or certainty of his goodness? Nothing of the kind is here. What then is here? A free resignation and joyful venture on his imperceptible, untried and unknown goodness. Here there is no trace in which they might dis- cover what he would do, but his mere goodness alone is kept in view, which fills them with such courage and venture to believe he would not forsake them. Whence, however, did they receive such knowledge of his goodness, for they must have known of it before, be they ever so inexperienced and insensible of it? Without doubt from the good reports and words they had heard about him, which they had never yet experienced. For God's goodness must be proclaimed through his Word, and thus we must build upon it untried and inexperienced, as will hereafter appear.
12. The third characteristic of faith is, that it allows of no merit, will not purchase the grace of God with works, like the doubters and hypocrites do, but brings with it pure unworthiness, clings to ^nd depends wholly on the mere
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 67
unmerited favor of God, for faith will not tolerate works and merit in its company, so entirely does it surrender, venture and raise itself into the goodness for which it hopes, that for its sake it cannot consider either good works or merit. Yea, it sees that this goodness is so great, that all good works compared with it are nothing but sin. There- fore it finds only unworthiness in self, that it is more worthy of wrath than of grace ; and it does this without any dissimulation, for he sees how in reality and in truth it cannot be otherwise
13. These lepers here prove this clearly, who hope for the grace of Christ without the least merit. What good had they ever done to him before? They had never seen him, how then could they have served him? Besides they were lepers, whom he could justly have avoided according to the law, Levit. 13, and kept himself free from them as was just and right. For in reality and truth there was unworthiness, and reason why he should have nothing to do with them nor they with him. For this cause they also stand far off, like those who well knew their unworthiness. Thus faith also stands far from God, and yet it goes to meet him and cries out, for it knows itself in the reality of truth to be unworthy of his goodness, and has nothing on which to depend, except his highly renowned and loudly praised goodness. And such a soul also seeks Christ's favor, while it stands far off and is empty; for it cannot in the least tolerate in its company our merit and work, and comes freely like Christ into this village to the lepers, in order that its praise may be free and pure.
14. Observe how everything agrees perfectly that God's love gives its favor freely, does not take nor seek anything for it, and how faith also receives quite freely and pays noth- ing for it, and thus the rich and the poor meet together, as the Psalms say. To this their words also testify when they say: Have mercy on us! He who seeks mercy of course neither buys nor sells anything, but seeks pure grace and mercy, as one unworthy of it, and evidently having greatly deserved the contrary.
68 Luther's CHurwCH postil.
15. Behold, here is a good, real, living and true example of Christian faith, that sufficiently teaches us how we must be disposed if we would find grace, piety and salvation. Now, in addition to this doctrine follows the incentive or inducement to faith, that we should gladly believe as we are at present taught to believe. This incentive, however, con- sists in that we observe how such faith never fails, that as it believes so it comes to pass, and that it is certainly heard and answered.
For Luke describes how graciously and willingly Christ beheld and heard the lepers, and says :
^'^ And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and show yourselves unto the priests.'^
16. How very friendly and lovingly the Lord invites all hearts to himself in this example, and stirs them to believe in him ! For there is no doubt that he desires to do for all what he here does for these lepers, if we only freely surren- der ourselves to him for all his favor and grace. Just as true faith and a Christian heart should do and delight to do ; so these lepers also do and teach us to do. For how earnest- ly the Lord desires that we should joyfully and freely ven- ture to build on his favor before we experience or feel it, he has here sufficiently testified that he hears them willingly, without any hesitation, that he does not first say he will do it, but as though it were already done, he did as they W3shed. For he does not say: Yes, I will have mercy on you, ye shall be cleansed ; but merely : ''Go and show your- selves unto the priests." As though he would say: There is no use of asking, your faith has already acquired and obtained it, before you began to ask; you were already cleansed in my sight when you began to expect such things of me ; it is no longer necessary, only go and show your purity to the priests ; as I consider you and as you believe, so you are and shall be. For he would not have sent them to the priests, if he had not considered them clean, and so wished to deal thus with them, as those who had become cleansed.
17. Behold, so powerful is faith, to obtain all it wants of
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 69
f
God, that God considers it done before the asking. Of this Isaiah sa^'s, 65, 24: ''And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I v/ill hear." Not as though faith or we were worthy of it, but in order that he might show his unspeakable goodness and willing grace, thereby to stir us to believe in him, and comfortingly look to him for every good thing, with joyful and unwavering consciences, which do not stumble after him nor tempt him. So noAV you also see that Christ hears these lepers before they call, and before they cry out he is prepared to do all their hearts desire. **Go," he says, I will not add a word, for it has succeeded in your case farther, no promise or consent is necessary; take what you ask and go. Are not these strong incentives that make the heart joyful and eager? Behold, then his grace permits itself to be felt and grasped, yea it grasps and satisfies us. This has been said on the first part, namely, faith.
18. Now we must also examine the other part of this ex- ample of the nature of Christianity, love. The lepers have instructed us how to believe ; Christ teaches us to love. Love i does to our neighbor as it sees Christ has done to us, as he says in John 13, 15: "For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you." And imme- diately afterwards he says in verse 34: "A new command- ment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. ' ' What else does this mean than to say : Through me in faith you now have everything that I am and have ; I am your own, you are now rich and satisfied through me ; for all I do and love I do and love not for my but only for your sake, and I only think how to be useful and helpful to you, and accomplish whatever you need and should have. Therefore consider this example, to do to each other as I have done to you, and only consider how to be useful to your neighbor, and do what is useful and necessary for him. Your faith has enough in my love and grace; so your love shall also give enough to others.
70 LUTHER'S CHURCH POSTIL.
19. Behold, this is a Christian life, and in brief it does not need much doctrine nor many books, it is wholly con- tained in faith and love. Thus also says St. Paul, Gal. 6, 2 : "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the Law of Christ.'' And to the Phil. 2, 4 he says: "Not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others." And there he gives us Christ as an example, V. 6: "Who existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped." Who, although he was true God, yet became our servant and served us, and died a scandalous death for us. This Chris- tian, free and joyful life has the evil spirit as its enemy, who with nothing else does such great injury as with the doc- trines of men, as we shall hear. For truly the manner of a Christian's life is briefly marked out in the words, have a good heart toward God and a good will toward your fellow man, here it consists entirely within us.
20. His good heart and faith naturally teach him how to pray. Yea, what is such faith, but pure prayer? It contin- ually looks for divine grace, and if it looks for it, it also de- sires it with all the heart. And this desire is really the true prayer, that Christ teaches and God requires, which also ob- tains and accomplishes all things. And because it does not trust or seek comfort in self, its works or worthiness, but builds upon God's pure grace,theref ore whatever he believes, desires, hopes and prays, also comes to pass ; so that the holy Prophet Zechariah justly calls the Spirit a Spirit of grace and of prayer, where God says, Zech. 12, 10: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication." Because faith recognizes and desires God's favor without any inter- mission.
21. Again, love naturally teaches him how to do good works. For they alone are good works which serve your neighbor and are good. Yea, what is such love but only good deeds continually shown toward your neighbor, so that our work is called love, our faith is called prayer? Thus Christ speaks in John 15, 12-13: "This is my command-
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 71
ment, tliat ye love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." As though he would say: So com- pletely have I done all my works for your benefit, that I also gave my life for you, which is the greatest of all love, that is, the greatest work of love. If I had known a greater love, I would have manifested it to and for you. Therefore you should also love each other, and do all good deeds to one another. I require no more of you. I do not say you are to build for me churches, make pilgrimages, fast, sing, be- come monks or priests, or that you are to enter into this order or rank ; but you do my will and service when you do good to each other, and no one cares for himself but for others, on this all entirely depends.
22. And these he calls "friends." By this he does not mean that we should not love our enemies. For he says clearly: ''Who lays down his life for his friends." ''His friends" are more than mere "friends." It may come to pass that you are my friend, and yet I am not your friend, or I may love you and receive you as a friend and offer you my friendship, and yet you may hate me and remain my enemy. Just as Christ says to Judas in the garden : "Friend, do that for which thou art come." ^lat. 27, 50. Judas was his friend, but Christ was Judas' enemy, for Judas con- sidered him his enemy and hated him. Christ loved Judas and esteemed him as his friend. It must be a free, perfect love and kindness toAvard every one.
23. See, this is what James means when he says, 2, 26: "Faith apart from works is dead." For as the body with- out the soul is dead, so is faith without works. Not that faith is in man and does not work, which is impossible. For faith is a living, active thing. But in order that men may not deceive themselves and think they have faith when they have not, they are to examine their works, whether they also love their neighbors and do good to them. If they do this, it is a sign that they have the true faith. If they do not do this, they only have the sound of faith, and it is with them as the one who sees himself in the glass and when he
72 Luther's church postil.
leaves it and sees himself no more, but sees other things, forgets the face in the glass, as James says in his first chapter, verses 23-24.
[This passage in James deceivers and blind masters have spun out so far, that they have demolished faith and estab- lished only works, as though righteousness and salvation did not rest on faith, but on our works. To this great dark- ness they afterwards added still more, and taught only good works which are no benefit to your neighbor, as fasting, repeating many prayers, observing festival days ; not to eat meat, butter, eggs and milk; to build churches, cloisters, chapels, altars; to institute masses, vigils, hours; to wear gray, white and black clothes ; to be spiritual ; and innumera- ble things of the same kind, from which no man has any bene- fit or enjoyment; all which God condemns, and that justly. But St. James means that a Christian life is nothing but faith and love. Love is only being kind and useful to all men, to friends and enemies. And where faith is right, it also cer- tainly loves, and does to another in love as Christ did to him in faith. Thus everyone should beware lest he has in his heart a dream and fancy instead of faith, and thus de- ceives himself. This he will not learn anywhere as well as in doing the works of love. As Christ also gives the same sign and says: **By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13, 35. Therefore St. James means to say: Beware, if your life is not in the service of others, and you live for yourself, and care nothing for your neighbor, then your faith is certainly nothing; for it does not do what Christ has done for him. Yea, he does not believe that Christ has done good to him, or he would not omit to do good to his neighbor.
This St. Paul also requires, 1 Cor. 13, 2: '^f I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." This explains the whole matter, not that faith is insufficient to make us pious, but that a Christian life must embrace and never separate these two, faith and love. But the presumptuous undertake to separate them, they want only to believe and not to love, they despise their neighbor,
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 73
and yet pretend to have Christ. This is false and must fail. Thus we say, too, that faith is everything and it saves us. that a man needs no more for his salvation. Yet he is on this < account not idle, but labors much, all however for the benefit '- of his neighbor, and not for himself ; for he does not need it, he has enough in Christ. If, however, he does not do this, he ib certainly not right. And this his work is his love. But the blind guides want to teach that works are necessary, that the worker needs them for his salvation. This is the chief perversion, the error of all errors, for by this they destroy both faith and love, the entire Christian nature and example. They take the work from the neighbor, and give it to the person himself doing it, as though he needed it. Here faith cannot live, for he knows that his work is not necessary and helpful for himself, but only for his neighbor. Thus they are opposed to each other; faith casts the works from itself on the neighbor through love ; but the blind teachers tear them from the neighbor, and apply them to their own persons, and thus choke and dampen both love and faith, and cause man only to love himself and to seek only his own salvation and trust in his own works. From this evil must follow dull consciences and much self-chosen work, building churches, much praying, the saints' fasting and the like, which are beneficial to no one, and all misery and misfortune must follow, as is at present evident in the cloisters, monasteries and high schools.]
24. Now let us observe the works of the love of Christ in this example of the ten lepers. But what is in Christ besides pure love? Everyone can easily find out for himself. First, why is it necessary for him to travel between Samaria and Galilee ? Or who paid him anything for doing this ? Or who requested him to do so ? Is it not manifest, that he does all this freely, willingly, without receiving anything for it, and comes of himself uninvited, that no one can say that he deserved such a visitation or acquired it by prayer. Thus Ave see here that he does nothing whatever for himself or for his own sake, but all for the sake of others, unrequested and altogether freely, out of mere grace and iove.
74 Luther's church postil.
25. In like manner, that he had just gone into this village, why did he need to do this? Who asked him to do so? Who paid him anything for it ? Is it not true that he came before any merit was possible, any prayer could be said; and offers his love and kindness freely and gratuitously, and seeks nothing of his own in it but only serves others thereby, so that he maght draw all hearts unto himself to believe in him? Behold, such virtue has love, that it does only good and lives for the benefit of others, seeks nothing with selfish motives, does all freely and gratuitously, and surprises everyone. Such life and work you must observe and direct your life accordingly^, if you would be a Christian, and banish all such works and power from your view that are not of this nature, even if they be so great as to remove mountains, like the Apostle says, 1 Cor. 13, 2.
26. Note in the second place how Christ does good without harm to others, yea, by preventing harm to others. For there are some who do good in a way that is harmful to others, as the proverb runs, they offer our lady a penny and steal her horse. So they who give alms from ill-gotten goods, as God says in Is. 61, 8: "For I,. Jehovah, love jus- tice, I hate robbery for burnt offering." Of this nature are nearly all monasteries and cloisters that devour the sweat and blood of the people, and then pay God with masses, vigils, rosaries, or monasteries and holidays, and at times they also give an aim. This is to love with the goods of others, and to serve God in prosperous days and in the full- ness of wealth with an all sufficiency. This disgraceful well- doing is indeed a far reaching plague. But here Christ does no one harm, but prevents injury rather, and directs the lepers to the priests, so that they may be deprived of none of their rights.
27. Thus he bestows his kind deeds upon the lepers, as though he went into this village for this purpose; he looks upon them graciously and v/illingly, and gladly helps them. Besides he thereby also prevents any disadvantage to the priests, although he is under no obligation to them. For as he cleansed the lepers in a supernatural manner without the
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 75
priests doing anything, he was indeed not obliged to direct them to them, and could say: Inasmuch as you have not per- formed your office toward these according to the law, there- fore you should also not have the emoluments of the office, which is just and right. But love does not look on what is right nor does it contend, it is present only to do good, and so it does even more than it is obliged to do, and goes beyond what is right.
Therefore St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 6, 1, that among Chris- tians there should be no lawsuits at court, because love does not seek or demand its rights, nor cares anything for them, but is bent only on doing good. Although he says at another place, 1 Cor. 13, 1 : "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal." Thus are truly the learned of our day, who teach much about rights, which is only unchristian and opposed to love. I do not speak of those who are forced to contend for their rights; for as right is preferred by some unchristian people, they must be present and defend the right so that nothing worse occurs. It is not Christian, to hang or to crush under the Avheel; but in order to restrain murderers, such things must also be done. It is not Christian to eat and drink, nevertheless man is compelled to do both. These are all necessary works, which do not concern the inner nature of Christianity. Therefore a person should not be satisfied in doing them, as though the doing of them made a Christian. The vfork in the married state is not distinct- ively Christian, yet it is necessary to avoid evil. Other ex- amples might be given.
28. Thirdly, Christ shows love is still greater, in that he exercises it where it is lost and receives ingratitude from the majority; ten lepers were cleansed and only one thanks him, on the nine his love is lost. If he would have made use of justice here instead of love, as men are accustomed to do and nature teaches, he would have made them all lepers again. But he lets them go and enjoy his love and kind deed, although they return to him enmity instead of thanks. Nor did he prevent the priests from enjoying their own, but
76 luther's church postil.
gave them their honor and rights, although without any need and obligation to do so. And the priests thank Christ by alienating from him the lepers, so that they believed Christ did not cleanse them, but their offering and obedience to the law did it. And thus they destroy the faith in the lepers, and cause Christ to be despised and hated by them, as though he had taken to himself an office that did not belong to him.
29. That the priests had examined these lepers one may readily believe, and this the text also suggests. Therefore they must have trumpeted into these lepers many wicked words against Christ, and highly praised the works and offer- ings of the law, so that they might root out of them their great and noble faith, and establish themselves in place of Christ in their heart. And the lepers accepted this, and re- garded Christ as the priests told them, so that they became his enemies, and ascribed their purification to God as ob- tained by virtue of their offerings and merit, and not by Christ and his pure grace. And while they were thus re- leased from bodily leprosy, they thereby fell into spiritual leprosy, which is a thousand times worse. But Christ per- mits both parties to go and enjoy his goodness, is silent about his rights, receives hatred and displeasure for praise and thanks; that we may hereby learn how we often pray, and that it were better for us if our prayers were not answered. It would have been better for these lepers if they had re- mained unclean than that by their bodily cleansing they should become diseased Avith a more dangerous spiritual leprosy.
30. Now study this example and incite your life that you may do your good works not only without harm to others, but also to their advantage, and not only to friends and the good, but consider that the greater portion will be lost, and that you will receive ingratitude and hatred as your reward. Then you will walk the right road in the footprints of Christ 3^our Lord. Until you have accomplished this, you should not regard yourself a true, perfect Christian, it matters not whether you wear ten hairy shirts and fast every day, or celebrate mass every day, and pray the psalter, make pil-
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 77
grimages, and establish cliiirches or yearly festivals. For Christ wishes to have such works done, if they are done in the right spirit. Behold, this is truly a Christian life.
[But now you see whither Christ's works tend. Therefore attend to this with all diligence, and view your own life aright. If you find a work of yours, which you need or think you need for your salvation, stamp it under your feet, guard yourself as in the presence of all the devils, and never rest until you are delivered from such a spirit or work, and strive that your life may be useful and serviceable not to your, but only to your neighbor's need. Cursed be he who lives and works only for himself, for Christ did not wish to do his own will nor live for himself ! For your own works will certainly lead you away from love and faith. You have no other work that is necessary and useful for thy sal- vation than to believe, and daily to exercise yourself in this faith, and see to it that you continue steadfast in it, and not allow^ the priests to deprive you of it, as they did these nine lepers, for they have slick tongues and a beautiful color. Only let all other works go in one bundle, be they lost or well applied, let that not trouble you; you remain in the faith Christ gives you, here you have many times enough ; and in love, which gives you to your neighbor, you will have enough to do, for which you will find yourself many times deficient. For what you do in this is nothing, even if you should possess all the works of the saints. Hear what St. Paul says, 1 Cor. 13, 3: '*And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing." It is not enough to help the poor and torment yourself, you must love your enemy and cast your goods with yourself into the waste heap, and not choose one rather than another to whom to do good.
Here you might say: Alas, w^hat will now become of the spiritual orders, the priests, the monks and the nuns? Are they of service to no one, and do they perform only their own w^orks? Answer: Why do you ask about priests and monks? Has not Christ ordered you to follow him, and not priests and monks ? If their works are not done in the sense
78 LUTHER'S CHURCH POSTIL.
before mentioned, that one should serve the other and cling to faith, you are never to doubt that they are opposed to Christ, and are as the foolish virgins with their empty, dark lamps. For their sake another Christ will not come. Of this St. Peter prophesies, 2 Pet. 2, 1: ''There shall be false teachers among you, they will bring forth destructive sects," that is, spiritual orders and ranks, in which souls will only be condemned. And St. Paul, in 2 Thess. 2, 10-11 : ''Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in un- righteousness." In these words the spiritual orders and ranks are set forth, how they are constituted and whence they come. For they pretend to be something extraordi- nary and better than other callings and stations in the Chris- tian life, while they are farther from the Christian life than any other calling or any other people on earth, and need more to bring them to the true Christian life. Some of these callings and their governments are well ordered, for there are wife and child and subject, who exercise and give occa- sion for love, and likewise insist that you must not live or work for yourself, but are compelled to work only for the good of others. If you only know the faith and really live according to it, you then have no work of your own and you will have so much to do that you will be obliged to forget your own work. For in that you fast, labor, eat, drink, sleep, take a wife, in short do everything for the needs of your body and estate, is all done that you may live here and support the body in order that you may serve others. Behold, this is truly a Christian life. Therefore St. Paul says, in Rom. 13, 8 : "Owe no man anything, save to love one another," and in love to serve each other. From this you may know why all the world is full of spiritual orders, that is, dens of hell and murder, but no one knows any longer what a Christian life is, not to mention that one should find an example of it. This is all the fault of the Pope and his cursed law, which
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 79
has given us God's wrath, for our masters, as St. Peter and St. Paul have declared.]
This is enough on the first part of our Gospel, let us now examine its second part. The Evangelist says:
II. A PICTURE OF THE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER IX ITS DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH.
^^And it came to pass, as theij icent, they icere cleansed J^
31. Thus far we have learned how faith works, its nature, whence it comes, what its beginning is, what it brings, and how acceptable it is before God. All this is said of the be- ginning of a Christian life. But it is not enough to begin, Vv^e must increase and continue steadfast, for Christ says, ]Mat. 24, 13: ''But he that endureth to the end shall be saved." And Luke 9, 62: "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Therefore this second part treats of the increase and per- fection of faith.
32. The faith or confidence of the heart in God is a very^. tender and sensitive thing indeed, and it may very easily be injured, so that it begins to tremble and despair, vrhen it is \ scarcely yet exercised and established. And thus it has countless attacks and dangers from sin, from nature, from reason and self-conceit, from human doctrine, from the ex- amples of the saints and from devils. In short, it is attacked without intermission from all sides, in front and in the rear, so that it trembles and despairs, or falls to trusting in good works. Hence St. Peter truly says, 1 Pet. 4, 18: ''The righteous is scarcely saved." And the Prophet Zechariah compares the righteous to a brand plucked from the fire, that he may not be entirely consumed ; and Amos the Prophet to
a sheep's ear that the shepherd delivered from the jaws of the wolf. So malignantly temptations rage about a believ- ing heart.
Therefore St. Paul says to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 10, 12 : ^'Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." And in all places he teaches hovv^ we should walk
80 luther's church postil.
with watchfulness and fear, and always take good care of our faith, for, as he says in 2 Cor. 4, 7 : ' ' We have this treas- ure in earthen vessels," which are very easily broken if God does not preserve us.
33. Therefore we should not be secure but stand in the fear of God and pray with Jeremiah, 17, 17, that God might protect our faith, and not permit us to tremble or be fright- ened in the presence of our faith. This Gospel also sufficiently shows this danger by a terrible example, that among these ten lepers who believed, nine fell away, and in the end only one stands and continues steadfast. It is here as with a beau- tiful tree in full bloom, that we think cannot bear all its fruit ; but later so many blossoms are destroyed by storms, the fruit becomes wormeaten and falls, that scarcely one- tenth of it ripens. So there are many who receive the Word and begin to believe; but as the Lord says. Mat. 13, 10-21, the soil IS stony and not deep enough, or faith stands among thorns and thistles; that is, by reason of temptations and en- ticements they fall and continue not steadfast. For as soon as things go wrong with them and God afflicts them, they forget his goodness and see only his anger. Hence faith vanishes, and there remains a wavering, discouraged and frightened conscience, that flees from God, not to mention that it should go to meet him, as indeed it did at first.
34.* Thus we see here that the lepers began to believe, and expected help from Christ, who then further awakens their faith and tries it, does not immediately make them well, but speaks a word to them, to show themselves to the priests. If there had been no faith in them their reason and natural fancy would have spoken thus and immediately murmured : What is this? we expected great kindness from him, and heartily believed in him, that he would help us; but now he does not touch us, as is his custom, and as he did to others, but only looks at us and passes on. Perhaps he despises us, besides he neither promises nor denies whether he will cleanse us or not, but leaves us in doubt, and says no more than that we should show ourselves to the priests. Why
* § 34 to § 39 is found in Edition c and pamphlets.
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 81
should we show ourselves to them, they already know we are lepers ?
We see that nature would thus become angry and luke- warm against him, because he does not immediately do her bidding, and he does not with certainty tell what he will do. But here is faith, that strengthens itself and only increases through such temptation, and cares naught how unkind or uncertain the actions and words of Christ sound, but clings fast to his goodness, and does not permit itself to be fright- ened away. And of a truth, there was in them a strong, rich faith, that upon his word they promptly went forth ; for had they doubted they certainly would not have gone, and yet they had here no clear promise.
35. And this is the method God employs with us all to strengthen and prove our faith, and he treats us so that we know not what he will do with us. This he does for the reason, that man is to commend himself to him and rely on his mere goodness, and not doubt that he will give what we desire or something better. So also these lepers thought : Very well, we will go as he commands, and although he does not tell us whether he will cleanse us or not, this shall not influence us to esteem him any the less than before. Yea, we will only esteem him so much the more and higher, and joyfully wait, if he will not cleanse us, he will do still better for us than if we were cleansed, and we will not on that account despair of mercy and favor. Behold, this is the true increase of faith.
36. Such trials continue as long as we live, therefore we must also continue to grow just as long. For when he tries us in one instance in which he makes us uncertain how he will treat us, he afterwards always takes another and con- tinually enlarges our faith and confidence, if we only re- main unmovably steadfast.
Behold, this is what St. Peter calls growth in Christ when he says, 1 Pet. 2, 2: ''As newhorn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation. ' ' Again in the latter part of 2 Peter, verse 18: **But grow in the grace and knowledge of our
82 Luther's church postil.
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." And St. Paul in all places desires we should increase, continue and become rich in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. This is nothing else than in this manner to become strong in faith, when God con- ceals his kindness and appears as Christ does here to the lepers, so that we do not know what to expect of him. For faith must be (argumentum non apparentium) an argument not an appearance, and be certain and not doubt in the things that are concealed and are not experienced. Heb. 11, 1.
ijt 37. Therefore observe that when God appears to be farth- :est away he is nearest. This word of Christ reads as though we cannot know what he will do, he does not refuse nor promise anything, so that the lepers, who previously cer- tainly relied on his kindness for all things, might have be- come offended at it, and begun to doubt, and taken quite a different sense of it than Christ meant. Christ speaks it out of an overflowing kindness that he thinks it unnecessary to tell them that they have already obtained what they want. But as the sense was not clear to them they might have thought he was entirely of a different opinion, and farther from them than before.
38. Thus are all his superabundant kindnesses, works and words, that we may think that he was previously more kind and gracious than afterwards, when he first had anything to do with us.
Thus it also happened to the people of Israel in the desert, they thought God did not bring them out of Egypt, upon whom nevertheless they called and they knew while in Egypt that he would help them. But all this is done that we may not remain in weakness when we first begin to believe, but grow and ever increase until we be able to take the strong nourishment and become satisfied and full of the Spirit, that we may not only despise and triumph over riches, honor and friends, but also over death and hell.
39. Hence it is with the faithless and unbelieving as with unfortunate mine workers, who begin to prospect with great confidence, and dig extensively. But when they are
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 83
about to strike the treasure, which would have taken but a little more labor, they give up, and look at what they did as in vain, and think, there is nothing in it. Then comes another worthy of the task, who had never yet made a be- ginning, but he strikes away boldly and finds what the former hunted and dug for him. Thus it is also with the grace of God; he who begins to believe and will not con- tinually grow and increase, from him grace will be taken and given to another who begins with it ; if he, too, will not con- tinue it will be taken also from him and given to another. It only wants to be believed. And here our high schools speak wholly blind, mad, and poisonous things about faith, when they teach that the beginning of faith is enough for salvation, and is only a small degree or step from it.
40. So these words of the text, ^'And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed," would say : It is impossible for faith to fail, it must take place as it believes. For if these lepers had not believed and remained steadfast, of course they would not have gone. Therefore, not for the sake of their going, but on account of their faith they be- came cleansed, because of which they also went.
41. All this I say in order that some blind teacher may not come to this text and stick his eyes into good works without seeing the faith ; and afterwards pretend that works make us acceptable and save us, because these lepers went forth and thus became cleansed. This error must be op- posed, that one may rightly see the faith of these lepers, and thus it will appear that their work of going did not obtain the cleansing, but faith did. [So also the Lord opposes the same error in that he cleanses them before they accomplish the work assigned them. For he did not only command them to go, but to show themselves to the priests. Now they evidently became cleansed before they arrived at the priests and before they had finished the work. If they had first be- come cleansed after they had arrived and brought the offer- ing, the priests might have had ground for the prtense that they were cleansed by their offering and works, as they even did, and misled the poor people.]
84 LUTHEFi'S CHURCH FOoTIL.
42. Now I have often said that works are twofold; some before and without faith, others come out of and after faith. For as little as nature without faith can be idle and inactive, so much less also can faith be idle. And as nature's works do not precede or make nature, but nature must first be present and do the works out of and by virtue of herself ; so also the works of faith do not make faith, but they follow and spring from faith. So there must be works, but they have no merit nor saving power, but all salvation and merit must first be present in faith.
43. This is also the reason that the works of faith are free and spontaneous, and not premeditated. For these lepers were also free, and if Christ had commanded them to do something else, they would have done it. And if they had been asked whether they went in order to be cleansed, they would have replied, no. This must have been so, if the cleansing took place because of their works. Just as if you should ask the hypocrites whether they work in order to be saved, they would say : Yes, and without works they would not want to be saved. [But these lepers would not speak thus, they hope he will cleanse them out of pure kindness, without considering their work of going, which they do only because he wills it to satisfy the law, although unnecessary. For all lepers might also go to the priests, and yet they would not on that account be cleansed, which nevertheless must be, if the work were necessary and useful for the cleansing. Just as the workrighteous persons think, that he who works will be saved; so it must also be here, he who goes will be cleansed. But now as the cleansing takes place only because of the presence of faith, so salvation comes also on account of faith alone.] But as the lepers must go not for their own sakes, but for the sake of the priests, that they might be satisfied, although they were not obliged to go to them ; so all believers must work, not for their own sake, but for the sake of others, to serve them. Although they owe them nothing, but freely do good as Christ has done to them, about which enough has been said above in the first part.
There follows further in the text;
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 85
^'And one of them, ichen he saiv that he was healed, turned back, tcith a loud voice glorifying God.^^
44. The returning of one must have taken place after he and the others had shown themselves to the priests. But the Evangelist is silent as to how they came to the priests and what took place there. However, from the return and thankfulness of this one, he gives us to understand how it went. He without doubt very unwillingly returned alone, for as with all his heart he thanks Christ and is kind to him, the conclusion is clear how he persevered, admonished, urged, prayed and did his utmost for the others that they should go with him and acknowledge the great kindness; and no doubt it grieved him that he could not prevail upon the nine and had to leave them with tears and grief. All these and similar things force us to think of the love he had for Christ, that leaves nothing unattempted, fears no one, regards no one, if they only worthily honor and praise Christ.
45. What kind of a tempest visited the nine, that they so firmly separated from the one; as we have heard they all made a good beginning and grew in the faith of Christ? Of their own accord they would not have fallen so completely ; some one must have first overthrown their faith, so that the honor which they previously gave Christ so freely and hon- estly, they now divert from him and rob him of this honor, and turn their friendship into enmity. Nor was it a weak falling away, that so severely offends and opposes the one leper with all his admonitions and regrets. Behold, the priests did this, they could not bear that the honor be given to Christ; hence they no doubt preached a strong sermon against him to root out their faith.
46. But what might they have said to them? Because they fought against Christ and the faith it is easy to think what they said and did, namely, what is contrary to faith ; that is, they heralded into these poor lepers that they should not believe that Christ cleansed them, but should thank God, who had regard to their offering and the prayers of the priests, and heard them, and on this account cleansed them ; and whatever else they said to draw away the hearts of the
Sß Luther's church postil.
lepers. But the one leper did not permit himself to be drawn from Christ; he remained steadfast and overcame all the assaults of faith.
47.* Therefore with two strong assaults their hearts were changed. First, to cleanse one from leprosy is impossible for a creature, and it is certainly only the work of God, there- fore it cannot be in any way attributed to Christ, whom they saw and regarded as a man and not as God; therefore they should beware by