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LIBRARY OF WELLES LEY COLLEGE
PURCHASED FROM LIBRARY FUNDS
&tantiatti tuition of Zatitt'e WLotlft
THE PRECIOUS AND SACRED WRITINGS OF
MARTIN LUTHER
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. X.
LUTHERANS IN ALL LANDS CO.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., U.S.A.
1905.
255921
\1ö3
LUTHER'S
CHURCH POSTIL
GOSPELS
ADVENT, CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY SERMONS.
TRANSLATED NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME INTO ENGLISH.
WITH INTRODUCTION, WALCH'S ANALYSES
AND BUGENHAGEN'S "SUMMARIES"
PROF. JOHN NICHOLAS LENKER, D.D.
AUTHOR OF "LUTHERANS IN ALL LANDS," TRANSLATOR OF
LUTHER'S WORKS INTO ENGLISH, AND PRESIDENT OF
THE NATIONAL LUTHERAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
VOL. L Second Thousand
LUTHERANS IN ALL LANDS CO.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., U.S.A. 1905.
Copyright, 1905, by Prof. J. N. LENKER, D. D.
DEDICATION.
To the Memory of BARTHOLOMEW ZIBGBNBALG, the orphan of Francke's Institute, Halle, Germany, the missionary Paul of modern times, zvho zvas the first to carry the Gospel, from Europe back to Asia, sailing from Copenhagen, Den- mark, Nov. 2p, i/oj, under commission of the Scandinavian King, Frederick IV, and landing at Tranquebar, India, July p, iyo6; and there baptised the first Protestant con- vert and erected the first Protestant church, and was the first to translate the Scriptures and Luther's Writings into the language of cultured heathenism ; and whose letters and reports were translated into English by Rev. Anton Wilhelm Boehme, the German Luther- an pastor in London, thus laying the foundation of the Heathen Mission Work in the English World, the 200th Anniversary of zuhose work the Protestant Church throughout the World 's nozv celebrating; to Ziegenbalg, the mis- sionary Paul, zvho zvas also three times in Africa and plead for the sending of the first missionaries to the dark continent, and was the first returned Protestant missionary to visit Germany, Scandi- navia and England; this volume of Luther, the theological Paid, is, with the hope that Ziegenbalg and Luther may be honored together, not only by all Lutherans throughout the zvorld, but by Protestants of all Denomi- nations, most cheerfully, prayerfully and respect- fully, and in the name of Christ, our Saviour, DEDICATED.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
In sending forth this the first Enghsh translation of Lu- ther's Advent, Christmas and Epiphany sermons of his Church Postil on the Gospels, we gratefully record our hearty thanks to the following and all others who have so promptly and cheerfully extended their aid in trying to give to the English speaking world "a classic translation of the classics of Protest- antism" : To Rev. E. H. Caselmann, Secretary of the German Iowa Synod, for translating the sermon of the first Sunday in Advent ; to Prof. Carl Ackermann. Ph. D., Lima, Ohio, for the sermon of the second Sunday in Advent ; to Rev. E. Gerfen, Gibsonburg, Ohio, for the sermon of the third Sunday in Advent ; to Prof. Hans Juergensen, of the German Depart- ment of the University of Minnesota, for the sermon of the fourth Sunday in Advent; to Rev. Geo. H. Trabert, D. D., Minneapolis, for the sermon of the first Christmas Day; to Rev. John Sander, late professor of German in Gustavus Adol- phus College, St. Peter, Minn., for the sermon of the third Christmas Day; to Rev. B. Lederer, Chicago, for the sermon of the Sunday after Christmas ; and to A. G. Voigt, D. D., Pres. Theological Seminary, Mt. Pleasant, S. C, for the New Year's sermon. The following brethren translated the Epiphany ser- mon or treatise: Rev. E. Gerfen, §§ 1-79; Rev. E. H. Casel- mann, §§ 80-112; Rev. S. Schillinger, West Alexandria, Ohio, §§ 113-225, and Prof. W. A. Sadtler, Ph. D., Wartburg Semi- nary, Dubuque, Iowa, §§ 226-334.
Minneapolis, ^Minnesota, December 21, 1905.
J. N. LENKER.
DEDICATION TO FREDERICK, THE ELECTOR,
Before the Postil, or the interpretation of the Epistles and Gos- pels of the Advent Circle was issued in Latin in 1521, and immediately translated into German.
To the most illustrious Prince and Lord, Lord Frederick, Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke of Saxony, Landgrave of Thuringia, Marquis of Meissen, his most gra- cious Lord, Martinns Luther, Atigustinian, send grace and peace from Jesus Christ, our Lord.
I do not know, most illustrious, most gracious Lord, at whose door I should lay the fault that L having been hindered day after day through numerous circumstances, have not been able to comply with your wishes. Your Electoral Grace has counseled well that I should turn from the quarrelsome, sharp, and entangling writings, with which I have been engaged nigh unto three years, and that I should occupy myself with the holy and kindly doctrine, beside the work of the interpretation of the Psalter, labor in the interpretation of the Epistles and Gospels (which is called Postil) for the benefit of the ministers and their subjects: you having been of the opinion that I, burdened with such an amount of work, would the sooner attain peace also against the attacks of my enemies. So noble is, according to the peaceful name of Your Electoral Grace, the natural soul of Your Electoral Grace that you have often plainly told me how tiresome the quarrels and useless questions concerning the goat-wool are to Your Electoral Grace.
I myself do not wish to say how I have been affected by these storms and have been kept from my studies, so that I desired to give my flesh and blood free play, yes, have not abstained from answering these evil writings somewhat more
8 luthkr's church positl.
pointedly than is becoming to a clergyman. I hope, however, just as I confess my guilt, that I may not reap the displeasure of all those who think differently what fierce Lions of Moab, what Rabsake of Assyria, what evil, poisonous Simei I alone had to endure, to the detriment of myself and of many to whom I might have been of service in the Word of God. In such storms, however, I have always firmly hoped that I would attain peace so that I could comply with the wishes of Your Electoral Grace, through which the mercy of God has, without doubt, done much good to the Gospel of Christ.
But now when I see that my hope has been a very human thought and that, with every day, I sink deeper into the deep great sea, in which there are numberless creeping animals that help one another and are against me : then I also see that the devil with such vexations of my hope had nothing else in view but that I may finally abandon my purpose and would much sooner have to go to Babylon than to furnish my Jerusalem with armor's nourishment. This is his wickedness. In con- sideration of it I have thought of the holy Nehemiah, and, forsaking the useless visions of Ezra, the scribe, have begun not to hope for peace, have prepared for peace as well as war, have taken the sword into one hand, to fight my Arabs, and wished to build the wall with the other, in order that I while applying myself to one work only, may not fail in completing both faster. For St. Jerome also says that not to with.-tand the enemies is just as detrimental to the church, as if we would only build. And the Apostle commands that a bishop ought to be able not only to exhort the people in the sound doctrine but also to convict the gainsayers. I do not say that I think I am a bishop, for I have neither riches nor an island, which in these days constitute the office of bishop; but that he who adminsters the office of the Word of God ought also to be able to fulfil the duties of a bishop, who must be capable with both hands, as Ehud, and able to kill the strong Aeglon with the left hand.
Thus I have boldly stood in the midst of swords, bulls, trumpets, and horns, with which the Papists tried to terrify me, and have not been vexed thereby, but have, through the
luthe:r s works in engush. 9
grace of God, applied myself to the work of peace, and have begun the interpretation of the Epistles and Gospels which Your Grace desires. For what could I not do to him who strengthens me? When, indeed, I consider my own ability, I would not trust to complete even the Psalter, even if I were a Luther seven times; so much penetration, art, diligence, spirit, and grace this book demands. And I do not wish to mention the fact that I must preach twice every day besides all the other affairs aside from the preaching of the Gospel, of which I not even wish to think.
I fear, however, that this my work will not justify the great hopes, which others have of it. Because there is nothing holier in the hearts of all Christians than the Gospel, and that most justly: therefore perhaps many will expect a worthy and full interpretation. Thus a mountain finally bears a mouse and a big conflagration becomes a small fire. I do not speak of the fluencey and beauty of the Latin language; for, just as I am inexperienced in these things, so I have written not for those that are experienced, but for the common people and those that have the Spirit, that are highly esteemed before God, as Isaiah says, I fear their opinion, no matter how coarse they speak, and especially that of Your Grace, which not only is disposed to the Holy Scriptures and clings to them with incomparable earnestness, but is also able to test the ability of the most learned theologian to the utmost; not to speak at all of the fact that the Romanists will mock Your Electoral Grace with the deceit and lies of their bulls and catch you with the wicked laws of their false faith.
I hope, however, that I shall do enough, if I uncover the purest and simplest sense of the Gospel as well as I can, and if I answer some of those unskillful glosses, in order that the Christian people may hear, instead of fables and dreams, the Words of their God, unadulterated by human filth. For I promise nothing except the pure, unalloyed sense of the Gospel suitable for the low, humble people. But whether I am able to accomplish this, I shall let others judge. Empty opinions and foolish questions, which are of no value, no one can learn from use.
10 T uthkr's church postil.
Your Grace will kindly judge this my humble service not according to my worthinessbut according to your favor, and will long preserve itself, namely, the pious great Prince Frederick, in the grace of Christ, for our sake as well as for the sake of the Gospel of Christ.
Wittenberg, March 3, 1521.
LUTHER'S INTRODUCTION TO THE WINTER PART OF HIS CHURCH POSTIL.
Concerning the interpretation of the Bpistles and Gospels from
the first Sunday in Advent to Epiphany, to Lord Al-
hrecht, Duke of Mansfeld, of the year 1521.
Together with a short instruction on what we are to seek and
look for in the Gospels.
To the noble, illustrious Lord, Lord Albrecht, Duke of Mans-
feld. Lord of Schrappeln and Heiderungen, etc., my
gracious Lord. Martin Luther. . .
Grace and peace of God, Amen. When the holy King David intended to appoint the heir to his royal throne, he established the rule that of his children the youngest son alone was to possess the kingdom, in order that the kingdom of Israel would remain whole and unseparated; and that, if the family of the youngest son should become extinct, the next youngest son was to rule in his stead. Thus he made Solomon, liis youngest son, king before all the others and the kingdom remained under Solomon's family up to King Joash, in whose days the bloody queen Athaliah, with whose son, Ahaziah, Solomon's family became extinct, killed David's entire family so that no one remained but Joash, 2 Kings 11, who, being of the family of Nathan, Solomon's youngest brother, was marvel- ously saved by God, for Christ's sake, who, as was promised to David, was to come from his flesh and blood. Although this may seem contrary to the law of Moses, who gives to the oldest son the rule over his brothers and two parts of the in- heritance, still it was not contrary to it. For David's oldest son. Amnion, had alreadv been killed bv Absalom, and it was
Luther's works in kngush, 11
necessary to establish this rule, because he saw that his sons would quarrel as to who should inherit the kingdom ; and it was done especially for the sake of typifying Christ, who is the true Solomon and of all God's children the youngest and littlest, as he himself says, Math. 11, 11, that there has not risen a greater among them that are born of women than John the Baptist, but that he who is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he : and this "who is but little" is no one but Christ. No one has ever been so low and little as Christ ; and therefore he alone can say : "Learn from me, I am truly meek and lowly," which no saint could ever have said, and no one could ever have claimed for himself the mastery in lowliness and meekness. They all remain scholars under this master. Thus also, when St. Paul says to the Corinthians: ^'Follow me," he immediately adds the true master, and says : "Just as I have followed Christ," so that he does not picture himself as Paul but Christ in himself and himself in Christ. Therefore Christ also has been raised, and has been made a king before all of his brethren ; and we and all Christians are his brethren, as Ps. 45, 7 says: "Thy God hath anointed thee," that is, consecrated thee as king, "above thy fellows;" and therefore Solomon's type has been fulfilled in him, yes, has not only been fulfilled, but he has also been made an example that we are to find the fundamentals of the Gospel truths typified everywhere, which is that, when Christ says: "He that shall humble himself, shall be exalted;" again: "If any man would be first, he shall be last of all."
And the Gospel is nothing more than the story of the little son of God and of his humbling, as St. Paul says, 1 Cor. 2, 2 : ^'I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
I have mentioned all this, gracious lord, because it is> my purpose to inscribe this book to the sovereign of those people who are of my blood, and that it may not be deemed peculiar that I, contrary to the usage of the world, have not begun with the oldest but with the youngest lord of the family. For the nature of this book, in which the littlest and youngest has been pictured, demands that the introduction be like the
12 LUTHERS CHURCH POSTIL.
contents. And I do not only wish to talk of this doctrine of the Gospel with words of mouth, but also wish to write a book- let concerning it. For it is necessary for the lords in this world, who live continually in the prerogatives and respect of their high position, to think at times, according to the Gospel, that they are nothing before God, and that it is as necessary for them to think of this as it is for the others.
And, indeed, I ought to have shown myself as Your Grace's subject long before this. But still the Gospel is before me and says, without respect to the right and fancy of man : "The last are the first, and the first are the last." And then I did not wish to give those that are against me any occasion or reason to think that I amstriving after my own honor or that of my people ; since I have put stress upon the first doctrine of the Gospel, which does not suffer, that we exalt ourselves, but that we, as was said, lower and despise ourselves.
And as this introduction conforms in all points to the Gos- pel, so the writer is also a despised and cursed person. Through God's grace I am under the Pope's ban and have incurred his very greatest displeasure, and also the curses and hatred of his dear disciples, and I hope that it will be proper for me to speak in this despised, small, insignificant book of the Gospel of the littlest and most despised son of God and to abandon the high, great, long books of the king of Rome with his three- fold crown. And even if it were not proper; since all high schools, monasteries and cloisters cling to the threefold crown and neglect the youngest, smallest book, the Gospel : still need demands and urges that at least one man labors upon the book of the despised, crownless son of God, whether he will be suc- cessful or not.
It surely will not fail completely. Your Grace has seen the bull of Rome and the opinion of the Pharisees which un- doubtedly have been permitted through a special dispensation of God that the world may comprehend how mightily the truth can be put to shame and blind its enemies, even through the very works and words of these enemies. It has not been my wish that they should act so foolishly and put themselves to shame ; but still I gladly suffer it for the sake of the truth and because
LUTHKr's works IX ENGLISH. 13
of the proverb, which comes nigh unto the Gospel : The learned are the perverted. The Gospel will come to the front and will prove that the wise are fools, and the fools are the wise, and that those who are called heretics are Christians, and those that call themselves Christians, heretics.
I make mention of this, because I believe that Your Grace will have to suffer on my account, and that the highly learned and prudent disciples of the Pope will say that I am a disgrace to your land, that is, an insignificant, truly evangelical, despised Cinderella. For so diligently these holy people look for a reason to slander and revile, so that on my account the pious, innocent people of Sangerhausen have been put to shame, when it is as yet uncertain, whether Kunz Schmidt or the gray sparrow are the worse heretics or cats.
John Huss, Jerome of Prague, and many others in the Ger- man Empire have been burned, but to this very day the Gospel remains as before. It is commonly said of the Antichrist that he will burn the Christians in fire, and this prophecy must first be fulfilled. Therefore Your Grace will again think here of the Gospel when you see that everything goes wrong and con- trary to reason. What they call shame is honor, what they call honor is shame ; and those that burn are worthy to be burnt, and those that are burnt ought to be the judges; and judges they will be on the last day, for then will be made manifest what the prophet says, Ps. 18,26: "With the per- verse thou wilt show thyself froward ;" because they act con- trary to reason and judge unjustly, therefore will he justly judge them contrary to reason. And herewith I commend you and your entire land and all those that love the Gospel to the grace of God, who may save you from human teaching and keep you steadfastly in the divine doctrine in free Christian faith. Amen.
Everything else that I have wished to say in this introduction I have said in the following instruction, so that the letter may not become too long. Your Grace will kindly judge my eflForts not according to my worthiness but according to your favor.
Written in the desert, on the day of St. Elizabeth, A. D. 1521.
CONTENTS : ADVENT, CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY
SERMONS.
Pirst Sunday in Advent, Math. 21, 1-9 17
Christ Enters Jerusalem : or Faith ; Good Works ; and the Spiritual Meaning of This Gospel.
Second Sunday in Advent, Luke 21, 25-36 59
Christ's Second Coming: or the Signs of the Day of Judgment; and the Comfort Christians Have from Them.
Third Sunday in Advent, Math. 11, 2-10 87
John in Prison : or Christ's Answer to John's Ques- tion; His Praise of John; and the Application of This Gospel.
Fourth Sunday in Advent, John 1, 19-28 114
The Witness and Confession of John the Baptist ; and the Spiritual Meaning of His Witness.
Christmas. Luke 2, 1-14 134
The Story of the Birth of Jesus ; and the Angels' Song.
Second Christmas Day, Luke 2, 15-20 161
The Fruits and Signs of the Power of the Word of God.
Third Christmas Day, John 1, 1-14 171
Christ's Titles of Honor; His Coming; His Incarna- tion; and the Revelation of His Glory.
St. Stephen's Day, Math. 23, 34-39 224
The Christian Teaching Concerning Reason and Faith.
Day of St. John the Bvangelist, John 21, 19-24 239
Everyone Should Honor His Calling and Be Content in It.
Sunday After Christmas, Luke 2, 33-40 255
Simeon ; Anna ; and the Childhood of Jesus.
Neiv Year's Day, Luke 2, 21 308
The Circumcision and Naming of Jesus.
Epiphany, Math. 2, 1-12 319
The Story and Spiritual Meaning of This Gospel.
^IRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT, 17
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT.
This sermon is found in the Erlangen Edition, vol. lo, page i; in the Walch Edition ii, i; and in the St. Louis Edition ii, i.
Text : Math. 21, i-p. And when they drew nigh imto Jeru- salem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying unto them. Go into the village that is over against you, and straightzvay ye shalD und an ass tied, and a colt zvith her : loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any one say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightzvay he will send them. Now this is come to pass, that it might he fulfilled zvhich zvas spoken through the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh unto thee. Meek, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.. And the disciples went, and did even as Jesus appointed them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their garments; and he sat thereon. And the most part of the multitude spread their garments in the way; and others cut branches from the trees, and spread them in the zvay. And the midtitudes that zvent before him, and that follozved, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest,
CONTENTS: FAITH, GOOD WORKS AND THE SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION OF THIS GOSPEL.
I. CONCERNING FAITH. mor or warcry, but only
* In every Gospel lesson we are sing-ing], etc. 4.
to notice especialy two 4. By Christ's weeping over
thoughts: the works of Jerusalem. 5.
Christ as a gift to us and as 5. By quoting the prophets. 6.
an example for us. 1. II. How This Gospel in Particu-
I. How This Gospel in General li^^ v.^^^^,^ ^"*=^ Stirs Us by
Leads and Awakens Us in Zechariah, to Believe.
Five Ways to Believe. the Passages quoted from
1. By its pictures of Christ's ^' ^9^^^ '"'"'''^^' "^^^^ ^'''"
gracious advent. 2. o. By the words, "Daughter
2. By the pomp and actions of Zion." lOf.
of the disciples. 3. • Of faith.
3. By the fact there is no ar- a. Of the historic faith,
18
LUTHKK S CHURCH POSTII..
devils and the g-odless have.
1. The nature of this faith. 8. 2. How this faith avails
nothing-. 9. b. Of the true faith.
1. The nature of true faith. 10.
2. The work of true
faith. 11.
3. How this faith is con-
demned by the Pap- ists and the godless. 12.
4. This faith gives God true honor and praise. 13.
3. By the word, "Behold."
14-15.
* Of faith.
a. Faith is governed not by what it sees and feels, but by what it hears. 14.
b. The view of faith and its reflections are con- tradictory to reason and nature. 15.
4. By the words, "Thy King."
16f.
* Out of Christ man is sub- ject to many chafing tyran- nies, but in Christ he is free and safe. 16-18.
5. By the words, "He com-
eth." 19f.
* Of true piety.
a. It is not found in the free will of man to be pious, but God himself must work it. 20-22.
b. How it goes when God begins to make men pious. 23.
* There is no greater wrath than where God withholds his Gospel, and no greater grace than where he gives it. 24.
* No one can help him- self, God alone must help him. 25.
6. By the words, "Unto thee."
26-27.
* Believers have a twofold grace from Christ. 27.
7. By the word, "Meek." 28. III. An Appendix to This Part
Concerning Faith, in Which Some Objections Are An- swered.
A. The objections. 29.
B. The answers.
1. In general. 30.
2. In detail.
a. Of the first objection. 31-32.
b. Of the second obiection.
C. Of the third objection. 38.
33-37. II. CONCERNING GOOD WORKS. I. How the doctrine of good
works is connected with the doctrine of faith. 39.
II. How and why good works have no name. 40-41.
III. The world knows and un- derstands nothing about good works. 42.
IV. How and why good works are readily distinguished from the great, extensive, numerous and beautiful Avorks. 43-44.
V. What are truly good w^orks
and what are not. 45-48.
VI. What we are to answer the Papists when they wish to substitute their self-chosen works for good works. 49f.
VII. Good works are to be learn- ed from the example of Christ. 50-52.
VIII. A judgment upon the good works of the Papists. 53.
IX. Good works cannot help us in tlie face of sin, death and hell. 54.
X. What we are to answer the
Papists when they ascribe the merit of salvation to their good works. 55f.
* Wliere there is no love
ther is no faith. 55-56.
XI. Man should do good works but not trust in them. 57.
* The Lesson Story and the
Jews' False Notions Con- cerning the Messiah.
1. By what means God seeks
to remove their false notion. 58.
2. In what this false notion
consists. 58.
3. How all the prophets, but
especially Zechariah, have powerfully over- thrown this false no- tion. 59-61. III. THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THIS GOSPEL. The spiritual meaning,
1. Of the procession, or that Christ comes to Jerusalem. 62.
2. That Christ sends forth two of his disciples as he comes near to Jerusalem. 63.
3. That Christ comes unto Bcthphage. 64.
4. That Christ commissioned his disciples. 65.
5. Of the Mount of Olives. 66.
6. That Christ sends two dis- ciples. 67.
7. That Christ does not name the exact spot where he sends his disciples. 68.
S. That Christ calls Jerusalem
a village. 69-70. 9. That the disciples find the ass and colt without hunt- ing for them. 71-72. 10. That Christ had them to bring two, an old and a young ass. 73-76.
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. i<J
11. That Christ told them to 18. Of the garments and the loose them. <7. branches form the trees,
12. That Christ told his disci- they spread in the way be- ples to bring them to him. , fore Christ. 90.
78. How a truly Christian ser-
13. Of the owners of the ass gf " ^^^^^^^ ^^- «^tlined.
and colt and the relation 19. of the spreading of their
of the disciples to these garments in the way. 92
owners. (9-Sl. 20. Of cutting the branches
^^^:?''i^ ^vf.^h^rf'^ifilf.H^u^ *'^'^^^ the trees and spread-
Gospel, he has fulfilled it. jng them in the way. 93.
°'^' 21. That the branches named
14. That the disciples place Je- were palm and olive branch- sus upon the colt. 83-84. es. 94-97.
* Whether Christ rode upon * ^.H who are to be saved
the colt or its mother, or must be saved by Chris-
upon both. 84. tian faith. 97.
15. That Christ rides upon the 22. Of the multitudes that went the colt and its mother fol- before him and that fol- lows. 85-86. lowed. 97-98.
16. Of their garments the dis- 23. Of the Hosanna, that is then ciples placed under Christ. sung. 99-100.
87-88. * An opinion on the perver-
17. That the disciples place Je- sion and misuse of the sus upon them. 89. word Hosianna.
1. In the preface I said that there are two things to be noted and considered in the Gospel lessons : first, the works of Christ presented to us as a gift and blessing on which our faith is to cling and exercise itself; secondly, the same works offered as an example and model for us to imitate and follow. All the Gospel lessons thus throw light first on faith and then on good works. We will therefore consider this Gospel under three heads: speaking first of faith; secondly of good works, and thirdly of the lesson story and its hidden meaning.
I. CONCERNING FAITH.
2. This Gospel encourages and demands faith, for it pre- figures Christ coming with grace, whom none may receive or accept save he who believes him to be the man, and has the mind, as this Gospel portrays in Christ. Nothing but the mercy, tenderness and kindness of Christ are here shown, and he who so receives and believes on him is saved. He sits not upon a proud steed, an animal of w^ar, nor does he come in great pomp and power, but sitting upon an ass, an animal of peace fit only for burdens and labor and a help to man. He indi- cates by this that he comes not to frighten man, nor to drive or crush him, but to help him and to carry his burden for him. And although It was the custom of the country to ride on asses and to use horses for war, as the Scriptures often tell us, yet
20 luthkr's church tostil.
here the object is to show that the entrance of this king shall be meek and lowly.
Again it also shows the pomp and conduct of the disciples towards Christ who bring the colt to Christ, set him thereon, and spread their garments in the way; also that of the multi- tude who also spread their garments in the way and cut branches from the trees. They manifested no fear nor terror, but only blessed confidence in him as one for whom they dared to do such things and who would take it kindly and readily consent to it.
3. Again, he begins his journey and comes to the Mount of Olives to indicate that he comes out of pure mercy. For olive oil in the Scriptures signifies the grace of God that soothes and strengthens the soul as oil soothes and strengthens the body.
4. Thirdly, there is no armor present, no war-cry, but songs and praise, rejoicing and thanksgiving to the Lord.
5. Fourthly, Christ weeps, as Luke 19, 41, writes, weeps over Jerusalem because she does not know nor receive such grace; yet he was so grieved at her loss that he did not deal harshly with her.
6. Fifthly, his goodness and mercy are best shown when he quotes the words of the prophets, Isa. 62, 11; Zach. 9,9, and tenderly invites men to believe and accept Christ, for the fulfilling of v/hich prophecies the events of this Gospel took place and the story was written, as the Evangelist himself testifies. Therefore we must look upon this verse as the chief part of this Gospel, for in it Christ is pictured to us and we are told what we are to believe, and to expect of him, what we are to seek in him, and how we may be benefited by him.
7. First he says: ''TcU ye" the daughter of Zion. This is said to the ministry and a new sermon is given them to preach, namely, nothing but what the words following indicate, a right knowledge of Christ. Whoever preaches anything else is a wolf and deceiver. This is one of the verses in which the Gospel is promised of which Paul writes in Rom. 1,2; for the Gospel is a sermon from Christ, as he is here placed before us, calling for faith in hi'm. »
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 21
8. I have often said that there are two kinds of faith. First, a faith in which you indeed beHeve that Christ is such a man as he is described and proclaimed here and in all the Gospels, but do not believe that he is such a man for you, and are in doubt whetlier you have any part in him and think: Yes, he is such a man to others, to Peter, Paul, and the blessed saints; but who knows that he is such to me and that I may expect the same from him and may confide in it, as these saints did?
9. Behold, this faith is nothing, it does not receive Christ nor enjoy him, neither can it feel any love and affection for him or from him. It is a faith about Christ and not in or of Christ, a faith which the devils also have as well as evil men. For who is it that does not believe that Christ is a gracious king to the saints ? This vain and wicked faith is now taught by the pernicious synagogues of Satan. The universities (Paris and her sister schools), together with the monasteries and all Papists, say that this faith is sufficient to make Chris- tians. In this way they virtually deny Christian faith, make heathen and Turks out of Christians, as St. Peter in 2 Pet. 2, 1 had foretold: "There shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them."
10. In the second place he particularly mentions, "The daughter of Zion." In these words he refers to the other, the true faith. For if he commands that the following words con- cerning Christ be proclaimed, there must be some one to hear, to receive, and to treasure them in firm faith. He does not say : Tell of the daughter of Zion, as if some one were to believe that she has Christ ; but to her you are to say that she is to believe it of herself, and not in any wise doubt that it will be fulfilled a» the words declare. That alone can be called Christian faith, which believes without wavering that Christ is the Saviour not only to Peter and to the saints but also to you. Your sal- vation does not depend on the fact that you believe Christ to be the Saviour of the godly, but that he is a Saviour to you and has become your own.
11. Such a faith will work in you love for Christ and joy
22 luthkr's church postil.
in him, and good works will naturally follow. If they do not, faith is surely not present ; for where faith is, there the Holy Ghost is and must work love and good works.
12. This faith is condemned by apostate and rebellious Christians, the pope, bishops, priests, monks, and the univer- sities. They call it arrogance to desire to be like the saints. Thereby they fulfill the prophecy of Peter in 2 Pet. 2, 2, where he says of these false teachers : ''By reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of." For this reason, when they hear faith praised, they think love and good works are prohibited. In their great blindness they do not know what faith, love and good works are. If you would be a Christian you must permit these words to be spoken to you and hold fast to them and believe without a doubt that you will experi- ence what they say. You must not consider it arrogance that in this you are like the saints, but rather a necessary humility and despair not of God's grace but of your own worthiness. Under penalty of the loss of salvation, does God ask for bold- ness toward his proffered grace. If you do not desire to become holy like the saints, where will you abide? That would be arrogance if you desired to be saved by your own merit and works, as the Papists teach. They call that aro- gance which is faith, and that faith which is arrogance ; poor, miserable, deluded people!
13. If you believe in Christ and in his advent, it is the highest praise and thanks to God to be holy. If you recognize, love, and magnify his grace and work in you, and cast aside and condemn self and the works of self, then are you a Chris- tian. We say : "I believe in the holy Christian church, the com- munion of saints." Do you desire to be a part of the holy Christian church and communion of saints, you must also be holy as she is, yet not of yourself but through Christ alone in whom all are holy.
14. Thirdly he says: "Behold.'' With this word he rouses us at once from sleep and unbelief as though he had something great, strange, or remarkable to offer, something we have long wished for and now would receive with joy. Such waking up is necessary for the reason that everything that concerns faith
t'lRST SUNDAY IN ADVE^NT.
23
us against reason and nature ; for example, how can nature and reason comprehend that such an one should be king of Jerusa- lem who enters in such poverty and humility as to ride upon a borrowed ass? How does such an advent become a great king ? But faith is of the nature that it does not judge nor reason by what it sees or feels but by what it hears. It depends upon the Word alone and not on vision or sight. For this reason Christ was received as a king only by the followers of the word of the prophet, by the believers in Christ, by those who judged and received hi's kingdom not by sight but by the spirit — these are the true daughters of Zion. For it is not possible for those not to be offended in Christ who walk by sight and feeling and do not adhere firmly to the Word.
15. Let us receive first and hold fast this picture in which the nature of faith is placed before us. For as the appear- ance and object of faith as here presented is contrary to nature and reason^ so the same ineft'ectual and unreasonable appear- ance is to be found in all articles and instances of faith. It would be no faith if it appeared and acted as faith acts and as the words indicate. It is faith because it does not appear and deport itself as faith and as the words declare.
If Christ had entered in splendor like a king of earth, the appearance and the words would have been according to nature and reason and would have seemed to the eye according to the words, but then there w^ould have been no room for faith. He who believes in Christ must find riches in poverty, honor in dishonor, joy in sorrow, life in death, and hold fast to them in that faith which clings to the Word and expects such things.
16. Fourthly: ''Thy king." Here he distinguishes this king from all other kings. It is thy king, he says, who was prom- ised to you, whose own you are, who alone shall direct you, yet in the spirit and not in the body. It is he for whom you have yearned from the beginning, whom the fathers have de- sired to see, who will deliver you from all that has hitherto burdened, troubled, and held you captive.
Oh, this is a comforting word to a believing heart, for
24 luttikr's church postil.
without Christ, man is subjected to many raging tyrants who are not kings but murderers, at whose hands he suffers great misery and fear. These are the devil, the flesh, the world, sin, also the law and eternal death, by all of which the troubled conscience is burdened, is under bondage, and lives in anguish. For where there is sin there is no clear conscience ; where there is no clear conscience, there is a life of uncertainty and an unquenchable fear of death and hell in the presence of which no real joy can exist in the heart, as Lev. 26, 36 says : "The sound of a driven leaf shall chase them."
17. Where the heart receives the king with a firm faith, it is secure and does not fear sin, death, hell, nor any other evil ; for he well knows and in no wise doubts that this king is the Lord of life and death, of sin and grace, of hell and heaven, and that all things are in his hand. For this reason he became our Icing and came dov/n to vis that he might deliver us from these tyrants and rule over us himself alone. Therefore he who is under this king cannot be harmed either by sin, death, hell, Satan, man or any other creature. As his king lives without sin and is blessed, so must he be kept forever without sin and death in living blessedness.
18. See, such great things are contained In these seemingly unimportant words: "Behold, thy king." Such boundless gifts are brought by this poor and despised king. All this reason does not understand, nor nature comprehend, but faith alone does. Therefore he is called thy king ; thine, who art vexed and harrassed by sin, Satan, death and hell, the flesh and the world, so that thou mayest be governed and directed in the grace, in the spirit, in life, in heaven, in God.
With this word, therefore, he demands faith in order that you may be certain that he is such a king to you, has such a kingdom, and has come and is proclaimed for this purpose. If you do not believe this of him, you will never acquire suclb faith by any work of yours. What you think of him you will have ; what you expect of him you will find ; and as you be- lieve so shall it be to you. He will still remain what he is,
First Sunday in advejnt. ^5
the King of life, of grace, and of salvation, whether he is believed on or not.
19. Fifthly : He ''conicfli." Without doubt you do not come to him and bring him to you ; he is too high and too far from you. With all 3'our effort, A\'ork and labor you cannot come to him, lest you boast as though you had received him by your own merit and worthiness. No, dear friend, all merit and worthiness is out of the question, and there is nothing but demerit and unworthiness on your side, nothing but grace and mercy on his. The poor and the rich here come together, as Prov. 22, 2 says.
20. By this are condemned all those infamous doctrines of free will, which come from the pope, universities ana monasteries. For all their teaching consists in that we are to begin and lay the first stone. We should by the power of free will first seek God, come to him, run after him and acquire his grace. Beware, beware of this poison ! It is nothing but the doctrine of devils, by which all the world is betrayed. Before you can cry to God and seek him God must come to you and must have found you, as Paul says, Rom. 10,14-15: "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not be- lieved ? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not lieard? and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach except they be sent ?" God must lay the first stone and begin with you, if you are to seek him and pray to him. He is present when you begin to seek. If he were not you could not accomplish anything but mere sin, and the greater the sin, the greater and holier the work you will at- tempt, and you will become a hardened hypocrite.
21. You ask, how shall we begin to be godly and what shall we do that God may begin his work in us? Answer: Do you not understand, it is not for you to work or to begin to be godly, as little as it is to further and complete it. Every- thing that you begin is in and remains sin, though it shines ever so brightly ; you cannot do anything but sin, do what you will. Hence, the teaching of all the schools and monasteries is misleading, when they teach man to begin to pray and do
26 i^utiikr's church tostil.
good works, to found something, to give, to sing, to become spiritual and thereby to seek God's grace.
22. You say, however: Then I must sin from necessity, if by my free will I work and live without God ? and I could not avoid sin, no matter what I would do? Answer: Truly, it is so, that you must remain in sin, do what you will, and that everything is sin you do alone out of your own free will. For if out of your own free will you might avoid sin and do that which pleases God, what need would you have of Christ? He would be a fool to shed his blood for your sin, if you yourself were so free and able to do aught that is not sin. From this you learn how the universities and monasteries with their teachings of free will and good works, do nothing else but darken the truth of God so that we know not what Christ is, what we are and what our condition is. They lead the whole world with them into the abyss of hell, and it is indeed time that we eradicate from the earth all chapters and monasteries.
23. Learn then from this Gospel what takes place when God begins to make us godly, and what the first step is in becoming godly. There is no other beginning than that your king comes to you and begins to work in you. It is done in this way : The Gospel must be the first, this must be preached and heard. In it you hear and learn how all your works count for nothing before God and that everything is sinful that you work and do. Your king must first be in you and rule you. Behold, here is the beginning of your salvation; you relinquish your works and despair of yourself, because you hear and see that all you do is sin and amounts to nothing, as the Gospel tells you, and you receive your king in faith, cling to him, implore his grace and find consolation in his mercy alone.
But when you hear and accept this it is not your power, but God's grace, that renders the Gospel fruitful in you, so that you believe that you and your works are nothing. For you see how few there are who accept it, so that Christ weeps over Jerusalem and, as now the Papists are doing, not only refuse it, but condemn such doctrine, for they will not have all their works to be sin, they desire to lay the first stone and rage and fume against the Gospel.
FIRST SUNDxVY IN ADVE:NT. 2^
24. Again, it is not by virtue of your power or your merit that the Gospel is preached and your king comes. God must send him out of pure grace. Hence, not greater wrath of God exists than where he does not send the Gospel ; there is only sin, error and darkness, there man may do what he will. Again, there is no greater grace, than where he sends his Gospel, for there must be grace and mercy in its train, even if not all. perhaps only a few, receive it. Thus the pope's government is the most terrible wrath of God, so that Peter calls them the children of execration, for they teach no Gospel, but mere human doctrine of their own works as we, alas, see in all the chapters, monasteries and schools.
25. This is what is meant by "Thy king cometh." You do not seek him, but he seeks you. You do not find him, he finds you. For the preachers come from him, not from you; their sermons come from him, not from you ; your faith comes from him, not from you ; everything that faith works in you comes from him, not from you ; and where he does not come, you remain outside ; and where there is no Gospel there is no God, but only sin and damnation, free will may do, suffer, work and live as it may and can. Therefore you should not ask, where to begin to be godly; there is no beginning, except where the king enters and is proclaimed.
26. Sixthly, he cometh ''unto tlicc." Thee, thee, what does this mean? Is it not enough that he is your king? If he is yours how can he say, he comes to you ? All this is stated by the prophet to present Christ in an endearing way and invite to faith. It is not enough that Christ saves us from the rule and tyranny of sin, death and hell, and becomes our king, but he offers himself to us for our possession, that whatever he is and has may be ours, as St. Paul whites, Rom. 8, 32 : "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us ail, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?"
27. Hence the daughter of Zion has twofold gifts from Christ. The first is faith and the Holy Spirit in the heart, by which she becomes pure and free from sin. The other is Christ himself, that she may glory in the blessings given by Christ, as though everything Christ is and has were her own,
28 LU'riIL:R\^ CHURCH I'OSTIL.
and that she may rely upon Christ as upon her own heritage. Of this St. Paul speaks, Rom. 8, 34 : "Christ maketh interces- sion for us.'' If he maketh intercession for us he will receive us and we will receive him as our Lord. And 1 Cor. 1,30: "Christ was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption." Of tlie twofold gifts Isaiah speaks in 40, 1-2 : "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem ; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquit> is pardoned, for she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins."
Behold, this means that he comes to you, for your welfare, as your own ; in that he is your king, you receive grace from him into your heart, so that he delivers you from sin and death, and thus becomes your king and you his subject. In coming to you he becomes your own, so that you partake of his treasures, as a bride, by the jewelry the bridegroom puts on her, becomes partner of his possessions. Oh, this is a joy- ful, comforting form of speech ! Who would despair and be afraid of death and hell, if he believes in these words and wins Christ as his own ?
28. Seventhly: ''Meek." This word is to be especially noticed, and it comforts the sin-burdened conscience. Sin naturally makes a timid conscience, which fears God and flees, as Adam did in Paradise, and cannot endure the coming of God, the knowing and feelitig that God is an enemy of sin and severely punishes it. Hence it flees and is afraid, when God is only mentioned, and is concerned lest he go at it tooth and nail. In order that such delusion and timidity may not pursue us he gives us the comforting promise that this king comes meekly.
As if he would say: Do not flee and despair for he does not come now as he came to Adam, to Cain, at the flood, at Babel, to Sodom and Gomorrah, nor as he came to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai ; he comes not in wrath, does not wish to reckon with you and demand his debt. All wrath is laid aside, nothing but tenderness and kindness remain. He will
FIRST SUNDAY IN .\DV^NT. 29
now deal with you so that your heart will have pleasure, love and confidence in him, that henceforth you will much more abide with him and find refuge in him than you feared him and fled from him before. Behold, he is nothing but meekness to you, he is a different man, he acts as if he were sorry ever to have made you afraid and caused you to flee from his punishment and wrath. He desires to reassure and comfort you and bring you to himself by love and kindness.
This means to speak consolingly to a sin-burdened con- science, this means to preach Christ rightly and to proclaim his Gospel. How is it possible that such a form of speech should not make a heart glad and drive away all fear of sin, death and hell, and establish a free, secure and good con- science that will henceforth gladly do all and more than is commanded.
29. The Evangelist, however, altered the words of the prophet slightly. The prophet says in Zech. 9, 9 : "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem : behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is just, and having sal- vation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt, the foal of an ass." The Evangelist expresses the invitation to joy and exultation briefly in these words: "Tell the daughter of Zion." Further on he leaves out the words : "just and having salvation." Again the prophet says, "he is lowly," the Evan- gelist, "he is meek." The prophet says : "upon the colt, the foal of an ass," he mentions the last w^ord in the plural number ; the Evangelist says : "upon the colt, the foal of an ass that is used for daily and burden-bearing labor." How shall we har- monize these accounts?
30. First, we must keep in mind that the Evangelists do not quote the prophets word by word, it is enough for them to have the sanie meaning and to show the fulfillment, direct- ing us to the Scriptures so that we oifrselves may read, what they omit, and see for ourselves that nothing was written which is not richly fulfilled. It is natural, also, that- he who has the substance and the fulfillment, docs not care so much for the words. Thus we often find that the Evangelists quote the
?j{} lutiikr'vS church postil.
prophets somewhat changed, yet it is done without detriment to the understanding- and intent of the original.
31. To invite tlie daughter of Zion and the daughter of Jerusalem to joy and gladness the prophet abundantly gives us to understand that the coming of this king is most com- forting to every sin-burdened conscience, since he removes all fear and trembling, so that men do not flee from him and look upon him as a severe judge, who will press them with the law, as Moses did, so that they could not have a joyful confi- dence in God, as the knowledge and realization of sin naturally come from the law. But he would arouse them with this first word to expect from him all grace and goodness. For what other reason should he invite them to rejoice and command them even to shout and be exceeding glad ! He tells this com- mand of God to all who are in sorrow and fear of God. He also shows that it is God's will and full intent, and demands that they entertain joyful confidence in him against the natural fear and alarm. And this is the natural voice of the Gospel which the prophet here begins to preach, as Christ speaks like- wise in the Gospel and the apostles always admonish to rejoice in Christ, as we shall hear further on.
It is also full of meaning that he comes from the Mount of Olives. We shall notice that this grace on account of its great- ness might be called a mountain of grace, a grace which is not only a drop or handful, but grace abundant and heaped up like a mountain.
32. He mentions the people twice while the Evangelist says only once, daughter of Zion. For it is one people, daugh- ter of Zion and daughter of Jerusalem, namely the people of the same city, Avho believe in Christ and receive him. As i said before, the Evangelist quotes the Scriptures only briefly and invites us to read them ourselves and find out more there for ourselves. That the Evangelist does not invite to joy like the prophet, but simply says: Tell it to the daughter of Zion, he does it to show how the joy and exultation shall be carried on. None should expect bodily but spiritual joy, a joy that can be gathered alone from the Word by the faith of the heart. From a worldly aspect there was nothing joyful in Christ's en-
First Sunday in .\dvent. 31
trance, his spiritual advent must be preached and beheved ; that is, his meekness ; this makes man joyful and glad.
33. That the prophet gives Christ three titles, lowly, j'ciet, and having salvation, while the Evangelist has only one, meek, is again done for brevity's sake, he suggests more than he ex- plains. It seems to me that the Holy Ghost led the apostles and evangelists to abbreviate passages of the Scriptures for the pur- pose that we might be kept close to the holy Scriptures, and not set a bad exemple to future exegetes, who make many words outside the Scriptures and thereby draw us secretly from the Scriptures to human doctrines. As to say: If I spread the Scriptures verbatim everyone will follow the example and it will come to pass that we would read more in other books than in the holy writings of the principal book, and there would be no end to the writing of books and we would be carried from one book to another, until, finally, we would get away from the holy Scriptures altogether, as has happened in fact. Hence, Avith such incomplete quotations he directs us to the original book where they can be found complete, so that there is no need for everyone to make a separate book and leave the first one.
34. We notice, therefore, that it is the intention of all the apostles and evangelists in the New Testament to direct and drive us to the Old Testament, which they call the Holy Scrip- tures proper. For the New Testament was to be only the incarnate living Word and not scripture. Hence Christ did not write anything himseii, but gave the command to preach and extend the Gospel, which lay hidden in the Scriptures, as we shall ^"»ear on Epiphany Sunday.
35. In the Hebrew language the two words meek and lowly do not sound unlike, and mean not a poor man who is wanting in money and property, but who in his heart is humble and wretched, in whom truly no anger nor haughtiness is to be found, but meekness and sympathy. And if we wish to obtain the full meaning of this word, we must take it as Luke uses it, who describes how Christ at his entrance wept and wailed over Jerusalem.
We interpret therefore the words lowly and meek in the
32 . LUTIIKR^S CHURCH POSTIL
light of Christ's conduct. How does he appear? His heart is full of sorrow and compassion toward Jerusalem. There is no anger or revenge, but he weeps out of tenderness at their im- pending doom.. No'ne was so bad that he did or wished him harm. His sympathy makes him so kind and full of pity that he thinks not of anger, of haughtiness, of threatening or re- venge, but offers boundless compassion and good will. This is what the prophet calls lowly and the Evangelist meek. Blessed he who thus knows Christ in him and believes in him. He cannot be afraid of him, but has a true and comforting confidence in him and entrance to him. He does not try to find fault either, for as he believes, he finds it ; these words do not lie nor deceive.
36. The word "just" does not mean here the justice with which God judges, which is called the severe justice of God. For if Christ came to us with this who could stand before him ? Who could receive him, since even the saints cannot endure it ? The joy and grace of this entrance would thereby be changed into the greatest fear and terror. But that grace is meant, by which he makes us just or righteous. I wish the word Justus, justitia, were not used for the severe judicial justice; for originally it means godly, godliness. When we say, he is a pious man, the Scriptures express it, he is Justus, justifieci or just. But the severe justice of God is called in the Scrip- tures: Severity, judgment, tribunal.
The prophet's meaning, therefore, is this: Thy king Com- eth to thee pious or just, i. e., he comes to make you godly through himself and his grace; he knows well that you are not godly. Your piety should consist not in your deeds, but in his grace and gift, so that you are just and godly through him. In this sense St. Paul speaks, Rom. B, 26 : ''That he might himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus." That is, Christ alone is pious before God and he alone makes us pious. Also, Rom. 1, 17: "For therein is revealed a right- eousness of God from faith unto faith," that is the godliness of God, namely his grace and mercy, by which he makes us godly before him, is preached in the Gospel. You see in this verse from the prophet that Christ is preached for us unto righteous-
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 3B
ncss, that he comes godly and just, and we become godly and just by faith.
37. Note this fact carefully, that when you find in the Scriptures the word God's justice, it is not ro be understood of the self-existing, imminent justice of God, as the Papists and many of the fathers held, lest you be frightened; but, according to the usage of Holy Writ, it means the revealed grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ in us by means of which we are considered godly and righteous before him. Hence it is called God's justice or righteousness effected not by us, but by God through grace, just as God's work, God's wisdom, God's strength, God's word, God's mouth, signifies what he works and speaks in us. All this is demonstrated clearly by St. Paul, Rom. 1,16: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God (which works in us and strengthens us) unto salvation to everyone that believ- eth. For therein is revealed a righteousness of God," as it is written in Hab. 2, 4 : ''The righteous shall live by his faith.'* Here you see that he speaks of the righteousness of faith and calls the same the righteousness of God, preached in the Gos- pel, since the Gospel teaches nothing else but that he who believes has grace and is righteous before God and is saved.
In the same manner you should understand Ps. 31, 1 : ''Deliver me in thy righteousness," i. e. by thy grace, which makes me godly and righteous. The word Saviour or Re- deemer compels us to accept this as the meaning of the little word "just." For if Christ came with his severe justice he would not save anyone, but condemn all, as they are all sin- ners and unjust. But now he comes to make not only just and righteous, but also blessed, all who receive him, that he alone as the just one and the Saviour be offered graciously to all sinners out of unmerited kindness and righteousness.
38. When the Evangelist calls his steed a burden-bearing and working foal of an ass he describes the animal the proph- ets mean. He wants to say: The prophecy is fulfilled in this burden-bearing animal. It was not a special animal trained for this purpose, as according to the country's custom riding animals are trained, and when the prophet speaks of the foal
34 luthkr's church postil.
of the ass it is hi's meaning that it was a colt, but not a colt of a horse.
IL CONCERNING GOOD WORKS.
39. We have said enough of faith. We now come to con- sider good works. We receive Christ not only as a gift by faith, but also as an example of love toward our neighbor, whom we are to serve as Christ serves us. Faith brings and gives Christ to you with all his possessions. Love gives you to your neighbor with all your possessions. These two things constitute a true and complete Christian life ; then follow suf- fering and persecution for such faith and love, and out of these grows hope in patience.
40. You ask, perhaps, w^liat are the good works you are to do to your neighbor? Answer: They have no name. As the good works Christ does to you have no name, so your good works are to have no name.
41. W^hereby do you know them? Answer: They have no name, so that there may be no distinction made and they be not divided, that you might do some and leave others undone. You shall give yourself up to him altogether, Vv' ith all you have, the same as Christ did not sihiply pray or fast for you. Prayer and fasting are not the works he did for you, but he gave himself up wholly to you, with praying, fasting, all works and suffering, so that there is nothing in him that is not yours and was not done for you. Thus it is not your good work that you give alms or that you pray, but that you offer yourselt to your neighbor and serve him, wherever he needs you and ever}^ way you can, be it with alms, prayer, work, fasting, coun- sel, comfort, instruction, admonition, punishment, apologizing, clothing, food, and lastly with suffering and dying for him. Pray, where are now such works to be found in Christendom ?
42. I wish to God 1 had a voice like a thunderbolt, that I might preach to all the world, and tear the word "gooa works" out of people's hearts, mouths, ears, books, or at least give them the right understanding of it. All the world sings, speaks, writes and thinks of good works, everyone wishes to exercise themselves in good works, and yet, good works are
First Sunday in advent. 35
done nowhere, no one has the right understanding of good works. Oh, that all such pulpits in all the world were cast into the fire and burned to ashes ! How they mislead people with their good works ! They call good works what God has not commanded, as pilgrimages, fasting, building and decorat- ing thei'r churches in honor of the saints, saying mass, paying for vigils, praying with rosaries, much prattling and bawling in churches, turning nun, monk, priest, using special food, raiment or dwelling, — who can enumerate all the horrible abominations and deceptions? This i*s the pope's government and holiness.
43. If you have ears to hear and a mind to observe, pray, listen and learn for God's sake what good works are and mean. A good work is good for the reason that it is useful and benefits and helps the one for whom it is done; why else should it be called good ! For there is a difference between good works and great, long, numerous, beautiful works. When you throw a big stone a great distance it is a great w^ork, but whom does it benefit? If you can jump, run, fence well, it is a fine work, but whom does it benefit ? Whom does it help, if you wear a costly coat or build a fine house?
44. And to come to our Papists' work, what does it avail if they put silver or gold on the walls, wood and stone in the churches ? Who would be made better, if each village had ten bells, as big as those at Erfurt? Whom would it help if all the houses were convents and monasteries as splendid as the tem- ple of Solomon? Vv^ho is benefited if you fast for St. Cathe- rine, St. Martin or any other saint? Whom does it benefit, if you are shaved half or wholly, if you wear a gray or a black cap? Of what use were it if all people held mass every hour? W^hat benefit is it if in one church, as at ]\Ieissen, they sing day and night without interruption? Who is better for it, if every church had more silver, pictures and jewelry than the churches of Halle and Wittenberg? It is folly and deception, men's lies invented these things and called them good works ; they all pretend they serve God thus and pray for the people and their sins, just as if they helped God with their property or as if his saints wxre in need of our work. Sticks and stones
36 Luther's church postil.
are not as rude and mad as we are. A tree bears fruit, not for itself, but for the good of man and beast, and these fruits are its good works.
45. Hear then how Chri'st explains good works, Math. 7, 12 : ''Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye unto them ; for this is the law and the prophets." Do you hear now what are the contents of the whole law and of all the prophets? You are not to do good to God and to his dead saints, they are not in need of it; still less to wood and stone, to which it is of no use, nor is it needed, but to men, to men, to men. Do you not hear? To men you should do everything that you would they should do to you.
46. I would not have you build me a church or tower or cast bells for me. I would not have you construct for me an organ with fourteen stops and ten rows of flute work. Of this I can neither eat nor drink, support neither wife nor child, keep neither house nor land. You may feast my eyes on these and tickle my ears, but what shall I give to my children? Where are the necessaries of life ? O madness, madness ! The bishops and lords, who should check it, are the first in such folly, and one blind leader leads the other. Such people remind me of young girls playing with dolls and of boys riding on sticks. Indeed, they are nothing but cliildren and players with dolls, and riders of hobbyhorses.
47. Keep In mind, that you need not do any work for God nor for the departed saints, but you ask and receive good from him in faith. Christ has done and accomplished everything for you, atoned for your sins, secured grace and life and sal- vation. Be content with this, only think how he can become more and more your own and strengthen your faith. Hence direct all the good you can do and your whole life to the end that it be good ; but it is good only when it is useful to other people and not to yourself. You need it not, since Christ has done and given for you all that you might seek and desire for yourself, here and hereafter, be it forgiveness of sins, merit of salvation or whatever it may be called. If you find a work in you by which you benefit God or his saints or yourself and not your neighbor, know that such a work is not good.
First Sunday in adv£;nt. 37
48. A man is to live, speak, act, hear, suffer and die for the g^ood of his wife and child, the wife for the husband, the chil- dren for the parents, the servants for their masters, the mas- ters for their servants, the government for its subjects, the subjects for the government, each one for his fellowman, even for his enemies, so that one is the other's hand, mouth, eye, foot, even heart and mind. This is a truly Christian and good work, which can and shall be done at all times, in all places, toward all people. You notice the Papists' works in organs, pilgrimages, fasting, etc., are really beautiful, great, numerous, long, wide and heavy works, but there is no good, useful and helpful work among them and the proverb may be applied to them: It is already bad.
49. But beware of their acute subtleties, when they say : If these works are not good to our neighbor in his body, they do spiritual good to his soul, since they serve God and pro- pitiate him and secure his grace. Here it is time to say : You lie as wide as }'our mouth. God is to be worshiped not with works, but by faith, faith must do everything that is to be done between God and us. There may be more faith in a miller- boy than in all the Papists, and it may gain more than all priests and monks do with their organs and jugglery, even if they had more organs than these now have pipes. He who has faith can pray for his fellowman, he who has no faith can pray for nothing.
It is a Satanic lie to call such outward pomp spiritually good and useful works. A miller's maid, if she believes, does more good, accomplishes more, and I would trust her more, if she takes the sack from the horse, than all the priests and monks, if they kill themselves singing day and night and tor- ment themselves to the quick. You great, coarse fools, would you expect to help the people with your faithless life and distribute spiritual goods, when there is on earth no more miserable, needy, godless people than you are? You should be called, not spiritual, but spiritless.
50. Behold, such good works Christ teaches here by his example. Tell me what does he do to serve himself and to do good to himself? The prophet directs all to the daughter of
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Zion and says : "He cometh to thee," and that he comes as a Saviour, just and meek, is all for you, to make you just and blessed. None had asked nor bidden him to come ; but he came, he comes of his own free will, out of pure love, to do good and to be useful and helpful.
Now his work is manifold, it embraces all that is necessary to make us just and blessed. But justification and salvation imply that he delivers us from sin, death, hell, and does it not only for his friends, but also for his enemies, yea, for none but his enemies, yet he does it so tenderly, that he weeps over those who oppose such w^ork and w^ill not receive him. Hence he leaves nothing undone to blot out their sin, conquer death avio hell and make them just and blessed. He retains nothing for himself, and is content that he already has God and is blessed, — thus he serves only us according to the will of his father who wishes him to do so.
51. See then how he keeps the law : "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye unto them." Is it not true, everyone heartily washes that another might step between man and his sin, take it upon himself and blot it out, so that it would no more sting his conscience, and deliver him from death and hell? What does everyone desire more deeply than to be free from death and hell ? Who would not be free from sin and have a good, joyful conscience before God? Do we not see how all men have striven for this, with prayer, fastings, pilgrimages, donations, monasteries and priestdom? Who urges them? It is sin, death, hell, from which they w^ould be saved. And if there w^ere a physician at the end of the world, who could help here, all lands would become de- serted and every one w^ould hasten to this physician and risk property, body and life to make the journey.
And if Christ himself, like we, were surrounded by death, sin and hell, he would wish that some one w^ould help him out of it, take his sin away and give him a good conscience. Since he would have others do this for him, he proceeds and does it for others, as the law says, he takes upon himself our sins, goes hi to death and overcomes for us sin, death and hell, so that henceforth all who believe in him, and call upon his name.
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 39
shall be justified and saved, be above sin and death, have a good, joyful, secure and intrepid conscience forever, as he says in John 8, 51 : "If a man keep my word, he shall never see death," and John 11,25-26: ''I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth on me, shall never die."
52. Behold, this is the great joy, to which the prophet in- vites, when he says : ''Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem !" This is the righteousness and the salvation for which the Saviour and King comes. These are the good works done for us by which he fulfills the law. Hence the death of the believer in Christ is not death but a sleep, for he neither sees nor tastes death, as is said in Ps. 4, 8 : "In peace will I both lay me down and sleep, for thou, Jehovah, alone makest me dwell in safety." Therefore death is also called a sleep in the Scriptures.
53. But the Papists and their disciples, who would get rid of death, sin and hell by their own works and satisfaction, must remain in them eternally for they undertake to do for themselves what Christ alone did and could do, of whom they should expect it by faith. Therefore they are foolish, deluded people who do works for Christ and his saints, which they should do for their neighbor. Again, what they should expect of Christ by faith they would find in themselves and have gone so far as to spend on stone and wood, on bells and incense what they should spend on their neighbors. They go on and do good to God and his saints, fast for them and dedicate to them prayers, and at the same time leave their neighbor as he is, thinking only, let us first help ourselves ! Then comes the pope and sells them his letter of indulgence and leads them into heaven, not into God's heaven, but into the pope's heaven, which is the abyss of hell. Behold, this is the fruit of unbelief and ignorance of Christ, this is our reward for having left the Gospel in obscurity and setting up human doctrine in its place. I repeat it, I wish all pulpits in the world lay in ashes, and the monasteries, convents, churches, hermitages and chap- els, and everything were ashes and powder, because of this shameful misleading of souls.
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54. Now you know what good works are. Think of it and act accordingly. As to sin, death and hell, take care that you augment them not, for you cannot do anything here, your good works will avail nothing, you must have some one else to work for you. To Christ himself such works properly belong, you must consent to it that he who comes is the king of Zion, that he alone is the just Saviour. In him and through him you will blot out sin and death through faith. Therefore, if anyone teaches you to blot out your own sin by works, beware of him.
55. When in opposition to this they quote verses of the Bible like Dan. 4, 27 : ''Break off thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor," and 1 Pet. 4, 8 : "Love covereth a multitude of sins," and the like, be not deceived, such passages do not mean that the works could blot out or remove sin, for this would rob Christ of his word and advent, and do away with his whole work; but these works are a sure work of faith, which in Christ receives remission of sins and the victory over death. For it is impossible for him who believes in Christ, as a just Saviour, not to love and to do good. If, how- ever, he does not do good nor love, it is sure that faith is not present. Therefore man knows by the fruits what kfnd of a tree it is, and it is proved by love and deed whether Christ is in him and he believes in Christ. As St. Peter says in 2 Pet. 1, 10: "Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure ; for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble," that is, if you bravely practice good works you will be sure and cannot doubt that God has called and chosen you.
56. Thus faith blots out sin in a different manner than love. Faith blots it out of itself, while love or good works prove and demonstrate that faith has done so and is present, as St. Paul says, 1 Cor. 13, 2 : "And if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." Why? Without doubt, because faith is not present where there is no love, they are not separate the one from the other. See to it then that you do not err, and be misled from faith to works.
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57. Good works should be done, but we should not confide in them, instead of in Christ's work. We should not touch sin, death and hell with our works, but direct them from us to the Saviour, to the king of Zion, who rides upon an ass. He who knows how to treat sin, death and hell, will blot out sin, over- come death, and subdue hell. Do you permit him to perform these works while you serve your neighbor, — you will then have a sure testi'mony of faith in the Saviour who overcame death. So love and good works will blot out your sin for you that you may realize it ; as faith blots it out before God where you do not realize it. But more of this later.
THE LESSON STORY AND THE FALSE NOTIONS THE JEWS HELD CONCERNING THE MESSIAH.
58. In the story of this Gospel we will first direct our at- tention to the reason why the Evangelist quotes the words of the prophet, in which was described long ago and in clear, beautiful and wonderful words, the bodily, public entrance and advent of our Lord Jesus Christ to the people of Zion or Jerusalem, as the text says. In this the prophet wanted to show and explain to his people and to all the world, who the Messiah is and hov/ and in what manner he would come and manifest himself, and offers a plain and visible sign in this that he says : "Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and riding upon an ass," etc., so that we would be certain of it, and not dispute about the promised Messiah or Christ, nor wait for another.
He therewith anticipates the mistaken idea of the Jews, who thought, because there were such glorious things said and written of Christ and his kingdom, he would manifest himself in great worldly pomp and glory, as a king against their enemies, especially the Roman empire, to the power of which they were subject, and would overthrow its power and might, and in their place set up the Jews as lords and princes. They thus expected nothing in the promised Christ but a worldly kingdom and deliverance from bodily captivity. Even today they cling to such dreams and therefore they do not believe in Christ, because thev have not seen such bodily
42 Luther's church postil.
relief and worldly power. They were led to this notion, and strengthened in it, by their false priests, preachers and doctors, who perverted the Scriptures concerning Christ and interpreted them according to their own worldly understanding as refer- ring to bodily, worldly things, because they would fain be great earthly lords.
59. But the dear prophets plainly foretold and faithfully gave warning that we should not think of such an earthly kingdom nor of bodily salvation, but look back and pay atten- tion to the promises of a spiritual kingdom and of a redemp- tion from the pernicious fall of mankind in paradise ; of which it is said in Gen. 2, 17: "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." The first prophecy of Christ is also against it, Gen. 3, 15 : "The seed of woman shall bruise the serpent's head." Which means, he shall deliver all mankind from the power of the devil and the captivity of sin and eternal death and, instead bring justification before God and eternal life. Hence this prophet calls him "just and having salva- tion." This truly is a different salvation than that of bodily freedom, bodily power and glory, the end of which is death, and under which everything must abide eternally.
They ought to have considered this and rejoiced In It, since the prophets had heartily yearned and prayed for It, and this prophet admonishes to such great joy and gladness. But they and their shameless preachers made a temporal affair out of this misery and unhappiness, as If it were a joke about sin and death or the power of the devil, and considered It the greatest misfortune that they lost their temporal freedom and were made subject to the emperor and required to pay taxes to him.
60. The Evangelist therefore quotes this saying of the prophet, to punish the blindness and false notions of those who seek bodily and temporal blessings In Christ and his Gos- pel, and to convince them by the testimony of the prophet, who shows clearly what kind of a king Christ was and what they should seek in him. In that he calls him just and having salva- tion and yet adds this sign of his coming by which they are to know him : "TTe cometh to thee meek, and riding upon a colt,
I^IRST SUNDAY IN ADVKNT. 43
the foal of an ass." As if to say: A poor, miserable, almost beggarly horseman upon a borrowed ass who is kept by the side of its mother not for ostentation but lor service. With this he desires to lead them away from gazing and waiting for a glorious entrance of a worldly king. And he offers such signs that they might not doubt the Christ, nor take ofifense at his beggarly appearance. All pomp and splendor are to be left out of sight, and the heart and the eyes directed to the poor rider, who became poor and miserable and made himself of no kingly reputation that they might not seek the things of this world in him but the eternal, as is indicated by the words, "just and having salvation."
61. This verse first clearly and effectively does away with the Jewish dream and delusion of a worldly reign of the Messiah and of their temporal freedom. It takes away all cause and support for excuse, if they do not receive Christ, and cuts off all hope and expectation for another, because it clearly and distinctly announces and admonishes that he would come on this wise and that he has fulfilled everything. We Christians thus have against the Jews a firm ground and cer- tain title and conviction from their own Scripture that this Messiah, who thus came to them, is the Christ predicted by the prophets and that no other shall come, and that in the vain hope of another's coming they forfeit their temporal and eter- nal salvation.
III. THE SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION OF THIS
GOSPEL
62. This has been said about the history of this Gospel. Let us now treat of its hidden or spiritual meaning. Here we are to remember that Christ's earthly walk and conversation signify his spiritual walk ; his bodily walk therefore signifies the Gospel and the faith. As with his bodily feet he walked from one town to another, so by preaching he came into the world. Hence this lesson shows distinctly what the Gospel is and how it is to be preached, what it does and effects in the world, and its history is a fine, pleasing picture and image of
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how the kingdom of Christ is carried on by the office of preaching. We will consider this point by point.
''And zuhen they drew nigh unto Jcnisalcui, and came unto Bethphage, unto the Mount of Olives."
63. All the apostles declare that Christ would become man at the end of the world, and that the Gospel would be the last preaching, as is written in 1 John 2, 18: "Little children, it is the last hour, and as ye have heard that Antichrist cometh, even now hath there arisen many Antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour," etc. He mentions here the x\nti- christ. Antichrist in Greek means he who teaches and acts against the true Christ. Again, 1 Cor. 10,11: "All these things were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come." As the prophets came to man before the first advent of Christ, so the apostles are the last mes- sengers of God, sent before the last advent of Christ at the last day to preach it faithfully. Christ indicates this by not sending out his apostles to fetch the ass, until he drew nigh unto Jerusalem, where he was now to enter. Thus the Gospel is brought into this world by the apostles shortly before the last day, when Christ will enter with his flock into the eternal Jerusalem.
64. This agrees with the word "Bethphage," which means, as some say, mouth-house, for St. Paul says in Rom. 1, 2, that the Gospel was promised afore in the Holy Scriptures, but it was not preached orally and publicly until Christ came and sent out his apostles. Therefore the church is a mouth-house, not a pen-house, for since Christ's advent that Gospel is preached orally which before was hidden in written books.
It i's the way of the Gospel and of the New Testament that it is to be preached and discussed orally with a living voice. Christ himself wrote nothing, nor did he give command to write, but to preach orally. Thus the apostles were not sent out until Christ came to his mouth-house, that is, until the time had come to preach orally and to bring the Gospel from dead writing and pen-work to the living voice and mouth. From this time the church is rightly called Bethphage, since she ha;, and hears the living voice of the Gospel.
First Sunday in advent. 45
65. The sending shows that the kingdom of Christ is con- tained in the public oral office of preaching, which shall not
stand still nor remain in one place, as before it was hidden with the Jewish nation alone in the Scriptures and foretold by the prophets for the future, but should go openly, free and un- trammxled into all the world.
66. The ]\Iount of Olives signifies the great mercy and grace of God, that sent forth the apostles and brought the Gos- pel to us. Olive oil in Holy Writ signifies the grace and mercy of God, by which the soul and the conscience are comforted and healed, as the oil soothes and softens and heals the wounds and defects of the body. And from what was said above, we learn what unspeakable grace it is that we know and have Christ, the justified Saviour and king. Therefore he does not send into the level plain, nor upon a deserted, rocky mountain, but unto the Alount of Olives, to show to all the world the mercy which prompted him to such grace. There is not simply a drop or handful of it, as formerly, but because of its great abundance it might be called a mountain. The prophet also calls in Ps. 3G, 6, such grace God's mountain and says: "Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God," that is, great and abundant, rich and overflowing. This he can understand who considers what it means that Christ bears our s?n, and conquers death and hell and does every- thing for us, that is necssary to our salvation. He does not expect us to do anything for it, but to exercise it towards our neighbor, to know thereby whether we have such faith in Chrilst or not. Hence the Mount of Olives signifies that the Gospel was not preached nor sent until the time of grace came ; from this time on the great grace goes out into the world through the apostles.
^'Then Jesus sent two duciplcs, saying unto them, Go into the village that is over against you.''
67. These two disciples represent all the apostles and preachers, sent into the world. The evangelical sermon is to consist of two witnesses, as St. Paul says in Rom. 3,21: "A righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets." Thus we see how the apostles
46 luthkr's church postil.
introduce the law and the j rophets, who prophesied of Christ, so that it might be fulfilled that Moses spoke in Deut. 17, 6 and Christ in IMath. 18, 16: "At the mouth of two witnesses or three, every word may be established."
68. When he says : *'Go into the village over against you", not mentioning the name, it signifies that the apostles are not sent to one nation alone, as the Jews were separated from the Gentiles and alone bore the name 'Teople of God" and God's word and promise of the future Messiah were with them alone. But now when Christ comes he sendes his preach- ers ?nto all the world and commands them to go straight for- ward and preach everywhere to all the heathen, and to teach, reprove, without distinction, whomsoever they meet, however great, and wise and learned and holy, they may be.
When he calls the great city of Jerusalem a village and does not give her name, he does it for the reason that the name Jerusalem has a holy significance. The kingdom of heaven and salvation are the spiritual Jerusalem, that Christ enters. But the apostles were sent into the world amongst their enemies who have no name.
69. The Lord here comforts and strengthens the apostles and all min?sters, when he calls the great city a village, and adds, she is over against you. As if he would say, like Math. 10,16: "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of the v/olves", I send you into the world, which is against you, and seems to be something great, for there are kings, princes, the learned, the rich and everything that is great in the world and amounts to anything, this is against you. And as he says in Math. 10, 22 : "Ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake." But never fear, go on, it is hardly a village, do not be moved by great appearances, preach bravely against it and fear no one. For it is not possible that he should preach the gospel truth, who fears the multitude and does not despise all that the world esteems highly. It is here decreed that this village is against the apostles, therefore they should not be surprised i'f the great, high, rich, wise and holy orders do not accept their word. It must be so, the village must be against them ; again, the apostles must despise them and appear before
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 47
them, for the Lord will have no flatterer as a preacher. He does not say: Go around the village, or to the one side of it: Go in bravely and tell them what they do not like to hear.
70. How very few there are now who enter the villagt- that is against them. We gladly go into the towns that are on our side. The Lord might have said : Go ye into the vil- lage before you. That would have been a pleasing and custom- ary form of speech. But he would indicate this mystery of the ministry, hence he speaks in an unusual way : Go into the village that is over against you. That is : Preach to them that are disposed to prosecute and kill you. You shall merit such thanks and not try to please them, for such is the way of hypocrites and not that of the evangelists.
''And straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them and bring theni unto nie."
7L This is also ofifered as consolation to ministers that they should not worry as to who would believe or receive them. For it is decreed, Is. 55,11 : "My word shall not return unto me void." And St. Paul says. Col. 1,6: "The Gospel is in all the world bearing fruit." It cannot be otherwise than that wehere the Gospel is preached there will be some, who ac- cept it and believe. This is the meaning of the mystery that the apostles shall find the ass forthwith and the colt, if they only go. As if he would say : Only go and preach, care not who they are that hear you. I will care for that. The world will be against you, but be not afraid, you will find such as will hear and follow you. You do not know them yet, but I know them ; you preach, and leave the rest to me.
72. Behold, i'n this way he consoles them that they should not cease to preach against the world, though it withstands and contradicts them ever so hard, it shall not be in vain. You find people now who believe we should be silent and cause no stir, because it is impossible to convert the world. It is all in vain, they say; pope, priests, bishops and monks reject it and they will not change their lives, what is the use to preach and storm against them? This is the same as if the apostles had said to Christ: Thou teilest us to go into the village that
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is over against us; if it is against us, what use is it that we enter there, let us rather stay outside.
But the Lord refutes this and says: Go ye there and preach, what does it matter if it is against you? You will find there what I say. We should now do likewise. Although the masses storm against the Gospel and there is no hope that they will be better, yet we must preach, there will yet be found those who listen and become converted.
73. Why does he have them bring two asses or not both young or old ones, since one was enough for him to ride upon ? Answer: As the two disciples represent the preachers, so the colt and its mother represent their disciples and hearers. The preachers shall be Christ's disciples and be sent by him, that is, they should preach nothing but Christ's doctrine. Nor should they go to preach except they be called, as was the case with the apostles. But the hearers are old and young.
74. Here we should remember that mian in Holy Writ is divided into two parts, in an inner and an outer man. The outer man is called according to his outward, visible, bodily life and conversation; the i'nner man, according to his heart and conscience. The outer man can be forced to do the good and quit the bad, by law, pain, punishment and shame, or attracted by favor, money, honor and reward. But the inner man cannot be forced to do out of his own free will, what he should do, except the grace of God change the heart and make it willing.
Hence the Scriptures say all men are liars, no man does good of his own free will, but everyone seeks his own and does nothing out of love for virtue. For if there were no heaven nor hell, no disgrace nor honor, none would do good. If it were as great an honor and prize to commit adultery, as to honor matrimony, you would see adultery committed with much greater pleasure than matrimony is now held sacred. In like manner all other sins w^ould be done with greater zeal than virtues are nov/ practiced. Hence all good conduct without grace is mere glitter and semblance, it touches only the ex- terior man, w^ithout the mind and free will of the inner man beinir reached.
^IRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 49
75. These are the two asses: The old one is the exterior man; he is bound Hke this one, with laws and fear of death, of hell, of shame, or with allurements of heaven, of life, of honor. He goes forward with the external appearnce of good works and is a pious rogue, but he does it unwillingly and with a heavy heart and a heavy conscience.
Therefore the apostle calls her "subjugalem," the yoked animal, who works under a burden and labors hard. It is a miserable, pitiable life that is under compulsion by fear of hell, of death and of shame. Hell, death and shame are his yoke and burden, heavy beyond measure, from which he has a burdened conscience and is secretly an enemy to law and to God. Such people were the Jews, who waited for Christ, and such are all who rely upon their own power to fulfil God's commands, and merit heaven. They are tied by their con- sciences to the law, they must, but would rather not, do it. They are carriers of sacks, lazy beasts of burden and yoked rogues.
76. The colt, the young ass, of which Mark and Luke write, on which never man rode, is the inner man, the heart, the mind, the will, which can never be subject to law, even if he be tied by conscience and feels the law. But he has no desire nor love for it until Christ comes and rides on him. As this colt was never ridden by anyone, so man's heart has never been subject to the good; but, as Moses says. Gen. 6,5 and 8,21, is evil continually from his youth.
77. Christ tells them to loose' them, that is, he tells them to preach the Gospel in his name, in which is proclaimed grace and remission of sins, and how he fulfilled the law for us. The heart h here freed from the fetters of conscience and things. Thus man is loose not from the law, that he should and joyful, willing and anxious to do and to leave imdone all things. Thus man is loose not from the Law, that he should do nothing, but from a joyless, heavy conscience he has from the law, and with which he was the enemy of the law, that threatens him with death and hell. Now he has a clear con- science under Christ, is a friend of the law, neither fears death nor hell, does freely and willingly, what before he did
50 luthkr's church postii..
reluctantly. See, in this way the Gospel delivers the heart from all evil, from sin and death, from hell and a bad con- science through faith in Christ.
78. When he commands them to bring them to him, he speaks against the pope and all sects and deceivers, who lead the souls from Christ to themselves; but the apostles bring them to Christ; they preach and teach nothing but Christ, and not their own doctrine nor human laws. The Gospel alone teaches us to come to Christ and to know Christ rightly. In this the stupid prelates receive a heavy rebuke at their system of bringing souls to themselves, as Paul says in Acts 20, 29-30 : ''I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them." But the Gos- pel converts men to Christ and to none else. Therefore he sends out the Gospel and ordains preachers, that he may draw us all to himself, that w^e may know him as he says, John 12, 32: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself."
"And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightzvay he will send them."
79. St. Paul, in Gal. 4, 2, compares the law to guardians and stewards, under w^hom the young heir is educated in fear and discipline. The law forces with threats that we externally abstain from evil works, from fear of death and hell, although the heart does not become good thereby. Here are, as Luke writes, the masters of the ass and its colt, speaking to the apostles: What, do ye loose the colt? Where the Gospel begins to loose the conscience of its own works, it seems to forbid good works and the keeping of the law. It is the common speech of all the teachers of the law, and of the scribes and doctors, to say : If all our works amount to nothing and if the works done under the law are evil, we will never do good. You forbid good works and throw away God's law ; you heretic, you loose the colt and wish to make bad people free. Then they go to work and forbid to loose the colt and
FIRST SUNDAY IN .VDVENT. 51
the conscience and to bring it to Christ and say, You must do good works, and keep people tied in bondage to the law.
80. Our text shows how the apostles should act toward such persons. They should say: "The Lord hath need of them," they should instruct them in the works of the law and the works of grace and should say: We forbid not good w^orks, but we loose the conscience from false good works, not to make them free to do evil deeds, but to come under Christy their true Master, and under him do truly good w^orks ; to this end he needs them and will have them. Of this Paul treats so wxU in Rom. 6, where he teaches that through grace we are free from the law and its w^orks ; not so as to do evil, but to do truly good works.
81. It all amounts to this, that the scribes and masters of the law do not know w^hat good w^orks are ; they therefore will not loose the colt, but drive it with unmerciful human works. However, where wholesome instruction is given con- cerning good works, they let it pass, if they are at all sensible and honest teachers of the law, as they are here represented. The mad tyrants, who are frantic with human laws, are not mentioned in this Gospel. It treats only of the law of God and of the very best teachers of the law. For without grace, even God's law is a chain and makes burdened consciences and hypocrites whom none can help, until other works are taught, which are not ours, but Christ's, and are worked in us by grace. Then all constraint and coercion of the law is ended and the colt is loose.
''Nozv this is come to pass, that it might be fiilMed, which z^'as spoken through the prophet* saying. Tell ye the daughter of Zion"
82. This verse has already been sufficiently explained. The Evangelist introduces it that we may see how Christ has come not for the sake of our merits, but for the sake of God's truth. For he w^'^s prophesied long ago before we, to whom he comes, had a being. God out of pure grace has fulfilled the promises of the Gospel to demonstrate the truth that he keeps his promises in order to stir us confidently to trust in his promise, for he will fulfil it.
52 Luther's church postil.
And this is one of the passages, where the Gospel is prom- ised, of which Paul speaks in Rom. 1, 2 : "Which he promised afore through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning his Son Jesus Christ," etc. We have heard how in this verse the Gospel, Christ and faith are preached most distinctly and consolingly.
"And the disciples zvent, and did even as Jesus appointed them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their garments, and he sat thereon, {and they set him thereon,)"
83. These are the ministers who by the Gospel have freed the consciences from the law and its works and led them to the works of grace, who made real saints out of* hypocrites, so that Christ henceforth rides upon them.
84. The question arises here, whether Christ rode upon both animals. Matthew speaks as if the disciples put him on both, while Mark, Luke and John mention only the colt. Some think he sat first on the colt and, because ic was too wanton and untamed, he then sat on its moch'^r. These are fables and dreams. We take it that he rode only on the colt. He had them both brought to him on account of the spiritual significance above mentioned. When Matthew says he sat on them as though he rode on both, it is said after the manner of the Scriptures and the common way ot speaking by synecdoche, where a thing is ascribed to the community, the whole people, which applies only to a few of them; for example, Matthew writes : the thieves on the cross reviled him, while only one did it, as Luke tells us, Christ says in Mat. 23, 37, that the city of Jerusalem stoned the prophets, while only a few of the city did it. You say, the Turks killed the Chris- tians, although they killed only a few. Thus Christ rode on the asses, though he rode only on the colt, because the two are compared to a community. What happened to one is expressed as if it happened to all.
85. Now consider the spiritual riding. Christ rides on the colt, its mother follows, that is, when Christ lives through faith in the inner man we are under him and are ruled by him. But the outer man, the ass, goes free, Christ does not ride on her, though she follows in the rear, Tlie outer man, as
I^IRST SUNDAY IN /VDVßNT. 53
Paul says, is not willing, he strives against the inner man, nor does he carry Christ, as Gal. 5,17 says: "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh ; for these are contrary, the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would." Because the colt carries Christ, that is, the Spirit is willing by grace, the ass, that is, the flesh, must be led by the halter, for the Spirit ;chastises and crucifies the flesh, so that it becomes subject.
86. This is the reason Christ rides upon the colt and not upon its mother, and yet uses both for his entrance into Jeru- salem, for both body and soul must be saved. If, here upon earth, the body is unwilling, not capable of grace and Christ's leading, it must bear the Spirit, upon which Christ rides, who trains it and leads it along by the power of grace, received through Christ. The colt, ridden by Christ, upon which no one ever rode, is the willing spirit, whom no one before could make willing, tame or ready, save Christ by his grace. However, the sack-carrier, the burden-bearer, the old Adam, is the flesh, which goes riderless without Christ; it must for this reason bear the cross and remain a beast of burden.
87. What does it signify that the apostles, without com- mand, put their garments on the colt? No doubt again not all the disciples laid on their garments, nor were all their garments put on, perhaps only a coat of one disciple. But it is written for the spiritual meaning, as if all the garments of all the disciples were used. It was a poor saddle and orna- ments, but rich in meaning. I think it was the good example of the apostles, by which the Christian church is covered, and adorned, and Christ is praised and honored, namely, their preaching and confession, suffering and death for Christ's sake, as Christ says of Peter, that he would glorify God by a like death, John 21, 19. Paul says in one of his epistles, wc shall put on Christ, by which he doubtless wishes to show that good works are the garments of the Christians, by which Christ is honored and glorified before all people. In the epistle Paul says, Rom. 13, 12: "Let us put on the armor of light." By this he means to show that good works are gar- ments in which we walk before the people, honorably and well
54 i^uthkr's church postil.
adorned. The examples of the apostles are the best and noblest above all the saints, they instruct us best, and teach Christ most clearly; therefore they should not, like the rest, lie on the road, but on the colt, so that Christ may ride on them and the colt go under them. We should follow these examples, praise Christ with our confession and our life and adorn and honor the doctrine of the Gospel as Tit. 2, 10 says.
88. Hear how Paul lays his garments on the colt, 1 Cor. 11, 1 : "Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ," and Heb. 13, 7 : "Remember them that had the rule over you, men that spake unto you the Word of God; and considering the issue of their life, imitate their faith." No saint's example is as pure in faith as that of the apostles. All the other saints after the apostles have an addition of human doctrine and works. Hence Christ sits upon their garments to show that they are true Christian and more faithful examples thant others.
89. That they set him thereon must also signify some- thing. Could he not mount for himself? Why does he act so formal? As I said above, the apostles would ,not preach themselves, nor ride on the colt themselves. Paul says, 2 Cor. 1,24: "Not that we have lordshi]) over your faith." And 2 Cor. 4, 5 : "We preach not ourselves, l«ut Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake." Again, 1 Pet. 5, 3 : "Neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you." They preached to us the pure faith and offered their examples, that Christ might rule in us, and our faith remain undefiled, that we might not receive their word and work as if it were their own, but that we might learn Christ in their words and works. But how is it today? One follows St. Fran- cis, another St Dominic, the third this, and the fourth that saint; and in none is Christ alone and pure faith sought; for they belong only to the apostles.
*'And the most part of the multitude spread their garments in the way; and others cut branches from the trees, and spread them in the zvay."
90. The garments are the examples of the patriarchs and prophets, and the histories of the Old Testament. For, as we shall learn, the multitude that went before, sig-nifies the saints
FIRST SUNDAY IN .\DVKNT. 55
before the birth of Christ, by whom the sermon in the New Testament and the way of faith are beautifully adorned and honored. Paul does likewise when he cites Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Peter cites Sarah, and, in Heb. 11, many patriarchs are named as examples, and by these are confirmed faith and the works of faith in a masterly way. The branches mean the sayings of the prophets, one of which is mentioned in this Gospel, which are not stories nor examples but the prophecy of God. The trees are the books of the prophets. Those who preach from these cut down branches and spread them in the way of Christian faith.
91. All this teaches the character of an Evangelical sermon, a sermon on the pure faith and the way of life. It must first have the word Christ commands the apostles, saying: Go, loose and bring hither. Then the story and example of the apostles must be added which agree with Christ's word and work, these are the garments of the apostles. Then must be cited passages from the Old Testament, these are the garments and branches of the multitude. In this way the passages and examples of both Testaments are brought home to the people. Of this Christ speaks in Math. 13,52: "Every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." This signifies the two lips of the mouth, the two points of a bishop's hat, the two ribbons on it and some other like figures. But now none of these is kept before the eyes, the devil through the Papists throws sulphur and pitch in the way, himself rides on the colt and banishes Christ.
92. To spread garments in the way, means that, following the example of the apostles, we should with our confession and our whole life, honor, adorn and grace Christ, by giving up all glory, wisdom and holiness of our own and bowing to Christ in simple faith ; also that we turn everything we have, honor, goods, life, power and body to the glory and advance- ment of the Gospel and relinquish everything for the one thing needful. Kings and lords and the great, powerful antl rich should serve Christ with their goods, honor and power;
56 Luther's church postil.
further the Gospel and for its sake abandon everything. The holy patriarchs, prophets and pious kings in the Old Testa- ment did so by their examples. But now everything is turned around, especially among the papal multitudes, who usurp all honor and power against Christ and thus suppress the Gospel.
93. To cut branches from the trees and spread them in the way means also the office of preaching and the testimony of the Scriptures and the prophets concerning Christ. With this the sermon of Christ is to be confirmed and all the preaching directed to the end that Christ may be known and confessed by it. John writes in 12, 13 that they took branches of palm- trees and went forth to meet him. Some add, there must have been olive branches also, because it happened on the Mount of Olives. This is not incredible, although the Gospels do not report it.
94. There is reason why palm-branches and olive-branches are mentioned. They signify what is to be confessed, preached and believed concerning Christ. It is the nature of the palm-tree that when used as a beam, it yields to no weight but rises against the weight. These branches are the words of divine wisdom ; the more they are suppressed, the higher they rise. This is true if you firmly believe in those words. There is an invincible power in them, so that they may well be called palm-branches, as St. Paul says in Rom. 1,16: "The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth ;" and as Christ says, *'The gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Math. 16,18. Death, sin, hell and all evil must bend before the divine Word, or only rise, when it sets itself against them.
95. Olive branches are named, because they are words of grace, in which God has promised us mercy. They make the soul meek, gentle, joyful, as the oil does the body. The gra- cious Word and sweet Gospel is typified in Gen. 8, 11, where the dove in the evening brought in her mouth an olivebranch with green leaves into the ark, which means, that the Holy Spirit brings the Gospel into the Church at the end of the world by the mouth of the apostles.
"And the multitudes that went before him, and that fol-
First Sunday in adve:nt. 57
lozved, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord ; Hosanna in the highest."
96. For this reason they carried pahn-trees before kings and lords, when they had gained a victory and celebrated their triumph. Again, the carrying of palm-branches was a sign of submission, especially of such as asked for mercy and peace, as was commonly done among ancient people.
By their pomp before Christ they indicated that they would receive him as their Lord and King, sent by God as a victorious and invincible Saviour, showing themselves sub- missive to him and seeking grace from him. Christ should be preached and made known in all the world, as the vic- torious and invincible King against sin, death and the power of the devil and all the world for those who are oppressed and tormented, and as a Lord with whom they shall find abundant grace and mercy, as their faithful Priest and Medi- ator before God.
The word of the Gospel concerning this King is a word of mercy and grace, which brings us peace and redemption from God, besides invincible power and strength, as St. Paul in Rom. 1, 16 calls the Gospel "a power of God unto salva- tion" and "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," as Christ says in Math. 16, 18.
97. Paul says. Heb. 13,8: "Jesus Christ is the same yester- day and today, yea, forever." All who will be saved from the beginning to the end of the world, are and must be Christians and must be saved by faith. Therefore Paul says, 1 Cor. 10, 3-4: "Our fathers did all eat the same spiritual food; and did all drink the same spiritual drink." And Christ says in John 8, 56 : "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day ; and he saw it and was glad."
98. Hence the multitudes going before signify all Chris- tians and saints before Christ's birth ; those who follow signify all the saints after the birth of Christ. They all believed in and adhered to the one Christ. The former expected him in the future, the latter received him as the one who had come. Hence they all sing the same song and praise and thank God
58 Luther's church postil.
in Christ. Nor may we give anything else but praise and thanks to God, since we receive all irom him, be it grace, word, work. Gospel, faith and everything else. The only true Christian service is to praise and give thanks, as Ps. 50, 15 sa}'s : ''Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me."
99. What does "Hosanna to the son of David'' signify? Hosanna in Ps. 118,25-26, means: "Save now, we beseech thee, O Jehovah ; O Jehovah, we beseech thee, send now pros- perity. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of Jehovah." This verse was applied to Christ and is a well-wishing as we wish happiness and safety to a new ruler. Thus the people thought Christ should be their worldly king, and they wish him joy and happiness to that end. For Hosanna means: "O, give prosperity;" or: ''Beloved, help;" or: "Beloved, save;" or whatever else you might desire to expr'ess in such a wish. They add: "To the son of David," and say: God give prosperity to the son of David ! O God, give prosperity, blessed be," etc. We would sa»y: O, dear Lord, give happi- ness and prosperity to this son of David, for his new kingdom ! Let him enter in God's name that he may be blessed and his kingdom prosper.
100. Mark proves clearly that they meant his kingdom when he writes expressly In Mark 11,10, that they said: "Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, the kingdom of our father David ; Hosanna in the highest/' When some in the churches, read it "Osanna", it is not correct, it should be "Hosanna." They made a woman's name out of it, and her whom the}' should call Su- sanna they call Osanna. Susanna is a woman's name and means a rose. Finally, after making a farce out of baptism, the bishops baptize bells and altars, which is a great nonsense, and call the bells Osanna. But away with the blind leaders! We should learn here also to sing Hosanna and Hazelihana to the son of David together with those multitudes, that is, joyfully wish happiness and prosperity to the kingdom of Christ, to holy Christendom, that God may put away all human doctrine and let Christ alone be our king, who governs by his Gospel, and permits us to be his colts! God grant it, Amen.
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 59
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT.
This sermon appeared in separate form and under special title as early as 1522. Panzer and Weiler give eight different prints. Its title was, "A Christian and well founded Prophecy of the Day of Judgment and its Signs that it is near at hand. D. M. L. O Lord help, we perish, Math. 8. Wittenberg." It was printed also in Strassburg. Erl. 10,53; W. 11,61; St. L. ii,45-
Text: Luke 2i,2y^6. And there shall he signs in the sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, ir. perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the biilozvs; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things zvhicJi are coming on the zvorld: for the pozvers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with pozuer and great glory. But zvhen- these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption drazveth nigh.
And he spake to them a parable : Behold the fig tree, and all the trees: zvhen they nozv shoot forth, ye see it and knozv of your ozvn selves that the summer is nozv nigh. Even so ye also, ziehen ye see these things coming to pass, knozv ye that the kingdom of God is nigh. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass azvay, till all things he accom- plished. Heaven and earth shall pass azvay: hut my zvords shall not pass azvay. .
CONTENTS: THE COMFORT CHRISTIANS HAVE FROM
THE SIGNS OF THE DAY OF JUDGMENT; AND THE
SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION OF THESE SIGNS.
I. THE SIGNS OF THE DAY OP II. In Detail. Three classes of
JUDGMENT. signs.
I. In General. A. The first class of these
1. Although manifold and great, signs.
the world pays no attention 1. In the secular business
to these signs. 1-3. world everything has
* The secure state of the reached its climax. 5-G.
world at the time of 2. In spiritual things every-
Christ's second advent. thing has reached its
2-3 climax, especially the
2. Whether some will recog- ^^nn'^v^'^J^in ""^ ^^'"^ nize these signs when they J:. ^^' .J'^ 4. -u come. 4. * The world does not be-
GO
LUTHERS CHURCH POST 1 1
lieve the threaten- ings until they over- take it. 11. B. The second class of these signs.
1. The darkening of the sun. 12-13.
* The course of the heav- ens is so ordered that signs of the Day of Judgment shall ap- pear there. 14.
2. The moon shall not give her light. 15.
3. The fall of the stars. 16.
4. The people upon the earth
will be in distress and perplexity.
a. Whether this sign will
be found among all people. 17.
b. The nature of this sign.
18.
c. Among what persons
this sign will be true. 19.
d. This sign during the
last hundred years has been on the increase. 20. n. The roaring of the sea and the billows.
a. The nature of this sign.
21.
b. Whether this sign will
be at the same time upon all the waters. 22.
c. The' objection of human
reason to this sign and its answer. 23-26.
6. Men fainting for fear.
a. The nature of this sign.
27.
b. Who the people are in
whom this sign shall be seen. 27-28.
7. The shaking of the pow- ers of the heavens.
a. What is understood by
the powers of the heavens. 29-32.
b. The nature of this shak-
ing. 33-34. C. The third class of these signs. 35. * The difference in these comings of Christ. 36. II. THE COMFORT CHRISTIANS HAVE WHEN THESE SIGNS APPEAR. I. How and Why This Comfort Will Be Given to All True Christians. 37f. * The day of judgment and the fear before it.
1. Why believers pray God for the coming of the day of judgment. 37-38.
2. What we are to think of those who fear before the day of judgment. 39.
3. The day of judgment will be welcome in the highest degree to believers, but to the godless it will be terri- fying in the highest degree. 40.
4. What we are to answer those who fear the day of judgment, because they still have sin. 41-42.
5. Who are the best armed for the day of judgment. 42-43.
IL The nature of this comfort. 44.
III. What moved Christ to im-
part this comfort. 45.
IV. How the visionary preachers
withhold tlieir comfort from poor souls. 46-47.
* Pew people pray the Lord's
prayer aright. 48.
* The right and the wrong use
of the fear of the day of judgment. 49-50.
V. How Christ seeks to impress
this comfort upon us by a parable. 51-52.
* Of the day of judgment; also
of the conversion of the Jews.
1. An exhortation to pre- pare well for it. 53.
2. Why Christ seeks to pre- pare his followers for the day of judgment. 54-55.
3. Whether all the Jews will be converted before the day of judgment. 56.
4. Whether on the day of judgment heaven and earth will be destroyed. 57.
5. Where the souls will be on the day of judgment, when the world passes away in fire. 58.
III. THE SPIRITUAL INTER- PRETATION OF THESE SIGNS.
I. The spiritual interpretation
in general. 59.
II. The spiritual interpretation
in detail.
1. The spiritual meaning of the sun being darkened. 60.
2. Of the moon failing to give her light. 61.
3. Of the falling of the stars. 62.
* The Turks are better than the priests and monks in the Papacy. 62-63.
4. Of men fainting for fear. 64.
5. Of the roaring of the sea. 65.
6. Of the powers and their be- ing shaken. 66.
7. Of the fig tree. 67.
HI. The conclusion of the spir- itual interpretation. 68.
SECOND SUNDAY IN .\DVENT. 61
I. THE SIGNS OF THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
1. The first thing for us to understand Is that although the signs preceding the judgment day are many and great, they will all be fulfilled, even though none or very few men take note of or esteem them as such. For two things must take place according to the Word and prophecy of Christ and the apostles: first, that many and great signs will be made manifest; and secondly, that the last day will come unawares, the world not expecting it, even though that day be at the door. Though men see these signs, yea, be told that they are signs of the last day, still they will not believe, but in their security mockingly say: "Thou fool, hast thou fear that the heavens will fall and that we shall live to see that day?"
2. Some, indeed, must see it, and it will be those who least expect it. That there will be such security and indif- ference among men, let us prove by the words of Christ and the apostles. Christ says in the 34th and 35th verses : "Take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare: for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth." From these words it is clear, that men in great measure will give themselves over to surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and that, drowned as it were in these things, they will rest secure and continue to dwell on the earth as if the dreadful day were far away. For, were there no such se- curity and heedlessness, that day would not break in unawares. But he says, it will come as a snare by which birds and beasts are caught at a time when most concerned about their food and least expecting to be entrapped. In this figure he gives us clearly to understand that the world will continue its carousing, eating and drinking, building and planthig, and diligently seeking after earthly things, and will look upon the day of judgment as yet a thousand and more years off, when, in the twinkling of an eye, they may stand before the ter- rible judgment bar of God.
3. The words of Christ in Luke 17, 24 sav the same : ''For
62 luthi^r's church postii..
as the lightning, when it hghteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be in his day." See here again that the day will break upon the world with the utmost suddenness. The same further appears in what follows in verses 26-29: "As it was in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah en- tered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot ; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded ; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. After the same manner it shall be in the day that the Son of man is revealed." These words abundantly show that people will rest so secure and will be so deeply buried beneath the cares of this life, that they will not believe the day is at hand.
4. There is now no doubt that Christ did not foretell these signs in the expectation that no one would note nor recognize them when they should appear; although few in- deed will do so, just as in the days of Noah and Lot but few knew the punishment in store for them. Were this not true, the admionition of Christ would have been in vam : "When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh." Then, "Lift up your heads, because your redemption draweth nigh." There must then be some, at least, who do recognize the signs, and lift up their heads and wait for their redemption, although they do not really know on what day that will come. We should be careful, therefore, to note whether the signs are being fulfilled now, or have been or will be in the future.
5. I do not wish to force any one to believe as I do; neither will I permit anyone to deny me the right to believe that the last day is near at hand. These words and signs of Christ compel me to believe that such is the case. For the liistory of the centuries that have passed since the birth of Christ nowhere reveals conditions like those of the present. There has never been such building and planting in the world.
SKCOND SUNDAY IN .-VDVEiNT. 63
There has never been such ghittonous and varied eating and drinking as now. Wearing apparel has reached its limit in costliness. ^MlO has ever heard of such commerce as now encircles the earth? There have arisen all kinds of art and sculpture, embroidery and engraving, the like of which has not been seen during the whole Christian era.
6. In addition men are so delving into the mysteries of things that today a boy of twenty knows more than twenty doctors formerly knew. There is such a knowledge of lan- guages and all manner of wisdom that it must be confessed, the world has reached such great heights in the things that pertain to the body, or as Christ calls them, ''cares of life", eating, drinking, building, planting, buying, selling, mar- rying and giving in marriage, that every one must see and say either ruin or a change must come. It is hard to see how a change can come. Day after day dawns and the same con- ditions remain. There was never such keenness, understand- ing and judgment among Christians in bodily and temporal things as now — I forbear to speak of the new inventions, printing, fire-arms, and other implements of war.
7. But not only have such great strides been made in the world of commerce, but also in the spiritual field have there been great changes. Error, sin, and falsehood have never held sway in the world as in these last centuries. The Gospel has been openly condemned at Constance, and the false teachings of the Pope have been adopted as law though he practiced the greatest extortion. Daily mass is celebrated many hundred thousand times in the world, and thereby the greatest sin committed. By confession, sacra- ment, indulgence, rules and laws, so many souls are driven to condemnation that it seems God has given the whole world over to the devil. In short it is not possible that there should be greater falsehood, more heinous error, more dreadful blind- ness, and more obdurate blasphemy than have ruled in the church through the bishops, cloisters, and universities. As a result Aristotle, a blind heathen, teaches and rules Christians more than does Christ.
8. Moreover the pope has attempted to abolish Christ and
64 Luther's church postil.
to become his vicar. He occupies the throne of Christ on earth, would to God he occupied the devil's throne instead.
I forbear to speak of the grosser forms of sin, unchastity, murder, infidelity, covetousness, and the like, which are all practiced without shame or fear. Unchastity has taken forms against nature, and has affected no station or condition more than the spiritual character of the clergy — shall I call it spir- itual, since it is so fleshly and void of all simplicity?
9. Whatever other signs may appear before Christ's com- ing, I know that, according to the words of Christ, these will be present: surfeiting and drunkenness, building and planting, buying and selling, marrying and giving in marriage, and other cares of this life. Just as certain to me is also the saying of Christ in Math. 2, 15, where he speaks of the abomination of desolation, the Antichrist, tuider whose rule gross error, blind- ness, and sin shall flourish, just as they now flourish under the Pope in the most tyrannical and shameless form. This above all else compels me to believe that Christ will soon come to judgment; for such sins cry to heaven, and so provoke and defy the last day that it must soon break in upon them.
If it were only the unchastity of the antediluvian world, or the worldliness of Sodom, I would not believe the last day is so near at hand. But to destroy, root out, condemn and blas- pheme divine service, God's Word and the Sacraments, the children of God and everything that belongs to God ; and to worship and honor the devil instead and to proclaim his lies for the Word of God — such sins, I am firmly convinced, will put an end to the world before we are aware of it. Amen.
10. But the apostles have also prophesied concernig this self-security of men as the judgment day approaches. Paul says in 1 Thes. 5, 2-3 : "The day of the Lord so Cometh as a thief in the night. When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them." Now we know that a thief never comes but when one feels most secure and least expects him. And 2 Pet. 8,3-10 we read: "In the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? From the da>' the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVPjNT. 65
were from the beginning of the creation. . . . But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise etc." Who are they that walk after their own lusts but the papal clergy ? They wish to be subject neither to God nor to man, but expect the world to recognize it as their right to live as they please and to do what they like. It is these that say, Where is the promise of his coming? Do you think the last day will break in upon us so soon? Things will continue as they have in the past.
11. We also read in the history of the destruction of Jeru- salem that many signs were fulfilled, yet they would not believe them to be tokens of the coming destruction until judgment was executed. Finally, from the beginning of the world, it has ever been so, that the unbelieving could not believe the day of calamity to be near — they always experienced it before they believed it. This is in fulfilment of Psalm 55, 23 : "Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days," for they presume upon the continuance of their days and have no fear, and so the hour must come tmawares. So here people are putting off the judgment for yet a thousand years when it may break in upon them in a night. This is the first class of signs which presage the nearness of the day of God. Let us now consider the second class.
"And there shall he signs in the sun"
12. This sign to be given in the sun is that it will lose its brightness, after the manner in which it has often occurred, as Math. 24, 29, says : "The sun shall be darkened." I will not trespass here again but express my opinion. Some think that the sun is to be darkened as never to shine again; but this cannot be the meaning, for day and night must continue to the end, as God foretells, Gen. 8,22: "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and sum- mer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." This sign must therefore, not interfere with day and night and still be fulfilled before the judgment day, for it is a token of its com- ing. It cannot, therefore, be more than a darkening of the sun in its accustomed course.
18. Now at all times such a sign in the sun has been looked
66 luthkr's church postiIv.
upon as foreboding misfortune or disaster, which also often followed, as history abundantly shows. Thus we have had, it seems to me, the last few years more and more frequent eclip- ses of the sun than in any other like period of time. God has spared us and no great evil has come upon us. For this reason these signs are not noticed. In addition, astronomers have told us, and rightly so, that these eclipses are but natural phe- nomena. As a result the tokens are still more despised and carnal security increased. Nevertheless God in carrying on his work in silence, gives us security and moves forward in his plans. Whatever the natural course of the heavens may be, these signs are always tokens of his wrath and predict sure disaster for the future. If these are not seen, shall God make other suns and moons and stars and show other signs in them?
14. The course of the heavens has been so arranged from eternity that before the last day these signs must appear. The heathen say that the comet is a natural product ; but God has created none that is not a token of future evil. Thus also the blind leader, Aristotle, writing a book about the phenomena of the heavens, attributes all to nature and declares these are no signs. Our learned men follow him and thus one fool fills the world with fools. Let us know that though the heavenly bodies wander in their courses according to law, God has still made these to be signs or tokens of his wrath.
^^And in the moon."
15. This sign is given in Math. 24, 29, to the effect that ''the moon shall not give her light" ; that is, it will lose its bright- ness. The same is to be said of this as of the signs in the sun, no matter how natural it may be. Is it not true that scarcely a year has passed of late in which sun or moon or both have been eclipsed, sometimes one of them twice a year? If these are not signs, then, what are signs? It may be that at other times more were seen than now, but surely not in more rapid succession. When Jerusalem was to be destroyed, some signs preceded which had occurred before, but they were still new tokens.
"And in the stars,"
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16. According to Math. 24, 29, "the stars shall fall from heaven." This is seen almost daily. Whether it was seen as frequently in former days as now, I cannot say. Aristotle again talks about the nature of the thing; but the Gospel, which is the word and wisdom of God, pronounces the falling of the stars a sign and there let the matter rest. Wherefore if the stars fall or the sun and moon fail to give their light, be assured that these are signs of the last day ; for the Gospel can- not utter falsehood. While in these years there have been so many showers of stars, they are all harbingers of the last day, just as Christ says ; for they must appear often in order that the great day may be abundantly pointed out and proclaimed. These signs appear and pass but no one considers them ; so it shall be that they will wait for other signs just as the Jews are waiting for another Christ.
"And upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity/'
17. This is not to be understood that all nations and all people among these nations w411 so suffer ; for you must note that these are to be signs. Stars do not fall from the heavens at all times ; the sun does not lose its brightness for a whole year or a month, but for an hour or two ; the moon does not refuse to give its light for a whole week or a whole night, but, like the sun, for an hour or two — that all these may be tokens without changing or perverting the order of things. Hence not many will suffer distress and anxiety, but only a few ; and even with these it will be only at times that they be signs to those who despise the idea, and attribute all to the complexion or to the melancholy or to the influence of the planets or to any other natural cause. IMeanwhile such clear harbingers of the day pass by unobserved, and there happens what Christ said of the Jews in IMath. 13, 14, that though hearing and seeing they do not understand.
18. ''Distress of nations in perplexity" does not refer to the body. For, as we have already heard, there will be peace and joy in abundance. People will eat and drink, build and plant, buy and sell, marry and be given in marriage, dance and play, and wrap themselves up in this present life as if they expected to abide here forever. I take it that it is the condition
68 IvUTHKR^S CHURCH POSTII..
of agonized conscience. For since the Gospel, by which alone the troubled «conscience can be comforted, is condemned, and in its stead there are set up doctrines of men, which teach us to lay aside sin and earn heaven by works ; there must come a burdened and distressed conscience, a conscience that can find no rest, that would be pious, do good and be saved, that tor- ments itself and yet does not know how to find satisfaction. Sin and conscience oppress, and however much is done no rest is found. By these the sinner becom.es so distressed that he knows not what to do nor whither to flee. Hence arise so many vows and pilgrimages and worship of the saints and chapters for mass and vigils. Some castigate and torture themselves, some become monks, or that they may do more they become Carthusian monks.
These are all works of distressed and perplexed conscien- ces, and are in reality the distress and perplexity of which Luke here speaks. He uses two words which suggest this meaning, a man gets into close quarters as though he were cast into a narrow^ snare or prison ; he becomes anxious and does not know how he may extricate himself; he becomes bewil- dered and attempts this and that and yet finds no way of escape. Under such conditions he would be distressed and perplexed. In such a condition are these consciences ; sin has taken them captive, they are in straits and are distressed. They want to escape but another grief o'ertakes them, they are per- plexed for they know not where to begin — they try every ex- pedient but find no help.
I9. It is indeed true that the masses do not become so afflicted, but only the few and generally the most sensible, scrupulous, and good-hearted individuals who have no desire to harm any one and would live honorable lives. It may be they foster some secret sin, as for example unchastity. This burdens them day and night so that they never are truly happy. Rut this is game for the mouks and priests, for here they can practice extortion, especiallyy with women : here people con- fess, are taught, absolved, and go whithersoever the confessor directs. Meanwhile the people arc the Lord's token of the last
SKCOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 69
day. To such the Gospel is hghl and comfort while it condemns the others.
20. Neither can anyone deny this sign, for it has been so common these hundreds of years that many have become insane over it, as Gerson informs us. Although at all times there have been people so distressed and perplexed, it was formerly not so common as now. From the beginning of the world no human doctrine exercised the tenth part or even the hundreth part of the influence, or tortured and seared so many con- sciences as the doctrines of the pope and his disciples,. the monks and priests. Such perplexed hearts will necessarily grow out of the papal doctrine of confession which has never been so earnestly promulgated as now. Therefore this has never been a token of the judgment until now. There must be many and great signs, therefore, and they be» despised by most men.
''For the roaring of the sea and the hillozvs"
21. This will take place through the winds, for all roaring of the waters comes by means of the storm. Therefore the Lord would say by these words that many and great storms will arise. By sea, however, is not to be understood simply the ocean, but all gathered waters, according to the language of Scripture, Gen. 1,10: *'And the gathering together of the waters called he seas," be they oceans, seas or lakes. Rivers on the other hand are changable flowing waters.
22. It is not to be supposed that all waters, streams, lakes, seas, oceans, will, at the same time and in the same way, be- come stormy and boisterous. Some seas are thus to be moved and this is to be the sign unto us. For as not all stars fall and not all nations are distressed in perplexity, so shall not all waters roar nor all places be visited by the storm.
23. Here heathen art will sit in the schools and with wide open mouth will say, "Did you see the storm or hear the sea and the waves roaring? Aristotle clearly teaches that these are but natural phenomena." Let us pass these by and know that God's Word and tokens are despised by the wisdom of the gods. Do you hold fast to the Gospel — this teaches you to believe that storms and detonations in the sea are signs and tokens. And however many times such signals have been
70 luth^r's church postil.
given in other days, they shall nevertheless become more numerous and terrible as the day of doom approaches.
24. It seems to me that within the space of ten or twelve years, there have been such storms and tempests and waters roaring as have never before been seen or heard. We are to consider, therefore, that although in former times these signs came singly and at less frequent intervals, now they ap- pear many and frequent. In our time both sun and moon are darkened, stars fall, distress of nations is present, winds and waves are roaring, and many other signs are being fulfilled. They are all coming in a heap.
25. We haev lately also seen so many comets and so many calamities have fallen from the skies and there has arisen the hitherto unknown disease, syphilis. Also how many signs and wonders have been seen in the heavens, as suns, moons, stars, rainbows, and many other strange sights. Dear hearer, let them be signs, great signs, tokens that mean much; so that neither the astronomers nor heathen astrologers can say they simply follow the ordinary course of nature, for they knew nothing of them before nor did they prophesy of them.
26. No astronomer will say that the course of the heavens foretold the coming of the terrible beast which the Tiber threw up a few years ago ; a beast with the head of an ass, the breast and body of a woman, the foot of an elephant for its right hand, with the scales of a fish on its legs, and the head of a dragon in its hinder parts, etc. This beast* typifies the papacy and the great wrath and punishment of God. Such a mass of signs presages greater results than the mind of man can con- ceive.
Before proceeding further it might be well to consider the testimony concerning the last day w^hich the celebrated teacher, Latantius Firmianus, gave about A. D. 320, in his work entitled "Divinarum Institutlonum", in the seventh book and fifteenth chapter : When the end of the world draws near, the condition of human affairs must materially s:hange and
*- In the yoar 1490. Compare "Deutung der zwo greulichen Figu- ren, Papstesels zu Rom und Moenchkalbs zu Freiberg in Meissen
fuiHlen. Phil. Mohincht lion. Dr. Martin J^uthor." W^ittenberg. 152?..
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVKNT. 71
take on a more wicked form. Then will malice and wicked- ness prevail to such a degree that our age, in which malice and wickedness have almost reached their highest pitch, will be looked upon as happy and treasured as golden in compari- son with that time when no one will be able to help or give ad- vice. Then will righteousness become practically unknown, and blasphemy, covetousness, impure desires, and unchastity become common. Then will the godly become a prey to the most wicked and be vexed and grieved by them. At the same time only the wicked will be rich and well to do, while the godly will be driven hither and thither in shame and poverty. Justice will be perverted, law will be overthrown, and no one will have aught else but that which he can secure by his own strength. Daring and strength will possess all. There will be neither faith nor confidence left in man, neither peace, nor loveliness, nor shame, nor truth, and as a result, no safety, no government, no rest of any kind from the reprobate. For all lands will become rebellious, everywhere men will rage and war with one another, the whole world will be in arms, and bring destruction to itself.
''Men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things zvhich are coming on the zvorld."
27. Here, again it is not the profligate mass, who disre- gard God's tokens and refer all to natural causes, that shall realize these, but rather the better class, and the most distin- guished, who take these things to heart and are given to re- flection. By "men fainting for fear" is to be understood that they shall be frightened to death, or the next thing to death; and that their fear shall consume them and rob them of their strength. What do they fear and wait for? Christ says : "The things which are coming on the world ;" that is, the last day, the terrible judgment, hell fire, and eternal death. Why do they fear and look for these things, and not the world upon whom they will come rather than upon them ? Be- cause these are the tokens of God which are to be despised and rejected by the world.
28. I am not yet a1)le to say who these people are, unless it be those who are exposed to and have to do with the temp-
72 lutht^^r's church postil.
tations of death and hell, concerning whom Tauler writes. For such temptations consume flesh and blood, yea, bone and mar- row, and arc death itself. No one can endure them except he be miraculously sustained. A number of patriarchs have tasted them, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David ; but near the end of the world they will be more common. This token will then greatly increase, although it is present now more than is gen- erally known. There are individuals who are in the perils of death and are wrestling with him ; they feel that which will come over the whole world and fear that it will come upon and abide with them. It is to be hoped, however, that such people are in a state of grace. For Christ speaks as if he would separate the fear and the thing which they fear; and so divides these that he gives to them the fear and to the world that which they fear. It is to be presumed that by this fear and anxiety, they are to have their hell and death' here, while the world, which fears nothing, will have death and hell here- after.
"For the powers of the heavens shall be shaken/'
29. By the powers of heaven some understand the angels of heaven. But since Christ speaks of signs, and says we shall see them and in them recognize the coming of the last day, they must surely be visible tokens and be percieved with the bodily senses. For those people whose consciences are in dis- tress and whose hearts are failing from fear, though this be an affection of the soul, yet manifest it by word and countenance. Therefore these powers of heaven must be such as can be really shaken and so percieved.
30. But the Scriptures speak in a two-fold way concerning the powers of heaven. At one time they are spoken of as the powerful heavens or the heavens which are among all crea- tures the most powerful, as is written, Gen. 1, 8, ''And God called the firmament" — that is, expanse or fortress — ''heaven" ; for every creature under heaven is ruled and strenghtened by the light, heat and movements of the heavens. What would the earth be without the heavens but a dark and desert waste ? Like princes and nobles in the world, the Scriptures call the
SKCOND SUNDAY IN ADVKNT. 73
heavens powerful because they rule over the bodies beneath them.
31. At another time the powers of heaven signify the hosts of heaven, as Psalm 33, 6 says : ''By the word of Jeho- vah were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." And Gen. 2, 1 : "And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." It is the common custom of the Scriptures to speak in this way of the powers of heaven. And it is clear from these pasages that the hosts or powers of heaven include all that is in them; in the heavens, the sun, moon, stars, and other heavenly bodies; on earth, man and beast, birds and fish, trees, herbs and whatever else lives upon it.
32. The passage before us may therefore mean the powers of heaven in both senses, probably chiefly the hosts of heaven. Christ would say that all creatures shall be shaken and shall serve as tokens of that day; sun and moon with darkening, the stars with falling, the nations with w^ars, men with hearts failing from fear, the earth with earthquakes, the waters with winds and roaring, the air with infection and pestilence, and the heavens with their hosts.
33. I do not know just what is meant by the moving of the hosts of heaven unless it be manifestations like those of the great constellation of the planets in 1524. For the planets are certainly among the most important of the powers and hosts of heaven, and their remarkable gathering together into one constellation is surely a token for the world. Christ does not say that all the hosts of heaven will be moved, but some of them only ; for not all stars shall fall from their places, nor all men be overcome with fear, nor all waters at the same time be in noisy commotion, nor sun and moon be every day dark- ened; for these are to be but signs, which can only occur at particular times and in a few places, that they may be some- thing special, and singled out as tokens from the great mass which are not such. It is quite probable, therefore, that these movements of the powers of heaven are such movements of the constellations of the planets. Astrologers interpret them to signify the coming of another flood; God grant that they
74 Luther's church postil.
may rather presage the comi'ng of the last day.
34. Let us not be mistaken, however, and think that these constellations are the product of the natural course of the heavenly bodies. As such Christ calls them signs and desires us to take special note of them, appearing, as they do, not alone but with a multitude of other tokens. Let the unbeliever doubt and despise God's tokens and speak of them as simply natural ; but let us hold fast to the Gospel.
35. There are many other signs elsewhere described in the Scriptures, such as earthquakes, famine, pestilence, and wars as in Luke 17, 20 and Math. 24, 7. We have seen much of these for they have been common at all times. Still they are tokens appearing by the side of others. It is a known fact also that wars at the present time are of such a character as to make former wars appear as mere child's play. But since our Gospel of today does not speak of these, let us not consider them further. Only let us consider them as signs, great signs, signifying great things ; alas, they are already despised and forgotten !
"And then shall they see the Son of man eoming in a cloud with pozver and great glory."
36. Here power may again signify the hosts of angels, saints, and all creatures that will come with Christ to judg- ment (I believe this is the correct interpretation) ; or it may mean the special power and might which will characterize this coming of Christ in contradistinction to hi's first coming. He says not only that he will come, but that they shall see him come. At his birth he came also, but men did not recognize him. He comes now through the Gospel in a spiritual manner, into the hearts of believers. This also is not by observation. But his last coming Avill be such that all must see him as Rev. 1,7 says, "And every eye shall see him." And they shall see that he is none other than the man Christ Jesus, i'n bodily form, as he was born of the virgin Mary and walked upon this earth.
He might have said they shall see me, but that would not have clearly indicated his bodily form. But when he says: ''They shall see the Son of man," he clearly indicates that it will be a bodily coming, a bodily seeing in bodily form : a com-
SE:C0ND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 75
ing in great power and glory, accompanied b}- the hosts of heaven. He shaU sit upon the clouds and be accompanied by all the saints. The Scriptures speak much of that day and everywhere point to the same. This, then, is said concerning the signs. The Saviour adds words of comfort for Christians in the presence of these signs.
IL THE COMFORT CHRISTIANS HAVE WHEN THESE SIGNS APPEAR.
"And when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption drazveth nigh"'
37. Here you may say, who can lift up his head in the face of such terrible wrath and judgment? If the whole world is filled with fear at that day, and lets fall its head and coun- tenance out of terror and anxiety ; how shall we look up and lift up our heads, which evidently means, how shall we mani- fest any joy in and longing for these signs ? In answer I would say that all this is spoken only to those wdio are really Chris- tians and not to heathen and Jews. True Christians are so afflicted with all manner of temptations and persecutions that in this life they are miserable. Therefore they wait and long and pray for redemption from sin and all evil ; as we also pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy kingdom come", and ''Deliver us from evil." If we are true Christians we will earnestly and heartily join in this prayer. If we do not so pray, we are not yet true Christians.
38. If we pray aright, our «condition must truly be such that, however terrible these signs may be, we will look up to them with joy and earnest desire, as Christ admonishes: "When these things begin to come to pass, look up." He does not say. Be filled with fear or drop your heads; for there is coming that for which we have been so earnestly praying. If we really wish to be freed from sin and death and hell, we must look forward to this coming of the Lord with joy and pleasure.
St. Paul also says, in 2 Tim. 4, 8, "Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day: and not only to
76 i.uthdr's church postil.
me, but also to all them that have loved his appearing.'' If he gives the crown to those who love his appearing, what will he give to those who hate and dread it? Without doubt, to enemies, eternal condemnation. Titus 2, 13 says, "Look- ing for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." And Luke 12, 36, "And be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast."
39. But what do those do who are filled with fear and do not desire to have him come, when they pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done," "deliver us from the evil one?" Do they not stand in the presence of God and lie to their own hurt? Do they not strive against the will of God who will have this day for the redemption of the saints? It is neces- sary, therefore, that we exercise great care lest we be found to hate and to dread that day. Such dread is a bad omen and belongs to the damned, whose cold minds and hard hearts must be terrified and broken, if perchance they might reform.
40. But to believers that day will be comforting and sweet. That day will be the highest joy and safety to the believer, and the deepest terror and anguish to the unbeliever ; just as also in this life the truths of the Gospel are exceed- ingly sweet to the godly and exceedingly hateful to the wicked. Why should the believer fear and not rather exceedingly re- joice, since he trusts in Christ who comes as judge to redeem him and to be his everlasting portion.
41. But you say I would indeed await his coming with joy, if I were holy and without sin. I should answer, what relief do you find in fear and flight? It would not redeem you from sin if you were to be filled with terror for a thousand years. The damned are eternally filled with fear of that day, but this does not take away their sin; yea, this fear rather increases sin and renders man unfit to appear without sin on that day when it comes. Fear must pass out of the soul and there must enter in a desire for righteou^^ness and for that day. But if you really desire to be free from sin and to be holy, then give thanks to God and continue to desire to be
»KCOND SUNDAY IN ADVE:nT. 77
more free from sin. Would to God that such desire were so sincere and powerful in you as to bring you to your death.
42. There is no one so well prepared for the judgment day as he who longs to be without sin. If you have suck desire, what do you fear? You are then in perfect accord v/ith the purpose of that day. It comes to set free from sin all who desire it, and you belong to that number. Return thanks to God and abide in that desire. Christ says his coming is for our redemption. But do not deceive yourself and be satisfied, perhaps, with the simple desire to be free from sin and to await the coming of the day without fear. Perhaps }Our heart is false and you are filled with fear, not because you would be free from sin, but because in the face of that day you cannot sin free and untrammeled. See to it that the light within you be not darkness. For a heart that would be truly free from sin will certainly rejoice in the day that fulfills its desire. If the heart does not so rejoice there is no true desire to be loosed from its sin.
43. Therefore we must above all things lay aside all hatred and abhorrence of this day, and exercise diligence that we may really desire to have our sins taken away. When this is done, we may not only calmly await the day, but with heartfelt desire and joy pray for it and say, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." In this you must cast aside all feel- ings and conceit, hold fast to the comforting words of Christ, and rest in them alone.
44. Could he admonish, comfort, and strengthen you in a more delicate and loving manner ? In the first place he says, You will hear of wars, but you should have no fears. And when he tells you to have no fears, what else does he mean than that he commands you to be of good cheer and to discern the signs with joy? Secondly, he tells you to look up; thirdly, to lift up your heads ; and fourthly, he speaks of your redemp- tion. What can comfort and strengthen you if such a word does not? Do you think he would deceive you and try to lead you into a false confidence ? My dear hearer, let such a word not have been said in vain: thank God and trust in it — there is no other comfort or advice if you cast this to the winds.
iö I^UTHER S CHURCH POSTII..
It is not your condemnation but your redemption of which Christ speaks. Will you turn his words around and say, It is not your redemption but your condemnation? Will you flee from your own salvation? Will you not greet and thank your God who comes out to meet and to greet you?
45. He has no doubt also spoken this word for the faint- hearted who, although they are devout and prepared for the last day, are yet filled with great anxiety and are hindered in taking part in his coming wdth that desire which should be found at the end of the world ; therefore he calls attention to their redemption. For when at the end of the world sin will hold such sway, and by the side of sin the punishment for sin with pestilence, war and famine, it will be necessary to give to believers strength and comfort against both evils, sin and its punishment. Therefore he uses the sweet and comforting word redemption which is so dear to the heart of man. What is redemption? Who would not be redeemed? Who would have a desire to abide in the desert of sin and punishment? Who would not wish an end to such misery and woe, such perils for souls, such ruin for man? Especially should this be the case when the Saviour allures, invites and comforts us in such an endearing way.
46. The godless fanatical preachers are to be censured who in their sermons deprive people of these words of Christ and faith in them, who desire to make people devout by terrifying them and v^ho teach them to prepare for the last day by relying upon their good works as satisfaction for their sins. Here despair, fear and terror must remain and grow and with it hatred, aversion and abhorrence for the coming of the Lord, and enmity against God be established in the heart ; for they picture Christ as nothing but a stern judge whose wrath must be appeased by works, and they never present him as the Redeemer, as he calls and offers himself, of whom wc are to expect that out of pure grace he will redeem us from sin and evil.
47. Such is always the result where the Gospel is not rightly proclaimed. When hearts are only driven by commands and threats, they will only be estranged from God and be led
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 79
to abhor him. We ought to terrify, but only the obstinate and hardened; and when these have become terrified and dejected also, we ought to strengthen and comfort.
48. From all this we learn how few there are who pray the Lord's Prayer acceptably even though it is prayed un- ceasingly in all the world. There are few who would not rather that the day would never come. This is nothing else than to desire that the kingdom of God may not come. There- fore the heart prays contrary to the lips, and while God judges according to the heart, they judge according to the lips. For this reason they institute so many prayers, fill all the churches with their bawling and think they pray aright when in reality their prayer is: "May thy kingdom not come, or not just yet." Tell me, is not such a prayer blasphemy? Is it not of such a prayer that the Psalmist speaks in Ps. 109, 7, "Let his prayer be turned into sin." How men are applying all the w^ealth of the world to fill every nook and corner of it with such blasphemy, and then are calling it a divine service!
49. Yet he who feels such fear must not despair, but rather use it wisely. Pie uses it wisely who permits such fear to urge and admonish him to pray for grace that this fear might be taken away and he be given joy and delight in that day. Christ has promised. Math. 7, 8, "Everyone that asketh receiveth." Therefore those who are fearful are nearer their salvation than the hard-hearted and reprobate, who neither fear nor find comfort in that day. For though they do not have a desire for it, they have a something within which ad- monishes them to pray for such a desire.
50. On the other hand, he uses fear unwisely who allows it to increase and abides in the same, as though he could thereby be cleansed from sin. This leads to nothing good. Not fear, which, as John says, 1 John 4, 18, must be cast out, will remain in that day, but love which, St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 13,8, must abide. Fear is to be a power to drive us to seek such love and pray for it. Where fear is not cast out it opposes the will of God and antagonizes your own salvation; it thus becomes a sin against the Holy Spirit. It is, however, not necessary to say that the individual must be altogether with-
80 Luther's church postil.
out fear, for we still have human nature abiding in us. This is weak and cannot exist altogether without the fear of death and the judgment; but the spirit must be uppermost in the mind, as Christ says, Math. 26, 41, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.*'
''And he spake to them a parable: Behold the ßg tree, and all the trees: when they now shoot forth, ye see it and know of your own selves that the summer is now nigh. Even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh."
51. Pure words of comfort are these. He does not put forth a parable from the fall or winter season when all the trees are bare and the dreary days begin; but a parable from the spring and summer season, when everything is joyous, when all creation buds forth and rejoices. By this he clearly teaches that we are to look forward to the last day with as much joy and delight as all creation shows in spring and summer. What is the meaning of this parable if in it he does not teach us this ? He could have found others that were not so joyous.
52. In applying it, he does not say your hell or condemna- tion is at hand, but the kingdom of God. What else does it signify that the kingdom of God is at hand than that our redemption is near? The kingdom of God is but ourselves, as Christ says, Luke 17,21, ''For lo, the kingdom of God is within you ;" therefore, it draweth nigh when we are nearing our redemption from sin and evil. In this life it begins in the spirit ; but since we must still battle with sin and suffer much evil, and since death is still before us, the kingdom of God is not yet perfect in us. But when once sin and death and all evil are taken away, then will it be perfect. This the last day will bring and not this life.
53. Therefore, my dear hearer, examine your life, probe vour heart to ascertain how it is disposed toward this day. Do not put your trust in your own good life, for that would soon be put to shame ; but think of and strengthen your faith in order that the day may not be a terror to you as to the damned, but be your joy as the day of your salvation and of the kin£r<'lom of God in vou. Then when you think or hear of
SE;C0ND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 81
the same, your heart will leap for joy and earnestly long for its coming. If you do not wish to pronounce judgment upon yourself, then do not think that you would be able to stand in that day even with the meritorious deeds of all the saints. ^'Verily I say unto yon, This generation shall not pass away , till all things he accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away"
54. Why does the Lord so fortify his Word and confirm it beyond measure by parables, oaths, and tokens of the gene- ration which shall remain though heaven and earth pass away? This all happens because, as was said above, all the world is so secure and with open eyes despises the signs to such a degree that perhaps no word of God has been so despised as this which foretells and characterizes the judgment day. It will appear to the world that there are no signs ; and even though people should see them, they will still not believe. Even the very elect of God may doubt such words and tokens, in order that the day may come when the world is never so secure and thus be suddenly overwhelmed in its security, as St. Paul said above.
55. Therefore Christ would assure us and wake us up to look for the day when the signs appear. We are to realize that though the signs be uncertain, those are not in danger who look upon them as tokens, while those who despise them are in the greatest danger. Hence let us play with certainties and consider the above-named signs as truly such lest we run with the unspiritual. If we are mistaken, we have after all hit the mark; if they are mistaken, it Is a mistake for eternity with them.
56. Jesus calls the Jews "this generation." This passage, therefore, clearly indicates that the common saying is not true which holds that all the Jewes will become Christians ; and that the passage, John 10, 16, "And they shall become one flock and one shepherd," is not fulfilled when the Jews go over to the heathen, but when the heathen came to the Jews and be- jcame Christians at the time of the apostles, as St. Augustine often explains. Christ's words in John 10, 16 indicate the same, ''And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold;
82 i^uther's church posxii,.
them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and they shall become one flock and one shepherd." Note that he speaks clearly of the heathen who have come to the Jewish fold; therefore the passage has been long since fulfilled. But here he says, "This generation shall not pass away" till the end come ; that is, the Jews who crucified Christ must remain as a token. And although many will be converted, the gene- ration and Jewish character must remain.
57. Some have also been concerned about how heaven and earth will pass away, and they again call Aristotle to their aid. He must interpret the words of Christ for them, and he says, that heaven and earth will not pass away as to their essence but only as to their form. How much they think they are saying! If they so understood it that heaven and earth will continue to be something, they would indeed be right. But let us suffer the blind to go, and know that just as our bodies will be changed as to their essence, and yet be remade according to their essence, so heaven and earth at the last day with all the elements will be melted v/ith fervent heat and turned to dust, together with the bodies of men, so that there w^ill be nothing but fire everywhere. Then will everything be new-created in greatest beauty; our bodies will shine in bril- liancy, and the sun be much more glorious than now. Peter speaks of this day, in 2 Pet. 3, 10-13, ''But the day of the Lord will come as a thief ; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteous- ness."
Paul also testifies to the same in 1 Cor. 3,13, that "the last day shall be revealed in fire." And Isaiah 30,26, "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and heal- eth the stroke of their wound." Likewise Isaiah 65, 17, "For, behold I create new heavens and a new earth ; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come Into mind. But
4
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 83
be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create." There- fore this passing away is not only according to form but also as to essence; unless it be that you do not want to call it a passing away, if things turn to dust until no trace of them can be found, as the burned body turns to ashes and passes away.
58. But where do our souls dwell when the abode of every creature is afire and there is no earthly dwelling place? An- swer: My dear hearer, where is the soul now? Or where is it when we sleep and are not conscious of what is taking place in our bodies and in the world around us ? Do you think that God cannot so preserve or hold the souls of men in his hand that they will never know how heaven and earth passed away? Or do you think that he must have a bodily home for the soul, just as a shepherd has a stable for his sheep ? It is enough for you to know that they are in God's hands and not in the care of any creature. Though you do not under- stand how it happens, do not be led astray. Since you have not yet learned what happens to you when you fall asleep or awaken, and can never know how near you are to waking or sleeping, though you daily do both, how do you expect to understand all about this question? The Scripture says, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," and so let it be. Meanwhile there will arise a new heaven and a new earth, and our bodies will be revived again to eternal salvation. Amen. If we knew just how the soul would be kept, faith would be at an end. But now we journey and know not just whither; yet we put our confidence in God, and rest in his keeping, and our faith abides in all its dignity.
Hi. THE SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION OF THESE GOSPEL SIGNS.
59. Finally, we must find also a hidden or spiritual mean- ing in this Gospel. The sun is Christ, the moon is the church, the stars are Christians, the powers of heaven are the prelates or planets of the church. Now these earthly signs surely signify what has long since taken place and is now taking place among Christians; for they follow the service of sin and threaten and manifest the punishment resting upon them.
84 i^uther's church postil.
60. That the sun is darkened no doubt signifies that Christ does not shine in the Christian church ; that is, that the Gospel is not preached and that faith is expiring from the lack of divine service. This has come about through the teaching and works of men. The pope sits in the churches in the place of Christ and shines like dirt in a lantern — he with his bishops, priests, and monks. It is these that have darkened the sun for us, and instead of the true worship of God have set up idolatry and image worship with their tonsure and hoods and vestments and pipes and lutes and singing and playing etc. Oh what darkness ! What darkness !
61. From this it necessarily follows that neither the moon gives any light ; that is, when faith died out, love had to die out also, so that no real Christian deeds are any more seen, no example is found in which one Christian serves another; but all the people have been led into idolatry, and image wor- ship, and there have been instituted mass, vigils, altars, chapels, purifications, bells, and impostures. Again what darkness !
62. I interpret the falling of the stars to mean the falling of man who has been baptized and become a Christian and then became a priest or monk. Whoever wants to believe me, may; whoever does not want to, need not do so, but I know what I am talking about. I do not say that they will all be lost; God can save even from the fire whom he will. But this I say, whoever becomes a priest or monk in the belief that he is taking up a holy estate falls from Christian faith into unbelief; for the falling of the stars does not signify the gross forms of sin, murder, adultery, theft, but a falling from faith. Priests and monks (unless God does wonders) are by virtue of their position renegade and apostate Christians, worse than whom no people dwell on the earth.
63. The Turks also are no Christians ; but in two senses they are better than the Papists: first, they have never been Christians or stars, therefore have not fallen from the faith; secondly, they do not sin against the sacrament of the Lord's body and blood. But the Papists make a sacrifice out of the mass and a meritorious work and do it daily and icontinually. This is certainly the most sacrilegious perversion upon which
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 85
the sun has yet shined. In short he who desires to become holy and be saved by works and holy orders, falls from the faith, falls from heaven; for the blood of Jesus Christ alone is able to save us. Therefore, whenever you see a star fall, then know that it signifies some one has become a priest, a monk, or a nun.
64. That men's hearts failed them for fear signifies the torments which the pope's saints and fallen stars suffer, for while they do great things their consciences are never at rest. The Scriptures say they are weary and heavy laden.
65. The roaring winds and seas are the worldly estates, both high and low. There is no luler or land at peace with the other, no faith or trust in one another, everyone is looking only to his own interests. Neither is there reproof or disci- pline or fear upon the earth; and the whole world is so en- gaged in eating, drinking, unchastity, and the lusts of the flesh, that it moans and roars.
66. The powers of heaven are our planets, our spiritual squires and tyrants, popes, bishops, and their companions, the universities, which are all so deeply sunk in worldly affairs, property, honor, and pleasures, that they think they are not planets, that is, errorists, for planeta in Greek means an error- ist, one who does not travel on the right way, but travels backward and to both sides as the planets also do in the heavens. This the Germans express in a proverb, the more learned, the more perverse; in other words, the spiritual gov- ernment is only planets. But now when the Gospel shines forth and shows them their virtue and colors it with its own hue, and shows that they are unlearned idolaters and soul- deceivers, they get angry, begin to move, and form a constella- tion. They gather together, try to shelter themselves behind bulls and edicts, and threateningly predict a great flood. But it will do them no good, the day will come and its light cannot be placed under a bushel like a candle.
67. The parable of the fig tree seems to me to signify that the fig tree is the Holy Scriptures which have so long been hidden in obscurity. They are now budding forth and taking leaves, their word is breaking forth into fruitage. For twelve
86 Luthi:r's church postii..
centuries it has not been so well known, nor have its Ian- languages been so well known. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that the Scriptures are a fig tree which is easily preserved. It was fig leaves with which Adam and Eve cov- ered their nakedness ; for the old Adam always uses the Scrip- tures to adorn himself. Therefore the book must come forth, its leaves must become green, in spite of all the movements of the planets. The summer is not far distant — would to God that the fruit would also follow the leaves. I fear that there will be nothing but leaves, for we talk much about true faith but bring forth no fruit.
68. Enough has now been said conüerning these signs; if anyone desires to consider the matter further, to him has been given here the impulse and a start. But the planets with their factious spirit will not believe in them, in order that the Scriptures may still be true in this, that they give these people great security and contempt for the word, works, and signs of God.
THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVE:NT. 87
THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT.
This sermon is found in Erl. 10,83; W. 11,99; St. L. 11,72.
Text : Math, ii, 2-10. Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by his disciples and said unto him. Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye hear and see : the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them. And blessed is he, zvhosoever shall Und no occasion of stumbling in me.
And as these went their way, Jesus began to say unto the midtitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilder- ness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft raiment are in kings' houses. But zvh ere fore went ye out? to see a prophet? Yea, J say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is zvrittenj^ Behold, I send my messenger before thy face. Who shaU prepare thy way before thee.
CONTENTS: CHRIST'S ANSWER TO THE QUESTION JOHN ASKED HIM; HIS PRAISE OF JOHN, AND THE APPLICATION OF THIS GOSPEL.
I. THE QUESTION JOHN PUTS • How we are to treat those of
TO CHRIST. a meek conscience. 8.
L The Thoug-hts of Ambrose, jj CHRIST'S ANSWER. GIVEN
Jerome^ and^ Gregory on This ^^^ WORDS AND DEEDS.
II. Wh^^y Vohii Asked this Ques- f- ^}\^ '^^^^I%x?l ^}"^^ Answer fl.
tion 2f II- How and Why the Answer by
• Why John's disciples held so His Works Is Greater than
firmly to John, and why the Answer by His Words.
they did not desire to be !"•
broug-ht to Christ. 3-4. III. How This Answer Is to Be
• Of the stately entrance of Used Ag-ainst False Teach-
Jesus, the King of glory. 5. ers. ll-12f.
III. The Nature of this Ques- . jj^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ answer the tion. 6. Pnni«?t«5 when thev use
IV. The Necessity of This Ques- ChSst's words in Math. 23
• cffist must do all. the good- \% ., ^^^^^'^ themselves.
ness of others never helps ^ it js seldom that one preach-
88
I.UTHE:r's church POSTII..
es right, when his life is
not right. 17. IV. How We Are to Understand the Words of Christ's An- swer: "The Poor Have Good Tidings Preached to Them." 18f.
* Concerning- the Law.
1. It is impossible to keep the law without the grace of God. 19.
2. To what degree presump- tion and doubt spring from the law. 20-22.
3. The law wishes to be ful- filled by a free and cheer- ful will. 20-21.
4. To what persons the law is profitable. 22.
5. Wliy the law is called the law of death. 23.
* Concerning the Gospel.
1. Wliat is to be understood by the Gospel. 24-26,
2. Faith and not works is the theme of tlie Gospel. 26.
3. The Gospel is founded only upon Christ. 27.
4. Why God includes the Law and the Gospel in the Bible. 28.
5. Why the New Testament is caled the Gospel. 29.
6. The Gospel is tlie great- est of all the works of Christ. 30.
7. What persons the Gospel assists. 31-32.
8. Wliat is the greatest ene- my of the Gospel. 33.
V. How Christ in His Answer Meets the Carnal and World- ly Thoughts of John's Dis- ciples. 34.
VL What Part of This Answer Deserves Special Attention. 35.
* The offense caused by the
doctrine and the life.
1. By the doctrine, 36-S^.
2. By the life. 39.
3. Which is the more dan^ gerous. 39.
4. In what way we may avoid the offense caused by the doctrine. 40.
TIT. HOW AND WHY CHRIST PRAISES JOHN.
I. Because of His Firmness. 41-42.
II. Because of His Hard and
* Tlie secure state of the Coarse Raiment. 43.
III. Because of His High Offlc». 44f.
* The Jews wait in vain for
the coming of Christ. 47.
* The meaning of the word
angel. 48.
* To what extent John pre-
pared the way for Christ. 49-50. IV. THE APPLICATION OF THIS GOSPEL. IT SHOULD SERVE US.
I. In Purifying and Strengthen-
ing Our Faith. 51-53.
* Whoever tries to be pious by
means of his own works, lacks Christ and shall be lost. 54.
II. In Doing Truly Good Works.
55f.
* What is true divine worship
and truly good works. 56.
* Of the offense of faith and
of love. 57.
* It is very difficult here to
know Christ aright. 58-59.
The History or Story.
I. THE QUESTION JOHN PUTS TO CHRIST.
1. The most I find on this Gospel treats of whether John the Baptist knew that Jesus was the true Christ, althougli this question is unnecessary and of httle import. St. Ambrose thinks John asked this question neither in ignorance nor in doubt; but in a Christian spirit. Jerome and Gregory write that John asked whether he should be Christ's forerunner also into hell, an opinion that has not the least foundation, for the text plainly says, "Art thou he that cometh or look we for another?" This looking or waiting for Christ, according to the words, relates to his coming on earth and pertains to the Jewish people, otherwise John ought to have asked, or do those in hell look for thee? And since Christ with his works
THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 89
answered that he had come, it is certain that John inquired about Christ's bodily coming, as Christ himself thus under- stood it and answered accordingly, although I do not deny that Christ also descended into hell, as we confess in our creed.
2. Hence it is evident John knew very well that Jesus was he that should come, for he had baptized him and testi- fied that Christ was the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, and he had also seen the Holy Spirit descend- ing upon him as a dove, and heard the voice from heaven: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." All is fully related by all four Evangelists. Why then did John ask this question ? Answer : It was not done without good reasons In the first place, it is certain that John asked it for the sake of his disciples, as they did not yet hold Christ to be the one he really was. And John did not come in order to make disciples and draw the people to himself, but to prepare the way for Christ, to lead everybody to Christ and to make all the people subject to him.
3. Now the disciples of John had heard from him many excellent testimonies concerning Christ, namely, that he was the Lamb of God and the Son of God, and that Christ must in- crease while he must decrease. All this his disciples and the people did not yet believe, nor could they understand it, as they themselves and all the people thought more of John than of Christ. For this reason they clung so strongly to John, even to the extent that they for his sake became jealous and dissatisfied with Christ when they saw that he also baptized, made disciples and drew the people to himself. They com- plained to John about this because they feared that their master would grow less in esteem, as we read in John 3, 26, "And they came unto John and said to him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou hast borne witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him."
4. To this error they were led by two reasons, first, be- cause Christ was not yet known to the people, but only to John; neither had he as yet performed any miracle, and no one was held in high esteem but John. Hence it appeared
90 luthi:r^s church jfOSTiL.
so strange to them that he should point them and everybody else away from himself and to some one else, inasmuch as there was no one living beside John who had gained a great name and enjoyed great fame. The other reason was because Christ appeared so very humble and common, being the son of a poor carpenter and of a poor widow. Neither did he belong to the priesthood, nor to the learned; but was only a layman and a comm.on apprentice. He had never studied, Vv^as brought up as a carpenter apprentice just like other lay- men ; hence it seemed as though the excellent testimony of John concerning Christ and the common layman and appren- tice, Jesus of Nazareth, did not at all harmonize with each other. Therefore, though they believed that John told the truth, they still reasoned : Perhaps it will be some one else than this Jesus ; and they looked for one who might appear among them in an imposing way, like a highly learned leader among the priests, or a mighty king. From such delusion John could not deliver them with his w^ords. They clung to him, and regarded Christ as being much inferior, meanwhile looking for the glorious appearing of the great person of whom John spoke. And should he really be Jesus, then he had to assume a different attitude ; he must saddle a steed, put on bright spurs, and dash forward like a lord and king of Israel, just as the kings aforetime had done. Until he should do this they would cling to John.
5. But when Jesus began to perform miracles and became famous, then John thought he would point his disciples away from himself and lead them to Christ, in order that they might not think of establishing a new sect and becoming Johnites ; but that all might cling to Christ and become Chris- tians, John sends them to Christ so that from now on they might learn not only from the witness he bore of Christ, but also from the words and deeds of Christ himself that he was the one of whom John had spoken. It should not be expected that the works and coming of Christ would be attended by drums and bugles and like worldly pomp; but by spiritual power and grace, so that there would be no riding and walk- ing on streets paved and carpeted ; but that by virtue of such
THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVE^NT. 91
power and grace the dead would be raised up, the blind re- ceive their sight, the deaf hear, and all kinds of bodily and spiritual evil be removed. That should be the glory and com- ing of this king, the least of whose works could not be per- formed by all the kings, all the learned and all the rich in the world. This is the meaning of the text.
"Now zvhen John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by his disciples and said unto him, art thou he that Cometh, or look we for another f'
6. As though John would say to his disciples: There you hear of his works, such as I never accomplished, nor any- one else before him. Now go to him and ask him, whether or not he is the one that cometh. Put away the gross worldly deception that he would ride on steeds in armor. He is in- creasing, but I must now decrease ; my work must cease, but his must continue ; you must leave me and cling to him.
7. How necessary it was for John to point his disciples away from himself to Christ is very clear. For what benefit would it have been to them if they had depended a thousand times on John's piety and had not embraced Christ? Without Christ there is no help or remedy, no matter how pious men may be. So at the present day what benefit is it to the monks and nuns to observe the rules of St. Benedict, St. Bernard, St. Francis, St. Dominic and St. Augustine, if they do not embrace Christ and him only, and depart also from their John ? All Benedictines, Carthusians, Barefoot-Friars, Ecclesiasts, Augustinians, Carmelites, all monks and nuns are surely lost, as only Christians are saved. Whoever is not a Christian even John the Baptist cannot help, who indeed, according to Christ, was the greatest of all saints.
8. However, John deals kindly with his disciples, has pa- tience with their weak faith till they shall have grown strong. He does not condemn them because they do not firmly be- lieve him. Thus we should deal with the consciences of men ensnared by the examples and regulations of pious men, until they are freed from them.
92 Luthkr's church postil.
IL CHRIST'S ANSWER; GIVEN IN WORDS AND
DEEDS.
''And Jesus anszvered and said nnfo them, go and tell John the thiiigs which you hear and see; the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tid- ings preached to them. And blessed is he whosoever shall ßnd no occasion of stumbling in me."
9. Christ answered John also for the sake of his disciples. He answers in a twofold way : First, by his works ; secondly, by his words. He did the same thing when the Jews sur- rounded him in the temple and asked him, "If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly," John 10, 24. But he points them to his works saying, "I told you, and ye believe not, the works that I do in my Father's name, these bear witness of me," John 10, 25. Again, "Though ye believe not me, believe the works," John 10, 88. Here Christ first points them to the works, and then also to the words saying "And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me." With these words he does not only confess that he is the Christ, but also warns them against finding occasion of stumbling in him. If he were not the Christ, then he who finds no occasion of stumbling in him could not be blessed. For one can dispense with all the saints, but Christ is the only one that no man 'can dispense with. No saint can help us, none but Christ.
10. The answer of his works is more convincing, first, because such works were never before accomplished either by John or by anyone else ; and secondly, because these works were predicted by the prophets. Therefore, when they saw that it came to pass just as the prophets had foretold, they could and should have been assured. For thus Isaiah had said of these works : "The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me, because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the weak ; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-heart- ed, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound," Is. 61, 1. When Isaiah says, "He hath anointed me," he thereby means that Jesus is the Christ and that Christ should do all these works, and he who
THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 9B
is doing them must be the Christ. For the Greek word Christ is Messiah in Hebrew, Unctiis in Latin, and Gesalbter (an- nointed in German. But the kings and priests were usually anointed for the kingdom and priesthood. But this anointed king and priest, Isaiah says, shall be anointed by God himself, not with real oil, but with the Holy Spirit that should come upon him, saying, "The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me." That is my anointment with which the Spirit anointed me. Thus he indeed preaches good tidings to the weak, gives sight to the blind, heals all kinds of sickness and proclaims the acceptable year, the time of grace, etc.
Again Isaiah says: "Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing,*' etc. Is. 35, 4-5. Now, if they would compare the Scriptures with these works, and these works with the Scriptures, they would recognize John's witness by Christ's works, that he was the true Messiah. Luke says that Christ at that time, when John's disciples asked him, healed many of their diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and bestowed sight on many that were blind. Luke 7, 2L
IL But here we must take to heart the good example of Christ in that he appeals to his w^orks, even as the tree is known by its fruits, thus rebuking all false teachers, the pope, bishops, priests and monks to appear in the future and shield themselves by his name, saying, "We are Christians;" just as the pope is boasting that he is the vicar of Christ. Here we have it stated that where the works are absent, there is also no Christ. Christ is a living, active and fruit-bearing character who does not rest, but works unceasingly w^herever he is. Therefore, those bishops and teachers that are not doing the works of Christ, we should avoid and consider as wolves.
12. But they say, Why it is not necessary for everyone to do these works of Christ. How can all the pious give sight to the blind, make the lame walk and do other miracles like
94 Luther's church posth^.
those of Christ? Answer: Christ did also other works, he exercised himself in patience, love, peace, meekness, etc. ; this everybody should do. Do these works, and then we also shall know Christ by his works.
13. Here they reply: Christ says, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe ; but do not ye after their works ; for they say, and do not. Math. 23, 2-3. Here Christ commanded to judge the doctrine, but not the life. Answer: What do I hear ? Have you now become Pharisees and hypo- crites, and confess it yourselves? If we would say this about you then you would indeed become