Held on Michaelmas, early in the morning, Sept. 29, 1533.
Beloved in the Lord, yesterday you heard the text of the Gospel, where the Lord Christ preaches how not to anger the young children, indicating the cause and saying: "Their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven". With this he wants to admonish that one should fear
before the dear angels who are with the children. Likewise also before him whom the dear angels see without ceasing.
(2) This feast of the holy angels, as I have said, we celebrate not because it is a feast of angels, but because it is a feast of our Lord God, who is the
angels, so that we may recognize their service to us and thank God for it. And there I have given likeness of temporal authority and of spiritual government. God could rule the world without judges and secular authorities, could hang a thief and keep a pious man without mayors, judges and executioners; yet God uses the secular authorities, who have this office, to punish the wicked and protect the pious. God could also build houses of wood and stone, so that he would not need a human being to do so; he could beget children without father and mother, as he proved when he created Adam and Eve without the help of parents. But he has created the people for this, and begets and nourishes the children by the parents, father and mother. He could also make the day without the sun, as the first three days in creation were day and night, and yet neither sun nor moon nor stars were created at that time, Gen. 1, 2. God could still do this. But he created the sun and the moon to preside over the day and the night. So, a preacher is called to preach. God could well make people godly without preachers, but he will not do so; rather, he will let the ministry remain, so that the preachers will be his helpers, as St. Paul teaches in his first epistle to the Corinthians in chapter 3, v. 5. For a preacher is also an angel of God, Mal. 2, 7, just as David is called an angel in the Scriptures because he helped God the Lord to rule through his ministry. God could rule the world without all these offices if He wanted to, but He does not want to, but has appointed the offices to be His helpers.
(3) Thus, the holy angels are also God's assistants. Where a prince in the land and a judge in the city are too weak for his office - as it is true that each one is much too weak in his office, in which he serves God - God has assigned to them assistants and angels, who help to carry out the office where men are too weak. Thus, parents are far too weak to manage the house and govern the children. A
Emperors, kings and princes are far too weak and insignificant for their office if each one does not have an angel above him to help him. For if the dear angels were to help, a householder in the house, a prince in the country, king and emperor in the empire, would achieve little or nothing.
4. therefore you shall distinguish rightly, that you do not make idols out of the angels; but learn to recognize what is the office of the holy angels, that you should thank and give thanks to God that he protects and preserves you through your parents, through your authorities, judges, mayors etc. So you should also thank and praise God that he has assigned his dear angels to you, through whom he protects and preserves you, as he protects me through parents and authorities; so that the glory of God remains. We honor our parents, princes, preachers, but do not worship them for that reason, but honor them for the sake of God, who created and ordered them. For just as God created all offices for our good, so He also created the angels for the good of man.
Now the Lord begins a children's sermon and says: "See to it that you do not despise one of these lowly ones" etc. There you hear a clear text, which you should certainly believe. For this man, Christ, certainly knows that the children have angels who do not create the children, but help to preserve the children whom God has created. This is how we preachers and parents should begin, as Christ begins, to imagine that the children have angels. That is why it is customary to frighten children with the booger man. For with it one wanted to show them both kinds of spirits, good and evil. So I should soon get a child into the habit of saying to him: Dear child, you have an angel of your own; when you pray in the morning and in the evening, the same angel will be with you, will sit by your little bed, has a white skirt on, will take care of you, will cradle you and protect you, so that the evil man, the devil, cannot come to you etc. Item, if you will gladly say the Benedicite and Gratias before the table, your little angel will be at the table, serving you, woe is me!
and watch that no harm befalls you and that the food is good for you. If the children were made to believe this, they would learn from their youth and become accustomed to the angels being with them, and this would not only serve to make the children rely on the protection of the dear angels, but also to make them more disciplined and to teach them to be shy when they are alone, so that they would remember that even though the parents are not with us, the angels are still there, watching over us, so that the evil spirit does not show us any mischievousness.
(6) This is a childish sermon, but it is good and necessary, and so necessary and so childish that it also serves us old people, because the angels are not only with the children, but also with us old people. Thus St. Paul says in the first epistle to the Corinthians in the 11th chapter, v. 10: "Let the woman have power upon her head for the angels' sake" etc. The women should not be adorned in the church and congregation, as if they were going to the dance; but should be covered with a veil for the sake of the angels. Then St. Paul puts on the angels and says that they are with and beside the sermon, divine office and service. Such service of the dear angels does not seem to be delicious; but by this we see what righteous good works are. The dear angels are not so hopeful as we men; but therefore walk in godly obedience, and in the service of men, and wait upon the young children. How could they do a lesser work than waiting for the children day and night? What does a child do? It eats, cries, sleeps etc. It is an excellent thing that the holy spirits of the children wait, as they eat, drink, sleep and watch. It seems to be a small work, but the dear angels do it with joy, for it pleases God, who has commanded them to do so. On the other hand, a monk says: "Should I wait for the children? I do not want to do that; I want to deal with higher, greater works and to wear a cap.)
*Cappa, choir coat, a wide, wrinkled coat with wide sleeves that reached down to the feet. It was used by many monastic orders and formed the actual monastic robe, which was to be worn everywhere except for work, but especially in the choir during the divine service. Today it is for the convenience of the monks
and caste myself in the monastery etc. But if you want to consider it right, these are the highest and best works that are done to children and pious Christians. What do the parents do? What are their works? They are servants of the young children; everything they do, they themselves confess, they do for the sake of the children, that they may be brought up. So do the dear angels. Why should we be ashamed to serve the children? And if the dear angels did not take care of the children, what would become of them? For parents, with the help of the ruler and the authorities, are much too weak to be able to raise children. If it were not for the protection of the dear angels, no child would grow up to a perfect age, even if the parents used all possible diligence. Therefore, God ordains that not only the parents, but also emperors, kings, princes, and finally His high, great spirits, the holy angels, guard and protect the children, so that nothing bad happens to them. Such a thing would be good for the children to imagine.
(7) On the other hand, children should also be told about the devil and the evil spirits' cunning. Dear child, they should say, if you are not pious, your little angel will run away from you and the evil spirit, the black booger man, will come to you; therefore be pious and pray, and the little angel will come to you and the booger man will leave you. And this is also the truth. The devil sits in a corner, and if he could strangle the parents and the child, he would not do it more than gladly. Therefore it is certainly true that the dear angels are waiting for us when we eat, drink, get up and go to bed. So also, the evil angels are all around us, and God allows the evil angels to have power over us, so that He may keep us in humility. Just as parents do; if a child is not content to be waited on, cradled, watered, etc., the mother gives it a blow on the mouth or takes hold of the rod. And the magistrate and the authorities, if they see a wilful citizen, then
Only in some branches of the Benedictine Order it is still exceptionally worn on special occasions and called Cuculle. D. Red.
they seize and put such disobedient citizens in the tower; for the authorities are the father of the country. And a preacher, when he hath preached long, and hath wrought nothing, he turneth himself sour, and putteth public stiff-necked sinners under the ban etc. So do the dear angels: when they see that their ministry will not go on, you will not be obedient, they strike you on the mouth.
(8) So the angels of Egypt made a wall of fire between the people of Israel and the Egyptians, and they built such walls in a moment, Exodus 12:14 ff. And when Pharaoh would not cease his raging and his fury, they thrust him into the sea, and he and all his host were drowned, Ex 14:28. Thus do a father and a mother, chastening their child, saying, Be godly, and fear God, lest the evil enemy the devil come and slay thee. And as every man hath his own servant, father, mother, and authority, so hath he also his own angel: yea, every city, country, and kingdom hath his own angel: and the same against the black nickel, which is called the evil spirit, the devil, which suffereth not gladly the things that God speaketh and doeth. Thus St. Peter teaches in the first epistle in chapter 5, v. 8, that each one has his own devil, who creeps after him day and night. And to the Ephesians in chapter 6, v. 11, St. Paul teaches that every Christian must fight against the evil spirits and devils and be equipped for such a fight with the armor of God.
When an evil spirit is too weak and cannot do anything, he takes other stronger and worse spirits to himself; as the Lord Christ testifies in the Gospel, Luc. 11, 26. This soon starts from youth. Where the devil could, he would not let a single child live. As it sometimes happens that this child drowns in the water, that one is eaten by a sow, and so on. In sum, if he could, he would not let a single person live nor rest, that one could eat a soup. And let the children learn that they have the evil man for an enemy; on the other hand, let them also learn that they have a better and stronger help than the help of parents and princes.
the dear angels. Dear child, parents should say that if you pray diligently and obey your parents and preceptors (teachers), your angel will see this; and although your enemy, the devil, takes more devils to harm you, the prince, your angel, on the other hand, also takes more good angels to himself, who are stronger to protect you than the devil is to attack you.
10 Thus we also read of the patriarch Abraham, Genesis 24, that he sent his servant to get a bride for his son Isaac; and since the servant does not know the way, Abraham says: "The Lord, the God of heaven, will send his angel before you, that you may take a wife for my son there" etc. Abraham sends out his servant as if one were to throw up a feather. He does not ask if his son Isaac does not know the bride or where she is, but says: "The Lord will send his angel to be with you, and he will guide you to find the bride. Is not this a wonderful thing, that the angel of the Lord should be with thee, and deliver unto Isaac his bride? It is foolish in the eyes of reason to hear that an angel should be concerned with how you take a wife, but Scripture teaches that just as God divides up goods through emperors and princes and instructs people how to marry, so he has also ordained his angels for this work, so that they may bring Abraham's servant to give his master's son a bride. And David in the 34th Psalm, v. 8, says: "The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who fear him, and helps them out" etc. Castra metatur Angelus Domini, "the angel of the Lord pitcheth a chariot," he says. This is what an angel has soon done, that he makes in a hui a debris and a castle of chariots around a city; and such is then a delicious solid wall. And in the other book of Kings, in the 19th chapter, in the history of Ezekiel, it is written that the angel protected Jerusalem against the Assyrians, and slew 185,000 men in one night; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, it was all full of dead bodies. So one angel can slay many thousands of Turks. Who would have thought that the angels would take care of him, the king, and kill him?
A wall, a moat, and a weir, and that they should do such small human works, which have no reputation, especially among the monks, namely, to wait for the children, to stand by the wall, and to guard and protect a city and country?
Dionysius and other doctors have written much about the dear angels, namely, that the holy angels stand and play before God and do not care about us on earth. And today our monks say: one should not attribute such childish little works to the holy angels. But the holy scripture does not speak of the dear angels in this way, that they alone play in heaven and do not take care of us on earth. It is true that the dear angels look at the face of the heavenly Father without ceasing; but nevertheless they also wait for the children on earth, whether they are ashamed, free Isaac the Rebekka, Gen. 24, are room heaters, nannies and guards, especially in matters of faith, Dan. 4, 10: "A holy watchman descended from heaven" etc. The prophet calls the angels watchmen because they watch and guard against the devil without ceasing. Item, when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, saw in a dream that the tree was to be cut down, he heard a voice: "This has been decided in the council of the watchmen and discussed in the conversation of the saints" etc. Therefore the office of every angel is to watch; as parents, after they have conceived and borne children, are keepers and watchmen after the children are born; and the temporal authorities are also watchmen: so also the dear angels are watchmen, to keep watch over us, and to protect us. For if their watch were not, the black nickel would soon find us; for he is an angry, undaunted spirit; but the dear angels are our rightful watchmen. When we sleep, and the parents in the house, and the judge in the city, and the prince in the land also sleeps, and cannot protect us nor govern us; then the holy angels watch, protect and govern us in the very best way. Where the devil can no longer, he frightens me in my sleep or makes me ill, so that I cannot sleep: there no one protects me, they all sleep in the
But the dear angels sit before my bed and say to the devil: Let me sleep etc. Such is the office of the angels; unless I have deserved it that God withdraws his hand and does not let the angels preserve or protect me; but lets me be whipped a little, that I may become humble and recognize God's good deed, which he shows me through the service of the dear angels.
(12) Further, it is the office of the angels to keep me and to guide me when I go out, to be with me on the way. When I get up in the morning and do my prayer, say the morning blessing, and go over the field, I shall know that God's angel is with me, that he keeps a good watch over me against the devils that are behind and in front of me. It is true that the common city and country peace also guide me and the sovereign; but above that I also need the service and care of the holy angels to guide me. For they are guardians, given to us by God, to serve us, to have respect for us, to wait for us and to keep us.
(13) This is a useful doctrine, which is to work both in us: first, to make us careful, and second, to comfort us. So it makes us careful: if I know that the devil is all around me, I can be all the more restrained; if there is no man with me, I still shun the good and evil spirits. For no one easily does anything evil when he knows that someone is around him, be he as low as he may be.
14. after that this teaching comforts and delights us, so that we can take courage in times of need and think: you are alone, but you are not alone: the dear angels, granted to you by God, are with you etc. So we read in the 2nd book of Kings, chapter 6, v. 15 ff: when the prophet Elisaeus wanted to leave the city of Dothan with his servant, he sees a large army of the king of Syria, who wanted to capture the prophet; but nevertheless the prophet leaves etc. This is a splendid boldness, that the prophet goes out with his servant against such a great army and people of war. The servant is afraid and says, "Alas, my lord, where will we go?
1054 is, 74-76. l. Of the Christian faith in particular - first article. W. x, 1271-1274. ' 1055
now go! But the prophet is undaunted, saying, Fear not: for they that are with us are more than they that are with them. This is defiance and courage. The servant could not see it, but the prophet prayed that the Lord would open the servant's eyes: then he sees the mountain full of fiery horses and chariots around Elisha. It was a people on fire, like weather, lightning and thunder, and such a fiery chariot had struck down the whole army of the Assyrians before. So it is still today in the New Testament that many devils are around us, but if we are pious and serve God, we have countless angels to protect us. If we do not like the gospel and do not like to accept the truth, God is right to withdraw His hand and stop the good angels, and to let us be tempted to fall into error and delusion. Likewise, when the time comes that we are to be punished bodily with pestilence, evil time and war, he leaves us alone and tells the good angels to leave, so that they no longer guard us. The pious angels also punish, but not in the way that the evil angels punish. The good angels punish in such a way that they create benefit with their punishments. But the devil comes with his punishment, pestilence, war, evil time etc., that he may destroy. So we read in the holy scriptures, Ps. 34, 8. 91, 11. Matth. 18, 10. that the good angels are around and with us from our youth, if we are only pious.
(15) Likewise, we read how the evil angels and the good angels fight and war with each other. We do not know how this happens; we do not see it either, but the holy scripture says so. The prince and great angel in Persia and Greece, of whom Daniel says, was the wicked devil, who was resisted by another prince and pious angel.
The great Alexander also had to have an evil devil, as every prince, king, even every man has his own devil. Michael, says Daniel at the 10th chapter, v. 11. ff., came to me, and I with him lay us down against the evil angel in Persia. So our sovereign has an evil devil, without one among them being the prince and great
He puts all plagues on us, so that it does not come to pass with the gospel and blessed rule or wants to leave places. Thus, Duke G(eorg) has innumerable devils who do not let him come to the knowledge of the gospel and the truth. Even if the princes are pious in themselves and command something good, there is still no execution, one does not stop over it. The wicked devil is always at court, hindering the hearts of princes here and there with evil counsel; but if something good happens, it happens through a good angel and for the sake of pious Christians.
(17) How many devils do you think were at the Diet of Augsburg last year? Every bishop brought as many devils with him as a dog has fleas on St. John's Day, but God also sent many more and stronger angels there, so that their evil intentions were prevented. And even though the devils were in our way, so that we had to pull away from each other before peace was made, our adversaries did not have to do anything that they thought and wanted.
In the Revelation of John, chapter 12, it is written that the old dragon, the devil, and Michael fought with each other. The dragon has his angels and lays into Michael; likewise Michael also has his angels. This must be a great and mighty war, that the holy angels and the devils are thus at war with each other. The devil is strong in reason, power and wisdom; but Michael with his angels becomes much too strong and powerful for him and pushes him out of heaven. This is the warfare that happens daily in Christendom. For heaven is Christianity on earth; there the good and evil angels fight. The devil prevents people from accepting the gospel, creates enthusiasts and the spirits of the pagans; even among us he makes many lazy and cold. This is the devil's army, in which he sits and fights against us. But Michael with his angels is with us; he raises up other devout preachers, so that they may abide in pure doctrine and in the truth, that all may not perish. For a few preachers can preserve twelve cities, if God wills it.
1056 L is, 76,77. Three sermons v. good u. evil angels.- The 2nd sermon W. x, 1274-1277. 1057
19 We should learn this, so that we do not act like the wicked, who think that the devil is in the deep sea. But it is well seen, both in the temporal and spiritual government, that the devil is not far from us. Where I see that things are not going as they should at the princes' and lords' courts, there is certainly the devil; where one is unfaithful to the prince, where one prevents his good counsel and blessed government, there is the devil. So also in the spiritual government: where one sees that it does not want to go on, that the people do not live as they should live, there is certainly the devil. That is why the devil is closer to us than we think. I myself often feel the devil's rage in me. At times I believe; at times I do not believe: at times I am happy; at times I am sad. But I see against it that it does not go as the evil crowd wants, which would not give one brighter for the sermon, baptism and sacrament. Although the devil is wicked beyond measure and has nothing good in mind, nevertheless all classes go and remain in their custom. This is the great power of the dear angels, which keeps the estates against so many bad boys. It is not possible that one prince should rule a whole country, for what is one person against so many wicked men? That is the office and protection of the dear angels. So we see both: that the devil is hard with us, we notice by his works; again, that the godly angels are also with us, we notice by their office and service, that they protect us. We would be much too weak with our sermon; nevertheless, it does not have to go according to the will of the wicked; otherwise I would not have remained in the pulpit so long even in this sermon.
20Therefore we should thank God for the service of the dear angels, whose work seems small and contemptible, that they wait for the children, for a bride to be given, for a city to be built, for a house to be built, for a house to be built, for a house to be built, for a house to be built.
preserve. But the dear angels do not ask whether their works and services to us seem small. For since they know that God is pleased with the Creator of His creatures, they are also pleased with their guard and watch over the creatures, which is imposed on them by God. After that, they also do it to the devil's displeasure and to ward off his wickedness, who takes it upon himself to corrupt and destroy all of God's word and work.
(21) Such instruction teaches us to be confident and to love God for His infinite mercy, that He gives Father and Mother, food, princes and authorities, and in addition the dear angels, so that my body may remain in health and finally my soul may be blessed. Such a guard of angels reminds us to praise God and thank Him for it, as we should thank Him for the good sun and for the other creatures created to serve man. If we do this, we do not make idols out of the dear angels. But if we want to follow the supposed holy father Pabst, we will also be like him. For just as the pagans worshipped the sun out of amazement that it was so beautiful and noble, and did not think that it was God's creature and gift, so also we in the papacy have made gods out of the saints who have served us with their preaching and life. If we were to follow such blindness, we would also have to worship kings and princes, who are also gifts of God. But if we keep this teaching of which I have spoken, we remain in right understanding and faith, and the dear angels remain in their office and in their honor. They do what they are commanded to do by God, and we do what we are commanded to do. So that we and they may know and praise God for our Creator and Lord, amen.