Held on the 11th Sunday after Trinity 1516.
1. "Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high and looks on the lowly in heaven and on earth? (Ps. 113, 5. 6.); and again: "For the Lord is high, and looketh on the lowly, and knoweth the proud from afar" (Ps. 138, 6.). Wonderful is this God above all other gods; he sees what is far away and what is far from him; but these only see what is near them. That
does not recognize what is near to him; these do not recognize what is far from them, such as the princes of this world are. Therefore, the very nature of humility is to stand far away from God and from everything that is God's; on the other hand, the very nature of pride is to approach as far as possible God and everything that is God's; as Isaiah speaks of the proud Jews in chapter 58 (v. 2):
"They want to make themselves close to God" (according to the Vulgate). And both can be seen clearly in the two in our Gospel, the Pharisee and the tax collector.
2. "But what God is, and God's being, life, wisdom, power, righteousness, wealth, form and all good things, how small is our ability, and how hard it is that a rich man should be like a beggar, a virgin like a harlot, a chaste wife to an adulteress, a wise man to a fool, a strong man to a weak man, a living man to a dead man, a beautiful man to an ugly man, a superior to an inferior, according to the rule of the apostle to the Romans on the 12th verse. (v. 16.) "Hold yourselves down to the lowly." If you say, I cannot, first strike out the saying, "Who is like the Lord our God, who looks on the lowly in heaven and on earth?" So how can it happen that the proud do this? Answer: By the single word: "Take what is yours and go" (Matth. 20, 14.); and that other (1 Cor. 4, 7.): "What do you have that you have not received? But if thou hast received it, why dost thou boast of it, as if thou hadst not received it?"
3 Therefore, turning away from God and drawing near to Him is done in two ways, namely, inwardly and outwardly, or by recognizing God and not recognizing God. By recognizing God it is done by retreating from Him in fear and reverence; and this is humility, by which man recognizes his nothingness and leaves everything good to God, not daring to attribute anything to himself. In not recognizing God, it is through contempt and certainty that he retreats from Him out of pride. Just as before a prince a poor, despised man flees into a corner, recognizes and worships that majesty; but another turns his back on him and retreats far from him out of contempt for the prince. Therefore, learn here the qualities of a haughty man.
4. first, he who thinks that he has no need of anyone does not ask God for anything, and so he does not believe that God is necessary to him, but considers himself enough; for he does not ask God for anything.
if he considered his powers insufficient, he would pray to God and consider him necessary. But in this way *) he takes away God's necessary being and attributes to Him only an accidental being, or he takes away his insufficiency and attributes to himself sufficiency. On the other hand, the truly humble person despairs of trusting that he is sufficient for himself, and therefore most eagerly desires that there be a God and asks for what he lacks; yes, he glorifies God and is just. Very finely, however, the Lord (in our Gospel) did not conceal the hypocritical words of those who are arrogant, for they also thank God and say that everything they have is from God, that they are nothing, that they are inadequate in everything, and they completely dissemble, as much as possible, even the offerings of the truly humble. And so they have a semblance of humility, but they deny their power. This is evident from the fact that when they compare themselves with other people, they do not in any way equate themselves with them or want to be equated with them.
(5) Secondly, this blindness and ignorance of oneself goes even further; as St. Augustine says: "It is too little for them to ask God for nothing, but to praise themselves, although they seem to reproach themselves vehemently **) in words; but they also please themselves in their hearts; yes, they do not sigh, they do not accuse themselves, but always say: "I am not aware of anything that I should have done; if I have not done well, then I was much better than him or her". On the other hand, a humble man, when he has prayed that God may have mercy on him, accuses himself and says: "I am a sinner. Behold, he calls himself a sinner, confesses, withdraws from the righteousness and holiness in which that arrogant man had wrapped himself.
(6) Thirdly, he makes his shamefulness full; for not only does he praise himself, but he also insults shamefully the one who asks and accuses himself, and slanders him. Such a frightful monster is this, which alone should humble all the proud; for every proud one
*) Instead of si, the original must read sic. D. Red.
**) Here is in the original dire instead of me to read.
D. Red.
For when he judges, he slandered and accused his neighbor. First, he loses a work of mercy, since he should have compassion for his neighbor, pray for him, help him in every possible way, for which he is already worthy of eternal death, Matt. 25. Second, he still persecutes him, namely with his tongue, which is a worse sword than a sword of steel, and that with God and man and himself. Thirdly, he commits a lie and injustice, because to him who asks and confesses and is thereby already righteous, he accuses such things and thus acts against him in a lying and unjust way, even if he were as he accuses him. Moreover, so he runs against Christ, who received all sinners into himself; and therefore Christ is judged, accused, and torn asunder, if any sinner is accused etc. But he who judges Christ judges his own judge; but he who judges his judge forcibly denies God. Behold, whither the raging and senseless arrogance leads.
7 On the other hand, that humble man justifies his neighbor, but he accuses himself alone, for he says, "to me a sinner," but not, "to us sinners. Or do you think that he was so envious that he did not want God to
be merciful to other sinners as well? - But then he would certainly not have been justified, but only condemned all the worse; - but he sees no one as a sinner, but himself alone. All were righteous, whom he compared with himself. So to the pure all things are pure, but to the impure nothing is pure. Now it is evident that this Pharisee did not keep the first commandment, but had a strange god-if he had not had a strange god, he would have been righteous-that is, he had set up the idol of self-righteousness in his heart.
008 But now let every one that hateth and abhorreth this Pharisee take heed to himself, lest he exalt himself above the Pharisee, as the Pharisee exalteth himself above the publican. I believe that very few fear to be like the Pharisee whom they hate; but I am sure that many more are like him; for who is more arrogant than he who prides himself on being free from all arrogance, and assumes the highest humility of this publican? Therefore let us rather acknowledge that we are like the Pharisee was, and lament and hate ourselves more than this, and not presume to be so sure that we are like the publican, for he was all blessed and a child of grace; but we are children of nature, and therefore of wrath.