Held 1517.
Luc. 8, 4-15.
And when there were many people together, and they hasted to him out of the cities, he said by a parable, There went out a sower to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and were substituted; and the fowls of the air did eat them up. And some fell on the rock; and when it went out, it withered, because it had no sap. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns came up with it, and choked it. And some fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. When he had said this, he cried out, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What is this like? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but unto others in parables, that they should not see, though they see; neither understand, though they hear. But this is the same: The seed is the word of God. But they that are by the way are they which hear it: afterward cometh the devil, and taketh away the word from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But those who are on the rock are those who, when they hear it, receive the word with joy; and they have no root; for a time they believe, and in the time of temptation they fall away. But that which fell among thorns are they which hear it, and go away among the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life, and choke, and bring no fruit. But that in the good land are they which hear the word, and keep it in a fine and good heart, and bring forth fruit in patience.
The Lord here describes four kinds of people who hear the word of God with a parable that is certainly frightening enough, namely, because only one kind of the four will be saved.
2 The first kind is that which is on the way. This kind of men is that which is most extensive; but they are such men as have no inclination or love at all for the word, except a perverse one, that is, who delight in hearing and knowing it, but not that they should love and do that which they know and have heard; Such also are many of the most learned, who have an abundance of books and of knowledge of the Scriptures, who speak great things, interpret and expound marvelous things, and investigate subtle things, whose disgusting minds are not satisfied with knowledge, as the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing; but they seek to know much, and at last pass over all that they have known; as with seeing nothing.
*) Löscher I, 791; Erl. A. opx. var. arZ. I, 209 sqy.
D. Red.
remains from the things that are seen there.
(3) And in this way there are many who do not believe it, who are especially bound with this rope, that they have the reputation of knowing much, of hearing, reading and researching the Scriptures with pleasure, but who do not take care that they do not bring a piece of all that they know and hear into the work and life with power. Do they not themselves know, read and hear that the riches, pleasures and sorrows of this life are villages? But who will persuade them to believe that what they know is true? Who will make them fear riches, pleasures and honor with as much horror and terror as they fear thorns? It is therefore against the sense and opinion of all, even of the most learned, that riches are thorns. So the word falls rightly on them, but because they are beside the way, and so are trodden down and covered by the footsteps of other things, the devil takes the word from them, because they are trodden down by the desires of other things. To the Exem-
pel, you hear this word: Riches are thorns; so this word is the good seed, but it falls on the way, that is, on such a heart, which is ground down and entered by all desires for temporal things; therefore the birds, because it lies there in vain in the memory, finally eat it, and the desire for things remains.
4 See here what a terrible image and example it is, when we see that the ravens on the fields eat the seed, and that the seed, which lies by the way, is trampled underfoot. And again, behold, the heart of a man that is earthly minded is likened to a trodden path, because it serves the passing things which it loves, and so is formed after the footsteps of such passing things. But the desert, that is, the chaste and pure soul, is without way, in an untrodden place, where there is no water, because it serves God alone in the invisible. If there are so many who are lost, even though they hear the word of God, how many of those who do not hear it will be lost?
The others are those that are on the rock or on the rocky outcrops; for what grows there gives great hope at its first outbreak, as if it would become something special. These are the ones whose heat, while it is still new, causes them to rush toward heaven as if with a start; but they gradually become lukewarm and at last wither away completely, because they do not have the duration and persistent leniency and long-suffering, but at last stand out, either being exhausted by the strength of the present persecution, of which there are many, or having been made weary by hatred. This degree is higher than the first, and only a few are on it, and finally even these will not be saved; for not he who has begun, but he who will persevere, shall be saved. It is pitiful and terrible to say that such a good beginning should be deprived of a good end. For who is he that should finish it with so great a zeal as he began it? How many we see every day, that they look behind them, and after they let go their hand, finally harden and become deaf,
If you do not believe this, just look at the safe, lukewarm, and most lazy life of the religious, monks, nuns and priests, as, of the pope etc. The more heated their beginning has been, the more sluggish and careless is their increase, so that you can sooner reform a publican and a harlot than move one of them. You may sooner make a wicked man righteous than you may make a pious man better. And what will be the end of those who turn back to what they have spat out? They are insensible, and have fallen back into the former, even into that which is worse; and this they do not feel and believe, but perish that they do not perceive it, snoring most surely in the abstention of their silly and unskilful life. Which, I say, will be the end and the perfection, the increase of which is thus constituted? Namely this: It would be better for them not to have known the truth, and they will be children of hell, twofold more than others. Those who have begun to fight against all mortal sins are overcome by inertia alone, and turn back to all the former, even to that which is worse.
(6) And this is peculiar to the saints of works, who secretly trust in their works, and know not that one must thirst for grace, seek it, and accept it, with constant groaning and sighing. Yes, one should also never imagine that he has begun, as the Scripture says: "When a man has finished, he will make a beginning. For even the saints have experienced this most grievous and perilous trial in themselves, and have lamented over it; as (Ps. 44:26.), "Our soul is bowed to the earth, our belly cleaveth to the ground"; and (Ps. 119:25.), "My soul lieth in the dust, refresh me according to thy word." And the whole 88th Psalm, Ivas is it other than a constant groaning almost against sloth alone, which is the most dangerous plague to all spiritual souls?
(7) It seems to me that the first persecution of the church was the violence that tyrants exercised through their power; the other persecution seems to me to be the mischievousness of heretics.
The third and last one seems to me to be the lukewarmness of the most mischievous laziness among the hypocrites. Against the first, the holy martyrs fought; against the second, the teachers; against the third, no one but the watchmen and admonishers, whose spirit is awakened by God; the others stand in the way of sinners, that is, in their sure righteousness they have become stiff-necked and have acquired a hard forehead.
8. the third kind is that which is among the thorns. Oh misery! These are better than the others, because they are industrious, and suffer patiently, and persevere in the word. But this is also in vain, for at last they are choked by the thorns. Notice here the words, signs and secrets. The first are trodden down and eaten as those who leave no memory of themselves; the others grow as if they were something, but they are only in the beginning and leave the footprints of effort behind them. The third are suffocated and are destroyed, as it were, by force, as those who are by no means scrawny and lukewarm, but fat and strong enough; just as those die who perish not by natural death, but by force. This is what is most frightening, that such pious people, who have a good root, are full of holy intention, firm resolution, and fervent effort, even though they do not lack perseverance, are nevertheless deprived of fruit. These are therefore those who serve two masters, who want to please God and the world at the same time, and who do many and great things for God's sake: but this very thing becomes a snare to them and is a danger to them, because in this they please themselves, because they perceive that they are filled with gifts, that they grow and increase; and since they are thus aware of such good in sufficient godliness, in the meantime they serve the world quite securely, so that they do not deny the thorns, indeed, they do not even feel them. For who can deny that the seed that falls among thorns bears grain? but it is choked and does not bear fruit. Therefore it is well said that the thorns sprouted at the same time, because at the same time it grows.
the desire for the temporal with the desire for the heavenly.
9. God grant that I die when I say that these are those who serve God most devoutly, but they do so for the sake of gain or honor, or least of all for the sake of spiritual benefit, either in this life or in that. This most dangerous error is found today among those who are considered the most holy, even among monks and nuns, let alone among priests and seculars; who do everything with zeal and constancy, but inwardly they are stifled by the most hidden love of themselves. See, therefore, how many stages are necessary for you to come to the true fruit. But this third degree is the most difficult of all, because it is the most subtle. For those who serve riches and pleasure with all their heart and live without all good appearances do not even reach the first degree, because they do not recognize anything true. These, however, shine with an excellent glow of virtue; but they do not perceive the thorns that choke in the most hidden way, that is, their inclinations. Of this, see in detail almost all the speeches of Tauler, who has both clearly recognized and widely refuted this defect of the hypocrites. But it is not to be denied that also those worldly rich are in this degree who want to serve two masters; but actually he points to the same peevish hypocrites who are full of thorns, and are ignorantly stifled, not even being aware of their thorns.
10 The fourth kind is therefore, the good and best land. The Greek text has not the word "best", but: "in a fine
and good hearts." For the word which the Latin text has translated here by "good" means the fine, beautiful, good; which is, as St. Augustine interprets it in the other book Against the Academics, even the outward cleanliness and beautiful appearance of a thing, or the form and shape. It is therefore a fine and good heart, whose nature from within and from without is skilful to that which is true; for the respectable
can also inwardly have the shameful, therefore he also does the good to the fine. These are therefore those who serve the Word alone with their whole heart, who do not allow themselves to be hindered by any affectations, but freely "bear fruit in patience," because it is necessary for the pious to suffer much. Therefore, the others grow and the third are stifled, the first do not dare to begin, because only patience is needed.
(11) Now here is to be told the strange division of the saints, of the thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold fruit, which the other evangelists, Matthew and Mark, set forth. The hundredfold fruit means the chastity of virginity; the sixtyfold fruit means the chastity of abstinence; the thirtyfold fruit means the chastity of matrimony; and indeed the power of the whole Gospel is chastity. For what else is sought by the word but the mortification of the flesh, to which all virtues undoubtedly belong (after the root of lust has died). For there is nothing more conducive to any virtue than chastity, and nothing more obstructive than fornication and lust;
For what soul is trodden down by its own flesh, how is it to be hoped that such a one will accomplish something great in a foreign flesh or spirit? Therefore, before any merit of work, the persons themselves are rightly distinguished. The virgins are to have their loins girded, then to have burning lamps in their hands. But it cannot be denied that a wife can be better than a virgin. The hundredfold fruit is not better than the thirtyfold fruit, because the latter is inferior, since in these words the weight of merit is not expressed, but the dignity of degree. These words must be understood both according to the weight and according to the difference of merit, because another brings forth thirtyfold fruit, he may be married or he may be a virgin; another, he may be married or a virgin, brings forth sixtyfold fruit; finally another brings forth a hundredfold fruit, because he does more works, they may be better or not. Likewise, the other surpasses the first twice, but the third surpasses the first three times and more.