therein are found all the examples of the saints, insofar as they are good and edifying.
Held at Wittenberg, Anno 1522.*)
Preliminary report.
Hail and blessings to the reader!
It is now a matter known everywhere into what abuse the monastic and cloister system has fallen, and into what decay the customs, ordinances, and the way of life of the monks and cloisters have fallen.
*) This sermon, published by Luther in Latin, is translated into German by Friedrich Eberhard Rambach, deacon in Halle. - Cf. Jen. A. II, 534 ff; Erl. A. opp. var. siA. VI, 449 sqq.
D. Red.
The first Christian church was a church of the same name, and the first Christian church was a church of the same name, and the first Christian church was a church of the same name, and the first Christian church was a church of the same name, and the first Christian church was a church of the same name, and the first Christian church was a church of the same name, and the first Christian church was a church of the same name, and the first Christian church was a church of the same name, and the first Christian church was a church of the same name. For in former times boys were instructed in the truths of Christianity, and received their free education.
They were kept until they had grown up. In time, according to the unanimous report of ancient church history, they were married off, so that they would not wander about in the world, give themselves over to laziness, idleness and other rash things, which generally pave the way for carnal pleasures. But after those who were entrusted with this education and who had to enjoy the church goods for their efforts had changed their minds, they turned such a godly foundation into a self-interest and a pharisaic nature, and no longer offered helping hands to the poor. From this the swarm of monks has arisen, and such a state has been established, which is completely contrary to active love.
is. In no other monastic order can one find such sparks of love and a greater glow of godliness than in the order founded by the venerable old father Anthony. For in the same, all those who have felt, as they call it, the flammam adustionis (the flame of passion), are freely maintained in food and clothing for the whole of their lives out of Christian piety, without, however, spurning other charitable contributions. For this reason, it is customary for a few people appointed for this purpose to collect annually in some towns and villages, indeed, almost through the whole of Christendom, a collection for the maintenance of their poor; which is a very well-known thing. Farewell.
Jesus!
This present sermon, on St. Anthony, was preached by the godly D. Martin Lutherus, through whose faithful service the evangelical truth has been restored, at the gracious instigation of Prince Frederick and D. Reisenbach, his preceptor, in Lichtenberg, on the day of St. Anthony.
Ps. 32, 11. 68, 4. 33, 1.
Rejoice in the Lord, and be glad, all you righteous, and glorify, all you upright. But the righteous must rejoice and be glad before God, and rejoice with all their heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous; let the pious praise him beautifully.
1 Paul teaches us in the 11th chapter of his letter to the Hebrews that the lives of holy persons must be presented to the people in order to bring them to faith in God; just as Christ Matth. 22, 4. says to the guests invited to the wedding: "My oxen and my fatlings have been slaughtered. And Augustine confesses in his "Confessions" that this contributed much to his conversion, since he had diligently read the lives of holy persons; and in this he cites the words read in the 120th Psalm v. 4: Sagittae potentis acutae cum carbonibus desolatoriis, et vastant omnem impietatem. (This is what the word of God does with the examples of the saints that appear in it. For by it first of all the evil desires are suppressed and the sinners are converted to God. Before
But above all, those examples of the saints are useful in which more traces of their faith in God are found than of their works and extraordinary deeds. For faith, by its nature, is more important than works and is necessary for their accomplishment, although works can also be done without faith. For Christ preached in Matthew 24:24 that people would come who would perform signs and wonders, so that even the elect would be led into error if it were possible. Therefore, no works and extraordinary deeds are to be trusted if they either do not come from faith or promote it.
2 Since we now confess St. Anthony to be a particularly holy man, and it is our duty this time to do so,
To renew his memory in the world, and to praise the grace of God that dwelt in him, which grace of faith in God shone forth wonderfully in him: so I am resolved to briefly highlight the most important things from his legend or biography, and to hold up to us the example of such a great man. We now read of this in the life of St. Anthony, as Blessed Jerome chooses it in Vitis Patrum c. 36. that he gave his disciples the following useful practical rule against all kinds of temptations and temptations to which we poor people are daily subjected; namely, that every man should make an effort to stand in a constant spiritual joy of his heart, as this is so powerful against all evil that nothing opposes the devils so much as the joy of the Lord, because they themselves are spirits of darkness and sadness. This sadness is a sharp arrow that they shoot, so that they make people sad, despondent and melancholy, prevent their diligence to good works, frighten them with many adversities, and extinguish all spiritual joy in their hearts.
But the joy is not of one kind. First, there is a carnal joy. This arises from the abundance and enjoyment of bodily things, such as health, happiness, wealth, honor, favor, power, friendship, and the like. And these things avail nothing, but rather deny sadness in the time of affliction. For as the things in which they rejoice are deceitful and inconstant, so also the joy which they feel in them is altogether uncertain and variable. Therefore he emphatically says: spiritual joy, which comes from spiritual things. But by spiritual things are understood those invisible gifts of God, which no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and which have never entered the heart of man, 1 Cor. 2:9.
4 Therefore, the question arises: How can a man rejoice over that which he neither sees, nor hears, nor comprehends? Answer: For this purpose God has ordained and prescribed a marvelous means, that since we cannot comprehend things ourselves, we should
things, which are the Word and the Sacrament.*) The Word is the promise, through which he promises the things themselves. The sacrament is the sign, by which he shows the things. So when we have grasped the promise and the sign of it, we will in truth grasp the things themselves. Therefore, there is nothing more pleasant, nothing sweeter, and nothing more powerful for comfort in our present life than the divine promise and the sign of it, or the sacrament.
But what does the word or promise of God promise us? Answer: That which man desires most. But what does man desire most? Answer: He wants to live forever and never die; he wants to be without sin and an evil conscience; he wants to be confident and of good cheer, free from the fear of death and hell, free from the terror of the last day. If you ask a man, "Do you wish and desire these things?" he will answer, "Oh, yes, with all my heart. For these are the things that grieve a man most. And if he had all the joy in the world to enjoy, he would not be happy as long as he fears death and feels sin in his evil conscience. Therefore, all men strive to avoid such evil and to obtain the goods that are contrary to it. It will not be easy to find such an imprudent man who would not accept life for death, heaven for hell, righteousness and innocence for sin. But few find life and the place where these things are found. And if a man has not found these, he can have no spiritual joy. Therefore, when St. Anthony so emphatically extols spiritual joy, as Scripture does, exhorting us to "Rejoice in the Lord always," he undoubtedly meant to teach us that spiritual joy arises from a holy assurance and confident courage against sin, death, and hell,
*) We have translated here the text of the Jena edition; since the original Latin text is corrupted.
D. Red.
but is connected with a certainty of righteousness, life and blessedness. Therefore Baruch also writes in the third chapter of his book v. 9, 14, 15: "Hear, O Israel, a commandment of life. Learn now the right wisdom, that thou mayest know who it is that giveth long life, goods, joy, and peace. Who knows where she dwells? Who has come into her chamber?" And it follows there that many kings have searched for it, and many other people have sought it. But few have found it, therefore they have also perished. See also the beautiful conclusion of this chapter, in which it is taught where this joy, where this wisdom, where this peace is found.
(6) Now, as men seek to attain the goods hitherto named, some seek to attain this way and peace by their works, arts, and endeavors. For when they are tormented by sin, "and in their conscience are troubled by the fear of death and hell, one runs to Rome, another to Compostel; one sets fast days, another chooses this or that work, or place, or time, in which to practice, that he may escape sin and death, and rejoice spiritually in peace of conscience. And all these seek in vain, and are lost with those of whom Baruch spake. For the goods by which spiritual joy arises are not found in this or that place, work, or day. For this reason Baruch writes in the place mentioned, v. 29, 30, 31: "Who has gone up to heaven and brought them down from the clouds? Who has sailed the sea, and found them, and brought them rather than precious gold? There is no one who knows the way where this wisdom is found." The reason for this is that they are such goods, which are found only in the word of the promises; therefore, the man who wants to find them must renounce all visible earthly things.
(7) Therefore, there is no safer place where peace and joy of heart are more surely found than in the word of the divine promise. Whoever, then, in his sadness, in his evil conscience, or in danger of the
Death runs elsewhere and seeks help than in the promise of God, he must inevitably go astray. Therefore Baruch says: "He who knows all things knows them, and has found them by his own understanding, and has given them to Jacob his servant and to Israel his beloved"; and this not otherwise than by means of the word of promise. Therefore, when you are troubled by your sin, when you are tormented by death, or hell, or any danger, or the temptation of the devil, you must turn your eyes away from the evil that torments you, and turn with all your strength to the promise of God. For therein you will find such rest and peace and joy of your soul that all hell cannot rob you of.
8. do you ask: How many are these words of God's promise? I answer: A great many. The first is a general promise against all evil, whether it be sin, or death, or temptation, or whatsoever it may be called: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." One cannot rejoice enough over this single word. For if in the hour of temptation you remember this one promise, and say to the devil to his face, Behold, I am baptized, and believe on Jesus, and refer to the words, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," you are in the place where you can find peace, joy, and rest. And if you steadfastly adhere to these words and do not doubt the truth of them at all, even basing yourself on your baptism, it is impossible that death or the devil should be able to overcome you, make you sad and grieve you. Therefore, we read of a certain holy virgin who held out nothing but her baptism against all kinds of temptations she encountered, and cried out in very short words against the devil and his temptations: I am a Christian! As if she wanted to say: I am baptized and believe, therefore you, O Satan, can do nothing against me; for the insurmountable word is opposed to you: "He who believes and is baptized". For to all of us who are baptized and believe, this word of the
promise, which we should hold with confidence against all evil, so we will soon feel comfort and relief.
(9) But apart from this general promise, you still have many special ones before you. For if your sins trouble you in conscience, you can use the words of Christ, Matth. 18, 18, to awaken a special joy: "What you loose on earth shall also be loosed in heaven. If, therefore, you are absolved of your sins by a servant of God or, in case of need, by another devout Christian, and if you really pay attention to this promise of God, by which he absolves you of sins and receives you into his grace, and if you do not run elsewhere (for in this matter the foolish and the wise are very different: those, the foolish, want to get rest by their own powers, apart from the word and faith; but these, the wise, take hold of the word of promise by faith and rest in it quite securely and confidently; but afterwards they also do good works): then you have found the safest place of peace and joy. For God does not lie or deceive; only believe His promise steadfastly. This is the place of rest, of which it is said in Ps. 71, 3: "Be to me a strong refuge, whither I may always flee, thou that hast promised to help me; for thou art my rock and my fortress." For otherwise, as I have said, we cannot find and possess God, since He is invisible, but in the word of His promise. He Himself is our confidence and strength.
(10) Therefore, if death or the danger of it frightens you, where will you go? Nowhere else but to the word of Christ, "I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me shall not die, though he die, yet shall he live," John 11:25. This is a word that cannot lie, if thou but grasp it in faith, and believe that Christ spoke truth, and call upon him. If you do not do this, nothing else will help you; you will be lost. So also, if a temptation or other affliction afflicts thee, thou hast the word of Christ:
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden," Matth. 11, 28. In these words you will surely find peace and all good things, if you believe that Christ spoke the truth. Thus it is: there is no peace, no joy, no blessedness to be found, except in the word of God, in which he promises us his goods. Thus, two things are necessary for the spiritual joy that St. Anthony so emphatically praises, namely: first, the word of promise, and second, faith in it. In the same way, two things are necessary for the health of the body: first, a firm and safe place where one can stand, and then the entrance.
(11) In this, however, Satan is wont to set many snares for us. First of all, he tries to distract our minds in such a way that in danger and misfortune we either do not remember the word of the promise or cannot find it, by only presenting us with the sins and frightening us with the greatness of them. And even if he cannot prevent man from finding the word of God, he tries to prevent the power of it, so that man does not firmly believe in such a word of promise. Just as soldiers in the field are wont to lure their enemy out of a safe place and lead him astray, so that he does not know where to turn, or so that he cannot get where he wants to go, so it is in these spiritual matters of conscience.When Satan frightens us with sin, death, or any other temptation, we should take hold of the word of God as a strong lock and put everything else that Satan whispers to us out of our minds, then firmly trust in this word, firmly believe, and give no ear to the doubts that Satan raises. And in this way, one must enter the safe strong castle of the Lord and steadfastly believe the promise of God.
(12) Perhaps you will say, "Well, if it is by faith alone, which is added to the word, then there is no need of works? Answer: Certainly, good works must be done. But that wants
The Scriptures state that only through true faith should the heart of man learn to trust the word of promise. Out of such faith the works flow, out of grateful love for God, without any intention of punishment or reward. For such a person already has the future inheritance through faith. Thereby the heart is purified; man becomes righteous by faith, without works. In this way, works also have their benefit, but apart from that, the words of the apostle Paul remain (Rom. 14:23): "Whatever does not come from faith is sin. Now where these two things are, word and faith, there are good works; but where they are not, there also the works are evil and harmful. In this passage there is again a great difference between the foolish and the prudent. The former, before they accept the word and believe, want to obtain rest by their works; but the latter take hold of the word of promise first of all, and are sure of it. But afterwards they also work good works.
13 From this it is clear that St. Anthony has given us a salutary lesson against all the evils that can come our way, showing us that we should always rejoice spiritually in the Lord;
Just as, on the contrary, this is the most convenient opportunity for Satan to destroy us, if he can plunge us into sadness. Therefore also Sirach says: "Drive sadness far from you, for sadness kills many people, and yet serves nowhere." Cap. 30:24, 25. But how such sadness can be driven away has been shown above, namely, through the word of God and our faith. Just as we read of St. Anthony that his heart was so full of spiritual joy that his countenance was never changed, and it is said that even if one had never seen this holy man, he would still have known him by his joyful countenance. And so he fulfilled the apostle's word most especially, "Rejoice in the Lord always." And no Christian, even if he commits a misstep, should let it take the joy out of his heart, but take the word and rise from his fall. As the Scripture says (Prov. 24:16), "The righteous falls seven times, but the Lord helps him up." Keep, then, the example of this Saint Anthony, which may serve you in this life. But God grant us all a blessed change one day, Amen.