Acts 2, 1-13.
And when the day of Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all with one accord. And there came a swift sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they sat. And there was seen in them the dividing of tongues, as if they were fiery. And he sat upon every one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to preach with other tongues, after that the Spirit had given them utterance. Now there were Jews dwelling at Jerusalem, men who feared God, of every nation under heaven. When this voice was heard, the multitude came together and were confounded, for every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed, and said one to another, Behold, are not all these that speak of Galilee? How then hear we every man his language, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and we who dwell in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and at the ends of Libya near Cyrene, and foreigners from Rome, Jews and fellow Jews, Cretans and Arabs; we hear them speaking with our tongues the great deeds of God. They were all disheartened, and went astray, and said one to another: What will this be? But the others had their mockery, saying, They are full of sweet wine.
The history and story of this day, together with the beautiful sermon of the apostle St. Peter, which the Holy Spirit did through him, so befitting to act entirely at this time, we will save the special sermons of all the feasts of the year, and now say a little about the cause of this feast and the office of the Holy Spirit.
This holiday, which is called the Day of Pentecost, has its origin in the fact that when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, He made them keep the Paschal feast that night and commanded them to celebrate it annually at that time as a memorial of their redemption and departure from Egypt. From the
From that day on, they traveled in the desert for fifty days until they reached Mount Sinai. There the law of God was given to them through Moses, and they were commanded to keep the remembrance of it every year until the fiftieth day after Easter. Hence this feast has its name, which we call Pentecost. For the little word "Pentecost" comes from the Greek, pentecoste, which means the fiftieth day, which our Saxons call "Pentecost" somewhat closer to the Greek. Therefore Lucas says: "When these fifty days after the paschal feast were over, and they had fulfilled the story that God had given the law to the people, then they were to be given the law to the people.
on Mount Sinai, the Holy Spirit comes (as Christ promised them) and gives them another new law. So we celebrate the feast, not for the sake of the old history, but for the sake of the new history, namely, because of the sending of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we must give a little instruction and show the difference between our Pentecost and the Pentecost of the Jews.
The Jews kept the feast because the law was given to them in writing, but we should celebrate it because God's law is given to us spiritually. To transfigure this belongs to St. Paul before, who also sets the difference, and says of two kinds of preaching in the other epistle to the Corinthians Cap. 3, 6. 3, 6. And as the preaching is of two kinds, so also is the people of two kinds.
(4) First, the written law is that which God commanded and put into writing, and is therefore called written or letter, because it does not go any further, and does not enter into the heart: neither do the works follow after it, for they are only vain hypocrisies, and are only outwardly compelled things. And because it is put into writing and letters alone, it has been all dead, and has also killed and ruled a dead people; for the heart has been dead, because it has not done God's commandment from the heart. For if every man were left free to do as he pleased, and not to fear any punishment, none would be found who did not prefer to be overridden by the law. For thus nature certainly feels that it would rather do what it desires, and yet it must do otherwise. For it thinks thus: Behold, God will punish me and cast me into hell if I do not keep his commandments. This is how my nature feels, that it does it unwillingly and with reluctance, against its will. Therefore, man becomes an enemy of God as soon as he is punished, because he feels that he is a sinner and that he is not right with God, and he cannot be in favor with Him; indeed, he would rather that there were no God. Such resentment against God is in the heart, no matter how beautifully nature wants to adorn itself from the outside. Therefore one sees how the law, while it is still written and in the letter, makes no one pious, nor does it bring anyone into the world.
heart comes; of which we have preached and written much elsewhere.
The other law is spiritual, which is not written with pen or ink, nor does it speak with the mouth, as Moses did with stone tablets; but as we see here in this story, the Holy Spirit comes from heaven and fills them all together, so that they gain cloven and fiery tongues, and preach freely, differently than before, so that everyone is astonished and amazed. Then he comes and pours out the heart, and makes a different man, who now loves God and gladly does what he wants. Which is nothing other than the Holy Spirit himself, or the work he does in the heart. He writes fiery flames into the heart and brings it to life, so that it bursts forth with a fiery tongue and an active hand, and becomes a new man who feels that he has taken on a different mind, spirit and spirit than before. And now everything is alive, mind, light, courage and heart, which burns and has desire for everything that pleases God. This is the real difference between the written and spiritual laws of God, whereby one can see what is the work of the Holy Spirit.
(6) From this also it is to be learned what is the office of the Holy Spirit in the church, and how or by what means he is received and works in the hearts. Hitherto, therefore, it has been preached of him, that he alone makes and institutes what the concilio decides, and what the pope commands in spiritless law; when all this is but external things, commands from external things, and governs externally. Therefore it is just absurd and vice versa, because they make a written dead law out of the work of the Holy Spirit, which should be a spiritual and living law. So they make a Moses and a man out of him. This makes it impossible to know what the Holy Spirit is, what he is given for, and what his office is. Therefore let us learn and understand what it is to know how to discern his ministry.
7 So you hear here. He comes down and fills the disciples who were sitting there before in mourning and fear, and makes their tongues fiery and cleft, inflaming them so that they
become bold, and preach freely of Christ, fearing nothing. Then you see clearly that his office is not to write books or make laws, but that he is such a spirit that writes in the heart and creates a new spirit, so that man becomes joyful before God and gains love for him, and then serves people with a joyful spirit.
What does he do, and what is the handle that he needs to change the heart and make it new? He does it by proclaiming and preaching about the Lord Jesus Christ, as Christ Himself says John 15:26: "When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me. Now we have often heard that the gospel is what God sends into the world, telling everyone that because no one can become righteous through the law, but only become worse, He sent down His dear Son to die and shed His blood for our sins, which we cannot rid ourselves of by our own strength and works.
(9) But it is part of the preaching that it is also believed. Therefore God gives the Holy Spirit to it, who presses such preaching into the heart, so that it sticks and lives in it. For it is ever certainly true, that Christ hath made all things perfect, hath taken away sin, and hath overcome all things, that through him we should be lords over all things. The treasure lies in a heap, but it is not distributed or laid up everywhere. Therefore, if we are to have it, the Holy Spirit must come and put it into our hearts so that we may believe and speak: I also am one that shall have such good. As then through the gospel such grace is offered to everyone who hears it and is called to it, as he says Matth. 11, 28: "Come to me, all you who are burdened" etc.
(10) When we believe that God has helped us in this way and has given us such treasure, there can be no lack of joy in the heart of man toward God, and he must lift himself up and say: Dear Father,
If this is your will, that you show me such great love and faithfulness, which cannot be measured enough, then I will also love you with all my heart, and cheerfully and gladly do what pleases you. Then the heart will never look at God with displeased eyes, and will not think that He will throw him into hell, as it did before the Holy Spirit came, when it felt no kindness, no love, nor faithfulness, but nothing but wrath and displeasure from God. But now the Holy Spirit presses this into the heart, that God is so kind and gracious to it, it becomes joyful and fearless, so that it does and suffers everything that needs to be done and suffered for the sake of God.
(11) Know thou therefore the Holy Ghost, that thou mayest know what he is given unto, and what is his office: that he may put on the treasure, Christ, and all things that he hath given us, and preached in the gospel, and give it thee into thine heart, that it may be thine own. Now when he hath done this, and thou feelest it in thine heart, it followeth that it must be said: Is this the opinion, that my works help nothing for this, but the Holy Spirit must do it; what then will I blaspheme with my works and laws? So all man's works and law fall away, even Moses' laws; for the Holy Spirit teaches him better than all books, that he understands the Scriptures better than all who deal with the law alone.
(12) Therefore the books are not to be used for any other purpose than to strengthen such faith, and also to prove to others that it is written in them as the Holy Spirit teaches. For we must not keep faith with ourselves alone, but let it break forth, which we must have the Scriptures to establish and prove; therefore see thou take not the Holy Ghost for a lawgiver, but for him that preacheth the gospel of Christ into the heart, and maketh a man free, that no letter remaineth, or remaineth but for preaching.
(13) But here also let it be understood, and know that all this is not so, as if such a man, having the Holy Ghost, were as soon as perfect, that he felt nothing of the law, and of sin, and was pure in all things. For we do not preach thus of the Holy Spirit and His ministry,
as if he had already done and accomplished it, but as if he had begun it and was still going on, because he is going on more and more and does not stop. Therefore you will not find such a man without sin and without sorrow, full of righteousness and full of joy, serving everyone freely. For the Scriptures do tell what the Holy Spirit does, namely, that his office is to save from sins and terrors; but this is not yet fully accomplished. Therefore a Christian man must feel his sin in his heart, and be afraid of death, so that everything that displeases another sinner may be laid to his charge. The unbelievers are so stuck in their sins that they do not pay attention to them, but these, the believers, feel them well; on the other hand, they have a helper, the Holy Spirit, who comforts and strengthens them until such time as he has completely finished this and made an end of it, so they will no longer feel any of it.
(14) Therefore I say that one must be prudent here, and see to it that one does not make such a brave and joyful boast of the Holy Spirit, as some hopeful, presumptuous enthusiasts do, so that no one may be too sure and think that he is perfect in every way. For a devout Christian man is nevertheless also flesh and blood, like other people; except that he beats himself with sin and evil desire, and feels that he does not like to feel; but the others do not accept it at all and do not beat themselves with it at all.
(15) There is nothing in feeling evil desires, so far as to fight against them. Therefore, such a person must not judge his feelings as if he were lost because of them, but must work with the rest of the sin he feels all his life, and let the Holy Spirit work and groan without ceasing, so that he may be delivered from sin. How then such groaning never ceases in the believer, and goes deeper than can be uttered, as St. Paul says to the Romans Cap. 8, 26. But it has a precious listener, namely, the Holy Spirit Himself, who well feels the longing and also comforts such consciences with divine consolation.
So it must always be mixed that one feels both the Holy Spirit and our sin and imperfection; for it must thus be about us, as about a sick person who is under the doctor's hands, and yet it should now become better about him. Let no man therefore think, This man hath the Holy Ghost; therefore let him be strong, and do excellent works, and have no infirmities. No, not so; for it cannot come to this, because we live on earth in the flesh, that we should be without all weakness and infirmity; wherefore also the holy apostles themselves often complain of their temptation and sadness. And so the Holy Spirit is hidden from them according to their feelings, without strengthening and sustaining them in their temptations through the word and faith.
(16) Therefore the Holy Spirit is given to no one, except to those who are in distress and anguish, where the gospel produces benefit and fruit; for this gift is too high and noble, therefore God does not throw it to the dogs and swine, who, when they fall to hear it preached, devour it and know not what they devour. There must be such hearts, which feel and see their misery, and cannot come out; for it must be fidgeted, if the Holy Spirit is to come and help; and let no man take it into his mind, that it shall be otherwise.
17. We see this also here in this history: The dear disciples had been sitting in fear and terror until then, and were still undaunted, there was also no courage there yet, they were still in unbelief, that they immediately despaired, that Christ had much trouble and work with them, that he raised them up again; and yet there was no other infirmity, but their own stupid heart, that they feared that heaven would fall on them; that the Lord himself could not comfort them enough, until he said to them: The Holy Spirit shall come unto you from heaven, and shall press me into your hearts, that ye may know me, and afterward by me also the Father: so shall your hearts be comforted, and strengthened, and filled with joy: as these things were fulfilled in them this day.