Philip Melanchthon
wish the devout reader his greetings.
We should often remember the counsel of God, namely, that he wants us to know at all times the beginning of the world, and also how the church first began, and then spread out and always increased, and that we should keep such great things in fresh memory, and do so according to the order of the years that were appointed and described for this purpose, so that we may always think back to the beginning. And we should thank God that under such great disruptions of the regiments and dominions and destructions of the cities, and also under such destruction of the human race, He nevertheless does not let this divine teaching of His be destroyed, and that He also lets us see beautiful clear testimonies, such as the raising of the dead and that the sun is stopped in its course, and many other things more; so that we may know for certain, both that there is one God and that he is gathering a church, and also that this doctrine, which he has given, is the right, certain, immutable truth.
Therefore, we should accept this divine voice as certain, and constantly flee and condemn the pagan and abominable errors, of which some have written that the creatures in the world are supposed to have been composed and made approximately of atoms, that is, of the small dust that flies in the sun, and that many countless worlds have been and will be, as well as the various natures of all things. But the others, although they must not praise these dreadful and frightening words, and some
If they seek a more ornate and better adorned church, they fall far short of the truth, just as those who are blind, and have devised abominable errors so that God may be blasphemed to the highest degree; just as the Stoics wrote that God could not cause any other movement than to be torn away by the gears of matter or mean things, and that he was as much a cause of abominable vices as of good works. Finally, there is a great mass of dreadful errors outside the church and congregation of God, namely, about the beginning of the world, about the nature of man, about divine providence, about the causes of evil, about the end of man: whether man alone was created for this mortal life. Item, whether one should also wait and hope for another life, in which there will be a difference between the righteous and the unrighteous; and whether there will also be an assembly or multitude of people in such a great disunity of so many different opinions and customs of men, of which one may certainly think and say that it is pleasing to God. Item, how this house must be assembled and distinguished from other people: which offices or works may please God, and whether the other crowd, in which there is such a great multitude, is even rejected by God.
Of these great things, only in the church of God is the right necessary teaching held out to us. And in the first book of Moses is the right reason and origin, which should and must be very well known to everyone, because in every doctrine much is said about it.
It is to know and understand the beginning and right origin of a thing, as it is said: Principium dimidium est totius, et plus quam dimidium, that is, if you have the beginning or reason of a thing, you have half of it, yes, you have more than half of it.
God instituted the ministry of preaching, not that anyone should invent a new doctrine, but that the teachers should recount and present these very prophetic and apostolic books to the people, so that they may take from them the pure, unadulterated doctrine of God and the blessedness of the human race. After this, however, because the young people and the common man must be reminded of the form and manner of speaking, and how one piece follows another in order, where the Scriptures are read, it must be explained what manner of speaking is used in each place. Moreover, one must also indicate from where the various arguments that are used from time to time are taken, and must tell the unlearned how they should use the sayings and examples of Scripture in their prayers, when they call upon God, and otherwise in their lives. In this there is a great difference among those who interpret the Scriptures.
Since God has cleansed the church of many errors through Luther's ministry, and has given him great gifts for this purpose, the work itself shows that his interpretations far surpass the writings of other writers who have interpreted the Scriptures. And that we may have them, and that the descendants after us may have them, is useful and good, not only that the writings of the prophets and apostles may be rightly explained, but also that the testimonies and beautiful confessions of this great and excellent man (whose heart was ruled by the Holy Spirit) may be made known to everyone from all articles, so that afterwards the godly may be strengthened with them, where it happens that there is a dispute about the doctrine.
Therefore, one should thank the pious learned men, who so faithfully both, other interpretations of Luther and especially also this one about the first book of Moses, and the other one.
(which one should know primarily), have gone out in print, namely D. Caspar Creutziger, Georg Rörer, Veit Dietrich and Hieronymus Besold at Nuremberg. For after the death of Veit Dietrich, this work was inherited by Hieronymus Besold (that I call it thus), who faithfully followed that which D. Creutziger and M. Georg Rörer wrote with their hands. For he has seen that the same agrees with the copy, so he wrote with his hand, and also with another, so M. Johannes Stoltz wrote with his hand (which man is then also very diligent and faithful) and was the same.
Now the reader should consider the teachings one after the other, namely, of God the Creator; of the beginning of the world; of the creation of man; how God revealed Himself before the fall of man and how the Church began; then, of the fall and redemption of man, in which God revealed Himself again, and gave the promise of the redemption of man and how the old serpent was to be trampled underfoot; and again, out of great grace and mercy, established a Church and saved our first parents from the midst of death.
Then you shall also consider which and where the true church and congregation of God was, namely, in which the given promise of the future sacrifice was given. Moreover, you must also distinguish between the law and the promise, and recognize this grievous discord and disunity in the human race, namely, that there have always been two groups, and still are, and will remain so, since the Son of God Himself, of whom the promise speaks, is the one, gathers them by the preaching of the gospel, and is truly with them, reigning in them, covering the sin of those who recognize him, setting their hearts on fire with the Holy Spirit, so that they may call on God rightly and be obedient to him, and giving them eternal life and blessedness. The other group, however, does not know God, walks in darkness, is inflamed with ambition, fornication and other sinful desires, despises and hates the Gospel. The devils provoke and incite this nonsensical mob against the
right church than that Cain strangled his brother and Esau also had the same will.
This great battle, at which all men are greatly astonished, has been proclaimed beforehand in the beginning of the first sermon with these words, since God says in Genesis 3:15: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. For the church must have been reminded of this beforehand, so that it would know that it would not be despised or rejected by God for this reason, because the others would have the rule, who despise the divine teaching, and will always persecute and suppress the little group that keeps the teaching of the gospel. Let us also consider the order in which those who have governed the church with the Word have lived one after another, and let us consider in each one in particular what doctrine he has led; then also the testimonies of the revelation of God and of the doctrine. Item, after that of each of Berti's, and what kind of struggle he had. How he overcame them, how God was seen to be present with them and to have saved them, how the church was gathered together, what sayings and examples they gave that might instruct us and strengthen our faith, and what virtues they had that we should follow.
These main parts have been described one after another in the histories of the previous books. As: of Adam and Eve, of Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Lot, Isaac. These all have the same doctrine of God the Creator, of the creation of all things, of the fall of our first parents, of sin in the human race, of the Law of God, of the promise and of the Mediator, of grace and forgiveness of sins, of faith, of right calling, of new obedience, of the Church, of the Cross, of the future judgment. But the calling and the works of all of them are almost unequal. Noah was called to preserve the church that remained in the Flood and then to restore it to his descendants. Since the descendants of Noah were dispersed and now the
When the Babylonian kingdom had begun, and the darkness among the Gentiles had grown, God raised up the church again with a new calling, repeating the promise and adding circumcision, so that people, when they think of the same member, will remember the future seed. Therefore Isaac and Jacob also practiced the teaching they took from Abraham and taught it to other people.
Now you shall see in this history how a great honor and how this has been such a great strengthening for the godly, that at one time or another, people who lived almost close to each other and at the same time lived with each other, often came together to teach the doctrine and to comfort each other, namely, Shem (of whom one thinks that he is called Melchizedek), Abraham, Isaac and the king Abimelech. And although the multitude of the church and congregation of God is always smaller than the multitude of the godless Gentiles, these great teachers nevertheless had an equally large congregation. For God always wants the church to be heard in the human race, so that the Son may be known and that a part of the human race may also become heirs of the heavenly glory; therefore He places it like a high castle, so that it may be seen and heard. And he gives her an even greater number of people, so that they may be witnesses of the teaching and receive the great benefits of the Son of God, whom the eternal Father did not send to earth in vain.
Therefore, in this history of Jacob, one should primarily consider the teaching that has been repeated several times. For God Himself, standing on the ladder at Bethel and speaking to Jacob, indicates that this is the right true God, who revealed Himself to Abraham and gave the promise, which is repeated in the same place with the same words.
Therefore he wants to have that one should recognize and call upon this true God, who has made the promise, and wants to have that one should look at the mediator. He wants one to have forgiveness of sins and reconciliation.
He wants it to be known that the same mediator also preserves and governs Jacob at the same time. He wants it to be known that the same mediator also preserves and governs Jacob at the same time. And he accepts the worship that Abraham learned from God Himself, when He spoke to him with His divine voice; of which it is written in Romans 4:3: "Abraham believed the Lord, and He counted it to him for righteousness. Therefore Jacob also knew that this faith was the noblest service of God, and considered it that by it he was pleasing to God for the sake of this mediator and not for his own worthiness; and that he would be ruled through this mediator, and that sin and death would be taken away and destroyed; so that for the sake of this mediator and through him righteousness and eternal life would be restored and given. For he added this word to the promise that his father and he had heard: "The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head," Genesis 3:15.
He makes this confession himself, when he says, Gen. 48, 15. 16: "The God before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, walked; the angel who redeemed me from all evil", from eternal death, and other accidents, "he blesses the boys" 2c. And there is no doubt about it, this angel, who is remembered here, is the Son of God, of whom Jacob knew that he would be sent to the church and congregation of God, that he should govern them, protect them, and also redeem them from sin and death. No power gives these benefits to any creature, but the Son of God shows them to the church.
And there is no doubt about it, Jacob also preached about this Lord, who restores righteousness and life, since he says afterwards in the 49th Cap. V. 10: "The scepter of Judah shall not be taken away," 2c., "until the hero come; and unto him shall the nations cleave." Although others have not interpreted the word shiloh in the same way, the piece that follows it in the text obviously indicates that the hero is understood by it, who will also reconcile the Gentiles to God and gather them to him, who will crush the head of the serpent,
will eradicate sin and death and deliver people from them. And I hold that this word, shiloh, be rightly interpreted to mean helper and savior.
And is the etymology or quality of the word merry and subtle; as the same is well known to the Hebrews, who interpret the word to mean in Latin, foetus ejus, videlicet matris, that is, the fruit of the mother; that it may rhyme with the saying, "The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head."
And is gloriously and very finely spoken: the fruit of the mother. For this Son of God takes upon Himself the weak human nature, which is burdened with great sorrow and suffering, and in addition has God's wrath and death upon Him; and this Son of God hangs on the cross, has become a misshapen bloody fruit, and yet nevertheless rises again from death and becomes alive. In us, however, the nature is completely impure, is a stained and impure fruit for the sake of sin. But when the Son of God takes this fruit of ours and disguises Himself in it, when He makes us alive through the word of the gospel and His Holy Spirit, this skin becomes a temple of God and is redeemed from sin and death.
But it is precisely in this interpretation of Luther that all these sermons of Jacob and the others are amply explained. And I have told this only to remind the young people right at the beginning that in these histories one should not only look for examples of the domestic and world government, but one should especially look at and consider the teaching and unanimity of the first teachers in the church, how they were united in faith and right invocation, so that we may also strengthen ourselves with their unanimity. For Adam, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were also hearers and witnesses of the very same Gospel, and also spread the same, which is now taught and heard by God's grace in the churches, so accept Luther's teaching, which he held out to us in this interpretation and in his other writings.
Therefore it is very useful and good that the invocation and sermons of these fathers are often and diligently considered; so that you may know
that thou mayest truly be a fellow servant of their salvation, faith, and calling, and also a fellow heir of the eternal glory. And when thou hast considered the doctrine, look upon the church and congregation of Jacob: behold how much misery and woe he suffered, and see therein the examples of faith and other virtues, and also the presence of the Son of God who redeemed him; that thereby the testimonies of revelation may be brought to light, and the church also be preserved.
Then see how the church is wounded, afflicted and afflicted. The devils rage and rage so much that even in this small group, as in the household of Jacob, they drive some noble men, that they have committed great abominable sins. One son slept with his father's wife through incest. After that, many of them dared to kill their own brother Joseph. Who would not be shocked when he sees these horrible examples in the household, which was truly the church and congregation of God, of which there was no doubt at that time? But God wants us to recognize our weakness and to always be valiant against the cunning attempts of the devil; moreover, He also wants those who have fallen to be raised up again with the examples of such great people; for even though they were severely wounded, they were healed again.
Above this, although Jacob had many enemies, his own brother Esau was also very hostile to him, who was by nature his closest relative, and whom his father also raised and instructed in the same religion, how to believe in God and call on Him, and how to practice all kinds of virtues and good works. Therefore, since it is customary and common in the church that those who are related to one another and are good friends tend to disagree about religion, we should prepare and strengthen our hearts so that we can wisely tolerate and bear this great pain caused by the enmity of those who were our good friends. Sophocles says: "No wound is more grievous than this, and it does a man no harm.
Nothing hurts him so much as when a good friend becomes disparaging and at odds with him. And in the prophets we also find such a lament. But because the examples teach us and tell us what the causes of such afflictions are, and at the same time also indicate comfort, the same examples soothe the reader's pain. And it is a pride and hope that we do not want to suffer what others have suffered, who have been more pious than we, such as Abel, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and others. We should know that obedience and quietness of heart to bear such afflictions with patience is pleasing to God, and that in the meantime the Son of God cares for us and is our faithful and constant friend. With this consolation, David has risen up, as he says in the 27th Psalm v. 10: "My father and my mother forsake me; but the LORD receiveth me."
At the present time, those who had been good friends are often at odds with each other, and in general, the true church is almost severely attacked by various enemies. The Turks, pope and bishops, kings and princes, who are faithful servants of the pope and his bishops, dare to destroy the poor church with sword and fire. And the monks and some others, who are considered learned at the courts of the princes and therefore also have the rule, provoke the princes to become more and more angry with us. And so that they may continue to rage and rage, because they are armed with great force and have a large number of those who support them, they have recently made decrees and statutes at the Tridentine Council, many of which are obviously wrong and unjust, but many more that are sophistical and can be interpreted on whichever side one wishes; and so that they may confirm them, the kings will issue special commandments written in blood.
They have now almost defied us for many, many years, and have boasted highly against us, namely, that they bear the name of the Church, item, refer to the Conciliar, and that the general Church is unanimous with them; with this, I say, they want to equal us with
hard to frighten. Even though many people are moved by this, all those who call upon God should understand this deception and learn that they can refute such trickery, which the adversaries use to circumvent them. There is a clear and certain rule that overturns this deception and trickery, namely, St. Paul says Gal. 1:9: "If anyone preaches the gospel to you apart from what you have received, let him be accursed.
The matter itself proves that some of the statutes of the Tridentine Council are obviously contrary to the gospel, as well as these sermons of Abraham, in which the foundation of right doctrine is laid, as it is said in Rom. 4, 3: "Abraham believed your Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness. St. Paul uses the same saying to show that the church has unanimously taught the faith. Then he brings forth this sermon, which is the first to speak expressly of faith and righteousness, and clearly says that one should accept the promise with faith; And if a man keeps the mediator with this faith, it is truly counted to him as righteousness, namely, that forgiveness of sins is given to him and that man is reconciled to God because of the mediator, and that this same mediator is also powerful in such a man and lights a new light and obedience through the word of promise and with his Holy Spirit, and makes peace in the heart, which is the beginning of eternal life.
This whole doctrine, which is actually the right doctrine of the church and congregation of God, which is also the refuge and highest consolation of the godly, and which is expressly taught and explained in this very book and thereafter also in the writings of the prophets and apostles, the Tridentine Areopagites suppress quite defiantly and sacrilegiously with such a doctrine and statute, which is utterly contrary to this doctrine and is godless and cursed. For they teach and command that all men are to remain in doubt; and thus they even eradicate this whole main part of faith, since we say: "I believe in forgiveness of sins.
den"; yes, they say, I do not believe, but still doubt.
This public and harmful error shows that those who establish such statutes are enemies of the church and congregation of God, and that they misuse these names and titles, namely, since they boast of the church, of the conciliarities, and that they are unanimous with the general church; but they do not hold the right doctrine of the church against the people, but still confirm the opinion that the pagans or also the Pharisees had. For the hearts of men who know nothing of the gospel and look at the law to some extent are drowned in this doubt, which gives rise to a miserable and sorrowful raging against God and also to despair. I do not speak now of such statutes, which can be pointed to both ropes, of which they have made many, so that they may have recourse to them when they are punished by us, and yet in truth only confirm their abuses; but I speak now of the public and harmful errors. And where the reader sees such errors in their decrees and statutes, he should follow the rule of Gal. 1:9: "If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
Help God, how many shameful falsifications are in your decrees and statutes of repentance! It has never been said or concluded in any council that by virtue of divine right it is necessary to tell all sins individually in confession, and the same for imposing a penance on the people for it (as they called it). Now, however, the legislators at Trent still unashamedly added this lie to the old decrees and thus revile the Son of God. For they do not consider how great the sin is, nor do they consider why the wrath and the atonement are turned upon and laid upon the Son of God, since men are showered with spectacles of atonement, some of which have been ridiculous, and some of which have been shameful. Finally, the foolish work they have done in this matter has been no small nonsense. And the masters of such Tridentine Statutes
They themselves know that the confused doctrine of atonement was full of lies and is still false and mendacious, and that the same way is now half dead and gone. And yet they show the people the vain shadow of the word of pardon, so that they may suffer no damage or loss to their great name if they confess their errors; after which they can sell with a sham the dispensation or pardon of the old canons and statutes, which they call indulgences.
From the sacrifice of the mass they renew the foolish work of the Pharisees, namely, that with the same sacrifice one should earn forgiveness of sins, guilt and chastisement for the one who makes the sacrifice and also for other people. For this reason they destroy the word of the gospel about the forgiveness of sins, which comes to us by grace because of the Son of God and must be accepted by faith; indeed, they wipe out the saying in the epistle to the Hebrews in Cap. 10, v. 14: "With the sacrifice we receive forgiveness of sins. V. 14: "With one sacrifice he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."
But I do not want to say more about it now; For the same code has not yet fully come into being, and when it does, both now and hereafter in the descendants, there will be many pious learned men who will rightly call upon God, who will refute the errors of the Tridentine Council and show the whole world the secret cunning and sophistry in such of its statutes, and also the perverse wickedness of those who have treacherously placed among the statutes many uncertain things that could be interpreted on both sides, so that with such a pretense they may at the same time deceive the common people and escape the right punishment that they will hear and suffer against it.
But that devout hearts may be preserved and remain unconvinced from the ghastly errors of the Tridentine Council, and other such things still defended by the papists, let them diligently read the books of Luther; among which these are
The first book of Moses is the most beautiful and glorious, and as they say in Proverbs, Swan Song 2c. The same interpretations are to be done to other of his confessions, which are told in other of his books about all the main points of Christian doctrine, and such confessions' interpretations are also included in these longer sermons.
These testimonies are useful to teach and strengthen devout hearts. We should keep them faithfully as a good supplement (as Paul calls his testimonies in 2 Tim. 1, 12. 14.) and not allow them to be suppressed either with false and sophistical decrees of the pope, or to be perverted with cunning and changed by deceitful interpretation into foreign minds.
In this extreme age and end of the world, there will be more strange confused opinions than ever before, and people's recklessness and volatility will be even greater. Many people will be ambitious and rebellious by nature, and the raving of the devil will also be somewhat greater. For since he knows well that the day is not far off when the Son of God will again let himself be seen by the human race, lead a triumph and adorn his church with eternal glory, and when the great sin and shame of the devils will also be seen and their torment and torture will also be increased, they are now all the more senseless to pour out their wrath on the Son of God, and therefore rage and rage even more against the poor church, which is now somewhat weak in old age.
Therefore, this great danger should wake us up and make us more diligent to keep the pure doctrine and to preserve the unanimity of the general church, and to remain constant in it. For this purpose, it is necessary to read the Scriptures diligently and to always pray with fervent prayer to the gracious God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Son of God says in Matthew 26:41: "Watch and pray, lest you fall into temptation. The fact that he says that Ulan should watch is understood to mean that one should diligently follow the teachings of the Lord.
But with prayer one asks God for help; for there is no happiness in human endeavor where it is not governed by God and continued and promoted by His blessing.
Just as the Lord Jesus Christ, our High Priest, who was crucified for us and rose again from the dead, asked in his agony that the eternal Father would preserve his Church and sanctify it in his truth, and make it all one in him, so he still makes this prayer for us in the secret counsel of the divine Majesty, and is certain that his prayer is not in vain or in vain.
To this prayer of our high priest we should also add our sighs, tears and prayers, that the eternal Father in this miserable and sorrowful time may gather a church and congregation to His Son for and in these lands also, and sanctify us in His truth, and make us all one in Him; and also protect and preserve the tabernacle of His church, and not allow heathen and abominable desolations to come to pass or to break down.
This I ask with heartfelt sighs, that the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ may graciously grant us for the intercession of His dear Son.
Date, Nuremberg, on the day of Paul's conversion in the year following the birth of Christ our Lord, 1552.