This sermon was printed in a single edition at Wittenberg, Frankfurt and another unnamed place in 1546. 4. In the collections: in the Wittenberg edition (1559), vol. XII, p. 465; in the Altenburg, vol. VIII, p. 863; in the Leipzig, vol. XXI, p. 715; in Walch, vol. XXI, 329* and in C. G. Hofmann, I. c. In Latin translation, by Matthias Ritter, 1549 and 1553 and 1557. 8. reprinted, and excepted by Matth. Dresser in the Historia Lutheri.
Paul the holy apostle, 1 Thessal. 4,13.14., says:
But we do not want to keep you, brethren, from those who are asleep, so that you will not be sad like the others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, God will also bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.
Dear friends! I am now to preach a sermon at the funeral of our beloved father, D. Martini blessed; but what or how am I to speak, if I cannot make a word because of weeping? And who shall comfort you, if I, your pastor and preacher, cannot speak? Where can I turn from you? I will no doubt make more weeping and mourning with my speech. For how should we not all heartily mourn, if God has sent us this affliction, and has taken away from us the high, dear man, the venerable D. Martin Luther, from us, through whom he has shown unspeakable gifts and grace to all of us and to all churches of Christ in German lands, as well as to many in foreign nations, through whom he has also gloriously triumphed against the kingdom of Satan, against all kinds of shameful idolatry and human doctrines, even, as St. Paul calls it, against the doctrines of the devil in all the world, and has revealed to us in the gospel the high, great, heavenly mystery, his dear Son Jesus Christ (as St. Paul calls it to the Ephesians and Colossians). Paul also calls it), through whom our dear Father Christ has given his
He defended the gospel against the wicked pope and all kinds of mobs and tyrants, even against all the gates of hell, to which great man he gave the spirit of power and strength, so that he spared no one how great and powerful he was, and so joyfully held the gospel and pure doctrine that it was often considered by the world as if he were too harsh with punishments and scoldings, and did too much to him; Just as the Jews and Pharisees, the bitter and poisonous vipers, blamed Christ, because it hurt them and hurt them that they were punished by the truth, but they still did not accept the sound doctrine.
This high teacher and prophet and reformer of the Church sent by God has been taken away from us by God. Oh, how can we stop mourning and crying? How can we obey the dear Paulo here, when he says: "You should not be sad about those who are sleeping"? But he nevertheless adds, "like the others who have no hope". But we who believe know that those who have fallen asleep in Christ will be awakened again to a better life, when we shall again meet with them and be with one another forever.
3. but the world has not been worthy to have this great man of God any longer, to continue to blaspheme and persecute him; although the same ungrateful world has also received much good through this great man, especially in that it has been delivered from so many troubles and tyranny of the troublesome papacy, so that many of the adversaries (with whom there is still some wisdom or understanding) would rather that the great man had lived a long time.
(4) This I said at the beginning, that we have great cause to mourn heartily, because we have lost such a high and noble man. And truly (if that may be of any help) Christian kings, princes and cities mourn with us, and all who have known the gospel of truth. That is why we do not mourn alone, but many thousands from time to time in Christendom mourn with us. It has not befitted the sorry present Pope, Cardinal, Mainz, or Duke Henry to ever rejoice over the death of this man (whom he has enraged all with the truth). And I hope that the adversaries shall not long rejoice over his death, for the person is indeed different in Christ; but the mighty, blessed, divine teaching of this great man is still alive in the strongest possible way.
5. for he was undoubtedly the angel of whom it is written in Revelation 14:6, 7, 8, which flew
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W. XXI, 332*-335*.
in the midst of heaven, having an everlasting gospel 2c. As the text says: "And I saw an angel flying in the midst of heaven, having an everlasting gospel to preach to them that sit and dwell on the earth, and to all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, and people; and he spake with a loud voice: Fear God and give Him glory, for the time of His judgment has come, and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of waters. And another angel followed, saying, She is fallen, she is fallen, Babylon the great city; for she hath made all nations drink of the wine of her fornication."
This angel who says: "Fear God and give Him glory" was Martin Luther. And that it says, "Fear God and give Him glory," are the two pieces of Luther's teaching, the Law and the Gospel, by which all Scripture is opened and Christ is known, our righteousness and eternal life. To these two he also added this piece: "the time of his judgment has come", and taught about the right prayer and invocation to God, the heavenly Father, in spirit and in truth, as the angel Revelation 14 also says: "Pray to him who made heaven and earth" 2c.
7 For after the doctrine of this angel shall follow another angel, which shall preach consolation to the afflicted and controverted church, and upon the adversaries lightning and thunder, eternal judgment and condemnation, as the other angel said, "She is fallen, she is fallen, Babylon the great city." Therefore the adversaries will not long rejoice in this affliction of ours, as Christ also says John. 16:20: "Your affliction shall become joy." For according to the Apocalypsis in the 14th chapter mentioned above, we see that this has gone before and is still going on. If apocalypsis is to be something, the other will undoubtedly follow.
8 But alas! how do I run so far with my speech in this weeping and sorrow of ours? This is enough of our reasonable mourning. For we do indeed justly mourn that such a dear man, a true bishop and shepherd of souls has departed from us. But in this sorrow we should also acknowledge God's goodness and mercy towards us, and thank God that after a hundred years from the death of St. John Hus (who was killed for the sake of the truth in 1415), He has soon awakened us through His Spirit this great Doctor Martin Luther, against the antichristic doctrine of the wicked, satanic, and evil Church.
Pabst and against the doctrines of the devil; as John Hus himself prophesied of a future swan before his death. For Hus means a goose in Bohemian. You are roasting (said John Hus) a goose now, but God will raise a swan, which you will not burn nor roast. And when they cried out against him so much that he could not answer them, he is said to have said: After an hundred years I will answer you. This he did honestly through our dear father D. Lutherum, and just began in the following year after a hundred years. Yes, we should thank God that he has preserved this dear man for us and his church in the fierce disputes, in so many hard battles, and that through him Christ has triumphed so often, now almost up to the age of thirty years, praise and honor be to the Lord Christ, for ever and ever, amen.
(9) We should also rejoice with our dear father Luther that in the highest office of apostle and prophet, in which he faithfully carried out his command, 1) he has gone from us and departed to the Lord Christ, where the holy patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and many to whom he preached the gospel, all the holy angels, Lazarus in the bosom of Abraha, that is, in the eternal joy of all believers, are. How this will happen now, until the last day, we will learn, as St. Paul says to Philip, 1, v. 23: "I desire to depart and be with Christ", as in the stories of the apostles Cap. 7, 58. also Stephen says: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"; and Christ to the thief: "Today you will be in paradise", Luc. 23, 43.
10 For there is no doubt, as the Spirit of Christ was in the hands of the Father, when he said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," 2c. until the resurrection on Easter day: so shall our spirits be in the hands of Christ until our resurrection. For thus the words of Lazaro are, "But now he is comforted, but thou art tormented." Luc. 16, 25.
(11) What rest or comfort the faithful have in the meantime until the last day, or what restlessness or torment the wicked have, we cannot just now tell from the Scriptures. The Scripture saith, "They sleep," as Paul saith first Thessalonians, "Of them that sleep." But just as in natural sleep the healthy rest in a sweet sleep and, refreshed by it, become stronger and healthier, but the unhealthy, or those who are afflicted, and especially those in agony, sleep in a sweet sleep.
1) "faithfully" put by us instead of: "recently".
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They are not afraid, with terrible dreams and restless sleep, so that sleep is not a rest for them, but a more terrible, more desolate restlessness than waking: so there is a difference between the sleep of the faithful and the sleep of the wicked. But we cannot speak or conclude any further about this, for the scriptural words are.
Our dear father D. Martinus Luther has now attained what he often desired, and if he should now come to us again, he would punish our mourning and trembling with the word of Christ John. 16: "If you loved me, you would rejoice; for I go to the Father," and would grant me eternal rest and joy. Christ has overcome death for us; what do we fear? The death of the body is a beginning of eternal life for us, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who became for us a noble and precious sacrifice.
I still remember when the venerable, our dear father D. Martin Luther, saw some who had sweetly fallen asleep in the confession of Christ, that he said: "God grant that I may also so sweetly fall asleep in the bosom of Christ, and that my body may not be tormented with long pains of death; but may God's will be done.
Here at Wittenberg in the university was Magister Ambrosius Bernhardus 1) of Güterboch, my dear brother, a quite pious man who loved Christ, who lay several days before his end very weak and ill until death, and yet God removed the feeling of illness from him, as if he had already been in another life, talked with us, as he wanted to come to us, and be happy with us. That he was so sick and had to die, he knew nothing about it, he certainly did not see death, therefore he could not be afraid of death; but he was no longer in this life, but only when one spoke of Christ, he freely confessed from the heart the great grace and blessedness that has come to us from the heavenly Father in Christ. For he loved Christ and liked to pray and call upon God the Father in spirit and truth. If one wanted to tell him (as one who had come to himself) about his beloved wife, children, house, money, debt, etc., he was soon not with himself, but as in another world (but he knew us all and called us by name), talked happily with laughter and sweet jokes about other things, so that one who did not know his fantasies, think
1) Elsewhere his name is given as Ambrosius Berndt von Jüterbock.
He would like to be healthy, and would otherwise have to lie in bed for a long time 2c. But our dear Lord Jesus Christ took him out of this life in such fantasy, but still in good confession of the Christian faith, so that he was already dead in this world, some days before he died; for he knew nothing on earth, for which he would care, yes, everything was taken out of his heart, that he did not feel his sickness, did not care about death; yes, he also did not see death, how should he then be afraid of sin and death? So that we saw in him before our eyes the word of Christ John 8:51, which comes to all believers in Christ: "If any man keep my word, he shall never see death." For although they do not all die as easily as this Ambrose, but with great pain, as the Son of God Himself died on the cross, yet when the dear hour comes, they see life and not death, and all say, "Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit"; just as our dear Lord Jesus Christ took our beloved Father Doctor Martinum to Himself with such a blessed farewell from this pitiful valley. Praise and thanks be to God for eternity!
15 During the illness of Magister Ambrosii, when I saw that he was not sleeping either, I asked two Doctores Medicinae to prepare a strong sleeping potion for him; they answered me: Such a thing would be dangerous, and they would be blamed if it got bad. I said: I will answer for it, even if he would stay over it. Pray to him in the name of God, as a desperate man; who knows, it might help. The Medici gave him such a potion, but not as strong as I desired, for they were worried about something; then sleep came to him by force, so that he slept for two hours; But when he awoke, he felt his sorrow, and complained about it, and talked with his wife about all kinds of emergencies understandably, but soon after that, without danger, after an hour and a half, he was again in his cheerful nature as before, knew no more of this world, until after some days he gave up the ghost to Christ.
(16) Such a blessed and joyful history of Magistro Ambrosio, our dear brother, I have now gladly told you for two reasons; first, that I might thereby stop your love a little from the weeping and crying that has now come upon us. God has afflicted us; His grace comforts us again. Secondly, that such a history may serve our cause, since we are now talking about it.
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W. XXI, 338*-341*.
17 For this Magister Ambrosius was Doctor Martini's brother-in-law, which is why he visited him so often in his illness, and when he spoke to him of Christ, Ambrosius also spoke of Christ, according to the dear Gospel, as I said; but when he wanted to speak to him of wife, children, goods, etc., Ambrosius knew nothing of such things, but soon fantasized happily with other words, as I said before. In particular, he said to the doctor with laughter and thanksgiving: "Doctor, thank you for coming to me, I will come to you again in the evening, and we will have a good collation together, and then I will talk to you about many happy things. Indeed, now they may both do this in eternal life, since they have both traveled there; in this life they may not have come together in this way.
When Doctor Martinus left him, the doctor said to me: "He is gone, he does not know about any death; if we want to advise him how he should order his business, he no longer knows about this world and life, but is cheerful, laughs, suggests other things to us with his cheerful imagination, and mocks us with such words, as if he wanted to say: "I no longer know anything on earth to order or to take care of. God give me even briefly such a quiet and blessed hour of death, what more shall I do on earth?
19th Now when Master Ambrose was buried in the hard winter, Anno 1542 Mense Januario, not long after Doctor Martinus passed with me before the grave, there he pointed with his hand to the grave, and said: "He did not know that he was ill, he also did not know that he died, and yet he was not without the confession of Christ; there he lies, he does not yet know that he is dead. Dear Lord Jesus Christ, take me also out of this valley of sorrow to yourself" 2c.
20 I often had to hear this from my dear father, and when he noticed my displeasure, at times also from my words, he said to me: "Please ask our dear Lord God to take me away from here for a short time. I can no longer do anything on earth, I am no longer of any use to you, help me with your prayers, do not ask me to live longer". Now everyone can well remember what I answered my dear father, our beloved doctor, to such words. All this shows how gladly he wanted to be rid of this life of misery in his last days and to be with Christ; with this he also sang his Consummatum est [It is finished],
and commanded His Spirit into the hands of Heavenly Father.
There have also been previous indications that our dear father, Doctor Martinus, would migrate to a better life. For this whole year he has often said to us that he would like to move to another place. He also left more often this year before his death than in many years before, namely to his fatherland in Mansfeld, to the bishop in Zeitz, in Merseburg, in Halle. These were simultaneous indications and prophecies that he would make this blessed journey to a better life; therefore it also happened that he departed from this life and traveled to the noble and well-born counts and lords of Mansfeld in the city of Eisleben, where he was born and baptized, no differently than he desired, except that he would have preferred to be with us, his dear wife and children, but God sent it differently.
But that you also have a short report, dear friends, of our beloved father Doctoris Martini's blessed farewell: When he realized that his hour had come, he prayed thus: O my heavenly Father, a God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, God of all comfort, I thank thee that thou hast revealed to me thy dear Son Jesus Christ, in whom I believe, whom I have preached and confessed, whom the wicked pope and all the ungodly revile, persecute and blaspheme; I beseech thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, that my soul may be in thy command. O heavenly Father, even though I must leave this body and be torn from this life, I know for certain that I will remain with you forever and that no one can tear me out of your hands.
And then he said three times: "Into your hands I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, you faithful God. Item, John 3:16: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
And hath thus fallen his hands, and in fine silence hath given up his spirit unto Christ; wherefore we ought to rejoice with him justly, as much as we could with mourning.
Here I must remember the holy bishop St. Martin, of whom the Historia says that all heretics paled and blanched before his name. Item, that there was great weeping and mourning of all believers and true Christians over the death of St. Martin. Item, that a dispute and strife has arisen among some cities and countries.
who were to keep the body of St. Martin and bury it with them. All this happened in the same way with this holy apostle and prophet of Christ, our preacher and evangelist in German lands, D. Martin; but I will not speak of this at length. God Himself now values and loves him, and keeps him in His bosom, who in this life was very dear to us and to the Church of Christ. In that life, when we all also hope to come to him, repay our beloved Father God.
(24) God grant that the Spirit of God may also be upon the descendants, speaking twice as much as the great man spoke, and in the church which the dear Father planted; as the prophet Elisha asks of Elijah, when he was taken away in a storm.
(25) If we fear or think that God has taken away the dear man because of our sin and ingratitude, let us amend our lives through Christ and call upon God our heavenly Father, so that we may remain in the blessed, pure doctrine of faith and be protected through Christ against the mobs and tyrants and against all the gates of hell. Protect, O Lord Christ, your poor Christianity, that they may praise you forever, help us, God our Savior, and save us for the sake of the honor of your name, and be merciful to our sins for the sake of your holy name, keep in your church faithful and good preachers, give them power and strength through the Holy Spirit, as the 68th Psalm, v. 12, says: "The Lord gives the word with great multitudes of evangelists."
The insolent, abominable, great blasphemies of the adversaries, and of the obstinate priests and monks, and also our ingratitude, could well be the cause of great misfortune and punishment from God in the world; but we should ask God the Father in the name of the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that He would do for His name's sake, and fulfill and make true the epitaph and prophecy which our dear father D. Martinus himself made for him:
Pestis eram vivens, moriens tua, mors ero Papa.
This is in German: Pabst, Pabst, when I lived, I was your pestilence; when I die, I will be your bitter death.
God be praised forever through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Let us pray 2c.
XXX. Philipp Melanchthon's address, delivered at Luther's funeral on February 22, 1546, in Wittenberg.
Melanchthon gave this speech in Latin and had it printed immediately afterwards. In Latin it is found in Hofmann, I. e. p. 91. Casp. Cruciger translated it into German. Three individual editions of this translation appeared in the same year; then it was reprinted together with the historical report of Justus Jonas and Bugenhagen's funeral sermon at Wittenberg in 1553. In the German collections: in the Wittenberg edition (1559), vol. XII, 468 b; in the Altenburg, vol. VIII, p. 367; in the Leipzig, vol. XXI, p. 719; in Walch, vol. XXI, 342* f. and in Matth. Dresser's hist. Luth.
1. Although I can hardly speak of my own sorrow in this affliction and grief common to our and all pious hearts, and to Christ's church, yet, because I am to say something in this Christian gathering, I will not, as has been the custom of the heathen, praise the deceased alone, but remind and admonish this honest gathering of the high, wonderful divine government of his church, and of the many dangers with which it must always struggle, of the high and wonderful divine government of his church, and of the many dangers with which it must always struggle, so that Christian hearts may all the more diligently consider and reflect on the things with which they are primarily concerned, what they should strive for, and what they should desire most from God. Item, what examples they should set before their eyes, which they should follow and by which they should judge their whole life.
2. For although the godless hearts of the world, who regard God's word and Christian religion as nothing, think that in such a manifold disorder and disruption of human life and all regiments everything is going on roughly and without divine government, we, as Christians, should strengthen ourselves by so many and various clear and public divine testimonies, and distinguish the church of God from the other godless heaps, and certainly conclude that God governs and sustains His church by His divine miraculous counsel and power, that God governs and sustains His Church by His divine miraculous counsel and power, and to learn and understand the government of that Church properly, and to recognize with gratitude righteous teachers given by God, and to consider how they are governed by God during the time of their teaching and life, and to present to us as examples among them the high, noblest, righteous teachers, as our fathers, chiefs and predecessors, whom we should rightly follow and do them due honor.
3. we should remember and speak of this great cause as often as the venerable D. Mar.
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Luther, our dear father and preceptor, is remembered; whom, although many godless people have been bitterly and grimly hostile and hated, we who know by God's grace that he is a high, excellent and faithful servant of Christ and preacher of the Gospel, specially awakened by God and given to us, love and praise him, and seek and consider all kinds of testimony from ourselves, which prove that his teaching is not an unchristian, seditious pretense, spread out of his own sacrilegious thirst, as many godless Epicureans hold and cry out for it.
4 And although one is in the habit of saying much in such speeches about the deceased about special virtues of those who are to be praised, which they had or showed in their lives, I will nevertheless leave it to speak of this now, and speak only of this most distinguished, namely of his office, which he led in the church government. For pious, God-fearing hearts should certainly believe that Doctor Martin Luther blessedly taught the right, pure, necessary and salutary doctrine in the church faithfully and declared that God is always to be highly thanked for it, and that his work and diligence, faithfulness and constancy, which he showed in his teaching office, and other virtues are to be praised and praised, and that his memory should be dear and valuable to all God-fearing people.
5. Let us now begin with what Saint Paul says, that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, has ascended on high, and sits at the right hand of his eternal Father, and gives divine gifts to men, namely the teaching of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit; And that we may be made partakers of such gifts, he raiseth up prophets, apostles, teachers, and pastors, and taketh them out of this our collection, or the company of them that are disciples, and that read, and hear, and love, and keep faithfully the holy scriptures of the holy prophets and apostles.
(6) He does not call or raise up to this work and knighthood only those who are in the ordinary government, but often does it in such a way that he challenges and fights against them through Christian teachers and preachers whom he chooses from other common classes and people. And it is quite comforting and useful to a Christian heart to see the church at all times before the eyes of the world, and to contemplate the great, high, divine good deed, how God from the beginning has always sent wholesome teachers for his church, one after the other, so that, as in a battle order, where those who are in front in the
The people who have been in the first place will be gone as soon as others have taken their place and followed in their footsteps.
(7) Thus the first holy fathers followed one another in order: Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Shem. In this life, when he dwelt near Sodom, when the heathen had already forgotten the divine teaching of the holy arch-fathers, Noah and Shem, and had fallen into idolatry everywhere, Abraham was awakened by God to be the fellow servant and helper of the old pious Shem in the high divine work of preaching and spreading the pure teaching. After him followed Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, who brought the pure, wholesome teaching to light in the whole land of Egypt, which at that time was the most beautiful and most praiseworthy kingdom on earth. Then Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Elijah, Eliphaz, to whom the prophet Esaias belonged, were awakened. Then Jeremiah heard him, Jeremiah Daniel, Danielem Zacharias, then Esras, Onias, and after these the Maccabees, then Simeon, of whom it is said in Luc. 2, and Zacharias, and his son, John the Baptist, Christ himself, and the apostles. This beautiful order and succession of the highest people on earth is useful and amusing to contemplate, for it is a mighty clear and public testimony that God is always with His Church, governing and sustaining it.
After the apostles came the following group of teachers in the Church of Christ, who, although they were not like the previous fathers, prophets and apostles, and were somewhat weaker, they were also gifted and adorned by divine testimonies, as Polycarpus, Irenaeus, Gregory Neocaesariensis, Basil, Augustine, Prosper, Maximus, Hugh, Bernardus, Taulerus and some others in other places. And although this last time, as the last and weakest age of the world, is much more fragile than the previous ones, God has always preserved some, by which he has again negated the teaching in the church and punished error, as the rest, and it is evident that now and in our time the pure teaching of the Gospel has been rekindled and brought to light much brighter and purer through the mouth and writing of the venerable D. Martin Luther.
(9) Therefore, he should be rightly counted among the number and order of the high and excellent people whom God has specially awakened and sent to gather and restore His Church on earth; and we should know that such people are to be considered the most beautiful flower or nucleus and seed of the human race on earth.
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(10) For although some among the Gentiles may be considered and praised as great and excellent men, as Themistocles, Scipio, Augustus, and the like, they are still far from being equal to these high miracle workers, teachers, and leaders of ours, and much inferior to Esaias, John the Baptist, Paul, Augustine, and Luther. Such inequality and difference between the people God gave to the Gentiles for the benefit of worldly government and those through whom He governs His Church, we Christians should understand and consider.
Now what are the special and distinguished pieces of true doctrine brought to light or explained by D. Luther? Luther brought to light or explained, so that he is to be praised in his course and teaching ministry, which he accomplished in his time? For we see that nowadays many people, even great ones, are crying out and complaining that the church is badly disrupted and confused, and that much unnecessary quarreling is stirring up, which no one can put right or bring back to unity.
(12) To such cries I answer that the government of the churches in the world is always so: when the Holy Spirit punishes the world, discord and division arise. The cause and guilt of such disunity is only those who do not want to hear the Son of God, of whom the heavenly Father has commanded and said, "This is the one you shall hear.
Doctor Luther brought to light again the true, pure Christian doctrine, which had previously been obscured in many noble articles, and explained it with diligence. For it is public and undeniable that there was much great, gross, and palpable darkness and error in the monks' doctrine of repentance: these he punished, and taught what true Christian repentance is, and which is the certain, true, constant consolation of hearts and consciences that are terrified of God's wrath because of sins.
14. he also explained the true Pauline doctrine, which says that man becomes righteous before God through faith alone. Item, he also showed and diligently taught the necessary distinction between the Law and the Gospel, and between the high divine righteousness of the Spirit and the outward worldly discipline or piety. He also taught what right invocation of God is and how it should be done, and rebuked the whole church from the pagan blindness and nonsense of dreaming that one can invoke God, even though the hearts lie in pagan doubt (whether God will take care of them and hear them) and flee from God in such doubt. 2c. On the other hand
He has pointed us to the only mediator, the Son of God, who sits at the right hand of the eternal Father and prays for us, not to stone or wooden images and idols, nor to dead men or dead saints, as the great multitude of godless people in terrible blindness have recourse to such idols and dead men and worship them.
15 He also taught with faithful diligence about right good works that please God, and he so adorned, praised and defended this common Christian life of the secular rulers and of all other offices and estates that the same cannot be seen in any other writings.
Finally, he distinguished from the right, necessary Christian works and separated the childish practice of ceremonies and other statutes and commandments introduced by men, which prevents true, truthful invocation of God.
17 To this end, in order that the pure Christian doctrine may be propagated and preserved also to the descendants, he has interpreted the Scriptures of the prophets and apostles into the German language, so brightly and clearly that this interpretation gives the Christian reader much more light and understanding than many other great books and commentaries.
18. he himself also wrote many beautiful interpretations of some books of Moses, Psalms, Prophets, Evangelists and Apostles (to that which he did in sermons from many years ago), of which Erasmus also judged that they are far better and more useful than all other interpretations whose writings are available.
(19) And as it is written of those who rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, as in Nehemiah 4, that they worked at the building with one hand and wielded the sword with the other, so at the same time he had to fight against the enemies of pure doctrine, and yet besides this he wrote many beautiful expositions, which are full of comforting Christian doctrine, and helped many poor mistaken and troubled consciences with Christian counsel and comfort.
(20) And since the most important parts of divine doctrine are high and far above human understanding, such as the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins and of faith, one must accept and confess that he was taught by God. Thus, many of us have seen for ourselves what high spiritual struggles he had, in which he learned that by faith one must conclude that we are accepted and heard by God with grace.
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Therefore, there is no doubt that pious Christian hearts will praise and extol for all eternity the divine good deed that he has given to his church through this D. Luther. And they will first of all praise and thank God for it; then they will also publicly confess before all the world that they have improved much through this faithful man's diligence and work in writings and sermons, and that they owe him gratitude for it, although the others, Epicureans and godless people, who ridicule the entire Church of God and the Church's doctrine and government, proudly despise such high virtue and consider it useless, futile child's work, or even pure foolishness.
(22) Nor, as the wise men say, are there vain and unending quarrels and disputations which no one can do; nor, as some scornfully say, is such a doctrine spread in the churches, whereupon one should only quarrel and quarrel; as the poets say, that a beautiful and merry apple was thrown among some virgins, whereupon they quarreled among themselves. Nor is this doctrine a dark, obscure mystery that no one can understand. For understanding, God-fearing hearts, which do not seek wanton sophistry and perversion of right doctrine, can easily see and understand, if they hold the articles of repugnant doctrine against each other, which are according to the divine doctrine, and agree with it, or not, yes, this matter of religion is already judged among all God-fearers, and certainly decided, which is the right, true doctrine. For since God has revealed Himself and made Himself known through the mouths and writings of the holy prophets and apostles, it should not be assumed that such words and writings are uncertain and incomprehensible, as the Sibyls or such dark speeches and prophecies.
23) But that some, even good-hearted people have complained at times that Doctor Luther was a bit too hard and rough in writing, I will not argue about this, neither to excuse him nor to praise him, but leave it at the answer that Erasmus often gave about this: God has given the 1) world at this last time, in which great and severe pestilence and infirmities are rampant, also a hard, sharp physician.
24. and if God raises up such an instrument against the enemies of the gospel, who run against the truth with great pride, insolence and iniquity, as He says to the prophet Jeremiah Cap. 1:9: "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
1) "the" put by us instead of: "the".
that you should uproot, break, destroy and ruin, and plant and build" 2c. And if he thus wanted to frighten them with Luther's hard writings, they may appeal to God about it, but they will settle with him in vain.
God does not govern his church according to human counsel and wisdom, and does not make his instruments, whom he raises up, all alike; but this is always the case, and with all, that common conscripts and moral men do not take pleasure in great vehemence in others, whether it be good or evil. When, in Athens, Aristides saw Themistocles supporting the government with great gusto, and happily going along with him, although he gladly grudged his fatherland such an electoral ride, he nevertheless took care, as much as he could, to moderate the great speed in Themistocles and to keep it in check.
(26) So I will not deny that such great, fierce people sometimes do too much to him, for in this weak, miserable nature and human life no one is without all infirmities. But still, if there is such a man, as the ancient Greeks said of Hercule, Simone and the like, who is not always polite, but otherwise a sincere, pious, honest man, he is to be praised as an honest, honorable man; and if he shows himself in the church (as St. Paul says) as one who fights chivalrously, and keeps faith and a good conscience, he is also pleasing to God, and to be held in all honor by men.
27 Now we know that D. Luther was such a man, for he argued constantly and with faithful diligence about the pure doctrine and defended it at all times, so he also kept a good, honest, unharmed conscience. Thus, everyone who knew him well and was often around him must testify that he was a very kind man, and that when he was among people, his every speech was sweet, friendly and charming, and not at all insolent, impetuous, stubborn or quarrelsome; and yet there was a seriousness and bravery in his words and actions that should be in such a man. Summa, in him the heart was faithful and without falsehood, the mouth was kind and blessed, and (as St. Paul demands of Christians) everything that is true, what is honorable, what is just, what is chaste, what is lovely, what is well 2c. Therefore it is evident that the hardness he used against the enemies of the pure doctrine in his writings was not of a quarrelsome and spiteful mind, but of a great earnestness and zeal for the truth. All of us, and many other strangers who saw and knew him, must bear witness to this about him.
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W. XXI, 353*-356*-.
28. What a beautiful and glorious speech would be made of this, if I had undertaken to praise this man, and to tell at length the whole history of his life, which he brought to three and sixty years, with constant great earnest diligence and practice in godliness, faith, calling upon God, and other Christian virtues; item, in all good and useful studies and arts! No lewd character or other misconduct has ever been found or noted in him; no word that could be used to incite rebellion or indignation has ever been heard from him, but he has always faithfully counseled and assisted in atonement and peace; he has not mixed other, foreign affairs with religious matters, or sought intrigues to strengthen his or his own power. Such wisdom and virtue is so great and strange that it cannot be brought about by human ability and diligence alone, but it requires divine grace and gift, which especially such high people, who by nature have a fierce, high and burning courage (as I). Luther was), keep in check.
(29) It would be too long to talk about other virtues of his, but I will mention some of them. I myself have often heard him say his prayers for the whole church with hot tears. For he took his own special time and leisure to say several psalms every day, among which he prayed to God with sighing and weeping, and often became displeased in his daily speeches about those who, out of laziness or because of their business, pretend that it is enough to call upon God with a short sigh alone. For this very reason, he said, the form and manner of prayer are prescribed for us, so that when we read or speak them, our hearts may be awakened and inflamed, and our mouths may also confess which God we are calling upon.
(30) Therefore, we have also seen, when often great and difficult counsels of careful, swift and dangerous things occurred, that he showed a very great courage and manliness, and did not soon let himself be frightened by a little noise, nor did he become despondent because of fear, or driving and terror. For he relied on this certain foundation as on an immovable rock, namely on God's assistance and help, and did not let such faith and trust be torn from his heart.
(31) He was also of such a high and sharp mind that he alone was able to see in confused, dark and difficult matters what should be advised and done. Nor was he so careless, as some might have thought of him, that he did not notice how things were going in the government everywhere, or did not
He did not pay attention to the people, how they would be minded; but he knew how the regiments were everywhere, and with special diligence he noticed the mind and will of all the people with whom he had to do. And although he was otherwise of high intellect and excellently learned, he nevertheless read all kinds of books and writings, both old and new teachers and scribes, as well as all histories, with which he was able to draw and apply examples to all kinds of current affairs and things with special skill.
32) How eloquent he was, his own books and writings show that he is well and truly equal to all those who are famous as the most excellent orators.
33) That such a noble man of such a very high intellect, in addition excellently taught, and tried and experienced through long practice, and endowed with many high Christian virtues, and especially raised up and chosen by God to help the church again (to the effect that he also warmly loved all of us as a father), has been called away and departed from this life and our means and society, as from the pinnacle in the order, that is why we bear our grief and pain. For we are now like poor, miserable, abandoned orphans, who had an excellent man for a father and are deprived of him. But still, since we owe obedience to God and must surrender to His will, we should keep a constant, eternal memory of this dear Father of ours, and not let it leave our hearts. Yes, we should thank God for him and rejoice with him in the joyful, blessed, eternal fellowship that he now has with God and the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the holy fathers, prophets and apostles, which he always desired most in his life of faith and trust in God's Son and waited for with great desire: since he now not only hears that his hard work and faithful diligence, which he had to plant and spread in the pure doctrine of the Gospel, will be praised and glorified by God and the whole heavenly blessed church in eternal life, but also he himself, as he has now been released from this mortal body, as from a dungeon, and into another, much higher, more glorious, divine school, now beholds before his eyes and recognizes the high, unfathomable, eternal essence of divine majesty, and the two natures, divine and human, united in one person of the Son of God, and the whole high, wonderful divine counsel, through which he has attained his
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W. XXI, 356*-359*.
And because he contemplates these incomprehensible things beyond all measure, all wrapped up and covered by faith in the Word and short sayings of the divine Scriptures, he now has unspeakable joy that he sees these things manifestly before his eyes, and thanks God with all his burning heart without ceasing for this supreme benefit.
Now he learns to understand how and why the Son of God is called in the Scriptures the Word and Image of the eternal Father, and how the Person of the Holy Spirit is the bond of unspeakable heartfelt love, both between God the eternal Father and the Son, and also between them and the whole church. In this mortal life, he learned the beginning of this high doctrine, and immediately as the first letters, and of these great things, namely, the difference between right Christian and other, pagan, false invocations, and the right true knowledge of God, which is seen, how he reveals and makes himself known through his word, and according to it, separates and separates the right true God from other, false and invented idols, he has very often spoken with great seriousness and Christianity, from the Holy Scriptures in sermons and otherwise.
Many in this collection of ours have heard him interpret this saying of Christ John. 1, 51. (which is taken from the history of the patriarch Jacob I Mos. 28, when he saw the ladder, which touched the sky with its top 2c.), where He says: "From now on you will see the sky open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Here he first exhorts the listeners to consider this high, glorious consolation and to press it into the heart, that the whole heaven is now certainly open to us, that is, that we now have access to God through Christ, and that the terrible, infallible wrath of God will be removed from us, and that the terrible, infallible wrath of God has been taken away, so that we have recourse to this mediator, the Son of God, and that God is now with us and dwells among us, and that those who call upon him in faith are graciously accepted, heard, governed and preserved by him.
36. of this wonderful eternal counsel and will of divine majesty (which yet many nefarious despisers of God consider to be vain fables and nothing at all) he teaches and admonishes that one should oppose it 2) with firm faith and
1) "of" put by us instead of: "and".
2) "him" put by us instead of: "him".
keep the natural doubt of the human heart," and all the terrors and temptations by which miserable, afflicted hearts are made fugitive and timid, so that they cannot rise up, trust God in a right conscience, call upon Him, nor take comfort in God and be satisfied with Him.
He then says that "the angels who ascend and descend upon the Son of Man," that is, the body of the Lord Christ, are the faithful ministers and preachers of the Gospel, who first ascend to God through our forerunner and ancestor, Christ, and receive from Him the light and knowledge of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit, and then descend again, that is, who lead and practice the ministry of teaching the Gospel among men. To this he also added this interpretation, that even the heavenly spirits, which we use to call angels, who look upon the Son of God, learn much through this vision of the wonderful union of both natures and have unspeakable joy in it; and because they are the servants and hosts of this Lord, our Savior, to protect the church, they are governed by the hand of the same.
This great, glorious, supreme thing he now sees before his own eyes. Just as before he ascended and descended to heaven among the servants of Christ and preachers of the gospel, under this Duke Christ, so now he also sees how his angels are sent by him, and has great, heartfelt joy and pleasure with them in the contemplation of his divine wisdom and divine works.
(39) Many of us also have in good memory how gladly and with great pleasure he used to speak of the holy prophets' government (among God's people) and of their teachings and good counsel, also of their struggle, journey and persecution they suffered, and how God miraculously saved them, and how with great understanding and wisdom he held the whole time of God's church in the world against each other; so that he showed how great a desire he had to be with the same holy, high people. He has now joined them, and rejoices that he is to hear their living voice and speak with them; so they are again heartily glad of their schoolmate and fellow servant, receive and greet him kindly, and thus both give eternal thanks to God, who out of causeless grace and goodness gathers and sustains His church in the human race.
40 Therefore we should not doubt at all that this our dear father, D. Luther, is with God in eternal bliss. But that is why we are justly distressed that we are now lonely and forsaken.
However, because we owe obedience to the divine will after it has been removed from us, we should know that God also wants this from us, that we are mindful of his virtue and the benefits given to us through him. We shall faithfully render this gratitude to him, and shall recognize and consider that he has been a noble, delicious, useful and beneficial instrument of God, and shall learn and retain his teachings with faithful diligence.
In addition, his virtues, which are necessary for us to exemplify and follow diligently according to our measure, as the fear of God, faith, earnest and fervent invocation of God, faithfulness and diligence in our office, chastity and discipline, prudence, avoiding and shunning everything that may cause turmoil and other trouble, desire and eagerness to learn more and more.
(42) And just as we often and frequently remember other great holy men through whom God governs His Church on earth, such as Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and St. Paul, so we should also often consider this man's teaching and life, and at the same time give thanks and pray to God, which is also proper to do now in this collection. Therefore, please join me in speaking to God out of a true Christian heart and faith:
O Almighty God, Eternal Father of our Lord and Savior JEsu Christ, Who hast created and chosen for Thyself an eternal Church, together with Thy eternal, only begotten Son JEsu Christ, and the Holy Spirit; Who art wise, gracious, merciful, a just judge, true, strong, and mighty to do whatsoever Thou pleasest: We thank thee that thou hast gathered thy church out of the human race unto thine only begotten Son for an everlasting inheritance, and hast preserved the preaching ministry of the gospel, and hast also restored the same in our time by thy faithful servant D. Martin Luther, and we pray with all our hearts that you will also preserve and govern your church everywhere, and seal and preserve in us the true, pure doctrine, as the prophet Esaias prays on the 5th for his disciples. May you also inflame our hearts by your Holy Spirit, so that we may truly call upon you and govern and carry out our lives according to your word and will.
43 Lastly, since it can be seen from the histories that the death of great, excellent teachers and rulers often means great punishment for their descendants, we, I, and all those who are commanded to teach in this church and school, hereby remind you and exhort you most strongly to avoid the present common danger and worry.
We want to look at the course of events in the whole world. For we see that in one place the Turkish tyrant is raging and raging horribly; in another, other enemies of ours are threatening us with severe wars and devastation in the German land and among ourselves; thus, from time to time, one also finds many evil, wanton and wicked heads, who, if they are no longer afraid of Luther's seriousness, will dare to destroy and corrupt the pure doctrine of the church with great thirst and boldness.
44. so that God may graciously avert such punishment, we should also be all the more diligent to govern our lives, customs and studies in a Christian manner, and should always have this comforting saying and comforting promise in our hearts and before our eyes, that as long as we keep, hear, learn, love, honor and promote the teachings of the gospel among us, we should be God's dwelling place or temple and church, as God's Son John 14:23 said: "He who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 14, 23. said: "He who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him."
By this gracious, loving and entirely comforting promise, we are to awaken ourselves to learn this divine doctrine diligently, and to know that the entire human race and all regiments on earth are preserved solely for the sake of God's Church. And let us now contemplate the eternal blessed companionship that we shall have in the life to come with God, Christ and all the saints, to which God has called us out of causeless grace, who, beyond all doubt, does not reveal Himself to us in vain through so many clear, wonderful testimonies, and did not send and give His only Son to us in vain, but truly and sincerely loves and cares for those who recognize and greatly esteem such His divine good deeds, amen.