1. that Christ is truly God.
2. whereby Christ's divinity is recognized.
3. believing in Christ is the right religion.
4. of the humanity of Christ.
No human being can comprehend the two natures in Christ.
6. thoughts of D. M. Luther about the birth of Christ.
7. from the feast of the Annunciation of Mary.
8. the faithless ingratitude.
9. why Christ was born.
10. 11. D. L. comforting thoughts of the Incarnation of the Son of God.
12. of the childhood and youth of Jesus; item, of the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Savior.
No man can unlearn Christ.
The name of Jesus alone helps.
15. that the Lord Christ is our high priest, from Romans 8.
Christ remains priest and king.
17. 18. Christ is our high priest.
19. Christ an eternal priest.
20. Christ our King and God.
21. scheflimini.
22. Christ presents himself as if he does not care for his poor, afflicted and persecuted members.
23. the scripture separates Christ from our priest, bridegroom 2c.
24. Christ our eternal mediator.
25 Against Schwenkfeld's Opinion of the Creatureliness of Christ.
26 All errors and heresies go against Christ.
27, 28: That the Lord Christ's divinity has been contested by the devil and heretics for and for.
The deity of Christ should not be separated from his humanity.
30) Whether the Godhead in Christ also suffered.
31. error of the heretics in the article of Christ.
Of the resurrection of Christ, that reason cannot comprehend it.
33. about Christ's resurrection, what it is good for.
34. suffering of Christ and His Church, and how Christ nullifies the power of the devil.
Collation of the suffering of Christ with the suffering of His Church.
36) At what time and hour Christ ate the paschal lamb.
37. Christ's friendly conversation in the Lord's Supper.
38. of the sweating of blood and other spiritual sufferings of the Lord Christ in the garden.
39. Christ's own work.
40. how Christ becomes ours rightly.
41. Christ the greatest of sinners.
42. of the entry of Christ into Jerusalem.
43. of Christ's sufferings, who did and still do the most harm to him, Jews and Gentiles.
44. of Christ's future.
45 Christ preached from a book.
46. Christ has gone to hell.
47. of Christ's resurrection.
48. epitaph of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, which is to be carved on his tomb at Jerusalem.
Another epitaph found at Jerusalem near the tomb of the Lord Christ.
50. Christ our glory and praise.
(51) Whether they were right who said and spread the miraculous signs of the Lord Christ, when he had forbidden them.
After his resurrection, Christ revealed to the apostles everything that had happened to him during his suffering.
53. Christ's humility and kindness.
Christ leads his kingdom wonderfully.
55. crucifix of Christ.
In Jesus Christ alone shall one believe.
Christ alone should be in a Christian's heart.
58. Christ is law and freedom, sin and righteousness, death and life.
59. why Christ had come.
60 Christ's special work and own ministry.
61. which people may benefit from Christ.
62. Christ must remain eternally, and all who believe in him.
No one wants to have Christ as his Lord.
He who knows Christ well is a master of the Scriptures.
65. before Christ, one should never be afraid.
The dead Christ is not forgotten.
67 Christ wars with great lords.
68. Christ often revealed Himself to His disciples after His resurrection from the dead.
69. 70. Where Christ abides, there also abide those who believe in him.
One flees from Christ, but runs to Satan.
Christ must receive his word himself; we are too weak to do so.
The devil is hard on those who love and confess Christ.
75 St. Paul's person.
The Christian's golden art, to know Christ rightly.
77. 78. To know Christ surpasses everything that is on earth.
79. teaching of Christ and the apostles.
80. Christ preached in vain.
81 Christ once coined.
82) That John calls Christ the Word.
The prophecies of Christ are described with dark words.
Christ's kingdom will be wonderfully built and preserved.
85. word of Christ Matth. 11.
86 Christ holds over his kingdom and protects it, the devil also, but with unequal armor and weapons.
87. common question in the world of Christo.
The prophets' knowledge of Christ.
89. it does not follow that Christ has done this and that, therefore we also may do it.
90. christ's name.
The kingdom of Christ has remained under the papacy.
92. difference of the kingdom of Christ, Pabst and Mahomet.
In the kingdom of Christ, even the weak believers belong.
94. Christ is the only physician against death, which few desire.
95. Christ has overcome the world.
Why the Son of God appeared.
97. temple of all gods, excluding Christ, at Rome, called Pantheon.
The world does not know Christ and his own.
99. knowledge of Christ.
100. What Christ requires of us.
The first is to be able to argue about God's grace shown to us in Christ.
102. joy in Christ is hindered by the devil.
103. will I not wash you 2c., Joh. 13.
104. miracles of Christ and the apostles.
105. Christ's highest humility.
The greatest strangler that has happened on earth.
A wonderful thing is the faith of Christians.
108 Against the Obstacle of Reason.
109. difference between the resurrection and ascension of Christ.
110 Ascension Day.
Christ alone is to be heard.
112. 113. Lamentation of the godly over their unbelief.
114. from the name of Jesus Christ.
How a believing soul talks to Christ.
The blasphemy of Christ and his word makes it all.
117. no one leads to heaven 2c, says Christ John 3.
If God is for us, who can be against us? from Romans 8.
119 Christ is the only comfort of his believers in their cross and loan on earth.
120. Apart from Christ, one should not remember God.
The enmity between Christ and the devil started already in paradise.
Christ is an unworthy guest in the world.
What kind of king Christ is.
Christ and the law cannot dwell together in one conscience.
In Christ we have everything.
126. Apart from the humanity of Christ, one should not seek grace or forgiveness of sins.
In what matters one may dispute without danger from the majesty of God.
The Christians' art and wisdom.
You should get to know Christ.
Knowing Christ in the face of adversity is difficult.
131. Christ's burden that he has borne.
Christ must have a big mouth and wants people to accept his word.
Christ has interpreted the law.
Christ and the pope are rushed to each other.
The devil will have to let Christ remain.
136. Christ is to be sought in the Holy Scriptures alone.
137. with Christo one should remain.
138. Christ's appearance on earth.
139. of the merit of god's word.
140. One should defy and insist on Christ alone.
Christ and Satan cannot get along.
142. verses, so under the Colloquio to Worms Anno 1545 were made, that the Pabst and Luther can not be compatible with each other.
143. Christ is an evil steward.
Christ and Satan never compare, one must give way to the other.
145. Apart from Christ, everything is wickedness.
Christ's kingdom is preserved by God alone, against all devils and the rages of the world.
147. Christ is the highest article.
The little animal Ichneumon is the image of the Lord Christ.
Christ is the salvation and wisdom of believers; otherwise it is a poor thing with human wisdom.
150 Christ soon grew tired of this life, and so did his Christians.
Christ humbled and humbled himself deeply.
152: How Christ distributes merit far away.
153 The Christians' Consolation.
The preaching of Christ was not as prestigious as it is now at the time of the Gospel.
Hearing Christ is the greatest worship.
Christ alone is the comfort and hope of Christians.
157. Christ is a bishop of our souls.
In what God's consolation stands.
159. Christ does not shrink.
160 The Lord's Giving of Christ.
What the world thinks of Christo.
Apart from Christ there is no consolation, and how Christ chides the faithful.
God is not only the God of the Jews, but also the God of the Gentiles.
That Christ would save the Jews and the Gentiles.
Christ cannot be unlearned.
166 Of Christ's Kingdom.
How to confess Christ.
168. repugnant works of Christ and the devil.
169'. Christ bears the curse of the law.
170) Above the article of Christo, one should hold.
171. forgiveness of sins.
172. to write or speak of God's grace.
How God's grace is apprehended.
174. strokes make you angry.
175 David's fame from his piety.
176: Reason's annoyance at Christ's weakness.
177 Christ was silent until his thirtieth year before he entered the ministry.
178. Christ's words are powerful.
179 Ways of Preaching in the Papacy.
180 Christ's intercession and preaching is certain.
181 Believing in Christ alone makes you blessed.
182. of god's glory.
1. that Christ is truly God.
That Christ, the Son of Mary, the virgin, is the true and true God, is testified to in the Holy Scriptures everywhere, but especially in the Evangelist John, Cap. 8, 25, when the Jews were offended at his teaching and asked, "Who then are you? And JEsus said to them: First of all, he who I speak to you," as if to say, "I am your prophet and preacher, according to the saying of Moses, Deut. 18:15: "A prophet like me the Lord your God will raise up for you, from you and your brothers, and you shall obey him. And whosoever shall not hear my words which I put in his mouth, and all that I command him, which he shall speak in my name, of him will I require it." That is: First and foremost hear me, then you will see who I am. I am just the one Moses pointed out. It is a little milder and more polite than if he had said: I am your Messiah. And about this saying St. Augustine struggled fiercely, broke himself and troubled himself. Therefore one should read the dear old fathers and teachers with great distinction and Christian understanding; 1) for they were men just as we are, and have also often erred and erred.
At another time, D. Martin Lüther spoke of the deity of the Lord Christ, saying: "All the sayings in the Holy Scriptures that speak of faith in Christ clearly indicate that he is the true natural God, otherwise it would be idolatry and against the first commandment ("You shall not have other gods") to believe in Christ and worship him if he were not God, for "God does not give his glory to anyone else," Isa. 42:8. 42, 8. Now this article, that Christ is true God, is founded by certain strong testimonies in the Holy Scriptures, especially in the New Testament, since Christ is often called God with clear, expressed words. As Joh. 1, 1.: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and GOD was the Word." And Joh. 20, 28. Thomas, the apostle, also calls Christ God, since he says: "My Lord
1) Cf. Cap. 57, § 11, about the middle, paragraph 6.
and my God." The same St. Paul, Rom. 9, 5, speaks of Christ as being God, saying: "He who is God over all, blessed forever." Col. 2, 9: "In Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," that is, essentially.
(Here a section is omitted because contained in the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, Cap. 4. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, § 49 and 50.)
M. Luther said at another time that Christ is the true natural God. For, he said, if Christ is not God, neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit is God, for our article of faith says that Christ is God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Many speak of the divinity of Christ, such as the Pope and others like him, but just as the blind man speaks of the color. Therefore, when I hear Christ speak, I believe that the undivided Godhead speaks. Thus speaks the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, when he says Matth. 11, 28: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Here the whole Godhead speaks in an undivided and undivided way. Therefore, whoever preaches such a God to me, who did not die for me, I do not accept him as my God. Whoever has this article has the main article of the Christian faith, although this article is very foolish in the eyes of the world. Christ says John 14:16: "The Comforter, whom I will send, shall not depart from you, but shall abide with you," and make you bold to suffer all kinds of misfortunes and evils. Now he says: I will ask the Father; before he said, I will do it. Before he speaks like a god, now like a man. Thus I learn my article, that Christ speaks as God and man.
Also Christ sometimes speaks as a pure man, and at the same time as a pure God; therefore, when he says: I give, these are not only the words of a man, but of God. But when he says, I will ask; these are the words of a man, and yet the Son of God asks. As when I say, The maid hath dropped the child; I mean not the body of the child only, but also the soul. Item, so
I say: The child has eaten; so I understand that not only the mouth, but the whole man with body and soul has eaten or fed. In the same way one should also say of Christ.
Item, D. M. Luther testified from his own experience that Jesus Christ was a true God, he also wanted to confess this publicly; because if Christ was not God, then there would certainly be no God. And said D. Luther: I do not want to become an Epicurean, if God wills it; I know well what the name of Jesus has done to me. It is well said and true that the 68th Psalm, v. 21, sings: "God lays a burden on us, but He also helps us: we have a God who helps, and the Lord our Savior, who saves from death. Therefore, if God wills, no tribulation, misfortune or other creature shall separate me from my Lord Christ.
Our only comfort is that we believe in Jesus Christ. I have often been so close to death that I knew I would have to die, because I had taught his word before the evil world and had confessed him; but he has always graciously comforted me again and made me alive. Therefore let us be diligent to keep him alone, and there shall be no need, though the devil be yet so wicked and crafty, and the world so evil and false. I will abide with the dear Lord Christ, I will encounter whatever I can: I have been baptized into him, I can and know nothing except what he has taught me. But it is indeed a very great and difficult art, involving many and various trials and experiences, that one can heartily call Christ a Lord and God who saves from death, as the 68th Psalm, v. 21, says; and from this same word and trust I will never, if God wills, let myself be torn away.
2. whereby Christ's divinity is recognized.
(The beginning of this § is taken from the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, Cap. 1. Walch, old edition, Vol. VIII, § 62. 63.)
(The rest of this § is omitted because contained in Cap. 7, § 120.)
3) Believing in Christ is the right religion, 1)
Although no religion seems more foolish than that of the Christians, I believe in God, since Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the heavenly Father. I do not believe in any other God, as the superstitious and idolaters do, for they are rejected and given a wrong meaning. I D. M. Luther does not want to know about any other God, but only about the one who hung on the cross, namely Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Virgin Mary.
4. of the humanity of Christ.
There is a great mystery about the incarnation of Christ, which cannot be explained or investigated by human reason, since God, the highest majesty, has thus lowered himself into our flesh. If we have this Christ, we have everything; for St. Paul to Colossians, in the other chapter, v. 9, says: "In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him. And St. Paul earnestly presents Christ to all men, so that they may believe in him. But there is, alas, nothing more contemptible in the world than the Lord Christ.
No human being can comprehend the two natures in Christ.
That Christ is God and man is contrary to all reason, sense, and understanding; for when the two natures in Christ, as the Godhead and humanity, are to be brought into one being, reason is at odds and says, "I do not understand. But thanks be to you for this confession; for it is not written that I should understand and grasp it with my reason, but you must give yourself up, and believe the word of the gospel through the action of the Holy Spirit, and give glory to God that he is true.
Joh. 16, 23., Matth. 21, 22. and Marc. 11, 24. Christ says: "If you ask anything in my name, I will give it to you.
1) This § seems to be spurious, only an extension of the same idea contained in Cap. 7, § 56. - Cf. also Cap. 13, § 83.
give." There Christ speaks as if he has everything in his hand and power to give everything to everyone what one asks from him in faith.
6. thoughts of D. M. Luther about the birth of Christ.
(Lauterbach, Dec. 25, 1538, p. 195.)
That evening he was very joyful, and all his speeches, songs and thoughts were about the incarnation of Christ our Savior; and he said with sighing: Alas! We poor people, that we are so cold and lazy about this great joy, which has been done for our benefit, the great good deed, which is far, far above all other works of creation 1); and yet we should believe it so weakly, when it is preached and sung to us by angels, which are heavenly theologians, and have rejoiced so much because of us. Their singing is by far the most beautiful and the main thing of the whole Christian religion. For the Gloria in excelsis Deo [Glory to God in the highest] is the highest service of God, which they desire and bring to us in this Christ. For the world, after the fall of Adam, knows neither God nor the creatures, lives entirely outside of God's glory. Oh how great thoughts man would have had of God in all creatures, so that he would have contemplated God's omnipotence and wisdom even in the smallest flowers. For, truly, who can conceive how God creates from the barren earth: such diverse little flowers, such beautiful colors, such lovely smells, which no painter nor apothecary could make? Nor can God bring green, yellow, red, blue, brown color out of the earth. Adam and his people would have used all this for God's glory and would have used all creatures with thanksgiving, which we now enjoy to our disgust without any knowledge, just as if a cow and unreasonable cattle trampled the very best flowers and lilies only with their feet. Therefore, here the angels call the people who have fallen back to faith and love, namely [to the] glory [of God] and [to] peace on earth.
1) In the original probably erroneously "are". We have put "is" for it according to Bindseil III, 43.
7. from the feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary.
The feast of the Annunciation, called Annuntiationis Mariae, when the angel came to Mary and brought her the message full of God that she was to conceive his Son, may be called the feast of the Incarnation of Christ. For that is when our redemption began; just as the English and French began to count the year from this feast. For the mystery of the Incarnation of Christ cannot be explained by any human being, nor can it be fathomed by reason, that God, the Supreme Majesty, has lowered Himself into our flesh. For if we have Christ, we have all that our heart desires. That is why in St. Paul the word "in him" is so often used and repeated, since he so vehemently and diligently imagines this Christ in all men; for apart from and without him there is no God, comfort, or blessedness. But, alas, there is nothing in the world that is less esteemed than this incarnation, indeed, it is despised.
Christ lived three and thirty years, went to Jerusalem three times every year, that is, he went up a hundred times. If the pope could boast that Christ had only been to Rome once, what boast could he make? And yet this city Jerusalem is utterly destroyed.
8. the faithless ingratitude.
This is a great glory of God, that He put His Son into our flesh and blood, and for our sake made Him human, like us, yet without sin. What a mystery of the greatest miracles and benefits of God is one that no human heart can truly contemplate, for we are so cold and ungrateful. O of corrupt nature! Fie on the shameful fall of Adam, that I should not love this one who has redeemed me so dearly from eternal death, the devil and hell.
When Doctor Martinus looked at the painted infant Jesus lying in the womb of the pure virgins of Mary, he sighed deeply for the sake of the article of the Incarnation of God, and said: "Ah, that we could have such a glorious
If you were to consider the work of divine mercy a little, and not to babble on like that! Fie on you, you disgraceful unbelief, how you stand so shamefully ungrateful against the friendly gracious will of your God, who otherwise wants to stick to all creatures. O Adam's sin! What have you done!
9. why Christ was born.
(Cordatus No. 43.)
Peter preaches 1) that Christ was born to set all things right, that is, to bring us to self-knowledge, and for this purpose alone the whole creature is placed before our eyes, so that we may contemplate the Creator in it; and this is fortunate for us, because we do not draw much faith from the first article of faith.
10. of the incarnation of the son of god comforting thoughts of D. M. Luther, according to
of the writing.
On this day (of the conception of Christ), said D. M. Luther, we preachers should diligently hold up to the people the history of the feast, which Lucas describes with poor simple words in a fine and orderly manner with all the circumstances, and well imagine it, and all of us should have joy and delight in the comforting, blessed story that today Christ, our Lord and Savior, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, took human nature in the pure, chaste virgins of Mary, became our brother, has placed us poor stinking maggot sacks and damned human beings in the highest honor, that we are now children of God and his, Christ's, co-heirs, about which we should rejoice more than about all the treasures on earth.
Here one should not dispute how it happened that he who fills heaven and earth, whom neither heaven nor earth can comprehend, is resolved in the pure mother's body? These and such disputations hinder this joy, and give cause for one to begin to doubt it. That is why I am very annoyed with Erasmum, that he has
1) Perhaps 3 Petr. 1, 4. Aurifaber has Paul and draws on Eph. 1, 4. and Col. 1, 33.
Doubting things that should be our greatest joy.
St. Bernard spends the entire sermon of this feast on the praise of the dear Virgin Mary, forgetting the comforting story that, as the Church sings, hodie Deus homo factus est: Today God became man, and the redemption of the human race began. Bernard and Anselmus have done too much to him by exalting and praising Mariam too highly. We Christians should rejoice in the great honor that has been bestowed upon us today, that "the Son of God did not take on the angelic nature, but the seed of Abraha, became like us His brothers, yet without sin," Ebr. 2:16, 17, so that He might become merciful and a faithful high priest before God to atone for our sins. Item: "that by his death he might take away the power of the devil, and deliver us from the power of death. He redeemed us, who through fear of death had to be slaves all our lives. Ebr. 2, 14. 15.
This unspeakable grace of God, shown to us in Christ, we should consider great and praise. It is true that one cannot sufficiently praise Mary, the high and noble creature; but when the Creator Himself comes and gives Himself for us, that He redeemed us from the power of the devil 2c., neither angels nor we can sufficiently praise, praise, praise for eternity 2c. There we will also have eternal joy and bliss.
Other thoughts of D. M. Lutheri about the incarnation of the Son of God.
He who takes reason to counsel will never send himself to know the articles of our faith (especially the Holy Trinity and the Incarnation of Christ), much less believe that they are certain and true. No one can or should be forced to believe by force. For even if people hear something from the holy scriptures or read it themselves and have thoughts, they still do not want to accept it; the majority of them are repelled by it or even throw it to the wind; except for a few who are stirred and opened by the Holy Spirit.
The Turk keeps his subjects in obedience and coercion by his Mahometan faith and religion (as the pope has done before this time by the ban and human doctrine). He believes that there is one God who created everything. He lets Christ remain a prophet, but that he is the native, true, natural Son of God, he considers this to be the highest blasphemy, for which he has persecuted his word and his people for so long, and he even intends to eradicate it.
In my great temptations and struggles against the devil, I have learned from the Scriptures and am certain that Christ, true natural God, was also made man. Therefore, I not only believe it, but have also experienced in many ways that this article is certain and true. For in high spiritual temptations nothing has helped me better than that I have comforted myself of it, and have rejected the devil with it, that Christ, the true, eternal Son of God, is our flesh and bones (as Paul Eph. 5, 30. says: "We are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones"), sits at the right hand of God and represents us. If I take hold of this shield of faith, I will soon have chased away the evil one with his fiery arrows.
God also kept this article strong and firm, protected it against all heretics, Popes and Turks, preserved it in the beginning of Christianity, and afterwards confirmed it with many miraculous signs, so that all who challenged it finally became sinners and disgraced by it. God also allows us to call the Son of Mary His Son and true God and to worship Him. He also hears all those who call upon Him in the name of Christ. Even in this last time of gloom, now some twenty years ago (when the devil, through the end of Christ, the Pope and his followers, attacked us with all his power and cunning), nothing else has preserved us but prayer, sighing and crying out to God our Father in the name of Christ our High Priest.
Whoever says: I or others, they are called and be whoever they want, have the pure doctrine against the pope, tyrants, Anabaptists, sacramentalists, and other red spirits.
defended and preserved, he is the one who lies to us. God alone does it for the sake of Christ, who shall reign among his enemies and sit at the right hand of God until they are all made the footstool of his feet. In spite of the devil and all his scales!
12. of the childhood and youth of Jesus; item, of the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Savior.
All the wisdom of the world is mere child's work, even foolishness, compared to the knowledge of Christ. For what is more wonderful than to know and to recognize the great ineffable mystery that the Son of God, the eternal Father's image, has taken on human nature and has become like another human being in every way? In Nazareth he will have helped his father Joseph to build houses; for Joseph was a carpenter, therefore also Christ is called the son of a carpenter, even a journeyman carpenter. What will those of Nazareth think on the last day, when they see Christ sitting in divine majesty, and say to him: "Lord, did you not help to build my house? How did you come to have such high honors?
Many fables are invented by many, what Jesus did in his childhood and youth; 1) as can be seen in the book with the title "De Infantia Salvatoris, oder de Vita Jesu. But because in the same book there are many ridiculous, foolish things, it has never had any reputation among Christians. But this is the most necessary thing that we Christians should learn and know with the greatest diligence, that the Son of the eternal God lowered Himself so low, was born so poor and miserable, and did this for our sins, and hid His majesty from us too well for so long. When he was born, he cried and cried like another child; Mary had to wait for him and take care of him, suckle him (as the church sings: "There was a little milk for his food"), etch, wipe, lift, lay, carry, etc., like another mother her child. Soon after
1) Dgl. Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XIII, 2644, 818, and Vol. XI, 280, § 118.
Joseph had to flee with his mother and child into misery in Egypt from Herod, who was looking for the child to kill it. When they returned to Nazareth after Herod's death, he became the parents' servant, Luc. 2, 51, and often gave them bread, drink and other things. Mary may also have said to him: Jehovah, where have you been? Can't you stay at home? And now that he is grown up, he will have helped Joseph to carpenter 2c. Not to be annoyed by this weak, lowly figure and contemptible nature, as was seen in Christ, is great, high art and wisdom, yes, God's gift and the Holy Spirit's own work.
Some, and many others, are annoyed by the fact that we sometimes say in the pulpit that Christ was a roomer, when it is a much greater annoyance that he was hanged on the cross as a blasphemer and rebel between two evildoers. But now the hanged were cursed, as it is written in Deut. 21, 23: "A hanged man is cursed in the sight of God"; and Gal. 3, 13: "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. But since we are always preaching this article, and are so diligent to impress it upon the people, and since all Christians daily confess in infantile faith that Christ our Savior suffered under Pontio Pilato, was crucified, and died for our sins, why should we not also say that he was a carpenter? especially since he is thus called in the Gospel in clear words, since the people are astonished at his doctrine and wisdom, and say, "Whence came this to him? Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?" Marc. 6, 3.
It is written, 1) there was a pious, godly bishop, who often asked God with earnestness, that he would reveal to him, what Jesus had done in his youth. About a while later, the same bishop had a dream like this: It seemed to him in his sleep as if he saw a carpenter doing his work, and a little child with him picking up the shavings that had been cut off. Then a virgin in a green skirt came, and called to both of them that they should go to the
1) The same selection is found in the house postilla. Cf. Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XIII, 151 f" § 19.
They were told to come and eat, and they were served porridge. The bishop saw all this, as he thought, in a dream, standing behind the door, so that they were not aware of him. Then the child began to say, "What is that man standing there for, should he not also eat? The bishop was so frightened by this speech that he hit his head hard on the main board of the bed and woke up.
Be it as it may, be it a poem or a story, I believe that Christ in his childhood and youth acted and behaved like other children, but without sin. As Paul testifies to the Philippians, Cap. 2, 7: "Jesus Christ was like another man, and was found to be like a man in his deeds. He will often (as I think, do not say it for truth), when the parents have prayed, by divine power have provided and brought what was needed, without money. Therefore (when the mother saw that there was a lack of wine at the wedding in Cana) she says to him, out of a motherly heart and trust, Joh. 2, 3: "They do not have wine", because she had noticed in him more than once before that he could provide advice when there was a lack. Therefore I believe that Mary, the mother, not only knew and believed that he was the true, natural Son of God (because she conceived this child miraculously, unusually, namely by the Holy Spirit, and was born without any pain), but that she also saw and noticed this by some signs that he did in his youth. Therefore, whoever wants to understand this child correctly must remember that there is no higher wisdom than to recognize Christ, and not turn away from it or be angry that the world considers the preaching of the Son of God, who became man, was crucified, died, 2c., to be the greatest foolishness and annoyance, but know that it is a divine power and wisdom for us believers, through which we are saved, and in which even the dear angels take pleasure and delight.
But the fact that the dear Lord humbled himself so deeply, that he became obedient to the shameful death of the cross, is what he has done for us poor, miserable, damned people for our comfort and salvation. When a great, mighty quay-
ser or king would wash the feet of a despised beggar; dear God, how gloriously would this humility be praised and glorified in such a high person! But because God's Son, the Lord over all, humbled himself to the highest degree and showed obedience even to death on the cross, no one is surprised about it, except the small group of believers who recognize and worship him as their Lord and Savior.
Therefore I say: To recognize Christ, that he was a man, and so humbled himself, that he became "the most despised and unworthy man, afflicted and beaten by God" 2c., Is. 53, 34. and did this for our sake, that is the right' golden art of the Christians and their highest wisdom. As St. Paul, 1 Cor. 2:2, says: "I know nothing, except JEsum Christ crucified." Nor can the devil be hurt any more or hurt any more, for if one teaches, preaches, sings and says about Jesus and His incarnation, 2c.
Therefore, I like it very much when one sings loudly and slowly in the church: Et homo factus est; et: Verbum caro factum est. The devil cannot hear these words, he must flee from them for many miles, for he well feels what they contain. If we would rejoice so heartily over these words: the Word became flesh or man, as much as the devil is frightened and trembles before it, it would be very good for us. But the world despises all God's works and words, because they are presented to it in such bad, simple words.
Well, the godly are not deceived by how small and bad the words are, but take heed of the eternal heavenly treasures and goods, which are contained therein, held out to them and offered to them as their own, which are unspeakable, yes, so great and glorious that even the dear angels desire to look at them, 1 Petr. 1, 12.
No man can unlearn Christ.
No man, be he apostle or prophet, much less I or my like, can learn Christ in this life, so that he would know and understand rightly who and what He is.
For He is true, eternal, almighty God, and yet He took our mortal nature upon Himself and showed the highest obedience and humility even unto death; therefore He Himself says: "I am gentle and humble in heart. Matth. 11, 29. Now I cannot sufficiently explain how I feel when I am quite happy or sad; how then should I explain the high emotions and movements of Christ?
The name of Jesus alone helps.
(The first paragraph in Cordatus No. 1658.)
This I will leave behind me, that I will consider Christ my Lord alone as my Lord, 1) not only in faith and scripture, but also in experience, for he has proved it in me. For I have the thing [that Christ is my Lord] and the experience [at the same time] with the Scriptures. But, verily, it is become sour unto me.
And Mr. D. said that spiritual temptation taught what Christ was good for, and that he had sometimes tried it and experienced how powerfully the name of Jesus Christ had helped him, so that no tribulation should drive him away from Christ; the same experience also made him believe that the holy scriptures were certain divine truth. For this experience of his would have made the sayings of Scripture quite certain to him, since the Lord Christ says: "Those you have given me, I have not lost," John 17:12. Item John 6:37: "What comes to me I will not cast out," but this is included so that they do not run away.
15. that the Lord Christ is our high priest, from the 8th chapter of St. Paul's.
to the Romans.
Christ, our High Priest, has gone to heaven, "sitting at the right hand of the Father, and praying for us without ceasing", Rom. 8, 34.
1) "will hold" i.e. my faith, my doctrine and firm conviction, confirmed by Scripture and experience, shall be said after my death and certainly held for it, that I will, "Christ alone I hold for my Lord."
In his death he is a sacrifice paid for our sin, in the resurrection a conqueror, in the ascension a king. In his death he is a sacrifice paid for our sin, in the resurrection a victor, in the ascension a king, in intercession and advocacy a high priest. For in the Law of Moses the High Priest alone went into the Holy of Holies, into Sancta Sanctorum, and interceded for the people. Thus our Lord Christ is finely portrayed in this figure.
Christ remains priest and king.
(The first paragraph in Cordatus No. 505.)
Christ wants to remain a priest, although he is not ordained by any bishop. But God has ordained him, saying: You are a priest forever. [The D and the U are longer than the stone in Revelation, 1) 300 miles and more in length.
In the Holy Scriptures there is no book in which the priesthood of the Lord Christ is so finely and actually described as the Epistle to the Ebrians. Christ's priesthood is a great comfort to the godly, because he is a priest. But that he is also a king is not so comforting, because the heart thinks that he is a strict judge.
17. Christ is our high priest.
2) "You are a priest after the order of Melchizedek," says God, the heavenly Father, to Christ, His Son, Ps. 110, 4. Martin said: "Let us cling to this priest and stay with him, for he is faithful and given by God for us, and he loves us more than his own life, John 10:12. He proved this with his bitter suffering and death, which is certainly true. Oh, who could believe this, how blessed he would be!
(This paragraph follows immediately after Cap. 51, § 6. Lauterbach, March 3, 1538, p. 45.)
Afterwards his servant recited the 110th Psalm: "The Lord has sworn" 2c. He said: "This is the most beautiful, most glorious verse in the whole Psalm, since God has sworn to this Christ alone.
1) Rev. 21, 16. - 12000 dirt roads (stadiums) are 300 miles.
2) This paragraph will probably be spurious; formed to the entrance for the following.
that he shall be our bishop and high priest, and no other. It shall be neither Caiphas, nor Annas, nor Peter, nor Paul, nor the pope. He alone shall be the priest: therefore I swear an oath that he alone shall be, therefore flee to this priest. I mean, the epistle to the Eberians can make it useful, this: You are a priest.
18. a different.
There is a great and glorious consolation, which every devout Christian, for the honor and good of the world, should not and would not do without, namely, that he knows and believes that Christ, our High Priest, is seated at the right hand of God, represents and forbids us without ceasing. Item, our souls faithful shepherd and bishop is, which the devil can not snatch from his hands.
But we can see from this how a cunning and powerful spirit the devil is, that he can frighten and destroy pious, God-fearing hearts with his fiery arrows in such a way that they lose this beautiful consolation and immediately think perverse thoughts about Christ, that he is not their high priest, but accuses them before God; that he is not the bishop of their souls, but a strict judge. Therefore the dear apostles, Peter and Paul, did not warn us so faithfully in vain that we should "be sober and watchful, armed with God's armor to resist the devil, steadfast in the faith", 1 Petr. 5, 8. Eph. 6, 13.
19. Christ an eternal priest.
Christ will remain a priest forever 2c., even though he is not ordained by any bishop, because God himself ordained him when he swore, and he will not repent: "You are a priest forever" 2c. In these letters of these words: You are a priest, any syllable is much greater than the tower of Babel. "Rule among your enemies", Ps. 110, 2. Thus ev must and will certainly preserve his teaching, which we preach and confess before the wicked world, even before the gates of hell. We Lutherans (as we are called) and the papists dwell in
under one roof. Every part wants to be God's people and the right church, and no part wants to give way to the other. Now one part must finally give way, namely the wicked to the righteous.
The Jews and apostles, together with their listeners, were also under one roof. When the Jews had for a long time plagued the Christians, persecuted them, stoned and murdered many of them, and finally chased them all away, and now thought they were rid of the evil people and the boys, the Romans came and finished them off. The same will happen now: when the papists have raged and raged to blaspheme and condemn Christ's teachings, to persecute Christians and shed their innocent blood, they will have to give way to this part. For Christ will and can never leave those (who hold and confess Him as their eternal King and Priest to the end of the world, preach and confess His doctrine, take comfort in His prayer, John 17, and that He sacrificed Himself for their sin) without comfort and helplessness.
20. Christ our King and God.
Whoever has Christ as his King and God, who has taken on human nature, flesh and blood, born of the pure virgin Mary, must certainly take care that he has the devil as his enemy, who will cause him much suffering and torment him all his life. But this is our comfort and great glory, that we poor people have the Lord of life, death and all creatures, clothed with our flesh and blood, sitting at the right hand of the Father, who lives forever and prays for us, protects and shields us.
21. scheflimini.
Scheslimini, that is, sit at my right. The Scheslimini has many and great enemies, 1) we, his poor little group, must experience this so that we feel it. But he will remain seated before them all, as before, and we in him and through him; I know that.
1) Cf. cap. 2, § 124.
forsooth. And even if we have to suffer much and are strangled, it does not hurt if we dare to rely on His word Joh. 14, 19: "I live and you shall also live". Item Joh. 17, 24: "Where I am, there you shall be also".
22. Christ stalks as if he does not take care of his poor, afflicted and persecuted members 2c.
For this reason Christ is incomprehensible in this life, because the world rewards his best and most faithful servants very badly, persecutes, blasphemes, condemns and kills them as the worst, most harmful heretics and evildoers 2c. In addition, he is silent and lets it happen, so that I sometimes think: I almost do not know where I stand, whether I preach right or not. This has also been Saint Paul's trial and torture, which he (I think) has not said to many, or has not been able to say; for who can say what it means that he says 1 Cor. 15, 31: "I die daily"?
23. the scripture calls Christ our priest, bridegroom 2c.
The Holy Scripture often calls Christ our priest, bridegroom, bridegroom 2c., and us, who believe in him, his bride, virgin, daughter, which is a beautiful image that we should always have before our eyes.
Now he proved his priestly office firstly by preaching and proclaiming and revealing to us the will of the Father, that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, Joh. 3, 16. Secondly, he also prayed for us, yes, for all of Christendom, until the end of the world, shortly before he went to the Father, when he said Joh. 17, 20.I do not pray for them alone" (to whom I gave your word and commanded to preach), "but also for those who will believe in me through their word"; and still "he sits at the right hand of God and represents and pleads with us before God without ceasing", Rom. 8, 34. Thirdly, that he sacrificed his body on the wood of the cross for our sin.
He is our bridegroom, we are his bride. What he, the dear Lord Christ, has, even he himself, is ours, for "we are members of his
His body, his flesh and his bones", as St. Paul says Eph. 5, 30. What we have is his. But it is a very unequal change: He has eternal innocence, righteousness, life and blessedness, which he gives us, that they should be our own. We are captives of the devil, subject to sin and death. He redeemed us from the devil's power, crushed his head, took us captive, stripped us, cast us out to hell 2c. Our sin he took upon himself, bore, and gave his life for a redemption for us. He has taken away the power of death, yes, he has devoured it eternally, so that we may cheerfully defy it with St. Paul's 1 Cor. 15, 55.: "Death, where is your sting?"
The prophet Hosea speaks of this spiritual marriage in the person of Christ Cap. 2, 19. 20.: "I will betroth myself to thee for ever; I will trust in thee in righteousness and in judgment, in grace and in mercy; yea, in faith will I betroth myself to thee, and thou shalt know the LORD." And Isa. 62:4: "The LORD hath delight in thee, and thy land hath a dear Puhlen." Item v. 5: "As a bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so will your God rejoice over you." 2c.
Whether the dear Lord establishes a spiritual marriage with us, betroths himself to us to be our eternal bridegroom, graces and adorns us with his eternal heavenly goods, and also swears to be our eternal priest, it still does not help, the great multitude runs in the devil's name, fornicates against him, worships foreign idols, as the Jews served Baalim, Astaroth 2c. Astaroth 2c., and we in the papacy worshiped the saints. Yes, this is even more to be lamented and wept over: we, who now know from God's word that he is our high priest and bridegroom, when there is a tribulation, fear and distress, when we should have the most refuge, we flee from him and worry that he is angry with us and wants to leave us in hiding.
24. Christ our eternal mediator.
"There is only One GOD," says St. Paul 1 Tim. 2, 5, and "One mediator, between GOD and men, namely the man JEsus
Christ, who gave himself for salvation for all." Therefore, no one should think of coming before God and obtaining grace from Him without this mediator, high priest or intercessor, Ebr. 5, 1. 2. 1 Joh. 2, 1. 2. If he is our mediator before God, it is certain that we are sinners and lost, and through our honorable life, good works, virtue, merit, holiness, even through the work of the law, we cannot appease God's wrath, nor can we obtain grace and forgiveness of sins.
Thus, by this single word "mediator" all the saints' merits, good works and righteousness are rejected and condemned before God, so that they cannot stand before God. We also see from this how unspeakably great God's wrath is against sin, because it could not have been atoned for or paid for by any other sacrifice, but only by the Son and the precious blood of the Son of God.
25 Against Schwenkfeld's Opinion of the Creatureliness of Christ.
(This § is Walch, old edition, vol. XXI, 1593, no. 159, and vol. XX, 2072.)
26 All errors and heresies go against Christ.
All heretics have laid themselves against the article of Christ. Manichaeus challenged mankind, because he pretended that Christ was a ghost. Just as, he says, the sun passes through a painted glass and shines, and the rays touch and pass through the other part, but the sun takes nothing from the essence of the glass; so Christ took nothing from the essence and nature of Mary.
Arius wanted to worship the deity. Nestorius wanted it to be two persons. Eutyches taught that there was only one person, because the divine one was devoured. Helvidius pretended that the mother was not a virgin. As if Christ was born in original sin.
It is all about Christ, and about the article that the children say before the table: "And I believe in Jesus Christ" 2c., which repels all devils and hell, and before it all devils are terrified and tremble; nor must it be so shamefully challenged.
become. The pope knows nothing of the office of the person of Christ. Macedonius alone challenged the article of the Holy Spirit, but it soon fell and fell to the ground; for if the article of Christ remains, the other soon perishes.
But all heresy goes against the other article. The son has sinned, he must suffer, they do not want him. The Turks and Jews left the father, but the son did it, and much blood was shed over it. I think that more than two million martyrs remained in Rome. It has been true from the beginning of the world with Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob; and I believe that the devil was also cast into hell because of this, because he was a beautiful creature of God, so he also wanted to be the son.
According to the holy scriptures, we have no stronger argument than the dear holy cross; for against Christ and the article all kingdoms contend, all that is mighty, and yet cannot overpower him. Therefore, the holy scripture is the first argument to prove Christ's divinity and humanity; the other is the cross.
So many rulers have perished who have challenged it; so many kingdoms have opposed it; but the article still remains. Then I, a poor monk, must come and seize a poor nun; they have it: therefore the word and the cross do it, they make one sure. They will have neither word nor cross; but we accept the word, and the cross soon follows; and though we would gladly be rid of the guest, yet we accept him, and have patience.
27. that the Lord Christ's divinity has been contested by the devil and heretics for and for.
When it was said over Luther's table in 1543 that there were many heresies, sects and cults against the Holy Trinity, Luther said: "It all goes against the high article: "I believe in Jesus Christ. Luther said: "It all goes against the high article: "I believe in Jesus Christ. In the first article, as: "I believe in God the Father, almighty Creator of heaven and earth"; there stimulated
They all come in droves, for they all want to have only One God. But they do not want to suffer the son; just as the devil himself did not want to suffer the son, because he wanted to be a son himself, crying that he was a beautiful creature. Adam also did not want to have the son, he wanted to be as wise as the father himself. There are many figures who, as I think, have indicated this from the devil. Ishmael wanted to be Isaac, and Esau wanted to be Jacob; so the devil was also against the Son of God, that is why it is still the same for us.
28. a different.
(Contained in Cap. 7, § 97.)
The deity of Christ should not be separated from his humanity.
Doctor Martin Luther said: He had received letters in which one denied that the Godhead in Christ had not suffered, but only mankind. When Dominus Jacobus, Prepositus at Bremen, heard this, who was just at Wittenberg and was eating with M. M. Luther, he said: "This cannot be, for it is written: "God, who has purchased the church (or congregation) with His blood. To this D. M. Luther answered and said: Oh, this is the trade! The devil deals with it, one wants to tear Christum and to separate. Such heads are not godly, but ambitious: they do not seek God's glory, but their own, for they want to be seen before others, and leave disciples and pupils behind them.
(30) Whether the Godhead in Christ also suffered?
(About this § Stangwald remarks in the appendix p. 824: This is taken ex manuscriptis resolutionibus Disputationum Circularium Lutheri, Wie die in der Universität zu Wittenberg gehalten wurden).
The question was asked, "Is it right, true, and Christian to say that Christ suffered and died according to the divinity, or divine nature? Because the Godhead is not subject to death, it can neither suffer nor die. For St. Peter says: "Christ is dead", or to the
Death delivered, "according to the flesh, but made alive according to the Spirit," 1 Petr. 3, 18. Then answered D. M. Luther, and said: All God-fearing and righteous Christians, or the whole holy Christian church and congregation, believe without all doubt that which is spoken of in the infant faith, namely, "that JEsus Christ, the only Son of GOD, in One Divine Being and One Nature with the Father, is truly man. Conceived of Mary of virgins, born of the Holy Spirit, suffered, was crucified, died and was buried", therefore they believe that not only the human nature, but also the divine nature, or the right true God, suffered and died for us.
And although suffering, dying, 2c. are foreign qualities that cannot otherwise be said of the divine nature in particular, but only of the human nature, nevertheless, because the divine nature has thus assumed the human nature and clothed itself in it, these two natures are now inseparable from one another, so that Christ is now in One Person both God and man at the same time: what now befalls and happens to this person, who is Christ, that same thing also befalls and happens to this God and man. Hence it is that these two natures in Christ communicate their idioms and attributes one to the other; that is, what is the peculiar attribute of one nature is also communicated to the other, and is rightly said of it, because they are interdependent, and are alike as interwoven and united, so that they cannot be separated or divided from one another. As, being born, suffering, dying 2c. Idiomata, attributes of human nature, which the divine nature is also made part of in this person, who is and is called Christ, for the sake of the union, which cannot be separated nor set apart from one another, and must be grasped only with faith.
Therefore not only man, but also God is conceived, born of Mary of virgins, suffers, dies, is buried 2c., as St. Paul testifies Rom. 1, 3. when he says: "Son of God, born of the seed of David, according to the flesh" 2c. He
says: "according to the flesh", because Christ, from David's seed, took on the human nature; therefore it is rightly and actually said that he was born. But because this same nature, in One Person, is so closely united to the divine nature, it almost shares its idiom and quality with the nature of God, as it was born and became man, as John says in Cap. 1, 14: "And the Word became flesh", God became man. Thus, not only man, but also the Son of God, as Paul says, or the right true God was born. And Mary, the virgin, is not only the mother of a man, but a true, real mother of God, as the angel Gabriel testifies, Luc. 1, 31, when he says: "Behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and bear a son, 2c., who shall be called the Son of the Most High." And adds to this, v. 32: "And GOD the LORD will give him the throne of his father David" 2c. Therefore Mary, the virgin, truly gave birth to the true Son of God, who is also the true Son of David.
But that which has been said and proved of the communication and impartation of one quality of nature (namely, that being born 2c. is also assigned to and said of the divine nature through the communion of qualities), the same is also to be understood of the communication and impartation of the other qualities, such as suffering, dying, being buried 2c, although they are actually due to and belong to human nature; yet the divine nature in Christ subordinates itself to these and suffers 2c., also according to the saying of Paul, Rom. 8, 29: "We must be conformed to the image of the Son of God" 2c. Item, v. 32: "Who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us" 2c. And in the first epistle to the Corinthians, Cap. 2, v. 8: "For if they had known the glory, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." Item, to Philippians, Cap. 2, 6, 7, 8: "Jesus Christ, though he was in the form of God, for he was like God; yet he took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of another man, and in his deeds was found in the likeness of men, and humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even death.
on the cross." Likewise, the Church sings: Vita in ligno moritur: Das Leben stirbet am Holz 2c.
Therefore, one should certainly believe that everything that is actually due and happens to human nature in Christ is also communicated, assigned and given to divine nature. So that it is rightly and truly said: God is born, nursed or suckled, lies in the manger, freezes, walks, stands, falls, wanders, wakes, eats, drinks, suffers, dies 2c.
There is also a beautiful, excellent saying to the Eberians, Cap. I will only refer to it in this piece,' since it speaks thus, v. 7: "You have made him lack a little time of angels 1)". And soon after, v. 9: "But the one who lacked a little time of angels, we see that it is Jesus, through the suffering of death"; but he says: "a little time", that is, until he had tasted death. What could be more clearly said? "He is," saith he, "become lower than the angels." Why? "Because of the pains of death," for he has tasted death; therefore he has become somewhat lower than the angels, whose nature is not subject to death, for they do not die. But he, because he is a lord and creator of the angels and natural God, for he is the Son of God, nevertheless he humbles himself and dies.
On the other hand, it should also be known that idioms, attributes of the divine nature in Christ are rightly shared with and given to the human nature: because it is connected and united with the divine nature without any separation, they are rightly communicated and given to it. Therefore Christ says John 3:13: "No man leadeth unto heaven, but he that is from heaven, the Son of man which is in heaven"; and yet he standeth and walketh here on earth, and speaketh with Nicodemus. Therefore it is seen that what is appropriated and given to Christ, or to human nature in Christ, is rightly and properly due to man.
1) Aurifaber's marginal gloss: lack, says D. M. Luther there. In the Ebräisch this verse reads thus: You let him lack a little time of God; that is: You left him three days of his suffering, as if no God was with him; but where there is no God, there is also no angel.
given to the divine. Item, he says Matth. 18, 19: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, 2) there am I in the midst of them". In these sayings he certainly speaks of his personal presence, that in this person, who is and is called Christ, there must also be both man and God at the same time, or both natures together, undivided, present everywhere, and in truth, hear, create and work all things in all, as the 8th Psalm, v. 7, says: "You have put it all under his feet" 2c. So, where one nature is, there must also be the other, and none can ever be separated or separated from the other in eternity.
But since no human heart or reason can understand, comprehend, or investigate such things by its understanding and wisdom, it should be accepted with faith and believed to be true, because God says so in His Word. If we do this, then we will understand and feel (as devout Christians and godly people who have experienced these things testify) what comfort this article gives in all troubles and temptations of sin and death. Item, we will learn what light it brings to understand the Scriptures; yes, since this article is not understood, it can be seen, yes, it is certain that in this history of the suffering of Christ everything is cold and in vain, and one understands nothing of it, although one chats about it a lot.
And from this it can be understood that Peter says 1. ep. 3, 8.: "Christ was killed according to the flesh" 2c. that the divine nature is not excluded, but was made a part of suffering and dying. For he says: According to the flesh he was given in death. Although suffering and death are proper and are the nature and characteristic of human and mortal nature, he nevertheless says that Christ died, who is both true God and true man. Therefore God and man died. About that, who knows this and understands it.
2) Aurifaber's marginal gloss: To my ram, out of my command, and in my honor, so it goes out well. Doctor Martin Luther.
He cannot be mistaken, says Gregory, if he worships Christ in the grave, dead. For if he worships Christ in the grave, dead, he also believes in him who died and was buried. For the dead and buried Christ was not only man, but also God.
31. error of the heretics Lei the article of Christ.
I know nothing more about Christ, said D. M. Luther. M. Luther, which the devil would not have challenged, therefore he must now start again from the beginning and bring out the old errors and heresies.
Sabellius was the first to say: Christ would be God, but there would be only One Person of the Godhead. This is the next and most subtle heresy, that there is only One Person, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This was followed by the Patripassians, who were not very different from them. Then came the Arians, who distinguished the persons, but said that the Son was not God from eternity, but was only called God, just as the princes were called gods. After this came the Manichaei, who challenged the humanity of Christ, saying that it was a ghost, not a true body. Then came the Photiniani, who pretended that Christ was indeed a true man, but that he had no soul.
Thus the devil has challenged Christ through and through, that he has nothing left to challenge, therefore he must start again from the beginning. The Pelagiani and the pope with their followers are the most beautiful heretics, who have a great pretense; for they admit that Christ is God and man, but they deny his custom, use and office, namely, that he is our righteousness without our work. No, they do not want that, but say: we must also do something for it. Therefore, God must allow Himself to be led into the school and reformed and, as Christ says, "Wisdom must be justified by her children," Luc. 7:35.
Of the resurrection of Christ, that reason cannot comprehend it.
The history of the resurrection of Christ teaches that reason itself cannot
can believe that Christ rose from the dead, because only by means of the oral word, which, so that there was no lack of it, the angel brought from heaven and proclaimed. But he brought it to the weak vessels and instruments, to the women, and to those who were troubled and in anguish. They were fools, both before God and the world. Before God, that they sought the living among the dead. Before the world, because they had forgotten the great stone that lay on the tomb, they prepared Specerei to anoint Christ, which was all in vain.
Spiritually, however, this indicates and means that if the great stone (namely, the law and human statutes that keep the conscience bound and entangled) is not rolled away from the heart, then Christ cannot be found, nor can we believe that he is risen, because through him we are redeemed from the power and right of sin, death 2c., Rom. 8, 2, so that the bonds of conscience can no longer weigh us down. The pope, who killeth Christ in the hearts of men, giveth money enough unto his own, that they say Christ is not risen, but that they boast of works.
33. about Christ's resurrection, what it is good for.
Since Christ has risen again, he has taken all things with him, so that all men must rise again, even the ungodly. But that we are still alive and in need of this world is like a householder going overland and saying to his child or servant, "Behold, you now have two golden pennies, which you need for your physical needs and food until I come again.
Also, all creatures are a figure and image of the future resurrection, because towards summer they come to life again from death, grow and green; which in winter no one believed would happen, if he had not experienced and seen it before. Likewise, when he ascended into heaven, he also carried all things with him, sits at the right hand of God the Father, and has transferred us, who are members of his body, with him into the heavenly being, so that we also may
To be lords of all things like Christ, but so that he may remain the firstborn among many brethren.
Therefore a Christian who believes this looks at the sun and everything we need in this world as if they were not there, but always remembers the life to come, in which he is all ready, even though it does not yet appear, even "all creatures wait for the redemption and revelation of the children of God", Rom. 8, 19.
All creatures have been eliminated, and all works, no matter how holy they are, have been purely excluded and cut off as necessary for salvation. Since a work makes blessed, so also apples and pears make blessed. Christian righteousness is not such a righteousness as is in us and clings, as otherwise a qualitas and virtue, that is, which is found in us, or which we feel; but is an alien righteousness, altogether apart from us, namely, Christ Himself is our formalis Justitia, perfect righteousness, and the whole being, I Cor. 1, 30.
34. suffering of Christ and His Church, and how Christ nullifies the power of the devil.
Is it not a strange thing that the Son of God should sit there and be so miserably mangled, mocked and ridiculed? whom all angels worship, before whom the earth trembles, whom all creatures recognize as their Creator, they spit in his face, strike him on the mouth with a reed, say: "He is a king, he must have a crown and a scepter," Matth. 27, 30, 31, 32. 27, 30. 31. 32. The Lord Christ does not complain about this in vain in the Psalm: "All my bones have been cut in two," Ps. 22, 15. So they have stretched him.
Oh, it is nothing with our suffering: when I look at our suffering, someone would be ashamed to death. We are still to be conformed to the image of the Son of God, and even if we become conformed, it is still nothing. He is the Son of God, we are poor creatures: if we suffer eternal death, it is nothing.
There you can see how the devil has a fury against the Son of God and the human race. Once I saw a wolf tearing a sheep; ei, how goes
he will kill them! Jtem, 1) When he enters the sheepfold, he does not feed any of them, for he has first slain them all; then he starts and feeds, thinking that he will devour them all. So the devil also thinks: I have now caught Christ, I will also get his apostles by and by; but he does not see that he is the Son of God, and that is also the devil's foolishness, he does not know that after this he should feel so bad, and that he should be paid so badly.
After this the devil is destroyed, so that he must be afraid of a young child in the cradle: for where he only hears Jesus called by a true faith, there he cannot stay; for he remembers: I have strangled this one. Just as if H[ein] Mordbrenner 2) were to come to a place where the Elector of Saxony was, and he found out about it, he would flee and not expect the Elector, for he knows that he has burned him. So also the devil must be afraid of Christ: he would run through a fire before he would stay. This means: "The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head," Genesis 3:15. I mean, he bruised his head so that he could neither hear nor see the Christ.
I have often liked the parable in Job about a fishing rod that fishermen cast into the water and put an earthworm on it; then the fish come and want to eat from it, so they eat the iron with the earthworm, and the fisherman pulls the fish out of the water. Our Lord God did the same to the devil: he cast his only begotten Son, the Lord Christ Jesus, as a fishing rod into the world, and put the humanity of Christ as an earthworm on it: so the devil snatches at the man Christ and strangles him, and bites into the iron, into the divinity of Christ; snap! there he and all his power lie on the ground. This is the divine wisdom, that he lets his feet, that is, his Christians, be tortured in the race and be humiliated: then the devil thinks he has it all in his power, but he is still far short.
1) The same idea also applies to Cap. 24, § 90.
2) Duke Henry of Brunswick.
Collation of the suffering of Christ with the suffering of His Church.
Doctor Luther says that the work of the young theologians should be that they confer the suffering of Christ with the suffering of the Christian church, and said: Christ did not say the words in vain on the cross: Consummatum est, that is, all is accomplished; for now it is so, Christ's suffering is fulfilled in his church. For first of all they crowned him and mocked him, when the pope wrote himself King of kings and Lord of lords. Then they crucified him with the monastic vows. After that there is an earthquake, and the sun loses its light. The Pabst's regiment has lost its light, both its eyes are pierced out. Item, the rocks are torn apart, that is, many hard heads are now coming to the gospel, who never wanted it. Now it will be said: "Into your hands I commend my spirit. It rhymes very well; for what the man, the Son of God, speaks or does is a great thing, at which all angels must marvel, yes, the earth trembles at it.
To what time and hour Christ gave the paschal lamb.
According to the Law of Moses, Christ began to eat the paschal lamb with his disciples on Green Thursday evening, when the day began at seven o'clock. After that he instituted the new paschal lamb. And when he had washed the disciples' feet, he went out into the garden: there he was caught about the eighth hour of the night, for such a great and heavy struggle could not last long.
He was led first to Annas, then to Caiphas, when Peter denied him three times before the cock crowed, from nine to twelve. During those hours, until early in the morning, when it began to be day, the Jews plagued, mocked, and spat on the Lord Christ.
In the morning at the earliest the chief priests held council, and heard Christ. After that, when it was day, that is,
About the sixth hour they brought Jesus to Pilate, where they accused him of being crucified and spent almost three hours on it, so that it was almost nine before Christ was crucified.
And this is what St. Marcus says Cap. 15, 25: "They crucified Jesus at the third hour", that is, it was not yet at six. And St. John, Cap. 19, 14, because it was nearer to six than to three, therefore he writes: Christ was crucified at six, that is, according to our pointer, from nine the Jews pressed in Pilate for Jesus to be crucified, and they hardly attained it at twelve. And at twelve, when he had hung on the cross a while, darkness fell: and at last at nine, that is, about three in the evening, he gave up his spirit with a great cry.
"And because it was the preparation day," he says in v. 31, "the Jews hastened that the dead bodies might be taken down from the cross," that is, that Christ lay in the grave the fourth part of the Jews' Easter day; and that is one day. The other day began on Friday, after the sun had set, and lasted all night until the sun set again on the Sabbath day. All this time Christ lay in the grave. But on the Sabbath day, after the setting of the sun, the third day, which the Jews call the Sabbath day, is observed, according to the Jewish way, which is the day closest to the Sabbath at Easter. On the same Sunday morning, when it was light on the same third day, and the sun went out, Christ our Savior rose again from death. And this is what we confess, believe and say in our faith: Risen on the third day, do not say after three days, but on the third day.
37. Christ's friendly conversation in the Lord's Supper.
(Lauterbach, April 11, 1538, p. 61.)
Afterwards he remembered the meal of Christ and the apostles at the last supper, where the Son of God speaks to His own in the most intimate way and bears their weakness.
There were special collations where Philip said: "Lord, show us the Father"; Thomas: "We do not know the way"; Peter: "I will go with you" (Joh. 14, 8. 5.; 13, 37.) 2c. These are vain collation speeches, where everyone has expressed his thoughts. There has been no lovelier collation from the beginning of the world than this.
38. of the sweating of blood and other spiritual sufferings of the Lord Christ in the garden.
Someone asked over Luther's table about the sweating of blood and other high and spiritual suffering that Christ had endured in the garden. Then said D. Luther said, "No one can know or remember what kind of suffering it was: if a person were to begin to feel this, he would have to die. You know, many people die of mental illness. Oecolampadius and Carolstadius 2) died of it. Oecolampadius thought: "Behold, how Zwinglius perished so miserably, we have begun the game of the sacrament with each other. So Carlstadt also mourned himself to death: for the three days before he died, in the church at Basel, in his chair, where he used to stand, a great long man had stepped, stood in it and heard the sermon. Those who were standing next to the same chair saw nothing, but because Carlstadt was not sitting in it, they thought the chair was empty; but all the other people in the church had seen the tall man in the chair. When Carlstadt heard this, he lay down and died of sorrow. For heartache is death itself. If a man should feel such anguish and distress as Christ had, and if the soul should nevertheless remain in the body and endure such things, it would be impossible: soul and body would have to separate. Christ alone was able to do this, which is why he broke out in a bloody sweat.
39. Christ's own work.
Christ has no money, nor purse, nor earthly kingdom, for the same has all of them.
I) d. i. Table Talks.
2) Oekolampadius died in 1531, Carlstadt in 1541.
he has given to kings and princes. But one thing he has reserved for him, which is neither the work of man nor of angels, namely that he is a victor over sin, death, the devil and hell, and can save and preserve even in the midst of death those who believe in him through his word.
40. how Christ becomes ours rightly.
(This is found in the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, Cap. 3. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII. § 365. 360. 361.)
41. Christ the greatest of sinners.
(This § is found in the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, Cap. 3. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, § 322. 323. 324.)
42. of the entry of Christ into Jerusalem.
(Lauterbach, April 14, 1538, p. 61 f.)
On April 14, Palm Sunday, Luther spoke much in the evening about Christ's entry into Jerusalem. It was a paltry, clerical entry, where Christ, such a great king, sat on a donkey; clothes were his saddle. A whimsical entry according to the prophecy of Zechariah (9:9). For after he had come from Bethany to Bethphage to the Mount of Olives, which was as near as the bridge from hence, a great multitude, because he had just before wrought the miracle on Lazarus, went shouting before him, and followed him. Then he sent in his disciples to borrow donkeys and to ride badly to fulfill the prophecy. I believe that it was not Christ himself who put on the prophecy, but the apostles and evangelists who did so, as a testimony. Christ preached in the meantime and wept. The people honored him with olive branches and palms, which are signs of peace and victory. These ceremonies were later borrowed by the Gentiles from the Jews in their triumphal processions, but the Jews did not adopt them from the Gentiles. For the Jewish people and Jerusalem are older than all the Greeks and Latins; for the Greeks began about the time of the Babylonian captivity, but Jerusalem was before the Persians and Assyrians, much more before the Greeks and Romans. Therefore
the Gentiles adopted many ceremonies from the Jews because they were older. It was nevertheless a glorious, splendid entry, solemn by prophecy and miracles, although it was outwardly poor and despised.
43. of Christ's sufferings, which most grieved him, and still do, the Jews.
and pagans.
(Lauterbach, May 12, 1538, p. 79.)
On the evening of May 12, Luther spoke of the greatness of Christ's suffering; because he was completely innocent, he would have been justified in saying, "The prince of this world has nothing on me" (John 14:30), and yet he suffered most grievously and was most shamefully mangled for the sake of our sins. The Jews crucified him by word, the Gentiles by deed. The suffering of Christ is a tremendous prophecy of the wickedness of the Gentiles, for Christ suffers more today in the church of the Gentiles than in the synagogue of the Jews. More bitter is the blasphemy, the contempt, the tyranny, than once among the Jews. For if one confesses in Italy the article of faith and of the last judgment, the pope says: Why do you believe this? Be of good cheer. 1) This and similar blasphemies have not only been spoken by a pope, but it is a common speech in all Italy, which elsewhere no man could utter with impunity.
44. of Christ's future.
(The first paragraph of this § in Lauterbach, June 14, 1538, p. 89 f.)
The prophets have summed up the [twofold] future of Christ. As we know that the last day will be, and yet we do not know what will happen after the last day, except that we know in general that there will be joy and eternal peace of heart: so the prophets know the future of Christ, and yet they did not know what would be after the coming of the Messiah, not other than in general. So also the prophets thought that immediately after the coming of the Messiah the last day would come. To-
1) Fac tibi bonum vultum: put on a friendly face.
first, because they call the time of the Messiah the last time. Secondly, because they have summarized the signs of the first and the second future as if they would occur at the same time. Thirdly, this is also the reason for Paul's question in the [first] Epistle to the Corinthians: whether the day of judgment will come while they are still alive. Fourthly, so does Christ himself, who gives [both] signs at the same time.
(This paragraph in Lauterbach, Sept. 12, 1538, p. 131.)
Augustine's saying is very, godly, because he says: Christ has put his single in harmony with our double, and so it makes a perfect number. For Christ's death is called the simple, because he dies only according to the flesh; but our death is the double, because we would be eternally damned according to body and soul because of our sins.
(The first four lines of the last paragraph in Walch are transferred to Cap. 24, § 75, where they belong).
45 Christ preached from a book.
(Lauterbach, Oct. 11, 1538, p. 147.)
After that it was said that D. Jakob Schenk did not preach from a book. He [Luther] said: I do it not for necessity's sake, but as an example to others, and no one may be ashamed of the book in the pulpit, because Christ, the high Master, Luc. 4, [17] has left us the example of preaching from the book.
46. Christ has gone to hell.
When the article "descended into hell" was mentioned in our Christian faith, D. Martin said: "This is my simple opinion, and I believe that Christ went to hell for us, to break and destroy it; as is proved in the 16th Psalm, v. 8 ff, and Acts 2:24 ff. 2, 24. ff. is proven. Although foolish and quarrelsome spirits and clever ones might take cause to dispute, and pretend that the word infernus, hell, is taken and understood for a grave, as it is written several times in the first book of Moses about the creation. But here the Ebrew word nobet, which is pit, is not written; but scholah, which is Gehenna, hell. For the ancients made four different kinds of hell.
47. bon Christ's resurrection.
Anno 30, April 9, Martin spoke of the resurrection of the Lord Christ through the Word and the preaching of the Gospel, which does not happen without earthquakes, just as Christ was wiped out of the grave and resurrected with a great earthquake. Even today the world is still stirring. And a tumult arises when Christ's righteousness and holiness alone are preached and proclaimed. But such an earthquake is salutary, comforting and fun for the God-fearing and true Christians, and more to be desired and desired than peace and rest against God, with an evil conscience.
The Jews let them dream and thought that Christ's kingdom would be a worldly kingdom; as also the apostles, Joh. 14, 22.: "Lord, what will it become that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" We meant that the whole world should see thy glory, that thou shouldest be emperor, and we twelve kings, among whom the kingdoms should be divided, that every one should have among him six disciples for rulers, earls, and lords; which would be the two and seventy disciples, for so many were they. Thus the dear apostles had already divided the land according to Platonic delusion and human reason. But Christ describes his kingdom much differently, as follows v. 24: "He who loves me will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him" 2c.
48 Epitaphium Salvatoris nostri JEsu Christi, quod fixum est Hierosolymis ad sepulchrum Christi.
(Not from Luther.)
49. another epitaph, still in Jerusalem at the tomb of the Lord
Christ is found.
(Not from Luther.)
50. Christ our glory and praise.
Our greatest glory, honor, and praise is that we have Christ, the Son of God, born of our flesh, yet without sin, seated
all creatures in heaven, on earth and in hell. But whoever wants to have him as Lord will have the devil as his enemy and adversary.
(51) Whether they were right who said and spread the miraculous signs of the Lord Christ, when he had forbidden them.
To this the Doctor answered: When Christ speaks outside of His office, He speaks as a God, as when He speaks of His person, and says Joh. 16, 15: "All that is of the Father is Mine"; Joh. 14, 1: "If you believe in God, believe also in Me" 2c. But when he speaks according to his office, as sent by the Father, he speaks as a man and servant, not of his person, as when he says Matth. 20, 28: "I have come to serve" 2c. So also here, when he is about to perform his miraculous works, he speaks as if sent by the Father. And he is well pleased to reveal it, so that he may give us an example and a lesson that we should not seek our glory in what we do good, but only in God. Therefore John testifies in his entire gospel that Christ honored the Father, not himself; this is what he made us preachers believe. So also is that of his ministry, when he says: The Son does not know about the hour.
After his resurrection, Christ revealed to the apostles everything that had happened to him during his suffering.
This is what D. Martin said to someone who asked him and wondered how the evangelists could have written about things they had not known and could not have known or remembered. When they wrote: Christ woke up the three disciples who were sleeping in the garden. They also wrote that the angel appeared to Christ, spoke to him, and comforted him. Likewise the words of Christ when he prayed, which they had not heard. Item, what happened during the night in Caiphas' and Herodis' house, which they neither saw nor heard, because they had fled.
53. Christ's humility and kindness.
(Cordatus No. 1638.)
It is certain that Christ had the sweetest intercourse with the apostles, served them at table 2c. In the end, the good people were accustomed to this and let it happen. He came to serve. This they granted him. The example is set high for us.
Christ leads his kingdom wonderfully.
(Contained in Cap. 7, § 85, last paragraph.)
55. crucifix of Christ.
(Contained in Cap. 30, § 32.)
56: One should believe in Jesus Christ alone. 1)
(Cordatus No. 210 and No. 211. Anno 1531.)
There is no stronger argument against the Jews than the seat of David, because they have not had dominion for 1531 years now. There is nothing else that presses them harder than the seat of David. And Pauli's arguments against the Jews are not a joke. Although no religion is so foolish in the sight of reason as the Christian religion, I believe in one Jew, who is called Jesus Christ; I do not believe in others, for the Jews have been rejected and given a wrong meaning.
2) In every way, he who stands in the holy place, preaches in the pulpit and in public, should teach. And it is much better for one to lack rhetoric than dialectics, which teaches; but rhetorics, with its eloquence alone, adorns the doctrine that one teaches. The color is rhetorica, the crossing out dialectica. If we cannot have color against the pope, we can still design.
Christ alone should be in a Christian's heart.
(This § is in Luther's preface to the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, 1524, § 1.)
1) Very similar to Cap. 7, § 3.
2) Very similar Cap. 52, §1, at the end.
58. Christ is law and freedom, sin and righteousness, death and life.
(This § is found in the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, Cap. 2. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, § 307.)
59. why Christ had come.
(This § is found in the great interpretation of the letter to theGalatians, Cap. 4. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, § 45.)
60. Christ's special work and own ministry. (This § is in the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, Cap. 4. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, § 46.).
61) Which people will benefit from Christ.
The fact that Christ came and became man does not help the hypocrites, who live and are secure without fear of God; nor does it benefit those who are obviously godless despisers: likewise the despairers, who think that there is no consolation. Grace to wait on, when the law has frightened them. But to those alone it is of use and comfort who have been troubled and frightened by the law for a while, and yet do not despair in such serious and heartfelt terror of the law, but come with comforting confidence to Christ, the throne of grace, who "redeemed them from the curse of the law, when he himself became a curse for them," Gal. 3:13. Those who do this attain mercy and find grace.
62. Christ must remain eternally, and all who believe in him.
(Cordatus No. 413.)
There is talk of future persecution. But we know from the second Psalm: Christ they must let live, and though we die, we are not dead; but if Christ dies, I also die. But I take comfort in the fact that God's word, which endures forever, says: "I live, and you also shall live" [John 14:19]. I have been baptized into Him, therefore I know of none but Christ.
No one wants to have Christ as his Lord.
(Cordatus No. 417.)
My sermon is in vain and similar to the one who sings in a forest, for he sings to the trees.
men And only the echo resounds again. Thus we preach to the glory of God, although no fruits follow. And although many' blaspheme, yet it is good to preach Christ for the sake of less.
He who knows Christ well is a master of the Scriptures.
Cabbala was good until Christ; therefore, because Christ has now come and the grave is open, it is all over. But our red spirits say that there are still many things hidden in the holy scriptures that have not yet been revealed. This is false and not true, for the grave is open and Christ has come forth. Therefore he that knoweth Christ, and knoweth him aright, is a magister in the scriptures, and shall remain a magister.
65 You should never be afraid of Christo.
(Contained in Cap. 2, §155.)
The dead Christ is not forgotten.
Many a dead person has been forgotten, can we not also forget the dead Christ? said a Jew once; which is a devilish speech. Yes, dear devil, it is called Sheflimini, that is: Sit at my right hand. Therefore Christ, his suffering and death must be preached in the world as it stands.
67 Christ wars with great lords.
(Cordatus No. 513.)
To those who speak of the persecution of mighty tyrants, I answer, Let this be done to Christ, who will not war with beggars, but with kings 2c. The kings of the Assyrians, Babylon 2c., they went there, for such must not end it, however great they are. All the prophets have spoken against them, and they have cried out against them, as Daniel's words prove. This is what the Turk does to us, Ferdinand 2c. God's deception 1) is to strike one prince with another, and with me the pope.
1) Teuschen, i.e. secret being in a good and evil sense, Müller III, 156 (Wrampelmeyer).
68. Christ often revealed Himself to His disciples after His resurrection from the dead.
(Cordatus No. 436.)
As often as Christ sat and ate with the apostles after his resurrection, so that they could feel that the divine majesty was sitting with them and dwelling in him bodily, they often had to think: How we have held on to Christ like peelers and evil-doers, because it is said of Peter [John 21:17] that he became sad. Therefore what he says [Joh. 16, 22] had to happen: "I will see you again" 2c. If he had not done this, he would never have brought the apostles to him.
Where Christ abides, there also abide those who believe in him.
(Cordatus No. 438.)
If we were not baptized, if we did not believe in Christ, the devil would leave us alone. But we will hold fast to Christ, no matter how much the devil may be angry with us. Where Christ abides, we will abide; if he goes to hell, we will go with him.
70. a different.
(Cordatus No. 440.)
We have more opportunities for joy than for sadness, because we believe in the living God, and Christ lives and we should also live [John 14:19]. But sadness is innate in us, and the devil is the spirit of sadness, but God is the spirit of joy that saves us.
One flees from Christ, but runs to Satan.
(Cordatus No. 469.)
The Son of Man came to save sinners, and sinners would rather follow the devil, who promises only a pittance and hardly gives it, but they flee Christ, who certainly promises and gives ten times a hundred thousand guilders.
Christ must "receive" His word Himself; we are too weak to do so. 1)
(Cordatus No. 478.)
Satan has often said to me: How if your teaching against the pope, the mass, the monks 2c. was wrong? And he has often hurried me so that I have broken out in a sweat. I finally answered him: Go and talk to God, who has commanded to hear this Christ. The Christ must do everything. Therefore, whoever wants to be a Christian must let Christ answer for everything.
73. a different.
(Contained in Cap. 9, § 50.)
The devil is hard on those who love and confess Christ.
I think that the devil will have assailed and tormented our dear Paul, because he has so faithfully and diligently emphasized, taught and confessed Christ: and so vehemently insisted on him, as through him alone we must be saved who believe in him, out of pure grace and mercy, without all our merit and good works, they go before or after: even the false teachers, who taught against this, punished severely and by name; as fine epistles testify.
75 St. Paul's person.
Then Magister Veit Dieterich asked him, saying, "What kind of person do you think Paul was, Doctor? Then the doctor said, "I think Paul was a despised person who had no reputation; a poor, scrawny little man, like Master Philip.
The Christian's golden art is to know Christ rightly.
Psalm 51, v. 8, it is written: "Behold, thou delightest in the truth that is in secret: thou hast made me to know the secret wisdom. This is a secret hidden from the world, and will remain hidden:
1) Cf. cap. 24, § 101, para. 1.
the truth that is hidden, and the secret wisdom; not of the lawyers, physicians, philosophers and the wise men of this world: no, but your wisdom you have made me know. This is the golden art that Sadoletus cannot do, although he writes a lot about this psalm.
Of this art, which the world's wisdom regards as foolishness, even as nothing, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1, v. 18 ff: "For the word of the cross is foolishness to them that perish: but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written (Isa. 29:14), "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise" (that is, it will be nothing and come to nothing) "and I will reject the understanding of the wise. (Isa. 33:18.:) "Where are the wise? Where are the scribes? Where are the worldly wise? Has not God made the wisdom of this world foolishness? Because the world through its wisdom did not recognize God in His wisdom, it pleased God to make blessed those who believe in it through foolish preaching 2c. Because the Jews ask for signs, and the Greeks ask for wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified, a vexation to the Jews and a folly to the Greeks. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, we preach Christ, divine power and divine wisdom. For divine foolishness is wiser than men are, and divine weakness is stronger than men are 2c. For Christ Jesus was made unto us of God wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption; that" (as it is written Jer. 9:24.) "whosoever shall boast, let him boast of the LORD."
Erasmus, Sadoletus, the papists, Walen 2c. see that I abolish the error of the rabble and the common man. This is not to be suffered by them; for they hold that one should never follow the people, and for the sake of common peace one should always believe what the people believe. Although the faith of the people is nothing at all, and no faith to be respected, for it is certain that they think nothing of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But he who has started the game loves the truth, therefore he will
be the enemy of lies. Therefore, the boys will have to go to the ground. Whether we have to put something on it for the sake of Christ, let it always go. For "God's judgment begins at the house of God," 1 Pet. 4:17; we must be the first, but they must follow, and after that no end; so they shall know.
To know Christ surpasses everything that is on earth.
You should not take the whole world for it', said D. M. Luther. M. Luther, that you know that Christ is Christ, that is, our only Savior, High Priest, King and Lord, whom I did not recognize for a long time in my monastic life. Since we are already dying, Christ still lives; if he lives, we also want to live for sure. For this saying stands firm and certain, and will also remain true forever against all hellish gates, since it says John 14:19: "I live, and you also shall live. Now Christ, whom we preach, is God, therefore the whole world is nothing against this Christ.
78. a different.
All the wise men of the world mock and ridicule us Christians for leading and carrying on the cause of the Lord Christ with such earnestness; but it shall surely fall upon their bosoms at the last day.
(Here 6 lines are omitted because contained in Cap. 1, § 5.)
And if I would only leave behind me the fact that I now practice and teach with the highest diligence that one should beware of speculation, and take hold of Christ alone in the most simple and certain way, then I would have done and accomplished much.
79. teaching of Christ and the apostles.
When one said that St. Paul had taught many things more clearly and distinctly than Christ, M. Luther replied: "If this saying in Paul, Rom. 5:12, were not written: 'Sin came into the world through a man, and death through sin, and reigns also over those who have not sinned as Adam did,' then one could hardly say, 'I have sinned.
The first two words of the Bible, "original sin" and "original sin", are the same as the first two words of the Scriptures.
He further said that after his resurrection, when he sent the Holy Spirit, the preaching of Christ went out into all the world, resounded and penetrated mightily. As he commanded the disciples shortly before he ascended to heaven, Marc. 16, 15: "Go into all the world" 2c. Item Joh. 16, 7. Cap. 14, 26.: "It is good for you that I go, for the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will teach you all things and remind you of all that I have said to you. He will guide you into all truth." This Master, the Holy Spirit, spoke and worked through the apostles, and presented the doctrine of Christ more clearly, so that their preaching penetrated powerfully and produced more fruit than when Christ preached. As he himself had previously proclaimed, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and shall do greater works than these." Joh. 14, 12. Item, when he said Matth. 28, 19.: "Go, teach all nations, and baptize them in the name" 2c. This is said: My people, the Jews, to whom I am promised, have not wanted nor can they hear my preaching in a small corner (in Judea) of the world. Now all nations in all the world shall and must hear your preaching. This and no other: "For all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, and I will be with you to the end of the age", Matth. 28, 18. 20.
But I think that Christ preached gently and carefully, not wanting to penetrate with power (as he could have done, because he preached so powerfully that the people were astonished at his teaching), for the sake of the fathers to whom he was promised, so that circumcision and the law, together with the divine service, might be done away with and abolished in silence, with honor and patience on the part of those who thought highly of the fathers.
80. Christ preached in vain.
(Cordatus No. 435.)
Christ preached in vain and yet had the pious women given to him [Luc. 8, 3.], and yet once coined, Matth. 17, [27.] for need or out of poverty.
81. Christ once coined.
(Contained in the previous §.)
82) That John calls Christ the Word.
He wanted to show that Christ is the person who spoke to the fathers at all times, Is. 7. Behold, I myself, who spoke, am now present; and Joh. 1, 1.7.: "No one has ever seen God, but the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has proclaimed it to us. Do you now want to know who is the one who has spoken to his believers in all ways? "The Word," says St. John, "which was in the beginning before the creation of all creatures, by which all things were made."
The prophecies of Christ are described with dark words. 1)
The prophecies that God's Son should take on human nature are so obscurely described that I think the devil did not know that Christ should have been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Therefore he says to Christ in the wilderness, when he tempted him, Matth. 4, 6.: "Are you the Son of God?" Call him the Son of God, not because he thought that he was the Son of God in kind and nature; but according to the scriptural way, which also calls men the children of God, Psalm 82:6: "You are all the children of God."
This is why such prophecies about Christ, his suffering, resurrection and kingdom were not revealed before the time of his future (except to the prophets and other highly enlightened people), because everything was saved and directed to Christ, who was the only right master to open the understanding of the Scriptures. Therefore Moses commanded his people Deut. 18, 19: "You shall obey him"; and God the Father says Matth. 17, 5: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; him you shall hear."
1) The first lines of this § were used in the old edition for an entry of Cap. 24, § 63, which was then followed by a section from the Church Postilla.
That Peter and the other apostles (as can be seen in the apostles' stories) do not call Christ God in their sermons in clear words, is because they did not want to anger the pious Jews, who were still weak in faith, nor give them cause to avoid and persecute their sermons, and thus fast a suspicion against them, as if they wanted to proclaim a new God, and reject the old true God of their fathers and now no longer accept him. Nevertheless, they draw on, and remember with clear distinct words, the ministry of Christ and his works, that he is a prince of life. Raises the dead, justifies and forgives sin, answers prayer, enlightens and comforts hearts 2c. So that they may sufficiently indicate and confess that he is true God; for no creature can do these works, but God alone.
Sometimes the apostles use dark sayings about the divinity of Christ, as 1 Cor. 10, 4: "They were drunk with the spiritual rock that followed with them, which was Christ." Item v. 9: "Let us not tempt Christ." By these words Paul proves that the Son of God existed before, that is, from eternity before He took on human nature, He has always presided over His church, enlightened it, governed it, protected it, strengthened it and preserved it against the power of the devil and the evil world. Thus, John 8:58, Christ Himself says: "Before Abraham was, I am," clearly indicating that He existed before He became man.
Christ's kingdom will be wonderfully built and preserved.
Our Lord Christ rules and preserves his Christianity wonderfully, not by human wisdom and power, like worldly kings, princes, etc., yes, he hides his divine wisdom, power and strength, so that they are nowhere to be felt nor seen, and he is foolish to speak according to reason, to build and preserve his kingdom.
He also has servants and officials, 2 Cor. 5:18, 20, whom he sends out into all the world, not armed with weapons of the flesh, but commanded.
preaching his word to them, enlightens and strengthens them with the Holy Spirit. They do nothing but preach the word. In this way Christ destroys the devil's kingdom and builds him a church that the gates of hell cannot overcome, Matth. 16, 18. As the 8th Psalm, v. 3, sings: "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings you have given a power or kingdom. So put to shame great potentates, kings, princes, 2c., the pope, who now also cannot continue with their religion, power and wisdom, who dare to destroy his word and people, Jer. 1, 18. 19. Therefore they finally go to ruin over it, as the said Psalm sings further: "Thou hast prepared such power for the sake of thine enemies, that thou destroyest the enemy and the avenger."
But a strong faith belongs to it, which keeps to the word, and does not allow to err nor to be annoyed that the great leaders on earth are against this teaching, call it heresy, and persecute it as the worst and most harmful people, who spread it, accept it and confess it. But they do not know (although, unfortunately, many now deliberately persecute and blaspheme the recognized divine truth), "that they rebel and counsel against the Lord and His anointed", Ps. 2, 2, yes, "they think they are doing God a service by it", Joh. 16, 2.
85. word of Christ Matth. 11.
It is frightening to the world, and annoying and mocking to all worldly wise men, that Christ says Matth. 11, 25: "I praise you, Father and Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and have revealed them to babes" 2c. But it is very comforting for us Christians, whom the Lord has bound together with a strong and firm bond, so that we are one body, have one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and one Father, Eph. 4:4, 5, 6.
Therefore Christ's kingdom alone is directed to destroy the works of the devil and to justify and save sinners (not the worldly wise, righteous 2c.) who feel their misery and sorrow and desire his grace and help from the bottom of their hearts. For this they will bring him into the
praise and preach his word, and confess and spread it before the wicked, ungodly world, that his kingdom is therefore a spiritual, eternal kingdom, not a corporeal, transient kingdom. Therefore we also dwell with our bodies on earth, but with our hearts in heaven, "waiting for the redemption of our bodies, and longing for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ," Phil. 3:20.
Afterwards, Martin thought of this doctrine, that Christ's kingdom would be led wonderfully, and he said: "Christ leads his reign wonderfully and foolishly, according to reason. He hides himself and presents himself as weak, which makes it seem as if he is powerless and has no authority or power. Nevertheless, he puts to shame the most powerful, cleverest and holiest in the world, emperors, kings, princes, pontiffs, cardinals and bishops, with their courtiers and followers. But it is highly necessary to be sure of the things.
86. christ holds over his kingdom and protects it, the devil also; but with unequal
Armor and weapons.
The devil challenges Christianity and fights against it with the greatest power and cunning; he attacks it with tyrants, heretics, false brothers, and arouses the whole world against it. On the other hand, Christ resists the devil and his kingdom through a few, small, simple, despised people, with the greatest weakness and foolishness, as it can be seen, and still retains the victory. Therefore he says Matth. 10, 16: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves." As if to say, "You, my messengers and disciples, will be ill received by the evil world, not only earning ingratitude and contempt with your faithful service, but also being persecuted for it; in sum, they will deal with you as wolves with sheep. Now it is a very unequal, strange warfare, when one sheep has ten, even a hundred or more wolves against it; as happened to the apostles and disciples of Christ, when they sent Christ into all the world to preach, when always one after another was put to death.
Lions, and even more ferocious monstrous animals
should be sent among wolves. But Christ desires to show his supreme power and wisdom in our greatest weakness and foolishness, as the world sees it, and thus to lead the matter out, so that all who oppose his messengers will eat death and go to the devil. For he alone, the LORD of hosts, works miracles, preserves his sheep in the midst of wolves (if they devour one, he sends ten others in its place), and tears the wolves' mouths asunder; so that we may see from this that our faith does not rest on the power, wisdom and deeds of men, but in the power of God.
87. common question in the world of Christo.
The meanest and noblest question among those who are called Christians is this: Whether Christ is Christ? That is, whether men are redeemed from death, justified, and saved through him alone?
The wise men of the world, the learned, and the greatest multitude on earth doubt it. The pope and his followers dispute it and say no to it, as their teaching and life show. In the same way, the red spirits do not want to let Christ be Christ, so that one can obtain forgiveness of sins through him alone, and become pious, righteous and blessed before God, through faith in him alone. We, who have and confess the word of God, say yes to the fact that we are accepted and saved by God through Christ alone: we know, believe and confess that it is the truth; therefore we preach it, therefore we must also suffer ourselves, Psalm 116:10.
So there are always three sects in disagreement about this article. The first, who doubts it; the second, who disputes it, denies it and persecutes it; the third, who believes it to be certain and true, even confessing it before the evil world. The former is a great multitude, the latter a small group.
The prophets' knowledge of Christ.
The prophets knew that Christ, when he came, would save those who believed in him from the eternal curse, and therefore also true, natural, and true, natural.
God, as several prophecies clearly indicate; as Isaiah, Cap. 7, 14, calls him Immanuel, that is, God with us; Jeremiah, Cap. 33, 16, says: "He will be called the LORD, who is our righteousness" 2c.
But as far as the coincidences and circumstances are concerned, how or by what means he should save the human race from the eternal curse, methinks, all the prophets actually did not know. I think the same and other pious hearts in the people of Israel are preserved in faith, as our children, who badly and simple-mindedly believe that Christ is our Savior and God, also have happy, lovely thoughts about it.
(89) It does not follow that Christ has done this and that, therefore we also may do it.
Now some pretend that Christ drove the buyers and sellers out of the temple by force, therefore we may also exercise the same force against the bishops and enemies of the Word; just as coining men and other riotous spirits are supporting themselves in the peasants' revolt. Anno 1525. No, said D. Martin, Christ has done many things that we should not and cannot imitate him. He walked on water, fasted forty days and forty nights, raised Lazarum from death after he had been in the grave for four days 2c. We will leave that and the like.
Much less does he want us to stand against the enemies of the truth, but gives the contradiction Matth. 5, 44: "Love your enemies, pray for those who insult and persecute you" 2c. But we are to follow him in the works on which he hung a public commandment; as Luc. 6, 36: "Be merciful, as your Father is merciful." Item Matth. 11, 29: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart" 2c. Item Luc. 9, 23: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
90. christ's name.
Nevertheless, the name of Christ remains under the papacy. But I fear, unfortunately, that it will still come to this, that one will call Christ
so that the word of Christ will be fulfilled Luc. 18, 8: "When the Son of Man comes, do you think that he will also find faith on earth? Therefore I do not believe that the last day will come with such a clear light of the gospel as it now appears, praise God. There will follow a terrible darkness after this bright sun, and yet under the name and shine of the light, which can soon come. Blessed are those who have fallen asleep in the Lord.
The kingdom of Christ has remained under the papacy.
One of the greatest miracles that happened on earth is that Christ's kingdom remained under the papacy, since for several hundred years nothing else was heard, nor held up to the poor people, but the law of the pope, that is, the doctrine and commandment of men, so that it was no wonder that Christ's name and word were completely unknown and forgotten.
God has wonderfully preserved the Gospel in the church, so that it is told to the people from the pulpit, from word to word: so also in the papacy the children's faith, the Lord's Prayer, baptism, and the sacrament of the altar have remained. These have stuck to the hearts that should have seen them; this has been a special great power of God. God has also often awakened fine, God-fearing, learned men, revealed His word to them, and given them the courage to publicly punish the unrighteous teachings and abuses that had been established in the church, even with writings, as John Huss and others. Thus God receives His word, not by human wisdom, force or sword, but sends those whom He has chosen to cast out the devil in the midst of wolves.
92. difference of the kingdom of Christ, Pabst and Mahomet.
Christ's kingdom is a kingdom of grace, mercy and all comfort, as Ps. 117, 2. is written: "His grace and truth rule over us forever. The kingdom of the end of Christ is a kingdom of lies and corruption, Ps. 10:7: "His mouth is full of cursing, falsehood and deceit, his tongue is full of evil, his mouth is full of evil, his tongue is full of evil, his mouth is full of evil, his mouth is full of evil, his mouth is full of evil, his mouth is full of evil.
causes toil and labor." Mahomet's kingdom is a kingdom of vengeance, wrath and desolation, Ezek. 38.
The kingdom of Christ also includes those who are weak in faith.
The weak in faith also belong to Christ's kingdom, otherwise the Lord would not have said to Petro: "Strengthen your brothers", Luc. 22, 32. Item Rom. 14, 1: "Receive the weak in faith." And 1 Thess. 5, 14: "Comfort the fainthearted and carry the weak."
If the weak in faith did not belong to Christ, where would the apostles remain, whom the Lord often punished for their unbelief, even after His resurrection? Marc. 16, 14.
94 Christ is the only physician against death, which few desire.
(Cordatus No. 849. 850.)
The devil is the master of death. He can make a tree of death out of a leaf, and he has more vessels full of poison than all the pharmacies, and if one does not help, the other does. But as a drink of water quenches thirst and a morsel of bread satisfies hunger, so Christ is the remedy for death. But it will not come to pass, as Simeon says [Luc. 2:30], "For mine eyes have seen thy Savior."
A thirsty man is greedy for drink from the heart, and of the dear Christ no one wants to be greedy who can satisfy forever.
95. Christ has overcome the world.
We know, praise God, that Christ has overcome the world together with its prince, the devil, so that sin cannot rule over us now, nor death devour us. We should be much happier about this than the children of the world about temporal welfare, happiness, wealth, honor, power 2c. For the Scriptures do not fail to bear witness to this.
Now we have, through the Scriptures, certain signs and seals, Holy Baptism, the Lord's Supper, absolution, so many beautiful, glorious, divine promises that we have no reason to doubt them.
yet it will not go away. Therefore we may earnestly pray, "Lord, strengthen our faith," Luc. 17:5; for the defect is in us (not in Christ, who has accomplished everything, and has sent us the letter and seal of his grace), that we so waver and falter, and so coldly think that he is our King, High Priest, Bridegroom 2c. He who could grasp this would know the noble art, would be a fine doctor and a blessed man.
Why the Son of God appeared.
The Son of God came into the world to redeem us from the devil's power, sin and death, to make us righteous and blessed, and we still flee from him as from the devil. Moreover, if we want to be Christians, we pay little or little attention to the gifts of God, which he gives us abundantly to enjoy for the preservation of this short, fleeting life, and we strive with great diligence for the evil gifts that the devil offers us (which, compared to the eternal goods that Christ gives us, are small, despised crumbs, even if they are great money and goods), and which we obtain and possess against God and right.
(Cordatus No. 474, the following paragraph.)
The practice of theology must be experienced, even if it is only in the last hour. But blessed are those who experience it in life, like Schlaginhaufen, Weller and me.
The temple of all the gods, except Christ, called the Pantheon in Rome.
In Rome there is a round temple in which the Romans have placed the images of all the gods they worship and adore, so they have called this temple the Pantheon 1) (of all the gods), except for Christ, which image was not placed in it. For what is great, mighty, wise and holy cannot stand Christ, even the whole world rages and rages against him, Ps. 2:1, 2, nor does he remain for ever, and all idols together with those who make and worship them fall to the ground. Ps. 115. therefore more and greater power is needed.
1) Cf. Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. X, 1004, §11.
be behind him, because the wise men of the world and the great and mighty lords believe that they want to destroy him, that is, his word and church, to the ground; but they shall and must leave it, and have hellish fire for a reward.
This temple (pantheon) was subsequently given by Emperor Phocas (the murderer of the pious Emperor Mauritii and the first founder of the Pabst primacy) to Pope Bonifacio the Third in 606 to make it to his liking: he baptized it differently, called it the church of all saints instead of all idols, and did not include Christ, from whom all saints derive their sanctity, thus establishing the invocation of saints and new idolatry.
To this Bonifacio, the third one, D. M. Luther interprets his name in his Chronica thus: Bonifacius is a papal name, means so much as a good form or reputation; because under a good appearance or form he does vain evil, contrary to God and men.
When I was D. M. Luther was in Rome, I saw this church: it had no windows, but only a round hole at the top, from which it had light, and was vaulted high: it had such thick marble stone columns or pillars that our two could hardly encompass. At the top of the vault were painted all the gods of the pagans, Jupiter, Neptune, Mars, Venus, and whatever else they were called. All these gods were one with each other, so that they might deceive and cheat the whole world; but since Jesus Christ is coming, they do not want to suffer him, nor has he beaten them. Now the popes have come, and have driven him out again; but who knows how long it will last?
98 The bet does not know Christ and his own.
(Cordatus No. 48.)
As Christ himself, so are we in the world, namely invisible, 2) because the world does not recognize us who believe in Christ, as it does not recognize Christ, who is certainly in the world according to the word: Behold, I am with you.
2) The et before quod is to be deleted. The second sicut, which D. Wrampelmeyer objects to, is correct.
99. knowledge of Christ.
The righteousness of our works does not consist in fears and mortal misery; indeed, it causes heartache to those who rely on it. Nothing on earth makes man certain (it is called the work or the righteousness of God's law, much less holiness chosen out of human devotion or discretion) that sin is forgiven and not imputed: only the knowledge of Christ, through which man receives comfort and strength of faith in all afflictions and mortal distresses. Without this knowledge of Christ, I cannot suffer any conscience at all; indeed, the devil drives me through sin, so that the world becomes too narrow for me; only the knowledge of Christ straightens me out and satisfies me.
100. What Christ requires of us.
(Cordatus No. 817 and No. 823.)
God demands nothing else from the believers than: This do in remembrance of me. But if you say, "Yes, Lord, I will be struck on the mouth over this," He answers you [Ps. 50:15], "Call upon Me in time of need, and I will save you." And this is an easy service of God. Of such ease of his service he says that you should seek first the kingdom of God, and after that be of good cheer, for everything else will fall to you. He also promised us help in the cross, so what can we lack?
If I had as much faith as I should, I would have slain the Turk long ago and made the tyrants mad. I have been so troubled with them, but I lack faith. Meanwhile God says to me [2 Cor. 12:9], "Be content with my grace, for my power is mighty in the weak."
101. by the grace of God shown to us in Christ.
(Contained in Cap. 26, § 16.)
102. joy in Christ is hindered by the devil.
We should rejoice in Christ without ceasing, as St. Paul exhorts us, so that we may be completely joyful and full of joy.
We would be healthy, and could not become either sad or sick. But the wicked Satan hinders such joy wherever he can, goes about without ceasing, tormenting and distressing us, either without means, by his fiery darts, or by wicked poisonous mouths, even by ours. I encounter this very often.
103. will I not wash you 2c., Joh. 13.
These words, Joh. 13, 8. where Christ says to Peter: "If I do not wash you, then you have no part with me", are not to be understood that Christ baptized his disciples at that time; because Joh. 14. is clearly expressed that he himself baptized no one, but his disciples, and they among themselves baptized one another, at Christ's command. Also, the Lord did not speak these words about washing water alone, but about the right spiritual washing (but the cause is taken from this physical one), by which he alone, no one else, washes and cleanses Peter, the other disciples and all believers from all their sins, and makes them holy and righteous. As if to say, "I am the only true physician; therefore, if I do not wash you, you will remain unclean and dead in your sins.
But with this way he also saw the priests' way and ceremonies and wanted to follow them, who, according to the law of Moses, washed their hands and feet before they went into the temple. So does our true eternal priest. As if to say: Before I begin my new kingdom and go into the new temple, and you follow me, I will first wash and cleanse you. But that Christ washed not his own feet, but the feet of the disciples, when the high priest in the law washed not the feet of others, but his own feet, this is the cause: he was unclean and a sinner, like other men, therefore he washed his feet, and offered not only for the sin of the people, but also for his own. But our eternal High Priest is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners: therefore it was not necessary for him to wash his feet, but he washed us and made us clean from all sins by his blood.
would not be an external worldly kingdom with a difference of persons, one higher and greater than the other, as in Moses' kingdom, but one should serve the other through humility. As he says Luc. 22, 25. 26.: "The worldly kings rule ... But not so do ye: but let the greatest of you be as the youngest, and the chiefest as a servant." Which He Himself also showed by this ministry of foot-washing, as an example to us, as He says John 13:14, 15: "If I your Lord and Master have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. An example have I given you."
104. miracles of Christ and the apostles.
(Contained in Cap. 61, § 6.)
105. Christ's highest humility.
Whoever reads the Passion diligently and pays attention to it will see the great humility of the Lord Christ, so that it could not have been greater. But the fact that he humbled himself so deeply is not only due to us, that we should follow his example, as St. Paul very finely points out Phil. 2, 5: "Let every man be of the same mind as Christ was" 2c., but is more due to the devil, that the Lord Christ thereby deceived the trusting, cunning spirit, so that he would be misled about such great humility, and not think that he should be the seed of the woman who would crush his head. As the promise, Genesis 3:15, made to the first parents, reads: "I will put enmity between your seed and the seed of the woman"; as if he wanted to say: I will deal with you, you poisonous serpent.
In 1533, Doctor Luther interpreted this saying of Paul, Phil. 2, 6, in such a way that Christ "would not have considered it robbery to be like God," namely, that St. Paul wanted to say: Christ is God, but he does not want to be, but wants to be your servant; and that alone does it.
The greatest miracle that has happened on earth.
The greatest miracle that has happened on earth is that the Son of God of the most ignominious
died on the cross. It seems miraculous to us that the Father should say to his only begotten Son, who is a true, natural God, "Go, be nailed to the gallows of the cross and be hanged.
Now one should not separate the Godhead from mankind. But I presume that it may be so; nevertheless, the eternal Father's love for his only begotten Son is inordinately greater than Abraham's love was for Isaac. For he is the only beloved Son, as the Father himself testifies from heaven, Matt. 3:17: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And yet he is so miserably cast down, as "a worm and no man, a mockery of men, and contempt of the people," Ps. 22:7.
Blind reason is offended by this; think: If he is the eternal Father's only begotten son, how does he deal with him so mercilessly? Does he not deal more kindly with Caiphas, Herod, Pilate, and the worst evil-doers on earth, than with his Son? St. Paul says that the Jews, that is, the works saints, are offended by this sermon, and the Greeks, that is, the worldly wise, consider it foolishness, 1 Cor. 1:23. But for us Christians it is the greatest comfort, because we know from it, and certainly believe, and do not doubt, that the merciful God and Father so loved the poor, damned world that He did not spare His only begotten Son, but gave Himself up for us all to the most shameful death, so that all who believe in Him might not perish, but be saved, John 3:16. 3, 16. Rom. 8, 32. Therefore we consider this sermon to be our highest wisdom and true golden art, and a divine power by which we are saved, 1 Cor. 1, 24.
This example is especially meant for those who are afflicted with high spiritual temptations (which everyone cannot bear, such as: Sadness and melancholy of spirit, fear and trembling before God's wrath, judgment and eternal death, and such poisonous, fiery darts of the afflicted Satan), always have before their eyes and comfort themselves with this: that although they feel such heavy and unmistakable suffering much and often, they are not rejected by God for this reason, yes, that He loves them above others, because He has conformed them to the image of His only begotten Son.
They do not doubt that because they suffer with him, he will also deliver them from it, just like him. "For all who want to live godly in Christ must suffer persecution", 2 Tim. 3, 12, but one more than the other, according to whether each is strong or weak in faith; "for God is faithful, who will not let us be tempted above our ability", 1 Cor. 10, 13.
A wonderful thing is the faith of Christians.
Our faith is a strange thing, that I and others, who want to be saved in another way, should believe in the man Jesus Christ, that he is the true, natural Son of God, and yet he had to die an ignominious death on the cross, hanged between two evildoers. As he himself said to his disciples shortly before his suffering Luc. 22, 37: "It must yet be fulfilled in me, which is written of me, that he is reckoned among the transgressors; since we have never seen him", 1 Petr. 1, 8. that he is like a stone lying in the sea to us, since we know nothing of it. But because he says in the gospel Joh. 14, 6: "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me"; item, Matth. 28, 18. 19. 20: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me", therefore "go and teach all nations, baptizing them ... and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you." Well then, if he says that he is Lord over all, who has authority in heaven and on earth, then he is and will remain so.
He proved it at the Imperial Diet in Augsburg a year ago, when the greatest and most powerful leaders in Christendom, both spiritual and secular, were assembled against him, and were furious and angry to destroy his word completely and to exterminate all of us. But if we did not know that he was Lord over all, he would have proved his majesty, so that we should praise and give thanks to him without ceasing, and be sure that he is able and willing to save us from all danger and distress, however great and severe they may be. But what shall I say? This great
The miracle of this Diet has been forgotten as if it had never happened. The world is no good at all; it is of the devil, as it goes and stands.
108 Against the Obstacle of Reason.
We Christians do not allow ourselves to be challenged that reason, the devil's whore, according to her blindness, allows herself to think that there is no more unrighteous, foolish faith than that of the very Christians who believe in a crucified Jew, Jesus Christ. Well, let them lie and mock as long as they can, in the name of their idol, the devil. We have and praise it as the highest grace of God that we recognize and believe in Jesus Christ, who was crucified and died for us, because we know that "no other name has been given to us men, whereby we may be saved. 4, 12. Therefore condemn as blasphemous abominations and lies of the devil all other faiths and religions, as invented by Pabst, Mahomet and others, are certain that God has given away and rejected the founders of these superstitions and false religions in a wrong sense.
109. difference between the resurrection and ascension of Christ.
When one of the doctors asked Luther: What is the difference between the resurrection and the ascension of Christ? he said: Christ is set over all things by the resurrection, even after mankind, as it is written in the eighth Psalm, v. 7, 8, 9.And the Lord Christ Himself said after His resurrection Matth. 28, 18: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me," although according to the Godhead He was from eternity; but through the Ascension He receives dominion and government over all things. This is the difference, as that I give a likeness of it: A young prince, king or prince, is heir and lord of all the land and people of his lord father, but he is not permitted to rule or reign until his time. To go to heaven and sit at the right hand of the Father Almighty is to be like God, to sit in equal majesty and power, which is called a divine power, and to rule over all.
110 Ascension Day.
It was a strange thing to see that Christ disappeared before the disciples' eyes and ascended to heaven; and the good disciples will have thought in part: We have eaten and drunk with him, and now he is visibly being lifted up from us into heaven; if only it were true? For they were not all equally strong in faith, as Matthew writes in chapter 28, v. 17: "When they saw the Lord, they fell down before him, but some doubted."
I know Doctor Jonam very well, and if he were to appear now in the air and disappear before our eyes, it would truly give me strange thoughts. But the Lord will be alive for the forty days from the resurrection until the ascension, when he has shown himself alive with many proofs, Acts 1:3. 1:3, taught them all they needed and strengthened them in their faith, reminding them of what he had said to them before, so that they did not doubt his person. Even though it was difficult for them. For when the Lord stood in the midst of them in the evening of Easter day, and said, Peace be unto you. "they were frightened and thought they saw a ghost", Luc. 24, 36. 37. "And Thomas would not believe before that the other disciples had seen the Lord, because he had seen the nail marks in his hands" 2c., Joh. 20, 25. And Acts 1, 7. 1, 7. when he had talked with them forty days about the kingdom of God and was now about to ascend, they asked him: "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
But afterwards, when they received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, their minds were much changed, and they were no longer afraid of the Jews, but stood up fearlessly, and preached of Christ with all joy before all the people 2c. And Peter, Apost. 3:6, said to the lame man, "Silver and gold have I none; but what I have I give thee, in the name of JEsu Christ of Nazareth: arise, and walk." And yet afterwards the Lord had to show him by a vision, Apost. 10, 9. ff. that the Gentiles also have the promise of life through Christ.
Although he had heard from the Lord before, shortly before his ascension, Marc. 16, 15: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creatures"; and Matth. 28, 19: "Teach all nations"; and to the Galatians, Cap. 2:14, Paul punished him because a complaint had come against him. I say this to show that the apostles, after receiving the Holy Spirit, did not soon know everything and were sometimes weak in faith. Paul (since all of Asia turned away from him, also some of his disciples departed from him, and many false spirits, who had a great reputation, sat against him) says with a sad heart 2 Thess. 3, 2: "Faith is not for everyone"; item, since he 1 Cor. 2, 3. "I was with you in weakness and fear and great trembling"; 2 Cor. 7:5: "We were always in trouble, struggling on the outside and fearing on the inside": he will not always have been strong in faith, so that the Lord had to comfort him: "Be content with my grace, for my power is mighty in the weak", 2 Cor. 12:9.
This is comforting to me and to all Christians, for I also believe, but that it would be better, 1) and yet teach others the faith: I know that my teaching is right, but I am still far short of faith. I sometimes think: you preach God's word, the ministry is commanded to you, and you are called to it without your will, you confess and praise Christ, which does not come to pass without fruit, for many do better; but when I see my weakness, that I eat, drink, and at times am also cheerful and a good collationist, then I begin to doubt, and say: Oh, who only could believe! 2) That is why the secure, presumptuous spirits, as heretics (and all false Christians), are peevish, harmful people, who, when they have once looked at the Bible above or heard some sermons, soon make themselves believe that they have the Holy Spirit, understand and know everything. Oh, pious hearts are much differently minded, praying every day, even every moment: "Lord, strengthen our faith," Luc. 17:5.
1) The meaning of this sentence is: "I should probably have stronger faith."
2) Cf. Cap. 12, § 19; 3, § 32.
Christ alone is to be heard.
(Cordatus No. 816. s
If Christ comes and speaks to you (if you repent of your sin) like Moses, "What have you done?" then strike him dead. 1) But if he speaks to you like God and your Savior, stretch out both ears.
112. lamentation of the godly over their unbelief.
Is it not a miserable plague that we make our sin so great and grievous, forgetting our baptism, yes, of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave and sacrificed Himself for it, for which "God hath made us, that He should be our righteousness," 2c., 1 Cor. 1:30, which, of course, the devil will have to leave unpunished?
He who is rich and powerful defies and insists on it, and even if he is a wicked man, he does not worry that he will lose his property and power because of it. A lord, prince remains lord or prince over land and people, even if he is not pious because of his person. So a child is a child and heir to all his father's goods, and does not prevent himself from becoming unclean, courting his mother's bosom, or insulting his father. How is it then that we are so fainthearted, so despondent, and nowhere so wise as the children of the world? Luc. 16:8, so that we cannot also be moved and say (when we feel the power of sins through the law, and the terror of death makes us sweat with fear): What is it now that I have sinned? Is God, who keeps faith forever, Ps. 146, 6, therefore a liar? who through Paul, his chosen armor, speaks Rom. 5, 20: "Grace is much more powerful than sin"; and Ps. 117, 2: "His grace and truth rule over us forever". This would also mean to praise and extol our inheritance, not before the world, but before God, who is pleased with it and makes it the most pleasing service to Him.
1) A heroic saying, by which is meant to be said: Although someone wants to attack you in Christ's name, do not accept him; Christ is not an angry judge, but a kind savior. Cf. in § 113 the saying, "It is not Christ who terrifies, but the devil."
Our righteousness is not like the worldly righteousness of which the lawyers speak; but we are called and are righteous because Christ sacrificed himself for us and made us clean from sins, holy and righteous by his holy blood; item, because we have been baptized, have his word and believe. If the devil therefore come, reproach thee with thy sin, and afflict thee, and put thee to death; turn him away from thee unto Christ, who is thy righteousness and life, and let him debate with him. But thou keepest his word. The children are best of all; they trust their fathers, and say plainly, It is my father; and though they sometimes do it, and are wicked, and do evil, and are reproached for it, yet they dispute not whether he be father or no father; therefore they do best.
113. a different.
(The beginning of this § contained in Cap. 58, § 9, para. 5, therefore omitted. The following Cordatus No. 574. 2)
It is the most insolent vice and the greatest deception of Satan that we trust men more than God. I do more good to my wife and all of you than to Christ, knowing that no one has done such things for me as he has. And although he has done so great things for me, I fear him more than I love him. As soon as I say, "Yes, I am a poor sinner," Christ answers, "I died for you, that is why I baptized you, that is why I teach you every day. How patiently he bore the apostles' lack of understanding, and how kindly he dealt with them, we must diligently take heed. Christ, compared with all who are by nature the most kind, is yet alone the lamb, those the lions. The evil spirit reverses all this with the highest art, and makes of the kindest Christ a severe judge. But know this, that it is not Christ who terrifies, but the devil. This believe me, as when GOD speaketh, for the Holy Ghost speaketh to man, by a man, without [special] revelation. Pommer has with words that are not directed to it
2) Cf. cap. 2, § 58.
I have often been so comforted by the words of the Holy Spirit that I am still comforted by them today. This is how the Holy Spirit instructs and comforts people when we speak without thinking. 1)
114. name JEsus Christ.
I have and know nothing of Jesus Christ, because I have neither seen nor heard him bodily, but only his name. But I have learned so much about him from the Scriptures, praise God, that I am content to let him suffice me, and for this reason I do not desire to see or hear him in the flesh. Moreover, in my greatest weakness, in the terror and feeling of the burden of sin, in fear and trembling before death, in persecution of the wicked world, I have often experienced and felt the divine power, which this name has demonstrated in me, who was otherwise abandoned by all creatures, snatched me out of the midst of death, made me alive again, comforted me in the greatest despair, especially in the Diet of Augsburg in 1530, that I, if God wills, will remain by the name, live and die. . And before I would allow in my life that Erasmus or another, be he called and be he who he will, should be too close to my Lord Christ with his godless and false doctrine, however delicious color he paints it, to adorn and decorate it, before I would not live. Yes, it would be more tolerable for me to suffer all torment and torture, together with my wife and child, and finally die the most shameful death, than to see such things and keep quiet about them.
How a believing soul talks to Christ.
(Contained in Cap. 48, § 35 and already printed: Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. X, 1509.)
The blasphemy of Christ and his word makes it all.
When people blaspheme Christ, persecute and condemn His Word as surely and boldly as the papists and their followers, blinded by the devil, are now doing
1) The conclusion of this section is contained in Cap. 1, § 5, last paragraph. The preceding paragraph follows directly from Cap. 58, § 9.
The Jews, who are obdurate, thirsty and foolish, drive out and murder many pious people as the worst heretics; but some (as the red spirits and enthusiasts, called Anabaptists, Sacramentans, Antinomians, or others who will come after us) falsify and pervert the good word: so it is in the end, and must break in a short time. As happened to the Jews. When they ascribed Christ's teachings and deeds to the devil and blasphemed him on the cross, the whole creature trembled, for it could not bear it. The sun lost its light, the curtain in the temple was torn, the earth shook, the rocks were torn, the graves were opened. And when the Lord had swept his threshingfloor and gathered the wheat into his sheds, he set fire to the chaff 2c. So will he do now at the end of the world, when the number of his elect is fulfilled.
117. no one leads to heaven 2c., says Christ John in the 3rd chapter.
As if he wanted to say: Without me, no one can become pious and righteous before God by his own strength, merit, self-chosen holiness, not even by the works of the law, nor can he enter the kingdom of heaven. For I am and remain in heaven, and yet for this reason I came down from heaven, that I might take you up with me. From this it follows that only those who believe in Christ obtain forgiveness of sins, are justified before God and inherit the kingdom of heaven, that for this reason he came down from heaven into the world, that he took on human nature and through his suffering and resurrection redeemed us from the power of the devil, sin and death, and made us heirs of the kingdom of heaven; as he further says Joh. 3:14, 15: "As Moses lifted up a serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up," that is, crucified and slain, "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
In these three words (gone to heaven, come down from heaven, and be in heaven, which mean three different times) he briefly summarizes his omnipotence. 1. "Coming down from heaven" is that he descends to heaven.
He appeared on earth, became man (equal to us in all things, but without sin), let his glory be seen through teaching and miracles, and finally accomplished the work of redemption of the human race. 2) "To go to heaven" means that he will no longer appear on earth in bodily form. 3. to be in heaven is that he has never left the right hand of the Father, that is, the Godhead, but has always been and still is in heaven, that he has never left or will never leave the human nature he has assumed.
If God is for us, who can be against us? Rom. 8.
Now Christ our Lord and God has swallowed up death for our comfort and salvation forever. Now that death has been swallowed up forever through Christ, sin, which is the sting of death, has become blunt, so that it now has no edge or point to prick us, that is, to frighten, accuse and condemn us. So also the law is eternally unable to strengthen sin, that is, the law cannot drive us, nor convince us that we are sinners; yes, those who are in Christ and walk in the Spirit, not according to the flesh, as Paul says Gal. 5:16.
In this way the devil is also captured, stripped and judged, and all power is taken away from him, so that he cannot continue to rule over us forever. So also all the fury, raging and raging of the blind false world, the devil's bride, has become a mockery and laughter; for what can it do more than kill the body and promote us the more temporally to eternal life and bliss? Therefore all misfortune, be it sickness, poverty, affliction, misery, sorrow, all kinds of suffering, is far too little and small, even if it lasts a hundred years and even longer, compared to the future glory that will be revealed to us on the blessed day of our redemption, Rom. 8:18.
This is not the case with us and in us, but we feel the contradiction quite rightly; that is why faith is necessary, which neither sees nor gropes, but sticks to the word. But hope waits
The faith that has been grasped through the word will be saved through patience. In his time faith will become a public and eternal vision, the invisible will become visible (as in the beginning of creation the world, which was not yet visible, became a visible and essential world), and man will have eternal life, bliss, joy and happiness. Happy is he who understands this and would like to believe it!
119 Christ is the only consolation of his believers in their cross and suffering on earth.
Scripture testifies that all the godly must suffer persecution, 2 Tim. 3, 12, and enter the kingdom of God through tribulations, Acts 14, 22. 14, 22. Therefore St. Peter admonishes the believers to "resist the devil, who walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, firmly in faith", 1 Petr. 5, 8. Further v. 9: They are not the only ones who are challenged by the devil and the evil world, but "should know that their brethren have the same suffering from time to time in all the world". Such is the feeling of devout hearts who are serious about holding fast to the word of Christ and persevering in his grace and knowledge to the end. Let us not speak of the poor and afflicted consciences, who (especially in this last gruesome time, when the furious devil is pouring out all his wrath and fury) suffer innumerable times to and fro, under the godless tyrants in the papacy and in Turkey, in various ways: Who, in their distress and anguish, have no other consolation than to have Christ, the Son of God, as their Savior and Advocate with the Father, to keep His word, and to have a heartfelt longing and desire for His blessed appearing, when He will finally redeem them and abundantly satisfy all their sufferings for eternity.
Then one will look at the other, will confess us to each other, and say: Behold, how do we come together here? Who would have thought of this wonderful, blessed change? On earth we were the most miserable, unworthy, well-suffering people, had to be heretics and rebels, and
as a curse of the world and children of the devil let the tyrants execute us. Where are they now, the angry nobles, the great, mighty kings and lords, who wanted to exterminate Christ, his word and poor little people to the ground? who spat at us, mocked and ridiculed us, trampled us underfoot, threw us into the towers, chased us out, inflicted all plagues and tortures on us, had us executed by fire and sword? Where are the holy spiritual fathers who banished, cursed and handed us over to the devil as the worst blasphemers and deceivers of the world? They are in the abyss of hell, "since their worm does not die and their fire is not extinguished," Isa. 66:24. On the other hand, we who have heard Christ, according to his Father's command, have believed in him, have held fast to his word, and have borne our cross for a little while, hardly even for a moment, compared to the great glory that is now revealed to us, now live in Christ in unspeakable eternal joy and blessedness, and praise him together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, with all the dear angels and saints.
120. Apart from Christ, one should not remember God.
No other God is to be remembered except Christ, of whom the Father testified: "This is the one you shall hear", Matth. 17, 5. The God who does not speak through Christ's mouth is not God. In Judaism, God would not hear anywhere except at the mercy seat, Exodus 25:22: so He will not hear anyone except through Christ. But as the majority of the Jews did not ask for the mercy seat, but ran from time to time, burned incense here and there on the high mountains and hills, or under the green trees, and sought God in various places; in part also out of great devotion, their sons and daughters, to God (yes, to the devil, as the 106th Psalm, v. 37). Psalm, v. 37, says) in honor of God and to serve him with it: the same happens in Christianity; the great multitude is drowned in their thoughts and carnal devotion; one seeks God in St. Jacob's, another in Rome, the third in the monastery, and so on. This is called
the prophet Isaiah Cap. 53, 6: "going astray and looking to his own", self-chosen, not to God's "ways". For whoever seeks God apart from Christ will never find Him, and will do as he pleases. Whoever does not follow this word of Christ ("No one comes to the Father except through me", Joh. 14, 6.) is eternally lost.
(Here a section of 26 lines is omitted because. contained in Cap. 2, § 84, paras. 7-9.)
The enmity between Christ and the devil started in paradise.
No wonder that Satan is hostile to Christ and opposes his word, kingdom and people with all his power and cunning. There is an old hatred and enmity between them, which began in paradise. So they are also of a perverse kind and nature. He smells Christ over several hundred miles. In Constantinople, he hears that we teach, speak and preach against his kingdom here in Wittenberg; he also senses what harm comes to him from this, which is why he rages and rages so horribly.
But it is more to be wondered at that among us men (who are of the same kind and nature, and so firmly bound together by the bond of love that one should love another as himself) there should be such great ill-will, envy, hatred, anger, dissension, discord, revengefulness, that one should murder the other over it. Who is closer to the husband than his wife? to the son than his father? to the daughter than her mother? to the cord than her sister-in-law? and again. Item, brothers and sisters could not be closer related to each other: nor is it rare to find unity, love and friendship among them. The pagans also noticed this and complained about it, but they did not know that all this is the work of the wicked devil.
Christ is an unworthy guest in the world.
(Contained in Cap. 4, K 42.)
What Christ is for a king.
Christ does not pay much attention to the worldly and domestic regiment, because he is not
He did not come to be a worldly lord, but for this reason he became man, that he might be a king, to destroy the devil's kingdom and to make the people blessed. As he himself says: "The Son of Man came to save that which was lost", Luc. 19, 10. But he is foolish enough to do so.
Christ and the law cannot dwell together in one conscience.
(This § is in the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, cap. 5. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, §44. 45.)
In Christ we have everything.
Oh dear God! said D. Martin, that we might trust in you and give thanks to you, who have cared for us in this way, yes, who have given us and bestowed upon us everything in Christ. For this is the great unspeakable mystery, which is hidden from all worldly and carnal wisdom, namely, that God, the heavenly and almighty Father, has died to us in His majesty, has manifested everything and given it to the Son, who is now our flesh and blood, yet without sin. To the same he directs us. If we alone hear and accept him, we shall have all things in him. For our sake he should be crucified so miserably and horribly by the most holy people, who had the greatest name. For Annas is as much as John; Caiphas as Peter; Judas as a king of the Jews. They had to take offense at your Christ and become knights at him. Summa, those who have had the greatest name in the world have been the worst scoundrels.
126. Apart from the humanity of Christ, one should not seek grace or forgiveness of sins.
(This § is in the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, cap. 1. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, 857.)
In what matters one may dispute without danger from the majesty of God.
(This § is in the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, cap. 1. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, §58.)
The Christians' art and wisdom.
(This § is in the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, cap. 1. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, 877.)
The first thing to do is to get to know Christ.
(This § is in the great interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, cap. 1. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, § 84. 85. 86.)
Knowing Christ in the midst of temptation is difficult.
(This § is in the great interpretation of the Epistle to oie Galatians, cap. 1. Walch, old edition, vol. VIII, § 87 and 88.)
131. Christ's burden that he has borne.
Christ had to bear the sins of all the world, and all the blood that has been shed since the beginning and will be shed in the future. He had (I mean) a burden on him, under which he would have had to sink, if he were not true natural God, and did it all for our sake; but few among us thank him for it.
Christ must have a big mouth and wants us to accept his words.
(The first paragraph in Cordatus No. 709.)
When Christ speaks a word, he opens his mouth, which is as wide as heaven and earth, even if he only speaks of a herb. He said this on the occasion of the words [Gen. 1:28]: "Grow and multiply, and fill the earth."
Item, he said at another time: If the emperor speaks a word, that can do something; but if Christ speaks, he fasts heaven and earth at one bite. Therefore, when he speaks, the man's word must be regarded as different from the word of man, for he is truly God himself.
Christ has interpreted the law.
When Christ preached Matt. 5, he consulted, punished and refuted the false interpreters and interpreters of the law, and set right again Moses, whom they had adulterated, saying, Thus and so shall ye understand Moses.
Christ and the pope are rushed to each other.
(Cordatus No. 71.)
I have attached Christ and the pope to each other, so I don't care about anything else. 1) Although I come between the door and the hinge, and must be pushed.
The devil will have to let Christ remain.
(Contained in Cap. 26, § 5, para. 2.)
136. Christ is to be sought in the Holy Scriptures alone.
(This section is contained in Cap. 1, § 5.)
137. with Christo one should remain.
The world begins to rage again, to become senseless, mad and foolish against Christ. Let us go with the man to failure and rise with him; let us see what they will gain and what we will lose, for he says: "Where I am, there shall my servant be also", John 12:26.
138. appearance of Christ from earth.
Christ came once on earth and was seen and heard with miraculous signs and preaching, and so he will not come again. I do not want him to send me an angel. And if an angel would come to me and let himself be seen in a visible form, I would not believe him. I will abide by God's word alone, as He has revealed and given it to me through His prophets and apostles, and will not hear or accept any other voice.
He continued: "Nevertheless, methinks there are still many Christians, and I believe there are many more of them here than at the time of St. Paul in Corinth. But I think that the end of the world will be the same as the end of the world at the time of the flood, when there were only eight people in the ark who were preserved. For even though there are sinners with us now, they do not persecute the Word.
1) i.e. I continue not to worry about any /thing.
139. Of the Preference of God's Word.
Of the merit of God's word, Luther said: "Christ has once visibly come to earth and has lived among us and made us see his glory; he has accomplished the work of redemption of the human race out of God's deliberate counsel and providence. I do not desire that he should come yet once, nor do I want him to send me an angel. And even if an angel would come from heaven and visibly present himself to me, I would not believe him, because I have my Lord Christ's letter and seal, that is, his word and sacrament; I abide by it and do not desire any new revelation.
And that D. Luther himself told this story: that he once prayed fervently in his little room and thought of how Christ hung on the cross, suffered and died for our sins; there was a bright glow on the wall and a glorious figure of Christ with the five wounds appeared in it, and looked at him, the doctor, as if it were the Lord Christ himself in the flesh. When the doctor saw it, he first thought it was something good, but soon he thought it must be the devil's ghost, because Christ appeared to us in his word and in a low, humble form, as he had hung on the cross and been humbled. Therefore the doctor said to the image: "Get up, you devil, I know of no other Christ than the one who was crucified and who is presented and preached in his word. And soon the image had disappeared, which had been the devil in the flesh.
The doctor said that a virgin in Wittenberg had been ill, the old economist's friend, who had also seen a vision as if she saw Christ in a glorious and beautiful form: now she had almost worshipped such an image, because she would not have meant anything else than that it was the Lord Christ. When a messenger was hurriedly sent from the college to the monastery, and D. Luther was sent for, he too
The devil had admonished her that she should not let the devil make a monkey out of her. Thereupon, she spit in the face of the image; the devil soon disappeared and the image was transformed into a large snake, which ran to the virgin in bed and bit her ear, so that the drops of blood stood on her ear and flowed down, and the snake was soon gone. Luther himself saw this with his eyes along with many others.
140. Christ alone is to be defied and insisted upon.
Well then, we have trusted in the man, the Lord Christ, the Son of God, who will certainly not leave us. Our life and limb are upon him: where he abideth, there shall we abide also: else know I nothing that I can contend against. Therefore, if Christ lives, he will know that we do and suffer all things for his sake, preaching, teaching, writing. As the world also knows, and we also know: on him we dare, he also will help us; but it must also break, and cannot stand thus.
Christ and Satan cannot get along.
1) Christ and Belial cannot be reconciled nor reconciled with each other, and humanly speaking they cannot let up on one thing: neither gives way to the other, it is an eternal enmity between them. For, the papists admit that they are wrong in indulgences, remember everyone: Qui semel malus etc.. He who is once a prankster is always thought to be one. If the indulgence falls, the mass falls; if the mass falls, the monasteries and convents fall, and so on.
142 These verses were made at the colloquium held at Worms in 1545, that the Pope and Luther cannot be reconciled with each other.
(Not from Luther.)
143. Christ is an evil steward.
Christ keeps house in an evil and unwise way, because he becomes poor and a beggar, so that he has no place to lay his head, suffers hunger and thirst, heat and frost, and makes others rich and blessed.
Christ and Satan never compare, one must give way to the other.
Because the devil is a prince and god of the world, of the Lord Christ, of his word and of those who have it pure and unadulterated and hold fast to it, he must and will also receive it, of whom it is written Ps. 110, 4: "You are a priest forever" 2c. and Ps. 2, 6: "I have appointed my king on my holy mountain" 2c. And it is impossible that Christ and the devil can get along with each other in one bed, one must cast out the other. Thus we Lutherans and Papists cannot dwell under one roof with each other, neither can suffer the other, one part must give way to the other. The Jews and the apostles were also under one roof, but the Jews had to give way.
And said further: This time of ours is the same as it was in the time of Jude Maccabaei, who protected his people from violence, and yet could not subdue the enemies, but they kept the regiment. And his own have done him the greatest harm, that I believe he has often desired death in such disloyalty and ingratitude; for these two pieces make one weary.
145. Apart from Christ, everything is wickedness.
All that is in the world, apart from Christ, may be so high and delicious, may seem so angelic, and may be called holiness, honorable life, virtue, discipline, honor; but it is nothing more than a cover of shame, under which lies hidden the highest wickedness, yes, the devil himself. Although it is not evil in itself that in the world there is wisdom, discipline, honor and honorable life 2c. But if one wants to draw such a thing so that it 2) should also be valid before God, then a loud disgrace will be created.
2) "it" inserted according to Stangwald.
cover it, so that the abominable sin is covered, which is called blaspheming God and persecuting His word. It is not evil to be sensible, learned, wise and virtuous, for these are fine jewels and gifts of God: but this is the devil, that they misuse such glorious gifts of God, such beautiful virtues, art, respectability and modest living as a cover of shame, and under the same appearance blaspheme and persecute God.
It is quite a fine jewel and special adornment around a chaste virgin; but if this chaste virgin would approach and murder father and mother, then the beautiful virtue and chastity would only be a cover of a great villainess, father and mother murderer. So these also seem to be pious and holy, and yet under such appearances they are so wicked that they are beyond all measure, so that nothing on earth can reveal and expose such wickedness, but only the gospel of the infant Jesus. As the old Simeon said to the mother Luc. 2, 35: "O Mary, your Son will make all the world, and the best, most pious people, into nothing but knaves, scoundrels and murderers, who are now coming in, so that they will be worshipped for wisdom and holiness, so that they will break out and prove themselves to be the worst enemies of God and of true Christians. That one will say: Fie on you, kitten, how you have such a smooth bellow and sharp claws: you do as cats do, licking in front and scratching behind.
Christ's kingdom is preserved by God alone against all devils and the world's rages.
(Omitted because contained in Cap. 26, § 2, sub. 3.)
147. Christ is the highest article.
The highest article of our Christian faith is Christ, which neither Zwingel nor Oecolampadius had and understood, nor have all the other heretics and red spirits.
The little animal Ichneumon is the image of the Lord Christ.
(Lauterbach, Aug. 14, 1538, p. 112.; and April 23, p. 69.)
Luther asked what the crocodile was. It must certainly be a lindworm, a large
Lizard, 18 cubits long, a beast of Egypt, which is said to be moved by the highest joy when it can eat human flesh, so that it also sheds tears of joy. And yet this monstrous beast is killed by the Ichneumon. Therefore the Egyptians worshipped both as gods. Thus 1) Ichneumon also arms himself against the viper, a very poisonous serpent, with clay, puts on a clay [leymen] armor and defeats the dragon; this is our Lord God's game, who does not proceed with violence but with wisdom, and a model of Christ. That is how powerful God is in the creatures. But we do not know the land animals: the unicorn, the rhinoceros, the leopard, the giraffe, the tiger, the ostrich. God is wonderful in His creatures.
(April 23) On this day he said much about the Ichneumon, a small animal that miraculously killed both the crocodile and the viper, as Pliny writes. This animal is an example of Christ, who, although weak, nevertheless defeats his enemies.
Christ is the believer's salvation and wisdom, otherwise it is a poor thing with human wisdom.
The Lord Christ alone is our victory over the devil: he who does not have him is lost. Nevertheless the world despises the Lord Christ, and still wants to be wise; so the devil thinks, "This is a right venison for me. Extra Christum non est salus: A Christian alone is safe from the devil, if he holds Christ for his wisdom, sanctification, righteousness and salvation.
Alas for our poor cleverness! Before we become wise, we lie down and die. That is why the devil is well pleased: when a man is thirty years old, he still has carnal wickedness, not to mention spiritual wickedness. Nevertheless, it is a wonder that we can do such great things in such weakness. But our Lord God gives it. He gave Alexandro Magno
1) Instead of iäeo in Lauterbach we have chosen the more appropriate reading ita etiam in Bindseil II, 108, because iäeQ seems to have arisen by repetition from the preceding sentence.
Wisdom and fortune, and yet calls him a youth in the prophet Jeremiah, Cap. 49, 19, a young man, where it is said, "Who knows who is the young man whom I will prepare against them?" 1) A young spoon, he shall do it, he shall come, and shall turn back the city of Tyrum. But Alexander did not forget his stulties, for he often got drunk and stabbed his good friends when he got drunk; indeed, he drank himself to death at Babel afterwards.
Our youthful years are nothing: when one reaches the age of twenty, what does he understand? People are not as strong now as they were a long time ago. Solomon was not much over twenty years old when he became king, but he must have been instituted by Nathan; so our Lord God also appears to him, and says: He should ask what he wants, and God will give it to him; then he desires wisdom: this pleases our Lord God very well, as the text says 1 Kings 3:5 ff. Now one would desire a box of money, even my most gracious Lord himself. Well, they say, if I had money, I would get it.
(Here, § lines are omitted because contained in Cap. 43, § 33, para. 2.)
150 Christ soon grew tired of this life, and so did his Christians.
Christ did not want to be long here on earth in the preaching ministry, but handed over the kingdom and rule to his Father, and appointed apostles. Of the same (as well as the others) Paul writes Phil. 1, 23: "I desire to be dissolved" (that is, to die). They also have enough of this life. So now we also cry out, we are tired and weary of this life, we also desire that God take us to His heaven only soon, or come with the last day, and put an end to the game (since the falsification of doctrine and other vices have become rampant). Our Lord God must be a humble man, so that he can provide the world with people.
1) This scripture is rendered by us in German.
Christ humbled and humbled himself deeply.
(Contained in Cap. 7, §105.)
152: How Christ distributes his merit. (Cordatus No. 519. 2)
A merit is a work for the sake of which Christ has given a reward, but Christ gives us because of His promise. As when a prince says: Come to me to my castle, I will give you a hundred guilders. Here I do a work by going to the castle, for the sake of which the florins are certainly not given to me; not for the sake of any merit, but for the sake of the promise.
153 The Christians' Consolation.
(Composed of Cap. 1, § 54, para. 1. u. Cap. 7,§ 71.)
154 Christ's preaching has not been like this, as now at the time of the Gospel.
(Contained in Cap. 12, § 26.)
Hearing Christ is the greatest worship.
When one asked, "What is the greatest service that pleases God?" D. Martinus said. Martinus: Hearing Christ and being obedient to him is the greatest and highest worship; otherwise all is useless. For he has it in heaven much better and more beautiful than we can do it; otherwise Saul's sacrifice and service would also have pleased him, since he said, "Your service and sacrifice only provoke me to anger," 1 Sam. 15, 22. ff, and was nevertheless from the outside the most beautiful and best service. Thus says the fortieth Psalm, v. 7: "Thou wilt not have heave offerings and burnt offerings, but they shall be obedient unto thee. Just as the men of war say in wars: Obedience and keeping to the letter of the articles is the victory.
Christ alone is the comfort and hope of Christians.
(Contained in Cap. 7, §1, penultimate paragraph.)
2) Cf. Cap. 14, § 45.
157. Christ is a bishop of our souls.
The best help for Christians is, said D. Martinus, that Christ is a high priest and bishop of our souls. Martinus said that Christ is a high priest and bishop of our souls, since conscience always says that he is a strict judge when it feels God's wrath against sin. Apart from Christ and his word, no one can help himself.
In what God's consolation stands.
People's comfort, said D. Martinus, and God's comfort are two different things. Man's consolation is in outward visible help, which can be grasped, seen and felt. God's consolation is in the Word and the promise alone, since there is neither seeing, hearing nor feeling. A baptized and believing person must be very dear to our Lord Christ.
159. Christ does not shrink.
(Contained in Cap. 13, 815, para. 4 from the end.)
160 The Lord's Giving of Christ.
(Contained in Cap. 7, 8113.)
What the world thinks of Christo.
Christ must be the world's joke, mockery and ridicule. Pilate would not have had Christ crucified, if he had not been overawed. The Pharisees, Judas and Pilate, that is three persons for the death of Christ. The Pharisees had Jesus killed out of envy, avarice or greed; Judas out of greed for money; Pilate out of ambition and fear. The first one is the most evil.
162) Apart from Christ there is no consolation and how he chides the believers. 1)
Outside of Christ, no one can comfort, advise or help him; but in him there is all comfort and joy, through faith in the Word. How could our Lord Christ rebuke us more simply than by calling us sheep? A sheep lets itself be reproached, but nevertheless gives wool or milk, and lets its life with patience.
1) Cf. § 157 of this Cap.
God is not only the God of the Jews, but also the God of the Gentiles.
St. Paul wrote the epistle to the Romans solely for the sake of the anguish, namely, that God is not only God of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles, that is, that He is gracious to all who believe in Christ and wants them well. Adhere only to Christ, for apart from Him there is no knowledge of God, nor blessedness, comfort and help.
That Christ would save the Jews and the Gentiles.
It was said to D. Luther in 1543 that Christ said to the Gentile woman, "He has not come but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," and yet he helps her as a Gentile and heals her daughter; therefore he must speak against his own conscience. Luther answered and said: "Christ was not sent to the Gentiles, but when the Gentiles came to him, he did not reject them: he was personally sent only to the Jews, therefore he also preached in the Jewish country, but through the apostles his teaching went into the whole world. Thus St. Paul calls the Lord Christ "a minister of the circumcision, because of the promise which God made to the fathers, since God kept His promise truly, and the Jews can boast of God's truth, but the Gentiles shall boast of God's mercy", Rom. 15, 8. 9, and is not forgotten by us, the Gentiles. God has not spoken to us, so we have had no king nor prophet with whom God has spoken, but St. Paul says otherwise in one place, Apost. 13, 46: "To you alone it was preached, but since you were unwilling, behold, we turn to the Gentiles."
This still annoys the Jews today, because they think that the Messiah is theirs alone, and it is a beautiful and glorious name that Moses says 5 Mos. 7, 6: "You are a holy nation. But David also promises Christ to the Gentiles in his Psalms: "Praise the Lord, all the Gentiles," Ps. 117:1, not only to the Jews. There it is solved. After that
All the promises made to Abraham are also true. But the dear apostles understood it with difficulty. They were good rough fellows, they could not have done otherwise: they must have thought they wanted to become great lords; they had already divided the people among themselves from time to time. As the two disciples who went to Emmaus when Christ died said, Luc. 24, 21: "We hoped that he would redeem Israel. But this opinion had to be mortificiret. They could not think otherwise, the good fellows. The Lord Christ still treats them kindly, and he is much too kind to them. It is written in the legend of St. Peter that St. Peter always had a little cloth with him to wipe himself, and that he finally got red eyes; and I will believe it. When he was asked why he was crying, he said that when he remembered the most pleasant company of Christ with the apostles, he could not refrain from tears. Christ must have been a good, kind man: and so he still deals with us daily, but we do not recognize it. But after that, on the day of Pentecost, they will be taught differently.
Christ cannot be unlearned.
Christ is incomprehensible, no one can learn him in this life, so that he would understand what and who he is, because he is God. I cannot explain my own actions, movements and thoughts, how could I explain the majesty of Christ?
166 Of Christ's Kingdom.
(Cordatus No. 1759.)
Since Christ reigns in his kingdom, he says: I baptize you, I give you the sacrament, receive, eat, drink, I preach to you. But in the worldly kingdom the ruler says: Do this, and I will give you this 2c. A king seeks his advantage, but Christ ours, with the gentlest words, but those are the cruelest oppressors. The harsher they are, the better. But in Christ's kingdom, the more gentle 2c.
How to signify Christ.
(Cordatus No. 1416.)
Christ's history is to be regarded in three ways, first, as a history, second, as a gift, third, as an example. The stories are the most reliable examples of faith and unbelief.
168. repugnant works of Christ and the devil.
(Cordatus No. 659.)
Christ and the devil are different in work and office, for the latter is the author of life, the sustainer of righteousness, the creator of heaven and earth; the latter, on the other hand, is the lord of death, the author of sin, and definitely the destroyer of all that Christ builds up. In short, all evil and all sickness are works of the devil. But when God ascribes evil to himself in the Scriptures, he did so for the sake of the Manichaeans, who set up two gods, one good and one evil.
Christ bears the curse of the law.
The malediction and curse of the law was borne, taken upon Himself, and abolished by Christ alone, and all this is found there; so that those who have the spiritual blessing and benediction bear and suffer the bodily curse and malediction are persecuted and well afflicted; the wicked here generally go empty-handed.
170) Above the article of Christo, one should hold.
(Contained in Cap. 12, § 35, sub. 2.)
171. forgiveness of sins.
Forgiveness of sins does much, therefore God can forgive the church under the papacy, especially because baptism has remained pure, as well as the sacrament and the text of the Holy Scriptures. Even if they have been tainted by glosses and jugglery, as accidentia, the essence has remained for itself, which has adhered to the hearts that should have caught it, there has been especially great power and authority.
(This paragraph Cordatus No. 1403.)
The article of forgiveness of sins is in all creatures.
(Here three lines are omitted because contained in Cap. 13, § 55)
(From here to the end of the § at Cordatus No. 134.)
Grace does not take away nature, but changes it, and uses it for the glory of God, e.g. the gentle nature of a person who is kind and calm by nature, like Hausmann, uses it in the preaching ministry, so that the sensitive people, who cannot stand anything, have a preacher who presents everything sweetly to them, on the other hand, when God needs a messenger, who seriously lectures his things and dares to rebuke the recalcitrant 1) he uses the wrath of a fierce man, a man like Cordatus, who is harsh in words and manner, so that those who are not converted by the gentleness of the one may be converted by his harshness, or perish, so that they have no excuse. Thus [God] also uses for the best those who are scheming, devious, those who have great intellect, the boasters and the like, so that everything may bring salvation to His elect.
172. write or speak Bon GOD's grace.
(Contained in Cap. 26, § 16.)
173. How God's grace is fasted.
(Contained in Cap. 1, § 5, sub. 3.)
174. strokes make you angry.
After the plague we get angry, like the Jews after the thunder and lightning at Mount Sinai. As we Germans also say, "The sick man was never worse than when he recovered. Therefore it must all come by grace, if we are to be saved.
175 David's fame from his piety.
Why does David praise and exalt his piety, purity and innocence so highly, since he has
1) Instead of in moriMros ilLvioriseros will have to be read, as D. Wrampelmeyer conjicirt correctly.
was a murderer and adulterer? Answered D. M. Luther: You must look well at the little word (meam) "my"; for when David speaks: My piety or righteousness, give him a right Correlativum, my righteousness, namely, against my enemies, there I am pious, for you, my God, know that I have a good cause.
So it is with baptism and absolution: if we go away, we are also pious; yes, before men, but not against God; if he wanted to act seriously with us, we are not yet pious. So my most gracious lord, the Elector of Saxony, must now also be pious against the one of Brunswick, and say: You know my piety against my enemies, not against God; for we have a good, just cause, they are evil.
176: Reason's annoyance at Christ's weakness.
Reason, when it sees Christ born a little child, lying in its mother's womb at the breast and sucking, cannot recognize Him as a Savior and Beatificator of the world: so do the enthusiasts in the Sacrament of the Altar. Just as Christ was wiped out of the grave with a great earthquake, so also today there is and will always be a tumult and tumult in the world, when Christ's obedience, holiness and merit are preached, praised and believed that he alone is our Savior. But such an earthquake is more salutary and pleasing to pious, godly hearts to see and hear than Christ lying in the grave and resting: if there is peace and tranquility in Christendom, it is an evil sign.
177 Christ was silent until his thirtieth year before he entered the ministry.
Christ abstained from preaching and teaching until his thirtieth year, and always kept silent, neither letting himself be heard nor heard in public. However, since he had so much and so many impiety, abominable idolatry, theft of God, false worship, so many
He had to see and hear blasphemy, so many harmful heresies and sects among the people of God. Yet he was able to refrain from doing so until he was publicly called to the preaching ministry.
178. Christ's words are powerful.
(Cordatus No. 542.)
The words of Christ are very strong, have hands and feet, and pass over all the counsels, cunning, and wisdom of the wise, and he puts them to shame with the simplest words and thoughts, that we can do nothing nor escape, as, "Pray unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's." There he neither forbids nor commands anything, but yet he concludes them with their own words, saying, "If you have caused Caesar to be so [far] broken down that you must have his coin, give him what is his. [Matth. 22, 20. 21.]
179 Ways of Preaching in the Papacy.
(The first paragraph in Cordatus No. 1322.)
In the past, it was considered feminine and childish to mention Christ in the pulpit. Scotus, Bonaventure, Occam, Aristotle and Plato ruled. 1)
People were somewhat ashamed and shy, indeed, they considered it to be almost inconsistent, effeminate and a disgrace to call Christ on the preaching chair. And the names of the prophets and apostles were never remembered, nor were their writings taken up, but the rule and manner of all preachers was this: First, to hold forth a theme, saying, and question from Scoto or Aristotele, the pagan master. Secondly, they divided the same. Thirdly, they went into the Distinctiones and Quästiones. And the same preachers were
1) Most likely, the following paragraph is only an Aurifaberian adaptation and extension of the preceding one.
The best of them did not insist on the Gospel, did not even deal with a few words of the Scriptures, and the Holy Scriptures were even covered up, unknown and buried.
180 Christ's intercession and preaching are certain.
(Contained in Cap. 7, § 95.)
181 Believing in Christ alone makes you blessed.
There it is, said D. M. Luther, there it is. Whoever believes in the man called Jesus Christ, God's only Son, has eternal life; as He Himself says John 3:16: "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
If others do what they want, they are still lost, and neither Moses nor the law helps here; indeed, Moses and the law kill man, and do not give life, but death. Therefore it is all up to the Son, who brings eternal life. He who has the Son of God has eternal life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life: for the Son must please God, and God cannot be hostile to the Son. Where the Son is, there he looks, and is well pleased with him. Therefore, in short, it shall be the son alone before God, and nothing else. If you do not believe in the son, whether you are a monk or a nun, a Carthusian or a barefoot, you are already judged.
182. honor of god.
It is God's honor and glory that He has made His Son man, our flesh and blood; which mystery no man can sufficiently consider or conceive. And yet we are so cold and ungrateful. Fie on the shameful fall of Adam, that I should not love this Lord, who has redeemed me from eternal death so dearly!