V. 1. a psalm of David, to be sung for the inheritance. 2)
What "to victory" means has been said once and for all in the previous psalm.
About "the inheritance" I read many things, but nothing that was sufficient for my simple mind. For what Lyra and his people cite as their opinion at this point, that is not my opinion, I also do not understand it. I want to say what is my opinion.
(2) It is certain that this psalm does not speak of suffering and affliction, for in it the person of the psalmist is not mentioned at all, but the whole lamentation is about the wicked, unrighteous and evil. Therefore, in my judgment, it is intended (scopus) that the prophet prays against the hypocrites, the deceitful works saints, the false prophets, who have been praying against the people of God and the inheritance of Christ with human and spiritual evil.
2) Vulgate: vietoriaiü, pro üereäitÄtidus DsalDavid.
They are seduced by the same laws that Christ calls Matth. 7, 15. and Joh. 10, 12. "ravening wolves" and the apostle Tit. 1, 10. "useless talkers and deceivers".
And to come to our time, as he does in the previous Psalm [§ 5 f.] in relation to the law (juris), so he attacks here the ungodly teaching (professionem) and the abuse of theology. Because this is the most harmful persecution, which goes on under the appearance of truth and godliness (since it always uses the name of God), and devastates the heritage of God most of all, therefore he glows with the most violent movements, prays with so many repeated words, accuses the ungodly with so many names, and burns completely with zeal, so that he could say of himself the word, Ps. 69, 10: "I am almost jealous to death for your house."
4. for there is no other cause for which Christ is so inflamed, even Peter and
Paul, and let it be so much as because of these seducers (φ/ιεναπύνας) and.
Wage servants, against whom also the prophets lay themselves with all power (toti). Therefore, we will see that through this Psalm the false prophets, the hypocrites, the heretical people, the superstitiosos and all the lights of men are punished, which devour the people of God through the falsification of the word of God and the false appearance of the works.
5 So the title correctly says: "For the inheritance" or: "To the inheritance", because he wants to preserve the people of God to their Lord. For the people of God is the inheritance of the Lord, as the 33rd Psalm, v. 12, says: "Blessed is the people, whose God is the Lord; the people he has chosen for an inheritance", and Ps. 47, 5: "He has chosen us for an inheritance, the glory of Jacob, whom he loves", which was also said in the 2nd Psalm, v. 8: "I will give you the Gentiles for an inheritance", and in many other places.
But he says in the majority: "the inheritances" (hereditates), although there is only One inheritance of Christ, because it is necessary that it must be distributed in many places because of the multitude, which one cannot teach and govern. Therefore, as there are many shepherds and stewards of God's one inheritance, there are also many inheritances entrusted to them. Therefore, in different places there are also many deceivers and destroyers of this inheritance.
7 But this also shows the great movement of the prophet, that he would rather name the people of God with the word "inheritance" than with the name church, people or synagogue, so that he would arouse the more disgust of the destroyers, and would gain the more favor for himself and similar shepherds like him. Now since every man loves his inheritance exceedingly out of natural zeal, how much more God, who says 2 Mas. 19, 5. "Ye shall be my own," whence also he says afterwards [in this Psalm, v. 11.], "For they are contrary unto thee, O Lord."
(8) At the same time, just by using the name "inheritance" he also secretly indicates the purpose (scopum) of this whole psalm through a beautiful figurative speech. For the inheritance
(hereditates) must be cultivated, effort and work must be put into them, so that they bear fruit and are made better. For this reason, they have many insidiousnesses, even enemies and desolators. Thus the people of God need laborers, teachers and rulers, by whose effort they are made GOtte, and exercised by the word of God; again, by wicked teachers they are corrupted and desolated. Thus, it is sung here "for the inheritance" and by best caretakers.
It should be noted that this Psalm is not to be understood of the Church of Christ alone, but of all the people of God throughout the ages, who have always had their seducers and persecutors, so that according to the title, the general meaning of the Psalm is: "For the inheritance".
(10) I would have nothing against it, but would gladly agree, if someone wanted to understand by the inheritance parts the two opposite kinds of people, one of which is based on their powers, the other on the grace of God, although everything comes to the same thing.
V. 2. 3. Hear my words, O Lord, hearken unto my speech. Hear my cry, my King and my God, for I will pray before you.
Thus the Hebrew text divides these two verses. But the last part of the second verse our [Latin] text connects with the following verse and says: "For I will pray to you" etc. Jerome's translation is also little different, except that instead of "my crying" he has "my howling" (rugitum), for which Lyra puts "my thoughts," and instead of [listen] "to the voice of my prayer" he says: "to the voice of my crying."
12 And here I must first (primus) stand in danger with my opinion. For I have said that this psalm mainly fights against the works saints and the godless theologians, whose only task is to nourish the arrogance of the heart, as also the holy virgin describes them [Luc. 1, 51.]: "He scatters those who are hopeful in their heart's mind." For all ungodly doctrines come from the root of arrogance, so that St. Augustine also calls hopefulness the mother of heresies in many places, because only
which teaches humility properly, as it is said in Prov. 11:2 [Vulg.], "Where pride is, there is also reviling (contumelia.), but where humility is, there is also wisdom." For it is impossible that a hopeful man should not be vituperative, all reproving and judging, as it is shown us in the Gospel, by the Pharisee's conduct against the publican, the humble sinner, and Simon the leper's against the sinful woman [Luc. 18:11, 7:39].
The prophet has in mind the hypocrites of his time, who were extraordinarily puffed up by the righteousness of works, but who did not consider the great sins of spite, arrogance, avarice, and the like, nor did they believe that they needed the grace of God, walking securely in their ways, without fear of God, as all such people always do, always have done, and always will do. Therefore, he begins the psalm with a prayer, humbly seeking God's mercy, and by doing so, above all, punishes their arrogance, as if to say: Those godless people are full, they are holy, they are righteous, they are healthy, they do not need a doctor, and they do not seek your grace to become righteous. But I, poor child of man, am full of all sin, despairing of my works and powers, having nothing to do but pray and call upon thy mercy.
14 Therefore, here is to be noted the very beautiful distinction of the law and the faith, or of the spirit and the letter, which St. Augustine teaches in his writing "Of the Spirit and of the Letter", saying: The law of doing (factorum) says to man: Do what I command; but the law of faith says to GOtte: Give what you command. And again: What the law of doing commands (imperat) by threatening, the law of faith attains (impetrat) by faith. Therefore the people of the law (the theologians of works) say, I have done, and are hopeful, as if they were justified by the works of the law and their own works; the people of faith say, I pray, that I may do. The latter trusts in works and does not seek the mercy of God; the latter considers its own righteousness as dirt [Phil. 3, 8J,
and sighs for God's mercy alone. So also the apostle Rom. 10, 3. says: "They do not know the righteousness that is before God, and seek to establish their own righteousness, and so are not subject to the righteousness that is before God." Thus the letter always puffs up and kills, the spirit humbles and makes alive [2 Cor. 3, 6.], for [1 Petr. 5, 5.] "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
(15) But he prays with great fervor (affectu), as he prays with a prayer repeated three times, and yet indicates no other cause for praying than that he will pray and be heard, "for early (he says, v. 4) I will pray to you, and you will hear me". But why do you want to pray and be heard? "Because thou art not a GOOD (he says, v. 5.) to whom ungodly beings please." What is this? Nothing other than that God loves the prayers who humbly call upon him for his mercy, and hates the arrogant people who are presumptuous about their righteousness.
16 Behold, therefore I will pray, because I know that it pleases thee, I know that thou wilt, I know that thou hast so commanded, that man may despair of himself, and beseech thee for thy justifying mercy. You want, I say, that man should recognize himself as a sinner, and that his whole life should be nothing but a prayer, a longing, a groaning for Your mercy, as it is said in Luc. 18:1: "Pray always," and Ps. 105:4: "Seek His face always." Since the wicked, presumptuous people do not do this, or do it only for a moment, even pretending to do it, when in fact they are satisfied with themselves, you are right to hate them, since they know neither what is theirs nor what is yours.
17) See now the order and the power of words 1): "words", "crying", "voice of my prayer". Likewise: "hear with the ears", "understand", "pay attention". These words prove the exceedingly great, urgent desire (affectum) of the one praying. First, "hear with the ears," that is, listen.
1) Vulgate. V. 2. f.: Verdu ine" auribus perestie, voiuine, iutetliM eluiuorem nieum. tutende vocl orutionis ineue etc..
But it would not be enough if you heard these words and did not also understand my "crying", or "howling" or "my thoughts", as if he said after the usual way of speaking: I speak indeed as one who is not eloquent, and is in fear, but I am not able to do it to such an extent as I would like to be understood. Therefore, what I say too little in words, you understand all the more abundantly in the sense. Therefore I also add my crying, so that what the words do not express to the one who hears them, my crying indicates to the one who understands it. But when thou hast understood, O Lord, take heed, and mark the voice of my prayer, lest thou despise that which thou hast heard and understood.
18. not as if with God there were a different hearing, understanding, attention than with men, but that our desire for God must increase in this way, that we first desire to be heard, then that what is heard may be understood, and that what is understood may be taken care of, or that it may not be neglected.
(19) And in these three pieces the three parts are fully understood, which are used at the entrance to a speech (partes prooemiales), namely, to make the listener favorable, to teach him, to attract his attention; so here the prophet commands God his thing as such, which is worthy, easy and honorable for God, but very necessary for him.
20. "My king and my God". With these words he clearly hits the godless works saints, since they live without a king, without God, since they are satisfied with themselves. And this is one of the words by which it is indicated what this psalm has its purpose (scopus). For to have a king and God is not to be presumptuous in any matter concerning one's own person, to place oneself entirely under God's government and let oneself be guided by Him, then also to carry everything home to God, that one has received it from Him and must receive it from Him. They do not do this at all, or they do it hypocritically, because they ascribe not a little to themselves, indeed, since they do not ascribe everything to God, they ascribe nothing to him. For whoever ascribes anything to himself, he puts
also ascribes honor to himself. But he who ascribes honor to himself ascribes everything to himself, nothing to God, to whom either all the honor is given or no honor is given, because he does not share it or does not share it, as he says Isa. 48, 11: "I will not leave my honor to another. Therefore they rule themselves, but not from God; they are kings to themselves, idols to themselves.
21. for I will pray before thee. He confesses his poverty, he has nothing, only that he hopes to receive through his prayer, that he may be a praying man, not a man who works out something himself (orator - operator).
(22) And in these two pieces, that we have a King and a God, again the epitome of our whole life is expressed. He is our King, in that He takes us away from us and brings us to Himself; He is our God, in that He receives us when we come, and fills us with Himself, that is, with divine goods. The former state is the cross, the departure (phase - the Passover, Ex. 12, 11.), the passage, the leading out of the world, out of the vices, and in general the killing of our person; the later state is that we are taken up [by God and glorified.
Therefore St. Augustine also says in this passage that the Scripture is more accustomed to call the Son a king than the Father. For Christ, by his twofold nature, has directed both. By the kingdom of his humanity or (as the apostle Hebr. 5, 7. speaks) of his flesh, which comes by faith, he conforms us to himself and crucifies us, making right men out of wretched and hopeless gods, that is, wretched and sinful men. For because we went up in Adam wanting to be like God, he went down to be like us, to bring us to know ourselves. And this happens through the mystery of the Incarnation. This is the kingdom of faith, in which the cross of Christ reigns, which casts down the divinity, which has been sought in a wrong way, and puts humanity and the despised weakness of the flesh, which has been left in a wrong way, in its place again.
24. But in the realm of the Godhead and the Lord-
In the second place he will make us like his transfigured body [Phil. 3, 21], when we will be like him, and no longer sinners, nor weak, nor those who need to be led or governed, but kings and children of God, like the angels. Then indeed "my God" will be said, which is now said in hope.
Therefore, he does not inappropriately say first "my King" and then "my God", just like the apostle Thomas John 20:28: "My Lord and my God", because Christ must first be grasped as a man and then as God, because the cross of His humanity must be sought rather than the glory of His divinity. If one has Christ as man, he will bring Christ the God of his own accord.
26 This is hard for our flesh, which would rather have Christ as God than man, because it desires glory more than the cross, it dreads that it should seek glory through the cross, just as Moses fled from the serpent, while when he took it by the tail and the serpent was turned into a staff, he performed marvelous miracles and was made a god to Pharaoh. Ex. 4, 4. 7, 1.
V. 4. Lord, early you will hear my voice, early I will send to you and take heed (mane astabo tibi et videbo),
It will take effort before I can penetrate the sanctity of this verse and understand it. I know two things: one, that "early" in Scripture, according to the secret sense (mystice), means the time of grace, which Christ, "the Sun of righteousness," [Mal. 4:2] illuminates by his glorious coming forth as often as he visits man; the other, that to the morning time, according to the literal sense, are attached mainly the holy and divine works, as praying and teaching, by which the spiritual "early" is pictured.
28. hence it comes that the Lord looked upon the camp of the Egyptians at the time of the morning watch, and put them to shame [Ex. 14:24.], and Ps. 46:6: "God help her early," and Ps. 63:7: "Early I speak of thee." But also of the godless teachers the Psalm says.
[Ps. 127:2: "It is in vain that ye rise early, and eat your bread with sorrow."
29 Micah speaks even more clearly about this in Cap. 2, 1. [Vulg.]: "Woe to you who think on that which is not fit (Hebrew that is, impiety), and who deal in wicked wiles in your camp. Early, when the day dawns, they perform the same, and their hand is against the Lord." This they did (as Isaiah Cap. 10, 1. writes), because they taught the people unrighteous laws and false interpretations of the law, which they had devised, by which they devoured the people, both in soul and body, so that [Ps. 5, 10.] their jaws are rightly called an open grave. Therefore Micha 2, 2.] follows: "They snatch fields to themselves and take houses, which they desire; thus they do violence to every house and to every inheritance." Amos 4, 4. [Vulg.]: "You bring your sacrifices early" etc. Let this be enough to show that the morning time was formerly used for sacrifices, for the fulfillment of justice (justificationibus) [of the law], for teachings, for lectures [from the Scriptures] and in general for divine things, as even today the same custom is kept in the church.
(30) Therefore, in the meantime, I will put aside the "early" in the spiritual meaning, and I will understand, as much as I can, the "early" of time, but I do not know whether I will hit it right. For the early time (mane) has always been assigned to divine things, although it has not always been applied to them in the right way. It seems to me that the prophet separates himself with the inheritance, both from the godless teachers and hearers, and from 1) the godless work saints, if not according to place and time, but certainly according to the heart and his desires, because he accuses both here, since he had to come together early with the others to act divine things and to hear the law of God.
(31) But since they counterfeit the law of God by their statutes, or do not teach it aright, and therefore also live ungodly, and do holy and good things, but speak their fables, that they may please the great multitude, and grow fat, as they do theirs
1) In the Jena and the Erlangen: nt instead of: ud.
The prophets are often accused in the prophets, and today we also see and hear everywhere in the churches that for the sake of the most shameful profit one subjugates oneself to all things in the houses of God and sermons: so the prophet asks and wishes that he may deserve to be heard, and that he may become worthy to hear his God, not the word of a man, but the word of God.
32 For these people do as it is written, Isa. 30:9-11: "For they are a disobedient people, and lying children, which will not hear the law of the Lord; but say unto the seers: Ye shall not see; and to the showers: Ye shall not see us right doctrine; but preach unto us softly, look unto us deceitfulness; depart from the way, make yourselves of the way; let the Holy One in Israel cease from us." This Paul also describes 2 Tim. 4:4, saying, "They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall turn unto fables."
33. So the meaning is: I unhappy man, who am among the people who do not want to hear the truth, who abhor the word of the cross, but love such teachers who cover their ears, as also Isaiah Cap. 6, 5. says: "I dwell among a people with unclean lips" (because of their ungodly teachings). Though I come early with them to hear thee, yet, behold, I hear not thee, but the people teach their ways and the works of men. Therefore, O my King and my God, hear me at that time of the morning, because at that time I do not send myself to them (adsto), nor pay attention to them, but toward you the mouth of my heart is wide open, with you I stand, to you I offer myself, that you may instruct me, that I may see and be taught, according to the saying [Isa. 54:13. Jn. 6:45.], "They will all be taught by God."
(34) And so you see that all the fervor of this [our] prophet is kindled because he sees how the people of God and the inheritance of Christ are deceived and devastated, since they are not taught what is right, and everything is full of false teachers and useless talkers who deceive souls, which, as it is the most harmful evil, also grieves a godly soul the most.
35. for how can there be a sadder an
How more pitiful a picture than to see a wolf raging among the harmless flock of sheep, so that he leaves not even one alive? This is how an ungodly teacher rages among the simple-minded souls of Christ. For the same thing Paul also proclaims Apost. 20, 29. with tears beforehand, when he says: "I know that after my departure there will come among you terrible wolves, which will not spare the flock" etc.
(36) And because of this movement and sense [of the prophet], I almost want to revoke the explanation of the two previous verses, and it almost seems to me that they would be more correctly understood by exceedingly violent movements of the heart, by which the afflicted prophet, looking (again, afterwards says) at the multitude of their ungodliness, is compelled to invoke his King with so often repeated prayers against these tyrants over the laws, and his God against these idols that occupy the chairs. For this mind is better suited to the actual purpose of the psalm, although the other mind is not unsuitable either.
37) But also this third verse 1) is very true to the same purpose, that he asks that not man's word but God's word and work be taught, and it is related to the previous ones in this way: My words, O my King and my God, hear with the ears, understand my howling, take heed to the voice of my prayer, for I will pray to you. What do you ask? This most necessary gift, that thou resist these ungodly teachers, who early occupy both the time and the place of teaching in an ungodly manner, and hear me in what I ask for this time. But what do you ask for this time? This is that I may stand with you, be your listener, be instructed by you as my teacher, see by your enlightenment, not be deceived with the others by these ear-burners, since you are my King who governs me and my God who preserves me. And so the prayer against the false teachings and works is completed.
1) versus is missing in the Baseler, in the Erlanger and in the Weimarsche.
38 "Early," he says, "you will hear my voice," early I will pray something, that I ask, you will hear; but this is that I pray for all teachers and listeners of the word, which is used to be acted early. Just as there is hardly a prayer in the Psalter that is more fervent and repeated in so many words, so there is no other prayer that is more necessary and more salutary for all of us today, nor has any prayer been more necessary, nor will any other prayer be more necessary at all times.
Therefore, a godly Christian should learn to make it a priority to pray to God for the inheritance, and (according to the example of this prophet) pray this psalm most fervently, so that the word of God may go forth among the people of God. For the people of God get their life, their pasture, their preservation from nothing else than from the word of God, as Christ says Match. 4:4: "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that passes through the mouth of God." For when God's word goes forth, all is well in the church. For what is the cause that nowadays the church is not only withered by abundance and splendor, but almost devastated, but that God's word is put on the back burner, and we learn the laws of men and the Roman tricks?
40 In order to render the words emphatically (ad energiam), Jerome translates thus: "Lord, early you will hear my voice, early I will be prepared for you, and will consider. Does not this word, "I shall be prepared," fit in very well with the sense given before? For what is "to be prepared unto God" but to be instructed and directed toward God? Thereby he indicates at the same time that he does not want to be prepared for men. This is not contradicted by the fact that Johann Reuchlin says according to the manner of the Hebrews: "Early I will prepare (ordinabo), so that it is a verb that denotes an activity (activum), of which Scripture makes use in preparing and ordering the sacrifices, so that it generally indicates a willing, ready, self-denying mind, and (as it is said) a heart devoted to God, which sends itself into all his will. For only this is a right
Sacrifice, which is offered to God, if one prepares oneself in this way, sacrifices, prepares, sends, leniently proves. It is obvious, however, that according to the Hebrew idiom adstabo [I will send myself] or ordinabo [I will prepare myself] is a verb without closer relation (verbum nominale seu absolutum), which means as much as: I will make a preparation (ordinationem) or a sacrifice, add: of myself. Therefore it is not inappropriately translated: Adstabo himself wants to send me]. At the same time we are taught that in hearing the word of God we must not pay attention to the man who is speaking, but to God who is teaching.
41 But also the word videbo stands without closer relation instead of: I shall see, that is, I shall be enlightened, I shall be instructed, I shall be a lookout, namely, for truth and righteousness. Micah 7:9 [Vulg.], "He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness." For he does not know God's righteousness whom God has not instructed. All others are useless talkers who speak out of their heads.
For this reason Christ gave the Holy Spirit to the apostles and the church, so that he himself might speak in us and not we ourselves; this is what is sought here. If he were to send himself to men (adstaret), he would not see, but would become blind, as Christ says Matt. 15:14: "One blind man leading another." But now, because he will send himself, he will be put in the right order (ordinabit se), and will be GOtte dressed, he will see and be enlightened.
If someone likes the "early" in spiritual interpretation more, which is the beginning of the time of grace, when the church started to send and see God, I do not argue against it. I am not inclined to follow spiritual interpretations where I can have the letter. Nor would I say anything against it if someone wanted to understand "send oneself early and take notice of it" in such a way that it means: to sacrifice oneself, not to boast in one's own righteousness from the sacrifices as if they were given to God, but that one expects to receive righteousness from God.
Vv. 5-7: For thou art not a god to whom wickedness pleaseth; he that is wicked abideth not before thee. The glorified do not stand before your eyes; you are hostile to all evildoers; you kill the liars; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and the false.
With seven names he accuses the evil teachers and their disciples, the saints of works; he has such a great fervor for a pure godly life and teaching. Therefore, one must hear these words in spirit and faith, like all words of God. For these people of whom he speaks here, if one looks at them according to the outward pretense (larvam) and appearance, will by no means appear as such as is spoken of them here; so much so are they adorned with the sheep's clothing and the name of Christ. Indeed, their own opinion is that what is said of them here concerns other people, whom they consider to be their adversaries. Therefore, they do not acknowledge the names and the works that are described here, but rather reverse them in such a way: For thou art a God to whom our godly nature is pleasing, and we, as good men (benigni), shall well abide before thee, we shall stand as righteous men in thy sight. You love us who do good, you will keep us who speak the truth, you will esteem the meek and the sincere. For such glory these godless people dream of themselves; the opposite, what is said here, they push away from themselves onto the truly godly, righteous and dear children of God. And this quarrel lasts until the end of the world.
45 Thus Esau and Jacob quarreled with each other in the womb of their mother Rebekah [Gen. 25:22]. Thus [1 Kings 3:16 ff] the two harlots quarreled before King Solomon over the living son. The heretics and false teachers always arrogate to themselves the title of the church, of truth, of righteousness, and are above men because of their beautiful appearance and splendor; but before God they are below. But the orthodox (catholici) have this title alone, and finally attain victory without all pomp, because they are righteous before God.
46 Now let us look at the seven words: "ungodly beings," "wicked," "glorious ones" (in
justi), "evildoers", "liars", "bloodthirsty", "false". To these he proclaims six evils: "they do not please God," "they will not remain before God," "they will not stand before the eyes of God," "God is an enemy to them," "he will kill them," "he has abominations against them.
The first is "godless being" (iniquitas), which [in Latin] should have been translated more correctly by impietas; for as said in the first Psalm 7], godless being means (impietas), hence [Ps. 1, 1.] "the counsel of the godless"; but this is (as I have said) just the unbelief and the wrong opinion of God and God's words and works, although he feigns a godly being by a beautiful appearance from the outside. Therefore, our God, because He is just and pious [Deut. 32, 4], cannot want (that is, have no desire, no pleasure in) the godless being. For it is in this place the word from which XXXX, Ps. 1, 2. comes, that is, his delight (voluntas ejus), namely, in the law of the Lord, or desire, or coveting. And the opinion of this verse is nearly interpreted by the 51st Psalm, v. 18: "For thou hast no desire to sacrifice, otherwise I would give it to thee, and burnt offerings are not pleasing to thee." Why does he not delight in them? Why do they not please him? Because the sacrifice of a fearful spirit is missing (which is the sacrifice of the godly being); therefore there is an ungodly being, which causes that (as it is said in Prov. 15:8) the sacrifice of the ungodly is an abomination to the Lord.
48. So the meaning is: This is why I want to pray before you, this is why I ask you to hear me early, this is why I want to send myself to you and pay attention to it, because I know that the prayers of the wicked are not at all pleasing to you, nor are their works and sacrifices, as they presume in vain, since they themselves are blind and deceive others with themselves by covering their wicked nature with works and sacrifices, so that they do not recognize it and humble themselves, and are satisfied as if everything were fine because they have done the works.
49 In the same way Isaiah chap. 1, 11. punishes them: "What do the multitude of your sacrifices mean to me?" and afterwards [v. 16.]: "Wash, cleanse yourselves", as if he wanted to say: The sacrifices themselves, as long as ye are unclean and ungodly, without
Faith and hope in my mercy (which alone makes righteous and takes away the ungodly) cannot please me, however beautiful their appearance. You are eager for works and judge according to appearance, and so you appear godly and righteous in your eyes. But I look into your heart and judge according to truth, and so I find you ungodly. So also Christ says to the Pharisees [Luc. 16, 15.]: "It is you who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts."
(50) This is what this verse wants, since it says: "You are not a god to whom godlessness is pleasing", you are not deceived by the appearance of works, that you should accept the godlessness of the heart. Rather, those deceive themselves who, deceived by this appearance (larva) of works, never recognize this godless nature, and while they think that they please you most, they please you least of all.
(51) So also this, "He that is wicked abideth not before thee." Hebrew XX, that is, the wicked or evil, so that it can refer to the ungodly and to the ungodly being. For where ungodly being, unfaithfulness, unbelief reigns, there also reigns guile or wickedness at the same time. For whoever is forsaken by the saving grace of God, what else is he good for but evil? Therefore, it is very fitting for this passage that "evil" be understood here as the root and all the old leaven of malice and wickedness [1 Cor. 5:8], by which we are inclined (if we do not have the grace of faith), as soon as there is opportunity, to plunge into every shameful deed, as Christ says to the apostles [Luc. 11:13]: "So then you who are evil may give good gifts to your children."
This wickedness, of course, can conceal itself very nicely under seemingly holy and godly works, until, provoked by the occasion, it reveals itself. You can see many people who are gentle, humble and kind in words and signs and works, but if you only touch them with a finger, you can immediately turn them into exceedingly cruel and pompous people who are ready to do anything evil. These days, they are called by a very honorable name.
They are called "passionate people" (passionati) because they must not be called wicked because of the beautiful appearance of their good life, but in the meantime they will surely perish themselves and at the same time destroy those who, according to their example, fail to kill wickedness. For the passionate resounding of such wickedness is a sign that there is a lack of godliness (that is, of faith against God), and that the godless nature reigns. Therefore, these will not remain before God nor dwell with Him.
Thirdly, there are the "injusti"; whether these are the same people or others, the Hebrew calls them XXXXXX. This actually refers to those who outwardly break out into the work and perform evil deeds and do evil with word and work. Admittedly, ungodly nature and wickedness often remain hidden (unless the law has become apparent to someone according to his spiritual understanding, by which he recognizes himself as wicked with the apostle Rom. 7, 7. 8.), and make an evil tree, but the XXXXX bring forth its fruits by following the wickedness of their ungodly heart. Of these the preacher Solomon says Cap. 10, 13: "The beginning of his words is foolishness and the end is XXXXXX.
XXX", which one has translated by "harmful foolishness" (errorem pessimum). Here also the beautiful order is to be noted. First, the ungodly nature, by which it happens that we are left to ourselves without the helping grace of God; then follows, as the second, wickedness, by which we are inclined to do what is in us, that is, all evil. Third, unrighteousness, transgression, the fruit of this ungodly nature and wickedness.
54. but also these will not remain before your eyes, or, as the Hebrew text has: "the XXXXXX will not stand (statuent) before your eyes." But it is the verbum statuent entirely the same as that rendered by past time in the 2nd Psalm, v. 2: Astiterunt reges terrae instead of: Assist or statuent, that is (so that the meaning of the unrelated verb may be clear), assistentiam sui facient So here: They will not stand by, they will not
before the Lord, they will not appear etc. But they imagine that they do this in the highest degree by their false opinions and works; for they also do not believe that they do evil, even though they do evil.
Fourth: "You are an enemy to all evildoers. This little phrase (oratiunculam), which consists of the verbum that we said in the first Psalm meant the same as act or do among us, and of the noun that has been translated in various and inconsistent ways (as we shall see), we often read in the Old Testament. But I see that the prophets, especially Hosea [Cap. 4, 15.] 10, 5. as it were in derision instead of BethEl call the place BethAven, where Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, had set up the golden calves for worship, so that the people would not go to Jerusalem to sacrifice there, and finally fall away from him to the king of Judah, as one reads 1 Kings 1) 12, 27. ff. And where BethEl, that is, the house of God, should be said, they say BethAven, which some translate by "the house of an idol" (namely, of the opposite meaning), but others) more correctly: the house of godlessness or idolatry.
56) Following the opinion of the latter, it pleases us to understand by XXX the impiety and idolatry, but not only the idolatry by which one serves idols of wood and stone, but mainly that which Samuel 1 Sam. 15, 22. f. describes violently against Saul and speaks of it in this way: "Do you think that the Lord is better in sacrifice and burnt offering than in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and heedfulness better than the fat of rams: For disobedience is a sorcerous sin, and to resist is idolatry and idolatry." This, then, is the religion of Saul, the raging disobedience, the perverse superstition, the unholy XXX; as it is everywhere severely condemned in the Scriptures for having prevailed in the Old Testament; so no pestilence rages more perniciously today, in that every one leaves the office to which he is called, and
1) Erlanger: 1. IteA. instead of: 3.
strives to serve GOtte with another noble of his own invention.
Thus, the bishops, who are the best, leave the ministry of the word and the care of the people to the most unworthy and unlearned people, and put all their efforts into increasing their property, or the buildings, or the income and splendor of their church, thinking that they are doing God a service by being disobedient. Even the priests and the clergy, who are the most holy, prefer to do something for God rather than their office. For here we say nothing of the wicked; but the Roman court is not even considered in this [because it is entirely wicked]. Yes, these unholy endeavors of disobedience have spread so exceedingly that no man can sufficiently describe it. For in every state you will find this among Christians, that they set aside the observance of God's commandments and serve God according to their statutes and opinions.
(58) This, I say, is the appearance of works, wherewith they cover, as I have said above, as with the shadow of Behemoth [Job 40:16] their ungodliness, their wickedness, and every transgression. In general, this garment, which the wolves put on, and the pernicious hypocrisy devastate the sincere godliness and the Christian religion much more horribly than any sword, famine, pestilence etc.
(59) Behold, then, how the prophet also burns against this ungodly piety and this wholly unspiritual spirituality (irreligiosissimam religionem), so that he abhors none more vehemently, and says, "Thou art enemy to all evildoers." "To all," he says, and, "Thou art enemy"; with the others he did not add "all," but here, lest they, deceived by their accursed superstition, should think that they are pleasing to God, he proclaims that they are worthy of God's hatred, and all, without any exception.
(60) For indeed, even among men, this perverse servitude, which is shown while right obedience is omitted, is displeasing. For who would suffer that a shepherd, to whom the sheep are commanded, should forsake the sheep, and begin to lead them away?
To serve a master in the bedchamber? This is what Aesop's fable teaches us about the donkey who wanted to imitate the dog's flattery, but was beaten with knuckles because he left his duty in the queue and occupied himself with a foreign office.
(61) It is precisely this corruption that causes many to be weary of their order, their profession, and to look upon another's office as if it were better, and to be disgusted with their own. One runs away from the priesthood into a house of worship, another steps out of this profession into that. This is what Job says, Cap. 6, 16: "Those who shrink from the frost, on them the snow will fall"; they escape the rain and fall into the water.
(62) But this little may be enough about this greatest and most common wickedness, which we will henceforth always call disobedience or idolatry, that is, the holy service (latriam) of the wicked, which does not obviously violate the commandments of God (like the publicans and the harlots), but by the appearance of great works and excellent godliness, and as Bernard calls it in the 91st Psalm, v. 6. Psalm, v. 6, by "the pestilence that corrupts at noon" (daemonium meridianum [Vulg.]), by which he understands with the apostle Paul [2 Cor. 11, 14.] Satan, who disguises himself as the angel of light. An example of these people is masterfully shown and described in Saul 1 Sam. 15, 13. ff. See there.
Therefore sm is translated by many quite rightly not only "godless being" but also "toil and labor" (dolor et labor [Ps. 10, 7]), because this disobedience indeed has much toil and labor, and, as it is commonly said: It is more sour to earn hell than heaven. For the devil is hard on his martyrs, but never restores them, so that also the Lord proclaimed beforehand through Moses that he would give the people of Israel into the hands of the enemies, so that they would serve foreign gods there, who would not give them rest, neither by day nor by night [Deut. 31:16, 17].
64 Thus the preacher Solomon says Cap. 10, 15: "The work of fools becomes sour for them", and it is often said in the same book [Cap. 1, 14. 2, 17. 4, 16.]: "vain and sorrow" (vanitas et afflictio spiritus). When Chri
But even though Jesus is oppressed, his yoke is gentle and his burden light, because he restores all who are weary and burdened with joyful confidence of heart, if only they come to him. But those shall speak the word which is written in the book of Wisdom, Cap. 5,1 ) 7. [Vulg.], "We have walked arduous paths."
65. whoever wants to pursue this matter further, read Paul Rom. 12, 3. ff. and 1 Cor. 12, 11. ff. where he deals with all diligence that each one should walk in his measure, so that there is no confusion of the members, since the eye begins to do the work of the feet, or the feet the work of the eyes, but keep the rule Prov. 4, 25: "Let your eyes look straight before you, and your eyelids look right before you. "Look before thee, and wait upon thyself."
66 Against this perversity (pravitatem), proverbs also arose among the pagans: Let each one practice the trade he has learned, and: Cobbler, stick to your last, and: Let everyone stay in his own skin.
He thus says correctly and with extraordinary emphasis: "You are enemy to all", because in fact this godless being is exceedingly hateful, which so provokes, emboldens and challenges that for this reason the synagogue is called in the prophets a people who provoke God to anger, embitter Him, outrage Him. God is said to feel this bitterness when He causes it to be felt in the hearts of His saints. This understanding (as I have said) this Psalm is full of, as we shall see and see.
68. fifth [Vulg.]: "You will destroy those who speak the lie." Here he punishes the teachers and the teaching of the ungodly being. For the Hebrew word XXX seems to me to signify in general the kind of speech by which a thing is taught or explained (enarratur) or told. Hence also means a thing that has happened or rather is told. This way of speaking was also retained by Lucas, Luc. 2, 15. [Vulg.]: "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this word" (the thing that happened and was told). Namely in the third book of Moses he clearly distinguishes
between XXX and XXX, which both mean to speak or to speak, since it is so often written, "The Lord spake unto Moses, and spake," where the first is XXX, which means he spake. Hence it is quite common in the prophets, "And the word of the Lord came unto me, and spake." Hence ^XXX means in general, to declare something doctrinally, which is then set forth by the word XXX in particular. And though this meaning and distinction might not always be carried out, yet for the time being let us use these words in this way until we see something better. It is certain that what is here expressed by "speak" is taken in many places for teach, as in the 119th Psalm, v. 46: "I speak of thy testimonies," and Ps. 60, 8: "God speaketh in his sanctuary."
Therefore, as the life of the wicked, so is their doctrine; as they act, so they speak, that is, wicked and evil and unrighteous things, all of which he groups 1) under the name "lie. This lie he has called above in the 1st Psalm, v. 1. [Vulg.] "council of the wicked", yes, "chair of pestilence" or of mockery. The raging of these people still reigns today, and of them the apostle says 2 Tim. 3:7: "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." These are the ones who strongly insist on teaching good works (as they think), even though they do not yet know what good works are, because they have no knowledge of faith. Thus it comes about that they crucify and torture the people quite miserably with their lies and ungodly fables from the moral teachings of the philosophers, from the rights of men, from their accepted statutes and traditions, of which enough has been said above, and about which we will speak more often later.
Sixth, "The Lord hath abhorred of the bloodthirsty and false." In a short summa he summarizes what kind of people they are in their life and intercourse with their neighbor, that is, they love no one from the heart. For since they are destitute of the grace of godliness and are left in their wickedness, it is necessary that they should only be of their nei-
They are poisoned from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads. They pretend everything, they have a friendly face towards many people (corrident), among themselves they call themselves extremely good friends, they write and talk like that, they have the appearance of loving and kind people, and they hide under this cover that they are "bloodthirsty people", but all this is falsehood. This becomes evident when they begin to feel offended, or when a case arises where they should show their goodwill: then suddenly their falseness comes to light, and their bloodthirsty anger, spitefulness, and what follows from it, bursts out. For they have loved no one but for their own benefit, not that they might do good, but that they might receive good.
Therefore find these words of the spirit, which does not look at the outward appearance (faciem), but tests the hearts and kidneys. For the words of faith dispute against the beautiful appearance, and have their purpose in the time of the cross. There one will find how those who are such people hate every man and love no one sincerely, because they love only themselves.
(72) And from this disease suffer most of all the martyrs of the devil, the most holy and the most spiritual, of whom we have already said that they are ungodly, malefactors, children of disobedience under the garb and appearance of godliness, the power of which they deny altogether.
(73) If you do not believe or know this, consult experience. The whole world is full of this complaint, that there is no faithfulness nor faith among men, that everything is done and said in deceit and hypocrisy, so that they cite the word of Micah (which is written there Cap. 7, 5. 6.), which they have not read, yet, instructed by experience: "No one believes his neighbor, no one relies on princes; keep the door of your mouth from the one who sleeps in your arms. For the son despises the father, the daughter sets herself against the mother, the cord is against the in-law; and a man's enemies are his own household."
74. Therefore Christ teaches that you should beware of men. For if you give them
If you are too willing or useful, you will have false friends, but if you offend them or do not keep it with them, especially for the sake of God and the truth, you will have the most bloodthirsty enemies, so that the character of men could not be described with a more fitting nor shorter statement than that it is bloodthirsty and false.
For it is so rare that one does not act wrongly against his neighbor, and someone is a loyal friend. He lives with you in a friendly way, he greets you, he smiles at you; but if you ask him to help you with ten florins from his surplus, then you would have already lost a friend; again, if you should not be at his beck and call in all things, even unjust things, then you would have lost a friend. 1) In short, if you do not act in such a way that you allow yourself to be used for everything he desires, but do not use yourself under any condition of his, you will not have friendly relations with a man for long. This teaches us the experience as a master, therefore this verse is easy to understand.
Nevertheless, they still do not recognize their misery. For they despise all this, believing nothing less than that they are "bloodthirsty and false"; first of all because of those apparent works. By trusting in them they are puffed up and blinded, and do not see themselves. Secondly, because they love themselves, and are quite kindly indulgent to their own infirmities, and have always before their eyes, not how much evil, but how much good they do. To this is added a greater cause of blindness, that they think it a [godly^ zeal to hate those by whom they are injured, or rather by whom they think they are injured, since it behooves them, by reason of their excellent justice, to hate the ungodly.
(77) Inverted by this raging, they go so far as to ignore the beam in their own eyes, but noticing the splinter in the other's eye, they want people to think of them as kind and faithful people; but they rather condemn those as bloodthirsty and false, and so they throw out the word, which is
vel iniczn<i, -innenIN pnrUiitiftti are missing in the Erlanger.
God pronounces upon them that he has abominations against them, in constant nonsense from himself to others. That is why they do not understand the Scriptures when they read them, do not accept them when they hear them, as if they were not concerned with them, and become just as incorrigible people as those of whom it is said in Matth. 11, 17: when one whistles to them, they do not want to dance, when one complains to them, they do not want to cry. Only to them God loses both His words and His works.
(78) Nor is this a small cover of this wickedness, that when they lose some friends, they find or have others with whom they associate in the same falsehood. Deceived by the mutual agreement with these (although it takes place in falsehood), they do not pay attention to how many they hate and despise, but against how many they are well-disposed (even if it is hardly the thousandth part), and do not turn back to the fact that Christ commanded that one should not despise even one of the little ones [Matth. 18, 10.].
79. Behold the fruit that trusting in works and in one's own righteousness produces, namely, not knowing oneself, being stiff-necked and incorrigible in such great evil of ungodliness, wickedness, disobedience and all sins. Such great abominations can be hidden, nourished and preserved with such a light covering and little appearance! Then, to appear and sacrifice early before God in such great abominations, believing that one pleases God, not even begging His mercy, but giving thanks with the godless Pharisee that one is not like other people [Luc. 18, 11.]: is this not frightening to see and to hear? Is not the great movement of this prophet over such nonsensical behavior quite reasonable?
Now let us conclude these three verses [vv. 5-7]. The first two verses describe the sins with which they sin against God; there are four of them: two in the first verse, namely "ungodly nature" and "wickedness"; the first of these sins is turning away from God, that is, the lack of a sound heart (affectus) and a right mind; the other sin is turning to oneself, namely, the tendency to evil
works and rebelliousness against good, that is, a perverse position of the heart and a perverse mind. Through these two sins, the person himself is described and the rotten tree as they are before God.
Two sins are described in the second verse, namely "iniquity" and "wickedness", the former of which is the public transgression (praevaricatio) and the practice 1) of wickedness, and the omission of the worship of God, but the other is an outward appearance of worship, but disobedience and idolatry. For in these two pieces all that there is of evil fruits and works (universitas) is summed up, which we do in divine things (circa divina), so that the one sin is to do that which is contrary to the works of God and the worship of God; these are the XXXXXX ["the glorifiers"]; the other sin, that one does pretended things, and that under a beautiful appearance, contrary to obedience to God; these are "the wrongdoers".
The third verse describes the sins with which they sin against men, of which there are three. First, "lying," since they draw others away from the right worship of God by their words, examples and ways, and seduce them into their ungodly idolatries by making them like themselves in the things that concern God. Secondly, hatred and everything that follows from hatred, which is why they are called "bloodlust". Thirdly, "falsehood" and everything that follows from it, since they only make use of people for their advantage, benefit and well-being (voluptate), in which all sins of a perverse love are included. For even in the carnal 2) love of the sex, there is falsehood and deceit, as is evident. For since hatred and love are the chiefest of all movements of the heart and works, it is sufficiently evident that in these two things,
1) In the first edition and in the Basel edition: "eKeetus, which in the Wittenberg, Jena, Erlangen, and Weimar editions (as we think, incorrectly) has been changed to "Kso tus. Cf. K 53 at the beginning: "Which outwardly break out into the work and perform misdeeds" etc.
2) In the first edition: in arnore ssxns aurnaU. In the Baseler, the Wmenberger, the Jenaer and the Erlanger onrnnli in esrnLlis has been changed, as we think, not well.
in that both hatred is bloodthirsty, and love is false, the whole puddle of a vicious (vitiosae) change and life is comprehended. For a sincere hatred fights against the vices and the sincere love seeks what is the other's, not their own.
83 Now let us conclude the whole train of thought (sententiam). They (he says) come early, but they do not pray, do not need you, do not ask to be heard; they are full, full of the filth of so many vices (that is, of their own righteousness), they do not stand with you, nor do they sacrifice themselves to you, that they may be formed by you, that they may be enlightened, that they may see: but rather they want to give you a form, and form you (as Isaias Cap. 46, 5.) according to the idol of their heart, judging you according to their opinions, so that they cannot see, but only become more blind and hardened. This must happen for their sake, because you do not love godless beings, as they think, but hate evil, and have an abomination against them altogether. But I come, and send me unto thee, and offer me up, that I may be fashioned of thee, that I may think of thee according to thy will, that I may see, and be enlightened. Those come and want to offer you their good and their merits, but only take away all the greater sins and evil. I come to ask you for your good, and to confess my evil to you. Because those are healthy, they do not need a physician; but I am sick and in a bad way, therefore I seek a physician. This is what the following verse continues.
V. 8. But I will enter into thy house upon thy great goodness, and worship against thy holy temple in thy fear.
A magnificent verse, an excellent saying! The words contain a contrast, likewise also the sense. For there are two things by which this life is exercised, fear and hope, as it were those two springs (irrigua) Richt. 1, 15, one above, the other below. Fear comes from beholding the threats and terrifying judgments of God, as in His sight no one is pure, no one who is not a
There would be no sinner, no one who would not be condemned. The hope comes from seeing the promise and the exceedingly lovely goodness of God, as it is said in Ps. 25, 6: "Remember, O Lord, your mercy, and your goodness that was from the world," so that before his face there is no one who is not pure, no one who is not righteous, no one who cannot be blessed. 1)
And between these two [fear and hope] one must always move, as between the lower and the upper millstone, and at no time deviate either to the right or to the left, for this is found in the wicked, who practice the two opposite pieces, security and presumption. Through security they deviate to the left, putting the fear of God behind, as the 14th Psalm, v. 3 [Vulg.], says: "There is no fear of God before their eyes" [Ps. 36, 2. Rom. 3, 18.]. By presumption they depart from the right, since they presume that all their doings (omnia sua) please God, without fear of God, for since they do not realize that they are sinners, it necessarily follows that they do not fear God, as the 10th Psalm, v. 5, says: "Thy judgments are far from Him." Thus, instead of the judgments of God, they reproach themselves with a kind of indifference (ignaviam) of God, instead of the mercy of God with their own righteousness. Thus it happens that they cannot fear and cannot hope. This, then, is the contrast he sets up: They are without fear of you, regard your terrible judgments as nothing, and worship you safely, like the Pharisee in the Gospel, Luc. 18. Then they enter your temple on their great righteousness, and come before your face as those who have no need of your mercy.
86. but I, being aware that I cannot be safe from you and your judgments, despair of myself, and so I go to your temple to place myself before you, so that I may have your mercy alone before my eyes, which is great, even infinite.
1) In the Wittenberg and in the Jena edition, Hon is deleted three times in this last sentence, and also Roth translated it as if it did not stand. Out of misunderstanding they offer: nerno munäus, iwmo jusdus, nemo sulVU8 O8S6 posslt.
Just by looking at them, I take courage and am sure, as the 26th Psalm, v. 3, says: "For your goodness is before my eyes, and I walk in your truth." But coming in this confidence, I will worship thee in thy temple, but in thy fear, not presuming that by myself I shall please thee; yea, I will fear lest my obedience and my worship deserve reproof. By this fear I will preserve your honor, and keep my humility, not justifying myself, but humbly awaiting your terrible judgment, hoping for your mercy to forgive me.
So you see clearly that this psalm has its purpose (scopum) on the different worship of the godly and the godless, the humble and the hopeful. For he compares them with himself in this work which was done in the morning, namely, to enter into the house of the Lord and to worship in his holy temple. For there the greatest and noblest works and teachings are done.
There is also a beautiful contrast in the words, but mixed up. For "the goodness of God," which is the object (objectum) toward which hope is directed, he sets without the name of hope. Again, fear, the object of which is the judgment of God, he puts without the name of judgment, while it seems that he should rather have juxtaposed goodness and judgment, or hope and fear. But the essence (natura) of hope and its object had to be expressed, namely the goodness, yes "the great goodness of God", because godly people already fear more than enough and approach God and divine works with great reverence.
(89) And these two things, hope and fear, are by far the most pleasing and godly works, which those godless works saints, as they neither teach nor understand them, so neither do nor can do. Even today (as I said) the whole world is full of the godlessness of such people, who do not let people, who have been drawn into trusting in works and their own righteousness, come to the fear of God and the hope in His goodness,
They learn forever and never come to the knowledge of the truth [2 Tim. 3, 7], and, as Christ says Matth. 23, 13 [Luc. 11, 52], have the key of knowledge (that is, the power to teach the knowledge of God), but do not come in themselves and resist those who want to enter.
90. these godless people, who are presumptuous against the judgments of God, and certainly despise the great goodness of God, Isaiah also punishes many times, saying [Cap. 1, 11.]: "What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me?" [V. 15.:] "Though ye pray much, yet hear I you not" etc. Therefore follows [v. 15. f.], "For your hands are full of blood. Wash, cleanse yourselves" etc.
91. Nothing can please God unless it is done in humility. Humility cannot exist, however, if one does not fear God's judgment in any work, no matter how good it may be, and is presumptuous only of His goodness, which He bestows freely by grace. The people of Israel resisted this godly behavior most of all out of a certain natural and innate presumption, since they were extraordinarily puffed up and hopeful because of the law and the works of the law.
You might ask how David could promise that he would go into the house of the Lord or the temple of God, since in his time there was neither a Hans of God nor any temple, but only the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle of Moses served in place of the temple. But also in another place he says about the house of the Lord, Ps. 122, 1. f.: "We will go into the house of the Lord, and our feet will stand in your gates, Jerusalem", and Ps. 134, 1. [Ps. 135, 2.]: "You who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our Lord", so that one could suspect that David did not make these Psalms or that Ezra changed them later.
But in my opinion, he seems to take every place where God is worshipped for the House of God. For it is also known that the place where Abraham sacrificed was called BethEl (that is, the House of God), which Jeroboam, by decorating it with the golden calices, later built.
He made it a Bethaven (that is, a house of idolatry) [1 Kings 12:29, Hos. 4:15, 10:5]. But also Jacob, Gen. 28, 19, when he was on the mountain Moriah, that is, of sight, on which the temple of Solomon was built afterwards [2 Chron.
3, 1.], had slept, and had set up a stone, he said, This stone shall be called the house of God [Gen. 28, 22.]. 1)
Therefore, I will postpone the secret interpretations for the time being, and understand the house and temple of God to mean a physical place, namely, the place where people come together to worship God and hear His word, as was the place where Cain and Abel sacrificed and heard God's word. After that, the altars of all the fathers, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, were in different places, until it came to the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon, and now to very many and indeed magnificent church buildings.
For just as there has never been a lack of God's word in the world, so also there has never been a lack of worship. Therefore we must admit that in all lines there were places where divine service (res divinae) was performed, which in the course of time has grown to such glory, quantity and greatness as we now see before our eyes. For what did Jacob do differently, Gen. 35, 1. ff., when he wanted to sacrifice and commanded that they put away the idols, but that he preached the word of God according to our way?
Since hypocrisy and false doctrine (which always hypocrites and defiles the best) are very prevalent in worship, so that even in the case of the first two brothers, Cain and Abel, sincere godliness and glittering hypocrisy fought with each other, this psalm also strongly contends against this godless piety and its false doctrine in the early worship.
1) Because all editions offer the same text, we did not want to make a transformation with the same, because we do not know whether the error contained therein is to be put on Luther's or on the printer's account; however, the former is the more probable. It is known that Abraham sacrificed on Mount Moriah [Num. 22, 14. 1 and Jacob saw the ladder of heaven at BethEl [Num. 28, 19. 1.
(97) For what should he do with men in a sincere manner in small matters, who in the sublime and highest work, the service of God, acts perversely and ungodly, where even the beautiful appearance is all the more harmful, the more glittering and the more similar it is to a supremely excellent work? In short, nothing is more dangerous in the world than false religion or idolatry. For this is the source of evil under the name of all that is good.
98. So the House of God and the Temple at any time and for any godly people is their place where God is worshipped. For it can be said that He dwells there in truth, where He is rightly worshipped, especially in the common gathering of His believers. Therefore, one place cannot be called a house of God or a temple any more than another because of the size of the cost, or the space, or the building, or the multitude of the people, but (as I have said) because many come together to pray, to serve GOtte, and to hear his word, as it is said in the 102nd Psalm, v. Psalm, v. 23, "When the nations come together, and the kingdoms to serve the Lord," so that the place is called a house of GOtte for the sake of the people (which in truth is the house of GOtte), and not the people for the sake of the place.
99. But there is a wonderfully powerful superstition that such temples are built, consecrated and maintained in the whole world, in which no care is taken both that the people in the place are godly and that a right worship is established, as they may be courting through dominion, wealth, splendor, splendor of the building, and such worldly vanities, and (that I say it with this Psalm lately) something is done (lament to God) in the places of worship rather than to go in on the great goodness of God and worship in the fear of God, or to be instructed on how to go in and worship, since they alone are established for these [aforementioned] things.
100 Therefore, it is not surprising that they are more often struck by lightning than ordinary (profanae) houses, because in no other place is more shameful abuse, God
The name of God is not stained in the same way because it has not been invoked over them. Even though evil is done in other places, the name of God is not stained in the same way, because he has not been invoked over them. But in holy places what is only single evil elsewhere is always double evil.
V. 9. Lord, guide me in your righteousness for the sake of my enemies; direct your way before me (dirige in conspectu tuo viam meam).
In Jerome the Hebrew text is rendered like this: "Lord, guide me in your righteousness, for the sake of my persecutors (insidiatores) judge your way before my face. I have said that from the beginning of the world there have always been false works-saints and lying teachers, as Peter also teaches, 2 Petr. 2, 1. Therefore there has never been a lack of false religion and idolatry in the world.
102 He calls them persecutors (insidiatores), because in fact nothing is more treacherous (insidiosius) than this wickedness of the serpent, of which the apostle feared much for the Corinthians, since he writes [2 Cor. 11:3]: "But I fear lest, as the serpent beguiled Evam with his craftiness, so also your senses be beguiled by the simplicity in Christ."
For the Hebrew expression may mean "enemies" (inimicos), as our Latin translation has it, but actually they are those who seek to do evil with wicked cunning, that is, by insidiousness (insidias), admittedly under a good pretense. These people the apostle calls [Tit. 1, 10.] φρεναπάτας, the
means deceivers, namely such people who fill people with false opinions, especially in the things concerning God. And this meaning agrees extremely well with the purpose of this Psalm, that godly and sincere people have no destruction to fear so much as the deceitful teaching of false religion and doctrine, so that this verse admonishes that one should guard against it by prayer alone. For this is the serpent that seeketh after our heel, to turn us back from the way of pure godliness. Therefore, it could also be translated quite appropriately: for the sake of my deceivers, transgressors or destroyers.
We must get used to understanding "the righteousness of God", which I will encounter more often later, according to the correct biblical (canonica) meaning, namely, that it is not that according to which God Himself is righteous, according to which He also condemns the ungodly, as it is usually understood, but, as St. Augustine says in his book "Of the Spirit and the Letter", the righteousness by which He justifies man, namely, the justifying mercy or grace itself. It is, as St. Augustine says in his book "Of the Spirit and the Letter", the righteousness with which he clothes man by justifying him, namely the justifying mercy or grace itself, by which we are counted righteous with God. Of this the apostle Rom. 1, 17. says: "The righteousness that is before God (justitia Dei) is revealed in the Gospel, as it is written: "The righteous shall live by faith", and Rom. 3, 21.: "Now without the law the righteousness that is before God (justitia Dei) is revealed and testified by the law and the prophets."
105. But the righteousness of God is also called our righteousness, because it is given to us by His grace, just as it is called the work of God that He works in us, just as it is called the word of God that He speaks in us, just as it is called the power of God that He works in us, and many other such things. Thus it is said in Ps. 31:2, "Save me by your righteousness," and Rom. 10:3, "For they do not know the righteousness that is before God, and seek to establish their own righteousness, and so are not subject to the righteousness that is before God." Therefore Ps. 24, 5. is translated [in the Vulgate] not clumsily: "He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and mercy from the God of his salvation," since the Hebrew text has "righteousness" instead of "mercy," because "blessing from God" and "righteousness from God" (justitia Dei) are the same, namely the mercy and grace of God Himself, which has been granted to us in Christ.
And this way of speaking of the righteousness of God in Scripture has caused many people many difficulties, because it is quite different from the ordinary human way of speaking. However, it must not be rejected altogether that the righteousness of God is the righteousness according to which God is righteous, even according to the aforementioned way of speaking.
so that by one and the same righteousness both God and we are righteous, just as by the same word God creates and we are what he is, so that we are in him, and his being (esse) is our being. But this is too high to be in the place now, and spoken of in a different sense than those understand it, though it is useful and necessary; yet it must be spoken of at another time.
This is also very appropriately said, which the Hebrew text expresses thus: "your way before me", where we [in the Vulgate) have: "before your face my way", just in the opposite opinion, and the Hebrew text agrees with the previous part so closely that one would like to call it a repetition of the same thing (velut tautologice), because "your righteousness" and "your way" are almost the same. For the way of God is the righteousness of God in which one must live and walk, not in our way or in our righteousness. This is the way of God and the way of the righteous, about which it is said in the first Psalm, v. 6: "For the Lord knows the way of the righteous," which also John the Baptist wanted, 1) when he said (Marc. 1, 3.]: "Prepare the way of the Lord." But it is the way of God, because, as he says 3 Mos. 26, 12. [Vulg.], he walks in us, that is, works in us, lives in us, speaks in us. "For it is not ye (saith Christ Matt. 10:20.) that speak." But our [Latin] translation does not say incorrectly, "my way," because through the action of God in us it is also rightly said of us that we work, although this working is rather a being pulled, a being drawn and suffering, that God works in us, as this verse indicates, since he says, "Guide me," "direct your way," by which he indicates that he does not act of himself, but is guided and driven by God.
(108) Also, this does not conflict with "before me" and "before your face. For both ways of speaking are common in the language of Scripture (sacrae linguae), that we must do everything before the face of God, as it were in God's presence and in the presence of God.
1) In the Jena, in the Weimar, and in the Erlangen: voluü; in the Basel: novit; Wittenberg: noluit.
Light of his countenance, which is not in our free will, nor in our righteousness, but is the office of divine grace. And so our [Latin] translation shows by this word that by "my way" the way of God is understood, which the Hebrew expresses by "your way". Again, by "before me" the Hebrew indicates that the way of God is ours, which our [Latin] translation (noster) expresses by "my way," that it is incumbent upon us to turn our faces to the way of God and to walk our way before the face of God. It is therefore the same way of God before our face and our way before the face of God; both must necessarily happen at the same time.
169. but this way of speaking accuses the wicked and punishes their folly, because they turn their faces to their ways and walk in them, turning their backs on the way of God, as it says in the third book of Moses Cap. 26, 27. f.: "If you will walk contrary to me, I will also walk contrary to you in anger" etc. They take heed to their way and their works and follow the same, the way of God and the works of God they neglect, as it is said Isa. 2, 8: "They worship the work of their hands, which their fingers have made." And the same Cap. 5, 12.: "They look not on the work of the Lord, neither do they regard the business of his hands." All this happens (as we have often said) because they abhor the way of the cross and the life of faith, which compels them to lay aside what they are and what they hold, vainly serving God with men's commandments and doctrines, as the same Isaiah Cap. 29, 13. and is repeated in the Gospel of Matthew Cap. 15, 9.
The word "direct" (dirigere) is very frequent in Scripture. By it, the right nature (rectitudo) or the right direction (directio) of the heart is recommended to us, as Ps. 119, 7: "I thank you from the right heart" (in directione cordis), and Ps. 73, 1: "Israel nevertheless has God for comfort, who is only pure (recto) of heart", and in Song of Songs 1, 4: "The pious love you",
1) In the Jenaer, in the Weimarschen and in the Erlanger recte instead of: recti in the Vulgata.
so that the word directio is even sometimes put without closer relation (absolute), like Ps. 99, 4: "You give piety" (parasti directiones), that is, you alone work righteousness (rectitudines); everything that is only somewhere from a right heart, that is your work. For these people alone love God and are pleasing to Him. But this right nature is a healthy opinion and right understanding of God, which is opposed to the corruption (pravitas) of the heart, of which we have often said that this is the position (mentem) of the heart of the hopeful, the counsel of the wicked, carnal wisdom, and the like. And this is called a right heart, which does not seek what is its own, but what is God's, and with a simple eye and a straight (directo) gaze attaches itself to the will of God, paying attention to this alone in all things, in happiness and in misfortune, and also not wanting to know or pay attention to anything else.
A corrupt (pravum) heart, however, is one that seeks its own, is self-centered, seeing with a false (duplici) eye, and pretends to seek God's will, when in fact it seeks its own will in it. This corruption is so deeply attached to the sinful (vitiosae) nature that only God can investigate it. Jer. 17, 9. 10.: "The heart is a defiant and despondent thing (pravum); who can search it out? I the Lord can search the heart and test the kidneys."
Since the prophet fears that he will be diverted into this corruption, he prays for the inheritance that the way of God may be directed before him, that is, that he may always walk and live with a righteous heart, which is done through pure and full faith in the spirit.
Therefore, against the wicked and the evildoers, who put aside obedience to God and serve God with their works, he sets the righteousness of God and the way of God, that is, obedience to God, in which he desires to be led and guided like a sheep, for the sake of his enemies, persecutors, and the treacherous and exceedingly harmful corrupters of God's inheritance, and that mainly in their
most noble works, which they call a work of worship (latriae), which, it is evident, is most full of ungodly abuses, superstitions, heresies, hypocrisies, lies, and vanity. All these things have the wickedness of clothing themselves with the appearance of a very good work, and sell themselves for it, so that this warning cannot be sufficiently inculcated.
V. 10: For in their mouths there is nothing certain, their inward parts are heartaches, their mouths are open graves, with their tongues they dissemble. 1)
This is the division of this verse in Hebrew, which with us [in the Vulgate] is almost two verses. Jerome has thus: For in their mouth is nothing righteous (rectum), their inward is deceit (insidiae), their throat is an open grave, their tongue they make smooth (laevificant). And all this is indeed correct, only that one thinks it should be said more correctly vanitates instead of insidiae according to the Hebrew, but there is little in it. But it is clear that the prophet speaks of the word of their doctrine, because he accuses them: first of lying, secondly of vanity, thirdly of harmfulness, fourthly of deception, by which they cause that which is incurably harmful to be clothed with a good appearance. But everything is obvious and clear from what has been said before.
115 "Liars" he says. These masters, who are ready to teach all, have a mouth and speak, but (as it is said in 1 Tim. 1, 7.) they do not understand either what they say or what they put, that is, they understand neither the words nor the thing. Therefore there is nothing right in their mouths, even though they are considered to be teaching the most important and true things. Yes, as Jannes and Jambres 2) resisted Mosi, so these also resist the truth, 2 Tim. 3, 8., they dare to argue with all, even to persecute others who hold to better things. On the same opinion
1) Vulgate: Quoniam non est in ore eorum veritas: cor eorum vanum est. Sepulchrutn patens est guttur eorum, linguis suis dolose agebant [, judica illos Deus].
2) Baseler, Wittenberger, Weimarsche and Erlanger: Jamres et Mamres; Jenaer and Vulgata: 4ann68 6t LIanidr68. The latter reading is correct, for 2 Tim. 3, 8. occurs >ia^M as a variant.
Job 42:7. said, "You have not spoken rightly before me, as my servant Job did."
But the fact that they speak nothing certain (rectum) or not the truth is the cause of their doing evil and acting wickedly (pravitatem), that is, that with all their teaching they are out to make man seek his own, to trust in his merit and works. Or at least they do not put an end to this evil, nor do they teach against it, nor do they make man nothing, so that he becomes a fool and recognizes himself as a sinner. Thus it comes about that while God is to be worshipped with fear, and (as Ps. 2, 11. says) He is to be served with fear, and one is to rejoice with trembling, every work of worship (latriae, as they call it) is to be accomplished on the great goodness of God [Ps. 5, 8.], they make people sure and presume on their works.
(117) For this is how Job's three friends deal with the whole course of their argument, in that they say nothing about the mercy of God (which Job alone exalts with fear of His judgments), but only about the righteousness that exalts the good and condemns the evil. Therefore, they are rightly rebuked by God as those who have not spoken rightly, although it is true that no one is found righteous before God by his works, however great and much they may be. Nevertheless, it is also certain that everyone who trusts in Him (even without works) is righteous. By this trust he is sure that all his doings (omnia sua) please God, and that he sins and has sinned nothing. On this word, Job's friends accused him as a blasphemer, judging from the plague that had befallen him that he had certainly sinned and deserved God's wrath, which he could have averted by good, meritorious works.
But what shall I do, you will say, when they speak so well, and so rightly and truly, that they cannot be refuted by reason, as the friends of Job, even when they speak God's own words out of the midst of the Scriptures?
119. I answer: He speaks mainly of those who counterfeit God's word. For he
reveals this cover of wickedness, as he says: "Their inside is heartache" or void being, as if he wanted to say: Their words have a beautiful appearance, and are holy and true, but they are not rightly applied, they are drawn on a false understanding. Therefore Jeremiah, Cap. 5, I. 2. says: "Go through the gates of Jerusalem, and look, and learn, and seek in their street, if ye find any that do right, and ask after faith; and I will be gracious. And if they say: By the living God, yet they swear falsely." Same [Cap. 23, 28.], "He that hath my word, let him preach my word aright." What is this but that the word of God Himself can be spoken both truly and uselessly (vane)?
(120) Therefore, although they seem to teach correctly in appearance, their inside is heartache (vanum) and their heart is sacrilegious (vanum). For they do not hold (sapiunt) what the words teach in truth, but they want it to be seen as if the words meant what they hold. Thus truth becomes a cover for lies and falsehood (vanitatis), and he even puffingly expresses by this speech "their inwardness is heartache" what it is about the doctrine of the hypocrites, namely that they pretend something else by heart than they cherish inwardly: they pretend godliness and cherish and cultivate godlessness. This is the angel of Satan, who disguises himself into an angel of light, this is the cunning of the serpent, which pretends that one will attain divinity [Gen. 3, 5], this is the spirituality of the angels, of which the apostle Col. 2, 18. says.
Neither do those speak evil (absurd) who say that the same word XXXX means not only deceitfulness (insidias) and vanity (vanitates), but also perversity, because they are in fact perverters of the words of God, as it is said in Jer. 23:36: "You pervert the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts. By this perverting they also become perverters against themselves (vani) against the truth 1) and persecutors against other people, as Paul says 2 Tim. 3, 13: "The longer they persist, the worse they become, seducing and being seduced."
1) Erlanger and Weimarsche: veritnt" instead of: verituti.
This inversion was once modeled in all idols, both carved and cast, which Moses not so obscurely indicated in Exodus 32:2 ff, where he wants to describe the making of the golden calf and says that Aaron took the earrings of the women and designed or formed them by fusion (opere fusorio), and made a golden calf (where in Hebrew instead of "by fusion" it says "with a stylus"), because it would happen that ungodly teachers would not take the words of God, which are the earrings of the daughters of Israel, of the believing souls, our unique ornament, into such forms (formas) that they would have to be understood according to their meaning, and again people would seek teachers after their ears itched, and the rulers (rectores) would (as the apostle says [2 Tim. 4, 3. 4.]) would turn to the fables. For Jeremiah also, in the 8th chapter [v. 8. Vulg.], almost interprets Moses, saying, "Verily a lie hath the lying pen of the scribes designed." The same, Cap. 10, 2) 3. ff, and Isaiah, Cap. 44, 12. ff, say in long speech of the dressing (formatione) of an idol. But also in Ezekiel, Cap. 16, 17, Jerusalem is punished because she had taken the beautiful gold and silver utensils of the Lord that had been given to her, and had made herself male images of them, and had committed fornication with them.
But all this is almost a joke if you compare it with our times, when nothing is praised so highly as God's service and the church, the house of God, while in the meantime no one serves God less than those who, with so many customs, so many new works of their own invention, partly cause discord, partly seek honor, partly pursue profit, and we in general seek what is ours.
124. But for all these things, they refer to God's word, teaching that one must pray and do good, and the like. Or what evil act (malum), what monstrosity, what abomination is not covered today with the terrible name of God, and of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and of the Church? since (to explain other things) they have not yet said it.
2) In all editions: enn 9.
The spiritual sects (factiones) are spiritual only for the purpose of venting their spitefulness on each other and filling their bellies, although they murmur this and similar psalms daily for the salvation of other people, armed with a brazen forehead, so that they do not notice with how great force (aestu) the words of the prophet resound against those who murmur them.
Your throat is an open grave.
(125) There is no doubt that the prophet, in these words, which contain an extraordinary intensification, indicates their insatiable voracity, since he is not content with having compared their maw to a grave which in itself devours all, but compares it to an open grave ready to devour insatiably.
The holy scripture attributes these teachers of wickedness to avarice and devouring of the people, as Christ Luc. 20, 47 says that the scribes devour the houses of the widows and offer long prayers. And Micah 3:3 says, "Ye devour the flesh of my people; and when ye have flayed off their skin, ye break their legs also; and break them as into a pot, and as meat into a kettle." And a little later [v. 5], "Thus saith the Lord against the prophets that deceive my people: They preach that it shall be well where they are fed; but where they are not fed in the mouth, they preach that war must come." Likewise Amos Cap. 4:1: "Hear this word, ye fat cows that are in mount Samaria, and wrong the poor, and oppress the poor, and say unto your masters, Bring hither, and let us drink." But Isaiah speaks of it still more extensively Cap. 56, 10-12.: "All their watchmen are blind, they all know nothing; dumb dogs they are, which cannot punish; are slothful, lie down, and love to sleep. But they are strong dogs of the body, which can never be satisfied. They, the shepherds, have no understanding; every one looks to his own way, every one is stingy in his own state. Come, let us get wine and drink to the full; and tomorrow shall be as today, and much more."
This, if you look at the rulers of the church today, and those who are considered teachers of the people, will need no explanation (glossa). For what is the use of recounting the incredible avarice, the gluttony, the ostentation, and the more than worldly excess of the bishops of Rome and all the bishops, the priests, and the religious clergy, since they make themselves the talk of the people every day by their own insolent echoing, and confirm this [talk] by deed? For where do they not publicly sing of the avarice of the clergy? And all this is done under the title that they preside over the people of God. Is not their jaws rightly called an open grave by the prophet? For they rob everyone of everything, but even so they are not yet satisfied, but are full of greed, as today so also tomorrow, and still much more to devour.
(128) There is trouble when these things are spoken, and these are words which are seditious, and grievous to godly ears. But they also gave offense and were seditious when the prophets spoke them to the rulers of the synagogue, so that they were shamefully killed as heretics and seditionists against the authorities.
129 The same Isaiah says Cap. 5, 7-9: "He waits for justice, behold, it is toil; for righteousness, behold, it is lamentation. Woe to them that set house against house, and bring one field to another, until there be no more room, that they alone may possess the land. It is in the ears of the Lord of hosts." Likewise Amos, Cap. 6, 1-6. says: "Woe to the proud of Zion, and to those who rely on Mount Samaria, who boast the noblest over the Gentiles, and walk in the house of Israel! Go to Calne, and look, and from thence to Hemath, the great city; and go down to Gath of the Philistines, which have been better kingdoms than these, and their border greater than your border. Ye that regard yourselves far from the evil day, and seek always to reign iniquity; and sleep upon beds of ivory, and make your beds abundant; and eat the lambs of the flock, and the fatted calves; and play upon the psaltery, and make up songs for yourselves, as David did; and drink wine of the vials, and anoint yourselves with balm;
432 L. xiv, 217-219. Works on the first 22 Psalms. Ps. 5, 10. W. iv, sii-si7. 433
And care nothing for the harm of Joseph."
(130) But I must restrain myself and not add more, lest I be considered to have sinned against the sacred canons, and to want to steal the patrimony of Christ and the goods of the church in contempt of the censures, and to claim that this temporal possession of kingdoms and lands is unlawful. For I would not be safe enough before the most holy papal right, even if all prophets and apostles were with me.
(131) It is enough that the prophet Amos has here considered the kingdoms that are around Israel, though they are great and very rich, less than the riches of the priests and the pleasures of the elders of the people, so that he showed us what their mouth is, which is called an open grave. Nowadays you would rather call it the mouth of hell, as Isaiah Cap. 5, 14. says, and "the soul of hell, wide open beyond all measure". So much is sought with ever new artifices even for the little that is left to the people, from which they can hardly live, since everything else has already been devoured, and the word Ps. 14, 4. is also fulfilled: "They devour my people, that they may feed."
Therefore it follows that since the ungodly teachers do not teach the way of God, nor do they seek anything else, not even from God, but their own, that they seek much more their own from men, so that Paul confidently dares to call them Phil. 3, 2. dogs, since he says: "Behold the dogs, behold the evil workers, behold the cutting in pieces," and afterwards [v. 19.]: "Which end is condemnation, whose belly is their God." But in the Epistle to Titus, Cap. 1, 12. he calls them, "liars, evil beasts, and foul bellies," for in both places he speaks of seducing teachers.
For this reason the prophet abhors their wickedness with a holy indignation and punishes their evil desires with a shameful name, as if he wanted to say: What do these swine do with their ungodly doctrine, by which they corrupt souls, but that
they serve their bellies by seducing the people through them, and as insatiable devourers they snatch up nothing but earthly things without end and measure, they gather them together and multiply them? Yes, just as the apostle in the letter to Titus calls them "bellies" in a quite ignominiously disparaging way (tapinosi), so you see that he calls them a "maw" here, as if he wanted to say: You are altogether maws, and otherwise nothing, and that like an open grave, since you deal with nothing but devouring the goods of men. After this way of speaking we say: He is not a wicked man, but wickedness itself; and [say] a vice (scelus) for a vicious man, so also belly for a belly servant, throat for one who serves the throat, glutton (voracitas) for a glutton; in German, "It is with you only eating and drinking."
I would have added another sense, that they are called a "maw" for this reason, which is an open grave, because they devour people's souls to hell by their ungodly word and work (this sense is treated by St. Augustine), but it seems to me too far from the literal sense. I pass over this one, because it is also easier than this literal one, especially as far as the connection of the preceding with the following is concerned. But I do not want to prescribe the judgment of another.
Since the teachers of the people, like the Levites, are fully justified in reaping the corporeal from the people, because they sow the spiritual, it happens, because avarice and ignorance of the way of God prevail, that instead of the spiritual they sow ungodly teachings, which contain carnal sentiments (carnem sapientia). Because these are more pleasing to the foolish multitude than what is truly spiritual, the people are easily deceived; and in the meantime those reap their bodily goods, until they also devour their lying goods with all their possessions, so that those gain for their ungodly work the bliss of the ungodly in this world, but those are destroyed for their ungodly piety both in body and soul with double ruin.
136. it is also not without special cause that the prophet prefers their jaws to a
He did not want to compare a grave with any other kind of eating (voracitati), perhaps because only the goods that have been obtained by ungodly teaching (ministerio) and pretending (titulo) are so unfortunate that they never come back to any godly use, just as the corpses that have once been buried do not return to life. For he does not say, Their jaws are an open shrine, as if there were hope of one day taking up again what has been put into it, but a grave; if anything has been put into it, there is no hope of taking it up again.
For the inheritance of Christ and the church has indeed this grace even today, especially the richest goods, that they serve whores, muleteers and generally the lowest yeast of mankind in such a way, also by wills and succession, so that these goods are not worthy to serve the poor believers of Christ, as also proverbs and experience show.
Therefore this is the privilege (privilegium) of the evil-doers (operariorum XXX), that is, the martyrs of the devil, that they devour many things and do not share them with any of the faithful of Christ. Hence the saying that the so-called spiritual goods bring harm by being touched and used, and consume all other goods with which they are mixed. Some say that this is because they are so holy and consecrated to the service of God (divinis), but others say that because they are so cursed and banished like Jericho [Jos. 6:26], they should never serve with goods that are in good use, since they are deprived of their proper use.
139) Lastly, he says that they pretend with their tongues, make their tongues smooth, or, as it is called in Hebrew, flatter and caress with their tongues; this belongs to the preceding. For they do not think that their task is to benefit the people by reciting godly doctrine, but that they may please the great multitude by telling godless fables.
140 For they are careful not to offend the ears of the people,
that they may be fat and have abundance, and they belong to the number of those of whom Isaiah Cap. 30,1 ) 10. says, "Preach to us gently," and Paul 2 Tim. 4, 3. says, "They themselves will charge them with teachers after their ears are gnawed," and Rom. 16, 18. says, "By sweet words and splendid speech they deceive the innocent hearts." For these people do not serve Christ our Lord, but their bellies. Therefore they do not speak the truth, for fear of shameful poverty, but they speak what the mob likes to hear, because they hope for abundance thereby, and so they become open graves.
These frivolous, flattering, but hypocritical (dolosas, as our translation has it) tongues, which are more harmful and corrupting than all adder poison, he scourges with this word. For the truth is rough, the word of the cross harder (horridius) than the garment of John the Baptist, which was made of camel's hair, for the voice of the caller in the wilderness of ungodliness is not clothed in soft garments. Therefore, a preacher of the Word of God must necessarily either be poor or not remain rich for long.
And from this arose the one excuse with which nowadays all excuse themselves for not teaching and telling the truth, namely, that from this would come the downfall of the church, the monasteries and the patrimonies of Christ, and a significant thing would have to be broken off from the gullet and the belly. Therefore, in order to keep the cistern and the grave open all the more, one must let the tongue be false, one must flatter the rabble, turn a blind eye to their vices; then, if they are noble people (majores), one must also praise their vices as virtues, consider everything they have said, done or omitted as a revelation (oracula) of God, but punish and persecute everything that goes against it as heretical and ungodly.
143. for then the throat will be secure, the belly will be well provided for; then you will not be banished, nor will you be deprived of your benefice.
Yes, if you let your tongue be even more false and flatter more sweetly, then open your mouth wide, the grave will be even more open, and your belly will expand, you will be showered with benefices and gifts, you will be adorned with praises; your speeches will be golden, your books worthy of immortality (cedro digni), and everything you step on will become roses.
That the world today is full of such flatterers, I think, is clear to everyone, since even the clergy are all aglow with zeal to make their tongues be false in such a way. Thus it comes that Ezekiel says, Cap. 13, 18. f.: "Woe to you who make pillows for people's arms and pills for their heads, both young and old, to catch souls. When ye then have caught souls among my people, ye promise them life; and profane me (that is, the truth, teaching false delusion of me) among my people for a handful of barley and morsels of bread, that ye may condemn to death souls which ought not to die, and condemn to life souls which ought not to live, by your lies among my people, who love to hear lies."
145. what this very beautiful saying means, and how it interprets this whole passage, which follows [v. 21.], "I will rend your feelings (that is, the flattering speeches and "sweet words" [χριστολογίας], as the apostle calls it), and will deliver my people out of your hand, that ye shall fah them no more." Behold, this is the oxen and a handful of barley etc. But it follows [v. 22.], "Wherefore ye falsely grieve the heart of the righteous, whom I have not grieved (for a flatterer must not only teach the ungodly false things, but also persecute the righteous doctrines of the righteous, or else his wake would soon close); and have strengthened the hands of the ungodly, that they turn not from their evil nature, that they may abide alive; therefore preach ye no more useless doctrine, neither prophesy" etc. So it is obvious that our [Latin] translator understands by the hypocritical (dolosam) tongue the flattering and covetous tongue, which for the sake of
For the sake of these earthly goods they teach the ungodly ungodliness, and persecute the godly of the godly. Therefore there is nothing certain in their mouth, and their inwardness is heartache, perverse, deceitful. Thus the meaning of this verse is evident.
I myself am displeased with my immense prolixity and my disorderly talk, that I inculcate with so many words the exceedingly short words of the spirit. But when I consider that I am not writing for learned, nor perceptive, nor highly gifted people, but for simple and ordinary people, who mostly belong to the clerical class (clericis), it seems to me that I am still too short and taciturn, especially in these matters, which are of the highest necessity, I feel that I am still too short and taciturn, especially in these matters, which, as they are most necessary to know, are also suppressed by superstition and idolatry throughout the world, and are already alienated from the hearts of men by long use, so that it seems to me to be necessary that the voice of thunder always resounds, in order to thereby shake and awaken the natural man.
147. therefore let a choosy (delicatus) reader know, either that I have not written this for him, or let him be mindful that he must be patient with weaker and coarser people, and let me, after the example of the patriarch Jacob, Gen. 33, 1. f., with the herd of the tender children, the sheep and the [nursing] cows, follow their footsteps gradually, as I see that they can [go], lest, if I overdo them, the whole herd die in one day etc.
V. 11. Blame them, O God, that they fall from their nobility; cast them out because of their great transgression, for they are rebellious against You.
The first part of this verse is connected with the previous one, but this has little influence on the meaning. Now the prophet asks that the ungodly hypocrites and evildoers, who have been described and accused up to this point, be declared to be such people by divine judgment, because they are approved, excused and defended according to human judgment, as if they were righteous and true, and this name could not be taken away from them as
whether he said with Jeremiah, Cap. 5, 30. f.: "It stands abominable and terrible in the land. The prophets teach falsely and the priests rule in their office, and my people like it that way. How will you fare in the end?" For who could resist those who are safe in the judgment of both the people and the rulers? But this is how the godless workers behave against the one proclaimer of truth. Therefore it cannot be otherwise than that he brings forward many annoying, seditious, offensive to godly ears, erroneous and heretical doctrines, which must be condemned both according to the judgment of the priests and the princes and according to the judgment of the people. But what does he do in the meantime? Only this, that he asks God for his judgment and commands him the matter.
The Hebrew word translated "judge them" (judica illos) is interpreted by Jerome as "condemn them" (condemna eos). It actually denotes the judgment by which it is made known what kind of people they are by revealing their ungodliness. Paul also refers to this opinion in 2 Tim. 3, 9: "Their foolishness will be revealed to everyone, just as it was to him; they will not do it for a long time," as if the prophet wanted to say: See to it that, just as everyone is now on their side, loving them and exalting them, so now their foolishness will be revealed, and everyone will hate them, reject them and detest them, so that people will see that they have wickedly approved what you have condemned.
For we have seen and still see that this has happened to all heretics, that they first pleased men, but afterwards their bones are scattered (as the 53rd Psalm, v. 6, says), they have become ashamed, because God spurned them. Meanwhile their honor and praise and applause and splendor must be borne. "But I (as Jeremiah Cap. 20, 7. f. says) have become a mockery of them daily, and every man ridicules me. For since I have spoken, called, and preached of the plague and disturbance, the word of the Lord has become a mockery and derision to me daily. "etc.
151 This, then, is not merely part of the last judgment, but it is a prayer that the
May truth triumph through God's judging, which those people oppress through the judging of a human day. Judge thou, God, for men judge evil.
Let them fall from their thoughts" (a cogitationibus suis). "Thoughts" in this place is an expression of the same meaning as in the first Psalm, v. 1, "the counsel of the wicked." Therefore it is not simple thoughts, but we understand by it, as there and elsewhere is already sufficiently said, the ungodly delusion, sense, mind, that which reason enters (dictamina), about God and divine works and words, what has been invented by men and communicated to others through teachings. Therefore, in both words there is a diminutive way of speaking (tapinosis), in "thoughts" and in "their". It is their thoughts, not God's, according to the saying Isa. 55, 8. 9.: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. But as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
What else does God indicate with these words than that the thoughts of men, however holy they may be, are earthly, vain and lying, as it is said in the 94th Psalm, v. 11: "The Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are vain."
Therefore he calls them in a disparaging way 2) "thoughts", as vague and unstable movements of the heart (because that is called a thought), which seem to be more firmly and permanently founded than the rocks in the sea. But also Paul, 3) Hebr. 13, 9., admonishes, 4) that they should not let themselves be carried about by various and strange doctrines, and Eph. 4, 14. that we should not let ourselves be weighed and swayed by all kinds of wind of doctrine. The plague of Egypt sufficiently shows these inconstant flies. Christ also said for this reason Matth. 11, 7. that the teaching of Jo-
1) This figure is missing in the Erlanger.
Weimarsche: tupinosieos.
3) Instead of Saul it says in the Wittenberg and in the Jena edition:
4) Jn der Erlanger und in der Weimarschen: eum naonet; in der Baseler, Wittenberger und Jenaer eum is missing.
hannis is not a reed which the wind weaves to and fro. But our doctrine of faith is a solid rock, a rock wall, a stone wall (petra, rupes, saxum), which defies both the winds and the tides of the whole sea forever, therefore its [faith's] righteousness is also forever.
But what is this, that he desires, not that their thoughts, but they themselves should fall? St. Augustine thinks that this verse is spoken by the prophet as a prophecy, not as a prayer, or if it should be a prayer, then it is asked that they may fall in a good way, and change and turn to the salutary thoughts of God, and I like this opinion. But I am still pressed by this expression of the hypallage, 1) which seems to me to have a similar meaning as the word Ps. 81:7: "He turned his back from the burden," because in the world, where the princes of darkness rule, someone will strive in vain to prevent ungodly teachings and thoughts, because trouble must come. But we have to take care that we turn away from the teachings and thoughts that stubbornly try to cling to us, and that they never fall from us, so that they penetrate us again and again and fight us most stubbornly.
Since this is the case, it is obvious that those who want no heresy to remain, no error, no ungodliness to exist, do not deal with anything else than that, after the heretics have been burned, they alone should be heretics without hindrance (libere). For this verse indicates that we are to be in battle against the thoughts of men, but not to have rest from them, since the prophet asks that not they [thoughts from men) but men should fall from them. For by the very tamest glue and the greatest harlotry the human heart and its counsel cling together, so that even for the grace of God great effort and labor is necessary.
Composition of words, e.g. here: "that they fall from their nobles" instead of: that their nobles fall from them.
157 But he preferred to say "fall" rather than turn away, because he wants them to move from arrogance to humility. For thoughts inflate, so that sinners cannot recognize themselves, nor humble themselves to the grace of God.
But whoever wants to follow the understanding (which pleases me) that it is spoken as a prophecy, can easily bring it about that the wicked fall from their undertaking, when their confidence in it falls away, so that they cannot carry it out, not unlike what is shown in the building of the tower of Babylon (for there [Gen. 11, 1. ff.] the office, undertaking, work and end of the wicked teachers is depicted very beautifully), where they could not complete what they had begun. This is also illustrated by Christ Luc. 14, 28. f. in the parable of the one who wanted to build a tower. The 21st Psalm, v. 12, speaks in this sense: "They made plans that they could not carry out.
So they fall from the execution of their counsel by perishing, leaving behind them a monument where all can see what they intended and could not carry out; just as the Arians have fallen, but their memory and their thoughts, which they left and did not carry out, are still left, for all people to mock and talk about. Such a judgment the prophet has here both preached and implored against all godless teachers and workers, who present their own thoughts, that they should fall and not carry out what they think against godliness. This happens when they are judged by God, as it is said, because as long as they are judged by men, they increase and rise in their thoughts.
160 Why did he not simply say, "Cast them out," but added, "because of their great transgression"? And the word "cast out" in Hebrew means a scattering, as the builders of the tower of Babel were divided and scattered over the whole earth, and had to stop building the city, Gen. 11, 8. This also says the holy virgin Luc. 1, 51: "He scatters those who are hopeful in their heart." Of this matter Samson gave a prelude with his foxes, Judg. 15, 4. For in such a way
a realm becomes desolate, which is divided in itself.
For no heretics have ever been overcome by force or cunning, but by discord among themselves, and Christ does not fight against them in any other way than by sending the spirit of deceit [Isa. 19:14] and discord among them, as among the Shechemites, Judges 9:23, among the builders of the Tower of Babel, and in the New Testament among the Arians, Donatists, Pelagians. 9, 23, among the builders of the tower of Babel, and in the new 1) testament among the Arians, Donatists, Pelagians. But also the Jews perished at the last destruction through disunity, so that Hilarius, the holy man, boasts in his book of the Trinity that the war of the heretics is the peace of the church; for their discord is followed by their physical dispersion.
162 Christ indicates this when he describes Luc. 11, 22. the strong armored man who will be stripped of his armor in such a way that he says that everything he relied on must be divided and scattered. So also Hosea Cap. 10, 1. 2. proclaims, describing similar great transgressions, that they would perish by being scattered, and says: "Israel is a desolate vine, its fruit is even so. As much fruit as it had, so many altars it had made; where the land was best, there they founded the most beautiful churches. Her heart is rent asunder, now shall she find her iniquity; her altars shall be broken down, and her churches shall be desolate." These words interpret this verse very appropriately. For what does the multiplication of the altars according to the amount of fruit mean but this: Israel grew so that she had many cities, and so many altars they set up? as Jer. 2:28. is written, "As many a city, as many a god hast thou, Judah." By this certification they soon hasten their dispersion, each part desiring the ruin of the other, that it alone may accomplish its own.
163. the meaning is this: they are ungodly in many ways, they are guilty of many superstitions and idolatries, they are also divided among themselves, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, and their
1) In the original and in the Weimar: nostro instead of: NOVD.
Successors in our time, therefore scatter them because of this [great transgression], so that their ungodliness may cease, in that the strength of unity is lost.
If this is true, it can be seen that a great persecution, destruction and scattering is imminent for the church; since it is divided into so many sects, and its members fight miserably against each other, it is threatened with a tremendous fall with a great crash. For there are no longer so many altars as cities, but almost as many as heads. Even brotherly love has perished, without which everything that is done in life must necessarily be idolatry, because what is God's is not sought. Therefore, you can rightly call the glittering change of all priests, religious and all people who put love in the background (as it is now in the church) "great transgression", by which we are also divided and will shortly be scattered "each in his own way", as Isaiah Cap. 53, 6. as the foxes of Samson most excellently illustrate (as I have said), in which the heads stood apart, but the tails were joined by fires (Judg. 15, 4.].
165. "For they are contumacious to thee" (irritaverunt te), in Hebrew: "They have embittered thee." We have said [§ 59 ff.] that before other sins this most enraged, angered, and embittered [God], that that which is commanded is omitted, and another is done, as if it were better, which is not commanded, namely, XXX, disobedience itself, idolatry, wrongdoing. Therefore, the prophet attributes this to them, that they are contrary to God and provoke Him to anger, which is also what other prophets do, when they say about the house of Israel that they provoke [God] to anger, provoke, provoke (as has been said).
But it is to be noted that for "transgression" in this place [in the Hebrew] another word is set, which is different from the previous ones. For here not XXX or XXX but XXX is set, which is a general expression for any transgression. Isa. 1, 2. [Vulg.]: "I have brought up children, but they have despised me," that is, they have sinned against me, or, they have despised me with their transgressions. Therefore Hierony-
The translation of the word "scelerum" [here, Ps. 5, 11] is: because of the multitude of their shameful deeds (scelerum). But what these transgressions are in particular, he has listed above [v. 5 ff.], when he says: "You are not a God who is pleased with ungodly beings." For he wants to indicate by all this that they sinned, transgressed and did evil in many ways, so that they were even rebellious to God, while they thought that they pleased Him. Therefore, "great transgression" (multitudo impietatum) is said not only because they are divided into many sects according to what was said before, but also because every sect sins in this manifold way, which he described in the seven pieces (septenario) mentioned before.
V. 12. Let all who trust in you rejoice forever, for you protect them; let those who love your name rejoice in you. 1)
166 All this is one verse in the Hebrew [in the Vulgate two]. St. Jerome has thus, And let all rejoice who hope in thee, forever shall they praise, thou shalt protect them, and glad in thee shall they be who love thy name. There our text has said gloriabuntur for laetabuntur. But also elsewhere the translations of words expressing violent movements are extraordinarily different, so that only in the Hebrew source one can find everywhere their constant meaning, by which they differ from each other (constans differentia).
Here we see that four words expressing a movement of the mind are accumulated: rejoice, trust, boast, be glad. But also the word: "You protect them" almost [also] indicates such a movement, that of hope. How then are they different? It is difficult to explain, because these movements are rare and high (ardui), they cannot be recognized nor taught, because they have been experienced.
(167) This one thing is certain, according to the whole meaning of the psalm, that it speaks of the joy and security of the heart, not of that which comes from the removal of external evil.
1) Vulgate: Ht laelentur omnes, hui kperaut in te, in ubternuin "xsuUadunt: et dabitÄdis in eis.
^loriudnntur in te ornn68, <^ui äiÜAUnt N0M6N tuurn.
(where patience reigns), but by the forgiveness of sins, purity and confidence of conscience (where hope reigns). For this was his purpose, that he taught by what means they might become righteous and godly, namely, by the mercy and fear of God, not by iniquity. But all seek to rejoice and be glad; but not all seek it in the right way, therefore they do not find it. Therefore let us divide this verse into two parts, so that it may contain, as it were, a repetition of the same thing (sit tautologicus), namely, that this, that he says, "Let all who trust in thee rejoice, let them glory forever in thy shielding," is the same as, "Let those who love thy name rejoice in thee."
168 For it is seen that he opposes these movements of joy to the XXX XXXX, that is, to those who do evil, or (as it is more often translated) who cause heartache (doloris), because, as it is said, this idolatry and pretense of works is the trouble of fools, which makes them sorrowful and sad, but never in truth makes the heart glad, as they say, Mal. 3, 14. [Vulg.], "What profit is it that we lead a sorrowful life before the Lord?" And Isa. 58:3: "Why do we fast, and thou seest it not? Why do we afflict our bodies, and thou wilt not know it?" and likewise they speak in this whole chapter and in the following, which deal extensively with this affliction.
Do you want to know where the true joy of the heart is? He says, "Let those who trust in you rejoice." This description is certain, and this judgment stands firm; the joy of the human heart is not based on works, not on any things, but on hope alone. Whoever seeks to obtain joy elsewhere besides this hope will labor much and in vain, but it will also become worse with him, as with the woman in the Gospel [Luc. 8:43], who had the issue of blood and consumed her goods with the physicians. The same happens to those who, in the anguish of their conscience, run hither and thither, sometimes consulting this, sometimes that, sometimes doing this, sometimes that, and trying everything to calm their heart.
They do not seek the peace and quiet that they can also have in themselves. The false teachers help in these tortures by teaching works, pardons, indulgences, and pilgrimages out of ignorance, and by giving false consolation, and by seducing with similar trades that creep in the darkness, just as today there is no number of all these things.
Since this hope is taught so often in the Psalter, let us depart a little from the matter at hand and deal with it in more detail, so that we may know once and for all the meaning (vim) and the manner of hope, for it is very necessary for frightened and fainthearted consciences to know.
171. So, just as impatience, sadness, despondency (confusio) do not actually and in the first place come from the quantity and magnitude of afflictions, adversities and any other evils, but rather from the position of the heart, which abhors such things, and unwittingly desires the opposite, well-being, pleasant life, glorious things (gloriosa): so despair, spiritual sadness, despondency of a troubled conscience do not actually and in the first place come from the amount and greatness of sins, but rather from the position of the heart that abhors sins and unwise seeks an abundance of good works, righteousness and blessedness.
The first part is clear, because here he says: "Let all who trust in you rejoice" (sperant). When he says that all who trust should rejoice in the Lord, he does not allow it to be understood as if anyone were exempt, not even those who are in tribulation; indeed, it is of these that he speaks primarily, that they rejoice in the Lord, while they have tribulation in themselves or in men. These are the faithful of Christ, who, as they have much of the suffering of Christ, so also are abundantly comforted by him, as the apostle [2 Cor. 1:5] speaks. For they know where and in whom they ought to rejoice and be glad, even in the Lord [Phil. 4:4]. Therefore, by this their wisdom they are not grieved, not despondent, not impatient, because they do not seek well-being, pleasant life, and glorious things. From
half they go through the midst of both good and evil, as it is written [Prov. 12:21], "Nothing shall trouble the righteous, 1) whatever may befall him," and Prov. 28:1, "The wicked fleeth, and no man chaseth him: but the righteous is confident as a young lion."
But those who are ignorant and unwise, and do not want to know that one should rejoice and be glad in God, what else do they do but be sad, create trouble for themselves, become impatient, not because unpleasant and sad things come, but because when they come, according to the position of their heart, they foolishly do not look to God, but to their well-being and pleasant life. Thus they flee, but cannot escape, because they do not flee to where one must flee. Therefore, the whole cause of any sadness is the foolish desire for joy and glory; if the heart did not cling to it, the adversities would be of no avail, so that it is a very true saying: The world is ruled by opinions. And for each one things are of such a nature as his opinion of these things is: if one despises them, they do no harm, neither do they profit; but if one esteems them highly, then they profit and harm.
The second part is just as certain, because many and great sinners have been saved; and even those of whom he says here that they rejoice in the Lord, will have to say with Job [Cap. 9, 3]: "We cannot answer him for a thousand. And for this reason they have many and great sins. In these, God undoubtedly shows that the cause of despair is not the multitude of sins, but the lack of understanding of the heart, which at the time of anguish of conscience seeks good works to oppose the sins that beset it. For it thinks (according to its shameful delusion) that it could have overcome the sins by works, and still can. If now a man does not find these, and does not know that one must look up to God's mercy,
1) In the text: ooMurdabit, in the Vulgate: oontristadit.
he despairs with necessity, not unlike the impatience of one who, setting aside looking up to God, seeks how to oppose evil with good, but does not have it; for no works can suffice against even a single sin, not even against a venial sin.
For thus speaks the wretched conscience of an ungodly man who is dying and hastens to the judgment of God, and disputes with himself: O wretched man, if I had done much good now, if I had done no evil, if I had remained pure! What do these exceedingly foolish and ungodly words indicate but that this saying of Augustine is absolutely true: The ungodly is also struck with this punishment, that when it comes to dying, he forgets him, since he forgot God while he lived? He seeks good and hates evil, and does not realize that he has never done such evil things and sought after good less than at this very hour in which he speaks this and entertains this exceedingly foolish opinion, for he proves that he does not trust (sperare) in God, but is presumptuous because of his works; for if he wanted to trust in God, he would still have Him present and could trust in Him. [He is a man who looks back on past works so that he might rely on them; but they are rightly absent then, so that he might rely on them. If he trusts in God for the sake of works (since he dreams that he could then trust in God more confidently and cheerfully if he saw a multitude of works before him), he is convicted of trusting more in works than in God; but what is there more frightening and more ungodly than this?
176. but the righteous, though they sin, do not despair, because, as they pass in the midst between the bodily evils (that is, the sufferings of this life) and the good, so also between the spiritual evils (that is, the sins) and the spiritual good, not being presumptuous that they live well, nor despairing because they sin, knowing that neither of them is to be rejoiced in nor grieved over, since they are
know that they are God's gifts, or a withdrawal of God's gifts; but they themselves cling to the Giver Himself.
177 This is what Proverbs says, Cap. 24:16: "A righteous man falls seven times and gets up again, but the wicked sink into misfortune," that is, they do not get up again but fall into the misfortune of despair. For if then thou trustest, or wouldest trust, if thou hadst done good, much more must thou trust when thou hast done evil, lest the word be said unto thee, Ps. 49:19 [Vulg.], "He shall praise thee when thou shalt do evil unto him," and this [Luc. 8:13], "In the time of temptation they fall away," and thou heap not ungodliness upon ungodliness, and fall into the blasphemy of disobedience.
178. Therefore, it is very much to be feared that both kinds of misfortune will befall the wicked, that, just as they make themselves believe that they rejoice and are glad in God, while they have honor and all well-being, when in fact they do not put their trust in God, but in His gifts, namely, that it will go well with them, as the temptation proves, they are thus also most strongly of the opinion that they trust in the Lord (especially in our extremely dangerous times, which are very much concerned with the appearance [larvis] of works), because they live holy, spiritual and (as they call it) also according to observance, while in truth, without knowing it, they trust in their holiness, as the hour of death will prove. Then, when they come to judgment, and die quite confidently, because they are conscious of a good life (in this confidence they hope in God, that is, they extinguish true hope), it will be to them as to him who sets his foot on a log floating in the water, and suddenly falls into the deep, or as Isaiah Cap. 30, 13. says of them, "So shall such iniquity be to you as a crack in a high wall, when it begins to trickle, which suddenly falls in unawares, and is broken."
(179) Therefore, just as patience that exists only in well-being is not patience, so also hope that is based on merit is not hope, and as easy or possible as it is to have patience in well-being, so it is not hope that is based on merit.
It is easy to have hope when there is merit, for there is danger on both sides; there that man may be hopeful in safety, here that he, puffed up by righteousness, may put the fear of God (that is, the exercise of hope) behind, since the nature of patience is that it is only present in adversities, so also the nature of hope that it is not otherwise present than in sins. Shall we then commit sins, that we may be able to hope? Far be it from us! There are already plenty of sins that we have committed and in which we were born, so that hope has to fight a great battle against them, since even good works are nothing but sins before God.
Is God cruel, then, that He condemns all that is ours? No, but the ineffable mercy of God, in order to be able to communicate Himself to us and to remove the trust in us from us (which is solely contrary to mercy), gave the law, by which He decided everything under sin, so that He might have mercy on all, Rom. 11, 32, because where the law is not, there is no sin; where there is no sin, there is no mercy; where there is no mercy, there is no blessedness; where there is no blessedness, there is no God. And so the power of sin is the law [1 Cor. 15:56], but the power of the law is mercy, the power of mercy is hope, the power of hope is blessedness, and the power of blessedness is God through Jesus Christ our Lord, for He is the God who makes blessed (salvos faciendi) and the Lord who saves from death, Ps. 68:21 [Vulg.]. For the law works sin for us, mercy works (that is, fulfills) the law, hope works mercy, blessedness works hope, God works blessedness, and all things in Christ. Thus blessedness descends from Christ the God to sin, and we ascend from sin to blessedness in Christ the man.
From this follows this: Just as in temporal things the good is given for its own sake by God, so that through it we may learn to serve God all the more, to trust in Him, and to love Him, where it is through the fault of our heart (affectus) that it is given to Him as a
then more heavily and less, rather in adversities more easily and more is served, in him is trusted, and he is loved: so goods of grace and merits are given by God in spiritual things, so that we are taught by them to trust the more strongly in God. And behold, through the guilt of our heart, which is presumptuous of it, it happens that by this a trust is least of all drawn (speretur), but that it happens that one can more easily trust (sperare) in sins. Therefore it seemed necessary to the divine goodness to raise up the cross, and by its preaching to make the faithful blessed, the foolish and the sinners, but to reject the wise and the holy, as he 1 Cor. 1, 23. f. We preach Christ crucified as foolishness to the Greeks (the wise) and as an offense to the Jews (the saints), but as divine power and wisdom to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks (that is, sinners and fools)," and so on, as it is beautifully stated there.
Therefore, just as it is extremely dangerous for a person to always be left in good days, because he either never or very rarely learns to love God, so it is even more dangerous for a person to be left in many merits and graces of God until death, because he will hardly ever learn to trust in God. Therefore, it is through God's mercy that they not only fall into anguish of conscience, but also, if they are even hard, finally fall into a very obvious work of sin, such as fornication or similar shameful deeds, and God must keep them with such great concern that, against His mercy, He leads them to mercy and delivers them from sin through sin.
But this is something quite unheard of for many, and they might object: So then one must only sin, and wholly refrain from good, or (as also the apostle was reproached, who taught the same thing) [Rom. 3:8.] "Let us do evil, that good may come of it." For if we speak in this way, we will be regarded as paving the way for sin, and the good will not come out of it.
as if it were harmful to salvation. We answer: By these words, not only are good works not forbidden, but rather they are highly praised, and sins are fundamentally taken away by the best way of teaching (optimo magisterio), since they teach that good comes from within, and that sin must be killed within. For only this attitude (the head of the old serpent), which is completely hidden and carnal in an extremely subtle way, which trusts in these works and most stubbornly resists hope, which is based solely on God's mercy, must be trampled underfoot, torn out, destroyed, and one must realize that if one has not led a good life, one should not therefore despair, but also not hope because one has led a good life. But the former is difficult, but the latter is even more difficult, because in the latter one fights against sins alone, but in the latter one fights against good works and sin at the same time, that is, against the attitude that one is presumptuous of good works.
For if I say that patience does not endure when everything is going well, do I therefore condemn the [good] things, the [proper] power (potestatem), peace, life, since one cannot live without them, and they are the good creatures of the good God? Not at all, but that the heart is attached to it (affectum illorum), that I condemn. Thus it comes about that sometimes these things have to be called by an evil name, which they do not deserve, as that they are called "vain" in Ecclesiastes, and "thorns" by Christ in the Gospel, without their own fault, but because of the vanity of another, as Rom. 8:20, 22: "The creature is subject to vanity, against its will, and is afraid under it."
(185) So also these very good works of the wicked, since they are God's gifts, by which at times others are helped, but they themselves [the wicked] are corrupted, without their [the good works] being to blame, but because of the defilement which is done to them by the wicked, are called XXX, ungodliness, idolatry, disobedience. Thus Moses speaks of them under the cover of his angel.
(Deut. 28:1) 30: "A wife you will trust, but another will sleep with her. A house you will build, but you will not dwell in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not make it common," and many other things in this way, by which, as he preaches, they will have trouble, but strangers will enjoy it. For what else does he teach there but that they do good, but that they are punished by it, others should be helped.
This removes the objection that some raise: how can a good work done apart from grace be sin, such as giving alms, taking care of the needy, and the like? As if Christ really did not know that prophesying and doing deeds in his name and hearing his word are good things, which he will nevertheless condemn as evil deeds, and say Matt. 7:23: "Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity," or that if a harlot adorns herself with gold and precious stones, she does not necessarily sin with the good things she wears. Therefore, the wicked can benefit others and do good, but not themselves in any way; rather, God works through them, who works everything in everyone, even in the wicked.
187 All this is proven by this firm reason, that according to the unanimous judgment of all, hope is a theological virtue, which has only God as its object (pro objecto, as they call it). But God is goodness and our mercy, which is promised to us. Anyone who trusts (sperat) in something other than the promised mercy (that is, in God) is already presumptuous and has lost hope. The same is done by the one who hopes in God at the same time as he hopes in his merits. Just as God cannot be loved at the same time as another (as St. Augustine teaches), because then He is not loved above all things, so one cannot trust in Him (sperare) at the same time as anything else, because then one does not trust in Him above all things. But one also cannot believe in him beside another, because then not in him over
1) Erlanger: "veutr. 20."
everything is believed. So even these three virtues [faith, love, hope] are divine that they have only one divine object, author (subjectum), worker, 1) work, art and way. For here the bridegroom holds the secret of the chamber with the bride, he alone with her alone, while in other works everything is carried out by the daughters of Jerusalem or the comrades; all others limp on both sides, worshipping their Baal at the same time as God.
188 Finally, these sayings are also proven by the fact that hope has to do with things that are not seen, just as faith and love do. Romans 8:24: "Hope that is seen is not hope, for how can one hope that which is seen?" Just as he who believes what he sees, what does he believe? He who loves what he sees, what does he love? Absolutely nothing but a fleshly shadow image (spectrum) and something far inferior to God, not the essence (rem) but the appearance (larvam). But he who hopes in his works, who sees, holds, has, feels that on which he relies, does not hope in the Promiser, whom he cannot see, cannot feel, cannot comprehend, of whom he has heard only through the Word that He is made known to him. This is very difficult, repugnant and hard for our flesh, because in these things his [the flesh's] death reigns.
Therefore, what is said in the Song of Songs about the bridegroom and the bride, and reads as if it spoke of a lustful and carnal love of men, yes, also everything that still happens after the sex of man and woman, means just the extreme opposite of such pleasure, namely, the completely perfect works of faith, hope, love, that is, death and hell, as it says there [Hohel. 8, 6.], "For love is strong as death; and zeal is firm as hell." And again [v. 7.], "Many waters may not quench love, nor rivers drown it. If one would give all the good in his house for love, it would all count for nothing." This cannot at all be understood of the heat of pleasure.
1) Jenaer and Erlanger: subfecturn operatorena.
Many try to penetrate and talk about the secret, negative, real and symbolic (mystica, negativa, propria, symbolica) theology, but they do not know what they say or what they put, because they do not even know what an affirmation or a negation is, or how it happens; nor can their interpretations be read without danger, because as they themselves have been, so they have written, as they have thought, so they have spoken. But they held the contradiction of the negative theology 2), that is, they loved neither death nor hell, therefore it was impossible that they should not deceive both themselves and their readers.
I wanted to say this as a warning, because everywhere, both in Italy and in Germany, interpretations (commentaria) of Dionysius about mystical theology are carried around, that is, mere suggestions of such a science, which wants to blow itself out and be seen, so that no one believes he is a mystical theologian, when he has read, understood and taught this, or rather has let himself think that he understands and teaches it. Through life, yes, through death and damnation, someone becomes a theologian, not through understanding, reading or contemplating (speculando).
192 Again the word of the apostle is held up, Rom. 5, 3-5: "Affliction brings patience, but patience brings experience, but experience brings hope, but hope does not put to shame." Here, at least, it seems as if the apostle puts hope among merits, so that therefore the Magister Sententiarum [Peter Lombards] with the whole crowd of theologians accepts this description of hope as the correct one: Hope is the certain expectation of a reward that comes from merit. For those people have no other hope than that which comes from merit. What else could follow from this opinion than the downfall of the entire theology, the ignorance of Christ and His cross, and (as lamented in Jeremiah [Cap. 2, 32]) the forgetting of God forever?
2) Cf. Walch, old edition, vol. V, 1129,? 121: 'MeoloMa n6Aativu, rightly defined, is the holy cross and the temptations in which one does not see God."
456 L- xiv, 240-242. Works on the first 22 Psalms. Ps. 5, 12. w. iv, sss-sss. 457
193 But what will they say to us, that they themselves confess that faith, hope and love are infused virtues and the foundation (principia) of all good? For even they themselves do not say that merits precede love (fieri). Furthermore, they firmly assert that hope and faith are infused at the same time as love, so it is certain, according to their own opinion, that hope does not come from merit, but merit from hope, and yet they reverse this opinion when they describe hope, contradicting themselves by deriving hope from merit.
194 Furthermore, what do they say to the apostle when he says that patience is a work of affliction? Rom. 5, 3. But who could endure any tribulation without hope? For he who despairs never attains to patience, nor to experience, nor to glory in tribulation, but on the contrary grows worse and worse through tribulation, as Christ teaches Matt. 7:26 ff. about the house built on the sand, which has a great fall when the winds and the waters beat against it. He also shows this with the seed that fell on the stone [Luc. 8:6], which went out, but when the sun shone on it, it withered away, falling away in the time of trial; therefore hope must be there at the beginning of the tribulation.
195. But see also this: If hope comes from merit alone, then no sinner can have hope, but only the righteous. Who then can turn to repentance? Where will a righteous man be if no sinner repents? Or how will he repent if he cannot hope for the mercy of God? Should one say to a dying sinner: "Far be it from you! Do not hope, you have no merits from which hope can come to you? This would then no longer be doing theology, but doing devilry (diabologisare). For the devil's exceedingly powerful voice would then be: "Do not hope, for you lack merit; for in death is the noblest, highest, and very best workshop of hope, and death itself brings about hope in the most artful way. It is
so this description of hope is quite wrong, and I would rather confess that I do not understand the apostle's word than allow such a description of hope to be formed from it.
Therefore, I will put forward my opinion. First of all, it is certain that grace, that is, faith, hope and love are not poured in unless sin is poured out at the same time, that is, the sinner is not justified unless he is condemned, he is not made alive unless he is killed, he does not go to heaven unless he descends to hell, as all Scripture testifies. Therefore, when grace is poured out, there must necessarily be bitterness, tribulation, suffering, under which the old man groans, being very unwilling that he should perish. If he is patient in this affliction and awaits the hand of Him who works on him and pours grace into him, he is proven and will attain hope, faith and love, which are poured into him on this occasion (hoc negotio). This happens as often as we encounter that which is contrary to us and our will, and all the more so the more it is contrary to us.
This, I say, is the way, not only how the first grace is poured in, but also for all subsequent growth. For the old man is crucified more and more, and sin is cast out, as more and more grace is poured in, even unto death, as it is said in Revelation 22:11: "Let him that is godly be godly, and let him that is holy be holy," and John 1:16."We have received grace for grace", and as Paul says Rom. 1, 17: "We are justified by faith through faith", [2 Cor. 3, 18]: "we are transfigured from one clarity to another", "we receive victory after victory", Ps. 84, 8. So it will be rightly said of us that we pass from one hope to another.
It is clear, then, that the apostle is not speaking both of the hope itself that is attained and of the assurance of the heart in hope, in that after the tribulation and the infusion of hope (when it seems to him that he is without hope) a man feels that he hopes and believes and loves. For then
one tastes how kind the Lord is, and man begins to hunger and thirst that he may suffer even more, so that the tribulation may work even greater hope. Therefore, it is necessary that faith, hope and love be present in the beginning of every good work and suffering, and yet, after the work and suffering, this [faith, hope and love that was hidden] is revealed, so that those who are proven may be revealed, as Job was tempted and Abraham, so that they may also be known of themselves, and be certain that they believe, hope and love God, as it is said to Abraham [Gen. 22, 12]: "Now I know that you fear God," that is, I have made you know it, as St. Augustine interprets it.
For one must not only believe, hope and love, but also know and be certain that one believes, hopes and loves. This happens in secret, when the storm is there, this happens after the storm.
200 Peter also teaches us [2 Pet 1:10J] that we should be all the more diligent to establish our profession through good works, since it is different to be good or to become good than to know that one is good or has become good. A bloodthirsty and treacherous man is not otherwise found to be a bloodthirsty and treacherous man than when he is irritated, whereas before he seemed to be a kind and sincere man, even he thought himself to be so.
Thus, in those who endure it and are proved, the cross works a hope that endures to the end (that is, it [the cross] begins it, increases it, and brings it to light, and makes it certain and causes it to be known), but in those who do not endure it, but are found reprobate, immediately from the beginning there is a despair that cannot be overcome (impotentissimam). Therefore, Tauler, the man of God, and all who have experienced it, say that God is never more pleasant, sweet, and a better friend to His children than after the probation of tribulation.
The apostle says of this hope that it is brought forth through experience [Rom. 5:4]. For just as children are more intimately attached to their physical father
Christ, the bridegroom, also shows his bride a love (voluptate) contrary to the flesh, namely after the embrace; but the embraces are her death and hell. Here, that great mystery [Eph. 5:31] prevails: "There shall be two in one flesh," Christ and the church; indeed, a great mystery, because it comes very hard, but brings exceedingly sweet fruit, and a posterity quite like God's, works that are completely blameless (inculpata), because in such a way the vine is purified, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now if this is true of every degree of hope, that it is wrought by experience, how much more must we believe that the apostle says and understands this of the perfect hope, which comes from many and various tribulations?
Now let us consider the words of the apostle, who calls hope the effect of experience, experience the effect of patience, patience the effect of affliction, which the Magister [Sententiarum] has called with too strong an expression the merits from which hope comes, or at least they have not sufficiently understood those merits. For truly, the active life, in which many trust presumptuously, by which they also understand merits, does not produce and work hope, but presumption, not unlike the puffing up of knowledge. Therefore the suffering (passive) life must be added, which kills and destroys the whole active life, so that nothing of merit remains of which a hopeful man may boast.
204. When this happens, if man perseveres otherwise, hope arises in him, that is, he learns that there is nothing to rejoice in, hope in, or boast about except God. For since tribulation takes everything away from us, it leaves us with God alone, for it cannot take away God (Deum), but rather brings God to us. But when everything is taken away, including good works and merits, and we persevere here, we find God in whom alone we trust, and so we are saved by hope.
205. Therefore, although the saints of works say that they trust in God with all their confidence, they immediately fall away as soon as their active life (which is their entire strength) begins to be challenged, whether by the contempt of men or by the distress of conscience before God, and they show that they have been more presumptuous about their lives than that they have hoped for God's mercy, since no active life is of such a nature that it would be sufficient before God, indeed, which would be pleasing to all even before men to the end, as it says [Ps. 143, 2.]: "Do not go into judgment with your servant, for before you no living person is righteous."
But only the suffering (passive) life is completely pure, therefore it also works hope and honor, and in this we must become similar to the image and example of Christ, our King and Duke, who began with an active life, but was completed through suffering, in that all his so many and so glorious works were made nothing at all, so that he was not only counted among the wicked before men, but also abandoned by God.
Everything must be taken away from us so completely that not even the best gifts of God, that is, the merits, in which we would like to trust, should remain, so that the sincere hope is placed in the completely pure God, only then is man pure and holy in truth. This trade goes on in many tribulations, and indeed in many sorrows, but in the greatest ones where we begin to approach the greatest adornment of hope, that is, the removal of good works and the good conscience that is based on our life. For in other things, when either goods or health or honor are taken away, both hope and patience do not contend against impatience and man, since man is so exercised in these that he learns to patiently despise them as such, which will never return.
But in these storms of conscience and the downfall of merit, hope fights against despair and almost against itself, yes, against God, whom man feels to be angry against him, as against
such a one who has no good merits, which he cannot do without and yet must do without, which tortures the spirit most miserably, and makes him, stretched out with Christ, count all his bones [Ps. 22:18], so that someone could rightly call hope a spiritual patience or a patience in suffering the guilt, as, on the other hand, one could call patience a bodily hope or a hope in suffering the punishments. For what is this, that one is challenged in conscience and by despair, but to feel that the guilt cannot be remitted, that God will not be merciful, that all good works fall away from the beginning? And yet, if a man perseveres and hopes for hope, when there is nothing to hope for [Rom. 4:18], he will be found worthy, and through this tribulation, stripped of merit, will be clothed with hope, and crowned with the crown that shall not be put to shame forever. For God is not angry in truth, nor does He want the guilt to be indispensable, but rather He compels us to hope more in His mercy than in our merits.
But our saints of works, who have received as daily food (saginati) the active life of merits, abhor nothing so much as this cross of their merits, since they are deceived by the word of the Magister [Sententiarum], that he says hope comes from merits, by which they understand works, but the apostle understands tribulations, that is, the death and cross of works.
See, then, how far we have strayed from the right knowledge of hope through the one word of the Magister [Sententiarum], which has been misunderstood. And this error has produced innumerable torments of conscience, perhaps also the eternal damnation of many people. For while they strove to find hope and peace by works, but, as they sought them, tribulation of both conscience and body confronted them and resisted them, which is the right workshop of hope, they did not recognize it, and cast it from them; since they could not find another, they necessarily had to despair. This also is not to be forgiven.
They were surprised because they sought hope in a way that leads to presumption, and since they were hindered, or, as Hosea says, their way was covered with thorns, they did not realize that this hindrance was the true way to hope, so they fell away.
211 Hence comes today the great multitude of those who are weak, fainthearted, fearful, and fickle in all their ways. For it is not because of this that you are challenged with despair or distress of conscience, so that you run to trust in works, but, on the contrary, are turned away from works. For this battle is entirely spiritual, although it is very sour, and must be carried out between you alone and God alone, in that hope alone perseveres and waits, and God commands the whole thing, and God overcomes against God, as it is written of Jacob Gen. 32, 24. ff, that he alone wrestled with GOd and overcame Him, and therefore in the same place he received the blessing from Him whose name he was not permitted to know; therefore he called the place Pniel, saying, "I have seen GOd face to face, and my soul is recovered."
Now if someone is allowed to walk in the way of presumption in well-being, and, without this challenge, to increase in his works, where will he end up? Perhaps not him in despair, but despair in him, because he does not know God, nor has he learned that he is whimsical in this his counsel and works.
Now one can see the value of Cicero's saying, which is often quoted: The consciousness of a well spent life is an exceedingly pleasant memory. It is certainly true, but at the same time it is extremely harmful, and the more pleasant this memory is, the more so. But this is not to be remembered by a Christian, for whom rather the awareness of a life in which he has suffered well (bene passae) (that is, which has been made nothing) is exceedingly pleasant, so that [Jer. 9:24] he who wants to boast may boast of the Lord. Job does not speak like this, for after he had said [Cap. 27, 6]: "My conscience does not bite me.
If he is not justified "for the sake of his whole life," he still does not dare to boast, but is afraid and asks his judge for forgiveness. Nor Paul, 1 Cor. 4, 1) 4: "I am conscious of nothing, but in this I am not justified." Nor Jeremiah, Cap. 9, 23. f.: "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, let not a strong man boast of his strength, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him that will boast boast of this, that he knoweth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which do mercy, and judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for these things please me, saith the Lord."
214. So not on any gifts of God (so that we do not commit fornication with them, as it says in the prophets), but on God Himself, the Giver, one should trust, hope in Him, cling to Him. This is what the 116th Psalm wanted to say [v. 11]: "I said in my trembling, All men are liars." This trembling has been the tribulation in which man is instructed how vain and lying all men are who do not hope in God alone. For man is a man until he becomes God, who alone is true. By partaking of Him, he also becomes truthful by adhering to Him in true faith and hope, after he has been made nothing by this hesitation.
For what can a man who hopes in God come to other than his complete destruction (in sui nihilum)? But where can he go who goes into nothingness, other than to where he came from? But he came from God, and from his nothingness, therefore he returns to God who returns to nothingness. For he also cannot fall out of the hand of God, who falls out of himself and all creatures, since God's hand embraces him on all sides, for [Isa. 40, 12.] "he grasps the earth with a dreiling," 2) as Isaiah says. So now fall through the world, where will you fall? Certainly into the hand and the bosom of God. Thus the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God.
1) Jenaer und Erlanger: 1 Oor. 14.
2) See Luther's marginal gloss on Isa. 40:12. Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. VIII, 1774: "A measure three fingers wide."
(Because they are out of the world, they are regarded by the unintelligent as if they would perish [Wis. 3:1, 2]), 1) Like a small stone that falls through the air or water, but does not also fall through the earth.
But the busy and beautifully glittering saints of works, who, being heard by their opinions, seek with all their righteousnesses only that they may grow and be fat and great, and in no way want to become nothing, but something great, where will they end up? Of course, if they are pushed back into their nothingness and yet are not brought to God, they will perish eternally.
But I know how many things can be objected to from the holy scriptures and the sayings of the fathers and the legends of the saints. Again, I also know how dangerously it is understood if it is not understood according to this rule [§ 214], because everything serves this opinion. But I will give one example for the sake of example.
We read in the writings of St. Jerome that St. Hilarius said to his soul when he was afraid to die: Go forth, my soul, why dost thou fear? For three and ninety years you have served Christ and you are afraid to die? If one wants to understand this in such a way that he said it because he trusted in the works of his life, then one will also understand that he rather went to hell than to heaven.
219. Why does one not also look at the word of St. Agathon, which is completely contrary to this? He had looked with his eyes toward heaven for three days and was afraid [to die]. When he was asked by his disciples why he was afraid and did not trust in the life he had led so well, he answered: "In truth I am afraid; I know that I have kept the commandments of God as much as I could, but God's judgments are different from those of men. But also the fear of Hilarion indicates the same; for if the works had been enough for him, he would not have been afraid. Therefore, he was forced to look for another anchor of his confidence, and from the previous gifts
1) These brackets are set by us.
God had shown him, to conclude (sibi praefigere) that God would be merciful to him.
220. for this not a little causes one to create hope when one is mindful of the past or present benefits of God that one has received, yes, it is a brightness of the face of God and a good sign over us, which kindles faith and hope. Thus, the children of Israel were commanded to be mindful of the works of God and of the execution from Egypt [Deut. 8:14], so that, as Isaiah says [Cap. 48:9, Vulg.], by restraining their mouths with the praise of God, they would not perish.
221. Are there, then, no merits? Why then are we taught by so many commandments of Christ and the apostles that we should work good, sow seed, build [on the foundation of] gold, silver, precious stones etc.? I answer, This is what I said, that very many are deceived by a false sense of good works, for truly good works are to be done, and the tree of the Spirit must bring forth its fruit, of which Gal. 5, 22. is written. But they do not understand this word of Christ John 12:24: "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." Nor John 15:2: "Every branch of mine that bringeth forth fruit, he purifieth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."
For this dying and cleansing (which happens through the infusion of faith and hope and love) causes man, stripped of his works, to learn to trust in God alone and to do good works, now not for himself, as if they were merits with which he sought a reward, but in vain and out of a free willing heart to please God, trusting nothing in them, but by them serving the glory of God, as Christ Matth. 5, 16. says: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
223. Those who do good works in this way do not do them for themselves, but for God, as it were as instruments of God; they do not presume to do them, and they are
satisfied with God alone, in whom they hope. Those who do not do works in this way are apes of holy men. Even the life of all saints must necessarily become superstition if they have not learned to praise the heavenly Father in these [good works. It is therefore rightly said in sPs. 25:10]: "The ways of the Lord are all goodness and truth," that is, good works are done when he alone works them completely and totally in us, so that no part of the work belongs to us.
Therefore this shall be a rule unto thee: Where Scripture commands that a good work be done, you must understand it as forbidding you to do a good work, since you are not able to do it, but to sanctify the Sabbath, be dead and buried, and let God work in you. But you will never be able to achieve this, 1) if it is not through faith, hope and love, that is, by killing yourself [Col. 3, 5] and all your works.
So there are merits, and there are no merits among us. They are there because they are gifts of God and works that He alone does; there are no merits because we cannot be more presumptuous because of them than any man, who is the very worst of sinners, in whom God has not yet worked anything. Thus we are, we were, and we all remain the same before God at all times, so that the inflated nature (inflatura) of the one may perish against the other, as Paul says in 1 Cor. 4:7: "What do you have that you have not received? But if thou hast received it, what boastest thou, as having not received it?" Mark the word: He that puffeth himself up, and seeketh his glory in the gifts of God, doeth the same as if he said, he had not received them. Where then is there any inequality left? Nowhere, as he says there, "Who has preferred you?" that is, who has declared you better than others? As if he wanted to say: Nobody.
226. From all this, notice well how the divine judgment is so completely equal [against all] (aequitatem aequissimam), and God does not judge the
1) Erlanger: xerveMas instead of: pkrvvnies.
He has given the law on both sides to all men who are in this life, from which we see that just as the righteous have no cause to be presumptuous, so sinners have no cause to despair. But both have the same law, that they should hope in him. This alone makes a distinction between the despairing and the presumptuous, so that the 119th Psalm may rightly sing [v. 75. Vulg.], "O Lord, I know that thy judgments are right, and in thy truth thou hast humbled me." Behold, in the truth of God he [the psalmist] becomes nothing, and according to the righteous and equal judgment of God he has become the very last.
This is also the intention of the law of faith and hope, that is, to make all of us the first sinners and the very last, that is, to make us equal, and yet to work through us very unequal and very different things. Truly, God is wondrous in His saints.
Thus we are all urged by the commandment of God to hope in Him, and by the same we are also deterred from despair and presumption, and now God is all in all, the same and the same, but at the same time exceedingly unequal and entirely different. For it is He who is simple in multiplicity, diverse in simplicity, equal in inequality, unequal in sameness, the lowest in sublimity, the lowest in height, the outermost in the innermost, and vice versa. Thus he is mighty in the weak, weak in the mighty, wise in the foolish, foolish in the wise, in short, all in all. But this I want to have said in such a way that the pious ears do not hear it, who are annoyed by the truth, which they have never learned in their unhappy questions.
229 Another pusillanimous and weak conscience would say: How, if I cannot hope, and thus feel my insurmountable despair? Then we will also say that one need not despair even if one feels that one despairs. This is not despair, which does not want to despair, and bears sorrow, that it despairs, but it is an
The challenge of hope, without a doubt the most severe of all challenges, which at the same time contains the greatest and eternal hatred against God, blasphemies, curses and all the malice of hell (which should not be spoken) against the highest, most blessed and glorious Majesty.
230 What do you want to do now? Certainly this: First, acknowledge that you deserve this and that it is the fault of your sins. Then you must be wise, and bear this weakness and affliction gratefully and with praise as an exceedingly salutary atonement for your sins, as it is said in Ecclesiastes, Cap. 10:4: "If the defiance of a mighty man go against your will, let not your indignation be, for forbearance stilleth great evil. Let this alone be your concern, that you do not give room to hatred, blasphemy, despair as much as you can, but, even with a single weak sigh, resist it (remurmures), and know, as Isaiah Cap. 42, 3. that he will not quench the smoldering wick 1) nor break the crushed reed.
I will say one thing boldly and freely: There are no people closer to God in this life than these haters and blasphemers of God, but also no more pleasant nor dearer children. And here a greater atonement for sin is made in a moment than if you were to repent for many years with bread and water. So it is also true that a Christian in death (where this temptation is strong) can get rid of all sins in a short moment and fly to heaven, if he behaves wisely in this trade. Here the unspeakable groaning reigns, Rom. 8, 26.
Secondly, throughout your life you must pray for hope, but in such a way that you do not refuse to bear God's will in your weakness until death, saying with your Prince and Lord [Matt. 26:38]: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death." But you shall pray in such a way that you do not doubt that God will give you the hope that is to come. For
1) In the Latin editions except the Weimar: li^nnm instead of: linnni in the Vulgate.
He who willed you to pray, who taught you this prayer without your help, willed it because he intended to hear you. Therefore bear it patiently when it is delayed, but have no doubt that it will be given to you; "it will surely come, and not be forgiven" [Hab. 2:3], meanwhile you must hope for hope, since there is nothing to hope for [Rom. 4:18].
For this you will have the rod and staff of God [Ps. 23:4] to uphold and comfort you, namely the first commandment of God and the greatest of all: "You shall have no other gods beside Me. In this commandment we are not only reminded, admonished and enticed to believe in God, to hope in Him, to love Him, but it is commanded to us under the utmost penalty and guilt (for that is to have a God). But by this commandment you are not freed from any sins, yes, it outweighs all sins, especially since at the time there is an opportunity to keep and fulfill this commandment. For even if you had sinned against all the other commandments, and in many ways, you would not have sinned as much as if you had despaired against this first commandment at that moment. For this would be downright denying God, which is frightening even to think. For who can say to his God to his face: You are not God? Yes, who can hear this? And yet, the one who despairs says this with full and eternal fervor of heart. The one who is challenged lets himself think that he says the same thing, yes, he even says something like that, or what is more correct, he suffers that this is said in him by the devil.
But how, you will say, if he troubles and worries me with the provision that I hope in vain if I am not provided for? I will speak about this in more detail at the 22nd 2) Psalm, when Christ gives grace. In the meantime, it is enough that this is the most dangerous challenge. If you know the cause of the devil or the wisdom of the flesh, you will know at the same time what remedy you can use to counter it.
2) Weimarsche: pn. XX.
First, then, you must hold fast and be absolutely certain that this thought is not from God, and therefore expel it with all diligence as one that displeases your God in many ways. But that it is not from God, you can see from this sign, that everything that is from God causes one to keep His commandments and do His will, for God does, thinks and wants nothing else than that His will be done. But this rash affliction, whether you are provided for or not, he has not commanded you at all, so that he has also forbidden you to do it, Ps. 55, 23: "Cast your concern on the Lord", and Matth. 6, 31. 33: "You shall not worry. Seek first the kingdom of God" etc.
236. The devil also occupies you with this useless and harmful worry for no other reason than so that you forget the commandment of your God, by which he commands you to hope and believe, and at the same time, in a deceitful way, draw you to think only of yourself and love yourself, so that you begin to seek your own. For this is his last and highest trick, by which he wants to bring us to the point that self-love is our concern, and thus he makes us guilty of the commandment of God. But what good would it do if you were to occupy yourself with this thought even to the end of the race? Nothing would follow from it; you would not become certain, nor would God think differently about you.
Therefore, against this work of the fools, and against the devil that instigates such things, you shall hurl in the face the thunderbolts of Scripture. First of all this word, Ps. 1, 2: "Blessed is he who speaks the law of the Lord (not his own understanding) day and night," and this saying, Sir. 6, 37: "Always remember God's commandments, and always remember His word." Ex. 13, 9: "Therefore it shall be a sign in your hand, and a memorial before your eyes." And Matth. 7, 21: "Not all who say to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of my Father in heaven," and many such sayings.
238 For God demands nothing else than that we do His will with constant concern. If
If we do this, the commandment will be fulfilled by itself, without us having to worry about it. But that man of traffic wants you to be concerned first about yourself and lastly about God's commandments, so that you will prefer yourself to your God in this way, and not love him above all else, and even not have a God. For if those hardly persevere who most zealously cling to God's commandments, where will those remain who leave them and allow themselves to be mixed up in strange and useless thoughts? So you should say to the devil or to your heart: God has not commanded this, but has told me to hope; only with this task I want to occupy myself; even if I wanted that, I would not be able to do it.
Secondly, that this thought is not from God, you can also easily see from this sign that the devil is plotting two very great evils against you with these proposals; first, that you should tempt God, which he also had in mind with Christ on the pinnacle of the temple. For he endeavors to occupy thee with this issue, that thou shouldest desire to be sure of thine ordinance, or to see a sign from heaven. For what is it to be anxious about one's destiny but to be impatient because of the uncertainty of the divine counsel? But what does this impatience do but tempt God by desiring to be certain of God's counsel as far as one's own person is concerned? In short, such a person has a hatred for God, that he is God, because he does not want to know anything other than what he knows.
240. Therefore, you must confront this terrible sin with the word of God, as Christ did when He said [Matt. 4:7], "It is written: Thou shalt not tempt God thy Lord." For thou must not desire to know his secrets, which he willed that thou shouldest not know, and be joyful in this his will, which he commanded thee to observe in all things. But if you love this will of his hidden counsel, you are already provided. Thus from the keeping of his commandments follows of itself, without all our care, what we seek so anxiously and in vain by wrongful effort before the commandments, and yet never
because the commandment of God is the way to God. If we have lost that way and seek another, trying to do so out of the devil's temptation by caring for our salvation and happiness, we will inevitably fall into error and lose both the way of God and the way that is far away, and thereby also both our salvation and our happiness.
The other exceedingly great evil is that the devil is trying to bring you into the same deep fall that he himself has done and into which he has plunged Adam. For what else does he intend with this concern for your welfare than that you should desire (as we have said) to know God's counsel? But to desire to know God's counsel is to desire to be like God, as He desired, saying [Isa. 14:13, 14], "I will ascend into heaven, and be like the Most High," and to Adam [Gen. 3:5], "Ye shall be like God, and know what is good and what is evil." And this again is that you do not want GOtt to be your GOtt fei, which is the greatest of all sins. And so you see how cunningly he incites you against the commandments of your God by these abominations, so that you do the same fall that he has done.
Therefore, he must also be struck down here with the words of God, which say, Proverbs 25:27: "He who eats too much honey is not good; and he who studies hard things is too hard for him. And Sir. 3,1 ) 22-26.: "Stand not in high estate, nor think beyond thy ability; but what God hath commanded thee, of that always take hold. For it is not good for thee to look for that which thou hast not been commanded to do. And that which is not thy commandment, thou shalt not be presumptuous. For you are commanded to do more than you can do. Such arrogance has deceived many, and their presumption has overthrown them."
243 Since these commandments of God forbid this rash concern for the works of God, which are shown to us to be beyond our comprehension and understanding, and His judgments are incomprehensible, we must rather practice the commandments of God with fear, so that we may confidently hope in Him,
1) In the Latin editions: Cooles. 30.
and drive these impossible endeavors back on the devil's head, and with Joab, 2 Sam. 10, 12., confidently, prepared for God's work, say: "Be confident, and let us be strong. But let the Lord do what pleases Him." O a fine example! If he had previously disputed whether the victory with God would be provided beforehand, he would not have fought, but rather he would have become careless through disputing and would have done strange things, but would have been shamefully defeated.
244 And here behold our exceedingly great folly, our utterly foolish folly, our unspeakable folly. We take wives, we build houses, we plant vineyards, we buy goods, and no one disputes here beforehand whether it is proper or not, whether the woman will be chaste or an adulteress, whether the house will burn or remain, whether the goods will perish or endure. In short, all our works, but especially our sins, we confidently begin and carry out without worrying about what God has provided for these things. Here His supreme counsel is quite safe from our iniquity; everyone thinks about it, makes it his business, and strives to carry out what he has undertaken before he inquires or disputes about the oversight.
Why does this happen? Because it is not commanded by God, it is certainly our thing, chosen by us. But when it comes to the works of God and His commandments, this question immediately arises, the counsel of God is attacked, yes, we first begin to debate whether we should obey God's commandments before we know His secrets. Does this not anger the divine majesty with the most bitter perversity, that we are so patient and careless (obliviosi) about his counsel in our own affairs, and so impatient and forward in his? Is it not so that, just as no leaf of a tree falls to the earth without his will, so also your soul cannot be 2) blessed without his counsel? Nor will a hair grow on your head without his counsel;
2) It seems to us that a HON is to be put before Ü6t, or at least must be added from the preceding.
Without it, you eat no bread and drink no drink. Here you do not argue, here you do not hesitate, here you do not tremble, here you do not care about his advice, but immediately go to work; but there you are completely full of questions and hesitation.
At least now recognize that these thoughts did not come to you from God, but from the devil, who at that time was very angry and extremely cunning, so that he would draw you away from the commandment and the most loving will of your dear God through unnecessary things. Quite rightly and very appropriately, Ecclesiastes says Cap. 11, 4. f.: "He who looks at the wind does not sow, and he who looks at the clouds does not reap. Just as you do not know the way of the wind and how the bones are prepared in the womb, so you cannot know God's work, which He does everywhere."
What is the situation now? Shall we do nothing because he does everything and we do not know it? Far be it from us; for it follows [Eccl. 11:6], "Sow thy seed early, and let not thine hand depart in the evening: for thou knowest not whether this or that shall come to pass (that is, that which is sown in the morning, or that which is sown in the evening); and if either come to pass, so much the better." You see how God teaches us that we do not know everything and yet we should not desist, but rather He commands us to work all the more because we do not know what will happen, while those wicked people do not want to do anything because they do not know what will happen.
For this is what the devil seeks, that they should work nothing in life, nor sleep in hope and peace in death, and at both times be rebellious and disobedient against God for God's sake, yet in such a way that it is not they who are to blame, but God Himself, since He no sooner invalidated His counsels by revelation and nullified the glorious majesty of His divinity by invalidating His counsels than He weighed them [these people] down with His commandments. For these exceedingly holy people would then have gladly done everything that was commanded, if only they had first known what God intended of them, that is, if they had not had a God and a commandment-giver; for he could not have done what was commanded.
not be God either, if He is, thinks and knows no differently than we are.
But again, if God revealed His counsel to us, we would first become fearful, then despisers or despairing people, just as there are people now who think it is harmful to preach grace and providence, because many are offended by it. Thus, man, who is dust, acts sacrilegiously against all that God wills and does, and is heated only by this one thing, that he is without the fear of God, that is, without God. For God could not be feared if he did not think secret things about us; then neither faith, nor hope, nor love would have any place. Woe to you, you raging wickedness!
250 Let us return to hope to finally put an end to the long speech. There are two things to consider in hope: our merits and the divine promise. Between these two things you must place hope in such a way that you know that hope is based on the promise, and from hope comes merit, so that merit is the work of hope, but hope is the work of the word or promise.
Therefore, in order that you may hope, it is not necessary that you have merit, but rather that you look with sincere simplicity to the word of promise, which is given to you freely by grace, so that by hoping in it you may then bring about merit. This is also what the apostle Paul does, who in his letter to the Galatians does almost nothing else than to prove that our righteousness does not flow from the law or from works, but from the promise of God who blesses. For this mercy of God, which by grace makes the promise, and the truth, which fulfills the promise, are the causes of hope. By these the heart is stirred to hope, to call, and to live well; if these were not and had not been revealed to us, neither faith nor hope would have any place.
Therefore, what faith and hope have to do with (objectum) is God, who gives the promise by grace,
476 L. nv, 2SV-W1. Works on the first 22 Psalms. Ps. 5, 12. w. iv, sss-sss. 477
or only the word of the Promising One, and nothing else. If one does not pay attention to this everywhere and always, hope must fall away at the same time, just as a house built on the sand must fall as soon as the waters and the winds strike it. For upon this rock of promise and infallible word is the church of Christ built, as it is said, Prov. 18:10: "The name of the Lord is a stronghold; the righteous runneth and is protected," and also in the 61st Psalm, v. 4: "For thou art my confidence, a strong tower before mine enemies." Here nothing of merits is mentioned, but only God is remembered and His name, that the prophet should put his confidence (spem) in it.
It follows, then, that hope does not come from merit, but on the contrary, merit from hope, or hope from hope in hope, so that it is there before merit, with merit, after merit, just as we do not grasp righteousness in this life, but only strive for it, always seeking it, always desiring to be justified, always desiring that our sins be forgiven, always asking that the will of our Father in heaven be done, always that His name may be hallowed. And just by this we are nevertheless counted righteous by God, as He says [Matth. 5, 6.]: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." Thus it will also be rightly understood that hope always increases of itself, in that the tribulations have the same effect, if only they are borne in such a way that we are found approved.
It can be seen from this that the other virtues can perhaps be perfected by doing, but faith, hope and love can only be perfected by suffering; I say, by suffering the work of God within. For the works of the other virtues are the fruits of faith, hope, love, as if you were to see faith incarnate, hope incarnate, love incarnate; and in general they practice only gross works.
255. and here the bride of christ defiles
again her feet, of which she boasts that she washed them, and again puts on the skirt of which she boasts that she took it off, since this cannot be done without infirmity, which is done through the corrupt flesh. But it is seen that the work of faith, hope and love is the same. For what is faith but the movement of the heart which is called believing, hope but the movement which is called hoping, love but the movement which is called loving? For I believe that these are human dreams (phantasmata), that the habitus is something other than the active occurrence (actus)1 ) of them, especially in these divine virtues, in which there is nothing but suffering, a pulling, a movement, by which the soul is moved, shaped, purified, and impregnated with the word of God, so that in general what these virtues have to do with is nothing other than the purification of the by, as Christ says, so that he, purified, may bear more fruit [Joh. 15, 2.].
Finally, the other virtues have to do with gross, bodily things, externally, but those internally with the pure word of God, by which the soul is seized, but not grasped, that is, its skirt and shoes are taken off, it is stripped of all things and ideas (phantasmatibus), and is carried away by the word (to which it is attached, yes, by which it is seized and whimsically led) "into the wilderness" (as Hosea says, Cap. 2, 14.), into the invisible, into the chamber [Hohel. 1, 4.], into the wine cellar [Hohel. 2, 4.].
But this leading, this pulling, this purification tortures them miserably. For the way is steep and narrow, to leave everything visible, to be deprived of all one's senses, to be led out of everything one is used to: yes, that means dying and descending into hell. For it seems to her as if she is perishing from the bottom up, since everything is taken away from her, on which she relied (stetit), with which she dealt, on which she hung; she touches neither the earth nor heaven, feels neither herself nor God, and says [Hohel. 5, 8.]: "Tell my friend that I am in love with him.
1) The oadttus here is: faith, hope, love; the aetus: believe, hope, love.
sick," as if she wanted to say: I have become nothing, and have not known it; entered into darkness and gloom, I see nothing; by faith, hope, and love alone I live, and am weak (that is, I suffer), for when I am weak, then am I strong [2 Cor. 12:10.].
This "leading" is what our mystical theologians call: going into darkness, rising above being and non-being (super ens et non ens). But I do not know whether they understand themselves when they attribute this to the actions of the soul (actibus elicitis) 1) and do not rather believe that the sufferings of the cross, death and hell are indicated by it. The cross alone is our theology.
From this, I think, the apostle's word can be understood, how hope is the work of patience proven through tribulation [Rom. 5:4], because through all this man is, as it were, perfected, adorned, finished, 2) like a vessel by the hand of the Master, so that he stands out far above what is visible and what can be understood, having learned to trust not in merit but in God alone. Just as a golden vessel is prepared by fire and hammering for the honest use of its master, not that it may either retain its color or perform any work of its nature (for it is gold); for it is not as gold but as a vessel that it has this use; nor has it been adorned that it might become gold, but it has been prepared that it might become a vessel for use: Thus a man is prepared for God's use by hope alone; but not works prepare hope, for that would be to make the former out of the latter.
For this reason I like very much the way of speaking of the Scripture, which describes this purification and effect of hope by the word "exit" (exitus). Prov. 25, 4. 5.: "Remove the foam from the silver, and it becomes a pure vessel (egreditur). Do wickedness from the king, and his throne shall be established with righteousness." And of the golden calf 2 Mos. 32, 24. is said after
1) Dgl. Ps. 14,? 10 ff.
2) sxtUuEur here has the same meaning as in Cicero: xuiüos ex ovis - to hatch eggs.
The same way of speaking is said (in the Vulgate), that it "came forth" (egressus), that is, prepared. Hence the word at Holy Baptism, Ps. 121, 8]: "The Lord keep thy entrance and thy exit", that is, the beginning and the end of the challenge, as St. Augustine speaks of it.
For this reason it is a mistake to say that free will has an active part (activitatem) in a good work, when we speak of an inward work. For the will, which we have just called "believing, hoping, loving," is a movement, a drawing, a leading of the Word of God, and a kind of constant purification and renewal of the mind and senses, from day to day, toward the knowledge of God. Although this suffering is not always equally strong, it is always suffering. "Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand (says Jeremiah Cap. 18, 6.), so are ye of the house of Israel in mine hand." Dear, what active part does the clay have when the potter gives it a form? But through this suffering it comes out of its shapelessness to the form that is similar to the one that the master had in his imagination.
Thus, through hope, which comes through the effect of tribulation, we are conformed to the divine image and (as Paul says) created in the image of Him who created us [Col. 3:10]. But of the will, which has become flesh or has come out in the outward work (effusa), it can rightly be said that it cooperates and has an active part; just as a sword in its movement does nothing at all, but acts only as a sufferer, but in inflicting the wound it has helped the one who cuts with it by its movement (cooperatus est). Therefore, just as a sword does nothing to help it move, so the will does nothing to help it will (ad suum velle). This willing is the movement which the divine word brings forth, a mere suffering echoing of the will, which then cooperates in the work of the hands, by praying, walking, working etc.
But now I have digressed more than enough, at last let us return to the Psalm.
V. 12. Let all who trust in you rejoice; let them glory forever.
First we want to see the meaning of the words, then the reason the prophet had to speak this way. Only "those who trust in him" (sperantes) will rejoice. But who these are who trust in him, we have already said enough. And it is said: "in you", not in their thing, not in any creature, since there are people who also trust in men. It is to be noted that XXXX, which is very frequent in Scripture and is translated: eternally, everlastingly, without end, always and forever (in aeternum, semper, in saeculum, in saeculum saeculi), and the like, in Hebrew, according to the idiom peculiar to that language, denotes a time of uncertain and indefinite duration, but not exactly eternity (aeternitatem) everywhere. Therefore in the law of Moses it is often said [2 Mos. 12, 14. 28, 43.]: "This shall be with you and all your descendants for ever", while all their things should finally cease. This seems to me to be not improperly expressed in Latin by the words semper, perenniter, perpetua; in German by: "immerdar," or "always and forever." For thus we speak in German what is written in the 103rd Psalm, v. 9: Non in perpetuum irascetur, neque in aeternum comminabitur, "will not be angry to the end, nor will it be everlasting".
But what caused the prophet to express these thoughts of his heart so abundantly? Certainly the conduct of the wicked, whom he saw (as Job chap. 21, 13 says) grow old in good days, and that they lived as if it were theirs alone to rejoice, be glad and boast. This is such a deceitful and effective trouble that even many prophets complain that they have been challenged and afflicted by an adverse fate (atra nemesi). For just as distress arises from the glittering of works and temporal merits, so also from the glittering of temporal rewards. Therefore, the 73rd Psalm, vv. 1-6, says of them: "Yet Israel has God for comfort whoever is pure in heart. But I almost stumbled with my feet, my footsteps almost slipped. For it grieved
I was on the glorified ones when I saw that the wicked were doing so well. For they are not in any journey of death, but stand fast as a palace. They are not in misfortune like other people, and are not afflicted like other people. Therefore their defiance must be a delicious thing" etc.
265 And the prophet Jeremiah says Cap. 12, 1: "Why do the wicked prosper, and the scornful have all the abundance?"
And in the 144th Psalm they say, v. 14, 15: "There is no harm, no loss" etc. "Blessed are the people," they say, "who thus prosper."
But Job, Cap. 21, 7, speaks of this in more detail. 21, 7: "Why then do the wicked live, grow old, and increase in goods?" etc.
The prophet speaks against these appearances, glitter and distractions and draws the godly people away from them, so that they despise the pleasures of those people and turn to the true joy that is in God. Therefore, one must notice throughout this verse a twofold contrast, from this way: We seem to them to be sad because we suffer, being deprived of goods, while those rely on them and are joyful; both of these, when perceived with the senses, annoy very many and deceive them. But inwardly, where we live in hope and they are dead, we are joyful and will be joyful, but they are neither joyful nor will they be joyful. But our joy is so exceedingly true and firmly founded that of it alone it must be rightly said, "They will rejoice" (laetabuntur), while the joy of those people is more a sadness, if you look at the inward.
Thus he completely condemns the joy of the wicked, and praises the joy of the godly. Since the latter has no outward appearance, but the latter has a great appearance, faith is necessary (the prophet, filled with the spirit [in spiritu positus], speaks words of the spirit); otherwise you will not understand it either, and you will be annoyed by their annoyance. For the carnal man can understand nothing of that which is of God, that is, that there is joy in the deprivation of all goods, even spiritual goods, since he can understand nothing of joy in the deprivation of all goods.
unless the good is presently there and is perceptibly possessed by the senses. But we must boast of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 6:14).
Since the Hebrews use the future indicative instead of the optative, which they do not have, and since we have seen from what has been said that all the emotions (affectus) in this psalm glow with an extraordinary zeal, it is reasonable (sanum) to understand this verse as being spoken out of the zeal of a holy indignation, and to say something like this: What do these wicked ones rage about? What do they deceive the souls of men with their exceedingly wicked outward appearance? I beseech thee, O Lord, condemn them and their joy, cast them out, expose their hypocrisy, let them fall from their shells, that only those may rejoice who hope in thee, that it may be known and known by all that there is no joy anywhere but in thy great goodness. O Lord, it burns me too much that I cannot persuade them of this, that they do not hear; therefore judge them and expose their vain nature and our truth.
And so we have where and what true joy is, namely, confidence in God's goodness and a confident conscience. For this is also said by those who have experienced it, that there is no greater joy than a clear conscience, nor greater sorrow than a troubled conscience, as the wise man says [Prov. 15:15]: "A good courage is a daily comfort," and Ps. 26:3: "For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes, and I walk in thy truth."
For a happy and pure conscience cannot come from any other source than by beholding the goodness of God, as it is said in the 4th Psalm, v. 7, 8: "Lord, lift up the light of your countenance upon us. You make my heart glad." But in what do those have their joy? In much grain and wine and oil, that is, in the joy of the sows, in the satisfaction of the body.
273. "Eternally let them praise." This word Jerome has not badly translated thus, "Forever shall they praise." For it is thought that by this is signified the joy which is expressed by the voice (vocalem), whether by singing or by speaking, as we, when we
We are accustomed to do this when we are happy, either by speaking sweetly, or by singing, chatting, praising or extolling what we are happy about, as it says in the 51st Psalm, v. 16: "Let my tongue extol your righteousness," that is, praise with joy.
274 So if the word "eternally" belongs to "let them rejoice" or "let them boast," the prophet persists in his zeal and strife as if to say: Let them gossip in their things, boast of themselves and their own, sing to themselves: not only will they not boast and rejoice in truth, but they will not rejoice forever. "The joy of the hypocrite (as it is said in the book of Job Cap. 20, 5.) lasts a moment," and Job 21, 13. [Vulg.]: "They grow old in good days, and in a moment they go down to hell."
275. Their boasting is so uncertain and inconstant, but it is not lasting either, since it is clouded by many sad incidents. But however well everything may go, the end of their joy is sadness, and their foolishness will be revealed, as happened to Jannes and Jambres [2 Tim. 3, 8. f.]. Why do these wretched people deceive and corrupt themselves? But they that trust in thee shall rejoice and be glad for ever: and there shall no stranger be mixed among them (as the wise man saith [Prov. 14:10, Vulg.]).
Here we see the fruits from which we can know if we are in grace (as they say): "The fruit of the Spirit is joy," Gal. 5:22. And there is no reason why we should say that we do not know this. If joy is eternal and constant, and the praise of God endures, even in suffering, this cannot be a deceptive sign. For "by their fruits you shall know them" Matth. 7, 16]. The cross proves everything. Therefore, if you can say with the 18th Psalm, v. 4: "I will praise and call upon the Lord, and I shall be saved," you will be blessed in truth. Because the joy of the wicked cannot endure this cross, they do not rejoice forever and ever.
277] The other fruit that follows is [talking about God's word], speaking gladly, preaching sweetly, hearing the word of Christ, praising His righteousness, singing about His goodness, and on the other hand.
abhor the ungodly fables, evil talk, lewd words, and such like yeasts of the world. Can we not perceive this with our senses, especially if we have been challenged for this, if we have been forbidden this, if for this reason we have suffered either hatred, reviling, terror, or some other evil? For even then this will be an unmistakable sign that Christ lives in you, if you persist in praising, extolling and glorifying the grace of God against the hope of men.
Therefore he did not connect "eternal" with the word "praise" in vain, because the joy of the spirit, which bursts outward, arouses many adversaries of the truth, as we see that this happened to the apostles, Acts 2, 13, 4, 5, 18. 2, 13. 4, 2. 5, 18. 1) etc., and because some are found praising Christ, the goodness, truth, righteousness and grace of God, but not eternally, because they do not trust in Him enough, nor rejoice in Him enough, for in time of temptation they fall away, nor persevere in the face of wickedness, nor dare to praise God (that is, the grace of God) either everywhere, or against all, or at all times.
There are also many such people today who tell the truth only to the common man (vulgo), who suffers everything, not to those from whom they fear to suffer persecution, to whom they should tell it above all. But if you tell them the truth, they are the rulers of the people, they will expel you from the synagogue, put you under ban, and drive you out to the city. - Listen to what follows:
For you shield them 2).
280 Jerome translates this: And you will protect them. If the Lord is the protector, who can be responsible? And if it were not such a great thing to praise God's goodness against the wicked and the liars, it would not have been necessary to give us this encouraging promise. For he knows that the gates of hell will rise up against our joy; but
1) In the editions, 3 is added, but there is nothing like that in this chapter.
2) In the Vulgate: et datütadis in eis --- and you will dwell in them.
Be confident, "the God of Jacob is our protection", they will not overpower us. He himself wants to dwell in us. "He that is in us," says John (1 Ep. 4, 4.), "is greater than he that is in the world." [Rom. 8, 31.:] "If God is for us, who may be against us?"
In consulting the Hebrew, I find here the verbum that constitutes a complete concept (absolutum), which is also set in the 2nd Psalm, v. 6: "But I have appointed my king," of which Reuchlin says that it means as much as to decree, to appoint, to set before. Therefore, according to the peculiarity of the Hebrew language, "Thou shalt dwell in them" means as much as: You will make an order over them, you will make regulations over them (constitues), you will be a steward over them, you will provide for them, you will govern them, which Jerome has rendered correctly, but not completely: You will protect them, for the meaning of the Hebrew word extends further.
282 So also this word is a complete term (absolutum): "Let them praise" (exsultabunt), or: They will praise (laudabunt), as if he wanted to say: They will be and shall be preachers and proclaimers of the good news (evangelisatores, which comes very close to the meaning 3) of this word). For evangilisare means to preach a cheerful, pleasant, lovely, good word, which, as we have said, is what the Hebrew word means. But the cheerful word is nothing else than the forgiveness of sins, the great goodness of God, the consolation of a sorrowful conscience. But what happens to these preachers and to those who praise this grace, we see in the apostles and martyrs and all the saints. Again, how Christ dwells in them, reigns and sustains them, we know. But who will dwell in those? Who will protect them? Who will govern them? They do not need that, they are strong, they are the giants of the earth, they are the mighty gates of hell, the chair of the devil, because he is the prince of the world and dwells in them. Now follows the second part of this verse:
3) Weimarian: gi^niüeatio instead of: significato. But
this is corrected in the supplements.
Let those who love your name be glad (gloriabuntur) in you.
Although Jerome correctly translates: And they will rejoice (laetabuntur) who love your name, our [Latin] translator has nevertheless beautifully rendered the Hebrew word, which expresses a different kind of joy than the first word laetabuntur. And as I let myself think (sicut mihi divinat meus morpheus), that [laetari] actually means to rejoice, to take joy in oneself and to have it, but this [gloriari], to express joy and to rejoice, and as it were to make joyful, or as the Latins say: jucundum esse. Now when any one is rejoiced in himself of his joy (jucundus est), there is joy with gladness (gaudium in gaudio), whereof the 68th Psalm, v. 4., says, "They shall rejoice from the heart," and Ps. 21:7, "Thou rejoicest him with gladness" (laetificabis eum in gaudio). Otherwise we are (as it is thought) glad for ourselves, joyful for others. Thus it is said in 1 Sam. 2, 1: "My heart is glad in the Lord," that is, pleasing (jucundum) [to him]. And 1 Chron. 17, 32: "Let the field be glad, and all that is therein," as that poet figuratively said of glad seeds, because they make us glad by their sweetness.
But I am foolish to struggle so much with the words, since there are many others in this language which denote cheerfulness, the constant different meanings of which I neither can nor will teach; it is enough that one should only express the opinion that this kind of joy here present belongs to the grateful disposition by which we are filled with gratitude and joy toward the benefactor from whose gift our joy derives. Through this gratitude we are pleasant to our benefactor, and correspond to his wishes, as a happy field to him who cultivates it. And that this is understood in this way is seen by this sign, that in the beginning of this verse the word "let all rejoice" (et laetabuntur) is put without a closer determination (absolute), but here "let rejoice be in you" (et laetabuntur in teo), so that in the former word he says
indicates the feeling of gratitude in general (absolute), but in the latter the received benefit is referred to the benefactor with joyful gratitude. For that one rejoices over a benefit is also shown in the 122nd Psalm, v. 1: "I rejoice in that which is spoken to me," etc., where the word is found which is set in the beginning of this verse. I do not say that this is peculiar to the two words according to a continuous (constanti) rule, but that they can be so distinguished in this place by the fact that in the one case another word is governed by the verb (ex regimine), in the other case a closer determination is not added (et absoluto statu). For in the 32nd Psalm, v. 11. [Vulg.], "Rejoice in the Lord," and Ps. 97, 12. [Vulg.The same word is found in the 32nd Psalm, v. 11 [Vulg.]: "Rejoice in the Lord" and Ps. 97, 12 [Vulg.]: "Ye righteous, rejoice in the Lord" with a different governed word (cum regimine), with which this verse begins without a closer determination (absolute), unless this makes a rule that one should rejoice in the Lord, just as those would say that one should rejoice in the good deed without a thankful disposition.
But this meaning fits very well to the sense. For as in the first part of this verse the prophet described joy in affliction, so in this last part he describes joy in well-being, or joy in gladness, which is not true nor sincere unless a man rejoices in the Lord, as Isaias says [Cap. 61, 10.], "I rejoice in the Lord." All this cannot be better understood (as has been said) than if we set before us, with the prophet, the perverse kind [Deut. 32, 5. 20.] in regard to which one would have to completely reverse this whole verse, since in repugnance, instead of being joyful, they grieve and despair of God, nor do they boast eternally by speaking good of God, but constantly grumble by speaking evil of God. Therefore, God does not protect them and does not dwell in them. On the other hand, in good days they burst forth and boast greatly, not in the Lord, but in themselves and their works; they please themselves, they admire their own, for they love their name, and seek their honor, so that one may speak of them with
right could reverse this whole verse from such people in this way: And all shall be afflicted that put not their trust in thee; always shall they murmur, and thou shalt forsake them; and they shall glory in themselves that love their name.
Therefore the spirit of the prophet distinguishes and paints in this verse briefly and beautifully (mire) in an exceedingly suitable way both kinds of time, both kinds of people, both kinds of mind and works by a very appropriate contrast. For it is impossible that he should not be afflicted who does not trust in the Lord whenever any affliction comes. But a man who is sorrowful cannot but murmur continually, since the praise of God is nothing without gladness of heart. But inevitably, such a sad and impatient person who grumbles against God must also displease God and be more and more abandoned by God. For God does not dwell in Babylon, but in Salem, that is, His place is in peace, Ps. 76, 3. and on him who is quiet and humble rests His Spirit, Isa. 66, 2.
On the other hand, it is impossible that he who trusts in the Lord should not rejoice, even though the whole world would fall to pieces and collapse, for the debris would fall on a man who does not fear. But he who is joyful cannot but think good of God, praise His praise, and encourage himself. Therefore, this patient and cheerful person who praises God is worthy of God's protection and dwelling in him, and will not admit that he rejoices, hopes and boasts in vain, but will surely receive it. And this is the crossroads where the bloodthirsty and the false separate themselves from the merciful and those who are well pleased [with the will of God], as far as the time of darkness (nubilum) and the hour of trial are concerned.
Therefore, as I have often said, our Saul has no better remedy against the evil spirit from the Lord than for our David to take up the strings and play with his hand [1 Sam. 16:23], that is, when thy soul is troubled, begin some sweet song or remembrance of thy God, and immediately
you will feel relief, and you will learn that the counsel of the wise man is proven [Sir. 11, 26.]: "When you are in trouble, remember that you can be well again," and again [Cap. 30, 25.]: "For sadness kills many people, and yet serves nowhere." For here in sadness music (also contrary to the proverb [: There is no cheerful head upon a sad heart]) 1) is the most suitable entertainment, as the prophet says in the 43rd Psalm [v. 5.], "Why dost thou afflict thyself, O my soul, and art so troubled within me? Wait upon God; for I shall yet thank him, that he is my help and my God."
Again, it is impossible that he who loves and seeks not God's name but his own name and honor, as often as any fortunate circumstance occurs, should not please himself, should not blow himself out, should not boast, should not rejoice in himself. But he who is pleased with himself in his well-being, what else should he do but, as the proverb says, "One ass weeds another," speak good of those who speak good of him and praise those who praise him, and those in turn speak good of him who speaks good of them and praise him who praises them, as it is said in the 10th Psalm, v. 3. Psalm, v. 3: "The sinner is praised in his wicked lusts, and good is spoken of the wicked," "Godfather over the fence," and again. And this is the utmost that they can do, that is, to be stingy with vain honor, to boast, to glory in themselves; their end will be in shame [Phil. 3:19].
On the other hand, it is impossible for anyone who loves not his own name but God's, however wholesome and blissful life may smile upon him, to please himself, to take pleasure in himself, or to boast. But the one who displeases himself for this reason and thinks less of himself must necessarily seek and love only God's name, praise and honor, and say: "Hallowed be your name," but let my name and the name of all men be profaned [Song of the Three Men, v. 58]: "Let all his works praise the Lord"; but let no one praise the righteous but you alone; the blessing of the wicked is to be considered a curse.
1) Roth inserted this proverb.
2) Erlanger: lauäetur instead of: lauäatur.
290 Imagine, then, and notice, that the prophet (if you want to understand this verse) is standing in such a place, where he is challenged by a twofold trouble when he looks at the life of the wicked. One is that everything is unfavorable for him, further, that everything he says and does is considered foolishness and ungodliness, which moves him to sadness, impatience and despair. The other is that all kinds of happiness (omnia prospera) are abundantly returned to the ungodly, that everything they say and do is carried on, praised and already completely dedicated to immortality, which is the most frightening of all and arouses the most anger. Thereupon he [the prophet] speaks, indeed angrily, but he does not sin with it in his heart on his camp, is silent and, expecting the end [of this matter], speaks this verse. For if someone asks what one should speak with his heart on the camp, of which the 4th Psalm, v. 5, says, one answers rightly: Nothing else than what is taught in this verse, that he should comfort himself in the Lord, while those boast of themselves quite uselessly.
That is why he keeps a very appropriate order. For the challenge on the left is the earlier and less dangerous, because on that side only a thousand fall; but on the right ten thousand fall. The latter is also much more difficult and dangerous, and only those who have been long exercised by the former have to endure it.
Each of these two temptations is a kind of furnace that serves to prove, as it is written, Sir. 27, 6: "As the furnace proves the new pots, so the tribulation proves a man's mind." Concerning the second tribulation, it is said, Prov. 27:21: "A man is proved by the mouth of praise, as silver in a crucible, and gold in a furnace." In what way? Certainly in such a way that in the former a man is found who is sorrowful and murmurs [against God], but in the latter a glorious man who loves his name and speaks well of himself; and as in the former quite actually the fall of the great multitude takes place and of those whom we despise as sinners, so in the latter there is a very severe destruction of the fat in Israel
and the elect, and those whom we honor as wise and righteous, that is, the wicked, as it is said in Ps. 78, 31: "And strangled the noblest of them, and struck down the best of Israel," and Isa. 5, 14: "Their glorious and joyful ones shall go down" (that is, to hell).
God has always struck the great and the rulers so much, that He might frighten us and recommend humility as the safest thing, so that the 76th Psalm, v. 13, actually says of the great: "He who takes away the courage of princes, and is terrible among the kings of the earth. But even so God does not judge the tyrants. For of whom, who was counted among the noblest, does one read in the holy Scriptures that he did not bring his honor into everyone's mouth (nobilitarit) by some outstanding case, if you count from Adam to Peter? Namely, God took such great care that the great ones were humbled, since it was necessary for the salvation of the inferiors that they be granted the great prestige (prosperitatem) of honor and dignity, so that they would not become such people who loved their own honor and sought to exalt their own name. Again, one or the other of the common people is hardly remembered who made a bad name for himself by an evil deed, like Achan [Jos. 7, 1.], and the man, 4 Mos. 15, 32. who picked up wood on the Sabbath.
Here we must discuss the question of what "the name of the Lord is," about which many people have written many things, even in different languages. The Hebrews boast that they have ten names of God, as St. Jerome also testifies, among which they emphasize the one with great superstition, which they call Tetragrammaton, by whose power they promise themselves I do not know how much protection and effects, while in the meantime, through their godless unbelief and blasphemy of the name of Christ, they use the name of their God uselessly without ceasing, and are also concerned about nothing less than that they bring about the salvation of souls through the name of the Lord. Their superstition has also spread to the Christians, so that they praise, engrave and attach these four letters everywhere.
But they do not care whether they themselves are godless or godly, presuming, as magicians do, that they have miraculous powers in letters and signs.
But we must know this, as befits Christians, that without the godliness of faith everything is superstitious and damnable, so completely that neither Christ nor God Himself can serve anyone for salvation if one does not have Him in faith. Therefore, every name of God, yes, every word of God, has an almighty power for the salvation of body and soul, if one possesses it in reverent faith. So it is not the name, but faith in the name of the Lord that does everything; nor is one name more effective than another. For if the name Tetragrammaton alone has such great power, the church acts foolishly in that it does not bless, baptize and perform all its sacraments in this name, but in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; and it would be something marvelous if the church of Christ, which has the Spirit of God, had not yet known this, since it knows everything that is of God.
If you now also want to say: The Tetragrammaton also contains all this in itself, and the perfections of all names, so that when the name of the Holy Trinity is mentioned, or of God, or of the Lord, then at the same time the Tetragrammaton is also mentioned. Why then is it separated from the other names? Why does it not work in all what it works separately? Or is it so holy, and the other names so unholy, that it is defiled when it is mixed among them, or so envious that it should envy the other this honor of power? So these may remain inventions of the Jews. The Christians should have a better knowledge (sapiant), namely that all names of God have one and the same power, if one has the godly faith; without the same also the name of the holy trinity cannot be of use to you.
But since everything happened to them in the image, I do not want to deny, so that one may believe that not even the smallest letter nor a tittle was written in vain, that in the name Tetragrammaton a different and special image was displayed before the others.
which was to be revealed in the new testament. Therefore it was considered unpronounceable at that time, and still now it is considered so by the Jews, because they quite stubbornly detest the revealed secret of it. Therefore we also want to assume, whether to joke or also to do Kabbalah with them, that the name Tetragrammaton is a secret sign (symbolum) of the name of the holy Trinity, and the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, which is now revealed, was then preformed (adumbratum) under four letters. To make this probable, let us take our proof (argutemur) from the letters themselves, from their number and from their meaning.
The meaning is this: X the primordial beginning (principium), X this, X and, X this. 1) If this is put together according to the grammar and in Latin language, this sentence (oratio) results: Principium istius et istius [the primordial beginning this and this]. This fits in all pieces to the name of the Holy Trinity, because the Father in the Godhead is the primordial beginning of "this", namely of the Son, and "this", namely of the Holy Spirit. For these pronouns "this and this" designate the Son and the Holy Spirit somewhat obscurely, as was appropriate for this testament, in which the mystery of the Trinity was not to be revealed, but only indicated. But also the name of the Father is not clearly expressed, although it is made known through the name principium more than the Son and the Holy Spirit, in which it is also indicated that no one (as Christ says Matth. 11, 27.) knows the Father nor the Son, unless it has been revealed to him, since even today the mystery of the Holy Trinity is not known, although the name has come to light, unless the Holy Spirit teaches it.
It is therefore clear that to those under the name Tetragrammaton the number of the divine persons and their nature are not differently prefigured, as to us under the name Trinity,
1) This sentence is correctly interpung only in the Basel and Weimar editions. In the Wittenberg and Jena editions: Vat, et He ists. In the Erlangen edition: 1 et N ists.
so that, just as the word Trinity, when it is dissolved, will yield as its opinion: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so also Tetragrammaton, when it is dissolved, will yield: the primordial beginning of this and this, somewhat obscurely, but still the same, because three persons are taught alike and a twofold exit (duae processiones), as in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Second, the number contains four. This is the first plane square, which consists of the first two simple, equal proportions, the former of which is: one to one; the latter: two to two. 1) Now the square is formed by the twofold exit (gemina processione) and the proportion of one to one and of two to two, beginning with unity and ending in quaternity. But these proportions are unequal according to arithmetic, but equal according to geometry; but this belongs to mathematics.
Thus, in the square of this divine name, the unity of the essence (substantiae) of the Father is indicated, from which [essence] One proceeds (procedit), the Son, who is equal to Him by the first simple proportion; but from both [the Father and the Son] the Holy Spirit proceeds by a second exit, being equal, as it were, to the Father and the Son by another simple proportion, just as the proportion of two to two, and of one to one, is geometrically equal. But since this simple proportion is the most perfect, the first, and the source and head of the proportions, where neither of the two parts is greater than the other, nor of one, nor of two, nor of one, nor of one.
1) We have followed here the reading of the Wittenberg and the Jena edition: oui eonstat duakus proportionibus simplis asHualibus prirnis, Huarnm prior S8t uuiu8 ad unum, xostsrior duorum ad duo, which (according to what is said in the following paragraphs) is the correct one. The Basel, the Weimar, and the Erlangen offer: qui constat duadus proxortionidus sirnplis primis, yuarnrn prior est, uniu8 ad duo, posterior duorum ad yuatuor. We imagine that Luther, in what is said here, had approximately the idea expressed in the diagram below. The 'n' indicates the Father, the 'n' the Son, the 'TU' the Holy Spirit:
X X
is surpassed (exceditur) by both in greatness, because one is equal to one in all things, and two to two: so it happens that the equality of the persons in the divine essence (in divinis), which exist by themselves (subsistentium) only by two exits (processiones) and not several, is indicated to the ancient Fathers in a hidden way by the secret sign (symbolo) of this very beautiful square or Tetragrammaton. For the Son is equal to the Father through the first exit; the Spirit is equal to both through the second exit.
Here one can also easily bring the four relations (relationes), which are quite common among theologians, the active begetting of the [Father] (generatio activa), the suffering begetting [of the Son] (generatio passiva), the active breathing [of the Father and the Son] (spiratio aotiva), the suffering breathing [of the Holy Spirit] (spiratio passiva), for these four constitute (that I say so) the Triune and One God, just as these four letters constitute His name.
Thirdly [we prove this] from the letters themselves and their kind. The first syllable ends the first proportion in the letter X,2 ) which is a gentle breath (lenis spiritus), so that it indicates that this going forth in the Godhead is not carnal, but spiritual and exceedingly kind and sweet; for the breath letter, when pronounced, is nothing else than a kind of sweet going forth of the wind or blowing, so that it signifies exceedingly appropriately this going forth of the Son. In the same way, the whole name in the second proportion is terminated by the same gentle breath, so that the second going forth may also be understood as a spiritual one, and not otherwise different from it than that it is the second and proceeds from the first; nor is the Spirit otherwise different from the Father and the Son than merely by proceeding from both. Since these exits are spiritual and of the most spiritual nature, the entire primordial beginning (principium) must necessarily flow into the entire highest being (principatum), so that it cannot be divided. Thus there is an ineffable majority in the simplest unity.
2) This confirms the reading we have adopted in the preceding.
This, I say, or something like it, seems to be depicted in the old Tetragrammaton; but now it is revealed in all languages, so that now the Tetragrammaton is not necessary, no more than the whole Hebrew language, to recognize God. This is supported by the fact that Burgensis says that for this reason the Tetragrammaton is said to be unpronounceable, because it does not have the descent of any Hebrew word, and one is also not able to recognize its meaning by analogy, so that it is obvious that according to divine counsel these Hebrew letters are indeed connected with each other, but nevertheless, as it were, a foreign expression was produced that did not belong to the Jewish people, which could not be designated (insignificabilem), just as one could produce from the Latin letters any expression that the grammarians do not know, only in order to designate and retain something (memorandi causa). This is what the Valentinians brought to bear, as can be seen, in their άβράςας, a Greek expression. 1)
It has been rightly said that the name of the Lord is unpronounceable, because at that time the mystery of the Trinity was not revealed, although it was darkly hinted at. It is also rightly said that only God was given this unique (unicum) name, and that it designates God according to His essence and inner nature. For in truth, God is in Himself nothing other than the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, and that which is said of birth 2) and departure. This cannot be found in any creature, therefore the Tetragrammaton cannot be attributed to it, while otherwise the names of a king, a lord, a god, a strong one, an exalted one, and other similar ones are applied to and attributed to those who stand in the place of God. For the outward works of God can be compared to angels and men, but a Trinity in unity they cannot be. There-
1) The followers of Basilides (around 125 AD) used the word as their watchword, which contains the number 365 in Greek numerical letters.
2) Only the Weimar one has, according to the first edition: nativitate, the other editions: unitate.
They can also manage the affairs (nominibus) of God, but they cannot use the name Tetragrammaton and the Trinity.
From this, I believe, the difficulty of Ex 6, 2. f. can be easily solved, where many struggle what the spirit wants, since he says: "I am the Lord, and appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that I would be their almighty God, but my name XXX3 ) has not been revealed to them", while Gen 4, 1. and more often long before the name Tetragrammaton is set. I say: I do not believe that the letters are to be understood, namely, that they were not revealed to them, unless at that time the letters of his name had not yet been compiled (compositae) or written, but that he did not publish the meaning of this name, that is, the faith in the Trinity and the knowledge of Christ, neither in the time of the fathers, nor of Moses, nor of the whole Old Testament, but only let it be given in a hidden way (inspirari) and signified by images.
There are people who think that the Tetragrammaton is the name JEsuS, with the letter X inserted, and I wish that this could be proven and would be true. But since the evangelist Matthew Cap. 1, 21. derives the name Jesus from "to make blessed", in that the angel says to Joseph: "Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins," but the Tetragrammaton (as I have said) is not derived from any other word, so it will be difficult to establish this, to say nothing of it, that in the Hebrew word, which means "to make blessed" (salutem) or a savior, the letter p is necessary and, as one says, essential (substantialis), which the Tetragrammaton does not allow, and therefore did not form the name Jesus. But others may judge about this. This is said, so that one isware of the superstition of the Jews.
295. What, therefore, is the name of God, of which the prophet says in this place that one should
3) 2 Mos. 6, 3. is written in the text rürv.
Because it is not just one name. Paul calls him 1 Tim. 1, 17 "the wise man", as he says: "the only wise man"; there, "the eternal king, the incorruptible and invisible one". In the same epistle Cap. 6, 15. 16. he says, "the blessed and alone mighty, who alone has immortality." John says 1 John 4:16: "God is love." Hebr. 11, 16. says: "God was not ashamed to be called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
And how? if we bring in here the whole Dionysius about the divine names, and again what he has written about the mystical theology, until we leave GOtte no name? Since he cannot be grasped with the mind, how could he be pronounced with a name? But we want to leave it to other, idle people to play their games with this (speculanda); we want to take the name of the Lord here in a simple understanding, not for the [word] by which he is called, but for what is preached by him, according to the words Prov. 22, 1. [Vulg.]: "A good name is better than great riches," and the same Cap. 10, 7.: "The name of the wicked shall rot," and Ps. 22, 23.: "I will preach thy name unto my brethren."
The name of God is therefore a good rumor, praise, glory, honor, proclamation of God, as the 102nd Psalm, v. 22, clearly shows: "That they may preach the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem. Behold, he says, the name of the Lord and his praise are the same, and are preached by the same proclamation. Ps. 148,1 ) 13.: "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is high; his praise goes as far as heaven and earth."
Since God alone works everything in everything, it certainly follows that God alone deserves the name of all works. He alone, then, is good, wise, just, true, merciful, kind, holy, strong, Lord, Father, Judge, in short, everything that can be called anything, or everything that can be praised.
From this saying it follows that, just as nothing of power or works is left to us, so nothing of power or works is left to us.
1) In the Latin editions: 149.
We therefore cannot presume anything of the name [of the same], and, as we are men who accomplish nothing but sin, lies, vanity, so also we have a stinking and shameful name, that all men are liars [Ps. 116:11], and all men are nothing at all [Ps. 39:12].
300) Therefore, our name is sin, falsehood, vanity, unrighteousness, wickedness, perversity, and everything that can only be said evil by someone. When we recognize and confess this, then we act rightly, for then we create, reject and lose ourselves, our works and our name; 2) We love, desire and seek God, God's works, God's name, saying with the 54th Psalm, v. 3. "Help me, God, by your name," as if to say: In my name I will perish, yes, I am 3) already lost, but in yours I will be blessed.
It is quite clear that the prophet speaks all this against the ungodly vain glory of the ungodly hypocrites. For as these have the impudence to justify themselves, like the Pharisee in the Gospel [Luc. 18, 11.] and Simon the leper [Luc. 7, 39.], so also this frenzy is found among them, that they boast of themselves and love and praise their name, treat all others with derision, accuse, judge and reproach the tax collectors and sinners with the worst names. But godly people and believers in God, when they boast, they boast in the Lord and ask that the name of the Lord be sanctified, praised and honored. With them one finds that they accuse themselves, judge, condemn, consider themselves inferior to all, put themselves at the bottom, and so do not know their name at all.
But even here the cross is the only judge and witness of the truth, since there are people who boast that they love the name of the Lord, with great confidence even on the paper: In the name of the Lord, and: Glory to God alone, likewise: To God be praise, and: In the name of JEsu,
2) In the Wittenberg, Jena and Erlanger is here wrong interpungirt. After unüttimus a distinguishing sign is missing: "anaittirnus Veura."
3) Instead of siiu in the issues should read Wohl sum.
and the like; indeed, who does not make use of that apt and very Christian speech, used exceedingly frequently in ordinary life: Thanks be to God?
For what could be more blessed than the church today, if there were none of those who boast of this, and did not uselessly use the name of his Lord; but this is a rare bird. For if in truth they love the name of the Lord, and not rather their own, why then do they become unwilling, and take it with the greatest impatience, when they are called by their own name, that is, when they are called fools, or wicked men, or have some other swearword attached to them? Why then do they not recognize their name here, and say: Thanks be to God, and: Glory to God alone? Why do they resist so vehemently the truth that another says to their face, since they themselves say the same of themselves out of such a pure heart (as they gossip)? Therefore, the very cross shows that all men are liars, so that the psalmist rightly said, Ps. 116, 11.: "I said in my trembling, All men are liars."
304. You see, then, how suddenly [with man] the hatred of his name is changed into the very fiercest love of his name. At the same time, the false love of the name of God reveals itself, since he [man] becomes extremely impatient when the name of the Lord is taken away from him by another, whom he himself has continually, and in a lying manner, cast away from himself, and has rejected him from himself, saying: To God be the glory, and: Thanks be to God, but I am a sinner. Who would be able to perceive this attitude, which is hidden deep in the heart, if Christ did not take care to prove us through the cross and shame? And this is an excellent saying of Gregory: How each one is in himself in secret, this shows a disgrace that is inflicted on man. For then, instead of "Thanks be to God," blasphemy will soon ensue.
But this bouquet finds a little branch with which it can cover itself and excuse itself in sins; first, the word of Augustine: He who does not respect good gossip.
He is cruel; and again: A good conscience is necessary for you, your good reputation for your neighbor. Then the word 1 Petr. 4, 15. f.: "Let no one among you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or one who takes hold of a foreign office. But if he suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him honor God in such a case." But Jerome also teaches publicly that if one wants to cast suspicion of heresy on someone, he should not be patient.
First of all, here we are speaking in spirit with the prophet and before God. We are to be honest with everyone, not only before God, but also before all men, Rom. 12, 17. And 2 Cor. 4, 2: "We prove ourselves right in the sight of God against all men's consciences"; and 1 Thess. 5, 22: "Avoid all evil appearances." Christ also praises those who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness, Matth. 5, 10.
It is quite true that we should not lie before men or acknowledge a false accusation, but rather die, like the woman who was beaten seven times [with the executioner's sword], of whom Jerome tells. But just as we must suffer death and any evil innocently for the sake of righteousness, so we must gladly suffer the damage to our name, not seek to defend it with impetuosity, or seek to repay the wrong done to us, but, innocent as we may be before men, confess before God that we have deserved much greater damage both to property and 1) life, as well as to our name. For we must acknowledge that just as good and life, so also a good name are good creatures and exceedingly good gifts from God. But we must not consider ourselves worthy of them, and not think that we are wronged if they are taken from us, but rather recognize ourselves unworthy of them all, and gladly do without them if God wills it.
Therefore, it is not necessary for you to confess that you are an adulterer or a murderer.
1) It seems to us that after the context reruin et vitao should be read instead of: reruni vitas. It should also directly res 6t vitam.
502 L. XIV, 284-286. interpretations on the psalms. W. IV, KI5-KI6. 503
You must not confess or acknowledge that you are innocent if you are not, or acknowledge such an accusation that is made against you; indeed, you must not confess or acknowledge it either, lest you lie in the same way as the one who is lying to you about this disgrace. And yet you must be composed and calm when you testify that you are innocent, but he will not believe you and nevertheless accuses you, just as you must not say that your life is nothing and your flesh is only a phantasm, or your gold is copper, so that you may show yourself humble, but you must confess these things as they [in truth] are, and yet, when they are taken from you, not resist, nor even reclaim, nor avenge yourself.
In this way you must not resist those who harm your good report and disparage you, even though you must testify to your innocence, nor confirm their lies by an ill-timed silence. This is what the Christians of Lyons in France once did: when they were accused of eating children in secret, they were constant to the point of death, and said no to it. And when Jeriah, Jer. 37, 13. ff, accused Jeremiah of wanting to flee to the Chaldeans, he answered, "It is not true, I will not fall to the Chaldeans." Nevertheless, since they did not believe him, he had to suffer being innocently beaten and thrown into prison. But Christ also constantly defended his doctrine before Annas, which he condemned by questioning him in an oblique manner; and yet he received a blow from the servant and suffered innocently that the same accusation was raised against him by the unbelievers.
(310) According to this rule we must also walk today, since the exceedingly ungodly flatterers of the great ones rush and rage, and insidiously call innocent good people names, that they are heretical, vexatious, erroneous, seditious, offensive to [pious] ears, disrespectful to the pope and disparage him, and the like, as they see fit.
These abominations, I say, must be suffered, but not acknowledged [as right]. If they now keep the upper hand and, with the rake
If they are not satisfied with the good name they have been given and continue to rage, we should confess to God that we are suffering what we have deserved, and that God's name, not ours, is being taken from us by force, and even justly, since we are not worthy of this name; but inwardly in faith and conscience and outwardly in confession we should cling to him most steadfastly. For it is not from us that they take away the good name, for it does not belong to us, but to God, through whose gift it was with us. Yes, they take away from themselves [to their detriment] our good name, since it was given to us for this reason, that through it they might be brought to God, instructed by the light of our good works, so that they might praise our Father in heaven. Nothing, then, is taken away from us by the good name, since they cannot take it away either in conscience or in confession, but can only extinguish it in their own opinion, and that to their own detriment, so that we must have more pity for their misery than that we should grieve over our harm. Since we now confess our innocence in this matter and with good cause reject the evil name from us, we do not serve ourselves but them, our slanderers, even against their will.
312. in this spirit, according to this guideline, these ostriches do not care for their name, but seek only that they may not suffer disgrace, and do not rest until they have subdued their adversaries (if they are able), and have recovered their name, by driving out violence by violence, according to the rule, or rather the error, of the jurists (juris). And lest by neglecting their good report (as they think) they should become cruel [§ 305], they become impious and cruel at the same time, by avenging their good name as if it were theirs, not God's.
Therefore they misuse in the most perverse way the extremely beautiful saying of Augustine: He who does not respect a good rumor is cruel; and again: Your good reputation is necessary to your neighbor. For it is not necessary to rage and reclaim the mantle against the Gospel, because your
Your neighbor needs your coat. Nor must you defend every thing, even life itself, because your neighbor needs these things. So, too, one should not forcefully reclaim a good rumor because it is necessary for one's neighbor. It is enough that in all this the accusation has not been accepted [as true]. After that it is necessary that one wants to suffer even greater things for the sake of God, so that the other cheek is also ready [Matth. 5, 39.], and yet it is not acknowledged that the beating on the first cheek was done justly.
But that these quarrelsome and obstinate protectors of their rumor are only hypocrites, and that they falsely say that they do this out of love for the name of the Lord, and that they do not seek their name, but God's, you can prove by this sign. First, that they are quite heedless in other matters of God. For they are also not so fervent to do God's will and seek His kingdom, which they would do to the utmost if they sincerely loved the name of God. Then they suffer patiently that the same name of the Lord and the good report of their neighbor are corrupted. Yes, they themselves are the very first to destroy the name of the Lord to their neighbor in order to appropriate it for themselves. Such people today are those who think that they cannot be Christians and orthodox believers (catholici) if they do not search for people whom they would like to revile and condemn as heretics, so that they prove that they have another name of God and another God in them than they persecute in their neighbor.
(315) Therefore do not think that those are lovers of the name of the Lord who are at hand to call others by an evil name, and to praise themselves alone by a good name. It is the same name in all, and cannot be loved more in yourself than in your neighbor. You are in error if you bear grief and are unwilling when you are called a heretic, but laugh and rejoice when your neighbor is thought to be a heretic: how much more are you in error if you defile another for the sake of a beautiful appearance, since you do so only for the sake of the
for the sake of a beautiful appearance, so that you may cover the ugliness of another, just as honest members cover dishonest ones, 1 Cor. 12:23.
316 But let us return to the words of the prophet. "Who love thy name." We have said that the name of the Lord is the rumor, the knowledge (notitiam), the praise of the Lord, which must certainly be in others, that is, in us through faith and confession, so that not our righteousness, virtue, wisdom, but God's may be revealed, grow and reign in us. For thus we are baptized in the name of the Lord, that now not we but God may live in us, and the name of the ungodly perish, that only God's name may be in us; for as all our works are his, so also is the name his, and so both the thing itself and the name are ascribed not to us but to God.
Therefore, it is not improperly said that by the name of the Lord is understood either Jesus Christ or the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, because these are the names of God, who alone has every good name. So also, whoever loves the name of JEsu, loves at the same time the salvation of God, the truth of God, the mercy of God, the virtue of God, the wisdom of God, and all good. For all these are included in every name of the Lord. When he does this, he necessarily hates his name at the same time, and does not boast of a man's wisdom, salvation, or virtue, because they are null and void, so that he may be worthy to have the name of the Lord in him, so that he himself may be saved, and God may be praised.
Therefore, we must pay attention to the emphasis that both words, "love them" and "name" have. He does not say, "Who write, speak, make to be heard, indicate, think, sharply dispute, know," but, "Who love your name." For who should not see how many there are of those who have God and His name in their mouths, and yet do not boast of it? Their heart is vain, and the love in the innermost part of their heart is perverse; if it is perverse, nothing can be rightly directed; if it is right, nothing can be wrongly directed.
than become. With the saints God is holy, with the perverse He is perverse [Ps. 18, 26. f.].
Now what it is to love the name of the Lord cannot be better understood than from the kind and nature of love, which consists in seeking not one's own, but that of whom one loves. Therefore, only he who loves the name of the Lord, who despises his name and the name of all, and desires that only the name of the Lord be exalted, spread, praised, and made known to all men, is proved to be such. In order for this to happen, it is necessary that he thinks, says, does, and suffers everything that he believes can serve to have the name of the Lord recognized and exalted, even with damage to both his good and his name. Hence he cannot be stingy with vain honor, but is found to be a willing (prodigus) despiser of himself, boasting in no thing but the Lord, whose name alone he loves and seeks.
320. whoever, then, in the time of prosperity, and when he looks to his own, is well pleased and loves to hear his name, is proved by the furnace, which Solomon calls in Proverbs Cap. 27, 21, "the mouth of praise," as one who loves not the name of the Lord but his own. As such, the prophet here scourges those godless people who boast in the confidence of their own righteousness. Of these it is also said in 1 Sam. 2, 3: "Leave off your great boasting and defiance, leave out of your mouth the old things, for the Lord is a God who notices, and does not allow such boasting to succeed."
Paul also boasts that he is able to do all things, but in Him who makes him mighty [Phil. 4:13]; otherwise he boasts of nothing but his weakness, 2 Cor. 11:30. The Blessed Virgin summarizes this beautifully and briefly in this verse [Luc. 1:49]: "For He has done great things for me, who is mighty, and whose name is holy." As if to say: I have done nothing, he has done great things for me, who alone works all things, who alone is mighty in all, who for this reason also alone has the name. To him alone be the glory, who alone does what is holy, what no one may appropriate and usurp.
For whoever recognizes that it is not his work, how could he be so sacrilegious as to ascribe the name to himself from another's work?
He therefore sanctifies the name of the Lord in truth who abstains from arrogating it to himself. This is done by the one who acknowledges that every good work does not belong to him, but to God alone, so that he, as the 145th Psalm, v. 17, says, "may be holy in all his works. Behold, this is the second commandment, "Thou shalt not uselessly take the name of the Lord thy God." This is what we pray when we say, "Hallowed be thy name," that is, as the 111th Psalm, v. 9, says, "Holy and holy is the name of the Lord."
But these ungodly saints of works break in sacrilegiously and stain the name of the Lord without end, ascribing to themselves righteousness, virtue and wisdom, and in this they like to hear their name.
From this it follows that the more gifts of God a man is adorned with, the more dangerous his position, and the more necessary the fear of God is to no man, lest he stain God's name and ascribe to himself something of what is God's, or patiently suffer it to be ascribed to him by others. This is the challenge at the right hand, where ten thousand fall, namely the arrow that flies by day, the pestilence that destroys at noon [Ps. 91:5-7].
For this reason alone, St. Gregory dares to assert in many places that the good works of all saints are impure, because they cannot sufficiently abstain from the name of the Lord, nor hold it as holy and honorable as it should be held, unless the passion of nature is completely slain, which is not accomplished in this life. For how few are there who, at its name and its praise, are more frightened and afraid than of a GOtte sacred thing, which is terrifying when appropriated? Yes, we laugh merrily, and suffer it patiently like swine, when we are tickled with such praise.
1) In the Wittenberg, the Jena and the Erlangen: 146.
But where will they remain who, as if they were giants, put one mountain on top of another and build a Babylonian tower, and wage war against the Lord and his name, and with immense desire seek praise and great name (famae) in a senseless way, so that they completely take away both the work and the name of the Lord and attribute it to themselves alone? while in the meantime they chatter nothing else than: Hallowed be thy name, glory be to God alone, thanks be to God, in the name of the Lord, amen, and with such appearances and make-up they color, paint and paint the eyes of their Jezebel [2 Kings 9:30]. Namely, the world is so full of those who want to rob God of His honor and be like Him, who desecrate the name of God, who stain the honor of God; and there is no one who notices it, so much so that they fight for the name of God, even against the name of God, in a frightening way, and stand in an irreconcilable discord.
How great a desecration (religio) is it considered when a layman touches the chalices, the chasubles, the linen cloths in the churches and on the altars, because they are consecrated in the name of the Lord! But the name of the Lord Himself, by which everything is sanctified, is stained and defiled by no one more shamefully, that is, by touching it with the most disgraceful ambition, than they themselves, those accursed consecrators, the damned saints of works, who vaunt their works and words most vainly.
Therefore he loves the name of the Lord in a reverent way, who trembles with godly reverence before his own praise and good name, abstaining from it as if it were the oil, of which Exodus 30:25 ff. commands that it be kept holy, that it not be made like it, nor that any man's body be anointed with it, but only the tabernacle of the congregation and its utensils etc. For he that honors and sanctifies the name of the Lord in this manner shall be sanctified by it again, as it is said in the 18th Psalm, v. 26, "With the saints thou art holy."
329 But not only should the name of the Lord be honored in such a way that one does not touch it, does not presume to touch it, does not presume to touch it, does not presume to touch it.
He does not anoint himself with the same, but he desires that this name be made holy and honorable to all men in this way; and in order that this may be done, he omits nothing, either in doing or in suffering. Thus we read of St. Thomas Aquinas that he made the sign of the cross over himself under his robe as often as he heard people praising him, which is certainly a very good and godly habit of showing reverence [to the name of God].
The sum of all that is said is commonly pronounced in this way: Let no man exalt himself when he is well. It is a short word and easy to say, but very hidden and difficult to understand, and it is recognized only by those who have experienced it, as the 111th Psalm, v. 9 f., says: "Holy and holy is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; it is a subtle prudence; he that doeth it, his praise endureth for ever."
331. But those who know no other fear of the Lord than that which deters from gross sins and lusts by the fear of punishment understand nothing, nor will they ever learn to boast of the Lord, since that is the right fear of the Lord, if we fear that we may not presume on anything that is the Lord's, that is, His virtue and His name, and by our presumption defile it, no differently than we fear to touch holy objects, lest we defile them. In this fear we must increase in such a way that we do not arrogate to ourselves not only temporal but also spiritual goods, also knowing that in these nothing is ours but the custom that is necessary for us and for our neighbor, which has been granted to us solely through the goodness of the Lord, that we should possess it with godly reverence and give it home to him with faithful gratitude.
332 Those who are of this nature, their praise endures forever. Their praise? 1) Of course, because they do not want to boast about themselves, nor about the praise of any other people, but only about God, as Paul says in 1 Cor. 4, 5: "Then one will be praised by God.
1) The words: I^auäntio soruiu? are omitted in the Wittenberg, Jena and Erlangen.
praise from God", and Ps. 34, 3. it says: "My soul shall boast in the Lord", and again 2 Cor. 10, 18.: "For this reason a man is not competent, that he praises himself, but that the Lord praises him". But God praises and glorifies only those who reject all praise from themselves and assign it to Him, who do not want their works to be seen, who want nothing but the praise of their Father in heaven, whose name they love. Therefore God praises and honors them again, as it is said in 1 Sam. 2, 30: "Whoever honors me, I will also honor; but whoever despises me, he shall be despised again."
It is very difficult, but necessary, to expect praise and name from God alone, and in the meantime to abandon all names in all things, and, if something of this kind occurs, to hold on as if it had not happened, and to carry it home to God; and also not otherwise than to tolerate it with fear for the sake of the salvation of others, rather than to have it as one's own. For this is indeed serving the Lord with fear, and rejoicing with trembling [Ps. 2:11], when one neither despairs when he is challenged, nor is presumptuous when he is comforted, as we have often said.
V. 13. for you, O Lord, bless the righteous; you crown them with grace, as with a shield).
Jerome has thus: For thou, O Lord, wilt bless the righteous, as with a shield of mercy (placabilitatis) wilt thou crown him. He omits the pronoun time, and the pronoun eum [him] is more appropriate than nos [us], for it refers to the righteous. It seems to me that the genitive [placabilitatis in Jerome] should more properly be changed to the ablative: "As with a shield thou hast crowned him with mercy." But there is a greater emphasis in separating it. For our [Latin] translation begins the last verse with the vocative "HErr," which in Hebrew is the end of the middle of the verse. But this verse, in words that are a little different, has the same meaning as the last verse of the third Psalm: "With the Lord one finds
1) In the Vulgate: ut seuto donas voluntatis tuas coronasti nos.
Help and thy blessing upon thy people." As there [in the 3rd Psalm] the tone and the emphasis lies on the words "thy blessing" and "with the Lord", so it can be perceived here with the pronoun "thee" and the vocative "Lord". The understanding of this depends on the opposition of the twofold kind, the godly and the godless. Men bless the ungodly way and curse the godly way, but you, Lord, bless the godly way; as is widely interpreted above in the last verse of the 3rd Psalm.
But he gives the reason for the preceding verse, in which it is said that all rejoice who trust in the Lord, that they glory in the time of adversity, and that God protects them, but that in the time of prosperity all rejoice in the Lord who love His name. They do this because they know that it is you alone who blesses the righteous. Instructed by this knowledge, they despise the blessing and the curse of men, who bless only those who love their own name, but those who love only the name of the Lord, that is, the righteous, always pass away. Therefore, he did not add "the righteous" for nothing, obviously indicating the godless adversaries who bless not God but men with an opposite blessing.
Here again the words of the prophet are to be observed, who speaks in the spirit. As above he called them evildoers, wicked, ungodly, who in the sight of men and in their own eyes have nothing less than this evil appearance, but have the appearance of a godly being, but deny his power [2 Tim. 3, 5.]: so he calls "the righteous" those who are such people in spirit, but seem to men to be worth nothing less than the name of righteousness, since they must be foolish, wicked, senseless in the sight of those glittering saints who are secure through the blessings that flow to them from their virtues.
This disease, or rather the ravages of the ungodly nature, has become so rampant in the church today that one must despair of a cure; so much has everything found its full extinguisher that
If you are against it, you will be declared a heretic and a child of the devil without any hesitation. If you grumble against it or have misgivings, you must immediately be declared a heretic and a child of the devil, a child of perdition without all shyness.
337. In such a way must the holy and honorable name of God suffer today, so it is desecrated by the exceedingly senseless lusts of men, so it serves the cruelest tyranny of the very worst Turks in the church, and has become entirely a cover of shame of all wickedness and evil, so that you can see nothing more frightening when you open the eyes of the spirit, than that nothing but the greatest, innumerable devilish works are attributed to the name of God, again nothing but the best and most Christian works are attributed to the name of the devil.
For nowadays it is not allowed to resist and reject it, if some flatterer of the great ones has attached the name of the Lord to some nefarious deed, and has adorned his devil's activity with the prestige of God, Christ and the apostles, but if you do not want to be burned as a heretic, you must worship this Satan and Antichrist for the sake of the prefixed name of Christ and praise [his deeds] as divine works.
On the other hand, if God does something contrary to these abominations in the name of the Lord, one must not favor, approve, or promote it, but believe and say that it is done by the devil's power and in his name. For what should our raging ingratitude against Christ deserve but that we, who are given over to a wrong mind, should be permitted to sin without end and without fear in the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which can be forgiven neither here nor there, by condemning God under the name of the devil and worshiping the devil under the name of Christ? [Ps. 119, 137. Vulg.:] "O Lord, thou art righteous, and thy judgment is just." For if God gave the heathen, because they knew God but did not give thanks to Him, in a wrong way, so that they committed those abominations which the Apo-
If he has thus smitten the Jews for not receiving Christ, with how great a calamity would we be smitten, who have received him and confessed his name, but now, perverted by such great wickedness, mock and defile his name? But what a great cross this must be for those who love the name of the Lord. How dreadful it is to live at this time, and to hear and see this intolerable defilement of the divine name!
In the meantime, therefore, we are to learn these conflicting judgments of God and man, and set them before us, lest we err with the unwise, nor fall away, not knowing the counsel of God. The saying is certain: Whoever wishes to become righteous must become a sinner; whoever wishes to become understanding, good, righteous, yes, godly, a Christian and orthodox, must become unintelligent, evil, perverse, yes, devilish, heretical, unbelieving, a Turk, and, as Paul says [1 Cor. 3:18]: "Whoever among you thinks himself wise, let him become a fool, that he may be wise." This saying, I say, stands firm, because such is the will in heaven, which has purposed to make wise by foolishness, good by wickedness, righteous by sin, righteous by perversity, understanding by ignorance, orthodox by heresy, Christian by unbelief, godly by diabolical form.
If you now ask, "In what way?" it will be said quickly and briefly. You cannot become the kind of person in God that you would like to be unless you first become the kind of person in yourself and before men that He wants you to be. But He wants you to become in yourself and before men what you are in truth, that is, a sinner, a wicked man, unwise, perverse, devilish etc. These are your names, this is how it is with you, this is the right truth, this is humility. When it has come to this with you, then you are already such a person before God as you would like, that is, holy, good, truthful, righteous, godly etc. For this reason, you are another before yourself and men than you are before God alone. Why are you surprised,
what do you grieve 1) if you displease both yourself and the people? If you did not please them, you could not please God. "If I were still pleasing to men (says Paul Gal. 1:10.), I would not be Christ's servant."
342 But this deceives us, that we do not believe that the rulers in Israel and those who raged to please them are men, as if we did not know that under the name of Christ even the apostles themselves suffered reproaches from the false apostles. So surely we like to be deceived by the name of the holy apostles and the governors of the apostles (apostoli eorum), if it can only be granted to us that we please them, so that the word may be fulfilled, Ps. 53, 6 [Vulg.]: "God scatters the bones of those who please men; they have become ashamed, for God has spurned them," and Isa. 3, 12. [Vulg.]: "My people, those who praise you happily, they deceive you and destroy the way you should go."
Dear, how powerful and frank a description is this: All are deceived who are praised; the praisers are deceivers! Who should not fear to be praised? Who should not wish to be blamed? Do not those alone lead and teach rightly who punish what is ours, and say that we are wretched people? Truly it is so. For also in Revelation Cap. 3:17, the angel to Laodicea is told, "Thou sayest, I am rich and full, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."
344 Since this is the case, every Christian must be most careful not to follow the great multitude and the judgment of the great multitude, and to despise or praise him who is considered either praiseworthy or reprehensible by men. For here is the danger that the Lord of glory will be approached, who wants to be counted among the evildoers [Isa. 53:12], and with those who are considered evildoers he will remain until the end of the world. For those who are sinners in the sight of men, he will make them sinners.
1) Erlanger: tndnris, instead of: tnrdaris.
right, and the saints of the world he condemns. For in those, having lost their name, dwells the holy and honorable name of God, by which they are sanctified; but in these, since the name of God is cast off with them, is the unholy and abominable name of men, by which they are defiled.
For the same reason, the more wretched you are in yourself, the more you must not despise and despair of yourself. For since you must not judge and condemn a sinner, nor despair of him, neither must you judge and condemn yourself, whether you have become a sinner against yourself or against men, any more than you must praise and justify yourself before yourself, nor be presumptuous because of yourself, whether you seem to be something to yourself or to men, but boast only of God and delight in his name, which is good in the sight of his saints.
346 But I believe that the figure of speech of the synecdoche is sufficiently known, that "the righteous" [benedices justo in the Vulgate] is said in the singular for "the righteous" in the plural, or instead of a general sentence, in part: "You bless the righteous," that is, any one who is righteous. Then, according to scriptural usage, to bless is the same as to praise, to extol, to wish well, to be benevolent. The opposite is cursing, blaming, wishing evil. If this happens from God, it is something real (res) and a work, because when he speaks, it happens [Ps. 33, 9.], but if it happens from men, nothing follows it.
347. But the righteous is called, as is clear from much of what has already been said in the first Psalm, in spirit and in secret, who is righteous not in his own eyes nor in the eyes of men, but in the eyes of God. It is this one who believes and trusts in God, of whom you can rightly say: The righteous is a sinner, but on a different stage and according to different standing, as we have said.
348. "You crown them with grace as with a shield," that is, you surround them, as it says in the 125th Psalm, v. 2: "The Lord is around His people," and Ps. 34, 8: "The angel of the Lord is around those who fear Him.
and Deut. 32, 10: "He led him, and guarded him like the apple of his eye." But this also happens in the spirit, that we do not feel it, while we perceive with our senses that of which the 118th Psalm, v. 12. says: "They surround me like bees" etc.
Therefore the grace, the good will, this goodness of God must be grasped in faith, so that we do not fall away, since our Saul encloses us all around, 1 Sam, 23, 26. Thus we see many consolations that God gives us, but in the spirit, so that he may provoke us to trust in him, as it is said in Deut. 32, 11: "As an eagle carries forth his young, and soars above them"; in such a way "he rides on the cherub, and soars; he soars on the wings of the wind", Ps. 18, 11.
And this I have said in many words, but still not enough, as it is due, about these movements of faith, hope, love, joy. If this occurs again hereafter, let us refer to it, so that we can put an end once and for all to the lengthy elaboration and be shorter from now on. And after we have finished this fifth psalm, we want to set the first milestone here (sit primi stadii modus), so that, refreshed by a short rest, we can go to the sixth psalm all the fresher.
Because it has seemed good to us to stop here a little, we want to add for the benefit of some, instead of a conclusion, two verses which are very often sung in the whole church at the end of the Psalms: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit," etc. because they are very closely related to the last two verses of this Psalm, in which it has been taught that one should praise and love the name of the Lord. They read thus:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, and is now, and ever shall be, for ever and ever, Amen.
In verses that have a very deep spiritual mind, one must lift up the heart, so that what is sung with the voice is also sung with the mind and in the spirit. In these is the epitome of all prayers and movements of the heart.
not otherwise than in the first part of the holy Lord's Prayer, "Hallowed be thy name," all the following petitions are included, and in the first commandment of the holy Ten Commandments all the following ones, so that, just as the first commandment is the measure and guide of all the other commandments, and the first petition of all the other petitions, so in this way the movement of the heart in this verse is the first and highest of all movements of the heart. For nothing is to be prayed for that does not first serve to honor the divine majesty, that his name may be sanctified, nor is anything to be done in works that does not first seek that which is God's, lest we have another God. Therefore, we must not be moved more violently by the desire (affectu) of any thing than by the pursuit of the glory of God.
Yes, if we sing this verse in the spirit and with the mind, we accomplish in a short epitome the whole set of all sacrifices of the Old Testament. For what was it otherwise, that slain cattle were offered to God, than that we carnal men, slain by sin, should be offered to God, living unto righteousness to the praise and honour of his grace? For thus saith Hosea, Cap. 14, 3. "Then will we offer the bullocks of our lips;" and Ps. 51, 21. "Then shall the sacrifices of righteousness please thee; then shall bullocks be offered upon thine altar;" and Heb. 13, 15. "Let us therefore through him offer the sacrifice of praise unto GOtte alway, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name."
And there is no other sacrifice in the New Testament than the one in this verse, so that also the sacrament of the altar is called a Eucharist, that is, a thanksgiving, because when we perform it, we actually carry out the opinion and sentiment of this verse. For it is not enough that we partake of the body of the Lord, if we do not do it in remembrance of Him, as He commanded.
But as many as murmur this verse daily, so few are those who fulfill what is indicated by it. Therefore, each one must take care of himself and remember what he owes to God through the admonition and exhortation of this verse.
Therefore, we say that to the three Persons, not some glory (gloriae), but all glory (gloria) should be, because it is the same and the very same glory that the one and triune God has, just as One is Majesty and Divinity. Thus we confess the holy revealed name of the true God. Therefore, a very great faith is necessary, which we are also enjoined to practice in this verse; for these are incomprehensible things that we are speaking about, and they are the main pieces of our faith.
But in order that we may conform to the common custom, it pleases me in all this that the Father be ascribed power and might, the Son wisdom and counsel, the Holy Spirit kindness and love, and that they be taken according to these characteristics, so that he who praises God the Father may at the same time sacrifice his own vain glory, and confess his weakness and inability, nor desire to be strong and mighty, except in God the Father.
357. When he praises the Son, let him also abhor his own wisdom and counsel, slaughter these beasts and sacrifice them, confess his unwisdom and foolishness, nor desire to be thought wise and prudent, either in himself or in men, but only in his God the Son.
When he sings praises to the Holy Spirit, let him lay aside confidence in his own righteousness and goodness, confess his sins, and desire to become righteous and good through God the Holy Spirit, and slay the beast, the delusion of his own righteousness. Thus it happens that we leave everything to God, but nothing to ourselves but shame and the confession of our evil, our misery, and that we are nothing. Thus we are righteous, giving to each what is his.
But let no one be so minded as to think that he can sing this verse worthily, but let him sing it more in such a way that he desires (optative) than that he actually performs it (indicative), so that it is at the same time a prayer, a praise and a thanksgiving, since no one is without vain honor, boasting of his virtue, wisdom and goodness, nor is anyone found who does not deprive God of some of his honor and offer this sacrifice impurely.
But this must be prayed in such a way that the words: "As it was in the beginning, and now, and forever," are a common prayer, that is, that he desires that all creatures from the beginning to eternity praise God with him, whereby God is asked, praised and glorified for all and with all. This is the most pleasant and powerful prayer, because it is done in the greatest communion, whereby what is lacking in us is supplemented by the communion of all the saints and especially of Christ. It is most safe to sing in this great communion (universitate), where the deficiencies of our voice are supported and made perfect by the multitude of the perfect.
Therefore, it is impossible for a man who is caught up in vain honor to sing this verse, unless, as it were, with a frightful roar, he disgraces this whole lovely harmony of the whole creature, thereby loading and accelerating misfortune upon his own head. From this shameful honor may Christ Himself deliver us, who is our glory forever, amen.
Wittenberg, in the year of the Lord 1519. 1)
1) This signature is missing in the second Basel, in the Wittenberg, in the Jena and in the Weimar editions; in the latter, however, it is given in vol. V, p. 12 in the description of the original edition.