From the content of the hundred and twenty-third Psalm.
I believe that this psalm is an invocation of divine help against evil tongues, or against the harm that evil tongues, that is, heretics, do to the church when they teach against right doctrine. For this challenge is to be put first, as it were, when the doctrine suffers. For the devil has a twofold way by which he can destroy the
Church, the heresies, and the violence or the sword. Therefore Christ also calls him a liar and a murderer. Hence it comes that the prayers in the Psalms generally come down to these two main things, that they pray either against the devil as a murderer, or against the devil as a liar, that is, either against the pernicious doctrine, or under the cross and the persecutions against the tyrants.
*) This title is in the Latin edition only before the first verse.
Furthermore, there are many kinds of murder with which the devil plagues the church: some with the sensation of death, others with slander, others he tortures with harming the enemies, with hatred, with dangers and other misfortunes; all this belongs to violence. But to lying belongs what he does through his servants, especially within the church itself, by means of false teachings, with which he confuses the consciences, and likewise by inward temptations, when he wearies the godly with his poisoned arrows of despair, of mistrust, of blasphemy, and so kills them under the name of God and drags them to hell. For all this comprehends the lie in itself. And we see that the church complains about these dangers not only in the Psalms, but also in all of Scripture, that she is attacked by force, by cunning, by mobs, by heresies etc.
This psalm, however, as I have said, in my opinion actually belongs to the second temptation, with corrupt doctrine, although it also concerns the first temptation. For it cannot fail that lying teachers are also cruel and bloodthirsty, because they are eager to defend their ungodliness, and the devil sows the lie for the sake of it, so that he gives cause for murder, as the examples show both in the rest of the church and in the first parents in paradise; for by lying the devil deceived them, so that they perished by death. But since the church today suffers similar trials, since it is attacked and assailed from all sides by lying and slanderous tongues, and suffers the bitterest hatred with dangers of all kinds, only because it holds fast to the pure doctrine and is busy bringing God's word to light, therefore it is also necessary for us today that we pray against these corrupt tongues in our times, so that they do not do as much harm as they want. But it is a great blessing that we also have the words that the Holy Spirit has prescribed, which the godly can use in this danger. But now let us go to the Psalm.
V. 1. I call to the Lord in my distress, and he hears me. 1)
More correctly [than in the Vulgate, which uses past tenses] this verse is translated by present tenses: "I cry unto the Lord in my trouble, and he heareth me." For though the Hebrews also have the distinction of the three tenses, yet the past tense, because it is the first or root form (thema) of the verb, is often more properly translated by the present tense for the sake of clearer understanding, that it may not be merely the description of a past event or an example, but to a teaching in which it is shown what we should do in these temptations of the lying tongue, since we feel and experience that we struggle in vain with the heretics, and it is not possible to bring them back to the right way. For we have learned this through long experience, that it is true what Paul says [Titus 3:10, 11], that such people have condemned themselves, and that therefore, after they have been punished or admonished once and again, they should be let go and avoided, because they are so caught up in their opinions that they cannot be turned from them.
And this we learn especially from the authors of heresies or ungodly opinions; nothing can be said to them or presented to them by which they would be improved. There is no lack of hope that they will give room to the truth, as it is certain that they can be convicted, but they do not convert. For if you shut them up in one place, they will soon find something to murmur against, as not only the histories of Arius and other heretics show, but also we can testify by the examples of our time. Therefore, it is impossible to silence the mouth of a heretic forever. But it is possible for us to convict and refute them, and likewise to protect our people from their error, as from a very effective poison. For a bishop must be able to instruct not only the simple,
1) Vulgate: Ad Dominum, cum tribularer, clamavi, et ipse exaudivit me.
1756 xix. I69-I7I. Au[1. on d. 1. 5 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 120. w. iv, 2393-2395. 1757
but also to refute the false ones. With this we shall be satisfied that those of us who have been warned persevere in the right doctrine; but that we also convert the authors of the heresies, that we have no hope of. How often did Christ convict the Pharisees, not only by the revealed Scriptures, but also by God's fingers and miracles? And still they remained in their godlessness. Arius was obviously overcome before Probus, and yet he continued his error with even greater confidence and better success. What shall we say of our papists? Do we not experience the same in them?
Therefore, we should let go of those who sin not out of error but with will and do not want to convert, after they have been admonished once and again, and should fight against them with prayer according to the example of David, just as we must pray for our own, so that they are not deceived by the beautiful appearance. Apart from this, there is nothing left for us to do. For the author of heresies, the devil, is so slippery, and in a thousand ways a Proteus, that he cannot certainly be tricked or caught. If one crack is blocked, he finds ten others through which he can escape, and like the trapped wind he searches everything and penetrates everything so that he can escape. One fights against him primarily when one has to do with heretics. Therefore, nothing is accomplished by disputing, although disputing is necessary and the servants of Satan must be convicted and rejected by disputations for the sake of the rest of the church. But prayer must also be connected with the outward word, by which the malicious spirit is pressed to the utmost and driven into a corner. This has subdued Arius, Manichaeus, Sabellius, this has shattered the Pharisees and the unbelieving synagogue, this has in our time brought to naught the authors of ungodly opinions, raging as they were. For it so happens that those who will not hear those who admonish and refute them must feel our prayer and cry, in which we cry out to the Lord for the sanctification of his name and the coming of his kingdom.
This is the only way to victory, that even though they seem to have the upper hand for a while, the corrupt tongues are finally eradicated. Therefore, we must act wisely and cautiously in this danger, and we must abandon all confidence in our wisdom, although it is the word of God that we have for ourselves. For we do not have to fight with flesh and blood, but with the evil spirits. If we had to deal only with flesh and blood, we would fortify and strengthen ours in such a way by reason that nothing could be brought against it. But now we find out that, after they have been convicted by reason and by the sayings of Scripture, they nevertheless stubbornly hold on to their error and are only concerned about how they can defend it and spread it far and wide. Therefore, I use to compare their sin to the sin of Judas. He could not excuse his intention to commit treason, which he had decided against Christ, and yet he continued to carry it out, because the devil urged him to do so. Completely in this way, the devil does not let go of the originators of ungodly teachings, which he once got under his control, nor does he let them rest.
That is why one must add prayer, that is why one must fight primarily with prayer, as David does here in a very beautiful and comforting example, and says: "To the Lord I cry in my distress", as if he wanted to say: In this danger of ungodly doctrine I undertook in vain that the false prophets should be converted and recognize their error. For Satan, who possesses their hearts, is so slippery that he cannot be caught. In addition, I was weaker, if one looks at the number, because the smallest part stood by me; on the other hand, those who opposed me were greater in number and stronger in power. What should I do now, this wretched man? This, of course: After I have diligently inculcated the word of God as much as God has given me, after I have warned my own and reminded them of their error, I go out to my God through prayer and present my distress to him, and I am sure that he will hear me.
Thus, David presents us with his example of what
He himself has always done this, and this is easily said, but experience testifies that it cannot be done without extremely difficult efforts. For first of all, the damage done by the father of lies by means of ungodly teaching cannot be viewed without the greatest sorrow. In addition to this pain, there is also a kind of despair of healing, because the appearance of the ungodly doctrine that is raging is more frightening than that of a raging conflagration or an erupting river that suddenly sweeps down and overturns everything. Therefore the heart is frightened in both directions, both by fear of future misfortune and by the feeling of present harm. If, in addition to this, there is also inner distress, that the heart feels that God is angry, then it seems quite impossible that one can pray, and truly, an untrained person, who is presumptuous of the word and its teaching, will accomplish nothing but useless work and endless complaining. For it is not enough to teach, it is not enough to refute and convict, but God must give prosperity, so that not only we with our brethren may be preserved in the wholesome doctrine, but also those who teach otherwise may be cut off and perish.
But this is accomplished by prayer alone; but that this prayer is not something easy, we will now show. Teaching the word and hearing the word are also great and divine works that require the Holy Spirit. But the use of faith, namely, to turn to the Lord and pray, and to trust that the prayer will be well answered, and that God will hear it, is an exceedingly difficult matter, especially since the fearful conscience generally resists this confidence and despairs of healing, especially when the consciousness of sin or unworthiness is added. For there it commonly happens that the heart first debates within itself whether anything can be accomplished by prayer; those who allow themselves to be led into this question will never pray, especially if they measure it according to their feeling of worthiness. On the other hand, you must do this so that on this occasion you do not pay attention to your condition.
but rather look to the promise, to the necessity of prayer, to the danger and the cause itself. For in this way it will happen that, although your conscience draws you back from praying, the greatness of the danger will drive you to pray. For if someone (for the sake of the example I speak thus) has fornicated, and on his way falls by chance from a bridge into a river, should he not pray in such great danger for the sake of it, because he is conscious of sin? Rather, the greater the danger and distress, the more the heart must be inclined and ready to pray. In this way, even in this danger, we must do more, however we are made up, to consider that Satan is causing so much misfortune through ungodly teachers, rather than that we are unworthy of being heard.
The promise also serves this purpose, that in Christ we not only have the promise that we shall be heard; but Christ himself has prescribed for us the words, even the syllables and letters, which we are to pray; yes, his commandment is also added, so that it is no longer at our will to pray or not to pray, but it is a commanded work. When we think of this, and after that also the need or danger is considered, then the hearts become ready, and the challenge of one's own worthiness is shaken off, and the conscience is swallowed up, as it were, as it also happens in sudden dangers, when someone is either attacked by highwaymen on a journey, or falls into water under danger etc. Before someone thinks of his worthiness, he either breaks out into these words or has this thought: O God, help. For here is true what the physicians say, that the appetite is irritated by hot spices. For there is no better master to teach to pray than necessity. But since we are safe and walk along blindfolded, as it were, and do not feel the present evil, it is not to be wondered at if we either do not pray at all, or if our prayer is quite cold. It is the case with me that I feel that I never pray better than when I am in need. This is the pungent spice that, even in David (that I say so), makes hunger go away.
1760 L. xix, 173-I7]. Au[1. on the 15 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 120, W. iv. 2399-2402. 1761
and whets the appetite for prayer, as he says, "I cry out in my distress."
Therefore we are to learn from this verse that David used this remedy in the peril of false teaching, that he first raised himself and his own by teaching, and then prayed. We are to do the same, only in confidence in the cause or the need, which the Lord's Prayer also indicates to us. For because the name of the Lord is defiled, because consciences are corrupted, because the confession of the gospel is in danger, there is truly great cause for us to say, "Hallowed be thy name," that there may be an end to abominations and blasphemies; "thy kingdom come," which is almost suppressed by the kingdom of Satan etc. He who prays in this way prays in such a way that he easily fills heaven with his groans, whereas otherwise, except in distress, our mouths are scarcely filled, as the papists' prayers and songs are; for how should those be able to pray who live in supreme security? This cause David indicates, since he says, "I call in distress." For it must be an urgent need that drives; as there is our and our brothers' blessedness, eternal death, our sins, our harm, the glory of God, the kingdom of God, likewise peace, war and the like. All of this is presented to us in the most beautiful order in the Lord's Prayer, and they are truly hardships that teach us to pray; indeed, if we are able to consider these dangers, they also force and press us. We should consider this and break through the clouds that take away from us the sight of God favorable to us, and should certainly consider that prayer is the most pleasing sacrifice to God, and such service to God as He requires of us. Some think of a means, and rely on the prayer of the brethren; this, of course, is not to be blamed, for the prayer of many is stronger. But it is necessary that you also pray and become a part of the church that prays from one mouth: "Our Father. For he does not want to be just this or that person, but also your father.
But expressly is added: "to the Lord", against those thoughts which once tormented me too, and today still torment those who, for instance, are among the papists.
sten are simple-minded people. Because I thought like this: I am a sinner, therefore I cannot pray to God who is angry with me because of sins. I will seek mediators to whom he is gracious, Mary, Peter, Anna etc. For fearful consciences are terrified when they hear the name of God. And truly, it is a great majesty, but you must not imagine it so great that you would not pray for its sake. For when you look at the majesty, why do you not also look at the fact that the majesty itself has commanded that you should pray? Truly, you are not so little or nothing that the prestige of the one in authority should not bind you. Consider this commandment, and commit thyself to the grace of him that commanded it. Say: Lord, it is not in my will whether I should pray or not pray (as we dreamed as monks). You have commanded^ therefore I recognize that I must obey you. If I am unworthy, yet thy commandment and will is worthy that I obey the same; thy promise is worthy that I trust it. Therefore I ask, not on my worthiness, not on Mary's, not on Peter's, but on the worthiness of the name of JEsu and of God, who commanded and commanded.
The whole papacy does not know this way of praying, and I can confirm by my example that, just as I, when I was a monk, never prayed a single Our Father correctly, so also today the papists do not pray even one syllable in faith. This may have happened so that God heard the inexpressible sighs of my heart, as I believe there were many others who also had these sighs, although they did not recognize them. But apart from these sighs, no part of the prayer has been properly understood or pronounced as it should be, and as we, by God's grace, now pray and teach others to pray.
There is a saying of a hermit who was famous among the monks, who said that no work is so great as the work of prayer. This is true when we look at the law of praying without faith, which was given to the missal monks, but it is even more true when we speak of prayer in faith, that the heart resists conscience and despair, and yet dares to pray.
trusting in the mercy of God, although this difficulty is lessened not only by the promise given to those who pray, and likewise by the commandment [that we should pray], but also by the need that drives us to it. But as to the matter itself, prayer without faith is in truth impossible. For these two things make prayer strong, the promise of God and our need. In this practice, and also get used to secret prayer in the closet, as Christ commands. Now if Satan, as he is wont to do, tries to hinder this prayer, let us close our eyes and say: O Lord, behold, here is trouble and fear, here I stand in danger; this my brother stands in such danger, so he is plagued by the devil, the time does not suffer me to think of myself, whether I be good or worthy, help me in due time according to thy word etc. If in this way the cause and the promise are considered, the devil is overcome, and to this way of praying David calls us by his example, not only in the danger of ungodly teaching, but also in all troubles. And it pleases God, if you are only quite impudent here in trusting in His mercy and promise, after the word: "And He hears me", as if He wanted to say: In this way God declares that our prayer is pleasing to Him, which we make in trusting in His promise and mercy, namely, that He hears it.
And here see to it that you learn diligently the name of God, which David gives him here, that he may be a hearer of prayer, and beware lest, when you pray, you snatch this name from him through distrust, as we commonly do. For as it is said in the German proverb that a good end makes everything good, so very many miss it at the end of the prayer, and spoil the prayer. For since "Amen" should be added, the doubt that is in the heart changes the Amen into a No, and holds that it is nothing. Against this doubt David fortifies us here by his example, and holds out to us, in addition to the promises we have, his experience, so that he may stimulate us to pray in faith, so that we may believe that God will grant us amen.
He will certainly hear, since he is the hearer of all the sighs of those who pray in faith. Even if he does not answer so soon, he will answer in his own time. If he does not answer in the way you want and desire, he will answer in a better way. If not by the person you wish, he will do it by a more suitable person etc. So Bernhard says somewhere, and I do not remember to have read anything in the writings of all the moderns that was said about prayer in a more beautiful or godly way: Dear brothers, he says, do not doubt about your prayer, but know that when the word goes out of your mouth, then your prayer is written before the eyes of God, and either what is asked will happen, or it is good that it does not happen. What could be more Christian, what could be more comforting, than that God, as it were like an exceedingly lenient king, answers all petitions with nothing other than: Let what is asked be done.
But, you will say, the opposite often happens. How often is a prayer made for a pregnant woman and for a woman in childbirth, and yet she dies in childbirth? Do you think that Jacob did not ask for his Rachel, who died in such danger? So David prayed with the greatest fervor of spirit for the son Bathsheba bore him, but the prayer was in vain. We also see such examples in the saints daily in great numbers. I answer: However this may be, it must be stated first of all that God is a hearer of prayers; this title must never be taken away from God, as the first child prays most beautifully in this faith, which thus believes of God that He hears and gives everything. The children hold on to this faith without any doubt in the most beautiful certainty of faith. That is why I value their prayer very highly and often use it as an example. For although the children learn the form of prayer and the words from us, we could nevertheless learn the power of prayer from them, for the sake of the perversity of our nature, and also for the sake of our poor teaching of youth. Therefore, first of all, it must be stated without exception that our prayer has been answered.
1764 m. 178-180. au[1. over d. 15 songs rm higher choir. Ps. 120. w. iv. 2405-2403. 1765
Secondly. The answer must be understood in this way, not that God always does what we desire, but that he does what is useful to us. For since God is good, He can give nothing but what is good. But we often ask for our children, often for our friends, often for ourselves, not what is good, but what seems good to us. In such things God hears even when He does not do what we ask. Therefore, in the Lord's Prayer, we ask for the sanctification of God's name, for the coming of His kingdom, and for His will to be done, rather than for what is ours and what serves our life, so that in such matters God will not do what seems good to us, but what is truly good. Therefore, a distinction is rightly made between the things that should be asked; namely, in the things that concern the glory of God and our salvation, we should hold without condition that we will be heard, whereas in those that belong to this present life, we should also hope for salvation, but with surrender of our will to God's will, so that God will do in such things according to what seems good to Him and is useful to us. For He knows what is good; we do not know, as Paul also says [Rom. 8:26]. In this way, our good and faithful God shall retain the title of being a listener to prayer, as David preaches about Him here.
V. 2. Lord, save my soul from the lying mouths and false tongues.
This is what this psalm has to do with, because it prays for the pure doctrine and the holy word against the heretical tongues. But I said at the beginning that this psalm should not only be taken as an example to imitate or to teach, so that we learn what David did in this danger and what we also have to do, but that it should also be taken as a consolation against the immense distress, that wherever pure doctrine begins to blossom, it is to be taken as an example, Wherever pure doctrine begins to flourish, thieves and robbers soon rise up, whom Satan has aroused to be enemies of the wholesome doctrine, so that it may not seem to be something new to us that where the gospel has risen, Anabaptists and similar stains on religion have risen up.
but lay down our guard and watch, seeing that he who looks upon us neither sleeps nor ceases, and that we have to fight against the spirits of wickedness, with whom the saints have always been at war. Abel had Cain as his enemy, Isaac had Ishmael as his enemy, Jacob had Esau as his enemy. The author of this enmity is the devil, who persecutes God and His Word, not only with murder, but also with lies. That we know this is a great comfort, so that we do not lose heart in such dangers, but as soon as we are called to the service of the Word, we fortify ourselves against this danger and guard with the greatest zeal against security, which lying tongues and false lips do not permit. Therefore, we must be ready against those who practice the art of inference (dialecticantes) in a lying way and exercise their art of speech in a false way, not only to contradict boldly and to punish them, but also to pray diligently and to remember that the Lord is shown to us here by David as Savior, who alone can preserve us in such danger and bring the adversaries to ruin. For constant practice of the word and prayer must be connected with each other. A Hebrew expression is: "Save my soul", that is, save me.
V. 3. 4. What can the false tongue do to you? And what can it do? It is like sharp arrows of a strong man, like fire in junipers. 1)
Although these verses are easy to understand, they have been treated by the fathers in quite different ways, which is due to the unrhymed [Latin] translation. But especially Augustine struggles here very much. Quid dabitur tibi? he interprets in this way: It means: By what means will you be delivered? and he answers: Put arrows on me, or give me arrows, that is, the Gospel, and with these coals (carbones), that is, examples of the fathers. This he discusses in many words, but we will let it be worth as much as it is worth. For though it is not suitable, yet it is neither heretical nor harmful, if one takes a not suitable-
1) In the Vulgate: Quid detur tibi, aut quid apponatur tibi ad linguam dolosam ? Sagittae potentis acutae, cum carbonibus desolatoriis.
The saint's words are to be tolerated, but let us follow the proper meaning, as it is proper for interpreters. These inconsistencies of the saints are to be tolerated that I say so, but we want to follow the actual sense, as it is proper for interpreters. Now these two following verses must be translated thus: Quid poterit in te lingua dolosa? aut quid efficiet? Est ut acutae sagittae potentis, ut ignis in juniperis.
The question serves to encourage him and, as it were, to provide him with an opportunity to accuse the false tongue, as he indeed describes in two excellent parables in the most forceful way how harmful the ungodly doctrine is and what God and spiritual men judge of it. First, he compares it to an arrow, not a blunt one, but a sharp one; then to one that is hurled, not by a weakling, but by a strong one, so that there is danger on both sides, both from the arrow that is ready to pierce and from the one that hurls the projectile with great force. Therefore, the devil, the father of heretics, is presented to us here as a skilled and strong warrior, who has fought against the church since the creation of human nature, and although he has often been defeated, yet he does not desist, but returns ever more earnestly and cautiously; and the more armed, holy, and learned are those against whom he wages war, the more strongly he sets himself against them, the more fiercely he attacks them.
Therefore, the Holy Spirit speaks here according to the sensation of the flesh, that is, according to the thoughts that the saints have in this danger, and calls an ungodly teacher an arrow in the hand of a strong man. For when one looks upon the adversaries' multitude, boldness, boasting, zeal, pretension, obstinacy, sagacity, cunning, with which they mock or slander that which is sacredly spoken, it seems as if they were oppressing the church, which in many respects is thought to be inferior and weaker. Therefore, it seems that Satan, like a projectile that no armor can stop, will gain the victory, but if you expect the end, you will experience the opposite. For just as the church, looking at the multitude of enemies and the small number of her own, because of
If Satan is afraid of their weakness and fears their downfall, he puffs himself up because of his success, since he sees that everything goes well for him at the first attempt. For the ungodly doctrine eats away at itself like a cancer, and grows enormously from hour to hour, so that in well-ordered congregations, as, by God's grace, this church of ours is, everything is soon turned upside down if any fanatic were given the opportunity to teach. In such a way, this arrow tears through. Why? Because it is driven forward by Satan, and the great multitude is, as it were, a workshop of Satan, because of the surfeit and contempt of what is there daily. 1) But because the heretics depart from the old and daily way of teaching, and always bring new things, what Moses says [Deut. 29:19] happens, "that the drunkard goeth with the thirsty," and these arrows break through by force.
Furthermore, this is also a common way of speaking in Scripture, that by "arrows" the word is understood, as can be seen from Ps. 45:6, and in our language "arrows from another's quiver" are called the speeches or advice that another has given. However, this name is actually given to false doctrine because, as I have said, it penetrates extremely easily. Thus, Muenzer's arrows were the inflammatory speeches by which he tried to put down the rulers, igniting the hearts of the simple by the example of Gideon, Joshua and similar people who, by God's command, drove the Philistines out of the land. He blamed the authorities for either following the word or not living according to the word; therefore he taught that no obedience was owed to them, that no interest was due to them etc. These arrows pierced the minds of the simple. The arrows of the Anabaptists were that baptism was effective on believers, but infants did not believe, so they should not be baptized. Likewise, people must first be taught, and only then baptized.
1) In the original: auotiäiuni, which the editions (also the Erlangen) have wrongly changed to quotiäianum. - Cf. Tischreden, Cap. 20, s 6, Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. XXII, 597.
1768 xix-182-184. Au[1. on the 15 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 120. w. iv, 2411-2413. 1769
According to the words: "Go and teach all nations and baptize them" [Matth. 28, 19]; but the children are baptized before they can understand the teaching, so they must be baptized again. Some have belittled the dignity of baptism by saying that water contributes nothing to the forgiveness of sins, while Christ in the rebirth of John 3:5 connects water directly with the Holy Spirit. Pierced by such arrows, the hearts of the inexperienced have accepted even such foolish errors.
The same happens to us with the Sacramentirans. For they also have their arrows with which they have wounded the hearts of many. Although they cannot deceive the sensible people, who know that one should not rely on any man's judgment, but simply stick to God's word, they nevertheless wound many careless and inexperienced people, because their arrows are sharp. They use the parables: I am the rock, I am a vine, I am the way. Afterwards they want the words of Christ to be understood in the same way: "This is my body", that is, the sign or image of the body. This they paint and adorn with sayings of the Fathers. Augustine describes it thus, that a sacrament is a sign of a sacred thing; therefore, here the sacrament is of the body of Christ, that is, the sign, not the body itself. But I ask you, what would they say if they either did not have this saying of Augustine, or if the term sacrament had never been used in Holy Communion? as we see also in secular writers who have used the term sacrament far differently.
This is almost the main thing that the wretched people bring to overthrow Christ's words. For that they gather together the testimonies of the fathers, and with great effort endeavor to show that the ancient church had this opinion: whom should this so move that he should therefore renounce the words of Christ? especially since we can prove not only that the ancients also spoke of the sacrament in the same way as we do, but also that if someone alone
If he were to base his argument on the reputation of the ancients, he would inevitably prove many things that obviously conflict with the pure doctrine. Therefore, this way is dangerous to reverse Christ's words, because the ancients seem to have spoken of them differently than we do, who say that Christ, as the words read, when he gave the bread, gave his body, and when he gave the wine, gave his blood. For we must judge of these words as the apostles judged when they heard these words from Christ: "Take, eat; this is my body." It is not necessary to think of what this or that one said when the matter was not yet in dispute. For we see that the fathers spoke quite differently in the strife than out of it.
Moreover, at the very time of the Fathers, on whose reputation they rely, a good part of the pure doctrine was corrupted, as the books of Origen in the Greek Church and those of Augustine and Jerome in the Latin Church testify. But that this opinion of ours has been confused by sophistical quibbles, and desecrated by ridiculous questions which the sacramentarians wantonly raise, what is that to us? For we retain the words of Christ without all dispute and rightly prefer them to the opinions and judgments of all men, even to those of the ancient church, just as they themselves refer to the ancient church, while they must confess that many sayings of the ancients prove our opinion. Because they interpret them in a sophistical way, they show by this very fact how easy it would be for us to do the same in the interpretation of the things they cite, if we had a desire to proceed in this way. But to them has happened what the Greek poet says: οά άδικος λόγος νοσών έν αυτφ φαρμάκων δειται σοφών.
[Because an unjust thing is sick in itself, it needs skillful remedies; or, An evil thing needs much mending]. And yet they pierce the hearts that are not well fastened, like arrows; for the simple are deceived by the fair semblance and color with which these neck-stiff-
people adorn theirs. Therefore, it is necessary that we combine right doctrine with prayer to extinguish the fiery arrows of the wicked, as Paul seems to have called them on the basis of this passage, Eph. 6:16. This is the first simile of the arrows in the hand of the strong, which can be easily understood by these examples.
The other simile also has an excellent indication of the power and speed [of false teaching]. But here we need Hebrew grammar; for they do not call "coals" burnt wood, even if it is extinguished, as we are wont to do in our language, but the flame itself, as the 18th Psalm [v. 13 in the Vulgate] calls the lightnings fulgara cum carbonibus of color, because they seem to be nothing but flames. But he uses the simile of juniper because this tree, besides very dense foliage, also has a great greasiness. Therefore, it is easily seized by fire and burns very well. It is therefore believed that these fiery arrows cause a great conflagration. For they are not shot into water, but into a substance that is very easily ignited, as the Scripture also speaks in other places of a great conflagration: "Like a fire of thorns among pots," when it wants to indicate such a flame or conflagration, which spreads exceedingly easily and widely. This, then, is the opinion that men are turned away from the right doctrine by such lies, which are very powerful, as he who first' stirred up the controversy about the Lord's Supper, kindled such a fire with that little word that even nowadays it is not yet completely quenched. Afterwards others joined in, pouring oil on it as it were, so that the fire of their arrows had its course among the people with great rapidity, as it were in a forest of junipers.
Therefore, this painting is a kind of lament that the tongue of heretics sweeps through everything with such great success and so suddenly, as it happened to Paul. Since he had happily established many churches with very great work, immediately after he had turned his back, all of Asia was turned by the false prophets.
have been. What is the cause of this evil, especially since the fire of the Holy Spirit is so slowly kindled? Undoubtedly this, that the heretics deviate from the Word and bring such things that seem to appeal to reason. This is the fatness which easily catches fire, and which has in its nature the tinder for fire. Therefore she is fond of these arrows and considers them the most delightful medicine, indeed, fire sent from heaven. Therefore this is the misfortune at all times, that those, what godly teachers build up with much effort, suddenly overturn, because they find the right lid for such a pot. For the flesh hears and accepts gladly that which it can understand. But because the word teaches things that have not entered the heart of any man, reason quickly turns away from the truth and seizes what it likes and seems likely.
But this is taught for our comfort, that the false tongue is never moved without causing a conflagration, just as the color of the tongue is the color of fire. Now this fire is a good one when it teaches God's word and the faith in the church; on the other hand, it is an evil fire when it departs from the word and teaches what is according to reason. This we must see and tolerate, that if anyone sits against them and admonishes them, they ridicule him and persecute him with deadly hatred: They persecute him with deadly hatred and become angrier every day. Therefore, we should comfort ourselves with these examples that this is foretold, written and pictured in such a way, as this Psalm testifies, and give thanks to God at least for the people we still keep; then also for the gift that we can judge that such teachings are Satan's arrows, however beautiful their appearance may be, and agree with the wisdom and righteousness of the flesh; likewise that they are a fierce fire, as it is wont to be in the juniper, which we must all extinguish with all our strength.
These are the spiritual battles, which the world does not know are much greater than any physical battle, in which equals generally fight with equals, that is, men with men. But here we, who are few in number, are not only over-
1772 L. LIL, 186-188, Au[1. on the 15 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 120. W. IV, 2416-2419. 177Z
We are not only confronted with many who are well equipped with malice and power, but we also have to fight with Satan and the spirits of the pants by which they are driven. Therefore, we need God's help and the protection of the angel Michael to overthrow them, as it is written in Revelation Cap. 12, 7. And this is the reason why in such danger the prayer and the groaning of the godly is necessary, so that we say: O Lord, we would like to teach, but help us also. We have this hope in view of the great success and speed with which the ungodly doctrine is spread, that what comes quickly will also perish quickly; then no heresy has ever remained victorious to the end, but the victory has remained for the word. Cain, Ishmael, Arius, Manichaeus and all the others have perished, so have the Gentiles and the Jews who resisted the Gospel perished, also the Pabstacy is now perishing, but "the word of the Lord abideth for ever" [Isa. 40:8], according to that golden saying of the Psalm [Ps. 129:2]: "Often mine enemies have pressed me, but they have not prevailed against me."
But here it may occur to you who these heretical or false tongues were in the time of David, against whom he prays here. In the kingdom there was Ahitophel, there was Shimei, there were many others who reviled him and inflamed the hearts of the subjects against him with cunning advice. But it is sufficiently evident that David is talking about a more serious danger. Here the question is what kind of danger it was. Although the sacred histories sufficiently show how much the true prophets always had to contend with the false teachers, as the history of Jeremiah teaches, David himself indicated here and there in the Psalms the matter for which he had to fight the most. The fiftieth Psalm does this beautifully, in which David preaches against the merit that the unbelieving Jews expected from the sacrifices. For as it is today, so it was at all times that people hoped to become righteous by their works. This opinion increased the sacrifices in the people of Israel quite extraordinarily, of which
the testimony was present that they were commanded and approved by God. For they had confidence that through these sacrifices sins would be blotted out, even if their hearts were impure and without faith, just as our opponents praise, keep and defend their sacrifice of the Mass with this title, that it proves its power in itself, that is, by performing the work (ex opere operato).
Therefore, against these arrows, David taught earnestly that one could not do anything great for God by sacrificing an ox to Him, since God not only created and gave the ox, but is the Lord of all creatures, and has no need of anything, let alone an ox. Therefore, those who want to sacrifice rightly must acknowledge their sins and the goodness of God, who promises blessing through the blessed seed, and give thanks for it, praise God, call upon and praise His name etc. Thus, David refutes this heresy of works in the passage tremendously. Most other heresies have been similar to this one. For, as is also seen in Jeremiah, not only did this happen, that the Jews worshipped the gods of the Gentiles, but they left the temple and ran to the places where the fathers of old had sacrificed, although the Lord had appointed as the place for sacrifice and prayer the tabernacle that was erected in Jerusalem. Some chose, according to their own counsel, groves and hills where they sacrificed.
Since all this was contrary to the will and word of God, but was done with great zeal by the idolaters, it was necessary for the godly to teach against it, so that people would not either choose a way to worship God, or follow another way of righteousness than that which was to be given through the blood of the Son of God, whom John calls the Lamb for this reason, because he was to be the atoning sacrifice or the sacrifice by which the sins of the whole world were to be blotted out. So we see that there has always been the same dispute about the same things between the false and the true church, and also the same dangers. Therefore we must also
We are to use the same means of healing, that we may give glory to Christ through right doctrine, and that we may exhort men to the practice of the word; then that we may pray with David against the false tongues and the lying lips. Now the prophet adds a lament to the prayer:
V. 5. woe is me, that I am a stranger among Meshech; I must dwell among the tents of Kedar. 1)
Moreover, that this is badly translated [in the Vulgate], the order of the verses has also been confused. Therefore, let us translate the text thus: Woe is me, that I am a stranger among Mesech, that I must dwell among the tents of Kedar. This verse has been interpreted from the desire to be redeemed from this body, as if he desired to depart and be with Christ [Phil. 1, 23.], and actually attributed this desire to the monks; but this is not only unsuitable, but also tasteless and quite unrhymed. For the meaning is this: He has hitherto mentioned his danger and that of the church, and asked for salvation; now he adds a lamentation that the church is in the midst of enemies who dispute the doctrine by force and by cunning. So now he says: "In this danger there is nothing I can do but these three things: first, that I teach with the greatest fidelity; second, that I pray with the greatest zeal; third, that I suffer. I teach so that the word/public may remain; I pray so that the word may be preserved and gain the victory, but in the meantime, until it gains the victory, one must suffer what there is to suffer. Whoever does not want to do this must inevitably be defeated. Thus in our time we have suffered the Sacramentarians, the Anabaptists and the Epicureans; we have also suffered the suppression of the word, which has been done by force and by cunning, and also among us are many, especially the noble centauri, who with a quite sure mind not only despise the whole office of preaching, but also wish that it were abolished. This is truly very bitter for all the godly who have to see and suffer this and do not change it.
1) Vulgate: Heu initü, Huia ineolatus meng prolovMtus est, Iiaditavi cmin tmyitantidus Leckar, ruuIturQ iueola tuit aniruu raea.
can. Therefore, we say with David: Woe is me that I must dwell among Mesech.
"Kedar" is Arabia, which lay to the south of the Jews; of "Mesech" some want to say that it is Italy, but it seems to me to be a people which was north of the Jews, as today in the Orient the Tartars. Furthermore, both peoples are savage, ill-mannered, cruel and without all humanity; moreover, they are ready to flee and live in huts or wagons after the manner of nomads. By a metonymy 2) he thus designates by these peoples the enemies of the church, which the church had both then and would have hereafter in the New Testament. For I would rather interpret it in a general way than to draw it as a prophecy to our time, although it is true that the church also has Kedar and Mesech as enemies today, that is, the Turk and the Tartars, the servants of Mahomet. So the meaning is: I have to comfort myself with hope and patience. I would like the churches to be at peace and the shepherds to agree with each other, but this does not happen. Therefore, I will command God the whole matter in prayer and will teach faithfully. In the meantime, these aversions must be borne so that we may overcome evil with good. We see, then, that the most miserable state is the teaching state, because there, in addition to the other misfortunes brought upon the teachers by unbelievers, this must also be borne, that false brethren corrupt the teaching and make the church restless. But this we suffer for the sake of the Lord in heaven, and sing with David that we dwell among Meshech and Kedar, the rapacious and cruel nations.
V. 6. It becomes long to my soul to dwell with those who hate peace.
I have said above that also the verses are confused by the carelessness of the interpreter. Now the sixth verse reads like this: Long is my soul's stay among those who keep the peace. Here he clearly indicates what torments him, namely that he not only has to live among thieves and murderers and suffer them, but also to suffer for a long time.
2) Metonymy - an interchange of names; here "Mesech" and "Kedar" instead of: savage, cruel peoples.
1776 XIX. I9I-I93. Au[1. on the 15 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 120. W. IV. 2421-2424. 1777
be forced. For this is what the evil spirit is wont to do: which he is not able to conquer by the greatness or quantity of the temptations, he overcomes them by weariness. Therefore, many who are inexperienced in spiritual warfare fight bravely in the beginning, but in the end they become weak and fall away. David also complains about this danger. Long, he says, will be my stay among those who hate peace, that is, who trouble the churches, and will not cease from writing and shouting until they have made a confusion. It is therefore a twofold pity: that such people are both powerful, as he said above, and persistent, thinking to gain victory at last by their obstinacy. Thus Job was not broken down by one kind of misfortune, but as one messenger after another came, one misfortune pressing upon another and seizing him, his heart gradually began to be troubled. This is the wickedness of Satan. Therefore, we should give up hope of peace altogether as long as we live here, and be sure that if we overcome one kind of challenge today, another will follow tomorrow. If you take one objection (argumentum) from an Anabaptist, a Sacramentarian, a Mintian today, tomorrow he will think up and bring ten others. For the heart of Satan is exceedingly fertile in lies.
But here behold the cunning of the world. The Holy Spirit calls the heretics haters of peace; but this is the very name they drive upon us. It is you, they say, who confound Israel, for before you arose, zeal for religion flourished, there was peace; but what is now but dreadful confusion? In this way, those who confuse the churches accuse the right church, but they call themselves lovers of peace and harmony. This is what one must suffer. Therefore, we must be satisfied with the testimony of our conscience, which excuses us before God for seeking the peace of the churches, which those people even annul, as follows:
V. 7. I keep peace, but when I speak, they make war.
This is the testimony of my conscience that I am peaceable and seek peace. From where
did these riots and this war come from? Of course, it is my fault, but it is not my fault. For if I were to keep silent and let these disturbers of the peace speak and do as they please, peace would remain and they would not do anything against me. But how can we keep silent what we have seen, what we have heard [1 John 1:1], even what we are commanded to preach, not in the chambers but on the housetops? For thus says Christ [Marc. 16, 15.], "Go ye, and preach the gospel to every creature," likewise [Matt. 5, 15.], "No man hideth the light under a bushel." This makes the word in our mouths like a glowing coal, which cannot be held, but which compels us to open our mouths. Hence arise those troubles, that they abrogate the commandment of God, and want us to be silent. But why do they not rather follow ours? This should be our comfort in such danger, that we are peaceable, even though we receive the judgment as if we had given them the cause for unrest. It is not easy to overcome those troubles, since either the devil or the wise people make them great and blame the cause of them on us, that we have caused them by resisting too stubbornly; we should rather have given in than let the hearts become so bitter, as Erasmus says in his Diatribe that there are very many diseases for which it is better not to touch them at all than to try a remedy with such great danger. This is wisely said, and we ourselves see enough the harm of such aversions, we see the enormous contempt of the word, we see the licentiousness and lack of discipline, which was not so great under the papacy. But what does that matter to us? For that we speak, that we fight with the word, we do by command, and it is not fitting that we should degrade the reputation of the Lord who commands us to do so. Here, then, is what Christ says in the Gospel, that the house is at peace as long as the strong man alone holds it [Luc. 11, 21. f.]; but when a stronger man comes, then there is unrest. But why does not the strong man rather give way to the stronger?
Therefore, this is our consolation, that no matter how much turmoil there may be in the church, we can
We can, however, rely on the testimony of our conscience that we do nothing other than speak. But we do not do this according to our will, but by God's command according to our ordinary profession. Therefore they do not accuse our life, not our works; only the doctrine has to bear the guilt, which is not ours but Christ's. If, then, they become unwilling for this reason, what is that to us? For we must speak, we must confess God the Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit; men must be taught rightly, not only about the use of the sacraments, but also about their nature, what they are in truth, and what they are not in truth. For if this is not taught and interpreted, what will remain of the kingdom of Christ? Therefore, sooner than anything should perish from the kingdom of Christ and his glory, may not only peace perish, but also heaven and earth. These wise men do not see this danger. That is why they make so much of the loss of peace that seemed to be under the papacy, which was nevertheless necessary. We, on the other hand, want to praise the glory of God and the fruits that grow out of pure preaching, and despise the words with which these epicureans complain to us, who can praise nothing but peace and tranquility. Behold, they say, how many evils have suddenly come upon us! From where? Certainly through the teaching of the Gospel. For before there was nothing of the kind; there were no sacramentaries, no Anabaptists, no rebels; now these things have got so out of hand that it seems there will be no end to them. - What then do you [papists] advise us to do? - To this advice these admirers of tranquility and the Epicureans take refuge.
But open your eyes and look not only at the outward damage, but also at how much unrest there was in the papacy, how many and how great abominations of ungodliness there were. Nowhere was even one pure word heard about sin, about grace, about the merit of Christ and faith, about the practice of holy works, about the authorities, about other estates. Everything was sullied with harmful
The same is true of the glosses. Besides, how great was the desecration of the masses, how great a fraud with indulgences, purgatory and similar abominations, which were devised for the sake of profit! To me at least, when I look at the papacy as it was before the preaching of our Gospel, people seem to have been deliberately and wilfully thrown towards the devil and eternal damnation by the godless teachers. For as far as the ministry of preaching was concerned, the whole doctrine was in abeyance, except for the text of Scripture, which was neglected, and the administration of the sacraments, although one of these was not only mutilated, but the people were also never properly instructed about the proper use of it.
Now judge here which of the two is the best. For there is unrest there, and here there is also unrest. Is it not a thousand times better to keep the speech or the word of God than to lose the word and to keep peace, even if, as I say, it were a heavenly peace? I, at least, would not like to live without the word, even in paradise; but with the word it is easy to live even in hell, as we live, as it were, in hell in this world and comfort ourselves only with the hope that the word of God shows us, and through this hope overcome harm and cross of all kinds. Therefore, we must get used to the fact that we do not look with the Epicureans only at the visible troubles, and neglect the invisible troubles (which are, after all, the greatest and eternal), then it will happen that the troubles aroused by the sectarians will seem to be easier. It would be desirable that there should be no unrest, but since this cannot be obtained, it is better that a thousand Anabaptists, a thousand Sacramentans, a thousand rebels should arise than that confusion and impure doctrine should run through all the churches at the same time. For even though there is confusion now, there are still some churches that are in a good state of disarray, which did not exist under the papacy and during that peace. Now, at least in some places, the teaching is pure and the sacraments are administered purely, whereas at that time neither the teaching was pure nor the sacraments were administered properly.
1780 L. xix, 195-197. Au[1. on the 15 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 120. w. iv, 2427-24-u. 1781
Therefore, let us keep this consolation, which the Holy Spirit shows us here and which is needed above all by those who teach rightly: namely, that we are not the cause of agitations, hatred, unrest and rebellion. There must indeed be agitations, there must be people like Lucianus, 1) despisers of religion, disturbers of the churches; but blessed are those who are not the cause of these evils, who are teachers of peace, who seek peace and love with all zeal. Among the number of these people today, by God's grace, are also us, whatever the world may think of us. If we had felt like increasing or favoring unrest, how easy it would have been for us to keep up with those who either hostile our teachings or bring up new ones. But this was our only concern, and it still is, that the people would be taught purely and correctly about Christ's merit and grace, and likewise about the sub-
1) Lucianus of Samosata, around 180 AD, mocked all religion.
The pledges and seals of grace, which we call sacraments. In this endeavor, let us also pray to the Lord that He may graciously preserve us in this until our last breath, amen.
In this way, the Psalm paints for us the heretics and the fate of the true church, so that we arm ourselves against these dangers and give thanks to God for this holy consolation that He does not attribute everything that is stirred up to those who teach, but to the Word. The word, however, is not ours, but Christ's, therefore we can be sure that whatever may finally come about through pure teaching. Those who love peace may remain silent, but we will confidently proclaim the great deeds of God and will not be disobedient in our profession. When evil tongues and unrest arise, let us pray with David against them and surely command God his church. He will give the word to his church and consume the ungodly tongues with the conflagration that they think will burn the church. Amen.