Anno 1537.
[Preface by D. Georgius Cölestinus.]
To the noble, strict and honorable Curt von Arnim, churfürstlichen Brandenburgischen Hofmarschalle, and Berndt von Arnim, Gebrüdern, Erbsässen zu Brenzenburg 2c., my favorable gentlemen,
God's grace, peace and blessings before, with the offering of my services. Noble, strict, honorable, magnanimous gentlemen! The suffering and death of Christ, and his joyful resurrection, are especially regarded at this time, because of the fact that the time exists in this way, and the ancients especially meant that the people of the two articles of the death and resurrection of Christ should be taught needfully and thoroughly. For he who has a right and good knowledge of the two articles, and feels and senses their power and effect in his heart through the Word, understands and makes use of what Paul says in Romans 4:25: "Christ died for our sins, and was raised for our righteousness."
But because I find in the work that E. E. not only the sermon, God's word to him, but also the word of God to him.
Joh. 6, 12. Gather the rest of the pieces so that nothing perishes.
I not only love Luther himself, but also Luther, the man of God, writings and interpretations with all my heart, and prefer them to all other books and writings (next to the Bible), no matter what their names may be; therefore, I also prefer and accept the pure, divine and Lutheran doctrine of the preachers, and promote them and theirs. E. this Psalm, such as Mr. Andreas Poach 1) compiled from Mr. Luther's and Rorari's writings, and had it sent to me for the fee, among other causes, for this reason, so that
First of all, the dear gifts of God, even if some of them were less than nothing and still respected them, would not perish, but would be brought forth to E. E. and many pious hearts for teaching and comfort;
1) Marginal gloss of the original: Andreas Poach, pastor of the Augustinians in Erfurt. Note, Georg Rorarius copied this psalm from Luther's mouth, but Andreas Poach inherited Rorarii's writings.
*Luther presented this interpretation in 1537 (whether in public lectures or sermons or in the circle of friends at home, we do not know), and Georg Rörer copied it. Only in 1572 Andreas Poach, pastor of the Augustinians in Erfurt, who had inherited Rörer's writings, printed this interpretation from them in Mühlhausen. Olearius, p. 56, gives this edition thus: "Der VIII Psalm gepredigt ock. ad ^uckr. koaod, Mühlhausen, 1572. 4. previously never printed." After that, Georg Cölestinus, provost of Cologne on the Spree, organized a new edition in 1577 under the title: "Der echte Psalm Davids, gepredigt und ausgelegt durch den theuren Mann Gottes, D. Martin Luther, Anno 1537. Ist weder in Wittenbergischen, Jenischen, noch Eislebischen Theilen: darum frommen Christen zu gut zu berecht." Finally, [1. Joh. Ulrich Hildebrand, Diaconus zu St. Annen zu Augsburg, provided a single edition in 1728 under the title: "Des theuren Mannes Gottes Lutheri treffliches Zeugniß von der Herrlichkeit des Gnadenreiches in seiner geistreichen Erklärung über den achten Psalm." In the Gesammtansgaben it is found: in the Halleschen Theil, p. 420; in the Leipzig edition, vol. VI, p. 51; and in the Erlangen edition, vol. 39, p. I. We give the text, like Walch and the Erlangen, according to the edition of Cölestinus.
on the other hand, that I confirm E. E. in this, and also give others the same reason to esteem Luther's writings highly, dear and valuable. For experience shows how spiritual they are, and how cold the other writings are in comparison;
Thirdly, by the work itself, to make known the high gift of God, which He gave us through the man;
finally, E. E. my faithful, good-willed and Christian mind and heart, to serve the same for its church and welfare, hereby declared before God and all the world; in the complete hope that God, who until now has attended us with His grace, will further give us to think and do what may be beneficial and salutary to His divine honors and to many people. For we are ever
not born to ourselves alone; so let us not live to ourselves alone (sed Deo, ecclesiae, rei- publicae et nostris), but to God, to His afflicted Church, to the common good, and to those of us who are related to us by nature and spirit. So then we may live and die blessed in true faith in Christ, and have been well here. This will help E. E., me and all of us, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, amen, amen. I entrust E. E. and all yours to his protection, who will preserve and keep them to eternal bliss, Amen. Date Berlin, Sunday in Mid-Lent [March 17], Anno 1577.
E. E. willing
Georgius Cölestinus, D.