Lecture D. Martin Luther on the 45th Psalm,

started in 1532.

As I have already said before, I have decided to select a few Psalms for the interpretation, because my work is too uncertain due to my state of health and my business to be able to explain the whole Psalter in order or even another whole book. Therefore, after the 51st Psalm, Miserere, which taught about the right way of repentance, faith and justification, let us teach and hear something cheerful. Therefore, I have taken the 45th Psalm, Eructavit, before me, in which we will see how rich a speaker the Holy Spirit is, who can present and illustrate one and the same thing in many different ways with words. For the subject of which he speaks (materia) is everywhere the same, and he does not teach something different, but he always adorns and clothes the same thing, namely faith and the doctrine of justification, with other adornment and other garments, so that the excuse can have no place, as if God had not at all times and in all places abundantly instructed, instructed and admonished us to righteousness and truth.

But here you can see our laziness. For we are such lazy disciples that, having once heard the doctrine of godliness, we think we have absorbed the whole Holy Spirit at once, and soon, weary, throw the book out of our hands, and meanwhile follow carnal advantage and gain. But it should be quite different. Since we see that the Holy Spirit is not weighed down by the fact that he often holds the same thing before us and presents it to us, we should not be annoyed by the effort that is spent on learning this, especially since the words of the Holy Spirit are such that one can never learn them sufficiently. Therefore, we will have to give an even heavier account for this sloth or idleness on the day of judgment, since the Holy Spirit will reproach us for having taught us the doctrine of faith so diligently in all the

I have prescribed and painted all possible colors, so that the herbs and flowers do not have such a great variety as is found in the holy scriptures. For such a great variety of Scripture, which teaches and inculcates one and the same thing, he has presented to us everywhere for the sake that he might keep us in the zeal of learning and awaken us against the weariness from which we otherwise suffer.

Furthermore, this psalm is extraordinarily sweet and full of the most joyful flowery words of the bridegroom and the bride. For the idea of the wedding, which is sweet and joyful, runs through the whole psalm, so that it covers the cross and the outward appearance of the church. On the other hand, other psalms are, in appearance, frightening and sad; but if you look at them more carefully, you will find that they are exceedingly joyful and full of consolation, as the previous psalm Miserere [Ps. 51] was, which was about repentance and the forgiveness of sins, about the sacrifice to God, about the service of God, which is extraordinarily powerful to comfort the sorrowful hearts. Here you see the opposite. For the words are sweet and joyful and quite nuptial. Here you hear and see nothing but citherns, flutes, dances, wreaths, flowers, beautiful clothes, and other things that are exceedingly lovely to see and hear; and yet, if you look at the Spirit, there is taught cross and persecution, then also sorrow of heart, and all the things that we heard in the previous psalm, which is sighing and sorrowful. In this way the Holy Spirit arranges everything, so that we, whether we are going in or going out, may find exceedingly joyful pasture, with which he refreshes and comforts us against the various dangers and adversities by which we are beset all around. This is what I wanted to say in a few words about the way of speaking, so that a carnal Jew does not creep in and take this from carnal and worldly joy. Now we also want to talk a little about the title.

V. 1. a bridal song and instruction of the children of Korah, from the roses, to sing. (In finem pro his, qui commutabuntur etc..)

The Hebrews use the word in various ways, and no one, whether he be a Greek or a Latin, let it enter his mind that he understands it. Therefore, I have often exhorted that you learn the Hebrew language and not neglect it so. For even if one had no other use for this language, one should still learn it out of gratitude, because it is a part of religion and worship that one teaches or learns the language that alone teaches what divine things there are. For in it one hears God speak, in it one hears the saints invoke [God] and do the greatest deeds, so that the study that is spent on learning this language could rightly be called a kind of mass or worship. Therefore I earnestly exhort you not to neglect it. For one must be concerned that God, offended by this ingratitude, will deprive us not only of the knowledge of this sacred language, but also of Greek and Latin and the whole religion. For how easy it is for Him to awaken some crude (barbarum) people, so that these languages all perish with one another! But besides the fact that this study is a part of worship, it also brings the greatest benefit. For if someone wants to become a theologian, as it must be that some become theologians, since not all can study law or medicine, he must be well fortified against Pabstism and the whole swarm of hateful people, who soon think that they are masters of this holy language, when they have learned to pronounce only one Hebrew word. If we do not know this language, they will mock and ridicule us as if we were donkeys. But if we are also fortified in the knowledge of this language, we can shut their insolent mouths. For this is how we must resist the devil and his servants.

I believe, however, that we will have the Spanish, the French, the Italians and also the Turks

I am sure that the knowledge of the Hebrew language will be necessary. For I know how much it has been of use to me against my enemies. Therefore, I would not want to lose this knowledge of mine, however small it may be, for so many (infinitis) thousand guilders, and you, too, who will one day be teachers of religion, must take care that you learn this language, if you do not want to be taken for stupid cattle (pecora campi) and unlearned rabble, who teach the Sunday gospels and the catechism to some extent by means of the books published in German. But there are also some leaders in the doctrine necessary, and one must have fighters who stand in the battle line against the people of other nations and languages, who are (sint) teachers, judges and masters in this language. But I return to the title.

Now one translates the word by ad victoriam, another: ad effundendum sanguinem. The Latin interpreter and the Septuagint have given it by in finem. However, although we too are uncertain of our opinion, we rightly reject all of the above translations, according to what can be gathered from comparison with other scriptural passages. For how is "conquer" or "shed blood" appropriate here? This word means in the books of Chronicles, Ezra and Habakkuk: to stand in front of, to urge on, to stop, so that it can mean: "to sing in front of" and the one who urges others that they either sing together or answer singing, as in our churches one can call a precentor who sings something on the choir, to which the laity answer: Amen, as the masses and other things are used to be sung. So Paul commands 1 Cor. 14, 27. 16. that one should interpret, the others should say "Amen".

I now take this title to indicate that this Psalm should be sung in such a way that it should be sung by the principal singers or the Levites, just as in the cathedral churches the Epistle and the Gospel are not read by the disciples, 2) but by the ministers of the Word.

1) Cf. Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. X, 222, § 4.

This is my opinion; even if I am mistaken, this error is nevertheless more unfortunate than that one translates: "To victory", as if they had had a competition with each other in shouting, as Lyra fools. What is the use of such a useless thing in the Scriptures? Much more appropriately, therefore, it is referred to the public order of which they made use in the temple, so that, as Paul exhorts [1 Cor. 14:40.], everything might be done in order. For what a confusion it would be if all wanted either to read or to preach the gospel! Therefore the order is made, that one rises to the pulpit, after which the whole congregation prays. After that, he recites the gospel and interprets it. When the sermon is finished, they pray again. This fine and paffing order serves to avoid disorder that would result if every single person wanted to perform all the offices. Therefore, the title reminds us that the psalm is for those who are to sing, so that the leader of the singing is the one we call "the bandmaster", who begins and leads the singing,

Other psalms have the superscription because they were sung within the boundaries of those who were not in public office, as with us the sacred Christian faith (symbolum) is sung by the whole people. Others have their name from the steps, because they were sung from elevated steps. 1) For in the churches there must be different customs. Those who have the Hebrew language may have better thoughts than these. But I know that my opinion is better than that of Lyra or a Jew or other superstitious interpreters.

A bridal song (canticum pro dilecto).

A song of friends or lovers 2) Wedding poem, as we have given it in German: "ein Brautlied". But it serves to indicate the content of the psalm. For it is about a royal bridegroom and a royal bride, likewise about the women's room. Therefore we can

1) The Step Psalms or Songs in the Higher Choir. Compare Luther's interpretation of the fifteen songs in the higher choir, Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. IV, Col. 1751.

2) We have deleted the comma after alnantiuin.

call this psalm a bridal song, since the king with his bride, and the wedding festivities, the banquets, the round dance etc. are described. So this little piece contains the content that he will sing a lovely and joyful bridal song, but in the spirit.

The children Korah.

These are the authors of the song. Because in Moses [4 Mos. 26, 11.The rabbis write that when the earth opened and Korah was swallowed up with the rest of the people, his children stood above the cleft by a miracle suspended in the air, because they did not want to leave the tabernacle, but admonished their father with his followers to desist from his error. Therefore, they are highly praised in the books of Chronicles [1 Chron. 10, 19. 1, and the psalms they composed 3) are exceedingly joyful and lovely, and truly bridal songs, so that I believe the descendants of Korah were especially chosen for worship, so that there would also be poets for worship among the people of God, who would sing and compose songs to the praise and honor of God. Thus Ethan and Jeduthun are praised along with many others. But the children of Korah sang the most about Christ before others, but in a different way than David, under the image of the wedding. It is clear that they were good and godly children who believed in God and not in the foolishness of their parents; therefore they were preserved to the praise of God. They were not priests, but Levites; in this state they remained, and did not seek the priesthood, as their father did.

From the roses (super lilia).

XXXX means a rose; hence Susanna, Rosina or the Rosy. 4) Here one must use the

3) The Psalms of the children of Korah are: Ps. 42. 44-49. 84. 85. 87. 88.

4) The Wittenbergers and the Jenaers offer here: inäs Knsanna, rosina vet rosaooa. In contrast, the Erlangen quite incomprehensible: "incio MVV rosina voi rosaooa." The old translator is correct: "from this comes Susanna, whom we call Rosina."

It is the custom of the Hebrews to name precious things, even kingdoms, with the names of flowers and precious stones. Thus, even today, the Jews give their daughters the names of precious stones or flowers. Hence Susanna and Margarita etc., for they have the custom of naming what they hold dear roses, little flowers, violets etc. So they also name their books with the names of flowers or other glorious things, as, the door of the nut etc. Thus Assaph calls the whole kingdom a rose in the 80th Psalm, v. 1. We have given it in German: "Von den Spanrossen", because, just as the princes wear precious jewels adorned with precious stones, so the people of the Jews is the special people, which God carries in His bosom [Is. 40, 11.], as a special ornament; which is adorned with the worldly regiment and the service of God, which God Himself has instituted; and God wants to guard and protect this people. Therefore, He calls it a gem of God and a rose of God. The holy men also recognized this and praised this gift of the kingdom and the priesthood, which God had instituted, and knew to make a distinction between the works of God and human works, between the creature and its infirmities, that even though the people were wicked and the rulers ungodly, it was nevertheless in truth a precious stone and a rose, because the institution of God was there. But when they consider beyond the worldly government also the church and the service of God, they call the same violets, precious stones, emeralds etc., as they called the twelve tribes twelve precious stones [Ex. 28:17-21.], that Judah should be the emerald of God; and so they said also of the rest.

In this way, he also calls the bridal song a rose here. For thus the words are set: A song of the children of Korah about (super) roses or of (de) the roses. For the Hebrews have not the preposition "of" (de), but make use of the letter X or XX, as it is said in the Epistle to the Hebrews (Cap. 1, 7. Vulg.]: ad angelos. There it is written προς τους αγγέλους according to the Hebrew manner, instead of: περί τών άγγέλω" ["of the angels"]. Likewise Cap.

4, 13. (Vulg.]: ad quem nobis sermo, while it should read: de quo nos dicimus ("from which

we talk"]. So it is also here: "of the roses". But here he does not call the secular government a rose, which is also a rose, but he speaks of the church and of future roses and of other twelve tribes than those that were then, yes, he speaks of all the tribes of the earth, and of the church that is spread over the whole world, and of the bridegroom Christ. Therefore, he uses the plural to indicate that he is not speaking of just one people, but of all the churches gathered together in one faith.

An instruction

With this closer definition (epitheto) he draws the listener's attention. But the word XXXXX 1 Sam. 18, 13. denotes a man who is active and busy, to whom everything goes out well, and who attacks everything rightly, "wise and prudent, to whom it comes off quickly", and this is the worldly (politica) meaning of this word. For in the secular government this virtue is absolutely necessary, that those who govern the communities be lively and quick, not sleepy, but active, as Emmerich of Görlitz 1) was in our time, and many others who seriously care for the community and take care of the government with great zeal. For the sleepy and indolent, besides neglecting their office, lose reverence and fear. But in the Psalms this word has another meaning, namely a theological one. For it denotes a spiritual prudence, as in the 2nd Psalm, v. 10: "Be ye therefore wise, ye kings" (Nunc reges intelligite = Be wise, ye kings). For that he commands the kings to be wise indicates that he goes higher than the laws and natural reason and all that consists in the natural prudence of law. For of these things teach the philosophers and the lawyers, who have drawn the laws from natural reason, whose object is that one may live honorably and guard against injustice; hence come the arts of peace and war. Now those who are like this in kingdoms, who are governed by laws and right

1) In the Erlangen edition, which we have followed: Linmorious Oortioonsis; instead in the Wittenberg and the Jena: "N."

He says that they should be wise and be instructed. And he names the highest rank among men, namely the kings and the judges of the earth, as if he wanted to say: Ye that have laws now, and that compose kingdoms with laws, which are the most learned men: send ye your hearts to receive instruction, and incline your ears hither. You will hear a new teaching that far surpasses your worldly (politicam) wisdom.

In this way, he calls the Psalm a song of instruction (as the 32nd Psalm is also called), written for the sake of making people wise in spiritual wisdom, which is higher than reason and worldly wisdom, that it may teach of a new and spiritual kingdom, of a new king, of new righteousness, of new government of the kingdom and of the people, of which one has not heard before. Therefore, one must pay attention and open one's ears to hear the teaching, which is only grasped in faith. So it denotes a poem by which he teaches spiritual attention and awakens faith; without this faith and spiritual attention, no one can become proficient in the Scriptures. For this wisdom is not obtained by laws or by reason, for it is contained in the Word, which can only be grasped by simple faith; otherwise one will never understand anything of it. For the things it teaches are incomprehensible and invisible. Since you want to hear this psalm, you must think that you will hear an instructive song, which is made to teach us about things that go beyond human comprehension, about the comprehension of kings, princes, philosophers, priests. This I have said a little more fully of the word XXXXX; now compare the passages of the Bible, and you will find that when they speak of the kingdom of the church, they use it of judgments and heedings, that they may remind the reader that it is a more excellent doctrine than that which flows from human reason; that they may awaken the diligence of the hearers, lest they think that such great things can be learned in sleep, but that it is the supreme care of the church to be learned in sleep.

Theology requires a great deal of diligence. For if in the world regiment and other arts nothing is accomplished without diligence, this happens even less in theology. The title therefore calls the reader's attention here. Now let us go to the Psalm.

V. 2 My heart sings a beautiful song; I will sing of a king.

He begins by earning the goodwill of the readers. For he indicates that he wants to speak of by far the most pleasant and best and most beautiful thing on earth, not some ordinary song of a craftsman, or of a warrior, but of the highest sovereign person, of a king (for the person of the king is the highest in the world), and of a peaceable king, and that in fine, chosen speech and with the sweetest words.

But here we must again bear in mind what we have said above, that this psalm moves entirely in secret interpretation, and that under the flowery words "king" and "kingdom" a spiritual kingdom and the church are understood, so that all this, which is in the worldly kingdom before the senses and before the eyes, must be done away with and referred to the invisible, where everything happens quite contrary to the kingdoms of the world. For if one looks at the outward appearance of this kingdom, everything is opposite. Where life is preached in this spiritual kingdom, there is death in appearance; where honor is preached, there is the shame of the cross; where wisdom is preached, there is foolishness; where strength and victory are preached, there is weakness and the cross, and so also in other things, so that you must understand everything you will hear here about the kingdom of Christ according to the article: "I believe a holy church." Whoever says, "I believe," does not see that the thing is so, but sees the opposite.

Therefore, this is the entrance of the Psalm, that he indicates that he wants to speak of a king and a kingdom, and not of a king and kingdom as such, but of a very good, pleasant and lovely kingdom, in which there is no servitude, no poverty, no danger, but eternal dominion.

He wants to say of such a kingdom that nothing in the kingdom of the world is equal to it except in a faint shadow and a small image. Of such a kingdom he wants to say that nothing in the kingdom of the world is like it, except in a weak shadow and a low image (figuram). For the kings and princes of the world have the appearance of being merry, because they are exquisitely dressed and go about with great pomp. This appearance of the kings of the world is outward, but inwardly they are full of all misfortunes, sorrows and troubles. This kingdom, however, although it is miserable on the outside, is on the inside the highest good and the highest victory, the highest joy, at the description of which my heart overflows. In such a way he has the contrast in mind. What the Latin interpreter translates: Dicam opera mea regi, of which the opinion is: "I will sing of a king."

My tongue is a stylus of a good writer.

I am a scribe, I am not a prophet; I would not arrogate to myself such an exalted status. The scribes were not legal scholars, but theologians who interpreted the holy scriptures, as the doctors of theology do today. He says: I do not want to sing of a servitude or a fleshly kingdom, but of a spiritual, very lovely one. But this is the kingdom which we also preach, namely the gospel of peace and faith, which teaches of righteousness in the Holy Spirit. So Moses could not sing, who is a servant of the prison, a teacher of forced labor (pistrini) and an author of servitude, and, as Paul is wont to call him, a servant of death, sin and sorrow. Against these we want to sing of the lovely, free and joyful kingdom.

For he looks on Moses by the way, because he calls his tongue the stylus of a good (velocis) scribe. For Moses' tongue was the stylus of a ponderous (impediti) scribe.

1) We find the reading of the Jenaer followed: summum douum et summa vietoria, summa laetitia, in <juo äeserideuäo ete. The Wittenberg reads likewise, except that summa is missing before laetitia. The Erlanger offers: summum vouum, et summum in yuo ckeseribeuUo ete.

Moses also confessed [Ex. 4:10] that he had a heavy tongue. Therefore his brother had to take his place in speaking, but Moses did the miracles; Aaron spoke. This was an example that the kingdom of the law should not be a sweet one. He alludes to this and says: "Moses was not eloquent, but had a heavy tongue and heavy hands; therefore he could not sing well, but was a slow and ponderous scribe. But I have a joyful spirit and a glad heart, and teach not the tyranny of the law and of sin, but lovely promises and the cheerful doctrines of peace and safety of conscience. So you see that everything goes in spiritual interpretation; therefore, one must make the contrast between Moses or the Law and the Gospel throughout the Psalm, then the Psalm becomes quite clear.

V. 3. You are the most beautiful among the children of men.

The prophet proceeds in the description of the king in good order and in different ways, and treats almost ten main pieces (locos communes); therefore, we also want to begin to divide the psalm here. But you know that for a kingdom in the flesh, first of all, a person is required who is worthy of the kingdom. For a king is the head of the kingdom. But as the head must give and supply motion and sensation to the body, and if the head is suffering, the whole body is weak and suffers, so also, if the prince is not fit to rule the kingdom, the principality will be badly administered. Therefore, we see in the histories that sluggish, foolish and foolish princes have ruined peace, prosperity, even entire empires. Therefore, the first gift is to have a king who is fit for this kingdom. Therefore, the prophet begins with this main part, and describes the king himself in his own person, saying: I will write about such a king, who is beautiful. The Hebrew word XXX 2) has been doubled; but it means

which Erlanger has. But it is lV2'2' kMI of N2'.

beautiful and handsome in form. But he wants to say: You are exceedingly beautiful, yes, only you are beautiful before all the children of men. Furthermore, he does not speak of the natural or essential (metaphysica) beauty of the body, although I believe that Christ was also naturally beautiful and had a right and proper proportion of the limbs. But we do not concern ourselves with these here, but pass on to the spiritual beauty, and deal with the king in a spiritual way.

Now the first form and beauty is this, that Christ is true God and true man, not defiled and shameful like the rest of us, who are all born in original sin and ruined (lacerati) by God's wrath, because no man is without sin; but all of us are born without righteousness and wisdom, and live and die that way also, if Christ does not come to our aid; and the wiser and greater the kings are, the more shameful they are before God. First of all, we take the form of the essence (substantia) of Christ in a spiritual way, that Christ is pure and holy, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, so that he would be without all stain of sin, "full of grace and truth", Jn. 1, 14, in all things holy in spirit and flesh, so that one hair, one drop of Christ is purer than the sun.

It is possible that someone was as beautiful in body as Lucas [Apost. 6, 15.] writes of Stephen that his face shone like the face of an angel; perhaps it is possible that some were more beautiful than Christ, for we do not read that the Jews particularly admired his form; but we are not dealing here with the natural and essential (metaphysica) form, but with the spiritual form. This is such that he is the most beautiful of all the children of men, so that he alone remains beautifully formed and beautiful, all others being shapeless, ugly, disfigured by evil will, by weakness in resisting sins and the other infirmities that naturally cling to us. This ugly figure of men does not appear before the eyes, nor does it make an impression on the eyes, just as spiritual beauty does not

is perceived with eyes; for because we are flesh and blood, we are moved only by the bodily (metaphysica) form and beauty that the eyes see. But if we had spiritual eyes, we would see how great an ugliness it would be that the will of man has turned away from God, that he blasphemes God, that he seeks the honor of the Godhead and majesty, that he is full of contempt and hatred of God and neighbor, full of evil desire, pride, avarice etc. These are the shameful figures of ugliness, of which also the pagans could judge to some extent. Therefore they said that righteousness was more beautiful than the evening star or the morning star.

This is the first sweetness and exceedingly great pleasantness of this song, in which he sings of such a kingdom and promises that in it there shall be such a king, in whom shall be no infirmity, but the will full of virtues, and the mind full of wisdom, with burning love toward all wretched and damned and afflicted sinners. Moses is not such a king, but he is a tormentor and a cruel executioner and torturer, who torments and tortures us with his terrors, threats and examples of wrath, who forces us to do good outwardly, or, when he does his best, humbles us inwardly, so that we groan for mercy. Our king, however, who is sung about here, is full of mercy, grace and truth; in him there is love for mankind and the greatest compassion; he does not shout in the streets, as it is said in Isaiah [Cap. 42, 2]; he is not severe and sharp, but patient and long-suffering; he exercises judgment against the wicked and blasphemers and proves and shows his mercy to sinners. Therefore, he is the most lovely and beautiful king, who has no equal in the world; in him is the highest virtue and the highest love toward God and man.

With this adornment this person is adorned, that there is nothing of pride, lust, evil desire or any other evil movements in him, as we see that he is also described as such in the Gospels, and the facts themselves indicate that he was so constituted. He does not associate himself with holy, powerful and wise people but

To the rejected and wretched sinners, to those who are in misfortune, to those who are burdened with serious and incurable diseases: 1) these he heals, comforts them, raises them up, helps them. Finally, he even dies for sinners. He does not frighten, he does not kill, as Moses does, but he attracts, he makes happy, he comforts, he heals, he helps all who come to him. He is therefore the King of kings, who has no equal, but only if you look at the spirit and not at the outward appearance of the flesh. This is the one part of the description of the person, which is only indicated in short words; the holy evangelists describe it more abundantly and delete it, and St. Paul in his epistles. He paints this king with his proper colors, as he is according to his person, and this is exceedingly useful to those who are in distress and temptation of conscience.

But when the world hears the praise of this king, it does not suffer this sermon, but says the opposite, namely, that one has never heard or seen anything more shameful than this king. Therefore the world cannot bear to see him, as we see in the Pharisees and priests, who were inflamed with such great hatred against Christ that they could not even look at him, although when he was with them and spoke, out of his mouth came rays, even suns of wisdom, and from his hands rays of divine power, and from his whole body suns of love and all virtues. But all that he showed them of his beauty was a disgust and abomination to them, not through Christ's fault, but through their own. For in like manner as a blind man walking in the sunshine is not refreshed by the light of the sun, so they cared not for the present Christ. For this is the way and nature of the world, that it judges this king to be the most shameful of all the children of men, and considers his most beautiful gifts and virtues to be devilish mischievousness and wickedness. We experience the same today.

1) In the Erlanger, a comma is erroneously placed after oppr688is.

Therefore I have said that this king is hidden under the opposite form. For in spirit he is more beautiful than all the children of men, but in the flesh all the children of men are more beautiful, and only this king is ugly, as he is described in Isaiah Cap. 53, 2. 3: "He had no form nor beauty; we saw him, but there was no form to please us. He was the most despised and unworthy, full of pain and sickness. He was so despised that people hid their faces from him." We see, therefore, that in this psalm pleasant and lovely things are preached by this King, but they are wrapped up and covered by the outward figure of the cross. The world does not have these gifts, nor does it admire them, but persecutes them because it does not believe; but to us they are announced, so that we may know that we have such a King.

We therefore confess and teach that all men are condemned, that their beauty is nothing before God, that their righteousness is sin, that their strength is also nothing, but everything we do, think and speak of ourselves is reprehensible and worthy of eternal death; but that we must base ourselves on the form of this King, that he must be preferred to all, that in his power all dangers and evils must be overcome.

Now to those who believe this, this psalm is spoken so that they may learn it and sing it, and it is written for their use and comfort. The Jews once sang it in the temple, the monks and the whole papacy sang it and still sing it today, but they have kept, done and taught the opposite, therefore they have not been worthy to taste a drop of the true meaning. Therefore, the sum of this first part is that the children of men are nothing against this king, but that everything they have in wisdom, righteousness and other virtues is nothing against his wisdom, righteousness and virtues. Now let us continue.

Secondly, wisdom is required above all things for the person of the king, because a king, however beautiful he may be, is nothing if he is not wise, as the proverb

says: Either a king or a fool must be born. For a king who is beautiful, yet a fool, is like a gilded nut that has nothing but the outward appearance, or like a daintily painted vessel that is full of filth; indeed, the beautiful form is all the more repulsive if there is no understanding. Therefore, this king is without all false appearance (hypocrisi), full of hold, and the wisest among the children of men, yes, only wise, and Moses is nothing against him. For this is what this word says:

Your lips are blissful.

This is the noblest cause to praise kings, even in the kingdom of the world, if one can praise their wisdom. For so men have said, instructed by experience, that things are better accomplished by wisdom and counsel than by strength and weapons; nay, that strength and weapons even do harm if they are not supported by good counsel. For if we look at ourselves, what are we men compared to lions, bears and horses? If a horse knew how to use its strength, it would throw a hundred men to the ground. So would a tame pig, if it wanted to use its powers or knew how to use them, kill ten butchers. Yes, even the inanimate things are far stronger than man, as, wood, bricks etc. If a thnrm collapsed, it would kill a great multitude of men; for these things are stronger than men.

But because man has reason, he governs all these things, and we see that four-year-old children drive draught animals. Thus the tremendous strength of the unreasonable animals is governed by a weaker force and, as it were, captured. That is why the Romans also said that wisdom and counsel would direct things, not luck; likewise that the crowd would not help to win if there was a lack of counsel. And if foolish behavior is added to this, the great multitude is only brought to be murdered; for this they have people like Flaminius, Varro and Minutius and many others as witnesses. Wisdom is therefore the

first virtue and gift required in a king. Therefore Moses, Deut. 4, 6, says that the heathen will be astonished at this one virtue: "Oh, what wise and understanding people they are, and a glorious nation!" And Solomon is praised in the Scriptures not so much for his riches as for his wisdom. For this is the highest praise.

Thus also here, after the person and its completely perfect beauty is described, wisdom of exactly the same kind is required, as that of its form was. But this is the blessed wisdom that was poured out upon his lips, and it seems that Lucas Cap. 4, 20. has looked at this passage, since he says that when Christ taught, all eyes were upon him because of the blessed words (verbum gratiae [v. 22.]) which procured him the goodwill of the hearers, and he says: "they marveled" at his teaching. But here he is also stabbing at Moses, who also had lips, but clumsy, unspoken, heavy, angry ones, on which were not words of love, but words of wrath, death and sin. But if you take all the wisdom of Moses, of the pagans, of the philosophers, you will find that in the sight of God it is either idolatry, or hypocritical wisdom, or, if it concerns worldly government, wisdom of wrath. Therefore, as the beauty of this King of Christ alone is a beauty, so his wisdom alone is a wisdom, for it is a wisdom of grace (gratiae), that is, of promises, and his word is sweet, full of comfort and confidence. Thus the poet here has diligently read the prophecies and promises of Christ, and has seen that his lips are the very sweetest and loveliest, drawing to themselves the hearts of all who are weak.

Therefore, Christ must not be painted as having gall or a sword in his mouth, as he is painted everywhere, 1) unless it is understood spiritually; but he must be painted in such a way that his lips er-.

1) Cf. Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. VII, 913 f. For the words that follow: "unless it is understood spiritually," see Walch, old edition, vol.

seem as nothing but sugar and honey. Whoever paints this mouth differently is mistaken, and one must rather listen to this poet than to the papists and Satan, the authors of this frightening painting. For the latter will not deceive us, since he ascribes to Christ the most blessed mouth. This must be well observed. For Christ shall not grieve hearts by his word, he shall not terrify; and every one that terrifieth and torments consciences under Christ's name is not Christ's messenger, but the devil's. For Christ's name is [Isa. 42:3, 2.], "The bruised reed he will not break, and the smoldering wick he will not quench." He is gentle: "He will not cry out nor shout, and his voice will not be heard in the streets." He is not harsh, stern and biting like Moses, "who sees like the devil, and speaks so that one's heart would disappear at it." For he has lips that are doused with gall and wrath, "that are pierced with the neck of the cellar and with gall, even with hellish fire. Therefore always away with Moses". But our King has sweet lips, that is, his word is the word of forgiveness of sins, of comfort for the humble, a word of life and blessedness to restore the damned and dying.

And he does not call them simply gratuitous lips, but lips overflowing with gratitude (diffusa gratia), to indicate that Christ is exceedingly rich in his lips, from whose mouth, as from an abundantly flowing fountain, come the most delicious promises and teachings, with which he directs and comforts souls. What you therefore hear daily of this Christ, this poet paints, as you see, though briefly, yet with splendid and highly poetic words: "Happiness is on the lips of this king, and not only that, but poured out, so that one should understand that this fountain of grace flows abundantly and bubbles over, as if he wanted to say: Our king has such wisdom as no man has, that is, the sweetest and most lovely wisdom, because he takes care of the brokenhearted, comforts the afflicted, restores the despairing, restores the fallen and the humiliated, restores the sinner, and restores the poor.

who justifies, makes the dying alive, and everything else that the word of salvation accomplishes, he does in abundance. Therefore, it is a sweet and pleasant wisdom that is worthy of such great praise. Therefore he says in Isaiah Cap. 50, 4: "The Lord hath given me a learned tongue," the Lord hath given me an eloquent tongue, "that I may know how to speak with the weary in season."

And take careful heed lest the tongue of Christ be one that scareth or hurteth, except when he speaketh unto the worthy and hard. To whom he says [Matt. 11:21], "Woe to you, Chorazin; woe to you, Bethsaida!" etc. There he does a strange work, as is said in Isaiah [Cap. 28, 21.]. But the Psalm speaks here of his own ministry and work, which he performs against his own, not of a foreign one, and he does not speak to the hard and hopeful, but to those who are afflicted outwardly by the tyranny of the world, and inwardly by Moses and the word of the law, likewise by the wiles of the devil, by the weakness of conscience, by sad thoughts etc. Those who believe in Christ, who have these temptations, he speaks to them and promises them such a king, who is the most wise, and has such a word and wisdom, wherewith he can heal their ills; and he gives them the promise: Be of good cheer, be confident in this king, who does not hate you or want to punish you, but is favorable to you and promises you eternal life, because he has lips that are exceedingly sweet and overflowing with happiness.

Therefore, the godly should be mindful of this, that they hold this against the sharp, harsh and frightening lips of Moses, as well as against the accusations of the devil in the heart and the tyrants who persecute them, and in short, against all the things that make the hearts of the godly sad. To these they should oppose their King with His exceedingly sweet promises, which we read here and there in the Gospel [John 16:33]: "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." [Joh. 14, 1. 2. § "Do not let your heart be troubled. If you believe in God, you also believe in me. In

My Father's house is full of dwellings" etc. These are the sweet lips, overflowing with sweetness, but no one understands them, unless he is troubled and afflicted in his conscience and has learned to comfort himself with these promises. Raw people and those who have not experienced temptations are not moved by them. For since they are not hungry but full, this food does not taste good to them; they are not thirsty. But they that are afflicted, and feel the right terror of conscience, know how great a consolation it is to have such a King, whose lips are so sweet, who comforts, and accepts, and waits for sinners, and bears them, as a shepherd waits for a wounded lamb, and bears it, even as he dies for sinners. This can raise up a broken heart, that the lips of this King overflow with fondness, that his wisdom with which he administers his kingdom is the word of life, and his kingdom a kingdom of grace, of blessedness, and of life, in which nothing is heard but the voice of comfort to the lowly, the voice of joy, and the voice of the Bridegroom.

But what does the world think of these lips? Namely, that they are heretical, that they condemn good works and forbid doing good, and only command that one should believe, as they accuse us today that the Lutherans teach nothing but faith. Therefore, just as our King Christ is considered by the world to be the most ugly of the children of men, so they also cry out that his lips overflow not with fervency but with devilish rage. Therefore they sing this verse in this way: You are the ugliest of the children of men and devilish rage flows from your lips. They do not sing it with such words, but in their hearts and minds they condemn and accuse Christ in such a way in all priests' colleges, in all monasteries, in all churches, that his voice is devilish and his tongue full of satanic poison, and that there is no more harmful pestilence than the teaching of Christ, which is worthy of the wrath and hatred of all men. But we, who are crushed and wretched, want to kiss these lips and hold them tight. It will one day be

It will happen that our king will destroy the churches and monasteries of those people because of these abominable blasphemies, so that not one stone will remain on the other. That is what they want, and it will certainly happen.

So far we have heard two things, that the person of the king is very beautiful and his wisdom exceedingly lovely, namely the wisdom of grace and not of the law. But all this must be taken in the spirit for the crushed and humbled. Now follows the third prize, of the power of this king, that this wisdom be not idle, but effectual, and have good prosperity, for it is blessed, as he saith:

Therefore, God blesses you forever.

Here again, see the contrast. The law is a teaching of curse, wrath, sin and death. Therefore it does not prosper, therefore there is no success, and finally it is also destroyed. But this doctrine is eternal and bears fruit from its beginning to the end: the saints are born and multiplied, and in each one also the various gifts and powers are increased. For, as St. Paul says [1 Cor. 12:4], "There are divers gifts, but there is One Spirit." This is the blessing that follows this word, that Christ grows and is increased in many thousands of believers. This blessing does not follow the teaching of the laws, whether they be moral or natural, or the worldly government. But it is hidden in the spirit and is not seen by the world; in their eyes we are killed, reviled, tormented, condemned, both according to our person and according to our gifts and fruits. But the blessing is not prevented. For if one Christian is killed, ten others are born. So also if the Word is prevented or expelled in One place, it is admitted and grows in other ten places. Therefore, the Word cannot be extinguished in any way, by any counsel, because it is written here that this blessing shall last forever. This, then, is the fruit of this wisdom, that it does not remain unfruitful, but continues and accomplishes marvelous things, breaking the gates of hell and all the plots of the wise.

V. 4. Gird up your sword at your side, you hero, and adorn yourself beautifully. 1)

The Latin translator has confused the order of the speech here. Therefore, this verse must be construed as we have rendered it in German: "Gird your sword at your side, hero, and adorn yourself beautifully." The Hebrew word XX and XXX is very common and is taken from Moses. But it means the adornment of garments, as in Ex. 28, 2. ff. where the Lord commands Moses to make his brother garments that are glorious and beautiful, for He wants him to be finely clothed and adorned. So also in the Psalms these two words [XXX and XXX, decor et laus] are often repeated [Ps. 104, 1.]. So also are they set here. For he does not speak of the beauty of the body, of which he spoke above, but of the royal and princely adornment and clothing, so that the kings adorn themselves when they go to public splendor or to war.

So the prophet now describes here in the fourth place, after he has praised the beauty and the wisdom, also the armor or power. For this is also necessary for a king, that he has a significant strength and power, but in such a way that the wisdom stands above. In the church, therefore, after Christ has begun to make wisdom known and to preach the word of salvation and grace, the cross immediately follows. For against this the devil lies down with the wise, the mighty, the saints, and the hypocrites, and all that is high in the world he stirs up against the word and the faithful. For he cannot endure the fervency of which the lips overflow, or the word of the gospel, because it destroys his kingdom. For the devil is the prince of death and the author of sin, and a spirit of sorrow and anguish of conscience, a spirit of lies and wickedness; and this also is the kingdom of the world. But Christ, as John says, has come to destroy the works of the devil.

1) In the Vulgate the verses are divided thus: [V. 4.z Zladio tuo 8 aper ieinur tu um, potvntiskirue, [V. 5.z 8potüo tun 6t puIcNritndino tun intond6, prospere prouecw 6t propter voritatom et inLusuetudiuem, et justitium: 6t doduo6t te iuiradiliter dextera tun.

and to destroy his kingdom [1 John 3:8] and to distribute the plunder. Now it cannot be otherwise than that the devil rages and is angry, for he does not want to lose his kingdom of wickedness and death. Therefore he attacks these messengers of the Word and kills them, frightens us 2) and does us harm, he drives us to despair and makes us sad, he stirs up mobs, heresies, tyrants, and so he defends himself from all ropes with violence and deceit and attacks the kingdom of Christ, and just as Christ destroyed the works of the devil, so also the devil wants to destroy the works of Christ, namely life, righteousness, joy etc.

This we also learn today, that immediately after the gospel has risen, the peace of the world is suspended and disturbed. For as long as that strong man [Luc. 11:21] held his palace in good peace, there was peace; but as soon as the strong man comes upon him, he stirs up turmoil, then he rages and sets everything in confusion. Therefore one hears the complaints of the world, which are also now being raised everywhere, that before this teaching came, everything had been calm, peaceful and prosperous, but now, after one has begun to bring forward this teaching, everything is stirred up by turmoil, war and bloodshed take place, nothing has good prosperity any more etc.

But such words are words of foolish people who do not know what is accomplished by the word. Christ works through the Word to deliver from death and sins, but the devil wants everything to be suppressed by death and sins. How, therefore, can it be otherwise than that peace is suspended, and each fights for the preservation of his kingdom, Christ against Satan through the ministry of the Word, Satan against Christ through his members, the heretics, false brethren, tyrants etc.? Therefore, if you want to be joyful in Christ, you must suffer sorrow, anguish and plagues inwardly and outwardly for his sake. The reason for this is that you cannot cling to Christ without offending the prince of the world; you cannot keep the God of life unless you arouse the author of death against you. But

2) It seems to us that here instead of nos in the editions 608 should be read.

364 L. XVIII, I52-I5S. Interpretation of the 45th Psalm. Ps. 45, 4. W. V, SDO-SOI. 365

Inexperienced people cannot judge this, therefore they attribute to the holy word of God the cause of the noise, the riots, the heresies and other damages, the cause of which is the devil with his members. For why do they not allow the kingdom of Christ? Why do they claim for themselves the kingdom that is due to Christ? For man was created to possess life, blessedness, and righteousness: why then is the devil angry, since Christ deals with it, that he may forgive sins, that he may make alive, that he may make blessed, that he may keep his kingdom? The fact that the devil is angry and causes unrest in the world is not the fault of God, who out of pure mercy visits us with his words, but of the devil, who rages for his kingdom of sin and death, against the word. But the world does not believe this. God therefore does not care about their complaints, but breaks through with his word, however much they may grumble and rage, and says: The Lord will reign on earth; men, creatures, the world, and everything that is there, it is all mine.

Therefore, the war with the devil arises, who does not want to let the people of God go, as Pharaoh did not want to let the Jews go and fought against Moses. The same thing is still happening to us today. Since we want to carry out the people of God, Pharaoh becomes angry and stands up against us. Then the power of the word is shown, that Christ fights in us with his armor, with the shield of faith and the sword of the word, Eph. 6:16, 17, so that we defeat the enemy at all ends, first by exposing his deceit and lies in the heretics, then by saving and defending our people, so that they persevere in holy faith and life. This war continues forever, and there is no hope for peace. Therefore we must arm ourselves with patience, with faith, with the example of the cross of Christ against the tyrants, whom we overcome only with patience and silence. But we do not overcome the lying teachers with patience and silence, but against them we must draw the two-edged sword, with which we put to the ground all knowledge that rises up against the knowledge of God.

So here you see what kind of king we have. For after he has instructed us and poured out his promises upon us and thus transferred us into his kingdom through the word, the devil is immediately there and crucifies us, because [2 Tim. 3, 12.] "all who want to live godly in Christ must suffer persecution." Likewise, Apost. 14, 22: "We must go through much tribulation into the kingdom of God." But our King does not leave us, but is with us and fights in us against the violence of tyrants and against the lies of the devil, yes, makes us invincible against lying teachers and secure against the violence of tyrants.

Therefore you, my dear brothers and fathers, who in time will hold office in the church, should be armed and prepared, not only to teach and encourage the good who are of the right mind to believe, but also to be prepared to fight against the adversaries and to punish them. Otherwise the churches will soon be disturbed if there are not people who fight in the battle line and refute the adversaries, who explain the passages and sayings of Scripture that they claim for themselves and defend the truth. Therefore he says here: The Lord is mighty in battle, overcoming by patience all the power and tyranny of the world, and making of us (as it is said in Jeremiah Cap. 1, 13.) strong cities, a pillar of iron and a wall of brass, and, as Isaiah Cap. 50, 7. says, our face like a pebble, so that we can suffer all blows, imprisonment, bonds and death; in short, that we are able to overcome everything that the world and the devil in their highest wrath can only ever do through him who dwells in us. Thus we first overcome the power of tyrants, then he also overcomes in us when we fight against the wiles of Satan. This is our war, which, though dangerous and difficult, is exceedingly sweet, because the victory remains with us.

That he now says: "Gird [yourself]" is a promise, as if he wanted to say: You will be an exceedingly mighty giant, since you will defend your word in the saints and the gifts of the Holy Spirit through patience and refutation of the adversaries.

366 L. xvin, iss f. Interpretations on the Psalms. W. v, sot-soi. 367

But he adds, "Put your sword at your side," and has taken the simile from the men of war, as if to say: You must be ready and armed at all times, so that the sword is at hand, not hanging on the wall in some corner covered with rust, so that even though it does not strike constantly, it is still at hand. Thus it is said in the Epistle to the Ephesians Cap. 6, 15: "Be ye booted up by the legs, as ready to press on the gospel of peace." For a minister of the word must be equipped to have the sword at hand. For though the devil rests at times, yet he returns; it is not necessary to snore as if he will cease altogether; he may cease for a time, but does not refrain from coming again. Therefore we must always be ready and expect the enemy at any moment, as Christ is said here to do, who is XXXX, that is, a giant, a strong man of war, and that for us, that we may not be afraid, though the world and the devil fight against Christ. For he is our king, that is, an exceedingly valiant king, to whom victory is assured. It follows:

Et laude et ornatu, that is, "adorn yourself beautifully". Why does he add this? He declares our warrior's weapons to be beautiful, not so shapeless and terrifying as the weapons of the devil, which are weapons of death, sin, wickedness, sadness. For the devil also has a sword, but a bloody, exceedingly shameful and evil one, but the weapons of our King are gracious. For the sword of our King smiteth not to destroy men, but to save them. Thus I fight against Carlstadt, Zwingli, and others, because I would rather they should live than perish and die; we wound, not to condemn men, but to heal and extirpate vice; we would preserve them, not destroy them; as Christ says [Luc. 9:56. Jn. 12:47.], "I am not come to destroy the world, but that it should live."

Therefore, our sword holds forth the word of blessedness, of life, of righteousness, and seeks to bring people back to the right path.

to bring. They are therefore beautiful weapons, adorned with the power to teach, to make alive and to justify, but the weapons of the devil kill body and soul. We, on the other hand, make alive. Many are converted by our writings, many are preserved and snatched from the devil. Therefore, the weapons of our King are exceedingly beautiful, weapons full of life, bliss and power. With these gird and adorn yourself, that you may be such a man of war, whose wounding is a healing, whose killing is a bringing to life, whose destruction is a making blessed, because by our wars we seek nothing else than to cleanse nature of its vices and to tear it out of the captivity of the devil. Where this sword does not strike, nothing of the kind happens; on the other hand, where it strikes, it brings about righteousness, life and salvation.

This is the reason why he calls the weapons of this king a prize and an adornment, and although he would rather call them simply a prize and an adornment, and not weapons, yet he uses this name "weapons" and "sword" for the sake of the word and the power of the word. When this is admitted into the hearts, it is like a sword that kills, and by killing makes alive and adorns, so that the heart, which is glad because of its trust in this King, despises and overcomes all dangers and evils. For it is not bodily weapons that wound the body, but spiritual ones, and with the power of God, with which we defend ourselves against the devil, when he imposes new heresies and cults, with which he makes the world nonsensical and tears it away from the Word. These weapons are to be used to defend ourselves and to preserve, protect and fortify others, so that Satan does not overthrow everything as he has in mind. But those who despise us and oppose us, who think that our weapons are nothing, and say that we do not understand the Scriptures and lack the Spirit, as Muenzer said. They make our sword weak and defile our ornaments; before them our doctrine is not a doctrine of life, and we are not XXXX but slain and slain men of war.

V. 5. May you succeed in your adornment. Draw near to the truth, and keep the wretched in the right, and thy right hand shall do wonders.

Instead of intende prospere, it would have been better translated: In ornatu tuo prosperare, "you must prosper in your adornment". But you know how this verse has been misused (laceratus) in the papacy and applied to the holy virgin. Nothing of this is said here. For he speaks of the kingdom of Christ, therefore he indicates the fruit of this armor, as if he wanted to say: Not in vain do we refute the adversaries, not in vain do we defend the word of truth against the sects, not in vain do we comfort the fainthearted with the word of patience; this word is efficacious, for it is the word of God and does not depart without fruit, as Isaiah speaks of it [Cap. 55, 11.].

Instead of procede et regna should have been translated: Adscende, or prospere equita, "go forth," as it were, as a king rides into a city, or goes forth to war. For you will be blessed with this armor of yours. So it must be translated by the indicative futuri: Your weapons will be blissful, you will be fortunate in war. And this is the fifth prize, which is taken from success. For it belongs to a good commander (imperatorem) that he also has luck, as Cicero wisely discusses in relation to Pompey. Therefore he also adds this price. He says: It is a hard war. The king goes along on the chariot, and we also go along with him in war chariots (for he talks according to the old way of waging war), or we ride together, but with great success. For although the adversaries are exceedingly mighty and many in number, yet we are victorious. Because in this battle One servant of the Word dares to fight with ten thousand, he dares to attack the whole papacy, the pope, the bishops, the princes, the kingdoms, innumerable sects. Thus, the One Paul fought against the whole world.

But who would dare to fight as an individual against so great wisdom and power, and not only against the

wisdom and power of the world, but also of the devil and the gates of hell? Therefore this is a hard war, not only because of our weakness, as it has the reputation, and because of our small number, but also because of the power, wisdom and quantity of the adversaries. For Christ also says Luc. 16, 8. that the children of this world are wiser than the children of light. Therefore it is not to be wondered at that weak people prefer to resign from the teaching office rather than to arouse so many wise people, so many saints, so many mighty men, even the whole world together with the gates of hell against them. In addition, there is the ingratitude of the people, the contempt and disdain for the Word, in short, everywhere there is nothing but misfortune before one's eyes: abroad (foris) the Word is persecuted, here it is despised and neglected; the preachers have to die almost of hunger and get no other reward for their godly work than ingratitude and hatred. Where is the success here? Certainly only in spirit.

Therefore, rise up, do not give way to evils, but go all the more boldly against them; persevere, do not be swayed, neither by contempt and ingratitude from within, nor by turmoil and rage from without, but think like this: When I am weak, I am strongest; when I am oppressed, I rise, as a palm tree rises against its burden. This is how we thought we were going down at Augsburg, but that is where we have risen the most. Thus, in sadness, when we are already very close to despair, hope arises the most. This is how the true glory of the Word begins nowadays, when there is the greatest contempt and disdain for the Word. Therefore, we should learn to understand this verse about the invisible progress and prosperity of the Word. For our King has success and happiness, though you do not see it; nor would it be good for us to see this success, because then we would be puffed up. But now he raises us up by faith, so that we may hope that, though we see no fruit of faith, yet, because it is written here, we may be sure that there will be no lack of fruit, but that it will surely follow. But we should not lose heart by looking at the opposite.

We should not look at the things that are burdensome to us, but rather look at these promises. For Christians, according to the example of their Lord Christ, must be weak and despised, so that by their good deeds they deserve nothing but the highest contempt and the utmost ingratitude, so that those who are in the teaching office teach with the greatest fidelity and should expect no other reward than to be killed by the world and trampled underfoot and despised by their own. But this is very difficult.

Therefore, when I see this, I too am sometimes overcome with impatience and seriously think: if this teaching were not already spread, I would rather do something else than make it known to the ungrateful world. But these thoughts are thoughts of the flesh, and they are evil. For let the race be as ungrateful as it will, misusing the word as much as it will, yet one must not resign from the teaching office, but one must endure and persevere, and command the success and happiness of the word to God. For he is such a king who wants success, strength and victory, if not in this place and time, then in another place and time. This splendor and success is more brilliant than all the stars, even though we do not see it.

The words propter veritatem et mansuetudinem et justitiam Justitiam ["to benefit the truth and to keep the wretched in justice"] must be connected with the preceding verbum, so that the meaning is: You will succeed, you will be happy in your war, in your knighthood. Wherefore? That thou mayest promote truth and oppressed justice. For this is how we render it and do not follow Jerome. For the word which the prophet uses here means suffering, miserable, oppressed. The meaning is therefore: Your truth and righteousness suffers, is despised and oppressed, outwardly by tyranny and lies of the devil, but with us by contempt and ingratitude, then also in our conscience. So there is nothing more miserable, nothing more despised than the truth and righteousness of Christ. Because they want to destroy the kingdom of the devil, that is, the kingdom of sin, death, and hell, the

They are not the devil, who has the largest part of the world, the most powerful, the holiest, the wisest, the richest. Therefore, what they say and say seems to be the very real truth, as Oekolampad wrote of his cause: "The very certain truth is on our side. They also seem to be the most successful, we, on the other hand, the most unfortunate, who get stuck everywhere. "We do not want to go anywhere, but our chariot is stuck in the deep mud. Such is our ministry and our teaching.

But this is written for the sake that we may learn that this must be our destiny, as Christ says to his disciples [John 16:4]: "These things have I spoken unto you, that when the time shall come ye may remember them. Therefore, teach purely and faithfully, and expect, when you do all things, not honor, but dishonor and contempt; not riches, but poverty, violence, imprisonment, death and all dangers. This is what your king tells you beforehand, that you should not expect anything else in this life, but in the life to come; only then will he give you the right reward for your work, so that, while others are plunged into hell, a glorious place in heaven will be assigned to you before others; just persevere. On our side there is nothing but misfortune, but with this our King there is happiness and victory, though hidden in faith. But after faith has fought bravely in the war, then victory will also come and be seen, so that in this life we will also attain peace and other goods more. Therefore he says to Christ:

See to it that you bring truth and oppressed righteousness to glory, that you establish the kingdom of truth and exalt degraded righteousness, because the devil sets himself with all his might to establish lies, to destroy truth; this truth is precisely the faith that establishes the right worship of God and the right worship of God. Therefore, the devil cannot stand it, but stirs up against it innumerable and various religions and hypocrisies, so that if Christ did not help us to firmly establish his kingdom and defend the truth, we would perish and could not stand against so many sects, with which

The devil looks at us, against so many lies and fights, which all aim to establish lies and idolatry, to spread ungodly opinions about God and to turn away from faith and truth. Therefore help us, dear Lord Christ, be the strong warrior, so that you defend the truth, which is also suppressed in our country, but is considered heresy, error and blasphemy by the world; and there is nothing that is considered more ungodly or as wretched as the truth.

Thus, God's righteousness alone is miserable and oppressed. All other righteousnesses have a certain appearance and honor. The philosophers praise their righteousness and adorn it with mighty praises; the emperor also praises his own and raises it up, but it is this one righteousness of Christ against which all others rage; it is despised, disgraced, lies underfoot and in the dust. Therefore, dear Lord Christ, emphasize your word and preserve for us this righteousness that has been trampled underfoot, which is the only and true righteousness. Preserve the truth, which is accused of being a lie. But if thou wilt so go to war with thy armor that thou wilt help the truth and the despised righteousness of faith, then

This is how your right hand will prove miracles.

Hold on to the war and you will achieve miraculous success, "hold on tight, you will see miracles, what will come out of it". Read the histories of the ancient church and you will understand this verse. St. Hilarius lived at a time when justice was degraded to the lowest degree and truth was condemned in the most violent way, since hardly two sincere bishops kept their congregations, and all other congregations had accepted the abomination of Arius. At that time, truth and righteousness were in complete decline, and yet Christ came and drove out the Arians with their heresy, and the truth remained intact. Thus the Pelagians trampled our justice and truth into the dust; the Sacramentarians and the Anabaptists are doing the same today, and there will be more of them. Therefore prepare yourselves with these promises that Chri

stus will be a blessed warrior with us, and you will see miracles performed by the right hand of Christ, which seems to have become weak. Thus our cause has several times escaped certain dangers, so that when we look back, there is nothing else before our eyes but nothing but miraculous works, which were quite incredible before they happened: Christ has governed all this so wonderfully.

Therefore the prophet reminds us in this passage, when he says that we shall see wonders, that this truth is insurmountable, so that we may learn to suffer, to stand and to persevere, and think: "Let whoever will fall away, whether it be the priest, or father, or mother, or prince, etc. nevertheless I will not fall away, but will remain with the oppressed righteousness. If I am therefore oppressed and killed, that may happen after all; if I only persevere, I shall see the wonders of this right hand, and that the sinners receive their reward who suppress justice and truth. Muenzer, Zwingli and others thought they would get where they were going, "they thought they would sing out the little song like this"; but before they get started, they perish.

The same will happen to our princes and bishops who sing the song of the donkeys, which begins high and ends low. For they will not stop until this right of our God shows miracles and does what no one can even think of now; so you will also see, when you look back, that God has done more than anyone could have hoped for. At least I could not have hoped twelve years ago that it would be possible that even in a vain corner the monks would fall away, that the monastic vows would be despised, that the marriages of the priests would take place in public, which is happening now. For even though this does not yet happen with the papists, they maintain and defend their cause only with difficulty.

It is that he says: "Your right hand will prove miracles", because it is the right hand of God. Thus he comforts us in the tribulations of our oppressed justice and truth. Even if the emperor, the pope, the princes, the bishops, the citizens and the peasants condemn the same, we have to condemn violence,

If we suffer cunning, deceit, poverty, disgrace, rebellion, we will not be in danger. For our man of war is mighty. "He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world" [1 John 4:4]. Who says [John 15:19, 19:33], "I have slain you, the world hateth you: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world," for I am the blessed warrior who makes oppressed righteousness triumphant, as he says, "Thy right hand shall shew wonders," that is, in thy kingdom shall wonders be seen, which thy right hand doeth by the sword, that is, by the word. For we do nothing but teach the word, believe, and pray; when this is done, miraculous works follow.

V. 6: Sharp find your arrows, that the nations fall down before you in the midst of the king's enemies.

In corde inimicorum regis should be translated, "in the midst of the king's enemies." Here he describes arms and fortune. You will not only be well armed, but also the fortune of which you are worthy, and the royal victory, for the nations will fall down before you in the midst of (in corde) etc. Here is a Hebrew way of speaking [namely, in corde]. The heart always means the center in figurative speech among the Hebrews. Thus they say: in the heart of the earth, in the heart of the sea, that is, in the middle of the earth, in the middle of the sea, as also Christ speaks in the Gospel (Matth. 12, 40. Vulg.: in corde terrae]. Thus it is said in Moses [Deut. 4, 11.]: Thou sawest fire unto the heart of heaven, that is, unto the midst of heaven. So it says here: in corde inimicorum, that is, in the midst of the enemies. Such were Joseph [of Arimathea], Nicodemus, and others at Jerusalem, whom Christ plucked out of the midst of the enemies, Pilate, Herod, Caiphas, and others. Thus in Rome, at the court of the emperor himself, some Roman soldiers were converted. So with us today, in the courts and even in the chambers of princes, bishops, the pope, and everywhere where there are only enemies of our King, one can find a people falling at Christ's feet, people pierced with these exceedingly

healing arrows, that is, those who hear the gospel and are wounded by the loving word of Christ, by which he instructs to faith and strikes, just as such converts confess that this teaching penetrates and strikes the heart like no other.

The word is therefore the arrow of which the prophet says here, as we also call the word an arrow in German figurative speech: "The arrow does not come out of the quiver." Likewise, "A thrust that does not bleed." There is a special power in this image, because it does not simply mean a word, but very sharp words that penetrate the heart and are a sting to it, as it is said of Christ in Matth. 7, 28. f. that the people were astonished at Christ's teaching, because he preached mightily, and not like the scribes. These taught as it were in sleep, just as Erasmus, who is otherwise a very eloquent man, nevertheless writes in theology so coldly, dully and leadenly that it comes to light that he does nothing seriously, "that it neither sticks nor clicks; it neither strikes nor wounds," it does not strike, leaves no sting in the hearts of the readers. But Christ's word penetrates and wounds, takes away all supports of [false] confidence, and ascribes redemption to the blood of Christ alone; this stings and wounds the heart. But this is a healing wounding. For these weapons so kill that they make alive. For the word of God is mightier and sharper than any sword [Heb. 4:12]. Therefore it follows:

The nations fall down before you.

That is to say, they humble themselves under you, they leave their own opinions, their worship, their pleasures, and worship you. This is an exceedingly blissful falling away and a sinking into blessedness, so that those who before were quite evil in trusting in their own righteousness now lie quite blissfully in the righteousness of Christ. But this happens, he says, not on the borders, but "in the midst of the King's enemies," that is, where it is least expected. For the Gospel does not penetrate the homes of peasants alone, but at court, into the chambers and hearts of princes. This is a glorious victory through which

the power and efficacy of the word comes to light, which forces success and prosperity, and does not cease until it captures many peoples who, pierced by the healing arrows, become different people and begin to love Christ whom they hated before; begin to fear and revere Christ whom they did not care about before. This is called "falling down before Him." But it is a blessed and altogether comforting case, which shows the power and happiness of the word.

But, as you know, we have begun to divide the whole Psalm into certain parts, through which he describes our King and Lord, with words that are highly poetic or rather figurative. And we have heard so far of the weapons and his going out to war, how he is equipped and armed with a sword and shining knighthood, likewise of his success, that he succeeds well, that he is a helper and originator of the oppressed justice. All this seems to depict a shining and worldly king by heart, but it must be drawn from the flesh to the spirit, in which one can see this glory. For by heart things are much different; there the subjects of this king are very miserable, not only in their bodily members, but in their whole flesh itself, which is tormented by terror, affliction, sadness, despair and other tortures of the devil. This is what the eminently good poet and teacher means when he says that Christ is a king of the sorrowful and despairing, who are seized and oppressed by anxieties of conscience and the fiery darts of the devil, who torments us day and night in body and soul, so that he snatches away our confidence in Christ. That is why the prophecies of this king are exceedingly sweet and the king himself very charming. For he is a king who will not break the bruised reed or quench the smoldering wick, but comes to refresh, heal and comfort. This is what the Psalm says with these words, that he comes to protect the righteousness of the wretched, or the wretched and oppressed righteousness. And you know that this is taught among us daily, so that this King may be fully known, and we do not make of him a Moses who

is frightening and terrifying. Christ is not like this, for he did not come to judge the world, but that the world through him might be saved and healed [John 3:17]. For in this all scriptures agree that he is a king of the fainthearted and the afflicted, which is the highest comfort of godly hearts.

And here the prophet has mentioned success in a very appropriate way; for, as I said above, it is not enough that the king is armed and powerful, but success must also be added, as Cicero praises his Pompey for being a fortunate general. For however great power may be, it is nothing if it is without success. In war, however, fortune prevails, because it is a great thing which cannot be governed by human prudence. For nowhere does success correspond less to advice than in war. Therefore, happiness must be given by God, and the angels must be with him who is victorious. For the strength of the army is not enough to bring victory, but the prosperity is also necessary.

Furthermore, of the blessed weapons of our King, the prophet names only the arrows; but he understands by this name as the most distinguished also all other projectiles, as we consider the coarse guns (bombardas) to be the most distinguished. But there is an emphasis in the fact that he calls the arrows sharp, namely that they are sharpened from heaven and directed by the Holy Spirit. For only when this is present are the arrows sharp. The weapons of the enemy also seem to be sharp, but because they are only sharpened by blacksmiths and men, they do not penetrate. But these strike and penetrate in such a way that the adversaries are thrown to the ground, and, what is even more marvelous, that in the midst of the raging of the enemies our King has a people who serve Him. For Christ has set his kingdom in the world without walls, without any fortifications, exposed to all dangers and evils, like sheep in the midst of wolves. Who then will protect these sheep? For the victory is not doubtful, when a sheep is set against a wolf in battle: and yet

Christ uses to do this; he places his faithful warriors like sheep in the midst of the enemies, offers them power and bullets with which they can knock down the enemies, but by which his own are converted and preserved, even against the will of the gates of hell.

But this would be obvious if we could see with spiritual eyes the multitude of devils by which we are surrounded. For although we are surrounded on all sides by angry and furious bishops and princes who wish us to be exterminated, who shoot at us with treachery and secret plots to destroy us, this is nothing compared to that spiritual warfare, that we are surrounded on all sides by many thousands of devils who spew out against us the whole hell and attack us with very large armies. For there is no doubt that Satan is after us with all his might; and the less he can do harm, the more he wants to do harm and expends all his effort on it, and he is not only furious, but fury itself. Therefore, we would despair if we saw all these dangers and the devil's efforts. But God and our King comforts us: Be brave in war, he says, fight, have bullets and sharp arrows; hurl them at the enemy, you will succeed. But how unequal is this battle! What am I, what are our thousands against one devil? Here it is needful that we say with Elisha [2 Kings 6:16], "There are more of them that are with us than of them that are with them." For where there are twenty devils, there are a hundred angels, and if it were not for that, we would have perished long ago. For we are then in the battle line when we teach the Word, when we preach and praise Christ, and thereafter, as much as possible, live according to the Gospel and words of God.

Therefore, let us also take this passage as a consolation that he says, "In the midst of the king's enemies." Although there is a change here from the second person to the third, this is very common in Hebrew. For God, by these words, turns all that terrifies us away from us to his person, because he does not call them our enemies, but the enemies of the king, as if he were saying

wanted: You suffer these things from the devil, not for your sake, but for mine; I am the guilty one, it is I whom the devil has in mind, it is my fault, against me the world rages. Why then do you despair? Why then do you torment yourselves with terror and despair? They are not your enemies, but mine, who am your king. Therefore, continue teaching and preaching, endure the tribulations, and let me fight against them. I will see how I protect you, I will be a fiery wall all around you who are my people. You do not need trenches or walls of brass; I will defend you as I defended my people at the Red Sea when I set up the fiery cloud between them and Pharaoh, through which even the devil cannot break through who sees this fiery wall; we do not see it.

But we want to believe God, who assures us that he protects us, that we are surrounded by a fiery wall, through which the devil cannot break through. From afar he hurls fiery darts at us to make us sad; we, on the other hand, who are hidden behind that wall, shoot at him; and those who are sad or not converted, we comfort with the word and convert them, thus leading them back to Christ. Because this hurts the devil, he directs other projectiles against us; then we again look up to our King Christ and overcome. So there is no truce, but we fight with the devils day and night. This is what the Psalm says: "The nations shall fall down in the midst of thine enemies." For if Christ were not our wall and our guide, we could not stand even for a moment, because the devil is so powerful that he can snatch away our faith and obscure the truth of Christ. Therefore, if Christ were to remove his hand, the devil would not only kill the body, but would also pervert the spirit. Therefore, we cannot do anything against him with our strength, but must look up to this king and know that he is such a king whom the devil persecutes. Therefore, if we suffer for the sake of Christ, may all kinds of dangers come upon us.

Our king will keep the victory, and not only defend us, but also conquer us, rob the adversaries and distribute the spoils, and win a great number, so that those who were hitherto the devil's robbers and weapons will be brought to faith by us, snatched from the devil by the word. This is what he says: "In the midst of the enemies", or in the heart, where there seems to be the most strength against Christ, as in the courts of princes etc.

But it matters little, as I said above, whether "the arrows" are taken for the Word itself or for the teachers and ministers of the Word, as it is said in Isaiah, "I will take thee for a bow," and Isa. 49:2, "He hath made me a pure arrow." For an apostle who teaches the Word is, as it were, a sharp arrow. So also the word of the Holy Spirit is a sharp arrow, that is, happy and successful and powerful. For the word is not idle, but directs many and great things, comforts the afflicted, guides the nathless (perplexos), leads the erring and sets them right, and creates many other innumerable fruits, and is even an omnipotent thing; therefore it is rightly called a sharp arrow.

Therefore, our king is the protector and savior of the miserable, exceedingly full of comfort against the humble and afflicted, and completely victorious against the enemies and the hardened, and we are quite certain of victory if we only hold on to this king. For what kind of kingdom would it be in which one would always have to be in the midst of the enemies, be exposed to all the ambushes and bullets, always suffer and be oppressed? There must inevitably be a change, and those who have suffered so much must finally achieve victory. Therefore, victory is certain if we only persevere, as Paul says in 2 Cor. 2:14: "Thanks be to God, who always gives us victory in Christ." For Christians do not succumb to despair and distrust, do not depart from the Word, do not deny Christ, but persevere with doctrines, and confess Him; sometimes, to be sure, strongly, but sometimes only weakly. For he is a victorious king and a king of the miserable, who can raise us up, even if we are weak at times.

Up to this point he has described the king according to his person, his wisdom, weapons, victories, government, etc., and has painted him as an exceedingly fine and lovely king of the wretched. But we see from such lovely descriptions that the holy men had a greater joy only in hearing about the future Christ and were more inflamed with love for him than we rejoice and are moved by the Christ who has already appeared, so that it is evident that the saying is true: The nearer Rome, the poorer Christians. Moses says [Deut. 32:15], "When my people grew fat and thick and strong, they became horny." Because we are overwhelmed with the Word, we do not respect it. If the Word were not so abundant, we might be more careful. But for the sake of the godly, the word must abound in momentum. But I return to the psalm.

Now follows the other part of the king, how he keeps himself at home, rules in the realm and speaks law. For this also belongs to the office of a king, that he has a council (consistorium) and a judgment seat, and the emperor is painted in such a way that he not only holds the sword in one hand, but also the book in the other. So far he has described the sword, now he will describe the book, as Justinian says of the emperor that he must be adorned with weapons and armed with laws^in a wonderful and new figure of speech, that the laws are weapons, the sword an ornament. But he meant to indicate that these two things must be connected with each other, the government at the time of war outwardly and at the time of peace at home. In time of peace, justice and equity are required; in time of war, weapons are necessary, so that he may be blissful and strong outwardly, but just at home.

V. 7. God's chair remains forever and ever.

This verse is sufficiently treated in the epistle to the Hebrews Cap. 1, 8. ff., although only a part of it is treated there and used to prove the deity of Christ. But we learn from this passage not only

that Christ is true God by nature, but we are also reminded of his office, that he must administer justice and maintain discipline and order in his kingdom. "Thy throne," he says, that is, thy royal throne, "is eternal." This is a free and full confession of his government, that the prophet, before the revelation of the Gospel, prefigures such a king, whom no other person should succeed, but who, as an eternal one, reigns his kingdom for all eternity. Therefore this psalm cannot be understood by a temporal king, or by a king who is only a man, because it is certain that all must die, according to the words [1 Cor. 15:22.], "In Adam all die." Therefore it is impossible that it could be said of a man that he is an eternal king, but it is a clear proof that the kingdom of which he here speaks is not a fleshly one. For since he calls the throne an eternal one, and says that he also who is king is eternal, it follows that he is not a king in the flesh or a temporal one, who cares nothing for gold, silver, and other things that belong to a temporal kingdom.

Secondly, since he is truly human (for he says that he is the most beautiful of the children of men), it also follows that he has another life than the one in which we live. And yet, because it is written that he is beautiful, and it is clear that he is a man, it must follow that he is also mortal; and yet that he is also eternal, because it is said, "God, thy throne abideth forever and ever." Now hold this against each other. For the text says that he is among the sons of men where death reigns; therefore he must necessarily die, and yet he says that he will be eternal. One therefore concludes from this passage the resurrection of the dead, because our King is of such a kind, who, truly God made man, finally dies like other men and leaves this life, and, rising from death, takes to himself an eternal life, so that he may be the King of eternal life, who nevertheless lived in this mortal life, as he says John 16:28: "I leave the world and go to the Father." That is, I will leave this office, which I have hitherto held among you in the world, and will go to the Father.

that is, I will receive the kingdom and take on another life so that I may be a king of eternal life for all my believers. This eternal life he also begins here in our hearts. For if we begin to believe in Christ after we are baptized, then we are free from death, sin and the devil according to faith and word. Therefore, we have the beginning of eternal life and the firstfruits in this life, and have a kind of small foretaste; we have entered the vestibule, but soon, when we are stripped of the flesh, we will taste everything completely.

From this passage it is evident that Christ is a true man, and yet not a temporal but an eternal king, that is, also a true God, who, though he died, yet rose again from death. For it is not up to a man or a creature to overcome death. For as the whole creation (creatio) comes from God alone, so also no one can create life, which is also God's creation, except God alone. It follows that Christ is true God, since he creates life and devours death. Therefore, he here expressly calls him God and describes him as being God and man, and God by nature, and Lord of death, who overcame death in himself for all of us, since death could not hold him, as Peter says [Acts 2:24], because otherwise he would have held the divine person, who is composed (but the sophists forbid that one should speak in this way) or united from two natures, so that he constitutes One Person, who is true God and true man. If Satan had devoured these, he would be said to have devoured the Godhead or the divine person. But God cannot die (nescit mori), so mankind, which was united with the Godhead, could not die either.

Therefore, everything that takes hold of this divine person and everything that is attached to him will escape death, not by his own power, but by the beneficence of this divine person, as he said [John 16:33]: "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

also live." I have become a death to death and a sin to sin, as the prophets [Hos. 13:14] and the apostles [Rom. 8:3] say. That I therefore escape death, who nevertheless have become a slave to death because of sin, is the effect not of my powers, but of Christ, who gives this, since he says: I am the prince of life, the immortal person, whom death cannot overcome. Therefore join yourselves to me and cling to me, become my members: then it will come to pass that where I am, there you will be also. For we have such a King, which so reigneth, that in this life he beginneth eternal life. But as far as we are concerned, it is an imperfect kingdom, because it has only begun; it is not perfect, but will be perfect when he hands over the kingdom to the Father [1 Cor. 15:24]; then we will see God fully, face to face.

Meanwhile, while we are living here, this is the ministry of Christ, that he begins the kingdom of life and destroys the kingdom of death and sin, until he transfers his own from this misery into eternal life. It is therefore not necessary to think of Christ in the same way as either the Turks, who idly put Christ in some corner and think that Mahomet has become his successor, or the Papists, who have the opinion, which is no better by any means, that Christ is sitting idly somewhere and awaiting the day of judgment when he will flash forth against sinners. That is why they take refuge in the intercessions of the saints, invoke the Blessed Virgin and other saints. But this is to make Christ useless, which is not to be done, but to believe that he works, to believe that he rules, fights, has a chair and scepter, upholds and gives justice, and does all this daily with great power in the church. As we see, then, that the Scriptures are treated and interpreted, and one also lives according to them, as far as one's inherent weakness is concerned. All the words that are heard about Christ are that he himself does everything. Everyone who is protected against sin, against the spirits of the imagination, and against other evils, is protected by Christ, who does this in us and through us. For if he were not in us,

we could not even speak a word about him, as Paul testifies in 1 Cor. 12:3: "No one can call Jesus Lord without the Holy Spirit. Therefore Christ is not idle, as he would be if we were silent, as he is idle with the papists and other sects and the Turks, with whom he does nothing because they do not want him to rule over them. But with us he thinks, works and lives everything that is ours.

The kingdom of Christ is therefore actually that, that he reigns in this life and after this life will give righteousness and eternal life fully. This, however, he does in this way: After we have been baptized and enlightened by the gospel, and have begun to trust and cleave to this King, yet sin nevertheless remains in our flesh, and innumerable darts of the devil break forth, evil living, sects, weakness, because Christians are negligent both in works and words, and do not fight with zeal. This is where Christ's throne and ministry are most seen, that he sweeps out the old leaven and increases his kingdom, overcoming the evil that is growing. And this is the divine righteousness, which is continually increasing, that if any man fall, he may be restored; but if he will not that he be excluded, that the wrath of God be announced unto him, and the fellowship which is in Christ be denied him.

But all these things are for the increase of faith, that we may grow in the knowledge of God, and also that our bodies may be killed and preserved in chastity, patience, and other Christian virtues, and that we may fight against the hosts of sin. Now all these things are Christ's ministries. Therefore, when I rebuke and reprove men either publicly in sermons or specifically, Christ reproves. And that means to fight the ever-growing sin and to put away the sin that always clings to us and makes us sluggish, as it says in the letter to the Hebrews Cap. 12, 1. For it weighs us down and troubles us continually, as we see that Christians often fall. Sometimes I fall because of angry or hopeful thoughts, sometimes I am plagued by the devil with sadness or despair, sometimes the pope breaks down and I fall.

and the hordes with their many aversions come in and fight against me. There I oppose and resist; I punish and admonish. But who does all this? Certainly Christ, who sits on his throne and judges against the sin that grows again. This is therefore the judgment of this King, which Paul pronounces [Rom. 6:12]: "Let not sin reign in your mortal body, but reign over its lusts." For just as no city ever has such obedient and good citizens that it does not need judgments and authorities, so with Christians there are always hidden in the flesh and in the emotions of the soul the remnants of anger, pride, unchastity, etc. which strive to raise their heads and continue to challenge us. The word is necessary that you read the word, hear it, mean it, go into your closet, bend your knees and pray. This means first to put down the sin that grows again, which fights against us and takes us captive.

Therefore, it is necessary for a Christian to fight against it in such a way. If we do not resist in this way, but are idle and do not punish ourselves or others, we cannot tell whether we believe in truth or not. But this is the sign that Christ is exercising judgment among us and is strong among us, that the voice of punishment and rebuke is still heard, the voice of rebuke against the devil, the voice by which the sects are scourged and beaten, by which the offenses are restrained and punished. These flashes come from the throne of Christ, and are certain signs that Christ is there and is judging. But faith and the other fruits of faith grow through this judgment that Christ exercises in us.

Therefore, learn to open your eyes and to know the church and to believe that it is holy. For all wise people today are offended by this figure of the church. Because reason hears that the church is holy and without blemish, it thinks that Christians are without blemish. And of course, even Christians can hardly overcome the ailments in which they sometimes find themselves, and they also draw the conclusion from their works:

You are not so pure from sins, so you are not a Christian. Therefore, one must certainly determine here what is "holy". For the church is not called holy because it has no sin at all, for Paul says [Rom. 6:12.], "Let not sin reign," namely, "render obedience to it." He confesses that there is sin and evil desire in Christians, and exhorts that they not let sin reign. Therefore, the church is holy and is called holy according to her firstfruits, not according to her tithes and abundance. She is holy by faith in the name of Christ, in which she has purity; in herself she has not the same, but for His name's sake she is holy. For sins are hidden in the saints, but still sins that are made servants, not those that reign, which, to be sure, sometimes burst forth, so that they are moved by impatience, sadness, despair etc. These are the lusts of sin, but not their dominion. For although they oppress me, I nevertheless take hold of Christ and trample underfoot this impatience and sadness and keep the remnants of sin in check.

The church is therefore holy in its head Christ, and it is pure in the name of Christ, but it is not holy and pure in itself, and in hidden and murmuring sins, as wild beasts bound with fetters, murmur and desire to harm. For our sin is bound and imprisoned with bands; though it would gladly be loosed from the bands and be free, yet it must be resisted. When the devil wants to plunge you into sadness and take away your faith, rise up in faith, and say to him, "Lift yourself up, Satan, and be silent; my Christ lives. So, when the sects stir up trouble, say: Be silent, here is the word of God, which you will not overthrow etc.

Therefore, one must recognize and believe that the church is holy, but one should not see it as holy, because the article of faith says: "I believe a holy church", not: "I see a holy church". Now, if you want to judge by sight, you will see that it is sinful, you will see that it has many and innumerable aversions, you will see brethren who have passions about them, and you will see that the church is holy.

(fratres passionatos, as they are called), that one is moved by impatience, another by anger, another in some other way. Therefore it is not written: I see a holy church, but, "I believe," because it has not a righteousness of its own from itself, but from Christ who is its head, and in this faith I perceive its holiness, which is a holiness that must be believed, which cannot be grasped or seen with hands.

But I say this in so many words for the sake of comfort against certain people who, when they see even a small bruise on our body, make it extraordinarily high: Behold, these are the fruits of the gospel, and the like, while meanwhile they themselves are utterly leprous. They do not see and do not care about the dangerous boils and sores they are full of, and they do not blame us for the slightest thing. They say: Is it not necessary to punish these Christians, in whom no particular holiness is evident? They eat, drink, dress and work like other people etc. Yes, indeed, you should be able to see with your impure eyes the true holiness of the church! But even if you cannot see anything else, you can see this, that there is not such a bitter spitefulness among them as among the adversaries, and moreover they have the pure word. They handle it diligently, comfort each other with the word of Christ, and perform other Christian duties, which you do not see, nor are you worthy to see, because the right fruits and the certain signs of the church are hidden from your eyes, which know how to correct very small infirmities, but do not see the great miraculous deeds, which the church performs. For is it not a great wonder that I can teach the word, but another can hear it, and that while the devil will not suffer it, and opposes it? But they are not worthy that they should see it.

Therefore know that the church is holy, but in such a way that Christ may do right, that he may reprove the faithful by taking away sins and condemning them. For there is sin in the flesh, seeking dominion over the spirit. The small

The lust of sin would like to reign and have faith extinguished; unchastity would also like to reign in the flesh of a young man when he has seen a beautiful girl: but Christians do not obey it. Though they are tickled by sin, yet they keep their evil lust in check, do not perform fornication, or seek to break marriage. They feel the vices, but do not give dominion to the evil desire. But you wanted them to have no sin at all. But this is because you do not know that the holiness of the church consists in this, that it is written here that Christ is judge and sits on his throne, that he fights out the sins, that he resists, so that aversions do not creep in, so that our conscience does not overwhelm us, so that our faith is not endangered by despair, but that the fruits of the spirit, patience, love etc. increase.

But these fruits will never be perfect, because we always feel flesh and blood in us. Therefore, it is necessary to purify from day to day, and to increase the firstfruits that we received in baptism, and thus to strive for perfection. But this is impossible if we do not struggle daily with the devil, the law and sin. We would like to be pure, but because this is impossible in this flesh, Christ is there and eradicates sin. Then the devil returns and challenges us again. Now Christ is with us anew and brings us help. Thus, where Christ is, these vices are not committed, although they are felt in the flesh, and adultery, theft, strife are not tolerated with us, but are punished more severely than anywhere else. So our King is with us, judging us with measure, not with wrath [Jer. 10:24], in such a way as to subdue and extinguish the remnants of sin that dwell in our flesh.

The scepter of your realm is a straight scepter.

So far we have heard that the prophet distinguishes this kingdom of Christ according to all circumstances and parts from all other kingdoms of the world, so that in no way will a kingdom be found in the world that is equal to this one

be. But if there is any resemblance, it is hardly in mere words and a faint shadow or outward appearance. But as far as the essential (potiorem) part is concerned, everything is quite different, because this kingdom is an eternal and spiritual one, which is ruled by one person, who is both God and man, mortal and immortal, who has passed from this life into another, and rules for life against death, for righteousness against sin, for blessedness against damnation. But as all that has been said here is such that it belongs to no other kingdom, except in a faint shadow, so there is no other king who lives forever, but they live only for a time, and others follow them. So also that which follows, namely the staff (virga) or the straight scepter, belongs only to the kingdom of Christ. But the staff means a scepter, the badge of a king. For as the crown signifies the power and government of the kingdom, so the scepter signifies the law, the laws, the wisdom which governs the kingdom. But the scepter of this kingdom is praised with special praise, that it is straight, not crooked or full of knots, that is, that it does injustice to no one, but executes justice in the most exact way (in ipso puncto mathematico).

For as blissful and well-ordered as the other kingdoms may be, they have innumerable defects, to such an extent that it is impossible to find even one worldly regime that does not have a great many and exceedingly great sins attached to it. For they are all tainted with tyranny, unwisdom, carelessness, with all the evil lusts of honor, unchastity, revenge, avarice, so that inevitably the one who rules must do wrong to many people. Therefore the decree was given that mau should pray for the authorities [1 Tim. 2, 1. f.], because it is impossible that they rule without infirmity. Hence the philosophers also debate whether empires can be ruled without injustice, whether it is more tolerable if a government is just or unjust. But Plato and Cicero conclude that empires cannot be ruled without injustice and lies.

But in the kingdom of Christ there is no infirmity at all, there is no injustice, no unrighteousness is tolerated, not even in a dot; but this unrighteousness takes place in the kingdoms of the world, not by dots, but in great masses. For there are seen immense seas and monsters of iniquity, which cannot be prevented, even by those who rule well. For David was a holy king and ruled with God's assistance and favor, as Peter testifies in Acts [Cap. 13, 22.] that he ruled the kingdom according to God's will, and in the Books of Kings [1 Sam. 13, 14. 1 Kings 14, 8. Acts 13, 22.] God says: "I have found the man who shall do all my will." And yet he wronged many, like the poor orphan Mephibosheth [2 Sam. 16, 4. 19, 29. likewise Uriah, whom he ordered to be killed [2 Sam. 11, 15.] so that he could take his wife. And to say it briefly, it is impossible that those who are in government should not sin; neither can they do justice to all. The cause of this is that the greatness of the task (negotii) and the wickedness of the devil are too strong for their powers. It is enough, however, if they do not sin deliberately and willfully, but have the will to administer their magisterial office well. But what happens by chance differently than they would like, that is wiped out as it were with a sponge and eradicated by the forgiveness of sins. For who else would want to be used to govern a community? But we are commanded in the holy scriptures to forget and cover the sins of the rulers, and we are forbidden to see these splinters in the eyes of the rulers.

And what wonder is it that this happens to the civil authorities; we, the servants of the Word, also encounter the same. For there is none among us who could administer his office without many infirmities. Since the most praiseworthy kings of the holy people of God could not have presided over the government without sin, as David, Hezekiah and others, it is not possible that there should be anyone who would do his duty everywhere who would not

He should at times do wrong to those who have done nothing wrong, that he should not kill, rob, and rage, and should not at times display the virtues of tyrants, that he should show kindness and benevolence to the people, as Julius Caesar and others did, who were able to rage and yet, by a peculiar art, to win the hearts of the people.

This is the sum of it, that all other kings are to some extent tyrants and do not have a straight scepter; their government is not without infirmities and misdeeds and tyranny, as we see in the best kings, David and others. But Christ alone has a straight scepter in his kingdom. Why is that? Because our King has the Word of God, which is pure even to the smallest tittle (puncto mathematico). But you know that Aristotle in his ethics compares the moral things with the physical point, and not with the mathematical. A jurist who speaks law does not hit the mathematical point or the invisible; it is enough that he has hit the circumference, and the closer to the center, the better; "the 1) purpose he does not hit, is enough that he does not even overshoot the [target]." For in things that concern right and wrong (in materia morali), one must set the point two steps large, but the circumference as large as, say, a city. If one does this, one will not entirely lack the goal. For nowhere are there such laws that are without defect, and nowhere can one find such a king who ruled without injustice. But it is enough that the laws and the kings strive to hit the target, so that they do not overshoot it.

Therefore, the study of law is endless, because it strives for the physical and divisible point. Therefore it is necessary that many books of it must arise. For when any law has been given, immediately some exception presents itself, which is followed by ten others, so that they are in such a way extended into the

1) Erlanger: "the". - Purpose (purposes) - the center of the disc.

The laws cannot be brought to the mathematical and indivisible point. For cases and circumstances always arise which make the laws defective or change them. Therefore civil justice and civil laws are in themselves defective, even if men obey them. For reason cannot so comprehend the diversity of all cases that may occur that it should not be necessary to change the law. Therefore they profess with one mouth that moderation according to equity (epiikian) must be applied to the laws, "that they must be mended and lapped, and that they must be struck with oars," 2) so that the laws and civil justice are in truth, as it were, like a beggar's cloak, sewn together from various rags, which must afterwards be changed and improved, added to and taken away from, because of the diversity of cases (negotiorum).

Therefore, when the dominions and kingdoms of the world are compared in this play with the kingdom of Christ, they are nothing at all. Therefore, among the things to be praised above all, he also places this: "Your scepter is a straight scepter." For Christ's kingdom admits of no infirmity, and that for a twofold reason. First, because of the nature of the divine law, because we suffer our sins to be judged and punished. For though Christ tolerates sins in our lives, he does not tolerate them in law and doctrine; but the law is wholly pure, and kills sin altogether, leaving also nothing of circumstance or accident (accidentium), as it is said in Revelation 21:27, that nothing unclean shall enter into this Jerusalem. Secondly, because of the nature of our Head and King Christ, in whom we believe. For as far as Christ is concerned, there is nothing defective in us, but as far as we are concerned, we are wholly unclean and full of evil desire, fear of death and despair. But Christ is not of this nature, because of him it is written [Isa. 53:9, 1 Pet. 2:22], "There is no deceit found in his mouth." Therefore, if we believe in him, we will be

2) "zun Oertern einschlügen" - to dig for ore veins.

For his sake we are counted as perfectly (absolute) righteous in faith. Then, after the death of this flesh, we will attain the mathematical point of righteousness in that life and have in ourselves this perfect righteousness, which we now have, believing in Christ, only reckoned by the merit of Christ. But then, when this will be revealed in the life to come, all the tyranny of death will be over, so that no fear, no anxiety can cling to us any longer, but everything will be completely safe and sweet. But in this life we have these things under the shadow and covering of the wings of the Sun of righteousness [Mal. 4:2], and are righteous only by faith for His sake; but then shall we also be righteous in ourselves in truth.

Therefore, this is a straight scepter, because the teaching of Christ and the laws of this King are completely straight and pure, namely that we should believe in Christ and love God and our neighbor. There is no fault in this law, but in us, because we do not believe enough, do not love enough, are not strong enough in tribulation: and yet, because we are under this shadow [Ps. 17:8] of Christ, who loves God and man purely, we enjoy his benefits and are considered holy even in this life. First, there is no defect in the law, no crookedness in the scepter. For the word is pure, which promises grace and teaches to love God. This is that the scepter is straight. Secondly, there is also no fault in us, firstly, as far as our head is concerned, for Christ blots out our sins; secondly, as far as the life to come is concerned, in which the righteousness we now believe will be revealed. This is what the prophet sings about and praises in this passage, preferring this One King above all others, whether it be David or Solomon or Hezekiah. For they cannot rule their kingdoms without foolishness and conspicuous error. Thus Hezekiah foolishly boasts [2 Kings 20:3], "Oh, Lord, remember that I have walked faithfully before thee." In a foolish way he also boasts before the messengers of the king of Babylon [Isa. 39, 1. ff.]. Thus Josiah is killed because of an error [2 Chron. 35, 21. ff.]. In short, all, even the best kings

From the beginning of the world, their kingdoms have not ruled without great error and injustice.

But this is so that you may understand that the government of the world cannot be administered without sin. This is not known to some frenzied preachers and the rabble, who are easily at hand to show up the faults of princes and kings. But this is also a peculiar deception of Satan, that we see the infirmities of princes so easily and pay attention to them. Some peasant who has lived like a swine for twenty years or more, and has never paid attention to any sin of his, shows great eloquence at the slightest sin of his prince, while in the meantime he devours whole seas and forests of his own sins. Therefore, you who will one day either enter the worldly government or preside over the churches, should be prepared to say: Dear Lord God, we also have the name that we govern, and, as it is said in the common proverb, swim like horse dung among the apples, 1) when our government is compared with this straight scepter. For it is not possible to guard against all errors.

When you see these faults, do not learn to be nonsensical with the mob, but learn to excuse them (mitigare), to bear them patiently and to give them credit, especially when those who are in high places are not evil men, who do not sin with will, but like to be careful in all things, and yet they do not succeed. These we must not attack with hostility, for that would be to teach seditiously and, as Peter [2 Ep. 2, 10.] says, to blaspheme the majesties. Yes, if you can close your eyes to your infirmities and cover them up, why do you not also close your eyes to their infirmities, especially since you owe this according to God's commandment? Why do you not rather say: Of Christ's kingdom it is said: "Your scepter is a straight scepter", this is the privilege of this kingdom, which other kingdoms do not have; therefore patience is necessary in the kingdoms of the world and in the worldly regiment.

1) Xt)8 P0INÄ natarnus - We apples swim, said the horse manure, as he swam among the apples.

Nebuchadnezzar was undoubtedly a good and understanding man, but see how cruelly he makes men throw themselves to the lions! Thus Alexander, with great activity, accomplished the greatest deeds, but how did he behave toward his friends? Likewise Augustus. In short, search through all the histories, and you will see that some infirmity has been found in all of them; there is not one among them who has not often and dangerously given offense. And what wonder is it that men stumble in the government of a commonwealth, since there is no greater work in this civil life than this? Only look rightly at your house, or if you have none, take a wife and govern your house, and see if your wife, children, servants and maids do all things as you have quite rightly commanded to be done?

Therefore, only of Christ's kingdom is it said, "Thy scepter is a straight scepter." In the case of all others who are in worldly government, if they sin, those sins are taken away by the forgiveness of sins which we ask for in the holy Lord's Prayer. But though the Church has in herself wrinkles and spots, yet she is holy and without a spot in her head [Eph. 5:26 ff]. For Christ is without spot; he therefore that believeth on him is without spot also, but by faith. Then the law is also pure, the promise is pure; furthermore, we are also partly pure. Thus the scepter is straight everywhere, and the people of Christ are in no way wronged, because they are ruled by the pure word. But you should learn this diligently, that you look at both the church and the secular government according to their outward appearance, so that they are not completely pure, and you must also put on such an attitude that one must tolerate infirmities in the household, in the secular government and in the church. But he who does not want to thnn, must of course go to another world. For he is an inexperienced, vain, rustic man who neither knows nor has seen anything. If he were allowed to govern what he criticizes in others, he would govern it no more blissfully than Phaeton governed the sun, "for whom the sun could go nowhere right.

He rebuked his father's government; now that he has been admitted to the government, he would have almost brought everything to ruin. The same thing is done by those who are so inclined to judge others, as some false brethren have done among us, who are the pure asses, who understand nothing but to teach how things should be attacked, "how things should be done. But this is a minor art, which I also understand, and better than they. But to do right what is rightly commanded, to this truly belongs art. But there we usually experience that we become disgraced. Those asses don't know that, that's why they are so skilled in discrediting other people's actions.

But when judging the church, one must distinguish between this life and the life to come, and when judging the worldly regime, one must separate the laws and the life (mores), both of which are deficient, from this kingdom of Christ, which has a straight scepter. There it is enough to achieve only something, since, as he says, one cannot get any further; "one does as much as one can, but that one should make it all pure, nothing comes of it, like the young rulers who think they want to hit eleven pins, since there are only nine of them on the course". In Erfurt, I have seen some ruling in such a way that they were hanged and their heads cut off because they presumed to rule according to their thoughts (speculative) and did not know that the devil was in the world. But I say all this against the inflammatory opinions of frenzied people who know nothing but to reform and rebuke other people (as they call it). Such was Absalom, who belittled his father and stood daily by the way of the gate [2 Sam. 15, 2. ff.] I hear that your cause is bad and right, if only you had a just judge. But in my father's court nothing is done properly; I should be king. But how he succeeded, the exit has taught.

But those who want to restore a fallen person in authority should do so first by prayer to God, then by humble counsel, not with malicious gossip and secret talk in corners among rebellious people, but freely and openly. In this way, those who are in the office of the word-

They are to punish the rulers, but with modesty, so that it is done without rioting, and that they teach the people that the worldly government cannot be held or administered without sins, just as the household cannot be administered without sins; but these sins would be covered afterwards by the forgiveness of sins. But in the church, as far as the Word is concerned, there is no forgiveness of sins, but this is the mathematical point and the highest purity. For the Word is so blameless that not even the smallest letter has a defect in the Law and in the divine promises. Therefore, we must not yield to any sect, even in One Bag of Scripture, however much they may cry and slander that we injure love by holding the words so closely. For the beginning of all love is this, that the straight scepter remain. If this cannot be obtained in any other way, love must be broken, even if there is something greater, so that only the word remains pure. But if this purity of the word and the straight scepter remain standing, then I will gladly bear in love the life and infirmities of the brother. Therefore the worldly government and the church, the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the world, must be carefully distinguished, and this distinction cannot be sufficiently learned, namely, that in the worldly government we bear everything with patience and excuse it with complacency, and yet strive, as far as it can be done, that civil justice may be exercised. If this does not succeed everywhere, we should say: "To Christ alone belongs this glory, that his scepter is straight, but not to other kingdoms.

The meaning is therefore this: "Your scepter is a straight scepter", that is, You rule everything in a righteous way, because You rule through the Word, which must be the highest straightness and righteousness. Therefore, all our sins here are condemned to the very last jot, but still condemned in such a way that God intends to cleanse them completely through the forgiveness of sins and finally eradicate them through death, for Christ's sake. If I look at Him in faith as having taken away all my sins through His death, then God also declares

I am righteous and pure for the sake of my head. For the sake of Christ, who is pure in the purest way. So then the church is also pure, even though it is in itself full of sins. If then thou seest other things, namely, that the evil desires are hot, faintheartedness, sadness, carelessness in word, then thou shalt say: The church is unclean in itself, as far as the old man is concerned, but it is cleansed by the scepter; this scepter kills the old man daily. Therefore, even if we die and are buried and burned with fire on the last day, we will rise pure, just as our scepter is pure. Now we are not yet, but are made so, and, as the Aristotelians speak, we are saints in becoming (in fieri sancti), but not yet saints in becoming (in facto esse). But now he will interpret this scepter even further according to his usage.

V. 8. You love righteousness and hate ungodliness.

This is the custom of the scepter. But even this cannot be found in the scepter of the world. For there is the law, which says, "Require them to come in" [Luc. 14:23]. It is indeed written [Ps. 2, 10. f.]: Love righteousness, ye judges of the earth, but this is not found perfect in any heart, not even among Christians, for there remains in us from Adam the verse opposite to this, namely: Thou hateest righteousness, and lovest ungodliness. And yet, if we are Christians, we too are called lovers of righteousness, because we have begun to love him piecemeal; but yet much more, indeed, quite actually because we believe in him who in truth loves righteousness, and in truth hates ungodliness. We have come this far. But apart from Christ there is nothing but loving unrighteousness and not hating ungodliness. For even in the heart of the godly there remains distrust, terror and fear of death, judgment and the wrath of God; pure faith is not there, which in truth trusts in Christ; although it is in the process of becoming, it is not yet in the process of becoming.

But much more this, that the love for the

The kingdom of God has seen that righteousness and hatred of ungodliness are not there when we go out into the common life of men. Show me any king who loves justice. For all of them are driven to the administration of justice either by ambition or by some other futile cause; indeed, they usually persecute the righteous, and keep company with the wicked and favor them, so that the courts of princes might in truth be called the devil's chair and throne, where there are almost as many devils as courtiers. Now this is called loving righteousness. But they are held more out of necessity than out of good will, and those are very rare who would be kings for the sake of righteousness itself; but all love the ungodly and hate righteousness. But in Christ's kingdom, there one loves justice completely.

But the word "righteousness" must be taken in a general way, so that righteousness is believing in Jesus Christ and loving God and one's neighbor, that is, that one understands it at the same time from the righteousness of faith and works, serving God and one's neighbor in stewardship and in worldly government and in all the other duties that God commands. This righteousness, both that of faith and that of works, is governed by the scepter, and he loves it, "he has air to it." we all hate them by nature, because I would rather have a gracious GOtt without faith, by my merit, and I often dispute with myself about this matter, because it seems exceedingly hard to me to be so attached to invisible things and to esteem them so great, that I should be happy and comforted in them, even though I do not see or hear them, yes, even though they are nothing at all according to reason, and that I should let myself be killed and leave everything, just so that I may have Christ. But he who has not experienced this thinks that it is easy to believe. But I often grumble against this righteousness and love ungodly things, that is, I do not believe that I am pleasing to God by grace, without any work that I have done, and I have a horror of God's judgment, I grumble and am impatient when God chastises me; so I love what is repugnant to God. But this

Christ does not do this, but loved righteousness with a pure love, and did all this for us, and now that he is seated in his kingdom, he is anxious to instill in us hatred for the ungodly, so that we may be righteous according to his example. In the meantime, this righteousness is implanted daily through the Word, and God sustains us and considers us to be people who love righteousness for the sake of Christ.

So this is also a new difference in which the kingdom of Christ differs from the kingdoms of the world, where the hatred of righteousness takes place even when everything is at its best. But in the kingdom of Christ there is true love of righteousness, because the word is pure, which suffers no jesting; but teaches the very pure faith, and reminds one to flee from vice. Therefore the doctrine leaves not one little stick [of infirmity], which we ought not to punish and condemn. But this the civil laws and courts do not do, but tolerate enormous beams of sins and infirmities. But in our doctrine nothing goes unpunished, and though we condone what we punish, yet we admonish, Thou doest wickedly, that thou troubleest thyself, and meanwhile forgettest Christ; yet will I bear thy infirmities. Although I tolerate sins in this way, I do not justify them, but improve them, and this is proper to the kingdom of Christ.

Therefore, wherever the word is, Christ leads the matter in such a way that he hates the ungodly being, as he hated it then when he lived among the Jews. For we see how he everywhere attacks the Pharisees out of love for righteousness and hatred for the ungodly being, otherwise they would not have handed him over to Caiaphas. For the more holy and pure they want to be, the more he makes them unclean and shameful by punishing their sins, which they did not see, because he loves righteousness and cannot stand the ungodly nature with which they stained all their works. But this he does until they say: "You are a Samaritan and have the devil", and procure that he is put on the cross. So also we, when we suffered the abomination of the Pabst, and the thievery of the

If we had the courage of the peasants and the courage of the nobles, they would love us; but because we punish everything freely, they hate us bitterly and are after our lives.

Therefore your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness, more than your companions.

This is added because of necessity. For when we begin to love righteousness, Satan is there, persecuting us in many ways with sword, fire, water, and all kinds of tortures, and in truth drenching us with vinegar and gall, like Christ on the cross. Moreover, the world also hates and persecutes us to the utmost because we punish them for sin. If we were to turn a blind eye to its sins, it would love us, as Christ says: "If you were of the world, the world would love you; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you," and because you persist in punishing the vices of men, you shall have this as a reward, that the world persecutes you, watering you with gall and vinegar, until it finally crucifies you. But what does God do about it? He will anoint you with the oil of gladness, that is, he will comfort you afterward 1) and will raise you up against the world and all dangers. Many other passages are of the same kind, as Ps. 16, 11. [Vulg.]: "Thou wilt fill me with joy with thy countenance," and Ps. 8, 6.: "With honor and adornment thou wilt crown him." There he indicates that eternal glory is recompensed to Christ for the cross which he endured out of love for righteousness and because of hatred for the ungodly being. It is therefore a very comforting verse that we should be sure that our suffering will be followed by glory. For in such a way Peter also connects these two pieces, 1 Pet. 1, 11.: "The Spirit of Christ hath testified the sufferings before, which are in Christ, and the glory after." But though He instills joy in our hearts even at this time, yet when it shall be revealed, we shall be completely filled with joy.

It is a Hebrew way of speaking that he calls it "oil of gladness." For this was a

1) üino is in the Erlanger, but is missing in the Wittenberger and in the Jenaer.

It was the custom of this people to dress more gloriously on feast days and also to anoint themselves, as Christ indicates Matth. 6, 16. f.: "When you fast, you shall not look sour, as the hypocrites do, but anoint your head and wash your face" etc. This is not the custom with us nowadays; but they used to anoint themselves at the time of joy, and called it a balm of feast, of gladness, of glory. But we do not have balsamic oil with which the body is anointed, but the oil of the Holy Spirit, which He pours out on our hearts, and also aligns us in this life. Thus we read in the Gospel that Christ once rejoiced in spirit [Luc. 10:21] and was glad. That was the anointing of the Holy Spirit, of which he says here. But after this life he was anointed in such a way that he can never be grieved for eternity.

I do not disapprove of the translation: "more than your companions" (prae consortibus) to indicate a preference, although it can also be translated: for the sake of your companions (propter consortes tuos). Whichever you take, however, it is a great comfort that the prophet says that Christ was thus translated into joy and glory, that he might have companions, so that the very scepter might not belong to him alone, but that he might have companions and associates who would share in this oil and joy. Therefore, it must be noted that all that Christ has is common and is shared with his companions who believe in him. They have the same love of righteousness, the same hatred of the ungodly, the same oil of joy, but yet in such a way that we do not transfer anything to Christ, but that we receive everything from him, as the text says [John 1:16]: "Of his fullness we have all received." In such a way, therefore, is this Head [Christ] instituted, that it is necessary that he should have members and fellows, for whose sake he is such, and is thus described. But this is our comfort, that we may not think that Christ is an idle king, who was raised and glorified only for his own sake, but that we may learn that he is the fountain of righteousness, and the head of truth, of life, and of all goods, and the fountain in such a way that he may give to them the

Life to those who are destined to die, and righteousness to those who are laden with sins etc. Therefore the text says: "more than your companions" or: for the sake of your companions, that is, those who belong to him.

Therefore, here is a glorious painting of our King JEsu Christ, that he sits on the throne to do justice, to exercise and sanctify Christians, so that they may grow more and more in faith and righteousness of works day by day, so that they may be more cleansed from sins, so that evil desire may be lessened, sadness diminished, despair cease etc., and all this by the scepter, as he expressly added, because the scribes ridicule the oral word and the preaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. This you do not do, but follow the reputation of the Holy Spirit, who calls the word with a glorious title "a straight scepter". For it is the standard and panier which he has set up among the Gentiles. For Christ did not want to be visibly seized by us. Therefore he has given his scepter, which we are to take heed to, which we are to hear, through which the Holy Spirit works powerfully. If we have this scepter, we have enough, because he does not want to give anything by visible splendor and outward appearance of the kingdom, but offers his scepter, through which he communicates all his goods to us. Now he goes on to other descriptions of the person.

V. 9. Your garments are vain myrrh, aloes and kezia, when you come out of the ivory palaces, in your beautiful splendor.

I have often said that it is a very worldly description of the king, how he fights against his enemies and conquers, after that how he judges and administers his justice at home to his own, killing the flesh and giving life to the spirit, and works that they grow in his knowledge from day to day, as Peter [2 Ep. 3, 18] says. For this doctrine is not learned all at once, nor can it be grasped by speculative thought, but it must be learned by daily practice in the midst of the trials of the world,

of the devil, of the flesh, in despair, in mistrust and countless other horrible things, and without these exercises it cannot be held fast. Therefore, foolish people who, after reading a page or two of the Scriptures and hearing a sermon or two, think that they have learned this doctrine at once, while they see that this cannot happen in other lesser arts, that we become masters at once; but much less can it happen in this greatest of all doctrines, that we trust in God with all our hearts and despise all the dangers of the world, death and the devil. This cannot be learned in one day, but requires experience (usus) and a great deal of practice and a special gift from God. Now, however, the prophet will also add something about the clothing and the splendor at home.

The Hebrew text here is somewhat different [from that of the Vulgate, which reads, Myrrha et gutta et casia a vestimentis tuis, a domibus eburneis], namely, "Myrrh and aloes and kezia are all thy garments when thou comest forth from the ivory palaces." But you see that the prophet continues in this image of a temporal or worldly king. For in the world it happens in such a way, and indeed necessarily, that the kings and princes shine before the common people with special ceremonies, splendor and clothes, and rightly so, because they must dress more splendidly to distinguish themselves from the other classes. This figurative speech is very useful and necessary for us, because we can see the opposite before our eyes. Therefore it is necessary that this kingdom be painted and adorned by the Holy Spirit with such splendor in figurative speech, so that faith can stand, even though it looks quite different. For if you consult your senses, they will judge just the opposite. For the church is not a stench of life in the world, but a stench of death to death and shame. There is no light, but cross, weakness, despair; inward trembling, outward the sword. This is the adornment, this is the form of the church, if you look at it according to the outward appearance, namely a form of death and hell; there-.

The form of the world is a pleasure garden of glory and joy. Then also the reputation of the church is this, that its members are destroyers and corrupters of the worldly regime and of all respectable life, rebels, heretics, children of the devil, who were sent into this world from the midst of hell.

Against this abominable appearance and these frightful aversions, this praise of the Holy Spirit is needed, that the church may be fragrant with myrrh and aloes and kezia, because it is blasphemed and blasphemed beyond measure, and all that is the church is cursed. Therefore, this verse is extraordinarily spiritual in that it says, "All your garments are myrrh" etc. But these fragrances (aromata) are unknown to us. Therefore, I do not know if they are translated correctly by us, but it is certain that it is something of the kind that serves to preserve the clothes and to make the clothes fragrant. In any case, we have only myrrh. However, the first myrrh, which flows out by itself without any cuts being made in the tree, is called myrrh oil (stacten); this has an extraordinary power against rot. According to it, mau is also used to make incisions in the trees. About the aloe one doubts, because in all languages the words, which designate things (vocabula rerum), are almost lost. But about the Kezia I cannot say anything for sure; they say that it is the Cassia, but it is unknown to us. Therefore, it is sufficient to maintain in general that they are spicy things (aromata) that serve to anoint the body and the clothes, as well as the balsam, which is omitted here, about which I wonder.

This is the summa: When the kings walk along in splendor, they have this splendor, and rightly so, that they step along, dressed in delicious and fragrant clothes, which are doused with the most precious ointment, as with us some use rose or lavender water. But those regions have an abundance of the best perfumes, as in Moses [Ex. 30, 22. ff.] commanded to make the anointing oil, likewise of the incense, which they were to use in the temple, and it was forbidden to make it for priests.

vate use. But one anointed with this anointing oil the garments of the priests, as it is said Ps. 133, 2.: "Like the delicious balsam that flows down into his garment." Because in our way we have not this custom, when we hear the word ointment we think of the ointments of the surgeons of wounds, but it denotes the very noblest liquids, as the balsam is, and with us the rose water, the spikenard water etc., which they used on solemn occasions, so that wherever the high priest went, he filled everything with the sweetest odor; as we read of Christ, when the woman poured the precious nard on his head, that the whole house was filled with the exceedingly sweet odor of the ointment, John 12:3. And this was generally the custom of all the Orient, that they used ointments at ceremonies and festivities, with which they poured the garments and utensils. We are more fond of gold and silk ornaments, so we have to pay attention to their customs. The sum of this passage is that the King Christ should go forth in his native splendor, doused with the noblest ointments, so that wherever he goes, he may fill everything with the sweetest odor.

When you step out of the ivory palaces, in your beautiful splendor.

This is the description of a royal splendor, where one sees the crown, shining clothes and the exceedingly lovely and beautiful dwellings made of ivory. Of the same kind, he says, is the splendor of our King Christ. But here faith is required, without which one cannot hold that Christ's kingdom is like this. Therefore, let us apply the spiritual interpretation of the worldly splendor, the fragrance and the palaces.

"Garments" in Scripture mean the adornment of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that we are clothed with various gifts, as 1 Cor. 12:8 and Rom. 12:6 are written, "To one is given by the Spirit to speak wisdom," to others another gift. For the gifts and powers are very different, but "it is One Spirit," as Paul [1 Cor. 12, 4.] clearly teaches. But these gifts occur

then come forth after we are baptized and washed from our sins through justifying faith. Then God adorns His bride and puts on her these garments, that is, faith is followed by these gifts of teaching, praying, comforting, governing, presiding and other things that pertain to the Church.

These gifts spread the most delicious odor, that is, the Christians become famous, in such a way that the neighboring nations hear this wisdom and admire this light of truth and rejoice, as Paul was a savor of life to the godly [2 Cor. 2, 15. f.]. For to those to whom he was a savor of death, we are not to be concerned. For one must teach and judge, not according to what the world judges, but according to God. What is it to me, therefore, that the peasants and nobles despise me and reproach our gifts? The time will come when they, too, will be considered insolent. For we should not depend on the judgment of the world or of the flesh, nor even on the judgment of our hearts about us, but speak thus: If I am an unworthy sinner, as my heart reproaches me, I will not believe my heart in this matter. For this matter does not depend on my will or judgment at all, but on the fact that Jesus Christ is King. I have his baptism, I believe in him, and I want to live and die in him. But what happens, all happens through his word, not through my heart, in which these high goods are low and are not respected, and before the children of men they are heretical. But I do not care what the world says, but what the Christians, what the church, what the angels, what God Himself says about me, and I respect a Christian's testimony that my teaching and also my life is praiseworthy, higher than if four worlds invent blasphemies against me. For reason also judges that it is honor and virtue to be hated by the wicked, but praise if one pleases the good. For there is no greater insult than when a wicked man praises me.

Therefore, it is not necessary to look at what the world or even our conscience says about us.

But what God, the angels and his saints judge of me, there is the right fragrance and honor. Now it is certain (no matter how much the world may rage), first of all, that I have been baptized, and secondly, that I also have the gospel; here one hears the voice of the church. I also see that life follows this word as well as possible, although this following is not perfect. I also hear that the brethren can comfort, judge all doctrine, life, morals, and everything that is only in the world. Neither a jurist, nor a physician, nor a philosopher (artista), nor any wise man can do this, that he can judge about his state (de suo vitae heuere), how it is before God, but only a Christian can certainly conclude: This life pleases God, that one does not. This wisdom is such a great treasure that nothing can be found that is equal to it in value, and even if this doctrine has no other good than that it makes consciences certain that the authorities and lawyers and other states are pleasing to God (in bono statu), nevertheless the goods of the world could not pay for this one good deed. For before this doctrine of ours came into being, there was no one who could have asserted with certainty that his estate and worldly government were pleasing to God. What, therefore, is the wisdom of the world, since it does not even know how to judge of itself what it is? But this is the least virtue of the word, that one knows that this state pleases GOtte, that one does not; and yet it has an exceedingly great fragrance. But kings and princes enjoy it for their own benefit, and turn against the gospel, as lawyers do. It will happen, however, that just as they give thanks to God for this benefit, so they will also receive the right reward for this ingratitude.

But the benefits are even greater, that with this teaching one can raise consciences and comfort a frightened person. This benefit is greater than the possession of ten kingdoms. For these cannot remove a conscience even for a moment from the peril of a single venial sin, to say nothing of mortal sins.

But a Christian is able to do this, who can certainly assure that this pleases God, if we believe that he forgives us our sins by grace through Christ for nothing. Only a Christian can teach about the forgiveness of sins, about the promise of eternal life, about the closing of hell, about the opening of heaven, about the exchange of death for life, because he has the word of God from which all this comes. But all this is disregarded because it is frequent and abundant, so that all can easily repeat the words, which is the very worst. For this is the reason that the knowledge of Christ is obscured, and the esteem and preciousness of this doctrine is lost, and the mercy and kindness of Christ are made small in our hearts, so that we also forget the benefits we have through Christ and the evils from which we are saved.

But God commands the Jews that they should not forget the good and the evil. For if one forgets evil, one also no longer remembers the good deeds. This is how it is now: because we have forgotten in how great a hell (that I say so) we have lived under the papacy, the good deeds of the Gospel are obscured in our eyes, and we do not see how great it is to firmly establish even a tortured conscience, to comfort, to instruct, to change death into life, sin into righteousness, the devil into God. This good we neglect, but the Holy Spirit would like us to esteem it great. Therefore he praises the fragrance of the garments of Christ, that his garments give off the smell of life, so that everyone who hears the gospel may receive true comfort in his heart; and when there is a sorrowful conscience, wrestling with sin and death, what can it hear more sweetly than of this smell of garments, what more pleasant than that you may hear a brother directing and comforting you swiftly and firmly? But those who are sure do not care, for them this is a smell to death, what for others is a smell to life.

Thus, St. Paul and the other apostles are also a part of this garment, spreading the smell over the whole earth, by which the godly hearts are refreshed. The

They are angry at it and say that it is the devil's dung, just as our opponents accuse our teaching of not producing anything good, but of being the devil's fiefdom. So the Jews said of Paul, "What good thing does he preach? Certainly that one should not keep the law. And, Apost. 24, 5: "We have found this man harmful, and the sedition arouses all the Jews on the whole face of the earth." So they also lied that the apostles were seditious, as happens to us today, and called them destroyers of the worldly regime and kingdoms, and people who gave free permission for all evil. What shall we do? We must suffer it, and they will be prophets unto themselves, that we are in truth to them disturbers and corrupters of kingdoms, not with the deed (effective), but because the opposite of that which they intend shall come to pass (per άντιπαρί(ττασ^). For because they persecute the word which we teach, it shall come to pass, that they shall run, and bring judgment upon themselves, that they shall perish, as it happened also unto the Jews with Christ. For they also prophesied the same thing as our adversaries today, John 11:48: "If we leave him, the Romans will come (says Caiaphas) and take our land and people." Therefore they want to prevent this and crucify Christ. But when Christ was crucified, and they thought that they had established the kingdom, the Romans came and put an end to the city and the people.

So they now think of us: if we are removed from the way, then Germany will have peace; and precisely through that, by which they want to occur their ruin, the opposite will happen, that they will perish. For today we are the ones who preserve the kingdoms, dominions, laws, and everything that is good created by God, we who teach the Word of God preserve and preserve. There is no one who has so gloriously adorned the marital state and the authorities as we have. This they see and must confess against their will, and yet they call us destroyers. Therefore it will happen that we will be destroyers for them in truth and destroyers of all things, and like Christ the kingdom of the Jews, Paul the kingdom of the Romans, the kingdom of the Jews will be destroyed.

we will overthrow Germany and the pope. Because they call the word that sustains all these things a word of disturbance, therefore Christ says, "Be it done to you as you say. For because thou thinkest that I am such, I will prove to be such. This will not be through my fault or the word's fault, but through your raging and stubbornness, which will disturb you.

Therefore, we should not be moved by them defiling with blasphemies and false accusations our exceedingly good gifts and the divine wisdom from which we have blessedness and peace. For this cannot but have an evil smell in the sight of the world, but in the sight of us who believe, it is like a garment soaked with myrrh and balsam. To us it is the sweetest smell, the most pleasant in the whole world, and the world also feels it and enjoys it, although it condemns it. The princes, who are against us, would not subject themselves to what they dare to do today, if they had not learned from us, and if we had not adorned the authorities so splendidly. And truly, Muenzer, the Anabaptists and the Sacramentarians would already have aroused greater unrest, and one would not have been able to resist them if the word had not resisted them.

All the protection both for religion against heretics and for the secular government against rebels comes from the word that sustains all these things. If then they will not cease their iniquities and their blasphemies, and continue to trample under foot Him who sustains them, when the Word is gone, their dominion will not last as it did to the Jews. As long as Christ and Paul lived, whom they called destroyers of Judaism, it was well with them; but when these were taken out of the way, Vespasianus and the Romans came as saviors and preservers of Judaism; these saved them, as we still see today. Our adversaries also want to have such saviors, and they will be granted to them. This is what the prophet says in this passage, that Christ has an exceedingly good odor, but only

with the godly. For he speaks of the gifts of Christ, which he pours out on the whole church through the Holy Spirit. For the distribution of the gifts takes place through the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit is One.

When you step out of the ivory palaces.

This is also a beautiful figurative speech and easy to understand. He only wants to open our spiritual eyes, that we should look at the church like the clothes, because according to the appearance nothing is less, nothing is more despicable. Some poor shepherd of souls is the most despised person, so much so that there is no peasant who does not think that he is, as it were, dung that he can trample underfoot, as they do. Against this low esteem the Holy Spirit fortifies us and teaches us that we should judge and speak of them differently than the world is wont to do: If he has the word of God, if he teaches Christ, then he is a noble and precious stone, he is like a diamond or an emerald in the eyes of God, because the word of God is an inestimable gift, which God values and holds in such high esteem that he regards heaven and earth, the sun, moon and stars as nothing compared to the word. For through this word everything was created and everything will be created.

Therefore, a priest who has God's word is more gloriously adorned than the sun and the stars, as Daniel also says, Cap. 12, 3: "Those who point many to righteousness will shine like the stars." This is true in the eyes of God, and of holy angels, and of holy men. And St. John the Baptist, Peter and Paul say that he is more beautiful than all the stars; but the world despises him as a useless man. Here one must open the spiritual eye and speak to such despisers: You are a sow. If you eat me, I am eaten. But nevertheless, because I believe in Jesus Christ, I have one who will place me in glory. For my glory and my garments are in the Lord, who is called Christ. Therefore, if you despise me and do not consider me worthy to look at, so be it, I do not care; it is more pleasing to me if the

The angel Gabriel looks at me for a moment with a joyful face, as if ten kings turned their eyes on me and kissed me. But now, not only Gabriel and the other angels look at me as a precious stone, because I teach the word of God, but they also praise me and marvel at me; that is enough for me.

This is what he calls ivory palaces. For the Holy Spirit chooses the name of an exceedingly delicious substance. For ivory is known to be solid, white and durable. Therefore, buildings made of ivory are undoubtedly the most beautiful and excellent. However, ivory buildings are often mentioned elsewhere. Now, even if it has not been ivory through and through, it has been another precious material, so that in a figurative speech it is called an ivory house. So he says: Our King Christ has palaces which are not made of clay, wood and straw, as they are built among us, but of ivory. But who is he who should believe that the church at Wittenberg, Kemberg, and others, where baptism and the Word are, is an ivory palace in the eyes of God? And yet it is in truth so, because baptism is not in vain; so also neither the Word, nor the government of the church, nor the consolation of the afflicted is something void. Now, if you were to look at the outward appearance, what can you see here in Wittenberg that is so beautiful? You see nothing splendid about the church, the city is really made of clay, and yet it is an ivory palace of Christ. So also the smallest village, in which there is a priest and some believers, is an ivory palace. But to see it, other than carnal eyes are needed. For this preciousness is not estimated according to the outward appearance or the judgment of the five senses and reason, not according to the laws, not according to the arts or philosophy, but according to the word of God, that there is the Word, baptism, the Lord's Supper, God's government, consolation of consciences, fear of God, trust in God, waiting on God, following Christ etc. These things must be looked at; if you see them anywhere, do not let the appearance or anything

But do not move anything else, but make the conclusion par excellence: Here is Christ in ivory palaces, here Christ dwells. Although this kingdom is nothing in appearance, it is the most beautiful in the eyes of God.

Therefore, all these figurative things are written by the Holy Spirit for this reason, that He may open our spiritual eyes against the aversions of the Church, so that we may learn to look at our gifts and esteem them highly. For to this end the Holy Spirit is given, "that we may know the things which are given us of God," 1 Cor. 2:12. For the gifts of God are there, but it is a greater gift that they should be known and discerned; as it is written of a man who came by chance to the baptism of an infant. When he heard the mighty words spoken at baptism, he marveled at their power, and said, "If I knew that I too was baptized with such words, I would never be afraid of the devil. And it is true, the gifts are there, we hear the word, we see the baptism, likewise the government of the church and the driving of the church, how it is defended against the enemies, how it overcomes the devil and remains invincible against him; these gifts are present, but good to him who recognizes them. For if I could duly esteem my baptism, my preaching ministry, and my profession in the word, as well as my works that are in Christ, then no matter how great a matter, no danger could occur that I would not despise with a strong and cheerful heart.

It is therefore a gift above all gifts to have Christ and his word. But if one also recognized this and looked at those gifts in a mirror, as it were, that would be just as if a man had been resurrected and was in paradise, and in a better life than Adam had in paradise. But the devil does not allow us to recognize this completely. Therefore, when the peasants or the nobles are so ungrateful to the word and the servants of the word, we are moved and indignant, and are in such violent emotion that we forget about our gifts, whereas we should say: "What is it about a sack full of angry princes, kings, Turkish emperors, yes.

for a sackful of devils?" What is it, if the princes are also ungracious to us, and the kings rage? What is persecution, if you see here that Christ is yours, who is the Son of God, whose word and baptism we have and see? Likewise, when you look at the fruits and effects of the Word, the consolation of consciences, the keys of Christ with which you can open heaven and shut hell? But for this you need the Holy Spirit, so that you can see these gifts, and this psalm does this by painting before our eyes the greatness of the matter and these priceless gifts. In this way, Wittenberg and all other churches are the most beautiful castles and palaces in which Christ dwells and reigns.

In your beautiful splendor.

The Hebrew text connects this piece with the previous one: When thou comest forth from the ivory palaces which make thee glad, that is, that smell and the palaces make thee glad, and delight thee and the people, but only those who have open and spiritual eyes. But according to the judgment of the world and outward appearances, the opposite is true, for there the church is called a beggar's flock, so that there is no more miserable stable than the church. Thus, in the eyes of our adversaries, no band of robbers is as evil as our Wittenberg church; if they could destroy it from the ground up, they would think they were doing God a service. Blessed, therefore, is he who recognizes it rightly. For whoever can look at the church, the pastor, the brother in such a way that he is baptized and has the gifts of the Gospel and of faith, looks at heaven and paradise. Therefore, turn your eyes to these things and learn to recognize and appreciate them; but despise everything else in comparison, so that you say, "The power of the world, gold, silver, splendor, and even life itself are nothing compared to these gifts, so that you consider what the world considers to be the greatest and most precious to be the least and most contemptible.

This, then, is this figurative speech and the prize of our king, of his wisdom, power, prosperity, happiness, victory, and all the virtues of his kingdom, and that of an eternal rei-

ches, both at the time of peace and war. Now follows almost the last part of this praise, of the queen. For it is fitting that such a king, who has such power and glory, so many palaces and riches, should also have a queen and beget children, so that he is not alone. Therefore, until the end, he will deal with the fertility and the quantity of the offspring. Therefore he gives him two queens as wives, one the church of the Jews, the other the church of the Gentiles, and describes their offspring very gloriously. And as he has hitherto beautifully equipped the king with weapons, power and splendor, so he also sets forth the queen to have sons and daughters, which is a very great gift and blessing from God. For barrenness was cursed under the law, and God, out of special counsel, created man in the beginning to beget children, saying [Gen. 2:18]: "It is not good that man should be alone. Thus, in the eyes of the Majesty it was considered a precious gift that the human race should multiply. Therefore, God did not create man without special counsel, like the unreasonable animals, but the Scripture says that God consulted with Himself and granted man a spouse, so that man might multiply and be blessed in childbearing.

V. 10. In your adornment go the daughters of kings; the bride stands at your right hand in the most precious gold. 1)

Thus the Hebrew text divides the verse, and it does not say deaurato, but: of solid and the noblest gold from Ophir. Thus he paints here the bride, the wedding and the women's room. For this refers to the wedding, that he says that the invited daughters of the kings are there, and all walk along in the king's adornment, "in the king's color", because this is what the word "adornment" means for the Hebrews. But I take "the kings' daughters" simply according to the letter, because the gospel does not only call the yeast of men, as it is 1 Cor. 1, 26. 27,

1) Vulgata: Filiae regum in honore tuo. Astitit regina a dextris tuis in vestitu deaurato: circumdata varietate.

but also the nobles and heads of the world; and although not many mighty men believe the gospel, yet not only poor and lowly people, but also some princes are called and come to faith. For not all the rich and powerful are of the devil, but God also has a portion of the princes. Therefore we take "the daughters of kings" according to the letter as the queens who are converted to this king. But the image is taken from the court of Solomon, who had in his women's room the daughters of the neighboring kings of Ammon, Moab etc., who also finally turned his heart. For the good prince was all too familiar with them.

Now if someone likes the secret interpretation better, he may follow it, so that he calls people of very low rank queens, who have crowns on their heads, as the church is depicted in the Revelation of St. John [Cap. 5, 8.ff.], that every soul is a king's daughter, because faith in Jesus Christ is a crown. The harps in the hands are the preaching by which Christ is praised in the whole church, so that every preacher is a harpist of God [Rev. 14:2]. So they have incense, which is, prayer. For these two pieces are the chiefest in the church, preaching and prayer, which are our sacrifices and services properly due to God, and by which we become priests. So I could also take the queens according to spiritual interpretation, but I will not do it. I take them simply as the word reads, because kings also bow down and bend their necks under the yoke of the gospel, that I say so, although it is not a yoke, if one wants to speak actually. For many rich and noble people have adhered to Christ, even some noble women, who are often more ardent than men, like St. Anastasia, who alone seems to have had a hundred hearts. For although they are by nature the weaker sex, they sometimes do marvelous things when inflamed by the Holy Spirit. Thus Mary Magdalene had a stronger courage than Peter. Hence the meaning: Christ's kingdom will become so vast and glorious that even the daughters of kings will be converted to the faith.

In your jewelry.

In these words there is a great power, as if he wanted to say: They will leave their adornment and their honor; they will not boast of their princely clothes, but they will be clothed with new gold and new clothes, namely more heavenly and more Christian. Therefore the word "your" must be taken in the opposite sense, as if he wanted to say: not in theirs. But what are the garments of Christ? For he hath not where to lay his head, neither hath he in all the earth a space of one foot wide to be said to be his, whereon he may die, but dieth high in the air. Therefore it is another adornment than that of the world, namely the crown of faith, with which the head of Christians is adorned, as it were with the most beautiful gold, then also with love, hope, patience and other gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are the garments of Christ, in which also the daughters of kings walk, adorned with faith, having judgment over all things, even having God Himself and His precious stones.

The daughters of kings can be taken according to spiritual interpretation also for the churches, and for every soul in particular. But I avoid the secret interpretations, because the interpretation by secret interpretations is not safe, but mostly subtracts from the truth and simplicity of faith. This is what the prophet said about the girls and the women's room, which are most beautifully adorned with faith, Christ, the Holy Spirit and all His gifts. Now he also presents the bride:

The bride is standing at your right hand in precious gold.

The queen, his wife, he calls the bride; she stands all in gold, as it were. This bride is the church and the whole body, especially that which is taken from the synagogue, because Paul and the other apostles converted many cities and nations, among whom were also princes and kings. This is how Sergius was converted [Acts 13:7]. But One is the Bride, who is gathered out of all these members of kings, princes, the weak, the poor, virgins, married couples, and out of all these

420 xvm, 2v8-:2w. Interpretation of the 45th Psalm. Ps. 45, 10. w. v, s92-sss. 421

One bride, the church. This is generally used, that Christ is called the bridegroom and the church the bride, as in Eph. 5:23 and other passages. For through baptism and the word of the gospel he calls them, and adorns and clothes them with mercy, grace and forgiveness of sins. This is it that he says, "She is at thy right hand." It is a glorious prize, and so it is fitting that no one should be closer to the Bridegroom than the very Bride. This is the highest of all, that the church has all that is Christ's, and of both has become One Body, so that what the church has is Christ's, and again what is Christ's belongs to the church. But this is too great to be stated in human speech, or even to be grasped by our hearts.

But this is modeled in a small way in marriage, where the highest love of the bridegroom towards the bride is One Faith, One Body and One Heart. But between Christ and the Church is the matter itself, while in the physical marriage is only the prestige and the model of this spiritual marriage, where Christ is the Bridegroom, and gives to the Church all that He has. This, therefore, is the pride of the Church, that we may boast, not in our wisdom and righteousness, but in the righteousness and wisdom of our Bridegroom Christ, and all that He Himself has. For in bodily marriage, when the man and the woman are joined together, One Body, the goods become common, the children and everything together. The wife is as much the mistress of the man's goods as the man himself, and differs in nothing from the man, except that the man is the master of the woman. But with regard to the other things that are not the man's, the woman is the mistress of everything, just as the man is. Thus the church recognizes Christ as her Lord, and in regard to other people she says of all the gifts of her bridegroom: This is mine. When sin opposes this, it takes hold of the righteousness of Christ, her bridegroom, and says: "I have the righteousness of my bridegroom, which is mine; therefore keep silent. In the same way, when the devil opposes and wants to frighten, she turns her gaze to the bridegroom and says to the devil: "If I am not your bridegroom, I will be your bridegroom.

If you find sin in me, you will find no sin in Christ, who is mine; therefore let me be content. So when sadness afflicts her, she says: In my bridegroom is life, grace, peace, joy, blessedness; these things are mine, because Christ is mine; why then dost thou terrify me? Thus, she is an exceedingly powerful mistress and queen over death, sin, terror, and all that is of partial rock, and possesses life, righteousness, grace, and blessedness in Christ as a queen with the fullest right.

But because this is something common, that Christ is the bridegroom of the church, it is therefore also despised, and it has come about that bishops, popes, priests have called themselves the bridegrooms of the church, which not even St. John the Baptist dared to say about himself, but he only calls himself the friend of the bridegroom. Therefore, the pope and the bishops, even if they are godly, are not bridegrooms, but only friends and servants of the bridegroom. For One is the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, who gives everything to this Bride. Therefore, the devil has brought up these designations of the pope and the bishops in order to obscure these exceedingly sweet words for us. Because they are in everyone's mouth and in constant use, they are despised. But if they were well mined and made important, by considering them, speaking of them, and believing them, they would bring the highest consolation, because the forgiveness of sins and the whole treasure of divine mercy could not be more gloriously painted and displayed than by calling the church the bride of Christ. For it follows from this painting that the Bride has all that is Christ's. But what does Christ have? Of course, eternal righteousness, wisdom, power, truth, life, joy, grace; therefore, the Church is the Mistress and Queen of mercy, life, blessedness, and all things.

Therefore, what they sang of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the churches would more properly be sung by the Church and should be sung by her, namely, that the Church reigns over death, sin, hell, the devil, over all terrors and evils caused by the devils and men

heredity; not by her strength or her merits, but of her bridegroom Christ, who has put all these exceedingly beautiful ornaments around her neck, who has trodden death underfoot for her, given her life, and redeemed her from all peril by his blood. Therefore she has all these things from her bridegroom, and rightly says to the heretics, Mine is wisdom; to the Gentiles: Mine is righteousness; to the Jews, Mine is the worship of God; to death, Mine is life; to sin: Mine is the forgiveness of sins; to the law, Mine is liberty; to terror: Mine is peace and joy, not by myself or by my strength, but by JEsum Christ my Bridegroom. This is the exceedingly beautiful change, that the church, which is wretched in the eyes of men, is so adorned in the eyes of God.

For if one looks at the outward appearance, there is no heretic who does not surpass her in wisdom, no devil so weak who does not surpass her in power, no sin so small that it should not worry her and plunge her into sadness. Thus she is frightened by death and other evils, so that it appears from the outward appearance as if she were the devil's bride, who has nothing in common with Christ, but is forsaken by him. Therefore, we must get used to this, and lift our hearts upward, and not judge according to what we feel. For if we do this, we perish, because we still feel in ourselves many sins and terrors in the flesh and arrows of the devil. I am often angry, I am often negligent in teaching and praying; when I see this, I am terrified.

But we must not judge according to our own judgment of ourselves. For reason concludes that anyone who has sin in him will be hated by God. I have sin, therefore I am hateful before God, and I fear the wrath of God. But thou shalt say, Not so; but open thine eyes, and overcome sin and the sense of sin, and say, Whether sin be in me or not, whether the sense of death be in me or not, it is nothing to me. One must climb higher, namely to my

Bridegroom, by faith in his word, and say: If there is sin, it is nothing to me, for I am forbidden to judge both myself according to my feelings and the church according to outward appearances; but I am commanded to judge according to the word of promise. But the gospel says something different and reminds me of something different from my feelings, namely that there is one who has no sin and in whose mouth there is no deceit, who has overcome death, the world and sin in himself and says [John 16:33]: "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world", sin shall no longer have dominion over you [Romans 6:12], and similar sayings in the holy scriptures. This alone I know, and I also know this, that he has become a bridegroom and has shared everything he has with his bride, the church. I am a part of his church. For I have certain marks and pledges, namely baptism, the gospel, the Lord's Supper, which testify that I am a member of Christ etc.

This is a great comfort, and a realization that cannot be understood as quickly as I would like. For if we could fully comprehend it, we would never feel any sense of death or sin. But the lack that we do not fully understand this makes our conscience torment us, the dangers frighten us, the remembrance of death and the tribulations frighten us. This lack lies in our grasping, it does not lie with Christ. Just as a person who has fallen into a river grasps the branch of a tree to keep himself afloat, though with difficulty, so that he will not perish, so we also grasp Christ with weak faith in the midst of sins, death and anguish. And yet, however little faith may be, it sustains us, and prevails over death, and tramples the devil and all things underfoot.

So these are great and exceedingly precious words, when you hear that Jesus Christ is the bridegroom and the church the bride, yes, they are heavenly and infinite words, which no man's heart can grasp, nor can ever learn. To those who therefore boast that they know this, say,

that they have heard only a kind of sound of this teaching, and have seen, as it were, only a smoke from afar, but do not know the thing itself at all. But I say this to encourage you to consider these words of the Holy Spirit, which he speaks for our comfort: Consolation, that we may learn how to make them glorious. For there is no one who can hear too much in this piece and grasp Christ too much; there is nothing too much here. Take hold of as much as you can, and yet you will see that it will break you, and that you will not be able to trust in this bridegroom as much as he demands and we need. For there are the devil, sin, the flesh, the blood, our reason: they resist this grasping. And yet, if you take hold of him, whether a little or a lot, you have the bridegroom, and through him life and blessedness.

The appearance of the church is the appearance of a sinner, of one who is afflicted, abandoned, dying and afflicted. For everything that Satan only is and has, the church suffers. So we must make this distinction, that the church with the part that is still left, that is, with the flesh, tosses to and fro in these vices, but in the heart reigns and triumphs in Christ, as Paul says Eph. 2, 5. 6: "God has seated us together with Christ in the heavenly being," etc., "he has raised us up together with him, he has made us alive together with him." By what? Through faith. Therefore, in the word "bridegroom" is implied an infinite mercy and an inexpressible grace, through which we are made partakers of all the bridegroom's goods. Therefore, just as a housewife in the house behaves toward those who are not her husbands, so a Christian must also behave toward all that is not Christ, because he knows that he is master over sin, death, and all the evils of the devil, not by his cap or other works, not even by the law of God, but by his bridegroom Christ, to whom he is attached in faith.

This must be learned so that we may exalt our glory, and know how to magnify and boast of our gifts, so that the sun and moon may become lowly compared to our gifts, and Satan with all his Mor

and terror are laughed at. Death, indeed, is bitter; other things, as misfortunes and tribulations, are bitter, but nothing compared to Christ: they are as a drop of water held up against the sea, or rather against the fire of the last day. In such a way Christ is to be lifted up in our hearts and with our mouths, that we may learn to grasp our infinite and unspeakable gift. Though no man can duly express it in words, yet we must accustom ourselves to speak much of it, and that is, to make it as great as we can. For it is not hopefulness if we say to sin, Get thee hence; go to the devil, leave me alone. For I am your Lord, for Christ is the Lord; together with him I have been raised and transferred into the heavenly being. Therefore I reign and must exercise my dominion, that I may be accustomed to it.

To speak this, I say, is not to hope; but lay up for thyself all that Christ hath, and be accustomed to possess thy right, and thou shalt see how hard it is. For we are in truth kings over these evils, and lords over all goods that are in Christ, and we all wear golden crowns, but by faith. Now this faith struggles with the quite different outward appearance. Therefore, there is nothing more difficult than this spiritual hope that is in Christ; and yet God would that we could learn and practice this hope perfectly, that we would speak to Satan: What can you do to me with all sins, with death and all evils? With the wise men of the world you are something: with the Turk, the Pope, the princes you are a great lord; but compared with me you are a mere nothing; with me, I say, not in so far as I am a person, but in so far as I am baptized and believe in Christ. And so we are hopeful, and boast even in tribulation, as Paul says [Rom. 5:3.], and laugh at the devil and the world, saying: What is it to me if the devil and the Turk also rage? What is it to me if sin also bites? For I know that my Lord Jesus Christ does not make sad, but the devil makes sad under the form of Christ.

But Christ is nothing else but life, joy, grace and peace etc.

So we should all make it our main concern to learn to know Christ well, so that with all hope we may attach to ourselves the triumph and majesty that we have in Christ, and bid farewell to the devil, no matter how angry and furious he may be. For in the glory of God we are to be hopeful, not in the filth of our works and merits, but because he is the almighty Bridegroom in the Church, which, though it is laden with various evils, yet has a Bridegroom who takes all these evils upon himself and communicates to it his power and glory. And this is it that he says: "The queen stands in the most precious gold". For she must be gloriously adorned above others, because the whole church has more gifts than the individual Christians. For all goods are in her, that is, there is in her the pure Christ, the pure wisdom of faith, life and glory. With these she is adorned from the sole of her foot to the crown of her head, so that nothing evil can be seen in her, and no stain of unattractiveness is before her eyes, but so it is before God and out of the sight of men. For God sees no wrinkle in her, because He sees nothing in her but His Son, with whom the Church is clothed, from whom she has the blessedness, life and glory that is in Christ. Now if there is sin, the devil sees it, and we feel it, each in his conscience, but God does not see it. For because of His Son Christ, with whom the Church is clothed, it is all beautiful, without a spot or wrinkle, because Christ is all beautiful and without a spot. Therefore also the church, which is clothed by him and in him, is of the same nature. Thus the prophet has described both the king in his splendor and the queen, that Christ has a church, which the apostles prepare for him, which is in the first bloom. Now he also adds exhortations.

V. 11. Listen, daughter, look to it, and incline your ears, forgetting your people and your father's house.

The Holy Spirit addresses the church and the synagogue in general, as if to say: This will be difficult, what I prescribe for you,

Since you are to do this alone and primarily, that you hear only this king, put all other kings and masters aside, and pay attention to this one alone. Furthermore, because the people of the Jews were greatly afflicted by the devil, and were surrounded on all sides by enemies who adhered to a different religion, they were also turned to idolatry by their examples, and joined themselves sometimes with the Egyptians, sometimes with the Assyrians, sometimes with Moab, sometimes with Ammon, etc., and could not be kept in the right religion and worship in their temple. Since Christ had been born and was teaching, they should have held to all his words as the bride holds to her bridegroom. But what happens? Not only do they not hear him, but they even persecute him and kill him. Therefore, here the prophet touches the highest and most difficult ground of proof, which has been in the world from the beginning and is still there today, namely, that against the teaching of Christ and the apostles they repeated (ingeminabant) the words: Fathers, fathers, temple, temple, Moses, Moses, the prophets, the prophets! They could not get over this trouble, although there were obvious prophecies that the law and the kingdom would cease one day; but they started and fell. So nowadays with the papists this is an insurmountable ground of proof which they hold against us: Do you think that the church, which is holy and universal, and which has the promise that it shall remain until the end of the world, should have erred for so many years? But because we have to teach against this church, which they praise, they are angry.

The Jews opposed the gospel to Moses, who promised them the kingdom on one condition, which they did not keep, as it is also said in Ps. 132:12: "Will your children keep my covenant" etc., and declared that the gospel was a teaching against the first commandment. Thus the papists accuse our doctrine of being against Christ Himself and against the church. It is therefore one and the same reason on which the Jews then, and nowadays our adversaries, take offence, and on which we too sometimes take offence, when our consciences are in conflict with

Do you then think that all their things are condemned, and hold that you alone see and understand more than so many great men who have been in the church? This reason is, as it were, an immense mountain and an immense sea, which we must cross and navigate; and truly, if Paul had not resolved this reason so excellently in the letter to the Romans, the Jews and the Gentiles, yes, even we ourselves, would have had much to trouble ourselves about.

And the prophet sees in this passage that there would be great danger and trouble from this, that the Jews would boast of their blood, the fathers and the promises. For the promise of the flower is true; the prophet does not here revoke it, nor does he deny the first commandment, but says that the promise must be understood as referring to Christ as the head whom they should expect and receive, as if he wanted to say: You will have the scepter, you will have the priesthood, as Gen. 49:10. is written. The Lord will be with you, but it is added: "Until the hero come." So the Jews knew that Messiah was to be expected, and that they should hold him in such honor that they heard him. But what do they do? They skip the little word "until that" and simply insist on the promise and conclude: We are the people of God forever. Even if Messiah comes, he will not be able to teach anything better than what Moses taught. Therefore, we will remain the people of God as we have been until now, except that we will then have a more powerful king who will free us from the Romans. But this means to destroy and renounce the promise of Christ, which contains all other promises.

Thus we have the promise of the Church that Christ will remain with the Church; we have baptism, the Lord's Supper, the Gospel, the Holy Scriptures, pastors, the gifts of the Holy Spirit. All this remains in the Church through the special benevolence of God. For if God had not preserved the Bible and given some people to read it, it would have been taken away and destroyed by the devil long ago. But that the bishops

make this addition and say: Even if we do not read the Bible, even if we do not do what our ministry requires, we cannot err because we have the power of the keys, for the church does not err, nor can it err. This cannot be tolerated, and they cannot suffer it to be confessed.

Therefore, they have the same confidence in the carnal church that the Jews had in being the people of God, and they turn the entirely spiritual promise into an entirely carnal promise. Whoever has vowed to God, they say, to enter into a spiritual state, whoever lives without marriage etc. is blessed. But these are entirely carnal things, and lead us away from Christ to ourselves, who are carnal; therefore all the holiness of the papacy is a purely carnal one. But the church is to live in the spiritual promise, and is to sit on the throne as a mistress of life, over death, sin and the devil, through Christ and the forgiveness of sins. This is the spiritual promise. It is not to sit on the throne with Moses and the monks, for that does not mean to sit in dominion over the devil and sin, but in the kingdom of the devil and abomination. Therefore, as the Jews clung to the carnal promise and destroyed the spiritual one, so do the papists today. Therefore, this is the highest ground of proof that the prophet touches here, and here it takes all the trumpets and trumpets to make it sound: Hear, hear, daughter, encourage yourself! Close the eyes of the flesh, do not judge according to fleshly righteousness and wisdom, as if he wanted to say: If you do not hear, but want to be wise and judge according to outward appearances what the church is and what the church is not, you are lost. That is why he uses such strong words and wants to impress the truth upon us, so that we will not be deceived by the irritation, because, as we have heard, it is an exceedingly strong reason for proof.

So it is an admonition to the synagogue and the people, who had promises, prophecies and songs about this kingdom. For he foresees in the spirit the unbelief of the people because of the insurmountable

proof ground on which they relied, which would have been impossible for us to refute, as it were, had it not been for the interpretation of the apostles. For we learn in all things that it is difficult to leave what one is accustomed to, because, as is said in Proverbs, a new pot takes on the taste, but an old one gives it off (nova testa capit, inveterata sapit). But how much more difficult is this in the greatest and spiritual things, which concern the future life, about which the greatest strife is, because here there are zealots who strive with great diligence for what belongs to eternal life. For no one would like to be deceived here, but the matter is treated with the greatest seriousness. Now the people of the Jews had these privileges and advantages from the seed, and were born of Abraham, and, as Paul enumerates Rom. 9, 4. 5. (where he treats of the same matter), had the adoption, the glory, the covenant, the law, the worship, the promises, the fathers, in short, there is nothing concerning this people that is not wholly divine. When this is held up to the Gentiles, it is an insurmountable ground of proof.

Therefore, the prophet feels this difficulty and reminds: "Hear", as if to say: There is no way to help, no sufficient refutation, if you do not hear. If you do not hear, you cannot understand. But the more they are disputed, the more hardened they become. And what wonder is there in the Jews, since we cannot make the papists think otherwise, even though they confess that our doctrine is true? How much less could the Jews be persuaded to leave their traditional worship, which had been given to them by God, adorned with so many miracles, kept by so many and so great holy fathers, prophets and kings. Add to this that it is exceedingly miserable to live daily in death and danger, as we live, while they had the promise of bodily goods and the land of Canaan which they were to leave. Therefore, he says, "Listen," as if to say, "There is no help, no way, no means to persevere in the service of God, if you do not

hear. He who will not hear cannot be advised, as Christ points out again and again, John 3:II: "We speak that we see, and ye receive not our testimony. The papists are like that; because they do not want to listen, we argue with them in vain.

Therefore, this teaching belongs to those who are willing to hear and learn, not to the struggling ones. For these, may you tell them or sing or paint, do not accept this "Hear". But it is said to them to their destruction, that they may have no excuse; but to us it is said, that the heart may look on the word, and cleave to the word alone. Whoever omits this or does not allow the word, cannot be persuaded with any reasons of proof. I have also fought against the sects of our time, but at no time have I been able to obtain that from them that they would have answered even one word that served the cause, even if I presented the cause to them in such a way that they could have grasped it with their hands. The reason for this is this, Proverbs 18:2: A fool does not accept reasonable words; he accepts nothing if you do not speak to him what is in his heart. Likewise, Proverbs 27:22: "If you pounded the fool in the mortar, he would not hear." There is no plowshare so sharp, no plow so strong, that it could subdue the same. Neither the prophets, nor Christ, nor the apostles have been able to do this, because those who are fools do not want to hear, and always have something to spit out. Therefore, this belongs to those who have a listening ear, and give themselves captive under the word to the obedience of Christ, and say: I do not want to be wise, I do not want to judge these things according to my wisdom, but surrender myself to this word as a disciple, and hear what the divine majesty says to me, as the Holy Spirit says here and advises: "Hear". And he adds:

Look at it.

This I refer to the works. For according to my simplicity, I hold that these two pieces must be distinguished in such a way that "Hear" is to be referred to the Word and "Look upon" is to be referred to the works of Christ, because God

always gives signs or adds miracles next to the word, and never a new word has been revealed without signs following it. Thus, when the promise of life was given to Abraham, the sign of circumcision was added. In the same way, Moses was given signs at the same time as he was commanded to lead the people to Canaan. So Christ filled the whole world with miraculous signs when he taught, as did the apostles. So we also have our signs: the Word, Baptism and Holy Communion. Yes, great works are still happening in the church today, so that testimonies to our teachings are available; but only the godly see these works, the godless do not see them. For the fact that, contrary to our expectations and those of our adversaries, peace has been preserved for so many years and is still being preserved miraculously today, even though the world is so furious against the gospel and hates it with all its heart, is this not to be considered a great sign?

But the world and the flesh do not see and understand this. But the godly, who have spiritual eyes, and know the power of Satan and the wickedness of men, see these wonders, that our doctrine has not been overthrown for so many years, neither by the tyranny of princes, nor by the hatred and deceit of the pope, nor by the wickedness of heretics. So it remains: You shall hear this king, and you shall see his works, although he will not appear visibly before your eyes, and he does not want to be an earthly king; but you shall hear his word, and you shall generally see his miracles; that shall be enough for you. For after thou hast heard his word, and hast seen and beheld his works, then shall he also inwardly manifest himself unto thee in the spirit. Thou canst hear him no other way than in his word, and thou canst see him no other way than in his signs. After this revelation of the word and the signs, faith and certainty will follow, and other things that the Holy Spirit will bring with him, who will strengthen you against all error and doubt; only listen, my daughter, to what your King Christ says, and look at what he does.

And bend your ears.

That is, believe. For he secretly indicates how hard the neck of this people is, which does not know how to bend, as if he wanted to say: My daughter (for so he calls the Jewish people), do not rebel against the word, nor harden your neck when you hear the word and see the works of God, but believe; bow your head and humble yourself. For the two foregoing are outward; this third is inward, that it should bow the heart, and say: I believe. This is necessary, otherwise there is no help. Some teachers, such as Gerson and others, have admonished to do the same, although they have not kept the right way, that in cases of conscience one should hear a brother who gives comfort, and have said that the counsel of a good man is sufficient. But this admonition is not sufficient. For a troubled conscience says, Where shall I find a good man, and how can I be sure that he is a good man? Therefore, the advice of a good man should be to throw away everything that one feels at the moment and to cling completely to the hearing of the word that one hears from the brother. But this is very difficult, and in truth it means to kill oneself and to go out of oneself, to close all one's senses and to pay attention to what the one who comforts says. For it is God's command that one should hear the brother who brings the word of the gospel in such distresses of conscience. But even though Gerson and others recognized that this must be done, they could not base the counsel of a good man on God's word alone. For to this end the keys have been given to the church, that one may comfort another through the word, and so destroy the works of the devil [1 John 3:8]. Whoever therefore knows that this is commanded by God, that one should comfort another, can comfort himself and say: I am bound to believe this brother, because he is guilty of taking away the distresses of conscience and healing them by the word; and so I am obedient to God when I hear the brother. Then in truth it is called the counsel of a good man, namely Christ, whose word is offered to me and whom I believe.

So it is in the battle against the pope and against the devilish reason for proof that he reproaches the church, that although the pope is a sinner according to his person, he nevertheless has the rightful office and the regiment, which we must obey: there we can protect ourselves with no other sword than with this verse, that we are commanded: "Hear, and look upon it, and incline thine ears." We are to say, as Paul says in the Epistle to the Romans Cap. 9 against the Jews, "I hear the fathers, I hear the church, I hear the ministry, that the pope sits in the office of the word, that he has baptism, that he has the fellowship and title of the church, but I will make a distinction and not be caught by this ground of proof. The pope says this, therefore you must do it. For here it is commanded, "Hear." Therefore, if the pope teaches something that is according to the word, I will hear it and do it, but if he speaks against the word, I will not hear him.

But this reason of proof weighs much more heavily in the heart when the devil alone holds it against you: Behold, you are only one, and you want to destroy this exceedingly beautiful regime (monarchiam), which is ordered with very great insight. For if it is admitted that there are errors and sins in the papacy, who are you? Are you without errors and sins? Why then do you cause confusion and disturbance in the tabernacle of the Lord, since you can punish nothing but errors and sins, of which you also have plenty? This causes great distress, as it is evident that Paul also had a lot of trouble with this reason, Rom. 9. Then one must get used to the fact that all power lies in taking hold of the word, hearing the word, and looking at the works of God and believing them. Whoever does not do this will be fallen by Satan.

Therefore we answer that we do not accuse the pope of his personal (privatis) errors and sins. For although we must condemn these, we forgive and pardon them, just as we want ours to be forgiven. Therefore, we do not act against the pope because of pri-

1) "Röm." is missing in the Erlanger.

It is not about the vices and sins of the person, but about the teaching and the hearing of the word, because the pope, along with his own sins, also challenges the honor and grace of God, and Christ Himself, of whom the Father says [Matth. 17, 5]: "Him you shall hear. For the pope wants to take this hearing away from Christ and usurp it, and turn us, who are Christ's disciples, away from Christ to himself. Over this matter we fight. For this is not the question of whether there is error and sin in life, but about higher things, namely, whether the Son of God died for us and was raised again, and that one has preached and must preach about him, and that he should be heard. Since the pope wants to defend himself against this by holding up the reputation of the church against us, we say: Get thee hence, Satan; we forgive thee thy sins, but the blasphemies and denials of Christ we do not forgive, neither do we consent to them, for Christ is greater than the church which thou holdest against us. Yes, because your church persecutes the word of Christ, it is not the church of God, but of Satan etc.

And forget your people and your father's house.

This is a very clear text, that Christ came to abolish the whole law, the priesthood and the kingdom of the Jews. For this is the reason why she should hear, look, incline her ears and believe, namely because she should leave the Father's house. It is a very hard text against the Jews, but sweet to us who believe. For we must take the "people" not only according to grammar for the great multitude, and the "house" for the stones and the wood, but he calls the people: God's people, who are ordered by God, provided by Moses with worldly regiment and worship, but whom he received from God; since the princes and kings in the worldly regiment, the priests and Levites in the church are not set nor protected by men, but given by God, and preserved by miracles. To those, therefore, who have the people, the fathers, the house, he says, "Forget." And he does not say only: Forsake your people, or go away from them, but plainly: "Forget", and

You shall know that this worldly regime and this worship is condemned and rejected, so that you must forget it completely.

From this it follows that in Jesus Christ the righteousness of the law is of no value, nothing of the service in the temple, the worship of God and the sacrifices of the priests and Levites. But you see that here is Paul's reason for arguing against the Jews about the worship that they so stubbornly held against the gospel. For this people had a special praise because of their worship, as it is written in Deut. 4:6: "This shall be your wisdom and understanding among all nations, that they shall say, What wise and understanding men are these, and what a glorious people! But here he says, "This glory of the righteousness of the law and of works counts for nothing under this king; because you, my daughter, are not helped by these things, forget all about it. But by these words he reaches into the innermost part of the heart, that he wants them to turn to Christ in such a way that they completely forget the former things and do not even look back to them, as Abraham forgot the land of the Chaldeans, and Joseph his fatherland, since he, because he had given up all hope of being able to return, called his son Manasseh [Gen. 41, 51.]. So also here he says: You shall go to this king in such a way that you completely despair of that worldly regime and priesthood and the whole old worship. For he will set up for you a different and better kingdom than the kingdom of the law.

Therefore the Holy Spirit here indicates how tender this doctrine is, and how faith cannot suffer all other services of God, so that he wills that they should not even be remembered, as also the sixteenth Psalm, v. 4. says, "I will not have their name in my mouth." For he calls "their names" in this place worship, religion, and all the righteousness of the law, which he does not wish to be remembered. Not as if it were not lawful to remember what had happened to this people, but that it should not be preached and taught, rather that it should be taken for something that is now and

It is not to be lost, which will never return and will be of no use in the future, and not to eat up what has been eaten [Proverbs 26:11], but to go forward and strive for what is before us, so that Christ may be known more and more, until we forget the righteousness of the law altogether, as if it had never existed. So also those who have lived in monasteries and in the real Babylonian captivity, after they have come to Christ, must be so occupied with Christ alone (as far as righteousness is concerned) that it does not even occur to them that they have ever been monks, or said mass, or ever called upon any saint, etc., but make believe that they have been Christians all the time.

I, at least, being a monk, labored very hard for almost fifteen years with daily mass-keeping, martyred myself with fasting, vigils, prayers and other very arduous works, because I was earnestly anxious to attain righteousness by my works, and did not think it possible that I should ever forget this life. But now, by God's grace, I have forgotten it. I still remember that torture chamber, but not in such a way that I would think of returning to that dungeon. But, to speak carnally, it was not a dungeon, but a soft life, without all the hardships that both the worldly regiment and the household have without number. Nevertheless, it was a dungeon for pious people who were not only concerned about their belly, but desired to be blessed. Thus, the word "forget" implies many things, especially that the doctrine should be completely pure, which is easily corrupted and obscured.

But as doctrine suffers no addition, so faith is also a very tender thing, and has great need of this commandment: "Forget thy father's house." For the flesh is always looking back to Egypt, and to the fleshpots, that is, by nature we are impetuously drawn to the righteousness of the flesh, and seek works to boast of, to trust in, and to hold up to God: Behold,

I have done this and that; therefore you will declare me righteous; as the Anabaptists and others do, who, when they have rejected the heretics under one name of works, 1) bring back the same (eos) under another name. One condemns the berets (pilea gallica) and praises the gray skirt, as they call it, another wants to have nothing of his own, so that he may the more freely take what belongs to other people without work; and this foolish work they consider a peculiar sanctity. Thus they discard the works of the old monks and bring back new monks.

And we should not be too secure against this destruction. Every one of us carries a great monk in his bosom, that is, we would all like to have such a work of which we could boast: "Behold, I have done this; I have done God enough today with my prayers, with good deeds, therefore I can be calmer in my heart. For it has also happened to me that when I have done a work of my profession, I am much happier than if I had not done it. And to be cheerful is not in itself evil; but this cheerfulness is without faith, and not pure; and it is of a kind that it wants to arrest and trouble the conscience. But because the conscience is something exceedingly tender, it cannot be sufficiently fortified against this vice of presumption. Therefore let no one be secure, but let us who confess Christ walk in fear and increase in faith, recognizing that we all carry in our bosoms a monstrously large and ugly monk, that is, a foolish and carnal delusion of works, a ruin to faith.

Against this ungodly delusion, the Holy Spirit here holds out to us the perfect goal of purity, namely that we should first forget this righteousness, at least in the outward service of the Word. [We are to hold on to what we have attained in this through God's grace, and not to preach the righteousness of works, but the pure righteousness of Christ,

1) rosootis Naorotiois opornm [nt, u "o "online. Thus the Jena and the Erlangen. In contrast, the Wittenberg: rejeetis üaeretieornln operidns ete. but has nevertheless retained eos in the postscript.

who suffered for us and was raised from death. The other parts of the preaching ministry are also pure, namely the administration of the sacraments, the comforting, the governing of the church is pure. And as this purity takes place in the preaching office, so it should also be in our hearts. But what happens? In preaching I have completely forgotten this monk, and no one hears his name from me, but in the heart I do not serve my word, which I teach purely with my mouth, but sometimes the monk creeps in unawares. But this is also a great blessing of God, that God has put the goal of purity into the teaching, so that at least the teaching is pure. We must strive for this goal, so that, as the doctrine is pure, so also faith may be pure in grasping and holding on to Christ. But this does not happen. Therefore, as long as we live, we have to struggle with this monk and the devil who rules and strengthens him. And also the Holy Spirit, seeing that our nature is so entangled in monasticism (monachatum), is with us with reminders and admonitions that we should listen, that we should learn to forget all past works, even our best righteousness, so that, just as the teaching of this monk has forgotten, so also our heart may forget all that and cling in pure faith to the righteousness of Christ alone.

It is that he says: "Forget your people", namely not a pagan, godless or unholy people, but the one who has the law and its righteousness. If the law is good (they reproach us), and God has commanded it, why do you reject it? Here, I believe, you are well instructed and know what to answer. For the law is done away, that faith alone might rule the conscience (propter conscientiam fidei). If, therefore, it does not injure the conscience by the delusion of its own righteousness, then it can be kept in outward conduct like other laws of the worldly regime. But since we are dealing here with the article of what Christ is, 2) that he is our

2, Statt: M in the Wittenberg and in the Jena has the Erlangen: äieitur.

If Christ is the king and our head, then not only are the human statutes abolished and rejected, but also the whole divine law, so that this one king Christ may be held in completely pure faith. For since the law does not cease to mislead the faith and conscience of the baptized, Christ also puts it away bodily before he should suffer this. Therefore the whole law is taken away; first spiritually from the conscience, then also bodily. Although it was not necessary for it to be abolished, he nevertheless took it away because of the danger to the faith, so that not only did the service of God cease, but also the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed, and the Jews scattered over the whole earth; and rightly so. The same will happen to the pope. Because he does not stop persecuting the Word, he will therefore perish with all the monasteries, bishops and foundations of the priests.

Therefore, he speaks of the abandonment of the law in faith and spirit, because faith knows nothing of the law, of works and of our righteousness and our powers. For it is much higher than all this and must be placed in paradise, higher than the earth and beyond the earth into the heavenly being, where one does not hear: What have you done? What have you omitted? For these sermons of the law shall not be admitted in the closet of the conscience and in paradise. But there alone shalt thou hear of this king, what he hath done, and what he hath given thee, and what he hath required: That they may take hold of him, and give him thanks for such great benefits. Only this shall be heard in this place. Now when the law comes, cast it out of this chamber of the bridegroom, and say that it shall remain on the earth, and go to Damascus, 1) to Sinai, where it has a place. This is the spiritual abthun, which he indicates by the word "forget". These words "people" and "house" must not be belittled. Because these are the highest things in this world, and

1) In the Erlanger after the first edition: st eat Duma oum, aü Sinai; here probably the s from Dumdum will have dropped out. The Wittenberg and the Jena offer: ed ernt in mondbin Sinai.

Nothing in the whole creature can be compared to them. But very emphatically (invidiose) he adds the pronoun "your": "your people", "your father's house", as if he heard that the daughter was reproached: "Behold, it is your people, it is your father's house, therefore you must not leave it, but hear and be obedient and not sacrilegiously take up the new doctrine which deviates from the law which God has given. For, as it seems, he speaks rebelliously against the fourth commandment, just as if someone said that one should not give the prince a womb; for that would be to incite rebellion and the overthrow of the worldly regime. Thus, here he praises the forgetting of the father's house as the highest service of God, even though the fourth commandment, which God commanded, teaches that one should honor one's parents.

From this answer thus: To honor the parents, to obey the prince, is good and godly, but nevertheless one must prefer God to them, whom one must obey more [Apost. 5, 29.] Therefore, if such a case arises that one must leave either the father or God, then say: Farewell, dear father, with the fourth commandment and with the whole second tablet; I know nothing about you, but have completely forgotten yours. For now it is not about the fourth commandment, or the second tablet, but about the first, whether God is true, whether honor is due to Him, whether one should hear God's Son. Allow me this first, then I will also honor you with every kind of filial reverence. But he does not admit this; for when the Father's house comes into the heart, it takes over the heart in such a way that it wants to be and rule there alone; there it fights against faith with the highest obstinacy, as this is evident in the Jews who say [Sam. 12, 22]: "God will not abandon His people" etc.

The same happens to us with the pope. For I would not only honor the pope to the highest degree if he would allow me to follow the right doctrine, but also any school theologian (scholasticum). For it does not harm my faith if I honor him, if he only leaves me the first tablet. For I am baptized in the house of the pope, there I am instructed in the Catechism and have the

I have learned the Scriptures. I will gladly do this honor to my people and my dear fellow citizens, that I do not forget my father's house, if he only allows me to believe in Christ alone and to keep my conscience free from any burden. But the pope does not allow this and insists that I follow his teaching and set aside the word of Christ. Therefore I say: Because I cannot keep both, my Father's house and Christ, then my King Christ shall remain with me, and my Father's house with the whole people may go wherever it wants. Thus he calls "the Father's house" and "the people" all religions, all righteousnesses, all laws, also those of the pagans, the philosophers and the jurists. All this may go, since it is of no use to this kingdom, even harmful, so that this word may stand, John 1:13: "Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God."

V. 12. Thus the king will delight in your beauty.

This is a very sweet promise. For the Holy Spirit knows well that this abomination is in our heart, that we would like to be pure and without spot before God. So in the whole 1) Pabstium this was our challenge, that we said we would gladly go to the Sacrament if we were worthy. So we seek purity in ourselves, as we are by nature, and search our whole life, desiring to find purity in ourselves, so that grace may not be necessary, but we may be declared righteous according to our merit. This way (habitus) is ingrained in our flesh, and the Holy Spirit knows that we want "the beautiful" of ourselves. This is how we think when we want to pray: I wanted to pray with pleasure, but I am not worthy of GOd to hear me. These thoughts come from that great monk of whom I said before, who is in us, poisoning our conscience, that we look at our worthiness, and do not want to pray until we are better. But

1) omni in the original edition and in the Wittenberg is changed to omnis in the Jena and Erlangen.

you will never pray if you want to wait until you become better. For if this is required beforehand, that we be righteous, why then do we pray in the Lord's Prayer, Forgive us our trespasses? Rather, if you feel that you are a sinner and unskilled in praying, then you must make the most of prayer and go to the Sacrament. For how else will you be justified but by the Word and the Sacraments? By yourself and by your works you will certainly never become righteous. So in all of us is this pernicious tendency (argumentum) that our monk has, that we look to our purity.

Therefore, the Holy Spirit says: I will give thee very fair counsel, by which, if thou hear me, thou shalt become an exceeding fair maiden. For if thou wilt become beautiful before God, that all thy works may please Him, that He may say: I like thy prayer, I like all that thou sayest, doest, and thinkest, so shalt thou do, "Hear, and look thereon, and incline thine ears," and so shalt thou be exceedingly beautiful, if thou hear, and look thereon, and forget thy former righteousness, and every law, and all the statutes of men, and all this monk, and believe: then thou art beautiful, not by thine own beauty, but by the beauty of the King, who hath adorned thee with his word, which bringeth unto thee his righteousness, holiness, truth, strength, and all the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

But here we are deceived first of all by our delusion, which is that of the monk who was born with us, who firmly adheres to our flesh and conscience; then also by the low esteem in which the word is held, which is preached to the multitude and has no particular appearance. Therefore we think that we are not sufficiently adorned when we have only the Word, when we are baptized, when we receive Holy Communion, when we are called by the Gospel. We do not consider this supreme adornment to be an adornment because of its outward appearance, for it is, as it seems, lowly and common to all. For what is this ornament (say the Anabaptists), that one is sprinkled with water? For this is the judgment of the eyes of the flesh, but if you look at baptism with spiritual eyes, you will see that it is not an ornament.

you will see that baptism clothes you with the garments and adornment of Christ. So Holy Communion clothes you with the adornment of Christ, so the Gospel clothes you with the adornment of Christ. What better and more delicious adornment could you desire than that with which Christ is adorned and with which he adorns his own?

Thus the Holy Spirit reminds us that we must be made beautiful by strange beauties. Then (he says) if you hear and believe and forget your righteousness, so that you know of nothing to trust in but the adornment of your Bridegroom Christ, then you will be beautiful in truth, and the King will delight in your beauty. But what do we do? Of course the opposite. We bring back the hall of the Father, which he has commanded us to forget. Oh (we say), I am a sinner; I first want to become worthy and pure before I go to this bridegroom. What is this but wanting to bring back the Father's house and offer one's own righteousness, which he commands to leave, and let that monk back in? But you should say like this: I don't know anything about that worthiness. Whether I am worthy or unworthy, I do not care about it; that is now gone. If I am unworthy outwardly and in the second tablet, that may be so, for that is my impurity; but inwardly I am beautiful through foreign adornment. There I am completely holy and adorned in the best way, because the king loves this beauty, when I hear the word and forget my monk, and believe my King Christ that I am redeemed by his blood and made righteous by his merit.

When this faith is there, whatever I do afterwards pleases him, and he delights in my hell, which he himself has bestowed upon me. Therefore, I should not doubt that I am exceedingly beautiful, and that everything I do is most pleasing to God for the sake of Christ, whom I take in faith as my Savior. When I open my mouth to teach or to pray, I should believe that all the angels are smiling at me and rejoicing, and whoever hears me teach should know that I am beautiful.

He will prepare for God an extremely sweet-smelling sacrifice. For we must come to this, and that means to forget the Father's house and the people, to hold fast the present righteousness of faith against the old righteousness of works: then it will come about that we are exceedingly pleasing to God.

But the Holy Spirit uses very sublime words: "The King will delight in your beauty", that is, you will bring him through this faith to do what you want, that he, provoked by the sting of love, will follow you of his own free will, that he will be with you and make his home with you. For when God has given His word, He does not leave standing the work He has begun in you, but first gives you temptations from the world, from the devil and from our flesh, to wake you up. These are his embraces with which he embraces his bride, in impatient love. For if we were without temptations, we would not seek him, we would not learn to listen, to look to him, to incline our ears to him. Therefore he urges us to cling more firmly to your words and to believe him, and he does this out of exceedingly great love for us. But these 1) embraces are so sweet to our flesh that they often bring tears to our eyes; yet they are very useful to us. But this is an exceedingly great comfort, if we could only grasp it because of its greatness, that our King Christ is not only pleased with the word and faith, but is also moved and carried away by such love for us as a bridegroom has for his bride, that he goes after us of his own free will. To this we urge him, if only we hear the word and believe and forget our righteousness. But it is difficult. God grant that we may do this at least in teaching and in the service of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments, and to some extent also in life, and, as we have begun to do, may learn to forget this monk, so that he at least does not reign in us, as with the Sacramentarians, Anabaptists and Papists, whom this monk has completely devoured, so that they are nothing but shorn monks. From this plague, may God protect us in mercy. Amen.

1) Erlanger: ille statt: Wed.

This, then, is the conclusion, that our beauty does not consist in our own virtues, nor in the gifts we have received from God, by which we perform virtuous actions and do everything that belongs to the life of the law, but in this, if we take hold of Christ and believe in him; then we are beautiful in truth, and Christ looks at this beauty alone, and at none besides. So that it is taught that we want to be beautiful through self-chosen spirituality and through our own righteousness is nothing. It is true that in the courts of men and in the courts of the wise these things are beautiful, but in the courts of God we must have a different beauty. There, the only beauty is that of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. He erases all stains and wrinkles and makes us pleasing to God. This faith is something almighty and the highest beauty, apart from which there is no beauty. For without and apart from Christ we are condemned and lost with all that we have and are.

For he is your Lord, and you shall call him by name.

In the last verse we heard that this teaching is very difficult for those who have become accustomed to the righteousness of the law. Therefore, there are few who grasp it so completely that they trust in the grace of Christ alone and reject their own righteousness and do not return to this rejected righteousness. And what is it to be wondered at that the Jews do not embrace it, who are upset in the law, since the papists do not embrace it, with whom we have now been fighting for many years over the mere fact that we teach that sinners are justified by faith alone, and not by the works of the law, much less by such works as are chosen without a certain command of God. To this exceedingly difficult subject he attaches another, which is still far more difficult, which the Jews cannot even hear, and about which even in the church the heretics have aroused great unrest. For after having taught that the synagogue should forget its people and the house of its father, and should cling to the preaching of the Gospel alone (which in itself is very difficult), he now also adds a reason which the Jews are still

that Christ is their Lord and their God, whom they must worship, that is, that Christ is the Lord of the Law, to whom the people and the Father's house and the whole Law must give way, and that for this reason, because the Law was given through servants, but now the Lord and King and God Himself is there.

Now here make a distinction between the gifts and the giver. God gave Moses, he gave the blood of Abraham, he gave the law, he gave the righteousness of the law, he gave miracles in the old law, he gave many other gifts of the Holy Spirit: but what is this but that he finally gave himself? All that there is, therefore, of laws and gifts, in short, all that is not the Lord, let it all yield to this King, and let all obey this reigning Lord, Christ. In His beauty alone we can and should safely trust, because it pleased God that in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead; in all other things there is, so to speak, only a little piece of the Godhead. For there are various gifts, and manifold are the powers distributed [1 Cor. 12, 4. 6.], but here in Christ you are complete heirs (όΑόχ^οί, like

Peter [1. Ep. 1, 4.] says), you have the whole inheritance, because in him is the whole possession and all goods in one heap, because he is the Lord. In such a way, he says, you must therefore cling to him most intimately, that you forget all former things, and know nothing of your former conduct and righteousness, nothing of outward ceremonies, and grasp only the greatness of your King and Lord.

Therefore, when the adversaries or Satan insist on the law and reproach you with these sayings: Overcome evil with patience [Rom. 12:21.], "Love your enemies" [Matt. 5:44.] etc., say, I fully admit this. And if the devil urge further: But this thou hast not done, therefore art thou damned, answer from this passage of the Psalm, and say, I acknowledge my guilt, that I have sinned; but yet will I be a dialectician, and make a distinction between the gift and the giver. For will you equate or even prefer the gift to the giver? I think not. Why do you complain

you accuse me of being deficient in that gift and of having sinned against the law, since I have the Giver Himself, who is the Lord and my God; but we must have the Giver above all things and esteem Him more highly than the gifts. But we do not reject good works, as they accuse us, but we make a distinction and give to works and gifts their circle and place, but to our Lord Himself we reserve the whole heaven and the whole kingdom. Therefore the gifts and powers should be serviceable and exercise us, but not rule in us; but Christ should rule in us, who should be the Lord over our conscience. In him we want to remain alone and pure, then we will be blessed, and everything will be pleasing to God. This is the reason why he commands us to throw away all righteousness, gifts and powers and to forget them, namely in comparison to the King and for the sake of the King who loves us and who is the Lord our God.

He is your Lord.

XXX is a holy name, which in this form, as it stands here, is assigned only to the true and natural God, as all Jews testify. But because this name is here clearly attributed to Christ, this proof (probatio) enrages the Jews even more than the assumed proposition (assumta propositio), because it says contradictory things: Man is God. According to the judgment of the Jews and the reason, the prophet therefore proves something unbelievable and inconsistent by something else, which is even more unbelievable and inconsistent. But God does not care what the wicked think of His word, but by His word He orders and speaks in such a way that it always seems inconsistent to reason. But it behooves us to listen humbly and to agree; if we do so, we will see that this proof is exceedingly powerful. He says that this King Christ is God, so he will not lie. But if he is God, then everything must also yield to him, Moses, the Law, and all the righteousnesses and laws that exist in the whole Church. Therefore, this is the second annoying part, that he calls Christ God and King,

but above called a man [v. 3.]: "You are the most beautiful among the children of men." Therefore, this psalm is one of the most distinguished that treats Christ's kingdom, and especially the description of His person, that He is true God and true man.

But these passages must be carefully held and the consciences fortified against the arrows of the devil. For we see that many who have not laid hold of these passages have been brought down by the devil, such as the Arians, Sabellians, Eunomians, and before them the Samosatians, all of whom wished to ascend to heaven with their thoughts and seize the divine majesty, while yet they could not fully discern the works in which they lived and we live. For who is he who should presume to claim that he knows how speech originates in the mouth, how food and drink are digested and gradually transformed into flesh and blood, how many thousands of people hear One Voice in the same way and fully as we fall asleep etc. Therefore, if we cannot reach the works with which we all have to deal and under which we live daily, and which happen in us and by us, and say: what nonsense, what madness is it that one wants to go up to heaven, apart from us, and measure the Godhead according to the quite incomprehensible human reason. But such people are the hopeful spirits, who do not listen, do not look at it, do not bend their ears toward God who is speaking, but want to argue and talk about such great things out of their heads.

Therefore, fortify yourselves against such thoughts. For if we understand nothing of our powers and works, how can we know God who is apart from us, who is invisible and incomprehensible? And learn that in this article and similar ones we must absolutely stand on God's word and incline our ears to Him. Now, if God says incredible things, what does that matter to you, since you cannot understand other far lesser things that go on under our senses? Hilarius also uses this proof: since we are patient in what we do not know about sensual things, it is not fitting that we should be impatient in what we do not know about God.

know. For we do not know of the food and drink that we take, how and by what means it is transformed, and it is certainly inconsistent; and we are sorry that we cannot know of God how the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, three Persons, are the One, true, inseparable God.

Now this article, that Christ is God, angers first of all the Jews, so that they think there is nothing more abominable than that one must hear that Christ is God; secondly, it angers also the devil; thirdly, it angers also our reason. Do not be like them, for they are enemies of Christ and his word, but incline your ears, and moreover do not allow anything. For if thou speculate without the word of this article, it is done for thee. For this also happens in lesser articles, that if you speculate or think about them without the Scriptures, you fall into extraordinary 1) ungodliness. For if I sometimes think about God, the Creator of heaven, about baptism and other such things, and leave the word pending, this thinking has neither juice nor power, but is like a vain dream. Now what do you think will happen in this supreme article? Therefore, you should know that the articles of faith cannot be taught or thought without the pure Word of God alone, especially this article about the divinity of Christ. Therefore, we are to learn to accustom ourselves to the Word of God and to incline our ears to it. But because the Jews do not do this, they become completely furious when they hear that Christ is called God, while there is a clear text in this place; in order to avoid this, they resort to the most trivial distortions.

Thus the Arians, who took offense at this article, said that Christ, according to one of his two natures, was a person who stood in the middle between the natural Godhead and the created nature of the angels. They therefore ascribed to him the name of the Godhead, but denied the same in fact, for [they said,] although he was not essentially and by nature God, he was not God.

1) Jenaer: merani instead of: miram in the other editions.

If he was the most perfect creature, created before all other creatures, and through him all others were created. But what kind of wisdom is this, to depart from the word, and to invent something from his head, and to decorate this afterwards with evil twisted scriptures, in order to give it a semblance? So I could also invent and falsify any thing. Therefore these are very hateful people, who think that this is a special art, which others do not possess, that they first conceive something that agrees with reason, and then confirm it with Scripture. [Thus they do with] Sirach 1, 4. [Vulg.]:. "Rather than all things was wisdom created." There is the word "created," so Christ is a creature etc. For seeing that they were cornered by Scripture, they said that after (post) the natural Godhead was created the Word, or the very lightest and most beautiful Wisdom of God, by which God thereafter created all things. This is indeed an excellent wisdom, which all deceivers have used. For Mahomet also invented that he was God's neighbor, and that God spoke to him as to his son; so a Franciscan worships his rule and his Franciscus as an idol.

But I tell this so that you see that nothing is easier than to think up and invent something new. Thus the Samosatian invents, 2) the word is not a person, but the word signifies the natural intellect (intellectionem) of God, the spirit signifies the divine movement. All this is easy because they are philosophical things that can be understood with reason and do not need faith. Nor do they agree with faith, but can be conceived and understood by a heathen and godless man, nay, by a child of ten years. For after the foundation is laid that God is only One, it is easy to invent this from the word that passes into the heart and from the divine movement. For this agrees with reason that One cannot be threefold. But

2) Paul of Samosata, bishop of Antioch in 260 AD.

What kind of faith is this that even reason can attain? But what kind of action is this, that afterwards, in order to confirm the imagination of reason, one misuses the word of God?

Therefore know this first, that the articles of faith are in truth sayings of such things as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man [1 Cor. 2:9], and are taught and understood by the Word and the Holy Ghost alone. And this is the nature of all the articles of faith, that all reason has an abhorrence of them, as we see in the Gentiles and the Jews. For without the Holy Spirit they cannot be understood, for they are the depths of divine wisdom, in which reason is utterly drowned and put to death. Therefore, whoever wants to be a Christian, let him pluck out his eyes from his reason, and hear only what God speaks, and give himself up to God, saying: "Although what I hear is incomprehensible and unbelievable to me, nevertheless, because God has said it and confirmed it with mighty miracles, I believe it for this reason.

Therefore, fasten your consciences in this article: Christ is God, and do not dispute much. The text is clear: "For he is the Lord your God, and you shall worship him." It does seem that it can be eliminated by misinterpretation: David was also worshipped, therefore worship is not something peculiar to GOtte alone. But the testimonies of Scripture are of two kinds. Some give the explanation badly (sumta sunt a priori), and quite obviously say that Christ is the Son of God and true and natural God, as many of them are in John. If anyone wants to overturn these, let him know that they must be overturned with the holy Scriptures, and not with human reason. What can be clearer than that he says [John 1:1], "In the beginning was the Word," likewise [v. 3], "All things that are made were made by this Word. He does not say that the Word was made, but that all things were made by the Word; thus the Word itself was not made, but always was. But this is clear, and dealt with by us elsewhere.

After that other testimonies are derived

(a postoriori), that is, taken from the effects, as Paul [1 Cor. 15, 25. 27.] clearly says that the Son rules over everything, as it is also said in the Psalm [Ps. 8, 7.]: "You have put everything under his feet." Likewise [Ps. 110:1], "Sit thou at my right hand." Likewise in John, where he says [Cap. 10, 3O.] that he is like the Father, that all that the Father has is his [Joh. 16, 15.], that what the Father does he also does [Joh. 5, 17. 20. ff.], makes alive, justifies etc. These are derived reasons of proof (argumenta a posteriori), which prove that Christ is God, because he claims equality with God for himself, and reason can muster nothing against this, except philosophical things and things that are in accordance with reason, or also quite rapturous. But I call philosophical things those which anyone can easily understand and invent. But I ask you, does this mean to teach faith, which has to do with things that are not before the eyes and that are not seen? That is, with the things which we cannot obtain in this life, but which must be believed until they are revealed in their time; but now they are invisible. Therefore, this passage is one of the most distinguished ones, in which the Jews and other swarming spirits are annoyed beyond measure that the prophet calls Christ God, to whom Moses and the law must give way. And if the church today also had laws, which were ordered by the Holy Spirit, then one would also have to say: Let the church depart, let those laws depart, so that this King may be exalted above all, for to Him belongs praise and honor, and as it says here: "He is your GOt, whom you shall worship." For the words here are set quite properly, because the prophet is not dealing here with the histories, as it is said of David in the history [2 Sam. 14, 4.] that he was worshipped, but he is dealing here with the doctrine and the highest article of faith. Therefore, "worship" here actually refers to the worship of God, of which it is said in the first commandment: "Him alone you shall worship," where it certainly speaks of the worship of God.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Gentiles and the Jews, it is an offence that Christ has been attacked.

The first commandment says that only one God is to be worshipped. But it is salutary and comforting to us, so that our conscience may not speak: I hear that one must leave the righteousness of the law, but how? if I become an idolater, if I worship Christ as God, contrary to the first commandment, which commands that one should worship only One God? The Holy Spirit therefore fortifies us here and in other places against this thought, and explains the first commandment as if he wanted to say: You hear in the first commandment that only One God is to be worshipped, or God will punish idolatry to the third and fourth degree; therefore you fear to leave the first table. On the other hand, here you also hear the prophecy that Christ is to be worshipped; you must not leave this one either, because the same God is also speaking here. Here you are hanging between the door and the hinge, you want to leave either the first commandment or this prophecy. Therefore hear me, and worship Christ confidently; the first commandment will remain unharmed for you, the divine unity will also remain unharmed for you. You will not err, but confidently forsake all divine and human, and worship only this Christ. Cling to him completely and then you will cling to the true and unified God.

Thus, only Gentiles who believe in Christ are assured and made sure that we are not mistaken, but that we are pleasing God in the highest way, if we believe in and confess His Son, Jesus Christ, the true, unified and natural God. If we are not able to understand that there is one God and three persons, let us leave it to him, but let us incline our ears. He himself says that our King is God and commands that we worship him. Therefore we should believe that he is our God, and so there will be no danger that we will practice idolatry and worship a false god. But if you reject this King in the foolish superstition that you might violate the first commandment, then you have rejected the whole and true God, as the Arians have done. For while avoiding One Error, the foolish people run into the opposite errors. While they

they are actually doing against the first commandment, and while they are fleeing idolatry (as they call it), they are falling into twofold idolatry. The first commandment, they say, teaches that one should worship only One God, so it is idolatry to worship Christ. Thus, while they believe that it is a great sin to worship Christ, they commit a greater sin and take away Christ's divinity, thereby denying the true God.

Thus the wretched Zwingli first moved his listeners with the thunderclap that it was idolatry to believe that the bread was the body of Christ, who is God and man. When they heard this, the simple hearts at first thought for a while, but then they fell for it, caught by the fact that it seemed similar to the truth. For after the devil has taken away the word from our hearts and eyes, and causes us to consider the articles of faith without the word, then it is done with us. But thou sayest, I will not consider whether these things be true or not, but will simply believe, as Christ saith, "This is my body." If I am an idolater because of this belief, it is through guilt and at the peril of Christ, whose words are thus. He will therefore well (bene) defend me. For this is quite certain, as soon as we begin to doubt and dispute about any article of faith, we lose it, and fall into an ungodly delusion, as Eve fell, when she counseled with herself about God's commandment. "She also allowed herself to be advised on a misgiving, but she had already fallen." In the beginning she had the commandment in her mouth and defended herself splendidly against the devil, but after she began to mean it, she was already overcome. This is how it is with everyone.

Therefore you who study the holy Scriptures should be sure above all things what you must believe in the Christian religion, that you have well fortified the articles of faith with good sayings of the holy Scriptures, and consider them well. Then, if either the devil or his instruments, the heretics, want to dispute with you, have those words of the holy Scriptures against them; but let them go, and say, "Your pointed words are not good.

I do not want to listen to the speculations and thoughts (speculationes). For this says the Holy Spirit, who has reminded me to listen and to incline my ears; for a new and mighty doctrine is coming, in which many are offended, that all righteousness is to be abandoned, and only the one Christ and his righteousness are to be trusted and founded upon; then that this Christ is God by nature and is to be worshipped. Therefore, I am sure that I am not mistaken, and the reason for proof, which is asserted from the first commandment and from the prophets, that one should worship only One God, is nullified. If, on the other hand, they say: So you make several gods, I answer: I do not make another or several gods, but I say that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one and the same God. It is a substantial unity and one essence, although there are three persons; nor do I want to have several gods, because several gods contend with each other, nor can they be; but here is unity. But how the persons are distinguished, if I do not understand this, then the holy scripture is sufficient for me, which says it, and calls the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit by name, Matth. 28, 19. If I could grasp this with the reason or the senses, what would faith be necessary? what would it then need the scripture, which is revealed by God through the Holy Spirit? Now, if I do not want to believe anything other than what I can comprehend with reason, I will shortly lose baptism, the sacrament of the altar, the Word, grace, the knowledge of original sin, and everything, because reason understands nothing of these things. Thus we see that the Sacramentarians and the Anabaptists have lost all this, for of none of these do they teach rightly. Therefore the first care of a theologian should be to be well versed in the text (bonus textualis, as it is called), and first of all to hold fast this principle that one should not dispute or philosophize in sacred things; for if one were to act here with rational and probable grounds of proof, I could as easily pervert all the articles of faith as Arius, the Sacramentarians, and the Anabaptists.

Anabaptists. But in theology one must only hear, and believe, and hold fast in the heart: God is true, however inconsistent that may seem to reason, what God says in His word.

Thus he says in this place that this king (of whom we preach that he was born of the virgin and was a true man) is God by nature, because this word is attributed to God alone in the whole of Scripture in the form in which it stands here, and "worship" is such a service of God that also belongs to God alone. Therefore, instead of the old worship, which he commanded to be forgotten above, he here establishes another, new worship, and transfers the first commandment completely according to all its parts and syllables to this king. Worship this one, he says. Whoever does not worship this one will lack the right God, as if he wanted to say: Let no one complain, as if all worship had perished and been abolished. For that you have hitherto kept the ceremonies, sacrificed, done the holy ten commandments and other works of the law, I now leave undone; that may have been worship hitherto. But now a new worship will be, which is exceedingly pleasing to everyone and to me, the worship of this King, on whom I transfer the first commandment, commanding that you worship him; if you do this, then you have worshipped me, shown me the worship of God. For every one that divinely worships (colit) this king, he alone fulfills the first commandment, and no other, because I have commanded that he should sit at my right hand etc.

Therefore, we must be at the will of God, who speaks to us of the Son whom he has revealed, so that we may be true worshipers, not as before, but in spirit and in truth, that is, in faith in his beloved Son. He who worships him worships me, he who despises him despises me, so that everything should be to the glory of this Son. And there is no danger that we should be idolaters. For the Father commands it, saying that if we worship the Son, we serve him, because he is one with the Son, and we cannot come to the Father in any other way or more surely than through

the Son and in the Son, in whom is all the fullness of the Godhead. Therefore, we cannot lack God, but with joy, gladness, confidence and with the greatest certainty we can worship this our King Christ, the Son of God, who is our Lord and true God, not a speculatum invented by the philosophers, but so called by God Himself.

So now it is the service of God, not to keep the ceremonies of Moses, the pope, the monks, the pagans, the Turks, but to worship this King, that is, to take hold of this King and believe that he is the Son of God, who suffered for us and rose from the dead; then to acknowledge him in fear, to accept his word and believe, and to do everything in faith in him for his glory, so that everything, as Paul [Col. 3, 17] is done in the name of Jesus. In this way we are all priests, clothed and adorned with the same holiness of Christ, which we receive by faith, much more beautiful than all the righteousness of the Old Testament and the Papacy. It is an excellent verse, therefore I command you the same.

V. 13. The daughter of Zor will be there with a gift; the rich among the people will plead before you.

Here he comforts the church with an external consolation, as it were. For it is difficult to believe in God without an example, and to be led by God as he led Abraham as an individual, and to see that all other peoples have an abhorrence of the religion you follow, and that you alone believe and follow something that is different from that of all other people. Therefore, since the Holy Spirit foreknew that this thing would produce great weakness, he comforts the church, saying, "I will make it so: Since you are so beautiful in my sight, and serve me in pure faith, forsaking all your righteousness, I will give happiness and prosperity to your preaching of me, so that the best part of the world will accept it; so that, although the whole world disputes the gospel, the nations rage, the peoples counsel, the kings rebel against you, yet some of the nobles, kings, princes, and wise men of the world will join themselves to you, and preach the gospel.

Accept the word. For God wants to have his own tithes from the great multitude of kingdoms and nations. But this would be impossible, if it would not happen by the divine blessing. Because it is a completely inconsistent and unbelievable sermon. Therefore it is condemned by the world as a heretical, blasphemous and idolatrous one. But God always converts some people through this doctrine of faith against all thinking and me, so that the church is increased, since there are always some who remain steadfast and shed their blood for this doctrine.

Therefore he says the same here as in another place [Ps. 8, 7.]: "You have put everything under his feet", and Is. 49, 23.: "The kings shall be your keepers." For God also sustains the church bodily, and that with necessity. For if we are to preach and confess Christ, this body also needs preservation; peace, nourishment and other necessities are needed. Therefore, if there were no prince anywhere to accept the gospel, there would be no place, no peace, no food, no clothing; the church would perish in a short time. Therefore, God raises up some princes who are favorable to the godly, give them abundantly and feed them. And they do this with great faith, as in the court of Nero Processus, Martinianus 1) and others who went to their deaths for the sake of Christ. This is God's work. Thus he promises here: You shall not be lonely, but I will also turn great princes to you, as He also says in Isaiah [Cap. 49, 21.]: "I was barren. Who begat me these?" etc.

The daughter Zor (Tyri).

This is a Hebrew way of speaking, that is, Tyre itself. For what is "Zor" in Hebrew, I believe, is Tyre, since the change from Z to T is easy.

Will be there with gift (in muneribus).

It will bring you gifts, because he is talking about the worldly gifts. But he indicates, as I said above, that Tyre is to be converted to the church, and the word and

1) Lilartiriianus is missing in the Erlanger. - In the Jena one: "proeessus".

accept those heavy articles, and confess their faith with gifts and alms to the poor saints. Further I take Tyre after the figure of the synecdoche for all other mighty cities of the Gentiles. For Tyre was a very famous (nobilissima) city at the time of this psalm, just as if I said nowadays: Venice will receive the gospel and will mildly take care of the poor and afflicted Christians, so that the number of people in the church will increase.

The rich among the people will plead before you.

Wherever there will be any people and rich people, there will also be some who worship Christ for the sake of this word, and although it seems unbelievable, I will nevertheless give you people from all nations, who shall come and hear you preach with the highest joy and hold the word in honor etc., as we see today that even in the courts of godless princes there are many devout men who, as truly godly people, hold the word in honor, serve the ministers of the word with humility, help the brethren with every service that is in their ability. This means confessing Christ with outward gifts and services. This has happened from the beginning of this preaching in the church and still happens. But it is a great comfort that the church, in the midst of tribulations and persecutions, should also have an outward comfort, and that the word should also be spread and preserved through the rich, just as there are few princes today who do not have some people in their courts who are favorable to the word and revere it.

Therefore, after admonishing the synagogue to leave the people, the Father's house, the law and everything, and promising that it would then be exceedingly beautiful and have infinite righteousness forever, with which it would be clothed by the King himself, not by the servant of Moses, but by its Lord and God Himself, he added this very necessary external consolation. For since the whole psalm is in figurative speech, this glorious praise cannot be seen otherwise than in the spirit, otherwise every single word will be seen as nothing but lies.

appear. For there is nothing less to be seen in the apostles and the Christians than the adornment of the king and the care of the rich, but the second psalm prevails, that the heathen rage, and the people rage.

Therefore, everything must be considered according to the spirit, but in such a way that even in truth daughters of kings will take care of this holy church, for otherwise it would be impossible that this kingdom should remain. For if God did not give a place where the word could be taught, if he did not give a prince who loved the gospel, the church would not last long. Therefore, while others rage and most of the world persecutes the gospel, God raises up people like David, Josiah, Hezekiah, and sometimes even a king of Babylon, so that there may be good peace and quiet for the ministry of the word and for the spreading of the word. With necessity, therefore, he comforts the church here that there will be no lack of saints and daughters of the church, even from the mighty and rich of the world, who will feed the church and be the patrons of the church, so that the word of the Psalm [Ps. 110, 2] will stand firm: "Rule among your enemies" etc.

V. 14: The king's daughter is all glorious within; she is clothed in gold.

The Latin interpreter has translated this verse badly: [Omnis gloria ejus filiae regis ab intus, in fimbriis aureis, whereas it should read Filia regis tota gloriosa est intus, et auro induta. "The king's daughter" is a Hebrew idiom for the queen herself, as they also say: a child of death [2 Sam. 12, 5.], a child of the kingdom [Matth. 8, 12.], a son of the rock, a son of the cook [Klagel. 3, 13.] etc. I take it now from the descendants that the queen, of whom he said above [v. 10.], is the synagogue itself, or the church called out of the old synagogue, but the king's daughter is the church gathered out of the Jews and Gentiles, so that out of the two peoples, the Jews and the Gentiles, One Body

1) The words in brackets are added by us. The relation is defective here; the following Latin translation is not that of the Vulgate, but of Luther.

462 xvm. 250-2S2. Interpretations on the Psalms. W. v, ws-ni. 463

as Paul also used to say. For it is a great thing and a glorious miracle, in which not only the Jews are offended, but all who are not Christians, that God does away with the respect of the person, and makes no distinction between us Gentiles, who live without law, and the Jews, who are weighed down with the burden of the law, makes no distinction between the Gentile Cornelius and the circumcised Moses, as is evident from the Acts of the Apostles [Cap. 10, 1. ff.].

It is therefore unheard of that this partition, which distinguished the Jews and the Gentiles and caused constant enmity, is so badly removed. For the Jews despised and condemned the Gentiles who lived without the Law; and the Gentiles, in turn, ridiculed and hated the Jews as a very extraordinarily superstitious people. This enmity, says God, I will abolish, and neither you who are circumcised nor you who are uncircumcised shall have any preference or be considered better, but he who believes in Christ. In this way neither a Jew can reproach the Gentile for his Gentile origin, nor a Gentile for his foolishness, and at the same time the holiness of the Jews and the wisdom of the Gentiles will be done away with, so that there is absolutely no difference, and all boasting is abolished. For even though salvation comes from the Jews [John 4:22] and not from the Gentiles, it does not remain with the Jews alone. I believe that the prophet is speaking of this astonishment, that the king's daughter is the offspring of the church, which began with the Jews and has been propagated to the Gentiles.

Another conception, although not much different from the previous one, is that the daughter of the queen 1) is not taken for the body of the church, which is gathered from Jews and Gentiles, but for the church of the Gentiles, which sprang from the church of the Jews, so that he indicates that this king will not be barren in marriage, but will have sons and daughters, as it says in Isaiah [Cap. 43, 6.]: Speak at midnight:

1) In the editions the text says: ülium reZinas, but in the margin: ülia re^is.

Give me sons etc. For the church of the Jews is the queen, which is set up by the apostles. Through them he begat a daughter, the church of the Gentiles, as Paul says Apost. 13:46: "The word of God had to be spoken to you first, but now that you have rejected it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles." And in the first letter to the Corinthians, Cap. 4, 15: "I have begotten you through the gospel"; although you have many disciplinarians (for masters who teach good works can be found in many), yet only One is the Father who begets. For the Jews did not become Christians through the Gentiles, but the Gentiles through the Jews. Thus, he praises the reproduction of this kingdom through the birth of children until the end of the world.

The king's daughter is quite glorious inside.

That is, the church, which has been spread by this queen of the people of the Jews and has been enlarged by the holy apostles through the first church, is very splendidly and most beautifully adorned "inwardly", that is, in her woman's room (as we call it), so that the opinion is: In this queen's chamber there is nothing but gold, silver, purple, and silk; there are no weapons, no filth, but glory in garments of gold and silver etc. For he has taken the image from a royal woman's room. He indicates that the church is adorned with various gifts, but especially with the gift of faith in Christ. For these are "the golden pieces". For as he said above [v. 10.] of the queen that she was adorned with gold, so here he says that the daughter of the queen is adorned with golden pieces. Therefore the church of the Gentiles has not less of Christ than the church of the Jews, but she is also clothed with the most precious gold, that is, with the righteousness of our Lord JEsu Christ, and with salvation, as she says in Isaiah Cap. 61, 10. "He hath clothed me with garments of salvation, and arrayed me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom with priestly: ornaments adorned, and as a bride in her jewels." For this is the wedding garment, of which he also speaks in the Gospel.

The most high confidence and righteousness, by which we are clothed with Christ himself as a gift. This is the gold, these are the golden pieces, which the church of the Gentiles received through the first church and the apostles.

V. 15: They bring her to the king in embroidered garments, and her companions, the virgins who follow her, they bring to him. 1)

Here the Latin interpreter has divided the verse incorrectly and rendered the meaning badly. For it is to be read thus: Deducitur ad regem in vestibus acu pictis, et virgines sectantes eam, quae ei sunt proximae, adducuntur ad te. But the meaning is: The church, which goes along so splendidly adorned in its women's room, where one neither enters nor leaves, but is the bridal chamber of the conscience, where the bridegroom and the bride alone rest, where everything is of gold: when this church is carried out to the round, it is dressed with embroidered garments. These are the gifts that follow the golden garment, which is faith. For after we are justified by faith, and clothed in pure and precious gold, other gifts of the Holy Spirit follow, which afterward work miracles in believers, teaching, admonishing, baptizing, etc., as Rom. 12:6 and 1 Cor. 12:4 are written. In such adornment she is led to the round dance, into the public, where the king dances with her; and she is not only led to it, but the whole women's room, that is, the great multitude of the churches everywhere in the whole world, as he says:

And their playmates, the virgins etc.

Everything is taken from the way it is at court, where the queen and the princesses (reginulae) have their servants, rather their comrades, namely the daughters of other princes who follow them. But it denotes both the ruling churches and the ruled ones. For God rules this kingdom in such a way that he gives apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, interpreters, governors etc. 1 Cor.

1) Vulgata: Circumamicta varietatibus. Adducentur regi virgines post eam; proximae ejus afferentur tibi....

12, 28. For another gift is faith, another prophecy, another the gift of healing etc. [1 Cor. 12:8, 9]. These differences of gifts remain in the church, and one has more of them than another. For not all the members of the body can be feet or hands or eyes etc. So also he wills that the body of his church with different gifts and offices be joined together in beautiful harmony. This is not found among the swarm spirits and sectarians, where each one wants to be everything, foot, hand, eye, ear etc.

Thus, here he depicts how the queen comes forth, having many virgins following her, each of whom walks along adorned with a different garment. But they are also led to the king, so that everything happens to will and serve this king. Thus the apostles teach Christ, the prophets, the teachers, the bishops, the pastors, the ministers who baptize, who administer the sacrament: all are led to Christ, so that they may believe and serve in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, each in his own way. For all, though they may differ in gifts, are of one mind and of one accord in the supreme article, that they are saved by faith in Christ, and by nothing else. Thus, when I am a teacher of the gospel, I do the same thing that Paul and Peter do. So does a pastor of the church at Antioch the same as the prophets do. They all follow Christ alone, do not want to know anything, hold (sapere) and preach as Christ crucified. Thus they agree in their most exquisite clothing, namely in faith, even though the colors are different, that is, they have different gifts. But the heretics go to hell on a different, own way under the name of Christ, and do not follow this queen, but their own opinions. But here in the true church there remains unity in faith, in word, in doctrine, in opinion, however different the gifts may be. For although the clothing is various, yet all come to the round, to the service, the honor and the splendor of the king, not to the whorehouse, like the heretics. But do they do so gladly? It follows:

V. 16: They are led with joy and gladness, and go into the king's palace.

Change [the futura in Latin] into tenses of the present. For he presents how the church and the people of God are led into the palace, to Christ himself, as it were to a round dance and royal banquet. Therefore, spiritual eyes are also needed here, as St. Agatha had. Since she was executed because she confessed Christ, she said that she would be led to the round dance and delicious banquet. Thus the church is exposed to all misfortunes and torments, and the individual Christians are either thrown into prison or assailed by sadness, temptations and torments; but they suffer all this with a happy conscience, because the Holy Spirit is with them, who makes them laugh at the wrath and rage of the world and the whole devil with all his terrors, so that they also go into the perils with joy.

How is it, then, that Christians remain steadfast in so many temptations, inward and outward torments, and yet do not deny Christ? Certainly, because they know that they are in the service of their King Christ: They know that they are in the service of Christ, their King, and that they will be led to him with glorious splendor. So I too would not preach a single sermon in public if I were not cheered up by such promises that Christ lives and is our Lord. For this produces a certain confidence that we can think like this: If this is true, that Christ is our Lord and King, we may then with cheerful and unbroken courage let ourselves be killed or robbed. This is the spiritual round dance of which the prophet here speaks, in which there is gladness, not a natural or carnal, but a supernatural and spiritual, which overcomes the terrors of death and laughs at the raging of hell and the devil and his members. For the church must be instructed by faith, which is the golden garment; then it must be adorned with love and patience, that it may glory in tribulation, so that when anyone suffers persecution for the word's sake, he may say, "Quite right, this is what I sought with my preaching, that I should conquer the world and

The devil wanted to excite against me; therefore I will not desist. This is how this round dance is danced.

The bride guides who lead the queens are the servants of the church. They comfort her and tell her to be of good cheer; it seems to the flesh that this is death, but in truth it is life; it seems to us that we are abandoned by God in the cross: It seems to us that we are abandoned by God in the cross, but then we are most loved and protected by God. For whom He loves, He chastens [Hebr. 12, 6.], so that He may make salvation out of the cross, life out of death, honor out of shame, and prosperity out of suffering, as Paul used to say, 2 Cor. 4, 8-10: "We have tribulations everywhere, but we are not afraid; we are afraid, but we do not despair. We suffer persecution, but we are not forsaken; we are oppressed, but we do not perish; and we always bear the death of the Lord Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of the Lord Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies" etc. Thus, the Bride Leaders lead the Church and fortify it with the words of faith and the consolations of the Holy Spirit and raise it up: Wait out and trust. But it is a great art to know that this is the round dance of the Christians, when the heart fidgets because of the bitterest hatred of the world, in the temptation of the devil and sin, as Paul [2 Cor. 12, 7.] complains about the stake and Satan's angel. It is a hard round dance, and impossible to the flesh; yet it must be performed, so that we must exhort ourselves, and speak as that one said, Here make a dance. The promises are the flutes, the servants of the word are the dancers who lead the virgins. These two pieces can alleviate this harsh round dance. For the Church has no other joy than the Word. Thus, through this joyful image, the Holy Spirit has willed to delineate the afflicted Church. Therefore, when you are at a round dance, think: Behold, this virgin is the image (incedit in allegoria) of some troubled and afflicted church. The leader of the round dance is the preacher, the flutes are the promises of Christ and the angels. But these are spiritual eyes that see such things in tribulation.

V.17. Instead of your fathers you will have children, and you will make them rulers over the earth.

Here he goes out of the synagogue and says about the descendants of this king, who will not only have the kingdom in the Jewish people, but in the whole earth, through the whole world. Christ will have his baptismal font, his pulpit from which he teaches, his apostles and teachers in cities and villages, even if there are only one or two who believe. So the name of Christ, so the altar on which the Sacrament is administered, will not only be spread far and wide, but will also date in length, so that Christ and His name will be found in all corners throughout the world. So also among the Turks are people who have faith in Christ and baptism, and the same golden robe and gifts, even though they are oppressed by the Turk. There have always been some believers under the papacy, and there are still believers whom we do not know, whom God receives through the Word and the sacraments, even though the devil and the pope do not like to see it. Salvation comes from the Jews [John 4:22], and the Jews are the fathers, as he calls them here; but because they do not want to agree with the Gospel, other children are born in their place. For the Gentiles are converted to the faith and cling to Christ; they are grafted into the olive tree whose branches are broken and cut off, as Paul says [Rom. 11:19].

You will set them as princes etc.

But these are miserable "princes". So he also uses the names "kingdom" and "king's children" and "queen", but all this is very secret and hidden from the eyes of men. Therefore it is called a mystery [Rom. 16, 25.], likewise the kingdom of heaven [Matth. 13, 11.], and princes in heaven [Joh. 8, 37.], but not a kingdom and princes on earth. Thus the apostles and all other ministers of the Word are bishops. But who of us dares to believe this, and to presume that he is one of the heavenly princes fei? And yet, it is so; I and all the other godly

Teachers are princes. But it seems to be an intemperate hopefulness to take this for oneself; but it is not hopefulness, for it is to the honor of the king. For since he himself is the king of honors and of heaven, those who enter his service are his councilors and great princes, even if they do not believe that they are such great people. For just as the emperor Carl has his electors, the Turk his satraps, the pope his cardinals, so also our king has great princes for servants. Augustine is a prince in heaven, so are Quadratus, Irenaeus and others also princes and counts; so also we who teach the gospel today. But before the world we are "the most despised," and are represented as the children of those who are given over to death, as a sacrifice of sweepings and a curse of the world [1 Cor. 4:9, 13.], as an abomination and mockery of men, as a curse and contempt of the people [Psalm 22:7.]. Such people we are, if we esteem ourselves after the manner in which the peasants, nobles, princes, and wise men of the world esteem us; but we must not follow their judgment of us, but rather suffer ourselves to be killed. For if I consider rightly who I am, I find that I have been baptized and placed by God in the preaching office of God; therefore, without a doubt, I am also found among the estates of this realm.

This is for our consolation, that we should see and believe that the church is highly esteemed in the eyes of God, and is a queen of an eternal kingdom, a victor over death and sin by the grace and gift of her Bridegroom and King, and that we are in this kingdom, in which there is dominion over death and the devil; our King also has his princes, princes, counts etc. We also want to be in their number and boast of such high dignity, even though we are poor in the world, even though nobles and peasants trample us underfoot and spit at us. But in the eyes of God, where there are infinitely greater princes than the princes of the world, one is a count, another a duke, another a prince.

It is true that the powerful in the world laugh at us when they hear such things from us, and when they want to mock the poverty of our pastors, they call them Lutheran bishops, as well as

Some want to show their wit by saying, when they want to speak of us in an exceedingly contemptuous way, "He is a theologian. This name shall only mean as much with them as if they said: He is a fool and I don't know what. But they may have good days, collect treasures and be highly esteemed, yet they will experience the judgment of God in his time and see how true it is what the prophet says here: "You will make them princes." Yes, a part of this dignity begins already in this life. For neither any princes, nor the pope, nor the jurists are able to teach rightly even of one estate how it is constituted before God; as we see that before the word, which now shines brightly, came to light, when it came to dying, these people mourned and complained about their estate, as if it had been godless. But there is no doubt that those who gave and taught laws possessed as much sagacity and intelligence as those who ridicule theology today possess, and that they nevertheless did not know this, which is not so great that they could have passed a certain judgment on the estates (vitae generibus). The same was not known by those who wrote philosophical books. Therefore, when it is necessary to judge a matter before God, no wisdom, no laws, no philosophy can judge, but only the spiritual prince of whom he speaks here. They must seek and hear comfort from him, ask him for absolution and other spiritual services. Then they must humble themselves and throw themselves at the feet of these princes, even if they are the greatest kings and the wisest men. Furthermore, it is better in the sight of God for someone to be the regent of three villages in spiritual judgment than to be the emperor of Turkey. For the Holy Spirit does not lie, who calls them princes set by God.

So now you have described this whole king quite gloriously with the whole government of the kingdom and best reproduction until eternity. Now he concludes his song. Now Moses shall cease, he says, there shall be further

Nothing else will be preached and taught than this King, who is such a Beatificator; of him alone will we sing. So he closes in the same way as he began, and the wreath that he has woven and finished, he summarizes here as if to say: As I said at the beginning that I would sing of a king and praise him, so I sing at the end and praise him:

V. 18. I will remember your name from child to child; therefore the nations will give you thanks forever and ever.

As if he wanted to say: This shall be the man of whom to sing, to teach, to preach, and to praise forever, of whose name never to be silent. So will I remember thy name, O Lord, that thou mayest be praised and glorified for ever. This is the only and most delicious service of the New Testament, to praise and extol this Son of God with singing, writing and preaching. This service is at the same time a sacrifice of praise and death. For the sake of this service, for the sake of this preaching, we suffer and are killed. Furthermore, because he says that the remembrance of the name of the Lord is the only worship, Moses is cut off and condemned and everything that exists anywhere in philosophical doctrines, so that in the church only the voice of the bridegroom should resound, and one should give thanks to this king and praise him. This must happen and will never cease until the end of the world, when this King of ours will come and show himself to us face to face. In the meantime, we princes rule only by preaching and ministering the Word, likewise with consolations and the sacraments, and this is "remembering the name of the Lord". In the meantime, let the world laugh at us that we have nothing but the mere word and are very sorrowful and miserable; but let us await our King. When his wedding is finished, we shall see that we are led into his bridal chamber, and there abide with him and live forever. Amen.