Preface.
To the strict and firm Caspar von Kokeritz 1) zum Sees, my favorable dear lord and friend.
Grace and peace in Christ, our Lord and Savior! Faithful, steadfast, dear Lord and friend! After I have hitherto dealt with all kinds of Christian doctrine through several booklets, Praise to God, and have now recently sent out admonitions to the school, 2) to listening, 3) and especially to the reverend Sacrament, 4) and, as I hope, have faithfully carried out what is mine according to my office, I am moved, probably from time to time, to also issue an admonition that one should thank and praise God for such Sacrament and other benefits;
1) The spelling of this name is very different. Here in the original: Kokeritz, in the Wittenberg and in the Jena edition: Kökeritz; in Luther's house account (De Wette VI, 329): Kockeritz; in a letter of Luther (De W. V, 640) and in the Table Talks (Cap. 48, Z4): Köckeritz. In Latin (De W. V, 159): a Lolcrits and (in bsutsi-bnob" p. 158) äs Oobritn.
2) Sermon that children should be kept in school. Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. X, 416.
3) This "exhortation to obedience" probably refers to the "exhortation to the clergy, assembled at the Diet of Augsburg. Walch, old edition, vol. XVI, 1120.
4) Admonition to the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Lord. Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. X, 2170.
because I, unfortunately, experience daily not only the unspeakable ingratitude in all the world, but also the horrible, terrible contempt, both of the Sacrament, Gospel and all the graces of God, shown to us so abundantly at this last time. And also had the will to make a special new song about it. But because the Holy Spirit, the highest and best poet, has already made better and finer songs (namely the dear Psalms) to thank and praise God with, I have left my nasty and vulgar poetry, and have taken this Psalm, the Holy Spirit's song and poem, before me, and interpreted the same; as in it he himself shows us how and with what manner and words we should thank and praise God for his grace, and especially for the holy Sacrament. For I can well think that not everyone can sufficiently understand such a master song, nor remember how it is to be used; because to us Germans the Hebrew manner and language (even though it has been interpreted into German) is nevertheless not clear and distinct in all places nor in all words, but may at least be used to show, as with a finger, what is meant and sung within, and like singing to children a song that they are to learn.
*Luther must have made this interpretation soon after his return from Coburg to Wittenberg, because on October 11 he arrived in Wittenberg at 7 o'clock in the evening (Kolde, Analecta, p. 155), and the letter of this Pfalm has the date: "Montag nach Catharina", that is, November 28, 1530. The first edition appeared under the title: "Der Hundert vnd eilffte Psalm ausgelegt durch D. Martin Luther, Wittemberg. Martin Luther, Wittemberg. M.D.LXX." At the end: "Gedruckt zu Wittenberg durch Hans Weis, Am Jar M.D.XXX." A second edition appeared under the same title in the same year. Furthermore, in 1530 a reprint without indication of place and printer, and in 1531 a reprint by Künig and Hergotin in Nuremberg. In the collective editions: in the WittMhW vol. Ill, p. 528 b; in the Jenaer (1566), vol.V, p. 202; in theAltenburger, vol. V, p. 334; in theLeM^ p. 472 and in the Erlanger, vol. 40, p, 192. The attribution is also found in De Wette, vol. IV, p. IM I go the text mainly after the Erlanger edition, which has printed the original text, but under WgUchung of the Wittenberger and the Jenaer. The variants are insignificant.
1058 Eri. 4", 194-187. Interpretations on the Psalms. W. v, is-isss. 1059
For God knows how great a sorrow this is to me, and certainly one of my greatest burdens, that I have experienced such ingratitude among us Germans, and still have to see it every day. Thus, I am afraid that a plague will soon befall Germany, the like of which we have perhaps not yet experienced, and which we are not yet prepared for, unless there is no God or Christ, and His Gospel is a lie. For our portion, being hardened and blinded, will not and cannot cease from blaspheming and persecuting our dear Lord and Savior. So our part is so ungrateful, the other part, that they would rather have no gospel than to hear it; I am silent, that they should nourish or promote it, regardless of the fact that they both know that it is the truth and the word of God.
(3) For I consider that it has come before you, as now, at the Diet of Augsburg, our counterpart has himself confessed that our delivered Scripture and doctrine is not contrary to the articles of faith or the holy Scriptures, and has almost astonished many that such a pure doctrine is, as they have been so deafened hitherto by their poisonous ear-blowers, that they thought no more harmful doctrine had ever come on earth, and would never be so joyful as to be allowed to present itself and be looked upon before the emperor and the empire. Yes, they have also confessed that their thing, namely popery, is not founded in the Holy Scriptures; so that even a great lord said of their own doctors: Truly our doctors defend us finely! They confess on both sides that our thing is not founded in the Scriptures. They still rage about their own conscience and testimony, and want to destroy our doctrine and preserve the abomination of the pope.
Again, on our side the nobility is so insolent and proud, as if they did not know whether they wanted to walk on the head; and the peasant so wanton and puffed up, as if he were lord over all lords; and both nobility and peasant together, not only despise God, but also rob and steal from the Gospel, which they are not given to, but owe to give, that I worry we are tempting God too high, and will not leave Him alone with charms,
To anger and to provoke, until he has to let a weather pass over us.
(5) He has already attacked that part and warned it sufficiently with the great flood of water that has passed over Rome and indicated what he intends to do about it. So one writes now from the Netherlands such terrible God's warnings and signs also of water floods.
(6) And how can and should he do otherwise, the dear God? There is neither hearing nor seeing, no teaching, no praying, no exhorting, no pleading, no humility, no patience, no forbearance, no miracles, no signs; we force God to anger with all our might, and will not let Him be merciful, however much He would like to; that I truly cannot blame the dear Father that he once gives us an honest distemper; it will not be otherwise, our sin and ingratitude is too ripe and even superior, just as the Jews were, since they did not accept Christ and the apostles with love and thanksgiving.
(7) But I, together with all Christ's dear friends, would gladly do so, and help to avert such anger, or at least to postpone and forgive it, as much as it would always be possible. Therefore, I have endeavored and endeavored with teachings and exhortations to gratitude, and now I have also indicated this psalm to the Christians, so that they not only gain the desire and devotion to give thanks, but also have actual, certain, good words and ways, so that they may praise God and give thanks, so that no lack is found in me or in us, nor is any lack felt, and they may not complain that they know neither word nor way to do so. I know with a good conscience I know with a good conscience to boast that I have done what is mine, so let it be as God wills, who, as St. Peter [2 Ep. 2, 9] says, knows how to save the righteous at the very time when he destroys the wicked, as he saved Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah. It is not (if God wills) my and my faith's fault where evil will come.
008 Now this psalm have I committed unto you, and have sent it forth in your name; not that I should abuse you, or seek your glory; but that I might gladly
I have reasons and accept, where I can, to admonish also the others of the nobility, if they would let themselves be moved to follow your example and that of your equals (because they are of equal standing with you, and therefore the example may be all the stronger). For God has graciously gifted you with an earnest love and desire for His Word, and I have often heard from you both in writing and orally your sighing and complaining about such great ingratitude towards God and His grace; which is indeed an indication of no false heart towards the dear Gospel. God keep you in this for eternity, amen.
(9) Even if I did it to praise your name, I would not have sinned because of it. For what I would do, I would do to the honor of God and to the praise of His grace, even to the disgrace of the unrighteous nobility, so that the pious nobility would have all the more favor with God and His Christians.
and the unkindness would have to be all the more uncreated and hostile. Why should I not put the pious Wolf of Lindau, who has now departed from us to the Father in Heaven in such a Christian way on the Imperial Day, in my mortal book, because he is already written by God Himself in the book of life? So I also know well that you and your kind do not consider the fame that your name is praised in my book to be anything. Your glory is better that your name also be written in the book of life, as Paul writes of his comrades. What I do, I do for the benefit of others, as an admonition and an example. We have no right to glory or honor among men; Christ is our glory and honor, to whom be praise and thanksgiving, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever, amen. Give my regards to your dear Rachel, and may God also give her a dear Joseph one day, amen. At Wittemberg, Monday after Catharine [Nov. 28] 1530. Martinus Luther.