of the Passion, Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.*)
Preached Anno 1528. (. 5) 152S.
Preface.
To all devout Christians I wish Niclas von Amsdorf God's grace, understanding, spirit and wisdom, that they may remain steadfast and persevere in the pure doctrine of the Holy Gospel until their end, Amen.
After many beautiful and splendid sermons on some chapters of the two evangelists, John and Matthew, by the holy, dear man, Doctor Martin Luther, of blessed memory, by the worthy and well-respected gentleman, Georg Rörer, from the same mouth, and by another faithfully, diligently, and to the best of one's ability and ability, put on paper, and made into print, (and although they are not equal to the other writings that he himself made and had printed, they are nevertheless now, at this last, dangerous time, when all kinds of error and heresies again frequently arise and come forth, very necessary, useful and comforting to guard against them and to resist them): The Serene, Highborn Princes and Lords, Mr. Johann Friedrich, Mr. Johann Wilhelm, and Mr. Johann
Frederick the Younger, Brothers, Dukes of Saxony, Landgraves of Thuringia and Margraves of Meissen, my most gracious Princes and Lords, have specially ordered and commanded the printing of these Sermons or Homilies (out of special desire and love, which they bear and have for the Holy Scriptures, that it be brought to light according to its pure, natural and right understanding), specially ordered and commanded to be printed, wherein many articles of our holy Christian faith, according to the content of the pure doctrine of the holy Gospel, are acted upon and explained.
Your Princely Graces, for moving and considerable reasons, have also published D. Martin Luther's special Confessiones, that is, their glorious and Christian Confessions, along with the above-mentioned sermons. Martin Luther's special Confessiones, that is, their glorious and Christian confessions, along with the above-mentioned sermons.
From this all pious and sorrowful hearts, who in like case are challenged under the cross they bear, are to take a comforting example and exemplification, that they too may keep their faith in such a way.
Luther preached these sermons, as well as the previous ones, for Bugenhagen, while he was absent from Wittenberg in 1528 and 1529, in order to organize the church system according to the teachings of the Gospel in Brunswick and (from the end of September 1528) in Hamburg. "After the Easter holidays of the 1529th year" Bugenhagen returned to Wittenberg, as is reported at the end of the sermons. Ll. Georg Rörer had, as Amsdorf says in his preface, copied these sermons, but they were not published until 1557 by Ll. Andreas Poach, Pfarrherrn zun Augustinern zu Erfurt (about Poach see St. Louis edition, vol. XIII, preface, Col. VI) and provided by Nicolaus von Amsdorf with a preface. The first edition was published in Jena in 1557 under the title: "Das 18. und 19. Capitel, und ein Stück aus dem zwanzigsten St. Johannis, von dein Leiden, Sterben und Auferstehung unsers HErrn JEsu Christi. Preached and interpreted by D. Mart. Luth. Anno 1528 and 29, never before gone out in print and now brought together for the very first time." Another single edition "newly overlooked and increased by LI. Andr. Poach" was published in Erfurt in 1566. In the Saminlungen, this interpretation is found: in the Eisleben one, vol. I, p. 428; in the Altenburg one, vol. IV, p. 644; in the Leipzig one, vol. X, p. 241 and in the Erlangen one, vol. 50, p. 266. Amsdorf's preface is reprinted only in the Leipzig edition and by Walch. Walch, as he notes in the preface to the 8th volume, p. 8b, "previously held and improved the copy which has been printed here according to the two touched editions of 1557 and 1566." Therefore, we reproduce the text according to the old edition, comparing the Erlanger, which printed the text from the Eisleben collection. Probably these sermons belong entirely to the Passion period of the year 1529 au, because in § III of the interpretation of the 18th chapter Luther alludes to his writing "von heimlichen und gestohlenen Briesen", which went out New Year's Day 1529. Compare the notes to § 1 and § 111 of the 18th chapter of this interpretation.
joyfully and constantly confess how the laudable Elector, of Christian memory, in his custodia has confessed his faith fearlessly, yet with utmost patience and humility.
For he did not insist on, nor did he harass, the imperial majesty or the same councillors who urged him to accept the interim, neither did he despise it, nor did he give useless words, but with due honor and reverence he humbly and humbly asked for it, and yet he also indicated that he could not in good conscience have accepted such an interim, nor might he have accepted it; as everyone will see and read in this confession of his.
Likewise, everyone can see and notice from the confession of D. Martin Luther that he does not agree with any sect, group or fanatic, but condemns and rejects all of them, even those who arose after his Christian departure from this world, as they are called, interimists, adiaphorists or majorists. For this reason, they call themselves D. M. L. unfairly and impudently; they shout, write, and boast that Doctor Martinus taught and wrote as they write and teach, when the contradiction is publicly found in his books, namely, that I am indicating the one, worst, most necessary, and most dangerous piece: All who teach that good works are necessary for salvation, teach and write strongly against Luther, yes, against themselves. For Luther, of blessed and holy memory, writes everywhere, and especially in Galatians, that good works are not only unnecessary, but also harmful to salvation. For these are his words:
If one looks at it in the light and in the reason, then it is certain and can be found that such teaching and driving on the works, as necessary for salvation, does more and greater harm than no human reason can ever comprehend or understand. For not only is the knowledge of grace obscured by it, but Christ with all his benefits is snatched away by it, and the whole gospel, as St. Paul shows here, is perverted.
So they themselves write and cry out that we attain forgiveness of sins and eternal blessedness by pure grace, without our work and merit, purely for nothing. If then such their own confession is true, how could our good works, contrary to their own self-confession, lead to salvation (which we already have by grace for nothing, before all
good works, as they themselves confess to have attained) be necessary?
For this reason, I ask all Christians for God's sake to diligently read and take to heart these sermons of Luther, together with the two confessions, so that they will feel and take certain comfort, strength and power from them, so that they will persevere and remain in the pure teaching of the Gospel, and avoid and condemn all adiaphoristic and majoristic teachings. And this is highly necessary at this time. For one wants to take it upon oneself to make a convention with the Zwinglians, that we should get along with them, unite and compare. Since this is impossible without harming religion and our conscience, just as little as we can get along or compare ourselves with the papists or adiaphorists:
So all conventions, colloquia or discussions are in vain and in vain. For there can be no settlement or agreement in this matter; but as soon as an action or colloquia is undertaken, it has already happened that truth perishes and lies low. For the persuasibilia verba humanae sapientiae (which are nothing more than words and feathers) nevertheless keep the prize and lie above, that they and their dreams keep the field.
As I have not only read in historiis and chronicis, but have also seen and experienced in our colloquiis, where I have been. Therefore, there is nothing better or more certain than to stick to the pure word without all gloss, interpretation and interpretation of human reason, as the holy man of God has presented and given to us in these sermons and other writings of his, and also in this his last confession. Thus we are sure and certain that we cannot err or be mistaken.
God from heaven, the Father of all mercy, helps us to stay with the pure word without all gloss, interpretation and human interpretation.
For as soon as we depart from the word and follow the interpretation and interpretation of the adiaphorists, we are already lost and eternally lost. For Christ does not want to be preached persuasibilibus verbis humanae sapientiae, as Paul says; he does not want his church to be built, planted and watered by the learned, but by fishermen and unlearned, who have a right faith, be they as lowly and despised on earth as they like.