Of the Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Trumpet of God.*)
Anno 1544. 1545.
Letter from M. Andreä Poach, pastor of the Augustinians in Erfurt.
To the honorable and wise Mr. Erasmo Schmid, mayor of the imperial city of Nordhausen, my favorable lord and patron. Grace and peace in Christ, our Lord and Savior!
Honorable, wise, favorable lord and patron! What one promises, one is obliged to keep. Because I promised these sermons of the dear man of God to E. E. W. long ago, I should also have promised them in good time.
manufacture, and E. E. W. send. But now there has been a lack of this, now of that, now also of myself; for I do not want to apologize for everything. But one also says: He who comes slowly also comes. Therefore I ask E. E. W. to be patient, if I am already a little slow with these sermons.
They would come in time enough, if the world had more to advise and help. For under other wholesome teaching these sermons punish the world.
*These four sermons, which Luther held in the years 1541 and 1545 in the time after Easter, were transcribed by M. Georg Rörer and published by Vl. Andreas Poach, from Rörer's "written books brought together", in 1563 by the pressure. Poach's attribution is dated "am Tage Martmt sll. Nvv. 1, Xu na Domini 1563", and Walch in his preface to the eighth volume, p. 12 k, reports that he "consulted this first edition", also says lNote x) that "this edition was published in Just. Christ. Motschmanns Lrkoräiu littsrada p. 429 is cited". In contrast, the Erlangen edition <2. Auflage), vol. 205, p. 50, lists as the first printing an edition printed at Erfurt by "Georgium Bawman, zu dem bunten Lawen, bey Sanct Paul", which is marked with the year "64". Unseparated, these sermons can be found in the "Altenburg" edition, Vol,
1274 Erl. M-ob, so s. Interpretations on the I Epistle to the Corinthians. W. VIII, ILSS-Iioi. 1275
The two sins that are now prevalent throughout the world are untimely prudence and carnal security. Untimely prudence is what I call it, since one presumes to master God in his words and works. As it has happened at all times, and especially at this last time, that there is no greater disciple in the world than our Lord God, in whom no one can be master, and know, speak and do everything better than God knows, has spoken and done it; as Christ complains about it, Matth. 11, 19: "Wisdom must be justified by her children.
Man with his best reason is blind, a fool and a fool in all things of God. Nevertheless, he refuses to master God in his regiment. And in this it is the most fearful thing that such untimely prudence does not want to be wrong, but right. In other regimes it has reason against it, and is also punished and rejected by reason as wrong, as the proverbs of the Greeks and Romans testify: 8us docet Minervam; and of the Germans: The calf teaches the cow to calve; and: The egg teaches the chicken. But if the untimely prudence gets into the church and into God's regiment, it has all reason on its side, and wants to be unpunished and undamned.
The Holy Spirit has faithfully warned against this, as the sayings in the Holy Scriptures testify from time to time, Eccl. 7:17: "Do not be too wise." Rom. 12, 17. "Do not consider yourselves wise." 1 Cor. 3:18, 19: "Let no man deceive himself. Whosoever among you shall think himself wise, let him be a fool in this world, that he may be wise: for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." But what is the use? Everyone wants to be God's master; especially in these last days, everyone wants to teach Christ how he should govern his church, order and establish the sacraments; St. Paul how he should preach. I will remain silent about Luther, because he now has nothing at all to teach.
is still valid with such highly competent masters and overmasters.
That is why things are so good in Christianity, because people do not remain in humility, in the simple truth, and there is neither measure nor end to the clashing, so that there is almost no article of Christian doctrine that has not been changed after D. Luther's death. Luther's death, and there is almost no town or village that is not full of quarrels, discord and disunity among preachers and listeners. This is the beautiful fruit of the untimely prudence, which leads Paul, Luther, yes, God Himself to the school, and teaches them how they should preach, teach and write; there it should never be different nor better.
1 ) Here I must relate the poem by Hans Pfriemen, which the other sermon will report on later, for the sake of those who do not know it, so that they may understand it when they read it. God wants to lead His reign in such a way that no one should persuade Him; but the world cannot let it go, it must speak against what God speaks and does. That is why this poem was written by Hans Pfriemen: He was a poor wagoner, to whom it was granted by God that he might be in paradise, and enjoy all the joy and pleasure that is in paradise (as it is also said: wagoners lead from mouth to heaven, if they did not curse so gladly and cruelly), but with the condition that he should make no objection in any matter, but keep quiet, and let him like what he would hear and see in paradise.
When he was in paradise and looked around, he found some people drawing water from a barrel that had no bottom. When he saw this, he became indignant and thought to himself: How strange and foolish things are here?
1) The following section, "the poem by Hans Pfriem," is also in the second edition of the Erlanger Ausgabe, vol. 2Oj>, pp. 50 ff. Cf. Linässil, solloguia, Dom. I, p. 429. similarly Xnalsota luitüsruuu. si Llslnntlioiiiaiig., sä. I-osselis ((lotlm 1892), p. 216 f.
p. 379; in the Leipzig edition, vol. X, p. 416 and in the first edition of the Erlangen edition, vol. 19, p. 104. In the second edition of the same, they are placed in chronological order under other sermons and are found in vol. 20b, p. 52, p. 86, p. 313 and p. 334. Three of these sermons, the first, third and fourth, are in other redaction handwritten in the library at Wolfenbüttel in the so-called Gocl. Lluelpb. 97. These have a much shorter version, which, however, is not to their advantage. The rendering of Luther's thoughts is extremely deficient; several times, meaningless things occur in it. Nevertheless, the Erlangen edition has also printed this handwritten text, because the editor assumes: "Should we have the notes of Rörer before us? Although we know that Rörer "did not have the gift to rewrite and compose especially with a hurried hand" (Walch, St. Lonis Edition, vol. XIII, Preface, IX >, it does not seem credible to us, on the one hand, that he is the person who has reproduced Luther's sermons in such an inadequate manner as they are available to us in the manuscript, and on the other hand, that Poach should have been able to produce his quite excellent redaction on the basis of these notes. We consider it sufficient here (as with Luther's eight sermons against Carlstadt's innovations, Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XX, 4) to reproduce only one version, and the best one at that, of a writing that did not flow from Luther's pen, but only from his mouth. We bring the text after the old edition of Walch under comparison of the Erlanger.
Why do these make themselves tired with vain work. He wanted to measure the regiment in paradise according to the regiment on earth, as carters, servants and maids have to stand and stand by the stable and the cowshed to draw water, and would have liked to speak against it; but thought of what condition he would have come to paradise, passed by, and was silent.
He came down and noticed that two carpenters were carrying a large, long beam, which they had grasped over their shoulders, 1) and were bumping into it on all sides, and could not get away. Watching them, he thought in his heart: What clumsy dolts are these? They should take the beam in length, so they could get away with it; and he could hardly refrain from persuading them; but he refrained, went away, and was silent.
As he was walking along, he found a carter who had four horses in front of a wagon and was stuck in the mud. Since he could not get out of the muck, he took two horses that were in front of the wagon and harnessed them to the back of the wagon, driving the rearmost horses as much as the front ones. When Hans Pfriem saw that this was his handiwork, he could no longer refrain from scolding the wagoner and said, "You big fool! What are you doing? Do you want to tear the wagon in pieces and ruin the horses wantonly without any need? Harness the horses all fours in front of the wagon and drive them by force, and you will bring the wagon out of the mud.
And the Thor thought that he had done well and had done right, and had helped his team out of the mire with his wisdom; but he had acted as a fool, because he wanted to be the cleverest, and had done wrong, and deserved to be cast out of paradise. Therefore Peter was sent to him first of all by God to bring him the command. He came and said: "Listen, Hans Pfriem, the Lord tells you that because you have not kept the commandment, but have transgressed God's commandment, you must leave paradise. Hans Pfriem answered: "How can I be asked to leave paradise, and yet I did not owe it to God as much as you? How can that be right? You have denied our Lord God, and yet you remain in paradise; and I am to be expelled for the sake of a word? No, not so. Peter was ashamed and departed. Then God sent Paul, who came and said, "Hans Pfriem, you are to leave paradise. But Hans Pfriem also rejected Paulum grossly, saying, "You have persecuted the church of God, and
1) Erlanger: ubergwericht.
blasphemed and reviled the Son of God, and yet remain in Paradise; and I have spoken a word or two, and shall go forth?
Paul was also ashamed and left him. Then Mary Magdalene was sent; Hans Pfriem answered her in the same way and said: "You have been a public sinner and you want me to leave paradise? The holy man Moses was sent, as he should fear him, because the enemies had to fear him. But Hans Pfriem remained on his opinion and said to Mosi: "Do you want to drive me out of paradise? Do you not know that by unbelief and doubt you have unholy our Lord God before the children of Israel, when you should strike the rock with the rod to make it give water?
When Hans Pfriem did not want to listen to "any" messengers and knew how to rebuke them all, God sent the innocent little children to him. Hans Pfriem thought: "Alas, this is going to be bad, how am I supposed to endure to stay in paradise? I cannot blame the innocent children. If only I were rid of this one, I would henceforth keep quiet and not raise any objections against the regiment in paradise. He thought to himself: I know what I want to do, I want to play with the children", and try to bring them away from me with good grace. And before the innocent children came close to him, he climbed a tree and shook down many apples, called to the children and said: Come here, dear children, come here, read up confidently; if you have picked up the apples from under this tree, then I will climb up another, and shake down more. This pleased the children well, and so they got hold of the apples, and forgot the command for which they had been sent out, and each child read his geren 2) full, went away, and left Hans Pfriemen. So Hans Pfriem stayed in paradise, and afterwards kept quiet, and let him like everything that happened in paradise by God's government.
This is a childish, but nevertheless fine poem, and teaches that God's government in the kingdom of heaven and in the church of Christ is far different from man's government in "worldly regiments" on earth; therefore, whoever wants to be and remain in God's kingdom and church must keep quiet about God's government, word and works, and let him like what God speaks and does, even if it seems foolish to reason. But if he wants to persuade God in his government, he will be expelled from paradise and the kingdom of heaven. It also teaches that there is no greater sin than to persuade God.
2) Geren - Rockschooß. Hes. H6, 8.
1278. erl. (s.,sot>, [s f. Interpretations On the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians. W. VIII, 1404-1108. 1279
in His word and works. God can tolerate other sins before and wants to forgive them, as Peter, Paul, Mary Magdalene, Moses were preserved under divine patience and remained in paradise. But this sin, if one wants to master him and persuade him in his regiment, God will not tolerate nor suffer. As church history testifies, and we learn today, that many, through their untimely prudence, have become heretics, idiots and enthusiasts, and have fallen out of Christendom, and are still becoming heretics and idiots and falling out of Christendom. On the other hand, many poor sinners who allowed themselves to be taught and governed by God became great saints and remained in Christendom through divine patience and forgiveness of sin; they still become saints of God today and remain in Christendom.
The other sin that these sermons, especially the third sermon, punish is carnal certainty; as all the world, learned and unlearned, rich and poor, have now fallen into the common seed faith, and no longer fear either God or the devil; indeed, they no longer believe in any of them. It is true that Christ, just as he found such swine among his own people in his first future, who said that there was no resurrection, nor angels, nor spirit, Apost. 23:8, and yet boasted of great and excellent holiness before other people, and called themselves Sadducees, that is, the saints, so also in his other future such saints.
who believe that there is no God, nor the last day, nor eternal life, nor the devil, nor hell, that is, who believe nothing, but mock God and His word, and walk according to their own lusts, 2 Petr. 3:3. But nevertheless, such certainty and mockery must be punished, and those who want to be warned must be warned against it. This is why the holy man of God preached the sermon about the last day and the last trumpet of God with such seriousness that everyone who heard it was amazed and horrified.
I have brought together such sermons and let them go out under E. E. W.'s name to show my willingness and gratitude to E. E. W. with them. For I have always recognized and still recognize E. E. W. as my favorable Lord, friend and patron. I would have liked to put these sermons, especially the one about the last trumpet of God, on paper with my pen as the man of God put them with a living voice before the ears of those who heard him. But because such a thing is impossible, I have done as much as I could. Please, E. E. W. let my work please you, and be and remain my favorable lord and patron. Date Erfurt on the day Martini, Anno Domini 1563,
E. E. W.
Andreas Poach, to Augustinians.