Held on the 5th Sunday after Trinity, July 6, 1539.
You have heard how St. Peter exhorts that everyone should be humble in his position. For God has distributed many gifts to men, and has also ordained many ranks. But for the sake of these gifts, since God has adorned one before another, let no one exalt himself and be proud, item, that we should learn to cast all our care upon God, for he cares for us. For this he says, "Watch," for this I will forewarn you: "The devil prowls about like a roaring lion." This warning he gives us. Now we know that the devil has two kinds in him: namely, he is a murderer and a liar, and he has been so from the beginning of the world; from the beginning he has not stood in the truth, but has fallen out.
So he is a death-slayer from the creation of the world. As soon as Adam was created, he struck dead. With lies he also strikes the soul dead, just as he brings the body into the earth, so that a man must die in heaven and on earth. This is the devil's work and fruit. He does not cease, but carries on the work from the beginning to the end of the world. Therefore, you Christians who have been saved from death by the suffering, death and bloodshed of Christ are warned to escape from the murderer and liar. The soul lives in Christ, though the body rests for a time in the earth. For we are no longer under the liar and murderer, but under Christ, who is the truth and the life. Our soul lives through
the truth, that is, by faith; for he, Christ, is the life. Although we are completed in body and soul, that we may live in heaven and in the flesh, we have not yet escaped, we are still under the dominion of the devil. However, as far as the soul is concerned, we are free. But we must take care that the devil does not kill us again and snatch away the life of the soul. It shall do you no harm that the soul is corrupt, and you are subject to death in the flesh. Christ lives, and we also must live, as it is written in John 14:19. Therefore fight and contend, abide in life and truth, lest the devil deceive you. Therefore he says, "Watch" not without cause. For you have an enemy, the devil, who first kills you in body and soul. You must resist him. If it were not for the fact that God had not put us into battle with the devil 1) we would already be in heaven. But the devil has not yet been judged, nor has he been pushed into the abyss of hell, so we Christians must be sober and watchful. For we do not defend ourselves physically, but by praying. In the world you see how Satan rumbles against the Christian faith. The Turk does nothing but murder, and he burns with murder. He drowns him who commits murder. So does the Frenchman. The world is almost nothing but murder, even if they are not Christians. That is why God has ordered the authorities and powers to be resisted. They should be sober and brave, but wait for the office. It is not for you alone to seek honor. That is not our particular concern. However, we should thank God that God has set the status of parents and authorities before the devil. Otherwise there would be no peace. The physical life is not yet saved. Even if a pious ruler rules well, he is not blessed. For he will have his eternal life only afterwards. Many "consider temporal prosperity" [2 Pet 2:13]. But that the poor sack of maggots will live forever, the dominion of the world cannot help you. But even so, to the life that is here on earth...
1) Buchwald: rushed.
God has given parents rods and the sword to the authorities, so that they may be preserved. But here he teaches especially that we live in such a way that we do not die in body or soul. For there shall be no cloud between us and God and His angels.
Our life has begun in body and soul. So now he says: "Watch", not only according to the body, but much more according to the soul. For a Christian who is a full sow, the devil has soon won and torn the word of God and the faith from his heart, so that he dies again in body and soul. One must be careful that the soul is not sleepy or drunk. Where the body will be full, a drunken soul will follow. But where the soul is strong, the body will go to church and hear God's word and pray. But if the body is full and slothful by heart, the soul will follow, not heeding what is preached or taught. If the body is full of drunkenness, the soul is also full of drunkenness, if we are sure and let the spirits of the devil get the upper hand. For the devil not only makes us drunk with the candelabra, but also in the spirit, so that he takes away our faith and doctrine. If you now believe firmly, are sober, brave and active, he thinks about how he can make you drunk and makes a spiritual drunkard out of you. This is how he holds up to us learned fairy tales that have a semblance of godliness. When the spirits of the wicked come to us, they pour us a drink. To drink and to eat is to teach and to believe. If one pours poison, it goes down well. If we live by it, we go to the devil. So we must not only watch carefully and live soberly in body, but also in soul.
For Satan comes with a sweet, lovely wine, which is called human reason, is a beautiful mash, makes many boys, that one preaches something, so is not God's word, but a side doctrine, something new to think up next to it. That makes then that one despises God's word, if one is not sober and brave, that one believes, but one sleeps and is full, - from those he is not far away. Since Münzer got his peasants drunk, they should kill the godless authorities. For
He who is drunk with lies is also drunk with murder.
"We have not followed wise fables," but "we have a firm prophetic word" [2 Pet. 1:16, 19]. It is true, it is wisely, reasonably, wisely given, as if someone preaches: You see how wicked the rulers are now, they are tyrants and despots, therefore they should be put to death. So also the Anabaptists say, "Is it not great blindness that a handful of water should cleanse the soul, otherwise a cow will drink of the water? Fie on the bath! That is wisely spoken. But he is the devil, who "walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Then reason says, "Water is water," and baptism is no better than other water, which the dog licks, and the soul is killed by the lie. For it is not pure water, but water put into God's word, since God speaks to us through baptism.
Item, what is this, say the commentators, 1) that they give you bread baked in an oven, and wine grown on the vine? This is said very wisely and learnedly, and yet they are fairy tales. He who is not watchful and sober here will soon be deceived. Item: I lay my hand on your head, and you have forgiveness of sins. Reason says, "Are you mad and foolish? Shall this take away thy sin, if a fainting priest put forth his hand, or pour upon thee a handful of water? No, the spirit must do it! What should the word do? Don't you see that no fruit comes from it? Here you are not sober nor brave, otherwise you would say: I know well that the hand that is laid on the head does nothing. But what do you say to this, because God says: If you absolve, I will do it? - then he rolls over and says, "I didn't know.
For this reason St. Peter says: "Resist it!" But one must be sober and courageous, and keep to the divine word. For our faith is thus determined by the
1) Comment - a little bit of fiction, poetry. Commentirer - those who raise new funds; here substituted for: Sacramentirer.
The reason of the devil is the bride of the devil. It is the reason of the devil's bride. If the emperor were so great as to say: My crown is a crown before God, and the philosophers and jurists said: The laws and rights are delicious things before God, - so I will stand before God! Before the world it shall be a crown; before GOD he shall leave the crown behind and say: Have mercy on me, God! So even those who have protection and a shield cannot boast that they pleased God because He commanded them the crown and the sword. Reason has the advantage that it is equipped with God's sayings, so that earthly wisdom pleases Him. But on the contrary, it is only on earth; in heaven it is said [1 Cor. 3:19], "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God," and [1 Cor. 1:19], "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise." So the parents' estate, the authority, which he has nevertheless confirmed and instituted, will not stand before him, much less will a crown or jurist's work ring a bell, or that thou shouldest reason and think out of thy heart, as the monks and Anabaptists do. Be wise in the place where you require a city or are placed in a household. It is still too little. Reason in law books still rules well, but before God it is not good enough for reason itself to choose something that should be valid before God.
St. Peter says: they are "clever fables" [2 Petr. 1, 16], like putting on a cap. It is a quiet being: one gets away from housekeeping and city life, even from people, and one can lead a peaceful, quiet life. It is reasonable enough to abstain from all kinds of trouble, not to look at the least thing that happens in a house. That is truly a finely taught thing, but it is called an idle thing and useless drivel. Where do I see this from? By God's word, which says [Ps. 119:85]: "The proud dig pits for me that are not according to your law," 2) they preach to me well. But when I looked at it in the light, it was not as your law. How beautiful is the lie, it shines.
2) Vulg.: Narravsrunt miüi tadutationeiS, ssä of ut Isx tua.
The truth is not so fine. That I hear God's word, believe, receive the sacrament, govern my house, does not seem as fine as a Carl house walking in its gray cap. The same shines; that is an excellent, beautiful lie. For it leaves the preachers and others in the sweat. In the old days, a preacher and priest were never so honored as a barefoot monk. For the cap and the plate have a greater prestige.
Therefore, distinguish between what God has ordered and what reason has invented. I do not want to discard reason altogether. If reason is confirmed by God, I accept it as: God has commanded parents to take care of how to raise their children. After that, see if reason is without God's word, even in worldly matters. A judge soon notices when another refuses to exercise his judicial office. So a householder soon notices when another wants to sleep with his wife. But if reason here goes against God's word, it can clean itself so that it is not soon known. If a shoemaker were to speak of his trade in the sermon, everyone would run out of the church and say, "What does this belong to the life of the soul? Go to your house and do your trade. But if one says: I have the Holy Spirit; it is not to be believed that water should cleanse the soul, that God and man are one thing, that the Virgin Mary is a mother, that if you die and are eaten by worms, you still say that you live, - one cannot say like that: Out of the church! You don't do that, because reason wins, if you don't take God's word. The Turk sneers at our fists, thinks that no geese are as foolish as we Christians. For the Turk thinks that we worship three gods, but that they are God's people. For they honor only One God. And as there is no more than One God in heaven, so he (the Turk) alone is a Lord on earth. See what the devil does and can do! They think they are the right people of God, and our people, when they are caught in Turkey, fall to their faith. After that (they say): that we believe that baptism
But we get and fight in honor of our Lord God. The devil has deceived them into thinking that we call on three gods. We also know only of One God, who created heaven and earth. Whoever brings this sermon to the Turks, God will find him.
In Arius, Macedonius and in the pope, there is vain reason. In short, it should be dead in Christ. One must resist the devil! How then? "Firm in faith! Because reason cannot exist without God's word. Therefore you will not resist the devil, but only with the divine word. Without it he will snatch away your blessedness, and if he gets a little space where he can crawl through with his head, the whole body will follow. Therefore resist him "firmly in faith" and learn to distinguish reason from faith and to speak: It may be well taught, but it is fables and fool's heiding, vain fairy tales and lies, for God's word is not there. But they say: A virgin can not be a mother. Likewise Brod cannot be Leijb. There the reason is caught and must give such thoughts applause. But say thou, If reason shall teach me, why do we not leave the gospel and the book of the holy scriptures, and cast them away from us? We preach something higher than reason can comprehend. Yes, we show reason that the wisdom of the world is called foolishness before God. If you want to understand by reason that baptism washes away sins, what can I believe? 1) If I can understand with my reason that a mother can be a virgin, then St. Gabriel may be silent and may not proclaim it to me.
It is not enough for one to be learned, wise and prudent, and to insist and defy God. St. Paul says [1 Cor. 2, 5] that faith does not stand on human wisdom, but on divine wisdom. These are just the intrigues and intricacies, so that the
1) The meaning of this sentence: If one could understand with reason that baptism washes away sins, there would be no need for faith.
Devil seeks to devour us. He does not say: If you put on a cap, you will go to the devil. Behold, what a wretched and miserable creature there is in the world among all classes! Therefore we must be sober, not only in body, but also in soul, so that we cannot keep enough to the word of God, and be sure that "the devil walks about as a roaring lion. You have not a little adversary, but the devil, whom Christ [John 12:31] calls a "prince of this world," and St. Paul [2 Cor. 4:4] a "god of this world," who has great wisdom, and has reason beforehand that we should believe him gladly. You cannot escape from this same strong spirit, if you follow reason, which says: There is water with the dear God; water is water. But if you are awake, you can say, There is one in the water, who is called the Holy Spirit. So also in the Lord's Supper, you must not judge according to what reason sees and has, but hold up to it the wisdom of God and the Holy Spirit. There the devil flees, because the world becomes too narrow for him. Do not worry then, if you are well instructed and equipped with God's word, that he will stay with you for a long time! He is not only wise and prudent, but also evil, and is called "our adversary," who is still in this body and soul. But through Christ we overcome him. He cannot stand him, and wants to say to St. Peter: Only do not think that he is far from you, but know that he is so near to you that you have to struggle with your firm faith to keep yourselves from him. For he is in your chamber, in your flesh. This one he tempts with unbelief, that one with murder, that one with fornication. When you look at his works, you see him very near. Behold, how he deceiveth and deceiveth the Turk, and the pope, and the rats, and us that are alive, that it were better that we should live 1). For the devil is such an adversary,
1) "bethört" and "betrügt" put by us instead of: "bethöre" and "betrüge^.
who fights against us day and night. He will not press us much or do us harm who is over a mile from us, but who is near us. And especially in matters of faith he is so near that he contends with you without ceasing. Therefore be firm! For all around he seeks you until he finds you, seeks a gap and climbs over the fence, since he is low, now with adultery, soon with wrath, and will not come, so he comes with avarice, impatience, doubt and with other sins. He does not celebrate, but creeps around where he can catch one, so that if he does not catch you with one sin, he will have another ready to devour you. And this is no joke to him. He does not want to play with you, but is angry as a roaring lion, and as hungry as a lion may be. He will not give you a blow or a thrust, but will devour you so that nothing heavenly or earthly will remain with you. And that is why St. Peter warns us so earnestly, especially the preachers. For no one can resist him, except in faith, that is, through the word of God. If you let this go, as our adversaries do, then it is over for you. And he does not fight with them, because they do not fight back; he has not even eaten the papist theologians and the jurists. But what is under Christ, hears God's word and practices it, prays and is careful that the word of God is not taken away from him, to them he clings. For the others are safe, thinking that the devil is in Babylon, and 2) indulging in all kinds of sins. But he walketh about hard with you, and controverteth you, and is wroth, and will not give a hoot, but devoureth. But we must defend ourselves with faith. Item, if we do not want to follow reason, he is such a cunning spirit that he puts on the holy Scriptures and adorns himself as an "angel of light" [2 Cor. 11:14]. Now this is another sermon.
2) sülen -- to contaminate, "sülen" put by us instead of "sielen" in Buchwald. Cf. St. Louis edition, vol. VIII, 248, ? 247.