in this mortal body. It does not while here come to the fundamental
distinctions and causes of the substances, because it is obliged to know
the inner side of things through their externals. Therefore man is able
only imperfectly to know an incorporeal substance; how much less can he
know the uncreated infinite being of God? But if he can not know the
being of God, he will not be able to know many other infinite things
which are in Him. We ought therefore not to be surprized that there is
much in God which we can not understand, and that very many truths of
the faith we can not yet prove since we do not yet know everything. The
great God in His rich mercy saw our poor knowledge and came into our
flesh and assumed it that He might work for us, die, and rise again
from the dead; until after a life full of love He raised Himself above
the world of sense into His eternity. But so long as our Redeemer lived
with His apostles they loved too much that which they saw of Him,
because they were bound down to their senses, and were therefore unable
to rise to the knowledge of His Spirit. It was necessary that He should
disappear in the heavens that He might lift their souls far above the
world of sense up to Himself. Their natural powers could not do this;
therefore He gave to His elect a light from above. Ascending on high He
led captivity captive, for ascending into the heavens He took with Him
the prey which the devil had made of the soul of men ever since the fall
of our parents. The Lord has given gifts unto men (Eph. iv. 8), inasmuch
as He has imparted to them the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. Now they
leave everything of this world, and rise above by following Christ, who
gives to them for a light the light of faith. Let us speak this morning
of this faith which leads to the Savior.
"Awake thou that sleepest and Christ shall give thee light." Be not held
captive by flesh and sense, which hold thee fast in sleep; rise to
Christ, He will give thee light. See, His flesh is above. What do ye say
to that, ye wise men of this world? Everything that has weight tends
downward, but His flesh is of thy heart. Thou hast refused the service
of the Lord, who has ascended to prepare for thee the highest glory.
I call upon all men and women, all whose lives are ruined in sorrows and
troubles. What do ye fear? He who believes that Christ is above no
longer fears anything. Come then all ye into His service. Jesus reproved
the unbelief and the hard-heartedness of His disciples, because they did
not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. Without faith it
is impossible to please God. No doubt the apostles said: How can we
believe these women? But these women were of pure heart before God, and
therefore the Savior reproved His disciples. Ye deserve still sharper
reprimands. To the disciples a few women announced the news that He had
risen. Ye hear all this, and in addition all the glorious revelations in
which the Lord after this manifested Himself on earth. Why do ye not
come to serve Christ? Ye do not truly believe, because ye are so full of
sin, and despise God's commandments. Ye do not deserve the gift of
faith. He who has faith should show it in his deeds, that he may have
what he says he has, and may know what he has; namely, the certainty of
the divine word, which can not err, the goodness of God, and His
guidance into all goodness. On account of thy sins, thou hast not the
true light which would have enabled thee to see all goodness. Thou art
sunk in vice, drunken with greed and luxury, and all the works of this
world. Thou seekest only power and glory. And wherefore? If thou hadst
faith, thou wouldst not seek such things, for thou wouldst know that
faith would give thee a much higher crown. From these sins have come thy
unbelief and thy hardness of heart. Therefore the words of faith do not
touch thy heart: it is a heart of stone and iron. Throw off thy load of
sin and give thy will to righteousness; then will thy hard-heartedness
end, and God will bestow on thee the gift of faith. What wilt thou? Why
standest thou so uncertain and irresolute? Why dost thou not hasten to
Him, and see how He leaves thy life, how He goes into the heavens, to
which He bids thee come up. Leave at length thy sensual life and enter
the pathway of Christ. Hesitate no longer, begin to-day, put it not off
until to-morrow. If thou hast faith, thou canst not delay longer, and if
thy heart is right before God, He will give thee the light of faith
which will enable thee to distinguish the false from the true faith, and
so when on the right road not to fall into error. Then wilt thou know
for thyself that the Gospel makes good men out of those who truly
believe, and thine experience will tell thee that thou hast no occasion
to doubt.
A story from the Old Testament might perhaps serve as a parable and make
clearer what I mean. When Balak heard of Israel's march, he was afraid
and sent to call Balaam to curse Israel for him. Balaam set out on his
way with his ass, accompanied by an angel of the Lord, because Balaam
was going to Balak with an evil intention. The beast sought in vain to
turn into the field, and finally fell down between two walls, and
suffered under blows and curses, until the prophet saw the angel and
perceived his sin. Balak is the devil who would ruin the people of God;
by Balaam we can understand the nobles, the prelates, the preachers, the
learned, who are held captive by their arrogance. The two servants are
those who follow the proud, serve them, and flatter them, especially the
lazy clergy and monks, who so far as outward show goes live a virtuous
life, but who live for ceremonies and take care not to speak the truth.
To these belong many citizens who live apparently virtuously and hide
their pride. Because they commit no sins of the flesh which can be
noticed, they are full of piety in their outward ceremonies, but within
full of arrogance. These are the members of the devil, for the devil
neither eats, drinks, nor sleeps, he is neither a miser nor a wanton,
but is within full of pride as are these. By the ass we are to
understand the simple people. They are led in the way of sin by the
ceremonies of the lazy, since they are not thought fit for the worship
of the heart, and must be led by masses, penance, and indulgences, and
they throw away what might be of profit for money and for candles. The
lazy give them council in their sermons: Give some vestment, build a
chapel, and thou wilt be freed from any danger of going to hell. Do not
believe these mountebanks; no outward act can bring you to Paradise, not
even miracles and prophecy, but only the grace of God, if you have
humility and love.... Before the ass stood an angel with a sword. This
is Christ, who speaks to the ass: Walk no longer in the path of sin, for
I have ready for you a great scourge. The ass alone saw the angel; for
the simple first hear the word of the Lord, but Balaam and such as are
with him will hear nothing of it. The ass left the path of captivity and
went out into the field, into the way of the Lord. "For the kingdom of
heaven is like treasure hid in a field; which when a man found he sold
all that he had and bought that field." So the simple go into the holy
field of the Scriptures and say: "Let me look around a little, for the
flowers of this field bear fruit." Yea, our fathers, the prophets,
apostles, and martyrs bore fruit, they who died with joy for the truth.
These are they who go into the field and speak the truth in the face of
death. Come into the city, where the nobles and the masters taken
captive by sin crowd together, cry the lazy troop of monks: O fathers,
it would be well if when you spoke of these things, you touched not
this string, by which you allow yourselves to fall into disgrace and
disfavor. They have said that already to me. Our persecution begins if
we begin to preach. But Jesus was willing to die for the truth of what
He said; should we forsake the truth in order not to displease men? No,
we will say it in every way, and with Balaam's ass go into the field.
Think not that I am such a fool as to undertake these things without
good reason. I call heaven and earth to witness against me if I do not
speak the truth. For against all the world is my sermon; every one
contradicts it. If I go about with lies, then I have Christ against me;
therefore I have heaven and earth against me, and how then could I
stand? As such a trifler with holy things how should I dare rise up?
Believe me, I speak the truth, I have seen it with my eyes, and touched
it with my hands. Believe it! If I speak not the truth, I consign myself
body and soul to destruction; but I tell you I am certain of the truth,
and I would that all were as I am. I say that of the truth on which I
stand, not as tho I wished that others had my failings as well. So come
then into the service of Jesus; come to the truth, come here, I bid you.
Do ye not know how I explained the revelation of St. John? There were
many who said that I spoke too much in detail, and went too deep into
it. There stood the angel before the ass, and wanted it to go out into
the field, but Balaam smote it; and ye know not how much opposition I
must yet undergo. The lazy monks were the first who called me a fool and
revolutionist, and on the other side stood the weak and the simple, who
said in their innocent faith: "Oh, if we could only do what He teaches!"
Then I had war with the citizens and the great judges of this time, whom
my manner of preaching did not please. I was between two walls; the
angel warned me, threatening eternal death from this road, and I
received Balaam's blows. Ye know my persecution and my danger; but I
knew that I was on the way to victory and said always: No human being
can drive my cause from the world. Balaam, thou leanest thy foot against
the walls, but do as thou wilt, I will crush thy foot; I leaned on the
wall, on Christ, I leaned on His grace, I hoped; leave off thine anger
and threatening, thou canst not get me away from the wall. I say to all
of you: Come to the truth, forsake your vice and your malice, that I may
not have to tell you of your grief. I say it to you, O Italy, I say it
to you, O Rome, I say it to all of you; return and do penance. There
stands before you the holy truth; she can not fall; she can not bend or
give way; wait not until the blows fall.
In everything am I opprest; even the spiritual power is against me with
Peter's mighty key. Narrow is my path and full of trouble; like Balaam's
ass, I must throw myself on the ground and cry: "See, here I am; I am
ready to die for the truth." But when Balaam beat his fallen beast, it
said to him: "What have I done to thee?" So I say to you: "Come here and
tell me: what have I done to you? Why do you beat me? I have spoken the
truth to you; I have warned you to choose a virtuous life; I have led
many souls to Christ." But you answer: "Thou hast spoken evil of us,
therefore, thou shouldst suffer the stripes thou deservest." But I named
no one, I only blamed your vices in general. If you have sinned, be
angry with yourselves, not with me. I name none of you, but if the sins
I have mentioned are without question yours, then they and not I make
you known. As the smitten beast asked Balaam, so I ask you: "Tell me, am
I not your ass? and do you not know that I have been obedient to you up
to this very moment, that I have even done what my superiors have
commanded, and have always behaved myself peaceably?" You know this, and
because I am now so entirely different, you may well believe that a
great cause drives me to it. Many knew me as I was at first; if I
remained so I could have had as much honor as I wanted. I lived six
years among you, and now I speak otherwise, nevertheless I announce to
you the truth that is well known. You see in what sorrows and what
opposition I must now live, and I can say with Jeremiah: "O, my mother,
that thou hast borne me a man of strife and contention to the whole
earth!" But where is a father or a mother that can say I have led their
son into sin; one that can say I have ruined her husband or his wife?
Everybody knows my manner of life, therefore it is right for you to
believe that I speak the truth which everybody knows. You think that it
is impossible for a man to do what the faith I have preached tells him
to do: with God it would be easy for you.
The ass alone saw the angel, the others did not; so open your eyes.
Thank God, many have them open. You have seen many learned men whom you
thought wise, and they have withstood our cause: now they believe; many
noted masters who were hard and proud against us: now humility casts
them down. You have also seen many women turn from their vanity to
simplicity; vicious youths who are now improved and conduct themselves
in a new way. Many, indeed, have received this doctrine with humility.
That doctrine has stood firm, no matter how attacked with the intention
of showing that it was a doctrine opposed to Christ. God does that to
manifest His wisdom, to show how it finally overcomes all other wisdom.
And He is willing that His servants be spoken against that they may show
their patience and humility, and for the sake of His love not be afraid
of martyrdom.
O ye men and women, I bid you to this truth; let those who are in
captivity contradict you as much as they will, God will come and oppose
their pride. Ye proud, however, if you do not turn about and become
better, then will the sword and the pestilence fall upon you; with
famine and war will Italy be turned upside down. I foretell you this
because I am sure of it: if I were not, I would not mention it. Open
your eyes as Balaam opened his eyes when the angel said to him: "Had it
not been for thine ass, I would have slain thee." So I say to you, ye
captives: Had it not been for the good and their preaching, it would
have been wo unto you. Balaam said: "If this way is not good, I will
return." You say likewise, you would turn back to God, if your way is
not good. And to the angel you say as Balaam said: "What wilt thou that
we should do?" The angel answers thee as he answered Balaam: "Thou shalt
not curse this people, but shalt say what I put in thy mouth." But in
thy mouth he puts the warning that thou shouldst do good, convince one
another of the divine truth, and bear evil manfully. For it is the life
of a Christian to do good and to bear wrong and to continue stedfast
unto death, and this is the Gospel, which we, according to the text of
the Gospel for today, shall preach in all the world.
What wilt thou have of us, brother? you ask. I desire that you serve
Christ with zeal and not with sloth and indifference. I desire that you
do not mourn, but in thankfulness raise your hands to heaven, whenever
your brother or your son enters the service of Christ. The time is come
when Christ will work not only in you but through you and in others;
whoever hears, let him say: "Come brother. Let one draw the other. Turn
about, thou who thinkest that thou art of a superior mind and therefore
canst not accept the faith." If I could only explain this whole Gospel
to thee word for word, I would then scourge thy forehead and prove to
thee that the faith could not be false and that Christ is thy God who is
enthroned in heaven, and waits for thee. Or dost thou believe? Where are
thy works? Why dost thou delay about them? Hear this: There was once a
monk who spoke to a distinguished man about the faith, and got him to
answer why he did not believe. He answered thus: "You yourself do not
believe, for if you believed you would show other works." Therefore, to
you also I say: If you believe, where are your works? Your faith is
something every one knows, for every one knows that Christ was put to
death by the Jews, and that everywhere men pray to Him. The whole world
knows that His glory has not been spread by force and weapons, but by
poor fishermen. O wise man, do you think the poor fishermen were not
clever enough for this? Where they worked, there they made hearts
better; where they could not work, there men remained bad; and therefore
was the faith true and from God. The signs which the Lord had promised
followed their teaching: in His name they drove out the devil; they
spoke in new tongues; if they drank any deadly drink, they received
therefrom no harm. Even if these wonders had not occurred, there would
have been the wonder of wonders, that poor fishermen without any miracle
could accomplish so great a work as the faith. It came from God, and so
is Christ true and Christ is thy God, who is in heaven and awaits thee.
You say you believe the Gospel, but you do not believe me. But the purer
anything is, so much the nearer it stands to its end and purpose. The
Christian life purifies the heart, and places it very near to the truth.
To the Christian life will I lead you, if you would have the knowledge
of the truth. If I had wished to deceive you, why should I have given
you as the chief of my gifts the means of discovering my fraud? I would
be verily a fool to try to impose upon you with a falsehood which you
would soon detect; only because I offered you the truth, did I call
you. Come here, I fear you not; the closer you examine, the clearer the
truth will become to you.
There are some, however, who are ashamed of the cross of Jesus Christ,
and say: If we should believe that, we should be despised everywhere,
especially by the wisest. But if you would know the truth, look only on
the lives of those who would have to cry wo on their unbelief if they
should be measured by deeds. If you are ashamed of the cross, the Lord
was not ashamed to bear that cross for you, and to die on that cross for
you. Be not ashamed of His service and of the defense of the truth. Look
at the servants of the devil, who are not ashamed in the open places, in
the palaces, and everywhere to speak evil and to revile us. Bear then a
little shame only for your Lord; for whoever follows Him will, according
to our gospel, in His name drive out the devil; that is, he will drive
out his sins, and lead a virtuous life; he will drive out serpents; he
will throw out the lazy who come into the houses, and say evil things
under the pretense of righteousness, and so are like poisonous serpents.
You will see how children can withstand them with the truth of God, and
drive them away. If a believer drinks anything deadly it will not hurt
him: this deadly drink is the false doctrines of the lazy, from whom, as
you contend with them, a little comes also to you. But he who stands
unharmed in the faith, cries to you: See that you do good; seek God's
glory, not your own. He that does that is of the truth, and remains
unharmed. The Lord says further of the faithful: They shall lay their
hands on the sick and shall heal them. The hands are the works, and the
good lay such hands on the weak that they may support them when they
totter. Do I not teach you according to the Gospel? Why do you hesitate
and go not into the service of the Lord? Do you ask me still what you
ought to do? I will, in conclusion, tell you.
Look to Christ and you will find that all He says concerns faith. Ask
the apostle; he speaks of nothing else than of faith. If you have the
ground of all, if you have faith, you will always do what is good.
Without faith man always falls into sin. You must seek faith in order to
be good, or else your faith will become false. Christ commanded His
disciples to preach the Gospel to all the world, and your wise men call
a man a little world, a microcosm. So then preach to yourself, O man,
woman, and child. Three parts the world has in you also. Preach first of
all to your knowledge, and say to it: If you draw near this truth, you
will have much faith; wherefore do you hesitate to use it? To your will,
say: Thou seest that everything passes away; therefore love not the
world, love Christ. Thereupon turn to the second part of your world,
and say to it: Be thankful, my memory, for the mercies God has shown
thee, that thou thinkest not of the things of this world but of the
mercy of thy creation, and thy redemption through the blood of the Son
of God. Then go to the third part, to thy imagination, and proclaim to
it: Set nothing before my eyes but my death, bring nothing before me but
the Crucified, embrace Him, fly to Him. Then go through all the cities
of thy world and preach to them. First say to thine eyes: Look not on
vanity. To thy ears say: Listen not to the words of the lazy, but only
to the words of Jesus. To thy tongue say: Speak no more evil. For thy
tongue is as a great rock that rolls from the summit of a mountain, and
at first falls slowly, then ever faster and more furiously. It begins
with gentle murmuring, then it utters small sins, and then greater,
until it finally breaks forth in open blasphemy. To thy palate say: It
is necessary that we do a little penance. In all thy senses be clean,
and turn to the Lord, for He it is who will give you correction and
purity. To thy hands say: Do good and give alms; and let thy feet go in
the good way. Our reformation has begun in the Spirit of God, if you
take it to heart that each one has to preach to himself. Then will we in
the name of Jesus drive out the devils of temptation. Yes, call upon
Jesus as often as temptation approaches: call upon Him a hundred times
and believe firmly, and the temptation will depart. Then will we speak
with new tongues; we will speak with God. We shall drive away serpents;
the enticement of the senses are these serpents. If we drink anything
deadly it will not hurt us; if anger and lust arise in us, at the name
of Jesus they will have to give way. We shall lay our hands upon the
sick and heal them; with good deeds shall we strengthen the weak soul.
If thou feelest thy weakness, flee to God, and He will strengthen;
therefore He is thy only refuge. He is thy Savior and thy Lord, who went
into the heavens to prepare a place for thee, and to wait thee there.
What do you intend to do? Go and follow Jesus, who is praised from
everlasting to everlasting. Amen.
LUTHER
THE METHOD AND FRUITS OF JUSTIFICATION
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Martin Luther, leader of the Reformation, was born at Eisleben in 1483,
and died there 1546. His rugged character and powerful intellect,
combined with a strong physique, made him a natural orator, so that it
was said "his words were half battles."
Of his own method of preaching he once remarked:
"When I ascend the pulpit I see no heads, but imagine those that are
before me to be all blocks. When I preach I sink myself deeply down; I
regard neither doctors nor masters, of which there are in the church
above forty. But I have an eye to the multitude of young people,
children, and servants, of which there are more than two thousand. I
preach to them. When he preaches on any article a man must first
distinguish it, then define, describe, and show what it is; thirdly, he
must produce sentences from the Scripture to prove and to strengthen it;
fourthly, he must explain it by examples; fifthly, he must adorn it with
similitudes; and lastly, he must admonish and arouse the indolent,
correct the disobedient, and reprove the authors of false doctrine."
LUTHER
1483--1546
THE METHOD AND FRUITS OF JUSTIFICATION
_Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing
from a servant, though he be Lord of all; but is under tutors and
governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we
were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when
the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a
woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath
sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, then an
heir of God through Christ_.--Gal. iv., 1-7.
This text touches the very pith of Paul's chief doctrine. The cause why
it is well understood but by few is, not that it is so obscure and
difficult, but because there is so little knowledge of faith left in the
world; without which it is not possible to understand Paul, who
everywhere treats of faith with such earnestness and force. I must,
therefore, speak in such a manner that this text will appear plain; and
that I may more conveniently illustrate it, I will speak a few words by
way of preface.
First, therefore, we must understand the doctrine in which good works
are set forth, far different from that which treats of justification; as
there is a great difference between the substance and its working;
between man and his work. Justification pertains to man, and not to
works; for man is either justified and saved, or judged and condemned,
and not works. Neither is it a controversy among the godly, that man is
not justified by works, but righteousness must come from some other
source than from his own works: for Moses, writing of Abel, says, "The
Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering." First, He had respect
to Abel himself, then to his offering; because Abel was first counted
righteous and acceptable to God, and then for his sake his offering was
accepted also, and not he because of his offering. Again, God had no
respect to Cain, and therefore neither to his offering: therefore thou
seest that regard is had first to the worker, then to the work.