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LUTHER'S
EPISTLE SERMONS
TRINITY SUNDAY TO ADVENT.
TRANSLATED WITH THE HELP OF OTHERS
BY
PROF. JOHN NICHOLAS LENKER, D.D.
AUTHOR OF "LUTHERANS IN ALL LANDS," TRANSLATOR OF
LUTHER'S WORKS INTO ENGLISH, AND PRESIDENT OF
THE NATIONAL LUTHERAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
VOL. III.
(_Volume IX of Luther's Complete Works_.)
Third Thousand
_The Luther Press_
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., U.S.A.
1909.
_Dedication_
To all Laymen of Evangelical Christendom interested in developing a
deeper Christian Life, on the basis of the spiritual classics of our
Protestant Church Fathers, this volume of sermons that apply the pure
doctrine of God's Word to everyday life, is prayerfully dedicated.
Copyright, 1909, by J. N. LENKER.
_Foreword_
Here comes the English Luther in his twelfth visit to your home. In
peasant boots, decorated by no star of worldliness nor even by the
cross of churchliness, but by the Book from heaven pressed to his
heart in a firm attitude of earnest prayer, he comes as the man of
prayer and of the one Book, a familiar friend, to help you to live
the simple Christian life.
This volume of twenty-four practical sermons from Trinity Sunday to
Advent marks an epoch in that it completes in an unabridged form one
branch of Luther's writings, the eight volumes of his Gospel and
Epistle Postil. They are bound in uniform size, numbered as in the
Erlangen edition from the seventh to the fourteenth volume inclusive,
paragraphed for convenient reference according to the Walch edition
with summaries of the Gospel sermons by Bugenhagen. The few subheads
inserted in the text are a new feature for American readers.
These eight volumes of 175 sermons and 3,110 pages are the classic
devotional literature of Protestantism. They were preached by its
founder to the mother congregation of Evangelical Christendom in the
birth-period of the greatest factor in modern civilization. No
collection of Evangelical sermons has passed through more editions
and been printed in more languages, none more loved and praised, none
more read and prayed. They will be a valuable addition to the meager
sermon literature on the Epistle texts in the English language.
English Protestants will hereafter have no excuse for unacquaintance
with Luther's spiritual writings.
What Luther's two Catechisms were in the school room to teach the
Christian faith to the youth, that these sermons were in the homes to
develop the same faith in adults. They have maintained their good
name wherever translated until the present and their contents are
above the reach of critics. These Epistle sermons especially apply
the Christian truth to everyday life. The order in developing the
Christian life with the best help from the prince of the Teutonic
church fathers, should be from the Small to the Large Catechism and
then to his Epistle sermons. Blessed the pastor and congregation who
can lead the youth to "Church Postil Reading"--to read in harmony
with their church-going. Blessed is the immigrant or diaspora
missionary who finds his people reading them in the new settlements
he visits.
Next to the Bible and Catechisms no books did more to awaken and
sustain the great Evangelical religious movements under Spener in
Germany, Rosenius in Sweden, and Hauge in Norway, than these sermon
books devoutly and regularly read in the homes of church members.
The transition of a people and church from a weak language into a
stronger, is easy and accompanied by gain; while the opposite course
from a strong into a weaker tongue is difficult; and accompanied by
loss. While in our land the Germans and Scandinavians lose much in
the transition ordeal, all is not lost; they have something to give.
It is a good sign that two-tongued congregations are growing in
favor. Familiar thought in a strange language is not so strange as
when both language and thought are foreign. A church whose
constituency is many-tongued should avoid becoming one-tongued.
Church divisions are often more ethnological than theological. If
exclusively English pastors learned one-tenth as much German and
Scandinavian as these people do English, unity would be greatly
promoted. As Protestantism is far more divided in the English
language than in German or Scandinavian, the enthusiasm over the
unifying influence of English is misleading. The hope is rather in
the oneness of teaching and of spirit. This treasure, given first in
Hebrew, Greek and German, can be translated into all languages. Who
equals Luther as a translator? May his followers be inspired by his
example and translate the Evangelical classics of this prophet of the
Gentiles into all their dialects! That these volumes may contribute
to this end is our prayer.
The history of the writing of these sermons is found in volumes 10,
11, 12 and 13 of the Gospel sermons of the "Standard Edition of
Luther's Works in English."
The German text will be readily found in the 12th volume of the Walch
and of the St. Louis Walch editions, and in the 9th volume of the
Erlangen edition of Luther's works.
Grateful acknowledgment is hereby made for translations to the
following: To Pastor H. L. Burry, the first sermon for Trinity
Sunday; Pastor W. E. Tressel, Third Sunday after Trinity; Prof. A. G.
Voigt, D. D., the Fifth and Twenty-fourth Sundays; Dr. Joseph Stump,
Sixth, Eighth and Thirteenth Sundays; Prof. A. W. Meyer, Eighteenth
and Nineteenth Sundays; and to Pastor C. B. Gohdes for revising the
Second Sermon for Trinity Sunday and the sermons for the Second,
Tenth, Twelfth and Sixteenth Sundays after Trinity.
Next volumes to appear will be Genesis Vol. II, Psalms Vol. II and
Galatians.
Heartily do we thank all parts of the church for their complimentary,
suggestive and helpful cooperation and earnestly hope our work may be
worthy of its continuance.
J. N. LENKER.
Home for Young Women,
Minneapolis, Minn., Pentecost, 1909.
_Contents_
Trinity Sunday.--The Article of Faith on the Trinity. The
Revelation of the Divine Nature and Will. Romans 11, 33-36 . . 7
Second Sermon.--The Trinity. Romans 11, 33-36 . . . . . . . . . 36