Ninth Sunday after Trinity — Sermons of Martin Luther

NINTH SUNDAY A F T E R T R I N I T Y .

NINTH S U N D A Y A F T E R T R I N I T Y .

This sermon appeared under the title: "A sermon for the second Sunday after Mary's Ascension. Preached at Wittenberg by Dr.

Martin Luther, 1522." As Easter in the year 1522 came on the 20th of April, the 9th Sunday after Trinity came on the 17th of August.

Luke 16:1-9. And he said also unto the disciples, There teas a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the same teas accused unto him that he was wasting his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, What is this that I hear of thee? render the account of the stewardship; for thou canst he no longer steward.

And the steward said tcithin himself, What shall I do, seeing that my lord taketh away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the steicardship, they may receive me into their houses. And calling to him each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, A hundred meas¬ ures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat.

He saith unto him, Take thy bond, and write fourscore. And his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this world are for their own genera¬ tion wiser than the sons of the light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteous¬ ness: that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.

PARABLE OP THE UNRIGHTEOUS STEWARD.

I. OF T H E UNRIGHTEOUS MAM¬ 1. Origin of the word Mammon. 1-2.

2. Why Is It called unrighteous. 3-4.

This parable Is to be explained In Its plain meaning and no subtle or mysterious meaning is to be sought In It. 5-7.

II. HOW TO DEFEND T H I S PAR¬ A B L E AGAINST I T S THREE¬ FOLD MISUSES BY T H E PAP¬ 1. This threefold misuse In general.

2. The threefold misuse of this parStill Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com able and Its defense in particular, a. Its defense against the first misuse. 9-13. b. Its defense against the second misuse. 14-17. c. Its defense against the third misuse. 18-20.

SUMMARY OF THIS GOSPEL:

1. This parable does not teach us how one should cheat another; for Christ calls him an unrighteous steward, and numbers him among the children of this world, there¬ fore his wisdom is praised, not his unrighteous dealings.

2. Spiritual wisdom distributes temporal possessions to those who need them, and in their place Christ welcomes the givers into the eternal tabernacle. For he himself says, Mat. 10:20: "Whosoever giveth a cup of cold water unto one of the least of these my discipies in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward," and in the day of judgment he will say,

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye !have done it unto me." Mat. 25:40.

3. But the flesh and hypocrisy can not do this, for the children of the world look only to what is their own, even when they think in their way, that is, according to the flesh, that they do the very best possible and perform great deeds of kindnessin behalf of other people.

4. Therefore the Lord says here to those who are born again:

"Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unright¬ eousness, that when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eter¬ nal tabernacles." Thus the workrighteous persons and hypocrites can not here seek any merit whatever and found a righteousness upon good works. He says: "Make to yourselves friends," they are not the papal works and offerings and the like, unless you would understand thereby the rich canons and the rich monks.

1. This is truly a Gospel for priests and monks, and will bring them money, unless we prevent it.

Before entering upon the consideration of it, we must accustom ourselves to the language used, especially the word mammon.

The Jews were acquainted with this word from the Hebrew, and it has come down to us, just like other Hebrew words, as Halleluja, Amen, Kyrie eleison. In German mammon means riches, not simply riches, but a superfluity of riches, what¬ ever is beyond our needs.

However, that which is called mammon and that which is not called mammon are distin¬ guished in a twofold way. First, if the estimate be accord¬ ing to that of our Lord God and of the truth, there are many who possess mammon. But if the estimate be that of the world and of man's mind, there are few who pos¬ sess it.

For our leaders in thought have taught in the high schools and even from the pulpit, that everyone should see to his station in life, what he needs, and adjust his

If he be a man with wife and children, he needs more, for where many persons are there much will be needed.

And when we reckon thus, no one has anything to spare, but everyone would rather have more.

If one has two thousand guilders he says, this I need for my family, to support myself, my wife and chil¬ dren.

2. In the second place they have taught that one is not bound to help, except in cases of the greatest need. Such teaching entirely overthrows the Gospel, so that no one has been helpful to another; but they have in the mean¬ time built churches; and yet in doing so they did not even wait for the greatest need, until the arches were rent asunder and churches became roofless, but they gave to great excess, spreading their gold upon the walls. To sum up the whole matter, mammon properly means, that a man has more than he needs for his support, so that he can help others without injuring himself.

3. Hence the Lord calls it "The mammon of unrighteous¬ ness," because it is daily made use of by the wicked; as it is said: riches develop courage, and the heathen have also called it irritamenta malorum, riches tempt to evil. Again

St. Paul says, 1 Tim. 6:10:

"The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil," whence cometh strife, pride, war and bloodshed.

Therefore it is also called here the unrighteous mammon, because it is applied to such evil uses, and is a great cause of evil to men.

4. Nevertheless it is God's creature like wine and corn,and the creatures of God are good. Why then does he call them evil? Because they tempt us to so much evil, as Paul says to the Ephesians, 5:16: "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Not that the time or days in themselves are evil, but because great evil is done in them. He also says to the Romans, 2:5: "The day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." Although the day is good, but because God's wrath will be revealed on that day, the day must take its name from it. And thus, since mammon runs into the service of evil, Christ calls it mamStill Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com mon of unrighteousness, namely, that which we have above our needs and we will not use in helping our neighbor; for this we possess unrighteously, and before God it is stolen goods, for in the presence of God one is bound to give and lend, and suffer himself to be deprived of it.

Therefore as the saying runs, the greatest owners of property are the greatest thieves; because they possess far more than they need, and give the least possible to others.

So much on the meaning of the word; we now return to the Gospel.

5. We take this parable in a common sense way, without seeking any subtleties in it, as Jerome has done, for it is not necessary to.seek a subtle meaning, the pure milk is sufficient.

The parable in itself teaches how the steward deprived his master of his property, and artfully, but de¬ ceitfully and falsely, appropriated it to himself.

For it is not right, that he, w rho previously cheated his master out of his property, should also act most deceitfully to secure for himself easy days all his life; let us abide by this explanation. For the Lord concludes that the unjust stew¬ ard did wisely.

He does not praise the thing in itself as good, but blames him for previously squandering his mas¬ ter's goods, and afterwards shrewdly appropriating his property. This however the Lord commends, namely, that he did not forget himself, praising nought but his cunning and shrewdness.

Just as when a flirt draws the whole world after her, and I say: she is a clever flirt, she knows her business. The Lord further concludes, that just as the steward is wise and shrewd in his transactions, so should we also be in obtaining eternal life.

G. And that yon may understand this, take the passage of St. Paul to the Romans, 5:14, Adam a type of Christ. How can the Apostle compare Adam to Christ, since Adam brought upon us sin and death, and Christ brought right¬ eousness and life? He compares Christ to Adam in regard to origin and source, but not in regard to the fruit and work. For as Adam is the source and chief of all sinners, so Christ is the source and head of all the saints. For we have inherited from Adam nothing but sin, condemnation

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com NINTH SUNDAY A F T E R and the eternal curse; but from Christ we have obtained righteousness and salvation. Now these two are not alike, for sin is punishable, and righteousness is praiseworthy.

But he compares them in regard to their origin; just as by Adam sin and death came upon all men, so by Christ right¬ eousness and life come upon us.

7. Thus he compares here the unjust to the just. As the unjust man acts shrewdly, though wrongly and like a rogue, so we also should act shrewdly but righteously in godliness.

This is the proper understanding of this par¬ able. For the Lord says: "The children of this world are wiser than the children of light."

So that the children of light should learn wisdom from the children of darkness or the world. Just as they are wise in their transactions, so should also the children of light be wise in their trans¬ actions.

Therefore he adds, "in their generation."

Here are truly three great questions, in which our adversaries quote this Gospel against us, when the Lord says :

"Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness, that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles."

8. From this they try to conclude, that we must first of all do works to become good.

For they say, here we read:

"Make to yourselves friends," and this surely means to do works. Secondly, they say, that God here even desires to praise works, and not only that, but also to reward them.

For here we read of work and its reward, and nothing is said of faith.

In the third place they claim that Christ here wishes to establish the comfort and help of the saints, when he says: "Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness, that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles."

Thus this Gospel is made to directly oppose us, for it says:

"Make to yourselves friends."

That is, do good works, that they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.

This appears to mean that we should previously merit our reception by them into the eternal tabernacles.

These three points the Pope and his priests have claimed strongly Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com for their side, and he has even called his indulgences the mammon of iniquity, mammon iniquitatis, unrighteous mam¬ mon.

9. If they thus attack us we must answer. Above all things it must be remembered that there is indeed no doubt whatever, that faith and love are the only source, as you have ever learned, that through faith we become inwardly pious, and we outwardly prove our faith by our works of love.

For I have often said, that the Scriptures speak of man in a twofold manner. At one time of the inner man, and then again of the outer man. For the Scriptures prop¬ erly make distinctions, just as when I speak of a foot, I do not mean a nose.

So the Scriptures at one time speak of us as of the Spirit, spiritual, how we must stand before God by faith, for this purpose he sends forth his Word to which we hold, and afterwards he follows or endows with his Spirit. Thus the tree must be good beforehand, as you have recently heard.

10. This godliness cannot be attained by anyone without grace in his heart. If I am to make for myself friends by means of mammon, I must first be godly.

For compare these two statements:

A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit, and again, a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.

From which judge for yourself: if I am to do good and give away mammon, I must indeed be first good at heart, for God looketh upon the heart, and as he finds the heart, so he estimates our works.

This I say, that men should not cram works into the heart, but let the heart first be good through faith, that the works may flow forth, otherwise you do no one any good; for if you have before given a person anything, it did not come from the heart.

Hence the conclusion is, that I must first be good before I can do good. You cannot build from without inward, you do not commence at the roof, but at the foundation. There¬ fore faith must first be present.

11. Hence the Scriptures speak of us as the outer man, as we in our flesh and blood live among men. Now, that I am good, you do not know, nor do I. Hence I must estahStill Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com

NINTH SUNDAY A F T E R lish my faith to the satisfaction of myself and of the peopie, and I must do good to my neighbor in order to prove my faith; thus the outward works are then merely signs of the inner faith.

Works do not make me good, but show that I am good, and bear witness that the faith in me is genuine.

In this manner must you understand the Scriptures here also, when they say:

Give of your mam¬ mon and thus make to yourselves friends; that is, do good, that your faith may become approved.

So we must also distinguish what pertains to the Spirit and what is the fruit of the Spirit.

12. Luke has described the fruit of faith thus:

Give to the poor and make to yourself friends. As though he would say:

I will not now speak of faith, but how you should prove your faith.

Wherefore do good to your neighbor, and if you can give from the heart you may be assured that you believe.

Thus the Scriptures speak at one time of fruits, at another time of faith. Again, they also speak of fruits, when they teach, Mat. 25:42, how the Lord will speak to the lost on the last day: " I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was athirst, and ye gave me no drink," and the like. This means, you have not believed, as I will prove to you by your own works.

13. The Scriptures in some passages speak of the outward conduct, and in others of the inner. Now if you will apply that which is said of the outward to the heart and confuse matters, you pervert it and do wrong. Hence you must let the distinction remain, and observe it. These expressions:

I have been hungry, thirsty, shelterless, naked, sick and in prison, and you have shown me no work of mercy, refer to the external conduct, and signify as much as: you have never exhibited any outward conduct by which you have shown your faith; and to prove this, I appeal to the poor as witnesses.

Therefore, faith alone must be present first to make us good, after that good works must follow to prove our piety.

This now is one point, namely, con¬ cerning works.

14. The second point is far more difficult, when the Lord Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com says: "Make to yourselves friends by means of the mam¬ mon of unrighteousness ; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles."

You say, our adversaries cry: you say a person shall not do good works to obtain eternal life; behold, here it reads differently. Now, what shall we answer? There are many passages here and there, showing how we wish to have merit on our part.

By quoting these passages they intend to disprove to us God's mercy, and to lead us to satisfy God's righteousness by our good works. By all means beware of this, and insist that it is nothing but pure grace and mercy alone, and say:

I am a poor sinner, Ο God, forgive me my sins, gladly will I say nothing about my merit, ouly say thou nothing of thy judgment! Thus David said : "Enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight no man living is right¬ eous," Ps. 143:2. And just for this reason Christ is given to us as our Mediator. If we wish to enter into judgment before God with our good works, we cast Christ aside as our Mediator, and cannot stand before God. Therefore let him remain our Mediator and abide thou under the shadow of his wings, as Psalm 91:4 reads : "He will cover thee with his pinions, and under his wings shalt thou take refuge."

Therefore speak thus: Ο God, I would not merit anything before thee by my own works, but will employ them only to serve my neighbor, and I will depend only upon thy mercy.

15. You must hence remember that eternal life consists of two things, faith and what follows faith. If you go and believe and do good to your neighbor, everlasting life must follow, although you never think about it. Just as when you take a good drink, the taste will follow as soon as you drink, even though you do not seek it. So it is also with hell, the damned do not seek it, but it follows unsought and undesired, and he must inherit it whether he will or no.

This St. Paul also says, 1 Thes. 2:15-16, of the persecuters of the Gospel: They "drove out us, and pleased not God, and are contrary to all men; forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins al¬ ways, but the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost."

As though he would say: They only persecute us to fill the measure of their sins and fairly to deserve hell, and ever urge their sins more and more until they become en¬ tirely hardened, and finally have no regard for either God or man.

16. Thus the Scriptures declare here, that we should do good, so that we may be saved; and this is not meant to say, that we must first earn salvation by our works, but that we must believe, and it will follow of itself. Therefore mark well, that you do not take what follows for what goes before, and keep yourself free from the merit of works.

Should God give us heaven for our works? No, no, he has already given us heaven freely, out of mere mercy.

There¬ fore give unto the poor, in order that the eternal taber¬ nacles may follow, and not that you may merit them by your works.

17. Observe then that these passages are explained in two different ways.

First, that a man should seek salvation by works, which is false. Second, as a consequence of faith, which is right. Therefore, you are not to seek heaven with any kind of works, but only to do the works freely, then the result, eternal life, will follow of itself without your seeking.

For if I should see heaven standing open and could merit it by picking up a straw, I would not do it, lest I might say: Behold, I have earned it! No, no, not to my deservings, but to God be the glory, who has given me his

Son to abolish sin and hell for me.

18. In the third place, you should faithfully hold fast to the following words: "That they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles." Behold, they say, here it stands writ¬ ten that they receive us into heaven, how then can you say that we dare not place the saints as mediators before God, and that they cannot help us to heaven?

Here observe, that we have but one Redeemer before God, and he is Christ. For thus St. Paul speaks, 1 Tim. 2:5: "For there is one God, one Mediator also between God and man, himself man, Christ Jesus." Again, Christ himself in John 14:6 says: "I am the way, no man cometh unto the Father but Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com by me." Therefore we must not seek our consolation in any of the saints, but in Christ alone, through whose merits alone we and all saints are saved.

Therefore I will not give a penny for St. Peter's merits, that he should help me. He cannot help himself, but whatever he has he has from God by faith in Christ. Now then, if he cannot help himself, how then can he do anything for me? Consequent¬ ly I must have another, who is Christ, God and man in one.

19. But how can he say: "Make to yourselves friends, that they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles?" This passage we understand from Mat. 25:37-40, where Christ tells us how the King will answer them who will say on the last day:

"Lord, when saw we thee hungry, athirst, homeless, naked, sick and in prison?

Verily I say unto you," he will say, "inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, ye did it unto me." Here the Lord shows who those friends are, namely, the poor and needy.

As though to say: when you make them your friends, then you have me as your friend also, for they are my members.

20. Now one thought remains: How will they receive us into the eternal tabernacles, as the text here says?

Will they lead us in by the hand? No, but when we come before the judgment seat of God, poor persons whom we have as¬ sisted here, will stand in heaven and say: he has washed my feet, he gave me drink, food, clothing and the like.

He will certainly be my friend and a witness of my faith, whatever words he may use to declare it. Then a beggar will be more useful to me than St. Peter or St. Paul, for there none of these can help.

But when a beggar comes and says: My God, this he has done unto me as thy child! that will help me, for God will say: Whatsoever you have done unto these, you have done unto me. Therefore these poor people will not be our helpers but our witnesses so that God shall receive us. By this I would not object to your honoring St. Peter and other saints, for he is a mem¬ ber of Christ and of God. But you do better by giving your neighbor a penny, than by building a church of gold for St. Peter.

For to help your neighbor is commanded, Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com NINTH SUNDAY A F T E R TRINITY. but it is not commanded to build a church to St. Peter.

Now everything is twisted the wrong way, one goes to a certain passage in St. James, another to Aix-la-Chapelle, another to Rome, to seek help from the departed saints.

But the poor people, who are the real sainthood, are left behind lying in the streets.

Second Sermon—Luke 16:1-9.

Tliis sermon appeared during the years 1522 and 1523 in eight editions. It was translated first into Latin in 1522, and again in THE DEFENSE OF THE TRUE DOCTRINE CON,

CERNING FAITH, WORKS AND THE MERITS OF THE SAINTS AGAINST THE OBJECTIONS OF THE PAPISTS.

T H E MERITS OF T H E SAINTS IN GENERAL. 1-2.

I I . T H E OBJECTIONS PAPISTS AGAINST T H E TRUE I I I . T H E T R U E A. The defense of the true doc¬ trine concerning faith.

1. The true doctrine concerning faith. 4-6.

2. The defense. 7-14.

B. The defense of the true doctrine concerning works.

1. The true doctrine concerning works. 15-16.

2. The defense. 17-19.

C. The defense of the true doctrine concerning the merits of the saints.

1. The true doctrine. 20.

2. The defense. 21-22.

A. The three questions in general.

B. The three questions and their answers in detail.

1. The first question with its answer. 24.

2. The second question with Its answer. 25-26.

3. The third question with Its answer. 27-28.

1. Although in my Postils hitherto, and in my little book, Christian Liberty and Good Works, I have taught very extensively, how faith alone without works justi¬ fies, and good works are done first after we believe, that it seems I should henceforth politely keep quiet, and give every mind and heart an opportunity to understand and explain all the gospel lessons for themselves; yet I perceive that the Gospel abides and prospers only among the few; the people are constantly dispirited and terrified by the passages that treat of good works; so that I see plainly how necessary it is, either to write Postils on each gospel

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com NINTH SUNDAY A F T E B TRINITY. lesson, or to appoint sensible ministers in all places who can orally explain and teach these things.

2. If this Gospel be considered without the Spirit by mere reason, it truly favors the priests and monks, and could be made to serve covetousness and to establish one's own works. For when Christ says:

"Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles;" they force from it three points against our doctrine of faith, namely: first, against that we teach faith alone justifies and saves from sin; second, that all good works ought to be gratuitously done to our neighbors out of free love; third, that we should not put any value in the merits of saints or of others.

3. Against our first proposition they claim the Lord says here: "Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness," just as though works should make us friends, who previously were enemies.

Against the second is what he says : "That they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles;" just as though we should do the work for our own sakes and benefit.

And against the third they quote: "The friends may receive us into the eternal taber¬ nacles;" just as though we should serve the saints and trust in them to get to heaven.

For the sake of the weak we reply to these:

I. Faith alone makes us good, and friends of God.

4. The foundation must be maintained without wavering, that faith without any works, without any merit, reconciles man to God and makes him good, as Paul says to the Romans 3:21-22: "But now apart from the law a righteous¬ ness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that believe."

Paul at another place, Rom. 4:9, says: "To Abraham, his faith was reckoned for righteousness;" so also with us.

Again, 5:1: "Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Again, 10:10: "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousStill Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com ness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salva¬ tion." These, and many more similar passages, we must firmly hold and trust in them immovably, so that to faith alone without any assistance of works, is attributed the for¬ giveness of sins and our justification.

5. Take for an illustration the parable of Christ in Mat.

7:17: "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." Here you see that the fruit does not make the tree good, but without any fruit and before any fruit the tree must be first good, or made good, before it can bear good fruit. As he also says, Mat. 12:33-31:

"Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit.

Ye off¬ spring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?"

Thus it is the naked truth, that a man must be good without good works, and before he does any good works.

And it is clear how impossible it is that a man' should become good by works, when he is not good before he does the good works. For Christ stands firm when he says:

"How can ye, being evil, speak good things?" And hence follows:

How can ye, being evil, do good things?

Therefore the powerful conclusion follows, there must be something far greater and more precious than all good works, by which a man becomes pious and good, before he does good; just as he must first be in bodily health before he can labor and do hard work.

This great and precious something is the noble Word of God, which offers us in the Gospel the grace of God in Christ.

He who hears and believes this, thereby becomes good and right¬ eous.

Wherefore it is called the Word of life, a Word of grace, a Word of forgiveness.

But he who neither hears nor believes it, can in no way become good. For St. Peter says in the Acts 10:9 : "And he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith." For as the Word is, so will the heart be, which believes and cleaves firmly to it.

NINTH SUNDAY A F T E R and good Word, so also the heart which cleaves to it, must be living, just, truthful, pure and good.

7. What now shall we say of those passages which so strongly insist on good works, as when the Lord says:

"Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness?"

And in Mat. 25:42: "For I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat."

And many other similar passages, which sound altogether as though we had to become good by works. We answer thus :

8. There are some who hear and read the Gospel and what is said by faith, and immediately conclude they have formed a correct notion of what faith is.

They do not think that faith is anything else than something which is altogether in their own power to have or not to have, as any other natural human work. Hence, when in their hearts they begin to think and say:

"Verily, the doctrine is right, and I believe it is true," then they immediately think faith is present.

But as soon as they see and feel in themselves and others that no change has taken place, and that the works do not follow and they remain as before in their old ways, then they conclude that faith is not sufficient, that they must have something more and greater than faith.

Behold, how they then seize the opportunity, and cry and say:

Oh, faith alone does not do it.

Oh, because there are so many who believe, and are no better than before, and have not changed their minds at all. Such people are those whom Jude in his Epistle calls dreamers, v. 8, who deceive themselves with their own dreams. For what are such thoughts of theirs which they call faith, but a dream, a dark shadow of faith, which they themselves have created in their own thoughts, by their own strength without the grace of God?

They become worse than they were before.

For it happens with them as the Lord says in Mat. 9:17 "Neither do men put new wine into old wine¬ skins; else the skins burst, and the wine is spilled."

That is, they hear God's Word and do not lay hold of it, therefore they burst and become worse.

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com 9. But true faith, of which we speak, cannot be manufac¬ tured by our own thoughts, for it is solely a work of God in us, without any assistance on our part. As Paul says to the Romans, 5:15, it is God's gift and grace, obtained by one man, Christ.

Therefore, faith is something very powerful, active, restless, effective, which at once renews a person and again regenerates him, and leads him altogether into a new manner and character of life, so that it is impossible not to do good without ceasing.

For just as natural as it is for the tree to produce fruit, so natural is it for faith to produce good works. And just as it is quite unnecessary to command the tree to bear fruit, so there is no command given to the believer, as Paul says, nor is urging necessary for him to do good, for he does it of himself, freely and unconstrained; just as he of him¬ self without command sleeps, eats, drinks, puts on his clothes, hears, speaks, goes and comes.

Whoever has not this faith talks but vainly about faith and works, and does not himself know what he says or whither it tends.

For he has not received it; he juggles with lies and applies the Scriptures where they speak of faith and works to his own dreams and false thoughts, which is purely a human work. Whereas the Scriptures attribute both faith and good works not to ourselves, but to God alone.

10. Is not this a perverted and blind people? They teach we cannot do a good deed of ourselves, and then in their presumption go to work and arrogate to themselves the highest of all the works of God, namely faith, to manu¬ facture it themselves out of their own perverted thoughts.

Wherefore I have said that we should despair of ourselves and pray to God for faith as the Apostle did. Luke 17:5.

When we have faith we need nothing more, for it brings with it the Holy Spirit, who then teaches us not only all things, but also establishes us firmly in it, and leads us through death and hell to heaven.

NINTH SUNDAY A F T E R T R I N I T Y . of such dreamers and self-invented faith; not that man should become good by works, but that man should thereby prove and see the difference between false and true faith.

For wherever faith is right it does good.

If it does no good, it is then certainly a dream and a false idea of faith.

So, just as the fruit on the tree does not make the tree good, but nevertheless outwardly proves and testifies that the tree is good, as Christ says, Mat. 7:16: "By their fruits ye shall know them"—thus we should also learn to know faith by its fruits.

12. From this you see, there is a great difference between being good, and to be known as good; or to become good and to prove and show that you are good.

Faith makes good, but works prove the faith and goodness to be right. Thus the Scriptures speak in the plain way, which prevails among the common people, as when a father says unto his son: "Go and be merciful, good and friendly to this or to that poor person." By which he does not command him to be merciful, good and friendly, but because he is already good and merciful, he requires that he should also show and prove it outwardly toward the poor by his act, in order that the goodness which he has in himself may also be known to others and be helpful to them.

11 So you should explain all passages of Scripture refer¬ ring to works, that God thereby desires to let the goodness received in faith express and prove itself, and become a benefit to others, so that false faith may become known and rooted out of the heart. For God gives no one his grace that it may remain inactive and accomplish nothing good, but in order that it may bear interest, and by being publicly known and proved externally draw every one to God; as Christ says, Mat. 5:16: "Even so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your

Father who is in heaven."

Otherwise it would be but a buried treasure and a hidden light.

But what profit is there in either? Yea, goodness does not only thereby become known to others, but we ourselves also become certain that we are honest, as St. Peter in 2 Pet. 1:10 says :

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com L U T H E R ' S CHURCH "Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure." For where works do not follow a man cannot know whether his faith is right ; yea, he may be certain that his faith is a dream, and not right as it should be.

Thus Abraham became certain of his faith and that he feared God, when he offered up his son.

As God by the angel said to Abraham, Gen. 22:12:

"Now I know, that is, it is manifest, that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."

14. Then abide by the truth, that man is internally, in spirit before God, justified by faith alone without works, but externally and publicly before men and himself, he is justified by works, that he is at heart an honest believer and pious.

The one you may call a public or outward justi¬ fication, the other an inner justification, yet in the sense that the public or external justification is only the fruit, the result and proof of the justification in the heart, that a man does not become just thereby before God, but must previously be just before him.

So you may call the fruit of the tree the public or outward good of the tree, which is only the result and proof of its inner and natural goodness.

This is what St. James means when he says in his Epistle, "Faith without works is dead."

That is, as the works do not follow, it is a sure sign that there is no faith there; but only an empty thought and dream, which they falsely call faith.

Now we understand the word of Christ:

"Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness."

That is, prove your faith publicly by your outward gifts, by which you win friends, that the poor may be witnesses of your public work, that your faith is genuine.

For mere external giving in itself can never make friends, unless it proceed from faith, as Christ rejects the alms of the Pharisees in Mat. 6:2, that they thereby make no friends because their heart is false.

Thus no heart can ever be right without faith, so that even nature forces the confession that no work makes one good, but that the heart must first be good and upright.

I I . All works must be done freely and gratuitously, without seeking gain by them.

15. Christ means this when, in Mat. 10:8, he says : "Freely ye receive, freely give."

For just as Christ with all his works did not merit heaven for himself, because it was his before; but he served us thereby, not regarding or seeking his own, but these two things, namely, our benefit and the glory of God his Father; so also should we never seek our own in our good works, either temporal or eternal, but glorify God by freely and gratuitously doing good to our neighbor. This St. Paul teaches the Philippians, 2:5: "Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus : who, exist¬ ing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross."

That is, for himself he had enough, since in him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; and yet he served us and became our servant.

16. And this is the cause ; for since faith justifies and des¬ troys sin before God, so it gives life and salvation. And now it would be a lasting shame and disgrace, and injurious to faith, if any one by his life and works would desire to obtain what faith already possesses and brings with it.

Christ would have only disgraced himself had he done good in order to become the Son of God and Lord over all things, which he already was before.

So faith makes us God's children as John 1:12 says: "But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name."

But if they are children, then they are heirs, as St. Paul says, Rom. 8:17, and Gal. 4:7.

How then can we do anything to obtain the inheritance, which we already have by faith?

17. But what shall we say of passages that insist on a good life for the sake of an external reward as this one does: "Make to yourselves friends by means of the mam¬ mon of unrighteousness?"

And 6:20 : "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven."

We will say this: that those who do not know faith, only speak and think of the reward, as of works. For they think that the same rule obtains here as in human affairs, that they must earn the Kingdom of heaven by their works. These, too, are dreams and false views, of which Malachi, 1:10, speaks:

"Oh, that there were one among you that would shut the doors, that ye might not kindle fire on mine altar in vain!"

They are slaves and greedy self-enjoying hirelings and day laborers, who receive their reward here on earth, like the Pharisees with their praying and fasting, as Christ says, Mat. 6:2.

However, in regard to the eternal reward it is thus: inasmuch as works naturally follow faith, as I said, it is not necessary to command them, for it is impossible for faith not to do them without being commanded, in order that we may learn to distinguish the false from the true faith.

Hence the eternal reward also follows true faith, naturally, without any seeking, so that it is impossible that it should not, although it may never be desired or sought, yet it is appropriated and promised in order that true and false believers may be known, and that every one may understand that a good life follows naturally of itself.

18. As an illustration of this take a rude comparison: behold, hell and death are also threatened to the sinner, and naturally follow sin without any seeking; for no one does wickedly because he wants to be damned, but would much rather escape it.

Yet, the result is there, and it is not necessary to declare it, for it will come of itself.

Yet, it is declared that man might know what follows a wicked life.

So here, a wicked life has its own reward without seeking it.

Hence a good life will find its reward without any seeking it. When you drink good or poor wine, although you do not drink it for the taste, yet the taste naturally follows of itself.

NINTH SUNDAY A F T E R TRINITY. means: do good, and it will follow of itself without your seeking, that you will have friends, find treasures in heaven, and receive a reward.

But your eyes must simply be di ־ rected to a good life, and care nothing about the reward, but be satisfied to know and be assured that it will follow, and let God see to that.

For those who look for a reward, become lazy and unwilling laborers, and love the reward more than the work, yea, they become enemies of work.

In this way God's will also becomes hateful, who has commanded us to work, and hence God's command and will must finally become burdensome to such a heart.

I I I . It is not the saints, but God only who receives us into the eternal tabernacles, and bestows the reward.

20. This is so clear that it needs no proof. For how can the saints receive us into heaven, as every one himself must depend on God alone to receive him into heaven, and every saint scarcely has enough for himself?

This the wise vir¬ gins prove, who did not wish to give of their oil to the foolish virgins, Mat. 25:9, and St. Peter, 1 Pet. 4:18, says:

"The righteous is scarcely saved." And Christ in John 3:13: "And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of Man, who is in heaven."

21. What then shall we reply to:

"Make to yourselves friends out of the mammon of unrighteousness ; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal taber¬ nacles?" We say this: that this passage says nothing about the saints in heaven, but of the poor and needy on earth, who live among us. As though he would say: why do you build churches, make saints and serve my mother, St. Peter,

St. Paul and other departed saints? They do not need this or any other service of yours, they are not your friends, but friends of those who lived in their days and to whom they did good; but do service to your friends, that is, the poor who live in your time and among you, your nearest neigh¬ bors who need your help, make them your friends with your mammon.

22. Again, we must 001 understand this reception into the Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com eternal tabernacles as being done by man; however, men will be an instrument and witness to our faith, exercised and shown in their behalf, on account of which God receives us into the eternal tabernacles.

For thus the Scriptures are accustomed to speak when they say: sin condemns, faith saves, that means, sin is the cause why God condemns, and faith is the cause why he saves.

As man also is at all times accustomed to say: your wickedness will bring you misfortune, which means, your wickedness is the cause and source of your misfortune. Thus our friends receive us into heaven, when they are the cause, through our faith shown to them, of entering heaven.

This is enough on these three points.

23. In this connection we will explain three questions, that we may better understand this Gospel.

What is mammon? Why is it unrighteous? And why Christ com¬ mands us to imitate the unjust steward, who worked for his own gain at his master's expense, which without doubt is unjust and a sin?

24. First, mammon is a Hebrew word meaning riches or temporal goods, namely, whatever any one owns over and above what his needs require, and with which he can benefit others without injuring himself.

For Hamon in Hebrew means multitude, or a great crowd or many, from which Mahamon or Mammon, that is, multitude of riches or goods, is derived.

25. Second, it is called unrighteous, not because obtained by injustice and usury, for with unrighteous possessions no good can be done, for it must be returned as Isaiah, 61:8, says:

"For I, Jehovah, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity." And Solomon, Prov. 3:27, says: "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it." But it is called unrighteous because it stands in the service of unrighteousness, as St. Paul says to the Ephesians, 5:16, that the days are evil, although

God made them and thev are good, but they are evil because wicked men misuse them, in which they do many sins, offend and endanger souls.

For we know that wherever riches are the saying holds good: money rules the world, men creep for it, they lie for it, they act the hypocrite for it, and do all manner of wickedness against their neighbor to obtain it, to keep it, and increase it to possess the friend¬ ship of the rich.

26. But it is especially before God an unrighteous mam¬ mon because man does not serve his neighbor with it; for where my neighbor is in need and I do not help him when I have the means to do so, I unjustly keep what is his, as I am indebted to give to him according to the law of nature:

"Whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them." Mat. 7:12.

And Christ says in Mat. 5:42:

"Give to him that asketh thee." And John in his first Epistle, 3:17:

"But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God abide in him?"

And few see this unrighteousness in mam¬ mon because it is spiritual, and is found also in those possessions which are obtained by the fairest means, which deceive them that they think they do no one any harm, because they do no coarse outward injustice, by robbing, stealing and usury.

27. In the third place it has been a matter of very great concern to many to know who the unjust steward is whom Christ so highly recommends?

This, in short, is the simple answer:

Christ does not commend unto us the steward on account of his unrighteousness, but on account of his wisdom and his shrewdness, that with all his un¬ righteousness, he so wisely helps himself.

As though I would urge some one to watch, ]tray and study, and would say:

Look here, murderers and thieves wake at night to rob and steal, why then do you not wake to pray and study?

By this I do not praise murderers and thieves for their crimes, but for their wisdom and foresight, that they so wisely obtain the goods of unrighteousness.

Again, as though I would say:

An unchaste woman adorns herStill Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com L U T H E R ' S CHURCH self with gold and silk to tempt young boys; why will you not also adorn yourself with faith to please Christ?

By this I do not praise fornication, but the diligence employed.

28. In this way Paul compares Adam and Christ saying:

"Adam was a figure of him that was to come." Rom. 5:14.

Although from Adam we have nothing but sin, and from Christ nothing but grace, yet these are greatly opposed to each other.

But the comparison and type consist only in the consequence or birth, not in virtue or vice. As to birth, Adam is the father of all sinners, so Christ is the father of all the righteous.

And as all sinners come from one Adam, so all the righteous come from one Christ. Thus the unjust steward is here typified to us only in his cunning and wisdom, who knows so well how to help himself, that we should also consider in the right way the welfare of our souls as he did in the wrong way that of his body and life.

With this we will let it suffice, and pray God for grace..

T E N T H S U N D A Y A F T E E T E I N I T Y .

This sermon appeared first in the year 1525, and was issued in pamphlet form in nearly a dozen separate editions. From this we conclude that it awakened a great interest among the people, as it certainly ought to have done. It bore the title: "A sermon on the destruction of Jerusalem. In like manner will Germany also be destroyed, if she will not recognize the time of her visitation. What the temple of God is. Martin Luther. Wittenberg, 1525."

Text. Luke 19:41-48. And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee,; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the tùne of thy visitation.

And he entered into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold, saying unto them, It is written, And my house shall be a house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of robbers.

And tie was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him: and they could not find what they might do; for the people all hung upon him, listening.

THE PROPHECY OF CHRIST THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM, AND THE CLEAN¬ SING OF THE TEMPLE BY CHRIST.

I. T H E PROPHECY OF T H E DE¬ STRUCTION OF JERUSALEM.

The summary and contents of this A. Why the destruction of the city of Jerusalem was prophesied. 2.

There are two ways to preach against the desplsers of God's B. The way and manner Christ de¬ livered this prophecy. 4-6.

C. now and why the Jews did not believe this prophecy. 7.

D. The destruction which is taught by this prophecy.

1. The destruction in itself. 8-10.

2. How and why this destruction will also visit Germany.

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com a. Why this destruction will come upon Germany, llf. b. How the beginning of this destruction has already takcn place. 11-13.

It is a great blessing when God gives us his Word, and a great sin when that word is despised. 13-14. c. In what way should we seek to prevent thîs destruc¬ tion. 15.

3. The cause of this destruction.

Concerning the anxious care for the body.

(Bauchsorge.) a. This anxious care dishonors b. How and why believers should flee from this care. c. The fruits and workings of this care. 19. d. This anxious care is a very great evil. 20-22.

E . How should this prophecy serve us. 23.

1. How Christ teaches by this cleansing, what the true temple of God is. 24-25f.

Why the temple at Jerusalem ie called holy. 20.

2. What moved Christ to undertake this cleansing. 27f.

Judgment concerning the churches and cloisters of the Papists. 28-29.

3. How Christ makes room for his Word by this cleansing. 29.

An admonition to pray to God to turn his anger from us. 30.

God punishes most severely the despising of his Word. 31-33.

4. IIow and why Christ lets us view his great anger and zeal in his cleansing of the temple. 34-36.

The abominations of the Papa¬ cy. 37-38.

5. How Christ makes a beginning here and at the same time gives a prelude to what the Romans should do with the temple. 39.

6. How this cleansing is to be ap¬ plied to the Reformation. 40f.

The world unjustly ascribes the cause of Its misfortune to the Gos¬ pel. 41-42.

THE SUMMARY OF THIS GOSPEL:

1. This* Gospel teaches us faith and love. It reminds us of faith in that it pictures to us Christ the Lord, who he is, and how he is disposed. Here view the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.

2. It teaches us love in that Christ forgets his own praise which men gave him, when he entered Jerusalem riding upon an ass and wept over the misfortune which should come upon the people.

3. The time of their visitation they knew not, who now, since the Gospel is preached to them, do not accept Christ. Therefore they must also perish, and this is given as a warning and an admonition.

4. What is the church today but a house of merchandise, where people sell everything, even the forgiveness of sins. Woe to us!

T H E P R O P H E C Y O F T H E D E S T R U C T I O N O F 1. This Gospel presents that which took place on Palm Sunday, when Christ rode into Jerusalem. On this occa¬ sion, he preached two or three days in the temple, which was more than he ever did before at one time.

The sum and substance of this Gospel is, that Christ grieves and laments over the afflictions of those who despise God's

T E N T H SUNDAY A F T E l i T1UNITY. what it brings us, and what kind of scholars it has. Of all this nothing is said here.

Only the punishment and dis¬ tress which shall come upon the Jews because they would not recognize the time of their visitation, are here clescribed.

And let us well consider this, because the time of their visitation also deeply concerns us.

If they are punished who do not know the thne of their visitation, what will be done to those who maliciously persecute, biaspheme and disgrace the Gospel and the Word of God?

However, here he only speaks of those who do not know it.

3. There are two methods of preaching against the despisers of God's Word.

The first is by threats, as Christ threatens them in Mat. 11:21-24:

"Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

Capernaum (which was his own city, where he perform!•d most of his mighty works), shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt go down unto hell; for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in thee, it would have remained until this day.

But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."

With these threat¬ ening words he would frighten them to their senses, and not to cast to the winds the Word which God sends them.

4. The other method the Lord gives here when he weeps, and shows bis sympathy for the poor blinded people, and rebukes and threatens them, not as the hardened and stub¬ bornly blind; but when he melts in love and compassion over his enemies, and with great heart-rending pity and cries, he tells them what shall befall them, which he would gladly prevent, but all is in vain.

In the passage just quoted, Mat. 11:2124, where he rebukes them, he does not treat them in love, but in the severity of faith.

However here, it is all sincere love and mercy.

This is worthy of our consideration.

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com δ. First, as he approached the city they went before and followed him with songs of great joy, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David ! ייand spread their garments in the way and cut branches from the trees and strewed them in the way; the whole scene was most glorious. But in the midst of all this joy he begins to weep. He permits all the world to be joyful, while he himself was bowed with grief, when he beheld the city and said:

"If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things that belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes."

(>. As though he would say: Oh, if you only knew what belongs to your peace, that you might not be destroyed, but be preserved with both temporal and eternal peace, you would yet this day consider, and redeem the time! And now it is high time for you to know what is for your high¬ est welfare. But you are blind, and will neglect the oppor¬ tunity, until there shall be neither help nor counsel.

Here you stand, firmly built, and within you are strong and mighty men, who, secure and happy, think there is no danger! Yet, about forty years more, and you shall be utterly destroyed. The Lord plainly says this in these words:

"For the days shall come upon thee, when thy enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side and shall dash thee to the ground and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knowest not the time of thy visita¬ tion."

7. But the Jews were stubborn, and depended on God's promises, which they thought meant nothing else than that they should continue forever. They were secure, and vainly thought:

God will not do such things to us. We own the temple; here God himself dwells; besides we have mighty men, money and treasures enough to defy all our enemies! For even the Romans, and the emperor after he had conquered the city, confessed that the city was so well and firmly built, that it would have been impossible to take it, had God not especially willed it. Therefore they trusted

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com T E N T H SUNDAY A F T E R TRINITY. in their own glory, and built their confidence on a false delusion, which finally deceived them.

8. The Lord, however, saw deeper into the future than they when he said:

O, Jerusalem! if thou hadst known what I know, thou wouldst seek thy peace.

Scriptures means, when all things go well with us. You now think you have pleasant days, but if you knew how your enemies will encamp round about you, compass you about and hedge you in on every side, crush you to the ground and demolish all your beautiful buildings, and leave not one stone upon another; you would eagerly accept the Word, which brings to you solid peace and every blessing.

[The woeful history of the destruction of Jerusalem you can read in books, from which those who wish will easily understand this Gospel.]

9. God caused his threats to be executed even thus, that the city was besieged at the time of the Easter festival, when the Jews were assembled within the walls of Jerusalern from every land, and as the historian Josephus writes, there were together at that time about three million peopie. This was an enormous multitude.

Only one hundred thousand people would have been enough to crowd the city.

But all this great multitude God in his wrath intended to bake, melt and weld together into one mass of ruin. Yet, the Apostles and Christians were all out of the city, they had withdrawn into the land of Herod, Samaria, Galilee, and were scattered among the heathen.

Thus God separated and saved the good grain and poured the chaff into one place.

There was such an immense multitude of Jews present, that they were sufficient to devour a whole kingdom, to say nothing of only one city. They also fell into such distress and famine, that they devoured everything and had nothing left, until they were at last compelled to eat their leather bow-strings, shoe latchets and shoe leather; and finally mothers moved by their distress butchered their own chil¬ dren, which the soldiers snatched from them, for they smelt the odor of the boiling meat through the squares of the city. They used dove's dung for salt, which commanded

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com L U T H E R ' S CHURCH a high price. In short, there was distress and bloodshed enough to melt a rock to tears; so that no one could have believed that God's wrath could be so horrible and that he would so unmercifully martyr a people. The buildings and the streets were piled full of the dead, who perished from starvation, and yet the Jews were so raging that they defied God and refused to yield, until the emperor was compelled to use force and capture the city, when they could no longer maintain their ground.

10. And as some Jews were such rogues as to swallow their money so that it could not be taken from them, the soldiers thought that they all had swallowed their money; therefore they cut them open by the thousands, hunting for it. The slaughter and destruction were so great, that even the heathen were moved to compassion, and the em¬ peror was forced to give orders no longer to destroy them, but to take them prisoners and sell them as slaves. The Jews then became so cheap, that thirty were sold for a penny; and thus they were scattered throughout the whole world, and were everywhere despised as the vilest people on earth, and thus they are everywhere regarded at the present day, everywhere dispersed, without a city or a coun¬ try of their own, and they can never meet again as they vainly believe to establish their priesthood and kingdom.

Thus God avenged the death of Christ and all his prophets, and paid them back because they knew not the day of their visitation.

A P P L I C A T I O N TO GERMANY.

11. Here let ns learn a lesson, for this concerns us, not us alone who are here present, but the whole country of Germany. It is not a mere jest, nor should we think that it will go different with us. The Jews would not believe until they experienced it and became conscious of it. God has now also visited us, and has opened the precious treasures of his holy Gospel unto us, by which we can learn God's will, and see how we were held by the power of the devil. Yet no one will earnestly beStill Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com

T E N T H SUNDAY A F T E R T R I N I T i , Here it, yea, we mucli more despise it and make light of it.

Xo city, no officer of the government is thankful for the Gospel; and what is stiil worse the great majority perse¬ cute and blaspheme it. God has great patience; he w

Taits to see how we will deal with his Gospel; but when we once lot the opportunity slip, he will take his Word from us, and then the wrath which consumed the Jews will also consnme us. For it is one and the selfsame Word, the very same God, and the identical Christ, the Jews themselves had; therefore the punishment in body and soul will also most certainly be the same.

[We, of course, regard it as mockery, and care nothing for it. This is only an evidence of our own blindness. We ought to perceive that God is hardening us; for there is not a single city that is con¬ cerned about it; 110 officer of the law shows any zeal in its favor. It is most deplorable.] And I fear the time will yet come when Germany will lay in a heap of ruins. The evil winds have already begun to blow destruction in our peasant war. We have already lost many people.

Nearly one hundred thousand men, only between Easter and Pente¬ cost! It is an awful work of God, and I fear it will not stop at this. It is only a foretaste of a threat to frighten us, that we may prepare ourselves for the coming ordeal.

So far it is but a fox's tail, but God will soon come with a terrible scourge, and lash us to pieces.

12. But we will act just like the Jews, and care nothing for it, until all help and counsel are lost forever.

Now we might check it, for now it is high time for us to know what is best for us, and accept the Gospel in peace, while grace is brought, and peace is offered unto us.

But we permit one day after another, one year after another to pass, and do even less than formerly. No one prays now, no one is in earnest. When the time is past, prayers will be of no avail. We do not lay it to heart, and think we are safe, and do not see the awful calamity which has already begun, and are not aware that God so dreadfully punishes us with false! prophets and sects, which he sends us everywhere, and who preach so securely as though they

Those whom we had thought were the very best among us, go to work and lead the people astray, until they scarcely know what to do or leave undone.

13. But this is only a beginning, although it is fright¬ ful and terrible enough.

For there is no greater distress and calamity than when God sends us sects and false spir¬ its, because they are so impudent and daringly bold, that they are really to be pitied. On the other hand the Word of God is such a great treasure, that no one can sufficiently comprehend its worth.

For God himself considers his treasure immensely great, and when he visits us with his grace, he earnestly desires that we should gladly and freely accept it, and does not compel us as he is able to do, but it is his will that we should gladly obey it from choice and love.

For he does not wait until we come to him, but he comes first to us. He comes into the world, becomes man, serves us, dies for us, rises again from the dead, sends us his Holy Spirit, gives us his Word, and opens heaven so wide that all men can enter; besides he gives us rich promises and assurances that he will care for us in time and in eternity, here and there, and pours out into our bosoms all the fulness of his grace.

Therefore the accept¬ able time of grace is now at hand. Yet, we neglect it, and cast it to the winds, so that he will not and cannot give it to us.

14. For when we fall and sin in other ways, he can better spare us and be lenient, he of course will spare us and forgive; but when we despise his Word, it calls for punishment, and he will also punish us, even if he delays a hundred years. But he will not wait that long.

And the clearer the Word is preached the greater the punishment will be.

I fear it will be the destruction of all Germany. Would to God I were a false prophet in this matter.

Yet it will most certainly take place. God cannot permit this shameful disregard of his Word to go unpunished, nor will he wait long, for the Gospel is so abundantly proclaimed that it has never been as plainly

God be praised ! Hence it applies to Germany, as I fear it will be destroyed, unless we act differently.

15. We, who have heard the Gospel for a long time, ought earnestly to pray God that he continue to grant us peace. The princes and officers want to settle everything with the sword, and too impudently interfere with God's office, until God himself shall smite them down.

So it is high time faithfully to beseech God to permit his Gospel to be further spread through Germany, to those who have not yet heard it.

For if the punishment came suddenly upon us, all will be lost, and many souls will be taken be¬ fore the Gospel comes to them. Therefore I wish that we would not so terribly despise the Gospel, the costly treas¬ ure, not only for our own sakes, but also for the sake of those who have nat yet heard it.

It has become a little quiet, God grant that it may so continue, and that both the princes and the citizens may become more sane; for if it should begin afresh, I fear it would have no end.

16. But we act just like the Jews, who cared more for the belly than for God. They were more concerned how to fill their stomachs than how to be saved. For this reason they have lost both, and have been served just right. Be¬ cause they would not accept eternal life and peace, God took their bodily life, so that they have lost both body and soul.

They also immediately put forth the excuse, just as our own people do to-day.

We would of course gladly accept the Gospel, if it would not place our bodies and property in jeopardy, and if thereby we would not hazzard the loss of our wives and children. For the Jews said, if we believe in him, the Bomans will come and take away both our place and nation, John 11:48.

As nothing will happen sooner than what the wicked fear, as Solomon says, Prov. 10:24: "The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him."

This prevented the Jews to believe God, and they did not consider the great and rich promises God bestowed upon them. So we also pass them by, and are not aware

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com L U T H E R ' S CHURCH of the all powerful and comfortable promises Christ gives when he says, Mat. 19:29: Ye shall receive a hundredfold here, and there ye shall inherit eternal life. Let wife and child go, I will care for them, and restore them again to you.

Only courageously trust in me.

[Do you not think that I can build you another house? Do you regard me as being a hard man? Yet I will give you heaven; will yon not risk it on my Word?]

If you are robbed of your treasures, blessed are ye, heaven and earth are mine, I will reward ycu a hundredfold.

17. We pass over these and many like passages, and be¬ sides despise them, and depend only on what we have in our banks, and how we may keep our purses filled, and do not consider that God has also given us what we have, and wall still give us more; nor do we consider that when wo lose God, the stomach will also be lost.

Therefore we are served just right in losing both the creator and the creature besides.

18. But believers in God risk all in him and transfer all things into his care, for him to do according to his pleasure, and think thus:

God has given you your home and wife, you have not produced them yourself; now be¬ cause they are God's, I will entrust them all to his care, he will keep them from all harm.

I must otherwise leave all at any rate, therefore I will bravely trust him with them, and for his sake give up all I have.

If God wants me here, he will give me other treasures, for he has promised to give enough for this life and for the life to come.

If he does not want me here, I owe him a death, which will bring me into eternal life; when he cal is me, I will go trusting in his Word.

19. Whoever is not thus disposed, denies God, and must at the same time lose both, the present and the eternal life. The belly with its foul odors is our God, and prevents us from clinging to God's Word.

First, I will be certain how I shall feed, and where my supplies are. The Gospel says: Trust in God; and your stomach shall most certainly be provided for, and have enough [without believing or Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com

T E N T H SUNDAY A F T E R TRINITY. trusting in it]. But if I have only five dollars they give me so much courage to think I have anyhow enough food for ten days, that I trust in such limited provisions, and do not trust God who fed me hitherto, that he will care for me to-morrow.

20. Is it not a shameful vexation or calamity that I trust in a penny that I will have something to eat to-morrow?

How contemptible this carcass! Shall a penny have more weight in my heart and give me more courage than God himself, who holds heaven and earth in his power, who gives us the air we breathe and the water we drink, who makes our corn to grow and gives us all things? It is so scandalous that it cannot be uttered, that God should not amount to as much with us as a hundred guilders. Why not think that God, who has created me, will surely feed me, if he wants me to live? If he does not want this, very well, I shall be satisfied.

21. Yes, says the stomach, I find no God in my chest!

You silly donkey, who assures you that you will live to¬ morrow?

You are not certain whether you will have a belly to-morrow, and you want to know where to find the bread and the food!

Yes, you have a fine assurance!

When our hearts are thus prompted, we see what a govern¬ ment of hell there would be on earth; yes, it would be the devil himself. Is it not a thing most abominable, that God who feeds so many mouths, should be held in such low es¬ teem by me, that I will not trust him to feed me? Yea, that a guilder, thirty-eight cents, should be valued more highly than God, who pours out his treasures everywhere in rich profusion.

For the world is fall of God and his works. He is everywhere present with his gifts, and yet we will not trust in him, nor accept his visitation. Shame on thee, thou cursed world! What kind of a child is that, who cannot trust in God for a single day, but trusts in a guilder?

22. Now, I think, we see what the world is, how on ac¬ count of the belly the world despises God, and yet must lose the belly together with body and soul.

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com godless people we are, and yet we are to spit upon or despise the world. If one would consider that he is such a godless wretch, that he cannot trust in God, he would not wish to live.

Only choke away; for as captives we stick too deeply in the old Adam.

The world is hell in prospect, yea, the real kingdom of Satan, a court yard in hell, except that the body is still here, otherwise it is true hell.

23. For this reason Christ admonishes us with tears to know our salvation and accept his visitation, that the calamity may not follow, which will surely come upon those who do not accept it, who are secure, until swift and sud¬ den destruction comes upon them. May God give us grace, that we may know ourselves!

The Gospel further reads:

"And he entered into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold, saying unto them: It is written, And my house shall be a house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of robbers."

P A R T I I . T H E C L E A N S I N G O F T H E T E M P L E .

24. This is the second part of our Gospel, where the Lord takes hold of matters in earnest with his powerful hand, when he goes into the temple and casts out those who bought and sold there. For the first part was nothing but an admonition and incentive unto faith.

Here the Lord now tells us what the temple of God is, and quotes pas¬ sages from the Scriptures, and especially from the prophet

Isaiah, 56:7, where God says:

"For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."

You, however, have made it a house of merchandise.

This is a strong passage which the prophet utters: "for all peoples, for all Gentiles," is against the Jews, who trusted in the temple of God at Jerusalem, and thought that this material house in Jerusalem would stand forever, and that it was im¬ possible for God to demolish this temple or destroy this city. The Word of God does not lie. For this reason they also murdered Stephen, because he spoke against that holy place and said, Acts 6:14: