Epistle Sermons, Vol. 3: Trinity Sunday to Advent
TRANSLATED WITH THE HELP OF OTHERS BY
AUTHOR OF LUTHERANS IN ALL LANDS, TRANSLATOR OF LUTHER'S WORKS INTO ENGLISH, AND PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL LUTHERAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Third Thousand
The Luther Press MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., U.S.A. 1909.
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.
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.
Martin Luther
LUTHER'S
EPISTLE SERMONS
TRINITY SUNDAY TO ADVENT.
PROF. JOHN NICHOLAS LENKER, D.D.
VOL. III.
THE ARTICLE OF FAITH ON THE TRINITY.
DIVINE MYSTERIES INEXPLICABLE TO REASON.
THREE CLASSES OF PEOPLE.
EVERYTHING IS OF GOD.
THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.*
SCRIPTURE PROOF THAT CHRIST IS GOD.
PAUL AND MOSES AGREE IN TESTIMONY.
PHYSICAL LIFE INEXPLICABLE TO REASON.
THE THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY.
GOD IS LOVE.
EXHORTATION TO BROTHERLY LOVE.
THE WORLD'S HATRED.
CAIN THE WORLD, ABEL THE CHURCH.
LOVE MOVES CHRISTIANS.
HATRED NATURAL TO HUMAN REASON.
HUMILITY, TRUST, WATCHFULNESS, SUFFERING
I. HUMILITY.
PRIDE OPPOSED TO THE FIRST TABLE.
PRIDE OPPOSED TO THE SECOND TABLE.
THE BEAUTY OF HUMILITY.
THE CONSEQUENCE OF PRIDE.
THE REWARD OF HUMILITY.
WATCHFULNESS ENJOINED.
SOBERNESS ESSENTIAL.
FAITH, NOT WORLDLY WISDOM, ESSENTIAL.
GOD'S WORD THE CHRISTIAN'S GUIDE.
CONDUCT IN SUFFERING.
OF TEMPTATION.
CONSOLATION IN SUFFERING, AND PATIENCE.*
THE REWARD.
THE TRAVAIL OF CREATION.
REDEMPTION OF THE CREATURES.
THE CHRISTIAN'S GLORY TO BE REVEALED.
OF HOPE.
EXHORTATION TO THE FRUITS OF FAITH.
SYMPATHY A CHRISTIAN VIRTUE.
OF LOVE.
OF MERCY.
OF PATIENCE.
THE CHRISTIAN'S PEACE.
GUARDING THE LIPS.
GOOD WORKS.
GOD OVER ALL.
TRUST IN GOD ENJOINED.
EXHORTATION TO CHRISTIAN LIVING.
GRACE DOES NOT GIVE LICENSE TO SIN.
THE POWER OF BAPTISM.
CHRISTIAN GROWTH.
SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL RESURRECTION.
EXHORTATION TO RESIST SIN.
GOOD WORKS NOT FORBIDDEN.
GOOD AND EVIL "AFTER THE MANNER OF MEN."
THE TEACHINGS OF REASON.
GOSPEL HIGHER THAN REASON.
BODY NOT TO SERVE SIN.
FRUITS OF TWO KINDS OF SERVICE.
LIVING IN THE SPIRIT AS GOD'S CHILDREN.
PUTTING TO DEATH SIN.
MEANING OF "LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD."
TWO KINDS OF PREACHING AND OF WORKS.
CHILDREN OF GOD.
HEIRS OF GOD.
CARNAL SECURITY AND ITS VICES.
ISRAEL'S CARNAL SECURITY A WARNING TO US.
ISRAEL'S VICES IN THE WILDERNESS PUNISHED.
ISRAEL'S TRIAL OF GOD.
MURMURING AGAINST GOD OPEN REVOLT.
ISRAEL'S CAREER AN ADMONITION TO INDIVIDUALS.
SPIRITUAL COUNSEL FOR CHURCH OFFICERS.
PERFECT HARMONY NOT TO BE EXPECTED.
CAVILERS THEMSELVES LED ASTRAY.
FAITH IN THE ONE CHRIST PRODUCTIVE OF UNITY.
THE SPIRIT, THE TEST OF THE TRUE TEACHER.
HOLY SPIRIT ALONE GIVES ASSURANCE.
CHRISTIANS TO GIVE ALL GLORY TO GOD.
THE TRINITY.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS SPECIFIED.
THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE.
THE GIFT OF PROPHECY.
THE GIFT OF FAITH.
MEANING OF "WORKINGS."
MEANING OF "ADMINISTRATIONS."
DIVERSITY OF GIFTS NO REASON FOR SECTS.
CHRISTIANS RECOGNIZE THE DIVINE SOURCE OF THEIR GIFTS.
PAUL'S WITNESS TO CHRIST'S RESURRECTION.
GOSPEL TRANSCENDS LAW.
PAUL'S CONVERTS LIVING EPISTLES.
TRUE PREACHERS COMMISSIONED BY GOD.
HUMAN DOCTRINE NO PLACE IN THE CHURCH.
THE NEW COVENANT.
"SPIRIT" AND "LETTER."
CHRIST SUPERSEDES MOSES.
CHRIST THE SOURCE OF LIFE GREATER THAN ADAM THE SOURCE OF DEATH.
THE LAW INEFFECTUAL.
TERRORS OF THE LAW.
EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL.
GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.
GOD'S TESTAMENT AND PROMISE IN CHRIST.
THE JEWS GOD'S PEOPLE BY PROMISE.
WORKS OF THE FLESH AND FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT.
CHURCH OFFICERS WARNED OF VAIN-GLORY.
PAUL'S CARE AND PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH.*
PAUL CONSOLES HIS CONVERTS.
THE CHRISTIAN'S CONFIDENCE MUST BE IN GOD.
PAUL'S SUFFERINGS FOR THE CHURCH'S GOOD.
CHRIST PERSECUTED IN CHRISTIANS.
NO MAN CAN MERIT ETERNAL LIFE FOR ANOTHER.
CHRISTIANS TO REJOICE IN PERSECUTIONS.
PREACHING MUST BE FOLLOWED BY PRACTICE.
TRUE PRAYER CONSISTS NOT IN OUTWARD THINGS.
GOD OUR FATHER.
GOD LAVISH IN HIS BLESSINGS.
WE SHOULD PRAY FOR THE POWER OF THE WORD.
WORLD SEES NOT INNER MARKS OF CHRISTIANS.
THE SPIRIT IMPARTS REAL STRENGTH.
CHRIST EMBRACED ONLY BY THE HEART.
LOVE, THE EXPRESSION OF FAITH.
TRUE CHRISTIANS FIND CHRIST EVERYWHERE.
CHRISTIAN PERFECTION.
THE CHRISTIAN CALLING AND UNITY.
THE CHRISTIAN CALLING.
ADMONITION TO SPECIAL CHRISTIAN VIRTUES.
FRUITS OF ORIGINAL SIN.
THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT.
TREASURE CHRISTIANS HAVE IN THE GOSPEL.
THE CHRISTIAN'S TREASURE.
DUTY TO NEW AND OLD MAN.
"THE OLD MAN."
THE GROWTH OF "THE NEW MAN."
TWO CLASSES OF SINS.
THE CAREFUL WALK OF THE CHRISTIAN.
THE WORD, THE GUIDE OF THE CHRISTIAN.
PUBLIC PREACHING OF THE WORD ENJOINED.
NECESSITY OF IMPROVING THE TIME.
INGRATITUDE WILL BE PUNISHED.
EVIL DOCTRINES EVER OPPOSE THE CHRISTIAN.
THE CHRISTIAN ARMOR AND WEAPONS.
PAUL'S THANKS AND PRAYERS FOR CHURCHES.
I. THE DUTY OF GRATITUDE.
INGRATITUDE DENOUNCED BY THE HEATHEN.
RETRIBUTION FOLLOWS INGRATITUDE.
EXAMPLES OF INGRATITUDE FOR THE GOSPEL.
II. THE DUTY OF PRAYER.
PRAYER FOR OTHERS.
FEW BELIEVERS NO REASON FOR DISCOURAGEMENT.
ENEMIES OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST AND THE CHRISTIAN'S CITIZENSHIP IN HEAVEN.
PURITY OF DOCTRINE ENJOINED.
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LAW IS VAIN.
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LAW OPPOSES THE CROSS.
HUMAN RIGHTEOUSNESS IDOLATROUS.
FRUITS OF FAITH.
GOD'S PATIENCE WITH HUMAN RIGHTEOUSNESS.
THE CHRISTIAN A CITIZEN OF HEAVEN.
THE GLORIFIED BODY OF THE CHRISTIAN.
PRAYER AND SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE.
KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S WILL IMPOSES OBLIGATION.
SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE ENJOINED.
WE MUST PRAY FOR SPIRITUAL LIGHT.
SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE BRINGS INCREASING JOY.
WHY AFFLICTIONS ARE SENT.
"SPIRITUAL WISDOM" DEFINED.
CHURCH NOT TO COMPROMISE WITH PAPISTS.
NEITHER REASON NOR FEELINGS A RIGHT JUDGE.
ONLY GOD'S POWER CAN OVERCOME THE DEVIL.
PATIENCE ESSENTIAL TO ENDURANCE.
CHRISTIANS SHOULD REJOICE AND BE THANKFUL.
GOD'S GRACE INCOMPREHENSIBLE.
LIVING AND DEAD WHEN CHRIST RETURNS.
GOD'S JUDGMENT WHEN CHRIST RETURNS.
CHRISTIAN'S SUFFERINGS LEAD TO HAPPINESS.
GOD DOES NOT FORGET HIS CHILDREN.
TO THE READER.