A06521:151
Special and chosen sermons of D. Martin Luther collected out of his writings and…
Special and chosen sermons of D. Martin Luther collected out of his writings and preachings for the necessary instruction and edification of such, as hunger and seek after the perfect knowledge and inestimable glory which is in Christ Jesus, to the comfort and salvation of their souls. Englished by VV.G.Special and chosen sermons of D. Martin Luther collected out of his writings and preachings for the necessary instruction and edification of such, as hunger and seeke after the perfect knowledge and inestimable glorie which is in Christ Iesu, to the comfort and saluation of their soules. Englished by VV.G.
London: printed by Thomas Vautroullier, 1578
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Lord God maker of the whole word, I am certain that I am holy before thee, and am thy servant, not for mine own sake, who do as yet feel sins in my self, but through Christ, who hath taken away my sin, and made satisfaction for me. These things surely I ought to glory of, if I be a true Christian.
Lorde God maker of the whole worde, I am certaine that I am holy before thee, and am thy seruaunt, not for myne owne sake, who do as yet feele sinnes in my selfe, but through Christ, who hath taken away my sinne, and made satisfaction for me. These thinges surely I ought to glory of, if I be a true Christian.
But this seemeth difficult and hard: God admitteth no sin, my fearful and weak conscience is against me. How am I his servant, when as notwithstanding I feel in my self, that I serve the devil, and do not know that I am holy? I speak not here of the common sort of Christians, such as I, and such like are: but of sincere Christians, which have a good conscience, and in whose hearts the spirit of God abideth, whose conscience albeit it be frail and weak, and they feel their sins, yet they are enforced to say: Howsoever sin is, yet I know no sin by my self, neither am I subject to death and hell, and for this cause they strive, and at the last overcome, that therefore they would even die, in that confidence. But I find it far otherwise, if I set my life before my sight. Here life and the word must be separated far asunder. If thou wilt consider life, I will set also before thee the lives of S. Peter, Paul, or John, thou shalt find even them not to have lived without sin. When thou desirest to be holy before God,1 trust not to thy life, unless thou wilt perish for ever. For thou must trust to only mercy and grace, and not to life or works, otherwise thy case will be very ill. Wherefore our hart must be so affected that it say: Lord, if thou shouldest call me to an account, I should not be able either by life or works to ⟨p. 63⟩stand in thy sight, no although I were even John the Baptist. Nevertheless therefore I glory that I am godly, & thy servant, for that thou doest give unto me continually, and also for that, as thou hast promised to Abraham, thou doest for thy Christs sake, vouchsafe to show thy mercy unto me: if so be that I of my self be not godly and righteous, yet he is godly and righteous for me: If I be profane, he is holy: if I be not the servant of God, he is the servant of God: if I be not without fear and carefulness, yet he is void of all fear and carefulness: that so I may as it were transfer my self from my self, and pierce into him, & glory, that in Christ & by Christ I am good. Thus he will have us to glory, that we are godly and holy, but not by our own merit: for we must glory of our selves, as of most desperate wretches.