A06521:432
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
Sermon salvation through Christ › The exposition of the text.
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.
They shall not be able to escape the severe and eternal judgement of God, which do unadvisedly neglect so great grace, as the Epistle to the Hebrews saith: If they that transgressed the law of Moses, escaped not unpunished, but dyed without mercy, how much more grievously shall God punish them, which count the blood of the Testament as an unholy thing, and tread under foot the son of God?1 O how diligent is Paul in all his Epistles to teach how the knowledge of God may rightly be conceived? O how often doth he wish increase in the knowledge of God? As if he would say: If ye only knew and understood what God is, ye should then be safe. Then ye would love him, and do all things that are approved of him. Thus he saith Colos. 1: We cease not to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be fulfilled with knowledge of his will, in all wisdom, & spiritual understanding: that ye might walk worthy of the Lord, & please him in all things, being fruitful in all good works, & increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might through his glorious power, unto all patience, & long suffering with joyfulness: giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light. And Psal. 119 David saith: Instruct me, & I will keep thy law, yea I will observe it with my whole hart. And thus ye have out of the first sentence of this text, that the knowledge of God doth come from the father. It is needful that he lay the first stone in our building, otherwise we shall labour in vain. But that is done thus: God sendeth unto us Preachers, whom he hath taught, and provideth that his will be preached unto us. First that all our life and condition,2 although it have a fair show & be holy outwardly, is of no estimation before him, yea is abhorred and loathed of him. And this is called the preaching of the law.3 Afterward he maketh grace to be preached unto us, to wit, that he will not have us utterly condemned ⟨p. 230⟩and cast of, but that he will receive us in his beloved son, and not simply receive us, but also make us heirs in his kingdom, yea and Lords over all things which are in heaven and earth. This now is called the preaching of grace or of the Gospel. And all this is of God, which raiseth up and sendeth forth Preachers. This S. Paul signifieth when he saith thus