A06521:788
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 St Thomas › The exposition of this Gospel.Sermon St Thomas › The exposition of this Gospell.
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.
God taking pity upon this so great calamity, sent his only begotten son, and that of his mere grace & goodness, without our desert, that he might deliver us out of so great tyranny, which he mightily did after this sort: He satisfied the law,1 and fulfilled it perfectly. For he loved God with all his heart, and with all his soul, & with all his strength: he loved his neighbour also as him self, in these the whole law and the Prophets do consist. Now whatsoever Christ did, it consisted in these two. He loved God, inasmuch as he obeyed his will, he took upon him the nature of man, and performed in all obedience those things that were enjoined him of the father, as Paul saith Phil. 2: He became obedient to the father unto the death, even the death of the cross. Secondly, he loved his neighbour: for all the works which he did in the earth, tended unto this end, that he might thereby profit his neighbour, and therefore he so loved his neighbour, that he even died for him, as he saith himself to his disciples Joh. 15: Greater love then this hath no man, when any man bestoweth his life for his friends: S. Paul doth more set forth this, saying, for his enemies, when he writeth thus Rom. 5: But God setteth out his love towards us, seeing that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Forasmuch then as Christ hath so fulfilled the law, it could not accuse him, neither was sin of any force with him. He set upon it, and did prevail over it, and swallowed it up, it was enforced to be extinguished of him, no otherwise then a spark of fire in the most wide sea. For in him was nothing but mere righteousness. Death also came, and went about to devour him, it devoured him in deed, but it could not digest him, it was enforced to yield him up again, yea and this devouring was an utter discommodity ⟨p. 450⟩to death, for the case being quite altered, Christ devoured death it self. For it had set upon him, against whom it had no right, forasmuch as not a whit of sin did appear in him. Where sin is not, there death hath nothing to do, as Saint Paul saith 1. Cor. 15