Eighth Sunday after Trinity — Sermons of Martin Luther

EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. pretensions and boasting. For this can deceive all, there is nothing common to them except the misuse of God's name, Spirit, truth and Church, so that Paul is forced to declare, Gal. 1:8:

"But though we (who in truth could boast that he was an Apostle sent by Christ), or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any Gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be accursed."

35. Now might not others misuse those precious names, or be unable to deceive and mislead, by what they present and boast of in the name of the Church? Since we are to believe no one who teaches anything else, although he came with the credentials of an Apostle, yea, even if he were an angel from heaven, not to say anything of the Church, which has not yet the high understanding and clear intelli¬ gence, nor the perfect purity and holiness of the angels in heaven.

36. Therefore, not to be misled by such glorious names and boasting, it is necessary that Christians, as I have said, should have and know the true doctrine of Christ in the first place; and then according to Christ's doctrine judge all other teaching, whether it agrees with and is built on the true foundation or not.

For as he requires his Christians to beware of false teachers, and thus con¬ stitutes them judges, yea, commands them to prove and judge all doctrines, he also demands that they be wise and intelligent Christians, who know what the true doctrine is, and can distinguish between it and the false. For such testing and judging of doctrine must not be according to their own thoughts, or according to their own shrewdness or boast of the Spirit of holiness and the like.

Pope with his councils falsely claims the only right to judge everything, and that everyone is bound to submit to his judgment, on the ground that they say they have the Holy Spirit, and cannot err. On the contrary we must have a sure, clear rule by which to judge, which is called the This alone must be the great standard and test, as I have said often enough.

37. But since the multitudes of hearers are not all so Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com intelligent and informed as to be able to make a clear dis¬ tinction, and as sect spirits conceal themselves for a time among the true sheep, cover themselves with their wool and pretend to hold with the true Christians, and teach nothing but God's Word, which the true Church teaches; therefore Christ here adds another thought, by which he teaches how we are to examine and know them, namely, by their fruits. And he warns us not to act hastily and accept whatever is offered us as God's Word; but we should first well consider, inquire and investigate whether it is according to God's true Word, as the Bereans did,

Again, you are to inquire as to the kind of fruit such doctrine produces; for the fruits cannot long be concealed, but must show themselves and let themselves be seen, as Christ here says: "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" And: "The corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit."

38. But he does not speak here chiefly of fruits which are coarse and readily perceived, so that everyone, though not a Christian, can easily judge and know them, and even before the world are publicly condemned sins and vices; but especially of the fruits of false doctrine

Christ here speaks, which do not publish before the world the public works of an evil or criminal life, but present a fine appearance, (otherwise no one would be deceived), and yet they are opposed to God's Word.

Such fruits are not difficult for a Christian to know and to judge, when he diligently considers and judges them according to God's

Word and command. For here reason alone is not sufficient to investigate these things; but a spiritual understanding is necessary, which is able to distinguish what is, and is not, in harmony with the sure and clear teachings of holy

Writ, or else a man would be deceived by the beautiful show of reason and human wisdom, with which all sects chiefly adorn and sell themselves, so that the fruits and life built on false doctrine, are regarded as genuine holiness.

E I G H T H SUNDAY A F T E R hence conduct themselves in an exceptional way and manner, do not eat, drink or clothe themselves like other people, which they regard as great severity, earnestness and discipline, and call it the service of God and the way to heaven. With this name and pretended worship, holy life, great devotion and good intentions, reason is easily blinded and taken capfive, so that it cannot judge such things as evil fruit. Hence more is needed here than the understanding and judgment of reason, namely, that a person hold and estimate all life that false spirits regard good to be against God's Word and command, which is the rule of all works and life that are good and pleasing to God. This rule shows the difference between the hypocritical works and fruits of false doctrine, and the good, honest works of the true doctrine.

For it will readily appear that the works and life of hypo¬ crites and false teachers do not agree and harmonize with 40. Christ himself notes and censures the doctrine and life of the scribes and Pharisees because of their fruits, that they forsook God's commandment and put in its place their own works and worship; yea, they verily abolished the commandinents of God by their traditions.

Just so has Popery also done, which did not only abolish one, but almost all God's commandments, and instead not only taught and in¬ troduced something else, so that God's command was no longer esteemed, and their own works held much higher, and they taught and practiced in their lives just the con¬ trary, as I have abundantly demonstrated elsewhere.

41. For this is certainly the character of all sect spirits; they cannot avoid it, they must produce something of their own and different from God's Word, and to boom it, so that it has a much greater reputation and appearance, and thus

God's Word and command take a second place.

This is already a sure sign that their doctrine is false.

Pope with his own doctrine praises his own worship and holy life, that his spiritual order and monasticism are much higher and better than other lives and works in the common vocationswhere they live according to God's Word. Again,

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com they invent works which they call works of supererogation, superfluous works, which they pretend are much more costly and higher, than the works of the ten commandments of Thus all other religious tendencies act, aside from the true doctrine of the Scriptures, as Mohammed of the Turks, the Talmud of the Jews, as also our Anabaptists, are almost the same; all forsake and abandon the true works and life

God's Word requires and urges, and instead slaves after other hypocritical holiness with special works and writings, wearing grey frocks, looking sad, abstaining from wine, af¬ flicting their body with remarkable fasting, repeating many and long prayers, and the like.

42. Therefore, I say, do not allow anyone to cause you to gape in astonishment, or to make a continual noise in your presence with the false appearance and erring trash of great and excellent works, holiness, etc.; but come hither with such fruits to the true light which is God's Word, from which we must learn and know what God requires and calls a true and good life, and according to it conclude both what is a good tree and good fruit, or what is the contrary.

It avails nothing, what you may think is great, beautiful and precious. But if you would not err and be deceived, you must come to God's Word, that you may not fancy but hear and know what God says is right, good and pleas¬ ing to him.

43. This is said in general of the fruits of false teach¬ ing, which indeed appear precious, and yet are evil at heart.

Besides these, however, there are other fruits that are coarse and easier to recognize.

And Christians have this advantage that they can also publicly and practically dis¬ cern and overthrow them, as the real and legitimate fruits of the doctrine and lies of the devil.

44. For every sect has always had one or more particu¬ lar hobbies and articles which are manifestly wrong and can easily be discerned to be of the devil, who publich' teach, urge and defend them as right, certain and necessary to believe or to keep. For the spirit of lies cannot so conStill Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com

E I G H T H SUNDAY A F T E R ceal himself, but that he must at last put forth his claws, by which you can discern and observe the ravenous wolf.

Of this you have an example and testimony in all the well known fanatics and false spirits; as in our time the Ana¬ baptists, of whom it is manifest that they are wrong in their teaching concerning Christ, faith and the sacraments.

They regard baptism as a common, naked, empty sign, despise the external spoken and written Word and Scrip¬ ture, pretend to have special revelations independent of the witness of God's Word.

They disgrace and rend asunder holy wedlock, because they teach: a man may indeed leave his wife who is not of his faith, and take another, one or more.

Again, they would make all property common, acknowledge no civil authority or government, nor approve of it, except what is of their special faith, etc. ; as in former times the Manichean heretics also advocated the same theories.

45. Therefore, it must follow that such people come forth with gross errors, by which their spirit is easily dis¬ covered.

For as they taught that there can be no civil authority except that which is holy and Christian (this means that of their own faith), by which they have already withdrawn all obedience, and claim the right and power to oppose the government, and even to overthrow it with violence and put themselves in its place, as Thomas Muenzer and the Muenster prophets for this reason publicly undertook to do. And because they desire property to be generally and equally distributed; again, because they forsake their wives and take others; from this it also follows that they might grab into the goods and pessessions of other people, steal and rob whatever they wish and can.

Again, that as often as they desire they can abandon their wives, take others and abandon them in turn, and thus carry on among themselves all debauchery, shame and vice. Behold, here you observe both, in doctrine and in life, there is nothing but evil, rotten, bad fruit, which cannot be hid, but must finally become public, so that the tree may be known by it.

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com 46. Fruit like this you will surely find as the result of all doctrine and belief, not of the pure Word of God. I will not speak here of Mohammed's Koran, for he is entirely too gross with abominable, blasphemous and shameful lies, to¬ gether with the permission of public murder, whoredom, debauchery, the dissolving of wedlock, without saying any¬ thing of all his other disgraceful abominations and decep¬ tions. It would also take too long to relate the sorrowful fruits of all popery, but it is fully treated elsewhere.

47. I will omit the papal doctrines which are somewhat subtle, that they do not correctly teach the ten command¬ ments, and out of what these require they have formed their own decrees, which before God no one is in duty bound to do, except those who would be perfect and do something special and superfluous, etc. In like manner they have taught nothing correctly of the Gospel and faith in Christ, which first of all must be known and urged in the churches, how hearts may possess true and certain com¬ fort; but directly contrary to the faith and comfort of Christ, they have so misled the people that, if they already believed in Christ and did everything, nevertheless, they should and must still doubt concerning grace.

Again, I will not speak of what public, shameful, un-Christian abom¬ ination and idolatry they carried on in their mass, the invo¬ cation of departed saints, indulgences, lies and frauds about purgatory; which are all evidently fruits by which the tree may indeed be known, for these are no sweet grapes or figs, but are mere sour, bitter late grapes, wild plums and berries.

48. But only observe the grossest doctrines they them¬ selves cannot beautify with paint, how they proceed pub¬ licly and without shame against God's Word and command, when they, for instance, declare the children free from the authority and obedience of their parents as soon as they only think of becoming priests, monks or nuns; when they against the will of their parents confirm the marriage vow or again dissolve it. In like manner they forbid yonng peopie to marry, whom they have enticed to become priests

Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com E I G H T H SUNDAY A F T E R TRINITY. or to enter a cloister, and compel them to live without hope of marriage, and thereby have filled the world with disgraceful, unutterable debauchery, shame and vice, and have plunged souls into the bonds and destruction of the devil; therefore St. Paul also in 1 Tim. 4:1-3 because of such fruit condemns those forbidding to marry, and calls it the doctrine of devils.

49. What is still more shameful to hear in Christendom, they go to work and want to defend their shameless action with self-condemned consciences, and even at the. presenti day they are bold to say that their public whoredom and scandalous life is not so bad that a poor priest should marry a wife so that he may not be compelled to live un¬ chaste with an evil condemned conscience.

Yes, all this they confirm besides by persecution, murder and bloodshed of poor, pious and harmless people, only because they mar¬ ry, or celebrate the sacrament according to the institution of Christ, and do not all worship the lies and abominations of the Pope in opposition to God's Word.

Besides, in all this they claim to be doing right, and want to pass as obedient members and leaders of the Christian Church.

And those who censure or oppose them, they curse and con¬ demn, and command to be destroyed with fire and sword as the worst heretics.

50. Tell me, now, if these are not public, known fruits of the corrupt tree, which is the real Antichrist doctrine and government, the sediment of all the infernal poison of the devil? For w rhat else can it be but the devil's herd, who condemn and murder the people in the name of the Church for no other reason, than because they preach or confess and obey God's Word? And yet they claim to be doing right! For God has not commanded to persecute and murder pious, harmless people; but to praise, honor and treat them well, especially those who keep God's Word and commandments.

Without any doubt the Christian Church does and observes God's Word.

Wherefore it is an easy matter for every Christian to know and to judge what kind of spirits they are, and no great skill nor further quesStill Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com tions nor disputations are needed, if one only distinguishes the boasting or the name from the fruit.

51. We should answer for ourselves the cries and biasphemies of the Papists against our doctrine, which they desire to criticise as to its fruits from this Gospel and conclude: Because evil fruit is also seen among many of our people, therefore our doctrine is also false and wrong.

But they call that evil fruit, because we will not, like they, obey the Pope, and observe all the diabolical nonsense of his decrees and the doctrines of monks, which are nothing but evil fruits of the rotten tree, mere human prattle, yes, the doctrine of devils, on account of which they per¬ secute and would gladly murder us all; or wherever they can discover anything to show that among us also there are wicked rogues who do not live as they should, but rob, steal and commit adultery; or when some of our people who at first held to us and afterwards gave offense and produced factions and heresy.

52. True, Papists are unworthy of an answer from us on these things. For we have proved enough against them, that both their doctrine is wrong, and their life, which they regard as holiness, is only corrupt fruit; because it is against God's Word. Besides they claim to have defended their public idolatry, lies and disgraceful life as right and virtuous. Wherefore, by this Gospel they are already con¬ demned as a corrupt, useless tree along with their fruit.

And we should not suffer them, so publicly self-condemned, to judge our doctrine or its fruits, because they are not the judges who should or are able to do it. For wherever they as it were could censure us in the highest degree, they do no more than seek for the mote in our eyes, and do not want to see the beam in their own eyes.

53. On the contrary we can easily prove before the whole world, that our doctrine is not our own forged trifles or dreams, but the Scriptures and the plain Word of God.

Vre also teach not to accept, believe or observe anything else as necessary unto salvation. From this the good fruits are also manifest, which harmonize with the doctrine, with Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com

E I G H T H SUNDAY A F T E R TRINITY. our baptism and faith.

For we claim and know that in baptism we are cleansed by the blood of Christ and receive the forgiveness of sins and the grace of God. Through such faith we also experience comfort and joy of conscience against the terrors of sin and death, and, God be praised, we see with our own eyes many pious Christians joyfully leave this world in this comfort and faith, and publicly bear witness to the same by their confession and death.

This is surely a fruit of the Holy Spirit and of faith.

54. Moreover, we teach how everyone should live and behave in his earthly calling, according to the Word and commandment of God, that he should avoid sin, obey God, be chaste and patient, serve his neighbor and do good.

Such a doctrine can in itself bring forth no corrupt fruit, and no one can justly be offended at it, and some are even thereby compelled to live a better life.

That all do not live in harmony with it, and many among us are yet wicked, unthankful and false Christians, cannot be attributed to the Gospel; for it does not indeed allow of wickedness, but censures and opposes it.

But the real cause of it is the devil, for this he has always done to the true Church and God's children, and thus sows his tares among the good wheat.

But because of this the good seed and its fruit, that •is, the Word of God and true Christians, do not become evil.

Just as a good apple tree does not become evil, because the noxious insects and caterpillars destroy some of its fruit. Otherwise you would have to censure and condemn the doctrine of Christ and the Apostles, because even among them there was a Judas, and many of their disciples became false Apostles and factious spirits, as St. Paul before had prophesied, 2 Tim. 3:4, that among themselves there would arise false teachers; and St. John in his first

Epistle, 2, 19, confesses:

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us."

55. Therefore the Gospel is falsely blamed, because among some to whom it is preached factions and heresies arise, Still Waters Revival Books - All Rights Reserved - www.PuritanDownloads.com and many misuse it; and although we must endure such things among us, as even St. Paul was obliged to do in his churches, yet for all this we neither approve nor allow it; but punish and oppose it as much as possible, so as either to improve or put away from us everything that is against sound doctrine.

This the Papists and other sects will not do, because they cannot.

For their doctrine in itself is neither good nor honest, and for this reason can bring foTth no good fruit.

"Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven."

56. This is exactly what was just said, that it depends not upon boasting, and one should pay no attention to what men pretend with beautiful sacred names, of God, of Christ, of the kingdom of God, of the honor of God, the worship of God and the like. For all this is but to say:

Lord, Lord! But you should give heed to what God himself says and requires. For whoever would enter the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God, must not only use the names and words, about which people can speak and boast; but he must also do what God wants done in his kingdom.

57. If we are to do his will, we must first know for a certainty what it is, and how to do it. This our own wisdorn and thoughts do not teach, or all men, heathen and!

Turks, could do it as well, and every fanatical spirit would come and pretend that whatever pleases him was God's will, just as the monks have hitherto taught us, it is

God's will which brings you into the kingdom of heaven that you wear a grey cap, and worship St. Christopher, Franciscus, Barbaras or others.

58. Therefore, we must in this case hear God's Word alone, which reveals and shows plainly unto us, what the will of God the Father is. First, that he has sent his only begotten Son into the world, to reconcile us sinners unto

E I G H T H SUNDAY A F T E R TRINITY.

28Ö to everyone by the Gospel, and requires you to believe and accept it. As Christ himself declares the same in plain words, John G :40:

"And this is the will of my Father, that everyone that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

09. In the next place, when we have received such grace and salvation, have been baptized into Christ and believe, his will is that we should afterwards live accordingly, obey

God and do what is commanded us in the ten command¬ ments, and everyone in his calling confess God's Word, honor and support it, avoid and flee from sin, and be good, patient, chaste, modest, kind, faithful and true, etc.

60. This he will not only have preached or spoken by the mouth, but done in the heart and in the deed. Consequent¬ ly, whoever neglects this or teaches, believes and does the contrary, should also know that he has not done God'? will, and is judged already, that he does not belong to the kingdom of heaven, because he is without faith aud love.

And it will not help him to boast of Christ as though he served him so faithfully, preached so much and did great wonders. On the other hand, if you earnestly do this will of God, cheerfully hear and believe God's Word and live in his obedience, to honor him and benefit vour neighbor; and although you should fall but rise again, and not con¬ tinue impenitent, to defend your sins, to boast against God's Word or maliciously to persecute your neighbor, then you can bravely and joyfully say before God: Lord, Lord, and comfort yourself with the kingdom of heaven which Whether on this account the world reviles and condemns you or puts you under the ban in the name of the Christian Church, should not trouble you.

For now you hear that God does not require or wish you to seek praise and a name when you say:

But you are to seek the deed and fruit of him, who does the will of God. Then be directed according to this rule, and measure all doctrine and life with it which comes

61. Various and many spirits have come to myself, so that I may here confess to my own experience, they really tempted me with great, excellent words, to lead me in a different course, and at times presented it so plausible that I was almost brought to a stand, and had I not been cautious, I would also have been misled. I could do nothing else in order to remain undeceived and remove such appari¬ tions of the devil, than as the prophet David teaches, Ps-,

119:105 : "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path." Then I went to this light which teaches me what the will of God is, and compared it to these talkers and spiritual boasters, whether it harmonizes with the clear doctrine of the ten commandments and faith in Christ.

When I found this was not the case, I immediately cast it aw Tay, and bravely upon this admonition of Christ judged and condemned it as evil, useless fruit and a corrupt tree.

Do thou likewise, and hold fast to the true standard by which all doctrine must be judged, which is God's Word and command, then you can neither err nor fail, and can overthrow the boast and pretensions of all false spirits.

For Christ by this sentence:

Lord," but he who does the will of my Father, directs and leads us alone to his Word, that we may know that those alone are good fruits who walk according to! that Word.