# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1852 12 07_S61
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

61

day, but how will it fare with the poor Church?,” and now struck up: “Preserve us, Lord, by Thy Word,” and sang it out to the end with his family, whereupon God summoned his soul from this world and received it into His eternal kingdom of honor and joy.

(Contributed.)

The
XIV. XV. YIV.
Chapter of St. John
preached and expounded by Dr. M. Luther.

This new and, to all appearances, unaltered reprint of a principal work of Luther's we owe to the Lutherstiftung in Leipzig, founded in the year 1846, in whose publishing house it appeared in the year 1850. Considering the size of this work, which comprises 480 pages, and the handsome white paper and good print, the price of 15 Neugroschen is an exceedingly cheap one, whereby it is made possible even for the poorer to obtain this great treasure. Surely Mr. J. H. Bergmann in New-York will be so kind as to take orders for this book and, if it is desired, also to procure the cheapest possible binding; for since it is only stitched, it will easily fall apart with longer use.

It is much to be lamented in this connection that our fellow believers on the other side of the sea call our attention so little to such and similar newly published writings. Hence years usually pass before we learn anything of them here. Such delay, however, greatly hinders the benefit which such writings could bring. For how many a one, who first gets them into his hands later, will have to confess: Ah, had I known this exposition of a verse, this doctrine, comfort, etc., sooner, I should sooner have been freed from many an error, disquiet, and anguish.

The incomparable historian of Lutheranism, Baron von Seckendorf, says of these sermons, “that extraordinary gifts of the Spirit shine forth in them, wherefore they deserve to be read day and night, and all ought justly to be ashamed who allow themselves to be called Lutheran, if they have not read these sermons, whereas one otherwise reads so many books.

Mathesius writes of this treatise: “This book Doctor Luther very often carried with him to church and read in it right gladly, as I with others at table heard from his own mouth, that this was his best book which he had made, though I did not make it, said he, for Dr. Caspar Creutziger (who took down these sermons and published them) has shown therein his great understanding and diligent labor. This shall be, next to the Holy Bible, my dear and favorite book.”

It is further said in Seckendorf: “It were to be wished that one might give the reader, by citing some important passages, such a foretaste that he himself would the more eagerly take the book in hand and experience in practice its powerful emphasis. But there is such a fullness of holy learning and eloquence in it that it is very hard to cite anything in preference to others and at the same time to avoid prolixity.” Of the passages cited there I will select only three.

An encouragement to read these sermons oneself may be given by what Luther writes in the preface about this last discourse of Jesus:

“Herein are indeed the dearest, kindliest, and sweetest words of the faithful, dear Savior Christ, which He gives to His dear disciples as a last farewell, as one who is parting from them, the like of which no man on earth can ever do and speak toward his dearest and best friends, so that one sees how, out of sheer, unspeakable love, with which His heart burned toward them, He cares for them and takes them to heart, more tenderly than the highest peril and distress of his nearest friend could go to any man’s heart, so that He even forgets thereby His own suffering and anguish, in order only to sustain them through His comfort, whose heart yet at that hour was full (as He Himself says to them: My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death), and was already in the highest conflict against death and the devil. And here He has richly poured out all the high, hearty comfort which all Christendom has, and which a man in all distresses and sufferings could desire.

Moreover, there are also herein established and set forth, most mightily, as in no other place of Scripture together, the right and chiefest articles of the Christian doctrine, as of the three distinct persons of the holy Trinity, and especially both of the divine and human nature and yet one person of the LORD Christ. Likewise of the righteousness of faith and of the right comfort of consciences. For He speaks here of the high matters, how a man may find and lay hold on God with certainty, to stand before Him, and be sure of His grace and found his heart thereon and obtain comfort against every kind of temptation. And these articles are all so clearly and mightily grounded that one can powerfully beat down all heretics and factious spirits (by whatever name they be called).”

Incomparable is what he writes on the words, ch. 14, v. 6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” and especially how he shows that Christ is not the Way in this sense, that He has given commandments and a holy example, for then He would be only the guide and would do no more than Moses, John the Baptist, yea, a cross by the wayside, whereas, on the contrary, the discourse here is of such a way as if one stood on a bank and had there no firm, safe plank or bridge to get over the water; godly Christian works of virtue are indeed also good ways, on which one should ever go forward in this life, but not the way that carries us over out of this life and brings us to heaven, wherefore Dr. Luther now says, when the little hour comes, when our doing and work must cease and we have no longer to remain here and this disputation begins: Where shall I take a bridge or plank, which is sure to me, by which I may come over into that life? When one comes thither (I say), then look not about thee for any way, such as are called human ways and our own goodness, holy life or work, but let all such be covered over with the Our Father and spoken over it: Forgive us our trespasses, etc. and hold thee alone to Him who says: I am the way, etc., and see that thou have this word then firmly and deeply impressed upon thee, and as if thou heardest Christ present telling thee, as He here says to Thomas: What seekest thou and gapest after other ways? Hither upon Me thou must look and abide, and let no other thought be made in thee how thou mayest come to heaven, but have all clean put off and far out of thy heart, and think of nothing else, but as I tell thee: I am the way. See only that thou tread upon Me, that is, hold thee with firm faith and all confidence of heart to Me; I will be the bridge and carry thee over, so that thou shalt in a moment out of death and the anguish of hell come into that life. For it is I who have myself paved the way or path and have gone and passed over it Myself, that I may bring thee and all who cleave to Me over; only that thou set thyself without doubting upon Me, venture boldly upon Me, and go forth comforted and joyful and die in My name.”

Finally Dr. Luther gathers up the sum of this whole saying and says: Behold, thus I understand this saying in the simplest way, that it ever abide in one opinion concerning the one Christ, that He be called the Way for the sake of the beginning, the Truth by reason of the middle and the going forward, and also the Life by reason of the end. For He must needs be all, the beginning, middle, and end of our salvation, that one lay Him for the first stone and set the others and middle ones thereon, and also close the vault or roof thereon. He is both the first, middle, and last rung on the ladder to heaven, Gen. 28, 12. For through Him we must begin, go forward, and come through to life.”

The whole exposition Dr. Luther concludes with the following words: “Behold, this is the friendly farewell and comforting last word which Christ leaves to His own and would gladly speak into their heart, although the apostles did not understand it at this time, and we also do not yet understand it, because we are outside of temptation. Yet by God’s grace we have seen that the Holy Ghost, when it comes to the trial, reminds the hearts of many of the words, and strengthens them therewith, so that they have suffered all unto victory and departed in triumph. God help us also and give us the victory, that we also may hold to this in distresses and in dying; though we now cannot so fully and mightily understand and grasp these words (as they are spoken and meant), that we yet then think thereon: this my LORD and Savior has spoken into my heart, that I have in Him a victor against world, death, and devil, be I ever so mean and weak. Amen.

K.