# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 05 29_S154
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

154

splendor, and they that point many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever."

But what is all the gold, silver, pearls, precious stones, might, pomp, and pleasure of the whole world, compared with such a twofold reward of grace, other than foam, chaff, dust, mire, and ashes? Yet I will pause here and let another man speak of the dignity and loftiness of the holy ministry in God's kingdom and before His countenance — a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, beside whose living thoughts and words mine are but dead letters. For our dear father and teacher, Dr. Martin Luther, writes in the sermon, "daß man Kinder zur Schule halten solle," as follows:

"Thou mayest rejoice from thy heart and be glad, if thou findest thyself herein, that thou art chosen of GOD thereunto, with thy goods and labor to bring up a son who shall become a pious, Christian pastor, preacher, or schoolmaster, and thereby hast brought up for GOD Himself a special servant; yea, as was said above, an angel of GOD, a right bishop before GOD, a savior of many people, a king and prince in Christ's kingdom, and in GOD's people a teacher, a light of the world. And who will or can recount all the honor and virtue of a right faithful pastor, which he has before GOD? There is indeed no dearer treasure, nor nobler thing on earth and in this life, than a right, faithful pastor or preacher.

"For, reckon thou thyself what profit the dear ministry and the dear care of souls accomplish; the same thy son also certainly accomplishes, who faithfully carries on such an office: namely, that so many souls are daily taught, converted, baptized, and brought to Christ and made blessed through him, and, redeemed from sin, death, hell, and the devil, come through him unto eternal righteousness, unto eternal life and heaven, so that Daniel well says in the 12th chapter, verse 3, 'that they that teach others shall shine as the heaven, and they that point many to righteousness shall be as the stars for ever and ever.' For since GOD's Word and office, where it goes aright, must without ceasing do great things and work nothing but wonders, thy son also must without ceasing do great and nothing but wonderful things before GOD, as raising the dead, casting out devils, making the blind see, the deaf hear, the lepers clean, the dumb speak, the lame walk: if it be not done bodily, yet it is done spiritually in the soul, which is much greater, as Christ says, John 14:12: 'He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.' If a believer can do such things toward individual persons, how much more will a public preacher do such things toward and in a whole multitude? Not that he does it as a man, but his office, ordained thereto of GOD, does it, and the Word of GOD, which he teaches; for he is indeed the instrument thereunto.

"If he now does such great works and wonders spiritually, it follows that he also does them bodily, or at least is a beginner and cause thereof. For whence comes it that the Christians at the Last Day shall rise from the dead, that all the deaf, blind, lame, and whatever plagues of the body there have been must cease, and their bodies shall not only be fair and comely and sound, but shall also shine as bright and beautiful as the sun, as Christ says? Does it not come from this, that they have been converted here on earth through the Word of God, have become believing, baptized, and incorporated into Christ? as Paul says, Rom. 8:11, 'that God shall quicken our mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in us.' Who helps men now to such faith and beginning of the bodily resurrection, without the ministry and Word of God, which thy son carries on? Is not this an immeasurably greater and more glorious work and wonder than if he were bodily or temporally to raise the dead again to this life, or to help the blind, the deaf, the dumb, the lepers in the world and in perishable being?

"If thou wert sure that thy son should do one of these works upon a single man, namely, that he should but make one blind man see, raise one dead man, take one soul from the devil, rescue one man from hell, or whichever of these it might be: shouldst thou not justly, with all joy, venture thy goods thereon, that he might be brought up to such office and work, and leap for great joy that with thy money thou hadst founded so great a thing before God? For what are all the foundations and cloisters, as they now are and are in use, with their own works, compared with such a pastor, preacher, or schoolmaster? Although in former times and at the beginning they were founded by pious kings and lords, one and all, for this precious work, that such preachers and pastors should be brought up therein; but now, alas! through the devil they have fallen into such misery that they have become dens of murderers and the very foothills of hell, to the destruction and harm of Christendom.

"Now behold, thy son does not do one only of such works, but many, yea all together, and that daily; and, what is the very best, he does them before God; the same regards them as such and holds them as dear and high, as has been said, though men neither recognize nor esteem them; yea, though the world call him a heretic, seducer, liar, rebel, that is so much the better, and a good sign that he is an upright man, and like his Lord Christ. Even Christ Himself had to be a rebellious one, a murderer, a seducer, and so be judged and crucified with murderers. What would it matter to me, if I were a preacher, that the world should call me a devil, when I know that God calls me His angel? Let the world call me a seducer as long as it will; meanwhile God calls me His faithful servant and house-servant, the angels call me their fellow, the saints call me their brother, the believers call me their father, the wretched souls call me their savior, the ignorant call me their light, and God says Yea to it, that it be so; the angels also, together with all creatures. Ah, how prettily the world together with the devil has deceived me, with their reviling and slandering! Ah, how much has it gained of me! What great harm has it done me! the dear darling.

"This is now said of the works and wonders which thy son does toward souls, to help them from sin, death, and the devil. Besides this he also does toward the world nothing but great and mighty works, namely, that he instructs and teaches all estates how they are to conduct themselves outwardly and in their offices and stations, that they may do right before God; he can comfort the troubled, give counsel, settle evil matters, set straight erring consciences, help to keep peace, reconcile, and compose differences, and of works without number many and daily. For a preacher confirms, strengthens, and helps to maintain all authority and all temporal peace, restrains the rebellious, teaches obedience, morals, discipline, and honor, instructs in the duties of father, mother, child, servant, and in sum, all worldly offices and estates. These are indeed the least of the good works of a pastor, yet they are so high and noble that no wise men among all the heathen have ever recognized or understood them, much less been able to do them, nor does any jurist, any high school, foundation, or cloister yet know such works, nor are they taught in either spiritual or worldly law. For there is no one who calls such worldly offices God's great gifts or gracious ordinance, but the Word of God and the ministry alone praises and honors them so highly."

How much, however, the establishment of the holy Gospel and ministry has cost, and that it is therefore to be esteemed highly and dearly, Dr. M. Luther writes on in the same work as follows:

"That we have the Gospel and the ministry, what is it other than the blood and sweat of our Lord? He has indeed won it by His anguished, bloody sweat, merited it by His blood and cross, and given it to us; we have it altogether for nothing, and have done and given nothing for it. Ah, Lord God, how heartily bitter and grievous has it been to Him! How kindly and gladly has He yet done it! How much have the dear apostles and all the saints suffered for it, that it might come down to us! How many of them have been put to death for it in our time!

"And, that I too may boast, how often have I had to suffer death for it, and it has been so heartily grievous to me, and still is, that I might serve my Germans herein. But it is all nothing compared with what Christ, God's Son, our dear Heart, laid upon it; and He shall now have earned nothing else with us than that some persecute, condemn, and revile this His dearly bought office, down below all devils. The others, however, withdraw the hand, neither feed pastor nor preacher, nor