Epistle Sermons, Vol. 3: Trinity Sunday to AdventLuther, Martin
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Epistle Sermons, Vol. 3: Trinity Sunday to Advent
Luther, Martin
Bible. Epistles -- Commentaries; Sermons
What Luther's two Catechisms were in the school room to teach the
Christian faith to the youth, that these sermons were in the homes to
develop the same faith in adults. They have maintained their good
name wherever translated until the present and their contents are
above the reach of critics. These Epistle sermons especially apply
the Christian truth to everyday life. The order in developing the
Christian life with the best help from the prince of the Teutonic
church fathers, should be from the Small to the Large Catechism and
then to his Epistle sermons. Blessed the pastor and congregation who
can lead the youth to "Church Postil Reading"--to read in harmony
with their church-going. Blessed is the immigrant or diaspora
missionary who finds his people reading them in the new settlements
he visits.
Next to the Bible and Catechisms no books did more to awaken and
sustain the great Evangelical religious movements under Spener in
Germany, Rosenius in Sweden, and Hauge in Norway, than these sermon
books devoutly and regularly read in the homes of church members.
The transition of a people and church from a weak language into a
stronger, is easy and accompanied by gain; while the opposite course
from a strong into a weaker tongue is difficult; and accompanied by
loss. While in our land the Germans and Scandinavians lose much in
the transition ordeal, all is not lost; they have something to give.
It is a good sign that two-tongued congregations are growing in
favor. Familiar thought in a strange language is not so strange as
when both language and thought are foreign. A church whose
constituency is many-tongued should avoid becoming one-tongued.
Church divisions are often more ethnological than theological. If
exclusively English pastors learned one-tenth as much German and
Scandinavian as these people do English, unity would be greatly
promoted. As Protestantism is far more divided in the English
language than in German or Scandinavian, the enthusiasm over the
unifying influence of English is misleading. The hope is rather in
the oneness of teaching and of spirit. This treasure, given first in
Hebrew, Greek and German, can be translated into all languages. Who
equals Luther as a translator? May his followers be inspired by his
example and translate the Evangelical classics of this prophet of the
Gentiles into all their dialects! That these volumes may contribute
to this end is our prayer.
The history of the writing of these sermons is found in volumes 10,
11, 12 and 13 of the Gospel sermons of the "Standard Edition of
Luther's Works in English."
The German text will be readily found in the 12th volume of the Walch
and of the St. Louis Walch editions, and in the 9th volume of the
Erlangen edition of Luther's works.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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