Christ's sake. He that believeth this is sure to be saved. For this gift is given to make us safe from death and sin. For even as a great flame is in comparison with a drop of water; so is Christ in comparison with the sins of the world. As soon as they touch Christ, and as soon as the gift is received by faith, our sins are quite consumed and abolished, even as a dry stalk is by a hot fire. For here thou hearest by the word of Christ, that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son for the world, that all who believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He saith precisely here, They that believe in him. He saith not, He that taketh upon him this or that work, and is thereby endeavouring himself to purchase God's favour. It is only faith that purchases this gift. Wherefore let our adversaries withstand this sentence ever so much, let them rail ever so much against it, yet is this sentence sure and invincible; that they who

elieve in him shall have everlasting life, and shall not perish. And see thou put nothing hereto, nor take any thing from it, lest thou shouldest seem to take upon thee to correct Christ's judgment. These are excellent words and the words of life; God grant us his grace to print them in our hearts. For he that hath these words surely fixed in his heart, can neither be afraid of the devil, nor of sin, nor of hell, but will be of a quiet heart, and say, I am without all fear; for I have with me the Son of God, whom God hath given unto me by love and by the word of God, that is, by the gospel, which certifies me thereof. And thy word, O Lord, and thy Son Jesus will not deceive me, in whom alone I put my trust. If I be weak in faith, grant me grace that I may believe more steadfastly. For besides this, I have no other help in this evident gift and love of God, but that we should all, by a little and a little, believe more and more in this gift. For faith is requisite, as thou hearest here of Christ. And the stronger faith is, the greater is the joy, pleasure, and security that is félt rising in the mind, so that after that the mind is most prone and ready to do and to suffer all things which we know God requires of us, and wills us to do, knowing that he is loving, and uses nothing but love toward us.

But thou wilt say, If I were as Peter, Paul, and Mary were, this gift would be comfortable unto me. For they are saints, and doubtless this saying pertains but unto them. How should I, why am a sinner, by any means

understand that it pertains unto me, who have so often offended God by my sins, and have made him my enemy? Such thoughts cannot be avoided, when the heart, after this kind of preaching and reasoning, beholds itself, and considers its sins. And here must we be circumspect and wary,

lest we, laying aside God's word, give ourselves any long time to such thoughts, but forthwith must we return to the word, and order our judgment according to the same. For those thoughts are nothing but mere incredulity and unbelief, which goeth about to withdraw us from this sweet gospel. And truly unbelief can be overcome by no other means than by the word of God. Of this Christ spake that we should not doubt of this word ; saying, that his Father, the true and eternal God in heaven, did so love the world, that he delivered his only begotten Son. And this is sure, that the world here does not signify Mary, Peter, and Paul only; but the world signifies all mankind. Therefore if thou takest thyself to be of mankind, or if thou dost not believe that, compare thyself with other mortal men, that thou mayest understand that thou art a man, For why shouldest thou not suffer thyself to be of this name, seeing that Christ with plain words saith, that God gave not his Son only for Mary, Peter, and Paul, but for the world, that all should receive him that are the sons of men, Then if thou or I would not receive him, as though he did not appertain unto us, truly it would consequently follow, that Christ's words are not true, whereas he saith he was given and delivered for the world. Wherefore hereof appears, that the contrary thereto is most assuredly true, that is, that this gift belongs as well unto thee as to Peter and Paul, forasmuch as thou also art a man as they were, and a portion of the world, that God may not be judged in his word, and this thought rise in our heart, thinking on this wise: Who knoweth whether I am also of their number, to whom the Son of God is given, and eternal life promised. For that is as much as to make God untrue to his promise. Wherefore when this thought comes upon thee, suspect it, as thou wouldest sus. pect the devil, lest thou be therewith deceived. And say thou, What is that to me, that I am neither Peter nor Paul ? If God would have given this gift to them only that should have been found worthy, he would have given it to the angels, to the sun, and to the moon; for they are pure and undefiled creatures, which always obey God, and never

decline or swerve from his precepts. But this is the truth of the matter, he gave Him to the world, and the world is no worthier thereof than as I said before. Wherefore, although I am neither Peter nor Paul, yet will I not suffer myself to be put beside this gift, but will challenge as much for my part as David and all the holy apostløs did. Whatsoever I am, yet God is not to be taken as unfaithful to his promise. I am a portion of the world, wherefore if I take not this gift as mine own I make God untrue.

But thou wilt say, Why does He not show this to me alone ? Then I would believe and think surely that it appertained unto me. But it is for a great consideration that God speaks here. so generally; to the intent verily that no man should think that he is excluded from this promise and gift. He that excludes himself must give account why he does so.. I will not judge them, saith he, but they shall be judged of their own mouth. For this gift was given to all the world, and they by their unbelief and mistrust of God's word will not receive it.

Yet if a man consider well, he shall perceive that baptism, and also the communion of the body and blood of Christ, were or. dained to the intent, that every man should take this gift freely and frankly as his own. And thus much have we spoken generally for the understanding of this sentence, which can never be sufficiently declared and perceived. For it is the principal doctrine, by the faith whereof we die and obtain salvation, in the which Christ describes plainly to our great comfort, that he himself is wholly given unto us from the Father, of pure love; which love he, as a merciful God, performs to the wicked and unkind world. And here it is plainly set forth to all men, what a great treasure we christians have. We learn here also what God and the world are, and how we are made partakers of this grace only through faith, as Christ saith, all who believe in him have everlasting life. For the doctrine of works, which after this faith ought to ensue, by the power of the Holy Ghost, is to be placed in another matter. What a christian ought to do as the obedient son of God, and as one showing himself kind and mindful for so great a gift of eternal life, and love of God; as touching that, I say, Christ teaches nothing in this place. Wherefore we will now treat no further of this matter, that we are saved only by the mercy of God, and that we obtain this grace only by faith, without virtue, without merits, and without

our works. For all the whole matter that is requisite and necessary to the getting of everlasting life and remission of our sins, is altogether and fully comprehended in the love and mercy of God through Christ. God grant us his grace that we may believe and trust thereunto surely, and that we may abide and suffer all things with a glad and a ready heart, and that we may so die that we may be saved for ever.

Our God grant us this through his Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

ON THE HOLY TRINITY.

The first Sermon on Trinity Sunday.

OF THE Feast, (or Festival.)

MANY things should be spoken concerning this feast. For first of all the gospel is very fruitful, and preaches great matters. And it is necessary also to speak of the chief article of our religion, forasmuch as we christian men only, and none beside us, believe in God the Father, and in God the Son, and in God the Holy Ghost. This is the principal article in our congregation ; it was not invented by man, neither came ever to man's mind, but is only opened unto us of God by the word. And here are all creatures, angels, and heavens, to be overpast with a high contemplation; and all inferior things, to the which we are commonly accustomed, are also to be set aside. And these things only are to be heard, which God pronounces of himself and of his proper substance and nature. And here doth appear what is the wisdom of the world, and the foolishness of God. For when the world hears that one eternal God is three distinct persons, this it can in no case allow, but judges that all are mad who either teach these things, or believe as they teach.

Wherefore this article in the new testament, in the which it is very evidently set forth, hath been sharply withstood and resisted. So that this was the occasion, as the histories witness, that John the evangelist wrote his gospel. For there sprung up the heretic, Cerinthus, who had learned out of the books of Moses that there was but one God: whereby he gathered that Christ could be no God, as God himself could not be man: wherefore he used this syllogism and sophism of reasoning, and thought that even

as he himself could understand and gather by reason, it was so indeed in heaven, and could be no otherwise. *

But away with this judge and false esteemer of things, I mean [human] reason. Blind reason, whereas it is not sufficiently able to know itself, yet will it not hesitate to be so bold as to judge of God. For yet is there none found who can know for a surety, what this is that men see with eyes, and speak and laugh at with mouth. And yet we stand so high in our own conceit, that we will speak and dispute of God, and of his substance, yea, and that of our own proper reason without help. This is a great foolishness. I cannot perfectly determine what is seeing or laughing, and yet I will take upon me to know and give sentence of that whereof I know nothing at all

, and whereof God only ought to pronounce! Yet the world sets much by this foolishness, and the Turks and the Jews mock us Christians as half mad, because we believe that Christ is God. But if this were wisdom, who might not pronounce and think with the Turks, there is but one God, and that Christ is not God? But when scripture and the word of God is put forth, this thinking and pronouncing is nothing worth. But we must speak, or at least stammer of those things as the scripture point us; that is, that Christ is very God, that the Holy Ghost is very God, and yet that there are not three Gods ; neither three natures or substances, as we number three sons, three men, three angels, or three windows. For God is not thus distinct in his substance, but there is one only substance of God; wherefore, although there be three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, yet in substance they cannot be divided or distinguished ; for there is only one God, consisting of one indivisible substance. For so saith Paul of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God; the first-begotten of all creatures for