Examples of Faith & LoveThird Sunday after Epiphany; Matthew 8:1-13A
Sermon by Martin Luther; taken from his Church Postil of 1525.
|
|
[The
following sermon is taken from volume II:71-91 of The Sermons
of Martin Luther, published by Baker Book House (Grand Rapids,
MI). It was originally published in 1906 in english by Lutherans
in All Lands Press (Minneapolis, MN), as The Precious and Sacred
Writings of Martin Luther, vol. 11. The original title of this
sermon appears below. The pagination from the Baker edition has
been maintained for referencing. This e-text was scanned and
edited by Richard Bucher, it is in the public domain and it may
be copied and distributed without restriction.] TWO
EXAMPLES OF FAITH AND LOVE; PERSONAL AND ALIEN FAITH, AND THE
FAITH OF CHILDREN Page
71 --------------------------- I.
TWO EXAMPLES OF FAITH AND LOVE. I.
Two examples of faith and love are taught in this Gospel: one
by the leper, the other by the centurion. Let us first consider
the leper. This leper would not have been so bold as to go to
the Lord and ask to be cleansed, if he had not trusted and expected
with his whole heart, that Christ would be kind and gracious
and would cleanse him. For because he was a leper, he had reason
to be timid. Moreover the law forbids lepers to mingle with the
people. Page
72 --------------------------- Nevertheless
he approaches, regardless of law and people, and of how pure
and holy Christ is. 2.
Here behold the attitude of faith toward Christ: it sets before
itself absolutely nothing but the pure goodness and free grace
of Christ, without seeking and bringing any merit. For here it
certainly cannot be said, that the leper merited by his purity
to approach Christ, to speak to him and to invoke his help. Nay,
just because he feels his impurity and unworthiness, he approaches
all the more and looks only upon the goodness of Christ. This
is true faith, a living confidence in the goodness of God. The
heart that does this, has true faith; the heart that does it
not, has not true faith; as they do who keep not the goodness
of God and that alone in sight, but first look around for their
own good works, in order to be worthy of God's grace and to merit
it. These never become bold to call upon God earnestly or to
draw near to him. 3.
Now this confidence of faith or knowledge of the goodness of
Christ would never have originated in this leper by virtue of
his own reason, if he had not first heard a good report about
Christ, namely, how kind, gracious and merciful he is, ready
to help and befriend, comfort and counsel every one that comes
to him. Such a report must undoubtedly have come to his ears,
and from this fame he derived courage, and turned and interpreted
the report to his own advantage. He applied this goodness to
his own need and concluded with all confidence: To me also he
will be as kind as his fame and good report declare. His faith
therefore did not grow out of his reason, but out of the report
he heard of Christ, as St. Paul says: "Belief cometh of
hearing, and hearing by the Word (or report) of Christ."
Rom 10, 17. 4.
This is the Gospel that is the beginning, middle and end of everything
good and of all salvation. For we have often heard that we must
first hear the Gospel, and after that believe and love and do
good works; not first do good works and so reverse the order,
as the teachers of works Page
73 --------------------------- do.
But the Gospel is a good report, saying or fame of Christ, how
he is all goodness, love and grace, as can be said of no other
man or saint. For even if other saints have a good report and
reputation, it is nevertheless not the Gospel, unless it tells
alone of the goodness and grace of Christ; and if it should include
other saints also, it is no longer the Gospel. For the Gospel
builds faith and confidence alone upon the rock, Jesus Christ. 5.
You see therefore that this example of the leper fights for faith
and against works. For as Christ helps him out of pure grace
through faith without any works or merits of his own, so he does
for every man, and would have all to think thus of him and expect
from him like aid. And if this leper had said: "Behold,
Lord, I have prayed and fasted so much; I beg you to look upon
this and on account of it make me clean"--if he had come
in this manner, Christ would never have cleansed him. For such
a person does not rest upon God's grace, but upon his own merit.
In this way God's grace is not praised, loved, magnified nor
desired; but one's own works deprive God of his honor and rob
him of that which is his. This is to kiss the hand and to deny
God, as Job 31,27-28 says: "If my mouth hath kissed my hand;
this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judges; for
I should have denied God that is above;" and Isaiah 2,8:
"They worship the work of their own hands," that is,
the honor and confidence they ought to give to God, they attribute
to their own work. 6.
Furthermore the example of love is presented here in the love
of Christ to the leper. For you see here, how love makes a servant
of Christ, so that he helps the poor man freely without any reward,
and seeks neither advantage, favor nor honor thereby, but only
the good of the poor man and the honor of God the Father. For
this reason he also forbids him to tell anyone, in order that
it may be a pure, sincere work of free and gracious love. 7.
This is what I have often said, that faith makes of us lords,
and love makes of us servants. Indeed, by faith we Page
74 --------------------------- become
gods and partakers of the divine nature and name, as is said
in Psalms 82,6: "I said, Ye are gods, and all of you sons
of the Most High." But through love we become equal to the
poorest. According to faith we are in need of nothing, and have
an abundance; according to love we are servants of all. By faith
we receive blessings from above, from God; through love we give
them out below, to our neighbor. Even as Christ in his divinity
stood in need of nothing, but in his humanity served everybody
who had need of him. Of this we have spoken often enough, namely,
that we also must by faith be born God's sons and gods, lords
and kings, even as Christ is born true God of the Father in eternity;
and again, come out of ourselves by love and help our neighbors
with kind deeds, even as Christ became man to help us all. And
as Christ is not God, because he first merited divinity by his
works or attained to it through his incarnation, but has it by
birth, without any works, even before he became man; so we also
have not merited by works or love sonship with God, so that our
sins are forgiven, and death and hell cannot injure us; but without
works and before our love, we have received it in the Gospel
by grace through faith. And as Christ first became man to serve
us after being God from eternity; so we also do good and exercise
love to our neighbor, after we have become pious, free from sin,
alive, saved, and sons of God by faith. Let this suffice concerning
the first example, the leper. 8.
The other example is like it in respect to faith and love. For
this centurion also has a heartfelt confidence in Christ, and
sets before his eyes nothing but the goodness and grace of Christ;
otherwise he would not have come to him, or he would not have
sent to him, as Lk 7, 3 says. Likewise he would not have had
this bold confidence, if he had not first heard of the goodness
and grace of Christ. In this, instance also the Gospel is the
beginning and incentive of his confidence and faith. 9.
Here we learn again, that we must begin with the Page
75 --------------------------- Gospel
and believe it and not look upon any merit or work of our own
as this centurion also advanced no merit or work, but only his
confidence in the goodness of Christ. So we see that all the
works of Christ exhibit examples of the Gospel, of faith and
of love. 10.
We also observe the example of love, how Christ freely shows
him kindness, without any request or reward, as was said above.
Moreover, the centurion also shows an example of love, in that
he took pity upon his servant as upon himself, even as Christ
also has had compassion upon us, and did the good deed freely,
solely for the benefit of the servant, as Luke 7, 2 says, he
did it because the servant was dear to him; just as if he said:
The love and affection, which he bore to him, impelled him to
consider his need and to do this. Let us also do likewise, and
see to it that we do not deceive ourselves and rest satisfied
in that we now have the Gospel, and yet have no regard for our
neighbor in his need. This having been said of these two examples,
we will now also examine some details of the text. II.
THE EXPLANATION OF TWO THOUGHTS IN THIS GOSPEL. 11.
When the leper here limits his prayer and says: "Lord, if
thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." it is not to be understood
as if he doubted the goodness and grace of Christ. For such a
faith would be of no value, even if he believed that Christ was
almighty, and was able to do and know all things. For that is
living faith, which does not doubt that God is also good to us
and is graciously willing to do what we ask. But it is to be
understood in this way: faith does not doubt the good will, God
has toward a person, by which he wishes him every good; but it
is not known to us, whether what faith asks and presents, is
good and useful for us; God alone knows this. Therefore faith
prays in a way that it submits all to the gracious will of God,
whether it is for his honor and our good, and yet Page
76 --------------------------- it
does not doubt that God will grant it, or, if it cannot be granted,
that his divine will withholds it in great grace, because he
sees it is better not to bestow it. But in all this faith nevertheless
remains certain and sure of God's gracious will, whether he gives
or withholds, as St. Paul also says in Rom 8, 26, we know not
how to pray as we ought, and as the Lord's Prayer bids us to
prefer his will and to pray for it. 12.
This is what we have often said: we ought to believe without
doubting and without limiting the divine goodness; but we ought
to pray with the limitation, that it may be his honor, his kingdom
and will, in order that we may not limit his will to time, place,
measure or name, but leave all that freely to him. For this reason
the prayer of the leper pleased the Lord so well and was soon
heard. For where we submit to his will, and seek what is acceptable
to him, he cannot refrain from doing in return what is acceptable
to us. Faith inclines his favor to us, and submissive prayer
inclines him to grant us what we pray for. As to the sending
of the leper to the priests, why it was done and what it signified,
enough has been said in the Postil of the ten lepers. 13.
However, the saying of Christ: "I have not found so great
faith, no, not in Israel," has been discussed with solicitude,
lest it should imply that Christ did not speak truly or that
the Mother of God and the apostles were inferior to this centurion.
Although I might say here that Christ is speaking of the people
of Israel, among whom he had preached and to whom he had come,
and that therefore his mother and disciples were excluded, because
they travelled with him and came with him to the people of Israel
in his preaching, nevertheless I will abide by the words of the
Lord and take them as they stand; and for the following reasons.
First, it is contrary to no article of belief that this faith
of the centurion was without a parallel among the apostles or
in the Mother of God. But whenever no article of faith openly
contradicts the words of Page
77 --------------------------- Christ,
they are to be taken literally, and are not to be adapted and
bent by our interpretation, neither for the sake of any saint,
or angel, nor of God himself. For his Word is the truth itself
above all saints and angels. 14.
Secondly, such interpretation and adaptation spring from a carnal
mind and intention, namely to estimate the saints of God not
according to God's grace, but according to their person, worth
and greatness; which is contrary to God, who estimates quite
differently, according to his gifts alone. For he never granted
to John the Baptist to perform miracles, John 10,41, as many
inferior saints did. In short, he frequently does through inferior
saints what he does not do through great saints. He concealed
himself from his mother, when he was twelve years old, and suffered
her to be in ignorance and error, Lk 2,43. On Easter Sunday he
showed himself to Mary Magdalene, before he showed himself to
his mother and the apostles, Jn 20,14. He spoke to the Samaritan
woman, Jn 4,7, and to the woman taken in adultery, more kindly
than he ever spoke to his own mother. Jn 8, 10. And when Peter
fell and denied him, the murderer on the cross stood firm in
his faith. 15.
By these and similar wonders he shows that he will not have his
Spirit in his saints limited by us, and that we are not to judge
according to the person. He wills to bestow his gifts freely,
according to his pleasure and not according to our opinion, as
St. Paul says in 1 Cor 12, 11. Indeed even of himself he says
in Jn 14, 12: "He that believeth on me, the works that I
do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do."
The purpose of all this is to prevent men from being presumptuous
toward others and from elevating one saint above another and
creating divisions. All are to be equal in the grace of God,
however unequal they are in his gifts. It is his will to do through
St. Stephen what he does not do through St. Peter, and through
St. Peter what he does not do through his mother; so that it
may be he alone who does all in all without distinction of person
according to his will. Page
78 --------------------------- 16.
In this sense also is it to be understood that at the time of
his preaching he found not such faith either in his mother or
in the apostles, whether or not he found then or afterward greater
faith in his mother and the apostles, or in many others. For
it may easily be possible that at the time of his conception
and birth he granted great faith to his mother, and afterwards
never or seldom like great faith. At times he may have permitted
it to decline, as he did when for three days she had lost him,
Lk. 2,48. He deals thus with all his saints; and if he did not,
the saints would doubtless fall into presumption and make idols
of themselves or we would make idols of them, and look more upon
their worthiness and persons than upon God's grace. 17.
Now learn from this how foolish and void of understanding we
are in regard to God's works and wonders, when we despise the
plain Christian man and think that only the "men with pointed
miters" and the learned know and understand God's truth;
whereas Christ here exalts this heathen with his faith above
all his disciples. This is because we hold to persons and dignities,
and not to God's Word and grace. Therefore with persons and dignities
we also plunge into every error, and then say, the Christian
church and the councils have declared so; they cannot err, because
they have the Holy Spirit. Meanwhile Christ is with those despised
ones and gives dignitaries and councils over to the devil. Therefore
note well, how Christ exalts this heathen. He surpasses Annas,
Caiaphas and all the priests, scholars and saints, all of whom
ought by right to be the pupils of this heathen, not to say that
they ought never to be above him in their opinions and judgments.
God sometimes grants to a great saint no faith and to a small
saint great faith, in order that one may always esteem another
better than himself. Rom 12, 10. Page
79 --------------------------- III.
THE DISCUSSION OF THE DOCTRINE OF PERSONAL FAITH AND THE FAITH
OF OTHERS;
ALSO, OF FAITH AND THE BAPTISM OF CHILDREN. "Lord,
I am not worthy." 18.
Herein is the great faith of this heathen, that he knows salvation
does not depend upon the bodily presence of Christ, for this
does not avail, but upon the Word and faith. But the apostles
did not yet know this, neither perhaps did his mother, but they
clung to his bodily presence and were not willing to let it go,
Jn 16,6. They did not cling to his Word alone. But this heathen
is so fully satisfied with his Word, that he does not even desire
his presence nor does he deem himself worthy of it. Moreover,
he proves his strong faith by a comparison and says: I am a man
and can do what I wish with mine own by a word; should not you
be able to do what you wish by a word, because I am sure, and
you also prove, that health and, sickness, death and life are
subject to you as my servants are to me? Therefore also his servant
was healed in that hour by the power of his faith. 19.
Now since the occasion is offered and this Gospel requires it,
we must say a little about alien faith and its power. For many
are interested in this subject, especially on account of the
little children, who are baptized and are saved not by their
own, but by the faith of others; just as this servant was healed
not by his own faith, but by the faith of his master. We have
never yet treated of this matter; therefore we must treat of
it now in order to anticipate, as much as in us lies, future
danger and error. 20.
First we must let the foundation stand firm and sure, that nobody
will be saved by the faith or righteousness of another, but only
by his own; and on the other hand nobody will be condemned for
the unbelief or sins of another, but for his own unbelief; as
the Gospel says clearly and distinctly in Mk 16,16: "He
that believeth and Page
80 --------------------------- is
baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned."
And Rom 1, 17: "The righteous shall live by faith."
And Jn 3, 16-18: "Whosoever believeth on him should not
perish, but have eternal life. He that believeth on him is not
judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already."
These are clear, public words, that every one must believe for
himself, and nobody can help himself by the faith of others,
without his own faith. From these passages we dare not depart
and we must not deny them, let them strike where they may, and
we ought rather let the world perish than change this divine
truth. And if any plausible argument is made against it, that
you are not able to refute, you must confess that you do not
understand the matter and commit it to God, rather than admit
anything contrary to these clear statements. Whatever may become
of the heathen, Jews, Turks, little children and everything that
exists, these words must be right and true. 21.
Now the question is, what becomes of the young children, seeing
that they have not yet reason and are not able to believe for
themselves, because it is written in Rom 10, 17: "Belief
cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Little
children neither hear nor understand the Word of God, and therefore
they can have no faith of their own. 22.
The sophists in the universities, and the sects of the pope have
invented the following answer to the question: Little children
are baptized without their own faith, and on the faith of the
Church, which the sponsors confess at the baptism; thereupon
the infant receives in baptism the forgiveness of sins by the
power and virtue of the baptism, and faith of its own is infused
with grace, so that it becomes a new born child through the water
and the Holy Spirit. 23.
But if you ask them for the proof of this answer and where this
is found in the Scriptures, it is found up the dark chimney,
or they will point to their doctor's hat Page
81 --------------------------- and
say: We are the highly learned doctors and we say so; therefore
it is true, and you must not inquire any farther. For almost
all their doctrine has no other foundation than their own dreams
and imaginations. And when they prepare themselves most carefully,
they drag in some quotation from St. Augustine or another holy
father. But this is not enough in the things that concern the
salvation of souls; for they themselves are, and all the holy
fathers were, men. Who will be surety and guarantee that they
speak the truth? Who will rely upon it and die by it? For they
say so without Scripture and the Word of God. Saints hither,
and saints thither; if my soul is at stake, either to be lost
or to be saved eternally, I cannot depend upon all the angels
and saints put together, much less upon one or two saints, where
they show us no Word of God. 24.
From this falsehood they have gone farther and have even come
to the point, where they have taught and still teach, that the
sacraments have such power, that even if you have no faith and
receive the sacrament (provided you have no intention to sin),
you shall still receive the grace and the forgiveness of sins
without faith. This they have inferred from the former opinion,
that little children receive grace in this way without faith,
solely by the virtue and power of the sacrament, as, they dream.
Therefore they also ascribe the same thing to adults and to all
men, and utter such things from their own mind, and thereby they
have in a masterly way eradicated and made void and unnecessary
the Christian faith, and have set up human works alone by virtue
of the power of the sacraments. On this subject I have said enough
in what I wrote concerning the articles of the bull of Leo. 25.
The holy ancient fathers have spoken somewhat better, although
not clearly enough. They say nothing about this imaginary power
of the sacraments, but they teach that little children are baptized
in the faith of the Christian church. But since they do not explain
thoroughly, how this Christian faith benefits the children, whether Page
82 --------------------------- they
thereby receive a faith of their own, or are baptized only upon
the Christian faith, without faith of their own: the sophists
rush in and interpret the language of the holy fathers to the
effect, that children are baptized without faith of their own
and receive grace solely by reason of the faith of the church.
For they are enemies of faith; if only they can exalt works,
faith must allow them to do so. They do not think for a moment,
whether the holy fathers erred or they themselves understood
the fathers aright. 26.
Beware of this poison and error, even if it were the expressed
opinion of all the fathers and councils; for it will not stand;
it has no Scripture for its foundation, but only the imaginations
and dreams of men. Moreover it is directly and manifestly opposed
to the chief texts already mentioned, where Christ says: "He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." The conclusion
from this is in short, baptism avails for nobody and is to be
administered to nobody, unless he believes for himself; and without
faith nobody is to be baptized, as St. Augustine himself says:
Non sacramentum justficat, sed fides sacramenti (Not the sacrament
justifies, but the faith of the sacrament). 27.
Besides these there are others, like the brethren called Waldensians.
They teach that every one must believe for himself, and receive
baptism or the Lord's Supper with his own faith; otherwise neither
baptism nor the Lord's supper is of any benefit to him. So far
they speak and teach correctly. But it is a mockery of holy baptism,
when they go on and baptize little children, although they teach
that they have no faith of their own. They thus sin against the
second commandment, in that they consciously and deliberately
take the name and Word of God in vain. Nor does the excuse help
them which they plead, that children are baptized upon their
future faith, when they come to the age of reason. For the faith
must be present before or at least in the baptism; otherwise
the child will not be delivered from the devil and sins. Page
83 --------------------------- 28.
Therefore if their opinion were correct, all that is done with
the child in baptism is necessarily falsehood and mockery. For
the baptizer asks whether the child believes, and the answer
for the child is: Yes. And he asks whether it desires to be baptized,
and the answer for the child is again: Yes, Now nobody is baptized
for the child, but it is baptized itself. Therefore it must also
believe itself, or the sponsors must speak a falsehood, when
for it they say: I believe. Furthermore, the baptizer declares
that it is born anew, has forgiveness of sins, is freed from
the devil, and as a sign of this he puts on it a white garment,
and deals with it in every way as with a new, holy child of God:
all of which would necessarily be untrue, if the child had not
its own faith. Indeed, it would be better never to baptize a
child, than to trifle and juggle with God's Word and sacrament,
as if he were an idol or a fool. 29.
Nor is it of any use that they make a threefold distinction in
the kingdom of God: first, it is the Christian church; secondly,
eternal life; thirdly, the Gospel; and then say children are
baptized for the kingdom of heaven in the third and first sense.
That is, they are baptized, not to be saved thereby and to receive
forgiveness of sins; but they are received into the church and
brought to the Gospel. All this amounts to nothing and is only
an invention of their imagination. For it is not entering the
kingdom of heaven, if I get among Christians and hear the Gospel.
The heathen can also do that without baptism. This is not entering
the kingdom of heaven, however, you may talk of the first, second
and third sense of the kingdom of heaven. But being in the kingdom
of heaven means to be a living member of the church, and not
only to hear, but also to believe the Gospel. Otherwise a man
would be in the kingdom of heaven, just as if I threw a stick
or stone among Christians, or as the devil is among them. All
this is worth nothing. 30.
It also follows from this, that the Christian church has two
kinds of baptism, and that children have not the Page
84 --------------------------- same
baptism as adults. Nevertheless St. Paul says there is only "one
baptism, one Lord, one faith." Eph. 4,5: For if the baptism
of children does not effect and bestow, what the baptism of adults
effects and bestows, it is not the same baptism: it is indeed
no baptism at all, but a sport and mockery of baptism, inasmuch
as there is no baptism but that which saves. If one knows or
believes that it does not save, he ought not to administer it.
But if it is administered, it is not Christian baptism; for one
does not believe, that it effects what baptism is to effect.
Therefore it is another and foreign baptism. For this reason
it were almost necessary, that the Waldensian brethren should
have themselves baptized again, as they baptize our people again;
because they not only receive baptism without faith, but even
contrary to faith, and in mockery and dishonor of God administer
another, foreign, unchristian baptism. 31.
If now we cannot give a better answer to this question and prove
that the little children themselves believe and have their own
faith, my sincere counsel and judgment is, that we abstain altogether
and the sooner the better, and never baptize a child, so that
we may not mock and blaspheme the adorable majesty of God by
such trifling and juggling with nothing in it. Therefore we here
conclude and declare that in baptism the children themselves
believe and have their own faith, which God effects in them through
the sponsors, when in the faith of the Christian church they
intercede for them and bring them to baptism. And this is what
we call the power of alien faith: not that anybody can be saved
by it, but that through it as an intercession and aid he can
obtain from God himself his own faith, by which he is saved.
It may be compared to my natural life and death. If I am to live,
I myself must be born, and nobody can be born for me to enable
me to live; but mother and midwife can by their life aid me in
birth and enable me to live. In the same way I myself must suffer
death, if I am to die; but one can help to bring about my death,
if be frightens me, or falls upon me, or chokes, Page
85 --------------------------- crushes
or suffocates me. In like manner, nobody can go to hell for me;
but he can seduce me by false doctrine and life, so that I go
thither by my own error, into which his error has led me. So
nobody can go to heaven for me; but he can assist me, can preach,
teach, govern, pray and obtain faith from God, through which
I can go to heaven. This centurion was not healed of the palsy
of his servant; but yet he brought it about that his servant
was restored to health. 32.
So here we also say, that children are not baptized in the faith
of the sponsors or of the church; but the faith of sponsors and
of the church prays and gains faith for them, in which they are
baptized and believe for themselves. For this we have strong
and firm Scripture proof, Mt 19,13-15; Mk 10, 13-16; Lk 18, 15-16.
When some brought little children to the Lord Jesus that he should
touch them, and the disciples forbade them, he rebuked the disciples,
and embraced the children, and laid his hands upon them and blessed
them, and said: "To such belongeth the kingdom of God"
etc. These passages nobody will take from us, nor refute with
good proof. For here is written: Christ will permit no one to
forbid that little children should be brought to him; nay, be
bids them to be brought to him, and blesses them and gives to
them the kingdom of heaven. Let us give due heed to this Scripture. 33.
This is undoubtedly written of natural children. The interpretation
of Christ's words, as if he had meant only spiritual children,
who are small in humility, will not stand. For they were small
children as to their bodies, which Luke calls infants. His blessing
is placed upon these, and of these he says that the kingdom of
heaven is theirs. Will we say they were without faith of their
own? Then the passages quoted above are untrue: "He that
disbelieveth shall be condemned." Then Christ also speaks
falsely or feigns, when he says the kingdom of heaven is theirs,
and is not really speaking of the true kingdom of Page
86 --------------------------- heaven.
Interpret these words of Christ as you please, we have it that
children are to be brought to Christ and not to be forbidden
to be brought: and when they are brought to Christ, he here compels
us to believe that he blesses them and gives to them the kingdom
of heaven, as he does with these children. And it is in no way
proper for us to act and believe otherwise as long as the words
stand: "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and
forbid them not." Not less is it proper for us to believe
that when they are brought to him he embraces them, blesses them,
and bestows upon them heaven, as long as the text stands that
he blessed the children which were brought to him and gave heaven
to them. Who can ignore this text? Who will be so bold as not
to suffer little children to come to baptism, or not to believe
that Christ blesses them when they come? 34.
He is just as present in baptism now as he was then: this we
Christians know for certain. Therefore we dare not forbid baptism
to children. Nor dare we doubt that he blesses all who come thither,
as he did those children. So then there is nothing left here
but the piety and faith of those who brought the little children
to him. By bringing them, they effect and aid that the little
children are blessed and obtain the kingdom of heaven; which
cannot be the case unless they themselves have their own faith,
as has been said. So we also say here, that children are brought
to baptism by the faith and work of others; but when they get
there and the pastor or baptizer deals with them in Christ's
stead, he blesses them and grants to them the faith and the kingdom
of heaven: for the word and deed of the pastor are the word and
work of Christ himself. 35.
With this agrees also what St. John says in his first Epistle,
2, 13: "I write unto you, fathers; I write unto you, young
men; I have written unto you, little children." He is not
satisfied to write to the young men; he also writes to the children,
and writes that they may know the Father. Page
87 --------------------------- From
this it follows that the apostles baptized children also, and
held that they believe and know the Father, just as if they had
attained to reason and could read. Although somebody might here
interpret the word "children" as adults, as Christ
designates his disciples sometimes: yet it is certain that here
they are meant who are younger than the young men; so that it
is evident he is speaking of young people who are under fifteen
or eighteen years of age, and excludes nobody down to the first
year: for these all are called children. 36.
But let us examine their reason why they do not think children
believe. They say, because they have not attained to reason they
cannot hear God's Word; but where God's Word is not heard there
can be no faith. Rom 10, 17: "Belief cometh of hearing,
and hearing by the word of Christ." Tell me is this Christian
to judge of God's works by our thinking, and say, Children have
not attained to reason, therefore they cannot believe? How if
through this very reason you have already departed from faith,
and the children come to faith through their unreason? Dear friend,
what good does reason do for faith and the Word of God? Is it
not reason which resists in the highest degree faith and the
Word of God, so that nobody can come to faith by means of reason?
Reason will not endure God's Word unless it is first blinded
and disgraced. Man must first die to reason and become, as it
were, a fool, and even as unreasonable and unintelligent as a
little child, if he is to become a believer and receive the grace
of God; as Christ says in Mt 18,3: "Except ye turn, and
become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the
kingdom of heaven." How often does Christ hold before us
that we must become children and fools, and condemn reason? 37.
Tell me also, what kind of reason had the little children whom
Christ embraced and blessed, and upon whom he bestowed the kingdom
of heaven? Were they not still without reason? Why does he command
to bring Page
88 --------------------------- them
to him and then bless them? Where did they get the faith which
makes them children of the kingdom of heaven? Nay, just because
they are without reason and foolish, they are better prepared
to believe than adults and those possessed of reason, because
reason is always in the way and with its large head is not willing
to push through the narrow door. One must not look upon reason
or its works when faith and God's work are under consideration.
Here God alone works and reason is dead, blind and, compared
to this work, an unreasonable block, in order that the Scripture
may stand, which Says: "God is wonderful in his saints;"
and: "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways higher than your ways," Is 55,9. 38.
But since they stick so fast in reason, we must assail them with
their own wisdom. Tell me, why do you baptize a man when he has
come to the age of reason? You answer: He hears God's Word and
believes. I ask: How do you know that? You answer: He professes
it with his mouth. What shall I say? How, if he lies and deceives?
You cannot see his heart. Very well, then you baptize for no
other reason than for what the man shows himself to be externally,
and you are uncertain of his faith, and must believe that if
he has not more within in his heart than you perceive without,
neither his hearing, nor his profession, nor his faith will help
him; for it may all be a delusion and no true faith. Who then
are you, that you say external hearing and profession are necessary
to baptism; where these are wanting one must not baptize? You
yourself must confess that such hearing and profession are uncertain,
and not enough for one to receive baptism. Now upon what do you
baptize? How will you justify your actions when you thus bungle
baptism and bring it into doubt? Is it not the fact that you
must come and say that it is not becoming for you to know or
do more than that he whom you are to baptize be brought to you
and ask baptism from you; and you must believe or commit the
matter to God, whether he inwardly truly believes or not? In
this way you are excused and baptize Page
89 --------------------------- aright.
Why then will you not do the same for the children, whom Christ
commands to be brought to him and promises to bless? But you
wish first to have the outward hearing and profession, which
you yourself acknowledge is uncertain and not sufficient for
baptism on the part of the one to be baptized. And you let go
the sure word of Christ, in which he bids the little children
to be brought unto him, on account of your uncertain external
hearing. 39.
Moreover tell me, where is the reason of a Christian while he
is asleep, since his faith and the grace of God never leave him?
If faith can thus continue without the aid of reason, so that
the latter is not conscious of it, why should it not also begin
in children before reason knows anything about it? In the same
way I would like to say of every hour in which a Christian lives
and is busy and occupied, that he is not conscious of his faith
and reason, and yet his faith does not on that account cease.
God's works are mysterious and wonderful, where and when he wills:
and again manifest enough, where and when he wills. Judgment
upon them is too high and too deep for us. 40.
Since it is commanded here, not to forbid little children to
come unto him in order to receive his blessing, and it is not
demanded of us to know the exact state of faith within, and the
external hearing and profession are not sufficient for the one
baptized, we are to be content that it is enough for us, the
baptizers, to hear the profession of the one to be baptized,
who comes to us of himself. And this for the reason that we may
not administer the sacrament against our conscience, as giving
it to those in whom no fruit is to be hoped for. But if they
assure our conscience of their desire and profession, so that
we can administer it as a sacrament that imparts grace, we are
excused. If his faith is not true, let that rest with God; we
have not given the sacrament as a useless thing, but with the
consciousness that it is beneficial. 41.
All this I say in order that one may not baptize recklessly,
as they do who even administer it with the deliberate knowledge
that it will be of no effect or benefit Page
90 --------------------------- to
the person receiving it. For therein the baptizers sin, because
they knowingly use God's sacrament and Word in vain, or at least
have the consciousness that it is neither intended nor able to
effect anything; which is an altogether unworthy use of the sacrament
and a temptation and blasphemy of God. For that is not administering
the sacrament, but making a mockery of it. But if the person
baptized denies and does not believe, you have done right anyhow,
and have administered the true sacrament with the good consciousness
that it ought to be beneficial. 42.
However, those who do not come of themselves, but are brought,
as Christ bids us to bring little children, the faith of these
commit to him who bids them to be brought, and baptize them by
his command, and say: Lord, thou dost bring them and command
to baptize them. Thou wilt answer for them. On this I rely, I
dare not drive them away nor forbid them. If they have not heard
the Word, by which faith comes, as adults, hear it, they nevertheless
hear it like little children. Adults take it up with their ears
and reason, often without faith; but they hear it with their
ears, without reason and with faith. And faith is nearer in proportion
as reason is less, and he is stronger who brings them than the
will of adults who come of themselves. 43.
These inventive spirits stumble mostly because in adults there
is reason, which acts as if it believed the Word it hears. This
then they call faith. Again they see that in children there is
as yet no reason; for they act as if they did not believe. But
they do not observe that faith in God's Word is quite a different
and deeper thing than what reason does with the Word of God.
For it is the work of God alone above all reason, to which the
child is just as near as the adult, yes, much nearer, and from
which the adult is just as far as the child, yea, much farther. 44.
But this that is contrived by reason is a human work. I think,
if any baptism is certain, the baptism of children is most certain,
because of the Word of Christ, where he commands to bring them,
whereas the adults Page
91 --------------------------- come
of themselves. In adults there may be deception because of the
reason that is manifest; but in children there can be no deception,
because of their hidden reason, in whom Christ works his blessing,
even as he has bidden them to be brought to himself. It is a
glorious word and not to be treated lightly, that he commands
us to bring the children to him, and rebukes those who forbid
it. 45.
But hereby we do not mean to weaken or destroy the office of
preaching. For God indeed does not cause his Word to be preached
for the sake of the rational hearing, since no fruit results
from that; but for the sake of the spiritual hearing, which,
as I have said, children also have as well and even better than
adults; for they also hear the Word. For what else is baptism
but the Gospel to which they are brought? However, they hear
it only once, but they hear it more effectively, because Christ,
who has commanded to bring them, receives them. For adults have
the advantage that they frequently hear and can think of it again.
Yet even in the case of adults it is a fact that the spiritual
hearing is not effected by many sermons. But it may occur once
during one sermon, and then he has enough forever. What he hears,
afterwards, he hears either to improve the first bearing or to
destroy it again. 46.
In short, the baptism and consolation of children lie in the
word: "Suffer the little children to come unto me; forbid
them not; for to such belongeth the kingdom of God." He
has spoken this and he does not lie. Therefore it must be right
and Christian to bring little children to him. This can only
be done in baptism. So also it must be certain that he blesses
them, and bestows the kingdom of heaven upon all who come to
him, according to the words: "To such belongeth the kingdom
of God." Let this be enough for this time. 47. Finally it would be in order here to treat of the spiritual meaning of leprosy and the palsy. But of leprosy much has been said in the Postil of the ten lepers. Therefore it need not be treated at length here. |