# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1845 08 17_S102
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

—same, John Agricola, did not comply with Luther's demand that he publicly answer for his writings — which he had published without giving his name — Luther found himself compelled to oppose this dangerous false doctrine in writings and disputations. At that time he said at table to his faithful student Mathesius: "You will find out what will be stirred up against this school and church (at Wittenberg), and written against it, as long as our people persevere in pure doctrine — such people will become great heretics and pernicious fanatics."

About this time Luther brought out the three chief creeds (the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian, which form the foundation of the Book of Concord) in a German translation together with a fine exposition, in which he treats briefly and concisely the article of the Holy Trinity and especially of the deity of Jesus Christ. He also composed an extensive exposition of Psalm 51, in which he set forth the doctrine of repentance in its whole scope so convincingly and comfortingly that it stands at the head of many similar masterpieces of Luther's.

In the year 1539 Luther had to observe once more how the people, freed from the pope's compulsion, abused their Christian liberty, growing ever coarser and more presumptuous, despising the ministers of the church and no longer wishing to be corrected by them. Luther then testified loudly and openly that God would avenge such base ingratitude toward his holy Word, after his death, through bodily plagues and through powerful delusions — which has indeed come to pass. Luther also had to hear similar complaints about the lives of many preachers, who had indeed left the monasteries but not the sins of the monasteries.

In April of the year 1539 a bitter enemy of Luther's teaching died, George, Duke of Saxony, whose death had been hastened by the sudden deaths of both his heirs to the throne. Thus the possession of this part of Saxony fell to his brother, Duke Henry, who had already introduced the Reformation in his own land, and who now, without delay, also had the gospel — long desired by most people but long suppressed — proclaimed to his new subjects. This took place in Leipzig, first on the holy feast of Pentecost, on which occasion Luther himself preached in the duke's presence. Thus was fulfilled what he had long before prophesied: "I see that Duke George does not cease to persecute the Word of God, its preaching, and the poor Lutherans — indeed grows ever worse — but I shall yet live to see his whole line blotted out by God, and to preach God's Word at Leipzig."

Although the dear Luther felt the burdens of age more and more as time went on, he nevertheless continued tirelessly teaching the divine Word. Among other things, he expounded Psalm 110 very thoroughly, showing in it the nature of Christ's kingdom — namely, how Christ is our eternal King and High Priest, and how all Christians, through faith in him, are lords over all their enemies and are spiritual priests. He did this with a great fullness of the Spirit. In the same year there also appeared the extremely instructive work "Of Councils and Churches," in which Luther, with great learning drawn from church history, demonstrates that the general Christian councils never brought forth new articles of faith, but only defended the old faith against new errors.

In the year 1540 God once more answered Luther's prayer in a wonderful way. Melanchthon had, as a result of severe mental anguish, fallen mortally ill at Weimar. The Elector had Luther fetched in his carriage with all speed. When he arrived, he found Melanchthon lying at the point of death. Luther was greatly alarmed at this, but at once turned to his God in earnest prayer and reminded him of all his promises in Holy Scripture concerning the hearing of prayer. He then took Melanchthon by the hand and said: "Be comforted, Philip, you will not die," and since he knew the causes of this deadly illness, he said: "Although God has cause to kill, yet he does not desire the death of the sinner, but that he turn and live; he delights in life and not in death, and since God has called and received into his grace the greatest sinners who ever lived on earth, namely Adam and Eve, much less will he cast you off, Philip, or allow you to perish in your sin and despondency. Therefore give no room to the spirit of mourning, and do not become your own murderer, but trust in the Lord, who can kill and make alive." As Luther spoke thus, Melanchthon revived and quickly regained his strength. He himself confessed, "I would have died, had I not been torn from the midst of death by Dr. Luther's arrival." Luther experienced a like answer to his prayer twice more, so that he could say: "I have prayed our Philip, and my Käthe, and Mr. Myconius, back from death."

In the autumn of the year 1540 Melanchthon traveled with several theologians to Worms for a religious colloquy with the papists; Luther, however, did not go along, and said: "God has given many learned, good men who understand his Word and are equal in stature to the opposing side." At their departure he blessed them and spoke many forceful words to them, among others these: "Go forth in the name of God as ambassadors of Jesus Christ, and hold fast to the plain Word, and give away nothing that belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ, as indeed you have no authority to do." Since the adversaries could bring nothing forward in the colloquy against Melanchthon's arguments, they postponed its continuation until the coming Diet of Regensburg in the year 1541. There the papists presented a document, commonly called the Regensburg Interim, which was meant to serve as the basis for mutual discussion and, if possible, for union as well. But Luther showed clearly, when he was asked for his counsel on the matter, that the adversaries' proposal, especially regarding the article of justification, was nothing other than patching a new cloth onto an old garment, whereby the tear would only be made worse (Matthew 9:16). In the hope, however, that Luther might still perhaps be persuaded to a compromise, several foreign princes, with the emperor's knowledge, resolved to send a distinguished delegation to Luther. This was done, and upon the delegation's verbal presentation Luther at once gave a verbal reply, and then also a written one, to the following effect: if the first four articles — especially the one on justification — were preached thoroughly, purely, and clearly, and held to be Christian, this would draw the poison out of the other ten articles, and it would then also soon come, through the clear statement of the first four articles and through their application by right preaching, to an agreement on the last ten. This answer of Luther's, in this transaction of the Reformation — one of the most important there is — is praised by the Baron von Seckendorf in his unsurpassed history of Lutheranism, both for the modesty of its wording and for its shrewdness toward the opposing party, but especially for the steadfastness which Luther showed in it; for just as, earlier, none of Cajetan's threats at Augsburg nor the emperor's at Worms had been able to frighten Luther, so here too the flattery of so distinguished a delegation was unable to move him to any sinful concession. But the opposing party did not wish to take this answer of Luther's into consideration, and once again postponed everything to a general council. Had the princes and theologians, in the negotiations over the Interim which was patched together shortly after Luther's death out of that Regensburg document, taken this answer of Luther's as their model, the Lutheran church would not have been so thrown into turmoil by it.

About this time the worthy Luther was visited by God with various bodily infirmities and pains, on account of which he constantly went about with thoughts of death and called upon God for a blessed departure. He was also greatly hindered in his work by this, and was several times compelled to leave the pulpit before the end of his sermon. He often could not read a single letter, indeed not even two or three lines, without interruption. Nevertheless he composed a number of splendid writings. Besides the fine exposition of the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-135), he had printed the two sermons on Matthew 3 concerning the baptism of Christ and of Christians, which he had delivered at the princely court of Dessau at the baptism of a prince. To the pastors he issued a very earnest exhortation to preach with all emphasis against usury, of which he says that it had already spread so powerfully—