# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1845 08 17_S104
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

—as well as of reason and its arrogance, and says, among other things: "Usury, drunkenness, adultery, murder, manslaughter, and so forth — these one can recognize, and even the world understands that they are sin; but the devil's bride, reason, that fine whore, comes barging in and wants to be clever, and whatever she says, she supposes it to be the Holy Spirit: who can help there? Neither jurist, nor physician, nor king, nor emperor. For she is the highest whore the devil has; the other gross sins one can see, but reason no one can judge; she comes along and stirs up fanaticism concerning baptism and the Lord's Supper, supposing that whatever occurs to her, and whatever the devil puts into her heart, must be the Holy Spirit. Therefore Paul says: 'As surely as I am an apostle, and God has given me the Spirit, so I admonish.'" In this sermon Luther also foretold the disruptions which the Lutheran church would have to undergo soon after Luther's death; for he says: "I see plainly that if God does not give us faithful preachers and church ministers, the devil will tear apart our churches through factious spirits, and he will not let up or stop until he has accomplished it. This, in short, is his intention: where he cannot do it through the pope and the emperor, he will accomplish it through those who are still of one mind with us in doctrine. Therefore it is of the highest necessity that we pray from the heart, that God would give us pure teachers. Now we feel secure and do not see how horribly the prince of this world lies in wait for us, through the pope, the emperor, and our own scholars here, and we say: What harm is there in letting this go? No — we should not yield a hairsbreadth. If they wish to keep faith with us, well and good; if they will not, then let them be. I did not receive my doctrine from them, but through divine grace from God. I have been well taught by experience. Therefore pray earnestly to God that he may leave you his Word, for things will go horribly." At the end of this sermon its editor remarks, with reference to the University of Wittenberg: "Dr. Martin Luther, of holy memory, often said, before many other trustworthy persons and also before Dr. Augustin Schurf, these words: After my death not one of these theologians will remain steadfast. And this, alas, has also been fulfilled."

Now, just as Luther had already traveled to Eisleben the previous autumn at the request of the Counts of Mansfeld, in order to bring about a settlement between them and their subjects, from whom they wished to take away the mines — though this had not succeeded — so he traveled there again at the beginning of the year 1546 with the same purpose. He himself said that he had set out from Wittenberg at the request of the lords, the Counts of Mansfeld, so that he might have rest from his daily labor and demands, wishing only to pray, preach, and exhort his territorial lords to unity and peace at Eisleben. So he departed from Wittenberg with his three sons on the Saturday following his last sermon, the 23rd of January, and arrived the following Sunday at Halle, where he lodged with his faithful friend Dr. Jonas, and already the next day, being the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, preached on Acts 9:1-19 concerning the calling of St. Paul to the apostolic office. He praised in particular the writings of this apostle as the true relic, in comparison with which all the pope's invented relics — and especially the supposed head of St. Paul which is shown in St. Peter's Church at Rome — were to be counted as nothing.

After he had crossed the Saale near Halle in a small boat, at the risk of his life, and had been received on the Mansfeld border by the counts and more than a hundred horsemen,

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he arrived at Eisleben in their company, but grew so weak a short distance before the town that his life was feared for; yet he improved again and remained three weeks at Eisleben. He took a personal part in the settlement negotiations up until the day before his death. But these once again fell through, through the fault of the lawyers, so that Luther resolved, should he live longer, to write a special book against them. During his stay at Eisleben he still carried out the ordination of two preachers, and twice received absolution and the Holy Supper. He also preached four sermons, for he had always preached with the utmost diligence, so that he himself confessed of himself that he had often given four sermons in a single day, and had done this for twenty-five years. In these four sermons, despite all his bodily weakness, Luther once more bore, with great earnestness, the most powerful testimonies concerning all the chief articles of the Christian doctrine, and against all the errors of the papists, sacramentarians, and other fanatics that contended against them.

At the close of his last sermon, three days before his death, he took formal leave of his dear people of Eisleben and said: "Since I have now been here for a time and have preached to you, and must now go home, and perhaps may preach no more, I wish herewith to have blessed you and to have asked of you that you remain diligently by the Word which your preachers and pastors faithfully teach you concerning the grace of God; and accustom yourselves to prayer, that God may protect you from all the wise men and clever ones who despise the doctrine of the gospel, for they have often done, and may yet do, much harm." He then closed his last sermon with this wish: "May the dear God grant grace that we may receive his precious Word with thanksgiving, and increase and grow in the knowledge and faith of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and remain steadfast in the confession of his holy Word until the end. Amen."

As he had always been accustomed to do, he prayed every evening in his room before the open window, with great earnestness, for a good while, after which he turned back cheerfully to his friends, like one relieved of a great burden, spoke with them for another half hour, and then went to bed. In these last days of his, many important sayings and comforting words were still heard from his mouth at table. On the 17th of February his weakness noticeably increased, so that he was advised to rest, which he also did.

On his last evening he answered, among other things, the question whether believers would also recognize one another in that life, pointing to Adam, who had at once recognized as his own flesh the wife created from his rib, because he had been full of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of God. He then went to his room and prayed as was his custom, especially also for the church of his homeland, but soon afterward complained that his chest felt tight. He took the medicine given him and lay down on his couch toward eight o'clock, saying: "If I could sleep for half an hour, I hope it should get better." He then slept peacefully until ten o'clock, when he woke, rose, and said, as he crossed the threshold of his bedchamber: "God's will be done; I am going to bed. Into your hands I commend my spirit; you have redeemed me, Lord, faithful God." When he had lain down in bed, he gave everyone his hand, bade them good night, and said: "Dr. Jonas and Master Coelius, and you others, pray before our Lord God and for his gospel, that it may go well with it; for the Council of Trent and the troublesome pope are furious with it."

When the clock struck one, he woke and said: "Ah, Lord God, I am in great pain! Ah, dear Dr. Jonas, I think I shall remain here at Eisleben, since here I was born and baptized." He then went again from the chamber into the room and said once more: "Into your hands I commend my spirit, you have redeemed me, Lord, faithful God." When, through rubbing and warming, he had broken into a sweat, and those standing around — especially the counts, who had hurried there, and other friends — hoped this meant improvement, he answered: "Yes, it is a cold sweat of death; I shall give up my spirit, for the sickness is increasing." Thereupon he prayed thus: "O my heavenly Father, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, God of all comfort, I thank you that you have revealed to me your dear Son, Jesus Christ, in whom I believe, whom I have preached and confessed, whom I have loved and praised, whom the troublesome pope and all the godless dishonor, persecute, and blaspheme. I beg you, Lord Jesus Christ, let my little soul be commended to you. O heavenly Father, though I must now leave this body and be torn away from this life, yet I know for certain that I shall remain with you forever, and that no one can tear me out of your hands."

He then spoke further in Latin: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16); and the words from Psalm 68: "We have a God who helps, and the Lord GOD, by whom we escape death." When a physician gave him yet another restorative, he took it and said again: "I am going forth; I shall give up my spirit," whereupon he repeated three times, quickly, in Latin: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit; you have redeemed me, faithful God." Then he began to lie still, with folded hands and closed eyes. They called to him, but he did not answer. Then Jonas and Coelius addressed him in a loud voice: "Reverend father, will you die steadfast in Christ and in the doctrine as you have preached it?" Then he said, so that all heard it clearly: "Yes" — and this was his last word; for with that he turned onto his right side and began to sleep for almost a quarter of an hour. Those standing around had already begun to take fresh hope, when his face grew pale; his hands and feet grew cold; he drew one more deep but gentle breath, and with that gave up his spirit into the hands of his faithful God, with quiet and great patience, and so fell asleep — his final illness having lasted only about seven hours — without restlessness, without bodily torment or the pains of death, gently and peacefully in the Lord, on the 18th of February 1546, on the Feast of Concord, between two and three o'clock in the morning, in the 63rd year of his pilgrimage on earth.

(For the conclusion, see the supplement.)

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