# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_November 1857_S325
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

On the Use of Church History for Preaching. 325

2. The amendment of all 3 estates (keeping God's commandment).

3. The knowledge of saving faith.

4. The great art of dying blessedly.

d. On Psalm 46. The preservation of the pure doctrine since the Reformation, one of the greatest wonders of God:

1. Amid the schisms that threatened soon after Dr. Luther's death.

2. Amid the danger of forgetting, over the zeal for a godly life, the zeal for the pure doctrine.

3. Amid the total apostasy under the dominion of reason.

4. Amid the unhappy attempt to unite the Lutheran and the Reformed doctrine.

It is much to be advised that at this season, every other year, the Epitome of the Formula of Concord and the Smalcald Articles, even if without the appendix, be read aloud, in the same way as was indicated above for the commemoration day of the Augsburg Confession. Experience teaches that many either never get around to reading these pieces for themselves, or that at any rate the pieces become more intelligible and more useful to them through being read aloud.

10. Dr. Luther's birthday and day of death. To a similar observance of both we are encouraged by several sayings of Holy Scripture, such as Psalm 116:16: The death of His saints is held precious before the LORD; Proverbs 10:7: The remembrance of the righteous remains in blessing; and above all Hebrews 13:7: Remember your teachers who have spoken to you the Word of God; consider the end of their conduct and follow their faith. To this we are further encouraged by the example of the ancient Christian Church, which solemnly observed the birthdays, that is, the death days, of the martyrs; likewise by the example of many Lutheran teachers who have preached sermons on Dr. Luther's life and especially in commemoration of his birthday and day of death, as the above-mentioned Cyriacus Spangenberg in particular did in 18 sermons.

Following the example of the latter, I formerly for several years used on these days to set forth Dr. Luther's birth and departure in certain respects in the light of God's Word. Thus on his birthday I preached on Hebrews 11:23-29: Dr. Luther a hero of faith like Moses: 1. brought up by godly parents (v. 23). 2. Brought to faith as a young man (vv. 24-26). 3. Gone out of the papacy in faith (v. 27). 4. In faith a leader of Christendom out of the papacy (vv. 28, 29).

Texts: Jeremiah 1:4-19, Acts 9:15, 2 Corinthians 4:5, 6.

On the day of his death, on 2 Kings 2:1ff. Dr. Luther the Elijah of the last times: 1. in his life, for the salvation of the Church; 2. in his departure from this life, to the great sorrow of the Church; 3. in his living on in his richly spiritual writings, for the comfort of the Church.

Texts: Deuteronomy 31:24-30, Psalm 118:17, Philippians 1:20-26, Sirach 39:12-15.