# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juli 1859_S205
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

On Bible-Sermons.                                                      205

or priest, or whoever it might be — just as one still now reads the
Lesson at Matins. This one or two should do, or one after another, or
one choir after another, as best suits. Afterward the preacher, or
whoever is charged with it, should come forward and expound a portion
of that same Lesson, so that all the others may understand, learn, and
be exhorted. Paul calls the first work, 1 Corinthians 14:26, speaking
with tongues; the other, interpreting or prophesying, and speaking with
the sense or understanding. — — Likewise, in the evening, at six or
five, let them come together again in the same way. And here, from the
Old Testament, one book after another should be taken up, namely the
Prophets, just as in the morning Moses and the histories. But since the
New Testament is also a book, I leave the Old Testament for the morning
and the New for the evening, or the reverse, and read, expound, praise,
sing, and pray in the same way as in the morning, likewise for an hour
or so; for it is all to be done for the sake of God's Word, that it may
be kept in circulation and may continually build up and refresh souls,
so that they do not grow weary."

In "German Mass and Order of Divine Service," from the year 1526, Dr.
Luther arranges the exposition of the Bible for the weekday services in
the towns in the following manner: "On Wednesday early, the German
lesson: for this the Evangelist Matthew is set apart entirely, so that
this day shall be his own — since he is, after all, a fine evangelist
for teaching the congregation, and describes the good sermon of Christ
delivered on the mountain, and holds almost entirely to the practice of
love and good works. But the Evangelist John, who mightily teaches
faith above all, likewise has his own day, Saturday afternoon at
Vespers, so that we thus keep two evangelists in daily use. Thursday
and Friday, early in the morning, have the daily weekday lessons from
the Epistles of the Apostles and whatever else there is in the New
Testament. With this, Lesson and sermon are sufficiently arranged to
keep God's Word in circulation, apart from what lessons there still are
in the university for the learned." As to the Old Testament, it says
shortly before: "In the afternoon (on Sundays) at Vespers, before the
Magnificat, one preaches on the Old Testament, in order, one after
another." Finally, the Saxon Visitation Articles of the year 1538
contain, under the heading "Of Daily Practice in the Church," besides
the instructions for the daily Bible lessons, the following further
provisions: "During the week, preaching should be done on Wednesday and
Friday. A pastor should also take care to choose useful and not overly
difficult books to preach on. That faith likewise be so preached, that
one does not forget genuine Christian repentance, God's judgment, the
fear of God, and good works, in the manner explained and set forth
above; for faith cannot be had or understood without repentance." To
this the Augsburg Confession, Article 24, also points, namely that, as
is indicated in the Historia Tripartita, Book 9, at Alexandria the
Scripture was read and expounded on Wednesday and Friday.