# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juli 1859_S212
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

212 On Bible Sermons.

the following Sunday*). In the epistles, however, one should likewise,
following Dr. Luther's example, expound the pericopes as well, especially
when one has not held special epistle sermons for a longer time; yet I
must give preference to sermons on a whole letter precisely because the
context greatly eases the understanding of the individual pericopes, which
is especially true of the Epistle to the Galatians. Whoever can make that
letter as dear and precious to himself and to others, through right
exposition, as it was to Dr. Luther, may justly be praised as a master in
such sermons and as his faithful disciple.

Whoever has finished the whole New Testament as far as the Revelation
of John may then also take up this book and expound it more summarily,
following the excellent hints we find in Dr. Luther's preface to this book,
in which he proceeded according to this principle: "Because it is meant
to be a revelation of future history, and in particular of future
tribulations and misfortune for Christendom, we hold that the surest and
most immediate way to find the [right] interpretation would be to take
the history and misfortunes that have thus far befallen Christendom from
the histories, and to hold these up against these images, and so compare
them with the words. Where it should then turn out to rhyme and agree
nicely with one another, one could build upon that as upon a certain and
irrefutable interpretation." Finally, the so-called office hours offer a
welcome opportunity to give information about individual verses, as well
as about shorter passages of the Old and New Testaments, as I myself have
done for seven years now with more than 5000 questions.

Among the aids for preparation, Dr. Luther's own expositions
naturally stand foremost, from all of which, a hundred years ago,
Superintendent Lindner compiled highly useful excerpts in six substantial
octavo volumes, to which he further added three volumes containing the
sermons on the Gospels and Epistles, as well as on the Passion and
Resurrection history — though, admittedly, throughout with a principled
omission of everything polemical. These excerpts I have already urgently
recommended above, either to summarize them in writing, or to read them
aloud just as they are. Whoever now diligently studies through the
expositions in question, and in doing so completes that summary
compilation, will naturally provide all the more benefit to himself and
to others.

In the preparation itself, one should proceed in the following manner.
One should first read through the whole passage of the text and ask
oneself at every verse: how would you explain and apply this? Then one
takes up the exposition, and where possible the excerpt first, especially
with a lengthy commentary, and marks during the reading, with faint
pencil strokes, whatever is necessary for the understanding and
application of the individual verses. After this one reads

*) An exception to the former may be made only for the more rarely occurring
Epiphany and Trinity Sundays.