# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 05 29_S154
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

heavens, and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever."

But what, compared to such a twofold reward of grace, are all the gold, silver, pearls, precious stones, power, splendor, and pleasure of the whole world, but foam, chaff, dust, filth, and ashes? But I will stop here and let another man speak concerning the worthiness and majesty of the holy preaching office in God's kingdom and before His countenance — a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, against whose living thoughts and words mine are but dead letters. For our dear father and teacher Dr. Martin Luther writes as follows in the sermon "That One Should Keep Children in School":

"You may rejoice from your heart and be glad if you find yourself in this position: that you have been chosen by GOD to raise, with your goods and labor, a son who becomes a pious, Christian pastor, preacher, or schoolmaster, and that thereby you have raised for GOD Himself a special servant — indeed, as was said above, an angel of GOD, a true bishop before GOD, a savior of many people, a king and prince in Christ's kingdom, and, among GOD's people, a teacher, a light of the world. And who can, or would even try to, recount all the honor and virtue that a true, faithful pastor has before GOD? For there is no dearer treasure nor nobler thing on earth and in this life than a true, faithful pastor or preacher.

"For consider for yourself what benefit the dear preaching office and the dear cure of souls brings about — your son, who faithfully carries out such an office, surely brings about the same: namely, that so many souls are daily taught, converted, baptized, and brought to Christ and made blessed through him, and redeemed from sin, death, hell, and the devil, and come through him to everlasting righteousness, everlasting life, and heaven — so that Daniel, in chapter 12, verse 3, indeed says that "they that teach others shall shine as the heavens, and they that turn many to righteousness shall be as the stars forever." For since God's Word and office, where it proceeds rightly, must without ceasing do great things and work nothing but wonders, your son too must without ceasing do great and pure wonders before GOD, such as raising the dead, driving out devils, making the blind see, the deaf hear, lepers clean, the mute speak, and the lame walk: even if it does not happen bodily, it nevertheless happens spiritually in the soul, which is far greater, as Christ says in John 14:12: "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do." If a believer can do this with regard to individual persons, how much more will a public preacher do this toward and within an entire multitude? Not that he does it as a mere man, but his office, ordained thereto by GOD, does it, and the Word of GOD which he teaches — for he is indeed the instrument for it.

"Now if he performs such great works and wonders spiritually, it follows that he also performs them bodily, or at least is a beginner and cause of them. For whence does it come that Christians will rise from the dead on the Last Day, that all the deaf, blind, lame, and whatever afflictions were upon their bodies must cease, and their bodies will not only be made fair and healthy, but will shine as bright and beautiful as the sun, as Christ says? Does it not come from this, that they were here on earth converted, made believing, baptized, and incorporated into Christ through the Word of God? As Paul says in Romans 8:11, "that God will raise up our mortal bodies also, for the sake of His Spirit which dwells in us." Now who helps people to such faith and to the beginning of the bodily resurrection, apart from the preaching office and the Word of God which your son administers? Is this not then an immeasurably greater and more glorious work and wonder than if he bodily or temporally raised the dead again to this life, or helped the blind, the deaf, the mute, and lepers in the world and in this transitory existence?

"If you were certain that your son would perform only one of these works upon a single person — namely, that he should merely make one blind man see, raise one dead person, take one soul from the devil, or rescue one person from hell, or whichever of these it might be — should you not rightly, with all joy, risk your goods for it, so that he might be raised up for such an office and work, and leap for great joy that with your money you had endowed before God so great a thing? For what are all the foundations and monasteries, as they now stand and are in use, with their own works, compared to such a pastor, preacher, or schoolmaster? Although in former times, and originally, they were founded all together by pious kings and lords for this precious purpose — that such preachers and pastors should be raised up in them — yet now, alas, through the devil they have fallen into such wretchedness that they have become murderers' dens and mere outposts of hell, to the ruin and harm of Christendom.

"Now behold, your son does not do only one of such works, but many — indeed, all of them together, and that daily; and, what is best of all, he does them before God; God Himself regards them as such and holds them as dear and as high as has been said, even though men neither recognize nor esteem them; indeed, if the world calls him a heretic, a seducer, a liar, a rebel, that is all the better, and a good sign that he is an upright man and resembles his Lord Christ. For Christ Himself also had to be called a rebel, a murderer, a seducer, and thus was judged and crucified together with murderers. What would it matter to me, if I were a preacher, that the world called me a devil, so long as I know that God calls me His angel? Let the world call me a seducer as long as it likes; meanwhile God calls me His faithful servant and household attendant, the angels call me their companion, the saints call me their brother, the believers call me their father, the wretched souls call me their savior, the ignorant call me their light, and God says Yes to it, that it is so — the angels too, together with all creatures. Ah, how nicely then have the world and the devil deceived me with their slander and reviling? Ah, how much have they gained from me? How great a harm have they done me? — the dear intimacy.

"This, then, has been said concerning the works and wonders that your son performs on behalf of souls, to help against sin, death, and the devil. Beyond this, he also performs, on behalf of the world, nothing but great and mighty works — namely, that he instructs and teaches every estate how they are outwardly to conduct themselves in their offices and estates, so that they may do right before God; he can comfort the sorrowful, give counsel, settle evil matters, correct erring consciences, help maintain peace, reconcile, and mediate, and does works without number, many and daily. For a preacher confirms, strengthens, and helps to maintain all authority and all temporal peace, restrains the rebellious, teaches obedience, morals, discipline, and honor, instructs the office of father, the office of mother, the office of child, the office of servant, and, in sum, all worldly offices and estates. Indeed, even the least good works of a pastor are so exalted and noble that no wise man among all the heathen has ever recognized or understood them, much less been able to perform them; nor has any jurist, any university, foundation, or monastery known of such works, nor are they taught in either spiritual or worldly law. For there is no one who calls such worldly offices great gifts of God or a gracious ordinance, except the Word of God and the preaching office alone, which praises and honors them so highly."

But as to how much the establishment of the holy Gospel and the preaching office has cost, and why it is therefore to be esteemed as high and precious, Dr. M. Luther writes as follows in the same treatise:

"That we have the Gospel and the preaching office — what is this but the blood and sweat of our Lord? For He acquired it through His anguished, bloody sweat, earned it through His blood and cross, and gave it to us as a gift, we having done or given nothing at all for it. Ah, Lord God, how bitterly and sorely it cost Him! Yet how willingly and gladly He did it nonetheless! How much have the dear apostles and all the saints suffered for it, that it might come down even to us! How many of them have been put to death for it in our own time!

"And that I too may boast: how many times have I had to suffer death for it, and it has become so bitterly hard for me, and still is even now, in order that I might serve my Germans in this. But all this is nothing compared to what Christ, the Son of God, our dear heart, has staked upon it; and it seems this office, so dearly purchased by Him, is to earn nothing else among us but that some persecute it, condemn it, revile it, consigning it to all the devils, while others withdraw their hand, neither support pastor nor preacher nor give