FROM THE LIBRARY OF REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON. D. D. BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO THE LIBRARY OF PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY SS(>1 Digitized by tiie Internet Arciiive in 2012 with funding fronn Princeton Theological Seminary Library http://archive.org/details/luthershymnsOOIamb Dr. Martin Luther. From a painting l)y L. Cranach, in possession of G. Gottfried, Leipzig. X I Luther's Hymns BY JAMES F. LAMBERT PASTOR OF ST. PAUL's EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, CATASAUQUA, PENNSYLVANLA WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JOHN A. W. HAAS, D. D., LL.D. PRESIDENT OF MUHLENBERG COLLEGE, ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA ILLUSTRATED PHILADELPHIA GENERAL COUNCIL PUBLICATION HOUSE 1917 Copyright, 1Q17, by James F. Lambert To the loving memory of my sainted friends, Herman and Matilda Kostenbader, consistant Christians, loyal members of St. Paul's Church, Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, interested in the Christian training of our young people, liberal and earnest in their support of the many causes, fostered by our Evangelical Lutheran Church, this volume is most affectionately dedicated by the a u t hor- CONTENTS PAGE Preface xv Introduction xvii Hymnody Before Luther's Time 1-5 In Old Testament Days. In the Ancient Church. The Preparation of Luther 6-8 Estimates of Luther 9-12 Coleridge. Spangenberg. Cariyle. d'Aubigne. Melanchthon. Grimm. Walter. Bacon. Luther's Prefaces 12-15 John Walter's Book, 1525. Funeral Hymns, 1542. Joseph King's Book, 1543. Valentine Babst's Book, 1545. The Letter to Spalatin 15 Initial Publication of Hymns and Revision of Order of Worship 16, 17 Delivery in Manuscript 18 Initial Prints 19-21 The Hymns 25-140 Contemporaneous Hymns 141-144 Hymn Writers of Luther's Time 144-151 Old Musical Settings 151, 152 V ILLUSTRATIONS Dr. Martin Luther Frontispiece PAGE Luther as Choir Boy in Eisenach 8 Doctor of the Holy Scriptures 16 Completion of Luther's Translation of the Bible. . 28 Luther as Preacher 44 Both Elements in the Holy Communion 104 Luther in His Family Circle 124 Luther's Winter Pleasures 144 vu HYMNS PAGE Ach CjOtt vom Himmel sieh darein 51 Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu dir 29 Christ lag in Todesbanden 94 Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam 132 Christum wir sollen loben schon 88 Der du hist Drei in Einigkeit 140 Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot 98 Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott 40 Ein neues Lied wir heben an 25 Erhait uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort 135 Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl 54 Es wollt uns Gott genaedig sein 34 Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ 90 Gott der Vater wohn uns bei 80 Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet 106 Herr Gott, dich loben wir , 112 Jesaia, dem Propheten, das geschah 108 Jesus Christus unser Heiland, der den Tod 97 Jesus Christus unser Heiland, der von uns 103 Komm, Gott Schoepfer, heiliger Geist 64 Komm heiliger Geist, Herre Gott 72 Mensch wilt du leben seliglich 101 Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin 62 Mitten wir im Leben sind 56 Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist 68 Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'lnein 75 Nun komm der Heiden Heiland 85 Sie ist mir lieb, die werthe Magd 126 Vater unser im Himmelreich 119 Verleih uns Frieden gnaediglich 110 Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her 121 Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schaar 130 Waer Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit 36 Was fuercht'st du, Feind Herodes sehr 128 Wir glauben All an einen Gott 82 Wohl dem der in Gottes Furcht steht 38 iz SOURCES OF HYMNS Original Hymns— Ein neues Lied wir heben an. Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort. Jesus Christus unser Heiland, der den Tod. Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein. Themes Inspired by Latin or German Antecedents- Christ lag in Todesbanden. Jesus Christus unser Heiland, der von uns. Verleih uns Frieden gnaediglich. Hymns Developed from Latin Antecedents — Christum wir sollen loben schon. Der du bist Drei in Einigkeit. Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ. Komm Gott Schoepfer, heiliger Geist. Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott. Mitten wir im Leben sind. Nun komm der Heiden Heiland. Was fuercht'st du, Feind Herodes sehr. Amplification of Old German Stanzas — Gott der Vater wohn uns bei. Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet. Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist. Hymn of Greek Origin. — Herr Gott, dich loben wir. Psalm Hymns — Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein, Ps. 12. Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu dir, Ps. 130. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, Ps. 46. Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl, Ps. 14. Es wollt uns Gott genaedig sein, Ps. 67. Waer Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit, Ps. 124. Wohl dem der in Gottes Furcht steht, Ps. 128. xi XU SOURCES OF HYMNS Hymns Based on Parts of the Scriptures — Jesaia, dem Propheten, das geschah, Isaiah 6 : 1-4. Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, St. Luke 2 : 29-32. Sie ist mir lieb die werthe Magd, Rev. 12 : 1-6. Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her, St. Luke 2 : 8-12. Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schaar, St. Luke 2 : 10, 11. Catechism Hymns — Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan Kam. Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot. Mensch, willt du leben seliglich. Wir glauben All an einen Gott. Vater unser im Himmelreich. HYMNS ADAPTED Advent— Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein. Nun komm der Heiden Heiland. Gelobet seist du. Jesu Christ. Christmas— Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her. Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schaar. Christum wir sollen loben schon. Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ. Nun komm der Heiden Heiland. Epiphany— Was fuercht'st du, Feind Herodes sehr. Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ. Easter— Christ lag in Todesbanden. Jesus Christus unser Heiland, der den Tod, Pentecost — Komm heiliger Geist, Herre Gott. Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist. Komm, Gott Schoepfer, heiliger Geist. Trinity — Gott der Vater wohn uns bei. Der du bist Drei in Einigkeit. Cqmmandments — Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot. Mensch wilt du leben seligHch. Creed— Wir glauben All an einen Gott. Prayer — Vater unser im Himmelreich. Baptism — Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam. Confession — Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu dir. xiii XIV HYMNS ADAPTED Communion— Jesus Christus unser Heiland, der von uns. Post Communion— Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet. Home and Family (Wedding) — Wohl dem der in Gottes Furcht steht. The Church — Sie ist mir lieb, die werthe Magd. Word of God — Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein. Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl. Waer Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit. Public Worship — Der du bist Drei in Einigkeit. Gott der Vater wohn uns bei. Closing Hymns and Hymns for Peace — Verleih uns Frieden gnaediglich. Es wollt uns Gott genaedig sein. Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort. Reformation — Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott. Ein neues Lied wir heben an. Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein. Missionary— Es wollt uns Gott genaedig sein. Te Deum— Herr Gott, dich loben wir. Sanctus — Jesaia, dem Propheten, das geschah. The Dying— Mitten wir im Leben sind. Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin. Martyr Hymns — Ein neues Lied wir heben an. Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist. Komm heiliger Geist, Herre Gott. Wir glauben All an einen Gott. PREFACE The mission of this book is to offer to the English reader an outline survey of Hymnody from the earliest days of Jewish devotions to and including the Reformation era. It presents natural endowments and acquired qualifications of Dr. Martin Luther as a lyric poet of renown, testimonials of Luther's gifts and industry in poesy, by well known and competent men of his time, and a study of the hymns credited to him. It strives to offer facts, in agreement with the consensus of the most proficient authorities, without launching so far upon the troubled waters of doubts and cavils, concerning the making of the hymns, that read- ing becomes monotonous and bewildering to the average intelligent and interested inquirer. Cross-references and notes are, therefore, deUber- ately omitted. Material for a historical work is necessarily compiled from tradi- tions, records and writings of those who have lived in former days. The author of this book modestly begs to acknowledge the encourage- ment and valuable assistance accorded him, in this work, by his friend and former preceptor, the Rev. Prof. Wm. Wackernagel, D.D. A Bohemian Hymn Book published, 1566, for the ''Reformed people of the German Nation," served the author as a constant monitor in writ- ing the German text of the hymns and indicating the value and quantity of the notes in his transposition of melodies. The German text is given in many of the older forms of expression and orthography in order, more accurately, to convey the thought of the lines written by Luther, and to show the development of German diction in modem composi- tion. The key to most of the tunes is taken from alphabetical indices given in Fischer's KirchenKeder-Lexicon. Many melodies grate upon the modern musical ear; but a close student will easily find a deep, devotional sentiment pervading most of the old tunes. A recasting and harmonization of them, according to present-day notations, would render nearly all of the tunes very pleasing, as well as devotional. The German book, alluded to, was presented to the author by his mother who, in her childhood, received it as a gift from Mrs. Elizabeth Rieser, then a lady above ninety years of age, and living near DilHngersville, Pa. XVI PREFACE The expression, "Translations] * ^ ^^ [," shows by the appended figures the number of translations in different languages, of the respective hymns, that have come into common or general use among hymnologists and those that have merited recognition but are not generally quoted. In certain instances some scholars may claim knowledge of more trans- lations than the figures suggest. The figures given are those attested to by the majority of authorities and are safe because they are guarded by conservatism. Where the translator of the English text of the hymns is not indi- cated, it may be remembered that said translation was taken from the works of Richard Massie. It is quite evident that a number of translations might be greatly improved by a revision, but the author, at this time, feels himself unable to sketch placid rhythms upon the muse's lyre. May those with finer gifts tune their golden chords to celestial strains, and enrich our literature by their poesy. Most of the books studied by the author were loaned him by the Rev. Prof. Luther D. Reed, D.D., Librarian of the Krauth Memorial Library at the Phila- delphia Seminary: Liedergeschichten, by William Wackernagel; Kirchen- lieder-Lexicon, by Albert Frederick William Fischer; Unsere Kirchen- liederdichter, by William Nelle; Das Evangelische Kirchenhed, by John Westphal; Christian Singers of Germany, by Catherine Winkworth; Luthers geisthche Lieder, by William Schircks; Studien zu Luthers Liedern, by Frederick Spitta; Martin Luthers geistliche Lieder, by Philipp Wackernagel; Dictionary of Hymnology, by John JuHan; The Hymns of Luther, by Bacon and Allen; Martin Luthers geistliche Lieder, by Frederick Klippgen; Martin Luthers geisthche Lieder, by Albert Leitzmann; Geschichte des Kirchenlieds, by Eduard Emil Koch; and Luthers Werke, Vol. 8, by Dr. Buchwald and others. That this volume may be kindly received by critics and profitably read by all, especially by our young people, is the modest hope and wish of its author. That it may be a helpful factor in maintaining and furthering the divine element in worship, and that it may glorify the Father and bring many souls to Christ, is his sincere prayer. J. F. L. Catasauqua, Pa., Easter, 1917. INTRODUCTION Song has always resounded in all ages of the Church, but it took on a new power and exhibited a new joy in the days of the Reformation. A new song burst forth from the glad hearts that tasted the blessedness of Evangelical faith. The freedom of faith and the assurance of grace moved the gifted singers of the Lord to attune their harps and to raise their voices. The motive of Evangelical hymnody is to be found in the new light and the new life of faith in the Christ. There w^as an adequate ex- perience to inspire creative art in song. The Reformation gave us new hymns as it gave us so much that was new through which it profoundly changed all living. But the new song was not revolutionary. What- ever was true and beautiful in the worship and hymnody of the Church was preserved. The song of the Reformation was in unity with all the hymnody that had preceded. The hymns of the Reformation are truly universal. Their universality impresses us when we look back from them to all preceding Christian songs. They are also universal in their religious value and Evangelical meaning for all time. The great Reformer, Martin Luther, was the father of Evangelical song. In the large and manifold endowment of his nature and in the breadth of his genius music was not wanting. In fact, Luther was a musician and a lover of song. He had a soul for music, and possessed a temperament for deep appreciation of the art of melody and harmony. Song burst from his soul, and he was also gifted with the power of the poet. Thus the hymn and its music often arose in unity, although other composers, like Walter, often clothed Luther's hymns with expressive melody. In Luther's hymns there appears the full message of the Gospel. They were a mighty aid in the spread of the Reformation, and through them the Evangelical truth sang its way into the hearts of the people. The whole Luther in all his inwardness appears in his hymns. They are in part the story of his spirit. Strong, triumphant, forceful, they con- tain the note of conquering faith and hope. In their might they dash along like an irresistible mountain stream. Through them we are in- spired to the heroism of Christian confession and to a spiritual warfare against error and sin. But there are also hymns, like the famous Christ- xvii XVin INTRODUCTION mas hymn ''Vom Himmel hoch," which breathe the spirit of gentle love and childlike confidence. They mirror the quiet moments of Luther's Hfe and show the inner peace amidst the continuous strife. In them the tossing waves have been gathered for a time into a placid pool. Luther's hymns have, therefore, a real value for the understanding of the life and faith of the great Reformer. But, in addition, they belong to the Church universal, and they have inspired subsequent sweet singers of Evangelical faith. Their place in the hymnody of the Church cannot be slighted by any unprejudiced student of hymnody, and by any Christian who loves the songs of the sanctuary. The author of this book has, consequently, rendered a valuable service to all lovers of Christian hymns in giving to the Church and to the common people of the Church this new and beautiful edition of Luther's hymns. A busy pastor with the many burdens of a large parish upon him, he has nevertheless found time for this labor of love, which he offers to the Church in order to give a larger knowledge of the great Reformer, and to aid in enkindling devotion. It was not his purpose to produce a book for scholars, but rather to use the best results of scholarship and to give them to the people. A difficult task has been undertaken in the translation of Luther's hymns into English. Fidelity to the original sense rather than a finished translation marks most hymns, which were not available through the labors of great translators like Miss Winkworth. The Enghsh form of the hymns is, therefore, not to be judged from a literary point of view and because of a Hterary value, but the translation is to serve as a guide to those who do not readily understand the original, rugged German. In the history of the h3rmns, and in the description of incidents which relate the blessing they have brought to believers, the author has given to Eng- lish Christians something of permanent value. Too few Christians un- acquainted with the history of our great chorals know that they have become a spiritual treasure to thousands of souls. The incidents related of what they have done and how they have inspired and comforted men are only typical of their extensive value to the Christian life of behevers. May the Lord bless this volume to many souls for their spiritual nurture, and use it for the edification of their hearts and minds in our most sacred faith! John A. W. Haas. LUTHER'S HYMNS HYMNODY BEFORE LUTHER'S TIME In Old Testament Days n^HE primeval song of praise by God's chosen people, first re-echoed along the shores of the Red Sea. Moses and his followers sang praises unto the Lord for their miraculous rescue from the Egyptian house of bondage. Their song was accompanied by the harp and timbrel. Exodus 15. The next sacred song of the wandering period of Israel breathed the prayer of Moses, the man of God, and began with the strains, *'Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations!" He speaks in melancholy tones of the frailty of human life, and establishes himself upon the mercy of God who is from everlasting to everlasting. Psalm 90. The third song of record was the swan-song of Moses, sung while the gentle zephyrs of the eternal world played about him. The trust- worthy servant of Jehovah bid farewell to his people, and sang before the whole congregation this majestic hymn, "Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth." Deute- ronomy 32. Sacred poetry and the art of music flourished uninterruptedly from the days of Moses unto David; and the maidens of Israel, chiefly, sang unto the Lord and glorified his mighty acts, as well as the deeds of heroes who strove for his name. The art of poetry was nurtured in Rama, in the school of the prophets under Samuel. As in the days of our German ancestors, so the students of ancient days wandered with harps, from place to place, and recited sacred incidents in song. 1 Chron. 16. The flower of sacred poetry developed into a magnificent and widely fragrant rose during the days of the royal harpist, David. All ages are indebted to him for the hymn-book of the Psalter. He was the creator of the beautiful Order of Worship then in use. Services were rendered unto the Lord, the God of Israel, continuously in the tabernacle; but the long years of wandering, and the war-times of the Judges, forbad the 2 LUTHER'S HYMNS spreading of its delights. Since the days when David brought the Ark and the tents of the tabernacle to Jerusalem 4000 men, of the tribe of Levi, were appointed to the spacious enclosure of the Holy Place, as singers and musicians for the choral service. The Psalms, which issued from the king's heart, first on Zion's holy hill, flowed on through the lips of singers among the people gathered in the outer court. The Levites were divided into two choirs which sang the Psalms responsively. The united choirs joined in a full chorus, either at the beginning or the close of the Psalm and the multidude sang the" Amen " and ''Hallelujah." The word ''Selah," which occurs 71 times in the Psalter, is supposed, by some, to signify "Rise'' or "Lift up, " and gave direction to the musicians, who had hitherto been playing a soft accompaniment, now to strike in with loud music, with trumpets and cymbals, whilst the singers' voice was hushed. According to the opinion of others it means "Lift up your benediction" and refers to a doxology "sung after every Psalm, and section of a Psalm, which for any liturgical reason was separated from a section which followed. " King Solomon, The Wise, increased the number of singers and in- stituted new measures for beautif3dng the worship of the temple. Here, no less than in his palace, everything had to be done in a grand and stately manner. Solomon's temple was one of the wonders of the world; but his glory soon fell into the dust, through the apostasy of Israel. In the second temple, which was greatly inferior to the first, the choir was in daily service. At the morning sacrifice eleven Levites, with their harps and zithers, stood beside the priests who blew trumpets upon the steps before the court of the priests. At the foot of the stairs stood an equal number of Levitical boys who sang the daily Psalms with the men. The chief selection of Psalms was composed of the 24th, 48th, 82d, 94th, 81st, 93d and 92d. Additional Psalms were sung on festival occasions; and, in addition to the stringed instruments, flutes and cymbals were heard. The congregation joined in singing the " Amen " and "Hallelu- jah" only. In the schools, synagogues, the Psalms were read or sung in a recita- tive manner. Singing, in the Temple, was not after the manner of an ascending and descending scale; it was, rather, a speaking in a monotone where at the end of the verse the voice rose or fell. The instrumental accompaniment was very simple and inharmonic. Substance was of more value, to the ancients, than form. With us the case is reversed, and that not altogether to our advantage or credit. The Child Jesus, undoubtedly, missed no services in the Temple dur- Luther's hymns 3 ing his first visit to Jerusalem; and he joined, with a blessed delight, in the ''Amens " and '' Hallelujahs." The Gospels however mention but one occasion when Jesus sang. As host, during the institution of the Sacra- ment of the Altar, in the night in which he was betrayed, he began the hymn. Two Psalms, chosen from Psalms 115-118, were sung, before and after the feast, no doubt after the manner of the responsive song of the Temple. It is not likely that Jesus and his disciples spoke, recited, the Psalm in a monotone. Since the days of David, the Levitical choirs used seven or nine Psalm- tones. The sweet tone, ''How hast thou loved us. Lord Jesus, Son of God," vibrates for us, children of the New Covenant, as well as for the faithful of the Old, through all the Psalms, however much they differ. In the Ancient Chuuch A BOUT a century after the birth of Christ, Pliny wrote his famous letter, concerning the Christians, to Trajan, the Roman Emperor. He spoke of the congregation of the Christians, and related how they were accustomed to sing in common. Thus the faithful obeyed the Apostle's admonition to the congregations in Ephesus, Eph. 5 : 19, and Colossse, Col. 3 : 16. They sang and made melody unto the Lord, in their hearts, and taught and edified each other with Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch (f 117), introduced responsive song. The song of the angels, on Christmas night, must have been reduced to a hymn, and amplified, shortly after this time. Church history shows that the ''Great Gloria" was known in the oldest of the oriental churches, and was sung in the matins of their daily house- congregations ; while at the same time the Hymn of Mary, the Magnificat, and "Lord God, we praise Thee," were used as vesper hymns. This was introduced in the occidental Church, in about 360, by Bishop Hilary of Poitiers. Hilary is called the father of Latin hymnology; and his h3mins were sung by Christians generally. A quarter of a century later, the Te Deum, "Lord God, we praise Thee," was sung at Milan. It was translated from the Greek by St. Ambrose who introduced the Greek system of music into the great church of Milan in 386. Ambrose and the Spaniard, Prudentius, composed a number of hymns, all of which found their way into the Church. The Psalms were also diligently sung, mostly in a responsive manner, and according to a more pleasing melody than was used by ancient Israel. Men and women in the church were divided into choirs which sang responsively; or a deacon sang the anti- 4 Luther's hymns phone to which the whole choir responded. Prominent and God-fearing men like Chrysostom, Basil and St. Augustine, were diligent patrons and tutors of congregational singing. Choirs were organized everywhere. Bishop Sylvester of Rome conducted a choral-school, in the beginning of the 4th century, which was patronized and supported by the State Church. During the lapse of time a worldly-minded clergy gilded the exterior of the Church, but robbed it of its soul, whence the former purity and simplicity of congregational singing fell away. Pope Gregory The Great, who ascended the papal chair in 590, devoted his extraordinary abilities and energy to securing the unity and independence of the Church. He introduced a new Order which rendered singing more spiritual and more estimable; but it banished congregational singing entirely from the Church and substituted choir singing in its place. Henceforth the Gregorian Chant, composed of twelve tones, and notes of equal length, had to be sung in unison. Gregory opened a large singing school and directed that everywhere in the occidental Church, even as in Rome, singing should be practised. He required, of the clergy, ability to sing well, and refused to admit, to the priesthood, applicants inexperienced in this art. The Gregorian Chant was introduced into England at an early date. In Germany it gained great favor through the elfforts of Charlemagne (742-814). He established singing-schools, personally taught the choir- boys in the Court church, and prescribed the practice of music as a learned art for the Cloister Schools at Fulda, Reichenau, St. Gall and other places. At about this time the organ was introduced into Germany. It was a very simple affair and was equipped with only a few keys that had to be struck with the fist. However solemn the singing of the choir may have been, the congregation was necessarily silent, since the psalms and hymns were written in the Latin language. Men sang the words they understood. The ''Amen," "Hallelujah," ''Kyrie Eleison," sung by the choir, or intoned by the officiating priest, were repeated by the congregation like a mighty echo. German Christians, however, could not remain entirely mute. On high festival occasions, or during pilgrimages, spiritual songs and hymns were sung in their beloved mother tongue. The hymn, "Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist," later amplified by Luther, was sung already in 1250. A little later the Easter stanza, "Christ ist erstanden," became known. "Gelobet seist du Jesu Christ" was sung at Christmas Matins in about 1450. Besides these a large number of hymns to the Virgin Luther's hymns 5 Mary, and the saints, was produced. German pilgrims to the graves of the Apostles and saints in Rome were known already in 1220. They sang their songs of praise, to the glory of God and the saints, at the portals of churches. During the days of the pestilence of 1348, the Flagellants moved in great companies through the country singing penitential hymns. In the oriental Church sacred song *was fostered with great diligence. Musical instruments were not in use, not even organs. When Russia assented to Christianity (a. d. 870), the grand-dukes brought singers from Greece and Bulgaria and estabUshed a singing-school in the Cavern Cloister at Kiev. The Russian Church substituted polyphonic male- choir singing for the unison Gregorian Chant, and retains this manner and method to the present time. In Russia, as in Greece, the people remain silent in church, while without her sacred portals they sing many sacred songs. Their allied nations, the Bohemians and Moravians, fared better than the Russians. They prevented the introduction of Latin, as an ecclesiastical language, for centuries; and when, finally, they wxre com- pelled to yield to it, the people still sang sacred songs, in their native tongue, without the church. When John Huss began reformatory movements in Bohemia, he first collected old hymns, still familiar to the people, and introduced them into the services of the church. When, at the close of the terrible Hussite War, the Church of Rome again gained supremacy over the Bohemians, the congregations of Moravian and Bo- hemian Brethren retained their h^mns, and sang their creed in concert. The hymns of the latter contain a peculiarly fervent and thoughtful strain; their melodies have an extremely pleasing and ennobling tone. Michael Weiss, pastor of congregations in Landskron and Fulneck, published, 1531, a German hymn-book containing 155 hymns, most of which are translations from the Bohemian. The most familiar of these, "Nun lasst uns den Leib begraben," he took from Prudentius. Luther recast it into a smoother and more readable form. The Bohemian Brethren, as members of the musically proficient Slavonian race, were extremely fond of singing. The Bohemians and Russians, Greeks and Romans, the peoples of Asia Minor, and the ancient IsraeHtes, all com- bine to form the grand and exalted portals that swing before the halls of sacred song and upon whose threshold stands the father of German hymnology. Doctor Martin Luther. LUTHER S HYMNS The Preparation of Luther pOETRY is sublime thought expressed in chaste metrical style. He who versifies the Psalms of David, the sweet singer of Israel, and gives utterance to the Gospel thoughts of love, life and hope, in metrical form, intones not only the sublime but far more the divine. When kings have failed and empires fallen, the kingdom of our God rises out of the ruins, clear of every fault, so that, as a bride, she may be in the glory of her Lord forever. The rhythmic form of expression, when words flow smoothly on, appeals most strongly to the human heart and mind. Thoughts thus imbibed linger longest, if e'er they be forgot. But tones as well as words vibrate on in constant re-echoing strains. Poetry adapted to music, or harmonies breathing tender strains of thought that flow like placid waters through every verse, set to words, is twice made poetry. Luther was fond of poetry and music, and was a master of the German tongue. Long before Shakespeare wrote his famous passage about *'The man that hath no music in himself," Luther said, "There is no doubt that many seeds of splendid virtues are to be found in such souls as are stirred by music; and those who have no feeling for it I hold no better than stocks and stones. If any man despises music, as all fanatics do, for him I have no liking; for music is a gift and grace of God, not an invention of men. Thus it drives out the devil and makes people cheerful. Then one forgets all wrath, impurity, sycophancy and other vices. ... I give music the highest and most honorable place; and every one knows how David and all the saints put their divine thoughts into verse, rhyme and song." That God began to train Luther's soul for this high and fine art, early in life, is seen in his student day experiences. The childhood train- ing by his mother who taught him the Ten Commandments, the Creed and the Lord's Prayer, was supplemented by the elementary schools of Mansfeld where he acquired knowledge of the Psalter, and of a number of the classical hymns which, in future years, he translated, amplified and adapted to popular use. At Magdeburg, as a lad of fourteen years, thrown upon his own resources for support, he sang for alms at the win- dows of the wealthier citizens. Wenceslaus Link, his subsequent co- laborer, was among his comrades. This mode of obtaining a livelihood had been rendered respectable by the example of the mendicant friars who had exalted poverty to the rank of a virtue. His parents preferred that he should not remain among entire strangers, and so transferred him, 1498, to the school in Eisenach, the home of his mother's family, Luther's hymns 7 who, however, could aid him but little. He, therefore, continued to sing for his support. Attracted by the open countenance and sweet voice of the boy, Madam Ursula Cotta, the wife of a leading merchant of the town, invited him into her house, and ultimately gave him a home for the rest of his school days in Eisenach. The Eisenach school brought him under the influence of a great and good man, his teacher, John Trebonius, in whom learning and courtesy were well blended. His home in the Cotta family brought him into close relations with the Order of the Franciscans for whom an institution, in this neighborhood, had been founded and endowed, by the Shalbe family, from which Madam Cotta came. His growing intimacy with an Eisenach priest, John Braun, also furthered his religious development, at this time. The monastic experiences of Luther served as another important element in his preparation for a great work. He invited his most inti- mate friends, July 16, 1505, to spend the evening with him, as he believed, for the last time on earth; for he was resolved to fulfil his vow to become a monk. This, he beheved, was to be the last occasion on which he might enjoy music and song. But it only revealed an interesting paradox in his life. "He who could sing and play over the prospect of renouncing singing and playing, for Christ's sake, was to find, hereafter, that Christ was to be honoured by song and music rather than by silence, and by social intercourse and contact with the world rather than by seclusion." To amend abuses and enforce the requirements of a stricter life, a "special congregation" was organized within the Order, to which the Augustin- ians of Saxony belonged. A new duty of the "special congregation" was that of a diligent study of the Sacred Scriptures. Matthesius reports how diligently Luther studied the Psalms and the Epistles to the Romans and the Hebrews, carefully considering each sentence word by word. He spent a great deal of time in the daily services of the cloister. He was so attentive to every duty that his instructor, Natin, declared to a cloister of nuns, at Muelhausen, that he was a "model of holiness. " Melanchthon says, " In all the exercises of lessons, discussions, fastings, prayers, Luther far surpassed all." Luther himself says, "If a monk ever could have gone to heaven by his observance of monastic vows, I would have been the one." His mind and intellect also were thoroughly trained and cultivated for his high calling, by the schools he attended and the studies he pursued. At the University of Erfurt he was under the instruction of two most noted philosophical scholars, Jodocus Trutvetter of Eisenach and Bar- tholomew Arnoldi of Usingen. The writings of William Occam, Peter 8 Luther's hymns D'Ailly, John Gerson and Gabriel Biel, constituted text-books of this period. He received his degree of Bachelor of Arts on September 29, 1502; and on Epiphany, 1505, he was graduated with the degree of Master of Arts. His piety, during his student days, is attested by Matthesius, his pupil and intimate friend, who says Luther began each day's labor with prayer, according to his motto: ''Bene orasse est bene studuisse, " to have prayed well is to have studied well. Matthesius also spoke of the delight with which he read the Bible, a Latin copy of which he found in the university library. He was ordained to the priesthood and celebrated his first Mass on Cantate Sunday, May 2, 1507. He then actually believed that his words brought the body and blood of his Lord to the altar, which caused him great trepidation. On the 9th of March, 1509, he became a Bache- lor of Theology; and on the 19th of October, 1512, he received the de- gree of Doctor of the Holy Scriptures. This opened to him the sphere of his heart's desire. He studied hard, and by his masterly lectures at- tracted great attention. The celebrated Mellerstadt, then rector of the university, often said of him: "This monk will confound all the doctors, introduce a new doctrine and reform the Romish Church; for he devotes himself to the writings of the Prophets and Apostles, and takes his position upon the Word of Jesus Christ, which no man is able to refute or overthrow with philosophy or sophistry." The humanist, Mosellanus, said, "He has a soft, clear voice, great learning, and is so intimate with the Sacred Scriptures that he knows them almost by heart. He is sufficiently acquainted with Greek and Latin to determine all sorts of Biblical commentary. In con- versation he is copious and varied, a very forest of words and of matter. He is easy, polished and never pedantic. In controversy he is defiant and incisive, as a theologian ought to be." Endowed with a high order of sentiment and great knowledge, Martin Luther was prepared to present two great works to the com- mon people: a vernacular Bible and vernacular worship; so that, by the one, God might speak directly to the people, and through the other, the people might speak directly to God. Luther's German translation of the Bible, and his hymns, awoke^a new Hfe in the Churches of the Refor- mation and created a new German nationality. r. r, < c 3 Estimates of Luther gAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE says, ''Luther did as much for the Reformation by his hymns as by his translation of the Bible. In Germany, his hymns are known, by heart, by every peasant; they advise, they argue from the hymns, and every soul in the Church praises God Hke a Christian, with words which are natural and yet sacred to the mind." CPANGENBERG, in his preface to the Cithara Lutheri, 1545, wrote, "One must certainly let this be true, and remain true, that among all master singers, from the days of the Apostles until now, Luther is and always will be the best and most accompHshed. In his hymns and songs one does not find a vain or needless word. All flows and falls in the sweetest and neatest manner, full of spirit and doctrine, so that his every word gives outright a sermon of his own, or at least a singular reminiscence. There is nothing forced, nothing foisted or patched-up, nothing fragmentary. The rhymes are easy and good, the words choice and proper, the meaning clear and intelligible, the melodies lovely and hearty, and, in short, all is so rare and majestic, so full of pith and power, so cheer- ing and comforting that, forsooth, you will not find his equal, much less his master.'* npHE words of Thomas Carlyle are emphatic: "The great Reformer's love of music and poetry, it has often been remarked, is one of the most significant features in his character. But, indeed, if every great man is intrinsically a poet, an idealist, with more or less completeness of utterance, which of all our great men, in these modern ages, had such an endowment in that kind as Luther? He it was, emphatically, who stood based on the spiritual world of man, and only by the footing and power he had obtained there, could work such changes in the material world. As a participant in, and dispenser of divine influence, he shows himself, among human affairs, a true connecting medium, and visible messenger, between heaven and earth; a man, therefore, not only per- mitted to enter the sphere of poetry but to dwell in the purest centre thereof, — perhaps the most inspired of all teachers since the Apostles. Unhappily or hap- pily, Luther's poetic feeling did not so much learn to express itself in fit words that take captive every ear, as in fit actions wherein, truly under still more im- pressive manifestations, the spirit of spheral melody resides and still audibly addresses us. In his written poems we find little save the strength of one 'whose words,' says Richter, 'were half battles,' little of that still harmony and blending softness of union which is the last perfection of strength, less of it than even his conduct manifested. With words he had not learned to make music; it was by deeds of love, or heroic valor, that he spoke freely. Nevertheless, though in im- perfect articulation, the same voice, if we listen well, is to be heard also in his writings, in his poems. The hymn, 'Ein feste Burg,' universally regarded as the best, jars upon our ears; yet there is something in it hke the sound of Alpine ava- lanches, or the first murmur of earthquakes, in the very vastness of which dissonance a higher unison is revealed to us. Luther wrote this hymn in times of blackest lo Luther's hymns threatenings which, however, could in no sense become a time of despair. In these tones, rugged and broken as they are, we hear the accents of that sum- moned man who answered his friends' warning not to enter Worms, in this wise: 'Were there as many devils in Worms as these tiles on the roofs, I would on/ we hear the accents of him who alone in that assemblage, before all emperors and principalities and powers, spoke forth these final and forever memorable words: *It is neither safe nor prudent to do aught against conscience. Till such time as either by proofs from Holy Scripture, or by fair reason or argument, I have been confuted or convicted, I can not and will not recant. Here I stand, I can not do otherwise, God be my help, Amen.' It is evident enough that to this man all popes, cardinals, emperors, devils, all hosts and nations, were but weak, weak as the forest, with all its strong trees, might be to the smallest spark of electric fire." TN the third volume of his History of the Reformation, Dr. Merle d'Aubign^ writes: ''The Church was no longer composed of priests and monks; it was now the congregation of beUevers. All were to take part in worship; and the chanting of the clergy was to be succeeded by the psalmody of the people. Luther, accordingly, in translating the Psalms, thought of adapting them to be sung by the Church. Thus a taste for music was diffused throughout the nation. From Luther's time the people sang, and the Bible inspired their songs. Poetry received the same impulse. In celebrating the praises of God, the people could not limit them- selves to mere translations of ancient anthems. The souls of Luther and several of his contemporaries, elevated by their faith to thoughts, the most sublime, excited to enthusiasm by the struggles and dangers by which the Church, from her birth, was unceasingly threatened, inspired by the poetic genius of the Old Testament, and the faith of the New, ere long gave vent to their feelings in hymns, in which all that is heavenly in poetry and music was united and blended. Hence the revival, in the 16th century, of hymns, such as in the first century used to cheer the martyrs in their sufferings. We have seen Luther, in 1523, employ it to cele- brate the martyrs of Brussels. Other children of the Reformation followed in his footsteps; hymns were multiplied, spread rapidly among the people, and power- fully contributed to rouse them from sleep." '\\/'HILE Philip Melanchthon stood beholding a picture of Luther, on a certain occasion, he musingly said, "Fulmina erant singula verba tua," thy individual words are thunderbolts. JACOB GRIMM says, "Luther has made use of his mother tongue with such force, purity and beauty, that his style, from its powerful influence on our whole language, must be con- sidered to have been the germ and laid the basis of the modern High German Language from which, up to the present day, but few deviations have taken place, and those mostly to the detriment of its force and expressiveness." LUTHER S HYMNS II pROBABLY the most direct testimony to Luther's efforts, as a com- poser of music, is given in a letter by the composer, John Walter, Capellmeister to the Elector of Bavaria, written in his old age for the express purpose of embodying his reminiscences of his illustrious friend, as a church musician : 'It is to my certain knowledge," Walter writes, "that that holy man of God, Luther, prophet and apostle to the German nation, took great deUght in music, both in choral and figural composition. I spent many a delightful hour with him in singing; and ofttimes I have seen the dear man wax so happy, and merry in heart, over the singing that it is well nigh impossible to weary or content him therewithal!. And his discourse concerning music was most noble. *'Some forty years ago, when he would set up the German Mass at Witten- berg, he wrote to the Elector of Saxony and Duke John, of illustrious memory, begging to invite to Wittenberg the old musician, Conrad Rupfli, and myself, to consult with him about the character and proper notation of the Eight Tones; and he finally himself decided to appropriate the Eighth Tone to the Epistle, and the Sixth Tone to the Gospel, saying, 'Our Lord, Christ, is a good friend, and his words are full of loVe, therefore we will take the Sixth Tone for the Gospel. And, since St. Paul is a very earnest apostle, we will set the Eighth Tone to the Epistle.' So he himself wrote the notes over the Epistles and Gospels and over the Words of the Institution of the true Body and Blood of Christ, and sang them before me in order to obtain my opinion regarding them. He detained me at Wittenberg for three wrecks, until he had written the notes over some of the Gospels and Epistles, and the first German Mass was sung in the parish church. He insisted that I should remain and hear it sung; and take with me a copy of the Mass to Torgau and present it to His Grace, the Elector, from Doctor Luther. ''Furthermore, he gave orders to re-establish the Vespers, which, in many places, had fallen into disuse, with short, plain choral hymns for the students and boys; and that the charity-scholars, collecting their bread, should sing, from door to door, Latin hymns, anthems and responses appropriate to the season. It did not please him to have the scholars sing nothing but German songs in the streets. . . . The most profitable songs for the common people are the plain Psalms and hymns, both Luther's and earlier compositions; but Latin songs are useful for the learned and for students. We see, and hear, and clearly apprehend, how the Holy Ghost wrought in the authors of the Latin hymns, and in Luther who in our time has been foremost in writing German choral hymns, and setting them to tunes. The German Sanctus, 'Jesaia dem Propheten das geschah,' shows how masterly and well he fitted all the notes to the text, according to the correct accent and concent. At that time, I was moved to ask him how or where he acquired this composition, whereupon the dear man laughed at my simplicity and said, *I learned this from the poet Virgil who has the power so artfully to adapt his verses and words to the story he is telling; in like manner as the text of music must control all its notes and melodies.' " 12 Luther's hymns LEONARD WOOLSEY BACON'S book, which appeared in connec- tion with the quarto-centennial celebration of Luther's birth, 1883, contains a testimony of Sleiden, the historian nearly contemporary with Luther, concerning ^'Ein feste Burg," that Luther made for it a tune singularly suited to the words, and adapted to stir the heart. If ever hymn and tune told their own story, and showed a common and simul- taneous origin, without need of confirmation by external evidence, it is these: ''To an extent quite without parallel in the history of music, the power of Luther's tunes, as well as his words, is manifest, after three centuries, over the masters of the art, as well as over the common people. This is peculiarly true of the great 'Ein feste Burg' which, it was not vainly predicted, would again be heard in Europe in like manner as of old. The composers of the 16th and 17th centuries practiced their elaborate artifices upon it. The supreme genius of Sebastian Bach made it the subject of study. In our own times, it has been used with conspicuous effect in Mendelssohn's Reformation Symphony, in an overture by Raff, in the noble Fest-overture of Nicolai, and in Wagner's Kaisermarsch, written to commemorate the return of Emperor William I, 1871, after the Franco- German war, and is introduced with recurring emphasis in Meyerbeer's master- piece of the Huguenots." When the question of some stirring anthem, for the opening of the great World's Fair in Chicago, 1893, arose, it was resolved unanimously, after a thorough survey of all the material at hand, that Luther's Battle Hymn, ^'Ein feste Burg," was the only hymn that could stand the strain, and meet the spirit of enthusiasm then felt. *'Ein feste Burg" is one of the favorite hymns of the German army, and people, in the present European struggle. Luther's Prefaces TN his preface to the collection of hymns by John Walter, 1525, Luther says, "That it is good and pleasing to God for us to sing spiritual songs is, I think, a truth whereof no Christian can be ignorant, since not only the example of the prophets and kings of the Old Testament who praised God with singing and music, poesy and all kinds of stringed instruments, but also the like practice of all Christen- dom from the beginning, especially in respect to Psalms, is well known to every one. Yea, St. Paul doth also appoint the same, 1 Cor. 14, and command the Colossians, in the third chapter, to sing spiritual songs and Psalms, from the heart, unto the Lord, that thereby the Word of God, and Christian doctrine, be in every way furthered and practiced. "Accordingly, to make a good beginning, and to encourage others who can do it better, I, and a few associates, have put together a few, in order to bring into full play the blessed Gospel which, by God's grace, again hath risen: that we may Luther's hymns 13 boast, as Moses doth, in his song, Ex. 15, that Christ is become our praise and our song, and that, whether we sing or speak, we may not know anything save Christ, our Saviour, as also St. Paul saith in 1 Cor. 2. "These hymns have been set in four parts for no other reason than that I wished to provide our young people, who both will and ought to be instructed in music and other sciences, with something whereby they might rid themselves of amorous and carnal songs, and, in their stead, learn something wholesome, and so apply themselves to what is good, with pleasure, as becometh the young. "Besides this, I am not of the opinion that all sciences should be beaten down and made to cease by the Gospel, as some fanatics pretend, but I would fain see all the arts, and music, in particular, used in the service of him who hath given and created them. Therefore I entreat every pious Christian to give a favorable reception to these hymns, and to help forward my undertaking, according as God hath given him more or less ability. The world is, alas, not so mindful and dili- gent to train and teach our poor youth, wherefore we ought to be forward to pro- mote the same. God grant us his grace. Amen." TN his preface to a collection of funeral hymns, 1542, Luther says, "St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians that they should not sorrow for the dead as others that have no hope, but should comfort one another with God's Word, as those who have a sure hope of life and of the resurrection of the dead. "For that they should sorrow that have no hope is not to be wondered at, nor indeed are they to be blamed for it, since, being shut out from the faith of Christ, they must either regard and love this present life only and be loth to lose it, or, following this life, look for eternal death, and the wrath of God, in hell, and be unwilling to go there. "But we Christians, who have been redeemed from all this, by the precious blood of the Son of God, should exercise and wont ourselves in faith to despise death, to look upon it as a deep, sound, sweet sleep, the coffin as no other than the bosom of our Lord, Christ, or paradise, and the grave nought but a soft couch of rest; as indeed it is in the sight of God, as he saith in St. John 11, 'Our friend, Lazarus, sleepeth'; and in St. Matthew 9, 'The maid is not dead but sleepeth.' * * * "Accordingly we have, in our churches, abolished, done away, and out and out made an end of the popish horrors, such as wakes, masses for the soul, ob- sequies, purgatory, and all other mummeries for the dead, and will no longer have our churches turned into wailing places and houses of mourning, but, as the primi- tive fathers called them, cemeteries, that is, resting and sleeping places. * * * "We sing, withall, beside our dead and over their graves, no dirges or lamen- tations, but comforting songs of the forgiveness of sins, of rest, sleep, life and resurrection of the departed believers, for the strengthening of our faith, and the stirring up of the people to a true devotion. * * * "As a good example of what should be used, we have taken the sweet music, or melodies, which under popish rule are in use at wakes, funerals and masses for 1 6 Luther's hymns had always been a friend of music and poetry; and yet he considered his hand too coarse and clumsy to touch the harp of David. However valuable and helpful Spalatin's friendship to Luther was in other matters, it did not prove favorable in this instance. Both Spalatin and Doelzig remained silent. His friend, Justus Jonas, how- ever, pleased him greatly by sending him a hymn based on the 124th Psalm: "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns haelt." Paul Speratus, of far away Prussia, also sent his hymn, to Wittenberg: "Es ist das Heil uns kommen her." Initial Publication of Hymns, and Luther's Labors Upon a Revision of the Order of Worship T^HE Reformation era contains well defined features of poetry. Zwick and Blaurer are noted contemporaries of Zwingli; and prominent in Lutheran circles are Loener, Agricola and Spengler. Luther, how- ever, stands pre-eminent in creating poems of a clear and unique type, as is evidenced by such hymns as : "Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu dir"; "Ein neues Lied wir heben an"; "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott"; "Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her." The classical period of Protestant hymnody, in order to distinguish it from later times, may be called the epoch of the objective Confessional Hymn. The majority of Luther's hymns are fashioned, to a greater or lesser degree, after certain models; although some of them are altogether original productions. The reediting of them created the impression that Luther germanized ancient hymns, chiefly, in order to make them accessible to the com- mon people. He held them in such high esteem that he shrank from making additions thereto. They may have appeared to him, in their entirety, of such a high order as to require nothing beyond a translation. For a long time the opinion prevailed that the majority of his h3mins arose during the period in which they were first pubHshed. It is scarcely imaginable that a man of forty, who has been in close touch with music from his youth and, laboring with special predilection upon the Psalms for years, should suddenly become a poet. The history of literature knows such phenomena (K. F. Meyer and Frederick Reuter), but the case of Luther would be especially unique, as though his poesy had passed with a sudden, mighty explosion. The variety of the hymns, published in 1524, does not necessarily show that all of them were written during the same year. Achehs, Spitta and Klippgen also deny this Doctor of the Holy Scriptures. Designed by Gustav Koenig. Luther's hymns 17 hypothesis. In order to obtain a clear opinion, on the subject, it is necessary to picture Luther's plans in those days. His activity in the revision of the Order of Worship began with his escape from the Wartburg. The Iconoclastic storm demanded his presence. By means of eight sermons, preached in so many days, in the Parish Church, he protested against the zeal of the fanatics. He would not have any thing ruthlessly destroyed. The Mass remained untouched. Latin hymns were sung again. The responses by the minister and the choir, in the celebration of the Sacraments were restored. Deacons, or more frequently the sexton, took the place of the boys, since the school for boys had been closed. In the Castle church the orthodox dignitaries clung to the celebration of the Mass, both public and private. When, through his sermons which Luther preached in many places in Saxony and Thuringia, he had restored the reformatory movement in harmony with his design, and when new features, intro- duced by him into worship, had grown into the organism of the Church, he proceeded a step farther. He admitted all the festivals in which the facts of the Hfe of Christ wxre celebrated. The festival to Mary was excluded. In the Sunday services many hymns, hitherto a part of the Liturgy, were omitted. During the summer of 1523 he still clearly asserts that it is his purpose to admonish the people not wilfully to abandon Low Mass; and yet, the reading of the Mass in the College church ceased almost altogether during this year. Only a few digni- taries clung to it, and that for filthy lucre's sake. On the first Sunday in Advent, he denounced, with burning words, the objectionable ele- ments of the Roman Mass as blasphemous, and appealed to the authori- ties to curb the abomination. Now his desire for German hymns, suit- able for congregational singing, increased. He wrote the ''Formula Missae," a form of Mass and Communion for the Church at Witten- berg, at this time. He also wrote his letter to Spalatin, imploring him to write hymns suitable for the whole congregation. The introduc- tion of congregational singing was therefore his final step, in completing his Order of Worship. In reply to the inquiry, whether any of the books published in 1524 represent the standard for congregational singing, let it be remembered that Luther says nothing of this in his preface to Walter's Choral Book which contains the whole collection of hymns then extant. He launched this publication with the same purpose that Knoblocher had when in 1494 he issued a collection of German hymns, 'Tn order that the youth might have something worthy instead of amorous and carnal songs." 1 8 Luther's hymns Evidently Luther did not succeed in gathering as many hymns as he had hoped. He denied that he had the ability to write meritorious poems. In the Formulas Missae he recognized but a few of his hymns as worthy. His appeal to Spalatin passed without success. Also the princely Marshall of the House Guard, John Doelzig, failed to answer a similar request. The Book of Constance by John Zwick clearly shows the sense of devotional hymns, according to the standards of his day. It is divided into three parts under the general heading, "The beginning of the Psalms." The divisions are : 1. Sacred Songs and Christian Hymns, some of which are sung before and some after the sermon, and some, "altogether on our account," he says, "instead of wanton and infamous worldly hymns." 2. Purely Christian and Scriptural Hymns which are, however, not used in the Church. These are of a truly devotional character, and are representations of the Psalms. 3. Hymns which express personal emotions. These were quite new tones as contrasted with the h3mins and national airs of the middle ages. When we consider the precaution with which he introduced innova- tions, and the late date on which German congregational singing began, it is readily seen why Luther, in the selection of hymns, recognized so few as suitable for public worship. In the interest of a more extended in- vestigation, a brief consideration of the delivery of the hymns, and the declaration of Luther and his contemporaries, concerning them, should be undertaken. The Delivery in Manuscript npHE hymn, "Vater unser im Himmelreich," is extant in Luther's own hand-writing. Winterfeld's "Dr. Martin Luther's German Hymns," Leipzig, 1840, contains a facsimile of it. In 1905 Max Hermann found a copy of "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" in Luther's hand. The sheet is pasted into a copy of "De amore Divino" by I. F. Picus Miran- dula, which appeared in Rome in 1516. It is a thin quarto volume with canonical contents, tied up in a proof-sheet bearing marks that belong to the close of the 15th and the opening of the 16th century. On the second page is written, in Luther's style: "Hett myr vereret meyn gutter Freund, Herr Johannes Lange," my good friend, Mr. John Lange pre- sented this to me. The hymn appears, with several noteworthy correc- tions, at the bottom of the page. Hermann, at first, considered the writing authentic; he suspected only a few minor details. Later he 19 recalled the lawsuit that had been instituted against the forger of the Luther Autographs of **Kyrieleis." He secured the records and, among them, found the book containing the entry of the case. This discovery cast suspicion also upon the manuscript containing the ''Vater unser im Himmelreich." But it is the precise characteristic which Hermann pointed out in the ^'Kyrieleis" forgery that proves this manuscript authentic. In the manuscript of "Ein feste Burg" the different read- ings became the betrayers, whilst in the case of the ''Vater unser im Himmelreich," as Spitta emphasized, are found the most positive proofs of its authenticity. The Initial Prints 'T^HERE are a large number of individual prints, some of which were published by Luther himself. Many bear year marks of their composition, as is shown by a manuscript volume in the Heidelberg library. It is difficult to ascertain the order of their publication. The opinion, prevalent in later times, that the ''Achtliederbuch," book of eight hymns, was the first pubHcation of Luther's hymns is taken from Wackernagel and the later author, Zelle. If the supposition, advanced by Achelis, that the origin and publication of the hymns is not simul- taneous, is correct, then the Achtliderbuch may not necessarily be first. Of the remaining three editions, of 1524, it is generally con- ceded, according to Frederick Klippgen, 1912, that the Wittenberg "Enchiridion," hand-book, was the initial publication. It is believed Wittenberg had no printery equipped to print notes, therefore Luther requested Jonas or Lang to have the work done in the well known estab- lishment on Permenter St., in Erfurt. The great success of the Enchi- ridion afforded the occasion for the publication of the Choral Buch. On July 30, 1524, Antonius Musa, a pastor in Jena, wrote to Lang, in Erfurt, for a collection of Lutheran hymns; he requested Lang to pro- vide him with an Enchiridion of fifteen Psalms. This raises the unan- swered question: Did Lang, in response to this, prepare the hymn book published by Trutebul? On the 19th of January, 1524, Spalatin sent a collection of Spiritual Hymns to Pirkheimer. We know not what be- came of these. A positive proof for the order of the hymns can not be furnished, but the difficulty, according to the opinion of many, is less- ened when the Choral Buch is placed at the head of the list. In a new edition of Luther's Hymns it is to be regarded as deserving a place among the first, since it is the first edition in which, to our certain knowl- edge, Luther was interested. 20 OUR investigations, through the most recent authorities, authorize the following order of the publications of his hymns: 1. ''Das geistliche Gesang-Buechlein," a small volume of hymns, (Tenor), Wittenberg, 1504. This date, evidently, represents a typo- graphical error and should be 1524. Copies are found in the public library of Dresden; the library of the Court in Munich; and, Klipp- gen traced a copy in private possession. 2. ^'Etlich Christhch lider," a few hymns, in accord with the pure Word of God, produced by learned men for use in the congregation, as has been the custom in Wittenberg for some time. This is the well- known "Achtliederbuch." Copies are found in Berlin, and other places, bearing the date of 1524. 3. An Enchiridion, carefully revised and translated into German, which Christians are to use with profit. It says, these hymns are in- tended to be faithfully studied and practiced by Christians. Its date is 1524. At the end it shows that it was printed in Erfurt, on Permenter St., "Zum Ferbefass," paint- vessel or color-barrel, 1524. A copy is found in the Goslar Library. Zelle published a new edition. 4. An Enchiridion dated 1524. Karl Rein thaler published a facsimile edition in 1848. The original copy was burnt in the library at S trass- burg. 5. An Enchiridion of hymns and Psalms suited to the laity, and many other hymns formerly improved, Wittenberg, 1526. A copy is found in the Royal Library in Berlin. 6. An Enchiridion of hymns and Psalms suited to the laity, and an addition of hymns formerly improved. This book contains a complete Order of Matins and Vespers, and the Mass. At the end it says : 'Trinted by Michael Blum." It contains, what is believed to be, the oldest print of "Ein feste Burg," but no date is given. 7. Spiritual hymns again revised by Martin Luther, Wittenberg, 1529. The original copy was lost in Helmstedt. 8. A Hymn Book without a title page. At the end it says : ^'Printed in Wittenberg by Joseph Klug, 1535." A copy is found in the Library of the Court and State in Munich. 9. The Wittenberg Hymn Book, corrected, improved and enlarged, by John Walter, the Electoral Singmaster of Saxony, 1537. A copy is found in the District Public Library of Augsburg. 10. Spiritual Hymns again improved and enlarged by Dr. Martin Luther, Wittenberg. It contains many Spiritual Hymns, produced by other pious Christians, and the Order of the German Mass. At the end Luther's hymns 21 it says: 'Trinted in Leipzig by Valten Schuman, 1539." Copy in the Royal Library in Berlin. 11. Spiritual Hymns, Wittenberg, 1543. Luther warns against false masters. At the end it says: "Printed in Wittenberg, by Joseph Klug, 1543." 12. The German Hymn Book of Wittenberg, in four and &\e voices, by John Walter, * * * again diligently corrected and improved, by the addition of many hymns, * * * 1544. 13. Spiritual Hymns, with a new Preface by Dr. Martin Luther who warns against many false masters, * * * Leipzig. At the end it says: "Printed in Leipzig by Valentine Babst on ' Ritterstrassen,' Knight St., 1545." A copy is found in the Royal Library of Berlin. The Hymns 23 Translations (In iN( Cm neucfif ILitb tuir ftefaen an By help of God I fain would tell Compare Psalm 98 : 1, 2 Common Use 1 Title-A Martyr Hymn ot m Common Use, 7 Luther, Published by John Walter, 1524. 1 4- ■t S3^"=t3E t=t ^=^ -^ <5>- :s] -Z5*- $ m 1=t -f2^- ■^^-^ e 3t=^ -z^ -?5^- t=i: -z;^ "krt i^ =1==1: :5i: -z:^- $ :1===qi =i=5 ::i It: -<&- 12221 ^ S)a§ Wait ©ott, unfer .^erte! 3u fingen, tva§> ©ott l^at Getl)an 3u fetnem Cob unb (gt)te. 3u35ruffel in bem 9^ieberlanb SKo^I but(^ 5it)een funge S^nal^en ^at er fein ^unber fj'tnadjt Sefannt, S)ie er mit feincn ©afien ©0 tetd)Iid§ l)at Qeaieret. 2. 2)er crft red^t too^l ^of)anne§ l^eift, ©0 retc^ an @otte§ .g»u(ben; ©ein 33ruber .gteinricf) nad) bem @eift ©in recfiter dljrtft ol^n ©c^ulbcn. 5?on biefer SKett gefd)teben finb, (Ste l)an bie ^on ertcorfien, fRtdjt h)ie bie fronimen ®otte§!inb giir fein SKort finb Ge[tor6cn ©ein 5IRartrer finb fie toorben. 3. S)er alte geinb [ie fangen liefe, 6r[(j^rec!t fie lang luit ©rciuen, 5)a§ SSort (^ott§> man fie leiignen l^icfe, ma B\t and) Wolit fie tauljen. 3?om 8olt)en bcr (So:pl)iften biel, Wit if)rer ^unft berloren, SSerfammett er 511 biefem (S|)iel: ^er ©cift fie ntadjt gu ^^oren, (Sic !onnten nid)t§ gen^innen. O Y help of God I fain would tell ■*^ A new and wondrous story, And sing a marvel that befell To his great praise and glory. At Brussels in the Netherlands He hath his banner lifted. To show his w^onders by the hands Of two youths, highly gifted With rich and heavenly graces. 2. One of these youths was called John, And Henry was the other; Rich in the grace of God was one, And Christian true his brother. For God's dear Word they shed their blood, And from the world departed Like bold and pious sons of God; Faithful and hon-hearted, They won the crown of martyrs. 3. The old Arch-fiend did them immure, To terrify them seeking; [jure, They bade them God's dear Word ab- And fain w^ould stop their speaking. From Louvain many Sophists came, Deep versed in human learning, God's Spirit foiled them at their Their pride to folly turning, [game, They could not but be losers. 25 26 LUTHER S HYMNS 4. (Sie fungen [ii^, fie fungcn faur, SSerfud^ten mand^e Ciften. 2)ie ^aben ftunben toie ein 2Jlaur, lBera(f)ten bie ©o)3^t[ten. ®en alten getnb ba§ fe^r berbrofe, ®afe er toar ufiertounbcn S3on fold^en i^ungen, er fo @r toarb boE 3^^ ^on ©tunben, ©ebad^t fie gu berbren* nen. 5. ®ie raubtcn t^n'n ba§ ^lofterfleib, !Ste 2Bei^ fie il)n'n au(^ na^men. S)ie ^aben toaren be§ berett, (Bit fprac^en frotjlid^ Slmen. ©ie ban!ten t!^rem 35ater (Sott, S)a6 fie log foUten toerben S)e§ 5teufel§ garbenf^iel unb (St)ott, S)arin burd^ falfc^e SBerben (©ebcirben) S)ie 2BeU er gar betreuget. 6. ®a fd)idt§ @ott burd^ fctn' ©nob alfo S)aJ2 fie red)t ^riefter toorben: (Si^ felfift t{)m ntufeten o))f em ba Unb ge^n in S^^riftenorben, S)er 2BeIt gan^ a&geftorben fein, ®te |)eud^elci ablegen, 3um ^immel lommen fret unb rein S)ie SJionc^erei auSfegen, Unb 3Jlenfd^entanb l^ie laffen. 7. ^an f(i)rteb i^n'n fttr ein S3rief(ein Hctn, ®a§ l^iefe man fie felbft le[en. 2)ic (Stiid fie getc^n'ten alle brein, 2Ba§ it)r ©laub tear getoefen. S)er ^od^fte ;^rrt{)um biefer toar: SITian mufe aUein ©ott glauben, ®er 2Jlcnf(^ leugt unb treugt tmmcrbat, S)em foU man ntc^t§ bertrouen. 2)c§ mufeten fie berbrennen. 8. Stvtl grofee geur fie giinb'ten an, S)ie S?naben fie t)er brac^ten. (S§ na'^m grofe SBunber j[eberm"ann S)afe fie folcl) ^ein berad^'ten. 4. They spake them fair, they spake them foul, Their sharp devices trying. Like rocks stood firm each brave young soul The Sophists' art defjdng. The enemy waxed fierce in hate, And for their life-blood thirsted; He fumed and chafed that one so great Should by two babes be worsted, And straightway sought to burn them. 5. Their monkish garb from them they And gown of ordination; [take, The youths a cheerful Amen spake. And showed no hesitation. They thanked their God that by his They now had been denuded [aid Of Satan's mock and masquerade, Whereby he had deluded The world with false pretences. 6. Thus by the power of grace they were True priests of God's own making, Who offered up themselves e'en there, Christ's holy orders taking; Dead to the world, they cast aside Hypocrisy's sour leaven, That penitent and justified They might go clean to heaven, And leave all monkish follies. 7. They then were told that they must A note which was dictated ; [read They straightway wrote their fate And not one jot abated, [and creed, Now mark their heresy! "We must In God be firm believers; In mortal men not put our trust, For they are all deceivers;" For this they must be burned! 8. Two fires were lit; the youths were brought, But all were seized with wonder To see them set the flames at naught, And stood as struck with thunder. LUTHER S HYMNS 27 2Rit greubert fie fief) ga&cit brein, 2)^it @otte» Cob utib (Singen ; S)er 2}Zut^ toarb ben (Sop^iften ftein SSor biefen neuen ©ingen, SaB ft(^ ©ott UeB fo merfen. 9. ®ci- (Sd)impf fie nun gereuet ^ot, (Sie toontcn'y gcvn fc^on madden. (Bit biirfn nid)t tubmen fid^ ber 5tl)at, ®ic fiergen faft bie (Sac^en. S)ie ©c^anb im ^er^en fieiBCt fie, Unb lElagen » i'^r'n ©enoffcn ; ®oc^ !ann bet @eift nid^t fc^tceigen ^tc: S)e§ 3lt)el» SSlut t)ergo[fen, @S muB ben S^ain melben. 10.S)ie 2lf(^en to ill nitf)t laffen ob, ©ie ftaufit in aEen Canben. ^ie ^ilft !ein 58ad), Sod), ©rub noc^ (3xab, ®ie mad^t ben geinb gu ©dianben. ®ie er im Seben buri^ ben SJlorb 3u fdf)toeigen l^at gebrungen, ®ie muB er tobt an ollem Crt 2Jlit aHer ©tintm unb Sii^gen @ar frot)li(^ laffen fingen. 11.9lod^ laffen fie i^x Sugen nid^t <^en grofeen 9Rorb 3U fc^miidEen. ©ie geben fur ein fatfi^ ©ebic^t, Ql)r ©'toiffen t^ut fie bruden. S)ie ^eitgen ®ott§ auc^ nac^ bem %ob S8on it)n'n geldftert toerben. t^err ©ott ! eri)or mein Dhifen. S!em c^mbi^ Cf)ren fe^r 311 mir, ' Unb metner SBitt fie offne ; 2)eim fo bu toillt ba^ fef)en an, 2Ba§ (Sattb unb Unrecf)t i[t cjet^an, 2Ber tann,^txx, box bir bleiOen? -eZ. -^&- /^UT of the depths I cry to Thee, ^^Lord, hear me, I implore Thee! Bend down Thy gracious ear to me, Let my prayer come before Thee! If Thou remember each misdeed, If each should have its rightful meed, Who may abide Thy presence? 30 LUTHER^S HYMNS 2. SBei bit gilt nid)t» benn ©nab unb ®unft, S)ie (Sunbe ^u bergeben. e^ ift boc^ unfer X^un umfonft, Stud) in bent beften Ceben. 33or bir niemanb fic^ rul^men !ann; 2)e§ mufe bid) furcfiten jeber* mann Unb beiner ©nabe leben. 3. S)arum auf ©ott toill l)offen id^, 5luf mein S3erbtcnft nid^t bauen ; 3luf i^n mein ^erg foU laffen [ic^, Unb feiner ©iite trauen. ©ie mir gufagt jein n)ertt)e§ SKort, S)a§ ift mein ^ro[t unb treuer ^oxt, 2)e§ n)ill ic^ oUgeit l)arren. 4. Unb ob e§ tt)dl)rt bi§ an bie 9^a(^t Unb iDieber an btn 2Rorgen, 2)ocl^ foE mein ^ers an ©otte§ mad^t SScrgtoeifeln nic^t, nod^ forgen. ©0 tt)u ;3frael tec^ter 5lrt, 2)er au§ bem ©eift ergeuget toaxb, Unb feine§ ©ott§ erl^arre. 5. Cb bei un§ ift ber ©iinben mel: S3ei ©ott ift biel me^r ©naben. (Sein ^anb 5u ^elfen l)at fein 3icl, 2Bie grofe and) fei ber ©diaben. dx ift aUein ber gute ^irt, !I)er <5frael erlofen mirb 3lu§ fcinen (Siinben aUen. S)Of ologie. ©paterer S^^^Q^ ^" Stixd)t bom 3af)re 1625. 6. @]^r fet bem SSater unb bem (Sol^n Unb auc^ bem ^eilgen ©eifte ! §ll§ e§ im 3tnfang tear unb nun, ®er un§ fein ©nabe leifte; S)amit tcir gel^n auf feinem ^fab, !5)afe un§ be§ Sleufel^ Sift nic^t fd^ob. aBer ba§ bege^rt, fprec^ : Slmen. 2. Our pardon is Thy gift; Thy Love And grace alone avail us. [move, Our works could ne'er our guilt re- The strictest life must fail us. That none may boast himself of aught, But own in fear Thy grace hath wrought What in him seemeth righteous. 3. And thus my hope is in the Lord, And not in mine own merit: I rest upon His faithful word To them of contrite spirit. That He is merciful and just, — Here is my comfort and my trust. His help I wait with patience. 4. And though it tarry till the night, And round till morning waken, My heart shall ne'er naistrust Thy might, Nor count itself forsaken. Do thus, O ye of Israel's seed. Ye of the Spirit born indeed, Wait for your God's appearing. 5. Though great our sins and sore our woes, His grace much more aboundeth; His helping love no limit knows. Our utmost need it soundeth. Our kind and faithful Shepherd, He, Who shall at last set Israel free From all their sin and sorrow. Tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1862. DOXOLOGY 6. Praise to the Father, and the Son, And Holy Spirit also, As was at first and still shall be. He doth His grace on us bestow. Therewith we walk within His path, That Satan's guile us cannot scathe. Who this doth crave, saith: Amen. 'T^HE Psalms, emanating from the hymn book of the Old Testament Church, the Psalter, are fundamental in the Lutheran Church. St. Paul already distinguished between Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, Eph. 5 : 19, Col. 3 : 16. As the New Testament rests upon the Old LUTHER'S HYMNS 3 1 Testament, and the Church in a general way is rooted in the Temple, so the Christian Church used the Psalter from the beginning and sang Psalms according to the ancient manner of psalmody. So as to make them more singable, however, Latin (of the Latin Bible) Psalms were gradually translated into hymns. Psalm-hymns, which, in the first Ger- man hymn books, still alternated with the prose forms. These Psalm- hymns afforded a clearer understanding of the Psalter and rendered the Psalms far more impressive. Whoever will read the Psalms as found in the Psalter, where they are more fluent, and will follow this by singing Luther's hymns, will surely acquire a special blessing thereby. The Word of God, so simple and pure, becomes all the more transparent and valuable by having passed through the mould of a tender, poetic mind. The 130th Psalm was a great favorite with Luther; he called it a Pauline Psalm, (others being the 3 2d, 51st, and the 143d). He must have written his h>Tnn during 1523, or earher, since in his letter to Spalatin, during the opening days of 1524, in which he prays him to assist in versi- f}ang Psalms for the people, he says plainly that he had then already translated the De Profundis. It furnished the foundation for one of his most powerful hymns. Through it he breathes sentiments which com- pel the reader to join him in prayer, confession and faith. The hymn appeared in two forms, within a year's time. Although Frederick Klippgen, in his book of 1912, maintains that the longer form of five stanzas was wTitten before the shorter form of four, the bulk of the e\ddence seems to favor the contrary opinion. Klippgen holds that the shorter form was intended for congregational singing and w^as therefore the later text. He suggests a logical error in the first stanza, asserting that when God remembers the sins of one man it does not necessarily imply a similar relation to all men; and he points out that the rhythm in the longer form flows smoother, which might indicate an improvement. But he also holds that the longer form is not a translation but rather a composition based upon the Psalm, and that the hymn harmonizes, in a large measure, wdth Luther's Commentaries on the seven Penitential Psalms and may, therefore, have originated as early as 1517. This argues in favor of the priority of the longer text. Wackernagel, Schircks, Kawerau, and others, maintain that Luther revised the second stanza of the shorter text and added a third. A sixth stanza, or Doxology, was added in 1525. The older text appeared in ''Etlich christhch Lieder," (Achtlieder- buch), of Wittenberg, and the Erfurt Enchiridion, both of 1524. It was adapted to the tune of ''Es ist das Heil uns kommen her," and is a com- 32 panion to the hymns: "Ein neues Lied" and "Nun freut euch." The revised and enlarged text appeared in Walter's book, of 1524, where the tune '^Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zxi dir" is appended. This tune is a classic, and appears in some books as the "De Profundis," and in others as "Luther's 130th Psalm." It was originally designed as a Funeral Hymn. In the Church Book it appears under the heading of Repentance. Stanza 1 expresses senti- ments of Psalm 130, verses 1-3; 2 breathes thoughts of verses 4-5; 3, in the shorter hymn, of verse 4, and, in the longer form, of verses 6-7 ; and 4, in the former, of verse 5, and, in the latter, of verses 7-8. The hymn teaches the Christian how to distinguish between complaint and consola- tion. It embodies the foundation upon which our Protestant Church is established: With our strength nothing can be done; all depends upon the free grace of God. God's Word alone can certify us of this, when we are conscious of our sin, as has been the experience of many a sincere Christian. VT'ULPIUS relates an interesting experience, in the Chronicles of Mag- deburg. On the 6th of May, 1524, an aged Hnen-weaver stationed himself at the statue of the Emperor Otto where he sang this hymn to the assembled multitude and sold copies of it to ready purchasers. When the Burgomaster of the town, Hans Rubin, returned from Matins, in St. John's Church, he inquired of his servant what the crowd yonder signified. After an investigation the servant said, "A wanton villain of the Lutheran heresy is singing and selling hymns." Orders were immediately given to apprehend and imprison the old man. This created a great commotion in the city; two hundred men marched to the municipal building and, through their leader, John Eckstadt, demanded the release of the pious old linen-weaver and that the Burgomaster chastise his servant. The de- mand was granted, whereupon the congregations of St. Ulrich and St. John's churches issued the following statement, "We will take refuge alone in the one Lord and Bishop, Jesus Christ, who is sanctioned by divine testimony. He is our captain and under him we will bravely fight." F\URING the Diet of Augsburg Luther spent his time in the fortress of Coburg. Vexations of body and soul burdened him repeatedly. Having rallied from a swoon he requested that the Epistle to the Gala- tians be read to him. Then he called his friends and said, "Come, let us defy the Devil by singing 'Aus tiefer Noth' in four voices, and praise and glorify God." LUTHER'S HYMNS 33 npHE beautiful city of Strassburg, the pride of Germany, was betrayed by her Bishop, to the King of France, in 1681. Before the entrance of the enemy the citizens gathered in the cathedral to hold a prayer service which was opened by singing ^'Aus tiefer Noth." This proved to be the last Protestant service in the Strassburg Cathedral since, through French rule, the Roman Mass was re-established. 'T^HE hjnnn was sung so diligently in the homes of the people that, ac- cording to tradition, even a green-finch learned the melody. The bird was the property of a lady who lived in the goat-pasture section of the Erzgebirge. When, during the 30 Years' War, soldiers were on a plundering expedition, his mistress, about to flee, hid the green-finch, in his cage, under an old bench in a dark place in the house. When she returned, three days later, the bird greeted her by singing "Out of the depth I cry to thee." He was promptly lifted from his humiHation and given a good meal. 'T^HE hymn was sung, May 9, 1525, at the funeral of the Elector Fred- erick The Wise, in the Court church in Wittenberg; and by the weep- ing multitude in Halle when, Feb. 20, 1546, Luther's body was taken to its last resting place in the Castle church in Wittenberg. The fifth stanza comforted the last hours of Christian, the Elector of Saxony, 1591; of John George I, the Elector of Saxony, 1656; and of King Frederick I of Prussia, 1723. 34 LUTHER S HYMNS Translations (£s{ toolU tins; (gott genaebig ^tin May God unto us gracious be Deus misereatur nostri Psalm 67 fC. U.2 ^f A Closing Hymn IN. C. U. 12 ^^^'^'^ (A Missionary H> Hymn Greitter, Walter's book, 1524 •fV- i :^=^: ^ f-f-^ ^ -J r-A^f^ (Tj:i (B §> tDollt un§ ®ott genabig fein, Unb [einen @egen geben, (Sein 5tnttt^ un§ mit J^ellem ©d^ein ©rleud^t gum eltjgen 8e5en, ®afe toir erfennen feinc SKerf, Unb toa§ i^m IkU auf ©rben, Unb 9efu§ S^riftuS, ^eil unb ©tdr!, f&ttannt ben §eiben h^erben Unb fie gu @ott 6e!e]^ren. 2. (5o ban!en, @ott, unb loljen btd^ 2)ie ^eiben liBerdle, Unb alle 2Belt bie freue fid^, Unb ftng mit grofeem (Sd^altc, S)ai3 bu auf (Srben 9flt(^ter bift Unb (afet bie ©unb ni($t toalten, S)ein 2Bott bie §ut unb SBcibe ift, S)ie alte§ S5olf er^atten, ;Sn redjter 33af)n gu tralten. 3. (5§ ban!e, ®ott, unb lobe bid^ 2)a§ SSol! in guten Slliaten. ^a§ Sanb bringt grudjt unb bcffert fid^, ©ein SKort ift h:)ol)( geratljcn. Un§ fegne S3ater unb bcr (Sot)n, Un§ fegne ®ott ber l^cilge ©cift, S)em die 3»elt bie ©^re tl)u, 33ot il)m fid^ fiird)te allermeift. SRun f^rec^t bon ^etgen : Slmen. M AY God unto us gracious be, And grant to us his blessing; Lord, show thy face to us, through Eternal Hfe possessing: [thee That all thy work and will, O God, To us may be revealed, And Christ's salvation spread abroad To heathen lands unsealed, And unto God convert them. Thine over all shall be the praise And thanks of every nation, And all the world with joy shall raise The voice of exultation. For thou the sceptre, Lord, dost wield Sin to thyself subjecting; Thy Word, thy people's pasture-field, And fence their feet protecting, Them in the way preserveth. Thy fold, O God, shall bring to thee The praise of holy living; Thy word shall richly fruitful be, And earth shall yield thanksgiving. Bless us, O Father! bless, O Son! Grant, Holy Ghost, thy blessing! Thee earth shall honor — thee alone, Thy fear all souls possessing. Now let our hearts say, Amen. Tr. a. Russell. LUTHER S HYMNS 35 T^HIS is the ancient Psalm, unaugmented and unaltered, versified as a New Testament missionary hymn. A glance upon the broad fields of nations, ripe unto the harvest, inspired David to write this Psalm in w^hich the prayer ascends that God may give his Word free course, and grant it an abundant return. Its form and contents are alike full of marrow, so that, in wealth of thought and sentiment, it is excelled only by ^'Ein feste Burg." It is found in ''Weise, christliche Mess zu halten," the manner of celebrating the Christian Mass, by Luther, Wittenberg, 1524, and it appeared in the Erfurt Enchiridion of the same year. It was sung and sold, with other hymns of that period (among them ^'Aus tiefer Noth"), in the streets of Magdeburg, by an aged linen-weaver, on the 6th of May, 1524. For a long time these hymns were known as the Magdeburg Reformation Hymns. The Strassburg Asaph, Matthias Greitter, composed the melody to it which was published in Walter's book of 1524, and was adapted, later, to "Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam." Stanza 1 pleads for the revelation of divine grace and the message of salvation in every land; 2 describes the delights of nations freed from sin and pastured upon the Word of Life ; and 3 praises God for many blessings which come with the success of the Gospel. £)UKE HENRY of Wolfenbuettel, one of Luther's bitterest foes, al- lowed some Protestant hymns to be sung in the court chapel. A priest admonished him not to tolerate such hymns, even if the people dehght to sing them. The Duke asked, "What hymns?" The priest said, "Most gracious sir, such as *May God to us gracious be.' " The Duke interrupted him and said, "Ah, shall the Devil be gracious to us? who shall be gracious if not God?" The priest could say no more. 'T^HE hymn was appropriately sung by Christian F. Schwartz, at the opening of the mission church in Trichinopoli, in Southern India, July 11, 1792. QUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS and his hosts sang it, together with other hymns, before the battle of Luetzen, Nov. 6, 1632. 36 LUTHER S HYMNS Translations y Matt <@Qtt nictit mtt uM bteie^e Zeit Had God not come may Israel say Nisi quia Dominus Psalm 124 In C U 4 Title— The Word of God, and the Church Greitter, Walter's book, 1524 t=t fe C •! j i 4 -s^- i^ - f^— g^ M. 3: ■^=^- -zJ- m ift -25^- ^: ■< — • — d- Z2Z ^|ir\dr ®ott nid)t mit un§ biefe 3eit<. ^^''^ (So foU ^frael fagen, 2Bar ®ott nicfit mtt im§ biefe 3eit, SSir ptten mu§at bergagen, 55)ie fo ein arme§ §auftetn jtnb, SSerad^t't bon fo biel 9Jlenf(^enfinb, ®ie on un§ fe^en alle. 2. 5luf un§ fo gomig ift i^r ©inn; SBo ©ott ^att' bag guge^en, SSerfc^Iungen i^atten fie un§ l^in, SD^it gangem 8ei£) unb CeSen ; 2Bir todrn al§ bie ein glut^ erfauft, Unb iiber bie grofe SBaffer Iduft, Unb mit @en)alt b erf d^n? emmet. 3. ©ott 8ob unb ®anf, ber ntd^tgugab, S)afe t^r (Sc^Iunb un§ moc^t fangen; 2Bie ein S3ogel be§ (Btcid§> fommt ab, ;Sft unfer (Seel entgangen, ©trie! ift enta^ei, unb n)ir fxnb fret, ®e§ ^erren 9^ame ftelfit uu§ bet, S)e§ ®ott§ ^immeB unb ©rben. H AD God not come, may Israel say, Had God not come to aid us, Our enemies on that sad day Would surely have dismayed us; A remnant now, and handful small, Held in contempt and scorn by all Who cruelly oppress us. 2. Their furious wrath, did God permit. Would surely have consumed us, And in the deep and yawning pit With hfe and limb entombed us; I jke men o'er whom dark waters roll, The streams had gone e'en o'er our soul, And mightily o'erwhelmed us. 3. Thanks be to God, who from the pit Snatched us, when it was gaping; Our souls, like birds that break the To the blue skies escaping; [net, The snare is broken — we are free! The Lord our helper praised be. The God of earth and heaven. "rjOD'S deliverance in time of need" is the theme of the 124th Psalm upon which Luther based his hymn. It is a hymn of the Christian Church and, from the beginning, gained a popularity which continued to grow after Luther's death. It is a testimony of the inner life and con- science of its author. LUTHER^S HYMNS 37 It appeared first in the book of Spiritual H3mins by John Walter, Wittenberg, 1524; and its melody emanated, most likely, from the pen of Matthias Greitter. Luther included it among his revised hymns pub- lished in Wittenberg, 1531. Stanza 1 pictures the divine blessing under which the people of God move; 2 looks back upon the procession of Israel from Egypt, the pursuit of Pharaoh, the barriers of the sea and mountains and beholds certain death, but God defended them from harm; and 3 expresses gratitude to the divine Benefactor and finds comfort in his care. IMMEDIATELY after the death of Luther, the Emperor, Charles V, involved the Protestant states in war. In April, 1547, he opened fire upon the Elector, John Frederick of Saxony, at Muehlberg. The superior forces of the Spaniards gained the supremacy and the Elector was captured. The enraged Emperor condemned him to death and was prevented from accomplishing his purpose, only by political pressure. The Elector, however, was imprisoned for a long time. On the eve of his confinement the Pastor of Saalfeld, Casper Aquila, visited him, and en- deavored to comfort and encourage him by directing his attention to Daniel, Joiakim and St. Peter, whose release was miraculous and came in due time. When, at last, the Emperor was compelled to release him, May 12, 1552, he sang with grateful heart this beautiful hymn. J)URING the siege of Magdeburg by Tilly, in 1631, Christopher Thodaenus, Pastor of St. Catharine Church, at his regular Tuesday evening services, comforted the citizens of the town by singing 'Waer Gott nicht mit uns." At the close of the last sermon, of a series on this hymn, on Tuesday following Cantate Sunday, May 10, 1631, the terrors of destruction broke loose upon the unhappy city. Immediately upon his reaching home Thodaenus was summoned to minister to a fallen officer of the guard. With his vestments still upon him he hastened to the side of the wounded man. His wife soon followed him, forced her way through the crowd, and drew him into a private apartment of the house. But the plunderers found them and violently relieved them of all their valuables. A soldier struck him on the head with a sword saying, "Dom- inie, give me money." On their way home, Pastor and Mrs. Thodaenus were rescued from the hands of their tormentors, and the former recovered strength in the home of a friend. As soon as he was able to render service he was transferred to Rendsburg where he preached his first sermon, on the 7th Sunday after Trinity, 1631, ''Waer Gott nicht mit uns" was the 38 LUTHER S HYMNS theme of his revived ministry and of the song of joy and thanksgiving for himself and his people. npHE kingdom of Asante, whose chief city is Kumase, lies on the west coast of Africa. These people are so far beneath the semblance of civilization that the torture and murder of slaves and prisoners is to them a daily pleasure. In 1869 King Karakari made an expedition across the river Wolta, destroyed the German mission station and imprisoned the missionaries. The missionaries Kuhne, and Ramsayer and his wife, lay in a Kumase prison for four years. Under constant threats of death, and being forced eye-witnesses of their heathen abominations, these servants of God repeatedly sighed, ''O Lord, how long?" Finally an army of British soldiers, under general Wolseley marched against Karakari, Feb. 3, 1874, and secured the release of the missionaries. When they were brought to the English camp, they exclaimed: The snare is broken — we are free! The Lord, our helper, praised be, The God of earth and heaven. Translations, 6 afflo{)l bem ber in (Sottes; Jfutcfjt sJteftt Happy the man who feareth God Beati omnes qui timent Dominum Psalm 128 Title — Home and Family i John Walter's book, 1525 \ \ 1 . ^ -7^- -&-—^r "^==—6^ — Z^ i 1=q: I t=1: -(2 9-(Z- -T^- ■^H* -«-^- -^•-# -# e ) -H — ^'^=S~-i& — -g^ t=t «=4 zsz t-t- APPY the man who feareth God, Whose feet his holy ways have trod; Thine own good hand shall nourish thee, And well and happy shalt thou be. 2. Thy wife shall, like a fruitful vine. Fill all thy house with clusters fine; Thy children all be fresh and sound, Like oUve-plants thy table round. iJ||^ot)l bem, ber in @otte§ gurd^t fte^t, ^^ Unb au(^ auf feinem SKege ge^t I 2)ein eigen ^anb bicf) nal)ren (So leb[t bu redit unb gel)t bit mo^l. 2. ®ein 2Bei6 mirb in bein'm ^au[e fein 2Bie ein 9teben boU St^rauften fein. Unb bcine £inber urn ben %X\6) 2Bie £)4)flanaen ge[unb unb fri[(^. H LUTHER S HYMNS 39 3. ©ie^ fo xcid) ©egen l^angt bcm an 2Bo in @otteBfurdf)t itbt tin ?Jlann; iBon i^m Idt^t ber ait giud) imb gorn, 2)en 2Jlen[ci)enfuibern angetiorn. 4. ^u§ gion @ott h)irb fegnen btc^ !I)aQ tu totvft fc^auen ftetigltc^ 2)a§ @lii(f ber (Stabt ;Scrufalem SSor QJottin ©naben angenei^m. 5. griften toirb er ba^ Cefien bein Unb mit @iite ftet^ M bix [ein; S)aB bu toirft fei^en ^inbesfinb Unb baB ^I'rael griebe finbt 3. Lo! to the man these blessings cleave Who in God's holy fear doth live; From him the ancient curse hath fled By Adam's race inherited. 4. Out of Mount Zion God shall send, And crown with joy thy latter end; That thou Jerusalem mayst see, In favor and prosperity. 5. He shall be with thee in thy ways, And give thee health and length of days; Yea, thou shalt children's children And peace on Israel shall be. [ see, "REING a description of a pious household, it was sung, repeatedly, at weddings. It appeared first in the Erfurt Enchiridion of 1524. The fathers of hymnology have left us nothing of importance con- cerning the hymn. Its first melody was published in 1525, and a second, known also as ''Wo Gott zum Haus nicht giebt sein Gunst," seems to come from 1537, (Schircks says 1535), and appeared again in Walter's book of 1544. Stanza 1 points to God's blessing as a reward to him who values his redemption to the extent that he constantly feels constrained to walk in the way of his Lord; 2 indicates additional blessings that crown him on whom his wife may lean with confidence and affection, after the simili- tude of a fruitful vine that needs the support of a treUis ; 3 extols the honor and grace of a good man. His wife and children are not trailed on the ground, in humility and shame, due to a dehnquent head of the home, but even the ancient curse must fall ; 4 points to the source of all good : From God, through Christ, the Chief Corner Stone of his Church, flows the stream of richest blessings into every receptive heart and home; and 5 sets forth, and assures, the desire of every living and believing soul: Life and eternal peace. 40 Luther's hymns €m f esfte JSurg isJt uMtv (gott A mighty fortress is our God Deus refugium noster et virtus Psalm 46 Translations fC. U. 18 In. C. U. 45 Title — Heroic Song of Luther Martin Luther i 1=^ ! I I J=^ ^ ^ r-r^- ■^-^- :^=^=3^ -•-^ g ^5 . ^ •- -fS*- :({*=-- -I ,s^ -a- $ ^ET^T^l l -•s? — z:*- -^:^=^=i=^=ii. A MIGHTY Fortress is our God, ■^^ A trusty Shield and Weapon; He helps us free from every need That hath us now o'ertaken. The old bitter foe Means us deadly woe; Deep guile and great might Are his dread arms in fight: On earth is not his equal. 2. With might of ours can naught be Soon were our loss effected; [done, But for us fights the Valiant One Whom God Himself elected. Ask ye, Who is this? Jesus Christ it is, Of Sabaoth Lord, And there's none other God; He holds the field for ever. 3. Though devils all the world should fill, All watching to devour us. We tremble not, we fear no ill, They cannot overpower us. This world's prince may still Scowl fierce as he will; He can harm us none: He's judged, the deed is done. One Httle word o'erthrows him. ® in fefte S3urg ift unfer ®ott, @in gute SBebr unb SBaffen. ©r l^ilft un§ fret au§ aUet '^q% ©ie un§ \t^i ^at fietroffen. 2)er alt fi5[e gcinb Sm, ©rnft er§ Jc^t meint, ©rofe ma6)i unb btel Sift ©ein graufam 9fluftung ift, ^uf Grb ift nt^t fetnS ©letc^en. 2. ma unfrer SJJod^t iftnt(^t§ get^an, SKtr finb gar 6alb berloren: (5g ftrett't fixr un§ ber recite Wlaxm, %tn ®ott ^at fel6ft er!oren. gragftbu, tnerberift? (Sr ^eift Sefu§ G^rift, ^er ^err 3etiaoti}, Unb ift !etn anbrcr ®ott, 2)a§ getb muB er be^alten. 3. Unb roenn bie Belt boll Steufel tcttt, Unb hDoIlt un§ gar t)crf(^lingen, (So furc^ten U)tr un§ nic^t fo fel^r, (5§ foil un§ bod) gelingen. 2)er giirft btefer SBclt, SESie fauer er fic^ ftellt, St^ut er un§ bo(f) ni(^t, S)a^ mac^t er ift gertd)t't. ©in SOSortlein !ann \[)\\ foUen. Luther's hymns 41 4. T)a§ moxt fie fonen loffcn fta^n, 4. The Word they still shall let remain, Un5 !ein ®anf bagu l)a£ien. And not a thank have for it ; er ift Oei un§ tt)ot auf bem ^lon He's by our side upon the plain mit fetnem ®ei[t unb ©aben. With His good gifts and Spirit. 9?e{)men fie ben Ceib, Take they then our hfe, ®ut, (5I)r, ^nb unb SSeia, Goods, fame, child, and wife, Caij f afiren bal)in. When their worst is done, ©le ]^a£ien§ fcin ©etoinn, They yet have nothing won : S)a§ «Reid^ mu§ un§ bod) bleifeen. The Kingdom ours remaineth. Tr. Composite, 1866. 'T^HE tone of this h^Tiin seems closely related to the sentiments of ^'Ein neues Lied." The difference in the construction of the stanzas, so nearly in harmony in other respects, corresponds in a thoroughly charac- teristic manner with the diversity of the hymns: Narrative in one in- stance and song of praise in the other. The two can not be very far apart chronologically. All efforts to place it during the time when Luther labored on the Bible have failed. Its return to the Vulgate is no assur- ance of its chronology. His letter to the princes of Saxony, 1524, pre- supposes it. He wrote, *'I stood in Worms, before the Emperor and the whole empire, although I knew that the promise of a safe conduct had been broken, and fierce hatred and deceit were directed against me. Poor and frail as I was, my heart was so resolved that had I known that as many devils aimed at me as there were tiles upon the houses, in Worms, I would have entered, even though I had not heard the voice of God, nor received divine talents and works, nor the eternal Spirit. We, indeed, avail nothing beyond w^hat Christ bestows upon us. If he for- sakes us a rustling leaf frightens us. However they may enjoy and use our defeats, take our wives, and transmit pontifical decrees for which they have not striven, nor spent their life-blood, they yet have nothing won. I was compelled to secure present attainments at the peril of life and Kmb." The similarity between the two is apparent also in their phraseology. Linke thinks the hymn is the result of a year's preparation, emanating from a series of impulses. He, therefore, affixes 1525 as its date. This opinion shows, however, that he did not understand the manner of Luther's labors. A powerful frame of mind fills the author and constrains his soul to speak. ^'The intonations found in Luther's works," says Frederick Klippgen, Halle, 1912, "are apparently simply echoes." He suggests thab the hymn, ''Ein feste Burg," did not appear beside the martyr-hymn, ''Ein neues Lied," in Walter's book (Chorgesangbuch) of 1524, because it was deemed too personal; that Luther did not desire to 42 publish both hymns at the same time since, in the final analysis, both gave expression to the same frame of mind. It was his cordial desire to erect a monument to the fearless faith of the two young men whom he held up as examples. An endless mass of Hterature has been produced on this h}Tnn. Va- rious authorities have dated it anywhere from 1521 to 1530. Weighty opinions insist upon 1527. Schneider points to the letter of Nov. 1, 1527, addressed to Amsdorf, in which striking resemblances to the hymn are found. He claims it appeared on the day of the 10th anniversary of the nailing up of the 95 theses. Koestlin, Kolde, and others, agreed with this opinion, after it had been further supported by Knaake. Kuchenmeister points to the martyrdom of Leonard Kaiser as its occasion. In Luther's writings concerning the tragedy which occurred in Schaerding, Aug. 16, 1527, strong resemblances to the hymn are found, and yet none are con- clusive. Instead of intonations to the hymn they are, rather, echoes. If Kaiser's martydrom had furnished the motive for it Luther would have found words more exactly appropriate to the deed. Nor can it be a 10th anniversary h3niin of the naihng up of the 95 Theses since it lacks the character of a festival poem. There is a tradition that it was pubKshed in a hymn-book, in Witten- berg, 1528, and was composed during Nov., 1527, or the time of the pesti- lence in that city, and even in Luther's own house. The sentiments of the hymn, however, point to a far worse enemy than sickness. Others claim it appeared during the Diet of Spires when on April 19, 1529, five Evangelical princes, and the representatives of 14 cities, formally pro- tested against the recall of the concessions made in the former Diet of Spires, 1526, and against the execution of the edict of Worms. From this date Evangelical Christians are called Protestants. Still others claim the hymn was composed during the time of the Diet of Augsburg, 1530. D'Aubigne says, ''Luther, full of faith, revived the courage of his friends by composing, and singing with his fine voice, that beautiful hymn, since become so famous, 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott.' Never did soul that knew its own v/eakness, and yet, looking to God and despising every fear, find such noble accents. The hymn was sung during the Diet, not only in Augsburg, but in all the churches of Saxony; and its energetic strains often revived and inspired the most dejected heart." Klippgen, however, dates the hymn during the Diet of Worms, 1521. Luther's letters of this period bear striking resemblances to it. His combativeness against the Devil is especially characteristic. When he preached in Weimar the galleries of the over-crowded church creaked, to Luther's hymns 43 which Luther referred as a threat of the Devil. On his way to Worms the masses hastened together and paid him homage, as to some holy one. He, however, deemed himself in no way superior to his followers whose enthusiasm spurred him on in his dangerous way, though the same ban threatened them. He could well say, at this time: ''Take they then our life, goods, fame, child and wife; when their worst is done, they yet have nothing won." Sleiden associates it with no special event; he simply remarks that, after the Diet of Augsburg, it was recommended for insertion into many hymn books. Chytraeus reports, in the "Chronicon Saxoniae," simply the fact of its pubKcation, but was of the opinion that it appeared during the Diet of Augsburg. Pauh who, from a scientific standpoint, was the most noted witness, and Seidel mention 1521 as the year of its origin. Saxe claims 1524. He seems to follow Latin sources. Latin beginnings often serve as titles to Luther's h3anns, and thus it is probable that Saxe translated this Latin beginning of the Psalm through the first Hne of his hymn. At all events, he says distinctly that he means a Psalm and not a Psalm-hymn. "The melody," which is undoubtedly Luther's composition, says the noted authority on Church Music, Winterfeld, "is a work of the noblest inspiration, the boldest and most rehant assurance which is also the temper of the hymn with whose lines it is so intwined that the one could not have originated without the other." This would seem to argue for 1529 as the probable date of the hymn; but Buchwald and his co-laborers on Luther's Works have discovered that both the hymn and its majestic melody ap- peared in a Wittenberg hymn-book, pubhshed in 1528, and conclude that they were written during November of 1527. It is evident that no one can set its date with a mathematical pre- cision; but it is enough to know and feel the powerful worth of both the hymn and its tune. From the beginning, it has been the subject of special study, by musical authorities, and, by them, wrought into many noble compositions. Seth Calvisius, 1600, holds this melody pre-eminent among a number of pleasing airs, based on the 46th Psalm : "It is the work and directorship of the Holy Ghost." Sebastian Bach developed it into a beautiful cantata, in about 1717; the Jewish composer, Meyerbeer, wove it into his masterpiece, "The Huguenots"; Mendelssohn gave it expression in his "Reformation Symphony"; Raff and Nicolai in overtures; and Wagner in his "Kaisermarsch." Stanza 1 presents to the man of faith his mighty fortress, and his assailant, God and Satan, the might of heaven for the Church, and the 44 Luther's hymns cunning assault made upon her. The "Need" is suggested by such facts as that Luther and his adherents had been placed under the ban, 50,000 persons were executed in the Netherlands, the Emperor signed an agree- ment with the Pope to force the Lutherans into subjection, and the Elector, John, was threatened by the Emperor that, if he would not desist from Lutheran teachings, he would spare neither life nor limb, wife nor child. "Old bitter foe" suggests a parallel in Rev. 12 : 9. "Deep guile and great might" reflects Psalm 2 : 2. Stanza 2 shows we are nothing, but our confederate is all-in-all; he is Jesus Christ, our confidence, the Mighty God. In a letter to the princes, Luther says, "No sword can or shall give counsel or help in this matter; God must do all, without human aid." "Of Sabaoth Lord" finds expression in Phil. 2 : 10, 11. Stanza 3 says there is no need of fear, the prince of this world is judged, and van- quished, by the slightest word. "He's judged" has a reference in St. John 16 : 7-11 and "One little word" in St. Matt. 4 : 10, 11. Stanza 4 offers reasons for great courage. That which abides is superior to that which is destined to perish; the Lord and his kingdom remain forever. "Good gifts" are the gracious call of the Word, its enlightenment, faith, quickening and renewing strength, divine consolations, encouragement and help. TN the Diet of Spires, 1529, the Emperor, through his messengers, charged the EvangeKcal party with deceit, and commanded them to return to the Roman fold. Five princes and fourteen imperial states entered a formal protest in which they insisted that the Imperial^ Recess, unanimously agreed upon, at the first Diet of Spires in 1526, could be altered only by unanimous consent of the states; and, they declared, "That even apart from that, in matters relating to the honor of God and the salvation of souls, every man must stand alone before his God, and give account of himself." Ferdinand, the Emperor's brother and repre- sentative, refused to grant their right of opposition and threatened to punish the Evangelical party. They, however, concluded a secret agree- ment which became the strong bond of the Evangelical Alliance. Me- lanchthon left the Diet thoroughly disheartened, but Luther made light of its unfavorable conclusions and encouraged his friends to join him in singing: The old bitter foe Means us deadly woe; Deep guile and great might Are his dread arms in fight: On earth is not his equal. Luther as Preacher. Designed by Gustav Koenig. 45 With might of ours can naught be done, * * * But for us fights the VaHant One * * * Jesus Christ it is. The might and majesty of both h^inn and tune gave daily force and courage to the Evangelical Party which, by persistent efforts, won their great cause. TN May, 1530, the Elector, John Frederick of Saxony, went to Augsburg to attend the Diet. Fearing harm might come to Luther, he sent him, in company with Dietrich of Nuremburg, to the fortress of Coburg where he remained for five months. He related to Dr. Selnecker that, during the days of the Diet, Luther sang the 46th Psalm daily. 'T^HE Emperor involved the EvangeHcal States in war, in 1547, and took the Elector, John Frederick, their leader, captive. Other princes were placed under the ban of the Diet. The aged Prince of An- halt, Wolfgang, being banished and his estate handed over to a favored Spaniard, mounted his horse and rode through the streets of Bernburg singing: Take they then our life, Goods, fame, child, and ^ife, When their worst is done, They yet have nothing won. The Kingdom ours remaineth. He secreted himself in a grist-mill, at Koerau, until after the peace of Passau, 1552, when he again assumed his estate. TOURING the siege of Wittenberg, by the Spaniards, professors of the university, Melanchthon, Jonas, Kruziger, and others, were forced to flee. While they were entering Weimar, they heard a little girl sing * Though devils all the world should fill." These words comforted them not a little. Melanchthon said to the little maid, ''Sing on, my little daughter, sing! thou knowest not what prominent men thou art com- forting." TOURING 1548 the Elector, John Frederick, was a prisoner in Augsburg. Lutheran preachers came to him with the report that they had not only been deposed from office but also banished from the countcy. Turn- 46 Luther's hymns ing round, and gazing through the window, the Elector, with tear-stained eyes, asked, ''Did the Emperor forbid you the whole Roman empire?" They answered, ''Yes." He asked, "Does the Emperor also forbid you heaven?" They answered, "No." "Ah, then there is no fear," said he, "The Kingdom ours remaineth. The Lord will find a kingdom where you may preach his Word." He handed them a small contribution, from his bag, for their journey, saying, "Although I too am a poor captive God will give me something again." npHE pious hero, Gustavus Adolphus, grasped the trusty Shield and Weapon of Luther's hymn when, on Sept. 7, 1631, he resisted the hosts of Tilly at Leipzig. On the morning of the day of battle he led his army in singing "Ein feste Burg." With the exclamation, ^'God is with us," he urged his men forward. During a bloody carnage, which lasted for hours, Tilly fell, and his hosts beat a hasty retreat. Gustavus Adol- phus kneeled upon the ground, among his wounded and dying soldiers, and thanked the God of Hosts for his victory, saying, "He holds the field forever." Fourteen months later, Nov. 6, 1632, he appeared again in the neighborhood of Leipzig, at Luetzen, to give battle to the imperial forces under Wallenstein. Here he was destined to win with a martyr's prize. He drew up his men in battle array and again led them in singing "Ein feste Burg." WTiile the two armies stood motionless, facing each other, he knelt before them in prayer, after which he began his own hymn, "Fear not, O Kttle flock, the foe." Amid trumpet and bugle calls, the clash came. With folded hands he gazed up to heaven and cried, "Now let us commence! may God grant it! Lord Jesus help us fight to the honor of thy Holy Name!" His men held the field although he lost his life in that battle. "\\/'HEN Tilly, in 1627, crossed the Elbe, and forced his way into Hol- stein, his Croats compelled the cantor, John Juenghng, of Bovenau, to play upon the organ. Juengling had lived with Luther, in Witten- berg, for a long while, and was now almost 105 years old. With warmth for his preceptor he selected "Ein feste Burg." The Croats dragged him from his bench, by the hair, and murdered him, at the altar of his church. TJLRICH GAST, a school teacher in Sommerhausen, gives an account of the plundering expedition of the Knights of Count Picolomini, on Sept. 8, 1634. These cruel riders had scarcely departed when the news LUTHER S HYMNS 47 came that the Emperor Ferdinand was leading his army in the direction of the town. Filled with terror, the inhabitants concluded to flee, some into Gaeu, beyond the Main, and others into the vicinity of Kitzingen. The marching columns passed through the south gate of the town, bearing their sick and aged upon their arms. When the line, to the right, reached the hills of Altenberg, Ulrich Gast read to his companions the 27th Psalm. They listened in profound silence and, while he read the Knes ''One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my Hfe, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple," they turned once more to look upon the gates of Zion whence they had just come. When the warden of the tower began to sing ''The Word they still shall let remain" the whole company, reaching from the brow of the hill far out into the valley below, joined him and were thrilled with courage. A prominent town official, among them, said, "I never knew that singing and pra}dng could have such a revi\dng influence upon the afflicted heart." Gast repHed, "That is why the Lord endows men with such gifts." TN another encounter a chief standard bearer of the Imperial host fell from his horse. A Swedish trumpeter rushed forward, grasped the ensign and fled. During the chase w^hich ensued, he ran his horse into an angle where he could proceed no farther. On his right were rocks, and, on the left, a steep bank and a swollen stream. He paused a moment and cried, "Help me, my God." Then he thrust his spurs into his horse w^hich reared and plunged into the midst of the stream whence it sw^am, safely, to yonder shore. The imperialists did not dare to follow him. He raised his trumpet and pealed in loudest tones "A mightv fortress is our God." '\\/'HEN the w^ar of 1870 broke out, a grand concert was given in the city of BerHn, for the benefit of the army. Three thousand auditors were in attendance. Many patriotic airs were played. Repeated re- quests for the "Pariser Einzugsmarsch" were passed forward. Finally some one went to the director to whisper to him the desire of the throng. The conductor nodded his assent. Instruments were tuned, the men raised themselves in their seats, and the audience aw^aited the first notes with breathless silence. When the baton went up, the majestic strains of "Ein feste Burg" reverberated through the spacious hall. No one dared to sing, but many eyes were bedewed with tears. All agreed that this was the appropriate March to Paris. 48 TOURING the occupation of a town in Alsace the inhabitants were hiding in the mountains. The encouraging appeals of their pastor could not induce them to return. Finally, at the request of the colonel of the in- vading army, the regimental band played "Ein feste Burg," "Was Gott thut das ist wohlgethan," and "Jesus meine Zuversicht." These mighty choral strains dissipated the fears of the multitude who said, "People who can play and sing such hymns can do us no harm. These men are flesh of our flesh." They then returned to their homes with joy and thanksgiving. npHE missionary, Christalier, labored in western Africa for many years. A native interpreter accompanied him in his daily journeys. During his expeditions, which had to be made on foot, he sang many hymns. After finishing "Ein feste Burg" the native inquired concerning the author of those hardy lines. When told his name was Luther he said, "That man, Luther, must have been a powerful man, one can feel it in his hymns." Christians in western Africa adopted the h^Tnn into their ser\dces. The Tyi H}Tiin Book contains it in its original form which be- gins thus: "Yen Nyeme ne abankese." \\/'HEN the Basel mission inspector, Josenhans, had finished his investi- gations in the mission stations in southern India, the school children of the mission sang "Ein feste Burg," as a farewell hymn. The sight of a congregation of converted heathen upon their knees and engaged in prayer and worship, he asserted, made a lasting impression upon him. Although he could not understand their language he could readily see the influence of the Spirit in their lives. ""PIN feste Burg" has been used repeatedly as a hymn of consecration of churches. On Sylvester night, 187 1 , a Jesuit church, in benighted Spain, in Seville, was consecrated as a Protestant house of worship. At the close of the service the congregation sang, in Spanish, "Ein feste Burg.'' On April 28, 1872, a colony of Germans, in Brazil, consecrated a house of worship, in Theresopolis, by singing the h3nain. AA/^HEN Woltersdorf, a missionary among the Jews, visited Rome, he ascended to the dome of the Cathedral of St. Peter and gave ex- pression to his strong Protestant faith by singing "Ein feste Burg." His companions caught the strain and sang with him to the end, with power- ful effect. Luther's hymns 49 A TEACHER in Silesia made it an annual custom, between Oct. 31st and Nov. 10th, to relate to his scholars the history of the Reformation and, on the latter date, to celebrate the occasion with special exercises. On Nov. 10, 1857, a warm autumn day, when the windows were open, the children sang ''Ein feste Burg." At the end of the last stanza a rap on the door was heard. A dilapidated looking man entered and said, "I thank you for the comfort you gave me by singing that beautiful hymn. The Lord has been a mighty fortress to me for eighteen years, while I lay in prison, under a charge of murder. He helps us free from every need, I know from my experience. A rich landowner confessed on his death-bed that he, and not I, was the murderer, and so I was released." Deeply affected by the tale of this man's experience, teacher and scholars sang the hymn again. During the last stanza the man joined his happy hosts singing: When their worst is done, They yet have nothing won. The Kingdom ours remaineth. J^EOPOLD FIRMIAN was appointed archbishop of Salzburg in 1727. He was haughty, hard hearted and cruel and, to court the favor of the Pope, determined, from the beginning of his reign, to force the Protes- tants to renounce their faith. He sent out hordes of Jesuits as * 'Preachers of Repentance" who preyed hard upon the people. Homes were ran- sacked for Lutheran writings which were burnt. Woe to him who con- fessed his Protestant faith. He was publicly handed over to the Devil and deprived of all rights as a Christian. In case of death his body was not accorded interment in consecrated ground. Soldiers took possession of Christian homes in which they behaved shamefully. Toward the close of 1731 the Salzburgers began to migrate to Prussia. The pious King, Frederick William I, provided for them in every way possible. The citizens of Gera, in Thuringia, arose before dawn of day, when the news of their approach was brought, and went forth in companies to greet them, singing "Ein feste Burg." They opened their homes to the tired wanderers and accorded them many comforts. Services were held in the churches and, when they departed, many Luther hymns were sung to cheer them on their way. As in Salzburg and Hungary, so in Bohemia and Moravia, the Austrian government raved in incomprehensible blindness against her noblest subjects, the Protestant Christians. The reading of God's Word had 5° Luther's hymns created a new awakening in Kunewald during 1723. Meetings were held in the home of the wheelwright, David Nitschmann. When, on a certain Sunday, his son, Melchior, extolled to them the glory of the Gospel, an officer entered and demanded all their Bibles and hjonn books. They >ielded all without hesitation; but while the books were being delivered they sang "Ein feste Burg." The following day tw^enty of the men of that congregation were imprisoned. After their release they emigrated to Germany where they found a permanent home called "Herrnhut" (in the Lord's keeping) by their friend and second organizer, Count Zinzen- dorf. ^ MONSTER musical festival was held in Boston in 1869. Ten thousand voices, accompanied by eleven thousand instruments, sang "Ein feste Burg" in five different languages: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. It was sung, Sept. 15, 1882, by the assembled thousands, on the field of Luetzen, during the services held in commemoration of the jubilee of the Gustavus Adolphus Society which seeks to aid Protestant churches in Roman Catholic countries. It was the favored hymn at Hermansburg when farewell services were held for a band of missionaries sent forth by Ludwig Harms. During the Luther celebration, Sept. 12-14 and Nov. 10-12, 1883, it was sung in the Castle church in Wittenberg, Sept. 12th; in Eisleben at the unveiling of the Luther Memorial, Nov. 10th, it was sung in the market place; and it was in prominence in numberless celebrations throughout Germany, Great Britain and America. LUTHER'S HYMNS 51 Translations aicf) (gott, bom J^immel iit\) barem Look down, O Lord, from heaven behold Salvum me fac, Domine - Psalm 12 C. U. 4 N. C. U. 9 Title— The Word of God, and the Church t=^ f £r -a — (2- :t=t i^ i -z^ -t^ i 1 ^=q: 2^ -s*- -^ £ -SB- (^ ®ott I bom .^tmmel fic!^ baietn, Unb lafe bid^ be§ erfiarmen ! SBie icenig finb ber .^eilgen bein I SSerlaffen finb totr Qlrtnen. S)ein SSort man Id^t nicf)t ^a5en toal^r; S)er ©louS ift auc^ erk)fd)en gar S5ei alien 3Jlenf(^en!inbcm. 2. ©ie te:^ren eitet fatfdie Sift 2Ba§ cigen Wi% erfin= bet; J^fir ^ers nid^t eme§ (Sinned ift Sn @otte§ 5Bort gegnmbet; ®er toci'^Iet biefe, ber anbre "t^OL^, ©ie trennen unS oI)n nUe "^o^cS^ Unb gteifeen fc^on bon aufeen. OOK down, Lord, from heaven ^ And let thy pity waken! [behold, How few the flock within thy fold, Neglected and forsaken! Almost thou'lt seek for faith in vain. And those who should thy truth main- tain Thy Word from us have taken. With frauds which they themselves invent Thy truth they have confounded; Their hearts are not with one consent On thy pure doctrine grounded; And, whilst they gleam \\ath outward They lead thy people to and fro, [show, In error's maze astounded. 3. ©Dtt toollt Qu^rotten alle Ca^r (Sel^r) ®te falfd^en (5d]ein un§ tefjren; S)a 5U iljr '^^wvi^ ftolj offenfiar ©priest: trol^! tcer trilB un§ tt)ef)ren? 2Bir l^aben 9^ed^t unb 5IRa(^t alletn, 2Ba§ trir fei2en, h^^ gilt gemetn, S33er ift, ber un5 foil meiftern? 3. God surely will uproot all those With vain deceits who store us. With haughty tongue who God oppose, And say, "Who'll stand before us? By right or might we will prevail; What we determine cannot fail. For who can lord it o'er us?" 52 LUTHER S HYMNS 4. ^arum f^rid^t ©ott: id} mufe auf [etn, 2)ie airmen [inb berftoret: ^^x ©eufgen bringt 511 mir l^erein, ^d) 1)0^ il)r 5?lao erpret; 2)Zem l)etl[am 2Bort foil auf ben ^lan ©etroft unb frifrf) fie greifen an Unb fein bie ^raft bcr airmen. 5. ®a§ ©ilber, burd^§ gear fieSenmal S3etod^rt, toirb lauter funben: §ln ®otte§ 3Bort man toarten foil ®e§glei(f)en alle ©tunben. @g tt)ill burets ^reus feetodl^tet fein, ®a toirb fein ^raft er!annt unb (Sd^ctn, Unb leuc^t ftarf in bie Sanbe. 6. ®o§ iDollft bu, @ott, betoal^ren rein 33or biefem argen ©fd^led^te, Unb lafe un§ bir fiefo^len fein, S)afe fid^S in un§ ni^t fle^te. S)er gottlo§ ^auf fi(^ uml)er finb't, 2Bo biefe lofe Seute finb ^n beinem SSolI er^aben. 4. For this, saith God, I will arise, These wolves my flock are rending; I've heard my people's bitter sighs To heaven my throne ascending: Now will I up, and set at rest Each weary soul by fraud opprest, The poor with might defending. 5. The silver seven times tried is pure From all adulteration; [endure So, through God's Word, shall men Each trial and temptation: Its worth gleams brighter through the cross. And, purified from human dross, It shines through every nation. 6. Thy truth thou wilt preserve, O Lord, From this vile generation; Make us to lean upon thy Word, With calm anticipation. The wicked walk on every side When, 'mid thy flock, the vile abide In power and exaltation. Tr. Frances E. Cox. TpHIS hymn, and its companion, "Nun freut euch," greatly furthered the cause of the Reformation. Bunsen, 1833, says, it is "A cry, by the Church, for help, founded upon the Word of God, and as a protection against its contemners and corrupters." Its strong and passionate temper is easily estimated from Luther's personal experiences. It does not cor- respond with the translation maxims of 1524, nor is it included in the Psalter of that year. Spitta Hnks it with 1518 or 1519 without, however, giving any proof for his opinion. Authorities agree that it antedates 1524. The Erfurt Enchiridion and the Achtliederbuch, of 1524, contain it. Buchwald and his associates, 1905, maintain that the hymn evidently was one of the first metrical compositions of a Psalm by Luther. Spangenberg, in his "Cithara Lutheri," 1569, says it contains a cordial* complaint, an earnest plea, and an assured hope, against false teachers and hypocrites who sorely afflict the Christian Church. It pictures their cunning and scorn and exhibits the pathetic condition of their hearts and lips, thoughts and words. It also describes God's strength, in most com- forting and beautiful terms, and, finally, indicates how the Church's peril and defence are made known through prayer. 53 A^HEN, in 1527, John Oldendorp, and Lampe, attempted to abolish papal ceremonials in St. Magnus, Brunswick, and great crowds at- tended their services, the Roman authorities requested Dr. Sprengel (Spruetze), of the Magdeburg cathedral, as Lauxman relates, to come and preach three sermons whereby he might weed out the Lutheran heresy. On the 22d Sunday after Trinity, 1527, he preached on the parable of the Unmerciful Servant (St. Matt. 18 : 23-35), and declared salvation by good works. At the close of the sermon a citizen began to sing "Ach Gott, vom Himmel" and, as the whole congregation joined in the singing, the discomfited priest suddenly left the pulpit and never again preached in Brunswick. QN the 2d Sunday in Advent, 1529, a^preacher in St. Jacob's, Luebeck, exhorted to prayers for the dead. Two boys began the hymn and, the congregation following, sang the whole of it. ^ GOD-FEARING minister, Dr. Joachim Moerlin, 1553, preached the Word in clear and unmistakable terms, in Koenigsberg. Duke Albert, however, supported Dr. Andrew Osiander, the opponent of Dr. MoerHn and his Evangelical teaching. When the latter had been ban- ished from his pulpit, four hundred men appeared before Albert and plead for the restoration of their favorite preacher, but their appeals fell on deaf ears. The crowds massed in the palace yard and sang "Ach Gott, vom Himmel," but their efforts failed. A station was found for Dr. MoerKn, in Brunswick, where the persistent and devout man preached the Word, and prayed so fervently for the aged duke that he recalled the banished doctor, 1587, and appointed him bishop of Samland. Here he continued in unhindered devotion until his death which came but four years later. "\\/'HEN PhiKp Jacob Spener visited the churches, in Frankford-on-the- Main, and found them in a wasted condition, his heart sank. He, however, took hold of his task in an earnest spirit and while, on a certain occasion, he entered the church for prayer, the congregation sang this majestic hymn. The fourth stanza afforded him special pleasure and en- couragement. He spent twenty years in Frankfurt. When summoned to Dresden to occupy the responsible position of Court Preacher, July, 1686, he was greatly pleased when the people of the first Saxon village he entered greeted him by singing '^Ach Gott, vom Himmel." At his request, it was repeatedly sung before his door, by the children of the schools. 54 luther's hymns Translations €i s;ptici)t ber Win\nti^tn iWunb toofil The mouth of fools doth God confess Dixit insipiens in corde suo, Non est Deus Psalms 14 and 53 IS' ^* ir ^ Title— The Word of God, and the Church (N. C. U. 6 John Walter's book, 1524 5=4: T==\: i=^=^ ^ ■75^ :^ :^ -2?- i a: -f2- -K^ sr -^SB- — I \ ^ 1 npHE mouth of fools doth God confess, But while their hps draw nigh him Their heart is full of \\'ickedness, And aU their deeds deny him. Corrupt are they, and every one Abominable deeds hath done; There is not one well-doer. 2. The Lord looked down from his high On all mankind below him, [tower To see if any owned his power, And truly sought to know him; Who all their understanding bent To search his holy Word, intent To do his will in earnest. 3. But none there was who walked with For all aside had slidden, [God, Delusive paths of folly trod, And followed lusts forbidden; Not one there was who practiced good, [mood. And yet they deemed, in haughty Their deeds must surely please him. 4. How long, by folly bhndly led, Will ye oppress the needy. And eat my people up like bread? So fierce are ye, and greedy! (i § [|)ri(^t ber Uninetfen SJhinb toot: ®en rec^ten ©ott toir meinen ; ®D(f) tft t[)r ^erj Unglaviben§ boll, Wii Stt)at [te \\)n berneinen; ^\)x SSe^en ift berberbet gtDot; S5or ®ott ift e§ ein ©reuel gar; ®§ t^ut t^r'r !einer f etn @ut. 2. ®ott \t\h\i bom ^immel fa^ l^crofi Sluf alter STlcnfd^en ^tnben; 3u [cfiauen [ie er fic^ fiegab, Ob er jemanb moc^t finben, ©er jetn'n 35er[tanb geri(f)tet ^atf, m\i (Srn[t nad) @otte§ Shorten tfjat, Unb fragt na6) f einem SBitten. 3. ©a toar ntemanb auf red)ter '^a\)n, (Sie tnarn oil au§ge[d)ritten. (Sin ieber ging nad) feincm '^a^n Unb l)ie(t berlome ©itten. ©§ tljdt iljr'r Ictner bod^ !ein ®ut; SBietnol gar bid betrog bcr W\xi^, ^l)r Stt)un follt @ott gefatten. 4. 2Gie tang tootten untniffenb [ein, 2)ie [olct)e 2Jiii^ auflaben, Unb freffen bafiir ha^ SSotf mein, Unb nat)rn fic^ mit fein'm ©c^aben? 55 @§ \tttjt itjx Zxaucn nid]t auf ®ott; in God they put no trust at all, (Sie rufen i^n nid^t in ber ^otl), Nor wiU on him in trouble call, ©te tooUn fid^ \db\t berforgen. But be their own providers. 5. Saturn ift il)X ^er^ nimmer ftUt, 5. Therefore their heart is never still, Unb [te^t allaeit in 5urd)ten, A faUing leaf dismays them; @ott bet ben grommen bletaen totll, God is with him who doth his will, ®em fie im ©lauben 0'f)orcf)en. Who trusts him and obeys him; ^l)X ober fcfimdtjt be§ Strmen 9^at^ But ye the poor man's hope despise, Unb mntt alleS, tva§> er fagt And laugh at him, e'en when he cries, SDaB ®ott [etn Xroft tft tooxbtn. That God is his sure comfort. 6. Ber foH ^frael bem otmen, 6. Who shall to Israel's outcast race 3u 3ion ^etl erlangen ? From Zion bring salvation? Q^tt totrb ft(^ [etn§ 35oI!§ erbarmcn, God will himself at length show grace, Unb (of en tie ©efangnen. And loose the captive nation; S)a§ hJtrb er t^un burcf) [etnen ©o^n. That wiU he do by Christ their King; S)abon totrb Saci)^ SBonne f)an, Let Jacob then be glad and sing, Unb ^frael fic^ freuen. And Israel be joyful. TpHIS, also, is one of the earliest of Luther's hymns, and belongs to a period antedating 1524. It was written expressly for public worship. Through a number of parallel passages Spitta associates it with the *'Ope- rationis in Psalmos," 1518. Some authorities designate it as one of the sample poems Luther submitted to Spalatin. His phraseology is some- what heavy, and the poetic worth of the hymn is not in ail respects equal to many of his later productions. It appeared in the *'EtHch geistlich Lieder" and the Erfurt Enchiridion of 1524. In the Halberstadt Hymn Book a seventh stanza was added which summarized the prayer of the hymn. Stanza 1 shows that the works of depraved men deny their confessions of God; 2 God looks upon man and inquires into the condition and under- standing of his heart; 3 all men walked in their own and sinful ways; 4 in- quires to what extent men, in need, refuse to call upon God, and how far they will follow paths hurtful to them; 5 shows reasons for human dis- quietude, and promises the divine presence with the obedient; and 6 teaches that, through the Son, divine mercy follows spiritual Israel, and brings rejoicing to Jacob. 56 LUTHER S HYMNS Mitttn tDir im ILtbtn ^inh Though in midst of life we be Media vita in morte sumus Translations- C. U. 5 N. C. U. 7 Title — Hymn for the dying, and for burials John Walter's book, 1524 T=X -/2- ■^^ "-t i^ q=q=: -^ — «$»- -Z^— (g ( ^ ( ^ "25- r-9- ^^ 1— n ■ 1 ! \ ! i 1 >t trt CS 1 J 111! ^ n n 1 l^^ 1 1 ^ m \ ^ A ] id ^ ^ \ \ r3 1 1 ^ J L: m ^ tn A ^ in ^ A ^ r2 \ %) \ ' s^* ^ -ri- -G- -^=x -Tnn, "Beata nobis gaudia." Excepting the *'Te Deum," this hymn rooted deeper into the Occiden- tal Church than any other, although its authorship can not be definitely determined. It has been ascribed to Charlemagne, St. Ambrose, Greg- ory the Great and Rhabanus Maurus. s 66 Luther's hymns Ekkehard V., monk of St. Gall, in his ''Vita Sancti Notkeri," written about 1220, says, "It is told of the blessed man (Notker) that, one day, while he walked through the dormitory, he hstened to the motion of a mill, near by. The wheel revolved slowly, on account of scarcity of water, and, groaning, produced sounds almost akin to words. Hearing this, the pious man straightway felt the impulse of the Spirit and wrote that most beautiful hymn in which he gave utterance to the sweet melody infused into his soul by the Spirit. Thus came the sequence on the Holy Spirit, 'Sancti Spiritus adsit nobis gratia.' When he had finished the hymn he sent it as a gift to the Emperor, Charles the Great, who, it is believed, stayed in Aachen at that time. The godly Emperor, however, through the same messenger, sent to Notker a hymn in which the same Spirit spoke. It was the hymn, 'Veni, Creator Spiritus.' " But, let it be remembered that Charlemagne died in 814 and Notker was born some 26 years later, or about 840. The Charles, to whom the tradition referred, may have been Charles the Fat who paid special at- tention to Notker during his visit to St. Gall, in 883, during which time the interchange of courtesies, between the two men, may have taken place. It is not likely that Charles the Fat composed the hymn. Some one, connected with the court of the Emperor of Germany, during the close of the 9th century, may have been the author. Since St. Ambrose is the author of most of the important Latin hymns, Gavanti ascribed it to him. The "Brevirium Chris tianum" of Leipzig, 1575, and some of the earlier editions of his works, e. g., Paris, 1614, con- tain it. The Benedictine editors of his works, however, do not claim it for him, nor are there any evidences in the hymn that might prove his author- ship. None of the ancient writers ascribe it to him. Certain lines, worthy of consideration, readily attribute it to Gregory the Great. It harmonizes with his other works, first, in its thought and temper; secondly, in its metre and rhythm; and thirdly, in its indications of a knowledge of the Greek language. Plausible as the argument for his authorship may be, it must be remembered that if so prominent a person as Gregory, in the 6th century, had written the hymn, the early writers would have noticed it; hymnals of that period, and later days, would have contained it; and such a work as "De arte metrica," by Bede (d. 735), who speaks of many early hymns, would have alluded to it. A learned Jesuit, Christopher Brower, included the "Veni Creator" in his edition of "Poemata" by Rhabanus, Mainz, 1617, but fails to print the text in full; nor does he give any definite information regarding the manuscript which he used, which indicates that he was not at all certain 67 of his claim. The manuscript, alluded to, contains 29 hymns, but of these Prof. E. L. Duemmler, in his critical edition of the ''Carmina" of Rhabanus, Berlin, 1884, saw fit to accept only two, none of which is **Veni Creator." If parallels between verses of the hymn and passages of prose writings of men were a criterion by which to determine its author- ship it might as well have been ascribed to St. Augustine. The inevitable conclusion to the whole consideration is that its author- ship has not been fixed. The earHest specific allusion to the h>Tnn, apart from the statement by Ekkehard, is that it was used at a synod at Rheims in 1049. The most reliable critics simply say it arose during the 9th century. The internal w^orth of the hymn is our chief concern. A Mr. Benedict, in his book on Mediaeval Hymns, 1867, says, ''Except as a matter of Hter- ary history it is of Httle importance w^ho the author is. The merit of the h}Tnn Kes in itself. Its comprehensiveness and brevity, its simpKcity and beauty, its gentle spirit of trust and devotion, and its earnest direct- ness of expression, mark it as the production of a great and practiced writer, and a devout Christian, studiously famihar with the Scriptures and theological truth, rather than a proud monarch and a great soldier." During medieval days its singing was dignified by the ringing of bells, the burning of incense, wdth lights, the best vestments, etc. Its use in the "Hour Service," on Pentecost is traced back to the 10th century. It is shown to have been used, also, at Vespers and Lauds, the latter being a service held between the Matins and the Prime, or Chief Service of the day. In two Mozarabic service-books of the 11th century, now in the British Museum, viz., a Breviary and an Antiphonary, it is assigned to Lauds. It is also ordered for use at Lauds, as well as Vespers, in a Ger- man Breviary, about 1100, now in the British Museum; but otherwise its use at Lauds seems to be quite exceptional. During the 11th century it was employed as an Ordination Hymn. It was used also at the consecra- tion of a priest, the laying of foundation stones of churches, consecration of churches, and on other special occasions. This model of Latin poetry was translated into German before Luther's time, by the monk, John of Salzburg, toward the close of the 14th century, and by other scholars; and, since Luther, it has appeared in many English translations. He transposed the third and fourth stanzas, and, in his translation, adhered most faithfully to the Latin original. His hymn appeared in the Erfurt Enchiridion, and Walter's book, of 1524. It was published by Speratus, 1526; in the Rostock hymnal, of 1531 ; and by Klug, 1535. Luther's rendering of it was admitted into the Romanist collection of John Leisenritt, 1567. 68 LUTHER S HYMNS Stanza 1 pleads that God, Creator, who moved upon the face of the deep, when all was made, might come to bestow the gifts of his grace in re-creating fallen man, by water and the Word; 2 includes the Comforter (St. John 15 : 26), the Holy Ghost, in the prayer, and asks for gifts (St. Luke 11 : 13), and holy unction (1 John 2 : 20), from the Fount of Life (St. John 7 : 38, 4 : 14), and the Fire of Love (St. Luke 3 : 16) ; 3 assures us that God knows our weakness (Ps. 103 : 14) and confidently pleads for the light of understanding and the warmth of love ; 4 is in the Latin original text the 3d stanza, and first describes the Holy Ghost and then prays to him. It solicits the sevenfold gifts (Is. 11:2) which he grants unto his own (1 Cor. 12 : 4, 7) and with which he is the finger of strength and might (St. Luke, 11 : 20, Deut. 9 : 10), and it announces the spreading of the Father's Word, on tongues of fire, in every land (Acts 2 : 8) ; 5 and 6 repeat petitions for knowledge, confidence and peace; and 7 is a doxology. Translations iSun bitten toir ben fjeiligen (§ti^t Now pray we all God, the Comiorter ^ • • ^^ Title — Hymn for Pentecost 10 John Walter's book, 1524 t==l: -s^- ■^i&- i A -I [ =l==1: T=^ -— : — • — i&- i 3 I =1: -^- w -^»- ^un bitten h)ir h^n t)etigen ©eift '^^ Urn ben red^ten ©lauben allermetft, S)afe cr un§ be^iite an imfctm (Siibe, SSenii iDtr l)etmfa^rn au§ bie[em ©lenbe. S!l)rteteifon. 2. T)U lt>ert^e§ 2id)t, gift un§ bcmcn(5^cln; 2et)r un§ :^cium (S'£)ti[t fennen allein; S)a6 ft)ir an i^m bleiben, bem treuen ^eitanb, !Der un§ hxadititiat gum red^ten SSoterlanb. ^^rielei[on. '^'OW pray we all God, the Comforter, ^ Into every heart true faith to pour And that he defend us, Till death here end us, [of sorrow. When for heaven we leave this world Have mercy, Lord. 2. Shine into us, O most holy Light, That we Jesus Christ may know aright ; Stayed on him forever. Our only Saviour, [brought us. Who to our true home again hath Have mercy. Lord. 69 3. S)u fiifee Bzh\ fc^en! un§ beine ®un[t; 3. Spirit of love, now our spirits bless; Cafe un§ cmpfinben bcr Sietie Them with thy own heavenly fire Srunft; possess; [lighting, 2)a§n3irun» t)on$er5eneinanber Men; That in heart uniting, In peace de- Unb im grieben auf einem ©inn bleti)en. We may henceforth all be one in spirit, S^^rieleifon. Have mercy. Lord. 4. !Du t)od^fter Slrofter in allcr S^otl^, 4. Our highest comfort in all distress! ^ilf, baB tDtr nic^t furrf)ten ©c^anb nod^ O let naught ^sith fear our hearts %ob; oppress; S)afe in unB bte ©innen nidf)t ber^- Give us strength unfaiHng O'er fear SOficn, prevailing, [whelm us. 2Bennbergetnbtoirbba^Ce:bcnt)Cr!Iagen. When th'accusing foe would over- ^^^rieleifon. Have mercy, Lord. Tr. A. Russell. T^HIS Pentecostal Hymn was written some time during the 12 th cen- tury. A Franciscan monk of Regensburg, Berthold (d. 1272), who was probably the most famous preacher in Southern Germany, during the latter half of the 13th century, introduced it to the people through his sermons and services. His manuscript sermon is now in the Kbrary in Heidelberg. Another version of it, also of five lines, is found in the "Psalter Ecclesiasticus," in Mainz, 1550. It is one of very few examples of popular vernacular hymns used in the Church during pre-Reformation times. When the churches grew too small to accommodate the thou- sands, who came to hear ''Brother Berthold," pulpits were constructed for him, in the branches of trees, from which he preached and exhorted the people to sing. On a certain occasion he said, " ^Nun bitten w^r den heil- igen Geist' is indeed a valuable hymn, wherefore it should please you the more to sing it, and that attentively and with devout spirits, unto God. This hymn is a good and profitable invention, and he was a wise man who wrote it." The form in which Berthold presented it to the people is as follows: Nu bit en wir den heiligen geist umb den rechten glouben allermeist, Daz er uns behueete an unserem ende, so wir heira suln varn uz disem ellende. Kyrieleis. According to Koch, it was sung by the people, at Whitsuntide, "dur- ing the ceremony in which a wooden dove was lowered, by a cord, from the roof of the chancel, or a live pigeon was let fly down." Luther accepted this stanza from the sacred popular song which, in his "Formula Missae," 1523, he pronounced elegant and beautiful, and 70 added three stanzas. He intended it to be used as a post-communion hymn. It is a prayer to the Holy Ghost for his coming and for the grace of light, love and comfort of God. It speaks of the Holy Spirit in contrast with the spirit of sinners; the Holy Light contrasted with darkness; the Spirit of Love as over against wrath, hatred and envy; and the Comforter contrasted with the terrors of Satan, death and hell. Stanza 1 pleads for the influence of the Spirit, in life and death ; 2 asks for light and under- standing; 3 implores love and its fire; and 4 a firm and immovable heart. Spangenberg says, "There must be a quiet and peaceable brotherly love, a constant sighing to God, and a new life. Where this is acquired, ac- cording to his promise, God will give the Holy Ghost with all his graces and gifts and, finally, eternal life." The hymn has been generally appointed for Whitsuntide, but has also been used, in the Lutheran Church, as a hymn for communion, at the ordination of ministers, or, as in the Strassburg Kirchen Ampt, 1526, before the sermon. It appeared in Walter's book, and the Wittenberg Hymn Book, 1524. In 1542, Luther included it among his Funeral Hymns. It was published by Speratus and in Rostock. In Mecklenburg at Strassburg, and other localities, it soon became the standard hymn before the sermon. A prominent hymnologist said it was most appropriate to sing it after the Lord's Prayer, or as an invoca- tion, in the House of God, or as a petition for the proper appreciation and understanding of the Word. \\/'HEN, in 1560, the persecution of Protestants broke out, in France, and many people were tortured in a most heartless manner, it was a common thing to hear the martyrs, on their way to execution, sing this hymn as their swan-song. In many places, especially in Leipzig, even criminals sang "Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist" while paying the ex- treme penalty. Through this the hymn acquired the title of "The Hymn of poor Sinners." JOHN REINHARD SCHEER, a merchant in Schmalkald, was so ani- mated by it that he sang the hymn, with his family, in their daily de- votions. In connection with the third stanza he remarked repeatedly, "Oh that we might love one another most heartily and live in peace and unity of spirit." 71 'T^HE following interesting account of the use of the hymn was given by- pastor Heiberg: ''Early in the 16th century, on the day preceding the festival of the Annunciation of the Virgin, about eighty fishermen were on the ice, between Copenhagen and the island of Saltholm, catching eels, when the ice gave way and broke up. They were borne along by the current, parted from each other and, finally, thirty of them were drowned. While still near each other, one of them, Hans Vensen, who had been a pupil of bishop Palladius, called out to the rest, 'Dear Brethren, let us not fall into despair because we shall lose our lives; but let us prove by our con- duct, that we have been hearers of God's Word'; whereupon they sang 'Nun bitten wir den heiKgen Geist' and following it, the hymn for the dying, 'Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin,' (Luther's metrical version of the 'Nunc Dimittis'). When they had concluded singing, they fell upon their knees and prayed that Gk)d might grant them a happy death." 72 LUTHER S HYMNS Translations— 2 ilomm, fteiliger i^ti^U 5|erre