BLESSED ARE TO

Divinity Library

Divinity l

YALE
DIVINITY SCHOOL
LIBRARY

Gift of
First Congregational Church
of Lyme, Conn.

BLESSED ARE YE.

A SERIES OF SERMONS ON THE BEATITUDES
OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

BY
DR. THEOL. PflUi; KHISER,
PASTOR OF ST. MATTHEW'S LUTHERAN CHURCH, LEIPZIG, GERMANY.
TRANSLATED BY
B. LEDERER,
PASTOR OF THE EV. LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION,
CHICAGO, ILL.

1906.
The German Literary Board,
Burlington, Ia.

Copyright 1906
By
R. NEUMANN,
Burlington, Iowa.

ERRATA.

1. The division of the first 9ermon on page 14 should
read as follows: A Principal Sermon of Jesus.
1. The superscription: Where and to whom does
Jesus preach? The place and the hearers of the
sermon. 2. The subscription : How and what does Jesus
preach? The manner and the contents of the sermon.
2. The footnote on page 28 should stand on page 27.
3. In the last line of the stanza quoted on page 106 read
"presumptuous" instead of "presumtuous."

BLESSED ARE YE.

CONTENTS, PAGE
I. A Principal Sermon of Jesus  9
II. Poverty and the Kingdom of Heaven  25
III. Mourners, and^yet called Blessed  41
IV. Meekness, to which is Promised the Earth  55
V. Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness  69
VI. Divine and Human Mercy  83
VII. The pure Heart; which sees God  97
VIII. Children of Peace are called Children of God  Ill
IX. Persecuted, Reviled and Yet Rejoicing  125

MATTHEW IV. 2—10.
And Jesus opened His month, and taught them, saying:
Blessed are tlie poor in spirit: for theirs is the
l-ingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for
they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meeh: for they
shalll inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be
filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain
mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall
see God. Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be
called the children of God. Blessed are they which, are
persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.

I.
A PRINCIPAL SERMON OF JESUS.

Matthew 4: 25 — 5: .3. — And there followed Him great
multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and
from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain : and
when He was set. His disciples came unto Him: and He
opened His mouth and taught them, saying.
Luke 6: 12, 17, 18. — And it came to pass in those days,
that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued
all night in prayer to God. And He came down with them,
and stood in the plain, and the company of His disciples,
and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jeru
salem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which
came to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases; And
they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were
healed. Matthew 7 : 28, 29. — And it came to pass, when Jesus
had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His
doctrine :' For He taught them as one having authority, and
not as the scribes.
The first sermons which Luther preached, after the Prot
estant Church had been established in the year 1530 through
the Confession at Augsburg, were based upon Christ's Ser-

— 12 —
mon on the Mount. In these sermons Luther's spiritual utter
ance was especially fresh, clear and powerful, flowing from
him like a river from a mountain. A few weeks after his
return from the castle of Coburg, acting as a substitute for
Bugenhagen, the regular pastor,*) he delivered before the
congregation at Wittenberg a series of discourses explanatory
of this principal sermon of Jesus Christ. He expressed it
as his great desire that his "sermons on the three chapters
of St. Matthew, which Augustine calls the Lord's Sermon
011 the Mount," might be published. Not only did the Ee-
former, however, preach very suggestively on Christ's Sermon
on the Mount himself, but he also urged other pastors to do
the same. "Every preacher and pastor is therefore requested
and admonished," he writes, "to preserve and promulgate
faithfully and dilgently, among the flock entrusted to his
care, the correct understanding of the Sermon on the Mount."
This I desire to do.
Luther considered this important portion of Holy Scrip
ture very necessary for his age. Is it not also very necessary
for ours? Does not Jesus also speak very plainly to the
children of the present clay? The bread of life can not grow
stale. The living water is as' fresh to-day as when it flowed

*) Bugenhagen was then absent for about a year and a half,
reforming the churches of Lubeck and Pomerania. During that
time Luther preached iv\ the parish-church as "loeumtenens," on
Matthew 5—7.

— 13 —
at Jacob's well or from the Mount. Jesus is still preaching.
At His feet there is room for great multitudes of people.
Wherever His servants proclaim the word of life, there He
speaks. Only let us not be like that man who went away
from a celebrated preacher with the expression, "I was com
pelled to hurry off, or he would have made me a Christian."
In our sanctuaries tower "the hills from whence cometh our
help." It has become sufficiently clear, whither the neglect
of religious life, of the divine word and of Christian preach
ing has led us.
Two of the evangelists have recorded the Sermon on the
Mount, Matthew and Luke, the former more in detail.*) One
of our new gospel lessons**) comprises the first twelve verses
of the fifth chapter of the gospel according to Matthew,
embracing the superscription of the Sermon on the Mount
and the beatitudes. Thus I was recently obliged to compre-

*) AH modern interpreters admit that Luke 6: 12 — 49 and
Matthew 4: 25 — 7: 29 record one and the same discourse, despite
the differences in the two accounts. The best information on the
relation of the two accounts to each other can be obtained by
consulting Tholuck (Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount),
Achelis (The Sermon on the Mount according to Matthew and
Luke) and Steinmeyer (The Discourse of the Lord on the
Mountain). ** ) The author here refers to a new series of pericopes for
the Church Year, which have been recommended to be used by
the Lutheran clergy of the kingdom of Saxony as texts for their
sermons. Translator.

— 14 —
hend the great wealth of those immortal words of Jesus
within the narrow compass of a single sermon. This op
pressed me. I was constrained to pass over in silence much
which in this connection, is important and which should
necessarily have been said. We will now more carefully ex
amine every sentence of this sermon of the Lord.
To-day we will Snly consider what the gospels record
immediately before and after this sermon. Even the super
scription and the subscription can engage our thoughts. It
will give us the k<9y that unlocks for us the sanctuary of the
chief of the discourses of Jesus.
A Principal Sermon on? Jesus.
2. T-he-si*bseription : How and what does Jesus preach?
preach? The place and the hearers of the sermon.
2. The swpeewpwMi : How and what does Jesus preach?
The manner and the contents' of the sermon.
Lord God, hear us when now we call upon Thee, incline
Thine ear to the holy conversation of our hearts with Thee.
Give unto us words of eternal love and nourish us continually
with the bread of life. Take from our soul the dust and
the burden of the world, the cares and the sins and the tears,
that with a clear mind we may behold Thee and Thy kingdom
and Thy glory. Help Thy servants that they may labor and
speak according to the Word and after the manner of Thy

— 15 —
dear Son, our eternal highpriest. Give them the watchman's
eye and the shepherd's voice that they may lead Thy people
to Thee. Great and dear Lord, Thou only Master of souls
and eternal preacher of righteousness, let our petitions draw
Thee into our midst, and then lead Thou us upon the heights
of silent devotion and sacred elevation of the heart. Amen.
1.
I did not begin reading the Sermon on the Mount with
the first verse of th/ fifth chapter of Matthew, as is usually
done. The account of it begins with the verse before, the
last verse of the preceding chapter. (The division into
chapters in Holy Scripture is not always quite correct. It
did not originate with the authors of the biblical books them
selves, who wrote without making such a division, but it was
first added toward the close of the Middle Ages.) .The last
verse'of the fourth chapter, accordingly, tells us where Jesus
then sojourned and what hearers had gathered around Him;
that is, where and to whom He preached. Luke also had
previously given this information. This is the first point
upon which we will dwell a little.
We learn that Jesus was in Galilee, but that also from
Judaea, not only from the immediate vicinity of Decapolis,
but also from Jerusalem, a great multitude had gathered
around Him — a full net for the holy fisher of souls, a wide
field for the heavenly sower. Ofttimes the multitude remained

— 16 —
with Him for several days, but they caused Him no embarrass
ment, for He could multiply the loaves and the fishes. Who
then would not be satisfied and blessed by Him? Many a
time (and here also) they followed Him chiefly to obtain
healing and food — but where He pronounced His Ephphatha
over the deaf, there sometimes the ear would also be opened
to His word. Where He gave sight to a blind eye, there often
the inward eye also would be opened to behold His glory. As
is still the case, external benefits were often the avenues upon
which the kingdom of God entered into the hearts of men.
But they also came to hear Jesus. Luke tells us, that even
from Tyre and Sidon had come many of those who heard the
'Sermon on the Mount.
Before such multitudes Jesus sometimes stepped into a
boat, sometimes He went upon a mountain. He did so in
ovder to be heard and seen by all from His elevated position.
Often He and His disciples and His hearers were surrounded
only by desert land, but then He gave them so much the more
of the true bread.
The Good Shepherd always knows the green pastures and
the still waters. Sometimes Jesus took His disciples aside
from the multitude. "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert
place, and rest a while." Often in the Old Covenant silent
mountain-tops were places of a special revelation. Think of
Horeb, Sinai and Carmel. Not only 6Vtwardly did they
raise their shining summits from desolate^ regions against

— 17 —
heaven, but frequently they became altars upon which God
held holy conversation with his servants. Think of Moses
and his shining f aee, when he descended from the mountain
to__the -people ! But here there is more than Moses and Sinai !
Is it surprising that the name of the place, where Jesus
preached His Sermon on the Mount, is not designated ? That
the Evangelists did not think it necessary to mention it ? In
later times travellers and explorers have gone in search of it
and have designated the "horns of Hattin" (Kurim Hattin)
as the so-called "Mount of Beatitudes." It is the same moun
tain at whose base about a thousand years later a battle was
fought. At the very spot where Jesus had once preached of
the meek and the peacemakers, there the army of the crusaders
was defeated by the superior forces of Saladin in the year
1187.*' In Luke (chapter 6) we read, that Jesus descended to
a place in the plain. Here very probably a level place upon '
the mountain is meant, which afforded more room for the
multitude. But of what consequence is the place and its name ?
Do we need earthly names, where the kingdom of heaven it
self is being built? We are reminded in this connection,
that while in the OJq Testament external, local fetters were
put on the word/and service of God, such is not the case
under the New/Covenany Jesus did not desire to connect His
grace and truth with a certain place, whether it be Gerizim,
or Jerusalem, or Eome. The dogma of the pope, that there is
a greater degree of grace in Eome, contradicts the gospel.

— 18 —
Where two or three are gathered together in the name of
Jesus, wherever His people seek Him, there the Lord speaks
from the mountain of His grace, from the pulpit of His word.
Where His word is, there is His place.
What multitudes have lived in all the Christian centuries
from the time of the Sermon on the Mount down to the
present hour ! And all these sayings of Jesus are so holy, so
sublime and genuine, that the world has been compelled to hear
them, nor could they ever be forgotten. Qnly modern cavilers
and sceptics, who would demolish everything, have not hesi
tated to represent even the principles and demands of the Ser
mon on the Mount as antiquated and impracticable. The first
Christians were more familiar with the Sermon on the Mount
than with other passages of the Scriptures. The primitive
teachers of the Church deposited the gold of these sayings in
their books. Nay, even in the epistles of the New Testament
we can upon closer examination discover many expressions
'which may be traced back to the Sermon on the Mount.*)
The opinion has even been expressed, that these three chapters
of Matthew are the most important part of the whole Scrip
ture, and if all other parts should be lost, we would here find
a sufficient source of salvation. In" this respect some have
frequently gone too far. But Jesus e^fdently here delivered a

*) So in 1. Corinthians 7: 10; 4: 12; 1. Peter 3: 9; 4: 14;
James 4: 9; 5: 12.

— 19 —
very important sermon before His disciples (who stood in
front), and the great multitude. It was not His first dis
course, His introductory sermon, as many interpreters have
asserted. We read (Matthew 4: 23) that Jesus had already
before that time preached frequently. But we are certainly
obliged to call this sermon a great principal sermon of Jesus.
Matthew has also indicated this by putting such a long super
scription over it: "And seeing the multitudes, He went up
into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came
unto Him: and He opened/ His mouth, and taught them,
saying." The Evangelist tries to describe every external trait
of the holy preacher on the Mount himself. Luther says:
"Here the Evangelist makes a preface and a great display of
words, how Jesus presented Himself for the sermon that He
wanted to preach, — so that we can see that He was in ear
nest." In Luke we read^ "And He lifted up His eyes on
His disciples." 0, to haVe taken up and carried away the
look of Jesus! How mpch may have been expressed by it!
But still the gracious look of His love follows every disciple
and the whole multitude of those, who devoutly and be-
lievingly hearken to His words. This much for the super
scription, that is, Where and to whom does Jesus preach?
The place and the hearers of the sermon.
2.
T4ie-subscaiption : How and What does Jesus Preach?
•/The Manner and the Contents of the Sermon.

— 20 —
We read that Jesus preached as one having authority.
This was the leading impression which the great multitude of
hearers carried away from His Sermon on the Mount. He
also spoke graciously, especially when He invited souls so
cordially with His "Blessed, blessed;" but here we are told
above all things, "He taught them as one having authority,
and not as the scribes." The Scribes and the Pharisees, who
then' were the leaders in Israel, spoke much about external
deportment and ceremonies, about human commandments,
letters and precepts, about the cleansing of vessels and washing
of hands, tithes- and fasting — nothings but appearances and- -
empty chaff. There was not that soul-refreshing "Blessed,"
there was not that heartrending "Woe," which proceeded from
^the mouth of Jesus, lyfiese pedantic adherents to the letter
were filled with simulation, hypocrisy and folly, not with
heartfelt compassion^ f or souls/ not with that pity of Jesus for
the people, which-made the/Lord so powerfully eloquent. On
one occasion His enemies, the highpriest and the Pharisees,
had sent out their servants to seize Him. But when they
came and heard one of His powerful speeches, not one of them
ventured to lay hands on Him. They stated as their reason,
"Never man spake like this man."
Even Jesus did not consider the preparation for His
sermon an unimportant matter. The refreshing showers do
not descend, upon the fields from clouds of mist that disperse
easily. "Luke tells us that the Lord before preaching His

— 21 —
Sermon on the Mount continued all night in prayer to God.
No one can be great in preaching who is not also mighty
in prayer! The more mightily we wrestle with God, the
more powerfully will we labor and speak among men. Our
addresses to God will be transformed into overwhelming
addresses before men. If the Son of God prepared Himself
thus for His work, how much more should we! Let us in
this matter perceive the footsteps of the Master that point
out the right way. The people will then hear through many
a discourse and sermon the prayers offered by their pastors
and preachers in the silent night, and that force of prayer
will be a quiet but mighty power, to lead souls upon the
mount of exaltation. Here lay the strength of the Son of
man himself. It was then that He appeared as "one having
authority." He did not strive to attain the applause of men,
as many vain speakers do nowadays. Neither "dro" He fear
the opposition of His enemies. And the people, who heard
Him, were astonished.
How did Jesus preach? You may read that He spoke
mostlv in short sentences and sayings. In short sentences
there is often more spirit and power than in very long periods.
Now He offers us_pearls in which the kingdom of heaven is
gleaming, now He hurls sharp arrows against lying spirits
and infernal powers. There are many points in the Sermon
on the Mount and there is often much room left between the
several sayings. Why so? It is the will of Jesus that His

— 22 —
witnesses and preachers should say many a thing in addition,
which would be especially appropriate for their age and their
hearers. I also believe that Matthew did not write down
everything whi<|h Jesus said fin that powerful sermon. Luke
has recorded it in a still mojre abbreviated/form. Instead of
eight beatitudes He records' only four.
^What did Jesus preach? His most important word He
has placed at the head. It shall be ours to look often at
this word as into the clear, heavenly sunlight: "Blessed."
Here speaks the one who will bless us. He will not destroy
but save us. It is said that Goethe once heard of a man
^•who upon having read his "Sorrows of Werther," had com
mitted suicide. \The poet is reported to have said that the
world lost nothing by that man. Jesus never entertained such
a "thought: The soul is in a terrible state, and must be

pitied forever, that would not be improved and saved by His
word; "Blessed,"^ — there is nothing greater. Many things,
which were the joy of our life, may have been taken from
us, but notwithstanding all this we can still obtain the highest
good. Jesus will again and again call out in our midst :
"Blessed !" Thus He will awaken within us a longing, a
hunger and a thirst, that shall lead us to say, coming like
an echo from our hearts, "Lord, bless me!"
I saw one hanging on a tree,
In agony and blood;
Who fixed His languid eyes on me
As near the cross I stood.

— 23 —
A second look He gave, that said,
"I freely all forgive:
This blood is for thy ransom paid;
I die that thou may'st live."
These beatitudes we will examine one after the other.
Although Jesus condensed them into- a few words, yet they
will give us much food for thought and much to speak about.
The strong light of His sacred truth will illuminate the dark-
y
ness of this age. The hammer of the divine word must
shatter many a delusive image of false righteousness. Into
all the corners and recesses of our earthly life, with its cares
and all its dark depths of trial and sorrow, Jesus will come
and call us forth to follow Him.
Whenever we hear a text from the Sermon on the Mount,
ii_ii»ih ¦ ¦ '  ¦  — — —
may we know that we hear Jesus Himself. May we speak like
that disciple whom Jesus loved, who once saw Jesus at a
distance, but who notwithstanding the distance exclaimed,
"It is the Lord !" May we perceive above every succeeding
sermon the superscription. "And He opened His mouth, and
taught them, saying;" — and then the subscription — "the
people were astonished; for He taught them as one having
authority !" May we never hear without this holy astonish
ment!" JTfldiay I come to my conclusion early. Luther in his
introduction to the discourses on the Sermon on the Mount
demanded three things of a preacher: First, that he" come

— 24 —
forward like Jesus; secondly, that he open his mouth and
have something to say; thirdly, that he know when to stop.
Amen.

-GJJ&

II.
POVERTY AND THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Matthew 5 : 3. — Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 6 : 20. — And He lifted up His eyes on His disciples,
and said, Blessed be ye poor : for yours is the kingdom of God.
The last word from the Sermon on the Mount which we
recently considered, was this : "The people were astonished."
Jesus had spoken with the fire of a mighty zeal and of a
holy love. Wherever the Master speaks, there astonishment
is one of the signs that follow. But was it then among the
hearers only an astonishment about the eloquence and the
greatness of the Lord? Was it not perhaps also an astonish
ment about their own inward poverty, abou-t their folly and
indolence, perversity and sin? "Holy astonishment!" we
might say, "Blessed astonishment!" we might exclaim, under
which the new man is born! We will often see in the Ser
mon on the Mount that astonishment and delight can exist
together. This sermon of Jesus has been called the Lord's decla
ration of war against degenerate Judaism.*) Certainly. The
Evangelists frequently show us the hostile faces of the Jewish
Scribes and Pharisees, those formalists and pedants. Long
enough had the people been treated to the chaff and the stubble
of their doctrine. Luther, too, says in explaining this word,

— 28 —
"the poor in spirit," that the Lord from the very outset
gives the Jews and their great saints a severe blow with these
words. We will often have occasion to observe this degenerate
Judaism in the Sermon on the Mount. But I ask, Is there
no degenerate Christianity ? Is not the Sermon on the Mount
'v
also a declaration of war against degenerate Christianity?
In these discourses we will often be constrained to wage
war against many things which maintain among us an un
authorized supremacy. There is a convenient, a very convenient
Christianity, if indeed it can be called Christianity at all.
The Sermon on the Mount must rouse us from such an easy
going religion, so that we may become true Christians and
that we may finally be saved.
We have read only a few brief words from the Sermon
on the Mount. But here every word is a sermon in itself.
The first beatitude. Some have counted seven, others eight,
others nine, still others ten different beatitudes. But the
number is of no consequence. There is one bond uniting
them all: the word "Blessed." We will, however, find that
the beatitudes are closely connected in many other respects.
Strangely, very strangely indeed, Jesus began His ser
mon by calling the poor blessed. Usually those are called
happy who have great possessions. Jesus seems to prefer those
who have nothing. "Blessed be ye poor !" Docs it not seem

*) By De Pressensg, a French Protestant theologian.

— 29 —
like reversing the truth ? Listen to the people who are passing
by the elegant residences in the opulent and fashionable parts
of our city ! Listen to their utterances, how they, not without
envy in their hearts, call happy those who live in the abun
dance of their earthly goods. Jesus did not thus teach us.
He desired to bring to us a different, a higher view of the
world. Poverty and wealth, privation and blessedness — great
contrasts, poverty and the kingdom of heaven. Jesus knows
how to unite all these contrasts. Let this be the subject of
our meditation: 4
Poverty axd the Kingdom of Heaven1. Can they exist
together ?
1. The poverty which enters into the kingdom of heaven.
2. The kingdom of heaven which comes into our poverty.
Great and gracious Lord, it is Thy will that we hearken
to Thy word with fear and with joy, with astonishment and
delight, and that we may thus pray to Thee and serve Thee.
Shatter the idols that prevent us from serving Thee and which
we enshrine so deeply in our hearts. Help us, that our Chris
tianity may not be inactive, lukewarm and impotent, but that
it may become truth, spirit and power, action and life. Let
Thy word become greater and dearer to us all, a clear light
of knowledge and a deep source of blessed peace. 0 Lord
Jesus, do Thou ever rise higher in our estimation ! Make us
all to be spiritually poor and yet blessed. Amen.

— 30 —

We understand that Jesus began His powerful Sermon
on the Mount with a word of fundamental significance. Such
a word we will find in this first beatitude. He who leads us
upon the narrow way to the eternal city of the kingdom of
heaven, here introduces us into the society in which we are to
move. Jesus will enter upon this journey with poor people,
and He says to His disciples : "Blessed be ye poor !" He said
once of His preaching, "The poor have the gospel preached to
them." Who are these poor?
Jesus here refers to the Old Testament, both with His
"Blessed," which occurs in a few Psalms,*) and with these
poor whom He calls blessed. There are passages in the Old
Testament where the words "poor" and "pious," like "rich*'
and "ungodly" are used as synonyms.**) It may often be
observed that people in the distress and poverty of this life
more than in prosperity and abundance put their confidence
in the Lord. -In our day we still see the Jews throughout the
world dancing continually around the golden calf of wealth,
their idol. We cannot serve two such different beings as God
and mammon. Luther says : "This was the sum total of their
doctrines : if a man is prosperous here on earth, he is blessed

*) Psalm 1: 1; 41: 2, etc.
**) Psalm 73: 12; Ecclesiastes 5: 13; Isaiah 53: 9; Psalm
69: 33, etc.

— 31 —
and fortunate." Not infrequently the rich in Israel were
the oppressors and extortioners of others.*) Such conditions
still prevailed at the time of Jesus. But the poor and the
oppressed, the publicans, the fishermen, those that labored,
the servants with one talent, were then waiting for the conso
lation of Israel, and when it came they received with joy the
saving word of Jesus. Nay, even of Jesus Himself it is
written in the Scriptures, that for your sakes He became
poor (2. Corinthians 8: 9). Surrounded by this blessed
poverty, in the stable and manger of Bethlehem, in the
carpenter's shop of Nazareth, in the poor highlands and
maritime towns of Galilee, was His earthly dwelling place.
There are plants which especially in tender youth do not need
rich ground, but poor and light soil. Just so Christianity.
Just so this tender plant of the kingdom of heaven.
The first Christian congregation in Jerusalem was poor,
so poor, that Paul in Corinth and elsewhere raised collections
for them. Jesus said that a rich man shall hardly enter into
the kingdom of heaven. James, who has rightly been called
an interpreter of the Sermon on the Mount, said of the first
Christians: "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world,
rich in faith?" But of the Pharisees we are told that they
were covetous. Poverty may be to us an angel that leads us
into the kingdom of heaven. Avarice and covetousness are

*) Psalm 14: 6, etc. Compare James. 2: 6.

— - 32 — -
messengers of Satan that destroy us. We can well understand
that Jesus, according to Luke, said to His disciples, these poor
disciples, in the Sermon on the Mount : "Blessed be ye poor !"
These men had left all their small possessions, to which people
in humble circumstances are often so closely attached, in order
to follow Jesus and to live with Him in His kingdom. Here
both were united, poverty and the kingdom of heaven.
But here arises a question. Has not the Boman Catholic
Church then a Scriptural right to demand of her monks
absolute poverty? Were not the poor people of Lyons, the
Waldenses right, when they gave away their possessions, so
that they might not be rich disciples of a poor Savior? To
this we have to say, that even if Jesus did once, in order to
test the sincerity of the rich young man, demand from him
to sell his great possessions, He did not intend this to be a
rule and pattern for everybody. Also Nicodemus and Zac-
chaeus, who were rich, were among His friends.
But this I must say : There are some rich people who
ought not to be quite so rich. It would be better if they
were poorer. If they were poorer they would be more blessed.
Many of the rich ought to become poorer by giving their riches
away, so that they might become richer, richer in heart, richer
in God. There are many hearts into which the kingdom of
God cannot enter, because they are so full of the goods of
this world. That immoderate capitalism and those colossal
manufacturing establishments,, that senseless competition and

— 33 —
the puffing advertisements of the present day are not in
accordance with the Sermon on the Mount. .All this has
not brought upon us an}' happiness, but much confusion and
distress. Will we ever get out of this? Mammon is an evil
tyrant who works his servants to death. Jesus wanted to
break the chains that fasten us to the world and mammon.
O that we our hearts might sever
From earth's tempting vanities,
Fixing them on Him forever,
In whom all our fulness lies.
But Jesus according to the account of Matthew called
blessed the spiritually poor, not those who are merely poor in
earthly goods. Luther says very correctly in his explanation
of the Sermon on the Mount, "We may find that many a
beggar, asking for bread at our door, is more proud and wicked
than any rich man, and many a shabby peasant, with whom
it is harder to agree than with any lord or prince." Poor in
Spirit, — what does this mean? This is the only passage in
the New Testament where this word occurs. Different ex
planations of it have been given. Let us cast the sounding-
line of our investigation into all the depths of this word.
It has been supposed that to be "poor in spirit" means to
bear our poverty in spirit, i. e., with a patient, Christian spirit.
Others have said, Poor in spirit is he who in spirit, i. e., in
wardly, is free from his possessions, who does not set his heart
on them. Still others have thought that here people with a

— 34 —
poor, weak mind are meant, simpletons and idiots. But Jesus
did not here desire to call blessed the foolish mind. Neither
are those the spiritually poor who are "poor in courage."
Other interpreters have said that he is poor in spirit who is
devoid of the Holy Spirit and longs for Him. But must we
not be enlightened by the Holy Spirit if Jesus is to call us
blessed? Many others explain: The "poor in spirit" are the
humble. Similarly we read in the Old Testament: "Let not
the wise man glory in his wisdom!" "Let not the rich man
glory in his riches !" The same thought is expressed by the
Christian poet: Lord, if Thou Thy grace impart,
Poor in spirit, meek in heart,
I shall as my Master be,
Clothed with humility.
We may accept much as true in these explanations, but
they all do not give the original signification. The poor in
spirit are rather those who in the Spirit, i. e., enlightened by
the Holy Spirit, realize all their human poverty,*) who do
not say like the Laodiceans, "I am rich, and increased with
goods, and have need of nothing." Here the rich like Nico-

*) Compare especially Steinmeyer's ingenious work: The
Discourse of the Lord on the Mount. A contribution to the
solution of its problems. Page 27, etc. Also G. Chr. Knapp,
Scripta varii argumenti. Volume 2, Page 357.

— 35 —
demus, Zacchaeus and Joseph of Arimathea stand side by
side with the publican in the temple, with the diseased woman
who in anguish and faith touched the hem of Christs garment,
and in the midst of all poor disciples, those that "labor and are
heavy laden." They are all poor, impotent and small before
the holy greatness and grace of the Lord, they all need His
strength, assistance and Spirit, they all pray and implore Him,
"Lord, help us !" That is no mere conventional prayer. It is
the Spirit who sighs and implores through us ! These are the
poor in spirit.
We must tear off every mask and cover from our haughty
nature, so that nothing but bare poverty remains. Although
human virtues are not glitterng vices, as has once been said,
we see nevertheless that the outward show of our own right
eousness is not sufficient to cover our human nakedness. The
beginning of true discipleship is in the depths^of inward
poverty. Every river begins as a rivulet. Every man begins
as a child. The Christian also must begin in a small way,
he must always be humble, so that the Lord can bestow upon
him His greatness and power. Are you surprised that Jesus
suffered the little children to come unto Him? Are you sur
prised that the smallest children are baptized and received by
Him ? The Lord's blessing, gracious hand upon the head of a
poor child — is this not also an explanation of this word about
the poor, of whom Jesus said: "Theirs is the kingdom of
heaven?" Why did Jesus promise the kingdom of heaven to

— 36 —
children ? Why did he demand of the great that they become
like children, if they would enter into the kingdom of heaven ?
Because He wants us to be poor in order to make us rich. As
a child I will at the last throw myself into the arms of His
heavenly mercy, just as my parents have already in baptism
laid me prayerfully into the bosom of His eternal love, I will
pray to the end, As a little child relies
On a care beyond his own,
Knows he's neither strong nor wise,
Fears to stir a step alone:
Let me thus with Thee abide,
As my Father, Guard, and Guide.
Here both exist together, poverty and the kingdom of heaven.
The Lord will have publicans in His temple on Sunday.
Penitent sinners will the Lord receive into His heavenly glory.
The haughty Eoman Emperor Julian scoffed at this spiritual
poverty, at this first beatitude. The ancient heathen world
could not comprehend it. But the Christian must day by day
remember the great weakness of human nature. Every Sun
day our spiritual poverty is made known to us in the con
fession of sins. Let us not with the lips only employ these
humble, penitent words, calling ourselves "poor sinners,"
whilst at heart we remain proud and pharisaical. For it
might be that God's opinion of us would be similar to the
opinion of that wise man of old, in an age when the outward

— 37 —
renunciation of the world was much thought of by many. He
said to a man who ostentatiously wore a shabby, threadbare
garment, "Through the holes of your garment I see your
pride." I have tried to show you the poor in spirit and I hope
you have recognized them. I hope that it has helped you to
know yourselves a little. We have looked into the depths of
our poverty, we have become acquainted with the poverty that
enters into the kingdom of heaven. 2.
The kingdom of heaven which comes into our poverty.f
Jesus calls blessed the poor in spirit, and He gives the reason
for it: "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven." I can not dwell
much longer upon these words, however inviting and signifi
cant they are. The kingdom of heaven — this expression is
only used by Matthew; the other evangelists term it the king
dom of God. But this is no essential difference. The only;
difference is this, that the Lord according to Matthew's ac
count leads us. at once upon the blessed heights of the king
dom of God. Yet the Lord does not say, "The kingdom of
heaven will be given to the poor in spirit;" no, it "is theirs,"
it "is yours." There is a great assurance in this "is." The
kingdom of heaven becomes through it something already
present. We are to- receive the powers and gifts of the king
dom of heaven already here on earth, in the midst of our
human poverty. That wise man of Grecian antiquity would,

— 38 —
as is well known, call nobody happy before his death. We
know what he meant. But the Scriptures do not speak so
reservedly. Jesus said: "Blessed are!" Jesus shows us a
blessedness which is carried right into this world and the
present time. Thus both can be together: Poverty and the
kingdom of heaven.
"Heaven on earth!" — This is a Biblical thought. You
know the expression. Certain demagogues hold it up before
the poor of the present time as the dawn of a bright, rosy,
inviting future. Yet not the heavenly manna, but the flesh
pots of Egypt are their heaven on earth. Those who promise
to advance such a kingdom of heaven on earth will find it very
difficult to make good their promise. Neither is it appropriate
to employ sacred terms, Biblical ideas and the great, golden
words of the kingdom of heaven to designate the gratification
of worldly passions. There are some other people who seek
their heaven in this world and who imagine that the kingdom
of heaven is a great earthly enjoyment. We should rather
transform this earth into heaven and not lose sight of the
real kingdom of heaven which is not of this world and for
whose coming we must daily pray. To transform earth into
heaven — this is what Jesus intended to do by His appearance
on earth, as it is written, that through His poverty we might
be rich. To transform earth into heaven — this is what the
disciples and the first Christians intended to do, of whom we
read: "As poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing,

— 39 —
and yet possessing all things." They made many rich and
became rich themselves. Where did they have their treasures ?
In the kingdom of heaven, but also here on earth already did
they possess heavenly treasure in earthen vessels. They pos
sessed the righteousness of God, they possessed that love which
makes us rich, they possessed a precious inward peace and un
speakable joy. Joy — also a great gift of the kingdom of
heaven in the midst of our poverty. You may be poor, nay.
you even must be poor, but the Lord who has charge of and
governs the kingdom of heaven, says to you: "I know thy
poverty, but thou art rich," — and what is still more, "blessed !"
Thus both are together : Poverty and the kingdom of heaven.
Dear Christian friends, the Lord Jesus Christ would open
with this word the door of the kingdom of heaven unto you,
and I am to tell you, "Come ! the kingdom of God, the king
dom of heaven is yours !" Once more we find the same sen
tence: "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven" toward the end of
the beatitudes. There it is applied to the persecuted, who
with their heart should flee from the sorrow of their time to
the kingdom of heaven. We will let the Lord with these words
from the Sermon on the Mount now and again open unto us
the door of heaven, and we will often look into it. God grant
that we may obtain anew the gifts and powers of this eternal
kingdom from these beatitudes ! And this I will say in ad
dition : It must have been a strong, holy assurance, with which
Paul once wrote, "For our conversation is in heaven." It

— 40 —
must have been with a feeling of profound, heavenly joy that
the evangelist Matthew recorded this Word of Jesus for the
blessed poor : "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Amen.

III.
MOURNERS, AND YET CALLED BLESSED.

Matthew 5 : 4. — Blessed are they that mourn : for they
shall be comforted.
Luke 6: 21, 25. — Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye
shall laugh. Woe unto you that laugh now ! for ye shall mourn
and weep. Mourners, weepers, and yet called blessed! Jesus leads
us upon great heights in these beatitudes, . but He begins in
the depths below. In this life we must go through deep val
leys. We have just been looking into various depths of poverty.
To-day Jesus shows us those that mourn and weep. Do you
not believe that these mourners and the poor in spirit are
closely related ?
There was a time in our life wheli we knew nothing of
mourning: the happy time of childhood. We wept, it is true,
we even wept much, but those tears were childish tears that
soon dried off again. I would not assert that no one can be
afflicted with sorrow in early youth, but it is not the rule. At
that time we at the most understood but dimly what it is to
mourn, when we saw the mother in sorrow. We looked on
when the sick or the dead were carried away from the street
where we lived, but it did not cause us much thought or sor
row. Life was a merry play. The poet has therefore sung
about childhood, which is without suffering: "0 blessed, 0

— 44 —
blessed, to be yet a little child !" We like to hear this. Is it
then not strange that Jesus here calls blessed these who truly
mourn? There must after all be a more profound wisdom in
this saying of Jesus than in that heart-thrilling song of blessed
childhood, which we so easily understand. After we had
grown older, having arrived at the age of more serious reflec
tion, we perceived more of the sufferings of this world. Later
on the:e were times when our cares awoke with us in the morn
ing and retired with us at night. They even haunted -• us in
our dreams. We did not yet know the art of that Christian
statesman (Axel Oxenstierna), who every evening comforted
himself about his many cares and, as he said, took them off
with his clothes. We pitied ourselves. Perhaps others also
pitied us. And yet — Jesus seems to have quite another opin
ion, He can call blessed those that weep and mourn. It must
be another viewpoint sfrom which He considers our sorrow.
It may also after all be a different mourning from that which
we usually understand. The second beatitude is to be the
subject of our meditations. :
"Mourners and yet Called Blessed!
1. For what 'they mourn.
2. Why they are called blessed.
Lord, Thou true Comforter, we must first come into Thy
presence with our prayer in the name of Jesus. Grant unto us
a more prayerful frame of mind, more inclination and zeal

— 45 —
for prayer. Grant that especially in our sorrows we may think
much of Thee, and that even our sighs may become the lan
guage of prayer, so that we may not utter them in vain. And
when, in deep anguish, body and soul cry for Thee, as a lost
child for his mother, then grant to -our hearts so much more
Thy consolation and peace. Bless the contemplation of Thy
word and let the utterances of Thy servant be not a sowing
upon stony places, among thorns and by the wayside. Let Thy
word fall into good ground among these who hear. Amen.

Not only here, but in the whole Sacred Scriptures great
importance is attached to mourning. You know the Old Tes
tament story of the great sufferer Job. You know from the
New Testament how frequently the miserable, the blind, the
cripples, the lepers were by means of their very sufferings in
duced to believe in Jesus. Thus Luke recorded from the Ser
mon on the Mount the words : "Blessed are ye that weep nqw.;,
for ye shall laugh." "Woe unto you that laugh now ! for ye
shall mourn and weep." Think of the poor Lazarus, who in
his great sufferings was yet so near to the bliss of ,, heaven!
Think of the rich man, who in the midst of his daily amuse
ments and hanquets was so far from true blessedness. Is it
not written in the Old Testament in Ecclesiastes : "It is better
to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of
feasting," "Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sad-

— 46 —
ness of the countenance the heart is made better?" Even in
the ancient pagan world many thoughtful people became un
easy and timorous when nothing but good fortune befell them.
They believed this to be an omen of great misfortune. In the
Christian middle ages many people intentionally created suf
ferings for themselves. They would thus train themselves for
the kingdom of God and attain a greater perfection. They
mortified their bodies and the so-called flagellants flogged
themselves till the blood came. A well known Christian of
that age caused himself daily pain by putting on a leathern
shirt, supplied with points of nails inside — self -chosen misery.
It was more artificial, unnatural and unnecessary than the
monastic vow of poverty. But also about imaginary sorrows
we should not mourn. They also are self-chosen sorrows.
But when God sends or permits an affliction, or when we
sit and "weep with those who weep," we must not believe that
this does not belong to this poor life at all. Goethe, who in
reality enjoyed this world, was not in the wrong after all,
when he said, that everything in the world can be endured
except a series of happy days. It is deplorable that most of
the people of the present day think that only a life of idle
amusement is worth living — such are those that laugh now,
who will once mourn and weep ! It is greatly to b*e deplored
that so many in our city spend, nay kill almost every Sunday
in this uncontrollable passion for amusement and sport. When
do they find time for quiet reflection, for that which Sunday

— 47 —
is really intended for ? And conditions are not getting better;
but rather worse. On those sacred days we ought rather to ex
perience something in our heart of a quiet, spiritual mourning.
Then our soul would be more filled with peace and more
blessed in reality.
Ofttimes therefore God puts men into a special school of
suffering. Whoever we may be, we all need to mourn. No
summer ought to have only warm, bright sunshine. The
farmer also needs gloomy, rainy days. The sailor uiust also
have different wind to swell the sails. It is just so with the'
ship of life. Mourning also has its promise and its place
among the beatitudes of the Savior.
When through ffery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply';
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
Thus the Scripture shows us mourners and weepers, who
are yet called blessed. We must of course not understand ex
ternal weeping. Just as little is external laughing meant here..
Laughing is not forbidden. Weeping is not demanded.
Luther says in interpreting this passage of the Sermon on the
Mount : "Just as he is not called spiritually poor who has no
money or nothing of his own, but rather he who does not covet
it, nor put his confidence or trust in it, as though it were his;
kingdom of heaven ; so he does not mourn and weep who out
wardly hangs his head, looks cross and never laughs, but he

— 48 —
who does not seek his comfort in having a pleasant life here
on earth." Those morbid people who are so easily put out of
humor are not called blessed here, nor the tearful eyes of those
who are always inclined to cry and to complain. You know
the word of the imperial sufferer: "Learn to suffer without
complaining!" Eemember it, you who are afflicted with sick
ness ; you who when racked by physical pain, must now and then
feelthat yours it almost a living death. Eemember it, you
who must carry your burden of sorrow, you who are slighted
by others and must be silent while your enemies laugh. This
is not the real, profound sorrow which brings tears to our
eyes, Luther again says, "but it is the great, heavy blows which
assail and smite the heart, so that -we can not weep and dare
not complain about it to any one!" Remember that the
Savior Himself was a great sufferer who never complained,
and that at the head of all the brethren He calls out to you,
"Follow Me !" Peter also informs the sufferers in his congre
gations : "And if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are
ye." (I.Peter 3: 14.)
Those who stand weeping at the grave are especially
called mourners, whether they weep for their loved ones who
have departed, or whether they weep rather because they them
selves could not go with them. But whatever the sorrow may
be which you carry through this life, there is a holy design in
affliction, Eternity will clearly show what we owe to our
grief, our sickness, in short to our manifold sufferings. The

— 49 —
Scripture shows us mourners and weepers who are yet called
blessed. Although I have mentioned many things for which we
mourn, yet I have not pointed out the source of all sufferings,
the principal evil and the fundamental sorrow of our race.
Many interpreters in explaining this passage of the Sermon on
the Mount think only of this principal evil. They think of the
sorrow which was expressed by the tears of that "woman which
was a sinner." They think of the yearning and the wretched
ness of the prodigal son. I often think of a man who lay on
his bed, wretched and sick: "Pastor," he said, "I know very
well that everything would be better, if I myself were better."
Then with tears he would read in a devotional book, follow
ing the lines with his finger like a child. With such a spirit,
we would complain less about outward distress, and would not
always be saying, "I have not deserved this." The Bible con
stantly reveals the profound connection between sin and sor
row, including the sorrow of death. Genuine Christian mourn
ing passes over into repentance. Outward sorrows and afflic
tions also are messengers of God that stand before us like
preachers and spiritual advisers. As the goodness of God, so
also His severity must lead us to repentance. Our sorrow
must thus become that godly sorrow which worketh repent
ance to salvation not to be repented of.
We should also mourn over the sins of others, just as
Abraham mourned for Sodom and Moses for Israel; just as

— 50 —
Jeremiah took up his lamentations for his beloved, fallen peo
ple ; just as Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because they knew not
the things which belonged to their peace; just as a father and
a mother weep and mourn over a lost child, — all this is a
Christian holy mourning and weeping. These are the mourn
ers of whom Jesus speaks. We see for what they mourn.
2.
Why they are called blessed. Jesus expressly says why.
There is no beatitude for which a definite reason is not given.
We read* of the mourners that they are called blessed because
they 'shall be comforted. Into the bitter waters of Marah,
which Israel could not drink, a tree was put, according to the
direction of God, which could render the bitterness sweet.
Thus the comforting voices of Holy Scripture come into the
bitter waters of weeping, suffering humanity. "Comfort ye,
comfort ye my people!" Someone recently remarked that
comforting is easy. Ah, I tell you, comforting is hard. One
of our poets says : "Comfort comes from heaven ; of men we
expect assistance." We pastors would not be able to comfort
those that mourn if we had not received the comfort from
above. Frequently in the Holy Scripture not words or thoughts,
but persons are called a comfort. Noah already was called
"rest" or "comfort." Paul was comforted by the .voming of
Titus. But above all the expected Messiah is called the com-

— 51 —
fort, the consolation of Israel.*) Some people by their very
appearance are a comfort. When the gentle mother steps into
the chamber of her sick son, she is for him a comfort. The
Scripture also makes use of this similitude: "As one whom
his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you." But what no
mother can do, he will do! Here are the eyes of love, the
hands of omnipotence that can even drain the sea, so that we
can find a pathway there. The psalmist says, "Thy rod and
Thy staff they comfort me." This comforted the people of
Israel so much that in the wilderness and night they con
stantly looked into the fiery pillar of His love. "Lo, I am with
you always," Jesus says to His own. As the sufferings of
Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by
Christ. He who destroys the proud, can also heal the wounded
hearts. Those who mourn are called blessed because affliction un
locks the heart, so that the consolation from above can enter
into it. I could tell you of many who often had to undergo a
crushing sorrow, but who said that it caused them to go down
on their knees three times every day. Will we not under such
circumstances receive true consolation and realize that the
Savior is near, who says, "Lo, I am with thee ?" True mourn
ing is a progress upon the way that leads to eternal life. Many
a father who sought a lost son in sorrow and prayer, perhaps

*) Isaiah 61: 2; Luke 2: 25.

— 52 —
thus himself first came to his Savior and his God. Often God
takes away one of your loved ones, but into this empty place,
into this void of your life He will come Himself, so that He
may be your consolation. This is what the Scripture calls
comfort. Cheerful confidence in Him, this brings comfort.
Blessed are they whose consolation is the Lord.
Do you inquire then, why you must suffer more than
others? Behold the lonely tree upon the summit or the de
clivity of a mountain. It is more lashed and shaken by the
tempest than its brothers in the quiet valley. But it is also
more kissed by the sun of heaven and it strikes its roots
deeper into the firm ground. Thus those who mourn most
are comforted more abundantly; they are closer to the heav
enly Comforter, and therefore are called blessed.
It is said that those who mourn are comforted when they
can speak to a friend about their sorrow and thus unburden
their heart. Well then, here is the friend of souls, before
whom you can do this, and unto whom you may pour out your
whole heart. And when you come to Him with your sorrow
for sin (why do you not come to Him thus more frequently?),
a poor sinner with the confession of the publican, with the
tears of Peter, here is your comfort : "Son, be of good cheer ;
thy sins be forgiven thee." I can well understand that the
mental anguish of King Charles IX. of France was relieved
when he listened to the penitential psalms which a celebrated
master had set to music for him. This is the most comforting

— 53 —
message, that Jesus receives sinners. Of this consolation you
must take hold once more with your whole heart, 0 child of
God, when you are weary from roving and wandering through
this world, and when you go into the chamber of death — a
mourner, but comforted, and therefore called blessed.
"Blessed!" says Jesus. Now notice, how even the bliss
of eternity He calls a comfort! The voice comes to the rich
man, who had only laughed here on earth: "Son, remember
that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and like
wise Lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted, and thou
art tormented." There in heaven it will be all fulfilled:
"Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed
are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted." The apostle
Paul also speaks of this "everlasting consolation."*) The Lord
Himself will be our consolation forever. Then we will look
back, if the Lord is gracious unto us, from that eternity of
comfort, upon this poor, little earth. There it was, there was
the chamber where we once shed our tears — tears of our spirit
ual childhood, which although painful to our feeble nature,
yet soon dried off. "Yet a little while !" From the earth also
towards heaven, from among the weeping, from the graves it
sounds, "Behold, we count them happy which endure." What
are these which are arrayed in white robes ? These are they !
Mourners they were but comforted, — comforted here, and

*) 2. Thessalonians 2: 16.

— 54 —
there eternally. Heaven indeed overarches every place on
earth, but over the dark places, over those that mourn, it must
be most radiant. Therefore I say, Mourners, and yet com
forted, yet hoping ; mourners, weepers, and yet called blessed !
Amen.

IV-
MEEKNESS, TO WHICH IS PROMISED THE EARTH.

Matthew 5 : 5. — Blessed are the meek : for they shall in
herit the earth.
In the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount the earth
is promised along with the kingdom of heaven. And this is
well. The opponents of Christianity have often enough
charged against the Bible that it only refers to heaven. There
are indeed interpreters who say that here there is no difference
at all between the earth and the kingdom of God or the king
dom of heaven. But why did Jesus then not say : "kingdom of
heaven ?" He must have had his reason for this.
Luther in explaining this verse of the Sermon on the
Mount, and looking back upon the first beatitude, asked the
question, "But how does it agree, to be poor and yet to inherit
the earth ? It seems to me the preacher has forgotten what he
said in the beginning. For if one is to inherit the earth and
its possessions, he cannot be poor." We will find that these
poor must not in every respect remain poor and wretched. We
shall see that the mourners and the meek must not forever re-
linguish all that pertains to this earth. The earth is only a
small province of the great kingdom of God, but it is a part
of His kingdom. It is the will of the Lord, our meek king,
unto whom is given all power in heaven and in earth, that also
on earth His own should wear a part of His purple. For they
serve and rule with Him.

— 58 —
Have you never observed that affliction makes a man
meeker ? Sorrow very often like a knife and a file can take
away the angles and points from a rough and harsh temper
and polish it. Has not many a flinty heart been softened by
tears, so that it became more gentle? And on the other
hand we will need very much the holy calmness and strength
of meekness, if we would mourn as we should. The one leads
to the other.*) Listen then to these exhortations and promises.
The subject for our consideration will be
Meekness, to which the Earth is Promised.
1. It seems to be weak and is yet a great power.
2. It seems to retreat, and yet it can conquer the earth.
Lord, we will first ask Thee to bless us again. Thou
merciful Lord, full of meekness and goodness, come in this
hour very close to our heart with Thy truth and Thy grace.
0 come and fill our souls completely with the radiance of Thy

*) We prefer to let the meek stand close to those who mourn,
and this sentence in the place which it occupies in our Bible.
In some manuscripts and editions of the New Testament the say
ing concerning the meek stands immediately after that concerning
the poor in spirit (verse 5 before verse 4). Some interpreters,
who prefer this position of the verses (Achelis and others), are
of the opinion that Jesus wanted to place beside the kingdom of
heaven, in the first beatitude, the earth in the second as a supple
ment.

— 59 —
gracious love, with Thy fatherly mercy. Quench within us the
evil spirit of peevishness, and adorn us with meekness, the
beautiful gift and noble fruit- of Thy Holy Spirit. Prepare
the way so that the word of love and of earnestness, of ex
hortation and promise may go home to our hearts, and that
we may then go forth in the power of Thy word, to perform
it earnestly and willingly. Amen.

Jesus with this word also desired to fulfill and complete
the sayings of the Old Covenant. The praise of meekness re
sounds in the Old Testament, proceeding from the mouth of
the psalmists and prophets. Especially is the Messiah por
trayed as the king of meekness; or — to take another prophetic
word and picture — as the Lamb that carries our sorrows and
is dumb before her shearers, and openeth not her mouth.
Then how vividly does the Passion of the New Covenant show
us this meek sufferer, who, when He was reviled, reviled not
again ; when He suffered, threatened not. The most powerful
Sermon on the Mount which Jesus left us, He really delivered
to us from Calvary by His sufferings. Was this meekness im
potence, or was it strength ?
It is generally supposed that in order to rule, to possess
the earth, we need the sword and the throne, courage and
power. But I tell you that meekness is both courage and
power, skill and strength. There is after all no courage greater

— 60 —
than meekness. It is quiet and yet strong, and a real great
power in the world. Battles must be fought in life in which
the sharpest and most powerful sword cannot help us. That
old church father was perfectly right when he said that noth
ing is more vehement, i. e., more powerful, than meekness.
The Jews desired another kind of Messiah, one who would
not bear, but inflict wounds ; not a meek and suffering, but a
mighty and victorious Savior. Did the Scribes not understand
the Scriptures better than that ? Meekness seemed to them to
be weakness. They did not know that meekness is the greatest
strength. It has always been a sign of inward weakness, when
in the affairs of the Church force and war, the torture chamber
and the stake were used. When Jesus was not received, as
for instance by the Samaritans when He traveled through their
country, He went quietly away to another village. He did not
command the fire of wrath and destruction to come down from
heaven, as His disciples desired who were then often still so
injudicious. Do you know not what manner of spirit ye are
of ? The Lord in Elijah's prophetic vision was not in the wind
and the mighty earthquake, but in the still small voice. Such
a still small voice, as from the palm-groves of eternal peace, is
characteristic of the mild gospel. Thus the Lord Himself ap
pears in the midst of passionate humanity, calling blessed the
meek and even promising them the earth, for they are stronger
than the mighty. 0 ye gentle hearts, Jesus has called you
blessed. He would put His easy yoke upon all, and calls out

— 61 —
into the world, "Learn of Me ; for I am meek !" And from the
midst of His Church comes back the answer, Who is like unto
Thee? and the prayer ascends,
Quiet, Lord, my froward heart;
Make me teachable and mild;
Upright, simple, free from art,
Make me as a weaned child;
From distrust and envy free,
Pleased with all that pleases Thee.
Let us look unto Jesus ! In Him we see the greatest
meekness. It seems to be weak, and yet it is the greatest
power. The Holy Scripture also calls meekness an ornament. We
read* ) of the adornment of women : "But let it be the hidden
man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the
ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of
God of great price." Who would deny that you women, because
destined for the adornment and beauty of the world, are there
fore also called to the radiance of gentleness and meekness?
But in reality there is here neither male nor female. Let also
the picture of man be adorned with meekness, as was the ap
pearance of the Son of Man, the greatest and holiest among
men! Not peevishness, but meekness, humility, forbearance!

*) 1. Peter 3: 4.

— 62 —
These are the jewels for the crown of genuine beauty, the
armor of holy strength in the battle of life.
Christian friends, adorn and strengthen yourselves with
meekness ! Now it is your duty to receive with meekness the
Word of God, which again and again restores you, then again
you should restore the brother who has been overtaken in a
fault, in the spirit of meekness,, as it is written. Now you
must treat and serve the members of your own household with
true gentleness and thoughtful love, then again, according to
the Scripture, instruct in meekness those that oppose them
selves, and like Jesus bring back the lost sheep. Now you
should speak gentle words of comfort to the poor and suffering,
then again you must yourself show great patience and meek
ness in your own sorrow. Whether you are desired or rebuffed
by men, may you always be meek ! Learn to speak with meek
ness, but also show your, meekness often by being silent ! How
frequently has passionate. rage moved you to evil words and
deeds ! Anger has the outward appearance of strength, but in
reality it is weakness, an intoxication of the mind. The wrath
of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Anger also de
prives us of strength and wisdom. But meekness helps us to
keep both.
I know, there are people with an excitable temper. Who
can truthfully say that his life has always been free from such
outbursts of his natural, irritable temper ? But then we must
so much the more restrain and subdue our temper in the power

— 63 —
of the Holy Spirit. Recently somebody said to me, "I can fly
into a violent passion, but in an hour it is all over, then I am
calm again." But even if the hailstorm of your violent pas
sion is all over again in an hour, can it not in that hour en
tirely destroy many a fine plantation? What good does it do
then that it is soon past? There is a great deal of rudeness
in human nature, which has not yet been refined. Jesus wants
meek disciples.
Now and then I have seen gentle old people. Mildness
and gentleness like a lovely sunset, like a soft light and a
quiet joy, shone forth from their looks and their words. They
were different in their youth. Then they were more like the
restless, fermenting new wine. But they became milder, like
the old wine, which is better. They said themselves that
through the experiences of their long life they had become
more gentle. They had experienced that through meekness
we become better and stronger and make more progress.
But are the meek not permitted to drive away their tor- '
mentors ? Must they endure everything from the crooked and
perverse world ? May a gentle lamb not shake off the stinging
flies that torment it? Did not Jesus ask that rude officer of
the high-priest reproachfully, "Why smitest thou Me?" Did
not Paul give his tormentors to understand that he was a
Eoman citizen ? Jesus did not forbid our meekness to cast off
the pinching shoes and oppressive fetters which impede us,
whenever it can be done. It is not meekness that we un-

— 64 —
necessarily expose ourselves to the kicks of malice. But tliis
is meekness, that we rather suffer the evil that befalls us, than
that we revenge ourselves. This is meekness, that we even
suffer for doing well, and being reviled, we bless. But away
with all spurious meekness, with every friendly word which
conceals quite another disposition ! Away with the soft kiss
of Judas, which covers up treachery and wickedness ! Away
also with the pleasant look of Eli that will not frown at the
faults of those who have been entrusted to our training and
guidance ! This is real weakness, but not genuine, sanctified
meekness. Only take care that Jesus speaks and is silent,
bears and suffers, forgives and loves in you! This is meek
ness. Meekness seems to be weak and is yet a great power.
2.
It seems to retreat and yet it can conquer the earth. The
meek shall inherit the earth, strictly speaking the land. I
must call attention to the fact that in our text just these last
words especially conform to the Old Testament. In Psalm
37*) we read: "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and
shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." By the
earth Canaan is meant, that part of the earth which to the
pious Jew was the substance of all promises and the best
possession. There stood the temple, there was his joy. But

*) Verse 9 and especially verse 11.

— 65 —
the eye of Jesus traveled beyond the narrow borders of Canaan.
The world, the whole earth is given to Him and is also prom
ised to His meek disciples and servants.
What have men planned in darkness, how many crimes
have they committed, how often have they gone to war in order
to acquire a foot of ground, possessions and power, glory and
authority I The tempter also asked Jesus to worship him ; then
he would lay at his feet the whole earth. But the Savior of
mankind saw a better way.
Behold, how He takes possession of the kingdoms of the
earth ! With His meekness He has conquered the earth. In
the purple of His blood He has entered upon universal domin
ion. So also the first servants of His kingdom, the disciples
and apostles, strong heroes in labor and testimony, but going
to the slaughter like gentle lambs. The blood of the martyrs
became the seed of the Church. It was just this that subdued
the hearts of men, that these disciples of Jesus were so calm,
so gentle, altogether different from the world. Meekness seems
to retreat and vet it can conquer the earth.
Perhaps you ask : According to this is not the kingdom of
of God alone meant in our text? The Jew also associated
with Canaan the idea of temporal possessions, of prosperity
and peace. The same promise which is subjoined to this
beatitude, is also added to the fourth commandment, and
Paul*) wrote like Luther: "That it may be well with thee,

*) Bphesians 6: 3.

— 66 —
and thou maye'st live long oh the earth." Is not here also the
promise of this life given unto us? Do you not understand,
that it is said of the meek that on account of their gentle dis
position they will even on earth have prosperity, possessions
and peace ?
So many things would look brighter in this life, if we
would put the mild" oil of meekness- upon the hard iron of
reality, into the whole, great machinery of everyday-life. So
many things would pass off more smoothly, if we would re
sign ourselves more' calmly. If we would not always so readily
allow a sharp tongue to do its evil work of destruction. That
word has also been transferred from the Old to the New Testa
ment : "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him
refrain his tongue from evil !"*) The gloom of resentment
will not give way ; we must enlighten it ourselves. Our meek
ness and kindness, however, will be the sunshine that does it.
According to the well known fable, not the storm induced the
traveler to take off his mantle; the gust of wind only induced
him to wrap himself up tighter. But under the warm and
friendly rays of the sun the man voluntarily took off his heavy
cloak. Thus meekness will always accomplish more than
anger. Meekness knows how to conquer without waging war.**)

*) Psalm 34: 12—14; I. Peter 3: 10.
* * ) A saying of the Church father Basil the Great, who died 379.

— 67 —
The soft, sweet strains of David's harp drove away Saul's evil
spirit. All singers introduced gentle, mellow notes into their
melodies. They know that the gentle also has its strength and
power. Even wild animals are now being tamed by gentle
ness, not by brute force. Also in the manifold annoyances of
daily life meekness and composure will be better than growl
ing and quarreling. The stubborn oak may be shattered in
the tempest, but the soft grass and reed knows how to bend,
so that no storm can break it. He who is patient, is wise.
Melanchthon often shed tears when he was insulted by un
grateful, hostile men, so that his little daughter often dried
his tears with her apron; but he was silent when the world
treated him with nnkindness and always remained mild and
meek. Life will be for no one a smooth and level road, so
that it shall pass without any blows and disturbances. But
meekness and composure will help us over many a difficulty,
so that we may continue our journey through life with more
ease and less trouble. Meekness seems to retreat and yet it will
conquer the earth.
The meek shall inherit the earth. Israel thought of
Canaan, to which they had journeyed many a time, for which
they frequently had to battle. We have still another Land of
Promise. You will think of the heavenly kingdom. But no !
This beatitude only refers to the earth. Now sin still rules
upon it, so that even the strong, holy virtue of meekness can
not accomplish every thing and subdue completely the king-

— 68 —
doms of the earth. But we look for a new earth, wherein
dwelleth righteousness. When Canaan, the new Jerusalem,
comes down from heaven, the earth will be renewed. Our
eternal king will make all things new. Then the stains in 'the
entire house of this world will be washed off and the earth will
stand forth holy and in festive garb. Then the Prince of
Peace will rule alone and the earth will be given to the meek
servants of the eternal king as their inheritance and possession.
This is the final aim of this saying. This interpretation is
especially endorsed by the Lord with His "Blessed." Then
the meek will possess the earth as the blessed. Christians,
this is meekness, fully invested with its estate, great and holy
in its power. This is that meekness, to which is promised the
earth. Amen.

V-
HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Matthew o : 6. — Blessed are they which do hunger and
thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Luke 6: 21, 25. — Blessed arc ye that hunger now: for ye
shall be filled. AVoe unto you that are full ! for ye shall
hunger. A celebrated philosopher* ) once wrote : "If you want to
better the people give them better food instead of declamations
against sin !" As though every one were good, who has enough
to eat ! Once in a great meeting some one called out to me in
the midst of my speech, "But suppose one has to suffer hun
ger !" The man who said it, however, did not look as though
he had to suffer from hunger. Such catchwords are used now
adays to wield and sway the masses. To suffer from hunger —
this is something of which many are afraid, and of which they
have a good conception.
Jesus here also speaks of hungering, of thirsting, and of
being filled. I wish they were all here who are so constantly
jylki-ng nr--ut sr-ffori-nnr t---m<r<-.r whilst God is daily giving
them to eat. (It is evident enough that they do not remember
Him as much as He remembers them !) I also wish those
thousands were here who believe that man shall live by bread
alone. Jjsjisjiere speaks of a, hunger which they do_not_ have,

*) L. A. Feuerbach.

— 72 —
but which all ought to have. Ah, He also suffered physical
hunger and thirst, He- hungered in the dreary wilderness of
temptation, He thirsted on the bloody cross of His sufferings.
But here He speaks of soul hunger and soul thirst.
The words which Luke records from the Sermon on the
Mount doubtless referjn paiijtojrodjiy ..hjmger, the fast-days
of earthly poverty and privation. We are here reminded of
the condition of many a poor child of sorrow, of many a
Lazarus, who must satisfy himself with the crumbs that fall
from the tables of others. But that, in these words, "being
filled" is not to be understood merely externally, is evident
from this, that a distinction is made between the life here
and the satisfaction in the other world, where we will not cat
earthly bread any more. I shall therefore speak of spiritual
hunger and thirst, and the satisfaction of our inner life. Our
main proposition will be :
Hunoer and Thirst after Righteousness.

1. It must be felt by us.
2. It should stimulate us.
3. It helps us to be filled.
Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of
eternal life. Speak them to us also in the gracious hour of
this holy day. With great longing and with a hungering heart
we hasten to Thee from the desert of our poverty, our sin and

— 73 —
our cares, and direct our holiest desires to Thee, for the world
cannot satisfy us nor give us peace.
O fountain, life bestowing,
From out the Savior's heart,
A fountain purely flowing,
A fount of love Thou art!
O let us, freely tasting,
Our burning thirst assuage!
Thy sweetness never wasting,
Avails from age to age.
Him that cometh to Thee, Thou wilt in no wise cast out,
but wilt accept and fill him with mercy and righteousness.
Awaken within us a true inward hunger and thirst after right-
eousness, and then grant that we may be filled by Thee.
Amen. 1.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after right
eousness, ilust hunger_and thirst not.be_felt_byj^? Is
hunger not painful? The desire for life and the desire for
nourishment are inseparably connected. They demand grati
fication. Even the cry of the infant is occasioned by hunger
and thirst If such an urgent need is not satisfied, it becomes
painful. Jesus employs this simile to express a strong, ardent
longing which makes itself felt and giyei_ys_pain. We use
the same comparison when we speak of a thirst for knowledge,
or revenge.

— 74 —
There is in human nature a longing _an.d_-thixs.ting. The
unregenerate man, who is ignorant of spiritual life, believes
that worldly pleasure and sensual delight are the food that
can satisfy the soul. But the craving after enjoyment is not
satisfied by enjoyments. Avarice, is not satisfied with money.
And of honor and the thirst for honor we must say the same
thing. The poet says, "From craving to enjoyment thus I
reel, and in enjoyment languish for desire." A Persian king.
who, with all his enjoyments was not satisfied, caused inquiries
to be made throughout his whole kingdom, whether some one
knew of ji_fj^sh_delight. Immortal soul, canst thou thus be
satisfied ? Even Solomon, the king and preacher, had a better
knowledge. He writes that he gathered silver and gold, pro
cured men singers and women singers, and the delights of
the sons of men, and whatsoever his eyes desired he kept not
from them, he withheld not his heart from any joy. But he
adds from his own experience, having looked at these things
from the right point of view, "And behold, all was vanity and
vexation qf_spirit, and there was no profit under the sun."
Many have possessed and enjoyed much, but after all it was
nothing. In order to find this out one need not, as many think,
wait till the prime of life is past. Some time ago a young
man, a student at the university of Leipzig, stood before me,
his eyes filled with tears, his heart empty, burned out by lust
and sin. He had begun to feel again hunger after righteous-

— 75 —
ness, hunger for the bread of the father's house. Hungering
soul, you can be nourished, if you feel this hunger ! It must
be felt by us.
Even all the treasures of our civilization cannot give satis
faction to the inmost heart, — science nor art, nor labor, nor
a good reputation, nor anything whatsoever. The things of
this world have been so created by God that they should not
satisfy us. It were a pity if they could ! We would then no
more feel any hunger and thirst after that which is higher.
In the life of men who know and desire nothing higher,
worldly pleasures and weariness of life alternate with each
other, but weariness of the world will be the dregs in the cup
of life. Many know this very well, but this knowledge docs
not lead them to that earnest longing after righteousness,
which Jesus calls blessed. True, now and then they affect a
supercilious, sometimes sportive contempt of the world. But
they are merely surfeited with its pleasures, a fashionable
disease in this age.
It sometimes happens that a sick man no longer has any
feeling of hunger. Then means must be employed to produce
appetite again. Our Lord does not cut down the tree at once,
but will dig about it and cultivate it. He wants us to grow
up into the maturity of righteousness, but He cares for fallen
man, just as one cares for and nourishes a weak child. If
thev only would once more hunger and thirst after that one
thing, after that which can really satisfy: Righteousness.

— 76 —
There are people who in all their life have never felt real
hunger and thirst, but there are still more who never have felt
a real hunger and thirst after righteousness. A well known

preacher of the Middle Ages (John Tauler) insisted that a
man must be emptied and freed from everything if he would
hear the voice of the Great Teacher. This is true soul-
fasting, this is the lonely desert way through the world, where
we find manna and where the rocks are opened, that we may
quench our thirst. The springs of life flow from the heavenly
mountains. But first, iniquity burns in the soul ; sincere re
pentance first works within us; first there comes upon us the
knowledge : "My. sin !" "No man living is justified !" This is
hunger and thirst after righteousness. It must be felt by us.
2.
It should stimulate us. Is hunger and thirst not a
mighty impulse? Has it not a great power? Hunger drives
man in the sweat of his face to cultiyatej;lie_grouncl. Hunger
has defeated'the most valiant armies, surrendered strongholds
and made peace between enemies. Hunger compelled David
to break the law and to eat the hallowed bread in his flight.
It impelled the disciples^ to pluck the ears of corn on the Sab
bath. Have you never read of travelers who languishing
sought a spring? All creatures run after food and drink, and
they must work and serve for it. God did not release man
from the necessity of laboring for his food. Just ;so it is in
the spiritual world.

— 77 —
Jesus said, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent
Me" (John 4 : 34) . Should this not also be our meat and our
enjoyment? Jesus also said, "Labor for that meat which en-
dureth unto everlasting life !" Labor for it ! There are many
interpreters (and Luther is among them), who by the right
eousness mentioned in this passage of the Sermon on the
Mount understand only the righteousness of a holy life. Right
eousness in this sense is not abolished in the New Testament
nor in the Evangelical Church, though the Catholics have al
ways charged that according to our doctrine good works are
useless. The whole Sermon on the Mount tells us the contrary.
Seek ye the kingdom of God and His righteousness ¦ also by
leading" a holy life ! This righteousness of good works is not
merely an outward respectability and the so-called civil right
eousness, which after all is only a side-street of the broad way,
but it means Christian righteousness. ' Thus our inward hunger
and thirst should lead us to the righteousness of a Christian
life. But let us investigate more thoroughly the doctrines and
sentiments of the Holy Scriptures. WjEj^jrigjvteousness of
good works suffice, will it give us perfect satisfaction and con
tentment? If Jesus represented righteousness as a food that
would appease our hunger, He certainly meant that we must
receive it. Food, after all, is not made by man. God must
give it, however zealous man may be in sowing, plowing and
reaj)ing. Spiritual hunger and thirst must drive us to the

— 78 —
Lord of goodness and righteousness. Do you not hear from
the midst of His children the voices of fervent longing, the
cry of a burning desire after Him ? "My soul thirsteth for
God !" "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth
my soul after Thee, o God !" 0 human heart, with all your
longing you must die of hunger and thirst, if your hunger
does not drive you to the door of grace. But the cloud of
blessing will not fail to pour the refreshing showers upon the
parched ground of the heart, especially if an Elijah prays for
them ! Hunger and thirst after righteousness prompts us to
prayer. His word the Lord also calls j food. When the tempter
demanded that Jesus transform the stones of the wilderness
into bread, the Lord said that man must live also by the word
of God. May the gracious Lord grant that a time may come
again such as the prophet Amos (chapter 8, v. 11) predicted,
a time when God will send a famine in thejand, not a famine
of bread, but oj^tosarinj; the. W(_rdjijrfJhe_LOTd. What is the
Church to many at the present time? A place of refuge to
which they do not go. And your Bible at home, which you do
not open, your devotional books, which you do not use — what
are they but bread which_you_do_not eat? Formerly great
multitudes came when a servant of God distributed the bread
of life. They did not think it unpalatable, as did the people
of Capernaum, who said, "This is an hard saying; who can hear
it ?" Hunger will also induce us to eat hard pieces and crusts

— 79 —
of bread. Hunger and thirst after righteousness will drive us
to the Word of the Lord.
And what shall I say of the holy food of the Lord's table ?
Did not the poet sing with devout Christian feeling :
Ah, how hungers all my spirit
For the love I do not merit!
Oft have I, with sighs fast thronging,
Thought upon this food with longing,
In the battle well nigh worsted,
For this cup of life have thirsted,
For the Friend who here invites us,
And to God Himself unites us!
I ask you, Do you still think, implore, weep and sing with
such a profound spiritual hunger? In the Lord you would
find righteousness and strength, the righteousness of God.
Hunger andthirst, eating and drinking, is here no longer an
allegory ; in the Lord's Supper it is reality ! But woe unto you
that are full, full of self -righteousness and pharisaical pride !
Hunger and thirst after righteousness drives us to the sacra
ment. It should stimulate us.

It helps us to be filled. Jesus calls blessed those that
hunger and thirst after righteousness, for this very reason,
that they shall be filled. TTnw ponld.He otherwise call blessed
those that_hunger ? Because they come to Him, they are satis-

— 80 —
fied, they are comforted with righteousness. He who of God
is made unto us righteousness, called out into the world, "He
that eometh to Me shall never hunger ; and he. that believeth ,
on Me shall never thirst" Ah, here is a host without an
equal, who came that we might have life, and have it more
abundantly. He that eometh to Me ! — Without Him we are as
sheep going astray, hungering, thirsting, for we are without a
shepherd. He that believeth on Me ! — Human soul, do you
know what that means? Intimate acquaintance, close fellow
ship with your richest and most blessed friend. Many now
adays act as though we could be justified and saved by doubt.
But your doubt will make you destitute. It is Christian faith
alone that can make you satisfied, blessed and righteous. Your
heartfelt longing, your inward hunger will help you to this
end. But your Lord and Shepherd is greater than your heart,
your wretched, hungering heart.
There is no one who does not stand in need of His grace
and righteousness for his inward satjgfjaction.. There is here
no difference : All have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God ! All are blessed and righteous through Him ! A great
teacher of the Church* ) has said : "Not to sin_is the ric-Mpo-ns-
ness of God, but the righteousness of man. is_ .God's -forgive,--
ness/' Beggars and kings eat the same bread of the earth. They

*) St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

— 81 —
must also eat the same bread from heaven, that which gives
us true life and satisfies all who eat. If those that were bidden
wdLnot come to the great supper, yet will He find such as will
come, and they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness
of His house. Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound:
Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the Fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee :
Spring Thou up within my heart,
Rise to all eternity.
One more question: Have we no longer this sense of
hunger and thirst? Has it failed? Then remember, that as
in this life our hunger and thirst shall never be satisfied to a
degree that we shall not need to eat and drink again, so it is
true of our spiritual need and its satisfaction. We must come
again and again, to eat, drink and be filled. The fountain of
salvation and knowledge is being continually pointed out to
you, especially on every Lord's day. The Bread of Life is here
constantly being offered to you. Will you not soon partake of
it again? Why do you so long remain away fromjhe Lord's
table? I beseech you to come. And when you come, it should
be with the feeling that you are going to a feast, to a royal
entertainment. It is to such a feast that you go. Sometimes

— 82 —
the rich, the satisfied or the sickjictually envy the appetite of.
a poor man. Let us be these poor, hungering souls, who are
envied by those that are full and satisfied — envied often even
here on earth!
"I will give you rest!" says the Lord to His own. You
shall have all you want at His table. Neither shall you thirst
in the burning fever of your last hour. The beautiful, precious
words of the psalmist (Psalm 17 : 15) apply to the beginning
of the life beyond: "As for me, I will behold Thy face in
righteousnees : I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy
likeness !" Thenj^slmlLbe perfectly blessed. There will be
no longer any hunger and thirst ! The book of Revelation says
of the saints in heaven, "They shall hjungei^ no more, neither
thirst any more." (Rev. 7 : 16.) They are forever blessed,
for they are satisfied. But for the life that now is, the saying
holds good till the end of time: "Blessed are ye that hunger
now ! Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after right
eousness." Amen.

VI.
DIVINE AND HUMAN MERCY.

Matthew 5 : 7. — Blessed are the merciful : for they shall
obtain mercy.
Luke 6- 36. — Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father
also is merciful.
In the passages of Holy Scripture which I have- read,- two
things are pointed out to us : _diyjne_aBdJiunian... mercy.,. In
all the Holy Scriptures nothing is mentioned so frequently as
the fact that God is merciful. Mercy is the incessant pulsation
of the eternal heart of God our Father. Without divine mercy
we could not live. Without divine mercy there would be no
blessedness. We read (Titus 3:5): "According toi.H-is mercy
He saved us." The Scripture speaks of redemption, when. we
read (Luke 1 : 78) : "Through the tender mercy oi. our God,
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us." It .is
well known that a Sunday of the Church-year bears the name
Misericordias _ Domini, which means, The mercy of the Lord.
It is the second Sunday after Easter, on which the precious
gospel lesson of the Good Shepherd is read.
But this great, divine mercy must waken human mercy.
If the whole Christian religion has been called an imitation
of divine nature,*) then human mercy must also constantly
imitate divine mercy. The light of this earth, every color,

*) By Gregory Nazianzen.

— 86 —
all the radiance of this world is a reflection of the heavenly
sunlight. It is just so with the mercy which is in heaven and
that which is on earth. Be ye therefore merciful, as your
Father also is merciful !
Here begins a new division in the beatitudes. After the
mourning, the hunger and the thirst we have enjoyed the in
finite lovingkindness of our God and Savior and have been
filled. Should we then not sympathize with those who still
hunger, outwardly and inwardly ? In the first beatitude Jesus
spoke of manifold poverty. Here we could speak of riches.
He who is merciful is rich, rich injoye, inclined to help others,
benevolent, generous. He always has something to give, and
if it be only a mite. Merciful is he whose heart is with the
poor. Take mercy away from humanity and you tear out the
heart thereof.
To the exhortation there is here also added a promise.
The exhortation is, Be merciful ! The jiromise is, Blessed ! —
for you shall obtain mercy. Thus we read of a twofold mercy,
human and divine, the duty of the Christian and the gift of
God. But the two cannot be separated. Let us consider :
Divine and Human Mercy.
1. The mercy which we must practice — it is our duty.
2. The mercy which we shall obtain — it is our joy.
Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, we praise

— 87 —
Thee for Thy unfailing mercies. In love Thou hast delivered
us, Thou hast not dealt with us after our sins, and lovest us
as a Father. Jesus! Name of wondrous love!
Human name of Him above!
Pleading only this, we flee,
Helpless, O our God, to Thee.
We are not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of
all the truth, which Thou hast showed unto us. And now we
present again our supplications before Thee at Thy eternal
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace.
Accept us according to Thy lovingkindness. And then help
us by Thy Word and Thy Spirit, that we may follow Thee as
beloved children and serve Thee better through works of holy
mercy. Let Thy love be mighty in us, so that we may have a
blessed boldness in the day of judgment and may not perish
before Thee when Thou wilt come again. To this end bless
also to-day Thy precious Word. Amen.
1.
Even in the Old Testament the, duty of mercy was en-
joined upon the Jews. That Old Testament hunger and
thirst after righteousness which was represented by fasting was
to develop into mercy. Thus the true fast is described by the
prophet:*) "Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and

*) Read Isaiah 58: 5 — 7.

that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house ?" The
Scribes_andJharis.eesu.Jbad--alsO- failed., to keep this in' view.
Jesus therefore often rebuked them because they neglected
mercy, for a pretence making long prayers while they devoured
widows' houses. Compared with such saints heathen are often
better people. The Roman Emperor Titus was a heathen, but
he considered every day lost in which he did not do good to
some one. I often think, if only many a Christian were like
him ! I ask you here, whether any of you live according to the
maxim of this heathen. It was also a semi-pagan Samaritan
who took pity on the man that had been wounded and left
half dead on the highway between Jerusalem and Jericho, but
he was better than the priest and the Levite, who were Jews
and served in the- temple.
The human heart is not without profound, natural im-
pulses and a compassionate disposition. We would not scorn
this natural human pity. In this connection we say, "Nothing
that is human is foreign to me." But will these human im
pulses always suffice? Divine mercy must be the impulse,
strength and pattern of human mercy. On the whole the an
cient pagan world knew little of mercy. The modern world
also knows little of it, where there is no faith in the merciful
God and'Savior.
Of Jesus we read that He was moved with compassion on
the multitudes, and that He went about everywhere doing
good. The first Christians were full of love and mercy. The

— 89 —
sick and the destitute were called the jewels and the treasures
of the Church. Of what use is all preaching, if words are not
followed by deeds? Actions speak louder than words. Dr.
John Hess, the reformer of Silesia who was pastor at Breslau,
refused to preach unless the council_j)f_the_city would provide
for the poor who were lying on the streets and before the
church. He said, "My dear Lord Jesus is lying at the door;
I cannot step over Him." A true Christian will always think
when he sees one who is destitute, What if I were so wretched
and needy ! No, even more ; he thinks, My dear Lord Jesus is
destitute, I cannot leave Him in this condition.
The faith was obscured in the Middle Ages, but mercy
was practiced in the convents and asylums. They had their
rules of mercy, and enumerated seven works of charity:*)
To feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to
take in strangers, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick, to
visit those in prison and to bury the dead. The Church en
joined this upon all her members by word and example. This
spirit will always remain in the Church as long as she is a
Christian Church. These seven works of charity were glorified
in picture by the art of painting. This is the mercy which we
must practice — it is our duty.
Mercy is first of all a feeling, a profound, heartfelt senti
ment. Birtjhoujd_the heart be without hands? It is true,
to weep with them that weep is also mercy. To lift up a poor,

*) After Matthew 25: 35, 36.

— 90 —
broken heart with comforting words is also mercy. To pray
for the sick is also mercy. The Church of the Middle Ages
did not enumerate seven works of mercy with respept only to
physical distress, but just as many with regard to spiritual
need. Among them was consolation, petition, forgiveness. We
must not have such a superficial conception of mercy as to
think always only of physical need.
The mercy of God did not end in emotions and words.
Christianity is a great deed of mercy in^Chxist. Deed and
word were never separated. It should also be so with us. Our
text says, Merciful like God ! How this sounds ! What an
infinite, heavenly task it is for our love and our conduct !
Divine and human mercy ought to correspond more and more.
"Blessed are_the merciful." Do you not often see that
sentence written on institutions of mercy, in churches, on alms-
boxes? The Church of Christ ought to have the exhortation
to mercy always before her eyes, so that the river of love may
flow through the Church continually and more abundantly.
Jn_thfi_Gxeek language, in which the New Testament was
written, the word alms is synonymous with mercy. What you
give when a collection is taken, or what you otherwise give,
should be not your money, but your mercy. There was more
mercy in the widow's mite than in all the gold-coins of the
wealthy. If, however, not only poor widows, but the well
to do and even the wealthy give but the farthings — is there
any mercy in such giving? Many a one must be fairly

— 91 —
squeezed, before he will give anything, just' as we twist and
squeeze a wet rag. Is this the mercy that God demands?
Soft hands and a stony heart ? The hand becomes soft if it
does not do anything, but the heart becomes hard by doing
nothing. Sometimes I am afraid to ask a man to give, for
I think he may not do it willingly, there may be no love, no
mercy in the gift. But then again I say to myself, No, I
must ask him, nevertheless. For otherwise he would be
justified in saying, No one has called my attention to the
need. No man hath hired me. Here it must also hold good, —
"So that they are without excuse !" Many excuses are heard.
Many say, "Toojuany requests are made." but I say that the
miseryexceeds our requests. Many also think, "The misery
is too great. What can I do, who myself do not possess
much?" The answer is, Better do something, even if it be
little, than nothing at all.
People invite and urge us to mercy, they arrange concerts,
fairs and balls in the holy name of charity. Is this the mercy
that God demands? No, mercy itself ought to be to us a de
light and a duty. It is selfishness, and not mercy, to do a good
work with a view to the honor of one's own person, one's name
or one's party. It is not real, genuine mercy when Catholic
Sisters of Mercy go to the sick, but avail themselves of the
opportunity to lure Protestants into their Church, which
claims to be the sole depository of salvation. But let us all
examine our alms and our so-called good gifts and deeds to

— 92 —
see whether they are prompted by real mercy. Let us remove
all unholy fire from the altar of mercy! Otherwise we have

our reward. There are also some people who with contri
butions and charitable gifts would release themselves from the
duty of love itself. Is this the mercy that God demands ?
But he who marks from day to day
In gen'rous acts his radiant way,
Treads the same path the Savior trod,
The path to glory and to God. .
To be merciful does not simply mean to be open-handed.
To be merciful means more. Luther is right when he says,
"Giving is a fruit of love, but nojJiae_iiself ." I am led here
to think of a man who was asked for a gift by one in distress,
but who had no money with him, and in this predicament gave
him nothing but — a pressure of the hand! Was this no
mercy? The Lord looketh on the heart. More heart, more
individuality, more mercy in everything ! We have homes for
the poor and the orphans, hospitals, charitable associations,
deaconesses, etc. Thanks be to God that we have all this !
But notwithstanding all this there may be one thing lost sight
of in the outward bustle, that which must be the heart and
soul of everything: Mercy, which we must practice — it is our
duty. One more excuse : "People do not deserve it." It is true,
there are some people that are abominable. We ask ourselves,
Should we reward vice and laziness ? Often people come to my

— 93 —
door handing me a paper, on which I read, "Dismissed from
prison." What! is this to be your recommendation? Not
simply a beggar, but a thief, one dismissed from prison?
Christ demanded that we should go to those in prison, and
now the prisoner comes to my door. Shall I repulse him?
Charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Perhaps he will go
out into the world, and from a beggar become a thief again,
if he finds no mercy. Does anybody repel one who has been
shipwrecked, saying to him : It was your own fault that your
ship was lost?
He does not deserve any_ mercy jjup ! — But did we deserve
divine mercy ? Have you not often praised that divine mercy
which we have received, although we are sinners ? He to^ whom
muchjs forgiven. loveth much, like the woman at the feet of
Jesus. Think of the many suicides of the present day. Many
a one hath chosen death because he found no more mercy and
love in this world and no longer believed in it. Such an one
was certainly much to blame. But were those not to blame at
all who took no pity on him? There is a great gulf to-day
also, which yawns betweenjhe classes of society, between the
poor and the rich, employer and employee, and it will not be
closed except we all become true Christians and in genuine
mercy think of every man, He is my brother ! Thus Jesus was
touched with the feeling of our infirmaties ! Thus let your
moderation be known unto all men.
Only to men ? Has not the, poor animal also a claim upon

— 94 —
our mercy? Recently 1 rode in a carriage whose driver beat
his horse continually. Although in my clerical robe, I was
obliged to speak to him a few words through the window — also
a sermon on mercy. "A righteous man regardeth the life of
his beast !" Be merciful towards your animals, just as your
Father in heaven is merciful towards you ! All this is mercy
which we must practice — it is our duty.
2.
The mercy which we shall obtain — it is our joy. For

this reason the merciful are called blessed, because they will
obtain mercy, divine mercy. When it is written that God is
well pleased with the sacrifices of mercy, this is a joy which He
grants to the merciful even here on earth. Ask our deaco
nesses, whether in their arduous labors of mercy. _they_ do not
have a quiet joy and seasons of blessed experience. They wear
a somber, black dress, but beneath it there is a cheerful, Chris
tian heart. They would not exchange this for many joys of
the world. But you need not be a deaconess to feel this. A
dear Christian once said to me, "In what a cheerful mood I
went to bed that day !" He had done a deed of mercy on that
day. James says : "That man shall be blessed in his deed !"
You might also very often go to bed in a cheerful mood, if
you only would go and do likewise ! The Scripture speaks of
still another bed. It says that t^tejjord will strengthen the
merciful upon the bed of languishing.*) But there is still

*) Psalm 41: 1—4.

— 95 —
another bed, upon which the merciful will lie more peacefully
and blessed than the unmerciful. _It isJIiajlying-bcd. May
you soon obtain the joy, the great blessing and mercy of being
merciful !
He who soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly. The
emotions, thoughts, words and gifts of your mercy are seed
sown into the furrows of the earth, from which you will reap
in heavenly garners. What_shall_we reap and obtain ? We read,
Mercy, divine^ jnercy. As divine mercy must become human
mercy within us, so there will result from human mercy the
greatest divine mercy in the life beyond — this is our joy. Did
the destitute here on earth not rejoice in the mercy which you
bestowed upon them ? You will rejoce a thousand times more
in the mercy which the all-merciful God will bestow upon you
in the future life. Ttis not merited, for it is mercy which we
shall obtain. Mercy is unmerited. This "obtaining" the
Scripture calls in other places inheriting. Inheriting is not
earning or deserving.
You can however not spare _y^Hself_the_ sowing of humaii_
mercy if you would obtain divine mercy. Your mercy must
call forth the mercy of God. But on the other hand your un-
mercifulness will also provoke the retribution of your Judge.
My friend, what will become of you then, if you have shown
no mercy. James writes : "For he shall have judgment with-
ou'rmercy, that hath shewed no mercy !" And has not Jesus
shown us plainly the eternal judgment, when He will speak

— 96 —
to the merciful? "I was an hungered, thirsty, naked, sick,
and you have visited, fed and clothed me?" To be sure, the
merciful, the blessed will hear nothing of their good deeds.
Lord, when saw we Thee thus? It is well known that the
Roman Catholic Church teaches the meritoriousness of good
works. But are we to practice mercy in order to merit some
thing ? It is just this which makes mercy so pure, so glorious
and so great, that it does not serve for a reward, not even an
eternal reward. Its rejoicing will be like that of a child that
has been surprised with beautiful, unexpected presents —
blessed ! This is the mercy which we shall obtain — it is
our joy. Dear Christian friends ! Human and divine mercy, duty
and joy — none without the other. This can give value to our
life, duty and joy, the service and reception of love and mercy.
Men are asking for true joy. They should just as much ask
for theH__duty, without which there is.no.joy^ They believe
that joy results from the gratification of our desires, but true
joy springs from the discharge of our duties. It is so with
mercy. This is the greatest duty and the most blessed joy.
Let us practice mercy! Then we will obtain it! Amen.

VII.
THE PURE HEART, WHICH SEES GOD.

Matthew 5 : 8. — Blessed arc the pure in heart : for they
shall see God.
We ought to pray for a pureheart every day. For this
reason we find this petition so frequently in our psalms,
prayers and hymns. Nothing is so necessary as a pure heart.
Jesus in the previous beatitudes speaks of certain aspects of
the heart, as for instance in the beatitude immediately pre
ceding our text He speaks of the heart's compassion, namely
mercy. Here however He means the whole heart.
Since our last discourse a dear Christian woman wrote to
me, "With longing I look forward, to the next sermon.'' It is
her opinion that this sermon about the pure heart must be a
difficult sermon. In this she is right. She continues in her
letter, "For where is there one who is pure?" Ah, I feel that
he who would preach in the right manner about the pure
heart, must have a pure heart himself. Jesus could preach
about it, but not we. I can well understand how Origen, that
unimpeachable, noble Christian, that grand old teacher of the
Church, could close the sacred volume with the words, "I can
not preach." His eye had been caught by the following sen
tence from Psalm 50 : "What hast thou to do to declare My
statutes, or that thou shouldest take My covenant in thy
mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction, and easiest My words

— 100 —
behind thee?" The great prophet Isaiah also exclaimed, "I
am a man of unclean lips;" and Job complained, "Who can
bring a clean thing out of an unclean?"*) Should I then
omit this beatitude? Nay, may it preach repentance to the
preacher also !
Many a one at the time of his confirmation has chosen
this text as the maxim of his Christian life, as the standard
by which he should always measure and examine himself. I
wish I could remind all the young people of it. On tomb
stones also I have read this sentence. It certainly refers also
to the departed who behold God with a pure heart. But Jesus
said it for the living. Its significance, its instruction, admoni
tion, exhortation and promise apply to the old and the young.
Men are prone to speak of their good hearts, but the
Scripture informs us that the imagination of man's heart js
evil fromjiis youth. Jesus said (Matthew 15 : 19, 20) : "For
out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the
things which defile a man." The heart is the soil from which
springs the whole life of man, the good and the_eyil,. The
celebrated Voltaire once offered his heart to some one and re
ceived the reply : "For shame ! You would give me the worst
you have." But the heart of our inmost life is also the sejit
of the best we have. Therefore Jesus has called blessed the
pure heart, and has held it up as a precious treasure and a

*) Isaiah 6:5; Job 14: 4.

— 101 —
high ideal. The clearest sight is ascribed to the pure heart:
it can look into heaven, it sees God.
The Pure Heart which sens God.
Two different thing's are here indicated:
1. Many a holy task in life.
'2. Many a blessed revelation of God.
0 Lord, Thou hast searched us, and known us. Thou
knowest that we stand in the dust of the earth and have an
impure heart. Cast us not away from Thy presence. Grant
unto us through Thy word of truth open eyes of simplicity and
knowledge, so that we may not remain in self-delusion. Help
us through Thy Spirit, that we may heartily repent of every
sin and that the pure heart may appear to us exceedingly im
portant, necessary, glorious and blessed. Do Thou create in us
a clean heart, 0 God; and renew a right spirit within us.
Help us that every morning we may put on the bright garment
of purity, and if we soil it, do Thou wash off the stains.
Daily strengthen within us the new man, who is always mind
ful of Thee. Unto Thee we give our heart, that Thou mayest
sanctify it wholly. Take my heart, it is Thine own, it shall be
Thy royal throne. Amen. 1.
Blessed are the pure in heart. The Word of God does not
merely reveal to us in many passages the impurity of the
human heart, but it also demands that we constantly meditate

— 102 —
upon the purification of our heart, that we pray for it and
strive after it. This will be our greatest and holiest task in
life until the hour of death. The Jews also taught and spoke
much about purification. They had manifold laws_ofj3urifi-
cation. Certain plrysical conditions rendered men unclean.
He who entered the house of a Gentile, or who touched a
corpse, was considered unclean. The Pharisees considered it
a holy service of God to observe scrupulously the outward rules
of purification. They had clean vessels and washed their
hands when they ate bread, but they did not think of the true,
divine service of the pure heart. Jesus often raised His warn
ing voice against this. His woe against the Pharisees and the
Scribes (Matthew 23 : 25, 26) is the very reverse of this beati
tude. How often does God also point out in the Old Testa
ment that He looketh on the heart, and express the demand,
Give Me thine heart! How often do we here also find ex
pressions treating of another heart, or of a new heart, or of one
heart, or of a heart to know God!*) What else is meant by
all these expressions but a pure heart ? It was always easier to
pay attention to outward ceremonies and observances, than to
better the heart, to change its inmost feelings and purpose, its
belief and its principles. Jesus said to His opponents (Matthew
23 : 28), "Outwardly ye appear righteous unto men, but within
ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." Blessed are the pure
in heart !

*) Compare 1. Samuel 10: 9; Ezekiel 36: 26; 11: 9; Jeremiah
24: 7.

— 103 —
The Roman Church also has frequently tried to find
purity of heart and. life in external institutions. But the pure
heart and life is not acquired by separating oneself from the
world as a monk. There may be great danger in contact with
and the temptation of the world, but one can also be sick with
out contagion. Impurity is within us and will go with us also
into solitude. Is it not more valiant to overcome danger than
to avoid it? The Roman Church considered the secular life
in general as profane and impure. The Holy Scripture re
proves expressly the monkish error of those who forbid to
marry, and informs us that every creature of God is good (1.
Timothy 4: 3, 4). Luther in his explanation of this saying
of the Sermon on the Mount says of the Catholic view, "As
though God did not have a pure heart, when He created both
man and woman ! How should such work and thought create
an impure heart ?" Here the word will rather hold good that
unto the pure all things are pure. The CountessJGlizabeth of
Thuringia, who is called a saint, owing to such a false Roman
view could even pray that God might take from her heart even
her love for her children. Acting upon the advice of her
terrible confessor, she wished to make her heart purer and
holier through the extinction of all earthly love.
But is there no purifying agent for our impure heart? In
the first place I would mention renentance^ And here I would
say, You ought to confess your sins more frequently and show
a more penitent spirit than you generally do. Jesus, like His

— 104 —
forerunner John, demanded first of all repentance. And we
should not merely repent because of obvious transgressions, of
sins in word and deed, but repentance rather has reference to
the heart, the impure heart. It is a matter of ideas and feel
ings, inclination and endeavors, opinions and purposes. There _
should be no guile, no envy, no unchastity in the heart. For
our love also we need a purer heart. Paul names as the sum
total of the commandments : charity out_ofji pure heart (1.
Timothy 1: 5), and Peter writes, "Love one another with a
pure heart fervently !" (1. Peter 1 : 22.) Young Timothy is
exhorted to "flee youthful lusts." These are holy tasks in life
which the Lord points out to us.
I know very well that in this age of impurity it_ is es
pecially difficult to keep the heart pure. At the present time
more than ever before numerous publications are issued that
are soiled with the filth of vice. Art forgets more and more its
high vocation of representing the good, the true and the beauti
ful, especially the good. It is becoming demoralized. Weeds
also often have flowers. The marsh may be covered with
greensward, but he who steps upon it will come to grief. Such
phenomena of the age ought to stimulate us to be more zealous
in guarding the heart. A great theologian of the Middle Ages
(Bernard of Clairvaux) calls chastity in youth a martyr's
crown without blood. Many say, we should let the young peo
ple sow their wild oats. This is a foolish counsel and a bad
principle. One cannot wash himself clean in mud. The pas-

— 105 —
sions cannot be suppressed by giving oneself up to sin. You
young people must pray a great deal more for a pure heart.
We must also let the Word of God operate upon us for the
purpose of purifying our heart. Jesus said to His disciples,
""Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken
unto you." He says that His Father purgeth every branch of
the true vine that beareth fruit. We ourselves will become
purer by loyalty to Him who is absolutely holy and pure.
Luther remarks on this, "When through the preaching of the
gospel we come to believe, we become pious and begin to be
pure." To this he adds, "As long as we are in the flesh, we
can never be perfectly pure." Therefore we must be cleansed
and washed again and again by the hands of eternal love, just
as a child by his mother. The faithful Lord, who washed the
feet of His disciples before the Holy Supper, still gives unto
us every Sunday His absolution. It is written, "He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all un
righteousness." But on the other hand we read of him who
hopes in the Lord: "He purifieth himself, even as He (God)
is pure" (1. John 3 : 3). The Christian himself must help in
order to become pure.
The Christian life is not merely a coming, confessing, re
ceiving forgiveness, singing, praying and thanksgiving. The
Christian life is also a deed, a labor, a battle, a conquest of
self, a cutting off of the hand, a plucking out of the eye that
offends us. James exhorts, "Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;

— 106 —
and purify your hearts, ye double minded!" In order to do
this we need not run away from the world, but rather to fight
in the world ; then we will not be of the world. Samson did
not lose his divine strength in the land of the Philistines, but
by impure love. Sin always lieth at the door of our heart and
unto us is his desire, but we should rule over him. The pure
heart is also a prudent heart, a strong heart, a courageous
heart. The Lord will increase the supply of His strength ia»:
the holy battle which we fight against sin. This is the poet's
hope, desire and purpose :
Purge me from the guilt, that lies
Wrapt within my heart's disguise;
Let me thence, by Thee renewed,
Each presumtuous sin exclude.
The word concerning purity of heart shows us many a holy
task in life. 2.
It also calls our attention to many a blessed revelation of
God. The pure in heart are called blessed because they shall
see God. See God ! One must ask, How, When, and Where?
God is a Spirit. With carnal eyes we cannot see Him. Is it
not written, "No man hath seen God at any time?" (John
.1 : 18.) And is it not said of God, "Whom no man hath seen,
nor can see?" (1. Timothy 6 : 16.)
Paul once said that the invisible things of God, His
eternal power and godhead, are clearly seen, being understood

— 107 —
by the things that are made. (Romans 1 : 20.) To be sure,
impure hearts and eyes (we need only read that which follows
the passage mentioned above) will see even in the works of
creation nothing but world, flesh, lust and dust, Many people
have seen much, except that which is greatest, namely, God.
But ^to_jjercehe Jhg. existence of. the Creator is not yet. that
revelation of God,, that blessed .vision,, which Jesus means.
Philip, the disciple, once asked, "Lord, show_ us_the
Father, and it sufficeth us !" "Philip, he that hath seen Me
hath seen the Father !" Upon another occasion Jesus said to
His disciples, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things that
ye see !" Where the Pharisees saw nothing, ingenuous dis
ciples beheld the brightness and glory of the Lord. The
greatest revelations were always granted to devout and purified
hearts. Jesus, the pure image of God, hath shined in these
hearts. The veil of Moses is now taken away; the holy of
holies is opened. This is a blessed revelation of God, this is to
see God. The impure heart flees from God, who is the holy judge
of the heart and the avenger of sin. Therefore it does not

see God, because it avoids Him. But where there is a pure
heart, there is formed the image of God, who is eternal purity.
This is the bright mirror in which we see God. Augustine,
the great teacher of the Church, did not see God in his years
under paganism and with his impure, profligate heart, and had
no faith. But after he had read and considered what is

— 108 —
written in Romans 13 : 13, "Not in rioting and drunkenness,
not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envy
ing !" — in short, when his heart became purer, he began to
see God. Jesus said, "If any man will do His will !" (John
7: 17.) The pure heart would also teach us to understand better
the dark ways of God. There is an intimation of this even in
the Old Testament : "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such
as are of a clean heart !" As inantipLuity_it_was a great favor
for the_choBen_on.es to see always the face of_the king, so puri
fied hearts meet constantly the gracious eye of their eternal
Lord and behold "the essence of His love. Paul writes (2.
Timothy 2 : 22) that we must call on the Lord out of a pure
heart. Ah, as often as it is offered, what is such a prayer, the
prayer of a sanctified, pure heart, but a clear vision, a great
divine revelation, a blessed contemplation of God ?
Blessed before Him! The poet Torquato Tasso gave a
beautiful explanation of this passage of Scripture. When he
was asked who is .most hann^he answered, "God ;[' and upon
the question, "Who besides and after God ?" he replied : "He
who is most like Jgod ." Jesus calls blessed the pure in heart,"
because they are most like the pure, blessed God. We sing :
Blest are the pure in heart,
For they shall see our God;
The secret of the Lord is theirs,
Their soul is Christ's abode.

— 109 —
But God does not dwell with them only here on earth.
They will dwell with Him forever, in His house, in the
"Father's eternal house of many mansions. Then will follow
the blessed revelation: Seeing God. Here on earth the eyes of
our spirit are always dim. Why? Because there are still so
many carnal desires in our heart. Because our heart is not
yet perfectly pure. If we would perfectly see Him, we must
be like Him — spirit. Therefore John could write those words
so full of meaning, "We shall be like Him; for we shall see
Him as He is." (1. John 3 : 2.) We must first have put on
the spiritual, the resurrection bod}r. Thus Paul could long to
lie delivered from the body of this death. Then will we have
the pure heart which sees God.
Dear Christian friends ! May you then follow holiness,
without which no man shall see the Lord ! Think often of the
city where you are to dwell forever. There shall in no wise
enter into it anything that defileth. Nothing that is impure
can enter through those gates nor walk on those streets. He
who would behold the palace of the king, must be clothed in
white garments. The last page of the Bible further tells us
that the servants of God shall serve Him, and they shall see
His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. Then the
prayer and longing of the psalmist will be entirely fulfilled :
"When shall T come and appear before Cod?" "Who shall
ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His
holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart."*)
*) Psalm 42: 2; 24: 3, 4.

— 110 —
He that hath a pure heart! May you also teach and ad
monish one another in the spiritual songs of the new Israel :
Endue us, Lord, with strength
To triumph over sin:
That we may with Thy saints at length
Eternal glory win!
The pure heart, which sees God — most holy task in life,
most blessed revelation of God ! Therefore I say once more :
We ought to pray for a pure heart every day. Amen.

t

VIII.
CHILDREN OF PEACE ARE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD.

Matthew 5 : 9. — Blessed are the peacemakers : for they
shall be called the children of God.
This seventh beatitude speaks of the peacemakers. They
are not other people than the poor in spirit, the meek, the
merciful, in short, the hearers and doers of the Sermon on the
Mount that have been mentioned before. Jesus here only
means a new aspect of their character.
To the wicked indeed there is no peace, no inward and
therefore also no outward peace. Speaking generally, we must
yet live in a world of strife. Looking upon the history of man
kind, we see the sword of war doing bloody work throughout
all the centuries. When we went to school we committed to
memory the leading dates of history, and they were mostly
dates and records of war, conquest and the misery of nations.
At the present time men no longer play so carelessly with the
fire of war, but they must ever have the sharp sword in their
hands in order to guard the peace. If in our own time de
liberations have been carried on with a view to promoting
peace among the nations, it is nothing but the awakening of
the consciousness that all mankind is called upon to preserve
peace and not to wage war. Such efforts should not be held
in contempt as has unfortunately been done. Is the world
really to be forever under the curse of war? Even from an-

— 114 —
tiquity, with its warlike spirit, we hear voices of longing after
peace. Croesus says, according to Herodotus : "Who would be
so foolish as to choose war instead of peace ? In time of peace
the fathers are buried by their children, but in time of war
the children by their fathers." In the Middle Ages, when so
often the brutal law of the strong hand prevailed, they tried
to limit deeds of violence at least to a few days of the week
by the so-called "truce of God." From Thursday evening till
Monday morning no one was to offer violence to his f ellowman.
For on Thursday evening Jesus had instituted His Holy
Supper of peace. On Friday God had created man, and on a
Friday He had redeemed him through Christ. On this day
there was to be peace. On Saturday the Father had rested
from His works and the Son of God had lain in the grave.
On Sunday Jesus rose from the dead and greeted His dis
ciples: "Peace be unto you!" On all these days Christians
were to keep peace, though it must be said this "truce of God"
was often broken. But we hope for a time when there will be
peace, no matter whether it is Sunday or Friday, — when there
will be peace every day. The time must come when there will
be peace on earth. But until that time, it is true, many more
sad tragedies of discord will be enacted upon earth.
We need here think not only of actual war, but also of
the inward divisions of our people. How much hostile de
fiance among the masses and parties, what language of dis
cord everywhere ! Brother against brother ! We think also of

— 115 —
the immoderate, invidious criticisms, controversies, political
disputes and litigations. We think especially of the fact that
even between brothers and sisters and near relations, between
husband and wife, children and parents, there is so much strife
and discord. Recently a young girl said to me, "My father is
mean and base towards me!" It grieved me to hear a child
speak so disrespectfully of her own father. When I called her
attention to the fourth commandment,* ) she replied : "It may
be true that a child ought not to speak thus of her father, but
nevertheless he is base and mean. We are at enmity with each
other." Alas, how many people, who really are closely related,
are at enmity with each other. Are you perhaps also at enmity
with someone?
Into this world of strife Jesus calls, "Blessed are the
peacemakers !" and He calls the peacemakers the children of
God. Children of Peace are called Children op God.
We consider: 1. The holy commission which they carry out.
2. The glorious name which they receive.
0 Lord, do Thou again in this quiet hour guide our feet
into the way of peace. 0 Thou God of peace, grant unto us

*) The fourth according to the Lutheran, the fifth according
to the Reformed division of the commandments. Translator.

— 116 —
great grace, so that we may be at peace with Thee and with
men. Grant unto us Thy Holy Spirit and a forgiving dis
position after Thine own heart, so that in times of joy and
sorrow, by evil report and good report, we may prove ourselves
to be the servants and children of God, because children of
peace. Let our words and our ways please Thee and do Thou
even make our enemies to be at peace with us. Give us to-day
new instruction and saving knowledge from Thy word of
peace. Amen. 1.
Blessed are the peacemakers ! To make peace — it is a
holy, divine action ! That father made peace who forgave the
prodigal son and kissed his impure lips. God made peace
(speaking literally) with sinful humanity. Jesus made peace
when He reconciled us to God.*) Read the Scriptures and
notice how often the word "peace" is found. The gospel is
called the gospel of peace. Jesus Himself is called our peace
(Ephesians 2: 14). We will not be able to make peace in
this world, if we have not the true peace in our heart. But
the Prince of Peace will give it unto us. His greeting was
always a greeting of peace, and this was His parting word to

*) The expression "to make peace," which we find in this
beatitude, is employed in Colossians 1 : 20 to denote Christ's work
of redemption.

— 117 —
His disciples: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto
you." This is the peace which the world can not give us. The
apostles wrote at the beginning of their epistles: "Grace be
unto you and peace!" Were these empty words? Was it not
rather a desire, a prayer and a gift? When Jesus sent His
disciples forth upon the highways and into the homes of men,
He commanded them to say upon entering a house, "Peace be
to this house !" And if a son of peace were there, He said,
their peace should rest upon him; if not, their peace should
turn to them again. And how often did He dismiss those
whom He had instructed, or cleansed and healed, with the
words, "Go in peace !" In our divine services we would offer
you "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding." Es
pecially do we put Aaron's benediction as a Word of God and
a gift of peace upon your head and into your heart : "And give
thee peace !" — Blessed peace, which we are permitted to dis
tribute! And even upon those who have departed this life we
pronounce a blessed word of peace. Our cemeteries we call
places of peaceful rest. Why? Do we only want to express
the thought that there is rest in death? The peace of the
cemetery, the rest of the dead — is this true peace ? No, rather
would we give expression to the thought that dying Christians
depart in peace, like Simeon, and that our cemeteries are the
courts of a peaceful eternity.
Blessed are those who make peace in this world. The

— 118 —
Scripture calls beautiful the feet of him that publisheth peace.
There are interpreters who believe that this beatitude chiefly
refers to those who proclaim the gospel of peace and thus pub
lish the peace of God. Blessed office, to make peace by pro
claiming it.
But we should not merely publish and receive this peace,
we must also keep and establish it everywhere and in every
way. We should seek it and follow it (1. Peter 3: 11;
Hebrew 12 : 14), because it may so easily be lost in the bustle
of life. The God of peace demands that we live at peace with
each other. Think of Abraham, who was so eager to keep
peace with his nephew, who was younger than he. "Let there
be no strife!" "For we are brethren." "If thou wilt take
the left hand, then I will go to the right!" This is for all
time a beautiful example of peaceableness. Behold, how good
and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity !
Luther is right: "There is indeed half the kingdom of heaven
where there is peace." May we take care never to snap a bond
of peace. Discord will always be a cause of much unhappiness.
Solomon writes (Proverbs 18: 19), "A brother offended is
harder to be won than a strong city." Such a discord may
follow a man to the last hour of his life, and how can he thus
appear before the God of peace? As much as lieth in you,
live peaceably with all men. It is your Christian duty, it is
necessary, it-is wise. Peace promotes prosperity, while discord
brings on destruction.

— 119 —
It is certainly true, as has been said, "The very meekest
cannot rest in quiet, unless it suits his ill neighbor's humor."
There are people who reject the hand that -offers peace. There
arc people who again and again sunder the ties of friendship
and love by their evil conduct, their public and secret actions,
their whims and moods, especially with their sharp tongue.
Men without peace even find their delight in discord. They
rejoice to know that others are quarreling. They fan the flame
of discord instead of extinguishing it. In the book of Eeclesi-
asticus we read, "A sinful man disqviieteth friends, and scat-
tereth calumny among them that be at peace." In this way
many have been separated who were on friendly terms. Here
we often can do nothing but commend the matter to God:
"Father, forgive them!"
But let us all be on our guard ! The human heart is easily
offended. One cannot but be surprised at the mere trifles over
which so many fall out. People who were formerly friends,
no longer enter each other's house and avoid meeting each
other. We should always forgive, and seek to remove mis
understandings that may arise, before an angry strife results
from them. We ought to retract hasty words and try to atone
for a fault. We should at the very beginning of trouble make
peace, and not wait, as many wait with an operation. It is
necessary, therefore, do it soon ! Otherwise it will become
a great deal worse. Thus the peace-loving are always ready
to make peace. We should think much of our own faults and

— 120 —
diligently call to our mind the good traits of others. We
should make it our rule to study men more charitably. Luther
says in his explanation of this text, "There is no man on earth
so wicked who has not something in him that must be praised."
Then he reminds us of the pious mother of Augustine, Monica.
When she knew of two friends at variance, she would always
speak the best of both. If she heard something good of the
one, she carried it to the other. But when she heard some
thing evil, she kept it secret, or excused it as best she could.
Thus she reconciled many. Blessed are the peacemakers !
Have you ever made peace? If the piano is out of tune
we call a piano tuner. But one need not, in order to bring
harmony out of human discord, be an official justice of the
peace, whose office is beautiful, but very often difficult and
ineffective. What did Jacob do when he returned to Canaan
where his hostile brother Esau lived? A whole night he
wrestled with God in prayer, and especially did he pray that
he might find peace with his brother at home. Not only upon
men, but also upon God, who guides the hearts of men, you
may call for help so that peace may be restored. Have you
ever thus made peace?
And when you make peace, let it not be an affected, ex
ternal relation, by which the inward discord is only veiled and
covered up. Why such hypocrisy ? A certain feeling will tell
your fellowman that in reality you are not his friend. The
main point is to make peace entirely and heartily! Blessed
are the peacemakers.

— 121 —
Especially should there be peace among Christian breth
ren. They ought to keep the war of human passions entirely
in subjection among themselves. Jesus prayed, "That they all
may be one !" The first Christians at Jerusalem also were of
one heart and of one soul. Paul censured the Corinthians
sharply, because there existed among them opposing parties,
some of them saying, "I am of Paul," others, "I am of
Apollos," others, "I of Cephas.'' You may ask whether there
has not been discord in the Church at many other times. To
this I must answer, yes. But some times a conflict was neces
sary. Luther says in connection with this passage of the
Sermon on the Mount : "But if you ask, Why do you publicly
attack the Pope and others, and do not keep peace yourself?
To this I reply, It is true that we should put the best con
struction upon everything, and in order to keep peace, pass
over in silence everything that can be kept secret. But when
sin is so notorious and is gaining ground everywhere, or is
doing public harm (as is the case with the doctrine of the
Pope), then one dare no longer be silent, but must resist and
rebuke." Even the ancient prophet warned against saying
"Peace, peace," when there is no peace. Jesus Himself said
in this sense, "I came not to send peace, but a sword." Is not
His holy Sermon on the Mount itself a declaration of war
against the false Judaism of the Pharisees? Shame upon
those who explain this saying about the peacemakers as though
it meant that we must pass over in silence all error and every

— 122 —
grievance. They tread softly and are expert in accommodating
their views to prevailing opinions. They think it advisable
to please all men, especially the mighty. They are wise as
serpents, but as treacherous too. This enables them to make
headway in this world and to gain success. Is this a peaceable
disposition? — Jesus did not want this kind of peaceableness,
for it is contrary to the truth. But in other respects, make
peace ! Blessed are the children of peace. We have seen the
holy commission which they carry out.
2.
The glorious name which they receive. They shall be
called the children of God. They are children of God, because
they are like their Father, who is not a God of disorder, but a
God of peace. In the Greek text it reads, they shall be called
the "sons of God." Because they have adopted the character of
the Son of God, the heavenly prince of peace, Jesus calls them
after Himself : "Sons of God," or children of God.
One must indeed ask whether we are not already children
of God through baptism and through faith. Paul writes ex
pressly (Galatians 3: 26) : "For ye are all the children of
God by faith in Christ Jesus ; for as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ." But the same apostle
supplements this when he says (Romans 8 : 14) : "For as many
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." We

— 123 —
must also make our calling and election sure by the peace
which we keep. Children of peace are called children of God.
Is to be called more or less than to be ? Here it is more
than to be. They are not merely the children of God, they
shall also be called thus. It is true, something seems to have
been omitted in this beatitude; it is not said by whom they
are called thus, whether by God, or by men, or both. We may
assume the latter. Men also will know that because of their
peaceable disposition, they may be called children of peace.
There are positions, titles and names to which men often
attach an exaggerated value, so that one is often afraid to
designate them lest it should be with a false or perhaps too
humble a title. But there can be no higher position, no more
glorious name than "Children of God." Unto this we should
aspire. What are all the Privy Councillors, all the Excellen
cies and Majesties of the world, compared with this : Children
of God ! They are not called high, rich and happy ; no, they
are called blessed. There are two passages in the Bible where
God Himself is called "the Blessed."*) This expression does
not occur anywhere else. The Scripture seems to consider
this attribute as self-evident. In one of these passages. God is
called "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and
Lord of lords; who only hath immortality." Think of it, —
His children! We do not realize vividly enough what that

*) 1. Timothy 1: 11; 6: 15.-

— 124 —
means, — Children of God. "And if children, then heirs."
Blessed like Him ! Let us be quiet children of peace, so that
we may become blessed children of God.
Ah, then my spirit faints
To reach the land I love,
The bright inheritance of saints,
Jerusalem above!
May it be with us ! With golden letters of heavenly glory this
name is written into the book of life : "Children of God."
Beloved friends in the Lord ! "Blessed are the peace
makers." Another short sentence with great contents. Many
people do not know much of the Bible, but they know these
precious, beautiful beatitudes. There is hardly a Christian
who does not know them by heart. But let us also have these
wonderful sayings within our heart, devoutly meditate upon
them, daily observe them. It is my prayer that it may be
thus. May he who has no peace seek it in Christ ! May he
who has peace in Him, go forward and publish it ! May he who
has broken a bond of peace heal it again this day! May he
who knows of people who live in discord, bring them together,
as a mediator and conciliator, like Jesus! If men would thus
do, strife would disappear from life, each small discord and
finally also the great bloody war, and there would be peace,
peace on earth. There would be blessed children of peace in
this world, all children of God. O, may you then keep this
in mind and observe it : Blessed are the peacemakers. Amen.

IX.
PERSECUTED, REVILED AND YET REJOICING.

Matthew o : 10 — 12. — Blessed are they which are perse
cuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are ve, when men shall revile you, and perse
cute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely,
for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is your
reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which
were before you.
Luke 6 : 22, 23. 26. — Blessed are ye, when men shall hate
you. and when they shall separate you from their company,
and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the
Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy :
for behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like
manner did their fathers unto the prophets. Woe unto you,
when all men shall speak well of you ! for so did their fathers
to the false prophets.
Among the nine qualifications of an evangelical preacher,
which Luther once enumerated, he finally names one that is
peculiar. "In the ninth place," he writes, "he must suffer him
self to be tormented and scoffed at by everybody." Thus our
Lord Jesus Christ also added to the beatitudes of the Sermon
on the Mount a final one which speaks of obloquy and persecu
tion. Does Jesus here speak only to the disciples ? Recently
I found a piece of paper in my letter-box, upon which I read

— 128 —
these words: "Christianity is a lie. You are a scoundrel, be
cause you preach it." In this manner the hatred of the world
still thinks, writes, works and raves to-day.
In this last beatitude Jesus will lead us upon a great
height. I do not know whether' all will he willing to follow.
On great heights we are more solitary, and the air is chilly.
But — did you not hear it ? — no beatitude has the Lord treated
more at length, upon none has He bestowed more abundant
praise. His last, greatest, most glorious "Blessed" is. meant
for you, who are willing to suffer cheerfully even the abuse
and condemnation of men for righteousness' sake! Not as
though condemnation and persecution were not painful. It
is very bitter to the flesh. And yet we read, "Rejoice ye in
that day, and leap for joy !" Sorrow and joy can be blended
wonderfully in the life of true Christians. Children can often
be sad and joyful in a single hour, laughing and crying in the
same breath. Surely he who can do this is either a child or
a saint. In the beatitude preceding this the Lord had thought of
the activity of His disciples, who must proclaim and establish
peace in the world. But for this they were not to expect as
compensation the gratitude and approbation of men. On the
contrary, it was the lot of the disciples and apostles to be per
secuted by men, to be reviled in the world!
To speak about our Lord — this is great and glorious. To
act in His love — this is greater and more glorious. But to

— 129 —
suffer cheerfully for His sake — this is greatest and most
glorioix. This is the test whether we really love Him. Perse
cuted, reviled for His sake — blessed are you ! Many commen
tators remark in connection with this verse, that it is a matter
of surprise how the history of the coming centuries stood be
fore the eyes of the Savior when He spoke these words.*)
In other passages of the Scriptures also Jesus foretold all
these things, so that His disciples might remember His words
when it should all come to pass.**) Therefore His servants,
apostles, martyrs and Avitnesses were not surprised when all
this happened. From these words of Jesus they derived great
strength of heart, comfort, courage and joy. They knew that
also these sufferings were a powerful testimony for the truth,
a visible sermon upon their faith. When the English bishop
Latimer was about to be burned at the stake because of his
evangelical faith, he exclaimed to Ridley, his companion in
martyrdom, "Be of good comfort, master Ridley, and play the
man : we shall this da}- light such a candle, by God's grace,
in England, as I trust shall never be put out !" But in this
beatitude the Lord opens unto us still another prospect. He
leads us to the pearly gates and the golden streets.
There is the throne of David;
And there, from care released,
The song of them that triumph,
The shout of them that feast ;

*) Tholuck and others.
**) Matthew 10: 16 — 18; John 16: 1 — 4.

— 130 —
And they who, with their Leader,
Have conquered in the fight,
For ever and for ever
Are clad in robes of white!
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven! Although persecuted,
reviled, abused, they are even here on earth rejoicing in hope,
full of joy ! Let this be the subject of our meditation to-day :
Persecuted, Reviled, and Yet Rejoicixg.
1. Persecuted for righteousness' sake.
2. Reviled for Christ's sake.
3. Rejoicing because of a great reward.
Lord, do thou speak to us with the Word and Spirit of
Thy mouth. Thou hast called us to Thee and into Thy holy
and blessed kingdom, but it is Thy will that we steadfastly
suffer a while and willingly bear the cross of abuse and rejec
tion. When we are persecuted by the hatred of men, grant
unto us Thy Spirit, that we may also understand this and may
not be filled with bitterness, but that our love may become
stronger. Help us that we may not remain in the cave of
discontent, but with a faith that is superior to sufferings go
forth to overcome the world and render good for evil. En
courage, instruct, strengthen, edify us through Thy faithful,
saving Word. Amen. 1.
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness'
sake." Merely to be persecuted does not make us blessed. No,

— 131 —
persecuted for righteousness' sake. One can also be persecuted
as an evildoer. "What glory is it—" asks Peter. But when
you do well, for righteousness' sake ! — these are the most pain
ful buffets from the hands of men, and these the Scripture
calls "acceptable with God" (1. Peter 2 : 20). "For righteous
ness' sake." In the fourth beatitude we read, "hunger and
thirst after righteousness." full and entire. Here it is only,
"for righteousness' sake," for the sake of any righteous action
or disposition. When Jesus afterwards says, "Persecuted for
My sake," this is no great difference ; it is only a climax. It
means as much as "because you believe in Me and follow Me."
A Christian, a righteous man is always a walking reproach to
the unjust. He is a rock beaten by many waves. As Christ
is. so are they that are His. The servant is not greater than
his lord. Jesus said. "If they have persecuted Me, they will
also persecute you: if they have kept My saying, they will
keep yours also." Paul calls himself and the other apostles
the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things. In the
narrative of his conversion we find the word of the Lord : "I
will shfw him how great things he must suffer for My name's
sake" (Acts 9: 16). Ah, If the world were only like the first
Christian congregation of Ephesus, of which we read, in the
book of Revelation (chapter 2), that they could not bear them
which are evil. History and experience rather tell us that the
world cannot bear them that are good. Therefore it is written
(2, Timothy '3: 12), that "all who will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution."

— 132 —
On this subject of persecutions we might speak for many
hours. Our forefathers said when reflecting upon these bloody
sufferings, they did not believe that as many sacrificial lambs
had been slain in the Old Testament as pious Christians in the
New Testament. They were crucified like Jesus, stoned,
burned, cut to pieces, beaten to death, plunged into water,
thrown before wild beasts — there was no torment and no man
ner of death which the children of God did not suffer on earth.
They suffered like the prophets of old, of whom Jesus here
speaks, and of whom we read in the parable of the wicked
husbandmen : "And the husbandmen took his servant, and beat
one, and killed another, and stoned another" (Matthew 21:
35). Upon them was pronounced the sentence of persecution
and annihilation by the world, as upon Paul by the Jews in
Jerusalem: "Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it
is not fit that he should live!" (Acts 22: 22.) Superstition
also was active ; Tertullian writes of his time : "As soon as the
smallest misfortune came, everybody clamored, 'To the lions
with the Christians ! then it will be better.' " These persecu
tions have always been carried on. What the poet*) says is
true, though the word foolishly we cannot endorse here :
Who their full hearts so foolishly revealed,
Nor thoughts, nor feelings, from the mob concealed.
Have died on crosses, or in flames been thrown.

*) Goethe. Faust I.

— 133 —
But these people were not therefore unhappy. These
witnesses never complained nor wailed. There were even some
who longed for the thorny crown of martyrdom, who could
lament because they did not obtain it ! Imprisoned, tormented
and yet blessed ! If to-day the same persecutions prevailed,
could we endure them? Could we? Many so-called heretics,
who were slaughtered in the Middle Ages and at the time of
the Reformation, were often the best Christians, persecuted
"for righteousness' sake." The stake, the inquisition, the mas
sacre of St. Bartholomew, the dragonnades, the sufferings of
our forefathers in the Thirty Year's War — all these were perse
cutions "for righteousness' sake." Compared with this we
have to-day a very effeminate, debilitated, wordly Christianity,
no longer the old, genuine Christianity of the time of the
apostles and of the Reformation.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad! The Revelation of St.
John describes those who did not love their lives unto the
death (chapter 12: 10—12). Have we no longer such ex
amples? In our own time a missionary,*) departing for his
field of labor, put a wreath of thorns around his picture. He
obtained in heathen lands what he had anticipated. Another
missionary who was discouraged and wanted to be released
from his hardships, was instructed, "Remain and die!" A
hard word, but necessary. And he remained, though he did

*) Missionary Brauniger on his departure from Neuen-
dettelsau; he died July 23rd, 1860.

— 134 —
not die. Or do you want other examples out of everyday life ?
In an hour of sorrow a young wife wrote to her father, "I can
not live another three months with my irascible husband."
There are many quiet sufferers. But the reply was, "My child,
you must be patient and get used to it." For thirty-five years
she lived with the man from whom she wanted to escape, in
great patience and fidelity, and when he died, she was deeply
afflicted. I do not know whether you are just now among the
oppressed, tormented and persecuted. But if this is the case,
I charge you, my dear suffering friend, do not be surprised be
cause you are treated ungratefully, rudely, shamefully "for
righteousness' sake." No, rejoice and be exceeding glad ! He
who will reward you is living and even now he surrounds you
with His heavenly cherubim as with an invisible wall. Luther
remarks on this verse : "If there are one or two who persecute
us, there are over against these many more, yea ten thousand
angels, who are on our side to encourage and comfort us and
call us blessed."
But one more thought: Do not deceive yourself by using
our beatitude improperly! Perhaps once upon a time you
went to work the wrong way, or you may have been very head
strong and obstinate. Or you may be very easily offended. Or
perhaps you make too great pretensions. Yet you complain,
because you consider yourself persecuted for righteousness'
sake ! Thus in the Roman Church they always complain when
their worldly pretensions are not heeded and their desire of

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dominion is not gratified in every country. They assert that
they are persecuted for righteousness' sake, and call their Pope
a prisoner. May the Lord in this respect also grant to all a
correct understanding of His Word ! This is our first part :
Persecuted for righteousness' sake.

Reviled for Christ's sake. "Blessed are ye, when men
shall revile you for My sake." And Luke writes, "When they
shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the
Son of mans sake." Whereas before Jesus has been speaking
of acts of persecution, here He speaks of the words of hatred
and abu«e with which the disciples of Christ would be perse
cuted. In antiquity the question was propounded by a wise
man, What is the best and at the same time the worst part of
man ": The reply was : the best and at the same time the worst
part of man is the tongue. Similarly the Scripture says :
"Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith
curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God''
(James '¦'>: '¦)). Even that which is most sublime it can dis
parage and tarnish. It can rail against human authority and
God Him.-elf. Why should it not attack His children with
malice ami falsehood, slander them and say all manner of
evil against them?
"For My sake," Jesus says. The name Christian was at
first a term of reproach. They even abused and reviled our

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holy Lord on the bloody eross of His sufferings. In this man
ner also were His own reviled. The ancient teachers of the
Church said, "The Christians are condemned because of their
name, not because of any vice." If they had been of the world,
the world would have loved his own, but Jesus had chosen them
out of the world. As Christians may you not grieve over it,
but rejoice and be exceeding glad, when men traduce your
name as evil.
How many people desire to have a great name ! How do
they themselves proclaim their name to the world to make it
renowned and celebrated. They can not live without the
high opinion and the favor of the world. But is • this the
spirit of Christianity? Luke subjoined (as often in the Ser
mon on the Mount) a Woe unto the Blessed : "Woe unto you,
when all men shall speak well of you ! for so did their fathers
(the Jews) to the false prophets !" The favor of the world
which so many run after, is after all nothing but the attrac
tive fruit of treacherous temptation. It was best for the early
Christians that they did not enjoy this favor of the world.
Through the favor of the world and intimate intercourse with
it we become too much involved in its sin. When Peter mixed
with the people of the world in that night of Christ's suffer
ings, and sat in the seat of the scornful, he denied his Lord. He
was afraid of the condemnation of a maidservant and did not
want to lose the favor of those around him. Later he was will
ing to be reviled for Christ's sake, and found his delight in it.

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Many have told me that they have been reviled and have
been called canting hypocrites, because they regularly attend
divine services. May you also rejoice and be exceeding glad !
This small abuse, which the ungodly heap upon you, should al
ways be considered an honor. Perhaps evil things have been
said about you. There is hardly any one who must not suffer
this. Lies have been spread about better people than we are.
To be sure. Jesus expressly subjoins the word "falsely."
If there is anything true and justifiable in the evil reports
about us, we certainly should not apply this beatitude of the
Lord to ourselves. But if people say it falsely, then we may
rejoice and be exceeding glad! And though they may heap
upon us the most bitter abuse, we will not be embittered. "Re
joice in that day, and leap for joy !" Rejoice, for it is a good
sign when the ungodly attack you with their evil, biting ton
gues. You know that it is not the worst fruits that are liked
by the wasps. The great prophets had to exjierience the same
thing. Here I must think again of Luther's explanation of
this beatitude. How much abuse was heaped upon him and
how many lies were told about him ! Until his death, and
afterward, even to our own time, his name was calumniated.
But what a Christian, constant disposition did he maintain in
spite of all this abuse ! He says regarding this passage of the
Sermon on the Mount : "He who means to be a Christian, must
know that he has to expect such persecutions of venomous,
malicious, slanderous tongues, that the whole world will throw

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insults at him, carp and strike at him. But he must boldly de
spise all this, and laugh at it in the name of God." This is
our second part: Reviled for Christ's sake.
3.
Rejoicing because of a great reward. Now we hear why
we ought to rejoice and be exceeding glad, leap for joy and be
jubilant: "Great is your reward in heaven." One might in
deed ask, whether righteousness has not its own reward, and
whether there is not dignity, comfort and joy just in following
Christ. Certainly ! The apostles departed from the presence
of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suf
fer shame for Christ's name. In many passages of the Scrip
ture we find a holy exultation on account of sufferings, — the
triumph of those who have conquered — the world. With calm
ness and cheerfulness, and with hymns of praise, thousands of
martyrs have stood at the stake. Mysterious powers of peace,
nay even joy, are hidden in the depths of godly sorrow.
This also must be to us a cause of joy that we are in such
high, distinguished company, when we are persecuted for right
eousness' sake and reviled for Christ's sake. Jesus expressly
calls the attention of the disciples to this in the sermon on the
Mount: "For so persecuted they the prophets which were be
fore you." Prophets, apostles, witnesses, martyrs, reformers
are our companions. Rejoice and be exceeding glad!
The Lord however does not mean that we should seek -de-

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light only in the depth of sorrow. Here and in many other
places He speaks of a great reward in heaven. Is it then for
reward that we are serving under the yoke of disgrace ? Dear
friends ! The reward in heaven will be a natural result, a
harvest from the holy, earthly sowing in tears. Why direct
the tearful gaze to the dust of the earth ? Righteousness, abuse
for Christ's sake must be valued higher and will receive a
greater reward than the earth can give. In eternity it will
lie fully unfolded what we have been here on earth, and there
our endeavors for the eternal kingdom will he rewarded. Even
of Moses it is written that he esteemed the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures in Egypt : for he had respect
to the recompense of the reward (Hebrew 11 : 26). Especially
of those who are wise we read that they shall shine as the
brightness of the firmament ; and they that turn many to right
eousness as the stars for ever and ever. Therefore rejoicing
because of a great reward ! Rejoice and leap for joy !
We'll crowd Thy gates with thankful songs,
High as the heavens our voices raise;
And earth, with her ten thousand tongues,
Shall fill Thy courts with sounding praise.
Here ends the first part of the precious Sermon on the
Mount, here the beatitudes come to a close. Like a chain of
pearls they are linked together and the conclusion is like the
beginning. In the first as well as in the last beatitude we find
the same word: "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And

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with what other word could I better close this part of the
Sermon on the Mount than with this greatest, most glorious,
most blessed declaration: "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
How often have Ave seen the brightness of the heavenly king
dom in these beatitudes ! There is however a difference be
tween the same word in the first and in this last beatitude.
Between these two declarations there lies so much. In the last
wc are a great deal nearer to the kingdom of heaven. God
grant that with each beatitude we may have advanced higher
on the ladder to heaven.
In these beatitudes especially may we find blessedness.
When the world shall close its doors to us, may we see the
doors of heaven ajar, as did Stephen when he was dying.
When the dust of the world is vanishing, when the phantoms
of this life are all dissolved, when every earthly treasure falls
into the deep abyss of death, may this sentence appear before
the breaking eyes of the faithful and just: "Theirs is the
kingdom of heaven!" Then also before the tearful eyes of
those who are left behind, who stand sorrowing at the grave,
shall appear the great, the positive, the joyful and most blessed
word of Jesus : "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven !" Amen.

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