Part 44 (2/2)

Therefore, I pray you, give up this practice

[Sidenote: Both Kinds in the Sacrah I hold that it is necessary that the sacra to the institution of the Lord, nevertheless it eneral law We must occupy ourselves with the Word, practice it and preach it For the result we should look entirely to the Word, and let every one have his liberty in this matter Where that is not done, the sacrament becomes an external observance and a hypocrisy, which is just what the devil wants But when the Word is given free course and is not bound to any observance, it takes hold of one to-day and falls into his heart, to-morrow it touches another, and so on Thus quietly and soberly it will do its work, and no one will kno it all calad to knohen soun to receive the sacrament in both kinds You should have allowed it to reo at it pell- force every one to it Dear friends, you will not succeed in that way And if you desire to be regarded as better Christians than others, by this that you take the sacrament into your hands and receive it in both kinds, you are really poor Christians indeed! In this way even a sow could be a Christian, for she has a big enough snout to receive the sacras Dear friends, this dare be no ive it up If you will not heed me, no one need drive ret that I ever preached so s could be passed by, but this cannot be passed by; you have gone so far that ood Christians, for they take the sacrao to their brandy and drink until they are drunken” Thus are the weak and simple-minded men driven aould coiven to theiven to us

But if there is any one so stupid that he ht home to his house and there let him handle it to his heart's content But in public let hi him harm and the offence will be avoided which is caused to our brothers, sisters and neighbors, who are now so angry with us that they are ready to kill us I may say that none of the enerief upon h for to-day; we shall continue on the morrow

THE SIXTH SERMON FRIDAY AFTER INVOCAVIT

[Sidenote: The Reception of the Sacras we have come to the reception of the sacrament, which we have not yet finished To-day we shall see hoe must conduct ourselves here, and also who is worthy to receive the sacras there

It is very necessary here that your hearts and consciences be well instructed, so that you distinguish well between the outward reception and the inner and spiritual reception This is the bodily and outward reception, when a man receives with his mouth the body of Christ and His blood Any man can receive the sacrament in this way, for such reception may be without faith and love But that reception does not make a man a Christian, for if it did, even a mouse would be a Christian, or it can likewise eat the bread and drink out of the cup

It is such a si to do But the true, inner, spiritual reception is a very different thing, for it consists in the right use of the sacrament and of its fruits

I would say in the first place that such reception is the true inner one, and is a reception in faith We Christians have no other outward sign by which we uished from others than this sacrament and baptism; but aThere must be faith to make one well prepared or the reception and acceptable before God, otherwise it is all sham and a mere external shohich is not Christianity at all Christianity is a thing of faith, which is never bound to any external work

[Sidenote: The One Requisite: Faith]

But faith (which we all o to the sacrament worthily) is a firm trust, that Christ, the Son of God, stands in our place and has taken all our sins upon Faith His shoulders, that He is the eternal satisfaction for our sin and reconciles us with God the Father He who has this faith belongs to this sacrament, and neither devil nor hell nor sin can harm him Do you ask why? Because God is his protector and defender And when I have this faith, then I a for me; I can defy devil, death, hell and sin, and all the harreat, inestiiven us in Christ, which the words of man fail to describe Only faith can take hold of the heart, and not every one has such faith Therefore this sacrament must not be made a law, as the most holy father, the pope, has done with his fools' coo to the sacrao shall not be buried in consecrated ground[19] Is it not a foolish lahich the pope has set up? You ask why? Because we are not all alike; we do not all have equal faith; the faith of one is stronger than that of another It is therefore ireatest sins are committed at Easter solely on account of this unchristian command, which would drive everybody to the sacrament And if all robbery, usury, unchastity and all the other sins were cast upon one great heap, this sin would overtop it--even at the tireatest silliness And why? Because the pope can look into no one's heart to see whether he has faith or not

[Sidenote: The Result: assurance]

But if you believe that God is with you and stakes all His treasures and His blood for you, as if He said: Fall in behind Me without fear or delay, and then let come what may to attempt thy harm, let devil, death, sin and hell and all creation try it, I shall go before thee, for I will be thy captain and thy shi+eld, trust Me and rely upon Me completely--he who believes thus cannot be harhts for him, what can you do to him?

[Sidenote: Who are Worthy]

He who has such faith is fit for the altar and receives the sacran to assure hirace But such faith we do not all have; would to God one-tenth of the Christians had it! See, such rich, irace showers upon us, cannot be the possession of every one, but only of those who suffer either bodily or spiritual adversity: the bodily through the persecution of man, and the spiritual by despair of conscience; outwardly or inwardly, when the devil causes your heart to be weak, tied, so that you know not how you stand with God, and when he reproaches you with your sins And in such terrified and tre hearts alone God desires to dwell, as the prophet Isaiah says [Isa 66:2] For he who has not felt the battle within him, is not distressed by his sins nor has a daily quarrel with them, and wishes no protector, defender and shi+eld to stand before hiering and longingsoul, one that is in constant battle with its sins and eager to be rid of them He who is not thus prepared should abstain for a while from this sacrament, for this food is not for a sated and full heart, and if it comes to such, it is harmful Therefore, if we think upon, and feel within us, such distress of conscience and the fear of a timid heart, we shall come with all humbleness and reverence, and not rush to it pell-mell, with insolence and without fear and hurace, and am fit for it, but not to-morrow, yea, it may be that or six months I have no desire nor fitness or it

Therefore are they the most worthy who are constantly vexed by death and the devil, and they receive it then them in the faith that no harm can come unto them, for He is noith them, from Whom no one can take them away; let come death or devil or sin, they cannot do them harm

This is what Christ did, when He prepared to institute the blessed sacra to their hearts when He said that He would go away froain they were tormented when He said: One of you shall betray me [Matt 26:21] Think you not that that cut them to the heart? Truly, they received the ith all fear, and sat there as though they were all traitors to God And after He had made them all tremble with fear and sorrow, then only did He institute the blessed sacraain For this bread is a co for the sick, a life for the dying, a food for all the hungry, and a rich treasure for all the poor and needy[20]

Let this be enough at this ti the proper use of this sacrament I commend you to God

THE SEVENTH SERMON SAturdAY BEFORE REMINISCERE

Yesterday we heard of the use of the holy and blessed sacrament and saho are worthy to receive it, even those in who consciences and who live in fear of hell All such co of their weak faith and the coht use of this sacrament, and whoever does not find hi until God also takes hold of hih His Word

[Sidenote: Fruit of the Sacrament: Love]