Part 5 (2/2)

Now G.o.d p.r.o.nounces the sentence, that they who rest thereon, without works, come to be justified through faith alone; but these do not attain thereto, for they would be justified by their own righteousness, as St. Paul says, Rom. x.

Therefore this has become the stone, says St. Peter, which the builders rejected. And here he dovetails the Scriptures into one another, but explains the pa.s.sage which he quoted above from the cxvii. Psalm, ”The stone which the builders rejected, has become the corner stone.” Who the builders are, I have sufficiently shown: even those who taught, preached the law, and would justify men by works; who agree with Christians, as summer and winter with each other; therefore those preachers who preach of works, reject this stone.

Besides this, he quotes another pa.s.sage still, from the prophet Isaiah, chap. viii. The prophet has there described that which was to take place, as St. Peter here does, and speaks thus: ”The Lord shall be your fear, who shall be to you for holiness; but for a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence shall He be, to both houses of Israel.” This is the sense of the prophet: The Lord shall be to you for holiness,--that is, He shall be hallowed in your hearts; ye are to have no other sanctification, neither this nor that, except as ye believe. To the others, He shall be a stone whereon they shall stumble and be offended.

But what, now, is this offence and perplexity, or stumbling? This is it: when we preach Christ, and say, See why this stone is laid for a foundation, that you, wholly desponding and despairing in yourself, might hold your works and your own righteousness as a merely condemned thing, and might place your confidence upon Him alone, and believe, that Christ's righteousness may become your righteousness; when those men hear this, they revolt at it, stumble and vex themselves, and say, ”How? do you mean to say that virginity, and ma.s.ses, and the like good works, amount to nothing? It is the devil that bids you say that!” For they cannot understand, in this matter, that their claims are not good; they think they have done well in the sight of G.o.d; quote pa.s.sages to prove it from the Scriptures, and say, G.o.d has commanded that we should perform good works. If we dispute this, they begin and cry out, ”Heretic! Heretic!” ”Fire!

Fire!” So that they cannot endure this stone, and they stumble against it. So inconsistent are they one with another, that upon this stone they must stumble; as Christ says, Matt. xxi., ”Have ye not read in Scripture,--the stone which the builders rejected is become the corner stone? (and it follows) and whosoever shall fall upon this stone shall be dashed in pieces, and on whom it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.” Therefore, do as ye will, ye cannot dishonor the stone; it is laid, and it will continue to lie. Whoever, then, will run upon it and dash himself thereon, must necessarily be broken.

That is the stumbling and the vexation whereof Scripture has much to say. Thus the Jews stumble to this day against this stone,--and this will not cease until the last day shall come; then shall this stone fall upon all the unbelieving and grind them to powder. Wherefore, although Christ is such an elect, precious stone, He must yet be called a stone of offence and stumbling, by no fault of His. And just as the Jews did, we continue to do at the present day; for as they gloried in the name of G.o.d, that they were G.o.d's people, so it is the case now, that men, under the name of Christ and the christian church, deny Christ, and reject the precious stone. He has come that they might reject their works; but this is a thing they cannot suffer, and they reject Him. Therefore it follows:

_Who stumble at the word and believe not thereon, whereunto they were appointed._ If they are told that their works are not good and are of no avail before G.o.d, they cannot and will not hear it. Now G.o.d has laid down Christ as a foundation, whereon they should have been placed, and through Him have obtained complete salvation; and He has caused Him to be preached throughout the whole world, that they, through the proclamation of the Gospel, might be grounded on Him. Yet would they not receive Him, but rejected Him, and remain in their own nature and works; for if they suffered themselves to rest upon Him, then would their own honor, riches, and power fall, insomuch that they would never rise again.--St. Peter says further:

V. 9. _But ye are the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, the holy nation, the peculiar people._ There he gives Christians a true t.i.tle, and has quoted this pa.s.sage from Moses, Deut. vii., where he says to the Jews, ”Ye are a holy people to the Lord your G.o.d, and the Lord your G.o.d has chosen you as his peculiar people out of all the nations that are on the earth.” So, Ex. xix., he says: ”Ye shall be my possession before all peoples, and shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy people.” There you see where Peter's words are from. As I have said before, so I say again, that it should be understood how Scripture is wont to speak of priests. Let no one be troubled as to those whom the people _call_ priests; let every one call them as he pleases, but abide thou by the pure word of G.o.d, and what _this_ calls priests do thou call priests also. We could well endure it that those should call themselves priests whom the bishops and the Pope consecrate, and let them call themselves as they will, only see to it that they do not call themselves priests of G.o.d, for they cannot quote a word from Scripture in proof of it.

But should they claim that in this pa.s.sage he speaks of them, answer them as I have instructed you above, and ask them to whom St. Peter is here speaking,--so shall they of necessity be made ashamed; for it is certainly clear and plain enough that he speaks to the whole congregation, to all Christians, in that he says, ye are the chosen generation and the holy people, since he has. .h.i.therto spoken of none but of those who are built upon this stone and believe. Therefore it must follow, that whoever does not believe is no priest. If they say, then, ”Ah! we must explain the pa.s.sage just as the holy fathers have interpreted it;” then do you say, Let the fathers and teachers, whoever they may be, explain as they will, yet St. Peter, who has received greater testimony from G.o.d than they, besides being more ancient, tells me so and so, therefore I will hold with him. The pa.s.sage, moreover, needs no gloss, for he speaks in express words of those that believe. Now those are not the only believers who are anointed and wear the tonsure; therefore we will readily grant them that they call themselves by this name, for the question is not what they permit themselves to do; but the dispute is here,--whether they are styled priests in Scripture, and whether G.o.d calls them by this name. There may be some selected out of the Church, who are its officers and ministers, and appointed to this end, that they should preach in the Church and administer the sacraments; but we are all priests before G.o.d if we are Christians. For since we are built upon this stone, which is our high priest before G.o.d, we must also possess all that He has.

Therefore I would be glad to find this word priests becoming as common as it is for us to be called Christians. For it is all the same,--priest, baptized, Christian. As little as I would suffer that those who are anointed and shorn should call Christians un-baptized, so little would I endure that they only should be regarded as priests. Yet have they arrogated it entirely to themselves. So too they have named _that_ the church which the Pope and his cardinals rule over, but Scripture refutes this. Therefore mark this well, that you may know how to establish the distinction as to how G.o.d names us priests, and how men call themselves such.

For we must yet again state that this word _priest_ should become as common as the word Christian. For to be a priest belongs not to an office that is external, it is only such a service as has to do with G.o.d's presence.

So we conclude that we are all kings. Priests and kings are all spiritual names, as Christians, saints, the Church. And just as you are not called a Christian because you have much gold or wealth, but because you are built upon this stone and believe on Christ, so you are not called a priest because you wear a tonsure or long robe, but for this reason, that you come into G.o.d's presence. Likewise you are not a king because you wear a gold crown, and have many lands and people subject to you, but because you are lord over all things, death, sin, and h.e.l.l. For you are as really a king as Christ is a king, if you believe on Him. Still He is not a king as the kings of this world are, wears no crown of gold, rides forth with no great splendor and large equipage. But He is a king over all kings,--one who has authority over all things, and at whose feet all must lie. As He is a lord, so also am I a lord; for what He possesses that have I also.

But perhaps some one may object. St. Peter says here, also, that Christians are kings, while we have it before our eyes that they are not all kings, so that this pa.s.sage is not to be understood as though He spoke of all in the Church. For whoever may be a Christian, he certainly is not a king in France or a priest at Rome. But when I ask whether the King of France is also a king in the sight of G.o.d, this he pa.s.ses over, for G.o.d will not judge by the crown. On earth, indeed, and before the world, he is indeed a king, but when death comes then his kingdom is gone, for then he must lie at the feet of those that believe. We are speaking of an eternal kingdom and priesthood, inasmuch as every one who believes is in truth a king before G.o.d; but who does not know that we are not all shorn and anointed priests? But because those men have been anointed, they are not therefore priests in the sight of G.o.d, just as they are not kings before G.o.d because they have been crowned. Crowned kings and anointed priests are of the world, and are made by men; the Pope may make as many such priests as he chooses, but far be it that he should make one a priest before G.o.d, for these G.o.d himself will make.

Therefore, when St. Peter says here, ”ye are the royal priesthood,”

it is as much as though he had said, ”ye are Christians.” Would you now know what sort of a t.i.tle, and authority, and glory, Christians have: you learn it here, that they are kings and priests, and a chosen people.--But what this priest's office is, follows after:

_That ye should show forth the praises[2] of Him that hath called you out of darkness into His wonderful light._ This belongs to the office of a priest, that he be a messenger of G.o.d, and receive from G.o.d himself the command to preach His word. The praises, (says St.

Peter,) that is, the wonderful work that G.o.d has performed in you, in that he brought you out of darkness into light, you are to proclaim,--which is the office of the High Priest. And this is the way in which your preaching is to be discharged, that one brother proclaim to another the powerful work of G.o.d: how ye have been ransomed from sin, death, h.e.l.l, and all evil, by Him, and have been called to eternal life. Thus shall you also instruct others how they may come also to the same light. For your whole duty is discharged in this, that you confess what G.o.d has done for you; and then let this be your chief aim, that you may make this known openly, and call every one to the light, whereto ye have been called. Where you see people who are ignorant, you are to direct and teach them as you have learned, namely, how a man may be saved through the virtue and power of G.o.d, and pa.s.s from darkness to light.

[Footnote 2: In the German, _tugend_ or virtue.]

And here you observe that St. Peter plainly says, that there is only one single light, and concludes that all our reason, however sharp-sighted it is, is mere darkness; for although reason may count one, two, three, and also discern what is black or white, great or small, and judge outwardly of other matters, still it cannot understand what faith is. Herein it is stark blind, and if all men should put their shrewdness together, they could not understand a letter of this divine wisdom. Therefore St. Peter speaks here of another light, that is truly wonderful; and tells us earnestly, all alike, that we are all in darkness and blindness if G.o.d hath not called us to his true light.

Experience teaches us this, also. For when it is preached that we cannot come before G.o.d by our works, but must have a mediator, who may come into G.o.d's presence and may reconcile us to him, reason must confess that she never could have known such a thing; so that if she would understand it she must have another light and knowledge.

Therefore all that is not of G.o.d's word and faith is darkness. For here reason gropes like a blind man,--is ever changing from this to that, and knows not what it does. But if we speak in this manner to the worldly, learned, or wise, they begin to cry out and bl.u.s.ter against it. Therefore St. Peter is a bold Apostle indeed, in that he dares make that darkness that all the world calls light.

So we see that the first and most eminent office which we as Christians are to discharge is, that we should make known the praise of G.o.d. What then are the praiseworthy things and the n.o.ble deeds which G.o.d has put forth? They are, as we have often said, that Christ, through the power of G.o.d, has wounded death, chained h.e.l.l, subdued sin and brought us to eternal life: these are praises so great that by no man are they possibly to be conceived; we can only be silent. Therefore it is of no avail that to us Christians human doctrines should be preached, but we should be taught of such a power as subdues the devil, sin and death. And here St. Peter has once more brought together many proof-texts, and it is throughout common with him thus to heap pa.s.sage on pa.s.sage, for all the prophets speak of this, that G.o.d's name and honor, and his arm or power should be honored and extolled, and that he would perform such a work that the whole world would sing and speak of it. Of this are the prophets in all places full. On this same St. Peter here expatiates. Besides, they have spoken much of light and darkness, that we must be enlightened with G.o.d's light, thereby showing that all human reason is darkness.--St. Peter says, further:

V. 10. _Ye who once were not a people, but are now a people of G.o.d, to whom G.o.d did not show mercy, but to whom he is now merciful._ This pa.s.sage is found written in the prophet Hosea, chap. ii., and St.

Paul has also quoted it in Rom. ix.: ”I will make those to be called my people, who were not my people.” The import of all is this: Almighty G.o.d chose his people Israel as a peculiar people, and manifested his great power in their behalf, and gave them many prophets, and performed many wonderful works toward them, that He from that people might permit Christ to become man; and for the children's sake has it all taken place. Therefore they are called in Scripture the people of G.o.d. But the prophets have extended this further, and said that this election should be more comprehensive, and should even include the Gentiles. Therefore St. Peter says here, ye are now the people of G.o.d, who once were not the people of G.o.d.

Hence it is evident that he wrote the epistle to the Gentiles and not to the Jews. Thereby he shows that the pa.s.sage out of the prophet has been now fulfilled--that they are now a holy people--they have the property, priesthood, kingdom, and all which Christ has, if they believe.--It follows further, in Peter:

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