Martin Luther on Psalms 126:5

Verse. 5. They that sowe in teares shall reape in joy.

Emongst other thinges which properly pertaine to the redemed, this also is one, that they are subiect to many temptations, according to the saying of Sainct Peter: By many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of heauen. Therefore the profession of a Christian man is rightly called the profession of the crosse. So it behoued Christ the head of his Church, to suffer. And the Prophets through ye inspiration of the holy Ghost, did testifie before of his passion and his glorification which should follow. And how can it be but that Christians must needes suffer, since thou shalt finde no kind of life in the world which is without the crosse, except thou wilt be vniust. But if thou vnfaynedly seeke to liue iustly and godly in this world, it can not be auoyded but that Satan wil lay a crosse vpon thee and vexe thee. How much more then will he so doe when thou must fight with him touching righteousnes and life euerlasting? For if Satan can not abide ciuill and externall iustice, home will he abide eternall righteousnes whereby he knoweth that he shall perish for euer? Thus Satan continually persecuteth and vexeth the children of God. Wherefore of all men their life is most miserable, whether you looke to the thinges which they suffer in the flesh, or in the conscience. In ciuil affaires and thinges parteyning to this life, there appeareth some shadow at the least, of ioy and pleasure: but they that will be true Christians, feele them selues miserably wrapped in sinne which maketh the conscience giltie before God. Moreouer in the sight of ye world they are counted as wormes, outcastes, and cursed people, subiect to the malice of Satan and the whole world, & therefore the world rageth against them with all kind of crueltie. Who so then wil see the true image of a Christian, let him behold Iob, compassed on e [illegible: 1 letter]ery side and oppressed with deuills, greeuously afflicted and tormented, full of fowle and lothsome sores. What shall we then doe? These thinges must we suffer if we desire to atteyne eternall life. If we will confesse and acknowledge our redemer Iesus Christ and our redemption, let vs be assured that there shall alwayes be ready which will seeke to spoyle vs of our righteousnes and eternall life.

Let vs therefore, as Sirach teacheth, prepare our soules to tentation, and let vs offer our backe to the plowers, &c. as ye Psalme sayth. For who so euer counteth him selfe a Christian, must thinke him selfe no better then his maister Christ. For we must be made [illegible: 2 letters]ke to the image of the sonne of God. If we will be partakers of his glory, we must be also partakers of his sufferings If Christ bare a crowne of thorne vpon his head, let not vs thinke that we shall haue a garland of roses set vppon our head. For our partes we seeke peace and quietnes, neither doe we giue vnto the world iust occasion to rage against vs. Albeit Satans malice is not so pacified, but rather encreased.

Behold nowe therefore the miserable image of a Christian, which is redeemed notwithstanding: he is full of sinne, full of discomfort, and ful of death. He is like vnto Lazarus lying before the rich mans gate. He is like to Iob oppressed with infinite miseries and calamities. Here thou wilt say: Who would then desire to be a Christian?1. Pet. 4. Harken therefore what Peter sayth: Brethren, thinke it not straunge as concerning the fiery tryall which is amonge you to proue you, as though some straunge thing were come vnto you: but reioyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christes sufferinges, that when his glory shall appeare, ye may be glad and reioyce. For this is the image of Christ, of his Church, and of al the brethren, that we should suffer. But looke not to the sufferings and tribulations onely, but behold also the fruite that followeth, namely that they which sowe in teares shall reape in ioy. Wh[illegible: 2 letters] can be sayde more comfortably to those that carry the crosse of Christ, which touching the spirite are vexed of deuills, touching the body afflicted of the world. For Satan oppugneth our faith▪ causeth vs to murmure against God: or else so oppresseth our hartes with heauines and sorrow that we knowe not what we doe, or whether to turne vs: and yet is it true that we are sanctified [illegible: 1 word] redemed. Notwithstanding this redemption is hidden: but th[illegible: 1 letter] temptation is felt both in the spirite and in the flesh. Besides [illegible: 1 word] this, the world ceaseth not to vexe vs, the aduersaries of the wo[illegible: 2 letters] slaunder vs and our doctrine, and falsely accuse vs, seeking a thousand occasions to molest vs, yea to roote vs vtterly from the fact of the earth.

When a man once feeleth these thinges, his heart trembleth, and cryeth: Haue mercy vpon vs O Lord, haue mercy vppon vs. All this is to sowe in teares, to goe foorth and weepe, and to cary seede: for so the holy Ghost calleth it. It can not be then but that a Christian must needes be such a sower as must reape not in laughter, but in bitter sorrow and teares. But thou wilt say: Where i[illegible: 1 letter] then the laughter which is preached to the redemed, whereof Dauid spake a litle before? In the spirite. For looke how much faith thou hast, so much laughter thou hast also. But sometimes this laughter is lost and turned into mourning: yet are we not forsaken. For the promise is sure, that we shall reape in ioy. Moreouer we must not vnderstand here by sowing, the office of teaching onely, as Paule vseth it: which sow vnto you spirituall thinges, &c. but it signifieth the life of the godly, with the whole course and all the actions thereof which they take in hand in respect of their vocation. For these are, as it were, seedes of the life to come, which life we enioy and possesse in hope. For our saluation is sure & certaine, and the victory ouer sinne, hell, and death is ours, but yet in hope. Notwithstanding so long as we are in this life, we remayne alwayes in teares and mourning, Iohn. 16. as Christ saith: The world shall reioyce but you shall sorrow, but your sorrow shall be turned into ioy. This must we looke for, and with this hope must we ouercome all sorrowes and vexations. For we are in the sight of God like vnto wild beastes, whom he suffereth continually to be vexed & coursed of the hunters, so that we neuer seeme to be in safety. For a Christian without afflictions is nothing. We see how he suffred Peter, Paule and all the faithfull to be persecuted of the hunters, that is, of the Sinagoge, the Emperours & Princes, to ye end that they might learne to be humble in them selues, & not to be proud.

Seing then that all they which will liue godly in Christ Iesu, must suffer persecution, we must hold fast this consolation, whereby we may, as it were, season these afflictions, namely that the holy Ghost doth here prophecie that we must sow in teares, but biddeth vs be of good comfort notwithstanding: for the more plentiful & bitter the teares be, the greater laughter & ioy shall follow: like as he setteth forth also a contrarie example. The world soweth in laughter, but afterwards it reapeth in euerlasting sorow, anguish & misery. But our tentations & afflictions do here endure but for a litle while. Let vs therfore patiently suffer in hope that in steede of this paynfull sowing for so small a time, we shall hereafter reape euerlasting ioy and blessednes. And this also bringeth great consolation, that albeit our whole life be full of sorrow, bitter afflictions, and a sowing altogither in teares, yet God will suffer no tentations alwaies to continue. But like as stormes and tempests haue their seasons, and afterwards commeth faire wether, as also after labour followeth rest and quietnes: euen so experience doth teach vs that when our heartes haue bene vexed and oppressed with cogitations of desperation, mistrust, impatiencie before God and the world, for a day, two, or three or else longer, God reyseth them vp againe with some spirituall comfort. For if tentations should last alwayes, who shoulde be able to endure them, yea we should fal away from God for euer. Therfore our afflictions are tempred with some consolatiōs, that we should know that God wil not suffer vs to be altogither swallowed vp with sorrow. He will correct vs, as the Psalme sayth, but wil not giue vs ouer vnto death. He suffereth vs to be cast downe, but he reacheth out his hand to reyse vs vp again. But contrariwise Satan & ye worlde doe not cease, with perpetual hatred & insaciable malice to rage against vs. Psal. 137. They say: downe with them, downe with them euen to the ground. But Gods anger is not such, who chasteneth and correcteth vs for our saluation.

Let vs learne therefore to know these things, and that we must suffer afflictions and sow in teares, lest when tentation commeth we be offended as though some new or straunge thing were hapned vnto vs, and so flie from God & fall to dispaire: And let vs hold fast this consolation, that our haruest is in heauen, euen life euerlasting, which we shall reape with ioy: and moreouer, that our tentatiōs are so tempred in this life yt we may be able to beare them, according to the saying of S. Paule: God is faithful, which wil not suffer vs to be tempted aboue that we are able to beare, but will giue an ishue or outscape euen with the tentation. Some times in deed it semeth vnpossible for vs to endure the tentation or affliction any longer, but Gods power is made perfect in our infirmitie.