Martin Luther on Psalms 126:6

Verse. 6. They goe (or going they goe) forth and weepe, carying precious seede: but they shall returne with ioy & bring their sheues with them.

Howe could the state of the Church or the passage wherein it walketh vnder the holy crosse be more liuely expressed. Whereby we may learne so to arme our mindes that we lose not that laughter which by faith we haue apprehended: but may encrease and waxe strong, and feele this laughter more and more in vs. For faith and the life of Christians is not hyprocrisie, as their whole life and religion is which are shut vp in cloisters, which seeke to come to perfection by certaine speculations of the spirituall vnion (as they call it): but altogither in vayne, as I haue proued by mine owne experience. For when I did moste earnestly by this meanes seeke to attaine to perfection, I could neuer feele any [illegible: 1 letter]ast thereof. Wherefore it is nothing but deceit and hypocrisie. But the Christian life is that which is here described, that is, to be exercised with tentations and afflictions vnder the crosse, and to apprehend the word. This is our true vnion with God, which consisteth in practise: In the which vnion we must dayly increase, because of the flesh, the worlde & the deuill, which do exercise vs with continuall tentations. For except in these daungers we haue recourse vnto the worde & prayer, we are gone. The crosse therefore is the meane wherewith God will haue vs, not swallowed vp and consumed, but exercised, that we may daily growe more and more towardes perfection.

Moreouer, concerning the text, it forceth litle whether ye take this verse as a repetition of that which goeth before, or whether ye deuide them, & referre this verse to the consolation of this present life, and the former verse to the consolation of the life to come. Notwithstanding it seemeth to me that the intent of the Prophet is here, properly to signifie that afflictions doe not come vnto the faithfull once onely and no more. For although consolations are now and then intermixed, yet one tentation followeth an other: so that all their life is in a maner nothing else but a continuaunce of tentations. So hath it alwayes bene that when one heresie was ouercome in the church, an other hath sprong vp: when one tyranne by the hand of God hath bene oppressed, there hath risen vp an other. So priuatly also Gods children doe feele that one tentation, one affliction or desperation being ouercome, an other followeth, and the end of one trouble is the beginning of an other. This continuance of the crosse he seemeth also to expresse by this repetition, when he saith: Going they goe foorth, For there is no ende of teares before we goe downe into the graue.

Where the Interpreters haue translated: Good or precious seede, let them that are learned in the Hebrew tongue, see to it: for the figure is to farre fette. He seemeth rather to signifie a prolonging or deferring of time, so that he expresseth a continuaunce of tentations, whereof I spake before. The sense and meaning then is, The seede which they carry is long deferred or prolonged: As if you should say: They liue a painefull, sorrowfull, and a tedious life. Day by day they are exercised with new troubles and afflictions, which follow them without ceasing. So that this seede thus prolonged and caried for a long season, is nothing else but tentations continuing and succeding one after an other, one still following vpon an other. But what is the ende of this continuance? Euen this, that they shall possesse eternall ioy and felicitie. As the author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes doth notably declare. No chastising (sayth he) for the present time seemeth to be ioyous, but greeuous (here you heare of teares): but afterward it bringeth the quiet frute of righteousnes vnto them which are thereby exercised (here you heare that they shall returne with ioy). Albeit then that this seede is prolonged and deferred, yet is it not so for euer: but the ioy that shall follow is euerlasting. Thus ye kingdom of Christ consisteth not in the power and riches of the world, but in eternall redemption, which we must attaine vnto through great afflictions and infinite crosses. Wherein notwithstanding we are supported by the word and prayer, vntill we come to the fulnes of our saluation in the kingdom of heauen.