Martin Luther on Psalms 128:2

Verse. 2. Thou shalt eate the labour of thy hands, thou shalt be blessed, and it shall be well with thee.

This must they learne also which are married, that they must labour. For the law of nature requireth, that the husband should sustaine and nourish his wife and his children. For after that man and wife doe know that they ought to feare God their creator, who not onely made them, but gaue his blessing also vnto his creature, this secondly must they know, that some thing they muste doe that they consume not their dayes in ease and idlenes. Hesiodus the Poet giueth this counsel, that first thou shouldest get thee a house, then a wife, and also an oxe to till thy ground. First he would haue thee to prouide an habitation where thou mayest dwell with thy wife and children: then a wife, but yet so that thou be not without an oxe also to plowe the ground: that is, thou must haue some thing wherewith thou mayest maynteyne and succour thee and thyne. For albeit that our diligence, care and trauell is not able to mainteyne our family, yet God vseth the same as a meane by the which he will blesse vs. So neither to the husband man the sowing of his seede, nor to the preacher his trauell in preaching the word is sufficient to mainteyne his liuing: yet God by these or rather with these, giueth vnto them wherewith they may liue.

Wherefore the Prophet would haue all married folkes to liue in the sweate of their faces, and to be exercised with labour, that they may tame the flesh and mortifie the lustes thereof. For they that liue in idlenes, walke in the wayes, not of the Lord, but of the deuill. For neither are they, neyther liue they in the ordinance of God: for God hath ordeyned labour. And here behold the wisedom of the holy Ghost. Labour is one of the discommodities of matrimony. But howe wel here doth the holy Ghost hide this discommoditie, when first he sheweth that labour is commaunded of God, and afterwardes promiseth that although it seeme to be neuer so hard and so greeuous a thing, yet by it God will blesse vs. This is in deed to mingle wormewood with suger: like as also Iesus Sirach adorneth labour with this commendation, that he sayth, it was ordeyned of God, and he hath also a pleasure therein. Great neede haue we of this admonition because of our corrupt nature. For most true it is that the nature of all men, as the Poet sayth, is prone and ready to fall from labour to filthy lust and fleshly libertie.

This holy hymne therfore teacheth the husband wt his spouse, that in their matrimony they should feare God and put their trust in him, and not in their riches, their wisedom and policie. Moreouer he forewarneth them what discommoditie they should finde in matrimony, namely that they must worke and liue with the labor of their owne handes. Nowe, where there is a lust remayning in the flesh which ioyneth man and wife togither, yet is not this the principall knot. For such occasions and such troubles may follow whereby this knotte may soone be loosed. But these are the true knots of matrimony, to know that euen this labour of thy handes and care for thy family are an acceptable sacrifice vnto God: that the wife, when she giueth the breast vnto her infant: the husband when he laboureth vntill he sweate, and tyereth his body with labour to succour him and his, doth such seruice vnto God, as farre passeth all the seruice, and all the worshippings of the Pope and his religious rout. For marke I pray you what the Prophet sayth: Thou shalt be blessed and it shall be well with thee.

This consolation therefore is very necessary against this offence, and this peruerse iudgement of the world, to the ende that they which are married may know, that God hath ordeyned this kind of life, and that in it they should labour and sweate, and beare the malediction of originall sinne, which malediction began in paradise, and is layed vppon vs all: and moreouer, that they should know, that the holy Ghost pronounceth them blessed which are diligent in their calling, and labour cheerefully. These things are suche, as are able to encourage the godly to beare willingly all troubles and miseries what so euer. For what canst thou desire more? First thou hearest that God will so blesse thy labours that thereby he will giue thee a liuing and all things necessary for this life. Moreouer, thou hearest that he hath a pleasure in thy labour and approneth the same, yea and accounteth it for a most acceptable sacrifice. For it is not labour alone, but a worke of obedience and of thy vocation. These thinges the wicked know not, & therefore either they seeke ease and rest, or else if they must needes labour, they are very impatient: For they doe not see with the eyes of the spirite, but iudge all togither according to the eyes of the flesh: which eyes can see nothing but troubles and miseries. But the spirite reyseth vp and comforteth the godly with this comfort, that God will both blesse them by the meanes of their labour (for if he giue any thing to those which are idle and slothfull, he giueth it but to their destruction) and that this sweate & this trauell pleaseth God highly. Here are two great commodities for one discommoditie, which the flesh seeth onely, and no more.

But here we must note that this is not called labour only when the body is exercised and weeried, but the care and trouble of the mind is also a labour. For the Prophet vseth here such a word as signifieth not onely that labour which is done with the hande, but also the discommodities, the sorrowes and vexations wich in our labour and with our labour we doe susteyne. Such troubles in families and housholdes doe chaunce very often. Many tymes it commeth to passe that when the husband doth his duetie carefully and diligently, his wife is vnquiet and ful of strife, his children fal sicke, his seruaunts are not onely negligent, but also deceitful and vnfaithful. These thinges we call not labours, but sorowes and vexations: and yet notwithstanding the Prophet comprehendeth both vnder the name of labour. So that whether we seeme to bee afflicted either in doing or in suffering, that is, either in bodily labour or vexation of the mind, all this shoulde we patiently endure, & think that God hath not giuen vs this life that we should spende it in ease, in idlenes and vaine pleasures. For this cause he sayth to the woman: I will multiply thy sorrowes whiles thou art with child, and in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children. For great are the sorrowes and the troubles of a woman euen before her trauell also. And in her trauell how neare death is she? Likewise he saith vnto the man: Cursed is the earth for thy sake. In sorrowe shalt thou eate of it all the dayes of thy life. Here thou seest that this labour and this sorrowe is appoynted to endure, not for a day, or a yeare, but for all the time of thy life. Here will some man say: If it be so, it is better to be vnmarried & to liue in whoredom. Proue, and see whether thou canst bring thy selfe out of these troubles. Nay, in so doing thou shalt more miserably entangle thy self therein, and heape more horrible calamities vppon thine owne heade. For by this meanes thou shalt procure vnto thy selfe the wrath of God and an euill conscience, and thyne owne hart shall condemne both thee and thy deuilish life. For whilest thou followest the pleasures of the flesh, thou shalt fall into the bitternes of the spirit, and what that is, thou shalt feele when the time commeth. For one droppe, as you would say, of an euil conscience swalloweth vp a whole sea of worldly ioyes and pleasures. How wilt thou then do when through thy wicked life thou shalt be compelled to suffer the torment and vexation of conscience not for one day, but for many yeares? On the other side, where as a merry and a quiet conscience is, being wel perswaded of the fauour and blessing of God, there is also euerlasting ioy, which doth so swallowe vppe those droppes of worldly sorrowes and troubles, as the heate of the Sunne consumeth morning dewe.

Is it not then a greate madnes so to feare and to shunne those small droppes & litle sparkes of labour, when thou seest that God hath seasoned and sweetned them with moste sweete and pleasaunt sugar, in that he saith here to all those that laboure and suffer the discommodities and troubles of matrimony: Thou art blessed & it shall be wel with thee: That is, where as thou art placed in this kind of life, wheras thou labourest and art many wayes troubled, tempted and afflicted, and sufferest nowe this trouble nowe that, this doth not onely please me, but to thee also it is very profitable, that by this meanes the flesh may be mortified and originall sinne suppressed, and thou in matrimony (as in a schole) maist learne this heauenly wisedome, namely, to abyde and endure the will of God patiently, and mayest haue thereby a thousand occasions to declare the patience and loue, which out of matrimony and in the single life thou could neuer haue. They that so liue in matrimony, when they are moste miserable, are, euen then most happy and blessed. Contrariwise they that doe not so liue, are moste miserable. For they suffer the labours & troubles which this life can not be without in such sort that they ioyne sorowe to sorowe & one calamitie to an other. Hereof riseth strife and variance betwene the husband and the wife. Hereof it commeth that the one so abhorreth the other, that they will not goe, talke, eate or drink togither. This is a deuilish life. Wherefore this exhortation must be diligently learned and exercised, that through patience we may endure and ouercome all labours, sorowes, and vexations, beeing contented with this benefite, that we knowe this kinde of life to be acceptable vnto the Lord, and that in it and by it he will blesse vs. Thus with a merry and a cherefull conscience we shall ouercome all troubles and tentations whatsoeuer.