Martin Luther on Psalms 132:1

The .132. Psalme. Lorde remember Dauid, &c.

This Psalme, The argument of the Psalme. whether it be Salomons (as it seemeth) or whether it be Dauids, it is a prayer for the kingdom & the Priesthood: for these two are the most principall giftes of God in this worlde: Wherefore they haue neede of prayer and the helpe of God, to defend them against the deuill, whose double title ye knowe, which Christ giueth vnto him in the Gospel of Iohn when he calleth him a lyer and a murtherer. For he resteth not, but busily laboureth & seeketh by all meanes possible, to replenish the world with lyes & murthers. Against these two policies and kingdoms of the deuill, God hath erected two other kingdoms, the politike state, and the priesthood, the one to fight against murther, and the other against false doctrine and heresies. So Dauid and all other Kinges and Princes in gouerning the common wealth, The end of the politike gouernment. ought to endeuor, that their subiectes may liue a peaceable and a quiet life, that mariages, the education of children, & other dueties perteining to howshold gouernment, may be mainteyned and defended against seditious, and wicked persons. The priesthoode is to this ende, The ende of ye priesthood. that children growing vp, may be brought to the kingdom of heauen: and the ministers of the Church are as Angells appoynted to defend the truth, that the kingdom of Satan the father of lyes, may be destroyed. These be the proper offices of the ministers of the Church and of the worde, which ministers haue bene alwayes in the world among the faithful, and haue kept continuall battaile against heretikes and the ministers of Satan. So the Patriarkes before the flood, fought against the Canaites or ofspring of Cain: after the flood against the Esauites, and others. The Prophets fought against the false prophetes, as their writinges doe testifie, [illegible: 1 page] [illegible: 1 page] and the Apostles likewise against the false apostles: for Satan ceaseth not: And besides this, the kingdom of Satan was alwaies the greater. For if ye cōsider the church, there were euer moe godles and infidels, then faythfull. So in the ciuill gouernment the greater part consisteth of those which are disobedient, which raise vp troubles, seditions and warres.

Wherfore, since the kingdom of Satan (if ye consider the number) is the greater: and moreouer, since both the politike state and the priesthood are such as farre exceede the power of man, & therfore can not be defended & mainteyned by our strength or policie: hereby we may see how necessary this prayer is, whereby Dauid desireth that they may prosper and continue. And here first of all marke the difference betwene Dauid and other Princes of the world. What ye Gentiles thought as touching the gouernment of Empires & kingdoms. Other Princes and rulers doe also vnderstand and see that common weales can not be preserued by mans power. Wherfore they sayd that he which should well & happily gouerne, had neede to be endued with some diuine and godly power. And albeit they were ignorant that these thinges are gouerned by God, yet they preferred fortune (for so they called the blessing of God, the cause whereof they did not know) before wisedom, power, iustice and all princely vertues. For where as iust men, for the most part be oppressed, and the vniust doe rule and reigne, therefore they thought that iustice is not the meane whereby kingdomes and common weales are preserued. For then Cicero should not haue bene oppressed, nor Antonius aduaunced to such power and authoritie. If by power kingdoms could be preserued, then should not Themistocles haue ouercome Xerxes. Likewise many notable Emperours lacked no wisedom nor industrie, and yet were they miserable notwithstanding. These examples and this experience caused the Gentiles to thinke that there was a certeyne diuine power in great Monarches and Emperours, to rule & gouerne their earthly power, wisedom and iustice, whereby they did so prosper vppon the earth, and this they called fortune.

Dauid knoweth that kingdoms are preserued by God alone. But here behold and consider Dauid. He also seeth that it is not in his power to preserue and vphold his kingdom, and yet doth he not thinke, that it is fortune which supporteth & vpholdeth kingdoms: for he beleueth that this perteyneth to God alone. Besides this, he beleueth (as ye shall heare) that God for his mercies sake will not reiect those that call vpon him. But the Gentiles knewe neither of these thinges. Moreouer, the same necessitie which moueth the Prince or the Magistrate to pray for the common welth, moueth him also to pray for the Priesthood and for the Church of God. So we see that this Psalme is a prayer for the people of the olde Testament, that God would preserue the kingdome and Priesthood, euen for his promises made vnto Dauid. It is likewise profitable for vs, and is of vs to be applied vnto our selues also, for that we in like maner haue our Dauid and our Euphrata, in the whiche we haue founde the Tabernacle or habitation of our God. The signification of the words here vsed, as of Dauid, Euphrata, the temple, the priesthood, are chaunged, but the thinges remaine. For the selfe same thinges doe remaine, and there is no more but the signification of the wordes to be chaunged. Now, like as they were in daunger as touching both the kingdom and the priesthood: so is our daunger great also in them both. Wherfore we may well sing with Dauid: Remember, &c.

Here I purpose simply to follow the sence and meaning of the letter, declaring howe this Psalme was vsed and applyed of that people. Afterwards it shall be easie for vs to apply the same to our owne time & age. Now, like as that was a double kingdome, that is to say, corporall and spirituall: so is the Psalme also diuided into two partes: For first it prayeth for the Church, and then for the politike state or the common wealth.

Verse. 1. Lord remember Dauid, with all his afflictions.

The history of the Kings doth declare, that Dauid being persecuted of Saul, suffered many and great afflictions. But why did Saul thus persecute Dauid? Because he was anoynted of Samuel to be king, whiles Saul was yet liuing. For hereof came the deadly persecutions, The Papists doe dreame that Salomō and the people did pray vnto God, yt he would heare them for Dauids sake, or at the intercession of Dauid, & thereby would stablish inuocation of Sainctes and praying to the deade. the hatred, sclaunders, reproches & all kindes of calamities which Dauid suffered. Now, whereas these troubles & afflictions of Dauid were mentioned in prayer and in the presence of God, either by his sonne Solomon or by the people, it was not done, as the Papistes thinke, to the ende that Dauid should pray for them: but they spake of Dauid in respect of the promises, & put God, as it were in remembrance of those promises by speaking of Dauid: as Paule also speaketh of Abraham. Wherfore the name of Dauid is not here to be taken absolutely, as though they spake of his person onely: for (as I said) they spake of him as hauing the promises, and clothed, as it were with the promises of God: so that here we must rather vnderstande the forme then the matter. The promise I call the forme, to teach & set forth the thing more plainly: and the matter I call Dauid him selfe, to whome the promises were made.

The name of Dauid includeth the promises, and therefore also it includeth mercie. This is then the sense and meaning of these wordes: O Lorde God, we pray vnto thee for the kingdom, not counting our selues worthy or by any meanes to haue deserued that we shoulde be heard: but (as Daniel saith): We present our supplications before thee, trusting in thy great and tender mercies, & in that which thou hast promised to Dauid: to witte, that our kingdom shall endure for euer. Thus he beginneth his prayer with a remembrance of Gods promises euen at the first entrance. This is a singular example for vs, that when we pray, we should appeare in the presence of God as miserable & wretched sinners, not trusting vpon our owne merite or worthines, but clothed, as ye would say, with his mercies and promises: not as he that bragged: I fast twise in a weeke: Luke. 18.12. but as he which said, Remember Lorde thy promises: For the promises of God are nothing else but mercies and compassions freely offered vnto vs in Christ.

Thus we see, that he speaketh not here of afflictions absolutely, but in respect of an other thing: for he vnderstandeth the afflictions which Dauid suffered for the promises: in the which afflictions he helde fast the promises and suffered them not to be wrested from him. The same promises did God likewise performe vnto Dauid. How he maketh mention of Dauids afflictions. Like as therefore (saith he) O lord, thou diddest preserue Dauid suffering all calamities and afflictions for thy words sake and trusting in thy word, so with like mercie preserue and saue vs trusting in thy promises, and performe that thou hast begunne in vs. For all thinges must be preferred to the promises: like as Moses also doth, which saith: Remember Abraham, Isaac, &c. For he doth not call vpon Abraham and Isaac, Places of the olde Testament which the Papists alleage for the inuocation of Saincts as the vnlearned Papistes dreame, but he alleageth the promises made vnto them as touching their seede and posteritie. Nowe, how could God be put in minde of these promises better, then by reciting those persons to whom God had made the promises? These promises the faithfull doe set against their sinnes and against their vnworthynes.

The idolatry of the Papistes. These thinges must be diligently taught, that we fall not into the absurd and foolish opinions of the Papistes, whose schoole diuinitie knoweth nothing of the promises of God: but whereas the promises are the chiefest part of the Scripture, they are vtterly ignorant thereof. The other part of the Scripture, which is the law, they so maime and mangle, that scarsely they set forth the one halfe thereof. And hereof it commeth that they expound such sentences as this is, so corruptly and peruersly, as if the Psalme should speake after this maner: Remember Dauid, how good and howe holy a man he was, and for his merites, for his holines stablish vnto vs the kingdom. But this sentence is plaine idolatrie: for it looketh to the actiue or working person only: As the Iewes thinke to obteyne their Messias by their owne merites. So the religion of the Iewes, the Turkes and the Papistes is all one: for they all trust to their owne workes and worthines. But we reiect the working person when we come into the presence of God, and looke vnto that person which is altogither passiue & clothed with the promises, that is to say, such a Dauid as bringeth and distributeth vnto vs, not his owne merites, but the promises giuen of God, and by Dauid firmely reteyned in all afflictions. Such a Dauid the Papistes doe not know: and because they know but onely the actiue & the working Dauid, therefore they make of him nothing else but a plaine idol. They know not that he is holy, as the whole Church is holy: not because it hath good workes and merites, but because it hath the promise of grace, which is the true bosome and wombe wherein the Church is caried, and all the faithfull.