Martin Luther on Psalms 132:16

Verse. 16. And will cloth her Priestes with saluation, and her Sainctes shall showt for ioy.

This promise is farre more excellent then that whereof we haue now spoken. Temporall incommodities of the Church are recompensed with spirituall benefites & blessinges. For here God promiseth that he will so gouern the Pastors and Ministers, that they shal be pure & holy through the word and haue a good conscience. If we would compare these thinges with that small defecte of corporall thinges, we should beare it much more cherefully and patiently. When I was a Monke, I liued in most miserable darkenes and infinite snares of conscience: where through the multitude of mens traditions, sinne brought forth sinne. I was bound against nature to that impure and incestuous single life. Here, if a man should haue asked me what I would giue to redeeme the quietnes and peace of conscience, and those inestimable graces and glory which we enioy at this day by the word and the spirite of God: I would humbly haue cast downe my self prostrate vpon the ground & giuen my life gladly for this onely quietnes and libertie of conscience in Christ.

But now, when we are clothed in deede with saluation through great and assured promises of the forgiuenes of sinnes and eternal life, we forget these spirituall riches, and we complaine that we are not made Kinges and Princes in this corporall life. We doe not preferre our eternall and spirituall glory before these transitory and corruptible things. And what a foule ingratitude is it, so to be offended with this externall pouertie, and not to ioy and reioyce rather in these inestimable treasures of the spirite? Who woulde not rather hauing these giftes of the spirite, begge his bread from dore to dore, then enioy the riches and treasures of all the Prelates and the whole kingdom of the Pope? Whome we see in this wealth of the world, because they are enemyes to the worde, to be most desperate and damnable: For they are without remission of sinnes, hope of eternall life, the knowledge of Christ, and all the heauenly benefits and blessings, which we by the word doe so plentifully enioy. Wherefore if we be neuer so poore, afflicted, vexed, full of anguish and heauynes, contemptible and abominable in the sight of the world, yet let vs comfort our selues with this, that we haue the treasures of the kingdome of heauen, that by faith in the worde wee shall haue the victorie ouer sinne, death and hell, and that we are wholy clothed with saluation. How many were oppressed with desperation before this happy age wherein we liue? But if they had had this knowledge of grace and these consolations which we now haue by the worde, woulde they not, thinke ye, haue sustained the losse of all the riches in the world and all worldly felicitie? For when a man feeleth the wrath of God and desperation, then infinite riches and treasures are nothing esteemed. What doth knowledge, learning, wisedome, what doe possessions, kingdoms and dominions then auaile? All these thinges who would not gladly forsake and cast away, that onely he might haue his conscience quieted and at peace with God?

Wherefore Paule very aptly calleth the knowledge of grace, an absolute or a full perfection, because all good thinges are conteyned in this knowledge. A singular consolation against pouertie and contempt. For if we liue here by begging our bread, is not this well recompensed in that we are nourished with the food of Angells, eternall life, and Christ him selfe? Who so fauoreth not these thinges, let him seeke for a Cardinalls hatte with the ministers and souldiers of Satan. Let him seeke the wealth, the riches and glorie of this world. As for me, I seeke other riches, which I esteeme aboue all worldly wealth and treasures. Thirtie yeares agoe, if I had had the true knowledge and vnderstanding but of one Psalme, I should haue thought my selfe to be a God: for then all thinges were full of grosse ignorance, horrible abominations and all kindes of idolatrie. But now, when the Lord hath opened vnto vs, as it were a flood of heauenly wisedom and knowledge, we are vnthankfull and become so worldly, so fine and so delicate, that we will lacke nothing that the worlde hath. God & mammon can not dwel togither. But Esay sayth, The bedde is strait, and there is no place for both. Albeit the thinges we doe not condemne: for they are the giftes of God, and therefore let those which haue them, being lawfully gotten and in the feare of God, Esay. 49.20. vse them with thankesgiuing and without offence: and let those, to whom they are not giuen, beare their want and necessitie with christian patience and without grudging: Philip. 4. As Paule sayth, that he is able through Christ to doe or to beare all thinges, to abound and to lacke, to be full and to be hungry, to be praysed and to be dispraysed, &c. and that because we haue a kingdom in heauen, and we looke for a Sauiour, who hath begunne to giue vnto vs these thinges by the word and Sacraments: And if he leaue vnto vs no more but the ministery of the word sincere and sound, we care not much for all other thinges.

This is therefore a singular promise and consolation, that the Church and the word shall endure to the ende of the world, not by the counsell or wisedom of man, but by God him selfe clothing his ministers with saluation. Albeit therefore that vnder Achas and other vngodly Kings all thinges were full of idolatrie, yet were there certeine Prophets by whom the word was preserued. And in the time of Christ the blindnes of that nation was incredible, and such as (I thinke) neuer was before. Notwithstanding there was Anna and Simeon which then acknowledged and preached Christ. This is in deede the great worke of God thus clothing with saluation, that is, with his mightie and victorious word, with his true and holy worshippe, his ministers, that out of the mouthes of men our saluation and our glory may be heard. This is a farre more excellent clothing then were those Aaronicall garmentes of Moises, that the Pastours and Preachers of the Gospell are furnished and adorned with the wordes of saluation and the doctrine of truth, whereby they may be able, not onely to instruct the people committed to their charge, but also to confu[illegible: 1 letter]e and confound the aduersaries. For to this ende serueth the garment and the clothing of saluation, that is to say, of victorie which is obteyned by the pure word and holy ministerie.

The second part of this promise is, that he will giue successe and fruite vnto the word: to witte, that so many as heare these Priestes, these Pastors and Preachers and beleeue the word, are sanctified and their harts are replenished with peace and ioy: they faithfully trust in God, whom they know to be well pleased with them, The peace of conscience is an inestimable gift of God. and of whom they beleue that they are beloued. This peace of the hart is our kingdom of heauen which we haue in this life. For it is an incomparable treasure: in comparison whereof all the kingdoms and riches in the world are but dyrt and dunge. So the Psalme ioyneth these two thinges togither, that by the Preachers and Ministers he wil giue his mightie and victorious word and faith vnto those that heare them, that so all may be saued, and with ioyfull hart may prayse and magnifie such a gracious and a mercifull God.

The spirituall blessing of ye Church must not be estemed according to the outward shewe and face thereof. He that beholdeth the outward shewe and face of the Church, will iudge these thinges to be false and farre otherwise. For these wordes are spirituall, and must not be vnderstand according to the flesh. For if a man follow the outward appearance, he will rather iudge the Pope and the ministers of Satan to be clothed with saluation. For they triumph in great securitie euen when they think and speake those thinges which are most contrary to Christ and the true Church. On the other side the Christians or the true Church are afflicted, vexed, tormented within and without of Satan and cruell persecutors. No man will thinke these thinges to be saluation or ioy, but miseries and perpetuall calamities. But turne thou thyne eyes away from the outwarde shewe and appearance, and beholde that Maiestie which speaketh to thee in the word and promiseth to be mercifull vnto thee. If therefore thou be in the fauour of God, if he hate thee not but loue thee, if he cherish and defend thee, I pray thee, what are all the calamities in the world? Are they not all, be they neuer so terrible and intolerable, swallowed vppe in that bottomles sea of the infinite and vnmeasurable mercies of God?