Martin Luther on Psalms 132:9

Verse. 9. Let thy Priestes be clothed with righteousnes, and lee thy Sainctes reioyce.

This petition is the same which we vse in our preachings, when we desire that the Lorde would giue vnto vs godly & faythfull ministers of the worde, and suffer no euill teachers to haue place among vs. For God in his kingdome is like vnto an Emperour. Wherefore as the noble men and chiefe Magistrates are Ministers vnto the Emperour and are the principall part of his kingdom: so in the kingdom of Christ are the Angells of peace or the ministers of the Gospel. They therefore which pray for the kingdom of God must needes pray that the Lord would giue faithfull Pastours and Ministers, as he him selfe commaundeth saying: The haruest is great: Matth. 9. Pray the Lord of the haruest that he would send forth laborers into his haruest. The labour and trauell of these workmen is, to communicate doctrine, consolation, threatnings, &c. and to minister the Sacramentes. That these thinges may be rightly done, The righteousnes of the person is neuer without corruption. the labourers must needes be clothed with righteousnes, and not onely with that righteousnes which belongeth to euery man, and is not without corruption: but specially with that righteousnes which belongeth to the ministery and to the word, which is pure and without all corruption. This is that righteousnes whereby the kingdome of Christ is gouerned, that is to say, the word and the Sacraments.

Moreouer the Pastors and Ministers of the word are then clothed with righteousnes, The righteousnes of the ministery is vncorrupt. when they execute a righteous office: that is, when they teach the word sincerely, as Peter sayth: If any man speake, 1. Pet. 4. let him speake as the wordes of God. Also, when they minister the Sacraments purely and without corruption: so that whatsoeuer they doe or speake, be either the word or the work of God. So he that baptiseth doth no worke of his owne: but he baptiseth in the power of God. Likewise he that comforteth the afflicted conscience, doth it not of him selfe, but by the direction of the worde and will of God. Wherefore he also that heareth this worde, must not take it as the worde of a man, but as a voy[illegible: 1 letter]s sounding from heauen. So the ministery is righteous which is truely executed in the power of God: and this is true righteousnes.

Contrariwise, they which teach men to trust to their owne merites, works and worthines, and prescribe a certaine forme of apparell, of eating, of fasting and such like (wherein all the righteousnes of the Papistes and the Turkes doth consist): such Priests (I say) are clothed with iniquitie. The Ministers of the Pope are clothed with iniquitie. For they haue lost the chiefe ornament and the true apparell of their ministery, because they doe not teach rightly nor gouerne truely, but seduce men rather with a false shew of their gouernment & ministery, and that by the malice & motion of Satan, which hateth this heauenly ministery and peruerteth the ministers.

The fruites of the ministery. The summe and effect therefore of this prayer is, that they which attend vpon the Arke of strength may gouern righteously: that religion may continue and flourish: that the word may be effectuall and bring forth frute: that terrified and afflicted consciences may be raysed vp and comforted: that secure, profane and presumptuous persons may be beaten downe with threatnings and the terrour of Gods wrath: that the weake may be strengthened: that the simple and ignorant may be instructed: Which thinges by the grace of Christe are diligently and faithfully done in our Church.

God requireth not a heauy, but a cherefull hart. And let thy Sainctes reioyce. Here we see that God is not delited with the heauines, vnquietnes and vexation of conscience, which sinne and the feare which naturally followeth sinne, is wont to bring: but with a chereful hart. Seeing therefore that there be two kingdoms, namely the kingdome of death and the kingdome of life, or the kingdom of hell and of heauen, he desireth here that the faithfull may be kept in the kingdom of life, & enioy the peace and comfort of conscience, which the righteous ministery of the Pastors and Preachers of the word bringeth. With this prayer agreeth that prayer of the Apostles wherewith they begin their Epistles: Grace be with you, Grace. and peace from God the father, &c. Grace is the remission of sinnes. After this grace followeth peace or a good conscience, Peace. which here he calleth a reioycing. Let thy Sainctes reioyce (saith he): that is, let thy people, togither with the Pastors and Ministers, hearing the word of the righteous ministery, be ioyfull & triumph in that word. He calleth them Sainctes or holy because of the vse of the word and the ministery which are holy. Sainctes. So the Iewes are called holy, because (as before I haue said) there were emonges that people which had the arke and the word of God, which were holy thinges in deede, and did sanctifie and make men holy. So our Church is called holy, The Church is holy. not onely for the holines of the persons, but rather for ye holines which the word and Sacraments doe bring vnto those whiche vse them rightly. To those he wisheth ioy and gladnes, and that they may reioyce and be mery in the Lord.

The meaning then of this clause is this, that Christ Iesus our King hath giuen vnto vs his word, hath commaunded vs to be baptised, to vse the Sacrament of his body and blood, not be cause he would destroy vs, The kingdō of Christ is a kingdom of peace and ioy. oppresse vs with sorrow, and driue vs to desperation: but to this ende, that we should reioyce and be merry, hauing peace and a good conscience by his free grace and mercye. The kingdom of Christ therefore is the kingdom of ioy and delyuerance (as an other Psalme saith) in the tabernacles of the righteous: Psal. 117.15. that is, in the Church and among the faithful it is the voice of reioycing: For they knowe that Christ their King would that they should haue comfort, life and victory against death and Satan. This is then the reioycing & triumph of Christians, or (as here he calleth them) of the Saincts. Why then should a Christian be heauy or sorowfull, since that he is called into the kingdome of Christ and of grace, baptised and nourished with the body and blood of Christ, and dayly raysed vp by the word, against desperation and all terrours? If I then doe yet remaine in bitternes and heauines of spirite, the fault is not in this kingdome, nor in the word or Sacraments, but in me and in the deuill, because I doe not with a true faith lay hold vpon the word and thorowly beleeue it. For why should I feare, if I did verely beleue that I am baptised, called, made pertaker of the body and blood of Christ, and so receiued into the kingdom of life, Phil. 3.12. comprehended of grace (as Paul speaketh) and shut vnder the mercie of God? These are nothing else therefore but the subtill sleightes and deceits of Satan, which will not suffer vs to see our inestimable riches and glory, but counterfetteth tentations and crosses where no crosse is, but health and victorye.

Wherefore it was well said of that Christian virgine, who being tempted of Satan, answered that she was a Christian, and so rested wholy in that man Christ. How poore afflicted consciences must be comforted against Satan and all terrours. For we may not reason muche with Satan. If he obiect vnto thee thy sinnes, it shal suffice if thou obiect vnto him againe thy baptisme, which he can not deny: Also if thou lay against him the word, whereby thou wast called into ye kingdom of grace: which, for as much as it is the word of God, how can it deceiue thee? Thus in a Christian heauines can take no place, if in his hart he doe acknowledge baptisme, the word, the communion of the body and blood of Christ, the grace, the fauour, and the mercie of God. How can he then but reioyce and be glad? But because we often times suffer the worde and these giftes of God to be taken from vs, and turne our eyes an other way, it can not be, but that heauines and terror must needes follow. And this commeth to passe by the faulte, partely of our selues (as I haue saide) and partly of Satan, who leadeth vs from the word before we be ware, and maketh vs to thinke of our owne worthynes or vnworthynes, of our good or euill desertes: also of the terror of death, of the torments of hell, &c. When we thinke of these things, if we lay not hold vppon Christ, we perish and are swallowed vp with anguish and sorrowe: for this is to lose the Arke of the couenant. They therefore which in these daungers take holde agayne of the word, are safe, and are now able to say with Dauid: VVhy art thou cast downe, Psal. 42.6. O my soule, and why arte thou vnquiet within me? For I am nowe in the kingdome of Christe, that is, in the kingdome of peace, of ioy and eternall reioycing, sauing that it is hindred by the deuill and by our owne flesh, which is more ready to beholde her owne sinnes and vnworthynes, then baptisme, the word and the sweete promises of God. And this is the wisedome, yea the poyson which is hidde in our flesh, that we are more moued with our owne vncleannes, then with the purenes of the word and the Sacramentes. They then whiche rest in the word, are in a sure hauen of safegarde from all these tempests and terrours. We must pray therefore that God would giue vs good Pastors, faithful, wise and godly disposers of the word of God. For by their meanes and ministery the Churche doeth enioy this inestimable benefite and blessing, whereby it triumpheth ouer death, sinne and the deuill. For it knoweth that it is nowe in the kingdome of grace. This is true and perfect peace, namely the peace of the hart and conscience. Thus the Prophet desireth (as an inestimable gifte) that the pastors and Ministers of the word may be clothed with righteousnes, and then that the people also may reioyce. This is the firste parte of this Psalme. Now followeth the seconde parte.