(Preface: I prepared this especially for the marriage of my oldest son, Tim, and his bride, Christine. They were married August 5, 2000. This is a copy of my original notes. You will find some things that do not apparently apply directly to marriage, unless you remember that we are married to Christ via sound doctrine. These passages are all taken from the first six volumes of Luther's Genesis. There are many more references from his other volumes, which I will assemble someday.)

Christine, the wife was created "like unto the man which should be about the man." The woman was so created that she should everywhere and always be about her husband. Thus the life of married people is an inseparable relationship. You live together as one flesh. If Adam had persisted in the state of innocence, this intimate relationship of husband and wife would have been most delightful. The very work of procreation also would have been most sacred and would have been held in esteem. There would not have been that shame stemming from sin which there is now, when parents are compelled to hide in darkness to do this. No less respectability would have attached to cohabitation than there is to sleeping, eating, or drinking with one's wife.

Today you find many people who do not want to have children. This is a callousness and inhuman attitude, which is worse than barbarous. Surely such men deserve that their memory be blotted out from the land of the living. But these facts serve to emphasize original sin. Otherwise we would marvel at procreation as the greatest work of God, and as a most outstanding gift we would honor it with the praises it deserves. If it was not for the responsibility of bearing and raising children, most would probably gladly marry and their would be less hostility against the female sex. However, it is a great favor that God has preserved woman for us—against our will and wish, as it were—both for procreation and also as a medicine against the sin of fornication. In Paradise woman would have been a help for a duty only. But now she is also, and for the greater part at that, an antidote and a medicine; we can hardly speak of her without a feeling of shame, and surely we cannot make use of her without shame. The reason is sin. If you try to avoid and distinguish this feeling of shame, you are dispensing with a wonderful reminder of our sinfulness.

The wife is called a household building because she bears and brings up the offspring. There are not only men who think it is clever to find fault with the opposite sex and to have nothing to do with marriage but also men who, after they have married, desert their wives and refuse to support their children. Through their baseness and wickedness these people lay waste God's building, and they are really abominable monsters of nature. Let us, therefore, obey the Word of God and recognize our wives as a building of God. Not only is the house built through them by procreation and other services that are necessary in a household; but the husband's themselves are built through them, because wives are, as it were, a nest and a dwelling place where husbands can go to spend their time and dwell with joy.

This one will be called Woman, because she has been taken from the man. Eve is a "she-man", a heroic woman who performs manly acts. The wife shines by reason of her husband's rays. Whatever the husband has, this the wife has and possesses in its entirety. Their partnership involves not only their means but children, food, bed, and dwelling; their purposes, too, are the same. The result is that the husband differs from the wife in no other respect than in sex; otherwise the woman is altogether a man. Whatever the man has in the home and is, this the woman has and is; she differs only in sex and in something that Paul mentions I Tim. 2:13, namely, that she is a woman by origin, because the woman came from the man and not the man from the woman.

The more you minimize sin, the more will grace decline in value. It pleased the Lord that Adam should be tempted and should test his powers. So it still is today. When we have been baptized and brought into the kingdom of Christ, God does not want us to be idle; He wants us to use His Word and gifts. For this reason He allows us weak beings to be sifted by Satan.

The source of all sin truly is unbelief and doubt and abandonment of the Word. Thus the Baptists and papists are all idolaters—not because they worship stones and pieces of wood, but because they give up the Word and worship their own thoughts.

The fact that Adam and Eve walked about naked was their greatest adornment before God and all the creatures. Now, after sin, we not only shun the glance of men when we are naked; but we are also bashful in our own presence, just as Moses states about Adam and Eve. This shame is a witness that our heart has lost the trust of God which they who were naked had before sin. Therefore even if Adam had been blind, he still would have been afraid to show himself naked to the eyes of God and of men, because through his disobedience his confidence in God was lost.

Most of us who are married live in adultery and sing the familiar little verse about their wives: "I can live neither with you nor without you." This awful disgrace has its source in the most honorable and most excellent part of our body. Most excellent I call it because of the work of procreation, which is a most excellent one inasmuch as it preserves the species. And so through sin the most useful members have become the most shameful.

To me it is often a source of great pleasure and wonderment to see that the entire female body was created for the purpose of nurturing children. How prettily even little girls carry babies on their bosom! As for the mothers themselves, how deftly they move whenever the whimpering baby either has to be quieted or is to be placed into its cradle! Get a man to do the same things, and you will say that a camel is dancing, so clumsily will he do the simplest tasks around the baby!

Christine, you are cursed through Eve. This means that conception and birth will be difficult; getting along with Tim will be difficult; rearing your children will be fraught with worry and disquieting. If Eve had not sinned she would also have been a partner in the rule which is now entirely the concern of males. Women are generally disinclined to put up with this burden, and they naturally seek to gain what they have lost through sin. If they are unable to do more, they at least indicate their impatience by grumbling. However, they cannot perform the functions of men, teach, rule, etc. In procreation and feeding and nurturing their offspring they are masters. In this way Eve is punished; but, as I said in the beginning, it is a gladsome punishment if you consider the hope of eternal life and the honor of motherhood which have been left her.

Tim, you are punished through Adam by having the duty of supporting your family, ruling, directing and instructing; and these things cannot be done without extraordinary trouble and very great effort. Many have wondered about the source of this perverseness in nature, that human beings can more easily rule wild beasts than other human beings.

Marriage should be treated with honor; from it we all originate, because it is a nursery not only for the state but also for the church and the kingdom of Christ until the end of the world. The heathen and other godless men do not understand this glory of marriage. They merely compile the weaknesses which exist both in the life of married people and in the female sex.

He knew his wife. This denotes not only abstract knowledge but, so to speak, feeling and experience. When David said, "For I know my sin," he was saying that "I feel and experience it."

We can state with certainty that where the Eucharist, Baptism, and the Word are, there are Christ, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. Contrawise, where these signs of grace are not present, or where they are despised by men, there is not only no grace, but execrable errors follow, and men set up for themselves other forms of worship and signs. Therefore this gift is something inexpressible: that God not only deigns to speak to men through the Word but adds to the Word visible signs of grace, such as Baptism, the Eucharist, and absolution are in the New Testament. Those who despise these, or treat them with contempt, are worthy of purchasing, adoring, and praising the pope's excrement as balsam. It is not the worth of the work itself that is of value in the sacrifice; it is the mercy and power of the divine promise, because God prescribes this form of worship and promises that it will be pleasing to Him. Therefore what Baptism and the Lord's Supper are for us, sacrifice and offering was for Adam after the promise.

God want to crush the arrogance and pride which has been implanted, as it were, into man's heart by sin. But we are so constituted that we can endure nothing less readily than this crushing of our pride.

God does not have regard for either the size or the quantity or even for the value of the work, but simply for the faith of the individual. Nor does faith, as a work, make just; but it makes just because it apprehends the mercy and promise which is offered in Christ.

Volume 2

The Flood came, not because the Cainite race had become corrupt, but because the race of the righteous who had believed God, obeyed His Word, and observed true worship had fallen into idolatry, disobedience of parents, sensual pleasures, and the practice of oppression…Therefore let no one glory in his gifts, however great they may be; the greatest gift is to be a member of the true church. These are the initial stages that always precede destruction. When God raises up holy men full of the Holy Spirit, to instruct and reprove the world, the world, intolerant of sound doctrine, indulges in sins with greater zeal and continues in them even more persistently. This was what happened at the beginning of the world, and we see that the same thing is happening now at the end of the world.

Noah did all that God commanded him. The particular praise of Noah's faith is that he stays on the royal road; he adds nothing, changes nothing, and takes nothing away from God's directive but abides completely by the command he hears. The most common and at the same time the most pernicious plague in the church is this: either a change is made in what God has commanded, or something is superimposed upon what God has commanded. Because there is only one royal road on which we must stay, those people sin who deviate too much to the left by not carrying out or by neglecting what God has commanded. Those also sin who deviate too much to the right by doing more than God has commanded, as Saul did when he spared the Amalekites; indeed, they sin more flagrantly than those who deviate to the left. For in addition there is the pretense of godliness; the former, who deviate to the left, cannot excuse their error, while the latter even maintain that they have done something extraordinarily meritorious.

He who considers the One who gives the command will surely regard as most important even those things that seem most trivial. To govern a state, to be a spouse, to rear children—these things the papists regard as something unimportant. And yet experience shows that they are the most important attainments, which wisdom cannot achieve at all; and we see that at times even the most spiritual men have failed shamefully. Therefore we must diligently adhere to this rule: We should consider, not what is commanded, but who gives the command. He who does not do this will often taken offense at either the triviality or the senselessness.

Where there is a ministry, we should not wait for either an inward or an outward revelation. Otherwise all the orders of society would be confused. Let the clergyman teach in the church, let the civil officer govern the state, and let parents rule the home or the household. These human ministries were established by God. Therefore we must make use of them and not look for other revelations.

When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith? It is dreadful to live in such an evil and ungodly world. Since we have the light of the Word, this present time, by the grace of God, is still a golden age. The sacraments are properly administered in our churches, and godly clergymen disseminate the Word in its purity. Although the government is weak, wickedness is not yet beyond hope. Christ'' prophecy reveals that there will be very distressing times when the Day of the Lord is at hand, and there will be no sound teachers anywhere while the church is being suppressed by the ungodly. The situation requires fervent prayer and great concern, that a purer doctrine may be handed down to posterity. If at Noah'' time there had been more godly teachers, a larger number of righteous people might also have been expected.

When preaching has been done away with, faith, prayer, and the right use of the sacraments will not be able to exist.

When the flesh is out of danger, it regards faith as something altogether insignificant. Let us, then, remember that Noah sets before us an example of faith, perseverance, and patience, in order that those who have the divine promise may not only learn to believe it but may also realize that they need perseverance. But perseverance does not come without a great struggle. In the New Testament Christ calls on us to persevere then He says: "He who endures to the end will be saved."

Children are a gift of God and come solely through the blessing of God, just as Ps. 127:3 shows.

When the Holy Spirit begins to hate and to be angry, eternal death follows. God is unable to forget Ham's great disrespect toward his parents and does not permit it to go unpunished. God wants parents and magistrates treated with respect. Ham hears himself cursed; but because he does not feel the curse immediately, he smugly despises it and laughs at it. Similarly, the ancient world laughed at Noah when he made predictions about the Flood. If it had believed that such great punishments were impending, you do not think, do you, that it would have continued to be so smug and would not have improved its life and repented? Thus if Ham had considered true what he heard from his father, he would have sought refuge in mercy and would have begged for forgiveness of the crime of which he was guilty. But he does neither and leaves his father haughtily and goes to Babylon. What is the reason for this smugness. This no doubt, that divine prophecies are trustworthy only to faith; they are not perceptible to the senses or subject to tests, regardless of whether they are promises or threats. Therefore to the flesh the opposite always appears to be true.

This great smugness and pride is linked with contempt of God. The ungodly are puffed up by success and suppose they are sitting on God's lap; and in their great self-reliance they have the audacity to do anything they please.

Where Christ is not present, there the punishment of Babylon still prevails, the division of languages, which brings on a sure division of hearts and gives rise to confusion, not only in the administration of the home and government but also in religion and the church. Although Christ brought us some help through His Spirit, yet how small is the part that receives the Word and believes it! The remaining multitude is as divided in its opinions as it is in its languages and renders welcome service to Sata, the instigator of wars and of discord.

The nature of ungodliness is always the same: it derides God both while it is full of hope and while it is full of fear. We see that these two emotions are mixed in the ungodly, just as they are mixed in the godly, who have the true faith. But even though the godly fear more than they hope, yet their hope and faith ultimately prevail. In the ungodly, on the other hand, even though they also fear, insincerity and wickedness prevail, drive away fear, and make them smug. As a result, they lunge forward without regard for their own peril. But finally what they fear comes to pass, and hope fails them. While the sinner is engaged in sinning and is engrossed by it, he does not see God, does not speak of Him, and is not aware of Him, for the sinner assumes that God does not see and is not aware of what he is doing. While Adam is bringing the fruit to his mouth, he gives no heed to the Word. Therefore if you were to look into his conscience, you would observe that he is no more concerned about God and His Word than if God were something dead and nonexistent.

The examples of all times teach that the Word of truth and the true forms of worship are despised by the common people. Hence when new teachers arise, they present itching ears to them; and truly, as Moses says: "The drunkard seizes the thirsting." Perverse teachers are most ready to teach, and the common people are most eager to listen. In this manner the Word and the true forms of worship are lost. The Baptists proclaim the new doctrine that children should not be baptized, because they cannot have faith, since they are without reason and do not understand the Word. Such is the custom of the World: it despises the Word and admires what is new.

Sarah not only had wifely affection but was also aided by the Holy Spirit, who moved her womanly heart so that she also, disregarding everything else, followed God when He called, since she also desired to be saved and not be condemned with the idolaters. Peter, therefore, properly praises this obedience in I Peter 3:6 and wants wives to imitate this extraordinary virtue of Sarah. "You are," he says, "her children if you do right and let nothing terrify you." Hence the true praises of the holy patriarch are these: he permits himself to be reproved, acknowledges that he is an idolater and an ungodly man, and is terrified by the threatened wrath of God.

Abraham tends to worldly matters with his left hand, while he raises his right hand upward to the eternal homeland. Moreover, when some disturbance occurred either in the state or in the household, he was perturbed very little, if at all. No matter how he was treated in this inn, it was satisfactory to him; for he knew that eternal mansions had been prepared by the Son of God. Therefore the power of the Holy Spirit was great and extraordinary in Abraham, because he was able to apprehend with his heart these impossible, unbelievable, and incomprehensible things, as though they were real and already present.

Promise and faith belong together naturally and inseparable. For what is theuse of making any promise if there is no one to believe it? Satan also has his promises, and very fine ones at that. Therefore keen judgment is needed to distinguish properly between the promises of God and those of Satan, that is, between the true and the false. Satan's promise is pleasurable and is readily received; it makes men smug and neglectful of themselves and of God's judgment, just as we see the false brethren among us are of a very smug disposition and maintain that nothing matters less than to fear the wrath and judgment of God. But when God makes a promise of some kind, faith wrestles much and long; for reason, or flesh and blood, regards God's promise as altogether impossible. Therefore faith must wrestle with doubt and against reason. For faith is a vigorous and powerful thing; it is not idle speculation, nor does it float on the heart like a goose on the water. But just as water that has been heated, even though it remains water, is no longer cold but is hot and altogether different water, so faith, the work of the Holy Spirit, fashions a different mind and different attitudes, and makes an altogether new human being. But the masses prefer to concern themselves with the things that are present, which they can touch and feel, rather than with the Word. This, then, is the mark of true and divine promises, that they are in conflict with reason, and that reason does not want to accept them. Because those of the devil, on the other hand, are in agreement with human reason, they are accepted by reason readily and without hesitation. In short, the promises of Satan, even though they are lies, are welcome to the flesh because they give pleasure at the beginning. The divine and true promises immediately point out the cross, but after the cross they promise a blessing. Reason is offended by both: the invisible and far distant things it regards as worthless; but for the cross it has an aversion, and flees from it as from an incessant evil that never comes to an end. And this is why, though God gives abundant promises, only a few believe, namely those whose hearts the Spirit moves, so that, like Abraham, they disregard all dangers and cares, and simply cling to the voice of God when He calls them.

When parents give orders to their children, the tasks may seem insignificant and unimportant in their outward appearance; yet then the children obey, they are obeying not so much men as God. For God has commanded that parents should be obeyed. Thus when the government, by virtue of its office, calls citizens into military service in order to maintain peace and to ward off harm, obedience is shown to God. For the Lord tells us: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities." But someone may say: "Obedience is dangerous, for I may be killed!" My answer is: "Whether you kill or are killed it immaterial, for you are going as the Lord has told you. It is, therefore, a holy and godly deed even to kill an adversary, provided the government commands it." Therefore let the Word, or the call be our chief concern. For this alone produces true obedience and worship that is pleasing to God; and if we render this, we are able not only to defend ourselves with the witness of our conscience but also t look for help from God, whose voice we follow even in real danger.

Abraham had to move around much because his true worship of God was annoying to those around him. He was a hated stranger in his own land and would not take his own land by force; for this reason Abraham is a most extraordinary example of faith and one that would instruct us to rely firmly on the promise of God and insist on it. Someone may object that Abraham was the cause of many offenses, but this has nothing to do with Abraham. We too, teach the Word of God, and we teach it with particular faithfulness and care; yet many are thereby offended because of this. But how does that concern us? If there are offenses, they are taken, not given. Why, then, should we have conscience scruples as a result of this. Thus Abraham did what he could; and in order that the promise might remain unshaken, he was not disturbed even by the danger to his wife.

It is better to spend one's life among wild beasts than among suspicious human beings. Suspicion is the poison of friendships. Suspicion means to maintain that someday you will hate him whom you now love. But Scripture also commands us not to trust man. We must love both our friends and enemies; but we do not put our trust in a human being, for it can happen that he will fail us. Human nature considers the life of individual people; and on the basis of their conduct it considers some good, others evil. Moreover, it things that the good deserve love, but that the evil deserve hate. This is the judgment of reason; it cannot rise beyond this. In addition, it maintains that the good deserve not only love but also trust. Hence arises the reliance on human beings, which the Holy Scriptures completely condemn, because it is not only fraught with dangers but is even godless—fraught with dangers because it fails; godless because this reliance is due the Creator, not the creature.

This, then, is solid friendship and the most steadfast love. It has its source, not in our judgment but in the Holy Spirit, who urges our minds to follow the Word. Love is hopeful even about evil things. For it maintains that both can happen: those whom it considers pious can fall, and those who are evil can improve. Even when love sees something of which it must disapprove, it never ceases to hope. Therefore it is ready to forgive; and it does forgive, not seven times, but seventy times seven times. Thus we must utterly reject the judgment of the flesh which decides on the basis of behavior that some are evil and others are good; and we must adhere to this universal statement: "Every man is a liar," and "The Lord looks down from heave upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one." This is our nature, which we bring with us from our mother's womb and which we keep until the Holy Spirit improves it. Therefore one must trust no human being insofar as he is a human being, even though one finds his conduct beyond reproach. Yet there must be no hate; no matter how evil one considers him, one must not for this reason abandon him or despair of improvement.

Among the foremost praises of a wife is this, that her husband's heart trusts her, that is, that her husband loves her dearly, does not bear any ill will toward her, and is convinced that he is being loved and that his interests are being served by his wife. For this reason Augustine learnedly enumerates three benefits in marriage: trust, children, and its sacramental character. And truly, if there is no trust, hearts will never unite closely; nor will there ever be any true love between them. But this world has nothing more beautiful than this union of hearts between spouses. Thus God does not want suspicion and hatred to exist between spouses he wants the utmost love and good will, which cannot exist without mutual trust; and yet he wants a limit to this trust, because it can happen that it is mistaken. For she is a human being; and although she fears God and pays heed to His Word, nevertheless, because she has Satan, the enemy, lying in wait everywhere and because human nature as such is weak, she can fall and disappoint your hope somewhere. When you foresee this with your mind, you will be readier to forgive, and you will be less distressed if anything happens contrary to what you had hoped. Thus love will remain, and harmony will not be disturbed. For nothing has happened that was not anticipated, and love is readiest to forgive. This is indeed a rare gift; but you, because you are a Christian, should remember that this ought to be your attitude.

Disasters never occur among a people without also affecting the godly. These are being tested, but the others are being judged. This inequitable state of affairs often gives rise to resentment in the saints. But if you consider the situation rightly, you are enduring these hardships for your own great good; for if you had no affliction, you would become proud and would be condemned. Now when God ties want, scorn, sickness, a vexatious wife, and disobedient children to your neck like a heavy stone, you are not proud but take it patiently, and you do not look down upon those who are less gifted than you.

This wretched situation should grieve all Christians, that in the great light and glory of the Word the majority remains blind and loves the darkness more than the light. But this is the usual lot of the church: the more abundantly the Word is revealed, the greater is the ingratitude of the people; for they misuse it to their own glory and to cover their sins. Therefore God sends them strong delusions (2 Thess. 2:11), as is evident from the religious scene today, who, in place of the Word, follow their own opinions and false worship. The world wants to be deceived.

God places His own under the cross; and although He delays their deliverance, nevertheless in the end He gloriously snatches them out of their dangers and makes them victors, but only after they have first been greatly vexed and have been wearied to despair by sundry conflicts. To be aware of this divine procedure with which God rules us is profitable and necessary. Thus we learn to show patience in adversity, to trust in God's goodness, and to hope for salvation, but in prosperity to humble ourselves and give the glory to God. For it is His custom to do both: to bring down to hell and to bring back, to afflict and to comfort, to kill and to make alive. This is the game with it continual changes, that He plays with His saints. For there is no perfect joy in this life, as there will be in the life to come.

There is no doubt that the entire world would go to ruin in one moment if some holy men were not standing in the way of God's wrath and were placating God with their prayers. Whatever good the world has, it has solely thanks to the saints on earth and because of them. Hence when you see God's blessing, you would be doing the right thing if you encouraged yourself and reflected that there is still a church on earth and that the holy seed has not perished altogether, even though it is small in number, and that because of it God shows kindness to all the rest of the world. The ungodly do the opposite. They assume that they are the cause of the blessing, and they attribute everything to their own wisdom and righteousness. Therefore they smugly give themselves up to their pleasures; they revel and are arrogant, just like the Sodomites. Eventually they are punished, but the godly are preserved. But you see how the pious are always being trained by their own adversities, that they may be cleansed more and more and daily become pious. For the elect all things work together for good, even the rod and the cross. The flesh is mortified, faith is strengthened, and the gift of the Holy Spirit is increased. On the other hand, when the ungodly are burdened with a cross, they become worse. The perverseness of the human heart is surely great. In misfortunes and dangers there is nothing more fearful and nothing more dejected than an ungodly person. The world seems too narrow for him; and if he could, he would force his way through mountains of bronze. But when the storm subsides, all fear is shaken off, and he reverts to type. Hence the proverb is true, that long after journeys and extended illnesses men become worse. For those who are not truly mortified are humbled only outwardly. Let us, therefore, remember that God sends a scourge with the intention that after we have been humbled, we should repent and improve. But those who return to their vomit will, like the Sodomites, bring an even more serious evil upon themselves.

Volume 3

But other dangers, more serious and more troublesome, plague them, namely, those outstanding sins against the First Table: reliance on one's own strength, arrogance, and the presumption of righteousness and wisdom. Against these monsters the saints must constantly battle. I learned to recognize this disease soon enough, since I was warned by so many accounts of the Holy Scriptures. At the beginning of the Reformation, therefore, when God involved me in this faction (if I may call it that) against my will and by means of wonderful opportunities, I asked Him fervently to deliver me from this evil. He heard my prayer; for He kept me free from this temptation, although not so free that I did not feel it. He kept me occupied to such an extent with responsibilities, worries, perils, and hardships that all ambition was readily shut out of my mind. But vainglory and trust in one's own wisdom or righteousness is a sin of such a kind that it is not recognized as a sin. Instead, men thank God for it, as the Pharisee does in the Gospel; they rejoice in it as in an extraordinary gift of the Holy Spirit. Therefore it is an utterly incurable and devilish evil.

For the true saints, who are the true church, sigh and are saddened when they see how the ungodly so smugly appropriate to themselves the blessing and promises, just as we today are compelled to see and put up with the pretensions of the pope. Just as the ungodly seize upon God's promises with inordinate smugness, so the saints, on the other hand, humble themselves under the mighty hand of God and submit to God in fear and reverence.

Faith alone lays hold of the promise, believes God when He gives the promise, stretches out its hand when God offers something, and accepts what He offers. This is the characterized function of faith alone. Love, hope, and patience are concerned with other matters; they have other bounds, and they stay within these bounds. For they do not lay hold of the promise; they carry out the commands. They hear God commanding and giving orders, but they do not hear God giving a promise; this is what faith does. Thus faith brings with it a multitude of the most beautiful virtues and is never alone. But matters must not be confused on this account, and what is characteristic of faith alone should not be attributed to other virtues. Faith is the mother, so to speak, from whom that crop of virtues springs. If faith is not there first, you would look in vain for those virtues.

The punishments are delayed with the intention that God may grant time for repentance.

Through Adam's disobedience nature has become so stubborn and rebellious that it cannot bear any law.

In the household, quarrels and disputes arise between husband and wife. In the state the peace is disturbed in various ways. In the church sects are established. The result is that he who observes these things rather carefully almost begins to despair of a happy outcome. But these accounts teach and admonish us to be prepared to bear troubles and to overcome them with patience, and not to be among those who want to be husbands or rulers of the state without having any trials; for these are futile thoughts of people who know nothing about this life.

For by nature hearts shun the cross and strive with blind ambition for what is high.

When the heart has this awareness of the wrath of God, it should rouse itself through faith and not allow itself to be crushed.

Augustine defines a sacrament as a visible form of invisible grace. God established a sign of grace, in order that it may be recognized by sinners and sinners may be saved; but it commonly happens that those for whom the sign is set up despise it.. For we have need of marks and signs of this kind, in order that they may lead us to the knowledge of God, since human reason is unable to find God unless such signs instituted by God lead us by the hand, so to speak. When God reveals Himself in some sign, no matter what its nature, one must take hold of Him in it. But Satan continually strives to remove the true signs from our sight and to set up false signs.

The real chief points of godliness and of true religion are these: faith toward God, through which we receive remission of sins; invocation; thanksgiving; and confession; next, the works of our calling with reference to our neighbor, that you rule, prescribe, teach, comfort, exhort, make a living by working, etc.

I would not want God to speak to me from heaven or to appear to me; but this I would want—and my daily prayer are directed to this end—that I might have the proper respect and true appreciation for the gift of Baptism, that I have been baptized, and that I see and hear brothers who have the grace and gift of the Holy Spirit and are able to comfort and encourage with the Word, to admonish, warn, and teach. For what better and more profitable appearance of God do you want?

Thus they please God and are saved through faith in the Blessed Seed. Because of this fatal and baneful "why" those who do not conform to this example by receiving the Word in simple and childlike obedience and obeying it will, in accordance with the example of Adam, be plunged into disobedience and death.

It is characteristic of the Word of God that wherever it is heard, it provokes Satan to wrath.

God created them male and female, and He blessed them."

Let us give thanks to God that we, having been taught by the Word, know what are truly good works, namely, to obey your superiors, to honor our parents, to manage our domestics, and to render the ordinary services which the need of the brethren demands. For a husband let it be enough if he rules his house properly; for a wife let it be enough if she takes care of the children by feeding them, washing them, and putting them to sleep, if she is obedient to her husband and diligently takes care of the household affairs. But few concern themselves with this; they are arrogant, proud, quarrelsome, abusive, rebellious, and puffed up by their supposed wisdom. Therefore they want to be regarded as rulers, not as wives.

This life is profitable divided into three orders: life in the home; life in the state; and life in the church. To whatever order you belong—whether you are a husband, an officer of the state, or a teacher of the church—look about you, and see whether you have done full justice to your calling and there is no need of asking to be pardoned for negligence, dissatisfaction, or impatience. But if you have conducted your affairs in such a manner that there is no need of saying: "Forgive us our trespasses," then by all means go out into the desert, and occupy yourself with those showy and difficult works.

Our hears are inclined by nature to object to reproval. We all receive promises with joy and are not annoyed by them; but the preaching of the Law frightens men and almost drives them to fury. It is for this reason that the prophets were killed, not because they preached the blessings promised to Abraham but because they condemned evil ways and idolatry, and asked the people to return to sobriety and the fear of God. Similarly, the world does not hate us for the teaching of the Gospel and the benefits of Christ in pure form. All accept this and approve of it, unless they are manifestly ungodly. But the mischief results from our attachment of a comparison with the doctrine of our opponents, from our statement that the pope is the Antichrist, and from our disapproval of the teaching and the wicked deeds of the adherents of the pope. Thus Christ says: "The world hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil." But this wrath and displeasure of the world should not bother preachers at all. For in this passage you hear God's command that such awful judgments of God should be impressed especially on those whose hearts are still weak and inclined to sin.

Today you may encounter many who are offended by the necessary preaching of the Law and shun it, for they maintain that their consciences are burdened when they hear that sort of thing. But are they not fine Christians? They do not give up sinning; they are addicted to greed, to wrath, to lust, to pleasure, etc. When they hear these sins censured, they are offended and do not want their consciences burdened. Shall we for this reason let everyone do what he pleases and declare him blessed? It should be understood that adulterers or sinners are of two kinds: some who become aware of their adultery or sin to such an extent that they shudder with their whole heart and begin to repent earnestly, and not only feel sorry for what they have done but also sincerely desire and endeavor never again to commit anything like it. These are not smug n their sin; they are thoroughly frightened, and they dread God's wrath. If they take hold of the Word of the Gospel and trust in the mercy of God for Christ's sake, they are saved and have forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ. Even though the others, whether adulterers or sinners, are unable to excuse their sin, they nevertheless feel no sorrow about it. On the contrary, they are glad that they have achieved their desire. They look for opportunities to commit sins and smugly indulge in them. Because these people do not have the Holy Spirit, they cannot believe; and he who preaches to such people about faith deceives them. This sickness demands a different medicine, namely, that you say with Paul: "God will judge the adulterous." They will not see the kingdom of God." And "Without chastity n o one can please God. Hence they are defiled and under the wrath of God. Such sledges are needed to crush these rocks. Abraham does not indulge in sins, but long before this he was truly humbled in spirit. Therefore the Lord comforts him, for He takes pleasure in a smoking flax. Therefore He tends it carefully, in order that it may burst into flames.

If someone, such as Zwingli, is able to write four Greek words to explain one psalm, he is puffed up by his knowledge as if by yeast.

Where people live and teach in such a way and vices become customary, there, says Seneca sternly, there is no room for a cure.

The nearer the world is to destruction the smugger it is.

God has appointed three social classes to which he has given the command not to let sins go unpunished. The first is that of the parents, who should maintain strict discipline in their house when ruling the children. The second is the government, for the officers of the state bear the sword for the purpose of coercing the obstinate and remiss by means of their power of discipline. The third is that of the church, which governs by the Word. By this threefold authority God has protected the human race against the devil, the flesh, and the world, to the end that offenses may not increase but may be cut off. If some are remiss in their calling and either connive at offenses or do not punish them in earnest, they take the sin of others upon themselves. If a father does not censure the sin of his children, it becomes the father's own sin. Thus citizens should not disregard the sins of others among themselves, and in the church a brother should reprove a brother in accordance with Christ's command, lest he have a part in the sins of others. And in the state it is not rare to find examples which show that ruin and terrible disasters of the people have followed whenever the government has either supported or defended manifest sins. Then, of course, one must flee, unless one wants to become a partaker of the sin of others. Thus we are warned in Revelation to depart from Babylon and forsake her; that is, we should completely separate ourselves from the pope's church, unless we want to perish with it. Therefore we should with one accord oppose sins, lest the wrath of God come upon us and we all be consumed together. One should note that when sins are continually prevalent, the wrath of God must come. Therefore let those who hold an office not wink at any offense, however small. But if iniquity prevails, let them flee, lest they become partakers of the sins of others.

Give place to wrath, If the unbelievers want to perish, let them perish indeed.

You have not built up a wall for the house of Israel in the day of My wrath. Ez. 13:5

The world admires nothing except what is unusual. In short, the world wants to be amused with tricks but disregards and hates the truth.

Many difficulties are put in the way of those in authority. Therefore most of them neglect their duty and are afraid of incurring displeasure. But all fear should be put aside, and what the Word commands should be done in faith. Ps. 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you.

Those who yield to sin and to the flesh cannot have a good conscience, they must, if they are to be converted, first be frightened, and not slightly at that, but in such a way that they do not know where to turn, as we see in Peter and in David. Since they are conscious of their guilt, they do not excuse themselves; but when they acknowledge their sin, they are wretchedly perplexed and humbled. Yet they eventually lay hold of mercy and thus are reconciled through faith, which accepts the Mediator

The saints do not fall in order to perish; they fall in order that God may bestow rich blessings on them by heaping greater benefits on them, as is written: "We know that all things work together for good for the saints—even their very failings." How can this be? You say. Because when a godly person is aware of his fall, he becomes ashamed and is perturbed. Thus his fall leads first to humility and the also to fervent prayer. It is for this reason that Solomon says, "A righteous man falls seven times in a day and rises again." For they do not persist in their sins; they groan and grieve. Moreover, the evil which remains in our flesh is like a spur which urges us on, with the result that we are angry with ourselves, condemn ourselves, and cry out with Paul, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this sin?" Lord, take away and crucify our flesh! Thus faith grows by reason of our failings, the seeds of which remain in our flesh.

If you were to carry someone on your back as far as Rome and were to set him down roughly, all thanks would be lost. The world wants to feel no cross, no slight inconvenience, and no straw of evil, although it itself is full of beams and is vexatious and burdensome, especially for the church.

I took fright at all my deeds Job 23:15

Who discerns his faults? Cleanse me of my hidden faults Ps. 19:12

Husbands are generally lions in their homes and are harsh toward wives and domestics. Similarly, the wives generally domineer everywhere and regard their husbands as servants. But it is foolish for a husband to want to display his manly courage and heroic valor by ruling his wife. On the other hand, it is also unbearable if wives want to dominate. Therefore the wife does not seem what is truly good in her husband and the husband only sees in his wife what displeases him. Since there is no mutual tolerance between the, quarrels and countless outbursts of anger arise.

The female sex has this disposition of compassion to a greater extent than men. Because of this disposition women are called rehem. Indeed, God, too, calls Himself rehem, because He is the compassionate One who will not cast us aside when we are in misfortune but has mercy on us and cherishes us.

Volume 4

Marriage is a unity of body to body, mind to mind, and spirit to spirit. The vehicle for this union is the true doctrine of God, to whom we are primarily married and from whom we greatly tend to adulterate ourselves.

The indulging of self-chosen forms of worship always brings with them the pernicious pest of self-reliance, which must be crushed.

For where God hears prayers, there His sanctuary is, there the church is, and there the unutterable sighing of those who despair of themselves is.

Just as the Word is committed to us in the church, so in the household there should be no doubt that when you hear your parents giving some order, you are hearing God and are sure about God's will. On the other hand, if you deviate from the ministry and follow your own opinions, you will not only gain nothing, but will take hold of Satan as God, and will be uncertain about your thoughts, whether they are of God or of the devil.

What you undertake on the strength of His Word must succeed, even though there were to be no angel remaining in heaven.

The dignity of matrimony should impel us to give instruction concerning matrimony in a sober and godly manner. For marriage is not a trifling matter; but it is the most serious and most important matter in the whole world, because it is the source of human society and of the human race. Lie in its entirety has nothing that excels it in worth. Therefore one should discuss it with the utmost piety and on the basis of the weightiest arguments and reasons. For in other circumstances it has been dishonored enough by concupiscence of the flesh and by lust.

This girl is my wife, whom I have taken in marriage with God's own approving smile and with the assent of the angels.

Prov. 19:14 A prudent wife is from the Lord. Therefore the invocation for divine help should precede: "Lord God, Thou seest that I cannot remain unmarried without sin; counsel me, and give me a godly and virtuous wife." If this is done, God's blessing and all good fortune in marriage follow. God gives the husband the grace to have patience and to take the weakness of his wife in good part, and that she, in turn, may be able to adjust herself to her husband's ways. Where a man and a woman are joined by God and in accordance with God's definite will, there is a marriage; and spouses who know this very easily bear and overcome whatever adversities befall them. Thus it is the first and greatest blessing if you know that you have entered into marriage in accordance with God's will and that you have taken a wife because you were compelled by necessity, in order to avoid sin. Whatever God then bestows, to all those good things you should give their true name and say: "This son or daughter the Lord has given to me; this field, meadow, cow, and goat God has given to me, and it is a divine blessing."

The marriage bed is regarded as undefiled and marriage as honorable solely on account of the Seed that is to come. In women we seek that vile pleasure and nothing else than what we feel and what affects us carnally and agreeable and delights us. But this should be learned and painstakingly noted, that in the midst of death God sees life and in indecency sees honor.

Woman who bear children are holy if they continue in the faith: that is, if they believe in Christ and contend with the serpent, which means that they are chaste or withstand the wicked impulses of their flesh. Otherwise a woman, so far as physical procreation without faith and without the Seed is concerned, will be condemned.

But if faults, that is, idolatry and error, are held up as righteousness, what and of what sort are sins that are openly manifest? There the Word of Christ is fulfilled: "If, then, the light in you is darkness"; that is, if error and falsehood are your light, life, salvation, and perfect righteousness, "how great is the darkness!" Therefore I urge you to meditate on the doctrine of justification. Together with us, false brethren condemn the works of the pope; yet they oppose us, because they strive for new, unusual works and do so while we are still living and contending against them.

Marriage is the divinely instituted and lawful union of a man and a woman in the hope of offspring, or at least for the sake of avoiding fornication and sin, to the glory of God. Its ultimate purpose is to obey God and to be a remedy for sin; to call upon God; to live with one's wife in the fear of the Lord; and to bear one's cross. But if no children result, you should nevertheless live content with your wife and avoid promiscuity.

To be subject to domineering wives is not only irksome but also disgraceful; and they should not lord it over their husbands but over oxen, sheep, and asses.

Inexperienced young people do not see the annoyances and burdens of marriage beforehand. Nor do they consider that they have the devil as their enemy. He hates the begetting of children as well as the respect, the mutual love, and the harmony of spouses. Accordingly, a happy and joyous marriage is very rare; for people do not distinguish the work of God from original sin. But Holy Scripture honors marriage with true and most ample praises and shows how it is the source and origin of the household, the state, and the church, which derive their origin and growth from it so far as their substance is concerned. In the church one seeks the glory of God; in the state, peace; and in the household, the rearing of children. In addition, marriage comprises a huge number of good works and fruits.

Whatever household tasks a servant performs in the house, even if he sweeps the house, he should be sure that he is performing this service for God. But such is our foolishness that we think: "If I were able to serve the Lord God in heaven, then I would be willing to boast. These tasks are trivial and ordinary." It is then that our flesh betrays itself; it does not believe it to be true that a servant who obeys his master is serving God—likewise a son, a daughter, a maid, or a pupil who obeys his teacher. For if we believe this, then all our works would be done with pride, joy, and gratitude. But because we do not have the Holy Spirit and do not believe master, mistress, pastor, teacher, and the like are a divine ordinance, our obedience flags completely. Otherwise we would submit with joy.

For children kill their parents—not with sword; but through sadness of heart and sorrow they sap the strength of their parents, who are consumed by love and affection for their children, although they should be gladdened and refreshed by their children's obedience.

In marriage there are two evils which sin and the devil have inflicted. The one is sin and imperfection; the other is death. Those two evils have so marred and corrupted our entire nature that reason can see nothing in the female sex but weakness and annoyances. In addition, there are pains, sicknesses, and endless misfortunes, which are offensive to people and make important men even more hostile to this ordinance, as though these two evils adhered to women alone, when in fact we men have faults that are far more disgraceful: pride, avarice, and the like, because of which we create upheaval in governments and churches.

For even though the female sex is the weaker and carries around with it very many faults in the mind as well as in the body, nevertheless that one good thing, the womb and childbearing, covers and buries them all. With this boon Adam, too, covered all faults and disadvantages when he gave his wife the name Eve, which means life. Life overcomes all other things, whether bad or good, and has it origin from woman.

How many girls there are who prevent conception and kill and expel tender fetuses, although procreation if the work of God! Indeed, some spouses who marry and live together in a respectable manner have various ends in mind, but rarely children. The first class of spouses consists of those who seek to have offspring and have a desire for this kind of life in order that they may become parents. Although original sin is there too, nevertheless procreation is the main cause. These people are really angels in comparison with others, because they desire to make us of marriage for procreation. But their number is very small, and I simply count them among the angels and not among human beings. For it is a great gift of God if I look for and desire only offspring from a woman, especially if I am aware of the discomforts of marriage, of the vexing and the darts of the devil. The second class consists of those who marry for the sake of avoiding fornication. They do not turn away from or hate children, but it is their main purpose to live chastely and modestly. These, too, are pious people, but they are not on a par with the former. If God grants children, they are delighted. They love their wives and their offspring, and they diligently perform the duties of their calling. The third class consists of those who desire wives solely for the sake of pleasure. These are not concerned about children but want to lead a soft and pleasant life and to have a pretty girl to give them pleasure. The fourth class consists of those who marry old ladies for the sake of wealth or honor. May God give them the cup of suffering, for they seek only wealth and honor, not the begetting of children! Nevertheless, because of the respect for and the honor of marriage they should not be condemned.

The foremost and best worship is to wait for God. And this is the real benefit and the most appropriate exercise of faith. For faith first carries us away into the things that are invisible when it points out that things that are not apparent to the eye must be accepted. This we can somehow bear and put up with. The heart, however, is not only led into what is invisible; but it is also kept in suspense and is put off for a long time, just as Abraham waited for 25 years before a son was born to him, and Isaac is without offspring for 20 years. But the third an by far the most serious thing is experienced when delay and postponement are followed by a disposition to the opposite effect. It is then that he who is able to endure and wait, to hope for the things that are being delayed, and to be pleased with what is contrary, will eventually learn from experience that God is truthful and keeps his promises. For this is true, and it is customary for God to tarry, to delay and defer His help, but in such a way that He comes when it is necessary, and comes quickly, as is evident in the wonderful deliverance of the people of Israel when they were led out of Egypt.

For to be so unsettled and uncertain and yet to stay with wife, children, domestics, and cattle is a sign of an amazing faith that could make bread out of stones. This the godless do not see. Isaac said, "God has ordered me to be a husband and has given me two sins. I know that this is His work. Therefore He will not forsake me. I am sure concerning the godly and Christian kind of life in which I am living, and I shall continue in it in order that I may praise and extol God and teach others."

The reason why death is bitter is that the hindrances of the flesh prevent us from believing. Otherwise affliction would be a joy, and death would be a sleep for us who believe.

In His small flock He has poor and weak consciences that are easily hurt and are not easily comforted. He is a King of the strong and the weak alike; He hates the proud and declares war on the strong. He rebukes the Pharisees and those who are smug. But He does not want to break or confound the fearful, the fainthearted, the sorrowful, and the perplexed. He does not want to quench a dimly burning wick. This is His way and constant practice.

When Isaac sported with his wife, God wanted us to have an example to show that even a little frivolity does not displease God in marriage, which otherwise has been marred by the impurity of original sin, which is the source of that familiar mad passion for sex. But God makes use of this to unite the man with the woman, and He calls the woman a help fit for the man. Therefore it is a divine union, as Christ says: "What God has joined together, let no man put asunder." And it is a great comfort for us to know that the separation of spouses displeases God and that He wants amiability and mutual friendliness, embraces, kisses, and fun to spite the devil, who is the author of all dissensions.

We should not say: "I have done a good deed by sleeping with my wife." But we should acknowledge the uncleanness and yet maintain that everything is clean because of the divine union, in order that we may possess our vessels in fear and reverence and that if any evil has been committed, it may remain within the bounds of marriage. One must say: "I am not worthy of having a wife or children in accordance with the truth of the matter, for I am a sinner. I become worthy however, when God says: 'I want to overlook and condone, because this is the way I have ordained it. But know yourself, and live in fear and reverence."'