Church Postil (sermons on the Gospel & Epistle lessons)

And Stephen, full of faith asid power; did great wonders and oiiracles among the people*

Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilleia, sluA of Asia, disputing with Stephen.

And they were not altic to resi§;t the wisdom and the spirit by whii'h he spake.

Then they suborned men, which said. We have heard him speak l)iasphemo»s Words against Moses, and against God.

And they stirred np the people, and the elders^ and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,

And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphe-

t A. B. Here, in consequence of its length, a nhole chapter, in which St. Stephen replied to t ueir complaints, isomitted. The individual who regulated, and thus arranged this Epistle, passed over the belter portion, and then added the blowing part of the seventh chapter.

IN ORDER THAT the tcxt of thl.S Epistle, or Jessou, uiay be iniderstood, it is uecessnry to iiitioduce, to some ext(ait, tliat which is omitted, inul to present the matter m coinu'ction with the causes which gave rise to it. The dispute arose iVoiii the tact, that Steplieu asserted that wliateverjloes not l^roceed iroui faith, is uuproiitable, and that'iiien cannot serve (iod, by the erection of churches, or works, independent of faitli in Jesus ('hrist. This ijiitli alone renders us pious, and builds the temples of (Jod, which is believing hearts. In opposition to this» the Jews brought up the law of Moses, and tlie temple at Jerusalem, conceriiing whicl] it is fre<ftH^ntly said in the Bible, that God has chosen that (•ity, that his eyes shall always be directed towards it, and that it is called the house of God. In this way they l)resumed to carry the point.

Ou the other hand, St. Stephen adduces, in opposition to them, the declaiation, Isa. 00, 1, 2: ''The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where \b the house that ye buiit

unto me? tind where is the place of my rest f For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things liave been, saith tlie Lord." This declaration is so clear and forcible that no one can gainsay it. It shows that God does not dwell in honses made with hands, since all that is necessary for these, has l>een previonsly created by him, and already belongs to him. If, moreover, neither the heaven nor the earth contain him, as he here asserts, Tlie heaven is not my house, l)ut my throne, and the eartli is not my hnbitatiou, but my foot-stool, why.should lie dweii in a house made by men f To tliis eft'ect St)lomon also speaks, 1 Kings, 8, 27, although he built that house.

Being confounded by the power of this declaration, and similar jmssages, which tlu'y were unable to gainsay, they T)roceeded to construe liis langiiage, as it he had asserted, that Je- «us would <lestroy the temple, and change tiie customs of Moses: iiotwithstaudiiig Kk^phen intended to make no sucli iiupression, but simply asserted tliat we are saved, not by the law. or t]w temple, but by faith m Jesus Christ, and that, when taith exists, we may p»roperl;y" observe the law, whether we have a temple or no temple. He merely dcvsired to remove the false (confidence, w^hicli thej^ had in their works and in the temi)le.

So too, at the x>resent time, when the papists liear that it is asserted that works are ineffectual, and that faith in Christ must first accomplish all, they exclaim: Good works are prohibited and the commandments of God are blasi)hemed. Were St. Stephen to x>i<^a<'h now, it is true, he might not be stoned, but he woidd be burnt ^^ ith tire, or torn to pieces with tongs, by the enraged papists.

To their false accusation Stephen replies, and beginning with Abraham, and going through the Scriptirres, he rthows that, previous to the time of Solomon, who built a house for God, neither Abraham nor any of the patriarchs ever built a house for him, and fltill they were not, on that account, regarded as inferior in the sight of God. He then concludes with tb^

declaration, Isaiah, saying: "But Solomon built him an house. Howbelt the Most High dw.elleth not in temples made witli hands; as saith the i^roijhet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me! saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things V^

After the introduction of this language, St. Stephen rebukes them, saying: '^ Ye stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fa thers did, so do ye. Which of the ])roi)hets have not your fathers persecuted f and they have slain them which shewed before the coming of the Juist Gne; cf whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it."

After his declaration of these wonls, follows the latter part of this Epistle, in which it is said: '^ AVhen the^' heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth," t^c. Hence, it is evident that the disxmte was in regard to faith and good works. But what will the j)a[>ists do, who have not the least shadow of giound for their ])osition, except their own human laws and doctrines'? If they could bring forth a shadow of grounds, like the Jews had, namely, that God gave the law of Moses, and chose the temple at Jerusalem, they would instantly raise a cry, de ju7'e divino, as did also, indeed, the Jews, their fore fathers.*

There seems to be no difficulty connected with this Epistle ^ it is plain. An example of the faith of Christy in 8t. Stephen, is presented. Very few glosses are required. We shall proceed to examine it briefij'. The first principle it teaches, is, that we can not secure the favor of God by the erection of churches and institutions. This St. Stephen clearly shows, heie, from Isaiah. But, if we assume this position and maintain it, we will have to risk the same thing, which St. Ste

• B. The doctrine of this Epigtle.

phen did. In consequence of such a position,* the bulls of the Pope, the douds of indulgences, the laws of the ecclesiastics, and the incessant preaching about churches, altars, institutions, cloisters, chalices^ bells, tables, candles, mid apparel, wo«ld disapfi>ear. This would, not unreasonably, •^ofend^he holtsiess of the Pope, aiwi Sits adherents. ¥ot^ in this way, the ilnxuries of the kitclien and the cellar, and all temporal ])ossessions would ha 'diminished. In the course of tinw, lidlenesB, voluptuousness, ^lad ease, vwould be vc%aiiged for labor, poverty, and disquietude J they would have to study and pray, or support themselves, as other people do. This would not be so agreeable to them. The holy Christian Church ^^'ould be despised, as Christ and the Apostles were. They could no longer live in such royal pomp, waging Avars, plundering, and shedding blood, under the pretext of honoring God and elevating the holy Church, as hitherto the most iK)ly fathers in God have done, and.still do.

We BMmt not come to the conclu-:sion, however, from this view, that it is wrong to build and establisji <;hurches 5 but, it is wrong to go to KUch an extreme as to forfeit faith and '.love in consequence of it, presuming in this way to accomplish good works, by which we may merit the liivor of '(xod. From this, such abuses result <a«s preclude all moderation. Every iirook and corner is filled with churches and cloisters, regardless of the object for which churches are built.

For there is no other reason, if, indeed, this be a reason, to build churchc*s, except to afford a place in which Kl'liristians may assemble to pray, to ^ear the Gospel, and to receive the ^Sacraments. Wherever such occasion 'ceases, the churches should be pulled Mlown, as we do other buildings when ithey cease to be ^iseful. But now, every one, in all the world, desires to establish his own (chapel or altar, even his own mass, with a view of securing salvation and purchasing heaA^en. Is it hot a miserable, a lamentable

* B. On that account, the bulls of the Pope error and delusion, to teach poor people to depend so much on their works, to the great disparagement of their Christian faith? It would be better to destroy all the churches and cathedrals in the world, and to bum them to ashes, — ^it were a less sin, were some one to do it through malice, — than to let one single soul be misled and lost by such error, God has given no sj^ecial command in regard t(f the building of churches, but he has issued his coMniands in reference ti* our souls, which are his real, peculiar churches, concerning which St. Paul speaks, 1 Cor. 3, 16, 17: "Ye are the temiile,' church, 'of God. * * If any man defile the temi)le,' church, 'of God, him shall God destroy."

But, observe the holiness of the papists. The souls, in all the world, are disturbed in their foundation by such error, and the real church of God cast into ruins. This does not interrupt them, yea, they contribute to it. They effect nothing else by their preaching of works, but the destruction of that church everywhere. Then they come along and, in place of it, build churckes out of wood and stones, reducing the conscience to such straits, as U^ believe that whoever defaces witli;i knife these stones and this woo<l, a little, has profaned the whole ehurch. Here the expense and trouble of reconsecration must be incurred. Are not such persons, as have 210 conscientious scruples about the destruction of the real church, yes, convert that great sin into eternal merit, but are very conscientious about the vain juggling of their own churches, raving and raging, foolish and fanatical, yes, frantic and infuriated.

I assert still, that, for the purpose of exterminating such error, it were well at once to overthrow all the churches in the Avhole Avorld, and to preach, pray, baptize, and perforin all Christian duties in common houses, or beneath the heavens; especially, since the reason they assign for building churches, is so unfounded. Christ preached upwards of three years, and still he preached only three days in the temple at Jerusalem. The remainder of the time, he preached -in

the syuagogiies, iu the wilderness, on the mountains, in shijis, at table, and in private houses, John the Baptist itt^\'erentered the temple, but preachvi\ at Jordan and other places.

Tlie Apostles preached in the marl:et~pla<?e«i>'^ iu fe^ stix^ets, at Jeru- >5alem, oa the day of Pentecost, Phili:p preached to the eunm% oa tiii^ •!f;hariot. St Paul pieac]i(*ii on the ^*vei*-si(.fe, and in tl'.e jail at Pliilii>pi,?4«n<l -at xaiious places in inivate houses; Christ also commanded, Matt. 10, 12, them to preach in private dwellings. These preachers, I presume, ^vere equally- as good as those of the l*/i\^sent diiv* But^ thus it must be: costly houses with great arches must i)e supporter! for these erroneous preachers nid devilish teiichers. But t&n} woidofXiod miist'nnd at© Ann m all Bethlehem, in which it mav be born.

Is it not time then for us t« exclaim %'ith St Stephen, in i^gaM to these jrrati<^ial creatures, Ye stiffiieckecL iind uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always reject the H0I3' Ghost; \e are betrayers and murderers of iuiioceut, harmless Christian souls? Ye have received tlie commandments Irom the Aix>stles, but have observed, none (ff them, I presume their hearts woidd burst, and they would gnash their t-eeth * saving: Ke ^las folasjdiemed agaiiist ^Ood, -and S}K>lien iigainst tlie hoW |>lace; he has ])rot'aneil all tlie <:hRTches. O, God, v.liat blind l^eades's and inurderei\3 of souls rule under the iK^cursed popery!

Here you may percea^ve some reason why lightning strikes tho.-^ churches luore frequently than any eri^ei^ baiikli n gs. The -vvr.ath af God -seeirts to rest ui)on them move tlum upon other buildiii^ because greater sins, greattc^' blaspliemies, greater destruction of *^>uls and ehurches, occur in these, than in brothels and dens of thieves. For, where the pure Gospel is not jireached, the keeper of a imblic 1)rothel is a much less sinner, than ^uch a preacher, and the brothel is not as bad as such a churchy even if the keeper of the brothel would prostitute virgins and pious wives ajid nuns every day, — a thing which is dreadful and abominable, — he woul4^ still not be worse and more disadvantageous than such papistical preaeh-

If this is astonishing t<) votl, ':pem ember that such a pi*ea^»her dOt^ nothing else, -\yY his "preaching, but daih>' dfeange^iKl "violate souls newU born in Ba^rtism — ^young Christians, tender souls, who are the pure, consecrated virgins and brides of Christ. But since this does not occur bodily, but spiritually, it affects no one; but God is displeased with it beyoni? me:asure, and, in!iis wrath, he exclaims througli the prophets, in unmistakable terms, Tliou harlot, thou open est thy feet to eveiy one that passes by. So little can he toleratt -«?a<.'h jpre^:i<Mng. 'Of this, Jeremiad i also complains. Lamentations, 5, 1'l, m his prayer: -^^They ravished the "^vomen in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Juda." Xow, indeed, the spiritual virginity, the Christian faith, is immeasurably better than the bodi ly, since it alone gains -heaven.

Such doctrines and works are de struct! ve not only of faith, but also of Christian love. The fool may always be known by his cap. Many ^ otre has a i^oor neighbor, wlio has a sick daughter, Kjlrild, or wife, or i^. otherwise needy. Him he passes, without imaking an effort to administer to his wants. ^ he proceeds to contribute to some x^mrch; or else endeavors t(» heap up treasures during 'his health, and when heis^tliFOwn upon his death bed, he makes a will, and bequeaths Ms estate to some institution or other. "Him will the priests and tlie monks sun'ound; they will extol his deed, absolve this pious man, administer the Sacrament to him, and burv him in the midst of honors, proclaim ing his name from the j)ulpit and during mass, exclaiming. Ay, this is jbt precious thing! He has made ample l^ro vision for his soul; many blessings shall hereafter be conferred upon him —yes, alas, hereafter, but eternally too Uite!

But, no one warns him of the sins be ^coaiHurtted during 4iis life, by hot atoSnistering to the wants of Im neighbor, when it hiy in his i)ower, passing him, and leaving him, as the rich man did Lazarus, in the Gospel. Nor does he think of them himself; — hence, they must go unconfessed, uurepeiited, and unabsolved, no matter iiow many bulls, indulgences, and spiritual fathers may liave been pres- <»ut. This is the a ery sin that will l>e referred to on the day of judgment, concerning which Christ will say: '' I was naked, and ye clothed me not," IVlatt. 25, 43. This pious fellow will then say, 1 Jieaped up treasures to establish an institution for thee, and have in this way satisfied a decree of tlie Pope, and hence I have been absolved from all my sins by him. What else should suchx)erson expect to hear, but this sentence: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into e verla stin g fi re f B e- (^ause, by their works, they destroy the Christian fiiith, and for the sake of wood and stones despise Christian love.

Let us be wise, therefore, beloved friends; it is necessary: let us learn indeed that we are saved through faith alone in Christ, as has been already sufficiently shown; so that no one may rely upon his works. During our lives, let us engage in such works alone as are profitable to our neighbors, letting testament be testament, and institution, institution, and directing our efforts so as to contribute to the welfare of our neighbors, duling the whole course of our lives.

1 will here relate an example of a I)ious female, St. Elizabeth. She once entered a cloister, and seeing on the wall a fine painting, representing the sufferings of our Lord, she exclaimed: The cost of this you should have saved for the sustenance of the body; the sufferings of Christ should be painted in your hearts. What a striking, pious, forcible sentence this is against such things as are generally regarded as ])recious. If she would thus speak at the present time, the papists would assuredlj^ burn her, as one who had blasphemed against the sufferings of Christ, and spoken against good works: she would be denounced as a heretic, even if she were worth more than ten saints/

Secondly^ it teaches that the commanclmentH of God are not fulfiUed hy icorlin.

For Bt. Btephen here rejects not only their views in regard to churc^hes and the building of churches, but al so all their Avorks, saying: Ve "havt^ receiA^d the law by the dis])osition of angels, and have not kept it." Hence, tliey too, in return, reproAed him not only as one who had spoken r<gainst the temple, but, also, as one Avho had blasphemed against the law of Moses, desiring to teach Avorks, to which they were not accustomed. Indeed, Ste- I)hen could nut have charged them Avith not having observed the law, so far as their external works Avere C(>ncerned. For they were circumcised, and observed meats, apparel, ',^Mii fes tivals, and whatever Moses had commanded. Hence, they stoned him, on account of the law.

But Bt. Btephen spoke hmw th(^ same S])irit, from Avliich Bt. Paul spoke. Pom. 2 and 3, saying, That hy the deeds of the Jaw no one is justified in the sight of God, hut through faith alone. Because, Avhere tlie Holy Spirit does not exist, and grant grace, the heart of man cannot be friendly towards the law of God, but it Avould rather there were no la w: as ea#h one feels in himself that he is dull nnd disinclined to do that Avhicli is good, but ready and inclined to perform that which is ca il; as Moses, Gen. (», 5, and 8, 21, says: "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth.'*

^'ow, since sucJi unwillingness exists in man, he takes no real delight in i)erforming the deeds of the law. Destitute of proper motives, he is rather constrained to perform them, through the fear of " punishment, shame, and hell, or else through the loAC of gain and ho]>e of salvation, and not through Ioa e and honor to God. Hence, all such Avorks are sheer hypocrisy and, in the sight of God, are not regarded as good. The Holy Spirit is, therefore, i)romised and giA'- en to all who belieAC in Christ. This Spirit, through his grace, i)roduces in the heart a willingness and a desire for that which is good; so that the indiAidual freely, and without any ex-

l)eotation of reward, performs tliese j works in honor to God. For, throiigli \ laitb and tlie Spirit, lie is already jus- \ titled and in a state of salvation, — a; position wbieli lie never eould have ' attained by any works. Aceording to [ this prin('i^)]e. Ve may freely conclude \ that all who are destitute of faith and \ ^race, fiiil to observe the law, even if they torture themselves to death with the works of the biw.,

N'ow. by liis dechiration, in which ^ he asserts tliat the Jews always resist the lloiy Ghost, St, Stephen de- ' sipis to convey the idea that, in con- i secpience of their works, they become luvsumptuGus, luive no disposition to '.ic.ce])t the assistance of the Spirit, and are unwilliiiir that tlieir works should be rejected as insufficient; ever working- an<l workijig at the law, without observing tiny part of it, tliey remain hypocrites as long as they live; they are nn willing to accept the faith,; through which they might be able to | accomplish good vrorks, and tlie grace ' of the Spirit, tlirough which they. jnigiit secure a love and desire for the law, and thus they obscure it to a free, spontaneous heart. For. such doers and observers of the law, and no oth-; ers, (xod desires.

Hence he also calls them, '' Stiff-; necked uncircumcised in heart and I ears,'- because they will neither listen nor understand — ever crying out, (iood works, good works, law, law, witliout doing any of these themselves; l>recisely as our papists do, as their forefathers did, and as their descend- ' ants and the whole mass of this gen- ' eration still do, persecuting the right- ^ eous, and then boast that they do it ' for the sake of God and his hnv. Thus ^ we have the substance of this Epistle. I.et us now exandne it a little further.*

In the first place, here we perceive; in the conduct of St. Stephen an ex- ■ ample of love towards God and nmn. He manifests his love towards God, by censuring the Jews so earnestly \ and severely, calling them betrayers,; murderers, and transgi-essors of the; whole law, yea, stiffnecked, resisting i the law and its fulfillment, as well as the H(>ly Ghost himself. He styles them, moreover, 'Mincircnmcised in heart and ears.*' How <:ould he have censured them more highly and severely '! He so completely strijis them of everything good, that it seems as if lie were actuated by impatience and wrath.

But what individual, who should thus attempt now to censure the ])apists, would tlie world tolerate? l>ut his love ibr God constrahuMl and ii!;- pelled him thus to act. No one in possession of such love, can siientlN' arid calmly allow the coninuindments of God to be rejected; he cannot «lissemble; he must censure and reluike any one tliat acts in ojujosition to Ge'<l. This he cannot allow, even at the rislv of his life. Such love the Scriptures call zclum J/ci. a lioly indigimtion, because vsuch cor.duct af fects the love of God, and disparages in an intolerable nunnu r, the honor and obedience due him, — an honor and obedience, which an individual of such zeal ardeidly seeks and desires. This we perceive in the ])ro]diet Fiijah, who was so remiirkable for liis holy indignation in opposition to the false propliets.

From this exam])le, we may learn, that all who silently pass over sins and the transgressions of (u;d\s commandments, are destitute »>f love for him. Where, then, will hy|)ocrires a]>- pear, who rather applaud such transgressions? "Where calmnniators, and vSuch as delight in, laugh at, and speak of the faults of others.

Xor is the fact that the Tope, in his nonsensical laws, commands and teaches the papists not to censure aiuL reprove governors, a sufili^ient excuse for any to abstain from the adminij?- tration of ])roper re])roof. Whom does St. Stephen censure here * Is it not the governors of Jerusalem? an<l still he was nothing more than a mere ordinary uu^n, neither ordained, n(»r clothed with the priesrly oitice. \'ea, his example teaches us, that every Christian has the right to adminiRter proper reproof in regard to the Poi»e and governors; yes, lie is rather uii der obligatiou to do it; let no one, then, presume that he has no such fright and power; and, especially, ^Sfhould spiritual sins be rebuked. St. Stephen administered his reproofs not in regard to gross sins, but in regard to hypocrisy, because they believed not, and resisted the Holy Spirit. — For, in this way, they did the greater injury, misleading themselves and the multitude by their laws and works.

Til us, the Pope, the bishops, and all papists, deserve public censure, as stitt'necked and uncircumcised hypocrites, resi.sting the Holy Ghost and keeping none of the commandments of (jod, betraying and muixlering 1 ■hi'ivStian wsouls, and thus l>ecoming the betrayers and murdei«ers of Christ who bought them with hisownblocMk

Kow, since we have occasixm to state that St..Stej)ken was^ layman, or iui /jsPdiiKi^-y iiirMAidual, aitd not a pm^'i*, -and since the papists *elriim that he was a Levite, constitutiiig oi^t of his othce the office of ^fefee finest who a'(^ad^ the 'K}>istle ot tlie Gospel at the;iiltar during the communion service, l^t^^s-^ervting, indeed, the whole matter, it be^cm^es n.eoevSsai:y to know that St. Luke, Acts 4 and 5, writes, that the ^ /hristians, in their commencement at Jerusalem, gave all their goods to the congregation, when the Apostles distributed to each one whatever he Rieeded. But it happened that the 'widows of Grecians wtn-e not provided for like the widows of the Hebrews. Hence thei^ arose a murmuring among them. The Apostles, perceiv- Kig that these duties would so overburden them, as to require them to relinquish, to some extent, their praying and preaching, assembled the multitude of the disciples, and said, "It is not reason that Ave should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you. seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdonA^ whom we may ai)point over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to l)rayer, and the ministry of the word." Thus St. Stephen, together with six others, was chosen and appointed to distribute these goods. Hence is de- I'ived the word JMacomts^ servant, minister, because they served the co«- j^'Ogation, mijoii$t€ring to their want* in a temporal point of view.

Hence, it is clear, that St. Stephen was a steward, or an administrator and guardian of the Christians j whose duty it was to minister in temporal goods to those who were m need. But in the course of time his oliice was perverted into the office of a jmest who reads tlie Epistles and Gosi)els; so that there is scarcely a trace of St, Stephen's office ieft, exee^>t a sligM resemblance which appears in the office of the provosts of the ii?uns, and in that of the administrators of h-osl)itals and guardians of tli<e |>oor. — Such Siioukl be sthese readers of Epistle^s and Gospels, not the consecrated, the shorn, the bearers of dalmatics, and those who mind the liies at the altar, biit common laymen of piety, who kee-p iegistei-s of the needy, and have control of the common pm^se, t(* xlistribute Avherever it may be necessary. This is the real, the proper office of St. Stephen, who never dreamed about reading Epistles and Gospels, or about bald pates or dalmatics. These are all human devices.

Ileixic, a question uKiy arise heiH?r. Whether a. layman, or cin ordinary' in- ^lividual, should be allowed to preach. Since St. Stephen was not appointed to ineach, (an office which the Apostles reserved to themselves, as already stated,) but, to perform the duties of steward, and yet, Avhen he went to the market-place and mingled among the peoi>le, he immediately created a stir by the performance of signs and wonders, as the Epistle says, and even censured rulers. Had the Pope and the i>apists been there, they certainly would have made inquiry in regard t^ his credentials aiid eharactsn, and!iad he been found without a bald pate and a prayer-book, he would undoubtedly have been committed to the Haines as a heretl^^ since he was neither a priest nor a clergyman. For, the title, priest or clergyman, which the Scriptures attribute to ail Christians, they have assumed to themselves^ calling all others laity. They even call tiiemselves the Church, as if the laity do not belong to the Church. Still fheseTcfkied^ noble people, perform not a single office or work of «