Sermon 93 — Offer your members to serve righteousness in holiness

Pfeiffer Sermon 93Middle High German + EnglishAbout this edition

Original Source (Middle High German)

English Translation

Exhibite membra vestra servire justitiæ in sanctificationem (Rom. V, 19.).

Sanctus Paulus sprichet ‘bietent ûz iuwer gelider ze dienende der gerehtikeit in heilikeit, want der sünden solt daz ist der tôt unde lôn der tugenden ist êwic leben.’ Diu sêle hât niht wan zwei gelider, diu sie ûz gebieten müge ze sôgetânem dienste, der gote gevalle, daz ist: verstentnisse unde willen.

Ez sprichet ein meister, daz got alle sîne maht unde sîne nâtûre dar zu tüege, daz er die sêle geminne. Aber ich spriche ein wortelîn, daz got alleine die sêle dar umbe minne, daz si in widerminne. Ich spriche ze dem andern mâle, daz got sîn götlîche nâtûre dar zuo erbiutet, daz er der sêle gevalle unde daz si sîn geluste unde er ir minnelîch werde und si in minnen welle. Ich spriche ze dem dritten mâle, dâ diu minne ûz brichet ûz dem grunde der sêle unde dâ si brichet ûz dem grunde der gotheit, daz daz diu selbe minne sî, dâ der vater sînen eingebornen sun mite minnet, unde niht minder. Unde spriche ze dem vierden mâle, unde möhte man werden in got gesetzet als in die crêatûre, sô sprêche ich, daz der heilige geist sîn wesen unde sîn gewerden nimet ûz dem selben grunde, unde blüeget unde brichet ûz der heiliger geist. Dâ von sprichet Paulus al ze wol, dâ er sprichet ‘bietent ûz iuwer gelider.’ Diu vernünftekeit ist sô edel, joch nâtûrlîche, daz sî enkein lîplich dinc berüeren mac. Sô si aber von sich wider kêret in den ursprunc, ûz dem si gevlozzen ist, dâ siuget si got in sich, unde daz si in sich siuget, daz wirt si. Der wille, als er reht wille ist, alsô ist er gar kreftic.

Exhibite membra vestra servire justitiæ in sanctificationem (Rom. V, 19.).

Saint Paul says: “Offer your members to serve righteousness in holiness, for the wages of sin is death, and the reward of virtues is eternal life.” The soul has only two members that she can offer for such service as is pleasing to God, namely understanding and will.

A master says that God directs all his power and his nature toward loving the soul. But I say a little word: God loves the soul solely so that she may love him in return. I say secondly that God offers his divine nature so that he may please the soul, and that she may desire him, and that he may become lovable to her and she may wish to love him. I say thirdly that where love breaks forth from the ground of the soul and where it breaks forth from the ground of the Godhead, it is the same love with which the Father loves his only-begotten Son, and no less. And I say fourthly, if one could be set into God as into a creature, then I would say that the Holy Spirit takes his being and his becoming from that same ground, and the Holy Spirit blossoms and breaks forth from it. Therefore Paul speaks exceedingly well when he says: “Offer your members.” Intellect is so noble, even by nature, that no bodily thing can touch it. But when it turns back from itself into the origin from which it flowed forth, there it sucks God into itself, and what it sucks into itself, that it becomes. The will, when it is true will, is exceedingly powerful.

Ez sint tûsent menschen tôt, die nie ze einem rehten willen kâmen. Sie hâten wol gerunge unde neigunge, als ein ander vihe. Ein mensche tuot ein kleine werc unde tuot daz ze einem mâle unde treit daz ûf mit lobe unde mit dankbêrkeit in sînen ursprunc. Ein ander mensche tuot ein grôz werc unde tuot daz lange unt dike: unde daz kleine werc ze einem mâle gewürket, daz behaget gote baz, denne jenes menschen grôz werc lange unde dicke geüebet. Waz meinet daz? Daz sage ich dir. Im was daz kleine werc ûf getragen über zît in ein nû in êwikeit, daz er gote volkomenlîche behagete. Want elliu diu zît, diu von Âdâmes zît vervlozzen ist, unde diu zît, diu noch künftig ist unz an den jungesten tac, und hête ein mensche alle die zît gelebet und hête guotiu werc getân, nochdenne der wille, dâ der wirket in sînem hœhsten unde lûtersten unde sich gekêret hât über zît in êwikeit, in der wârheit sô wirket unde begrîfet er mê vor den ougen gotes, denne der mensche, der alle die vergangenen und ouch die künftigen zît gelebet hât, want in dem nû ist al diu zît beslozzen.

Ein meister sprichet, dâ sich der mensche wider ûf kêret über zît in ein nû, dâ kumt ein ieclîchiu kraft der sêle über sich selber. Die fünf sinne werdent gezogen in die wîte kraft unde diu wîte kraft wirt gezogen in die kraft, diu sunder bilde ist, dâ niht în gebildet mac werden. Vernünftekeit unde wille muoz über sich selber komen. Gnâde ist ein crêatûre, doch niht garwe noch alzemâle. An der sêle enist niht, dâ gnâde în hœre, want in den grunt der sêle, unde der grunt der sêle, dar enboven hœret gnâde. Gnâde enwirket niht har ûz, mêr: si wirket wol ûz in die krefte an üebunge der tugende, aber in dem grunde der sêle, dâ ist gnâde unde sêlikeit unde gotes grunt ein und ist daz selbe leben, dâ got inne lebet. Dâ ist diu kraft, diu in den ougen wirket, als edel als daz verstentnisse, unde dâ ist der fuoz unde daz ouge glîch edel. Waz diu sêle in irme grunde sî, daz wart noch nie funden. Mêr: Paulus sprichet ‘diu gnâde gotes ist êwic leben.’ Nû sprichet Paulus ‘der solt der sünden ist der tôt.’ Aller der tôt, des elliu menschen ie gesturben, der ist als ein niht wider dem tôde, dâ diu sêle von gote scheidet, dâ vor uns got behüete. Âmen.

A thousand human beings have died who never came to a true will. They certainly had longing and inclination, like any other animal. One human being does a small work and does it once and carries it up with praise and gratitude into his origin. Another human being does a great work and does it for a long time and often, and yet the small work done once pleases God more than the other human being’s great work practiced for a long time and often. What does this mean? I will tell you. That small work was carried up above time into a now in eternity, so that it pleased God perfectly. For all the time that has flowed past since Adam’s time, and all the time that is still to come until the Last Day, even if a human being had lived through all that time and had done good works, nevertheless the will, when it works in its highest and purest and has turned itself above time into eternity, in truth works and comprehends more before the eyes of God than the human being who had lived through all past and all future time, for in the now all time is enclosed.

A master says that when the human being turns himself back upward above time into a now, every power of the soul there comes above itself. The five senses are drawn into the expansive power, and the expansive power is drawn into the power that is without image, into which nothing can be in-imaged. Intellect and will must come above themselves. Grace is a creature, though not fully and altogether. There is nothing in the soul into which grace belongs except the ground of the soul, and the ground of the soul is above grace. Grace does not work outward from there. It does indeed work outward into the powers in the exercise of virtues, but in the ground of the soul, grace and blessedness and God’s ground are one, and are that same life in which God lives. There the power that works in the eyes is as noble as understanding, and there the foot and the eye are equally noble. What the soul is in her ground has never yet been discovered. But Paul says: “The grace of God is eternal life.” Now Paul says: “The wages of sin is death.” All the death that all human beings have ever died is as nothing compared with the death in which the soul separates from God. May God preserve us from that. Amen.