As has been the continuing reformation of history to literal history in the tack of this Lame Cherry blog in exclusives in matter and anti matter, the necessary focus has been upon Martin Luther, the Great Reformer risen up by God set the Gospel in the hearts of the people of the world for Redemption, instead of keeping them chained before the priests of Rome.
Martin Luther is an amazing man, a German Israelite. He not only wrote in quantity like St. Paul, but he wrote doctrinal studies of the Bible, and literally translated thee entire Bible from original language and Latin, into German.
Those feats are not realized by most people, who even are aware that Martin Luther in addition to the above, constructed two Catechisms in large and small for Christian instruction for the fine tuning of the work of Salvation and Growth in the Holy Ghost.
There is another work which eulogized Martin Luther, and was known by later generations heralding the work of this Apostle of Christ, and that is the reality that Martin Luther not only was Inspired to the three great feats above, but he added to it the poetry and music of Christian music, some of which is the sweetest of all, and was the lasting hymn pressed upon the German peasant which they always remembered.
Even in a fine movie as was created to bring Martin Luther to the attention of the people of the world in the last century, there still was not room for everything which God accomplished through Martin Luther.
Luther wrote Bible, wrote teaching texts, wrote doctrinals and he wrote a hymnal.
He did this all under the benefactor auspices of his German lord who the world owes an immense debt for both protecting and allowing Dr. Luther the time to produce these immense volumes which have been censored from the modern mind.
The Table Talk is as immense work of Wisdom and Common Sense as any of the dozen greatest works of the best authors in history and yet few have ever found or read that condensed work.
I place here the words of Coleridge, Michelet as testament to the songs of Martin Luther:
"Luther did as much for the Reformation by his hymns as by his translation of the Bible."
"The hymn which he composed on his way to Worms, and which he and his companion chanted as they entered that city, 2 is a regular war-song. The old cathedral trembled when it heard these novel sounds. The very rooks flew from their nests in the towers. That hymn, the Marseillaise of the Reformation, has preserved to this day its potent spell over German hearts."
"The one entitled Ein' Feste Burg, universally regarded as the best, jars upon our ears; yet there is something in it like the sound of Alpine avalanches, or the first murmur of earthquakes, in the very vastness of which dissonance a higher unison is revealed to us."
The statement of Dr. Merle d'Aubigne in the 3rd volume of the History of the Reformation sums up what God accomplished through Martin Luther.
"The church was no longer composed of priests and monks; it was now the congregation of believers."
These are realities which are never heard of nor spoken. For all practical matters, the reality of Martin Luther is hidden away like Joan of Arc, and both of their masters in Jesus the Christ in a Gospel is taught about Him, instead of the Gospel He taught as the New Testament states in "the Gospel of the Kingdom of God".
John Walter, personal friend of Martin Luther and capellmeister to the Elector of Saxony, spoke the following of Martin Luther in his love for hymns.
"It is to my certain knowledge, that that holy man of God, Luther, prophet and apostle to the German nation, took great delight in music, both in choral and in figural composition. With whom I have passed many a delightful hour in singing; and oftentimes have seen the dear man wax so happy and merry in heart over the singing as that it was well-nigh impossible to weary or content him therewithal. And his discourse concerning music was most noble."
Here is but one example of Martin Luther's hymns now not known. Such a pity it is that such grande Anglo Germanic Israelite prose and song is not widely circulated.
Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh' darein. Look down, O Lord, from Heaven behold.
Psalm XII. -"Salvum me fac, Domine."
FIRST MELODY, Wittenberg, 1524. Harmony by A. HAUPT, 1869.
SECOND MELODY, Wittenberg, 1543. Harmony by A. HAUPT, 1869.
1. Look down, O Lord, from heaven behold, And let thy pity waken!
How few the flock within thy fold, Neglected and forsaken!
Almost thou'lt seek for faith in vain, And those who should thy truth maintain
Thy Word from us have taken.
2. With frauds which they themselves invent Thy truth they have confounded;
Their hearts are not with one consent On thy pure doctrine grounded;
And, whilst they gleam with outward show, They lead thy people to and fro,
In error's maze astounded.
3. God surely will uproot all those With vain deceits who store us,
With haughty tongue who God oppose, And say, "Who'll stand before us?
By right or might we will prevail; What we determine cannot fail,
For who can lord it o'er us?"
4. For this, saith God, I will arise, These wolves my flock are rending;
I've heard my people's bitter sighs To heaven my throne ascending:
Now will I up, and set at rest Each weary soul by fraud opprest,
The poor with might defending.
5. The silver seven times tried is pure From all adulteration;
So, through God's word, shall men endure Each trial and temptation:
Its worth gleams brighter through the cross,
And, purified from human dross, It shines through every nation.
6. Thy truth thou wilt preserve, O Lord, From this vile generation;
Make us to lean upon thy word, With calm anticipation.
The wicked walk on every side
When, 'mid thy flock, the vile abide In power and exaltation.
For those who might prefer the original German, there is a noted English observation, that the two languages share likeness and in Luther, the German rhymes in equal like the English.
1. Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh' darein Und lass' dich des erbarmen,
Wie wenig sind der Heil'gen dein, Verlassen sind wir Armen:
Dein Wort man laesst nicht haben wahr,
Der Glaub' ist auch verloschen gar Bei allen Menschenkindern.
2. Sie lehren eitel falsche List, Was eigen Witz erfindet,
Ihr Herz nicht eines Sinnes ist n Gottes Wort gegruendet;
Der waehlet dies, der Ander das, Sie trennen uns ohn' alle Maas
Und gleissen schoen von aussen.
3. Gott woll' ausrotten alle Lahr, Die falschen Schein uns lehren;
Dazu ihr' Zung' stolz offenbar Spricht: Trotz, wer will's uns wehren?
Wir haben Recht und Macht allein, Was wir setzen das gilt gemein,
Wer ist der uns soll meistern?
4. Darum spricht Gott, Ich muss auf sein, Die Armen sind verstoeret,
Ihr Seufzen dringt zu mir herein, Ich hab' ihr' Klag' erhoeret.
Mein heilsam Wort soll auf dem Plan, Getrost und frisch sie greifen an
Und sein die Kraft der Armen.
5. Das Silber durch's Feuer siebenmal Bewaehrt, wird lauter funden:
Am Gottes Wort man warten soll Desgleichen alle Stunden:
Es will durch's Kreuz bewaehret sein, Da wird sein' Kraft erkannt und Schein
Und leucht't stark in die Lande.
6. Das wollst du, Gott, bewahren rein Fuer deisem argen G'schlechte,
Und lass uns dir befohlen sein, Das sich's in uns nicht flechte,
Der gottlos' Hauf' sich umher findt, Wo diese lose Leute sind
In deinem Volk erhaben.
The hymns of Martin Luther and the entire Lutheran German hymnal in vespers and worship services should be recorded again for the revival and renewal of all Christianity.
I close with the first stanza of an ancient German Christmas hymn which predates Dr. Martin Luther of 1500.
All praise to Jesus' hallowed name
Who of virgin pure became
True man for us! The angels sing
As the glad news to earth they bring.
Hallelujah!
Gelobet sei'st du, Jesu Christ,
Dass du Mensch geboren bist
Von einer Jungfrau, das ist wahr,
Dess freuet sich der Engel Schaar.
Kyrioleis.
agtG
