another: the Jew in the law, and the Christian in the Gospel, and the Heathen in his superstition.
1 Text, born.
43. Each of them will be God's child in his knowledge, and yet the disobedience and unbelief is as great among one people as among another; and they are in the knowledge, only as a figure before God, and none is saved by his knowledge alone. For, that I do believe and hold for a truth, that Christ was born, died and arose again from death for me, does not make me a child of God; the devil knows it also, but it does not avail him; I must put on Christ in the desire of faith, and enter into his obedience, into his incarnation, suffering and death, and arise again in him, and put on the obedience of Christ : then am I a Christian, and not before.
44. The judging, censuring and condemning others without God's command is only the Antichrist among the Jews, and among the Christians: Without God's mercy none comes to the sonship: we must all enter in through the free mercy of God; the Jew, and the Christian, and the knower and he that knows not; our knowledge must be filled and abound with the love of Christ effectually, so that we love one another, else knowledge is not at all available. If I bring not my knowledge, with the desire, into the love of God wherewith he has loved us in Christ, and love my neighbour in the love of God in Christ, with that love wherewith God generally loves us, and loved us when we were his enemies, then have I not as yet the love of God dwelling in me.
45. But how will he love his brother, who contemns him for his knowledge' sake? Did not God love us when we knew nothing of his love? If a man has not this love of God in him) wherewith God loved us when we knew him not, why does he boast then of God's sonship? If he be the child of God, then he has the free love of God, wherewith he loves all things: ifhe has it not, he is not then as yet capable of the adoption. So now, if anyone contemns and condemns his brother, who has not as yet his knowledge, how can he boast of the love of God, wherewith God loved his enemies in Christ, wherewith Christ prayed for his enemies?
46. O you false cold love of the titular Christendom! how does the eternal truth strike you in the face of your conscience, in that you depend only on your knowing, and contend about the mere knowledge, and have not love! you judgest yourself alone in your judging others. One sect and company judges and condemns another, and before God they are no other than the natural children of Abraham, born of Keturah, one laying the blame upon another, that the father had cast them out from the inheritance. And yet they could not see what was the fault, namely, that it was by reason of the evil corrupt nature, which was not a true heir.
47. So likewise your judging and censuring others does not entitle you to the goods of Christ: nay, the same is wholly cast out from the inheritance, both of the Jews, and also of the Christians, and also of the Turks. All your contention is nothing else but the mocker, Ishmael, who mocks Christ in his members. You do all abuse the name of God with your judging, and condemn the manifold gifts of the Spirit of God among you, and judge only in self; and not according to the love of Christ.
another: the Jew in the law, and the Christian in the Gospel, and the Heathen in his superstition.
1 Text, born.
43. Each of them will be God's child in his knowledge, and yet the disobedience and unbelief is as great among one people as among another; and they are in the knowledge, only as a figure before God, and none is saved by his knowledge alone. For, that I do believe and hold for a truth, that Christ was born, died and arose again from death for me, does not make me a child of God; the devil knows it also, but it does not avail him; I must put on Christ in the desire of faith, and enter into his obedience, into his incarnation, suffering and death, and arise again in him, and put on the obedience of Christ : then am I a Christian, and not before.
44. The judging, censuring and condemning others without God's command is only the Antichrist among the Jews, and among the Christians: Without God's mercy none comes to the sonship: we must all enter in through the free mercy of God; the Jew, and the Christian, and the knower and he that knows not; our knowledge must be filled and abound with the love of Christ effectually, so that we love one another, else knowledge is not at all available. If I bring not my knowledge, with the desire, into the love of God wherewith he has loved us in Christ, and love my neighbour in the love of God in Christ, with that love wherewith God generally loves us, and loved us when we were his enemies, then have I not as yet the love of God dwelling in me.
45. But how will he love his brother, who contemns him for his knowledge' sake? Did not God love us when we knew nothing of his love? If a man has not this love of God in him) wherewith God loved us when we knew him not, why does he boast then of God's sonship? If he be the child of God, then he has the free love of God, wherewith he loves all things: ifhe has it not, he is not then as yet capable of the adoption. So now, if anyone contemns and condemns his brother, who has not as yet his knowledge, how can he boast of the love of God, wherewith God loved his enemies in Christ, wherewith Christ prayed for his enemies?
46. O you false cold love of the titular Christendom! how does the eternal truth strike you in the face of your conscience, in that you depend only on your knowing, and contend about the mere knowledge, and have not love! you judgest yourself alone in your judging others. One sect and company judges and condemns another, and before God they are no other than the natural children of Abraham, born of Keturah, one laying the blame upon another, that the father had cast them out from the inheritance. And yet they could not see what was the fault, namely, that it was by reason of the evil corrupt nature, which was not a true heir.
47. So likewise your judging and censuring others does not entitle you to the goods of Christ: nay, the same is wholly cast out from the inheritance, both of the Jews, and also of the Christians, and also of the Turks. All your contention is nothing else but the mocker, Ishmael, who mocks Christ in his members. You do all abuse the name of God with your judging, and condemn the manifold gifts of the Spirit of God among you, and judge only in self; and not according to the love of Christ.
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