ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
"A Harvard Business School professor has been placed on leave amid accusations that she fabricated data that underpinned multiple peer-reviewed studies.
Behavioral scientists, including Leif Nelson, analyzed some of the studies co-authored by Harvard professor of business administration Francesca Gino. They foundsignsthat data used in at least three of the studies was fabricated to support the authors’ hypotheses, including data used in a study that has already been retracted.
One of the studies posited that being dishonest could lead to creativity. Participants took part in a virtual coin toss. They could cheat during the coin toss. Participants were then asked to perform two tasks, including saying how newspapers could be used in different ways."
3 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.
4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Explanation
The comparison of Moses and Jesus addresses the temptation of emphasizing Moses over Jesus, which continues today. People are more comfortable with the Law, as exhibited in Roman Catholicism. The Lutherans who ape the Church of Rome think they have to wear the ancient costumes, as if Jesus and the Apostles could have afforded such Medieval frills. Did Jesus say, "Take up your cope and follow Me?"
Significantly, Rome has made Moses the Savior and turned Jesus into the Lawgiver. Roman Catholicism teaches that grace is not grace unless it includes works. This notion fuels the need for works to alleviate some of the torture in Purgatory, which was borrowed from paganism, not mined from the Scriptures.
The Pope, as the so-called Vicar of Christ, creates and supports laws from the "throne of his heart." They must be obeyed, and when obeyed, are rewarded in a grudging way.
Faith in Jesus Christ is the only access to the grace of God (Romans 5:1-2). Good works, the fruits of the Spirit, are the result of salvation, not the cause of salvation.
21. Therefore, when you feel your sins gnawing at you, and feel your heart trembling and agitated, place yourself beside the publicans where they are standing. These are the very ones who shall receive the Gospel. Do so joyously, and say: “Oh, God! it is thy word that says there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance, and that all the righteous and angels are to interpose and cover up sins. Now, Oh, God! I have come to this that I feel my sins. I am already judged. I need but the one Shepherd who seeketh me; and I will therefore freely venture on thy Gospel.”
22. It is thus that you come to God. You are already the sheep placed upon his shoulders. You have found the Shepherd. You are the piece of silver in the hand. You are the one over whom is joy in heaven in the presence of all the angels. We are not to worry, if we do not experience or feel this at once. Sin will daily decrease, and its sting will drive you to seek God. You must struggle against this feeling by faith, and say: “Oh, God! I know thou hast said this, and I lean upon thy Word. I am the sheep and the piece of silver; thou the shepherd and the woman.”
23. You might say: Yes, this I will gladly do; but I cannot atone for my sins. I can render no satisfaction for them. Consider then the publicans and sinners. What good have they done? None. They came to God, heard his Word and believed it. Do the same. His are living words. The Gospel is too deep to be fathomed by human words. Conscientious men who tried it readily understand this.
24. The learned and idle may determine the meaning of the ninety-nine in the desert. It is enough for us to learn the main thought of this Gospel.
I learned early to connect blogs, so I began the Martin Chemnitz Friends blog to concentrate on publications. The main link is the same, but the byline has changed to Chemnitz - The Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry.
For a long time, I have been double-posting Alec Satin's work, which has built up a large source of free online books - once obtained only at book auctions at seminaries. Pastoral estates had large collections - which they actually read - and seminarians liked getting them for almost nothing, boosting the library's stingy budget.
Concordia Publishing House will continue to be in second place with their expensive "Lutheran Library." CPH is at the top only when they pay for it. That makes me laugh.
The Concordia ship today, ready to symbolize the work of Matt the Fatt, the apostate captain who made fun of the man who first got him the job, after he sang a ballad praising Herman Otten.
What makes me furious is the agenda behind their fake Luther works -
Luther's Large Seminex Catechism.
The Dogmatanic - even worse than Braaten-Jenson.
Luther's Small Catechism - Objective Faithless Justification for Tiny Brains.
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH is in a parlous state and more serious decline than anyone first thought. The latest 2021 domestic statistics show that there are 1,522,688 who identify as Episcopalians, of which 19.2% show up for weekly church services across 6,294 American churches with attendance under 50 in most parishes. Only 292,851 people warm domestic Episcopal Church pews during any given week. This is the lowest recorded numbers to date. 2022 and 2023 statistics will surely be even lower when we obtain them.
One in four priests in TEC is homosexual. The number of funerals, (23, 127) outweighed the number of baptisms (13,859) by nearly 2 to 1 in the Episcopal Church in 2021. Hundreds of parishes cannot find priests. The Episcopal Church is dying.
By 2040, it will, to all intents and purposes cease to exist. The millions of dollars spent litigating to hold onto properties will be viewed as wasted money as properties will eventually lie fallow. In time, they will become social centers, condos, saloons, bars, arts centers and more. They will no longer be places of worship. The abandonment of scripture as authoritative on all matters of faith and practice is the curse of revisionist and progressive thinking. God is not mocked; The Episcopal Church is reaping what it has sown and it has reaped the whirlwind.
PRIDE MONTH. My article The Queering of The Episcopal Church looks at just how far the Episcopal Church has slid off the theological rails. If one had any doubt about how far the Episcopal Church will go in adapting to the culture, one need look no further than June -- Pride Month -- commemorating the 1969 Stonewall uprising. Pride started out as a homosexual men's rebellion. Today it has morphed into a spate of LGBTQ+ sexualities which both the culture and liberal mainline denominations celebrate with public displays that border on the pornographic.
The White House and its current president have also cheered it along, embarrassing a vast swath of Americans who feel uncomfortable celebrating a behavior that has taken so many lives.
After the cross-dressing parish picnic, lovingly portrayed in a public website, the holier-than-thou Wisconsin sect (aka WELS) made this pastor the lead speaker at one of their national events for parochial teachers.
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Explanation
Nothing is more obvious today than the Reformation heirs departing from the Bible and clinging to the title of priest. The agenda is clear - they are to be called Father and identified by their expensive costumes. They want to be known by their gestures and clouds of incense while performing the Mass and despising the Gospel.
Jesus is the priest and the seed of Abraham. When God promised the patriarch followers more numerous than the stars in the sky, He was predicting the millions of Christian believers trusting in the Promise and being forgiving - Justification by Faith, Romans 4 - 5:2.
KJV Genesis 15
15 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Not satisfied with the key verse of Genesis, which they forget every time they boost their Objective Faithless Justification, they take away the faith of Jesus from their Bad Bibles shelf, all based on the fraudulent Tischendorf-Westcott-Hort-Nestle Aland snip-and-clip Greek New Testament.
KJV Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
and
KJV Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
and
KJV Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Pay close attention to the Bad Bible Boosters of ELCA-WELS-ELS-LCMS-CLC. They adore the Tischendorf-Westcott-Hort-Nestle Aland snip-and-clip Greek New Testament and despise the Apostolic (Traditional) text of the King James Version. Oh yes, the faith of Jesus is in their apostate GNTs but they feel compelled to erase that clear phrase - the faith of Jesus - from the Apostle Paul.
And so they were drawn to him when they heard his loving doctrine. Here comes the sheep out of the wilderness, and here the lost piece of silver is found.
16. Learn from this, then, that our neighbor is to be sought as a lost sheep, that his shame is to be covered with our honor, that our piety is to be a cover for his sins. But nowadays, when men come together they backbite one another; and thus they would show how zealous they are against sin.
Therefore, ye men, whenever ye come together, do not backbite your neighbors. Make not one face at one person and another at some one else.
Do not cut off one man’s foot and another man’s hand; make no such traffic of living flesh. Likewise, ye women, when you come together, conceal the shame of others, and do not cause wounds which you cannot heal. Should you meet with anything like this in some one’s house, then throw your mantle over shame and wounds, and close the door. A very good reason for doing this is, that you would have others do the same to you. Then, if you have kept the matter secret, bring the parties before you afterwards, and read them a good lecture; and let it remain with you as a secret.
17. Christ, too, acts thus. He keeps silent and covers our sins. He could, indeed, expose us to shame, and could tread us under foot, as our text shows that the Pharisees did. But he does not do so. All will be brought to light, however, at the final judgment. Then everything hidden must be revealed. Then the virgin must place her crown upon the harlot, the pious woman must throw her veil over the adulteress, and everything we have must serve as a garment to cover the sins of others. For every man shall have his sheep, and every woman shall have her piece of silver. All our gifts must be the gifts of others.
18. Hence there is, in God’s judgment, no greater sin on earth than that pious men and women and virgins commit when they despise those who lie in their sin and would appropriate to themselves their natural gifts, puffing themselves up and despising their neighbor.
This is the banner photo used upon the re-election of Matt the Fatt, hinting the that food court was ravaged in just a few days.
This dishonest photo group was posted all over while Matt was running for an unprecedented President-for-Life designation, akin to South American democracies. Or perhaps Matt lost 50+ pounds just before convention.
Missouri, WELS, and the Little Sect on the Prairie are so opposed to Justification by Faith that they opposed free materials on that topic at one of their Emmaus cult gatherings. Matt was there, glowering and accusing. However, the same synods have no problem working with the gay, abortion-loving ELCA.
I am in favor of Matt the Fatt continuing to equivocate in the LCMS, along with Spineless Schroeder protecting the GA hazing in the Wisconsin sect. Since both are attached to Thrivent and ELCA like weeds along a farmer's fence, they will shrink just as rapidly - or should I say rabidly?
The denominations have no solutions, except to hide behind their gurus and expect flowers to grow from weeds when even the weeds are dying.
Wayne Mueller - "There is no Church Growth in WELS! But if there is...."
12. David also acted thus. When the Lord inflicted the plagues upon Israel he spake unto the Lord and said: “Lo, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.”
13. Such should be your bearing toward sinners; inwardly the heart in service, outwardly the tongue in earnest. God requires this of us; and this is what Christ, our Captain, has manifested in himself, as Paul says to the Philippians 2:4-9: “Not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, yea, the death of the cross.”
14. Christ was filled with all righteousness, and might justly have condemned us all as sinners. But he did not do so. What did he do, then?
He gave himself to be our Servant. His righteousness has served for our sins, his fullness for our feebleness, his life for our death. This we find illustrated, for our example, in the Gospel before us, where he bears himself with such friendliness toward sinners that the Pharisees murmur.
The Lord therefore sets before them the following parables in order to teach how they are to receive sinners and be of service to them, saying: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it, etc. Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it?”
15. Christ is both the shepherd and the woman; for he has lighted the lamp, that is, the Gospel, and he goes about in the desert, that is, the world. He sweeps the house, and seeks the lost sheep and lost piece of silver, when he comes with his Word and proclaims to us, first our sins, and then his grace and mercy. Christ’s declaration, that he is the shepherd and has laid our sins upon his back or shoulders, makes us trust in him fully, and makes publicans and other sinners run after him. These would not have come unto him thus, had they regarded him as a hard and wrathful judge; for they had previously acknowledged themselves to be sinners and in need of his grace.
And so they were drawn to him when they heard his loving doctrine. Here comes the sheep out of the wilderness, and here the lost piece of silver is found.
O God, the Strength of all them that put their trust in Thee,
mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do nothing without Thee, grant us the help of Thy grace that in keeping Thy commandments we may please Thee both in will and deed;
through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul,
for I have sinned against Thee.
V. Blessed is he that considereth the poor:
the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Give ear to my words, O Lord: consider my meditation. Hallelujah!
Zach Engleman has returned after his trip to the Philippines.
Our nation, built upon the sacrifices of patriots and the faith of its Founders, has a Constitution that has outlived all others.
Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader, Dr. Lito Cruz' family, Kermit and Marie Way, Sarah Buck - diagnosis and treatment, Callie and her mother Peggy, those with emotional distress and metabolic disorders.
Those working to protect the unborn, the weakest of the weak, the poorest of the poor.
KJVs are being given away in super large, normal, and compact versions - for those with 1) eyesight issues, 2) men and women's prison ministry, and 3) children.
KJV 1 John 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
KJV Luke 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
Second Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks unto Thee, that through Thy holy word Thou hast called us to Thy great supper, and we beseech Thee: Quicken our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not hear Thy word without fruit, but that we may prepare ourselves rightly for Thy kingdom, and not suffer ourselves to be hindered by any worldly care, through Thy beloved Son. Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Jesus Delivered the Invitation
KJV Luke 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
People want to know more about heavenly matters, and here it is spelled out for everyone to understand. First of all, this is a parable, which means it is a narrative that delivers a message to us, using common elements of life.
Secondly, "a certain man" is God the Father, who is summoning everyone to the Great Feast, which is everlasting life through His Son.
Thirdly, the servant (doulos - slave) is Jesus.
KJV Philippians 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant (doulos - slave), and was made in the likeness of men:
If these elements are ignored, the meaning of the parable becomes confused. That is why Jesus taught in parables, so the casual listeners would fail to grasp the meaning, the situation we have today. Many people quote passages using bad translations and twist those words beyond recognition as well. The modern translations even erase verses from the Scriptures, watering down the message by removing two essential themes of the New Testament - faith and the divinity of Christ.
God the Father sent His Son to invite or call people into the Kingdom of the Messiah. This began with Jesus inviting the disciples and continued through the preaching (inviting) of Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. The miracles of Jesus were presented as primary because they supported the divine nature of His message - speaking with divine authority, not like the scribes and Pharisees. The miracles lead us to the Gospel Word, so we see that the One who raised the dead can also free us from sin, through faith in Him.
This parable, which seems obscure and difficult at first, is really exciting and motivating.
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
God sent Jesus to us to include us in that Great Feast, which begins here and continues in eternal life. "All things" are the events and narratives of the Bible, starting with Genesis 1:1. My Old Testament students admit that they are weak on that part of the Bible, and that is probably true in general. However, that means leaving out the vast amount of divine power leading up to the New Testament, which says - for example in the Gospels - "in order to fulfill the Scriptures..."
Creation, the establishment of Israel, the kingdoms of Saul, David, and Solomon, and the prophets all contribute to and frame the New Testament. I met the LCMS leader who bragged that he never believed in justification by faith alone and who also denied the Messianic passages in the Psalms. What God has established can easily be chipped away by the apostates, who are well represented in this parable.
Can we see a connection between this parable and "kiss the Son, lest He be angry" in Psalm 2? Take Jesus away from Psalm 2 and there is only nonsense.
KJV Psalm 2 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
A student recently said his friend had so many problems that he went over to atheism. This parable and Psalm 2 address that issue.
18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
This might have been used as the first excuse because it is so funny. Someone has already bought some land, so now he has to look at it, as if the property will slip away, like a difficult and valuable animal.
13. This preaching of Christ is the great and glorious supper with which he feeds his guests and sanctifies them through his holy Baptism, and comforts and strengthens them through the Sacrament of his body and blood, that nothing may be wanting and a great plenty may be at hand and all become satisfied. Thus this supper is justly called a glorious, great supper on account of the fare and food, so costly and richly prepared that no tongue can describe it and no heart sufficiently grasp it. For it is an eternal food and an eternal drink, by partaking of which a man shall nevermore thirst nor hunger, but be forever satisfied, his thirst is quenched and he becomes joyful; and this not only for one man, but for the whole wide world, even if it were ten times wider, they would all have sufficient. For it is an inexhaustible food and an everlasting drink, as our Gospel says: He who believeth on this Lord Jesus Christ, that he was born for us of the Virgin Mary and crucified for out’ sins under Pontius Pilate, died, descended into hell, and rose again from the dead and sitteth at the right hand of God, etc.; he who believes this, eats and drinks truly from this supper. For to believe in Christ the Lord means to eat and to drink, from which the people become satisfied, fat and stout and strong, so that they are joyful forever.
This is good to remember, what Luther says, when times are difficult, disorders plague us, opponents have food fights. The parable of Lazarus reminds us too, that the person with faith in Christ is the blessed one, not the one who has no faith but enjoys endless amounts of luxuries and false friends.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
If we were talking about an E-truck, that might be a good idea. In fact, those with expensive animals can be very sensitive about the animals, their values, and their place on the farm. But this is a way of reminding us that such things seem very important at the moment, but they are nothing compared to the Great Banquet. Although we can get beaten down by a thousand negative things, we are still being nurtured by the Lord of Creation. Thus we do not cherish the least important things, which are temporary, but we store up for ourselves treasures in heaven.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
Personal matters displace eternal values, when allowed.
22. The third class say: The Gospel is a doctrine that will not allow covetousness, nor permit us to strive to have sufficient for our bodily needs, but commands us to risk everything, body and life, money and goods, for Christ’s sake. Therefore we will and cannot come, for we must see how we may keep our own, which God has given us. For to take a wife is not to do or undertake anything dishonorable, but to enter an honorable state, and to be at home and plan how to support yourself, which is everyone’s duty. But all this is just that by which an honest housefather commits sin, when he only thinks of this, how he may become rich, keep house well and prosper. God grant it whether it be done with or against God.
21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
This is how the Gospel flowed into all the lands, into the Western Roman Empire, and to the Eastern or Byzantine part of the Empire, lasting until 1453 (only one small city by then).
Europe craved spices and god, and that led to North America and South America having visitors and missionaries. The original heirs of the Gospel have converted in many places, but the numbers are few. Nevertheless, the Gospel has gone everywhere and is more appreciated in the lowest parts than the highest.
Compel Them - There Is Still Room
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
40. This constraining, however, is necessary in preaching both repentance and forgiveness of sins; for without repentance we remain too hard and obdurate under his wrath, in our sinful nature and in the kingdom of the devil. And moreover, when the terror of divine wrath strikes us, we are again too fearful, modest and disturbed, to take this to heart and believe, that he will show us such great grace and mercy, and we are always full of anxiety that we do not belong to them, and that he will reject us because of our sins and great unworthiness. Therefore he must himself command and work that men continue and persevere evermore to constrain and urge as much as possible, both by holding forth wrath for the wicked and grace for the faithful. Wrath and repentance urge man to run and cry for grace. This is then the right way a person goes to this supper, and thus from Jews and Gentiles there will be one Christian church, and all will be called alike poor, miserable people, lame and crippled, for they accept the Gospel heartily and with joy.
