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1849.]

Sermons on Religious Festivals.

309

ment? No one of the throng was aware that he had miraculously cured her. He was not accustomed to publish abroad his miracles. But unless he had published this, the report might have arisen that the power of healing diseases lay in his very garments, and was not dependent on his rational action. To preclude this superstition he gave publicity to the fact, that he perceived virtue to have gone out of him. Circumstances require us occasionally to promulge, and occasionally to conceal what we know.

C. A Christian is required to employ the news of the day for his own instruction. a) He should extend his knowledge by their means. Our Saviour would not allow the crowd to witness his miracle in the house of Jairus, for they had no disposition to learn useful truths from what they saw, and we deserve to be thrust out of our heavenly Father's house, if we derive no useful information, with regard to character and duty, from what we daily hear. b) He should improve his principles of action by the new knowledge which he acquires of men and things. Not merely for himself, however, should he labor, but,

D. A Christian is required to employ the news of the day for the welfare of others: a) for the good of those present with us; our text specifies four particulars in which Christ employed the new events of a few hours, for the welfare of those who were with him; b) for the good of those absent from us; often may we rebuke slanderers and thereby save their absent victims from serious evil.

Reinhard had a twofold difficulty imposed upon him in the choice of his subjects. He must pay some regard to his texts, and some to the days of the calendar. Hence we are led to speak of the

§ 5. Connection of his Themes with the Occasions on which they were discussed.

A glance at his discourses confirms the remark, that in the Lutheran church of Germany the Reformation is not yet completed. We not only find his annual sermons on Palm Sunday, Whitsuntide, Epiphany, etc., but also on Septuagesima and Sexagesima Sundays (so called because the former is about seventy, and the latter about sixty days before Easter), on Exaudi Sunday (so called because on this day the passage Exaudi, Domine, vocem meam, etc., Ps. 27: 7, is to be read in the Romish church), on Quasimodogeniti Sunday (so called because the passage Sicut modo geniti infantes, etc., 1 Pet. 2: 2, is appointed in the Romish Missal to be publicly read on this day), on Cantate, and Esto mihi Sundays, on the festival of the visitation of the virgin Mary, and in fine on nearly all the holidays of the dark ages.

His themes, therefore, must have relation not only to his texts, but also to the ill-regulated festivals on which they are discussed. It is easy to see, however, that a tedium would ensue, if, for example, one sabbath in every year should be devoted throughout the whole land, to a discourse expressly on Saint Michael and all angels. It becomes necessary, therefore, to use great latitude in the treatment of the texts 'selected for this festival. One of these texts is Matt. 18: 1-11, which derives its pertinency to this occasion from a clause in the 10th verse. In one of Reinhard's sermons on this text,1 he considers the importance of cherishing a constantly active conviction of the freedom of the human will. But this Proposition has no relevancy to the 10th verse. It is derived from the 7-9 verses, in which, our author supposes, the will is summoned to assert and use its freedom in opposition to the appetites, desires, emotions and affections which induce it to sin. In a subsequent discourse2 on the same text, and on the same festival, he considers the constantly decreasing earnestness which is manifested in the religious life. Were it not for the subtile ingenuity of Reinhard, it would be difficult to see the harmony between these two themes with the spirit of their text or of St. Michael's day. One of his discourses3 preached on the day of the Purification of the virgin Mary, is professedly founded on Luke 2: 22-32. Its Proposition is, The Christian should love life and not fear death. Its Division is, He should love life because of his duties, and he should be fearless of death because of his hopes. Its Subdivisions are, I. He should love life, because of his duty, a) to acquire knowledge in life, b) to improve his character, c) to promote the welfare of men, d) to know God. II. He should be fearless of death because of his hope, a) that death will be less terrible to him than it is commonly regarded, b) that all his concerns will remain under the divine guidance, c) that he shall enter, at death, on an immortal existence, and, d) that through God's grace in Christ he shall be perfectly blissful. But what has such a sermon to do with the purification of the virgin Mary? And what connection has it with the text? When Mary presented herself in the temple, Simeon incidentally met her, and having taken the child exelaims, "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace," and this exclamation is contained in the lesson of the day, and indirectly suggests the Proposition of the discourse, a Proposition, however, equally appropriate to the Rogate, or the Reminiscere, or the Invocavit or the Misericordia Domini Sunday, and to a multitude of dissimilar texts.

Predigten, 1795, Band I. ss. 274-293. Predigten, 1800, Band II. ss. 187-208. 3 Predigten, 1801, Band I. ss. 93–115.

1849.]

Sermon on New Year's Day.

311 In another discourse on the same festival and from the same lesson he propounds as his theme,1 At death men never lament their having been, but often their not having been religious; a very good theme, but much more opportune to the Green (Maundy) Thursday or to the Oculi Sunday, than to the festival in honor of the virgin while at a period long anterior to her decease.

A Puritan would suppose, that if there were any reason for observing the Epiphany, the same reason would require us to meditate during the festival on some truth connected with the mission of Christ or with the state of the heathen. One of Reinhard's Epiphany2 sermons is devoted to a warning against obstinacy in adhering to designs previously formed. By what circuitous path is such a theme arrived at on such a day? The lesson for the festival is Matt. 2: 1-12; this passage includes the account of Herod's slaying the infants of Bethlehem; this murderous act of the king was prompted by his headstrong perseverance in his scheme of retaining the rule of Judea; and hence the appearance of Christ to the magi is historically connected with an act which warns us against obstinacy in adhering to designs previously formed. On the second Sabbath after Epiphany in a sermon from John 2: 1-11, our author treats of the moral worth of great assemblies, or social parties.3 But why was not this subject equally appropriate to the "Laetare Sunday," and why might it not have been exchanged for one of his themes on Annunciation day, the duties devolved upon us, whenever our hopes are surpassed by the event, text; Luke 1: 26-28 ?4

The Lutheran church observes the New Year's day as a religious festival, not merely on account of its relations to the course of time, but also and professedly on account of its being the day of Christ's circumcision, or the eighth day after Christmas. It is therefore called the festival of the Circumcision, and the sermons preached on the occasion are adapted both to the recollection of this event, and likewise to the commencement of a new year. It is frequently a problem how to combine in one discourse the appropriate references to such different objects; and the ingenuity of Reinhard is often tortured to present the two themes in a fitting union. The trouble is increased by the fact, that the lessons for the Festival, Gal. 3: 23-29, and Luke 2: 21,5 refer exclusively to the circumcision rather than to the

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› Reference is here made to the lessons in the old Sächsische Kirchen Agende,

new year, and it requires great versatility of mind to educe from either of these lessons for successive years the trains of thought which are expected on the first of January. An illustration of the manner in which Reinhard steers through the difficulties of his position, is seen in the following summary of one of his sermons from Luke 2: 21.1 Introduction.. The new year suggests to a man the importance of time. But time would lose for him much of its value were it not for his being known to the community by a proper name, which suggests his person to every one who hears it. Criminals often think that, by changing their names, they are made over again. If any one of us should give up the cognomen by which he has been designated, he would seem to have lost a part, at least, of himself, and after this disturbance of his identity, his future life would seem to be less intimately connected with the past, and would thus appear to him less important than it now does. Many persons had been called Jesus, before our Saviour was thus designated; but what a dignity has he imparted to that word! What a worthy appellation it has become through his virtues!

Proposition. We shall best spend the year on which we entered to-day, if the names by which we are known, are as valuable to us, as they should be to true Christians.

Division. I must first illustrate the value which a true Christian finds in his name, and secondly, show that we shall spend the new year in the best manner, if we feel that our own names possess this value.2

First Head. The name of a Christian is valuable to him, A. As a mark of distinction from other persons; for society would be confused and would fall into many and ruinous mistakes, if there were no such convenient methods of distinguishing different individuals.

from which Reinhard usually preached. Different systems of lessons are used in different lands.

'Predigten, 1797, Band I. ss. 1-21. It should be said, however, that Reinhard speaks of his train of thought in this sermon, as unusual for the pulpit.

2 Here Reinhard inserts an explanation which exemplifies his extreme, sometimes unnecessary care in making all his assertions perspicuous and precise. "By the word name, I here mean those words which are employed for precisely designating our persons, and for distinguishing us from all others. They may or may not be in themselves specially significant, may be derived from our own or foreign languages, may have been selected for us with consideration and for some peculiar distinctive purpose, or capriciously and under the influence of accidental circumstances; all these things are of not the slightest weight, and do not affect the minds of rational Christians with regard to the intrinsic value of their names." s. 6.

1849.]

Sermon on New Year's Day.

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B. As a remembrancer of his reception into the bosom of the church. It was given him at his baptism, as Christ's at his circumcision, and is associated with all the vows then made for him, and all the significance of that initiatory rite.

C. As a sign of his connection with an honored or beloved family. If the family be honored, how precious the word which associates all that reputation with himself; if it be not unusually revered by society at large, many members of it are beloved by himself, and how sweet the word which indicates his consanguinity with those to whom his heart clings in the fondest attachment. D. As the object around which is entwined all that others think of him or feel toward him. It is the ring which encircles within itself the various opinions and emotions which men have in regard to his character. What a multitude of thoughts and feelings are awakened at the bare name of Jesus! And in a degree, all the followers of Christ should associate their names with such a demeanor, as will give a peculiar meaning to those otherwise arbitrary letters, and make them suggestive of whatever is great and good. The mere mention of their names may and should be a stimulus to high and holy efforts.

E. As the vehicle by which our influence may be transmitted to pos

terity. Our names will survive us, perhaps for centuries. We may so conduct ourselves that they will be associated with lessons of instruction to coming ages, will excite emotions, elevating men to virtue or alluring them into sin. Can a Christian, then, be indifferent to the spiritual associations, which may fruitfully. cluster around his cognomen when he himself is no more? Second Head. We shall best spend the year on which we this day enter, if we attach to our names the importance which we have just ascribed to them; for this view of their importance will lead us, A. To rectify our faults; not to allow the very sound which suggests

the idea of our persons, to be significant of odious qualities to our contemporaries and successors, and thus to disgrace ourselves, our relatives, and the church:

B. To rescue our names from obscurity; not to permit them to be unconnected in the memory of man with deeds of wisdom and beneficence, with habits of punctuality and faithfulness:

C. To adorn all our social and public relations; to make each member of our families rejoice in our names; each of our fellow citizens love to repeat them; the church of Christ at whose baptismal altar we received them, derive comfort from the virtues VOL. VI. No. 22.

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