1849.] Connection of his Themes with his Texts. 307 tions instead of words, Das Antworten mit der That.1 We are accustomed to hear discourses on the proper use of the tongue from such texts as Ps. 39: 1, or James 1: 26, or 3: 2 seq., but our author has a sermon on the duty of manifesting the true Christian spirit in our words, and founds it on the record of the miracle which Christ performed on the man who "had an impediment in his speech," Mark 7: 31-37. The narrative of our Saviour's miracle of feeding the four thousand, Mark 8: 1-9, would suggest to an ordinary preacher the benevolence or power of Christ, but Reinhard deduces from it the the theme, Christians must always rely on themselves more than on others.3 Men are apt to rely on their companions for even the entertainment of a social party, but Christ attracted four thousand persons to himself, entertained them three days by his own words, and at last, although he asked the advice of his disciples, did not follow it, but fed the multitude by his own power. So should we rely upon ourselves: a) we should expect more from our own judgment than from that of our fellow men in forming our plans; b) from our own activity than from that of our fellow men in executing our plans; c) from our own energy than from that of our fellow men in extricating ourselves from trouble. We should rely upon ourselves in this manner, because such reliance best accords with, a) our duty, b) our honor, c) our interest, d) the general welfare. If we would thus expect more from ourselves than from others, we must, a) cherish a fitting regard for our own dignity, b) endeavor to discipline our powers so as to become more and more judicious and practically useful, c) strive to possess within ourselves as many resources as possible, d) in all ways confirm within us the filial assurance that, while in the way of prudence and duty, we shall receive the aid of the Most High. The fact that the multitude had been with Jesus three days and without provisions, suggests to Reinhard, as a theme of another sermon from the same text,4 the Proposition that we should be very miserable if God did not, without ceasing, remedy the evils of our improvidence; a theme ingeniously illustrated by the incidents of the text, but too homely and secular for the taste of English and American divines. From the expres sion, Many prophets and kings have desired, etc., in the lesson Luke 10: 23-37, our author preaches an intellectual discourse,5 on the yearnings of the noblest minds after a higher good than they have already attained. Predigten 1807, Band II. ss. 121–138. 2 Predigten, 1797, Band I. ss. 297-315. 3 Predigten, 1797. Band II. ss. 292-308. Predigten, 1799, Band I. ss. 41-58. Predigten, 1800, Band II. ss. 147–166. When there are several parallel passages of Scripture which might, with some propriety, be used as texts for a particular sermon, Reinhard is often obliged to employ the least appropriate of these passages for his text, and refer to the more appropriate as illustrating it. The healing of Jairus's daughter is described more fully in Mark 5: 2253 and Luke 8: 41-56 than in Matt. 9: 18-26; yet the latter is one of the selected lessons, and must therefore be the foundation of Reinhard's sermon, although the principle which he derives from it is far more clearly developed in the other histories. "Jairus came to Capernaum," says our author in one of his discourses from Matt. 9: 18-26,1 "but found the Messiah thronged with inquisitive men. He persuaded the Saviour to accompany him, yet the multitude of curious observers streamed after this object of their unceasing wonder. When Jesus arrived at the ruler's house, he saw the same love of novelty developed there. A crowd had assembled to gaze at the scene of death. He expelled the inquisitive multitude from the house, that he might perform his miracle in quietness. The curiosity of modern times is greater than was that of ancient days; for then it was limited to the news of neighboring villages, now it is extended to the news of distant nations. This curiosity is not itself blamable, but should be regulated on Christian principles. The inquisitiveness of Christ's contemporaries led but very few of them to a hearty faith in him; and our curiosity for the social or literary, written or oral news of the day, is often unproductive of good, because it is not subjected to the law of Christianity. The design of this sermon is, to state the duties which the Christian religion devolves upon us in regard to the news of the day. A. A Christian is required to be deliberate in his attention to the news of the day. He should attend to them, but, a) should not eagerly seize at popular rumors, for they are generally too frivolous to be hunted for; and, b) he should not credit them without a searching examination, for they are often untrustworthy. B. A Christian is required to be cautious in communicating the news of the day. a) He should guard against repeating them in a gossiping spirit, for such a spirit leads to exaggerations of the truth, b) he should be influenced by circumstances in communicating them. The Saviour performed his miracle in the house of Jairus privately, for circumstances rendered such a mode expedient. But on his way to this house, he made known a miracle which he had secretly performed. Why did he expose the woman who had touched the hem of his gar 'Predigten, herausgegeben von Hacker, Band IV. ss. 145-163. An abstract of this sermon is here given, as illustrating the mode in which Reinhard constantly refers to his text. 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 discourse? 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 exclaims, "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. 2 Predigten, 1800, Band II. ss. 187-208. 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 1 Predigten, 1799, Band I. ss. 105–123. Predigten, 1800, Band I. ss. 252–271. Reference is here made to the lessons in the old Sächsische Kirchen Agende, |