Martin Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Sexagesima

The following is a translation of Martin Chemnitz’s homily outline found in his postil for Sexagesima (Postilla, Volume I, pgs. 399–400). The Gospel reading is Luke 8:4–18.

Division of the Sermon (pgs. 399–400)

“This is the summary and content of this parable, which the Lord Christ himself has shown such understanding for us. But that we may thereby learn something useful from it, we will summarize it in these five points:

1. First, how the Lord comes to this parable, and how he thereby reminds us which great misery we have been brought into through the Fall of our first parents, and what God the Almighty does with us, so that He might restore us and rectify us from such misery and corruption of our [human] nature; how to this end He uses the noble seed of His Word, thereby healing our hearts, and making good again whatever was corrupted in them; and from where the Word has such power.
2. Second, how everyone who considers himself to be saved should let this be a warning to him, that he should not despise the Word through which God solely accomplishes this, because the Lord says here, that He will strike those who despise the Word with blindness, and because they will not receive the truth, He will never let them come to it.
3. Third, if we are not despising [the Word], that we are are then to further learn how we ought to rightly prepare ourselves to hear the Word of God in order that we may hear it with fruit, and how we should take care lest the seed be thereby hindered so that it not come into fruition.
4. Fourth, how we ought to cultivate ourselves that we might be a good field (Acker) and bear good fruit, and everything that belongs to it: that one must hear the Word, take it to heart, understand it, keep it in his heart, and bear fruit with endurance (Gedult).
5. And then finally, how each one should take the parable for himself, go through it, and examine himself, whereby he is struck, so that he might use it for his benefit, and thus make sure that he does not let God work on him in vain, since He loves us so dearly.

If we thus deal with the parable in such a way and make use of it, then we can use it usefully and fruitfully, and thereby we will deal with these points in an orderly manner.”