Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for the Sixth Sunday after Easter (Dominica Exaudi)

The following is my translation of Martin Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for the Sixth Sunday after Easter (Dominica Exaudi) as found in his Postilla (Vol. II, pg. 210–11). Chemnitz’s Gospel reading is John 15:26–16:4. Square brackets indicate my own personal notes or additions.

Chemnitz’s Homily Outline

So that we may grasp something useful from this sermon, we want to divide this sermon into three points:

1. First, we want to hear what is the correct Church and Congregation of God (die rechte Kirch und Gemeine Gottes), and how one can know this, namely, since the Spirit of truth testifies of Christ through the Word, in which the apostles have testified and preached concerning Christ [John 15:26–27]; where the testimony is now carried out, there is the Church of God and the congregation in which the Holy Spirit portions out the common goods which belong to all Christians (Wo das Zeugnuß nun geführet wirdt, da ist die Kirche Gottes, und die Gemeine, in welcher der heilige Geist die gemeinen Güter, darzu alle christen gehören, austheilet). Therefore, everyone ought to see to it that he is in incorporated (eingeleibt) into the Church and congregation and be found in it so that he may have these goods with which to comfort [himself] and to delight [in], [the goods] to which only Christians to have access.
2. Second, Christ sets forth against this that it will not remain [the case] that this His Church and congregation will be in the world and that this testimony of the Holy Spirit of Christ will be carried out [without contest], but rather that the prince of this world will also have his congregation, to which he will send his own false apostles, who will not carry out the testimony of Christ, thereby leading the people away from Christ to eternal damnation, but instead will preach and proclaim the false and deception doctrine of the devil. Therefore, everyone ought to very much be on guard and watch himself so that he may not fall into that assembly (Versammlung); for those who are found therein will finally receive an evil ward (ein bösen Lohn) and will be judged along with their lord [i.e., the devil] to whom they confess themselves, and will be eternally condemned. Therefore, everyone ought to have a good foundation for his faith, so that he cannot be easily led astray.
3. Third, this is something especially treated on this Sunday and is the chief doctrine (Häuptlehr) of today’s Gospel, of which we are reminded and ought to well mark, [namely,] that it will not only remain the case that the two kinds of churches and opposing doctrines will be carried out in the world, that the one will promote and defend this and the other will promote and defend [the contrary], and that each will hold to his own settled opinion (gefasseten Meinung); but rather, from this it will also follow that the wicked enemy and spirit of lies (Lügengeist) will set himself with all zeal and violence against those who carry out the testimony of the truth of Christ, and who remain steadfast and persist in the pure doctrine (der reinen Lehre), and hold onto it with zeal, and Satan will incite against these not only the godless and unbelieving people, but also those who want to be seen as the holiest and most eminent in the Kingdom of God and the Church of Christ, that they will oppose Christians with burning and murder (Brennen und Morden), which not everyone can endure so easily. Therefore, we ought to pray and petition that God would preserve us against such violence, give us heart and courage, so that we do not despair, nor allow ourselves to be terrified, but rather to remain steadfast in the right doctrine (der rechten Lehr), even if we ought to risk body and goods, honor and blood for its sake, and trust God who can protect us as long as He wills, and if we indeed ought to suffer on account of it, fall into danger and harm, that He wants to and can richly restore to us all things we have suffered (Allen den Schaden) in His own time.

On these three points we want to direct what is to be dealt with in this Gospel in this Sermon. The Spirit of truth grant that we through His grace and power rightly learn and make use of it.