The following is my translation of Martin Chemnitz’s outline for the second homily for Pentecost as found in his Postilla (Vol. II, pg. 234). The first homily explanation and outline on the history of Pentecost (Acts 2) can be found here. Chemnitz’s reading is John 14:15–31. Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions.
Chemnitz’s Explanation and Homily Outline
This morning your grace has heard of this feast which we now celebrate and keep holy, and how we maintain our Pentecost against the Pentecost of the Old Testaments, and ought to thereby compare [our Pentecost] with it so that this feast may become all the more dear to us. Thereafter we dealt with the account and explained its circumstances from which we have heard much fine doctrine and admonition (Erinnerung).
After this, we now want to deal with this second part which belongs to this feast for ourselves, namely, as it pertains to the doctrine which ought to be dealt with on this feast. Now your grace has heard that this is the chief doctrine (Hauptlehre) of this feast, that in these three days the entire third article of our Christian faith is explained by us; as today, the first part, “I believe in the Holy Spirit;” the second part, “one holy Christian Church, the congregation of saints” on this upcoming Tuesday; and the third part, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins, and an eternal life” tomorrow.
So we want to now take the first part of the third article [of the Apostles’ Creed] for ourselves and explain it in the manner of the Catechism (auff Catechismus Art), that:
First, we want to hear how we can grasp the doctrine of the person and of the office of the Holy Spirit (die Lehre von der Person und von der Ampt deß heiligen Geists) accurately and usefully.
Second, how and through which means (Mittel) the Holy Spirit comes to us and is given to us, namely, through the Word, the Sacraments, and prayer.
Third, to what end we need the Holy Spirit, and what He creates and works in us.
Fourth, how we ought to examine ourselves as to whether we also have the Holy Spirit [~2 Corinthians 13:5], and how we can come to be certain of it, what are the marks (Merckzeichen) [of the Holy Spirit] whereby one knows the Holy Spirit and can know that He dwells in our hearts.
And then lastly, how each person ought to conduct himself, so that if He has the Holy Spirit, He does not lose Him again, that He does not grieve Him [Ephesians 4:30], nor drive Him from himself.
This we now want to briefly deal with in this sermon.
The following is my translation of an excerpt from Martin Chemnitz’s Homily for the History of Pentecost (Pfingst Tage) as found in his Postilla (Vol. II, pg. 224–26). Chemnitz’s reading is Acts 2:1–21. Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions.
As a side note, the Feast of Pentecost was normally celebrated over three days (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday). You will hear Chemnitz reference this in the explanation of Pentecost. It is my personal contention that if our churches are not having services on Monday and Tuesday, then we ought to read the entire account of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–47) on Sunday.
Excerpt from His Exegesis (Auslegung)
(How we Christians ought to keep our Pentecost. What doctrine (Lehre) is dealt with now.)
From this we therefore see that we have not less, but indeed a much greater cause than the Jews to keep Pentecost holy and to commemorate it joyfully. Since on this day a far greater benefit is preached to us than that for which the Jews had held their festival of Pentecost. For this doctrine is now set before us, how God the Holy Spirit is one united (ein einiger), eternal, true, omnipotent God with the Father and the Son, equal to the Father and the Son in eternity and omnipotence, and is of one divine essence with them, proceeding from the Father and sent to us by Christ, so that He may enlighten our heart through God’s Word, govern us, and lead us in true repentance (wahrer Buß) and right faith (rechtem Glauben) to eternal life and eternal salvation; and that He thus leads us into the communion of saints (Gemeine der Heiligen) so that we also become members of the Christian Church and thereby may become partakers of the goods which Christ has obtained for us in the Church and congregation (in der Kirchen und Gemein), namely, [that we may partake of] the forgiveness of sins and the the resurrection of the flesh, an everlasting life, as the doctrine in the is summarized and explained in the third article of our Christian faith.
This doctrine is now, during these three days of this festival [of Pentecost], entirely and perfectly presented to us by the ordered texts (ordentlichen Texten) that are read over these days. From this we may thus hear and learn today and during the following two days of this festival the explanation of the third article, just as we heard the explanation of the entire second article of our faith before and after Easter and thereafter on Ascension Day (of the incarnation of Christ on the Annunciation of Mary, of the suffering and death of Christ on Good Friday, of the resurrection on Easter Day, of the ascension and the session at the right hand of God on Ascension Day). Thus it is distributed over these three days that we hear today about the first part of the third article, “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” and the last part will be dealt with tomorrow, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins, and in eternal life.” The middle portion (Das mittelste) of the third article, “I believe in a holy Christian Church, the communion of saints (Gemeinschafft der Heiligen), is explained on the last day. And this is our Christian Pentecost, for which we now come together, and celebrate these days, so that we consider, learn, and make use of the doctrine therein concerning the Holy Spirit, His office (Ampt), and His working in us, directed to this end: that we become Christians and may have forgiveness of sins and the eternal life.
This is the doctrine which we Christians ought to take into consideration during our Pentecost festival, that which went forth from Zion on the day of Pentecost, as the prophet Isaiah prophesied in 2[:3] and Micah prophesied in 4[:2]. These two kinds of Pentecost (zweierlei Pfingsten), the one of the Jews in the Old Testament and our Christian [Pentecost] in the New Testament, ought always be held against each other; that will serve us for this, that we from this may be able to see that our Pentecost is much more glorious and comforting than was the first [Pentecost]. Just as St. David held these two Pentecosts against one another in Psalm 68 and compares and contrasts them with one another, when he says, “O God, when You first allowed Yourself to be seen on mount Sinai, when You gave Your law to Your people, everything happened with terror, with thunder, lightning, fire, smoke, and vapor” [~Psalm 68:7–8] so that Moses himself and all the people trembled because of it, as it says in Hebrews 12[:18–21].
However, since we are not to remain with this, as David says, rather, the time will come when God will allow another Pentecost to come on which He will give His people them a new and different Law [Jeremiah 31:33]. That God will give a gracious rain [Psalm 68:9], where there will not be such a storm as there was on Mount Sinai; but rather, when he will give the Holy Spirit in a bodily and friendly form (leiblichen und freundtlichen Gestalt), like a fruitful rain, thereby the earth, which is otherwise dry and unfruitful, will be moistened and made fruitful (for with this same likeness the Holy Spirit is described in John 7[:37–39]). So that we, who are God’s portion (Thier), says David, may dwell in His land and may be God’s little plantings (Pläntzlein) and that we, who otherwise are apostate, lazy, dry sprigs may bring forth His good fruits through this lovely and fruitful rain, through the power and the working of the Holy Spirit, and that we may be brought to this: that we also grow and flourish (grünen), and this not only of the common man, but also some of the fat (den Fetten), etc. [~Psalm 68:18, 30], as the dear David so beautifully and comfortingly describes in the same place.
And thus, we also ought to learn to distinguish both Pentecosts, so that, when we see, how the gloriously the Jews keep their Pentecost, we may thereby be moved not to approach ours with no less joy, as well as the doctrine that is set before us at this festival, which is far more lovely and comforting than the [doctrine of the] Law which was given to the Jews on this day.
Homily Outline
So let us now make the beginning of this teaching, which is preached on our Pentecost day, and take up for ourselves the first part of the third article and see that we rightly grasp the doctrine and learn to understand it, when we say, “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” what belongs to this doctrine and to its right use, that we want to draw from the appointed accounts (Historien) and learn according to their guidance.
And that we may thus grasp this preaching so that one can learn what is useful from it, so we want to divine the same into two parts:
First, we want to pay attention to the account as it is here described, how it happened when Christ finally sent and gave the Holy Spirit whom he had promised [John 14:26] to His apostles on the day of Pentecost.
And thereafter, second, how we from this account [ought to learn] the doctrine of the person and office of the Holy Spirit (die Lehre von der Person und Ampt deß heiligen Geists), to what end He was given to us and what He creates and works in us, how we also receive Him, through what means, and how we ought to be diligent that we may retain Him and not drive Him away from us.
To these two points give attention, your grace (E. L.; “eure Liebden”), and grasp them from this sermon. Then you can apply it yourself all the better, rightly understand it, and use it in a Christian manner.
The following is my translation of Martin Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for the Ascension of Our Lord (Himmelfahrts Tage deß Herrn) as found in his Postilla (Vol. II, pg. 193). Chemnitz uses a composite text that includes Matthew 28:16–20, Mark 16:15–20, Luke 24:50–53, Acts 1:4–14, and 1 Corinthians 15:3–8. Square brackets indicate my own personal notes or additions.
Chemnitz’s Homily Outline
In order that such may be done all the better by us through God’s grace, so we want to direct this sermon in a simple way and thus grasp thus:
First, that we take not of the accounts, how they have been described thus far by the evangelists and apostles, what the Lord had done during the forty days which He spend with His disciples after His resurrection before He ascended into heaven in a bodily manner (leiblich Weise), how He finally carried out the ascension on the fortieth day and had allowed it to be seen by His apostles and disciples, insofar as that He lifted His feet into the air from the Mount of Olives and thus ascended even higher until a cloud came and had placed itself between the sight of the apostles and the body of Christ and which shortly thereafter led Him to heaven. This shall be the first part.
Second, we want to further search out from other places in Scripture how the holy fathers and prophets, in the Spirit, had looked through the clouds, and had become aware of this most-Christian and most powerful triumph which the Lord Christ has held in the air and in heaven at His ascension, the like of which has happened to no other potentate on earth; which thereafter also the Holy Spirit, when He was given to the apostles, had properly showed and revealed to them. Therefore, they have spoken and written so gloriously and powerfully about [Christs’s ascension] as the prophets in the Old Testament, that even Paul in his sermon, which He gives in Ephesians 4[:8] on this article [of the ascension], expressly refers to David and has taken from Psalm 68[:18] the words used and introduced concerning the ascension of Christ, so that one can see from it the unanimity of this doctrine among the saints (die Einhelligkeit dieser Lehr bei den Heiligen) in the Old and New Testaments.
Third, how thereafter God the heavenly Father had further received His beloved Son into heaven, and set Him with great solemnity and glory upon the thrown of majesty (den Stul der Maiestät) and has given Him, according to His human nature (nach seiner menschlichen Natur), inexpressible majesty and glory. There, He is also preparing our place for us, that we, in His time, shall come to Him and be with Him in eternal joy and glory also, as He Himself is; and there He now intercedes (vertritt) for us with His heavenly Father, governs (regiert) and protects (beschützet) us on earth, preserves (erhält) us, and provides (versorget) for all our needs of body and soul.
Fourth, how we ought to rightly make use of this doctrine of such a glorious ascension of Christ, so that we also can grasp from it enduring comfort and joy in our hearts.
To these four points Your Grace (E. L.; an abbreviation for Eure Liebden) should now give attention and mark them in this sermon, and thus rightly learn to rightly understand this high article as it is set forth in Scripture according to such instruction; then, without doubt, the Holy Spirit will be present it it so that we can also understand the use of this doctrine and comfort which is contained herein.
PATTERN OF SOUND WORDS 