The Thunderclap from Heaven

Some Good Quotes
Law and Evangelism

"It is exceeding necessary for us to know this use of the Law. For he that is not an open and a public murderer, an adulterer, or a thief, holds himself to be an upright and godly man; as did the Pharisee, so blinded and possessed spiritually of the devil, that he could neither see nor feel his sins, nor his miserable case, but exalted himself touching his good works and deserts.

Such hypocrites and haughty saints can God by no better means humble and soften, than by and through the Law; for that is the right club or hammer, the thunderclap from Heaven, the axe of God's wrath, that strikes through, beats down, and batters such stock-blind, hardened hypocrites. For this cause, it is no small matter that we should rightly understand what the Law is, whereto it serves, and what is its proper work and office."

-Martin Luther

The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century

New at Polemos
Reformation, The
Articles

• John Calvin's Views on Worship
  by Dr Robert Godfrey
• God’s Gift to Scotland in John Knox and the Reformation
  James Begg
• The Reformed Faith
  Loraine Boettner

Audio

1. Our Reformation Heritage
   Albert N. Martin

Books

• The Necessity of Reforming the Church (1543)
  John Calvin
• Calvin's Commentaries
  John Calvin
• Institutes of the Christian Religion
  John Calvin
• The Bondage of the Will
  By Dr. Martin Luther
• History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century
  J. H. Merle D'Aubigne
  

I recently noticed that someone made the entire 20 books of D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century available online. This is probably the best history of the Reformation available! In light of growing movement to go back to pre-Reformation darkness and unite with the church of Rome everyone aught to at least read the first book: BOOK 1 - STATE OF EUROPE BEFORE THE REFORMATION. I love the way it starts; "The enfeebled world was tottering on its foundations when Christianity appeared."

This is my own first set; 20 books in 5 volumes (They looked like that when I got them). I'm not really sure how old they are; there's no dates in any of them. They've definitely seen some better days though.


Here's my other more modern, stuffed into one big volume edition. Its traveled all over the country with me, suffered a great deal of abuse and I have enjoyed every page of it! I just wish the print wasn't so small. Its very hard to see. Its 876 pages of small print put out by a Seventh Day Adventist publisher of all places but you really cant beat the price. You can get a new copy for around 40$ on Amazon.

If you have a few extra dollars laying around Vision Forum has some really nice sets available here:

The History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century (3 Vols.)

The History of the Reformation in the Time of Calvin (4 Vols.)

The World's Greatest Reformation History Set (7 Vols.)

swine, dunces, and blockheads

Some Good Quotes
Children
Marriage

"Most married people do not desire children; in fact, they dislike them and hold that it is better to live without them because they are poor and do not have the where­withal to support a family. This is true particularly of those who are given to idleness and laziness and flee from the sweat and labor of married life. But the purpose of marriage is not pleasure and ease but the procreation and education of children and the support of a family. This is truly an immense burden, full of great cares and labors. But that is why God created you: to be a husband or a wife and to learn to bear these moles­tations. People who do not like children are swine, dunces, and blockheads, not worthy to be called men and women, because they despise the blessing of God, the Creator and Author of marriage."

-Martin Luther as quoted in What Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian

Carrying one another to the grave

Some Good Quotes
Death

"If you look at the matter aright, death is the sphere in which the entire world moves. Nothing but pictures and works of death! Till Judgment Day life is a constant and daily journey toward death. One after another die, and the living must merely engage in the miser­able business of carrying one another to the grave. . . . We bring death into the world with us, bear it and drag it about with us from the moment of our birth, and all of us are traveling the same road together. The only difference is that one precedes another or is carried out before another, while the others must follow him until the turn of the last one comes. And there is no deliverance, nor can help against death be had from any creature. Death rules over all (Rom. 5:14) and irresistibly sweeps all away."

----Martin Luther as quoted in What Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian

Luther on Polemics

Feeding and Defending the Sheep

"A preacher must not only feed the sheep so as to instruct them how they are to be good Christians, but he must also keep the wolves from attacking the sheep and leading them astray with false doc­trine and error; for the devil is never idle. Nowadays there are many people who are quite ready to tolerate our preaching of the Gospel as long as we do not cry out against the wolves and preach against the prelates.

But though I preach the truth, feed the sheep well, and give them good in­struction, this is still not enough unless the sheep are also guarded and protected so that the wolves do not come and carry them off. For what sort of building is it if I throw away stones and then watch another throw them back in? The wolf can readily tolerate a good pasture for the sheep; he likes them the better for their fatness. But what he cannot endure is the hostile bark of the dogs. Therefore it is of vital importance to set our hearts on truly feeding the flock as God has commanded it."

Un­questioning Submission

"Accept Suffering from God with un­questioning submission. Whatever you do and think, especially in times of suffering, when you are an afflicted Christian, do not, if you believe, sit in judgment on your life and actions; otherwise you will go wrong. You are dumb, stupid, you are being tried and held captive, and you cannot speak aright about your affairs or pass judgment on them. You are told to "wait on the Lord" (Ps. 27:14). And do not be offended; do not murmur and despair. For you are not giving your actions and afflictions the proper name. Your judgment is false, your talk is wrong, your wisdom is fool­ishness. For the will of God is that the old man be destroyed and the flesh mor­tified. However, while this is being done, the flesh speaks falsely and judges fool­ishly. . . . But the spirit conquers and draws this conclusion: What God has in mind with these plans I do not under­stand, neither do I desire to know it; but I shall bear the hand of the Lord and say: Thou art my God, Thy promise and Word remain forever."

- Martin Luther