Booklets017 Loehe On Mercy

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Lhe on Mercy
Lhe on Mercy
Six Chapters for Everyone, the Seventh for the Servants of Mercy
18581860
By Wilhelm Lhe
Translated by Holger Sonntag
Edited by Adriane Dorr and Philip Hendrickson
With a preface by Rev. Matthew Harrison
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LCMS World Relief and Human Care
1333 South Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63122-7295
800-248-1930, ext. 1390 http://worldrelief.lcms.org
Translated from Wilhelm Lhe. Von der Barmherzigkeit in Wilhelm Lhe
Gesammelte Werke, vol. 4, ed Klaus Ganzert, 466-523. Neuendettelsau: Fre-
imund-Verlag, 1962.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior written permission.
ISBN-13: 978-1-934265-03-1
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Lhe on Mercy
Preface
The formation of a deaconess does not depend solely on knowledge
and studies. Commensurate with studying, there must be a formation
and sanctication of her heart. That is what we are after with these
little pamphlets on the churchs corporate life of mercy the formation
and sanctication of the heart. Wilhelm Lhe is an amazing, towering
gure of nineteenth century Lutheranism. His voluminous writings
cover the range of the churchs life: mission, pastoral theology, liturgy,
history. Whatever his weaknesses, he was a veritable consuming re for
the cause of genuine Lutheran mission and care for the needy. His dea-
coness training institution has perdured to this day, as have numerous
congregations, institutions and church bodies his missionaries founded.
Lhe never tired of noting that Gods gracious mercy in Christ over our
sin begets mercy in our hearts and merciful action for the needy. This
little treatise, written originally for deaconesses in training, presents a
brief but thorough overview of the churchs life of mercy, from the Old
and New Testaments to Lhes own day. We present it here for the rst
time in English, thanks to Rev. Holger Sonntag, and pray that it would
spark a ame for the churchs corporate life of mercy.
Pastor Matthew C. Harrison
executive director
St. Louis
Pentecost 12, 2006
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Lhe on Mercy
Foreword
The following text is not motivated by the request of others, but
by the desire of the editor to do the deaconess house at Neuendettel-
sau a little favor. It seemed to him that prospective servants of mercy
should themselves primarily receive instruction on mercy. Because of
this, he initially gave them instruction in the form of dictation meant
to be copied by the students by hand and later interpreted by a teacher.
However, because the study time of the deaconesses is limited, the
dictation turned out to be too long for copying.
Someone tried to solve the problem by publishing portions of the
dictation in the deaconesses journal at Neuendettelsau. However,
it became clear that the space available in the journal was limited
as well and that the dictation would have to be torn into too many
parts. Some people suggested that the text be published separately to
reserve the space in the journal for other things. Those who made the
suggestion thought the texts content was applicable to a wider audi-
ence, even though one chapter out of seven, though by no means the
longest, was solely addressed to prospective deaconesses. A publisher
was found, and the whole matter was settled when it was decided that
the origin and purpose of the text could be explained in the foreword,
as it is actually done here.
There are many people who can read and write something better
about mercy; they, of course, will not nd the following text necessary
to read. However, there are also those who nd other books on the
same topic too long and difcult or who nd this text more accessible
and understandable in their particular circumstances. Perhaps those
people will welcome this book. If after reading this they are stimulated
to study the works of mercy themselves, then the publication has served
its purpose.
I do not have to make any preliminary comments regarding this
little book other than that I will gladly accept it if someone wants to
make me aware of mistakes in my writing. May God grant this booklet
His blessing. Let it serve others as much as it pleases Him and do no
damage.
Neuendettelsau, 28 June 1860
Wilhelm Lhe
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First Chapter
What Is Mercy?
1. Mercy is goodness, goodness is love, and, therefore, mercy is
love. Mercy is goodness and love but in a specic relationship, namely,
in relation to the unfortunate and wretched. Love is manifold. When
it is directed to God on high, it becomes devotion and adoration.
When it is directed over the whole earth to other redeemed brothers,
it becomes goodness, affability, and friendliness. But when it enters
areas lled with misery and brings with it consolation, relief, and help,
then it becomes mercy. May the God who is love grant us manifold
love and awaken in us a sense of and a will for mercy at the beginning
of this inquiry.
2. The Old Testament uses ve different words that mean mercy
and the New Testament uses three. But these words are distinct in
the sense that they point to the different stages of mercys existence
from the rst inner impulses of mercy to its external practice. Other
languages, too, have many words that mean the same thing, but rarely
do the words so clearly and markedly point to various expressions that
are used in the Old and New Testaments. Usually all of these expres-
sions are translated in the same way into German, because the German
language does not have distinct expressions for the different stages and
forms of mercy. But there are some things that are understandably lost
in the translation, which the text in the original languages reveals to
the diligent reader.
3. One could ask whether mercy has been from eternity or
whether it slowly came into being over time. The answer for the ques-
tion is not difcult. Insofar as mercy is love and goodness, it is certainly
from eternity. Insofar as it is a relation of love and mercy to misery, it
cannot be older than misery itself. And because one always has to see
love and mercy together, it is tting to say that mercy came into being
like misery, that is, in time, but that it lasts in eternity even when there
will be no more misery. Eternal love cannot forget the misery of the
creature, even when it is taken care of. There is no doubt that misery
would return if mercy would not keep watch at the gates of heaven.
4. What is mercy? Is it a mere impulse? Is it a state? Is it a doing?
Those are three questions in one. A possible answer is this: mercy is
love toward the wretched, and it comes into being with misery. As
we saw, it does not even cease to exist with misery. But if it does not
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Lhe on Mercy
end with misery, does it cease before misery itself ends? Is it, therefore,
something that lasts or is even a state of being? Whenever love meets
misery, mercy is awakened. However, because misery is continually
present in Gods eyes, mercy cannot be an impulse, but it has to be a
continuous inner movement of God, who created the world and who
did not cease to love it although it fell. Mercy is, therefore, a state,
that is, a state of continuous transfer of divine love to the wretched.
But is it thinkable that Gods love toward the broken is given to them
without physical deeds? Can anybody stop the waters of grace, which
want to come down from heaven, so that they would not ood the
languishing earth? As the inner impulses of mercy are without number,
so also are the deeds of mercy without number. Therefore, mercy is a
state that does not suddenly cease after coming into being, but it is an
endless impulse of Gods heart toward the lost world, an endless row
of Gods gifts given to sinners. Thus all three questions are answered
in the afrmative. If anyone wants to contradict, let him contradict,
but it is more protable that your mercy become like Gods.
5. Mercy is only one thing, but its relations are without number,
and in every relation it appears in a different form. This is why one can
say that mercy is manifold. Misery, however, comes in just one form.
And the greatest misery that there is, the origin and source of all other
misery, is sin. It is difcult for mercy to relate to sin because they are
so opposite. But in the end, mercy wrestles with justice and holiness
and comes into a cleansing re, and it emerges with a new name. From
then on it is not called mercy anymore but grace.
Grace is mercy in its relation to sin and the sinner. After winning
the victory for the salvation of the sinner and, as Scripture says, rejoic-
ing against judgment (James 2:13), all other relations become easy for
mercy. Once it has dealt with the sin itself, it only has to deal with
the consequences of sin.
The consequences of sin are both bodily and spiritual, and we all
know there is much bodily and spiritual misery. There is poverty in the
bodily realm as well as nakedness, sickness, disease, age, and death. They
are all vast, expansive areas in which mercy reigns as queen according
to the will of the Lord, which is rich in activity, continually moving,
and overowing in good works. There is much misery in the spiritual
realm as well. There is ignorance and error, lust, passion, outrage, and
crime. Along with this, spiritual death and a hardening of hearts are
constantly lurking around the corner. Oh, what expansive areas and
lands Queen Mercy must not simply conquer, but also, according to the
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orders of her almighty Bridegroom, occupy and rule with the powers
of the world to come!
We can see then that mercy is great, and just as a person has and
is given many names during his lifetime, so mercy also is given many
names according to her appearances. Under all of her forms is hidden a
loving essence toward the wretched, a characteristic that is manifested
in many different forms. At times it is called punishment, at times it is
called teaching, at times comfort, at times reproof, at others consola-
tion, at times admonition, at times strengtheningall depending on
which specic sweet fruit the miserable children of man need.
6. All human misery originates in sin, which itself is the biggest
misery. Because of his sin, man has become the object of divine justice,
which punishes the guilty one. One only has to look to the rst chapters
of the history of humanity to see this. The sinner has always been the
object of justice, which avenges transgression. But he has also been
the object of divine mercy, which seeks not only to alleviate divine
punishments and the consequences of sin, but also to overcome both
them and sin itself. Thus, justice and mercy, the two hands of God,
work on the same fallen, sinful being. After the one strikes, the other
binds up the wounds made by the rst. Thus, there is a tension because
of Gods effects on and in man. Now the question is, How can man
escape from this?
He will escape it to the extent to which the will of a man bows
under the reprimand, recognizes his state and suffering as punishment,
and judges himself and his behavior in contrition and repentance.
Indeed, to this extent justice yields to mercy and leaves it plenty of
room so that it can drip the heavenly blessing of divine redemption and
reconciliation into the justly struck wounds. But to the extent to which
the will of a man rebels against justice and the pain of the wounds struck
by it, ignores the call to repentance and hardens itself in deance and
pride, to this extent mercy yields to justice and eventually hands the
haughty, impudent sinner over to a most holy, cruel sword.
Thus the tension of this double divine effect on the sinner does
not last forever, but in one way or the other the divine effect becomes
just a single one. Men for their part become either children of Gods
mercy or people of His avenging hand. And certainly the use and abuse
of the remains of His free will is what leads man to mercy. Therefore,
the bowls of the scales go up and down. But you, however, are the one
to tip the scales, for, because of the way you are, you can do no good,
and only hinder all the good that your God wants to do to you. Beware,
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Lhe on Mercy
for from your stubborn unwillingness, according to divine decree, even
almighty mercy retreats.
How long can you go on resisting Gods merciful will? When will
mercy turn away from you and leave you to justice? Where are the divi-
sions between justice and mercy? You do not know these answers, but
grace is there for everyone that seeks it, even in their last moments.
The Church says that the time of grace lasts as long as life. Yet
there is already a judgment before death for living people whose sin is
so grievous that St. John does not say that one should pray for them (1
John 5:16). In spite of seeing life as a time of grace, there are warning
examples along the path of life, which lead us to conclude that mercy
might end its work before we breathe our last. Where there is suffering
and pain, a longing and desire for grace, then there certainly is grace
and mercy. But where there is a false security and the illusion of self-
righteousness, there the gruesome air of death blows across deathbeds.
Therefore, joyfully comfort all who cry for grace and mercy, but you
yourself watch so that you do not pit any evil resistance of your own
will against the merciful powers of the Word, lest mercy leave you.
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Second Chapter
How Did the Lord, Your God, Practice Mercy in the Old
Testament?
7. The Lord, your God, has miraculously led all humankind since
the time of the fall. Indeed, I know of no greater miracle than the com-
bination of justice and mercy as seen in the history of humankind. This
miracle takes place in Old Testament times as well as in those of the
New, and whoever carefully observes the individual periods and peaks
of history before and after Christ will nd that there are just as many
periods and peaks of this miraculous combination of divine virtues.
Rightly, therefore, the Church paints Moses with the Law and our
Lord on the cross in the front of the great history book of God. But
history does not merely show us the Law. If it is true that all of history
is a continuous testimony to the combination of justice and mercy, then
it is obviously also a continuous testimony to mercy alone. During all
the periods and peaks of history, mercy clearly is not just combined
with justice, but prevails against it with great glory. Mercy rejoices
over judgment (James 2:13).
8. Through the devils envy, man falls; there divine justice com-
bines with divine mercy, and both drive him out of paradise together,
so that he may be punished for his evil deed (says justice), not eat of
the tree of life, and live eternally in his misery (says mercy). Before
paradise there is encamped the cherub and the striking swords, and
the cherub is the angel of the throne of God. For where the angel is,
there God has not yielded yet, for He still wills to dwell mercifully
on earth. But the swords, however, still bar the access to the tree of
life.
In the same manner also after the fall, the combination between
the two great divine virtues of justice and mercy is actively doing the
work of the Lord. The justice of God drives out of Eden the one who
committed fratricide, but yet His mercy marks the mans forehead lest
he be slain by anybody who nds him. Similarly, the justice of God
prepared the ood, while the mercy of God allows one hundred twenty
years as a time for repentance. When the deluge of water breaks in,
justice drowns the whole world, but mercy carries Noah and seven souls
safely and peacefully through the awesome waters to Mount Ararat and
brings him the olive leaf of forbearance by the means of a dove. There,
dear children, you have a catechism of justice and mercy for the rst
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Lhe on Mercy
period of the world, an instruction to pursue the matter further and to
locate the two divine virtues more often in the same period.
9. Humanity grows in amazing progressions after the ood as
a result of divine mercy. That same mercy preserves the little light
of godly insight in the growing population. But look! Justice rises to
punish humanity because it does not want to follow that light, but
instead wants to clear its own ways and to light its own light for the
future. Mercy joins it quickly, and both work together to confuse the
languages. As a result, humanitys desire for evil is justly punished by
the confusion of the languages, with which the variety of nationalities
and religions goes along. Yet the punishment is alleviated by mercy,
for disunity is better than unity in that it leaves more doors open for
the divine truth than the latter. In this manner also, in the rst era of
the patriarchs after the ood, justice again goes together with mercy.
10. According to His justice, God lets those who ee from Him
go their ways, a gruesome leniency of the Most High toward the cor-
rupt creature! But look! At the same time, mercy enters in and lays in
Abraham a seed for that plant that begins like a mustard seed, grows,
and becomes the great tree under which all the downtrodden and
abandoned peoples can gather again and nd HimHe who looked for
Adam under the trees in the garden and wills to meet lost humanity at
the monument of His love, at the tree of Israel, the cross on Golgotha,
to save them. Oh, what a noble and lovely combination of justice and
mercy!
11. Abraham moves into Canaan, right into the middle of the
cursed children who are dragged along unwillingly rather than walking
the way of the curse. Justice is preparing them for eventual extermi-
nation. However, rst Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must pilgrimage in
the land and preach the name of the Lord who blesses the sinners. To
enable them to do this, wise mercy providentially arranges that they
bring from Mesopotamia the language spoken in Canaan. Also, mercy
restrains the arm of justice for four generations after Abraham, giving
Canaan time to repent if it so wishes. After this respite, the re of the
Lord breaks into the land, and mercy rejoices over judgment.
12. From Israels passing through the Red Sea until the disintegra-
tion of the people in the year AD 70, this people had beenwillingly
or unwillingly, that does not matterbearers of Gods mercy in its
holy mission to the Gentiles. On every stage of its development, clear
testimonies of the divine Word show that God chose it to be a light for
the nations, even a lighthouse and sign for the rest of the saints. This
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calling of divine mercy is so thorough and so inevitable that it comes
to the forefront during the time the people are in exile and during the
ensuing period of loss of national independence. The sin of the people
and its consequences do not revoke the holy call; indeed, Israel remains
the bearer of the Gospel of the single true God and Redeemer of the
world whether it believes in Him or not. But because the people as a
whole are not good enough for the sacred task God has commanded
them, light and power concentrate even more in individual persons,
and the strength of the ofce of the prophet of God casts its rays even
more brightly into the farthest regions. In this manner, God shows
mercy through Israel, as well as justice. Israels service for mercy is
in vain. So the Almighty enters in with punishments, and chooses
for the execution of His judgments the same hand that had to carry
the saving light of His grace as it, for example, took place among the
nations of Canaan, who had to be destroyed by the children of the
holy patriarchs who had preached them the Gospel. The history of
all peoples, especially of the great peoples before Christ, has no other
meaning than this: in and by Israel mercy or justice if offered them,
peace or punishment.
13. Just as God offers mercy or justice to the peoples of Israel, so
Israel itself as the bearer of Gods mercy and justice is constantly experi-
encing divine mercy and justice. The high hand, which justly practiced
arrogance against Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, is for Israel itself a high
hand of mercy. It is like eagles wings and carries the sword of justice,
namely, the people of Israel itself against Canaan to exterminate the
peoples. This hand mercifully leads the people through the Red Sea to
Mount Sinai to Kadesh; the same hand puts the whole people down
into the dust of death in just judgment. Mercifully it leads the next
generation across the Jordan River after thirty-eight years, and lets the
cities and peoples fall because of their cry. Mercy was even seen in the
wars that the Lord fought, and Israels celebration accompanied His
victories according to the mercy that happened to them. Yet soon came
centuries under the judges, during which times justice, at times mercy,
was seen. This depended on whether the people practiced ungodliness
and had a longing to be like the peoples of the world, or whether they
were tearfully contrite and returned to Jehovah. In a similar manner,
this goes on through all history. Yes, mercy and justice change ever
more grandly until the just Lord casts the people away.
14. In the times of Samuel, the desire of the people of Israel to have
a king like other peoples grew so strong that it demanded an answer.
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Lhe on Mercy
Although Samuel was unwilling (and the Lord did not rebuke him for
his unwillingness), he nevertheless gave one king to the people. Moses
had already promised them a king, and a monarchy did not directly
contradict the theocracy, but rather served as a shadow of the coming
kingdom of Christ.
The rst king did not persevere according to the mind of God,
yet the second one did according to Gods heart. Whatever the sinful
people demanded, the Lord granted according to His mercy. Yet He
also mingled in His justice, for along with their kings the people had
to suffer for the sake of their sin. Indeed, it is under these kings that
justice and mercy encounter each other again. However, because king-
ship is, much like the priesthood, easily prone to corruption, it had to
become a chastening rod of the Most High and of His justice for the
people. In this way justice could rejoice over mercy, the divine mercy
instituted the holy ofce of the prophets, who were directly inuenced
by the divine Spirit and who became most prominent whenever the
people came into the greatest spiritual danger. In this way mercy
rejoiced over judgment again, and the people of Israel had a sure an-
tidote against the human, sinful depravation of both the priesthood
and the kingship during the long period of its kings. The more the
people succumbed to the inuence of the surrounding peoples and the
demons, the louder the prophets became; the more the people pushed
themselves closer to the edge of the abyss, the more powerfully God
stretched out the saving arm of His holy Word. Before the oods of
divine justice broke in, mercy applied all means to save the hardened
people of Israel. Even until the Babylonian Exile, mercy wrestles for
the sparing of Israel from exile as she wrestles for a prize.
15. The just hand of the Most High leads rst Israel and then
also Judah into exile. There the children of the saints sat at the riv-
ers of Babylon and wept (Psalm 137:1). The Lord soon was sorry for
the punishment, for He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in mercy (Psalm 103:8). In the midst of the exile, He gives
the people the greatest prophets to direct their behaviors, their hearts,
and their hopes during the exile. This He did just like a shepherd who
can lead his sheep, and in so doing, He keeps alive their sense of the
old homeland and the mount of their God and the holy service and
the coming Messiah. In this way mercy prevents Israel from passing
away in misery, from despairing and assimilating to the Gentiles. And
so they remain Gods people in the midst of punishment and, like
once in the desert, journey toward a better time. Finally, mercy leads
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the people home as its spoil, while the service of justice is praised at
the same time.
16. After coming home into the Promised Land, the Jews still bear
the consequences of divine justice; they are seized by one ruler after the
other and suffer from different degrees of oppression and tyranny. Even
the prophets are muted, and a strange silence from the one who always
has been witnessing among His people commences. In turn, however,
divine mercy collected the written testimonies of the prophets in a
book, and then awakens a widespread zeal to read that Book of books.
The whole people paid attention to the Word, and its knowledge spread
in all the strata of the congregation of Israel. Satan led them astray so
that they did not merely want to be like the peoples anymore, but now
wanted to rule over them. They left bloody paths out of their desire
for earthly exaltation under the Maccabees and later eventually failed
to recognize Him who was to come. But the testimony of mercy was
nevertheless burning and shining among them, and the closer to the
advent of the Lord, the less they lacked people like Simeon and Han-
nah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, people who knew the
time in which they were visited.
For in the midst of judgment, mercy shows itself, and in the midst
of mercy, justice shows itself. Throughout the whole time of the Old
Testament one can always nd the combination of both, and time
and again the mercy we are talking about moves to again rejoice over
justice.
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Lhe on Mercy
Third Chapter
How Did the Lord, Your Savior, Practice Mercy in the New
Testament?
17. The work and suffering of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is simply
the culmination of that highly praiseworthy combination of mercy
and justice. The purpose of God the Father, the execution of the same
through God the Son, and the application of the accomplished work
to men through God the Holy Spiritall this is the most irrefutable
witness to the fact that justice rst had to be satised before the Lord
could turn to us in grace. What did God want besides thisthat His
Son should suffer the punishments for our sins and become sin in hu-
man nature, so that we might become righteousness that avails before
the highest judgment seat? What did the Son do besides suffering the
just punishments for our sins and thereby proclaiming their justice,
and yet still inviting us to himself in the sure knowledge of success,
so that we might inherit an everlasting mercy from His hand? And
what does the Holy Spirit through the preaching of His servants
deposit in the hearts of men besides precisely this combination of
mercy and justice for the good of the otherwise lost world? In these
two thoughtsjust and mercifuleverything the Triune has done
and still does is summed up.
18. In the apostolic period, the streams of mercy go out over the
whole world, and justice seems to step back. Yet, nevertheless, the
thunders of watchful justice roll right into the heavenly harmonies
made by the grace of God, which are heard from the mouth of the
holy apostles. First, the congregation gathers around the faith, but the
mystery of evil still reveals itself. It also makes itself felt and known,
and from the rst days of the beginning of the Church of Christ, a great
apostasy develops, which will provoke the judgment of the King of all
kings. The apostles preach clearly and loudly that the Lamb of God
is also the Lion from Judah, and that the Redeemer of the world with
His bleeding wounds is also a just and pitiless judge, whose heart full of
love can just as easily pour out eternal torture on those whom He has
redeemed. Thus, it is in Him that justice and mercy are combined.
19. Every subsequent period of Church history is an echo of the
rst and a prelude to the last era in history. It is an echo of the rst
because of the activity of mercy and a prelude to the last because of
the breaking in of justice. The history of every Christianized people
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is nothing but proof of the cooperation between the two great divine
virtues. Wherever the Gospel is received, there is blessing everywhere;
wherever one deviates from it, there blessedness and fortune go away.
What happened so many times in the Old Testament after the sermon
of the angel at Bochim (Judges 2:15) repeats itself in a New Testament
fashion. The way a people acts toward the Gospel determines the way
the hand of the Lord and its rod (Zechariah 11:7) act toward them. The
peoples fortune changes according to changes in their behavior toward
the Gospel. This remains true in the history of all peoples despite the
many and extraordinary differences.
20. One of the most remarkable combinations of mercy and justice
is seen in the persecution by the Roman emperors, men who came
over the Church. The Christians suffered outrageous injustice, and
the Lord paid back the tyrants as they deserved it. Books have been
written on the different death penalties the persecutors suffered, but
the Christians were rightly persecuted. One should not imagine that
the people of the rst centuries carried and appreciated the impulses of
the Gospel more persistently than other, later generations. Close to the
time of the rst outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the rst examples of the
secularization of the Church and of making a covenant between the
Church and Belial can be seen. Indeed, there the persecutions come as
a punishment of God, as a demonstration of His justice. But the very
same persecutions are cleansing storms and a blowing of wind, which
rekindle the existing sparks and little ames of faith into the desired
re. After a time of deepest corruption, the most beautiful examples
of the holy martyrs shine and show us that one should never despair
of the power of God and of His Gospel. The Lord knows to ll His
judgments with the powers of mercy and to do according to what is
written (2 Samuel 22:36; Psalm 18:35), When you humiliate me, you
make me great.
21. A highly remarkable mingling and combining of divine mercy
and justice can be learned from the fate of the Arian nations. These
must be looked at in comparison to those who fell away from the pure
doctrine of the divine Word. The most gifted Germanic nations be-
longed to the former group, namely the Goths, the Gepidae, the Van-
dals, and so on. Some of these (e.g., the Ostrogoths under Theodoric)
even enjoyed excellent governments and considerable intellectual
freedom. Nevertheless, their measure of mercy was used quickly. By
Gods justice, they were carried off in wars as mushrooms are torn
from soil, although they seemed rooted rmly like oaks. Indeed, there
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is nothing more detestable in history than the story of the Franks and
of their abominations, that is, kings. Nevertheless, the Lord was with
them and showed mercy, not justice, toward their sins and abomina-
tions while they honored the Son and the Father and confessed the
Most Holy Trinity. Here one can see not only mercy and justice but
also mercys limits.
22. In earlier days, the Gospel spread over southern Europe. We
are not entirely familiar with its successes because a great extermina-
tion arose, but there were successes nevertheless, great and remarkable
instances of the impact of the divine Word. Sometimes even whole
nations bowed in belief. But the swift hand of God soon came over this
harvest of the Gospel, and Attila, the king of the Huns, the scourge
of God, as he called himself, blew from east to west like a storm and
attened the plantations of the Gospel.
Even though, like with other storms, a mountain or a forest pro-
vided shelter for some congregations, several nations as a whole needed
time to recover from the misery caused by Attilas storm across Europe.
His path was one of divine justice over the depravity that was prevalent
in Europe. Yet even at his time mercy was still active, and even if the
impact of the Gospel was not very broad, it was very intense. The Lord
made the glory of His Church shine even brighter over the destruc-
tion of the kingdoms and caused His saints to lighten the world with
divine mercy. The mercy they passed on to others is still alive, but the
destructive wars and calamities they experienced are recognized and
remembered by but a few.
23. Other than Rome, the most prosperous congregations of the old
world were located in Asia and Africa. We have not always understood
the amount of mercy that the Lord showed to His saints in those parts
of the world. But it bears noting that this time of grace lasted longer
than, for example, the time of grace of the European congregations
who experience Attilas scourge and were mentioned in the previous
paragraph.
Yet here too mercy came to its end, and the Lord brought the ter-
rible rod of justice to Asia and Africa through the deceiver of the na-
tions, Muhammad. It is a great testimony to the corruption of mankind
that scores of people in all lands were willing to exchange the religion
of the thorn-crowned, almighty, and holy Jesus for the aberration of
an epileptic obsessed by lust. And yet it happened, and God quickly
used His hand of justice, for the Lord uses it to punish men. But other
punishments were added to it, namely, the pressure and barbarism of
14
Muhammadanism, a pressure that lls all of history, a barbarism that
was never more obvious than right now. One must have an open and
keen eye to perceive traces of mercy in Gods judgment that swept
across the nations through Muhammad.
24. Even as judgment spread across Asia and Africa, mercy was not
idle in those lands and, moreover, won great victories and triumphs
for Christ the Lord in other countries, especially those of northern
Europe. What a life emerged at the same time in both Ireland and
England and then migrated from there into the Frankish kingdom on
both sides of the Rhine! Who can reect upon the missionary journeys
of the old monkswho came across the English Channel, built places
for the adoration of Jesus and for moral betterment in the midst of the
wildernesses, and had the most hallowing inuence on Europe north
of the Alpswithout confessing that mercy was remarkably busy in
those times? Again, we see that mercy is mingled with justice. The
lack of total devotion to the Word, however, causes justice to manifest
itself in the form of hardships in life and shortcomings of strength for
the nations. These are merely signs of the same justice that punishes
men mostly through their own deeds. It is, nevertheless, always safe
to assert that God strikingly revealed Himself through justice in the
Orient and through mercy in the Occident.
25. In those times, divine mercy awakened one man in the Oc-
cident who is without par in the world ever since. For the Church,
he was an abundance of grace, but for the heathen he was a sword of
justice. Although he meant only good for the heathen and gave them
scores of teachers and preachers, he, against the declared opinion of
his advisers, asked that the heathen either accept or reject the Gospel.
One has to admit that his actions reected a divine providence. Yet
here it, too, is clear that the combination and mingling of justice and
mercy is not, nor should it be, always the same, and specic inner
reasons often determine divine permission.
During the long period of the Roman emperors who succeeded
Charlemagne, two main topics were continually discussed, namely,
the relation of the Church to the pope on the one hand and the rela-
tion between Church and state on the other hand. Groups within the
Church arose everywhere, criticizing the right of the pope over the Lords
congregations and seeking to establish a more inward and scriptural life
instead of the external and ecclesial life of the Roman church.
Between state and church, however, strife over who ought to sub-
mit to whom arose. The popes claimed that the state has to submit to
15
Lhe on Mercy
the Church; the emperor, conversely, that the Church be subject to
the state. The Church, therefore, was engaged in a double contention
against both the emperor and the sects. In both relations, the Church
applied somewhat just principles in a sinful manner and, therefore,
suffered much from both sides. In the end, divine justice punished its
sins.
The emperors were certainly no better than the popes, and their
discipline for the popes was more questionable than that of the popes
for the emperors. This is why the nations generally followed the disci-
pline of the popes more readily than that of the emperors. In this way,
divine justice was done not only against the popes, but also against the
lords of this world. However, while one side was always punished by
the other, the victory was never clearly won by either side, and divine
mercy showed itself on both sides. Finally, the two sides evaluated each
other, and the Lord showed to all parties involved how they should
better themselves. Whoever reads the long stories of the period briey
mentioned here may nd again a combination of justice and mercy and
a great example of how mercy rejoices over judgment.
26. Immediately preceding the Reformation era was a time of grave
justice. Constantinople and the East Roman Empire, or whatever was
left of it, fell under the sword of Muhammad. Whatever great and
glorious things the Greeks possessed from age-old times, pagan as well
as Christian, were carried away into all the world, just like the wind
blows into chaff and disperses it into all different directions. The glory
of the Greeks ew out of its nest and was carried to Italy and then to the
Alps. This glory was a spirit of knowledge and of delight in languages
and literature. Divine mercy helped further this movement in the
sense that the languages of the New and Old Testaments were studied
more carefully and that Holy Scripture as a whole was also read more
carefully. However, this same spirit of the Greeks was also a spirit of
wantonness and moral depravation that sowed its seeds wherever it
went. This seed grows exuberantly, and once again the warning justice
of the Lord is seen in a strange way. It allows men to walk on wrong
paths and looks on, watching whether they will turn from their ways
and seek mercy before it brings the nal judgments.
Prior to this, mercy and justice seem to be engaged only in prepa-
ratory work during the so-called Renaissance of the arts and sciences;
they are busily preparing for the Reformation. The Reformation era
itself appears to be a time lled with grace and some of the most blessed
evidences of mercy. Yet Martin Luther, the foremost among the reform-
16
ers, often complained that mercy did not nd open windows and that,
therefore, punishment would come over the world, especially Germany.
And so it happened. At the end of Luthers life the situation changed,
and the religious wars began to rage over the world like hurricanes
lled with evil and sin. They were especially destructive in Germany
and our homeland is suffering from those wounds to this day. Thus, in
the Reformation era, God shows Himself as great in justice as in mercy.
And yet here again mercy rejoices over justice, especially because His
Word and Sacrament remain among us even after gruesome times.
27. From the second half of the seventeenth century until recently,
one nds an odd combination of justice and mercy in the Church that
was hardly ever heard of in previous time periods. Apostasy awoke in
the form of freely promoted freethinking, which refused to be bound to
the divine Word, and in licentious lifestyles, which refused to abide by
the divine law anymore. The emergence of this liberal spirit planted
seeds of religious and moral calamity that sprouted wildly and in whose
cancerous expansion consisted the just punishment for the Church,
which did not resist the evil with any resolve. As the sin we are talk-
ing about did not cease, the punishment, which keeps up with sin as it
spreads, did not either.
However, divine mercy was not altogether lacking. The pietists, as
well as those who follow Zinzendorfs name, are testimonies of divine
grace and pity, even though they have many errors and shortcomings
as a result of sin. Nevertheless, they saw times of revival and awaken-
ing for thousands. They are like ngers of divine mercy, helping the
Church see that it was touched by Gods grace, even when men like
Ernst Valentin Lscher or Albrecht Bengel opposed them. But the
Church did not always understand Gods ngers and the awakened
communities began to go their own ways. The result of their actions
was more punishment, but this does not render the assertion invalid
that Gods mercy did indeed show itself.
28. Recent times are no more than a continuation of the previ-
ous. Apostasy ran rampant, its channel wider, its consequences more
visible in the life of the Church, the state, and the family. Upon the
shores of mighty sins divine justice broke and still breaks as well as
executes and prophecies ever more severe punishments. But it is true
that more recent times have seen special outpourings of divine graces.
The children of God, who became great in number, have learned
how to apply the plunder of the enemies of the Churchthe erudite
studies that originally had been begun with a different intentionto
17
Lhe on Mercy
favor the the kingdom of God. The spirit of prophecy has joined the
peoples faithful study of Holy Scripture and history, and the hope of
the Church has begun to shine more truly and beautifully than many
centuries before. People have started to discover what is wanting and
wrong in the current state of ecclesial affairs, and many hearts have a
deep and great longing to live in a better state.
Even in this era, the separation is increasing: justice and mercy go
their separate ways, but mercy still rejoices over judgment. Whoever
has eyes to see and ears to hear can ee the future wrath and become
worthy to stand before the Son of Man.
29. So there you have an overview of the vestiges of mercy and
justice in both new and old times. We were unable to separate one from
another. However, the intention was always to pursue the thesis that
there were never evidences of divine mercy lacking in the Church and
not even in the world. Since the fall of humanity, God has remained
faithful in His merciful will to save it. And we know that in the end God
the Lord will set aside His mercy and exercise pure justice according
to our merit. The kingdom of the Lord is a kingdom of mercy. As the
temple of Solomon has two pillars, so this kingdom has two founda-
tional pillars, Boaz and Jachin (1 Kings 7:21; 2 Chronicles 3:17), that
is, justice and mercy. There will never be just one. There will never
be either one lacking, and we will always hold to this theme and will
always preach: The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in mercy (Psalm 103:8).
18
Fourth Chapter
How Did the Lord in the Law of the Old Testament Command
His People to Practice Mercy?
30. While the Lord separated His people Israel from the other
peoples and led themwith their own government and with their own
worshipinto a land whose borders caused the people to be separated
from the others, God did not want this people to interpret this special
role in a merciless and selsh manner. On His part this separation took
place as an act of divine mercy, and it should be seen by the people
in the same sense. Yet by commanding this, that is, by commanding
in a very strict way that His people be separate from other peoples,
He did not mean to give them a precept and instruction of selsh
mercilessness, but rather they were supposed to keep the command-
ment of separation out of love and mercy. Israel could not accomplish
its mission to be a light to the Gentiles if it did not separate from all
Gentiles. If Israel became like those who looked to Israel to learn how
to worship rightly, Israel might experience what had happened when
Balaam set up a snare for them (Numbers 2224): instead of converting
others, they themselves might be perverted. Whoever wants to shoot
arrows has to have a good stand neither too far nor too close from the
game. Whoever wants to catch birds cannot step on their wings, and
the sherman does not swim with the sh in the water. This had to be
understood if Israel was to fulll its calling to the Gentiles.
31. God does all His works through His servants. Therefore, His
works are divine and human at the same time, and wherever He works
He soon opens a wide course of mercy for His saints. But they are only
to be, as they should, coworkers of the divine worker.
When, therefore, during the time of Samuel, the Lord mercifully
poured out the spirit of prophecy on the children of the prophets,
He thereby invited the same children of the prophets to prophesy, to
witness, and thus to direct the beams of His mercy into the night of
their surroundings. When He gave them David, a king according to
His own heart, then the chosen king was to spread the holy and great
gifts he received from the mercy of the Lord to the whole people like
a well of mercy. When a marvelous glory of worship is unfolded under
the prophets Samuel and David, when sacrices, prayers, psalms, and
hymns, moreover the sound of all instruments, the sweetness of the
aroma, and everything that was pleasant to the eye had to join in to
19
Lhe on Mercy
serve the God of Israel worthily, then all this was a revelation of the
Lord, an outpouring of His mercy. But the priests, the Levites, the
singers, and the king were also bearers and servants of mercy. As each
of these in his specic place made contributions to the great harmony
of the whole, they all helped to lead the people to the understanding
that the Lord is merciful and gracious, and they, in turn, all practiced
mercy.
Thus the great institutions of the Old Testamentprophethood,
kingship, priesthoodwere not merely creations of this merciful God,
but at the same time a threefold mighty call for training and knowledge
of the mercy of the Lord.
32. In the previous paragraphs we saw human mercy, led by the
hand of the Lord, enter vast areas to serve the Gentiles or, at least, the
people of Israel. Just as pipes direct the fertilizing water from a well to
the different elds and beds, so mercy is poured out over all the holy
people according to the direction of the Old Testament. Although
the Old Testament legislation is so marvelously just, and although
it is, therefore, praised much and recognized by all, one nonetheless
can say that the Shepherds love and mercy permeates the whole, and
that all its parts are based upon a tender, divine providence for each
individual tribe, yea, for each individual human being. Even where the
words sound most severely, they are severe only on the one side, while
on the other, one can see the reign of mercy.
33. Let us now examine in detail what the previous paragraph laid
out in general. Looking at the persons to which divine providence is
extended, we nd that neither the citizen nor the foreigner is forgot-
ten, neither the Levite nor the priest nor the layman, neither the old
nor the young, neither the healthy nor the sick, neither the blind nor
the deaf, yea, not even the murderer and manslayer. Finally, mercy
does not even end where humanity ends, for neither the beasts nor
the bird in the nest are forgotten. Looking not at the persons, but at
the occasions when mercy is to be practiced, we nd the will of God
expressed mercifully during the harvest, on a feast day, during a love
feast, during a sacricial meal, during a Sabbath year, during a jubilee.
Divine grace and mercy crown all these summits of the high life of Israel
as a people and Church, and they smell of the rich herbs and alpine
owers of human mercy. Wherever a life reaches a summit, Israel is to
prove that it is the merciful son of a merciful God.
And as it is with the persons and occasions, so it is with the differ-
ent forms and manners of practicing mercy. A famous text in the New
20
Testament locates mercy in giving, forgiving, and not judging (Luke
6:3638). No one can deny that mercy and giving are commanded in
the Old Testament. An attentive eye and a good will will also nd,
when they look for it, many texts of the Old Testament that reference
forgiving and judging and object clearly to absolute justice. Even sparing
someone from pain is a form of mercy. If so, who can fail to recognize
then that there can be gathered many texts that reect Gods fatherly
sparing of us poor sinners. It will be a delightful, sweet, and even happy
task for someone to read the Old Testament law with the purpose of
nding examples of any kind and form of mercy.
34. There is one thing we do not nd in the Old Testament,
namely, no institutions or houses of mercy and no distinct ofce whose
purpose is to show mercy. These are fruits of the New Testament. But
yet it is also undeniable that the Old Testament commandments give
leeway for the care and institutional practice of mercy. Though the
poor have always existed, both in the Old and New Testaments, there
were never supposed to be beggars. And there lies the principle, yea,
command: to care for the poor and to prevent them from becoming
beggars. Even if those in the Old Testament attempted to provide for
the poor within the family, there were certainly also in that time, and
in the Holy Land, individuals and circumstances that pressed toward
an institutional care for the poor. It would, therefore, not be surprising
if we somehow discover that such a care actually took place. However,
whatever we nd or could nd will, nevertheless, be different from what
is seen in the Church of the New Testament already in the initial time
right after its birth.
21
Lhe on Mercy
Fifth Chapter
How Did the Lord, Your Redeemer, and His Holy Apostles in
the New Testament Command His Saints to Practice Mercy?
35. Out of mercy the Son of God became man; He lived, died,
rose, ascended into heaven, and lives forever to practice great mercy.
The motive and purpose of all His works is mercy, and mercy is what
He desires for those who are His. Because His love and His Fathers
and the Spirits love can only be mercy, so our love for the brothers
and all men should also include nothing but mercy. The great basic
command for our life is: Be merciful, just as your Father in heaven is
merciful (Luke 6:36).
36. Just as we see that the mercy of Gods children to the heathen
in the Old Testament is the will of Jehovah, so the New Testament
shows that Gods will is to show mercy to the heathen. If eyes are
necessary to detect Gods will to be merciful to the heathen in the
Old Testament, it can be said conversely that blind eyes and deaf ears
are necessary to miss the King of eternal glory and His majestic orders
when He says (Matthew 28:19), Go into all the world and make all
nations disciples by baptizing them and teaching them all things that
I have commanded you.
Evangelizing to the Gentiles is the great work of mercy in the New
Testament. The New Testaments inner circle, not just its appendix but
its very center, is the evangelization of the Jews, about which the Lord
says to His apostles (Acts 1:8), You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem
and Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. There can be no
greater mercy in this world than to propagate the Most Highs Word
and Sacrament, complete with their fullness of grace, to the poor, lost
children of man of all ages and in all lands.
However, the Lord not only commands mercy upon all the world,
but He also promises His own helping presence to those who will ex-
ercise mercy saying, Lo, I am with you always to the end of the age.
(Matthew 28:20) This, His great Word, is spoken in direct relation to
the practice of mercy in His holy mission. He, the King, and behind
Him the redeemed throng of His servants journey around the whole
world, carrying the holy gifts of Word and Sacrament until Jericho
collapses under the sound of the horns of jubilee, and the kingdoms of
this world become a spoil of Him who preaches about Himself, The
Lord is merciful and gracious. (Psalm 103:8) His whole Church is
22
outwardly nothing but a priestly, royal institute of mercy.
37. Just as the Church outwardly is a holy institute of mercy, so it is
also inwardly. The apostle as well as the evangelist, but likewise also the
shepherd, the presbyter, and the bishop are nothing but instruments of
divine mercy toward the congregations on earth. The sheep and lambs
of Jesus supervise, lead, and feed through the valley of sorrow to deep
wells of eternal calm. This mercy is just as great as when the sheep are
called and brought in to the fold through Gods holy mission.
Think also of the Samaritan, the man who brings to the inn him
who has fallen prey to murderers. He is like an evangelist or mission-
ary. The inn is the congregation; the keeper of the inn, to whom the
saved is entrusted, is the bishop of the congregation and can make
well what the murderers made evil. The whole apostolic order of ofce
and church is, therefore, nothing but an instruction for a shepherd to
show merciful love. The highest Shepherd has equipped the ofce of
Word and Sacrament, the ofce of reconciliation, with obligations and
authority to mercifully sacrice oneself for the salvation of the sheep,
just as He sacriced Himself for the sheep according to the unfathom-
able gift that He received.
38. Working alongside the ofce of the Word is the ofce of bodily
mercy. In Holy Scripture, all ofces of the Holy Spirit are called dia-
konivai, or service, just as all thosebeginning with Christ all the
way down to the most humble oneswho carry out ofces and du-
ties in relation to people in the name of God are called diavkonoi or
servant. Nevertheless, however, the words diakoniva and diavkono
were used in the rst congregation in Jerusalem and were transferred
as specic titles to the ofce of bodily mercy.
As a result, the word deacony refers to nothing but the holy duty
of caring for the poor, and the deacons refer to those seven who rst
occupied this ofce and their successors. This ofce was rst one of
service at the table, a distribution of the gifts gathered by the congre-
gation for those who ate there publicly, especially the widows. This,
however, was but the rst sprout of the whole ofce that sprang up
from the fertile soil. Now when the poor widow did not come to the
table because she was sick or had become inrm, was the ofce of the
deacon and his care for the widow to come to an end or did it simply
take on a different form? Without any doubt, the latter. After the
congregation had eaten, the seven visited those who had not been at
the mealthe sick, the inrm, the weak, the agedand began their
holy care for their temporal needs. Or, to investigate the expansion
23
Lhe on Mercy
of the ofce into a different direction, did the holy deacon only care
for the widow? Did the widow look at her children, the orphans, with
tears of sorrow in her eyes while the needs of her body were met? Or
would not the congregation have also directed its love through the holy
seven to the children as well? Or when the pilgrims came, hundreds of
thousands that used to come to Jerusalem, of which some doubtlessly
turned to the Gospel, would no deacon have cared for them, even if
they were poor or sick? Would not a new branch have grown out of
the noble plant of deacony, the branch of holy hospitality that through
love provides a home to the stranger in a foreign land? Who would
even bother to answer these very easy questions?
Everyone sees that the bodily mercy of the Lord was reected in
the ofce of the seven and that it could be no different according to the
holy nature of the matter. An institutional organization of aid and care
for every bodily misery developed, and in the splendor of the holiest
human love, the deacon, full of blessing, walked alongside the bishop
and the elders through the congregation and laid down the earthly
gift of mercy alongside the heavenly goods of the divine ofce. Yet,
from the outset, this ofce was not purely bodily. Those who served
the tables in the name of the congregation had to be able to pray at
the table, and those who brought the needs to the sick person had to
hand it over to him with spiritual hands, offering silver apples in golden
bowls. In short, according to the order of the holy apostles, the deacon
had to be a man lled with the Holy Spirit in order to know how to
administer bodily matters spiritually and to be recognized in many ways
as someone who came out of the sanctuary of the New Testament.
He had to be permeated by the Holy Spirit to such a degree that the
bishop could lay into his faithful hands the earthly gifts with which the
body and blood of Christ had joined themselves. Those who brought
all temporal gifts to the congregation had to be found worthy to bring
also the blessed bread and the blessed cup to those who suffered from
a double hunger, the one for daily bread and wine and the one for the
heavenly goods, which the hymn of thanksgiving of the elect praises.
Thus, the ofce of holy deacony became a spiritual ofce, an ofce of
double mercy, which was so deeply rooted in the congregation that it
sometimes shone brighter than the splendor of the ofce of Word and
Sacrament. Such glory gives He who on the Last Day will ask His saints
about mercy and especially the ofce of bodily mercy.
39. We have the motivation and the right to give special consid-
eration to the deaconess as a servant of mercy, especially because the
24
goal of this text is to turn the readers hearts toward the specic service
of women to the wretched and needy, an activity that developed in the
New Testament. We certainly cannot say that the deaconess is men-
tioned frequently in the New Testament, especially because one of the
most preeminent texts in that regard (St. Paul speaking about widows
in 1 Timothy 5:115) is not clear enough that it can be persuasively
applied to the ofce of the deaconess.
However, the deaconess stands in the Bible like the humble vio-
let in the garden, known by its smell, pleasant to God and men, in
a hiddenness that God Himself wanted. She does not hold the rst
and greatest ofce in the kingdom of God, but she leads the choir of
widows and virgins and shows the whole female gender the paths that
are meant for them. For the deaconess does not have her own specic
duties, inaccessible to everyone else. Her duties are those of women in
general, and her peculiarity consists only in carrying out those female
duties, not in her own family, but for those who are abandoned in the
congregation.
The duty of all women for which God created them is to help
men; after the fall, this task constitutes nothing but showing mercy
to man and his sphere of activity. Thus, all women pursue the same
goal of mercy, led by the deaconess as their forerunner, an example to
be emulated by all. She, the widow, as she is called in antiquity and
obviously already in the New Testament (1 Timothy 5); the virgin, as
she is described by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 7; the unmarried, eman-
cipated from her own worries, for whom it is made easy already by the
circumstances to have a free heartshe is to show to all how to do
the works of female mercy. Out of a soul that is betrothed to the Lord,
she works in holy freedom, teaching women to help all earthly things
from a soul that is betrothed to the Lord. Like the whole deacony, the
ofce of the deaconess is a plant entirely grown on Christian soil. She
should and could be a friendly sign of the presence of the Lord in His
congregation.
40. If, therefore, the Churchs constitution as well as its ofces can
be understood in light of mercy, then this already gives great glory for
the Lord of the Church. All His ofcers, His male and female servants,
practice either spiritual or material mercy. However, we are not to see
only His ofcers in light of mercy, but His whole congregation on earth.
His most holy teaching is a religion of mercy. Therefore, everything
that is His, every soul that belongs to Him, the individual as well as
the whole, is to be merciful.
25
Lhe on Mercy
Bodily mercy is not enough to accomplish this, His purpose. The
whole congregation is meant to be merciful in the spiritual realm, that
is, in the realm of holy discipline. That simple, seminal word, which
we read in Matthew 18:15, did not come from the apostles, no matter
how noble and great their reputation remains in the Church, but from
the mouth of the Lord Himself. The main principle of this word, if
not the thesis, is that No Christian is to remain in sin. It is nothing
new that a Christian sins; every moment there are new examples, and
this is the way it is going to be until the end. But no one who wants to
belong to Christ must persist in sin; every brother and sister in Christ
is to stand up after lapsing, is to be raised up out of weakness, is to be
brought back from error. This mercy is a command of the Lord.
The mouth of the Lord indicates how this holy command is to
be carried out. If anybody lapses, then his neighbor is to raise him. If
this does not work, then the call of mercy comes to one or two more.
If this does not help, then it says (Matthew 18:17), Tell it to the
congregation, and thus the whole camp is called up in the interest of
one individual with the intention of dragging a single person out of
sin and, thereby, out of eternal damnation. Only the King of eternal
mercy, who knows all things and to whom everything is clear, could
have given such a mandate, so perfect, so sufcient, and yet so full of
simplicity and usefulness.
It is sad, though, that His holy Word cannot nd its due obedience
in Christian congregations because of the sinful way the people act.
It is also sad that out of the most blessed acts of love and mercy many
caricatures grew in the Church, and these were not the image of that
holy, merciful love that the good Shepherd carries to His sheep.
41. The New Testament extends its instructions not only to the
congregational and ofcial practice of this virtue, but it is also rich and
detailed in regard to individual persons and their different kinds of the
blessed practice of mercy.
First of all, one notices that the New Testament upholds all those
passages of the Old where mercy is commanded and, subsequently,
applies them to its own areas of life. Wherever Old Testament situ-
ations come up, there the Old Testament admonitions come to life,
even if they are not explicitly repeated and conrmed by words of the
New Testament. Thus, all the Old Testament exhortations regarding
mercybeginning with the person that wants even a bird to be spared
all the way to those that practice mercy toward the aged and parents
belong also to us, the children of the New Testament. Therefore, when
26
one inquires about mercy, this enhances the horizon.
Additionally, when the Lord indicated what He will say on the
Last Day (Matthew 25:31), He did touch on certain classes of misery
that could not even be mentioned in the Old Testament in the form
given here. He talks about those who were hungry and thirsty and naked
and sick because such people obviously existed in the Old and New
Testaments. But He also says (Matthew 25:36), I was in prison. This
He applies to His brothers, those Christians who would be in prison
for the same reasons as Christ, that is, for the sake of the truth. In
saying these words, He points to the New Testament mercy shown the
holy confessors and martyrs, and the Church of the rst few centuries
understood this very well.
Another text, where the general command to be merciful is speci-
ed, is that well-known one about the widows (1 Timothy 5:10), which
lists a number of persons who need mercy: children who are to be
brought up, pilgrims who are to be lodged, saints whose feet are to be
washed, and aficted ones who are to be relieved. Each of these indi-
cates an entire class that has come to such a state and situation where
mercy is needed. Indeed, it would be a great delight to look at those
texts in the divine Word of the New Testament that open ditches for
the spring waters of mercy and direct their ways to ow forth.
While there is no time for this exercise here, we must not forget
the triumph of mercy in the New Testament. We look to those people
who by the pierced hands were, surprisingly for some souls, admitted
to the order of those who are to receive mercy, namely, their enemies.
Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who
spitefully use you and persecute you (Matthew 5:44). These are words
and orders worthy of the one who even on the cross prayed for His en-
emies, and who, since He is ascended into heaven, has nothing else to
do but to heap ery coals of holy mercy on the heads of His ungrateful
Church (Proverbs 25:21ff; Romans 12:20), and who preaches ceaselessly
(Matthew 5:46, 48), If you love those who love you, what reward have
you? You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. In
these words, there is a hint of the merciful ones merit of grace and of
the eternal blessing for those who understand and bestow mercy.
42. By introducing the persons to whom one should show mercy,
we have already given an instruction as to how to identify the mani-
fold kinds and manners of mercy. Who, for example, does not realize
that mercy is shown to the hungry by food, just as the Lord had mercy
upon His people and fed ve thousand and four thousand respectively
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(Matthew 14:1522; 15:2939)? And who would not, with some
dexterity in locating similar passages, remember the word of the Lord
in Luke 14:13, where he says that one is to invite the poor when one
gives a feast. Or who could not easily identify the way in which one
can have mercy on the thirsty? Who would not remember that pas-
sage in Matthew 10:40ff that talks about the cup of cold water, which
is to be given to a disciple in a disciples name? Or, furthermore, who
would not know that he is to show mercy to the naked by providing
the necessary clothing, just as the highly blessed Merciful pardons the
poor, naked world with the clothing of His most holy merit? Or who
would not remember upon seeing a sick person that mercy is shown
to him when he is healed, just as Jesus Christ healed the many sick
in His home country? Who would not realize and nd that one has to
bring the sick to the Physician and to the medicine of body and soul,
to Christ Himself, to practice mercy? Or, nally, what does the prisoner
need but either freedom or comfort to strive for a higher freedom, by
which one can endure the fetters for a long time?
Everybody sees that the kind and manner of mercy depends on the
person it is shown to. Yet it is also seen easily that it is not only dened
by the person, but also by the will and the example of the Duke of all
mercy. Whoever gave all his possessions to the poor and had his body
burned had, thereby, perhaps fed and saved many, but did he also prac-
tice mercy, if he does not have love (1 Corinthians 13:3)? What is love
and mercy without works? And, conversely, what are works without love
and mercy? Just as in every body dwells a soul, so in every work dwells
merciful love. It is and remains a poor deed that cannot be rewarded.
Do not simply focus on the holiest form of appearance of mercy, but
also consider that a humbled heart is part of the right way of exercis-
ing mercy, which deems it a grace to be allowed to practice mercy, and
also a lled heart urged by the saying, Cursed be he who vainly plays
around with the Word of God. Full of love, full of humbleness, full of
holy urge, full of fervent mercythis is, generally speaking, the right
way to practice mercy. Regardless of whether it be shown spiritually
or bodily or spiritually-bodily, by giving or forgiving, by not-judging or
judging, by patience and long-suffering or by the seeming opposite, a
sudden outburst of chastisement, it, nevertheless, remains one and the
same in its bountiful practice. This it does just as it is the same power
of God that brings forth from the soil the manifold plants, and one
and the same hearth of light, out of which break forth these myriad
beams of the evening sun.
28
Sixth Chapter
How Did the Church of All Ages Follow Her Lords
Command to Practice Mercy?
43. It is clear from the outset that mercy was practiced the most
during the time when the purest desires of the congregation and a
right measure of divine grace directly corresponded to the purest and
most anointed proclamation of the divine Word. The congregation of
the apostolic time was one body and one spirit; thus, the members of
the body provided the richest assistance to each other and, thereby,
also to the great, holy love itself. There is not just one presbyter Gaius
(3 John 1), one Philemon (Philemon 4), one family of Stephanas (1
Corinthians 16:15), one Epaphroditus (Philemon 2:25; 4:18), and
one Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 1:16) that receive the praise of the high
apostles regarding mercy. But there the Holy Spirit, as we can read in
Acts 2:4447 and 4:3237, praises entire congregations, like that in
Jerusalem, because of their mercy, which manifests itself in the form of
a respectful, brotherly love that is accompanied by pity and compassion.
Let us then give an orderly overview of all that the New Testament
tells us about the practice of mercy. There we come to:
1) the communal breaking of bread and the ofce of the care
of the poor, which rst grew out of the apostolic ofce;
2) the oft-discussed communal nature of the church at
Jerusalem;
3) the agapes or love feasts of the later apostolic time;
4) the collections.
Everything the apostolic Scriptures preserved about the practice
of mercy in the rst congregations will be included in these four
sections.
44. Acts 2:42 attests to the fact that the rst congregations
members continually remained in the teaching of the apostles, in
Communion, in the breaking of bread, and in prayer. Two of these
items actually relate to our subject matter: the Communion and the
breaking of bread. The Communion (koinwnia, collecta) is nothing
but the Communion of the earthly things, a sharing of goods. Thus,
it is nothing but the practice of merciful, brotherly love. However, we
will discuss this in depth later and in conjunction with the apostolic
collection. But rst we will look at the breaking of bread.
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In the later times of the Church, the expression breaking of bread
was used simply as a term for the Holy Supper. This took place in
such a consistent manner that there arose an opposition to this usage.
Indeed, some would assert that the expression had nothing to do with
the Holy Supper. As often happens, the truth lies in the middle: the
Holy Supper was united with communal eating, the daily meal of the
rst Christians, so that the bread actually was broken not only for the
Sacrament, but also for daily nourishment. Later, the practice of com-
munal eating fell into disuse, and the expression breaking of bread
was shifted to the Holy Supper itself. This was used to describe the
congregational meal that was handed down throughout the history of
the Church by virtue of divine ordinances, and in this sense the term
was rightly used. At this point, however, we must stay focused on the
perished custom of the communal meal.
According to the testimonies of Holy Scripture, the first con-
gregation at Jerusalem gathered in the temple at Solomons Porch
(Acts 5:12) for the divine services. The services consisted of the
teaching of the apostles as well as the commandments of God. The
people had all the right to do so because they were mostly Jewish
Christians, that is, Jews who could enjoy their share in the temple
just as much as others of their nation and who had not yet given
up on the temple. The celebration of the Holy Supper could not
take place at the open Porch of Solomon; a different location was
needed for it. But the congregation was not lacking such a location
for they gathered in groups in the houses of individual members.
Since the rst celebration of the Supper had followed another,
though also holy, meal, the people believed that it would be most
faithful to the institution of the Lord if the holy meal of the New
Testament would remain connected with a brotherly meal that was
used in the Old Testament. I dare not decide whether the bodily meal
preceded or followed the sacramental one, for there are reasons for
and against both assumptions. In any case, a bodily meal went with it,
and it was hallowed because of its connection with the Holy Supper.
As poor and rich ate this meal together and the poor were not able
to bring anything for it, the breaking of bread and communal eating
became even more necessary because any shortage would be bodily,
communally, and spiritually disruptive.
The communal meal awakened the need for holy, merciful, and
decent care of the poor, and the ofce of the holy seven was instituted
to meet this need. Initially it was the widows of the Hellenists, that is,
30
of the Greek-speaking Jews, who had been overlooked. But provisions
were soon made through the diaconate when the whole congregation,
in great wisdom, elected men who belonged to the offended party as
deacons. One can assume that all the men were Greek Jews by birth,
since all the names of the holy seven are Greek. This election was a
very honorable one for the entire rst congregation, and the election
also spoke of a special guidance from the most high Lord, who put the
ofce of mercy in the hands of the more liberal group in the congrega-
tion. Thus, there was then at Jerusalem a table service of seven holy
men, who because of their Hellenistic origin were also perhaps equipped
with some external education and graceful manner of ofciating at the
table. Likewise, the Holy Spirit worked in them and enabled them to
do their duties in a special way, specically with heavenly decorum
and according to the mind of the Lord. After this, we do not read of
any further complaints of either Greeks or Palestinians. The great,
important, and tender business of table service and mercy was being
done according to the heart of the One who became the example of
table service for all the holy seven by His works at Cana (John 2:112)
and at the feeding of the ve thousand and four thousand.
45. The most striking feature of mercy in the apostolic congrega-
tion at Jerusalemand at the same time veriable proof of the fact
that in that congregation mercy had transgured itself into brotherly
loveis what we know about the common possession of all goods. In
Acts 2:4445 and 4:32, we read in clear words of the Holy Spirit that
no one said his goods were strictly his own, but that all things were
held in common. Indeed, the people even sold their goods and pos-
sessions and distributed the proceeds among the others according to
their needs. Thus, there was no need among them.
Later, this apostolic communism, emerging simply from the exuber-
ance of the Spirit and brotherly love, is no longer found in a whole con-
gregation; even in Jerusalem itself it was no longer seen because the whole
congregation was scattered. Those who gathered there later became a
new congregation, which, for example, could be treated by James the
Justas far as his letter is applicable to Jerusalemin a totally different
manner than that rst springtime congregation. Also, the additional
resources of the congregation at Jerusalem dried up fairly soon, and other
congregations had to come to its aid in self-sacricial love because of the
scarcity of goods in AD 44 and even up to fteen years later.
Although this communism was a transitory phenomenon, in its
appearance and disappearance it is and remains a very remarkable thing,
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and very different opinions were voiced about it from time to time.
One group is inclined to see this communism as a confusion of the rst
congregation; yet who can endorse this opinion, since the apostles did
nothing to stop this movement? A man like Barnabas himself set the
example (Acts 4:36), and the mild light of divine goodwill, not a single
shadow of reproof, appears in the narration of this incident.
Did the almighty and holy Lord want to protect and defend the
course of the congregation by punishing certain members in the
episode of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:111)? Others believed
that it was necessary to abstain from anything like this in the fur-
ther governing of the Church, since even in the congregation at
Jerusalem, the rstborn in grace and virtues, this movement did not
remain totally pure, as Ananias and Sapphira indicate. Yet even
if one admits that such fruits rarely grow on earth and no general
commandment can be given to produce themas the Lord Himself
opened the way for the rich youth after he had asked, What do I
still lack? (Matthew 19:20)one, nevertheless, has to keep the
way, which the Lord showed to the rich youth and in which the rst
congregation walked.
Finally, others in the nineteenth century, the Communists of the
day, have tried to cover their damned theories with the divine Word
and the example of the rst congregation. Yet the mind and intention
of the Communists are as far from the famous passages of the Book of
Acts as the morning is from midnight. The communism at Jerusalem
was an entirely free and by no means commanded matter, which was
practiced or left undone by each individual Christian according to his
circumstances. If it had been a general matter, based on legislation
and systematic implementation, then one cannot understand, for
example, why the mother of John Mark could still possess her own
house where, according to Acts 12:12, the congregation gathered for
prayer. Likewise, one cannot understand why the example of the holy
apostle Barnabas is pointed out, who could easily sell his eld since he
was a Levite and had his share in the Temple. Also, Peter should have
rebuked Ananias and Sapphira for embezzling what was meant for the
congregation, not for their hypocrisy. The communism at Jerusalem is
like a heavenly, miraculous aring up of love. It was set at the begin-
ning of the Christian era for everyone to see what great things ow
out of love, and for what measure of love and mercy everybody has to
pray for himself as well as for others. Never again was there seen such
a powerful appearance of loving mercy in the world, and yet it would
32
be of the greatest foolishness to take the rareness of the matter as a
proof for its being no good.
46. It might seem odd to include a separate paragraph about the
love feasts, especially since I certainly had in mind nothing but the
love feasts of the rst congregation when previously talking about the
breaking of bread in the Jerusalem congregation. Yet also in Jerusalem,
the joint eating of the congregation ceased to a degree already discussed.
But there were also love feasts elsewhere, and the famous chapter 1
Corinthians 11 clearly bears witness to this.
In Jerusalem the believers ate together daily, and their meals were
in fact love feasts. This was chiey due to the life of love that governed
them, and it was a manifestation of the new nature or creation that
they ate together. But it was different in Corinth and the remaining
congregations. There love feasts were held because one wanted to do
it, not because one could not but help it. The meal became a matter of
purpose; one intentionally gathered to practice love. While in Jerusa-
lem the joint eating was more a hallowed form of daily life, elsewhere
it was a purposeful public testimony of the existing brotherly love. In
Jerusalem it was care of the poor; in Corinth and elsewhere it was for
public recognition of the principle that the rich members of Christ
should care for the poor. One could say that the joint eating and the
breaking of bread of the Jerusalem congregation is the most beautiful
and unique pearl in the crown of the Lord Jesus, the agapes of the later
apostolic time but smaller pearls from secondary water. But what we
know about these agapes of the later apostolic time is derived mostly
from the eleventh chapter of the First Letter to the Corinthians, even
though we nd traces of the same matter in other passages of the New
Testament. The institutions of the later Christian time are also as use-
ful as a ray of the setting sun reected by the mountains, which can be
used to make inferences about the glory of the sun itself.
William Cave (16371713), an author who researched the life of
the early Church and wrote valuable books, and others with him hold
that the love feasts at Corinth were held before the Holy Supper, since
all Christians would probably have been gathered for the Holy Supper.
The Corinthians, however, were reprimanded in view of their love
feasts, namely, that they did not wait for each other. Cave seems to be
quite right, since the apostle closely connects the reproach regarding
the way the love feast was held to the doctrine and celebration of the
Holy Supper itself. This may have been done so that he who does not
mercifully wait and provide for his brother during the love feast goes to
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the Holy Supper unworthily. However, this by no means implies that
the love feast had the same relation to the Sacrament in every congre-
gation. In Corinth it was this way, but elsewhere it was different.
The perversion of the matter in Corinth was doubtlessly very
loathsome and punishable, and St. Paul speaks against it. Among the
Corinthians, the manner in which they, as pagans, held their primitive
meals was obvious. They ate together, but each individually, and there
was no thought that here was an opportunity to do good. After Pauls
reproach, this Greek sin of eating out of selshness was supposed to be
overcome by the customs of the Semitic congregation. For at the love
feast preceding the Holy Supper, a beam of heavenly love was brought
out, and it illumined the congregation in Zion during the rst days of
the apostles more beautifully than the sun rising above the Mount of
Olives. One can speculate about whether the admonition of St. Paul
awakened the merciful brotherly love of the Corinthian congregation
anew and resulted in the people eating the Supper in a manner worthy
of the Lamb, but we do not have any reports about this.
47. Although Christian mercy can be called the rstborn daugh-
ter of the new love with which the Spirit of Jesus lled His believers,
its limits could not be set more narrowly than love itself permit-
ted. Just as love did not just cover the members of the individual
congregation but embraced all who were born out of God, all who
were recognized as believers, so mercy also was not content to drive
every kind of misery out of the closest proximity, out of the area
of the individual congregation, but it wanted to do good and help
those who lived afar off. The Spirit of the Lord assisted it so that its
manifestation could bring even more honor to Himself and Jesus.
For instance, through the prophet Agabus He prophesied a great
scarcity that would, once it started, hit the poor Jewish-Christian
congregations particularly hard. Soon the spirit of the congregations
awoke, especially in the Pauline congregations, which, as a precaution
even before the calamity started, gathered everything that might bring
relief (Acts 11:2830). And when the Palestinian congregations were
hit again by scarcity, famine, and calamity about fteen years later, the
old zeal of Paul and the fervent love of his congregations became fresh
and new again, and now the aid of the pagans, who had received the
spiritual wealth from the Jews, gratefully owed back into the old native
areas through material benets (Romans 15:27). Those lengthy passages,
written by the most faithful hand of Paul (2 Corinthians 8) where he
urged the Christians with all the power of heart-felt Christian rhetoric
34
to participate in collections for the poor Jewish congregations, are
among the most beautiful passages we can possibly read in the apostolic
epistles. Rules are given there, not just regarding the ratio between gift
and property, but also regarding the time and way of giving. The most
diligent and obedient ones are praised as apostles or delegates of the
congregations have to be selected to bring the money to Jerusalem to
the elders. In view of an extraordinary contribution, the apostle himself
does not consider it an interruption of his apostolic work to personally
travel to Jerusalem with the delegates just to deliver the offering of the
Gentile Christians.
Whoever reads all this cannot but consider the collections that are
held for other congregations as sacred and be roused to do likewise, but
through simple conclusions he must come to realize also that those rst
Christians must have been exceedingly rich in their giving. A journey
from Macedonia to Jerusalem, done by three or four delegates of the
congregations, was expensive to say the least. And think of how big
the collections had to be, especially if the needy themselves should
immediately deem it worthy of their own delegation after deducing all
the travel expenses. Here as always when we compare our situation with
that of the early Church, we are moved to beat our chest repentantly
and confess our sins unto the Lord.
48. As we set about to make a transition into studying the rst
post-apostolic centuries and their practice of mercy, we must rst put
before our eyes the content of our discussion, which is arranged in a
clear manner. First, we can examine the persons that were treated with
mercy, then the principles of mercy that were followed, then the dif-
ference between private and public practices of mercy, and, nally, the
zeal of the Christians that can be observed in the practice of mercy.
49. As for the persons who were the objects of mercy, we nd at
the top of the list some well-known guests at the tables of the congre-
gation, that is, the widows and orphans, the aged, the inrm, the sick,
the abandoned children, the virgins, the strangers, the prisoners of war,
the slaves, the confessors and their families, and even the dead. This
list shows that the objects of mercy started to become more diverse,
just as the spread of Christianity brought with it increasing persecu-
tions, the hatred of the world, and other different circumstances of the
different congregations.
The poor widows older than sixty years, possibly also younger ones,
who were trusted not to marry again were taken care of by the congrega-
tion according to an apostolic precedent, and they practiced works of
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mercy in the congregation. They began to form a distinct rank, so to
speak. To the orphans was applied the principle that the bishop had to
vicariously assume the stead of the father for those who had no other
caregiver. He had the boys learn a craft and provided them with the
necessary tools; the girls were educated until they were either ready to
be married or deemed t to join the ranks of the virgins.
The aged, inrm, and sick were supported by the offerings of the
Church according to their needs. Pains were taken to not support those
poor who could work. Love was only to compensate for that which a
person was unable to earn by himself. Instead, it was considered mercy
to instruct somebody to use his own strength and to earn whatever he
needed. The bishop handed abandoned children over to the widows and
virgins for education; this part of the Christian work of love was seen
as missionary work and blessed as such. The virgins, that is, the God-
betrothed virgins, who had beforehand renounced marriage, formed
their own liturgical rank, which was entitled to take its livelihood
from the altar.
The strangers received great care from the earliest times on, and the
bishops earnestly urged others not to overlook them in the practice of
mercy. Indeed, the institute of letters to pilgrims was begun specically
in the interest of strangers.
2
Prisoners of war or Christians abducted by
wild hordes were ransomed with a lot of sacrice, even if objects such
as holy vessels had to be sold. Likewise, all care was given to slaves,
although one was not by any means ready to set them free or even
ransom them.
Special attention and faithfulness were given to the confessors.
Their escape was facilitated. They were received into houses, given food
and drink in prison, accompanied before court and defended, and after
becoming martyrs they were buried with all diligence. The families of
those gone home, their widows and orphans, were certainly taken care
of. The deacons diligently kept records and lists of the poor, and they
were carefully listed according to name, age, sex, trade, and circum-
stances. Thus, no one was overlooked or forgotten. Neither were the
dead forgotten. Because the Lord would not forget them but will raise
them out of the earth, the Church also could not forget them, but put
them reverently and with sacred service into the soil as Gods seeds.
Additionally, one did not stop at the fellow believers but also served
Jews and the heathen. Splendid examples of this were experienced
at Alexandria and Carthage. At different times the plague killed an
immense number of people at both places. While the heathen merci-
36
lessly threw the sick, the dying, and the dead out of their houses, the
Christians, regardless of the dead persons religion and state, carried
them into their houses, took care of them, buried them, and in scores
fell prey to the disease themselves. At those times the glory of the
Christian religion shone so brightly that it was also generally praised
by the heathen.
50. As we now have to talk about the principles of mercy, we must
rst distinguish between principles for giving and principles for the
use of the gifts.
There is little doubt that the Christian Church unanimously
acknowledged the legitimacy of wealth. Although it was known that
the Lord had expected the rich youth to sell all his goods and give the
proceeds to the poor, and although the rst congregation at Jerusalem
had sacricially followed this word of Jesus, no one saw a rm com-
mandment of the Lord regarding giving, only pastoral advice for certain
people and circumstances.
The whole Church realized that a rich person, too, could be a
Christian and still remain rich. The question of possessing wealth
was separated from the other regarding its use, and it was left to the
individual to act according to his conscience, his circumstances, and
his gifts. It was only expected that, regardless of how one managed
his property, he use it for the glory of God and His Christ and for the
blessing of mankind. It was seen clearly that he who managed his goods
according to mercy served the Lord and his neighbor just as much as
he who simply donated them to the Church for its poor or to the poor
themselves.
The principle of the legitimacy of wealth was connected with a
second one, namely, that of the unrestricted freedom of all giving.
Although many agreed that all Christians had the obligation to give,
they were still far from using any further force beyond that of admoni-
tion to instruct people on giving. Irenaeus says that the Jews had the
commandment and the obligation to bring sacrices, but the Christians
offer God sacrices more pleasing; for they bring everything willingly
(Against Heresies IV 13:24; 18:2).
Here the church father noted an important difference between
the Old and New Testament that is worthy of recognition. For a
third principle is connected to the first two: the poor have no right
to demand a gift. If they had the right, the gift would not flow from
mercy and the marvelous love of God. But according to Gods will,
there are the poor and the rich, and the chasm between both is to
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be covered by merciful love. In recognizing this, the Church did
not tolerate any mumbling poor but instead, for example, taught
the slaves not to despair while waiting to be ransomed, but to fulfill
the commandment of the apostle, who instructs the slaves to serve
their masters well. Thus he taught them not only to serve the good
and gentle, but also the harsh (1 Peter 2:18). One might question
whether these principles applied by the Church were to be consid-
ered economical. But in any case, passages by the church fathers
show a concern for the common good, and based on these texts one
could perhaps try to ascertain how much truth is in the so-called
economical views, for indeed, some truth is also in them.
51. After the preceding paragraph, we must now list the principles
that told how gifts were to be used during the second and third cen-
turies. These will coincide with the previously discussed distinction
between public and private mercy. Private charity was not restricted by
public charity. Every Christian rejoiced in public charity and supported
it and participated in it. But he also insisted on the joy of detecting
misery with his own eyes, visiting it on his own feet, and alleviating it
with his own hands.
Women especially excelled in this holy calling of private charity.
Due to their faith they were not tempted to join in worldly entertain-
ment. Instead, they used their time and strength to visit the shanties of
the wretched, all the while fullling their calling at home and exhorting
themselves and others to make sacrices and show love, even when
their own strength proved to be insufcient. It goes without saying
that we cannot give any accurate report regarding private charity, for
as there are secret sins that must not come to light, so there are also
secret ways and settings of mercy that the Father, who sees in secret
(Matthew 6:4), wills to reveal on that Great Day.
Conversely, there is still something to be said about the public
charity of Christians. The Christians gave offerings in their Divine
Services, which were partly used for the poor, especially for the agape
meals. These meals, however, like the celebration of the Sacrament,
were no longer offered daily, and not always in connection with the
Sacrament anymore. Besides the oblations, the Christians used to
deposit special weekly and monthly gifts in the congregations charity
chest. On special occasions, such as on the conversion and reception
of heathen or heretics, or on the installation into an ecclesial ofce
and so forth, great gifts were given. Many gave the tithe of the Old
Testament voluntarily, and this was publicly approved, yet without
38
making a law out of it. When greater calamities appeared nearby and
far away, collections were announced. When one foresaw that there
was no way for the congregation to give the gifts, a fast was scheduled,
and the savings from the food of one day were laid on the altar.
Legally the bishop and his lower clergy, specically the deacons,
were the administrators of all public nances and gifts of mercy.
Nothing was saved or invested. Whatever the congregation laid on
the altar was transformed into a brook or river of love that could not
stand still but that looked for its fall to where the misery lived, and
that continually had to be of immediate use in the congregation. One
did not seek to establish foundations meant to remain operational for
centuries, but one practiced mercy immediately and handed down that
understanding to the following generation. One did not donate ones
alms in such a way that the bishop was unable to use it right away if
a more urgent need emerged. And indeed it goes without saying that
lists were made, and that accounts were kept and rendered. A wise
man never tolerated managment of money without supervision, and he
certainly never led his brother into temptation by releasing him from
rendering an account. By no means were these gifts, these sacrices,
left unaccounted for.
52. As for the zeal of the Christians in the second and third
centuries, one can already conclude from looking at history that it
had to be great and extraordinary. Whenever a great calamity arose,
the need for mercy spoke powerfully to the congregations of Jesus,
and hearts were prepared, willing, and inclined to follow the call to
help those in need. Additionally, not only the congregations, but also
those in the holy ministry were in full bloom back then. There was
no lack of faithful, respected bishops and teachers who knew how to
pour fresh oil into the lamps of pious mercy.
For wherever the Word of God meets willing hearts, there is
no lack of zealous renderings of good works. One could nd enough
individual examples as proof, but it is hardly necessary to point to
the sacrice of individuals when such principles governed the entire
Church. The public and private practice of Christian love was not
only highly recognized among heathen as well as Christians, but it
was even turned into an accusation by the former. The sacrice, the
dedication, the lovewhen it breaks forth with such a force as in both
centuries about which we are talkingis too much a stranger in this
world to be understood by it. Instead, it is usually misunderstood. In
view of those times this has to be even more true, and especially back
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then, when the world set the abominations of the apostasy from God
unabashedly and numerously before everyones eyes.
53. As we now proceed to the fruits of mercy during the next three
centuries, that is, the fourth, fth, and sixth centuries, it will be by no
means superuous to consider these centuries and their shape in general.
In this period, the gruesome end of the western Roman Empire and
the deep decay of the eastern Roman Empire take place. The Roman
Empire and the Roman population in general were unable to exist
without being ruled by foreign governments. The ow of Germanic
nations into both halves of the old Roman Empire occurred. General
devastation and destruction were wrought on both countries and cities.
Nations lost their populations. There was no peace.
Who can look at these events without thinking that these centuries
must have offered huge amounts of work for those wanting to show
Christian mercy? And yet these events only mark the general exter-
nal outline of the time and do not answer the question, Why is this
time period so different than earlier years, and why did it turn out this
way? If the whole Roman Empire is covered by a stream of nameless
misfortune and misery, then a terrible guilt must have preceeded it for
the Lord is a just God.
But then why were the Romans previously lords over the Nordic
nations by whom they were now overcome? Why the weakness? What
is the cause of all these terrible punishments? One could certainly give
many answers here, none of which has to be wrong in and of itself. One
could simply say that the Romans had previously overcome, robbed,
and plundered all nations, and so now it is their turn, and it is done to
them according to the Word: With the same measure that you use, it
will be measured back to you (Luke 6:38).
The Romans themselves, having become rich and great, were not
content with the gifts of a rich and good providence. This is why now
all the poor, frugal ones come from the darkness of their woods and
prairies and show others how it feels when one comes to experience
the bad things he has done to himself. This is why fear from God comes
over the beautiful lands of the South, why the inhabitants ee, why
the cities become desolate, and why the remains of kindness sink into
the dust before the avenging swords of the Germans and later of the
Huns. Already this answer would sufce to point out the rich seed of
an even richer crop. Yet we want to give one more answer out of the
many, as it can be gathered from the research that has been done in
recent times.
40
A general calamity covered the whole territory of the Roman
Empire. Romefrom the very outset an agricultural nation and little
acquainted with industry and commercehad come under increasing
pressure regarding its elds because of looming warfare. The military
duties were incumbent on the masters, and the slaves were supposed to
tend the eld but were lazy, evil workers. The elds became desolate.
Then the small owners sold their land to the bigger ones, and so the
individual farms became immeasurably large. So it happened that in
that period many a Roman farms acreage was equal or even superior
to that of a German principality. These immense farms were run by
crowds of lazy slaves, and yielded so little that they were eventually
abandoned, because of which difculties of a different kind were ex-
perienced everywhere. The complaints were many, for the number of
slaves and poor became immense, and the hatred against the masters
and rich was growing. So when the eld of mercy had already been
great, now it was altogether overwhelming.
Additionally, the victory of the church over the Roman Empire
did not bring about a greater zeal but only indifference. Because there
was no longer a threat of persecution, the church grew complacent and
sought to prosper as much as possible. While its own re cooled off, the
hundreds of thousandswho according to the example and precept
of the emperors joined the churchbrought little additional strength
and were instead a great burden and icy cold. The church fathers now
had to struggle with the violent, the impudent, the ostentatious, the
greedy, the avaricious, the wasteful, the usurers, and with all kinds of
injustice within the church, as they did formerly with the heathen.
When one reads the speeches of the great church fathers of the
fourth, fth, and sixth centuries, everything is just like today. Depraved
massesloving Christians as an exceptionknew no better way to
keep from being seduced by a so-called Christian state of affairs than
to go into the wilderness, the deserts, and the monasteries.
To such a church the task was assigned to alleviateI do not say to
eliminatethis nameless misery. Misery owed and now covered the
land with its waters because of Gods just providence and retaliating
hand. The disproportion between agriculture and commerce, between
slavery and freedom, the terrible consequences of the Roman conquests,
oppression and extortion in all countries, and the like, are to be counted
among these sources. The church knew that while it was unable to
stop the ow of sadness, it ought to drain off the water. Yet it lacked
the necessary hands to do the work. All this causes a very bleak view
41
Lhe on Mercy
into the centuries about which we are talking. The church did what
it could, but did it really reach the goal of making this misery-lled
world, which did not want spiritual help, materially happy?
54. When exercising the care of the poor, the church encountered
the same persons we listed in the previous period, but in greater diver-
sity and in incomparably larger numbers. Added to these were some
forms of misery we had previously no reason or necessity to note. For
example, the church had to work with day laborers and small free
landowners, both of which frequently had to languish in the greatest
misery. Therefore, the old task was again made more difcult because
of the same principles as before. It considered wealth legitimate, the
gift voluntary, and the poor by no means being entitled to demand
the aid. Yet frequently the call for help from the shepherds or bishops
of the congregations became so urgent that one was tempted to forget
that love is a matter of freedom.
Yes, the great calamity attributed such a value to the alms that
even the greatest church fathers ran the risk of attributing money a
value far greater than was legitimate. By taking their starting point from
certain passages of Holy Scripture, which have to be seen within the
whole picture of salvation or they are easily misunderstood, they come
to a point where they frequently emphasize the atoning virtue of the
alms and their inuence on ones attainment of eternal life. We must
not endorse these ideas or use them ourselves, and we must certainly
not be like those who attempted to elaborate on these passages and
give alms a value, which one cannot do without infringing upon the
blood of Jesus. So it is certainly right that the holy Fathers attacked
the usurers, assailed the greedy, and challenged the rich and wealthy
in their thinking. By wresting the offering from unwilling hearts, they
fullled a double sacred duty, namely that of Christian care for the poor
and for their souls. Yet when the gift is wrested from the richnot by
pointing them to love, not by pointing them to the fact that it will bear
witness to faith in eternity, not even by telling them that heaven and
eternal blessedness are the gifts they received in returnthen such a
cry for help might be excused as merely the voice of one despairing.
So it comes as no surprise that people have a hard time proving that,
in spite of the exaggeration, the church still held the old apostolic
teachings regarding wealth, alms, and the way to eternal life.
55. As for the ways that people showed love to others, many great
changes took place in these centuries. The church never wanted to
supersede or absorb private charity, not even during these centuries.
42
And so the former remained active alongside the latter for a time, and
the public activities continued to be based on the oblations, agapes,
and collections, regular and irregular contributions.
But the calamity began to grow bigger and the love colder. The
number of those in need made it necessary for the church to be inven-
tive, to assess the means and to think about how to have the greatest
success with as little as possible. In the past, every home was used as a
poorhouse, a hospital, or a hospice. But as extraordinary as the activity
of the church was, only individuals, not groups, were supported. Soon
people began to think that perhaps it was cheaper to support ten poor
in one house than to give them what they needed individually, and so
institutional care emerged and replaced the care for individuals.
The monasteries became the paradigmatic objects of study for this
purpose. Christianity was corrupt, perhaps even more corrupt than it is
today. People did not know how to protect themselves from the inu-
ences of corruption on their souls other than to ee into the wilderness
and deserts. The great leaders of the church, far from reproving or
hindering such separation of the best members of the orthodox church,
protected this idea and personally participated in it as much as possible.
They saw this as a good example for the rest of the people who had
to live in the world. In the settlements of the secluded ones, they saw
asylums and places of refuge for all who were tired of the world and sin
and longed for the strengthening and restoration of faith.
Wherever the monks settled together, there the principles of frugality
and poverty and the interest of others were observed. Plato, Aristotle,
Cicero, and the whole pagan world after them deemed bodily work un-
worthy of a free man. Hence no Roman worked, and slaves did farming
and trade. After a time, the words of the apostle Paul nally began to
shine fully, where he commands everybody to labor, and make with his
hands something good, that he may have something to give him who
has need (Ephesians 4:28). From these words, a different state of public
affairs began to emerge, where the spirit of the holy apostles was at work
and became inuential. This was the case mainly in those monasteries of
the Orient and later of the Occident, especially when Benedict of Nursia,
the father of all Occidental monks, developed and brought to light his
salutary principles of combining prayer, study, and manual labor.
Soon crafts were practiced in the settlements of the monks. In
sacred silence and singing praises, one did what only slaves did among
the heathen. Through ones frugality one spared the assets of the settle-
ment, and through ones work one increased them, both for the good of
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Lhe on Mercy
the poor. This was carried out mostly by those who had been raised in
luxury, who had, like all their peers, brought their property as a dowry
when they entered the monastery or the settlement, and who had
enough to do to get used to the hardships. However, in return, those
quiet settlements far from the world and from worldly congregations
brought the greatest blessing not just upon the poor and wretched but
also upon the whole church. When charity and mercy began to build
their institutionssuch as those of Basil of Caesarea in Cappadocia, a
man most worthy of his title the Great, who rst fought against but
then made the idea of institutional care of the poor his ownthen
one had nothing better to do than to shape the emerging institutions
according to the principles, ways, and manners of the monasteries.
Thus, highly diverse institutions arose. There were hospices, (xeno-
dochia), institutions for infants (brephotrophia), and many others. In
short, one sought to meet each persons every need by gathering those
with similar needs together. Some of the church fathers mourned that
the offerings and the simple deacony of the rst centuries did not prevail
anymore, were averse to foundations and endowments, and adhered
most fervently to the principle that the church should not store or
invest any riches but spread all gifts through charity as soon as possible.
These men were by necessity the rst, richest, and most powerful, and
they lived in the era of institutions that still is not past and in which
we also still live, to whose principles we, too, by necessity still have to
pay tribute, and which might last until the Lord comes.
56. From the very beginning of the Christian church, the agapes
are such a lovely phenomenon that some remarks must be made about
their disappearance. Already in the previous period, we nd that they
are not connected with each consumption of the Supper anymore. In
this period, however, they appear more and more rarely, mainly only
at the celebration of the consecration of a church, at funerals, and
on memorial days of revered blood witnesses of Jesus. Yet this was
not the last restriction they experienced. The general corruption of
the whole church became visible especially in the celebration of the
agapes, whose character became more and more worldly, at which the
rich Christian paraded his alms and the poor indulged himself as well
as possible. This is why the best teachers of the church began to speak
against them. Men like St. Ambrose abolished them in their dioceses,
and others like Augustine followed suit. After the fth century, they
are found only here and there as an exception or in a rudimentary form.
As honorable as the remains are, as much as there was also reason for
44
sparing and cultivating them, one nonetheless realizes of how little use
they can be in a sinking, spiritually decaying church.
57. We must now focus on what kind of institution was found most
frequently in earlier times and what kind was endowed with the most
money. In our age, when every third house in a city or village is usually
the shop of a greedy innkeeper, one would not expect that long ago
ecclesial institutions, such as hospices or houses for pilgrims, began to
appear. These usually combined all the other smaller institutions and
were themselves most richly endowed.
In one of his letters, St. Jerome speaks beautifully of these hospices.
A woman named Paulina had died, and her widower, Pammachius,
found the deepest consolation for the death of the deceased in emu-
lating her works of love. He, the noble offspring of the great heathen
Camillus, was not content with distributing the immeasurable riches he
inherited from his wife among the poor in Rome. As a result, he took
off the purple gown of the senators and put on the black rugged garb
of the monks and founded a hospice near Rome, just like the widow
Fabiola in Rome itself. Then Jerome wrote to him from Bethlehem (ep.
66:11, cf. ep. 77:10): I understand that you have founded a xenodochium
[hospice] and have transplanted an offspring of the hospitable oak of
Abraham to the Ausonic shores; just like Aeneas you set up your camp
on the banks of the Tiber and built a Bethlehem [a house of bread] for
this shore that has been visited by famine for a long time. That which
had been entirely abandoned and that had become the last among us
without any good reason had become the best of institutions. Thus,
the rst has become the last and has patiently waited to become the
rst once more.
Besides this rst fruit, I must also list some institutions that the
church cherished. These were namely the penitential monasteries for
fallen girls, the asylums for women who had become slovenly out of
poverty, and the hospitals for incurables.
58. The splintering of the church into different factions, schisms,
and sects made a signicant inuence upon its charity. The church had
formerly practiced mercy, though chiey toward the fellow believers,
yet without excluding anybody in the wider circle. The loving hearts,
giving hands, and the administration of the assets of the church and
institutions were Christian and only Christian, but the recipients could
be Christians, Jews, or pagans without any distinction. The honor of
the congregation consisted in not applying any difference of religion
and confession to the area of charity, although blameless conduct of
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the Christian poor was required, and slovenly people were banned from
the aid of the church.
Yet as the church disintegrated into different factions, every group
went its own way and cared only for its own members. One can regret
this difference as much as all schisms, although it is good to note that
the works of mercy and zeal actually increased through this. It became
a matter of honor for each faction not to fall behind the other but to
possibly top it in the practice of love and to prove also by this that
they had all the right on their side. Indeed, this is how the Lord knew
how to turn the disadvantage into blessing. Yet still the vileness of
men brought forth different consequences from this new situation,
and they were bad ones.
59. Real help consists in two parts: (1) the removal of the calam-
ity, and (2) the stopping of its sources so that it does not come back.
Consequently, it has been said that the care of the poor has a double
goal of removing or alleviating existing poverty and then providing
for the future so that no calamity might arise again. This double goal
of care of the poor may be called praiseworthy and nice, but it is a dif-
ferent question whether it can actually be attained.
If it is attainable, then it is worth all trouble and sacrice. It may
even be that it was once attained here and there in a very limited
circle and for a short period of time. But would it be possible to refute
someone who asserted that it was, generally speaking, never attained
and never will be? Does not the one word of the LordYou have the
poor with you always (Matthew 26:11)already speak powerfully and
forcefully in favor of these assertions?
As there will never be a situation where there is ecclesial unity
without purity and ongoing purication, so there will never be general
prosperity on earth without calamity and poverty bidding the love and
mercy of the children of God to do their old duty. Additionally, we have
reasons enough to assert that hunger and poverty and nakedness will
be awarded by the Lord of glory as a punishment for great disobedience
until the end. This prophecy, this shadow of history pointing forward,
shows us what is to come, and history itself as the body will not belie
its own shadow. We can, therefore, approve of the double task of the
care of the poor mentioned above only insofar as it gives us a goal that
is worthwhile. Yet from the outset we have to renounce the hope of
ever fullling it on earth.
This, however, does not mean that we cannot measure our achieve-
ment against this goal. Conversely, the standard is a good one if used
46
rightly. Indeed, it will be vital in pointing out our own shortcomings
and will cause humility, for the Church has known for some time that
this is its task. When it made a difference between the poor that were
supported and those that were not to be supported, when it stimulated
the poor to endure evil and the rich to show mercy, when it ransomed
the prisoners and thereby returned the workers to their families, when
it had the foundlings and orphans reared and instructed them in and
made them good at crafts, when it instructed girls in how to manage
a household, and so on, what else did it do but to pursue the task of
mercy? Who would have ever done more to reach this goal than the
Church, giving from its treasure of love?
Nevertheless, there can be no doubt that the calamity was too
abundant and the misery too broad and too deep to think of anything
beyond what was at hand, namely, the alleviation of the most crying
need. There is a rich stream of love owing from the cross of Christ
through the centuries. Filled with admiration, we see its rich, deep
waters. But we also realize that He who caused it to stream out of the
hearts of men, only after it had come out of His own pierced heart,
does not bind Himself only to the modern time. Instead, He provides
for His people at all times to do the necessary in the simplest way.
Thus they help in their own time and place, and at other times they
plan and provide for the future of the poor as the Spirit of God exhorts
them to do so.
60. So far we have only talked about the ecclesial activities,
but an entire mighty realm of life standing beside the Church, that
is, the state, has hardly been touched. The alliance into which the
Church entered with the state from the days of the rst Christian
emperor, Constantine the Great, was one of great consequences.
When we look at the consequences and take them as a whole, we
will nd it very difcult to view this association as something at all
fortunate for the Church. Yet the overarching spirit of the Church
dominated the state in so many ways that one can point to a lot of
coincidentally good results.
The ancient Roman legislation was nothing less than Christian.
However, one could notice that the pagan emperors could not keep
themselves entirely impervious to the teaching of the Lord Jesus, even
when persecution raged against the ock of Christ. Everything changed
when Constantine fully grasped the cross instead of the scepter. One
ancient man holds that the laws of Constantine look as if he had issued
them right after hearing a sermon, as if he had been touched by the
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Lhe on Mercy
powers of a world to come, or as if a hero of the desert, like St. Anthony
for example, had stood behind and admonished him.
Yet the inuence of Christianity emerges even more clearly in the
legislation of Justinian. From Constantine onward the mighty victory
of the Christian Church over the state becomes visible, and the light
of godly wisdom started to be reected here and there in the emperors
laws and decrees. However, the legislation frequently covered areas of
life where it had to be either merciful or merciless. In many cases, mer-
ciful care was extended to the debtors, to abandoned children, to the
slaves, and so on. The rulers of the Roman Empire often instituted such
merciful laws and even extended certain rights and privileges, which
they granted the Church and its charitable institutions in their lands,
so that they were of utmost importance toward helping the poor.
Because of this, charitable institutions received important corpora-
tion rights, as well as the right to accept endowments and testaments.
The churches, and indeed all the surroundings and possessions of the
churches, received the right of asylum, and the clergy, specically the
bishops, received the right of intervention. One can see from these
examples that the Christian state promoted the Church and its works of
mercy. For while the state had not yet thought about founding its own
institutions of mercy, it still held to the principle that all mercy is to be
placed into the hands of the loving Church. It also believed that the
wisdom of the state consists in giving the Church support in its sacred
efforts, which are rich in blessing. The Christian emperors even felt
free to issue regulations to prevent abuses by unworthy members and
servants of the Church. The way in which the legislation was used at
that time is important for us all and remains worthy of imitation.
61. We now come to the middle period of the history of the
Christian Church to point out how mercy was cultivated during this
era. Yet just as one cannot fully comprehend a period of history if he
is ignorant of the Christian inuence during that time, so one cannot
fully comprehend the Christian life apart from secular, external events,
which are fruits of this life. And so we call back to our memory the
notion that during this period the Christian Orient became estranged
from the Occident. Gods judgment was over in the Occident. A new
era dawned, and new beginnings became visible all over. But in the
Orient, the night of the half-moon gruesomely covered the lands, and
Gods judgment and death were increasing.
We have to remember that all life became paralyzed there because
of this. Here, however, the supreme bishop of the Occident took the
48
place of the pagan worldly rulers. He began reorganizing new states
like a pope and unfolded his authority and might for the blessing of
the nations. To be sure, the great might and exalted position over the
Occident, which God conceded to the Roman bishops in His holy
providence, led them to exaggerate their importance. Because of this,
battles between the Roman emperors of the German nation and the
leaders of the Occident emerged. These reactions could and had to
come, because the Lord lets no transgression go unpunished and because
the bowls of His just scales always seek and nd the balance.
However, even if the papacy developed in an ungodly manner
because of the guilt of the popes and their supporters, the reactions
evidently did not remain without reproach. He who has an eye to see
will also notice that the Lord makes His way right, that His work never
ceases, that no one can hinder Him. We ought to recall this time full of
battles, full of deadly convulsions, and yet also full of the hope of life.
Let us look at all events from the beginning of the Frankish Kingdom
up to the Reformation, and try to answer the question, How did Gods
holy mercy, even in the midst of this unrest and travail, still bear its
rich fruit?
62. The number of poor that had to be taken care of during this
period was the same, except that there was one more form of misery
in the Occident, which wepraise and thanks be to Goddo not
nd in our area anymore. Unfortunately, there were numerous lepers
in the Occident, and so one was forced to provide for institutions for
lepers nearly everywhere, in every city, in every hamlet. Likewise, the
principles regarding the support that was to be given as well as regard-
ing the administration of the endowments and charitable institutions
remained the same. One still rightly saw the practice of mercy and
the care of the wretched as a churchly matter, and all administration
remained under the control of the bishops and their councils. All en-
dowments, regardless of whether they were founded by the laity or the
clergy, were in the hands of the clergy, and even at a time when mercy
began to be provided more independently, no one had the intention to
challenge the supervision and direction of the Church or to replace it
by something else. However, there were great differences and changes
in the ways and means love was shown as compared to previous times,
which we will present summarily.
63. In this time, there are no agapes and oblations anymore. Along
with this, deacons and deaconesses begin to disappear, rst in the Oc-
cident and then in the Orient. Therefore, the distinguishing mark of
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the Christian erathe care of the poor provided by individualsis now
over. Instead of this, the institutional care of the sick and wretched is
all that remains. Since there are no congregations left that are able to
provide for the poor, believing it to be something to be done by each
and every one, and since the care of the poor needs hands and hearts,
it becomes absolutely mandatory that like-minded persons associate.
This is why one sees institutions emerging in the bosom of nurse-
hoods. As a rule, for every new institution, some nursehood is formed.
These nursehoods are diverse, and one can observe a remarkable
development regarding the principles of the same. For at rst, these
nursehoods are actually monastic orders. Then the chivalric orders
emerge and nally the lay brotherhoods. These different organizations
of nursehoods follow the same logic as church buildings, where out
of the Romanesque style the Gothic evolved and so on. So too, the
nursehoods changed through the introduction of more independent,
worldly principles.
The longer the monk is a member separated from his congrega-
tion, the more he wants to belong to the clergy. The religious knight
wants to be a monk and is a monk. But in spite of the vows of poverty,
celibacy and obedience, he wants to be a nobleman, and before long
he gets bored at the sickbeds. This is why, after becoming a monk and
a nurse, he also wants to be a ghter against the unbelievers with the
sword. In this manner, the religious orders of knighthood mingle spirit
and esh and thereby plant the seed of their death, which had to take
place at some time.
The lay brotherhoods planted their seed of death in a similar
manner. They had every reason to come into being at the time in
which they did. In general, they had no intention to withdraw from
the Church. For they not only tolerated its oversight but also wanted
it. Added to this, they had a strong impulse and desire to grow out of
ecclesial oversight, not to dedicate themselves to the truth more than
the contemporary Church did, even though it would have been the
right thing to do, but to worship their own private opinions. Some of
these opinions were mystical, some theosophical, some philosophical.
And usually the majority of these opinions were no more compatible
with the religion of the Lord Jesus than those of the Gnostics of the
earlier times.
Despite all this, time marched on toward the Reformation. Progress
was only slightly visible in the institutions, such as nursehoods, about
which we are talking. For unfortunately, like always in all good and
50
splendid things, there is a progressive mingling of esh and spirit, of
lie and truth. And so eventually, religious organizations do not simply
end by giving way to some temporal things, but they generally end in
sin and shame and leave a bad name to posterity, so that no one even
remembers their better times.
64. The preeminent orders of knighthood were the two orders of
the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem and the Teutonic Knights.
Both were originally founded for the care of the sick in Jerusalem, and
from there they spread over the Occident. Beginning in AD 1048,
merchants from Amal in southern Italy had prepared a refuge for
pilgrims in Jerusalem and had built a hospice and a chapel, Santa Maria
Latina, next to it. Two more hospices were soon erected next to the
rst and then two more after that.
The nursehood grew in such a way that they were able to aid
Godfrey of Bouillon signicantly during the siege of 1099. Because of
this, he rewarded them with the Lordship of Montboire in Flanders.
Young noblemen from the army of the crusaders joined them. Conse-
quently, the rector of the hospital, Grard Tonque, decided to sever
the ties between the hospital and the abbey of Santa Maria Latina
and to form an independent brotherhood in honor of St. John the
Baptist. This caused hot, even bloody disputes. The new Hospitallers
prevailed, however, and the new order became rich in goods, so that
their benecial activity spread into the Occident.
Under the guidance of Raymond du Puy, who called himself the
Servant of the Poor of Jesus Christ and Warden of the Hospital at
Jerusalem, the order, which had an abundance of means and men at
its disposal, added to its works of mercy also the struggle against the
unbelievers. In doing so, it took a big step toward gaining worldly
power, but it also planted the seed for its estrangement from the
original task. Gradually the care of the sick was left to the religious,
and the others became more interested in military service.
Around AD 1128, a German man and his wife, living in Jerusalem,
founded a xenodochium (a hospice) to fulll the commandment of be-
ing hospitable to others. Their goal was to assist fellow Germans who
were poor, sick, and ignorant of the local language. Since his venture
prospered, the German built a chapel in honor of the Mother of God,
and his wife built a second hospital to care for harassed German women.
Gradually many forces turned to this noble endeavor and founded the
Association of the Brothers of the Hospital of the Holy Virgin Mary at
Jerusalem. Before long this association, too, was joined by knights. In
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this way, here too, people began to want not only to care for the sick
but also to ght against the unbelievers.
In 1142, Pope Celestine II placed these Brothers of Mary under the
supervision of the Hospitallers, a position that did no damage to their
work but, as it is so frequently the case with subordination, upheld the
virtue of showing mercy. In lowliness, poverty, and piety, the Brothers
of Mary lived for a long time free from pride, greed, and discord. During
the siege of Acre in 1199, the Brothers of Mary joined some citizens
of Lbeck and Bremen to ease the distress of the sick, and their pious
sacricial work caused Duke Frederick of Swabia to found the Teutonic
Order after the pattern of the Templars and Hospitallers, since the
members of the Templars and Hospitallers were mostly French and
Italian noblemen. Until the fteenth century, this order of the Ger-
man knights never totally forgot why it was founded. At that point,
their abundance of power and wealth became a cause for impudence
and discord, but until then they served faithfully.
There are still Teutonic Knights in Austria, but their possessions
became an imperial ef in 1834. In Prussia in 1812, King Frederick
William III founded a royal order of St. John, which Frederick William
IV tried to resuscitate by designating its entrance and membership
fees for the establishment and maintenance of hospitals. But what
is all this compared to the old way of doing things? Back then, one
would not just simply gather some money, but would make ones body
and life, money and goods available to the Lord for His serving of the
wretched and poor.
It must be noted that both orders, the Hospitallers and Teutonics,
also had female sisterhoods at their side about whose toil and work less
can be said, although they might have accomplished more than their
male orders. Out of the later nursing associations emerged the Order
of the Holy Spirit, which became very active in different lands and
still today works for the care of the sick in Austria under the name of
Crosiers. Yet this order is different from the two previously mentioned
orders of knighthood, and we mention it here simply because of its
many benecial activities.
65. Besides the knighthoods, more independent communities who
cared for the sick began to emerge at the end of the twelfth century,
and these deserve to be noted. In the rst place, the Beguines and
Beghardes are to be mentioned. The whole community borrowed its
name from a pious priest at Lige, Lambert l Begue, although many
have interpreted it differently.
52
Upset by the worldly lifestyle of the clergy around him, Lambert
desired an association of people who desired a more pious way of liv-
ing. In a great garden outside the city on the Maas, he erected many
individual houses, which were all enclosed by a single wall. This was
the rst Beguinage, and it became the pattern for the later ones, for
fty years after the death of Lambert, there were already fteen hun-
dred sisters living on this court. Two to four sisters lived in individual
houses, and each took care of her own little household. The individu-
als lived on the proceeds of their handiwork and teaching, and each
had control over her possessions. Some were allowed to live in the
city with their relatives, but then they had no permission to wear the
dress of the Beguines. For the Beguines wore a distinct dress, which
came close to the clerical garb, and they vowed chastity and obedience
for their time of residence at the court, but were free to leave and get
married at any time.
The center of the court of the Beguines was the hospital, in which
the sisterhood practiced the care of the sick for their own members.
Yet they also cared for sick people outside the court in private homes.
In the course of the rather impure attempts at a reformation before
Luthers time, the Beguines were very frequently drawn into heresies
and enthusiastic movements, which severely undermined their almost
indestructibly good name. In Germany, the word Beguines was not well
liked, and so the name Seelschwestern, meaning soul sisters, was used
instead.
Besides the Beguines there were the Beghardes, a brotherhood of
married men that was founded in the Netherlands in 1228. This order
originally consisted of poor married weavers, but they later imitated
the lifestyle of the Beguines and dug their own grave by afliating with
heretical associations.
Besides the Beguines and Beghardes, one has to mention the
Kalands Brethren. Each group was headed by a cleric, and it also
had lay members. The actual purpose of this brotherhood was ev-
ery kind of mutual bodily and spiritual aid. Therefore, they cared
for their brothers and sisters in disease, as well as for paying their
members the last honors due them and then burying the dead. They
gathered on the first day of every month for Mass, and after that
for a covenant meal. Gradually these meals became the main thing,
and gluttony and lewdness spread. The kaland brothers became
known for their excesses, and before the Reformation even took
place, the kaland was abolished almost everywhere.
53
Lhe on Mercy
Among the brotherhoods that belong here, we additionally men-
tion the Bridgemakers, which made the crossing of waters easier for
pilgrims traveling to Rome and other sites of devotion, as well as erect-
ing hospices at the shores for the pilgrims.
In a time rich in nursehoods, one also notes some associations
for the mentally ill. In Germany, one could name the Elizabethians,
who bear the name of St. Elizabeth of Thuringia (12071231), who,
as everybody knows, founded hospitals in Eisenach at the foot of the
Wartburg and later at Marburg. This order still exists and usually takes
care of female patients only.
Before we proceed to the Reformation era, we note in passing that
xenodochia and hospitals were separated from each other in the Oc-
cident during the period we have just discussed. The hospitals formed
a style of their own and divided into various subcategories, not just
according to the nature of the disease, but also according to nationality
of the person. Later on, individuality and subjectivity become more
prevalent, and the dividing continued, which was both a blessing and
curse, but which was unavoidable.
66. In the Reformation era, we must speak of merciful love dif-
ferently because the church split. Therefore, we have to focus on the
Roman Catholic church by itself, and likewise the Protestant church
societies by themselves. In previous time periods, when there were fac-
tions within the Roman church, most of the groups had still encouraged
the importance of living the Christian life. Indeed, these branches of
the Roman church encouraged active love and mercy.
But during the time of the Reformation, one can see that depraved
living took hold of the Roman church, its doctrine, and its hierarchy.
As a result, the Roman church does not look at all like those earlier
communities that separated from it. One can tell right away that there
was a confusion between the pure teaching of the old, traditional prin-
ciples and the restoration of divinely pure doctrine.
To be sure, there are things that are greater than even human life,
namely the order of salvation and the way to life eternal. It may well
be then that because of the greater good, the smaller recedes into the
shadow even if only for a while. Likewise, until the path to the heavenly
Jerusalem is cleared, the paths on which the merciful Samaritan is to
walk on earth become somewhat rough and dark.
Because of this, the branches of the Roman Catholic church seem to
lag behind it, and the untrained eye, which does not understand what the
Reformation is all about, has a hard time determining which side has the
54
greater advantage. Yet one must consider that it is not Christian living
or works of mercy but the pure Word and the unadulterated Sacraments
that are the marks of the true Church. Nevertheless the Reformation
took place, unperturbed by the splendor of the Romans in the centuries
before and after it, and it carries on with the intention that the pure
doctrine of the true Church may bear fruit. Like the Reformation, we
know that when the spring of truth comes, then the earth shall turn
green from love, and all trees will bear the fruit of mercy.
67. When focusing on the Roman church in the post-Reformation
era, it is undeniable that its zeal for works of mercy has only grown since
the Reformation. Generally speaking, the Roman church owes a great
deal to the Reformation. It is no mistake to say that the urry of activity
in showing mercy, which began to pop up here and there in its midst,
was also caused by the Reformation. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods
emerged everywhere in the area of the Roman church, most notably
in southern and western Europe. They ourished, and their hopes and
ideas for showing mercy have not been exhausted even today.
Among the brotherhoods, the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God
ought to be mentioned rst. It was founded by the Spaniard John of
God, at Grenada in 1534. The orders members commit themselves to
the care of the suffering. Today they maintain twenty-nine hospitals
in Austria alone, and they care for an average of twenty thousand
patients each year.
Besides this order, there are many other brotherhoods of
Hospitallers. Yet they are surpassed in splendor and activity by
the sisterhoods. The order of the Daughters (Sisters) of Char-
ity, founded in 1617 by Vincent de Paul (15801660), has to be
mentioned, for its different branches spread over all the lands and
even into Germany. The most esteemed branch of the Daughters
of Charity is that of the Sisters of Mercy of St. Borromeo, founded
in 1626 by Pierre de Stainville at Nancy. Besides this, one should
mention the Vincentians, who have their motherhouse at Stras-
bourg. It is not necessary to elaborate on the Daughters of Charity
because in our day and age their recognition is exceedingly high
even among Protestants, and the famous works by F. J. Buss, Cle-
mens Brentano, Clemens August Droste von Vischering, Johann
Hermann Schmidt, Wulf, and so forth are found everywhere and
read by everyone.
68. The church of the Reformation, as sad as its appearance looks
when comparing it to institutions and distinguishing works of mercy,
55
Lhe on Mercy
nevertheless has shown Christian mercy a great service. It has done this
by correctly relating works and faith according to St. Pauls example,
by rejecting the foolish idea that human merit is capable of inuencing
eternal salvation, by holding to the holy doctrine of the merit of grace,
and by banishing all erroneous attempts of works righteousness and
instead clinging to the scriptural denition of a good work.
It is clear from its church orders that the church had the intention
of practicing pure doctrine. In many of these orders, there is a clearly
recognizable effort to revive the deaconate, which had ceased to exist
in the Roman church. Although the church did not succeed in giving
a fresh impetus to mercy, and although neither the deaconate nor the
common chests that collected money for the poor amounted to very
much, one has to keep in mind that the Reformation era was a period
of extreme unrest. The greed of the princes strongly interfered in the
movement, and severe sufferings and terrible punishments from God
came because of the rejected Word. These sufferings can be seen most
clearly in the Thirty Years War, a war that transformed Germany
into a desert. In addition to all this, the church was busy attempting
to maintain pure doctrine, and so these reasons justify the fact that
the church of the Reformation was doing its best to keep its works of
mercy from going down the wrong path.
69. Toward the end of the seventeenth and at the beginning of the
eighteenth centuries, there rose within the Lutheran church a strong
reproach against this church itself. This was a result of dead orthodoxy
and a great lack of living faith and active love. It was a just reproach,
even if the men and the party that raised it did not articulate their
reproach in an irreproachable manner, were unable to defend the
truth worthily, and failed to recognize the good that still remained in
the church.
At the helm of the party was the noble Philipp Jacob Spener
(16351705) and later A. H. Francke (16631727), whose orphan-
age at Halle was a good example of institutional work in the Lutheran
church and whose charitable example was benecial. It was during
the time of A. H. Francke that in Germany, in the Lutheran church,
and in all Protestant lands many orphanages and institutions emerged.
Some are still partly blooming today, but others, after doing their
share, have sunk into the dust again. All charities of the nineteenth
century doubtlessly follow the impulse of A. H. Francke. All those who
have recently advocated the scriptural idea of deacony, such as Amalie
Sieveking at Hamburg (17941859), Pastor Fliedner (18001864) at
56
Kaiserswerth, and Candidate Wichern (18081881), are part of the train
and stream that began with Spener and that benecially permeates the
Protestant churches.
One must also remember that the ecclesial associations of the
Protestants, and the Protestant imitations of the Catholic brotherhoods
and sisterhoods, owe their origin only to the impulse of the Pietist
party. Because of this, the Protestant communities are making up for
what had been neglected, and the Spirit of the Lord is being seen in
abundance. All manner of charity has continually become lled with
delight and truth, and we pray that the church not succumb to the
errors that, because of the devils envy, so easily attach themselves to
movements founded by God. In light of this, one ought to remember
to observe everything that the movement of love in the contemporary
church brings about, without loftily turning away from the charity
that is found among associations of different parties. Indeed, whoever
is wise learns from the enemy. Why not learn from those whom one
cannot call enemies, although according to Gods Word we are dif-
ferent from them? However, one must also remember that it is our
sacred duty to remain watchful in view of the activities of the modern
time and guard the hearth so that there is no profane re brought to
it (Leviticus 10:1).
70. One thing the Church must avoid is joining ranks with those
who hold the secular view of charity called the economical. We live
in a time in which misery grows in tremendous progressions. There
seems to never be enough help for those in need, let alone enough to
stop the sources of misery altogether. This is why the wise men of the
time reect on misery, and the great men study what needs to be done
to prevent it. The situation can be likened to one who works system-
atically, the way one does his math, calculating the consequences of
certain measures one wants to take. And because of his studies, one
arrives at an impractical experiment, which in addition to being ex-
pensive, eventually increases misery instead of doing away with it.
Because of the way the situation ends, such accusations can be
rightfully leveled at the book by Chastel, who wrote about the practice
of mercy during the rst six centuries. Everyone who is guided and
driven simply by economical or scientic considerations regarding the
existing need for mercy, and not by Christian love, will be the object of
the same accusations. When love counsels and reigns over the leaders
of the nation, then they will do whatever is possible to eliminate and
even prevent misery. And they will do it quickly, and love, an angel
57
Lhe on Mercy
of God on earth, will prove itself as the master of economy, even if it
does not want to deal with the secular mind and name.
71. One great question remains, namely, Who is to take the effort
of mercy in his hands and govern itthe state or the church? The
judicious recognize that the state can do nothing without the willing
spirit of the church, which holds the key to the treasures that the needs
of our time require. Those who have studied the matter the most are
convinced about this the most.
Therefore, it is time for every person to let the Spirit of the Church
of Jesus stream into himself and to assist the tremendous job that the
Lord has given His Church. Although state charity alone is not going
to get the job done, we should not entertain the idea of relegating
the state to the status of a mere observer of the things that take place
under the hands of the church. Even if it is not proper for the hand
that holds the sword to bring the oil and wine of the good Samaritan,
it nonetheless can make room and defend. Thus, just as one has to
award the church the full right and the full duty to do the works the
Lord will ask for on the Last Daythe works of mercyso one has to
preach to the lords of the world and the rulers of the states that they
are founded and instituted to the glory of God, and are not to hinder
His works but to foster them.
58
Seventh Chapter
How is a Deaconess to Practice Mercy?
72. For the sake of clarity, we must say rst that we are strictly
talking about the deaconesses of the nineteenth century and not about
all deaconesses in general. That being said, the resuscitation of the
biblical ofce of deacony, and of deaconess in particular, is not due
to the Roman church or some other church but to the Reformation.
Thanks are due to the Reformation era, and we must be grateful that
in more recent times the Protestant church has put its old traditions
into practice once again.
But on the other hand, we must also acknowledge that the deacon-
ess of the nineteenth century is different from that of the early Church.
She is not a deaconess emerging out of the congregation, but she is a
Protestant duplicate of the Roman Catholic sister of charity. Given
the current circumstances, she can be nothing but this. Since there
are no longer congregations like those in the past, then there can no
longer be congregational deaconesses.
Deaconesses in our day and age are not forced to do their work,
but they are set apart as a matter of free will and because they volun-
tarily associate with those who are drawn to, and awakened for, this
position by God. Because of this, we know that generally speaking, the
brotherhoods and sisterhoods are not marks of a dead church, but of a
strong and good will. And yet while the desire to show mercy has not
changed, the way in which a brotherhood or sisterhood is organized
has changed throughout the course of time. Depending on the changes,
that organization may be more or less useful. Every era in history has
to accept its specic form of organization, and so the deaconess of
the nineteenth century must accept the organization of the deaconys
existence and gladly embrace it. She must do this, even if she always
keeps her eyes upon the more beautiful perfection of earlier times,
grieving after it, longing for it, and, as far as possible, striving for it.
In spite of this, she occupies her place in time as well as possible and
strives to be better.
73. The deaconess of the nineteenth century lives at a time in
which there is a great deal of confusion about everything, especially
mercy and charity. She may even been confused as to what is bet-
tercongregational care of the poor or institutional care. She may
wonder what is more accurateto leave the whole sacred matter to the
59
Lhe on Mercy
church or to hand it over to the state. More than likely, she has many
more questions like these on which, in the end, so much depends.
This is why it bets a deaconess to be a light bearer into this dark-
ness, to implant and advocate sound doctrine wherever she is placed.
Yet how can she do this without knowing it for herself? And can she
know it without hearing or reading? Out of this emerge the sacred duty
of study and the instruction of others who are weaker in intellect and
engage less in studying. Every deaconess should know not only the
history of mercy, but she should also know and pursue in her studies
all the things that are only briey mentioned in this piece of writing.
She should familiarize herself with the charitable systems of different
countries and areas, with the organization and reports of the institutions
that ourish the most, and with the writings on mercy that have been
published back and forth. She also should learn the history of ancient
times, of the ancient orders, of the nursehoods, and the biographies of
the preeminent male and female champions of mercy. This will help
to form her in that branch of human care to which she dedicates her
life. But there is more. It is altogether impossible for a deaconess to
avoid going into the writings of the confessions, which is why she must
be rmly rooted in the divine truth so that she is able to recognize
the good of the Churchs confessions without being attracted by the
errors of others. This will open up an expansive eld of knowledge for
the deaconess. But above all else she must not forget that the rst and
most benecial study is of the Bible, through which the Holy Scripture
of the Old and New Testaments is and remains her dearest paradise
and the place for holding sacred knowledge. Glancing at what there
is to be learned, one sees that there is nothing more miserable than a
deaconess who does not want, does not know, does not desire to learn,
and who does not somehow nd the means to live up to her calling to
be a light bearer for others according to her gifts.
74. The formation of a deaconess does not depend solely on
knowledge and studies. Commensurate with studying, there must be
a formation and sanctication of her heart. Knowledge that does not
inuence a persons inmost being is nothing more than whitewash
on a decaying tomb. If this is the case, she has no roots under herself,
and she will bear no fruit. It is then clear that her heart has not been
receptive soil.
The Roman church realized this potential problem and instituted
a threefold vow for its deacony. But should not this promise instead
be made out of a free will and as a result of inner growth? The dea-
60
coness should, not because of a vow or law or duress but because of
the impulse of the Holy Spirit, be free from and unaffected by sexual
matters, not enchanted by earthly possessions, and not subject to any
needs that in reality cannot be called needs. In joyous humility and
sacrice of her own will, she ought to dedicate herself to carrying
out the sacred thoughts and works that she has come to know and
is determined to do. She who desires a strong hand and a faithful,
sacricial will may rst of all purify her heart. For she cannot fancy
herself to be well-formed for the calling of deaconess as long as her
heart and inmost being have not thoroughly and faithfully grasped
the goal of learning through will and prayer.
75. When a deaconess has appropriated ideas and knowledge, and
when the pure, faithful, strong will to [do] good is there, there is still
lacking a third element, which can be called practice or skill. With her
male and female instructors, the true deaconess focuses on every aspect
of deaconess work. She studies, evaluates, and tries out her talents for
each and every one. She seeks to train herself especially in the areas
of her gifts, but she also needs holy discipline and sternness to train
herself in those matters that she nds difcult. She strengthens her
weak sides through the constant diligence of practice, excuses herself
from nothing that the Lord commands, and forgives herself nothing
that lacks for her calling.
Yet this work of strengthening and training can become absurd.
A deaconess might not have any gifts for a given task of a deaconess,
might therefore be released from all diligence, and might neverthe-
less still stoically direct all her yearnings and her diligence to this
task. For this she has male and female guardians and instructors,
who, tirelessly and without fear of her displeasure, will resist her
and push her into an area where her talents might open a great deal
of activities for her. But apart from this ignorant absurdity of untal-
ented people, there remains the indispensable duty and sacred rule
of every Christian to take care of the deaconess weaknessesun-
pretentiously and modestly but also faithfully and persistentlyso
that her formation is as well rounded and perfect as possible.
76. It goes without saying that the skill and knowledge of a normal
female is to be expected of every deaconess. There will be exceptions
until the end of the ages, but it will always remain as a rule that the
formation and skill of the deaconess in the matters of the ordinary
household should be exemplary. The deaconess shall be able to easily
carry out what every maid can and does. By doing everything nobly
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Lhe on Mercy
and gracefully, she can show others that one can transform the humble
duties of his or her calling into priestly works. Thus, it is good for
every deaconess to at least know something about barn and eld, the
washtub and kitchen, the teaching and care of souls, and everything
in between. She may be in the best or worst of occupations, but her
attitude ought to never change. In so doing, everyone will realize that
this woman is at home everywhere, that she is very knowledgeable, that
she has a big heart, that she spends time in the sanctuary, that she has
practical intelligence, and that such a girl has not only accomplished
more than the well-known poetess or paintress, but that she has done
more than the noble nun, who has become accustomed to y to the
eternal home, but who here on earth is unable to bestow the blessing
of her inner life on others through work and deed.
77. What if the most competent deaconess, well trained for her
calling, went out alone to live out her calling? What would all those
gifts prot her? What if, for all her wisdom, she did not realize that a
deaconess without community and connections is actually no deacon-
ess at all? It is included in the whole calling of the deaconess that she
walks her ways, inwardly and outwardly, together with all those who
have set their eyes on the same goal and are driven by the same inten-
tion. That is why training for deaconesses concentrates both on the
individual soul, practicing mercy, as well as the group, which appears
as a sacred force, focusing on the greatest thing women can possibly
choose: serving others in love and helping them to be awakened to
the same walk.
The church also looks to the deaconess to help the male ofce
of the Holy Spirit in a female manner, to create, if possible, congre-
gations; to kindle old, existing congregations for the love of Christ;
to found congregations better than the existing ones on virgin soil
wherever necessary. By doing so, she provides for the highest level of
her own calling. For if congregations saw her true value, there would
be no lack of deaconesses. Indeed, that most noble ofce of deaconess
would rise up again, and the deaconesses would serve the congrega-
tions themselves.
To accomplish this task, it requires many and joint forces, but the
deaconess has rst another task. She must pass on her ofce to posterity.
It was not good that historically the ofce of the deaconess died out.
Thus, it is not to be resuscitated now, just to perish yet again. But what
the Lord and His holy apostles thought to hand over to the Church as
a permanent institution is now to rise again to perish nevermore.
62
For what good would it do if deaconesses only worked here and
there for a short while, and yet the enthusiasm and mighty love would
not lift them up and unite them, which alone can cause others to
be ignited by the same mindset? The Lutheran church has already
known for three hundred years that deacons and deaconesses are
scriptural. One might wonder then why it had neither deacons nor
deaconesses. It is probably because the ancient deacony had to appear
as a new creation, and every start is so hard. But now it is different,
for the start has been made, and the little lamp of the wise virgins is
nally burning. He who has lit it wants it to be guarded and fueled.
Diligence is to be maintained so that the re and brightness of the
good widows and virgins remain on earth until the Lord comes.
Knowing this, one might also remember that not only individual
believers in Jesus but also united bands of followers, who practice the
work of mercy, are able to pass the ongoing spirit of kindness on to
others. Thus, the calling has to be seen in such a way that one does
not simply do every work of a deaconess, that one does not simply
accomplish what appears to be most necessary and useful. Rather, the
idea of service must become clearer and clearer, that the understanding
of each individual work is seen in relation to the whole, and that, so
to speak, a tradition of sacred ideas and sacred wisdom can be passed
on from one generation of deaconesses to the next.
The widows and virgins of the holy deacony are to keep alive a
certain kind of human beings that have an active faith and a faith-lled
love and know how to cultivate them. This is why a true deaconess will
instinctively perceive the concern for her offspringfuture generations
of deaconessesas one of the main purposes of her life. If she does
not do it, we know that the Lord will still help His people. But that
deaconess will be held accountable for her laxity on His Day. May the
Lord grant these deaconesses His Spirit, His power, and His wisdom,
to escape judgment on that Day, and to be worthy of standing before
the Son of Man.
Amen.
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Lhe on Mercy
Topics for Discussion
First Chapter What is Mercy?
1. What does Lhe mean by, misery would return if mercy would
not keep watch at the gates of heaven?
2. What distinction does Lhe make between grace and mercy? What
does grace primarily deal with? What does mercy primarily deal
with? How are grace and mercy related?
3. What is the origin of all human misery?
4. What does Lhe call the two hands of God? Describe the rela-
tionship of the two hands of God to Law and Gospel.
5. What are the two conditions Lhe describes for all mankind?
Second Chapter How did the Lord, Your God, Practice Mercy in the
Old Testament?
1. What does Lhe mean by this: The history of all peoples, especially
of the great peoples before Christ, has no other meaning than this:
in and by Israel mercy or justice if offered them, peace or punish-
ment?
2. Lhe notes, For in the midst of judgment, mercy shows itself, and
in the midst of mercy, justice shows itself. What is the relationship
between mercy and justice?
Third Chapter How Did the Lord, Your Savior,
Practice Mercy in the New Testament?
1. The peoples fortune changes according to changes in their be-
havior toward the Gospel. To what fortune is Lhe referring?
2. How does Lhe describe the justice shown to the Orient versus
the mercy shown the Occident?
3. How did the church try to control the state; and how did the state
try to control the church?
64
4. How was the rejection of the Lords mercy destructive to Germany
according to Lhe?
5. How do these statements relate to each other: Mercy still rejoices
over judgment and The kingdom of the Lord is a kingdom of
mercy?
Fourth Chapter How did the Lord in the Law of the Old Testament
Command His People to Practice Mercy?
1. Why were the Israelites supposed to remain separated from the
nations around them? See Deuteronomy chapters 7 and 9. Lhe
noted, The sherman does not swim with the sh in the water.
How is the church to be in the world but not of the world?
2. What was the purpose of the great institutions of the Old Testa-
ment (prophets, kings and priests)?
3. Explain how neither beast nor bird in the nest are forgotten in
the Lords display of mercy. See Jonah 4:11.
4. In reference to mercy, what is not found in the Old Testament but
is a fruit of the New Testament? Discuss the implications of this
for us today.
5. Lhe notes, There were never supposed to be beggars. How does
Lhe propose to prevent people from becoming beggars?
Fifth Chapter How did the Lord, Your Redeemer, and His Holy Apostles
in the New Testament Command His Saints to Practice Mercy?
1. According to Lhe, what is the greatest display of mercy?
2. How do the ofce of the Word and the ofce of bodily mercy work
together?
3. What was the role of the deacon?
4. How did the ofce of deaconess emerge in the early church? How
was this ofce similar and different in Lhes day in the 19
th
century?
How is it similar and different in our day?
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Lhe on Mercy
Sixth Chapter How Did the Church of All Ages
Follow Her Lords Command to Practice Mercy?
1. What is the connection between the breaking of bread and the
communal meal in the early church? When did things start to
change?
2. Why does Lhe think the early Christians were extremely generous
in their giving? Discuss the implications for giving today.
3. Describe how widows became some of the rst deaconesses.
4. Why did the deacons keep records?
5. Why dont the poor have a right to demand a gift?
6. Describe the connection between the declaration of fasts and
special offerings in the early church.
7. Why is accountability to be part of the stewardship of gifts given
to the church?
8. Lhe states, When one reads the speeches of the great church
fathers of the fourth, fth, and sixth centuries, everything is just
like today. Discuss what he means, and compare and contrast how
things are similar and different today.
9. Describe the beginning of institutional care in the church.
10. Lhe observes, The longer the monk is a member separated from
his congregation, the more he wants to be the clergy. How does
this describe laity and clergy relations in the church?
11. How did Lhe describe the roles of the church and the state in acts
of mercy?
Seventh Chapter How is a Deaconess to Practice Mercy?
1. How was the deaconess of the 19
th
century different from that of
the early church?
2. Why must the deaconess know the Bible, sound doctrine and the
Lutheran Confessions?
66
3. Lhe noted, For if congregations saw her true value, there would
be no lack of deaconesses. Do congregations today understand
the value of deaconesses?

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