By Schubert Ogden
Luther on the "Touchstone" Wiki Markup
Commenting on Psalm 110:2: "The Lord will send the scepter of thy kingdom out of Zion," Luther says:
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... |
...
this |
...
scepter |
...
is |
...
nothing |
...
else |
...
than |
...
the |
...
office |
...
of |
...
the |
...
public |
...
ministry, |
...
which |
...
the |
...
Lord |
...
Christ |
...
began |
...
Himself |
...
and |
...
later |
...
on |
...
commanded |
...
to |
...
be |
...
extended |
...
by |
...
His |
...
messengers, |
...
the |
...
apostles |
...
and |
...
their |
...
successors, |
...
and |
...
to |
...
be |
...
continued |
...
until |
...
the |
...
Last |
...
Day. |
...
In |
...
this |
...
consists |
...
His |
...
entire |
...
kingdom |
...
and |
...
government |
...
as |
...
far |
...
as |
...
it |
...
can |
...
be |
...
seen |
...
or |
...
grasped |
...
outwardly, |
...
for |
...
here |
...
He |
...
indicates |
...
and |
...
mentions |
...
nothing |
...
else |
...
by |
...
which |
...
this |
...
King |
...
will |
...
rule |
...
except |
...
this |
...
scepter. |
...
There |
...
will |
...
be |
...
no |
...
other |
...
external |
...
sign |
...
or |
...
mark |
...
by |
...
which |
...
His |
...
kingdom |
...
can |
...
be |
...
recognized. |
...
For |
...
. |
...
. |
...
. |
...
this |
...
King |
...
is |
...
not |
...
going |
...
to |
...
rule |
...
with |
...
the |
...
sword |
...
or |
...
physical |
...
power |
...
and |
...
might, |
...
as |
...
do |
...
the |
...
secular |
...
kings |
...
and |
...
lords |
...
in |
...
their |
...
governments. . . . |
...
Nevertheless, |
...
He |
...
must |
...
also |
...
have |
...
a |
...
power |
...
by |
...
which |
...
He |
...
can |
...
rule |
...
and |
...
promote |
...
and |
...
maintain |
...
His |
...
kingdom. |
...
This |
...
will |
...
be |
...
done |
...
only |
...
through |
...
the |
...
oral |
...
Word |
...
or |
...
the |
...
office |
...
of |
...
the |
...
ministry, |
...
sounding |
...
forth |
...
among |
...
the |
...
people |
...
about |
...
this |
...
King |
...
and |
...
thus |
...
entering |
...
their |
...
hearts |
...
so |
...
that |
...
He |
...
may |
...
be |
...
known |
...
and |
...
accepted. . . . |
...
Note |
...
well |
...
that |
...
the |
...
psalmist |
...
says |
...
this |
...
scepter |
...
is |
...
to |
...
be |
...
sent |
...
forth |
...
'from |
...
Zion.' |
...
This |
...
is |
...
as |
...
useful |
...
a |
...
text |
...
as |
...
can |
...
be |
...
found |
...
against |
...
all |
...
the |
...
schismatics |
...
and |
...
erring |
...
spirits |
...
of |
...
the |
...
devil, |
...
to |
...
show |
...
that |
...
God |
...
ordained |
...
a |
...
special |
...
and |
...
certain |
...
locality |
...
on |
...
earth |
...
where |
...
this |
...
preaching |
...
of |
...
the |
...
Gospel |
...
is |
...
to |
...
begin. |
...
Thereby |
...
He |
...
binds |
...
the |
...
ears |
...
and |
...
hearts |
...
of |
...
all |
...
men |
...
so |
...
that |
...
they |
...
know |
...
which |
...
is |
...
the |
...
true |
...
doctrine |
...
of |
...
God's |
...
Word, |
...
and |
...
do |
...
not |
...
gape |
...
at |
...
this |
...
or |
...
that |
...
or |
...
flutter |
...
about |
...
confusedly. . . . |
...
Now, |
...
it |
...
is |
...
a |
...
fact |
...
that |
...
no |
...
other |
...
teaching |
...
was |
...
published |
...
in |
...
Zion |
...
than |
...
the |
...
one |
...
we |
...
have |
...
and |
...
preach |
...
according |
...
to |
...
the |
...
four |
...
evangelists, |
...
the |
...
same |
...
one |
...
that |
...
was |
...
preached |
...
by |
...
the |
...
holy |
...
apostles. |
...
Hence |
...
this |
...
is |
...
the |
...
touchstone |
...
by |
...
which |
...
all |
...
doctrine |
...
is |
...
to |
...
be |
...
judged. |
...
One |
...
must |
...
take |
...
care |
...
and |
...
see |
...
whether |
...
it |
...
is |
...
the |
...
same |
...
doctrine |
...
that |
...
was |
...
published |
...
in |
...
Zion |
...
through |
...
the |
...
apostles. |
...
For |
...
instance, |
...
we |
...
can |
...
and |
...
should |
...
cheerfully |
...
condenm |
...
the |
...
doctrine |
...
of |
...
Mohammed |
...
and |
...
his |
...
Turks, |
...
or |
...
of |
...
the |
...
pope |
...
and |
...
his |
...
monks, |
...
because |
...
it |
...
was |
...
not |
...
published |
...
in |
...
Zion |
...
or |
...
derived |
...
from |
...
the |
...
Gospel |
...
but |
...
from |
...
their |
...
Alcoran |
...
or |
...
decretal, |
...
or |
...
out |
...
of |
...
their |
...
own |
...
heads |
...
and |
...
dreams. |
...
The |
...
same |
...
thing |
...
applies |
...
to |
...
our |
...
Jews, |
...
who |
...
reject |
...
the |
...
preaching |
...
of |
...
this |
...
Christ |
...
and |
...
His |
...
apostles |
...
and |
...
seek |
...
and |
...
hope |
...
for |
...
another |
...
Messiah. |
...
|
...
|
...
You |
...
can |
...
see, |
...
therefore, |
...
how |
...
the |
...
dominion |
...
of |
...
this |
...
King |
...
works. |
...
In |
...
his |
...
invisible |
...
essence |
...
He |
...
sits |
...
at |
...
the |
...
right |
...
hand |
...
of |
...
God; |
...
but |
...
He |
...
rules |
...
visibly |
...
on |
...
earth |
...
and |
...
works |
...
through |
...
external |
...
visible |
...
signs, |
...
of |
...
which |
...
the |
...
preaching |
...
of |
...
the |
...
Gospel |
...
and |
...
the |
...
Sacraments |
...
are |
...
the |
...
chief |
...
ones, |
...
and |
...
through |
...
public |
...
confession |
...
and |
...
the |
...
fruits |
...
of |
...
faith |
...
in |
...
the |
...
Gospel. |
...
These |
...
are |
...
the |
...
true |
...
marks |
...
whereby |
...
one |
...
can |
...
really |
...
recognize |
...
the |
...
kingdom |
...
of |
...
the |
...
Lord |
...
Christ |
...
and |
...
the |
...
Christian |
...
Church: |
...
namely, |
...
wherever |
...
this |
...
scepter |
...
is, |
...
that |
...
is, |
...
the |
...
office |
...
of |
...
the |
...
preaching |
...
of |
...
the |
...
Gospel, |
...
borne |
...
by |
...
the |
...
apostles |
...
into |
...
the |
...
world |
...
and |
...
received |
...
from |
...
them |
...
by |
...
us. |
...
Where |
...
it |
...
is |
...
present |
...
and |
...
maintained, |
...
there |
...
the |
...
Christian |
...
Church |
...
and |
...
the |
...
kingdom |
...
of |
...
Christ |
...
surely |
...
exist, |
...
no |
...
matter |
...
how |
...
small |
...
or |
...
negligible |
...
the |
...
number |
...
of |
...
the |
...
flock. |
...
On |
...
the |
...
other |
...
hand, |
...
those |
...
who |
...
do |
...
not |
...
maintain |
...
and |
...
foster |
...
this |
...
but |
...
even |
...
persecute |
...
it, |
...
as |
...
the |
...
papal |
...
mob |
...
does, |
...
should |
...
not |
...
be |
...
considered |
...
a |
...
part |
...
of |
...
the |
...
Christian |
...
Church; |
...
nor |
...
should |
...
they |
...
be |
...
heard, |
...
even |
...
though |
...
they |
...
arrogate |
...
this |
...
name |
...
and |
...
title |
...
to |
...
themselves |
...
and |
...
defiantly |
...
and |
...
gloriously |
...
boast |
...
that |
...
they |
...
have |
...
inherited |
...
the |
...
apostolic |
...
sees. |
...
They |
...
do |
...
not |
...
speak |
...
for |
...
the |
...
apostles, |
...
nor |
...
do |
...
they |
...
preach |
...
their |
...
message. |
...
Therefore |
...
this |
...
kind |
...
of |
...
boasting |
...
and |
...
claiming |
...
is |
...
improper |
...
for |
...
them, |
...
nor |
...
will |
...
it |
...
help |
...
them. |
...
Rather, |
...
it |
...
will |
...
damn |
...
them |
...
all |
...
the |
...
more |
...
severely |
...
for |
...
having |
...
usurped |
...
the |
...
place |
...
and |
...
office |
...
of |
...
the |
...
apostles. |
...
|
Wiki Markup |
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This passage is interesting to me for all kinds of reasons. But I find it most interesting because of what it says about "the touchstone." Here, at any rate, Luther clearly identifies "the touchstone by which all doctrine is to be judged, not with Christ, or with "what pushes Christ," but with "the doctrine that was published in Zion through the apostles," the test being whether it is "the same doctrine," "the same \[teaching\] that was preached by the holy apostles." And to remove any doubt about what he means by "apostles," he speaks of God's ordaining "a special and certain locality on earth where this preaching of the Gospel is to begin." "Zion, or Jerusalem," he says, "is the place chosen by God for this purpose, from which this scepter and kingdom of Christ should proceed." In other words, by "apostles" Luther undoubtedly means precisely _the first_, or _beginning, witnesses,_ through whom God "_planted_" his church. |
13 February 2002