ombats, as Plitt insists, 'the secularizing of
missionary work.'"

In explaining the 117th Psalm Luther says: "If all the heathen shall
praise God, he must first be their God. Shall he be their God? Then
they must know him and believe in him, and put away all idolatry,
since God can not be praised with idolatrous lips or with unbelieving
hearts. Shall they believe? Then they must first hear his Word and by
it receive the Holy Spirit, who cleanses and enlightens their heart
through faith. Are they to hear his Word? Then preachers must be sent
who shall declare to them the Word of God." So in his familiar hymn,
"Es wolle Gott uns gnaedig sein."

"And Jesus Christ, His saving strength
To Gentiles to make known,
That thee, O God, may thank and praise
The Gentiles everywhere."

In commenting on the words of the Second Psalm, "Ask of me and I will
give thee the heathen for thine inheritance," Luther says: "Christ,
therefore, being upon earth and appointed king upon Mount Zion,
receives the Gentiles who were then promised unto him. The words 'of
me' are not spoken without a particular meaning. They are to show that
this kingdom and this inheritance of the Gentiles are conferred on
Christ, not by men, nor in any human way, but by God, that is,
spiritually."

All who retain the good old custom of the fathers in reading Luther's
Postil sermons on the Gospel and Epistle texts for each Sunday know
what deep missionary thoughts are found in the sermons for Epiphany,
Ascension Day and Pentecost.

In one sermon for Ascension Day on "Go ye into all the world and
preach the Gospel to the whole creation," we read, "these words of the
Sovereign Ruler commission these poor beggars to go forth and proclaim
this new message, not in one city or country only, but in all the
world."

For the history of the writing of these sermons the reader is referred
to volumes 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the Gospel sermons of Luther's works
in English.

The German text will be readily found in the 12th volume of the Walch
and of the St. Louis Walch editions, and in the 8th volume of the
Erlangen edition of Luther's works.

Due acknowledgment is hereby made of aid received from the translation
of Pastor Ambrose Henkel, and published in 1869, at New Market,
Virginia. Also to Pastor C. B. Gohdes, for comparing the manuscript
from the Third Sunday before Lent with the German text and making
valuable improvements.

J. N. LENKER.

Hom