Preface.

After that it will be over, should the world stand any longer. See original: "vid." for "vide," Latin for "see" Luther’s Church Postils Church Postils: a collection of sermons intended for clergy to use or for families to read at home, Explanation of the Epistle for Invocavit Sunday the first Sunday of Lent, folio 203. Just as Dr. Johann Valentin Andreä also speaks of today's leaders and the Christians led astray into the world by them: "The sum of it is, we boast of Luther, yet perhaps he would hardly acknowledge us as his own; or, to speak even more frankly, we vaunt Christ, whom He will never recognize as His own." original Latin: "Summa est, nos de Luth. gloriamur, fortassè nos ille suos minùs fateretur; vel ut magis cordatè proloquar, Christum jactitamus, quos ille nunquam pro suis agnoverit." That is, to put it briefly: we boast of Luther, who would perhaps not easily confess us to be his own; or that I may speak even more freely, we parade Christ, who yet will not even recognize us as His own, etc. See his Theophilus in the second Dialogue on Christian Discipline, page 50.

The cause of this is the openly godless and scandalous conduct of so many anti-Pietist Antipietistisch: those opposing the Pietist movement, which emphasized personal holiness and a "living faith" over mere doctrinal adherence leaders. For how one is to regard such people, Dr. Caspar Hedio teaches us from Augustine’s Second Tractate on the Epistle of St. John with these words: "This Epistle has pointed out the Antichrists Widerchristen: literally "against-Christs," referring to those who oppose Christ's spirit while claiming his name: whoever denies that JESUS is the CHRIST, he is the Antichrist. Now let us ask: who is it that denies Him? And let us now pay attention not to the tongues, but to the deeds; for if they are all asked, they all confess with one voice that JESUS is the Christ." Here, let the tongue rest a little and question the life. If you find there what the Scripture will tell you: that your denial is not only with the tongue