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Chapter 10Erquickstunden.1.10

Von dem seligen Zustand der Kinder Gottes auf Erden

The False Heaven of the World

The author contrasts the fleeting, hollow pleasures of the world with the true, enduring joy of the believer.

Aren't two heavens on earth enough?1 It's not very well put when someone says, "God can't give two heavens." The world has its heaven on earth; a Christian has his hell.2 Does God have only one blessing, then? Has God become so poor that he can't heap wealth on his own children as readily as on the children of the world? Are the children of the world the only ones who live in honors and pleasures?3 No. God is a rich man—we know that. That rich man is our Father—we believe that. He doesn't always let things go badly for his children—we can see that. I say: the world doesn't have even one heaven; a Christian has two.4 Where heaven is, there must be joy. When is a child of the world truly joyful? Laughing and being joyful aren't the same thing. For many people, the heart weeps while the mouth is full of laughter. The heart is closed below and open above; what doesn't come from on high brings it no joy.✦5 Is a full, dainty table the worldly person's heaven?6 When he's sick and can't eat, what kind of heaven does he have then? Is power, honor, and glory his heaven?7 Then he has to live in constant fear that he'll fall from heaven into hell, from honor into shame, just as Haman did.8 That fear is already hell enough for him. Is the gold chest his heaven?9 Ah, what a poor heaven—one that can't protect itself from moths and thieves! And where is his heaven when he has to leave everything behind? I wouldn't give a scrap of tinsel for the godless man's heaven.10 His soul is a living hell, where as many devils dwell as there are sins ruling within it. His body isn't much better; for on every little bone and vein he has a devil sitting—only you can't see them.11 Good luck with your heaven.12

The Believer's Two Heavens

The Christian possesses a present heaven in the indwelling of God and a future hope of eternal glory.

I'm provided with more and better heavens. One I already have; the other I hope for. Here below, my heart is my heaven. Where God dwells with his grace, there heaven must be—Isa.✦ 57:15. If God goes with me into the grave, the grave is my heaven. If He goes with me into hell, hell is my heaven. But God dwells in my heart through faith. I've already been seated with Christ in the heavenly places.13 Eph. 2:6. I have a heavenly Spirit, the pledge of my inheritance. I have a heavenly food: the bread of life, the hidden manna (John).✦14 6. I have heavenly attendants, the holy angels, who carry me on their hands. Ps. 91. I have a heavenly garment; I'm clothed with the Sun of Righteousness. I have a heavenly Bridegroom. Se sum.15 I already taste the powers of heaven, and one sweet little drop after another falls into my heart. I store up treasures for myself every day in heaven. Matt. 6, 19. Yes, and what’s more: I don’t just have my heart in heaven—I have my foot there, too. 3:20.✦ Will you still deny that a child of God has heaven on earth?16 Of hell, I know nothing. Even if the gates of hell assail me, they still can’t overpower me. I trample every hellish enemy underfoot through the power of God. If hellish dread attacks me, I count it as pure heavenly joy. It comes from heaven.17

The Struggle with Sin and Longing for Home

While the believer experiences God's comfort, they also endure the painful reality of sin, longing for the final deliverance of death.

Can fear come from heaven, too? God is within me and sweetens it for me with heavenly comfort.18 Yet I do have one hell here below: it's called sin. As painful as the torment of hell is to the damned, so painful is sin to me.19 Every day I sigh with Paul: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Rom. 7:24. Ah, when will the time come when I strip off the stained garment of my flesh and stand radiant in white robes? Rev. 7:9.✦ I wait for this little hour every hour; I long for this little hour every moment—it brings my heaven with it.20 God help me!

Read the original Latin

Zween Himmel auf Erden ists nicht genug?

Es ist nicht so gar wol geredet, wenn einer spricht: Gott kann nicht zween Himmel geben. Die Welt hat ihren Himmel auf Erden, ein Christ seine Hölle. Hat denn Gott nur einen Segen? Ist denn Gott so arm worden, daß er nicht so wol seinen Kindern als den Weltkindern kann Reichtum zuwerfen? Sind denn allein die Weltkinder in Würden und Wolüsten? Nein. Gott ist ein reicher Mann, das wissen wir. Der reiche Mann ist unser Vater, das glauben wir.

Er lässets seinen Kindern nicht allzeit übel gehen, das sehen wir. Ich sage: die Welt hat nicht einen, ein Christ hat zween Himmel. Wo der Himmel ist, da muß Freude sein. Wann ist ein Weltkind wol recht fröhlich? Lachen und fröhlich sein ist nicht einerlei. Bei manchem weint das Herz, wann der Mund voll Lachens ist. Das Herz ist unten geschlossen, oben geöffnet; was nicht aus der Höhe kommt, bringt ihm keine Freude. Ist der volle niedliche Tisch des Weltmenschen Himmel?

wann er krank ist und nicht essen kann, was hat er dann für einen Himmel? Ist Gewalt Ehr und Herrlichkeit sein Himmel? so muß er stets in Furcht leben, daß er aus dem Himmel in die Hölle, aus der Ehr ' in die Schande mit Haman fallen werde. Die Furcht ist ihm schon Hölle genug. Ist der Goldkasten sein Himmel? ach ein schlechter Himmel, der sich der Motten und Diebe nicht erwehren kann! Und wo bleibt sein Himmel, wann er alles lassen muß? Ich be gehre um des Gottlosen Himmel nicht ein Flitterlein zu geben.

Seine Seele ist eine leibhafte Hölle, darin so mancher Teufel wohnt, als Sünde drin herrscht. Sein Leib ist nicht viel besser; denn auf einem jeden Beinlein und Aederlein hat er einen Teufel sizen, nur daß mans nicht sieht. Fahr wol mit deinem Himmel! Ich bin mit mehren und bessern Himmeln versorgt. Einen hab ich, den andern hoff ich. Hienieden ist mein Herz mein Himmel. Wo Gott mit seiner Gnade wohnt, da muß der Himmel sein, Esa. 57, 15.

Geht Gott mit mir ins Grab, so ist das Grab mein Himmel. Fährt er mit mir in die Hölle, so ist die Hölle mein Himmel. Gott aber wohnt durch den Glauben in meinem Herzen. Ich bin schon sammt Christo in das himmlische Wesen versetzt. Eph. 2, 6. Ich hab einen himmlischen Geist, das Pfand meines Erbes. Ich hab eine himmlische Speise, das Brot des Lebens, das verborgene Manna Joh.

6. Ich hab himmlische Aufwärter, die heiligen Engel, die mich auf den Händen tragen Ps. 91. Ich hab eine himmlische Kleidung, bin angethan mit der Sonne der Gerechtigkeit. Ich hab einen himmlischen Bräutigam Se sum. Ich schmecke schon die Kräfte des Himmels und fält mir ein süß Tröpflein nach dem andern ins Herz. Ich sammle mir täglich Schätze im Himmel Math. 6, 19.

Ja was noch mehr ist, ich hab nicht nur mein Herz sondern auch meinen Fuß im Himmel Phil. 3, 20. Willst du noch leugren, daß ein Kind Gottes seinen Himmel auf Erden hab? Von der Hölle weiß ich nicht. Bestreiten mich die Höllenpforten, sie mögen mich doch nicht überwältigen. Ich zertrete alle höllischen Feinde durch die Kraft Gottes. Ficht mich Höllenangst an, ich halte sie für lauter Himmelslust. Vom Himmel kommt sie.

Kann auch Angst vom Himmel kommen? Gott ist bei mir drinnen und verzuckert sie mir mit himmlischem Trost. Doch eine Hölle hab ich hienieden, die heißt Sünde. So peinlich dem verdammten der Höllenschmerz, so peinlich ist mir die Sünde. Ich seufze täglich mit Paulo: Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen von dem Leibe dieses Todes? Röm. 7, 24. Ach wann wird die Zeit kommen, daß ich den befleckten Rock meines Fleisches abziehen und in weißen Kleidern prangen werde?

Offb. 7, 9. Auf dies Stündlein wart ich stündlich, dies Stündlein wünsch ich augenblicklich, es bringt mir meinen Himmel mit. Helf Gott!

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Jas.1.17 — Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
  2. ↩Isa.57.15 — For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, and Holy is His name: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
  3. ↩Rev.2.17 — The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written that no one knows except the one who receives it.
  4. ↩Phil.3.20 — For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
  5. ↩Rev.7.9 — After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Early modern 'Zween' = 'two'; 'ists' = 'ist es'. Rhetorical question opening the chapter on the blessed state of God's children on earth; the next section takes up the claim that God cannot give two heavens.
  2. 2 ↩States the common complaint the chapter is rebutting: worldly people seem to enjoy paradise now, while Christians seem to suffer hell on earth.
  3. 3 ↩Wolüsten (modern Wollüste) covers sensual delights and luxuries; rendered as "pleasures" rather than a narrower sexual sense.
  4. 4 ↩zween Himmel continues the chapter's contrast: the world's one earthly 'heaven' versus the Christian's double portion (grace now and glory later). 'nicht einen' implies not even one true heaven.
  5. 5 ↩unten geschlossen / oben geöffnet: the heart shut toward earthly sources of delight and open toward God above; Höhe = the heavenly height, not mere altitude.
  6. 6 ↩niedliche here is early modern German for dainty/delicate/luxurious, not modern 'cute'.
  7. 7 ↩Gewalt can mean power, force, or dominion; here it names worldly might alongside honor and glory.
  8. 8 ↩Source has 'Ehr '' with a stray mark; read as Ehr/Ehre, 'honor'.
  9. 9 ↩Goldkasten is a chest or coffer of gold—stored treasure, not merely a golden box as furniture.
  10. 10 ↩Source splits 'be gehre'; almost certainly begehre, 'desire'/'would want'. Flitterlein is a tiny bit of tinsel or worthless glitter—an idiom for something of no value.
  11. 11 ↩Beinlein and Aederlein are diminutives (little bone / little vein); the force is that even the tiniest members are occupied.
  12. 12 ↩Fahr wol is a dismissive farewell; rendered as ironic modern leave-taking of the godless man's so-called heaven.
  13. 13 ↩Early modern German himmlische Wesen here follows Lutheran Bible idiom for the heavenly places/realms (Eph 2:6), not abstract essence.
  14. 14 ↩Source ends mid-citation with Joh.; verse number is not supplied in this section. Bread of life points to John 6; hidden manna also echoes Revelation 2:17.
  15. 15 ↩Trailing citation 'Se sum.' is opaque in the supplied text (likely a book abbreviation parallel to Ps./Math./Joh.); preserved as printed.
  16. 16 ↩Source 'leugren' is almost certainly a print/OCR error for 'leugnen' (deny); translated on that reading.
  17. 17 ↩'sie' most naturally refers back to Höllenangst (hellish dread) in s7; the next section develops the same claim that even anxiety can come from heaven and be sweetened with comfort.
  18. 18 ↩verzuckert: literally 'sugars/sweetens'; rendered as 'sweetens' to keep the image of fear made palatable by divine consolation.
  19. 19 ↩peinlich here is the older sense 'painful/tormenting,' not modern 'embarrassing.'
  20. 20 ↩Stündlein is a diminutive of Stunde (hour): the longed-for hour of death/entry into glory when the white garments of Rev 7:9 are received. The German plays stündlich / Stündlein / augenblicklich.

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