Von der göttlichen Traurigkeit und weltlichen Lustigkeit
The Vanity of Worldly Merriment
The author contrasts the fleeting, fleshly joy of the world with the sobering reality of its ultimate end in judgment.
"Pleasure here, pleasure there," said the man who was forced to be merry against his will.1 That back-and-forth is always on my mind. The world urges me toward merriment—but the roast doesn't taste good to me.2 Pleasure here, pleasure there. Where does the world's merriment come from? From the flesh. Where does it lead? To hell. World, I shudder at your merriment just as I do at hell.3 Where are they who once were so merry and sang: Come on now, let's live well while it's here, and use our body while it is young.4 Let's fill ourselves with the best wine and ointments; let's not miss the May flowers. Let's wear wreaths of fresh roses before they wither.5 Let none of us hold back from showing off, so that people everywhere can tell where we've been making merry—after all, we have nothing more of it than this?6 Wisdom7 2:6–9. Ah, I say it with tears: in hell.
Choosing Godly Sorrow
The author argues for the superiority of godly sorrow over worldly laughter, noting that Christ identifies with the weeping rather than the merry.
How the rich glutton's merriment has turned into the pain and torment of hell!8 I choose what comes from heaven and leads to heaven: godly sorrow, which works a repentance unto salvation that no one regrets — 2 Cor.9 7:10. It's better to be sorrowful in God than cheerful in the world. I'd rather weep with Jesus than laugh with the world. You won't find Jesus in laughter. Where do you read that he ever laughed?10 But he is very close to tears. When Mary weeps, Jesus weeps with her. The world's laughter ends in wailing. Woe to you who laugh here, for you will weep and wail. Luke 6:25. But from Christians' tears joy must grow: as many little seeds of tears, so many sheaves of joy.11 Those who sow with tears will reap with joy; they go out weeping, carrying precious seed, and come with joy bringing their sheaves. Psalm 126:6.12 I find nothing on earth that can make me merry, but much that can sadden me.13
The Interior Life of the Penitent
A reflective look at the soul's condition when it contemplates its exile, its sins, and the eventual comfort found in God's grace.
When I look up, I catch sight of my homeland with joy; but I'm grieved that I, a poor soul, am not yet home and still have to wander here in this misery.✦14 When I look down, hell terrifies me. When I look back, the throng of sins I've committed all my life follows hard on my heels. As many sins as I remember, so many burdens I have on my heart, so many arrows wound me.✦ When I look ahead, who knows what misery still awaits me? When I look around, there are horrors everywhere, and I have to sigh over them.15 And when I look into myself, God help me—what a horror of desolation lies hidden in the depths!✦ Ah, that grieves me. The tears are flowing; one little drop follows another. The deeper I dig, the more water I find.16 So then—pleasure here, pleasure there!17 Who could still be cheerful? Still, you shouldn't think that I'm never cheerful. I have a gracious God—that delights me. When He lets His little drops of heaven fall into my heart, my joy increases.18 I have a good conscience; that makes for a joyful heart.
The Joy of the Cross
The author concludes by affirming that true, lasting joy is found in God's promises and the cross, which remains sweet even when the world turns bitter.
A cheerful heart makes life glad (Prov. 17:22).✦ 17:22. I have an inheritance in heaven; of that I rejoice in hope. Rom.✦19 12:12.✦ The world's merriment ends as soon as trouble begins.20 My cheer lasts even in the cross; for God never tastes sweeter to me than in the cross, when everything has turned bitter. World, stay what you are; I will stay who I am. My delight will never be yours, and I don't want yours.
Read the original Latin
Lust hin, Lust her Sagte jener, da er ohne seinen Dank sollte lustig sein. Das hin und her liegt mir immer in Gedanken. Die Welt mahnt mich an zur Lustigkeit: mir schmeckt der Braten nicht. Lust hin, Lust her. Woher kommt der Welt Lustigkeit? aus dem Fleisch. Wohin führt sie? in die Hölle.
Mir graut Welt vor deiner Lustigkeit, als vor der Hölle. Wo sind sie die vormals so lustig waren und sangen: Wolher nun und lasset uns wol leben, weils da ist; und unsers Leibes brauchen, weil er jung ist. Wir wollen uns mit dem besten Wein und Salben füllen; laßt uns die Maienblumen nicht versäumen. Laßt uns Kränze tra gen von jungen Rosen, eh sie welk werden. Unser keiner laß ihm fehlen mit Prangen, daß man allenthalben spüren möge, wo wir fröhlich gewesen sind; wir haben doch nicht mehr davon denn das? Weish. 2, 6-9. Ach ich sag es mit Thränen: in der Hölle.
Wie hat sich die Lustigkeit hes reichen Schlemmers in höllische Pein und Qual verwandelt! Ich wähle was vom Himmel kommt und zum Himmel führt, die göttliche Traurigkeit, die da wirkt zur Seligkeit eine Neue, die niemand gereut 2 Cor. 7, 10. Besser in Gott traurig als in der Welt fröhlich. Lieber mit Jesu geweint, als mit der Welt gelacht. Beim Lachen wird man Jesum nicht finden. Wo liesest du, daß er ge lacht habe? Den Thränen aber ist er sehr nahe.
Weint Maria, so weint Jesus mit. Der Welt Lachen endigt sich in Heulen. Wehe euch, die ihr hie lacht; denn ihr werdet weinen und heulen Luc. 6, 25. Aus der Christen Thränen aber muß Freude wachsen: so manch Thränen - Körnlein, so manche Freuden - Garbe. Die mit Thränen säen, werden mit Freuden ernten; sie gehen hin und weinen und tragen edlen Samen und kommen mit Freuden und bringen ihre Garben Ps. 126, 6. Nichts finde ich auf Erden das mich lustig machen, viel aber das mich betrü ben kann.
Sehe ich über mich, erblicke ich zwar mein Vaterland mit Freuden; betrübe mich aber, daß ich armer noch nicht daheim bin, sondern allhier im Elend herum wallen nruß. Sehe ich unter mich, so erschreckt mich die Hölle. Sehe ich zurück, folgt mir auf dem Fuße nach die Menge meiner Sünden, so ich mein Lebtag begangen. So mancher Sünden ich mich erinnere, so manche Last hab ich auf meinem Herzen, so mancher Pfeil verwundet mich. Sehe ich vor mich, wer weiß was noch für Jammer auf mich wartet? Sehe ich um mich, der Greul sind allenthalben viel, darüber ich seuszen muß. Schaue ich dann in mich selbst hinein, hilf Gott welch ein Greul der Verwüstung liegt im Grunde verborgen! Ach das betrübt mich.
Die Zähren fließen, ein Tröpflein schlägt das andre. Je tiefer ich grabe, je mehr Wassers ich finde. Drum Lust hin, Lust her! wer könnte noch lustig sein? doch sollst du gleichwol nicht meinen, daß ich nimmer lustig sei. Ich hab einen gnädigen Gott, das erfreut mich. Läßt der seine Himmelströpflein mir ins Herz fallen, wird die Freude vermehrt. Ich hab ein gut Gewissen, das macht ein fröhlich Herz.
Ein fröhlich Herz macht das Leben lustig Spr. 17, 22. Ich hab ein Erb im Himmel, deß freue ich mich in Hoffnung Köm. 12, 12. Der Welt Lustigkeit hat ein Ende, wann Trübsal_ihren Anfang nimmt. Meine Lustigkeit besteht auch im Kreuz; denn nimmer schmeckt mir Gott süßer als im Kreuz, wann alles bitter worden. Welt bleibe die du bist, ich bleibe der ich bin. Meine Lust wird dir nicht, deiner Lust begehr ich nicht.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Phil.3.20;Heb.11.13-Heb.11.16 — For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Heb.11.13 — By faith these all died, not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar and having greeted them, and having confessed that they are strangers and exiles on the earth. Heb.11.14 — For those who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. Heb.11.15 — And if they had been remembering that country from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. Heb.11.16 — But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
- ↩Ps.38.2;Job.6.4 — O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger, and do not discipline me in your wrath. Job.6.4 — For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, their poison drinking my spirit; the terrors of God array themselves against me.
- ↩Dan.9.27;Matt.24.15;Mark.13.14 — And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and offering to cease, and on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, and until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator. Matt.24.15 — So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), Mark.13.14 — But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be—let the reader understand—then let those in Judea flee to the mountains.
- ↩Prov.17.22 — A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
- ↩Rom.12.12;Col.1.5 — Rejoice in hope; endure in affliction; persevere in prayer. Col.1.5 — because of the hope laid up for you in the heavens, which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel
- ↩Rom.12.12 — Rejoice in hope; endure in affliction; persevere in prayer.
Notes
- 1 ↩"ohne seinen Dank" is older German for "without his leave/consent," i.e. against his will, not merely "without thanking." "Lust hin, Lust her" is the idiomatic "X hin, X her" shrug (this way or that), here of worldly pleasure/merriment.
- 2 ↩"mir schmeckt der Braten nicht" is proverbial: the worldly feast/feast of pleasure has no savor for the speaker; not only a literal roast.
- 3 ↩Source lacks commas around the vocative; read as 'Mir graut, Welt, vor deiner Lustigkeit…' (addressing the World).
- 4 ↩Wolher is early-modern 'wohl her' / come-on hortatory call (cf. Wohlan).
- 5 ↩Normalized line break 'tra gen' as 'tragen' (wear/bear).
- 6 ↩Closing question echoes Wisdom 2:9 ('this is our portion'), cast as a bitter rhetorical question; may also voice the author's irony.
- 7 ↩Abbreviation Weish. = Weisheit (Wisdom of Solomon); keep as citation label.
- 8 ↩Source reads "hes reichen Schlemmers"; treated as "des reichen Schlemmers" (of the rich glutton/reveler).
- 9 ↩Source has "eine Neue, die niemand gereut"; almost certainly Luther's "eine Reue, die niemand gereut" (2 Cor 7:10). Rendered as repentance that no one regrets.
- 10 ↩Source splits "ge lacht"; normalized as "gelacht" (laughed).
- 11 ↩Thränen-Körnlein / Freuden-Garbe is harvest imagery: each tear is a seed-grain that yields a sheaf of joy.
- 12 ↩Printed as Ps. 126, 6 (Hebrew/Protestant numbering); Vulgate/LXX equivalent is often Psalm 125.
- 13 ↩Normalized source has 'lustig machen' without 'kann' and splits 'betrüben' as 'betrü ben'; sense restored from the parallel construction: nichts ... machen [kann], viel aber ... betrüben kann.
- 14 ↩Source ends with corrupt 'nruß'; read as 'muß' (must), which fits sense and period orthography.
- 15 ↩'seuszen' read as 'seufzen' (to sigh); period spelling with sz.
- 16 ↩Wassers continues the tear-image of s1: deeper self-examination yields more tears/sorrow, not literal water.
- 17 ↩Lust hin, Lust her is dismissive of worldly pleasure/merriment (chapter theme Lustigkeit), not erotic lust.
- 18 ↩Himmelströpflein: tiny drops of heavenly consolation/grace, answering the tear-drops of s1–s2.
- 19 ↩Source ends with 'Köm.'; sense and following '12, 12.' point to Romans (Röm.) 12:12 rather than Colossians. Rendered as Rom.
- 20 ↩Normalized source has 'Trübsal_ihren'; read as 'Trübsal ihren' (tribulation takes its beginning).
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