s of your God behold you and his
ears are open to your cry, and whatever you desire and pray for is
heard and granted. More than this, your adversaries are threatened by
his angry face. What are all men--tyrants, pope, Turk, Tartars, ay,
the devil himself--compared to this Lord, and what can they do
against him, when and wheresoever he chooses to show his power? They
are but as a straw to a mighty thunderbolt which makes the earth
tremble. Therefore, if you are indeed Christians and believe in God
you ought in no wise to fear all these adversaries, but rather,
joyfully and with scornful courage to despise their defiance, their
threatening and rage, as something utterly harmless to you; they are
but effecting their own destruction in hurling themselves at the
Majesty before which all creatures must tremble.

TRUST IN GOD ENJOINED.

47. But this you are to do: Sanctify God; that is, regard and honor
him as holy. This is nothing else than to believe his Word; be
confident that in God you have truly one who, if you suffer for
righteousness' sake, neither forgets nor forsakes, but graciously
looks upon you and purposes to give his support and to revenge you on
your enemies. Such faith and confession honors him as the true God,
upon whom man can confidently and joyfully call for help, reposing
his whole trust in him upon the authority of his sure Word and
promise, which cannot deceive or fail.

48. In contrast, unbelievers cannot sanctify God; they cannot render
him due honor, although they may talk much of him and display much
divine worship. They do not accept God's Word as the truth, but
always remain in doubt. In the hour of suffering they deem themselves
utterly forgotten and forsaken by the Lord. Therefore they murmur and
fret, being very impatient and disobedient toward God. They rashly
seek to protect and revenge themselves by their own power. That very
conduct betrays them as beings without a God, as blind, miserable,
condemned heathen. Such are the great multitude of Turks, Jews,
Papists and unbelieving saints today throughout the world.

_Sixth Sunday After Trinity_

Text: Romans 6, 3-11.

3 Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him
through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in
newness of life. 5 For if we have become united w