Is the Extreme Weather in America Purposely Created by Technology to Blame it on Climate Change And Tax The Public for CO² Emissions?

Is the Extreme Weather in America Purposely Created by Technology to Blame it on Climate Change And Tax The Public for CO2 Emissions?

My wife sent me above meme. I fact-checked these patent numbers to see if they actually exist. They all do!

US patent #3056556: Method of artificially influencing the weather
Description
“United States Patent Oil” Patented Oct. 2, 1962 ICC The invention relates to a method of artificially influencing the weather by turning undercooled clouds into ice particles for the purpose of generating a rainfall and of preventing the formation of hail by seeding the said clouds with ice-forming nuclei, i.e. with freezing or sublimation nuclei in finely atomized form.” (Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US3056556A/en) Read More

The technique of seeding undercooled clouds in this manner has become known per se. In most cases the operation consisted in that undercooled clouds were turned into ice particles by the introduction of finely distributed silver iodide (Agl), whereby in certain circumstances an increase of the rainfall can be attained, or in other cases the formation of hail is made more diflicult, and in circumstances even a weakening of the electric phenomena attendant a thunderstorm is attained. The silver iodide has been either atomized on the ground by means of so called ground generators and distributed in the atmosphere under the assumption that the seeding material is entrained into the range of the clouds to be seeded by updraft, or alternatively it has been ferried directly into the clouds to be seeded by means of aircraft, rockets or artillery missiles. In the direct ferrying the atomization of the seeding material is effected by means of special devices built into the aircraft, or by the explosion of an explosive charge.

The use of silver iodide as a seeding material is based on this property of acting as freezingor sublimationnuclei even at a relatively high temperature, namely between -4 C. and 5 C., and of turning thereby undercooled clouds into ice particles. Hitherto only very few substances have become known which have nucleus properties similar to those of silver iodide, such as e.g. lead iodide (Pbl These substances have not, however gained any importance in practice for this purpose owing to detrimental properties, such as being poisonous. Even silver iodide has two properties detrimental to its use as a seeding material. There is for example the danger of its having it suitability for forming freezing nuclei strongly impaired when finely distributed in the atmosphere owing to photochemical decomposition by sunlight. Moreover its use in large quantities is uneconomic. It is the main object of the invention to provide substances, which show as good a capability of forming nuclei as silver iodide, but are more stable chemically and physically, and are less expensive to obtain.

With this and other objects in view we provide a seeding material consisting of a copper compound of one of the two first elements of the main column of the sixth column of the periodic table having an atomic weight between and 33 inclusive, for example copper sulphide (CuS) and cupro oxide (Cu O).

The suitability of the aforesaid substances as seeding materials for clouds has been recognized by systematic research. A great number of individual substances has been sorted out and grouped from the following two points of view:

(1) According to the crystallographic properties, such as atom distance, grid constant, type of structure, co ordination number, symmetry, forms of growth and of cleavage;

(2) According to surface properties such as polarizability of the crystal constituents adsorption properties.

On the whole, about individual substances have been selected in this manner and investigated together with a series of crystallized solid solutions within the temperature intervals of 0 to -10 C. and ’10 to 18 C. in a cooling chamber as regards: their capability of forming freezingor sublimation-nuclei. The atomization of the substances was carried out in principle in a mortar, the powder seeded by means of an air spray diffuser into an undercooled cloud produced in a cooling chamber.

The substances investigated can be divided into the following main groups:
(1) Crystallized inorganic substances;
((1) Artificially produced; (b) Natural rock-forming minerals; (2) Crystallized organic substances (cellulose or protein bodies); (3) Vitreous substances.
In order to make attainment more certain, moreover a great proportion of these substances has been examined by X-ray photography.

The investigations lead to result that within the same temperature interval as silver iodide and lead iodide (which had already been known) the following substances in dispersed form act as ice forming nuclei: copper iodide (CuI); cupro-oxide (Cu O); copper sulphide (CuS); copper selenide (CuSe); mercury telluride (HgTe); vanadium pentoxide (V 0 silver sulphide (Ag S); silver nitrate (AgNO silver oxide (Ag O) and cadmium telluride (CdTe).

For the praxis of influencing the weather by turning undercooled clouds into ice particles mainly copper sulphide and cupro oxide come into question, because the other active substances enumerated are more or less unsuitable either owing to their poisonous character or for economic reasons.

The aforesaid seed-forming substances have to be brought into a state of fine dispersion for the seeding of the atmosphere, in the same manner as known for silver iodide.
For this purpose the following methods have been found particularly suitable:
(a) Atomizing by evaporation of colloidal solutions or emulsions of these substances,
(1;) Dispersing and atomizing by the aid of an explosive charge,
(c) Dispersing and atomizing by the burning off of pyrotechnical mixtures, 1
(d) Atomizing of pulverized substances by means of airspray diffuser appliances.
While we have herein described what may be considered typical and particularly useful embodiments of our invention, we wish it to be understood. that we do not limit ourselves to the particular details and compounds enumerated, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What we claim as our joint invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:
A method for artificially influencing the weather by turning undercooled dlouds into ice particles for the formation of rain and for the prevention of the formation of bail by the seeding in of ice forming nuclei as the cores of freezing and sublimation in an atomized state into such clouds wherein the seeding material is copper sulphide (CuS).

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,527,230 Schaefer et al Oct. M, 1950

US patent #20030085296: Hurricane and tornado control device
Abstract
A method is disclosed for affecting the formation and/or direction of a low atmospheric weather system. Audio generators are positioned to project sound waves toward a peripheral area of a weather system. The sound waves are generated at a frequency to affect the formation of the weather system in a manner to disrupt, enhance or direct the formation. The sound waves can also be projected in a manner to cause the system to produce rain. (Source https://patents.google.com/patent/US20030085296A1/en) Read More

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001]
1. Field of the Invention
[0002]
The present invention generally relates to a method of weather control. More specifically, the present invention is drawn to a method of employing high decibel sound waves to affect the formation of weather systems.
[0003]
2. Description of Related Art
[0004]
The ferocious winds and rains of tornadoes and hurricanes account for the loss of many lives and billions of dollars annually. Names such as “Hugo” and “Andrew” have become legendary when people talk of destruction caused by “Mother Nature”.
[0005]
In the U.S.A., the U.S. Weather Research Program and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration have invested millions of dollars in research to find a system(s) which will predict with accuracy the formation and path of potentially violent weather systems.
[0006]
Of the two, hurricanes are more predictable as to formation and direction. Hurricanes are born over warm tropical oceans and will most likely develop from lower atmosphere storm clusters which coalesce to form a tropical storm. Under certain conditions, water vapor pushed up from the ocean’s surface will fuel the tropical storm, creating the violent rotating winds which define a hurricane. Since warm water is the fuel, hurricanes will last much longer over water than over land.
[0007]
Although occurring in many parts of the world, data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicates that tornadoes appear most frequently in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains during the spring and summer months. In an average year, about eight hundred tornadoes are reported. Tornadoes are formed when a change in wind direction and an increase in wind speed create an invisible, horizontal rotating effect in the lower atmosphere as a more powerful weather system (thunderstorm) develops in the higher atmosphere. Rising air within the thunderstorm causes the lower atmosphere rotating air to tilt from horizontal to vertical and form a violently rotating column of air extending from the thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes may last from a few minutes (weak) to over an hour (violent) and have wind speeds which range from about one hundred miles per hour to over two hundred miles per hour.
[0008]
Ongoing research is also being done to cause weather systems to produce rain where needed. This capability would be of obvious advantage in the farming industry.
[0009]
There are systems disclosed in prior art for preventing the formation of hurricanes and tornadoes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,903,188 (Hutchinson), U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,200 (Rovella, II), and British Patent 2,186,781A disclose methods of disruption of tornado formations which involve cloud seeding.
[0010]
U.S. Pat. No. 1,980,171 (Amy), U.S. Pat. No. 2,480,275 (van Straten, et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,656 (Magill) disclose the use of sound waves to control water droplet content in clouds.
[0011]
U.S. Pat. No. 230,067 (Ruggles), U.S. Pat. No. 1,279,823 (Balsillie), and U.S. Pat. No. 2,527,230 (Schaefer et al.) show methods of cloud seeding for the production of rain.
[0012]
U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,153 (Boucher) shows a method of dispersing fog by employing microwaves.
[0013]
U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,209 (oilivier) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,321 (Oilivier) are concerned with employing shock waves to prevent hail.
[0014]
British Patent 2,156,647A utilizes explosives to generate a cyclone.
[0015]
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly; or in combination, is seen to disclose a method of employing sound waves to affect the formation of weather systems as will subsequently be described and claimed in the instant invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016]
The present invention requires the recognition of the low atmosphere weather systems near the earth’s surface that have the potential to produce hurricanes, tornadoes or rain. When recognition is realized, mega generators are employed to produce high decibel sound waves, which sound waves are projected toward the clouds and rotating winds which form the low atmosphere systems. In one scenario, the high frequency sound waves will function to disrupt and slow the rotating winds, thereby preventing a hurricane or tornado from forming. In another scenario, the high frequency sound waves will function to enhance the rotation of the winds, thereby causing a hurricane or tornado to form. The inventive concept also incorporates utilization of high decibel sound waves to alter the direction of the low atmosphere systems, thereby determining the path of the potential hurricane or tornado.
[0017]
Sound waves may also be projected at potentially non-violent weather systems to cause such systems to produce rain.
[0018]
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a process for affecting the formation of low atmospheric weather systems.
[0019]
It is another object of the invention to provide a process to alter the direction of weather systems which may produce hurricanes and tornadoes.
[0020]
It is a further object of the invention to provide a process to disrupt or enhance the formation of hurricanes and tornadoes.
[0021]
Still another object of the invention is to provide a process to produce rain from low atmospheric weather systems.
[0022]
It is an object of the invention to provide improved steps and arrangements thereof in a method for the purposes described which are dependable and fully effective in accomplishing their intended purposes.
[0023]
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024]
FIG. 1 is an environmental, schematic view of sound waves directed toward a system which may form a hurricane or tornado according to the present invention.
[0025]
FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of sound waves directed toward a system which may form a hurricane or tornado according to the present invention.
[0026]
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of sound waves directed to steer a hurricane or tornado to the right according to the present invention.
[0027]
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of sound waves directed to steer a hurricane to the left according to the present invention.
[0028]
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of sound waves directed to create a hurricane or tornado according to the present invention.
[0029]
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of sound waves directed at a system to generate rain.
[0030]
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031]
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention employs at least two high decibel audio generators 12 positioned to focus and project sound waves 14 at a weather system generally designated at 10. Weather system 10 comprises low atmosphere clouds and rotating winds having the potential to develop into a full fledged hurricane or tornado. Audio generators 12 are designed to produce sound waves 14 in the 100-2000 Hz frequency range. Generators 12 are not part of the inventive concept per se. For maximum effectiveness, the sound waves should be focused and projected toward a peripheral area of the rotating weather system and countercurrent to the rotating direction. As best seen in FIG. 2, generators 12 are disposed to direct the sound waves 14 in an area where the rotating velocity is approximately ten mph. When employed on a ship at sea, it may be necessary to utilize gyroscopes as mounts to ensure steady focus and projection of the generators.
[0032]
Since hurricanes and tornadoes contain large amounts of moisture, it may be desirable to direct these systems to areas in need of rain before disruption. FIGS. 3 and 4 schematically illustrate how generators 12 may focus sound waves 14 to direct the path of the weather systems. FIG. 3 illustrates how the sound waves are focused to guide a weather system 10 so that the system makes a turn to the right. FIG. 4 illustrates how the weather system may be turned to the left.
[0033]
Under certain conditions, a nation might find it advantageous to create a tornado or hurricane. For example, creation of a strong storm system could deter an enemy attack. FIG. 5 illustrates generators 12 positioned to project sound waves concurrent with the rotational direction of winds to reinforce the rotating vector of weather system 10, thereby assisting the system in attaining hurricane or tornado status.
[0034]
As illustrated in FIG. 6, a generator 12 projects waves 14 at a low atmospheric system 10 to produce rain. The contemplated projected frequency range is one thousand to two thousand fps. The sound waves are projected at an angle which would induce a rotational vector in the system having a partial rotational waddle of about five hundred to two thousand fpm.
[0035]
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

US patent #8262314: Method for decreasing the intensity and frequency of tropical storms or hurricanes
Abstract
Modification of tropical storms or hurricanes by mixing the upper layer of a section of a body of water with water from a lower section of the body of water. Rapidly mixing the warmer upper layer with the cooler lower layer cools the surface of the water, thereby reducing the amount of heat energy available to fuel the intensity and movement of storms. By cooling selected sections of water, the frequency, intensity or direction of storms may be altered. In one embodiment of the invention, a bluff shaped object is attached to a submarine to facilitate rapid mixing of the upper and lower layers of the body of water. (Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US8262314B2/en) Read More

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of weather modification. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods for modifying and suppressing the spawning of tropical storms, and modification of the dynamics of hurricanes and diminishing their intensity.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The world’s oceans and seas typically have temperature versus depth profiles that can be characterized generally as shown in FIG. 1. For example, the upper layer is usually at a uniform temperature as a result of wind and wave mixing. The temperature is determined by the intensity and duration of solar radiation, as well as the efficiency of wind driven surface mixing. Although the depth of the upper layer varies depending on the season, a nominal depth for the upper layer is approximately 50 meters. Deeper water is usually significantly colder, approximately 10° C. colder than the upper layer. The transition between upper and lower layers is referred to as the thermocline. The thermocline has a nominal thickness of approximately 20 meters. Although these dimensions vary depending on the time of year and geographic location, the numbers presented are for illustrative purposes.

It is well-known that hurricanes which travel to North America originate from tropical storms that are spawned in the tropical waters of the eastern Atlantic, near the Western coast of Africa. It also is understood that the originating tropical storms, and the hurricanes which develop from them, are fueled by the energy content of the warm, upper layers of the ocean. There is a strong correlation between the frequency and strength of such storms and the energy content of those upper, heated layers of the ocean.

Accordingly, decreasing the temperature of this upper layer of ocean water could diminish the occurrence and intensity of tropical storms. In addition, decreasing the temperature of the upper, warmer layer of ocean in the path of a hurricane could (1) diminish, or quench, the strength of a hurricane; or (2) alter the course of a hurricane.

U.S. Pat No. 4,470,544 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,274 disclose methods for slowly mixing layers of sea water to achieve greater rainfall in the Mediterranean basin. Slowly mixing layers of a large body of water increases the potential solar energy captured by the water, and increases the intensity of storms fueled by the energy content of the water. To diminish the strength of a hurricane or alter its course, however, rapid mixing of ocean layers is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an exemplary method for affecting the strength and/or direction of a storm, such as a hurricane, by cooling the upper, warmer layer of a large body of water and mixing it with the significantly cooler water that exists below the relatively warmer upper layer. The displacement and resulting mixing is achieved, for example, by submarines or other suitable vessels operating in the thermocline, the transition layer between the upper warm layer and the deeper cold layer of ocean.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, relatively large areas of East Atlantic tropical waters are cooled to reduce the intensity and/or frequency of tropical storms.

In a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, sections of upper ocean layers in the vicinity of a hurricane, or in the vicinity of the expected path of a hurricane, are rapidly cooled to alter the course of a hurricane, slow the speed of a hurricane, or reduce the intensity of a hurricane.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting the water depth of the thermocline for various months of the year.

FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting the warmer, upper layer of a large body of water and the cooler, lower layer of the large body of water.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a submarine with a bluff-shaped obstacle mounted at the bow of the submarine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a submarine with a bluff-shaped obstacle mounted on the submarine at a location that is downstream from the bow of the submarine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a submarine with bluff-shaped obstacles towed behind the submarine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A simple calculation suffices for determining the work required to cool the upper layer of a section of a large body of water by mixing it with water from a lower layer. For illustrative purposes, the large body of water is assumed to be the Atlantic Ocean. FIG. 2 depicts the approximate heights, densities and temperatures of two layers of the ocean as (H_u,ρ_u,T_u) and (H_l,ρ_l,T_l) respectively for the upper and lower layers. If a 1 m²column height H_lis raised to the average height of H_u/2 the work, W, required to displace such a column of ocean water can be estimated by the equation

W=g 2 ⁢ ( ρ l – ρ u ) ⁢ H l ⁢ H u
where g represents acceleration due to gravity (approximately 10 m/s²). The resulting 1 m²column of height H_l+H_uwill be at the approximate temperature

T_=Hu⁢Tu+Hl⁢TlHu+Hl

The heavy, colder, lower layer of the ocean is approximately 0.2% heavier than the warm, upper layer of the ocean as explained in the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 1973 at D221, which is hereby incorporated by reference. As is known in the art, the nominal density of seawater in the upper layer is approximately 1025 kg/m³and the nominal density of seawater in the colder, lower layer is approximately 1027 kg/m³. Therefore, for
H _u=50 m,H _l=20 m(g=10 m/s²,ρ_l−ρ_u=2 kg/m³),
the work required to displace the colder water into the upper warmer water is approximately W=10⁴joules. Under summer conditions, the water temperature of the new upper layer will be about 5° C. colder as a result of mixing the lower layer of colder water into the upper layer. For a nominal surface area of ocean of 10¹⁰m²(roughly 3600 sq. miles), the work needed to mix the upper and lower layers in this fashion would be approximately W=10¹⁴joules.

Mixing Layers of Large Bodies of Water

Submarines offer a highly efficient means of ocean travel. Unlike surface ships, submarines create virtually no wave drag. Although performance information on nuclear submarines remains largely confidential, typical cruise speeds are reasonably assumed to be in excess of 30 knots, or approximately 15 m/sec. Nuclear submarines are highly streamlined, but only limited data is available in the literature concerning their performance and drag characteristics. See Polmar & Moore, Cold War Submarines (2003). However, a consensus value for the coefficient of drag of a nuclear submarine is c_f ⁰≈0.4 as understood by those skilled in the art.

Nuclear submarines can remain submerged for very long periods of time. Also, underwater travel is relatively unaffected by surface conditions. Hurricanes do not significantly affect submarine dynamics at a depth of approximately 50 m.

On this basis, the power output of a submarine with an effective cross-sectional area A cruising at speed U₀is

P=12⁢ρ⁢⁢U 0 3 ⁢ c f 0 ⁢ A ,
where c_f ⁰is the drag coefficient. For U₀=30 knots (15 m/sec) and A=100 m²
P≈5×10⁷joules/sec(50 MW)

The streamlined features of a submarine makes it less than optimal for rapidly mixing layers of the ocean. In order to achieve rapid mixing of ocean layers, turbulent flow with eddy generation in the 5-10 m diameter range is desirable. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, such eddy generation can be achieved, for example, by (1) mounting on the bow of the submarine a bluff-shaped obstacle capable of generating the necessary eddy turbulence, such as a 10 m×10 m flat plate (normal to the direction of travel); or (2) mounting at some other location downstream of the bow of the submarine a bluff-shaped obstacle capable of generating the necessary eddy turbulence.

Turbulence devices such as bluff shaped objects may be mounted on the submarine so that they lie flat along the outer surface of the submarine, or so that they are located within the hull of the submarine, when turbulence generation is not desired (e.g. when the submarine is traveling to the section of the large body of water to be cooled). When turbulent flow is desired, the bluff shaped objects could fold away from the surface of the submarine or extend outward from the surface of the submarine to generate the necessary eddy turbulence.

As shown in FIG. 5, eddy generation also can be achieved, for example, by towing behind the submarine one or more bluff-shaped obstacles capable of generating the necessary eddy turbulence. Towing the bluff-shaped obstacles would also add more fluctuations. The towed obstacles may be attached to the submarines by cables, ropes, rods, chains, or similar means.

As also shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, one or more fins (10) may be mounted to at least one side of the submarine. Submarines typically employ multiple fins to help steer the submarines through the water. As appreciated by someone of ordinary skill in the art, the fins attached to a submarine typically have a shape similar to that of an airplane wing. Based on the principles of aerodynamics, when air flows over the surfaces of an airplane wing, the wing produces lift by generating a low pressure region near the upper surface of the wing, and a high pressure region near the underside of the wing. The resulting pressure difference between these two regions results in an upward force on the wing which allows the airplane to fly. In addition, the wing also asserts an equal and opposite force on the surrounding air, forcing the air downward.

Similarly, as appreciated by someone of ordinary skill in the art, submarine fins are used to raise or lower submarines by generating varying pressure regions on the surfaces of the fins when the fins pass through water. Those same pressure regions also cause the surrounding water to be directed perpendicularly to the surface of the fins. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the fins (10) could be generally situated so that they lie parallel to the plane of travel of the submarine. The fins (10) could also provide a vertical force on the water which could further enhance the mixing of the water. As appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, a plurality of fins could be arranged to provide alternating upward and downward force on the water.

A nominal drag coefficient for a flat plate moving normal to itself is 1.6. If we denote the coefficient of drag of the above modified submarine by c_f ^b, and assume that the cross-sectional area of the modified submarine is equal to the original cross-sectional area of the submarine, it follows that under constant power, the speed of the modified submarine, U^b, is reduced by a factor of

(UbU0)=(cf0cfb)1/3⁢(≈⁢0.63)

Given a speed of U₀=30 knots (kts) for an unmodified submarine, a modified submarine would travel at an approximate speed of U^b≈18 kts, a speed which easily outruns typical hurricanes.

Diminishing the Intensity and Frequency of Tropical Storms

On the basis of the above estimates, a 100 km×100 km section of ocean surface can be cooled 5° C. by one submarine in approximately 24 days. For example,

W_P=10145×107⁢⁢sec≈24⁢⁢days
A more substantial section of ocean surface, say 300 km×300 km (15,000 sq. miles), could be cooled by, for example, nine submarines in the same 24 day period. To minimize the number and strength of hurricanes in a given year, a desired number of submarines could cool the section of ocean a few weeks before the hurricane season.

Particular deployment of submarines can be optimized according to simulation models. Several factors support the proposition that the above mixing times can be achieved by, for example, nine submarines traveling at the depth of the thermocline. For example, the Reynolds number for typical submarine movement is 0(10⁸), and the diameter of the turbulent wake is known to expand proportionally to x^1/3to x^1/2where x marks the distance traveled, as explained in Carmody, J. Basic Engng. Trans. A.S.M.E. (1964), Chevray, The turbulent wake of a body of revolution, J. Basic Engineering, Vol. 90 (1968), and Jiménez, et al., Preliminary velocity measurements in the wake of a submarine model, 4th International Symposium of Particle Image Velocimetry, Sep. 17-19, 2001, which are hereby incorporated by reference. After a suitable initial time, measured in minutes, to allow the submarines to develop sufficient eddy generation, 9 submarines traveling in parallel, roughly 500 meters apart from each other, could well mix 2,500 km²in roughly 18 hours.

Two additional effects enhance the turbulence intensity and aid in retarding natural turbulence decay. First, vertical stratification enhances the horizontal spread of eddies. This effect, sometimes referred to as “wake collapse,” facilitates the lateral spread of turbulence. Second, the ocean surface itself acts as a reflecting surface for turbulent eddy spread, hence also enhancing horizontal spread of the turbulent eddies.

Alteration of Hurricane Paths and Intensity.

Current modeling and simulation provide reasonable forecasts for hurricane paths for up to 5 days. The core region of a hurricane, which accounts for energy uptake of the upper warmer layer of ocean, generally spans an area approximately 50 km×50 km. Such a region can be cooled 5° C. by 9 submarines in approximately 18 hours.

The above determined 18 kts modified submarine speed permits the submarines to outrun the hurricane. An interactive strategy of ocean cooling and renewed path forecasting provides a dynamic program for quenching and/or redirecting hurricanes. Under natural conditions, the path of a hurricane is determined by available warm surface waters to fuel its movement and intensity. Therefore, selective cooling of the upper layer of ocean water can be used to redirect the path to areas less vulnerable than populated cities, such as the open ocean.

The possibility also exists for cooling the upper layers of the ocean surrounding the core region of a hurricane, thereby stalling the hurricane at sea. By continuing to encircle the hurricane, the intensity of the hurricane may be reduced and the hurricane may be completely quenched.

Although certain preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

US patent #20130038063: Apparatus and method for inhibiting the formation of tropical cyclones
Abstract
An apparatus for inhibiting the formation of tropical cyclones, comprising an elongated rigid tube through which cooler water is pumped from below to the near-ocean surface, thereby depriving incipient tropical cyclones of the heat energy they require for further development. The tube contains a pump comprising a fixed flap valve and a movable flap valve. The movable flap valve is attached to a drive disk encircling the tube at a depth where ambient waters have little vertical motion. The wave-driven vertical motion of the elongated tube causes the movable flap valve to oscillate with respect to the fixed flap valve, thereby pumping seawater upward onto the near-ocean surface. The apparatus also can navigate to alternative locations by means of a propulsion/steering system, and it can submerge to a safe depth to avoid oncoming vessels and potentially damaging seas. A fleet of apparatuses is required to provide the necessary cooling effect. (Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20130038063A1/en) Read More

Description

[0001]
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/523,024, filed Aug. 12, 2011.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

[0002]
Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

[0003]
Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004]
1. Field of Invention
[0005]
This invention relates to tropical cyclones, and, more specifically, to inhibiting the formation of tropical cyclones.
[0006]
2. Prior Art
[0007]
An early attempt to mitigate the destructive forces of hurricanes took place between 1962 and 1983 with a series of experiments known as project STORMFURY, carried out jointly by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Weather Bureau, as it was then called. During these experiments, crystals of silver iodide were dropped into hurricane rainbands. It was theorized that the crystals would freeze the supercooled water in the rainbands, causing them to grow and weaken the eye wall. STORMFURY failed because hurricanes contained insufficient supercooled water, and the natural variability of hurricanes made it too difficult to interpret the experimental results.
[0008]
Other approaches involving cloud seeding are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,315,213 to Cordani (2001), 5,357,865 to Mather (1994), 5,174,498 to Popovitz-Biro, et al. (1992), 5,441,200 to Rovella, II (1995), 4,600,147 to Fukuta, et al. (1986) and 4,096,005 to Slusher (1978). For example, Cordani’s patent utilizes a super-absorbent polymer to cause a large absorption of water, resulting in a gel-like substance that precipitates to the surface and lessens storm velocities. The patent to Rovella discloses combining the water vapor in the storm with sodium tartrate powder or, alternatively, cupric sulphate to form heavier drops that disrupt the eye wall through centrifugal force. These chemical approaches all have the potential to cause serious environmental harm, and since the cyclone has already formed and contains a tremendous amount of energy, the volume of chemicals required would undoubtedly be substantial.
[0009]
U.S. Pat. No. 7,798,419 to Solc (2010) discloses a wind-driven on-site pump that pumps into the eye wall a large volume (100’s of m³sec⁻¹) of seawater, which is carried aloft up to 10 to 15 km. The centrifugal force of the ascending water is said to impede the circular flow of the cyclone, inhibiting its further development. A disadvantage of this approach is the difficulty of injecting a sufficient volume of seawater into the eye wall to significantly affect the tremendous energy already contained in the cyclone. Moreover, constructing a water-injecting device of adequate capacity that could also withstand the huge sea and wind forces in and around an existing tropical cyclone would be challenging.
[0010]
U.S. Pat. No. 7,520,237 to Zhekov (2009) utilizes a wind-driven on-site pump, mounted on a securely moored and buoyant platform, to pump a large volume of on-site seawater into the eye wall, which is carried aloft, thereby reducing the wind circulation velocity near the eye wall. A water pipe for sucking up the water is to extend to a depth of 450 to 500 feet, where water temperature is around 11 degrees C. This device has several apparent disadvantages, compared with the current invention. There is the cost for the platform, the mooring system, the wind turbine and its structure, the vertical pipe that extends downward 450 to 500 feet into the ocean and the associated electrical and mechanical systems. Moreover, the components and structures need to be fabricated to withstand the tremendous forces associated with hurricanes and high seas. Zhekov also describes how his structure can create bubbles to lower sea surface temperatures. Two principles operate here: the rising of the air bubbles physically push the ambient seawater upward; and through heat transfer, the cooled air within the bubbles absorbs heat from the water in the upper regions as the bubbles ascend, thereby cooling it. A major disadvantage with this method is that the compressors producing the bubbles would have to overcome deep sea pressures to function effectively. There is also a problem of scale: a large number of units would be necessary to achieve sufficient cooling, and there could be a problem of supplying the compressors with sufficient power.
[0011]
U.S. Pat. No. 8,161,757 to Rosen (2012) describes using a navigable vessel with a plurality of artificial snow-making devices to spread artificial snow in the path of an existing tropical cyclone. A major disadvantage with this technique is the huge amount of snow that would be required to significantly reduce the intensity of an existing cyclone.
[0012]
U.S. Patent Application 2002/0008155 to Uram (2002) discloses a method and system for first detecting the onset of a hurricane region and then rushing one or more apparatuses to the area to cool the surface waters, thereby inhibiting or weakening the hurricane’s formation. A retired submarine is the preferred embodiment for pumping cooler waters from below the surface onto the surface waters. In a later U.S. Patent Application 20050133612 to Uram, a method is disclosed for rushing one or more submarine pumping systems directly below a tropical storm in its infancy and to pump cooler water onto or near the surface waters beneath it to deprive the storm of the energy it requires for further strengthening. This invention requires prior detection of a tropical cyclone, the rapid deployment of the pumping units and a pumping capability sufficient to cool the waters in the storm’s path.
[0013]
U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,657 to Kitamura (2010) discloses a device comprising a plurality of elongated, substantially rigid pipes, each with a suction port and an injection port, a pump to suck cold water from the suction port out onto an aim region below the sea surface; an elongated, horizontally oriented platform, that is submerged, with the plurality of pipes secured to the underwater platform. The pipes are pivotable to minimize water resistance when the platform is being relocated. A retired submarine is the preferred embodiment for the pumping function.
[0014]
Another technique for cooling surface waters with cool subsurface waters is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,148,840 to Gradle (2012). His apparatus is operated from within the eye of a hurricane and travels along the anticipated track of the storm, staying within the eye. The apparatus comprises a wind turbine mounted on a platform that pumps water with a temperature at least 20 degrees C. cooler than the surface water temperature into a plurality of pipes. These pipes then inject the water into an elongate tube through which is passing an air stream, and the atomized air-water mixture is injected into the hurricane eye to de-energize the storm. One significant disadvantage with this method is that such cold water would normally be found only at considerable depth, and moving a platform along the surface at a speed sufficient to stay within the hurricane eye and with pipes extending downward to the required depth could impose a tremendous force at the juncture of the pipes and the platform. To deal with this, Gradle mounts one or more impellers on the shaft to reduce the strain, but keeping the impellers synchronized while driven by a variable power source, such as a wind turbine, could be challenging.
[0015]
In Super Freakonomics (S D Levitt and Dubner S J, William Morrow & Co., 2009), the authors report on inventors who are proposing a method for cooling surface seawaters in which a multiplicity of rings is floated on the ocean surface, each with a flexible tube extending downward into the cooler regions of the ocean. The rings extend above the surface so that when they are overtopped by waves, seawater within the rings is momentarily above sea level. The resulting hydraulic pressure will push the warmer surface water downward through the bottom of the flexible tubes, forcing cooler water upward as the water is ejected. The inventors claim that the devices can be very inexpensive, but they acknowledge that towing a large number of them to the preferred locations and mooring them would be costly. Barber, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,536,967 (2009) discloses a similar method, except that surface waters are forcibly injected into a region with cooler waters, forcing the cooler waters to rise to the surface.
[0016]
3. Objects and Advantages
[0017]
In most years, hurricanes cause major property damage in the United States. Katrina alone caused estimated damages of $85 billion in 2005. Blake et al. report estimates for the thirty costliest hurricanes to hit the United States since 1900.¹Measured in contemporaneous dollars, damages total damages were estimated at $312 billion, or $408 billion in 2010 dollars. If each of those same hurricanes had struck the U.S. in the same way but with our current population distribution and current property exposure, the estimated total damages would have soared to slightly over $1 trillion. In the 112 years since 1900, the average annual loss from just these 30 hurricanes exceeds $9 billion per year. This estimate for hurricane Katrina, as well as the other statistics in this paragraph are from “The Deadliest, Costliest, and most Intense United States Tropical Cyclones from 1851 to 2006 (and other Frequently Requested Hurricane Facts),” Eric S. Blake, Rappaport, Edward N., and Landsea, National Hurricane Center, Miami, FL, updated 15 Apr. 2007.
[0018]
Hurricanes also cause substantial loss of life. While over 8,000 deaths were attributed to the 1900 Galveston hurricane, Katrina caused at least 1,500 deaths in 2005, even with the substantial progress over the past several decades in advanced warnings, emergency management plans, improved evacuation capabilities and more wind-resistant structures.
[0019]
It has been suggested that all Atlantic tropical cyclones, and even some tropical cyclones forming in the Pacific, originated as tropical waves from Africa’s West Equatorial coast, where they derive their power from warm sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) [http://www.physorg.com/news6753.html]. That is why the hurricane season begins in summer, after hot winds have warmed the coastal surface waters to above 80° F. Since water temperatures in the thermoclines below the sea surface are significantly cooler, a logical strategy for inhibiting tropical cyclone formation, as suggested by the prior art, is to bring cooler waters to the surface, thereby depriving the tropical waves of the heat energy they require to evolve into large, powerful and destructive storms. This potential to materially inhibit the formation of tropical cyclones by disrupting their formation off the West Coast of Africa is substantial.
[0020]
The basic invention is an apparatus that is suspended from the ocean surface and that pumps cooler water from below the ocean surface out onto the near-ocean surface. The pump is driven by wave energy and comprises two one-way valves, one fixed and one movable. By preventing SSTs from reaching the critical temperature of 80° F., the development of tropical cyclones can be inhibited.
[0021]
Another embodiment of this invention enables the apparatus to navigate to a pre-determined location. Yet another embodiment enables it to submerge to some pre-determined depth during heavy seas, during periods of calm, or when the apparatus is in the path of an approaching ship, and to re-emerge after these conditions no longer obtain. Still another embodiment enables the apparatus to operate as one member of a fleet of similar apparatuses, each maintaining its distance from the others in order to achieve a relatively uniform distribution of the cooler waters.
[0022]
The objects and advantages of the apparatus, as a result of inhibiting the formation of tropical cyclones, include major reductions in:
[0023]
(a) loss of life from wind, storm surge, flooding and evacuation accidents;
[0024]
(b) economic losses from wind and water damage;
[0025]
(c) costs and inconvenience attributable to evacuations;
[0026]
(d) loss of electrical power;
[0027]
(e) disruption to national, regional and local product supply chains, including disruption of energy supplies;
[0028]
(f) loss of use of property;
[0029]
(g) disruption of the daily lives of residents in at-risk areas;
[0030]
(h) resources necessary to respond to and recover from tropical cyclones;
[0031]
(i) cost of hurricane insurance premiums, including flood insurance; and
[0032]
(j) anxiety among at-risk populations from an approaching storm.

SUMMARY

[0033]
The present invention is a method and an apparatus for inhibiting the formation of tropical cyclones, comprising an elongated rigid tube open at both ends, a flotation device at the top end, a weighting device at the bottom end; and a wave-driven device for pumping cooler seawater from the bottom end, through the tube and out onto the near-ocean surface. Additional major embodiments include a means for propelling and steering the apparatus and a means for submerging the apparatus and causing it to re-emerge.
[0034]
In the drawings, closely related elements may be designated by the same number but with a different alphabetic suffixes.

DRAWINGS FIGS.

–

[0035]
FIG. 1. An apparatus for inhibiting the formation of tropical cyclones
[0036]
FIG. 2. A pumping device for forcing cooler seawater upward
[0037]
FIG. 3. The valve action of the pump system in conjunction with wave motion
[0038]
FIG. 4. The elements of the navigational system
[0039]
FIG. 5. The elements of the depth-control system
[0040]
FIG. 6. A device for producing onboard electricity


DRAWINGS-Reference Numerals

	100—rigid elongated tube
	102—flotation device
	104a—tube weighting device
	104b—tube extender weighting device
	106—fairing
	108—water-ballast system
	112—electronics package
	114—solar cell
	116—storage battery
	118—rigid connecting member
	120a—upper steering vane assembly
	120b—lower steering vane assembly
	120c—tube extender steering vane assembly
	122—one-way fixed flap valve
	124—one-way movable flap valve
	126—support framework
	128—drive disk
	130a—upper pipe coupler
	130b—lower pipe coupler
	130c—tube extender pipe coupler
	131—elasticized fabric
	132—tube extender
	134—tube extender clamp
	136—flexible tubing
	138—tube supporting rib
	139—rib clamp
	140—flap valve disk
	142—elastomeric annulus
	144—rigid plate
	146—flat flap
	148—flap valve hinge
	150—bushing
	152—pump shaft
	154—strainer
	155—elastomeric strip
	156—vertical slots
	158a—upper two-way slider
	158b—lower two-way slider
	159—elastomeric strip slit
	160—cap
	162—spoke
	164—bracket
	166—hub
	168—water discharge opening
	170—skeg
	172—bracket
	176—hinge slot
	178—pinholes
	180—pin
	182—vertical stop
	186—steering vane hinge
	187—steering vane hinge shaft
	188—upper steering vane panel
	190—lower steering vane panel
	192—pin
	194—keyhole
	196—mounting flange
	198—mounting flange backer plate
	200—rotary actuator
	202—fiberglass covering
	204—hinge knuckle
	206—PTFE hinge lining
	208—hinge leaf
	210—reinforcing pin
	212—marine rope
	214a—outer fairlead
	214b—inner fairlead
	216—weighted container ring
	218—weighted container
	220—weight travel-guide tube
	222—PVC clamp
	224a—first nylon stop
	224b—second nylon stop
	226—rope-clamp pull-type solenoid
	228—D-ring
	230—solenoid mounting strap
	232—ribbed clamping strip
	240—flare
	242—bevel
	244—bracket
	246—mercury switch
	248—elastomeric hinge
	250—upper air tank
	252—vacuum tank
	254—ballast tank
	256—upper fairing
	258—lower fairing
	260—air tube
	262—air pump
	264—first one-way solenoid air valve
	266—two-way solenoid air valve
	268—second one-way solenoid air valve
	270—thru-hull fitting
	272—strainer
	300—bell clapper
	302—bell casting
	304—bell electrical circuit
	306—adjusting nut
	308—electrical insulator (bell)
	310—motion detector
	320—emergency ascent capsule
	336—generator/dynamo
	338—drive gear
	340—reduction gear set
	342—gear-strip mount
	344a—first gear strip
	344b—second gear strip
	346—guide rod
	348—guide-rod channel
	350—slide shaft
	352—slide-shaft bore
	354—slide-shaft block
	356—upper bevel block
	358—lower bevel block
	360—vertical slots in pump shaft
	362—domed pin
	366—slide-shaft hole cap

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Preferred Embodiment—FIGS.

and

[0041]
A preferred embodiment of the current invention is shown in FIG. 1 a. The components of this apparatus are ruggedly constructed from materials highly resistant to seawater corrosion. Components near the ocean surface are constructed from materials that are also resistant to ultraviolet radiation. All components should be able to survive repetitive and constant pressures of at least three to five atmospheres. Commercially available components and materials will allow the apparatus to operate substantially trouble-free for a period of at least five years without maintenance. Most surfaces that are exposed to seawater are sprayed or otherwise coated with an ablative-type, anti-fouling coating, which can give protection against marine growth for up to eight years.
[0042]
A large plurality of apparatuses operates together as a fleet of apparatuses, with a master apparatus exercising remote control over other apparatuses in its fleet. One or more fleets operate in region(s) of the ocean whose surface waters are to be cooled.
[0043]
As shown in FIG. 1 a, the body of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus is a non-corrosive, rigid, substantially cylindrical elongated tube (100) 120 inches in diameter with a flotation device (102) at or near its upper extremity and a weighting device (104 a) at or near its lower extremity. The rigid tube is fabricated from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene or other material, depending upon current costs, as well as other considerations. For example, the wall thickness of the tube depends upon expected environmental conditions, as well as on the material, its durability and construction. FIG. 1 b depicts a double-walled tube with interior structural members that give the tube a higher strength-to-weight ratio. The length of the rigid tube will depend in major part on typical wave heights in the environment in which it will operate.
[0044]
To add directional stability to the apparatus, a wedge-shaped, rigid plastic fairing (106) is attached with PVC fittings to the front of the rigid tube, as shown in FIG. 1 e. The fairing extends from the bottom of the upper steering vane panel set (120 a) to the top of the lower steering vane panel set (120 b). With the fairing attached, the top-view cross-section of the apparatus presents a tear-shaped profile. The orientation of the fairing with respect to the upper steering vane panel set (120 a) is also shown in FIG. 1 e.
[0045]
The length of the rigid tube is extended by means of a relatively inexpensive, flexible tube extender (132). The overall length of the tube extender is sufficient to reach seawater with a temperature in summer months at least several degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the sea surface temperature (SST) during warmer months. These cooler temperatures are typically found within the lower region of a thermocline. The specific overall length of the tube is to be determined by the marine environments in which the apparatus is expected to operate.
[0046]
The construction of the tube extender is shown in FIGS. 1 c and 1 d. The extender is comprised of a length of flexible tubing (136) fabricated from heavy plastic film, supporting ribs (138) spaced several feet apart and rib clamps (139). The radius of curvature of the circular portion of the ribs is substantially the same as that of the circular tube, and the wedge-shaped portion of the ribs conforms to the shape and dimensions of the fairing (106).
[0047]
As shown in the cross-sectional view in FIG. 1 d, the flexible tubing (136) is positioned between the ribs (138) and the rib clamps (139). The clamps hold the ribs and tubing in place by clamping the tubing onto the ribs. The bottom of the tube extender folds onto itself to form a pocket around the circumference of the tubing. The pocket (104 b in FIG. 1 c) is filled with a heavy but inexpensive substance. Sand, which has a specific gravity of approximately 2.65 and is generally abundant around coastal marine environments, is the preferred substance; the pocket is clamped shut with a rib and rib clamp. One skilled in the art can determine the mass of the weighting device that is sufficient to overcome hydraulic drag as the apparatus rides the waves. Both the ribs and the rib clamps are constructed from PVC or similar material. The tube extender can be folded accordion-like into a relatively compact, stackable package for economical transport to the site where the apparatuses are launched after final assembly.
[0048]
Between the rigid tube and the tube extender is a tubular length of expandable or elasticized fabric (131) to absorb shock should the apparatus experience a shock or suddenly change its vertical speed and/or direction. At its upper end, the elasticized fabric is held in place with tube extender clamps (134) constructed from two straps of webbing, as shown in FIG. 1 g. The fabric is clamped between the upper webbing clamp and the rigid tube. The fabric is then folded over the outside of the upper webbing clamp and clamped onto itself and the rigid tube by a lower (132 in FIG. 1 c) with a rib-and-clamp arrangement similar to that shown for the supporting ribs (138) and clamps (139) in FIG. 1 d.
[0049]
Upper and lower steering vane panel sets (120 a and 120 b) are mounted in plastic pipe couplers (130 a and 130 b) that can connect sections of the rigid tube (100). Steering vane panel sets also can be installed on the tube extender as needed; the couplers are attached to the tube extender by means of tube extender clamps (134), as shown in FIG. 1 c.
[0050]
In the preferred embodiment, the tube weighting device (104 a) is a rugged, rigid, circular tube surrounding and attached to the lower outside perimeter of the rigid tube and filled with sand for ballast. One or more storage batteries (116) may be incorporated within the weighting device.
[0051]
In the preferred embodiment, the flotation device (102) is a rugged, rigid, round tube that surrounds and is attached to the upper outside perimeter of the rigid tube (100). The buoyancy of the entire apparatus, inclusive of other embodiments, is controlled by a water-ballast or submersion system (108) that is described later. There is also an electronics package (112) comprising, in the preferred embodiment, a global positioning system (GPS), a controller for providing the means to control current from at least one solar cell (114) to at least one long-life, deep-cycle storage battery (116), an antenna and receiver for receiving electronic signals, a transmitter for communicating information to other apparatuses in the fleet, a turbulence detector, temperature sensors, a mercury switch, a tilt meter; and, for controlling the submersion (108) and steering vane panel sets (120 a, 120 b and 120 c), an electronic depth gauge, a processor, solenoids and an air pump. A transmitter on the master apparatus is capable of transmitting information to onshore receivers. In the preferred embodiment, there is also a package containing a plurality of solar cells (114) mounted on the top of the rigid tube.
[0052]
PUMPING. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1 a, the means for pumping cooler seawater upward through the rigid tube to the near-ocean surface is a pumping system comprising a one-way fixed flap valve (122) attached to the rigid tube (100) and a one-way movable flap valve (124) with supporting framework (126). The framework comprises a hub (166 in FIG. 2 a) and a plurality of spokes (162 in FIG. 2 a) fabricated from PVC. The movable valve is attached by means of a plurality of strong, rigid connecting members (118) to a flat outer drive disk (128) or ring that surrounds the rigid tube. The movable valve and drive disk are at a depth at which the ocean is normally vertically stable. The movable valve slides within the tube along a vertical PVC pump shaft (152), and the connecting members move within vertical slots (156 in FIG. 2 a) that are fabricated into the rigid tube. The pumping system is powered by wave motion: the flat outer drive disk and the movable valve to which it is attached maintain their vertical position relative to ambient water that is generally vertically stable, while the fixed valve undulates with the waves, thereby causing seawater to be pumped upward through the rigid tube, through the valves and onto the near-ocean surface through water-discharge openings (168) near the top of the tube. The bottom opening of the tube is covered with a strainer (154 in FIG. 1 f) that prevents foreign objects from entering the tube and interfering with the operation of the flap valves.
[0053]
FIG. 2a shows the pumping device, or pump assembly, in greater detail. In the preferred embodiment, the movable flap valve (124) consists of a flap valve disk (140) with a diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of the rigid tube within which it operates. The disk contains four apertures (not shown), one in each quadrant of the disk. Overlapping each aperture on all sides is a flat flap (146) that is fabricated from an elastomeric material and that cover the apertures. Each flap is attached to the disk with a stainless steel hinge (148) along one straight side. On the top of each flap, there is attached a rigid plate (144) that substantially conforms to the outer edges of the aperture. In the preferred embodiment, it is slightly smaller than the aperture and centered within its non-hinged sides. The purpose of this plate is to facilitate a seal between the disk surface and the flap. An elastomeric annulus (142), whose outer circumference edge is shaped like a squeegee blade, is fabricated from a durable material that is affixed to the outer rim of the disk. It has a diameter slightly greater than the inside diameter of the rigid tube, thereby providing a seal between the inner surface of the rigid tube and the outer circumference of the disk. When the disk changes direction as it slides within the tube, friction causes the outer edge of the annulus to flip direction and to point in the opposite direction in which the disk is moving, similar to the action of a windshield wiper blade upon a windshield.
[0054]
In the center of the movable valve is a bushing (150) through which the shaft (152) of the pump assembly oscillates. The inner wall of the bushing is fabricated from a non-corrosive, low-friction and durable material, such as PTFE in the preferred embodiment. The drive disk (128) of the assembly is connected to the movable valve by means of rigid, “T”-shaped connecting members (118) that are attached to the disk between its apertures, and are connected to the outer drive disk through vertical slots (156) in the rigid tube. These connecting members are preferably made from stainless steel, and the valve disk (140) and drive disk are preferably fabricated from fiberglass.
[0055]
It is desirable that the vertical slots be as narrow as possible to minimize water leakage through them during pumping. FIG. 2 b shows a view of the rigid tube where a connecting member (118) extends through a vertical slot (156). The connecting member has an “I” cross-section rather than a “T” cross-section within the slot itself, so that the slot can be narrower. To further reduce leakage, FIG. 2 c shows a low-friction, abrasion-resistant, flat elastomeric strip (155), which completely covers each slot. The “I” section of each connecting member slides within a vertical slit (159) down the center of each elastomeric strip, opening and then closing the slit as it travels vertically.
[0056]
The fixed flap valve (122) at the top of the pump assembly is substantially the same as the movable flap valve, except that instead of being connected to an outer drive disk, it is fastened to the inner surface of the rigid tube and sealed with a marine sealant. A PVC cap (160), affixed to the center of the fixed valve disk, caps the top of the pump shaft (152) and secures the shaft in place. The support framework (126) at the bottom of the pump assembly comprises a hub (166) and a plurality of spokes (162), each of which is attached at its outer end to a bracket (164) that is mounted onto the rigid tube. The preferred material for the support framework is PVC, except for the stainless steel brackets.
[0057]
PROPULSION. The preferred embodiment includes a propulsion and steering system that is comprised of a device for: (a) propelling the apparatus through the water, (b) controlling the direction in which the apparatus moves, (c) imparting directional stability to its motion through the water, (d) receiving directional instructions from an on-board source and/or from a remote location, and (e) translating the directional instructions into physical action.
[0058]
The device for propelling the apparatus through the water in the preferred embodiment comprises three steering vane panel sets mounted on pipe couplers (130 a, 130 b and 130 c), with the upper steering vane panel set (120 a) mounted near the top of the rigid tube, the lower steering vane panel set (120 b) mounted near the bottom of the rigid tube, as shown in FIG. 1 a, and the third steering vane panel set mounted near the lower end of the tube extender, as shown in FIG. 1 c. Each assembly comprises left- and right-mounted, otherwise identical, steering vane panel sets, with the steering vane panel assemblies mounted on opposite sides of each pipe coupler and at the same distance from the top of the tube. The steering vane panels of each assembly are vertically aligned with each other. Due to ocean-surface turbulence, the upper steering vane panel set should be constructed to withstand greater stress forces than required by the lower steering vane panel set.
[0059]
FIG. 4a shows a back and front view of a single steering vane panel assembly in the preferred embodiment. Each set comprises an upper steering vane panel (188) and a lower steering vane panel (190), with each steering vane panel pivoting independently on a butt-type hinge (186). The steering vane panels share a common hinge shaft (187) that rotates within the hinge knuckles (204). The vertical stop (182) is fabricated from fiberglass. Each steering vane panel assembly is mounted onto the pipe coupler by means of a PVC flange (196) and a PVC flange backer plate (198) and fastened with stainless steel mounting hardware. The steering vane panels are on the front side of each steering vane panel assembly, where the front is determined by the direction of motion of the apparatus.
[0060]
Details of the construction of a steering vane panel assembly in the preferred embodiment are shown in the side view in FIG. 4 b. The hinge (186) is fabricated from stainless steel and is incorporated into the construction of the fiberglass steering vane panels (188 and 190); the outer surfaces of the hinge knuckles (204) are also covered in fiberglass (202). Stainless steel reinforcing pins (210) or projections through the hinge leaves (208) reinforce the bond between the hinge leaves and the fiberglass panels. The hinge knuckles are lined with a layer of PTFE (206) to minimize friction between the knuckles and the solid PVC hinge shaft (187). FIG. 4 b also shows the detail of the outer or leading edge of the upper and lower steering vane panels. They are flared and beveled so that the upper panel (188) will rotate away from the vertical stop (182) by water acting on the bevel (242) when the apparatus is ascending from a wave trough, and it will be pushed against the vertical stop by water acting on the flare (240) when the apparatus is descending from a wave crest. Conversely, the lower panel, shown at the right of FIG. 4 b, will rotate away from the vertical stop when the apparatus is descending from a wave crest and be pushed against the vertical stop when the apparatus is ascending from a wave trough.
[0061]
Referring to FIG. 4 c, a steering vane panel assembly is assembled as follows: position both the upper and lower steering vane panels (188 and 190) so that the hinge knuckles (204) are aligned. Insert the hinge shaft (187 in FIG. 4 a) so that the slot in the hinge shaft is aligned with and exposed through the slot (176) in the center hinge knuckle. Insert the vertical stop (182) through the slot, exposing the two pinholes (178). Install the two stainless pins (180) into the pinholes. Finally, install stainless steel fairleads (214 a and 214 b in FIG. 4 b) in the upper and lower portions of the vertical stop.
[0062]
FIG. 4b shows the preferred embodiment assembly for controlling the rotation of the steering vane panels (188 and 190) about the hinge shaft (187) and away from the vertical stop (182). This assembly comprises a braided marine nylon line or rope (212), one end of which is spliced onto a ring (216) that is fabricated as part of a weighted container (218). The container is constructed of a rugged polymer, filled with sand and topped with seawater, and its total weight should be adjusted to reliably prevent any slack in the rope when the steering vane panels are rotating outward.
[0063]
To prevent the weight from swinging and damaging the vertical stop, it operates within a travel-guide tube (220) constructed from PVC pipe that is affixed to the steering vane panel with PVC clamps (222). The other end of the rope passes through the smooth stainless steel fairleads (214 a and 214 b) mounted in either side of the vertical stop (182), and through a hole in the steering vane panel. The fairleads minimize abrasion of the marine rope. Finally, a first nylon stop (224 a) is clamped to the upper end of the rope and a second nylon stop (224 b) is clamped to the rope a short distance above the weighted container ring (216). The second nylon stop is disposed such that the rotation of the steering vane panel is limited to approximately 45° from the vertical stop when wide open. (To the extent that the prevailing orientation of the apparatus is not vertical—say, due to strong currents affecting only part of the apparatus—the optimal angle of the steering vane panels with respect to the vertical stop may deviate from 45°.) Each steering vane panel is fitted with a similar assembly for controlling panel rotation (see FIG. 4 a).
[0064]
STEERING. FIG. 4 a shows a rope-clamp solenoid (226) mounted on the vertical stop in combination with the lower weight assembly. It enables the rigid tube (100) to change its direction of travel. FIG. 4 e shows details of the rope-clamp solenoid and its non-corrosive, sealed housing and mounting strap (230). A D-ring (228) is attached to the exposed end of the pull-type solenoid plunger, and a ribbed clamping strip (232) holds the marine rope in place when the solenoid’s plunger is energized. The rope-clamp solenoid is powered directly or indirectly by a solar cell. A battery (116) is the indirect energy source. The wedge-shaped, rigid plastic fairing (106) and the shape of the tube extender (132) impart directional stability to the apparatus.
[0065]
The means for receiving directional instructions from an on-board source is the global positioning system (GPS) that is included with the apparatus’s electronics package (112). The means for receiving directional instructions from a remote source or location is an antenna-equipped receiver, which is also included in the electronics package.
[0066]
The means for translating the directional instructions into physical action is an electrical or printed circuit board (PCB) that includes a processor and memory with encoded instructions. In “local” mode, software compares the desired position of the apparatus with its actual position, as determined by the onboard GPS. The encoded instructions determine when the PCB is to signal the rope-clamp solenoid(s) (226) to engage and for how long. In the “remote” mode, the directional instructions are received by the PCB from a remote location and similarly are translated into signals sent to the rope-clamp solenoids.
[0067]
The rope-clamp solenoid is normally energized when the apparatus is ascending; i.e., when the movable valve (124) is on its downstroke. This is facilitated by a mercury switch (246) in the preferred embodiment. This switch is attached to the external wall of the vacuum tank (252) of the water-ballast system (108 in FIG. 5 c) by an elastomeric hinge (248) and a bracket (244). The contacts are on the hinged end of the mercury switch, so the contacts close when the unattached end of the mercury switch is elevated; i.e., when the movable valve (124) is moving away from the fixed valve (122). The signal from the PCB to the rope-clamp solenoid goes through the mercury switch, so the solenoid can be energized only when the mercury switch is closed.
[0068]
SUBMERSION. In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus has the capability to submerge below the surface and to re-emerge when conditions are favorable. This system is mounted on the rigid tube (100) on its trailing side; i.e., orthogonal to the axis of the steering vane panel sets and at the rear of the apparatus when it is moving forward. The main components of the submersion system are shown in FIG. 5 a and comprise a tank or chamber for holding pressurized air (250); a vacuum tank or chamber (252) that contains a (partial) vacuum when the apparatus is on the ocean surface; a tank or chamber for holding water ballast (254); a one-way air pump (262) for transferring air from the vacuum tank to the pressurized air tank; a first one-way solenoid air valve (264) for transferring air from the pressurized air tank to the vacuum tank; a two-way solenoid air valve (266) for allowing airflow between the vacuum tank and the ballast tank; a thru-hull fitting (270) to permit seawater to flow into and out of the ballast tank; an upper fairing (256) and a lower fairing (258) to facilitate the laminar flow of water around the apparatus when it is ascending and descending; a strainer (272) fitted into the apex of the lower fairing to screen out foreign objects; and a printed circuit board (PCB) with embedded coded instructions for signaling the transfer of water ballast into and out of the ballast tank by controlling the submersion system’s electrical components. The PCB is contained within the electronics package (112 in FIG. 1 a). Arrows shown on the electric components in FIG. 5 a indicate the direction of airflow.
[0069]
If air needs to be replenished to the system, a second one-way solenoid air valve (268) permits fresh air to enter the vacuum tank via an air tube (260) that extends to the surface. This air tube runs upward along the outside of the submersion system tanks, over to the rigid tube (100), and finally up the outside of the rigid tube to the flotation device on the surface, forming an inverted “U” as it curves around the top of the flotation device with its end facing downward. A ball-check valve at the end of this air tube inhibits water from entering the tube. In the preferred embodiment, the electronic components (262, 264 and 268) are housed inside a waterproof compartment between the pressurized air tank and the vacuum tank. An electronic depth gauge, included in the electronics package (112 in FIG. 1 a), facilitates maintaining the apparatus at a predetermined depth when it is submerged. A PCB with embedded digital instructions controls the action of the depth control system, including ascending, descending and, with the aid of the electronic depth gauge, maintaining a given underwater depth.
[0070]
In the preferred embodiment, when an oncoming vessel approaches the apparatus, the apparatus submerges. To implement this feature, all vessels plying waters populated by the apparatus would have a legal requirement to transmit a continuous directional signal that would be received by any functioning apparatus in the vessel’s path. A transmitter range of a mile would likely be sufficient, except for unusually fast vessels. When the antenna and receiver aboard the apparatus receive the appropriate transmitted signal, the PCB is signaled to initiate the submersion process.
[0071]
In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus also possesses a means for detecting heavy sea conditions. A simple bell-shaped motion detector (310), such as that shown in FIG. 5 b, can provide adequate warning. This device is housed within the electronics package (112 in FIG. 1 a). Sufficiently unsettled seas cause the stainless steel clapper (300) to contact the stainless steel bell casting (302), closing an electrical circuit (304) and signaling the PCB to initiate the submersion process. The height of the clapper is adjustable: by raising (lowering) it within the bell casting by means of an adjusting nut (306), it will become more (less) sensitive to turbulent motion. An insulator (308) keeps the clapper electrically isolated from the bell casting. To reduce the likelihood of false alarms, the clapper is required to make contact with the casting a predetermined number of times within a given time period before the onboard electronics signal the apparatus to submerge.
[0072]
When the apparatus determines that conditions might be favorable to return to the surface, it begins its ascent. As it approaches the surface, if the clapper contacts the casting a predetermined number of times within a given time period, indicating turbulence, the apparatus re-submerges. The frequency with which attempts are made to resurface would depend upon the average duration of heavy sea conditions in the local area and the electrical charge status of the battery, as the system is reliant on battery power to resurface. In a preferred embodiment, the decision on when to submerge and re-emerge due to heavy seas would be based on satellite weather information, with appropriate instructions sent electronically to a receiver onboard the apparatus and included in the electronics package.
[0073]
In a further embodiment, an emergency-ascent capsule (320 in FIG. 1 a) is tethered to or mounted on the apparatus to provide a means for ascent if the primary ascent system should fail. This capsule contains a packed bladder that can be inflated by a self-contained CO2 cartridge when signaled by an onboard receiver. When the receiver receives an encrypted dedicated wireless signal, a solenoid punctures the CO2 cartridge, releasing gas into the bladder. As the bladder expands, it forces the ends of the capsule to be ejected and provides the apparatus with sufficient buoyancy to ascend to the surface. Ideally, the receiver is capable of receiving the remote signal even if the apparatus is resting on the ocean floor.

Operation—FIGS. 1-5

[0074]
The present invention deprives tropical waves of the heat energy they require to develop into tropical cyclones. The invention is a wave-driven apparatus that pumps cooler water from below the ocean surface and redistributes it onto or near the ocean surface. As already noted, to inhibit the formation of tropical cyclones, the surface waters must be kept below 80° F. The preferred embodiment is the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 a. A rigid tube (100) and tube extender (132) extend down from the ocean surface to a region where the water is cooler than sea surface temperatures by at least several degrees during warmer months. The lower extent of a thermocline would serve best. A flotation device (102) attached to the top of the tube enables the apparatus to float on the ocean surface, while a weighting device (104 a) at the bottom of the rigid tube (100) causes the apparatus to be suspended from the surface in a substantially vertical position. The weighted device (104 b) at the bottom of the tube extender keeps the extender fully extended.
[0075]
PUMPING. As the apparatus rides the waves, a pump within the rigid tube forces water out through openings (168) near the top of the tube, at the same time sucking water in through the bottom of the tube extender. The main components of this pump are a fixed flap valve (122), a movable flap valve (124) and a support framework (126) that anchors a shaft (152), along which the movable valve slides. The movable valve is attached to a flat outer drive disk (128) by rigid connecting members (118) that project through slots (156) fabricated into the rigid tube.
[0076]
In deep water, the vertical motion of water due to surface action drops off rapidly with depth, so that both the flat outer drive disk and the movable valve to which it is attached largely maintain their vertical position relative to the ocean floor while the pump is operating. When the apparatus is riding waves on the ocean surface, the fixed valve oscillates with respect to the movable valve, pumping seawater upward through the tube and tube extender.
[0077]
FIG. 3 shows the action of the fixed (122) and movable (124) flap valves as the rigid tube (100) is moved vertically by wave action. In this figure, the wave motion is from right to left, as indicated by the upper arrow; the direction of the apparatus relative to the waves is indicated by the lower arrows above the apparatus. The vertical arrows above and below the movable valve show the direction of motion of the movable valve relative to the fixed valve. The action of the flaps of both the fixed and movable valves is also shown.
[0078]
As the apparatus comes off of a wave crest and begins its descent, ambient water pressure acting on the lower face of the flat outer drive disk (128) keeps the movable valve (124) substantially in place, while the tube (100) slides downward and water pressure above the movable valve keeps its flaps closed. As water inside the tube above the movable valve is pushed upward, the fixed valve (122) is forced open and water spills out onto the near-ocean surface through the openings (168) near the top of the tube. At the same time, reduced water pressure below the movable valve causes water to be sucked in through the bottom of the tube extender.
[0079]
As the apparatus ascends toward the crest of the next wave, water pressure acting on the upper surface of the flat outer drive disk creates a pressure drop in the volume of water between the fixed and movable valves as the tube slides away from the movable valve. This pressure drop causes the flaps of the fixed flap valve to close and the flaps of the movable flap valve to open. Pressure is equalized as water flows up through the movable valve. When the apparatus reaches the wave crest, the cycle begins again.
[0080]
PROPULSION. In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus has the ability to navigate through the water in a specified direction by means of a propulsion and steering system. Given the tendency of the apparatus to be moved by the action of wind, waves and currents, this system can—within limits—maintain the apparatus in a globally fixed position. The navigation system also enables the apparatus to travel to another specified location, and/or to maintain a given distance between itself and other like apparatuses so that a relatively uniform distribution of cooler water onto the sea surface can be achieved.
[0081]
Referring to FIG. 4 b, when the apparatus is moving upward through the water, water pressure on the bevel (242) of the upper steering vane panel (188) causes the panel to rotate outward until the second nylon stop (224 b) on the marine rope (212) is stopped by the outer fairlead (214 a). At the same time, water moving over the flared bottom edge (240) of the lower steering vane panel (190) will push and hold this panel against the vertical stop (182). Gravity acting on the weighted container (218) prevents any slack from forming in the lower panel’s marine rope, which could otherwise interfere with the closing of the lower steering vane panel.
[0082]
Given the upper steering vane panel’s angle of attack as it ascends, water impinging on the panel’s upper surface imparts a horizontal component to the motion of the steering vane panel, and therefore to the apparatus. The operation is similar when the apparatus is descending through the water, except that the lower steering vane panel is rotated outward, while the water flow presses the upper steering vane panel against the vertical stop.
[0083]
Another substantially identical steering vane panel assembly is installed on the opposite side of the pipe coupler (130 a in FIG. 1 a) and oriented in the same direction as the first set. As the tube undulates in the waves, substantially equal water pressure acting on both upper steering vane panels causes the apparatus to make way through the water in approximately a straight line, its directional deviations dampened by the wedge-shaped fairing (106 in FIG. 1 e) attached to the front of the rigid tube. As long as the upper steering vane panels’ angle of attack through the water is the same, the apparatus will be propelled in the same substantially linear direction on both the upstroke and downstroke of the rigid tube. By positioning a steering vane panel set near the top of the rigid tube, another set near the bottom of the rigid tube, and a third set near the bottom of the tube extender, the efficiency of the movement of the apparatus through the water is significantly increased.
[0084]
The direction of motion of the apparatus will be approximately at the same angle and in the same direction as the opened steering vane panels, but the length of the flare and the slope of the bevel can affect that direction. The horizontal progress of the apparatus through the water can be optimized by adjusting the length of the marine rope (212) between the two nylon stops (224 a and 224 b).
[0085]
Steering the apparatus is accomplished by controlling the outward rotation of the lower steering vane panels mounted on the front of each steering vane panel set. A lower steering vane panel is prevented from rotating outward by energizing the rope-clamp solenoid (226 in FIG. 4 a) mounted on the back of the vertical stop. When the apparatus needs to change direction, a printed circuit board (PCB) receives a signal either from the onboard GPS or from a remote location. This signal is converted into an electrical current that is sent to the appropriate solenoid. For turning the apparatus, one and only one solenoid in the steering vane panel set is energized, which holds its steering vane panel in the closed position, while the lower steering vane panel in the opposite assembly is permitted to open.
[0086]
When the apparatus is to be turned in a clockwise direction, as viewed from above, the rope-clamp solenoid on the lower right steering vane panel is energized on all three steering vane panel sets (120 a, 120 b and 120 c in FIG. 1 a); and when the apparatus is to be turned counterclockwise, the rope-clamp solenoids on the lower left steering vane panels are energized. The length of time the solenoid is energized determines the amount of turn.
[0087]
The PCB is populated with a processor and a memory encoded with program instructions. In one operational mode, the program instructions compare the apparatus’s desired global position with its actual global position. If a change in position is called for, the processor determines which rope-clamp solenoids, if any, to engage and for how long in order to orient the apparatus in the desired direction. In another operational mode, the PCB receives its input from a remote location. Because the apparatus could be driven off course by wind, waves and currents to a point of no return, a decision could then be made at a remote location how best to deploy the apparatus for future operations. Instructions resulting from the decision would then be transmitted to the master apparatus’s PCB via its antenna and receiver included in the electronics package (112). It would then transmit instructions to the apparatuses under its control, which units are also capable of receiving instructions remotely.
[0088]
Referring to FIG. 4, in the preferred embodiment, a marine rope (212) goes through a rope-clamp pull-type solenoid (226 in FIG. 4 e) mounted on the back of the vertical stop (182 in FIG. 4 a). When the apparatus is at or near a wave crest and starts its descent, the mercury switch (246 in FIG. 5 c) closes, and the solenoids are energized on the apparatus’s downstroke.
[0089]
Referring to FIG. 5 c, the mercury switch is mounted on the external wall of the vacuum tank (252) of the water-ballast system (108 in FIG. 5 a) by an elastomeric hinge (248) and a bracket (244). The electrical contacts are on the hinged end of the mercury switch, and these contacts close when the unattached end of the mercury switch is pushed upward by the flow of water, which happens while the apparatus is descending. During descent, the electrical current from the PCB can go through the mercury switch and energize the appropriate solenoid.
[0090]
Referring again to FIG. 4 e, when the solenoid is energized, the D-ring (228), through which the rope passes, pulls the rope against the ribbed clamping strip (232), thereby preventing the lower panel from rotating outward. Each of the lower panels is similarly configured.
[0091]
SUBMERSION. In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus also has the capability to submerge when facing hazards such as oncoming ocean vessels and heavy seas, or when ocean waves are too small to pump water from the lower depth, or to avoid a strong, adverse surface current. Moreover, unless the apparatus needs to reposition itself or recharge its batteries, submersion also may be preferable when the water temperature at the base of the tube extender is not sufficiently cooler than the water at the surface. In this last case, a further embodiment would include an electronic temperature sensors mounted at the top of the rigid tube and at the bottom of the tube extender and integrated with the PCB.
[0092]
The components of the submersion system are shown in FIG. 5, and the action of the electronic components is described in the table below. When the apparatus is on the ocean surface, the air pump (262) is turned off and both the first one-way solenoid air valve (264) and the two-way solenoid air valve (266) are in the normally closed position. Air is fully pressurized in the upper tank (250), a (partial) vacuum exists in the middle tank (252), and a relatively small amount of seawater is in the bottom of the water-ballast tank (254). When the submersion system is signaled to submerge, the two-way solenoid air valve (266) opens, causing air to rush from the ballast tank into the vacuum tank. This reduces air pressure in the ballast tank, causing water to rapidly enter through the thru-hull fitting (270), thereby causing the apparatus to submerge. When the electronic depth gauge signals that the apparatus is nearing its desired depth, the first solenoid air valve (264) opens, allowing pressurized air to flow through the vacuum tank and into the water-ballast tank, displacing enough water to achieve neutral buoyancy, at which point the two-way solenoid air valve (266) closes. The air in both the upper and middle tank is still under positive pressure, though pressure remains greater in the upper tank. The air pump then pumps air from the vacuum tank into the upper tank to achieve a proper pressure differential between the vacuum tank and the ballast tank.


Component	Maintain	Submerge	Stabilize	Maintain	Ascend	Stabilize	Maintain

262	Off	Off	Off	Off	Off	On	Off
264	Closed	Closed	Open	Closed	Open	Closed	Closed
266	Closed	Open	Closed	Closed	Open	Closed	Closed

[0093]
While the apparatus is maintaining its depth below the surface, a PCB with embedded digital instructions receives signals from the electronic depth gauge, which it compares with the desired depth. If the desired depth is greater than the actual depth by some predetermined amount, the PCB signals the two-way solenoid air valve (266) to open and initiate the submersion process. If the desired depth is less than the actual depth by some predetermined amount, the PCB signals both solenoid air valves (264 and 266) to open and initiate the ascension process. Otherwise, the PCB maintains the current depth within an appropriate range.
[0094]
Whenever the submersion system is signaled to ascend, both solenoid air valves are opened for a predetermined time, allowing air under pressure to enter the ballast tank and forcing water out through the thru-hull. After both valves are closed, the air pump (262) re-pressurizes the upper tank (250), creating a partial vacuum in the middle tank (252). This prepares the apparatus to submerge again.
[0095]
If, during an ascent, the motion detector (310 in FIG. 5 b), located in the electronics package, detects adverse environmental conditions, or it is signaled that a vessel is approaching, ascent is suspended, and the apparatus is signaled to descend to the desired level as described earlier. The PCB also has the capability to signal the apparatus to re-emerge on demand, after, say, receiving an external electronic signal from a maintenance crew.
[0096]
To fully implement the submersion capabilities of the apparatus, all vessels plying waters populated by the apparatus would have a legal requirement to transmit from an onboard transmitter a directional signal along the vessel’s path and to a depth of, say, 100 feet below the vessel’s draft. The latter requirement will prevent an apparatus from ascending into the path of a vessel or into the vessel itself. In this embodiment, when the apparatus receives the transmitted signal, it interprets the signal as an instruction to submerge. If it is already ascending, it must open the two-way solenoid air valve (266), and, at the same time, pump air from the vacuum tank into the pressurized air tank, thereby sucking seawater into the ballast tank and causing the apparatus to submerge.
[0097]
In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus also possesses the means for detecting heavy sea conditions, as well as the means for detecting the absence of such conditions so it can return to the surface. The simple, bell-shaped, turbulence detector (310), shown in FIG. 5 b and mounted within the electronics package, can provide adequate warning. Sufficiently unsettled seas will cause the clapper (300) to make contact with the bell casting (302), closing an electrical circuit (304) and signaling the water-ballast system (108) to initiate the submersion process. An insulator (308) keeps the clapper electrically isolated from the bell casting. To reduce the likelihood of false alarms, the clapper is required to make contact with the casting a predetermined number of times within a given time period before the onboard electronics signal the apparatus to submerge.
[0098]
To determine when it is safe to return to the surface, the same criterion is applied: as the apparatus is approaching the surface, if the clapper contacts the casting a predetermined number of times within a given time period, the apparatus re-submerges. The frequency with which attempts are made to resurface will depend upon the average duration of heavy-sea conditions, as well as on the charge status of the on-board battery. The latter criterion is imposed to minimize the chance that the battery will be drained beyond further use, thereby rendering the submersion system inoperative. However, in the preferred embodiment, the decision when to submerge and re-emerge is based on satellite weather information, with appropriate instructions sent electronically to the antenna and receiver onboard the apparatus.

Use of the Invention

[0099]
The task of reducing sea surface temperatures (SSTs) to below 80° F. requires that a large number of apparatuses be distributed over a region of the ocean, and particularly the ocean region off the West Coast of Africa, where most powerful Atlantic cyclones originate. In this region, SSTs in the summer normally do not exceed 86° F.
[0100]
It has been determined that the current invention offers both a technically and financially feasible solution. The method will be technically feasible if it can be shown how surface temperatures can be reduced by 5° to 6° F.; it will be financially feasible if the expected direct and indirect costs attributable to future tropical cyclones are sufficiently greater than the cost of inhibiting the formation of tropical cyclones by producing, distributing, launching and maintaining a sufficiently large fleet or fleets of the current invention.
[0101]
If the current invention is operating in an oceanic region in which the average wave height over a typical 24-hour period is four feet and the average wave period is seven seconds, then, if its rigid tube has an inside diameter of five feet and its pump operates at 80% efficiency, it will disgorge about 775,000 cubic feet of cooler water per day or nine cubic feet per second onto the near-ocean surface. The volume of water pumped over the course of a month by a single apparatus and spread uniformly over an area of one square mile would have a depth of 10.0 inches, or, in a year, 10 feet, less any output lost while in a submerged state.
[0102]
The efficiency of the pump will be less than 100% because there will be some vertical movement in the drive disk (128) relative to the water in which it directly operates, and also because the ambient water itself will have some vertical motion due to motion on the ocean surface. I estimate that the efficiency loss from the latter will be about 12% if the drive disk is 15 feet below the wave trough and the wave length is 60 feet. In addition, the flap valve flaps may be momentarily open at the beginning of each stroke, though this pumping loss should be minor. Furthermore, there may be minor leakage through the movable valve’s bushing (150), around the elastomeric annulus or seal (142) and around the flaps (146) of the flap valves. Finally, leakage will occur through the slits (159) in the elastomeric strips (155) that cover the vertical slots (156) in the rigid tube.
[0103]
Under most conditions, the volume of pumped water will be sufficient to cool the ocean surface waters surrounding each pump. Because, over deep water, nearly all of the water circulation and mixing occurs in the region near the surface, the cooler water will mix well with the surface waters, and the dissipation of the cooling effect to waters several feet below is likely to be small. Moreover, the effect of wind and the Stoke’s drift will further cause the cooler waters disgorged from the apparatus to spread outward.
[0104]
If a large plurality or fleet of apparatuses is deployed in the area off the West Africa coast, but more specifically, in the area somewhat north of 16° North latitude and between 18° and 23° West longitude, then the cooler water from the apparatuses will be driven by the prevailing winds, waves and surface currents southward initially, and then westward, along the same pathway where most major tropical cyclones form, develop and make their journey to the Western Hemisphere. Of course, the cooler water may be slowly dissipated to deeper waters the further it travels, which suggests that booster fleets of apparatuses may need to be deployed along the westward pathway. On the other hand, the effect of just the original fleet of apparatuses off the West Africa coast may be sufficient to disrupt the sequence of environmental conditions needed to generate most tropical cyclones.
[0105]
If surface currents are inadequate to move the cooled surface waters to the south and then to the west, then the ability of the apparatuses to reposition themselves can be used to deploy at least some of the apparatuses further to the south where the currents tend to be stronger. If the efficiency of the steering vane panel sets is 70 percent, average wave height four feet and the wave period seven seconds on average, then the apparatus will be able to make way through the water at a speed of over one-half mph, or nearly 25 cm/s.
[0106]
A person skilled in the art will be able to determine the number and placement of apparatuses required to provide sufficient cooling in a given environment. As already noted, the output volume of the pump is readily determined from the diameter of the cylinder tube, the average wave period and wave height of the ambient waves, and the efficiency of the pump. Next, the volume of water that is to be cooled per unit time must be estimated. An upper layer of water is mixed as a result of wind and wave action, and water that is deeper than about half the wave length will experience little mixing. In addition, the horizontal velocity of water below the wave trough falls off rapidly with depth. The water volume per unit time that is to be cooled can be calculated as equal to the layer depth times the average velocity at which this upper water layer is moving times the average distance between pump centers.
[0107]
The distance between pump centers, or, equivalently, the number of equally spaced pumps to be deployed, is determined in part by the temperature difference between the pumped cooler water and the surface waters: the greater the temperature difference, the greater this distance can be, and the fewer the number of pumps needed. In the earlier example, a five-foot-diameter rigid tube pumped nine cubic feet of cooler water per second. If the SST averages 88° F. and the water pumped up from a thermocline is 70° F., then to reduce the SST to no more than 79° F., the volumes of pumped water and warmer surface water per unit time must be in a ratio of at least 1:1. Thus, the average distance between pumps must be such that no more than nine cubic feet of warmer surface water per second crosses an imaginary line between adjacent pumps.
[0108]
To minimize the number of pumps needed, the pumps should be placed where the sea surface waters are driven almost entirely by mild-to-moderate prevailing winds and any underwater currents move slowly. The navigational capabilities of the apparatuses enable them to proceed to locations characterized by these conditions. It is noted that in the ocean region of interest, currents at a depth of 50 feet (15 m) are less than two inches (5 cm) per second [http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/GODAS/]. Of course, normal wind and waves have virtually no effect on currents at a depth of 50 feet.
[0109]
If 90,000 individual apparatuses were positioned equidistantly along a straight line between 18° and 23° West longitude in the region just north of 16° North latitude, their center points would lie just 17.6 feet apart. Assume wave height averages six feet, wave length 60 feet, wave period seven seconds, and that water mixing 15 feet below the wave trough is negligible. After adjusting for the difference in flow rates as a function of depth due to the Stokes drift, the average flow of ocean water between pumping units is estimated at 48 cubic feet per second. This compares well with the 54 cubic feet per second of cooler water that are pumped from each apparatus.
[0110]
Having considered the technical feasibility of the project, we now consider the financial feasibility. A rough estimate of the current cost of each apparatus is $15,000 each. The cost of 90,000 units would then be $1.35 billion. Delivery and launch of the units should be no more than an additional 10 percent of these costs. Predrilled cylinder tubes and subassemblies (e.g., tube extenders, and steering and submerging subassemblies) could be stored efficiently on a delivery vessel, and final assembly of the units could take place on deck prior to launch.
[0111]
As stated earlier, the apparatus is designed to operate at least five years without maintenance. However, there still will be failures and losses. Lost units, if not recovered, would have to be replaced, and it usually would be cost-effective to refurbish failed units. If the apparatuses are located within the approximately 300 miles between 18° and 23° West longitude, and within a relatively narrow band above 16° North latitude, two to four ocean-going vessels with tenders operating full-time could provide security, recovery, maintenance and replacement services.
[0112]
When all costs are amortized, the annual cost of maintaining a fleet of 90,000 units is estimated at well under $300 million. Refurbishing a unit after five years of use should be considerably less than $5,000. The most expensive component, the rigid tube (100), estimated to cost about $160 per foot, should last indefinitely. Should booster fleets be necessary to provide additional cooling of SSTs along the tropical cyclone sea-lanes, costs would increase accordingly. However, even multiple fleets would not have to eliminate or mitigate many tropical cyclones to be cost-effective. As already noted, the total cost of losses from Hurricane Katrina alone was estimated at $108 billion (2005 U.S. dollars)
[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL122005_Katrina.pdf, p. 13], and the estimated average annual cost of hurricanes in the U.S. is $9 billion in 2006 dollars, given the extensive urbanization along the coastal regions of the Atlantic Ocean. Moreover, nearly 85% of major hurricanes began as easterly waves off West Africa [Landsea 1993, cited at http://www.faqs.org/faqs/meteorology/storms-faq/part1/#b]. Thus, the full cost of maintaining a single fleet of the current invention would be about three percent of the expected costs incurred from Atlantic hurricanes.

Other Embodiments

[0113]
While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the current invention, but as exemplifications of the presently preferred embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teaching of the invention. Examples are provided below. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than the examples given.
[0114]
In most cases, the apparatus and its components can be constructed from a wide variety of materials. The best materials to use at any given time will depend on the environmental conditions in which the apparatus operates the durability and effectiveness of the materials and their cost. If dissimilar metals are used in combination, then zincs or other devices to protect against galvanic action should be installed.
In further embodiment of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1A:

- the rigid tube has other than a cylindrical shape;
- a radar reflector, a flag or pennant, and/or a strobe light mounted on a staff at the top of the rigid tube serves as a backup avoidance device in the event that oncoming vessels are unable to signal the apparatus to submerge to avoid physical contact;
- a sound sensor included in the electronics package detects the sound of ship engines and initiates submersion procedures when such sounds are detected, thereby obviating the need for vessels to signal the apparatus.
- a beaconing device that transmits bursts of information to a satellite system that can identify and report the GPS position of an apparatus and, optionally, its status (e.g., whether submerged or on the surface), and whether any components are malfunctioning. An alternative arrangement is to have this technology aboard only the master apparatuses, which would continually collect status and diagnostic information from the apparatuses under its control, transmitting any anomalous information via satellite. This embodiment could provide more time responses by maintenance vessels;
- the printed circuit board contains an instruction set that allows diagnostics to be conducted on the electronics components, which can then be reported to the master apparatus, or, in the case of the master apparatus, directly to a maintenance unit. The instruction set would test the navigational electronics (e.g., GPS, rope-clamp solenoid, mercury switch), the submersion system electronics, (e.g., air pump, air solenoid valves, depth gauge, etc.), solar power system or generator/alternator, temperature sensors, tilt meter, etc. Some of the components could be tested for anomalous readings by comparing these readings with corresponding readings from nearby apparatuses; others would be tested to see if the apparatus responds, say by submerging or altering direction.

Alternative Embodiments

[0120]
The following are alternative embodiments to the current invention:

- the elongated tube (100) has a diameter other than ten feet, depending, in part, upon the environmental conditions in which the apparatus operates;
- the elongated tube has a non-cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, the perimeter of the fixed and movable valves are shaped to conform with the contour of the interior walls of the elongated rigid tube;
- although the initial cost of each unit would be increased significantly, the tube extender is comprised of a sufficiently long, rigid, cylindrical tube and fairing. This would likely reduce maintenance costs, as the rigid tube could be cleaned and reused, whereas a tube extender made from plastic film would likely have to be replaced during each regular maintenance cycle. For improved directional stability, a skeg (170) can be added to the bottom of the rigid tube extender and installed with stainless steel brackets (172), as shown in FIG. 1 f;
- the flotation device (102) is a collapsible, inflatable bladder. An onboard small, electric air pump and solenoid air valve allow air to be added to or removed from the bladder to adjust the buoyancy of the apparatus. If this embodiment is used as a replacement for the water-ballast submersion system, a reversible air pump can be employed to remove air from the bladder more quickly and increase the submersion rate;
- the flotation device (102) comprises a plurality of smaller flotation units;
- the hinge (148) attaching each flap valve to the flap valve disk is replaced by an extended part of the flap valve, and the flap valve, or at least its hinge portion, is constructed from a durable elastomeric material having a low fatigue factor;
- leakage through the vertical slots (156 in FIG. 2 c) can be reduced further if the edges of the slit (159) in the elastomeric strips (155) form a closure-type seal, as in a Zip-lock bag with a slider. A two-way slider (158 a) mounted atop the “T” section of the rigid connecting member (118) opens the slit ahead of it when the movable valve is moving toward the fixed valve, while a second two-way slider (158 b) mounted on the bottom of the “T” section of the connecting member closes the slit behind it. When the movable valve is moving away from the fixed valve, the lower slider opens the slit ahead of it, while the upper slider closes the slit behind it. In this embodiment, the elastomeric strips are only unsealed near the location where the connecting member protrudes through the slit;
- steering vane panel assemblies are mounted directly onto the rigid tube (100), omitting the pipe coupler (130);
- an additional steering vane panel set is mounted on a pipe coupler that is between and adjoined to segments of the rigid tube (100);
- an additional steering vane panel set is mounted on a pipe coupler that is between and adjoined to segments of the flexible tube extender (132);
- the upper steering vane panel (188) and the lower steering vane panel (190) each operate on a separate horizontal hinge shafts (187); the hinge shafts are parallel to each other and vertically aligned;
- the hinge shaft (187) is fabricated with a metal rod core for added strength;
- a knot replaces each of the nylon stops (224 a and 224 b) clamped onto the rope, but serves the same function;
- a rotary actuator key replaces the rope and rope-clamp embodiment. The rotary actuator (200) is mounted on the lower backside of the vertical stop, as shown in FIG. 4 f. A pin (192) is inserted orthogonally through the outer end of the actuator’s rotor shaft and projects through a keyhole (194) in the vertical stop and through the lower steering vane panel (190). When the actuator is energized, it rotates and pulls, locking the steering vane panel firmly against the vertical stop.
- a spring-loaded rope winder mounted on the vertical stop (182) replaces each of the weighted containers (218) and weighted container rings (216);
- instead of a separate solenoid rope-clamp (226), a solenoid clamping device is fabricated integrally with a spring-loaded rope winder, which replaces the weighted container assembly (216, 218, 220, 222 and 224 b);
- the rope-clamp solenoid or rotary actuator embodiment could be mounted on the upper steering vane panels instead of the lower steering vane panels, but this is a less-effective arrangement, as gravity acting on the lower panels assists in maintaining the panel in a closed position. This arrangement also would impede diving speed when the apparatus submerges.
- instead of, or in addition to, solar panels as the primary source of electrical power, one or more generators (336), dynamos or alternators are installed within an elongated rigid tube that is the pump shaft (152 in FIG. 2). See FIG. 6. The generator is connected to the bushing (150) of the movable flap valve (124), and is driven by the drive disk (128). The generator assembly could be based on a 6-watt, 12-volt, bicycle light-type generator/dynamo (336) sealed within a non-corrosive housing. FIG. 6 a presents a front view of the generator assembly, FIG. 6 b a side view, FIG. 6 c a top view, FIG. 6 d—a detail of the right slide-shaft block (354), which is within bushing (150) for the movable valve, and FIG. 6 e—a detail showing the pump shaft (152), bushing (150) and slide shaft (350). Referring to FIGS. 6 a, 6 b and 6 c, the rotor shaft of the generator is rotated by a rack-and-pinion arrangement comprising a drive gear (338) and reduction gear set (340), and opposing vertical gear strips (344 a and 344 b), or racks, which are affixed to the gear-strip mount (342), or rack mount. The gear-strip mount is mounted onto the interior wall of the pump shaft and extends the full travel length of the movable valve (124 in FIG. 2 a).

[0139]
The reduction gear set is interposed between the drive gear and gear strips because the rotation of the drive gear, if driven directly by the gear strips, would likely be insufficient to achieve maximum electrical output from the generator. To stabilize the motion of the generator assembly in the horizontal plane, a guide rod (346), which is an extension of the generator rotor shaft, travels within a guide-rod channel (348). The guide rod channel is installed on the interior wall of the pump shaft nearly opposite from and parallel to the gear-strip mount (342). Components exposed to seawater are made from corrosive-resistant materials. For example, gears and gear strips in the preferred embodiment are made from nylon, while the slide shafts and guide rod are made from titanium or stainless steel.
[0140]
The generator assembly is designed to generate electricity on both the upstroke and downstroke of the rigid tube (100). In the preferred embodiment, a mechanical means is used to slide the generator back and forth between the opposing gear strips. When the apparatus is ascending from a wave trough—i.e., when the movable valve (124 in FIG. 2 a) is moving downward, away from the fixed valve (122 in FIG. 2)—water pushing from below on the lower bevel block (358) causes the generator to slide towards the first gear strip (344 a), which it engages; conversely, when the apparatus is descending from a wave crest—i.e., when the movable valve is moving upward toward the fixed valve—water from above pushing on the upper bevel block (356) causes the generator to slide towards and engage the second gear strip (344 b). The cap (160 in FIG. 2) is vented or replaced with a pipe coupling to allow water to flow through the pump shaft (152).
[0141]
To slide between the two opposing gear strips, the entire generator assembly slides along two cylindrical, round-ended, titanium slide shafts (350) that slide within bores (352) that have been bored through the movable valve bushing (150) and into each polymer slide-shaft block (354) mounted on opposing sides of the generator housing. The slide shafts are oriented orthogonally to the rotor axis of the generator. The height of the bushing (150) is such that the bottom edge of the lower bevel block is at least ⅛″ above the lower end of the bushing, and the upper edge of the upper bevel block is at least ⅛″ below the upper end of the bushing.
[0142]
To prevent the generator from pivoting around the slide shafts, a vertical, small-diameter domed pin (362) is pressed orthogonally through each slide shaft (350) near its inner end, as shown in FIG. 6 d. In this figure, the bushing (150) side is distinguished from the slide-shaft-block (354) side. Opposing sides of the bushing are bored to receive the slide shafts, which are screwed into them; the outer bores are each covered with a cap (366 in FIG. 6 e). The bores (352) for the slide shaft (350) are slotted (364 in FIG. 5 d) to receive the pins, which prevent the generator from rotating about the slide shafts. Each slide shaft projects inward through a vertical slot (360 in FIG. 5 e) fabricated into the pump shaft (152); these slots extend from the bottom of the cap (160 in FIG. 2 a) on the pump shaft down to the top of the hub (166 in FIG. 2 a) in the support framework (126 in FIG. 2 a). The bushing (150), which contains the generator assembly, is attached to the movable valve disk (140 in FIG. 6 e).

- Instead of the pin (362) and slot (364) arrangement for the slide shafts (350) and blocks (354), an extra slide shaft is fitted to one or both slide shaft blocks (354) and the bushing (150). This will also prevent the generator assembly from pivoting.
- The generator assembly is installed during the assembly of the apparatus as follows. Install the gear strips (344 a and 344 b) onto the gear-strip mount (342). Then install the gear-strip mount and guide-rod channel (348) onto the interior walls of the pump shaft (152), using pre-drilled, countersunk holes. Assemble the generator assembly inside the bushing by screwing the slide shafts (350) into the bores (352) from the outside of the bushing (150) until they are inside the slide-shaft blocks (354). Install the caps (360). Slide the bushing into the two slots (360) at the top of the pump shaft (152) and slide it down. Finally, attach the bushing to the movable valve disk (140).
- The generator assembly uses only one gear strip, generating electricity on only the upstroke or downstroke of the rigid tube (100).
- As a backup device, or instead of the bevel blocks, an electrical means, such as a solenoid, is used to shuttle the generator back and forth along the slide shafts. The solenoid replaces one of the slide-shaft blocks (354, 356) in FIG. 6, and its plunger is affixed to the inner end, or is an extension, of a shortened slide shaft (350). When the apparatus is ascending, the solenoid is energized, and the gears engage the first gear strip; and when the apparatus is descending, the solenoid is not energized, and the gears engage the opposing gear strip.
- more than one generator can be used at the same time, in which case they are stacked and vertically aligned. Only the top and bottom generators have slide-shaft rods installed in order to provide a smooth and trouble-free operation. Toward this end, the generator assembly should have substantially neutral buoyancy to minimize frictional drag. This arrangement utilizes only one upper bevel block (356), which is mounted onto the top generator; and only one lower bevel block (358), which is mounted onto the bottom of the bottom generator. The generators charge the battery (116) installed in the weighting device (104) at the bottom of the rigid tube (100). It is desirable to pre-install the plurality of generators within a sealed waterproof container whereby only the geared components, the slide shafts and slide-shaft bores are exposed to seawater. The top and bottom surfaces of the container would be appropriately beveled and replace the upper and lower bevel blocks.
- the smaller gear in the reduction gear set (340) and the gear strips are replaced by a drive wheel that is a friction roller and friction strips, respectively. For example, the former can be a ribbed stainless steel roller, and the latter can be ribbed elastomeric strips.
- the water-ballast system comprises a two-chamber tank, similar to the preferred embodiment but without the vacuum chamber. A two-way air pump pumps air between the two chambers to control the volume of water in the lower chamber. This embodiment would be less expensive to produce, but the apparatus would not dive as quickly.

Benefits from the Current Invention

[0150]
From the foregoing description, several advantages of the invention are evident. It has been shown how the current invention, when implemented as a multi-unit fleet is capable of cooling SSTs to below 80° F. over a wide area. Relatively slow surface currents in the critical area off the West Coast of Equatorial Africa make this possible with a smaller number of deployed units.
[0151]
The current invention requires no platforms to be constructed, no mooring lines to be secured and no external power other than from sun and waves. Its pump is powered by wave energy and has few moving parts, which will keep maintenance low and reduce risk of premature failure. Its electrical components are solar-powered with supplementary battery capability. Its onboard navigational ability provides the mobility to maintain a given position, to operate as an optimally spaced fleet or to be deployed to a more advantageous location. The apparatus can make way through the water at about 0.5 knots, depending on wave height and wave period, and therefore it can maintain its position against modest, adverse surface currents. It also can be instructed to proceed to a different location; for example, it can travel westward in the South Equatorial Current, further cooling the surface as it proceeds. Working its way southward to about longitude 50° West, it then can catch the Equatorial Countercurrent eastward (except in the winter months, when the Countercurrent is weak or nonexistent; but it could still make progress eastward using wave energy). The Countercurrent will carry the apparatus back to the Gulf of Guinea, where the travel cycle can begin anew.
[0152]
The ability of the apparatus to submerge increases its survivability by avoiding collisions with ocean vessels and by preventing damage from major storms. Submersion also enables the apparatus to retard degradation when seas are too calm to produce sufficient wave energy and to remain on location when surface currents are too strong for holding an advantageous position.
[0153]
The objective was to design a unit that is simple, rugged, versatile, and efficient. Because of the hostile environment in which the apparatuses would be operating, rugged materials are used throughout toward achieving a goal of five-year, maintenance-free operation. Simplicity of design for each of the apparatus’s three main functions—pumping, navigating and submerging—contributes to this goal.
[0154]
If the units are to be commercialized, they must be cost-effective. In the Background of this document, we observed that after adjusting hurricane loss estimates in the United States for changes in personal wealth and coastal county populations, the estimated average property loss from tropical cyclones amounts to $9 billion annually, and this estimate is based on only the 30 most costly hurricanes. Our estimate of the annual amortized cost of producing, distributing, launching and maintaining a fleet of the current invention off the West Coast of Africa would be under $300 million annually. It is quite possible that this fleet alone could disrupt the process of hurricane development. But even if additional fleets are required, the net benefits from of this invention with respect to property losses averted are still quite favorable, and this conclusion holds, even without consideration of the other less costly hurricanes as well as the lives saved.

US patent #20130175352: Method to influence the direction of travel of hurricanes
Abstract
In like manner that winds intersect and deflect each other in space we can intersect and deflect the hurricanes and storms at the area of thrusting between their steering winds and their outer edge, with blasting explosion waves of non-nuclear high-power propellant fuel missiles thrown in vertical perpendicular alignment, against the routing of the steering wind current at N equal number of levels, first for testing a 300 pounds missile thrown, by adequately equipped air-vehicles for missiles launching, to observe the effect on the hurricane configuration, then decide to adjust the explosive quantity to thrust successfully, all blasts of each round of missiles should be detonated in a timely manner, then continue the rounds of explosives at intervals approximately similar to the time required by the prior blast to travel twice the diameter of its explosion, repeating as necessary, hitting always at the thrusting area until achieving success. (Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20130175352A1/en) Read More

Description

[0001]
This Method to be implemented requires the full support and sponsorship of the United States Federal Government to conduct research, under controlled Laboratory Conditions, to the proper size scale, and live field testing, for the following:
[0002]
E-1) Testing of the wind currents interaction as vector forces and their compliance with the mathematical rules of vectors.
[0003]
E-2) Testing of selected propulsion wave forming explosives impacting on wind currents.
[0004]
E-3) Testing of selected propulsion wave forming explosives impacting on large balloons suspended inside wind currents.
[0005]
E-4) Conduct research on selected explosives to find the best fitted compliance with the requirements of the Inventor, as follows:
[0006]
E-4-a) Find the explosives that shall push more effectively on the spinning mass of winds and water vapor.
[0007]
E-4-b) Find the properties of the explosives: 1) Density of the expansive gases. 2) Heat generated by the explosions. 3) Also their combined effect with different types of detonating explosives. 4) Thrusting power. 5) Storable safety. 6) Cost.
[0008]
E-4-c) Find the best fitted missiles to deliver the swaying vectors as well as any other better way to accomplish the objective. Find the safest distance to launch the missiles or explosives as well as the safest minimum height to launch them and the best-fitted air-vehicles to use, or other better ways, in lived field testing.
[0009]
E-5) It is anticipated that density of the expansive gases selected to push on the steering wind current and the spiraling winds of the hurricane should be no greater than air, because air pushes on the storm, due to the combined density of water vapor and air of the storm, being greater than air.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0010]
Cross-Reference No. 1: “PHYSICS De MYSTIFIED BY MR. STAN GIBILISCO”: Mathematics of Vectors for two and for three dimensions.

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL, SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

[0011]
Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0012]
1. Field of the Invention
[0013]
Engineering, Meteorology, Mechanical, Mathematical Rules of Vectors, Explosives and Military Equipment Expertise:
[0014]
The background is mainly Mechanical Engineering because hurricanes are thermodynamic systems from the moment they are born to the moment they get extinguished. They absorb energy in the form of heat and water vapor by way of its center opening called eye. Rotate absorbing energy and water vapor and storage it by revolving. Grow in size by increasing its speed. The system keeps its mass in place by the combined action of the centrifugal and centripetal forces that also causes the typical spiraling doughnut form. Dispose of the excess energy thru the perimeter, outer edge of the system, in the form of rain and gusts. The rotating vectors of the storm, allows it to be pushed by the steering wind vectors action and reaction forces. The thermodynamic roll is present at all times from birth to extinguishment. The thermodynamics is trying to reach equilibrium in a state of storm due to a process of transfer of energy that is inherently a non-equilibrium process.
[0015]
The Meteorology background is related with the barometric pressure differences that cause wind currents and regulate their movements. Meteorology is indispensable in the initial conditions for the birth and growth of storms, to become hurricanes and to keep them working.
[0016]
The math of vectors works, all the time when thrusting on the back of the storms and at the time of interception, with other currents, as clearly shown in the photographs 2 thru 10 of the section of Drawings and Photographs of this application.
[0017]
Knowledge on explosives and military equipment expertise is required as part of the Federal Sponsorship for research and development. At this stage, of my application, my guesses are based on what information is available in the Internet and my own judgment.
[0018]
Hurricanes are formed usually over the ocean at hot areas where there is great activity of heat and mass transfer (see Ref. #2). Also, the atmospheric barometric conditions favor the formation of winds that together, with the excessive heat and mass transfer, creates a turbulence that accidentally succeeds in getting organized, starts rotating, grow and accumulates energy in becoming a thermodynamic system. When the hurricane is steered to new areas the energy transfer conditions are favorable and the storm grows, increasing the storage area by way of increasing the rotating speed. The centrifugal and centripetal forces also grow proportionally to the increment of rotational speed. Hurricanes do not have forward motion of its own, thanks GOD. The storms depend on the thrusting of a steering wind to move.
[0019]
By swaying Hurricanes away from their steering winds and usual routes we will save many lives and billions of dollars, to the Country. Also, by thrusting against the outer edge of the Hurricane, with moderate quantities of expansive explosive waves we can push the storms towards calm areas. There in the calm area, the storm may dissipate its energy in due time and the thermodynamic of the system will win its struggle and cease.
[0020]
2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under: 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98: Excerpt Re: 37 CFR 1.98
[0021]
I did not found applicable information from 1.97: “Filing of information disclosure” and 1.98: “Content of information disclosure” from the Consolidated Patent Rules, at this time.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0022]
MY METHOD SHALL INFLUENCE THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF HURRICANES AND STORMS BY WAY OF CUMULATIVE BLASTING EXPLOSIONS. WE SHALL USE NON-NUCLEAR SOLID OR STORABLE LIQUID PROPELLANT FUEL THAT SHALL PRODUCE HIGH-TRUST EXPANSIVE WAVES OF HOT GASES. THESE GASES SHALL BE OF LESSER DENSITY OR EQUAL TO AIR. THE EXPLOSIVE WAVES MUST BE OF ADEQUATE SPEED AND THRUST POWER TO EFFECTIVELY PUSH ON WIND CURRENTS AND ON THE ROTATING WINDS OF HURRICANES. THE EXPLOSIVES SHALL BE ENCAPSULATED INSIDE MISSILES LAUNCHED FROM ADEQUATELY EQUIPPED AIR VEHICLES. ALL IMPACTS MUST BE ON ONE SIDE SECTION OF THE OUTER EDGE PERIPHERY AND OR INSIDE SPINNING WINDS OF THE STORMS. SUCCESS DEPENDS ON STRIKING ALWAYS INSIDE THE THRUSTING AREA BETWEEN THE STEERING WIND AND THE OUTER EDGE OF THE HURRICANE. A THREE HUNDRED POUNDS MISSILE OF PROPELLANT FUEL, AS MENTIONED ABOVE, SHALL BE TRIED FIRST ALONE FOR TESTING, IF NOT RECOMMENDED OTHERWISE BY THE TESTING LABORATORY. OBSERVE THE EFFECTS ON THE HURRICANE CONFIGURATION. THEN DECIDE IF IT IS ADEQUATE AS LAUNCHED OR IF IT IS REQUIRED TO ADJUST THE QUANTITY OF EXPLOSIVE OR ITS POWER. IF THE EXPLOSIVE BLAST IS TOO FAST OR TOO STRONG IT WILL PUNCH A HOLE INSTEAD OF PROVIDING US WITH THE THRUSTING POWER THAT WE SEEK. THE EXPLOSIONS SHALL BE TIMED AND ALIGNED IN THE SELECTED ROUTING TO ACCUMULATE THE FORCES IN ONE DIRECTION, AS VECTORS DO. THE MISSILES SHOULD BE THROWN IN VERTICAL FORMATION PERPENDICULAR TO THE ROUTING OF THE STEERING WIND. THE TOTAL HEIGHT OF THE STEERING WIND SHOULD BE DIVIDED BY NO MORE THAN TWICE THE LENGTH OF THE DIAMETER OF THE EXPLOSION, TO FIND THE NUMBER OF LEVELS OF ACTION. ALL LEVELS OF ACTION SHOULD BE LOADED AT THE SAME TIME AND DETONATED SIMULTANEOUSLY OR IN A SEQUENCE OR OTHERWISE, AS PLANNED. THE GENERATED VECTOR FORCES OF THE EXPLOSIONS SHALL INTERCEPT THE STEERING WIND CURRENT AND COMBINE WITH IT. ALSO COMBINE WITH THE COUNTERCLOCKWISE VECTORS OF THE OUTER EDGE OF THE HURRICANE. THE COMBINED FORCE OF THESE THREE VECTORS THUS FORMED SHALL BE FOLLOWED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY BY EQUAL RESULTANT VECTORS OF THE FOLLOWING EXPLOSIONS. THAT ACTION SHALL BUILD-UP TO START SWAYING THE HURRICANE. UNTIL, FINALLY SUCCEED IN REACHING THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STEERING WIND RANGE. THE HURRICANE SHALL CONTINUE BY INERTIA FURTHER AWAY.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023]
The Method is all, in one page only, of typical drawing (See page 1 of 10). The other nine photographic pictures are to illustrate how each steering wind complied with the vector rules of Descartes and steered, in turn, behind the rotating winds in its own direction. (See pages 2 thru 10)

(Method Drawing, Specification):

[0024]
This is a typical drawing that illustrate the method to influence the direction of travel of hurricanes, as follows: (See 1 of 10) this is, a not to scale drawing that shows a three dimensional representation of a Hurricane called ‘H’ and its steering wind called ‘St. W’., its range width and its height called ‘h’. Also, showing the thrusting area called ‘Th. A’., with ‘N” being the number of levels of action found by dividing the height of the steering wind by two times the diameter of the typical explosion called ‘2d’, hence N=h/2d. The drawing 1 of 10 shows three missiles only (for clarity of drawing, only.) the missiles are indicated by the symbol: O>O>O> shown at each level of action at the instant just before entering into the Thrusting Area. The intention is to have it spaced twice the typical explosion diameter before exploding inside the Thrusting Area. Also, the drawing shows the instant when prior missiles are exploding inside the thrusting area indicated by the symbol of: ∘ ◯ O precisely at the moment of combining with the vectors of the steering wind and the counterclockwise vectors of the outer edge of the hurricane (see enlarged detail in 1 of 10). The resultant vector of one explosion will add-up to with the resultant vectors of the immediately following explosions and keep-on moving the hurricane towards the outer edge of the range of the steering wind, (see the drawing detail enlargement showing the interception and combination of the three vectors in space). The Method will succeed when finally the hurricane have been moved completely out of the range of the steering wind.
[0025]
Method Nomenclature:
[0026]
H=Hurricane
[0027]
SW=Steering wind
[0028]
TA=Thrusting Area
[0029]
E=Enlargement Detail
[0030]
N=Number of Levels of Action
[0031]
NTS=Not to Scale
[0032]
w=Width of Wind Current
[0033]
h=Height of Wind Current
[0034]
d=Diameter of Missile explosion
[0035]
SV=Steering Wind Vectors
[0036]
EV=Explosion Vectors
[0037]
CV=Counterclockwise Vectors
[0038]
R1=Resultant of SV and EV
[0039]
R2=Resultant of R1 and Counterclockwise Vectors

(Amended Drawings, Photographs of Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma and Irene, See the Corresponding Markings in Prior Revised Clean Versions)

[0040]
The following nine photographs (pages 2 thru 10) are for the purpose to illustrate how the steering winds intercept and produce a resultant vectors that steer the hurricane in a different direction as they did for hurricanes Katrina, Wilma and Irene. Every new turn in direction correspond exactly to the rules of Descartes. Also, it shows the pivotal point and last chance for using my method to sway the hurricane in a different direction that could have been used, presented, as follows:
[0041]
A-1) Case 1: Hurricane Katrina, as it happened, in year 2005. Katrina’s photograph shown in page 2 of 10 shows the hurricane poised over the Bahamas, east of Florida and north east of Guantanamo. At this time Vector 2 a powerful Atlantic Ocean wind current traveling in a south-western direction intercepts Vector 1 that was the steering wind carrying hurricane Katrina in a north-western direction up to that point. See in page 3 of 10 how Vector 2 prevailed and established Resultant Vector 2″ with a south-western routing. Vector 3 a powerful Pacific Ocean wind current traveling with a northeastern direction confronted Vector 2″, over the Gulf of Mexico, prevailed establishing a new resultant with a north-western routing. Vector A, the #4 vector, prevailing North America wind, traveling in a south-eastern direction confronted the resultant vector of 3 and 2″ deflecting the routing of hurricane Katrina directly into the City of New Orleans. The wide and powerful North America’s vector A, # 4, continued deflecting the resultant vectors and established a new over land north-eastern routing of the storm, until final extinguishment.
[0042]
On page 4 of 10 we have a situation we wish never have: a complete developed hurricane that will require our full blasting capacity and maximum coordination at the pivotal point A over the Bahamas intercepting the steering wind 1 with our swaying vectors SW SV. We will intercept almost immediately the powerful Atlantic wind 2 to do our very best to prevail. If we succeed to push the Hurricane over the ocean in front of Daytona Beach, Saint Agustin area at B, second point of action for our swaying vectors. Then we still need to push the hurricane with some more missiles at its back to finally reach the destination area D. Any calm waters wherever available.
[0043]
In real life, if allowed the privilege to use my method I would rather have chosen an earlier location of the trajectory of the storm on the eastern side of the Virgin Islands where I would have selected a destination area in the general direction of the known calm waters, but NOT inside or close to the Vessels Museum of Nature, the famous Sargasso Sea area, far enough to avoid disturbing it, and to let the storm dissipate its energy.
[0044]
B-1) Case 2: Hurricane Wilma, as it happened in year 2005. The photograph called Hurricane Wilma page 5 of 10 shows the critical pivotal point where Vector 2, a wide Pacific Ocean wind current, traveling in a north-eastern direction, intercepts and deflects Vector 1, which was the steering wind that was carrying hurricane Wilma, see page 6 of 10, establishing a resultant vector with a north-western course. The continued intercepting and swaying Vector 2, acted upon the new resultant vector and deflected near Cancun the routing of hurricane Wilma towards the north. Vector 3 the prevailing wind from North America intercepted the new resultant vector of 2 and 1 in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico to send it directly to hit Florida with an Eastern routing.
[0045]
B-2) Case 2: Hurricane Wilma, as it could have been swayed away in year 2005. Hurricane Wilma, shown in page 6 of 10, could have been swayed away at an earlier point of the trajectory of Vector 1, the steering wind that was carrying hurricane Wilma. In the case shown in the picture our best option was to apply our swaying vectors at the south-western side of the hurricane at point A to push the hurricane towards a destination area located on the north-eastern side of Jamaica Island to leave it there, stagnant, to consume its energy or further move it to the north-eastern side away from Guantanamo Bay.
[0046]
C-1) Case 3: Hurricane Irene, as it happened in year 2011: Page 8 of 10 of the photographs shows hurricane Irene carried by Vector 1 the steering wind that was carrying hurricane Irene was traveling north of Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic with a north-western direction. Vector 2 a wide Pacific Ocean wind current intercepted Vector 1 and deflected it see page 9 of 10. The interception caused a gradual deflection of Irene yielding towards the north. Vector 2 combined with a North America wind continued swaying the resultant vectors until succeeding in total control of the hurricane, in the vicinity of South Carolina, establishing a north/north-eastern routing, crossing over cape Hatteras to finally hit the area of New Jersey.
[0047]
C-2) Case 3: Hurricane Irene could have been swayed away in year 2011. Page 10 of 10 shows an early point A where we could have applied our north-eastern pushing swaying vectors. Our vectors would have succeeded deflecting the hurricane Irene into a pre-selected destination area located north of Dominican Republic well inside the North Atlantic Ocean.

D) Symbols and Nomenclature:

[0048]
A—Point of action and impact of our swaying vectors. Also America’s wind vector 4.
[0049]
B—Second point of action, if needed to finish the job.
[0050]
D—Pre-selected calm area destination
[0051]
SW-SV—South Western Swaying Vectors
[0052]
RV—Resultant Vector
[0053]
1—Original path of carrying wind current driving the Hurricane.
[0054]
2, 3, 4—Intercepting Wind Currents, as shown
[0055]
2′, 3′, 4′—Opposite sides of parallelogram, as shown
[0056]
2″—Vector 2″ continues direction of vector 2
[0057]
→—Arrow vectors

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0058]
Hurricanes are usually formed over the ocean as described in (f). If the storms are stagnant they will consume all the surplus energy of the area of birth and stop right there. Hurricanes that are steered by wind currents, of moderate speed, go absorbing large amounts of energy as they progress. (See Ref. 2) The thermodynamic of the storm, storage the newly absorbed energy by growing in size and by increasing its rotating speed. The centrifugal and centripetal forces play a very active role by keeping together the system and causing the cylindrical form. At the same time that the storm grows in size, the initial speed of travelling of the steering wind, gets slower proportionally to the growth of weight and size of the storm. Consequently, favor the absorption of energy of the storm. When going over land the absorption process slows down because there is lesser amount of transferable energy available to absorb. At the same time the storm discharges energy in the form of rain and gusts. This behavior is due to the active function of the thermodynamic of the storm, always seeking to stabilize the system to reach the state of equilibrium. My Method to influence the direction of travel of hurricanes, from here on called, in these specifications, as the Method, takes advantage of the fact that hurricanes does not have, thanks God, forward motion of their own. Also, my Method, reproduce the same actions that wind currents do to each other, when intercepting freely, in space. (See Ref. 1) My Method does pretend neither to destroy nor to reduce the intensity of the hurricanes. My Method takes advantage also of the fact that the storm rotates fast in a counterclockwise way. Also, that to travel, the storm requires the thrusting vector force of a steering wind pushing at its back, thus creating a thrusting area well immersed inside the storage area of the storm.
[0059]
My Method pretends to deflect the direction of travel of the hurricanes by way of throwing successive expansive waves of hot gas explosions; blasting inside the thrusting area of the steering wind at the back of the hurricane. These impacts must be aligned as precisely, as possible, in one selected direction to cut in the shortest possible direction thru the range width of the steering wind with the minimum amount of explosions. The spacing between the successive explosions inside the thrusting area must be, as close and frequent as, the availability of the launching equipment permits to use. Thus, the explosions of the next following will join and back up together with the preceding ones due to the effect of ‘holding-back’ of the impact reaction of the explosions against the current force of the steering wind. The resultant vector of the interception of the explosive vector with the steering wind vector, called R1 on the drawing of my method, will simultaneously combine with the counterclockwise vector. The resultant of the combination of the counterclockwise vector with the resultant R1, produce the resultant called R2. The counterclockwise vectors power shall reinforce greatly the initial force of the swaying vectors and speed up the process. But not just one, action line only, will be enough to overcome the initial inertia, of the entire mass of the storm. To succeed we need to act simultaneously with, as many levels of action as possible. We can divide the entire height of the steering wind by twice the diameter length of the typical explosion, to find “N” number of levels of action. Then, provided we have available all the required missiles and launching equipment that we need, we can engage in action. But first an actual live research is necessary to answer all the questions of what kind of explosive is required, maybe solid form or storable liquid propellant 300 pounds missile, will work. Depending on, when tested in actual live research if the explosion will not be too strong or too fast, that instead of providing us with the thrusting power we need, what we will get is a hole in the clouds.
[0060]
Our live research task is to find not only the kind of explosive that will push on winds without going thru them, but to find the optimum amount of explosive that will reduce the total number of blasting. Also, to find the proper missile launching equipment that combined with the lesser amount of units we can get us only the missiles we need, at all levels. That means trying other type of launching equipment and different type of missiles.
[0061]
To overcome a lesser inertia of the Storm we can act better against early stages of the storms to start swaying sooner and succeed at a lesser cost. We shall be able to accomplish the task with a lesser number of air-vehicles with a launching capacity of only two missiles each or less.
[0062]
In my opinion the early action against storms that may become a threat to islands and continental land that happen in areas of the Caribbean Sea that historically have caused, dangerous hurricanes, is enough justification to act.
[0063]
Detailed instructions for implementation of the Method: a live testing of the method should be part of the Federal Sponsored Research and Development. These instructions assume that, if that research happens, we will have a crew of professionals on explosives, missile launchers, and all the proper military facilities and the authorization of the US Government to proceed with the test. Assuming that is the case, I will provide the Plan of Action and instructions, as follows:
[0064]
Plan of action: The corresponding governmental offices of meteorology will provide us with the location data and all characteristic information relating to the storm. Also the steering wind data of routing, speed, height and range width of the steering wind at the thrusting area within the hurricane. Also, the Meteorology Office shall provide the location of the impact area between the steering wind current and the back of the Storm. Say, for instance that the steering wind is 12,000 feet high and 8,000 feet wide and the initial explosion diameter of the blast is five hundred feet, hence we need 12,000/(500×2)=12 levels. We have a 2,000 feet of no blasting self-imposed limitation, which is the first lower level and we can neglect blasting at the upper level hence we have remaining 12−2=10 levels of action. Considering the small size of the storm we can use 200 pounds missiles and skip every other level and act on five levels, only. These expansive waves of gases to thrust properly should explode in good alignment, at the assigned level, inside the thrusting area of the steering wind and the outer edge of the storm. Each Air-Vehicle should be assigned an action level in order, for instance number one plane to act on level 11, number 2 on level 9, number 3 on level 7, number 4 on level 5 and number 5 on level 3.
[0065]
The entire three squadrons of twelve air-vehicles each should be stationed at exclusive, well guard, under cover and securely enclosed hangars. We need to be on American island land close to the coming storm ready to act as soon as authorized to proceed. The crews should be trained and rehearsed in simulated shooting exercises and the Navigational Engineer practicing his role of providing the target coordinates adjusted for each of the planes considering the moving target and differences in height and speed for each of the planes.
[0066]
Each plane should strike say every 5 seconds and in all strike 6 missiles for a total of 6 times 5=30 missiles of 200 pounds each, equal to 6,000 pounds or otherwise as planned when we get more information and more training we shall be able to refine our calculations and save on the total amount of explosives. We may be able to start with 300 pounds missiles to overcome the initial inertia and finish up with the 200 pounds. Depending on the capacity of each air-vehicle to launch missiles, two, three or six we need to use three, two or just one plane for each round of explosives.
[0067]
We will give the coordinates to strike precisely to each of the pilots, or UAV as provided by an Airplane Navigating Engineer, that will be flying over the target area at a prudent distance, also keeping a photographic record of the entire operation specially at the moment of action and immediately after to check if we succeeded and how much we achieved on swaying the storm out of it route.
[0068]
Pause and Evaluation: After launching the first 30 missiles we will pause to evaluate the results of the impacts, on the satellite monitor of the action. Check how much displacement of the storm we got, if any, and verify if the missiles exploded correctly inside the thrusting area, or how far away they were, to make the necessary corrections and adjustments to try again. We may decide to continue with a second round of missiles if we have the availability to do so. Also, the Management may decide to continue, if we receive encouraging early results in our monitors.
[0069]
If we succeed to overcome the initial inertia of the storm to get moving towards the outside of the range of the steering wind, from that moment on, the new developed inertia of the storm will become our ally. END.

US patent #20200187430: Helical artificial generator of tornado, hurricane, yellow dust, and typhoon
Abstract
The present invention provides a spiral artificial generator for the artificial generation of a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust, or a typhoon, wherein the diameter D of the spiral artificial generator is selected by a basic module formula D=0.382H, a module formula H=2.618D is used when the diameter D of the spiral artificial generator is selected first, funnel-shaped arresters made of silver (Ag) are basically installed at a top of the spiral artificial generator, a solar cell heat collecting plate is installed on the outer wall of the top, and a door configured to be selectively opened and closed by solar cells and wind power generation, a blower configured to blow air to the artificial generator, and a stainless steel plate and heating coil configured to heat the inner walls of the paths are installed on the bottom of the spiral artificial generator. (Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20200187430A1/en) Read More

Description

[0001]
The present invention is a technology that provides artificially generated energy which can reduce or adjust the size and number of tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons and yellowdust by utilizing air convection, the law of causality, the principle of gears, the Torricelli principle, the Pascal principle, the butterfly effect, the Ekman spiral principle, the Bernoulli’s equation, the Boyle Charles’ law, the Newton’s law, etc. and weakening the generation energy of a tornado, a hurricane, a typhoon and yellowdust which are frequently generated in North America, Asia, and the Three Oceans while artificially dispersing them without interruption by the same generation principle, and a technology regarding a spiral artificial generator that is configured such that three passages are formed coaxially between four spiral cylinders to which stepped spiral blades are attached at an angle of 45° (height=width) according to the spiral principle in order to induce the heating of air, the raising of air, and a raised direction and which is operated and controlled year-round without interruption regardless of season and air mass by solar cells and wind power generation, wherein the size of the spiral artificial generator can be increased or decreased according to the basic module.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002]
The background art of the present invention is a technology that can generate a small artificial tornado, yellowdust or typhoon, which can artificially weaken the energy generated by the tornado, yellowdust or typhoon while dispersing it without interruption, in accordance with the Butterfly effect, such as the Pascal principle stating that “a flap of the wings of a small butterfly may someday be the cause of a typhoon” in meteorology, the law of causality stating that “even when a cause is very weak, a result comes” and the principle of gears year-round without interruption, and the principle of chimneys that the force by which a chimney sucks air is proportional to the height of the chimney and wind power energy is proportional to the third power of wind speed, and the wind energy is the chimney principle, which is proportional to the third power of the wind speed, the aerodynamic principle in which air heated by solar energy attempts to maintain a dynamic equilibrium, the principle of gears, the Torricelli principle, the Ekman principle, the Pascal principle (butterfly effect), the Bernoulli’s equation, the Boyle-Charles’ law and the Newton’s law are also the background art. A cyclone rises counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere as shown in FIG. 1 while rising spirally counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 2, an anticyclone rotates clockwise, and a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust, or a typhoon, which can be exemplified in FIG. 3 showing the section of a typhoon, moves while rotating in a counterclockwise direction, which is the direction of the arrows, and the portion around the eye, which is the center of the typhoon, descends from the top to the bottom.
[0003]
On the assumption that natural tornadoes, hurricanes, yellowdust, and typhoons can be adjusted if a spiral generator is constructed to function in a manner similar to the above-described manner on land or at sea where it is necessary to reduce the damage of typhoons and then generation energy, which can generate a small artificial tornado, hurricane, yellowdust, or typhoon, can be continuously supplied in the form of powerful wind speed without interruption, the inventors note that powerful rising air such as a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust, or a typhoon can be implemented using a spiral artificial generator, and air column-shaped rising air such as a small artificial tornado, hurricane, yellowdust, and typhoon can be generated using the spiral artificial generator year-round without interruption by means of the principle of gears of the spiral artificial generator, the Torricelli principle, the Pascal principle, the spiral movement principle, and the principle of chimneys.
[0004]
A spiral artificial generator is constructed on land or at sea in a westerly wind area where the atmosphere is very unstable or in a trade wind (easterly wind) area where the water temperature is high, and continuously generates artificial rising air in the form of a tornado, yellowdust or typhoon. The upper wind speed that is discharged by continuously passing the surrounding ground air through the spiral artificial generator of the present invention exceeds the wind speed of a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust, or typhoon that occurs naturally due to an anticyclone drop attributable to the horizontal accumulation of cyclones.
[0005]
The wind speeds the spiral artificial generator of the present invention that are capable of generating a small artificial tornado, hurricane, yellowdust, or typhoon are calculated by the following formula.
[0006]
The average minimum atmospheric pressure in terms of meteorological observations is 873 hPa. Accordingly, when the central air pressure of the spiral artificial generator is set to 943 hPa (=(873+1,013)÷2), which is the average of the lowest and standard air pressures, the diameter of the horizontal area of the cylindrical portion of air which can be continuously sucked by the spiral artificial generator from the ground and the height h of the cylindrical portion is 152 m, the wind speed Vw is calculated as follows:
[0007]
In Vw=√{square root over (2P/ρ+2gh)} quoting the Torricelli principle (potential energy) and the Bernoulli’s equation P+ρgh+½=ρV²=Constant, Vw₁=√{square root over (2p/p)} (kinetic energy) and Vw=√{square root over (2gh)} (potential energy; the Torricelli principle) are obtained. In this case, P is the pressure difference, ρ is the density of air (1.2 kg/m²), g is the acceleration of gravity (9.8 m/s²), and h is the height. The Bernoulli’s equation P+ρgh+½ρV²=Constant states that the relationship (the relationship between the kinetic energy and the potential energy) forms a constant value, and thus P₁+ρ₁g₁h₁+(½)ρ₁(v₁)²=P₂ρ₂g₂h₂+(½)ρ₂(v₂)²at specific two points A1 (somewhere far from the center of a cyclone) and A2 (the center of the cyclone). Accordingly, when the above equation is arranged by transposition or the like in order to calculate the wind speed V₂of the center point of a cyclone from the above, it can be seen that (½) [ρ₂(v₂)²−ρ₁(v₁)²]=(P₁−P₂)+(ρ₁g₁h₁+ρ₂g₂h₂). When some assumptions are made and it is assumed that the wind speed v₁at point A1 at one atmosphere is v₁≈0 in which the wind speed v₁is almost zero, the above equation becomes (½) [ρ₂(v₂)²]=(P₁−P₂)+(ρ₁g₁h₁−ρ₂g₂h₂). Furthermore, when it is possible to assume that the air density and the gravity acceleration at two points A1 and A2 are ρ₁≈ρ₂=ρ and g₁≈g₂=g, respectively, the above equation becomes (½) [ρ(v₂)²]=(P₁−P₂)+(ρgh₁−ρgh₂), and is rearranged to v₂=[[2(P₁−P₂)/ρ]+[2g(h₁−h₂)]^1/2. In this case, when the pressure difference P₁−P₂=P at two points and the height difference h₁−h₂=h at two points are applied, v₂=[[2P/ρ]+[2gh]]^1/2≈V_ω is obtained.
[0008]
The difference between the standard atmospheric pressure and the central pressure of the spiral artificial generator is P=1,013 hPa−943 hPa=70 hPa=0.7×10⁴N/m². When the height of the spiral generator is 152 m, the air pressure difference is 1 hPa per 10 m. Accordingly, P=152m×0.1 hPa/m=15.2 hPa=1.52×10³N/m², the maximum wind speeds (Vw) sucked into the spiral generator are calculated as Vw=√{square root over (2×7,000/1.2+2×9.8×152)}≈121 (m/s) and Vw=√{square root over (2×1,520/1.2+2×9.8×152)}≈74 (m/s), and the maximum wind speed by the potential energy (the Torricelli principle) is calculated as 55 m/s V_w2=√{square root over (2gh)}.
[0009]
The wind speed calculated by the air pressure difference is 59˜60% efficient, so the wind speed (Vw) of 152 m high spiral artificial generator is calculated as Vw=0.6×121 (m/s)≈72 (m/s) or 0.6×74 (m/s)≈44 (m/s) when a wind speed efficiency of 60% is applied. When the actual efficiency achievable by the spiral artificial generator is calculated by applying 70% in consideration of the resistance of the spiral motion to the spiral artificial generator, Vw=0.7×V=0.7×72 (m/s)≈60 (m/s) or 0.7×44 (m/s)≈31 (m/s) is obtained.
[0010]
The observed data for tornadoes, hurricanes, yellowdust, and typhoons are shown in Table 1:

TABLE 1

Item	Tornado	Hurricane	Yellowdust	Typhoon

1. Air	cyclone	tropical	polar	tropical
pressure	(cumulonimbus)	cyclone	cyclone	cyclone
2. Temperature	23 or	27 or	11 or	26 or
(° C.)	higher	higher	higher	higher
3. Latitude	25 to 55	5 to 25	20 to 55	5 to 20
	north	north	north	north
	latitude	latitude	latitude	latitude
3. Latitude	15 to 45	5 to 20	30 to 40	5 to 15
	south	south	south	south
	latitude	latitude	latitude	latitude
4. Number of	1 to	8 to 12	6 to 26	21 to 36
occurrences	1,000
5. Period	January to June	July to October	March to May	June to September
6. Duration	10 to 90	5 to 20	1 to 6	4 to 15
	minutes	days	days	days
7. Altitude	3 km	12 km	2 km	6 km
8.Initial wind	23 m/s or	29 m/s or	9 m/s or	17 m/s or
speed	more	more	more	more

[0011]
The wind speeds which generate tornadoes, hurricanes, yellowdust and typhoons range from 9 m/s to 29 m/s, as shown in Table 1 above, and a linear artificial generator can generate maximum wind speeds ranging from 31 m/s to 50 m/s as described above. The introduced air is continuously heated without interruption by means of the principle of chimneys, the principle of gears, the Torricelli principle, the Pascal principle (the butterfly effect), the Bernoulli’s equation, the Boyle-Charles’ law, the Ekman spiral principle, the heat generation of the spiral artificial generator, environmentally-friendly solar cells, and wind power generation. Accordingly, the efficiency of the spiral artificial generator exceeds sensory efficiency (60% and 70%).
[0012]
The prior art, which is Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2004-0027746 published on Apr. 1, 2004 and entitled a “rising air generating chimney structure for wind power generation and typhoon control” is a technology regarding a steel equilateral triangular chimney which produces wind electricity and an artificial typhoon by using a gas burner and hot and humid air (vapor latent heat) as an energy source. it is assumed that the diameter of a chimney capable of producing an artificial typhoon is at least 100 km and the height of the chimney is at least 10 km. Accordingly, the prior art violates the logic that the size and suction force of a chimney are proportional to the height of the chimney, and the prior art cannot technically induce an artificial typhoon.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

[0013]
There is a need for a method and structure that can artificially generate a spiral air column in order to artificially and continuously disperse and weaken high-temperature and high-humidity and low-temperature dry generation energy of a tornado and yellowdust generated in a direction opposite to the rotational direction (the clockwise direction) of an anticyclone, i.e., in the rotation direction (the counterclockwise direction) of a cyclone, according to the principle of gears, the Torricelli principle and the Pascal principle (butterfly). There is a need for a generation method and generating structure that can artificially generate a spiral air column year-round in order to weaken while continuously dispersing the generated energy of a hurricane and a typhoon caused by volume expansion attributable to the temperature rise of high-temperature and high-humidity air in the equator region. The same is true of a land tornado and yellowdust.
[0014]
There is a need for an artificial generating method and structure for powerful updrafts that can continuously adjust generation time without interruption while dispersing the number of generated natural tornadoes, hurricanes, yellowdust, and typhoons by generating an artificial tornado, hurricane, yellowdust and typhoon by sucking air from the ground and raising the air while passing the air through paths between the spiral coaxial generators including four coaxial cylinders and artificially weakening the generated collected low-pressure energy of a natural tornado, hurricane, yellowdust, and typhoon while dispersing them.
[0015]
The present invention is a technology that can weaken powerful rising air such as a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust and a typhoon generated in various parts of the world and causing the loss of many a lot of lives and property while artificially dispersing it without interruption, a technology that weakens the generation energy of the low temperature dry whistle wind, which is the generation energy of tornado and yellowdust, and the energy of the high temperature and high humidity trade wind which is the generation energy of hurricane and typhoon while dispersing it without interruption year-round, and a technology related to a spiral artificial generator for the artificial generation of a typhoon, yellowdust and a tornado that can artificially generate a spiral air pillar having a generation form identical to that of a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust and a typhoon on a small scale in the same direction without interruption, wherein the size of the spiral artificial generator can be increased or decreased according to the basic module.

Technical Solution

[0016]
A wind, which is a tropospheric air movement, is a phenomenon in which air heated by solar energy attempts to maintain a dynamic equilibrium. Tornadoes, hurricanes, yellowdust and typhoons are meteorologically caused because the atmosphere is very unstable (due to the lapse rate of temperature). Low-temperature dry air is the main generating energy for tornadoes and yellowdust in nature, and high-temperature humid air (latency vapor) is the main generating energy for hurricanes and typhoons. Tornadoes, hurricanes, yellowdust and typhoons generate strong energy irregularly over large areas, but a large amount of observed data on the types and conditions of generation have been arranged.
[0017]
In the doldrums of the equator in which the trade winds (floating winds) continue to rush, typhoons are not generated because the turning force is hardly applied. Accordingly, if the trade wind (flying wind) air that flocks strongly from the doldrums of the equator is a cyclone and does not rise up to the sky, it finds a way out. As a means by which a cyclone escapes, low-temperature hot and humid air is gathered to the source of a hurricane or typhoon, generates a hurricane or typhoon, and escapes with enormous wind speed.
[0018]
The present invention artificially generates a powerful updraft such as a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust, or typhoon by means of the spiral movement principle, the Pascal principle and the principle of chimneys without interruption, and the artificial and a small tornado, hurricane, yellowdust, or typhoon of the present invention generates an artificial air column which continuously lifts up air without interruption according to the principle that the force by which a chimney sucks air is proportional to the height of the chimney and wind power energy is proportional to the third power of wind speed. The spiral artificial generator constructed on land or at sea is naturally composed of four coaxial steel cylinders and thus naturally heated by solar heat, and a stainless steel plate and a heating coil installed in the inner circular structure of the spiral artificial generator are heated by environmentally-friendly solar cells and wind power generation. As the air inside the spiral artificial generator expands and continues to rise upward, the spiral movement of an upstream flow is powerfully generated, draws the air around the spiral artificial generator, raises the drawn air upward, and continues to push up the internal air inside the spiral artificial generator.

Advantageous Effects

[0019]
According to the present invention, the spiral artificial generator of the present invention that continuously generates the upward movement of air in accordance with the chimney principle, the Ekman spiral principle, the principle of gears, the Torricelli principle, and the Pascal principle, such as the butterfly effect, in a region having a westerly wind and an easterly wind (a trade wind) is constructed, and the air of a low-temperature dry westerly wind and the air of a hot/high-temperature easterly wind (a trade wind) enter the spiral manipulator of the present invention and continuously generate the upward movement of air in accordance with the chimney principle, the Ekman spiral principle and the Pascal principle such as the Torricelli effect and the butterfly effect without interruption. In this case, the rising high-temperature and high-humidity air and low-temperature dry air continues the upward movement under buoyancy as the temperature of the air is increased and the air is expanded by the spiral motion of the spiral artificial generator, and the air expands and continues its upward movement under buoyancy as latent heat is released by the condensation of water vapor absorbed by low-temperature and dry air and water vapor contained in hot and humid air.
[0020]
According to the present invention, the spiral artificial generator that can artificially generate the spiral movement of air on land or at sea in a region where temperature is rising while rising air always flows in an area where a low-temperature dry and wet westerly wind and a hot and humid trade wind (an easterly wind) are present is constructed, and the loss of a lot of human lives and property is prevented by artificially distributing artificial small tornadoes, hurricanes, yellowdust and typhoons, and artificially adjusting the number of occurrences in order to artificially disperse the collection of hot and humid air and low-temperature dry air.
[0021]
When the spiral artificial generator is constructed on land or at sea in an area from which a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust or a typhoon is originated and generates a small artificial tornado, hurricane, yellowdust or typhoon, ambient high-temperature and high-humidity air and low-temperature dry air enter into the spiral artificial generator, and the energy of the tornado, hurricane, yellowdust, or typhoon around the spiral artificial generator is artificially dispersed and weakened, thereby reducing the scale of the generation of a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust, or a typhoon because the generation of a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust, or a typhoon cannot be generated strongly. When the door of the spiral artificial generator is closed and a small artificial tornado, hurricane, yellowdust or typhoon is generated, the small artificial tornado, hurricane, yellowdust or typhoon is continuously generated by opening the door of the spiral artificial generator, and the energy generated by hurricanes, yellowdust and typhoons is artificially weakened while being dissipated, thereby preventing the loss of a lot of lives and property.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention;
[0023]
FIG. 2 is a view showing general low-pressure and high-pressure wind directions;
[0024]
FIG. 3 is a sectional structural view of a typical typhoon;
[0025]
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the present invention;
[0026]
FIG. 5 is an air flow diagram of the present invention;
[0027]
FIG. 6 is an air flow diagram of FIG. 5 in a plan view;
[0028]
FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper part of the present invention;
[0029]
FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of main parts of FIG. 7;
[0030]
FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view showing the air movement of the present invention,
[0031]
FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a spiral staircase in the spiral artificial generator of the present invention;
[0032]
FIG. 11 is a plan view taken along line II of FIG. 10;
[0033]
FIG. 12 is a plan view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 10;
[0034]
FIG. 13 is a plan view taken along line III-III of FIG. 10;
[0035]
FIG. 14 is a plan view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 10; and
[0036]
FIG. 15 is an explanatory view of an upper air bearing seen in the plan view of the present invention.

MODE FOR INVENTION

[0037]
1) The artificial upward air flow of a spiral artificial generator is continuously generated by the spiral motion of air, and the outer diameter D of the spiral artificial generator relative to the outer height H of the spiral artificial generator, determined for the structural safety of the spiral artificial generator against wind force, is calculated by D=0.382H (≈1H≈1.618≈1.618), which is a basic module formula in which the height H of the spiral artificial generator is successively divided twice at a golden ratio of 1.618.
[0038]
(e.g., H152 m×D58 m, H199 m×D76 m, and H100 m×D38 m)
[0039]
2) The spiral motion for the generation of the artificial upward air flow of the spiral artificial generator is strongly and continuously generated. When the diameter D of the spiral artificial generator, which is determined for the structural safety of the spiral artificial generator against wind force, is determined first, the outer height H of the spiral artificial generator is calculated by H=2.618D (≈1D×1.618×1.618), which is a basic module formula in which the diameter D of the spiral artificial generator is successively multiplied twice at a golden ratio of 1.618.
[0040]
(e.g., H152 m×D58 m, H199 m×D76 m, and H100 m×D38 m)
[0041]
3) The corresponding heights H₁and H₂of the second and third artificial generators B and C, which are the internal coaxial cylindrical structures of the spiral artificial generator, with respect to the determined height H of the spiral artificial generator are calculated by H₁=0.84H and H₂=0.92H, which are basic module formulas.
[0042]
(e.g., 128 m≈0.84×152 m, and 140 m≈0.92×152 m)
[0043]
4) For example, in order to actively induce a thunderstorm, a total of nine arrestors in three sets of three arrestors, which are made of silver (Ag) and in each of which a lightning rod protrudes from a funnel-type base, are installed on the top of the spiral artificial generator which artificially generates a natural tornado, hurricane, yellowdust and typhoon in small scale without interruption.
[0044]
5) A separate tank configured to store silver (Ag), silicon, and water is installed separately from the underground structure of the spiral artificial generator underground, and is electrically connected to the arresters.
[0045]
6) A stepped spiral blade which is fabricated at an angle of 45° (width=height) to generate the spiral motion of air is installed on the outer wall of the fourth artificial generator E of the spiral artificial generator at an angle of 45° (width=height). In order to supply environmentally friendly electricity to the spiral artificial generator, solar cells are installed on the outer wall of the spiral artificial generator in the south, east and west (in the southern hemisphere, the east, north and west). In case of need, when an inverter configured to generate AC power based on a charge battery voltage via a solar cell is installed, it is favorable for the driving of a generator and the generation of emergency power.
[0046]
7) A door which can remotely control the inflow of air while being selectively opened and closed by electricity generated by the solar cells and wind power generation and in which a screen configured to prevent the inflow of garbage is installed to be selectively opened and closed is installed on the bottom of the cylindrical spiral artificial generator E. A door in which a screen is selectively opened and closed is also installed inside the bottom of the spiral artificial generator C. A door is also installed on the bottom of the cylindrical spiral artificial generator B. An entry passage leads to a corresponding passage.
[0047]
8) Blowers which are driven by the solar cells and the wind power generation to suck air outside the spiral artificial generator into individual passages inside the second, third and fourth artificial generators B, C and E, which are second, third and fourth coaxial cylindrical structures, and to blow the air upward are installed on the bottoms of the second, third and fourth artificial generators B, C and E, which are coaxial cylindrical structures.
[0048]
9) Stepped spiral blades which are fabricated at an angle of 45° (width=height) according to the Ekman spiral principle inside the second to fourth artificial generators B, C, and E are installed on the inner and outer walls of the second to fourth artificial generators at an angle of 45° (width=height), and artificially and strongly generate air bearings without interruption. Furthermore, the widths of the stepped spiral blades are calculated as 4% to 5% of the radius of the spiral artificial generator determined according to the basic form of the present invention by a basic module formula (e.g., D58 m≈2×4%≈1.2m), and are used for the installation work and maintenance of the spiral artificial generator.
[0049]
10) For the air suction of the second to fourth artificial generators and the continuous spiral movement of the sucked air, a stepped spiral blade continuous upward is attached to opposite passage walls between the first and second artificial generators A and B, which are the first and second cylindrical structures of the spiral artificial generator. A stainless steel plate and a heating coil (which may be replaced with one of a carbon heater and a carbon mat, which are heating means) in which the height of a basic form is maintained at 36 m (≈152 m×24%; ranging from 12 m above the ground to 48 m above the ground), which is 24% of the height of the generator (H) of a spiral chimney, and which are heated by the supply of power generated by the solar cells and the wind power generation are installed, and act to expand while artificially heating incoming air, thereby strongly sucking and raising internal air. The reason for installing the stainless steel plate and the heating coil from 12 m of the basic form above the ground and limiting the upper installation limit to 48 m is that heating efficiency is deteriorated in that case.
[0050]
11) Spiral motion blades which induce spiral wind directions in the same counterclockwise direction as the rotation directions of a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust and a typhoon are installed in the inner passages of the second and fourth cylindrical generators B and E, which are second and fourth cylindrical structures. A spiral motion blade which induces a spiral wind direction in the same counterclockwise direction according to the principle of gears and Newton’s law is installed in the inner passage of the third artificial generator C. The counterclockwise wind speeds of the second and fourth artificial generators B and E react with the clockwise wind speeds at the upper end of the third artificial generator C, thereby accelerating the counterclockwise wind speeds of the second and fourth artificial generators B and E according to the principle of gears and the air bearings. The reason for this is that the height of the third artificial generator C is set to the center of the height of the second and fourth artificial generators B and E, so that the halves of a clockwise wind direction passing over the top of the spiral artificial generator (C) are extinguished on both sides by accelerated wind directions passing over the tops of the second and fourth artificial generators B and E and the wind directions of the second and fourth artificial generators B and E are combined together according to the spiral motion principle and the principle of gears.
[0051]
12) When the spiral artificial generator is constructed in the southern hemisphere of the earth, the stepped blade installed in the counterclockwise or clockwise direction on the inner wall of the spiral artificial generator forming the passage thereof is installed in the direction opposite to that in the northern hemisphere.
[0052]
13) In order to prevent the cause of yellowdust, water spray equipment and tanks are installed in passages between the second, third and fourth artificial generators B, C and E, which are the basic second, third and fourth cylindrical structures, and the fine dust particles of yellowdust are collected and removed by water mist. Furthermore, the water supplied to the spraying equipment is purified and reused.
[0053]
14) For a basic type of wind power generation, the main body of a wind power generator is installed on the inner circumference of the first artificial generator A having a combined wind power generator and regulator function, which is the first cylindrical structure, and the windmills of the wind generator are installed in the passages of the artificial generators B and C, which are the second and third cylindrical structures so that they are rotated by wind power.
[0054]
15) A construction tower crane is installed inside the first artificial generator A, which is a basic cylindrical structure, for construction work and maintenance, an elevator is installed for the purpose of maintenance after construction, and dry air is dispersed over the air to predict the occurrence of a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust, and a typhoon.
[0055]
16) For the structural reinforcement of the spiral artificial generator, the retaining wall of the first artificial generator A, which is a cylindrical structure, is installed up to one fifth of the height H of the spiral artificial generator RC by using a reinforced concrete construction (RC), and the walls of the first generator A, which is a chimney-type structure, and the second, third and fourth artificial generators B, C and E, which are coaxial cylindrical structures, are reinforced to 24 m above the ground by using steel frames.
[0056]
In connection with the descriptions in conjunction with FIGS. 4 to 9, when the outer height H is set to 152 m, the diameter D of the basic-type fourth artificial generator E is calculated as about 58 m (≈152 m×0.382) which is 0.382 (≈1.618≈1.618) times 152 m.
[0057]
The present invention includes:
[0058]
a first artificial generator 100 which has a second path inner staircase 612 configured to induce a counterclockwise wind direction on the outer surface thereof in order to correspond to a second path outer staircase 610, i.e., a screw-type spiral staircase (in the southern hemisphere, a right-handed screw-type spiral staircase), on the inner surface of the second artificial generator 200 which is coaxial with the basic-type fourth artificial generator E and provides a second path 600, which forms a chimney-shaped first path 500 therein, and in which a combined wind power generator and regulator is installed;
[0059]
the second artificial generator 200 which is lower than the first artificial generator 100, which provides the second path 600 configured to suck external air from the outer side of the lower end of a fourth artificial generator 400 through the lower end of a third artificial generator 300 and raise the external air in a counterclockwise direction, which has a screw-type spiral second path outer staircase 610 on the inner wall thereof, and which induces rising while performing counterclockwise rotation on a plane, as indicated by the directions of the arrows of FIG. 8;
[0060]
the third artificial generator 300 which has a diameter larger than and is coaxial with the second artificial generator 200, which has a height higher than the second artificial generator 200, which has a spiral third path outer staircase 710 along the wall surface of the inner circumferential portion thereof such that external air is sucked from the outer side of the lower end of the third artificial generator 400 to be isolated from the second path 600 and the third path 700 and is raised through the third path 700 between the outer surface of the second artificial generator 200 and the inner surface of the third artificial generator 300 in a clockwise screw direction, and which induces rising while performing clockwise rotation on a plane;
[0061]
a fourth artificial generator 400 which has a diameter larger than and is coaxial with the third artificial generator 300, which has a height higher than the third artificial generator 300, which has the height as the first artificial generator 100, which has a fourth path outer staircase 810 on the inner circumferential portion thereof such that external air is sucked from the outer side of the lower end of the fourth artificial generator 400 to a fourth path 800 between the outer surface of the third artificial generator 300 and the inner surface of the fourth artificial generator 400 and is raised in a counterclockwise screw direction, and which induces rising while performing counterclockwise rotation on a plane; and
[0062]
a base frame 970 which fastens the lower ends of the first to fourth artificial generators 100, 200, 300 and 400 to the ground surface; wherein the paths 931, 941 and 951 of the second to fourth artificial generators 200, 300 and 400 are configured to suck external air in the state of being isolated from each other in the lower end of the fourth artificial generator 400.
[0063]
FIG. 8(a) is an enlarged view of the important portion of FIG. 7 in a plan view, FIG. 8(b) is an enlarged view of portion (b) of FIG. 7, and FIG. 8(c) is an enlarged view of portion (c) of FIG. 7.
[0064]
As shown in FIG. 9, on the base frame 970 are installed a first door 930 which is installed in an entrance path connected to the second path 600 in the lower end of the fourth artificial generator 400 and which supplies external air to the second path 600 counterclockwise when it is opened;
[0065]
a second door 940 which is installed in a second floor entrance path connected to the third path 700 at a second floor location of the lower end of the fourth artificial generator 400 isolated from the entrance path of the first door 930 and which supplies air rotating clockwise in the third path 700 so that the air is raised; and
[0066]
a third door 950 which is installed in a third floor entrance path connected to the fourth path 800 at a third floor location of the lower end of the fourth artificial generator 400 isolated from the second floor entrance path 941 of the second door 940 and which supplies external air such that air rotating clockwise in the fourth path 800 is raised; and
[0067]
the isolated entrance path, second floor entrance path and third floor entrance path are radially spaced apart from each other in the lower ends of the corresponding second artificial generator 200, third artificial generator 300 and fourth artificial generator 400, and the first door 930 is installed in the entrance path 931, the second door 920 is installed in the second floor entrance path 941, and the third door 950 is installed in the third floor entrance path 951.
[0068]
A stainless plate 900 which is a metal plate heated by a heating coil 902 in order to generate strong raising force by heating introduced air in an early stage is installed on the outer surface of the lower portion of the first artificial generator 100 and the inner surface of the lower portion of the second artificial generator 200 which form the second path 600.
[0069]
The body 962 of the wind power generator 960 is installed in the first path 500 which is the inner circumferential portion of the first artificial generator 100, as shown in FIG. 4;
[0070]
the wind power generator 960 further includes: a rotating shaft 964 which extends from the body 962 to the second path 600 and the third path 700, which is equipped with a rotating blade 966, and which is rotated to operate a wind power generator 96; and
[0071]
a rotating blade 966 which receives rising air having passed through the second path 600 and the third path 700 and is rotated in order to provide rotating force to the rotating shaft 964.
[0072]
Spray nozzles 920 each having a water spraying function for the prevention of yellowdust are added to the bottoms of the second path 600 to the fourth path 800.
[0073]
The second path outer staircase 610, the third path outer staircase 710, and the fourth path outer staircase 810 are formed in spiral shapes and are installed on the outer side walls of the second to fourth paths 600, 700 and 800 between the first to fourth artificial generators 100, 200, 300 and 400, and the second path inner staircase 612, the third path inner staircase 712, and the fourth path inner staircase 812 are formed in spiral shapes and are installed inner side walls functioning to form the second to fourth paths 600, 700 and 800 between the first to fourth artificial generators 100, 200, 300 and 400; and
[0074]
The inner staircase 612 of the second path, the inner staircase 712 of the third path, and the inner staircase 812 of the fourth path corresponding to the second path outer staircase 610, the third path outer staircase 710, and the fourth path outer staircase 810 are installed on inner walls over separated distances in the spatial widthwise directions of the corresponding second to fourth paths 600, 700 and 800, and the heights and bottoms of the staircases are the same and configured to form an inclination of 45°, as shown in FIG. 8(b).
[0075]
In the present invention, basically, the second to fourth generators 200, 300 and 400 are coaxial with the first artificial generator 100 around the first artificial generator 100 while having increasing diameters, the second to fourth paths 600, 700 and 800 corresponding to the respective second to fourth artificial generators 200, 300 and 400 suck ambient air in the ground surface portions, air is introduced from a portion around the bottom of the fourth artificial generator 400 to the center thereof by suction force rotating simultaneously in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction along spiral stairs, simultaneous raising is performed on the second to fourth paths 600, 700 and 800, and the speed of rotationally raised wind is increased due to an increase in temperature and the expansion of air in an upward direction because the forces which cause accelerated spiral raising are added together by air bearing action attributable to the principle of gears, shown in FIG. 8(b), based on the widths and heights of the spiral staircases.
[0076]
This increases the wind speed from the ground through the coaxial configuration, the height difference configuration and the spiral staircase configuration of the first to fourth artificial generators in an upward direction from the ground, thereby providing the generation of a tornado, a hurricane, yellowdust, or a typhoon similar the above process.
[0077]
The second path 600 between the first artificial generator 100 and the second artificial generator 200 has a small rotation radius but a wide space, and thus high-speed rotation is induced by using the first artificial generator 100 as a rotating axis.
[0078]
The radius of rotation of the third path 700 between the second artificial generator 200 and the third artificial generator 300 is larger than that of the second path 600, and thus causes raising and high-speed rotation by means of air bearing action attributable to the principle of gears of the third path outer staircase 710 and the third path inner staircase 712 in a left-handed screw direction (a clockwise direction) in a plane while inducing high-speed rotation. However, since the fourth path 800 is higher than the third path 700, the rotation direction of the high-speed rotational air attributable to the fourth passage 800 is changed on the upper end of the third artificial generator 300, the air is accelerated by means of external gear action and air bearing action, the direction of the air becomes the same as high-speed rotating air in the second path, and the air generates internal gear action, is accelerated, and acts to be subjected to double acceleration action to combine counterclockwise coaxial rotations having passed through the second path 600 and the fourth path 800 into one.
[0079]
The fourth path 800 between the third artificial generator 300 and the fourth artificial generator 400 has a narrower spatial width than the second path 600 and has a larger radius of rotation than the third path 700, and thus causes raising and high-speed rotation in a counterclockwise direction by means of the internal gear action of the fourth path outer staircase 810 and the fourth path inner staircase 812 while inducing high-speed rotation. Since the height of the fourth artificial generator 400 is higher than that of the second artificial generator 200 and corresponding air is air rotating in the same counterclockwise direction, combination is performed by means of internal gear action and strong air movement occurs in the counterclockwise direction in the plane on the top of the second artificial generator 200, which strongly influences an ambient wind direction and an ambient wind speed in accordance with the law of causality, the spiral principle, the Torricelli principle, the butterfly effect, and the Pascal principle.
[0080]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, although rotation in a counterclockwise and raising are performed in the second path 600 and rotation in the clockwise direction and raising are performed in the third path 700, the boundary surfaces of the upper end portions of the second path 600 and the third path 700 acts to accelerate counterclockwise rotation in the second path 600 while causing rotation in the clockwise direction, i.e., a different rotation direction, by means of external gear action and air bearing action. The reason for this is that the width of the third path 700 is narrower than that of the second path 600, and thus clockwise rotation in the third path 700 performs lubrication action and acceleration action while performing rotation in the opposite direction on the boundary surface of the upper end due to external gear action and air bearing action.
[0081]
Although rotation in a counterclockwise direction and raising are performed in the fourth path 600 and rotation in the clockwise direction and raising are performed in the third path 700, the boundary surfaces of the upper end portions of the second path 600 and the third path 700 act to accelerate the counterclockwise rotation of the second path 600 while performing rotation in a different rotation direction by means of external gear action and air bearing action. The reason for this is that the width of the third path 700 is narrower than that of the second path 600 and the height of the fourth artificial generator 400 is lower than that of the third artificial generator 300, and thus clockwise rotation in the third path 700 performs lubrication action and acceleration action while performing rotation in the opposite direction on the boundary surface of the upper end portion by means of external gear action and air bearing action.
[0082]
The rotational energy in the counterclockwise direction through the second path 600 via lubrication action attributable to external gear action and air bearing action through the third path 700 and the rotational energy of the counterclockwise rotating air through the fourth path 600 via lubrication action and acceleration action attributable to external gear action and air bearing action through the upper end of the third path 700 are combined on the top without resistance and decrease to function to increase rotational energy. 102 is an outlet configured to perform discharge from the lower end of the first path 500 to the second path 600, is opened when necessary such that high-pressure air ascending from the upper end of the first path 500 to the lower end thereof may enhance the function of the second path 600.

US patent #20200315104: Propagating sound through bodies of water, to generate and direct wind, for the purpose of moderating and affecting weather patterns
Abstract
This invention claims a patent on the process of propagating soundwaves through bodies of water, such as oceans, to produce and direct winds, for the purpose of managing aerial weather systems. Propagating soundwaves within water can generate and direct wind for many purposes. One purpose is to effectively weaken storms, by directing wind-shear against a storm’s momentum, and stripping it of precipitation. Another purpose is to guide atmospheric rivers, and manually re-direct clouds in the precipitation cycle. This inventive process grants methods to mitigate dangerous weather patterns, such as droughts and hurricanes. The invention introduces a new subject matter that distinguishes it from other inventions relevant to underwater acoustics: manual processes to moderate weather. (Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20200315104A1/en) Read More

Description

[0001]
This substitute specification applies towards the nonprovisional application Ser. No. 16/373,609 (Apr. 2, 2019), which claims filing date of the provisional application 62/823,823 (Mar. 26, 2019)

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT/STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR

[0002]
Applicant inventor Olatunbosun Osinaike disclosed the invention to 21^stCentury Fox, and the Walt Disney Company on Oct. 10, 2018, for partnership with the Advocate Aurora Venture Fund, and the Catholic Church.
[0003]
If an invention is in public use or publicly disclosed, an inventor is granted a grace period of 1 year to file for a patent on his invention.
[0004]
The government would have manufactured parts and sponsored development in order to put the invention to use. Mr. Osinaike has not been formally contracted since disclosing the invention.
[0005]
This patent is being filed to protect the inventors’ rights as afforded to him by United States Patent Law, USPTO and international patent treaty law.
[0006]
The inventor, Mr. Osinaike, is willing to enter a licensing deal for the use of his invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0007]
This is a utility patent, pertaining to the use of soundwaves, to moderate, adjust and control weather patterns. The subject matter of the invention groups underwater acoustics, aerodynamics and weather.
[0008]
It is a well-known scientific principle that sound travels faster in compressed liquids than in air. This is a natural law of physics, which is not patentable. However, there are many principle uses of sound in the field of underwater acoustics, that are patentable subject matter: radar, seismic exploration, and data collection to name a few. US Patent Law allows an inventor to patent newly discovered processes, and considers success against long felt but unsolved needs, sufficient consideration to justify patenting an invention.
[0009]
The US is one of many countries that has long struggled to find a solution to weaken hurricanes. Additionally, climate change has made drought a considerable problem for many regions. This invention grants a process to mitigate both hurricanes and droughts, by directing wind, guiding precipitation, and affecting weather patterns.
[0010]
This patent claims the invention of a process that propagates soundwaves underwater, to direct wind(s), and moderate weather patterns.
[0011]
Mr. Osinaike’s invention requires a crucial, necessary inventive step, which is not described in any prior art. Mr. Osinaike’s invention depends on the choice to propagate soundwaves underwater, in order to shift and carry the air above the water. This is an inventive, non-obvious step, that distinguishes the inventor’s concept from prior art. Patent Law requires that for prior art to prevent an invention from being patentable, it must sufficiently describe the claimed invention in such a manner that the invention would be obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the subject matter. Mr. Osinaike claims there is no prior art that makes the claimed processes obvious. Furthermore, the many failed attempts to weaken hurricanes demonstrate the new, useful, and non-obvious nature of the invention.
[0012]
The original inventor, Olatunbosun Osinaike, disclosed the invention on Oct. 10, 2018, to 21^stCentury Fox, now Fox Corporation, and the Walt Disney Company, for partnership with the Advocate-Aurora Venture Fund (Foxconn, Johnson Controls, Northwestern Mutual, and Advocate-Aurora Health Care), the Catholic Church, and a number of additional companies, listed in the first transmittal form.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013]
Sound travels at a much faster speed within a liquid than within gas.
[0014]
Simply propagating sound through air, against a cloud or storm system, would not be as effective at mitigating and moderating weather patterns, as the claimed invention. Sound is less capable of shifting the molecules of air, as the molecules are further apart, and less compressed, than a liquid. It would take a tremendously loud, and possibly unbearable, propagation of sound in air, to have an effect on the weather.
[0015]
The propagation of sound under water takes advantage of the compressed nature of the liquid. By propagating the sound within a body of water, the liquid medium is able to transfer the energy of the sound more rapidly, and efficiently. Sound causes water to move in the direction the sound is being propagated. The propagation of sound in water causes motion, forming compressions and rarefactions through the liquid. These waves are capable of shifting pockets of air between their peaks and troughs. Additionally, as sound is propagated through the liquid body of water, additional water evaporates, inheriting momentum from the propagation of sound, and creating a larger gust of wind to affect the weather.
[0016]
The transfer of the sound’s momentum through the water is sufficient to direct wind shear powerful enough to weaken storms, guide clouds and precipitation, and affect various other weather patterns.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0017]
FIG. 1: The first drawing demonstrates the first claimed process of the patent, propagating sound through a body of water to generate wind. The figure demonstrates how propagating sound within a body of water, shifts pockets of air between the waves of water, as well as causes water to evaporate, forming ‘directed wind(s),’ which can be used to affect weather patterns.

- 1) Process to produce, propel and direct wind(s), by propagating sound within a body of water, for the purpose of affecting weather patterns:
  - a. By propagating sound within a body of water, the sound forces the water to move in the direction(s) the sound is being applied.
  - b. The propagation of sound creates compressions and rarefactions in the water, waves, which subsequently shift pockets of air in the direction they travel.
  - c. Additional water evaporates due to the propagation of sound through the water. This vapor travels in the same direction the sound is applied, and creates a larger gust of wind to affect weather.
  - d. The shifting pockets of air, and the evaporating water, behave as directional winds, produced and guided by the propagation of sound. This wind can be utilized to affect weather patterns, as lower winds shift higher air systems.
    The second and third drawings combine to illustrate the second claim, that propagating sound underwater can generate sufficient wind shear to weaken a storm system.

[0023]
FIG. 2: The second drawing illustrates the second claim from a horizontal view, how directed winds can be utilized as wind shear, to strip precipitation from a storm system.
[0024]
FIG. 3: The third drawing, also demonstrates the second claim, from an aerial view, demonstrating the propagation of sound in directions counter-current to a storm’s angular momentum, as well as outward from the eye of the storm.

- 2) Process to produce and direct wind shear, for the purpose of weakening storm systems, by propagating sound within bodies of water:
  - a. Wind propelled by propagating sound within a body of water (claim 1), can be directed against a storm system, such as a hurricane.
  - b. Directing winds against a storm can weaken the storm system, by stripping the storm of clouds and precipitation, preventing the storm from maintaining precipitation/rain.
  - c. The best method is to apply the sound and wind counter-current to the storm’s torque and rotation. Another method is to apply the sound and wind outward from the center of the storm.
  - d. Although the best method may be to apply the sound in a direction counter-current to the storm’s rotation, the sound may be propagated in any direction(s) necessary to strip the storm of precipitation, based on various geographical and meteorological factors around the storm, like for example, simultaneous storms.

[0030]
FIG. 4: The fourth drawing illustrates the third claim, how propagating sound through a body of water, can produce winds, which are used to shift and guide precipitation systems. The drawing illustrates the concept from a horizontal view. In the image, the winds carry the precipitous clouds from the ‘left’ side of the water, to the ‘right,’ to demonstrate the effect of the propagation of sound under water.

- 3) Process to transport water vapor, clouds, precipitation, and atmospheric rivers in a desired direction(s), by propagating sound within the body of water beneath:
  - a. Propagating sound within water can generate and direct wind (claim 1) that affects weather patterns. These winds carry their own moisture.
  - b. The lower winds being directed by the propagation of sound, then also shift clouds and air systems higher in the atmosphere, or along the same altitude.
  - c. This process may be utilized to guide precipitation systems, and adjust precipitation cycles.

[0035]
FIG. 5: The fifth drawing illustrates the fourth claim, that propagating sound underwater can be used to slow waters, and mitigate winds, propelled by prior propagation of sound.

- 4) Process to slow waters, and mitigate directed winds, propelled by prior propagation of sound.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037]
Invention: Propagating sound through bodies of water, to generate and direct wind, for the purpose of moderating and affecting weather patterns.
These are the invention’s claims:

- 1) Process to produce, propel and direct wind(s), by propagating sound within a body of water, for the purpose of affecting weather patterns:
  - a. By propagating sound within a body of water, the sound forces the water to move in the direction(s) the sound is being applied.
  - b. The propagation of sound creates compressions and rarefactions in the water, waves, which subsequently shift pockets of air in the direction they travel.
  - c. Additional water evaporates due to the propagation of sound through the water. This vapor travels in the same direction the sound is applied, and creates a larger gust of wind to affect weather.
  - d. The shifting pockets of air, and the evaporating water, behave as directional winds, produced and guided by the propagation of sound. This wind can be utilized to affect weather patterns, as lower winds shift higher air systems.
- 2) Process to produce and direct wind shear, for the purpose of weakening storm systems, by propagating sound within bodies of water:
  - a. Wind propelled by propagating sound within a body of water (claim 1), can be directed against a storm system, such as a hurricane.
  - b. Directing winds against a storm can weaken the storm system, by stripping the storm of clouds and precipitation, preventing the storm from maintaining precipitation/rain.
  - c. The best method is to apply the sound and wind counter-current to the storm’s torque and rotation. Another method is to apply the sound and wind outward from the center of the storm.
  - d. Although the best method may be to apply the sound in a direction counter-current to the storm’s rotation, the sound may be propagated in any direction(s) necessary to strip the storm of precipitation, based on various geographical and meteorological factors around the storm, like for example, simultaneous storms.
- 3) Process to transport water vapor, clouds, precipitation, and atmospheric rivers in a desired direction(s), by propagating sound within the body of water beneath:
  - a. Propagating sound within water can generate and direct wind (claim 1) that affects weather patterns. These winds carry their own moisture.
  - b. The lower winds being directed by the propagation of sound, then also shift clouds and air systems higher in the atmosphere, or along the same altitude.
  - c. This process may be utilized to guide precipitation systems, and adjust precipitation cycles.
- 4) Process to slow waters, and mitigate directed winds, propelled by prior propagation of sound.

[0053]
It is a known scientific concept that propagating sound in water generates motion: rarefactions and compressions. Patent Law allows inventors to patent new, inventive uses for known scientific processes. The invention utilizes sound’s quicker and more efficient energy transfer in compressed liquids, and claims a new use for the principle.
[0054]
The invention introduces a new subject matter compared to prior art in underwater acoustics: moderating weather patterns. By propagating sound within sea water, the invented processes grant an opportunity for humanity to guide and alter weather patterns, by generating and directing the wind(s).
[0055]
Hurricanes are known to decrease in strength if enough wind shear effects a storm, opposite of their momentum. However, wind shear is often a factor of chance, and the intersection of uncontrolled weather patterns, which determine whether a storm will become stronger or weaker. This invention gives humanity a manual process of generating wind, so that practitioners can produce wind shear to strip a storm of its momentum and precipitation. Directing waters and wind with soundwaves grants a method to interfere in hazardous weather events.
[0056]
For stripping a hurricane of its precipitation, the best mode involves directing the sound in a direction counter to the hurricane’s spin. So, in the Northern Hemisphere, where hurricanes spin counter-clockwise, you would apply the sound to direct the water and wind at a clock-wise tangent against the storm. Another method might apply the soundwaves in multiple direction away from the eye, in effect, pushing the precipitation out from the center of the storm, in 360 degrees. However, depending on various meteorological and geographic factors, the sound might be propagated in directions that are not necessarily counter-current to the hurricane’s rotation, to weaken a storm.
[0057]
This invention also grants a process to direct moist air and precipitation to preferential regions, rather than relying on the natural precipitation cycle. For example, while East of the US is susceptible to hurricanes and storms, the West is more at risk of drought. Using soundwaves to direct the movement of clouds and precipitation can mitigate risk of drought in the Western States, by shifting rain clouds from the Western Pacific Ocean to the Eastern Pacific Ocean, (towards the Western United States). The invention grants a manual process to direct atmospheric rivers and precipitation.
[0058]
Utilizing soundwaves to guide wind(s) and affect weather patterns is a novel, useful, and non-obvious invention.
[0059]
The invention is novel because no prior invention, to Mr. Osinaike’s knowledge, disclosed an invention purposed to control aerial weather patterns, by applying soundwaves under water. The United States has experimented with multiple other research initiatives and experiments in attempts to weaken hurricanes. Project Cirrus, Project Baton, and Project Storm-Fury were all attempts to weaken hurricanes that eventually were canceled. Project Cirrus attempted to weaken hurricanes by dropping crushed dry ice into the clouds. Project Baton seeded storms with other chemicals and dry ice. Project Storm-fury attempted to use silver iodide. These projects were also novel attempts to solve a complex problem. Unfortunately, they failed, but they demonstrated an understanding of the necessity to defend the country from a dangerous force of nature.
[0060]
This invention is novel because it capitalizes on a law of physics in an inventive way, to give our country and other nations, a manual way to weaken storms.
[0061]
The invention is also useful. Weakening hurricanes and resolving drought are both issues of priority. Both storms and drought have a tremendous effect on agriculture and infrastructure. Hurricanes can damage infrastructure at a dangerous rate in their peak seasons, which leads to tremendous construction and repair costs. On the other hand, drought can also be damaging to infrastructure. If a city, suffering from drought, draws too much water from underground aquifers, this reliance can cause soil to sink, which poses risk to infrastructure. So, there are risks on both sides of changing precipitation cycles. This invention is useful because it helps mitigate risks due to climate change.
[0062]
The invention is non-obvious as well. Prior art had not described the invention in a manner that the inventive nature of this patent was obvious, prior to Mr. Osinaike’s disclosure.
[0063]
Mr. Osinaike’s provisional patent application, and nonprovisional patent application, are submitted within the grace period for inventors to file patents, after disclosing their invention for public use. Mr. Osinaike believes his invention has already been utilized to weaken storm systems and mitigate drought.

Do any of these inventions relate to weather occurrences you’ve heard about? May the reader arrive at his or her own conclusions.

As you can see, some of the inventions where designed to weaken storms, and others to enhance storms! US patent #20030085296: Hurricane and tornado control device.
A method is disclosed for affecting the formation and/or direction of a low atmospheric weather system. Audio generators are positioned to project sound waves toward a peripheral area of a weather system. The sound waves are generated at a frequency to affect the formation of the weather system in a manner to disrupt, enhance or direct the formation.

For more information about weather manipulation which is also known as geoengineering, please see the videos on Dane Wigington’s YouTube channel, and also see his website on www.geoengineeringwatch.org.

I’m glad to have substantial and credible documentation which I hope will cause the public to think and not accept what the mainstream media is saying at face value. As Denzel Washington says, “If you don’t read the newspaper you are uninformed, If you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.” And Thomas Jefferson said: “The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.” Who controls the Press in America? My scientist friend thinks it’s the Jews. I believe it’s the Vatican, the Jesuits and their connection with secret societies in America. The Pope and Jesuit Superior General are clearly promoting the Climate Change Scam.

The King James Version: Precise Translation versus Fraudulent Texts and Heretical Translations – By Gregory L. Jackson

Introduction from the Webmaster

A regular visitor of this website shared a PDF file with me on https://www.lutheranlibrary.org/386-jackson-kjv-apostolic-texts/. I knew it would be good to post on James Japan because it’s in the public domain, because I promote the KJV, and because I can’t find this article elsewhere on the WWW in HTML web format.

The author, Dr. Gregory L. Jackson, uses unknown (at least to me) abbreviations that he doesn’t define. The abbreviations of Bible versions I knew, but I had to look up the abbreviations for the Lutheran synods:

WELS = Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. A synod in this case is a regional or national organization of Lutheran congregations.
ELCA = Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
LCMS = Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
ELS = Evangelical Lutheran Synod
CLC = Church of the Lutheran Confession
ELDONA = Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

It’s shocking that a number of these synods, perhaps all of them, are apostate. They do not follow Martin Luther’s doctrines, they do not believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and they do not believe in the Virgin Birth or believe that Jesus rose from the dead! How can they call themselves Christians?! How can they even call themselves Lutherans when they do not follow Martin Luther?

Abbreviations of Bible translations:
KJV = King James Version, also known as the Authorised Version (AV)
NKJV = New King James Version
RSV = Revised Standard Version
NIV = New International Version
ESV = English Standard Version

The King James Version:

Apostolic Texts, Precise Translation versus

Fraudulent Texts and Heretical Translations

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson,

STM, Yale University; PhD, Notre Dame

Illustrated by Norma A. Boeckler

ISBN: 9798429093451
Imprint: Independently published

Public Domain

Dedication – Christina Ellenberger Jackson

Figure 1 Christina Elizabeth Ellenberger, engagement portrait.

Christina was born in Germany, shortly after WWII, and delivered by a midwife. She soon traveled to America with her younger sister Maria and her parents. She excelled in academics, and was inducted into the National Honor Society in her junior year in high school.

She chose Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where we met on the first day of school. As Conrad Bergendoff said to us, “It was fore-ordained.” We married a few days after graduation and moved to Waterloo, Ontario, seminary for me, and an MA for her in German literature. She did research for the German department and encouraged my work in German. Later, WELS pastors were surprised that I read German. I was shocked that they did not.

We continued the teamwork at Yale University. I worked at the medical school library, and Christina worked for Dr. Joan Fassler, on the faculty at the Yale Child Study Center, next door to the medical library. Fassler begged her to stay on after my degree was finished, but we moved on, to Cleveland and then Notre Dame. Christina also attended two Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross workshops. She contributed to Kuebler-Ross’ book On Children and Death, Scribner, 2011.

Christina also showed off her research skills in Columbus, where she studied man-made disasters and pursued engineering studies for DNV Technica. My article writing turned to books, and she always helped with that research. She did so much in our 51 years of marriage that I wrote a book about it – Lutheran Christina.

The synods were equally allergic to Luther and the Scriptures, but Christina endured the nastiness of the apostates and learned to laugh at their vile, anonymous emails. My books were printed – hated or loved – in one synod after another. The constant in publishing was her unfailing encouragement and help with each effort. Christina enjoyed hearing about the progress of this book, which would be muted without a German language and translating adviser. The books, large and small, may seem numerous. That is due to her constant help and the never-ending opposition of the “conservative, orthodox, confessional” Lutherans who not only reject the Chief Article of the Christianity – Justification by Faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, but also the work of Luther himself.

Special Thanks

I would like to thank Norma A. Boeckler for her artistic contributions to this book, covers and interior, to Facebook, and my Old Testament classes. We all love her cheerful, beautiful, and inspiring works.

Janie Sullivan has worked on virtually all my books and Kindle versions. She is exactly what I need in getting a book to the public.

Virginia Roberts has been a volunteer editor ever since the Luther sermons, always proving how easy it is to find my typos and opaque passages.

Alec Satin shocked me when he joined our little congregation and showed a great deal of knowledge about the King James Version. He then created the Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry www.lutheranlibrary.org – a remarkable online collection of over 300 books I would recommend for reading and enjoyment and then some. He has also produced many inexpensive print books from the online collection.

“Today there is an artificially produced conviction resulting from marketing techniques and imposed on the churches from without. This whole modern consensus maintains the Bible publishing industry must now determine the texts of Scripture.

The Church, as Professor van Bruggen has demonstrated (The Future of the Bible, 1978), has abdicated her role as guardian of the Bible and has turned such responsibility over to hirelings who market various, conflicting translations to the confusion and disarray of the Church.”

The Authorised Version, 2012, Trinitarian Bible Society.

Figure 2 WELS Synod President Mark Schroeder agreed with the convention approving ALL translations, an echo of the extra ALL in Romans 3, 2012 NIV.

Questions To Be Asked While Reading This Book

Since manuscripts do not have a date, how can scholars like Tischendorf promote a very early date, or any date – without proof-enhancing their careers?
Why did Tischendorf, a German Lutheran, have an audience with the Pope, an arrangement with a Roman Catholic king, and a deal with a Russian Orthodox Tzar?
How can anyone claim, as Tischendorf did, that monks devoted to ancient manuscripts were burning up pages from Sinaiticus, a 1500-year-old bound volume (codex) with supple leather pages that could not burn – but would stink?
How does anyone explain Sinaiticus having white, supple pages after resting unknown for 15 centuries? Two witnesses attest to the whiteness, and yet the codex later looked very much darkened, not so much by age but by special treatments. (Daniels, David W. (2021). Who Faked the “World’s Oldest Bible?)
Since Tischendorf lied so many times about Codex Sinaiticus, what does that suggest about his earlier work with Codex Ephraim Rescriptus (Tischendorf claimed to have superb eyesight, enabling him to detect what others could not, since the pages were erased and overwritten. Looking at his complete record, this looks like another self-serving fable.) – and his later work embracing Codex Vaticanus – “so much like Sinaiticus?” Sinaticus and Vatincanus disagree at a 40% level, not exactly a match, except for having the doubtful origins.
Why did the mysterious Codex Sinaiticus suddenly appear at St. Catherine’s Monastery, having no previous history, and was later stolen by Tischendorf – but never returned – so the Russians “could set Sinaiticus in print for the whole world.”
How did Tischendorf happen upon a codex with no history and get away with his garbage-to-be- burned-excuse for spiriting pages away for the Catholic king?
Biblical apostates in England and America were burning to have the earliest and best possible New Testament Greek text, so why did they accept the least trustworthy and most heretical sources – Sinaiticus and Vaticanus? Were they longing for the heresies Tischendorf promoted with his fantasies?
Indeed, why did the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod use Vaticanus as the main source for the Gospel of Mark commentary, 1350 pages long?
Since Westcott and Hort were honored clergy and scholars in England, why were they allowed to push their Greek New Testament secretly on the KJV Revision Committee? Their Greek New Testament was printed but kept hidden for 10 years while they influenced the Revision committee against the Majority Text?
Why did the Westcott-Hort Greek New Testament stay hidden until the horrible KJV Revision came out – revealing no references (critical apparatus) to back up their wild claims, which have been refuted by their peers?
The wild boasting of Tischendorf and the absurd theories of Westcott-Hort are an embarrassment to text scholars, so why are they still locked into loyalty to these Til Eulenspiegels (pranksters) but opposed to the clear, well-documented, apostolic sources of the Byzantine Majority Text?
Which is more likely to be the true apostolic heritage? – 5,000 or more individual examples of the Byzantine Text from a Christian empire 1100 years old – or a handful of dubious and heretical exceptions with no history and no descendants? That alone proves Vaticanus and Sinaiticus were never used for anything other than supporting papal supremacy over the Word of God.
When will the New King James Version and any other KJV copycats stop referring to the Nestle- Aland-Nida texts as genuine alternatives? Do we join the apostates in saying a Virgin – or young woman – will bear a son?* Are we so frightened by these hucksters that we speak the Biblical truths softly lest God’s Word be heard clearly on the streets of Gath?

Figure 3 Schmauk is greatly admired today, but not read or quoted very often.

*The RSV first used young woman instead of virgin in Isaiah 7:10. After the firestorm, they used virgin in the text and footnoted young woman. Now the RSV has young woman in the text and footnotes virgin. A con artist always rigs the game against suckers.

Preface – Appreciating the King James Version

The most read English Bible is the King James Version, with 55% of the readers, compared to 19% for the latest New International Version, the English Standard Version, and the New Revised Standard Version.*

* Christianity Today, March, 2014, quoted a survey giving 55% to the KJV, only 19% to the NIV, single digits for the New RSV, etc. Single digits still add up to a lot of Bibles in the wrong hands. The Most Popular and Fastest Growing Bible Translation Isn’t What You Think It Is.

The numbers are surprising, given the strong sales of NIV translations in bookstores. The NIV has topped the CBA’s bestselling Bible translation list for decades, and continued to sell robustly in 2013.

The high numbers of KJV readers confirm the findings of last year’s American Bible Society (ABS) State of the Bible report. On behalf of ABS, Barna Group found that 52 percent of Americans read the King James or the New King James Version, compared with 11 percent who read the NIV.

The KJV also received almost 45 percent of the Bible translation-related searches on Google, compared with almost 24 percent for the NIV, according to Bible Gateway’s Stephen Smith.

In fact, searches for the KJV seem to be rising distinctly since 2005, while most other English translations are staying flat or are declining, according to Smith’s Google research.

The percentages dwindle after the first three modern wannabees, and there are so many more versions, scaled down to insipid and verbose. The KJV has much to commend it, not only for its use of the Majority Text but also for its deliberately grand, formal, and eloquent style. If some complain that the KJV reads too much like Shakespeare, others respond that the modern versions sound too much like television cartoons. Even worse, all the modern “scientific” texts are at war against the Majority Text and against each other too, because they remove and corrupt so many passages, diluting and changing the actual message of God’s Word. Nevertheless, the Lutheran synods (ELCA, LCMS, WELS, ELS, CLC, ELDONA) and all other mainline denominations reject the KJV for their worship, colleges and seminaries, printed readings, and official proclamations. Beyond that opposition, agreement is absent about which bad translation or paraphrase they think is best.

Details about the development of the KJV and the crimes of the modern text and translation experts will follow. First, let us cite the reasons why the KJV is favored above the rest and destined to outlast the newest, ever-changing, increasingly vapid Bibles. The greatest statement is simple and profound –

Gustavus Swift Paine

“May your Majesty be pleased,” said Dr. John Rainolds in his address to the king, “to direct that the Bible be now translated, such versions as are extant not answering to the original.”

Rainolds was a Puritan, and the Bishop of London felt it his duty to disagree. “If every man’s humor might be followed,” snorted His Grace, “there would be no end to translating.”

King James was quick to put both factions down. “I profess,” he said, “I could never yet see a Bible well translated in English, but I think that of Geneva is the worst.” The Learned Men, p. 1, 1834. Forgotten Books.

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Alister McGrath

“Aiming at truth, they achieved what later generations recognized as beauty and elegance.” Alister McGrath, In the Beginning, p. 254.

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Harvard University Press

“We have as a rule used the King James Version in translations, and our reasons for doing so must be obvious: it is the version most English readers associated with the literary qualities of the Bible, and it is till arguably the version that best preserves the literary effects of the original languages.”

The Literary Guide to the Bible, edited by Robert Alter and Frank Kermod, Harvard University Press, 1987, p. 7.

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Victor Hugo, from Christian History Institute *

* https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/they-said-it-best-kjv

“ENGLAND HAS TWO BOOKS: the Bible and Shakespeare. England made Shakespeare, but the Bible made England.” — Victor Hugo (1802–1885)

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George Bernard Shaw

“The translation was extraordinarily well done because to the translators what they were translating was not merely a curious collection of ancient books written by different authors indifferent stages of culture, but the word of God divinely revealed through His chosen and expressly inspired scribes. In this conviction they carried out their work with boundless reverence and care and achieved a beautifully artistic result . . . they made a translation so magnificent that to this day the common human Britisher or citizen of the United States of North America accepts and worships it as a single book by a single author, the book being the Book of Books and the author being God.” — George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Quoted in G. S. Paine, The Men Behind the King James Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1959, 1977), pp. 182–183

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H. L. Menken, Famous Journalist and Agnostic

“It is the most beautiful of all the translations of the Bible; indeed, it is probably the most beautiful piece of writing in all the literature of the world. Many attempts have been made to purge it of its errors and obscurities. An English Revised Version was published in 1885 and an American Revised Version in 1901, and since then many learned but misguided men have sought to produce translations that should be mathematically accurate, and in the plain speech of everyday. But the Authorised Version has never yielded to any of them, for it is palpably and overwhelmingly better than they are, just as it is better than the Greek New Testament, or the Vulgate, or the Septuagint. Its English is extraordinarily simple, pure, eloquent, lovely. It is a mine of lordly and incomparable poetry, at once the most stirring and the most touching ever heard of.” — H. L. Mencken (1880-1956).

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Winston Churchill

“The scholars who produced this masterpiece are mostly unknown and unremembered. But they forged an enduring link, literary and religious, between the English-speaking people of the world.” The King James Bible Translators; Olga S. Opfell; Jefferson and London: McFarland, 1982. From HolyBible.org

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Compton’s Encyclopedia, Online Edition

“One of the supreme achievements of the English Renaissance came at its close, in the King James Bible…It is rightly regarded as the most influential book in the history of English civilization…the King James Version combined homely, dignified phrases into a style of great richness and loveliness. It has been a model of writing for generations of English-speaking people.”

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From America Online, May 26, 1995

“The greatest English Bible is the Authorised, or King James, Version. Based on Tyndale’s translation and original texts, it was produced in 1611 by six groups of churchmen at the command of King James I. The King James Bible became the traditional Bible of English- speaking Protestants. Its dignified and beautiful style strongly influenced the development of literature in the English language. The influence can be seen in the works of John Bunyan, John Milton, Herman Melville, and many other writers.”

Volume 3; Crowell-Collier Educational Corporation; 1967, 1972 ed. p.p. 137, 138 Rev. Holt H. Graham; Rev. Joseph M. Petulla; Mr. Cecil Roth.

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Charlton Heston, In the Arena: An Autobiography, pp. 554-555

“…the King James translation has been described as ‘the monument of English prose’ as well as ‘the only great work of art ever created by a committee’. Both statements are true. Fifty-four scholars worked seven years to produce the work from its extant texts in Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English. Such an undertaking can be expected to produce great scholarship, but hardly writing as spare and sublime as the King James….

“The authors of several boring translations that have followed over the last fifty years mumble that the KJV is “difficult” filled with long words. Have a look at the difficult long words that begin the Old Testament, and end the Gospels: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; darkness was upon the face of the deep.’ and ‘Now, of the other things which Jesus did, if they should be written everyone, I suppose the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.’ Shakespeare aside, there’s no comparable writing in the language, as has been observed by wiser men than I.

Over the past several centuries it’s been the single book in most households, an enormous force in shaping the development of the English language. Carried around the world by missionaries, it provided the base by which English is about to become the lingua franca of the world in the next century. Exploring it during this shoot [Ten Commandments] was one of the most rewarding creative experiences of my life.”

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Theodore P. Letis

“Moreover, those clergy who have obediently fallen in line with the New Tradition have sent a clear signal to their parishioners and colleagues that, unlike William Tyndale, they no longer find the verbal view of inspiration compelling.”

The Ecclesiastical Text: Text Criticism, Biblical Authority, and the Popular Mind, 1997.

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Trinitarian Bible Society

“The Authorised Version translators continued in the textual tradition which the church had used and accepted for hundreds of years. In doing so, they continued the solidarity of both original language texts and also of Earlier English translations upon which they based their work.”

The Authorised Version: What Today’s Christian Needs to Know about the Authorised (King James) Version, 2012, p. 2.

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TBS – The Excellence of the Authorised Version

The conspicuous merits of the ‘new version’ of 1611 gradually gained recognition. It was not only pronounced more scholarly, but it was found to be more readable than any other English translation of the Scriptures. Many of the changes incorporated in the Authorised Version were not designed to give a new meaning to the Scriptures, but to express the old meaning in another way, for the sake of literary improvement.

Changes were made to make the English agree better with the truth of the original, but far more were made for the sake of good, plain English and pleasant cadence in reading. The translators introduced a sweeter, smoother and more stately diction into our English Bible, and this was a great gain.

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Public Reading- Trinitarian Bible Society

The English Bible is designed for public reading, and whatever makes it read more smoothly, and in a style of pathos or majesty more accordant with its subject matter, is a help to the reader and a benefit to the hearer. The statements of the Bible that bear on our conduct and comfort, on our salvation and sanctification, are meant to be remembered, so as to be present in our minds whenever temptations or afflictions come our way. Whatever choice or arrangement of words makes these statements of the Bible more striking or more impressive, more pleasant to the ear, or more fascinating to the imagination, makes them also more easily remembered, and more potent for good.

It is not enough that our English Bible be a mathematically correct translation from the original Scriptures, word for word, point for point. It should, both in its literary grace and in its Divine revelations, be a well-spring of spiritual life in the broadest and highest sense of the terms. We cannot be too grateful, therefore, that the framers of our Authorised Version were not only skilled in ‘the discernment of tongues’, but were gifted with an ear for melody. This particular excellence of the AV was recognized even by Roman Catholic scholars who feared that it would make a deep impression upon the minds of many readers. Archbishop Faber declared,

Who will not say that the uncommon beauty and marvelous English of the Protestant Bible is not one of the great strongholds of heresy in this country? It lives on the ear, like a music that can never be forgotten, like the sound of church bells, which the convert hardly knows how he can forgo. Its felicities often seem to be almost things rather than mere words. It is part of the national mind, and the anchor of national seriousness.

At the present time one might well inquire whether any such testimony could be borne in praise of any of the numerous modern versions that are offered in its place.”

Trinitarian Bible Society Booklet*

* https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.tbsbibles.org/resource/collection/D1B0BDBE- CD9E-4D12-BBDD-138677F98835/The-Excellence-of-the-Authorised-Version.pdf

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Preface to the Original King James Version

22 It is not only an armour, but also a whole armoury of weapons, both offensive and defensive; whereby we may save ourselves and put the enemy to flight.
23 It is not an herb, but a tree, or rather a whole paradise of trees of life, which bring forth fruit every month, and the fruit thereof is for meat, and the leaves for medicine.
24 It is not a pot of Manna, or a cruse of oil, which were for memory only, or for a meal’s meat or two, but as it were a shower of heavenly bread sufficient for a whole host, be it never so great; and as it were a whole cellar full of oil vessels; whereby all our necessities may be provided for and our debts discharged.
25 In a word, it is a panary ((bread Pantry)) of wholesome food, against fenowed [mouldy.] traditions; a physician’s shop [κοινον ιατρειον. S.Basil. in Psal.primum.] (Saint Basil calleth it) of preservatives against poisoned heresies; a pandect ((a complete body)) of profitable laws against rebellious spirits; a treasury of most costly jewels against beggarly rudiments; finally, a fountain of most pure water springing up unto everlasting life.
26 And what marvel? the original thereof being from heaven, not from earth; the author being God, not man; the inditer, the Holy Spirit, not the wit of the Apostles or Prophets; the penmen, such as were sanctified from the womb, and endued with a principal portion of God’s Spirit; the matter, verity, piety, purity, uprightness; the form, God’s word, God’s testimony, God’s oracles, the word of truth, the word of salvation, etc.; the effects, light of understanding, stableness of persuasion, repentance from dead works, newness of life, holiness, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost; lastly, the end and reward of the study thereof, fellowship with the Saints, participation of the heavenly nature, fruition of an inheritance immortal, undefiled, and that never shall fade away.
27 Happy is the man that delighteth in the Scripture, and thrice happy that meditateth in it day and night.

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Alexander McClure

“The first decided steps, however, toward giving to the English nation a Bible printed in their own tongue, were the translations of the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, made by William Tyndale, and by him printed at Hamburg, in the year 1524; — and a translation of the whole of the New Testament, printed by him partly at Cologne, and partly at Worms, in 1525.”

Alexander McClure, The Translators Revived, Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry, p. 6.

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Robert Martin

“Why is accuracy of translation so important? Because the Bible is the Word of the living God. It is an utterly unique book. It is the inscripturated revelation to mankind of God’s mind and will and the inspired record of His redemptive work. And this being so, there is no more important piece of literature in the world. Thus, the accuracy of the Bible’s translation is of the utmost importance.”

Robert Martin, Accuracy of Translation, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1989, p. 2.

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David Blunt

“Omission of material found in the Authorised Version (AV) is the main type of alteration found in the modern versions. The New Testament of one popular modern version, the New International Version (NIV), first published in 1973, omits seventeen complete verses found in the AV—a figure found applicable to most modern versions.”

David Blunt, Which Bible Version: Does It Really Matter? Trinitarian Bible Society, 2007, p. 3.

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Dr. Aland’s Influence on the New International Version

“Dr. Aland’s pernicious views of the unreliability of our Bibles in the original manuscripts is profoundly seen in the NIV Bible. The same hand that would excise whole books of the Bible from our Canon would also excise many, many texts.”

Hembd, What Today’s Christian Needs to Know about Dr. Kurt Aland, Trinitarian Bible Society, 2007, p. 11f.

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Jim Mitchell

“Dear Pastor Greg,

I just wanted to take the time to congratulate you on informing the world of the outstanding accuracy/dependability of the KJV translation. You have done what this journalist used to dream of. I know I’m not telling you anything, but you really have the story of all time since it is important to the salvation journey of all. What a wondrous work the Lord has done through you. You’ve investigated and specified credible reasons for the total lack of credibility of certain “biblical experts” and the obvious harm they have done. I would be glad for any recommendations you may have on studying Greek and Hebrew.”

Figure 4 Richard C. H. Lenski is highly regarded in many denominations for his New Testament commentaries.

Required Reading: The Gospels of Mark and John and the Text

Crucial for Understanding the Radical Academic Shift to Apostasy

Many believers are not aware of the famous, academic, radical Biblical scholars using the Gospels of Mark and John to advance their theories and deny the Scriptural truth. Pietism, with its emphasis on cooperation rather than doctrine, helped rationalism begin to flourish, at Halle University and other places. The famous Reimarus Fragments were printed anonymously to deny the miracles of the Bible, among other things. The Gospel of John was dismissed by the Tuebingen School as belonging to an era three centuries after Christ. That claim allowed the academics to disregard any support in the Fourth Gospel regarding historical and doctrinal revelation. In fact, they hated the open Trinitarian nature of John’s Gospel, the clear identification of Jesus as the only begotten Son of God, His Virgin Birth, Resurrection, and Ascension. These wiser-than-the- Holy Spirit professors considered Jesus to be a wandering teacher who inspired love, caused emotional healings, and never considered Himself the Messiah, Savior, or Son of God.

With the Fourth Gospel out of the way in the quest for the historical Jesus, the academics could turn Mark’s Gospel into that kernel of truth they were seeking, the story of Jesus without the divine or miraculous. The Westcott-Hort Greek New Testament removed “the Son of God” from Mark 1:1.

W-H Mark 1:1 αρχη του ευαγγελιου ιησου χριστου – The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

KJV – Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The Westcott-Hort edition also stopped the Gospel at Mark 16:8, with the rest of the chapter closed off in square brackets to show that the traditional ending did not really belong. This editing of the Greek text, with no support for these actions, reduced the divinity of Christ in Mark 1:1 and erased His resurrection in Mark 16. A century after Wescott-Hort, the first RSV edition dropped the ending of Mark into a footnote and later raised it up with a space between verse 8 and 9 to show that the ending was foreign. Thanks to Tischendorf, Westcott, Hort, Aland, and Metzger, the New Testament has become a model airplane kit to be assembled with cheap glue, even with parts missing and the wrong parts glued in recklessly.

The changes in Mark’s Gospel made it easier to write fantasies about the undiscovered primitive version, the kernel, the story of a popular teacher. Humorously, because Biblical experts often paint strange mirages, the academics postulated Q, the imaginary source shared between Matthew and Luke, because those two Gospels had so much in common with each other. However, nothing like Q has ever been found. Theories build slowly and often fade slowly. The least likely view for them – the traditional perspective – has the Gospels written by the Apostles Matthew and John and by associates of Apostles Peter and Paul for Mark and Luke, all inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel of John is still dated by academics – far from the time of Jesus. In 1975, at Notre Dame, Elisabeth Schuessler-Fiorenza stated, “The Gospel of John was written in the first century by the Apostle, according to conservatives, 300 years later – according to liberals.” She is still teaching, at Harvard Divinity School. For most Biblical scholars with an academic position, the Bible is just a book to be treated like other books, with lengthy analysis and competing arguments. Their values are strictly rationalistic, and their tolerance for traditional Christian professors is zero, including the issue of the text itself, which is where it began. Those who want the Gospel of John 300 years later also want to remove all the historical data and quotations, and call it a Gnostic, semi-pagan text.

The Christian Church once handled the teaching of Biblical doctrine and the printing of the KJV. Now the Scriptures are dominated by the extreme Left, literally the National Council of Churches owning the RSV, New RSV, and ESV. Bibles are printed and promoted by a variety of profitable businesses. College and seminary professors are both the products and the promoters of rationalistic views. They are opponents of the King James Version. Faculty are happy to be named as consultants for the latest, most dumbed-down, least demanding Bible. The denomination will not give them free trips to Israel, but the Bible factories will.*

* The Southern Baptists voted to forbid their chain of stores from displaying the newest NIV, only allowing individual orders sub rosa. The stores said, No, they will sell the 2011 NIV anyway – https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2012/february/lifeway-declines-sbc-request-to-bar-niv-from-stores.html

I remember, as a lad, hearing the excitement about the RSV being a new, modern version of the Bible, then learning the Virgin Birth was denied in Isaiah 7:10. Much later I studied in the RSV Room, the reading room of Yale Divinity School Library, where the RSV was developed. No one wants to mention that their favorite translations are sired by the radical National Council of Churches. The alleged new, improved ESV is printed under license from the NCC, a fact not promoted by the sellers or readers of the Bible.

The engine behind the repudiation of the KJV is really the monopoly established by Bible text critics. Westcott- Hort began the consolidation with their own Greek New Testament, which seemed to fail, but the modernists ascended in the 1930s, accepted it, and never let go.*

My first Greek New Testament was a Westcott-Hort. I now have a Byzantine (Majority or KJV text), a United Bible Society GNT, and a Westcott-Hort, all in perfect condition. Westcott-Hort and the Byzantine (Stephanus), are also part of the Bible Gateway website, which I use daily. The rationalistic Society of Biblical Literature – “In circumstances such as these, the existence of an alternative critically edited text—the SBLGNT differs from the standard text in more than 540 variation units—will help to remind readers of the Greek New Testament that the text-critical task is not finished.” Introduction to the SBL Greek New Testament.

The Biblical text, especially the New Testament Greek, has been a playground for apostates ever since, and a fallback position for anyone accused of teaching liberal notions. They cry out, in unison, “The Bible did not float down from heaven. It was made and transmitted by man.” *

* No one has ever claimed that the Bible floated down from heaven. However, God has miraculously preserved His Word, as proven by the dominance of the KJV today, 70 years after the National Council of Churches birthed the RSV and later the ESV and New RSV. KJV Proverbs 30:5 5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Proverbs 12:1

PART ONE – Introduction, The King James Version

The Apostles Creed

Preface

Comparisons show there is a four-fold swindle being worked on the church and academic populations.

The preferred New Testament text has been switched from the witness of 98% of the evidence – the Majority Text – to the dubious manuscripts’ witness of 2% – the Westcott-Hort morphing into the Nestle-Aland-UBS, a process which began in 1881. Wake up!
Based on this New Testament text fraud, the translations no longer aim at precision but use the imaginations of fiction writers.
The Roman Catholic Church has assumed a vast amount of authority in this ecumenical, apostate enterprise, both in the slant of the text and the paraphrases. They are a part of the American Bible Society, the United Bible Societies, and efforts to present one “Standard Text” with all the Protestants.
The “conservative” Lutheran church bodies are eager members of this enterprise, promoting the Seminex rationalistic view of the Bible without a whimper from Christian News, the LCMS, the ELS, ELDONA, or the rock-ribbed Wisconsin Synod. Instead of guarding the Word of God, they protect their own cash registers.

Only two alternatives are possible. One is the historic view of the Christian Church – the Bible is the revelation of God, inerrant and infallible, the inspired Book of the Holy Spirit, given by God and written down by man. God protects His Scriptures, which like Jesus, have two natures, divine and human, and yet without sin.

The alternative is to view the Scriptures as an important but fallible work of mankind, full of errors and contradictions, valued for the myths and symbols established, explained and elaborated by enlightened and reasonable people.

The denominational establishment cherishes the alternative view, with predictable results. Few clergy today have any serious training in the Biblical languages. Everyone is supposedly smarter today and capable of using entire libraries on their computers, but their brains cannot bear the struggle of learning Greek for the New Testament and Hebrew for the Old Testament. The word seminary was originally used to mean a seedbed for learning. Now the students are assumed to be too weak to dig in the soil, to labor in the vineyard, so they are condemned to watch from the outside, and buy their Bibles from profitable presses minting money for the fortunate.

A modern sermon starts with a text from the Bible and abandons the message in order to pursue a sales pitch for the denomination, a plea for local funds, or a rousing speech in favor of current political issues. If done correctly, or copied from a good source, the sermon – a bad word – no, the message will leave people burdened with guilt for the hardness of their flinty hearts. The Church of Rome learned long ago that perpetual guilt is an energy to be encouraged and promoted. The issue is not whether the original text is used, because the customers have no idea that they have been herded into the modern, “scientific” text corral. Almost every translation – or rather, paraphrase – of the Bible is based upon the supposed latest and best, ever-changing text.

This alternative view of the Bible provides everyone with unparalleled freedom, because the Scriptures are God’s unified, harmonious revelation, His declaration in plain language for everyone.

The exception is the King James Version. Everyone is warned against precise translation from faithful texts. “This new one is much simpler to read than the King James – it was tested for the widest possible appeal.” Frowning, the experts say, “The King James is too literal, too old-fashioned.” Even the KJV friends will say it is a “word for word” translation. No, the word-for- word approach only happens in interlinear translations, which are awkward, used mostly for beginners in seminary trying to show they are translating. Biblical help hidden under the desk is called a Jimmie from using the King James or a pony, for getting a free ride. Lenski created a literal Greek New Testament for emphasis on the grammar, but the results are for Greek class, not public reading.

This precise translation view was challenged by what seemed to be a new chapter of Animal Farm. “All translations are equal, but some translations are more equal than others.” The vast majority of readers use the King James Version, but publishing houses found a brilliant way to change loyalties. The New International Version (NIV) asked for leading members of each denomination to be advisors for the upcoming project. Prestige, awards, and trips were funded. Even a tiny church body like the Wisconsin Synod had two names listed – John Jeske and David Kuske – alongside of Pentecostals, Methodists, Northern Baptists, Southern Baptists*, the Reformed, the ELCA bodies about to merge, and many more. As every pastor knows, it is easier to speak against an old traditional translation, the KJV, than to question the version endorsed and embraced by their seminary faculty members, a new translation with many influential and prickly friends and relatives.

* At Wheaton College, the Billy Graham Center, the leader of the program distinguished between Baptists from the North and Baptists from the South. The air immediately became rather frosty after that observation.

As the paraphrases branched out into newer and more creative works of translation marketing, Christian doctrine became untethered by the original, even their butchered new text. The rationalism that inspired these changes in text and translation were expressed with great freedom. The best example is Justification by Faith, the hallmark of the Reformation and the bane of Rationalists of every type. The Universalists established their dogma thus – every single person in the world is already forgiven and saved. That is their perfected expression of grace, derived from the goodness of God and avoiding the Gospel of New Testament. The New NIV of 2011 broke free of the earlier versions – and all Greek texts – by declaring:

2011 NIV Romans 3:22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all [not in any Greek text] are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.*

“The 2011 update to the NIV is the latest fruit of this process. By working with input from pastors and Bible scholars, by grappling with the latest discoveries about biblical languages and the biblical world, and by using cutting-edge research on English usage, the Committee on Bible Translation has updated the text to ensure that the New International Version of the Bible remains faithful to Howard Long’s original inspiration.” Biblegateway.com – https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/

KJV Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Not the original NIV, but the New NIV of 2011 has handed Universalism to the reading public through their paraphrase, by claiming “all are justified.” The earlier NIV is no longer printed and cannot be used in new Christian education materials, thus requiring new purchases where denominations are printing their own materials and quoting the NIV. And yet the clergy, especially the Lutherans, are silent and afraid of questioning this corruption and deceit.

Figure 5 The text scholars already had one codex named A, so Tischendorf used Aleph to place his Sinaiticus first as the “world’s oldest Bible” in the lists, even though it was forged in the 19th century.

Isaiah 55:10,11

I. Autobiographical Academic Introduction

I grew up in the 1950s, in the center of the Corn and Bible Belt, when the King James Version of the Bible was gradually being replaced by the Revised Standard Version. Early on I heard that the RSV denied the Virgin Birth of Christ, but they backpedaled after the blowback from most denominations was too heated. Little did we know that the RSV was a product of the Marxist National Council of Churches, whose maiden name was the Federal Council of Churches. The Federal Council was so obviously Marxist that they did what any good mainline ecumenical group would do, they changed the name but kept the same address, the funding, and the radical ideology.

Carrying a Greek textbook might have been garlic to some at Augustana College in the 1960s, but it attracted the notice of my future wife, Christina. Little did I know that only pre-theology students studied Greek. I got into the course as a freshman by mistake and carried the classic Paine Beginning Greek textbook. I was fascinated with ancient history, especially Greece, even though two years of Latin did everything possible to exterminate my interest. Christina also took Greek, a year behind me, and I took German for two years. In seminary I took Hebrew for no credit and increased my Greek knowledge by writing out translations of John, Mark, Revelation, and Galatians. I learned how difficult translating was, but I also began to understand the meaning of words in their Biblical context rather than memorized from a vocabulary list in a textbook.

In 1972-73, I had the chance to earn an STM at Yale, studying the Bible in Hebrew and Greek, under

Nils A. Dahl,
Robert Wilson, and
Abraham Malherbe.

Those were the best years of Biblical studies at Yale Divinity, because those professors emphasized the text of the Scriptures rather than the rationalistic theories about them. That was a Brigadoon* experience, as a later graduate told me – the greats were soon retired and promoted to eternal life.

* Brigadoon is a Lerner and Lowe musical where two hikers stumble into a city that only becomes visible every 100 years. Dahl, Holmer, Ahlstrom, Lindbeck, and Pelikan were Lutherans. Bainton was dubbed an honorary Lutheran.

Paul L. Holmer taught philosophical theology.
Roland Bainton lectured in retirement and later helped me with my dissertation. He wrote Here I Stand, A Life of Martin Luther and many other best- selling church history books.
Sydney Ahlstrom finished his Religious History of the American People in 1972 and talked at member forums at Bethesda Lutheran Church, down the hill from the divinity school.
George Lindbeck, the official observer from the Lutheran Church at Vatican II, came to the early morning service at Bethesda, where I was the regular liturgist.
Krister Stendahl, Harvard Divinity School’s Dean, visited YDS and lectured because his son’s family was there. Mahlherbe, a Harvard PhD, refuted Stendahl’s lecture in a few minutes after it was over.
Church historian Jaroslav Pelikan came to the second service at Bethesda Lutheran Church and spent time visiting with us at the coffee hour. Soon after, I met his brother and visited his father in the hospital in Cleveland.

I was accepted at Notre Dame for their PhD program in 1975, getting a full tuition scholarship. We moved as close as possible to the campus, 50 miles away, and began regular commuting. I took apocalyptic literature in the Bible with Elisabeth Schuessler-Fiorenza and a theology seminar with her husband Frank Schuessler- Fiorenza. Notre Dame wanted the couple gone, which ended up with both enjoying endowed professorships at Harvard. Likewise, Augustana College, where I met Christina on the first day, did not renew the initial contract of Stanley Hauerwas, who then moved to Notre Dame, served as one of my dissertation advisors, and became world famous. Notre Dame was far more liberal than Yale Divinity, so I had the opportunity to share my perspectives and provoke outraged responses. One Christian Brother said to his priest friend, holding him back during class, “Remember, we promised we would not argue with him again.” They were disgusted when grilling me about two topics from the book, A Study of Generations*, which they had open in their hands:

* Ralph Underwager wrote a study of Lutherans and their beliefs, which was funded by an insurance company. That book has disappeared from the Net.

“Greg, Lutherans are supposed to be very conservative. Do you believe Jesus actually rose from the dead?” I said, “Yes, I do.”
“What! Do you believe in the Virgin Birth of Jesus as a real, historical fact?” I said,” Of course I do.”

One of them slammed the book shut and said, “There is no use talking to you, Jackson.” Later, they were openly dismayed that a famous visiting Roman Catholic theologian considered the New Testament to be historical rather than mythical.

Just as the Revised Standard Version tried to displace the KJV gradually, the New International Version took over later. The Lutheran Church in America loved every translation except the KJV, a reminder of the Roman Empire allowing the worship of every god except the One, True God – Jesus, the Son of God. WELS pivoted from boasting about their love of the KJV to excommunicating pastors who dared to critique the NIV.

One member of Trinity in Bridgeton, Missouri, asked me, “Why do you quote the NIV in your articles?” I said, “That is my only Biblical program, so it saves time.” He said, “Would you use the KJV if I gave the program for you?” I was happy to make the change, because the predatory attitude of modern translations meant a lot of dubious quotations. I also had restrictions or costs involved in quoting their precious wording. Various people pointed out the value of the precise language of the KJV as new paraphrases began diluting and harming the text with a combination of text corruption, dogmatic insertions, and leaden prose.

Some of the tiny Lutheran sects use the New KJV, which is far better than the NIV and ESV. But – I noticed something when reading from two different NKJV Bibles the same Sunday – that this relatively new version was already constantly changing, just like the NIV, whose betrayal of accurate translation was fully revealed in the latest major revision, the 2011. WELS danced around the issue but made the 2011 NIV its official Bible for publishing church materials and its latest hymnal.

Isaiah 40:31

The Bible has been improved in so many ways in the last 70 years that many of the readers can hardly find their way back to the source. One revision was not enough, so the new versions have multiplied faster than diet books and Church Growth manuals, with similar failing results. I remember getting a four version New Testament in the 1960s, in parallel columns, which provided as much clarity as a family argument.

The Bible is one unified Truth, the Book of the Holy Spirit. The spirit of rationalism, under the banner of improvement, is bound to move from one imagined contradiction to another. However, faith in Jesus, the Son of God, leads us from one priceless passage to another.

The Bible is inerrant and infallible. The established denominations claim that inerrant is a new description for the Bible. But Luther used the Latin words for inerrant and infallible in his Large Catechism, On Baptism. Infallible has been the prevailing definition but the term was watered down so much that the word suggested fallible. The tepid, tentative, liberal theologians began saying, “Infallible in doctrine, but not in history or geography.” That was like saying, “Your essay is perfect, except in spelling and grammar.” Likewise, the inspiration of the Scriptures was watered down by many similar qualifications and amendments, so plenary (complete in all respects) was added by some to the inspiration of the Word of God.*

* The transition apostates said the Bible was infallible in doctrine, but not in history or geography. That commendation was no better than Billy Graham saying the original texts were inerrant, which actually meant all Biblical texts had errors, even the Majority Text. Inerrant is used now, but the history of terms should be explained and watered-down milk-toast teaching refuted.

Denominational mergers of the 20th century hid their internal conflicts, so they supposedly removed the friction with this solemn and rather angry declaration – “The Bible did not float down from heaven. It was written by men.” Some added, to ease the pain of serious study, “We could have 30 books in the Bible or 100. Various people decided the number.” I have never discovered a believer who thought the Bible floated down, whether as a first draft or in finished form, from heaven. Nor did I find an expert naming another 34 books for the canon. The Apocrypha, heavily promoted by the Church of Rome and liberal Lutherans, never qualified for the canon. The marketing of the Apocrypha did little more than make people wonder what those books were.

The greatest detour in understanding the Bible began with Medieval philosophy and theology – they were really the same at that time. Augustine began by spoiling the Egyptians, combining his universal grasp of secular knowledge with the Scriptures. Toward the end of the Middle Ages, Aquinas embalmed this method, which was embraced by Rome. Reading Augustine and Aquinas in Latin means moving from the peak of erudition to the denominational script.

Unfortunately for today’s dream-weaving theologians, Luther was urged to earn a doctorate in the Scriptures, which brought him into constant and daily contact with the Bible. The Erasmus edition of the Greek New Testament gave the Reformer the original text of the New Testament versus the accepted, corrupt, and misleading Latin version. There is a reason the Holy Spirit chose to speak to us in Greek. This language was made universal by Alexander the Great’s conquests, his promotion of Greek culture, and the Greek merchants and managers set up by Alexander to do business with the world markets. Centuries before the Nativity, Greek was established as the natural route for the Gospel to move about in the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, centered in Constantinople (East) and Rome (West). The mighty Roman Empire, which grew after Alexander’s, saw Greek as the language of culture, and proved its admiration for everything Greek by borrowing its architecture, law, literature, drama, comedy, sculpture, government, and pagan theology. “Rome had the drains, but the Greeks had the brains.”

Besides Greek, Luther also learned Hebrew and used his verbal skills, with a team of scholars, to translate the Old Testament into German. The Old Testament completed the Bible he began when he translated the New Testament from Greek into German at the Wartburg Castle. Luther’s Bible established the German language, just as Shakespeare and the King James Version established the English language.*

* The German Shakespeare is as foundational in Germany as Shakespeare is in English-speaking countries.

We now have endless methods and resources for learning the Biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek, which caused so much interest during the Reformation and after. But few seminary students currently learn more than the ancient alphabets, bypassing Latin as well, due to its expulsion from public education. The put down of Shakespeare, the actor, having “little Latin and less Greek,” is now true of the ministry, having little Greek, less Hebrew, and no Latin at all.

Walter A. Maier

Christian News has been instrumental in the LCMS- WELS quashing of Justification by Faith and the promotion of anything-goes translation.* But Otten chose this Maier statement for the back cover of his book about Maier, Walter Maier Still Speaks.

* “Good authors, too, who once knew better words now only use four-letter words writing prose… anything goes.”Cole Porter, Anything Goes.

Walter Maier Still Speaks

The Cornerstone Is the Beginning

The great Dr. Walter Maier, who earned a PhD in Semitics at Harvard University, identified Biblical inerrancy and Justification by Faith as the cornerstone and the keystone of the Scriptures.

Justification by faith in Christ together with its twin truth, the inerrancy of Holy Scripture, are the keystone and cornerstone of Protestantism. Neglect one or both and the whole structure will fall into ruin.*

* Thus Maier is quoted on the back cover of Herman Otten’s book about him – Walter A. Maier Still Speaks: Missouri and the World Should Listen. Missouri, the world. And Christian News does not listen.

The beginning of the universe – and the Bible – is an excellent litmus test to see whether an individual is using ministerial reason or magisterial reason in interpreting the Bible. Ministerial reason means subordinating our own understanding to the clear, plain language of the Bible. An example is Luther stating that the Bible judges all books and is not judged by any book. Magisterial reason places human reason above the teaching of the Bible. This magisterial reason is on constant display in the modern commentaries, most denominations, and the Church of Rome.

John 1:1

Genesis 1 teaches us inerrancy, the cornerstone of the Bible, not simply inerrancy but the power, majesty, clarity, and efficacy of the Word of God. Without this knowledge, taught by the Holy Spirit in the Word, we can make little progress in Scriptural knowledge. We may know about the Bible, as with many other subjects, whether nuclear fission or calculus, but we do not know the Bible – and become confused, indifferent, or hostile to its message.

KJV Genesis 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

God’s creation of the universe is taught or mocked many different ways, but this is the only true account. These two verses take chance and evolution out of the picture, and place God’s will, wisdom, intent, and purpose at the center of our lives. In the first two verses we find God the Father creating and God the Holy Spirit witnessing. The third member of the Trinity is revealed in the next verses.

KJV Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

The skeptic wonders, “Where is the Son of God in Creation?” – which is answered in John, the Fourth Gospel and God’s own commentary on the Five Books of Moses.*

* The Gospel of John is perhaps the least-read commentary about the Five Books of Moses. A careful study of John will put to shame a century of rationalistic Biblical works.

KJV John 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

The Son of God existed in the beginning. He is the Logos, and through this Logos, God’s Word, all creatures and elements, stars and planets, were fashioned. To make this very certain, the double negative is used – not one single thing was made apart from Him. Moreover, He is the life and the light of men.

The opening of the Fourth Gospel begins with the three- fold use of the Word, which indicates the Trinity, as taught throughout John and throughout the entire Bible. The link to Genesis is difficult to miss, since only Genesis and John start with the same phrase – in the beginning. Another lesson hidden in plain view – is light being created in Genesis – before the sun and planets. The true Light of man is the Son of God, not the sun, planets, and moon, so often worshiped by pagans.

These comparisons are not slight or accidental, but essential to the entire Bible and our understanding of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior. They show how much of the Old Testament is essential to the New Testament, so knowledge of one without the other is slighted.

The link between Genesis and John is attacked from two positions. One is to dismiss the Creation in Genesis because every religion has some kind of Creation story, from the absurd to the disgusting. The other is to remove the apostolic authority of John by saying it is a philosophical or Gnostic work written centuries after Christ. Thus, with so much time spent outside of Christian sources, they find no DNA match between John and Genesis, but an astounding array of invented matches between paganism and the Biblical books. “The Bible is dependent upon pagan religion” will place a clever lad or lass in the best world religion faculties, at elite divinity schools, and at tenure-protected denominational seminaries.

One Truth, One Harmonious Doctrine

The fatal trigger for many is the promiscuous use of brief portions of Scripture to prove a point, apart from obvious dissonance with the Bible as a whole. The trigger word is spelled skandalon in Greek, and it means the part which sets off the trap and captures the prey. The Word of God is not so confused that it reveals one truth here and a conflicting truth somewhere else. The only way to read the Bible is seeing it as the Book of the Holy Spirit, Luther’s term, and not as a series of possible debating points.

Teaching the Bible as a unified Truth is a powerful weapon against false doctrine because the contradictions are so easily identified. Laity and ministers should arm themselves in advance, but that is often not sufficient. Fortunately, attacks against the truth force us into returning to the sources, the Scriptures, and faithful books, to support the strength of the Gospel and the weakness of error.

One Teacher – The Holy Spirit

The final sermons of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel are beautiful lessons on the work of the Holy Spirit. If people studied them, they would not be gaping with wonder at the gaseous marketing lectures of Fuller Seminary graduates. If the Bible were simply a work of man, it would then be just as full of contradictions as any novel. Even the classic work of Homer has errors that made the ancients say about the Iliad – “Even good Homer snores.” But the power of the Holy Spirit throughout the Bible reveals a miraculous unity on one hand and an ability to teach us on the other. The youngest child, even a baby, can comprehend the Bible’s message. However, one must believe as a child, or the Kingdom of God remains a mystery and even an enemy for those too refined to subordinate themselves to the truth.

Figure 6 This warning from Krauth should be heeded by everyone.

Continued in Part II The Efficacy of the Word

All sections of The King James Version: Precise Translation versus Fraudulent Texts and Heretical Translations

Watchwords for the Warfare of Life, Part Second. Words For The Day’s March. II. Special Graces

Continued from Part Second. Words For The Day’s March. I. The Leader

Love, Humility, Forbearance, Gentleness, Goodness.

Love.

IT had been enough (in enumerating the fruits of the Spirit) to have said love, and no more; for love expandeth itself into all the fruits of the Spirit, when he saith, “Love is patient, courteous,” &c.

Our love to our neighbors should be like a pure, chaste love between bride and bridegroom, by which all infirmities are veiled, covered, and made the best of, and only virtues looked at.

The law of Christ is the law of love. And to love is not merely to wish well one to another, but to bear one another’s burdens, that is, to bear those things which are grievous unto thee, and which thou wouldst not willingly bear. Therefore Christians must have strong shoulders and powerful bones, that they may bear flesh, that is to say, the weakness of their brethren; for Paul says that they have burdens and troubles. Love is mild, patient, courteous.

How Luther bore the Burdens of others.

WHEN Doctor Sebald and his wife both died of the plague, and Dr. Martin Luther took their children home to his own house, many blamed him and said he was tempting God. “Ah!” he said, “I had fine masters who would have taught me what it is to tempt God.”

Joy.

THIS is the Voice of the Bridegroom and the Bride; that is to say, sweet cogitations of Christ, wholesome exhortation, pleasant songs and psalms, praises and thanksgivings.

God loveth not heaviness and doubtfulness of spirit; He hateth discomforting doctrine, heavy and sorrowful cogitations, and loveth cheerful hearts.

Joy and Fear.

DAVID says, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice before Him with trembling.” Let someone make this rhyme for me: “to rejoice” and “to fear.”

My little son Hans can do this with me, but I cannot do it with God. For when I sit and write, or do anything, he sings a little song to me the while; and if he makes it too loud, and I tell him so, then he still sings on, but makes it softer, crowing on with a sweet little subdued voice, slyly watching me all the time. So would God have it with us, that we should be always rejoicing, yet with fear and reverence before Him.

Grace and Peace.

THESE two words, grace and peace, do contain in them the whole sum of Christianity. Grace containeth the remission of sins; peace, a quiet and joyful conscience.

When the grace and peace of God are in the heart, then is man strong, so that he can neither be cast down by adversity, nor puffed up by prosperity; but walketh on evenly, and keepeth the highway, and is able to bear and overcome all troubles, yea, even death itself; for in spirit he walketh in the paradise of grace and peace.

Humility.

LEARN OF ME.

NO one ever made himself so low and little as Christ, so that He alone has the right to say, “Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart;” words which no Saint can venture to utter, nor ever more claim to himself the mastership in meekness and lowliness, All together they abide forever scholars under this Master.

The whole Gospel is nothing more than the history of this lowliest “Son of God,” and of His humiliation.

BY His washing of the disciples’ feet, the Lord Christ would show us that the kingdom which He was establishing should not be an outward, worldly kingdom, wherein there is respect of persons, one greater and higher than another, as in Moses’ kingdom; but a kingdom wherein one should serve another by humility. “The greatest among you shall be as the youngest; and he that is chief among you as he that doth serve.”

No man, if he were the gentlest and kindest in the world, could have such a gentle bearing as Christ had; for Christ is the Lamb of God, who beareth the sin of the world.

The Gentleness of Christ.

THERE is a legend of St. Peter, that he had always by him a cloth wherewith he wiped his eyes, which were often red with weeping. (And I can well believe it!) When he was asked why he wept, he said, “When he recalled that most sweet gentleness of Christ with His apostles, he could not restrain his tears.” Christ must indeed have been perfect in kindness and tenderness. And even so and even such is he now daily with us, but we perceive it not.

The Silence of Christ.

CHRIST refrained from preaching and teaching until His thirtieth year, ever keeping silence, and suffering Himself not to be seen or heard in public. Throughout those years, what great and manifold impieties, idolatries, false religions, blasphemies, heresies, and schisms must He have seen. Yet He could refrain Himself until He was called to the office of the Prophet. This is much to be wondered at.

Luther Nothing in Himself.

MANY believe for my sake. But those only believe rightly who would remain steadfast in their faith, if they heard (which God forbid) that I had denied and apostatized. These believe not in Luther, but in Christ. The Word possesses them, and they possess the Word. Luther they can let go, be he a saint or a villain. God can speak as well through Balaam as through Isaiah, through Caiaphas as through Peter. Yea, He can speak by an ass.

I myself know nothing of Luther; will know nothing of him. I preach nothing of him; only of Christ. The devil may take Luther (if he can). If he leave Christ in peace, it will be well with us too.

So let us pray, before all things, that God may make His dear Child Jesus great in our hearts, from day to day, that with all eagerness and joy we may praise, bless, and confess Him before all.

Our God is the God of the low and the lowly. Power becomes strong in weakness; if we were not weak, we should be proud. It is only in weakness He can show His strength.

Humility the Secret of Unity.

TO MICHAEL DRESSEL AND THE AUGUSTINIAN CHAPTER AT NEUSTADT, 1516, 25 SEPTEMBER.

I HEAR with grief that though living in one house, you are living without peace and unity, neither are you of one heart and mind in the Lord. This miserable and useless way of living comes either from the weakness of your humility (emphasis mine) —for where humility is, there is peace—or from your and my fault, in that we do not entreat before the Lord who made us, that He will direct our way in His sight, and lead us in His righteousness. He errs, errs, errs, who by his own counsel presumes to direct himself, much more others. With humble prayer and devoted affection must we seek this from God.

There is peril in a life without peace, for it is without Christ, and is rather death than life.

ALL the works of God are embraced in the Magnificat (what Mary said to Elizabeth in Luke 1:46–55). If a thing exalts itself, it is nothing; and again, when it is at the lowest and lowliest, it is once more exalted. If the weak in faith did not belong to Christ, what would have become of the Apostles, whom the Lord, even after His resurrection, often had to rebuke for their unbelief. <\

Bearing one Another’s Burdens.

Forgive because forgiven.

TO GEORGE SPENLEIN—I516.

FOR the rest, about which thy soul is concerned, I desire to know whether, wearied out with her own righteousness, she is learning to breathe and trust in the righteousness of Christ. For in this our age, this temptation to presumption waxes hot in many, and chiefly in those who are struggling with their whole might to be just and good.

Ignorant of the righteousness of God, which in Christ is freely and most generously bestowed upon us, they seek in themselves to do such good works that at last they may have confidence in standing before God, as if adorned with virtues and merits; which is impossible to be done.

When thou wert with us thou wert of this opinion, and in this error, and I also. But now contend against this error; not yet, however, have I overcome.

Therefore, my good brother, learn Christ, and Him crucified; learn to sing to Him, and despairing of thyself, to say to Him “ Thou, Lord Jesus, art my righteousness, but I am Thy son. Thou hast taken on Thee what is mine, and Thou hast given to me what is Thine. Thou hast taken what Thou wast not, and given to me what I was not.”

Take heed lest thou aspire to such a purity as not to seem to thyself a sinner. For Christ dwells only in sinners. For this cause did He descend from heaven, where He dwells in the just, that He might also dwell in sinners,

Ruminate on that love of His, and thou shalt be conscious of most sweet consolation in thy soul.

For if by our labors and afflictions it is possible for us to reach quiet of conscience, for what did He die? Therefore, nowhere save in Him, by a confiding self-despair, wilt thou find peace; whilst thou learnest of Him, that as He has taken thee on Himself, and made thy sins His, so also has He made His righteousness thine.

If thou firmly believest this, as thou shouldst (and he who believes not is accursed), then do thou also take on thee thy undisciplined and erring brethren, and patiently bear with them, making their sins thine own. And if thou hast anything good, let it be theirs. So teaches the apostle: “Receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.” And again, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, emptied Himself.” So also thou, if thou seemest to thyself better than they, think it not robbery, or something meant for thyself alone, but “empty thyself,” and forget what thou art, and be as one of them, that thou mayest sustain them.

For miserable is that righteousness, which by comparison deeming others worse, will not bear with them, but meditates to fly and desert them, when by patience and prayer while present with them it might be profitable to them. This is to hide the Master’s talent, and not give it, as due, to the usurers.

Therefore, if thou art a lily and a rose of Christ, since thine abode must be among thorns, seek and strive with a single heart for the welfare of others, lest by impatience and rash judgment, or by hidden pride, thou thyself become a thorn.

The kingdom of Christ is in the midst of His enemies, as saith the Psalm. Dost thou, then, imagine to thyself that thine shall be in the midst of friends?

Thus, whatever thou lackest, prostrate before the Lord Jesus, ask for it. He Himself will teach thee all things. Consider only what He has done for thee, and for all, that thou also mayest learn what is due from thee to others.

If He had willed to live only amongst the good, and to die for friends, for whom, I ask, would He have died, or with whom would He have lived?

Thus do, my brother, and pray for me, and the Lord be with thee.
WITTENBERG, 1516.
Thy Brother, MARTIN LUTHER, AUGUSTINIAN.

To the People of Wittenberg.

ON BEARING WITH THE WEAK.

CHRIST has borne our impotence in life and death. As Christ has done for us, we should do for our neighbor. He has borne our infirmities; so should we bear our neighbor’s infirmities.

They have brought in these innovations in trivial things, and let faith and love go.

We have many weak brothers and sisters who dwell around us. These also must we take with us to heaven.

If Duke George and many others are angry and enraged with us, let us bear with them. It is possible that they may become better men than we are.

In these free things, we must nowhere insist; only, if our enemies insist on them as necessary things, we must resist.

Mark this emblem. The sun has light and heat. This light no kaiser nor king can quench. So also no one can quench the Word. But the heat we can flee, and go into the shade. Thus does Love, yielding to her neighbor, whenever needful.

The Incarnation the Bond between Men. 1521.

GOD has become man; nevermore, therefore, should we be enemies to any man. We should be ready to lay down life for each other. Who would hate or injure the image in body and soul of Him who is thy God?

Those who wrong us still our Neighbors.

EVERY man is my neighbor, who although he hath done me some wrong, or hurt me by any manner of way; yet notwithstanding, he hath not put off the nature of man, or ceased to be flesh and blood, and the creature of God most like unto myself. Briefly, he ceaseth not to be my neighbor. As long, then, as the nature of man remaineth, so long remaineth the commandment of love, which requireth at my hand that I should not despise mine own flesh, nor render evil for evil; but overcome evil with good, else shall love never be as Paul describeth it.

GOD forgives sins of pure grace for Christ’s sake; but we must not abuse His grace and forgiveness. Our Lord God has given us many signs that sins shall be forgiven us, namely, the preaching of the Gospel, Baptism, the Sacrament, and the Holy Spirit in our heart.

Now, it is also needful that we give a sign to show that we have received forgiveness of sins. This sign is, that each of us forgive his brother his trespasses. Although, indeed, between God’s forgiveness and ours there is no comparison. What are the hundred pence to the ten thousand talents?

But to this brotherly forgiveness it is essential that the brother whom I am to forgive should confess his sins; for sin which is not confessed, I cannot forgive. If my brother continues to wrong me, I must indeed suffer it, but I cannot forgive it, because he will not confess it.

Care for the Fallen.

TAKE care of this fallen brother of thine, yea, of ours. Nor do thou, averted from pity, abandon him who, subverted by impiety, abandoned thee. Let it not distress thee that ye suffer offense. To bear one another’s burdens is that to which we are all called, baptized, ordained. For such has Christ been to us, such He is, such He will be forever; as it is written, “Thou art a Priest forever.”

Hope for the Fallen.—1516.

NO man hath so grievously fallen at any time, but he may rise again. And on the other hand, no man taketh so fast footing but he may fall. If Peter fell, I may likewise fall. If he rose again, I may also rise again.

A Child helping a Veteran.

GO to thy brother in hours of temptation. One alone is too weak to encounter the tempter. I am often glad of having even a child to speak to. This is so, in order that we may not glorify ourselves. Therefore at times I need and find help from one who has not as much theology in his whole person as I have in one finger, that I may learn what that meaneth, “My strength ts made perfect in weakness.”

OFTEN when I have lain under temptation, and have been in anguish, Philip Melanchthon, or Dr. Pommer, or my own wife has comforted me with the Word of God, so that I came thereby into peace, and felt “God says this,” be- cause my brother said it.

I UNDERSTAND now that St. Paul was at times weak in faith, and when he went to Rome he was comforted when he saw that the brethren came to meet him.

Yielding for Peace sake.

IF two goats meet each other on a narrow path above a river, what will they do? They cannot turn back; they cannot pass each other; if they were to butt at each other, both would fall into the water and be drowned. What then will they do? Nature has taught them, one to lie-down, and let the other pass over it. Thus both are unhurt.

So should one man do to another; let himself be trodden under foot rather than quarrel and contend.

Toleration of Differences.

BY the Word alone I condemn. Let him who believes, believe and follow. Let him who believes not, not believe, and be dismissed. No man is to be constrained to faith and the things of faith, but to be drawn by the Word, that believing willingly, he may come spontaneously.

Cease to contend by violence for the Gospel. By the Word the world is overcome. By the Word the Church is preserved, and by the Word she is restored.

CHRISTIAN freedom is no trifle, although it may concern a trifle.

I KNOW, I know it must be that offenses come; neither is it a miracle for man to fall. The miracle is for man to rise again and stand upright. Peter fell that he might know himself to be a man. To-day also the cedars of Lebanon fall, whose tops touch the heavens. Nay (which surpasses all wonders), an angel fell in heaven, and Adam in Paradise.

What wonder then if a reed is shaken with the wind, and the smoking flax is quenched? The Lord Jesus teach thee, and work with thee, and finish the good work.

Thankfulness.

How God gives.

IF God refused us for a time the use of His creatures; if He once withheld the sun from shining, at another time imprisoned the air, or again dried up the waters, or quenched the fire, then we would indeed eagerly give all our money, and everything we possessed, to have once more the use of these creatures.

But because He lavishes His gifts and riches on us so freely and so abundantly, we claim them as a right. Thus the unspeakably great abundance of His countless benefits hinders and darkens our faith.

Constancy of God’s Gifts leading to Ingratitude.

GOD gives sun and moon and stars and elements, fire and water, air and earth, and all creatures, body and soul, and all kinds of nourishment, in fruits, grain, corn, wine, and all that is needful and useful to preserve his temporal life.

And, besides, He gives us His good Word; yes, Himself.

What return is rendered to Him? Nothing else, but that He is blasphemed, and set at naught; yea, His dear Son grievously scorned, mocked, and hung on the cross; and His servants plagued, hunted down, and slain. This is our gratitude to Him for having created, redeemed, nourished, and preserved us.

IF God were to say to the Pope, the Emperor, kings, princes, bishops, doctors, rich merchants, burghers, and farmers, “Thou shalt die this very day, unless thou give Me a hundred thousand florins,” every one would say, “Yes, with all my heart, if I may only live.”

But now we are such thankless creatures, that we scarce sing Him a Deo gratias (thank God) for the many and great benefits which we daily receive abundantly from His pure goodness and mercy.

Nevertheless, the gracious Father is not estranged by this, but is ever doing us good. If He stinted his gifts, instead of lavishing and showering them on us, we should thank Him more. For instance: if we were all born with one leg or foot, and only in our seventh year received the second leg; at fourteen one hand, at twenty a second, we might recognize more the worth of the gifts for a time withheld, and be more thankful.

WE are so shamefully perverse that we are unthankful for our present gifts and goods, and only think of little deficiencies. Let every one go home and count the gifts which he has; he will find far more gifts than deficiencies; and let him thank God for them.

To be used with Thanksgiving.

WHEN grapes, nuts, peaches, etc., were set on the table after the meal, and all were enjoying them, he said: “What does our Lord God on high, in heaven, say to our sitting here consuming His gifts? Verily for this purpose He created them, that we should use them; and He asks nothing from us but that we should acknowledge they are His gifts, and enjoy them with thanksgiving.”

Two Sacrifices.

THE Scriptures point out two sacrifices which are well-pleasing to God. The first they call the sacrifice of praise, when we teach or hear God’s Word with faith, and confess and spread it, and thank Him from our hearts for all the unspeakable gifts so richly given us in Christ. “He who offereth praise, he honoreth Me.”

The other sacrifice is when an agonized, troubled heart takes refuge with God, seeks help from Him, and patiently waits for it. “The sacrifices of God are a troubled spirit. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.”

The Church a Choir of Praise.

GOD has created all creatures, and nourishes and preserves them freely, out of pure goodness. But the little flock, dear Christendom, says Him a Deo Gratias for it.

On Giving and Communicating.

EVERY Christian has the priest’s office, and does priestly work.

LET us be liberal and bountiful towards all men, and that without weariness. For it is an easy thing for a man to do good once or twice, but to continue, and not to be discouraged through the ingratitude and perverseness of those to whom he hath done good, that is very hard. Therefore he doth not only exhort us to do good, but also not to be weary in doing good.

And to persuade us he addeth: “For in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” As if he said, “Wait and look for the eternal harvest that is to come, and then no ingratitude or perverse dealing of men shall be able to pluck you away from well-doing; for in the harvest-time ye shall receive most plentiful increase and fruit of your seed.” Thus, with most sweet words, he exhorteth the faithful to the doing of good works.

Date and Dabitur.

THERE was once a convent, which while it gave freely was rich, but when it became weary of giving it grew poor. Now, once upon a time one came to this convent and asked an alms, but they refused him. Then the beggar inquired why they would not give anything to him for God’s sake? The porter replied, “We are poor.” Thereupon the beggar said, “The cause of your poverty is, that once you had two brothers in the convent, but one of these ye have cast out, and the other has secretly crept after him, and is gone too. For when Brother Date is set at naught, then Brother Dabitur also departs.<

Hoping for Nothing again.

A PERSON was once excusing himself by saying “he would gladly help and serve people, and do them good, but their ingratitude repelled him.”

Then Dr. Martin Luther said, “Benefits and kindnesses should be conferred secretly, not with a view to fame; quietly and without seeking our own enjoyment, for God’s sake, and for our neighbor’s good.”

THERE are three kinds of alms: first, that we give something towards the maintenance of the office of the preacher. Secondly, to relieve our poor friends and kindred. Thirdly, to help strangers, and those who live near us, or any who need our aid, and cannot live without the help of others.

THE noble Word brings naturally with it a burning hunger and an insatiable thirst, so that we cannot be satisfied even if thousands believe in it, but still long that no human creature may lack it.

Such a thirst suffers us not to rest, but impels us to speak (as David says, “I believed, therefore have I spoken.” And St. Paul, “We having received the same spirit of faith, therefore we also speak”), until we would press the whole world to our hearts, and incorporate every one with us, and make, if possible, one Bread and one Body of all.

But not only does this thirst fall short of its longings; men still it with gall and vinegar, as with Christ on the cross.

Such a thirst had St. Paul when he wished that “every one were even as he, except these bonds;” when he wished to be “banished from Christ for his brethren’s sake.”

Such a thirst for the salvation of your brethren have ye now received, sure token of a faith sound at the root. What remains then but that ye also must await the vinegar and the gall? That is, calumny, shame, persecution, as the reward of this your Christian speaking.

How Luther gave.

TO HIS WIFE, ON A SERVANT LEAVING THEIR SERVICE.

SINCE Johannes is going away, I will do all I can that he may leave me well cared for. For thou knowest how faithfully and diligently he has served, and truly demeaned himself humbly, according to the Gospel, and has done and suffered all things.

Therefore think how often we have given gifts to good-for-nothing people, and to ungrateful students, on whom all was wasted; so look around thee now, and see that such a good fellow lacks nothing; for thou knowest it will be well spent and pleasing to God.

I know well there is but little to spare; but I would gladly give him ten florins if I had them. Less than five florins thou must not give him, for he has no stock of clothes. What thou canst give more, give, I pray thee. The common fund might present something for my sake to such a servant of mine, seeing that I have to keep my servants at my own cost, for the service and use of their church. But as they will. At all events be thou sure not to fail, as long as there is a silver tankard left. Think how thou canst provide it. God will surely give us more; that I know.

AGAIN, “To him who gives willingly it shall be given.” Therefore, dear Kathe, when we have no more money, we must give the silver tankards (a form of drinkware consisting of a large, roughly cylindrical, drinking cup with a single handle).

DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER went once, with Dr. Jonas, Master Veit Dietrich, and others of his guests, to walk in the little town of Tessen, There Doctor Martin Luther gave alms to the poor. Then Dr. Jonas also gave something, and said, “ Who knows when God will repay me?” Thereupon Dr. Martin Luther said, laughing, “Just as if God had not first given it to you. Freely and simply should we give, from mere love, willingly.”

Luther’s Theology in his Seal.

TO LAZARUS SPENGLER.

SINCE you wish to know about the device for my seal, I will send you my first thoughts, which I would have my seal express, as a sign and token of my theology.

First, there shall be a cross, black, in a heart which shall have its natural color, that thereby I may remind myself that faith in the Crucified saves us. For if a man believes from the heart he is justified.

But although it is a black cross, because it mortifies, and must also cause pain, yet it leaves the heart its own color; that is, destroying not its nature; not killing, but preserving alive. For the just shall live by faith, but by the faith of the Crucified.

Moreover, this heart shall be set in the midst of a white rose, to show that faith gives joy, consolation, and peace, and sets the heart as in a white festive rose. Yet not as the world gives peace and joy; therefore shall the rose be white, and not red. For white is the color of angels and of spirits.

The rose is set in a sky-blue field; because such joy in the spirit and in faith is a beginning of the heavenly future joy—is indeed enfolded therein, and embraced by hope, but not yet manifest.

And in this field shall be a golden ring, because this blessedness endures eternally in heaven, and has no end, and is precious above all joy and all riches, as gold is the highest and most precious of metals.

Christ, our dear Lord, be with your spirit until that life. Amen.

Flowers

Continued in Part Third. Words For The Halting-Places. I. The Visible Creation

All sections of Watchwords for the Warfare of Life

Watchwords for the Warfare of Life, Part Second. Words For The Day’s March. I. The Leader

Continued from Part 1 Words for the Battle-Field, V. The Enemy

I. The Leader

FOR the rest, I am expecting daily the maledictions of Rome. I am disposing and arranging all things, so that when these arrive I may go forth prepared and girded; like Abraham not knowing whither, or rather knowing most certainly whither, since God is everywhere.—1518.

WHAT a beautiful, comforting Gospel that is in which the Lord Christ depicts Himself as the Good Shepherd; showing what a heart He has toward us poor sinners, and how we can do nothing to save ourselves,

The sheep cannot defend nor provide for itself, nor keep itself from going astray if the shepherd did not continually guide it; and when it has gone astray and is lost, it cannot find its way back again nor come to its shepherd; but the shepherd himself must go after it, and seek it until he find it; otherwise it would wander and be lost forever. And when he has found it he must lay it on his shoulder and carry it, lest it should again be frightened away from himself, and stray, or be devoured by the wolf.

So also is it with us. We can neither help nor counsel ourselves, nor come to rest and peace of conscience, nor escape the devil, death, and hell, if Christ Himself, by His word, did not fetch us, and call us to Himself. And even when we have come to Him, and are in the faith, we can- not keep ourselves in it, unless He lifts and carries us by His Word and power, since the devil is everywhere and at all times on the watch to do us harm. But Christ is a thousand times more willing and earnest to do all for His sheep than the best shepherd.

Not at our own Will.

I CANNOT guide myself, and yet would fain guide the world! Many a time I have made fine articles and rules, and brought them to our Lord God to guide Him. But the good God has let me see in the end how all my mastering has come to nothing.

Not at our own Pace.

THIS temptation oftentimes excuseth the godly, that their life seemeth unto them to be rather a certain slow creeping than a running. But if they abide in sound doctrine and walk in the spirit, let this nothing trouble them. God judgeth far otherwise.

For that which seemeth unto us to be very slow, and scarcely to be creeping, is running swiftly in God’s sight. Again, that which is to us nothing else but sorrow, mourning, and death, is before God joy, goodness, and true felicity.

The Word of God as Daily Bread.

ALTHOUGH the works of God are not dumb, but picture Him to our eyes that we may see Him, yet He comforts us far more powerfully when He adds to His works a living Word, which the eyes do not see, but the ears hear, and the heart, through the in working of the Holy Spirit, understands.

“The Divine Art of Learning.”

I ALTHOUGH I am an old Doctor of the Holy Scriptures, have not yet come out of the children’s lessons; and do not yet rightly understand the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer. I cannot study or learn them through and through, but I am learning daily therein; and I pray the Catechism with my son Hans, and with my little daughter Magdalene.

When, indeed, do we understand in its breadth and depth the first words of the Lord’s Prayer, “Who art in heaven”? For if I understood and believed these few words, that God, who has created heaven and earth, and all creatures, and has them in His hand and power, is my Father, then would follow this sure conclusion, that I should also be a lord of heaven and earth; that Christ should be my brother, and all things be mine. Gabriel must be my servant, and Raphael my guide, and all angels must minister to me in my needs.

But now, that my faith may be exercised and preserved, my Father in heaven lets me be thrown into a dungeon, or fall into the water. In such trials we see and experience how far we understand these words, how our faith totters, and how great our weakness is.

Therefore, the one little word, “Thine” or “Our,” is the hardest word in the Holy Scriptures, as is to be seen in the first Commandment, “I am the Lord thy God.”

TO fathom and truly to exhaust one single word in the Holy Scriptures is impossible. I defy all learned men and theologians to do it.

For they are the words of the Holy Spirit; therefore they are too high for all men; and we new-born Christians have only the first-fruits, not the tithe.

I have many times thought of commenting on the Ten Commandments, but when I have only begun with the first word, which sounds thus, “I am the Lord thy God,” I have stopped short at the little word “I.” And not yet can I under- stand that “I.”

OH, my Lord God, the Holy Scriptures are not so easily understood, even when one reads them diligently. Let us learn well these three words, and ever remain learners before them: to love, fear, and trust God.

BEFORE a man can truly understand the first word in Genesis, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” he dies. If he lived a thousand years he would not learn those words through and through.

MY best and Christian counsel is, that all should draw from this spring or wellhead; that is, should read the Bible diligently. For he who is well grounded and exercised in the text will be a good and perfect theologian; since one saying or text from the Bible is better than many glosses and commentaries, which are not strong and sound, and do not stand the enemy’s thrust.

THE Bible is a very large, wide forest, wherein stand many trees, of all kinds, from which we can gather many kinds of fruits. For in the Bible we have rich consolation, doctrine, instruction, exhortation, warning, promises, and threatenings. But in all this forest there is not a tree which I have not shaken, and broken off at least a pair of apples or pears from it.

CABALA was good until Christ; but now that Christ has come, and His grave stands open, all that is over. Our fanatics say that much is still dark in the Holy Scriptures, and not yet manifest. That is false, and not true; for the sepulcher is open, and Christ has come forth into the light. Therefore, whosoever knows Christ, truly is a master in the Holy Scriptures, and remains a master.

IN this Book thou findest the swaddling-clothes, and the manger wherein Christ is laid. Thither the angels directed the shepherds. These swaddling-clothes may indeed be poor and little; but precious is Christ, the treasure laid therein.

ONCE when Jeit Dietrich said to the Doctor, in reference to heresies, “It would be better to pray not to be learned in the Holy Scriptures than to be learned in them,” Doctor Luther answered, “No, no! we might as well pray that there should be no gold in the world, or no sun in the world; because without the sun many crimes could not be committed.

It is an abominable slander against the Holy Scriptures, and against all Christendom, to say that the Holy Scriptures are obscure. There never was written on earth a clearer book than the Holy Scriptures; compared with all other books, it is as the sun to all other light.

Let none tempt you away from the Scriptures. For if you step out of these you are lost; your enemies lead you whither they will. But if you keep to them you have overcome, and will heed their raging no more than the rock heeds the waves and billows of the sea.

Only be certain and doubt not that nothing is clearer than the sun, that is, the Scriptures. If a cloud glides before them, behind them is nothing but the same clear sun. So, if there is a dark saying in the Scriptures, doubt not; behind it, most surely, is shining the same truth which in other places is clear; and let him who cannot pierce the dark, keep to what is clear.

THE Word of God is a light which shines in darkness, brighter than the sun at mid-day. For in death not only is the light of this material sun extinguished, but even of reason with all her wisdom. But there, with all faithfulness, the Word of God still shines, an eternal sun, which faith only sees, and follows on into the clear Eternal Life.

I HAVE often said that from the beginning I have prayed the Lord that He would send me neither dream, nor vision, nor angel. But I have entreated also, with earnest prayer, that He would give me the true and sure understanding of the Holy Scriptures.

“AH, if I were only a good poet,” he sighed, “I would fain write a costly Carmen (Latin for “poem” or “song,” symbolizing beauty, creativity, and expression.), Song, or Poem, concerning the use, power, and fruitfulness of the Divine Word.”

HE said, “You have now the Bible in German. Now I will cease from my labors. You have what you want. Only see to it, and use it after my death. It has cost me labor enough. What an unspeakable gift it is that God speaks to us.”

IN the evening, bear something of sacred words with thee in thy heart to bed; chewing the cud of which, like a clean ruminant animal, thou mayst sweetly fall asleep.

But let it not be much in quantity; rather little, well pondered and understood; so that rising in the morning thou mayst find ready for thee the relics of last night’s feast.

For in all study of the Sacred Scriptures we should despair of our own wit and labor, and seek understanding with fear and humility from God. At the close, and often during the reading, lift up the eyes of thy heart, and of thy body, to Christ, with a brief sigh imploring His grace, saying and thinking, “ Grant, Lord, that I may rightly understand these things; yet more, that I may do them. Behold, Lord Jesus, if this study be not to Thy glory, let me not understand a syllable. But give to me whatever shall seem to Thee for Thy glory in me a sinner.”

SAINT JOHN the Evangelist speaks majestically, with very simple words; as when he says, “In the beginning was the Word.”

See with what simple words he describes God the Creator, and all the creatures; as with a flash of lightning.

If a philosopher and man of learning had undertaken to write of such things, how would he have gone round about with wondrous, swelling, high-sounding words, magnificent but obscure, de ente et essentia (Latin meaning of being and essence), of self-existence, and divine and heavenly powers, so that one could have understood nothing. Never were simpler words; yet under such simplicity he says all.

Every word in him is worth an hundredweight; as when he writes, “He came into a city of Samaria called Sychar, and spoke with a woman;” and, “the Father honoreth the Son.”

They are indeed, in appearance, slumbering words; but when one wakes them up, and unveils them, and earnestly meditates on them, they are found indeed worthy.

UNDER the papacy they were constantly making pilgrimages to the shrines of the Saints; to Rome, Jerusalem, St. Iago de Compostella, in order to make satisfaction for sins; but now we may make true Christian pilgrimages, in faith, which will please God; that is, if we diligently read the Prophets, Psalms, Evangelists. Thus shall we make journeys, not through the earthly cities of the saints, but in our thoughts and hearts to God Himself; thus shall we make pilgrimages to the true Promised Land, and Paradise of Eternal Life.

Flowers

Continued in Words For The Day’s March. II. Special Graces

All sections of Watchwords for the Warfare of Life

The Inventors of the Climate Change Scam: The Club of Rome

What is the Club of Rome?

“The Club of Rome is a platform of diverse thought leaders who identify holistic solutions to complex global issues and promote policy initiatives and action to enable humanity to emerge from multiple planetary emergencies.” (Source: https://www.clubofrome.org/about-us/ — on the official website of the Club of Rome

“The Club of Rome is a Masonic lodge founded in 1968 on David Rockefeller’s estate in Bellagio, Italy. The Member Squadron is a traditional collection of grandiose reformers with heads of state, UN bureaucrats, leading politicians and government officials, diplomats, scientists, economists and big business leaders. A collection from all over the world with a strong side of rich Western “elite”. This political lodge also brings together multi-billionaires in the Rockefeller, Rothschild and Soros families along with political chameleons such as Anders Wijkman and industrial magnates such as the now deceased oil businessman Maurice Strong.” (Source: Club Of Rome: The Origin Of Climate And Population Alarmism )

The second definition is from Technocracy News which mediabiasfactcheck.com calls “Conspiracy-Pseudoscience.” LOL!

I fact-checked mediabiasfactcheck.com and this is what I came up with:

“Mediabiasfactcheck has been repeatedly caught in lies and distortion of truth. Repeated claims that have proven false about Covid alone are enough to quit using them. Takes going to court to get them to correct lies they publish. It is a totally discredited, self-styled ‘fact-checker’ site that has been served with a ‘cease and desist’ legal notice for publishing unsubstantiated and defamatory claims against Principia Scientific International (PSI).” (Source: https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/mediabiasfactcheck.com

David Icke and Dr. John Coleman talk a lot about the Club of Rome, but because I don’t trust information from either of those guys, I won’t use any of their materials. Coleman talked about the Club of Rome as a governing body giving orders, but I see it more as a think tank.

I consider the most reliable source of information about globalists’ plans that do not have the good of the general public in mind to be right out of publications of the globalists themselves. The following quotes are from a PDF file of a Club of Rome publication entitled: “The First Global Revolution – A Report by the Council of the Club of Rome written in 1991 by Alexander King and Bertrand Schneider. You can click the link to download the PDF file.

Quotes from the publication of the Council of the Club of Rome

From page 108 of the PDF file:

The need for enemies seems to be a common historical factor. States have striven to overcome domestic failure and internal contradictions by designating external enemies. The scapegoat practice is as old as mankind itself. When things become too difficult at home, divert attention by adventure abroad. Bring the divided nation together to face an outside enemy, either a real one or else one invented for the purpose.

From page 115 of the PDF file:

The Common Enemy of Humanity Is Man

In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming (now called climate change), water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill. In their totality and in their interactions these phenomena do constitute a common threat which demands the solidarity of all peoples.

Climate change is controversial even among scientists, but you probably didn’t know that by listening to the mainstream media. One of my friends was surprised when I called Climate Change a scam and offered evidence from a scientist, Dr. John G. Hartnett, from his website. Please see Climate change study on coral reef fish was ‘100 per cent wrong’

Researching controversial organizations and topics such as the Club of Rome and Climate Change requires spiritual discernment, and that comes from knowing the written Word of God in the Bible and a good relationship with God through obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge:..

Also see: Elitists have created the myth of climate change to eliminate national sovereignty

Watchwords for the Warfare of Life, Part 1 Words for the Battle-Field, V. The Enemy

Continued from IV. The Armies of Heaven

The Devil.

THE serpent denies the good-will of God to us, and endeavors to persuade that God does not mean us well.

THE devil tempted Eve to all sin when he tempted her to resist the will of God.

The Devil the only Enemy to be hated.

“BLESS THOSE THAT CURSE You.” How can ye do this? In no way better than by turning your eyes from the men who do you wrong, and fixing them on the wicked being who possesses them and urges them; on seeing how you can avenge yourselves, and cool your courage on him. He has not flesh and bones. He is a spirit. Therefore, as saith St. Paul, it is not against flesh and blood that ye have to fight, but against that spiritual villain above in the air, against the ruler of this dark, blind world.

WHEN it was once said to him, “I would fain know what the devil is like in character,” Dr. Martin said, “If you see the true likeness of the devil, and know what his character is, give good heed to all the commandments of God, one after another, and represent to yourself a suspicious, shameful, lying, despairing, abandoned, godless, calumnious man, whose mind and thoughts are all set on opposing God in every possible way, and working woe and harm to others. Thus you may see the character of the devil.”

FIRSTLY, in him is no fear, love, faith, and trust in God, that He is just, faithful, and true; but utter hatred, unbelief, despair, and blasphemy.

This is the devil’s head set against the first commandment of the First Table.

Secondly, a faithful Christian uses the name of God to good uses, spreads His Word, calls on Him from the heart in need, praises Him, confesses Him.

But this wicked man does exactly the contrary; treats God’s Word as a fable, blasphemes Him, curses men. There is the devil’s mouth and speech.

Thirdly, a Christian holds the office of the preacher dear, hears and learns God’s Word with earnestness and diligence, receives the Holy Sacrament according to Christ’s order. The other does the contrary, despises the preacher’s office, hears God’s Word not at all or carelessly. This is the devil’s way of hearing.

Then for the Second Table.

A true Christian honors and obeys, for God’s sake, parents, magistrates, those who have the care of souls, masters and teachers. The other obeys not parents, serves and helps them not, nay, dishonors, despises, and troubles them, forsakes them in their need, is ashamed of them when they are poor, despises them when they are old, infirm, and childish; obeys not authorities. Again, a man of true heart envies not his neighbor, bears no ill-will against him, desires not revenge, has compassion when he is hurt, helps and protects him as much as he can. The other hates, envies, rejoices in his neighbor’s troubles. There is the devil’s grim, angry, and murderous heart.

A God-fearing man lives temperately and chastely; the other the contrary, in thought, word, and act.

A good man maintains himself by labor, trade, etc., lends, helps, and gives to the needy. The other takes every advantage. These are the devil’s sharp claws.

Again, a good man speaks evil of no man— yea, even if he knows that his neighbor is guilty, he covers his sin with love. The other backbites, detracts, misinterprets, betrays. There is the devil’s wicked will.

As our Lord God is thesis decalogi, (the thesis of the decalogue) so is the devil antithesis decalogi.

THE devil can indeed frighten, overwhelm, and kill; God alone can comfort and make alive. And that is His own prerogative and work. Therefore we do not know God at all unless we know Him as a Comforter of the wretched, troubled, and distressed, a Helper in need, who makes living and joyful. The true knowledge of God is to know that God is not a devil, i.e, an accuser, an enemy, but only, entirely, and simply God, that is, only a Saviour.

WE have more cause to rejoice than to mourn; for our hope is in God, who says; “I live, and ye shall live also.” But melancholy is born with us; so the spirit of melancholy, the devil comes and stimulates it; but the Lord our God lifts us up.

WHEN one is on the battle-field with the devil, and is fighting against him, it is not enough to say, “That is God’s Word.” For this is one of the devil’s master-strokes, to snatch the weapon from our hands, especially when he takes us by surprise. This he has often tried on me. He knows that my heart is always praying the Lord’s Prayer, and yet he vexes me with the temptation that I have ceased to pray.

Let no one encounter him unless he prays the Lord’s Prayer first. The devil is skillful, and we do not know the seven-hundredth part of what he knows. He has assailed Adam, Abraham, David, and others, and tormented them in manifold ways, and he knows where to attack us, where we are weak and he may give us a wound.

The Apostle Judas who betrayed Christ was throughout his life little assailed by the devil; but when the hour was come, he went securely forth on the devil’s errand, and knew not whither.

HIS highest art is to make a law out of the Gospel; to represent the Lord Christ as a Judge and Accuser, and not as a Saviour, Mediator, High Priest, and Throne of Grace.

THE devil has a great advantage against us, inasmuch as he has a strong bastion and bulwark against us in our own flesh and blood.

THIS envious, poisonous, cunning spirit seeks to misinterpret and slander the good and godly works which a true Christian does through the grace of God, working and help of the Holy Spirit. Therefore he is called diabolus, that is, accuser and slanderer.

AT night, when I wake, the devil is there, and wants to dispute with me. The evil one would dispute with me de justitia; (of justice) and he is himself a villain, and would cast God out of heaven, and has crucified His Son.

THE devil has not indeed a do¢tor’s degree, but he is highly educated and deeply experienced, and has moreover been practicing, trying, and exercising his art and craft now well nigh six thousand years. No one avails against him but Christ alone.

NO one can understand how to contend with him, unless he first pray with great earnestness. He is skilled in a thousand arts, and is far too strong and mighty for us, for he is the prince and god of this world.

THE devil seeks high things, looks to that which is great and high; scorns what is lowly. But the eternal merciful God reverses this, and looks on what is lowly. “I look on him who is poor and of a broken heart.” But what is lifted up He lets go, for it is an abomination to Him.

THE devil, that lost spirit, cannot endure sacred songs of joy. Our passions and temptations, our complainings and our cryings, our Alas! and our Woe is me! please him well, but our songs and psalms vex him and grieve him sorely.

THE devil is a proud spirit. He cannot endure contempt. There is no better way to be quit of his temptations than by despising them (as Geroon says), just as when a traveller is attacked by a dog who would bite him; if the traveller goes quietly by, lets the dog howl and bark, and takes no heed of him, the dog does not bite him, and soon ceases to bark.

SATAN will not desist; he will contest every article of the faith in our hearts ere we depart this life, so bitterly opposed is he to the faith, which he well knows is the power and victory wherewith we overcome the world.

WE have the great devils who are doctors of theology (enemies of the First Table of the Decalogue), The Turks and Papists have little, insignificant devils to contend with, which are not theological but only juristical devils.

THE devil gives heaven before sin, and after we have sinned drives us to dismay of conscience, and to despair.

Christ does the contrary. He gives heaven after we have sinned, and peace to the troubled conscience.

ONE single devil is stronger and more cunning than all men, for they know us within and without, and compared with him we are only to be reckoned alphabet-scholars, poor and weak sinners, as we learn from experience.

FOR think only, if the devil in the beginning of the world was a bad creature, how cunning and skilful he must have become through such long practice, during which he has been assailing, and with all his power, without ever ceasing, has been tormenting Adam, Methuselah, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, David, Solomon, the prophets, the Apostles, yea, the Lord Christ Himself, and all believers.

THE devil has vowed our death. I hope, however, when he kills me, he will bite a deaf nut (i.e., the kernel will be gone).

I SHOULD be so joyful that joy would bring me perfect health, and I could not be sick for mere joy. But the devil prowls incessantly about, makes me sad and careful, and when he cannot do it directly, does it through means; as for instance, through vexatious men.

THIS white devil, which urges men to commit spiritual sins, to sell them for righteousness, is far more dangerous than the black devil, which only tempts them to commit fleshly sins, which the world acknowledges to be sins.

SATAN’S power is greater than that of twelve Turkish Emperors; his knowledge greater than that of all men; his wickedness than that of the worst men; a powerful, able, subtle spirit.

THE kingdom of this world, or the devil’s kingdom, is the kingdom of iniquity, ignorance, error, sin, death, blasphemy, desperation, and everlasting damnation. On the other side, the kingdom of Christ is the kingdom of equity, grace, light, remission of sins, peace, consolation, saving health, and everlasting life.

IT is strange that it should be commanded us, such weak flesh and blood as we are, to strive and fight with such a powerful spirit as the devil is, and that no other weapons should be placed in our hands, save only God’s Word. This must irritate and vex such a great and mighty foe. But in such combats the hard thing is to recognize the devil as the devil.

God has ordered it thus, that when this mighty spirit is overcome simply by the faith of a good man, he may be all the more vexed and put to shame. That the “strong man armed” should be vanquished by one so weak, vexes him to the heart.

Warfare against all kinds of Evil—Warfare against the Devil.

“I HOLD,” he said, “that Satan sends epidemics and sicknesses amongst men, for he is a prince of death. Therefore St. Peter saith, ‘Christ healed all who were held captive by the devil’” To this end the devil uses natural means, poisonous air, &c., as a murderer uses a sword. So also God uses natural means to preserve man’s health and life, as sleep and food.

A physician mends and repairs for our Lord God; he helps bodily, as we theologians spiritually, to make good what the devil has spoiled.

Once a burgomaster (mayor) asked me if it was contrary to God to use medicine. (Doctor Carlstadt having publicly preached that in sickness we should use no medicine, but pray that God’s will be done.) I asked him if he ate when he was hungry. “Yes,” said he. Then I said to him, “Surely then medicine, which is you may use as much God’s creature as food and drink, and all which we use to preserve this life.”

Luther’s own Experience tn such Conflicts.

“LAST night,” he said, “when I awoke, the devil came and wanted to dispute with me, and cast it up at me that I was a sinner. Then I said: Say something new, devil. That I know well already. I have committed real, actual sins. But God has forgiven me for His dear Son’s sake.”

THE devil often casts up against me that great offenses have sprung from my doctrine. Sometimes he makes me heavy and sad with such thoughts. And when I answer that much good has also sprung thence, by a masterstroke, he can turn that against me. He is a swift, acute, cunning rhetorician.

How Luther met what he believed to be an Assault of the Devil.

ONCE, in the year 1521, when I had journeyed from Worms, and was imprisoned near Eisenach, in the castle of the Wartburg (in Patmos), I was far from any one, in a chamber to which no one was allowed to come save two young boys of the nobility, who twice a day brought me food and drink. Once they had brought me a bag of hazel-nuts, of which from time to time I ate, and had locked it up in a chest. At night when I went to bed, I put out the light. Then the hazel-nuts began to rattle against each other. But I did not heed. However, when I had been a little while asleep, such a clatter was made on the stairs, as if a score of platters had been thrown down from step to step, although I knew the staircase was guarded with chains and bolts, so that no one could come up. I rose and went to the head of the staircase and saw that all was closed. Then I said, “Oh, if it is only you, it does not matter.” And committed myself to the Lord Christ, of whom it is written, “Thou hast put all things under His feet,” and lay quietly down in the bed again.

THANK God, the devil has never been able altogether to vanquish me. He has burnt himself out on the Lord Christ.

Sin.

SIN is essentially a departure from God.

THE first freedom is freedom from sin.

To Melanchthon, from Cobourg, during the Diet of Augsburg.

WHAT can the devil do worse than to kill us? I conjure thee, who art in all other things a good soldier, fight also against thyself, thy greatest enemy, who turnest Satan’s arms against thyself.

WE have against us one-half of ourselves. The flesh striveth against the spirit.

THE recognition of sin is the beginning of salvation.

HELL is primarily forgetfulness, or hatred of God, for there reign a disordered, desolate, chaotic carefulness and self-love, unable to see the goodness and mercy of God; ever seeking escape and refuge from God.

ORIGINAL sin is the perversion of original righteousness.

WHERE sin is not acknowledged, there is no help nor remedy; for he who thinks himself whole when he is sick seeks no physician.

SIN is not forgiven that it may be no more felt, but that it may not be imputed.

UNKNOWN, hidden sins are the most dangerous. Therefore the prophet says, “Cleanse me from my secret faults.”

THE sin against the Holy Ghost must be such a hidden, unacknowledged sin, not a coarse, worldly sin; but a deep spiritual sin. It must be a hardening in evil, or a contending against what is known to be truth, persevered in, without repentance until the end.

Especial Sins.

IT is a godless opinion and a vain dream to say that all sins are alike. St. Paul’s sins were very different from Nero’s.

Injustice.

TO THE ELECTOR FREDERICK, PLEADING FOR A POOR MAN HE DEEMED UNJUSTLY USED.

I KNOW well that no prince is so good but that he may deal too hastily with some, through his officials.

David was the kernel of all princes ever on the earth; yet he did wrong to poor Mephibosheth, at the demand of Ziba; thinking, however, that he had done him no wrong.

A prince may be sure his rule will be marred by injustice; well for him who does the least. Therefore are mercy and beneficence the more necessary.

Give, and it shall be given unto you. Where Date (He gives) is rich, there Dadbitur (It will be given) will be the richer.

Your Electoral Highness may be sure that I will not abandon this poor man thus. I will rather, myself, go begging for him. And if that did not answer, I would rob and steal whatever lay next me, especially from the Elector of Saxony. For your Electoral Grace is bound to maintain him.

To the Count Albert of Mansfeld

(Luther’s native Prince), warning him against oppressing his subjects.

PEACE and grace in the Lord, and my poor Pater Noster.

Your Grace will graciously listen to my poor sighs, if, on account of the speaking and crying which I hear daily concerning my poor countrymen, I cannot begin my letter to your Grace cheerfully; for it is no fault of mine, and the child’s heart in me is wounded. Your Grace must surely feel how cold you have become, and given over to Mammon, thinking only how to grow very rich; also (as the complaints go), bearing altogether too hard and sharply on your subjects, taking them from their fathers’ inheritance, and their goods, and intending to make them mere bondmen.

Which God will not suffer, or if He suffer it, He will also suffer the whole country to be impoverished to utter ruin; for all things are His gifts, which He can easily withdraw again; and He is not bound to give account,as Haggai saith, “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”

These things I write unto your Grace, as think for the last time; for the grave is nearer me now, perhaps, than people think, and I entreat that your Grace will deal more softly and graciously with your subjects, and let them abide; so shall your Grace also abide, through God’s blessing, here and yonder. Otherwise you will lose both together, and be like him of whom Aesop’s fable speaks, who killed the goose which every day laid him a golden egg, and thereby lost at once the golden egg, with the goose, and all the egg stock;—be like the dog in Aesop, who lost the piece of flesh in the water while he was snapping at the shadow. For certainly it is true, that he who will have too much gains less; whereof Solomon in the Proverbs writes much.

In brief, I have to do with your Grace’s soul, which I cannot bear to have cast out of my care and prayer; for this is to me sure: to be cast out of the Church is to be cast out of heaven. And hereto constrains me not only the command of Christian love, but also the heavy threat wherewith God has laden us preachers (Ezekiel 3d): “If thou warn not the sinner of his sin, and he die, I will require his soul at thine hands; for therefore have I set thee to be a watchman of souls.”

Therefore, may your Grace take this needful warning in good part; for I cannot on your Grace’s account suffer myself to be damned; but seek much rather to save you with myself, if it is by any means possible. But before God, am hereby free from guilt concerning this. Herewith I commend you to Him in all His grace and mercy. Amen.

Falsehood.

A LIE is like a snow-ball. The longer it is rolled, the larger it is.

Covetousness.

MAMMON has two virtues; the first, that he makes us secure when things go well, so that we live without the fear of God.

The second, that in adversity, when things go ill, he teaches us to tempt and fly from God, and to seek a false god.

IT was with good reason that God commanded through Moses that the vineyard and harvest were not to be gleaned to the last grape or grain; but something to be left for the poor. For covetousness is never to be satisfied; the more it has, the more it wants. Such insatiable ones injure themselves, and transform God’s blessings into evil.

RICHES are the pettiest and least worthy gifts which God can give a man. What are they to God’s Word? Yea, to bodily gifts, such as beauty and health; or to the gifts of the mind, such as understanding, skill, wisdom? Yet men toil for them day and night, and take no rest. Therefore our Lord God commonly gives riches to foolish people to whom He gives nothing else.

JEROBOAM’’S calves remain in the world forever until the Last Day; for whatever a man places his confidence and trust in, setting God aside, that is to him like Jeroboam’s calves, which he worships and invokes instead of the only true, living, eternal God, who alone can and will give counsel and help in all need.

All are worshiping these calves who trust to their own skill, wisdom, strength, holiness, riches, honor, power, or to any league, defense, or fortress, or in brief to anything, be it called what it may, on which the world builds and trusts. For such trust in transitory creatures is the real idolatry.

LIES drowned and overwhelmed in the sea of covetousness, deeper than the mountains under the flood; these lay only fifteen ells deep in the water, but she lies fifteen miles deep under the waves of avarice.

THE Jews suffered themselves to dream, and thought that the kingdom of Christ would be a worldly kingdom; as also the Apostles in John 14: “Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?” “We thought the whole world should see Thy glory; that Thou shouldst, be Caesar, and we twelve kings, amongst whom the kingdoms should be divided; that each of us should have had six disciples for princes, counts, and nobles; these would be the seventy-two disciples—for that was the number.” Thus had the dear Apostles already beautifully parceled out the land, according to Platonic dreams and human reason.

But Christ describes His kingdom far otherwise: “He who loveth Me, and keepeth my Word, Shall be loved of my Father; and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

IT is a terrible evil, that we see daily before our eyes, how eager a thirsty man is to drink, and a hungry man to eat, although a drink of water and a piece of bread can only keep off thirst or hunger an hour or two; whilst on the contrary no one, or scarcely any one, is eager for this most precious Physician, although He tenderly allures all to Him, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink,” and gives food and drink which are imperishable, and endure to eternal life.

WE know, thank God, that Christ has overcome the world, with her prince the devil; that sin may no more have dominion over us, nor death swallow us up. At which we should, in reason, be far more joyful than the children of the world over temporal prosperity, riches, honor, power. For these, be they as much as they may be compared with the eternal riches which Christ gives, are indeed mere trifling, contemptible fragments and crumbs.

IF we have Him, the dear Lord, we are indeed rich and happy enough, and ask not for their pomp, glory, and wealth. Too often, indeed, we lose Him, and consider not that He is ours, and we are His; especially when, in time of need, He seems to hide His face fora moment. But He says, “I am with you alway to the end of the world.” This is our best treasure.

WHERE the Gospel is, there is poverty. In olden times men could richly endow whole convents; now they will give nothing. Superstition, false doctrine, and hypocrisy give money enough. Truth goes begging.

Carefulness.

“THEY SOW NOT, NEITHER DO THEY REAP, NOR GATHER INTO BARNS.”

Let the Lord build the house, and be the householder. He who filleth heaven and earth can surely fill one house.

If thou dost not look to Him who should fill the house, every corner of it must indeed be empty to thee. But if thou art looking to Him, thou perceivest not if there be an empty corner. To thee all seems full, and indeed all is full. If not, it is the defect of thy vision, as with the blind, who see not the sun.

Not that labor is forbidden, but that God gives success. For if thou wert to plough a hundred years, thou couldst not bring one stalk out of the earth. But God, without work of thine, whilst thou art asleep, creates out of the little grain a stalk, and on the stalk many ears, as many as He wills.

The animals do not work in order to earn their food; yet each has its work. The bird flies and sings, and hatches its eggs; that is its work. Horses carry men on the road, and to the battle; sheep give us wool, milk, and cheese; that is their work; yet that feeds them not. The earth freely brings forth grass and feeds them, through God’s blessing. Thus Christ tells us to behold the fowls of the air; they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet God feedeth them. That is, they do their appointed work, but not thereby are they fed.

So also must man work. But let him know, it is Another that feeds him, namely, God blessing his work.

This is the signification of it all. God commanded Adam to eat bread in the sweat of his brow, and wills that men shall work, and without work will give them nothing. On the other hand, by our work, in itself, He gives us nothing, but only of His free goodness and blessing; that labor may be our discipline in this life, to overcome the flesh.

You say, Who places the silver and gold in the mountains, that men may find them? Who places in the field those great hidden treasures which spring out of it in corn, wine, and all manner of fruits, whereby all creatures live? Does man’s labor create these? Man’s labor indeed finds them; but God has laid the treasures there, and He bestows them.

Thus the ruler must indeed watch over the city, close the gates, guard tower and wall, put on armor, lay up stores, as if there were no God. And the householder must work as if his work in itself were to nourish the household. But he who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart.

“For He giveth His beloved, as in sleep.” They must work and watch, yet never be careful or anxious, but commit all to Him, and live in serene tranquility; with a quiet heart, as one who sleeps safely and quietly.

(The last letter to her but one.)

To the holy, care-laden lady, Katharin Lutherin, my gracious, dear Wife.

WE thank you very heartily for the great care for us, which has prevented your sleeping; for since the time that you have taken this care on you, the fire all but consumed us in our inn, breaking out outside our chamber door, and yesterday (no doubt in consequence of these cares of yours), a stone all but fell on our head and crushed us, as in a mouse-trap; for in our room, two days since, the lime and plaster crumbled away. For this also we should have had to thank your saintly cares, if the dear holy angels had not hindered. I am anxious lest, if thou dost not give up thy anxieties, the earth itself may swallow us up, and all the elements turn against us.

Dost thou learn the Catechism, and the Creed? Do thou pray, and leave God to care. It is said, “Cast your care on Him, for He careth for you.”

Temptation, and Depression of Spirit.

For one heavy in Heart.

FIRST of all, let her not look at herself, nor judge herself by her own feelings, but grasp the Word, and hang upon it, and plant herself on it, in defiance of all, and dire¢t all her feelings, and all the thoughts of her heart towards it.

Let her also lift up her voice in praise. A strong medicine lies therein. For the evil spirit of heaviness is not to be chased away by sad words and complainings, but by the praise of God, whereby the heart is made glad.

YOUR distress is, that God Almighty knows from eternity who will be saved. Which is true; for he knows all things, the drops in the sea, the stars in heaven, the roots, branches, twigs, and leaves of every tree. He has numbered the hairs of our heads. From this you conclude that do what you will, good or bad, God knows already whether you will be saved or not. And further, you think more of damnation than of salvation, and therefore you despair, and know not how God is minded toward you.

Wherefore I, as a servant of my dear Lord Jesus Christ, write you this, that you may know how God the Almighty is minded toward you.

God, the Almighty, does know all things; so that all works and thoughts in all creatures must happen according to His will. But His earnest will, and mind, and decree, ordered from eternity, is “that all men shall be saved,” and shall become partakers of eternal joy. “God willeth not the death of a sinner, but that he should be converted and live.”

If, therefore, He wills that sinners, wherever they live and wander under the broad, high heavens, should be saved, will you, by a foolish thought suggested by the devil, sunder yourself from all these, and from the grace of God?

God the Father Himself, with His own finger, points out to you how He is minded toward you, when with loud clear voice He cries, “This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased. Hear Him.”

And even if you were ever so hard and deaf, and as a despairing man turned to stone, could not look up to heaven, nor hear God the Father calling to you on those heights, yet can you not fail to hear the Son, who stands in the highway by which every one must pass, and as with a mighty trumpet calls, “Vesete!” “Come, come!”

But who are those who are to come? “ Ye that are weary and heavy-laden.” What kind of a company is that? “Heavy-laden;” as if He knew it all well, and would take our burdens and loads on His shoulder, and not only help us, but altogether rid us of them.

To Hieronymus Weller.

IN AN ATTACK OF DEPRESSION.

THEREFORE, before all things, thou shalt firmly hold, that those and evil thoughts are not from God, but from the devil; because God is not the God of sadness, but the God of consolation and gladness, as Christ Himself says, “He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” But what is to live save to be glad in the Lord?

WHEREFORE use thyself at once to repel such thoughts, saying, “The Lord hath not sent thee.” Hard is the fight at the beginning; but use makes it easier. It is not thou alone who endureth such thoughts, but all the saints; yet they have fought and conquered. So also thou, yield not to evil, but go forth bravely. The highest valor in this fight is not to look at these thoughts nor to investigate them, but to disperse them like a flock of geese, and to pass by. (Emphasis mine.) He who has learnt this has conquered; he who has not learnt it will be conquered. For to gaze at them, and dispute with them until they cease, or freely yield, is but to irritate and to strengthen them.

Let Israel be an example to thee, who overcame the fiery serpents, not by gazing or by struggling, but by averting their gaze, and looking at the brazen serpent. This is the true and certain victory in this combat. Therefore take heed, my Jerome, that thou suffer them not to linger in thy heart. Thus a certain wise man replied to one so tempted, who said “ Such and such sad thoughts have come into my mind,” by saying, “Then let them go again.” And another, as a wise oracle said, “Thou canst not prevent the birds from flying above thy head; but thou canst prevent their building their nests in thy hair.”

To Barbara Lischnerinn.—1530.

VIRTUOUS dear Lady:—Your dear brother, Hieronymus, Weller has told me how you are troubled with temptations about the eternal foreseeing of God. That is truly grievous to me. Christ, our Lord, will redeem you from this. Amen.

For I know this sickness well, and have lain sick to eternal death in that hospital.

First, you must grasp firmly in your own heart that such thoughts come from the devil and are his fiery darts.

Secondly, when such thoughts come, you should ask yourself “In what commandment is it written that I should think of these things; Thou, O devil, wouldst have me care for myself, but I must cast my care on God, for He careth for me.”

Among all the commands of God, this is the highest that we should picture to ourselves His dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is to our hearts the daily and most excellent mirror wherein we see how dear God holds us.

Here we learn God’s Providence, by believing in Christ. If you believe, you are called; if you are called, you are also predestined. Let none tear Christ, this mirror and throne of grace, from your heart.

TO the heavy temptations concerning eternal election which so deeply distress many, nowhere is such a solution to be found as in the Wounds of Christ. “This ts My beloved Son; hear Him. In Him you will find Who and what I am, and what I will; and nowhere else in heaven or on earth.”

The Father has fixed a sure and firm foundation on which we can firmly rest—Jesus Christ our Lord, through Whom we must enter the Kingdom of Heaven. For He, and none else, is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

To Valentine Hausmann.—1532.

I HAVE heard of your heaviness through inward terrors; but you must not distress yourself much on this account; for God is wonderful in His way toward us, so that things seem to us often bad and hurtful which are really most useful to us, although we understand not how. Who knows what worse might have come to you, if God had not thus taken you under His discipline, and kept you in His fear? Therefore you must not be impatient although your faith be not strong. For St. Paul says the weak in faith are not to be rejected. God is not a Father who casts out sick and diseased children. If He were, He would keep none. Therefore you should say to Him, “Dear Father, if it pleases Thee thus to chastise me, I will be content to have it so. Thy will be done; only give me patience.”

For the rest, I know not how you are meeting this; for you should be calling on God and praying; especially when you feel the terror is coming, fall on your knees and cry to heaven; and although the prayer seem to you in vain, and too cold, do not for that give over. Strike a firm stroke, and pray so much the more earnestly, the more it seems to you In vain.

For you must learn to fight and not to keep still and gaze, or suffer whatever this temptation inflicts, until it ceases of itself. For that way will only gain strength. You must pray mightily, and call aloud, and with ringing words cry out the Our Father.

And before all things you have to grasp in your heart the conviction that this is from the devil, whom God will have us resist.

But if, indeed, you cannot pray, let something be read to you from the Psalms or the New Testament, with a clear voice; and listen to it. For you must use yourself, at such times, not to wrestle with the anguish in your own thoughts, without God’s Word; you should hear the voice of prayer and God’s Word together.

For without God’s Word the foe is too strong for us. But prayer and the Word of God he cannot endure.

To Jonas von Stockhausen—1532.

IT has been shown me by good friends how the malignant enemy is assailing you sorely with weariness of life, and longing for death.

You know we must be obedient to God, and diligently guard ourselves against disobedience to His will. Now you are sure God has given you life, and has not yet willed you to be dead. Therefore you can have no doubt that such disobedient thoughts come from the devil; and that with all your might you must tear them out.

Life was sour and bitter to our Lord Christ; yet He would not die except by the Father’s will, and fled from death and held to life whilst He could, and said, “My hour is not yet come.”

Elias, indeed, and Jonas, and other prophets, called and cried for death, from great anguish and impatience of life; cursed even the day of their birth. Yet they had to live and bear this weariness with all their strength, until their hour was come.

Such words and examples as the Holy Ghost’s words and warnings you must faithfully follow, and the thoughts which drive you thence you must cast out and spit upon. And although this may be sour and bitter to do, you should but think of yourself as one bound and held captive with chains, out of which you must twist and writhe yourself, with sweat of anguish. For the devil’s darts, when they pierce so deep, are not to be torn out with laughter, or without labor. They must be wrenched out by main force. You must gnash your teeth against these thoughts, and set your face as a flint to do God’s will, harder than iron or anvil.

Yet the best counsel of all is that you should scorn these temptations, and make as if you did not feel them, and think of something else, and say to the devil, “Come, then, devil! let me alone! I cannot listen to thy thoughts. I have to travel, eat, drink, ride, or do this or that.”

Herewith I commend you to our dear Lord, the only Saviour and true Conqueror, Jesus Christ.

To the Lady von Stockhausen.

THE devil is an enemy to both you and your husband, because you hold Christ, his enemy, dear.

See that you do not leave your husband a moment alone. Solitude is pure poison for him. It would do no harm to read to him histories, news, and all kinds of strange things, even if they were gloomy or false tidings and tales, about the Turks, Tartars, and the like, if he could be made to laugh and jest about it. And thereon soon follow with comforting words of the Scriptures.

Whatever you do, do not let him be alone or dull, so that he sink into thought. Never mind if he is angry at this. Pretend that you are suffering, and complain about it.

Christ, who is the cause of the devil’s enmity and your heart-trouble, will help you. Only hold fast to this, that you are the apple of His eye. Who touches you touches Him.

To Johann Schlaginhausen.— 1533.

I HEAR with pain that you are sometimes troubled in mind, although, indeed, Christ is as near to you as yourself, and will surely do you no harm, since He has shed His blood for you. Dear friend, give honor to this good, faithful Man, and believe that He holds you dearer, and has more favor to you than Doctor Luther, and all Christians.

What you trust us to be, trust Him to be far more.

For what we do, we do at His bidding. But He who bids us do it, Himself does all unbidden, from His own spontaneous goodness and kindness.

To Joachim, Prince of Anhalt.—1534.

WE know not what we should pray for as we ought, but He, as a faithful Father, knows and sees well how we should pray, and does according to what He knows, not according to how we pray.

Thus indeed a father must deal with his child, not giving what the child asks, but what he knows the child should ask. Although the child weeps for it, that does not hurt him; nor is the child’s request less dear to the father because he does not give in the way the child desires.

So also, often, the physician must not do what the patient wishes, and yet he holds the sick man none the less dear for his sick longings and for the request he cannot grant.

* * * *

I counsel you also (as a remedy against this depression) to ride, hunt, and occupy yourself as a young man should, in good company, who can be merry with you in a godly and honorable way.

To Johann Mantel.

SERVANT OF THE CHURCH AT WITTENBERG.

AS to what you write about temptation and sadness on account of death, you know how in our faith we express and confess that the Son of God suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified and died to this end, that He might, for all who believe in Him, take away the power from death, yea altogether and utterly abolish it. Dear friend, what great matter is it that we shall die, when we really think that He, the dear Lord has died, and has died for us? His death is the true, only death which should so possess and fill our hearts, senses and thoughts, that it should henceforth be to us no otherwise than as if now nothing was living any more, not even the dear sun, but that all died with the dear Lord; yet died in such a way that all with Him shall rise again at that blessed day.

In this His death and life, our death and life should sink and be swallowed up, as those who shall live with Him forever.

And truly from the beginning of the world He has been before us with His death; and to even the end of the world. He waits for us when we shall depart out of this brief, poor life, and He shall welcome us and receive us into His eternal kingdom.

To a Pastor.

ALAS, we live in the kingdom of the devil, ab extra, therefore we cannot hear or see any good, ab extra. But we live in the blessed Kingdom of Christ ab intra. There we see, though as in a glass darkly, the exceeding unutterable riches of the grace and glory of God.

Therefore, in the name of the Lord, let us break through, press forward, and fight our way through praise and blame, through evil report and good report, through hatred and love, until we come into the blessed kingdom of our dear Father, which Christ the Lord has prepared for us before the beginning of the world. There only shall we find joy. Amen.

GOD forbid that the offense of the Cross should be taken away; which thing would come to pass if we would preach that which the prince of this world and his members would gladly hear. Then we should have a gentle devil, a gracious pope, and merciful princes. But because we set forth the benefits and the glory of Christ, they persecute us and spoil us both of our goods and lives.

I DID not learn my theology all at once; but I have had to search ever deeper and deeper into it. To this many conflicts have brought me, for no one can understand the Holy Scriptures without exercise and conflict. Fanatics and pretenders, each the true adversary, namely the devil, who with his buffetings drove me to study the Holy Scriptures. If we have no such devil, we are only speculative theologians, who rove about in their own thoughts, speculating that thus and thus it must be.

Yet no good art or handicraft is to be learned without exercise. What kind of a physician would he be who perpetually did nothing but roam about the schools? He must bring his art into practice, and the more he has to do with nature, the more he sees and experiences how imperfect his art is.

It is a great grace of God to be able to say of one text in the Bible, “That I know for certain to be true.”

I know, old and learned Doctor that I am (or ought to be), that I have not yet mastered the Lord’s Prayer. Without exercise and experience no one can become truly learned.

THIS will not be thy greatest nor thy last temptation. The wisdom of God is, as it were, playing with thee and training thee, if thou livest, for real war.

IT is a hard thing to say always, I am God’s child; and to be comforted and refreshed by the great grace and mercy of the heavenly Father. To do this from the heart is not what every one can do, Therefore, without exercise and experience, no one can learn the faith in true purity.

THE Holy Spirit cheers us, and teaches us to despise death and all dangers. He says (in us), “If God wills not that I should live, then I will die; if He wills not that I should be rich, I will be poor.” But the evil spirit saddens and terrifies, at the last, after making secure and self-satisfied. Joyfulness comes from God, depression from the devil.

CONFLICT makes us live in the fear of God, walk circumspectly, pray without ceasing, grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ, and learn to understand the power of the Word.

Therefore be not faint-hearted, nor dismayed; but take such conflicts for a sure sign that thou hast a gracious God, since thou art being fashioned into the likeness of His Son; and doubt not that thou belongest to the great and glorious brotherhood of all the Saints, of whom St. Peter says, “Resist the devil, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren which are in the world.”

THE essence of temptation is that we forget the present, and covet the future, like Eve in Paradise.

ALL do not suffer the same temptations. Indeed they could not. Some must be knuckles and bones which can sustain and keep together the flesh. Just as in the body of man, if all were flesh it would fall into a shapeless mass. The knuckles and nerves hold the flesh together. So, in the Christian Church, there must be some who can sustain good buffetings from the devil; such as we three, Philip Melanchthon, Doctor Pommer, and I. But all could not bear it. Therefore, in the Church we pray one for another. Prayer does all things.

DOCTOR MARTIN said to Schlainhaeffen, “Fear not, neither be dismayed. All will turn to the best for you; your trial will work for God’s glory, and for the profit and health of us all.

“It is impossible that man’s heart can know God truly and keep Him in mind without the cross and temptation. Believe me, if you had not such a good stone in God the Father’s house, you would not have these conflicts.”

ONLY believe firmly God will make an end of this trial. For He calls that which is not, that it may be. As I have myself experienced in sore temptations, which so exhausted and tortured my body that I could scarcely breathe, went about like a shadow, like a corpse, withered, parched up, and no man could comfort me. All to whom I spoke, said “I know not.” No confessor could understand anything of it, so that I said, “Am I, then, alone? Is it I only who must be thus sorrowful in spirit and thus assailed?”’

Dr. Staupitz said to me at table, seeing me so sad and smitten down, “ Why are you so sad, brother Martin?” Then I said, “Whither shall I flee?” He answered, “Ah! know you not that such temptation is good for you? Otherwise no good could come of you.”

Ten years ago, when I was alone, God comforted me through His dear angels, with my own striving and writing.

Therefore fear not; you are not alone.

BISHOP ALBERT of Mainz used to say that “the human heart is like a mill-stone in a mill. If you place corn on it, it spins round, grinds, and crushes, and makes it into meal. If there is no corn it still spins round, and grinds itself, so that it becomes thinner and smaller. So the human heart must have work to do; if it has not the work of its calling to fulfill, the devil comes with temptation, heaviness, and sadness, till the heart devours itself with sorrow.”

In his own Sickness.

“AH, how gladly would I now die. For I am now weary and worn out, and have a peaceful and joyful conscience and heart. But know, as soon as I recover, care, toil, and temptation will not keep outside. For through much tribulation we must enter into the Kingdom of God.”

IN the year 1538, on the night of the 2nd of August, Doctor Martin Luther had a severe pain in his arm, as if it were being torn. Then he said, “Thank God! That we can say, for it is an easier thing to yield up our money, or our skin. But when spiritual temptations come, that we could say, ‘Cursed be the day wherein I was born!’ that does give pain! In such trial was Christ, in the Garden: ‘Father take this cup from Me!’ There was the will against the will.”

DOCTOR MARTIN once said to a very desponding man, “Oh, friend, what art thou doing? Canst thou do nothing but look at thy sins, thy death, and damnation? Turn thine eyes quite the opposite way, and look at Him who is called Christ. Of Him it is written that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered, died, and was buried, descended into hell, on the third day rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven. Why, dost thou think, did all this happen? That thou mightest be comforted against death, and sin. Therefore cease to fear and to be dismayed. Verily thou hast no cause. If Christ were not there, and had not done all this for thee, then indeed thou mightest fear.”

SEE what a life the Lord Christ led whilst He went about on earth. He was not much alone; there was ever a noise and stir of much people around Him. He was never alone, save when He was praying. So He has promised, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”

KING DAVID, when he was alone and idle, and went not forth to the war, fell into temptation. God created man for society, and not for solitude.

DR. LUTHER said that often when he was tempted, a word from a good friend had comforted him: “For when, in the year 1535, I was much troubled about something, and cast down, Doctor Pommer said to me, ‘Our Lord God doubtless thinks in heaven, “ What shall I do more with this man? I have given him so many great and noble gifts, and still he will despair of my goodness.”’

“These words were a glorious, great comfort to me, and took fast hold of my heart, as if an angel from heaven had spoken them to me, although Dr. Pommer thought not to comfort me with them.”

IN the year 1541 Doctor Luther was recalling his spiritual temptation in his sickness, when for fourteen days he neither ate, drank, nor slept. “At that time I disputed with our Lord God in wild impatience, and reproached Him with His promises, Then God taught me to understand the Holy Scriptures aright; for when all goes according to our will we do not know much of God’s Word. Now God will not have us be too impatient; therefore in His Holy Scriptures He requires us frequently to hope and wait on Him, as in the Psalm, ‘I wait on the Lord from one morning watch to another. For if God does not help speedily, yet He gives grace to sustain temptation. So Job says, ‘Though He slay me I will trust in Him,’ just as if he said, ‘Though it seems as if Thou hadst turned away Thy face from me, yet I will never believe Thou art my enemy.’”

A NUN, who was sorely tempted, and had no other weapons wherewith to drive away the devil, said, “I am a Christian; that word contains everything in itself.”

GOD has set a firm ground for us to tread on, and thereby to ascend into heaven, even Jesus Christ. He only is the way and door by which we come to the Father. But we want to begin our building with the roof; we despise the foundation, and therefore we must fall.

AH, if that great man, Paul, were living now, how glad I should be to learn from him what his thorn in the flesh was. It was not a beloved Thekla, as the legends say. Oh no! It was not a sin. I know not what it was.

The Book of Job is full of such temptations. His friends and comforters were sensible, prudent, wise, just, and pious people; yet they did not touch the point. For around this turns the whole debate in the book. “I am just and innocent,” says Job. They say, on the contrary, “Ah! that is of the devil, to say that thou art good and just. Then God must be unjust!” Round this question revolves the whole controversy. I hold that the Book of Job is a history, afterward worked into a poem, concerning things which were actually experienced by someone; although not uttered in the words in which it is described.

It is a good book, and therein we have a choice picture and example of an assaulted and troubled Christian. For this book was not written with reference to Job, or any individual, but is a mirror for all suffering Christians. We see in it what kind of a process God is carrying on through the trials of the Saints. For when it is only the devil and the Chaldeans, Job can be patient, and says, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” But when it is a question of God’s anger, he can no longer bear it, and falls into perplexity and disputing about the happiness of the ungodly.

But he worked his way out of this perplexity again and said, “I know that Thou art good.” Although it is hard to say it. In brief, all men have flesh and blood in them which murmurs and sets itself against God; for it is hard to believe, when we are in trial, that God is gracious to us.

Flowers

Continued in Part Second. Words For The Day’s March. I. The Leader

All sections of Watchwords for the Warfare of Life

Watchwords for the Warfare of Life, Part 1 Words for the Battle-Field, IV. The Armies of Heaven

Continued from III. The Weapons of Our Warfare.

The Church.

“As it stands in the third article of our faith, one holy catholic—that is universal—Church, the communion of saints.”

The Church is an assembly of people that depends on things which do not appear, nor can be apprehended by the senses; namely, on the Word alone. This people believes what the Word says, and gives God the glory of trusting that what He promises us therein is true.

THE Church is never in a more perilous state than when she has quiet and peace.

GOD has set His Church and Christian community in the midst of the world, amid infinite external action, manifold occupations, callings and standings, to the end that Christians should not be monks, nor fly into cloisters or wildernesses, but should live amongst people and be sociable, that their works of faith may be open and manifest.

To live in society and friendship with each other, as Aristotle the heathen says, is not indeed the end of man, whereunto he is created, but only a means to the end.

The most excellent end for which we are created is that one should teach another about God, what He is in His being, what His will is, how He is minded towards us.

Therefore let us in the Church, with the Church, pray for the Church. For there are three things which preserve the Church, and essentially belong to the Church: firstly, to teach faithfully; secondly, to pray diligently; thirdly, to suffer really (mit Ernst).- (German meaning, “with seriousness”)

THE labor and travail of the Church lasts a long time; but one day her day and hour will come, that she shall be redeemed, and joyful indeed will be her aspect then.

THE outward form and aspect of the Church is without form or comeliness, sad and troubled; but in truth she is triumphing and gaining the victory with Christ. “He has set us in the heavenly places together with Christ.” As a bride is Domina (from Latin, Mrs.) and lady of her husband’s possessions, so is a believer lord of all the possessions of the Bridegroom; for he is quickened with Christ, and set in heavenly places with Him.

God looks not on the evil in His Church, but only on Christ, His dear Son, whom He holds so dearly beloved, that for that love’s sake He sees no evil in His Bride, for “He has cleansed her through the washing of water, by the Word.”

Why the Church on Earth is in Tribulation.

FIRSTLY, that we should be reminded and warned that we are exiled servants, cast out of Paradise on account of Adam’s fall in Paradise.

Secondly, that we may think of the sufferings of the Son of God, who for our sake became man, took our flesh and blood on Him, yet without sin, has walked through this valley of sorrows, has suffered and died for us, and has risen again from the dead, and has thus restored us to our Fatherland from which we were exiled.

Thirdly, that such tribulation might teach and remind us that our citizenship is not of this world, but that we here on earth are only pilgrims, and that another life, the life eternal, remains to us.

Amaranth a Type of the Church.

AMARANTH grows in August, and is more a stalk than a flower, is easily broken off, yet grows fair and flourishing after being broken. And when all the flowers are over, if this stalk is sprinkled with water and made moist it becomes fair again and green, so that in winter wreaths and garlands can be twined of it.

For this reason it is called amaranth, because it neither fades nor withers.

I know not that anything can be more like the Church than this amaranth, which we call a thousandfold fair (Tausendschon). For although the church washes her robes in the blood of the Lamb (as it is written in Genesis and in the Apocalypse), and is stained crimson, yet she is fairer than any state or community on earth. And she alone it is whom the Son of God loves as His Bride, in whom He has joy and rest.

Moreover, the Church suffers herself easily to be broken and crushed; that is, she is willing and contented to be obedient to God under the Cross, is patient therein, and springs up again fair and flourishing, and grows and spreads, yea, gains her best fruits and uses thence, for thereby she learns truly to apprehend God, freely to confess His doctrine, and brings forth far more beautiful and heavenly virtues.

Finally, the body and stock of this true Amaranth remain entire, and cannot be uprooted, however great may be the rage and assaults against particular branches, so as to rend them away. For as the amaranth, thousandfold fair, cannot fade nor decay, so nevermore can the Church fade nor decay, be destroyed or rooted up. But what is more wonderful than the amaranth? If it is sprinkled with water and laid therein, it becomes green and fresh again, as if awakened from the dead.

So, we can have no doubt that the Church will be awakened by God from the grave, and will come forth living, eternally to praise, glorify, and bless the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and His son our Redeemer and Lord, with the Holy Ghost.

For although other empires, kingdoms, principalities, and dominions have their changes, and soon fade and fall away like flowers, this Kingdom, on the contrary, has roots so firm and deep, that by no force nor might can it be torn up or laid waste, but abides for ever.

None Suffer Alone.

WE are not alone. Many here and there in the world suffer with us, whom we know not.

THE saints are but as dewdrops on the locks of the Bridegroom.

HIS Christendom is Lady and Empress in heaven and on earth; for she is called the Bride of God.

The Holy Angels.

IT would not be fit that we should know how earnestly the dear, holy angels contend for us with the devil; what a hard and severe strife and warfare it is. For if we saw it, we should be dismayed.

“THEY are ministering spirits,” and herein is set before all good Christians a great and heart-cheering truth, and a mirror of humility, that such pure and glorious creatures minister to us impure, poor, insignificant human beings, in the home, in the state, in religion.

Our faithful servants are they, rendering us service which we poor beggars and human creatures are ashamed to render another.

Thus should it be taught simply, and in choice order, concerning the dear angels.

THE good angels are wiser and can do more than the evil angels. The reason is, they have a mirror wherein they look and learn: “the face of the Father.”

THEY are far nobler than we men; firstly, in nature and essence; also because they are without sin. But they are without pride; they despise not us human creatures for our misery. Our dying, sinning, and suffering are to them a sorrow of heart.

THE nature of the good angels is a humble, loving, and kindly nature. An angel’s is a fine, tender, kind heart. As if we could find a man who had a heart sweet all through, and a gentle will; without subtlety, yet of sound reason; at once wise and simple. He who has seen such a heart, has colors wherewith he may picture to himself what an angel is.

THEY guard us from evil. This they do earnestly and with joy. The angels see nothing more gladly than when people delight in the Word of God. There they delight to dwell. Therefore seek them not yonder in heaven, but here below on earth, with thy neighbor, thy father and mother, thy child and thy friend. If thou dost to these as God commands thee, the angels will not be far from thee.

HE was once asked what an angel was. He said, “An angel is a spiritual creature, created without a body, by God, to minister to Christendom, especially in the offices of the Church. True and godly preachers should preach and teach concerning them in an orderly, Christian way.”

THEIR antitypes are the evil spirits, which were not created evil by God, but fell, from a hatred which they conceived against God.

DOCTOR MARTIN once said of the angels: “This is what I picture to myself, and I stand on it as on sure ground, that the angels are already getting ready for the field, drawing on their armor, girding on their sword and spear; for the Last Day is already beginning to dawn, and the angels are arming themselves for the combat.

IF we praise God that He has created for us the sun, the moon, wine, and bread, we should surely also praise Him that He has created the dear angels. My God, I thank Thee that Thou hast given Thy good angels, and hast set a guard of Thy heavenly princes round about us!

THE nature and character of the good angels is a humble, loving, friendly nature, which does not deem itself too high to serve poor sinful creatures, both men and women. For they are full of light, of the knowledge of God, and of the wisdom of the divine goodness. Therefore, all that God commands they understand to be perfect, and very good, because it pleases God.

LET us follow the virtues of the holy angels, and their works of love, and be very friendly, loving, and helpful to each other. No man is so kind, and so ready, and disposed to all kinds of services and good works as the angels are.

WE must learn that our best and most steadfast friends are invisible, namely, the dear angels, who with faithfulness and love, moreover with all helpfulness and true friendship, far surpass all the friends we have whom we can see. Thus in many ways we enjoy the fellowship of the heavenly spirits.

ANGELS are creatures who shine and burn with thoughts and desires how God can be praised, peace be on earth, and all men be of a good heart and mind.

His Belief about the Guardian Angel.

FROM early childhood I would accustom a child, and say to it: “Dear child, thou hast an angel of thine own. When thou prayest, morning and evening, the same angel will be with thee, and sit beside thy little bed, clothed in a white robe; will take care of thee, lull thee to sleep, and guard over thee that the evil one, the devil, may not come near thee. So, also, when thou gladly sayest the ‘Benedicite’ and ‘Gratias,’ at thy meals, thine angel will be with thee, at table, will serve thee, and guard thee.” If we pictured this to children from their earliest years, that angels are with them, this would not only make the dear children trust to the guardianship of the dear angels, but it would make them gentle and good, for they would think, “If our parents are not here, the angels are here, and the evil one must not tempt us to do wrong.”

AT the last, when we die, we have the dear angels for our escort on the way. They who can grasp the whole world in their hands, can surely also guard our souls, that they make that last journey safely.

Flowers

Continued in V. The Enemy

All sections of Watchwords for the Warfare of Life

Teaching the 70 Weeks of Daniel Prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 to Young People at a Church

On Sunday, September 29, I gave a one-hour Bible study about Daniel 9:24-27 to young people at a Church in the city of Allen, Northern Samar, the Philippines, called Cornerstone Baptist Church.

James teaching at Cornerstone Baptist Church

In the photo, it shows only 6 attendees besides me and my wife Tess, but more came a few minutes later totaling about 20 in all.

I covered all the basic points that I wrote in my article, “Who is the “He” of Daniel 9:27 Who Confirms the Covenant with Many for One Week?”

They were all largely ignorant of the false futurist interpretation of the 70th Week of Daniel as the final 7 years of the reign of the Antichrist on Earth. I told them that sooner or later they will probably hear this false interpretation, and hopefully, they will reject it because they now know the true interpretation which all the Protestants believed and taught before John Nelson Darby and C.I. Scofield’s futurist dispensational doctrines became popular in the 20th century.

I told him the false futurist interpretation of the 70th Week of Daniel was cooked up circa 1585 by a Jesuit priest, Francesco Ribera, to stop Protestants from calling the popes of Rome the Antichrist. The Protestants at the time rejected it but by and by it came to be taught by Protestants in the 19th century. When you think about it, the 19th century was the time false cults began to arise in the Church, especially Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Seventh Day Adventists.

I told them a church is only as good as the pastor of the church. I told them their pastor must be a good one who loves the Word of God because he let us tell his flock the truth about the 70th Week of Daniel!

I told them there is no way an honest true believer in Jesus Christ can come up with the futurist view that the “he” of Daniel 9:27 is the future Antichrist who arises to make a treaty with the nation of Israel for 7 years in the unknown future so that the Jews can rebuild their Temple to resume animal sacrifices so that the Antichrist can sit in it after breaking the covenant with the Jews so that he can reign as God on earth. Such a temple could not be the “holy place” of Matthew 24:15 because a rebuilt temple would represent a further rejection of the Blood of Christ, the Messiah which was shed for our sins!

I was taught the false futurist interpretation by a pastor in 1975. I was still young in Christ and had no reason to doubt what the pastor taught. It was finally in 2014 I came to know the truth about the 70th Week of Daniel.

I also talked about differences in Bible translations and why modern English translations of Daniel 9:27 are not correct. They are based on bad manuscripts. Unfortunately this is also true of the Tagalog language Bible they use. It’s similar to the NIV. I found a better translation in Tagalog called Ang Biblia. It’s similar to the KJV. Next time I see them I’ll recommend it to them.

Watchwords for the Warfare of Life, Part 1 Words for the Battle-Field, III. The Weapons of Our Warfare.

Continued from II. Rules of the Service

Faith.

FAITH is nothing else but the truth of the heart; that is to say, a true and right opinion of the heart as touching God.

FAITH is the divinity of works, and is so spread throughout the works of the faithful as is the divinity throughout the humanity of Christ.

Through faith we do good works. Through good works faith is made visible and comprehensible. As the Godhead cannot be seen nor comprehended, but when Christ became incarnate He was seen and handled.

In all our doings, spiritual and bodily, faith must rule and reign, and the heart hold it sure and firm, that God is looking on us, holds us dear, will help us, and not forsake us.

CHRISTIAN faith is not an idle quality or empty husk in the heart, until charity come and quicken it, but if it be true faith, it is a sure trust and confidence in the heart, and a firm consent whereby Christ is apprehended, so that Christ is the object of faith, yea, rather, even in faith Christ himself is present.

Faith, therefore, is a certain obscure knowledge, or rather darkness which seeth nothing, and yet Christ apprehended by faith sitteth in the darkness.

The school divines do dream that faith is a quality cleaving in the heart, without Christ. But Christ should be so set forth that thou shouldst see nothing besides him, and shouldst think that nothing can be more unto thee, or more present with thy heart than He is. For he sitteth not idly in Heaven, but is present with us, working and living in us,

Faith, therefore, is a certain steadfast beholding, which looketh upon nothing else but Christ, the conqueror of sin and death, and the giver of righteousness, salvation, and eternal life.

FOR he that is a Christian hath Christ the Lord of the law present and enclosed in his heart, even as a ring hath a jewel or precious stone enclosed in it.

He that hath faith in the heart hath such a treasure, that though it seemeth to be but little, is greater than heaven and earth, because Christ “the unspeakable gift” is greater.

THE believing man hath the Holy Ghost, and where the Holy Ghost dwelleth, He will not suffer a man to be idle, but stirreth him up to all exercises of piety and godliness, and of true religion, to the love of God, to the patient suffering of afflictions to prayer, to thanksgiving, and to the exercise of charity towards all men.

BECAUSE thou hast laid hold on Christ by faith, through whom thou art made righteousness, begin now to work well. Love God and thy neighbor, call upon God, praise Him, and confess Him. These are good works indeed, which flow out of this faith and this cheerfulness conceived in the heart, for that we have remission of sins freely by Christ.

The Reflex Action of Faith.

THE FORCE OF PRONOUNS.

BUT weigh diligently every word of Paul, and especially mark well this pronoun “our;” for the effect altogether consisteth in the well-applying of pronouns, which we find very often in the Scriptures; wherein also there is ever some vehemency and power.

Therefore, generally, it is an easy matter to magnify and amplify the benefit of Christ, namely that Christ was given for sins, but for other men’s sins, which are worthy. But when it cometh to the putting to of this pronoun ‘our,’ there our weak nature and reason starteth back, and dare not come nigh unto God, nor promise to herself that so great a treasure shall be freely given unto her.

WHEREFORE these words, “Which loveth Me,” are full of faith, And he who can utter this word “me,” and apply it unto himself with a true and constant faith as Paul did, shall be a good disputer with Paul against the law.

For He delivered neither sheep, ox, gold nor silver, but even God Himself entirely and wholly “for me,” even “for me,” I say, a miserable and wretched sinner.

HUMAN wit treats these words, “Who gave Himself for our sins,” as if the sins were not real, true sins; as if the words were said lightly, and not, as they are, in true, bitter earnest.

Faith Lifting us to God’s Horizon.

PSALM XXXVII. “For they shall soon be cut down like the grass.” He lifts us from our horizon to God’s. In our sight the wicked flourish and increase and cover the whole earth. But in God’s sight what are they? Hay! The higher the grass is, the nearer the hay-fork.

PSALM XXXVII. “But the Lord shall laugh at him, for He seeth that his day cometh.”

Not that God laughs, like a man; but that in truth it is a laughable thing to see foolish men raging (against the truth), and undertaking great things which they cannot really advance one hair’s breadth.

Just as a fool would be ridiculous, who with a long spear and a short dagger were to seek to smite the Sun out of the heavens, and with this prospect were to shout and glorify himself as if he had accomplished a grand feat.

Faith and Hope.

FAITH is a teacher and a judge, fighting against errors and heresies, judging spirits and doctrines.

But Hope is, as it were, the general and captain of the field, fighting against temptation, the cross, impatience, heaviness of spirit, desperation and blaspheming, and it waiteth for good things, even in the midst of all evils.

FAITH and hope are in many ways distinguished. Faith is in the understanding of man; hope in the will; and yet these two can no more be severed than the cherubim above the mercy seat.

According to their offices; faith dictates, distinguishes, teaches, and is knowledge and science. But hope exhorts, awakens, listens, waits, and patiently endures.

Faith looks to the word and the promise, that is, the truth. But hope looks to that which the Word has promised, to the gifts.

Faith exists at the beginning of life, before all tribulations and adversities. But hope follows afterwards and grows out of adversities.

Faith strives against error and heresy. But hope strives against tribulation and temptation.

As foresight and understanding are useless, and effect nothing without manhood and cheerfulness, so is faith nothing without hope; for hope endures and overcomes misfortune and evil. And as a joyful heart without foresight and understanding is foolhardiness, so is hope without faith.

Faith and hope are thus distinguished. Faith says, I believe in a resurrection of the dead at the Last Day. To this hope adds, “Then, if this is true, let us give up what we have, and suffer what we can, if hereafter we are to be such great princes.”

ALL which happens in the whole world happens through hope. No husbandman would sow a grain of corn, if he did not hope it would spring up and bring forth the ear. How much more are we helped on by hope in the way to eternal life.

Faith and Charity.

CHARITY giveth place, for it “suffereth all things.” But faith giveth no place; yea, it can suffer nothing. As concerning faith, we ought to be invincible and more hard, if it might be, than the adamant stone. But as touching charity we ought to be soft, and more flexible than the reed or leaf that is shaken by the wind, and ready to yield to everything.

SEE the sun! It brings us two things—light and heat. The rays of light beam directly onus. No king is powerful enough to intercept those keen, direct and swift rays. But heat is radiated back to us from every side. Thus, like the light, faith should ever be direct and inflexible; but love, like the heat, should radiate on all sides, and meekly adapt itself to the wants of all.

The Trial of Faith.

THE trial of faith is the greatest and heaviest of all trials. For faith it is which must conquer in all trials. Therefore, if faith gives way, then the smallest and most trifling temptations can overcome a man. But when faith is sound and true, then all other temptations must yield, and be overcome.

“ALAS! that we believe God so little,” he said. “I can trust my wife, and all of you, my friends, more than I can trust Him. Yet none of you would do and suffer for me what He did; would suffer yourselves to be crucified for me.”

SECURE, easy spirits, like all false Christians, when they have glanced over the Bible and heard a few sermons, soon persuade themselves they have the Holy Ghost, and that they understand and know all things.

Ah! true hearts find it far otherwise; these pray every day, yea, every moment: “Lord, strengthen our faith.”

REAL believers are always thinking they believe not, therefore they are fighting, wrestling, striving, and toiling without ceasing, to preserve and increase their faith. Just as good and skillful masters of any art are always seeing and observing that something is lacking in their work, whilst bunglers and pretenders persuade themselves that they lack nothing, but that all they make and do is quite perfect.

OUR faith is weak, and yet it is a rock; for it is the corner-stone of the heart.

Martin Luther’s own Faith in Trial.

Letter from Coburg, during the Diet of Augsburg. To the Elector Frederic, of Saxony.

AS to my affairs, my gracious lord, I answer thus: Your Electoral Grace knows (or if your Electoral Grace does not know, I hereby make it known), I have not received the Gospel from man, but from heaven, only through our Lord Jesus Christ, so that I might well esteem and subscribe myself (as henceforth I will) His servant and evangelist. That I have at any time submitted myself to human hearing and judgment was not because I doubted this, but from humility, to win others.

Now, however, that I see how my too great humility will lead to the degrading of the Gospel, and that if I yield the devil a hand’s breadth, he will take the whole place, by constraint of my conscience I must act otherwise. I have yielded enough this year, in deference to your Electoral Grace; for the devil knows well it was no faint-heartedness that made me yield. He saw my heart well, when I came into Worms; that if I had known that as many devils would set upon me as there are tiles on the roofs, I would have leapt down among them with joy.

After all, Duke George is far from being equal to one single devil. And since the Father of unfathomable mercy has, through the Gospel, made us joyful lords over all the devils, and over death, and has given us such wealth of trust that we can say to Him, “most dear Father,” it would indeed be the most shameful slight to such a Father that we could not trust Him to make us lords over Duke George’s wrath.

This, at least, I know well of myself; if needful I would ride into Leipzig, if it rained Duke Georges nine days, and each Duke George were ninefold more furious than this one.

They hold my Lord Christ to be a man twisted of straw! This may my Lord, and I, for a while, indeed, endure.

It is another than Duke George with whom I have to do, who knows me pretty well, and I know Him not ill.

Your Electoral Grace is only lord over goods and bodies. But Christ is Lord also over souls, to whom He has sent me, and to that end has awakened me. These souls I dare not forsake. I hope my Lord Christ will overcome our foes, and will be well able to shield me from them, if He so will. If so he will not, His dear will be done.

Letter to Melanchthon during the Diet of Augsburg.

THE end and event of the cause troubles thee, that thou canst not order it. But if thou couldst comprehend it, then would I be no partaker in such a cause, much less the author of it.

God has placed this cause in a certain common place, which thou hast not in thy rhetoric, nor in thy philosophy. It is called Faith, in which place are set all things invisible, and that do not appear, which things, if any one seeks to render visible, apparent and comprehensible, as thou art doing, he shall reap cares and tears as the reward of his labor, which in truth thou art reaping, all of us meanwhile warning thee in vain.

God dwelleth in the clouds, and has set this darkness as His curtain. Let him who will, change this.

If Moses had insisted on knowing the end, and how he was to escape the hosts of Pharaoh, Israel would probably have been in Egypt to this day.

To Brentins on Melanchthon’s Fears.

AFTER us, God will be the Creator, as He was before us, and is to-day, with us. He will not die with us, nor cease to be God, ruling even men’s thoughts.

It seemed to Eli, the priest, that the kingdom of Israel was perishing, the ark being taken by the Philistines; but Eli perished first, and the kingdom afterwards began to flourish most.

Philip designs to be head-ruler of the world, that is to crucify himself. But I know that He will be, in the future, who said, “Where is Abel, thy brother?”

If God exists, not here only do we live; but wherever He lives we shall live. If these things are true, what, I ask, are these furious threats of idols, not merely dying, but wholly lifeless? He who created me will be the Father of my son, a Husband to my wife, the Ruler of my country, the Preacher to my parish, and better than all that (when I am gone).

To Shalatin.

PHILIP thinks to accomplish his own counsel. Sic fecissem ego. No! it must not be “Sic ego Philippus.” The “ego” is too small. The word is, “I am that I am.”

Do thou exhort Philip in my name not to make himself God, but to fight against that innate ambition of divinity implanted in us by the Devil in Paradise. This cast Adam out of Paradise, and this only disquiets us, and casts us out of peace.

We are to be men, and not God. This is the sum of the whole matter. Otherwise eternal unrest and heart-sorrow is our portion.

To Fustus Fonas.

CHRIST has come; and He sitteth at the right hand, not of Caesar, but of God. This may be very incredible. I nevertheless delight in this incredible thing; and therein I will dare to die. Why, then, should I not live therein?

I would that Philip would take this my faith, if he has none beside.

“On the right hand,” is indeed a little thing; but the “My,” “My right hand;” where has that an end?

The pronoun does it. The name Adonai, which follows the “I have said,” will take good care of the precious “Sit Thou,” until “Thy foes Thy footstool” shall also come. What recks it, (what difference does it make) if David falls?

Farewell in Christ, and believe us, as thou dost, that Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. If He lose this title at Augsburg, He will have lost it in heaven and on earth. Amen.

To the Chancellor Bruck, at Augsburg, from “the Wilderness” (Coburg).

TWO MIRACLES.

I HAVE lately seen two miracles. The first, I as I was looking out of the window, and saw the stars in heaven, and the whole fair vault of God, yet saw nowhere any pillars whereon the Master had raised this vault. Nevertheless the heavens fell not, and that fair vault stands firm.

Now, there are some who search for the pillars, and would fain grasp and feel them. And because they cannot do this they totter and tremble as if the heavens must surely fall, from no other cause save that they cannot grasp these pillars, nor see them. If they could grasp these pillars, then (no doubt) the heavens would stand firm!

The second miracle is this. I saw also vast, thick clouds lowering over us, with such a weight that they might be compared to a great ocean. Yet saw I no floor whereon they were based, nor any shore whereby they were bound. Nevertheless they fell not on us, but saluted us with a frowning countenance and fled away.

When they had passed by, then shone forth their floor, whereon they were based, and also our roof, the rainbow. Yet that was indeed a feeble, slight, insignificant floor and roof; so slight that it faded away into the clouds, and was more like a prism, such as is wont to stream through painted glass, than such a mighty floor; so that one might well have despaired on account of the feebleness of the floor, as much as on account of the great weight of the waters.

Nevertheless it was found, in fact, that this feeble prism bore up the weight of waters and shielded us.

Yet there are some who look at the mass and weight of the clouds, and consider these more than this slight, subtle, narrow prism. They would fain feel the power of the prism, and because they cannot do this, they fear that the clouds will pour down an eternal deluge.

The Sea Restrained by a Rope of Sand.

LET the adversaries rage and storm as long as they can. God has set it bound to the sea. He suffers it to rage and swell, and to rush on with its waves in vehement assaults, as if it would cover and overwhelm all things. But nevertheless it does not pass the shore, although God binds it not with bands of iron, but of sand.

THROUGH what inner conflict this faith of Luther’s was maintained, I have and know nothing of Jesus Christ (since I have not seen him with my bodily eyes, nor heard with my bodily ears), save only His name. Yet have I, thank God, learned so much of Him from the Scriptures that I am well contented therewith, and desire not to see or hear Him in the flesh. Moreover, in my deepest weakness, in ter- rors and pressure of the burden of sin, in fear and trembling before death, in persecution from the false, cruel world, often have I experienced and felt the divine power of this name in me, abandoned as I was by all creatures. I have proved its power to snatch me from death, to make me live again, to comfort me in the greatest despair, especially during the Diet of Augsburg in the year 1530.

Prayer.

AS a shoemaker makes shoes, and a tailor coats, so should a Christian pray. Prayer is the Christian’s business, Let us pray and strive; for the word of faith and the prayer of the just are the mightiest weapons.

A COMPLAINT was once made to Doctor Martin Luther, “Dear Herr Doctor, things are issuing and happening nowhere as we would have them.” “Well,” he said, “that is precisely right. Have you not given up your will to our Lord God, praying every day, “Thy will be done on earth as it ts in heaven?”

OH, it is a great and mighty thing, the prayer of the just. But God knows best how and when to grant our prayers, for if He did always as we would, He would be our captive. I prayed once for the life of a suffering woman, with great anguish and wrestling of heart. But God knew best. He did indeed hear our prayer in such a way that in the life to come that good woman will thank me for it.

WE should commit all to God. He will make it all well. “Even to hoar hairs I will carry you; I have made, and I will bear. I will carry and deliver you. Therefore lay it all on me, my beloved; commit it to me.”

So Saint Peter: “Casting all your care upon Him.” That is a choice, consoling saying. And “Cast thy burden on the Lord, and He will sustain thee.”

Ah, these are beautiful, comforting sayings! But we want to do and order all ourselves, although we are not able, yea it is impossible. We want to lift and carry all ourselves, and forget our Lord God, and so we sink, and make the evil worse.

Indeed, sayest thou, I have committed all to Him, but He will not come, He delays too long. Oh, wait on the Lord—we must wait and hold on; for at last he will surely come.

ALL who call on God in true faith, earnestly, from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired, although not in the hour or in the measure, or the very thing which they ask; yet they will obtain something greater and more glorious than they had dared to ask.

THE cry and sigh of the heart raises a clamor that not only God but all the angels in heaven must hear. Thus, Moses was dismayed when he came to the Red Sea. He cried with trembling, shuddering, and dismay, and nevertheless did not open his mouth. “O Lord God,” he said, “ what shall I do now? How can I find my way out? I am the cause that all this people will be here miserably murdered. There is no help nor counsel. Before us is the sea; behind us are our foes, the Egyptians; on both sides high mountains. It is all over with us.” Then God answered, “Wherefore criest thou unto me.” —Exodus xiv, 13, 14, 15.

But we read their examples as if they were a dead letter.

Moses must have heaved a great sigh, that he filled therewith the ears of God. It is contrary to all which reason could have expected that they went through the Red Sea. For their way through the Red Sea is as broad as from Wittenburg to Coburg, or at least from Wittenburg to Magdeburg. In the night, moreover, they must have rested and eaten. For six hundred thou- sand men, not including women and children, even if they went three hundred and fifty, or even five hundred abreast, must have taken time.

Thus the cry of Moses seemed to Moses indeed little, but to God great.

WE think this groaning which we make in these terrors, and this weakness, scarcely to be a groaning, far less a cry. For our faith, which in temptation thus groaneth unto Christ, is very weak if we consider our own sense and feeling, and therefore we hear not this cry.

But to the searcher of hearts this small and feeble groaning (as it seemeth unto us), is a loud and mighty cry, in comparison whereof the great and horrible roarings of the law, of sin, of death, of the devil, and of hell, are as nothing, neither can they even be heard. It filleth heaven, so that the angels think they hear nothing but this cry.

These feeble cries were our guns and artillery wherewith we have, so many years, scattered the counsels and enterprises of our adversaries.

NO one believes how mighty and strong prayer is, and how much it can do, save he who has learned by experience and tried it. But it is a great thing, when any one feels great need pressing on him, if he can grasp prayer.

FOR I know, as often as I have earnestly prayed, when it has been real earnest with me I have indeed been richly heard, and have obtained more than I have prayed for. God has for a time delayed, but nevertheless the help has come.

Ah, how truly grand a thing is the honest prayer of a true Christian! How mighty it is with God; that a poor human creature can so speak with the High Majesty in Heaven, and not dread him, but know that God is kindly smiling on him, for Jesus Christ’s sake, His dear Son, our Lord and Saviour! To this end, the heart and conscience must not look back, must not doubt or fear on account of unworthiness.

THE ancients have well described prayer as the lifting up of the heart to God. It was well said. But I and many others in olden times did not understand the definition aright. We spoke and boasted of “the lifting up of the heart,” the “ascensus mentis;” but our syntax failed, for we could not add the “Deum,” the word God.

DEAR brethren, pray with the heart, sometimes also with the lips; for prayer sustains the world: without prayer things would be far otherwise.

THE prayer of the Church works great miracles. In our own days it has raised three from the dead; myself, who have often lain sick to death; my wife Kathe, who was also sick to death; and Philip Melanchthon, who, in 1540, lay sick to death at Weimar.

Yet these are poor miracles, to be observed on account of those who are weak in faith.

Far greater miracles to me are these: that our Lord God every day in the Church baptizes, gives the Sacrament of the Altar, absolves, and delivers from sin, from death, and eternal damnation. These are to me the great miracles.

What a strong wall and fortification to the Church, and what a weapon for Christians is prayer!

Ah, what an excellent Master composed the Lord’s Prayer! What an endless rhetoric and eloquence lies hidden in those words, wherein all things, all necessities, are comprehended.

The first three petitions embrace such great, excellent, and heavenly things, that no heart can ever fathom them.

The fourth petition gathers together all policy and economy, national and domestic government, and all which is bodily and temporal, and needful for this life.

The fifth contends against the devil of a bad conscience; against inborn and actual sins, which burden the conscience.

Truly One who is wise made this prayer, whom no man can rival.

AH, we have cried and prayed so long, and Thou wilt not give us rain! Surely, if Thou givest not rain, Thou wilt give something better—a still and quiet life.

THE prayer of the heart, and the complaints of the poor, raise such a cry that all the angels in heaven must hear it. Our Lord God hears, with quick, delicate hearing, the faintest breath.

THOSE deep sighs, in deep necessities, are the true great clamor and fervent cry before which the heavens are rent.

THE causa efficiens (efficient cause) of prayer is simply faith itself. Causa per accidens (cause by accident), which drives us to prayer, is necessity. The forma (form), is to grasp the mercy so freely given. Materia circa quam (the material about which) is the promise, and the command of God to pray, to which prayer holds and cleaves, and on which it is based. Finis (The end) is the hearing and deliverance.

I have not yet prayed the whole Psalter through. The Lord’s Prayer is my prayer.

GOD gives not according to the measure, manner, and time that we would prescribe. He will be unfettered. But He gives good measure, pressed down and running over, as Christ says.

Thus did St. Augustine’s mother. She asked that her son might be converted. But it came not to pass. She went to all the learned men, that they might persuade him. At last she entreated him to marry a Christian maiden, that she might bring him to the faith. But nothing succeeded.

But when at last our Lord God comes, He comes indeed, and makes such an Augustine of him, that to this day he is called a light of the Church.

SOME have vehemently prayed for temptation, that they might not grow careless without the cross. I, however, will never more pray for temptation, but only, “Lead me not into temptation.”

Every sigh of a Christian is a prayer; when he sighs he prays.

THIS saying, “ Ask, and ye shall receive,” means nothing less than ask, call, cry, knock, knock vehemently. And this we must do, on and on, without ceasing.

Intercession for those in Authority.

PRINCES and lords are poor people, especially when they are good and God-fearing; therefore our Lord God has not vainly commanded us to honor and pray for them.

I did not so well understand this command until I learned it with reference to my two Electors and lords, Duke John and Duke John Frederic. Often they cannot help if they would. Therefore they sorely need the prayer of Christians.

Praying and Waiting.

LET us pray and call on God in all tribulations, and wait.

Let us keep to Christ, and cling to Him, and hang on Him, so that no power can sever us. Then soon we shall see Him with joy, at that Day.

Thanksgiving.

THANKSGIVING makes our prayers bold and strong, easy, moreover, pleasant and sweet; feeds and enkindles them as with coals of fire.

Intercession.

CHRIST suffers not that one should pray for himself alone, but for the whole community of all men. For He teaches us not to say “My Father,” but “Our Father.” Prayer is a spiritual, common possession; therefore we must despoil no one of it, not even our enemies. For as He is the Father of us all, He wills that we shall be brothers amongst each other, and pray for one another, as for ourselves.

Prayer of Luther, Overheard during the Diet of Worms.

ALMIGHTY, everlasting God, how terrible this world is! How it would open its jaws to devour me. And how weak is my trust in Thee! The flesh is weak, and the devil is strong! O Thou my God, help me against all the wisdom of this world. Do Thou the work. It is for Thee alone to do it; for the work is Thine, not mine. I have nothing to bring me here. I have no controversy to maintain—not I—with the great ones of the earth, I, too, would fain that my days should glide along, happy and calm. But the cause is Thine. It is righteous; it is eternal. O Lord, help me! Thou that art faithful, Thou that art unchangeable! It is not in any man I trust. That were vain indeed. All that is in man gives way; all that comes from man faileth, O God, my God, dost Thou not hear me? Art Thou dead? No; Thou canst not die. Thou art hiding Thyself.

Thou hast chosen me for this work. I know it. Oh, then, arise and work! Be Thou on my side, for the sake of Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who is my defense, my shield, and my fortress.

O Lord my God, where art Thou? Come; come! I am ready—ready to forsake life for Thy truth; patient as a lamb. For it is a righteous cause, and it is Thine own. I will not depart from Thee now, nor through eternity. And although the world should be full of demons; although my body (which, nevertheless, is the work of Thy hands) should be doomed to bite the dust, to be stretched on the rack, cut into pieces, consumed to ashes, the soul is Thine. Yes; for this I have the assurance of Thy Word. My soul is Thine. It will abide near Thee throughout the endless ages. Amen. O God, help Thou me! Amen.

Amen, amen—that means Yes, yes; that shall be done.

The Word of God.

THE Word of God is a fiery shield, for this reason, that it is more enduring and purer than gold tried in the fire; which gold loses nothing in the fire, but it stands the fire, endures, and overcomes all trial. So, he who believes in the Word of God, overcomes all, and continues eternally secure against all misfortune. This shield shrinks not from the gates of hell, but the gates of hell tremble before it.

THE words of the Lord Christ are the most powerful; they have hands and feet, and overcome all attacks, all subtleties and devices of the wise. Thus we see in the Gospel how Christ, with quite simple, common words, brought to shame the wisdom of the Pharisees, so that they could find no escape from them.

It is a very acute and conclusive syllogism, when the Lord says, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s:” for He neither bids nor forbids to pay the tribute, but answers them with their own arguments; as if He had said, “If, indeed, you have suffered Caesar to make such inroads that you have,and use his coinage, then give him what you owe him.”

THERE is no greater grace or possession than to believe that God speaks to us, If we believed that, we should be already blessed.

Commentaries.

THROUGH so many commentaries and books the dear Bible is buried, so that people do not look at the text itself. It is far better to see with our own eyes than with other people’s eyes. For which reason I could wish that all my own books were buried nine ells deep in the earth, on account of the bad example they may give to others to follow me in writing multitudes of books.

The Second Psalm.

THIS is a right lofty psalm against the enemies of God. It begins softly and simply, but it goes out with magnificence. It is a lofty, noble psalm. It says, Come and see what the Lord doeth. He has been now six thousand years in the Council, ruling and making all laws. Habitator caeli (inhabitant of heaven), He that dwelleth in the heavens takes our cause in hand.

MANY foes, Egyptian; Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman, have raged against the Bible, endeavoring to extirpate it; but they have been able to accomplish nothing. They are all gone, but the book remains for ever perfect. Who then has preserved it, and defended it with such great power? No one surely but God Himself, who is the Master. And it is a great miracle that God has preserved the book so long, for the devil and the world hate it bitterly.

THE resurrection of the Lord Christ through the Word does not take place without an earthquake, as Christ Himself also did not come forth from the grave without an earthquake.

But such an earthquake is pleasanter to true hearts, than that Christ should lie in the grave and rest. When there is peace and rest in Christendom it is a bad sign.

WHEN the devil finds me idle and unarmed, not heeding God’s Word, he works on my conscience that I have taught wrong, and stirred up by my doctrine much offense and division compared with the former state of the Church, which was still and peaceful.

I cannot deny I am often in depression and anguish on this account; but when I grasp the Word of God, I have won the battle.

WE see, and experience teaches us, how powerful and strong Divine Truth is; it presses through all the obstacles by which it is hemmed in; the more we read it, the more it moves us; it takes the heart captive, and creates other good thoughts.

The Sacraments.

Holy Baptism.

DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER asked Doctor Hieronymus Weller “ How it went with him?” “Sadly and mournfully,” said he; “I know not how it is.”. Whereon Dr, Martin Luther replied, “Have you, then, not been baptized?” What a great gift of God is baptism! What a great gift also is the Word of God; we should thank God from our hearts that we have His Word. For it is God who comforts and strengthens us, and who has given us His Holy Spirit for a pledge and a foretaste.

HEAVEN is given to me freely, and is my (royal) gift, and I have letters and seals for it; that is, I am baptized and go to the sacrament. Therefore I take care of the letter, that the devil may not tear it in pieces; that is, I live and abide in the fear of God, and pray the Lord’s Prayer.

God could not have given me salvation and the gospel save through the death, the suffering, and dying of His dear Son. And when I believe that He has overcome death, and has died for me, and I look at the promise of the Father, then I have the letter complete, and the seal of baptism and of the sacrament of the altar (the true essential body and blood of our Lord Christ) affixed to it; thus I am well provided for.

We should hold it certain that baptism is God’s ordinance, which He has appointed, that we may know where we may surely find Him. He seeks us; He comes to us; we cannot come to Him of ourselves.

The Sacrament of the Altar.

“THE true cause of this sacrament,” said Dr. Martin Luther, “is the word and appointment of Christ, who has instituted and established it. The materia is bread and wine; the form is the true body and blood of Christ; the final cause whereto it is ordained is the use and fruit, that we may strengthen our faith, and not doubt that the body of Christ is given for us, and His blood poured out for us, and that our sins are surely forgiven us through the death of Christ.”

THIS sacrament can only be received and embraced by the heart; for it is not with the hand that we receive such a gift and eternal treasure.

THIS benefit and grace have we now received, that Christ is our Saviour, not our severe Judge; our Redeemer and Deliverer, not our accuser and jailer who takes us captive. For we are all sinners in Adam, guilty of eternal death, and condemned; but we are all now justified, redeemed, and consecrated by the blood of Christ. Let us grasp this with faith.

The Vow of Baptism the True and Highest Vow.

A CARNAL man does not understand why Paul so often boasts that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the will of God. This boasting was as necessary to him in heavy temptation as an article of the faith. Satan had gained far more advantage over me, also, if I had not been a doctor by vocation.

It is not a little thing to change the whole religion and doctrine of the Papacy. How hard it was to me, will be seen in that Day; now no one believes it.

Gladly, at first, would I have subjected myself to the Pope and his clergy; they, however, would not receive such humility and obedience from me, but insisted, as to-day, that I should give the lie to God, deny Christ, call His gospel heresy. Before I do that, I would, if God willed, and if it were possible, rather be burned ten times over.

In my baptism I promised my Lord Christ I would believe on Him, and cleave fast to Him. This, by His grace, working, and help, I will do. To this I keep in all my temptations (namely, to the vow which I made in baptism, which is the true and highest vow, that I would be faithful to Him), whereon He, on His part, promised He would be my God. If I had not had this consolation, I had long before fainted for great anguish in my heavy temptations. The dear Lord help further, Amen!

GOD speaks to me in His word through His ministers (as Christ says, “ He who heareth you heareth Me”), and says to me, “I have baptized thee and received thee for my child, for Christ’s sake, my beloved Son, who counted not His life dear unto Him to redeem thee. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and these I give to thee to be thine own.” This only comforts. If Christ is lost, all is lost in heaven and on earth.

IT is far too long a delay, if we wait to learn to know Christ until the last conflict. He came to us in baptism, and has been with us always, and has already made the bridge for us on which we pass from this life through death into the life beyond.

CHRIST was offered once for all; now He requires nothing but that we should give Him thanks forever.

HE who receives a sacrament does not perform a good work; he receives a benefit. In the mass we give Christ nothing; we only receive from Him.

IT is not the external eating which makes the Christian. It is the internal and spiritual cating which is the work of faith, and without which all external things are mere empty shows and vain grimaces.

This spiritual bread is the consolation of the afflicted, the cure of the sick, the life of the dying, food to the hungry, the treasure of the poor,

Preaching.

Preparation for Preaching.

DOCTOR MARTIN said to a pastor, “When you are about to preach, speak to God, and say, ‘My Lord God, I wish to preach to Thine honor, to speak of Thee, to praise Thee, to glorify thy name.’”

Think not of me, nor of Philip, nor any of the learned, but remember you are then most learned in the pulpit when you speak of God. I have never been troubled because I could not preach well; but often, because I had to speak, before the face of God, of His great Majesty and Divine Being.

ONCE, when Dr. Martin sat under the pear tree in his garden, he asked Magister Anthony Lauterbach how he prospered with his preaching? When he complained of his temptations, difficulties, and weakness, Dr. Martin said, “Ah, my friend, so it has been with me. I have dreaded the pulpit quite as much as you can; yet I had to go on.

“But you want to be a master all at once. Perhaps you are seeking honor, and are therefore tempted. You should preach for our Lord God, and not regard how men think and judge. If any one can do better, let him; do you preach Christ and the Catechism. Such wisdom will lift you above the judgments of all men, their praise or blame; for this wisdom is God’s, wiser than men.

“You need not expect praise from me; if I hear you, I shall be sure to find fault; for you young (journeymen) preachers must be set down, lest you become ambitious and proud. But this thou shouldst ascertain; that thou art called to this, that Christ hath need of thee to help praise Him. On this stand firm; let who will praise or blame, that is not thy concern.”

DR. MARTIN exhorted the clergy that they should not torture and detain their hearers with long sermons, “For,” said he, “the pleasure of listening passes away from them; and the preachers do them hurt and violence with long preaching.” “Some,” said Dr. Martin, “plague the people with too long sermons; for the faculty of listening is a tender thing, and soon becomes weary and satiated.”

HE was asked, “Which was the greater, to controvert adversaries, or to exhort and hold up the weak?” He answered and said: “Both are good and needful, although to comfort the faint-hearted is something greater; and yet the weak themselves are edified and improved by hearing the faith contended for. Each is God’s gift.”

YOU should not attempt to judge or criticize yourself. It often happens to me that I am ashamed of my sermon when I have finished it, and think how cold it has been; yet others have afterwards commended the same sermon much to me.

The Best Teachers always Learners.

IT is a true word in theology, that those who think they know anything know really nothing. For he who truly hears and learns God’s Word, can never wonder at it enough, or learn it to the bottom. Let every one humble himself and remain a learner therein.

Dr. Luther’s Portrait of a good Preacher.

A GOOD preacher should have these virtues and qualities.

First, he should be able to teach plainly and in order.

Secondly, he should have a good head.

Thirdly, he should have good power of speech.

Fourthly, a good voice.

Fifthly, a good memory.

Sixthly, he should know when to stop.

Seventhly, he should be sure what he means to say, and should study diligently.

Eighthly, he should be ready to stake body and life, goods and glory, on its truth.

Ninthly, he must suffer himself to be vexed and criticized by everybody.

Keeping to the Point.

WHOEVER understands a subject thoroughly and intimately, can speak well about it.

“I endeavor in my sermons,” said Dr. Martin, “to take a text and keep to it; and so to show it to the people, and spread it out before them, that they may say, ‘This is what the sermon was about.’ Soldiers should not greet every one they meet. Dr. Pommer is too much given sometimes to take with him everything he meets on his way. See what the main point is, and keep to it.”

Simplicity.

LET all thy sermons be of the simplest. Look not to the princes, but to the simple, unwise, rude, and unlearned people; for the prince is made of the same stuff. If I in my sermons were to regard Philip Melanchthon and the other doctors, I should do no good; but I preach in the simplest way to the unlearned, and that pleases all. (I keep the Hebrew and Greek for the times when we learned men are alone together. Then we can talk such crabbed stuff they may well wonder at us in heaven.)

A PREACHER should have the skill to teach the unlearned, simply, roundly, and plainly; for teaching is of more importance than exhorting.

NO one should preach for me and Philip, however much we might learn from it. Preaching should not be magnificent with great, splendid, labored words, that men may see how learned we are. Ah, that is worth nothing. In the church every one should use the simple mother-tongue, such as every one can understand.

The doctors are present by forty, young people and unlearned by the thousand.

HE who has one word of God and cannot make a sermon out of it can never be a preacher.

TO preach simply is a high art. Christ does it himself. He speaks of husbandry, of sowing seed, and uses simple peasants’ similes.

“ALBRECHT DURER, the famous painter,” said Dr. Luther, “used to say he had no pleasure in pictures that were painted with many colors, but in those which were painted with a choice simplicity.” So it is with me as to sermons.

IF I had to preach only to Dr. Hieronymus, or to Philip, I would not make another sermon my life-long, for they understand well enough already. Children, men-servants, and maid-servants attend our churches; to these we must preach; these need our preaching, not the learned. It is the poor young people and the simple with whom we have to do; to these we must come down.

So did the Lord Christ; He speaks as if for His audience He had none other than my little Martin, Paul and Magdalene. When, indeed, He comes to the Pharisees, He gives them severe strokes.

We should preach to the little children; for the sake of such as these the office of preaching is instituted.

Dr. Martin said the best books of the Bible to preach from, were the Psalter, the Gospel of St. John, and St. Paul; but for the common people, and the young, the other Gospels.

WE must not teach the common people about high, difficult things, and with subtle words, for they cannot comprehend. Into the church come poor little children, maidens, old women and men, to whom such teaching is useless; and even if they say, “Ah, he said precious things; he made a fine discourse!” if one asks them further, “What did he say?” they often reply, “Ah, I do not know.” To poor people we must call white, white, and black, black, all in the simplest way.

Ah, what pains our Lord Christ took to teach simply. From vineyards, sheep, and trees He drew His similes; anything in order that the multitudes might understand, embrace, and retain it.

Earnestness.

THIS is not the time for jest, but for earnest. “Ye are the salt of the earth.” Salt bites and pains, but it cleanses and preserves from corruption.

Feeding and Guarding.

IN a true, good shepherd, feeding and guarding must be combined; for, if the guarding fails, the wolf will devour all the more readily the sheep which are well fed.

A preacher must be both a warrior and a shepherd. To feed is to teach, and that is the most difficult art; but it is needful also to be able to contend and defend.

The Best Kind of Controversy.

I COUNSEL those who preach in papal countries to teach the Gospel simply, without any snapping or biting. If they do this the Pope will fall, for he does not stand on the Gospel.

Religious Vanity, Gloria Religionists.

HE complained much of the vanity and self-sufficiency of the clergy, especially of the younger. “A new Jurist,” he said, “is in his first year a Justinian; that is, he thinks himself superior to all the doctors, and has nothing but law in his head; the second year he is a Doctor; the third, a Licentiate; the fourth, a Bachelor; the fifth, a Student.”

EVERY one should be content with his own gifts which God has given him; for we cannot all be Pauls and John Baptists; there must also be Tituses and Timothys. We need in any building more common stones than corner stones.

Excellence of the Office of the Preacher and Teacher.

HE who thinks lightly of preachers and of women will never come to good; as is commonly said. The office of the preacher, and women, the mothers of our children, must be held in all honor, that these be kept right and pure. The rule of the home and the State depends on them. Whosoever, therefore, despises these, and sets them at naught, despises God and man.

I WOULD wish that no one were suffered to be a preacher until he had first been a schoolmaster. Now, young men go at once from the school to the pulpit. But when any one has kept a school for ten years, he may leave it with a good conscience. The work is too heavy and too little esteemed. Yet a schoolmaster is as necessary in a town as a pastor. We might more easily do without burgomasters (mayors), princes, and nobles, than without schools, for these must govern the world.

No potentate or lord but needs to be guided by a jurist or theologian; and these come from schools.

If I were no preacher, I know no calling on earth that I should prefer to that of a schoolmaster. But we must not look at what the world rewards and esteems; we must consider what God esteems and will honor in that Day.

Trials and Burdens of the Preacher.

TO be a true pastor and preacher is a great thing; and if our Lord God Himself did not give strength, the thing could not be.

It needs a great soul to serve the people with body and soul, goods and honor, and to suffer for it the greatest peril and ingratitude.

Therefore it was that Christ said to Peter, “Peter, lovest thou Me?” and repeats it three times, and then says, “ Feed My sheep.” It is as if He said: “If thou wilt be a true shepherd and friend of souls, thou must be so from love to Me.” Otherwise it is impossible. For who will and can suffer ingratitude, spend his health and substance in study, and, for a reward, stand in the greatest peril? Therefore He says: “It is a necessity that thou shouldst love Me.”

I HAVE begun, and I will persevere. I would not take the whole world to begin again, so exceeding great and heavy are the cares and sorrows of this office. Dear sirs, it is no child’s play. Nevertheless, when I look at Him who has called me, I would not wish not to have undertaken it.

IF I were to write of the burdens which a preacher must bear, as I have experienced them, I should terrify every one from the office. A true God-fearing preacher must be so minded, that nothing is dearer to him than Christ his Lord and Saviour, and the future eternal life; so that when he has lost this life and all things, Christ may say to him, “Come hither to Me; thou hast been my good and faithful servant.”

IT was once asked, when two preachers at Nurnberg had died of the Plague, “if a preacher, whose office is only preaching, may, with a good conscience, refuse his services to the sick, and not visit them in times of pestilence.”

Thereupon Dr. Martin Luther answered and said:

“By all that is most sacred, No! The preachers must not flee too readily, lest they make the people fearful, and they should come to disregard the priests, seeing that at such a time none will come to them. It is not good, on the other hand, that all should stay.

“If the lot fell on me to stay, I would not shrink, nor fear. I have now survived three pestilences, and have been with many who have suffered; but, thank God, I took no harm. I came home and stroked my little Margarethe on the cheek, without washing my hands. But I had forgotten, or I would not have done it. It would have been tempting God.”

ST. JEROME has written about the Book of Job; but he wrote only thoughts, for he had not experienced the deepest temptations (i.e., spiritual, not fleshly). If I could have preached in my sickness, I could have made many a beautiful sermon on temptation; for then I learned to understand the Psalter and its consolations a little.

THE good Paul had to suffer and see many things, as God says of him: “I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” He soon lays on his neck the Pati,— the yoke of suffering; and he experienced it indeed. Such heart-sorrow as is far worse than death. It is called martyrum interpretativum, martyrdom without blood, wherein we are indeed burned and tortured.

Rewards of the Preachers.

IF we are found true to our calling we shall receive honor enough; not, however, in this life, but in the life to come.

There we shall be crowned with the unfading crown of glory, as St. Paul says, which is laid up for us in heaven. But here on earth, saith the Lord Christ, we shall not have glory, for it is written: “Woe unto you when all men speak well of you.” For we do not belong to this life, but are called to another, and a far better.

I will not be crowned on earth by men.

I choose to have my recompense from God, the just Judge, in heaven.

Patience as a Weapon.

Patience ts the best Virtue.

IF thou wilt learn to overcome the greatest, fiercest, and most spiteful enemies, who would fain crush thee, and do thee all possible harm in body and soul, purchase before all things one weapon, and give all thou hast to learn how to exercise it. And know that it is one sweet, lovely little herb, which serves this purpose best, which is called Patientia.

“Ah,” sayest thou, “how can I find this medicine?” The answer is, “ Take faith to thee, which says that no one can hurt thee unless God wills it. If evil comes to thee, it comes to thee from God’s kind and gracious will. So that thy foe does himself a thousandfold greater hurt than thee.”

For from this faith flows love, which says: “I will still render good for evil, heap coals of fire on his head.” This love is the Christian’s armor and coat of mail, wherewith he casts down his foes, though they seem like great mountains, and are not to be cast down by iron and steel. This same love teaches us patiently to suffer all things.

NO one does me hurt, but it will hurt him in the end; for he has to die. I sin not in suffering, but he who makes me suffer, sins.

Patience with the Misled, and Anger against those who Mislead.

ST. PAUL showeth towards the Galatians a fatherly and motherly affection, and speaketh them very fair, and yet in such a sort that he reproveth them.

Contrariwise, he is very hot and full of indignation against those false apostles their seducers; he bursteth into plain thunderings and lightnings against them.

This example must we also follow, that we may show ourselves to bear like affection toward such as are misled.

But as for the devil and his ministers, against them we ought to be impatient, proud, sharp and bitter, detesting and condemning their false jugglings and deceits with as much rigor and severity as may be. So parents, when their child is hurt with the biting of a dog, are wont to pursue the dog only; but the weeping child they bemoan, and speak fair unto it, comforting it with the most sweet words.

Flowers

Continued in IV. The Armies of Heaven

All sections of Watchwords for the Warfare of Life

Watchwords for the Warfare of Life, Part 1 Words for the Battle-Field, II. Rules of the Service

Continued from Watchwords for the Warfare of Life – By Martin Luther Part 1 Words for the Battle-Field, I. The Commander

Obedience a Glorious Apparel.

HER clothing ts all glorious within. What kind of glorious apparel is this? For we know that on earth Christians are poor and little esteemed. It is a spiritual adorning; not gold, silver, pearls, velvet, but obedience to the Lord our God, This apparel is brighter than the sun, for these are God’s jewels. He who goes about doing God’s will, goes about clothed in God’s beauty. To serve Him truly, is simply to abide in our calling, be it lowly as it may.

WHEN one asked what was the best service of God, which pleased Him best? Doctor Martin said, “To hear Christ and be obedient to Him.” This is the highest and greatest service of God. Besides this, all is worth no- thing. For in heaven He has far better and more beautiful worship and service than we can render. As it was said to Saul, “To obey is better than to sacrifice.” As also soldiers say in time of war; obedience and keeping to the articles of war —this is victory.

EVEN in philosophy men are constrained not to look on the bare work, but on the goodwill of the worker. Wherefore we must ascend up higher in divinity with this word “doing” than in natural things and philosophy, so that now it must have a new signification, and be made altogether new.

TRUE obedience to God is the obedience of faith and good works; that is, he is truly obedient to God who trusts Him and does what He commands.

CHRISTIANS have to do with two kinds of business; the Word and the works of God.

IN all works we should look to God’s Word. Such works as are done at God’s command, these are not from our self-will; but we are God’s tools and instruments, through which He works; they are not our own works, but God’s. But all works which are not done at God’s command are godless and condemned, being mere works of our own hands.

THE true doer of the law is he who, receiving the Holy Ghost through faith in Christ, beginneth to love God and to do good to his neighbor. The tree must be first, and then the fruit.

TO worship God in spirit, is the service and homage of the heart, and implies fear of God and trust in Him.

ALL Christians constitute the spiritual estate; and the only difference among them is that of the functions which they discharge.

The Law and the Gospel.

THE law discovers the disease. The gospel gives the remedy.

THE law is what we must do; the gospel what God will give.

THE gospel is like a fresh, soft, cool breeze in the great heat of summer, a comfort in anguish of conscience; not in winter, when there is already cold enough (that is in time of peace, when people are secure); but in the great heat of summer—that is, in those who truly feel terror and anguish of conscience, and God’s anger against them.

THIS heat is caused by the sun. So must this terror of conscience be caused by the preaching of the law. Then must the heavenly breeze again quicken and refresh the conscience.

BUT when the powers are thus again quickened by the sweet wind of the gospel, we must not lie idly basking, we must show our faith by good works.

LIKE as the parched earth coveteth the rain, the law maketh parched and troubled souls . to thirst after Christ.

THE law is a light which enlightens us not to see God’s grace nor righteousness, through which we attain to eternal life, but sin, our infirmities, death, God’s anger, and judgment.

THE gospel is a far different light. It lights up the troubled heart, makes it live again, comforts and helps. For it shows how God forgives unworthy, condemned sinners for Christ’s sake, when they believe that they are redeemed by His death; and that through His victory are given to them all blessings, grace, forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and eternal life.

The Law a Fire.

THE law is that hammer, that fire, that mighty and strong wind, and that terrible earthquake, rending the mountains and shivering the rocks. But it behooved that the tempest, the fire, the wind, the earthquake, should pass, before the Lord should reveal Himself in the still small voice.

The Law a Prison.

THE law is a prison, both civilly and spiritually. For, first, it restraineth and shutteth up the wicked; furthermore, by revealing sin, it shutteth man up in a prison, out of which he cannot escape.

The Law a Schoolmaster.

THE law is not barely a schoolmaster, but a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. For what a schoolmaster were he which should alway torment and beat the child, and teach him nothing at all? And yet such schoolmasters there were in times past, when schools were nothing else but a prison and a very hell; the schoolmasters cruel tyrants and very butchers; the children were always beaten; they learned with continual pain and travail, and yet few of them came to any proof. The law is not such a schoolmaster. For it doth not only terrify and torment. It instructeth, and exerciseth, and with its rods driveth us to Christ.

“IF Moses comes to judge me,” said Doctor Martin, “I will motion him away, in God’s name, and say, ‘Here stands Christ.’ And at the Last Day, Moses will look on me and say, ‘Thou hast understood me aright.’ And he will be gracious to me.”

The Law a Wall of Defense.

BY the Ten Commandments the Lord hath defended and fortified the life of man, his wife and children, and his goods, as it were with a wall, against the force and violence of the wicked.

The Decalogue to be taught Affirmatively.

THE Decalogue (that, is the Ten Commandments of God) is a mirror and brief summary of all virtues, and teaches how we should conduct ourselves towards God and towards man. And no more beautiful, perfect, and shorter book of virtues was ever written.

The virtue of the First Commandment is godliness; that is, to fear, love, and trust God.

Of the Second, to confess and preach the doctrine of God’s word.

Of the Third, public worship of God.

Of the Fourth, obedience to parents, preceptors, and rulers in that which is not contrary to God.

Of the Fifth, gentleness, not to be revengeful.

Of the Sixth, chastity and sobriety.

Of the Seventh, to do good, willingly give and lend, and be generous.

Of the Eighth, truth, to injure no one’s good name, to speak good of each other.

Of the Ninth, justice, to let each enjoy his own.

Of the Tenth, to be without evil desires in the heart, and to be content with our own. The Ten Commandments are to be understood and explained as not only forbidding, but bidding. “The chief commandment is love from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned.”

THAT word, “Thou shalt have none other gods before Me,” once seemed to me useless and superfluous under the gospel. When I read it first, I thought, “Ah, who does not know that?” But now, thank God, I see what the words mean; indeed, they are more wonderful than any man can explain or comprehend.

Short Sayings about the Catechism as Dr. Martin Luther taught wt at Home.

THE COMMANDMENTS

AS faith is, so is God. God does not remain outside, although He delays.

Idolatry is essentially darkness of heart.

God gives through creatures.

Unthankfulness is theft.

No one should be judged in his absence.

Interpret all for the best.

No good work goes beyond the Ten Commandments.

To fear and trust God is fulfilling all the Commandments.

The First Commandment includes all the rest.

THE CREED.

GOD gives Himself to us with all the creatures.

The Holy Spirit brings Christ home to us.

Where the Holy Spirit does not preach, there is no church.

The work of the Holy Spirit is going forward perpetually.

GOOD WORKS.

THE good works of Christians are to benefit and help our neighbors.

In tribulations we should be manly and of a good heart.

Our whole life should be manly, fearing and trusting God.

Faith makes us the inheritance of Christ.

The gospel is pure joy.

The person must be good before his works.

“A Christian life consists in three things—in faith, love, and the cross.” Elsewhere he says, “Faith, confession, and the cross make a true Christian.”

A clergyman is like the director of a hospital. God’s gifts which we possess, we should es- teem highly; ourselves humbly.

THE Decalogue is a doctrine beyond all doctrines. The Apostles’ Creed is virtue beyond all virtues. The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer beyond all prayers and Litanies; moreover, it is a joy above all joys. For as the Ten Commandments teach and exhort all in the freest and fullest way, so the Creed fulfills the same in the most thorough way, and the Lord’s Prayer asks and entreats all in the most Christian and certain way. Therefore this threefold cord makes a man perfect in thought, speech, and work, ordering and educating his heart, mind, tongue, and body to the highest perfection.

The Decalogue based on Redemption.

THUS saith God, “I am the Lord thy God, who led thee out of the land of Egypt.” Because God can only be known through His acts and works. He points us to a glorious act whereby we may know what a God we honor and serve—namely, the God who delivered Israel from the house of bondage; the God who has given us His Word, and His Son Christ, who has suffered and died for us; the God who awakened Him again from the dead.

Fulfilling the Duties of our Calling the best Service of God.

ST. PAUL in his Epistles has written more fully and wisely of virtues and good works than all the philosophers, for he exalts and gloriously commends the works of each man’s calling.

HE said, “Master Joachim Morlein has pleased me well to-day with his sermon, for he spoke of the office and vocation of a wife, and a maid-servant—namely, that a wife should think she lives in a Holy Order, and that a servant also may know that her works are good and holy works. This the people can carry home.”

IF a peasant knew the perils and toils of a prince, he would thank God that he was a peasant, and in the happiest and safest state. But the peasants know not their happiness and welfare. They look only on the outside pomp of princes, their fine clothes, golden chains, great castles, and houses; but see not the care and peril wherein princes live, as in a fire and a deluge.

PEASANTS’ work is among the happiest, for it is full of hope. Ploughing, sowing, planting, propping, pruning, mowing, threshing, wood-cutting, are all labors full of hope.

SO, also, men and maidens in a house are often better off than their masters and mistresses, for they have no household cares—have only to do their work, and when this is done, it is done; and they can eat, and drink, and sing. My Wolf, and Orthe (Dorothea), my man, and my cook, are better off than my Kattie or I, for married life and the ordering of a household bring with them their trials and the holy cross.

HE spoke of the legends of the holy Patriarchs, how far they exceeded the holiness of (reputed) saints, because they simply went on their way, In obedience to God, in the works of their calling, and did what came to their hand to do, according to God’s commandment, without choosing for themselves.

Two Vocations, of Faith and of Love.

NO one can understand any work aright unless he is called to it.

Vocation is of two kinds. Either it is divine, comes from above, or from those who have the right to command; and then it is a Vocation of Faith.

Or it is a Vocation of Love, and comes from our equals.

Two Sacrifices.

THE first was called in the Old Testament the early or morning sacrifice. By this it was shadowed forth that we should first sacrifice to God, not calves and oxen, but ourselves, acknowledging God’s gifts, both bodily and Spiritual, temporal and eternal, and giving Him thanks.

The second the evening sacrifice. By this it was signified that a Christian should offer to God a broken, lowly, contrite heart, which confesses both its sin and danger, bodily and spiritual, and cries to God for help.

What Obedience meant to Luther.

AT THE DIET OF WORMS.

“HERE I stand: I can do no otherwise. God help me. Amen.”

AT AUGSBURG.

“THREE whole days I was at Augsburg, without the Imperial safe-conduct. Meantime they earnestly entreated me to say ‘Revoco.’ (recant)

“After three days the Bishop of Trent came and showed me the safe-conduct. Then I went in all humility to the Cardinal; fell at first on my knee; the second time on the ground; the third time prostrate there so long that three times he bid me rise. Then I arose. That pleased him much. He hoped I would think better of it.

“When I came to the Cardinal the second time, and would not recant, he said:

“’What meanest thou? Dost think the princes will defend thee with arms and armies? Surely, no! Where, then, wilt thou take refuge?’

“I said, ‘Under heaven.’”

DURING THE PLAGUE AT WITTENBURG.

“IF the lot fell on me, I would not shrink from the plague. I have been with many when they had it. I have now remained through three pestilences without fleeing.”

Merit.

MERIT is a work for the sake of which Christ gives rewards. But no such work is to be found, for Christ gives by promise. Just as if a prince were to say to me: “Come to me in my castle, and I will give you a hundred florins.” I do a work, certainly, in going to the castle, but the gift is not given me as the reward of my work in going, but because the prince promised it me.

Continued in Part 1 Words for the Battle-Field, III. The Weapons of Our Warfare.

All sections of Watchwords for the Warfare of Life

Watchwords for the Warfare of Life – By Martin Luther Part 1 Words for the Battle-Field, I. The Commander

Introduction from the Webmaster

This is from a PDF file I found on LutheranLibrary.Org

About this series of quotes from Martin Luther, one of my friends, Steve, commented: “Sometimes the reformers like Martin Luther, can be “dated” to those of us several centuries on. Many of them were challenging Roman Catholicism for the first time and might have carried over teachings you and I certainly don’t agree with. But in the main, I’ll take their faith and belief in God’s plain Word compared to many of the newer and very misleading “experts” (so called) of the past 150 years!”

I agree! Though I find much of what Martin Luther had to say inspiring, we must not take his words all as Gospel truth. He had come out of the Catholic Church and was still was somewhat under its influence. That’s no surprise. We can try to cut ourselves off from the world, but past experiences in the world may continue to influence us apart from the grace of God. It’s good to pray the prayer of Psalms 139:23-24:

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

“The selections in this volume have all been freshly translated from Luther’s own German or Latin, with the exception of the extracts taken from the sixteenth century translation of the Commentary on the Galatians.” -from the introduction.

WATCHWORDS

FOR THE

WARFARE OF LIFE.

FROM DR. MARTIN LUTHER.

I. THE COMMANDER.

We must strive, for we are under one Lord of armies and Prince of warriors. Therefore, with one hand we must build, and iN the other bear the sword.

It must not be “Sic ego Philippus.” The “ego” is too small. The word is, “I am that I am.”

LOVE is an image of God, and not a lifeless image, nor one painted on paper, but the living essence of the Divine Nature, which beams full of all goodness.

He is not harsh, as we are to those who have injured us. We withdraw our hand and close our purse; but He is kind to the unthankful and the evil.

He sees thee in thy poverty and wretchedness, and knows thou hast nothing to pay; therefore He freely forgives and gives thee all.

“GOD’S love gives in such a way, that it flows from a Father’s heart, the well-spring of all good. The heart of the giver makes the gift dear and precious; as among ourselves we say of even a trifling gift, ‘It comes from a hand we love,’ and look not so much at the gift as at the heart.”

“IF we will only consider Him in His works, we shall learn that God is nothing else but pure, unutterable love, greater and more than any one can think. The shameful thing is, that the world does not regard this, nor thank Him for it, although every day it sees before it such countless benefits from Him; and it deserves for its ingratitude that the sun should not shine another moment longer, nor the grass grow; yet He ceases not, for one moment’s interval, to love us and to do us good. Language must fail me to speak of His spiritual gifts. Here He pours forth for us, not sun and moon, nor heaven and earth, but His own heart, His beloved Son, so that He suffered His blood to be shed, and the most shameful death to be inflicted on Him, for us wretched, wicked, thankless creatures. How, then, can we say anything but that God is an abyss of endless, unfathomable love?”

“THE whole Bible is full of this—that we should not doubt, but be absolutely certain, that God is merciful, gracious, patient, faithful, and true; who not only will keep His promises, but already has kept and done abundantly beyond what He promised, since He has given His own Son for our sins on the cross, that all who believe on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

“WHOEVER believes, and embraces this, that God has given His only Son to die for us poor sinners, to him it is no longer any doubt, but the most certain truth, that God reconciles us to Himself, and is favorable and heartily gracious to us.”

“SINCE the gospel shows us Christ the Son of God, who, according to the will of the Father, has offered Himself for us, and has satisfied for sin, the heart can no more doubt God’s goodness and grace—is no more affrighted, nor flies from God, but sets all its hope in His goodness and mercy.”

THE apostles are always exhorting us to continue in the love of God—that is, that each one should entirely conclude in his heart that he is loved by God; and they set before our eyes a certain proof of it, in that God has not spared His Son, but given Him for the world, that through His death the world might again have life.

It is God’s honor and glory to give liberally. His nature is all pure love, so that if any one would describe or picture God, he must describe One who is pure love, the Divine Nature being nothing else than a furnace and glow of such love that it fills heaven and earth.

IT is not to be borne that Christian people should say, We cannot know whether God is favorable to us or not. On the contrary, we should learn to say, I know that I believe in Christ, and therefore that God is my gracious Father.

WHAT is the reason that God gives? What moves Him to it ? Nothing but unutterable love, because He delights to give and to bless. What does He give? Not empires merely, not a world full of silver and gold, not heaven and earth only; but His Son, who is as great as Himself —that is, eternal and incomprehensible, a Gift as infinite as the Giver, the very spring and fountain of all grace; yea, the possession and property of all the riches and treasures of God.

Omnipresence.

GOD is limited to no place. He is also excluded from none. He is in all places, and in the least of His creatures, in the petal of the flower, in a blade of grass; and yet He is in no place. Nowhere, comprehensively and exclusively; everywhere, because everywhere He is creating and upholding everything.

The Creation not Left to Itself.

GOD has not so created the creatures that after creating He abandons them. He loves them, delights in them, is with them; moves and sustains each creature according to its kind.

We Christians know that with God creating and sustaining are one thing.

The Creator.

TO Magister Holflein, Doctor Martin Luther said, “Dear Master, where were you, sixty years ago? Where was I? Whence came I hither? Whence came you hither? We did not create ourselves, and yet, now, we want to go to our Lord God and bargain with Him, and sell Him our works! He must, forsooth, give us His heaven for them! Is not this a shameful thing, that a creature should lift itself up thus and desire to traffic with its Creator?

“We do not really believe that God is our Creator. If we believed it, we should act far otherwise. But no one believes that God is the Creator. Even when we say it, and our con- science convinces us, it is not genuine earnest with us.

“We virtually go up to God and say, ‘Lord God, look on me for my works’ sake! I come to Thee. Thou hast not created me.’ Shame on us.”

The Living God.

THE chief thing that God requireth of man is that he giveth unto Him the glory of His Divinity—that is to say, that he taketh Him not for an idol, but for God, who looketh on him, listeneth to him, showeth mercy on him, and helpeth.

“True Christian Divinity.”

TRUE Christian Divinity setteth not God forth unto us in His Majesty. It commandeth us not to search out the nature of God, but to know His will set forth to us in Christ.

Therefore begin thou where Christ began— namely, in the womb of the Virgin, in the manger, and at His mother’s breast. It is to this end He came down, was born, was conversant among men; suffered, was crucified and died, that by all means He might set Himself forth plainly before us, and fasten the eyes of our heart upon Himself, that He might thereby keep us from climbing up into heaven, and from the curious searching of the Divine Majesty.

Christ Revealing the Father.

CHRIST, according to His office, calleth us back unto the Father’s will, that in His words and works we should not so much look on Him, but on the Father. For Christ came into this world, and took man’s nature on Him, that He might be a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, and so reconcile us to God the Father; that He alone might declare unto us how this was done through the good pleasure of the Father, that we, by fastening our eyes on Christ, might be drawn and carried straight unto the Father.

Theology Beginning at Bethlehem.

CHRISTIAN religion beginneth not at the highest, as other religions do, but at the lowest. It will have us to climb up by Jacob’s ladder, whereupon God Himself leaneth, whose feet touch the very earth, hard by the head of Jacob.

Run straight to the manger, and embrace this infant, the Virgin’s little babe, in thine arms; and behold Him as He was born, nursed, grew up, was conversant amongst men; teaching; dying; rising again; ascending up above all the heavens, and having power over all things.

This sight and contemplation will keep thee in the right way, that thou mayest follow whither Christ hath gone.

God Stooping to Man.

THE Gospel is the Revelation of the Son of God.

With our reason we can never comprehend what God the Creator is. And for this cause He has taught, “It is in vain; human reason cannot comprehend Me. I am too great and too high. I will make Myself little, that man may understand Me; I will give him My Son, and so give Him, that for man He shall become a sacrifice, sin and a curse, and be obedient to Me the Father, even to the death of the cross.”

This is indeed to become little and comprehensible. But who believes it? Novem ubi sunt? “Where are the nine?”

The Incarnation.

IN deep spiritual temptations nothing has helped me better, with nothing have I heartened myself and driven away the devil better than with this, that Christ, the true Eternal Son of God, is “bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh,” and that he sits on the right hand of God, and pleads for us. When I can grasp this shield of faith, I have already chased away the evil one with his fiery darts.

ANNO Domini 1538, on the 25th of December, on Christmas Day, Doctor Martin Luther was very joyous, and all his sayings, songs, and thoughts were about the Incarnation of Christ our Saviour. And he said, with a deep sigh,—

“Ah, we poor human creatures, how coldly and tamely we greet this great joy which has come to bless us! This is the great act of beneficence which far excels all other works of creation. And shall we so feebly believe it, when it has been announced to us, preached, and sung by the angels? (heavenly theologians and preachers, indeed!) And they have rejoiced on our account, and their song is verily a glorious.song, wherein is briefly enfolded the sum of the whole Christian religion. For the Gloria in excelsis Deo, ‘Glory to God in the highest,’ is the high- est worship, and this they bring to us in this Christ.

“For the world since Adam’s fall knows neither God nor His creatures; lives without regarding God’s glory; praises, honors, glorifies Him not. Oh, what choice, joyous thoughts man would have had; seeing even in the lowliest flowers that our Lord God is an Artist and Master whom none can imitate!

“Wherefore the dear angels call us, fallen creatures, to faith in Christ, and to love; that we, giving glory to God alone, may have peace in this life, both with God and with one another.”

THE Feast of the Annunciation may well be called the Feast of the Incarnation. Then our Redemption began. Thus the French and the English date the beginning of the year from this Feast. For this mystery no one can explain, nor fathom with his reason, that God, the Highest Majesty, has humbled Himself to take on Him our flesh.

On this day we preachers should diligently picture to the people the History of the Festival, as Luke describes it, circumstantially and in order; and we should, all together, have joy and delight in the comforting, blessed story that, as on this day, Christ our Lord and Saviour, conceived by the Holy Ghost, took our human nature upon Him, of the pure chaste Virgin Mary; became our Brother; lifted up our condemned and corrupted humanity to this highest glory, that we should be children of God, and His fellow-heirs, at which, indeed, we should rejoice more than over all the treasures of this earth.

It is true we cannot enough praise Mary, that high, noble creature; but when the Creator Himself comes and gives Himself for us, to redeem us from the power of the devil, for this inexpressible grace, neither we nor the angels can praise and bless Him enough to eternity.

The Childhood and Youth of our Lord.

ALL the wisdom of the world is mere child’s play, yes, folly, compared with the knowledge of Christ. For what is more wonderful than to know and acknowledge the great, unspeakable mystery that the Son of God, the express Image of the Eternal Father, has taken our nature on Him, and become in fashion as a man?

At Nazareth He must have helped His father build houses; for Joseph was a carpenter. Therefore Christ was called “the carpenter’s son;” yes, Himself “the carpenter.”

What will the people of Nazareth think at the Last Day, when they shall see Christ sitting in Divine Majesty, and may say to Him, “Lord, didst Thou not help build my house? How then comest Thou to this high glory?”

Many fables have been imaged, by many, of what Jesus did in His childhood and youth, as can be seen in the book with the title, “De Infanti a Salvatoris,” and “De Vita Fesu.” But because in this book stands many a foolish, ridiculous thing, it has never been esteemed by Christians.

This, however, is the needful thing, that we Christians should with all diligence learn and know that the Son of God did so deeply humble Himself, was born so poor and in such a low estate, all on account of our sins; and that for our sakes He hid His Majesty so long.

When He was born, He wept and wailed like another babe. Mary had to wait on Him and tend Him, and feed Him at her breast (as the Church sings, “A little milk was once His food”), to cherish, clothe, lift, and carry Him, lay Him to rest, as any other mother her babe.

Soon afterwards Joseph, with the mother and the babe, in distress, had to flee into Egypt, from Herod.

When, after Herod’s death, they came back to Nazareth, He was subject to His parents, and no doubt often brought them bread, drink, and other things. Mary may have said to Him, “Jesus, where hast Thou been? Canst Thou not stay at home!” And when He grew up, He must have helped Joseph at the carpentering, &c. Not to stumble nor to be offended at this feeble, lowly form, this despised mode of life, which was seen in Christ, is great, high art and wisdom, yea, God’s gift, and the Holy Ghost’s own work.

Some are offended because we sometimes say in the pulpit that Christ was a carpenter (Zimmergescell), But it is a far greater offense that He was nailed to the cross, as one guilty of blasphemy and insurrection, between two malefactors.

IT is written that there was once a pious godly bishop who had often earnestly prayed that God would manifest to him what Jesus had done in His youth. Once the bishop had a dream to this effect. He seemed, in his sleep, to see a carpenter working at his trade, and beside him a little boy, who was gathering up chips. Then came in a maiden, clothed in green, who called them both to come to the meal, and set porridge (Brei) before them. All this the bishop seemed to see in his dream, himself standing behind the door that he might not be perceived. Then the little boy began and said, “ Why does that man stand there? Shall not he also eat with us?” And this so frightened the bishop that he awoke.

Let this be what it may, a true history or a fable, I none the less believe that Christ in His childhood and youth looked and acted like other children, “yet without sin,” “in fashion like a man.”

Often (so I think, I assert it not for truth), when His parents had need, by His Divine power He may have created and brought them what they needed, without money. For when His mother saw at the marriage-feast at Cana that they wanted wine, from her motherly heart she said to Him with confidence, “They have no wine,” as if often before she had seen how He could help in need.

Whosoever, therefore, will rightly comprehend this child, must think that there is no higher wisdom than to acknowledge Christ, and not to be offended or turned aside, because the world holds all this for the greatest foolishness. For to us who believe it is the “wisdom of God and the power of God” whereby we are saved, and wherein the dear angels have delight and joy.

Therefore it pleases me very well, when in the churches they sing aloud, and with a solemn slowness, Et homo factus est and Verbum caro factum est. To these words the devil cannot listen, but must flee many miles from them, for he feels well what there is in them.

If we rejoiced from our hearts over those words, as the devil trembles at them, it would be well for us.

Christ at the Judgment-Seat.

IS it not a wonderful thing that the Son of God should sit there and suffer himself to be so piteously tormented, scorned, and mocked? —He whom all angels adore, before whom the earth trembles?—Whom all the creatures acknowledge as their Creator, in His face they spit, strike Him on the lips with a reed, say in mockery, “Ah, if He is a king He must have a crown and sceptre!”

Oh, our sufferings are nothing! When I think of them, I am ashamed to death. Yet we are to be conformed to the image of the Son of God; and if our sufferings could be as great as His, it would still be nothing in comparison. For He is the Son of God, and we are poor creatures. If we suffered eternal death, it were nothing in comparison.

The Last Supper.

THE supper which Christ held with His disciples when He gave them His farewell must have been full of friendly heart-intercourse; for Christ spoke just as tenderly and cordially to them as a father to his dear little children when he is obliged to part from them, He made the best of their infirmities, and had patience with them, although all the while they were so slow to understand, and still lisped like babes.

Yet that must indeed have been choice, friendly, and delightful converse when Philip said, “Show us the Father;” and Thomas, “We know not the way;” and Peter, “I will go with Thee to prison and to death.”

It was simple, quiet table-talk; every one opening his heart and showing his thoughts freely and fearlessly, and without restraint.

Never since the world began was there a more delightful meal than that.

The Agony tn the Garden.

DR. LUTHER was once questioned at table concerning the “bloody sweat,” and the other deep spiritual sufferings which Christ endured in the garden. Then he said—”No man can know or conceive what that anguish must have been. If any man began even to experience such suffering, he must die. You know many do die of sickness of heart; for heart- anguish is indeed death. If a man could feel such anguish and distress as Christ felt, it would be impossible for him to endure it and for his soul to remain in his body. Soul and body would part. To Christ alone was this agony possible, and it wrung from Him ‘sweat which was as great drops of blood.’”

The Ascension of Christ.

A WONDERFUL thing it must have been to see, when Christ vanished before the disciples’ eyes, and went up into heaven. The good disciples must have thought, “We have eaten and drunk with Him, and now, whilst looking at us, He is taken from us into heaven.” I know Dr. Justus Jonas very intimately, and if he were now raised up into heaven, and were to vanish before our eyes, it would give us many strange and wonderful thoughts.

“NO man hath ascended into heaven save He who came down from heaven, even the Son of Man, who is in heaven.”

In these three sayings are briefly comprehended His almightiness. “To come down from heaven,” means that He appeared on earth, became man (in all things like us, save in sin), let His glory be seen in his words and wondrous works, and at last accomplished the redemption of the human race.

“To ascend to heaven,” means that henceforth He appears no more on earth in bodily form.

“Is in heaven,” means that in His Godhead He has never left the right hand of the Father, and moreover that He has never relinquished, and will never relinquish, the human nature which He has taken on Him.

The Holy Spirit.

ON the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit began the New Testament. Then He openly established his office and work, as Christ proclaimed Him, “the Comforter, and the Spirit of Truth.”

For He gave to the apostles and disciples a true, sure consolation in their hearts, and an assured, joyful mind, so that they did not ask if the world and the devil were favorable or unfavorable, raged or laughed, but went through the streets of the city, and thought, “Here neither Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, or Herod are anything. We Christians are all. All are our subjects and servants, and we their lords and rulers.”

That these poor beggars and fishermen, the apostles, should step forth and preach as they did, enraging the whole government at Jerusalem, bringing on themselves the wrath of the priests also, and of the whole Roman empire, opening their mouths and crying, “Ye are traitors and murderers,” knowing that they would in consequence be smitten on the mouth; all this could not have been but through the Holy Spirit.

THE Holy Ghost is called the Comforter, not one who makes sad; for where melancholy and depression are, there the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, is not at home. The devil is a spirit of terror and sadness. But the Holy Ghost is the Comforter.

THE Holy Ghost, who is called a Witness and a Comforter, preaches and testifies throughout Christendom, to comfort and strengthen all the sorrowful, of none save only of Christ.

THE Holy Scriptures give to the Holy Spirit a very choice name, calling Him an Advocate, Paraclete, who conducts our cause and does the best for us, speaks for us, makes intercession for us, and helps us up again when we are fallen. Thus we obtain the victory through faith, and overcome the devil and the world, not by our own means and powers, but by the power and working of the Holy Spirit and of faith.

The Love of God.

THE slender capacity of man’s heart cannot comprehend, much less utter, that unsearchable depth and burning zeal of God’s love towards us.

God is gracious and merciful, as the Scriptures show. He loves even real sinners (bosen Buben). Yea, to the blind, hard world which lieth in the wicked one, He has sent as a Saviour His own Son. I could not have done that, and yet I am a real sin- ner (bose Bube) myself.

“True Definition of Christ.”

FOR, indeed, Christ is no cruel exactor, but a forgiver of the sins of the whole world. Wherefore, if thou be a sinner (as indeed are we all), set not Christ down upon the rainbow as a judge, but take hold of His true definition—namely, that Christ the Son of God and of the Virgin is a Person not that terrifieth, not that afflicteth, not that condemneth us of sin, not that demandeth an account of us for our life of evil passed, but hath given Himself for our sins, and with one oblation hath put away the sins of the whole world, hath fastened them upon the cross, and put them clean out by Himself.

CHRIST, then, is no Moses, no exactor, no giver of laws, but a giver of grace; a Saviour, and one that is full of mercy. Briefly, He is nothing else but infinite mercy and goodness, freely given, and bountifully giving unto us.

Now, as it is the greatest knowledge and cunning that Christians can have thus to define Christ, so of all things it is the hardest.

I speak not this without cause, for I know what moveth me to be so earnest that we should learn to define Christ out of the words of Paul.

Ye young men, therefore, are in this case much more happy than we that are old. For ye are not infected with these pernicious errors where in I have been so nustled (cherished, nursed) and drowned from my youth, that at the very hearing of the name of Christ my heart hath trembled and quaked for fear.

Christ, when He cometh, is nothing else but joy and sweetness to a trembling, broken heart, as Paul here witnesseth, who setteth Him out with this most sweet and comfortable title when he saith, “Which loved me and gave Himself for me.” Christ, therefore, in very deed is a lover of those which are in trouble and anguish, in sin and death, and such a lover as gave Himself for us, who is also our High Priest.

He saith not, “Which hath received our works at our hands,” nor “Which hath received the sacrifices of Moses’ law, worshippings, religions, masses, vows and pilgrimages;” but hath “given.” What? Not gold nor silver, nor beasts, nor paschal lambs, nor an angel, but Himself. For what? Not for a crown, not for a kingdom, not for our holiness and righteousness, but for our sins. Not for feigned or counterfeit sins, nor yet for small sins, nor for vanquished sins, but for great and huge sins; not for one or two, but for all.

Christ the Center.

IN my heart,” he said, “this article reigns alone, and shall reign—namely, faith in my dear Lord Christ, who is the only Beginning, Middle, and End of all my spiritual and divine thoughts which I have by day or night.”

Yet at the same time I feel that I only attain to a little feeble lifting up before others of the height, depth, and breadth, of this immeasurable and endless wisdom, and have scarcely been able to bring to light more than a few little fragments and broken pieces from this most rich and precious mine.

Christ the Priest.

ONCE, when his servant read in the Psalms the verse, “I have sworn and will not re- pent, Thou art a Priest for ever,” Doctor Martin said, “That is the most beautiful and glorious verse in the whole Psalter; for herein God holds forth this Christ alone as our Bishop and High Priest, who Himself and no other, without ceasing, makes intercession for His own with the Father. Not Caiaphas, nor Annas, nor Peter, nor Paul, nor the Pope; He, He alone shall be the Priest. This I affirm with an oath.”

“Thou art a Priest for ever.” In that saying every syllable is greater than the whole Tower of Babel.

To this Priest let us cling and cleave. For He is faithful; He has given Himself for us to God, and holds us dearer than His own life. When we stand firm to Christ, there is no other god in heaven or on earth but One who makes just and blessed. On the other hand, if we lose Him from our heart and eyes, there is no other help, comfort, or rest.

Christ our Sacrifice.

IN His death He is a Sacrifice, satisfying for our sins; in the resurrection, a Conqueror; in the ascension, a King; in the intercession, a High Priest.

Christ made One with Man.

GOD sent His only Son into the world, and laid upon Him the sins of all men, saying, “Be Thou Peter, that denier; Paul, that persecutor, blasphemer, and cruel oppressor; David, that adulterer; that sinner which did eat the apple in Paradise; that thief which hanged upon the cross; and briefly, be Thou the person which hath committed the sins of all men.”

Christ Obedient to the Law.

CHRIST is not a Teacher of the law, like Moses, but a disciple who would be obedient to the law, that through such subjection and obedience He might redeem those who were under the law.

Christ Conquering by Suffering.

CHRIST is made the law of the law, the sin of sin, the death of death, that He might redeem from the curse of the law, justify me and quicken me. While He is the law, He is also liberty; while He is sin, He is righteousness; while He is death, He is life. For in that He suffered the law to accuse Him, sin to condemn Him, and death to devour Him, He abolished the law, He condemned sin, He destroyed death, He justified and saved me.

Christ our Life.

THIS life that I have now in the flesh, in very deed is no true life, but a shadow of life, under which another liveth; that is to say, Christ. Who is my true life, indeed; which life thou seest not, but only hearest, and I feel.

Christ Cleansing Us.

AS if He would say (in washing the disciples’ feet), I am the true Laver and Bath. Therefore, if I wash thee not, thou remainest unclean, and dead in thy sins.

Christ the Conqueror of Sin, Death, and the Curse.

NOT only my sins and thine, but the sins of the whole world, either past, present, or to come, take hold of Him, go about to condemn Him, and do indeed condemn Him.

But because in the self-same Person—which is thus the highest, the greatest, and the only sinner—there is also an everlasting and invincible righteousness, therefore these two do encounter together; the highest, the greatest, and the only sin; and the highest, the greatest, and the only righteousness,

Sin is a mighty and cruel tyrant, ruling and reigning over the whole world, bringing all men into bondage. This tyrant flieth upon Christ, and will needs swallow Him up, as he doth all other, But he seeth not that He is a person of invincible and everlasting righteousness. In this combat what is done? Righteousness is everlasting, immortal, invincible.

In like manner, Death, which is an invincible queen and empress of the whole world, killing kings, princes, and, generally, all men, doth mightily encounter with Life, thinking utterly to overcome it; and that which it undertaketh, it bringeth to pass indeed. But because Life was immortal, therefore, when it was overcome, yet did it truly overcome, and get the victory, vanquishing and killing death. Death, therefore, through Christ is vanquished and abolished throughout the whole world; so that now it is but a painted death, which, losing its sting, can no more hurt those that believe in Christ, who is become the death of death.

So, the curse fighteth against the blessing, and would condemn it and bring it to naught; but it cannot do so. For the blessing is divine, everlasting, and therefore the curse must needs give place. For if the blessing in Christ could be overcome, then should God Himself also be overcome,

The Name of Jesus.

IF God takes me this hour, or to-morrow, out of this life, I will leave it behind me, that I confess Jesus Christ to be my God and Lord. This I have learned, not from the Scriptures only, but in many great and hard experiences. I have resisted well-nigh unto blood, and endured many a sore conflict on this account; but it has been very good and profitable for me.

The Gospel in the Crucifix.

I BELIEVE that many have been saved under the Papacy, although they never heard the gospel as now, thank God, it is preached and taught, to whom, as they were in the agony of death, and about to depart, the crucifix was held up, and it was said, “Fix thy hope on Him who hath redeemed thee.”

Flowers

Continued in II. Rules of the Service

All sections of Watchwords for the Warfare of Life

History of the Papacy Chapter VII. That the Church of Rome Neither has Nor Can Change Her Principles on the Head of the Supremacy

Continued from Chapter VI. The Canon Law

We have shown in the foregoing chapter, that nothing in all past history is better authenticated than the fact that the Papacy has claimed supremacy over kings and kingdoms. We have also shown that this claim is a legitimate inference from the fundamental principles of the Papacy,–that these principles are of such a nature as to imply a Divine right, and that the arrogant claim based on these principles Rome has not only asserted, but succeeded in establishing. Her doctors have taught it, her casuists have defended it, her councils have ratified it, the papal bulls have been based upon it, and her popes have reduced it to practice, in the way of deposing monarchs, and transferring their kingdoms to others. “Seeing it hath been current among their divines of greatest vogue and authority,” reasons Barrow, “the great masters of their school,–seeing by so large a consent and concurrence, during so long a time, it may pretend (much better than divers other points of great importance) to be confirmed by tradition or prescription,–why should it not be admitted for a doctrine of the holy Roman Church, the mother and mistress of all churches? How can they who disavow this notion be the true sons of that mother, or faithful scholars of that mistress? How can they acknowledge any authority in that Church to be infallible, or certain, or obliging to assent. No man apprehending it false, seemeth capable, with good conscience, to hold communion with those who profess it; for, upon supposition of its falsehood, the Pope and his chief adherents are the teachers and abettors of the highest violation of Divine commands, and most enormous sins of usurpation, tyranny, imposture, perjury, rebellion, murder, rapine, and all the villanies complicated in the practical influence of this doctrine.”[1]

But does the fact, so clearly established from history, that the Church of Rome not only claimed, but succeeded in making good her claim, to universal supremacy, suggest no fears for the cause of public liberty in time to come? Has the Papacy renounced this claim? Has she confessed that it is a claim which she ought never to have made, and which she would not now make were she in the same circumstances? So far from this, it can be shown, that though Gosselin and other modern writers have attempted to apologise for the past usurpations of the Papacy, and to explain the grounds on which these acts were based, as being not so much definite principles as popular beliefs and concessions; and though they have written with the obvious intention of leading their readers to infer that the Papacy would not so act now were it placed in the same circumstances as before; yet it can be shown that the Papacy has not renounced this claim,–that it never can renounce it,–and that, were opportunity to offer, it would once more take upon itself the high prerogative of disposing of crowns and kingdoms. How does this appear? In the first place, if Rome has renounced this alleged right, let the deed of renunciation be produced. The fact is notorious, that she did depose monarchs. When or where has she confessed that in doing so she stopped out of her sphere, and was betrayed by a guilty ambition into an act of flagrant usurpation? The contrition must be as public as the crime is notorious. But there exists no such deed; and, in lieu of a public and formal renunciation, we cannot accept the explanations and apologies, the feeble and qualified denials, of modern writers. It is the interest of these writers to keep discreetly in the shade claims and pretensions which it would be dangerous meanwhile to avow. And even granting that these disavowals were more explicit than they are, and granting, too, that they were sincerely made, they carry no authority with them. They are merely private opinions, and do not bind the Church; and there is too much reason to believe that they would be repudiated by Rome whenever she found it safe or advantageous to do so. The case stands thus:–the Church of Rome, in violation of the principle of a co-ordinate jurisdiction in spiritual and civil affairs, and in violation of her own proper character and objects as a church, has claimed and exercised supremacy over kings and kingdoms; but she has not to this hour acknowledged that she erred in doing so, nor has she renounced the principles which led to that error; and so long as she maintains an attitude which is a virtual defence and justification of all her past pretensions, both in their theory and their practice, the common sense of mankind must hold that she is ready to repeat the same aggressions whenever the same occasions and opportunities shall occur.

It is also to be borne in mind, that though the Church of Rome is silent on her claims meanwhile, we are not warranted to take that silence for surrender. They are not claims renounced; they are simply claims not asserted. The foundation of these claims, and their desirableness, remain unchanged. Moreover, it is important to observe, that wherever the action of the Romish Church is restrained, it is restrained by a power from without, and not by any principle or power from within. Her prerogatives have sometimes been wrested from her, but never without the Church of Rome putting on record her solemn protest. She has declared that the authority of which she was deprived was rightfully hers, and that to forbid her to use it was an unrighteous interference with her just powers; which means, that she was purposed to reclaim these rights the moment she thought she could make the attempt with success. In those countries where she still bears sway, we find her giving effect to her pretensions to the very utmost which the liberty allowed her will permit; and it is certainly fair to infer, that were her liberty greater, her pretensions would be greater too, not in assumption only, but in practice also.

But, second, the Church of Rome cannot renounce this claim, because she is infallible. We shall afterwards prove that that Church does hold the doctrine of the infallibility, and that it is one of the fundamental principles on which her system is built. Meanwhile we assume it. Being infallible, she can never believe what is false, or practise what is wrong, and is therefore incapable in all time coming of renouncing any one doctrine she ever taught, or departing from any one claim she ever asserted. To say that such an opinion was taught as true ages ago, but is not now recognised as sound, or held to be obligatory, is perfectly allowable to Protestants, for they make no claim to infallibility. They may err, and they may own that their fathers have erred; for though they have an infallible standard,–the Word of God,–in which all the fundamental doctrines appertaining to salvation are so clearly taught, that there is no mistaking them on the part of any one who brings ordinary powers and ordinary candour, with a due reliance on the Spirit’s promised aid, to their investigation, yet there are subordinate matters, especially points of administration, on which a longer study of the Word of God will throw clearer light. Protestants, therefore, may with perfect consistency amend their system, both in its theory and in its practice, and so bring it into nearer conformity with the great standard of truth. They have built up no wall of adamant behind them. Not so Rome. She is infallible; and, as such, must stand eternally on the ground she has taken up. It is a double thraldom which she has perpetrated: she has enslaved the human understanding, and she has enslaved herself. The dogma of infallibility, like a chain which mortal power cannot break, has tied her to the bulls of popes, and the decrees of councils and canonists; and it matters not how gross the error, how glaring the absurdity, or how manifest the contradiction, into which they may have fallen; the error is part of her infallibility, and must be maintained. The Church of Rome can never plead that she believed so and so, and acted agreeably thereto, six hundred years ago, but that she has since come to think differently on the point,–that a deeper knowledge of the Bible has corrected her views. Infallibility was infallibility six hundred years ago, as really as it is so to-day. Infallibility can never be either less or more. To an infallible Church it is all one whether her decisions were delivered yesterday or a thousand years ago. The decision of ten centuries since is as much a piece of infallibility as the decision of ten hours since. With Rome a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years are but as a day.

Nor can the Church of Rome avail herself of the excuse, that such an opinion was held by her in the dark ages, when there was little knowledge of any sort in the world. There was infallibility in it, however, according to the Church of Rome. In those ages, that Church taught as infallible that the earth was stationary, while the sun rolled round it, and that the earth was not a globe, but an extended plain. The apology that this was before the birth of the modern astronomy, however satisfactory in the mouth of another, would in her mouth be a condemnation of her whole system. The ages were dark enough, no doubt; but infallibility then was still infallibility. Why, it is precisely at such times that we need infallibility. An infallibility that cannot see in the dark is not worth much. If it cannot speak till science has first spoken, but at the risk of falling into gross error, why, we think the world might do as well without as with infallibility. A prophet that restricts his vaticinations to what has already come to pass, possesses no great share of the prophetic gift. The beacon whose light cannot be seen but when the sun is above the horizon, will be but a sorry guide to the mariner; and that infallibility which cannot move a step without losing itself in a quagmire, except when science and history pioneer its way, is but ill fitted to govern the world. The infallibility has made three grand discoveries,–the first in the department of astronomy, the second in the department of geography, and the third in the department of theology. The first is, that the sun revolves round our earth; the second is, that the world is an extended plain; and the third and greatest is, that the Pope is God’s vicar. If the Church of Rome be true, these three are all equally infallible truths.

To dwell a little longer on this infallibility, and the unchangeableness with which it endows the Church of Rome,–that Church is not only infallible as a church or society, but every separate article of her creed is infallible. In fact, Popery is just a bundle of infallible axioms, every one of which is as unalterably and everlastingly true as are the theorems of Euclid. How impossible that a creed of this character can be either amended or changed! Amended it cannot be, for it is already infallible; changed still less can it be, for to change infallible truth would be to embrace error. What would be thought of the mathematician who should affirm that geometry might be changed,–that though it was a truth when Euclid flourished, that the three angles of a triangle were together equal to two right angles, it does not follow that it is a truth now? Geometry is what Popery claims to be,–a system of infallible truths, and therefore eternally immutable. Between the trigonometrical survey of Britain in our own times, and those annual measurements of their fields which were wont to be undertaken by the early Egyptians on the reflux of the Nile, there is an intervening period of not less than forty centuries, and yet the two processes were based on the identical geometrical truths. The two angles at the base of an isosceles triangle were then equal to one another, and they are so still, and will be myriads of ages beyond the present moment, and myriads and myriads of miles away from the sphere of our globe. Popery claims for her truths an equally necessary, independent, universal, and eternal existence. When we talk of the one being changed, we talk not a whit more irrationally than when we talk of the other being changed. There is not a dogma in the bullarium which is not just as infallible a truth as any axiom of geometry. It follows that the canon law is as unchangeable as Euclid. The deposing power having been received by the Church as an infallible truth, must be an infallible truth still. Truth cannot be truth in one age and error in the next. The infallibility can never wax old. To this attribute has the Church of Rome linked herself: she must not shirk its conditions. Were she to confess that in any one instance she had ever adopted or practised error,–above all, were she to grant that she had erred in the great acts of her supremacy,–she would virtually surrender her whole cause into the hands of Protestants.

We find Cardinal Perron adopting this precise line of argument on a very memorable occasion. After the assassination of Henry IV. by the Jesuits, it was proposed, for the future security of government, to abjure the papal doctrine of deposing kings for heresy. When the three estates assembled in 1616, Cardinal Perron, as the organ of the rest of the Gallican clergy, addressed them on the subject. He argued, that were they to abjure the pope’s right to depose heretical sovereigns, they would destroy the communion hitherto existing between them and other churches,–nay, even with the church of France before their own time: that seeing the popes had claimed and exercised this right, they could not take the proposed oath without acknowledging that the Pope and the whole Church had erred, both in faith and in things pertaining to salvation, and that for many ages the Catholic Church had perished from the earth: that they behoved to dig up the bones of a multitude of French doctors, even the bones of St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure, and burn them upon the altar, as Josiah burnt the bones of the false prophet. So reasoned the Cardinal; and we should like to see those who now attempt to deny the Pope’s deposing power try to answer his arguments.

The infallibility is the iron hoop around the Church of Rome. In every variety of outward circumstances, and amid the most furious conflicts of discordant opinions, that Church is and must ever be the same. Change or amendment she can never know. She cannot repent, because she cannot err. Repentance and amendment are for the fallible only. Far more marvellous would it be to hear that she had changed than to hear that she had been destroyed. It will one day be told the world, and the nations will clap their hands at the news, that the Papacy has fallen; but it will never be told that the Papacy has repented. She will be destroyed, not amended.

But, in the third place, the Papacy cannot renounce this claim without denying its essential and fundamental principles. Between the dogma that the Pope is Christ’s vicar and the claim of supremacy, there is, as we have shown, the most strict and logical connection. The latter is but the former transmuted into fact; and if the one is renounced, the other must go with it. On the assumption that the Pope is Christ’s vicar is built the whole fabric of Popery. On this point, according to Bellarmine, hangs the whole of Christianity;[2] and one of the latest expounders of the Papacy re-echoes this sentiment:–“Wanting the sovereign pontiff,” says De Maistre, “Christianity wants its sole foundation.”[3] Anything, therefore, that would go to annihilate that assumption, would raze, as Bellarmine admits, the foundations of the whole system. The Papacy, then, has it in its choice to be the superior of kings or nothing. It has no middle path. Aut Caesar aut nullus. The Pope is Christ’s vicar, and so lord of the earth and of all its empires, or his pretensions are unfounded, his religion a cheat, and himself an impostor.

It is necessary here to advert to the popular argument,–a miserable fallacy, no doubt, but one that possesses an influence that better reasons are sometimes found to want. The world is now so greatly changed that it is impossible not to believe that Popery also is changed. It is incredible that it should now think of enforcing its antiquated claims. We find this argument in the mouths of two classes of persons. It is urged by those who see that the only chance which the Papacy has of succeeding in its present criminal designs is to persuade the world that it is changed, and who accordingly report as true what they know to be false. And, second, it is employed by those who are ignorant of the character of Popery, and who conclude, that because all else is changed, this too has undergone a change. But the question is not, Is the world altered?–this all admit; but, Is the Papacy altered? A change in the one gives not the slightest ground to infer a change in the other. The Papacy itself makes no claim of the sort; it repudiates the imputation of change; glories in being the same in all ages; and with this agrees its nature, which shuts out the very idea of change, or rather makes change synonymous with destruction. It is nothing to prove that society is changed, though it is worth remembering that the essential elements of human nature are the same in all ages, and that the changes of which so much account is made lie mainly on the surface. The question is, Is the Papacy changed? It cannot be shown on any good ground that it is. And while the system continues the same, its influence, its mode of action, and its aims, will be identical, let the circumstances around it be what they may. It will mould the world to itself, but cannot be moulded by it. Is not this a universal law, determining the development alike of things, of systems, and of men? Take a seed from the tomb of an Egyptian mummy, carry it into the latitude of Britain, and bury it ill the earth; the climate, and many other things, will all be different, but the seed is the same. Its incarceration of four thousand years has but suspended, not annihilated, its vital powers; and, being the same seed, it will grow up into the same plant; its leaf, and flower, and fruit, will all be the same they would have been on the banks of the Nile under the reign of the Pharaohs. Or let us suppose that the mummy, the companion of its long imprisonment, should start into life. The brown son of Egypt, on looking up, would find the world greatly changed;–the Pharaohs gone, the pyramids old, Memphis in ruins, empires become wrecks, which had not been born till long after his embalmment; but amid all these changes he would feel that he was the same man, and that his sleep of forty centuries had left his dispositions and habits wholly unchanged. Nay, will not the whole human race rise at the last day with the same moral tastes and dispositions with which they went to their graves, so that to the characters with which they died will link on the allotments to which they shall rise? The infallibility has stereotyped the Papacy, just as nature has stereotyped the seed, and death the characters of men; and, let it slumber for one century, or twenty centuries, it will awake with its old instincts. And while as a system it continues unchanged, its action on the world must necessarily be the same. It is not more accordant with the law of their natures that fire should burn and air ascend, than it is accordant with the nature of the Papacy that it should claim the supremacy, and so override the consciences of men and the laws of kingdoms.

Nay, so far is it from being a truth that Popery is growing a better thing, that the truth lies the other way: it is growing rapidly and progressively worse. So egregiously do the class to which we have referred miscalculate, and so little true acquaintance do they show with the system on which they so confidently pronounce, that those very influences on which the rely for rendering the Papacy milder in spirit, and more tolerant in policy, are the very influences which are communicating a more defined stamp to its bigotry and a keener edge to its malignity. By an inevitable consequence, the Papacy must retrograde as the world advances. The diffusion of letters, the growth of free institutions, above all, the prevalence of true religion, are hateful to the Papacy; they threaten its very existence, and necessarily rouse into violent action all its more intolerant qualities. The most cursory survey of its history for the past six centuries abundantly attests the truth of what we now say. It was not till arts and Christianity began to enlighten southern Europe in the twelfth century, that Rome unsheathed the sword. The Reformation came next, and was followed by a new outburst of ferocity and tyranny on the part of Rome. Thus, as the world grows better, the Papacy grows worse. The Papacy of the present day, so far from being set off by a comparison of the Papacy of the middle ages, rather suffers thereby; for of the two, the latter certainly was the more tolerant in its actings. No thanks to Rome for being tolerant, when there is nothing to tolerate. No thanks that her sword rusts in its scabbard, when there is no heretical blood to moisten it. But let a handful of Florentines open a chapel for Protestant worship, and the deadly marshes of the Maremme will soon read them the lesson of the Papacy’s tolerance; or let a poor Roman presume to circulate the Word of God, and he will have time in the papal dungeons to acquaint himself with Rome’s new-sprung liberality; or let the Queen’s government build colleges in Ireland, to introduce a little useful knowledge into that model land of sacerdotal rule, and the anathemas which will instantly be hurled from every Popish altar on the other side of the Channel will furnish unmistakeable evidence as to the progress which the Church of Rome has recently made in the virtue of toleration. Assuredly Rome will not change so long as there are fools in the world to believe that she is changed.

At no former period, and by no former holder of the pontificate, was the primary principle of the Papacy more vigorously or unequivocally asserted, than it has been by the present pontiff. In his encyclical letter against the circulation of the Bible[4] we find Pius IX. thus speaking:–“All who labour with you for the defence of the faith will have especially an eye to this, that they confirm, defend, and deeply fix in the minds of your faithful people that piety, veneration, and respect towards this supreme see of Peter, in which you, venerable brothers, so greatly excel. Let the faithful people remember that there here lives and presides, in the person of his successors, Peter, the prince of the apostles, whose dignity faileth not even in his unworthy heir. Let them remember that Christ the Lord hath placed in this chair of Peter the unshaken foundation of his Church; and that he gives to Peter himself the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and that he prayed, therefore, that his faith might fail not, and commanded him to confirm his brethren therein; so that the successor of St. Peter holds the primacy over the whole world, and is the true vicar of Christ and head of the whole Church, and father and doctor of all Christians.” There is not a false dogma or a persecuting principle which Rome ever taught or practised, which is not contained, avowedly or implicitly, in this declaration. The Pope herein sets no limits to his spiritual sway but those of the world,–of course excommunicating all who do not belong to his Church; and claims a character,–“true vicar of Christ and head of the whole Church,”–which vests in him temporal dominion equally unbounded and supreme.

The popes do not now send their legates a latere to the court of London or of Paris, to summon monarchs to do homage to Peter or transient tribute to Rome. The Papacy is too sagacious needlessly to awaken the fears of princes, or to send its messengers on what, meanwhile, would be a very bootless errand. But has the Pope renounced these claims? We have shown a priori that he cannot, and with this agrees the fact that he has not: therefore he must, in all fairness, be held as still retaining, though not actually asserting, this claim. No conclusion is more certain than this, that the essential principles of the system being the same, they will, in the same circumstances, practice the same evils and mischiefs in future which they have done in the past. What has been may be. In the sixth century, had any one pointed out the bearing of these principles, affirming that they necessarily led to supremacy over kings, one might have been excused for doubting whether practically this result would follow. But the same excuse is signally awanting in the nineteenth century. The world has had dire experience of the fact; it knows what the Papacy is practically as well as theoretically. Moreover are not the modern chiefs of the Papacy as ambitious and as devoted to the aggrandizement of the Papacy as the pontiffs of the past? Is not universal dominion as tempting an object of ambition now as it was in the eleventh century? and, provided the popes can manage, either by craft or force, to persuade the world to submit to their rule, is any man so simple as to believe that they will not exercise it,–that they will modestly put aside the sceptre, and content themselves with the pastoral staff? There is nothing in that dominion, on their own principles, which is inconsistent with their spiritual character; nay the possession of temporal authority is essential to the completeness of that character, and to the vigour of their spiritual administration. Is it not capable of being made to subserve as effectually as ever the authority and influence of the Church? In times like the present, pontiffs may affect to undervalue the temporal supremacy; they may talk piously of throwing off the cares of State, and giving themselves wholly to their spiritual duties; but let such prospects open before them as were presented to the Gregories and the Leos of the past, and we shall see how long this horror of the world’s pomps and riches, and this love of meditation and prayer, will retain possession of their breasts. The present occupant of the pontifical chair talked in this way of his temporal sovereignty; but the moment he came to lose that sovereignty, instead of venting his joy at having got rid of his burden, he filled Europe with the most dolorous complaints and outcries, and fulminated from his retreat at Gaeta the bitterest execrations and the most dreadful anathamas against all who had been concerned in the act of stripping him of his sovereignty. So far was Pius from betaking himself to the spiritual solace for which he had so thirsted, that he plunged headlong into the darkest intrigues and conspiracies against the independence of Italy, and sent his messengers to every Catholic court in Europe, exhorting and supplicating these powers to take up arms and restore him to his capital. The result, as all the world knows, was, that the young liberties of Italy were quenched in blood, and the throne of the triple tyrant was again set up. “The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep,”–so wrote they on the gates of Notre Dame;–“Pius IX. kills his.” Accordingly, the doctrine now maintained by the pontiff and the advocates of the Papacy in every part of Europe is, that the sacerdotal and temporal sovereignties cannot be disjoined, and that the union of the two, in the person of the Pope, is indispensable to the welfare of the Church and the independence of its supreme bishop. But if it be essential to the good of the Church and the independence of its head that the Pope should be sovereign of the Roman States, the conclusion is inevitable, that it is equally essential for these objects that he should possess the temporal supremacy. Will not the same good, but on a far larger scale, flow from the possession of the temporal supremacy that now flows from the temporal sovereignty? and will not the loss of the former expose the Papacy to similar and much greater inconveniences and dangers than those likely to arise from the loss of the latter? When we confound the distinction between things civil and sacred, or rather,–for the error of Rome properly lies here,–when we deny the co-ordinate jurisdiction of the two powers, and subordinate the temporal to the spiritual, there is no limit to the amount of temporal power which may not be possessed and exercised by spiritual functionaries. If to possess any degree of temporal jurisdiction conduce to the authority of ecclesiastical rulers and the good of the Church, then the more of this power the better. The temporal supremacy is a better thing than the temporal sovereignty, in proportion as it is a more powerful thing. Thus, every argument for the sovereignty of the Pope is a fortiori an argument for the supremacy of the Pope. Why does he cling to the temporal sovereignty, but that he may provide for the dignity of his person and office, maintain his court in befitting splendour from the revenue of St. Peter’s patrimony, transact with kings on something like a footing of equality, keep his spies at foreign courts in the shape of legates and nuncios, and by these means check heresy, and advance the interests of the universal Church? But as lord paramount of Europe, he will be able to accomplish all these ends much more completely than merely as sovereign of the Papal States. His spiritual thunder will possess far more terror when launched from a seat which rises in proud supremacy over thrones. The glory of his court, and the numbers of his returns, will be far more effectually provided for when able to subsidize all Europe, than when dependent simply on the limited and now beggared domains of the fisherman. With what vigour will he chastise rebellions nations, and reduce to obedience heretical sovereigns, when able to point against them the combined temporal and spiritual artillery! How completely will he purge out heresy, when at his powerful word every sword in Europe shall again leap from its scabbard! Will not bishops and cardinals be able to take high ground at foreign courts, when they can tell their sovereigns, “The Pope is as much your master as ours?” But this is but a tithe of the power and glory which the supremacy would confer upon the Church, and especially upon its head. To grasp the political power of Europe, and wield it in the dark, is the present object the Jesuits are striving to attain; and can any man doubt that, were the times favourable, they would exercise openly what they are now trying to wield by stealth? Never will the Papacy feel that it is in its proper place, or that it is in a position to carry out fully its peculiar mission, till, seated once more in absolute and unapproachable power upon the Seven Hills, it look down upon the kings of Europe as its vassals, and be worshipped by the nations as a God; and the turn that affairs are taking in the world appears to be forcing this upon the Papacy. A crisis has arrived in which, if the Church of Rome is to maintain herself, she must take higher ground than she has done since the Reformation. She has the alternative of becoming the head of Europe, or of being swept out of existence. A new era, such as neither the Pope nor his fathers have known, has dawned on the world. The French Revolution, after Napoleon had extinguished it in blood, as all men believed, has returned from its tomb, refreshed by its sleep of half a century, to do battle with the dynasties and hierarchies of Europe.

The first idea of the Papacy was to mount on the revolutionary wave, and be floated to the lofty seat it had formerly occupied. “Your Holiness has but one choice,” Cicerovacchio is reported to have said to the Pope: “you may place yourself at the head of reform, or you will be dragged in the rear of revolution.” The pontifical choice was fixed in favour of the former. Accordingly, the world was astonished by the unwonted sight of the mitre surmounted by the cap of liberty; the echoes of the Vatican were awakened by the strange sounds of “liberty and fraternity;” and the Papacy, wrinkled and hoar, was seen to coquette with the young revolution on the sacred soil of the Seven Hills. But nature had forbidden the banns; and no long time elapsed till it was discovered that the projected union was monstrous and impossible. The Church broke with the revolution; the harlot hastened to throw herself once more into the arms of her old Paramour the State; and now commenced the war of the Church with the democracy. It is plain that the issue of that war to the Papacy must be one of two things,–complete annihilation, or unbounded dominion. Rome must be all that she ever was, and more, or she must cease to be. Europe is not wide enough to hold both the old Papacy and the young Democracy; and one or other must go to the wall. Matters have gone too far to permit of the contest being ended by a truce or compromise; the battle must be fought out. If the Democracy shall triumph, a fearful retribution will be exercised on a Church which has proved herself to be essentially sanguinary and despotic; and if the Church shall overcome, the revolution will be cut up root and branch. It is not for victory, then, but for life, that both parties now fight. The gravity of the juncture, and the eminent peril in which the Papacy is placed, will probably spirit it on to some desperate attempt. Half-measures will not save it at such a crisis as this. To retain only the traditions of its power, and to practise the comparatively tolerant policy which it has pursued for the past half-century, will no longer either suit its purpose, or be found compatible with its continued existence. It must become the living, dominant Papacy once more. In order that it may exist, it must reign. We may therefore expect to witness some combined and vigorous attempt on the part of Popery to recover its former dominion. It has studied the genius of every people; it has fathomed the policy of every government; it knows the principles of every sect, and school, and club,–the sentiments and feelings of almost every individual; and with its usual tact and ability, it is attempting to control and harmonize all these various and conflicting elements, so as to work out its own ends. To those frightened by revolutionary excesses the Church of Rome announces herself as the asylum of order. To those scared and shocked by the blasphemies of Socialist infidelity she exhibits herself as the ark of the faith. To monarchs whom the revolution has shaken upon their thrones she promises a new lease of power, provided they will be ruled by her. And as regards those fiery spirits whom her other arts cannot tame, she has in reserve the unanswerable and silencing arguments of the dungeon and the scaffold. Popery is the soul of that re-action that is now in progress on the Continent, though, with her usual cunning, she puts the State in the foreground. it was the Jesuits who instigated and planned the expedition to Rome. It was the Jesuits who plotted the dreadful massacres in Sicily, who have filled the dungeons of Naples with thousands of innocent citizens, who drove into exile every Roman favourable to liberty and opposed to the Pope, who closed the clubs and fettered the press of France, Tuscany, Germany, and Austria; and, in fine, it was the Jesuits of Vienna who crushed the nationalities and counselled the judicial murders of Hungary. History will lay all this blood to the door of the Papacy. It has all been shed in pursuance of a plan concocted by the Church,–now under the government of Jesuitism,–to recover her former ascendancy. The common danger which in the late revolution threatened both Church and State, has made the two cling closely together. “I alone,”–so, in effect, said the Church to the State,–“can save you. In me, and no where else, are to be found the principles of order and the centre of union. The spiritual weapons which it is mine to wield are alone able to combat and subdue the infidel and atheistic principles which have produced the revolution. Lend me your aid now, and promise me your submission in time to come, and I will reduce the masses to your authority.” This reasoning was omnipotent, and the bargain was struck. Accordingly there is not a court of Catholic Europe where the Jesuit influence is not at this moment supreme. And it is happening at present, as it has happened at all former periods of confusion, that in proportion as the State loses the Church acquires strength. Although its companion in trouble, the Church is acting at this moment as the State’s superior. She extends to the civil powers the benefit of her matchless policy and her universal organization. So stands the case, then. It must force itself upon the conviction of all, that this relation of the Church to the State is fraught with tremendous danger to the independence of the secular authority and the liberties of the world. In no fairer train could matters be for realizing all that Rome aspires to. And soon would she realize her aim, were it not that the present era differs from all preceding ones, in that there is an antagonist force in existence in the shape of an infidel Democracy. These two tremendous forces,–Democracy and Catholicism,–poise one another; and neither can reign so long as both exist. But who can tell how soon the equilibrium may be destroyed? Should the balance preponderate in favour of the Catholic element,–should Popery succeed in bringing over from the infidel and democratic camp a sufficient number of converts to enable her to crush her antagonist,–the supremacy is again in her hands. With Democracy collapsed, with the State exhausted and owing its salvation to the Church, and with a priesthood burning to avenge the disasters and humiliations of three centuries, wo to Europe!–the darkest page of its history would be yet to be written.

[1] Barrow’s Works, vol. i. p. 548. [Back]

[2] Bellarm. Prefatio in Libros de Summo Pontifice. [Back]

[3] Du Pape: Discours Preliminaire. [Back]

[4] Letter to the archbishops and bishops of Italy dated Portici, December 8, 1849. [Back]

END OF book ONE

All chapters History of the Papacy

History of the Papacy Chapter VI. The Canon Law

Continued from Chapter V. Foundation and Extent of the Supremacy.

It would be bad enough that a system of the character we have described should exist in the world, and that there should be a numerous class of men all animated by its spirit, and sworn to carry into effect its principles. But this is not the worst of it. The system has been converted into a code. It exists, not as a body of maxims or principles, though in that shape its influence would have been great: it exists as a body of laws, by which every Romish ecclesiastic is bound to act, and which he is appointed to administer. This is termed CANON LAW. The canon law is the slow growth of a multitude of ages. It reminds us of those coral islands in the great Pacific, the terror of the mariner, which myriads and myriads of insects laboured to raise from the bottom to the surface of the ocean. One race of these little builders took up the work where another race had left it; and thus the mass grew unseen in the dark and sullen deep, whether calm or storm prevailed on the surface. In like fashion, monks and popes innumerable, working in the depth of the dark ages, with the ceaseless and noiseless diligence, though not quite so innocently as the little artificers to which we have referred, produced at last the hideous formation known as the canon law. This code, then, is not the product of one large mind, like the Code Justinian or the Code Napoleon, but of innumerable minds, all working intently and laboriously through successive ages on this one object. The canon law is made up of the constitutions or canons of councils, the decrees of popes, and the traditi-ons which have at any time received the pontifical sanction. As questions arose they were adjudicated upon; new emergencies produced new decisions; at last it came to pass that there was scarce a point of possible occurrence on which infallibility had not pronounced. The machinery of the canon law, then, as may be easily imagined, has reached its highest possible perfection and its widest possible application. The statute-book of Rome, combining amazing flexibility with enormous power, like the most wonderful of all modern inventions, can regulate with equal ease the affairs of a kingdom and of a family. Like the elephant’s trunk, it can crush an empire in its folds, or conduct the course of a petty intrigue,–fling a monarch from his throne, or plant the stake for the heretic. Like a net of steel forged by the Vulcan of the Vatican and his cunning artificers, the canon law encloses the whole of Catholic Christendom. A short discussion of this subject may not be without its interest at present, seeing Dr. Wiseman had the candour to tell us, that it is his intention to enclose Great Britain in this net, provided he meets with no obstruction, which he scarce thinks we will be so unreasonable as to offer. Seeing, then, it will not be Dr. Wiseman’s fault if we have not a nearer acquaintance with canon law than we can boast at present, it may be worth while examining its structure, and endeavouring to ascertain our probable condition, once within this enclosure. Not that we intend to hold up to view all its monstrosities; the canon law is the entire Papacy viewed as a system of government: we can refer to but the more prominent points which bear upon the subject we are now discussing,–the supremacy; and these are precisely the points which have the closest connection with our own condition, should the agent of the pontiff in London be able to carry his intent into effect, and introduce the canon law, “the real and complete code of the Church,” as he terms it. Here we shall do little more than quote the leading provisions of the code from the authorized books of Rome, leaving the canon law to commend itself to British notions of toleration and justice.

The false decretals of Isidore, already referred to, offered a worthy foundation for this fabric of unbearable tyranny. We pass, as not meriting particular notice, the earlier and minor compilations of Rheginon of Prum in the tenth century, Buchardus of Worms in the eleventh, and St. Ivo of Chartres in the twelfth. The first great collection of canons and decretals which the world was privileged to see was made by Gratian, a monk of Bologna, who about 1150 published his work entitled Decretum Gratiani. Pope Eugenius III. approved his work, which immediately became the highest authority in the western Church. The rapid growth of the papal tyranny soon superseded the Decretum Gratiani. Succeeding popes flung their decretals upon the world with a prodigality with which the diligence of compilers who gathered them up, and formed them into new codes, toiled to keep pace. Innocent III. and Honorius III. issued numerous rescripts and decrees, which Gregory IX. commissioned Raymond of Pennafort to collect and publish. This the Dominican did in 1234; and Gregory, in order to perfect this collection of infallible decisions, supplemented it with a goodly addition of his own. This is the more essential part of the canon law, and contains a copious system of jurisprudence, as well as rules for the government of the Church. But infallibility had not exhausted itself with these labours. Boniface VIII. in 1298 added a sixth part, which he named the Sext. A fresh batch of decretals was issued by Clement V. in 1313, under the title of Clementines. John XXII. in 1340 added the Extravagantes, so called because they extravagate, or straddle, outside the others. Succeeding pontiffs, down to Sixtus IV., added their extravagating articles, which came under the name of Extravagantes Communes. The government of the world was in some danger of being stopped by the very abundance of infallible law; and since the end of the fifteenth century nothing has been formally added to this already enormous code. We cannot say that this fabric of commingled assumption and fraud is finished even yet: it stands like the great Dom of Cologne, with the crane atop, ready to receive a new tier whenever infallibility shall begin again to build, or rather to arrange the materials it has been producing during the past four centuries. While Rome exists, the canon law must continue to grow. Infallibility will always be speaking; and every new deliverance of the oracle is another statute added to canon law. The growth of all other bodies is regulated by great natural laws. The tower of Babel itself, had its builders been permitted to go on with it, must have stopped at the point where the attractive forces of earth and of the other planets balance each other; but where is the canon law to end?[1] “This general supremacy,” says Hallam, “effected by the Roman Church over mankind in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, derived material support from the promulgation of the canon law. The superiority of ecclesiastical to temporal power, or at least the absolute independence of the former, may be considered as a sort of key-note which regulates every passage in the canon law. It is expressly declared, that subjects owe no allegiance to an excommunicated lord, if after admonition he is not reconciled to the Church. And the rubric prefixed to the declaration of Frederick II.’s deposition in the Council of Lyons asserts that the Pope may dethrone the Emperor for lawful causes.”[2] “Legislation quailed,” says Gavazzi,[3] “before the new-born code of clerical command, which, in the slang of the dark ages, was called canon law. The principle which pollutes every page of this nefarious imposture is, that every human right, claim, property, franchise, or feeling, at variance with the predominance of the popedom, was ipso facto inimical to heaven and the God of eternal justice. In virtue of this preposterous prerogative, universal manhood became a priest’s footstool; this planet a huge game-preserve for the Pope’s individual shooting.” We repeat, it is this law which Dr. Wiseman avows to be one main object of the papal aggression to introduce. Its establishment in Britain implies the utter prostration of all other authority. We have seen how it came into being. The next question is, What is it? Let us first hear the canon law on the subject of the spiritual and civil jurisdictions, and let us take note how it places the world under the dominion of one all-absorbing power,–a power which is not temporal certainly, neither is it purely spiritual, but which, for want of a better phrase, we may term pontifical.

“The constitutions of princes are not superior to ecclesiastical constitutions, but subordinate to them.”[4]

“The law of the emperors cannot dissolve the ecclesiastical law.”[5]

“Constitutions (civil, we presume) cannot contravene good manners and the decrees of the Roman prelates.”[6]

“Whatever belongs to priests cannot be usurped by kings.”[7]

“The tribunals of kings are subjected to the power of priests.”[8]

“All the ordinances of the apostolic seat are to be inviolably observed.”[9]

“The yoke which the holy chair imposes must be borne, although it may seem unbearable.”[10]

“The decretal epistles are to be ranked along with canonical scripture.”[11]

“The temporal power can neither loose nor bind the Pope.”[12]

“It does not belong to the Emperor to judge the actions of the Pope.”[13]

“The Emperor ought to obey, not command, the Pope.”[14]

Such is a specimen of the powers vested in the Pope by the canon law. It makes him the absolute master of kings, and places in his grasp all law and authority, so that he can annul and establish whatever he pleases. It is instructive also to observe, that this power he possesses through the spiritual supremacy; and, as confirmatory of what we have already stated respecting the direct and indirect temporal supremacy, that the two in their issues are identical, we may quote the following remarks of Reiffenstuel, in his textbook on the canon law, published at Rome in 1831:–“The supreme pontiff, or Pope, by virtue of the power immediately granted to him, can, in matters spiritual, and concerning the salvation of souls and the right government of the Church, make ecclesiastical constitutions for the whole Christian world. . . . . It must be confessed, notwithstanding, that the Pope, as vicar of Christ on earth, and universal pastor of his sheep, has indirectly (or in respect of the spiritual power granted to him by God, in order to the good government of the whole Church) a certain supreme power, for the good estate of the Church, if it be necessary, OF JUDGING AND DISPOSING OF ALL THE TEMPORAL GOODS OF ALL CHRISTIANS.”[15] But we pursue our quotations.

“We ordain that kings, and bishops, and nobles, who shall permit the decrees of the Bishop of Rome in anything to be violated, shall be accursed, and be for ever guilty before God as transgressors against the Catholic faith.”[16]

“The Bishop of Rome may excommunicate emperors and princes, depose them from their states, and assoil their subjects from their oath of obedience to them.”[17]

“The Bishop of Rome may be judged of none but of God only.”[18]

“If the Pope should become neglectful of his own salvation, and of that of other men, and so lost to all good that he draw down with himself innumerable people by heaps into hell, and plunge them with himself into eternal torments, yet no mortal man may presume to reprehend him, forasmuch as he is judge of all, and is judged of no one.”[19]

This surely is license enough; and should the pontiff complain that his limits are still too narrow, we should be glad to know how they could possibly be made larger. But let us hear the canon law on the power of the Pope to annul oaths, and release subjects from their allegiance.

“The Bishop of Rome has power to absolve from allegiance, obligation, bond of service, promise, and compact, the provinces, cities, and armies of kings that rebel against him, and also to loose their vassals and feudatories.”[20]

“The pontifical authority absolves some from their oath of allegiance.”[21]

“The bond of allegiance to an excommunicated man does not bind those who have come under it.”[22]

“An oath sworn against the good of the Church does not bind; because that is not an oath, but a perjury rather, which is taken against the Church’s interests.”[23]

We may glance next at the doctrine of the canon law on the subject of clerical immunities.

“It is not lawful for laymen to impose taxes or subsidies upon the clergy. If laics encroach upon cleric immunities, they are, after admonition, to be excommunicated. But in times of great necessity, the clergy may grant assistance to the State, with permission of the Bishop of Rome.”[24]

“It is not lawful for a layman to sit in judgment upon a clergyman. Secular judges who dare, in the exercise of a damnable presumption, to compel priests to pay their debts, are to be restrained by spiritual censures.”[25]

“The man who takes the money of the Church is as guilty as he who commits homicide. He who seizes upon the lands of the Church is excommunicated, and must restore four-fold.”[26]

“The wealth of dioceses and abbacies must in nowise be alienated. It is not lawful for even the Pope himself to alienate the lands of the Church.”[27]

Should the Romish priesthood ever come to be a twentieth of the male population of Britain, as is well nigh the case in Italy and Spain, it is not difficult to imagine the comfortable state of society which must ensue with so numerous a body withdrawn from useful labour, exempt from public burdens, paying their debts only when they please, committing all sorts of wickedness uncontrolled by the ordinary tribunals, and plying vigorously the ghostly machinery of the confessional and purgatory to convey the nation’s property into the treasury of their Church; and once there, there for ever. It is useless henceforth, unless to feed “holy men,”–the term by which Rome designates her consecrated bands of idle, ignorant, sorning monks, and vagabondising friars and priests. No wonder that Dr. Wiseman is so anxious to introduce the canon law, which brings with it so many sweets to the clergy.

There is but one other point on which we shall touch: What says the canon law respecting heresy? In the judgment of Rome we are heretics; and therefore it cannot but be interesting to enquire how we are likely to be dealt with should the canon law ever be established in Britain, and what means the agents of the Vatican would adopt to purge our realm from the taint of our heresy. There is no mistaking the means, whatever may be thought of them. The Church has two swords; and, in the case of heresy, the vigorous use of both, but especially the temporal, is strictly enjoined.

In the decretals of Gregory IX., a heretic is defined to be a man “who, in whatever way, or by whatever vain argument, is led away and dissents from the orthodox faith and Catholic religion which is professed by the Church of Rome.”[28] The circumstance of baptism and initiation into the Christian faith distinguishes the heretic from the infidel and the Jew. The fitting remedies for the cure of this evil are, according to the canon law, the following:–

It is commanded that archbishops and bishops, either personally, or by their archdeacons or other fit persons, go through and visit their dioceses once or twice every year, and inquire for heretics, and persons suspected of heresy. Princes, or other supreme power in the commonwealth, are to be admonished and required to purge their dominions from the filth of heresy.

This goodly work of purgation is to be conducted in the following manner:–

I. Excommunication. This sentence is to be pronounced not only on notorious heretics, and those suspected of heresy, but also on those who harbour, defend, or assist them, or who converse familiarly with them, or trade with them, or hold communion of any sort with them.

II. Proscription from all offices, ecclesiastical or civil,–from all public duties and private rights.

III. Confiscation of all their goods.

IV. The last punishment is DEATH; sometimes by the sword,–more commonly by fire.[29]

Pope Honorius II., in his Decretals, speaks in a precisely similar style. Under the head De Hereticis we find him enumerating a variety of dissentients from Rome, and thus disposing of them:–“And all heretics, of both sexes and of every name, we damn to perpetual infamy; we declare hostility against them; we account them accursed, and their goods confiscated; nor can they ever enjoy their property, or their children succeed to their inheritance; inasmuch as they grievously offend against the Eternal as well as the temporal king.” The decree goes on to declare, that as regards princes who have been required and admonished by the Church, and have neglected to purge their kingdoms from heretical pravity a year after admonition, their lands may be taken possession of by any Catholic power who shall undertake the labour of purging them from heresy.[30]

We shall close these extracts from the code of Rome’s jurisprudence with one tremendous canon.

“Temporal princes shall be reminded and exhorted, and, if need be, compelled by spiritual censures, to discharge every one of their functions; and that, as they would be accounted faithful, so, for the defence of the faith, they publicly make oath that they will endeavour, bona fide, with all their might, to extirpate from their territories all heretics marked by the Church; so that when any one is about to assume any authority, whether of a permanent kind or only temporary, he shall be held bound to confirm his title by this oath. And if a temporal prince, being required and admonished by the Church, shall neglect to purge his kingdom from this heretical pravity, the metropolitan and other provincial bishops shall bind him in the fetters of excommunication; and if he obstinately refuse to make satisfaction within the year, it shall be notified to the supreme pontiff, that then he may declare his subjects absolved from their allegiance, and bestow their lands upon good Catholics, who, the heretics being exterminated, may possess them unchallenged, and preserve them in the purity of the faith.”[31]

“Those are not to be accounted homicides who, fired with zeal for Mother Church, may have killed excommunicated persons.”[32]

We shall add to the above the episcopal oath of allegiance to the Pope. That oath contemplates the pontiff in both his characters of a temporal monarch and a spiritual sovereign; and, of consequence, the fealty to which the swearer binds himself is of the same complex character. It is taken not only by archbishops and bishops, but by all who receive any dignity of the Pope; in short, by the whole ruling hierarchy of the monarchy of Rome. It is “not only,” says the learned annotator Catalani, “a profession of canonical obedience, but an oath of fealty, not unlike that which vassals took to their direct lord.” We quote the oath only down to the famous clause enjoining the persecution of heretics:–

“I. N., elect of the church of N., from henceforward will be faithful and obedient to St. Peter the apostle, and to the holy Roman Church, and to our Lord the Lord N. Pope N., and to his successors, canonically coming in. I will neither advise, consent, or do anything that they may lose life or member, or that their persons may be seized, or hands anywise laid upon them, or any injuries offered to them, under any pretence whatsoever. The counsel which they shall intrust me withal, by themselves, their messengers, or letters, I will not knowingly reveal to any to their prejudice. I will help them to defend and keep the Roman Papacy, and the royalties of St. Peter, saving my order, against all men. The legate of the apostolic see, going and coming, I will honourably treat and help in his necessities. The rights, honours, privileges, and authority of the holy Roman Church, of our lord the Pope, and his foresaid successors, I will endeavour to preserve, defend, increase, and advance. I will not be in any council, action, or treaty, in which shall be plotted against our said lord, and the said Roman Church, anything to the hurt or prejudice of their persons, right, honour, state, or power; and if I shall know any such thing to be treated or agitated by any whatsoever, I will hinder it to my power; and, as soon as I can, will signify it to our said lord, or to some other, by whom it may come to his knowledge. The rules of the holy fathers, the apostolic decrees, ordinances, or disposals, reservations, provisions, and mandates, I will observe with all my might, and cause to be observed by others. Heretics, schismatics, and rebels to our said lord, or his foresaid successors, I will to my power persecute and oppose.”[33]

Such is a sample of Rome’s infallible code. The canon law cannot cease to be venerated while hypocrisy and tyranny bear any value among men. It is by this law that Rome would govern the world, would the world let her; and it is by this law that she is desirous especially to govern Britain. This explains what Rome understands by a spiritual jurisdiction. She disclaims the temporal supremacy, and professes to reign only by direction; but we can now understand what a direction, acting according to canon law, and working through the machinery of the confessional, would speedily land us in. The moment the canon law is set up, the laws of Britain are overthrown, and the rights and liberties which they confer would henceforth be among the things that were. The government of the realm would become priestly, and the secular jurisdiction would be a mere appanage of the sacerdotal. Red hats and cowls would fill the offices of state and the halls of legislation, and would enact those marvels of political wisdom for which Spain and Italy are so justly renowned. A favoured class, combining the laziness of Turks with the rapacity of Algerines, would speedily spring up; and, to enable them to live in idleness, or in something worse, the “tale of bricks” would be doubled to the people. Malefactors of every class, instead of crossing the Atlantic, as now, would simply tie the Franciscan’s rope round their middle, or throw the friar’s cloak over their consecrated shoulders. The Bible would disappear as the most pestiferous of books, and the good old cause of ignorance would triumph. A purification of our island on a grand scale, from three centuries of heresy, would straightway be undertaken. As Protestants (the worst of all heretics) our lives would be of equal value with those of the wolf or the tiger; and it would be not less a virtue to destroy us, only the mode of despatch might not be so quick and merciful. The wolf would be shot down at once; the Protestant would be permitted to edify the Catholic by the prolongation of his dying agonies. Our Queen would have a twelvemonth’s notice to make her peace with Rome, or abide the consequences. Should she disdain becoming a vassal of the Roman see, a crusade would be preached against her dominions, and every soldier in the army of the Holy League would be recompensed with the promise of paradise, and of as much of the wealth of heretical Albion as he could appropriate. These consequences would follow the introduction of the canon law, as certainly as darkness follows the setting of the sun.

But these effects would not be realized in a day. This tremendous tyranny would overtake the realm as night overtakes the earth. First, the Roman Catholics in Britain would be habituated to the government of this code; and it is to them only that Dr. Wiseman, making a virtue of necessity, proposes meanwhile to extend it. Having formed a colony governed by the code of Rome in the heart of a nation under the code of Britain, the agent of the Vatican would be able thus to inaugurate his system.. His imperium in imperio, once fairly set up, would be daily extending by conversions. A Jesuit’s school here, a nunnery and cathedral there, would enlarge the sphere of the canon law, and fasten silently but tenaciously its manacles upon the community. Give Rome darkness enough, and she can do anything,–govern by canon law, with equal ease, a family or the globe. We must look fairly at the case. Let us suppose that this law is put in operation in Britain, though confined at first to members of the Romish Church. Well, then, we have a colony in the heart of the country actually released from their allegiance to the sovereign. They are the subjects of canon law, and that teaches unmistakeably the supremacy of the pontiff, and holds as null all authority that interferes with his; and especially does it ignore the authority of heretical sovereigns. Should these persons continue to obey the civil laws, they would do so simply because there is an army in the country. Their real rulers would be the priesthood, whom they dared not disobey, under peril of their eternal salvation. All their duties as citizens must be performed according to ghostly direction. Their votes at the poll must be given for the priest’s nominee. They must speak and vote in Parliament for the interests of Rome, not of England. In the witness-box they must swear to or against the fact, as the interests of the Church may require. And as a false oath is no perjury, so killing is no murder, according to canon law, when heresy and heretics are to be purged out. Thus, every duty, from that of conducting a parliamentary opposition down to heading a street brawl, must be done with a view to the account to be rendered in the confessional. Allegiance to the Pope must override all other duties, spiritual and temporal. Popery, a deceiver to others, is a tyrant to its own.

Should we, then, permit the introduction of the canon law, the Greek who opened the gates to the Trojan horse will henceforward pass for a wise and honest man. We must not have our understandings insulted by being told that this law is meliorated. It is the code of an infallible Church, and not one jot or tittle of it can ever be changed. Rome and the canon law must stand or perish together. Besides, it is only twenty years since it was republished in Rome, under the very eye of the Pope, without one single blasphemy or atrocity lopped off. Nor must we listen to the assurance that the laws of Britain will protect us from the canon law. We may have perfect confidence in the strength of our fortress, though we do not permit the enemy to plant a battery beneath its walls. But the trust is false;–the law of Britain will not be a sufficient protection in the long run. Dr. Wiseman demands permission to erect a hierarchy in order that he may govern the members of his Church in England by canon law. We refuse to grant him leave, and the doctor raises the cry of persecution, and prefers a charge of intolerance, because we will not permit him to give full development to the code of his Church,–a code, be it remembered, which teaches that the Pope can annul the constitutions of princes,–that it is damnable presumption in a lay judge to compel an ecclesiastic to pay his debts,–and that it is no crime to swear a false oath against a heretic, or even to kill him, if the massacre of his character or his person can in anywise benefit the Church. The doctor, we say, even now raises the cry of persecution against us, because we will not permit him to put this code into effect by erecting the hierarchy; and many Protestants profess to see not a little force in his reasoning. But suppose we should grant leave to erect the hierarchy, and so help Dr. Wiseman to put the canon law into working gear; what would be his next demand? Why, that we should subject the laws of England to instant revision, so as to conform them to the canon law. “You allowed me,” would the doctor say, “to introduce the canon law, and yet you forbid me to give it full development. Here it is perpetually checked and fettered by your enactments. I demand that these shall be rescinded in all points where they clash with canon law. You virtually pledged yourselves to this when you sanctioned the hierarchy. Why did you allow me to introduce this law, if you will not suffer me to work it? I insist on your implementing your pledge, otherwise I shall brand you as persecutors.” The Protestants who gave way in the former instance will find it hard to make good their resistance here. In this manner point after point will be carried, and a despotism worse than that of Turkey, and growing by moments, will be established in the heart of this free country. All lets and hindrances in its path will crumble into dust before the insidious and persistent attacks of this conspiracy. Its agents will act with the celerity and combination of an army, while the leaders will remain invisible. It will attack in a form in which it cannot be repelled. It will use the Constitution to undermine the Constitution. It will basely take advantage of the privileges which liberty bestows, to overthrow liberty: and it will never rest content till the mighty Dagon of co-mingled blasphemy and tyranny known as canon law is enthroned above the ruins of British liberty and justice, and the neck of prince and peasant is bent in ignominious vassalage.

Were Lucifer to turn legislator, and indite a code of jurisprudence for the government of mankind, he would find the work done already to his hand in the canon canon law. Surveying the labours of his renowned servants with a smile of grim complacency,–sorely puzzled what to alter, where to amend, or how to enlarge with advantage,–unwilling to run the risk of doing worse what his predecessors had done better,–he would wisely forgo all thoughts of legislative and literary fame, and be content to let well alone. Instead of wasting the midnight oil over a new work, he would confine his labours to the more useful, if less ambitious, task of writing a recommendatory preface to the canon law.

[1] This account of the canon law is compiled from the Horae Juridicae Subsecevae of Butler, pp. 145-184; Lond. 1807. “The modern period,” observes Butler, “of the canon law begins with the Council of Pisa, and extends to the present time.” Its principal parts are the canons of modern oecumenical councils, especially Trent, the various transactions and concordats between sovereigns and the see of Rome, the bulls of popes, and the rules of the Roman Chancery. [Back]

[2] Hallam’s History of the Middle Ages, vol. ii. pp. 2-4. [Back]

[3] Gavazzi, Oration vi. [Back]

[4] Corpus Juris Canonici, Decreti, pars i. distinct. x. [Back]

[5] Idem, Decreti, pars i. distinct. x. can. i. [Back]

[6] Idem, Decreti, pars i. distinct. x. can iv. [Back]

[7] Idem, Decreti, pars i. distinct. x. can, v. [Back]

[8] Idem, Decreti, pars i. distinct. x. can. vi. [Back]

[9] Idem, Decreti, pars i. distinct. xix. can. ii. [Back]

[10] Corpus Juris Canonici, Decreti, pars i. distinct. xix. can. iii. [Back]

[11] Idem, Decreti, pars i. distinct. xix. can. vi. [Back]

[12] Idem, Decreti, pars i. distinct. xcvi. can. vii. [Back]

[13] Idem, Decreti, pars i. distinct. xcvi. can. viii. [Back]

[14] Idem, Decreti, pars i. distinct. xcvi. can. xi. [Back]

[15] Quoted from M’Caul’s “What is the Canon Law?” [Back]

[16] Decreti, pars ii. causa xxv. quest. i. can. xi. [Back]

[17] Decreti, pars i, distinct. xcvi. can. x., and Decreti, pars ii. causa xv. quest. vi. can. iii. iv. v. [Back]

[18] Decreti, pars ii. causa iii. quest. vi. can. ix. [Back]

[19] Decreti, pars i. distinct. xl. can. vi. [Back]

[20] Clementin. lib. ii. tit. i. cap. ii. [Back]

[21] Decreti, pars ii. causa xv. quest. vi. can. iii. [Back]

[22] Decreti, pars ii. causa xv. quest. vi. can. iv. [Back]

[23] Decret. Gregorii, lib. ii. tit. xxiv. cap. xxvii. [Back]

[24] Decret. Gregorii, lib. iii. tit. xlix. cap. iv. and vii. [Back]

[25] Decret. Gregorii, lib. ii. tit. ii. cap. i. ii. vi, and Sexti Decret. lib. ii. tit. ii. cap. ii. [Back]

[26] Decreti, pars ii. causa xii. quest, ii. can. i. iv. vii. [Back]

[27] Decreti, pars ii. causa xii. quest. ii, can. xii. xix. xi. [Back]

[28] Decret. Gregorii IX. lib. v,. tit. vii. De Hereticis. [Back]

[29] The above Decretals respecting heresy are quoted from the JUS CANONICUM; Digestum et Enucleatum juxta Ordinem Librorum et Titulorum qui in Decretalibus Epistolis Gregorii IX. P. M. Georgii Adami Struvi, pp. 359-363: Lipsiae et Jenae, 1688. [Back]

[30] Quinta Compilatio Epistolarum Decretalium Honorii III. P. M. Innocentii Cironii, Juris Utriusque Professoris, Canonici ac Ecclesiae, et Academae Tolosanae Cancellarii, Comp. v. tit. iv. cap. i. p. 200; Tolosae, 1645. [Back]

[31] Decret. Gregorii, lib. v. tit. vii. cap. xiii. [Back]

[32] Decreti, pars ii. causa xxiii. quaest v. can. xlvii. [Back]

[33] “Haereticos, schismaticos, et rebelles eidem domino nostro, vel successoribus praedictis, pro posse persequar et impugnabo.” This form of the oath is quoted from Barrow, who takes it from the Roman Pontifical. The oath, in its more ancient form, as enacted by Gregory VII., is extant in the Gregorian Decretals. Since his time it has been considerably enlarged and made more stringent,–illustrative of the encroaching spirit of the popes. (See Decret. Gregorii, lib. ii. tit. xxiv.)

We subjoin (Ex Bullario Laertii Cherubini; Romae 1638) the more remarkable clauses of the bull in Coenae Domini, annually published at Rome on Maunday Thursday, in order, as we are informed in the preface, “to exercise the spiritual sword of ecclesiastical discipline and wholesome weapons of justice by the ministry of the supreme apostolate, to the glory of God and salvation of souls.”

“1. We excommunicate and anathematize, in the name of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and by the authority of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own, all Hussites, Wicliphists, Lutherans, Zuinglians, Calvinists, Hugonets, Anabaptists, Trinitarians, and apostates from the Christian faith, and all other heretics, by whatsoever name they are called, and of whatsoever sect they be; as also their adherents, receivers, favourers, and generally any defenders of them; together with all who, without our authority, or that of the apostolic see, knowingly read, keep, print, or anywise, for any cause whatsoever, publicly or privately, on any pretext or colour, defend their books containing heresy or treating of religion; as also schismatics, and those who withdraw themselves or recede obstinately from the obedience of us, or the Bishop of Rome for the time being.

“2. Further, we excommunicate and anathematize all and singular, of whatsoever station, degree, or condition they be; and interdict all universities, colleges, and chapters, by whatsoever name they are called; who appeal from the orders or decrees of us, or the pope of Rome for the time being, to a future general council; and those by whose aid and favour the appeal was made.

“15. Also those who, under pretence of their office, or at the instance of any party, or of any others, draw, or cause and procure to be drawn, directly or indirectly, upon any pretext whatsoever, ecclesiastical persons, chapters, convents, colleges of any churches, before them to their tribunal, audience, Chancery, council, or parliament, against the rules of the canon law; as also those who, for any cause, or under any pretext, or by pretence of any custom or privilege, or any other way, shall make, enact, and publish any statutes, orders, constitutions, pragmatics, or any other decrees in general or in particular; or shall use them when made and enacted; whereby the ecclesiastical liberty is violated, or anyways injured or depressed, or by any other means restrained, or whereby the rights of us and of the said see, and of any other churches, are any way, directly or indirectly, tacitly or expressly, prejudged.

“16. Also those who, upon this account, directly or indirectly hinder archbishops, bishops, and other superior and inferior prelates and all other ordinary ecclesiastical judges whatsoever, by any means, either by imprisoning or molesting their agents, proctors, domestics, kindred on both sides, or by any other way, from exerting their ecclesiastical jurisdiction against any persons whatsoever, according as the canons and sacred ecclesiastical constitutions and decrees of general councils, and especially that of Trent, do appoint; as also those who, after the sentence and decrees of the ordinaries themselves, or of those delegated by them, or by any other means, eluding the judgment of the ecclesiastical court, have recourse to chanceries or other secular courts, and procure thence prohibitions, and even penal mandates, to be decreed against the said ordinaries and delegates, and executed against them; also those who make and execute these decrees, or who give aid, counsel, countenance, or favour to them.

“17. Also those who usurp any jurisdictions, fruits, revenues, and emoluments belonging to us and the apostolic see, and any ecclesiastical persons upon account of any churches, monasteries, or other ecclesiastical benefices; or who, upon any occasion or cause, sequester the said revenues without the express leave of the Bishop of Rome, or others having lawful power to do it.”

This curse, annually pronounced at Rome, includes the whole realm of Britain, those few excepted who own the jurisdiction of the Roman see. All we in this land are cursed,–so far as the pontiff can,–trebly cursed, in this bull, published annually in presence of the Pope and the Cardinals. Our great crime is, that we obey not canon law. In violation of that law, we print, publish, and read books which contain heresy or treat of religion and therefore we are cursed. In violation of canon law, we hold amenable to the civil tribunals, all persons, not excepting the clergy of Rome, and therefore we are cursed again. We possess and use, in not a few instances, lands and inheritances which once belonged to the Romish Church in Britain, and which that Church claims as still belonging to her, and therefore we are cursed a third time. We hinder archbishops and other prelates from “exerting their ecclesiastical jurisdiction against any persons whatsoever,” according to the canons, and especially those of Trent, and so we are cursed a fourth time. All classes, from the throne downwards, are included in almost all the curses of this maledictory roll. [Back]

Continued in History of the Papacy Chapter VII. That the Church of Rome Neither has Nor Can Change Her Principles on the Head of the Supremacy

All chapters History of the Papacy

The Other Woman Rome Rides Upon the Beast and Will Fall

By William Mencarrow

This is from an article sent to me by email from Berean Beacon.

Rev. 17:13-18
“These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters, which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”

This is the woman John saw in Rev. 17 and later. To refresh our memory:

[1] And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
[2] With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
[3] So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
[4] And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
[5] And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
[6] And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
[7] And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
[8] The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
[9] And here is the mind, which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
To anyone who knows history, this passage cannot be other than a description of Roman Catholicism. It is the chief torturer and murderer of the elect, drunken with the blood of the saints, riding the beast, which sets its course, which is the papacy.

“Our Lord God The Pope”

The pope is the undisputed earthly god of the Roman Catholic religion. He rules with an iron fist. He is called, among many other deific names, “God Upon Earth” and “Our Lord God the Pope,” whose ex cathedra pronouncements on doctrine and practice are claimed to be infallible:
“Our Lord God the pope; another God upon earth, king of kings, and lord of lords. The same is the dominion of God and the pope. To believe that our Lord God the pope might not decree, as he decreed, it were a matter of heresy. The power of the pope is greater than all created power, and extends itself to things celestial, terrestrial, and infernal. The pope doeth whatsoever he listeth [wills], even things unlawful, and is more than God” (Thomas Newton, Dissertations on the Prophecies, p. 456).

“…in matters of jurisdiction [the pope] enjoys supreme, universal and immediate jurisdiction over the whole Church and every member of it. This supremacy is not given by the cardinals who elect him, but immediately by God. The Pope is the Church’s supreme and infallible teacher, its supreme legislator, and its supreme judge” (Bertrand Conway, The Question Box, p. 158).

E.B. Elliott writes in Horae Apocalypticae about Rev. 17:5 (“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”): “Mystery (a name allusive evidently to St. Paul’s predicted mystery of iniquity [II Thes. 2:7-8]) was once, if we may repose credit on no vulgar authority, written on the Pope’s tiara; and the Apocalyptic title “Mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth” the very parody, if I may so say, of the title Rome arrogates to herself, “Rome, Mother and Mistress” Tridentine Creed #10 (1564): “I acknowledge the Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church as the mother and mistress of all Churches.”

“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet.” – Rev. 17:12.
Remember that the 10 administrative regions, in Biblical language “kings” of the one world civil and religious government, were not in existence during the Apostle John’s time. “…but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb…” – Rev. 17:12b-14a. Therefore, this passage is about the future: The nations of the world will turn on the Body of Christ, the elect, and attempt to obliterate it.

We are seeing that more and more in our time. Satan, after the Roman Catholic faith has been destroyed, will then use the global government to persecute Christ’s Church in unprecedented demonic fury. But this is doomed to fail: “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues…For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.” – Rev. 17:15,17

Before that happens, the 10 world divisions will be comprised of all peoples, all nations of the earth. They will give their authority to the papacy, the Antichrist. The pope will pull the strings behind the scenes, as he often does now. But this will not last but for “one hour,” a short time. Perhaps because it will fail, the nations will blame the pope, the one who orchestrated the persecution against Christians.

“And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” – Rev. 17:16

The world government alliance with the papacy will not be able to sustain itself. It will turn against the papacy and destroy it: “For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.” The Bible assures us that all of this is the will of God. Of course it is! It cannot be otherwise: “God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.” (Westminster Confession of Faith III:I)
“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” – Eph. 1:11
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” – Rom. 11:33
“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath.” – Heb. 6:7
“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion…Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.” – Rom. 9:15,18

When global civil, religious, and economic government comes, it is because the Lord has willed it. He has put it in peoples’ hearts to agree together to serve the beast in order that His will is to be fulfilled until these words in Rev. 17 come to pass.

Why does He will what is to us such a horrible thing? We are not told, so we are not to inquire into the deep things of God. What we can and do know is that ultimately it is to His glory, because it is His will. Ps. 76:10: “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” What this means is that even the wrath of men raging against the Lord is the fulfillment of His will and thus is praise to Him. But He restrains men’s wrath, never letting it go beyond His purposes. The Lord controls history for His glory. He controls the decisions of men and their actions as a horseman controls his mount. He says to the nations as he said to Hezekiah in Isa. 37:28-29: “But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.”

The Church is called in I Tim. 3:15 “the pillar and ground of the truth.” God the Father has put all things under Christ’s feet (Eph. 1:22, emphasis added) – meaning that Christ rules over everything, including world events, including our lives and what happens to us, including the universe, the movements of the stars in the sky, down to the tiniest subatomic particles in our body. Why? For one reason only, and He explains it in Eph. 1:22: God the Father “hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church.” (emphasis added)

No matter what happens in the world, no matter what persecutions may come, never lose hope, never falter, never, never, never give up! Remember, we live in a tiny sliver of time. Despite what it may seem, the Lord is in control. Every person, even the most wicked, does whatever He has commanded. “For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.” – Acts 4:28

Believers are His beloved bride, the Church of Christ, and He will let nothing happen to His bride that is not for our good. Be comforted and encouraged by His promise in Jn. 4:4: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
“...the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” – Rev. 17:14

Calvinism’s Surprising Catholic Connection – By Dave Hunt

Re-posted from an article on The Berean Call.

THERE IS NO QUESTION that Calvin imposed upon the Bible certain erroneous interpretations from his Roman Catholic background. Many leading Calvinists agree that the writings of Augustine were the actual source of most of what is known as Calvinism today. Calvinists David Steele and Curtis Thomas point out that “The basic doctrines of the Calvinistic position had been vigorously defended by Augustine against Pelagius during the fifth century.”¹

In his eye-opening book, The Other Side of Calvinism, Laurence M. Vance thoroughly documents that “John Calvin did not originate the doctrines that bear his name….”² Vance quotes numerous well-known Calvinists to this effect. For example, Kenneth G. Talbot and W. Gary Crampton write, “The system of doctrine which bears the name of John Calvin was in no way originated by him….”³ B. B. Warfield declared, “The system of doctrine taught by Calvin is just the Augustinianism common to the whole body of the Reformers.”⁴ Thus the debt that the creeds coming out of the Reformation owe to Augustine is also acknowledged. This is not surprising in view of the fact that most of the Reformers had been part of the Roman Catholic Church, of which Augustine was one of the most highly regarded “saints.” John Piper acknowledges that Augustine was the major influence upon both Calvin and Luther, who continued to revere him and his doctrines even after they broke away from Roman Catholicism.⁵

C. H. Spurgeon admitted that “perhaps Calvin himself derived it [Calvinism] mainly from the writings of Augustine.”⁶ Alvin L. Baker wrote, “There is hardly a doctrine of Calvin that does not bear the marks of Augustine’s influence.”⁷ For example, the following from Augustine sounds like an echo reverberating through the writings of Calvin:

Even as he has appointed them to be regenerated…whom he predestinated to everlasting life, as the most merciful bestower of grace, whilst to those whom he has predestinated to eternal death, he is also the most righteous awarder of punishment.⁸

C. Gregg Singer said, “The main features of Calvin’s theology are found in the writings of St. Augustine to such an extent that many theologians regard Calvinism as a more fully developed form of Augustinianism.”⁹ Such statements are staggering declarations in view of the undisputed fact that, as Vance points out, the Roman Catholic Church itself has a better claim on Augustine than do the Calvinists.¹⁰ Calvin himself said:

Augustine is so wholly with me, that if I wished to write a confession of my faith, I could do so with all fulness and satisfaction to myself out of his writings.¹¹

Augustine and the Use of Force

The fourth century Donatists believed that the church should be a pure communion of true believers who demonstrated the truth of the gospel in their lives. They abhorred the apostasy that had come into the church when Constantine wedded Christianity to paganism in order to unify the empire. Compromising clergy were “evil priests working hand in glove with the kings of the earth, who show that they have no king but Caesar.” To the Donatists, the church was a “small body of saved surrounded by the unregenerate mass.”¹² This is, of course, the biblical view.

Augustine, on the other hand, saw the church of his day as a mixture of believers and unbelievers, in which purity and evil should be allowed to exist side by side for the sake of unity. He used the power of the state to compel church attendance (as Calvin also would 1,200 years later): “Whoever was not found within the Church was not asked the reason, but was to be corrected and converted….”¹³ Calvin followed his mentor Augustine in enforcing church attendance and participation in the sacraments by threats (and worse) against the citizens of Geneva. Augustine “identified the Donatists as heretics…who could be subjected to imperial legislation [and force] in exactly the same way as other criminals and misbelievers, including poisoners and pagans.”¹⁴ Frend says of Augustine, “The questing, sensitive youth had become the father of the inquisition.”¹⁵

Though he preferred persuasion if possible, Augustine supported military force against those who were rebaptized as believers after conversion to Christ and for other alleged heretics. In his controversy with the Donatists, using a distorted and un-Christian interpretation of Luke:14:23
,¹⁶ Augustine declared:

Why therefore should not the Church use force in compelling her lost sons to return?… The Lord Himself said, “Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in….” Wherefore is the power which the Church has received…through the religious character and faith of kings…the instrument by which those who are found in the highways and hedges—that is, in heresies and schisms—are compelled to come in, and let them not find fault with being compelled.¹⁷

Sadly, Calvin put into effect in Geneva the very principles of punishment, coercion, and death that Augustine advocated and that the Roman Catholic Church followed consistently for centuries. Henry H. Milman writes: “Augustinianism was worked up into a still more rigid and uncompromising system by the severe intellect of Calvin.”¹⁸ And he justified himself by Augustine’s erroneous interpretation of Luke:14:23
. How could any who today hail Calvin as a great exegete accept such abuse of this passage?

Compel? Isn’t that God’s job through Unconditional Election and Irresistible Grace? Compel those for whom Christ didn’t die and whom God has predestined to eternal torment? This verse refutes Calvinism no matter how it is intepreted!

Augustine’s Dominant Influence

There is no question as to the important role Augustine played in molding Calvin’s thinking, theology, and actions. This is particularly true concerning the key foundations of Calvinism. Warfield refers to Calvin and Augustine as “two extraordinarily gifted men [who] tower like pyramids over the scene of history.”¹⁹ Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion make repeated favorable references to Augustine, frequently citing his writings as authoritative and using the expression, “Confirmed by the authority of Augustine.”²⁰ Calvin often credits Augustine with having formulated key concepts, which he then expounds in his Institutes. The following are but a very small sampling of such references:

• “We have come into the way of faith,” says Augustine: “Let us constantly adhere to it….”²¹

• The truth of God is too powerful, both here and everywhere, to dread the slanders of the ungodly, as Augustine powerfully maintains…. Augustine disguises not that…he was often charged with preaching the doctrine of predestination too freely, but…he abundantly refutes the charge…. For it has been shrewdly observed by Augustine (De Genesi ad litteram, Lib V) that we can safely follow Scripture….²²

• For Augustine, rightly expounding this passage, says….²³

• I say with Augustine, that the Lord has created those who, as he certainly foreknew, were to go to destruction, and he did so because he so willed.²⁴

• If your mind is troubled, decline not to embrace the counsel of Augustine….²⁵

• I will not hesitate, therefore, simply to confess with Augustine that…those things will certainly happen which he [God] has foreseen [and] that the destruction [of the non-elect] consequent upon predestination is also most just.²⁶

• Augustine, in two passages in particular, gives a [favorable] portraiture of the form of ancient monasticism. [Calvin then proceeds to quote Augustine’s commendation of the early monks.]²⁷

• Here the words of Augustine most admirably apply….²⁸

• This is a faithful saying from Augustine; but because his words will perhaps have more authority than mine, let us adduce the following passage from his treatise….²⁹

• Wherefore, Augustine not undeservedly orders such, as senseless teachers or sinister and ill-omened prophets, to retire from the Church.³⁰

We could multiply many times over the above examples of Augustine’s influence upon Calvin from the scores of times Calvin quotes extensively from Augustine’s writings. Leading Calvinists admit that Calvin’s basic beliefs were already formed while he was still a devout Roman Catholic, through the writings of Augustine—an influence that remained with him throughout his life.

Augustinian teachings that Calvin presented in his Institutes included the sovereignty that made God the cause of all (including sin), the predestination of some to salvation and of others to damnation, election and reprobation, faith as an irresistible gift from God—in fact, the key concepts at the heart of Calvinism.

We search in vain for evidence that Calvin ever disapproved of any of Augustine’s heresies. Calvinist Richard A. Muller admits, “John Calvin was part of a long line of thinkers who based their doctrine of predestination on the Augustinian interpretation of St. Paul.”³¹ In each expanded edition of his Institutes, Calvin quotes and relies upon Augustine more than ever.

Is Calvinism Really a Protestant Belief?

That many prominent evangelicals today are still under the spell of Augustine is evident—and astonishing, considering his numerous heresies. Norm Geisler has said, “St. Augustine was one of the greatest Christian thinkers of all time.”³² Yet Augustine said, “I should not believe the gospel unless I were moved to do so by the authority of the [Catholic ] Church.”³³ That statement was quoted with great satisfaction by Pope John Paul II in his 1986 celebration of the 1600th anniversary of Augustine’s conversion. The Pope went on to say:

Augustine’s legacy…is the theological methods to which he remained absolutely faithful…full adherence to the authority of the faith…revealed through Scripture, Tradition and the Church…. Likewise the profound sense of mystery—“for it is better,” he exclaims, “to have a faithful ignorance than a presumptuous knowledge….” I express once again my fervent desire…that the authoritative teaching of such a great doctor and pastor may flourish ever more happily in the Church….³⁴

In my debate with him, James White claims that “Calvin refuted this very passage in Institutes, and any fair reading of Augustine’s own writings disproves this misrepresentation by Hunt.”³⁵ In fact, Calvin acknowledged the authenticity of the statement and attempted to defend it as legitimate reasoning for those who had not the assurance of faith by the Holy Spirit.³⁶

Vance provides numerous astonishing quotations from Calvinists praising Augustine: “One of the greatest theological and philosophical minds that God has ever so seen fit to give to His church.”³⁷ “The greatest Christian since New Testament times…greatest man that ever wrote Latin.”³⁸ “[His] labors and writings, more than those of any other man in the age in which he lived, contributed to the promotion of sound doctrine and the revival of true religion.”³⁹

Warfield adds, “Augustine determined for all time the doctrine of grace.”⁴⁰ Yet he [Augustine] believed that grace came through the Roman Catholic sacraments. That Calvinists shower such praise upon Augustine makes it easier to comprehend why they heap the same praise on Calvin.

As for the formation of Roman Catholicism’s doctrines and practices, Augustine’s influence was the greatest in history. Vance reminds us that Augustine was “one of Catholicism’s original four ‘Doctors of the Church’ [with] a feast day [dedicated to him] in the Catholic Church on August 28, the day of his death.”⁴¹ Pope John Paul II has called Augustine “the common father of our Christian civilization.”⁴² William P. Grady, on the other hand, writes, “The deluded Augustine (354–430) went so far as to announce (through his book, The City of God?) that Rome had been privileged to usher in the millennial kingdom (otherwise known as the ‘Dark Ages’).”⁴³

Drawing from a Polluted Stream

Sir Robert Anderson reminds us that “the Roman [Catholic] Church was molded by Augustine into the form it has ever since maintained. Of all the errors that later centuries developed in the teachings of the church, scarcely one cannot be found in embryo in his writings.”⁴⁴ Those errors include infant baptism for regeneration (infants who die unbaptized are damned), the necessity of baptism for the remission of sins (martyrdom, as in Islam, does the same), purgatory, salvation in the Church alone through its sacraments, and persecution of those who reject Catholic dogmas. Augustine also fathered acceptance of the Apocrypha (which he admitted even the Jews rejected), allegorical interpretation of the Bible (thus the creation account, the six days, and other details in Genesis are not necessarily literal), and rejection of the literal personal reign of Christ on earth for a thousand years (we are now supposedly in the millennial reign of Christ with the Church reigning and the devil presently bound).

Augustine insists that Satan is now “bound” on the basis that “even now men are, and doubtless to the end of the world shall be, converted to the faith from the unbelief in which he [Satan] held them.” That he views the promised binding of Satan in the “bottomless pit” (Revelation:20:1
–3) allegorically is clear. Amazingly, Satan “is bound in each instance in which he is spoiled of one of his goods [i.e., someone believes in Christ].” And even more amazing, “the abyss in which he is shut up” is somehow construed by Augustine to be “in the depths” of Christ-rejecters’ “blind hearts.” It is thus that Satan is continually shut up as in an abyss.⁴⁵

Augustine doesn’t attempt to explain how he arrived at such an astonishing idea, much less how one abyss could exist in millions of hearts or how, being “bound” there, Satan would still be free to blind those within whose “hearts” he is supposedly bound (2 Corinthians:4:4
). Nor does he explain how or why, in spite of Satan’s being bound,

• Christ commissioned Paul to turn Jew and Gentile “from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts:26:18
)

• Paul could deliver the Corinthian fornicator to Satan (1 Corinthians:5:5
)

• Satan can transform himself “into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians:11:14
)

• Paul would warn the Ephesian believers not to “give place to the devil” (Ephesians:4:27
) and urge them and us today to “stand against the wiles of the devil” (6:11)

• Satan could still be going about “like a roaring lion…seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter:5:8
)

• Satan could still be able to continually accuse Christians before God and, with his angels, yet wage war in heaven against “Michael and his angels” and at last be cast out of heaven to earth (Revelation:12:7
–10)

Augustine was one of the first to place the authority of tradition on a level with the Bible, and to incorporate much philosophy, especially Platonism, into his theology. Exposing the folly of those who praise Augustine, Vance writes:

He believed in apostolic succession from Peter as one of the marks of the true church, taught that Mary was sinless and promoted her worship. He was the first who defined the so-called sacraments as a visible sign of invisible grace…. The memorial of the Lord’s supper became that of the spiritual presence of Christ’s body and blood. To Augustine the only true church was the Catholic Church. Writing against the Donatists, he asserted: “The Catholic Church alone is the body of Christ…. Outside this body the Holy Spirit giveth life to no one…[and] he is not a partaker of divine love who is the enemy of unity. Therefore they have not the Holy Ghost who are outside the Church.⁴⁶

And this is the man whom Geisler calls “one of the greatest Christian thinkers of all time.” On the contrary, Calvin drew from a badly polluted stream when he embraced the teachings of Augustine! How could one dip into such contaminating heresy without becoming confused and infected? Yet this bewildering muddle of speculation and formative Roman Catholicism is acknowledged to be the source of Calvinism—and is praised by leading evangelicals. One comes away dumbfounded at the acclaim heaped upon both Calvin and Augustine by otherwise sound Christian leaders.

An Amazing Contradiction

Calvin’s almost complete agreement with and repeated praise of Augustine cannot be denied. Calvin called himself “an Augustinian theologian.”⁴⁷ Of Augustine he said, “whom we quote frequently, as being the best and most faithful witness of all antiquity.”⁴⁸

Calvinists themselves insist upon the connection between Calvin and Augustine. McGrath writes, “Above all, Calvin regarded his thought as a faithful exposition of the leading ideas of Augustine of Hippo.”⁴⁹ Wendel concedes, “Upon points of doctrine he borrows from St. Augustine with both hands.”⁵⁰ Vance writes:

Howbeit, to prove conclusively that Calvin was a disciple of Augustine, we need look no further than Calvin himself. One can’t read five pages in Calvin’s Institutes without seeing the name of Augustine. Calvin quotes Augustine over four hundred times in the Institutes alone. He called Augustine by such titles as “holy man” and “holy father.”⁵¹

As Vance further points out, “Calvinists admit that Calvin was heavily influenced by Augustine in forming his doctrine of predestination.”⁵² How could one of the leaders of the Reformation embrace so fully the doctrines of one who has been called the “principal theological creator of the Latin-Catholic system as distinct from…Evangelical Protestantism…”?⁵³

Calvin’s admiration of Augustine and his embracing of much of his teaching is only one of several major contradictions in his life, which will be fully documented in this book. The situation is contradictory on the Roman Catholic side as well. Their dogmas reject some of the most important doctrines held by the most famous of their saints—the very Augustinian doctrines that Calvin embraced.

Here we confront a strange anomaly. Warfield declares that “it is Augustine who gave us the Reformation”⁵⁴—yet at the same time, he also acknowledges that Augustine was “in a true sense the founder of Roman Catholicism”⁵⁵ and “the creator of the Holy Roman Empire.”⁵⁶

Strangely, Calvin apparently failed to recognize that Augustine never understood salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Philip F. Congdon writes, “Another curious parallel is evident between Classical Calvinist theology and Roman Catholic theology. The two share an inclusion of works in the gospel message, and an impossibility of assurance of salvation…. Both hold to the primacy of God’s grace; both include the necessity of our works.”⁵⁷ Augustine’s heresies, especially his Romanist view of faith in Christ being supplemented by good works and the sacraments, were not lost on Luther, who wrote: “In the beginning, I devoured Augustine, but when…I knew what justification by faith really was, then it was out with him.”⁵⁸

Yet leading Calvinists suggest that I side with Roman Catholicism by rejecting Calvinism, even though it comes largely from the ultimate Roman Catholic, Augustine. Here is how one writer expressed it to me:

And given that the position you espouse is, in fact, utterly opposed to the very heart of the message of the Reformers, and is instead in line with Rome’s view of man’s will and the nature of grace, I find it tremendously inconsistent on your part. You speak often of opposing the traditions of men, yet, in this case, you embrace the very traditions that lie at the heart of Rome’s “gospel.”⁵⁹

On the contrary, the Reformers and their creeds are infected with ideas that came from the greatest Roman Catholic, Augustine himself. Furthermore, a rejection of Election, Predestination, and the Preservation of the Saints as defined by Calvinists is hardly embracing “the heart of Rome’s ‘gospel.’” The real heart of Rome’s gospel is good works and sacraments. Certainly Calvin’s retention of sacramentalism, baptismal regeneration for infants, and honoring the Roman Catholic priesthood as valid is a more serious embrace of Catholicism’s false gospel. The rejection of Calvinism requires no agreement with Rome whatsoever on any part of its heretical doctrines of salvation.

It seems incomprehensible that the predominant influence upon Reformed theology and creeds could be so closely related to the very Roman Catholicism against which the Reformers rebelled. Yet those who fail to bow to these creeds are allegedly “in error.” How the Protestant creeds came to be dominated by Calvinistic doctrine is an interesting story.

The Role of the Latin Vulgate

Along with the writings of Augustine, the Latin Vulgate also molded Calvin’s thoughts as expressed in his Institutes of the Christian Religion. Fluent in Latin, Calvin had long used that corrupted translation of the Bible, which, since its composition by Jerome at the beginning of the fifth century, was the official Bible of Roman Catholics. It was again so declared by the Council of Trent in 1546, when Calvin was 37 years of age. More than that, its influence reached into the Protestant movement: “For one thousand years the Vulgate was practically the only Bible known and read in Western Europe. All commentaries were based upon the Vulgate text…. Preachers based their sermons on it.”⁶⁰

The Vulgate was permeated with Augustinian views on predestination and the rejection of free will. According to Philip Schaff, “The Vulgate can be charged, indeed, with innumerable faults, inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and arbitrary dealing in particulars.”⁶¹ Others have expressed the same opinion. Samuel Fisk quotes Samuel Berger, who in the Cambridge History of the English Bible, Vol. 3 (S. L. Greenslade, ed., Cambridge, England: University Press, 1963, 414), called the Vulgate “the most vulgarized and bastardized text imaginable.”⁶² Grady says, “Damasus commissioned Jerome to revive the archaic Old Latin Bible in A.D. 382…the completed monstrosity became known as the Latin ‘Vulgate’…and was used of the devil to usher in the Dark Ages.”⁶³ Fisk reminds us:

Well-known examples of far-reaching errors include the whole system of Catholic “penance,” drawn from the Vulgate’s “do penance”…when the Latin should have followed the Greek—repent.

Likewise the word “sacrament” was a mis-reading from the Vulgate of the original word for mystery. Even more significant, perhaps, was the rendering of the word presbyter (elder) as “priest.”⁶⁴

Augustine described the problem that led to the production of the Vulgate: “In the earliest days of the faith, when a Greek manuscript came into anyone’s hands, and he thought he possessed a little facility in both languages, he ventured to make a translation [into Latin].”⁶⁵ As a consequence of such individual endeavor, Bruce says, “The time came, however, when the multiplicity of [Latin] texts [of Scripture] became too inconvenient to be tolerated any longer, and Pope Damasus…commissioned his secretary, Jerome, to undertake the work” of revision to produce one authorized Latin version.

Bruce continues: “He [Jerome] was told to be cautious for the sake of ‘weaker brethren’ who did not like to see their favorite texts tampered with, even in the interests of greater accuracy. Even so, he went much too far for the taste of many, while he himself knew that he was not going far enough.”⁶⁶Unger’s Bible Dictionary comments:

For many centuries it [Vulgate] was the only Bible generally used…. In the age of the Reformation the Vulgate [influenced] popular versions. That of Luther (N. T. in 1523) was the most important and in this the Vulgate had great weight. From Luther the influence of the Latin passed to our own Authorized Version [KJV]….⁶⁷

The Geneva and King James Bibles and Protestant Creeds

Of no small importance to our study is the fact that this corrupt translation had an influence upon the Protestant churches in Europe, England, and America. That influence carried over into the Geneva Bible (which has further problems; see below) as well as into other early versions of the English Bible, and even into the King James Bible of today.

As the Vulgate was filled with Augustinianisms, the Geneva Bible was filled with Calvinism, in the text as well as in voluminous notes. H. S. Miller’s General Biblical Introduction says, “It was a revision of Tyndale’s, with an Introduction by Calvin…the work of English reformers, assisted by Beza, Calvin, and possibly others.” J. R. Dore, in Old Bibles: An Account of the Early Versions of the English Bible, 2nd edition, adds that “almost every chapter [of the Geneva Bible] has voluminous notes full of Calvinistic doctrine.” Andrew Edgar, in The Bibles of England, declares, “At the time the Geneva Bible was first published, Calvin was the ruling spirit in Geneva. All the features of his theological, ecclesiastical, political, and social system are accordingly reflected in the marginal annotations…. The doctrine of predestination is proclaimed to be the head cornerstone of the gospel.”⁶⁸

W. Hoare says in The Evolution of the English Bible, “Considered as a literary whole it [the Geneva Bible] has about it the character of a Calvinist manifesto…a book with a special purpose.” F. F. Bruce adds,

The notes of the Geneva Bible…are, to be sure, unashamedly Calvinistic in doctrine…. The people of England and Scotland…learned much of their biblical exegesis from these notes…. The Geneva Bible immediately won, and retained, widespread popularity. It became the household Bible of English-speaking Protestants…. This became the authorized Bible in Scotland and was brought to America where it had a strong influence.⁶⁹

Butterworth points out: “In the lineage of the King James Bible this [Geneva Bible] is by all means the most important single volume…. The Geneva Bible…had a very great influence in the shaping of the King James Bible.”⁷⁰ Robinson is even more emphatic:

A large part of its [Geneva Bible] innovations are included in the Authorized Version [KJV]…. Sometimes the Geneva text and the Geneva margin are taken over intact, sometimes the text becomes the margin and the margin the text. Sometimes the margin becomes the text and no alternative is offered. Very often the Genevan margin becomes the Authorized Version text with or without verbal change.⁷¹

Further documentation could be given, but this should be sufficient to trace briefly the influence from that ultimate Roman Catholic, Augustine, through the Latin Vulgate and his writings, upon Calvin—and through Calvin, into the Geneva Bible and on into the King James Bible. And thus into the pulpits and homes of Protestants throughout Europe, England, and America. It is small wonder, then, that those who, like Arminius, dared to question Calvinism, were overwhelmed with opposition. Of course, various synods and assemblies were held to formulate accepted creeds and to punish the dissenters, but the decks were stacked in favor of Calvinism, and no influence to mitigate this error was allowed. This will be documented in the next chapter. [For additional detail, see T.U.L.I.P. and the Bible: Comparing the Works of Calvin to the Word of God, and What Love Is This? Calvinism’s Misrepresentation of God.]

The New Geneva Study Bible and Reformation Truth

Today’s New Geneva Study Bible (recently reprinted as The Reformation Study Bible) is being widely distributed in an effort to indoctrinate the readers into Calvinism. Its New King James translation is appealing. As with the original Geneva Bible, however, the notes are Calvinistic treatises. In his foreword, R. C. Sproul writes,

The New Geneva Study Bible is so called because it stands in the tradition of the original Geneva Bible…. The light of the Reformation was the light of the Bible…. The Geneva Bible was published in 1560…[and] dominated the English-speaking world for a hundred years…. Pilgrims and Puritans carried the Geneva Bible to the shores of the New World. American colonists were reared on the Geneva Bible…. The New Geneva Study Bible contains a modern restatement of Reformation truth in its comments and theological notes. Its purpose is to present the light of the Reformation afresh.

In fact, its purpose is to indoctrinate the reader into Calvinism, which inaccurately is marketed as “Reformation truth”—as though Calvinism and Protestantism are identical. There was, in fact, much more to the Reformation than Calvinism, Calvinists’ claims notwithstanding.

The Necessity to Clarify Confusion

Calvinism is experiencing resurgence today. Yet there is widespread ignorance of what both Augustine and Calvin really taught and practiced. Has the truth been suppressed to further a particular theology? Consider Boettner’s declaration that “Calvin and Augustine easily rank as the two outstanding systematic expounders of the Christian system since Saint Paul.”⁷² Spurgeon, also declared: “Augustine obtained his views, without doubt, through the Spirit of God, from the diligent study of the writings of Paul, and Paul received them of the Holy Ghost, from Jesus Christ”.⁷³

One cannot but view such statements with astonishment. How incredible that Loraine Boettner, one of the foremost apologists opposing the Roman Catholic Church, praised Augustine, who gave the Roman Catholic Church so many of its basic doctrines that he is among the most highly honored of its “saints” to this day.

As for Spurgeon, would he have considered that Augustine’s teaching of salvation by the Roman Catholic Church, through its sacraments alone, beginning with regeneration by infant baptism; the use of force even to the death against “heretics”; acceptance of the Apocrypha; allegorical interpretation of creation and the prophecies concerning Israel; a rejection of the literal reign of Christ on David’s throne; and so much other false doctrine, had also all been received from the Holy Spirit? How could Augustine—and Calvin, who embraced and passed on many of his major errors—be so wrong on so much and yet be biblically sound as regards predestination, election, sovereignty, etc.? Is there not ample cause to examine carefully these foundational teachings of Calvinism?

One can only respond in the affirmative. For that reason, the key Calvinist doctrines will be presented in the following pages and compared carefully with God’s Word.

Endnotes

David N. Steele and Curtis C. Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1963), 19.
Laurence M. Vance, The Other Side of Calvinism (Pensacola, FL: Vance Publications, rev. ed., 1999), 37.
Kenneth G. Talbot and W. Gary Crampton, Calvinism, Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism (Edmonton, AB: Still Water Revival Books, 1990), 78.
Benjamin B. Warfield, Calvin and Augustine, ed. Samuel G. Craig (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1956), 22.
John Piper, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God’s Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2000), 24-25.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, ed., Exposition of the Doctrine of Grace (Pasadena, CA: Pilgrim Publications, n. d.), 298.
Alvin L. Baker, Berkouwer’s Doctrine of Election: Balance or Imbalance? (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1981), 25.
St. Augustine, A Treatment On the Soul and its Origins, Book IV, 16.
C. Gregg Singer, John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits (Abingdon Press, 1989), vii.
Vance, Other Side, 40.
John Calvin, “A Treatise on the Eternal Predestination of God,” in John Calvin, Calvin’s Calvinism, trans. Henry Cole (Grandville, MI: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 1987), 38; cited in Vance, Other Side, 38.
Leonard Verduin, The Reformers and Their Stepchildren (Sarasota, FL: Christian Hymnary Publishers, 1991), 33.
Petilian II.85.189; cited in W. H. C. Frend, The Rise of Christianity (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1984), 671.
Frend, Rise, 671.
Ibid., 672.
F.F. Bruce, Light in the West, Bk. III of The Spreading Flame (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1956), 60-61.
E. H. Broadbent, The Pilgrim Church (Port Colborne, ON: Gospel Folio Press, reprint 1999), 49.
Henry H. Milman, History of Christianity (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1886), 3:176.
Warfield, Calvin, v.
John Calvin, contents page of Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. Henry Beveridge (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998 ed.), III: xxiii, IV: xvii, etc.
Calvin, Institutes, III: xxi, 2.
Ibid., xxi, 4.
Ibid., xxiii, 1.
Ibid., 5.
Ibid.
Ibid., 8.
Ibid., IV: xiii, 9.
Ibid., III: xxiii, 11.
Ibid., 13.
Ibid., 14.
Richard A. Muller, Christ and the Decree (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 22.
Norman L. Geisler, What Augustine Says (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1982), 9.
Aug. Cont. Epist. Fundament c.v.
John Paul II, Sovereign Pontiff, Augustineum Hyponensem (Apostolic Letter, August 28, 1986. Available at: www. cin.org/jp2.ency/augustin.html).
Dave Hunt and James White, Debating Calvinism, (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2004), 244.
Calvin, Institutes, I: vii, 3.
Talbot and Crampton, Calvinism, Hyper-Calvinism, 78; cited in Vance, Other Side, 39.
Alexander Souter, The Earliest Latin Commentaries on the Epistles of St. Paul (n. p., 1927), 139.
N. L. Rice, God Sovereign and Man Free (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1985), 13.
Benjamin B. Warfield, “The Idea of Systematic Theology,” in The Princeton Theology, ed. Mark A. Noll (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1983), 258.
Vance, Other Side, 41.
Richard N. Ostling, “The Second Founder of the Faith” (Time, September 29, 1986).
William P. Grady, Final Authority: A Christian’s Guide to the King James Bible (Knoxville, TN: Grady Publications, 1993), 54.
Sir Robert Anderson, The Bible or the Church? (London: Pickering and Inglis, 2nd ed., n. d.), 53.
Augustine, The City of God, trans. Marcus Dods. In Great Books of the Western World, ed. Robert Maynard Hutchins and Mortimer J. Adler (Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Inc., 1952), XX:7, 8.
Vance, Other Side, 55.
Talbot and Crampton, Calvinism, Hyper-Calvinism, 79.
Calvin, Institutes, IV:xiv, 26.
Alister E. McGrath, The Life of John Calvin (Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 1990), 151.
Francois Wendel, Calvin: Origins and Development of His Religious Thought (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997), 124.
Vance, Other Side; citing Calvin, Institutes, 139, 146, 148–49.
Vance, Other Side, 113; citing Wendel, Origins, 264, and Timothy George, Theology of the Reformers (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1988), 232.
Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1910; Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., reprint 1959), III: 1018.
Warfield, Calvin, 322.
Ibid., 313.
Ibid., 318.
Philip F. Congdon, “Soteriological Implications of Five-point Calvinism,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, Autumn 1995, 8:15, 55–68.
George, Theology, 68.
James R. White to Dave Hunt, August 4, 2000. On file.
David Schaff, Our Father’s Faith and Ours, 172; cited in Samuel Fisk, Calvinistic Paths Retraced (Raleigh, NC: Biblical Evangelism Press, 1985), 68.
Philip Schaff, History, II:975–76.
Samuel Fisk, Calvinistic Paths Retraced (Raleigh, NC: Biblical Evangelism Press, 1985), 68.
Grady, Final Authority, 35.
Fisk, Calvinistic, 67.
F. F. Bruce, The Books and the Parchments (London: Pickering and Inglis, Ltd., 1950), 191.
Bruce, Books, 194–95.
Merrill F. Unger, Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1969), 1151–54.
Fisk, Calvinistic, 70–75.
F.F. Bruce, The English Bible: A History of Translations (New York: Oxford University Press, 1961), 90-91.
Charles C. Butterworth, The Literary Lineage of the King James Bible (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1941), 163.
H. Wheeler Robinson, The Bible In Its Ancient and English Versions (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1940), 186, 206–207.
Loraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (Phillipsburg, NJ : Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1932), 405.
Spurgeon, Exposition, 298; cited in Vance, Other Side, 38.

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The King James Version: Precise Translation versus Fraudulent Texts and Heretical Translations – By Gregory L. Jackson

Introduction from the Webmaster

Dedication – Christina Ellenberger Jackson

Special Thanks

Questions To Be Asked While Reading This Book

Preface – Appreciating the King James Version

Gustavus Swift Paine

Alister McGrath

Harvard University Press

Victor Hugo, from Christian History Institute *

George Bernard Shaw

H. L. Menken, Famous Journalist and Agnostic

Winston Churchill

Compton’s Encyclopedia, Online Edition

Charlton Heston, In the Arena: An Autobiography, pp. 554-555

Theodore P. Letis

The Ecclesiastical Text: Text Criticism, Biblical Authority, and the Popular Mind, 1997.

Trinitarian Bible Society

TBS – The Excellence of the Authorised Version

Public Reading- Trinitarian Bible Society

Preface to the Original King James Version

Alexander McClure

Robert Martin

David Blunt

Dr. Aland’s Influence on the New International Version

Jim Mitchell

Required Reading: The Gospels of Mark and John and the Text

PART ONE – Introduction, The King James Version

Preface

I. Autobiographical Academic Introduction

The Cornerstone Is the Beginning

One Truth, One Harmonious Doctrine

One Teacher – The Holy Spirit

All sections of The King James Version: Precise Translation versus Fraudulent Texts and Heretical Translations

Watchwords for the Warfare of Life, Part Second. Words For The Day’s March. II. Special Graces

Love, Humility, Forbearance, Gentleness, Goodness.

Love.

How Luther bore the Burdens of others.

Joy.

Joy and Fear.

Grace and Peace.

Humility.

The Gentleness of Christ.

The Silence of Christ.

Luther Nothing in Himself.

Humility the Secret of Unity.

Bearing one Another’s Burdens.

To the People of Wittenberg.

The Incarnation the Bond between Men. 1521.

Those who wrong us still our Neighbors.

Care for the Fallen.

Hope for the Fallen.—1516.

A Child helping a Veteran.

Yielding for Peace sake.

Toleration of Differences.

Thankfulness.

Constancy of God’s Gifts leading to Ingratitude.

To be used with Thanksgiving.

Two Sacrifices.

The Church a Choir of Praise.

On Giving and Communicating.

Date and Dabitur.

Hoping for Nothing again.

How Luther gave.

Luther’s Theology in his Seal.

All sections of Watchwords for the Warfare of Life

Watchwords for the Warfare of Life, Part Second. Words For The Day’s March. I. The Leader

I. The Leader

Not at our own Will.

Not at our own Pace.

The Word of God as Daily Bread.

“The Divine Art of Learning.”

All sections of Watchwords for the Warfare of Life

The Inventors of the Climate Change Scam: The Club of Rome

What is the Club of Rome?

Quotes from the publication of the Council of the Club of Rome

Watchwords for the Warfare of Life, Part 1 Words for the Battle-Field, V. The Enemy

The Devil.

The Devil the only Enemy to be hated.

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