#17 The Hardening of the Heart by the Jewish Nation

Thus we see that the Jews, who willfully condemned God’s Son, were consigned to such hardness of heart that they blaspheme him with the greatest complacency and impudence. They cannot cease, and thus they fulfill the Scripture, Psalm 109 [:17], “He did not like blessing; therefore it shall be far from him.” The same thing has happened to our papists. At Worms they also made bold to hate and to revile Christ. And now it is their fate that they cannot stop hating and reviling. Neither plea nor admonition avails with them, they only grow worse. Righteous are your judgments, heavenly Father! It seems to me that this is what it means to be afflicted with the real St. Vitus’ dance {Note: a possible reference to epilepsy}.  (Luther’s Works, v.43, p.67)

Art. IX  Das auch die kinder Tauff nötig seÿ durch welche sie Gott uberantwortet und gefälleg werden.
“That child baptism is necessary, through which they are handed over to God and supported.”
Job. 3, v. 5 ; May darkness and the shadow of death claim it; May a cloud settle on it; May the blackness of the day terrify it.
Tit. 3, v. 5 ; “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,.”

[All of the pictures for this year’s posts are from an etching entitled “Augsburg Confession” by Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) and found in the Royal Collection Trust.]

 

 

Posted in 2021 Persecution.