....in his spiritual life l had experienced the thunder of the law. he heard this echo in the psalms, but he also heard the soft whisper of God's grace. so the psalter remained throughout the whole of his life the most direct word of God, tested in his own need and deliverance. with its supplications and songs of deliverance, it was his companion in all strife and joy.
151.2...'in the edition of 1524 he wrote a short preface, which begins thus:
'the hebrew language is so rich that no other can compare with it.
it possesses many words for singing, praising, glorifying, honoring, rejoicing, sorrowing, etc., for which we have but one. especially in sacred and divine matters is it rich in words.
it has at least ten names with which to name God, whereas we have only one word.
it may therefore rightly be called a holy tongues.
he mentions a number of expressions that repeatedly occur in the psalter such as 'mercy and truth' (which he translates as 'goodness and fatihfulness'), 'righteousness and judgment'. he would have been glad to translate the latter more freely also, had he dared to break away entirely from the letter of the original text, since, in his judgment, God's 'judgment' and 'righteousness' point to the judgment of the law and the righteousness given through faith.
in 1528 he substituted for this preface the one which has become famous for its description of the psalms as 'the prayer book of all the saints', which we here reprint in translation in full.
'many of the holy fathers have praised and loved the psalter above all other parts of the scripture. indeed the work itself gives sufficient praise to its master. nevertheless we must express our own praise and thanks for this book.
'in former years many books have been distributed-legends of the saints, histories of the passion, books of examples and histories-and the world has been so full of them, that as the result the psalter was unknown and unread. scarcely a single psalm was rightly understood. nevertheless it gave off such a wonderful and precious fragrance that all pious hearts drew devotion and power from its oft uncomprehended words and loved this booklet.
i am convinced however that there has never been a better book of examples or legends of the saints than the psalter, or that there ever can be one. if one would wish to select the best from all the examples, legends and histories and to preserve them in the best way, he could do no better than to take the existing psalter. for here we find not what one or two saints have done, but what the head of all the saints has Himself done and what all saints continue to do-their attitude toward God, toward their friends and enemies, how they bear danger and suffering. and in addition, it contains every kind of divine salutary teaching and commandment.
even for this alone the psalter ought to be beloved and precious to us, because it so clearly promises Christ's death and resurrection, and typifies his kingdom and the nature and task of all christendom. it might therefore well be called a bible in brief, i which everything that is in the bible is summed up briefly and attractively, as in a fine little handbook. i think that the Holy Spirit wanted to take the trouble to edit a brief bible and an example book of the whole of christendom and all saints. thus he who cannot read the entire bible would, in one little book, have a virtually complete summary of it.
in addition the psalter has a wonderful and unique quality. other books say much concerning the works of the saints, but report few of their words. in this respect the psalter is exemplary. from this comes its sweet fragrance, that one reads not merely of the works done by the saints, but also their words, how they spoke with God and prayed and continue to speak and pray. when we compare other books of legends and examples with the psalter, we find therein only dumb saints, while the psalter puts us in contact with genuine, bold and living saints.
if we compare him with one who can speak, a dumb man is scarcely more than one half dead. man possesses no greater or nobler attribute than speech, since it is this which distinguishes him from the animals, other than his shape of other qualities. a skillful artisan can cause a block of wood to take on the form of a man. and an animal can see, hear, smell, sing, walk, stand, eat, drink, fast, thirst, and suffer from hunger, cold and a rough bed, as much as any man.
'it must be added that the psalter does not merely preserve for us the simple, everyday speech of the saints, but their very best words, which with great earnestness they spoke in prayer to god about the most vital subjects. in this way, it presents to us not merely their words concerning their action but it reveals also that lies in their hearts and in the most secret treasure of their souls. thus we can see the source and origin of their words and deeds as we look into their hearts. we can determine what they have thought and how they felt in every kind of situation, in danger and need. the legends and examples, because they concern themselves only with the works and miracles of the saints, do not and cannot do this. yet i cannot know the real state of a man's heart merely by seeing or hearing of his many admirable deeds.
'now, i would much rather hear a saint speak than to see the things he does. even more gladly would i cherish the opportunity to look into his heart, into the treasure of his soul. and this it is which the psalter gives us so rightly in respect to the saints, that we can know with certainty the attitude of their hearts and the words which they used toward God and all men.
'for a man's heart is like a ship on a wild sea, driven back and forth by storms from every quarter of the heavens. here it is overwhelmed with fear and the concern of approaching disaster; there regret and sadness storm in, because of present difficulties. here blows the soft breeze of hope and of confident expectation of future happiness; from the other side we feel the winds of security and joy because of our present possession. such stormy winds teach a man to speak earnestly, to open his heart that its very depths might be revealed. for he who sits in fear and need speaks very differently of disaster than one who lives in joy. similarly, he who lives in joy speaks and sings very differently concerning happiness than one who is clutched by fear. it does not come from the heart, we are accustomed to say, when a sad man laughs or a glad man weeps, that is to say, the depths of his heart are not revealed and do not rise to the surface.
'and is this not precisely the greatest thing in the psalter, this earnest speech amidst every variety of storm in life? where does one find finer things said concerning joy than are contained in the psalms of praise and thanksgiving? there you are granted a glimpse into the heart of all the saints, as into a beautiful and pleasant garden, yes, as into heaven itself. there you see the splendid and attractive blossoms, blooming with every kind and thankful thought toward God for His benefits. on the other hand, where do you find deeper and sadder words, full of penitence, than in the psalms of lamentation? here again you look into the heart of all saints, but it is as into death, yes, as into hell. how dark and gloomy it is there, where the view of all things is veiled by the wrath of God. when the psalm writers speak of their fear and hope, they express themselves in such a way that no artist would be able to improve upon it, more could cicero or any other orator equal them.
'as we said, the very best thing in the psalms is that they so speak to God and with God that double earnestness and life reign in their words. usually when one speaks to others about such things, his words do not come so directly from the heart. as a result there is not as much fire, life, and tension in them. this is the reason the psalter is the booklet of all saints and that everyone, no matter what his circumstances, finds psalms and words that fit his situation and his needs as though they were composed especially for him. he himself not say it better, nor could he find or desire more adequate words..
'this is precisely so wonderful because the man who notes with joy that the words fit his situation thereby receives the assurance that he abides in the communion of saints and that all the saints have undergone an experience like his, since they sing the same song as he. we experience this particularly when the same words, with which they called upon god, are used by us in our prayers to Him. of course, this must be done in faith, since a godless man will not be inspired by them.
'in conclusion, the psalter offers us a safe and secure guide when we follow in the procession of the saints; following them, as we go our way, we need fear no evil. the examples and legends of the dumb saints, of which i have spoken, relate many kinds of works which we are not able to imitate. they tell also of many other works which it would be dangerous to imitate, since they often result in divisions and disturbances. these lead us away from the true communion of saints and tear it apart. but the psalter keeps you in the communion of saints, away from sects, for it teaches you to be so minded and to think and speak as have the saints-in joy, fear, hope, and sorrow.
'in short, if you would see the holy christian church pictured in living color and form, as in a small portrait, pick up the psalter. there you have a fine, bright and clear mirror that will show you what christendom is. yes, you will even find yourself in it, for it is the true 'know yourself' and, above all, God Himself and all His creatures.
'let us be careful, therefore, to thank God for this inexpressible gift. let us receive and use it with energy and determination. let us exercise ourselves therein to the praise and honor of God, lest we through our ingratitude earn His punishment. how people in the earlier period of darkness would have regarded it as a treasure to have been able rightly to understand even one psalm and to read or hear it in understandable german. yet they did not have that privilege. but now blessed are the eyes that see what we see and the ears that hear what we hear. but let us be careful-for already we see it happening-that it does not go with us as with the jews in the wilderness, who said of the heavenly bread,
'we loathe this worthless food.
let us remember that we are further told that they were punished and died, so that the same thing does not happen to us.
'to this may the Father of all mercy and grace help us, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be praise and thanks, honor and glory for this german psalter, and for all His innumerable, unutterable benefits to all eternity. amen.
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