Excerpts from Two Sermons by Friedrich August Tholuck: "What is Human Reason Worth?" (c. 1840) and "When is Greater Civic Freedom Fortunate for a People?" (1848)

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When the German flag was planted on the town hall of our city and the song “Now let us all give thanks to God” resounded, there stood among the other citizens in the market square one who was heard to say to his neighbor: “Now they sing: Let us all praise God, who knows if they don’t end up singing before the year is out: ‘Lord, help us in our deep misery.’” Truly, you need not be a blind admirer of the old to make room for such fears after what we have been through. It may be that justified powers have been unleashed, but where they are unleashed through a revolution, so many powers of hell are awakened with them that no human hand can restrain them again. He who sails on the water does not command the wind. If there is no good thing on earth that is not subject to misuse, not excepting even religion, how much more likely is misuse with greater civic freedom! We must therefore seriously put this question to you: When is greater civic freedom fortunate for a people? – We shall let Christ answer; he says in John 8. 31-36:

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed; And ye shall know truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s
seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth
not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed.”

According to these words, Christ’s answer to our question is this: greater civic freedom is only truly fortunate if the love of God reigns supreme in the conscience of those who are free. More specifically, there are three things in this saying: 1) civic freedom is not yet true freedom, i.e. freedom in the highest sense; 2) only the free in whom the love of God reigns supreme are truly free; 3) this freedom is given only by the Son, the one who is truly free.