# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1851 12 23_S71
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

71

sound, churchly Scriptural knowledge.

Only thus can it come to pass that they, in the churchly conduct of doctrine and defense, do not scatter and isolate themselves, and do not fall into the great danger, while each in his own way seeks to ground everything anew out of the Holy Scripture, according to personal and peculiar favorite ideas, which they suppose to seek and find in the Word of God, and accordingly fall, in one way or another, into fanatical interpretation of Scripture, whether toward these and those papistic errors already overcome by our teaching fathers, or turned away from the same, toward the opposite side, since the pure doctrine is everywhere a narrow way, between two abysses.

For however valuable and important many achievements of the newly awakened believing theology of our time on Protestant ground may be, it is yet very questionable whether even all the products of the same grown on Lutheran soil have proceeded rightly from the living ground of the same and from a thorough knowledge of the connection of the Lutheran church doctrine, drawn from the most important teaching fathers, and are not afflicted with these and those morbid excrescences of peculiar favorite ideas and private opinions of their authors, which are not in accord with the church doctrine of the Reformation and cannot stand the test of our Confession in our Symbolical Books?

Alas! we all, who would be truly and honestly Lutherans, that is, confessors of the orthodox Church, whether we be pastors and teachers or not — we all will not forget that we are no such generation as that which proceeded from the bosom of the Lutheran Reformation, brought up in the words of faith and of sound doctrine, borne by the ground of the Church, inspired and penetrated by the Confession of the Church, all feeling themselves members of the Church, and in the testifying and teaching of her servants hearing with joy the voice of the Church, as of their spiritual mother. Rather we are like the children of Israel, who from the Babel of the Union, either legally established by the State or at least of the unionistic-pietistic spirit, are taking the way home to Jerusalem.

Then it will hardly harm even the most gifted Lutheran teachers and witnesses in our weakly and sickly churchdom, if, before they too hastily furnish what is their own and new, they first again become right heartily and warmly acquainted with our orthodox teaching fathers, so rich in knowledge, and not merely show to their persons the due respect, but also appropriate to themselves living the treasure of their knowledge, both in general and also for the churchly sound combating of the newly strengthening Papacy, and gladly first sit thoroughly at their feet and learn, before they undertake to teach others.

Yea! verily, to us Lutherans all, according to calling, gift and education, but especially to us preachers, it will be most important and salutary not to seek our nourishment chiefly or even exclusively in many of the often so perishable ephemera and home-spun cobwebs of newer text-books and little books, but to turn back to the hearty and marrowy food which we find so richly prepared, especially in Luther’s writings and in the orthodox teaching fathers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, for lasting satisfaction and at the same time living stimulus. To them, as our fathers in the faith, we will look up, and learn from their mouth, who have spoken to us the Word of God; them, the heroes of the LORD, the good soldiers of Jesus Christ, who with the spirit of his mouth, the living and powerful Word of God, attacked the Papacy, as well as the fanatic spirit, at the root and laid them low — them, these our champions, will we, with good courage, strive to follow after; to them, who are pillars in the house of God, through whose mouth also at that time the Church of the LORD showed herself as the pillar and ground of the truth — to them will we hold fast and be strengthened; for they are to us, next to the holy Apostles, the most glorious examples in strength of faith and courage of faith; in deep and thorough knowledge of the divine Word; in churchly penetration of its pure and wholesome doctrine; in fervent zeal to confess and defend the same against devil, world and flesh; in the life in God’s Word and of the same in them; in self-denying love to Christ and his Church; in the holy unction of their praying and supplicating, wherein they ever bore the Church of God upon their heart; in deeply inward experience of justifying faith, through mighty enmity from without and high spiritual trial from within; in a wealth of godly contemplation of self and world in so simple-edifying language; in a fullness of sanctified official wisdom and counsel for the evangelically sound government of congregations and treatment of individual souls, according to their special need. —

Where should we find this wealth in all the believing text-books, books of sermons, prayers and edification which the more recent time has furnished, whose most understanding sons have indeed precisely brought forth again the old and approved from the rich treasury of the Lutheran Church and by renewed printing have again offered so many a noble jewel for general use and enjoyment?

Certain nominal Lutherans, to be sure, as for example the hitherto leading voices of the so-called Lutheran General Synod, despise this treasure, although they do not know it. And while they, for example, trample under foot the Lutheran, Scripture-true jewel of doctrine concerning the holy Sacraments, and yet have drawn their wisdom only from such Reformed opponents of the same as Luther already more than 300 years ago victoriously struck down, they nevertheless ceaselessly prate and juggle to themselves and others of “progress and development,” without really knowing what they say and set forth.

Would to God that all Lutherans in this our sickly, pietistic and unionistic age might first regain the sound, Scriptural, confession-true standpoint of the Lutheran Reformation, and from this a new stirring and moving in all directions — that would surely be the true progress and the right development. Then would also assuredly grow up, in doctrine and life, church and state, art and science, sound, Bible-firm, orthodox and orthodox, knowledge- and experience-rich, anointed, teaching and defending, in love energetic, in the cross patient, in hope joyful sons of the Church, in whom she, as their spiritual mother on earth, even as God, the LORD, as their Father in heaven, would have their hearty good pleasure.

To this may the gracious and merciful God help. Amen!

How Luther Holds him not to be a Believer who does not prove his Faith by Deeds.

We see from the example of the rich man that it is impossible to love where faith is not, and impossible to believe where love is not. For both will and must be together, that a believer loves every man and serves every man; but an unbeliever is at heart an enemy to every man, and wills to be served by every man, and all this wicked, perverse sin he covers with a slight show of his hypocritical works, with the sheep’s clothing, like the great bird, the ostrich, which is so foolish that, when it covers its neck with a twig, it thinks that its whole body is covered.

Paul calls those who persist in sin children of unbelief; whereby he would say, they have departed and fallen from the faith, that we may see from this, that he who does not prove his faith by deeds counts for just as much as a heathen, namely, a fallen Christian and an apostate from the faith; therefore also the wrath of God comes upon them here in time, as it likewise befalls us Germans now, that we must have dear times, pestilence, war and bloodshed enough. These useless babblers and vain teachers may well take heed that they be not also reckoned among those who are slothful and slack; for although they are not so blind as the heathen, but know well that unchastity and covetousness are sin, yet they go their way, and do not keep it, and rely upon the faith which without works