# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1852 02 17_S102
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

102

was as comforting as it was earnest. Before we parted, Dr. Guericke made us further acquainted with Mr. Court Councillor Quinque, who with him is a warden of the Lutheran congregation in Halle served by Pastor Wolf of Magdeburg, and with Pastor Rudel, who at present serves the Lutheran congregation at Saarbrück as vicar to Pastor Wermelskirch and was just then on a visit in Halle. Thereupon we traveled on to Leipzig, where we arrived toward evening on the 20th of September.

(To be continued).

(Sent in by Dr. Sihler.)

A Brief Reply, Made Necessary, to the Article in No. 5 of the Informatorium, Entitled: "The Heresies of the Missouri Lutheraner and of the Missouri Synod."

This reply would, as was really proper, have appeared earlier in the "Lutheraner," if the latter, in order to satisfy truth and justice, had not been obliged to withhold from those of its readers who at the same time also read the Buffalo Informatorium, in particular, the now concluded "Correction" of Professor Crämer, directed against the account of Pastor Winkler at Detroit, an account both factually distorted and abundantly filled with vulgar, malicious personal allusions, and composed in a spiteful spirit. Since, however, the far larger circle of readers of the Lutheraner does not read the latter paper, it would on the other hand have been still more unjust and unfair toward these to have spent still more columns of the Lutheraner at the same time upon a necessary defense against the Inf., since it has other things to do than to defend itself against the Inf.

But as regards the above-mentioned article of the Inf., the writer of this year's Preface of the "Lutheraner" wishes at the outset to confess gladly, with sincere regret, that he himself bears some of the blame for it, in that he omitted something necessary and did something superfluous.

The former consists in this, that in presenting our relation to the Buffalo Synod he did not report to his readers that a thorough Defense of our doctrine concerning the Church and the Ministry is soon to appear in a special little book, in connected theses founded on God's Word and attested from the symbolical books of our Church, as well as from the most important Lutheran teachers of the Church, chiefly of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, from which every sincere and truth-loving Lutheran will be able to see whether we teach falsely and the Synod of Buffalo rightly.

But the superfluous and imprudent thing which the writer of the Preface did consists in this, that at the close of it he expressed his sincere regret over the bitter and wrathful disposition of Pastor Grabau toward us and wished him the best withal; for although, God is his witness, this regret together with the added wish was meant altogether sincerely (for it is no slight heartache for all earnest and thorough, and no slight offense for still weak and unestablished Lutherans on this side and on that, that we two Synods of all should stand thus over against each other), he ought yet to have considered better that Pastor Grabau, in his now prevailing temper toward us, could not possibly take that regret and wish as both were meant, but must necessarily take them as he has actually done, by declaring them hypocrisy.

After this sincere confession of his imprudence, the writer of the Preface is nevertheless obliged to make a brief reply to the following reproaches of the Inf.

1. It reproaches the Lutheraner for not having gone more closely into the doctrine contained in the second Synodal Letter of the Synod of Buffalo and for not having attempted a refutation of it.

To this the answer is, that this would not at all have suited the tone and bearing of the whole Preface, which was meant only to express, in outline and in a brief survey, the position and relation of our Synod to other Lutheran Synods, and to indicate briefly what is characteristic.

But let the reference, unfortunately omitted, to our Defense, of which mention was made above, be supplied here, in which the Synod of Buffalo will find, in necessary connection with the doctrine of the Church, also that of the Ministry, whereas it has paid no essential regard to this connection, without which the doctrine of the Ministry hangs loose, as it were, in the air, and cannot be thoroughly grasped in its relation to the spiritual priesthood of all believing Christians.

Whoever of the Buffalo Synod and its friends does not wish to keep on the colored spectacles will plainly enough see from this on which side the truth is, and on which the error.

2. The Inf. reproaches the Lutheraner that in its ladder of degrees, Christ—the congregation—the pastoral office, it stages a sort of procession, and seeks to turn this to ridicule, whereas every unprejudiced and sensible reader of the Preface will well know what was meant by it, so that it would be useless to waste even a word upon it here.

3. The Inf. reproaches the Luth. and our Synod that we "throw the ministry together with the spiritual priesthood into one, and set it merely as an outflow of the believing congregation, that is, derive it from the spiritual priesthood." This reproach is altogether untrue and unjust. For we never and nowhere deny, contrary to God's Word and Art. 5 of the Augsburg Confession, that the ministry is a divine ordinance and institution and rests upon divine command. Just as little do we assert that every believing Christian, by virtue of his spiritual priesthood, has the office and calling to preach the Gospel publicly anywhere and to administer the holy Sacraments; and our constant opposition to the intruding Methodists and other fanatical preachers has furnished sufficient historical proof that we also hold in all honor the teachings concerning the regular call according to Art. 14, and rebuke the fanatics and hedge-preachers.

On the other hand, however, we do indeed hold fast, unmoved, bound in our conscience by Matt. 16:19, 18:18, 1 Pet. 2:9, that the right, the power and authority also of the ministry, together with the Gospel and the Sacraments, have been given and imparted by Christ to the congregation of the believers, to the Church of Christ, even in every local division and dispersion; yea, that every individual believer, by virtue of his spiritual priesthood from his Baptism, has the evangelical fundamental right to the administration of the ministry, of which, however, he may not make public use without a regular call.

For this reason we must also, and may we be ever so often and bitterly called Pietists and Separatists, etc., and reviled, hold unmoved to this also, that the essence of the regular call to the pastoral office and the service of the church consists in this, that every individual co-caller transfers his right and his power also to the public administration of the holy ministry, which indeed is grounded, apart from and above all spiritual priesthood, in the divine command and ordinance, to the called fellow-priest (and therein at the same time renounces the exercise of this right and this power), who has been found to be orthodox, apt to teach, and of blameless walk.

We therefore rightly distinguish two things, whereas the Inf. either wholly passes over one of them in silence or only hints at its meaning, namely, first the divine command, the divine ordinance and institution of the holy ministry, and then the regular call to it.

As to the first point, we confess gladly and willingly with the Inf. "that the holy ministry of the N. T. is given with the Gospel and flows from the power of the revealed Gospel, without the co-operation of any person or spiritual priests and priesthood.

We also believe, teach and confess that the ministry is essentially rooted and grounded in the grace of the Father, in the merit of the Son, in the power of the Holy Ghost revealing Himself in the Gospel and working therein, through whom alone, in company with holy Baptism, in penitent and willing hearers saving faith in the LORD Christ is wrought, the Holy Ghost is imparted, and the spiritual priesthood together with all its spiritual sacrifices is brought forth.

And accordingly this priesthood has therefore in the origin of the holy ministry