# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1853 01 04_S69 # AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) Der Lutheraner. "God's Word and Luther's doctrine pure shall to eternity endure." (Rev. John, Chap. 14, v. 6, 7.) Published by the German Ev. Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States. Edited by C. F. W. Walther. Vol. 9. St. Louis, Mo., January 4, 1853. No. 10. Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for out-of-town subscribers, who are to pay it in advance and bear the postage. — In St. Louis each single number is sold for 5 cents. Only those letters which contain communications for the paper are to be sent to the editor; all others, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, money, etc., are to be sent here under the address Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo. Abridged Tabular Survey of some manifest errors of Pastor Grabau, set forth in his own words and compared with the false Roman doctrine as well as with the pure Lutheran doctrine.*) Doctrines of Pastor Grabau. I. Concerning the Word of God and the Holy Sacraments. 1. "The Church has believed from the earliest times that, for the right administration of the holy Sacraments, for the imparting of Absolution, not only the Word of institution as such belongs, but also the right divine call and command.*)" (In the "Hirtenbrief." See: "Der Hirtenbrief des Hrn. Pst. Grabau," etc., page 15. *) For a right insight into the magnitude of this error, one should compare further what Pastor Grabau reckons as belonging to the right divine call. 2. "Supposing even that the person in office were wicked, the words of institution are nevertheless effectual because of the office, to which the Lord still acknowledges Himself." (In the "Hirtenbrief." See: "Der Hirtenbrief des Hrn. Pastor Gra- Doctrine of the Roman Church. I. Concerning the Word of God and the Holy Sacraments. 1. "One must therefore teach that to the priests alone is given the power to consummate the holy Supper and to dispense it to the believers." (Catech. Romanus, Part 2, Chap. 4, Question 65.) "With right should those dispense this (absolution) to the mystical body of Christ, that is, to the believers, who alone have the power to bring about His true body.") Ibid., Part 2, Chap. 2, Question 54.) "If anyone says that not only the priests are the administrators of absolution, but that to all believers in Christ it is said: Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, etc., by virtue of which words every one can absolve, let him be accursed. (Conc. Trid., 14th Session, 3rd Chap.) 2. "The holy Council likewise teaches that even the priests who are burdened with a mortal sin, by the power of the Holy Ghost which they have received in ordination, exercise the office of the forgiveness of sins as ministers of Christ." (Council of Trent, 14th Doctrine of the Lutheran Church, which Pastor Grabau calls the Missourian. I. Concerning the Word of God and the Holy Sacraments. 1. On the words of the Council of Trent cited last in the 2nd column, Martin Chemnitz remarks: "There is no doubt that God is effectual through the proclaimed voice of the Gospel, by whomsoever it may be proclaimed. Why, then, does the Tridentine chapter make such great noise about this question? Answer: Because they place the completeness, truth, and efficacy of the Sacraments not simply and solely in the words of Christ, but in part also in the character which is supposed to have been impressed upon the priests in ordination. Thus they would also have it that the comfort of absolution depends not so much on the Word of the Gospel as on the person of the one absolving." (Examen des Trid. Conc., pp. 394, 95.) 2. Thus writes the theological (Lutheran) Faculty at Helmstädt in its [illegible]: "If the power of the Word of God and of the venerable Sacraments hung upon the vocation and life of a teacher and preacher, it would follow that the Word of God, preached by a man not ordained to the office, yet purely and clearly, would be wholly without power; likewise, that the holy Sacrament of Baptism, administered in a case of necessity by private, yet Christian, believing persons, would be altogether invalid. Which yet *) In this number we give the beginning of a comprehensive comparative table of the chief errors of Pastor Grabau, by which we are separated from him and his party. We shall continue it in the following numbers, and after it has first been laid before the readers in full, we shall treat each of the points set forth at length, in thesis and antithesis, partly ourselves, partly by communicating their further elaboration through contributors to the "Lutheraner." Until then the dear reader has time and opportunity first to weigh the controverted points for himself, to compare them with God's Word, the Confessions of our Church, and the doctrinal writings of our orthodox teachers, and so at the same time to prepare himself for the examination of the expositions that follow later.