# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 05 23_S153
# 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. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States.
Edited by C. F. W. Walther.
Volume 10.  St. Louis, Mo., May 23, 1854.  No. 20.
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 addressed to the Editor; all others, however, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, money, etc., are to be sent hither under the address Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

(Contributed for the Lutheraner.)

The So-Called Great Hanoverian Catechism,
Reviewed by Wege.
(Continuation.)

On the Lord's Prayer.

The Lord's Prayer has from of old maintained a place among the chief parts of Christian doctrine, wherefore it is also called and is a chief part of the Catechism.

This place is due to it

1., because it proceeds from the Lord Himself,

2., because the Lord Himself taught it with the intention that it should be a guide and instruction in prayer,

3., because prayer in general belongs elsewhere than under the demands of the Law, namely under the means of grace.

Therefore the doctrine of prayer should not only be treated separately, but the holy Lord's Prayer should also be laid as the foundation of it, for it is the Lord's answer to the petition: Lord, teach us to pray. *)

*) Luke 11:2 ff.—One of His disciples said unto Him: Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
But He said unto them: When ye pray, say: Our Father, etc.

The instruction now that is to be drawn from the Lord's Prayer refers

1. to God, to whom we—

2. to the objects for which we—

3. to the manner in which we ought to pray.

In regard to No. 1 it is not without need to remind that it is the triune **) God whom we are to call Father.

**) Luther's Works, Walch edition, III, p. 2849.
Here some are troubled whether they name the person of the Father when they pray the Lord's Prayer, or the divine essence.
It is no wonder that strange thoughts occur to a man in this article (of the Holy Trinity), which is altogether wonderful—but the ground of faith is that thou believest there are three Persons in the one Godhead, and each Person is the same one perfect God.
Ibid. 2850.
Accordingly it is not only false, but also impossible and void, that thou shouldst wish to call the Person of the Father, as the distinct Person, Father, and not at the same time call the Son and Holy Ghost Father with Him. For that would be to divide the divine essence and to shut out the Son and Holy Ghost. That is nothing.

In regard to No. 2 the number seven, chosen by Christ Himself, ***) under which He has comprised the whole compass of all petitions well-pleasing to God, should not be obscured, but the distinction, order, connection, richness and round, perfect completeness of the seven petitions should be demonstrated.

***) The ten words on the 2 tables are numbered, so too are the seven words of Christ on the cross—and should the seven petitions in the Lord's Prayer not have been numbered, not have been comprised by divine forethought in just that and no larger and no smaller measure than the number seven?

In regard to No. 3 the difference between heathen and truly Christian praying, whether one use the words of the Lord's Prayer or others, should be shown, and attention directed to the exemplary character of the Lord's Prayer also in its outward form, as well as to the true ground on account of which alone there is hope of being heard, namely the merit of Christ.

What now does the author of the Hanoverian Cat. do?

1. He does indeed cite the Lord's Prayer, but he is far from making it the foundation of his doctrine of prayer.

2. He expresses himself concerning God, as the object of adoration, in such a way that one must doubt whether Christ and the Holy Ghost also may be worshipped, indeed in such a way that one is led to regard the worship of them as idolatry.

3. He limits the purpose of the Lord's Prayer to dispositions

for he puts the question (99, p. 87.)

Why did our Lord give us this prayer?

and answers:

to teach us in a pattern of its own with what dispositions we are to pray to God.

4. He neglects to bestow upon the seven petitions