# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1848 11 28_S52
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

52

in case of continued hatred of the hearers against his person, joined with contempt for his doctrine, so that he is worn out by constant sorrow and grief, as with Lot, whom God Himself led out of Sodom, when his hearers vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds, 2 Pet. 2, 8. So also sometimes in persecutions from outward enemies. Yet in this case all levity and precipitancy are to be avoided with the greatest conscientiousness.

The Conference now expressed the following as its opinion:

1. Whoever has been regularly called by a congregation is thereby called by the whole Church, in general, for his whole life to the (preaching office) service of the Church, for by such a regular call it becomes clear that he is called to the service of the Church by God Himself.

2. If a preacher, therefore, is driven away in an unlawful manner, or his congregation dissolves, or his local call ceases for other reasons, his general call by no means ceases thereby. 1 Cor. 7, 20. He is therefore obliged, as soon as a regular call comes to him, to accept it. 1 Cor. 9, 16. 17. Matth. 28, 29.

3. Although such a preacher may therefore in a certain sense regard himself as a servant of the Church, he nevertheless has no right to perform official acts without a previous call.

Sixth Session.

As regards ordination, it is, according to Gerhard, a public and solemn confirmation or attestation of the call, whereby the ministry is entrusted to a capable man called thereto by the Church, who for this purpose is consecrated with prayer and the laying on of hands, assured of his lawful call, and publicly, solemnly and earnestly reminded of his duty by the whole Church, for which reason we also preserve the use of ordination inviolate in our Church.

At the same time, however, our Church denies the absolute necessity of ordination. She rejects the papistical error that ordination is a sacrament which impresses an indelible mark upon the recipient and imparts the necessary official gifts ex opere operato. She rejects in general all superstitious overvaluation of it. Ordination is nothing but a churchly ceremony, though venerable by its age, edifying by the prayers connected with it. But through ordination in itself, through the mere laying on of hands, no grace is imparted. It is the prayers of the congregation and of the servants of the Church, which find the promised hearing; for their sake the LORD gives and increases the necessary official gifts.

According to Gerhard, ordination takes place only once. For he says: Herein investiture differs from ordination, that ordination takes place only once, but investiture is repeated as often as one who was already ordained before to the service of the Church is called to another congregation, or to another grade of the office in the same congregation.

Ordination takes place only once, because the Church recognizes from the first calling of a Christian to the ministry that he has been chosen by God Himself for the service of the Church, and it suffices that she publicly and solemnly attest this on that occasion. It would be superfluous if such an attestation were repeated.

But by the fact that a Christian is bound by the call, for his whole life, by God to the service of the Church, the concept of an exclusively so-called spiritual estate is by no means given. For, in the first place, every Christian who possesses the requisite gifts, knowledge, and qualities can be called to the service of the Church; and furthermore God's Word also commands that that preacher who has made himself unworthy of his calling shall be removed from his office.

The Conference made it the duty of each of its members to inquire still further into this subject, and resolved to take up the deliberation on this subject again, with the help of the LORD, in its next sessions.

Hermann Fick, Secretary.

For the hospitable reception in the parsonage at New Melle we could say our slight thanks to its dear inhabitants at parting; but for the active sympathy of the dear congregation, in that it regarded us as its guests and contributed so kindly to our bodily refreshment, I am to render hereby, on behalf of the brethren, our sincere thanks, with the hearty wish that the LORD may preserve to it, ever and ever, His pure, saving Word.

F. Bünger.

(Submitted.)

Reason for Being Alarmed at the Doctrine of the Methodists and at the Pastoral Care of Their Preachers.

I cannot refrain from communicating to the honored readers of the Lutheraner the following story, of which I was in part myself an eye- and ear-witness. May God grant grace that also through it, those who halt between two opinions may be established in the faith, and those who have a longing after Methodist holiness may be frightened away from it, and learn humbly to seek their peace in justification by grace alone through faith. But us, upon whom the heavenly splendor shines, may it admonish to thank the LORD anew for His light given to us, and to hold it in esteem.

I permit myself to let a few words precede the present story concerning the origin of the Methodist congregation here.

In Clay Township, Auglaize Co., O., where I stand as a called servant of Christ, the Episcopal Methodists crept in about three years ago. Ostensibly driven by the Holy Ghost, they went from house to house to "convert" the forsaken Lutherans (forsaken by their preacher the congregation indeed was; for he, after he did not find on the subscription list opened for him the number of dollars which he had sought, when "his year was out," made off and was gone). Yet although the Lutherans were forsaken, they would nevertheless not have permitted Methodist preachers to preach in their midst, had these presented themselves as such. The cunning Methodists knew this well, therefore they did not do so, but appeared among the unsuspecting under the name "Lutheran." And behold, they accordingly found entrance with some, and only when a certain Mr. Peter had already found adherents did the deceived congregation notice that in the person of this man it had received a Methodist into its midst. But the adherents were not yet "converted." Their conversion was therefore to take place. What does Mr. Peter do? He "leadeth captive the silly women" (2 Tim. 3, 6.); waits for the time when the husband is not at home, and then prays with the women so long until these, irritated by his dreadful noise, began to tremble and quake. Having once noticed this, he did not leave off until they had completely "broken through." Since now among the Methodists every soul feels itself called to convert to Methodism those who are still "outside," the women have now also tried their part upon the men, and alas with success. In this way there arose by degrees a small Methodist congregation, which still exists and counts six families. Mr. Peter was its pastor hitherto (?). He, at the head of the congregation, which proudly boasted of having renounced the "devil's church," sought to strengthen them in their unblessed delusion and to set them upon a very high stage. Soon some also imagined they had reached the highest degree of holiness, indeed that they were perfect. The Word of God, which was held up to them when they set about to "convert" me, was lightly esteemed.

And as they would not hear, so they would not see either, when God the LORD laid clearly before their eyes how much the doings and goings-on of the false spirits displeased Him. So it happened that at a camp meeting here a young woman, after she had fallen to the ground like a log in her "penitential struggle" and had sprung up again after a little while, fell down once more, and indeed in such a manner that in consequence of this fall she became seriously ill and had to keep her bed for some weeks. But of course, how should the people have learned to see their follies and sins thereby, since even the preachers gave out what had happened as a work of the Holy Ghost! Against better knowledge and conscience sinned especially a man formerly generally esteemed.

We now come to our actual story.