# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 06 12_S166
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

166

munion action, namely the Lord's Prayer, Words of Institution, distribution with congregational singing and "Christe, du Lamm Gottes," the difference in the arrangements of the Agenden arises chiefly from this, that some, with the whole older church, placed the Lord's Prayer after the Words of Institution, others on the contrary before them, and that indeed partly for the reason that the giving of thanks has preceded the actual Words of Institution. To this it is to be added that some older church orders, following Luther's example in the "Weise christliche Messe zu halten" of the year 1523, still admit here some certain parts which the later church orders, again following Luther's example in the "deutsche Messe" of the year 1526, omit. — The genuinely Lutheran church orders can accordingly be brought into three classes. The first is formed by the few church orders which have no Lord's Prayer at all shortly before the Words of Institution, in that they place it, or a paraphrase of it, already before the exhortation. The second class, about a fourth of the whole sum, is formed by those church orders which begin this division with the Words of Institution and let the Lord's Prayer follow upon them. These are also the ones which use here still more parts, e. g. the Sanctus, after the Words of Institution. The third class finally, which consists of three fourths of the church orders, has the minister begin with the Lord's Prayer, whereupon the congregation answers only with Amen; then follow the Words of Institution, likewise sung, after which the distribution begins, while by choir and congregation the church hymns already mentioned above are sung, the last of which is always "O Lamm Gottes unschuldig."

Of all the earlier usages the Lutheran church has, for good reasons, retained at the consecration only the sign of the cross. The Elevation, or lifting up of the blessed bread and wine, which the Lutheran church at first retained, yet without the adoration, and performed immediately after the consecration, offered nevertheless too many reminiscences of the erroneous doctrine of the transubstantiation of the bread and wine, for it to have been able to maintain itself in the Lutheran church in the long run. Finally the different manner of the consecration is to be noted. The most church orders, namely, have the Words of Institution first sung through completely, consecrating thereby, and then the distribution follow. Others, however, when the first half of the Words of Institution has been sung and the bread consecrated thereby, have the same dispensed forthwith, whereupon the cup is dealt with in like manner, as this occurs especially in several formularies for the communion of the sick. But the inconvenience which arose in this manner for the accompanying singing was soon bound to give the preference to the former. Moreover, the blessed bread was presented on the right side of the altar, the blessed cup however on the left; these two sides were determined by the position of the minister when he turned toward the congregation.

With regard to the conclusion of the Communion, by far the most church orders have prescribed the same thus: Intonation with Responsory, Collect of thanksgiving, Benediction, closing hymn, and indeed Versicle and Collects are always the same for all days of divine service. Only the following deviations are to be noted: not the fewest church orders have the Salutation before the Collect, and even before the Benediction also. In very few are Salutation, Versicle and Collect omitted, and the congregation sings instead of them "Nun danket alle Gott," whereupon the Benediction follows. Conversely, a few omit the Benediction and have sung in its stead by the congregation: "Es woll uns Gott genädig sein." Finally, as was already remarked above, one half of the church orders closes with the Benediction, but the other then has a prescribed closing hymn sung besides.

As for the case that no communicants are present, there results from a comparison of the church orders concerning this the following: Only a few very early church orders then let changes enter also in that which belongs to the action of the Word, which give the chief service only the form of a weekday service, in that before the sermon only a German hymn and "Wir gläuben all," and after it again a German hymn is sung, whereupon Collect and Benediction follow. Evidently the thought lay at the foundation of this arrangement that a chief service without Communion is simply no chief service; but soon this thought was supplanted by another, namely that even then a chief service remains such, though not a complete one, and that precisely this incompleteness must be brought out by retaining all the parts belonging to the chief service, with the exception of those belonging to the Communion. Thus those church orders just mentioned form only a soon vanishing exception, and it may be regarded as the general order that, even when no communicants are present, everything up to the sermon takes place in the same manner as if Communion were held. At the close of the sermon in that case many church orders have an "Exhortation concerning the Contempt of the Sacrament" read.

With regard to what is to follow after the sermon, a number of church orders ordain that, in case no communicants are present, Preface, Sanctus, Lord's Prayer, German Agnus, Collect and Benediction are nevertheless not to be omitted. But since these parts are most closely bound up with the Communion, and without it, at least in this arrangement, lose their proper meaning, there soon formed another arrangement for the conclusion of the chief service which by way of exception remains without a celebration of Communion, which, followed by many and the best church orders, can be regarded as the general rule. For in this case there is omitted at the end of the sermon the church prayer; instead of it, generally with omission of the hymn after the sermon, the Litany is sung with the congregation; after the Litany follows the Antiphon "Handle nicht mit uns nach," etc., and the Collect "HErr Gott, der du nicht Lust hast an der armen Sünder Tod," etc.; and thereafter the service comes to an end with the Benediction and the usual closing hymn. All other prescriptions of the Agenden given in this connection are to be regarded only as particulars.

(To be continued.)

Methodism.

Dear Brother in the LORD!

When you get into your hands the so-called Christliche Apologete No. 19, of the 10th of May, and read the section under the rubric "Monroe Mission, Illinois," you will no doubt rightly conjecture that in the last passage: "But where I, with the help of my Master, under hot tears seek to raise the banner of the cross," etc. — yet I will write it out in full — "and to gather spirit-baptized congregations which would serve God in spirit and in truth, there come such as carry with them the office of the keys, and cry to the people: ""Ye are already born again in baptism, and the other sins we forgive you in Christ's stead."" May the holy God banish all error, and equip his true servants, whom he himself hath sent, with power from on high, that they may bear witness of the precious Saviour, who alone hath the key of David," etc. — you will therefore probably not err if you conjecture that this has reference to my first visit here, where I preached to the Lutherans of this place, and they called me to be their pastor. I feel constrained to bear testimony against these blasphemers, who feign with their lips the law of God, but by the deed trample the same under foot, which testimony you will, if it seems good and right to you, be pleased to admit into your paper. As I have already come to know the German Methodists in this country, in particular also from the nice tract "Warum bist du vom Glauben abgefallen?" as such in whose catechism the 8th commandment is probably omitted, since they bring all manner of lying accusations against us, so this Mr. G. Böshenz, the author of that article, proves himself a faithful son of his school. In that article it is now especially a crafty, mean trick that he presents the matter as if he were quoting my words. Herein lie the craft of the devil and the lie of the devil; lie, for I have had neither at my first visit, nor to this day, opportunity to set forth publicly the doctrine of baptism and of absolution, and privately have, so far as I am aware, treated of the pure doctrine in some points only with two persons; and then the devilish lie is this, that he presents the matter as if we preached a carnal