# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1850 01 22_S85
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

85

speaks, — that seems questionable. "If only nothing perverse comes to light! If only love is not wounded and the hope of a future true union of the divided church parties is not hindered!" — Be calm, dear reader! Fear nothing! Hear the answer and judge the question by it. If, after calm examination of the answer, the question appears to you to have sprung from a fanatical spirit, you may indeed lay the paper aside, and we shall nevertheless have peace. I do not intend to blow a trumpet of alarm. Here it is not a matter of strife, but of peace; not of insulting those who think otherwise, but merely of fidelity to that which we have, and of the fulfilment of the holy commandment: "Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." Neither is it a matter of obstinate clinging to what is old. We do not wish to weep mournfully after the evening glow when the morning red already lies upon the mountains. We only say and prophesy this, that the sun which rises is none other than that which went down yesterday, even if the new day does not bring rain and wind like yesterday's. "JESUS Christ, yesterday, and to day, and the same for ever!" There it remains. — So, dear reader, let me answer, and examine the answer.

I.

We confess ourselves to the Evangelical Lutheran Church:

1) Not because it bears Luther's name. Luther's name is dear and precious to me, and I thank God that there was a Luther. I will also not be ashamed of his name and will call myself Lutheran, so long as I cannot, without being misunderstood, call myself what I nevertheless am, a Christian in the genuine and proper sense of the word (catholic). But I was not baptized into Luther, nor have I ever sworn by Luther's words, but know, on the contrary, that the Lutheran Church does not echo much that Luther said. Nor has it ever been denied that the name "evangelical" is by far more beautiful than the name "Lutheran." We should without further ado call ourselves "evangelical" if the Unionists and others in Germany, and the Rationalists in America, had not of late arrogated this name to themselves. So much the less can we at present renounce the name "Lutheran." For this reason we also do not say "apostolic," because all the sects derive their own unbiblical doctrines and opinions from the apostles; moreover, whoever says evangelical already means thereby to say apostolic. I do not confess myself to the Evangelical-Anabaptist, nor to the Evangelical-Methodist, nor to the Evangelical-Episcopal; and since one cannot deny the Gospel altogether to the Roman papal church in many places and in many of its servants, I nevertheless do not confess myself to such an Evangelical-papal church, because it has not been wholly forsaken by the Holy Ghost; I confess myself still less to the so-called free churches of Germany and America, which call themselves "evangelical" (!!) and yet conduct themselves unbelievingly; I also do not confess myself to the Union or hodgepodge church in Prussia and other places, praised by that false love which rejoiceth not in the truth in all divine things; I also do not confess myself to the Reformed church, or rather churches: I confess myself to the Evangelical Lutheran Church; Evangelical is my name, and only for distinction amid the present tower of Babel of Christian and antichristian sects is "Lutheran" my surname; and indeed neither Lutheran after the new fashion, nor Old-Lutheran after the opprobrious name given by the enemies. Yet it is and remains true:

It is not the name on account of which I devote my fidelity to the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

We confess ourselves to the Evangelical Lutheran Church:

2) Not for the sake of the outward form which it has in our days.

It has inestimable treasures, for the sake of which I cleave to it. But its form, its appearance before the world, I confess, is almost everywhere a servant's form. Because it is so rich in inward treasures, it has from the beginning neglected to look after its form.

It is indeed true that men ought not to look at the outward form, but at the inward, spiritual possession. But men are just so, and one must have compassion on them and make it easier for them to find the eternal treasures. There are very many of the weak who need human guidance and agreeable, inviting forms in order to come to the heavenly truth. If the Lutheran Church had a constitution and outward form corresponding to its inner dignity, many noble souls would long since have gathered to it out of the Roman Church; but now they know well what they are leaving, but they do not perceive whither they are to go. Constitution and form are, for those who are outside, like inviting gates to the essential treasures of the Church, — and in the end it is also true that the holiest and richest church has also a calling to be the most beautiful outwardly. — Alas, and just there the Evangelical Lutheran Church is so sadly wanting! It is so bowed down and its garment is so poor! And that hinders it so greatly in its calling, which it has, to work outwardly for the blessing of the world! — I cleave to it with my whole soul, but it must have mighty, great inward excellences, that I can tell thee, reader! Otherwise I should not confess myself to it. Its constitution and outward form would rather scare me away; for their sake I would not confess myself to the Lutheran Church.

We confess ourselves to the Evangelical Lutheran Church:

3) Not because I was born and brought up in its midst, baptized, instructed, confirmed, absolved, fed and given to drink with Christ's body and blood, and ordained to the ministry, etc., by its servants. All that is unspeakable benefits; but they are so for the most part only if the Lutheran Church is indeed the right one. If it is not, all that cannot bind me to it. Then it is only a proof that one is not wholly forsaken by God in it either, that in it also many a divine benefit is still to be found. But I confess myself to the Evangelical Lutheran Church not merely because it is not wholly forsaken!

II.

We confess ourselves to the Evangelical Lutheran Church:

1) For the sake of its jewel. The Evangelical Lutheran Church lacks much that I wish for it; but it has something which, in spite of all the defects from which it suffers, yet makes it the true Church, a rose among the thorns, — for the sake of which I find it easy and fair to be faithful to it in its outward misery. Dost thou know what I mean? I mean its thoroughly pure confession and its pure doctrine conformable to the confession.

Who has ever proved that its confession is false in any point of doctrine? By its confession I mean not merely the Augsburg Confession, but the whole Concordia, from the Augsburg Confession to the Formula of Concord. Thou dost not know these writings, dear reader, otherwise thou wouldst agree with me. Learn to know them, and thou wilt agree.

What is more beautiful, lovely, powerful and cheering than Luther's Large and Small Catechism?

What is more biblical than the Augsburg Confession and its Apology?

What is more considered and valiant than the Smalcald Articles?

And what is more unjustly reviled than the beautiful Formula of Concord in its clear but mild delimitation of all doctrines?

Reader, I repeat it to thee, thou dost not know the confessions of thy Church. Learn to know them, that thou mayest know why thou cleavest to thy Church.

The doctrine goes further than the confession, but it is not on that account estranged from the confession! I therefore distinguish indeed between Scripture and confession, between confession and doctrine, but I rejoice in the great, rich doctrine of the Lutheran Church, which enlightens every corner of human relations. I know not where in all the world God's Word has flowed from human lips more fully, richly, purely, mildly and simply than in the Lutheran Church, than from the lips of its teachers, namely those great, unsurpassed teachers who lived at the same time with and soon after the Formula of Concord (1580). I name, instead of many, one, the great Johannes Gerhard. Of him and of teachers like him I confess that, next to the confession, nothing