# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_M rz 1855_S92
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

92 How the Fox Was Lured from His Hollow Tree

market.*) Mr. Mann seems thereby finally to have intended to provide the necessary explanation of what significance it has for us Lutherans when the title of his “Friend of All Churches” reads: “Organ for the Common Interests of the German-American Churches.” It is indeed worthy of thanks that the editor has finally let us know what share in the representation by the “Church Friend” he has allotted to our Lutheran Church.

In this connection we can only express the hope that we may succeed in luring many more such foxes from their hiding places with so little effort. This much is now beyond doubt—having been made clear to us by several successful attempts: if one wishes to learn the true attitude of an equivocal man toward the Lutheran Church, one must not merely praise the Lutheran Church; for then these gentlemen immediately join in the praise at the top of their lungs, more loudly and more eloquently than we do. Rather, one must confront these gentlemen with statements from the confessional books, from our Lutheran luminaries, and above all from Luther: whew! how they then leap out on every side! Suddenly one sees the words “To rent” posted on every hollow tree, and the whole forest now swarms with foxes in broad daylight. When these gentlemen hear from us that Scripture is to be interpreted according to the confessions under the guid-

not because they placed the libri canonici secundi ordinis on the same level as those primi ordinis, but, conversely, because they considered the latter equal to the former. Cf. J. Gerhardi Exeges. art. de s. s. etc., §§ 241, 242.

*) It is impossible to express how disgraceful it is for a man who eats Lutheran bread to attribute to dear Luther—so as to cast suspicion on him—the belief in the ultimate salvation of the heathen, as Mr. Mann does. For this proceeds either from boundless ignorance or from the most venomous hostility. Tertium non datur. We are surprised that Mr. Mann, once he had decided to win his spurs by challenging Luther’s orthodoxy, did not have his article published anonymously in Oertel’s Church Newspaper, perhaps under the signature: “A Former Lutheran, Now Penitently Returned to Mother Church.” — Mr. Mann’s attack on the Reformer reminded us of these words of Luther himself: “Oh, how finely I wage war! I am in the field against the Papists and think that my dear little brothers are behind me, helping me; meanwhile, they set fire to the city behind my back and murder everyone in it . . . Very well, all of you together, since you stand together and belong together—devils, Papists, and fanatics, all in one heap: go boldly at Luther; you Papists from the front, you fanatics from behind, you devils from every side. Hound, hunt, and pursue him with confidence; you have the right quarry before you . . . But for God’s sake I ask you once more: if it is possible for you, leave Luther alone. It is truly not Luther whom you are hunting. You shall, must, and will let Luther’s doctrine stand and remain, even if ten worlds such as yours were piled one upon another.” (Reply to the King of England’s Slanderous Writing of 1527, XIX, 513 ff.) — As we write this, the issue of the papist “Friend of Truth” for the 15th of this month has come into our hands; in it the editor adopts Mann’s polemic against Luther as his own, word for word. Who could blame the papist for that? But shame, shame on the “Luth.” pastor who supplies the Pope with weapons aimed at Luther’s heart!