# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_September 1855_S277
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Comfort for a Lutheran from the Gracious Intercession of Mary. 277

...Apology, given its irenic character, here — as Carpzov quite rightly observes — makes the opponents only a concession ex hypothesi, because Scripture speaks neither for nor against the opinion that the saints in heaven pray for the church. The Apology, moreover, says this expressly in what precedes, where it reads: "Although we grant that, just as the living saints pray for the whole church in general, or in genere, so the saints in heaven may pray (orent) for the whole church in general, in genere — yet this has no testimony in Scripture, but only the dream taken from the second Book of Maccabees." Hence it is likewise said in the Smalcald Articles drawn up by Luther: "Although the angels in heaven pray for us, as also the saints on earth, or perhaps also in heaven." (Part 2, Art. 2b.) From this Mr. Diedrich may see that it is indeed unbiblical, un-Lutheran, and foolish to "take comfort in the gracious intercession of Mary." For what sort of comfort is that which has no basis in God's Word and rests on human notions which one may fairly neither fight against nor defend, but rather, as our Symbols do, simply let rest on their own footing! It is indeed pitiable that Lutherans who do not recognize the Symbols through and through as the voice of the catholic church nevertheless use them to pick out all sorts of Roman scraps, in order then to peddle these as Lutheran jewels — while in their misfortune they thereby fish up something that was not floating on the water of the confession, but had merely run across their spectacles.

Pastor Diedrich closes his defense of the proposition that he takes comfort in the gracious intercession of Mary with the words: "After this, dear friend, you will not suspect me of having said anything unnecessary: it may still seem unnecessary now; I think that after twenty years people will judge differently." In this we grant the writer entirely correct, for certain Lutherans are well on the way to learning, before long, to digest still larger morsels smelling strongly of papism. We for our part meanwhile intend, by God's grace, to remain with the pure confession of our church, even should a certain sort of Lutheran, on that account, regard us as worshipers of the brazen serpent or of a paper pope; in any case, such a paper pope as our beloved Book of Concord is, is dearer to us than the pope at Rome. For the latter issues decrees out of the shrine of his own heart under the title of the visible holy catholic church; whereas that "paper pope" decrees nothing, but "believes, teaches, and confesses" together with us what stands written in the Word that will remain even should heaven and earth pass away — and therefore we gladly kiss its feet.