# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_October 1856_S297
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

The Distinction of Estates in the Church.                    297

-knowledge him (only) as bishop, namely those who stand under the
territory of other princes, whether they in fact belong to the Würzburg
church. As Pomeranus compels his servant by his household rule, but
not the church at Wittenberg. What you cite concerning the king of
Nineveh is manifestly merely a civil command, without asking whether
the church or heathendom is under him. Thus, when the emperor commands
a fast for everyone throughout, those who are in the church also
obey, because the church, according to the flesh, is under the emperor;
but it does not obey as church. So it is also with King Jehoshaphat. But
with the Maccabees it is clear that they did not ordain their dedication
of the temple alone, but with the consent of the whole people. Such
consent could equally have annulled it again — although there was
much of civil ordinance involved, indeed it was quite civil in nature,
since it was the Maccabees who ruled; but the decision was made
together with the people. Therefore we cannot grant to the bishops,
either by ecclesiastical or by civil right, the power to command anything
to the church, however right and godly it might be; for evil must not
be done that good may come of it. Should they wish to proceed by force
and compel it, we must not obey, nor consent to it, but rather die, in
order to preserve the distinction of these two governments — that is,
for the sake of the will and the law of God, against ungodliness and
sacrilege against the church." *) (Luther's Works. Halle ed. XVI, 1206–9;
cf. Collectio nova epp. Lutheri, ed. Buddeus, p. 164 ff.)

Who, after this, can still say that Luther taught that the head of
household and the magistracy, as an estate, belong to the government
of the Church?**) It is true that Luther himself called upon the elector
to take the church visitation in hand; but not because the elector, by
virtue of his governmental estate, belonged to the government of the
Church, or was even, in consequence thereof, the supreme ruler of the
Church! That is, after the above statements, altogether impossible. But
he also expresses himself on this directly. He writes in the preface to
the Instructions for the Visitors: "As the Gospel has now, through the
overflowing, unspeakable grace of God, mercifully come back to us —
or perhaps has even first dawned upon us — whereby we have seen how
wretchedly Christendom is confused, scattered, and torn; we would
gladly have seen that same true episcopal and visitation office, as being
most urgently needed, set up again: but because none of us was called
to it, or had a sure command, and St. Peter will not allow anything to
be undertaken in Christendom unless one is certain that it is God's own
business, 1 Pet. 4:11, none of us dared to presume to do it before the
other. There we have

*) One should consider that here it can happen that a preacher may also at the same
time hold a governmental office.                    L. u. W.

**) The first who, within the Lutheran Church, made the magistracies, on account of
their estate, assessors in the government of the Church, was Melanchthon — and he did
so in the altered Augsburg Confession!                    L. u. W.