# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1846 11 17_S33
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

[Translation begins mid-sentence, continuing an article from the previous page of this issue, not included in this excerpt.]

...of the Hirtenstimme! If you want to learn to know the tree by its fruits, then take, I beg you, Dr. Luther's Small Catechism in hand (which Mr. Weyl seems to have at least forgotten), and there you will be instructed quite differently in the Fourth Chief Part concerning the nature of Holy Baptism: namely, that it is — not merely signifies — "a washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, Titus 3," and to the question "What does Baptism give or profit?" you will find the answer: "It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe, as the words and promise of God declare." You will further see from the answer to the question "What does such baptizing with water signify, then?" that "the old Adam in us should be drowned by daily contrition and repentance," etc., and thus does not entirely disappear even through Holy Baptism (much less through Confirmation), but rather loses its dominion over the believing baptized person. But whoever, like Mr. Weyl, contrary to "daily experience," does not feel the old man, let him at least believe Scripture, what it says of this in Romans 7 and Galatians 5. Should even some learned Lutheran, after the new fashion, still object that in this question there is also talk of a "signifying," then answer him that this signifying refers not to the whole act of Baptism, but only to a part of it — to the immersing or pouring with water. If he raises further objections, refer him to Dr. Luther's Large Catechism.

May God root out all doctrine
that teaches us false pretense;
whereupon their tongue, proud and open,
declares: Defiance — who will hinder us?
We alone have the right and the power:
what we decree shall count for all;
who is there to master us?

Yet to refute such groundless writings by means of God's Word and Luther's teaching — even an unlearned layman is capable of that.

Does Old Lutheranism Lead to Rome?

(Continued.)

We noted in the previous number — and every impartial reader will agree with us on this — that the old Lutheran Church does indeed have certain ceremonies in common with the Roman Church, but that a certain agreement between these churches in some external customs can exist without there necessarily being any inward kinship between them.

The question therefore arises: in what case would one rightly conclude, from the old Lutheran Church's use of certain ceremonies, that old Lutheranism leads to Rome? We answer: 1. if the Lutheran Church, together with the ecclesiastical ceremonies, had also adopted the false doctrine that the Roman Church holds concerning them, and 2.

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if the Lutheran Church had also retained those customs of the Roman Church that conflict with God's Word — and, among these, precisely those that contain something peculiar to the Roman Church, belong to the very essence of the papacy, and were introduced to favor and support it. If, upon careful investigation and comparison, it were shown that the Lutheran Church teaches something quite different from the Roman Church regarding its ceremonies — the former rightly, the latter falsely; if it were shown that the Lutheran Church had retained, in accordance with 1 Thessalonians 5:21, only the good and wholesome customs of the Roman Church, customs that have no connection whatsoever with the papacy and that were perhaps already in use before the rise of the papacy, in the best age of the Church — then the charge that old Lutheranism leads to Rome through its ceremonies would likewise prove plainly false, and it would show only that the Lutheran Church, at the time of the Reformation, did not act with rash zeal, or, as we Germans say, did not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Everything depends on the test, and this test we will now make.

How does the Roman, so-called Catholic Church teach concerning its human institutions, ceremonies, or ecclesiastical customs? We find this clearly and plainly stated in its public, generally recognized symbols or confessional writings. Among other things, the decrees of the Council held at Trent state: "Whoever says that the received and approved rites of the Catholic Church, customarily observed in the celebration of the sacraments, may either be despised, or omitted without sin by the ministers of the church at their pleasure, or that they may be changed by any pastor whatsoever to other new ones: let him be accursed." (Council of Trent, Session 7, Canon 13.) At another place in the same confession it says: "The holy Synod decrees that the bishops ... shall, by written ordinance and with prescribed penalties, prevent the priests from celebrating Mass at any hours other than the proper (debitis) ones, or from employing at the celebration of the Mass any other rites or other ceremonies and prayers than those which have been examined by the Church and received through frequent and commendable use." (Session XXII, Decree on the Things to Be Observed and Avoided, etc.) It further states: "Likewise, she (the Church) has taken into use ceremonies, such as mysterious blessings, lights, incense, vestments, and many other such things, according to apostolic order and tradition." (Session XXII, On the Sacrifice of the Mass, chap. 5.) Finally it states: "Although Christ the Lord instituted this most venerable sacrament under the form of bread and wine and delivered it to the apostles, ... yet she (the Church) has approved and decreed this custom of communicating under one kind (that is, of giving the laity only the bread in the Holy Supper), that it be held as a law which it is not permitted to reject or to change at pleasure without the authority of the Church itself." (Session XXI, Doctrine on Communion, chap. 1, 2.)

From these decrees it is clearly to be seen that in the Roman Church consciences are bound to the ceremonies, that the omission or alteration of even the smallest parts of them is made a sin and subjected to penalties, and that the human ecclesiastical ordinances concerning ceremonies are in many respects made equal to the divine commandments — indeed, set above them. Hence everyone who goes over to the papacy must even swear to the whole mass of Roman ceremonies. For thus it stands in the Professio Fidei, or the Roman Catholic oath of religion: "I also most firmly accept the apostolic and ecclesiastical traditions and the other customs and ordinances of the same Church. I likewise accept and admit the received and approved rites of the Catholic Church in the solemn administration of all (seven) sacraments."

Does the Lutheran Church, then, agree with the Roman Church in this doctrine of ceremonies? Far from it! Rather, our Church distinguishes between human and divine commandments in the strictest manner, guards the treasure of Christian liberty with a faithfulness sought in vain among other churches, and declares the Roman Church's very doctrine of ceremonies to be one of the most abominable of its abominations.

Among other things, Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession states: "For this is enough for the true unity of the Christian churches, that the Gospel be preached therein harmoniously according to a pure understanding, and the sacraments be administered in conformity with the divine Word. And it is not necessary for the true unity of the Christian churches that ceremonies instituted by men be observed uniformly everywhere, as Paul says in Ephesians 4: One body, one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism."

Further, Article 15 of the same Confession states: "Of church rites made by men, it is taught that those are to be kept which may be observed without sin, and which serve for peace and good order in the church, such as certain holy days, festivals, and the like. But instruction is given along with this, that consciences are not to be burdened with such things, as though they were necessary to salvation."

Further, Article 26 states: "Also, on this part, many ceremonies and traditions are kept, such as the order of the Mass,*) and other chants, festivals, etc., which serve so that order may be maintained in the church.

*) "Mass" here, as in many writings from the time of the Reformation, means as much as: Holy Communion.

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