# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1846 11 17_S34
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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Alongside this, however, the people are taught that such outward worship does not make one righteous before God, and that it should be observed without burdening the conscience — so that if it is omitted without giving offense, no sin is committed thereby. This freedom in outward ceremonies was also maintained by the ancient fathers, for in the Orient (in the Eastern Church) Easter was kept at a different time than at Rome. And when some wished to regard this difference as a division in the Church, they were admonished by others that it is not necessary to maintain uniformity in such customs. And Irenaeus says thus: Difference in fasting does not break the unity of the faith. As is also written in Distinction 12 concerning such differences in human ordinances, that they are not contrary to the unity of Christendom. And the Tripartite History, book 9, gathers together many differing church customs and sets down a useful Christian saying: It was not the Apostle's intention to institute holy days, but to teach faith and love."

Further, Article 28 states: "Those who set up human ordinances also act thereby against God's commandment, in that they make sin a matter of food, of days, and the like, and thus burden Christendom with the bondage of the Law ... so that it is held to be a mortal sin if one does manual labor on holy days, even without giving offense to others." — Further below, in the same article, it states: "What, then, is to be held concerning Sunday and other such church ordinances and ceremonies? To this our side gives this answer: that the bishops and pastors may make ordinances so that things proceed in an orderly manner in the church — not in order to obtain God's grace thereby, nor to make satisfaction for sin thereby, nor to bind consciences by holding such things to be a necessary form of worship, and to consider it a sin if one breaks them without giving offense. Thus St. Paul ordained to the Corinthians that the women should cover their heads in the assembly, etc. Such an ordinance is fitting for the Christian assembly to observe for the sake of love and peace, and to be obedient to the bishops and pastors in these matters,"*) and to keep these so far that one does not offend another, so that there be no disorder or unruly conduct in the church."

*) On this passage, see the remarks given further below.

The Apology speaks of this: "As to this same unity (of the Church), we say now that it is not necessary that human ordinances, whether universal or particular (that is, introduced only in individual provinces), be alike everywhere. For the righteousness that avails before God, which comes through faith, is not bound to outward ceremonies or human ordinances. For faith is a light in the heart that renews the heart and makes it alive;

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outward ordinances or ceremonies, whether universal or particular, avail little toward this." (Art. 7.)

Further, Article 15 of the Apology states: "Therefore it is the Apostle's opinion that this liberty should remain in the Church, so that no ceremonies — neither the Law of Moses nor other ordinances — should be regarded as necessary forms of worship."

Finally, the Formula of Concord expresses itself on this subject thus: "We believe, teach, and confess unanimously that the ceremonies and church customs which are neither commanded nor forbidden in God's Word, but are instituted solely for the sake of good order and decorum, are in and of themselves no worship of God, nor any part thereof — Matthew 15: They worship me in vain with the commandments of men. We believe, teach, and confess that the congregation of God, in every place and at every time, according to its own circumstances, has the authority to change such ceremonies as may be most useful and edifying for the congregation of God." (Epitome, Art. 10.)

So speaks the Lutheran Church concerning ceremonies. Whoever now compares this with how the Roman Church teaches concerning the same will agree with us in the assertion that the standing which ceremonies have in the Lutheran Church — far from leading to Rome — has rather drawn an insurmountable wall and an eternally dividing partition between the Lutheran and Roman churches. For in the Lutheran Church all human arrangements in the church, or ceremonies, are pieces of Christian liberty, which may be retained, altered, or abolished according to good judgment by any congregation, in any place, at any time; but in the Roman Church the consciences of Christians are bound to them as to things commanded by God himself, which therefore cannot, without sin, be either omitted or changed.

Here some may perhaps say: But do not you Old Lutherans act quite openly against these principles of the old Lutheran Church, since you place such great weight on certain ceremonies, in part decisively rejecting some, in part decisively insisting on others, so that you yourselves cause divisions for the sake of certain ceremonies? We will answer this question in the next number.

(To be continued.)

Some Remarks on the Authority to Establish Ceremonies in a Congregation.

In the above article, "Does Old..." etc., we cited the following words from the Augsburg Confession: "Such an ordinance is fitting for the Christian assembly to observe for the sake of love and peace, and to be obedient to the bishops and pastors in these matters," etc. These words have often been so misunderstood, even by upright men, that on the basis of them they have imagined that Lutheran preachers have full authority in their congregation as regards the establishment of ceremonies and the like. But the "obedience" touched on in that passage of the Augsburg Confession is by no means to be understood as though the preacher had the power to order the ceremonies, and the people merely the duty to observe and obey them; this would conflict with the Apostle's statement: "Not as being lords over the people." 1 Peter 5:3. In the church no one is to rule, neither the preacher nor the people; "One is your Master, Christ; but you are all brethren." Matthew 23:8. If the pastor preaches Christ's Word, then indeed the people must unconditionally obey him in this, for then Christ's statement holds: "He who hears you hears me, and he who despises you despises me." Luke 10:16. But when it concerns matters that Christ has neither commanded nor forbidden — ceremonies and other indifferent human ordinances in the church — then no one has the right to command, but rather the preacher instructs the people about them and, in fellowship with them, establishes the most wholesome ordinances, which all then observe for the sake of love and peace. To the above passage of the Augsburg Confession, therefore, the elder J. B. Carpzov adds, by way of explanation, in his "Introduction to the Symbolical Books": "All this, however, does not exclude the consent (agreement) of the congregation, but rather includes it, so that the bishops always have the assent of the congregation in this, and no such ordinances are made against its will."

We find the same interpretation also in Luther's writings. He writes concerning 1 Peter 5:3: "Here St. Peter has, with a single word, overthrown and condemned the whole dominion that the pope now exercises, and concludes plainly that they have no power to command a word, but that they are to be servants only, and to say: thus says your Lord Christ, therefore you shall do this." (Luther's Works, Halle edition, IX, 821.) Further, Luther writes in his treatise "On Secular Authority," etc.: "Among Christians there is no superior except Christ himself alone. ... What then are the priests and bishops? Answer: their government is not a lordship or power, but a service and an office; for they are not higher or better than other Christians. Therefore they also are not to impose any law or commandment upon others without the latter's consent and leave; rather, their governing is nothing other than driving God's Word, whereby they lead Christians and overcome heresy." (Ibid., X, 465.) Finally, Luther writes, under date of July 21, 1530, to Melanchthon at Augsburg — from where the latter had asked Luther's counsel as to how much he might concede to the papists regarding episcopal authority in matters of ceremonies — the following: "A bishop, as

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