# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1853_S255
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 255 —

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The Synod of the Lutheran Church Emigrated from Prussia, to the
Venerable Lutheran Synod of Missouri, etc.

"Declare what is right freely, when one is to help people! For through
confession the truth and what is right become manifest." Sir. 4:27, 29.

We received the answering letter of the Venerable Synod of Missouri of
June 3 of this year the day before yesterday, June 4, and had it read
aloud distinctly twice to our assembled synod — on that same day and
again today, June 6 — whereupon it was weighed in all its parts, and the
following answer to it was unanimously resolved.

1. The Venerable Synod of Missouri proceeds from the view that it has
been right, from the beginning and up to now, to accept our
excommunicated church members as accusers against us, as witnesses of
the truth against us, and as judges over us, and accordingly to set
itself up, together with our excommunicated church members, as a
judgment seat over us, declaring us popish, tyrannical, etc.

We, on the other hand, must demand the abolition of any such judgment
seat.

The Venerable Synod of Missouri does indeed seek to defend and excuse
itself, claiming: "that it could only be convinced of having wronged us
if it were shown that the Synod of Buffalo does not hold the errors in
doctrine, and does not follow the conscience-burdening practice, on
account of which it had received our excommunicated members."

This argument might still be worth hearing if the Synod of Missouri had
asked our churches, before receiving such people, for what cause such
persons had been excluded. But this did not happen! What could be more
absurd than such an excuse and defense — that one wishes to recognize
the wrong committed by receiving excommunicated people only once the
Synod of Missouri has first been shown by us that we do not hold the
errors in doctrine, etc.! Exactly as if a thief wished to recognize the
theft as a sin only once it had first been shown to him that the
householder he had robbed knew our Lord Jesus Christ and was obedient to
him! For it is only through the Law that knowledge of sin and of wrong
comes, not through the righteousness in doctrine and life of the
offended persons. We, the offended persons — or rather churches —
ought not to have been offended against by you at all; rather, you ought
to have properly inquired with us before giving offense, in order to
avoid sin.

If you now continue the sin you ought to have avoided, by receiving
members excommunicated by our churches, you heap one bloodguilt upon
another with the empty excuse that we should first prove to you that we
are upright people in doctrine and life. Why, then, did our accepted
slanderers and persecutors need no such proof from you that they were
upright people in doctrine and life?

Accordingly, this empty excuse of the Venerable Missouri Synod is merely
a de facto admission of the wrong it has committed, which by...