# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1857_S315
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 315 —

...at their mother's breasts and nursing there, but rather those who are
like sucklings — that is, who cling to the pure, unmixed word without any
admixture of human dreams and thoughts. For just as a nursing newborn
child is content with its milk and desires and seeks no other food than
its mother's milk, so these desire and seek no other food for their souls
than the pure, unfalsified Gospel ... therefore the word 'infants' shuts
out all human reason in matters of faith; the word 'sucklings' shuts out
every falsification of the word and every false addition of human
thoughts. . . . Now it is indeed a wonderful thing that Christ destroys
the enemy and the avenger through the power ordained out of the mouth of
infants and sucklings. For the enemy, the avenger, is a strong and mighty
spirit, who is a god and a prince in the world, and has a firm, lasting
kingdom, and under him many other spirits, each one of them stronger than
all mankind on earth. Over against him, infants and sucklings are poor,
weak people, and moreover held captive in the enemy's power; for through
Adam's fall and sin all mankind has come under the tyranny of death and
the devil. What, then, can they accomplish, in such weakness and
imprisonment, against the enemy and avenger? Infants and sucklings will
offer little resistance and break little of the power of such mighty,
strong spirits and such great, violent tyrants on earth, who ride at court
in the devil's service and rage against Christ and his church — especially
since they are to draw no sword, but fight only with the mouth. Why does
he not send the heavenly spirits and princes, Gabriel, Michael, and other
angels, who could offer the enemy strong resistance and break his power?

Answer: The Lord our Ruler has not wished to use Gabriel or Michael for
this, but has wished to ordain a power out of the mouth of infants and
sucklings. For because the enemy's malice is great and his wrath is
venomous, this Ruler takes pleasure and delight in mocking and scorning
such a malicious, grim, and proud spirit at the same time. Therefore, when
he sets out to ordain this power, he casts himself down so low, becomes
man, indeed casts himself beneath all mankind, as it is written in Psalm
22:7: "I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the
people." He therefore goes about in poverty, as he himself says in Matt.
8:20: "The foxes," etc. In such bodily weakness and poor form he attacks
the enemy, lets himself be nailed to the cross and put to death, and
through his cross and death he destroys the enemy and the avenger, Col.
2:3. Afterward, when he has risen again from death and ascended into
heaven, and wills to ordain a power through the mouths of men, he sends
his apostles and disciples, simple and artless people. He himself indeed
calls them sheep, Matt. 10:16: "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the
midst of wolves." And the whole Gospel testifies that the Lord's disciples
at all times showed themselves to be nothing but children. When the Lord
spoke of one thing, they understood something else. Therefore they were
in truth sheep. Now this is altogether begun in a silly and foolish way
(as all reason cannot judge otherwise) — that he hangs such artless,
unintelligent people onto such clever, highly intelligent spirits, and
sets the weakest on earth against the mighty lords of the world and the
strongest spirits under heaven. So he begins this power and kingdom in a
manner that could not be undertaken more foolishly before the world, for
all reason must say it is a foolish thing that he wars against the devil
and all the gates of hell with such slight, weak instruments. . . . Is
this not a wonderful thing,