# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1872_S71
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

[p. 71]

—and the first become last. If, to be sure, we are reproached for boasting about ourselves because we confess that we have the pure doctrine, that is a misunderstanding, for we must make this confession to the honor of God. When a description of the jubilee celebration, along with what was meant to be a summary of the morning jubilee sermon, was given in a local English-language newspaper, it stated that the speaker had shown from what small beginnings the Synod had grown to its present size; that this had, to be sure, also cost much effort and labor on our part, though of course this too would have been in vain had God not also helped. God preserve us from such a sermon ever being given among us. A curse would rest upon us if we ascribed the success to ourselves and merely let God contribute something to it. As displeasing to God as such self-satisfied boasting would be, just so pleasing to him is it to praise him. God's Word itself says: "Happy is that people... that can shout for joy." And: "they shall walk in the light of thy countenance... and in thy favor they shall be exalted," and rejoice as in the day. Here, then, the possession of the light is given as a reason for which we should be joyful and shout for joy. But the chief passage for this remains the one where God himself says: "Let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me." So then let us boast that we have the pure doctrine, that is, that we know God and his Word. But if we boast of anything else, we are cursed people and ridiculous fools. Everything else that we have, other communities have too, and some of them to a far higher degree. The Baptists [*Wiedertäufer*, lit. Anabaptists] and Methodists in this country are far ahead of us in number of members, in value of property, and so forth. It would therefore be ridiculous for us to want to boast of anything other than the Word; but it would also be dreadful if we did not want to boast of that. It is to be hoped that in the near future the danger is not so great that we would make ourselves ridiculous with vain boasting, for God loves us so extraordinarily that he covers us with disgrace and visits us with it so diligently that our boasting is likely to leave us. But of course pride still remains lodged under the skin all the same. Against this, then, an earnest struggle must continue without end.

We must, furthermore, guard against complacency [*Sattheit*, lit. being sated/full]. Just as with the danger of self-satisfied boasting, both preachers and hearers are exposed to this one as well. The longer one has had the Gospel, the more complacency creeps in. From complacency arises every other calamity, and finally complete denial of the faith. Another great danger arising from complacency is this: that one still outwardly hears the Word and walks according to its statutes, while being inwardly hollow and spiritually dead. This is a dreadful danger — that under an outward appearance of godliness, life nevertheless dies away within. God preserve us from this. I still remember the time when one was beside oneself with joy if, say, on one's travels, one happened into a church and heard there nothing but believing, familiar notes once again. I recall—