# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1884_S16
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

16   Proceedings of the 19th General [Synod], or

it had succeeded in beguiling our people in great numbers and finally
leading them over into their camp with drums beating?

And yet, of all that, exactly the opposite happened. After the first
shock had passed and it now came to light where this attack actually
came from and where it was aimed, our congregations turned their backs
on their supposed rescuers and liberators so overwhelmingly that these
themselves stood dismayed and still, to this day, do not know how to
make sense of it. Congregations which beforehand had given only little
particular attention to the doctrine in question now stand firm,
astonishingly, against every advance of our adversaries.

Now, whose work was all this? Should it have been our own doing?
No, no! This was done by the LORD, and is a wonder before our eyes.
No one could have done that, and no one did do it, except him who does
great things for us and in all places.

But why, then, has he done these great things for us in particular?
Truly, if it were not for the sake of his beloved Son, if it were not out of
free grace; if it did not happen so that he might catch the wise in their
own cleverness, and because he has, after all, once again chosen what is
weak before the world so as to put to shame what is strong — so that no
flesh might boast before him; if it did not happen for this reason: then we
do not know it. Nor do we know how it happened. Except — that it must
surely have happened through his Word and his Spirit. By this he must
have come into our hearts; he must have made the text more powerful
than all the glosses of that falsely famous art; he must have broken and
hindered all evil counsel and will, and strengthened us and kept us firm
in his Word and faith. It cannot have happened otherwise. For that,
after all, is his good and gracious will.

Is it, then, truly the LORD himself, and the LORD alone, who has done
such great things for us, and out of grace — well then! let us for that,
with all our hearts, also be glad.

Glad, not gloating. Let us not rejoice at the fall of our enemies. That
would displease him who can and will raise up the fallen again. Glad, not
boastful, as though we regarded as plunder what has been given us out of
grace. In that case we would, in effect, be taking back from God the honor
we had only pretended to give him. That would be a sign that we
ourselves already stand on the brink of a fall. — No: if we sincerely
believe that it is the LORD who has done great things for us, then our joy
must be of an entirely different kind; it must be joy in the LORD. Whoever
rejoices must rejoice in the LORD and be glad in the power of his might;
whoever boasts must boast only of the LORD. So let this, then, be the joy
of us all.

But in such joy we ought rightly to forget what lies behind us — all the
wrong that was done to us, all the anguish and distress that

[On the right margin, faint text from the facing page shows through; not transcribed — see the finds file.]