# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1905_S17
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

11th Delegate Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States, 1905. 17

[a great unity, and] delight [in it]. We, who are ourselves members of the Synod, know the ground and cause of this unity. Our hearts and consciences are held captive and bound together by God's Word. To discredit us, it is said that our unity rests on slavish submission to men — that the authority of Luther, or of the old teachers, or of Walther, or of others holds us together.

Thus I have shown, through a series of examples, how one must resort to untruths in order to gain any semblance of right against us. With truth, nothing can be accomplished against us. That, by God's undeserved grace, is our churchly position. We are poor sinners. We are not one hair better than other people. We are full of weakness and infirmity. Everyone perceives this in himself and in dealing with the brethren. But our doctrinal position is, by God's grace, the correct one. As surely as Holy Scripture is God's Word — and it is God's Word — just as surely is our doctrinal position correct. Divine truth is on our side, and those who fight us over our doctrinal position fight against divine truth. Therefore, in the struggle in which we must stand, we have the good conscience that is needed, and we poor sinners can and should take to ourselves, for comfort, the word of Christ: "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you," Matthew 5:11–12. May God preserve us, for Christ's sake, in the word of truth! Amen.

*Präsidialbericht* [President's Report].

In what follows I render to the Reverend Synod the report I owe it.

The District Synods.

To the fourteen synodical districts, the Brazilian District has been added in the last triennium as the fifteenth. This district was organized in June 1904, in accordance with the resolutions passed by the last Delegate Synod. At the end of last year it numbered 16 pastors, 21 congregations, 9 preaching stations, and 1,760 communicant members. All the districts have held their regular meetings and, at these, not only conducted their ongoing business but also always [treated] portions of the Christian

[Signature at the foot of the page: "2" — a printer’s sheet signature, not a folio.]