# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Februar 1858_S49
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Menius and Flacius in Their Dispute over Ministry and Priesthood. 49

...are chosen, this happens in order to avoid disorder" — he thereby breaks off abruptly, as though it stood within man's own choice whether to keep such an order or not."

"If we once more sum up the result of Menius's exposition thus far, the following propositions emerge:

1) The priesthood of the believing Christian is carried out through spiritual sacrifices — through prayer, thanksgiving, and every kind of good work — and does not, in and of itself, yet give the power to interpret Scripture or to teach from Scripture.

2) To interpret Scripture is a special gift of the Holy Spirit.

3) No one may exercise this special gift of the Holy Spirit unless he is called to it according to divine order and this office is committed to him.

4) The preaching office is thus not an office which, by public commission, publicly performs the functions of the universal priesthood, which "carries out, on behalf of all of us, the offices common to all Christians"*), but rather rests, on the one hand, upon a special gift of the Holy Spirit, and on the other, upon a divinely instituted legal ordinance, which alone confers the right and the duty to bear public testimony.

Menius first cites, in support of his view, a passage from Luther's commentary on Galatians. The essential propositions are as follows**):

"For in our own time our Lord God calls us to the preaching office through means, namely, through men."

"For although, on account of my doctorate, I might well have the authority to preach throughout the whole Papacy, were I not forcibly prevented, it in no way befits me that I, uncalled, should run out of this parish committed to me into another city as a preacher and there take it upon myself to preach.

"Therefore no one should fall into another's harvest or reaping, as the devil is wont to do through his factions."

"But where a prince or other authority calls or summons me, then I can boast, with a good and certain conscience, that I have indeed been called by God's command through a man's voice and word."

"Another passage of Luther's is taken from his exposition of Psalm 82, verse 4. There it reads:

"Nor does it help them that they claim all Christians are priests. It is true, all Christians are priests, but not all are pastors; for besides being a Christian and a priest, he must also have an office and a parish committed to him. The call and the commission make the pastor and preacher."

This much is clear: with the passages cited, Menius proves nothing further than that Luther declared all self-willed interference and teaching in ordered congregations to be presumption and contrary to the order willed by God

*) Luther's words.
**) See in Walch, VIII, 1572 ff.