# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1872_S6
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 6 —

1.

When several independent church bodies, my brethren, join together for common work, then, especially if they are located for the most part in one and the same territory, this is not only one of the greatest hindrances to blessed common work but also, given the corruption of the human heart, a great danger: that each of these church bodies will think above all of extending itself, and will therefore measure the blessing of the union above all by whether it, precisely, gains thereby in membership, influence and prestige. We have a frightfully warning example of this in the Roman Church. In the earliest times, with its great gifts willingly serving the church bodies connected with it, its bishops later little by little sought to exploit the connection that had been entered into solely to make themselves great, until at last, revealing itself as the prophesied Antichrist in the temple of God, it transformed the kingdom in which Christ alone is to reign, so far as God has permitted it, into a kingdom of its own power and honor. However far I am from entertaining the gloomy thought of a similar outcome, on a small scale, in regard to our union, yet we too have a heart not yet fully renewed, and so it would surely be foolish were we to conceal from ourselves that the nearest danger threatens us also from self-seeking and partisanship, both outwardly and inwardly.

What then must we do to meet this dangerous enemy? The holy Apostle Paul tells us in our text. For when he gives his Timothy the promise there that he will then "save" himself and those who hear him, if he first "takes heed to himself," he gives us to understand at the same time that nothing so much preserves one from acting selfishly in one's work for God's kingdom as when one makes the salvation of souls above all the ultimate purpose of that work.

This is so clear that it seems unnecessary to try to prove it first. For tell me yourselves, what will happen if we really let the salvation of souls be above all the ultimate purpose of our union for common work?

Then, first, as a whole body we will not set out merely to become an ever larger community, a so-called community "commanding respect," and to erect merely a large, artificially ordered, if hollow, structure; still less will we then use ungodly means to achieve such an end; rather we will gladly be small, indeed be nothing, and as we strive only that it may be said of us, as once of the apostolic Church: "And the Lord added to the congregation daily such as should be saved," we will