# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1872_S52
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 52 —

They are therefore there and valid even without his taking, but he has not yet stretched out his hand and has not yet taken them; indeed, he has struck at God's hand of grace, which stretched out its hand and held them out to him, and has thrown the goods away from himself and trodden them underfoot. Nevertheless God has in true earnest and truly held out and presented the goods to him; how otherwise could he have trodden them underfoot? But what God presents, that He gives for ever. Whoever, for example, is baptized has through this means of grace received for ever forgiveness of sins, redemption from death and the devil, and eternal life. It does indeed happen, alas, that one goes on for many years and lives in sin and shame, and all this time treads God's high goods underfoot; nevertheless they are and remain given to him. Hence he can at any moment return to his Baptism and seize and use all the long-despised and scorned goods, without committing a theft. There is often confused here, even by Lutheran preachers, being permitted to believe and being able to believe. We maintain according to God's Word that there is no man who is not permitted to believe; at the same time we admit that there are only too many who cannot believe. Therefore the Law must be preached in all its sharpness, so that people first learn to recognize and feel their misery of sin, and then the Gospel in all its sweetness, so that God graciously moves them by it so that they also can believe; for the being permitted goes without saying. The enthusiasts, however, say to a man whose heart the Law has struck: You are now indeed alarmed about your sins, and God's grace must help you, but now take care and do not grasp too quickly. First go into your chamber, pray and wrestle with God until you have worked your way through to a feeling of grace; then you may believe that you have it. That is a godless way of dealing with souls. Thus one can bring them to despair, but not to true certainty of their salvation. Therefore one should say to the sinner: Do you confess that you are a sinner, and are you from the heart alarmed that you lie under God's wrath? If it stands so with you, then believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. So the apostle said to the jailer: Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, and your house. And note: he says this to one who had just wanted to murder himself with his own hand, but who was now in anguish over his sins and asked: "What must I do to be saved?" What would a Methodist have answered him? He would probably have said: Well, that does not go so fast. Try it, pray and wrestle; but it may take a long time until grace breaks through in you, and until you notice that dear God has accepted you. But Paul was no Methodist, as we see from his conduct toward the criminal, the jailer. And why could he speak so with him? Because he knew that the Word is the means of grace with which he offers life and salvation at once.