# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1876_S13
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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his true blood is administered, yet distributes the same. I give him the bread and I know he regards it only as bread. I give him the cup and he regards it as nothing but wine. How must it stand with such a pastor! Luther says rightly of such people:

"In sum, when I come to this matter, it is dreadful to me to hear that in one and the same church or at one and the same altar both parties should receive one and the same sacrament, and one party should believe that it receives mere bread and wine, the other party, however, believe that it receives the true body and blood of Christ. And I often doubt whether it is to be believed that a preacher or pastor could be so hardened and wicked as to keep silent about this and let both parties go on so, each in his own delusion, that they receive one and the same sacrament, each according to his own faith," etc.

In the present day one says of such a preacher, for the most part: What a dear man he is! He is not so stiff and stubborn as the old Lutherans, but liberal. He gives the Holy Supper to anyone, he will not drive anyone away. But to Luther it was dreadful to hear that there are preachers who can say: Let everyone take the Supper according to his faith. That is a devil in the shape of an angel. Such a godless rascal does it only for the sake of money. A faithful Lutheran preacher, however, would rather die than administer the Holy Supper so. He fears God, lest he punish him for such wickedness. For such a manner of acting is much worse than if one were to throw the host into a puddle. That is not so unclean as the mouth of an unbeliever, indeed, cleanliness by comparison. How deeply our time has sunk! Now it is considered abominable and unchristian if one will not give the body of Christ into the mouth of everyone. What a dreadful blindness! Every little child that knows the Lutheran Catechism must know that this is godless. And yet this is now not only the general practice among the Unionists, but the same is found also, for example, in the General Council. Although the latter has withdrawn from the General Synod, in vain, on account of its false doctrine and practice, it nevertheless tolerates false doctrine and practice.

"But if there be one, he must have a heart that is harder than any stone, steel or diamond; he must certainly be an apostle of wrath."

A fearful word! When a person or a congregation despises God's Word, then God sends such preachers. And precisely they, whom the world holds to be the most friendly, are the greatest enemies of Christians; they are apostles of wrath, whom God has sent in his wrath.

"For Turks and Jews are much better, who deny our sacrament and (this) openly confess; for thereby we remain undeceived by them and fall into no idolatry."

An honest Zwinglian is ten times better than such a name-Lutheran, who pretends that he does not want to rule the consciences of those who do not believe what he believes; such a thing must be tolerated, and above all one may not on that account deny anyone the