# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1876_S33
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 33 —

remains in it. It is with such a preacher as with a quack, who has learned nothing, yet has himself a sign made on which he advertises himself as a doctor. If things were right in the state, such people would be hanged on the gallows, for they are murderers, who deliver the patients to the churchyard. If we are horrified at these, how much more should one be horrified at such unconscionable people who pass themselves off as spiritual physicians and know just as little what spiritual sickness is as spiritual health, and who do not know the spiritual means either to heal the sick and wounded consciences! These are far worse murderers than the former, for those only bring people out of bodily life, these however out of spiritual and eternal life. They are murderers of souls.

If there are well-informed people in a congregation that has such a pastor, they should confront him and tell him openly that he is unfit to administer the office and therefore has to lay it down. They should not let themselves be deterred by the fact that others say: Oh! he is always starting a scandal with the pastor, — but they should bear such reproach calmly and say: We do this for your sake, for we could well bear it, but as long as we have a tongue we shall protest against such a man being left in the office.

Paul Tarnov writes about this: "The causes of dismissal can be traced to two sources; the one is the lack of ability to serve the Church with profit, the other of the will, or an intolerable neglect of the works of the office. Under the lack of ability we understand partly falsifications of the sound doctrine, especially in fundamental articles, or errors conflicting with the ground of faith; partly the deprivation of the tools to teach the same profitably and with fruit to the hearers, such as the use of the powers of the soul hindered by sickness or an accident, as of the genius [natural ability], the judgment, the memory, or of the body, as of the tongue and other members needed for the administration of the office. Under the will we understand both an excessive negligence in the performance of the parts of the office entrusted, and also shamefulness of life and conduct, whether the same be offensive only in the Church or also condemnable civilly." (Thesaurus consil. by Dedekennus. II, 917.)

Dr. Casper Erasmus Brochmand answers this question: May those who, upon an examination held, are found not properly prepared for the administration of the holy preaching office nevertheless be admitted to this office, on the condition namely that they solemnly promise to go on studying diligently? "By no means. For first, Paul does not allow that anyone be consecrated to the holy preaching office unless he be both apt to teach and able to convince the gainsayers,