# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1877_S26
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 26 —

the disgrace of evangelical truth. But if the councilmen themselves command it to your pupils and you could not prevent it, you must nevertheless testify to your dissent prudently and in a fitting manner. Now the matter seems to be settled more easily by taking a middle course: let Lobwasser be sung more seldom, so that it is gradually unlearned. Without doubt that custom was introduced at the instigation of the Calvinists. God will demand a heavy reckoning from those dumb dogs who did not in time do their duty in the office entrusted to them, through whose guilt and negligence it has happened that not a crack but, as one sees, a wide-open gate has been opened to the errors of the Reformed." (Ibid., pp. 83 and 85.)

How can we answer before God for using hymnals that hold false doctrine in our congregations! Is it not mocking God to sing to him something that is against his Word? Truly, one would think God must strike with lightning; and he would do so, if his forbearance were not so great.

A hymnal is in a certain sense of the word also a confessional writing. If a congregation sings a heterodox hymn, it confesses falsely, even if it binds itself in its constitution to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession.

The question now arose how to help here. Congregations that have false books must of course first be instructed. That is done best by comparing the genuine, orthodox hymns with the heterodox, falsified ones and laying both before the congregation.

But the beginning of improvement must be made by no one's accepting any more a congregation which, if it has a bad hymnal, does not promise that it will abolish it in time. The visitors must see to this, and those also who have to ordain or install pastors should refuse if the congregations do not promise to abolish their bad hymnals. Likewise the incoming pastor must state his position quite clearly in this respect: "This is where I stand on your agenda, your hymnal and your catechism. If you will not abolish it, I cannot be your pastor." One should not think that, if we speak thus, the congregations will not take us. If it is God's will, the call will come about anyway. If, on the other hand, one keeps silent for a few years and afterwards wants to begin to get rid of the bad hymnal, the congregations say: If he has put up with it so long, he can put up with it further.

Here too a distinction is to be made between the Pennsylvania hymnal and the Common hymnal [*Gemeinſchaftliches Geſangbuch*]. The former may well be used for a time under protest if the congregation promises to abolish it. The Common one may not be used at all.