# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1882_S70
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 70 —

good in man that moved God to elect man. They now take refuge, of course, in the evasion that, when the Formula of Concord rejects something good in man as a cause of election, it means only what man can do by his natural powers. But this is simply not true. Everyone knows that according to the Formula of Concord, for example in the article on justification, neither good works nor the faith wrought by God move God to the forgiveness of sins, and so equally little to election.

Thereupon Pastor Muus spoke as follows: "Dr. Walther speaks mightily against the procedure of proving the truth from the dogmaticians, and that is indeed very fine. But it is a little unpleasant to hear him speak so in this connection. For it seems that he wants to create the impression that I had said that I wished to prove the truth from the dogmaticians. I hope I said nothing of the kind. I asked only whether it was really meant or to be asserted that the dogmaticians, with their 'intuitu fidei,' also spoke in such a way that it must necessarily be implied that they made the good in man a ground of election in the sense in which Missouri has it.*) Moreover, if the honoured Doctor deals so terribly with me on account of the three centuries, I will say that, to my knowledge, I found it first presented in Missourian publications that the doctrine of the dogmaticians is thus and so, as I have said. Now I have also heard something about a rationalistic age and thought that perhaps an objection might be made against this reckoning. But I thought one was speaking of the orthodox teachers in these last three hundred years of the church. And then I thought the expression would be right, and in this connection I have also used it. At least I know of not one of these great lights who has not, in his presentation of election, a section to which one could give the heading: 'Intuitu fidei.'" —

Here a member of the Conference interjected: Luther too? and Pastor Muus answered: "Luther too, yes!"

"I should like to continue, if it is permitted. Then I would say: If Dr. Walther now goes at it so terribly and rightly against proving the truth from the Fathers and dogmaticians, why does he do it himself? For when he states from what the truth is to be proved, he says: From Scripture, Confession and Catechism. Confession and Catechism are surely also the Fathers."

Here the President called out to Pastor Muus: "That is not understood by 'Fathers'!"

Pastor Muus continued: "No? That may be. But I have it

*) Probably should read: "in the sense in which Missouri rejects it."