# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1884_S10
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

10 Proceedings of the tenth convention

were. 'Prophecy,' says the blessed Hunnius, 'means here the exposition of Scripture. For he does not want this to be despised, or one brought forward by another to be rejected out of prejudice without further ado, but he exhorts that one weigh it well and, if it is in accordance with the faith, approve it.'" (Bibl. illustr. ad l. c.) How important it is that Calov here says: "By the same Spirit!" A right exposition of Scripture is just nothing other than Scripture itself. By these words all unbelieving and falsely believing exegetes are therefore also condemned. Heretical exegetes do not have the Holy Spirit. Therefore they also cannot be right expositors, however acute they may be and however great philologists. They can, to be sure, supply contributions to a right exposition, for the Holy Spirit indeed does not teach us to look for the roots of words, nor declining and conjugating, nor construing and syllogizing. Those are matters of human study. But true exposition of Scripture, which unlocks the sense of the Holy Spirit, is solely the supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit, which therefore also wants not to be despised, but to be received and used with thanks.

On Romans 12 John Gerhard writes: "Every exposition of Scripture must be in accordance with the faith. This rule is laid down in Rom. 12:7 in the words: 'if anyone has prophecy, let it be in accordance with the faith,' the sense of which is that the exposition of Scripture must be so conducted and arranged that it agrees with the constant opinion which is set forth in Scripture concerning each individual chief article (de unoquoque capite) of the heavenly doctrine; . . and though we may not always attain the actual sense intended by the Holy Spirit in every passage, we should nevertheless take care that we bring forward nothing against the analogy of faith." (Exeges. locor. § 531.) A precious explanation! For according to this it is not enough, in the exposition of a passage, merely that it not be contrary to certain passages of Holy Scripture that treat of other doctrines, but it must also, and above all, not contradict the passages in which the same article of faith is treated.

This is important also in the present controversy over *Gnadenwahl* [election of grace / predestination]. Our opponents, who hold to the Intuitu fidei (in view of faith), keep crying: Does it not stand in Scripture: we are saved through faith? That we do not deny at all. But they are to show that their Intuitu fidei stands in the passages that treat of election. They always bring in other doctrines that do not treat of election of grace at all. We must call out to them: Show us a passage of Holy Scripture that says: Election is founded on faith; if you cannot, then all your proving is nothing but wretched chatter. Truly, a Luther is lacking here. He would still quite