# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1890_S15
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1890. 15

"No, Majesty should consider that you are not to act here as king, but as a Christian, and indeed as a highly placed one, whose admonition carries weight." — If he comes as king and wants to give orders: "Depose him for me, sic volo, sic jubeo [thus I will, thus I command]," then one will have to tell him: "No, you have nothing to command here; this does not concern you as king." If he wants to withdraw as a member of the congregation and says: "I'll keep my fingers out of it," then one must tell him: "No, you are a Christian; to you Matt. 18 applies just as to other Christians; to you this also applies: 'Beware of false prophets; take heed of those who cause division and offense,' this applies to you altogether as much as to your valet and woodcutter." Here, then, the Confession has impressed their duty on the distinguished, great, respected "laymen," how they are to and can "help and see to it," quite from the high watchtower.

But a further stumbling block seems to be offered by the following words of the Confession, where it says: "as God especially admonishes the kings and princes to this office." Aha, so it does say "office" [*Amt*]; so it is their office after all.

But that must not confuse us. We know, after all, that the word "Amt" is used of a service, especially for others, of a service that is rendered for the welfare of fellow brethren, fellow Christians. So in Scripture too the same word that stands for office (diaconia) is used for "service," so that it can be translated now with "office," now with "service." And that the Fathers did not intend to stress the word "Amt" here, or to take it in its now usual sense, appears from the fact that in the Latin form, which here in the appendix to the Smalcald Articles has the first right, the first claim to attention, they say not a word of "office," but render it thus: "sicut nominatim reges hortatur" [as he especially exhorts kings]. There is nothing there of "office," of munus or officium, but it says simply and plainly: God exhorts the kings in particular to this. Just as it said earlier "especially." So that the word "Amt" cannot be held against us here as proof that our Fathers on the basis of Scripture assigned this to the kings as their office. This also appears from the citation of Psalm 2: "Be wise now, therefore, O kings, and let yourselves be admonished, you judges of the earth." What does that mean? There the subject is the kingdom of the Messiah, not the realm of earthly kings. God has set his King on his holy hill of Zion — that the kings on earth are to acknowledge, are to let themselves be disciplined by the Holy Spirit. There is nowhere any talk of an instruction how kings as kings should behave toward the church; rather the kings are here urged to take the right position toward the King on the holy hill of Zion. And, like the kings, the rest of men too are to kiss the Son, lest he