# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1894_S14
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

14 Proceedings of the fifteenth convention

than the "Theologia deutsch" [German Theology] and Tauler; and therefore he set about translating the Bible and began with the penitential psalms. Spener, on the other hand, had such a series of sound Lutheran devotional literature before him that it ill became him to lay the sound Lutheran devotional writings aside and to recommend the mystics.

2. Proof that Enthusiasm Existed in All Times of the Church.

It was said earlier that the word "Schwarmgeisterei" [enthusiasm] is a church word, not an expression of Scripture. That makes no difference. What we designate by it, Scripture gives. We find the matter, and the essence of the matter, in Scripture. Yes, that is certainly true: without Scripture and without its light on the matter Christendom would at no time have discovered this basic corruption of enthusiasm and recognized it in its basic nature.

The Apostle Peter has in his second Epistle 2:1 the words: "But there were false prophets also among the people." The Apostle is here looking back to the time of the Old Testament. He says "false prophets also." Evidently the "also" refers back to chapter 1:19–21. There Peter speaks of the more sure prophetic word, which God has given through the true prophets. These are at the same time characterized with those words which belong to the most important testimonies for the divine inspiration of Holy Scripture. We mean the words: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy in Scripture comes from one's own interpretation; for no prophecy has yet ever been brought forth by human will; but holy men of God have spoken, moved by the Holy Spirit." The Apostle attaches these words to the exhortation: "You do well to pay heed to the prophetic word, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts." He continues: Do so, in that you recognize this, hold fast to this in knowledge, that the prophecy of Scripture is not of one's own interpretation. That is: if you want the morning star to rise in your hearts through the prophetic word, then you must not want to interpret it. You are, after all, in the "dark" and can only make it darker. The Word must interpret itself to you; it is its own interpreter, it is not your interpretation. Admirably Luther writes: "From this it follows that those act foolishly, indeed against God's order and institution, who despise and reject the external Word, and think the Holy Spirit and faith should come to them without means; that will not happen for a long time. If it happens to some, it is something special; in the common run it is so that God will not give his Holy Spirit without the external Word. Hence St. Paul also calls the Gospel a power of God (Rom. 1:16.