# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1896_S34
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

34 Proceedings of the sixteenth convention

and His angels.' For many there are who know it well in secret but will not confess it. Many have it who yet do not believe it or act on it. . . . Where you now hear or see such a word preached, believed, confessed and acted upon, have no doubt that surely there must be a right Ecclesia sancta catholica." (V. Conc. u. Kchen. [Von den Conciliis und Kirchen, Luther's "On the Councils and the Church"].) And further: "Whoever holds his doctrine, faith and confession to be true, right and certain cannot stand in one stall with others who teach false doctrine or are devoted to it. . . . He lies either secretly under one blanket with the enemies, or is a doubter and weathervane and wants to see where it will come out, whether Christ or the devil will prevail; or he is altogether uncertain in himself and not worthy to be called a pupil, let alone a teacher." (Luther, W. [Walch] XVII, 1477.) Such a person is therefore not to come and say: With me the Gospel is taught according to the pure understanding! He is not to be called a teacher at all, says Luther.

It is said further: But you must not lose sight of love; love should move you to cherish brotherly sentiment even where it is not right with practice; if the chief matter, the pure doctrine, is there, then love is to cover the multitude of sins. We answer: Well, love is to cover the multitude of sins, but it is not to increase sin, and especially one may not sin out of love. Even to the weak one may not yield so far that one makes oneself guilty of a sin in doing so, for example the sin of denial. We must not at last make for ourselves out of love a pillow of sloth because we fear and shun conflict and strife, but we must let love work as one lets it work with a sick man. One does not lie to him about his condition; that would not be right love. One does not deceive him by treating him as if he lacked nothing or not much, and as if it were not very dangerous what he is sick with; but one helps him by taking him into treatment. One tells him that he is sick, and refers him to the physician who wants and is able to heal him too. One gives him medicine, which is perhaps bitter to him for the time, but of which we know that he must have it if he is to recover. That is right love, applied to a sick man; if he is well, then we would be fools if we still came to him with pills. So here too there is no danger if we show the right love and take the sick man into treatment with God's Word; then at least here and there the effect will show itself. The testimony against the General Synod and the General Council has not been unfruitful. There congregations can be cited in which this testimony has proved itself as a testimony of truth with divine power. And in our own midst we apply the same means which God has given for this purpose, and let love work and are ready and prompt at hand to