# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1904_S11
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1904. 11

to restore, at least to do his own part toward a settlement. If his efforts fail because of resistance on the other side, then he is of course free. But the preacher too has the duty, when such defects are manifest, to require such a step of his confessant [*Beichtkind*], to admonish him to it with all earnestness and fidelity and, if necessary, to support him helpfully in it. He may not let such a matter rest, but must, if his confessant will not let himself be guided by this divine command, impose suspension from the Sacrament until this Christian duty has been satisfied.

To this belongs also what Luther says on 1 Cor. 11:28, where he writes, after speaking of the inward examination, that of the heart: "In the second place the examination consists in this, that you look at your outward conduct, whether you also show love toward your neighbor and serve him. If now you do not find such examination in yourself, but live as before, still stick in unfaithfulness, hatred, avarice, anger, unbelief, O dear friend, then by all means stay away from this Sacrament until you become another man; do not let the crowd, nor the Pope's law, nor custom drive you to it."

The same (in a sermon of the year 1522): "Ah LORD God, if this teaching were well practiced, you would see that where a thousand now go to the Sacrament, scarcely a hundred would go. Thus there would be fewer of the dreadful sins that the Pope with his hellish law has flooded into the world; so we should finally come to a Christian assembly, whereas we are now almost all heathen under a Christian name; then we could separate from us those whom we recognized by their works as not believing nor loving, which is still impossible for us now."

A preacher must not let the right of suspension from the Sacrament be taken from him, if he does not wish to come into the position of having to make himself a partaker of other men's sins, 1 Tim. 5:22, against which the Apostle warns so earnestly. So writes Luther's friend Amsdorf, whom Luther counts among the "highest and most eminent theologians": "If the Consistory wanted to take from the ministers the clavem ligantem [key that binds], the binding key, and not leave it free, or hinder and forbid the secret suspension from the Sacrament, one can and should not consent to it."

Not only must the preacher maintain the right, but he must also make use of it where a refusal to bow to the ὕπαγε, πρῶτον διαλλάγηθι [Go first be reconciled] demands it.

We turn to the apostolic admonition 1 Cor. 11:28: "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of this bread and drink of this cup."

Luther says on this: "Let a man examine himself, that is, let each one see to it how he believes in this Supper, what and to what end he receives it. The examination, however, rests on your whole life, namely that you