# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_December 1858_S363
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Confuse Not the Consciences. 363

(the office of the Word) the capacity for the divine work rests not in a special consecration, but precisely in the general priestly character, so also the power of the Word and of the office rests solely in the Word, and thereby, in this respect too, every appearance of a ceremonial-legal character of the office is cast off." (P. 59.) From this it is evident that Kraußold, although in some respects proceeding from the same principles, has nevertheless not let himself be carried away to the consequences which, for example, Pastor Grabau draws, who writes: "Hence the Church has also believed, from the earliest times, that for the right administration of the Holy Sacraments, for the giving of absolution, not only the Word of institution as such is required, but also the true divine call and command; and granted even that the person holding the office were wicked, the words of institution are nevertheless efficacious on account of the office, to which the Lord still holds himself bound; for in the office lies the testimony of Christ, that he wills to realize and dispense on earth, again and again, through the Word used therein, his institution once made (absolution and the sacraments). Not that Christ needs the office in order first to lend power to his words of institution, but because Christ, for our greater assurance, wills in grace to make use of the office instituted by him, in order to deal with man on earth by the power of his Word... The function of the church servants consists in consecrating, in distributing the Holy Supper. The saying: 1 Cor. 10:16. The blessed cup which we bless, etc. We are therefore convinced that a man arbitrarily set up by the congregation can neither give absolution, nor distribute the body and blood of Christ, but gives nothing but mere bread and wine." (The Pastoral Letter. New York, at Ludwig's, 1849, p. 15.)

(Submitted by Conrector Schick.)

"Confuse Not the Consciences."

In an essay under this heading, the Rev. Pastor Wucherer, in the "Freimund," No. 27, of July 8, 1858, advances, on the basis of Rom. 14:1, "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, and confuse not the conscience," the claim that just as the apostle at that time exhorted believers to bear with those Christians who were still caught in the opinion that the Jewish ceremonial law must be kept wholly or in part by Jewish Christians, so also now the members of the Lutheran Church who believed and taught differently concerning the Church, the ministry, and chiliasm ought to bear with one another, and not confuse the conscience by decisively rejecting the opposing doctrine.*)

*) It seems sufficient to us to have given here briefly the content of Pastor Wucherer's essay. Whoever wishes to read it in full will also find it reprinted in Pastor Brobst's periodical.