# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1916_S33
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1916. 33

moved him to preserve his Word for us down to this day. When we rightly consider this, the greatness of the treasure which God has given us, in which we still rejoice today, and on the other hand the greatness of our sin and indifference toward this treasure; when we consider that God has nevertheless in grace preserved this treasure for us, while he withdrew it from many other peoples and countries because of their ingratitude: then we must truly confess that we owe the Lord thanks, that we cannot thank him enough for his goodness and for his wonders which he shows us before so many other men. And how does God want us to thank him? Precisely by our receiving his goods and keeping them, by our not letting them be robbed from us again by the devil and the world and our own flesh, by our not throwing them away. That is the thanks which God above all things wants from us, that we hold fast what we have, what he has given us in grace and preserved to us until now. To the congregation at Philadelphia in particular, that congregation to which God could give the glorious testimony: "I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it; for thou hast a little strength, and hast not denied my name," to this congregation he cries: "Hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown!" If we want to keep the pure Gospel, it therefore is necessary that above all we also fight against the papacy, which would rob us of it again; there is need of tireless watchfulness against this power by which the devil wants to take our crown from us. We are obliged to God for thanks before all other men; so our gratitude shall also drive us to stand in the front ranks in this struggle.

Let us consider further that God has also by his goods laid a great responsibility upon us. God has given our Church before all others his Gospel pure and clear and has preserved it until now. He has made our Church rich in all doctrine and knowledge. But our Savior says: "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." (Luke 12:48.) The Lord has entrusted much to our Church, has given it much, the great treasure of the Gospel. And so he will also require much of it, that it also fight for it, take care that this good, the pure Word of God, be also kept and preserved. The more richly God has blessed our Church with the pure Word, the more goods he has entrusted to it thereby, so much the greater responsibility has he laid upon it thereby, so much the more has he called it to be faithful in the struggle which is appointed us, to be faithful just also in the struggle against the Roman papacy, this greatest earthly enemy of the Gospel.

God has given us his pure Word, this most precious good of the Reformation, and thereby he has especially called us to the struggle for these goods. And indeed quite especially also for this