# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_August 1860_S232
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

232 Instruction Against Doubt of the Divine Word and Its Truth.

...along with it, how this his own contrived monstrosity is a human thing and not a divine one, and accordingly is not from God but from men, seeing that it must have human force to introduce and maintain it, which God did not need for his Word, but rather he knows how to propagate and preserve the same wondrously, in a very different way, namely through oral preaching, out of a hidden power, in such a way that this Word breaks through mightily and spreads abroad by a small voice that proclaims and announces it, even when great wars, with mighty lords, defense, and arms, set themselves against it. Did it not happen thus in the days of the beloved Apostles? What was it, in the eyes of men, but an unimpressive and contemptible undertaking, when they went out with this Word, wholly unarmed, and had the whole world, both Jews and heathen, against them; they only raised their voice and preached, and yet all the world could not withstand this Word upon their tongues, but had to look on as it broke through to everyone's astonishment. What shall one say here? Is this a human work, and accordingly this Word a human word? No, truly — all heaven and earth, indeed reason itself and all creatures, will testify against it, just as Gamaliel therefore rightly said, Acts 5:38: If this counsel or work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot suppress it — and so indeed it happened: they neither suppressed it nor could suppress it, but had to let it run its course, and thereby themselves became witnesses that it is of God.

And that I may come yet closer, let one consider our own example: when God the Lord brought forth this his holy Word again, pure and clear, out of the hellish and darkened papacy, through the chosen instrument, the highly enlightened Lord Luther, and brought it to light, did not that noble hero stand almost entirely alone with this Word? Did he not have against him emperors, kings, princes, lords, lands, cities, and peoples great and small — indeed, in particular, that great child of perdition, the Pope at Rome? Did not all of these set themselves against this one man, this one priest, seeking to hinder this Word and to suppress it altogether? Yes indeed — but what did it avail? The whole world and its power could not, and were not able to, hinder this Word in and against this one man (which is indeed a most mighty wonder), but it became too mighty for all human power, and broke through before their very eyes in spite of all their defiance. Is this, then (I ask again), to be held a human work, and this Word accordingly a human word? No, never — nor will any rational man, let alone an enlightened Christian, be able to think or say so. What, in like manner, shall one say of the wondrous preservation of this Word? Do not so many mighty and powerful ones on earth rise up and rebel against it daily — the hellish Pope with his followers — do they not use every means they can, with war, fire, sword, and the like? Does not the poisonous serpent-brood of the accursed Jesuits practice day and night how they may nevertheless keep this Word down