# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_M rz 1861_S91
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Report on Preaching the Right Doctrine of Justification. 91

— human laws, and to catch them under the servile yoke, as the Pope
and his retinue do, or they do it in a somewhat more refined manner,
namely under the pretense of divine words, as Pastor Grabau and his
followers also do, within and outside the Buffalo Synod.

For these teach their parishioners, that is, their pastoral serfs, thus:
Because we, as servants of Christ, teach you God's Word for the
salvation of your souls, and you owe it unconditional obedience if you
do not wish to be lost, you are therefore also bound, by the third and
fourth commandment, to obedience when we, your spiritual fathers
(that is, on paper), make known to you our well-considered opinion and
wise counsel in matters of indifference — as, for example, in church and
school buildings; for it is written: "Obey your teachers and follow them."

How does it seem to you, dear reader — is the devil not clever enough
here that he all but transforms himself into an angel of light, and is
so faithful a soul-carer, that the dear children of the church, in so
weighty a matter, since it concerns the standing of the holy preaching
office, should not sin against the third and fourth commandment and
thereby in the end lose the grace of God and suffer shipwreck of their
faith? How could the tender love of the spiritual father look upon such
misery? So it must take precautions in good time and step in — even
granting that, with the frivolous, unionistic, pietistic Missouri Synod,
there is the ill appearance of false law-making and conscience-making
and of overreaching priestly rule and tyranny — so that the dear
children of the church may not, by abuse of Christian liberty, ruin
themselves.

Finally — since the old delusion and dream of the thousand-year kingdom
now again (it is sad to say) haunts and stirs even among Lutherans —
finally it would be worth considering, with regard to this fanatical
folly, that it too runs counter to justifying faith. For the one who truly
believes in Christ, although hidden here below in the kingdom of the
cross, is nevertheless at the same time, by the power of Christ's
resurrection, already set through faith with Christ into the heavenly
realm. He is already, through faith in Christ and spiritual union with
Him, a fellow citizen with the saints and a member of God's household;
he is already a priest and a king before God; his citizenship is already
in heaven, outside of and above all time; he already dwells in that
Jerusalem which is above; he is blessed, though in hope. This hope,
however, is not the deluded fever-dream of a thousand-year kingdom,
namely, "that Christ, before His return to judgment, will come to
found a kingdom of glory in which mere saints will reign with Him on
this earth." For this kingdom is nothing but something smuggled in
from the scorched brains of sentimental enthusiasts and fantasists, read
out of isolated dark passages of the prophetic books, without fear of
God or of His Word, against the clear passages of Scripture and the
rule of faith, which testify only of a general resurrection on the last day
and only of two kingdoms.