# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_November 1861_S326
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

326 Report on the Law.

For since children are without understanding and weak, they might come to harm where one does not restrain them. So too has God led the crude Jewish people with such commandments, restraining from them the outward images, so that they should not misuse them, and should not fall into idolatry. But those who are understanding and full of the Holy Spirit have no need of such a commandment. If someone wanted to forbid me to take a knife in my hand to cut bread with it, lest I do myself harm; or to forbid me to go over any water, because yesterday a child drowned in the water; or to forbid me to climb any bench, lest I fall down from it — that would be a foolish, ridiculous commandment; I might say: You fool, do you take me for a child? Must I first be rocked in a cradle? So do our fanatical spirits also, offering such foolish child's play, and yet wanting still to be held great teachers; but they may still do well to go to school a while longer. Moses was a schoolmaster of the Jews, as Paul says, who were a crude, carnal people, to whom an outward commandment concerning images had to be given, lest they take offense at them. And it could still happen today, that such a commandment might be given to a crude people; but we Christians, who have God's word, have no need of such tomfoolery, we do not belong in Moses' school, we have a better Master. Therefore, to the Jews, as a crude, boorish people, images alone were forbidden, by which they wished to do God honor. Yet the Jews are nevertheless not so foolish as to throw away the good gulden and thick groschen, of which they have plenty, even though the image of Mary or of St. John is stamped upon them — though, if all images were forbidden to them, they would have to avoid these too. But that is sheer foolish talk. Christ was certainly as clever and learned as the fanatical spirits; yet he did not fear that he would commit a sin when he took hold of the tribute penny, on which stood the image of the emperor, who was a heathen; when he also asked whose image and inscription it was, he did not say to the Jews: Fie, what business is this or that of yours! Why do you show me such an image, which God has forbidden you? You must not touch it at all. Therefore one can grasp it plainly, right there, that not all images are forbidden. But if we were to follow the fanatics, one would have to mint no money, look into no water, look into no mirror, and put away everything that has an image at all — indeed, one would have to gouge out people's eyes, if one were to have no image whatsoever; for one sees images on money, in water, in a mirror. Are these, then, not fine preachers? Therefore you see clearly that God does not mean all sorts of images. So now answer the fanatics: Dear friend, what does the first commandment contain within itself? What is its meaning? It does not, indeed, teach about outward things, about plowing a field, about making shoes; but about how one should honor God and serve him, inwardly and outwardly. If you now want to teach well, and rightly interpret the Bible, you must hit upon the correct meaning. Now, the first commandment teaches that I should have one God, serve him alone, and honor him. As to the sense and understanding