# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_December 1861_S373
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Report on the Law. 373

...cannot, since they do not have the Holy Spirit, nor do they believe; and such a teacher, who preaches faith to them, seduces and deceives them. For this sickness must have a different remedy, namely, that you say to them with St. Paul, Hebrews 13:4: God will judge adulterers. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: They shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Romans 8:8: Without purity no one can please God; therefore let these unclean and defiled ones be under God's wrath, etc. Such a hammer one must have, so that such hard hearts of stone may be crushed." (Luther's Works, Walch's Edition I, 1784-1790.)

In the same place Luther writes: "Therefore the Antinomians rightly deserve that everyone should be their enemy, who cling to and defend themselves by our example; whereas the reason is plain why we taught so at the beginning about God's grace. The accursed Pope had utterly oppressed poor consciences with his man-made ordinances, and had taken away every proper means, help, and comfort by which poor despairing hearts might have been saved from despair: what else should we have done at that time but raise up again the oppressed and burdened hearts and hold before them the true comfort? But we also know well that one must speak differently with those who are satisfied, tender, and fat. We were at that time all cast out and greatly afflicted. The water in the bottle was gone, that is, there was no comfort to be had. We lay like the dying, just as Ishmael under the bush. Therefore we needed such teachers as held God's grace before us and taught us how we might be refreshed. But the Antinomians want the teaching of repentance to be begun outright with grace; I, however, have not followed that process. For I knew well that Ishmael was first driven out and reduced to despair before he heard comfort from the angel. Accordingly I have followed that example, and have comforted no one except those alone who had beforehand had remorse and sorrow over their sin and had despaired of themselves, whom the Law had terrified, whom the Leviathan had assailed and utterly dismayed. For it was for their sake that Christ came into this world, and he does not want the smoking flax to be wholly quenched (Isaiah 42:3); therefore he calls out, Matthew 11:28: Come unto me, all who are weary and burdened." (Luther's Works, Walch's Edition I, 2144, 2145.)

Further Luther begins his "Instructions for the Visitors" of the year 1538 thus: "Now we find in the teaching, among other things, chiefly this fault: that although some preach of faith, by which we are to be made righteous, it is nevertheless not sufficiently shown how one is to come to that faith, and almost everyone omits one whole part of Christian doctrine, without which no one can understand what faith is or means. For Christ says, Luke 3:8 and 24:47, that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name. But many say...