# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1848 03 07_S106
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

indeed the Word of God shows us the way that we are to walk each day, but through prayer we receive from God the strength to walk this way, to which also belongs the praising and thanking for this and every other benefit of God; the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs contain both, God's Word and prayer, and as they, being confessions that come from a believing heart, are well-pleasing to God, so in turn they kindle the heart to devotion; hence also Dr. Luther, in the Morning Blessing, gives the counsel: perhaps a hymn is sung, such as the Ten Commandments, or whatever one's devotion suggests.

Since we now have in Dr. Luther's Small Catechism a brief but unsurpassable extract from the whole of Holy Scripture, the practice of the Catechism also belongs among the chief components of family devotion. So much in general; to which the following is added by way of explanation.

Above all it would be urgently advisable that the Bible of the Old and New Testament be read aloud slowly, clearly, and devoutly, in order, chapter by chapter, and indeed, according to Dr. Luther's counsel, the New Testament twice for every one time the Old Testament is read through. This practice is most necessary for several reasons, for many possess no coherent knowledge of the Bible, or they forget with time much of what they had previously read, or they come, through repeated reading, to understand much of it better; moreover, there is otherwise a lack of opportunity to attain this coherent knowledge of the whole Bible, for in church almost only the prescribed Gospels and Epistles, or perhaps a few psalms, are read and explained. But the praiseworthy custom of Lutheran times past — of holding weekday services and explaining in them whole books of Holy Scripture, and still more the custom of reading through the Bible in church in order, with brief summaries, as, for example, was formerly done in Bavaria and Württemberg — this praiseworthy custom has, unfortunately, in our time almost entirely fallen into disuse; finally, experience teaches that the individual members of a household often carry on the connected reading of Holy Scripture very negligently, since they lack either the desire or the drive, or the time and opportunity for it. Very much to be discouraged is the way of many who choose now this, now that section of the Bible for reading aloud, for here too the proverb holds true: too much choosing brings torment; the knowledge of Holy Scripture — indeed even of the very passage read, torn as it is out of its context — becomes fragmented, the finding again of what was read, which had made a special impression, is made very difficult, and thereby a certain presumptuousness, or a kind of spiritual daintiness, is nourished; and finally, what is the greatest harm, a considerable part of Holy Scripture remains, with such reading, wholly unread, and thus also unknown. The same holds true of certain so-called little treasure-chests and similar writings, which contain for every day the explanation of certain sayings.

So most necessary as the connected reading of the Old and New Testament is, it nevertheless naturally remains permitted to every Christian, from time to time, to take a pleasant stroll, now into this, now into that part of the Word of God, entirely as the heart desires, in order to pluck for himself a beautiful bouquet from all its fragrant flowerbeds and delight in it; here, however, we are speaking only of family devotion in general, and of what is ordinarily to be practiced in it. But how necessary it is that Holy Scripture be practiced daily, Dr. Luther bears witness, when he says: "It should be so ordered in Christendom that God's Word be ever preached and pursued, and kept daily in circulation (since on it alone all power depends, and without it souls could not live), so that among Christians Holy Scripture, namely both the Old and New Testament, might become known and current to everyone, so that we, armed, harnessed, and strengthened through God's Word in faith, might stand fast against every kind of temptation and misfortune." (W. A. III. 20.)

Further, in daily family devotion, next to the Bible the Catechism should be practiced, to which encouragement was already given earlier in this paper (3rd Volume, No. 18); and indeed three things should be practiced in turn: 1. the simple text of the Small Catechism, 2. Dr. Luther's exposition, namely on the first three chief parts, and 3. the richer and fuller explanation from Dr. Luther's Large Catechism. For as the small one is rightly called an extract from the whole of Holy Scripture, so the large one may be called an extract from all of Dr. Luther's writings; whoever, therefore, lacks the time and opportunity to read his other writings should above all be advised to read his Large Catechism, and supposing that someone, through repeated reading, learned it almost by heart, he would thereby only be led ever more deeply into the understanding of Holy Scripture and of the whole wholesome doctrine, since everything that is found scattered here and there throughout Holy Scripture is set in order and brought together in the Catechism.

In general, also with regard to the choice of books to be used in family and private devotion, the excellent counsel of Dr. Luther is to be noted, which he was accustomed to give especially to students, "that they should take up certain books, read them diligently, and make a good author (writer) and book so familiar to themselves that they read it again and again, so that they would be, as it were, transformed into his flesh and blood, as though that manner of speaking and writing had been born in them. For reading many different books creates more confusion than it does teach anything certain and steadfast. Just like those who dwell everywhere they happen to come, and remain in no fixed place — they dwell nowhere, and are truly at home in no place. And just as in society we do not need the fellowship of all good friends every day, but only of a few, choice ones; so too one should accustom oneself to the best books, make them more familiar to oneself, and be able, so to speak, to find them on a peg." (W. A. XXII. 2276.) But what writings could be more recommended to preachers and schoolteachers, indeed to all Christians, than precisely Dr. Luther's writings, and which among these writings could be more advised for family devotion than his Large Catechism, whose further dissemination is made so much easier by the announced edition of the Book of Concord? Try it, then, with confidence, you dear fathers of households, and set aside, for a time, say for a year, the other books of edification — without despising them — and devote the modest cost of 14 dollars to purchasing for yourselves the Book of Concord, and in it the rich treasury of the Large Catechism, in order to come to know and value it rightly; and surely no year will pass before it becomes, next to the Bible, dearer and dearer to you, and you will gladly remain under this ever-dearer arbor. Sir. 14:26. (To be continued.)

*

On the Power of the Keys, Absolution, and Confession.
(From Harless's journal.)
(Continuation.)

We now wish to answer a few more questions concerning the office of the keys, which certainly lie close to the heart of everyone who inquires after truth. Forgiveness of sins cannot, according to the unalterable divine order of grace, follow unless repentance precedes it; "repent, and be converted," preaches Peter, Acts 3:19, "that your sins may be blotted out." From this it follows that absolution cannot serve an impenitent person for the forgiveness of sins, however often it might be spoken. But — this is the question — is the preacher indeed capable of judging the impenitence or penitence of those confessing? He can do so only according to the outwardly evident marks; more than that is not required of him either. Repentance, insofar as it is a process of the inward life and consists in godly sorrow of heart over recognized sin and a believing appropriation of the merit of Christ, is recognizable in an infallible manner only to the Searcher of Hearts, who tries the hearts and reins, that is, the most secret depths of the human soul. But it also expresses itself through outward marks corresponding to the inward experience: sorrow shown in tears of repentance and visible dejection, abhorrence of sin shown in forsaking it, faith shown in humble desire for forgiveness. Only by such outward signs — although these can indeed deceive — are men able to judge what is taking place within another;