# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juni 1862_S184
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

184    Literary Announcements.

The greatest advantages, however, are afforded by the following method: One takes up some book of Holy Scripture, preferably the Psalms or the Prophets, and selects from it, in order, such sayings as stand in some particular relation to the purpose of confession-addresses. Thereby the content of the latter becomes more well-rounded and hence more engaging and useful. We preachers thereby receive ever fresh incentive to study such books. — Our penitents thereby learn the right understanding and the wholesome application of many important sayings of the Old Testament, which is all the more needful the more rarely, unfortunately, sermons are still preached nowadays on whole books of it, and the less Advent season, too, is used for the exposition of the foremost prophecies concerning Christ's person and office — although encouragement and instruction toward this have not been lacking; see this journal, Jahrgang 5, pp. 203 and 340.

With regard to the selection of such confessional sayings, I would add the following. One should choose few verses — preferably only one, sometimes merely half a verse — but should take care that the text chosen not be too difficult to understand, so that one may soon pass from exposition to application. — Whoever, ahead of time and for several confession-addresses, undertakes the choice of texts will also often, with regard to the content of the coming Sunday or festival Gospel, make just such a fortunate find as he would not have expected.

All this I write from my own experience. In the first twenty-five years of my ministry I made use now of the next Gospel reading, now of some other Scripture verse. But this method satisfied me less and less as time went on, and yet, for all my reflecting, rereading, and inquiring among others, I could discover no better way. At last God's hand guided me onto the path which I have now followed for the last eight years. In this time I have delivered, on confessional sayings from the prophet Isaiah, sixty-nine confession-addresses, and on such from the first ninety Psalms, one hundred seventy-three confession-addresses, each from a brief written outline. I could relate many experiences of how these confession-addresses found a gladdening echo in the confession of individuals at private confession, with regard to the knowledge of sin as well as of grace — through which I repeatedly had occasion, and all the more assuredly, to pour oil and wine into their soul-wounds, and thereby to be a witness to their heartfelt joy and thanksgiving.

Literary Announcements.

Published by Justus Naumann in Dresden and Leipzig:
Phöbe. Yearbook of Christian Life. With contributions from Prof. v. Zezschwitz, Pastor Williger, Pfr. Lic. Meurer, Fr. Zimmermann, Prof. Huber, A. Schwarzkopf. For the benefit of the Deaconess Institution