# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juni 1863_S174
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

174 Dr. Hengstenberg's Position on the Questions of Office and Church Government.

have this same right, exercise these offices publicly, so that a hideous disorder does not arise among God's people, and the church does not become a Babylon." Further, in the Church Postil of the year 1525: "As you formerly remained in the simple understanding, so remain also now. The keys are given to him who stands on this rock through faith, to whom the Father has given it. Now one cannot regard any particular person as the one who remains standing on the rock, for one falls today, another tomorrow, as St. Peter fell. Therefore no one is appointed to whom the keys belong, but the church alone — that is, those who stand upon the rock. The Christian church alone has the keys, no one else, although the bishop and the pope may use them, as those to whom it has been entrusted by the congregation. A pastor exercises the office of the keys, baptizes, preaches, administers the sacrament, and performs other offices, thereby serving the congregation — not for his own sake, but for the sake of the congregation. For he is a servant of the whole congregation, to whom the keys are given, even though he himself be a rascal. For when he does it in place of the congregation, the church does it. And when the church does it, God does it; for one must have a servant. For if the whole congregation wanted to fall to and baptize, they might well drown the child, for a thousand hands would reach for it. That would be of no use at all. Therefore one must have a servant, who tends to such things in place of the congregation." Further, in the Exposition of the First Epistle of Peter, 1523: "In the New Testament, priests properly ought not to wear tonsures; not because it is in itself evil — one might well allow oneself to be shaved — but for this reason, that no distinction be made between them and the common Christian man, which faith cannot tolerate: so that those who are now called priests would all be laymen, like the others, and only some officeholders would be chosen by the congregation to preach. Thus there is only an outward distinction, on account of the office, to which one is called by the congregation; but before God there is no distinction; and only for this reason are some drawn out from among the multitude, that they, in place of the congregation, carry on and exercise the office which they all possess, not that one should have more power than another." Further, in the writing on the Private Mass and the Ordination of Priests, 1533: "None of us is born an apostle, preacher, teacher, or pastor in baptism, but we are all born mere priests and clergy; afterward, from among such born clergy, some are taken, and called and chosen to such offices, which they are to carry out on behalf of us all." I have deliberately cited so many passages from Luther, in order to produce the conviction that Luther set forth this doctrine of the office as held "on behalf of the community" not merely as a chance thought mentioned once in passing, but that this teaching filled his whole heart. In polemical writings, in sermons, in expositions, this teaching returns again and again, and is preached into the people with divine certainty