# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_September 1863_S258
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

258 Some Remarks on a New Apology for the Reformed Church.

answer to this. He writes in his letter concerning rebaptism, from the year 1528, among other things as follows: "In the first place I hear and see that such rebaptizing is undertaken by some for the reason of vexing the pope, as men who want nothing to do with the Antichrist; just as the enemies of the sacrament also want, for that very reason, to believe in mere bread and wine, to vex the pope, and think that by this they will truly overthrow the papacy" (or, as one now says, "break with Rome completely"). "Truly, that is a loose foundation, on which they will build nothing good. In that manner they would also have to deny the whole of holy Scripture and the preaching office. For all of this we have, to be sure, from the pope, and we would also have to make a new holy Scripture. Thus we would also have to let go of the Old Testament, so that we would have nothing at all from the unbelieving Jews. Why then do they daily accept money and goods, seeing that wicked people, popes and Turks, or heretics have had them? They should likewise refuse anything good from wicked people, if they held to that. All of this is foolishness. Christ, too, found abuse among the Pharisees and scribes of the Jewish people, but he did not therefore reject everything they had and taught. Matt. 23:3. We confess, however, that under the papacy there is much that is Christian and good, indeed all that is truly Christian and good, and that it has also come to us from there: namely, we confess that in the papacy there is the true holy Scripture, true baptism, the true sacrament of the altar, the true keys for the forgiveness of sin, the true preaching office, the true catechism, the Ten Commandments, the articles of faith, the Lord's Prayer. Just as he, in turn, also confesses that among us (though he condemns us as heretics) and among all heretics there is the holy Scripture, baptism, the keys, the catechism, etc. "Oh, how hypocritical you are here!" How am I then being hypocritical? I say what the pope has in common with us. So he in turn flatters us and the heretics very much indeed, and says what we have in common with him. I am quite willing to flatter more, and yet it shall not help me at all. I say that under the pope is the true Christendom, indeed the very embodiment of Christendom and many pious, great saints. Should I stop being hypocritical? Hear for yourself what St. Paul says, 2 Thess. 2:4: "The Antichrist will sit in the temple of God." Now if the pope (as I cannot but believe) is the true Antichrist, then he must not sit or reign in the devil's stable, but in God's temple. No, he will not sit where there is nothing but devils and unbelievers, or where there is no Christ or Christendom, for he is to be an Antichrist, and therefore he must be among Christians; and since he is to sit and reign there, he must have Christians under him. For God's temple is not called a heap of stones, but the holy Christendom, 1 Cor. 3:17, in which he is to reign. If then Christendom is under the pope, it must truly be Christ's body and members. If it is his body, then it has the true Spirit, the Gospel, faith, baptism, sacrament, the keys, the preaching office, prayer, holy Scripture, and everything that Christendom is to have. For we, too, are still all under the papacy and have such Christian goods from it. For he persecutes