# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_September 1863_S274
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

274 Report of the sixth regular synodical assembly of the Norwegian Evang.-Luth. Church.

the power of His Word, which He gradually lets appear everywhere. For when we ask: by what means has all this come about? — the answer is: "this is from the Lord and is marvelous in our eyes;" and through this Word, which is a life-begetting seed and is itself life and spirit, He has accomplished all this, for to us belongs only shame of face.

But even though the Lord has thus far brought this dispute in our fellowship to a blessed outcome, yet, beloved brethren, our course of battle is not therefore at an end; our enemy does not rest. It is indeed evident how the Lord has blessed the course of His pure Gospel among us, and not to praise the Lord for it would be at the very least a black ingratitude. The writings of our dear father in the faith, Luther, have found a strong circulation in many of our congregations; while many of the readers have publicly made known how they had previously deceived themselves, imagining that they were well versed in Luther's writings and in Lutheran doctrine — Luther's simple and popular, forceful and clear preaching of the Gospel has now made this and the Lutheran Church precious to them, for it holds this Gospel pure, and it opened their eyes, so that they see that it is no trifling squabbles that we have with the various sects and communions, but that in the chief article of the doctrine that makes blessed, in the article of justification by faith alone, the Lutheran Church parts ways with all other church communions; it is about the pure Gospel, which they would rob us of, that the contention between them and us turns. Hence there is also in several congregations a strong desire for the pure, unadulterated milk of the Gospel, a true readiness to test the spirits, whether they be of God; one is not satisfied with a well-written moralizing discourse, nor with an emotional effusion in which Law and Gospel, faith and works, justification and sanctification are mixed together in the worst confusion, to the irreparable harm of souls. It is demanded of the preacher that he be a shepherd of souls and a pastor of souls, who with the Law drives and chastens unto Christ and with the Gospel feeds and nourishes; but one will not suffer him to use the Law, let alone the Gospel, to keep wretched sinners away from Christ. Thereby a strong spur is also given to us preachers to devote time and diligence to the preparation of our sermons, and unceasingly to seek the Lord's help and grace, who, since He has redeemed souls dearly with His blood, gladly wishes to make us, His servants, fit to preach the word of reconciliation.

This, dear brethren, is already so overflowing a grace from God that we cannot express it; likewise that He has let the effectiveness of our institution of learning succeed so well, indeed beyond our most extravagant expectations — for that too we cannot