# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juni 1864_S184
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

184 The Epistles of St. Paul to Timothy and Titus, or the Apostolic Pastorale.

raise up a son who becomes a godly Christian pastor or schoolmaster, and that thereby you have raised up for God himself a special servant, an angel of God, a true bishop before God, a savior of many people, a king and prince in Christ's kingdom, and, among God's people, a teacher, a light of the world; and who wishes, or is able, to recount all the honor and virtue that a true, faithful pastor has before God? For there is indeed no more precious treasure or nobler thing on earth and in this life than a true, faithful pastor or preacher.'

For reckon for yourself what benefit the dear preaching office and pastoral care produce, namely, that so many souls are thereby daily taught, converted, baptized, and brought to Christ and made blessed, and are redeemed from sin, death, hell, and the devil, and thereby come to everlasting righteousness, to everlasting life and heaven — so that Daniel 12:3 rightly says that those who teach others shall shine like the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness shall be like the stars forever. For God's Word and office, where it functions rightly, must without ceasing do great things and perform nothing but miracles before God: raising the dead, casting out devils, making the blind see, the deaf hear, lepers clean, the mute speak, the lame walk — and even if this does not happen bodily, it nevertheless happens spiritually in the soul, where it is far greater; as Christ says, John 14:12: Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and even greater works than these. (For indeed — allow me to interject a remark here — what did it profit those who were healed by Christ in body, if faith in him was not kindled in their hearts through his Gospel, and if they were not spiritually healed through the forgiveness of sins?)........

"This, then, has been said of the works and wonders that a faithful pastor performs toward souls, to help them against sin, death, and the devil. Beyond that, he also does nothing but great, mighty works toward the world, namely, that he instructs and informs every estate how they should outwardly conduct themselves in their offices and estates, so that they act rightly before God; he can comfort the afflicted, give counsel, settle bad matters, set right erring consciences, help maintain peace, reconcile, mediate — and works of this kind, countless in number, every day; for a preacher confirms, strengthens, and helps to maintain all authority, all temporal peace; he restrains the seditious, teaches obedience, morals, discipline, and honor; he instructs the office of father, of mother, of child, of servant, and, in sum, all worldly offices and estates. These are indeed the least of a pastor's good works; and yet they are so exalted and noble that no wise man among all the heathen has ever recognized or understood them, much less been able to perform them; nor does any jurist, any university, foundation, or monastery know of such works, and they are taught neither in canon law nor in civil law; for there is no one there who calls such worldly offices gifts of God or a gracious ordinance; it is the Word of God and the preaching office alone that so highly praises and honors them."

From these testimonies of Luther concerning the holy preaching, or pastoral, office, [our dear brethren in office] should