# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juli 1864_S224
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

224 Church and Contemporary Affairs.

the souls entrusted to me, the firm ecclesiastical confession and the church
ordinances bound up with it have become precious. One thing is needful, that
sinners be saved — so I say once again. But it is hard that sinners be saved; the
gate is narrow, the way is strait, and the devil is powerful everywhere, and
especially in Paris. It is not enough that the word of the cross be scattered here
and there in people's houses, or that secure sinners be awakened out of sleep by
a revival sermon now and then. The devil would soon take the good seed away
from their hearts and lull the awakened back to sleep again. The awakened
souls must also be thoroughly converted, and the converted must be kept on
the narrow way through faithful pastoral care. For this to be possible, the
widely scattered members must be gathered into settled congregations and
strengthened, for their common struggle against flesh and blood, the devil and
the world, through word and sacrament. The One Thing that is needful must
be set before them, ever anew, in a simple and consistent manner, and a deep
foundation of repentance and faith must be laid in their hearts. For such a
common plan of rescue, a church with a fixed confession is necessary — of that
I have convinced myself. We do not preach Luther and the Lutheran confession
to the poor souls we have to gather here, but Christ and his cross. We preach
Christ to them until they themselves believe and confess; but we preach to
them the Christ whom our church confesses, and not one of our own invention.
That is a great difference.""

Humane Toleration. The Prague "Fremdenblatt" reports, under date of
February 4 of this year, from the university there: An Israelite candidate in
law was to be promoted to doctor. Hitherto it had been customary for every
candidate for the doctor's cap to take the prescribed oath by touching the tip
of the university scepter. At the tip of this scepter is a crucifix, but hitherto
no Israelite had taken any exception to taking the oath in this customary
manner. This time, however, the rector of the university made the demand of
the Israelite candidate that he bring his own Hebrew Bible and take the oath
in that manner instead. That was too much for the candidate, who saw himself
thereby set back into the class of the old-believing Jews. He refused, and the
rector, who found the refusal conscientious and respectable, unscrewed the
crucifix from the scepter and had the candidate swear on the bare scepter. The
religious feelings of the candidate were taken into account — as were, indeed,
those he did not have — religious disturbances were forestalled, and the legal
procedure was enriched by one more new form of oath, namely the oath on a
mere stick. (Neues Zeitblatt.)

In England, Dr. Pusey and others have lodged an energetic protest, signed
by 10,000 Anglican clergymen, against the acquittal — by the Privy Council of
the Queen — of the "Essays and Reviews," which were directed against the
authority of Holy Scripture and against particular church doctrines. The
protest was supported by the last pastoral letter of the Bishop of Canterbury.
"Freimund" adds to this report: "This unanimous testimony of the English
clergy and theologians puts to shame the German clergy, who let the Life of
Jesus by Strauss, or the Character-Picture of Jesus by Schenkel, pass by
without any united testimony — as if these writings caused less harm than
those Essays!" — B.

In France, Renan's book has found an accuser in the Senate, but the
accused was acquitted. His advocate had argued the point that, under the
law, only such attacks on Christians could be prosecuted as contained an
insult in their "form and manner of expression"; the content itself was of no
concern at all. It was true, he said, that Renan denies the divinity of Christ,
but he does so in decent language, and therefore the court had no grounds for
forbidding the publication. (Neue Evang. Zeitung.)

In Denmark a bill has been introduced in the chambers, according to which
candidates in theology should be able to form free congregations anywhere. —
B.