# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_November 1864_S351
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Church and Contemporary Affairs. 351

viewed the state of the country, and with the assumption that this nation was destined by God to become a great nation." That this war could end "with the total destruction of the government," against this the reverend speaker offered the comfort "that never has a nation, having arisen within a single century, reached its zenith and then fallen apart again." He "therefore firmly believes that the nation will emerge from this struggle purer, better, and greater than ever before." Against the feared "success of the Southern Confederacy," the preacher of the Gospel offered this comfort: "The South is hopelessly bankrupt both in money and in manpower, while the North has millions at its command. The gold mines in California, in the Sierra Nevada mountains, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, and Utah are the basis of our wealth, and even if the war debt should amount to four thousand million dollars, we would have enough gold and silver to pay it off and still furnish everyone with a fortune. Our ships could be armored with silver and our soldiers equipped with silver rifles." Mindful of his prophetic office, the servant of Christ did indeed declare: "As to the probable end of the war, nothing definite can be said," yet he added consolingly: "If we cannot yet rejoice in peace by Christmas, then the fragrance of the spring flowers and the petals of the June roses will bring it to us." — So reports the "Apologete" of October 17th. — No wonder that it is also reported how this speech was repeatedly "interrupted by loud shouts of joy and stormy applause." Such are the prophets the world wants to have. Who would ever have thought that such a worldly spirit lurked in the Methodists! That above all repentance is needed for a good resolution of the "national crisis" — of that, naturally, this false prophet said not a word, for that would of course have dampened the elevated mood, put the patriotic hearts out of tune, and stifled the "shouts of joy and the stormy applause."

Installation. On October 4th the installation of the five theological professors of the new seminary in Philadelphia took place. The pastors A. T. Geissenhainer of Bethlehem, G. F. Miller of Pottstown, Dr. F. W. Geissenhainer of New York (president of the board), J. Vogelbach, and S. K. Brobst officiated. The professors on this occasion gave the following solemn declaration: "I believe that the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments are given by inspiration of God and are the perfect and only rule of faith, and I believe that the three ecumenical creeds, the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian, set forth the faith of the universal Church in agreement with this rule; I believe that the unaltered Augsburg Confession, in all its parts, is in agreement with the rule of faith and is a correct presentation of doctrine; and I believe that the Apology, the Catechism" (not the Catechisms?) "of Luther, the Smalcald Articles, and the Formula of Concord are a faithful development and defense of the doctrines of the Word of God and of the Augsburg Confession. I solemnly promise before Almighty God that all my teaching shall be in conformity with his Word and with the aforementioned confessions." God now help these men, upon whom so difficult and lofty a task has fallen and who have hereby made so fine a vow, to keep it, and then bless their labor superabundantly for the good of his poor Church.

The Synod of East Pennsylvania. This synod has, to be sure, as the "Observer" of October 14th reports, unanimously approved the improvement of its doctrinal and confessional basis proposed by the General Synod, but has at the same time also unanimously adopted the following resolution submitted by Pastor R. A. Fink: "Whereas this synod, by its unanimous adoption of the amendments to the constitution of the General Synod, has placed itself entirely on the Augsburg Confession as its doctrinal basis — therefore, so that no misunderstanding may occur, we make the following declaration: Resolved, that this synod, while it rests on the Word of God as the sole authority in matters of faith, rejects the Roman doctrine of the "real presence," or transubstantiation, and along with it the doctrine of consubstantiation.... rejects auricular confession and private absolution, and [rejects] the divine obligation of the Sab-