# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_M rz 1859_S80
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

80 How should a pastor conduct himself at the sickbed of his parishioners?

give a special rule and instruction for every single case, but only some
guiding principles shall be discussed here in a more general way. Most
cases, however, will fall under the following four heads, namely, that
the pastor has to deal either with the secure, or the self-righteous, or
the afflicted, or the joyfully believing.

That even in congregations where the Word of God has for many years
been preached purely and correctly, there is nevertheless, despite all the
light of the Gospel, unfortunately still found a great deal of darkness,
and that the secure are often present in no small number, every faithful
pastor will certainly have to confess and greatly lament. For even
where, on the whole, outward order and good church attendance are
present, it would nevertheless be foolish to assume straightway that all
who outwardly appear to have been won for God's Word and kingdom
have indeed truly been won. We have, to be sure, like every Christian,
the instruction to think no evil of a brother, that is, of one who
outwardly conforms to the order of the divine Word; yet the apostle's
admonition also applies, to all Christians, but especially to the ministers
of the Word: "Test the spirits, whether they are of God." And when a
preacher has been with a congregation for a number of years, and
possesses even to some degree the gift of discerning spirits, he will
easily be able to recognize as one of the secure many a person who at
first seemed to him a devout, humble Christian, even without anything
definitely evil being reported of him. The life of the congregation offers
indeed many occasions for what is in the heart to be revealed, and to
feign the essence of godliness for many years will prove impossible. It
is self-evident from the purpose of this essay that there can be no talk
here of gross mockers and blasphemers, for here we deal only with
those "who are within," who belong to a properly ordered congregation
in which God's Word rules.

There are, however, two kinds of people who may be reckoned among
the secure: namely, those who know the way of salvation well in their
heads, but in whom this knowledge is unfruitful, and who therefore also
not infrequently are found still in rather serious sins — yet who,
because their conscience has already been taken hold of by God's Word,
accept whatever admonitions may be addressed to them, although one
must, alas, often suppress the harsh thought that they do not even do
this sincerely. Against such people a pastor, when he comes to their
sickbed, should now use the Law quite earnestly, speak earnestly to
their conscience, and set before them how the Lord God has promised
all grace to the sincere and penitent, but has threatened the secure and
lukewarm that he would spit them out of his mouth; and that it would
be better for them never to have heard anything of God's Word than to
have dealt with it so carelessly. And in any case it is better, when such
a person — as he may perhaps already have done at an earlier
admonition — confesses with his mouth his lukewarmness and security,
that one not grant whatever request he may make for the
administration of the Holy Supper, but rather withhold it, even in a
very dangerous illness, only...