# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_December 1859_S373
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

The Evangelical Supreme Church Council and the Evangelical Church Gazette. 373

-gether into associations, "sons of the prophets." Since the legitimate authorities in the Church had abandoned the path of truth, Luther appeared and, at the head of free associations of his followers, boldly said to their face: "I have received my teaching from one who is able to do more with his little finger than a thousand popes, kings, princes, and doctors; they shall also let it remain with me forever." It is a great matter, concerning the legitimate authorities in the Church. But it would amount to practicing idolatry with them if one wished to condemn the Church to silence even when it goes astray.

But we must especially still keep in view that the decree speaks, with such emphatic stress, of a "storming against the authorities," of a rebellion against the "authorities ordained by God," etc., whereby the church government and the civil government are lumped together under the same name.

The Church has always had scruples about placing civil authority and church government under the same point of view and designating them by the same name. It speaks of a magistratus politicus and of a ministerium ecclesiasticum. "Civil power," says Johann Gerhard in explanation of these designations, "is ruling and commanding; the ecclesiastical is ministering and serving. The former has the authority to give new laws, which need only not conflict with natural law; the latter, however, is bound to the precepts of the divine laws."

The reason for this reluctance to place ecclesiastical authority on the same level as civil authority — a reluctance from which even the Pope has not entirely withdrawn himself, since he likes to call himself the servant of the servants of God — lies first of all in the very decisive directives of Holy Scripture. One need only consider Matthew 20:25–28, 23:8–12. Then 1 Peter 5:3: "Not as those who lord it over the people, but become examples to the flock." To this saying of the apostle St. Bernard refers when he writes to Pope Eugene: "Peter could not give you what he himself did not have. What he had, that he gave, namely, the care for the Church. Did he give you dominion? Hear him himself. Not as those who lord it over the people, etc., he says." Luther says regarding the same passage: "He admonishes them not to act as though the people were under them, as though they could and would become and act like lords, just as they pleased. For we have one Lord, who is Christ, who rules our souls. The bishops are to do nothing but feed the flock. Here St. Peter, with a single word, has overturned and condemned all the dominion that the pope now exercises, and states clearly that they have no power to command by decree, but that they alone are to be servants and to say: this the Lord Christ says, therefore you shall do it." Bengel finally says: "The elders afterward arrogated dominion to themselves." Hence from Senior came Signore, especially in Italy. The apostle says: "But become examples to the flock": the purest obedience is attained through example. Such-