# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1845 06 18_S82
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

the Holy Supper might be settled beforehand. With this intention the Landgrave of Hesse, Philip, the originator of all such attempts at union, invited Dr. Luther and other theologians to a religious colloquy at Marburg. Luther answered that he would indeed appear, in order to show that he was inclined toward peace, but that he did not promise himself a good outcome of the matter; for he believed the Zwinglians intended to use some trick in it. The colloquy itself lasted several days, and although the Swiss, or Reformed, theologians yielded to the Lutherans on all the disputed articles and recanted in writing, this nevertheless did not happen in the article concerning the Holy Supper, for which reason further discussion of it was postponed to a later time. Luther conducted himself in a friendly manner toward the Reformed theologians and extended his hand to them, but he could not and would not comply with their request to be acknowledged as brothers in the faith, so that no one might think that he and his followers approved of that false doctrine. How little worthy they were of the name of Christian brothers, and how correctly Luther had seen through their trickery, hypocrisy, and deceit, is shown by the palpable lie which they publicly spread abroad, namely, that they had defeated Luther at Marburg. Now just as Satan in this way sought through lies to suppress Luther's teaching, so he also attempted it through open violence; for the champions of the papacy resolved at the Diet of Speyer in the year 1529 that in all places where the Lutheran doctrine had not yet been introduced, this should not be permitted to happen in future either, and that where people had already professed this doctrine, the public celebration of the Holy Supper should nevertheless not be permitted. Against this godless suppression of Luther's doctrine the Elector of Saxony protested, together with other princes and cities, among whom some of Reformed persuasion were also found, and from this they received the name Protestants. The hostile conduct of the Emperor toward their envoys occasioned further deliberation on the question whether, in the event that a religious war should break out, they for their part should also form an alliance among themselves and take up arms. But Luther most emphatically advised the princes against this in his writing, "Concerning Self-Defense." From this one sees what an outrageous injustice it is to make Luther the originator of the religious war that later broke out.

About this time Dr. Luther complained that, on the one hand, the papists raged against the Gospel with fire, sword, and all the might of the devil, while on the other hand, the disaffected factious spirits and wanton, frivolous hearts schemed and contrived against it with all the cunning of the devil, and he adds: "Not to mention the ingratitude and contempt found among our own people, among ourselves." (L. W. XIV, 184.) Over this Luther was so inflamed with zeal that at the beginning of

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the year 1530 he delivered to his people in Wittenberg a mighty sermon of repentance, and publicly declared that he would henceforth preach to them no more; which he indeed did for a time. In general, from that point on his complaints grew ever more frequent and stronger, that in most places, despite so rich a sowing of the pure Word of God, so little fruit was to be seen. Luke 8. But he also says: "If this happened to Christ, the Son of God, the holiest of preachers, what wonder is it that it happens also to John the Baptist, to the apostles, and to us in these days!" (L. W. XVIII, 488.) When one accordingly sees that even where the Word of God is taught in its purity, many do not live accordingly as children of God, one should indeed guard against the blasphemy of laying the blame on God and his Word, or on right doctrine, since it is solely the fault of men when the Word of God remains without fruit, so that they do not believe and are not saved. — (To be continued.)

Answer to the Most Recent Defense of the Union.
(Continued.)

When Mr. Nollau wishes to state the sum of what he criticizes in our doctrine, he says: "Our conviction that our opponents are still in error has not yet changed — even if only in the doctrine of the Church." Page 67. It is this important doctrine, then, whose more precise exposition we must now above all take up again.

We confess that we least expected this, since in our little paper we had set forth the doctrine of the Church most clearly and most fully of all. But upon reviewing Mr. N.'s writing we have observed that he, unfortunately, has not grasped our exposition of the doctrine of the Church, and still less has he himself awakened to a consciousness of the Christian Church. Hence it has come about, as we suspect, that Mr. N. not only communicates to his readers an exceedingly strange, we might almost say monstrous (huge), conception of the Church as his own, but also presents to them, as ours, an equally peculiar picture which he has fashioned for himself, and against which, as against a really existing enemy, he marches into the field in all earnestness. It is indeed true that the simple doctrine of the Church has become one of the most difficult precisely because it has been written about in such varied ways, since every party has sought so to model (shape) the doctrine of the Church that its own party could still pass for a genuine imprint of the given model (pattern) of the Church. But however difficult and complicated the article of the Church has thereby become for many, it is nevertheless certainly not unreasonable to demand of one who wishes to write publicly about it that he should at least have mastered his subject and have arrived at clarity concerning it. It is also without doubt one of the first duties of a writer to take every pains, undisturbed by preconceived opinions, to grasp correctly and render faithfully the true meaning of his opponent, so that he does not waste time and strength in combating a phantom of his own imagining.

After this we might almost feel discouraged from writing anything further on the subject touched upon; nevertheless we wish to try once more to set forth the doctrine of the Church as simply, clearly, and thoroughly as possible from God's Word, and then to subject Mr. N.'s opinions on this to examination. —

First, according to God's Word there are not two churches, one visible and one invisible, or even several, but only One. The Lord always speaks only of one. He says: "There shall be one fold and one shepherd." John 10:16. "Upon this rock I will build my church," not churches. Matthew 16:18. Therefore the holy apostle exhorts the Ephesians: "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism," etc. Ephesians 4:3–5. And in the letter to the Galatians, chapter 4:26, the same apostle says: "Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." (Here the Church is called the Jerusalem which is above, just as Christ often designates it as the kingdom of heaven on earth, and the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 12:22, as the heavenly Jerusalem.) The Church is also clearly and necessarily designated as One when she is represented as the bride of Christ. In accordance with all these divine testimonies, therefore, every Christian confesses in the Apostles' Creed: "I believe in one (unam) holy, universal, or Christian Church."

If we now ask further, who or what is this true Church of Christ, we must answer according to God's Word: it is the whole company of all believers who are sanctified through the Holy Spirit. For thus speaks St. Paul: "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify it, and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:25–27. God has set Christ "to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all." Chapter 1:22–23. To the one true Church, therefore, no ungodly person belongs, no unbeliever, no one unregenerate, for "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Romans 8:9. Therefore St. Peter exhorts Christians: "Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual