# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1845 06 28_S86
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

into the German language, a work he had begun in 1517 with the translation of the seven Penitential Psalms, and to which he had since devoted all diligence and much time for seventeen years. The difficulties he had to overcome in this labor surpass all imagining. In the Old Testament especially he often pondered and inquired for four weeks over a single word, as to how he should render it from the Hebrew into German, often without being able to find it. With full justice, therefore, Mathesius calls this translation of the Bible one of the greatest wonders that God has wrought through Dr. Luther; for to an attentive reader of the Bible it seems as though the Holy Spirit had spoken in our German tongue through the mouth of the prophets and apostles. For this reason this translation surpasses not only the earlier ones — which were, moreover, extremely rare and almost wholly unintelligible — but also all later translations down to the present time, so that in this too Luther will forever remain the master and his work will keep the prize. God has also adorned this work with much blessing; for through the millions of copies of this translation the Word of God has been spread not only throughout Germany but, through its translation into foreign languages, into many other lands as well. Beyond this, through this Bible translation a rich treasury of language has been formed, from which the distinctive and powerful language of the church has been drawn, as it is found above all in Luther's writings, and by which the foundation was also laid for the perfecting of the German language in general.

In the year 1535 the Anabaptists wrought fresh mischief and led many people astray; they rejected the written Word of God and the holy preaching office; they asserted, in a manner blasphemous toward God, that at the Holy Supper nothing is distributed but bread and wine; they defiled the civil authorities and led a wild and dissolute life. They practiced their mischief especially in the city of Münster, until at last their rioting was checked by force of arms. But against these enemies of the Christian Church, too, Luther mightily wielded the sword of the Spirit, that is, the Word of God, in several writings, and faithfully warned against their errors, as well as against sneaking preachers and hedge-preachers — that is, against those who, without a proper call, set themselves up among men as teachers on their own authority.

At the end of this year a papal envoy named Paul Vergerius came to Germany to announce a free general council of the Church that had long been promised. He also came to Wittenberg with a large retinue and summoned Luther to him. When the conversation turned to the council, Luther declared that the opposing party was not in earnest about it, and that even if such a council were to come about, according to their custom they would there deal only with unnecessary matters, and not with faith,

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with justification, and with the true unity of spirit and faith. At this Vergerius turned to his companions and said: "He has truly hit upon the main point of the whole matter." But Luther added: "Through the Holy Spirit we are certain of all these things, and we need no council at all — rather, other poor people need one, who are oppressed by your tyranny; for you yourselves do not know what you believe. Well then! If you have a mind to it, hold one; I will come, God willing, even were I to know that you meant to burn me for it." This same Vergerius became, ten years later, a zealous Lutheran; for when, in the hope of becoming a cardinal, he read Luther's writings with great diligence in order to refute them, he was thereby so convinced of the truth that he then wrote not against Lutheranism, but against the papacy.

Among the many writings Luther composed in this year, one deserves particular notice: "A Simple Way to Pray, for a Good Friend." This is a short but excellent instruction on how the first three chief parts of the Catechism should be used for prayer.

How readily Luther was willing to lend a hand toward union with the Reformed, without prejudice to sound doctrine, may be seen again in the so-called Wittenberg Concord. In the year 1536, shortly before Pentecost, several Reformed theologians, among them Bucer, were sent to Wittenberg to confer once more with Luther and the other theologians concerning the article on the Holy Supper. In his opening remarks Luther explained why he had until then been obliged to doubt the sincerity of the other side's intentions, and declared expressly to Bucer that if he were not sincere, it would be better to abandon altogether the idea of a Concord, so that the evil might not grow worse and their descendants not have to lament over such a deception. When Bucer, somewhat taken aback, assured him that his intention was sincere, and sought to excuse what had happened, Luther demanded that they publicly recant, as unchristian, the doctrine of the Holy Supper they had hitherto taught, and promise to accept and teach the true doctrine of it together with the Lutheran Church; they were to say plainly and clearly that in the Sacrament the body and blood of Christ are truly present in the bread and wine, even when the one who distributes or receives it is unworthy. These and other points were then drawn up by Melanchthon and were signed by all the Reformed and Lutheran theologians present, and also publicly read from the pulpit.

Some of the Reformed expressed their joy over this Concord, but the Swiss would not accept it, and instead issued a new counter-writing; yet before long Bucer too began to waver again, and even Melanchthon and others who sided with him secretly undertook various things by which they gave much support to departures from sound doctrine, thereby doing great harm, and causing Luther, even in his last years, much grief. —

(To be continued.)

Response to the Latest Defense of the Union.

(Continued.)

In the last number of Der Lutheraner we asserted that Mr. Nollau has still not awakened to an understanding of the scriptural doctrine of the Church; further, that he has not grasped our exposition of the doctrine of the Church, and has therefore all the less refuted it, but has unfortunately fought against an enemy that exists nowhere but in his own thoughts. It is now our task to prove these our assertions.

Mr. N. cites, on page 7, from "Der Lutheraner" these our words: "We are not willing to grant that there are many true churches"; to this Mr. Nollau replies: "Neither are we; but the one true Church of Christ is precisely the invisible one, the multitude of believers whom the Lord alone knows as His own and who are scattered over the whole earth; the other, the visible one, is the whole of Christendom." Had Mr. N. truly been aware of what he was saying by conceding that there is only one true Church, this ought to have led him to conclusions quite different from those he has in fact reached. For what are the inferences Mr. N. draws from that principle? He says: "We must either assume that there is no true, orthodox church, because even the Lutheran Church does not absolutely possess the one correct interpretation of Holy Scripture, or we must also grant to other churches the honor of orthodoxy." (pp. 18–19.) Mr. N. therefore further says: when certain communions "have taken away from it or added to it this or that" (cf. Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18–19), this "this and that" is denoted by "the wood, hay, and stubble of the apostle in 1 Corinthians 3:12 etc., which, alongside gold, silver, and precious stones, is built upon the one foundation, Jesus Christ." (p. 27.) Following p. 30, one therefore may also not deny to the Reformed and to all others "that they confess the faith purely and fully"; and on p. 34 it is asserted of every church, and hence also of the church that errs in doctrine, that "the foundation of the Church is Christ and his Gospel." On pp. 25–26 Mr. N. — using for this purpose the words of a certain Mr. Stier — speaks first of the Christian Church which we confess believing in the Third Article, and says of it that all now belong to it "who outwardly, together with one another, confess faith in the triune God according to the revelation of Jesus Christ, etc., however great the defects that have crept in