,,the ,,way ,,of ,,salvation ,,in ,,the ,,lutheran ,,church4 ,,by ,,rev4 ,g4,h4 ,,gerberding1 ,a4,m41 ,,pastor ,,of ,,st4 ,,mark',s ,,evangelical ,,lutheran ,,church1 ,,fargo1 ,,dakota4 ,,written ,,for ,,the ,,common ,,people4 ,,with ,,an ,,introduction ,,by ,,rev4 ,m4 ,,rhodes1 ,d4,d4 ,,published ,,for ,,the ,,author4 ,,eleventh ,,thousand4 ,,revised ,,and ,,improved ,,lutheran ,,publication ,,society1 ,,philadelphia1 ,,pa4 ,,copyrighted1 #ahhg1 ,,by ,g4,h4 ,,gerberding4 ,,all ,,rights ,,reserved4 ,,to ,,the ,,united ,,english ,,lutheran ,,church ,,of ,,the ,,future2 ,,joined ,,together ,,in ,,the ,,bonds ,,of ,,one ,,faith1 ,,actuated ,,by ,,one ,,spirit1 ,,working ,,hand ,,in ,,hand ,,and ,,heart ,,with ,,heart ,,in ,,one ,,general ,,body1 ,,this ,,book ,,is ,,hopefully ,,dedicated ,,by ,,the ,,author ,,contents4 ,,page ,,introduction 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 44444444444 #i ,,prefatory ,,scripture ,,passages 44444444444444444444444444444444444 #aa ,,chapter ,i4 ,all are ,sinners 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 44444444 #ac ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,all that is ,born of the ,flesh must be ,born of the ,spirit 4444444 #ai ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,present1 a ,dispensation of ,means 444444444444444444444444444 #bf ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,baptism1 a ,divinely ,instituted ,means of ,grace 444444444444444444 #cc ,,chapter ,v4 ,the ,baptismal ,covenant can be kept unbroken--,aim and ,responsibility of ,parents 444444444444444444444444444444444444 #da ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,home ,influence and ,training in their ,relation to the ,keeping of the ,baptismal ,covenant 444444444444444444444444444444444444444 #dh ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,the ,sunday ,school in its ,relation to the ,baptized ,children of ,christian ,parents 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 4444 #ee ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,the ,sunday ,school--,its relation to those in ,covenant ,relationship with ,christ1 and also to the ,unbaptized and ,wandering 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 44444444 #fc ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,catechisation 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 4444444444 #fi ,,chapter ,x4 ,contents1 ,arrangement and ,excellence of ,luther's ,small ,catechism 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 444444 #ge ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,manner and ,object of ,teaching ,luther's ,catechism 444444444444444 #hb ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,confirmation 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 44444444444 #hi ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,the ,lord's ,supper--,preliminary ,observations 44444444444444444444 #ig ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,the ,lord's ,supper1 ,continued 44444444444444444444444444444444444 #ajc ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,the ,lord's ,supper1 ,concluded 44444444444444444444444444444444444 #aji ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,the ,preparatory ,service1 ,sometimes ,called the ,confessional ,service 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 4 #abj ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,the ,word as a ,means of ,grace 44444444444444444444444444444444444 #acj ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,conversion--,its ,nature and ,necessity 444444444444444444444444444 #ach ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,conversion--,varied ,phenomena or ,experiences 44444444444444444444 #ade ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,conversion--,human ,agency 444444444444444444444444444444444444444 #aed ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,justification 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 4444444444 #afc ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,sanctification 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 444444444 #agd ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,revivals 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 444444444444444 #ahc ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,modern ,revivals 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 44444444 #aia ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,modern ,revivals1 ,continued 4444444444444444444444444444444444444 #bjj ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,modern ,revivals1 ,concluded 4444444444444444444444444444444444444 #bji ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,true ,revivals 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 4444444444 #bbj ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,conclusion 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 4444444444444 #bbi ,my ,church6 ,my ,church6 ,my dear ,old ,church6 4444444444444444444444 #bch ,,introduction4 ,i take pleasure in commending this unpretentious volume to the prayerful attention of all ,english-speaking ministers and members of the ,lutheran ,church4 ,the aim of the author is to present a clear1 concise1 and yet comprehensive view as possible1 of the way of salvation as taught in the ,scriptures1 and held by the ,lutheran ,church4 ,that he has accomplished his task so as to make it throughout an illustration of the truth as it is in ,jesus1 and a correct testimony to the faith of the ,church of which he is an honored minister1 ,i believe will appear to all who read with an unbiased mind1 and a knowledge of the sources of information from which he has drawn4 ,there is always need for such a candid and considerate statement of fundamental truth as this4 ,the signs of the times clearly indicate that there is no security for the ,church save in maintaining the ,apostolic faith and spirit--not the one without the other1 but the one with the other4 ,the supremacy of the ,scriptures needs to be recognized with a mightier emphasis1 not only of the intellect1 but also of the heart4 ,this vital conjunction is maintained in this book4 ,i am certain that a clear view of the way of salvation as taught by the ,scriptures and held by the ,church will go far not only toward correcting wrong impressions1 but will tend to the relief of much mental perplexity1 and to the increase of that much-needed spirit of unity throughout our ,church1 the want of which is not only the greatest reflection on her noble history and holy faith1 but the greatest hindrance to her important mission4 ,a kindly ,christ-like spirit pervades this book1 which is no small testimony to its worth4 ,those who stand up for the truth do not always illustrate its spirit4 ,not all who might desire greater unity in the ,church are qualified to promote it4 ,the author of this little treatise has not only manifested the proper spirit1 but he has shown as well the faculty of using it for the increase of harmony1 without the least disloyalty to the ,scriptures1 or to the standards of the ,church4 ,the appeal throughout is to the ,word of ,god4 ,the faith of the ,church is subjected to this test1 and it is maintained because it endures the test4 ,these chapters present a continuity of thought which should not be lost sight of in the reading4 ,in order to a correct verdict1 they should not be read with such discrimination as would accept some and reject others1 but from the first to the last in order4 ,that this little book may be owned of ,god to the establishment of the faith of the ,lutheran ,church1 and for the promotion of a more manifest unity among those who bear her name1 is a prayer in which ,i am sure many will join the author of this work1 and the writer of this introductory note4 ,m4 ,,rhodes4 ,,st4 ,,louis1 ,,mo41 ,march1 #ahhg4 ,,prefatory ,,scripture ,,passages4 ,to the ,law and to the ,testimony2 if they speak not according to this ,word1 it is because there is no light in them4-- ,isa4 viii4 #bj4 ,thus saith the ,lord2 ,stand ye in the ways1 and see1 and ask for the old paths1 where is the good way and walk therein1 and ye shall find rest for your souls4--,jer4 vi4 #af4 ,that we henceforth be no more children1 tossed to and fro1 and carried about with every wind of doctrine1 by the sleight of men1 and cunning craftiness1 whereby they lie in wait to deceive4 ,but speaking the truth in love1 may grow up into ,him in all things1 which is the ,head1 even ,christ4--,eph4 iv4 #ad4 ,be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines2 for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace4-- ,heb4 xiii4 #i4 ,take heed unto thyself1 and unto the doctrine2 continue in them2 for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee4--#a ,tim4 iv4 #af4 ,hold fast the form of sound words1 which thou hast heard of me1 in faith and love which is in ,christ ,jesus4--#b ,tim4 i4 #ac4 ,and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you1 with meekness and fear4--#a ,pet4 iii4 #ae4 ,beloved1 when ,i gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation1 it was needful for me to write unto you1 and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith1 which was once delivered unto the saints4--,jude #c4 ,for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine2 but after their own lusts they shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears2 and they shall turn their ears away from the truth1 and shall be turned unto fables4--#b ,tim4 iv4 #c1 #d4 ,whosoever transgresseth1 and abideth not in the doctrine of ,christ1 hath not ,god4 ,he that abideth in the doctrine of ,christ1 he hath both the ,father and the ,son4 ,if there come any unto you1 and bring not this doctrine1 receive him not into your house1 neither bid him ,god-speed4 ,for he that biddeth him ,god-speed is partaker of his evil deeds4--#b ,john #i4 #aj1 #aa4 ,for ,i testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book1 ,if any man shall add unto these things1 ,god shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book2 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy1 ,god shall take away his part out of the book of life1 and out of the holy city1 and from the things which are written in this book4--,rev4 xxii4 #ah1 #ai4 ,,the ,,way ,,of ,,salvation4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,all ,,are ,,sinners4 ,some time ago we overheard from a person who should have known better1 remarks something like these3 ,i wonder how sinners are saved in the ,lutheran ,church8 ,i do not hear of any being converted in the ,lutheran ,church1 and such like4 ,these words called to mind similar sentiments that we heard expressed long ago4 ,more than once was the remark made in our hearing that in certain churches sinners were saved1 because converted and sanctified1 while it was at least doubtful whether any one could find such blessings in the ,lutheran ,church4 ,the writer also freely confesses1 that in those days1 surrounded by such influences1 his feet had well-nigh slipped--his steps were almost gone4 ,therefore1 he can sympathize with those honest questioners1 who have not had the privileges of instruction in the doctrines of sin and ,grace1 and who are consequently in the dark4 ,he has1 therefore1 concluded to write a series of plain1 practical papers on the ,way of ,salvation in the ,lutheran ,church4 ,it will be his endeavor to set forth the manner or method through which the ,church of the ,reformation proposes to reach the sinner1 and apply to him the redemption that is in ,christ ,jesus4 ,the first question that presents itself is3 ,who are the subjects of salvation8 ,the answer clearly is3 ,all sinners4 ,but1 again3 ,whom does this embrace8 ,the answer to this is not so unanimous4 ,the views already begin to diverge4 ,true1 there is quite a substantial harmony on this point1 among all the older ,protestant ,confessions of faith1 but the harmony is not so manifest among the professed adherents of these ,confessions4 ,in many of the denominations there is a widespread skepticism as to the reality of original sin1 or native depravity4 ,doubtless on this point the wish is father to the thought4 ,the doctrine that1 after ,adam's fall1 all men begotten after the common course of nature1 are born with sin1 is not palatable4 ,it grates harshly on the human ear4 ,it is so humbling to the pride of man's heart1 and therefore he tries to persuade himself that it is not true4 ,it has become fashionable to deny it4 ,from the pulpit1 from the press1 from the pages of our most popular writers1 we hear the old-fashioned doctrine denounced as unworthy of this enlightened age4 ,thus the heresy has spread1 and is spreading4 ,on every hand we meet men who stand high in their churches1 spurning the idea that their children are sinners1 and need to be saved4 ,their creed is3 ,i believe in the purity and innocence of childhood1 and in its fitness for the kingdom of heaven1 without any change or application of divine ,grace4 ,ah6 yes1 we would all like to have this creed true4 ,but is it true8 ,if not1 our believing it will not make it true4 ,then let us go to the law and the testimony2 to the source and fountain of all truth1 the inspired ,word of ,god4 ,listen to its sad but plain statements4 ,job xv4 #ad3 ,what is man that he should be clean8 and he which is born of a woman that he should be righteous8 ,ps4 li4 #e3 ,behold ,i was shapen in iniquity1 and in sin did my mother conceive me4 ,john iii4 #f3 ,that which is born of the flesh is flesh4 ,ephesians ii4 #c3 ,among whom also we all 444 were by nature--i4e4 by birth--the children of wrath even as others4 ,these are a few of the many clear1 plain statements of the divine ,word4 ,nowhere does it teach that children are born pure1 righteous and fit for heaven4 ,the ,lutheran church1 then1 teaches and confesses nothing but the pure truth of ,god's ,word in the ,augsburg ,confession1 ,article ,,ii41 where it says3 ,also they teach1 that after ,adam's fall all men1 begotten after the common course of nature1 are born with sin1 etc4 ,also ,smalcald ,articles1 ,part ,,iii41 ,article ,i3 ,here we must confess1 that sin originated from one man ,adam1 by whose disobedience all were made sinners and subject to death and the devil4 ,this is called original or capital sin4444 ,this hereditary sin is so deep a corruption of nature that no reason can understand it1 but it must be believed from the revelation of ,scripture1 etc4 ,so also the ,formula of ,concord1 ,chapter ,i41 ,of ,original ,sin1 where see a full presentation of our faith and its foundation4 ,also ,luther's ,explanation of the ,second ,article of the ,apostles' ,creed where he says3 ,who--,christ--has redeemed me1 a poor1 lost and condemned creature1 secured and delivered me from all sins1 from death1 and from the power of the devil4 ,this1 then is the teaching of our ,church1 as founded on the ,word of ,god4 ,that this doctrine is true1 beyond the possibility of a doubt1 we can learn even from reason4 ,it will not be disputed that what is in the child will show itself as it develops4 ,the germs that lie hidden there will unfold and bring forth their proper and natural fruit4 ,by its fruits we can know even the child4 ,and what are these fruits8 ,how long will it be before that helpless and seemingly innocent babe1 that slumbers on its mother's breast1 will show symptoms of anger1 jealousy1 stubbornness and disobedience8 ,let that child alone1 and1 without a teacher1 it will learn to lie1 deceive1 steal1 curse1 give pain to others1 etc4 ,but1 without a teacher1 it will not learn to pray1 confess wrong1 and fear1 love and trust in ,god above all things4 ,are these the symptoms and evidences of inward purity1 or of inbred sin8 ,again1 that child is subject to sickness1 suffering and death4 ,as soon as it draws its first breath its life is a struggle4 ,it must contend against the inroads of disease4 ,its little body is attacked by dire maladies4 ,it is weakened by suffering and often racked by pain4 ,and how frequently the feeble life succumbs and the lately-born infant dies4 ,how can we account for this on the ground of infant sinlessness8 ,do we not all believe that suffering and death are the results of sin8 ,is there1 can there be suffering and death where there is no sin8 ,no2 the wages of sin is death4 ,but this wages is never exacted where the work of sin has not been done4 ,the conclusion then is irresistible4 ,the child is a sinner4 ,it needs salvation4 ,it must be reached by saving ,grace4 ,it must be counted in4 ,it is one of the subjects of salvation1 and must be brought into the ,way of ,salvation4 ,the ,church is the ,bride of ,christ1 the institution through which ,christ brings and applies this ,grace to the children of men4 ,she must begin with the child4 ,she must reach down to the tender infant and carry the cleansing and life-giving ,grace of the ,redeemer even into its sin-sick soul4 ,how is this to be done8 ,how does the ,lutheran ,church propose to reach that child8 ,this we shall try to answer as we advance4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,all ,,that ,,is ,,born ,,of ,,the ,,flesh ,,must ,,be ,,born ,,of ,,the ,,spirit4 ,in the former chapter we have shown1 from ,scripture and from reason1 that our ,church teaches only the plain truth1 when she confesses that3 ,after ,adam's fall1 all men1 begotten after the common course of nature1 are born with sin4 ,as a sinful being the new-born infant is not in the ,way of ,salvation4 ,by its natural birth1 from sinful parents1 it is not in the kingdom of ,god1 but in the realm and under the dominion of sin1 death and the devil4 ,if left to itself--to the undisturbed development of its own nature1 it must miserably and hopelessly perish4 ,true1 there is a relative innocence4 ,the ,apostle exhorts3 ,be ye followers of ,god1 as dear children4 ,in malice be ye children4 ,our blessed ,saviour1 on several occasions1 rebuked the vain1 ambitious spirit of the disciples by contrasting it with the spirit of a little child4 ,he said3 ,of such is the kingdom of heaven1 and ,except ye be converted1 and become as little children1 ye cannot enter the kingdom of heaven4 ,these passages are generally quoted by those who refuse to believe the doctrine of ,original ,sin1 as though they taught sinlessness and entire fitness for the kingdom4 ,but if we accept this interpretation1 then the ,scriptures contradict themselves2 for we have seen that1 in many places1 they clearly teach the opposite4 ,these passages can only mean that children are relatively innocent4 ,compared with the forbidding1 haughty1 loveless disciples1 little children are much better subjects for the kingdom4 ,while the roots of sin are there1 that sin has not yet done its hardening work4 ,they do not wilfully resist the good4 ,they are much more tender1 docile1 trustful and loving4 ,the ,grace of ,god has less to overcome in them4 ,they are more easily reached1 and thus are fit subjects to be brought into the kingdom of ,god4 ,in this sense only can it be said1 ,suffer the little children to come unto me1 that ,i may touch them1 bless them1 impart my ,grace to them1 and thus make them partakers of my kingdom4 ,of such is the kingdom because ,i desire and purpose to bring them into the kingdom4 ,thus far we can safely go4 ,this much in favor of the child1 over against the adult1 we freely admit4 ,but this does not say that the child is innocent1 pure and holy by nature4 ,the undeveloped roots and germs of sin are still there4 ,its nature is evil4 ,it must be saved from that moral nature4 ,how8 ,here again we meet those who have a very easy solution of the difficulty4 ,they say3 ,admitting that the child has sin1 this will in no way endanger its salvation1 because ,christ died to take away sin4 ,they have no conscious sin4 ,therefore1 the atonement of ,christ covers their case1 and1 without anything further1 they pass into heaven1 if they die in their infancy4 ,this view seems to satisfy a great many well-meaning people4 ,without giving the matter any further thought1 they dismiss it with this easy solution4 ,surely1 did they stop to consider and examine this theory1 they would see it has no foundation4 ,christ's atonement alone1 and in itself1 never saved a soul4 ,it removed the obstacles that were in the way of our salvation1 opened the way back to our ,father's house1 purchased forgiveness and salvation for us4 ,but all this profits the sinner nothing1 so long as he is not brought into that way2 so long as the salvation is not applied to him personally4 ,neither can we speak of salvation being applied to an unrenewed1 sinful nature4 ,we cannot even conceive of forgiveness for an unregenerate being4 ,this would1 indeed1 be to take away the guilt of sin1 while its power remained4 ,it would be to save the sinner in and with his sin4 ,the position is utterly groundless4 ,it is even contrary to reason4 ,it assumes that a being who has in his heart1 as a very part of his nature1 the roots and germs of sin1 can1 with that heart unchanged1 enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,it makes ,god look upon sin with allowance4 ,it does violence to the holiness of ,his nature4 ,it makes heaven the abode of the unclean4 ,no1 no4 ,it will not do4 ,when men try to avoid what seem to them difficult and unwelcome doctrines of ,god's ,word1 they run into far greater difficulties and contradictions4 ,that child is conceived and born in sin4 ,it is a child of wrath1 dead in trespasses and in sins4 ,its nature must be cleansed and renewed4 ,otherwise1 if it can be saved as it is1 there are unregenerate souls in heaven6 ,better abide by what is written1 and believe that every one1 infant or adult1 who has been born of the flesh1 must be born of the ,spirit4 ,listen to the earnest words of ,jesus as he emphasizes them with that solemn double affirmation1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4 ,he repeats this sweeping declaration a second time4 ,in the ,greek it reads1 ,except any one be born again4 ,the assertion is intended to embrace every human being4 ,lest this should be disputed1 ,jesus further says1 ,that which is born of the flesh--i4e41 naturally born--is flesh1 and that which is born of the ,spirit is spirit4 ,wherever there is a birth of the flesh1 there must be a birth of the ,spirit4 ,the flesh-born cannot even see the kingdom of ,god1 much less enjoy it1 still less possess it4 ,there must be new life1 divine life1 spiritual life breathed into that fleshly1 carnal nature4 ,thus will there be a new heart2 a new spirit1 a new creature4 ,then1 and not till then1 can there be comprehension1 apprehension and appreciation of the things of the kingdom of ,god4 ,this is the teaching of the whole ,word of ,god4 ,gal4 vi4 #ae3 ,for in ,christ ,jesus neither circumcision availeth anything1 nor uncircumcision1 but a new creature--i4e41 neither ,jewish birth nor ,gentile birth1 without the new birth4 ,here also then our ,church confesses the pure truth of ,god's ,word1 when1 in the second ,article of the ,augsburg ,confession1 as quoted above1 she goes on to say3 ,and this disease1 or original fault1 is truly sin1 condemning and bringing eternal death upon all that are not born again4 ,here then we take our stand4 ,no child can be saved unless it be first reached by renewing ,grace4 ,if ever an infant did die1 or should die1 in that state in which it was born1 unchanged by divine ,grace1 that infant is lost4 ,there are1 there can be1 no unregenerate souls in heaven4 ,where there is no infant regeneration1 there can be no infant salvation4 ,here also we remark1 in passing1 that this doctrine1 of the absolute necessity of infant regeneration1 is not held by the ,lutheran ,church alone4 ,even the ,romish and ,greek ,churches teach that it is impossible for any human creature1 without a change from that condition in which he was born1 to enter heaven4 ,all the great historic confessions of the ,protestant churches confess the same truth4 ,even the ,calvinistic ,baptists confess the necessity of infant regeneration4 ,in short all churches that have paid much attention to theology1 and have been careful to have consistent systems of doctrine1 agree on this point4 ,however much those who call themselves by their names may deny it1 in their preaching and in their conversation1 their own confessions of faith and their greatest and best theologians clearly teach it4 ,yes1 there must be infant regeneration4 ,but is it possible8 ,can the ,grace of ,god reach the helpless infant8 ,will ,he reach down and make it a new creature in ,christ ,jesus8 ,has ,he made provision for this end8 ,yes1 thanks be to his abounding ,grace1 we believe ,he can and will save the child1 and has committed to ,his spouse1 the ,church1 a means of ,grace for this purpose4 ,he1 of whom it was prophesied long before ,he came1 that ,he would gather the lambs in ,his arms and carry them in ,his bosom2 who made it the first duty of the reinstated apostle to feed ,his lambs1 must have a special care for them4 ,it is not ,his or ,his ,father's will that one of them should perish4 ,he has made provision for these sin-stricken ones1 whereby ,his ,grace can reach down to renew and heal them4 ,there is ,balm in ,gilead4 ,the ,great ,physician is there4 ,the ,church need only apply ,his divine1 life-giving remedy4 ,of this we will speak in the next chapter4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,present1 ,a ,,dispensation ,,of ,,means4 ,we have seen that the carnal1 sinful nature of the child unfits it for the kingdom of heaven2 that1 therefore1 there must be a change in that nature1 even the birth of a new life1 and the life of a new creature1 before there can be either part or lot in the kingdom of ,god4 ,we have also expressed our firm conviction that it is the good and gracious will of ,god in ,christ to bestow upon the poor sin-sick and unholy child the ,grace needed to so change it as to make it a partaker of ,his great salvation4 ,we do not deem it necessary to stop to multiply scripture passages and arguments to prove this4 ,from beginning to end1 the divine ,word everywhere represents our ,god as a most loving1 gracious1 compassionate and tender ,being4 ,the tenor of the whole record is1 that ,he delights in showing mercy1 forgiving iniquity1 and bestowing the ,grace that bringeth salvation4 ,he only punishes when justice absolutely demands it1 and then reluctantly4 ,it is not ,his will that any should perish4 ,beyond controversy1 ,god is willing to save the little helpless sufferers from sin1 by making them subjects of ,his kingdom of ,grace here1 and thus of ,his kingdom of glory hereafter4 ,but can ,he8 ,is ,he able to reach down to that unconscious little child1 apply to it the benefits of the atonement1 impart to it the ,grace of the new life1 subdue the power of sin1 and remove entirely its guilt8 ,we are almost ashamed to ask such questions4 ,and yet the humiliating fact is1 that day by day1 in every village and on every highway of our land1 we can hear men and women1 professing to be ,christians and calling themselves members of ,christ's ,church1 gravely asserting that their ,redeemer cannot so bless a little child as to change its sinful nature6 ,if hard pressed1 these persons1 so wise in their own conceits1 may admit that ,he can change a child's nature if ,he so wills1 but they still feel certain that he cannot do so through ,his own sacrament1 instituted for that very purpose6 ,thus would they limit the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 and say to ,omnipotence3 ,hitherto canst ,thou come1 but no farther4 ,with such people1 wise above what is written1 knowing better than ,christ1 practically1 even if not intentionally1 charging the ,son of ,god with folly1 we desire no controversy4 ,let them overthrow the very foundations of redemption if they will4 ,let them argue that all things are not possible with ,god if they dare4 ,we still prefer to believe that the ,spirit of ,god can change1 renew and regenerate the new-born child4 ,in ,matt4 iii4 #i1 we read2 ,for ,i say unto you that ,god is able of these stones to raise up children unto ,abraham1 i4e41 as the connection shows1 spiritual children of ,abraham1 true children of ,god4 ,we may not be able to understand the process by which ,god could change the rough1 hard stones of the field into true children of ,god1 but we believe it1 because the ,word says so4 ,and believing that1 it is not hard for us to believe that ,he can impart ,his own divine life to the heart of the child1 and thus make it a new creature in ,christ ,jesus4 ,he could1 if it so pleased ,him1 do it without any means4 ,by a mere act of ,his will1 ,god could recreate the human soul4 ,he could do so by a word1 as ,he created the universe4 ,without the contact of any outward means1 without the bringing of ,his word to them in any way1 ,christ healed the ruler's son and the daughter of the ,syro-,phenician woman4 ,but if ,he can do this without means1 who will say that ,he cannot do the same thing through means8 ,since1 then1 ,he can accomplish his own purposes of ,grace either with or without means1 it only remains for us to inquire1 in what way has it pleased ,god to work8 ,does ,he in the present dispensation work mediately or immediately8 ,it will scarcely be disputed that the present is a dispensation of means--that even in the domain of nature1 and much more in the realm of ,grace1 ,he ordinarily carries out ,his purposes through means4 ,he chooses ,his own means4 ,they may sometimes seem foolishness to man1 especially in the operations of ,his ,grace4 ,our ,saviour1 in working miracles1 used some means that must have struck those interested as very unsuitable4 ,when ,he healed the man blind from his birth1 ,he mixed spittle and clay1 and with this strange ointment1 anointed and opened his eyes4 ,well might the blind man have said3 ,what good can a little earth mixed with spittle do8 ,yet it pleased our ,lord to use it as a means1 in working that stupendous miracle4 ,when ,jesus asked for the five barley loaves and two small fishes1 to feed the five thousand1 even an apostle said3 ,what are these among so many8 ,yes1 what are they8 ,in the hands of a mere man1 nothing--nay1 worse than nothing2 only enough to taunt the hungry thousands and become a cause of strife and riot4 ,but in the hands of the ,son of ,god1 with ,his blessing on them1 taken from ,his hands1 and distributed according to ,his ,word1 they became a feast in the wilderness4 ,a poor woman1 a sufferer for twelve years1 craves healing from our ,lord4 ,with a woman's faith1 timid though strong1 she presses through the crowd close to ,jesus1 and with her trembling bony fingers touches the hem of ,his garment4 ,jesus perceives that virtue is gone out of ,him4 ,the woman perceives that virtue1 healing and life are come into her4 ,there was a transfer from ,christ's blessed life-giving body1 into the diseased suffering body of the woman4 ,and what was the medium of the transfer8 ,the fringe of ,his garment--a piece of cloth4 ,yes1 if it so pleases the mighty ,god1 the everlasting ,saviour1 ,he can use a piece of cloth as a means to transfer healing and life from ,himself to a suffering one4 ,the same divine ,saviour now works through means4 ,he has founded a ,church1 ordained a ministry1 and instituted the preaching of the ,word and the administration of ,his own sacraments4 ,christ now works in and through ,his ,church4 ,through her ministry1 preaching the ,word1 and administering the sacraments1 the ,holy ,spirit is given4 7,augsburg ,confession1 ,article #e47 ,when ,christ sent forth ,his apostles to make disciples of all nations1 ,he instructed them how they were to do it4 ,the commission correctly translated1 as we have it in the ,revised ,new ,testament reads thus3 ,go ye1 therefore1 and make disciples of all the nations1 baptising them into the name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost2 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever ,i commanded you2 and lo1 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world4 ,here then is the ,saviour's explicit instruction4 ,the ,apostles are to make disciples4 ,this is the object of their mission4 ,how are they to do it8 ,by baptizing them into the name of the triune ,god1 and teaching them to observe all ,christ's commands4 ,this is ,christ's own appointed way of applying ,his ,grace to sinful men1 and bringing them out of a state of sin into a state of grace4 ,and this is the ,way of ,salvation in the ,lutheran ,church4 ,we begin with the child1 who needs ,grace4 ,we begin by baptizing that child into ,christ4 ,we1 therefore1 lay much stress on baptism4 ,we teach our people that it is sinful1 if not perilous1 to neglect the baptism of their children4 ,the ,lutheran ,church attaches more importance to this divine ordinance than any other ,protestant denomination4 ,while all around us there has been a weakening and yielding on this point2 while the spirit of our age and country scorns the idea of a child receiving divine ,grace through baptism2 while it has become offensive to the popular ear to speak of baptismal ,grace1 our ,church1 wherever she has been and is true to herself1 stands to-day where ,martin ,luther and his co-workers stood1 where the confessors of ,augsburg stood1 and where the framers of the ,book of ,concord stood4 ,the world still asks3 ,what good can a little water do8 ,we answer1 first of all3 ,baptism is not simply water1 but it is the water comprehended in ,god's command1 and connected with ,god's ,word4 7,luther's ,small ,catechism47 ,the ,lutheran ,church knows of no baptism that is only a little water4 ,we cannot speak of such a baptism4 ,let it be clearly understood that when we speak of baptism1 we speak of it as defined above1 by ,luther4 ,we cannot separate the water from the ,word4 ,we would not dare to baptize with water without the ,word4 ,in the words of ,luther1 that would be simply water1 and no baptism4 ,let it be kept constantly in mind that whatever benefits and effects we ascribe to baptism1 in the further forcible words of ,luther's ,catechism3 ,it is not the water1 indeed1 that produces these effects1 but the ,word of ,god which accompanies and is connected with the water1 and our faith which relies on the ,word of ,god connected with the water4 ,if now the question is further asked3 ,what good can baptism as thus defined do8 we will try to answer1 or1 rather1 we will let ,god's ,word answer4 ,what saith the ,scripture8 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,baptism1 ,a ,,divinely ,,appointed ,,means ,,of ,,grace4 ,when we inquire into the benefits and blessings which the ,word of ,god connects with baptism1 we must be careful to obtain the true sense and necessary meaning of its declarations4 ,it is not enough to pick out an isolated passage or two1 give them a sense of our own1 and forthwith build on them a theory or doctrine4 ,in this way the ,holy ,scriptures have been made to teach and support the gravest errors and most dangerous heresies4 ,in this way1 many persons wrest the ,scriptures to their own destruction4 ,on this important point our ,church has laid down certain plain1 practical1 safe and sound principles4 ,by keeping in mind1 and following these fundamental directions1 in the interpretation of the divine ,word1 the plainest searcher of the ,scriptures can save himself from great confusion1 perplexity and doubt4 ,one of the first and most important principle1 insisted on by our theologians and the framers of our ,confessions1 is that a passage of ,scripture is always to be taken in its natural1 plain and literal sense1 unless there is something in the text itself1 or in the context1 that clearly indicates that it is intended to convey a figurative sense4 ,again3 ,a passage is never to be torn from its connection1 but is to be studied in connection with what goes before and follows after4 ,again--and this is of the greatest importance--,scripture is to be interpreted by ,scripture4 ,as ,quenstedt says3 ,passages which need explanation can and should be explained by other passages that are more clear1 and thus the ,scripture itself furnishes an interpretation of obscure expressions1 when a comparison of these is made with those that are more clear4 ,so that ,scripture is explained by ,scripture4 ,according to these principles1 we ought never to be fully certain that any doctrine is scriptural1 until we have examined all that the divine ,word says on the subject4 ,in this manner then we wish to answer the question with which we started this chapter3 ,what is written as to the benefits and blessings conferred in baptism8 ,we have already referred to the commission given to the ,apostles in ,matt1 xxviii4 #ai4 ,we have seen that in that commission our ,lord makes baptism one of the means through which the ,holy ,spirit operates in making men ,his disciples4 ,in ,mark xvi4 #af1 he says3 ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved4 ,in ,john iii4 #e1 he says3 ,except a man--i4e41 any one--be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter the kingdom of ,god4 ,in ,acts ii4 #ch1 the ,apostle says3 ,repent and be baptized every one of you for the remission of your sins4 ,acts xxii4 #af3 ,arise and be baptized1 and wash away thy sins1 calling on the name of the ,lord4 ,romans vi4 #c3 ,know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into ,christ1 were baptized into ,his death4 ,gal4 iii4 #bg3 ,for as many of you as have been baptized into ,christ1 have put on ,christ4 ,eph4 v4 #be-bf3 ,christ also loved the ,church1 and gave himself for it1 that ,he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the ,word4 ,col4 ii4 #ab3 ,buried with ,him in baptism1 wherein ye are also risen with ,him through the faith of the operation of ,god4 ,tit4 iii4 #e3 ,according to ,his mercy ,he saved us by the washing of regeneration1 and renewing of the ,holy ,ghost4 #a ,pet4 iii4 #ba3 ,the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us2 not the putting away of the filth of the flesh1 but the answer of a good conscience toward ,god1 by the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ4 ,these are the principal passages which treat of the subject of baptism4 ,there are a few other passages in which baptism is merely mentioned1 but not explained4 ,there is not one passage that teaches any thing different from those quoted4 ,all we now ask of the reader is to examine these passages carefully1 to compare them one with the other and to ask himself3 ,what do they teach8 ,what is the meaning which a plain1 unprejudiced reader1 who has implicit confidence in the ,word and power of ,god1 would derive from them8 ,can he say1 ,there is nothing in baptism8 ,it is of no consequence4 ,it is only a ,church ceremony1 without any particular blessing in it4 ,or do the words clearly teach it is nothing more than a sign--an outward sign--of an invisible grace8 ,look again at the expressions of these passages4 ,we desire to be clear here1 because this is one of the points on which the ,lutheran ,church to-day differs from so many others4 ,jesus mentions water as well as ,spirit1 when speaking of the new birth4 ,make disciples1 7by7 baptizing them4 ,be baptized for the remission of your sins4 ,be baptized and wash away thy sin4 ,baptized into ,christ4 ,by baptism put on ,christ4 ,christ designs to sanctify and cleanse the ,church with the washing of water by the ,word4 ,washing of regeneration and renewing of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,baptism doth also now save us4 ,the language is certainly strong and plain4 ,any principle of interpretation1 by which baptismal ,grace and regeneration can be explained out of these passages1 will overthrow every doctrine of our holy ,christian faith4 ,our ,catechism here also teaches nothing but the pure truth of the ,word1 when it asserts that baptism worketh forgiveness of sins1 delivers from death and the devil1 and confers everlasting life and salvation on all who believe1 as the ,word and promise of ,god declare4 ,our solid and impregnable ,augsburg ,confession1 also1 when in ,article ,,ii4 it confesses that the new birth by baptism and the ,holy ,spirit delivers from the power and penalty of original sin4 ,also in ,article ,,ix41 of baptism they teach that it is necessary to salvation1 and that by baptism the ,grace of ,god is offered1 and that children are to be baptized1 who by baptism being offered to ,god1 are received into ,god's favor4 ,and so with all our other confessional writings4 ,the question might here be asked3 ,is baptism so absolutely essential to salvation1 that unbaptized children are lost8 ,to this we would briefly reply1 that the very men who drew up our ,confessions deny emphatically that it is thus absolutely necessary4 ,luther1 ,melanchthon1 ,bugenhagen and others1 repudiate the idea that an unbaptized infant is lost4 ,no single acknowledged theologian of the ,lutheran ,church ever taught this repulsive doctrine4 ,why then does our ,confession say baptism is necessary to salvation8 ,it is necessary in the same sense in which it is necessary to use all ,christ's ordinances4 ,the necessity is ordinary1 not absolute4 ,ordinarily ,christ bestows ,his ,grace on the child through baptism1 as the means or channel through which the ,holy ,spirit is conferred4 ,but when1 through no fault of its own1 this is not applied1 ,he can reach it in some other way4 ,as we have seen above1 ,he is not so limited to certain means1 that ,his ,grace cannot operate without them4 ,the only thing on which our ,church insists in the case of a child as absolutely necessary1 is the new birth4 ,ordinarily this is effected1 by the ,holy ,spirit1 through baptism1 as the means of ,grace4 ,when the means1 however1 cannot be applied1 the ,spirit of ,god can effect this new birth in some other way4 ,he is not bound to means4 ,and from what we have learned above of the will of ,god1 toward these little ones1 we have every reason to believe that ,he does so reach and change every infant that dies unbaptized4 ,the position of our ,church1 as held by all her great theologians1 is tersely and clearly expressed in the words1 ,not the absence but the contempt of the sacrament condemns4 ,while the ,lutheran ,church1 therefore1 has confidence enough in her dear heavenly ,father and loving ,saviour1 to believe that her ,lord will never let a little one perish1 but will always regenerate and fit it for ,his blessed ,kingdom ere he takes it hence1 she still strenuously insists on having the children of all her households baptized into ,christ4 ,others may come and say3 ,you have no authority in the ,bible for baptizing infants4 ,without entering fully on this point we will briefly say3 ,it is enough for a ,lutheran to know that the divine commission is to baptize the nations--there never was a nation without infants4 ,the children need ,grace3 baptism confers ,grace4 ,it is specially adapted to impart spiritual blessings to these little ones4 ,we cannot take the preached ,word1 but we can take the sacramental ,word and apply it to them4 ,god established infant membership in his ,church4 ,he alone has a right to revoke it4 ,he has never done so4 ,therefore it stands4 ,if the ,old ,testament covenant of ,grace embraced infants1 the ,new is not narrower1 but wider4 ,the pious ,baptist mother's heart is much more scripturally correct than her head4 ,she presses her babe to her bosom1 and prays earnestly to ,jesus to bless that babe4 ,her heart knows and believes that that dear child needs the blessing of ,jesus1 and that ,he can bestow the needed blessing4 ,and yet she will deny that ,he can bless it through ,his own sacrament4--the washing of water by the ,word4 ,the devout ,lutheran mother presses her baptized child to her bosom1 looks into its eyes1 and thanks her ,saviour from the depth of her heart1 that ,he has blessed her child2 that ,he has breathed into it ,his divine life1 washed it1 sealed it1 and adopted it as ,his son or daughter4 ,how sweet the consolation to know that her precious little one is a lamb of ,christ's flock1 bearing on its body the marks of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,but ,christian parents have not fulfilled their whole duty in having children baptized into ,christ4 ,the children are indeed in covenant relationship with ,jesus ,christ4 ,but it is their bounden duty and blessed privilege to keep their little ones in that covenant of ,grace4 ,of this more in the next chapter4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,baptismal ,,covenant ,,can ,,be ,,kept ,,unbroken4 ,,aim ,,and ,,responsibility ,,of ,,parents4 ,we have gone to the ,law and to the ,testimony to find out what the nature and benefits of ,baptism are4 ,we have gathered out of the ,word all the principal passages bearing on this subject4 ,we have grouped them together1 and studied them side by side4 ,we have noticed that their sense is uniform1 clear1 and strong4 ,unless we are willing to throw aside all sound principles of interpretation1 we can extract from the words of inspiration only one meaning1 and that is that the baptized child is1 by virtue of that divine ordinance1 a new creature in ,christ ,jesus4 ,here let us be careful1 however1 to bear in mind and keep before us that we claim for the child only the birth of a new life4 ,it has been born of water and the ,spirit4 ,a birth we know is but a very feeble beginning of life4 ,so faint are the flickerings of the natural life at birth1 that it is often doubtful at first whether any life is present4 ,the result of a birth is not a full-grown man1 but a very weak and helpless babe4 ,the little life needs the most tender1 watchful and intelligent fostering and care4 ,so it is also in the ,kingdom of ,grace4 ,the divine life is there4 ,but it is life in its first beginnings4 ,as yet only the seeds and germs of the new life4 ,and this young spiritual life also needs gentle fostering and careful nourishing4 ,like the natural life of the child1 so its spiritual life is beset with perils4 ,while the germs of the new life are there1 we must not forget that the roots of sin are also still there4 ,our ,church does not teach with ,rome that sin 7original7 is destroyed in baptism1 so that it no longer exists4 ,hollazius says3 ,the guilt and dominion of sin is taken away by baptism1 but not the root or tinder of sin4 ,luther also writes that ,baptism takes away the guilt of sin1 although the material1 called concupiscence1 remains4 ,unfortunately for the child these roots of sin will grow of their own accord1 like the weeds in our gardens4 ,they need no fostering care4 ,not so with the germs of the new life4 ,they1 like the most precious plants of the gardens1 must be watched and guarded and tended continually4 ,solomon says3 ,prov4 xxix4 #ae1 ,a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame4 ,and this may be true even of a baptized child4 ,the ,christian parent1 therefore1 has not fulfilled his whole duty to the child by having it baptized4 ,it is now the parents' duty2 or rather it should be considered the parents' most blessed privilege to keep that child in covenant relationship with the blessed ,redeemer4 ,this also belongs to the teaching of the ,church of the ,reformation4 ,this point1 however1 many parents seem to forget4 ,many who are sound on the question of baptismal ,grace1 are very unsound as to a parent's duty to the baptized child4 ,hunnius1 a recognized standard theologian of our ,church1 in speaking of the responsibility of those who present children for baptism says it is expected of them ,first1 to answer1 in behalf of the child1 as to the faith in which it is baptized1 and in which it is to be brought up4 ,second1 to instruct the child when it comes to years of discretion1 that it has been truly baptized1 as ,christ has commanded4 ,third1 to pray for the child1 that ,god may keep it in that ,covenant of ,grace1 bless it in body and spirit1 and finally save it with all true believers1 and ,fourth1 to use all diligence that the child may grow up in that faith1 which they have confessed in the child's name1 and thus be preserved from dangerous error and false doctrine4 ,that most delightful ,lutheran theologian1 ,luthardt1 says3 ,infant baptism is a comfort beyond any other1 but it is also a responsibility beyond any other4 ,again3 ,as ,christians we know that ,god has bestowed upon our children not only natural1 but spiritual gifts4 ,for our children have been baptized and received by baptism into the ,covenant of ,grace4 ,to preserve them in this baptismal ,grace1 to develop in them the life of ,god's spirit1 this is one side of ,christian education4 ,to contend against sin in the child is the other4 ,dr4 ,schmid1 in his ,christian ,ethics1 also teaches that it is possible to continue in the uninterrupted enjoyment of baptismal ,grace4 ,dr4 ,pontoppidan1 in his explanation of ,luther's ,small ,catechism1 asks the question3 ,is it possible to keep one's baptismal covenant8 ,he answers2 ,yes1 by the ,grace of ,god it is possible4 ,the teaching of our ,church1 therefore1 is that the baptized child can grow up1 a child of ,grace from infancy1 and that under ,god1 it rests principally with the parents or guardians whether it shall be so4 ,and this ,lutheran idea1 like all others1 is grounded in the ,word of ,god4 ,we note a few examples3 ,samuel was a child of prayer1 given to his pious mother in answer to prayer4 ,she called him ,samuel1 i4e41 asked of ,god4 ,before his birth even1 she dedicated him to ,god4 ,as soon as he was weaned she carried him to the ,tabernacle and there publicly consecrated him to the service of the ,most ,high4 ,from this time forth1 according to the sacred record1 he dwelt in ,god's ,tabernacle and ministered unto the ,lord before ,eli4 ,as a mere child ,god used him as a prophet4 ,of the prophet ,jeremiah it is written3 7,jer4 i4 #e7 ,before thou earnest forth out of the womb1 ,i sanctified thee4 ,of ,john the ,baptist it is written3 7,luke i4 #ae7 ,he shall be filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 even from his mother's womb4 ,to ,timothy1 ,paul says3 ,from a child thou hast known the ,holy ,scriptures1 which are able to make thee wise unto salvation1 and in speaking of ,timothy's faith ,paul says1 that faith dwelt first in thy grandmother ,lois1 and thy mother ,eunice4 ,psalms lxxi4 #e-f3 ,thou art my trust from my youth4 ,by thee have ,i been holden up from the womb4 ,it is therefore possible for ,god1 not only to give ,his ,grace to a child1 but to keep that child in ,his ,grace all its days4 ,to dispute this is1 simply1 to dispute the record that ,god gave4 ,lest some one should still say1 however1 that the examples above noted are isolated and exceptional1 we note further1 that the tenor of the whole ,word is in harmony with this idea4 ,nowhere in the whole ,bible is it even intimated that it is ,god's desire or plan that children must remain outside of the covenant of ,grace1 and have no part or lot in the benefits of ,christ's redeeming work until they come to years of discretion and can choose for themselves4 ,this modern idea is utterly foreign and contradictory to all we know of ,god1 of ,his scheme of redemption1 and of ,his dealings with ,his people1 either in the old or new dispensation4 ,he ordained that infants at eight days old should be brought into ,his covenant4 ,he recognized infant children as partakers of the blessings of ,his covenant4 ,out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise2 ,suffer them to come unto ,me4 ,everywhere it is taken for granted that the children who have received either the ,old or ,new ,testament sacrament of initiation are ,his4 ,nowhere are parents exhorted to use their endeavors to have such children converted1 as though they had never been touched by divine ,grace4 ,but everywhere they are exhorted to keep them in that relation to their ,lord1 into which ,his own ordinance has brought them4 ,gen4 xviii4 #ai1 ,i know that he will command his household after him1 and that they shall keep the way of the ,lord4 ,psalm lxxviii4 #f1 #g1 ,that the generation to come might know them1 even the children which should be born1 which should arise and declare them to their children1 that they might set their hope in ,god1 and not forget the works of ,god1 but keep ,his commandments4 ,prov4 xxii4 #f1 ,train up a child in the way he should go2 when he is old he will not depart from it4 ,eph4 vi4 #d1 ,bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord4 ,let the baptized child then be looked upon as already belonging to ,christ4 ,let the parents not worry as though it could not be ,his until it experiences a change of heart4 ,that heart has been changed4 ,the germs of faith and love are there4 ,if the parent appreciates this fact and does his part1 there will be developed1 very early1 the truest confidence and trust in ,christ1 and the purest love to ,god4 ,from the germs will grow the beautiful plant of child-trust and child-love4 ,the graces of the new life may be thus early drawn out1 so that the child1 in after years1 will never know of a time when it did not trust and love1 and as a result of this love1 hate sin4 ,this is the ideal of ,god's ,word4 ,it is the ideal which every ,christian parent should strive to realize in the children given by ,god1 and given to ,god in ,his own ordinance4 ,how can it be done8 ,of this1 more in the next chapter4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,home ,,influence ,,and ,,training ,,in ,,their ,,relation ,,to ,,the ,,keeping ,,of ,,the ,,baptismal ,,covenant4 ,according to the last chapter1 it is indeed a high and holy ideal that every ,christian parent should set before him in regard to his children4 ,every child that ,god gives to a ,christian parent is to be so treated that1 from the hour of its baptism1 it is to be a son or daughter of ,god4 ,it is to be so fostered and nurtured and trained that1 from its earliest self-consciousness1 it is to grow day by day in knowledge and in ,grace4 ,as it increases in stature1 so it is to increase in wisdom and in favor with ,god and man4 ,in order that this may be realized1 it is first of all necessary that there be the proper surroundings4 ,we cannot expect that parent to draw out these graces of the new life in the child1 who is not himself imbued with a spirit of living faith and fervent love to ,christ4 ,in the beautiful words of ,luthardt3 ,religion must first approach the child in the form of life1 and afterward in the form of instruction4 ,let religion be the atmosphere by which the child is surrounded1 the air which it breathes4 ,the whole spirit of the home1 its order1 its practice--that world in which the child finds himself so soon as he knows himself--this it is which must make religion appear to him a thing natural and self-evident4 ,and this is especially important for the mother4 ,it is while resting on the mother's bosom and playing at the mother's knee1 that the child is receiving impressions that are stones for character building4 ,the father1 of course1 is not released from responsibility4 ,he too is to set a holy example1 to make impressions for good and to use all his influence to direct the thoughts and inclinations of the child upward4 ,the man who does not help in the religious training of his own children is not fit to be a father4 ,but it is after all with the mother that the little child spends most of its time and receives most of its impressions4 ,oh1 that every mother were a ,hannah1 an ,elizabeth1 an ,eunice4 ,then would there be more ,samuels1 ,johns and ,timothys4 ,let us have more of the spirit of ,christ in the heart of the mother and father1 and in the home4 ,let the child learn1 with the first dawnings of self-consciousness1 that ,jesus is known and loved and honored in the home1 and there will be no trouble about the future4 ,but the child must be instructed4 ,begin early4 ,let it learn to pray as soon as it can speak4 ,let it use its first lispings and stammerings in speaking words of prayer4 ,we quote again from ,luthardt3 ,let it not be objected that the child cannot understand the prayer4 ,the way of education is by practice to understanding1 not by understanding to practice4 ,and the child will have a feeling and a presentiment of what it cannot understand4 ,the world of heavenly things is not an incomprehensible region to the child1 but the home of its spirit4 ,the child will speak to his ,father in ,heaven without needing much instruction as to who that ,father is4 ,it seems as though ,god were a well-known friend of his heart4 ,the child will love to pray4 ,if mother forgets it1 the child will not4 ,therefore1 oh1 ye parents6 pray for your child4 ,pray with your child4 ,teach that child to pray4 ,the writer knows of a little girl who came home from ,sunday-school and said3 ,mamma1 why don't you ever pray8 ,what a rebuke6 ,the child must be taught the truth of ,god's ,word4 ,it also must be sanctified1 i4e41 made more and more holy through the truth4 ,as a child it needs first the milk of the ,word4 ,it is not desirable1 neither is it necessary1 to try to teach the very young child doctrines and abstract truths4 ,neither ought the child to be required to learn by rote long passages from the ,scriptures4 ,in this way some well-meaning1 but mistaken parents make the ,word a burden to their children1 and it becomes odious in their eyes4 ,there are other and better ways4 ,begin by showing the child ,bible pictures1 even if it should soil the book a little4 ,better a thousand times have its lessons of life and love graven on the heart of the child1 than to have its fine engravings as a parlor ornament for strangers4 ,in our day there is also an abundant supply of ,bible pictures and story books for children4 ,those parents who have never tried it will be surprised to see the interest the little ones take4 ,with the pictures connect the stories of the ,bible4 ,and where are the stories better calculated to interest a child than these same old stories1 that have edified a hundred generations8 ,when will children ever weary of hearing of ,joseph1 and ,moses1 and ,david1 and ,daniel1 and especially of ,him who is the special ,friend of children8 ,it will be easy to so connect the teachings of the ,word with these pictures and stories that very young children will be able to distinguish right from wrong1 to know and hate sin1 and to be drawn ever nearer to the blessed ,jesus4 ,as they become able to study1 to think and to comprehend it1 the judicious parent will be glad to avail himself of the help of ,luther's ,catechism4 ,here the more important teachings of the ,word are summarized and systemized4 ,most parents indeed are glad to shirk this duty1 and flatter themselves that if they send their children to catechetical class1 when they grow old enough1 they have performed their whole duty4 ,such parents do not perhaps know1 that ,martin ,luther wrote his ,small ,catechism especially for family use4 ,let them take their ,church books and turn to the ,catechism1 and they will find that ,luther heads the ,ten ,commandments with the words3 ,in the plain form in which they are to be taught by the head of the family4 ,so also with the ,creed1 the ,lord's ,prayer1 and the ,sacraments4 ,this is ,luther's idea4 ,it is the true idea4 ,it belongs to the ,way of ,salvation in the ,lutheran ,church4 ,it is the custom1 still practiced in our older ,lutheran churches4 ,the pastor1 as we shall see hereafter1 is only to help the parents1 and not to do it all for them4 ,in teaching the ,catechism at home1 it will give parents an opportunity to speak of and explain what sin is1 what faith is1 what prayer is1 and what the sacraments are4 ,we would impress also the importance of instructing the child concerning its own baptism4 ,let it understand not only the fact of its baptism1 but the nature1 benefits and obligations of the same4 ,it certainly has a most salutary effect to impress the thought on the child frequently that it was given to ,christ and belongs to ,him--that ,he has received it as ,his own1 and adopted it into the family of the redeemed4 ,here also there is a sad neglect on the part of parents4 ,many never say a word to their children about their baptism4 ,many children even grow up and know not whether they are baptized or not4 ,this is certainly un-,scriptural and un-,lutheran4 ,know ye not1 says ,paul1 as if he said1 have you forgotten it8 that as many of us as have been baptized into ,christ have been baptized into ,his death8 ,doubtless if we appreciated our own baptism as we should1 it would be a constant source of comfort1 a never-failing fountain of ,grace to us1 and to our children4 ,the ,apostles frequently speak of the ,church that is in the house4 ,by this they mean such a household as we have tried to portray--a home where the religion of our blessed ,saviour permeates the whole atmosphere2 where the ,word of ,god dwells richly2 where there are altars of prayer and closets for prayer--a home where ,jesus is a daily1 a well-known ,guest2 where the children1 baptized into ,christ1 are nourished with the milk of the ,word1 so that they grow thereby1 increasing more and more1 growing up unto ,him who is the ,head1 even ,christ4 ,in such a home the ,church is in the house1 and the household in the ,church4 ,blessed home6 ,blessed children1 who have such parents6 ,blessed parents1 who have thus learned ,god's ways of ,grace6 ,no anxious1 restless parents there1 hoping and praying that their children may be converted4 ,no confused1 repelled children there1 crying because ,jesus will not love them till they get religion4 ,on the contrary1 parents and children1 kneeling at one altar1 children of one ,father1 with the same trust1 the same hope1 the same ,lord--hand in hand they go from the church in the house to the house of ,god's ,church4 ,says ,dr4 ,cuyler1 an eminent ,presbyterian1 ,the children of ,christian parents ought never to need conversion4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,sunday-,,school ,,in ,,its ,,relation ,,to ,,the ,,baptized ,,children ,,of ,,christian ,,parents4 ,we have tried to set forth the ,lutheran idea of a ,christian home4 ,in such a home1 called1 a ,church in the ,house1 all ought to be ,christians4 ,the children having been given and consecrated to ,christ in holy baptism1 and having had ,his renewing and life-giving ,grace imparted to them through that ,sacrament1 are to be kept in that relationship with ,him4 ,the popular idea that they must of necessity1 during the most impressible and important period of their existence1 belong to the world1 the flesh and the devil1 is utterly foreign to the ,lutheran1 or ,scriptural view4 ,that the child is fated1 for a number of years1 to be under the influence of evil1 and to be permitted to sow wild oats before divine ,grace can reach it1 is certainly a principle that is contradictory to the whole scheme of salvation4 ,yet this seems to be the idea of those parents who will not believe that ,god can reach and change the nature of a child1 and bring it out of the state of nature into the state of ,grace1 and keep it in that ,grace4 ,these people treat their children much as a farmer does his colts1 letting them run wild for a while1 and then violently breaking them in4 ,this pernicious idea has also obtained sway to an alarming extent in the ,sunday-school system of our land4 ,the children in the ,sunday-school1 whether baptized or not1 whether from ,christian or ,christless homes1 are looked upon as outsiders1 impenitent sinners1 utter strangers to ,christ and ,his ,grace1 until they experience such a marked change that they can tell exactly where and when and how they were converted4 ,hence the popular idea that it is the object of the ,sunday-school to convert the children4 ,this seems to be the underlying principle of both the ,american ,sunday-school ,union and ,american ,tract ,society2 institutions otherwise so excellent that we are loth to say aught against either4 ,this idea pervades also the undenominational helps and comments of the ,international ,lesson ,system4 ,this is the undertone of the great mass of undenominational ,sunday-school hymnology4 ,it is the key-note of the ,county1 ,state1 ,national and ,international ,sunday-school ,conventions and ,institutes4 ,so popular and wide-spread is this idea that many ,lutheran pastors1 ,sunday-school teachers and workers have unconsciously imbibed it4 ,even our ,church papers1 professing to be strictly confessional1 often publish articles setting forth the idea that it is the object of the ,sunday-school to ,christianize the children4 ,as though the baptized children of the ,church1 the children of devout ,christian parents1 had been heathen1 until ,christianized by the ,sunday-school6 ,many of our ,sunday-school constitutions also set it down as the object of the school to lead the children to ,christ1 or to labor for their conversion4 ,now we believe that this idea is un-,scriptural and therefore un-,lutheran4 ,if what we have written in the preceding chapters on baptismal ,grace1 the baptismal covenant1 and the possibility of keeping that covenant1 is true1 then this popular idea1 set forth above1 is false4 ,and vice versa1 if this popular view is correct1 then the whole ,lutheran system of baptism1 baptismal ,grace1 and the baptismal covenant1 falls to the ground4 ,but notwithstanding the immense array of opposition1 we still believe that the ,lutheran doctrine is nothing else than the pure teaching of ,god's word4 ,where we have the ,church in the ,house1 there we have lambs of ,christ's flock4 ,ah1 how many more we could have1 how many more we would have1 if the fathers and mothers in the ,church understood this precious article of our faith1 and prayerfully built their home life thereon6 ,then would there be a more regular and healthful growth of the ,church1 and the necessity for fitful1 spasmodic revival efforts would cease4 ,but we digress4 ,from our ,christian homes the baptized children of the ,church come to the ,sunday-school4 ,how is the school to treat them8--,we speak now of the baptized children from ,christian homes2 we will speak of the unbaptized and untrained further on4 ,these children1 with all their childish waywardness and restlessness1 do generally love ,jesus4 ,they do trust in ,him1 and are unhappy when they know they have committed a sin against ,him4 ,they do1 when taught1 pray to ,him1 believe that ,he hears their prayers and loves them4 ,shall the teacher now begin to impress upon the minds and hearts of these little ones the idea that they are not yet ,christ's1 and that ,christ has nothing to do with them1 except to seek and call them1 until they are converted8 ,and shall they go home from ,sunday-school with the impression that all their prayers have been empty and useless1 because their hearts have not been changed8 ,dare the ,sunday-school thus confuse the child1 raise doubts as to ,christ's forgiveness and love1 and quench the ,spirit8 ,oh how sad1 that thus thousands of children have their first love1 their first trust1 quenched by those who have more zeal than knowledge6 ,no1 no1 these are ,christ's lambs4 ,they come with ,his marks upon them4 ,let the ,sunday-school teacher work in harmony with the mother who gave these children to ,christ4 ,let the whole atmosphere of the school impress on that child the precious truth that it is ,jesus' little lamb4 ,feed that lamb1 feed it with the sincere milk of the ,word4 ,lead that lamb gently2 teach it to understand its relation to the ,great ,shepherd1 to know ,him1 to rejoice in ,his love1 to love ,his voice1 to follow ,his leadings more and more closely4 ,instead of singing doubtfully and dolefully3 ,i am young1 but ,i must die1 ,in my grave ,i soon shall lie4 ,am ,i ready now to go1 ,if the will of ,god be so8 or1 ,child of sin and sorrow ,filled with dismay1 ,wait not for to-morrow2 ,yield thee to-day3 etc4 or1 ,depth of mercy1 can there be ,mercy still reserved for me8 etc4 or1 ,hasten1 sinner1 to be wise1 ,stay not for to-morrow's sun1 etc or1 ,i can but perish if ,i go1 ,i am resolved to try1 ,for1 if ,i stay away1 ,i know ,i shall forever die4 or1 ,when saints gather round ,thee1 dear ,saviour above1 ,and hasten to crown ,thee with jewels of love1 ,amid those bright mansions of glory so fair-- ,oh1 tell me1 dear ,saviour1 if ,i shall be there6 ,some of these sentiments are unscriptural4 ,some may do for penitent prodigals4 ,but all are out of place on the lips of baptized children of the ,church4 ,let such rather joyfully sing3 ,i am ,jesus' little lamb1 ,therefore glad and gay ,i am2 ,jesus loves me1 ,jesus knows me1 ,all that's good and fair ,he shows me1 ,tends me every day the same1 ,even calls me by my name1 and such other cheerful and healthy hymns as breathe the spirit of the ,church of the ,reformation4 ,this we believe to be the object of our ,sunday-schools1 as far as the baptized children of ,christian parents are concerned4 ,they are to be helps1 to keep the children true to their baptismal covenant1 and to enable them to grow strong and stronger against sin and in holiness4 ,jesus did not tell ,peter to convert1 but feed ,his lambs4 ,from these considerations we see how important it is for ,lutheran ,sunday-schools to have teachers who know of the doctrine1 whether it be true2 who are rooted and grounded in the faith2 who are ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh them a reason of the hope that is in them2 who are apt to teach4 ,a teacher who does not understand and appreciate the ,lutheran doctrine of baptism is out of place in a ,lutheran ,sunday-school4 ,it is certainly not desirable to have the child instructed at home that it was given to ,christ in baptism1 received and owned by ,him and belongs to ,him1 and then have the ,sunday-school teacher teach it that until it experiences some remarkable change1 which the teacher cannot at all explain1 it belongs not to ,christ1 but to the unconverted world4 ,the teaching of the pulpit1 the catechetical class1 the home and the ,sunday-school1 ought certainly to be in perfect harmony--especially so on the vital point of the personal relation of the child to the ,saviour and ,his salvation4 ,to have clashing and contradictory instruction is a sure way to sow the seeds of doubt and skepticism4 ,we must have sound instruction and influence in the ,sunday-school1 and to this end we must have sound and clear helps and equipments for teacher and pupil4 ,the worship of the school1 the singing1 the opening and closing exercises1 must all be in harmony with this great fundamental idea of feeding those who are already ,christ's lambs4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,sunday-,,school--,,its ,,relation ,,to ,,those ,,in ,,covenant ,,relationship ,,with ,,christ1 ,,and ,,also ,,to ,,the ,,unbaptized ,,and ,,wandering4 ,we are still speaking of the dealing of the ,sunday-school with the baptized children of ,christian parents4 ,we have seen how important it is that the ,sunday-school work in harmony with the pastor and the parent4 ,we have seen that1 to this end1 it is especially important that the instruction of the teacher be in harmony with the doctrine of our ,church on baptismal ,grace1 and the keeping of the baptismal covenant4 ,here1 however1 we meet with a practical difficulty4 ,too many of our teachers are not clear themselves on this subject4 ,their own early instruction may have been imperfect4 ,their whole environment has been unfavorable to rooting and grounding them in this faith1 once delivered to the saints4 ,this old-fashioned faith1 as we have seen1 has become unpopular with the masses even of professing ,christians4 ,the whole current of the religionism of the day is against it4 ,in many localities and circles1 to profess this faith is to invite ridicule and opposition4 ,the ,lutheran ,church in this matter1 as in others1 is behind the age1 because the age is away ahead of ,christ and the ,apostles1 the ,church ,fathers and ,reformers4 ,what wonder then that in many places1 our members1 on whom we must depend for teachers1 have unconsciously drifted away from the old landmarks1 and are altogether at sea as to ,god's means and methods of ,grace1 especially with the children8 ,it is1 therefore1 a matter of the gravest importance that our ,church place in the hands of her willing but inexperienced teachers such plain1 practical and full helps and equipments as will enable them to be safe and successful instructors in our ,sunday-schools4 ,our good teachers are always willing to learn4 ,they need to be and want to be first taught4 ,they need clear1 sound exposition1 illustration and application of every lesson for themselves1 before they can successfully teach others4 ,they need to be shown in every lesson1 how the divine ,word everywhere sets forth the precious doctrines of our ,church4 ,they need to be shown over and over again1 how these doctrines are to be impressed and applied to the heart1 conscience1 and life of the pupil2 and how the truth is to be so instilled that it may1 by means of every lesson1 awaken and deepen a sense of sinfulness1 and repentance therefor1 and beget and increase faith and love for the dear ,saviour4 ,every lesson that does not make sin more hateful and ,christ more precious1 is in so far1 a failure4 ,from what we have learned in the last chapter1 a ,lutheran ,sunday-school cannot safely use the literature1 whether lesson leaves1 lesson helps1 or hymns1 of others4 ,and this simply because their sentiment is not only at variance with1 but openly hostile to our faith4 ,it is therefore even more important for our ,church than for any other1 to furnish all the necessary equipments for good1 sound1 live ,sunday-schools4 ,our equipments ought to aim to become more and more superior to all others4 ,the ,church should strive to constantly improve them until they become so desirable and attractive that no ,lutheran school would think of exchanging them for any others4 ,we hope to see the day when our ,church will lead in all these practical enterprises1 even as she has led and still leads in the sphere of sound doctrine4 ,but we digress4 ,in these two chapters on ,sunday-school work1 we have thus far spoken only of the relation of the school1 to the baptized children of ,christian parents4 ,a ,sunday-school has1 however1 by no means fulfilled its mission by looking only after those who are already lambs of the flock4 ,a ,sunday-school1 like a congregation1 to be true to itself and its divine ,master1 must be a missionary institution4 ,in every community there are lambs who have never been in the flock of the ,good ,shepherd1 or have already wandered astray4 ,there are children who have never been either baptized1 or instructed in heavenly things at home4 ,or1 if baptized1 they have been permitted to grow up afterwards as wild as heathen children4 ,yes1 even in the homes of members of our ,church1 there are children1 whether baptized or not1 who are thus growing up utterly neglected4 ,if baptized1 they don't even know it4 ,much less do they know the significance of their baptism4 ,it is the mission of the ,sunday-school to gather in these destitute ones1 from the street1 and from their ,christless homes4 ,the ,sunday-school must become a spiritual home for them4 ,the earnest teacher can and ought to find out who of his pupils belong to this class1 and apply to such the needed instruction and exhortation4 ,in their case it is truly the object of the ,sunday-school to lead them to ,jesus1 to labor for their conversion1 to ,christianize them4 ,this1 as a matter of course1 also applies to those1 even from ,christian homes1 who were baptized1 and perhaps also1 to some extent1 instructed in divine things1 but who have gone astray1 and thus fallen from their baptismal covenant4 ,all such1 who are not at present in covenant relationship with ,christ1 who are turned away from ,christ1 must be turned back1 i4e41 converted4 ,now this difficult work1 this great change1 can be accomplished only through the power of ,god's ,word4 ,the law of the ,lord is perfect1 converting the soul4 ,the ,gospel of ,christ is the power of ,god unto salvation4 ,the words of ,christ1 they are spirit and they are life4 ,if sinners1 whether young or old1 are to be reclaimed for ,christ1 it must be through that ,word which is quick--i4e41 full of life--and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword4 ,let the ,sunday-school teacher depend on nothing else than this ,word of ,god4 ,it is always accompanied by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,it is the living seed of the new life4 ,let it be used prayerfully4 ,let it be taught carefully4 ,let it be taught clearly4 ,let it be impressed and applied to heart1 and conscience1 and life4 ,drive it home personally and individually to the impenitent pupil4 ,see him by himself1 visit him in his home1 teach him in his class4 ,cease not your prayers and your efforts till the ,word so lodge and fasten itself in the mind and conscience that it makes him realize his own sinfulness and need of a ,saviour1 and also that ,saviour's readiness to save4 ,this is ,god's way of salvation4 ,this is the ,way of ,salvation in the ,lutheran ,church4 ,the ,sunday-school teacher who follows this way will win souls4 ,the impenitent sinners of his class will be brought to repentance toward ,god1 and faith in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ3 or in one word1 they will be converted2 whilst those who are already ,christ's will grow in ,grace and in the knowledge of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,catechisation4 ,we have spoken of the importance and benefits of home training and instruction4 ,we endeavored to show that ,christian parents are under the most solemn obligation to instruct their children in the truth of ,god's ,word4 ,we also endeavored to show that1 in order to give their children a clear understanding of the saving truths of the ,bible1 they could do no better than to diligently teach them ,luther's ,small ,catechism2 that this was really ,luther's idea and purpose when he wrote that excellent little religious manual2 that the first catechetical class ought indeed to be in the family1 with father and mother as teachers2--that this home class ought to be carried on so long and so persistently1 that in it the children would become perfectly familiar with the contents of the book2 so familiar indeed1 that they would know all the parts that ,luther wrote perfectly by heart4 ,luther's ,small ,cathechism1 i4e41 the parts that ,luther wrote himself1 is really quite a small book4 ,by giving only a little time and attention to it each week1 the parents could easily1 in a few years1 have all their children know it as perfectly as they know their multiplication table4 ,and such ought to be the case4 ,after these beginnings have thus been made1 and while the home instruction is still going on1 the work of the ,sunday-school teacher comes in as a help to the home class4 ,in every ,sunday-school class there ought to be1 with each lesson1 some instruction in the ,catechism4 ,to this end each teacher1 in a ,lutheran ,sunday-school1 ought to be familiarly at home in this most important text-book4 ,the teacher should endeavor so to teach these lessons1 that the pupil would learn to love and appreciate the ,catechism more and more4 ,thus1 the school ought to be a helper to the home4 ,and thus1 home and school together1 working in harmony for the same end1 would prepare the children for the pastor's catechetical class4 ,if this good old-fashioned custom were kept up in all our households and schools1 then would the pastor's catechetical class be more of a pleasure and a profit to himself and his catechumens4 ,it would then be the pastor's part1 as it should be1 to review the contents with his class1 and thus to find how well the preparatory work had been done4 ,then could he devote his time and energy to what is really the pastor's part of the work1 viz41 to explain and set forth clearly the meaning of the ,catechism1 and show how it all applies to the heart and life of every one4 ,it is not at all the pastor's place1 and it should never be expected of him1 to act the school-master1 to see to and oversee the memorizing of the answers4 ,it is his office to expound and apply the truth1 to make the doctrines clear to the minds of the learners1 and to show how they are all related to the individual life4 ,but1 alas1 how little is this understood or practiced6 ,how many parents1 who call themselves ,christians1 and ,lutherans1 seem to think that they have nothing to do in this whole matter6 ,they seem to think that if they send their children once a week1 for a few months1 to the pastor's class1 they have done their whole duty4 ,they do not so much as help and encourage the children to learn the lessons that the pastor assigns4 ,and thus does this part of the pastor's work1 which ought to be among the most delightful of all his duties1 become wearisome to the flesh and vexatious to the spirit4 ,scarcely anywhere else in all his duties does a pastor feel so helpless and hopeless and discouraged1 as when standing week after week before a class of young people who have such poor instructors at home4 ,christian parents1 if you desire your sons and your daughters to become steadfast and useful members of the ,church of ,christ1 see to it that you do your part in their religious instruction4 ,insist on it1 and even use your parental authority1 if necessary1 that your children learn the ,catechism and regularly attend the pastor's instructions4 ,we believe that the trouble in this matter lies largely in the fact that catechisation has become unpopular in our fast age4 ,it is looked upon as a mark of old-fogyism1 if not as an evidence of the absence of spiritual religion6 ,the new measures and methods of modern revivals are more acceptable to the fickle multitude4 ,they seem to point out a shorter route and quicker time to heaven4 ,as a boy once said to the writer3 ,i don't want to belong to your church1 because ,i would have to study the ,catechism all winter1 and down at the other church ,i can 'get through' in one night4 ,that boy expressed about as clearly and tersely as could well be done1 the popular sentiment of the day4 ,yielding to this popular sentiment1 many churches1 that once adhered strictly and firmly to the catechetical method1 having either dropped it entirely or are gradually giving it up4 ,and in order to clothe their spiritual cowardliness and laziness in a pious garb1 they say3 ,the ,bible is enough for us4 ,we don't need any man-made ,catechisms4 ,it is all wrong anyhow to place a human book on a level with or above the ,bible4 ,we and our children want our religion from the ,spirit of ,god1 and not from a ,church ,catechism1 etc41 etc4 ,do such people know what they are talking about1 or do they sometimes use these pious phrases to quiet a guilty conscience8 ,do they know what a ,catechism is8 ,look at it for a moment4 ,what is the nature and object of ,luther's ,small ,catechism8 ,is it in the nature of a substitute for the ,bible8 ,does it purpose to set aside the ,bible8 ,we can scarcely muster patience enough to write such questions4 ,no6 ,no6 ,any child that can read this little book knows better4 ,the plainest reader cannot fail to see that it is intended as a help to understand the ,bible4 ,its purpose clearly is to awaken and develop in the reader or learner a more intelligent appreciation and love for the ,bible4 ,it contains nothing but ,bible truths4 ,its design is simply this3 ,to summarize and systematize the most important truths and doctrines of the divine ,word4 ,to so arrange and group them that even a child may learn what the ,bible teaches as to creation1 sin1 salvation1 and the means whereby it may be attained4 ,we have the assurance1 also--and we believe that history and observation will bear out the statement--that those who appreciate and have studied a sound scriptural ,catechism most thoroughly1 appreciate1 understand1 love and live their ,bibles most4 ,of the contents1 arrangement and intrinsic value of ,luther's ,small ,catechism1 we will speak in the next chapter4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,contents1 ,,arrangement ,,and ,,excellence ,,of ,,luther',s ,,small ,,catechism4 ,we have spoken of ,luther's ,small ,catechism as a help with which to lay hold of and understand the most important truths of the ,bible4 ,these fundamental truths are taken from the ,scriptures1 and are so grouped1 arranged and explained that the learner can easily grasp and understand them4 ,that some of the truths contained in the ,bible are of greater importance than others will scarcely be denied4 ,it is certainly more important that the child should know and understand the ,ten ,commandments1 than that it should be familiar with all the details of the ceremonial law4 ,certainly better to be familiar with the ,apostles' ,creed1 than to know all about the building of the ,temple4 ,better be able to repeat and understand the ,lord's ,prayer1 than to have a clear knowledge of the elaborate ritual of the ,temple service4 ,better understand the meaning of ,christ's two ,sacraments than to be able to tell all about the great feasts of the ,jews4 ,if any one can know all these other matters also1 so much the better4 ,the ,catechism will certainly be a help instead of a hindrance to this end4 ,but if all cannot be learned--at least not at once--let the most important be taught first4 ,and for this we have a ,catechism4 ,look at its contents4 ,it is divided into five parts4 ,each division treats of a separate subject4 ,the first contains the ,ten ,commandments1 with a brief yet full explanation of each ,commandment4 ,the second part has the three articles of the ,apostles' ,creed1 with a clear and most beautiful explanation of each one4 ,the third is the ,lord's ,prayer1 its introduction1 the seven petitions1 and the conclusion2 with a terse1 though comprehensive explanation of each sentence4 ,the fourth and fifth parts treat similarly of the two sacraments1 ,baptism and the ,lord's ,supper4 ,here then we have1 in a brief space1 the most important teachings of the whole ,bible systematically arranged and clearly explained4 ,of these contents and their arrangement1 ,luther himself says3 ,this ,catechism is truly the ,bible of the laity 7or common people71 wherein is contained the entire doctrine necessary to be known by every ,christian for salvation4 ,here we have first the ,ten ,commandments of ,god1 the doctrine of doctrines1 by which the will of ,god is known1 what ,god would have us to do and what is wanting in us4 ,secondly3 ,the ,apostles' ,creed1 the history of histories1 or the highest history1 wherein are delivered to us the wonderful works of ,god from the beginning1 how we and all creatures are created by ,god1 how all are redeemed by the ,son of ,god1 how we are also received and sanctified by the ,holy ,ghost1 and collected together to a people of ,god1 and have the remission of sins and everlasting salvation4 ,thirdly3 ,the ,lord's ,prayer1 the prayer of prayers1 the highest prayer which the highest ,master taught1 wherein are included all temporal and spiritual blessings1 and the strongest comforts in all temptations and troubles1 and in the hour of death4 ,fourthly3 ,the blessed ,sacraments1 the ceremonies of ceremonies1 which ,god himself has instituted and ordained1 and therein assured us of his ,grace4 ,john ,arndt1 in a sermon on the ,catechism1 says3 ,the ,catechism is a brief instruction in the ,christian religion1 and includes in itself the doctrine of the ,law of ,god1 ,christian ,faith1 the ,lord's ,prayer1 the institutions of ,holy ,baptism and of the ,lord's ,supper1 which five parts are an epitome and kernel of the entire ,holy ,scriptures1 for which reason it is called a ',little ,bible4' ,dr4 ,seiss1 in his ,ecclesia ,lutherana1 says3 ,it is the completest summary of the contents of the ,bible ever given in the same number of words4 ,it gave to the reviving ,church a text-book for the presentation of the truth as it is in ,jesus to the school1 lecture-room and pulpit4 ,the sainted ,dr4 ,krauth says3 ,the ,catechism is a thread through the labyrinth of divine wonders4 ,persons often get confused1 but if they will hold on to this ,catechism it will lead them through without being lost4 ,it is often called the ',little ,bible' and 'the ,bible of the laity' because it presents the plain and simple doctrines of the ,holy ,book in its own words4 ,pearls strung are easily carried1 unstrung they are easily lost4 ,the ,catechism is a string of ,bible ,pearls4 ,the order of arrangement is the historical--the ,law1 ,faith1 ,prayer1 ,sacrament of ,baptism1 and all crowned with the ,lord's ,supper--just as ,god worked them out and fixed them in history4 ,thus we might go on quoting page after page of words of admiration and praise1 from the greatest minds in our and other ,churches1 of the contents and arrangement of this little book4 ,neither can we charge these writers with extravagance in their utterances4 ,for the more we examine and study the pages of this little book1 the more we are convinced that it is unique and most admirable in its matter and plan4 ,let each one look for a moment at himself1 and then from himself into this little book4 ,i come into this world ignorant1 yet full of presentiments and questions4 ,i learn my first vague lesson about myself and ,god4 ,i naturally ask3 ,for what purpose has ,god put me here8 ,what does ,he wish me to do8 ,the ,catechism answers3 ,to do ,his will1 to keep ,his commandments4 ,here they are1 and this is what they mean4 ,i study them1 and the more ,i study them1 the more am ,i convinced that ,i never did and never can perfectly keep this law4 ,i ask again3 ,what shall ,i do8 ,my ,catechism tells me ,i must have faith4 ,i must believe4 ,but what shall ,i believe8 ,answer3 ,this summary of truth called the ,apostles' ,creed4 ,it tells me of my ,creator--,his work and providence1 and ,his gift of a ,redeemer4 ,it tells me of that ,redeemer and ,his redemption2 of the gift of the ,spirit1 and ,his application of redemption4 ,it not only tells me what to believe1 but in the very telling it offers me help to believe4 ,but ,i am still weak and more or less perplexed4 ,whither shall ,i go for more strength and ,grace8 ,my ,catechism furnishes the answer3 ,go to the great ,triune ,god4 ,ask ,him in prayer4 ,here is a model4 ,it will teach you how to pray4 ,i learn what it is to pray4 ,but again ,i ask3 ,how do ,i know that ,god will hear my prayer8 ,is ,he interested in me personally8 ,has ,he any other means besides ,his written ,word to assure me of ,his love and to give me1 in answer to my prayers1 more strength to believe ,him and love ,him8 ,my ,catechism points me to my baptism4 ,it teaches me what it means1 and how that in it ,i have ,god's own pledge that ,he is my ,father1 and that ,i am ,his child4 ,here then is a fountain to which ,i can return again and again when weak and perplexed4 ,further1 my ,catechism teaches me concerning my ,saviour's last legacy of love before ,his death for me1 ,his ,holy ,supper4 ,in it ,he holds out to me and gives to me1 personally and individually1 ,himself and all ,his heavenly ,grace4 ,thus does this little ,catechism meet me in my perplexity1 take me by the hand1 and lead me through the labyrinth of the wonders of ,grace4 ,thus does it tell me what ,i am1 what ,i need1 and where and how to get what ,i need4 ,it takes me to the wells of salvation4 ,it draws from them living water4 ,it holds it to my parched lips4 ,it gathers the precious manna of the ,word1 and feeds me when ,i am faint and weary4 ,such is ,luther's ,small ,catechism4 ,is it any wonder that we love it8 ,is it any wonder that we count the study of it a part of the ,way of ,salvation in the ,lutheran ,church8 ,we have something yet to say on the manner of teaching it and the results of faithful teaching and learning4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,manner ,,and ,,object ,,of ,,teaching ,,luther',s ,,catechism ,we have spoken of the importance of catechisation4 ,we have seen that ,luther's ,small ,catechism is indeed a priceless ,bible manual4 ,it sets before us1 in matchless order1 ,god's plan of salvation4 ,it is so full and yet so brief1 so doctrinal and yet so warm and hearty4 ,the only ,catechism1 says ,dr4 ,loehe1 that can be prayed4 ,it may be bought for sixpence1 says ,dr4 ,jonas1 but six thousand worlds could not pay for it4 ,no wonder that no book outside of the ,bible has been translated into so many languages1 or circulated so widely4 ,thirty-seven years after its publication one hundred thousand copies were in circulation4 ,the first book translated into any of the dialects of the ,american ,indian1 it was from its pages that the red man read his first lessons concerning the true ,god1 and his own relations to that ,god4 ,at the present day it is taught in ten different languages in our own land4 ,and yet how sadly neglected and abused1 even by those who bear its author's name6 ,it is neglected1 if not entirely ignored1 in countless ,lutheran homes and ,sunday-schools4 ,it is even neglected by many so-called ,lutheran pastors4 ,they set at naught the testimony of nearly four centuries4 ,they set their own opinions above the testimony of the wisest1 as well as the most deeply spiritual and consecrated witnesses of their own ,church4 ,they prefer the baseless1 shallow1 short-cut methods of this superficial age4 ,some of them have even joined in the cry of the fanatic1 and called all catechisation in the ,church dead formalism6 ,fortunately1 their number is growing rapidly less1 and many1 who were for a while carried away with the tide of new measures1 are asking for and returning to the good and tried old ways4 ,not only is this ,catechism neglected1 but it is and has been much abused4 ,abused1 not only by its enemies1 who have said hard things against it1 but it has been and still is abused1 like all good things1 by its professed friends4 ,and doubtless it is the abuse by its friends that is largely responsible for the neglect and contempt into which it has sometimes fallen4 ,thus in the family1 it is still too often taught as a mere task4 ,the home teacher often has no higher aim than that the children should learn it by rote--learn to rattle it off like the multiplication table1 or the rules of grammar4 ,worse than this1 it has often been used as an instrument of punishment4 ,a child has done something wrong4 ,it is angrily told that for this it must learn a page or two of the ,catechism6 ,the task is sullenly learned and sullenly recited2 and the ,catechism is hated worse than the sin committed4 ,then too1 it is slurred over in the ,sunday-schools1 without an earnest word of explanation or application4 ,the learner does not realize that it is meant to change the heart and influence the life4 ,this same sad mistake is also made by many pastors in the catechetical class4 ,strange as it may seem1 this mistake is most commonly made by those very pastors who profess to be the warmest friends of and the most zealous insisters on the catechisation of every lamb in the flock4 ,thus we find not a few pastors who catechise their classes after the schoolmaster fashion4 ,they go through the exercise in a perfunctory1 formal manner4 ,they insist on the letter of the text1 and are satisfied if their pupils know the lessons well by rote6 ,to urge on the dull and lazy pupil they will scold and rage1 and even use the rod6 ,the ,catechism becomes a sort of text-book4 ,the pupils get out of it a certain amount of head knowledge4 ,there are so many answers and so many proof-texts that must be committed to memory4 ,and when all this is well gotten and recited by rote1 the teacher is satisfied1 the pupil is praised1 imagines that he has gotten all the good out of that book1 and is glad he is done with it6 ,now we would not for a moment depreciate the memorizing of the ,catechism4 ,it is of the most vital importance1 and cannot be too strongly urged4 ,what we object to--and we cannot object too strenuously--is the idea that head knowledge is enough6 ,there must of course be head knowledge4 ,the memory should store up all the precious pearls of ,god's truth that are found in the ,catechism4 ,the mind must grasp these truths and understand their meaning and their relation to one another4 ,but if it stops here1 it is not yet a knowledge that maketh wise unto salvation4 ,in spiritual matters the enlightening or instructing of the intellect is not the end aimed at1 but only a means to an end4 ,the end aimed at must always be the renewal of the heart4 ,the heart must be reached through the understanding4 ,to know about ,christ is not life eternal4 ,i must know about ,him before ,i can know ,him4 ,but ,i might know all about ,him1 be perfectly clear as to ,his person and ,his work1 and stop there1 without ever knowing ,him as heart only can know heart1 as my personal ,saviour and loving friend1 my ,lord and my ,god4 ,here1 we fear1 many ministers make a sad mistake4 ,they are too easily satisfied with a mere outward knowledge of the truth4 ,they forget that even if it were possible to understand all mystery and all knowledge--intellectually--and not have charity1 i4e41 deep1 fervent1 glowing love to ,god in ,christ1 springing from a truly penitent and believing heart1 it would profit nothing4 ,the true aim and end of all catechetical instruction in the ,sunday-school1 in the family1 and especially in the pastor's class1 should ever be a penitent1 believing and loving heart in each catechumen4 ,we have1 in a former chapter1 shown the duty of the ,sunday-school teacher in this matter4 ,the pastor should likewise use all diligence to find out in whom1 among his catechumens1 the germs of the divine life1 implanted in baptism1 have been kept alive1 and in whom they are dormant4 ,where the divine life1 given in holy baptism has been fostered and cherished--where there has been an uninterrupted enjoyment of baptismal ,grace1 more or less clear and conscious--there it is the pastor's privilege to give clearer views of truth and ,grace1 to lead into a more intelligent and hearty fellowship with the ,redeemer1 to deepen penitence and strengthen faith through the quickening truth of ,god's word4 ,where1 on the other hand1 the seeds of baptismal ,grace have been neglected1 where the germs of the new life lie dormant or asleep1 or where there never has been any implanting of ,grace through ,word or ,sacrament--in short1 where there are no pulsations1 no manifestations of the new life1 there the pastor has a different duty4 ,he must endeavor to so bring the acquired truth to bear on the conscience and heart1 as to awaken and bring about a sense of sin1 a genuine sorrow therefor1 a hatred thereof1 a longing for deliverance1 a turning to ,christ and a laying hold on ,him as the only help and hope4 ,thus the one great aim and object of the conscientious pastor1 with each impenitent catechumen1 is to awaken and bring about genuine1 heartfelt penitence and a true1 trusting1 clinging faith4 ,in one word1 he must labor for that catechumen's conversion4 ,only those of whom there is evidence that they are in a converged state should be admitted to confirmation4 ,by this we do not mean1 as some do1 that each one must be able to tell when1 and where1 and how he was converted4 ,we mean simply this3 ,that each one must have in his heart true penitence1 i4e41 sorrow for and hatred of sin1 and true faith1 i4e41 a confiding1 trustful embracing of ,christ as the only ,saviour4 ,whether these elements of the new life have been constantly and uninterruptedly developed from ,baptism1 or whether they have been awakened gradually by the ,word1 is not material4 ,the only important question is3 ,are the elements of the new life now there--even though as yet feeble and very imperfect--or1 is the person now turned away from sin to a ,saviour8 ,if so1 we consider that person in a converted state4 ,and this much1 we believe1 should be demanded of each catechumen before he is admitted to the rite of confirmation4 ,and it is largely because this has not been demanded as the only true and satisfactory result of catechisation1 that this important branch of the ,church's activity has so largely fallen into disrepute4 ,it is doubtless because of carelessness on this point that so many fall back after confirmation to the world1 the flesh and the devil4 ,they did not hold fast to their crown because they had no crown4 ,where the ,catechism is properly learned1 understood and applied1 the intellect is used as the gateway to the heart4 ,where the result of an enlightened mind is a changed heart1 there are intelligent believers4 ,they know what it means to be a ,christian4 ,they have an earnest desire for closer fellowship with ,him who has loved them and washed them from their sins in ,his own blood4 ,there is good hope that such will be faithful unto death4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,confirmation4 ,in our studies concerning the methods of ,grace1 or the application of the ,salvation purchased by ,christ1 to the sinful race of ,adam's children1 we necessarily had to begin with the new-born child4 ,we noted the first known operations of ,grace at the baptismal font4 ,we traced the infant through the holy influences received at a ,christian mother's knee1 and in the nurture of a ,christian home4 ,we followed up through the lessons and influences of the ,church's nursery1 the ,sunday-school1 and from thence into the pastor's catechetical class4 ,we have learned that these are the different successive steps in the ,way of ,salvation4 ,this is ,god's way in the sanctuary4 ,it begins at the baptismal font1 where the child is received as a member of the ,church of ,christ2 it leads through the ,church in the house1 and through it keeps up a living connection with the ,church in the sanctuary4 ,it is making disciples in accordance with ,christ's plain directions1 viz1 baptizing them1 and teaching them4 ,we have also admitted all along that there may be some who will go through with this whole process and yet not be disciples of ,christ at the end4 ,they wilfully resist the operations of divine ,grace1 and cast away the pearl4 ,this class we leave1 for the present4 ,we will consider them further on4 ,we speak now of those who have been made disciples2 who have not resisted the gracious influences of the ,spirit of ,god1 working through the sacramental and written ,word4 ,their minds are enlightened2 they know something of sin and ,grace and the bestowal and reception of ,grace2 they have an intelligent understanding of the plan of salvation revealed in the ,word of ,god4 ,but this is not all4 ,their hearts also have been drawn ever nearer and closer to their dear ,saviour2 they believe in and love the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 they are ready to give an answer to every man that asks of them a reason of the hope that is in them4 ,in the ardor and fervor of their young hearts' devotion they can repeat these beautiful words of their catechism and say3 ,i believe that ,jesus ,christ1 true ,god1 begotten of the ,father from eternity1 and also true man1 born of the ,virgin ,mary1 is my ,lord2 who has redeemed me1 a lost and condemned creature1 secured and delivered me from all sin1 from death1 and from the power of the devil 444 in order that ,i might be ,his1 live under ,him in ,his kingdom and serve ,him in everlasting righteousness1 innocence and blessedness4 ,further1 they can joyfully say3 ,i believe that ,i cannot by my own reason and strength believe in ,jesus ,christ my ,lord1 or come to ,him4 ,but the ,holy ,ghost has called me through the ,gospel1 enlightened me by ,his gifts1 sanctified and preserved me in the true faith1 etc4 ,but this happy faith of their hearts has never been publicly professed before men4 ,and yet the word of ,god demands not only faith in the heart1 but also confession by the lips4 ,rom4 x4 #i-aj3 ,if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the ,lord ,jesus1 and shalt believe in thine heart that ,god hath raised ,him from the dead1 thou shalt be saved4 ,for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness1 and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation4 ,jesus also says1 ,matt4 x4 #cb3 ,whosoever1 therefore1 shall confess ,me before men1 him will ,i confess also before my ,father which is in heaven4 ,and should any one be ashamed of this public profession and refuse to make it1 ,jesus clearly tells such an one that of him ,he also will be ashamed in the judgment day4 ,the ,bible nowhere recognizes a secret discipleship4 ,there are no promises to him who does not confess4 ,if our catechumens would therefore still follow ,god's ,way of ,salvation he must now also take this step1 and publicly confess ,jesus as his ,lord and ,redeemer and himself as ,his disciple4 ,and for this there is no time so appropriate as when he desires to be numbered among the communicants of the congregation and participate with them in the celebration of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,for this also our ,church has made fitting arrangement4 ,it is done at1 or is rather a part of1 the impressive ceremony of confirmation4 ,who has not witnessed this beautiful and touching rite8 ,and what could be more interesting or impressive than to see a company of young hearts encircling the altar of ,christ1 confessing their faith1 and bowing the knee to their ,saviour amid the prayers and benedictions of the ,church8 ,this is confirmation4 ,the catechumen has been examined by the pastor as to his fitness for this important step4 ,the pastor has found that he possesses an intelligent understanding of the doctrines taught in the ,catechism1 and that the experience of his heart bears witness to their truth and power4 ,on this account he is adjudged as fit and well prepared to be admitted to the holy communion4 ,he now comes of his own accord--not because he is old enough1 or knows enough1 or because father1 mother1 or pastor wants him to--before the altar of ,christ4 ,there1 in the presence of the assembled congregation and the all-seeing ,god1 his lips confess the faith of his heart1 the faith into which he was baptized as a child3 ,he now voluntarily takes upon himself the vows and promises that parents or sponsors took for him at baptism4 ,he receives an earnest admonition from his pastor to hold fast that which he has and be faithful unto death4 ,the whole congregation1 together with the pastor1 lift their hearts in earnest intercessory prayer to ,god for ,his continuous blessing and protection on the young confessor2 and1 the catechumen kneeling at the altar1 the pastor directs the intercessions of the ,church to each kneeling one in turn1 by laying his hands on him and offering up for him a fervent petition in inspired words4 ,this is the simple and appropriate ceremony we call confirmation4 ,we claim for it no magical powers4 ,it is not a sacrament4 ,it adds nothing to the sacrament of baptism1 for that is complete in itself4 ,there is no conferring of ,grace by the pastor's hands1 but simply a directing of the ,church's prayers to the individual4 ,the confirming1 strengthening and establishing of--the catechumen in ,grace1 is effected primarily alone through ,christ's own means of ,grace1 viz43 the ,word and the ,sacraments4 ,the ,word has been applied to mind and heart all along from tenderest childhood4 ,it is now brought home in the review and admonition of the pastor1 amid specially solemn surroundings4 ,the previous administering of baptism1 and the perpetual efficacy of that sacrament1 are now vividly recalled and impressed4 ,and this unusually impressive application of the power of ,word and ,sacrament confirms and strengthens the divine life in the catechumen4 ,thus the means of ,grace do the confirming1 or rather the ,holy ,spirit through these means4 ,instrumentally also the pastor may be said to confirm1 since he1 as ,christ's ambassador or agent1 applies ,his means of ,grace4 ,in still another1 though inferior sense1 the catechumen confirms4 ,he receives the offered means of ,grace1 assents to their truth and efficacy1 obtains divine virtue and strength through them1 and with this imparted strength lays hold on ,christ1 draws nearer to ,him1 is united to ,him as the branch to the vine1 and thus confirms and establishes the covenant and bond that unites him to his ,saviour4 ,we do not claim for the rite of confirmation a thus saith the ,lord4 ,we do not claim that it possesses sacramental efficacy1 or that it is absolutely essential to salvation4 ,we do claim1 however1 that there is nothing unevangelical or anti-scriptural in this ceremony4 ,on the contrary1 we believe it is in perfect harmony with the whole tenor and spirit of the ,gospel4 ,if we cannot trace it to apostolic usage1 we can find it in all its essential features in the pure age of the ,church immediately succeeding the ,apostles4 ,in some form or other it has been practiced in the ,church ever since4 ,true1 it has often been and is still grossly abused4 ,it has often been encumbered and entangled with error and superstition2 and therefore there have not been wanting radical purists who have not only set it aside1 but cried it down as ,romish and heathenish4 ,the more sober and conservative churches have been content to purge it of its error and superstition4 ,in its purified form they prize it highly1 cherish its use1 practice it1 and find it attended by ,god's richest blessing4 ,it is a significant fact also that some of those who were once its most bitter opponents are gradually returning to its practice4 ,we find1 for example1 that certain ,presbyterian churches confirm large classes of catechumens every year4 ,certain ,methodist book concerns and publishing houses also-publish confirmation certificates1 from which we infer that some of their churches also must practice this rite4 ,again1 we find in certain pastors' record books1 gotten up to suit all denominations1 columns for reporting the number of confirmations4 ,all churches must indeed have some kind of a ceremony for the admission of the young among the communicants of the church4 ,and there certainly is no more befitting1 beautiful and touching ceremony than confirmation1 as described above and practiced in the ,lutheran ,church4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,lord',s ,,supper--,,preliminary ,,observations4 ,our catechumen has now been confirmed4 ,the pastor has given him1 in the name of the congregation1 the right hand of fellowship1 and also publicly authorized him to join with the congregation in the celebration of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,for the first time1 then1 the young ,christian is to partake of this holy sacrament1 in order that thereby he may be still further strengthened and confirmed in the true faith4 ,this sacred institution1 also1 is a part of ,god's ,way of ,salvation4 ,it is one of the means of ,grace appointed and ordained by ,christ4 ,it hath been instituted for the special comfort and strengthening of those who humbly confess their sins and who hunger and thirst after righteousness4 ,it is true that multitudes do not regard it as a means or channel of ,grace4 ,to them it is only an ancient rite or ceremony1 having no special significance or blessing connected with it4 ,it is at most a symbol1 a sign1 or representation of something1 entirely absent and in no way connected with it4 ,if there is any blessing at all attached to it1 it consists in the pious thoughts1 the holy emotions and sacred memories1 which the communicant tries to bring to it and which are in some way deepened by it4 ,at best1 it is a memorial of an absent ,saviour1 and in some form a representation of ,his sufferings and death4 ,now if this were all that we could see in the ,lord's ,supper1 we would not regard it as a part of ,god's ,way of ,salvation4 ,but our ,church sees much more in it4 ,with her it is indeed an essential and integral part of that ,way4 ,and since this is another of the few points on which the ,lutheran ,church differs materially from many others1 it will be well for us to devote some space and time to its study4 ,much has been written on this important subject4 ,we may not have anything new to add1 but it is well often to recall and re-study the old truths1 so easily forgotten4 ,before we consider the nature of this sacrament1 we will make a few preliminary observations that will help us to guard against false views1 and to arrive at correct conclusions4 ,we observe first1 the importance of bearing in mind the source from which this institution has come4 ,who is its author8 ,what is the nature or character of its origin8 ,our views of any institution are generally more or less influenced by thus considering its origin4 ,whence then did the ,church get this ordinance which she has ever so conscientiously kept and devoutly celebrated8 ,did it emanate from the wisdom of man8 ,did some zealous mystic or hermit invent it1 because forsooth he supposed it would be pleasant and profitable to have such an ordinance in the ,church8 ,or did some early ,church ,council institute it1 because those earnest fathers in their wisdom deemed it necessary that the ,church should have such a service8 ,can it1 in short1 be traced to any human origin8 ,if so1 then we can deal with it as with any other human institution4 ,we are then at liberty to reason and speculate about it4 ,we can apply to it the rules of human science and learning4 ,we can test it1 measure it1 sound it by philosophy1 logic1 and the laws of the mind4 ,each one then has a right to his own opinion about it4 ,each one can apply to it the favorite test of common sense1 and draw his own conclusions4 ,but now1 we know that this is not a human institution4 ,the ,church has received it from the hands of the ,son of ,god4 ,it was ordained by ,him who could say1 ,all power is given unto ,me in heaven and in earth1 and1 ,in whom dwelt all the fullness of the ,godhead bodily2 who even before his birth in human form was called the ,mighty ,god1 the everlasting ,father1 the ,prince of ,peace4 ,when we come to deal with an institution of ,his1 we dare never expect to fathom or test it by our poor1 short-sighted and sin-blinded reason1 philosophy1 science1 or common sense4 ,for my thoughts are not your thoughts1 neither are your ways my ways1 saith the ,lord4 ,for as the heavens are higher than the earth1 so are my ways higher than your ways1 and my thoughts than your thoughts4 ,whenever1 therefore1 we come to deal with anything that comes from ,his hands1 it is no longer of the earth1 earthy1 and is not subject to earthly laws and human rules4 ,his acts1 ,his deeds1 ,his words1 belong to the realm of faith1 and not of reason4 ,reason must ever be taken captive and made to bow before the heavenly things connected1 with ,him4 ,or shall we try to reason out ,his human birth1 ,his growth1 ,his nature1 ,his deeds8 ,shall we reason out the feeding of the multitudes with those few barley loaves and fishes8 ,no2 they came through ,his hands1 and the power of those hands we cannot comprehend4 ,we cannot comprehend how that afflicted woman could receive virtue1 health and life1 by touching the hem of ,his garment--a mere fabric of cloth--or how the clay and spittle from ,his hands could open the eyes of one born blind4 ,whenever1 therefore1 we come to study this ordinance1 let us ever bear in mind its divine origin4 ,it is the ,lord's ,supper4 ,this precaution will be a safeguard against error1 and a help to the truth4 ,we notice secondly the time of institution4 ,it was in the night in which ,he was betrayed4 ,that awful night1 when the clouds of divine wrath were gathered over ,him1 and were ready to burst upon ,him2 when the accumulated guilt of a sinful race was all to be laid on ,him1 borne by ,him as though it were ,his own1 and its punishment endured as though ,he had committed every sin4 ,then1 when the strokes of justice were about to fall1 our blessed ,saviour1 having loved ,his own1 ,he loved them to the end4 ,he gathered ,his little band of chosen ones about ,him for the last time before ,his crucifixion4 ,he spoke to them ,his farewell words1 uttered ,his high-priestly prayer1 instituted and administered to them this holy sacrament4 ,all the surroundings conspired to throw round it a halo of heavenly mystery4 ,everything was calculated to impress that little band that what ,he now ordained and made binding on the ,church1 till ,he would come again1 was something more than an empty sign or ceremony4 ,thus the time1 the circumstances1 and all the surroundings of the institution of this holy sacrament1 prepare us in advance to believe that there must be in it or connected with it some heavenly gift of ,grace that can be obtained nowhere else4 ,we notice thirdly the significant term by which ,jesus designates this institution4 ,when he administered the cup ,he said3 ,this cup is the ,new ,testament in my blood4 ,he calls it a testament4 ,a testament is a last will4 ,jesus was about to go forth to die4 ,before he departed1 ,he made ,his will4 ,he bequeathes to the ,church an inheritance4 ,the legacy that ,he leaves is this sacrament4 ,before we undertake to study the words of the institution1 we wish to impress this thought4 ,a will is the last place where one would use ambiguous or figurative language4 ,every maker or writer of a will strives to use the clearest and plainest words possible4 ,every precaution is taken that there may be no doubtful or difficult expression employed4 ,the aim of the maker is to make it so plain that only one meaning can be taken from it4 ,neither is any one permitted to read into it any sense different from the clear1 plain1 literal meaning of the words4 ,fanciful1 metaphorical1 or far-fetched interpretations are never applied to the words of a will4 ,much less is any one permitted to change the words by inserting or substituting other words than those used by the maker4 ,christ's words of institution are the words of ,his last ,will and ,testament4 ,we will consider the nature of the ,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper in the next chapter4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,lord',s ,,supper--,,continued4 ,in the former chapter we made some preliminary observations1 intended to be helpful1 as guards against false conclusions1 and as guides to a correct understanding of the subject under consideration4 ,it is important that we always keep these in mind in our study of the doctrine of the ,lord's ,supper2 ,let us ever keep before us therefore the ,author or ,founder of this institution1 the time and circumstances of the institution1 and its testamentary character4 ,we are now ready to inquire further into the nature and meaning of this holy ordinance4 ,and in order to determine this we desire to go directly to the law and to the testimony4 ,we want to know1 first of all3 what does the ,word of ,god teach on the subject8 ,before we proceed1 however1 to note and examine the passages of ,scripture bearing on the matter1 let us recall what we said1 as to the interpretation of ,scripture1 in one of the chapters on the ,sacrament of ,baptism4 ,we there stated that our ,church has certain plain and safe principles of interpretation that are always to guide the searcher after the truth of ,god's word1 viz43 #a4 ,a passage of ,scripture is always to be taken in its plain1 natural and literal sense1 unless there is something in the text itself1 or in the context1 that clearly indicates that it is meant to be figurative4 #b4 ,a passage is never to be torn from its connection1 but it is to be studied in connection with what goes before and follows after4 #c4 ,scripture is to be interpreted by ,scripture1 the dark passages are to be compared with the more clear1 bearing on the same subject4 #d4 ,we can never be fully certain that a doctrine is ,scriptural until we have examined and compared all that the ,word says on the subject4 ,on these principles we wish to examine what the ,word teaches as to the nature of the ,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,we note first the accounts of the institution as given by the three ,evangelists1 ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke4 ,in ,matthew xxvi4 #bf-bh1 we read1 ,jesus took bread and blessed it and brake it1 and gave it to the disciples and said2 ',take1 eat1 this is my body4' ,and he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to1 them saying3 ',drink ye all of it4 ,for this is ,my blood of the ,new ,testament1 which is shed for many for the remission of sins4' ,with this the accounts in ,mark xix4 #bb-bd1 and in ,luke xxii4 #ai1 #bj1 substantially agree4 ,there is a slight variation of the words1 but the substance is the same4 ,we notice only this difference3 ,luke adds the words1 ,this do in remembrance of ,me4 ,on this point let us notice1 in passing1 that ,st4 ,luke's was the last written of the three4 ,the ,gospels of ,matthew and ,mark had been written and were read and used in the churches several years before ,st4 ,luke's4 ,and yet the two former do not contain the words1 ,do this in remembrance of ,me4 ,now we submit right here1 if to remember ,christ were all that is in this sacrament1 or even the chief thing1 why did those who wrote the first ,gospels1 and knew that there were no others1 leave out these words8 ,but we go on4 ,almost thirty years after the time of the institution of this sacrament1 the great apostle of the ,gentiles wrote a letter to the ,church at ,corinth4 ,that ,church was made up of a mixed multitude--,jews and ,gentiles1 freemen and slaves4 ,many of them were neither clear nor sound on points of ,christian doctrine and practice4 ,in his fatherly and affectionate letters to the members of this ,church1 ,paul1 among other things1 gives them instruction concerning this sacrament2 and1 lest some of them might perhaps suppose that he is giving them merely his own wisdom and speculation1 he takes especial care to disavow this3 ,for ,i have received of the ,lord that which also ,i delivered unto you1 that the ,lord ,jesus the same night in which he was betrayed1 took bread1 etc41 giving in substance the same words of institution as given by the ,evangelists 7#a ,cor4 xi4 #bc1 #bd1 #be74 ,after thus giving them the words of institution1 ,paul goes on to instruct them about worthy and unworthy communing4 ,in these instructions we cannot help but notice how he takes the real presence of ,christ's body and blood for granted all the way through4 ,notice his language4 ,verse #bg3 ,whosoever shall eat of this bread and drink of this cup of the ,lord unworthily1 shall be guilty of the body and blood of the ,lord4 ,verse #bi3 ,for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily1 eateth and drinketh damnation to himself1 not discerning the ,lord's body4 ,going back to chapter ten1 verse sixteen1 we find the ,apostle giving the doctrine of the ,lord's ,supper in a few words thus3 ,the cup of blessing which we bless1 is it not the communion of the blood of ,christ8 ,the bread which we break1 is it not the communion of the body of ,christ8 ,we have now noted all the passages that speak directly on this subject4 ,there are other strong passages that are often quoted in defence of the doctrine of the real presence1 and which we doubtless have a right to use in corroboration of those above quoted4 ,we refer to ,john vi4 #ec-ef3 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,except ye eat the flesh of the ,son of ,man1 and drink ,his blood1 you have no life in you4 ,whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life 444 for my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed4 ,he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me1 and ,i in him4 ,as it is a disputed point1 however1 whether this passage refers to the ,lord's ,supper or not1 we are willing to waive it here4 ,we are content to take those passages quoted above1 which every one acknowledges as referring directly to our subject4 ,these we would have the reader carefully examine4 ,note particularly the language1 the words employed4 ,in the four accounts given of the institution1 three by the ,evangelists and one by ,paul1 we have the same clear1 plain words concerning the bread and wine--words of the last will and testament of the ,son of ,god1 our ,saviour--,this is my body4 ,this is my blood of the ,new ,testament2 or the ,new ,testament in my blood4 ,note the language of ,paul3 ,guilty of the body and blood of the ,lord4 ,not discerning the ,lord's body4 ,the cup is called the communion of the blood1 and the bread1 the communion of the body of ,christ4 ,the word communion is made up of two ,latin words1 con and unio1 meaning union with1 or connection with4 ,the marginal reading in our family ,bibles1 as well as in the revised version1 is participation in4 ,the plain ,english of the verse then is1 the bread is a participation in1 or a connection with ,christ's body1 and the wine with ,his blood4 ,we are now ready to take all these passages together1 to compare them one with another1 and to ask1 ,what do they teach8 ,what is the ,bible doctrine of the ,lord's ,supper8 ,is it transubstantiation8 ,is it consubstantiation8 ,is it that the bread and wine are mere representations or memorials of the absent body and blood of ,christ8 ,or do these passages teach ,that the body and blood of ,christ are truly present under the form of bread and wine and are communicated to those that eat in the ,lord's ,supper8 7,augsburg ,confession1 ,art4 ,x47 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,lord',s ,,supper--,,concluded4 ,we have quoted1 noted1 collected and compared the words of ,scripture that speak of the sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,we now wish to ask and examine the question3 ,what do these passages taken together and compared with one another teach8 ,or1 in other words1 what is the ,bible doctrine of the ,lord's ,supper8 ,does the ,bible teach the doctrine of ,transubstantiation1 as held and confessed by the ,roman ,catholic ,church8 ,if our investigation of the teachings of the ,holy ,scriptures convinces us that they teach ,transubstantiation1 we will be ready to believe and confess that doctrine1 no matter who else may believe or disbelieve it4 ,what we want to know1 believe1 teach and confess1 is the ,bible doctrine4 ,what is ,transubstantiation8 ,the word means a change of substance4 ,the doctrine of the ,romish ,church is that after the consecration by the priest1 the bread in the sacrament is changed into the material body of ,christ1 and the wine into ,his blood--so entirely changed in substance and matter1 that after the consecration there is no more bread or wine there2 what was bread has been converted into the flesh of ,christ1 and what was wine has been converted into ,his blood4 ,is this the doctrine of ,god's word8 ,does the ,word anywhere tell us that the bread and wine are thus changed8 ,does it call the bread flesh1 either before or after the consecration8 ,let us see4 ,jesus took bread4 ,i will not drink of the fruit of the vine4 ,the bread which we break4 ,for as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup4 ,such is the language of inspiration4 ,now we ask1 if the ,holy ,spirit desired that plain and unprejudiced readers should find the doctrine of ,transubstantiation in ,his words1 why does ,he call the earthly elements bread and wine before1 during and after the consecration ,why does ,he not say1 as often as ye eat this flesh and drink this blood8 ,evidently because the bread is1 and remains plain1 natural bread1 and so with the wine4 ,there is no change in the component elements1 in the nature1 matter1 or substance of either4 ,transubstantiation is not the doctrine of ,god's word2 neither was it the doctrine of the early ,church4 ,it is one of the human inventions and corruptions of the ,church of ,rome4 ,do then these words of ,scripture teach the doctrine of ,consubstantiation8 ,there are persons who talk a great deal about ,consubstantiation1 and yet they know not what it means4 ,what is it8 ,it is a mingling or fusing together of two different elements or substances1 so that the two combine into a third4 ,a familiar example1 often given1 is the fusing or melting together of copper and zinc until they unite and form brass4 ,applied to the sacrament of the altar1 the doctrine of ,consubstantiation would teach that the flesh and blood of ,christ are physically or materially mingled and combined with the bread and wine2 so that what the communicant receives is neither plain1 real bread1 nor real flesh1 but a gross mixture of the two4 ,again we ask1 is this the teaching of the ,word8 ,the very same proofs that convince us that the divine ,word does not teach ,transubstantiation1 also convince us that it does not teach ,consubstantiation4 ,the simple fact that the earthly elements are called bread and the fruit of the vine1 before1 during and after consecration1 satisfies us that they remain plain1 simple bread and wine1 without physical change or admixture4 ,consubstantiation is not the teaching of the ,word2 neither is it1 nor has it ever been1 the teaching of the ,lutheran ,church4 ,it often has been1 and is still called the ,lutheran doctrine of the ,lord's ,supper1 but it is found in none of her confessions4 ,it was never taught by a single recognized theologian of our ,church4 ,one and all1 they have repudiated it and repudiate it still4 ,the question then is still unanswered ,what is the doctrine of the divine ,word8 ,there are many who have a ready and easy answer as to this doctrine4 ,they say it is only a ,church ceremony1 one of the old1 solemn rites by which ,church members are distinguished from outsiders4 ,there is indeed no special significance or ,grace connected with it4 ,there is really nothing in it but bread and wine4 ,there is no presence of ,christ at all in this sacrament in any way different from ,his general presence4 ,the bread represents or signifies1 is a sign1 or symbol1 or emblem of ,christ's body1 and the wine of ,his blood4 ,the communicant receives nothing but bread and wine1 and while he partakes of these he remembers ,christ's sufferings and death4 ,whatever special benefit he is to derive from this sacrament he must first put into it1 by bringing to it pious thoughts1 good feelings1 deep emotions1 tender memories1 and a faith that swings itself aloft and holds communion with ,christ far off in heaven4 ,this is about the current1 popular view of this subject as held and taught in nearly all the ,protestant ,churches of to-day1 outside of the ,lutheran ,church4 ,as a natural consequence of this superficial view1 the whole matter is treated very lightly4 ,there is little1 if any1 solemn1 searching preparation4 ,in many places there is no formal consecration of the elements4 ,the table is thrown open to any one who desires to commune4 ,there are no regulations1 no guards1 no disciplinary tests1 connected with it4 ,even unbaptized persons1 and persons who have never made a public profession of faith1 are often permitted to commune4 ,but we digress4 ,we return to the question3 ,is the view just noticed in harmony with and based on the ,word8 ,let us see4 ,if there is nothing on the altar but bread and wine1 why does ,christ say1 ,this is ,my body 444 ,my blood8 ,why not say1 ,this is bread1 this is wine8 ,if ,christ wanted us to understand that the bread and wine merely represent or are emblems of ,his body and blood1 why did ,he not say so8 ,did ,he not know how to use language8 ,did ,he use dark or misleading words in ,his last ,will and ,testament8 ,why does ,paul1 in speaking of worthy and unworthy communing1 speak of the body of ,christ as present1 as a matter of course8 ,was he inspired to misunderstand ,christ and lead plain readers astray8 ,if there is nothing more in the sacrament than to remember ,christ1 why--as already noticed--did not the writers of the first two ,gospels put in the words1 ,do this in remembrance of ,me8 ,or why did not ,christ plainly say1 ,take1 eat this bread1 which represents ,my body1 in remembrance of ,me8 ,clearly1 the doctrine in question is not based on the words of ,scripture4 ,it cannot be supported by ,scripture4 ,neither do its defenders attempt to support it by the passages that clearly speak of this sacrament4 ,if they try to bring in any ,scripture proof1 they quote passages that have nothing to do with the subject4 ,they draw their proofs and supports principally from reason and philosophy4 ,surely a doctrine that changes the words of the institution1 wrests and twists them out of their natural sense1 and does violence to all sound rules of interpretation that must bolster itself up by the very same methods of interpretation that are used to disprove the divinity of ,christ1 the resurrection of the body1 and the eternity of future punishment1 is not the doctrine of ,christ4 ,we have not found the ,bible doctrine in any of the views examined4 ,can we find it8 ,let us see4 ,we are satisfied1 from our examination of the passages that have to do with our subject1 that there must be earthly elements present in this sacrament4 ,they are bread and wine4 ,they remain so1 without physical change or admixture4 ,we also find from these passages that there is a real presence of heavenly elements4 ,these are the body and blood of ,christ4 ,not indeed that body as it was in its state of humiliation1 when it was subject to weakness1 hunger1 thirst1 pain and death4 ,but that glorified1 spiritual1 resurrection body1 in its state of exaltation1 inseparably joined with the ,godhead1 and by it rendered everywhere present4 ,and this body and divinity1 we remark in passing1 were already present1 though veiled1 when the ,god-man walked this earth4 ,peter and ,james and ,john caught a glimpse of it on the ,mount of ,transfiguration4 ,it is of this body1 and blood1 of which ,peter says1 #a ,peter i4 #ah1 #ai1 that it is not a corruptible thing1 and of which the ,apostle says1 ,heb4 ix4 #ab1 ,by his own blood he entered in once into the ,holy ,place 7that is1 into heaven71 and of which ,jesus spoke when ,he said1 ,take eat1 this is my body 444 this is my blood4 ,of this body and blood1 the ,scriptures affirm that they are present in the sacrament4 ,the passage which sets forth the double presence1 that of the earthly and heavenly elements1 which indeed sums up and states the ,bible doctrine in a few words1 is #a ,cor4 x4 #af4 ,there ,paul affirms that the bread is the communion of ,christ's body1 not of ,his ,spirit or ,his influence4 ,if the bread is the communion of1 participation in1 or connection with ,his body1 then bread and body must both be present4 ,it takes two things to make a communion4 ,they must both be present4 ,it would be absurd to speak of bread as a communion of something in no way connected with it4 ,as we have already said1 the plain sense of the words of this passage is1 that the bread is a connection with1 or a participation in ,christ's body1 and so with the wine2 so much so that whoever partakes of the one must1 in some manner1 also become a partaker of the other4 ,the bread1 therefore1 becomes the medium1 the vehicle1 the conveyance1 that carries to the communicant the body of ,christ1 and the wine likewise ,his blood4 ,and this1 we repeat1 without any gross material transmutation or mixing together4 ,the bread and wine are the earthen vessels that carry the ,heavenly treasures of ,christ's body and blood1 even as the letters and words of the ,scriptures convey to the reader or hearer the ,holy ,spirit4 ,this is the clear1 plain1 ,bible doctrine of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,there is nothing gross1 carnal1 ,capernaitish or repulsive about it4 ,and exactly this is the teaching and doctrine of the ,evangelical ,lutheran ,church4 ,article ,x41 ,augsburg ,confession1 says1 ,of the ,lord's ,supper they teach that the true body and blood of ,christ are truly present1 under the form of bread and wine1 and are there communicated to those that eat in the ,lord's ,supper4 ,and ,luther's ,catechism says1 ,the sacrament of the altar is the true body and blood of ,jesus ,christ1 under the bread and wine1 given unto us ,christians to eat and drink1 as it was instituted by ,christ ,himself4 ,we therefore find that on this point also our dear old ,church is built impregnably on the foundation of ,christ and ,his ,apostles4 ,and though she may here differ from all others1 she cannot yield one jot or tittle without proving false to her ,lord and ,his truth4 ,it is not bigotry4 ,it is not prejudice1 that makes her cling so tenaciously to this doctrine4 ,she knows1 as the great ,reformer knew1 that the very foundations are at stake2 that if she gives up on this point1 and changes the ,scriptures to suit human reason1 she will soon have to give up other doctrines1 and by and by the rock on which the ,church is built will be removed1 and the gates of hell will prevail4 ,and further1 if there is any risk of being mistaken--which she1 however1 does not admit--she would rather run that risk1 by taking her ,master at ,his word1 than by changing ,his word4 ,in childlike confidence and trust1 she would rather believe too much than not enough4 ,she would rather trust her dear ,master too far than not far enough4 ,and therefore here she stands2 she cannot do otherwise4 ,may ,god help her6 ,amen4 ,others may still say1 ,this is a hard saying1 who can bear it8 ,the idea of eating and drinking the body and blood of our ,lord offends us4 ,well1 it also offended the late ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 that his salvation should depend on the literal shedding of the literal blood of ,jesus4 ,this idea was repulsive to the great ,brooklyn divine4 ,but it does not offend us4 ,on the contrary1 this same doctrine is to us the very heart of the whole ,gospel1 and is therefore more precious than life itself4 ,neither does it offend us that the mother1 whose pure and tender love to her infant child is an emblem of the divine love to us poor sinners1 while she presses to her bosom that little one1 soothes away its frettings and sings away its sobbings1 at the same time feeds and nourishes that feeble life with her own physical life1 giving it literally her body and blood4 ,this is no offense to us4 ,and why should it offend us that our dear loving ,saviour comes so close to us1 leads us into ,his banqueting house1 where ,his banner over us is love1 speaks to us words that are the out-breathings of the yearning love of ,his divine heart1 and1 at the same time1 feeds us with ,his own spiritual and glorified body and blood1 and thus makes us partakers of the divine nature4 ,instead of being offended1 let us rather bow down1 and worship1 and adore1 and sing3 ,lord1 at ,thy table ,i behold ,the wonders of ,thy ,grace2 ,but most of all admire that ,i ,should find a welcome place4 ,i that am all defiled by sin2 ,a rebel to my ,god3 ,i that have crucified ,his ,son ,and trampled on ,his blood6 ,what strange surprising ,grace is this ,that such a soul has room2 ,my ,saviour takes me by the hand4 ,and kindly bids me come6 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,preparatory ,,service2 ,,sometimes ,,called ,,the ,,confessional ,,service4 ,in our examination of the nature and meaning of the ,lord's ,supper1 we have found that it is indeed a most important and holy ,sacrament4 ,it is in fact the most sacred of all the ordinances of the ,church on earth4 ,there is nothing beyond it--nothing so heavenly1 on this side heaven1 as this ,feast4 ,nowhere else does the believer approach so near to heaven as when he stands or kneels1 as a communicant at this altar1 the ,holy of ,holies in the ,church of ,christ4 ,what a solemn act6 ,to approach this altar1 to participate in its heavenly mysteries1 to become a partaker of the glorified body and blood of the ,son of ,god6 ,surely no one who understands the import of this ,sacrament1 will dare to approach hastily1 thoughtlessly1 or on the impulse of the moment4 ,surely there must be forethought and preparation4 ,our ,church has realized this from the very beginning4 ,she has had1 and still has1 a special service for those who intend to commune4 ,her preparatory service precedes her communion service4 ,and we can safely affirm1 that no ,church has so searching and suitable a preparatory service as the ,lutheran ,church4 ,where this service is properly conducted and entered into by pastor and people1 it is not an unimportant step in the ,way of ,salvation4 ,our ,church1 in this particular also1 is purely scriptural4 ,israel of old had seasons of special preparation1 previous to special manifestations from ,god4 ,there was a season of special preparation before the giving of the ,law2 also before the receiving of the quails and the manna from heaven4 ,there were days of preparation before and in connection with the great annual festivals1 as well as in connection with other great national and religious events4 ,our ,lord1 ,himself1 observed a most solemn preparatory service with ,his disciples before ,he instituted the ,last ,supper4 ,he not only spoke very comforting words to them1 but ,he also plainly pointed out to them their sins1 e4g41 their pride1 their jealousy1 their quarrels1 their coming defection1 the fall of ,peter and the treachery of ,judas4 ,in harmony with all this1 ,paul directs3 ,but let a man examine himself1 and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup4 ,and it is to aid and assist the communicant in this self-examination that we have our preparatory service4 ,its great object is to enable the communicant to realize his own sinfulness1 to deepen in him true penitence and longing for forgiveness1 and also to aid him in appropriating and rejoicing in the full and free forgiveness of ,christ4 ,to this end we sing our penitential hymns1 plead for ,grace to know ourselves1 our sinfulness1 and the fulness of ,christ's ,grace1 and hear such searching appeals from the pastor as often pain and agonize the heart4 ,then follows1 on the part of the whole congregation1 a united1 audible and public confession of sin1 of sorrow because of it1 of earnest desire for forgiveness1 of faith in ,christ as the divine ,saviour1 and of an earnest purpose to hate and avoid all sin in the future4 ,after this public confession in the presence of the pastor and of one another1 the same confession is repeated1 on bended knees1 directly to ,god4 ,this two-fold confession--first in the presence of the pastor and of one another1 and then directly to ,god--is followed by the words of absolution from the pastor4 ,in pronouncing the absolution the minister uses the following1 or words to the same effect3 ,almighty ,god1 our heavenly ,father1 having of ,his great mercy promised the forgiveness of sins to all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto ,him1 and having authorized ,his ministers to declare the same1 ,i pronounce1 to all who do truly repent and believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and are sincerely determined to amend their ways and lead a godly and pious life1 the entire forgiveness of all your sins1 in the name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,amen4 ,then follow a few words in which he assures the impenitent and hypocritical that their sins are not forgiven1 but will certainly bring upon them the fearful wrath of ,almighty ,god1 unless they speedily repent1 turn from their sins1 and fly to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ for refuge and salvation4 ,this is the closing part of the preparatory service1 which is called ,confession and ,absolution4 ,some time ago we were asked1 by a minister of another denomination1 why ,lutherans retained and practiced ,romish confession1 and forgiveness by the minister4 ,we gave him our formula for ,confession and ,absolution1 and asked him to examine it and point out to us wherein it was ,romish or unscriptural4 ,after examination he handed it back1 saying3 ,i cannot say that it is exactly unscriptural4 ,in fact1 ,i can easily see how you can quote ,scripture in its defense4 ,and so we can4 ,in ,matt4 xvi4 #ai1 ,jesus says to ,peter3 ,i will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven3 and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shalt be bound in heaven2 and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven4 ,in ,matt4 xviii4 #ah1 the ,saviour gives the same power in the same words to all the disciples as representatives of the ,christian congregation4 ,in ,john xx4 #ba-bc1 ,he says again to the disciples3 ,as my ,father hath sent me1 even so send ,i you1 444 whosesoever sins ye remit1 they are remitted unto them1 and whosesoever sins ye retain1 they are retained4 ,what do these words of ,christ mean8 ,they must mean something4 ,they must be of some use4 ,our ,lord certainly does confer some kind of authority or power on ,his ,church1 which is ,his ,bride4 ,does ,he hereby give into her hand the keys of ,his kingdom1 and authorize her to dispense its treasures8 ,does she1 through her ministry1 employ these keys1 bring forth heavenly treasures1 and distribute and withhold them among the children of men8 ,to the ,church's ministers ,christ says1 ,luke x4 #af2 ,he that heareth you1 heareth ,me3 and he that despiseth you1 despiseth me4 ,one of these ministers1 who certainly understood his office and its prerogatives1 speaking in the name of all true ministers of ,christ1 says1 #b ,cor4 v4 #bj3 ,now then we are ambassadors for ,christ1 as though ,god did beseech you by us1 we pray you in ,christ's stead1 be ye reconciled to ,god4 ,if we would see how this ambassador exercised his high authority in an individual case1 he tells us in #b ,cor4 ii4 #aj3 ,if ,i forgave anything1 to whom ,i forgave it for your sakes forgave ,i it1 in the person of ,christ4 ,if now we take these passages together1 we must admit that in their plain literal sense2 they do teach that ,christ1 the ,head of the ,church1 has in some sense committed to ,his ,church the power to remit and retain sins1 and that this power is exercised in the ,church through its ministry4 ,in what sense then has a minister power to remit sin8 ,certainly not by any inherent virtue of his own1 nor by any power originating in his own person4 ,in this sense only ,god can forgive sin1 as all sin is committed against ,him4 ,but ,god can delegate that power to another1 and permit him to use it in ,his name4 ,and this is all the power any human being can have in this matter4 ,it would indeed be blasphemy for any man to claim that he had power in himself to forgive sins4 ,if he can have any power at all1 it must be ,christ's power4 ,he can only use it as a deputy1 as an ambassador1 or as an agent4 ,and this is exactly what the ,word teaches4 ,the minister is ,christ's ambassador4 ,he beseeches and speaks in ,christ's stead1 as though ,god were speaking by him4 ,paul forgave the penitent ,corinthian1 not in his own name or by his own authority1 but in the person of ,christ4 ,when part of our country was in rebellion1 the government sent deputies to those who had renounced their allegiance1 empowered to confer pardon1 and reinstate as citizens1 all who accepted the government's terms of pardon4 ,these agents had no power in themselves1 but they were authorized to carry the pardoning power of the government1 and to those who accepted it from them1 it was as valid as though each one had received a special proclamation of pardon from the government4 ,just so does the pastor1 as ,christ's ambassador1 offer and bestow ,christ's forgiveness to the penitent and believing sinner4 ,he offers this pardon only on the terms laid down by ,christ4 ,the means through which he conveys this pardon is ,god's ,word4 ,this ,word1 preaching repentance and remission of sins1 when spoken by the minister1 is just as effective as when it fell from the lips of ,christ or ,his inspired apostles4 ,whenever he preaches ,god's ,word he does nothing else than declare ,christ's absolution4 ,it is the ,word of ,god1 that still remits and retains1 that binds and looses4 ,the pastor can only declare that ,word1 but the ,word itself does effectually work forgiveness to him that rightly receives it4 ,not only can the minister carry this ,word of ,god1 this key of the kingdom1 this power of ,god unto salvation1 and apply it1 but any disciple of ,christ can do so4 ,dr4 ,krauth beautifully says3 ,the whole pastoral work is indeed but an extension of the ,lutheran idea of ,confession and ,absolution4 ,and ,dr4 ,walther says3 ,the whole ,gospel is nothing but a proclamation of the forgiveness of sins1 or a publication of the same ,word to all men on earth1 which ,god ,himself confirms in heaven4 ,dr4 ,seiss somewhere says3 ,every time a believer in ,christ sits down beside a troubled and penitent one1 and speaks to such an one ,christ's precious promises and assurances of forgiveness1 he carries out the ,lutheran or scriptural idea of absolution4 ,and even the minister of another denomination1 above referred to1 acknowledged to the writer1 that when he found one of his parishioners of whom he was convinced that she was a true penitent1 despondent on account of her sins1 he unhesitatingly said to her1 ,your sins are forgiven by ,christ4 ,we had intended to still say something about the public confession of ,israel at ,mizpeh1 #a ,sam4 v4 #f1 and of the multitudes who went out to ,john the ,baptist1 ,matt4 viii4 #f2 also of the private ,confession and ,absolution of ,david and ,nathan1 #b ,sam4 xii4 #ac4 ,but each one can examine these cases for himself4 ,enough has been said to assure us that our ,church1 in this matter also1 is grounded on the eternal ,word of ,god1 and that she did wisely when1 after repudiating the blasphemous practices of the ,romish confessional1 she yet retained an evangelical ,confession and ,absolution4 ,when we therefore hear the declaration of absolution from ,god's ,word1 let us believe it1 even as if it were a voice sounding from heaven4 ,and therefore the ,augsburg ,confession1 ,art4 ,,xxv1 says that ,on account of the very great benefit of ,absolution1 as well as for other uses to the conscience1 ,confession is retained among us4 ,such evangelical ,confession and ,absolution establishes and maintains the true relation that should exist between an evangelical pastor and the members of his flock4 ,instead of a mere preacher1 a platform orator1 he becomes a true spiritual guide1 a curate for the cure of souls4 ,he encourages his members to reveal to him their weaknesses1 their besetting sins1 their doubts and spiritual conflicts1 in order that he may instruct1 direct1 comfort and strengthen them with the all-sufficient and powerful ,word of ,god4 ,and thus1 wherever he finds true penitence and faith1 however weak1 he carries out the divine commission which directs him3 ,comfort ye1 comfort ye my people1 saith the ,lord1 speak ye comfortably to--i4e4 speak ye to the heart of--,jerusalem1 and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished1 that her iniquity is pardoned2 for she hath received of the ,lord's hand double for all her sins ,is4 #dj1 ,i1 #b4 ,how beauteous are their feet1 ,who stand on ,zion's ,hill6 ,who bring salvation on their tongues1 ,and ,words of peace reveal4 ,how charming is their voice6 ,how sweet the tidings are6 ',zion behold thy ,saviour ,king2 ,he reigns and triumphs here4' ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,word ,,as ,a ,,means ,,of ,,grace ,in the last chapter we learned that the ,word of ,god is the key of the kingdom1 which key ,christ has given to ,his ,church1 and that this ,word1 declared by the pastor1 does really convey and apply the forgiveness of sins to the penitent and believing4 ,following out this idea1 we wish now to show that ,god's ,word is the power and effective means through which the ,holy ,spirit operates on the minds and hearts of the children of men4 ,the popular idea in regard to the use of the ,word1 seems to be that it is intended merely as a book of instruction and a guide--that its purpose is merely to tell us about sin and salvation2 that like a guide-post it points out the way of salvation1 and shows the necessity of repentance1 faith1 and holiness4 ,that it tells about the need of the ,holy ,spirit to effect a change of heart1 and that further than this it affords no help for fallen man4 ,a poor sinner goes to that ,word4 ,he reads it1 or hears it preached4 ,he learns indeed that he is a sinner1 but he has no deliverance from sin4 ,he learns of ,christ's redemption1 but its benefits are not applied to him4 ,he sees that he must repent and believe1 but by his own reason and strength he cannot4 ,he learns further1 that he needs the ,holy ,spirit to enable him to repent and believe1 but1 according to the current opinion1 that ,spirit is not in the ,word1 nor effective through it1 but operates independently of it4 ,the using of the divine ,word is at best an occasion that the ,spirit may use for independent operation4 ,he might go from his ,bible and from many a sermon and say3 ,i know ,i need religion--,i need the ,spirit of ,god1 and ,i hope at some time the ,spirit may come to me and bless me with pardon and peace1 but ,i cannot tell when or how this may be4 ,according to this popular conception1 the ,holy ,spirit might be compared to a dove flying about1 and alighting at hap-hazard on this one and on that one4 ,the ,lutheran ,church does not so understand the teaching and claims of the ,word concerning itself4 ,according to her faith the ,word of ,god is more than a book of information4 ,it not only tells about sin and salvation1 but delivers from sin and confers salvation4 ,it not only points out the way of life1 but it leads1 nay more1 we might say1 it carries us into and along that way4 ,it not only instructs concerning the need of the ,holy ,spirit1 but it conveys that ,spirit to the very mind and heart4 ,it is indeed a precious truth1 that this ,word not only tells me what ,i must do to be saved1 but it also enables me to do it4 ,it is indeed the principal of the means of ,grace4 ,it is the vehicle and instrument of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,through it the ,holy ,spirit works repentance and faith4 ,through it ,he regenerates1 converts1 and sanctifies4 ,this is the doctrine of the ,lutheran ,church1 concerning the use and efficacy of the divine ,word4 ,thus1 ,luther's ,small ,catechism1 ,apostles' ,creed1 ,art4 ,,iii4 explanation3 ,i believe that ,i cannot by my own reason or strength believe in ,jesus ,christ my ,lord1 or come to ,him2 but the ,holy ,spirit hath called me through the ,gospel1 enlightened me by ,his gifts1 etc4 ,thus also ,augsburg ,confession1 ,art4 ,v43 ,for by the ,word and ,sacraments1 as by instruments1 the ,holy ,spirit is given2 who worketh faith1 where and when it pleaseth ,god1 in those that hear the ,gospel1 etc4 ,is this the teaching of the ,word itself8 ,let us see4 ,in ,john vi4 #fc1 ,jesus says3 ,the words that ,i speak unto you1 they are spirit and they are life4 ,in ,romans i4 #af1 ,paul says of the ,gospel3 ,it is the power of ,god unto salvation to every one that believeth4 ,heb4 iv4 #ab3 ,for the word of ,god is quick 7living7 and powerful1 and sharper than any two-edged sword4 #a ,peter i4 #bc3 ,born again not of corruptible seed1 but of incorruptible1 by the ,word of ,god1 which liveth and abideth forever4 ,james i4 #ba3 ,receive with meekness the engrafted ,word1 which is able to save your souls4 ,it is clear1 therefore1 that the ,word does claim for itself virtue1 life1 power1 and effectiveness4 ,but does it claim to be the ,spirit's means and instrument1 by and through which ,he operates8 ,in #b ,cor4 iii4 #h1 it is called a ministration of the ,spirit4 ,in ,eph4 vi4 #ag1 ,paul calls it the sword of the ,spirit4 ,we learn the same truth from the fact that the same effects are ascribed indiscriminately to the ,spirit and the ,word1 showing clearly that where one is1 there the other is also1 and that one acts through the other4 ,thus the divine call is ascribed in one place to the ,spirit1 and in another to the ,word4 ,rev4 xxii4 #ag4 ,the ,spirit 444 says come4 ,in the parables1 ,christ's ministers1 preaching the ,word1 say3 ,come1 for all things are ready4 ,in like manner1 enlightening1 or teaching1 is ascribed to both4 ,john xiv4 #bf1 ,jesus says of the ,spirit3 ,he shall teach you all things2 chapter xvi4 #ac1 ,he shall guide you into all truth4 ,he is called a spirit of wisdom--a spirit of light4 ,on the other hand1 the ,word is called a ,word of wisdom2 also1 ,ps4 cxix4 #acj3 ,the entrance of thy ,words giveth light2 #b ,tim4 iii4 #ae3 ,the ,scriptures are said to be able to make wise unto salvation2 #b ,pet4 i4 #ai3 ,it is as a light that shineth in a dark place4 ,so1 also1 regeneration is ascribed to both4 ,john iii4 #e3 ,born of water and of the ,spirit3 verse #f3 ,that which is born of the ,spirit is spirit2 verse #h3 ,so is every one that is born of the ,spirit3 #a ,john v4 #d3 ,for whatsoever is born of ,god 7i4e41 of ,god's ,spirit7 overcometh the world4 ,but of the divine ,word it is said1 #a ,pet4 i4 #bc1 ,born again 444 by the ,word of ,god2 ,james i4 #ah3 ,of his own will begat he us1 with the ,word of truth4 ,in like manner1 sanctification is ascribed to both4 ,john xvii4 #ag3 ,sanctify them through thy truth3 thy ,word is truth2 but #a ,cor4 vi4 #aa1 ,ye are sanctified 444 by the ,spirit of our ,god4 ,and thus we might go on1 and show that what is ascribed in one place to the ,spirit1 is ascribed in another place to the ,word--proving conclusively that the two always go together4 ,where one is1 there the other is also4 ,the ,spirit operates through the ,word1 whether it be the written1 the preached1 the sacramental1 or the ,word in conversation or reflection4 ,the ordinary operations of the ,holy ,spirit are through that ,word4 ,those who are renewed and sanctified by the ,holy ,spirit are those who have been influenced by this regenerating and sanctifying ,word4 ,this blessed ,word of ,god1 quick1 powerful1 able to save the soul1 because of the life-giving ,spirit connected with it1 is not only to be read1 but to be preached and heard4 ,this is ,god's own arrangement4 ,from the days of ,enoch1 ,noah1 the patriarchs and prophets1 down to ,jesus and the apostles1 and from them to the end of the ,gospel dispensation1 ,he has had and will have ,his preachers of righteousness4 ,our ,lord preached ,his own ,gospel1 the words of spirit and life4 ,he commissioned ,his apostles to preach the same ,gospel4 ,they went everywhere preaching the ,word4 ,the ,church called and sent others1 whose life-work it was to preach the ,word1 to be instant in season and out of season1 reproving1 rebuking1 exhorting4 ,and this divine arrangement is to continue4 ,rom4 x4 #ac-ae3 ,for whosoever shall call on the name of the ,lord1 shall be saved2 how then shall they call on ,him in whom they have not believed8 ,and how shall they believe in ,him of whom they have not heard8 ,and how shall they hear without a preacher8 ,and how shall they preach except they be sent8 #a ,cor4 i4 #ba3 ,it pleased ,god by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe2 ,rom4 x4 #ag3 ,so then faith cometh by hearing1 and hearing by the ,word of ,god4 ,therefore1 according to ,rom4 x4 #f-h1 let no one say1 ,who shall ascend into heaven 7i4e41 to bring ,christ down from above71 or who shall descend into the deep8 7i4e41 to bring ,christ up again from the dead7 for the ,word is nigh thee 444 that is the ,word of faith which we preach4 ,this then is evidently ,god's order of the application of divine ,grace4 ,and yet1 notwithstanding these plain declarations1 men try all sorts of measures and methods to bring ,christ near1 because they cannot understand that when they have the ,word1 they have the ,spirit1 and when they have the ,spirit1 they have ,christ4 ,in ,luke xi4 #bg1 we read how a woman called down a blessing on the mother of our ,lord because she was privileged to have borne ,him4 ,but ,jesus answered1 ,yea1 rather blessed are they that hear the ,word of ,god and keep it4 ,because that ,word carries the ,spirit to the hearer1 and through it converts the sinner and sanctifies the saint4 ,in the ,acts of the ,apostles also we read how again and again the ,spirit was given through and in connection with the ,word4 ,the ,apostles depended on nothing but ,word and ,sacrament4 ,the ,lutheran doctrine1 then1 that the ,word of ,god is the great effectual means of ,grace2 that it is the vehicle and instrument of the ,holy ,spirit2 that through it1 the ,spirit renews the soul1 applies forgiveness1 and sanctifies the hearer or reader more and more--is the pure truth of ,christ4 ,hence1 wherever the ,lutheran ,church is true to her name and faith1 she preaches the whole counsel of ,god1 and relies on that for ingathering and upbuilding4 ,a true ,lutheran pulpit cannot be a sensational pulpit1 for discoursing wordly wisdom1 philosophy1 poetry1 or politics4 ,it must expound the ,word1 and never gets done preaching repentance towards ,god and faith in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,what a beautiful and harmonious system of ,god's methods of saving men is thus brought into view6 ,how helpful to the sinner desiring salvation6 ,instead of waiting and hoping and dreaming of something wonderful to happen to bring him into the kingdom1 he needs only to go to the divine ,word and let that ,word do its work in his heart4 ,though devils all the world should fill1 ,all watching to devour us1 ,we tremble not1 we fear no ill1 ,they cannot overpower us4 ,this world's prince may still ,scowl fierce as he will1 ,he can harm us none1 ,he's judged1 the deed is done1 ,one little ,word o'erthrows him4 ,the ,word they still should let remain4 ,and not a thank have for it1 ,he's by our side upon the plain1 ,with ,his good gifts and ,spirit2 ,take they then our life1 ,goods1 fame1 child and wife2 ,when their worst is done1 ,they yet have nothing won1 ,the ,kingdom ours remaineth4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,conversion1 ,,its ,,nature ,,and ,,necessity4 ,closely related to the doctrine of the power1 or efficacy1 of the divine ,word--as considered in the last chapter--is the doctrine of conversion4 ,it is the subject of conversion1 therefore1 that we now purpose to examine4 ,it is an important subject4 ,it deserves a prominent place in treating of the ,way of ,salvation4 ,it is also an intensely personal subject4 ,each one who desires to be in the ,way of ,salvation is personally interested in it4 ,the eternal destiny of every one who reads these pages is closely connected with the question whether or not he is converted4 ,to be in an unconverted state1 is to be in a state of great peril4 ,the issues of eternity are involved in the final decision of the soul1 in reference to this great subject4 ,it is of the most vital importance1 therefore1 that each one examine and understand it4 ,and yet1 strange as it may seem1 there are few subjects concerning which those interested are more in the dark4 ,stranger still1 often those who preach and talk most about it1 who are loudest in proclaiming its necessity1 know least about it4 ,ask them as to its meaning1 its nature1 its elements4 ,ask them who needs it1 how it is brought about1 and what are the evidences of its existence2 and they give at best very confused and unscriptural answers4 ,we therefore propose to examine it in the light of the ,word of ,god1 and may ,he1 the ,spirit of truth1 enable us to know and believe its divine teachings6 ,what then is conversion8 ,the original and simple meaning of the word convert is to turn--to turn about4 ,this is also the meaning of the ,latin word from which the ,english comes4 ,the ,greek word1 which in the ,new ,testament is translated convert or conversion1 also refers to the act of turning4 ,it is so translated quite frequently4 ,thus the same ,greek word that is in some places translated convert1 is in other places translated turned1 e4g41 as in ,mark v4 #cj3 ,jesus 444 turned him about in the press4 ,acts xvi4 #ah3 ,but ,paul 444 turned and said4 ,matt4 xii4 #dd3 ,i will return into my house4 ,acts xxvi4 #ah3 ,to turn them from darkness to light4 ,and so in many other places4 ,it is plain1 then1 that the meaning of the word is a turning or facing about--a returning1 or a changing of direction--as if a traveler1 on finding himself going the wrong way1 turns1 returns1 changes his course1 comes back1 he converts himself4 ,applying this word now to a moral or religious use1 it means a turning from sin to righteousness1 from ,satan to ,god4 ,the transgressor who had been walking in the way of disobedience and enmity against ,god1 and towards eternal death1 is turned about into the way of righteousness1 towards eternal life4 ,this is a change of direction1 but it is also something more4 ,it is a change of state--from a state of sin to a state of ,grace4 ,it is still more4 ,it is a change of nature--from a sinner unto a saint4 ,it is finally a change of relation--from an outcast and stranger unto a child and heir4 ,thus there is an outward and an inward turning1 a complete change4 ,that this is the scriptural meaning of conversion is very clear from ,acts xxvi4 #ah4 ,the ,lord is about to send ,paul to the ,gentiles for the purpose of converting them4 ,he describes the work of conversion thus3 ,to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light1 and from the power of ,satan unto ,god2 that they may receive forgiveness of sins1 and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me4 ,as already remarked1 the word here translated to turn is the same that is elsewhere translated to convert4 ,if we now inquire more particularly into the nature1 or process of this change which is called conversion1 we find in it two constituent elements4 ,the one is penitence or contrition1 the other is faith4 ,taken together1 they make up conversion4 ,in passing1 we may briefly notice that sometimes the ,scriptures use the word repentance as embracing both penitence and faith1 thus making it synonymous with conversion4 ,penitence or contrition1 as the first part of conversion1 is sorrow for sin4 ,it is a realizing sense of the nature and guilt of sin2 of its heinousness and damnable character4 ,true penitence is indeed a painful experience4 ,a penitent heart is1 therefore1 called a broken and a contrite heart4 ,it takes from the sinner his self-satisfaction and false peace4 ,it makes him restless1 dissatisfied and troubled4 ,instead of loving and delighting in sin1 it makes him hate sin and turn from it with aversion4 ,it brings the sinner low in the dust4 ,he cries out1 ,i am vile2 ,i loathe myself2 ,god be merciful to me a sinner4 ,this is the penitence insisted on by the prophets1 breathed forth in the penitential psalms1 preached by ,john the ,baptist1 by ,christ and all ,his apostles4 ,it is not necessary to quote passages in proof of this4 ,every ,bible reader knows that the ,word is full of exhortations to such sorrow and repenting for sin4 ,but penitence must not stop with hating and bemoaning sin1 and longing for deliverance4 ,the penitent sinner must resolutely turn from sin towards ,jesus ,christ the ,saviour4 ,he must believe that he took upon ,himself the punishment due to his sins1 and by ,his death atoned for them2 that he satisfied a violated law1 and an offended ,law-giver2 that thus he has become his ,substitute and ,redeemer1 and has taken away all his sins4 ,this the penitent must believe4 ,thus must he cast himself upon ,christ1 and trust in ,him with a childlike confidence1 knowing that there is now1 therefore1 no condemnation4 ,having this faith1 he is justified1 and being justified by faith1 he has peace with ,god4 ,true penitence always grows into faith1 and true faith always presupposes penitence4 ,where one is1 there the other is1 and where both are1 there is conversion4 ,penitence1 therefore1 is not something that goes before conversion1 and faith something that follows after1 and conversion an indefinable something sandwiched in between1 as some seem to imagine2 but penitence and faith are the constituent elements that make up conversion4 ,in the next place we would inquire3 ,who need this change8 ,we answer1 first1 all who are not in a state of loving obedience to ,god2 that is1 all who are not turned away from and against sin and ,satan1 and turned toward holiness and ,god4 ,on the other hand1 all who really hate sin1 mourn over it1 strive against it1 trust in and cling to ,christ as their personal ,redeemer1 need no conversion4 ,no matter whether they can tell where and when and how they were converted or not4 ,all who know by blessed experience that they now have in their hearts the elements of penitence and faith1 are in a state of conversion1 and if they earnestly ask ,god1 may have the assurance that their sins are forgiven and they are accepted in the ,beloved4 ,true1 this assurance may sometimes be dimmed by doubt or under the strain of strong temptation1 but as long as there is real hatred of sin and an earnest desire to rest in ,christ alone1 there is ,grace and acceptance with ,christ4 ,to the class of those who are in a converted state belong those baptized children of the ,church who have kept their baptismal covenant4 ,given to ,christ in holy baptism1 the seeds of the new life implanted through that divine ordinance1 reared and trained by ,christian parents or guardians1 they have belonged to ,christ from their childhood4 ,from their earliest years they have hated sin1 repented of it1 trusted in ,christ1 and loved ,him4 ,they are turned from darkness to light and from the power of ,satan to ,god4 ,they need only that daily dying to sin1 and daily turning to ,christ1 which all ,christians need on account of the sins and infirmities of the flesh which still cleave to them4 ,such were ,joseph1 and ,samuel1 and ,daniel1 and ,jeremiah1 and ,john the ,baptist1 and ,timothy1 and others of whom we read in the ,scriptures4 ,they were children of the covenant1 and therefore children of ,god4 ,of this class we have written in former chapters4 ,we need not enlarge on them here4 ,they need no conversion1 because they are in a converted state4 ,yet there are well-meaning people1 who have more zeal than knowledge1 who would violently exhort even such to be converted1 or they cannot be saved6 ,thus would they confuse them1 distract them1 unsettle their faith in ,christ1 quench the ,spirit1 and1 perhaps1 drive them to unbelief and despair4 ,from all such teachers1 we pray3 ,good ,lord1 deliver us4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,conversion--,,varied ,,phenomena ,,or ,,experience4 ,we have spoken of the meaning of this term1 inquired into the nature of the change1 and noted its essential elements4 ,we have also learned that there are some who do not need it because they are in a converted state1 and that all who are not in such a state of ,grace1 do need conversion1 regardless of anything that may or may not have taken place in the past4 ,we inquire now as to the agencies or means by which this change is brought about4 ,for it is a change which man can certainly not effect by his own efforts4 ,of this change it can certainly be said that it is not by might1 nor by power1 but by my ,spirit1 saith the ,lord4 ,to have this change brought about in the heart1 all need to pray in the words of the ,psalmist1 ,ps4 lxxxv4 #d1 ,turn us1 ,o ,god of our salvation2 or as ,ephraim in ,jer4 xxxi4 #ah1 ,turn thou me and ,i shall be turned1 for thou art the ,lord my ,god2 or as ,judah in ,lamentations1 v4 #ba1 ,turn thou us unto thee1 ,o ,lord1 and we shall be turned4 ,it is ,god the ,holy ,ghost who must work this change in the soul4 ,this ,he does through ,his own life-giving ,word4 ,it is the office of that ,word1 as the organ of the ,holy ,spirit1 to bring about a knowledge of sin1 to awaken sorrow and contrition1 and to make the sinner hate and turn from his sin4 ,that same ,word then directs the sinner to ,him who came to save him from sin4 ,it takes him to the cross1 it enables him to believe that his sins were all atoned for there1 and that1 therefore1 he is not condemned4 ,in other words1 the ,word of ,god awakens and constantly deepens true penitence4 ,it also begets and constantly increases true faith4 ,or1 in one word1 it converts the sinner4 ,of this wonderful power and efficacy in the ,word we have already fully written1 so that we need not enlarge upon this again4 ,to the ,word1 then1 let the unconverted sinner go4 ,let him be careful to put no barrier in the way of its influence4 ,let him permit it to have free course1 and it will do its own blessed work4 ,we desire now to notice and to call special attention to the diversified phenomena and experiences incident to this change4 ,there are some1 indeed1 who will not admit that there are any variations4 ,they would measure all by the same standard1 and that standard often a very abnormal one4 ,with some1 the only standard is their own distorted experience4 ,in their pharisaic self-righteousness they are ready to assert that every one whose experience does not in every respect conform to their own is not converted4 ,the writer has frequently1 in his pastoral work1 met poor1 downcast souls1 who were groping in the dark1 bemoaning themselves1 and living a cheerless life1 because they had been taught that1 as they had not an experience just like somebody else1 they were not converted1 and had neither part nor lot in the kingdom of ,god4 ,he has also met more than one who1 by just such vagaries and delusions1 had been almost driven to unbelief and despair4 ,and what a relief it often is to such poor1 benighted ones1 if they are not too far gone1 to be led out of their vain imaginings into the blessed light of ,god's truth4 ,we notice1 first1 that not all conversions are alike clearly marked4 ,some are more strongly marked than others4 ,there are greater and less degrees of intensity in the change4 ,the degree of intensity1 or depth of experience1 may depend on several things4 ,it may depend1 to1 a certain extent1 on the temperament of the individual4 ,one person is of a phlegmatic temperament2 his mind is sluggish2 his feelings are not deep2 he rarely becomes excited4 ,of a cool1 calculating disposition1 he does everything deliberately and cautiously4 ,he feels the ground before him ere he takes a step4 ,when ,god's ,word comes to such an one1 it does not generally revolutionize him at once4 ,he hears it1 carries it home1 weighs it1 ponders it1 and wants to hear more4 ,gradually1 slowly1 his mind is enlightened1 his heart is interested1 his will is changed4 ,in him the ,word is likely to grow as a seed1 or operate like leaven in meal4 ,there is seldom much excitement1 and little outward manifestation4 ,another is of a sanguine temperament2 he is impulsive1 easily aroused1 and ready to jump at conclusions4 ,when ,god's ,word comes to him1 and is not opposed1 it is more likely to take strong hold of him4 ,it may so alarm him1 and take away his peace1 that he may at once see the depth of his guilt4 ,again1 when ,christ1 ,his atonement and love for guilty men1 are presented1 he may quickly lay hold of the hope set before him in the ,gospel1 and rest on ,christ4 ,god's ,word comes to him like a hammer that breaks the stony heart4 ,both persons have been led by the same ,spirit1 through the same ,word4 ,both have repented and believed1 but each in his own way4 ,the degree of intensity may also depend on the former life of the person4 ,one has wandered very far from his ,father's house4 ,he has wasted his substance in riotous living4 ,he has sunken very low in sin and guilt4 ,when ,god's ,word comes to such an one1 and shows him his wretched state1 when he comes to himself1 his penitence is likely to be deep and painful1 and when he is enabled to believe1 his faith will probably be quite joyful1 because he realizes the depth from which he was drawn4 ,god's ,word has acted on him like a fire1 burning deep down into the conscience1 consuming its dross4 ,another has never wandered so far away4 ,he has all along been more or less under divine influence4 ,baptized in childhood1 brought up amid ,christian restraints1 he has at least observed the outward obligations of religion1 though he may not in the past have yielded himself unreservedly unto ,christ4 ,when such an one does give himself to ,god1 his repentance may not be so marked1 or his faith be so demonstrative1 but on this account the conversion is none the less real4 ,god's ,word1 at length1 opened his heart1 as the heart of ,lydia1 the seller of purple1 was opened4 ,we notice in the next place that there are differences in the duration of the process4 ,with some the process lasts longer than with others4 ,this fact is implied indeed in the variations noted above4 ,on one person the ,word may make but a superficial impression at first4 ,it may be only a slight dissatisfaction with self4 ,but with more light and knowledge1 the feeling of penitence is deepened4 ,longings for something better are awakened4 ,yearnings and outcryings after deliverance arise from the heart4 ,there is then only a first timid trembling look to ,christ4 ,gradually1 slowly1 the faith is drawn out1 until the heart is enabled to cast itself on the ,saviour and rest trustingly there4 ,it may be weeks1 months1 or even years1 before that penitent comes out into the clear sunlight of assurance and peace4 ,in all such cases it is first the blade1 then the ear1 and then the full corn in the ear4 ,on the other hand1 we freely admit that there are sudden conversions4 ,god's word comes as a hammer or as a fire 7,jer4 xxiii4 #bi74 ,it smites and burns until the sinner is brought low in the dust4 ,the heart is broken and becomes contrite1 and ready to lay hold of the ,crucified ,one1 as soon as ,he is presented4 ,to this class1 generally1 belong some of those noted above as of sanguine temperament1 and those who have fallen deeply into sin4 ,going to the ,word of ,god for examples of the two latter classes1 we might mention ,zaccheus1 ,saul of ,tarsus1 the ,philippian jailer1 and the three thousand on the day of ,pentecost1 as cases of sudden conversion--while we might instance the disciples of ,christ in general1 as cases of slow and gradual conversion4 #a ,cor4 xii4 #f1 ,there are diversities of operation1 but it is the same ,god which worketh all in all4 ,from all this it follows that not every one can tell the exact time when1 and the place where1 he was converted4 ,true1 some can4 ,zaccheus1 and the jailer1 and ,saul1 and the three thousand1 would doubtless always remember and be able to tell about the time and place and circumstances of their entrance into the kingdom4 ,but could the apostles of ,jesus tell8 ,do we not read how slowly they were enlightened2 how1 little by little1 their errors had to be removed1 and the truth applied8 ,they did not1 in fact1 become established in the faith until after the resurrection4 ,and so it is with many1 probably1 indeed1 with most of the very best ,christians in the church to-day4 ,they cannot tell when they were converted4 ,neither is it necessary4 ,on the ,day of ,judgment the question will not be asked3 ,where and when and how were you converted8 ,the question will be1 ,were you in a converted state1 turned from darkness to light1 and from the power of ,satan to ,god8 ,no matter whether you belonged to that favored class who kept their baptismal covenant unbroken2 or whether1 after you had been a stranger and a foreigner for a time1 you were slowly1 and through much doubt and1 misgiving1 brought to penitence and faith2 or whether you were suddenly brought into the kingdom4 ,can each one then tell whether he is at present in a converted state or not8 ,we answer unhesitatingly1 ,yes1 to a certainty4 ,the inquirer need only look into his heart and see how his sins affect him4 ,do his sins grieve him8 ,does he hate them8 ,does he earnestly long and strive to be rid of them8 ,does he daily turn to ,jesus ,christ for forgiveness and strength8 ,if he can answer these questions in the affirmative1 he has the elements and evidences of conversion and the new life4 ,though faith be weak1 it is accepted4 ,though assurance at times be dim1 the vision of faith clouded1 and faith itself almost unconscious1 it still saves2 for it is not the assurance1 but the faith1 that justifies4 ,but if1 on the other hand1 his sins do not trouble the sinner2 if they are as trifles to him2 if they do not daily drive him to the ,cross1 the elements and evidences of the new life are certainly wanting4 ,such a person is in an unconverted state4 ,and let not such an one delude himself with the false idea that something1 which he called a change1 had taken place at some time in the past4 ,he can know whether he is now in the faith4 ,it is poor theology1 it is altogether anti-scriptural1 for a ,christian to go through the world singing plaintively3 ,tis a point ,i long to know2 ,oft it causes anxious thought1 ,do ,i love the ,lord1 or no8 ,am ,i ,his1 or am ,i not8 ,he whose faith1 reaching up out of a heart that mourns over and hates sin1 lays hold of ,christ1 even tremblingly1 can say1 ,i know in whom ,i have believed1 ,i know that my ,redeemer liveth4 ,he can joyfully sing3 ,i know that my ,redeemer lives6 ,what comfort this sweet sentence gives6 ,he lives1 ,he lives1 who once was dead1 ,he lives1 my ever-living ,head4 ,he lives to bless me with ,his love1 ,he lives to plead for me above1 ,he lives my hungry soul to feed1 ,he lives to help in time of need4 ,he lives to silence all my fears1 ,he lives to wipe away my tears1 ,he lives to calm my troubled heart1 ,he lives all blessings to impart4 ,he lives1 all glory to ,his ,name6 ,he lives1 my ,jesus1 still the same2 ,oh the sweet joy this sentence gives1 ,i know that my ,redeemer lives6 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,conversion--,,human ,,agency ,,in ,what part and responsibility pertain to the human will in this matter8 ,before we leave the subject of conversion1 it is important that we consider and understand this question also4 ,for on this point also grievous and dangerous views and practices prevail4 ,human nature tends to extremes4 ,here too1 there is a tendency to go too far1 either in the one direction or the other4 ,there are those1 on the one hand1 who virtually and practically make this change of heart and of nature a human work4 ,they practically deny the agency of the ,holy ,spirit1 or ,his means of ,grace4 ,on the other hand1 there are those whose ideas and teachings would rid man of all responsibility in the matter1 and make of him a mere machine1 that is irresistibly moved and controlled from above4 ,is either of the above views the correct and scriptural one8 ,if not1 what is the ,bible doctrine on this subject8 ,what has the human will--i4e41 the choosing and determining faculty of the mind--to do with conversion8 ,what1 if any part of the work1 is to be ascribed to it8 ,is it a factor in the process8 ,if so1 in what respect1 and to what extent8 ,where does its activity begin or end8 ,in how far is the human will responsible for the accomplishment or non-accomplishment of this change8 ,these questions we shall endeavor briefly and plainly to answer4 ,we must necessarily return to man as he is before his conversion1 while still in his natural1 sinful1 unrenewed state4 ,in this state of sin1 the will shares1 in common with all the other parts of his being1 the ruin and corruption resulting from the fall4 ,the natural man has the understanding darkened2 is alienated from the life of ,god1 through the ignorance that is in him1 because of the blindness of his heart4 ,he receiveth not the things of the ,spirit of ,god 444 neither can he know them4 ,he is in darkness1 dead in trespasses and sins4 ,thus is the whole man in darkness1 blindness1 ignorance1 slavery to ,satan1 and at enmity with ,god4 ,he is in a state of spiritual death4 ,the will is equally affected by this total depravity4 ,if the natural man cannot even see1 discern1 or know the things of the ,spirit1 how much less can he will to do them6 ,before his conversion1 man is utterly impotent to will or to do anything towards his renewal4 ,the strong words of ,luther1 as quoted in the ,form of ,concord1 are strictly scriptural3 ,in spiritual and divine things which pertain to the salvation of the soul1 man is like a pillar of salt1 like ,lot's wife1 yea1 like a log and a stone1 like a lifeless statue1 which uses neither eyes nor mouth1 neither senses nor heart4 7,matt4 iii4 #i47 ,but that same ,god who could1 out of the very stones1 raise up spiritual children to ,abraham1 can also change the stony heart of man1 and put life into those who were dead in trespasses and sins4 ,the first movement1 however1 must always be from ,god to the sinner1 and not from the sinner to ,god4 ,god does1 indeed1 in ,his great mercy1 come first to us4 ,this ,he does through ,his own means of ,grace4 ,in holy baptism ,he meets us even on the threshold of existence1 takes us into ,his loving arms1 places ,his hands in blessing upon our heads1 breathes into us a new life1 and adopts us into ,his own family4 ,if the sinner afterwards fall from this baptismal ,grace1 goes back into the ways of sin1 and breaks his side of the covenant1 ,god is still faithful and comes to him again by ,his ,holy ,spirit through ,his ,word2 strives with him and endeavors to turn or convert him again from darkness to light1 and from the power of ,satan unto ,god4 ,we should notice here a distinction between those1 who have at some time been under divine influence1 as by virtue of the sacramental ,word in baptism1 or the written or preached ,word1 and those who have never been touched by a breath from above4 ,when the ,spirit of ,god comes to the former1 ,he finds something still to appeal to4 ,there is more or less receptivity to receive the ,grace of ,god1 as there is more or less life still in the germ formerly implanted4 ,when ,he comes to the latter class there is nothing to work on4 ,the foundations must be laid4 ,a receptivity must be brought about1 a new life must be inbreathed4 ,in other words1 in the conversion of the latter the ,holy ,spirit must do what ,he has already done in the former4 ,the one is the conversion of a once regenerate but now lapsed one4 ,the other is the regeneration and conversion of one heretofore always dead in sin4 ,but in every case1 ,god comes first to the sinner2 whether it be in the sacramental1 or the written and preached ,word4 ,it is always through that ,word1 as we have already shown1 that the ,spirit of ,god operates on the sinful heart1 enkindling penitence and begetting faith in ,christ4 ,now1 what part does the will perform in this great work8 ,is it entirely passive1 merely wrought upon1 as the stone by the sculptor8 ,at first1 the will is doubtless entirely passive4 ,the first movements1 the first desires1 the first serious thoughts1 are beyond question produced by the ,spirit1 through the ,word4 ,these are the advance signals and heralds of ,grace4 ,they are the preparatory steps1 and hence these first approaches of divine influence are called by theologians ,prevenient ,grace1 that is the divine influence of ,grace which precedes or goes before all other movements in the return of the soul to ,god4 ,this preparatory ,grace comes to the sinner unsought1 and is so far unavoidable4 ,it is purely and entirely the work of the ,holy ,spirit upon the sinner4 ,the human will has nothing whatever to do with the first beginnings of conversion4 ,of this our ,confessions testify3 ,god must first come to us4 ,man's will hath no power to work the righteousness of ,god1 or a spiritual righteousness1 without the spirit of ,god4 ,of this the ,prophet speaks when he says1 ,zech4 iv4 #f1 ,not by might1 nor by power1 but by my ,spirit1 saith the ,lord4 ,also1 #a ,cor4 xii4 #c1 ,no man can say that ,jesus is the ,lord1 but by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,after prevenient ,grace1 however1 begins to make itself felt1 then the will begins to take part4 ,it must now assume an attitude1 and meet the question3 ,shall ,i yield to these holy influences or not8 ,one or the other of two courses must be pursued4 ,there must be a yielding to the heavenly strivings1 or a resistance4 ,to resist at this point requires a positive act of the will4 ,this act man can put forth by his own strength4 ,on the other hand1 with the help of that ,grace1 already at work in his heart1 he can refuse to put forth that act1 of his will1 and thus remain non-resistant4 ,if man1 thus influenced from above1 now deliberately uses his will power1 and resists the gracious influences of prevenient ,grace1 he quenches the ,holy ,spirit of ,god1 whereby he is sealed to the day of redemption4 ,he has hardened his heart4 ,his last state is worse than the first4 ,he remains unconverted1 and on himself alone is the responsibility4 ,if1 on the other hand1 he even with the assistance of prevenient ,grace1 permits it to do its work1 the process goes on4 ,his will is being renewed4 ,it experiences the pulsations of a new life4 ,it realizes the possession of new powers4 ,there is an infusion from ,god's will into his will1 and now prevenient ,grace is changed into operating ,grace4 ,the ,word has free course4 ,it runs and is glorified4 ,he works out his own salvation with fear and trembling1 while it is all the time ,god that worketh in him both to will and to do of ,his good pleasure4 ,such a person is a new creature in ,christ ,jesus4 ,operative ,grace goes out into coperating ,grace4 ,he becomes a worker with ,god1 and as he grows in ,grace and in knowledge1 his will becomes more and more free as it comes more and more into harmony with ,god's will4 ,again we ask1 ,what has the human will to do with this great change8 ,we answer1 ,two things4 ,first1 man can and will to go to church where the means of ,grace are1 or he can will to remain away4 ,if he deliberately wills to absent himself from where their influence is exerted1 he remains unconverted1 and on himself is the responsibility4 ,if1 on the other hand1 he wills to go where ,god speaks to man in ,his ordinary way1 he does so much towards permitting ,god to convert him4 ,secondly1 when the means of ,grace do carry renewing power1 and he is made to realize their efficacy--though it be at first only in an uneasiness1 dissatisfaction with self1 and an undefined longing after something better--he can1 as we have seen1 permit the work to go on4 ,thus he may be said1 negatively1 to help towards his conversion4 ,on the other hand1 he can shake off the good impressions1 tear away from the holy influences1 resist the ,spirit1 and remain unconverted4 ,clearly1 on himself is all the responsibility if he perish4 ,god desired to convert him4 ,he rejected the counsel of ,god against himself4 ,luke vii4 #cj4 ,and thus our ,lutheran doctrine of ,grace through the means of ,grace1 clears away all difficulties and avoids all contradictions4 ,it gives ,god all the glory1 and throws on man all the responsibility4 ,sailing thus under the colors of scriptural doctrine1 we steer clear of the ,scylla of ,calvinism on the one hand1 and also escape the ,charybdis of ,arminianism on the other4 ,we give to ,sovereign ,grace all the glory of our salvation just as much as the ,calvinists do4 ,and yet we make salvation as free as the boldest ,arminian does4 ,whatever is excellent in both systems we retain4 ,whatever is false in both we reject4 ,we refuse to make of man a machine1 who is irresistibly brought into the kingdom of ,god1 and forced indeed to accept of ,sovereign ,grace4 ,on the other hand1 we utterly repudiate the idea that man is himself able to get religion1 to get through1 to grasp the blessing1 or to save himself4 ,to such self-exaltation we give no place--no1 not for a moment6 ,with ,luther we confess1 ,i believe that ,i cannot1 by my own reason or strength1 believe in ,jesus ,christ my ,lord1 or come to ,him4 ,but that the ,holy ,spirit hath called me by ,his ,gospel1 enlightened me by ,his gifts1 and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith2 in like manner as ,he calls1 gathers1 enlightens1 and sanctifies the whole ,christian ,church on earth1 and preserves it in union with ,jesus ,christ in the true faith4 ,in which ,christian ,church ,he daily forgives me abundantly all my sins and the sins of all believers1 and will raise up me and all the dead at the last day1 and will grant everlasting life to me and to all who believe in ,christ4 ,this is most certainly true4 ,grace first contrived the way ,to save rebellious man2 ,and all the steps that ,grace display ,which drew the wondrous plan4 ,grace taught my roving feet ,to tread the heavenly road2 ,and new supplies each hour ,i meet1 ,while pressing on to ,god4 ,grace all the work shall crown ,through everlasting days2 ,it lays in heaven the topmost stone1 ,and well deserves the praise4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,justification4 ,among all the doctrines of our holy ,christian faith1 the doctrine of ,justification by ,faith alone1 stands most prominent4 ,luther calls it3 ,the doctrine of a standing or a falling church1 i4e41 as a church holds fast and appropriates this doctrine she remains pure and firm1 and as she departs from it1 she becomes corrupt and falls4 ,this doctrine was the turning point of the ,reformation in the sixteenth century4 ,it was the experience of its necessity and efficacy that made ,luther what he was1 and equipped him for a ,reformer4 ,naturally1 therefore1 it occupies the chief place in all our ,confessions1 and is prominent in all the history of our ,church4 ,in these chapters on the ,way of ,salvation1 it has been implied throughout4 ,there is indeed no doctrine of salvation that is not more or less connected with or dependent on this one4 ,some time ago we noticed a statement of a certain bishop in a large ,protestant ,church1 declaring that not ,justification1 but the ,divinity of ,christ1 is the great fundamental doctrine that conditions the standing or falling of a church4 ,at first sight this seems plausible4 ,but when we come to reflect1 we cannot but see that the true doctrine concerning the ,person of ,christ is not only implied1 but embraced in the doctrine of ,justification by ,faith4 ,a man might be sound on the ,divinity of ,christ1 and yet not know aright the ,way of ,salvation4 ,but a man cannot be sound on ,justification without being sound1 not only on the ,person of ,christ1 but also on ,his work and the ,way of ,salvation through ,him4 ,so much has been written and preached in our ,church on this subject1 that it is not necessary for us to enter upon a full discussion here4 ,we will endeavor1 therefore1 merely in outline1 to call attention to a few of its most prominent and practical features4 ,we inquire briefly into its meaning and nature4 ,justification is an act of ,god1 by which ,he accounts or adjudges a person righteous in ,his sight4 ,it is not a change in the person's nature1 but it is a change in his standing in the sight of ,god4 ,before justification he stands in the sight of ,god1 guilty and condemned4 ,through justification1 he stands before ,god free from guilt and condemnation2 he is acquitted1 released1 regarded and treated as if he had never been guilty or condemned4 ,the justified person stands in the sight of ,god1 as if he really had never committed a sin and were perfectly innocent4 ,thus it is clear that justification treats of and has regard to the sinner's relation to ,god4 ,it has nothing to do with his change of nature4 ,it is of the utmost importance that this be kept constantly in mind4 ,it is by applying justification to the change in the sinner's nature that so many become confused1 and fall into grievous and dangerous errors4 ,the original source1 or moving cause of justification1 is ,god's love4 ,had ,god not loved the world there would have been no divine planning or counseling for man's justification4 ,truly it required a divine mind to originate a scheme by which ,god could be just and yet justify the ungodly4 ,all the wisdom of the world could never have answered the question3 ,how can mortal man be just with ,god8 ,man stood1 in the sight of ,god1 as a rebel against ,his divine authority1 a transgressor of divine law1 guilty1 condemned1 and wholly unable to justify himself1 or to answer for one in a thousand offences4 ,god had given ,his word that1 because of guilt1 there must be punishment and suffering4 ,this word was given before sin was committed1 and was repeated a thousand times afterwards4 ,there must then be obedience to an infinite law1 or infinite punishment for transgression4 ,how could this gulf be bridged1 and man saved8 ,there was only one way4 ,god so loved the world that ,he gave ,his only-begotten ,son4 ,that ,son1 the brightness of the ,father's glory and the express image of ,his person1 in whom dwelt all the fullness of the ,godhead bodily1 came into our world4 ,he came to take the sinner's place--to be his substitute4 ,though ,lord and giver of the law1 ,he put ,himself under the law4 ,he fulfilled it in every jot and tittle4 ,he did no sin1 neither was guile found in his mouth4 ,thus ,he worked out a complete and perfect righteousness4 ,he did not need this righteousness for ,himself1 for ,he had a righteousness far above the righteousness of the law4 ,he wrought it out not for ,himself1 but for man1 that ,he might make it over and impute it to the transgressor4 ,thus then while man had no obedience of his own1 he could have the obedience of another set down to his account1 as though it were his own4 ,but this was not enough4 ,man had sinned and was still constantly sinning1 his very nature being a sinful one4 ,as already noted1 the divine ,word was pledged that there must be punishment for sin4 ,the ,son1 who came to be a substitute1 said3 ,put me in the sinner's place2 let me be the guilty one2 let the blows fall upon me4 ,and thus1 ,he who knew no sin was made sin 7or a sin-offering7 for us4 ,he was made a curse1 bore our sins and the iniquity of us all4 ,he1 the ,god-man1 was regarded as the guilty one1 treated as the guilty one1 suffered as the guilty one4 ,he suffered as ,god1 as well as man4 ,for the ,divine and human were inseparably united in one person4 ,divinity by itself cannot suffer and die4 ,but thus mysteriously connected with the humanity it could and really did participate in the suffering and dying4 ,and who will calculate what ,immanuel can suffer8 ,what must it have been when it crushed ,him to earth1 made ,him cry out so plaintively1 and at last took ,his life6 ,our old theologians loved to say1 that what the sufferings of ,christ lacked in extensiveness or duration1 they made up in intensiveness4 ,thus there was a perfect atonement4 ,all the punishment had been endured4 ,a perfect righteousness had been wrought out1 and the ,father set ,his seal to it in the resurrection and ascension of ,his dear ,son4 ,here1 then1 was real substitution1 and this is the ground for our justification4 ,it has been asked1 on this point1 if ,christ by ,his perfect life wrought out a complete righteousness1 which ,he needed not for ,himself1 but intended for the sinner1 why was not this sufficient8 ,why was ,his death necessary8 ,on the other hand1 if ,his death is a perfect atonement for all sin1 why does the sinner1 in addition to a full and free forgiveness1 procured by the death of ,christ1 need also the application of the righteousness of the life of ,christ8 ,in a word1 why are both the life and death necessary to justify the sinner8 ,we answer3 ,by ,his death or suffering obedience ,he wrought out a negative righteousness1 the forgiveness of sins4 ,by ,his life1 or active obedience1 ,he wrought out a positive righteousness4 ,the former releases from punishment4 ,the latter confers character1 standing and honor in the kingdom of ,god4 ,to illustrate4 ,two persons have broken the laws of their land1 are guilty1 condemned1 and suffer the penalty in prison4 ,to one comes a message of pardon from the king4 ,the prison doors are opened and he goes forth a free man4 ,the law cannot again seize him and condemn him for the crimes of which he is pardoned4 ,but as he goes forth among his fellow-men he realizes that though released from punishment1 and negatively righteous1 he has no standing1 no character1 no positive righteousness1 unless he earn and merit it for himself4 ,to the other criminal also comes a message of pardon from his king4 ,in addition to pardon1 or release from punishment1 he is assured that his king has adopted him as his son1 will take him into his family and endow him with his name and all the privileges of his house4 ,now this pardoned one has a double righteousness2 ,negatively1 pardon and release from punishment2 positively1 a name1 standing1 character1 honor1 and the richest endowments of the kingdom4 ,even thus has the ,son of ,god wrought out for us a two-fold righteousness1 viz43 ,negatively1 by ,his sufferings and death1 the forgiveness of sin and release from punishment2 and positively1 by ,his life of obedience1 the appropriation of a perfect righteousness1 a name and a place in ,his kingdom1 with all its honors and blessings4 ,in the procuring of this double righteousness1 ,christ wrought out first the positive and then the negative4 ,in the conferring of it ,he gives first the negative and then the positive4 ,and therefore the two-fold message of consolation4 ,is4 xl4 #a1 #b3 ,comfort ye1 comfort ye my people1 saith your ,god4 ,speak ye comfortably to--7i4e41 speak ye to the heart of7--,jerusalem1 and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished1 that her iniquity is pardoned2 for she hath received of the ,lord's hand double for all her sins4 ,this justification has been purchased and paid for4 ,but it is not yet applied4 ,the sinner has not yet appropriated it and made it his own4 ,how is this to be done8 ,we answer3 ,,by ,,faith4 ,faith is the eye that looks to ,christ4 ,it sees ,his perfect atonement and ,his spotless righteousness4 ,it is1 at the same time1 the hand that reaches out and lays hold of ,christ1 and clings to him as the only help and the only hope4 ,this faith1 springing from a penitent heart1 that realizes its own unworthiness and guiltiness1 renouncing all claim to merit or self-righteousness1 casts itself on the divine ,saviour1 trusts implicitly in ,him1 and rests there4 ,this faith justifies4 ,not because it is an act that merits or earns justification4 ,no6 ,in no sense4 ,christ has earned it4 ,faith only lays hold of and appropriates what is already purchased and paid for4 ,there certainly can be no merit in our faith1 because it is itself a gift of ,god1 as the ,scriptures declare4 ,he that has the faith is justified1 acquitted1 forgiven4 ,the appropriation or application1 is when we believe with all the heart on the ,son of ,god4 ,such1 in brief1 is the ,lutheran doctrine of ,justification by ,faith4 ,we have not thought it necessary to quote from the ,augsburg ,confession or the ,formula of ,concord for proof4 ,neither is it necessary or desirable that we lengthen out this chapter with quotations from standard theologians4 ,any one desiring further proof or amplification can find abundance of it in all our ,confessions1 and in all recognized writers in the ,church4 ,nor have we taken up the space with ,scripture quotations4 ,to quote all that the ,bible says on the subject would be to transcribe a large proportion of its passages4 ,it would necessitate especially a writing out of a large part of the writings of ,paul1 who makes it the great theme of several of his epistles4 ,every devout reader of ,paul's letters will find this great doctrine shining forth in every chapter1 so much so that the ,romish ,bishop who was driven by ,luther to a study of the ,new ,testament threw down his book and said3 ,paul also has become a ,lutheran6 ,in conclusion1 we desire to impress one thought4 ,the doctrine of ,justification is so highly prized by the believer1 not so much because of the grand and matchless scheme it brings to light1 as because of the peace and comfort it has brought into his heart4 ,he who truly embraces this doctrine1 realizes its efficacy and power4 ,it is precious to him1 above all things1 as a matter of personal experience4 ,this experience is not the doctrine1 but the result of receiving it4 ,he has realized the blessedness of having his own sins forgiven1 his transgressions covered4 ,being justified by faith1 he has peace with ,god through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,this blessed experience was the root and spring of ,luther's courage and strength4 ,without this heart-experience1 all theorizing about the doctrine is vain4 ,such a scriptural experience never develops a ,pharisee4 ,it never runs into self-exaltation4 ,it constantly exalts and magnifies ,christ4 ,it habitually humbles self4 ,it lays self low at the foot of the cross1 and remains there4 ,not that it is a gloomy or despondent spirit4 ,for while it constantly mourns over the imperfections and sins of self1 it1 at the same time1 constantly rejoices in the full and perfect salvation of ,christ4 ,while it never ceases in this life to shed the tears of penitence1 it also never ceases to sing the joyful song of deliverance4 ,it develops a ,christian after the type of ,paul and ,luther1 and ,gerhard and ,francke4 ,blessed is he who understands and experiences justification by faith4 ,doubly sad the state of him who has the doctrine1 without its experience and peace and glory4 ,jesus1 ,thy ,blood and ,righteousness ,my beauty are1 my glorious dress2 ,midst flaming worlds1 in these arrayed1 ,with joy shall ,i lift up my head4 ,bold shall ,i stand in that great day1 ,for who aught to my charge shall lay8 ,fully through these absolved ,i am ,from sin and fear1 from guilt and shame4 ,this spotless robe the same appears1 ,when ruined nature sinks in years3 ,no age can change its constant hue2 ,thy ,blood preserves it ever new4 ,oh let the dead now hear ,thy voice2 ,now bid ,thy banished ones rejoice6 ,their beauty this1 their glorious dress1 ,jesus1 ,thy ,blood and ,righteousness4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,sanctification4 ,in the last chapter we showed that the doctrine of justification deals with the sinner's change of relation1 or change of state4 ,we also learned that faith is the instrumental or applying cause of justification4 ,in another place we showed that true faith presupposes penitence1 and this again presupposes a sense and knowledge of sin4 ,again we showed that penitence and faith are the two essential elements of conversion2 that where these elements are found there is a change of heart1 and the beginning of a new life4 ,this new life is1 however1 only in its germ4 ,these are the beginnings of new views1 new affections1 new actions1 a new life4 ,they are of a germinal or seed character4 ,now it belongs to the very nature of life to develop1 increase1 and make progress4 ,and it is this development or growth of the new life that we wish now to consider4 ,it is called sanctification1 or growth of the soul into the image of a holy ,god4 ,it is closely related to justification1 and yet clearly distinct from it4 ,in justification1 ,god imputes or counts over to the sinner the righteousness of ,christ4 ,in sanctification1 ,god imparts the righteousness of the new life4 ,justification is what ,god does for the believer2 sanctification is what ,his ,spirit does in him4 ,justification being purely an act of ,god1 is instantaneous and complete2 sanctification being a work in which man has a share1 is progressive4 ,justification takes away the guilt of sin2 sanctification gradually takes away its power4 ,sanctification begins with justification4 ,so soon as the sinner believes he is justified2 but just so soon as he believes1 he also has the beginnings of a new life4 ,in time1 therefore1 the two come together2 but in thought they are distinct4 ,and it is of the greatest importance that these distinctions be understood and kept in mind4 ,it is by confounding justification with sanctification1 and vice versa1 that all the flagrant1 soul-destroying errors concerning the so-called higher life1 sinless perfection1 etc41 are promulgated and believed4 ,it is by quoting ,scripture passages that speak of justification1 and applying them to sanctification1 that this delusion is strengthened4 ,how often have we not heard that precious passage1 #a ,john i4 #g1 ,the blood of ,jesus ,christ ,his ,son cleanseth us from all sin1 quoted to prove entire sanctification4 ,now1 if we understand the ,scriptures at all1 that passage speaks of the forgiveness of sin through the efficacy of ,christ's blood1 and not of overcoming sin in the believer1 or eradicating its very fibres and impulses4 ,but this1 perhaps1 is a digression4 ,let us understand clearly what we mean by sanctification4 ,the ,english word comes from a ,latin word that means sacred1 consecrated1 devoted to holy purposes4 ,the ,greek word translated sanctify in our ,english ,bible also means to separate from common and set apart for holy purposes4 ,the same word that is translated sanctify1 is in many places translated consecrate1 or make holy4 ,the ,english word saint comes from the same ,latin root1 and is translated from the same ,greek root1 as sanctify4 ,it means a sanctified one1 or one who is being sanctified4 ,thus we find believers called saints1 or sanctified ones4 ,we find1 indeed1 that the apostles call all the members of their churches saints4 ,thus they speak of the saints which are at ,jerusalem1 ,the saints which are at ,achaia1 ,to all that be in ,rome 444 called to be saints1 ,as in all the churches of the saints4 ,so in many other passages4 ,in harmony with the apostolic usage1 we confess in the ,apostles' ,creed3 ,i believe in the ,holy ,christian ,church 7which is7 the communion--or community--of saints4 ,if then saints means sanctified ones1 or holy persons1 do not the ,bible and the ,apostles' ,creed demand perfect sinlessness8 ,by no means4 ,christians are indeed to strive to constantly become more and more free from sin4 ,they are called to be saints1 are constantly being sanctified or made holy4 ,but their sanctity or holiness is only relative4 ,they have indeed come out from the world1 to be separate4 ,they are a peculiar people4 ,they hate sin1 repent of it1 flee from it1 strive against it1 and overcome it more and more4 ,they mortify the deeds of the body1 keep it under1 crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts1 present--7or consecrate7--their bodies1 as living sacrifices to ,god4 ,they have pledged themselves at ,christ's altar to renounce the devil and all his works and ways1 the vanities of the world and the sinful desires of the flesh1 and to live up to the doctrines and precepts of ,christ4 ,in so far1 they are separated from the world1 set apart to become holy1 consecrated to ,christ4 ,not that their sanctification or saintship is complete4 ,if that were the case1 the apostles would not have written epistles to the saints4 ,for perfect beings need no ,bibles1 no ,churches1 no means of ,grace4 ,the angels need none of these things4 ,there is indeed not one sinless person mentioned in the ,bible1 except that divine ,one1 who did no sin1 neither was guile found in ,his mouth4 ,if there were one ,scripture character who1 if such a thing were possible1 would have attained to sinless perfection1 that one would certainly have been the greatest of all the apostles1 ,paul4 ,he labored more than they all2 he suffered more than they all2 he went deeper into the mysteries of redemption than they all4 ,he was not only permitted to look into heaven1 as the beloved ,john1 but he was caught up into the third heaven1 and heard words that it was not lawful for him to utter on this sinful earth4 ,oh1 what purifying through suffering6 ,what visions and revelations6 ,what experience of ,grace6 ,and yet this burnished vessel never professed sinless perfection4 ,indeed1 he never ceased to mourn and lament the sinfulness and imperfection of his own heart1 and called himself the chief of sinners4 ,he does indeed speak of perfection4 ,hear what he says1 ,phil4 iii4 #ab1 #ac1 #ad3 ,not as though ,i had already attained1 either were already perfect2 but ,i follow after1 if that ,i may apprehend that for which also ,i am apprehended of ,christ ,jesus4 ,brethren1 ,i count not myself to have apprehended2 but this one thing ,i do1 forgetting those things that are behind1 and reaching forward unto those things which are before1 ,i press toward the mark1 for the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 ,the saints on earth1 then1 are not sinless ones4 ,the ,bible does indeed speak of those born of ,god sinning not1 not committing sin1 etc4 ,but this can only mean that they do not wilfully sin4 ,they do not intentionally live in habits of sin4 ,their sins are sins of weakness and not sins of malice4 ,they repent of them1 mourn over them1 and strive against them4 ,they constantly pray1 ,forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us4 ,but their heart-purity and sanctification are only relative4 ,sanctification is gradual and progressive4 ,we have seen that ,paul thus expressed himself4 ,he was constantly following after1 reaching forth1 pressing toward the mark4 ,he exhorts the ,corinthians1 #b ,cor4 vii4 #a1 to be perfecting holiness in the fear of the ,lord1 and again1 #b ,cor4 iii4 #ah1 to be changed into the same image from glory to glory4 ,he tells them in chapter iv4 #af that the inward man is renewed day by day4 ,he exhorts the saints or believers1 again and again1 to grow1 to increase1 to abound yet more and more4 ,growth is the law of the kingdom of nature4 ,and the same ,god operates in the kingdom of ,grace1 and1 indeed1 much after the same order4 ,our ,saviour1 therefore1 so often compares the kingdom of ,god1 or the kingdom of ,grace1 to growth from a seed1 where it is first the blade1 then the ear1 and then the full corn in the ear1 ,mark iv4 #bf-bi4 ,in harmony with all this ,paul calls those who have but lately become believers1 babes in ,christ4 ,he tells them they must be fed with milk as babes1 etc4 ,therefore1 it is quite natural that we find so many exhortations to grow in ,grace and in knowledge4 ,how directly contrary to all this is the unscriptural idea1 not only of entire sanctification1 but of instantaneous sanctification4 ,surely1 in this fast age1 many have run far ahead of prophets1 apostles1 martyrs1 reformers and the most eminent saints of all ages4 ,as we read the lives and words of these heroes of faith1 we find that the more ,christ-like and consecrated they were1 the more did they deplore their slow progress and their remaining sin4 ,while1 therefore1 we have no ,scripture warrant to expect sinlessness here1 while we must die daily1 mortify our members1 and fight the good fight of faith1 between the old ,adam1 whose remnants cleave to us1 and the new man in ,christ ,jesus1 we can still do much to promote our sanctification1 and make it more and more complete4 ,we can use the powers that ,god has given us to carry on the warfare with sin4 ,we can increase these powers1 or rather permit divine ,grace to increase them1 by a diligent use of the means of ,grace4 ,in the chapter on the ,word of ,god as a means of ,grace1 we showed that the ,holy ,spirit sanctifies through the ,word4 ,in the chapters on baptism and the baptismal covenant1 we showed how that holy sacrament is a means of ,grace1 whose efficacy is not confined to the time of its administration1 but that it is intended to be a perennial fountain of ,grace1 from which we can drink and be refreshed while life lasts4 ,in the chapters on the ,lord's ,supper1 we learned that it also was ordained and instituted to sustain and strengthen our spiritual life4 ,we have1 therefore1 all the means necessary for our sanctification4 ,do we prayerfully use them8 ,might we not be much further on in the work of holiness than we are8 ,do we use the truth as we should1 that we maybe sanctified through the truth8 ,do we desire the sincere milk of the ,word1 that we may grow thereby8 ,does it dwell richly among us8 ,know we not1 or have we forgotten it1 that as many of us as have been baptized into ,christ1 were baptized into ,his death8 ,do we say1 with those early ,christians1 henceforth let no man trouble me1 for ,i bear in my body the marks of the ,lord ,jesus8 ,and when we go to our ,lord's ,table do we realize that ,his flesh is meat indeed1 and ,his blood is drink indeed8 ,do we go in the strength of that heavenly nourishment many days8 ,might we not1 by making a more sincere1 hearty and diligent use of all these means of ,grace1 live nearer to ,christ1 lean more confidingly on ,him and do more effectually all things through ,him who strengthened us8 ,yes1 doubtless1 we must all confess that it is our own fault that we are not sanctified more fully than we are2 that if1 in the strength derived from a proper use of the means of ,grace1 we would watch more over self1 pray more1 meditate more on divine things and thus surround ourselves more with a spiritual atmosphere1 we would be more spiritual4 ,this is the will of ,god1 even your sanctification4 ,without holiness1 no man shall see the ,lord4 ,and what am ,i8 ,my soul1 awake1 ,and an impartial survey take4 ,does no dark sign1 no ground of fear ,in practice or in heart appear8 ,what image does my spirit bear8 ,is ,jesus formed and living there8 ,ah1 do ,his lineaments divine ,in thought and word and action shine8 ,searcher of hearts1 ,o search me still2 ,the secrets of my soul reveal2 ,my fears remove2 let me appear ,to ,god and my own conscience clear4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,revivals4 ,we might have closed our studies of the ,way of ,salvation with ,sanctification1 without giving any attention to the subject of ,revivals4 ,we remember1 however1 that1 in the estimation of many1 revivals are the most essential part of the ,way2 so much so that1 in certain quarters1 few1 if any1 souls are expected to be brought into the way of life1 otherwise than through so-called revivals of religion4 ,according to this widespread idea1 the ingathering of souls1 the upbuilding of the ,church1 her activity1 power and very life1 are dependent upon the revival system4 ,in view of all this1 we have concluded to bring our studies to a close with an examination of this system4 ,before we enter upon the subject itself1 however1 we desire to have it distinctly understood that we intend to discuss the system1 and not the people who believe and practice it4 ,there doubtless are very excellent ,christian people who favor a religion built up and dependent on such movements1 and there may be very unchristian people who oppose it4 ,with this we have nothing to do4 ,we are not discussing persons1 but doctrines and systems4 ,the advocates of modern revivalism claim the right to hold1 defend and propagate their views4 ,we only demand the same right4 ,if we do not favor or practice their way1 our people have not only a right to ask1 but it is our duty to give grounds and reasons for our position4 ,in discussing this subject1 we intend1 as usual1 to speak with all candor and plainness4 ,we desire to approach and view this subject1 as every subject1 from the fair1 firm standpoint of the opening words of the ,formula of ,concord1 viz43 ,we believe1 teach and confess that the only rule and standard1 according to which all doctrines and teachings should be esteemed and judged1 are nothing else than the prophetic and apostolic ,scriptures of the ,old and ,new ,testament4 ,we wish to test it by the infallible ,word4 ,by it1 we are willing to be judged4 ,according to it1 our views and doctrines must stand or fall4 ,what then is a revival8 ,the word revive means to bring back to life4 ,it presupposes the existence of life1 which for a time had languished or died4 ,life was present1 it failed and was restored4 ,strictly speaking1 therefore1 we can only use this word of the bringing back of a life that had been there formerly and was lost4 ,applying it to spiritual life1 strictly speaking1 only a person who has once had the new life in him1 but lost it for awhile and regained it1 can be said to be revived4 ,so1 likewise1 only a church or a community that was once spiritually alive1 but had grown languid and lifeless1 can be said to be revived4 ,on the other hand1 it is an improper use of terms to apply the word revival to the work of a foreign missionary1 who for the first time preaches the life-giving ,word1 and through it gathers converts and organizes ,churches4 ,in his case it is a first bringing1 and not a restoring1 of life4 ,all those ,old ,testament reformations and restorations to the true worship and service of the true ,god1 after a time of decline and apostasy1 were revivals according to the strict sense of the word4 ,for these revivals patriarchs and prophets labored and prayed4 ,on the other hand1 the labors and successes of the apostles in the ,new ,testament were not strictly revivals4 ,they preached the ,gospel instead of the law4 ,they preached a ,redeemer who had come1 instead of one who was to come4 ,it was largely a new faith1 a new life1 a new way of life that they taught1 and in so far a new ,church that they established4 ,its types1 shadows and roots1 had all been in the old covenant and ,church4 ,but so different were the fulfillments from the promises1 that it was truly called a ,new ,dispensation4 ,and1 therefore1 the labors of the apostles to establish this dispensation were largely missionary labors4 ,it was not so much the restoring of an old faith and life1 as the bringing in of a new4 ,we find their parallel in foreign mission work much more than in regular ,church work4 ,it is by overlooking this distinction that many erroneous doctrines and practices have crept into the ,church1 e4g41 as to infant baptism1 conversion and modern revivalism4 ,as to revivals1 popularly so-called1 we maintain1 first of all1 that it ought to be the policy and aim of the ,church to preclude their necessity4 ,it is generally admitted that they are only needed1 longed for and obtained1 after a period of spiritual decline and general worldliness4 ,a ,church that is alive and active needs no revival4 ,a lifeless ,church does4 ,better then1 far better1 to use every right endeavor to keep the ,church alive and active1 than permit it to grow cold and worldly1 with a view and hope of a glorious awakening4 ,prevention is better than cure4 ,we would rather pay a family physician to prevent disease and keep us well1 than to employ even the most distinguished doctor to cure a sick household2 especially if the probability were that1 in some cases1 the healing would be only partial1 and in others it would eventuate in an aggravation of the disease4 ,in the chapters on the ,baptismal ,covenant and ,conversion1 we showed that it is possible to keep that covenant and thus always grow in ,grace and in the knowledge of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,while we sorrowfully admitted that the cases of such as do it are not as numerous as is possible and most desirable1 we also learned that they might be far more numerous1 if parents and teachers understood their responsibility and did their duty to the baptized children4 ,we verily believe that thus it might become the rule1 instead of the exception1 that the children of ,christian parents would grow up as ,christ's lambs from baptism1 would love ,him with their earliest love and never wander into the ways of sin4 ,we also firmly believe that those thus early consecrated1 trained1 taught and nurtured in faith and love1 make the healthiest1 the strongest and most reliable members and workers in the ,church4 ,neither can we for a moment doubt but that such is the good and gracious will of ,him who desires the little children to be baptized into ,him4 ,it certainly seems repugnant to all that we have ever learned of our ,god and ,saviour1 that it should be ,his will that our dear children1 who have been conceived and born in sin1 and are therefore by nature1 or by birth1 the children of wrath1 should remain in this state of sin and condemnation until they are old enough to be converted at a revival4 ,yet it must be either that1 or a denial of the ,bible doctrine of original sin1 if we accept the teachings and practices of modern revivalism4 ,for either of these positions we are not prepared4 ,therefore it is our great aim and object to recall the ,church to the old paths4 ,therefore we are concerned to see the ,church firmly established on the old foundations of the doctrine of original sin1 of baptism for the remission of sins1 of training up in that baptismal covenant by the constant1 diligent and persevering teaching of ,god's ,word1 in the family1 in the ,sunday-school1 in the catechetical class and from the pulpit4 ,in proportion as this is accomplished1 in that proportion will we preclude the necessity of conversions and1 consequently1 of revivals4 ,who will say1 that a congregation made up of such as are sanctified from the womb1 lent to the ,lord1 from birth1 having known the ,holy ,scripture from childhood1 would not be a healthy1 living ,church8 ,such a ,church would need no revival4 ,would it be possible to have such a ,church8 ,is it possible for any one member to grow up and remain a child of ,god8 ,if possible for one1 why not for a whole congregation8 ,are the means of ,grace inadequate8 ,no1 no6 ,the whole trouble lies in the neglect or abuse of the means4 ,with their proper use1 the whole aspect of religious life might be different from what it is4 ,it is not a fatal necessity that one1 or more1 or all the members of a church must periodically grow cold1 lose their first love1 and backslide from their ,god4 ,it is not ,god's will1 but their fault1 that it should be so4 ,while the church at ,ephesus lost its first love1 and that at ,pergamos permitted false doctrine to creep into it and be a stumbling block1 and that at ,thyatira suffered ,jezebel to seduce ,christ's servants1 and that at ,sardis did not have her works found perfect before ,god1 and that of ,laodicea had become lukewarm2 yet the church at ,smyrna1 with all her tribulation and poverty and persecution1 remained rich and faithful in the sight of ,god1 and that at ,philadelphia had kept the ,word of ,god's patience1 and her enemies were to know that ,god loved her4 ,while the former five were censured1 the latter two were approved4 ,the former might have remained as faithful as the latter4 ,it was their own fault and sin that the former needed a revival4 ,the latter needed none4 ,which were the better off8 ,we believe that where there is a sound1 faithful and earnest pastor1 and a docile1 sincere1 earnest1 united and active people1 many will grow up in their baptismal covenant2 and among those who wander more or less therefrom1 there will be frequent conversions1 under the faithful use of the ordinary services and ordinances of the ,church4 ,such1 we believe1 were the pastorates of ,richard ,baxter1 at ,kidderminster2 of ,ludwig ,harms1 at ,hermansburg2 of ,oberlin1 at ,steinthal2 and of our late lamented ,dr4 ,greenwald1 at ,easton and ,lancaster4 ,none of these churches1 after their pastors were fairly established in them1 needed revivals4 ,and such1 doubtless1 have been thousands of quiet1 faithful pastorates1 some known to the world1 and others known only to ,god4 ,blessed are those churches in which the work of ,grace is constantly and effectively going on1 according to ,god's ,way of ,salvation4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,modern ,,revivals4 ,we have shown that it ought to be the great aim and object of the ,church to preclude the necessity of occasional religious excitements4 ,we also showed1 by example from ,scripture and from ,church history1 that it is possible to attain this end4 ,if parents did but understand and do their duty in the family1 teachers in the ,sunday-school and pastors in the catechetical class and pulpit1 children would very generally grow up in their baptismal covenant2 and a church made up of such members would not depend for its growth and life on periodic religious revivals4 ,but--alas1 that but6--parents1 teachers and pastors too often come short of their duty4 ,carelessness1 worldliness and godlessness hold sway in too many of the congregations1 homes and families4 ,there is a spirit of love of pleasure1 greed for gain and haste to be rich1 that has taken hold of the heart and life of too many professedly ,christian parents4 ,there is no time for ,god's ,word or earnest prayer with and for the children4 ,there is often little if any religious instruction or ,christian example4 ,the little ones breathe in a withering1 poisonous1 materialistic atmosphere4 ,the germs of the divine life1 implanted in baptism1 either lie dormant1 or are blighted after their first manifestations4 ,they grow up with the idea that the great object of life is to gain the most1 and make the best of this world4 ,in the ,sunday-school the teachers are often careless and trifling4 ,they do not live close to ,christ themselves1 and how can they lead their pupils nearer to ,him8 ,they scarcely pray for themselves1 much less for their pupils1 and how can they instil into them a spirit of prayer8 ,many pastors1 also1 are not as earnest and consecrated as they should be4 ,they are not burning with a desire for souls4 ,they go through their ministerial duties in a formal1 lifeless manner1 and their labors are barren of results4 ,these things should not be so1 but unfortunately they are4 ,as a result1 children grow up ignorant of their covenant with ,god1 or soon lapse therefrom1 and are in an unconverted state4 ,the communicants of the church lose their first love1 and become lukewarm4 ,an awakening is needed4 ,if then we admit that1 owing to man's imperfections and faults1 times of refreshing are needed1 why not have them after the manner of those around us8 ,why not adopt the modern system1 have union meetings1 evangelists1 high-pressure methods1 excitements1 the anxious bench1 and all the modern machinery for getting up revivals8 ,we will briefly state our objections to this system4 ,first4 ,we object to the modern revival system1 because it rests on an entire misconception of the coming and work of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the idea seems to be that the ,holy ,spirit is not effectively present in the regular and ordinary services of the sanctuary2 that ,he came to the ,church as a transient guest on the day of ,pentecost1 then departed again1 and returned when there was another season of special interest4 ,that ,he then left again1 and ever since has come and worked with power during every revival1 and then departed to be absent until the next4 ,now we claim that this is directly contrary to the teaching of the ,divine ,word4 ,when ,jesus was about to leave ,his disciples they were filled with deep sorrow4 ,he gathered them around ,him1 in that upper chamber at ,jerusalem1 and comforted them in those tender1 loving words1 recorded in the fourteenth1 fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of ,john4 ,in these chapters ,he promises and speaks much of a ,comforter1 whom ,he would send4 ,the whole discourse goes to show that this ,comforter was intended to be substituted for the visible presence of ,himself4 ,his own visible presence was to be withdrawn4 ,the ,comforter was to be sent to take ,his place1 and thus1 in a manner1 make good the loss4 ,jesus had been their comforter and their joy4 ,they would no longer have ,him visibly among them1 to walk with ,him1 to talk with ,him1 to hear the life-giving words that fell from ,his lips4 ,the announcement made them feel as if they were to be left comfortless and forsaken4 ,but he says1 ,john xiv4 #af3 ,i will pray the ,father1 and ,he will give you another ,comforter1 that ,he may abide with you forever1 even the ,spirit of truth2 verse #ah1 ,i will not leave you comfortless3 revised version1 ,i will not leave you desolate2 more literally still1 as in the margin1 ,i will not leave you orphans4 ,john xvi4 #e1 #f1 #g3 ,but now ,i go my way to ,him that sent me4444 ,but because ,i have said these things unto you1 sorrow hath filled your hearts4 ,nevertheless ,i tell you the truth4 ,it is expedient for you that ,i go away1 for if ,i go not away the ,comforter will not come unto you1 but if ,i depart ,i will send ,him unto you4 ,now1 from these words1 and others in the same chapters1 two things are plain3 ,first1 that the ,comforter came as ,christ's substitute2 ,secondly1 that ,he came to abide4 ,while ,jesus was to be absent1 as far as ,his visible presence was concerned1 the divine ,comforter1 the ,holy ,spirit1 was to take ,his place4 ,his presence was to substitute ,christ's4 ,but if ,he had come to be present only briefly1 and occasionally1 after long intervals of absence1 it would be a poor filling of the painful void4 ,evidently the impression designed to be made by the words of ,jesus was1 that the ,holy ,spirit would come to abide4 ,and this is made still more clear by the plain words of ,jesus quoted above ,i will not leave you orphans2 ,he shall abide with you forever4 ,he came1 then1 as a substitute2 ,he came also to abide forever4 ,the revival system is1 however1 built up on the idea that ,he comes and goes4 ,he visits the ,church1 and leaves it again4 ,at so-called revival seasons the ,church has a ,comforter4 ,during all the rest of the time she is left in a desolate or orphaned state4 ,thus is the revival system built up on an entire misconception and misapprehension as to the coming and abiding of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,it likewise misconceives entirely the operations of the ,spirit4 ,the idea seems to be that this ,blessed ,one operates without means1 directly1 arbitrarily and at haphazard4 ,the ,word and ,sacraments are not duly recognized as the divinely ordained means and channels1 through which ,he reaches the hearts of the children of men4 ,that this is an unscriptural idea we have shown elsewhere4 ,that the ,spirit uses the means of ,grace as channels and instruments1 through which ,he comes and operates on the hearts of men and imparts to them renewing and sanctifying ,grace1 is taught all through the ,new ,testament4 ,we need not enlarge on these points again1 but refer our readers to what has been written above on this subject4 ,our second objection to the modern revival system arises out of the first4 ,because of the errors concerning the coming and the operations of the ,holy ,spirit1 the system undervalues the divinely-ordained means of ,grace4 ,little if any renewing ,grace is expected from the sacrament of ,christian ,baptism4 ,few if any conversions are expected from the regular and ordinary preaching of the ,word4 ,little if any spiritual nourishment is expected from the sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,who that has attended such meetings has not heard the idea of ,grace bestowed through ,baptism ridiculed8 ,who has not heard so-called revival preachers scout the idea of getting religion--which must mean receiving divine ,grace if it means anything--through catechising the young in the doctrines of the divine ,word8 ,are not these divine means often entirely set aside by the most enthusiastic revivalists8 ,who does not know that often at these revival services the reading and preaching of the ,word are entirely omitted8 ,thus ,god's means1 the means used by ,christ and ,his apostles1 are undervalued4 ,while they are used at the ordinary services1 when there is no revival going on1 not much is expected of them4 ,our third objection again arises from the second4 ,because the regular ,church ordinances are undervalued1 they are largely fruitless4 ,because people have not much faith in their efficacy1 they do not receive much benefit from them4 ,few conversions are expected or reported during the ten or eleven months of regular or ordinary church services1 while many1 if not all1 are expected and reported from the few weeks of special effort4 ,even the work of sanctification is largely crowded into the few weeks4 ,it is during these few weeks that saints expect to be quickened1 refreshed1 strengthened and purified1 more than during all the rest of the year4 ,it is doubtless both as a cause and a result of this undervaluing and general fruitlessness of the ordinary ,church ordinances1 that we find so much levity and irreverence in many so-called revival ,churches4 ,because the ,holy ,spirit is not supposed to be effectively present1 is not in the ,word and ,sacraments1 does not bring ,his saving and sanctifying ,grace through them2 therefore there is nothing solemn1 awe-inspiring1 or uplifting in these things4 ,therefore the young1 even if they are members1 and sometimes older ones1 go to these churches as to places of amusement1 to have a good time1 to laugh1 to whisper1 to gaze about1 write notes1 get company1 and what not4 ,a careful observer cannot fail to notice that in ,churches which believe in and preach ,grace through the means of ,grace1 there is an atmosphere of deeper solemnity and more earnest devotion than in such revival ,churches4 ,the above objection to the revival system we believe will explain the difference4 ,fourth4 ,we object to the so-called revival system because1 as a natural result of the above1 it begets a dependence on something extraordinary and miraculous for bringing sinners into the kingdom4 ,as we have seen1 these ,churches expect nearly all their conversions from revivals4 ,it naturally follows that the unconverted will shake off and get rid of all serious thoughts and impressions1 under the plea that they will give this matter their attention when the next revival comes round4 ,we have more than once heard persons say1 in effect1 ,oh well1 ,i know ,i'm not what ,i ought to be1 but perhaps ,i'll be converted at the next revival4 ,thus the gracious influences of the blessed ,spirit1 as they come through the ,word1 whether from the pulpit1 the ,sunday-school teacher1 or ,christian friend1 or even when that ,word is brought to a funeral or sick-bed1 are all put aside with the hope that there may be a change at the next revival4 ,and we verily believe that such ideas1 fostered by a false system1 have kept countless souls out of the kingdom of ,god4 ,we object fifthly that at these so-called revivals there is a dependence on methods not sanctioned or authorized by the ,word of ,god4 ,as we have seen1 ,god's means are generally slighted4 ,on the other hand1 human means and methods are exalted and magnified4 ,the anxious or mourner's bench is regarded by many otherwise sensible people1 as a veritable mercy-seat1 where ,grace is supposed to abound--as though the ,spirit of ,god manifested ,his saving and sanctifying power there as nowhere else4 ,but this is a purely human institution1 and has no warrant in the ,word4 ,on this point it is not necessary to enlarge4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,modern ,,revivals1 ,,continued4 ,we continue our objections to the modern revival system4 ,our sixth objection is the utter indifference to doctrine that generally goes hand in hand with its methods and practices4 ,to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints1 seems to be altogether out of place at a modern revival4 ,there is no taking heed unto the doctrine1 or holding fast the form of sound words1 or becoming rooted and built up in ,christ1 and established in the faith as ye have been taught4 ,there is no counselling to be no more children1 tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine2 no warning against false teachers and false doctrines4 ,instead of thus following ,christ and ,his ,apostles1 in insisting on the truth1 the faith1 and the doctrine2 instead of thus warning against error and false doctrine1 and showing that it doth eat as a canker1 and endanger the very salvation of the soul1 the modern revival system habitually inveighs against all such loyalty to the truth1 and contending for the faith and pure doctrine1 as bigotry1 intolerance1 lack of charity1 if not lack of all experimental religion4 ,in many quarters indeed the idea is boldly advanced that the more a person stands up for pure doctrine1 for ,word and ,sacrament as channels of ,grace1 the less ,grace he has2 and the more he makes light of doctrine1 the less positive conviction he has2 the less he thinks of creeds1 catechism1 and confessions of faith1 the more religion he has6 ,the popular sentiment is3 it makes no difference what a person believes1 or to what ,church he belongs1 or indeed1 whether he belongs to any1 if only he is converted2 if only he means well2 if only the heart is right6 ,now1 it is not necessary to show here again that all such indifference to doctrine is directly contrary to the teaching of ,christ and ,his ,apostles4 ,our seventh objection is closely connected with the last4 ,where there is so much indifference to the ,truth as it is in ,jesus1 that it often amounts to open contempt1 we cannot expect any provision for teaching ,his saving truths to men4 ,hence we find but small provision1 if any1 for doctrinal instruction in the revival system4 ,those who are expected to be gathered in1 converted and brought to ,christ1 are not first instructed4 ,they do not learn what sin is1 what ,grace is1 and how it is communicated and applied4 ,they are left in ignorance of the great doctrines of sin and salvation4 ,they have the most imperfect conception of ,god's ,way of ,salvation4 ,and yet they are expected to enter upon that way1 and walk in it4 ,they are exhorted to be converted1 to get religion1 and to believe1 while it is seldom1 if ever1 made clear what all this means1 and how it is brought about4 ,surely it is not necessary that we should show that if ever a person needs to act intelligently--if ever he needs to know exactly what he is doing1 why he is doing it1 and what is involved in so doing--it is when he is acting in the interests of his eternal salvation4 ,then1 if ever1 he should act understandingly and honestly4 ,and for this he needs instruction4 ,we have shown elsewhere that this is ,god's way1 the ,bible way1 the way of the early ,church1 the way of the great ,protestant ,reformation1 and the way of our ,church of the ,reformation to this day4 ,we therefore object to this modern revival system1 because it has largely supplanted the old time systematic and thorough indoctrination of the young4 ,and1 as we have elsewhere said1 we are convinced that1 just in proportion as the youth are uncatechised and uninstructed in the great doctrines of ,god's ,word regarding sin and ,grace1 in that proportion will doubt1 skepticism1 unbelief and infidelity infect them1 and lead them into the paths of the destroyer4 ,our eighth objection to this modern revival system1 is that it is so largely built up on the excitement of the feelings4 ,the first and great object of the revivalist seems to be to work directly on the emotional nature of his hearers4 ,if he can stir the depths of the heart until it throbs and thrills with pent-up emotions1 if he can play upon its chords until they vibrate and tremble under his touch1 until its hidden chambers ring again with responsive longings1 until at last the repressed intensity breaks forth in overpowering excitement1 he is considered a successful revival preacher4 ,to reach this end the preaching is made up of exhortations1 anecdotes and appeals4 ,there are touching stories1 calculated to make the tender-hearted weep4 ,there are thrilling and startling experiences1 calculated to frighten the more hard-hearted4 ,there are lively1 emotional songs1 with stirring music1 calculated to affect the nervous system and bring about strange sensations4 ,and when the feelings are aroused1 when the excitement is up1 the hearers are urged to come forward1 to go to the inquiry-room1 to stand up1 or do something to show that they are ready to take the decisive step4 ,now1 as we have shown above1 if ever a person needs to be calm and deliberate1 it is when about to take the most important step of his whole life4 ,but men don't generally take important steps1 or enter upon decisive movements1 when they are excited4 ,when one is excited he is very apt to do the wrong thing1 and regret it afterwards4 ,not that we object to all feeling in religion4 ,we by no means believe in a religion without feeling4 ,we know of no true piety without deep and heartfelt sorrow for sin1 and earnest longings for ever closer union and fellowship with ,god1 together with a childlike trust and a fervent love to ,him4 ,we believe1 however1 that the heart1 with its emotions1 can only be effectively reached through the understanding4 ,through the mind we work on the heart4 ,through the judgment we change the feelings4 ,we appeal first to the intellect1 to instruct1 to enlighten1 to give clear and correct views and ideas1 then through the intellect to the heart4 ,when ,paul was sent to convert the ,gentiles1 his direction was first of all to open their eyes--that is1 to instruct them--and then to turn them from darkness to light4 ,paul was not to begin on the feelings1 but on the intellect4 ,but the modern revival system reverses this method4 ,it makes a short cut1 and goes at once to the feelings1 without first enlightening the mind4 ,this is contrary1 not only to the ,scriptures1 but it is also directly contrary to the science and laws of the mind4 ,it contradicts mental philosophy as well as the ,bible4 ,we believe that where there is the proper instruction in the great saving doctrines of ,god's ,word1 where the mind is properly enlightened to know what sin is1 what salvation is1 and how it is obtained1 there1 unless there is a positive and determined resistance to the power of truth1 the proper feelings will come of their own accord4 ,it will require no heart-rending stories1 no frantic appeals1 no violent exhortations to bring them about4 ,but we object to the revival system1 because it is almost entirely built up on feeling1 and thus reaches only one department of man's complex nature4 ,instead of changing the whole immaterial man--his intellect1 his sensibilities1 and his will--it spends its force on the sensibilities alone4 ,our ninth objection we can state briefly4 ,because the revival system undervalues sound doctrine and instruction therein1 and because it depends so largely on feeling1 it not only permits but encourages the ignorant and inexperienced to assist in exhorting and helping those who are inquiring after life and salvation4 ,those who have scarcely got through themselves1 who have given little earnest study to ,god's ,way of ,salvation1 who do not know the alphabet of ,grace1 and the means and methods of ,grace1--these are often the pretended instructors at the anxious bench and in the meetings for inquirers4 ,now1 we object strongly to such procedures4 ,can the blind lead the blind8 ,will they not both fall in the ditch8 ,better let these novices themselves sit at the feet of ,christ4 ,let ,christ's teachers instruct them in ,god's ,way of ,salvation1 before they undertake to lead other lost and groping ones4 ,we object finally that1 at the experience meetings1 held in connection with modern revivals1 not only novices1 as described above1 but those who have been the veriest profligates1 are encouraged to speak1 and are at least permitted to recount and seemingly glory in their former sins4 ,they do not speak as ,paul did1 when compelled to refer to his former life1 with deep sorrow and shame1 but often jestingly1 flippantly1 and as if they imagined that they ought now to be looked upon and admired as great heroes4 ,we believe that this is all wrong1 and productive of great harm4 ,the unconverted youth1 listening to such talk1 says to himself1 ,well1 if such a person can so suddenly rise and be looked up to and made a teacher of others1 a leader of the experience and prayer-meeting1 certainly ,i need not be uneasy2 for ,i have a long way to go before ,i get as far as he was4 ,therefore1 we object to all such conduct4 ,it is not only unscriptural1 but unbecoming4 ,it is an offense against good breeding and common decency4 ,it does great harm4 ,but enough4 ,we might still speak of the spirit of self-righteousness engendered and fostered by this system4 ,we might speak of the sad results that follow with so many--how that persons become excited1 have strange sensations and feelings1 imagine that this is religion1 afterwards find that they have the same old heart1 no strength against sin1 no peace of conscience1 none of that bliss and joy they heard others speak of and expected for themselves1 and how they gradually fall back into their old mode of life1 become bolder than ever1 and at last drift into hopeless unbelief1 and say3 ,there is nothing in religion2 ,i've tried it1 and found it a delusion4 ,thus is their last state worse than their first4 ,we might show that in sections of country where this false system has held sway1 worldliness and skepticism abound4 ,these places have been aptly called burnt districts4 ,it seems next to impossible to make lasting impressions for good on such communities4 ,we might speak of the proselyting spirit that so often accompanies this system4 ,how with all its protestations for charity1 brotherly love1 and union1 it often runs out into the meanest spirit of casting aspersions on others and stealing from their churches4 ,we might speak of the divided churches that often result4 ,as ,dr4 ,krauth once forcibly said1 ,they are united to pieces1 and revived to death4 ,we might point to the divided households1 to the destruction of family peace1 to the many sad heart-burnings and alienations that result4 ,but we forbear4 ,the whole system is an invention of man4 ,it is unscriptural from beginning to end4 ,we cannot conceive of our blessed ,saviour or ,his apostles conducting a modern revival4 ,the mind revolts at the idea4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,modern ,,revivals1 ,,concluded4 ,we have given a number of reasons for refusing to favor or adopt the modern revival system as a part of the ,way of ,salvation4 ,we would now add the testimony of others1 not only of our own communion1 but also of other denominations4 ,undoubtedly one of the greatest and most important of these religious movements was that one which swept over ,presbyterian and ,congregational ,churches of ,new ,england1 ,new ,jersey1 ,pennsylvania1 and ,virginia1 about the middle of the last century4 ,it is generally known1 and spoken of as the great awakening4 ,its leading spirits were such staunch and loyal ,calvinists as ,jonathan ,edwards1 the ,tennents1 ,blair1 and others4 ,in the matter of doctrinal preaching and instruction it was certainly very far in advance of the so-called revivals of the present day4 ,and yet in many of its direct results it was anything but salutary4 ,it was the principal cause of the division of the ,presbyterian ,church into ,old and ,new ,school4 ,let us hear what some of the eminent theologians of these ,churches say of the results of the great awakening3 ,dr4 ,sereno ,e4 ,dwight1 the biographer of ,jonathan ,edwards1 and one of his descendants1 says3 ,it is deserving perhaps of inquiry1 whether the subsequent slumbers of the ,american ,church for nearly seventy years may not be ascribed1 in an important degree1 to the fatal reaction of these unhappy measures4 ,jonathan ,edwards1 himself the most zealous and successful promoter of the whole movement1 in #agej1 when its fruits could be fairly tested1 writes thus3--,multitudes of fair and high professors1 in one place and another1 have sadly backslidden2 sinners are desperately hardened2 experimental religion is more than ever out of credit with the far greater part1 and the doctrines of ,grace and those principles in religion that do chiefly concern the power of godliness are far more than ever discarded4 ,arminianism and ,pelagianism have made strange progress within a few years4444 ,many professors are gone off to great lengths in enthusiasm and extravagance in their notions and practices4 ,great contentions1 separations1 and confusions in our religious state prevail in many parts of the land4 ,the above is from a letter to a friend in ,scotland4 ,we give also a brief quotation from his farewell sermon to his church at ,nottingham3 ,another thing that vastly concerns your future prosperity is that you should watch against the encroachments of error1 and particularly ,arminianism and doctrines of like tendency4444 ,these doctrines at this day are much more prevalent than they were formerly4 ,the progress they have made in the land within this seven years 7i4e41 since the revival71 seems to have been vastly greater than at any time in the like space before4 ,and they are still prevailing and creeping into almost all parts of the land1 threatening the utter ruin of the credit of those doctrines which are the peculiar glory of the ,gospel and the interests of vital piety4 ,dr4 ,van ,rensselaer1 in commenting on these and other serious words of the great ,jonathan ,edwards1 says3 ,and what was the final result8 ,arminianism led the way to ,socinianism1 and near the beginning of the present century there was but a single orthodox ,congregational church in ,boston4 ,harvard ,university had lapsed into heresy1 and about a third of the churches of the ,puritans denied the faith held by their fathers4 ,and all this he traces back to that great awakening4 ,he further says3 ,a work so great and extensive was accompanied by incidents which made many good men doubtful as to its effects on the ,church4 ,special seasons of religious interest are seasons of danger and temptation even under the guidance of the most enlightened and prudent4444 ,good men differ much in their estimate of the awakening1 and the fruits of the work in many places afforded reason of much apprehension4444 ,in its earlier stages the revival was unquestionably the occasion of the conversion of many souls4 ,it was like one of those mighty rains of summer which refresh many a plant and tree1 but which are accompanied1 in many places1 with hail and storm and overflowing desolation1 and which are followed by a long1 dreary drought4 ,the ,presbyterian ,church welcomes fair revivals1 sent by the ,holy ,spirit1 but is averse to man-made schemes for getting up temporary excitements which have been so prevalent in our day4 ,during the years between #ahcj-ahej1 another revival agitation swept over the ,american ,church4 ,it was during this time1 especially1 that our ,english ,lutheran churches caught the contagion1 introduced the new measures1 such as the mourner's bench1 protracted meetings1 the admission of members without catechetical instruction1 and many other novelties4 ,in not a few places1 so-called ,lutherans vied with the most fanatical sects in their wild extravagances4 ,those who adhered to the time-honored method and spirit of conservative ,lutheranism1 who preached the ,word in all its simplicity1 catechised the young1 taught that the ,spirit and ,grace of ,god can only be expected to operate through ,christ's own means1 through ,word and ,sacrament1 were denounced as formalists1 who knew nothing of vital piety4 ,among the leading advocates of the new way was the ,rev4 ,reuben ,weiser4 ,this now departed brother1 with many other serious and thoughtful men1 afterwards saw the error of his ways1 and frankly and publicly confessed his change of conviction in the ,lutheran ,observer4 ,he says3 ,in #ahdb ,dr4 ,j4,w4 ,nevin1 of the ,german ,reformed ,church1 published a pamphlet called ',the ,anxious ,bench4' ,it was1 for that time1 a bold and vigorous arraignment of the whole modern revival system4 ,he warned the ,german churches against this style of religion1 but his warning was not much heeded at the time4 ,i felt it my duty to reply to ,dr4 ,nevin in a pamphlet called ,the ,mourners' ,bench4 ,at that time ,i was in the midst of the most extensive revival of my whole ministry4 ,i was honest and sincere in my views1 for ,i had not seen many of the evils that were almost certain to follow in the wake of revivals as they were then conducted4 ,personally1 ,i respected and esteemed ,dr4 ,nevin highly1 but as he had opposed my cherished views1 ,i felt it my duty to write against him4 ,i said some things long since regretted1 and now1 after the lapse of nearly half a century1 make this amende honorable4 ,and it must be a source of pleasure to ,dr4 ,nevin1 who is still living1 that the views which he so ably advocated in the face of much bitter opposition1 have been generally adopted by nearly all the ,churches4 ,dr4 ,weiser proceeds3 ,many of our churches that fostered this system were in the end injured by it4444 ,under the revival system it was very natural for the people to become dissatisfied with the ordinary means of ,grace4 ,there was a constant longing for excitement1 and when the ebullition of feeling abated1 many thought they had 'lost their religion4' ,the next move was that as the preacher was so dead and lifeless they must get another who had more fire1 and thus the old pastor was sent adrift4 ,elsewhere ,dr4 ,weiser has clearly expressed himself as having become firmly convinced that the old churchly method of careful and systematic instruction of the young1 is the only sure and safe way of building up the ,church4 ,he also quotes ,dr4 ,morris as saying3 ,the mourners' bench was introduced into ,lutheran churches in imitation of the ,methodists1 and disorders1 such as shouting1 clapping of hands1 groaning1 and singing of choruses of doggerel verses to the most frivolous tunes1 whilst ministers or members1 and sometimes women1 were engaged in speaking to the mourners4 ,feelings were aroused1 as usual1 by portraying the horrors of hell1 reciting affecting stories1 alluding to deaths in families1 violent vociferation1 and other means4 ,at prayer often all would pray as loud as the leader4 ,these exercises would continue night after night1 until the physical energies were exhausted4 ,dr4 ,h4,e4 ,jacobs1 in his preface to ,rev4 ,g4,h4 ,trabert's tract on ,genuine versus ,spurious ,revivals1 writes thus of the system3 ,this system1 if system it may be called1 is in many of its elements simply a reproduction of the ,romish errors against which our fathers bore testimony in the days of the ,reformation4 ,wide as is the apparent difference1 we find in both the same corruption of the doctrine of justification by faith alone without works1 the same ignoring of the depths of natural depravity1 the same exaltation of human strength and merit1 the same figment of human preparation for ,god's ,grace1 the same confounding of the fruits of faith with the conditions of faith1 the same aversion to the careful study of ,god's ,word1 the same indifference to sound doctrine1 and the same substitution of subjective frames of mind and forms of experience for the great objective facts of ,christianity1 as the grounds of ,god's favor4 ,in both cases1 all spiritual strength1 which is inseparable from complete dependence solely upon the ,word and promise of ,god1 and not in any way upon human sensations and preparations1 is either withheld1 destroyed1 or greatly hindered2 and uncertainty and vacillation1 despair1 infidelity and ruin1 often end the sad story of those who are thus left without any firm support amidst the trials of life1 and under the strokes of ,god's judgments4 ,the same ,church which in the days of the ,reformation raised her voice against these errors1 when she found the entire life of ,christianity endangered by them1 can be silent in the present hour1 when the same errors appear all around her1 only by betraying her trust1 and incurring the guilt of the faithless watchman who fails to give alarm4 ,let us hear also the testimony of our late lamented ,dr4 ,krauth4 ,he says1 as quoted by ,rev4 ,trabert3 ,how often are the urging that we are all one1 the holding of union meetings1 the effusive rapture of all-forgiving1 all-forgetting1 all-embracing love1 the preliminary to the meanest sectarian tricks1 dividing congregations1 tearing families to pieces1 and luring away the unstable4 ,the short millennium of such love is followed by the fresh loosing of the ,satan of malevolence out of his prison1 and the clashing in battle of the ,gog and ,magog of sectarian rivalry4 ,there is no surer preparation for bitter strife1 heart-burnings1 and hatred1 than these pseudo unionistic combinations4 ,one union revival has torn religious communities into hateful divisions which have never been healed4444 ,and none have suffered so much1 by these arts1 as our ,lutheran people1 who1 free from guile themselves1 did not suspect it in others4 ,well might we ask with the ',apology3' ',are they not ashamed to talk in such terms of love1 and preach love1 and cry love1 and do everything but practice love8' ,in conclusion we wish to present the testimony of some of the most eminent divines of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church4 ,of all others they will certainly not be accused of being prejudiced against modern revivals4 ,and of all modern revivals1 those conducted by the ,evangelists1 ,moody and ,sankey1 are probably the least objectionable4 ,at the close of the celebrated ,hippodrome revival1 in ,new ,york ,city1 conducted by ,messrs ,moody and ,sankey1 in the spring of #ahgf1 the ,methodist ,episcopal ministers1 at a stated meeting1 reviewed the revival and its results4 ,the ,new ,york ,herald gave the following account of their meeting1 which we copy from ,rev4 ,trabert's tract3 ,the ,methodist ministers had under consideration the question of the value of special evangelistic efforts in regular ,church work1 with particular reference to the number of ,hippodrome converts who may have united with their churches4 ,for two weeks a member of the ,hippodrome committee had distributed cards to the preachers with the names of persons who declared themselves converts of ,mr4 ,moody's meetings4 ,four thousand had been reported as the fruits of the ten weeks special effort4 ,ten thousand inquirers had been reported4 ,dr4 ,robert ,crook took the ground that special evangelistic agencies are not necessary1 and that the work is more permanent and successful when performed through the regular church channels4 ,rev4 ,j4 ,selleck1 of ,lexington avenue church1 had sent about sixty of his members as singers and ushers1 and had not only received not a single convert from that place into his church1 but had been unable to gather in the members he gave them1 who were still running here and there after sensations6 ,rev4 ,j4,f4 ,richmond had received a number of cards1 and could report two or three converts who would unite with his church1 but in connection with ,hope ,chapel he had not much success4 ,he had gone to five places indicated on the cards as residences of converts1 but could find none of them4 ,this was his experience also with many others whom he had sought out4 ,rev4 ,john ,jones had received many cards1 and had found out some direct frauds1 and many others nearly so4 ,he did discover eight persons converted at ,mr4 ,moody's meetings1 six of whom would unite with his church4 ,rev4 ,c4,g4 ,goss did not think any one effort or kind of effort was going to convert the world4 ,we could not measure religious efforts by financial or numerical measurements4 ,as to the general question1 he had the history of ten city churches always known as revival churches4 ,in #ahfi they had reported one hundred probationers each4 ,in #ahgj they reported a net loss of five hundred1 making1 with the probationers reported1 a loss of fifteen hundred in one year1 in ten churches4 ,bedford street church was an example of a revival church3 ,st4 ,paul's the opposite4 ,the former reported1 in twenty years1 twenty-five hundred probationers4 ,but the increase of her membership for that period was only one hundred and twenty-eight4 ,he could not account for this4 ,on the other hand1 ,st4 ,paul's reported four hundred and forty-eight probationers1 for twenty-five years1 and her increase in membership has been two hundred and eighty-six4 ,this was to him an argument in favor of regular church work4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,true ,,revivals4 ,in the preceding pages we have seen that the ,church ought constantly to aim at keeping up such a state of spiritual life as to render revivals unnecessary4 ,we have also admitted that1 owing to human infirmity1 carelessness1 and neglect of a proper and prayerful use of the means of ,grace1 the spiritual life will ofttimes languish in individuals1 in families1 in congregations and communities2 and that1 at such times1 a spiritual awakening or refreshing is necessary4 ,we have further shown1 that the modern revival system is unscriptural and positively injurious in its consequences1 and therefore cannot be regarded or adopted as a part of ,god's ,way of ,salvation4 ,what then is to be done8 ,a revival is really needed4 ,what sort of a revival shall be longed for1 prayed for1 and labored for8 ,in the first place1 let there be a revival in each individual heart4 ,let there be an earnest and prayerful return to the neglected ,word4 ,let there be a devout reading and meditation of the ,law of ,god1 an earnest1 persevering searching of the heart and life in the light of that law1 until there is a feeling of guilt and shame4 ,then let there be a prayerful reading and re-reading of the ,penitential ,psalms1 the seventh chapter of ,romans1 the fifty-third of ,isaiah1 the fifteenth of ,luke1 the fifth and eighth of ,romans1 and the epistles of ,john4 ,along with this private use of the ,divine ,word1 let there be a like prayerful public use4 ,in case of perplexity and doubt1 let there be an unburdening before the pastor1 with a request for instruction and prayer4 ,this process will bring about penitence for sin and faith in ,christ4 ,let it continue to be a daily dying unto sin1 a daily living unto righteousness1 a daily putting off the old man1 a daily putting on the new man--a daily repentance for sin1 and a daily turning to and laying hold of ,christ4 ,such a revival is ,scriptural and efficacious4 ,it will not only put an end to the languor and deadness of the past1 but it will preclude the necessity of future periodic excitements4 ,along with this individual reviving1 let there be an earnest praying and striving for a reviving of the whole congregation1 a life that may abide4 ,let every service in ,god's house be a revival service4 ,let each worshiper be a mourner over his sins1 each pew an anxious seat4 ,to this end let the preaching of the ,word be plain and direct4 ,let it be full of repentance towards ,god and faith in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,where hearts are not wilfully closed against such preaching of the truth as it is in ,jesus1 they will1 through its power1 become broken and contrite hearts1 from which will arise earnest pleadings for forgiveness and acceptance4 ,faith will come and grow by hearing1 and hearing by the ,word of ,god4 ,where the ,word is truly preached and rightly heard1 there will be a constant and scriptural revival4 ,each service will be a time of refreshing from the presence of the ,lord4 ,in addition to the regular weekly service1 the ,church also has her stated communion seasons4 ,these1 if rightly improved by pastor and people1 can be made still richer seasons of ,grace4 ,in our ,lutheran ,church1 with her deep1 significant and inspiring doctrine of this holy ,sacrament1 with her solemn and searching preparatory service1 every such season ought to be a time of refreshing4 ,what an auspicious opportunity is here offered for special sermons to precede the ,holy ,communion1 for recalling the wanderer1 awaking the drowsy1 stirring up the languid1 instructing the inquiring1 and establishing the doubting6 ,what pastor1 who has a ,christ-like interest in the spiritual welfare of his people1 and who has used his communion seasons to this end1 has not often realized that they are indeed times of refreshing from the ,lord8 ,these communion seasons become still more effective and valuable when they come1 as they generally do in our ,lutheran ,church1 in connection with our great ,church ,festivals4 ,our ,church has wisely held on to these great historic feasts4 ,they have from the earliest times been the ,church's true revival seasons4 ,church historians inform us that during the age immediately succeeding the time of the ,apostles1 when the ,church was still comparatively pure and fervently devout1 these ,festival ,seasons were the real high-days1 the crowning days of the year4 ,on these occasions the ,word was preached with more than ordinary power1 and the ,sacraments were dispensed with unusual solemnity4 ,then the churches were filled to overflowing4 ,a solemn stillness reigned over city and country4 ,worldly cares and pleasures were laid aside1 and the great saving facts of the ,gospel then commemorated were the all-absorbing theme4 ,at such times1 even the worldly and careless felt an almost irresistible impulse to follow the happy ,christian to the house of ,god4 ,multitudes of sinners were converted and gathered into the ,church of ,jesus ,christ1 while saints were strengthened and built up in their holy faith4 ,thus these festival communion seasons were true revival seasons4 ,and why should it not be so still8 ,what can be more inspiring and impressive than these great facts which our church festivals commemorate8 ,if the solemn warnings of the ,advent season1 the glad tidings of the ,christmas season1 the touching and searching lessons of the ,lenten season1 the holy1 inspiring joyousness of the ,easter season1 or the instructive admonitions of the ,pentecostal season1 will not attract and move and edify the hearts of men1 what will8 ,what has the radical part of the ,church gained by setting aside these seasons1 hallowed by the use of ,christ1 ,his apostles and martyrs1 the ,church ,fathers and ,reformers8 ,is the modern revival system and the ,week of ,prayer arrangement an improvement8 ,can any modern self-appointed committee get up a better and more effective program than our historic ,passion ,week services1 crowned with its ,easter communion8 ,assuredly no6 ,there can be no new program1 however broad or spicy1 that can be adapted to bless the saint and sinner1 like our old order1 following the dear ,saviour1 step by step1 on his weary way to the cross and tomb1 and thus preaching ,christ ,crucified for1 at least1 one whole week in a year4 ,though there may be progressive ,greeks to-day to whom this preaching of ,christ ,crucified is foolishness1 or materialistic ,jews to whom it is a stumbling-block1 we know it is still the power of ,god and the wisdom of ,god to all who believe4 ,we know that there can be nothing so truly promotive of genuine piety1 so well adapted for the conversion of sinners and the sanctifying of believers1 as this preaching of the cross4 ,we do not wonder1 therefore1 that1 after a comparatively short experience in the new way1 earnest voices are raised1 in quarters1 whence a few years ago came nothing but ridicule of ,lenten services1 pleading for the old historic ,passion ,week1 instead of the new ,week of ,prayer4 ,not that we object to a week of prayer4 ,we only object to the substitution of this modern week1 with its diversified program1 for the old week with its ,bible ,passion lessons4 ,thus then we see that there is abundant provision and opportunity for special seasons of awakening and refreshing1 by following the regular ,church ,year4 ,we would not1 however1 claim that1 in the present state of affairs1 on account of a lack of proper understanding and churchliness and because of the unconscious influence of popular notions1 there is no need1 occasion1 and opportunity for still more marked and general awakenings4 ,the word of ,god speaks of times of visitation1 times of refreshing1 an accepted time1 a day of salvation1 thy day1 etc4 ,there are times and seasons when the good ,lord draws especially near to sinners to convert and save them2 times when ,his ,spirit manifests ,himself more fully in the ,church than at other times4 ,in ,his own wise ,providence ,he brings about and prepares the ,church for such time4 ,thus1 when1 from causes noted above1 the ,church grows cold and languid1 ,he sends afflictions of various kinds4 ,people are made to realize the uncertainty and unsatisfactoriness of the affairs of this life4 ,by losses1 diseases1 bereavements1 or bitter disappointments1 ,god seeks to wean them from their worldly idols4 ,he brings them to reflection4 ,they come to themselves4 ,they are ready to recall and hear the ,father's voice4 ,they are willing to hear the long neglected ,word4 ,they go to the house of ,god4 ,they listen eagerly4 ,the ,word finds free course4 ,there is no wilful resistance4 ,it drops as the rain and distils as the dew4 ,it does not return void4 ,if now the pastors and people know this time of visitation1 if they realize that it is a time of refreshing from the ,lord1 not gotten up by human expedients1 they will quickly respond to these gracious indications4 ,whether such times come in connection with the communion and ,festival seasons or not1 special provision ought to be made to gather the quickly ripening harvest4 ,it is sometimes well to make provision for special services4 ,there may be a series of special sermons4 ,the preaching must be1 above all things1 instructive1 a plain and direct setting forth of the ,way of ,salvation4 ,the appeal must be first of all to the understanding1 and through it to the heart4 ,the exhortations and invitations must be based on and grow out of these instructions4 ,the great themes of sin and ,grace1 and the application and reception of ,grace1 should be set forth with all possible simplicity and earnestness4 ,this preaching of the ,gospel and instruction in the way of life should not be confined to the pulpit4 ,the wise pastor will give opportunity for all inquirers to meet him privately1 or will seek them out to tell them the way of ,god1 as it relates to each individual case1 still more plainly4 ,this will be a true revival4 ,only let the churches discern and use the times1 when ,jesus of ,nazareth passeth by4 ,every faithful1 earnest pastor1 if he cannot always have living1 earnest and consecrated churches1 can have such seasons of refreshing from the presence of the ,lord4 ,every such pastor in looking back over a reasonable period of service can point to such precious seasons in his ministry4 ,such seasons result in a growth of true ,church life4 ,the means of ,grace1 after such revivals1 are more diligently and more prayerfully used than before4 ,the ,word of ,god and prayer take their proper place in the home4 ,the church in the house is quickened into life and activity4 ,there is increased liberality in the congregation4 ,the pocket book is converted as well as the heart4 ,there is a revival of strict honesty and truthfulness in all business affairs4 ,all tricks of trade1 deceptions1 imposing on ignorance1 short weights and measures1 adulterations1 making money by betting1 taking or giving chances of any kind1 everything in fact that is questionable1 if not openly dishonest1 is abolished4 ,worldly companionship1 questionable amusements1 pleasures that draw the heart away from ,god1 are avoided4 ,religion is not only a ,sunday garment1 but a living force that shows itself in every department of life4 ,the world takes knowledge of true converts that they have been with ,jesus and learned of ,him4 ,such are the results of a true revival4 ,in such we believe4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,conclusion4 ,with this chapter we conclude our studies of the ,way of ,salvation4 ,they have been extended much beyond our original purpose4 ,as we remarked in the beginning1 we have written for plain people2 for those who1 surrounded by all forms and varieties of belief and unbelief1 are often attacked1 questioned and perplexed as to their faith1 and their reasons for holding it4 ,our object has been to assist our unpretentious people always to be ready to give an answer to those who ask a reason for the hope that is in them4 ,we also remarked in the beginning that there often come to our people arrogant and self-righteous persons1 who say the ,lutheran ,church has no religion1 that it does not bring its members into the light1 and does not believe in or insist on personal salvation4 ,unfortunately there are only too many ,lutherans who do not know how to answer such bold and baseless assertions4 ,sometimes they apologize for being ,lutherans1 and timidly hope that they may find salvation in their own ,church6 ,many also have been persuaded to abandon the ,church and faith of their fathers to find more light and religion elsewhere4 ,after having been wrought upon and strangely affected by human and unscriptural methods1 after they have experienced some new sensations1 they proclaim to the world that now they have found the light which they could never find in the ,lutheran ,church6 ,and thus not a few of our simple-minded and unreflecting people are led to depart from the faith and follow strange delusions4 ,our people need to be better informed about their own ,church4 ,when they come to understand what that ,church is1 and what she teaches1 they will be no more children1 tossed to and fro1 and carried about with every wind of doctrine1 by the sleight of man and cunning craftiness1 whereby they lie in wait to deceive4 ,it is to assist them to such an understanding and appreciation of the truth as it is in ,jesus1 and is confessed by our ,church1 that we have written these pages4 ,if they have strengthened any who are weak in the faith1 removed any doubts and perplexities1 established any who wavered and made any love the ,church and her great ,head more1 we are more than repaid4 ,whatever may have been the effect of reading these chapters1 the writing of them has made the ,church of the ,reformation1 her faith and practices1 more precious than ever to the writer4 ,he has become more and more convinced that what ,rome stigmatized as ,lutheranism is nothing else than the pure and simple ,gospel of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,let us take a rapid backward glance4 ,we see that the ,lutheran ,church grasps fully and accepts unreservedly the whole sad and unwelcome doctrine of sin4 ,she believes all that is written as to the deep-going and far-reaching consequences of sin--that every soul comes into this world infected with this fearful malady1 and1 therefore1 unfit for the kingdom of ,god1 and under condemnation4 ,she believes therefore that every human being1 down to the youngest infant1 must have its nature changed before it can be saved4 ,the necessity of this change is absolute and without exception4 ,in the very beginning1 therefore1 we see that no ,church places the necessity of personal renewal and salvation on higher ground than does the ,lutheran ,church4 ,she believes that our blessed ,saviour has appointed a means1 a channel1 a vehicle1 by and through which ,his ,holy ,spirit conveys renewing ,grace to the heart of the tender infant1 and makes it a lamb of ,his flock4 ,she believes that where ,christ's ,sacrament of holy ,baptism--which is the means referred to--does not reach a child1 ,his ,spirit can and will reach and renew it in some way not made known to us4 ,she believes that the beginning of the new life in a child is a spiritual birth2 that this young and feeble life needs nourishment and fostering care for its healthy development2 that it is the duty of ,christian parents to see to this2 that the ,sunday-school and catechetical class are helps offered to the parents by the ,church4 ,she believes that by this nourishing of the divine life in the family and ,church1 with the sincere milk of ,god's ,word1 the baptismal covenant can be kept unbroken1 and the divine life developed and increased more and more4 ,after careful instruction in the home and ,church1 if there is due evidence that there is ,grace in the heart1 that penitence and faith1 which are the elements of the new life1 are really present1 she admits her children to the communion of the body and blood of ,christ1 by the beautiful and significant rite of confirmation4 ,the scriptural doctrine of ,christ's holy sacrament1 which our ,church holds and sets forth1 and the solemn1 searching preparatory service which she connects with it1 make it truly calculated to strengthen the child of ,god1 and unite him closer to ,christ4 ,our ,church insists that the whole life of the believer1 in the fellowship of the ,saviour and ,his people1 is to be a growth in ,grace and in knowledge4 ,in this1 also the believer is wonderfully assisted by our teachings concerning the efficacy of the ,word of ,god as a means of ,grace1 a vehicle and instrument of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he is further comforted and quickened by that precious doctrine of justification--alone by faith in ,jesus ,christ4 ,he is encouraged to press forward to the mark1 to purify himself more and more1 to become more and more active1 earnest and consecrated by what the ,church teaches of sanctification4 ,nor does the ,church overlook or forget the sad fact that many--often through the fault of those who ought to be their spiritual guides in the home and ,church--lapse from their baptismal covenant1 or forget their confirmation vows1 and thus fall back into an unconverted state4 ,she insists on the absolute necessity of conversion or turning back1 for all such4 ,she does not1 however1 expend all her energies in proclaiming its necessity1 but also sets forth and makes plain the nature of conversion1 and the means and methods of bringing it about4 ,while the ,church would1 first of all1 use every endeavor to preclude the necessity of conversion1 by bringing the children to ,jesus that ,he may receive and bless them through ,his own sacrament2 and while she would use all diligence and watchfulness to keep them true to ,christ in their baptismal covenant1 yet1 when they do fall away1 she solemnly assures them that except they repent and be converted1 they will eternally perish4 ,and if this lamentable backsliding should take place more or less with a large portion of a congregation1 our ,church prays and labors for a revival4 ,while she repudiates and abhors all that is unscriptural1 and therefore dangerous1 in the modern revival system1 she yet appreciates and gives thanks for every time of refreshing from the ,lord4 ,yes1 the ,lutheran ,church does believe in salvation1 in the absolute necessity of its personal application1 and in eternal perdition to every one who will not come to ,god in the only way of salvation--through ,jesus ,christ4 ,and thus the ,lutheran system is a complete system4 ,it takes in everything revealed in the ,word4 ,it teaches to observe all things that ,christ has commanded4 ,it declares the whole counsel of ,god4 ,the ,lutheran ,church believes in a ,way of being saved4 ,she has a positive system of faith4 ,her system of the doctrines and methods of ,grace is a complete1 a consistent1 a simple1 an attractive one4 ,it avoids the contradictions and difficulties of other ways and systems4 ,it is thoroughly loyal to ,god's ,word4 ,where it differs from other systems and faiths1 it is because it abides by and bows to what is written1 while others depart from and change the record to suit their reasons4 ,it gives all the glory of salvation to ,god4 ,it throws all the responsibility of being saved on man4 ,it is indeed the highway of the ,lord1 where the redeemed can walk in safety and in joy4 ,it is the old path1 the good ,way wherein men can find rest unto their souls4 ,it is the ,way trodden by ,patriarchs1 ,prophets1 and ancient servants of ,god4 ,it is the ,way of the ,apostles1 and ,martyrs1 and ,confessors of the early ,church--the ,way that became obscured and almost hidden during the dark ages4 ,it is the ,way for the bringing to light and re-opening of which ,god raised up ,martin ,luther4 ,yes1 the nominally ,christian ,church had largely lost that ,way4 ,god wanted to put her right again4 ,for this purpose ,he raised up the great ,reformer4 ,is it not reasonable to believe that ,he would lead him and guide him and enlighten him to know and point out this ,way aright8 ,if the ,lutheran ,reformation was a work of ,god1 does it need constant improvements and repetitions8 ,no6 we believe that ,god led ,luther aright1 that the ,way of ,salvation to which ,he recalled the ,church through him is the ,divine ,way4 ,millions have walked in it since his day1 and found it a good1 safe1 and happy ,way4 ,no one who has ever left it for another way has gained thereby4 ,to abandon the ,lutheran ,church for another is to exchange a system that is based on sound and well-established principles of interpretation1 logical1 consistent1 thoroughly scriptural1 and therefore changeless in the midst of changes1 for one without fixed principles of interpretation1 only partially loyal to the inspired record1 more or less inconsistent1 uncertain1 shifting and changing with the whims or notions of a fickle age4 ,it is to exchange a faith that satisfies1 brings peace1 and manifests itself in a child-like1 cheerful1 joyous trust in an ever-living and ever-present ,redeemer1 for one that ofttimes perplexes1 raises doubts1 and is more or less moody and gloomy4 ,a faith that is built either on uncertain and ever-varying experience or on an inexorable and loveless decree1 cannot be as steadfast and joyous as one that rests implicitly in a ,redeemer1 who tasted death for every man4 ,we conclude with the eloquent words of ,dr4 ,seiss3 ,we do not say that none but ,lutherans in name and profession can be saved4 ,but we do assert that if salvation cannot be attained in the ,lutheran ,church1 or the highway of eternal life cannot be found in her1 there is no such thing as salvation4 ,there is no ,god but the ,god she confesses4 ,there is no sacred ,scripture which she does not receive and teach4 ,there is no ,christ but the ,christ of her confession1 hope and trust4 ,there are no means of ,grace ordained of ,god1 but those which she uses1 and insists on having used4 ,there are no promises and conditions of divine acceptance1 but those which she puts before men for their comfort4 ,and there is no other true ,ministry1 ,church1 or ,faith1 than that which she acknowledges and holds4 ,,the ,,lutheran ,,church4 ,my ,church6 my ,church6 my dear old ,church6 ,my fathers' and my own6 ,on ,prophets and ,apostles built1 ,and ,christ the ,corner-stone6 ,all else beside1 by storm or tide ,may yet be overthrown2 ,but not my ,church1 my dear old ,church1 ,my fathers' and my own6 ,my ,church6 my ,church6 my dear old ,church6 ,my glory and my pride6 ,firm in the faith ,immanuel taught1 ,she holds no faith beside4 ,upon this rock1 'gainst every shock1 ,though gates of hell assail1 ,she stands secure1 with promise sure1 ,they never shall prevail4 ,my ,church6 my ,church6 my dear old ,church6 ,i love her ancient name2 ,and ,god forbid a child of hers ,should ever do her shame6 ,her mother-care ,i'll ever share1 ,her child ,i am alone1 ,till ,he who gave me to her arms ,shall call me to ,his own4 ,my ,church6 my ,church6 my dear old ,church6 ,i've heard the tale of blood1 ,of hearts that loved her to the death-- ,the great1 the wise1 the good4 ,our martyred sires defied the fires ,for ,christ the ,crucified2 ,the once-delivered faith to keep ,they burned1 they bled1 they died4 ,my ,church6 my ,church6 ,i love my ,church1 ,for she exalts my ,lord2 ,she speaks1 she breathes1 she teaches not ,but from ,his written ,word2 ,and if her voice bids me rejoice1 ,from all my sins released1 ',tis through th' atoning sacrifice1 ,and ,jesus is the ,priest4 ,my ,church6 my ,church6 ,i love my ,church1 ,for she doth lead me on ,to ,zion's palace ,beautiful1 ,where ,christ my ,lord hath gone4 ,from all below she bids me go ,to ,him1 the ,life1 the ,way1 ,the truth to guide my erring feet ,from darkness into day4 ,then here1 my ,church6 my dear old ,church6 ,thy child would add a vow ,to that whose token once was signed ,upon his infant brow3 ,assault who may1 kiss and betray1 ,dishonor and disown1 ,,my ,,church ,,shall ,,yet ,,be ,,dear ,,to ,,me1 ,,my ,,fathers' ,,and ,,my ,,own6