Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1879-08-22

y free conference was held III
Brenham last week between the
Lutheran Ministers of Texas
and those of Missouri, consid-
cring the doctrines of the Luth-
cram church. among which the
Luthcrans of Missouri offered
the following thesis for consid-
Grafton:
I.-Itis apart of Christianliberty
to be freed from the Jewish
ceremonial and political laws.
by virtue of this Christian
liberty believer in the time
Of the New Testament is no
more bound to the obscrv-
ance Of Il Sabbath.
The thesis was based upon
the testimony of the church of
Augsburg Confession, which
reads as follows: The doctrine
of Christian liberty must be re-
tanned in the church, namely,
that the servitude Of the law is
net necessary to Justification as
St. Paul writes to the Galatians:
Stand fast therefore in the lib
erty whcrewith Christ hath made
us free, and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bon
dage." For the chief article
of the Gospel, that without our
merit we obtain the grace of
God through faith in Christ,
must be maintained, and that
we do not merit il in conse-
quence of rites instituted by
men. What, then Ggitur) should
be held concerning Sunday and
other similar church ordinances
and ceremonies q? To this we
make the following reply: That
the bishops or pastors may
make regulations, SO that things
may be carried on orderly in
the church, not to obtain the
grace of God, nor yet to atone
for sins, or to bind the con-
sciences of men to hold these
regulations as necessary scrvi-
ces of God, ard to regard them,
as if those commit sin, who
break them without offence to
others"
In like manner such is the
case with the institution (obser-
vatio) of Sunday and the like
holidays and rites. Those, then,
who are of opinion that such
institution (observatio) of Sun
day instead of the Sabbath,
was established as a thing neces-
sary, err very much. For the
holy Scripture has abolished the
Sabbath, and it teaches, that all
ceremonies of the old law, since
the revelation of the Gospel,
may be discontinued. And yet
as it was necessary to appoint a
certain day, so that the people
might know when they should
assemble, the Christian church
ordained Sunday for that pur-
pose, and possessed rather more
inclination and willingness for
this alteration, in order that the
people might have an example
of Christian liberty, that they
might know that neither the
observance ofthe Sabbath, nor
of any other day is indispensa-
ble." (Augsburg Confession,
Art. 2S.)
To this testimony of the.
church of the Augsburg Con-
fession the following remarks
were made: We, Lutherans
do not believe that Sunday is
instituted by God in the New
Testament, as was the Sabbath
in the Old Testament. The
Christian church has, in the free
use of her liberty, chosen this
day, because some time or 9TH
err must be selected, not on &C
count of any command of God,
but on account of our need. |
Hence we are not bound, by |
any law of God, to obseryse eth
er Sunday or any other day.
AS Christians we are not bound |
20 observe the ceremonial law |
Of the Jews, and hence neither
the Sabbath. In the third COM
mandment we are commanded,
morally, to handle the Word of |
God, even in public. This point
of doctrine is of such immense
importance, because the whole
doctrine of our liberty from ting
law in general depends upon it.
REP.