A revision of our symbolic standpoint, is therefore perfectly consistent
with primitive Lutheranism; and according to the Congregational or
Independent principles of Lutheran church government, advocated by
Luther, and hitherto practiced on by our American church, as well as
avowed by the Constitution of the General Synod, each District Synod is
competent to do this work for herself as long as she retains "the
_fundamental_ doctrines of the Bible as taught by our church."
How then can this important work be best accomplished, of releasing
ourselves on the one hand from the profession of the errors contained
in the Confession, and on the other of avowing the unadulterated truths
of God's word?
1. Shall we _drop the practice of binding our ministers to any creed
except the Bible_, and refer in unofficial ways to the _Augsburg
Confession_, as in general a correct summary of our views of Bible
truth? This was the practice of the _fathers of our church in the Synod
of Pennsylvania from the beginning of this century, till within two or
three years_. It was practiced by that body whilst it was controlled by
_Drs. Helmuth, Schmidt, Muhlenberg_, of Lancaster, _Schaeffer_, of
Philadelphia, _Endress, Lochman, J. G. Schmucker, Geissenhainer_
subsequently of New York, _Muhlenberg_, of Reading, and the present
venerable Senior of the Ministerium, Rev.
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