or
wherever the doctrine is pure, there you can also keep purity in
baptism, the sacrament, absolution, the Ten Commandments, the Lord's
Prayer, good works and all callings; and wherever you find a defect
or an irregularity, you can admonish, amend and rectify by means of
the Word.

26. Some there must be who have the Word and sacraments pure and
unadulterated, who have faith, pray aright, keep God's commandments
and do other things, as, thank God, we have with us. Then we may
firmly conclude: If the true Church were not here, these
characteristics would be lacking; therefore we must have among
ourselves true members of the Church and true saints. Now even though
children of the world intermingle (as will be the case always and in
all places), who show neither faith nor a godly life, it would
corrupt neither faith, nor baptism, nor doctrine, nor would the
Church perish on that account--the treasure remains in its integrity
and efficacy, and God may graciously cause some to turn from their
unbelief and wicked life and be added to the faithful and to mend
their ways.

27. Again, they with whom this treasure--the Word or doctrine and its
knowledge--is not found, cannot be the Christian Church nor members
of it, and for that reason they cannot pray or believe aright or do
good works pleasing to God. It follows that their whole lives are in
God's sight lost and condemned, though they may assiduously extol God
and the Church and before the world may have the appearance and
reputation of leading particularly holy lives and excelling even the
upright Christians in virtues and honor. It is a settled fact that
outside the Church of Christ there is no God, no grace, no bliss; as
Paul says (Eph 4, 5): "One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all," etc. And Acts 4, 12 says: "And in none other is there
salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is
given among men, wherein we must be saved."

28. And so Paul, when here extolling the Corinthians, has not an eye
to the contentious, the Epicureans, or to those who give public
offense, as the man that "had his father's wife;" but the apostle
looks to the fact that a few remain who have the pure Word of God,
faith, baptism and the sacrament, though some hypocrites be among
them. Because of these few--and few indeed there may be--we recognize
the presence of that inestimable treasure of which the apostle
speaks. It is found as well where two or th