As our church, in common with the other state churches of Europe, is controlled by the civil government, the ministers and members of the church were never invited or permitted to deliberate and decide on the question what books they will receive as symbolical or binding.  This work the political rulers or princes determined for them, in consultation with some leading divines.  Still we may fairly regard those confessional writings as symbolical, which have been prescribed by the government, and received and practiced on by the churches.  Now, if the “Taufbuechlein,” " Tract or Directory for Baptism,” of Luther, in which Exorcism is commanded, was thus prescribed and received [tr. note:  there is a space here which could be meant to contain the word “by”] two or three principalities or provinces of Europe, the position of the Platform is vindicated; but the truth is, it was received by entire kingdoms and provinces, and retained in practice for centuries; so that the Platform is more than sustained.  Let us first hear the testimony of the best authorities of Germany on the subject, and then sum up the results.

(a) Dr. Guericke, [Note 1] Professor of Theology at Halle, the author of a well-known Church History, testifies:  “Moreover, the Smaller Catechism (of Luther) contained, even in the oldest known German edition, (Wittenberg, 1529,) several forms of prayer, the Family diretory [sic] or selection of Scripture passages on the duties of all orders and conditions of men, and the Directory for marriage and baptism, all of which supplementary tracts were also received into the_ FIRST authentic edition of the German “Book of Concord.”  The baptismal directory was therefore received into the very first authentic edition of the symbolical books.

(b) Dr. Koellner, Professor of Theology at Goettingen, in his excellent “Symbolik,” p. 501, states:  “There was a Latin Directory for Baptism extant, (in the Romish church,) which Luther translated into German unaltered in 1523.  It is found in Vol.  II. of his works, Jena edition, pp. 248-252, and Vol.  II.  All, pp. 304-327.  But in 1524 or 1526 he wrote the Baptismal Directory, and brought it into the form in which it was added to the Catechism.  Thus it is found Vol.  II. of Altenb. ed. p. 227.  It was therefore added to the Catechism by Luther himself, and at the earliest period (of the Reformation.) [Note 2] The directory for the solemnization of matrimony was also added by Luther in the 2d edition.  Both those Tracts were usually published together with the smaller Catechism; and were also received into the Corpus Thuring. and into the first edition of the Book of Concord, June, 1580.”

Again, we see that this Directory for baptism in which exorcism is prescribed, was not only the production of Luther, but also added by him to his Catechism, and introduced into the very first collection of the symbolical book.