# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1850 09 03_S1
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.
"God's Word and Luther's doctrine pure shall now and evermore endure." (Rev. of John, chap. 14, v. 6, 7.)
Published by the German Ev. Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States.
Edited by C. F. W. Walther.
Vol. 7.  St. Louis, Mo., the 3rd of September, 1850.  No. 1.
Terms: The Lutheraner appears once every two weeks at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for subscribers living out of town, who must pay in advance and bear the postage.—In St. Louis each single number is sold for 5 Cents.
Only those letters which contain communications for the paper are to be sent to the editor; all others, however, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, money, etc., are to be sent here to the address Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

Preface to the Seventh Volume of the "Lutheraner."

In sending forth with this number once again the first of a new volume, we deem it necessary first to give our esteemed readers of our paper an explanation of why the now concluded sixth volume contained so few editorial contributions. The cause of this was an affliction of the eyes, which our dear heavenly Father in His grace allotted to us, and which has scarcely permitted us to perform the most necessary labors of our immediate calling. We are, moreover, firmly convinced that the readers of the "Lutheraner," since for this reason so much the more out of the treasure of the good old writers has been offered to them, have thereby not only suffered no loss, but rather have only gained. But since God in His great wisdom has ordained that His holy Word be proclaimed publicly, until the end of the days, not alone through the Scripture, but also through living persons, and since it has pleased God in His mercy to grant us more and more the unhindered use of our eyes again, we are resolved to employ this benefit newly given to us in order that we may again so much the more zealously and joyfully bear public testimony also to the pure, clear truth which is entrusted to our dear Church and which God has also given us to know. However deeply we ourselves feel our weakness, we yet cannot withdraw ourselves from such a testimony, the less so, the more insolently, precisely now, from day to day, the blaspheming of the truth and the adorning of the lie and of error go on outside of our Church, and the more, even in the midst of our Church, even on the part of those who wish to be regarded as pillars, the most important truths are perverted to the confusion and seduction of the simple. May then the dear readers pray God with us that our "Lutheraner" may keep what it has, and that He, who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth, may give to us and to our fellow laborers grace, light, wisdom, courage, zeal and steadfastness, that in this abominable time we may not be tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and that we may not deny the truth we have known, but, as Sirach exhorts, defend it even unto death, that is, rather suffer everything, yea, death itself, than faint-heartedly and unfaithfully surrender a jot of it to the adversaries. It is indeed true, the truth has no need of us; it bears witness of itself in the conscience of all that it is the truth, and if we let it go, it seeks out others who hold it dear; its children never die out, for the Church, this pillar and ground of the truth, stands upon the rock-foundation, Christ, and His immovable promises; "God's Word and Luther's doctrine pure shall now and evermore endure": yet we must well consider, God has not only given the precious promise: "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown"—God has also set before us the most fearful threat: "But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."

Ah, LORD JESUS, preserve us from that! Make us faithful! Keep us in Thy grace, keep us by Thy Word and Sacrament, keep us in Thy Church! But at the last let us find through Thee favor with Thy Father! Amen! Amen!

(Submitted.)
Conversation,
held with four delegates from the Church Council, O., P., S. and X., on the 31st of July 1850.

O. The reason why we come to you, Pastor, is this. The Church Council held a session yesterday evening to deliberate upon the new congregational constitution drawn up by you, and resolved not to adopt it. And we are charged, in the name of the Church Council, to declare this to you and at the same time to