# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1850 12 24_S71
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

71

ful and patient-in-the-cross congregations, one in the same faith, in the same love, and in the same hope: — so the sender of this has not wished to withhold the brotherly admonition.

(Submitted.)

Public Confession.

By God's grace I have come to the knowledge that the Buffalo German Lutheran Synod, to which I belonged until the month of September of this year, takes a false standpoint with regard to the doctrine of the holy ministry, call, spiritual priesthood, Christian liberty, as also with regard to practice, namely of church government, the ban, church order, and the relation of the pastor to the congregation, and of the rights given to it by God, as these were first set forth by Pastor Grabau at Buffalo in his well-known Pastoral Letter, and afterward upheld and defended by him and also by me and the other pastors of that Synod against the correct refutations of the Pastors Löber, Walther, and Keyl. This is to be seen especially from Pastor Löber's writing: "der Hirtenbrief des Herrn Pastor Grabau," etc., and from the Zweiten Synodalbrief der Buffaloer Synode von 1848, pages 99 to 147.

The venerable German Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States, on the other hand, has proved its orthodox standpoint in doctrine and practice, but with its proofs, grounded in God's Word and therefore agreeing with the symbolical books of our Evangelical Lutheran Church, has been rejected with hostility by the Buffalo Synod, and so also by me, as the said Zweite Synodalbrief of 1848, printed in 1850, abundantly attests.

Since God's Word commands us to depart from iniquity (2 Tim. 2:19) and to choose the way of truth (Ps. 119:30), I have, after recognizing by God's grace the errors in doctrine and practice to which the ministerium and the Synod, to which I belonged until the month of September of this year, hold fast, renounced them, and confessed and begged pardon of the same for these errors and for the hostility in which I stood against the venerable Synod of Missouri. This I do herewith publicly before God and His Church, confess myself sincerely to the doctrine, confession, and faith of the said Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, etc., and wish that many more may recognize the truth and let themselves be made free thereby from the commandment of men in all that concerns faith and salvation.

But thanks be to God for His unspeakable grace which He has shown me! May He keep me therein unto the end, of pure grace and mercy. Amen.

Detroit, the 5th of December 1850.

Leberecht Friederich Ehregott Krause,
ev. luth. Pastor.

Church News.

On the 25th Sunday after Trinity, the 17th of November of this year, Pastor Johann Jakob Meißner, formerly installed as pastor in the State of Indiana, after he had held a colloquy with the Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States, and his change of office had also been found unobjectionable, and he had been prevailed upon to accept the call to the pastorate at Colecamp, Benton Co., Mo., which lay before the Synod, was publicly installed there by his new neighbor in office, Pastor Wege. In great distress Pastor M. had torn himself away from the sickbed of his youngest child in order to deliver his inaugural sermon — he preached on 1 Cor. 2:1, 2 — but only a few days afterward this sickbed became a little deathbed, and before he could preach again on the next Sunday, the body of little Immanuel was buried quite near the dwelling in which the mourning family is henceforth to live. — May the harvest of joy not fail to follow this sowing of tears, for both, for the new pastor and for his congregation.

Addr: Rev. I. I. Meissner P. O. Colecamp Benton Co. Mo.

Philadelphia, the 29th of Nov. 1850.

Beloved Friend and Brother!

The faithful God has shown us especially much grace in these last days. The Evang. Luth. congregation in Philadelphia had called me and awaited with great longing the time when I could bring a shepherd to my congregation in Maryland and move to Philadelphia myself. When I now returned to Baltimore four weeks ago from a visit in Philadelphia, I found there Herr Wilhelm Nordmann from Banteln in the Hanoverian territory, who, examined and ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Consistory in Hanover, was ready to serve the Lord in His holy Church in this country. We betook ourselves at once to the country congregations of St. John's in Baltimore Co. and St. Peter's in Harford Co., Md. Herr Nordmann preached at both places and at a preaching station connected with them in and near Warren, Baltimore Co., where a small number of Germans assemble for the preaching of the Word of God; the testimonials of Herr Nordmann were examined and a regular call extended to him. Thereupon we made report together to Pastor Brohm in New York, as the Vice-President of our Synod for the East, and he commissioned Pastor Keyl in Baltimore to install Herr Nordmann in his office. On the 26th Sunday after Trinity we met in the morning at 10 o'clock with the members of St. John's congregation in the small, poor schoolhouse, which had already often had to serve us for our divine service. The dear God, who had already favored our labors on the three preceding Sundays with the finest weather, gave this lovely gift once more this time also, so that the members of the congregation, who live scattered over a wide space, could appear in full number; also many German neighbors and some friends from Baltimore had come. The small low hut became a friendly house of God. After I had held the confession, we sang: "O Holy Spirit, enter in;" I read the Gospel of the day, said the Creed, and then read the letter of Pastor Brohm, by which he had commissioned Pastor Keyl. We then sang "Ach, bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ," and Pastor Keyl preached on 1 Cor. 3:9 the calling, the duty, and the comfort of the Christian preacher and of the Christian congregation. After the sermon Herr Nordmann came forward together with the elders of the congregation. With the honorable words of the fathers Pastor Keyl announced the holy act; he first admonished the newly called pastor to care faithfully for his little flock with pure, wholesome doctrine and right administration of the holy Sacraments, to warn and guard them earnestly against error and false doctrine, to bear toward all, and especially toward the young and the sick, a fatherly, friendly, and faithful heart, to be an example to his flock with an honorable, sober life in all godliness.

When then Pastor Nordmann had answered "Yes" to the question whether he was ready to do this with God's help, Pastor Keyl inducted him into his office in the name of the triune God. Thereafter he admonished the congregation to hear the Word of God diligently and to use the holy Sacraments well, to render obedience to the preaching of their pastor, to show him the due reverence, and to supply his support faithfully. Finally he also took in particular from the elders the promise to attend to their office faithfully and in unity with the pastor and to be his helpers in the administration of the church property and income, the maintenance of good discipline and order, and the like. In conclusion he prayed over the pastor and for the congregation and the whole Lutheran Church. After the holy Lord's Prayer we sang "Glory be to the Father and to the Son," and Pastor Nordmann distributed the holy Supper, which was first administered to himself by Pastor Keyl.

In the afternoon we betook ourselves to the St. Peter's congregation, Harford Co., where the same act was performed, to the great edification of the congregation, only that the distribution of the holy Supper was not connected with it. The dear God took this occasion to let both congregations perceive that they do not stand alone with the precious treasures of the pure doctrine and the right administration of the holy Sacraments, but also with their great temptation to despondency, but in a communion which believes and confesses with them, prays, praises, and gives thanks with