# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1851 09 15_S13
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

13

before the Lord; the Lord needeth [illegible]; and do ye, congregations, take up the cause of these sons, bring together freewill gifts, and let them study! —

The Lord Jesus, who once in the temple sat over against the treasury and beheld how much each one cast in, sitteth now also over against thee, and looketh upon thy heart and thy hand, whether thou bringest thy son hither, and what thou givest; — so be then, for the honor of God and for the need of thy brethren, a cheerful giver! —

B.

The Departure of Johannes von Winkler from Popery to the Evangelical Church.

(Conclusion.)

The Fifth Reason

of my departure from the papistical to the true evangelical doctrine was that, by the grace of God and the enlightening of the Holy Ghost, I recognized: Quod sint inimici crucis Christi, that is, that the papists are veritable enemies of the cross of Christ, who according to the word of Paul (Phil. 3) shall be put to shame, and whose end is damnation.

That many papists are veritable enemies of the cross of Christ, one perceives from this: 1. that they are veritable servants of the belly, who betake themselves into popery only for the sake of the pleasure of the flesh and of lazy, idle days. And although many priests, monks, nuns, and common laymen recognize the truth of the Gospel, and would gladly let popery go and willingly accept the Gospel, yet they fear that on that account they might be laden with the dear cross, and lose the favor of great lords, large incomes, dignities, honors, the fat soups and the fleshpots of Egypt, and fall into the utmost poverty and want. But to avoid such a cross, they remain, for the belly's sake, with an evil, restless conscience in popery rather; 2. that they are enemies of the preaching of Christ and of the power of the cross and sufferings of Christ, and indeed such enemies that they blaspheme in the worst way those who teach, believe, and confess that His cross, sufferings, death, and blood alone redeem from sins, reconcile with God, and give eternal life, and that such benefit befalleth us through faith alone, and not for the sake of works, and persecute them as heretics, yea, even torture and kill them. Thus then the papists are not worthy of the Lord Christ, and because they will not suffer with Him, neither shall they be exalted with Him to glory.

The Sixth Reason

of my departure from the papistical to the true evangelical doctrine was that, by the grace of God and the enlightening of the Holy Ghost, I recognized: Contradictionem Dei et Spiritus sancti, that is, that they knowingly and willfully resist God and the Holy Ghost, and contradict the bright, clear testimonies of the prophets, evangelists, and apostles, whom the Holy Ghost governeth, to enlighten the hearts of men and to know the Son of God; yea, they revile, persecute, and condemn the servants of Christ, as the successors of the prophets and apostles; but these are the apple of God's eye, and whoso toucheth them, toucheth God Himself. Hence the earnest prohibition of God (1 Chron. 17; Ps. 105, 15): "Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." But this the papists do, in that they persecute the servants of Christ, and thereby seek to rob Christians of the means to salvation.

When the Holy Ghost leadeth His servants into all truth, that righteousness and salvation are to be obtained through holy Baptism (Eph. 5), through the merit of Christ (1 Cor. 1), and through faith (Rom. 3), the papists will be much wiser than the Holy Ghost, and add thereto the ordinances of men, the holy water, the wax candles, and other holy trumpery besides, of which neither God nor His Word knoweth. They teach that with them is the true Spirit of God, and that the pope cannot err, although so many of them have been sorcerers and servants of the devil, yea, a Popess Johanna bore a child upon the papal throne. Furthermore, they hold their church much higher than the Word of God, which proceedeth through the mouth of the prophets, evangelists, and apostles. For they sell for money the forgiveness of sins, whereas Christ hath won redemption for all men by the shedding of His holy blood. They believe and hold what neither the prophets, nor the evangelists, nor the apostles, nor Christ Himself hath commanded, such as purgatory, the baptism of bells, pilgrimages, image-worship, invocation of the saints, the canons of the Masses, soul-Masses, vigils, the trade in indulgences, the primacy of the pope, the prohibition of marriage to priests, the robbing of the cup in the Holy Supper, monks' cords, "cowls," tonsures, and whatever other such ridiculous papistical foolery there may be. It is moreover plain and clear as day that the papists revile and condemn the doctrine of the prophets and apostles in public councils, writings, sermons, and colleges, and there are many of them who do this against their own conscience; whereas we, God be praised, have "a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn" (2 Pet. 1), and they do well who take heed thereto.

The Seventh Reason

of my departure from the papistical to the true evangelical doctrine was that, by the grace of God and the enlightening of the Holy Ghost, I recognized: Peccatorum suorum colorationem, that is, that in popery they defend their sins as right and good, and therein, contrary to God's commandment, persist without true repentance and conversion; and though they be admonished out of God's Word, they remain nevertheless obstinate and repent not. Yea, even for shameful sins committed no repentance is demanded, but money, money! is the watchword in popery — "As soon as the money in the chest doth ring, the sinner out of purgatory doth spring." Moreover, they still defend such sins as though they were rightly done, and as though such persons had nothing to fear; whereas yet again no sin offendeth God more than this, that one denieth, adorneth, and defendeth publicly known wickedness, as Cain and Saul did. But God threateneth these with a terrible judgment when He saith, Ezek. 3: "The wicked shall die for his sin," and Rom. 8: "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die"; and 1 Cor. 6: "Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God."

These reasons here related, and many others besides, which I now pass over in silence, were the chief motives and causes which brought me from darkened popery to the true evangelical doctrine.

Now I know indeed that the papists, when they shall read this retraction, as I doubt not in the least, but firmly believe that it will come before their eyes, will revile, curse, and condemn me. But I comfort myself with this, that a wrongful curse doth not light, and that where such a curse goeth out, it cometh in there again. I regard all this not, but speak the truth, which they will neither hear nor suffer, especially when one telleth them that one hath led the people into ruinous errors, and bidden them, besides the eternal God, to whom alone honor is due, to invoke also the angels and departed saints, of whom it is yet written: "Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not" (Is. 63), yea, to venerate even dumb idols and images, which according to Ps. 115 and Is. 44 "have eyes, and see not, have ears, and hear not, have hands, and handle not, have feet, and walk not," which are good for nothing but that they "deceive the heart that is turned unto them, and cannot save a soul." When one further saith that one hath erred in believing that the imperfect works of men have the power to obtain the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, whereas works avail not for this, but when we have done all that is commanded us we must say, "We are unprofitable servants" (Luke 17). Dreadfully hath one erred in having raved with Simon the sorcerer that the forgiveness of sins, the gift of God, could be bought with money from the pope, whereas it is purchased not with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ: (1 Pet. 1.)

Should I now not borrow the words of the holy apostle and speak them to you papists: "O foolish papists, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth of the Gospel, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth?" (Gal. 3).

I thank my God, as often as I think thereon, and call Him to witness that I rejoice heartily to see God in my faith. And for this grace of God, which is given me in Christ Jesus, I thank God always, that by Him in everything, in all