# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1851 11 25_S53
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

53

and keep himself pure, as the first commandment urges me. I also desire no sign from Him, to tempt Him. I trust in Him continually, however long He tarries, and I set Him no goal, time, measure, or manner; but commit it to His divine will in a free and upright faith. If He then is almighty, what can I lack that He cannot give or do for me? If He is Creator of heaven and earth, and Lord of all things, who will take anything from me or harm me? Yea, how should not all things work together for my good and serve me, if He grants me good, to whom they are all obedient and subject? Since He then is God, so He is able, and knows how He is to do it with me for the best. Since He is Father, so He will also do it, and does it right gladly. Since I doubt not thereof, and thus set my trust in Him, so am I certainly His servant and child and heir forever, and it shall be done unto me even as I believe. Amen.

Correction of an Article in the "kirchliches Informatorium" of Pastor Grabau, Concerning the Affairs of the Lutheran Congregation at Detroit, Mich.

Under the title "kirchliches Informatorium" there has appeared since July of this year, at Conrad Bär's in Buffalo, a monthly paper, edited by Pastor Grabau. In its second, third, and fourth numbers the same contains an article headed: "Factiousness in the German Evangelical Lutheran St. Matthew's Congregation in Detroit in the Year 1851," in which not only the undersigned, but also the former President of our Synod, Professor Walther, and the Synod itself are represented most horribly as ringleaders and protectors of a faction. If the writer of this were attacked alone and personally, he might well keep silent about it, despite all the disgrace heaped upon him, inasmuch as it can without difficulty be seen from the article itself in question, and lies on record in the proceedings of our Synod of last year and of this, that he was involved in this matter without his will, without his doing, in the way of his calling; and that the Synod, already last year, carefully examined the report which he rendered to it concerning his conduct therein, and unanimously approved the latter, and moreover that all the doubts which were raised this year by two ill-persuaded young brethren against the truthfulness of that report have proved to be unfounded. But besides the person of the undersigned, the Synod itself, in its officers and in its entirety, is not merely attacked, but most violently reviled and slandered, and not everyone may know it already so well as to be able to smile at the accusations and threats brought against it in the article cited. Then the holy duty of love and of truth requires doubly that we open our mouth, on account of him who sins so grievously by brazen lying, and of those who may be offended thereby, and set the matter in its right light. In this, the article in the Informatorium composed by Pastor Winkler shall be followed step by step. It begins with a historical introduction on the alleged origin of what he calls the faction, in which, contrary to the truth as proved by the records, private confession must be the real and almost sole apple of discord about which the contention was waged. For this gives Pastor Winkler occasion to play the knight against us poor Missourians, and causes him to remark: he had wished to show the more forbearance toward the weak, because one and another had begun to appeal to the Missourians and their laxity with regard to the 11th Article of the Augsburg Confession. Here, to be sure, a laxity which we are supposed to have been guilty of with regard to a part of the Lutheran Confession is spoken of as an established matter. But let Pastor Winkler first prove with a single example that we, whether in doctrine or in practice, are really lax in this point. If he will not do that, or otherwise retract his empty assertion, then it will stand there as groundless and slanderous, and with all upright souls will harm not us, but only himself. — Further he says that the writer of this had already known beforehand the whole state of affairs in his congregation, with regard to private and general confession. But let Pastor Winkler only remember in what manner the same came to have any knowledge at all of this matter. He was, namely, once together with Pastor Winkler in Detroit, when one of the latter's members, who was present and already known to him from Germany, called him aside, complained to him that their pastor was now, by the stormy introduction of private confession, driving many people out of the church, and begged him that he would once speak with him about it. The writer of this told him he surely would not be too timid to speak with him himself, led him to Winkler, and went aside rather, so as by no means to intrude. When the man had departed, Winkler told him merely that only a few of his members still made use of general confession, that, however, confession had been made loathsome to them by the manner of the repeating of the words before and after, and that he had now told them that they should appropriate the common absolution after the sermon. The undersigned could not approve of this latter, and so the conversation took another turn. — Surely, if Pastor Winkler's memory is not wholly unfaithful, he will gladly retract the untrue assertion that I had known beforehand the whole state of affairs in his congregation, with regard to private and general confession, exactly. — Moreover it is quite and altogether false that the dispute in which the undersigned is concerned touches first of all upon private confession, any more than it concerns precisely the articles on Christian liberty and on the spiritual priesthood, although Pastor Winkler knows how to mention them skilfully, only that he may assert that the people had learned from our writing against Pastor Grabau's Hirtenbrief things which had stamped them as the company of Korah. This is again an assertion which must first be proved, or, because that is likely to be impossible, demands retraction, if it is not to bring upon Pastor Winkler the just charge of slanderousness and blasphemy. — The communication which the undersigned received concerning the origin of the dispute, in a letter which the above-named member unexpectedly sent him, dated the 17th of February of last year, runs very differently. Therein that man complains bitterly of Pastor Winkler, that he, namely, plays the wolf among the sheep. The matter was this: not long since a young man from Berlin, by the name of Schubert, had come to Winkler, had at first given himself out as a missionary, afterwards it had come out that he had already served three congregations in Wisconsin, but had left them on account of too great exertion, and that he belonged to the Union. To him Winkler had without further ado permitted to hold reading services, to found young men's societies, etc. Over this dissatisfaction had arisen in the congregation, and that had so angered Winkler that he had forthwith put under the ban those who had made representations to him about his proceeding, and had even sent their children away from the school and the singing hour. And indeed, as always, so also these bans he had carried out without bringing the matter before the congregation, yet threatened with the ban likewise everyone who should maintain the least fellowship with these wrongfully banned persons. They were in the greatest consternation over it and knew not what to advise or how to help themselves; he was to ask me, therefore, in the name of many others, that I would, if possible, come to Detroit and assist them with counsel and deed. — The undersigned, to be sure, by no means acted upon this communication, but wrote back, rather, that they should, for God's sake, as much as in them lay, be peaceable with their pastor, should, if he had banned wrongfully, modestly lay God's Word before him, and if he should perhaps not hear, they should nevertheless look away from me, who do not believe myself called in this matter, but should more fitly turn to an orthodox body for counsel and assistance. Yet this is certain according to the records, that the dispute began on account of the causes touched upon. For thus it stands in the same writing of the 6th of March of last year, of which Pastor Winkler writes that therein complaint against the pastor, judgment upon him, and demand for the execution of the judgment, with an appended threat to employ other help if it were not done, were already all ready and together: