# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1852 08 04_S194
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

194

bring it to completion. Since, however, God has manifestly, according to His great grace, bestowed His blessing upon our work, so that the old nets would no longer hold the blessing, we, as delegates of the Synod to the brethren in Germany, during our presence there ventured to complain to them of our need and to appeal to their helping love. This our complaint and petition has indeed also found a good reception; friendly assurances have been given us from several quarters that they would help according to their ability. We have also already received word from 3 places, from Mecklenburg, Hanover and Bavaria, that a collection has already been taken up there for the cause of our College building. But at the same time we have also received the tidings that in almost all parts of Germany a time of no small distress has lately set in, so that the yield of the collections arranged will probably not have turned out so large as it might perhaps have turned out under other circumstances.

Encouraged by the assurances received in Germany, and trusting in Him who by His unexpected blessing has made a further building necessary, we, the building commission appointed by the Synod for the Concordia College here in St. Louis, have in God's name proceeded to such a further building, namely to the erection of the second wing. We hoped, indeed, to have by this time at least something from Germany in our hands, with which we might yet be able to cover a part of the building costs that have accrued. But already the building draws near to its completion, and we are still without means.

What shall we do now? To whom shall we turn? We are indeed convinced that if we were to turn once more to the brethren in Germany and represent our embarrassment to them, they would do their utmost that the work begun might be happily brought to an end. But would it be right on our part to call upon the dear brethren over yonder, who have already done and sacrificed so much for us here, to make new sacrifices for us now, when they themselves are beset with all manner of distress? Certainly not. That would truly be to abuse love. Indeed a Christian ought to bear another's burden, but it is unchristian and shameful for a Christian to burden another with the load which God has laid upon him and which he is able to bear.

Gladly, indeed, would we have spared you, dear brethren here in America. We confess it, it is hard for us to besiege you again with petitions for contributions. We know it, there is so much need here, and therefore there is no end of asking and begging. We know it, most among you have little more than they themselves need for themselves and their families. We do indeed remember that your love was claimed only a few months ago for the Fort Wayne Seminary. Nor are we unaware that many of those whom God has blessed above others with temporal goods often give precisely the most sparingly, so that the burden therefore again falls chiefly upon the poorer. But, tell us yourselves, dear ones, to whom else can we turn but to you?

If it is anyone, it is you who have the duty to help here. The institution is your institution. You called it into life; it is a tree planted by you; it is your child; you therefore cannot possibly forsake it now and let it be stunted, now that it grows by God's blessing and of course also acquires greater needs. You began the work in God's name; you therefore cannot possibly leave it lying, now that God lets it go forward, because its continued existence demands some sacrifices on your part. You have put your hand to the plow; you cannot possibly draw it back now. It is indeed your sons who are here being prepared for the service of the Church; it is your faith for which a nursery is here maintained; it is your children who are one day to receive from this institution preachers and pastors of your faith; it is your Lutheran, and indeed your American-Lutheran Church, for which faithful laborers, watchmen and warriors are to be trained here; it is your new home, in which you enjoy so many benefits above millions of your brethren in other lands, for whom witnesses of the truth are to go forth from this school. Yea, you yourselves are in part those who in due time will need to receive pastors from this institute; for though until now, whenever there was need of capable laborers, we have still always been supplied with them from our old homeland: yet is it not a wretched thing for you, if you are always to rely upon receiving help from there? Is it not wrong to have the German mother church train laborers for us at great cost and trouble, while we fold our hands in our laps? Is it not dangerous to place ourselves in the embarrassment of either remaining often for a long time without a preacher of the pure Gospel, or taking the first untried man that offers? Have we not already had to refuse the petition of many a congregation in the most important places, which turned to us with the request for a capable preacher, and now see that it has fallen into the hands of a false apostle? Does it not become ever more necessary that we have here preachers who have been trained here, who know the conditions here, and who are clear and firmly rooted precisely in those points of doctrine in which we here are precisely assailed and stand in temptation? We have brought our children with us from their old fatherland into this distant land, so dangerous in respect of religion. What will they say one day, when we are dead, if we had indeed provided well by our emigration for their better earthly livelihood, but if they should see themselves, in respect of their religion and their souls' salvation, forsaken and neglected by us? — Surely you will grant me this: you have first of all the duty to help.

But perhaps many will say, one ought indeed to do something, but how? if one cannot do it? — It is true, dear brethren, that no small exertions are required if here in America we are by degrees to provide for our children and descendants in respect of religion and Church as our fathers in Germany once provided for their children and descendants. But consider, our fathers, who did such great things in the building of beautiful large churches, in the founding of Latin schools and universities, in the raising of capital and in all manner of charitable foundations, out of which the school buildings erected could be kept in good repair, new buildings paid for, the teachers salaried and poor students supported — consider, these our fathers were for the most part blessed with fewer earthly goods than we. Consider further what enormous exertions heretics of every kind make here, to maintain and spread their false belief. Shall these put us to shame? Shall these show more zeal and spend more to maintain and spread error than we to maintain and spread the unadulterated truth? If these can do without so much for a delusion, why should not we be able to do without as much, yea more, for the truth? Consider finally how much the unbelieving, secure world spends, not indeed to spread its unbelief (for this would bring it in nothing, wherefore all beginnings of missionary and tract societies for unbelief have always for the sake of the dear money remained without progress), but consider, we say, how much the world spends to serve its flesh according to all the lust of its heart! How much it spends on superfluous finery and show in clothes, furniture and other vain pomp! How much it spends on excess in food and drink! How much do thousands of fathers and mothers of households squander with their families, to take part in every public amusement! All these expenses you, who are upright Christians, do not have. All that which the world offers in sacrifice to the devil you can sacrifice instead to your God, that is, to your poor neighbor and his poor Church. You must also not think that we are making this demand upon you; this demand God's Word has already made upon all Christians, when, for example, the Holy Ghost writes through the holy Apostle Paul: "(Let him) labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." Eph. 4, 28. Thus not in order to become rich are we to work right diligently,