# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1852 08 31_S3
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

3

us the same person, as already mentioned above, had imputed seventeen errors. In the year following, Pastor Grabau did not himself deem our writing on his Antikritik worthy even of an answer. Although a year later again, namely on January 6, 1847, the pastor and the elders of the congregation at Kirchhayn, in Wisconsin, belonging to the Buffalo Synod, urgently begged Pastor Grabau to hold a synod for the purpose of being able "to settle the controversies pending between the Missourian preachers and themselves (of the Grabauian party)," Pastor Grabau nevertheless refused this, and thereby brought about a division in the Kirchhayn congregation also. In the year 1848 thereupon he put us, together with our whole Synod, publicly under the ban "as wilful false teachers and open, notorious sinners," whom one must "avoid." From that time on Pastor Grabau and his party have properly raged and raved against us, and have, we cannot say otherwise, drenched us with truly vulgar abuse.

In spite of all these wrongs we have made attempts, up to the most recent time, to move Pastor Grabau to an oral discussion, since it became ever plainer that the written way would lead to no happy end. The first time this happened was in the spring of the year 1846, when Pastor Grabau excused his refusing answer on account of circumstances. The second time was in April, 1847, whereupon Pastor Grabau again gave a refusing answer, indeed induced his Synod to declare "that Pastor Grabau had not been authorized to travel thither on such an invitation and in such a manner." The last invitation to Pastor Grabau for an oral discussion, finally, our Synod resolved upon in its last meeting this year, and had it sent to him in writing, in the friendliest form, through its Secretary, the Rev. Pastor Habel, with the offer that the discussion should take place before witnesses from both sides, and that until the matter be settled all harsh writing might cease on both sides, together with the sending of the work published by the Synod and issued this year at Erlangen by A. Deichert: "Die Stimme unserer Kirche in der Frage von Kirche und Amt. Von der deutschen evangelisch-lutherischen Synode von Missouri, ꝛc., als ein Zeugniß ihres Glaubens, zur Abwehr der Angriffe des Hrn. Past. Grabau in Buffalo vorgelegt durch C. F. W. Walther." The letter reads as follows:

Reverend Sir! In the name and by commission of the German Evang. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States, which recognizes it as its duty to omit nothing whereby peace and unity in the Church might be brought about, I send you herewith the little book composed by Prof. Walther by its commission: "Die Stimme unserer Kirche in der Frage von der Kirche und Amt"—with the request: to read this writing through, with prayer and supplication to God, as free from prejudice as possible, and to convince yourself from it that it contains nothing else than the voice of the Lutheran Church. Should you nevertheless not be fully convinced thereby, or find scruples yet on this or that point, the Synod is willing and ready to discuss with you orally through delegates, whether publicly or privately, as you may wish in this respect, in which case the appointment of the time and place shall also be left to you, Reverend Sir.

At the same time the Synod offers not to write against you in the Lutheraner until then, if you on your part also will omit the harsh writing in the Informatorium.

If you are now willing and ready to enter upon such proposals, you are hereby requested to be so kind as to declare this your readiness as soon as possible to the Presidium of our Synod.

God grant you His Spirit and grace, and grant peace and unity in the Church, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

signed Ludwig W. Habel, Secr. of the Synod.
Fort Wayne, Ind., July 3, 1852.

The answer of Pastor Grabau to this has again been a refusing one. He demands that we first recall from their offices all preachers who at present serve former members of the congregations of his party, declare them to be preachers of a faction, and do penance! We must confess, we really do not now know, not only what we are to think of the disposition, but also what we are to think of the sound understanding of the Rev. Pastor Grabau. He seems to wish to put into practice the legal procedure of those nations according to which the man to be examined is first condemned, respectively hanged, and then his case, whether he be in the right or in the wrong, is investigated.

(To be continued.)

(For the "Lutheraner.")

The writer of this has, like all members of the Ev. Luth. Synod of Mo., O. and other States, assumed at the last synodical meeting the obligation to exhort his congregation, in a sermon, to the support of the preparatory institution for future ministers of the church in St. Louis, Mo. But it is, partly because he has only not very long ago moved his congregation, repeatedly, in special addresses, to testify by no inconsiderable sacrifices that it knows how greatly it, as a Christian congregation after the pattern of the apostolic Church and on the ground of plain words of Scripture, is bound also to show love and gratitude to the Church as a whole and at large, into whose bosom the LORD has laid it and by whose goods it lives, and partly because the Frankenmuthers are at present themselves in great need, in completing the church building they have begun, not well possible under the present circumstances to demand of the flock entrusted to him that it should distribute its strength, so needful for its own nearest necessity. Nevertheless he would like to fulfil his obligation. Since he now dares not, in view of the scaffolding of the new church just erected, to increase the sighing of anxious and burdened hearts by a summons to greater labor in the distance, he has devised the following ruse to extricate himself from the dilemma into which the demands and considerations of love have brought him. Some time ago he delivered a sermon which is quite suitable for this purpose: for it describes the form of the Church and dwells especially on this, that on account of great want she seems almost unable to live (I., 2.), yet through the willing obedience of the pious (Ps. 110, 3.) (II., 2.) not only remains in this world, but also rules over it; he would not know how to set about it better, in order to urge the people to do their duty, and yet to guard them against the soul-endangering delusion as if they had done wonderful deeds if they have given the LORD Christ a few dollars of alms, who visits them in His servants and through His servants also asks for such contributions as for seminaries, etc., as if he were repeating what he said in that sermon. Now the Frankenmuthers have already heard the sermon. He cannot well deliver the same sermon again in the same year. Nor does he need to at all. He only reminds of what he has already said, and in order that the reminder may have the greater emphasis, he holds his mouth before the speaking-trumpet of the "Lutheraner" and herewith calls to his Frankenmuthers:

"Frankenmuthers! Just read now the sermon which I preached to you, and keep well in mind why you are now getting it to read. I will not press you: but write it behind your ear. And when your church stands and you have caught your breath, do not forget the LORD Christ outside. For you are not only His body, but He has yet many members, by whom you can prove how dear you hold Him. And especially think also of the Concordia College in St. Louis, as you lately so liberally remembered the Fort Wayne Seminary. For if you provide for the nurseries of young preachers and teachers, you provide for yourselves and your children also, since you must surely take a pastor and schoolteacher from thence when I and the Herr Cantor are no more. But now I am still here and greet you from St. Louis in faithful love

K. Röbbelen, Pastor.

Frankenmuth, August 16, 1852.

* * *

Sermon

on the Sunday after New Year, the 4th of January 1852, in Frankenmuth, N. A.,

delivered by

Pastor K. A. W. Röbbelen.

Text: the Sunday Gospel, Matt. 2, 13-23.

This seems to contradict everything that was prophesied of the LORD Christ. For if He Himself must flee to the heathen,