# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1853 03 29_S101
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

101

rest not a single day, as the heathen themselves testify, but constantly blaspheme in the most horrible manner not only our persons, but also our office, and the Word of the living God which we preach. For the poor Indians must live in constant fear, and their natural distrust of all white men (the Methodists who fight against us are for the most part Indians incited by the whites) is kept constantly active, when we are continually represented to them as the most wretched liars and deceivers, who would not only cheat the Indians out of their land, but would also, before long, send them off to Germany into the war, etc., etc. And they must always be afraid to give themselves up wholly to the influence of the Word of GOD, when this very holy Word of GOD is represented to them as false and mendacious. How much that is seductive, too, lies in this alone, that to these people, who by nature are wholly materially minded, all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, all honor and love from the whites, all favor and help from the authorities*), and all material advantages in general, are continually preached, while we can hold before them only the cross, reproach and persecution on earth, and (to which they can raise themselves with such difficulty, as indeed men in general) the glory and eternal blessedness in heaven. What power, finally, lies for these timid minds also in this, that the great mass of the Indians in other tribes already belong to the Methodists, among whom our Indians have relatives in part, by whom they are diligently visited, while we stand here as if without any following; for our blessed fellowship with our dear Lutheran Church, and with the reverend Synod, can indeed comfort us, but can have no influence upon the Indians, because they perceive nothing of it, nothing of it do they 'see.' And the Indian likes, above others, to see things of that sort too, if it is to influence him.— Under these circumstances it is certainly not to be wondered at that the Methodists, so mighty in all earthly advantages, have torn three church members from us at 3 camp-meetings. (One member of these 3 has, however, repeatedly declared that he is inexpressibly sorry to have separated from us, and only real fear still keeps him back for the present from returning openly to us.) One must rather marvel at the power and grace of God, who has nevertheless preserved us, and, considering the circumstances, has also increased us very richly.

*) The Agent of Indian Affairs at Detroit, to whose department our Indians belong, is a Methodist preacher.

For in the past year, too, 15 souls from among the heathen were again added to our Lutheran little flock and to the Church of GOD in general by holy Baptism. Among them are: a grandmother and widow, a married couple, likewise grandparents, a young married couple, and a wife whose husband is on the way to follow. The remaining nine are children of various ages. Besides these there were baptized 2 infants of Lutheran Indians, and 4 children of the English family living here, whose parents belong to no church. In addition, a boy who had been baptized by the Methodists was solemnly received into our Church. So that the whole increase in this year consists of 22 souls. The whole Lutheran little flock here, gathered from the Indians, now numbers 58 souls. Surely a rich, hopeful wheat field upon such thorny ground! To the LORD our GOD alone, but to Him also forever, be praise and honor! Help us now to pray to GOD, honored brethren, that He would graciously grant to gather in, if possible, all these souls as full sheaves into His heavenly barn, as we confidently hope concerning 6 who have already departed.

That this may come to pass the better, that the gathered little flock may attain to true joyfulness and independence in the LORD, and that those who still stand timidly without may gain confidence to follow the LORD joyfully, I take the liberty of laying upon your hearts a few requests which you would grant to your missionaries. Since these do not go beyond the contents of the "Instruction for the Missions-Commission, etc.," as it is drawn up in the 1st Synodal Report of the year 1847, pages 14 and 15, I hope the more for their granting.

1. As regards your missionaries, I beg you most respectfully: do not limit your activity to receiving the reports of your missionaries and supplying the means according to your ability; but enter into written, brotherly correspondence with them, so that, in the living, vigorous consciousness of membership and of unity with the Church and Synod, they may be able to oppose the great multitude and the power of Methodism the more joyfully. Stand by them, as the Instruction expresses it, "with counsel and deed, in a fatherly manner!" You yourselves know very well that this station has never yet received a line from you, the Missions Comm., by which its laborers might have been counseled, encouraged, and otherwise strengthened by the consciousness of unity with you. And yet it is now nearly 4 years that this station has belonged to the Synod; the Instruction requires it, the officers who retired in the year 1850 specially recommended it to their successors, and on my part it has been repeatedly requested, at first in every letter. — I make this request not for myself, as you know; for it has pleased the dear God to call me to another people. But I make it for my successor, who will especially need your loving, brotherly and fatherly support, counsel and encouragement; I do it for yourselves, that you may have ever greater joy in this station; I do it, finally, for the little flock gathered and still to be gathered here, that it may be vigorously guided, and in all ways furthered in its growth to manhood in Christ, and therefore I do it also with frankness and confidence.

2. Concerning the Lutheran little flock here gathered from the heathen, I ask, with the words of the Instruction: "To oversee the mission stations, and, whether personally or by deputies, to visit them as far as possible," and I add, at least once every year. I cannot lay this request upon your hearts urgently enough, honored brethren! And what impels me to it is, on the one hand, the great influence of the power of Methodism upon the so timid and easily seduced Indian souls; on the other hand, also, the apparent detachment, lack of connection and forsakenness of your missionaries and of the Church which they are endeavoring to build up here, as it must necessarily appear to the Indians. I think I have no need to press you with more words. The love of Christ, which constrains you, to embrace these young, tender, still weak heathen Christians with special love, is alone, and is also entirely sufficient, to make you willing and fit for this office, burdensome indeed, but for Christ's sake nevertheless light and sweet (as a Missions-Commission).

Yet, that this request may not appear as something new and perhaps even improper, whereby the missionaries would only cast the burden of their calling upon other shoulders, and also to forestall the suspicion that your missionaries were seeking to hire the help of outward means, which the preaching of the cross alone should accomplish; permit me to remind you of the practice of the Moravian Brethren, from whom we, as regards mission, might still learn much. For in their blessed missionary activity among the Indians, so rich in wonderful experiences, in the middle of the last century, they never left their missionaries alone in the work of the conversion of the heathen, but had them visited, supported and encouraged in their labor very often, both by Count von Zinzendorf and by the bishops Spangenberg, Cammerhof, John von Watteville and others. And these bishops not only gathered and organized into Christian congregations the Indians baptized by the missionaries, but also visited the heathen by many laborious journeys, preached to them, concluded treaties of friendship with them, and so facilitated in every way the missionaries' access to them, as well as their influence upon them. In this way, to be sure, the slanders against the missionaries (for they also had their abundant share to bear, and in part the same as we, in that it was also imputed to them that they would send the Indians to Germany and sell them as slaves. — See: "Geschichte der Mission der evangelischen Brüder" by Loskiel, p. 222.) could have no such power over