# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 01 03_S79
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

79

such an impression that one carries back a little homesickness for it into one's own homeland. There mighty cones rise up, overgrown with splendid forests; far above them stare red and gray masses of rock into the air, on whose steep sides trees and tufts of grass hang here and there, but their peaks are bald and bare; and above these stretch fearful giants high into the clouds and beyond the clouds, whose shoulders and heads are covered with snow winter and summer through. What a life nature has here! A thousand springs run from the ice and snow of the mountains or from their inner cold reservoirs; torrents rushing down from the cliffs high above make air and ground, and the heart also, tremble, while their spray delights the eye wondrously when the sunbeams break in it and let it play in the colors of the rainbow, and wondrously these waters fertilize the slopes and valleys with the most luxuriant herbs, the most glorious flowers and the juiciest grass. In a strong current from east to west between green banks the Salzach rushes along and forms first a large valley, often more than an hour broad; then turning suddenly northward, the mountains draw nearer and nearer to its bank, until at one point they fall together quite over the river, like two fighting bulls with their foreheads, and the floods force their way through, whirling, boiling and hissing. And when one then at last steps out again from these "Ovens of the Salzach," the land opens toward Bavaria in a great semicircle, on which in front borders the singularly beautiful city of Salzburg, with its proud fortress Hohensalzburg and the many hundred white country houses and cottages lying round about in the fresh green ground, wreathed with splendid plantations of trees. — The inhabitants of this wonderfully beautiful land, a corresponding vigorous, healthy, true-hearted race of men, live less by agriculture, more by cattle-raising, and partly also by mining. For in their interior the mountains are pregnant not only with gold and silver and other metals, but also in richest measure with the indispensable salt, so that land, city and river are named after it. Yet of the rich yield the miners get only the day's wages, since that belongs to the ruler of the land. He is the Emperor of Austria; a hundred years ago it was still an archbishop, a spiritual prince, of whom there were several in Germany at that time.

Into this wondrous mountain country and its quiet valleys the light of the Gospel, now rising, had penetrated already in the time of Luther, and indeed especially through the labors of a Paulus Speratus *), in spite of the heaven-high walls which cut it off from almost all lands and offer only few approaches. For this light climbs like the sun easily over the highest snow mountains, and can be stopped by no toll-keeper and frontier guard. Yes, as the sunbeams in summer are hotter and more effective in the narrow valleys of Salzburg than in the plains outside, so this light of the souls seems here to have fallen more warmly and to have produced more vital force among those who received it than elsewhere.

*) He, the author of the glorious hymn: "Es ist das Heil uns kommen her," came of a noble family of Swabia and already as early as 1522 preached with great zeal the Gospel at Augsburg, Würzburg and Vienna, and also at Salzburg, until in Moravia he was thrown into prison by the Bishop of Olmütz, from which, however, he escaped again, whereupon he betook himself to Wittenberg. Likewise we find at this time Dr. Staupitz as Abbot of St. Peter's in Salzburg, where he also died in 1524. Though it cannot be expected of him, who had become faint-hearted and discouraged, that he gave the Gospel any great furtherance, yet he certainly did not hinder it, but rather secretly promoted it.

Several of the clergy were first seized by the Word of God. These then preached it with joyful opening of their mouths, and the people heard it with open ears, and received it with all joy from the whole heart, for in the pure preaching of the Gospel they saw a long-felt, secretly cherished yearning of the heart suddenly and gloriously stilled. But of course within the residence they had not the slightest joy when the report of the "new heresy" came there. The Lutheran-minded clergy had to flee in haste; one had to pay for his confession with his head. Their adherents, outwardly still joining the papistical church, edified themselves in secret from Bibles of the Lutheran translation and other good books, and their number did not grow smaller, but increased from year to year considerably. Thus the Gospel lived on in silence for 150 years! As each time an archbishop was milder or sterner, so the evangelically minded were left more in peace or more persecuted. When in the year 1685 a harsh ruler ascended the archiepiscopal chair, a greater persecution broke out first, so that a whole congregation in the Tefferegger valley, leaving behind their possessions and goods and — what made their hearts bleed — their own children under 15 years, had to take up the pilgrim's staff. Among them was the old miner Joseph Schaitberger, who at that time composed his touching exile hymn, when after long, sad captivity he had to go away from wife and child.

Although the following archbishop indeed left the Lutherans in peace, yet there was no lack in secret of oppressions and torments, which they, however, bore patiently as Christians, and strengthened themselves the more in their most holy faith. Diligently they held secret gatherings for mutual strengthening and encouragement, often in dark caves and deep clefts. At home they edified themselves assiduously in the writings of Luther, Arndt and other anointed authors; the old taught the young in simplicity and with all the warmth and joyfulness of redeemed souls, and the LORD gave increase, so that ever more were added.

Yet this outward quiet lasted again only for a time. A new archbishop came up, and with him the days of a great distress broke in for the confessors of the Gospel, of which all earlier persecutions and troubles were only a prelude.

In the year 1727 Leopold Anton von Firmian became Archbishop of Salzburg, a man of proud mind, hard heart and gloomy countenance. At his side, surpassing his master still further in evil qualities, stood his chancellor Christian von Röll, a very cunning and crafty head, a heartless man, who seemed quite calm though he brought ever so many people into misery and to death, a miserable servant of Mammon, whose heart said to the lump of gold: "Thou art my comfort." This archbishop and his minister therefore resolved immediately after his accession to power to root out the Lutheran heresy, root and branch, from their territory, and to force its adherents either to deny their faith or to drive them out of the land. The chancellor hoped thereby to gain a fine sum of money from the property of the heretics, the archbishop to earn the favor of his overlord, the Pope, in a high degree.

By order of the government whole swarms of Jesuits immediately traversed the land under the name of "penitential preachers," and to them, the masters in the trade of persecution, the priests of the localities joined themselves as able fellows. So they forced their way by day and night into the houses, ransacked all cupboards and corners for Lutheran books, held an examination with all persons suspected of heresy, made them also say rosaries without end, attend masses, hold processions and pilgrimages, and the like, in order to convince themselves of their papistical orthodoxy. Every examination, even if it was passed ever so well, had to be paid for with 7 gulden, every neglect of the mass, of the pilgrimage, etc., had to be atoned for with money. Woe to him who was recognized as a Lutheran. He was publicly given over to the devil in church, might no more partake of the Sacrament of the Altar, no more be a sponsor at baptism, etc.; and when he died, the resting place in consecrated ground was denied to his body. Yes, one could scarcely believe it, even over children the curse was pronounced beforehand, in case they should some day not curse their heretical parents.

So the clergy proceeded, and one must honestly confess that the secular officials vied with them. They also stormed with their beadles into the peaceful dwellings, tore the Evangelicals out, threw them into deep dungeons, and when these were set free again after long, heavy confinement, they had either to pay enormous fines, or were driven away over the border from wife and child, house and home. But if it succeeded one of these confessors in escaping the approaching tormentors, his likeness was set up with an inscription