# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 02 14_S98
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

98

But I will tell you the matter from the beginning and in order, or else you will not make sense of it; so hear: The Unionists in Prussia, and in all the lands of Germany and in America, have accepted the Unaltered Augsburg Confession!—Martin, Martin, look, that is a joy indeed, so now delay no longer, call your boys together, let them put on their Sunday clothes, have your wife put on her best cap, take the old horse-pistols down from the wall—but that comes afterward in the festival program. You see I have grown half crazy with joy, but I must get back into line, and will now explain it to you properly.

The "Friedensbote," which came into my hands by chance with its No. 12, takes in the said number first a walk to Bethlehem to the manger of the Lord; that is, in thought, which he then also imparts to his people in verses, about which I cannot just now say much. For the new hymns all read so naturally, easily and swiftly, they are so smooth, that in my reading they slip, for no reason at all, through my thoughts before I can catch anything out of them, and then I never rightly know what was in them when I come to the end. There I prefer our old hymns, which our learned preceptor could not abide because they are so "rugged." But apart from this, that I have never yet seen anyone break his leg over them who sang them with delight, everything in reading and singing sticks so naturally in the heart, like a burr on a coat. That must surely be because they are so "rugged."—Then, after he has fetched courage for his errand from the manger—which is not to be despised—he begins to pour out of his messenger's pouch what he, as he says, has gathered from reports out of Germany. You see, Martin, the messenger's trade is no easy trade. First one must laboriously gather it together, and afterward one must carry it out again, whatever one wants to bring to the man, and then one is often not even rewarded with a "God reward you." But if the Friedensbote henceforth brings only such tidings, there shall be no lack of a "God reward you."

So, from the 13th to the 16th of September there were gathered in Berlin 2000 Evangelical, that is, Unionist men from all lords' lands. There must now also have been a mighty preacher of repentance among them, who rubbed it into them roundly what a devil's stench they had until then made in the world with their Union, how the whole thing was built up upon sheer hypocrisy, lying and deceit, and through sheer lying and deceit—to be sure, the dragoons, gendarmes, and police-constables, as you know, have not had to help a little—has hitherto had to be held together, to the dishonor of God, to the ruin of countless souls, and to the shame and disgrace of all who have part in it, from the King of Prussia and other crowned potentates down to the bishops, professors, pastors, and police-constables. With that he must have given the Evangelical, that is, Unionist hearts of the assembly a considerable jolt, and there he will surely first have noticed embarrassed faces, then sighing and groaning, even hanging heads and moist eyes,—you know, the Evangelicals are dear folk, tender and easily moved, and a bad conscience, Martin, is not without its part on such an occasion. I can picture it all quite vividly, for the messenger says nothing of it, but one can well make it out from what he reports at the end.—And then the man of God thinks: Now one more push, and we shall get not only over the Union, but also over the whole breach which has existed for 300 years between Lutherans and Reformed, and set the whole company, and with it all Prussia, Baden, Nassau, America, etc., down at one stroke where they belong by right, namely in the midst of the Lutheran Church. Then he takes, with God, a fresh and proper run, sets both shoulders to it, and behold, the thing goes splendidly, beyond all expectation. The people get into flow, perceive the sad breach which has been torn from Switzerland into the one Lutheran Church, and will now know nothing more of the whole business, but fall into such a praiseworthy enthusiasm that they, without further ado, as the messenger reports, "take the unanimous oath of the colors to the oldest, most valid (?) and most approved Confession of our fathers and forefathers." And that all this flowed out of true earnestness one sees from this, that according to the messenger's report the people spoke much of "the banner long trodden in the dust," that they "did earnest penance, bowed themselves deeply," "recognized the damages (naturally through Reformed-ism and the false Union) which had broken in," "earnestly laid hand to the help, and "earnestly set about seeking the means and ways to make the damages good again," etc. And there you can easily think that the dear God did not let the poor bowed and penitently dejected people seek long and in vain, but gave them into their hand the quite simple and natural means, to renounce all errors, lies and hypocrisy properly and honestly, openly and plainly, and by acceptance of the Augsb. Confession to turn about to the orthodox flock of Christ.

But I see it in you, you are making again your ell-long doubtful face, as if you would say: "if only these are not again the old tricks of the altered A. C, with which they have always played their deceit." Now I cannot blame you for it, whoever has always dealt in lies and deceit, one does not readily trust, and I myself would not mend a pair of trousers on credit for a thoroughgoing Union man. But this time they are no tricks, but sheer honest play, and in spite of your doubtful looks you must yet today put your wife under her best cap, and bring the well-known turkey to the spit, in order to celebrate the victory-feast fittingly, as my festival program will give it to you afterward in order. For look here: so it stands in the Friedensbote, plainly, clearly and comprehensibly, written with quotation marks:

"The good confession, however, which the Ev. Church Diet has made, is contained in the resolution: ""The members of the German Ev. ""Church Diet (that is, the 2000 delegates of the Unionist Church) "hereby declare that ""they hold and confess, with heart and mouth, to the Confession presented in the year 1530 at ""the Diet at Augsburg by the ""Ev. Princes and Estates to Emperor ""Charles V., and hereby publicly attest ""the agreement with it, as the oldest, ""simplest common document of publicly ""recognized Ev. doctrine in Germany.""

Well, what do you say to that? That is clear and plain, you may turn it about and look at it from behind and from the front, nothing else can come out of it but the Unaltered Augsb. Confession. That I call resolutely doing penance, and speaking out fresh from the liver; there one notices nothing of porridge that has stuck somewhere in the throat, but everything round and clear, as a Christian ought to speak, and not "Mum, mum." For now, naturally, it is all over with the Heidelberg Catechism, and the other Reformed confessions, also with the "Evangelical" here in America. For a child understands that when Unionists return with contrite hearts to the Unaltered Augsb. Confession, and take anew the oath of the colors before the whole world, they also return from the nonsense that black can also be white, and white also black, or lie truth, and truth lie. Yes, even the foolish fellows—and that is no small thing for my humanly compassionate heart—have come to their senses, who until now have given wild chase after the soaped pig of the so-called, but never yet found "higher truth," in which lie and truth were to merge, as in fractions two unequal denominators in their common denominator, and the whole company now sits in right peace with the Prussian Old Lutherans, Pastor Eichhorn in Baden and other orthodox children of the Church, around the savory and strong meal which the dear Lord sets so richly and daily upon the table in our dear Lutheran Church, and at which He is glad to see us, when we fall to quite unceremoniously and without any affectation; but the devil may wipe his mouth, and once more slink off as a stupid devil. And now you shall also make ready with your whole house to keep the feast of victory, peace and thanksgiving, as follows herewith:

Festival Program.

No, now I should immediately—Mr. Martin, I could for you, in my age, yet the cursing