# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 05 23_S155
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

155

The judgment which we pronounced there (chiefly according to the standard of Sect. 1, Q. 61–69) finds here, unfortunately, no grounds of refutation, for the decided language which the author uses here and the irresponsible omission of the Son and of the Holy Ghost in the question concerning the object of worship relieve us of all further proof, as though we were imposing upon the author opinions which did not really lie in his words. ‡)

But the demonstration of such gross faults of such importance is enough, so that it is not needful to subject all the lesser exceptions ‡‡) to a lengthy criticism.

(To be continued.)

‡) How much lies in a person's words is chiefly recognized from the consequences that result from them. If these are logically sound, the critic is justified, let come out what may.
Whether now what comes out in the present case is as bad as the writer of this takes it to be cannot be rightly judged unless one has first rightly and thoroughly grasped the article of the Holy Trinity.
If this leads the common man to unaccustomed heights, then consider that in our times, especially in America, the common man claims the right to have a say also in such matters; and would to God they all prophesied!
Here belongs a word of admonition, once more from our dear Luther. It is found in his incomparably glorious Exposition of the Last Words of David, Luther's Works, ed. Walch, vol. 3, p. 2838, and runs as follows:
All this is perhaps too sharp or subtle for us Germans, and should rather remain in the schools. But since the devil is wagging his tail in this last time, as though he would gladly awaken all manner of heresy again, and the world, without that, is itching and mad for hearing new things, and weary of wholesome doctrine (as St. Paul prophesies, 2 Tim. 4:3), so that the doors are opened wide to the devil to bring in what he will,
it is profitable and needful that at least some, both laymen and learned, especially pastors, preachers and schoolmasters, should learn to think and speak German on such necessary articles of our faith.
But whoever finds it too hard, let him remain with the children at the Catechism and pray against the devil and his heresy, against Jews and Mohammed, that he be not led into temptation.

‡‡) Here we reckon:
that the author, in the sentences concerning the Lord's Prayer, makes no mention
1. of the pure doctrine, without and apart from which the name of God cannot be hallowed
2. of faith, without which the kingdom of God cannot come
3. of the evil counsel and will, such as is the will of the devil, the world and our flesh, without whose breaking and hindering the will of God cannot be done among us
4. of the Word of God, without which neither pure doctrine, nor faith, nor obedience to God's will can take place.
Further:
that in choosing the living knowledge of God no regard is had either to the correctness of the knowledge or to the Trinity of God.
Why does he not say:
"pure and living knowledge of the triune God?"
Further, that the expressions
for the 1st petition
living knowledge of God
for the 2d petition
spread of the Christian religion
for the 3d petition
ever more perfect virtue in us and our fellow-men
do not render the sense of the Lutheran exposition even merely in other words, but not at all.
In sum: If the author had not known Luther's exposition, he would have some excuse. But since he not only knew Luther, but referred to him in the appendix of his book and not merely despised Luther, but also obscured, weakened and distorted a special jewel of the Word of God, namely the holy Lord's Prayer, with its exposition—where is his justification?

A Visit
to the Mission Station Bethany
(Gratiot Co., Mich.) in February, 1854.

It will be remembered by the dear readers of the Lutheraner that three months ago I reported on a visit to Shebahyonk. And indeed the report turned out quite favorable with regard to the plan of uniting Bethany and Shebahyonk into a single station. Our red brethren at Shebahyonk had recognized it as necessary that a union be brought about; yes, they had declared themselves ready, in case the Bethanians could not come to them at Shebahyonk, to condescend to exchange their dwelling-place Shebahyonk for Bethany. However, they had requested the Mission Commission together with the missionaries first to inquire of the Bethanians whether they would not be willing to remove to them. We promised them this and resolved to use for it the ice-journey on the Pine River in the month of January or February. So on Wednesday, the 1st of February, the missionary Auch hastened ahead with two of his Indians as far as Saginaw City, so that on the following day we might go on from there to Bethany in company with Pastor Clöter. In the company of one of my parishioners, Stephan Roth, whose daughter serves as a maid in Bethany, I accordingly fetched my dear brethren in office from the little parsonage in Saginaw, and in 2 sleighs we now went toward our first night's quarters, the Forks of the beautiful Tittipiwassee River. Although this is 30 miles from Saginaw, we nevertheless arrived there after a few hours. We could hardly find tolerable accommodation for our two horses here with an English tenant of the farmer Fitzhugh, as the wretched log stable was far too frosty in the severe cold; we ourselves were naturally well sheltered. The next morning we were up early, for a long, lonely journey awaited us on the Pine, a very rapid river, which we had to ascend for 45 miles without meeting so much as a human dwelling or a clearing. The first 5 to 6 miles our two sleighs glided easily along; then, however, the snow increased, which moreover was soaked through with water underneath, because it had thawed a few days before. The narrow banks of the river commonly reach a height of 20 to 30 feet, whereby it comes about that the river, especially at its sharp bends, almost never freezes over completely, or at least always offers in places an unsafe ice. So it was also when we drove on it. The farther we came, the more unsafe and worse the ice became. Very often we could prevent a complete breaking through only by the mere swiftness of the horses. After we had at noon granted the horses and ourselves a short rest and warmed ourselves somewhat at a large forest fire in the great cold, we drove on. The banks of the river offer great variety. While on one side of the river there is the richest deciduous forest, one sees on the opposite side the most solemn pine forest; but it does not continue so for long, rather at the next bend of the river the pine forest suddenly leaps to the other side and yields to the deciduous wood, and so it alternates continually to the delight of the eye. Where the deciduous wood stands the land is low and level; the pine forest always stands on the higher bank. As the windings of the river constantly increased the farther up one came, so our journey also became ever more dangerous and slow; a repeated breaking through, in which our sleighs fell wholly into the water, as well as hours of continued walking on foot in the snow soaked through from beneath, threatened us all, at nightfall and in grim cold, with loss of health and life. We therefore saw ourselves compelled to abandon our sleighs (mine had already been broken in being hauled out of the water), in order not to be sniffed over by the host of wolves, whose frequent footprints we noticed in the snow, and took with the horses the nearer forest path. Great lumps of ice now froze to our wet boots and trousers, so that we could hardly get on. Nevertheless we at last overcame these last 7 miles and arrived almost wholly frozen at Bethany. It was about 8 o'clock. With the help of cold water my frozen and swollen feet were thawed again, and we could now recover in the peaceful mission house.

In the evening we learned further that, since the yearly payment by the government of the United States to the Indians was to take place the following Monday, already on the day before most of the heads of the families had left Bethany and gone to the nearest Methodist village of the Indians, 2 miles below (above) the Forks of the Tillipiwassee. [The Methodists had brought it about for the first time that the payment took place only in their villages, and that any Lutherans or heathen among the Indians who were entitled to a share in drawing the moneys to be paid had to present themselves there.] The next morning visitors came early to the mission house to welcome us, the guests who had arrived the day before. They rejoiced visibly at our coming and gave expression to their friendliness by hearty shaking of hands. At noon all the Indians were summoned to the church, so that there