# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 05 23_S159
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

159

Scriver's Seelenschatz.

This book contains, as is well known, the whole doctrine of salvation in the form of sermons upon Bible texts. There is laid down in it a treasure of doctrine and experience in Christianity such as, to our knowledge, is found in no other book of edification. It is written throughout in a language as seasoned as it is beautiful and flowing. It is as rich in awakening addresses for the secure as in words of comfort for the troubled and tempted in bodily and spiritual distresses. It is everywhere interwoven with the most interesting stories. In whatever condition a reader seeking edification and instruction may find himself, he finds in it what he needs. It is as suitable a book for reading aloud in the family before children and servants as for reading in solitary quiet. Whoever begins to read the "great" book cannot lay it aside, unless he has read it to the end, and whoever has finished it will feel himself urged to begin it again. In short, the book bears its name in truth, it is a "Soul"-"Treasure." We therefore commend it urgently to all our readers, if they seek a spiritual bread-cupboard, a spiritual apothecary's shop, and a spiritual fountain of life. Whoever knows the book will bear us witness that we do not do too much in this praise, but must confess that what has been said is still by far not exhausted of what can be said to the commendation of this Seelenschatz.

At the same time we can also give our readers the pleasing news that this book, which can be had only from antiquarian dealers, ever more rarely and at an ever higher price, has been published anew. This has been done by the so-called "Evangelical Book Society in Berlin." (The depository and expedition of the Society is in Berlin, Gertraudtenstraße 22.). The work, which formerly filled a large folio, has come out in three octavo volumes for the unprecedentedly low price of 2 Thalers unbound, for 2 Thalers 12 Neugroschen in paper boards, and for 2 Thalers 23 Neugroschen bound in half-calf. It goes without saying, of course, that when the book comes here, it will cost somewhat more through the expense of transport and import duty; yet the price of this valuable book remains then still extraordinarily low.

The Book Society mentioned has, moreover, published several other kernel writings and distributes them in countless copies by reason of their cheapness. Of Luther's Hauspostille alone it has already sold more than a million copies. Now it is issuing a picture Bible with 300 beautiful woodcuts for 1 Thaler 20 Neugroschen. Not all the writings published by the Society have, to be sure, the same value, and cannot be commended unconditionally; among these belongs, among others, Jung Stilling's "Selbstbiographie," which is, as is well known, not free from enthusiasms and religiously mixed principles. It is highly to be praised in the Society that it gives what it publishes in unaltered form and complete, which, as is well known, the American Tract Society here does not do, and thereby hinders the blessing which an orthodox Christian could draw from its otherwise so handsomely furnished and so cheap publications.

How It Stands Now in Good "Catholic" Countries.

A chief weapon which the Papists now use for the disparagement of the work of the Lutheran church reformation is that they point to the dominion of unbelief and of the revolutionary spirit which now shows itself in the Protestant countries. The Reformation is said to have laid the ground for nothing else than this occurrence. How untrue this is, the condition shows in which the so-called good Catholic countries, such as Spain, France, Italy, etc., now find themselves. If anywhere, the corruption which is said to be a fruit of the Reformation shows itself here. To adduce only one authentic testimony for it, the Jesuit "Herold des Glaubens" published here writes of Spain, where, as is well known, Lutheranism was already rooted out root and branch in the sixteenth century by the bloody horrors of the Inquisition, the following:

"Enlightenment of the Press in Spain.—Not our great America alone pays homage to progress and enlightenment, particularly in its freedom of the press; Spain also will not now remain behind. We read in this connection in an article dated from Madrid the following disclosures: 'It is sad to see how the freedom of the press is abused in our country and is used especially for the undermining of the old Catholic faith of our people. Of our newspapers the most pay homage in politics and in religion to vulgar liberalism and rationalism; several have in recent times carried their attacks against morality in the frivolous feuilletons, and their attacks against the Church in their leading articles, so far that some bishops have held it their duty to warn against them in pastoral letters. The bad French novels find their translators in Spain as readily as in Germany. The strongest product of liberal enlightenment, however, promises to be a people's library, for which the prospectus has just been issued. The title runs: "Library of the Free Man, cheap collection of the most select works of the most distinguished philosophers, publicists, historians and orators of all schools and parties," etc. In what spirit this collection is to be laid out is shown by the illustration of the prospectus, in which on the one side stand the names Moses, Plato, Jesus Christ, Plutarch, Tacitus, Muhamed, Luther, Rousseau, Voltaire, Feijoo, on the other side the names Franklin, Kant, Mirabau, Bentham, Marina, Florente, Fourier, Lammannais, Proudhon, Lamartine. It is to be hoped that the collection will not appear, but that one dares to issue such a prospectus at all is a bad sign.'"

A Little Jesuit Trick.

In the year 1589 the Jesuits published a little book printed at Mainz, without, however, naming themselves, under the following title: "Enchiridion, the Small Catechism for common parish priests and preachers, enlarged and improved from the writings and books of Dr. Martin Luther." Into this Catechism the Jesuits had now taken not only such passages alone from Luther's earlier writings in which Luther still utters papistical errors (for Luther, as is well known, did not come in a moment, but only little by little, to the full knowledge of the falsity of the Roman doctrines and to the full knowledge of the truth), but they had also added on the title the words: "Printed at Wittenberg," that it might be supposed the Lutherans had published this Catechism themselves and regarded the sayings which Luther made while still stuck in the papacy as Lutheran doctrine also. This is indeed just as if someone wished to hold up to Paul the false Jewish doctrine which he had held before his conversion, as a proof that he contradicts himself. Beware, therefore, dear Lutheran reader, when the Jesuits cite something from Luther. Look to see whether what they adduce is taken from earlier or later writings, yes, see also whether that is really found in Luther's works which Jesuits give with indication of volume and page, for, as has already been related in the "Lutheraner," the Jesuits often adduce also such sentences as Luther's words as are nowhere to be found and which never came into Luther's mind.

From the History of the Dogma of Purgatory.

Erasmus Franzisci relates that once the Spanish Duke of Villa Medina entered a church, where a plate was presented to him at once, with the request to lay down something toward the redemption of the poor souls out of purgatory. The Duke asks how much it must be to redeem a soul. When he was answered that he might give as he pleased, he lays down two doubloons, and asks further: whether then the soul-now was really free? They answered: Certainly! Thereupon the Duke quickly takes his doubloons again from the plate and says: "The money has now done its service and has rescued the poor soul from the danger of falling again into purgatory; but since my money itself is in danger of not coming again into my purse, I must seize it in time."— The Duke seems to have been of one mind with the learned Frenchman Patin, who says of purgatory that it is kindled for nothing else than to warm the pots of the clergy and to furnish their kitchens.