# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 06 06_S163
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

163

Church. In front of it they were received, amid a great concourse of people, by the church wardens and some Lutheran magistrates, inside by the preachers. Places were assigned them in the middle of the church, and they listened with tense attention and great fervour to Urlsperger's sermon for the day of repentance. Afterward tracts and Bibles, together with other books, were distributed among them, and they were escorted again as they departed with loud singing. So much about their journey through Augsburg.*)

*) The unnamed Augsburg preacher mentioned above may well have been the then deacon at the St. Anna Church, M. Johann Ulrich Hildebrand, to whom we owe a report about 8 Salzburg emigrants who arrived later in the autumn of 1737, which the contributor cannot refrain from adding here. In the "Tugendspiegel christlicher Jungfrauen" of Spener, published by him, he makes the following remark concerning Joh. Arnd's "Paradiesgärtlein":
"Even apart from this, a great blessing rests still today upon this Paradiesgärtlein. As indeed only 14 days ago some families and persons from the Salzburg lands arrived here (Augsburg), who had formerly indeed sworn to the Roman Catholic religion and openly professed it, and also were minded to remain in it, but yet, almost solely for the sake of this Paradiesgärtlein, were banished from the country forever and thereby 8 persons of them were, as it were, thrust by force into our evangelical Church, because they had read it in part, and in part indeed had not read it but only known who possessed it, and had not given notice of it. May God let them now gather the more power of the Spirit from it into their souls, since they may now read it, together with the Holy Scriptures themselves and other spiritual books, unhindered in our Church."

Another troop of the emigrants first came upon Lutheran soil at Harburg, a town likewise in Swabian Bavaria, lying between Donauwörth and Nördlingen. When they set foot on it, they fell on their knees and thanked God, who had helped them thus far and let them tread the dear ground inhabited by fellow believers. From a hill the first Lutheran preacher came down to meet them. They received him as an angel of God (Gal. 4, 14.), and with unspeakable joy took up the Word from his mouth, when he spoke to them upon the text: "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world!" (Rom. 1, 8.). And then that of Matth. 5.: "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." Thereupon they were accompanied with the whole school, singing, into the town, were fed and given drink, and shown all kindness. —

And as on their journey through the Lutheran part of present-day Bavaria, so they experienced the same love on their journey through Lutheran Saxony. Of this only a couple of examples.

The city of Gera was thrown into complete commotion by the news of the arrival of the Salzburgers, and thousands of the inhabitants hastened to meet the dear guests. The longer they delayed in coming, the greater grew the impatience of the townsfolk. At last, already in the twilight, the song sounded over the silent fields: "A mighty fortress is our God." With delight they welcomed the weary pilgrims, and a beautiful contest arose to seize some of them and lead them to one's dwelling for well-prepared refreshment. Deep into the night the joy-intoxicated people surged up and down in the streets, and as the beautiful night songs rang out from the houses, the people in the streets joined in with pious enthusiasm. The next morning the preachers held a solemn divine service in the town church. After church a stirring, cheerful life began in the market. At the fountains stood the maids, washing and smoothing with busy hands; the women and maidens of Gera had opened their chests and brought out of their treasure things old and new, they took the babies from the strange mothers and wrapped them carefully in fresh linen and bedding, or were surrounded by swarms of children, whom they dressed, smoothed down and tidied up, with pleasant talk and charming busyness. At night the road toward Schleiz was lit with countless lanterns, to receive a new company.

Still more moving is the following occurrence. A troop of emigrants stood on the last hill before Plauen, and looked down with heartfelt sorrow upon that town, for a conflagration had shortly before turned the greater part of it to ashes. Yet the bells rang, and the inhabitants came forth from the rubble of their dwellings and greeted the dear strangers. Then they went down with them to the burned town and shared with them, amid the ruins of their prosperity, their last bread. This was surely the best blessing upon the walls to be built anew.

Thus these pilgrims journeyed singing from one Lutheran city to another, always escorted by commissaries who were given them, and provided with bodily food and necessity through the helping hand of brotherly love, but still more provided with the Word of life through sermons which were preached to them everywhere, through catechizations which were held with them, and through Bibles and edifying books which were distributed among them. The hymns which they sang on the way were: "A mighty fortress is our God, etc." — From God I will not part, etc. — Ah God, how much heartache, etc. — Upon my dear God, etc. — Whoso lets the dear God rule, etc. — Commit thou thy ways, etc. — Blessed is the day when I must depart, etc." — And one of their favourite songs was the Exile Song, which Joseph Schaitberger, named in the foregoing history, composed at his departure in 1684 in the Salzburg dialect, and which, rendered into our manner of expression, runs thus:

I am a poor exile,
So do I write myself;
They drive me from my fatherland
For God's Word's sake.

Yet well I know, Lord Jesus mine,
It went with thee also so,
Now I shall be thy follower,
Do it, Lord, as thou wilt,

A pilgrim am I now henceforth,
I must travel strange roads:
Therefore I pray thee, my God and Lord,
Thou wouldst not forsake me!

The faith I have freely confessed,
Of that I need not be ashamed,
Though they call me a heretic
And take my life.

Ah stand by me, thou faithful God,
I give myself to thee,
Forsake me not in my need,
Though it should cost my life.

Chains and bonds were my honour
To suffer for Jesus' sake,
And this the doctrine of faith doth make
And not my wicked guilt.

Lord, as thou wilt, I yield myself,
With thee will I abide,
I will to thy will
Patiently subscribe.

Though I must go forth into exile,
I will not resist,
I hope assuredly God will provide me there
Also good friends.

So I go in God's name,
Everything is taken from me,
Yet I know full well, the crown of heaven
I shall one day obtain.

So today I must leave my house,
The children I must leave;
My God, that draws tears from me,
To wander strange roads.

My God, lead me into a city,
Where I may have thy Word,
Therein will I early and late
Refresh myself in my heart.

If in this vale of woe
I must still long live in poverty,
God will give me yonder in the hall of heaven
A better dwelling.

He who made this little song
Is not named here,
The Pope's doctrine he despised
And freely confessed Christ.

As a living testimony of the spirit in which these people stood, let there stand here likewise the prayer of a Salzburger on the journey. It runs thus: "Now thou merciful Saviour, at thy command long since given me, to which I bound myself in my baptism, and for the sake of thy honour and doctrine, I have taken up the dear cross, in that I have been driven away and banished into exile by the malicious enemies of the saving Word. So stand by me now in this distress and provide me with pious fellow Christians who will kindly take me in. But strengthen in me above all the faith and the trust in thee, and let me willingly forget all temporal things and cast them to the wind. O LORD Jesus, who thyself wast a poor pilgrim and exile on earth and didst endure all manner of persecution, let it not grieve thee still at this time to go about with me, a helpless exile, and to be my faithful companion. Jesus, my Jesus! if I have only thee, I ask nothing of heaven and earth; though my flesh and my heart fail, yet art thou, O God, always the comfort of my heart and my portion. Jesus, my Jesus! if I am alone, thou art with me with the whole host of thy heavenly servants.