# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 07 29_S194
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

194

ly Scripture-derived little discoveries, fall upon all sorts of human means.

Finally, dear brethren, we would heartily beg you to take this our reply, which in places might indeed offend this or that one of you, in good part, and not to despise it, since it flowed at the same time from hearty and sincere love toward you, and we ever bear in grateful remembrance how many and manifold benefactions and brotherly assistance have flowed to us through your love, and especially through the mediation of the dear Pastor Löhe.

Ah! would that the gracious and merciful God might bring back the beautiful time when we, from the same foundation and in the same manner, had the same glorious goal in view and pursued it, and in One mind and spirit, as One heart and One soul, stood together, and at the same time each sought only what was the other's; would that it might return, the noble and glorious time when we also, particularly with the beloved Pastor Löhe (as the notebooks of his former pupils and the instructions given them still show), stood firm and unmoved on the same ground of the confession of the Church in all articles of the wholesome doctrine with one accord, and obeyed the voice of our spiritual mother, the Church, in the same manner as children. To this may the loving and faithful God help for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

St. Louis, Mo., the 1st of July 1854.

Signed in the name of the Synod

Fr. Wyneken, President.

F. W. Husmann, Secr.

(Communicated.)

The Emigration

of the Evangelical Lutheran Salzburgers in the Years 1731, '32 and '33.

(Conclusion.)

On the 21st of June the first Salzburgers destined for Lithuania arrived at Gumbinnen, where the preachers with the school went out to meet them singing the hymn, "The LORD is my faithful Shepherd." To many they assigned houses and fields already in the town, and the necessary property with them; the others they distributed over the country, assigned them dwelling places in the regions depopulated by the plague, provided them not only with the necessary building materials, but also with money, granted them years free of taxes, and gave them every possible assistance. Yes, in the year 1734 the King sent his Legation Councillor von Plotho to Salzburg to bring about the surrender of the still existing estates of the emigrants, which were for the most part leased out to strangers, and he succeeded at last in getting at least 500,000 gulden out of them, which were then distributed little by little among the emigrants.

So there began a joyful stir and movement. Kinsmen and friends of soul settled together and founded a new town, many villages and hamlets. Soon wide fields of grain were green, and numerous herds, the old delight of the Salzburgers, grazed on the pastures. Some ventured upon the water and learned navigation. Many supported themselves, with or without farming, by useful trades. In general, whatever beautiful things they had left behind in their homeland they found again, with the exception of their heaven-high mountains; for Lithuania is a very fruitful land, traversed by rivers and lakes.

Yes, they found still more, they found here in abundance what they had painfully to do without at home, the abundant pasture on the meadows of the divine Word. Soon churches and schoolhouses stood in various places, in which faithful and zealous laborers of Christ fed the souls. Their first preachers, whose number was afterward increased, we have already come to know. Among their schoolteachers one of their own distinguished himself especially. This was Andreas Gapp, who had once suffered so much in the persecution (see Luth. Nro. 10) and in this his present office led the way for young and old with exemplary example. And how faithfully all these opportunities were used. Even old people let themselves be instructed in reading in their hours of leisure by those more practiced. That there was no lack of diligent church attendance and hearty love and sincere obedience toward their preachers may well be expected. Yes, they came also on days other than Sundays to them, traveling, to fetch soul-food. So among others the preacher Bräuer had a lovely experience. In Salzburg, namely, they had always spent the holy Christmas night in singing, reading and praying. On Christmas Eve 1732 a great number therefore appeared at the parsonage with the request for edification. That was gladly granted. Full of thanks they left the parsonage in the morning, and the pastor declared afterward that "he had been so glad in the circle of these people and in their joyful and cheerful fear of God that he would think of this Christmas night all his life, and he had gladly given them leave to come again next Christmas night, God willing."

But they were not merely zealous hearers of the Word, but also zealous doers of it. They proved themselves diligent, thrifty householders, faithful, grateful subjects, living members of Christ, purified and tried through many tribulations. They added to their faith virtue, and to virtue modesty, and to modesty temperance, and to temperance godliness, and to godliness brotherly love, and to brotherly love universal love. They gladly lent one to another, even to strangers, and that without pledge, interest or written bond, trusting solely upon the given word — a trait which should indeed make many of our usurious Christians in America blush. Lawsuits seldom occurred among them; if disputes arose, they were settled in patriarchal fashion by the heads of families. They shared, even the poorest with those still poorer, gladly, and when parents died who left minor children, friends and neighbors took these into their homes without more ado and brought them up with parental love and tenderness. Love of enemies too was not strange to them. They did not mention their persecutors in the fatherland with a single word, unless one expressly asked for news of those events. Then, however, they praised God, who had rescued them, more than they complained about their persecutors. Once the talk turned to the Archbishop. One of them looked toward heaven and said: "Ah, if only the dear LORD God would yet enlighten our Archbishop and bring him to the right way! Ah, we pray often for him, and I will yet further diligently pray for him that he may come to the knowledge of the truth." Likewise there appeared among them in suffering Christian joyfulness of faith and patience; their mind was: a Christian must be a cheerful man and stand steadfast in suffering and be joyful in faith, for the LORD helps! In short, their fear of God was unfeigned and sincere; therefore they also did not talk much of conversion and self-denial, but ever held themselves beginners in Christianity, although they had learned to practice self-denial more than others and brought forth the fruits of the Spirit. That there was no lack of chaff among the wheat goes without saying; but it is undeniable that at that time the majority did honor to the pure doctrine and that the name "Salzburger" had a good ring among friend and foe.

For all that is here said in praise of the Salzburgers I could bring from our little book several fine examples besides as proof. But I lay that aside now and relate to the reader only what has come to my knowledge concerning those Salzburgers who removed to America and therefore also formed among the first beginnings of the Lutheran Church in this part of the world.

How wonderfully, however, had God ordained it, to prepare for the poor and banished members of Christ even a place of refuge over there across the ocean! On the 9th of June 1732 — thus in the very year in which the landholders and last of all the miners left Salzburg (see Luth. Nro. 19) — there appeared a decree of King George II of England, by which, of his possessions in America, the present State of Georgia was appointed as an asylum for the poor of the British realm and for the banished Protestants of foreign lands. The direction of the colonization was entrusted for 20 years to a board of directors, whose most active and zealous member was General James Oglethorpe, a man who was distinguished not only by bravery, strength of will, wisdom and experience, but who also believed from the heart. He embarked in November 1732 with 120 settlers and founded, not far from the mouth of the Savannah, a city of the same name. By his prudence, his zeal, his self-sacrifice the newly founded colony visibly flourished; besides, Oglethorpe lived from the beginning