# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 09 12_S12
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

12

old fighters, who now triumph before the throne of God, we must now recognize; we feel and enjoy it; we therefore also extol those heroes who fought the wars of the LORD, and would regard it as a shameful ingratitude if we should look askance at their doctrinal battles: shall we then, on the other hand, take offence if in our own time too earnest strife is waged for the truth and against error?

To recognize the usefulness of this strife, one must indeed look not merely at how many false teachers, as a result of such strife, confess themselves refuted and overcome. Of the manifest false teachers and seducers even the Son of God converted but few. Luther writes in his glorious treatise: "That these words of Christ: This is my body, still stand fast," on this the following: "It was never yet heard that one was converted who had invented false doctrine; for such sin is too great, because it blasphemes God's Word and sins against the Holy Ghost; therefore God lets him become hardened, so that it goes according to the saying in Is. 6, 9. Christ converted no high priest, but their disciples were indeed converted, as Nicodemus, Joseph, Paul, and the like. The old prophets converted no false prophet. Paul also could convert no false apostle, but gave the rule: if one were admonished twice or thrice, one should avoid him and let him go as a perverted man. So the holy Doctors also have never yet converted any arch-heretic. Not because all these did not at some time sufficiently refute and convince by the truth the error of those, but their heart was possessed with its own conceit, and it went with them as it goes with him who looks through a painted glass." (Opp. XX, 958.) The chief fruit of the strife over the doctrine consists in this, that first the weak are armed and strengthened against the seducers and the wavering are made firm, and then that the false teachers are at least held back from departing ever further from God's Word. However vain a serious and long strife often seems to be, it always has this fruit. For as to the false teachers, however obstinately they persist in their departure from the letter of God's Word, yet, when this is held up to them again and again publicly, they are made anxious thereby that they might at length be wholly unmasked and lose all confidence in Christendom; therefore they take great care not to let the rejection of God's Word charged against them be seen any further, yea, they often now hold the more firmly to other articles of the Christian faith, in order to prove their orthodoxy. This indeed has no worth before God for them, but it benefits those whom they teach. Alas, whither would it already have come with most false teachers and sects, how soon would they have fallen away from the Christian faith from step to step ever more, if faithful witnesses had not attacked their false doctrines and exposed their apostasy already partly accomplished! Whither would it have come, among other things, with the hypocritical, love-flattering Union of Lutherans and Reformed, if faithful Lutherans had not at length been raised up to tear the pious mask from the face of this miserable work of men! Whither would the so-called Lutheran General Synod here, other synods calling themselves Lutheran, the Methodist party and other heterodox communities here still have come, if they had met with no resistance from the orthodox, if these had not called out to them a solemn "Halt!" in their departures! Only in eternity shall we see the overflowing blessing which those have brought to Christendom who for Christ's sake take the shame upon themselves of being counted contentious, loveless, unconverted, dead quarrelsome heads, because they resisted with all their might the perverters of the truth and defended the truth unto death. Then many a true Christian, who is now held captive in a sect, will gladly and thankfully embrace as a blessed instrument him whom here in his blindness he regarded as a destroyer of Christendom and as an enemy of the peace of Christians.

(Conclusion to follow.)

Completion of the Concordia College Building.

After it had been resolved to remove the theological seminary and gymnasium formerly at Altenburg to St. Louis and to transfer it to the Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States as its property, a plan for a building for the institution was adopted, according to which it was to consist of a central building and two wings. For lack of means, however, at first only the southern wing was erected, a building of brick 42 feet in front and 43 feet deep, with a ground floor, 2 stories and attic rooms, on the land given for the purpose by the congregation of St. Louis, an English mile south of the city. This was occupied in the summer of 1850, with praise and thanks to God, by the then staff of the institution, which until then had been housed in the city as well as possible. The whole staff consisted of the Professor of Theology F. Walther, the Rector J. Gönner, the steward F. Große, and 16 pupils: 6 students and 10 scholars. The room was even then rather limited. But when in the autumn of the same year a Professor of Philosophy, in the person of the writer of this, was called to the institution, and the number of pupils increased, so that the latter had to seek lodging with neighbors, the building committee appointed by the Synod, in view of the need and in trust in God, undertook in the spring of 1852 to proceed to the building of the other, northern wing, which was completed in the autumn of the same year, and in the erection of which our brethren in Germany gave us friendly assistance. With joy what had hitherto been crowded together spread out a little more, and what had hitherto still lived outside gathered into the buildings of the institution. But the plant which the Lord has given to the dear congregations in the institution has grown on, and the room has again become too small. The number of pupils has increased so greatly that they now live almost too closely crowded, and, unless help is given otherwise, must again seek lodging outside the institution. Moreover, a new teacher is expected, the Director of the gymnasium, as will be known to the congregations through the announcement in the Lutheraner concerning his election, for whom the institution in its present condition is able to offer no dwelling either. The staff of the institution at present consists, counting in the fourth teacher, of a Professor of Theology, a Professor of Philosophy, a Director and a Rector of the gymnasium, the steward (since February 1853 Mr. L. Wüllner) and 45 pupils: 9 students and 36 scholars. The institution is in such rapid growth, although this has been constantly held back by lack of room and teaching force, for there is no doubt that, if room and teaching force had permitted making it known in wider circles that boys are admitted to the gymnasium also who do not intend later to devote themselves to the study of theology, but desire for another calling in life a further education than the common schools afford, still many more would have asked and would ask for admission to the institution. Until now we have not done this even in St. Louis.

Must not everyone heartily rejoice at the flourishing of the institution? For in it, and this is the chief thing, young men are trained for the service of the Church, and besides, which is indeed also very important, others are offered, along with all sorts of useful knowledge for this life, also the treasure of the knowledge in which eternal life stands.

To you, dear Lutheran congregations, the institution belongs. You have established it and thus far fostered it. It is a well which you make ever deeper and wider, that through believing and faithful preachers who afterward go forth there may not fail for you and your descendants and many who settle among you the fresh water of eternal life, however great the field may grow and otherwise the drought may be. It is a fruit tree which you fence, dig about and water, that it may spread its branches ever further and bear richer fruit, so that you and your descendants and brethren and strangers who join themselves to you may dwell in its shade and eat of its fruits, and so on your pilgrimage here below be refreshed with heavenly comfort.