# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 10 10_S30
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

30

forgets, and it is an irresponsible blindness to speak of the extension of the Church through heathen missions, while unlamented every year many thousands are lost to the Lutheran Church — that is, more than the Protestant missions together gain in decades." Far be it! may such a saying never become true of us!

The flooding emigration is checked by no human power; it has become a way of God. But the Church can prevent, and she alone, that the emigration should run out into the abyss of spiritual as well as bodily ruin. The Church of Christ gained the upper hand over the wandering Germanic tribes of the 5th century; she can also gather the wandering Germans of the 19th century under the cross, if she will only be faithful. And if she possesses for faithfulness the wisdom, then she attacks the evil at the root, by taking care that the almighty Word of the cross resound abundantly from the lips of her servants. Our daughter church across the sea has begun briskly with this. May God awaken our hearts, that we be not too slothful to do for her at least the services of a helper. May He Himself set the Concordia-Collegium for a blessing, that it grow to be an ornament of our Lutheran Church, a light to the emigrated brethren, a praise of His name."

From Weimar.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light. Wherefore He saith: Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Eph. 5, 13. 14.

Good luck to it! there is a stirring also in the Weimar state church; they have slept long enough and dreamed cheerful dreams; and the gods of Greece have enjoyed a comfortable sojourn in the land of Weimar. Will the Grand Duke indeed trust his eyes when he reads the petition which was lately presented to him by evangelical Lutheran subjects? Well, may the Lord of the Church give the dear men who have begun the struggle, which will surely not be easy, watchful eyes, brave courage, holy patience and — the intercession of all believers! Here are some passages from that "Petition of Evangelical Lutheran Subjects Concerning the Legal Standing of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as State Church."

Most Serene Grand Duke,

Most Gracious Sovereign and Lord!

It is a fact that in church and school of our Grand Duchy that theological system prevails which is designated by the name of Rationalism, a system which makes human reason the judge over God's Word, which goes against the chief principle of our dear Evangelical Lutheran Church, of justification by faith alone, which casts aside the first articles of faith of all Christendom, of the Holy Trinity, of the Godhead of Christ. Hence it is chiefly to be explained that in most of the congregations of our state church Christian faith, and consequently Christian life and Christian discipline, have sunk deep, deep, and sink ever more. If this does not change, we are going toward a dreadful future. The contempt for the Word of God, of the Savior our Lord, will increase; the present modern heathenism, found in high and low estates, which so greatly flatters the natural man, will spread farther from house to house, and sink deeper into the hearts. All bonds of order and of obedience will loosen more and more. The time is at hand to which may also be applied the prophetic word of the Lord: "There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down!" The few confession-faithful among the clergy, teachers and laity sigh therefore, and wrestle and pray to the Lord: "Oh, that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!" — —

"The future of our state church depends evidently for the greatest part upon, first, our state university, and then upon our teachers' seminaries, which institutions, mediately and immediately, exert a sufficiently strong influence upon our people and their faith. For decades now the rationalistic system of belief has prevailed predominantly at these institutions, so important for the people's welfare, to the detriment of the more profound scientific training, to the detriment of the development of the life in the Christian faith. To remedy this evil we beg most earnestly: may Your Royal Highness be pleased graciously to cause that to Jena, our state university, which was indeed founded by the illustrious martyr John Frederick for the maintenance of the pure Lutheran faith, always confession-faithful theological teachers be called; and we beg further most urgently that Your Royal Highness would graciously give command that the positions of directors and teachers at the two seminaries at Weimar and Eisenach be filled, as soon as ever practicable, with confession-faithful men."

A Pilgrim from Saxony.

Falsification of History.

Although there can scarcely be a greater sin of book-writers than the falsification of history, yet among that class of scholars in our days no sin is more common than this. And as already in ancient times the Reformed above all, especially after Luther's death, have been guilty of this shameful sin in many ways, so also at present. The gentlemen Unionists stand worthily beside the Reformed in this, as their genuine natural offspring. An example of this is the Professor of Theology at Marburg, Dr. Heppe. He has recently published a writing: "Die confessionelle Entwickelung der altprotestantischen Kirche Deutschlands." Therein the said author seeks to prove that the true doctrine of the Lutheran Church concerning the holy Lord's Supper was from of old really not the doctrine of Dr. Martin Luther on this article, but a doctrine of Philip Melanchthon, approaching more the Reformed. An assertion which the Unionists here too seek to bring to the people as an established truth, in favor of their Union and religious mixture. In the "Kirchenblatt für die ev. luth. Gemeinde des Herzogthums Braunschweig" there is found in the May number and in the following ones an exceedingly thorough review (judgment) of the said work of Dr. Heppe. Therein it says among other things: "The following essay will prove, by the communication of the relevant documents (written records), that one cannot lay oneself down to sleep with confident security upon Heppe's assertions, that they are rather throughout untruths." This proof is then carried out in so striking a manner in this review that Dr. Heppe has high cause to fear that he has, with this writing of his, forfeited all credit, that is, the reputation of all true learning and Christian honesty. At the same time it is shown that Dr. Ebrard, now Consistorial Councillor of the Bavarian Rhenish Palatinate, has likewise stained himself with the sin of the falsification of history in respect of the same point. Therefore, dear readers, be warned against historical proofs when they are offered by those who are in error in doctrine. It cannot be otherwise than that those who dare to falsify God's Word will lay hands with a still lighter conscience on the testimonies of human history.

(For the "Lutheraner.")

Delay of the Synodal Report.

Surely many of my beloved brethren in office and in faith, connected or befriended with our Synod, have long been looking forward to the appearance of this year's Synodal Report.— It grieves me, the undersigned, from my heart that I have not been able to meet this their reasonable expectation,— but I hope that the dear brethren will kindly excuse me when they learn the cause of this delay.— Very unwell, bodily and spiritually exhausted, I came back from the synodal journey, and besides the necessary official duties and a few letters I could think of no written side-labors. But when, by God's help, I had just so far recovered that I could occupy myself in my spare hours with the preparation of the Synodal Report