# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 11 07_S44
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

44

ed. For a while he now lived at the castle of Hohenwittlingen near Urach, but not being safe here either, he was sent by Ulrich to Basel. Here he received the news of the death of his wife. Quickly he went to Stuttgart and had his children brought there. That he was there became known; Spanish soldiers were sent out to seize him. Warned only by Duke Ulrich, to whom the matter had been betrayed by the Duchess of Bavaria, Brenz had to take refuge in the uppermost part of a house behind a woodpile. The Spaniards even thrust spears through the wood and watched the house for several days. There a hen is said to have brought him an egg daily in his hiding place, until the Spaniards withdrew. Brenz fled from here to the castle of Hornberg in the Black Forest, where he lived a year as the steward Engster's guest, and was not a little conspicuous to the people on account of his retired manner of life, as one who did not befit the station of a bailiff. Even in the year 1550, when Ulrich called him to Urach, he had to hide again, and lived a year in the Rauhe Alp at Mayerkingen. He married a second time at that time, Katharina, the daughter of Isenmann, who had become pastor in Urach. Twelve children were the fruit of this happy marriage. God also let the light rise again for him at that time, and joy for his pious heart. Christoph, Duke Ulrich's successor, called him to Siedelfingen and asked him for counsel concerning the sending of delegates to the Council of Trent. There would be a hearing, said Brenz, like Christ's hearing before Caiaphas, and Peter's and the other apostles' before the high priests; but in order to show that one did not shun the light with his faith, one might send delegates to Trent with a protestation and confession of the pure doctrine. For this purpose he worked out with 10 other theologians the "Würtembergische Confession" and sent it by several ducal councilors to the Council. Theologians were sent after them, but the Council replied to these that it would take no instruction from those who owed obedience to the Fathers; when other theologians, Brenz also, came, they were given over to public insults. The Treaty of Passau at last put an end to the whole affair; Christoph abolished the Interim and appointed Brenz in 1553 provost of the collegiate church at Stuttgart, thereby chief clergyman of the Church in the duchy of Würtemberg.

The spiritual government in Würtemberg was now entrusted to Johann Brenz, and with a hand as firm as it was mild he guided it. In the year 1559 he completed the great Würtemberg Church Order; his school regulations for the cloister schools have proved a blessing to this day; he was untiring in the manifold labors of the spiritual government, such as visitation journeys, opinions and advice; but of clerical pride and presumption there was no question in him, yes, one might rather reproach him that he often acted too gently and, because he was loath to send anyone away sorrowful, exercised the office of reproof too mildly. The same reproach applies to him in his conduct in doctrinal controversies. In those stirring times hardly any dispute of the kind could arise without Brenz being asked for counsel, instruction and decision, and there he sometimes, particularly in relation to Zwinglians and Calvinists, followed the maxim: he who blows his nose too hard brings blood; he had been too strongly considerate and therefore blew too little. Yet these few proofs of weakness receded entirely before the countless proofs of his firmness in faith and confession. Although in many respects like Melanchthon in mildness and yielding, he nevertheless raised his confessing voice at once when through Melanchthon's influence the desire stirred also in Würtemberg to take the article of faith on the holy Supper (the 10th in the Augsburg Confession) according to the Augsburg Confession as altered by Melanchthon, and so to present it in the most indefinite form possible, in order in this way to bring the Calvinists also in among the confessors of that Confession. Under Brenz's leadership the Würtemberg Synod confessed itself to the pure evangelical doctrine, as it is contained in the unaltered 10th Article of the Augsburg Confession, through the writing: Bekenntniß und Bericht der Theologen in Würtemberg von der wahrhaftigen Gegenwärtigkeit des Leibs und Bluts Christi im Abendmahl. Melanchthon indeed mocked the language of this writing, which he said was "Pechinger Latin," but he only urges us thereby the more to honor the faith-courage and steadfastness of Brenz and his associates, since they had to oppose thereby the almost overpowering authority of that very Melanchthon. In the whole conduct of Brenz generally, whether he had to deal with heretics like Schwenkfeld or to give opinions in difficult cases, as in the negotiation between King Maximilian and Christoph of Würtemberg on an understanding in matters of faith for the suppression of the encroaching sects, or whether he stood by the Evangelicals in dispersion or under persecution with counsel and deed, as when, for instance, at the wish of his duke he sought to lead the Protestants in France onto the way of the pure doctrine and evangelical obedience; everywhere in his extensive work and activity we recognize the Christian who ceaselessly has the Gospel before his eyes and directs all his steps regardless of the consequences, we recognize the theologian who knows how to divide the Word rightly and to test doctrine by the rule of the divine Word, we recognize the bishop who soberly and surely conducts the spiritual government and brings it about that to the Emperor is given what is the Emperor's, and to God what is God's. He had a heart for his neighbor's need; for himself he was content with little, was, for example, satisfied in Hall with a salary of 80 gulden and declined all rich gifts, but no one who knocked sorrowful at his door did he let go away sorrowful, and in his testament he remembered the poor generously. Above all he sought to relieve spiritual need wherever he could reach; in France and then again in Carinthia, Styria and Illyria he spread evangelical writings, especially Bibles, so that King Maximilian, who took great pleasure in it, sent for that reason his court preacher Sebastian Pfauser to Stuttgart to Brenz. His writings, among them especially a Latin exposition of the Catechism from the later time of his life, were highly esteemed by Dr. Luther and the other theologians of the time and have helped to spread the Gospel further; the few passages which we have communicated here from them testify to great clearness of knowledge and to a most attractive liveliness and freshness of expression. Exceedingly diligent Brenz must have been, for amid all his activity in office, in the affairs of his friends, as an author, he still directed the education of his children and grandchildren most carefully and sought often and gladly recreation in the circle of his large and happy family. God had given him great gifts of mind and bodily strength; a tall handsome man of noble figure, endowed with a deep and sonorous voice, he won by that alone and by his lively conversation seasoned with salt all who met with him. Such gifts were joined in him to living faith, clear knowledge and right discipline of spirit; so Brenz must needs be an excellent preacher, as all his contemporaries extol of him. Preaching was his chief work; carefully he prepared himself for it and wrote out his sermons in full, the most of them in Latin. Only in his 68th year did he cease to preach. The above-mentioned Sebastian Pfauser was once present in the collegiate church when Brenz preached; there were very few hearers in the church. Walking home with Brenz, Pfauser testified how greatly he had been edified by the sermon, but how greatly the small number of hearers also surprised him. In the meantime they came past a well: "What is the finest virtue of this little well?" asked Brenz, and as Pfauser was silent, he answered himself: "It always gives water, whether many or few come to draw from it; so must the preacher of the divine Word also do."

Since in the summer of 1566 the plague had also penetrated into Würtemberg, Brenz had thought with particular earnestness of his death and therefore made his testament. In the year 1568 his faithful and tried friend, Duke Christoph, died. Now Brenz withdrew more and more into the stil-