# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1855 03 27_S126
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

126

(Sent in.)
The Battle of the Night.

When the sun's rays had departed,
On her dusky pinions flew
Full of wrath the Night in haste,
And to all the swarthy shadows
Which had camped on every side,
Raised she up her cry of rage:

"Darknesses, ye hosts of shadow!
Sad it stands with our good name:
Scarce the sun is risen up,
We must in all corners hide us,
Like the thieves must lurk in hiding,
Fleeing off at swiftest run."

"Up! to conquer our freedom!
Let us quench the sun's bright blaze,
And her proud and insolent light;
With my own black veil I'll cover
All her grim and fiery glow,
And will shroud her countenance."

And she called from all the hollows,
All the caves, ravines, and chasms,
All the host of Darkness forth.
And they came from every quarter,
For to fight against the sun,
Sure already of the victory.

Bats as well and owls began
Hostilely to howl and screech:
"Away with light and sunshine!
That is the source of all our sorrows;
For it seems to us too bright,
And gives our eyes a pain."

And there shouted wolves and foxes,
Bear, hyenas, tigers, lynxes.
"Cast the sun into the sea!
For with her contemptible light
She destroys our happiness,
Grants us no more joy at all."

"But what a merry life,
What freedom there will be,
When the sun is now gone down!
Then we can, without shame,
Throttle, rob, murder, take,
Whatever our heart is set upon."

And the black night-swarm
Roared in fury up to heaven,
And to battle it rushed forth: —
Then appeared with gracious splendor,
Beautifully crowned with garlands of rays,
She, the Day's own Queen.

Yet it went there too, as ever,
At the first gleam of the sun
Night fled with her host,
Owls slipped into the holes,
Bats into the roofs,
And the shadows over the sea.

For the bright rays of the sun
Caused them such torments,
That they ran like the wind,
All the bold great shouters,
And the Night with her veil
Ran particularly fast.

Such a battle has now begun
Against God's bright sun-light
In the holy Word of the Bible:
Turks, heathen, Jesuits
And the free-thinking men rage
Boldly against it on and on.

Blaspheme shamelessly, the Bible
Is the source of all evil,
Seek only, with might and cunning,
With forbidding and with mocking
To root out God's truth,
Because it is irksome to them.

But the grimmer be their lies,
The more gloriously only must
The sun-light of grace be victorious:
Already smitten in their conscience,
They must themselves confess
That the Bible speaks truth.

F.

(Sent in.)
Request for Participation
in
Thanksgiving and Prayer to God the Lord
for our New Orleans Brethren in the Faith.

From the reply of the dear Zion congregation at New Orleans, when Herr P. Fick, Jr., had been sent to them as preacher, I hold it my duty first of all to communicate the following to the praying members of our Synod. After the introduction it says in the letter: "We should like never to cease to praise and to extol the loving-kindness of our God, which we ourselves have only now been able to recognize in a bright light through the pure doctrine of the Word. As we now hear the Word expounded, we have not heard it expounded and proclaimed in the former fanatical and pietistic manner. We formerly had an inkling that all the words of God in the Gospels and Epistles must have another meaning than that which was given us in the exposition; now we hear it and our heart is convinced that we had rightly surmised. God be eternally praised and extolled for it! If God were not high and much to be praised above all, we should like to ask you, Reverend Sir, to summon the whole Synod to the praise of God for the goodness shown us New Orleanians, for we cannot do it alone as is meet. Yet even a whole Synod could not thank Him enough. Only of grace must He accept our thanks, and does so indeed, since He Himself first works them in us. If now we would not be indebted to the whole Synod in helping us to give thanks, yet one thing lies very near to us, and this we venture to express to you, that you would communicate it to a few, whether perhaps someone may take part in our petition. Since the LORD has taken from us, as the late Herr Pastor Volk, so lately also the pastor's wife, Frau Metz, and also our dear Herr Pastor Metz and Herr Cantor Bünger were seized with yellow fever, but through God's help have been rescued: so we do not conceal from you that like anxieties move us also with respect to our dear Herr Pastor Fick; and therefore we should like to ask you, honored Herr Pastor, and all to whom the coming of the kingdom of God lies at heart, to pray for us, that God may preserve to us the servants of the Word, so that the light of the Gospel here risen may shine to the salvation of many souls sitting in darkness, as well as of those who even now desire to be saved. We believe that many a one might take part in the petition just uttered, if one considered in general the significance which New Orleans in particular has above many other places." . . . r. Here now the significance of the city of New Orleans as a city of the world, and as a landing-place of many thousands of German Lutherans, and the great danger of falling away from the faith in it and being lost, is set forth at greater length. At the close it says: "Since the dangers daily surround so many of us, we also stand greatly in need of intercession, that the LORD may not only preserve us, but also give us grace that we lose not the nature of salt." . . . . .

So remember, then, beloved brethren and sisters, in your prayers before the throne of grace, especially these our fellow-believers in New Orleans, mindful of the commands and the promise of our LORD, Matt. 18, 19: "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."

J. F. Bünger.

Invitation to Subscribe
to the
"Lutherbuch,"
which contains a faithful description
of
Dr. Martin Luther's, the man of God's,
Life and Deeds.
For the Benefit of Concordia College at St. Louis, Mo.
At the low price of 25 Cents.

Luther's life belongs to those rare histories which one can read again and again with joy, and from which one has each time a fresh enjoyment. For there is something very attractive in seeing how the dear God led him so wonderfully. Even this is most remarkable, that in Holy Scripture there are such plain prophecies of him and his work, and that from ancient times so many pious Christians, like the blessed John Huss and others, have foretold the Reformation. And then, how poor and humble it was with him at first, how wonderfully he came to the knowledge of the truth, how many conflicts he had on that account to endure, and what great things God has accomplished through him. Especially instructive is it that he held so faithfully to the Word of God and bowed so childlike beneath it, even where it seemed ever so incomprehensible to his reason. Often it seemed indeed as if he must succumb and the Pope prevail. But with strong faith he relied upon God and God helped him gloriously. One can see quite plainly that God was with him and through him rescued His Church out of the darkness and tyranny of the papacy.

No wonder, then, that Luther's life-history was always a favorite book of Christians. In ancient and modern times a multitude of descriptions of his life have therefore arisen and been eagerly read. And that rightly. Does not God's Word say, Heb. 13, 7: "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." Nevertheless we too hope to do nothing superfluous if we resolve in the name of JESUS to put out a cheap edition of Luther's life. But shouldst thou, dear reader, nevertheless hold it for something superfluous, I know a good counsel. If thou hast a superfluity, buy the little book. For if after deduction of the costs of printing a profit still results, it shall be devoted to the erection of the middle building of Concordia College at St. Louis, Mo. ap-