# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1855 04 10_S129
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.

"God's Word and Luther's doctrine pure shall to eternity endure."

Revelation of John, Chap. 14, v. 6, 7.

Published by the German Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States.

Edited by C. F. W. Walther.

Volume 11.  St. Louis, Mo., April 10, 1855.  No. 17.

Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for out-of-town subscribers, who pay for it in advance and bear the postage. — In St. Louis each single number is sold for 5 cents.

Only those letters which contain communications for the paper are to be addressed to the editor; all others, however, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, money, etc., are to be sent hither under the address: Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

(Submitted by Pastor Wyneken.)

The Distress of the Lutheran Church

since the Death of Luther, and its Deliverance therefrom through the Religious Peace concluded at Augsburg on the 25th of September, 1555.

A historical contribution to this year's celebration of the Peace Jubilee on the coming 25th of September.

Continuation.

The Smalcaldic War.

After the Emperor at the Diet had made known his resolve to attack the heads of the League, the Elector wrote to his envoys that he had not deserved this hatred and persecution; the true and proper cause was none other than religion, but he committed the issue to God, who without doubt would bring this cause also to a conclusion to His own honor and the glory of His name. By God's grace he intended to abide by His Word and the truth once recognized unto the grave, and to lose for it body and life and all his possessions. He then commanded them to leave the Diet secretly. The Landgrave wrote to the Elector that he had long since feared it would come to this, that they had slept too long. That might be true; yet if the papists had reckoned on this sleep, they had deceived themselves. He was shaken off quickly at the first cry of danger. Everything stirred, and the zeal to venture body and life for the precious jewel of liberty of conscience was so great that the allies in astonishing swiftness had a considerable, well-equipped army on foot, and stood in the field on the Danube, while the Emperor was still almost defenseless at Regensburg.

And to this end the holy Father at Rome himself had to do his best this time. The good Pope was probably vexed that the Emperor in his declaration against the princes had concealed the real purpose of the war. His dear faithful ones were to know that it was being waged in his honor and to gratify his bloodthirstiness. She was to recognize that he was not minded this time to spare any cost in fulfilling his task, to shed in the service of his Master the blood of the saints. He also feared, besides, that his son Charles, who had often played his game with him, would this time too, after a victory perhaps obtained, deceive him, treat the Protestants leniently, and use them to hold him in check in his ambitious designs. In order, therefore, to tear forever the bond of trust between the Emperor and the Protestant Estates, he made public the alliance which the Emperor had made with him for the extermination of the heretics. Immediately after its conclusion he sent a copy of it to the Swiss, with the express remark: "that the Pope and the Emperor had united and bound themselves to save and protect, with the sword and armed hand against the heretics, the authority of the Council of Trent, the holy Christian faith and the unity thereof."

Yes, he also sent at the same time a special bull of indulgence to all lands, to make known the holy crusade for the extermination of the heresies in Germany in all places. He boasted therein of his great care to purge the vineyard of the Lord and to root out the tares which the heretics had sown in Germany; he had applied all diligence, he says, to help the erring sons to health by gentle medicine, and when this would not take effect, had called a general Council. But the heretics, out of devilish obstinacy, had so despised the Council that they not only would not themselves obey it, but had also presumed to turn others away from it. Since he now despaired of the amendment of these people, and had seen that they were hardened enemies of the Church of God, his dearest son, the Roman Emperor, had resolved to use the sword against these disobedient ones and enemies of God. Such excellent zeal he, the Pope, would likewise promote for the protection of religion with all the means of the Roman Church. He then further exhorts his faithful to support such a holy undertaking by prayer, almsgiving, and fasting three times a week, whereas he, as a heavenly reward, by the power of Almighty God and of the Apostles Peter and Paul, grants the most perfect indulgence and forgiveness of all sins to each and every one who comply with this exhortation and persist in prayer for the extermination of heresy.

So now the world knew what the Emperor's assurance was worth, that this war had nothing to do with