# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1855 07 31_S199
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

199

the like, and torments and tortures himself day and night with his own good works: all this nevertheless gives him no rest and no comfort. This we obtain alone through faith in Christ, our dear Savior, who has borne and atoned for all our sins, and forgives them to us by grace for the sake of His perfect, precious merit. This blessed comfort and the whole fullness of heavenly grace the faithful God has now caused to be proclaimed again, pure and clear, to our fathers and to us also through Luther, and countless souls have thereby been brought to right faith, true peace, holy living and blessed dying. Therefore we cannot do otherwise than remember our Luther with love and thanks toward God, to which God Himself indeed exhorts us with the words, Heb. 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."

Therefore it is surely right and fitting that every Lutheran should also seek to become acquainted with Luther's life-story. It would indeed be very strange if one boasted of the pure evang. Lutheran doctrine, and withal could not say the least thing about Luther's circumstances of life. All peoples, yes, even the heathen, keep in faithful remembrance their great men through whom good has befallen them. And we Lutherans in America should forget our Luther, we who here also enjoy the fruits of his struggle? Far be it! How, my reader, does it stand with you? Do you know what toil and labor, how much struggle and danger, how many tears and how much prayer it cost our Luther, until by God's grace he accomplished the work of the Reformation, and gave back to our German people the Word of God? Do you know under what unspeakably heavy temptations he fought the papacy? Surely, however, you know that he translated the Bible so incomparably into our German mother tongue, that he composed the Small Catechism, so many precious hymns of faith and writings of comfort. This alone is reason enough for us to remember him thankfully. And now consider the remaining benefits of the Reformation. The papacy enslaved, darkened and stupefied men in every respect, and sought in every way to keep them in ignorance and superstition, in order to rule over them the better. To Luther, on the contrary, mankind owes a new spring of life, to him the whole of Protestantism owes its existence. The Reformation was the cause that arts and sciences took a new upswing, that education and knowledge spread, and better and more liberal constitutions of state arose.

All this calls upon us to preserve and renew among us the memory of the dear Reformer. Therefore read also you, my reader, now and then again the biography of Dr. Luther. If you lack such a book and wish to procure it, the opportunity for it is also offered you. True, the little work has been undertaken in great weakness. But the wise and gracious God can cause even the least to prosper. He who takes up the cause of the poor and wretched, may He lay His blessing upon it.

To communicate finally something further about the arrangement of the work, it consists in the following. It is chiefly aimed at giving a faithful account of the circumstances of Dr. Luther's life from the best sources. The number of pages will amount to about a hundred in octavo. To make it the more convenient for use in families and schools as a reader, the history is divided into chapters, which are provided with short headings. Care will be taken, to the best of our ability, for a tasteful external appearance. The appearance of the book shall be hastened as much as possible, and will, with God's help, take place by the 25th of September of this year at the latest. All evang. Lutheran preachers, schoolteachers and friends of the undertaking are authorized to collect subscribers, and are requested to send in the number of their subscribers as soon as possible, so that the size of the edition may be determined accordingly. Whoever collects eight subscribers receives a free copy. As soon as the book has appeared, it will be sent to the respective subscribers, who will then send the money for it. All letters, orders and remittances relating thereto please address to Rev. F. Bünger in St. Louis, Mo., who has undertaken the dispatch of the Lutherbuch.

Herrmann Fick.

Notice of Death.

We have just received the shocking news that the LORD, according to His unsearchable wisdom, has again called a young, zealous laborer from our midst into His heavenly kingdom. It is the late Mr. Esajas Andreas Häckel, formerly pastor of the German Lutheran Zion congregation on Sandy Creek, Jefferson County, Missouri. A pupil of the Fort Wayne preachers' seminary, he entered upon his ministry here three years ago, on Sunday Cantate, the 9th of May, 1852, first in the congregation at Big River and then at Sulphur Spring in the same county, until at last in the late autumn of last year he took up his residence in the midst of the first-named congregation. The last year especially was a true year of suffering for the departed. Not only had he himself much to suffer from an obstinate rheumatism joined with ever-recurring attacks of fever, but he also had often to contend with grave illnesses which confined his family to the sick-bed. His death was brought about at last, according to the testimony of the physician who treated him, by the breaking out of smallpox, after brief but severe sufferings. He died on the 24th of this month and his body was laid to rest on the day following, quietly, by his sorrowing congregation. May the LORD comfort the afflicted widow he has left with His living, eternal comfort of God, and may He soon again give the orphaned dear congregation a faithful shepherd for sheep and lambs.

Dedication of a Church.

Be it announced hereby to the friends of the kingdom of God that we, the Ev. Lutheran congregation in Collinsville, Ills., on the fourth Sunday after Trinity and on the day following had the joy of being able to celebrate the festival of the dedication of our new church. It is a frame building, 46 feet long and 30 feet wide, with a suitable tower. Several brethren in the ministry took part in the celebration, and many guests from near and far had come to share in our festal joy. In the evening of that day there was Lutheran divine service in the English language, for the sake of the English inhabitants of this place who of their own accord had taken part in our church-building, and were now also assembled in large numbers. On the following day we celebrated at the same time our annual Bible festival.

The faithful God, who has caused our congregation to grow so much in number, on account of which this new building also had become necessary, let us now also grow ever more in the inward man, to the honor of His name. Amen.

C. Strasen, Pastor.

Church News.

To all sympathizing brethren be it announced that the Rev. C. W. R. Frederking, hitherto pastor of the Lutheran congregations in and near Stringtown, Mo., has left this place with the consent of his congregation and has accepted the call of the Luth. congregation near Trenton, Bureau Co., Ill., where he entered upon his office on the fourth Sunday after Trinity. His installation, which was to have been performed by Pastor Schick on the third Sunday after Trinity, was unfortunately frustrated by this, that Pastor Frederking, delayed by unfavorable circumstances on the journey, arrived there only on the Monday after the fourth Sunday after Trinity, after Pastor Schick had already departed again.

May the LORD Jesus Christ build and increase His kingdom through this brother in this place also.

A. Schieferdecker.

Receipts and Thanks.

I hereby certify that I have received from the congregation at Detroit, through Pastor Fick there, $2.00 for my support.

Emil Schultz.

Concordia College, July 20, 1855.

Thanking the kind giver heartily, and wishing him temporal and eternal blessing, I acknowledge receipt of $5.00 from Mr. Sebastian Lange.

Hugo Hanser.

Concordia College, July 21, 1855.