# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1848 11 28_S49
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.

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

Published by the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States.

Edited by C. F. W. Walther.

Volume 5.  St. Louis, Mo., November 28, 1848.  No. 7.

Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks, at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for subscribers living at a distance, who are to pay the same 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, moneys, etc., are to be sent to the address: Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

(Submitted.)

Conversation of Two Boys about the Holy Ministry.

Two boys were walking along the shore of the sea. A fresh wind was blowing; several ships were sailing under full canvas toward a neighboring harbor town.

It is a real delight, how the ships dance through the waves, cried August. Now just look at that splendid three-master there, William; I wonder what she has loaded. I know now what I am going to be: I shall be a merchant; if all goes well, I can become enormously rich through a good speculation. Then I will give you something of it; and here, William, here on this hill I will build myself a fine house and buy myself carriages and horses. That will be a life! You will visit me then, won't you?

W. Of course. We will ride out together then.

A. Do you know yet what you want to be, William?

W. With God's help I shall be a preacher.

A. Well, of all things! Tell me, how did you ever come to that?

W. You remember, the pastor said recently in the religion lesson that the dear God had instituted the holy ministry, and that there must always be preachers. For if God's Word were not preached, the people could not come to faith and be saved.

A. Right. But he also said that not everyone is fit for the holy ministry. For whoever wished to become a preacher must not merely stand in the faith, but must also have the necessary gifts and an inward call to it.

W. Now the pastor asked me whether I would really like to become a preacher. I said: Gladly, with all my heart, but I thought I was not fit for it, for I could not learn everything that belonged to it. But he answered me that I had the necessary gifts for it; and learning is not particularly hard for me, either.

A. But what do your parents say to it?

W. Oh, they are glad about it. Father said he had always wished that I might become a preacher, and he has given me his blessing for it. I am now going with two other boys to the pastor for instruction in Latin.

A. Dear William, do not become a preacher. It is the most wretched, most toilsome life, I assure you, and brings in little. If you were to become a Methodist preacher, you could ride about all the time and would be well paid.

W. By no means. The Methodists, after all, depart from God's Word in the Sacraments and in other points. And then their camp meetings, love feasts, and all the rest of their loathsome trumpery.

A. Well then, become an evangelical, Protestant minister. Then you can take people of all sorts of belief into your congregation and get a good income.

W. For shame, August, you want to be a Lutheran, and yet you make such ungodly proposals to me. You know that the Union between Lutherans and Reformed is an abomination to the dear God. We are to love all men, even the false believers, and pray for them, that they may come to the knowledge of the truth; but we are to guard ourselves against their errors.

A. Forgive me, I did not mean it so wickedly. Enough, I shall not be a preacher. I will go into a store and earn myself a great deal of money. Thus I remain my own master and can play the gentleman. Then I will start my own business, make journeys, and enjoy my life.

W. You will soon grow weary of that too.

A. You, on the other hand, will spend the fair years of your youth sadly behind books. Then perhaps a little congregation in the bush will call you. During the week you teach the children, on Sundays you preach, so that you have little free time left. Besides, you live in a miserable log cabin in which it rains, blows, and snows through from every direction; you must carry water yourself and chop wood; you have nothing to bite and to break; of hard cash you never get to see any.

W. Is it really so bad?

A. And finally, when you have served your congregation faithfully for some years, you will be — driven away for a reward. Poor William, if you will take good counsel, do not become a Lutheran preacher.

W. But you exaggerate terribly! It does not go so with all preachers. And supposing it went so with me, what of it? Christ had not where to lay His head; should I not follow His poor life? His love was rewarded with ingratitude; might I, a poor sinner, complain if I suffered the same? Must I not rather rejoice if I should become like Him in this?

A. Choose rather a more lucrative calling.

W. I could; for I am free, but I do not wish to. I care nothing for the unrighteous mammon, for wretched money, this impotent idol, which, alas, so many serve to the eternal ruin of their souls. Ah! the glory of the ministry is so great that in comparison with it everything earthly appears so vain and worthless to me.

A. You only renounce thereby so many innocent enjoyments, too! A preacher is very much bound by his office.

W. It may be; I gladly renounce them. They are, however, only brief, and it is impossible that a human heart should find satisfaction in them. All is vanity, utter vanity, said the most magnificent king of Israel, after he had enjoyed all the pleasure of life. And you would have to break out at last into the same lament, even if you gained the whole world and enjoyed all its honors, joys, and goods.

A. But that is looking at life a little too darkly.

W. Not at all. The world passeth away, and the lust thereof; it is vain because it is sinful, and the ungodly enjoy it more than the pious. The rich man fared sumptuously every day and lived in joy. The saints, on the other hand, had to suffer much. Isaiah was sawn asunder, Stephen stoned, James beheaded, and Christ,