# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 03 20_S116
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

116

those shouters of love. However, Mr. K—t cannot be blamed much, he comes, as he says, out of the darkness of Popery, and has probably, like so many, fallen into the hands of such a light-footed patch-tailor, who then stuck him into the patchwork garment, and set him up in the market, and there he must now help to cry, in order to lead the people astray. The LORD will surely help him further, if he is sincere.

All that sounds quite good, which the people bring forward: "The Scripture says: he that believeth that JESUS is the Christ," or "whoso believeth on the LORD JESUS, etc., is born of God — born again — shall be saved," and so forth. Meanwhile it is a strange thing that I should believe JESUS is the Christ, and yet will not believe the words of Christ, nor continue in his word, that so I may know the truth and become truly free. And those are surely his true disciples, not those who in their fancies imagine that they are in Christ, but those who continue in his word, in his speech; for there is Christ for us poor people, and there alone do we find him, and only if we continue in his word, then are we and remain we in Christ, John 8:31 and 32. That is altogether a strange chapter, Mr. Lutheraner, and comes often to my mind, when I look on at how the "believers" go about it nowadays. There we find also people who believe on the LORD JESUS, verse 31, but what do these believing people do, verse 59? "Then took they up stones to cast at him!!" and what made these dear people so angry at the LORD JESUS, on whom they yet "believed"? The LORD said to them they should now also continue in his word; that they would not let be told them, and as the dear LORD JESUS likewise could not yield from his Word, it came to hard words, to blaspheming, and at last to stones. — One is only glad that our dear LORD got off so well; I think he will be quite safe today also on the throne of his glory, and under his wings we can trust joyfully, when the people now throw stones at us poor "Old Lutherans" — merely — because we have not "the love." —

But to come back again to the epistles of Paul, I believe Mr. K—t and the "Kirchenbote" have simply made fools of us; for such rogues' tricks one learns easily when one has to go errands, and falls in with all sorts of people, especially when one has such a particular fondness for cross-roads and woodland paths as the "Kirchenbote," and so drives off into the blue, as my grandmother used to say of the new preacher. For, as true as I am a poor sinner, I have read through all the epistles of Paul anew, and can find no single passage where the apostle rebukes his congregations because they are too hard against false doctrine, and not peaceable, but in all epistles to all congregations, to Timothy and Titus, the apostle admonishes them simply to remain by the faith once preached, and warns and threatens most earnestly that they should take heed of false doctrines, and have no fellowship, that is, churchly fellowship, with such as have another doctrine. So in the epistle to the Colossians, in the whole second chapter, so in both epistles to the Thessalonians; and who can have read the epistles to Timothy and Titus even superficially without being alarmed at the very thought of having churchly fellowship with such people as differ in doctrine. How he commands both to give heed to the wholesome doctrine, with such earnest words, and again and again, and commands them directly to withdraw from such people, and to avoid them, 1 Tim. 6:5, 2 Tim. 3:5, 2:21, Tit. 3:10. Every verse treats of it in all these epistles, that one should heed the pure doctrine, preserve it, contend for it, and have nothing to do in churchly fellowship with such people as depart from the pure doctrine.

And what Mr. K—t says of the seven letters in the Revelation of John seems to me also strange, and it is just as if the truth were such a book as I once saw at a fair with a juggler, which showed presently nothing but white paper, and when then the pages were quickly riffled through the fingers, there was nothing in it but old Fritz of Prussia, then again nothing but Hungarian hussars, and so forth, and the Church would then be, after that, such a juggler who let the book run through his fingers, and presently this would be in it, presently that, well, that is nasty. — And the man must again have had his own spectacles, for Rev. 2:2 the LORD commends the bishop at Ephesus that he had tried them which say they are apostles — that is, the false teachers — and found them liars, and has cleansed himself from them, as also from the deeds of the Nicolaitans, — and I think bad works come out of false doctrine and faith, for the truth will surely bring forth other fruits and works.

The bishop at Smyrna also will have nothing to do with false doctrine and is commended, v. 9.

The bishop at Pergamos is rebuked for suffering such among him as hold the doctrine of Balaam, v. 14, and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans; "which thing I hate," says the LORD, 15.

The bishop at Thyatira is rebuked for suffering a false prophetess among him, v. 20 and 24.

The bishop at Philadelphia must, on the contrary, have been strict against false teachers, and for a reward the LORD will give him that some of them shall be brought to the truth, and worship at his feet, 2:9. So I know not at all what to make of such people who have God's Word in their mouth and yet in their heart hold nothing by it, else they could not so lightly give it up to such people as have false doctrines. For what the people say of love is now altogether strange. If two men stand by the water, and the one wants to leap in, although he may drown in it, it is a strange love when the other says: Yes, do it, my friend, I will indeed rather stay here on dry ground, but that makes no difference, those are just opinions and fancies, we can still remain good friends for all that. Or if one lay in it and were about to drown, and the other were to say: My dear fellow, I would gladly help you, but I should have to take hold of you hard, and that would be too loveless indeed and might disturb our friendship; or shall he leap in and say: Wait, friend, I will drown myself also, then we shall both surely come to dry ground! No, Mr. Lutheraner, I think: Quick, seized by the collar, or, if it cannot be otherwise, by the hair, and even if he cries out a hundred times: Oh dear! that is too hard! — hold fast! grab hold! and if possible, with God's help, pulled out! that is much better, and might well be true love.

Moreover I am your most obedient servant
Hans.

Letters of the "Visitor" (home missionary) of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States to the Editor.

(Conclusion.)

Keokuk, Iowa, December 5, 1848.

Dear W.!

Already many a time on my journey I have recited to myself and sung and meditated upon the hymn of the blessed Professor Lorenz*): "Though I be far from all acquaintance, etc."; but so comforting and refreshing it was never yet to me as on my journey from Burlington hither. Especially I turned over in my heart continually the words:

*) See: Lutheraner, Volume IV, No. 11, p. 86.

Though thou be far from all acquaintance,
What harm, since early and since late
A host of shining attendants
Stands round about thy carriage?

It was a stormy day on which I departed from Burlington by stage. The storm roared over the prairies and through the forest, uprooted trees, and drove the thickly falling snow so into one's face that one could scarcely open one's eyes. I was exposed to this storm the whole forenoon, since the stagecoach was already filled when I wished to get in, and for me only a little place on the box was to be found. From that I should have made little, if the journey had not altogether been connected with so many kinds of danger. The road went often up and down steep hills and had become very slippery from the freshly fallen snow. Now the horses slipped and could scarcely get firm footing, now something on the wagon broke and tore, now it lost its balance and was time after time near to overturning. I commended myself to the