# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 04 17_S135
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

135

my faith; by that I will abide, and will not think further, nor ask, nor hear, nor be clever about how this or that may rhyme, nor will I hear thee, even if thou bringest another text or passages, drawn out of thine own head contrary to this, and smeared thy slaver thereon. For this will not be against itself, nor against any article of faith, although in thy head it is at variance, and does not rhyme. But of this enough has been said elsewhere.

Resemblance and Difference between True Godliness and Adorned Hypocrisy.

An arrow flies through the air with great swiftness, a bird also; a clock is in constant motion, the pulse in the human body also; the pot stands on the fire, boils and bubbles, so that the water runs over, the spring also thrusts up its water and lets its little stream flow from it; but who does not see what a difference there is between all these? Those things have their motion by an outward and forcible impulse, but otherwise have no life in themselves. When the arrow has reached the height to which the force of the bow drove it, it falls down again; when the clock has run down, it stands still; when the fire is taken away, the boiling and running over of the pot comes to an end. But these, the bird, the pulse, the fountain, move from an inward power belonging to them, willingly and steadily. So it is also with the hypocrites, who have a form of godly life, and deny the power thereof, and with the godly, who have their spiritual life-power from grace and from union with Christ JESUS. There is such a difference between them as between an artificially painted and a naturally beautiful pleasure-garden. The former can amuse my eyes for a while, but when I stretch out my hand, and want to gather flowers and pluck fruits, it is a flat board or painted cloth and nothing more; but the latter can not only feed my eyes, but also refresh my heart and satisfy my stomach. In like manner an artist can contrive an image of a man or beast that stirs and moves; but it does not live on that account. — —

Scriver.

True Revenge and Best Self-Help.

In the French village of Querry the peasants had just complaints against their lord of the manor. The ferment was great, and on the point of breaking out. Then the pastor stepped into the pulpit and said: "My friends, the day of freedom and of revenge has broken. The owner of this village has hitherto been a tyrant; he must therefore be punished. In so just an undertaking I cannot forsake my congregation, permit me therefore to be your leader, and swear all of you to follow my example;" they swore, and the pastor continued: I swear to avenge myself by forgiving him; for God saith: Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath. Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the LORD! Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers; for there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake. — True to the example of their shepherd of souls and to the oath they had sworn, the peasants let forgiveness be shown to their lord of the manor.

Sartorius' Lebensspiegel.

The Naughty B.

A sturdy mother had three pretty, lively children, who, like other children too, in their liveliness sometimes became very naughty. Then the mother was wont to use the little carpet-beater, and that not merely in jest. A lady of the newer, tender breeding, who would allow rod and stick for children only "if the latter were animals and not human beings," quarreled with her about it and cried: "How cruelly you deal with these lovely angels! Why, you beat the skin and flesh off them!" The mother remarked, smiling, that if her little ones were angels, then there would be no danger in the beating of skin and flesh off. In truth, however, she had as yet three pretty little rascals, and so, though not the skin and flesh, yet the B would necessarily have to come off, if she were to get pretty little angels. Yes, she went on, believe me, my dear lady! every child has a certain naughty B on the front of it, which, once for all, goes away hard without beating. My little stick has been aimed at this; its tongue says always this: "B! B! thou naughty B! off, off, off from the dear child!"

It was also really something — so to speak — angelically beautiful, when her child leaned its tear-wet, bright-red cheek on the knee over which it had just been laid for chastisement, and sobbed: Mother dear, I will be good!

W. R.

The Truth.

After Hans Sachs: from "des Knaben Wunderhorn".

Four maidens of high lineage
Were together:
Ignis, Fire, the first by name,
Aqua, Water, the second.

Aer, the Air, so was the third called,
Then Veritas, the Truth,
She stood there in the midst of the garden
And shone in brightness.

"I long very often for you,"
Said she with prudent mind,
"Therefore tell me, ere I flee,
Where shall I always find you?"

The Fire said: "Strike upon a stone
With the point of a good sword,
So shall I be with thee quickly
And gladly scatter sparks."

The Water said: "Where rushes grow,
There shalt thou dig for me,
Thou wilt see me at the root,
There will I refresh thee."

The Air said: "When on a tree
The little leaves stir and nod,
There am I also in the same place
And will soon revive thee."

All three they said with delight:
"Thou noble Truth,
Where shall we find thee?"
The Truth said: "In sorrow."

O ye sisters, murder upon murder!
No house of my own remains to me;
One finds me not here and there,
Every one drives me away.

I knocked also at the doors of the learned,
Because honest is their walk;
Yet their word is a lie and delusion
And scant according to the bargain.

They caught me and bound me,
Poured ink upon me
Into my snow-white face,
I was nearly blinded.

With books they beat me stupid
And scratched me and clawed
And dragged me about by the hair,
Out of the door they thrust me."

She would have complained much more,
A little door began to sound,
A critic came right along,
From him she took to flight.

The Hirtenbrief

of Pastor Grabau at Buffalo of the year 1840. Together with the writings exchanged between him and several Lutheran pastors of Missouri. Given to the public as a protestation against the assertion of hierarchical principles within the Lutheran Church.

Under this title a little book has just appeared, published by several Lutheran preachers from the State of Missouri and prefaced by Pastor Löber at Altenburg, Perry Co., Mo. In order to put the reader in a position to form a judgment of what he has to expect from the little book, we communicate the following from the preface:

"Against well-meant or ill-meant judgments we must above all things declare:

First: God knows, and our subjoined letters and testimonies prove it, that we have not sought our own honor, nor strife and discord, or begun that controversy without necessity, but have so long delayed, warned, and borne, and only at last have no longer withstood the urgency of our conscience and the demands of many brethren to give the whole matter to publicity. Secondly, we were further compelled thereto especially by the circumstance that Pastor Grabau and his like-minded brethren in office, together with 18 deputies of their congregations, in a public synodical report of the year 1845 most bitterly attacked us as to our doctrine, our office, and our life, reviled us, and thus themselves challenged us to justify ourselves now also publicly, which we have nevertheless postponed until the third year, during which time we also repeatedly, but alas! in vain, tried whether we might not settle the dispute existing between us and them by a personal understanding with those pastors. Thirdly, we can assure beforehand that this controversy is not concerned with a mere strife of words, or with indifferent matters, but with very precious and important truths, the unadulterated preservation of which can be of the most blessed influence, by God's grace, for the whole Church, especially also at this time.

Those doctrinal articles, however, which are chiefly dealt with in this little book, are in particular the article on the relation of the ministry to the congregation, on the call to this office, on ordination, on the spiritual priesthood of all true Christians, on their spiritual freedom, on the use of good church orders, etc."

The whole writing consists of the following parts:

Preface.

1. The Hirtenbrief of Pastor Grabau.

2. Review of the Hirtenbrief, to which the author had challenged us.

3. Pastor Grabau's pretended refutation of our foregoing review.

4. A letter of Pastor Grabau to Pastor Brohm in New York, belonging to the preceding refutation.