# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 06 12_S162
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

162

th? But although individual ones of these certainly exist, yet his rabble falls to him in heaps like water, and probably stare at him as at Simon the sorcerer, as though he and those of his stamp were the power of God, which is great. But, what is more, this worthy representative of German democracy from the extreme left, this open enemy of Christ and despiser of God, has been elected by the citizenry of Hamburg as a member of the new "legislative assembly." Here one sees plainly how deeply and widely apostasy and unbelief have penetrated the mass of the people, since it was not ashamed to make such a shameless blasphemer and servant of Satan its fellow-lawgiver, hopefully in order that he may help to promote a grossly carnal, Epicurean swinish life in favor of those of his electors who, in the overthrow of the existing order, in the collapse of wholesome discipline and morals, can lose nothing, but hope only to gain.

At such turning away and estrangement from the God of our fathers, we may well hear God lament through Isaiah: "I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward."

But more still. So horribly and shamefully do unbelief and democracy go hand in hand in Germany that to everyone who wishes to become a member of a democratic club the question is put: "Dost thou believe in a God?" Whoever now says: no! is at once received; but whoever hesitates even only with this answer is regarded with distrust, yet is not at once let go, but is handed over to a devil's advocate, who is skilled and experienced in clearing the offenses of conscience out of the way.

The spokesmen and tone-setters of these bedeviled democrats, moreover, form within these clubs, with their confidants, a higher and secret committee, which, despite all the prattle about "equality, fraternity, and community of interests," with which it baits its victims, exercises a most tyrannical rule over the democratic union. From this committee smaller clubs have been established under the name of "families," which recognize one another by secret signs, and which together form a chain of terrible power and almost unlimited extent, especially also in order to make proselytes. The young and ignorant people, above all those of a fiery, vigorous temperament, are the chief objects of their attacks, and in the pursuit of their ends they openly avow the Jesuitical maxim that all means are right for it. "Be all things to all men!" says Wilhelm Marr, with a blasphemous misinterpretation of the apostle's words. "Associate yourselves with men of all parties and of the most opposite sentiments," says he, "and though it go hard, yet you will win some for your views."

Be wise as serpents, but false as cats! that, then, is the direction of this democratic Jesuit-General, who has this honor over the papistic one, that without the intermediate authority of the most holy Father at Rome he serves His Satanic Majesty directly, and who, with the other leaders, perhaps is the beast of which it is written in Rev. 13:12 ff. For that the mystery of iniquity now no longer stirs secretly, but comes forth impudently into the light of day, is almost to be grasped with hands; that in Germany the most determined antichristianity peers out through the democratic mask is no longer to be called in question.

And so terribly has it already penetrated that, for example, in Hamburg, in the hostelries of the journeymen artisans, here and there the verse is sung:

"A curse on the God, the blind and the deaf!
We have long prayed in faith;
We have hoped and we have waited;
He has mocked us, He has fooled us."

Would one hold it possible that, without special blindness and instigation of the devil, baptized Christians, who yet still stood within the range of the divine Word, could utter such impudent blasphemy against the true and living God, who created, preserved, redeemed them, and sanctified them through holy Baptism? Would it be conceivable that the powerless child of man, the maggot, should speak out thus against the almighty, majestic God, who could in a moment thrust these children of wickedness alive down into the abyss of hell, like the children of Korah, if it were not their hour and the power of darkness? But these unhappy men, seducers and seduced, are simply intoxicated with the cup of reeling of Satan; like slaughter cattle they are led captive by him with thick cords according to his will, until their hour has come and he drags them down by the noose to hell; and especially these democratic leaders, these are wells without water, clouds carried about by the whirlwind, bare unfruitful trees, twice dead and plucked up by the roots, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame, wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

No less does the abomination of desolation stand in the holy place in Germany also in another respect. Thus, for example, in Leipzig, in the Thomaskirche, the funeral ceremony of the so-called democratic martyr, Robert Blum, was held, who, as is well known, was shot at Vienna by Prince Windischgrätz by sentence of court-martial, and who was first a Jesuit, afterwards a German-Catholic, and finally a great democrat and impudent denier of God. On this occasion the bust of Blum stood on the altar instead of the crucifix, and from the pulpit, which was used as an orator's platform, there resounded, instead of the praise of the Crucified, that of His open denier and despiser, while many of his admirers smoked their cigars in the church during this funeral ceremony.

May God graciously see to it that, if by His permission the princes and these "red republicans" should again clash by force, the latter may not gain the upper hand; for in such a case, according to human foresight, there would be surely to be expected not only the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution of the last century, but at the same time the bloodiest persecution of the believers out of all churches; for the living confessors of the Lord Jesus Christ would of necessity have to testify with and according to God's Word against the prevailing of unbelief and godlessness, and suffer for this testimony what God may please. "Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."

The believers of Hamburg, moreover, seek in the manner of the opponents to hinder as far as possible their pernicious machinations; for as these send their devil's missionaries, together with books and writings, among the people, in order to scatter with all zeal the poison of unbelief and of fleshly delusion of liberty under the name of democracy, so those are about to send pious, intelligent, and zealous people as inner missionaries, together with suitable books and writings, among the people, in order, according to the calling of love, through instruction and admonition of the individual to scatter seeds of the true faith in the Lord Christ and, as far as possible, to snatch the poor misled sheep from the wolf.

May God moreover especially grant to the believing preachers everywhere mouth and wisdom, grace and power, to lift up their voice against this antichristian mischief and the horrible idolatry with the spirit of man and of the people, as a trumpet, and with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, to smite the blasphemers and idolaters; may He set them for a fenced city, an iron pillar, and brazen walls in all places, so that though their adversaries fight against them, they shall not prevail against them. In particular may the faithful God richly bestow upon the believing Lutheran preachers grace and anointing, as witnesses of the Church to come forward courageously against her destroyers and thoroughly to tread all fear of man under their feet, but at the same time also to instruct the ignorant, to warn the presumptuous, to establish the wavering, to strengthen the weak, to comfort those who are tempted also on account of those enemies; for though the sea should rage and swell, and the mountains fall in at its tumult (and the earthly thrones of princes sink down): yet shall the city of God remain right merry with her little wells, where the holy dwellings of the Most High are; for God is in the midst of her, therefore shall she