# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 06 12_S163
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

163

remain; and according to His promise the gates of hell shall not prevail against her, even if these should at once spew forth all the devils. For the Word of the Lord, that endureth forever, has founded the Church; the same Word will also preserve her, even though she has no worldly princes as nurses and outward protectors. And the more she, stripped of worldly protection and favor, is exposed to the assaults of her enemies, the more gloriously will her divine, invincible life and her holy beauty be made manifest in the form of the cross. —

But what then have we to do, who sit here in the haven of rest, while our brethren in the faith, out yonder in the little ship of the Church, contend with wind and waves, since it seems as if the Lord Christ were asleep?

First, we have, according to love, whereby, where one member suffereth, all the members suffer with it, to take their present and future tribulation to heart as our own, and above all things to humble ourselves with them under the mighty hand of God, who uses His enemies as a winnowing shovel, to purge His floor once more, to sift the Church, and to separate the chaff from the wheat, the unbelievers and pretended believers from the true Christians; for the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.

Second, we should also rightly lift up our prayer and supplication, publicly and in particular, to the Lord our God, that He would especially strengthen and comfort mightily our brethren in the faith, the poor little band, the little flock, through the Holy Ghost and His precious Word, partly to confess the crucified Lord Christ joyfully against His enemies and to rebuke the apostasy, partly also for His name's sake to suffer gladly shame, scorn, mockery, and persecution, yea, if it must be, to set at stake goods and possessions, wife and child, body and life.

Third, it would well become us, especially when the conflict burns still more fiercely, to send over to them, partly jointly, partly singly, letters strengthening their faith, as testimonies of our compassionate love, whereby they may recognize that we also, for our part, fight their battle with them and suffer their tribulations with them, upon the ground of our most precious holy faith and in the unity of the Spirit, who binds us all into one body under the one Head.

Fourth, it is no less a matter of our brotherly love to open to them heart, hand, and possessions with joy, if it should please God to appoint to this one and that one here a place of refuge and mountain retreat, without their having become fugitives from the field and having denied Christ before His enemies.

Last of all, however, as at the first, we should here on this side of the water learn to fear God and to "kiss the Son," that we may be preserved from the wrath and save our souls; "for His wrath will soon be kindled." But we should also rightly call upon the Lord in faith, that He, at such increase of apostasy and unbelief, would hasten hither with His dear Last Day, make an end of all abominations and offenses, thrust Satan and the children of wickedness down into the lake of fire to eternal damnation, but deliver His own out of all conflict and distress and bring them to completion in the triumphant Church.

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. Yea, come, Lord Jesus, Amen."

Born with joy, looked upon with sorrow.

Guess what that is? Sin. Sin is sweet in the beginning, bitter in the end. Sinned with pleasure, atoned for with pain.

A Letter of Consolation by Dr. Nicolaus Selnecker, written in time of pestilence to a good friend.*)

*) This letter of consolation is to be found in Dr. Nicolaus Selnecker's Auslegung des ganzen Psalters, as an appendix to the exposition of the 91st Psalm.

God's grace, peace, and blessing, through Jesus Christ, His dear Son, our Lord, be with us all! Amen. — Your cross is heartily grievous to me, and I faithfully pray God that He would graciously spare you and all of us, and forgive our sin for His Son's sake, and lessen the punishments. But I can neither counsel nor help you, save only by prayer and the Word of God. Therefore, beside my Our Father, I will here point out and impart to you a little from the Word of God, which, as I hope, will be acceptable to you, and by God's grace will give you comfort, strength, and help. May the dear, merciful God grant this.

We must and ought all to confess that the pestilences are assuredly punishments and sermons of repentance of God upon the impenitent world, which otherwise will not be instructed, taught, admonished, and corrected.

God gives His Word, by which we are to be guided and kept and led in the right way. And He always deals with us as a godly householder with his children and servants, or a good housewife with her maids. First He commands us through His Word and preaching how we are to conduct ourselves, what we are to do and leave undone, what we are to believe and how we are to live, and gives to each one his lesson, his office, calling, and work, which we are to perform. But if we do not follow Him, and obey not His voice, teaching, and admonition, then He begins, truly, to scold and to become displeased, and threatens and says: Prithee, I have commanded thee this or that; if thou wilt do it, so mayest thou do it; I will look on yet a while; if thou wilt not do it, thou shalt see, I will not make thee a present of it. Thinkest thou that I am always to speak with thee in vain, and thou wilt not follow me? After such scolding, if one still will not follow, He says in His wrath: A good year to thee, thou desperate knave, shall I teach thee manners and bring thee hither by the hair? thou shalt find it out, thou shalt be sorely punished, thou shalt confess it to no other, I will in truth thrust thee out of the house, and no longer suffer thee thy wantonness and disobedience. In such scolding God sometimes also gives a sample, and draws the disobedient children hither, sends them a cross, a fever, or some other sickness, poverty, and other misfortune. If one then still will not do right, He at last scolds in earnest and takes the rod in His hand, and scourges soundly, beats us with cudgels and lets us no more eat with Him at His table, that is, He scourges us with war, so that the blood runs down upon us; He smites us with pestilence, so that the boils and sores break out upon us. He forbids us His table, so that we must have hunger and dear times, and meanwhile, like naughty children, must sit upon the ground, fast or eat but little, and drives us to obedience as He can and may. If one then still will be stiff-necked and wilful, He does not delay long thereafter, but says: Come hither, I will reckon with thee; thou art not fit for me for a servant or a maid; go out of my house and do as thou wilt; thou shalt henceforth be neither my child nor my servant. I will disinherit thee and thrust thee to the place where thou belongest. When it now comes to this, that God thus speaks or lets it be spoken, whoever will still turn and say: Ah Father, have mercy upon me! Ah, be gracious, forgive the sin! and falls at the feet of God the Lord and about His neck, and kisses and caresses, with weeping eyes, His fatherly countenance and heart, he stands well and comes to right great grace, which shall last forever, so that God says: Well then, my child, dost thou acknowledge that thou hast been disobedient to me, and art heartily sorry, and desirest my grace and mercy, so arise, be of good cheer, all thy sins are forgiven thee, thou art my son, my daughter, my servant, it repenteth me that I have smitten thee; only follow me, thou shalt have a faithful father in me, and look for all good from me, etc.

But God speaks with us in such manner, as just now related, not only in His Word through faithful teachers, who are daily to admonish us to repentance, but also in His signs, which He lets us see from heaven, and clouds, and in all the elements, as now all the elements, besides the pestilence which we see before our eyes, and besides the great danger from the Turk, are our preachers of repentance, and all cry out: Woe! Woe! Ah God! Ah God! Alarm and murder upon your neck! you who will not be converted; as on the 7th of October we have now heard terrible, dreadful winds, and have seen bloody streams and fiery spears shoot against one another in the heavens, whereat we were justly all terrified, and prayed for grace and mercy.