# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 07 10_S180
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

180

§ 13. The Publishing Board holds annually, at the time and place of the general meeting, a regular meeting, but can also, besides this, in urgent emergencies, upon the call of the President, assemble extraordinarily at any time.

§ 14. Should at any time a vacancy occur in the Publishing Board or in the body of officers, the same shall be filled provisionally by a member of the Society to be designated by the Board, which, however, must be confirmed by the same at the next general meeting.

§ 15. Except the manager mentioned under § 12c., no officer shall receive compensation for his services.

§ 16. In all votes, with the exception of the case mentioned in § 11, a majority of votes decides, and the possession of each share, so far as the holder is a member of the Society, entitles to the casting of one vote. Absentees can be represented by a member of the Society, which, however, is to be proved in writing. In case of a tie the presiding officer decides.

§ 17. Alterations of this Constitution or additions to the same can be made only in a regular annual meeting of the Society with the consent of the holders of at least two thirds of all shares, with the express condition that the purpose stated in § 1, the conditions for membership set forth in § 2, the provisions made in § 11, and this § 17 itself shall remain unaltered at all times.

We lay before the dear readers of the Lutheraner in the present number the Constitution of our Society, formed during the last Synodical convention, and wish to add to it only a few words, in order, God willing, to encourage very many of our dear fellow-believers to give vigorous support to our undertaking. In the formation of the Society, whose origin we owe, next to God, to the friendly suggestion of two members of the congregation of Rev. Keyl at Milwaukee, we had before our eyes first of all the great lack of orthodox writings prevailing in this country, which makes it impossible for many a faithful soul to become acquainted with the excellent testimonies of our Church; then, too, we wished with God's help to do our part to counteract the sentimental pietism of our time, which is ever increasing through the manifold distribution of heterodox tracts, and which will know nothing of the unshaken adherence to the whole Word, of the unchangeable fidelity in faith, and of the joyful confession of the whole truth. We directed our attention also especially to those of our brethren in the faith who live scattered here and there in the woods and prairies of our new fatherland, and can attend the beautiful divine services either not at all or only seldom, and we believed we could put into their hands, especially by the publication of the writings of the blessed Dr. Martin Luther, a means from the faithful use of which rich blessing and manifold encouragement not to miss the right way might grow for them. Since the Society does not seek its own, but will always keep in view the purpose of distributing orthodox writings at the lowest possible price, it hopes also to be able to offer to the less wealthy an opportunity to procure, at least in part, the glorious treasure of the testimonies of that man of God, Dr. Luther. Care will be taken to reproduce the text wholly unaltered. The prefaces and notes, if any, Rev. Walther in St. Louis has had the kindness to undertake.

Proceeding from the conviction that among the readers of the "Lutheraner" there is still many a one who recognizes and laments with us the distress indicated above, and who, as a faithful steward, gladly employs for the honor of God the perishable goods entrusted to him for a time by God, we turn now confidently to our dear brethren in the faith, and beg them to help promote the good work by the speedy taking of one or more shares. Our means are indeed as yet weak and our powers small, but our confidence in the LORD JESUS, in whose name and to whose honor alone we have begun our work, is so much the greater, and we comfort ourselves with this, that it has always been His way to accomplish great things in His holy kingdom through weak means and instruments. If the undertaking finds the expected support, the Society hopes to begin very soon with the publication of the smaller writings of the blessed Luther, and in this especially such writings shall be considered as are better suited than others to the circumstances of our country and our time. For this purpose the following writings of Luther have already been selected: Letter to the Bohemians; the Great Confession concerning the Holy Supper; two letters on Rebaptism; the writing, that children should be sent to school.

Those who wish to take part in our undertaking are asked to send the whole amount or three fifths of the amount of one or more shares to the manager of the Society, Rev. August Selle at Chicago, Ills., within eight weeks. After payment of the whole amount of the shares a certificate of loan will be sent to the person concerned by the secretary of the Society.

Letters are requested postpaid.

May the faithful God let the work begun in looking up to Him redound to the glorification of His name as well as to the benefit of His holy Church! Amen.

The Publishing Board of the Publishing Society of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States.

Keyl (President). Selle (Manager).
Sihler. Walther. Eilers. Tesch. Wolter.
Hoffmann (Secretary).

By order of the Society
Hoffmann, Secretary.
Schaumburg, Ill., June 1849.

Proceedings of the Pastoral Conference at Fort Wayne, Ind.

Monday evening, June 11, 1849.*)

*) According to the Constitution of the Synod of Missouri, etc., the time of the annual sessions of the Synod shall also be used for holding general pastoral conferences. This has also been done during the time of the recently held meeting.

Pastor C. F. W. Walther was elected President, Pastor L. W. Habel Secretary.

First there came up for discussion:

1. Whether it is right, for the sake of some weak ones who are joining a congregation, to let something of the liturgical service drop?

whereupon it was answered with Yes! since the commandment of love surpasses all human laws and requires that one spare weak consciences and, in certain cases, yield one's Christian liberty, which one must firmly maintain against heretics. Yet it should be worked for, through instruction, that the scruples be removed.

2. To this was joined the question:

Whether there can also be cases where, out of love to the neighbor, one may even let something of the confessional ceremonies drop, and especially: whether it is right to administer the Holy Supper to an otherwise believing soul if she demands, contrary to the practice of our Church, to break the bread?

Answer: Yes! — For the case may occur that a person who is in a false church desires from us the Holy Supper on his deathbed. If we can now convince ourselves that he has the right faith in Christ and also believes that in the holy Sacrament we are fed and given to drink with Christ's true body and blood, it would be against love to withhold from him on that account the pledge of his salvation, because he cannot be convinced that the breaking of the bread is a non-essential matter in the case. — To be sure, many of the healthy may take offense if in such a case we depart from our customary usage; yet the Christian would soon let himself be convinced that it is at any rate better to grant to a poor, tempted soul in its last hour the longing desire for the Lord's Supper, and so to comfort the conscience, than to expose it to the danger of being overcome by Satan and thus dying away without comfort and hope.