# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 08 07_S195
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

195

will make thee blessed. I will help thee, and that out of pure grace: thou needest not earn it of me, nor set up any worship out of thine own conceit: thou shalt not have the glory before me, that thou buyest anything of me by thy merit; I will not regard thy service. If I am to be thy God, then I give thee all things for nothing, body and life, wife and child, fields, meadows, riches, honor and goods, forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Which are divine works and gifts, that I give thee: and thou canst give me nothing for them, nor do anything, save only thank me, praise and laud me; not for that which thou art yet to receive, but for that which thou hast now received. For thanksgiving goeth only upon the goods received, not upon that which thou shouldest yet receive. Whatever would lead thee away from this meaning, that put away.

"The image-stormers, however, rush in, tear down the images outwardly. That I would not so much oppose. But they add thereto: it must be, and it pleaseth God well. Therewith they do nothing else but this, that they draw the images out of the eyes, and set them into the hearts of the people, perverting the meaning of this commandment. Therewith they deny GOD, and moreover boast that they tear down the images according to God's command and Word. The devil on their head! when they tear down one, they set up well-nigh twenty again in the hearts: and of that same false confidence, that the rabble thinketh it doeth God a pleasure with the tearing down of the images, they say not a word.

"So this is now the right understanding, that heathen and Jews have the LORD for a God who giveth all things for nothing, etc., let Moses say it, or who will. Moreover God commanded the Jewish people through Moses, that they should not have images, whereby they would set up a worship. The other images are not forbidden to the Jews either; though they have been so foolish, and have interpreted it, that it beseemeth them to have no image at all. So then, in sum, there is required in the first commandment a right faith and confidence in God, and nothing outward is commanded therein. But this no man can have, unless the Holy Ghost first give it into the heart."

(Contributed.)

With one hand they did the work, with the other they held the weapons. Neh. 4, 17.

Though now and then, it may be, there has been contention for the sake of contending, and because men found pleasure in strife, yet it is nonetheless true that the whole life of every Christian ought to be a conflict, carried on out of and in faith, against all that is false, ungodly and unscriptural. Who would want to deny that many people who are always fond of speaking of peace do this often only that they may not be disturbed in their ease, nor torn out of their repose? Lukewarmness, indifference and sloth hold them captive. Others wish that darkness might cover the earth and gross darkness the peoples, and that spiritual sleep might be poured out over the children of men, so that in the interest of the enemy and in their own, while men sleep, they may the more conveniently sow tares among the wheat. It is good fishing in troubled waters! Still others may perhaps, as sincere meek ones, wish to inherit the earth, and as peacemakers to be called the children of God; but—must not at times a fight be fought for true peace, as well in one's own heart, by a struggle against flesh, world, sin and Satan, as also outwardly against unbelief of every sort, fanaticism and sectarian factious spirit? So long as there are enemies of our faith and of our salvation, the strife may not cease. Not for nothing saith the Apostle, 1 Tim. 6, 12: "Fight the good fight of faith!" If only the building be not forgotten in the fighting, and to the former be directed the chief attention, the most care and the greater diligence, as is admittedly done in the Lutheran Church especially through the training of the young, through watching over pure doctrine and the right use of the holy Sacraments, then there would not be so great danger in the fighting. Then surely the Pauline spirit found in the Lutheran Church must not be taken amiss even now, if, resting upon Christ in living faith, and conscious of its right, it reproveth and rebuketh, on the ground of Holy Scripture, the Petrine conduct where it is "not right according to the truth of the Gospel," as Gal. 2, 14. Doth not old Valerius Herberger already say (see Evang. Herz-Postille, edited by J. T. L. Tauscher. Sorau, 1840. p. 552): "If a faithful pastor of souls will not be a parasite, a feather-picker and a seducer, but will have a good conscience and leave an honest name behind him, then he must not only say plainly and clearly what is true, but also punish with earnestness what is false, erroneous and wrong, and thoroughly refute it out of God's Word. Therefore St. Paul bindeth these two parts upon the two young preachers, Timothy, 1 Cap. 2, 15. 16, and Titus, Cap. 1, 9, and saith, they shall not only be apt to teach and mighty to exhort in sound doctrine, but also to convince the gainsayers. He doth it also himself, Acts 20, 28 ff., where he warneth the elders of Ephesus at Miletus, likewise the Galatians, Cap. 5, 1, and the Colossians, Cap. 1, 9, and there he taketh a fair similitude from their great colossi and wonder-pillars, which were carried up from a deep foundation of pure hewn stones, cast together and clamped, and overlaid with brass, so that they could be thrown down by no tempest, and saith, they shall continue grounded in the faith, and steadfast and unmovable from the hope of the Gospel. In the little book of Nehemiah, Cap. 4, 17, there standeth a very fair picture: The Israelites must build with one hand, and with the other hand hold the weapons, against the roving bands of the enemies. Preachers are spiritual builders. Ps. 118, 22. For they tap at the dilapidated hearts of their hearers. Therefore they must not only on the one side keep the right religion, but also on the other side refute all that would run to the harm of this building of souls. All discreet physicians also do it so, they help their patient not only to right health, but warn him also against all harmful things.

"Even this manner the Chief among all preachers upon earth, JESUS Christ, observeth also. He hath hitherto, in the Gospels treated, comprised all that belongeth to soundness in faith and life; today (on the VIII. Sunday after Trinity) He turneth the leaf, warneth faithfully against that which might be harmful to us both in matters of faith and also in life. For He speaketh at once of false prophets and false Christians."

C. A. S.

Encouraging Examples of Children Dying Joyfully in the Time of the Plague.

From Scriver's Seelen-Schatz.

One findeth in the historians that in the years 1347 and 1348 the plague raged dreadfully everywhere, so that some have written, there had not been such a miserable time since the Flood, which wasted so many men, especially as whole cities and countries died out, and the cattle ran about in the field and grew wild, because there was none who would have taken care of them. At that time in Lübeck alone about 90,000 persons are said to have died. But in such great misery this was especially remarkable and comforting to the people, that the dear youth and the little children looked death in the face with singular joyfulness, and gave their inward assurance of eternal life to be understood by singing, praising God, laughing and rejoicing. Among others it is related that a maiden of 12 years, when she lay mortally sick of the pestilence, unexpectedly with a gracious and joyful countenance began to clap her hands, to laugh and to rejoice. When she was asked why she was so joyful? she began: Ah! see ye not the open heaven, and how so many brightly shining lights are ever going up? When it was desired to know what lights they were, she answered: They are the souls of the elect, which the holy angels lead to heaven. But that ye may know that it is true what I say, take this for a sign: This night I shall depart hence, and ye, dear mother, shall follow me on the third day; thereupon she stretched forth her hand, and pointed out seven other persons, and named the time when each one should take his departure from the world, which also came to pass accordingly.

Scriver relates further:

When in the year 1629 the plague in my native land (Rendsburg in Holstein) had got the upper hand