# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 11 27_S55
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

55

as such to the holy Supper, without their first renouncing their error. We also confess unfeignedly that it is against our consciences when a Lutheran Synod receives members and afterwards makes editor of its organ men who reject the 10th Article of the Augsburg Confession and believe only a spiritual partaking of the holy Supper (not teach it?), as happened at Woodville, Ohio, at a mission festival. We testify here publicly that we never and nevermore demanded of our Synod and Society that it accept any Old Lutheran ceremonies, apart from the confessional ceremonies of the Lutheran Church, and that it remedy the evils already stated, for God's sake and for the sake of our conscience. Why, then, does one seek in that whole letter to cast all the blame of the separation upon us? We cannot refrain from earnestly holding up to our former Society the eighth commandment:

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."

Herewith we leave it also to every truth-loving reader to judge for himself whether in the year 1846 the separation of the Bavarian brethren from the Michigan Synod was brought about by "differences of opinion of an unessential kind," or not. —

Finally we would say briefly to the unnamed gentleman, who thinks that it is "folly" to force upon a congregation gathered out of heathenism a form determined beforehand, because the Spirit creates a form for itself, etc., — that we have until now had no need to force anything of the "form determined beforehand" upon our heathen congregation, which by God's grace has become a Christian one; that it rather rejoices heartily in this, as also in the Catechism of Luther, but especially in the pure Word and Sacrament which is proclaimed and administered to it; that we further despise the cleverness which the honored gentleman possesses and recommends, because we have in part, by God's grace, come to see and know the forms which the spirit of whom he speaks (if we are not mistaken) creates, in the many sects which boast of this spirit; but especially in the Methodists who labor here among the Indians, who, as we were eyewitnesses, create for themselves a form with which we want to have nothing to do; for we believe that when "the Spirit" impels people to hang their feet out over the pulpit before the assembled congregation, further, when the spirit impels them to overturn the stove during the sermon, to blow out the lights at nightly meetings, to baptize two and three times, etc. etc. etc., — that the same spirit is indeed a spirit, but not the Spirit who rules in Holy Scripture.

Finally we beg the clever gentleman, in the meantime, until he has convinced us from Holy Scripture and the Symbols of our Church that our form determined beforehand is unscriptural, to bear with our folly; but if he cannot do this, which we take the liberty of doubting from the outset, then we hold before him the word of the apostle, 1 Tim. 3, 6.; and we ask him also, for honesty's sake, to lay aside the Lutheran name.

J. J. F. Auch,
F. Maier, Missionaries.

Revivals.

The "Lutheran Standard" communicates in its next to last number two remarkable testimonies, the one from an Episcopalian, the other from a Methodist ("New York Advocate and Journal") paper, against the "new measures" that have arisen in the churches of those names and also in the so-called American Lutheran church. We cannot refrain from communicating one of them, the testimony of the Methodist, to our readers also. It reads as follows:

"It cannot be denied that the system of recruiting recruits for our church (of recruiting our church) by revivals (violent excitements) has been grossly abused, and that the faith of our preachers and of our people in the wholesomeness of such religious excitements has been mightily shaken. The plan of forcing a transient excitement with the help of men who follow the exciting of people as a trade has been of the most unfortunate consequences for the church. It was found that those converted by factory methods also had but a one-day life, and that the successful labors of the excitement preachers filled the classes with probationers, while the regular preachers had only so much the greater trouble and the thankless business of ridding themselves of these careless and irreligious members. Likewise, from various causes, the camp-meetings have become wholly unfruitful, and many of our most clear-sighted preachers and members have found it necessary to turn attention away from them."

The Procession of the Children.

On the morning of the 3rd of December 1800 the inhabitants of the neighborhood of St. Wolfgang near Hohenlinden could not suppose that by noon it would go so stormily about their quiet cottages between the Imperials and the French; they therefore sent their children, as usual, to school to the sexton, who lived in the forest two or three hours' walk from their lonely farms. After morning school was over the children sat quite quietly in the room and ate with good appetite their noon bread which they had brought from home, and thought of nothing. Then suddenly one heard the noise of musket fire and the thunder of cannon. And the sexton, who at once guessed what that meant, went out and saw and heard now, to his terror, that the battle was already near, and that the children could no longer return to their home. In the anguish of his heart he took a resolution which was probably the best that he could take in this distressed situation. He fetched the crucifix from the little church and set the children in order, pair by pair, and so he went with the little ones, singing a spiritual hymn, with the sign of peace at the head, across the battlefield, past the Pandours and the sans-culottes. And the wild men did the little ones no harm, and let them pass on in peace. And so they came safely to St. Wolfgang, where the poor little orphans were kindly received and cared for by the inhabitants until toward evening their parents came and took them home. And the parents forgot the misery which they had, that their cottages were plundered, for joy that not one of their dear ones was lost.

Who counts himself a fool,
Is soon made a wise man.
(Brant, Narrenschiff.)

Testimonies from Luther's Writings on how necessary the ministry is, and how grievously those sin who despise it, and who would excuse and cover over their contempt of the public preaching with their domestic worship.

Let this be earnestly said of the ministry, that it be known that we confess, as it is also eternal unchangeable truth, that the ministry and the service of the Sacraments is necessary, and that the Church is bound to it, and that there are no people of God, no elect, except only in the multitude where the voice of the Gospel and of the Sacraments is. (Wittenberg Instrument of Reformation of the year 1545. See: Luthers Werke, Hallische Ausgabe, Tom. XVII, Seite 1442.)

Although God spoke with Paul from heaven (Acts 9, 4—6.), yet He will not abolish the ministry, nor make anything special for anyone; but directs him into the city to the pulpit or pastor, there he shall hear and learn what is to be learned. . . For He wills that we should go and hear the Gospel from those who preach it. There one shall find Him and nowhere else. The factious spirits let the ministry stand, sit meanwhile in a corner, and wait there for the Holy Ghost. But they come right, and find, instead of the gracious little dove, a black raven, the devil himself. For why would they force our LORD God to let them see something special? Paul himself, who hears the bodily voice and Word of the LORD Christ, and is to become the highest preacher, must go into the city and hear Ananias. There, says Christ, "go thy way"; He will make nothing special for him, nor teach and baptize him further in the field, but directs him to Ananias in the city, where His Word and Baptism are. . . So that