# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1845 08 17_S101
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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Der Lutheraner.

"God's Word and Luther's teaching shall pass away neither now nor evermore."

Published by C. F. W. Walther.

Volume 1.

St. Louis, Mo., August 23, 1845.

No. 26.

Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks, at a subscription price of one dollar and twenty-five cents for out-of-town subscribers, half of which they must pay in advance, and who must also bear the postage. — In St. Louis, each single issue is sold for 6¼ cents.

(Submitted by Pastor Keyl.)

Life History of Dr. Luther.
(Conclusion.)

In the year 1537 the Lutheran princes held an assembly at Schmalkalden, at which the articles Luther had composed at their request were signed and designated for presentation to the general council that had been announced. The Lutheran church has likewise received these Schmalkald Articles into the number of its public confessions. Luther also traveled to Schmalkalden and there delivered several very important sermons on the three articles of the Christian faith and on Matthew 4:1ff., in which he gives a brief survey of the whole history of the church and shows what the church of Christ, as well as Christ its head, and every individual Christian, must suffer from the devil — namely, how in the first three centuries he tempted Christendom to fall away from Christ as a black devil, through outward tyranny; and when this did not succeed, how he assailed it as a white devil, falsely appealing to Holy Scripture, through various heresies, especially the Arian heresy; and how finally, as a divine devil in the papacy, he let himself be worshiped through self-chosen works and forms of worship — but how, at the time of the Reformation, the divine mask was stripped from him through the Word of God, and power was taken from him over all those who believe this Word.

While he was still at Schmalkalden, Luther was overtaken by the most violent pains of the stone, so severe that he himself and others thought his death was at hand. All the princes and lords present visited him, and when his devout Elector came to his sickbed, Luther told him, in a prophetic spirit, that after his death a division would arise at the University of Wittenberg and his teaching would be altered — for even then Melanchthon was suspected of being ready, out of a false love of peace, to depart easily from strict truth. The Elector, whom Luther's words filled with much anxiety, declared to him firmly and decisively that, although he well knew the university's reputation and renown were ascribed to Melanchthon's learning, he would rather do without him than allow harm to be done to the truth, even should the university itself perish over it. He then comforted the ailing Luther with these words: "Our dear Lord God will be gracious to us for the sake of his Word and his name, and will prolong your life, dear father" — and when he had said this, he turned away, for his eyes filled with tears.

But as the pains grew ever more violent, Luther asked to be brought to Wittenberg; this was done, at the Elector's wish, in his own carriage, to which another was added, laden with many implements for the care of the precious sick man. At the same time two of the prince's own physicians were ordered to do everything in their power to restore him. As he left Schmalkalden, he commended himself to the prayer of the church and made his brief Christian confession: "He would remain with the Lord Christ and his Word, and knew no other righteousness in his heart than the precious blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses him and all who believe it from all sins out of pure grace, as his books, together with the Augsburg Confession, freely confess." At his departure he called out to his friends: "God fill you with hatred against the pope" — that is, they should not only remain unconfused by the pope's doctrine, but should also remain, steadfastly to their end, public enemies of its idolatry. Already in the carriage he had made his will and held himself ready, should his dear Lord Christ come to take him to himself, to receive him with joy. But behold, the Lord once more delivered him from all his sickness after eleven days of suffering. This happened at Tambach, a small village in the Thuringian Forest. There, therefore, full of praise and thanksgiving, he wrote these words: "This is my Peniel; there the Lord appeared to me" — just as he once blessed and delivered the patriarch Jacob when he wrestled with the Lord (Genesis 32:30). When he was asked what remedy had helped him against the stone, he answered: "Prayer" — for in all the Christian congregations, he said, they had prayed earnestly for him according to the command of St. James, chapter 5:14-15.

At Gotha he was met by the envoys of the Upper German Reformed churches, Bucer and Lycosthenes, who were traveling to Schmalkalden to further the previous year's Concord. Although Luther was still rather weak, he nevertheless had them come to him and spoke with them in a friendly manner. Among other things he said that the best course in the matter would be for them henceforth to keep quiet, to teach rightly, and to confess freely and plainly: "Dear friends, God has let us fall, we have erred; let us now take care and teach rightly, for one cannot manage matters by mincing words, nor can people's consciences be quieted by such evasions. God will also demand of us a strict account for our teaching; therefore in our office we dare give nothing away from God." From this whole conversation, as well as from several of Luther's letters, it is plainly evident that the Reformed party's claim — that he had at that time inclined toward their doctrine — is unfounded; for while out of love he showed every possible gentleness and began once more to hope for the best, in the doctrine itself he did not depart a hairsbreadth from his former confession.

After Luther had returned to Wittenberg in good health, he went on eagerly again with prayer, study, lectures, and preaching. In particular, he expounded from the pulpit Christ's farewell discourses according to John, chapters 14-16, which Dr. Creutziger took down and then had printed. Luther himself declared this work to be the best book he had made, but added with great humility: "although I did not make it, but Dr. Creutziger showed his great understanding and high diligence in it."

Now while Luther enjoyed fairly good peace from foreign enemies, and saw with joy that for all their snorting and defiance they accomplished little — while, on the contrary, ever more cities and lands were accepting the gospel — there arose, around the year 1538, a secret division among his own students, which grieved Luther deeply; for false teachers appeared who wanted to banish the law, as well as the doctrine of good works, from the church, and to bring people to repentance solely through the preaching of Christ crucified, for which reason they were called stormers of the law, or Antinomians. But when the instigator of this—