# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_November 1856_S350
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

350 Miscellaneous Church News.

Pastor K. Wolff in Meseritz. Of this man — a faithful worker known to many
a member of our synod in the Prussian Lutheran church — the "Kirchenblatt"
reports that, by God's wonderful, unsearchable decree, he suddenly fell into
madness and was taken to a hospital there in Breslau, and is later to be
received into an institution in the province of Posen.

Thoughts of Peace from Our Prussian Brethren in Germany.
We read the following in the "Kirchenblatt für die ev.-luth. Gem. in
Preußen": "While the pastors of the Militzsch Lutheran diocese were
assembled a while ago in Posen for a diocesan synod, the 'Lutheran
Provincial Association of the Province of Posen' was meeting there at the
same time. From this body a deputation was sent to our assembly, to greet
it and to express the grief of those of Lutheran mind within the territorial
church over the separation existing between them and us, and their wish and
longing for union with us. — Our pastors, shortly before the deputation's
appearance, had resolved on a motion to our forthcoming general synod, to
the effect that the synod should consider whether something might be done
on our side to open the way toward a union with the Lutherans in the
territorial church. — — In communicating this fact, we too express our
heartfelt wish that a true union, pleasing to God, might come about between
the Lutherans of the territorial church and ourselves. The ground of a true
church union is unity in doctrine. If this now exists between those of
Lutheran mind in the territorial church and ourselves, then only false
considerations, only sin (for as it is sin to wish to unite in church fellowship
without unity in doctrine, so it is likewise sin to remain separated in church
fellowship when this unity is present) can any longer keep us apart, and
church union will follow as soon as we on both sides free ourselves from
everything and let go of all that has hitherto necessarily been a hindrance to
our being one in the church." — We attach to these golden words of the
highly esteemed man, Pastor Ehlers, no overly sanguine hopes; we know
quite well what a high wall still rises to heaven between our Prussian fellow
believers and those of Lutheran mind within the Prussian territorial church:
yet we confess gladly that it was with a rejoicing heart that we read these
words. They are to us precious witnesses that, in our own fatherland as well,
as a consequence of the growing number of voices being raised for the old
Lutheran truth in the most varied camps, there stirs, ever more among those
who find themselves led by the Lord to the same knowledge, the deepest
longing also for outward union. This longing does not come from flesh and
blood; it is beyond doubt a working of the Spirit of truth, who is at the same
time a Spirit of peace; and the God who has awakened this longing has done
so — who could deny it — undoubtedly because he intends, in his grace, to
satisfy this longing, on both sides alike. O, that he would help us, that he
might never have to complain of any one of us: "How often would I have
gathered you together, and ye would not."

The Reformed in Germany and America. Among these too the
longing for union is stirring. From the Reformed church newspaper of
Chambersburg we learn that, on the occasion of the evangelical Kirchentag
assembled in Lübeck, the German Reformed members present held a special
conference and set a general assembly of German Reformed preachers and
laymen to be held next year in Bremen. It is stated there: "The remaining,
exclusively Reformed congregations in Germany have no ecclesiastical
organization. They have no synod and no ministerial assemblies of any kind.
The assembly in Bremen is intended to aim at an organization and to remedy
this deficiency." — We read further in the same paper: "The triennial
convention of the German Reformed Church (of the United States) met on
October 3 in Winchester, Va. Three committees were appointed. The third
consisted of the Reverend Dr. Schaff, Schuford, and the elder