# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1847 01 26_S59
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

"God's Word and Luther's teaching shall now and nevermore pass away."

Published by C. F. W. Walther.

St. Louis, Mo., January 26, 1847. No. 11.

Volume 3.

Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks, at a subscription price of one dollar for out-of-town subscribers, who must pay half of this in advance and bear the postage. — In St. Louis, each single issue is sold for 5 cents.

Remarkable Letter
of a Noble Lady, Frau von Reibnitz

of Silesia, who in the year 1703, for the sake of the Evangelical-Lutheran religion, left her fatherland and all her goods and possessions with six mostly young children.
Published with a brief historical preface and some notes by C. H. von Bogatzky.
(Conclusion.)

All the other children were of this same mind. Only I was so very weak, while the children, great and small, were all of good courage, so that my ever-faithful God truly had to drive me forward by means of my own children; so unruly was my old Adam's nature. Yet I had to feel the special urging of the Holy Spirit, for He dealt with us quite plainly and clearly. I cried earnestly to God that He would strengthen me, and lighten what was so heavy. This too my Savior heard, and gave me the grace that on the 22nd of May, without my people knowing what it meant, I set out in the name of Jesus with my poor six children; but how hard that was, no one can believe.*)

My son encouraged me in this, saying: "Dear Mother, our Jesus was far smaller than we, when for our sake He went into misery, and you, as a true Christian who knows God's will and command, are doing likewise! What am I to do, since I have yet to truly learn what a Christian is? — God strengthen you." This calmed me greatly, and so I traveled, in the name of Jesus, the first day as far as Seifersdorf, and on the 23rd of the same month to Wiesa near Greifenberg, where the dear Mr. Schwedler was the first to receive me in my exile — may God repay him for it in time and eternity. I must not forget here that, as I left my house, God, through two pious hearts who had noticed my flight, granted me 5 Reichsthaler; this encouraged me greatly. Thus did my God lead me, weak as I was, by the hand.

The following, too, is a true, wondrous kindness of my ever-faithful God. When, some weeks earlier, my intention had been told, at Sorau, at the burial of the late Count, to a noble and true Christian woman of Silesia to whom I had confided my heart's distress, the Count von Reuss XXIV had at first listened without being moved; but afterward he was troubled in his mind by it, and the great God had so guided his heart that he wrote from Sorau to this noble lady that, as he found, God wished him to take up the cause of this young Reibnitz family, and asked her therefore to encourage me and to tell me: "If the child, for Christ's sake, would leave its natural father, then I should send him to him; he would be its father." This letter, however, they did not trust themselves to send to me directly, but sent it instead to Mr. M. Schwedler. When I came to him very downcast, the dear Magister brought it to me to my great comfort, assured me strongly, from God's Word, of my God's wonderful providence, and urged me to travel to Friedersdorf (to Mr. von Schweinitz), where I would be advised where I might bring the children to safety; for he could not advise me to leave the children there and go back to Silesia. Since I was there entirely a stranger, I was greatly afraid of being a burden to the dear Friedersdorf household. But necessity drove me there. The dear Pastor Schwedler also assured me that they were truly genuine Christians.

When I arrived there and asked for advice, I found there such active Christian hearts, who showed me their Christian love in deed — may the great God repay them for it in time and eternity. The dear Mr. von Friedersdorf, who has likewise received great gifts of understanding from God, also advised me against going to Silesia, for they would not treat me, as I had imagined, as a lady, but would rather want to make an example of me; he advised me to go to Lauban, and to expect letters there from my dear husband. Now my sorrow began; I could not compose myself for heartache. My great love for my dear husband distressed me, and Satan too did not rest. For the temptation — that I had broken my marriage vow of fidelity — sought to overwhelm me; I felt none of the usual comfort; in Lauban I knew no one; I had little money to live on. I now had to send my people back from there and hire an unfamiliar conveyance, so that it would not soon be known where I was, until I should see how my dear husband would conduct himself; there was distress, there was heartache — it is inexpressible. But God is faithful, who could work His work better in the children than in my corrupted Adam's nature; they were of good courage and full of joy, simply glad to be out of danger. Indeed, as we drove across the Silesian border, and I was very sorrowful, a loud shout of jubilation and praise of God broke out among my children. And in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. von Friedersdorf, my three-year-old child addressed me thus: "Little mother, do not weep, God still lives!" This so moved these Christian hearts that they showed this mercy and took this child in with them; for which may God be praised forever.

When I arrived in Lauban, I had already been recommended to the Rector, Mr. M. Hoffmann, and to Mr. M. Edelmann, the deacon; they too received me willingly — may the great God repay them for it in time and eternity! The Rector had already arranged for lodging, and also assured me of my God's faithful providence; both of them also showed me how I had not broken the marriage, since I had, after all, continued to love my dear husband constantly, and had only, for the sake of the children's salvation, as a faithful mother, and only for a time, removed myself from him. But my heart would scarcely be comforted.

My dear husband, to whom I had reported my flight by letter, immediately sent out three messengers to seek me; his grief, too, was overwhelming. On the holy day of Pentecost, that is, early on the 27th of May, as I was about to go to church, a messenger came and brought me a letter from my dear husband, in which he complained very movingly, yet altogether kindly and lovingly; he brought painfully to my mind how I had broken my marriage vow of fidelity toward him; it was so painful to him that his wife's faithfulness had departed from him, that he had to lie in bed from heartache. Then my wounds were made quite fresh again; there was fear; no comfort would hold; there was such trembling that it seemed to me it would now be impossible to overcome it—

*) However weak a person may be, and however strongly he may feel the unruly nature of Adam, if he only truly wishes to do the will of the Lord, and asks and pleads for strength, the Lord will surely strengthen him and help him through every obstacle, whatever it may cost.