# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_October 1857_S319
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Church and Contemporary History.   319

...league, which is shortly to appear among us also with its speeches as the congregation of the saints that has now taken on a shape — whereas that congregation nevertheless remains, until the Lord comes, an object of faith — has entered into a fraternization with the Baptists, then that is a betrayal of the church. On their side, however, the Baptists, who despite years of agitation and for all the toleration shown them — indeed probably in consequence of this toleration — have hitherto been able to recruit only 3333 disciples in the whole Prussian land and only 166 in the city of Berlin, hope by means of this connection to procure a wider spread for their false doctrine."

Saxony. When inquiry was lately made in the proper quarter whether the Catholic hospital foundation at Dresden might be handed over to the "Sisters of Mercy," the answer of the ministry of worship, as is reported, was to this effect: that it had not been able to advise His Majesty to call in the Sisters of Mercy, "because these, even if not as sisters of an order, are yet to be regarded as quasi regulares, and because according to the Saxon constitutional charter the establishment of monasteries and the admission of orders is not permissible." Certainly in these later times, when the orders are almost everywhere smuggling themselves in again, a rare example! — On the occasion of the report that the Emperor of Russia has lately demanded of the respective superiors-general in Paris no fewer than 500 Sisters of Mercy for Russian hospitals, the "Univers" remarks: "It is indisputable that in the new politics the chief conquests are in the end assuredly made by the Catholic church." That may well not be unfounded!

Lutheran mission. On the occasion of the anniversary celebration of the Ev. Luth. Mission at Leipzig on the 3rd of June 1857, five candidates for the mission office were solemnly sent out for East India by the co-director Dr. Besser: Blomstrand and Rydén from Sweden, Kelber and Stählin from Bavaria, and Wendlandt from Hanover. The questions laid before them on this occasion were the following: "I ask you then before the face of God and before these witnesses: Do you truly stand in the confession of our Ev. Luth. church? Are you ready to teach and to live in accordance with this confession? Are you resolved to set everything after your holy calling, to shun no toil and distress, no persecution and torment, and even, if it must be, to give up your life for the name of the Lord Jesus?" The missionaries answered, each singly, with a handclasp: "Yes, with my whole heart; whereto may God give me the power and grace of His Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ. Amen." Thereupon they knelt down and were now consecrated with the words: "Go forth and bring forth much fruit! May the God of peace sanctify you wholly, and may your whole spirit, together with soul and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calls you, who will also do it. Amen." Finally the following also spoke, with laying on of hands, a word of blessing over one of the missionaries each: consistorial councillor Münchmeyer, praepositus Salfeld, Prof. Dr. Thomasius, Pastor Kelber (the father of the missionary Kelber) and Pastor Dr. Ahlfeld. The Leipzig Missionsblatt communicates further the following: "An hour after the festival service the plenipotentiaries of the associated principal societies assembled in the hall of the mission house for the general meeting. This time many of them had come. The acting chairman of the collegium, Dr. Kahnis, greeted those assembled, and after a greeting in return from Prof. Dr. Thomasius, the former called upon the Lord for the assistance of His Spirit.

Director Graul now gave a survey of the state of our mission in East India and at home. The number of souls among our heathen Christians has risen from 4166 to 4602; the number of places which our mission embraces, from 142 to 163. Of the heathen there were baptized in the previous year (1855–1856) 127, in this one (1856–1857) 115; received from other confessional bodies: in the previous year 258, in this one 221. Schools existed in the previous year to the number of 38, in this one 45; pupils numbered in the previous year 1031, in this one 1100. In this year as in the previous one there labored 9 missionaries and 2 na-