# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1847 03 23_S82
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

made him out to be a saint and a martyr. Ah, Lord God, what a saint and a martyr! For in this little book he not only remains an enemy of the Sacrament, but becomes altogether a heathen — so finely has he improved, as I had hoped! You can note this from it: among other things he addresses that king as follows: There (that is, in heaven) you will see, in one and the same company, all holy, wise, pious, manly, honorable people, the redeemed and the Redeemer: Adam, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, Phinehas, Elijah, Elisha, also Isaiah and the Virgin Mother of God, of whom he prophesied, David, Hezekiah, Josiah, the Baptist, Peter, Paul, Hercules, Theseus, Socrates, Aristides, Antigonus, Numa, Camillus, the Catos, the Scipios, and all your ancestors who died in the faith, etc. This stands in the little book which, as has been said, is supposed to be the golden and very best little book, composed shortly before his end. Now say, whoever wishes to be a Christian, what need is there of Baptism, the Sacrament of Christ, the Gospel, or the Prophets and Holy Scripture, if such godless heathen as Socrates, Aristides, indeed the abominable Numa — who first established all idolatry at Rome through the devil's revelation, as St. Augustine writes — and Scipio the Epicurean, are blessed together with the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles in heaven, though they knew nothing at all of God, Scripture, the Gospel, Christ, Baptism, the Sacrament, or the Christian faith? What else can such a writer, preacher, and teacher believe about the Christian faith, than that it is the same as every kind of faith, and that anyone can be saved in his own faith — even an idolater and an Epicurean, like Numa and Scipio.

Since, then, in this little book Zwingli has not only fallen away from the Marburg agreement (indeed, he never meant it in earnest), but has become much worse, having in fact turned heathen — and since the fanatics, his companions, nevertheless praise and honor such a little book, in which far greater abominations stand — I too have given up all my hope for their improvement, and have so entirely disregarded them that I have not even wished to write against such a little book, still less to pray further for them, because I have seen that all my former writings and admonitions, together with the Christian love and faithfulness I showed at Marburg, had to be so ill applied and so shamefully wasted."

Let no one ask any longer whose fault it was that a true union did not come about at that time. The Lutherans convicted their opponents of their errors; they hoped and prayed that even the last scruple might be removed; they maintained friendship and peace to the very end — but all in vain; everything foundered on the faithlessness of the Reformed. Let us too follow the fine Christian example of our noble fathers, rejecting every false union just as steadfastly as we zealously seek a brotherly union with those of other belief on the basis of the truth.

Therefore we also ask you, Lutherans, as our brothers for Christ's sake: when your preachers hold to pure doctrine with holy earnestness and resist sectarian teachings, love them all the more for their faithfulness and follow them; gather yourselves all the more closely around the banner of the old apostolic confession, so that souls too may be won for the truth through your word.

Everyone who believes God's Word from the heart is our brother in Christ, for such a person necessarily agrees in his heart with our confession — perhaps without even knowing it himself — since our confession contains nothing but the pure sense of Scripture. Would that the scattered children of God might be brought into heartfelt fellowship! Prayer, and a decided yet at the same time loving and humble testimony to the truth of our doctrine, are the means by which every Lutheran, according to his gift, can help ensure that the union founded on truth gains ever more friends. So shall we together, through unity of faith, be incorporated into the one holy Church, and be true sons of the heavenly Jerusalem, the free woman, who is the mother of us all, and members of the spiritual body of which Jesus Christ is the Head, praised from eternity to eternity.

(Submitted.)
The "Confirmation Machine and the Heathen Sacrament" of old Father Peter Schmucker.

We poor unconverted Lutherans are falling into ever worse repute with the holy Methodists. We had of course known for a long time that they consider all of us "unconverted," and, what is worst of all, we have no desire whatsoever to be converted in the Methodist manner, and so we are, in the Methodists' eyes, poor lost sinners. But now Peter Schmucker says in No. 10 of the Christian Apologist that we even have a "Confirmation Machine." What sort of thing might that be, I wondered. I have, after all, been in many Lutheran lands and churches, but nowhere have I seen a "Confirmation Machine," nor even heard of one. I asked others about it, examined the Bible and old history books on the matter, but I did not find the slightest trace of any such thing. In the end, Peter Schmucker must mean the Lutheran confirmation. But he is called by the Methodists "old Father Schmucker," and he would truly have to be an old malicious rogue if he meant to condemn the fact that at confirmation children joyfully confess their faith before God and men, and voluntarily promise that, with God's help, they will remain faithful to their Lord and His Church, and upon such confession partake of the Holy Supper. So I had again missed the mark. Perhaps Peter Schmucker himself invented the confirmation machine? For everyone knows that here in America much is done with machines, and that the Methodists have invented their own "conversion machine," called the mourner's bench, on which Peter Schmucker also always has much repairing to do. Whoever, indeed, has not seen it will not believe it, but the Methodists know that through it souls are delivered "converted" by the dozen in a short time. It happens like this. The people gather, preferably on the heights and under the green trees, as once the children of Israel did. The "conversion machine" begins to play. The machine-master and his assistants produce such sounds that the poor people become fearful and anxious. Some fall onto the mourner's bench. Now the machine works with all its might, for everyone heats it up with all their bodily strength, with groaning, howling, babbling, and so on. This has an effect: the spirit comes down — namely, the spirit of fanaticism. The poor people on the "mourner's bench" become lively. I tell you, when the conversion machine is really in full swing, the poor people often jump eight feet high, and make such a racket that all the devils must laugh up their sleeves. They hop, dance, roll about, embrace one another, fall into convulsions — in short, if an "unconverted" Lutheran, or even just a half-way sensible person who understands nothing of the spirit of fanaticism, were to watch this goings-on, he would have to believe that the people had gone mad and were celebrating the devil's wedding. Now the people come "through, out of repentance into joy"; only the "testimony" is still lacking. One sees a lamb, another a dove, another a light, another feels something touch his head — now the testimony is there. The goods are finished, they are "converted," that is, in plain German, fanatics. You may believe that when such a one has turned out well, he no longer knows how to contain himself for holiness; he considers no one converted but himself, and can tell at once from other people's eyes and a few words whether they are "converted" or not. He is easily recognized by the fact that his every third word is always "you are not converted," and that he is forever creeping about in people's houses in order to "convert" them. How many dozen or how many scores of fanatics are manufactured by the "conversion machine" is then reported as edifying news in the Apologist. — But Peter Schmucker did not invent the confirmation machine, for he is bitterly angry at it and abuses it mightily. He and John Bier lay into the nasty thing with such sturdy cudgels that, if it is made of straw or of glass, I would wager ten to one they will smash it into a thousand pieces. Why, then, are they so venomous against it? It is well known that a great many steam engines burst here; perhaps Peter Schmucker and John Bier once sat in the conversion machine when all of a sudden the confirmation machine started up and sent them