# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1847 09 29_S24
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

those who are sanctified. To God, who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church, which is in Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

The sermon was concluded amid many tears on both sides, of the pastor and of the hearers, for our parting is very hard for us; those who have experienced the like will feel it with us. Yet the merciful God does not only grieve, but also rejoices again, according to his great goodness, for even now we received from our dear neighboring congregation at Altenburg, in answer to our letter of request, a written reply, in which they expressed their heartfelt sympathy in our loss and unanimously granted our request that their pastor should provide for us with the divine Word as well, which we acknowledged with heartfelt thanks. Our sorrow was thereby eased and our heart filled with joy. May the gracious God grant us his grace, that we may live together, brotherly, in unity of faith and true Christian love, as under one Head, our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we may also hold our future pastor and confessor, the Reverend Pastor Löber, in double honor according to the Word of God, love and obey him, so that he may carry out his holy office among us with blessing.

On the Wednesday following, namely the 22nd of September, our dear Pastor Keyl then, after having taken a sorrowful farewell, with many tears, of several members of our congregation, departed from our midst, accompanied by several. Having arrived at Altenburg amid all manner of Christian conversation, he learned that the next day he could make use of a better opportunity for St. Louis, and rejoiced greatly to be able to spend one more night with his dear colleague in office, so dear to him and heartily loved by him, Pastor Löber. The next day, accompanied by friends, he then made his way to Wittenberg's Landing, in order to continue his journey from there, under God's protection, to the place of his destination.

Now our thanks follow you into the distance,
O dear teacher, after you,
Since untiringly and so gladly
Your mouth spoke to our hearts

Of that which alone could further our salvation in this time.

Since we are not able
To reward your labor and diligence,
So we wish you God's blessing
In your new field of labor,
That God may yet increase his little flock
And destroy Satan's kingdom and power.

Now, you congregations, bid with joy
Welcome to your shepherd of souls,

Who will surely lead you to the green pastures
Of the Word of God;
Yes, blessed are you, we declare,
That God points you to this man.

So may God grant that all go well,
That we one day in blessedness,
Shepherd together with the flocks, may sing
From eternity to eternity:
The Lord has considered all things well
And has done all things, all things rightly! Amen.
The Evangelical Lutheran congregation at Frohna, Perry Co., Mo.

The Travel Plan of the Methodists.

"Thus says the LORD concerning this people: They love to wander, they have not restrained their feet; therefore the LORD does not accept them, but now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins." Jeremiah 14:10.

The quieter the praise of the Methodists elsewhere, the louder sounds the trumpet of self-praise in the Apologist. One is thereby involuntarily reminded of the loud, market-crier boastings with which speculators praise the sugar-coated pills of the Indian queen: "The great popular medicine of the day—its numerous and wonderful cures—great excitement among the doctors!!" In a similar way the Methodists trumpet forth their spiritless trash, such as: the watch-nights, the love-feasts, the camp meetings, the class meetings, etc.—all of the first quality—all these counterfeit wares and human fabrications deceitfully wrapped in words of Holy Scripture, and peddled to our German people, while Baptism and the Lord's Supper are shamefully despised as mere ceremonies. Thus they lead the innocent hearts astray through sweet words and fine speeches. Romans 16:18.

Something wonderful, indeed even apostolic, is supposed to be the Methodists' travel plan as well. According to their constitution, the bishop and his advisory body, the presiding elders, have the right to assign every preacher a new field of labor every one or two years, so that the congregations do not have the precious freedom to call their own preachers themselves. In just the same way, as is well known, the Pope and the bishops in the Catholic Church have wrested this right from the congregations.

This travel plan is now praised with exaggerated eulogies. "Our plan, Doctor," says a Methodist in No. 32 of the Apologist, "resembles the solar system, in which everything moves. You know that ministers of the Gospel are compared to stars in the right hand of the Son of Man. However much light they spread, it is nevertheless only borrowed light, like that of the moon. Now suppose the moon were to remain fixed at one point, how much harm would necessarily be caused thereby?" Accordingly, moon and stars signify the wandering Methodist preachers, who with their borrowed light illuminate benighted humanity. From where this light is borrowed—whether from the Spirit, which is prepared with such great exertions at the camp meetings, or from the strange twilight that flickers in the Apologist—no clarification is as yet forthcoming. But how important the travels of the Methodist preachers are for the welfare of mankind is proven by the fact that the world would necessarily perish if they were to cease. If that Methodist speaks untruths here, it cannot be denied, nevertheless, that he speaks splendidly.

Mr. Peter Schmucker praises the Methodist travel plan in his own way. "The plan of Jesus," he says, "to go into all the world and to change the preachers, after the manner of the apostles, is and remains the best." (Let anyone understand this nonsense.) After saying that itinerant preaching requires more than human strength, he remarks that there is "much pleasure in it." "To regard this work as a merely human makeshift betrays unbelief and frivolity," etc.

That this travel plan, however, is unbiblical is evident from Holy Scripture in the plainest way. For to go into all the world is not in itself apostolic; otherwise vagrancy too would be apostolic. To go into all the world, to preach the Gospel to every creature, without a definite and express command and call from the Lord, and thus to pass oneself off as an apostle, is a godless impudence.

The apostles, on the other hand, were called and sent directly by the Lord himself. And indeed, through the Lord's command: Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, they received a distinguished privilege bound up with their apostolic office, namely that in their activity they were bound neither to particular persons nor to particular places. Their field of labor was the whole world, their congregation the whole of mankind. This special apostolic privilege ceased with their death. For, apart from the fact that their successors in the holy preaching office were called by the Lord mediately, that is, through men, their activity was also always confined to particular congregations.

Accordingly, the travel plan of the Methodist preachers is not apostolic: For, 1. They lack the apostolic call. 2. They are sent out by a body of false belief, whereas the apostles were sent out by the Lord Jesus himself. 3. They change their congregations every one to two years, which the apostles did not do. 4. They travel to Christians, whereas the apostles went among Jews and Gentiles. 5. They boast that they convert members of other Christian communions to their sect, whereas the apostles testify: We do not boast beyond our measure in other men's labors; we do not boast of things made ready to our hand in another's sphere of influence. 2 Corinthians 10:15,16. 6. They intrude into the office of other preachers, which the apostles expressly forbid: Let none of you suffer as one who meddles in the office of another. 1 Peter 4:15. 7. Through their travel plan they rob the congregations of the apostolic right to call their own preachers, whereas the apostles let the already-founded congregations themselves choose the servants of the church: Therefore, dear brothers, look among you for seven men of good repute, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task. Acts 6:3.

But enough; it is already clear that the Methodists cannot even gain, for their travel plan, so much as the appearance of the apostolic pattern, however gladly they might wish to hold fast at least to the apostolic form, since, as is well known, they unfortunately lack the apostolic doctrine. May, therefore, no one be led astray by the vain pomp of their self-chosen clergy.

Hermann Fick.

Received.
$55.00 for the mission fund from the Lutheran congregation at Chicago, through Mr. Pastor Selle there.

Paid.

Volume 2. Mr. Henfling.

2nd half of volume 3. Messrs. Conrad Bauer, Beiswänger, Bußmann, Briehl, Fischer, Hübschmann, Val. Haas, Aug. Hellwig, Jacob Jung, Dietr. Katenkamp, Leistner, Fr. Louis, J. H. Müller, H. D. Meyer, Ruppel, Chr. Reinhardt, Stahl, Magdal. Schütt, J. G. Schneider, Sus, Stroh, H. Thiemeyer, Treude, Friedr. Teubner, Wildermuth, Herm. Waltzen, Heinr. Waltzen, Melch. Wahl, J. Johanning.

Volume 3. Messrs. Chr. Bayer, Baumgart, W. Bohde, Fr. Waltzen, Henfling, Greb.

1st half of volume 4. Messrs. Chrn. Brink, Val. Haas, P. Schieferdecker, Spörl.

2nd half of volume 4. Mr. Pastor Schürmann (2 copies).

Volume 4. Messrs. A. Bauer, G. Bippus, P. Bippus, Brockschmidt, Bohde, Chr. Carle, G. W. Dörner, Estel, Aug. Hellwig, J. Heinke, Peter Henkel, D. Katenkamp, J. Koch, Jac. Kunz, Joh. Kräner, Joh. Kraner, P. Lehmann, P. Löber (3 copies), Jacob Mang (2 copies), J. L. Müller, Jacob Müller, Wöhlenkamp, Eberhard Muhly, G. Niclas, Renschler, P. Schuster (2 copies), Sus, Joh. Strobel, Settlacher, P. Saupert, W. Schnur, P. Schneider, H. Thiemeyer, Treude, Fr. Teubner, H. L. Timmermann, W. Thüner, Gottl. Ummenhäuser, J. Umbach, Fr. Walzen, Wildermuth, Wiedemann, Joh. Weckesser, P. Wyneken, C. Zwick, Chr. Bippus.

Printed by Arthur Olshausen, publisher of the Anzeiger des Westens.