# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Mai 1860_S158
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

158 Church News of the Times.

— How then, if the Methodists, on account of such a clumsy mystification, laugh over Europe through tears?!

From Wittenberg the A. K. Z. reports: "In order to keep the great merits of the Reformers and their helpers in our city in grateful memory also by means of a special solemn observance, the local magistrate, with the agreement of the assembly of town councilors and with the consent of the congregational church council, has resolved to celebrate the birthdays of Dr. Martin Luther on November 10, of M. Philip Melanchthon on February 16, and of Dr. J. Bugenhagen on June 24, in such a way that on these days at 7 o'clock in the morning the chorale 'A Mighty Fortress' shall be sounded from the tower, and that on the birthdays of the Reformers the bells shall first be rung."

Brunswick. "Looking at our present church situation," writes the Brunswick Kirchenblatt, "what meets us above all is the firm and clear confessional standing of our territorial church, as a good that cannot be prized highly enough; we in the land of Brunswick have remained free and spared from every union and every approach toward one. We are a purely Lutheran land; only in the capital is there a Reformed congregation, which is a member of its own separate church body. That is the blessing, which cannot be sufficiently acknowledged, of an unbroken historical right; the right of the confession has not been altered in the least by any letter, by any form of obligation; it runs clearly and securely through all three church orders of our land, and no later ordinance has in any way touched it; it stands as a commanding power over the government and the servants of the church, can never be an object of governing, but always remains its presupposition. In the religious assurances our dukes release the subjects from the duty of obedience should an attempt ever be made to introduce any doctrine other than the one conforming to the confession; in the church orders of our land the doctrine, purified by God's grace from the Roman 'errors,' is held as dear as the apple of one's eye, to be preserved with great care." For this preservation of the churchly state of right we cannot thank God enough."

Grand Duchy of Hesse. The Freimund brings the following report from the Grand Duchy: "Whether in truth there exists a Lutheran church in the Grand Duchy of Hesse? One really should not even ask that. The right question is this: does the Lutheran church still exist in the Grand Duchy of Hesse. The difference lies in the word a and in the word the. There is only One Lutheran Church. It exists in Bavaria, Prussia, India, Baden, Hanover, etc. But whether it also exists in Hesse is a matter of conscience for us Hessians, which we do not take lightly. For it concerns the salvation of our souls. And so when one asks in that way, we say: yes! it exists. But if one asks us whether it also has a Lutheran government, then we say with a troubled heart: no, alas, no! — We have often and plainly confessed this in these pages, and have asked the dear readers of the Freimund to help us pray that this condition may come to an end. For it is without doubt grievous and highly dangerous. It cripples the pastors in the exercise of their office and brings conscientious and faithful members of the congregation into grave doubts and distress of conscience. Yet the church government is not the church. If we wanted to say that, we would fall into popery. Nor is the church government the essence of the church; rather, whoever wishes to recognize and judge this should read Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession. According to it, the church is the assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is purely preached and the holy sacraments are administered in accordance with the Gospel. For this is enough for the true unity of the church.

The Evangelical Lutheran congregations in the Grand Duchy of Hesse have to this day no other liturgy and church order than the soundly Lutheran one of 1724, which contains unchanged the reformational Lutheran liturgy of 1573 and is only enlarged by additions, all of which are consonant with the faith. This liturgy is not only rightfully in force, but is also diligently used. In particular, the two superintendents Simon and Zimmermann ordain all incoming Lutheran clergymen according to their Lutheran ordination