# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Januar 1861_S19
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

On the Union. 21

Between these seven Reformed and the rest of the town the union was
effected in the year 1839 in such a way that an election of
representatives was called, the few voters who appeared elected five
representatives, and these, together with the three pastors, signed a
protocol whose § 1 reads:

"The two church congregations, namely the hitherto Evangelical-Lutheran
and the Evangelical-Reformed congregation (!), unite to form one
church congregation and henceforth constitute, with the abolition of
the confessional and denominational distinction hitherto existing: One
evangelical Christian congregation.

This united congregation makes use of the new church liturgy adopted
for the Province of Saxony, and accordingly of the evangelical Union
rite, the strict application of which — according to which, at the
enjoyment of the Holy Supper, the bread is broken, and the words of
institution of the Lord are spoken while the cup is being handed — is
made a condition, on the part of the joining Reformed congregation (!),
at least six times a year, at roughly equal intervals." (The expression
"the handing of the cup" is meant to signify that it is placed in
their hand! On this self-administered drinking, just as on the
breaking of the bread, which they must likewise take into their own
hand, the Reformed are known to lay particular weight.)

The seven Reformed thus kept whatever distinctive practice they had.
The 4,000 Lutherans gave up everything, even their very name, and in
return for it — this is the whole content of the following paragraphs
— they accepted from the Reformed 1,000 thalers of church property for
the municipal treasury, together with some silver altar vessels, and
700 thalers more are to be paid later. — That was the union!!

The Reformed signers of the union statute (so reports a clergyman
connected with that congregation) complained from the beginning, and
still do so now, that their church elder had "sold them out."

In his last years the union, carried out in the manner in which it had
been accomplished here, caused this church elder the gravest scruples
of conscience, which he unceasingly poured out to me, his confessor,
and about which he wrote me the most troubled letters. He wished, on
his own part and on that of the remaining Reformed, to undo the union
again, in order to obtain peace for his soul; but the anxiety, as he
later said, that a lifelong subsidy promised to him out of the local
treasury might thereby be withdrawn from him, kept him from carrying
it out. He died in the year 1854 in despair, accusing himself as "the
greatest murderer," [saying] "that there was no forgiveness with God
to be hoped for." No spiritual comfort availed. The Holy Supper, he
said, "could do him no good, for him there was no grace present," etc.
— The Lutheran members who had signed the union statute maintained,
for their part, that they had through