# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1847 11 16_S55
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

the letter of the law on his side. We were also willing to let this stand gladly, for we might well expect that among those Methodists for whom alone we had written — namely, those who are honestly concerned about the truth — the desire would be awakened to hear more from us on the subject raised.

What has now happened? — In No. 462 of the Apologist, Dr. Nast declares to us that he does not wish to print our essay in his paper.

So we have had to come to the belief that the Methodists themselves are capable of the most dishonorable acts, of which even the godless world would be ashamed. Thus the Methodists in our day again give an example that true fanatics, like the "holy" fathers of the Council of Constance of old, follow the principle that one need not keep one's word to "heretics." We can well be content with this. We lose nothing by it except the last remnant of our trust in the honesty and integrity of the Methodist leaders. Great, however, is our gain in this. Mr. Nast could not have declared more clearly, publicly, that he, convinced against his will of the good cause of Lutheran doctrine on the point of the Holy Supper, and driven from the field in the most disgraceful manner by his Methodist "chatter," has had to humbly lay down his arms. Mr. Nast does indeed seek, worthy of a Santa Anna (of glorious memory), to give his pitiful retreat the ridiculous appearance of a triumphal procession, by striking up pity-arousing laments over the terrifying, altogether dreadful length of our refutation, and saying: "We cannot depart from our original and express conditions"; but this certainly not badly devised excuse will not help the poor man much to restore the old luster to his now all too tarnished reputation as a Doctor of Theology, since the issue is not really that Mr. Nast has printed our essay not in full, but that he has printed none of it — not even as much in his paper as we, in our Lutheran honesty and in good faith, had printed of his in our paper. Let Mr. Nast decide for himself: A owes B 10 Thaler, but B demands 100 Thaler; what then would A be, if he said to B: because you demand 100 Thaler, I will give you nothing at all? — A would then plainly be a swindler. — Mr. Nast may therefore twist and turn as he will; his dear sheep may well be accustomed by him to regard everything he sets before them as ready cash, but as regards the Lutherans, he places his hope in vain on such blind faith in the pronouncements of a man, even were he a Doctor of Theology duly promoted, for Lutherans are trained from youth to test everything according to God's Word, and to let themselves be bound or blinded by no regard for persons.

Mr. Nast, moreover, begins his unfortunate retreat not merely with disgrace and shame, but also, like all cowards who take to their heels, with reviling and defaming. For he flings about him such terms as "Lutheran school-wisdom, Jesuitism, Roman-Lutheran scribes, papist and Jewish colleagues, endless flood of words," and similar outpourings of an irritated bile. In our humble estimation it would have been wiser for Mr. Nast to have slipped away quietly, and not so grumbling and railing, for by this he has only betrayed all the more into what a desperate mood the confrontation with the truth has put him.

Characteristic, finally, is one more blow which Mr. Nast delivers at us as a Christian farewell in his heroic flight. He recalls, namely, from his own life, how it always pained him when his pride was injured. This moves him to the remark: "If Mr. Walther lacks the skill" (namely, to briefly set forth the Lutheran doctrine of the Holy Supper), "then he must hand this task over to a more gifted colleague." To this we must reply that Mr. Nast has completely missed the mark. In the first place, we know quite well what a perverse trick our brethren played in making so unskilled a person as we are the editor of their paper, but you, Mr. Nast, ought rather to rejoice over that very fact and say the least about it; for if you have already taken to your heels so hastily when my humble self appeared on the field, what would have happened altogether had a Dr. Sihler or an F. Wyneken — those old, seasoned warriors well known to you — or indeed many another from our camp, come forward instead.

The Book of Concord.

We have just learned from a letter of Mr. Ludwig's that he intends shortly to begin typesetting the German Book of Concord, and expects to be able to offer it for sale by the end of March 1848. Subscription lists have not yet come in. May Mr. Ludwig not find himself disappointed in the good confidence that all orthodox Lutheran pastors will do everything to secure the greatest possible sales for the Book of Concord to be published by him!

Proud Humility.

A woman had had herself shut up, in order to atone for her sins in the papist manner with a strict life, and her maidservant was permitted to pass her her daily necessities only through a small window that was in the door. Many people visited her, some out of curiosity, some out of false devotion, some out of pity. She sat, meanwhile, in her cell with downcast eyes and said, in a soft and plaintive voice, how she was so great a sinner, and on account of her many sins unworthy to see the light of heaven, and so forth. The maid heard this from her often. Now when some people once came and asked what her mistress was doing inside, the maid answered that she supposed she was resting a little just now; when they asked further whether she did not know why her mistress led such a wretched and strict life, she answered: "I suppose she must be one of the greatest sinners the earth has ever borne." When the woman, who was not asleep, heard this, she sprang forth as if enraged and cried: "You lie, you beast, I am an honest and pious woman." "Ah," said the maid, "dear mistress, do not be indignant; I supposed that, since you so often lament your great and grievous sins, there must also be truth in it, and if I have said something wrong thereby, it is your own fault." — Would that this hypocritical woman did not have all too many sisters and brothers! But how many are there who do exactly the same! They indeed say, I too am a great sinner, but if one agrees with them in this, one sees how seriously the confession of sin was meant. One speaks humbly, not because one truly felt one's own worthlessness, but so that one may be admired and praised as humble.

The Miser.

"Therefore a miser can do nothing more useful or better than to die; for in life he is of no use either to God or to other men, indeed not even to himself. He can do nothing else but sin against God, against men, and also against himself; for he never does even his own body any good."
Luther.

A Suspicious Bargain.

While Jacob von Moser, the statesman famous for his remarkable fortunes and for his piety, was staying in Vienna, he also had dealings with the Benedictine abbot Gottfried of Göttweig, whose intention was nothing less than to seduce Moser to Catholicism. The Imperial Chancellor, said the abbot, would gladly wish to give him a considerable position; but the Emperor took into service no one tainted with the Lutheran original sin. If Moser could believe that the Catholic religion was as good as the Lutheran, then the matter would already be settled. Smiling, Moser answered the prelate: "Your bargain seems suspicious to me; you are at once voluntarily offering me so much on top for my Luther. Had you said: would I not like to trade? I could have taken it into consideration; but since you, in exchange for my swapping my religion for yours, add so much to yours, your merchandise must evidently be worse than mine."

"Hold fast what thou hast, that no man take thy crown." Revelation 3:11.

On the Great Love that the Enthusiasts Have Among One Another.
(By Luther.)

"Our sectarian spirits now boast of the great love which they have among one another, so that one must perceive from it that the Holy Spirit is with