# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_September 1861_S282
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

282

Ecclesiastical-Contemporary Notes.

I. America.

"The Lutheran." This paper, published in Philadelphia, which in several respects distinguishes itself favorably from the Lutheran Observer and the Missionary, unfortunately still continues to accept contributions that speak up for the most wretched chiliasm. In the issue of July 19 there is found a presentation of the thousand-year kingdom by the father, Dr. S. S. Schmucker, which appeared in 1817 and is said to have been highly recommended not only by those older American-Lutheran theologians, the Doctors Helmuth of Philadelphia, Lochmann of Harrisburg, Daniel Kurtz of Baltimore, and others, but which the contributor also commends as "scriptural" and as a "precious testimony." According to this presentation, even the second petition of the holy Our Father, and the following passages — Matthew 5:35, 8:11, 26:29; Acts 3:20-21; Romans 8:20-21, 11:25-26 — are supposed to deal with the thousand-year kingdom. Christ is then supposed to reveal himself in a visible "pavilion," the people of God are also to hold all civil power and authority, "their temporal happiness is to be great," their lifespan is to equal that of the antediluvian saints, the deceased martyrs, though not raised again to mortal life, are to become Christ's "Ministers" and "Agents" in the administration of his "Government" and to maintain intimate fellowship with the saints on earth, the church is to exercise legislative power according to the principles of the New Testament, and the nations are no longer to be governed by human laws.

A Rebuke of Conscience. The editor of the "Missionary," Dr. Passavant, writes concerning the defeat of the Union troops at Bull Run on that Sunday, after having considered the press's judgments about the causes of this great misfortune: "But the true cause of our misfortune was our terrible sin against the law of God. The plan for the battle was drawn up for a Sunday, and the battle was fought on that day. Had it been postponed to Monday, in all likelihood it would not have been beaten back. The rest of the Sabbath would have saved our army.... But war, begun without religion, knows no Sabbath, and the Lord's Day must be broken whenever it suits the 'Civilians.'" We Americans, according to this, must be true angels of piety, since our worst sin is that our generals led us into battle on a Sunday. —

The Ohio Synod of the Western District was in session on the 18th of July and the following days. Prof. Lehmann presided and Pastor Herbst was secretary. In a summary of the resolutions adopted, which the Lutheran Standard gives, it says, among other things: "It is a well-known fact in Ohio and in other parts of our country that, wherever Missouri gets the opportunity to intrude into the field of another pastor or of other synods, it soon fabricates, with all the greed of the wildest sects, some excuse to accomplish its purpose." A fine cuckoo's call.

An attack on Luther out of ignorance is made by a Mr. E. K. of Bucyrus, Ohio. He asserted some time ago, in the Reformed Kirchenzeitung of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in the issue of April 15, that the Old Lutherans teach that "little children are already possessed by the devil, not just some, but all, even those who have the most pious parents," and further, "that all who receive the Lord's Supper even chew the flesh of Christ with their teeth." What gross ignorance it takes to impute this to the so-called Old Lutherans, anyone can see who has heard even by hearsay of their teaching. This Mr. E. K. has now been challenged to prove his assertions, and what does he do? For the first assertion he cites Luther's well-known expression in the preface to the little baptismal book: "You hear here, in the words of these prayers, how piteously and earnestly the Christian church carries the little child forward and thus, with steadfast, undoubting words, confesses before God that it is possessed by the devil and a child of