# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_September 1861_S284
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

284 Ecclesiastical-Contemporary Notes.

its calamities and terrors, together with the scandalous corruption on the part of many officeholders, are but judgments of heaven upon this great system of legalized injustice and oppression."

Reading Sermons from Paper. Dr. B. Kurtz relates in his Observer of August 16, in order to discourage the reading of sermons from paper, that a Scottish woman, after hearing a powerful sermon from her preacher who had gone blind, once praised God that her preacher had become blind, because his preaching was much better after his blindness than when he still had the use of his eyes and therefore read his sermons off the page.

Religious Periodicals. On August 7 a number of preachers and laymen assembled at Philadelphia and formed a "Lutheran Association for Newspapers and Periodical Publication." Any person who is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church may become a stockholder in this society by acquiring one share of stock or several, at one hundred dollars each. The total number of shares is not to exceed 1000. An executive committee, consisting of seven of the stockholders, of whom four must reside in Philadelphia, is to manage the business of the society. Subscriptions for the stock are to be paid off in ten equal installments of ten dollars each per share, so that during any one fiscal year at most thirty dollars are to be paid. Prepayments are rewarded with six percent interest. The executive committee is to determine from time to time such pro-rata dividends as seem appropriate to it. The general editor, or the editors, chosen by this committee, are to edit all periodicals published by the society, unless the committee makes other arrangements. The periodicals are to promote the interests of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and to uphold its doctrines, as these are taught in Holy Scripture and set forth in the Augsburg Confession, on condition that the editors shall not forbid such free expression of opinion as accords with the liberal and enlightened character of the Lutheran Church." At the preliminary meeting already held on August 7, it was agreed to merge the Missionary, the Lutheran, and the (late) Olive Branch into one good weekly newspaper for the Lutheran Church. The provisional committee is formed of the gentlemen Dr. Joh. A. Seiss, B. Keller, D. Gilbert, D. M. For, and H. Knauff. Its chairman is Rev. Joh. A. Seiss, D.D., Box No. 1744, Philadelphia.

II. Abroad.

Mass Conversions. In May of this year Pastor Lilie of Barsinghausen gave a lecture at the pastoral conference at Hanover, in which he spoke, among other things, of the means "of creating new life in the church all at once and of setting the masses in spiritual motion." He said: "Among these means belongs, first, the waiting for signs and wonders, especially for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Since this will not come by the ordinary way, it is to be brought about by all sorts of contrivances. To this end so-called spiritual meetings are held in town and in isolated places, and if it succeeds in producing a violent spiritual excitement and movement, then it is trumpeted abroad everywhere that thousands have been converted at a single stroke, and others are called upon to imitate them. Against this it must be said with certainty that all waiting for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit is mere enthusiast fanaticism and contends against the basic doctrines of our church, according to which the church is founded on God's Word and Sacrament, and as it arose, so it is also to be further built up. When the Lord sends out his disciples, he gives them the command: 'Make disciples,' which is to happen through baptizing and teaching, that is, through God's Word and Sacrament. If the Lord has entrusted his church with no other means, then it is nothing but unbelief and self-will when, by waiting for miraculous appearances, one makes known that one holds those means given by the Lord to be insufficient, and it is therefore decidedly reprehensible. But whoever no longer has trust in the means of grace given by God renounces the service of the church and cannot be a disciple of Christ."