# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_April 1862_S123
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Church News of the Day.    123

Dr. Brownson and Archbishop Hughes. From the number of the "Observer" of February 14 of this year we learn the news that the convert Dr. Brownson, already mentioned in earlier numbers, at first a fierce Papist, has now also fallen into a written dispute with Archbishop Hughes over slavery. In an earlier number of his "Review," Dr. Brownson had earnestly and eloquently recommended the emancipation of the slaves as the government's true war policy. To this the prelate had replied in the "Metropolitan Record," and taken the opposite position. In answer, Brownson now published in his Review an article headed: "Archbishop Hughes on Slavery." Of this the "Observer" reports: "In this reply Brownson scourges him (the prelate) very mercilessly." The archbishop's rejoinder has, it seems, not yet appeared. — C.

A curiosity. We must indeed share this with our dear readers as such: that in the March number of the "historical Zeitblatt" the esteemed Harless is declared "no longer belonging to the church." Deacon Hochstetter reports there on the Bavarian General Synod, and especially on the motion of the followers of Löhe, whom, however, he is politic enough not to name at all. There the matter is of course presented as though Harless had spoken up for a mingling of communion practice. That he, in genuinely Lutheran fashion, denies that the matter could be helped along the path of church government by a legal ruling — that indeed goes beyond the capacity of the Grabauites, who would like nothing better than to make a corpus of canon law out of casuistry. His supposedly unionistic practice, however, is traced back to his Missourian false doctrine of the church, and the dreadful upshot, by virtue of Hochstetter's ruling, is literally as follows: "We think so much of spiritual belonging to the true church that we hold that a man who so thoroughly denies the public confession does not belong to the church, whatever his great titles." C.

Suicide. The preacher Adolph Gerwig, formerly editor of the so-called "Protestant Zeitblätter" in Cincinnati, most recently chaplain of the 37th Ohio Volunteer Regiment, has, as the Ref. Kz. reports, recently shot himself.

Politics in the pulpit is a sin that especially defiles the American churches, and indeed now to an especially high degree. After the victories recently won by the Union troops, this sin, instead of being checked, seems to be increasing all the more. The editor of the Reformed Kirchenzeitung, B. S. Schneck of Chambersburg, Pa., raises his voice loudly and boldly against it in his paper of March 13. He writes there, among other things: "Let us therefore beware lest we join in the blind, carnal enthusiasm of the shouting crowd. Let us beware of the ungodly raging of those who cannot rise above the visible, and who therefore cry out with the heathen king: 'Is not this great Babylon, that I have built, by my great power and for the glory?' (Dan. 4.) Let one rather go into the quiet closet, thank the dear God upon one's knees, and beg Him that the distress of war may soon pass. It is to be regretted that even some of our Christian papers are wont to express themselves in an extremely unworthy tone on this subject. If ever it is necessary to temper our joy with holy seriousness, it is when we celebrate triumphs that have been won through much bloodshed. Here the word of the Psalmist holds: 'Rejoice with trembling.'"

Preachers especially must be on guard at such a time, lest they bring strange fire upon the altar of God. It is truly distressing to see, as emerges from religious and political papers, how respected preachers debase their office in the basest manner and are able to profane the holy pulpit with political jubilation and the bitterest animosities against the opposing party. This indeed flatters the great multitude — the masses of the people. This indeed makes such preachers famous and popular for the moment; but woe to them! "They sow the wind and shall reap the whirlwind." They bring the worldly spirit forcefully into the church and drive the Spirit of Jesus Christ out of hearts, and invite