# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Januar 1863_S11
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

On the evangelical conduct of a Christian-minded parish schoolteacher, etc. 11

care for him; and even now he would have to answer, to His question, "Have you ever lacked anything?": "No, Lord! Never at all."

In keeping with the same love he will then also be willing to undertake this or that outward service more or less closely connected with the church or the school, whenever it could not conveniently be otherwise provided for at the time. He will not, out of the haughty delusion and conceit that this would encroach upon his honor and dignity, decline such a service of love, but rather be mindful of the Lord Christ, who washed His disciples' feet.

On the other hand it is certainly just as much in keeping with love that the pastor who joined in calling him take care to instruct his people, according to God's Word, on this point as well, and to contend against little faith and covetousness, so that the wage set does not lag too far behind the congregation's means and its present state of Christian understanding.

When, then, in this and similar ways the schoolteacher shows himself toward the congregation in serving love, and at the same time, as shown above, attends to his proper calling, there is no doubt that, unsought, both of these — the congregation's love, esteem, and gratitude — will increasingly turn toward him, and that this will improve his outward circumstances accordingly.

But were he, unmindful of his high and glorious calling as a Christian, to walk in the love that does not seek its own, bears and endures all manner of things, and lets its gentleness become known to all sorts of people — were he instead, in a petty and vexatious manner, to assert a kind of legal standpoint against the congregation, and before it weigh wages and work against each other in a disputatious way, pressing for an increase of the former, he might perhaps succeed in this; but it is certain that he would thereby sink all the deeper in the esteem and trust that the congregation ought rightly to have for him, and be taken for a hireling and a mercenary. And thus he would certainly have lost more than he gained.

Fifthly, it is in keeping with serving love that the schoolteacher walk circumspectly toward the various members of the congregation; for, first, there are those who, as hypocrites and as secretly epicurean or pharisaical enemies of the reproving Word of God, are hostile also to its proclaimer, and occasionally let such hatred become known. Secondly, there is no lack of those who, in pietistic perversity, have all manner of fault-finding and carping to do with the pastor's evangelical manner of preaching, pastoral care, and leadership of the congregation, and who — {the sooner the better} [printed "per steam"; sense unclear, see report] — would gladly see round about them nothing but such letter-perfect, finished saints as they themselves are. Thirdly, there are also those who indeed possess a good formal, Christian knowledge and churchly experience together with a ready tongue to display both within and outside the congregational meetings, but who are rather wanting in humility and simplicity of heart; for not obscurely do they let this and that show through here and there, which looks like pride and love of dominance, in that in practical matters they want everything done according to their own mind,