# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1848 05 24_S175
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

[illegible] that the doctor was poisoning members of their tribe, giving them poison instead of medicine. So they repaid his kindness with the blackest ingratitude.

An Englishman, Peter Skene Ogden, chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver, earned the credit of soon afterward bringing about the release of the prisoners by peaceful means. War then followed. At the departure of Mr. Meek, the Americans were in open combat with four Indian tribes, the Cayuse, the Walla Walla, the Chaster, and the Day Indians. Four battles had already been fought.

May these tidings now move us to seek the Lord in earnest prayer, the King over the heathen, Ps. 47:9, who puts an end to wars in all the world, breaks the bow, shatters the spear, and burns the chariot with fire, Ps. 46:10, that he may restore peace and open the way for our mission.

Hermann Fick.

On what the holy Bernard grounded the certainty of his blessedness.

He writes (Serm. III. de septem fragm.): "I consider three things, in which my whole hope consists: — 1. the love of God in my adoption as his child; — 2. the faithfulness and truth of God in his gracious promise; — 3. the omnipotence of God in the fulfillment of his promises. Let my foolish reason grumble as it will, I will confidently answer it: I know in whom I believe, and am certain that in his highest love he has received me as his child, that he is faithful and truthful in the promise, and perfectly mighty in its fulfillment. — This is the threefold cord that will not break for me."

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"As deceivers, and yet true." (2 Cor. 6:8.)

Christ had to have both of these, that he was held to be, both spiritually and bodily, the very worst evildoer — spiritually a deceiver and a heretic, bodily an insurrectionist who corrupted both body and soul. All Christians and godly people must bear this same title, and if we do not bear it, we do not belong to Christ. It bodes ill for a preacher when he has peace and is opposed by no one; it is a sign that he does not have the right doctrine. For it is the nature of this doctrine that it must be opposed. (Luther on Ps. 112:7.)

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Example of divine longsuffering toward a soul standing in great trials.

Mountains may indeed depart and hills may fall, but my grace shall not depart from you, and the covenant of my peace shall not fall, says the Lord, who has mercy on you. (Isa. 54:10.)

Maria Hongwood (b. 1527), wife of Sir Hongwood of Kent, was a very devout and Christian woman. She fell into great spiritual trials. In this state she doubted her salvation, and would let no one assure her of it. Now when some clergymen once spoke with her, and showed her the grace and salvation in Christ, she became, as it were, indignant in her unbelief, and seized a Venetian glass, and, saying that she was as certainly damned as this glass would break into pieces, threw it against the floor. But the glass remained whole.

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The ban is to be pronounced with great fear.

"The ban is more harmful and dangerous to no one than to those who pronounce it, even though it is rightly and solely pronounced on account of a misdeed, because they seldom or never have this intention" (of saving the souls of the banned), "and act without fear, not considering how they themselves might perhaps stand before God far more deserving of a hundred bans."

(Luther, Opp. Hal. XIX, 1104.)

Announcement.

Those pastors of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other states who have not yet submitted their statistical report from January 1, 1847, to that date in 1848 are requested to do so within four weeks. Those who cannot furnish such a statistical report, perhaps because they have only recently begun to serve, are requested to indicate as clearly as possible at least a. the name and place (city or county, together with state) of their congregation or congregations, and b. the name of their post office. These submissions are requested postage-paid, addressed to:

Rev. F. W. Husmann, Fort Wayne, Ind.

St. Louis, Mo., July 1, 1848.

F. W. Husmann,
at present Secretary of the Synod.

Example of a Christian creditor.

A button-maker in Stadthagen in Westphalia, Wiebe by name, always kept a stock of camel-yarn and other kinds of yarn sent to him, so that he could help out many of his fellow craftsmen with it for a small profit. In this way he had for some years supplied yarn to a button-maker in Lübeck, but had received no payment from him. In time this man stayed away from him entirely, without settling the debt, which came to something over fifty thalers. Wiebe, who was indeed not poor but also no rich man, finally set out himself for Lübeck to collect the money. He entered his debtor's room and found everywhere traces of the utmost misery; but a boy in particular caught his eye, one who had grown up in the extremest coarseness. Wiebe, who had resolved to seek the help of the authorities as a last resort, was softened by his debtor's grievously wretched condition, and said to him: "Dear master, I see well that you will not be able to give me money; I will therefore accept your son here in payment." The poor man at first did not know what to make of this proposal, and was then quite joyfully astonished when his creditor forgave him the debt and took his neglected child into his care and upbringing.

[illegible]

"I would rather die of hunger than become a Lutheran," said Dr. Eck to Melanchthon. (Luke 8:14.) "Who holds with the Lutherans?" — "No one, except dear God," said that Jesuit.

(Submitted.)
Instruction on how Christians should conduct themselves regarding Moses.
(By Dr. M. Luther. [In excerpt.])

Although God has otherwise often spoken through and with men on earth, there has nevertheless never been a public sermon from heaven, except only twice. The first sermon is found in the second book of Moses, when God let himself be heard from heaven with great splendor and glorious power, at the time when he gave the Law to the people of Israel with thunder and lightning, with smoke, vapor, and very loud trumpets, which the whole people heard and at which they trembled and were terrified. Secondly, God let another public sermon go forth through the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. For there too the Holy Spirit came with great splendor and outward majesty, Acts 2:2–4. The first sermon and teaching is the Law of God; the other is the Gospel. These two sermons do not agree with one another; therefore one must have a good understanding of them, so as to know how to distinguish them, and to know what is Law and what is Gospel. The Law commands and demands of us what we are to do; it is directed solely at our doing, and consists in demanding. The Gospel, however, does not preach what we are to do or leave undone, but turns it around and does the opposite, and does not say: do this, do that, but bids us only hold out our lap and receive, and says: Behold, dear man, this is what God has done for you: he has put his Son into flesh for your sake, has let him be put to death for your sake, and has rescued you from sin, death, the devil, and hell; believe this and accept it, and you will be saved. The Gospel teaches only what has been given to us by God, not what we are to give and do for God, as the Law is accustomed to do.

The Law of Moses concerns the Jews, and it no longer binds us. For the Law was given to the people of Israel alone, and the Gentiles are excluded from it here. Although the Gentiles also have some laws in common with the Jews, such as that there is one God, that one should injure no one, not commit adultery, nor steal, and the like — all of which is written into their hearts by nature, and they have not heard it from heaven, as the Jews have. Therefore this whole text does not concern the Gentiles. I say this for the sake of the fanatical spirits. For you see and hear how they read Moses and exalt him highly, wanting to know something further than is contained in the Gospel; they regard faith as too small a thing, claim that it is written in the Old Testament, and want to govern the people according to the letter of the Law of Moses. But this we will not concede. We will no longer have Moses as a lawgiver for us. Moses was a mediator and lawgiver of the Jewish people alone. If I accept Moses in one commandment, I must accept the whole of Moses; thus it would follow that, if I accept Moses as lawgiver and master, I would have to let myself be circumcised, wash my clothes in the Jewish manner, and likewise eat and drink and dress as was commanded the Jews in the Law. Moses is dead; his rule came to an end when Christ