# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1848 07 19_S203
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

were not to serve our dear church and the preservation and defense of the treasure of its pure doctrine directly, there was nevertheless good reason to hope that the "Kirchenfreund" would indirectly render the most essential services to our holy cause, awaken the sense for thorough scholarship, keep many a lonely preacher, almost entirely cut off here from the field of battle, in living spiritual connection with his struggling brethren and in acquaintance with the vital questions of our time in the field of theology, and, by spurring on to research, prayer, and action, draw attention to the great tasks whose solution the church of our day has to achieve.

The less reason we now have to be ashamed of this joy and hope, now that the Kirchenfreund has appeared in seven monthly issues, the greater is the joy we presently feel, since with the above we have been able to communicate to our dear brothers in office the prospectus of a similar theological journal, which has set itself the goal of opening a forum in which our church and the confessions of its pure, golden faith shall be given voice.

It is true that we are not more closely acquainted with the editor, Professor Reynolds, yet we know enough of him to say that he is not only a man of thorough scholarly training, well versed especially in the older and newer theological literature of our German fatherland, but also that he is heartily averse to the theology that has become dominant — the so-called American-Lutheran (that is, Methodist-Zwinglian-rationalist) theology — while being, on the contrary, said to be heartily devoted to the doctrine laid down in the symbols of our church. Recently Professor Reynolds has become most creditably known for his zeal in seeking to banish from the customary English-Lutheran hymnbook the Calvinist and Methodist hymns found there in great majority, and to give their place, in good English translations, to our old German core hymns, and thus to make this priceless treasure of our church a possession also of the English Lutheran church. In addition, Professor Reynolds has declared that it is his intention to provide in his "Review" translations of the best articles on theological subjects by a Harless, Rudelbach, Guericke, Sartorius, and others, both of those already published and of those that may appear from time to time; the editor is also prepared himself to take into consideration such substantial expositions, defenses, etc., of the Lutheran doctrinal system as may be delivered to him by Lutheran theologians here only in the German language, to see to their translation into the English idiom himself, and to include them in his "Review."

We therefore consider it our duty to draw the attention of all who have at heart the spread of pure knowledge also among our English brethren, and the building up of our church among them in general, to the publication of this new theological quarterly, and hereby to call for support of this important work.

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"That is the hand of God."

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of this bread and drink of this cup. (1 Cor. 11:28.)

To the Saxon preacher Joh. Biltzing (d. 1762) there came a man into the confessional whom he did not yet know at all. During his address to him he noticed signs of extraordinary agitation, and the sweat of anguish broke out on the penitent. As he was leaving, Biltzing said to him: "My friend, have you also properly prepared yourself for the celebration of the Lord's Supper?" He answered: "I think so!" — "My friend, you must know that, and not merely think it." The next day Biltzing preached on John 3:18, on the danger of unbelieving sinners. When afterward communion was held, that man was seized by a dreadful convulsion of his whole body; he trembled in all his limbs. With much effort his mouth took the bread, but when he wanted to take the cup, the convulsions became so violent that he could not do it. The man possessed much ambition, and therefore wished to erase at once the supposed shame of not having been able to receive the Holy Supper. He therefore had the pastor asked to administer it to him afterward privately, and declared that convulsion to be an attack of cold fever. Biltzing once more earnestly reminded him of the importance of the act, and afterward fulfilled his wish to receive the Lord's Supper publicly. But those attacks broke out even more violently. Then the pastor said: "My friend, this is the hand of God; let us not tempt the Lord any further; go home, and examine your life and the preparation you have made." That same day he went to him, and learned that he had mistreated his wife with blows, and that on the same day, in full rage, without reconciliation, he had gone to confession and to the Lord's Supper. This example becomes still more memorable in that this man, over the course of the next four years, attempted several times to partake publicly, and especially of the Holy Supper, but was never able to do so, until at last, shortly before his end, he received it, when he was brought to repentance on a long sickbed.

Public Sin Requires Public Confession.

When in the year 1586 the League (alliance) of the Catholics rose up against the King of France, Henry IV, a Protestant, this king had not long before burdened himself with a grave misdeed, in that he had robbed the daughter of a prominent man in Rochelle of her honor. The church had often had this sin represented to him; he also confessed it, but could not bring himself to confess and repent of the offense he had given publicly.

A few days before the Battle of Coutras he spoke with Mornay, his minister, about various worrisome circumstances. The latter used the opportunity and said to him: "How good it would now be to be reconciled with the God who distributes victories as He pleases! How would it not distress Your Majesty if God, on account of the humbling that was omitted, had to withhold victory from your arms, whereby so many good people could be plunged into misfortune!" — This representation went so much to the king's heart that he at once had his court preacher told that he was willing, the next day, to confess and repent his sin publicly. This then took place in the church at Pons, in the presence of the entire nobility of his army, in that the court preacher had to publicly rebuke the sin in a sermon.

When afterward some tried to persuade the king that they had dealt too harshly with him, he answered: "Before God one cannot humble oneself enough, and by the judgment of men one cannot ask too little." In similar fashion he had his sin publicly punished at Rochelle. The Battle of Coutras, which followed soon after, was won by Henry.

Jesuit Instruction on How to Get to Heaven (?) Playfully.

In a book that appeared last year, in which the author (Heinrich Bode) sketches his stay in an institute of the Jesuit order, we find a remarkable piece of evidence for how unbelievably mechanically, among the Jesuits, the spiritual exercises — especially those of prayer — are conducted. Mr. Bode namely reports the following: during recreation the novices (the candidates of the Jesuit order) are permitted, among other things, to play billiards and dominoes — and for what are they playing? — For an Ave Maria. — Namely, whoever loses is obligated, immediately after the game is decided, to kneel down and pray an Ave Maria, which is credited to the winner.

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Exclusion.
For the sake of the congregations who do not wish to be deceived in the choice of their preachers, we feel obliged hereby to make known that the former pastor of the German Evangelical Lutheran congregation in the Hassler settlement and of the French Evangelical Lutheran congregation at Sangamon, Ill., Mr. Pöschke, who until now was a member of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other states, has been excluded from the same because he does not fulfill the condition set in the constitution of the synod (Chap. II, § 5): "Irreproachable conduct of the ministers."

Resignation.

The former pastor of the German Evangelical Lutheran congregation at Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio, E. Romanowsky, has resigned his office at once, after his congregation had expressed its dissatisfaction with his zeal in office.

Remembrance of the Day of Confirmation.

D. A. F. Büsching, school director in Berlin, who died in 1793, and who at the beginning of the year 1741, after suitable preparation, was confirmed by a worthy clergyman, drew up for himself and his friend Dilthey a covenant with God on the occasion of confirmation, and both renewed this covenant every year on their confirmation day, even while apart from each other, for the strengthening of their faith and their love.