# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1845 06 18_S81
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.

"God's Word and Luther's teaching shall pass away neither now nor ever."

Edited by C. F. W. Walther.

Volume 1.

St. Louis, Mo., June 18, 1845.

Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks, at a subscription price of one dollar and twenty-five cents for out-of-town subscribers, who must pay half of this in advance and bear the cost of postage. — In St. Louis, each single issue is sold for six and a quarter cents.

(Submitted by Pastor Keyl.)

Life Story of Dr. Luther.
(Continued.)

In the years 1526 and 1527 Dr. Luther was occupied chiefly with the Sacramentarians. For after Carlstadt, at Luther's intercession, had obtained pardon from the Elector and had become a farmer, Ulrich Zwingli rose up in Switzerland against Dr. Luther's teaching on the Holy Supper, and maintained that the words "this is" meant only as much as "this signifies." Oecolampadius and several others sided with him. Now when the poison of this false doctrine began to steal into the hearts of many, Dr. Luther wrote and taught against it with all earnestness and great severity; for an evil wound requires a sharp knife. Especially notable in this connection are his two writings: "That These Words, 'This Is My Body,' Still Stand Firm," and his "Great Confession Concerning the Holy Supper," to which he appended a confession of his faith on all the chief articles, so that no one after his death might say that if Luther were living now, he would teach this or that article differently. To the reproach that he in particular, on account of his conduct in the sacramental controversy, was to blame for the division between the Reformed and the Lutheran Church, he answers thus: "All Germany well knows that the Gospel was at first assailed by no one but the papists alone. But those who at that time accepted the doctrine of the Gospel were of one mind on all articles, and this unity remained until the factions arose with their new whims and opinions, not only concerning the Sacraments but also concerning other articles. These were the first to confuse the Christian congregations and to tear apart their unity; since that time the factions have become ever more numerous. For when one error arises, others always follow, until one departs entirely from the truth. From this it follows that, since the unity of hearts concerning the articles of the faith has been torn apart, everyone wants to make of it what seems good and right to him. Therefore they do us great violence and injustice in saying that we should have torn apart Christian unity. It grieves one sorely when an innocent man must bear the punishment that another has earned, particularly in so great and lofty a matter." (L. W. VIII. 2784 ff.)

In the year 1527 the Elector John of Saxony instituted a general visitation of the churches, in which Luther too was very active. Public worship was everywhere cleansed of papal abuses and, through right Christian preaching and catechism instruction, as well as through the scriptural administration of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, restored to its former purity; the use of good hymns and useful ceremonies was also introduced. The instruction of the young was improved through the establishment of German and Latin schools. Provision was also made that teachers in the churches and schools should receive adequate support from the congregations. Through the successful visitation of the churches Luther earned great merit not only for Saxony but also for many other lands and cities, since these followed the counsel of him and his fellow workers.

But before Luther had completed this great work, he fell into a grievous spiritual sorrow, which was joined with a dangerous illness. He prayed much during this time and with great earnestness; he comforted himself with the absolution his confessor had given him; he held fast to God's Word, and especially to the saying of Christ: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"; he testified in the face of death that he had rightly taught concerning all the articles of the Christian faith, and that he did not regret having dealt so severely with his adversaries; he spoke of the coming distress of the Church and said: "Oh, what a dreadful state of affairs the enthusiasts, desecrators of the Sacrament, Anabaptists, and other factions will bring about after my death! Yet I comfort myself that Christ is stronger than Satan and all his scaly brood; yea, he is the Lord." He asked for his little son, and when the child was brought, it laughed at its father; then Luther said: "Oh, you good, poor little child! Now I commend my dearest Katie, and you, poor little orphan, to my dearest, faithful, and gracious God. You have nothing; but God, who is a Father of orphans and a Judge of widows, will surely nourish and provide for you." His grieving wife showed, in this great distress, what rich fruit God's Word had quietly brought forth in her; she said: "My dearest Doctor, if it is God's will, I would rather know you to be with our dear Lord God than with me. It is not only about me and my child, but about many devout Christian people who still have need of you. My dearest lord, you should not trouble yourself on my account; I commend you to his divine will; I hope and trust in God that he will graciously preserve you." And behold, thereupon Dr. Luther said: God be praised, I feel improvement! and then said further: The Lord kills and makes alive, for he is the Lord of death and of life; to him be praise, honor, and glory forever. Amen!

In the following year (1528) the plague came to Wittenberg, and even into Luther's own house; the university was moved to Jena, and whoever could flee did flee — only Luther did not; he remained, and refreshed the sick and the dying with tireless, self-sacrificing love through comfort from God's Word.

The manifold experiences of the great ignorance of the people, which he had gained as a visitor of the churches, moved him that same year to compose his Small and Large Catechisms, in which he set forth all the chief parts of Christian doctrine — briefly in the one, more fully in the other — of which Mathesius rightly says: "Even if Dr. Luther had done nothing else than compose these two catechisms, the whole world could never thank him enough for it"; and how highly the Lutheran Church esteems them she has testified by receiving them into the number of her Christian confessional writings.

In the great danger into which Germany at that time had fallen through the invasion of Austria by the Turks, Dr. Luther also issued several comforting writings, in which he exhorted both to sincere repentance and earnest prayer, and faithfully warned against their devilish and lying religion as the counterpart to the idolatry of the pope.

Now since the arrival of Emperor Charles V was expected, and with it a new discussion of the religious controversies, many wished that beforehand the discord regarding

81