1) Der Lutheraner, volume 4 (1847)
Pastor Joel Baseley of Mark V Publications has recently announced this by email to subscribers. (Go here to subscribe). Pastor Baseley has previously made available the first 3 volumes of Der Lutheraner on his website so far. But now a new volume 4 is in the works, although it is not actually available yet. I recommend that all readers subscribe to Baseley's newsletter and receive these PDF issues. On my blog post listing of all Der Lutheraner volumes available online at Google Books, the reader will notice Google has yet to offer volumes 4 or 5 – years 1847-1849. These are available on my downloads page here.
Baseley is providing free PDF copies of individual issues of volume 4 to subscribers as he proceeds with his translation. He attached a PDF of the first issue, 8 wonderful pages of perfectly readable English, mostly from the pen of C.F.W. Walther.
And Paul T. McCain, in a recent posting on his cyberbrethren blog, wraps himself in Walther and Luther by including one of the items of this first issue – on "On Spiritual Satiety", from page 7. Very well! Since you, Paul T. McCain, can do it, so can I. I will present another short anecdotal story that Walther included on page 8:
Don't be deceived, God is not mocked!
A man named Pietsch lived with his grown son in the blaspheme of drinking and sport and all warnings from the pastor were for naught. Once this man was announcing for communion. Pastor Leitenberger very seriously admonished him yet once more. Even Dr. Paul Anton visited with him.“Pietsch!” – Said Dr. Anton – “I've heard that you have been warned so very often and it’s done no good. Don't let yourself be deceived, God is not mocked. Maybe it’s up to me to give you your final warning.” – Pietsch made all kinds of promises, went to the holy LORD’s Supper, but that very day again resumed in old ways with his son and this even went far into the night. The next day the son came to the pastor and begged him to visit his father as he was sick and something was strangely wrong with him. The pastor found him sitting in bed as he arrived. He inquired of him the circumstances of his illness. Pietsch rightly answered all of his questions. Then the preacher began: “But what if it’s now to be said: Get your house in order, for you must die?” – With these words the sick man sank down and slept. The preacher was frightened. The son shouted at his father and got him sitting up straight. But as the preacher again began speaking the first spiritual words, he sank down again and slept. He was set up straight and wept. “Pastor,” he said, “I can't help it. As soon as you begin to speak, as quick as lightning, I fall asleep.” The pastor tried it and spoke to him of work related things and he responded to it all rightly, but at the first word to his heart he slept, and also, unfortunately died – that very same night.
When I read this story from Walther, I recalled that when I came back to my Christian faith and wanted to talk about Christian teaching, about Jesus, about the Gospel, one close person in particular would fall asleep. Every time I spoke of the pure Grace of God during a devotional period, he dozed. I want to blame his LC-MS upbringing for this! Notice how Walther's story ends... sadly! "...he that believeth not shall be damned". Mark 16:16. May it not be so for any of our readers... or me! God grant it!... for Jesus sake! Amen.
I have already commented on Pastor Baseley and his work previously. May he not be swayed by what is happening in his LC-MS synod! But how can he cite the Rev. John T. Pless as a defender of Walther
Luther?! (Corrected 9/15/2013 – see comment below)
==>> Pastor Baseley, are you going to be like President Matthew Harrison, whose praise of Walther and Pieper is highly suspect as he seems to be using them as a screen for his own agenda??
==>> Pastor Baseley, are you going to be like President Matthew Harrison, whose praise of Walther and Pieper is highly suspect as he seems to be using them as a screen for his own agenda??
Sir, You are out in left field in your comment about my extolling Pless as a defender of Walther. Pless is merely here quoted as one who appreciates the clarity of Luther in his doctrinal readings, as he wrote a recommendation of my first publication of translations of daily devotions from Luther's writings from Link's "Taegliche Andachten," published in English as "Luther's Family Devotions." Nowhere on that page do I extoll Pless as a defender of Walther. I am not personally acquainted with Pless' regard or lack thereof for Walther. But thanks for endorsing the Walther DL translations. I hope your readers will sign up to receive these treasures from the past.
ReplyDeleteJRBaseley
Dearborn, MI
Pastor Baseley:
DeleteI started a reply to your comment but it grew too long and so I devoted a blog post to it today (Sept. 15, 2013) (here I think)