We are doing so also on behalf of those four pastors who have gone ahead of us, as well as their congregations. We have confidence that they will agree with us fully and that we only express what they have preciously told us and, which you, Worthy Sir, will shortly, God willing, learn from them personally.
Jesus Christ, the highest Bishop of our souls, who has bought his Church with his own blood would answer our prayers for you and be with you to the ultimate goal and, God willing, allow you to carry the Bishop’s staff well into a ripe old age and to be our leader toward eternity for our spiritual and physical welfare and to the rebuilding of a Lutheran Zion for the blessings of all of Christendom and to the glory of the Triune God, to whom be praise and honor in the Church which is in Christ Jesus.
On board the Olbers 14 January in the year of our Lord 1839:
Otto Hermann Walther, formerly the pastor and vicar at Langenschurs-dorf in the Duchy of Schoenburg, acting for himself, and on behalf of his four clergy brothers.
Gotthold Heinrich Loeber, formerly the pastor in the Duchy of Altenburg.
Ernst Gerhard Wilhelm Keyl, formerly the pastor in Niederfrohna, Saxony.
Ernst Moritz Burger, pastor in Langenau, Saxony.
Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther, pastor in Braunsdorf, Saxony
Appendix F
Excerpts of the “Exulanten–Lieder auf dem Meere,” Songs of Exiles on the Sea,b by O. H. Walther
Pastor Otto Hermann Walther composed and printed five songs to be used on the ocean voyage. The first edition printed for the passengers of the Copernicus and the Johann Georg bore the title “Son of Exiles upon the Sea.” A small contribution for the spiritual ship’s supply of the apostolic Lutheran congregation fleeing for the sake of their most holy faith with the loyal servant of God and confessor of the truth, Martin Stephan, from Saxony to North America. October 31, 1838. [The Festival of the Reformation].
The second edition was printed for the passengers of the Republik, Olbers and Amalia and was dedicated with these words: “To the Right Reverend Pastor Martin Stephan in filial veneration and gratitude from O. H. W. [Otto Hermann Walther], Nov. 5, 1838.” This collection of five songs has the title: “Crux Christi Nostra Gloria” [In the Cross of Christ We Glory]. Pastor Loeber sent these songs to one of his brothers saying: “[T]hey are by Pastor Walther, Senior, a loyal and highly gifted friend and companion of our pilgrimage.” Dr. Moritz Stuebel paid part of the printing expenses. These hymns were severely criticized in later years especially by those who had sung them on the high seas. Apparently Pastor Stephan had no knowledge of their preparation and felt that they contained a rather high praise.
First Hymn: Be Consoled and Undaunted, All of You Who Await the Lord!
Praise God, the hour of salvation of the Church of Christ nears;
Praise Him with heart and mouth, he who is great in word and deed;
Thus call Out Victory! The Hand of the Lord is near!
The great Shepherd of the sheep takes care of us;
Gideon the hero with the sword breaks through the enemy’s path.
A wise servant of the Lord guides us, a bright star, it lead us to
Canaan, as Moses did.
It calls with sign of warning, the earth! The firmament!
The floods of rage grow, mercy is at an end;
Punishment hold no redemption, the Lord disdained this groveling race
God is and stays just.
Dust of desolation covers the chancel and altar,
Therefore hurry to leave, hour by hour the danger grows;
Up! Find your courage and leave Sodom’s embers,
The Lord has opened a way to soar.
His holy Word mocked by the insolent brood of vipers,
The blood that is our reconciliation, that precious blood of God;
Here are ears deaf, therefore brush the dust from your feet
And hurry away from this grave.
The pastor’s holy office has been enslaved,
It has been taken away, the key of this holy office.
Can you hear the fearful cry of the church? “Free Me!
Can none of you see the mother being chained as a slave?”
Far from the shores of the ocean, a large group;
It brings us the work of grace, builds here the altar of the Lord.
Follow your path you wings, build her your Zion,
Here rest your feet with the peaceful greetings of Jesus.
God has heard the call, praise him and be happy,
This means we should come to you, rich with noble treasures;
We move in with you with God’s pure word,
With the pure waters of the Jordan and the body and blood of Christ.
This we want to free from decay and falsity,
That shall be our children’s inheritance when we die.
Go there, God wants money, honor and possessions, also our blood!
And these treasures alone help God to receive in purity.
Praise God, the banners are waving together with Christ’s flag of victory;
He wants to go to the side also on the sea voyage.
Therefore call out, Victory! The hand of the Lord is here!
Second Hymn: A Cradle Song on the Ocean (Melody: All Forests Are Now at Rest)
Sleep, now my child, and lie so softly in your cradle,
The evening is now at hand;
The small ship continues on its way,
We have as our companion
The loving, holy, little Jesus.
Your Jesus had to flee and go to Egypt,
Herod was awful to him,
The child was supposed to die,
He, who is to save all from damnation,
That came from heaven.
The church is in need,
The child is in danger of being killed by a new Herod;
Thus, we have left and travel
On the waves of this sea,
Away from our poor fatherland.
There, amongst the wild ocean
Of sin and false teaching,
You will not sink.
Thus, have I brought you aboard this boat without fear,
You shall experience the happiness of Zion.
No storm can destroy us;
Because Jesus threatens the wind and waves with His hand,
We can all sleep peacefully,
The Shepherd of the flock
Follows along with the ship.
You sleep without any horrors,
And are to me, as I gaze upon you,
A true picture of faith.
Faith speaks; “Your will, my God, shall happen!
Only stillness—Jesus’ shield of grace covers me.”
A storm may arise, I, and you, do not want to quake,
You small hero of the faith;
I, like you, do not wish to worry,
I am submerged in the baptism of Jesus,
Which remains when the earth and sky have fallen away.
Soon we have withstood it all,
Soon the ship will land in our Canaan,
Then we, with song,
Will bring many offerings of thanks to the Lord,
The great man of wonder.
Then the voyage continues on,
To there, where Jacob’s ladder
Is visible in the stars above,
To there, where Jesus lives at the right hand of God’s throne,
Where storm and sin are forever silent.
Third Hymn: I Want to Be with You as You Go through the Water so That the Current Will Not Drown You. Is. 42:3.
My heart, why do you quake before the ocean,
And before the wave of a large army?
Or before storm and wilderness?
Let the wave be as large as they will,
God will always sit higher than they.
God created the sea, and when he speaks,
“Come no farther than to here.”
It relinquishes its proud courag
e,
It is merely a drop in his hand,
Which holds the earth and sky transformed.
If you are in his mercy.
Truly what can the anger of the ocean do to you?
Laugh in the face of his anger.
As Daniel, turn back the revenge of the Lion
Through your faith.
Your Jesus is your eternal part,
He went as witness for your salvation
To the deepest parts
Of the ocean of suffering.
An even were you to cry
A sea of tears for each sin,
That would not be enough;
Only Jesus’ holy precious blood
Extinguished the embers of hell.
Into the deepest sea of your mercy
Through the entire army of my sins,
My Savior, Jesus Christ
Don’t think of them in eternity—
Mercy! Mercy!
Make my heart still, Free it from the devil
So that it is not the same as a cradle,
Unsteady, always moved by the wind.
Let me be firm in my faith
Do not allow the ship of my faith to sink.
Fourth Hymn: Glory to God in the Highest
Now lets sing: Glory to God in the highest,
You Christians also on the sea today,
Bring joyfully with the host of angels,
Your hymn of praise to the Savior.
As Noah once at eventide,
Was joyfully in his ark,
As the dove came down to him in flight
Bearing the olive branch in its mouth:
So we rejoice in the Lord exceedingly
Christmas time on the sea today,
Where the Angel swings down low,
And bring us the Olive branch of peace.
The Lord who created heaven, earth and sea,
For His own glory;
That Father’s significant image,
Lies wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Lord Jesus, Holy child,
Let the ship become your cradle,
Rest here with your glory,
At this sacred Christmas time.
Bibliography
Akten Des Amtsgericht. Vol. 2. 918 C. Dresden, Germany. Transcribed by Kurt Spillner. St. Louis: Concordia Historical Institute, 1986. Translated by John Conrads. New York: Stephan Family Archives, 2004.
Amtsakten, Anhang B [Office of Official Acts, appendix B]. Vol. 3. Transcribed by Kurt Spillner. Translated by John Conrads. St. Louis: Concordia Historical Institute; New York: Stephan Family Archives.
Bergendoff, Conrad. The Church of the Lutheran Reformation. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1967.
———, ed. History of the City of Stramberg. Stramberg, Czech Republic: Visitor’s Bureau, 1999.
Buerger, Ernst Moritz. “Memoirs of Ernst Moritz Buerger: Part Two.” Translated by Edgar Joachim Buerger. Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly 74, no. 4 (2003).
———. “Memoirs of Ernst Moritz Buerger: Part Three.” Translated by Edgar Joachim Buerger. Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly 77, no. 1 (2004).
Burgdorf, Paul. “Martin Stephan’s Published Sermon on the Christian Faith.” Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly 42, no. 2 (1990).
Delitzsch, Franz. Lutherthum und Luegenthum. Grimma, Germany: n.p., 1839.
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Index
absolution. See confession
Agricola, Stephan
Amalia; C. F. W. Walther assigned to; lost at sea
Anzeiger des Westens: colonists letters to; editorials in; ownership of
“awakening” movement (Erwecht); influence on Stephan
Barthel, Fredrick; correspondence with Delitzsch; and disposition of Stephan’s property
Behnke, David
Bimpage, Christian; and disposition of Stephan’s property and Stephan’s ouster
Boerner’s Vineyard, Hofloessnitz
Boone, Daniel
Brazeau River
Bremerhaven, Germany as emigration departure point
Brethren, United and Moravian; and Stephan’s ministry; and Stephan’s training
Brohm, Theodore Julius; and colony divisions; as secretary to Stephan
Buenger, Agnes
Buenger, Ernst
Buenger, J. F.
Buerger, Edgar
Buerger, Ernst Moritz; and colony divisions; and Stephan’s ouster
Burgdorf, Paul
Calixtines
Concordia Colleges: first Lutheran college; and Martin Stephan V (Jr.)
confession: discontinuation of; Louise Guenther’s; sacrament of; seal of
conventicles; legality of; and Stephan’s ministry
Copernicus
Council of Basel
Credit Fund; control of; declining balance of; investment in; Stephan’s alleged misuse of; uses of
Deaf and Dumb Institute
Delitzsch, Franz: letters to America about colony divisions; remarks about Stephan; theology of church and ministry
Descartes, René
Dittrich, Caroline
Duden, Gottfried
Dwight, Dr. (president of Yale)
Elizabeth College, Breslau
Emigration Codes: basis of community and obedience to; elections and governance; text of
Evangelical reform movement; influence on Stephan; and Lutheranism
Fischer, Heinrich Ferdinand; and fiscal control
Fischer, Ludwig
Fluegel, J. G.
Francke, August
In Pursuit of Religious Freedom: Bishop Martin Stephan's Journey Page 38
