PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 % 
 
 BX 8080 .E23 M65 1882 
 Mombert, J. I. 1829-1913. 
 Faith victorious 
 
 SAel/. 
 
SOUTH VIEW OF THE OLD-TOWN CHURCH AT KONIGSBERG BEFORE ITS DEMOLITION. 
 
FAITH VICTORIOUS, 
 
 BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND 
 LABORS, AND OF THE TIMES 
 
 f 
 
 THE VENERABLE DR. JOHANN EBEL, 
 
 LATE ARCHDEACON OF THE OLD TOWN CHURCH OF 
 kOnIGSBERG, in PRUSSIA. 
 
 DRAWN FROM AUTHENTIC SOURCES, 
 
 BY 
 
 ,/ 
 
 J. I. MOMBERT, D.D. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH & COMPANY, 
 
 goo Broadway. 
 1S82. 
 
Copyright 
 
 1882, 
 
 By J. I. MOMBERT. 
 
 PRESS CF J. J. LITTLE L CO., 
 tJOS. 13 TO 20 ASTOR PLACE, NEW YORK. 
 

 
 PREFACE. 
 
 This work presents : 
 
 1. The biography of a Lutheran clergyman, but 
 little known outside of Germany, but whose com- 
 manding intellect, interesting history, and apostoli- 
 cal zeal in the maintenance and vindication of pure 
 and true evangelical doctrine in opposition to the 
 skepticism and deadness of German Christianity 
 in the first third of this century, entitle him to the 
 gratitude, love and veneration which all lovers of 
 the Lord Jesus Christ owe to the champions and 
 martyrs of the faith once delivered to the saints. 
 
 2. An account of a phase of religious life in 
 Germany, the existence of which is not generally 
 known, and freqiieritly dotibted, in countries of 
 English speech, illustrative of the inherent power 
 of Christianity to purify, develop and ennoble the 
 natural endowments of the soul to the loftiest 
 self-consecration. Acquaintance with the noble 
 characters introduced cannot fail to interest and 
 benefit all Christian reader?. 
 
 3 
 
4 PREFACE. 
 
 3. A contribution to Church History, by unfold- 
 ing the authentic data of the famous Religious 
 Suit of Konigsberg. 
 
 The uses contemplated affect the clergy and 
 laity "alike; the clergy, by laying open the springs 
 and methods of a singularly useful, effective and 
 blessed ministry ; the laity, by holding up the 
 illustrious example of so many devoted Christians 
 to their admiration, encouragement and edifica- 
 tion. 
 
 The production, in an Appendix, of an interest- 
 ing and original conception of the origin and gov- 
 ernment of the world, it is hoped, will be welcomed 
 as a contribution to the literature of philosophical 
 and theological thought. 
 
 The author trusts and prays that this work and 
 labor of love may be blessed to his brethren in the 
 ministry, and to the vastly greater number of his 
 brethren of the household of faith, fellow-citizens 
 with the saints, and of the commonwealth of God. 
 
-■>■■ PEIITCSTOIT 
 
 ■'i 
 
 \ 
 
 ■■\ r--f rr yn r\ r f\ n ^ n • 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Preface 3 
 
 Chapter I. — Early Years 7 
 
 " II. — Early Ministry 30 
 
 " III. — Frederic College 70 
 
 IV.— The Old-Town Church 84 
 
 " V. — Schonherr and False Friends 107 
 
 " VL— Noble Christians 131 
 
 " VII.— The Religious Suit 151 
 
 " VIII.— Rest 191 
 
 Appendices : 
 
 A. Sermons of Ebel 218 
 
 1. The Great Change, Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27 218 
 
 2. A Paradox, 2 Cor. xii. 10 236 
 
 3. Fidelity in the Least, Luke xvi. 10-13 248 
 
 B. Notice of Schonherr 258 
 
 Extracts from his Writings, Remains, the works of 
 
 others, Analyses, etc 262 
 
 C. Miscellaneous 293 
 
 Index 313 
 
 Illustrations : 
 
 I. View of the Old-Town Church Frontispiece. 
 
 II. Ebel's Autographs iSS, 200 
 
FAITH VICTORIOUS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EARLY YEARS 
 
 The subject of this memoir, Johannes Wilhelm Ebel, 
 was born March 4, 1784, at Passenheim, in East Prussia. 
 He was the first child of the Reverend Johann Jacob 
 Ebel, the Lutheran minister of the place, by his wife, 
 Louise Wilhelmine, daughter of the municipal councillor, 
 Holdschuhe. True, earnest, simple piety marked the 
 life of his parents, who, though poor as to this world, 
 were rich towards God. The mother, like Mary, had 
 chosen the good part, and like Hannah, had consecrated 
 her first-born to the peculiar service of God, from the 
 moment of his birth. To her early vow, intermingled 
 with the ardent longing of her soul, fed and animated by 
 constant prayer, and to her godly example, and precepts 
 drawn from the Word of God, the world is, under God, 
 indebted for a large share of the pure piety, trium- 
 phant faith, and love of the Scriptures, which peculiarly 
 stamped the life and graced the ministry of Johannes, 
 or as we shall call him, of John Ebel. 
 
 To this general characterization, we now add some 
 particulars shedding light on the influences that pre- 
 sided over the early life £ind culture of the child John, 
 
 7 
 
8 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 as he was being trained in the nurture and admonition 
 of the Lord. His father was a man of considerable at- 
 tainments, a good classic and theologian. Though de- 
 vout and believing, profoundly convinced of the divine 
 origin of Holy Scripture, and the necessity of a holy life, 
 rendered efficacious through intimate personal relation 
 to the Saviour, he was not altogether free from the dom- 
 inant neological thought of the period at the commence- 
 ment of his ministry. As he advanced in years, his aban- 
 donment of neological views, and adoption of strictly 
 bibhcal theology became more pronounced. But there 
 is no trace of neological tendency in the pure, translu- 
 cent piety of the mother, who, early orphaned, and ex- 
 posed to harsh treatment at the hands of a step-mother, 
 had turned in touching simplicity to the protecting care 
 of the Father in heaven, and was wont to hold all things 
 in Him, and Him in all things. The correspondence of 
 the betrothed gives evidence of the deep piety of both, 
 and shows that their union, so happy through life, began, 
 continued, and ended in God ! The grand principle 
 which those godly parents imprinted in indelible char- 
 acters on the mind of John was this, that it is our duty 
 to live 071 earth for heaven j that principle was their rule 
 of life, which they applied to everything, and of course, 
 to the education of their children. Family worship at 
 the beginning and close of every day, grace at meals, 
 the solemn celebration of the Lord's Supper on high fes- 
 tivals, belonged to the conduct of a Christian home, in 
 which prayer was the native element. In weal and woe, 
 in seasons of want, which were the rule, and seasons of 
 plenty, which were the exception, their wants and neces- 
 sities, their joys and griefs, were carried to the throne of 
 grace, and the never-failing providence of God was ever 
 
EARLY YEARS. 9 
 
 sought in believing, hopeful trust. Religion was a 7'e- 
 ality, and interpenetrated every, even the most ordinary, 
 part of daily life. Under such influences, augmented by 
 judicious religious instruction and Bible history enforced 
 by direct application, John grew up in the fear of God, 
 and cherished the thought to become a minister. He 
 loved to pray, and early acquired the faculty of commit- 
 ting hymns and making the hymns texts of sermons, 
 which, when he could command no other audience, he 
 would deliver to an imaginary congregation, consisting 
 of dolls, carved for the purpose out of wood. 
 
 Naturally endowed with a tender, kind, and sympathetic 
 disposition, the boy was a universal favorite, and when 
 in his seventh year he was sent to school, the shortcom- 
 ings of fellow pupils, especially when they led to punish- 
 ment, gave him unspeakable pain. Scrupulous veracity, 
 unselfishness, confidential intercourse with his mother as 
 to all matters relating to his own early troubles and trials 
 and temptations, were some of the engaging traits of the 
 young child. One of the greatest secrets of earthly hap- 
 piness he learned from intercourse with that sweet and 
 saintly mother, the secret which St. Paul so eloquently 
 commends to the Philippians ; '' Rejoice in the Lord 
 always," the joy which is the outcome of personal holi- 
 ness, and the testimony of a good conscience. That se- 
 cret, connected with habitual prayer and thanksgiving, 
 which he learned from his mother, he never forsook in 
 after life ; it was perhaps the most distinctive feature of 
 his character and ministry. 
 
 The rather primitive school at Passenheim, and private 
 instruction in Latin at home, supplied until his eleventh 
 year the means of his education. In 1795 the even tenor 
 of the good people's life was interrupted by a call to be- 
 
10 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 come assistant minister in the Polish congregation at 
 Konigsberg, extended to the hard-worked and ill-paid 
 servant of Christ, which, while it brought change, was 
 hardly a promotion, for the emoluments of the position 
 at Konigsberg were not better than those connected wilh 
 that at Passenheim, and keeping the wolf from the door 
 was the ever-pressing concomitant of his sacred office. 
 But the change from quiet Passenheim to busy stirring 
 Konigsberg, with its splendid scholastic institutions and 
 famous university, brought sunshine into the mind of 
 John, and his lively imagination fell quickly to work to 
 portray a future of golden prospects. Whatever oc- 
 curred, occurred for the best ; God sent it all, and every 
 momentary joy, every the least ministration of human 
 kindness, was sent from on high, and viewed as a link in 
 the mysterious chain of providential direction shaping 
 his earthly course for a high and celestial vocation. 
 John was sent to the Latin school of the Altstadt at 
 Konigsberg, where he continued, with a brief interrup- 
 tion to be presently narrated, until he entered the univer- 
 sity. The master of that school was Hamann, one of the 
 most distinguished educators of the period. It was his 
 plan, in order to become personally acquainted with all 
 the pupils, even the most youthful, to teach every week a 
 few hours in every class. This enabled him not only to 
 study the character and mark the intellectual calibre of 
 every pupil, but also to establish direct personal relations 
 with them. John was an uncommonly bright, quick, 
 studious and conscientious pupil. His record in every 
 class was most enviable ; quick in perception and grasp, 
 diligent and careful in the preparation and pursuit of his 
 lessons, obedient to his teachers, kind and sympathetic 
 to his fellow-pupils, and withal uniformly modest and 
 
EARLY YEARS. II 
 
 pleasant, he was honored with the affection and confi- 
 dence of the former, and rendered happy by the good 
 will of the latter. 
 
 John's great merits had not escaped the penetrating 
 eye of Hamann, who neglected no opportunity to inflame 
 the zeal and fire the ambition of his pupils. One day he 
 came into John's class (the Tertia^ i. e. the third down- 
 ward), accompanied by a former teacher in the school, 
 who, after passing a brilliant examination at Berlin, had 
 just been appointed military chaplain. Hamann ad- 
 dressed the class and exhorted them to take encourage- 
 ment from his example to aim at high and noble ends ; 
 while speaking he stood near John, and affectionately 
 stroked his cheeks ; the former teacher, well acquainted 
 with him, and noticing rhe caress, said to Hamann, " That 
 boy will never be common." 
 
 It is not to be wondered at that John was happy at 
 school. Good, faithful, conscientious, manly and dihgent 
 boys always are ; unhappy boys at school, with very rare 
 exceptions, are deficient in one or other, in some or more, 
 and occasionally in all the qualities named. John's ex- 
 emplary conduct bore immediate good fruit ; the praise 
 of his teachers, the thankful approbation of his parents, 
 the good will of his fellow-pupils made him glad and 
 contented ; the report of his good behavior spread over 
 the town, and the parents of the best scholars sought for 
 them the companionship of so good a boy as John. 
 
 The sunny memories of that happy school-life had 
 always a tender place in the heart of Ebel. When many 
 years later he wrote an admirable pamphlet on educa- 
 tion,* he alluded to them, and affords us a view of a 
 
 * Die gcdeihliche Erziehung, p. 132 sqq. 
 
12 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 happy band of youth of whom he was the spring and 
 centre and motive power. Childhood and youth, to a 
 very large extent, are passed, as far as real enjoyment 
 and pleasure are concerned, almost entirely in the pleas- 
 ure-lands of imagination. The brightest children have 
 generally the liveliest imagination, and invest the unreal 
 or fictitious with a surprising degree of reality ; they 
 deliberately invent unreal situations, place themselves in 
 them as actors, and derive happiness from the consis- 
 tency and perseverance with which they sustain their 
 part. Such an ideal, imaginary estate was elaborated by 
 John, for his companion and friends. It was nothing 
 less than a sort of church and state ; the latter, it would 
 seem, reduced to the slender proportions of a provincial 
 municipality ; but there was a church and a school, with 
 a full complement of preachers and masters ; there were 
 services and sermons ; there were lessons and recitations, 
 pubhc examinations conducted by imaginary scholastic 
 functionaries, public debates solemnly argued on Satur- 
 day afternoons, and for which an elaborately prepared 
 programme was duly circulated ; prizes were likewise 
 awarded, and commendatory mention was made of peculi- 
 arly meritorious pupils. As the young people engaged 
 in the general conduct of these ideal establishments 
 were rather limited in number, our ingenious friend 
 John 7namtfactured a very large public in the shape of 
 small wands with carved heads, and the names of the 
 respective functionaries duly inscribed thereon, and he 
 likewise supplied the exchequer with funds in the shape 
 of stones of a designated value. The entire common- 
 wealth, embracing ministers and congregations, profes- 
 sors and pupils, the magistracy, the parents and citizens 
 in general, with an ample store of the circulating me- 
 
EARLY YEARS. 1 3 
 
 dium, was divided among the members of the ideal 
 establishment on equitable principles, who persevered in 
 their unquestionably useful and improving work for a 
 considerable period of time. 
 
 It has already been intimated that John's father had 
 cherished the thought that he should enter one of the 
 learned professions ; he now changed his views on 
 grounds sufficiently striking to justify their consideration. 
 As applied to the learned professions in general, exclud- 
 ing theology, the question was one of means. The 
 slender income of the assistant minister imperatively 
 dictated a diminution, not an increase of expenditure; 
 he could not afford the necessary outlay, for he had not 
 got it, -and therefore he ruled it wise to convert a con- 
 sumer into a producer by the m.ost expeditious and re- 
 munerative course. He felt convinced that John, so 
 kind, affectionate and unselfish, would certainly be the 
 stay and staff of the younger children if he were once 
 placed in circumstances favoring his natural promptings; 
 and he decided that instead of entering the ministry, he 
 should go to a merchant's office. That was reasonable 
 and judicious enough, but what about theology 2 for that 
 was the secret yearning, the daily prayer of his wife, and 
 that was ever uppermost in the heart and mind of John. 
 Why then did he propose, for propose he certainly did, 
 that what he knew would give pain and sorrow all 
 around ? The pecuniary argument did not apply here, 
 for friends and assistance, to say nothing of faith in God, 
 would certainly have been found, as eventually they were 
 found. What then were the reasons, which he, as a 
 clergyman, had to oppose to the darling desire of his 
 wife and of his son ? He lived in sad times; he was not 
 only half starved, but he felt in bitterness of soul that 
 
14 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 the ministry was scorned and despised, like Christianity 
 itself, by a skeptical, free-thinking, rationalistic but irra- 
 tional generation. To study theology, to preach Chris- 
 tian doctrine as taught in the New Testament, and to 
 enter the church, were in the public estimate to study, 
 preach and practise hypocrisy. This sentiment v/as so 
 universally held, that the poor assistant minister, who 
 was half starved to death, and had to toil like a slave, 
 felt himself daily and hourly insulted in the thought and 
 speech of his contemporaries. It was a galling thought, 
 and he felt that though such torture and excruciating 
 agony might be borne by him, yet as far as he might be 
 able to prevent it, it should not be endured by his noble, 
 pure, true, sensitive and scrupulously conscientious John, 
 and therefore he told him, "You must not become a 
 minister; it would kill you; the vv^orld is too corrupt; and 
 you are too conscientious to submit to the hardships of 
 the ministry." It was a sore trial to them all, when against 
 the wishes of the good mother, against the entreaties of Di- 
 rector Hamann, and against the boy's own deep and invin- 
 cible yearnings, he was removed from the Secimda (the sec- 
 ond class) to a merchant's office, and had to study French 
 and Polish in place of the classics. But John was not to be 
 a merchant ; the work did not agree with him, he grew sick- 
 ly and the good assistant minister became convinced that 
 it was an intimation of Providence to cease his opposition to 
 the desire and entreaties of all concerned, and thus he con- 
 sented to his return to school and the prosecution of his 
 preparatory studies in Pf-ima (/. e. the highest class). 
 
 There Hamann taught almost exclusively. His method 
 was singularly lucid and stimulative, and his influence 
 magnetic. In the class-room, he taught^ and understood 
 to inspire his pupils with an enthusiastic thirst for knov/1- 
 
EARLY YEARS. 1 5 
 
 edge. There was no slavish, mechanical committal of 
 the dull, packed sections and paragraphs of text books, 
 alike suicidal to independent thought and the mastering 
 of a subject, alike injurious to teacher and taught. His 
 method was oral instruction of an uncommonly well- 
 informed, original mind, conveyed in warm, earnest, con- 
 vincing strains to eager, ambitious students. He urged 
 them to go beyond the prescript curriculum and read con- 
 jointly at home selected portions of classical authors, and 
 of German writers. This advice was not neglected by 
 John, who derived great benefit from the judicious and 
 diligent improvement of his spare time. 
 
 In his parental home Sunday was kept, neither accord- 
 ing to the prevailing spirit of desecration, nor according 
 to the Mosaic literalness of Puritanic sabbath observance. 
 His father recommended and practised a middle course; 
 all work proper was rigidly forbidden, /, e. all regular 
 work ; work belonging to the week days, which included 
 of course school work, was relegated to week-days. 
 First came public worship, and then social intercourse ; 
 the two were not treated as incompatibles, but as comple- 
 mentaries ; and while social intercourse admitted of 
 pastime and recreation, it allowed likev/ise private 
 reading or the study of favorite authors ; the latter was 
 John's way of filling the leisure hours of the Lord's Day. 
 Gellert's Moral Prelections, and J. P. Miller's Moral De- 
 liiieaiions^ he found peculiarly attractive. Works of a 
 philosophical and religious tone seemed to charm him 
 most. As Hamann's views of Christianity were de- 
 cidedly negative, and the prevailing sentiment at Konigs- 
 berg in general, and in the Latin school in particular, 
 
 * Schaffhausen, 1779. 
 
l6 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 ran in the same direction, there was a good deal of re- 
 ligious, or more truly, of irreligious controversy among 
 the pupils. Among them was one who loved to fire the 
 salvos of Voltaire and Rousseau at Christianity, and pro- 
 voked John, who even then clung to his religious convic- 
 tion with that intensity of persistence which is almost 
 always allied to natures whom the French call entier, to 
 vindicate it from the aspersions he cast upon it. This 
 prompted him to ransack the well-stocked and carefully 
 selected library of his father for apologetic works, and to 
 master their arguments against scoffers and skeptics. 
 Thus he became, at a comparatively early period, fa- 
 miliar e. g. with Lilienthal's Gtite Sache,^ and many other 
 thoughtful works, whose persual led him to think and 
 form independent opinions in a field of theological in- 
 quiry for which he appeared to be peculiarly fitted, and 
 in which he speedily earned golden laurels. He read 
 fast, and acquired the useful habit of keeping the run of, 
 and acquaintance with new publications, especially peri- 
 odical literature, to which he devoted his leisure mo- 
 ments at meals. The books he studied were of a weighty 
 sort, on topics connected with philosophy and theology ; 
 and as he was wont to take notes and extracts as he 
 went along, every department of human knowledge was 
 made to contribute to his intellectual outfit. At that 
 time his memory was more tenacious of facts, and the 
 true essence of any matter he might have in hand, than 
 of literal technicalities. 
 
 Hamann, the head of the Latin School, was the son of 
 a very remarkable man, Johann Georg Hamann, who, 
 from his own no?n de plume, is known in literature as the 
 
 * Konigsberg, 1760. 
 
EARLY YEARS. 1 7 
 
 " Magus of the North." As a writer he is humorous, 
 rather cynical, but all his sentiments are dipped in Chris- 
 tianity ; his philosophy is essentially Christian and bibli- 
 cal. Herder said that " every thought of his is an un- 
 strung pearl, wrapped in the very words without which 
 it could neither have been thought nor spoken." 
 
 The son did not in any way share the religious convic- 
 tions of his sire, but deemed them foolishness, and had a 
 very reprehensible way of ridiculing and sneering at the 
 dogmas of the Christian verity. His innuendoes, often 
 thrust at John, neither shook his faith, nor weakened the 
 affectionate relations which marked his intercourse with 
 Hamann. When he left school in 1801, the official testi- 
 monial, here produced, reflects the opinion which had 
 been formed of him by his teachers : " Johannes Wil- 
 helm Ebel, of Passenheim in Prussia, has been for six 
 years a pupil of this school. Throughout that period he 
 has been continuously diligent and unremittingly devoted 
 to his studies. Having utilized every moment of his 
 time, his progress in scientific knowledge has been so 
 satisfactory, that in the unanimous and commendatory 
 judgment of the officially appointed examiners, he has 
 been found qualified to frequent the free halls of aca- 
 demical learning, it being his intention to study theology. 
 His disposition is so singularly friendly and amiable that 
 we cannot part with him without sorrow ; and we may 
 confidently predict that in this respect he will remain 
 unchanged. Our cordial wishes for prosperity in all his 
 efforts and undertakings accompany him." 
 
 Before following him to the university, the extraordi- 
 nary diligence and application referred to in the testi- 
 monial, need an explanatory word. Besides his regular 
 school duties, he was obliged to supervise and help a 
 
1 8 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 younger brother and several boarders in his father's 
 famijy, in the preparation of their school exercises. His 
 own statement, made at a subsequent period, sheds light 
 on this matter : " As the child of poor parents, I was 
 compelled, since my fifteenth year, to contribute to my 
 own support by giving private lessons ; and after my 
 eighteenth year to assist in the maintenance of my 
 father's family by spending simultaneously with niy aca- 
 demical studies, daily, five hours in a public school, as my 
 father's substitute, who on account of sickness, was un- 
 able to do the work." 
 
 The relations to his fellovz-students were most cordial 
 and pleasant. Of a peaceful temperament, he had no 
 quarrels of his own, but was successful in composing 
 those of others. Fond of mirth and harmless pleasures, 
 and averse to exclusiveness, he bore his part in the pub- 
 lic social gatherings of the students, who liked his frank 
 and cheerful demeanor. The same diligence and appli- 
 cation which had marked his course at school character- 
 ized his progress at the university. The circle of his 
 acquaintance was quite extensive, and he enjoyed the 
 esteem and affection of his fellow-students ; but he had 
 not found among them a really intimate or truly con- 
 genial friend. Nor is this matter of surprise, if ^Ye bear 
 in mind the deep, strong religious convictions which 
 colored all his efforts and inspirations, and contrast them 
 with the frivolity and irreligion which animated the aca- 
 demic youth of the period. They simply reflected the 
 prevalent sentiment that religion was hypocrisy, and 
 would often tease him with the jocose inquiry, how he 
 would ever manage to get along as d, priest (Pfaffe), as 
 he was not cut out for a hypocrite. The contemptuous- 
 ness of the word Pfaffe which they used, does not attach 
 
EARLY YEARS. I9 
 
 to the English priest ; it is generally employed with a 
 liberal infusion of envenomed hatred and derision. 
 
 Soon after entering the university, John had the great 
 sorrow to lose his good mother after a fortnight's illness. 
 She died as a true Christian. After taking leave of all 
 the rest, she beckoned John to her side, and poured into 
 his ears her deep and intense love ; she told him how it 
 had been the ardent, never-dying yearning of her soul 
 that he should be a minister of the Word ; that that had 
 been her prayer before he was born ; that her husband's 
 opposition had caused her unspeakable pain, and almost 
 made her uncertain as to what might be the will of God 
 in the matter; but that now everything seemed to point 
 so clearly in one direction, that she felt sure that her 
 prayer would be heard, and that he would not study law, 
 as his father seemed to desire. Then she blessed him, 
 adding in great tenderness: "If all my prayers for you 
 are heard, my child, you will be the happiest of the chil- 
 dren of men." Her last v/ords were : " Indeed you will 
 and must needs prosper, for you have caused us nothing 
 but joy." That sainted mother's life-long prayers and 
 dying benediction were ratified on high, for the child of 
 so many prayers grew to become a man of prayer, ever 
 ineffably happy in the love of Christ, and impressing all 
 that knew him with the placid serenity that was mirrored 
 in his mind and life, though storms of trials and tempests 
 of adversity beat upon his soul. 
 
 Schulz and Hasse were foremost among the theologi- 
 ans whom John heard. The views of the former w^ere 
 orthodox, i. e. biblical, those of the latter neological. 
 While his sympathies went out to the first, he could not 
 withhold his admiration from the straightforward, out- 
 spoken frankness and native truthfulness of the second, 
 
20 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 and he attended almost all his prelections on the the- 
 ology, paedagogics and the Oriental languages. Hasse's 
 hetorodoxy did not in any way contaminate the strong 
 biblical bias of our young theological student, who very 
 judiciously sought for breadth of view, and toiled and 
 struggled to find the true and trusty foundation of the 
 love of Jesus, in the conflict of philosophical and theo- 
 logical opinions which must often have seemed to him a 
 veritable Babel for confusion and contradiction. He was 
 passing through the great ordeal which was to test the 
 purity, strength and sincerity of his religious convictions. 
 Such an ordeal to true and conscientious minds is harder 
 intellectually and emotionally than the material ordeal 
 of fire and water of which we read in history. There is 
 a crisis in the theological culture of every student when 
 he must form opinions based on the study of the Scrip- 
 tures, and where the ipse dixit of the professor is rarely 
 satisfactory. He must think for himself ; he wants rea- 
 sons for his belief ; reasons for his convictions ; and the 
 question comes sometimes with irresistible force : Which 
 is stronger ? where are the strongest proofs ? what am I 
 to believe ? am I to follow the promptings of personal 
 inclination ? or must I sacrifice personal inclination to 
 the superior experience of my teacher, and the still higher 
 claims of truth ? And what is truth ? In English and 
 American theological seminaries the difficulties are not 
 anything as great as those which beset the path of a 
 student in a German university, where professors of al- 
 most every diversity of theological belief or unbelief are 
 at liberty to unfold their respective views, while the stu- 
 dents are not compelled to attend the lectures of men 
 all of the same stripe, but at liberty to hear whom they 
 choose. In the midst of such a chaos of conflicting 
 
EARLY YEARS. 21 
 
 opinions stood young Ebel, doubtful, hesitating, swayed 
 hither and thither, humble-minded and in danger of los- 
 ing his self-reliance ; eager and strong in long-cherished 
 feelings, and in danger of sacrificing truth to inclination ; 
 he weighed and balanced thought with thought, referred 
 what he heard and read to the word of God, and sought 
 for light and direction in habitual intercourse with God 
 in prayer. The possession of the truth, no matter from 
 which quarter it came to him, grasped in faith, held con- 
 scientiously and in charity, that was his aim, and in the 
 congenial soil of such an aim rooted the impartiality and 
 conscientiousness which are conspicuous traits of his 
 character. 
 
 Thoroughly unsettled on matters where doubt and 
 perplexity mean unhappiness, and where indecision makes 
 confusion worse confounded, Ebel was wondering where 
 the solution might lie — whether after all that good 
 mother's prayers, and her prophetic utterances, after 
 all, and notwithstanding all his own most cherished feel- 
 ings, it were not wiser and better, whether it were not 
 right for him to abandon theology and turn pedagogue, 
 or whether he should persevere and struggle on, de- 
 termined to succeed ? Just at that critical moment the 
 matter was decided for him in a way which is best given 
 in his own words : 
 
 " I was eighteen years old, when I heard a friend of our 
 family state incidentally that he had become acquainted with 
 a man (Johann Heinrich Schonherr) who had successfully 
 established a perfect agreement of the whole Bible, even as 
 to its verbal declarations, by proofs of reason, with a force of 
 conviction simply irresistible, and all but unanswerable by 
 scoffing unbelievers. Like a light from heaven this glorious 
 news shed its gladsome beams into my heart of hearts, and 
 
22 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 joy unspeakable took hold of my being-. It seemed as if all 
 the dreadful questionings, which rose unbidden, and which I 
 trembled to formulate, were answered, as if all darkness were 
 dispelled, and that a sweet presentiment overcame me, whis- 
 pering the fulfilment of my deepest longings. From a child 
 brought up in reverence of the word of God, the doubts of 
 its truth and the contradiction of its declarations, vociferously 
 uttered all around me by my teachers and fellow-students, 
 could not fail to disquiet my heart, and to hold it in anxious', 
 painful suspense. When I tried to meet and oppose them, I 
 would, after long and idle contendings, retire to a corner of 
 my attic room, shed bitter tears, and pour out my heart 
 before God, accusing and condemning myself, and bewailing 
 my inability to save His word from defamation, and to vindi- 
 cate its declarations from the foul aspersions and criticisms 
 of the rationalists. This anxious and agonizing pain were all 
 the greater because I cherished the desire to study theology ; 
 but that darling wish, I felt, must be abandoned, as far as I 
 felt myself unable to grapple with the adversaries, and shrunk 
 from the thought of appearing in the pulpit with the Bible in 
 my hand, and thoughts inimical or conflicting with its truths 
 in my mind — in other words, of preaching in opposition to 
 conviction. ... In the midst of this soul-struggle, in the 
 midst of fears and longings, that blessed beam brought light. 
 The good news of my friend, that reason and revelation were 
 in agreement, and that the man who had succeeded to estab- 
 lish that agreement, was still in the land of the living."* 
 
 Opportunity for personal acquaintance with Schon- 
 herr soon occurred in a house which both were in the 
 habit of visiting. Ebel was at that time a handsome, 
 thoughtful youth of eighteen ; Schonherr a man of thirty- 
 two. The singular seriousness and devout veneration of 
 
 * Ebel Schliissel zur Erkenntniss der Wahrheit, Leipzig, 1837, 
 p. I. 
 
EARLY YEARS. 23 
 
 Holy Scripture which marked the attitude of Ebel, and 
 singled him out from other students who were wont to 
 ridicule and belittle the inspired volume, did not escape 
 Schonherr. He took a lively interest in Ebel, who lis- 
 tened in profound and respectful attention to the mighty 
 and well nigh wonderful utterance of that noble and 
 richly gifted man. It sometimes happens that intellec- 
 tual or moral affinities which attract men to each other 
 are accompanied by physical resemblance. This was 
 noticed by one v/ho saw Schonherr and Ebel together, 
 and recorded it many years afterwards in these words : 
 
 " His very features remind me of Schonherr, although 
 Ebel is more handsome, and his carriage and speech 
 exhibit a higher degree of refinement and culture." 
 
 The dualistic principle so emphatically presented by 
 Schonherr, and diametrically opposed to the current 
 ideas on the relation of matter and mind, to the Coper- 
 nican system, and other prevailing tendencies, startled 
 the young student, and he was far from being in accord 
 with it. Its affinity and consonance with Holy Scripture, 
 as maintained by Schonherr, came not with the force of 
 immediate conviction. On the contrary, he opposed it 
 for years with every weapon which the study of meta- 
 physics, and a certain hardness of believing engendered 
 by it, were able to furnish ; and it was not until after 
 long and earnest resistance that he struggled into a 
 position where, simultaneously with the reception of the 
 Bible as the inspired word of God, he attained the 
 delightful assurance of conviction that there is a way to 
 read and understand that Word, which puts its declara- 
 tions in perfect harmony with the results of reasonable 
 inquiry and the phenomena of nature.* 
 
 * Ebel, Gcschichte des Fiiedrichs Collcgii, p. 62. 
 
24 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 A few words on this subject seem to be in place 
 here ; for a fuller account the Appendix B may be con- 
 sulted. 
 
 Prompted by an invincible desire for clear convictions 
 on the subject of immortality, Schonherr, in the course 
 of his studies on the origin of the world, thought he 
 had made the discovery that water is the primary matter 
 and light the formative principle. He read in the Bible 
 that a plurality of Eloliim had been engaged in the work 
 of creation, and the thought took shape in his mind that 
 nature is pervaded by two principles in perfect analogy 
 to the biblical Elohim. Two of his friends, in a work 
 published after his death,* declare that he would not 
 have cognized the existence of the two primary Beings 
 in the world of creation from the word "Elohim," or 
 been able to develop the thought and doctrine of the 
 creation of the world by their eternal, uncreated and im- 
 perishable existence, if the spirit of Truth had not first 
 led him to the study of nature, and allowed him to see 
 there — at first darkly, indistinctly, and, as it were, from 
 a distance — what Holy Scripture teaches in the history 
 of creation. Like St. Paul, he took hints for the knowl- 
 edge of God from what he saw in the works of creation, 
 and rose from nature to nature's God. It was a revela- 
 tion that filled him vvdth joy unspeakably grateful. " Crea- 
 tion," he said, "is a sealed book ; the Bible breaks the 
 seal. Who does not understand the Bible, does not 
 understand creation ; not because he cajinot find within 
 and round about him^self the truths taught in the Bible, 
 but because he has not yet foimd them there. And does 
 
 * Johann Heinrich Schonherr unci die von ihm erkamite IVahr' 
 hcit, Konigsberg, 1834, part I. p. 29, sqq. 
 
EARLY YEARS. 2$ 
 
 this not hold good of all knowledge ? We have only 
 words as long as reason and experience have not enabled 
 us to know and understand the objects they designate. 
 You may tell one that has never seen the light much of 
 its nature and properties ; he hears what you tell him, 
 and remembers the words, but he does not know the 
 lightr'' 
 
 Moreover, he took note that while the Bible does not 
 mention the creation of water, it seems to intimate that it 
 is the primary matter in 2 Pet. iii. 5 : " For this they will- 
 ingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the 
 heavens were of old, and the earth consisting out of 
 water, and in water." In the history of the creation, we 
 read that " the Spirit of God was moving upon the face 
 of the waters." He held firmly that Moses preached one 
 God ; but Moses names Elohim, and alternately em- 
 ploys the words Elohim and Jehovah ; that, he thought 
 must have a reason and a design. The concept of God 
 was to him a concept of correlation, according to which 
 he thought of God as the Supreme, the Most High, Most 
 Mighty, Most Wise Being, and felt constrained — un- 
 less he should speculate beyond what Scripture declares 
 on the subject — to regard Him not as the Sole Original, 
 Primary Being, without whom there never existed any- 
 thing at any time, but biblically, as the Supreme, Primary 
 Being, as the Jehovah of the Elohim. God is to him 
 the only Almighty God, Creator of all things ; but, he 
 opined, if there had never been another Being beside 
 Himself, not anything would ever have come into being ; 
 he took umbrage at the notion of a creation out of noth- 
 ing, and deemed it absurd ; and if that notion were meant 
 
 * Schonherr, Sieg der Gottlichen Offenbarung, p. 4. 
 
26 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 to express that the creation was the effect of the 
 almighty will of God, that would make it unsubstantial 
 and contrary to all experience, which coincides with the 
 biblical representation of God always working by means. 
 He thought, with others since his day, that it is a senile 
 prejudice to reduce the creation to a si7igle principle, and 
 unwarranted temerity to leave the discovered traces of 
 the Bible. Neither the fiction that Elohim designates 
 the sacred Trinity, nor the makeshift of its being 2. pluralis 
 majestaticus * deterred Schonherr from stoutly maintain- 
 ing that Elohim must be more than Elohah ; that a 
 iplvLial/brm must originally have been connected with a 
 plurality of persons^ and that the Elohim designates a 
 real plurality. 
 
 It is proper to emphasize here that it v/as not Schon- 
 herr's dualism, but his reception of the Bible as the word 
 of God, which attracted Ebel ; that he made very clear 
 in later years, when under the imputation of sectarian 
 tendencies he was the subject of an almost unparalleledly 
 wicked persecution, and declared ad acta .• " I confess 
 from the bottom of my heart, that I value Schonherr's 
 theory, solely because it appears to me to have greater 
 biblical authority, as far as man can determine it, than 
 other theories. If it does not agree with the Bible, I am 
 still prepared to fling it aside as trash." 
 
 It was a curious age, that age of enlightenment, in 
 which the shape of man's coat, or the cut and length of 
 his beard, were regarded as essentials of respectability 
 
 * Ewald, Hebr. Grammar, § 361, denies that the Hebrew lan- 
 guage has any feeling for a so-called phiralis majestaticus, and ac- 
 counts for the plural form of Elohim, because, according to the 
 conception of the ancients, the Deity was thought as infinitely nu- 
 merous, and divisible, and yet conjoined. 
 
EARLY YEARS. 2J 
 
 and even of orthodoxy. Poor Schonherr liked to wear 
 a long coat, and his medical adviser had recommended 
 him to let his hair and beard grow long. That was 
 enough to the men of his generation to deprive him of 
 both respectability and orthodoxy ; but then the of- 
 ficial (/. e. secular) orthodox belief of the period was 
 rank infidelity, and hatred of religion and morality, and 
 thus it came to pass, that to walk with Schonherr in the 
 streets of Konigsberg, was a stone of stumbling, and a 
 rock of offence. Schonherr was peculiar, one-sided, rode 
 hobbies ; but are we not all peculiar, more or less one- 
 sided, and do not we ride hobbies ? Yet he was through 
 and through a good man and true, singularly gifted, and 
 an enthusiast, vastly superior to many other enthusiasts, 
 clean-shaven and long-bearded, in costume Oriental or 
 Occidental. And Ebel was not the man to take umbrage 
 at such trifles, and he stuck to his friend. And his 
 friend he was, and remained, and proved it on many oc- 
 casions, but chiefly in telHng him the truth. As Schon- 
 herr never founded a sect, neither Ebel, nor others who 
 adopted some of his views, and held them as private, 
 could be called his followers or adherents ; if that were 
 so, a many-sided man, or a man of great and varied cul- 
 ture, who adopts all sorts of views from all sorts of 
 people might be accused of almost every heresy under 
 heaven, and of being tinged with the most contradictory 
 sectarian tendencies; if heresy and sect-hunting were 
 carried on in the spirit which forty years ago existed in 
 Prussia, many a prelate might tremble in his shoes, many 
 a professor would be cashiered, many a priest would be 
 unfrocked. 
 
 At this early period Ebel regarded Schonherr as a 
 great benefactor, in having helped him out of the dark- 
 
28 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 ness of doubt and perplexity into the sunlight of un- 
 dimmed, childlike faith in the word of God. In the 
 principle of the two primary Beings he saw a key to the 
 proper understanding of nature and revelation ; a key, 
 not of magnetic virtue, so that at its approach all locks 
 must open spontaneously, but a key of the ordinary sort, 
 requiring careful fitting and careful handling, and beyond 
 that he really never went with Schonherr, to whom he 
 always felt grateful for that early guidance at a most 
 critical period of his life. That principle enabled Ebel 
 to solve to himself the imystery — for it is truly a mystery 
 or a secret disclosed — of human freedom, which he felt 
 cannot be explained on any other basis so as to meet the 
 statements of Holy Scripture and convince the under- 
 standing ; it enabled him to see man under the influence 
 of two powers ; it enabled him, likewise, better to un- 
 derstand the biblical dogma of the devil ; to form a 
 lofty, true and delightful conception of the truths of sal- 
 vation, of the lofty position of man, of his high and 
 glorious destiny, and of the establishment of the king- 
 dom of heaven, all of which were treated at the time as 
 idle imaginings, allegorized into poetic myths or ex- 
 plained away by methods of interpretation often as con- 
 temptible in the interpreters as they were insulting to 
 hearers and readers alike. But Ebel was fortified by 
 Schonherr in his strong biblical bias to accept the verbal 
 inspiration of the Bible ; and how -Schonherr reasoned 
 and expressed himself, and how his impassioned utter- 
 ances must have delighted the ears and rejoiced the 
 heart of the ardent youth the reader may judge of from 
 a few samples gathered at random from his writings and 
 placed in Appendix B, 
 
 In the meantime the meeting with Schonherr decided 
 
EARLY YEARS. 29 
 
 his course ; thenceforth theology was to be his study, 
 and to win souls for Christ and work towards the setting 
 up of Christ's kingdom his prayerful vocation. For that 
 he was indebted to the friendship of Schonherr ; but it 
 was a friendship that had much to try him, as the sequel 
 will show. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 EARLY MINISTRY. 
 
 Ebel passed the examination of candidate in theology 
 before the theological faculty at Konigsberg in 1804, and 
 according to usage, began what may be called his novi- 
 tiate as collaborator or assistant in a school, under the 
 direction of Dr. Hamann, to which he was preferred 
 through the interest and influence of his old master. 
 Familiar intercourse with experienced and able educa- 
 tors proved highly beneficial to the young candidate, 
 quick and apt to turn his opportunities to good account. 
 Besides certain secular branches, he was specially charged 
 with the religious instruction of the whole school from 
 Secunda downwards. His relations to the other teachers 
 were very cordial, and to the pupils singularly delightful ; 
 he knew the secret of commanding their affections, and 
 the religious recitations, as a rule the least affected in 
 gymnasia, were the most popular in the school. This 
 speaks volumes for the tact and heart of a teacher able 
 to establish such happy relations to his pupils, for it 
 points unmistakably to sincere and warm feelings on his 
 part, which youth is ever ready to reciprocate. They 
 loved him, and therefore strove to please him in every 
 way, and it is touching to read that two or three me- 
 
 30 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 3 1 
 
 mentos of trifling value, presented to him by his pupils, 
 were unspeakably precious to him even in old age, when 
 he would feelingly point to a pocket-book, an album, 
 and a small goblet, inscribed with the words, " in token 
 of grateful love." The secret of his success as a teacher 
 of religion may be expressed in a single sentence, " cheer- 
 fulness and godliness." He believed more in the force 
 of example than in the force of precept ; uniformly 
 cheerful himself, kind, sympathetic, and averse to sanc- 
 timonious language, he understood to convince his youth- 
 ful friends that the cheerfulness which springs from a 
 heart aglow with the love of God and a good con- 
 science is not only compatible with sincere piety and 
 holiness, but its necessary concomitant. His views 
 on this subject are truly admirable, and may be read 
 at length in a volume which bears the title, ''^Ueber 
 gedeihliche Erziehung^'' Hamburg, 1825, from which I 
 select the following passage as applicable now as it 
 was half a century ago. His topic is godly cheerful- 
 ness as the true means of inculcating piety in the heart 
 of youth, and its example as the best way to accomplish 
 it ; he says : 
 
 " How different would the world be, if teachers were to 
 deal with their dear children in this spirit. We should not 
 see the pious contortions of countenance, religious curvatures 
 and holy inclinings, or hear the devout groans of a class of 
 people who think that they render God service in the out- 
 ward show of repentance, and who though under the care of 
 the heavenly Physician appear like sickly invalids all the 
 days of their life. How much more profitable for all to know 
 that as a judicious earthly physician likes nothing better in 
 his patients than a cheerful look, provided they do not overdo 
 it, so the heavenly Physician loves cheerful courage in His 
 
32 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 patients, and welcomes it as the fit concomitant of His 
 grace, whereas intentional dejectedness invariably cometh of 
 evil. Then the voice of joy and the voice of gladsome praise 
 would again go out into all the world (Jer. xxxi. 12, 13 ; xxiii. 
 II, 12); young men and old would rejoice together before their 
 God ; and the world would not be ashamed to blend its song 
 with the birds', as they sing among the branches, as a tribute 
 of praise for the glories of creation offered to the author of 
 gladness and joy. No one would take umbrage if people of 
 culture conversed as freely on things divine as they discuss 
 human affairs ; there would be no more heresy-mongers, to 
 scent prayer-meetings and new sects in the harmless and 
 free interchange of thought among sensible men — and the 
 whole course of our life would be bathed in the sunlight of a 
 higher world ! " 
 
 The last sentence has fortunately no such meaning 
 here, as that which it had to its author and his readers ; 
 it came from the depths of a noble soul, stung and 
 wounded, persecuted and hunted down by just such 
 heresy-mongers. 
 
 In the following year (1805) the school- work, so 
 pleasant and congenial, had to undergo certain modi- 
 fications necessitated by new duties, enchaining many 
 advantages and grave responsibiHties. It came about as 
 follows. Count Dohna-Schlodien had two sons whom 
 he wished to place under proper supervision at the 
 university. There were difficulties to find a suitable 
 tutor, and young Ebel, a little more than twenty, was so 
 strongly recommended to the Count that he put them 
 under his care. As his new duties required him to 
 accompany the young counts to the university and hear 
 the lectures they attended, it was of course impossible 
 for him to continue his work at the Altstadt-School, 
 and he prepared the way for separation by restricting 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 33 
 
 his attendance to a few hours. The care of the young 
 counts'was certainly not a sinecure ; their first education 
 had been at a school conducted by the Moravian broth- 
 ers at Uist. Their peculiar system of narrow, straight- 
 laced and rigorous religious formalism was not calculated 
 to benefit youth, who were kept in strict exclusiveness, 
 and taught that worldly pleasure of every kind was 
 wicked ; outwardly they had all to be saints, but in- 
 wardly they detested saintHness and longed for freedom, 
 and for that self-same world they were supposed to have 
 abjured. The elder brother, in particular, confounding 
 the peculiar notions of the Uist brotherhood with Chris- 
 tianity, formed a positive aversion to it and all religion. 
 From the strict exclusiveness of Uist their father re- 
 moved them to Dresden, where they studied in private, 
 and enjoyed almost unbounded license. The transition 
 from one extreme to another was a great mistake, and 
 led to consequences which rendered a middle course 
 matter of absolute necessity. For that the expedient 
 was adopted of placing the young men under Ebel's 
 care ; a momentous and difficult position under all cir- 
 cumstances, but peculiarly so, when respect is had to 
 the circumstance that Ebel was only by one year the 
 senior of the elder, and by two of the younger of the 
 brothers. But a better and more judicious choice could 
 hardly have been made ; for it has already been shown 
 that Ebel was through and through unostentatiously 
 devout, firm, judicious, and affectionate. His plan was 
 to treat them as equals, and to appeal to their best in- 
 stincts rather by the force of example than by magis- 
 terial precepts, which the peculiar sensitiveness of his 
 pupils would have resented. He consulted them as to 
 the most advantageous use of their time ; they agreed 
 
34 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 upon the adoption of a scheme of work, readily fell in 
 with their tutor's suggestion to read the classics,- and as 
 he set them the example of regularity and understood to 
 win their confidence, esteem and affection, the method 
 was crowned with success. There still remained the 
 question of companionship, not so easily regulated at a 
 university ; of nearly the same age and attending the 
 same lectures, their companions were his, and as he 
 established friendly relations with them, the whole bent 
 and direction of their social life ran in proper channels. 
 Young men of about twenty years of age feel tutelage of 
 any sort irksome ; it was the tutor's part to keep a 
 watchful eye over their movements, and as anything like 
 espionage was, of course, utterly out of the question, 
 Ebel put them on their honor, and tried to get their 
 confidence by giving them his. He would tell them 
 w^here he went, when he had occasion to leave the house, 
 that they might know where to find him ; and that, of 
 course, prompted similar frankness on their part, more 
 in the case of the younger, however, than in that of the 
 elder.* As to him it may be here stated, that he told 
 Ebel on leaving the university, that before his acquaint- 
 ance with him he had regarded all persons professing 
 religious principles as hypocrites, but that he was the 
 first to convince him of the error of his hasty judg- 
 ment. 
 
 * The younger fell in the war of 1813 ; he was one of the three, 
 whose death is commemorated in Max von Schenkendorf's poem 
 " The three Counts." His father, in a letter to Ebel, on that sor- 
 rowful providence, touchingly narrates how the young hero during 
 the armistice made his servant read the Bible, which he tried to the 
 best of his ability to explain and commend to him. The tutor's 
 teaching had not been forgotten. 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 35 
 
 This tutorship brought many advantages to the young 
 candidate ; its emoluments rid him of care and enabled 
 him to buy books ; the frequenting of lectures on branches 
 of science with which he had not any previous or only 
 imperfect acquaintance, e. g. Political Economy, Physics, 
 and especially Metaphysics, expanded his culture and 
 brought him in contact with the most distinguished pro- 
 fessors. Peculiarly beneficial were the philosophical 
 prelections of Krug (the successor of Kant) ; and his 
 excellent advice subjecting all philosophical or similar 
 systems to unprejudiced and calm examination he sought 
 to follow throughout Hfe.* It was at the instance of 
 Krug that the university of Leipzig conferred on Ebel 
 the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in 18 10. 
 
 Moreover, the excellent connections of the young 
 counts gave him the entree into the best society at 
 Konigsberg ; and his affability, gentleness and modesty, 
 his conversational facility, and aptness to learn and 
 readiness of adaptation stood him in good stead ; famili- 
 arity with the forms of polite intercourse added a new 
 element to his many-sidedness, and frequent participation 
 in festive gatherings and amusements, as well as occa- 
 sional visits to the theatre taught him to form a proper 
 estimate of the advantages and disadvantages of social 
 life. Thoroughly at his ease and at home in society, he 
 early learned to prefer the intercourse of a few chosen 
 and congenial companions to that of the great multitude. 
 
 There was at Konigsberg at that time an sesthetical 
 club, a rather heterogeneous sort of a body, composed of 
 persons representing the utmost variety of vocations, but 
 occupying common ground in the then comparatively 
 
 * His own statement in the History of Frederic College. 
 
36 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 new field of Esthetics. Among them were students, 
 poets, and even actors. Max von Schenkendorf belonged 
 to it, and so did Ebel. His influence was excellent, and 
 the relation a pleasing one. Of this there is written testi- 
 mony, showing likewise his peculiar aptitude to turn the 
 aspirations of others to high and holy ends. One wrote 
 thus : " I live in you with all my soul. You are so truly 
 devout and childlike. Would I could be like you ! I am 
 struggling and striving without avail. But in thought I am 
 with you, and it is my holiest endeavor to follow the 
 Good and live in God. — I stood in need of your manly 
 gentleness, for though all are manly, they are not gentle, 
 except G., who is gentle but not manly." Another with 
 whom he corresponded wrote : " I have fought in these 
 days many a hard battle. My senses, ever prompting me 
 to earthly pleasures, give me much trouble. I read the 
 Bible, and acquire strength. And to whom am I indebt- 
 ed for all this ? To you, the man with a pure heart ; you 
 spoke out of its fulness and filled mine. Accept my 
 sincere and unfeigned thanks. The few hours spent 
 with you have borne fruit a thousand-fold. But enough, 
 you know what I mean." 
 
 Among his acquaintance at that time we must not for- 
 get the name of Borowski, an excellent clergyman, whose 
 sermons he loved tc^hear. He invited him to fill his 
 pulpit, and advised him to commit his sermons after 
 writing them, for in Germany the use of manuscript in 
 the pulpit is almost unknown. Ebel had no aptitude 
 that way ; his plan was to make thorough preparation, to 
 master his subject, feel it through and through, and de- 
 pend for expression on the inspiration of the moment. 
 The vivacity of his mind and his fresh creative faculty 
 forbade slavish committal. Borowski, who heard his first 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 3/ 
 
 sermon, and thought he had committed it, complimented 
 him on its deUvery. To that practice he uniformly ad- 
 hered, and his older friend felt perfectly satisfied with 
 the result during the two years that he heard the candi- 
 date. Their intercourse was pleasant, edifying, and in- 
 structive. Borowski was a well-informed theologian and 
 had an excellent library ; both his information and lit- 
 erary possessions were available to Ebel. Schonherr's 
 views were known to him, for he belonged to his congre- 
 gation, and, like other tendencies in philosophy and 
 theology, formed part of their conversation. He loved 
 Ebel as if he had been his own son, and honored him in 
 various ways ; e. g.^ he assigned to him the morning ser- 
 mon and chose the afternoon for himself, although the 
 morning congregation was much the larger and attended 
 by the communicants, and gave him t:arfe bla7iche in the 
 selection of preachers among the candidates. " I leave 
 it all to you," he wrote on one occasion, ''for I know 
 you to be cautious, and how studiously you care both for 
 the congregation and myself. You may be sure that I 
 shall always gratefully acknowledge the blessed conduct 
 of your work, and that my warmest prayers will follow 
 you when you go to pasture your own flock." And 
 after he left Konigsberg, Borowski wrote : " You have 
 not only been my friend, but the kind provider of my 
 pulpit and congregation. Where shall I find another 
 Ebel, one that knows all the candidates, speaks kindly of 
 them, and enables me to choose a proper substitute ?" 
 He calls him his dear son, brother, and friend. 
 
 Towards the close of 1806, Count Dohna, the father 
 of his pupils, offered Ebel the vacant position of pastor 
 at Hermsdorf, on his estates ; he thought himself alto- 
 gether too young to accept so honorable and responsible 
 
38 FAITH VICTORIOUSo 
 
 a position, and declined it on the ground of his youth. But 
 the Count insisted, and urged him to visit the church and 
 conduct a service, representing that the effect of his ser- 
 mon might perhaps contain a divine intimation as to what 
 was his duty in the matter. So he went and did as he 
 had been bidden, with the result that the congregation 
 begged the Count to send them no other preachers, but 
 to appoint Ebel. Under this pressure he felt bound to 
 cease all opposition in the matter. He deemed it passing 
 strange, when he saw the church and the country for the 
 first time, that all appeared singularly familiar to him, and 
 he recollected to have seen in a dream, a year before, the 
 very church to which he was called. So the Count sent 
 him his call in these words : '' Here, my dearest Ebel, is 
 the vocation which God, the Lord and Father of us all, 
 sends you by my humble hand." 
 
 When he left Konigsberg, so dear to him, he was hon- 
 ored with a letter from the Magistrate, dated Decem- 
 ber 2, 1806, in which his past services are gratefully 
 and highly commended, accompanied by the assurance 
 of sincere interest in his advantageous preferment. 
 
 Before entering on the active work of the sacred min- 
 istry his conscience prompted him to take a step which 
 gave him ever afterwards the profoundest satisfaction, 
 and placed him superior to any possible imputation of his 
 honor. When he presented himself before the Consistory 
 to take the prescribed oath on the Augsburg Confession, 
 he asked the Council to tell him the sense in which the 
 oath was to be construed ? Did the Consistory make the 
 symbolical books or the word of God the final arbiter ? 
 With one exception, it was the unhesitating decision of 
 the Council that quatenus not quid was self-evident. 
 What Ebel had in his mind was the doctrine of the king- 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 39 
 
 dom of God upon earth, which the Reformers had con- 
 founded with the errors of the Jews on that subject, and 
 accordingly rejected in Article XVII. of the Augsburg 
 Confession ; a doctrine regarded by many of the older 
 and modern theologians (among the latter, e. g., Spener 
 and Bengel) as founded on Holy Scripture. Ebel wanted 
 to know whether the Consistory accorded to him the lib- 
 erty of regarding the authority of the Bible superior to 
 that of a symbolical book, so that his conscience might 
 not be bound by something he did not agree with. 
 
 The ordination of Ebel took place, November 23, 1806, 
 in the Castle Church, at' Konigsberg, in the presence of 
 the Prussian princes ; the Rev. Dr. Hennig officiated on 
 the occasion, and preached a sermon on Matt. xxiv. 35 : 
 " Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall 
 not pass away." 
 
 His induction or institution had to be postponed until 
 the following summer, and took place in the midst of the 
 noisy clamor created by inimical troops on their return 
 from Friedland. 
 
 Although his friends and relations advised delay, Ebel 
 deemed it his duty to set out, January 7, 1807, for his 
 parish, situated in a section of the country on the Pas- 
 sarge, which was at the time exposed to an invasion of the 
 French, who had devastated the village, and actually 
 pillaged the parsonage before he crossed the threshold. 
 His furniture, which for the most part had been obtained 
 on credit, was carried away, and the most precious of his 
 possessions, his library, still on the road, was lost in the 
 sack of Braunsberg. Those books, acquired under great 
 difficulties, and often at the expense of other necessaries, 
 were unspeakably dear to him, and their loss caused him 
 much pain : still he felt that it was a providential di- 
 
40 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 rection designed to warn him against the danger of buy- 
 ing too many books, to which thirst of knowledge was 
 tempting him. But God had provided for him in some 
 other way : in a wing of the castle, where he took up his 
 abode, he found a well stocked library of choice works, 
 which had been the property of the late Pastor Trescho, 
 the teacher of Herder, and come into the possession of 
 the Count. To that he had free access, and in it he 
 found a large collection of very valuable works, espe- 
 cially many on old theology, and rare standard authors. 
 As his parsonage at Hermsdorf was unfit for occupation, 
 he had at Count Dohna's instance taken quarters at 
 Schlodien, from where he served not only his own parish, 
 but two others besides, the pastor in the one being laid 
 up with sickness, and that of the other having fled. Con- 
 cerning this interesting period of Ebel's ministry, the ma- 
 terial is rather scant in the shape of notices furnished by 
 himself. What he said on the subject is exceedingly 
 fragmentary. In one place he briefly states that though 
 the war played havoc with his temporal affairs, it yielded 
 him many a useful experience for life. That he could 
 have written highly interesting reminiscences was well 
 known to those of his acquaintance, with whom he oc- 
 casionally conversed on the matter. But his own short- 
 comings in that respect have been supplied by others. 
 
 The French were scattered throughout that section of 
 country in large numbers ; the Prussians and Russians 
 were close by ; and sanguinary conflicts were of constant 
 occurrence. A friend of Ebel, Baron Ernst von Hey- 
 king, who for the purpose of writing his biography, col- 
 lected and carefully drew up notices and letters, which 
 have been kindly forwarded to me by Miss Adalberta 
 Ebel, the surviving daughter of the subject of this book, 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 4I 
 
 narrated that he told him how strangely he felt when he 
 saw for the first time a body of French, drawn up with 
 loaded muskets in front of the Castle of Schlodien. They 
 were chasseurs whose sudden appearance filled Count 
 Dohna, his family, and the whole population with terror. 
 Besides the Baron, Ebel was the only person sufficiently 
 versed in French to open negotiations with the enemy. 
 His first duty was to provide for their entertainment, which 
 was very liberal, but the haughty soldiery deUberately 
 dashed the filled bottles of wine to the ground as an ex- 
 pressive intimation that they were the victors, and might 
 act as they pleased. The camp of the army of occupa- 
 tion was only a few miles distant ; and the Count sent 
 there to procure a safe-guard, whose presence it was 
 thought would prevent acts of violence, and inspired all 
 Schlodien with confidence. An event, however, which 
 happened shortly after their arrival, showed how very 
 fallacious was that imagined safety. One day there ar- 
 rived suddenly a Prussian officer at the head of a small 
 detachment of Prussian soldiers, with five Cossacks 
 (Russians). They rushed into the castle, passed like a 
 whirlwind through every room, until they found the 
 Count, whom the officer accused of sympathy with the 
 French, and of concealing French soldiers. Ebel inter- 
 posed and succeeded in bringing the infuriated soldiers 
 to reason, and preventing personal injury to the Count. 
 Meanwhile the safe-guard, attempting to escape through 
 the windows of the castle, were caught by the Cossacks, 
 and carried away as prisoners. The Prussians likewise 
 seized two French horses as spoils of war. Nobody 
 doubted that the French would retaliate, take the Count 
 prisoner, and set fire to Schlodien. In this difficult and 
 perilous situation, Ebel advised the Count to escape 
 
42 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 with his family, and offered to remain for the protection 
 of the property and the safety of the people. The offer 
 was gratefully accepted. 
 
 Meanwhile the Prussian officer had been wounded in 
 an engagement and made prisoner awaiting transporta- 
 tion to France, and the immediate consequence of the 
 Prussian surprise of the French safe-guard was the arrival 
 from the camp of a captain with a squadron of horse, 
 roughly inquiring for the Count. Ebel told him exactly 
 everything as it had occurred, and that the Count, 
 deeming the safety of himself and his family imperiled 
 after the safe-guard had been taken prisoners, had left for 
 a more distant place of safety. In that way he corrected 
 the misapprehension of the French as to a preconcerted 
 collusion, and proved to them that there had been no in- 
 tentional injury or offence on the part of the Count. He 
 likewise tried to pacify the captain by offering him four 
 picked, fine horses from the Count's stables as an indem- 
 nity for the two missing ones. While this negotiation 
 was going on within, the soldiers without began to ex- 
 hibit tokens of displeasure that they were not allowed to 
 plunder, and that their captain was incessantly talking 
 with the petit abM, as they called Ebel. The latter, aware 
 that the Prussians were drawing near, tried everything in 
 his power to protract the negotiation as much as possible, 
 and finally succeeded in reaching an understanding with 
 the captain, who was also aware of the approach of the 
 Prussians, to this effect, that in the absence of Count 
 Dohna he would consent, as his representative, to accom- 
 pany him to camp, for the captain's instructions w^ere to 
 produce the Count at headquarters before the general in 
 command. So he prepared to visit the hostile camp as 
 hostage, after taking the precaution of ordering a goodly 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 43 
 
 assortment of choice wines and groceries to be stowed 
 away in his sleigh, in which he left with an escort of six 
 French soldiers. The present had a mollifying influence 
 on the general (who had a weakness for mulled wine and 
 was rejoiced to get his favorite beverage in so unexpected 
 a manner), and Ebel, who presented the whole affair 
 frankly and without fear, succeeded in averting the 
 threatened revenge from the Count's possessions. Just 
 as he was leaving the camp, a French lieutenant, who 
 had been very pleasant when he saw him before at the 
 castle, thrust a paper into his hand. He took it without 
 reading it at the time, but discovered on the road that it 
 was a passport. He had hardly read it when he heard, 
 in shrill accents, the words, Qid vii ? uttered by a French 
 sentry, and realized the danger from which God, through 
 the instrumentality of that lieutenant, had delivered him. 
 He met quite a number of such sentries, who invariably 
 required the production of the passport before they 
 allowed him to proceed. At last he reached Schlodien 
 safe and sound, and hastened to the neighboring village, 
 whither the Count and the Countess had fled, to be wel- 
 comed by them with tears of joy. 
 
 His visit as hostage to the French camp is only a sam- 
 ple of the great difficulties of his position during the 
 passage of the French to and from Prussian Eylau and 
 their winter quarters, and his voluntary exposure to so 
 much danger for Count Dohna was, of course, prompted 
 solely by sincere affection. Whoever came to Schlodien, 
 friend or foe, transacted their business with him ; his 
 youth notwithstanding, everybody sought him for coun- 
 sel in unexpected and difficult emergencies, and he 
 proved equal to every occasion. Understanding to touch 
 the enemy on the point of honor, and using his influence 
 
44 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 with the embittered population to prevent haste in word 
 or deed, he frequently averted plunder and mutiny from 
 Schlodien and the neighborhood, delivered the poor from 
 the hands of marauders, helped them, often with peril to 
 himself, to recover what had been stolen from them, 
 when he saw, for instance, how some, whom the French 
 had deprived of their last cow, on which they depended 
 for life, would rush on their bayonets to repossess them- 
 selves of their property. 
 
 He himself was on one occasion in imminent peril. A 
 French marauder came one day with all sorts of unrea- 
 sonable demands, which could not be granted, and were 
 in part refused by the safe-guard stationed at Schlodien. 
 Infuriated at the refusal and meditating revenge, the 
 marauder insisted that Ebel should go with him to the 
 Colonel. Without suspecting any evil design, he agreed 
 to the proposal, and was on the point of leaving, when 
 the safe-guard coming along and understanding the dan- 
 ger, peremptorily ordered the marauder to take his in- 
 stant departure on pain of being shot. That made him 
 go, and Ebel learned from the safe-guard, that had he 
 accompanied the marauder he would without fail have 
 murdered him. 
 
 Through his instrumentality, access to the castle and 
 and its dependent buildings was rendered difficult if not 
 impossible, to the stragglers of the army, noted alike for 
 cupidity and destructiveness. He caused the first house 
 in the village to be fitted up as a sort of free inn, where 
 refreshments, solid and liquid, were always kept ready 
 for any that might call, and as the village lies on one 
 side of the stream and the castle on the other, the 
 hospitable cheer of the traveller's home was so judi- 
 ciously administered that the stragglers continued their 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 45 
 
 journey without crossing the bridge, to their own satis- 
 faction and to the unspeakable reUef of the sorely tried 
 inhabitants of the Castle. The winter quarters likewise 
 led to many difficult complications, which Ebel would 
 often straighten, and his influence with the enemy was so 
 great that he actually induced a general to restore to an- 
 other Count Dohna the family plate, which during the 
 winter quarters, having been discovered by the enemy in 
 a place of safe keeping within a solid wall, had been 
 taken. 
 
 How the Dohnas would ever have fared without the 
 good pastor, so energetic, judicious, kind and self-sacri- 
 ficing, we cannot conjecture ; that the castle would have 
 been sacked and burned, and they reduced to beggary 
 cannot be doubted by any one familiar with the inci- 
 dents of the war of Napoleon in Germany. Ebel proved 
 a veritable Joseph to them and that whole countryside. 
 When Count Dohna transmitted to Ebel his call, he 
 wrote : 
 
 " Look at your vocation, dear Christian brother. You are 
 invited to be a preacher of peace in the fires of war and the 
 furnace of tribulation, whose lurid flames already shed their 
 light on our path, and to stay at your post. This requires 
 steadfastness, and perhaps more resolution than to fly to 
 arms in defence of our native land ; therefore put on the 
 whole armor of God, etc." 
 
 And after he had left Hermsdorf for another sphere 
 of labor he gratefully said : 
 
 "We shall never forget you and 1807, no more than we 
 can forget to thank God for all His undeserved blessings 
 when He deems it meet to deprive us of some great happi- 
 
46 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 ness." .... "I can never, my ever grateful heart can 
 never forget, what a blessing you were to our family and 
 people and countryside ; we have indeed great cause to re- 
 member that blessing before God, even as the godly Nehe- 
 miah, in a right filial spirit, did it for himself : ' Think upon 
 me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for 
 this people.' (Neh. v. 19). But enough of this in words." 
 
 On the occasion of a vacancy on the estates of Count 
 Dohna, writing to Ebel for the purpose of recommend- 
 ing a fit person, the good Count used this language : 
 
 "We turn to you, reverend friend, for a helper in war 
 that may resemble you as much as possible. I know that it 
 will be hard to find such an one, unless God directs us in our 
 choice, . . . and my reason for addressing you in this 
 matter is simply this : since God did grant us this blessing 
 before we had asked Him for it, we trust that He will do it 
 again now that we ask Him, and especially through your 
 good offices, . . . and these our parishes could hail no 
 messenger with greater joy than one recommended and sent 
 by their dear Mr. Ebelchen" 
 
 The italicized word is an untranslatable diminutive of 
 endearment, used by the parishioners in token of affec- 
 tion for their good pastor, who during the war was wont 
 to go in and out among them as a brother and friend 
 without the restraints of official intercourse. 
 
 In the midst of the confusion and turmoil of war, Ebel, 
 having lost his own team, was obliged to serve three 
 parishes, for nearly a year on foot ; a hard and laborious 
 work, when it is remembered that the distances were very 
 considerable. At last he succeeded in buying a captured 
 war-horse, which carried him daily on his round of offi- 
 cial duty. He would often dispense with the official 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 47 
 
 garments when he gathered the people in some barn for 
 service, because the church edifice happened to be filled 
 with the enemy's material of war. There he would 
 stand in their midst with words of consolation and en- 
 couragement, and exhortations to fortitude, patience and 
 submission. Thus the relations to his flock were cement- 
 ed in love ; and the love that went out from him, returned 
 in tender and touching attachment. Some of the incidents 
 of that period clearly show, what some are so loth to admit, 
 that after all there is in human nature an undertone of 
 veneration for things divine, which even the violence and 
 brutality of war are unable to quench. Those hordes of 
 Napoleon, which swept with the besom of destruction 
 over Europe, were brought up under influences, terrible 
 to contemplate. They came from a country where 
 Christianity had been oflicially abolished, and religion 
 was ridiculed as a silly superstition, and yet their hearts 
 were not wholly dead to the influence of religion, not 
 wholly without respect for its ordinances. One day Ebel 
 performed a baptism in a church, which the French had 
 converted into a barrack ; they were drilling at the time, 
 and when in the course of the service he came to the 
 Lord's Prayer, the rude soldiery, in token of respect, 
 presented arms while it was being offered. He had often 
 opportunity to converse with French officers on serious 
 themes, and he was amazed to find some, who, in spite 
 of their dreadful trade and horrid education, were 
 thoughtful and devout, waiting for the kingdom of 
 God, and viewing the events of the period as signs and 
 tokens of an approaching better time, and preparing the 
 hearts of men for a more cheerful and willing reception 
 of the truths of salvation. 
 
 Decades later, Ebel Y»^ould love to give expression to 
 
48 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 the confident and joyous expectation of meeting some of 
 those French officers before the throne of God. 
 
 The tempest of war had spent its fury in that part of 
 Germany, when at the close of 1807, the enemy left the 
 neighborhood of Schlodien and the Passarge. The ex- 
 citing and tumultuous scenes of the occupation no longer 
 distracted the mind and interfered with the work of the 
 young minister. He had now the time, as he always had 
 the inclination, to attend more thoroughly to the culture 
 of his own soul. From a child it had been his delight- 
 ful occupation to hearken to what God might reveal to 
 him in his conscience, and to hold sw^eet converse with 
 Him in prayer, and the anxieties and trials of the event- 
 ful time through which he had just passed, had deep- 
 ened and intensified his piety and habitual intercourse 
 with God, and recourse to Him for light, and direction. 
 The beautiful old hymn : Jesus, melne Liebe, lebet, had 
 yielded him sweet comfort, use and direction under the 
 calamities of war w^hen he was exposed to bodily danger ; 
 now that that kind of danger and trial belonged happily 
 to the past, the same hymn became unspeakably precious 
 to him in the spiritual comfort it gave, and the blessed 
 instruction it imparted. It is certainly a most beautitul 
 hymn, so rich and weighty, but withal so full of felici- 
 tous turns, which are sure to be spoiled in the transla- 
 tion, that I can only deplore my inability to give it in 
 Enghsh dress. But for the benefit of readers familiar 
 with German, a place has been made for the original in 
 Appendix C. That hymn had a wonderful hold on his 
 heart and mind ; it filled them day and night. No one 
 may tell, because no one can know, what then transpired 
 in the secret chambers of Ebel's heart, but we know that 
 it was a momentous crisis in the history of his spiritual 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 49 
 
 life. It seems to have been that turning point in the 
 spiritual life of man, which for want of a better term, 
 may be called the antithesis or opposition of the human 
 and the divine. Some theologians call it conversion, 
 others regeneration ; but it is not a question of theology 
 at all, it is purely one of personal feeling and experience ; 
 nor is it necessary to urge its expression, for where it 
 does exist, it is sure to express itself in the practice of 
 Christian virtues and graces, in unostentatious holiness ; 
 it is a state of the soul in which the consciousness of un- 
 worthiness and of inability to conquer innate sinful pro- 
 pensities rise against the high ends of the Christian voca- 
 tion ; a state in which we cry out for help and light, 
 write bitter things against ourselves, and struggle for a 
 higher plane of life, in which God is everything and we 
 are nothing, in which grace accomplishes what native 
 strength is unable to achieve, in which we fling aside 
 every notion of self-righteousness, and feel irresistibly 
 impelled by the Divine Spirit to count all things but loss 
 that we may win Christ, and learn in the school of Christ 
 to advance from strength to strength, to the triumphant 
 faith of St. Paul, which made him exclaim : ^' I can do 
 all things through Christ that strengtheneth us." 
 
 Through that crisis Ebel appears to have passed im- 
 mediately after the war, and he came out of the great 
 struggle more thoroughly equipped for a ministry of self- 
 sacrifice, devotion and personal holiness, more enthusi- 
 astically consecrated to the service of God. 
 
 Although profoundly convinced of the reality of Di- 
 vine grace in his own soul, and ineffably happy in the 
 consciousness thereof, Ebel never urged or insisted that 
 the work of grace must manifest itself in the same way 
 in others. His knowledge of human nature, his knowl- 
 3 
 
50 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 edge of the wonderful and various workings of the mani- 
 fold grace of God, and his strong, good common sense, 
 prevented him from falling into such an error. For error 
 it is, and a mischievous one, to induce others to express 
 that which possibly they do not feel ; or to describe as 
 an operation of the Divine Spirit what, after all, happens 
 frequently to be only a transient emotion, not a perma- 
 nent change of direction and disposition. Ebel's course, 
 in this respect, appears to have been singularly judicious ; 
 he trembled to demand in others what he felt he had no 
 right to demand, or to map out or indicate the way in 
 which grace must operate ; he left all that in the hands 
 of God, who in His several dealings with men could re- 
 new what was decayed, when and where it might seem to 
 Him good. Not that he did not insist upon the ne- 
 cessity of growth in grace, but that he felt that the prog- 
 ress to perfection must be mainly the work of God in the 
 renovation of our spiritual nature, and a corresponding, 
 incessant, and faithful responsibility on our part. That 
 awakening and state of heart our Lord and His apostles 
 appear to designate in the use of the -woxdi perfect (cf. St. 
 Matt, v., Phil, iii.. Col. i.), and as to the passage : ''Be 
 ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in 
 Heaven is perfect," he admitted it in its full and pregnant 
 sense of importing continuous growth and development, 
 to the exclusion of everything that savoured of self-suf- 
 ficiency. He held that Scripture teaches what the older 
 theologians, e. g. Rieger,* tersely lay down : 
 
 " A whole Christian cannot always remain a dwarf or a 
 babe J he must grow and expand into maturity, into proper 
 age, measure, and stature ; from being a disciple he must 
 
 ^Sefmons, pp. 654, 657, sq. 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 5 I 
 
 become perfect as his Master (St. Luke, vi. 40), or St. Matt. 
 V. 48, has it still more explicitly : ' Be ye therefore perfect, even 
 as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.' Now he is 
 perfect who has all the requisite qualifications of the Christian 
 character. He that has some virtues, but not all, is not a 
 true Christian, but an anomaly and a cripple." "What 
 would it avail if some one thinks that his innef man, his heart 
 and soul, belong to God, but that his body in its senses and 
 members, is subject to sin ? Or, reversing the case, what does 
 it avail a man to turn his outward life, his eyes, his speech, 
 and his works in the direction of what is good, while his mind 
 is alienated from God, and addicted to sinful and unholy 
 pleasures and pursuits ? Perhaps some one will say, How is 
 this possible ? Who could be a Christian in such a case ? 
 Who is able to attain a degree of perfection in which he is 
 deficient in nothing ? Perfection belongs to life eternal. Well, 
 I answer, that no one is justified in murmuring against the 
 will and purpose of God, which only contemplates our full 
 restoration from the fall. Do we not prefer in the lower 
 stage of physical existence a whole man to a cripple ? But 
 care must be had to distinguish between things that differ. 
 It is em.phatically the purpose of Gospel teaching to conduct 
 the souls of men to the proper measure of perfect manhood 
 (Eph. iv, 13, in the Greek) ; and St. Paul accordingly not 
 only desired his hearers to attain to perfection, not only ex- 
 horted them to be perfect, but he strove with all his might to 
 conduct them to perfection, saying: 'Whom we preach, 
 warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom 
 that he may present every man perfect in Christ.' " (Col. i. 
 28, 29). 
 
 That is Ebel's view of perfection, as he used to present 
 it. The distinction which experience taught him to draw 
 between being awakened and being awake began to take 
 shape in his mind at a comparatively early date. A friend 
 wrote on the subject as follows : 
 
52 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 " Awakejted 2irt those who, influenced by the Holy Ghost, 
 do not resist Him, But the Spirit of God is shed abroad 
 everywhere, and is operative to the ends of the world ; it is 
 the will of God, moreover, that the Saviour should be pre- 
 sented to the whole world, 'that whosoever believeth in Him 
 should not perish, but have eternal life.' Such being the ex- 
 pressed will of God, who can doubt that the merciful pro- 
 visions of the New Covenant are intended to apply to the 
 whole human family ? And as every member of that family 
 is born in sin, bound in the sleep and death of sin, does it 
 not follow that each and all are able to be roused and wak- 
 ened from that sleep and death ? And that is clearly stated 
 to be the work of the Holy Spirit (i Cor. xii. 6 sqq.). As 
 applied to the kingdom of God, it is necessary to remember 
 that it is to be established and built up, not all at once, but 
 gradually, by men that suffer themselves to be influenced by 
 the operations of that Spirit in perfect consciousness, and, as 
 the children and friends of God, cheerfully respond by ready 
 acquiescence in the gracious purpose of God, surrendering 
 their will to God's, so that their will grows up with and 
 thoroughly interblends with God's. Where that condition 
 prevails, the subjects are not only awakened, but awake; 
 roused, awakened out of sleep into a state of consciousness, 
 they are convinced of the necessity to persevere in vigilance 
 and prayer, in the struggle with sin and the exercise of love. 
 They are «7£/ay^.?." 
 
 It is clear that men may be awakened without being 
 awake ; they may be roused from the sleep of their 
 natural state, but not to full consciousness, and so turn 
 round, as it were, to the other side, either in the partial 
 change of their inclinations, or in an exchange of their 
 old resting-place for a new one under the cross of Christ, 
 burdening Him with their sins, and sleeping sounder 
 than ever before, in the conceit that perfection is out 
 of the question here and belongs to the other world. To 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 53 
 
 correct that error and expose its fallacy, Ebel insisted 
 upon the necessity of repentance, not only on the part of 
 unconverted, ungodly men, but also on the part of Chris- 
 tians ; he urged daily repentance, incessant watchfulness, 
 keeping the conscience alive through self-examination 
 and self-condemnation, holding it essential to the main- 
 tenance of a Christian life and to growth in grace and 
 virtue that we must judge ourselves, and allow ourselves 
 to be judged and exhorted. He agreed with Rieger (/. c, 
 p. 639), that ignorance, and, what is even worse than 
 ignorance, the failure and omission of repentance, are 
 the great stumbling-block in the way of growth in grace 
 and hoHness ; that Christians must daily repent. To 
 rely on faith alone and to continue in the practice of 
 evil, or in the disinclination to do good, he deemed 
 perilous and wicked ; good works he described as goodly 
 fruit growing on the good tree of faith naturally, /. ^., 
 agreeably to the nature of the tree. Faith gives us a 
 place in Christ, and through faith Christ dwells in our 
 heart. Christians, then, conforming to the example and 
 sharing the nature of Christ, must needs forswear and 
 abandon all connection with a wicked world, the works 
 of darkness, with sin and its progeny of wickedness. 
 
 The seeming paradox of St. Paul, " When I am weak 
 then am I strong" (2 Cor. xii. 10), has been a great 
 comfort to truly devout and humble Christians ever since 
 he penned it. Its profound and cheering truth certainly 
 did not escape Ebel, who ever drew comfort from the 
 thought that the consciousness and conviction of per- 
 sonal sinfulness is an indispensable concomitant of true 
 faith, and the secret spring of strength derived from 
 God. God, by His Spirit, convinces us of our sinful- 
 ness and nothingness without Him ; he lays us low, not 
 
54 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 to crush, but to exalt us to the highest dignity, that He 
 may be all in all ; and that conviction genders joy, that 
 rejoicing in the Lord of which the same Apostle testifies 
 in another place, and that joy in the Lord is distinctive 
 of Ebel.* 
 
 As this very important subject has been admirably 
 delineated by him in works not readily accessible to the 
 general reader, this seems to be the proper place for the 
 reproduction of several passages. In the first, f refer- 
 ence is made to the mind of a Christian in its relation to 
 God, as distinguished from the natural, unrenewed mind 
 of one still estranged from Him ; the spiritual frame of 
 mind in which the divine holds the human in subjection, 
 and the language runs thus : 
 
 " In this frame of mind man is wont to grow oblivious of 
 whatever relates to himself, and to abandon himself with all 
 his corruption and misery to a merciful God, who, as it were, 
 receives him in His gracious arms, expecting help and salva- 
 tion from Him and Him alone, accepting all as the gift of 
 His Love and Grace, and, as he is being changed into the 
 image of Christ, ascribing the honor and praise to God alone. 
 But be it remembered, that this involves that man (z. e. the 
 strictly human in us) die with Christ, and rise with Him 
 from the dead, that he is planted with Him in the likeness of 
 His death, to be so in the likeness of His resurrection." 
 
 No one that reads thoughtfully the words of St. Paul, 
 and follows the chain of his reasoning in that wonderful 
 
 " For an expansion of the thought reference is made to his vol- 
 ume of sermons called Die Weisheit von Oben (Wisdom from Above), 
 2d ed., Basel and Ludwigsburg, iS68, from which a sermon on the 
 subject is given in Appendix A. 
 
 f Verstand zmd Vernunft, 2d part, pp. 153, 159. 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 55 
 
 Epistle to the Romans, can resist the conviction that the 
 words " It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen 
 again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also 
 maketh intercession for us " (viii. 34) are the signal of 
 Christian triumph and exultation. And no one can be 
 said to have realized his status as a Christian, who can 
 not from the depths of his own consciousness blend his 
 voice with St. Paul's : '' Nay in all these things we are 
 more than conquerors through Him that loved us ; for I 
 am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor 
 principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor 
 height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be 
 able to separate us for a moment (xcjpio'ai) from God's 
 love manifested towards us in Christ Jesus our Lord '* 
 (vv. 37-39). It is to this rapture of joy, this exultation 
 of victorious faith that Ebel refers when he concludes 
 that there is a joy, an undimmed, victorious joy over the 
 nearness of God, a delightful sense of dependence, but 
 yet of progress in spite of difficulties, and of growth in 
 spite of hinderances, which springs from the testimony of 
 a good conscience, /. e. the certain assurance of Divine 
 Mercy and the consequent enjoyment of peace. " This 
 frame of mind," he says, "is the inevitable fruit of a 
 heart confirmed in the grace of Christ by means of knowl- 
 edge and experience ; it is the kingdom of God within 
 us, the joy in the Holy Ghost springing from the con- 
 sciousness of justification before God and of peace in 
 Him ; and the renewing and transforming power of that 
 joy bears upon and interpenetrates the whole texture of 
 our inner and outer life in all our relations to ourselves 
 and others, to fellow Christians and others, to friend and 
 foe, to high and low, to rich or poor, in joy and in 
 sorrow, in living and dying, for our strength is joy in 
 
56 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 the Lord." And in another place * he exclaims : " Chris- 
 tians have been traduced as melancholy people ; I know- 
 not any more cheerful and joyous ; they live under a 
 merciful God, and carry a good conscience in a body 
 pure and undefiled by the lusts of the flesh, they are sur- 
 rounded by the countless good gifts of the divine bounty, 
 which they daily and richly enjoy, and they look for 
 the life of the world to come. None of these things, or 
 only very few of them, are enjoyed by those who are 
 not Christians. For this reason joy sparkles in the 
 Christian's eye, and the peace of heaven irradiates and 
 interpenetrates the whole texture of his existence." 
 
 After these references to his inner life, and methods 
 of presenting the doctrines of salvation, we return to his 
 outward relations. 
 
 The parsonage was put in order, and fitted tip : and 
 in order to lessen the burdens of his father, he brought 
 three of the other children to Hermsdorf and began his 
 o-vvn domestic life, August 8, 1808. 
 
 In the parish he was indefatigable. The services were 
 well attended ; strictly devotional gatherings answering 
 to prayer-meetings he did not encourage, because he 
 considered them calculated to foster a very undesirable 
 spirit of exclusiveness, engendering prejudice and tend- 
 ing to a species of Pharisaism. But he counted among 
 his parishioners truly devout people, whom his sermons 
 had rendered thoroughly awake, and who of their own 
 accord would come to him for guidance and direction. 
 And as they came to see him, so he would visit them in 
 their own homes ; in cases of sickness he was unremit- 
 ting in his ministrations ; he took a constant interest in 
 
 * Tages-Anbruck, p. 159. 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 5/ 
 
 the schools, and in these and many other ways was able 
 to foster a truly religious spirit in all the practical forms 
 of vital Christianity. There was a wholesome nucleus in 
 the parish ever gathering strength and diffusing itself in 
 every direction. 
 
 The study of the rich hymnology of the German lan- 
 guage engaged much of his time at Hermsdorf. He 
 loved to commit many of those beautiful hymns to mem- 
 ory, and to appropriate the practical and spiritual in- 
 struction they afford. These hymns are the productions 
 of some of the most thoughtful and excellent men, and 
 are animated by an element of practical piety, very de- 
 sirable to be cultivated by all Christians, but especially 
 by ministers, who thus acquire, among other benefits, a 
 readiness to make proper choice of hymns in harmony 
 with the sermon and the scriptural lessons. Ebel ex- 
 celled in that way, and loved, moreover, to associate 
 hymns with every event of his life. The importance of 
 the study of hymnology as a most valuable factor in the 
 private and public devotions of Christians can hardly be 
 exaggerated. 
 
 The visitation of the schools absorbed much of his 
 time. Aware of their vast importance he studiously 
 tried to make his influence tell in personal intercourse 
 with the children, through whom he reached of course 
 their parents. He was a great favorite with the chil- 
 dren, whom he encouraged in their studies by trifling 
 presents tendered by way of reward to those deserving 
 such distinction on account of fidelity, studiousness and 
 good conduct. 
 
 Opinion is divided on that subject, some holding that 
 the acquisition of knowledge should be the highest aim 
 and greatest reward of youth. That may be true as a 
 3* 
 
58 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 beautiful theory in a scholastic commonwealth of perfect 
 children. But youth in most schools is anything but 
 perfect, and it is by no means uncommon, that the dis- 
 position of the pupils gives teachers far less trouble than 
 unreasonable and injudicious influences pervading their 
 homes. Rewards in the shape of prizes, judiciously and 
 impartially awarded to the most meritorious pupils are 
 generally advantageous to the morale of the school and 
 beneficial to teachers and taught ; they work thus in the 
 conduct of the family, they are so regarded in our best 
 colleges and universities, and they have precisely the 
 same effect in well administered schools of lower grades ; 
 they are even commendable on much higher ground as 
 the recognition of the procedure of rewards and pun- 
 ishments revealed in Holy Scripture as part of God's 
 moral government of the world. 
 
 Ebel's system of catechization was also most excellent. 
 He did not confine himself to questions addressed to 
 candidates for confirmation, or the recently confirmed 
 from the chancel, but would go from pew to pew and 
 address young and old alike. He revived the practice 
 of Spener, to make a lecture or a sermon a topic for 
 expanded instruction, or even of discussion after the 
 service. To this end he got some of the more gifted 
 youth to write down his discourse in the organ gallery ; 
 and began with interrogating them and others on the 
 subject in hand ; questions would be put by others, re- 
 vealing the actual difficulties and wants of his parishion- 
 ers, and enabling him in an informal but thoroughly 
 practical way to reach the hearts of his hearers and to 
 influence their Hfe. Nor did he confine his catechiza- 
 tions to church, but would visit the catechumens in their 
 own homes, instruct and question them in the presence 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 59 
 
 of their friends, and try to diffuse information on all 
 matters relating to education and to topics of general 
 interest. He would sometimes share their meals, and in 
 that way he did much good, as it enabled him to com- 
 pose many a difficulty, and to solve many a hard prob- 
 lem. 
 
 In order to diffuse the knowledge of the Bible he 
 revived a week-day service, which had fallen into desue- 
 tude. It was a sort of Bible class at which he would 
 explain different portions of the Holy Scriptures, and 
 encouraged school-children to attend ; and as their par- 
 ents often accompanied them, he found means to interest 
 them all. The beautiful hymns to which reference has 
 already been made were also drawn into the course of 
 instruction ; appropriate selection of those bearing on 
 the particular subject in hand having been made, the 
 lessons or sentiments they embodied would be pointed 
 out, and the young people encouraged and recommended 
 to learn them by heart. So there grew speedily around 
 him a chosen circle of devoted friends, young and old, 
 but especially of catechumens, on whom he bestowed 
 the utmost care, and who constituted, as it were, a cen- 
 tre of devotion for the whole parish. The catechumens 
 were encouraged to maintain familiar intercourse with 
 their pastor after confirmation, and he set apart special 
 days on which he would always be at home to see and 
 confer with them on all matters they might wish to bring 
 under his notice. His method resembled that of one of 
 his predecessors, mentioned by the Rev. Sebastian Fred- 
 eric Trescho, who in a volume called " Religiose Nebe?i- 
 stunden " * (Religious By-Hours), develops the idea of 
 
 * Danzig, 1777. 
 
6o FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 keeping up permanent intercourse with the confirmed, 
 and indicates the means for doing so. Ebel found his 
 counsel in this and many other respects exceedingly 
 valuable. 
 
 As this subject is one of the highest importance, and 
 engages the thoughtful and anxious attention of many 
 ministers, who (although the circumstances are altogether 
 different both in England and America) find it a problem 
 of difficult solution ; the plan pursued by Ebel may pos- 
 sibly suggest some useful hints, and on that account will 
 be perused with interest. 
 
 His first care was that they should not forget what 
 they had learnt ; he therefore reviewed the whole ground 
 of their instruction, dwelling more particularly on neg- 
 lected portions, and supplemented additional matter 
 tending to deepen and, as it were, to stereotype the 
 whole by constant reference to Holy Scripture ; he gave 
 special prominence to Bible History, and recommended 
 the committal of golden texts and passages, as well as ot 
 the best hymns in their collections. He urged self- 
 examination, giving them proper instruction to enable 
 them to distinguish the springs of motive, and the tend- 
 encies of perverse or corrupt inclinations ; he explained 
 the bearing of duty on their changing relations, and its 
 application to practice, showing them that as Christians 
 they should strive to connect their religion with every 
 possible situation of life ; he spoke to them about choice 
 of occupation and domestic relations ; about work, ser- 
 vice, management, etc., availing himself of every oppor- 
 tunity to place before them nature as the work of God, 
 setting forth His wisdom and goodness in the vast oper- 
 ations of the universe no less than in the smallest occur- 
 rences and changes of their daily observation. He 
 
EARLY MINISTRY, 6l 
 
 likewise illustrated to them from a Christian point of 
 view the constitution, privileges and duties of society. 
 He urged the necessity of worship and explained its 
 design, commending attention to the preached word, and 
 above all things the importance of prayer, and the cul- 
 ture of personal relations to the Saviour. He sought 
 to instil into their hearts the friendship of Jesus,* to 
 encourage them to mutual friendship ; explaining the 
 offices of true friendship in the kind and frank inter- 
 change of confidences, especially those that would tend 
 to their common improvement, telling each other their 
 faults, praying each for the other ; he would make in- 
 quiries after the welfare of their acquaintance, and in 
 that way give a practical turn to his instructions. Thus 
 he led them step by step from the narrow sphere of their 
 immediate surroundings to wider and widening ranges 
 of thought and aim, dwelling on matters relating to the 
 welfare of their country, the upbuilding of the kingdom 
 of God, and Christian and philanthropic agencies, such 
 as missions, the circulation of the Bible, and works of 
 charity and general interest. 
 
 While Ebel was thus working indefatigably among his 
 parishioners at Hermsdorf, and exerting himself to the 
 very best of his ability to promote the noblest and high- 
 est interests of his rural flock, he received (in 1809) a 
 communication from the bureau of the provincial gov- 
 ernment at Konigsberg, charged with the supervision of 
 ecclesiastical and scholastic affairs, known technically as 
 
 * The collection of sermons, published in a volume, called "Z^zV 
 Tretce" (Fidelity), Konigsberg, 1835 ; 2d edition, Basel and Lud- 
 wigsberg, 1863, contains a beautiful discourse on " Friendship with 
 Jesus," with particular reference to St. John, xv. 15. 
 
62 FAITH V.ICTORIOUS. 
 
 " the Ecclesiastical and Scholastic Deputation," inquir- 
 ing "if it were true, as they had heard, that he was an 
 adherent of Schonherr, and, if so, how he could reconcile 
 the opinions of Schonherr with the doctrinal teaching 
 of the Evangelical Lutheran Church ? " This was the 
 first signal of an almost interminable persecution. Ebel 
 received it as such from the start, and, as the event 
 showed, he took a correct view. Ebel was at Herms- 
 dorf, and Schonherr lived at Konigsberg. If all the 
 Deputation wanted to know had been to learn how 
 Schonherr's views could be harmonized with the dogmas 
 of the Lutheran Church, they need not have written to 
 Hermsdorf, but might have availed themselves of the 
 offer of Schonherr to subject his opinions to a strictly 
 scientific official examination. But they did not accede 
 to his proposition, even to taking official notice of his 
 request. The fact was that Schonherr, and his strong 
 biblical bias, and all that shared it, were obnoxious and 
 hateful to a body of men who did not receive the Bible 
 as the Word of God. Schonherr, as a private citizen, was 
 beyond the pale of their official jurisdiction, but Ebel, 
 as a minister, was within it, and therefore they began 
 with him. 
 
 As Ebel held the view^s of Schonherr as private opin- 
 ions, just as he might have held those of some ancient 
 philosopher on some other matter, it is evident that the 
 Deputation went considerably beyond their province, 
 which was purely supervisory in things pertaining to his 
 official ministrations ; neither they, nor any other author- 
 ity, were empowered to institute inquiries violating the 
 liberty of conscience. Their inquiry, moreover, was not 
 addressed to Ebel alone ; it had likewise been sent to his 
 superintendent (a functionary with powers somewhat 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 63 
 
 analogous to those of a bishop), who, though far from 
 coinciding with Ebel's philosophical views, stated in his 
 reply that " Ebel was very zealous in the good cause, 
 conscientious in everything, and especially in not teach- 
 ing anything but what an Evangelical Lutheran minister 
 was bound to teach." 
 
 Ebel, for his part, stated that he was a personal friend, 
 not an adherent, of Schonherr, whose philosophical prin- 
 ciple he had thoroughly examined, and found it at once 
 agreeable to reason and the teaching of Holy Scripture, 
 adding that he was ready, should they desire it, to estab- 
 lish by scriptural warranty any proposition contained in 
 Schonherr's works they might wish to submit. 
 
 But the Deputation had no such desire, and, as they 
 could not push the matter any further just then, they 
 allowed it for a while to "lie on the table." 
 
 In order that the reader may understand what will 
 presently engage his attention, it is necessary for him to 
 know certain characteristics of Konigsberg as the seat of 
 a university and of the provincial government. Society 
 there fifty or sixty years ago was utterly unlike anything 
 to be found outside of Germany ; neither England nor 
 the North American Union have anything at all compar- 
 able, to it. The provincial governor, as the highest 
 representative of the crown, led in all matters pertaining 
 to civic administration, and the vast army of civic offi- 
 cers constituted one element of society ; the military, for 
 Konigsberg had a garrison, formed a second ; and the 
 university, with the higher clergy, composed the third. 
 The government at that time was still absolute, and the 
 civil administration, including justice, more or less pri- 
 vate, hedged in by precedents and red tape well nigh 
 incomprehensible to those familiar only with the simpler 
 
64 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 forms prevailing in the United States, and a narrow, 
 bureaucratic spirit was as common in the State as in the 
 Church. The Church was the Evangelical Lutheran 
 Church, administered by a local Consistory under the 
 civil direction of the provincial governor {Ober-Prdsi- 
 denf),,sind the ecclesiastical supervision of a superintend- 
 ent-general, who sometimes bears the title of bishop, 
 the supreme direction of the whole belonging to the resort 
 of a minister at Berlin. The term evangelical denotes not 
 a peculiar theological direction, but designates Protes- 
 tant ; e. g.j the ministers at Konigsberg were members of 
 the Evangelical Lutheran Church, but the theological 
 bias of the greater number was not what we call evan- 
 gelical, understanding by that term the reception of the 
 Bible as God-inspired, the divinity of our Lord, and con- 
 formity of the lives of men to the precepts of the Gospel, 
 but ran in the direction of rationalism and neology. 
 
 Schonherr and Ebel were strictly evangelical in the 
 modern acceptation of the term, and on that account 
 odious to the ecclesiastical authority, which resented 
 overtly where it could, and covertly where open opposi- 
 tion was impracticable or impolitic, a system of teaching 
 which shed so unenviable a light on that which they set 
 forth. 
 
 In 1810 the institution called Frederic College was 
 changed into a gymnasium ; an endowed church being 
 connected with it, the managers were casting about for a 
 fit person to discharge simultaneously the duties of pro- 
 fessor and preacher. An old friend of Ebel, State Coun- 
 cillor Nicolovius, hearing of the vacancy, wrote to him 
 on the subject with the request to apply for it. The 
 position was just what he was longing for. All his family 
 lived at Konigsberg ; he had there an extended circle of 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 65 
 
 personal friends and the intellectual resources at the 
 university with its splendid library presented strong at- 
 tractions, and the vacant position, should it be tendered 
 him, would rid him of the working of the glebe at Herms- 
 dorf, for which he had little aptitude. The question of 
 emoluments had nothing to do with the matter ; his 
 friend Count Dohna offered him at this juncture a 
 country-cure of double the income of that attached to 
 the vacancy at Konigsberg, and with half the work, but 
 he refused it. Pecuniary considerations did not move 
 him one way or the other : his wants were few, and he 
 had been schooled and brought up in frugality and self- 
 denial ; he acted on higher and nobler impulses. The 
 question he revolved in his own mind was, where might 
 he do most good, where best fulfil the work which God 
 had given him to do, what was the will of God in the 
 matter ? To Him he referred the decision in prayer, 
 and clear in his own mind as to his duty, he saw in the 
 communications he had received an intimation to make 
 formal application for the vacancy at Konigsberg. That 
 had to be done according to prescript rule and prece- 
 dent. He knew there were difficulties in the way, but 
 difficulties never deter men of his stamp. God would 
 clear them out of the way, if the way was of God's ap- 
 pointment ; under the dominant influence of that con- 
 viction he would progress, heedless of difficulties, in 
 spite of hindrances, obstacles or opposition. He felt, in 
 fact, he knew for certain, that he had enemies, who 
 would leave no stone unturned to thwart his purpose. 
 The hostile movement against Schonherr, and the at- 
 tempted action of the Deputation against himself as the 
 friend of Schonherr convinced him that his appointment 
 would be strongly opposed, and all sorts of official clii- 
 
66 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 canery would be liberally meted out to him. Though 
 he had already filled very creditably the post of collabo- 
 rator at another gymnasium in 1804, and given abundant 
 proof of his aptness to teach, the Deputation fully com- 
 petent under the circumstances to relieve him' from a 
 second examination, required him at very brief notice, 
 precluding anything like preparation for it, to appear 
 before an examining committee, composed of theologians, 
 professors in theology, and pedagogues, for the purpose 
 of being examined by them. This was an official in- 
 timation that there were breakers ahead ; unofficially he 
 was informed that the examination would not be con- 
 fined to his intellectual and scientific attainments, but 
 extended to the specific investigation of his philosophi- 
 cal views. The president of the committee said to him 
 in a letter : " You are a truth-loving man, and therefore 
 will not object to avow your opinions ; but such avowal 
 may possibly interfere with the accomplishment of your 
 purpose, etc." He knew all this, but committing the issue 
 to God, set out for Konigsberg, and presented himself 
 before the commission, passed a brilliant examination, 
 and having been found possessed of an excellent judg- 
 ment and superior attainments, was appointed preacher, 
 and teacher of Religion, History and Hebrew in Frederic 
 College, Sept. i, 1810. The report of the committee 
 presented to the Deputation says on the vexed subject of 
 his supposed heretical or sectarian views, '' that while his 
 eminent qualifications for the vacant position are unmis- 
 takable, he showed no inclination in the direction of 
 mystical irrational enthusiasm, and as to his peculiar 
 ideas of the Nature of the Godhead they belonged alto- 
 gether to the dry field of idle metaphysics ; " and again 
 as to his general qualifications, as exhibited in a trial-les- 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 6^ 
 
 son : ^' Ebel displayed knowledge, tact and judgment ; he 
 had a peculiar way in dealing with young men, and quite 
 another in the handling of the boys ; but both were very 
 judicious. There was not the faintest trace in anything 
 he said of mysticism, or opinions conflicting with Protes- 
 tant doctrine." The official notification of his appoint- 
 ment was nevertheless accompanied by a caution to the 
 effect, " that whereas his connection with Schonherr had 
 impressed part of the public with an unfavorable opinion 
 concerning himself, he was requested to avoid everything 
 calculated to sustain that unfavorable opinion." The 
 public referred to consisted, as the event showed, and as 
 Ebel had early divined, of a very small part of the 
 public indeed, for it embraced only clerical members of 
 the very body clothed with the appointing power. 
 
 On the day set apart for the formal opening of Frederic 
 College under its new constitution, Ebel was solemnly 
 instituted by the Consistorial Councillor Krause, who 
 spoke in the highest terms of his eminent qualifications 
 for the ministerial office, which he illustrated by details 
 carefully drawn from his past activity. 
 
 His new appointment entailed of course the inevitable 
 separation from his rural cure, where he had so faithfully 
 and beneficially labored during the sad and trying years 
 of the war. He preached his farewell sermon on Sexa- 
 gesima Sunday, 1811, based on the Gospel for the day 
 (St. Luke, viii. 4 sqq.), reviewing his work among them, 
 and inquiring how much of the good seed God had sowed 
 in their midst, and what would be the yield to Him. It 
 was a sad and sorrowful parting ; but it was God's will, 
 and tears shed by eyes that were gladdened by his pres- 
 ence, and warm, earnest, affectionate commendations to 
 the guardian care of God accompanied him. 
 
68 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 There had been much in his ministry at Hermsdorf to 
 try his mettle ; but as it had been wholesome to others, 
 so had it been beneficial to himself, trying, schooling, 
 fitting him for future usefulness. Taken altogether, that 
 rural change had brought him more of felicity than of 
 trial ; it was there that he matured in spiritual fortitude 
 and progressed towards a higher measure of spiritual 
 manhood, and next to all the benefits which God dealt 
 out to him in graces, He gave him at Hermsdorf perhaps 
 the greatest blessing of his life, a lovely, virtuous maiden, 
 Augusta Leinweber, the eldest daughter of the burgess 
 of the neighboring village of Quittainen, whom he mar- 
 ried in 1811. Their union was truly in the Lord, for the 
 blooming bride of twenty- one summers was devout and 
 God-fearing, and every way a helpmeet for him ; he 
 received her as sent by God, and a blessing she proved 
 to him, from that day forward, in weal and in woe, in 
 sickness and health, till death did them part for a time. 
 And as he received her, so she received him, and so did 
 her father, rejoicing and grateful that a man of God 
 should have wooed and married his child. 
 
 Ebel was not a narrow-minded man ; but like all 
 true Christians that rise above bare external and hu- 
 man considerations to the contemplation of the divine 
 element in the church, he was in the highest acceptation 
 of the term, catholic. Now what does that much abused 
 term designate if it does not mean the love of the breth- 
 ren, not only of those belonging to that particular branch 
 or subdivision of the church with which we may happen 
 to be identified by birth, association, choice, or convic- 
 tion, but of all who, though differing with us as to forms 
 or modes of worship, as to certain tenets even, agree 
 with us in the love of Jesus, and strive, as far as they 
 
EARLY MINISTRY. 69 
 
 know or are able, to keep his sayings. That was the 
 mark of Ebel's catholicity, even at that early period of 
 his ministry. Where the heart is right, and the Hie is 
 right, we can all afford to be charitable on points of doc- 
 trine, and agree to differ. He had made the acquaintance 
 of some excellent people attached to the principles of 
 Gichtel ; their intercourse was marked by mutual forbear- 
 ance ; they had no reluctance to avow their sentiments to 
 him, and he frankly owned his sympathy with the views 
 of Schonherr. Their differences were frequently dis- 
 cussed, orally and in writing, but as they were equally 
 strong in their convictions and unable to relinquish them, 
 the differences were compromised in the only true and 
 satisfactory way of an agreement to differ. This mutual 
 forbearance and kindliness bore good fruit in the unin- 
 terrupted continuance of a life-long friendship ; and when 
 after the lapse of years of separation Ebel sent to one of 
 his Gichtelian friends a volume of his sermons as a token 
 of esteem, he acknowledged the act in these words : 
 
 " We thank you cordially for the communication of your 
 evangelical homilies, blossoms of your heart and mind, fruits 
 of devout occupation in the closet, and thank God, faithful 
 commentaries of your walk as a Christian, and a teacher of 
 the people ; we thank you sincerely for the gift, and intend 
 to use it as you desire. . . . When you, reverend friend, 
 revisit our country, you will have occasion to hear more of 
 our affairs. Though our views differ, there shall be no ob- 
 stacles in our hearts, or on our lips to the common love of 
 our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The blind world may 
 enroll both of us in its almanac of heretics ; it only stamps us 
 with the marks of Him whose we are, and whom we serve, 
 each to the best of his ability and knowledge." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 FREDERIC COLLEGE. 
 
 . The position at Frederic College was not a sinecure ; 
 it brought work incessant and diversified. From eighteen 
 to twenty weekly recitations at school, pulpit preparation, 
 and private lessons at home to several young people, con- 
 stituted the round of his duties. In order to promote the 
 education of relatives, and of several friends, he assumed 
 the additional burden of their care. But whoever came 
 into his home had to submit to the laws which governed 
 its conduct, and as those laws were good and wise, they 
 conduced to the welfare of all concerned. 
 
 As a teacher he was peculiarly successful. Absolute 
 mastery of his subject, and independence of text-books, 
 coupled with clearness of statement, and fluency of utter- 
 ance, excited the profoundest interest of his hearers, and 
 made especially his treatment of history very effective. 
 Broad in his views, and skilful in the delineation of char- 
 acter, he imparted life-like reality to the great personages 
 of profane and sacred history, and his manner of portray- 
 ing the heroes of the Old Testament impressed the large 
 number of Jewish pupils who attended the college very 
 favorably and drew their confidence and affection. 
 
 He had joined the Paedagogical Society, and in 1814 
 delivered a lecture on " Religious Instruction in Gym- 
 
 70 
 
FREDERIC COLLEGE. 7I 
 
 nasia/* which was favorably received by his large au- 
 dience composed of experienced schoolmen, among them 
 the celebrated Herbart, well known as a profound thinker 
 and founder of a system of philosophy. The principles, 
 developed at length in a subsequent publication,* were 
 recognized as judicious and sound. 
 
 Into this period falls the production of a Spruchsamm- 
 lung, or Collection of Texts, designed to serve as a guide 
 to systematic religious instruction for youth. It is called 
 in German a Leading Line {Leitfaden), and answers the 
 purpose admirably. It is constructed on the principle 
 of gathering under leading heads passages of Scripture 
 illustrating them ; e. g., the leading thought, printed in 
 large type, is the passage. Obey your Teachers, and 
 under it follow, in small type, at full length, Hebr. xiii. 
 17 ; I Thess. v. 12, 13 ; Heb. xiii. 7 ; Lev. xix. 32 ; 
 Coloss. iii. 21 ; Rom. xiii. i, 7 ; Coloss. iv. i. In the 
 hand of a judicious teacher such a collocation of pas- 
 sages becomes very suggestive, and, as explained to 
 children, tends to connect different portions of the Word 
 of God by association. The little volume covers the 
 whole ground of practical religion, embodies Luther's 
 Lesser Catechism, and gives in a supplement the prin- 
 ciples of Christianity. The Spruchsammlung met a 
 real want, and has been widely introduced throughout 
 Germany. In 1842 it had already reached a sixth 
 dition. 
 
 A question of considerable importance and difficulty 
 had to be solved in connection with the attendance of the 
 pupils at church. Was it preferable to provide for them 
 a special service, or to allow them to frequent the general 
 
 * Ueber gedeihliche Erziehung, Hamburg, 1825. 
 
72 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 service ? The former plan had been adopted by the 
 promoters of new ideas and carried to extremes of almost 
 incredible absurdity ; they had provided sermons on 
 agriculture and secular topics, and extended their mania 
 of specializing even to vaccination. Ebel put a stop to 
 such nonsensical irreverence, and returned to the good 
 old plan of providing one service for young and old 
 alike, and struck the right note in advocating freedom of 
 choice, requiring the students to attend service some- 
 where, but leaving the choice of the particular church 
 to themselves. The effect of his ruling was highly grati- 
 fying, for, as he was a very attractive and interesting 
 preacher, the majority frequented the College Church. 
 His choice of topics was judicious and striking. Here 
 are two or three : ^' The Coming of Christ Brings Joy," 
 " Cheerfulness in tlie Discharge of Duty," *' The Uses of 
 Bad Examples," etc. It was his rule, as teacher of relig- 
 ion, during the week, to question the pupils on the ser- 
 mon they had heard, and to enforce the lessons it had 
 taught ; the older pupils were required to write essays on 
 them. The religious recitations became as popular at 
 Frederic College as they had been at the Old Town 
 Gymnasium, and their impressions, in many instances, 
 deepened into abiding conviction.* The whole college 
 assembled daily at church before the recitations began. 
 At this Morning Prayer Ebel Avould select striking 
 situations from the lives of Bible characters, sketch 
 them rapidly and pointedly, accompanied by practical 
 reflections designed to touch the hearts and quicken the 
 thoughts of his youthful audience to follow the good 
 examples held up for their admiration. These brief 
 addresses were concluded with prayer. Then school 
 work began. His relations to the pupils were delightful ; 
 
FREDERIC COLLEGE. 73 
 
 the younger looked up to him as to a father, the older 
 loved him as a brother and friend. Through the pupils 
 he gained the confidence, esteem, and affection of their 
 parents. But his very success in all these respects was 
 insufficient to overcome the invincible prejudice with 
 which his theological opponents watched his doings, and 
 sought to undermine his influence by the insinuation of 
 separatistic teaching. Two of their number carried the 
 matter so far that they forbade their boys to frequent the 
 religious recitations, but, as the boys remained in the 
 school, the opposition did not gather the strength they 
 had expected. 
 
 The College Chapel was rather small, and its diminu- 
 tive proportions were the theme of ridicule to deter peo- 
 ple from going there. True, it was not as large as some 
 of the other churches of Konigsberg, but it was crowded, 
 and the worshippers made its appearance more worthy by 
 providing chandeliers and decorating the chancel with 
 appropriate ornaments. Outsiders, attracted by the vital 
 truths so earnestly and eloquently set forth by Ebel, 
 came in such numbers that the scant accommodation of 
 the chapel was altogether inadequate, and the adjacent 
 school-rooms had to be opened for their use. Nor is it 
 at all difficult to explain the phenomenon of his popular- 
 ity. He was the only preacher at Konigsberg who set 
 forth the truths of salvation and insisted upon the neces- 
 sity of personal holiness and practical piety. The people 
 were nauseated with rationalism, and longed for more 
 palatable, more wholesome food. The contrast was too 
 marked to escape observation and induce inquiry. The 
 people were being awakened, and in some instances they 
 were awake. The public opinion of Ebel, of course, 
 was divided. That is always the case where the Word of 
 4 
 
74 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 God is preached truly and earnestly ; the Gospel neces- 
 sarily cuts asunder and separates, as in the hearts, the 
 true from the false, so, in the masses, the lovers of truth 
 from those who refuse to receive it. Some held that 
 Ebel taught the way of God in truth ; others that he was 
 deceiving the people. He was sneered at by some as " a 
 preacher of grace," while others did not hesitate publicly 
 to declare that he was the best, in fact the only popu- 
 lar preacher. On one occasion, when some, at a social 
 gathering, had given vent to their dislike of Ebel's views 
 and preaching in attempts to ridicule and caricature 
 them, a gentleman of high culture and social standing, 
 and withal gifted with ready utterance, quietly corrected 
 the sneerers by reproducing them as to their substance. 
 The odium theologicum tried hard to cry him down, but 
 it could not be done, for the people heard him gladly, 
 and it became the general opinion that his preaching was 
 powerful and unlike that of other scribes. 
 
 During the exciting period of political convulsion ter- 
 minating with the downfall of Napoleon (i 812-18 15), he 
 frequently adverted to passing events in his sermons, for 
 the purpose of stirring up patriotic feelings and deepen- 
 ing the faith of his hearers in the shaping hand of God's 
 overruling Providence. In that time of fearful anxiety 
 the ecclesiastical authorities of Prussia had recommended 
 week-day services as a means of promoting patriotism. 
 They were held on Wednesday evenings, conducted by 
 Ebel, and largely attended. A sermon preached at that 
 time, bearing the title, " The Holy War," reflects the pre- 
 vailing sentiments of the period, and the manner in which 
 he sought to shape them for high and holy ends. He 
 specifies the causes which induced Prussia to declare 
 war against Napoleon in these words : 
 
FREDERIC COLLEGE. 75 
 
 " The causes are holy, if we take the sword in defence of 
 sacred possessions; if we are called upon to defend and fight 
 for liberty of conscience to worship God according to the pre- 
 cepts of His sacred Word, and to serve Him in spirit and in 
 truth; for intellectual liberty, without which science and art 
 cannot prosper; for independence from foreign tyranny, 
 which would crush and deprive us of the blessings of peace 
 which God dispenses; for the inalienable rights to our life 
 and property, without whose enjoyments the higher ends of 
 our existence are impossible. These are the causes of this 
 war, and we may rest assured that a war founded on such 
 causes is acceptable to God, and must conduce to the benefit 
 of mankind, to our contemporaries, and to future genera- 
 tions." 
 
 And as to the spirit in which this war was to be waged, 
 he gave utterance to thoughts which must have stirred 
 the hearts and ennobled the aims of his hearers : 
 
 " If this war for such high and holy ends is to succeed, it 
 must be commenced, continued, and consummated in mutual 
 tmion and confidence. — I pause to shed a tear of sorrow over 
 thy sins, unhappy fatherland, so deeply humiliated and de- 
 graded. What ? You seek peace without, and yet are at 
 war within ? Are there not many in our midst who prefer 
 the manners, the boastfulness and flatteries of the trifling and 
 frivolous stranger to the simplicity, honesty and sturdiness 
 of a near and sincere people ? It is high time, dear brethren, 
 that you should return to soberness of mind and abandon the 
 delusion to take grandiloquent lies for truth, appearance for 
 reality. Cease to be ensnared and befooled. It is not dis- 
 grace to avow error, and honor truth, for without truth we 
 
 cannot live May the spirit of peace and concord 
 
 dwell amongst us. Under the cross of Christ let us celebrate 
 a great feast of reconciliation ; here where our sins are for- 
 given, let us forget and forgive others. Here let us open 
 wide the gates of our hearts to welcome the distant brothers 
 
^6 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 who still serve the enemy [allusion to the fact that certain 
 portions of Germany were still with Napoleon, when Prussia 
 gave the signal to rise], w^henever they return to a sense 
 of dignity to unite with us in the defence of the common 
 weal." .... 
 
 After enumerating the duties of self-denial and self- 
 sacrifice, the voluntary surrender of all they prized, he 
 urges spiritual sacrifice in prayer : 
 
 "Let no one doubt," he concludes, " that the Omniscient 
 Ruler of our destinies who from on high beholds the under- 
 takings of the children of men, will hear our earnest heart- 
 felt prayer, and crown with glorious victory and heavenly 
 blessing our efforts to secure His own ends through Him. 
 He will be on our side, because we are on His side, He will 
 not leave us, because we do not leave Him. Fear not the 
 anger, the cunning, the hatred or the strength of the enemy 
 against whom we defend our most sacred rights. Do not 
 abandon confident assurance, grow not weary in prayer, and 
 relax not your courage in the conflict, waver not in your 
 faith, for they that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their 
 strength. And whoever now or hereafter hears the call to 
 arms, his vocation as a warrior, or who volunteers to take 
 his place in the ranks of the valiant defenders of our beloved 
 country, let him unsheath the sword and take up arms in 
 faith, wield them in this righteous and holy cause after the 
 mind and purpose of God, and fight and triumph ivith God 
 for ki7ig and fatherland ! [the Prussian war-cry]. Let him 
 fight with his hands, but cry to God in his heart. In that 
 way he will certainly discover ev.ery stratagem and overcome 
 every obstacle the enemy can devise, break asunder every 
 disgraceful bond, shake off every galling fetter which would 
 compel us to act against conviction. With God, dear brethren, 
 we will do deeds, to put an end to every spiritual thraldom, 
 to every obstacle to progress, and barrier to truth !" 
 
FREDERIC COLLEGE. 77 
 
 Such preaching told at Konigsberg ; its strong, manly, 
 patriotic ring could not fail to impress the people who 
 had groaned so long under the iron heel of foreign and 
 domestic oppression. They yearned for freedom, and 
 though years had to pass before they got it — and indeed 
 they are far from having it yet — the yearning was there, 
 slumbering in their hearts, and Ebel gave it utterance 
 with no uncertain sound. 
 
 He was not a sentimentalist ; he did not believe in 
 purely emotional preaching ; that he held to be contrary 
 to our noblest intuitions, deceptive and highly injurious. 
 "Dwelling chiefly on feeling," he said, '^ is not truly 
 human, but is deceptive and hurtful. Not truly human 
 in that it accords to feeling an unduly exalted place in 
 our nature, which in its ultimate aims destines man for 
 a bliss involving the necessary antecedents of conscious- 
 ness, personal perception of the truth, and decision ; in 
 all these respects feeling occupies a very low place. It 
 is deceptive in that it encourages the confounding of 
 transient emotional ebullitions with permanent religious- 
 ness or piety, inducing men to form exaggerated concep- 
 tions of imaginary growth, and to foster spiritual pride 
 and conceit. For feeling, or emotion, though prompted 
 by grace, is extremely deceptive, unless it lead to im- 
 mediate decision, and manifest itself in faith, and unin- 
 terrupted fidelity."* One secret of the success of his 
 sermons was a happy blending of heart and mind ; he 
 touched his hearers in warm, glowing words that reached 
 their heart, and he tried to convince their understand- 
 ings. They presented a singular contrast to the dreary, 
 hollow, metaphysical, dead speculations of emasculated 
 
 '^Die Apostolische Predigtist zeitgemdss^'' Hamburg, 1835, p. 92 sq. 
 
78 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 Christianity, which in the guise of rationaHzing morality- 
 was the spiritual food of the good people of Konigsberg. 
 In those days there was not a single pulpit in that city, 
 besides Ebel's, where wholesome gospel doctrine was 
 preached ; faith, renovation, personal holiness were not 
 so much as breathed ; not a word was said about recon- 
 ciliation and the atonement, and the one man who pro- 
 fessed evangelical sentiments, I mean Borowski, took 
 good care not to shock his hearers with such unfashion- 
 able themes, and avoided to pollute his lips or their ears 
 with allusions to the devil, who was, of course, a myth. 
 No one preached sin, that was a myth ; or faith, that 
 was weakness ; or that the Bible was the Word of God, 
 that was a delusion ; or that Christ was God and died 
 for our sins, that was nonsense ; there were plenty who 
 taught that God did not create the world in six days, 
 that the narrative of the fall was a metaphorical descrip- 
 tion of inward temptation ; that the biblical dogma of 
 the Trinity must not be taken Hterally, for that would 
 amount to tritheism, but should be explained as anthro- 
 pomorphism and anthropopathism ; that Christ's return 
 to judgment was an allegory, or a dramatic representation, 
 and that punishment itself must not be understood to im- 
 ply eternal duration, for all would ultimately be saved. 
 
 Bearing this in mind, it is not difficult to see why the 
 growing popularity of a preacher who swept all this kind 
 of preaching aside as dust and cobwebs, was not at all 
 palatable to those clergymen who saw their own congre- 
 gations thinning and their hearers flock to the Chapel of 
 Frederic College. The thing rankled in their hearts, and 
 they eagerly waited for a suitable opportunity to check 
 the movement ; they thought it had come in a fast-day 
 sermon of Ebel's on St. Matth. xi. 25, 28, " I thank thee, O 
 
FREDERIC COLLEGE. 79 
 
 Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid 
 these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed 
 them unto babes," and " Come unto me all ye that labor 
 and are heavy laden and I will give you rest," in which 
 he pointed out that it was futile to expect that science 
 without revelation could remedy the crying evils of the 
 time. There appears to have been present among his 
 audience at the time " a credible man," who informed 
 the Deputation that his teaching was unsound, or some- 
 thing to that effect, whereupon that body officially 
 charged him "with the frequent utterance of convic- 
 tions in his sermons and lectures which might lead to 
 dangerous misapprehensions, threatening to obscure the 
 purity of the religious mind of the rising generation, and 
 seeming to betray an attachment to the principles of a 
 separatistic sect incompatible with evangelical tenets," 
 requiring him "to explain the matter, as well as his 
 present relations to Schonherr." 
 
 Ebel did not know what to make of that vague official 
 notice, and hesitated to comply with the request for 
 a while ; he took, however, occasion, in a private letter 
 to a member of the Deputation, to express the hope that 
 that body would gradually become convinced of their 
 error, and save him the sad necessity of telling them, for 
 conscience's sake, some plain truths. Disappointed in 
 this respect, and pressed for a reply, he wrote one, which, 
 for straightforward outspokenness and manly courage, 
 presents a striking contrast to the vague insinuations 
 of the anonymous credible accuser, and the still vaguer 
 inferences of the Deputation. It is quite lengthy, though 
 to the point, and in every respect a triumphant vindica- 
 tion of his position. He indignantly repelled and re- 
 futed the innuendoes of the Deputation, and concluded 
 
8o FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 with the sentence, referring to Schonherr, ''With God 
 and for his truth we are not afraid, though a host should 
 be against us ; if God be for us, who can be against us ? " 
 
 This bold and defiant language did not suit the Depu- 
 tation, who, within a week (June 21, 1814) from the 
 date of Ebel's reply, forwarded it with all the documents, 
 including the printed works of Schonherr, to the Minis- 
 ter at Berlin, accompanied by a report specifying that 
 " Ebel had always approved himself as an honest man of 
 blameless purity ; that his pre-eminent and fascinating 
 ability in the pulpit and the school-room, affecting young 
 and old alike, would make him an ornament of Frederic 
 College but for his sectarian tendency, and that, consid- 
 ering his qualities of heart and mind, they had reason to 
 suppose he would recover independence of thought if he 
 could be removed from the influence of Schonherr," con- 
 cluding with the recommendation that he be suspended 
 from ministerial functions and removed to a scholastic 
 position. 
 
 The Ministerium for Ecclesiastical Affairs in Berlin, 
 the highest authority in Prussia, examined the report of' 
 the Deputation, and at the instance of Schleiermacher, 
 the distinguished theologian, to whom the matter had 
 been referred, negatived their recommendations, accom- 
 panied by a severe censure of their action. As this is a 
 very important document of great ability, it is here repro- 
 duced. It bears date August 28, 18 14, and runs : 
 
 "The Ecclesiastical and School Deputation has taken in 
 hand a very precarious affair, requiring the most cautious 
 and careful treatment, seeing that it contemplates a limita- 
 tion and even a revocation of the liberty of teaching of a 
 teacher in the church and school. The proper mode of pro- 
 cedure on the part of the Deputation ought to have been to 
 
FREDERIC COLLEGE. 8 1 
 
 begin with a clearly-defined conception of the nature and 
 limits of the liberty of evangelical teaching as bearing on 
 the case of teachers in the church and school as contrasted 
 with learned inquirers in universities, and having, upon ex- 
 haustive investig'ation of the matter, formed a definite and 
 complete exposition of the alleged errors of Schonherr, to 
 have submitted the same to the judgment of the Ministerium. 
 Schonherr's printed work, which has been forwarded, is not 
 sufficient for the purpose, for it contains only cosmogonical 
 explanations, designed to establish the authority of the Bible, 
 and without any danger to the interests of morality. . . . 
 And as to Schonherr's conduct, vyhich, in the opinion of the 
 Deputation, is supposed to stamp him as a fanatic and sect- 
 ary, Ebel's declarations on the subject appear throughout so 
 definite, ingenuous, and credible, that the Ministerium cannot 
 pronounce an adverse decision, seeing that the report of the 
 Deputation lacks all authentic and contradictory data." 
 
 On the subject of Ebel's relations to Schonherr the 
 document declares : 
 
 " Their personal intercourse and friendship are purely irrel- 
 evant, as it does not lie within the competence of public 
 authorities to hold their subordinates responsible for their 
 company, so long as it is not in manifest conflict with the 
 laws of morality and of the State, or does not withdraw them 
 from the discharge of official duty. The specified separate 
 expressions alleged by the Deputation to have been made by 
 Ebel, are so general that they might have been made by any 
 one without being an adherent of Schonherr. But they do 
 not reflect unfavorably on Ebel in any other respect. For 
 his expressions on the value of science as connected with 
 religion ought to have been given verbatijn in the connection 
 in which they were used in order to pass a correct opinion of 
 them, and whoever treats in the pulpit or in the school of 
 the dogma of the devil does not transgress the limits of the 
 evangelical liberty of teaching, for it cannot be demonstrated 
 
82 FAITH VICTORIOUS; 
 
 that it is not founded on Holy Scripture As the 
 
 Deputation has seen fit, without proofs resulting from thor- 
 ough and exhaustive investigation, to begin with severe accusa- 
 tions against Ebel without anything to substantiate them, it 
 is not by any means surprising that Ebel construes their pro- 
 cedure as contradicting the express declaration of the Depu- 
 tation that they did not wish in the least to curtail the evan- 
 gelical liberty of teaching, and in his reply assumes the posi- 
 tion of an opponent, and the Deputation has accorded him 
 that prerogative by their reference of the case to the decision 
 of the Ministerium without having furnished the necessary 
 proofs of their assertions. This exposition of the case renders 
 it evident that the Ministerium is unable to decide it accord- 
 ing to their recommendations. The report and its accom- 
 panying documents establish abundantly that Ebel does not 
 deserve to be either removed or supended from the functions 
 of a teacher in the church and the school. To visit him with 
 either would be inconsistent and an act of violence, and lay 
 the Ministerium open to the suspicion of a spirit of persecu- 
 tion, against which it believes to have cause to warn the 
 Deputation.'' 
 
 This Ministerial Rescript was a nauseous draught ad- 
 ministered to the Deputation, but like many nauseous 
 medicines it had salutary effects, for it taught the gentle- 
 men that it was not safe to persecute a man like Ebel, 
 whom the highest authority in the State pronounced ab- 
 solutely free from all the terrible charges which they had 
 brought against him, and that even his private philosophical 
 convictions were declared on the same authority to be war- 
 ranted by Holy Scripture. The immediate result of 
 the Rescript was not only an effectual cessation of open 
 hostility on the part of the Deputation, but as its tenor 
 became known, an increasing popularity of the persecuted 
 minister. 
 
FREDERIC COLLEGE. 83 
 
 And how did Ebel behave under this unprovoked and 
 bitter hostiUty ? He was cheerful and full of faith, and 
 practised what he taught. In the Conference Room of 
 the college was suspended the portrait of Dr. Lysius, 
 the founder of the institution and his predecessor in the 
 Ministry, with the inscription : 
 
 Nichis 7nehr dii lieber Herre tnein, 
 Dein Tod soil niir das Leben sein. 
 
 He also had been reviled as a heretic and a sectary. 
 That picture and its history gave him consolation and 
 encouragement in his trials ; it refreshed his soul, for he 
 felt that he preached the word of reconciliation, and that 
 he was persecuted solely because he preached pure, un- 
 adulterated prophetical and apostolical doctrine. The 
 persecution he regarded as a token of divine favor and 
 a seal to his ministry ; it deepened his piety, increased 
 his faith, and augmented his zeal. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 O L D-T OWN CHURCH. 
 
 I HAVE already referred to Ebel's growing popularity. 
 Several of the larger parishes desired his ministrations, 
 and although hostile influences were silently at work to 
 prevent his promotion, the feeling in his favor was so 
 strong and pronounced, that the largest parish in the 
 city chose him for their Pastor on January 8, 1816. He 
 preached his first sermon from 2 Cor. i. 24 : " Not for 
 that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of 
 your joy ; for by faith ye stand." It was a noble effort, 
 very characteristic of the man ; he showed that a good 
 and true minister, so far from seeking to establish a 
 dominion over the faith of his parishioners, dares not, 
 cannot and will not prostitute and caricature his sacred 
 office by arrogating to himself any such domination ; not 
 as a spiritual despot but as a helper of their joy he had 
 come into their midst. These were its leading thoughts ; 
 but that there should be no misapprehension as to what 
 he understood joy to import, he took occasion to turn to 
 the open Bible and said : 
 
 " j\Iy dear congregation, with this book in my hand I pur- 
 pose always to come to you ; and not only with the book, but 
 with a heart overflowing with the profoundest veneration 
 for all it contains, and yearning to impart to you all the 
 84 
 
OLD-TOWN CHURCH. 85 
 
 blessed truths of its sacred pages. Whenever I ascend this 
 pulpit, from which the sainted Neumann used to catechize me 
 as a child in the truths of this book, I will point to it; when- 
 ever I ascend that altar where my grandfather, my father and 
 I professed the Christian faith and were confirmed, I shall 
 feel under ever-new obligations to preach to you Christ ; and 
 whenever you draw near in confession * to yonder seat, where 
 the godly Erhard Jacob Jester and his father spoke to you 
 the words of life and spent themselves in the service of God, 
 your confidence will encourage me to proclaim to you the 
 truth and comfort of the Word of God, and what it requires 
 you to do. Yea, wherever and whenever I have to lift my 
 voice in your hearing, in the chamber of sorrow and bereave- 
 ment, at festal gatherings of joyous occasions, I will ever 
 announce to you the everlasting truth, so that the hearts 
 of parents may be gladdened by the consecration of their 
 children, the sick refreshed, the mourner comforted, and 
 the dying prepared in faith for the bliss to come, with the 
 last look of their eyes, and a farewell pressure of their hand 
 bear me testimony that I was a helper of their joy." 
 
 The allusions in this extract require an explanatory 
 paragraph. The Old-Town Church was truly his spiritual 
 home, full of the most tender and touching associations. 
 His grandfather, his father and himself had been con- 
 firmed in the venerable edifice. There stood a pillar 
 near which his grandmother had consecrated his father in 
 maternal tenderness to the service of God. There for 
 three generations the Ebels had been wont to worship 
 God ; both his father and he, as scholars of the Latin 
 School, had filled the office of acolytes at its altar ; there 
 he had been catechized ; there his father had been pre- 
 centor, and Ebel, blessed with a full, melodious voice, 
 
 * Confession in the Lutheran Church is a devotional service pre- 
 paratory to Communion. 
 
86 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 had often represented his father in that office at mattins, 
 led the song of the congregation, and as the voice of the 
 youth had rehearsed the praises of God in many an old 
 and beautiful choral, so now in the first maturity of his 
 manhood the same voice rehearsed the praise and glory 
 of the same God in the message of the Gospel. His 
 father's joy at his promotion was unbounded. 
 
 "What a blessing," he wrote, " what happiness that I am 
 permitted to see my son lead souls to Christ ! How much 
 greater, how ecstatic will be our bliss, when we and our flocks 
 shall appear before the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls to 
 blend our praises with His and to reign with Him ! Let 
 others joy over the enlightenment they have found in the 
 nineteenth century, we will joy and rejoice in the Lord who 
 died for our sins and rose for our justification." 
 
 The truly evangelical turn which now marked the relig- 
 ious convictions of the elder Ebel had been, under God's 
 merciful guiding, one of the sweetest first fruits of the 
 younger's ministry.* 
 
 Friends near and at a distance had been gladdened by 
 his preferment. From his old country cure came words 
 of congratulation: 
 
 "We thank you," wrote his kind and grateful friends, "for 
 telling us that you have been chosen preacher of the Old- 
 Town Church. We are one and all delighted at the news, 
 
 * This excellent man held, during the last years of his life, the 
 pasorate at Goldbach, near Tapiau. He was called away in 1823, 
 in the sixty-sixth year of his life, after a brief illness. Before his 
 peaceful and happy departure, he summoned his friends to his bed- 
 side and sang with them the beautiful hymn, '' Man lobt dich inder 
 Stille," and dwelt with great delight on the love of his children, 
 who, on that account, he felt sure, must be happy. His confidence 
 was prophetic. 
 
OLD-TOWN CHURCH. 87 
 
 and continue to take the warmest interest in your welfare, 
 rejoiced at your success and your promotion, uniting our 
 praises with yours to Lord God Abiiighty, merciful and just, 
 for answering our prayers and frustrating the designs of your 
 enemies. . , . All the good people that know and love 
 you, share your joy. I told some, whom I knew to be your 
 friends, of the good news, and they burst out in jubilant re- 
 joicings. Count Donhof told me he had felt sure that the 
 choice would fall on the dear, good Ebel, so you see that the 
 salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, and that He heareth 
 the prayer of His children that cry unto Him and love and 
 fear his holy name." 
 
 The cure of souls, with which he was especially 
 charged in his new position, engaged the peculiar care 
 and prayerful anxiety of Ebel. That important part of 
 the Christian ministry was almost entirely neglected in 
 Germany during the first quarter of this century, and 
 very imperfectly attended to in the second. It was 
 Ebel's most studious and earnest endeavor to make it a 
 reality. The great difficulty of that work is well under- 
 stood and deeply and painfully felt by all clergymen 
 truly and sincerely anxious to turn intercourse with their 
 parishioners to spiritual benefit. It is sometimes appa- 
 rently impossible to establish that relation ; and yet as 
 each parishioner has a soul so be saved, we are bound to 
 try, as far as we are able, to bring that soul under relig- 
 ious influence. So felt Ebel, and as his practice was ex- 
 ceptional at Konigsberg and singularly successful, it is 
 by no means surprising that it was first called peculiar, 
 and then cried down as " Sectirerei,'' or separatism, which 
 word has an unpleasant ring in German ears, and is 
 meant to insinuate a species of hypocritical cant. He 
 did not thrust his spiritual ministrations on others, but 
 encouraged his parishioners to consult him about their 
 
88 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 spiritual affairs. The Old-Town Church was served by 
 several clergymen, and the regular weekly services in the 
 church were unusually frequent. There were three ser- 
 vices with sermons on Sundays and Holy days, and three 
 mattin services during the week, besides the public pre- 
 paratory services for the Holy Communion. Under these 
 circumstances the influence of the pulpit was exceptionally 
 strong in that particular church, and the earnest, search- 
 ing, and faithful utterances of Ebel were blessed to the 
 awakening of many souls who, until then, had been fed 
 with the husks of rationalizing, skeptical dogmas, on 
 which they were spiritually starving. Diestel, his friend 
 and colleague, who had known him a score of years, said 
 on. this peculiar gift of Ebel in the cure of souls : 
 
 " On the firm and solid foundation of the word of revela- 
 tion, the treasury of truth and wisdom to all seekers of the 
 truth and lovers of God, Ebel has a wonderful power to pierce 
 with the living word, as it animates him through and through, 
 the hearts and minds of his hearers ; his tact in evoking the 
 hidden germs of the spiritual life, in uniting things that are 
 like, and sundering those that are unlike, is marvellous, and 
 singles him out as eminently skilled in stirring and develop- 
 ing in love, wisdom and power the spiritual life, in compre- 
 hending ' with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and 
 depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ.' " 
 
 Students and professors in the university flocked in 
 masses to the Old-Town church to be quickened in heart 
 and thought by the ardent zeal and eloquent fervor of 
 this veritable Gospel preacher. Of his appearance and 
 carriage a parishioner drew the following sketch : 
 
 " His words are enhanced by his engaging and winsome 
 presence. Noble in form, strong yet lithe, quick and grace- 
 ful in his movements, his regular, handsome features express 
 
OLD-TOWN CHURCH. 89 
 
 gentleness. His sparkling large blue eyes under a noble fore- 
 head surmounted with brilliant raven hair smoothly parted 
 proclaim at once ardent self-consecration in the service of God 
 and of sympathetic interest in his fellow-men; his voice is well 
 modulated and melodious, a fit means of the full utterances of 
 his love. He presents the rare appearance of a servant of Christ 
 who combines a wonderful array of personal attractions and 
 extraordinary intellectual endowments with the purest zeal in 
 the service of God for the benefit of his fellow-men." 
 
 This is certainly an attractive portraiture, which might 
 seem overdrawn if it stood isolated ; but here is another 
 that not only corroborates but intensifies it. 
 
 " The people of Konigsberg are well acquainted with the 
 splendor of the beautiful services which under the ministry 
 of Ebel has quickened a truly Christian life in the largest 
 congregation assembling in our largest church. The impos- 
 ing edifice, the extraordinary richness and beauty of the 
 music rendered with singular effectiveness by an excellent 
 chorus supported by the rich tones of its celebrated organ, 
 the great solemnity and dignity of the established ritual, and 
 above all things the vital and deeply impressive preaching of 
 the Divine Word by Ebel, conspire in the production of a 
 wonderfully edifying service. He preaches not only on Sun- 
 days and Holy Days but at mattins to large congregations 
 composed of all classes of society, who receive his message 
 with the most lively interest and a yearning for salvation 
 quickening and developing true devotion and spiritual ac- 
 tivity ; these services are singularly edifying and give the im- 
 pression that God is worshipped here in spirit and in truth, 
 an impression fully sustained by their influence on the private 
 and public life of the city in the promotion of a true Christian 
 spirit. The beautiful Old-Town Church services, unique in 
 their kind, and universally admired, have left an indelible 
 remembrance in the minds of all who have been edified by 
 them, and of many to whom they did not become, as they 
 were designed, a savor of life unto life." 
 
90 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 Here is another testimony from a clergyman, who 
 often attended them : 
 
 " The hving conviction which animates Ebel, must needs 
 be operative in quickening energy. His personal love of God 
 and Christ, his absolute unconditional faith in the declarations 
 of Holy Scripture, his undoubted assurance that the promises 
 of God are true and in course of fulfilment, and lastly his con- 
 viction that man is a free agent at liberty to make choice con- 
 cerning himself and his eternal destiny, to elect good or evil, 
 life or death as a principle by which to shape his course, to 
 grasp, apply and confirm it in his life, to be personally active 
 and instrumental by incessant vigilance and unremitting labor 
 in laying now the foundation for the future — such spiritual 
 elements could not fail from their very nature to produce 
 powerful and vital effects. Whoever was susceptible to spir- 
 itual impressions, or swayed by noble impulses would be 
 drawn to Ebel's sermons, and those who came to church to 
 worship God and learn His will, came not in vain, but were 
 satisfied with the light and warmth, the life and strength 
 which his ministrations of the Word imparted. The solem- 
 nity and devout attention, the rapt and profound devotion, 
 the thoughtful and sympathetic bearing of the congregation 
 were in perfect harmony with the spiritual beauty of the ser- 
 vice, in which prayer, music and sermon presented an edify- 
 ing unity in diversity. The services impressed you with the 
 conviction that a free and vital spirit underlay and entered 
 into all their component parts ; and they promoted in our 
 city a truly Christian spirit in a congregation thoroughly in 
 earnest to learn and to do the will of God." 
 
 And yet another expression, from one that loved to 
 own that she owed her spiritual life to him, may conclude 
 this array of testimony : 
 
 "Without admitting it to myself, until then I had never 
 really loved to go to church, for I am not sentimentally dis- 
 posed, and the ordinary preaching did not attract me. But 
 
OLD-TOWN CHURCH. Qt 
 
 Ebel's preaching gave me the first conviction that faith has 
 its reasons, that Christianity is designed to meet every want, 
 and therefore the wants of thinking ; that it is the religion of 
 consciousness, and therefore of joy ; that it wants not slaves, 
 not dull and lukewarm confessors (like many church-goers, 
 who hear and learn much, but not what is the will and pur- 
 pose of God, who behind His back mock and remain idle, and 
 in His presence assume the air of saintliness) ; . . . but 
 children, volunteers, friends, loWng to know and cheerfully to 
 do His blessed will. His manner of dwelling on the voluntary 
 surrender of the heart to God who loved us first ; to proclaim 
 in His name joy, at once delighting in Him and in response 
 to His love ; to implant and realize a life conforming to the 
 truth as it is in Jesus, as it existed in the primitive church ; 
 that preaching, so novel and strange at a time when religion 
 was frivolous and dead, everywhere and irresistibly awakened 
 the life of an energizing faith, ... It awakened me first 
 to rapt attention ... it gave me an insight into the 
 heart of God as that of a Father, and taught me, what before 
 I had not thought of, that He loves me ; my love went out to 
 Him with an intensity of ardor that I had not known before; 
 it taught me that I had found my Father, and it filled me with 
 rapturous joy. My former life with its trials and experiences, 
 as far as they had engaged my imagination, fell into oblivion 
 with the sole exception of the feelings I had cherished of God, 
 and the thoughts I had bestowed on Him. The old spell or 
 ban that had lain on me, seemed to be broken, my whole 
 being began to breathe free, in an element wonderfully con- 
 genial to its original necessity. . . . Whatever was of 
 foreign growth dropped away from me like a garment, and I 
 felt in this my first, never dreamt of reception of the love of 
 God, as if all of a sudden all things had become new, within 
 and around me, and I rejoiced in being the happiest of the 
 children of men." * 
 
 * Ida von der Groben, " Die Liebezur Wahrheit" pp. xxv-xxxvii. 
 
92 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 These testimonies suffice to show what Ebel did : we 
 will now lift the curtain to gain an insight into his feel- 
 ings. He realized more than ever the tremendous re- 
 sponsibilities of his sacred caUing ; there was not only 
 the most earnest anxiety as to the proper selection of 
 topics, so that he might to the best of his ability rightly 
 divide the Word of God ; but the most studious and 
 prayerful endeavor to present the truth so as to meet the 
 spiritual needs of his people. He never ascended the 
 pulpit without trepidation, for he felt that he was the 
 messenger of God, the ambassador of Christ entreating 
 men to be reconciled to God. He lived in a period and 
 in a city singularly destitute of the knowledge of vital 
 religion, and powerfully prejudiced against everything 
 that savored of practical piety and true godliness. Where 
 such is the dominant feeling in a large and influential 
 community the servant of God is sorely tried, and must 
 be peculiarly watchful to keep from his views, and ex- 
 clude from his teaching any and everything that to his 
 own conscience may seem a betrayal of his sacred trust, 
 a temporizing with the interests of God, or a withholding 
 part of His counsel from the people ; the great end of 
 his ministry is to bring the hearts of his hearers under 
 the influence of the divine Word, and to save their souls. 
 He must try to gain their confidence to win them over 
 to the service of Christ ; he must touch their hearts and 
 convince their understandings to enlist them in the sacra- 
 mental host of the saved ; he must therefore avoid to 
 hurt their feelings, or offend their prejudices, and deal 
 gently and sparingly with sensitive and vulnerable points. 
 Now all this requires almost superhuman tact, skill, and 
 wisdom, and a true minister of Christ trembles at the 
 greatness of his work when he is daily, hourly and pain- 
 
OLD-TOWN CHURCH. 
 
 93 
 
 fully reminded that he is but an earthen vessel, swayed 
 by contending emotions ; questions that spring from the 
 fear of man must be dispelled, and he must gird himself 
 for his work in pasturing his own soul, in rising superior 
 to every earthly consideration, in listening only to the 
 dictates of his conscience quickened by prayer and the 
 study of the Word of God, to be bent upon only one 
 thing, to do the will of God in reliance upon divine 
 direction, regardless of consequences. That was the 
 spiritual conflict in Ebel's soul, and he derived unspeak- 
 able comfort and encouragement from the words of Jer- 
 emiah xv. 19-21, which in Luther's version read thus: 
 " Therefore thus saith the Lord : If thou v/ilt hold thee 
 to me, I will hold to thee, and thou shalt remain my 
 preacher ; and if thou shalt teach the godly to separate 
 themselves from the wicked, thou shalt be my teacher : 
 and thou shalt not turn to them, but they shall turn to 
 thee. For I have made thee unto this people a fenced 
 brazen wall ; and though they fight against thee, they 
 shall not prevail against thee : for I am with thee to save 
 thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord. And I will also 
 deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will 
 redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible." This pas- 
 sage, so striking in its boldness, is a fair sample of the 
 wonderful genius of Luther as a translator ; the exact 
 phraseology is neither in the Hebrew, the Septuagint nor 
 the Vulgate, which warrant the more literal rendering of 
 the Authorized Version, but that his version seizes the 
 sense and expresses it in wonderfully clear language, not 
 uncolored by his own personal experience, none can deny: 
 and the words must have come home with irresistible 
 force to Ebel in the courageous warfare he waged in the 
 service of God in the midst of an irreligious and gain- 
 
94 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 saying people. He felt when he stood in the Old-Town 
 pulpit that he must take the offensive against the world, 
 that his weapon must be the sword of the Spirit, the 
 Word of God, and he knew the temper of the times too 
 well to apply the unction to his soul that the world 
 would submit to his entreaties ; he knew that his every 
 position w^ould be assailed, that he would have to en- 
 counter the most positive and bitter antagonism, and that 
 it became him to be thoroughly equipped for the seem- 
 ingly unequal conflict. We are told that he was wont to 
 fortify himself, as he ascended the pulpit in that try- 
 ing period of his ministry, repeating to himself some 
 sentiment of encouragement embodied in favorite hymns, 
 especially the stanza : 
 
 Hilf selbst thirch alle Schwierigkeit, 
 Uiid aiich durch alle Schwachen^ 
 
 hi gldtibiger Ergebenheit, 
 hi Sieg tmd Segeii brechen. 
 
 In his own words, expressed many years later, Ebel 
 recognized his peculiar mission : 
 
 "To appeal to the will and excite it to personal liberty, so 
 that by its own deliberate decision men might show grati- 
 tude for the love of God and evince it in their lives made con- 
 formable to God's. I regard it as the great work of my life 
 to urge the children of God to voluntary self-consecration in 
 the pursuit of goodness ; this I deem to have been especially 
 committed to my charge, my pecuhar mission to this genera- 
 tion, that the glorious liberty of the children of God, to wit : 
 their full status of adopdon, may soon become manifest on 
 earth (even as St. Paul testifies — Rom. viii. 19, 23), which is 
 intimately connected with deliverance from the bondage of 
 corruption, from bodily tribulation, for which the creature 
 and our sorely-plagued race is yearning. But that deliver- 
 
OLD-TOWN CHURCH. 95 
 
 ance, that redemption of our body involves the condition of 
 our voluntary participation in the work of our salvation, the 
 condition of grateful return love for mercies received, for, as 
 I apprehend the matter in virtue of the light vouchsafed to 
 me, man is not a machine, solely left to be operated upon by 
 God (for that would make God the author of sin and evil), 
 but an independent agent, of his own free will to choose the 
 good and refuse the evil, to accept, appropriate, and apply 
 the means of grace which God offers him, and on the proper 
 use off which depends his salvation, which God has placed in 
 his own hand. What is growth in grace unless it be growth 
 to independence, to free, personal decision in the adoption 
 and practice of good ? And wherever this growth is recog- 
 nized as the original motive-spring of the development of 
 our spiritual life, the crouching, slavish mien and bearing 
 of fear cannot exist ; man, conscious of the great end of his 
 existence, rejoices in the knowledge that he is called upon to 
 co-operate with God, and though his success may not keep even 
 pace with his endeavor, though resistance struggle with suc- 
 cess, a good man, in spite of it, joyously lifts up head and eye, 
 and his pure good will is owned in heaven, even as it re- 
 wards him on earth." 
 
 As I understand Ebel, he points out that our moral 
 hberty consists m the united power of thinking and rea- 
 soning, and of choosing and acting upon such thinking 
 and reasoning ; so that the clearer our thought and con- 
 ception is of what is fit and right, and the more constantly 
 our choice is determined by it, the more nearly we rise 
 to the highest acts and exercises of this liberty. The 
 fact that God enjoins any commandment whatsoever im- 
 plies the ability of man to do or not to do it. As the 
 church of the Laodiceans (Rev. iii. 14-20) was exhorted 
 to open the door at the Lord's bidding that He might 
 come in and sup with them (cf. St. Luke xiv. 16-24) so 
 
96 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 we must make the necessary preparation, and put on 
 the wedding-garment His love suppHes (St. Matth. xxii. 
 1-14). 
 
 Ebel's theology as reflected in his sermons is not of a 
 particular school or stripe, but strictly biblical and 
 therefore edifying. His constant aim was to win friends 
 for Jesus, true friends bearing much fruit, and he urged 
 and entreated men to begin the blessedness of their 
 friendship this side the grave, with such warmth and 
 earnestrffess that one day one of his hearers on leaving 
 the church exlaimed : " He would in his love take men 
 to heaven by force, if he could have his own will ; but 
 it cannot be done that way, and he must leave many 
 behind." 
 
 His preaching was eminently practical, the outcome of 
 his own spiritual experience, and touched in every turn 
 and thought the spiritual wants of his hearers, and that 
 made it acceptable to all classes and conditions of men, 
 to the educated and the illiterate. Strangers were so much 
 struck and touched to the quick by his presentation of the 
 truth that they were eager to seek his personal acquaint- 
 ance, or where that was impracticable, to thank him in 
 letters^ for the benefit they had received. The influence 
 and effects of his sermons were remarkable, and he rarely 
 preached without awakening to life some soul or another. 
 His faith was strong and childlike, and he relied impli- 
 citly on what may be called the inspiration of the mo- 
 ment for the choice of a topic or its treatment. At least 
 it happened not rarely that he delivered a sermon alto- 
 gether different from the tenor of his preparation. It 
 has already been stated that he always preached ex capite j 
 on several occasions he had actually read the text, and 
 under an irresistible impulse preached another sermon 
 
OLD-TOWN CHURCH. 
 
 97 
 
 than that he had prepared, and learned years after that 
 on those particular occasions, to his great joy, persons of 
 whom he knew absolutely nothing at the time, ascribed 
 the turning point in their spiritual life to those very ser- 
 mons. In the years 1818 and 1822, when very large 
 numbers were religiously influenced by him, his minis- 
 try was exceptionally blessed. 
 
 Baron von Heyking, in his manuscript notices of Ebel's 
 life, mentions from personal knowledge the case of several 
 persons on whom a discourse on the words '' My son, 
 give me thy heart," produced so powerful an impression 
 that it decided their religious life, which stood the test of 
 temptation. Another sermon on the topic : " The Great 
 Change wrought in us by the Holy Spirit " (given in 
 Appendix A), had an extraordinary influence on many 
 minds, stirring their inmost soul in earnest longing for 
 that blessed change ; the Spirit of God rested upon him, 
 " and the Lord added to the church daily such as should 
 be saved." In his ministry was fulfilled the prophetic 
 announcement that the hearts of the fathers were turned 
 to the children, and also the hearts of the children to 
 the fathers ; its influence was so great and wide-spread 
 at this time that there was hardly a Christian family 
 throughout the province, that did not directly or indirect- 
 ly share its spiritual blessing. 
 
 And what was the magnetism of those sermons and of 
 the man felt everywhere, which attracted even to the 
 mattins (held at 6 a.m.) professors, civil and military 
 officers, students, etc., some of whom so deeply interested 
 in what they heard, that they wrote down the sermons, 
 copied and circulated them among friends at a great 
 distance ? In what consisted their vitalizing power ? I 
 allow his friend Heyking to answer these questions. 
 5 
 
98 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 " Ebel was free from all one-sidedness in thought and 
 feeling, but all life, and the spiritual element dominated 
 in him, so that his sermons were thoughts drawn from 
 the Word of God, quickened by his own experience 
 and a keen knowledge of the hearts of men, not transient 
 ebullitions of feeling, and yet they were so warm, earnest 
 and manifold that they were sure to touch all who felt 
 the need of just that kind of stimulus to quicken their 
 spiritual life. He did not deal out things by halves, but 
 teaching the whole truth in the conversion of a soul to 
 God and cutting off all excuses, his words entered into 
 every receptive soil. He did not separate sanctifi cation 
 from reconciliation ; if he extolled the mercy of God pity- 
 ing man in his misery and providing the means of his salva- 
 tion, he exhorted men to use their liberty in order to be- 
 come free indeed. But even whole truths, free from 
 doctrinal objection may be so presented that they re- 
 semble painted plants without growth and life ; Ebel's 
 words were living plants ; life only can gender life^, and 
 if life and truth had not dwelt in them, and been 
 infused into them* from his own heart and soul, they 
 would have fallen, like many other sensible words uttered 
 or written, dead upon the ears and souls of his hearers ; 
 but they were powerful and operative, because he was 
 true, and stood in the truth. I remember the conversa- 
 tion of two of my legal friends, in which the one alleged 
 that preachers did not believe what they taught, and the 
 other replied that while he shared his opinion in gen- 
 eral, he knew one exception, and that was Ebel, who be- 
 lieved what he taught. Love was another element of his 
 sermons, not of the weak sort, but emitting flames when 
 he dwelt on the self-deception of many who think that 
 they love and honor Christ and are sure of salvation, 
 
OLD-TOWN CHURCH. 99 
 
 when with trifling temerity they degrade Him into a 
 servant of sin. There were those who held that repent- 
 ance had nothing to do with Christianity, and mocked at 
 his discourses as "penitential sermons." He did preach 
 repentance, but repentance unto life, not unto death ; he 
 reasoned that God is Love, and has created us to happi- 
 ness and joy — to joy in a holy spirit, and that He does 
 not wish us to perish either in melancholy and despair, 
 or in voluptuousness ; and that Christianity is a religion 
 of joy, educating us to the noblest enjoyments ; thus he 
 taught it, and thus he lived it." 
 
 In Appendix A are produced several of the most cele- 
 brated of Ebel's sermons ; they are noble utterances 
 of noble thoughts, thoroughly biblical throughout, and 
 homiletical productions cast in the traditional mould cur- 
 rent in Germany ; in point of language, rhetorical finish, 
 felicitous and ready application, they may be instanced 
 as pattern sermons, elevating and edifying to Christian 
 readers everywhere, clerical or lay. Their perusal, for 
 which the glowing language of Baron Heyking and of so 
 many other most competent witnesses is almost sure to 
 whet the appetite of the reader, may not come up to his 
 expectations ; and it is impossible that it can. The 
 printed sermons are not the sermons which electrified 
 his audience ; they give the words he wrote down in his 
 study before and after they were preached, but they are 
 minus his delivery, the charm and witchery of his elo- 
 quent, musical voice, of his eagle glance, of his dignified 
 presence, of the vital and vitalizing energy which went 
 out from the heart and soul of the preacher into the 
 heart and soul of his hearers. On this point all that 
 ever heard Ebel are agreed ; and we must bear it in 
 mind in perusing these sermons. They are noble and 
 
lOO FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 worthy mementos of a Christian hero, but they are not, 
 and cannot he, the sermons which shook Konigsberg and 
 the entire province, and roused the spiritually dead from 
 the sleep of death into life, and quickened that life into 
 enthusiastfc self-consecration to the service of Christ ; 
 for that it were necessary to bring back the Christian 
 victor from the paradise of God. 
 
 Ebel attached the utmost value to the early morning 
 services, which were unspeakably precious to him. On 
 festivals they were held at six o'clock, on week-days at 
 seven ; to attend them necessarily involved self-denial 
 and betokened profound religious feeling, and before his 
 time they had been deserted. Their distinctive feature 
 was their high range of thought and deep, soul-searching 
 discipline, designed to meet the spiritual wants of earnest 
 seekers and matured Christians.* The Monday service 
 was specially devoted to the study of the Bible, and he 
 called his expositions " Glances at the Bible." In the 
 course of his long ministry at the Old-Town Church he 
 traversed in that way the whole field of the Word of God ; 
 until 1827 the contents of the Old Testament, and from 
 that period to the close of his official career in 1835 that 
 of the New Testament. It is much to be regretted that 
 that most valuable and characteristic series of exposi- 
 tions has not been permanently preserved in print. 
 
 His heart was aglow with love for the young, in whom 
 he took the profoundest interest ; to sow in their pure, 
 uncontaminated hearts the good seed of the divine truths 
 was his favorite employment, and engaged his warmest 
 prayers and ceaseless thought. He took especial pains 
 with candidates for confirmation. It may be necessary 
 
 * See ' ' A Paradox " Appendix A. 
 
OLD-TOWN CHURCH. lOI 
 
 to State, for the benefit of those not famiUar with that 
 discipUne of Church instruction in Germany, that the 
 clergy are bound to administer confirmation annually to 
 the youth of the parish, and the proper age, the years of 
 discretion as we call it, is generally the completion of the 
 fourteenth year ; it is also proper to add that the Church 
 in Germany is an establishment not only connected with 
 the State, but under State control, so that the position of 
 a parish minister is invested with a degree of authority 
 unknown under voluntary systems. In the matter of 
 confirmation, e. g., a search for candidates, or special 
 effort to induce their attendance at lectures or courses of 
 instruction, does not devolve upon a Lutheran minister 
 in Germany ; the whole parish youth, duly registered in 
 books kept for the purpose, are required to attend, and 
 do so as a matter of course. This accounts for the large 
 number of catechumens, and for the great opportunity 
 given to a truly devout and earnest minister to bring per- 
 sonal influence to bear on the formation of the character, 
 grounding in the faith, and the growth of Christian nur- 
 ture and life of the youthful members of his flock. Ebel 
 turned that golden opportunity to the best advantage of 
 his catechumens, in whom he saw the hope of the Church. 
 He divided them into three classes, representing their 
 grades of culture and intellectual capacity ; there was a 
 class of weak ones, a class of average or middle ability, 
 and a class of able ones ; he gave two or three hours a 
 week to each class ; the instruction on a particular day 
 lasted three hours ; in the first he would have the weak 
 ones by themselves, in the second the weak with those of 
 medium capacity, and in the third these with the most 
 advanced, while the weak ones were required to be pres- 
 ent as hearers ; in addition to this he met the most able 
 
102 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 by themselves several times a week. The advantages of 
 such a system, where it can be introduced at all, are 
 manifest. The w^eak by themselves are prepared for 
 higher instruction each time they meet ; the judicious 
 and kind directions of their spiritual guide encourage 
 and qualify them for participation in the catechetical 
 exercises designed for all, while that considerate and 
 careful preparation shields them from hurtful reflections 
 by their more able and gifted companions, to which 
 thoughtless answers, or answers betraying their ignorance, 
 would naturally give rise. The course of instruction was 
 based on passages of Scripture, which, as well as appro- 
 priate hymns, were required to be committed ; the lessons 
 they embodied were duly explained and made to bear on 
 religious and practical duties of daily life, particular pains 
 being taken to induce vigilance, thoughtfulness, self- 
 examination, and, above all things, practice. His method 
 attracted attention, and was thus noticed in print : 
 
 ^'Ebel's instruction of candidates for confirmation was 
 based on vital reciprocity. Even the rudest were unable to 
 resist the spirit which influenced them ; the disobedient be- 
 came obedient, the dull grew vivacious and communicative, 
 the triflers became serious, and the careless diligent. He 
 did not turn out only awakened youth, but young men and 
 maidens fully prepared with the grov/th of their self-con- 
 sciousness to understand the end of their existence, and to 
 consecrate themselves in the first ardor of their love to the 
 service of God, prepared for the discharge of their duty to 
 God and to man. The expression of this kind of instruction 
 on the day of confirmation was very striking. The catechu- 
 mens did not shed tears originating mostly in an impulse of 
 momentary emotion, and apt to dry forever after the excite- 
 ment of the hour ; but they exhibited a free, conscious, and 
 intelligent statement, plainly showing that their ideas were 
 
OLD-TOWN CHURCH. IO3 
 
 clear and distinct, that they were held firmly and truly, 
 that they had not merely learned what they uttered, but un- 
 derstood and believed it." 
 
 That the children were devotedly and affectionately 
 attached to their good pastor needs no particular men- 
 tion, but it was remarkable that children belonging else- 
 where, and parents residing at a great distance coveted 
 the privilege for their children to come into personal re- 
 lations with one so singularly gifted to excite and sustain 
 the love of the truth, and to bless them with the choicest 
 and best of heaven's gifts. 
 
 As at Hermsdorf, so at Konigsberg, Ebel's relations to 
 his catechumens did not end with their confirmation ; as 
 they were sure of his interest and affection for them, so 
 he encouraged them to maintain social intercourse with 
 him, and set apart special days for conferring with them 
 on whatever might be of interest to them, but espe- 
 cially on their own personal relations to God and the 
 Saviour. 
 
 He was the pastor on all occasions of a joyous or of 
 an afflictive character. At baptisms and weddings, the 
 visitation of the sick and at funerals, he strove to let his 
 speech be always seasoned with salt, and in his pastoral 
 visits, which the great extent of the parish and its multi- 
 farious duties rendered only occasionally practicable, he 
 would invariably dwell on religious and spiritual themes. 
 Prayer-meetings and similar gatherings he did not en- 
 courage, deeming them of doubtful spiritual value, and 
 not without danger. He would not interfere with them 
 when they had been introduced and were productive of 
 good, and considered them beneficial in rural districts, 
 where great distance from the parish church seemed to 
 need some such agency, without which country people 
 
104 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 might otherwise grow wholly estranged from religious in- 
 fluence ; but he held it unwise to recommend them as 
 means of conversion, chiefly because of their dangerous 
 tendency to check independent action and interfere with 
 the development of personal relationship to the Saviour, 
 which he thought the peculiar vocation and privilege of 
 a Christian {Tages-Aftbruch, p. 203, sq. and passwi). 
 
 He had a strong dislike of shams of every kind and 
 form, and regarded private gatherings and conventicles 
 as shams, so that persons who had a fondness for them 
 did not feel attracted to Ebel, whose turn was eminently 
 practical, and whose sole endeavor in social intercourse 
 was to give it an ennobling and refining direction in the 
 practice of virtue and holiness. 
 
 " If we know Him, the heart revels in the peace which pass- 
 eth all understanding, the soul breathes in an atmosphere of 
 love, and the mind, sober and watchful in prayer, reflects in 
 sunny clearness that wisdom from above which 'is first pure, 
 then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy 
 and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.' 
 On that account cheerfulness and piety go hand in hand, and 
 are necessarily united ; without cheerfulness you cannot have 
 true piety, and without piety you cannot be truly cheerful. 
 . . . It is very sad that men confound the unction of the 
 spiritual life with the sullen and severe seriousness censured 
 already in the Old Testament, and wholly incompatible with 
 the temper of those who profess to be His followers, who said: 
 ' But thou when thou fastest anoint thine head and wash thy 
 face, that thou appear not unto men to fast,' and justified the 
 conduct of the disciples, saying, ' Can the children of the bride- 
 chamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them ? 
 but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken 
 from them, and then shall they fast.' These words may serve 
 us likewise as a standard of joy and sorrow, for, truly, what 
 
OLD-TOWN CHURCH. IO5 
 
 were heaven without a friend, and what were earth without 
 one ? So, then, everything depends upon this, that we have 
 or have not that Friend. . . It should be our highest aim 
 to strive after joy in the Lord, ' for the joy of the Lord is our 
 strength' (Neh. viii. 10). But I do not mean that sentimental 
 form which causes men to talk of their dear Lord who have 
 never felt His righteousness and strength in their own hearts. 
 There is, nevertheless, a consecration in which a look at once 
 noble and gentle, a speech mighty and gracious, like the lamb 
 and the lion in harmony commingle. But it cannot be imi- 
 tated or put on; it must spring into bloom from health 
 within. And as all nature re-echoes joy and delight, provided 
 it continue free from human desecration, so man is destined 
 to regain his original consecration, to re-awake in the image 
 of God that he may truly and eternally rejoice." 
 
 And yet in another place : 
 
 " That is not to worship God acceptably ' for a man to bow 
 down his head as a bulrush,' as says the prophet (Is. Iviii. 
 5). To what purpose are these seemingly devout attitudes ? 
 Let us avoid singularity of manner, speech, and conduct, but 
 • with well-doing put to silence the ignorance of foolish men ' 
 (i Pet. ii. 15) ' that they may be ashamed that falsely accuse 
 us' {Id, ni. 16). Let every man look straight before him in 
 simplicity; let him do what belongs to his vocation and min- 
 istry, cheerfully, honestly, and truly, without murmuring or 
 doubt, for he that is faithful in that which is least is faithful 
 also in much (St. Luke xvi. 10), provided that in everything 
 there appear in an innocent life the reflection of pure nobility 
 of soul." 
 
 The principles to which Ebel reduces the whole sub- 
 ject are stated thus : 
 
 " Concerning joy and pleasure we say that God permits 
 them ; you know that, but you hardly know the full extent to 
 which he permits them. Every endowment of our physical 
 
Io6 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 and spiritual nature is capable of pleasure; the exertion of 
 each and all may conduce to pleasure, so the name of pleas- 
 ure is legion. But in the pursuit of pleasure we must take 
 care that we neglect no duty to the detriment of others, and 
 understand our interest and profit. For the faculties of 
 sense, the pleasure of motion even under the accompaniment 
 of sound, the pleasures of taste and smell are low enjoyments; 
 the pleasures of the ear and the eye are somewhat nobler, 
 especially where their exercise is associated with the imagin- 
 ation and other faculties of the soul. But enjoyment be- 
 comes higher and more exalted when the noblest activity of 
 the senses effects a union with all the powers of the soul, 
 especially the highest. For the activity of the understanding 
 and the contemplations of reason are essentially joyful, 
 though they should be misused for mere pastime or amuse- 
 ment; but if they bear their part in one grand harmonious 
 whole, if heart and will assuring us without contradiction of 
 our adoption and heavenly nobility in every act of self-con- 
 quest, in every pure and voluntary act of love — unite with it, 
 and open the noblest part of our nature to refresh and de- 
 light us — who may then portray the ecstasy of joy that fills 
 our being, and who would not desire that all men might 
 soon attain this understanding in order to know the true na- 
 ture of true joy." 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 SCHONHERR AND FALSE FRIENDS. 
 
 The characterization of Ebel's ministry at the Old- 
 Town Church may be appropriately interrupted to make 
 room for an important episode belonging to the year 
 1819, which culminated in his separation from Schon- 
 herr. 
 
 What Ebel owed to him, and how gratefully he ac- 
 knowledged the obligation, has already been stated ; the 
 points on which they agreed have also been pointed out ; 
 those on which they differed have now to be narrated. 
 
 Their differences sprang from a different disposition. 
 Schonherr was dogmatical, positive, impatient of con- 
 tradiction, self-willed and self-righteous ; Ebel was re- 
 ceptive, tender-hearted, strong-minded, clear, amiable, 
 yielding and humble. In all matters relating to personal 
 inconvenience, involving self-denial, or the surrender of 
 opinion without the sacrifice of principle, he would ex- 
 hibit the most engaging and winsome disposition ; but in 
 things pertaining to God, in matters of principle and 
 conscience, whether they bore on doctrine or practice, 
 he knew no compromise or submission ; his convictions, 
 based on Holy Scripture and not adopted in formulas of 
 party, had so thoroughly interpenetrated the whole texture 
 of his nature, that they dominated in all his relations, 
 
 107 
 
I08 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 and stamped them with the impress of the purest Chris- 
 tianity ; in everything that departed from the precepts 
 of Christ, conflicted with Christian doctrine, or was op- 
 posed to the highest ends of rehgion, his burning zeal 
 for the honor of God and his quick, deep-searching, pene- 
 trating conscience would be the sole arbiter of choice, 
 and compel his course. Not that he was hasty, for he was 
 calm, cautious and deliberate ; or obstinate, for he was 
 amiable ; or arbitrary, for he was fair ; no, conviction 
 and a high sense of duty regulated his actions, and caused 
 him to use all the weapons with which his tender, loving 
 heart, his singularly clear mind and natural tact furnished 
 him, to overcome opposition, and to correct error ; but 
 the surrender of conviction he knew not and coidd not 
 know. 
 
 It had not escaped his discriminating judgment that 
 there was an element in Schonherr's views, which savoured 
 of self, and not of God ; which glaringly contradicted 
 the spirit and precepts of Christ and His Apostles. The 
 love of Christ was to Ebel the secret spring of the 
 Christian life, and faith in His atonement the funda- 
 mental condition of the spiritual life.* Schonherr, on 
 
 * " Such a view must not, and cannot make us proud ; the rather, 
 he that knows that he is planted by God as a tree of righteousness 
 to the praise of God, knows likewise that it is only a blessed cotn- 
 mencement, deeply convinced that he must grow in all things, and 
 seek in prayer the aid of Him who hath called him to a holy life, 
 and hath forgiven his sins, entreating Him to grant him according to 
 the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might by His spirit 
 in the inner man (Eph. iii. i6) and to be zealous of good works 
 (Tit. ii. 14). For our sense of obligation is determined by the 
 measure of the grace we have received, as the Lord Himself 
 declares it in St. Luke vii. 36-48, and this is really the solution of 
 the great mystery of our salvation. There is only one motive power 
 
SCHONHERR AND FALSE FRIENDS. IO9 
 
 the Other hand, indulged in expressions which seemed 
 to lessen the person of the Saviour and His atonement ; 
 not that he denied their objective realit}^ or in any way- 
 impugned it ; but he had somehow got astray in their 
 bearing on practice, and labored under the hallucination 
 that in some way he was an exception to the general 
 rule, and stood in peculiar relations to the Father. His 
 friends, and among them Ebel, were shocked at this pre- 
 tension, and tried to reason with him, without avail. 
 
 of the moral life which strikes deep and incisively into our being, 
 just as there is only one vital power which prompts our activity, and 
 that power is love (for he that has ceased to love anything, thereby 
 intimates his desire to cease living), and this power (for it is a 
 power that affects the whole of our being, our will) had to be set in 
 motion, in order to effect the permanent cure of the degenerated 
 race from all its ailings, and to renovate and restore it to its origi- 
 nal purity and rights. But only those do experience within them- 
 selves the wholesome effects of that power, who have come to their 
 senses and have become conscious enough to be convinced of their 
 sinfulness, and humble enough painfully and profoundly to feel it. 
 And that which neither the mandate of duty from within with its 
 * thou shalt,' was unable to achieve, nor the allurements of profit, 
 nor the threat of punishment, nor the habit of legal observance — for 
 all were unavailing to raise man from the abysmal depths of his 
 spiritual misery — that is accomplished by actual love, which from 
 the cross proclaims in tender accents : ' Thy sins are forgiven 
 thee,' and prompts the resolution : 'Let us love Him, for He 
 hath loved us first.' ' Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also 
 to love one another.' And lest in his difficult course we grow 
 weary the same love revives our confidence, thus : * He that spared 
 not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He 
 not with Him also freely give us all things ? ' (Rom. viii. 32). 
 ' For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ ; .... for 
 therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith ; as 
 it is written. The just shall live by faith' (ib. i. 16, 17)." Tages 
 Anbruch, pp. 113-115. 
 
no FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 There was this essential and radical difference in their 
 views. Schonherr held that the knowledge of the truth- 
 was sufficient to accomplish the salvation of the world ; 
 Ebel insisted that knowledge, though essential, did in it- 
 self not meet the exigencies of the case, and needed to 
 be applied to practice, and in that application the help 
 of divine grace. An all-important distinction, so clear 
 and self-evident that its non-acceptance by so profound 
 a thinker as Schonherr remains a psychological riddle. 
 But that is exactly how the case stood, when a circum- 
 stance arose which needed positive action. 
 
 A certain Dr. Sachs, a Jew, a physician, and after- 
 wards a professor in the University of Konigsberg, had 
 attended the ministry of Ebel, and desired him to in- 
 struct him in the principles of Christianity. Sachs, 
 though a man of unusual intellectual ability, was essen- 
 tially bad as to morals ; he was carnally-minded, dissolute, 
 selfish, and cunning. So the event proved him, and as 
 the record of his immorality has been established by 
 judicial inquiry, no end of truth or justice could be 
 furthered by withholding it from the knowledge of the 
 reader. When he came to Ebel he feigned interest in 
 religion ; but intercourse with him soon convinced the 
 former that he was a slippery subject, by no means fit to 
 be received into the church until he had stood the test of 
 prolonged probation and given evidence of the sincerity 
 of his motives by actual reformation, Schonherr knew 
 Sachs, and regarded him differently from Ebel ; he re- 
 quested the latter in his instruction to make him familiar 
 with his own system, in the expectation that a man of 
 Sachs' intellectual strength and metaphysical acumen 
 needed only the knowledge of the truth, and that the 
 rest would follow of its own accord. Ebel declined to 
 
SCHONHERR AND FALSE FRIENDS. Ill 
 
 comply with his request, and insisted that Sachs must 
 reform. Schonherr undertook to interfere in the matter, 
 and, in a personal interview with Sachs, urged him un- 
 successfully to adopt his system. The haughty manner 
 in which Sachs met him he foolishly charged on Ebel, 
 and resented accordingly. This brought about an 
 estrangement which widened into a breach, induced by 
 circumstances that require a somewhat longer explana- 
 tion. 
 
 Schonherr had fallen into the erroneous and mischiev- 
 ous conceit that all persons who had once admitted the 
 validity and tenableness of any of his philosophical views 
 were tacitly obliged blindly to receive all his dicta, which, 
 in many respects, were simply preposterous. All reason- 
 ing on them, all counter-representations on the part of 
 those whom he regarded as his disciples were useless, be- 
 cause he deemed them impertinences, and appeared to 
 think that they must forever occupy the seat of learners, 
 and he that of teacher. His sensitiveness on this point 
 was painful in the extreme to his friends, who tried every- 
 thing they could think of to convince him of the error of 
 his positions. He could not but see and feel that his in- 
 fluence was waning, and that his authority was not recog- 
 nized. To re-assert and re-establish it he communi- 
 cated to his friends what he appeared to regard as a 
 special revelation, that in order to make knowledge ot 
 saving efficacy Scripture seemed to intimate the neces- 
 sity of some outward means of sanctification, and that 
 means was — a peculiar kind of flagellation. His friends 
 felt — and who can help feeling with them ? — that, on that 
 point, his intellect was at fault, and that they must leave 
 no means untried to convince him of the absurdity and 
 unscripturalness of so extraordinary an expedient. But 
 
112 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 no amount of kindly expostulation, reasoning, and ap- 
 peal to the Scriptures would make him abandon the 
 position he had once taken. Contradiction and opposi- 
 tion only increased his infatuation and threw him into an 
 excitement which sought and found expression in violent 
 speech that rendered personal intercourse not only unde- 
 sirable, but simply impossible. 
 
 To Ebel, the aberration and spiritual hallucination of 
 his old friend was unspeakably painful, and he felt it his 
 duty to define his own position, to bring him back to 
 reason, and when every step in that direction had proved 
 utterly useless, and there seemed no hope to eradicate this 
 species of monomania (for monomania it was) from the 
 deluded man, to break off all intercouse with him. And 
 this he did in an exceedingly beautiful and touching 
 letter, which is printed in Count Kanitz's Aufkldrung. 
 
 If it be borne in mind that the deluded Schonherr, 
 during the last sad years of his life, looked upon himself 
 pretty much in the light of a favorite of heaven invested 
 with infallibility, how could Ebel, as a conscientious 
 minister and a friend, act otherwise than he did ? He 
 could not leave him without telling him why, and he 
 would not tell him why he left him without telling him 
 the truth, and how delicately, how kindly, and yet how 
 firmly he discharged that duty is apparent from this brief 
 extract : 
 
 "Dearest brother, you cannot be saved unless you become 
 rooted and grounded in the faith. But you are not rooted 
 and grounded therein ; you lack humility and gentleness, 
 which I trust may be vouchsafed to you. The resolution to 
 surrender personal intercourse with you has been the hard- 
 est and sorest trial I ever experienced ; I have placed the 
 whole matter before God, and for long, weary months have 
 
SCHONHERR AND FALSE FRIENDS. II3 
 
 struggled and striven to find another solution, struggled as 
 if it were with death, and reached a position in which all per- 
 sonal consideration and the promptings of my own will are 
 set aside by the will of God in the clear perception of duty. 
 . . . Therefore, dear brother, I cannot consent to a re- 
 vival of our relations unless I have abundant assurance that 
 you have attained to self-knowledge, and the pledge of my 
 success in having convinced you of the error of your pro- 
 posal. I cannot tell how soon or how late the joy may be in 
 store for me of seeing you humbled at the feet of Christ, 
 changed from one that exclaims, ' I thank thee, O God, that I 
 am not as other men are ! ' into one that cries out, 'God be 
 merciful to me a sinner ! ' But of this I am sure, that only in 
 this change of disposition can peace enter our heart and bring 
 rest to our soul ; that it is the only way to secure peace, and 
 that even as I have found it in that way, so you must find it in 
 the same manner and by the same means. O, my dear 
 friend, beloved Schonherr, how do I yearn to be at one with 
 you in heart and soul. Prayerfully, trustfully, I long with 
 intensest longing for the coming of that time." 
 
 But all was in vain ; he proved deaf to every entreaty, 
 and the breach was irreparable. 
 
 It is not certain that Schonherr even read the letter, 
 for it was stated at the time that he burnt it unread ; but 
 it is certain that it terminated all personal commerce be- 
 tween them. Separation was inevitable under the cir- 
 cumstances of the case, and unspeakably painful to Ebel, 
 who really loved his misguided, deluded friend, con- 
 tinued to watch over him, and anonymously to minister 
 to his necessities until he died in 1826. 
 
 The great sorrow caused by the lamentable aberration 
 of his friend had to be borne, like all great sorrows, in 
 resignation to the will of God, and did not in any way 
 interfere with the ever-growing duties of his sacred call- 
 
114 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 ing in so large a parish. To a man of his strength and 
 noble spiritual calibre, in tender sympathy with suffering 
 humanity, ready to spend himself and to be spent in the 
 Master's service, the condition of \kiQ poor^ and the ame- 
 lioration of their state, afforded scope for the practical 
 outgoings of his love. They flocked to him, and he loved 
 to remember them for Jesus' sake. Of course, he gave 
 the preference to the deserving poor, especially when he 
 saw want in situations requiring tact and delicacy in 
 the communication of relief. He would quietly provide 
 himself, and induce others to provide for poor students 
 books, apparel and board. Although it was his studious 
 endeavor to discriminate among those who applied for 
 relief, he would rather incur the charge of being too 
 charitable than of running the risk of refusing a claim. 
 His object was to prevent poverty from degenerating 
 into pauperism or beggary, and as early as 1818, he 
 founded in concert with a noble Christian lady, Frau von 
 Auerswald, a charitable work called " Armenpflege," or 
 " Care of the poor," the numerous members of which 
 were philanthropists of both sexes, belonging to the 
 higher and middle classes of society ; the principles on 
 which relief was administered to every form of misery 
 were so admirable and beneficial that they were speedily 
 adopted by a similar charitable association instituted by 
 others. These principles were briefly : domiciHary vis- 
 itation by judicious and kindly folk ; the withholding of 
 gifts from beggars until their case had been verified by 
 personal investigation. The plan proved wonderfully 
 successful, not only in the application of temporary relief, 
 but in providing permanent means of support in the sup- 
 ply of appropriate work, and in giving their children a 
 free education in schools specially arranged for the pur- 
 
SCHONHERR AND FALSE FRIENDS. II5 
 
 pose ; in that way the deserving poor were, by their own 
 industry aided to comfortable circumstances, without the 
 loss of self-respect. The whole enterprise was inspired 
 by a loving zeal for the amelioration of the physical and 
 moral condition of the poor, in which all the members 
 sought to emulate each other in devising practical ex- 
 pedients for the accomplishment of their noble purpose. 
 Poor mechanics were either presented with the tools of 
 their trade, or loans of money were granted, enabling 
 them to resume their trade ; and their children, if their 
 ability warranted the measure, were cared for until they 
 were qualified to enter the university. Another feature 
 was the rigid requirement that applicants for relief should 
 be truthful ; where relief had been secured on false pre- 
 tence, it could not be repeated. It seemed wisdom to 
 deal with them as parents deal with their children, mak- 
 ing their manner of using the gifts they received the 
 measure of their continuance. Relief at stated intervals 
 was not accorded to any until they had given evidence 
 of ability to husband their resources. The blessed in- 
 fluence of that " Armenpflege " on the morals of neglect- 
 ed youth was universally recognized. The interest 
 exhibited by the lady members in the welfare of mem- 
 bers of their own sex by teaching them the various 
 branches of needlework found speedy appreciation in 
 the founding of an Industrial School. It was in every 
 sense a blessed work ; and Ebel, in concert with his 
 friend Diestel, was instrumental in the establishment, 
 at a somewhat later period, of Schools for the Poor. 
 
 He took the most lively interest in schools, and was 
 always ready to aid in their prosperity and improvement ; 
 for he loved youth ; and the way in which he explains 
 his interest is as touching as it is simple : 
 
Il6 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 " ' Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid 
 them not, for of such is the kingdom of God.' So He 
 thought, adding : ' Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall 
 not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not 
 enter therein ; ' that conveys a lesson to you which requires 
 no further explanation. But if you wish to know the best 
 method of training them for heaven learn once more from 
 Him : ' And He took them up in His arms, put His hands 
 upon them and blessed them ' (St. Mark x. 14-16), for love 
 is the fulfilment of the law." 
 
 It was at his instance, in concert with Diestel, that a 
 competent teacher was sent to England (with money pro- 
 vided for the purpose by Count Donhoff), to study the 
 Bell-Lancaster method, and to arrange the Schools for 
 the Poor on their model. 
 
 The limits of his parish extended beyond the city, and 
 embraced a rural district inhabited by a mixed popula- 
 tion with a large sprinkling of poor people. The Com- 
 mon School System which provides a free education to 
 the whole community, was until recently an essentially 
 American institution. In Germany, where education is 
 now compulsory, there was at the period in question much 
 room for improvement, and '' the school-money " was 
 the great stumbling-block in the way of the poor to give 
 their children a school education. In order to stimulate 
 the love of the school among his country parishioners, 
 he told them that if they would send their children reg- 
 ularly to school he would see that " the school-money " 
 was paid ; this told, and he further encouraged them by 
 providing them with school-books and bibles. The 
 school was at a considerable distance from the dwell- 
 ings of a number of poor people, so that the scant cloth- 
 ing of the children presented another difficulty during 
 
SCHONHERR AND FALSE FRIENDS. 11/ 
 
 the intense cold of the winter nwnth^ ; in order to over- 
 come it, and to provide likewise for books, etc., he ex- 
 cited an interest in their condition among citizens of 
 Konigsberg who during the summer were in the habit 
 to move to the Hufen (the rural district in question), 
 and founded the Hufen- Schul- Verein (The Hitfen School 
 Association) with very satisfactory results. Thus in ame- 
 liorating the condition of the poor he likewise promoted 
 a new source of happiness in the hearts of the wealthy. 
 
 Ebel's love of youth and interest in education were so 
 intense that he was ever ready to assume new voluntary 
 duties in that direction. There was, e. g., a select private 
 school for youth of both sexes, conducted by Director 
 Ullrich, which justly enjoyed the reputation of great ex- 
 cellence, and was chiefly patronized by people of the 
 highest culture, belonging to the best classes of society. 
 His own children attended that school, and he under- 
 took, in addition to his multifarious duties, to conduct 
 the religious instruction in it, devoting to each depart- 
 ment several hours a week, to the great and lasting spir- 
 itual benefit of the pupils, who almost worshipped their 
 kind teacher and friend. 
 
 To a man of Ebel's make, social intercourse and the 
 culture of friendship were unspeakably precious. On 
 the subject of friendship this passage from " Gedeihliche 
 Erziehujig^'' p. no sq., will be read with interest. 
 
 ^' A true friend is a great boon ; he that has one has a great 
 treasure, and the friendship which Jesus offers us surpasses 
 all the treasures of this world. But that friendship will prove 
 a failure unless we co-operate with Him ; co-opera{ion is 
 necessary to its enjoyment, for friendship is a reciprocal rela- 
 tion. Inquire into its nature, reflect that it necessarily in- 
 volves mutual confidence and mutual responses, and active 
 
Il8 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 co-operation, and you will find the reason why this true 
 friendship and the cheerfulness that follows in its train are so 
 rarely met with ; why just the most spiritually-minded men 
 are often, for that very reason, so ineffably unhappy ; why you 
 yourself are sometimes so dejected and capricious. You 
 cannot do violence to your nature without injury to your- 
 self." 
 
 What he means is that the culture and promotion of 
 true friendship is an oft-neglected element of our own 
 happiness ; but if we joy in the possession of that true 
 " friend that sticketh closer than a brother," of whose 
 sympathy and unfailing help we are ever sure, we are 
 blessed indeed. And the friendship of Jesus is, after all, 
 the pattern of all earthly friendship. 
 
 Ebel had good cause to know the vast difference of 
 mere earth-born friendship and friendship engendered 
 by the love of Christ. It was his sad lot to be injuri- 
 ously entreated by untrue friends, " who took sweet 
 counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in 
 company " (Ps. Iv. 14), but his vastly greater fehcity to 
 be blessed with a number of true, devoted friends, of 
 many a Jonathan who "loved him as his own soul" (i 
 Sam. xviii. i), w^ho clave to him with an intensity of 
 attachment rarely met with, and perhaps never eclipsed, 
 as I shall have occasion to show in the sequel. Mag- 
 nanimity was one of his shining virtues ; he loved to ex- 
 patiate on the excellencies of men, to rehearse and pub- 
 lish their acts of kindness, and to cover with the mantle 
 of his love their shortcomings and the injuries they had 
 inflicted. 
 
 He was fond of congenial society, and encouraged 
 social gatherings, not of the trivial, unprofitable sort, not 
 for gossip and that into which gossip so often degene- 
 
SCHONHERR AND FALSE FRIENDS II9 
 
 rates, censoriousness and slander, but gatherings designed 
 for higher and nobler ends. It was not so much the 
 discussion of persons as of things, of specific topics re- 
 lating to the grand and passing events of the period, with 
 duties springing from them, for immediate use and appli- 
 cation in the outward relations of life, but chiefly and 
 supremely as bearing on the culture of the soul. 
 
 He had come in direct contact with the very best peo- 
 ple at Konigsberg in every sense of the word ; there 
 were the Auerswalds and Schrotters, who led society ; 
 the head of the Auerswald circle was the governor of the 
 province, and the venerable Schrotter its chancellor. 
 Their very position indicated the highest social rank and 
 intellectual superiority, and when they began to encour- 
 age the indefatigable zeal of the eloquent, soul-stirring 
 preacher of the Old-Town Church by cultivating intimate 
 social relations with him, they encouraged and fostered a 
 new spirit that entered and animated the whole complex 
 of society. The soul of the new spirit was Ebel, ever 
 prompting and stimulating the noblest purposes. It was 
 an unheard-of thing in those days that topics of religion 
 were not only tolerated but deliberately started on festal 
 occasions. A spirit of earnest inquiry had entered into 
 the minds of men, and prompted expression when they 
 assembled in numbers. It must not be imagined that 
 festal assemblies were metamorphosed into religious gath- 
 erings, or that religious themes were thrust upon reluct- 
 ant ears. It was nothing of the kind ; it was the spon- 
 taneous utterance of deep heart-yearnings. Groups of 
 ladies and gentlemen would discuss with great earnest- 
 ness the momentous themes of renovation and the des- 
 tiny of man, and bystanders would take part in the dis- 
 cussion. Even young people would debate such matters, 
 
I20 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 and on one occasion when the venerable Chancellor and 
 an old lady of his acquaintance had attentively followed 
 their interesting conversation, the latter exclaimed, sur- 
 prised : " Just to think of the topics our youth now select 
 for discussion in public ; who would ever have thought 
 of such a thing when we were young ! " to which the 
 former replied with great warmth : '' Nobody ; but it is 
 beautiful ! " 
 
 One of the topics of the times, of profound interest to 
 the most thoughtful, was the establishment of the kingdom 
 of God upon earth. It was presented one day by Ebel 
 before a select circle in the Chancellor's house, with his 
 usual vivacity and earnestness, and as he portrayed the 
 felicity of its establishment and adduced passage upon 
 passage from the Word of God, the venerable Schrotter, 
 profoundly moved, held out his hand to him and said : 
 "Would that I might rise to enjoy that blissful time ! " 
 
 It is very natural that the intimate friends of Ebel 
 were persons of an intellectual and spiritual turn. The 
 manner in which this social element sprang into being 
 and became developed is stated best in his own words : 
 
 *' I had resolved to obey God and be an honest teacher. In 
 this spirit I preached and met those who entered into the 
 spirit of Christianity and sought me for counsel and encour- 
 agement. In that way a few became my intimate friends. 
 Every clergyman is bound first to attend to his own soul, and 
 then to urge upon his people the same culture. Those who 
 feel that want, and are responsive to the word of exhortation, 
 natually seek intercourse with their pastor, and there must be 
 in all congregations, served by truly honest pastors, a small 
 band of such persons, who are, as it were, the salt of the con- 
 gregation, in whom a truly Christian life, based on mutual 
 union, develops according to the peculiar wants and qualifi- 
 cations of each individual. Where such is not the case the 
 
SCHONHERR AND FALSE FRIENDS. 121 
 
 flock is asleep and the pastor spiritually dead. The ministry- 
 is not a trade, in which sermons and official acts are dis- 
 patched by the hour ; a preacher must strive to infuse into 
 his congregation, and, as far as his influence goes, into his 
 time, an ennobling spirit. I have striven to foster such a 
 spirit in my congregation and in this city, with the result that 
 certain persons advanced to a higher plane of the Christian life 
 and came into more intimate relations to me." 
 
 As these persons happened to occupy likewise a very 
 high social position, the commanding influence of Ebel 
 was peculiarly obnoxious to other clergymen who did 
 not and could not wield it themselves, and laid him open 
 to the approaches of self-seekers, who sought to further 
 their own private ends by pretended sympathy with his 
 views, so largely shared by very influential and promi- 
 nent members of society, with whom they hoped to be- 
 come connected in the charmed circle that had gathered 
 round Ebel. 
 
 Of that make were three persons in particular, to whom 
 I must now refer. The first. Dr. Sachs, has already been 
 mentioned. Ebel penetrated him from the start as a 
 man of very dubious morality, and hesitated a consider- 
 able time before he received him into the church, but 
 when under his instruction he awoke to better self-knowl- 
 edge and vowed amendment, Ebel felt it his duty to 
 comply with his earnest request to admit him, his wife, 
 and a young child by baptism into the church. Sachs 
 had chosen as his sponsors Count and Countess Kanitz, 
 two intimate friends of Ebel, and endowed with a rare 
 combination of intellectual strength and culture as well 
 as of the purest Christian goodness of heart ; they were 
 truly pure in heart, and as good and kind as they were 
 pure. As I have read their life, and have had oppor- 
 6 
 
122 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 tunity to know how they thought and felt, I feel con- 
 strained to say that their lives exhibited many of the 
 graces mentioned in the beatitudes, and their love much 
 of what St. Paul beautifully delineates in i Corinthians 
 xiii. The Sachs family Vv^as baptized in 1818, and the 
 doctor numbered among his patients not only Ebel and 
 Kanitz, but a large number of their friends and acquaint- 
 ance ; and, if he had been a true man and not a dissem- 
 bler, it would not have become necessary on their part 
 to sunder their relations with him. But he was incor- 
 rigible, and his course so notorious and scandalous that, 
 after every attempt had failed to effect his true reforma- 
 tion, they were obliged, after seven years of endurance, 
 to dismiss him in 1825. 
 
 The second person in question was Professor Herr- 
 mann Olshausen, the commentator, w^ho, in the autumn 
 of 182 1, came to Konigsberg, and felt much interested 
 in Ebel's preaching. After attending his ministry for 
 eight or nine months he came into nearer relations with 
 him, "and heard," as he expresses it, " earnest exhorta- 
 tions to a holy, self-denying life in his circle." He also 
 was a self-seeker, and, I am sorry to say, a contemptible 
 individual ; this will be shovvm in the sequel, and is 
 proved in ^''Die Liebe zur Wahrheit,' Standpunkt, p. liii. 
 sqq. For the present the statement must suffice that he 
 did not frequent Ebel's church because he really sympa- 
 thized with him, although he pretended such sympathy 
 for several years, but because he hoped that the connec- 
 tion with Ebel and his influential friends might facilitate 
 his promotion to a professorship. 
 
 The third person was a theological student of the name 
 of Tippelskirch, who, early orphaned, had found a home 
 in the family of Count Kanitz, and received there, as well 
 
SCHONHERR AND FALSE FRIENDS. 1 23 
 
 as at the hands of Ebel, an unmeasured amount of good. 
 He was an unruly and unmanageable boy, who needed 
 the most careful and watchful oversight, but it seemed 
 that the excellent ministrations of Kanitz and Ebel had 
 so far borne good fruit, that the latter especially felt 
 hopeful that the instruction preparatory to his confirma- 
 tion would deepen his religious convictions. But when 
 he attended the university he fell into bad and dissolute 
 ways, and years passed on before he returned to serious- 
 ness. In the year 1822, however, he began to change 
 and yield to the good advice of his kind friends with 
 gratifying results, as far as his outward behavior was 
 concerned. It was now his interest, as he clearly per- 
 ceived, to re-establish their good opinion and to work 
 himself into their confidence and friendship. And they 
 were only too glad to welcome the prodigal, and put 
 coals of fire on his head in the hope that love would 
 carry the day. It was misplaced, for he had added to 
 his other failings the vice of duplicity. 
 
 Matters stood thus until a change in the provincial 
 governorship took place in 1824, when von Auerswald 
 was retired and von Schon appointed in his stead. The 
 latter was as inimical to religion as the former had been 
 in favor of it. Schon was not only irreligious, but an 
 unscrupulous and unprincipled man. A single, but most 
 glaring instance, may suffice to substantiate this state- 
 ment. He had been married to a daughter of his prede- 
 cessor, who died in 1807 ; another daughter, Eveline 
 Ernestine, had married the Rural Councillor von Barde- 
 leben. She had been awakened to religious convictions 
 by Ebel, and was a noble-minded and devoted Christian. 
 When Schon heard of it he began to resent it by de- 
 nouncing her as a fanatic and a sectarian to her own 
 
124 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 husband, and so worked upon his mind that, after six- 
 teen years of a happy married Hfe, he induced that hus- 
 band to seek a divorce, which, with the laxity of the 
 Prussian code on that subject, was obtained. But that 
 was not all ; in his hatred of Christianity he tore from 
 that poor and almost frantic wife her only daughter, and 
 very soon afterwards gave one of his own daughters 
 in marriage to the very man who, at his instance and 
 through his instrumentality, had been divorced from his 
 wife. These revolting facts may be read at length in the 
 following works : " Ein Blick auf die einstige Stelhmg der 
 Obefprdsidenten Auerswald und Schon" etc., by E. E. 
 von Bardeleben ; ^'' Die Liebe zicr Wahrheit,'' by Ida 
 Grafin von der Groben (sister of the former), and Ka- 
 nitz's ^^Aufkldrwig^ Schon hated all religion, and was 
 utterly heathenish in his views and his practice ; he had 
 not the faintest idea of Christianity beyond the instinc- 
 tive feeling that it is the funeral toll of paganism and 
 pagans like himself ; he hated Ebel and his teaching, and 
 all that consorted with him or frequented his ministry, for 
 no other reason than that the purity of the preacher and 
 the translucent character of his doctrine set his own 
 conduct and character in so unenviable a light. He was 
 determined to crush out Ebel and his teaching, and how 
 he set to work will now be told. 
 
 The Old-Town Church, in which Ebel ministered, has 
 been referred to in a previous chapter. How his popu- 
 larity was regarded by most of the clergy who abominated 
 his doctrine has likewise been abundantly illustrated ; 
 the animus of t^e Deputation also will be remembered ; 
 that Body desired above all things to get rid of Ebel, and 
 had tried ineffectually to compass their purpose. Now 
 it so happened that the government officer charged with 
 
SCHONIIERR AND FALSE FRIENDS. 1 25 
 
 the inspection of all public buildings was inimical to the 
 theology of Ebel, and it was thought that with the ad- 
 vent of Schon something might be done which would 
 effectually check, if not completely destroy the growing 
 influence of the preacher of grace. And that something 
 was nothing less than the demolition of the venerable 
 church, which for more than five centuries had stood 
 firm under the gnawing tooth of time, in spite of a slight 
 inclination of the tower, which for centuries had been 
 measured every fifty years in order to determine whether 
 the angle of inclination was growing. But as each suc- 
 cessive technical examination showed that the angle re- 
 mained unchanged, experts had reached the conclusion 
 that the settling dated from the erection of the structure, 
 and that the slight deviation from the perpendicular was 
 not by any means dangerous. But the said inspector 
 condemned the structure as early as 1823, and would 
 have rased it, if he could have had his own way in the 
 matter. But Governor Auerswald, to whom the congre- 
 gation referred it, was too just a man to yield to the 
 arbitrary demand of a single individual, and at their in- 
 stance, procured from Berlin a commission of experts, 
 acting under the highest authority in the State, who upon 
 thorough examination, negatived the inspector's proposal, 
 and recommended, in order that no precautionary meas- 
 ure might be neglected, an alteration in the roof on one 
 of the gable ends, which the congregation caused imme- 
 diately to be made. While the repairs were going on 
 the church was closed for service, which had to be con- 
 ducted in other church edifices. But the inspector dis- 
 regarding the decision of his superiors, would not allow 
 the church to be opened for worship after the repairs had 
 been made with a heavy expenditure to the congregation. 
 
126 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 whose finances were in a crippled condition ; he was 
 interposing all sorts of objections and official chicanery 
 in order to accomplish his purpose. At this juncture 
 Schon arrived in 1824, and he and the inspector agreed 
 upon a plan to accomplish the work of demolition. One 
 of Schon's first official acts was an order directing the 
 authorities of the Old-Town Church to pull down the 
 condemned edifice within a fortnight. " There were 
 churches enough," he said, '' in Konigsberg, and as the 
 congregation was too poor to build a new one, it had 
 better be dissolved." The work of demolition was indeed 
 temporarily arrested by the lepresentation of experts that 
 a much longer space of time was needed to take down 
 the beautiful organ, one of the finest in Germany, and 
 the energetic opposition of the congregation at whose 
 request a second commission was sent from BerHn, to 
 report upon the condition of the building. But in spite 
 of their report, supported by other persons of influence, 
 that the alleged fears of the inspector were unfounded, 
 and that there was no danger, the hostile element suc- 
 ceeded in getting an order from the Supreme Building 
 Commission at Berlin requiring the church to be closed 
 for a year, during which time careful observations were 
 to be made to determine the possibility of its continuance. 
 The inspector pursued a most extraordinary plan in con- 
 ducting that observation. There was a particular pillar, 
 which he had pronounced defective, and in order to 
 ascertain whether his position was tenable, he caused the 
 ground to be dug away from the pillar on all sides to 
 a depth at which it stood entirely in water, and was 
 wholly without support ; the result of this unique exam- 
 ination was, of course, inevitable ; the pillar finally gave 
 way, the whole edifice became crazy, and the work of 
 
SCHONHERR AND FALSE FRIENDS. 12/ 
 
 demolition became an imperative necessity. The pagan 
 Schon had accompUshed his purpose as far as the de- 
 struction of that beautiful edifice was concerned, but 
 beyond that he could not go at the time, for Ebel, though 
 compelled to officiate in a church at a greater distance, 
 had the satisfaction to see his congregation follow him 
 there, and to become more devotedly attached to him 
 than before. 
 
 Trouble, like misery, loves company. About the same 
 time, the Ministerium for Ecclesiastical Affairs at Berlin 
 issued a Circular Rescript addressed to all the Consis- 
 tories of the Prussian Monarchy, warning them against 
 Mysticism, Pietism and Separatism, and requesting 
 special attention to the matter in filling vacancies in 
 churches and schools. This Rescript became known at 
 Konigsberg early in 1826, and one evening at the house 
 of Count Kanitz, Ebel referring to it, told Olshausen and 
 Tippelskirch that it was an inimical document, designed, 
 among other things, to strike a blow at evangelical Chris- 
 tianity. There was no doubt that their theological op- 
 ponents, aided by Schon, would leave no stone unturned 
 under the authority of that edict to hurt the cause of true 
 religion ; that a period of probation was about to begin, 
 and he deemed it his duty to tell them that, if they 
 elected to stay with him, their worldly prospects might 
 be injured, and it became them now to determine whether 
 they would leave him and escape the persecution which 
 remaining with him was sure to entail ; if they felt that 
 their intimate relations had better cease, he hoped that it 
 might not affect their friendship for him, assuring them 
 that he would not on that account withdraw his affection 
 from them. Their manner of receiving the intelligence was 
 embarrassed and shuffling, and lacked sincerity ; it was 
 
128 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 the first intimation of their defection, and Ebel, who 
 would hardly have spoken to them as he did, if he had 
 felt quite sure of them, penetrated their motives that 
 night, and the event showed that he had not wronged 
 them. But their separation was not effected in the spirit 
 recommended by Ebel ; that would not have done ; it 
 would have proclaimed to all the world their selfishness 
 and time-serving ; it would have been a public declara- 
 tion that as long as the friendship of Ebel was profitable 
 to them they adhered to him and were his enthusiastic 
 admirers and devoted followers, and that at the first in- 
 dication of his waning power in influential quarters they 
 had abandoned him. That would have unmasked them 
 and proclaimed them unprincipled. So they preferred 
 playing the hypocrite a little longer, and cast about for 
 an excuse designed to justify their conduct in the eye of 
 the public. The Ministerial Rescript seemed to fore- 
 shadow the proper policy leading to preferment ; it had 
 sounded the alarm about separatistic tendencies ; the ma- 
 jority of the Konigsberg Clergy, the Consistorium, and 
 the Governor were notoriously inimical to Ebel's the- 
 ology, branding it as heretical and sectarian. If it could 
 be made out that Ebel was a sectary, and they opposed 
 to his sectarian tendencies, they would accomplish two 
 things : first, give a plausible and seemingly meritorious 
 explanation of their separation from him, and secondly, 
 secure the favor of those opposed to Ebel, who in virtue 
 of their influence might help them to preferment. That 
 was their plan and policy, and Olshausen set to work to 
 give it shape. So he wrote a long letter addressed to 
 Ebel, in which he told him that it was impossible for him 
 any longer to submit to a hierarchical guardianship, the 
 authority whereof, lacking as it did the signs of an im- 
 
SCHONHERR AND FALSE FRIENDS. 1 29 
 
 mediate or direct revelation, he was constrained to call 
 in question ; that the absorption of his own (O.'s) indi- 
 viduality in that of Ebel was a thing not to be borne, 
 more especially as he thought that in Ebel's " direction 
 of souls misleading elements were neither avoided in 
 practice, nor in the principles underlying it." If the 
 reader is at a loss to understand this vague language, 
 which, if intended to conceal thought, might have been 
 written by Talleyrand, he may console himself in the 
 thought, that it was just as unintelligible to Ebel and his 
 friends, who could construe it only one way, namely, that 
 it meant desertion and treachery, and base treachery, for 
 his true motive was to ingratiate himself into the favor of 
 influential persons inimical to Ebel, who on that account 
 might reward him. 
 
 This is quite clear from the express language of Tip- 
 pelskirch, who undertook to deliver this letter to Ebel, 
 with the tenor of which he professed to agree, to this 
 effect, " that there was nothing to prevent the contin- 
 uance of his friendly relations to Ebel and his friends^ 
 and to walk with them in what he felt constrained to 
 describe as a Christian way of excellent conscientious- 
 ness and purity, but the circumstance that they had not 
 been publicly authenticated, for he could not possibly 
 expect the ecclesiastical authority to advance him to a 
 position if he were to maintain friendly relations with 
 Ebel," etc. As this statement is in writing, and forms 
 part of officially accepted evidence, it is not necessary to 
 enlarge upon it, although it is quite pertinent to corrob- 
 orate the assertion by the testimony of the judicial officer 
 charged with the official inquiry, also accepted as evi- 
 dence that " it is universally known that Ebel and 01s- 
 hausen were until 1826 on terms of intimate friendship. 
 6* 
 
130 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 In that year they separated, and as public opinion de- 
 livers k, solely and entirely because Olshausen thought 
 thereby to secure a professorship in the university." 
 
 The unimpeachable statement of my late friend, Count 
 Kanitz, may conclude the record of so painful an inci- 
 dent : 
 
 " It is impossible to convey to those who did not participate 
 in these events, an idea of the icy insincerity with which the 
 said Olshausen and Tippelskirch suddenly dropped the mask 
 of hypocrisy, after they had for months feigned the most ar- 
 dent friendship, while they were working out their plan, and 
 in lieu of their pretended recognition of Ebel's Christian ex- 
 perience, rose up to teach and preach to him, who, by their 
 own confession, had taught them to find the way to Christ. 
 This conduct, doing violence to all human feeling, was re- 
 garded by Ebel with forgiving and forgetting love, in which 
 he refused to see anything but a straying aside, and for which 
 he strove to find extenuating circumstances and excuses." 
 
 What a contrast, and how beautiful in the light of 
 those occurrences, followed by infinitely worse, are these 
 words from a letter of Ebel to his friend, Professor 
 Rogge, of Tubingen, dated Jan. 2, 1827 : 
 
 "Just think, dear August, since the last communion the 
 Friend above has so entirely taken possession of and filled 
 my heart, that I can only exult and praise His grace, and in 
 that grace feel the tenderest love for those who have offended 
 me. Oh ! that does me good ! Love them too, and do not 
 give place to the feeling that thou art not able to call Herr- 
 mann ' Brother.' The only consolation is, that we do not let 
 them go." 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 NOBLE CHRISTIANS. 
 
 Though, from the nature of the case, chronological 
 order could not be strictly observed in the chapters char- 
 acterizing the ministry of Ebel, it has been followed in 
 the main. In order to understand what follows it is now 
 necessary to explain the social religious life in the Old- 
 Town Church and to supply a portraiture of the most 
 prominent persons. 
 
 The cultivation of the social life of a congregation is 
 an acknowledged factor of ministerial usefulness, and 
 every clergyman understands that much of his success 
 depends on its proper conduct. There are likewise, es- 
 pecially in large congregations, persons drawn to each 
 other by common interest as to habits of life and thought, 
 and certain degrees of culture, refinement and station. 
 The common interest of the members of the Old-Town 
 Church was a strongly marked and positively pronounced 
 spirituality, and a distinct recognition of the hallowing 
 power of the religion of Jesus in all the relations of life, 
 and seeing that these distinctively Christian views were 
 far from general in society at Konigsberg, they felt the 
 necessity of drawing nearer to each other in an informal 
 manner at gatherings, which differed from ordinary social 
 gatherings, in that it was agreed by them to substitute 
 for the conventional dance, card-playing and unprofitable 
 
 131 
 
132 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 gossip, the discussion of rational subjects, of scientific^ 
 philosophical, theological and general interest, and to 
 diversify matters by the introduction of music and the 
 reading of instructive essays and books. It was a de- 
 lightful circle in every respect. Ebel was the centre 
 round whom they grouped, but as his versatile genius 
 has been sufficiently described in the preceding chapters, 
 and as the reader can readily form his own judgment 
 from the particulars already furnished, I need not dwell 
 here at greater length on his eminent social graces and 
 inspiring influence. There was the Rev. Georg Hein- 
 rich Diestel, pastor of the Haberberg Church, an in- 
 timate and devoted friend of Ebel, a devout, noble- 
 minded, lion-hearted man, through and through con- 
 vinced of the inherent power of the Gospel, and animat- 
 ed by indomitable zeal, earnestness and courage. He 
 and Ebel were very old friends, and although he had 
 always been a sound man, u e. not a rationalist, the pre- 
 cepts, the teaching and the living example of the latter, 
 according to his own testimony,* had deepened and 
 strengthened his personal relations to Christ. Brought 
 up in the school of Herbart, he abandoned the incon- 
 sistencies of that philosophy, and rooted his own in that 
 of the Bible. A single sentence may suffice to character- 
 ize the man : 
 
 "Truth bears testimony to itself, and scorns all other 
 demonstrations. As the sun needs no demonstration that he 
 is light and not darkness, so truth needs no other demonstra- 
 tion than that of its own existence ; but as the sun shines 
 only to those who see and are awake, and not to those who 
 are blind and asleep, so truth likewise shines only to those 
 who are receptive for it." 
 
 * Mahjiwort, p. 99. 
 
 
NOBLE CHRISTIANS. 1 33 
 
 His was an eminently metaphysical turn, and he un- 
 derstood to state the keenest analysis in clear, incisive 
 and singularly open language. He was a thoroughly 
 practical Christian, a warm personal friend and a 
 charming companion, intensely musical,, and his com- 
 positions both solemn and hilarious possessed great merit. 
 A piece of his composing on Psalm cxviii., arranged 
 for four voices with his accompaniment on the piano is 
 pronounced by good judges as something wondrously 
 beautiful ; the same applies to Psalm cxxvi. 
 
 Ernst Wilhelm, Count of Kanitz,* the true and devoted 
 friend of Ebel, was truly a nobleman in the best accepta- 
 tion of the term. As he was his oldest friend, and sur- 
 vived him upwards of eight years, so he remained his 
 friend unto death and beyond it, as will appear hereafter. 
 He was a native of Konigsberg, highly educated, an emi- 
 nent jurist, a gallant soldier, and last, not least, a consist- 
 ent, devoted Christian, an ornament of society, and a 
 bright and shining light of the Old-Town Church, while 
 he was there, and of the Church of Christ, wherever he 
 was. An»obituary notice, printed in the Neue Preussische 
 Zettungy Berlin Dec. 24, 1869, and written by an anony- 
 mous friend, contains this summary of his character : 
 
 "Whoever knew the departed will recall with feelings of 
 delight the modest dignity of his earthly conversation, and — • 
 as the manner of the Spirit is — the silent energy of his power- 
 ful working. To practise love, to prepare joy to others, and 
 to do good was his vital breath ( Athemholen). When in the 
 exercise of justice he had to administer rebuke, or punish 
 wrong where it had to be resisted, like a genuine disciple of 
 Jesus, he never fell from humility and gentleness. The in- 
 scription on his tomb : 'The Lord is risen indeed,' indicates 
 and characterizes the strength of his faith.'' 
 
 * See p. 121. 
 
134 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 Fortiter in re, suaviter in modo was Kanitz, an admirable 
 companion, sparkling in conversation, overflowing with a 
 fund of the most varied attainments, and not only- re- 
 ceptive to whatever was good and beautiful, but com- 
 municative of the same, a man of exquisite taste (he was 
 a painter)* and unbounded hospitality. He was married 
 twice. His first wife, Minna von Derschau, a lady of 
 the noblest and purest make, goodness personified, living, 
 moving and having her whole being in God, is described 
 by all who knew her, as a most devoted Christian, en- 
 riched with peculiar attractions and graces, intellectual 
 and otherwise, a messenger of goodness, an angel of 
 mercy among the sick and poor, one of the brightest 
 gems in the diadem of the Old-Town Church. She died 
 after only two years' marriage, a youthful mother, in the 
 thirty-first year of her life, universally beloved and 
 regretted ; ten days later her precious babe joined her 
 in paradise, just as if he had heard the mother's call and 
 hastened to her embrace. Her sister, who lived with the 
 Count, when he died (her own death occurred nine years 
 later), like all the members of the Derschau family, was 
 an exemplary Christian ; and it was one of the privileges 
 enjoyed by the writer, to number that noble lady among 
 his correspondents. Kanitz's second wife, Charlotte 
 Countess Fink von Finkenstein, an intimate and obliged 
 friend of Minna, married him in 1827, and humility 
 was one of the predominant traits of that highly gifted, 
 charitable and generous Christian lady. Of her humil- 
 ity perhaps the most striking illustration is her life- 
 long endeavor to keep green the cherished memory of 
 
 * I have in my possession some beautiful specimens of his 
 genius, flowers painted from nature in Italy, Sicily and the Tyrol ; 
 they are exquisite. 
 
NOBLE CHRISTIANS. 1 35 
 
 the sainted first Countess ; she always thought of and 
 for others, and never for herself ; a most gracious and 
 hospitable hostess, loving and delighting to render all — 
 and their name is legion — that crossed her threshold 
 happy, bountiful in providing for the bodily and intel- 
 lectual wants of her guests, indefatigable in labors of love, 
 and uniting with her noble husband in countless benefac- 
 tions. Such were Count and "Countess von Kanitz ; the 
 good Count likewise was my friend and correspondent. 
 
 Of Auerswalds I have already spoken in general terms. 
 A few additional details appear to be in place here, and 
 will be found of interest. The head of this noble family 
 was the Landhofmeister and Oberprasident (/. ^., the 
 Provincial Governor) von Auerswald, a name which at 
 Konigsberg, and throughout Prussia, has a golden ring ; 
 he was a most excellent, patriotic public officer, univer- 
 sally beloved and respected, and his fame in all these and 
 so many other respects is so well known in the annals of 
 history, that no words of mine are needed to repeat here 
 what everybody knows ; but it is not generally known, 
 that during the years of Germany's great degradation, 
 1 806- 1 809, king Friedrich Wilhelm III., Louise his 
 queen, and her children, the late king Friedrich Wil- 
 helm IV., and the present Emperor of Germany lived 
 with Auerswalds in the Castle of Konigsberg, and that 
 thus the latter became the personal friends of the Auers- 
 wald children. All the Auerswalds were friends of Ebel, 
 but signally and singularly so the two daughters, Eveline 
 Ernestine von Bardeleben, and Ida, Countess von der 
 Groben. These two noble ladies were, under the teach- 
 ing of Ebel, broug'ht to the knowledge of Jesus, and two 
 more devoted women, in doing and suffering, have seldom 
 lived. The sad trials of the former have already been 
 
136 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 alluded to,"^ how through the influence of the pagan 
 Schon her husband cruelly discarded her. Her parents 
 were then no more on earth, but the truth that God 
 never forsakes His people was beautifully illustrated 
 in her experience. The sainted Mrs. Chancellor von 
 Schrotter, another saint on earth in Ebel's church, gave 
 her a home, and tenderly nursed her and provided for 
 all her wants, until in 1 845 she went out of great tf ibula- 
 tion into the rest that remaineth for the people of God. 
 Of Mrs. von Schrotter and her family, something will be 
 said presently. 
 
 But it is especially her sister Ida, Countess von der 
 Groben, who claims our attention in a peculiar measure. 
 Of the noble array of Christians in that extraordinary 
 congregation, already likened to a diadem, Countess Ida 
 was the pearl. Beautiful in person, mind and soul, em- 
 bodied truth and goodness, to see and know was to 
 love her. Quick in perception and learning, studious 
 and a student, she was simply a marvel for intelligence 
 and versatile attainments. Thoroughly educated, her 
 studies ranged through realms of thought and informa- 
 tion rarely traversed by ladies. She was a theologian and 
 a metaphysician of no mean order (and no man who has 
 read her Liebe zur Wahrheit will dispute it, or ever open 
 Olshausen's Commentary again), an excellent classic, 
 her soul was steeped in music, and she had the gift of a 
 sweet, melodious voice ; she was a poet born, and the 
 posthumous volume of her poems is equal to any of the 
 kind in the German tongue ; her poems on the Church 
 Seasons remind me of Keble in thought and expression, 
 others of Cowper for tenderness, and for the love of 
 
 * See pp. 123-124. 
 
NOBLE CHRISTIANS. 1 37 
 
 nature of Wordsworth (of none of whom she ever saw or 
 read a Hne), and they are one and all as fine as gold, 
 pure as a crystal fountain, reflecting the truth, the love, 
 the goodness and purity of her God-devoted soul. In 
 Appendix C will be found two or three of her briefer 
 pieces ; they must stand as they are in German, to be 
 translated by a Christian poet kin to the author in genius 
 and feeling. She was also an exquisite hand at drawing. 
 Early schooled in sorrow, for her husband, William 
 Count von der Groben, First Lieutenant of the East 
 Prussian Cuirassiers, fell near Gross Gorschen, 1813, and 
 she returned, a youthful widow, to her parents, and 
 through the influence of Ebel, who was their pastor, her 
 heart and soul, her work and life, were consecrated to 
 the service of Jesus. This child of God was of medium 
 height and noble carriage, light brown hair covering a 
 noble forehead, her regular features, beautiful com- 
 plexion, heightened by a tint of delicate red in the 
 cheeks, and animated by the profound earnestness of 
 her innocent, deep blue and true eyes were accompanied 
 by loveliness, a sweet voice, vivacity and dignified en- 
 gaging manners. Her intimate surviving friend, who 
 knew and loved her better than any one, communicated 
 to me two years ago the following passages from the 
 biography of the Electress Louise von Brandenburg 
 (author of the famous hymn, Jesus Meine Ztcversicht^), 
 which in her opinion are an exact portraiture of the 
 character of the Countess Ida : " Like a peculiar, 
 choice and great blessing she had entered the house and 
 the country — and like a continuous, ever new blessing, 
 she worked on in the house and the country — and all 
 
 * See Appendix C. 
 
138 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 the blessings she dispensed, all the happiness which went 
 out from her to others, and all the loveliness with which 
 she conquered and won the hearts of men were solely- 
 founded on and welled forth from her living faith which 
 united her to her Saviour. Outwardly and inwardly she 
 lived in the grace of the Lord ; she had laid hold of Him, 
 and would not let Him go." Other particulars concern- 
 ing this excellent lady will be found below. 
 
 Edward von Hahnenfeld, likewise an intimate and 
 Christian friend of Ebel, of long standing, was a noble- 
 minded man. Early orphaned, he was sent to a Fensio?i 
 in Konigsberg, where he was roughly treated ; the only 
 sunny days of his gloomy youthful existence were the 
 Sundays and other days spent with the Auerswald chil- 
 dren. Ebel befriended him, for he was his pupil at 
 Frederic College, and took a warm interest in his wel- 
 fare. On the day of his confirmation the Governor 
 desired his daughter, the Countess Ida, to go to church 
 in order that there might at least be one person present 
 there who went on his account. After that solemn ser- 
 vice young Hahnenfeld kindly asked the Countess, his 
 senior in years, to write, in memory of the occasion, 
 something in his album, and she wrote these words : 
 " Follow me, saith Christ our Leader." These words he 
 cherished as a guide star through life. He was an ex- 
 ceedingly kind and well-informed, sagacious gentleman, 
 of great urbanity, and a delightful companion. He 
 married Miss Zeline von Mirbach, a lovely and high- 
 toned, highly cultivated and very intellectual young 
 lady. Both he and his wife were alive to everything 
 that was good and noble. In his country seat at Grunen- 
 feld Ebel lived from 1842 to 1848, of which more will be 
 said hereafter. 
 
NOBLE CHRISTIANS. 1 39 
 
 There was Baron Ernest von Heyldng, from whose 
 manuscript many of the earlier portions of this volume 
 have been drawn, an out-and-out, spiritually-minded, 
 highly intellectual and devoted Christian. Refinement, 
 sincerity and earnestness, allied to a cheerful, urbane 
 and amiable disposition, made him beloved by all who 
 felt the outgoings of his gentle, sympathetic nature. He 
 had studied law, and wielded a facile pen. His manu- 
 script is beautifully written, and the matter is excellent, 
 a model of analysis and clearness of statement, couched 
 in language of classical purity and finish. He died very 
 young. 
 
 The Schrotter family has already been mentioned.* 
 The venerable Chancellor von Schrotter and his wife 
 and children were most refined and exemplary Chris- 
 tians. Their hospitality and benevolence exhaled the 
 purest Christian devotion. Their daughter Emilie, the 
 most intimate friend of Countess Ida, has been described 
 by her as a most lovely, an almost perfect Christian. 
 She died very early (in the twenty-eighth year of her 
 life), after a life spent in offices of love. Of the quality 
 of her head, culture, and heart the following exquisite 
 extract from her memoranda in manuscript may serve as 
 a sample : 
 
 " What is knowledge, and what its origin ? In reflecting 
 on a thing it is chiefly the head that is exercised, and mostly 
 in a state of confusedness, in which the thoughts, crossing 
 hither and thither, are hindered from clearness until they fall 
 into order and collect in a focus, in virtue of which, as it 
 were, a spark appears, emitting a luminous l)eam on the sub- 
 ject of our thought, and enabling us clearly to cognize it. 
 And this takes place after this wise : A tissue of nerves, having 
 
 * See p. 119. 
 
140 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 their principal seat in the brain, covers the body, and any 
 nerve, wherever touched, conveys the intelligence to the 
 brain, causing us thereby to obtain cognizance of the object 
 touching. These impressions passing into knowledge affect 
 us both outwardly and inwardly, seeing that beams of spirit- 
 ual light incessantly act upon and influence the inner man. 
 
 "This influence is not uniform, but conditioned by our 
 position and the time in which we live. 
 
 " Man resembles a musical instrument, and as every instru- 
 ment emits its peculiar, distinctive quality of sound, so every 
 man, in virtue of his congenital disposition, possesses prop- 
 erties distinctively his own, causing him to differ from others, 
 to excel in one thing, to be deficient in another. 
 
 " In this comparison, our impressions influencing us out- 
 wardly and inwardly resemble the melodies played on the 
 instrument. Our inward corruption is the cause that the 
 notes are indistinct, or sound wrong and impure ; they also 
 die away with the suspension of the efficient cause, for they 
 are not yet our own, and we soon forget what we knew and 
 expressed ; it is even possible that, after some time, a foreign 
 and hostile spirit causes them to produce altogether different 
 melodies. 
 
 "Though man cannot impart to himself knowledge, yet, 
 through our own fault, much remains dark which we might 
 know, and we often neglect the duty of becoming clearly as- 
 sured of what we know {gewiss-wissen). Others may tell 
 us much, and to systematize and collect that much is the 
 province of the learned. 
 
 " Turning to God, however, is the sole help to truly profit- 
 able knowledge, in prayer, that the beams of His light may 
 become fixed within us, and this turning is the effect of free 
 will. 
 
 " What is to will ? The seat of the will is the heart ; the 
 blood intimately connected with the nerves pours into the 
 heart, the principal organ of life, and its duly regulated turn- 
 ing and motion is the time of the spiritual melody within. 
 For, as in a musical instrument, time stays the sounds on the 
 
NOBLE CHRISTIANS. 141 
 
 sounding-board, regulating their resonance in audible sounds 
 and melodies, so the turning of the will in the constant direc- 
 tion of its surrender to God is necessary to render possible 
 the staying of the Divine Spirit within us, whose focal light 
 may grow so intense as to enable us clearly to see true knowl- 
 edge and the revelation of the Bible, as is evident from the 
 example of the truly enlightened. 
 
 "This keeping time is in some persons facilitated by their 
 being naturally musical, but on that account not yet assured; 
 it really amounts to only a wish, for in temptation they get 
 out of time, and they cannot keep it truly until, by free choice 
 in the work of their regeneration, by effort and self-denial, it 
 becomes their second nature, their own, enabling them to in- 
 dicate the reasons, as they understand the harmonious con- 
 nection of the spiritual world. This keeping time . . . 
 is the fundamental trait of their recovery, with their entire 
 surrender to God, and their happiness from being illuminated 
 through and through." 
 
 The mother of that singularly-gifted maiden lived to a 
 happy old age (she died in her ninetieth year), and never 
 wearied in well-doing, utterly unselfish, and extending 
 her benefactions beyond her death, one only ceased with 
 the death of one of her beneficiaries a few months ago. 
 Whatever was good, and noble, and lovely, and of good 
 report, whatever tended to elevate, improve, and refine 
 entered into and constituted the atmosphere of the 
 Schrotter home at Konigsberg. 
 
 Charles Count of Munchow, a sturdy noble-minded 
 Pomeranian, brought up in the fear of God, did not 
 permanently live at Konigsberg, but had been for many 
 years a warm personal friend of Ebel. In his fourteenth 
 year he entered the army as an officer, and served with 
 great distinction in the campaigns against Napoleon, and 
 was decorated with the iron cross in token of his bravery ; 
 
142 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 he was an intimate and life-long friend of Count Kanitz, 
 who, it will be remembered, served with equal distinction 
 in the same wars. His military record in the service of 
 his king cannot be detailed in these pages, but his much 
 longer and enduring service as a soldier of Christ, must 
 be put on record here. He was a consistent, honest, 
 straightforward and outspoken man, v/ho abhorred every- 
 thing merely formal, and simulating the religion of Jesus, 
 which to him was a reaHty imposing the ceaseless renova- 
 tion and sanctification of the Christian in all his relations ; 
 the one thing needful to him was to tread the narrow 
 way in the imitation of Christ, to discharge his duty to 
 God and to man in faith and self-denial — and this, he 
 said, '^ was and is the end and tendency of my friendly 
 commerce with Dr. Ebel and some kindred minds ; and 
 this the sum-total of his teachings, advice, and luminous 
 example, I have made the end of my life."* 
 
 He sent his two daughters to Konigsberg to be pre- 
 pared for confirmation. These excellent ladies continue 
 to follow in the footsteps of their sainted parents. One 
 of them is unmarried, the other is married to Herr von 
 Woldeck, and it is delightful to state that his family is of 
 the Christian stamp. Count Miinchow, the last of his 
 name, finished his warfare in i860, and Ebel wrote to 
 his widow (who followed him four years later) and 
 daughters : " We hope that the name of Miinchow, by 
 whomever borne, is written in the book of life ; " and in 
 his own journal: "On Sept. 26, i860. Count Miinchow 
 completed his course. ' They that have walked in up- 
 rightness shall enter into peace.' " (Is. Ivii. 2, Luther's 
 version.) f 
 
 ^ Aufkldrung, pp. 276-7. f See also p. 203. 
 
NOBLE CHRISTIANS. 1 43 
 
 Speaking of military men, I must not forget to men- 
 tion the old and heroic Lieutenant-General von Larisch 
 (who had served under Frederic the Great) and his two 
 children, Captain Wilhelm von Larisch and Floribelle his 
 sister. They were most exemplary Christians. The first 
 once said to his children in quaint and touching humili- 
 ty : " Children dear, if you see me do anything which 
 you think is not pleasing to God, I want you to tell me 
 of it ; you must not think it improper because I am your 
 father, for I don't want to be your father for such a pur- 
 pose." Captain Larisch, though a brave soldier, deemed 
 it his greatest felicity to cultivate the friendship of the 
 Prince of Peace ; both he and his sister died young ; 
 they were members of Ebel's congregation, conspicuous 
 for their purity of life. 
 
 The last in the number of Ebel's most intimate and 
 devoted friends to be named here is Mrs. Consentius, a 
 very remarkable Christian lady. At the beginning of 
 this century, when her husband still hved at Memel, the 
 merchant prince of that place, the fugitive king of 
 Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm III., and Louise, his queen, 
 found a loving home in their hospitable mansion, and 
 the relations of queen Louise and Mrs. Consentius were 
 those of tender friendship. She moved, chiefly on Ebel's 
 account, to Konigsberg about the beginning of the third 
 decade of this century, and her home, like Schrotter's 
 and Kanitz's, was another spiritual, intellectual and 
 Christian centre at Konigsberg. 
 
 These people, and many others who for want of space 
 cannot be enumerated by name, constituted the spiritual, 
 as they were also by culture and station, the social dite 
 of Konigsberg, and an account of them was necessary to 
 explain not only the envy of other clergymen, who for 
 
144 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 reasons already sufficiently detailed resented the com- 
 manding influence of Ebel, but also much that belongs 
 to the next chapter, treating of the famous ecclesiastical 
 suit, which, intricate as it is, will be better understood 
 without the introduction of personal matters there. 
 
 In the same connection the introduction of two other 
 personages is here in place. By far the most venomous 
 of the theological opponents of Ebel was the Consistorial 
 Councillor Kahler, who in a pamphlet received as evi- 
 dence, and forming part of the official record of the suit, 
 is thus portrayed : 
 
 '' He became the personal enemy of Dr. Ebel, because the 
 latter is the personal friend of God, of truth and of virtue, 
 and because the blessed influence of his ministry is wanting 
 in his own (K.'s) .... It is therefore not by any means 
 surprising that a clergyman like Kahler should envy, and 
 dare to persecute Ebel, who as a man and as a minister was 
 a standing rebuke to his own conscience and ministry, and 
 caused him by the mere force of contrast to feel his own in- 
 feriority, and to see that others regarded him in the same 
 light." 
 
 This Councillor Kahler was a member of the local 
 Consistory, and bitterly opposed to Ebel from the very 
 start, and it was he whom Schon singled out as the in- 
 vestigator of the very charges which had been persist- 
 ently invented and propagated by himself. 
 
 A brother-in-law of Count Kanitz, /. e. his second 
 wife's brother, Count Fink, a thoroughly worldly minded 
 man, who as well as his wife, had under the dominant 
 influence of Christian sentiment among their social peers, 
 risen to a certain show of religiousness, without being at 
 all reHgiously inclined, and not by any means disposed 
 to abandon their darling pursuits for habits of thought 
 
NOBLE CHRISTIANS. 145 
 
 and life for which they really possessed no affinity. He 
 belonged to a race, by no means extinct, whose conceit is 
 exactly adjusted to their intellectual or moral deficiency, 
 and often about things concerning which in the judg- 
 ment of competent persons they are ill informed. When 
 with the advent of Schon worldliness and irreligion re- 
 gained the ascendency at Konigsberg these lukewarm 
 Christians cast the straight-laced notions of the Ebel's 
 circle overboard. There were also private matters which 
 influenced their conduct, which must now be stated. 
 Among the peculiar notions of Fink was the feudal 
 prejudice that the paternal inheritance belongs de jure 
 to the male descendants and not to the female, and that 
 the latter depend on the generosity of the former. Now 
 under the will of her father, Countess Charlotte von 
 Kanitz had a share in the real estate. Her brother took 
 the convenient view that that share should not be touched, 
 and the interest due her remain unpaid. The Countess 
 very naturally, especially as she wanted the money, did 
 not relish the feudal notions which deprived her of her 
 rights, and though, with great generosity, she had remitted 
 to her brother several thousand thalers of back interest, 
 yet as the Count, her brother, claimed the sole enjoyment 
 of the revenue de jure, she very gently but firmly resisted 
 his preposterous claims, and asked that at least one half 
 of the annual interest be paid her. The Count waxed 
 very hot, and indignantly declined all concession, saying 
 that he was well able to pay the whole ; it was therefore 
 agreed that he should do so. So he began the payments 
 and indulged the curious habit of accompanying each 
 payment with offensive and abusive letters. The thing 
 was not to be endured, and compelled her finally to de- 
 mand the payment of the principal as well as of the in- 
 
146 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 terest. Count Fink ascribed this to religious fanaticism, 
 and became thenceforth the bitter antagonist of his sister, 
 her husband, Count Kanitz, and Ebel, whom somehow 
 he held responsible for their actions. 
 
 When Olshausen and Tippelskirch * left Ebel and his 
 friends they sought Fink, and as they all thought they 
 had grievances to be righted, they made common cause 
 against them, in which Kahler and Schon, who had 
 likewise their peculiar grievances, heartily seconded 
 them. 
 
 At an earlier period Ebel and Diestel had founded a 
 sort of clerical club, called the Frediger Krdnzchen, which 
 met at least once a month for the purpose of cultivating 
 social relations, and discussing scientific and theological 
 subjects. From the nature of the case, Ebel was the 
 recognized head and animating spirit of this club. Ols- 
 hausen, very ambitious for leadership, and unable to 
 establish it in that organization, started a new one which 
 he called the Clerical Conference {Frediger Conferejiz), 
 for the manifest purpose of undermining the influence of 
 Ebel. Somehow the Conference did not succeed ; it had 
 been conceived in ill-nature ; unfortunately two of its 
 members became crazy, and in those days of official in- 
 terference the local authorities interposed and gave the 
 Conference the quietus. This was very galling to Ols- 
 hausen, who, feeling the necessity to justify his course, 
 rushed into print, and as his statements were very un- 
 guarded and misleading, and assailed the views of his 
 theological opponents, his pamphlet was answered by 
 Diestel, and led to a long protracted theological con- 
 troversy in which a number of pamphlets were written 
 
 * See p. 129. 
 
NOBLE CHRISTIANS. 147 
 
 on both sides, with the result, that Olshausen was so 
 completely discomfited that it became necessary for him 
 to leave the field, which he did by relinquishing his posi- 
 tion at Konigsberg for one at Erlangen, for which latter 
 place he started in 1834. 
 
 The potencies at work to undermine the influence of 
 Ebel and Diestel have now been sufficiently character- 
 ized to enable the reader to understand the situation. 
 The secret and, on the part of some, the openly-avowed 
 purpose of all the parties concerned was the overthrow 
 of the hated Christian doctrine, and the setting up of a 
 secular, rationalistic, accommodating theology, which 
 should discard the element of personal purity, so strenu- 
 ously maintained by Ebel and his friends. But how was 
 the thing to be accomplished ? It could not be done 
 openly, for Ebel and Diestel were leaders of vast in- 
 fluence and power, of unimpeachable character, in- 
 trenched in the confidence and affections of the best and 
 most influential people of Konigsberg, and especially 
 Ebel, almost worshipped by them for his many and 
 shining virtues. If it was to be accomplished it had to 
 be done in a different way. And that way was to brand 
 Ebel and his followers with infamy by charging them 
 with, and, if possible, convict them of heresy and sec- 
 tarianism. In^countries like England and America the 
 charge and the conviction would not amount to anything 
 per se, but in a country where religion forms part of a 
 State which exercises a sort of paternal supervision 
 over the religious conscience of the people, the charge 
 amounted to a great deal, and the consequences to the 
 persons accused and convicted would be very serious 
 and disastrous. But as there was nothing in the public 
 teaching of Ebel and Diestel, nor in their published 
 
148 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 writings, to sustain such a charge, other means had to be 
 sought and employed to forge one. 
 
 What these means were will now be narrated. Schon, 
 Kahler, Olshausen, Tippelskirch, and Fink started, each 
 in his peculiar way, the rumor that Ebel had founded a 
 sect, that it was a heretical sect, and that all the excel- 
 lent people introduced to the reader in the preceding 
 pages were members of that sect ; that they held secret 
 meetings, at which, under the garb of religion, unheard- 
 of immoralities were taught and practised ; that that 
 sect was an ulcer in society, and that the interests of 
 public morals required investigation and radical meas- 
 ures for its suppression and extinction. It must not, 
 however, be imagined that these dreadful charges were 
 made openly or at one time ; they began to be circu- 
 lated very gently and cautiously, and were whispered 
 about in innuendoes scattered broadcast through society 
 in Konigsberg, the province, and all Germany, in myste- 
 rious allusions of dark import, and repeated and exag- 
 gerated so often that a public sentiment about them be- 
 gan gradually to be formed. They resurrected the ghost 
 of poor Schonherr, and alleged that his wildest and most 
 absurd vagaries were child's-play as compared with the 
 terrible doings of the Ebelians ; the pagan Schon in- 
 vented a peculiarly offensive epithet, and dubbed with it 
 Ebel and the Old-Town Church people, and Fink hus- 
 banded his efforts to the best of his abihty. This feud- 
 alist fancied that the Countess Charlotte's demand for 
 her patrimony originated in sectarian bigotry, which 
 caused her to disregard his feudal rights and subordinate 
 them to the interests of her sect and the dictates of its 
 head. Ignatius Loyola and his minions, according to 
 him, were paragons of virtue as compared with Ebel, 
 
NOBLE CHRISTIANS. I49 
 
 Kanitz, the Countess Ida, and all the rest. He was so 
 full of the matter, and so eager for revenge, that he in- 
 dited a letter to a lady, altogether a stranger to Ebel and 
 his friends, with the request to communicate its contents 
 to some of her friends who were on terms of friendship 
 with them. This lady's sister. Miss Zeline von Mirbach,* 
 indignant at its vile calumnies, received presently one ad- 
 dressed to herself by the selfsame Fink, and sent it to 
 Diestel, an old and personal friend of her family, for the 
 purpose of stopping the matter. Diestel sent Fink a 
 scathing missive, exposing his motives in words of indig- 
 nant disgust, and notifying him that, as he " could not 
 allow Christian ministers to be persecuted with the vilest 
 calumnies to the injury of their sacred office," he was re- 
 solved to oppose him not only then, but whenever he 
 should dare to repeat the offence, and to publish its false- 
 hood. 
 
 Fink, who had anticipated this result, mounted the 
 feudal charger, and desired Diestel to retract, and when 
 he very properly refused to comply with the insulting 
 request, he brought suit against him for libel, and in 
 order to create a public opinion in his favor, he and Tip- 
 pelskirchf disseminated in a sort of circular letter, ad- 
 dressed to persons in different parts of Germany, the 
 most slanderous reports concerning Ebel, Diestel, and 
 their friends. 
 
 In this round-about but most adroit way opportunity 
 was made to give the charges against Ebel and his 
 friends publicity. 
 
 According to the then existing provisions of the Prus- 
 sian code, the Criminal Senate, before which the suit for 
 
 * See p. 138. f See pp. 122-124. 
 
150 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 libel was pending, was bound to communicate the matter 
 to the local ecclesiastical authority, the so-called Consis- 
 tory, of which Schon, the provincial governor, was ex 
 officio the presiding officer, and Kahler a member. This 
 provision had the double purpose of faulting the clergy 
 if they deserved censure, and of defending them in case 
 they were falsely accused. The Consistory might, there- 
 fore, take cognizance of well-founded charges brought 
 against clergymen presumably liable to them, but was 
 bound to disallow unfounded charges in the case of per- 
 sons of established reputation for integrity and virtue, 
 and of acknowledged good standing. 
 
 But as Schon and Kahler were resolved to destroy 
 Ebel if they could, and to degrade his religious senti- 
 ments, they pursued the unheard-of and preposterous 
 course on the ground of mere rumor, without an ostensi- 
 ble informer (as the law required) to act the part of 
 prosecutor (as the law forbade), and in violation of every 
 known principle of judicial process recognized in the 
 Prussian code, to appear in the double capacity of prose- 
 cutor and judge, with this further terrible aggravation, 
 that the prosecutor and judge invented and manufac- 
 tured the corpus delicti, and then instituted proceedings 
 against Ebel and Diestel, as will appear more fully in the 
 next chapter. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 
 
 When the Consistory received official information of 
 the suit of Fink vs. Diestel for libel, pending before the 
 Criminal Senate, its president, Schon, knowing all about 
 Fink's stories (for he had told them to him), requested 
 him through the Consistory to specify a few facts sub- 
 stantiating the charge of sectarianism, with a view to 
 enabling that body to institute proceedings against Ebel ; 
 a very remarkable course to be pursued by an official 
 body like the Consistory, whose functions did certainly 
 not include those of the detective police. But as Fink 
 had no facts, but only subjective conjectures to communi- 
 cate, which under the Prussian code are inadmissible in 
 courts of justice, the pliant Schon overcame the difficulty 
 by appointing Kahler, a clerical member of the Consis- 
 tory, as investigator, whom he knew to be the personal 
 enemy of Ebel and the most bitter antagonist of his 
 theological bias. As the basis of his conjectures. Fink 
 adduced a conversation which he pretended to have had 
 with Ebel thirteen years before, in the exact recollection 
 of which he could not possibly be mistaken ; he also 
 produced a number of letters written by Count Kanitz 
 some ten to fifteen years before, which, he alleged, con- 
 cealed a mysterious sense under their otherwise most 
 
152 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 edifying language. He also produced Sachs,* of infa- 
 mous memory, as a witness to corroborate his surmises. 
 When, by questions adroitly put, the inventive Sachs had 
 been given to understand what kind of information v/as 
 wanted of him, he gratified the wishes of this singular 
 investigator to his heart's content, who proceeded there- 
 upon to draft what he called "a theological opinion," 
 but which, as to drift and purpose, not less than as to the 
 peculiar denunciatory and false character of the writer 
 might, with greater propriety and with strict reference to 
 the etymology of the term, be described as " a diabolical 
 opinion." Fink's wife, who twenty-three years before 
 had been prepared by Ebel for confirmation, wTote (when 
 does not appear) an essay on her impressions of the in- 
 structions she had then received, and which, she alleged, 
 embodied the heretical notions of Schonherr (utterly un- 
 founded, and pronounced so afterw^ards by competent 
 judges); this essay was likewise received in evidence, 
 and used by Kahler as the point of departure for his in- 
 terpretation of Schonherr's views, which he fathered on 
 Ebel, and pointed out that they were of dangerous moral 
 tendency. 
 
 This opinion he reported to the Consistory, which 
 thereupon, under date September 28, 1835, summoned 
 Ebel to appear before them for the purpose of being ex- 
 amined concerning the charges, which were briefly re- 
 ferred to in the summons. Ebel, convinced that there 
 could not be any well-founded charges against him, 
 requested a copy of the specifications, which the Consis- 
 tory refused, and postponed the set hearing to October 
 5, 1835. Ebel appeared on that day before the Consis- 
 
 * See p. 121. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 1 53 
 
 tory and renewed his request, and when it was again re- 
 fused, dechned to submit to an examination until so just 
 a demand were compHed with. 
 
 In the meantime Count Kanitz, who was not only the 
 oldest and most familiar friend of Ebel, but also inti- 
 mately acquainted with the informers, had offered to ap- 
 pear before the Consistory to shed Hght on the matter. 
 But that body would have none of his counsel, and pre- 
 ferred, contrary to every known principle of justice, to 
 receive the testimony of Fink and Sachs in support of 
 their own accusations, and two days later, on October 7, 
 1835, decreed that Ebel should be suspended from his 
 office, and two months later, on December 9, the suspen- 
 sion of Diestel. This act of violence is unparalleled in 
 the annals of Prussia, as diametrically opposed to the 
 prescript judicial process, and as arbitrarily assuming 
 powers with which the Consistory is not lawfully clothed 
 
 Ebel, who knew the temper of his ecclesiastical op- 
 ponents and their presiding officer, was not at all sur- 
 prised at their action, but, conscious of the uprightness 
 of his course of life and ministerial conduct, took the 
 suspension very calmly, while the Consistory, with a view 
 to justify their daring action, adopted the following 
 characteristic measures : 
 
 I. In their official notification of his suspension to 
 Ebel they said : 
 
 " The past conduct of your office, acknowledged and rec- 
 ognized by this body as zealous and blameless, is unable to 
 arrest further proceedings on our part, because it has been 
 insufficient to ward off from you such hard charges." 
 
 This excuse, as Count Kanitz tersely puts it, is invalid 
 in law, in logic and in experience. In law, because the 
 
154 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 law attaches the least importance to a charge preferred 
 against a most blameless person ; in logic, because not 
 every charge, as such, is well founded, and because 
 nobody is able to ward off from himself an unfounded 
 charge, and for the very reason that it has no real, actual 
 foundation requiring to be removed ; in experience, 
 because history affords many instances that the noblest 
 of men cannot always ward off from themselves hard ac- 
 cusations. 
 
 2. The investigator published an anonymous paper in 
 the Allgemeine Kircheiizeitung (Nov. 24, 1835, No. 177), 
 starting with the outrageous falsehood that Olshausen 
 had faithfully developed and clearly stated the doctrines 
 of Schonherr in his work, Lehre und Leben des Konigs- 
 berger T/ieosophen, Johan?t Heinrich Schd7iherr, etc., 
 although only a year before he had maintained in another 
 place : Olshausenius i?i hanc rem scripsit znscite satis et 
 injuste.^ He then detailed at length the charges in 
 romantic, or as we call it in America, in sensational 
 language, leaving it in the reader's option to regard the 
 matter " either as the most fearful aberrations of fanati- 
 cism and hypocrisy, or as senseless and culpable 
 calumny," adding that the high and blameless character 
 of the accused constrained the assumption of the latter 
 alternative, but that nevertheless the Consistory had 
 been compelled, under a strong sense of their responsi- 
 bility, to decree their suspension, in order that the 
 dignity of the ministerial office might be maintained and 
 the public opinion respected. This marvellous and 
 unique piece of reasoning is accompanied by the glar- 
 ingly contradictory statement that " the judgment of all 
 
 ^ Programm der Konigsberger Universitdt, 1834. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 155 
 
 that prize truth and morals was not by any means 
 formed," and that "the pubHc impatiently and indig- 
 nantly, with a preponderating leaning against Ebel and 
 his friends, expected some decisive manifestation, and 
 regarded the suspension in that light." The plain Eng- 
 hsh of all this being that the writer deliberately at- 
 tempted to create an unfavorable public opinion con- 
 cerning the persecuted clergymen, after their suspension 
 had been decreed, and then pretended that the pressure 
 of that unfavorable opinion was one of the reasons for 
 the suspension. When subsequently he was requested by 
 Count Kanitz to explain these extraordinary statements, 
 he declared ad acta that in using the term "pubHc," he 
 understood by it " something which is found everywhere, 
 and yet cannot be anywhere definitely grasped." And 
 such a phantom of a thing was alleged to have neces- 
 sitated the action of the Consistory, which he sought still 
 further to justify on the plea that Ebel, declining to be 
 interrogated, and proposing measures calculated to pro- 
 tract the investigation, compelled that body to suspend 
 him. The falsification was simply preposterous, seeing 
 that all that Ebel ever proposed was the fair and sensible 
 request to have a copy of the charges officially preferred 
 against him, which is by universal consent the indisputa- 
 ble right of one charged with a misdemeanor or crime. 
 
 3. The Consistory likewise reported the matter to the 
 Ministerium for Ecclesiastical Affairs at Berlin, in a way 
 designed to misrepresent the case and thwart the ends 
 of justice. They referred in terms of holy horror to an 
 impending terrible popular excitement, which by their 
 speedy, though well-matured action against the offend- 
 ers had been happily averted. The bugbear of the 
 alleged popular excitement was constructed with all the 
 
156 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 Machiavelian skill which Schon and Kahler understood 
 so well to employ. Six bills, they said, of dirty obscen- 
 ity had been pasted up in different parts of the city, the 
 contents of which had actually become known in the 
 schools. They were comparatively harmless lampoons, 
 written by some irreligious person and directeti not 
 against Ebel and Diestel only, but against all the ortho- 
 dox ministers of Konigsberg, who were mentioned by 
 name, and breathed simply hatred of Christianity. 
 Whether the two worthies wrote or inspired them them- 
 selves, cannot be proven, but it is proven that they did 
 not send the bills to Berlin, where the absurdity and 
 v/ickedness of their falsified account would have been 
 instantly unmasked by their simple perusal, and pre- 
 ferred to describe them as something dreadful, imperiling 
 the safety of the body politic and the public morality. 
 
 They further alleged that Ebel and Diestel, in order 
 to prevent threatened disturbances in their churches, 
 had been compelled on several Sundays to require the 
 presence of the police during service, and that the police 
 had likewise been compelled to protect Ebel and Kanitz 
 in the streets of the city from the insults of an excited 
 populace. When this matter was afterwards referred by 
 the Count to the Chief of Police for verification, the 
 official report of that functionary ran that although from 
 information received (doubtless from Schon) the police 
 had been instructed how to act in case disturbances 
 should take place during public service, or in case Dr. 
 Ebel or Count Kanitz should be publicly insulted, yet 
 seeing that such disturbances and insults never did 
 occur, the police had never been called upon, and never 
 at any time did interfere. This matter, like the lam- 
 poon business, was purely invented by the chief civil 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 1 57 
 
 officer of the crown and his clerical confederate in the 
 Consistory. 
 
 The Ministerium at Berlin had in its archives the 
 record of the occurrences of 18 14, emanating from the 
 same body and directed against the same clergyman,* 
 and reference to the opinion of Schleiermacher might 
 have guided it as to the proper course to be pursued in 
 the premises, which ought to have been the cancelling of 
 the consistorial decrees and the institution of legal pro- 
 ceedings against the Consistory for culpable abuse of 
 their powers and perversion of the ends of justice for the 
 gratification of personal enmity. But there was no 
 Schleiermacher to counsel wisdom, and the prevailing 
 sentiment being rationalistic, the proposition for a crimi- 
 nal inquiry was approved, and on the depositions of 
 three witnesses, who were de facto the informers, referred 
 to the courts. These three witnesses were : 
 
 1. Fink, whose character has been sufficiently de- 
 scribed, and whom Schon, who plumed himself on the 
 use of significant epithets, called " a twister," 
 
 2. Sachs, also described, dubbed by Schon " a snap- 
 ping cur, catching your leg from behind." 
 
 3. The Rural Councillor von Hake, whom Schon de- 
 sired to communicate his impressions of the " Ebelian 
 sect," was a man who, a short time before the suit had 
 been begun, had become known to him under these cir- 
 cumstances : Hake had betrayed a girl on pretence that 
 he was about to be divorced from his wife and would 
 marry her, but having accomplished his purpose, dis- 
 carded her, so that the poor victim appealed to Schon, 
 the governor, for protection. The official protector of 
 
 * See pp. 79-82. 
 
158 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 outraged innocence chose that infamous seducer as his 
 third witness or informer. 
 
 It is proper to state here that the foregoing details are 
 the resu7ne of the official record, and that every word 
 employed may be verified by it. By far the fullest ac- 
 count of the whole matter will be found in the exhaustive 
 work of Count Kanitz, of which this is the full title : 
 Aufkldrung nach Actenquellen ilber den 1835— 1842, {71 
 Kojtigsbergj in Preicssen, gefilhrten Religionsprocess fur 
 Welt-ujid Kirchen-Geschichte, von Ernst Graf en von Ka- 
 nitz, Koniglich Preussischem Tribunalsrath, A. D., Basel 
 und Ludwigsburg, 1862, i vol. 4to, pp. viii., 468 (The 
 Religious Suit Conducted at Konigsberg, in Prussia, from 
 1835 to 1842, Elucidated by the Official Record as a 
 Contribution to Secular and Church History, etc.). This 
 masterpiece, by the concurrent testimony of all true his- 
 torians (no matter how differently the matter was re- 
 garded by some at the time while the record was kept 
 secret) now received as authentic, is the standing monu- 
 ment of his indefatigable perseverance, invincible zeal, 
 and all-conquering friendship, whereby he has succeeded 
 in proving with overwhelming conclusiveness on irre- 
 fragable evidence that said suit was conducted in viola- 
 tion of law, that the charges brought against the accused 
 were baseless, barefaced falsehoods, that the sentences 
 found against them were utterly unjust, and that Ebel 
 and Diestel were bright and shining lights, conspicuous 
 for virtue, spirituality, and faithfulness, whose lofty con- 
 ceptions of the Christian life, and apostolical earnestness 
 in commending and upholding the necessity of applying 
 Christian precepts to every relation of life, were the real 
 cause of the bitter hatred and persecution meted out to 
 them. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 1 59 
 
 The writer, with limited space at his command over 
 which the vast material has to be spread, from a just re- 
 gard to symmetry and proportion, feels that by far the 
 best account that can be given to the reader for the pur- 
 pose of a general survey of the case, is a brief synopsis of 
 the Count's work, preceded by a translation of the testi- 
 monial * addressed to him by the Bench at the time of his 
 retirement from office, produced here for the purpose of 
 informing those to whom that Christian nobleman is un- 
 known of the opinion entertained of him by his colleagues, 
 and of the credit to be attached to his statements : 
 
 *' To the Royal Prussian Tribunal Councillor Count von 
 Kaniiz : 
 
 "Your officially communicated intention of leaving our col- 
 lege, in which during a very long series of years you have filled 
 so distinguished a place, imposes upon us the painful duty of 
 conveying to you our sentiments in a few valedictory words. 
 
 "Your example as a judge of true independence, fidelity, 
 and conscientiousness should animate our imitation, and your 
 pattern of sincere affability in your intercourse with us, your 
 colleagues, have drawn and secured to you the undivided 
 love and esteem of us all, a love and esteem which, next to 
 the cheering consciousness of duty faithfully performed in 
 your own heart, as we know it, represent the noblest recom- 
 pense of reward. 
 
 " These our sentiments, which will ever accompany you 
 through life, render our official farewell greeting peculiarly 
 painful, as they impress us with the magnitude of the loss we 
 are about to sustain. 
 
 "We beg you, along with this assurance, to accept our 
 profound gratitude for the important and successful part you 
 have had in our joint judicial labors, and for the urbane con- 
 
 * The reader will please observe that it was given several years 
 after the termination of the suit. 
 
l6o FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 siderateness which you have ever accorded to our collegiate 
 body, while we trust that we may hereafter be privileged to 
 enjoy the continuance of your good will. 
 
 " May a gracious Providence very soon restore your health, 
 impaired by meritorious zeal in the service of the fatherland, 
 and grant you for many years to come unbroken and un- 
 clouded enjoyment of independent repose and of happiness 
 securely founded on a warfare worthily carried on for truth 
 and justice. 
 
 " The Chancellor and President, the Councillors and 
 
 Assessors of the Royal Tribunal of the Kingdom 
 
 of Prussia. 
 •'V. Wegnern. Tiedmann. Feege. Fischer. 
 
 RiCHELOT. SCHMIEDIKE. LYMPIUS. 
 
 Ulrich. Kuhr. Vock. 
 
 SiMSON. Neumann. 
 
 Charisius. Hoyer. Hartung. 
 
 " Konigsberg, the 30th December, 1845." 
 
 The preface of the Attfkldrung^ recapitulating the 
 Count's connection with the suit, and furnishing certain 
 data essential to the proper understanding of the case, 
 runs : " The author of this work, whose outward and in- 
 ward life is closely interwoven with the affair round 
 which revolves the suit illuminated in its pages, felt it to 
 be his duty from the commencement of the judicial pro- 
 ceedings to co-operate towards the establishment of the 
 truth. His testimony having been declined by the Con- 
 sistory,* he submitted a statement to His Majesty Fred- 
 eric William TIL, bearing date October i8th, 1835, 
 offering to bring his accurate knowledge of the accused 
 and their accusers, *and the motives of their accusations 
 to the cognizance of the proper authorities, in order to 
 
 * See p. 153. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. l6l 
 
 obviate precipitate action to be apprehended from the 
 notorious adverse leanings of several high functionaries 
 of State." 
 
 This led to the result, that the body charged with the 
 investigation of the case was required in a cabinet order, 
 dated November 7, 1835," to request of Count Kanitz the 
 information (or as expressed in another part of the royal 
 mandate the explaiiatioii) which, according to his state- 
 ment, would serve to explain the true nature of the case, 
 and shed light on the individuality of the persons in- 
 volved in the same." 
 
 " The Minister of Justice, moreover, on the 27th day of the 
 same month, made it obligatory on the court conducting the 
 inquiry, ' forthwith and carefully to comply with the execu- 
 tion of this supreme command.' 
 
 "The author, however, enjoyed only a very short time the 
 privilege of satisfying the royal command ; for as early as 
 March 21, 1836, he was again denied the use of the minutes 
 specifying the charges indispensable to the elucidation of the 
 case, as well as access to the record of the subsequent trans- 
 actions, which had been accorded to him since February i, 
 of the same year. 
 
 "Unsuccessful both in setting aside the lateral influences 
 which had occasioned the said denial (to be detailed at the 
 proper place), and in his efforts to prevent certain illegalities, 
 his co-operation looking to the establishment of the truth had 
 thenceforth to be confined to his testimony given before the 
 court. 
 
 *'At that time the elucidation bore on matters of fact, 
 which have become superfluous since the publication of the 
 final sentence in the suit continued to the close of the year 
 1841, according to which the accused were acquitted of all 
 criminal charges, and condemned for holding a philosophico- 
 theologicaX privafe view and the alleged dissemination of the 
 same. It is therefore all the more necessary at this present 
 
1 62 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 time, that the official record should be made to illuminate 
 the influences which rendered it possible that in this nine- 
 teenth century courts oi justice did not only pretend to con- 
 demn religious and philosophical views, but actually under- 
 took to pronounce their colloquial communication as criine^ 
 and to punish the persons concerned, with deposition from 
 the ministry. 
 
 " This work seemed to be prescribed to the author in virtue 
 of his intimate relation to the affair, and of his knowledge of 
 the judicial record, insight of which was accorded to him in 
 the first instance by royal mandate, and subsequently by the 
 counsel for the defence. But its execution was impossible to 
 him while the crowded business of official duties absorbed 
 all his energies. Not until the impaired condition of his 
 health, caused by the toil ot many years' labor, compelled him 
 to resign his office in the service of the State, did he find the 
 necessary leisure, and thanks to the invigorating influence of 
 the milder climate in which he had taken up his abode, the 
 needed strength to compile from former extracts the official 
 data essential to the elucidation of the case. 
 
 " The author, in memory of the prince, whose sense of 
 justice directed him to diffuse light on this matter, hereby 
 fulfils the intent of the royal mandate in making the record 
 reveal the truth, and satisfies the promptings of his own 
 mind to supply proof that the termination of this affair in a 
 result at once illegal, insensate and immoral cannot be laid 
 to the charge of the humane Prussian law, to the administra- 
 tion of which he had for more than forty years consecrated 
 all his powers, but rather to the non-observance and trans- 
 gression of the provisions of that law, whereby in the con- 
 duct of this affair justice has in various ways been outraged 
 and trodden under foot, the liberty of conscience violated, 
 and things sacred delivered to vulgar contempt." 
 
 The work consists of three parts, viz. : I. Prelimina- 
 ries OF THE Suit ; II. History of the Suit ; III. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 163 
 
 Results of the Suit. Of these the first part has been 
 so fully and exhaustively delineated in the preceding 
 pages, that a further synopsis of it would be simple repe- 
 tition ; the same applies to the first subdivision of the 
 second part entitled i. The encroachments of the ecclesiasti- 
 cal authorities^ which are duly chronicled in the beginning 
 of this chapter. The synopsis begins, therefore, with 2. 
 The precipitate iiiterference of the courts and its conse- 
 quences^ which Count Kanitz proves from the transgression 
 of these precepts of the Prussian code. a. The judge 
 must strictly confine himself to the limits of the law ; b. 
 Only facts can be submitted to his judgment ; c. He 
 must maintain the equality of all persons before the law ; 
 and summarizes as follows : The Prussian criminal code 
 prescribes, §§ 106, in, 116, that the informers be heard 
 in court before inquiries are instituted; disregarded. 
 
 §§ 109, 112, that the origin and cause of the charges 
 be inquired into ; disregarded. 
 
 §§ 112, 115, compel the judge, as a preliminary, to 
 inquire into the relations of the accuser to the accused, 
 and the credibility of the former ; wholly 077iitted. 
 
 §§ 108, no, expressly enjoin the utmost caution in 
 maintaining inviolate the good report of the accused ; 
 disregarded. Disregard of these legal precepts for the 
 benefit of the accused led to a number of other illegal 
 acts, among which should be noted the following : 
 
 The Criminal Directory sets forth in 72 paragraphs 
 the manner how \ki^ facts of the case must be established ; 
 omitted. 
 
 In consequence of this omission the prescript mode of 
 procedure was entirely reversed, and the accused were 
 forced to submit for months to inquiries concerning a 
 non-extant corpus delicti ; the dignity of justice was 
 
l64 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 outraged by a search for an offence not established by 
 facts ; the mmutes of the accusation were construed con- 
 trary to law and reason : the directions of the supreme 
 law-giver (the king) for the elucidation of the affair were 
 rendered nugatory by sundry intrigues. 
 
 But this was not all, for these transgressions of the 
 law entailed the most disastrous consequences : 
 
 a. As affecting the congregations of the accused by shak- 
 ing their confidence in the justice of the Government. 
 
 b. As affecting the sanctity of the family by trampling 
 under foot the ties of blood and decorum in requiring parents 
 and children, husbands and wives, to testify on oath against 
 each other. 
 
 c. As affecting the public welfare in giving license to un- 
 bridled passion, in favoring defamatory promulgations and 
 suppressing their refutation, to the prejudice of the public 
 morals, and the encouragement of unprincipled writers to 
 abuse the press. 
 
 3. The illegal conduct of the exammatio7i. 
 
 The Prussian criminal code (§ 274) requires the judge 
 to be as careful to ascertain the innocence as to estab- 
 lish the guilt of the accused, and to define clearly the 
 legal concept of the crime, with reference to the modifi- 
 cations of the penal law affecting the same. 
 
 Nothing was done to define the legal concept of " a 
 sect," although it had been intimated by the Chancellor 
 von Wegnern " that the circle of friends described as a 
 ' society ' ( Verein, lit. union) could not be regarded 
 in the light of a sect, because that required formal 
 separation from the established church, and the mem- 
 bers of the alleged society had never avowed such 
 separation, but on the contrary maintained continuous 
 connection with the same." The examining officer, 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 165 
 
 moreover, officially put it on record that " the status of a 
 sect imports a total separation from the dominant 
 church." Instead of acting upon these cautions, and of 
 limiting the inquiry to the question whether these criteria 
 applied to the case in hand, /. <?., whether the alleged 
 " society " was a sect, that was taken for granted, and 
 the inquiry was allowed to assume inordinate dimensions, 
 and to wander into illicit regions by 
 
 " Hunting for grounds of suspicion in all the provinces of 
 Prussia, and in almost every country of German speech, and 
 weaving together gossip wholly irrelevant to the case, and 
 utterly unconnected with the accused and their friends." — 
 " Fables and curiosa, collected in this way, became the sub- 
 ject of judicial proceedings and sworn examinations, and 
 kept the public in breathless suspense from November, 1835, 
 to August, 1836. Idlers failed not to augment the material 
 thus furnished with the inventions of a vulgar and lascivious 
 imagination, which were eagerly published by a frivolous 
 press. No relation was spared ; all ordinary decorum was 
 set aside ; the sanctity of the family was ruthlessly invaded, 
 and all civil and social relations were rummaged by the 
 intrusiveness of criminal interference." 
 
 All attempts to stay these degrading illegalities were 
 unavailing ; unsubstantiated rumors were, contrary to 
 law, made the basis of official inquiry, even under oath ; 
 opinions, which the law accords only to experts, and to 
 them only when the logical connection is established, 
 were required and accepted from utterly unqualified 
 persons on irrelevant matters ; documentary evidence 
 (restricted under the law to matters germane to the 
 subject of inquiry, and bearing on the decision) of the 
 most dubious and unlawful character was received ; 
 the legal provision that testimony must be based on 
 
1 66 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 actual knowledge of facts obtained by the witness from 
 observation of the senses, was wantonly disregarded, and 
 conjectures and presumptions were illegally received as 
 evidence. In the important matter of the credibility of 
 witnesses, the record shows that a witness, whose repu- 
 tation as an immoral man is established by documentary 
 proof, was allowed to testify on subjects requiring mor- 
 ally pure perceptions. The law forbids the introduction 
 of all irrelevant matter into the examination of the 
 accused and of witnesses, especially that of suggestions 
 (/. <?., of questions containing the matter that ought to be 
 ascertained by the reply), and of captious questions 
 (/. <?., questions inducing the witness to say more than 
 he intended, or misleading or confusing him) ; all the 
 questions submitted to the accused and the witnesses 
 were full of such suggestions and captious features. The 
 provisions of the law requiring " the witness to testify, 
 fully and truly, and if possible, in his own words in the 
 first person," was violated, and witnesses examined on 
 written essays, even on essays composed for them by 
 others, and the sanctity of the oath so outrageously 
 disregarded, that a witness was actually required to 
 testify on oath " whether seven persons whose names 
 were given, had been the candlesticks in the Revelation 
 of St. John ? " The confrontation (/. e., the act of 
 bringing face to face two persons whose testimony on 
 the same subject conflicts) throughout the trial (if 
 trial it can be called) was just as loose and out- 
 rageous a mockery and scandal as the matter of the 
 oaths. The confrontation of the accuser and the ac- 
 cused was under the Prussian code reserved in excep- 
 tional cases as a kind of last resort for getting at the 
 truth ; in this suit the court unlawfully constrained the 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 167 
 
 accused to submit eight times to this unnecessary and 
 absurd procedure, because from the very nature of the 
 case it could not probably promote the interests of 
 truth. The confrontations of the witnesses, likewise, 
 were marked by illegalities and glaring partiality.* 
 While the prosecution was unduly favored, unlawful 
 obstacles were placed in the way of the defence, and the 
 whole inquiry is branded by Count Kanitz as a pattern 
 showing how a criminal inquiry should not be conducted. 
 The Prussian criminal process leaves it optional with 
 the defendant either to write his own defence or to em- 
 ploy a defender. The accused were now required (June 
 2 and 6) to name a defender within a week, and to hand 
 in their defence within a month, and subsequently (July 
 16, 1837) within a fortnight. The documents had accu- 
 mulated to such formidable dimensions that the time 
 allotted for the preparation of the defence was barely 
 sufficient to peruse these " Acts " i^Acten) in the most 
 superficial manner. The legally x^aogrixz^A favor defen- 
 sionis was disallowed, and the action of the court was 
 a grim satire on that just and merciful provision of the 
 law. The accused chose as their defender a legal gen- 
 tleman who, having just arrived at Konigsberg, stood 
 quite neutral to all the parties — Oberlandesgerichtsrath 
 Crelinger — to whom, for the purpose of preparing the 
 defence, all the " acts " — /. ^., the minutes of all the pro- 
 ceedings from beginning to end, without any pretence of 
 arrangement, in a state of bewildering confusion — had to 
 be forwarded. This distinguished jurist went at the 
 herculean task with indomitable energy, and although he 
 succeeded in obtaining more space than had originally 
 
 * Aufkldrung, p. 215 sqq. 
 
l68 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 been granted to the accused, he was continually annoyed 
 by petty chicanery on the part of the court, intentionally 
 put forth to throw every possible difficulty in the way of 
 the defence. The details of the defence need not de- 
 tain us, but in the absence of these as well as of other un- 
 necessary particulars, it may interest the general reader 
 to peruse a private letter of Crelinger to a friend at 
 Halle, written years after his official connection with the 
 case had ceased, in answer to certain inquiries on the 
 subject addressed to him : 
 
 "Allow me," he wrote in 1845, " to state, in the first place, 
 that the said invective [the term ' Mucker ' ], as far as it found 
 its way into the public, is due to a lithographed circular filled 
 with the most revolting abuse, in which the persons in ques- 
 tion were confounded with a party whose dead orthodoxy dons 
 the livery of sanctimonious cant. That offensive term is not 
 so much as mentioned in the ' criminal minutes,' nor has the 
 court ventured to make any inquiries in that direction. That 
 lithographed letter w^as sent all over Germany. I myself 
 saw it at Breslau during the winter of 1835-6. When, in the 
 spring of 1836, I entered upon my professional career in this 
 city, I became officially connected with those persons so 
 hardly assailed. ... It were wrong to conceal from you 
 that the opinion I had formed of my clients, under the domi- 
 nant influence of that lithographic epistle, was not free from 
 prejudice, and injurious to them. But how different were the 
 impressions derived from personal intercourse with these so- 
 called sectaries. So far from being hypocritical (lit. head- 
 droopers) and ' muckisch,' I found them in every respect 
 pursuing lofty moral and intellectual aims. Their candor 
 and love of truthfulness were singularly striking, especially 
 when, as their legal adviser, I recommended that some par- 
 ticulars for the accomplishment of certain ends should either 
 be suppressed or at least be presented in a manner not ex- 
 actly in agreement with the facts of the case, which is not by 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 1 69 
 
 any means disallowed in the handling of lawsuits, and seemed 
 to me necessary; but all my representations of the propriety 
 of that course, and of the legal disadvantages, nay, of actual 
 danger to my clients that would or might ensue from their 
 rejection of that advice, proved unavailing. The practice ot 
 a legal adviser necessitates caution, which in most instances 
 is not only approved but desired by the parties to a suit. I 
 was therefore simply amazed at an exhibition of veracity re- 
 gardless of consequences, which I have rarely met in men of 
 undoubted integrity, but never in the same degree as in those 
 my clients. I need hardly add that it filled me with the 
 highest respect and esteem for them. , . As I began to 
 understand all the bearings of their case, I perceived that 
 their determination would rouse opposition and enmity all 
 around, but especially from a party then incipient, but now, 
 alas, dominant, seeking to make up for the want of spiritual 
 and moral excellence by imaginary Christian phrase and a 
 debasing trifling with religious subjects, which, by the adroit 
 use of sundry co-operating circumstances, brought about the 
 criminal inquisition of 1835-6. It is not improbable that that 
 lithographed circular originated with the same party. . . . 
 You want finally to know if judgment has been pronounced ? 
 There has ; the second and final sentence ot the Court of Ap- 
 peal was given in 1842, resulting in the deprivation of the 
 two clergymen, because their philosophical views of religious 
 subjects were not approved ; it was therefore an inquisitorial 
 sentence, at the time at least unexpected and diametrically 
 opposed to the liberty of thought and belief guaranteed by the 
 law. ... A procedure which makes the strictly private 
 views of an accused person the basis of punishment cannot 
 be denominated otherwise than persecution. ... On the 
 other hand, the court acquitted the accused of the charges of 
 sectarism and of the immoral tendencies publicly rumored, 
 and the second sentence emphatically rebuked the extrava- 
 gant distortions of the press on this point, and public notice 
 thereof has been given in an article printed in No. 80 of the 
 Allgemeine Leipzigcr Zeitung for 1842. . . . You per- 
 
170 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 ceive from this simple answer of your questions tliat the 
 affair belongs to those which essentially concern the interests 
 of right and truth." 
 
 The third part of the "Aufklarung" treats of the 
 Results of the Suit. It is also subdivided into three 
 sections : 
 
 1. The unmasking of the accusers and their ivitnesses. 
 This section wrought by the disregard of the monitions 
 of conscience reveals a warning picture of moral de- 
 vastation in men, who, at one time receptive to nobler 
 impressions, had chosen the better part. The melancholy 
 official record proves that the conduct and testimony of 
 the seven accusers named in the sentences were com- 
 promised not only by their own statements, unsuccessfully 
 defended in the sentences, but by the sworn testimony of 
 the seven witnesses for the defence, as well as by the 
 comparison of the argument of the accusation (prosecu- 
 tion) with that of the defence, in a manner at once de- 
 structive of their credibility and of the argumentation of 
 the sentences, seeking to uphold their credibility in the 
 interests of the prosecution, although the prosecution 
 refused to credit many of their sworn statements. The 
 irresistible inference of this exposure is most damaging 
 to the judicial integrity of the sentences, as will appear 
 more clearly from the analysis of their reasons to be 
 given below. 
 
 2 . The degradation of crimi?ial justice in the first sentence 
 is demonstrated both in the parts relating to the acquittal, 
 and in those relating to the condemnation of the accused. 
 In order to put this clearly, it is necessary to remember 
 that the first judicial sentence in the enumeration of its 
 reasons absolutely rejects any and every criminal charge 
 preferred against the accused, except that of sectarism, 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 171 
 
 and declares them to be utterly unfounded ; that is, it 
 acquits them, and yet in spite of this actual acquittal, 
 fails to declare such acquittal in the tenor (as it is techni- 
 cally called) of the sentence. But the law (§ 488) ex- 
 pressly requires that the crime of which the ^person ac- 
 cused is acquitted, or for which he is punished, be ex- 
 plicitly named in the judgment, /. ^., the tenor. This 
 failure was a crying act of injustice, because the accused, 
 though acquitted of every criminal charge and condemned 
 only for (the unproved) allegation of having founded a 
 sect, were not formally declared innocent of those charges, 
 and further injured in the consequent interpretation of 
 the sentence by the public that they were condemned for 
 the commission of the offences falsely charged against 
 them. In other words, the court had found them in- 
 nocent and yet failed to declare them innocent. This 
 failure on the part of the court to specify in the sentence 
 the innocence of the accused was a wrong opposed to 
 the evidence, to law and to logic, and it would be diffi- 
 cult to brand it more effectually than is done in the dig- 
 nified language and terrible logic of the " Aufklarung." 
 
 The three points just named, viz.: the evidence, the 
 law, and logic on which a judicial sentence must be 
 founded, and for which the judge is responsible to the 
 accused and to public opinion, complete, according to 
 the " Aufklarung," the degradation of criminal justice in 
 the conde7nnatory part of the sentence. The enormities 
 in this respect almost beggar belief, for in the first place 
 the record proves that the accused never intended to 
 found a sect and never did found one ; in the second 
 place, neither the criminal code nor the common law 
 of Prussia contains a law under which the accused clergy- 
 men could be proceeded against, and that Wollner's 
 
1/2 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 notorious religious edict of 1788, directed against neology 
 (repudiated and opposed by the accused clergymen), and 
 abrogated in 1794 by the common law, and in 1798 by 
 cabinet order, was illegally and in defiance of logic and 
 common sense perverted and misapplied to the case of 
 two men who dared to entertain a private philosophical 
 view on the origin of the world, etc., not shared by the 
 dominant theologians at Konigsberg, and last, not least, 
 that the corpus jiwis of the Roman empire was ransacked 
 for certain provisions made under Valentinian and 
 Marcian, fourteen hundred years before, against the he- 
 retical sects of the period, and made the basis for finding 
 Ebel and Diestel guilty of having founded a heretical 
 sect. Having perused the atrocious nonsense raked up, 
 twisted, misapplied and tortured into fitting by those 
 remarkable custodians of the law for the administration 
 of justice, the writer can think only of two parallels, the 
 one belonging to the realm of fable — the wolf and the 
 lamb — and the other, the history of the Inquisition, and 
 feels constrained to admire the extraordinary and digni- 
 fied moderation of the concluding paragraphs of this 
 section of the " Aufklarung : " '' In presence of all the 
 particulars furnished in the preceding pages demonstrat- 
 ing that the sentence in question has with a daring stroke 
 of the pen violated not only the truth as established by 
 evidence, but also, the laws of right and reason ; remem- 
 bering moreover that only a portion of those violations 
 has been denounced, as it lay beyond the limits and ends 
 of this work to furnish an exhaustive criticism of this 
 sentence which would have exhausted the patience of 
 the reader,— remembering all this, the conviction is ir- 
 resistible that it is impossible to conceive a more huiniliat- 
 ing degradation of the administration of criminal justice in 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 173 
 
 Prussia than the fact that such a document, duly authen- 
 ticated by the confirmatory formula V. R. W. {von 
 Rechtswegen^ i. c, because of right) and the signature of 
 a respected court of justice, regarded as impartial, could 
 have been published to the world, without pretending to 
 distribute the degree of responsibility of the different 
 individuals who "because of right and because of wrong" 
 participated in its production, the most prejudiced will 
 be forced to confess that this sentence is responsible for 
 the commission of a crime vastly greater than that which 
 it pretended had been committed, and that it furnishes 
 an array of facts not by any means redounding to the 
 honor of its authors. 
 
 "Church history furnishes, it is true, examples in bygone 
 ages of condemnatory judgments in matters of faitli, whereby 
 the benefactors of the race have been sacrificed to party 
 hatred because they opposed the universal corruption, and 
 false witnesses charged them with some transgression or 
 crime ; but it cannot instance another judicial sentence 
 drawn up in this century marked at all decisive points by an 
 utter disregard of truth, law, and logic, and unable to pro- 
 duce an offence punishable in law, pronounced a judgment 
 of condemnation on views and opinions, and ruthlessly smote 
 in the face the advanced civilization and tendency of the age 
 for the purpose of crushing out a ministerial activity fitted 
 truly and lastingly to meet the wants of our time. 
 
 " This sentence is and remains, therefore, a significant 
 document, illustrative of the danger accruing to right and 
 morality by any and every deviation from law. The futility 
 of its attempted perversion of truth into untruth is also an 
 attestation of the purity and rectitude of the true Christian 
 life, which, in spite of outward oppression and in proportion 
 to the violence meted out to it by the powers of the world, 
 always has and ever will overcome the world." 
 
174 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 This " sentence," as well as the final one, already fre- 
 quently referred to, cannot be given to the reader in this 
 volume, for their production would necessitate about two 
 additional volumes of the size of this ; the fact is that 
 the two sentences cover about a thousand folio pages in 
 manuscript, and this solitary fact may suffice to illustrate 
 the difference between the old system of criminal pro- 
 cedure in private and the new system of public trials 
 (in Germany). One single word in case of acquittal, and 
 only two words in case of condemnation are needed now, 
 where a thousand pages of foolscap were required forty 
 years ago. If the case of Ebel and Diestel were extant 
 now, no grand jury in England or America would dare 
 to indict them, and, should an indictment be made, the 
 case could not be tried at all, and would be quashed the 
 first day. 
 
 The third and last section of this part bears the title : 
 3. The condemnation of the whole suit by the final sentence. 
 
 The judgment of the Criminal Senate of the Kammer- 
 gericht at Berlin, drawn up March 28, 1839, and pub- 
 lished five months later, August 30, 1839, was to the 
 effect that the two accused clergymen — 
 
 " Be deprived of their office and declared unfit for any pub- 
 lic office, for intentional violation of their duty, and that, 
 moveover. Dr. Ebel, for having founded a sect, be removed 
 to some public insdtuUon and detained there until he have 
 given proof of amendment." 
 
 From this judgment Ebel and Diestel appealed to the 
 Senate of Appeal of the Supreme Court, and their de- 
 fender in the first instance. Dr. Crelinger, drew up a 
 lucid brief, clearly showing that the " Acts " contained 
 abundant data disproving all the charges preferred 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT, I75 
 
 against his clients, and moving upon the recital of those 
 data their full acquittal, and sabmitting that the corre- 
 spondence of the Consistory and of Schon with the Min- 
 isterium at Berlin and Minister von Altenstein be re- 
 quired to be procured, and that the sworn statements of 
 Frau von Bardeleben, a witness for the defence, be re- 
 ceived in evidence. 
 
 But as both that correspondence and the depositions 
 of said witness would have unravelled the machinations 
 of the promoters of the persecution, the motion impli- 
 cating Schon and other high officials was w^antonly disre- 
 garded, and after the further lapse of eighteen months 
 the court drafted, on December 4, 1841, and caused to 
 be published at Konigsberg on February 2, 1842, the fol- 
 lowing judgment : 
 
 «' That the finding of the Criminal Senate of March 28, 1 839, 
 published August 30, 1839, t>e so far modified that the ac- 
 cused be deprived of their office and be declared unfit for any 
 public office, not for intentional violation of their duty,, but 
 for violation of their duty from gross negligence, to wit: that 
 the accused, Dr. Johann Wilhelm Ebel, be dismissed from 
 his office of archdeacon and preacher of the Old-Town 
 Church at Konigsberg, and that the accused Georg Heinrich 
 Diestel be dismissed from his office of preacher of the Haber- 
 berg Church at Konigsberg; and further, that Dr. Ebel be 
 acquitted from the charge of having founded a sect, and that 
 the finding of his detention in a public institution be can- 
 celled." 
 
 It will be observed that this judgment cancelled in- 
 deed the most crying blunder of the lower court, viz. : 
 the condemnation on the ground of having founded a 
 sect, but upheld, nevertheless, the chief wrong in prin- 
 dpio, namely, that free inquiry and the effort of urging 
 
1/6 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 the application of biblical principles to the thought and 
 life of men were condemned as criminal and visited with 
 criminal punishment. 
 
 The antagonism running through the second sentence 
 both in its acquitting and condemnatoiy portions is 
 very pronounced. Forced to reject the charge of sec- 
 tarianism, and not daring to uphold the support of the 
 Religious Edict as a monstrosity abhorrent to the spirit 
 of the age, it nevertheless inflicted a punishment without 
 an offence to be punished, and thus involuntarily con- 
 demned the whole suit, by showing that the criminal 
 procedure was utterly unfounded and unjustifiable. 
 
 The reader may desire to know how the court could 
 thus stultify itself and perpetrate so outrageous a piece 
 of injustice as that of punishing men for something 
 which they had not only not committed, but of which 
 they were acquitted. This explanation will now be 
 given in brief. 
 
 It is comprehended in the single proposition that the 
 second sentence, like the first, both in its acquitting 
 and condemnatory portions, went in direct opposition to 
 the evidence, to the laws of the land, and to the dictates 
 of logic. The acquittal from the charge of sectarianism 
 on the ground that the founding of a sect necessitates 
 separation from the established church, and that in the 
 case in hand no such separation was attempted, designed 
 or effected, is judicially conclusive ; and there the mat- 
 ter ought to have ended. But the author of the sentence 
 undertook the superfluous reiteration on sixty folio pages 
 of all the defamatory charges of the accusers, without an 
 equally explicit recital of their rebuttal, which in all fair- 
 ness he was bound to do. He introduced the evidence 
 for the defence only to set it aside, and distort the case. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 1 7/ 
 
 The condemnatory part of the sentence deals with : 
 
 1. FamiUar conversation with friends on metaphysical, 
 philosophical and theological questions. 
 
 2. Conversational expressions relating to the sanctity 
 of the marriage relation, and 
 
 3. Treats these conversations as violations of official 
 duty, and on that account inflicts the punishment named 
 in the judgment. 
 
 Reference to Appendix B, where the topics touched 
 under i are fully illustrated in copious extracts, will 
 suffice to show the absurdity of making them the subject 
 of criminal inquiry, and the outrage of branding their 
 conversational discussion as a criminal offence. If the 
 official record were not there to prove the unheard-of 
 injustice, it would be incredible. Let the matter be 
 illustrated. I have before me the December number of 
 the Contejnpoj'aiy Review (1881) which contains Profes- 
 sor Calderwood's article on Evolution. Let a clergy- 
 man, who is in the habit of discussing intellectual or 
 speculative topics with a select number of educated mem- 
 bers of his congregation, make evolution the theme of 
 inquiry, and avow his conviction that " the rational is 
 the key to existence." Some one charges him there- 
 upon with heresy and sectarism, the matter is made 
 the subject of criminal investigation, and in spite of his 
 protestation to the contrary, of his having never taught 
 anything of the kind, in fact of his having never taught 
 anything contrary to the received standards of his 
 church, but simply conversed on the subject of evolution 
 with his friends, and in spite of incontrovertible proof 
 to that effect, those conversations are nevertheless de- 
 nounced as criminal violations of his duty as a clergy- 
 man, and he is on that account illegally punished with 
 8* 
 
178 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 deprivation. That is the case of Ebel and Diestel. 
 That aspect of the case need not detain us. 
 
 2. Conversational expressions relating to the sanctity 
 of the marriage relation. 
 
 The matter referred to here had been made the start- 
 ing-point* of all the infamous slanders circulated in the 
 lithographed letter, in the press, and otherwise against 
 Ebel and his sect, especially by Schon, Fink and id oiime 
 genus. It has likewise been unearthed, in the most un- 
 warrantable manner by William Hepworth Dixon in his 
 sensational book called " Spiritual Wives." The present 
 writer, very soon after the appearance of that bad book, 
 took occasion publicly to denounce its true character in 
 an article on the Konigsberg Religious Suit, printed in 
 the Bibliotheca Sacra, October, 1869. It is referred to 
 here merely as a matter of history, for the book itself 
 has been buried in well-merited oblivion a considerable 
 number of years, and Dixon, who likewise died years 
 ago, never dared to answer the scathing pamphlet of Dr. 
 Wilhelm Ebel,"^ in which he is openly charged with and 
 proved to be guilty of malicious and deliberate false- 
 hood. Although the matter might be passed over in 
 general terms, it seems better to produce from the 
 record all that there is of it, in order that it be perma- 
 nently available to any and all desirous of knowing the 
 truth, and how easy it is, by persistent and lascivious 
 calumny, to degrade the noblest utterances to the vilest 
 and most ignominious ribaldry. I do not propose to 
 stain the pages of this book, or to insult the memory 
 of the sainted dead with the repetition of those calum- 
 
 ^ Dixon's und Bunker's Seelenbrdnte silhouettirt, von Wilhelm 
 Ebel, Dr. phil. Basel und Ludwigsburg, 1869. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 1 79 
 
 nies, but shall confine myself to the evidence in this 
 matter. 
 
 The whole conversation, conducted in the presence of 
 witnesses, and sworn to by one of the chief insiigatoj's of 
 the suit as beifig the whole, was, in the words of Eduard von 
 Hahnenfeld,* made under oath and, in writing, as follows: 
 
 " I remember how Ebel, in a conversation with several 
 gentlemen, in response to questions submitted to him, called 
 attention to the circumstance that man created in the image 
 of God was originally so constituted that his body and soul, 
 his understanding and feelings, were harmoniously adjusted, 
 that the promptings of the flesh diet not disturb him^ seeing 
 that his intellectual nature dominated over the physical, and 
 that then, in the enjoyment of peace and a good conscience, 
 there was nothing to interfere with his upward look to God. 
 But that peace and that calm upward look to God vanished 
 when he fell into sin, in consequence whereof the equilibrium 
 of his powers became disturbed, sense began to predominate 
 and animal promptings to agitate him. From that time for- 
 ward he stood in need of garments, for sin having also dis- 
 turbed the sexual relations, mankind ever since became so 
 sadly degraded that the majority of the race yielded to animal 
 promptings and to carnal appetites that war against the soul, 
 on which account the holy Scriptures warn us to abstain 
 from fornication and enjoin the duty of chastity. Holy Scrip- 
 ture, moreover, recommends and exhorts us to the recovery 
 of chastity, and to yield ourselves to the influence of the 
 Spirit in order that, according to our original destiny, reason, 
 and not the animal part of our nature, should dominate. 
 The noble-minded accordingly consider it their duty to main- 
 tain purity in love. It is true that in this their aim good and 
 spiritually-minded men have erred and failed ; some, deeming 
 purity in love an utter impossibility, insisting upon the prac- 
 tice of celibacy as conformable to the will of God ; but this is 
 
 * Religiose Bewegtmg^ pp. 73-75. 
 
l80 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 contradicted by the tenor of the whole sacred volume, which 
 recommends the purification and exaltation, not the exter- 
 mination, of the divinely-implanted promptings of our nature. 
 Others, indeed, believing in and striving after the possibility 
 of restoring sexual purity by the perilous delusion of over- 
 coming temptation through familiarity, w^ander likewise from 
 the teachings of Holy Scripture, which contains not the faint- 
 est trace of recommending the mortifying of the flesh by such 
 arbitrary means ; we should not seek without for that which 
 must be born within us. 
 
 " The sense of shame must not be suppressed, for though 
 it entered our nature with the fall, it is a precious thing to be 
 well guarded, and as a* witness of the Holy Spirit within 
 us that we are sinful and have fallen from original inno- 
 cence ; the sense of shame should correct us, and we ought 
 to be very careful not to destroy it. It is only by living in 
 the Spirit that we can establish the supremacy of mind over 
 sense, and not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. 
 
 " Liberties with members of the other sex are reprehensible 
 under all circumstances, incompatible with proper decorum, 
 and perilous to pure morals, on which account the commerce 
 of the sexes requires to be hedged in by the utmost precau- 
 tions. 
 
 " In the conjugal relation, likewise, purity ought to prevail, 
 and sense ever be subordinate to mind. Marriage, to those 
 who are born of God, is the beginning of the restoration of 
 our original purity ; those united together in holy wedlock 
 love each other consciously under the sacred promptings of 
 the Spirit, each regarding the other as the child of the Father 
 in Heaven, who gave each to the other for their mutual 
 happiness, and their union is not like that of brutes and brut- 
 ish men, the promptings of low instincts, but impelled by the 
 promptings of love, whose seat is the heart, and whose Lord 
 is the Spirit." 
 
 Now these were the sentiments of Ebel, and who can 
 deny that they are lofty, true, and ennobling ? All else 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. l8l 
 
 was calumny. And such advice, kindly and lovingly 
 tendered to those who, in the course of a long ministry, 
 came to seek it at his hands ; advice tending to purify, 
 elevate, and ennoble the lower instincts of our nature 
 into divinely implanted promptings designed to make 
 and keep us pure and good, was condemned as criminal 
 by an insensate judge on the testimony of avowed and 
 convicted sensualists, imbruted in carnality of the lowest 
 and most abandoned order.* 
 
 But the crowning piece of this arbitrary sentence, in 
 open conflict with the evidence, the laws of the land, and 
 with reason, is the absurdity of calling these imaginary 
 offences instances of violated official duty, for it is im- 
 possible to conceive by what process of reason, logic, or 
 justice a clergyman may be deprived of the privilege of 
 private conversation, which is accorded to every other 
 human being not a clergyman, and especially guaranteed 
 by law to every Prussian subject, who enjoys the inalien- 
 able rights of liberty of thought, liberty of conscience, 
 and liberty of speech. According to this wonderful 
 sentence a clergyman, because he is a clergyman, ceases 
 to have a private life, to forfeit the privilege of private 
 thought and its expression to his friends in private conver- 
 sation. 
 
 From this second and final sentence there was no 
 further appeal to any other earthly tribunal in Prussia, 
 but there was an appeal to the Highest Tribunal, superior 
 to earthly courts of justice, to the Tribunal of eternal truth 
 and right in the courts above, and that appeal, made in 
 humble, earnest prayer, in meek resignation, and trium.- 
 phant faith has not been made in vain, for He that 
 
 * See what is said of Sachs, Hake, and others, pp. i2i sq. ; 157. 
 
1 82 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 judgeth righteous judgment has long since established 
 the innocence of Ebel and Diestel, and so overruled the 
 injustice meted out to them that the very wrath of man 
 has been made to praise Him, and the righteousness of 
 His persecuted servants has been brought forth as the 
 light and their judgment as the noonday. 
 
 There are still several particulars connected with the 
 period of the suit which remain to be chronicled. After 
 the suspension of Ebel, there was one day found in a 
 street of Konigsberg the copy of a petition, sent by the 
 catechumens of Ebel to His Majesty the King of Prussia, 
 which, on account of the beautiful and touching tribute 
 it pays to him, and because of the tender sympathy in 
 which it originated, deserves to be put on permanent 
 record. It runs thus : 
 
 " High and most potent king ! Most gracious, and dearly 
 beloved king and lord ! Respectfully and full of confidence 
 we venture to approach the throne of our prince, and urge 
 upon the paternal heart of our dear king the earnest suppli- 
 cation : ' Give us back our beloved teacher ! ' 
 
 "We, the catechumens of Dr. Ebel, archdeacon and 
 preacher of the Old-Town Church of the city, some of us 
 having been confirmed by him within the last few years, and 
 others accepted of him for instrucdon several months ago, 
 feel most deeply pained, because malice has succeeded by 
 invented falsehoods and calumnies to bring about the suspen- 
 sion from office of this our venerable religious instructor. 
 Although himself far above such base accusations which are 
 unable to cast him down, but fill us with profound abhorrence 
 and painful sorrow, and constrain us to forward these words 
 of childlike suppHcation to the dear father of our country to- 
 wards whom the hearts of all of us go out in hopeful expect- 
 ation. We feel ourselves deserted, bereft as we are of our 
 fatherly friend and teacher, and many a one among us ex- 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 1 83 
 
 claimed : ' I shall write to our king ! ' this could not remain 
 an empty speech, and we resolved to pour out the earnest 
 desire and most cherished longing of our heart before our 
 dear prince ; oh, that we were able to describe in lively colors 
 the piety and love of Dr. Ebel, rendering happy all that sur- 
 round him, and prompting the hearts of all men to whatever 
 is good, and to present to your Majesty a portraiture of his 
 life consecrated to God. Words cannot express it — we have 
 experienced in our hearts the shining influence of our godly 
 teacher, the vital power of divine love streaming forth from 
 his every word, mightily quickening from death unto life, and 
 love, and obedience to God and man, and causing us to de- 
 light in the practice of virtue and the discharge of our duty. 
 If we were able in our feeble words to delineate the picture 
 of this man who has only God before his eyes and in his heart, 
 and has likewise understood to fill our hearts with the desire 
 to love God and walk in His wa3^s — our dear king, who loves 
 godliness and piety, and in whom next to God we place our 
 entire hope, we are convinced would perceive that he is in- 
 nocent. The hours in which our dear teacher has made us 
 acquainted with the will of God were until now the most 
 beautiful of our life, henceforth it will be that hour in which 
 the grace and justice of your Majesty shall restore him to us. 
 May we not have to wait long in vain, and may our united 
 supplication reach the heart of our dear and venerated king ! 
 Yes, it will be done, we shall not have asked in vain for 
 justice. 
 
 "When Dr. Ebel announced to the congregation your 
 Majesty's order for the rebuilding of the Old-Town Church, 
 he gratefully exclaimed : ' Yea, thy king hath comforted thee 
 and turned thy sorrow into joy. Give ear, now, every mem- 
 ber of this congregation, give ear thou royal city, give ear O 
 fatherland throughout thy borders, the heart of our king hath 
 comforted us ! ' Will he not also comfort us now ? 
 
 "Confidingly looking up to the throne of our dear king, 
 whom our dear teacher has taught us to honor, love and re- 
 member in our prayers, we remain in profound obedience 
 
1 84 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 and with respectful affection your Majesty's most faithful 
 children." 
 
 The event referred to at the close of the foregoing 
 petition belongs to the year 1835, and was the result of 
 Ebel's indefatigable energy ; the king had subscribed a 
 handsome sum and augmented it by a new one along 
 with the cabinet order drawn up on the evening before 
 his birthday (Aug. 3, 1835) ; he also approved the plan of 
 enclosing the site of the Old-Town Church (which Schon 
 wanted to convert into a cabbage market), and of plant- 
 ing it with trees, as a standing memorial of the planting 
 of God which for centuries had been so tenderly nursed 
 on that sacred spot.* Ebel at the time made this modest 
 entry among his memoranda : *' O gracious God, thou 
 hast crowned our effort with success in enabling us to 
 provide a new church for the Old-Town congregation. 
 But a preacher after thine own heart I have been unable 
 (as presiding officer of the church collegium) to secure. " 
 
 It is gratifying to record that the last prayer also has 
 been mercifully heard and answered, and the Reverend 
 Mr. Lackner, the present incumbent of the church, is 
 such a man, and delights to trace and recognize the 
 blessed fruits of Ebel's ministry. Not long ago he is re- 
 
 * It was Count Kanitz, who, in order to prevent the desecration 
 of that hallowed spot, rented it for an indefinite number of years, 
 bore the expense of enclosing it with an iron fence and transforming 
 it into a beautiful park, an ornament of the city. The place belongs 
 now either to the municipality or to the congregation ; it is in a 
 state of excellent preservation, and displays in the midst of shrub- 
 bery and flowers a handsome fountain. As the trees and plants 
 were deemed a fitting symbol of the planting of God, so the foun- 
 tain is an equally appropriate emblem of the fountain of living 
 waters for the healing of the people. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 185 
 
 ported to have stated to a lady at Konigsberg : " How 
 could the effects of Dr. Ebel's ministry have continued 
 so long, if a single iota of all the calumnies about him 
 had been founded in truth ? . . . . When I meet 
 those who Avould maintain the contrary, I make ^ery 
 opposition, for I know better than any one what kind of 
 seed he sowed." 
 
 Another pleasing and interesting event belonging to 
 the trying period of the suit, when the storm of persecu- 
 tion was fiercest, is the following. The people at Konigs- 
 berg, I mean the great mass of the people, were utterly 
 incredulous as to the slanders so sedulously and persist- 
 ently propagated, and their faith in Ebel was as unshaken 
 as their affection for him was deep-seated ; they knew 
 that he was a persecuted man, and they sought occasion 
 for the public expression of their opinion. It is cus- 
 tomary at Konigsberg that on Christmas Eve bands of 
 musicians pass through the streets playing solemn Christ- 
 mas chorals. Such a chorus of trombones was approach- 
 ing the street in which Ebel lived. The family was as- 
 sembled in the Doctor's room for the purpose of celebrat- 
 ing in the true German fashion the time-honored IVei'/i- 
 nachtsbescheerimg, and heard the solemnly joyous strains 
 of the majestic trombones ; the windows were opened 
 that all might hear the beautiful music as it went past ; 
 the chorus did not go past, but took up its stand before 
 the house, and in the hearing of the whole church-square, 
 right under Ebel's windows, played an entire stanza of 
 the ancient hymn : 
 
 " Gelobet seist du Jesus Christ, 
 Dass du Mensch geboren hist,'' etc. 
 
 The good doctor wept tears of joy over this beautiful 
 
1 86 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 celebration of the " birthday of the Lord Jesus," and this 
 public and touching recognition of his worth. 
 
 The judgment of the final sentence of course imposed 
 the necessity of an enforced outward and official dissolu- 
 tion of his connection with the Old-Town Church ; the 
 far stronger inward connection with every member of his 
 flock, which lived in their hearts and souls, could not be 
 broken by that unjust decree ; those ties were in- 
 dissoluble, and were understood to be so both by him- 
 self and the people. 
 
 In his farewell addressed to the officers of the con- 
 gregation he wTote : 
 
 " The judgment of the Supreme Senate of Appeals of the 
 Royal Kammergericht deprives me of my office of archdeacon 
 of the Old-Town Church. God has vouchsafed to honor His 
 servant by deigning to set upon him and upon his nearly 
 thirty years' service in the Christian ministry the seal of legit- 
 imation, and to utter thereby a word of profound significance 
 to all familiar with his ministry of the Word." 
 
 A letter written by him about this time affords further 
 insight of his feelings : 
 
 " Time in its development hastens onward to maturity, 
 and God, who willeth that all men should be saved, also 
 willeth that by free choice laying hold of salvation they should 
 come to a knowledge of the truth. This knowledge, however, 
 can only be found through faith in the declarations of the 
 Bible. Our age needs a philosophy, and seeks one ; but it 
 will continue in perplexity unnl it learns to subordinate rea- 
 son to the divine Word. Such is the drift and spirit of the 
 philosophy which ranging itself below the Bible, advances no 
 other claim than that of supplying the thinking mind with 
 a key to open the Bible, and repudiate the views and conse- 
 quences which others have imputed to it. This philosophy, 
 instead of oppugning the fundamental truths of the evangeli- 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 1 87 
 
 cal church, confirms them, and is a trusty weapon directed 
 at once against the unbeHef and the show rehgion of the 
 age. 
 
 " With profound gratitude to God I now confess, that while 
 other philosophies have carried away from the Bible hun- 
 dreds of my brethren in the ministry, this philosophy has pre- 
 served me from the loose seductions of a turbulent age, and 
 given me in the evangelical confession of faith a strength of 
 conviction which, in spite of incessant hostility, has remained 
 unshaken in strictly biblical preaching. 
 
 " Committing therefore all things to Him, who gave to man 
 the word of the Bible, which, as to the whole of the contents 
 I hold to be divine truth, and trusting in Him who has thus 
 far so wonderfully led me, I retire from office with a quiet 
 mind." 
 
 From still another letter, less formal, written to Pastor 
 Gasbeck in Preuss-Eylau, his brother-in-law, and bear- 
 ing date March 14, 1842, are drawn these passages : 
 
 " Never shall I forget the love and sympathy with which in 
 the spring-time of our friendship you rejoiced with me over 
 the victory of God over the adversaries of His truth, which 
 you even then (in 18 14) did know. The authorities have in 
 the year 1841 become guilty of what the Ministerium for Eccle- 
 siastical Affairs then described as inconsistency and an act of 
 violence bearing the appearance of persecution. Still we have 
 His blessed word that 'the gates of hell shall not prevail 
 against His church ; ' and in the measure as I feel conscious 
 (what my adversaries were constrained to admit) that all my 
 work originated in sincere faith in Him, and in the desire to 
 reconcile this my sacred faith with reason, I am cheerful and 
 composed. These words, used by Consistorial Rath Kahler 
 in his lampoon (in condemnation of his own conduct) as de- 
 scriptive of the frame of mind in which I received the sus- 
 pension, thank God, continue to express my feelings, for I 
 know that my life has always been consecrated to God and to 
 
1 88 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 the service of my fellow-men in love. . . . There are 
 moments in life when language fails us, when it behooves us 
 to be still, and without advancing any claims, to depend on 
 the love of our friends. . . . And now, my dear ones, 
 we unite in love to you and your children with our best 
 wishes, in remembrance of the years when you, along with 
 others, heard from my mouth, and I may add from my inmost 
 heart, the message of God ; thanks, my warmest thanks, for 
 every proof of your love, which has often, very often done me 
 good, and while I write this, moved to tears, I beg that your 
 prayers and remembrance may accompany us to our retire- 
 ment." 
 
 It will be remembered that Mrs. Ebel was the eldest 
 daughter of the burgess of Quittainen. The good bur- 
 gess had gone home at the time of the suit, but his widow 
 was still on earth. One of her sons, Bernhardt Lein- 
 weber, had been very successful as a farmer, and was 
 devotedly attached to Ebel, through whose instrumen- 
 tality and that of Kanitz he had made his way in the 
 world. When he heard that the Ebels were about to 
 leave Konigsberg, he felt that he ought to do something 
 to lighten their burden, and a few days before they bade 
 adieu to the beloved city, he came with a ponderous 
 train laden with solid products of his farm, in the shape 
 of potatoes, flour, dried fruit and the like, begging them 
 kindly to accept his free-will offering as a loving con- 
 tribution to their new establishment. 
 
 About five weeks after the foregoing letter was written. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SUIT. 189 
 
 and after all the arrangements for leaving the parson- 
 age had been completed, after the sad and last words 
 of farewell had been spoken, there came early in the 
 morning of April 26, 1842, Baron Ernst von Heyking 
 (the same from whose beautiful manuscript so many in- 
 teresting details have been taken) to be with the family 
 to the last. He had really come to comfort and cheer 
 by his presence Ebel and his family, but the tender, gen- 
 tle, kindly man felt so sad at heart that instead of com- 
 forting them, Ebel had to comfort him ; tears glistened 
 in his eyes and in his grief language died on his lips. 
 But he was there in love, and it was he who helped them 
 into the coach, and when his straining eyes could no 
 longer see the coach which carried away his dear friends, 
 and the sound of the wheels grew fainter on the pave- 
 ment, he returned to lock the doors, and took the keys 
 to the parish-clerk. 
 
 And so Ebel was gone from his dear Old-Town Church, 
 gone from Konigsberg, and the enemies of that godly 
 man, and the enemies of the truth which he so manfully 
 and nobly advocated seemed to triumph. It was a poor 
 triumph : v/hat became of them individually I cannot 
 tell ; I only know that Ebel forgave them truly and sin- 
 cerely the wrong they had done him, and that the Prime 
 Minister of Prussia, the late Rudolph von Auerswald, the 
 personal friend of the reigning emperor of Germany, told 
 his sister, the sainted Countess Ida von der Groben, in a 
 conversation held at Hoheneck, a number of years later 
 in reference to them that " they had all come to grief.' 
 They have long since gone to their account, and it is not 
 necessary to name them again. On the suit itself the 
 words of Lactantius {Insfitiit. v.) seem to furnish an ap- 
 propriate commentary : 
 
1 90 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 " What maybe the chief element of this strong, determined 
 hatred ? Does truth bring forth hatred ? Or are they ashamed 
 of their wickedness in presence of the righteous and the good ? 
 Or is it both ? For truth is hated for no other reason than 
 that the'sinner desires full scope for his sins, and thinks that 
 his wickedness can only then be fully gratified when there is 
 none left to rebuke it. On this account the pagans want to 
 exterminate the Christians as the witnesses of their malice 
 and wickedness, for they loathe them as those who rebuke 
 their lives. For why should a few be good at so inconve- 
 nient a season, and by their good conversation reproach the 
 general immorality ? Why should not all be equally bad, 
 thievish, unchaste, adulterous, perjured, lustful and cunning ? 
 Such being the case, it did not suffice to oppress the Chris- 
 tians by outward acts of violence ; they had, if possible, to be 
 morally annihilated. And how could that be done more 
 effectually than by distorting their doctrine " (branding it as 
 infamous) " and by slandering their conversation ? " * 
 
 * It is remarkable, instructive, and most consoling to the be- 
 liever in the Bible as the Word of God, that no power of human or 
 earthly origin can prevail against it. The rationalists and Eras- 
 tians of Konigsberg thought they had killed the Bible when they 
 cried down Schonherr, and strove by calumny to kill Ebel. Their 
 very opposition made the cause more prominent, and their calum- 
 nies brought out the truth. The pure evangelical and biblical 
 teaching of Ebel has raised him to a pedestal of glory, and his name 
 will be delivered to posterity as that of saint and martyr, who in the 
 nineteenth century proclaimed, and was persecuted because he pro- 
 claimed, personal holiness as the indispensable concomitant and 
 exponent of the Christian life. The names and the memory of his 
 persecutors are buried in oblivion, but the name of Ebel, the wit- 
 ness and lover of Jesus, is better known than ever, and the truth of 
 his beautiful life will be read wherever English and German speech 
 are known. . 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 RE ST. 
 
 It has been stated that the great mass of the people 
 at Konigsberg never beHeved the charges that had 
 been brought against Ebel, while the suit was pending, 
 and when it became known that he was acquitted of any 
 and everything that malice had been able to invent, that 
 he was likewise acquitted of the mysterious crime of 
 having founded a sect, of whose very existence nobody 
 at Konigsberg had the remotest idea, and concerning 
 which it moreover transpired that it never had any ex- 
 istence except in the heated and inventive brains of the 
 promoters of the suit, the people, of course, who knew 
 and loved Ebel, and knew far better than any one else the 
 character and aims of his opponents, were more devoted 
 to him than ever before, when in spite of that knowledge, 
 in spite of his innocence, he was unjustly deprived of his 
 office. He was in their eyes a martyr to official incompe- 
 tence and theological hatred ; and they would have loved 
 him just as much as they did, if the stupid sect-business 
 had been true ; they knew that Ebel was their friend, that 
 he preached the truth, that he was a good man and a true, 
 and the dogma, or rather the speciilative concept of the 
 dualistic principle lay in a region they could not and did 
 not care to explore ; and as that dogma or principle had 
 
 191 
 
192 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 no more connection with sectarianism than the theory of 
 the northwest passage or the primary uses and designs of 
 the pyramids, they left the matter supremely alone, and 
 only grieved, and in the bitterness of sorrow, as a law- 
 abiding people, submitted to the inevitable separation 
 from him ; but they never ceased to love him and, as 
 will be seen by-and-by, looked upon him as their God- 
 sent minister until he fell asleep. As for the noble band 
 of his personal friends, they were true to him to a man 
 they loved him and esteemed him, and all that were 
 near to him — if it were possible better than ever before — 
 and the only question among them was as to who should 
 enjoy the privilege of doing most for him. 
 
 Where was he to live ? What was he to do ? Let 
 the matter be realized. He had just completed the 
 fifty-eighth year of his life ; by his side stood his help- 
 mate, the brave and gentle Augusta, and four children, 
 three sons and a daughter. Lebrecht, the oldest, held 
 a tutorship ; * Wilhelm was just beginning to make his 
 way, and Theodor was still pursuing his studies ; and 
 there was Adalberta, the only surviving daughter (an- 
 other daughter, Justine, had died in childhood). She 
 was a merry child of eleven summers, whom the good 
 Ebel used to call his "jubilee-gift," because she, the 
 long wished-for daughter, had come just two days before 
 the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordination ; her 
 bright ways and constant mirthfulness were like sunshine 
 to him in the gloom of the dismal suit. This charming 
 
 * The Rev. Lebrecht Ebel settled in Pomerania, where he found 
 a fast and true friend in Count von Munchovv, see pp. 141, 203. 
 He died at Berlin, and was buried at Sallentin in 1872, and his two 
 surviving sons hold positions in the postal service of Ge/inany. 
 
REST. 193 
 
 Christian household, united in love, had to be scattered, 
 for though Adelberta would go with her parents, the sons 
 had to be left behind, and that was a great and sore trial 
 to Ebel and his wife, especially to her ; for though one 
 and all were good, dear children, brought up in the fear 
 of God, and devotedly attached to their parents, and 
 though provision had been made for their comfort, yet 
 the old home would be broken, the tender ministrations 
 of that mother and the wise counsel of the father be 
 withheld from them. That was what deprivation meant 
 in the family which affected all alike in the sorrow it 
 occasioned. Nevertheless there was no deeper gloom, 
 clouds were passing over them, and they saw and felt 
 their shadow for a moment, but presently sunlight burst 
 in upon them. There came a letter from Pomerania, 
 from Ebel's old and true friend, Count Carl von Miin- 
 chow, a gallant soldier, and a soldier of Christ, inviting 
 him to live on his estate, on which he placed a house 
 and garden at his disposal ; and Eduard von Hahnen- 
 feld sent kindly greetings, begging him to accept on his 
 estate a new house and a garden in token, of his love. 
 It was difficult at first to reach a decision, for he could 
 not accept both offers, and both were as much beloved 
 by Ebel as they loved him. But ultimately it was de- 
 cided to accept that of Hahnenfeld, who likewise invited 
 the Countess Ida to come along, and so the family went 
 to Grunenfeld in East Prussia, chiefly because it was so 
 much nearer to Konigsberg than the delightful Pome- 
 ranian home of Miinchow. Also Baron E. von Heyking 
 and his wife were induced to come to Grunenfeld ; the 
 baroness lived there until she fell asleep in 1869. 
 
 Six happy years they spent in the rural retirement of 
 Grunenfeld ; the busy, stirring activity of the Konigs- 
 
194 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 berg charge was changed for literary pursuits, and the 
 intellectual bias of all that were there, the eminent social 
 virtues and graces of the hospitable, warm-hearted 
 Hahnenfeld and his amiable, interesting wife, the bright 
 saUies of the gifted Countess Ida, made the little colony 
 a haven of blissful repose. It was not by any means 
 lonely there ; the innocent prattle of childhood kept 
 them all lively enough ; the present owner of the pater- 
 nal estate, Friedrich, was then a merry little boy ; during 
 those years his two sisters were born, and that meant 
 not only joyous baptismal celebrations, but unbroken 
 daily animation ; visitors would come and go, and the 
 summer and Christmas vacations reunited for the time 
 all the scattered members of the family. Then there 
 were the diversified pleasures of a pure country life ; 
 the estate was quite extensive and the tenantry and 
 laborers not a few in number. And Hahnenfeld was a 
 very kind and just lord, respected and beloved for his 
 sympathy and thoughtfulness. At Christmas the village 
 youth gathered round stately spruce trees, gaily illumi- 
 nated with a profusion of wax lights amid golden orna- 
 ments symbolic of the heavens above in sun and moon 
 and stars, and angels, and of the earth beneath from 
 every kingdom of nature, clusters of fruit in gorgeous 
 hues as it grew in sunny climes, or more wondrous 
 still, had been produced by the art of the glass-blower, 
 the tinsmith or the confectioner in harmonious juxta- 
 position with lambs and dogs, and perhaps some diminu- 
 tive elephant, horse or whale of marchpane dangling, oh, 
 so joyously and kindly from the glossy twigs and 
 branches of the Christmas-tree, at the base of which 
 there were still other marvels in the shape of sheep-folds, 
 and arks of Noah, and dolls with domestic establish- 
 
REST. 195 
 
 ments, whips and knives, fur caps and skates and books, 
 drums and harmonicas, trumpets with green tassels and 
 crimson Hning, and sundry more which Christkindchen had 
 got from all manner of places, for all manner of folk 
 who sang Christmas carols and celebrated the birth- 
 day of the Lord Jesus, and went home happy and de- 
 lighted and blessing the good lord of the manor who was 
 such a favorite with Christkindchen that all these precious 
 things were left at the manor for the special happiness 
 of the Grunenfeld village children, 
 
 A visit to Konigsberg in the winter of 1846-4^ by 
 Ebel and his family was marked by an incident quite 
 touching in its way. He sent his daughter Adelberta to 
 Pastor Schulz, archdeacon of the Lobnicht Church, to 
 attend his lectures for confirmation. It is customary in 
 the Lutheran Church that the parents of the catechumens 
 offer to the minister on that occasion a honorarium. 
 Ebel, of course, observed the custom in the case of his 
 daughter, but Schulz had his own views on the subject, 
 and wrote the following very commendable letter : 
 
 ''Most Honored Brother : — If you deem me worthy to 
 address you as my brother, it follows that betwixt brothers 
 in the ministry the question of remuneration for little services 
 is entirely out of order. 
 
 "You have honored and greatly rejoiced me in committing 
 the instruction of your loved child to my care, and making 
 choice of me to undertake for her your own sacred work ot 
 confirming her. I really do not know which of us two is the 
 other's greater debtor. I, for my part, cannot but feel that 
 I am bound to be grateful. At all events we are fully even, 
 and any external expression of gratitude tendered to me is 
 wholly out of the question. You will, therefore, kindly par- 
 don your brother his return of the enclosure. 
 
 " But the love and friendship of yourself and your dear 
 
196 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 family I feel rejoiced and proud to accept, and beg that you 
 keep in your heart a place in remembrance of me, etc., etc. 
 
 " KONIGSBERG, lyth April, 1847." 
 
 The same clergyman had previously confirmed Miss 
 Salome von Saucken, an" early friend of Miss Ebel, who 
 has lived at Hoheneck since 1870. She is the grand- 
 daughter of Colonel de la Chevallerie, whose work on 
 Schonherr is mentioned in the literature given in Ap- 
 pendix C. 
 
 The annual harvest-home at Grunenfeld was also a most 
 delightful affair. It took place at the end of the ingather- 
 ing of the fruits of the field ; all the laborers, the reapers 
 of both sexes, in picturesque attire, led by the first reaper, 
 appeared in procession before the manor-house, the latter 
 carrying a wreath of ears gaily ornamented with flowers 
 and ribbons, which he presented to Hahnenfeld accord- 
 ing to ancient usage, repeating the customary ditty, con- 
 cluding with a rousing Lebe hoch (Long and happy life 
 to the lord of the manor and his family) vigorously 
 echoed by all the rest, to which Hahnenfeld responded, 
 saying : " Prosperity to all the trusty Grunenfelders," 
 etc. Then followed a sumptuous repast, which termi- 
 nated in a general dance, to the more especial delight of 
 the young folk. There was an amusing incident in the 
 harvest-home of 1843. The dance was cheerily progress- 
 ing on a meadow by a lake when night set in ; the genial 
 Hahnenfeld ordered an illumination by causing several 
 tar barrels to be set on fire by the lake, with the result 
 that the bright flames shot up high into the air, and 
 their flickering splendor bathed the meadow and dancers 
 in a picturesque flood of light. Not long after, when gay 
 rejoicing was at it height, a thundering noise was heard 
 
REST. 197 
 
 approaching over the village street, and there appeared a 
 fire engine with a full complement of firemen from the 
 neighboring village of Vogelsang ; for the kindly Vogel- 
 sangers, having noticed the bright reflection of the 
 flames, and unable to account for it, thought that Grunen- 
 feld was on fire, and came in hot haste to aid in putting 
 it out. They were, of course, delighted to find that 
 their help was fortunately not required, and as there was 
 no need of their services in that respect they made 
 themselves useful in another, to the intense gratification 
 of the village maidens, who found that the corps of 
 dancers had been strongly recruited by the good fire- 
 men. 
 
 In addition to what has been said of Hahnenfeld"^, a 
 few words relating to his character, life, and family may 
 not be deemed superfluous. He was a most excellent 
 man, very benevolent, highly accomplished, a universal 
 favorite with all that knew him, and felt the happy in- 
 fluence of his simple, earnest, consistent Christian life. 
 He wrote two works of considerable merit bearing on 
 Ebel's persecution, the first entitled, " Ein Moment aiis 
 den ^Mittheilungen ' des Co7isisto7'ialrath Kdhler ilber das 
 ' Leben tmd die Schriften ' seines Vaters, beleiLchtet von E. 
 von Hahnenfeld," Braunsberg, 1856 ; the second, '^Die 
 religiose Beivegung zu Konigsberg,'" etc., ib., 1858. He 
 was called home March 20, 1868, and his excellent con- 
 sort followed him in 1873. The blessing of those good 
 parents rests upon their children. Friedrich, the present 
 lord of the manor, and his amiable, kindly wife, imitate 
 in every respect the noble example of their sainted pre- 
 decessors ; and three children, as well as the presence of 
 
 * See p. 138. 
 
198 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 their good aunts, the daughters of our Hahnenfeld, con- 
 tribute their share in preserving the happiness of the 
 dear home where Ebel lived until 1848. May the bless- 
 ing of God Almighty long continue among them. " The 
 memory of the just is blessed." 
 
 In the spring of 1 848 it was thought necessary that 
 Ebel, whose health had become affected by incessant 
 toil, exposure, and grief, should visit Marienbad, in Bo- 
 hemia, the virtue of whose waters had been very bene- 
 ficial to him before. Count Kanitz had two years before 
 (1846), for similar reasons, retired from office* and gone 
 to Italy in quest of health. It was agreed that the Count- 
 ess and he should meet the Ebels at Marienbad, and 
 there they formed the plan of living together at Meran, 
 n the Tyrol, which had been specially recommended to 
 them. 
 
 And that plan was carried out ; the friends who spent 
 two delightful years together at Meran were Ebel and 
 his family, Count and Countess Kanitz, and Countess 
 Ida. There, in the presence of that beautiful, majestic 
 nature, where Meran nestles in the bosom of the most 
 beautiful valley of the Tyrol, the "Motherland" and 
 the " Paradise of the Tyrol," as the Tyrolese call it, on 
 the banks of the Passer, in an ancient Carthusian monas- 
 tery, romantically situated with an outlook upon the ever- 
 lasting mountains, the beautiful highlands, and the en- 
 chanting vale, the northern w^anderers sat down to rest. 
 The poetic mind of the Countess Ida expatiated on the 
 ever changing but ever charming glories of that sunny 
 spot, as the reader may see by reference to the poem. 
 Die IVendung, given in Appendix C. As her eye ranged 
 
 * See p, 159. 
 
REST. 199 
 
 over the lofty mountain chain and beheld on their rocky- 
 altar the smoking clouds, it was to her symbolic of the 
 kinship of earth and heaven ; as it traversed downwards 
 over the emerald velvet of the hanging gardens into the 
 umbrageous windings of the fertile valley, where the 
 peach and the almond pair, the one stretching its rosy 
 arms to heaven, and the other adorning it with lily blos- 
 soms, it feasted on the wilderness of vineyards, with 
 their glossy leaves and purple clusters (the delight of the 
 Meranese and many a feeble one coming from afar to 
 that fascinating spot for the grape-cure), the silver groves 
 of the olive, the beautiful fig-tree, which thrice a year 
 bears fruit to the occupant of the rocks, on whose tops, 
 under the eternal white, stand kindly, modest churches, 
 and rosy dawn softly reflected in the limpid ice under an 
 ever mellow sun perpetually unites the beautiful and the 
 sublime. The simplicity, frankness, and piety of the 
 Tyrolese are proverbial, and the beautiful Alpine rose 
 was to Countess Ida the emblem of a handsome race, 
 transmitting from the hoary past the familiar address by 
 the baptismal name alone. Then there were excursions 
 without number along the Passer and the Etsch, and the 
 mountains, the Jaufen the Mendelspitz, the Marlinger, 
 the Rosenstein. Ah I that Carthusian cell was unspeak- 
 ably dear to them all, so sweet a resting-place, but also a 
 working-place, for there the Countess not only wrote 
 poems, she likewise wrote there Die Liebe zii7' Wahrheit, 
 and Ebel began at Meran the Philosophie der heiligcn 
 Urkunde; there was music and sketching, and endless 
 delight — it was to all of them an earthly paradise of 
 bhssful repose. 
 
 The residence at Meran proved physically very bene- 
 ficial to Ebel and Kanitz, and when they felt stronger 
 
200 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 they naturally thought of a permanent settlement else- 
 where, and recrossed the mountains. 
 
 In 1850 they bade adieu to Meran and went to Hohen- 
 eck, in the friendly Neckar Valley, where Countess Ida 
 had decided permanently to locate, and bought a coun- 
 trj'-'Seat, of course, not for herself only, but likewise for 
 the Ebel family, of which she regarded herself a member. 
 Kanitz lived first for some time at Stetten, in Hohen- 
 zollern, and in 1854 he too settled down at Lud wigs- 
 burg, near by, with summer visits to Hoheneck. 
 
 About a year later came the sorrowful tidings that 
 Theodor, Ebel's youngest son, who, upon the comple- 
 tion of his university course, had passed an excellent 
 examination as doctor of philosophy and principal 
 teacher, and received an appointment, succumbed to a 
 complication of hepatic and pulmonary troubles. It was 
 a sad blow, but as he had been a great sufferer, his re- 
 lease from pain was the sweet in the bitter cup ; he fell 
 asleep in Jesus, and that was a precious consolation ; 
 they sorrowed indeed, but they sorrowed like Christians, 
 and Ebel turned to the beautiful and triumphant pas- 
 sages I Cor. XV. 12-58, and i Thess. iv. 13-18 for com- 
 fort, saying he was content and resigned, and grateful 
 for his deliverance, and rejoiced for the sufferer's sake. 
 
 ''Er ist ensranoen 
 
 Aller Noth und Pein, die tins noch halt gefaiigen" 
 
 Mrs. Ebel, ever cheerful and courageous, felt his de- 
 parture as only a mother can feel, and her tender heart 
 sought refuge in tears which she could not restrain, and 
 gave vent to her grief. 
 
 Hoheneck is a small village ; the people are poor, for 
 
^ 
 
 V 
 
 
 ^14^/*^ A\^y^ 
 
 
 
 Fac-simile of an inscription in the hand-writing of Ebel on the fly-leaf of a Gesang- 
 buch bought on his arrival at Hoheneck. 
 
 The two Greek letters at the top are the alpha and omega, and illustrate how Ebel 
 did and held everything in Jesus. 
 
 The stanza itself characterizes his love of Jesus, and the feelings with which he 
 greeted the congenial companionship of the strongly biblical Wiirttembcrgers. 
 
REST. 201 
 
 the most part laborers In the vineyards which clothe the 
 hillsides ; some also mechanics ; but they are a true, 
 warm-hearted, simple folk, devout and, like many Wlirt- 
 tembergers, earnest Christians. The arrival of Ebel and 
 Countess Ida was a great blessing to them everyways. 
 Ebel's active and creative mind found in that haven of 
 rest ample leisure for the production of several very im- 
 portant works. In 1852 he published Grundzilge der Er- 
 kenntttiss der Wahrheit ; in 1 854-1 855-1 85 6, Die Philo- 
 sophie der heiligen Urkimde, and some minor essays. 
 Countess Ida wrote, and published in 1856, Wissen- 
 schaft und Bibel. 
 
 What with these literary pursuits, the delightful com- 
 panionship of congenial friends, the resources of refined 
 culture, the reading of good books, the diversions of 
 music and painting, the family life at Hoheneck was 
 singularly happy. A member of the family speaks of it 
 in her letters to me as " heaven upon earth." The terrible 
 religious suit was rarely so much as mentioned ; it be- 
 longed to the past, and Ebel deemed it one of the bless- 
 ings for which he felt peculiarly grateful, that he never 
 dreajut of it. God had given him a cheerful, happy dis- 
 position, he abounded in humor and was a delightful 
 conversationalist ; and when he and Kanitz, the Countess 
 Ida and Mrs. Ebel began to talk of the past they had 
 themes vastly more pleasant to discuss than the miseries 
 of the religious suit. There were old and fond remi- 
 niscences and associations which they had in common. 
 There was one, e. g., that took them back to the sunny 
 past when Ebel was still at Hermsdorf, and Kanitz a gay 
 cavalier and Countess Ida unmarried, and the news came 
 to Konigsberg that their young friend Ebel had been so 
 great a sufferer in the loss of his belongings by the war. 
 
202 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 The genial poet Max von Schenkendorf, a fast friend of 
 Ebel, took it into his head to do something for him. The 
 Auerswaids, it will be remembered, were very hospitable 
 and their house the centre of whatever was refined and 
 noble. At that time (i 806-1 809) the royal family lived 
 with them in the castle. Among other agrei}ients they 
 had set up a private theatre, and members of the Auers- 
 wald family and their young friends cultivated private 
 theatricals. Schenkendorf sometimes composed the pieces 
 and assigned the parts. Well, he interested Kanitz, the 
 Countess Ida, and her fiance Count von der Groben, and 
 others, to get up a representation with an admission, the 
 proceeds to benefit a young clergyman (Ebel) who had 
 been injured by the war. This was duly announced, 
 and the royal family as well as many other distinguished 
 people appeared in goodly numbers, and everything went 
 off to the entire satisfaction of all concerned, and the 
 proceeds were sent to Hermsdorf. Kanitz appeared 
 that night in the character of a parson. That was a 
 grand joke and occasioned much merriment. Yes, Mrs. 
 Ebel would say, when she came as bride to Konigsberg, 
 Kanitz was a recognized leader, a veritable maitre de 
 plaisir^ the man " who made thunder and lightning," and 
 that would, of course, be irresistible, to think of that 
 grave and learned judge, a sexagenarian, in that way. 
 And Countess Ida would join in and tell how fond her 
 hero was of Ebel, which would be confirmed by Mrs. 
 Ebel who remembered how he, naturally somewhat re- 
 served, was so delighted to see him on one occasion that 
 he shook him by the head. 
 
 In connection with the period to which this charming 
 reminiscence belongs, it affords me pleasure to introduce 
 a passage from the autobiography of Count Charles of 
 
REST. 203 
 
 Miinchow,* sent by a friend, which incidentally illustrates 
 the social life at Konigsberg and introduces quite a 
 number of persons with whom we have already made 
 acquaintance. 
 
 " Through the instrumentality of my friend Count Wilhehu 
 von der Groben, who was engaged to Miss Ida, the second 
 dauo-hter of the governor, I was introduced to the Auerswald 
 family, an introducdon to which I am greatly indebted for 
 my social culture. The tone in that noble family was a hap- 
 py mixture of the loftiest refinement, and informal, gesthetic 
 mirth. Occasionally I met there scholars, artists and distin- 
 guished strangers ; among the younger visitors of the house 
 were amateurs of the fine arts, some of them my particular 
 friends, ^.^., Max von Schenkendorf the poet, the Counts 
 Ernst and Karl Kanitz who painted, and Count Wilhelm von 
 der Groben, who had an excellent tenor voice. Miss Ida, a 
 most amiable young lady, combined great talents with an 
 unusual intellect. She wrote poems, and hers was altogether 
 an eminently tender, poetical feminine tem.perament. . . . 
 A singularly amiable young man was the nephew of Mrs. 
 von Auerswald, Charles Count of Dohna-Schlodien. I made 
 also at that time the acquaintance of his tutor Dr. Ebel, the 
 archdeacon and preacher of the Old-Town Church, the most 
 valuable acquaintance I ever made, and which affected the 
 whole of my subsequent life," 
 
 There is a mysterious chain by which friends separated 
 by great distance, without preconcerted arrangement, at 
 momentous periods of their existence are brought into 
 rapport, a term here used to designate uncommon near- 
 ness in thought and feeling. That such a rapport 
 exists will probably be admitted on all hands, however 
 much authorities may differ as to its explanation. A 
 
 *See p. 141. 
 
204 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 curious instance seems to be the following. The name 
 of Frau Consentius has been mentioned in these pages.* 
 That excellent lady died at Konigsberg about sunset, 
 September 7, 1854. In the same hour, Ebel and his 
 family were on their way from Marienbad (where they 
 had spent some time for his especial benefit) to Hohen- 
 eck, near the neighborhood of Lichtenfels in Bavaria. 
 They noticed from their carriage a singularly beautiful 
 illumination ; the air was clear and the heavens were re- 
 splendent in azure, crimson and golden tints, suggestive 
 to them of the heavenly Jerusalem, so Ebel led and the 
 others joined in singing the beautiful stanza : 
 
 " IVie herrlich ist die netie Welt 
 Die Gott den Frommett vorbehillt, 
 Kein Alensch kanii sie erwerben. 
 O Jesii ! Herr der Herrlichkeit ! 
 Dii hast die Stdtf aiich niir bereit\ 
 Hilf sie uiir aiich ererben ! 
 Einen kleinen Blick i7t jene Freudenscene 
 Goiiii' mir Schwache7i — 
 Mir den Abschied leicht zii viachen !" 
 
 In that particular hour, perhaps while the last three 
 lines were being sung, the spirit of that ripe Christian 
 burst its earthly prison-house and soared on high. Her 
 then only surviving daughter soon after her bereavement 
 took up her permanent home at Hoheneck (1855), in order 
 to be near her dearest friends till death did them part 
 (she died in 1865). 
 
 Perhaps the most touching and most beautiful of the 
 many red-letter days in the calendar of that happy 
 Hoheneck life was November 23, 1856, the jubilee of 
 
 * See p. 143. 
 
REST. 205 
 
 Ebel's ordination. It was a day of solemn rejoicing and 
 profound gratitude to Lord God Almighty, and the 
 measure of Ebel's bliss was full to overflowing, when 
 faithful members of his Old-Town congregation caused 
 to be presented to him a fine silver goblet, lined with 
 gold, exhibiting among other inscriptions these two : ^' In 
 memory of fifty years consecrated to the service of the 
 Most High, Novr. 23, 1806 to Novr. 23, 1856 ; " and 
 " Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall 
 not pass away." (Matth. xxiv. 25). They were well 
 chosen and carried a profound meaning. The Scripture 
 citation gives the text of the sermon preached at his 
 ordination,* and emphasizes the fact that the kind donors 
 intended it to characterize his blessed ministry, while 
 the first inscription was a silent protest against the unjust 
 sentence, and an eloquent avowal that in spite of it, he 
 was their loved pastor still, and that they delighted to 
 take part in that touching jubilee. 
 
 Another annual red-letter day was the fourth of March, 
 Ebel's birthday, which was always celebrated with pecul- 
 iar rejoicing, when each and all would try their utmost 
 to gladden him with the very best and most beautiful 
 tokens their love could devise. By a singular coincidence 
 it became likewise the day of Countess Ida's departure. 
 The association must be my apology for a chronological 
 anticipation. That departure did not take place until 
 1868, and the interval between that year and 1856, our 
 last date, besides the appearance of the remarkable work 
 Wissenschaft und Bibel,\ which she wrote in her sixty- 
 fifth year, was filled with acts of self-denial and benevo- 
 lence. As in mind, in faith, in love she retained the 
 
 ^ See p. 39 t See Appendix C. 
 
206 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 ardor and freshness of youth to the last, so she was 
 physically free from sickness, and only fatigued. Miss 
 Ebel, to whom Ida was a second mother and an elder 
 sister, and who loved and loves her beyond expression, 
 gives this touching account of her death : 
 
 " In the afternoon of that day she called me, with a joyous 
 ring in her voice, from the adjoining room, and when 
 I answered the summons she laid herself in my arms, sweetly 
 closed her eyes and gently breathed her last. Our physi- 
 cian, astounded at what had occurred, said : ' The countess 
 has not tasted the bitterness of death,' and pointing to her 
 sleeping countenance, added : ' The picture of peace.' Thus 
 the fourth day of March is to us 
 
 "Father's birthday into the life of earth, 
 Ida's birthday into the life of heaven. 
 
 *' My mother, like myself the recipient of such untold love 
 from the departed, opened, as was her wont, the Bible at 
 random, and it was like light from above as her eyes fell on : 
 ' But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and 
 there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the 
 unwise they seem to die, and their departure is taken for 
 misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction : but 
 they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight 
 of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having 
 been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for 
 God proved them, and found them worthy for himself As 
 gold in the furnace hath he tried them, and received them as 
 a burnt offering. And in the time of their visitation they 
 shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the 
 stubble. They shall judge the nations, and have dominion 
 over the people, and their Lord shall reign forever. They 
 that put their trust in him shall understand the truth : and 
 such as be faithful in love shall abide with him, for grace and 
 mercy is to his saints, and he hath care for his elect." — 
 (Wisd. iii. 1-9.) 
 
REST. 207 
 
 A more appropriate passage, telling in almost every 
 word, could not be found in any other part of the 
 Bible ; it reads as if it had been expressly composed for 
 her, and the manner of its finding, also, was an ineffably 
 sweet consolation to her sorrowing friends. 
 
 A great trouble and grief to Ebel and his friends was 
 the persistent repetition and distortion of the calumnies 
 so assiduously circulated at the time of the persecution, 
 by the press and in works of reference. How by the 
 " Aufklarung " and the indomitable energy of Kanitz, 
 all this has been changed is known to the reader. It is 
 very pleasant to think, however, that before the '' Auf- 
 klarung " had been published, and during the lifetime 
 of Ebel, there appeared in 1861, in Wagner's Staats— und 
 Gesellschafts— Lexicon the first of a long line of articles in 
 vindication of his memory, from which instar omnium a 
 passage is here given for two reasons : First, because it 
 is the only one that Ebel saw, and proved a veritable 
 balm to his wounded spirit ; secondly, because its very 
 existence was unknown to the writer until within the last 
 few weeks, when it was kindly forwarded to him, and 
 it confirms the views of the whole matter advocated in 
 these pages. The article in question begins thus : 
 " Ebel, Johann Wilhelm. This doctor of philosophy, 
 and preacher at Konigsberg, in Prussia, with George 
 Heinrich Diestel, his brother minister and brother in 
 tribulation (whom on that account we include in this 
 article), in spite of the entire and thorough confutation 
 of the charges preferred against them, and in utter dis- 
 regard of the results of the great state-suit acquitting 
 them (1842) of the charge of founding a sect, is men- 
 tioned in modern church history in a manner that 
 renders it absolutely necessary to remind historians of 
 
208 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 the first duties of historical justice." After enumerat- 
 ing the works whose pages are disfigured and disgraced 
 by such false and frivolous statements, the author con- 
 tinues : " To say nothing of pamphlets, the current 
 popular press, and liberal * compilations {e.g.y Das Con- 
 fer satiojis Lexico7i der letzteii zehn Jahre, von Reich en- 
 bach, Leipzig, 1844), there runs through the most widely 
 circulated manuals and text-books of history, an accu- 
 sation which, in spite of the acquitting judgment of the 
 Berlin Kammergericht, their learned authors have for- 
 borne to examine and investigate. Even before the 
 termination of the suit the published apologies of Ebel 
 and Diestel (given below) contained data sufficient to 
 test the lithographed communications, as well as those 
 of von Wegnern, but they were not looked at any more 
 than the work of Mrs. von Bardeleben (also mentioned 
 
 below) But scholars cannot afford any 
 
 longer to ignore the thorough work of E. von Hahnen- 
 feld {Die religiose Bewegung, etc.), unless they wish to 
 issue the certificate of their moral death in the field of 
 historical inquiry. A former pamphlet by the same 
 author : {Ein Moment aus den Mittheilungen des Consis- 
 torialraths Kdhler, etc.), might bring home to the con- 
 sciousness of the men of the lecture-room the superiority 
 of a pure conscience and a well-founded conviction to 
 the superficiality of the learned in their evasions, as- 
 saults and admissions. The time will yet come for the 
 due appreciation of the work of Frau von Bardeleben. 
 In the crisis which soon must overtake liberalism, the 
 liberalism of Konigsberg and its mythical personification 
 in Schon (who played so important a part in the suit 
 
 * Liberal, /. e., skeptical. 
 
REST. 209 
 
 against Ebel and Diestel) will doubtless be justly dealt 
 with." A copy of Wagner's article was thoughtfully 
 sent to Ebel, who exclaimed after its perusal con- 
 cerning the author : " Charity — rejoiceth not in iniquity, 
 but rejoiceth in^the truth." (i Cor. xiii., 6), and got 
 some one to read out in the family the hymn : 
 
 " Mei7i Dankopfer, Herr, ich bringe. 
 So mir recht von Herzen geht, 
 Ueber deine Wunderdinge 
 Wird mein Geist zu dir erhbht, 
 Gott, ichfreue mich, mein Leben 
 1st ganz deinem Lob ergeben," etc.* 
 
 It had come in time, three weeks later it would have 
 come too late, for a long-expected message, a message 
 joyously though not impatiently expected, arrived before 
 it began to dawn at Hoheneck in the early hours of 
 August 1 8th, 1 86 1, and the spirit of Ebel saw the sun 
 which never rises and never sets in the many-mansioned 
 house. The event was one which he knew in those 
 days of chronic infirmity, occasionally stayed by the use 
 of the Kreuzbrunnen at Marienbad, must soon set in. 
 The excessive heat of that summer hastened it. He 
 looked forward with unspeakable delight to the time 
 when he should " get home." He would speak about it 
 with the family, and in his love and tenderness comfort 
 them by instancing- the example of St. Paul, who had 
 looked forward with such unmingled delight to the time 
 
 * I have to apologize for not translating the hymns and poetry 
 introduced. Literal translation frequently murders, and almost 
 always vitiates the thought. Free translation is not much better, 
 for it often becomes either paraphrase, or misinterpretation. A 
 poet only can do justice to the matter. 
 
210 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 when he should meet Jesus. Why should they grudge 
 him the same delight ? His dear friend Kanitz was very 
 ill at the time and needed the utmost care ; he was 
 afraid that the news of his own departure might shock 
 him, and so he said to his family : ** Tell Kanitz gradu- 
 ally." He had long since forgiven his persecutors, and 
 learned to pity them, and in the spirit of the first martyr 
 to pray for them. The last day he spent on earth he 
 said with great emphasis : " Tell all my enemies — no, I 
 will not call them enemies — tell them all that I forgive 
 them — oh ! how do I forgive them." Towards evening 
 he exclaimed : " Jesus is my life ; " somewhat later : 
 " O Jesus, Jesus receive my spirit." He fell into a 
 slumber, and slept, gently breathing, for several hours ; 
 the breath grew fainter, and in the early morning watch 
 the spirit had left the tenement of clay. They said of 
 him in life and they said of him in death, that his noble 
 face resembled Christ, others that it was the counte- 
 nance of an angel. Those expressions, of course, are 
 speculative and imaginary, but he was, what kindly folk 
 wished to convey by them, a true follower of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and all his life long an angel of peace and 
 love. What he was to his Old-Town church, to all his 
 dear friends, and to his family, has been abundantly 
 described in the preceding pages ; but it remains to be 
 told how dearly the good Wiirttembergers loved him ; 
 the good minister at Hoheneck, Pastor Romer, deemed 
 it one of the greatest blessings of his life to enjoy the 
 friendship of Ebel and Countess Ida. A plain working- 
 man was so overcome with sorrow that he gave vent to 
 it in the words : *' When I heard that the doctor had 
 died, I felt like standing on my head — the house is 
 empty, the dearest has gone." Nor was this feeling 
 
REST. 211 
 
 evanescent ; those plain, true, simple folk feel strongly, 
 deeply and lastingly ; quite recently, twenty years after 
 Ebel's departure, a good Hohenecker told his daughter 
 with great enthusiasm — for the man is advanced in years 
 and labor is no longer easy to him : " Miss, if your father 
 could be brought back from heaven, / should carry him 
 here f 
 
 It was a matter of great anxiety to the family to have 
 the remains of the departed as near to them as possible, 
 There was, indeed, the Hoheneck " God's-acre," as the 
 Germans beautifully call a cemetery or burying-place, 
 but it lies near the Neckar, and is damp, and on that ac- 
 count it was not favored. But the garden, on high 
 ground, suggested itself for the purpose, and gave rise to 
 the desire, with the permission of the proper authorities, 
 of having a family vault made, and to erect a chapel 
 over it. That permission was sought, and very early in 
 the morning of August 21, 1861, an express messenger 
 brought the good tidings that the application had been 
 granted, to wit : that the family was allowed to build a 
 vault, etc., and to deposit the precious remains tempo- 
 rarily in the summer-house of the park, a structure of 
 solid masonry that had stood there for many years. A 
 few hours later the bells of the Hoheneck church began 
 to toll, and twelve men, who had volunteered to act as 
 carriers, lifted the coffin, rendered invisible under a hil- 
 lock of floral offerings, and bore it, accompanied by the 
 family and a large number of friends from near and far, 
 along the winding path, on which flowers had been 
 spread, to its temporary resting-place. The burgess of 
 the village and Pastor Romer led the procession, and the 
 latter officiated. 
 
 Then the work was taken in hand and the vault com- 
 
212 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 pleted during the mild winter of 1S61-62; a Gothic 
 hexagonal chapel of gray sandstone was built over it ; 
 over the portal appears the figure of an angel bearing in 
 his hands a scroll with the inscription, in gilt letters, " I 
 live, ye shall live also " {/c/i lebe^ imd ihr sollt auch lebeii) 
 — John xiv. 19. No accident marred the successful com- 
 pletion of the work ; no disagreement or contention 
 among the laborers employed in it, and the architect 
 gratefully confessed that the genius of peace had rested 
 on the whole work from first to last. When summer re- 
 turned and the sun shone bright, the bell of the Hohen- 
 eck Church was tolled again, and another procession 
 carried the departed from the summer-house to the 
 height of the garden, where, in the midst of trees, stands 
 the memorial chapel. Pastor Romer duly consecrated 
 the spot, and committed to the bosom of the earth the 
 mortal remains of Johann Wilhelm E bd. An appropriate 
 oration on the Resurrection was pronounced by him, of 
 which this was the concluding sentence : '' And may our 
 blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be thy light and 
 thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward ;" and because 
 of the victorious faith of Ebel he called the chapel '' The 
 Chapel of the Resurrection," but it is generally known as 
 " the Gothic Hall " or the " Mausoleum." There, in 
 that beautiful, lofty, sunny spot are enshrined his mortal 
 remains ; his immortal remains live in his works and the 
 memory of his blessed ministry. A touching instance of 
 the value attached to those works is that which follows : 
 Some time after Ebel's departure Pastor Romer made 
 this announcement to his congregation : The day before, 
 he said, while preparing to discourse on Luke xiv. 16-24, 
 he had taken up Ebel's sermon on " The Essentials of 
 the Christian Life " ( Was es gilt im Christenthuni), and 
 
REST. 213 
 
 found it so superior to anything he could say on the sub- 
 ject that he concluded it would be more edifying to read 
 it than to preach one himself, adding : " You and I 
 then, must imagine to sit at the feet of this man, who is 
 now in the presence of God," and then proceeded to read 
 the entire sermon. 
 
 In the summer of 1863 Mrs. Ebel's brother, Mr. Bern- 
 hardt Leinweber, the honest, warm-hearted farmer, the 
 same who brought them a wain full of farm produce on 
 the eve of their departure from Konigsberg, paid them a 
 visit at Hoheneck. Being a stranger in the place, he 
 asked one of the village people, would he please direct 
 him to the house of the Ebel family ; he said he came 
 from Prussia and wished to visit them. The word 
 " Prussia " and the Prussian speech did not please the 
 good Suabian, who suspected the honest farmer of some 
 sinister purpose, and instead of complying with his re- 
 quest made answer : " From Prussia ! Why did you 
 Prussians persecute Dr. Ebel, that man of God, as you 
 have done ? " Bernhardt assured the Hohenecker that 
 he was quite innocent of the matter, that he was Mrs. 
 Ebel's brother, and that he had come solely for the pur- 
 pose to thank the family and Count Kanitz for all the 
 good they had done him. Then the Hoheneck man be- 
 lieved Bernhardt and showed him the house. Countess 
 Ida met him, and extending her hand to him, which he 
 kissed, after the simple and touching fashion of his 
 country, said to him : " Dear Mr. Leinweber, we are 
 glad that you have come to see us," and he said that 
 such a welcome was " a cordial " after the critical recep- 
 tion of the Hoheneck villager. 
 
 And as betokening the value of his example of trium- 
 phant faith may be mentioned this incident : In 1869 a 
 
214 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 gentleman, a lawyer, who never knew Ebel while alive, 
 visited the family at Hoheneck, and was so strongly im- 
 pressed with what he heard of him that he wrote to the 
 family afterwards : 
 
 " Before I went to Hoheneck I had read his sermons, but I 
 did not understand then, as I do now, the effect they must have 
 produced on his hearers. He preached Christ risen from 
 the dead, but that is nothing peculiar ; have not many hun- 
 dred thousand preachers before him, or his contemporaries, 
 or others after him, preached the same doctrine ? But the 
 people believed Ebel ; they received as true his message con- 
 cerning Jesus and the resurrecdon ; he had the gift of kin- 
 dling the divine spark in the hearts of his hearers. This is 
 the conviction which has grown on me during my visit to 
 Hoheneck ; I judge of the tree by its fruits. The people be- 
 lieved what he preached, and they believed that he believed 
 itj that is the great difference between him and so many 
 other preachers, ' That was a beautiful sermon, if it only 
 were true what he has preached about Jesus and our resur- 
 rection ! ' Hopeful doubts ! That is the most favorable com- 
 ment I remember in connection with the most beautiful ser- 
 mons I ever heard preached at Easter and the Ascension 
 Day. Assurance of faith, absolute and immovable, is a plant 
 of rare growth ; and my belief is that the belief of the resur- 
 rection of Christ is a living belief in the colony at Hoheneck, 
 and that it has been wrought by Ebel, and that is the most 
 important thing I carried away with me from Hoheneck." * 
 
 In the month of March, 1868, the vault was opened to 
 receive the mortal remains of the sweet Countess Ida. 
 During the oration there appeared in the heavens a 
 beautiful rainbow, a touching reminiscence of the lofty 
 
 " The daughter of this gentleman, Miss Mina Steinwender, lives 
 with Miss Ebel at Villa Ida. 
 
REST. 215 
 
 'OJ 
 
 Christian sentiment in one of her poems (25 " Erfulluns 
 in Morgenwache, p. 52) which allegorizes the rainbow as 
 the precursor of the covenant of peace, the visible wit- 
 ness of the grace of God inclining to earth, betokening 
 in the splendor of each of the color-members the splen- 
 dor of the inward peace of every member of the kingdom 
 of peace, and in their harmonious blending that that 
 peace is the result of the united weapons of truth. 
 
 In December, 1869, the same vault received a third 
 occupant. This time it was the truly good and patient 
 widowed Augusta Ebel, whose body they lowered to rest 
 by the side of her husband's. She too had known during 
 a brief illness that it meant going home, although her 
 heart was full to overflowing with the tenderest love for her 
 surviving children and all that loved Jesus, yet her truly 
 Christian rejoicing in the expected, long yearned-for ad- 
 mission to the dear home above was strongest in her. 
 She prayed much with her children, and her mind being 
 stored with the rich hymnology of the Lutheran Church, 
 she loved not only to repeat but to join in the singing of 
 these tender and pathetic hymns. '' In the name of God 
 I go ! " she joyfully exclaimed, and it is truly touching 
 and edifying to put on record the fact that while the 
 children were singing — 
 
 ^'Fiihre inich endlich, Jesu^ in's ewige Leben, 
 Welches du Allen, die glaubeii, versprochen zit geben, 
 Da ich bet Go it, 
 Ohne Noth, Jammer und Tod, 
 Ewig in Freuden werd' schweben,'''' 
 
 her soul soared aloft on angels' wings, and when the 
 music ceased she had ceased to breathe. The spectacle 
 of her triumphant faith softened the deep grief of that 
 
2l6 FAITH VICTORIOUS. 
 
 separation, and was the balm of heaven to the stricken 
 ones. 
 
 The letter which brought me these sorrowful tidings 
 conveyed likewise the equally sorrowful intelligence of 
 the demise, only a few days before, of the noble and 
 faithful Kanitz. His great work, the Aufkldrutig, was 
 beginning to bear abundant fruit. It had renewed his 
 strength and rejuvenated him, and from far and near 
 came constant tokens that the blessing of heaven rested 
 upon that work and labor of love. He had succeeded 
 in establishing the innocence and vindicating the memory 
 of his sainted friend ; he had proved to the world that 
 he had been persecuted for righteousness' sake, and, 
 under God, that excellent man had brought forth his 
 righteousness as the light and his judgment as the noon- 
 day (Ps. xxxvii. 6). That was the happiness of his de- 
 clining days, still further heightened by his constant 
 thoughtfulness for others, by countless benefactions, and 
 by ever dwelling on some new device to gladden his 
 friends. Like Ebel's widow, he lived to fourscore years, 
 and when a brief illness laid him low, in full, clear con- 
 sciousness of the impending change, and in joyous ex- 
 pectation of the rest in the heavenly home, he told his 
 friends ''to greet them all," and committing his soul to 
 God he fell asleep, and his mortal remains lie by the side 
 of Countess Charlotte in God's-acre at Ludwigsburg. 
 
 The kind friend who wrote me all this in a beautiful 
 letter touchingly informed me that I was infallibly 
 included in the number of the all to whom Kanitz 
 sent his valedictory greetings ; she, too, the exemplary, 
 devoted, faithful, sainted Matilda von Derschau, belongs 
 (since 1878) to the increasing number of my friends in 
 the home above ; and her remains have found their last 
 
REST. 217 
 
 resting-place in the same God's-acre at Ludwigsburg 
 
 alongside the dear ones to whom for so many years she 
 
 had so tenderly and lovingly ministered. 
 
 ****** 
 
 The composition of this volume has been a blessing to 
 my own soul and a delight ; may it prove a blessing and 
 a joy to all that read it. Of Ebel and Kanitz, the 
 Countess Ida, and all the dear ones whom I have en- 
 deavored, however imperfectly, lovingly to commemorate, 
 I would say, in conclusion, to their surviving friends by 
 way of grateful remembrance, " The memory of the just 
 is blessed " (Prov. x. 7), and to all, in view of what they 
 were, and did, and suffered, and the beautiful and edify- 
 ing example they set us, our precursors, I trust and pray, 
 to that dear home which they have found, " I heard 
 a voice from heaven saying unto me, write. Blessed are 
 the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth ; yea, 
 saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and 
 their works do follow them" (Rev. xiv. 13). 
 
SERMONS. 
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE WROUGHT IN US BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. 
 Ezekiel XXXVI. 26, 27. 
 
 Whitsun-Day, May 26, 1822. 
 
 " God be merciful unto us and bless us ; and cause his face 
 to shine upon us, that thy way may be known upon earth, 
 thy saving health among- all nations. Let the people praise 
 thee, O God ; let all the people praise thee. Let the words 
 of our mouth and the meditation of our heart be acceptable 
 in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Cre- 
 ate in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within 
 us. Cast us not away from thy presence, and take not thy 
 Holy Spirit from us; restore unto us the joy of thy salvation, 
 and uphold us with thy free Spirit, for we will teach trans- 
 gressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 
 Halleluia ! Amen." 
 
 The hand of the Lord came upon the prophet and carried 
 him out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set him down in the 
 midst of a valley which was full of bones, and caused him to 
 pass by them round about ; and behold, there were very many 
 in the open valley ; and lo, they were very dry. And he said 
 unto him. Son of man, can these bones live ? And the 
 prophet said, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said 
 unto him. Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them : 
 
 219 
 
220 APPENDIX A. 
 
 O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the 
 Lord unto these bones : Behold, I will cause breath to enter 
 into you, and ye shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, 
 and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, 
 and put breath in you, and ye shall live ; and ye shall know 
 that I am the Lord. So he prophesied as he was command- 
 ed, and as he prophesied there was a noise, and behold, a 
 shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 
 And when he beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up 
 upon them, and the skin covered them above; but there was 
 no breath in them. Then said the Lord, Prophesy unto the 
 wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith 
 ■the Lord God : Come from the four winds, O breath, and 
 breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So he prophe- 
 sied as he had commanded him, and the breath came into 
 them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding 
 great army. 
 
 When will these words be fulfilled in the people to whom 
 they apply primarily ? For these bones are the house of 
 Israel. Their hope seems lost, and, as far as we are able to 
 tell, their case is past all remedy. And when will they be 
 fulfilled in us, who are as dry as they ? Or are we not dried 
 up? Is there in our midst the life of the first Christians, 
 faith, hope and charity .'* The gospel indeed is preached 
 among us, the gospel of the kingdom of God; its sound 
 has gone forth into all the world, and it has been proclaimed 
 from this pulpit freely and constantly three hundred years. 
 But have we borne fruit ? Have we walked in the Spirit — we 
 that are destined to live in the Spirit — and are we really 
 alive ? We all, I ask, who outwardly receive the memorable 
 events of this day, when a sound from heaven as of a rushing, 
 mighty wind filled the house, and the Spirit of God filled the 
 hearts of the first followers of the Lord, as with one accord 
 they were assembled together ? Have we risen from the dead, 
 we who soon after our birth were solemnly dedicated to the 
 Lord in Holy Baptism ? Is the divine breath within us ? Do 
 we live in a higher element ? Are we conscious of being 
 
SERMONS. 221 
 
 translated into the heavenly image ? Is Christ in us the 
 hope of glory ? These very questions may be far from wel- 
 come to all, for they are the voice of a watchman, bidding all 
 to rise from dead works to serve the living God; and how loath 
 are the idle to be wakened from sleep ? The dreamer, in his 
 sweet illusion, fancies such a call inconvenient and trouble- 
 some, though it be intended to draw him back from the edge 
 of a precipice down which he is in imminent peril to fall. 
 Hence the question whether we be alive, and not dried up, 
 may not be welcome to those who are required to apply it to 
 themselves and not to others. 
 
 Nevertheless I am bidden : " Prophesy, son of man, and 
 say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God, Come, O wind, 
 and breathe upon these slain, that they may be born out of 
 God ! " I am always bidden to proclaim this, whenever I 
 stand up in your midst as an appointed preacher of the 
 Word of God ; but to-day — the aniversary of divine events, of 
 the founding of the religion of the Spirit, of which w^e profess 
 to be members — to-day, I say, I feel doubly the obligation of 
 this solemn charge ; for the Lord will establish a covenant of 
 peace with us. It is to be an everlasting covenant ; He will 
 preserve and multiply us ; we are to be His peculiar* 
 people ; He will be our God, and we shall be His people. 
 
 "My son, give me thy heart," he kindly says to each and 
 all ; " give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways !"' 
 If on the one hand we are constrained to own that this en- 
 treaty of the Lord of the world is infinitely honorable to man, 
 and that on our compliance with it depends both our own 
 welfare and that of those near and dear to us — our temporal 
 welfare not less than our spiritual — and on the other, we cannot 
 shut our eyes to the great difficulty of men to withdraw their 
 heart from earth, and to receive the mind of Christ, the 
 promises of these days that the Spirit of God shall be poured 
 out upon all flesh, will be very beneficial to us, in order that 
 our heart be torn from earth, and that faith, hope and charity 
 
 * His property. 
 
222 APPENDIX A. 
 
 be planted and rooted therein. They will be more beneficial 
 as we realize the tumult and confusion of the times, the great 
 and momentous events with which they are big, the all but 
 universal effort to vindicate the rights of man, but the singular 
 disregard of the necessity to restore the dignity of our nature ; 
 how we strive after manhood and majority, in spite of our 
 childishness and trifling, our w^ant of discipline and self-con- 
 secration ; how with our superficiality and selfishness we are 
 entangled in a false civilization which we fondly call culture, 
 threatening to engulf us and our children on every side, and 
 show all the time a security and carelessness, as if we were in 
 profoundest peace and out of danger. Reflecting on such a 
 state of things, we give vent to our feelings in offering the 
 prayer of Isaiah (Ixiv. i, 2) : "Oh that thou wouldest rend 
 the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the moun- 
 tains might flow down at thy presence, as when the melting 
 fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy 
 name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may 
 tremble at thy presence, through the terrible things which 
 thou doest and w^e look not for." 
 
 Ezekiel xxxvi. 26, 27. 
 
 " And a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I 
 put within you : and I will take away the stony heart out of your 
 flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit 
 within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep 
 my judgments, and do them." 
 
 How welcome must these words be to all that long for help 
 out of Zion, and desire to be saved from this wicked world ; 
 to be translated out of the dominion of darkness into the king- 
 dom of the Son of God, to have part in the inheritance incor- 
 ruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved for us in 
 heaven. Yea, these words of prophecy are most welcome to 
 us ; for they contain the Father's gracious promise that He 
 will save us from all unrighteousness, and sanctify to Himself 
 a peculiar people, zealous of good works. The storms of 
 centuries have been unable to extinguish the splendor of this 
 
SERMONS. 223 
 
 glorious promise, renewing again and again the blessed as- 
 surance of our heavenly Father that the world should not 
 perish, in that He has given us a new spirit and a new heart, 
 turning the heart of stone into a heart of flesh, and changing 
 us into a God-fearing people that keep His commandments 
 and statutes to do them. " Look unto me and be ye saved, all 
 the ends of the earth ; for I am God and none else." He still 
 declares : " Unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall 
 swear ; in the Lord is all righteousness and strength." 
 
 Let us then consecrate this feast to the consideration of the 
 great truth that we also shall be saved from all unrighteous- 
 ness, and clad in our wedding garment of righteousness and 
 salvation, attain the praise of the glory of His grace, which 
 has been revealed to us. Now the great change which the 
 Holy Spirit operates in us, referred to in the words of our 
 text, is a theme worthy of the solemnity of this hour, and ap- 
 propriate to the event we celebrate, and we will now inquire 
 
 1. What it is? 
 
 2. Hov/ it is wrought ? 
 
 And, O Lord God, cause us to realize to-day that thou 
 desirest not that any of us should perish ; let thy Holy Spirit 
 dwell in our midst in the plentitude of His power ; let us 
 taste and see that thou art good, and know the exceeding 
 greatness of thy power to us-ward who believe according to 
 the working of the mighty power which thou hast wrought 
 in Christ when thou didst raise Him from the dead and set 
 Him at thy own right hand in the heavens. Create in us a 
 clean heart, O God, and renew a constant spirit within us ; 
 cast us not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy 
 Spirit from us. Restore unto us thy joy of thy salvation, and 
 uphold us with thy free Spirit. Amen. 
 
 L 
 
 What is the great change wrought in us by the Holy Spirit ? 
 This is the question we have now to consider. It is very re- 
 markable that Christianity insists not only on melioration, 
 but wherever regeneration is referred to, not only on a partial 
 
224 APPENDIX A. 
 
 change of our nature, but on a total change in the spirit of 
 our mind. " Except a man be born again," our Lord said to 
 Micodemus, "he cannot see the kingdom of God." The mere 
 avoidance of gross excesses of sin, the bare show of outward 
 decency without inward change in the hidden depths of our 
 being, is of no value before God, and will not avail us any- 
 thing in the day when we shall receive the just recompense 
 of reward for the works we have done in the body, be they 
 good or bad. For after the description of the Word of God 
 man is corrupt through and through, and the more he strives 
 to avoid the gross excesses of sin, so much the more is he 
 wont to foster a spirit of pride and self-complacency, which 
 is an abomination before God. In the graphic language of 
 the Bible, the whole head is so sick, and the whole heart so 
 faint, that they must be recreated in order to restore us to 
 the image of Him that has called us out of darkness into 
 light. Therefore nothing short of a new creature is availing 
 in Christ Jesus, a totally changed mind, an entirely re-created 
 nature, infinitely more than we are able to do in our own 
 strength, vastly more than the highest measure of human 
 strength has ever been able to achieve. We should faint and 
 despair of our deliverance and salvation, if our conversion 
 and renovation had to be accomplished by our own strength, 
 therefore, saith the Lord God, "I will give you a new heart 
 and a new constant spirit, I will do it, saith Jehovah." Then, 
 forsooth, the faint and timid heart takes courage, saying : 
 
 Whom the Mighty One will aid, 
 Whom the Highest will exalt — 
 Nevermore can perish ! 
 
 If He is willing, and we are willing, our case will succeed. 
 But what is it that the Lord willeth ? and what is the great 
 change he operates in us, so that we may know what we 
 ought to will ? "A new heart will I give you, and a new 
 spirit will I put within you," saith the Lord. His re-creation 
 therefore is twofold, it relates both to the heart and to the 
 spirit. 
 
SERMONS. 225 
 
 This is an important distinction, for the state of the mind 
 is one thing, and the bent of our doings another. Certain 
 states of feeling are ascribed to the heart, the direction of our 
 efforts belongs to the spirit; but both the heart and the spirit 
 are liable to error, naturally very perverse, and manifoldly 
 corrupted. 
 
 We look first at the heart to know what God the Lord 
 desires to effect therein. He will create in us a new heart, 
 for by nature we have a stony heart ; and this stony heart 
 He will change into a heart of flesh, or according to the sense. 
 of the text, He will recreate it into a good and tender heart. 
 The heart, the focus of our life, embraces all the sensations 
 excited by outward impressions, or the events of the inward 
 life. It is the heart which causes us to feel, after the natural- 
 ness of our being, either defiant or timid as long as the Spirit 
 of the Lord has not yet subdued and renewed it after the 
 image of the first-begotten of the Father, our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. The heart is stony, insensible of the benefits of God, 
 unfit to receive them and to respond to His entreaties and 
 monitions — stony for the reception of His tender mercies. 
 Or can you deny having walked many years in the vanity of 
 your heart, without considering that your life, and its many 
 blessing's, are the gift of God, and that His visitation has 
 preserved your spirit ? Can you deny having many a year, 
 many a time, in carnal self-reliance and in the pride of your 
 imagined strength ascribed to your own ability or wisdom 
 the unmerited mercies of God ? Will you deny, that even 
 when you were better instructed, you have been idle and 
 reluctant to praise the Lord for His unceasing love, daily re- 
 peated with the rising of His sun ? Where are the tender 
 feelings for the all-merciful God, your gratitude to the Giver 
 of every good and perfect gift, and your cheerful obedience 
 to the Father of lights ? It is this insensibility of the divine 
 mercies which makes the heart stony, renders it impatient 
 in affliction, and fills it with arrogant pride in prosperity. 
 
 But it is also stony through being unable to receive the 
 divine exhortations. It is God's gracious purpose to draw us 
 
226 APPENDIX A. 
 
 to Himself by means of loving kindness and to conquer our 
 hearts by love. Many a beam from the invisible government 
 of His good Providence has he caused to descend on us to 
 lighten the darkness of our hearts, many a word of His has He 
 thrust into us with a force that filled us with fear and trem- 
 bling, and many a providence so turned as to make us doubt 
 the Tightness of our past course. But did we perceive and 
 understand forthwith this voice of our heavenly Father } Or 
 did we avert our face from Him, and seek for diversion, when 
 it was His purpose to admonish us through crosses and suf- 
 ferings ? What more common than the well-meant counsel 
 tendered to our suffering brethren to seek diversion.? Just as if 
 the salvation of God and peace of mind could be found in diver- 
 sion ! See, how stony the heart is ; when God kindly touches 
 it that it may exult for joy and love Him who first loved us, 
 it grows haughty, careless and arrogant ; and when He 
 smites it to make it observe the crooked and perverse way 
 on which it is running to destruction, it runs away from His 
 school and seeks for diversion, that the fatherly correction 
 may not yield fruit. The heart of man is a stony heart ! 
 These words are true and certain. 
 
 And this heart is designed to grow good and tender, to 
 become sensible of the benefits of God, to taste and see how 
 good He is, to delight in Him, and to hear His voice, to note 
 His hints and monitions, to observe and apply them, and to 
 turn them to good account. A tender and a good heart we 
 are to receive, one that receives the seed of the word, and is 
 not like the stony ground in which the divine seed cannot 
 take root, or the thorny field where the cares of this world 
 and riches choke the good seed ; but a heart of flesh is one 
 which, though we cannot leave the world, remains true to 
 God, is constantly on the alert, quick to perceive the leadings 
 and directions of the divine Spirit, and thankful to receive 
 and apply to our benefit the monitions and warnings of our 
 God, no matter when or whence they come. 
 
 This is, however, only part of the great change wrought by 
 the divine Spirit, for the text adds : " I will put a new spirit 
 
SERMONS. 227 
 
 within you." The spirit, dear brethren, is the efificient power 
 in us, which directs our efforts, guides our work for the good 
 of others and of ourselves, our plans and hopes, and indicates 
 how our diversified talents and abilities should be applied. 
 
 More or less all men are endowed with spirit or mind ; 
 there are many persons in our time, of great wealth of mind 
 (geistreic/i), who under the progressive development of our 
 age have really reached a very high degree of mental culture. 
 But what does that avail, if the old mind or spirit remains 
 unchanged ? for the old mind is dark, perverse and uncertain. 
 It is dark and perverse, for it will not allow that the things 
 which God has joined together should remain in their order 
 and proper relations. For God has raised man above all his 
 fellow-creatures in that He breathed into him a rational, free 
 soul, and endowed that soul as -well as the body with sundry 
 powers and capacities tending to beautify and enhance the 
 happiness of his life. But He has assigned to each of these 
 capacities its own fixed order, and more especially established 
 the supremacy of man in that as a rational and free agent, he 
 should ever examine himself by subordination to the judg- 
 ment of the divine Spirit, to learn and prove what is that 
 good, and acceptable and perfect will of God. But we know 
 that the efforts of men do not generally tend in this direction. 
 The use of the understanding is to them only an exercise of 
 their capacities, or a means to glitter before the world, seeing 
 that they esteem more highly the praise of man than the 
 praise of God. They are ever learning and yet never attain- 
 ing the knowledge of the truth. 
 
 The great truths of our reconciliation with God through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord, of the restoration of the divine image 
 in us, of our future destiny, are seemingly to the great mass 
 of our fellow-men, as far as their speech enables us to judge, 
 as if the'y did not concern them at all. Has there not been a 
 time when men did, and are there not many persons living 
 at this time who do not hesitate frankly to declare that our 
 relations to the things invisible are beyond the reach of 
 scientific inquiry, outside the province of knowledge, and 
 
228 APPENDIX A. 
 
 only objects of faith ? and under the pretext of such imaginary 
 faith men carelessly continued to live after their own desire, 
 and ultimately reached the pass that they did not believe any- 
 thing whatever. In this way religion w^as drawn into the 
 realm of the imaginary ; it was alleged that it was the object 
 of feeling, and under the influence of this hallucination men 
 fell into phantastic imaginings, conjured for themselves thou- 
 sands of other worlds, forgetting to seek their happiness in 
 this world and to do their duty. Their imagination literally 
 ran riot when they excluded from the loftiest affairs the 
 noblest, that is, the reasoning faculties of our being. And 
 this phantastic aberration they called divine, because it 
 originated in their own breast, and because even honest men 
 are frequently tempted to follow their own mind, if they have 
 not previously been renewed by the Spirit of God. For, if I 
 may use the expression, there are three spirits that reign in 
 us : the spirit of selfishness, which would fain uphold its 
 prejudices and opinions, no matter how great their delusion ; 
 the spirit of the prince of darkness, the evil spirit of the prince 
 of this world, who " hath blinded the eyes of them which be- 
 lieve not,"* addressing us through the evil example and the 
 errors of others, and displaying them before our eyes so that 
 they dazzle and poison us ; and lastly the good spirit, the 
 Spirit of God, testifying His presence to every man. But see- 
 ing that all those three spirits speak to us within, men fondly 
 imagine that they are always hearing the voice of the good 
 spirit, because they are loth to believe that they are naturally 
 subject to the evil spirit, and therefore they do not try the 
 spirits whether they are from God. If this were not true, 
 how could men have uttered so much egregious foolishness ?. 
 If it were not so, the striving after liberty and equality, after 
 the rights of man and a higher culture, would not have 
 brought so much grief and sorrow into the world. Dear 
 brethren, let us pray God to grant unto us and our children 
 
 * 2 Cor. iv. 4. 
 
SERMONS. 229 
 
 a new spirit which does not part asunder the head and the 
 heart, which God has joined together ; then shall we be 
 illumined in heavenly light, " and shall with open face, re- 
 flecting as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, be changed 
 into the same image from glory to glory." - 
 
 And this is also a constant, a certain spirit. For the Holy 
 Spirit taught by facts, and with facts God did connect His 
 operations and effects. He founded His kingdom on earth, 
 when the people of God were led out of Egypt by mighty 
 signs and wonders ; when 'mid thunder and lightning and 
 mighty voices the law was as on this day given from heaven 
 on Mount Sinai. 
 
 This law of the Most High is one and immutable. Heaven 
 and earth shall pass away, but these words shall not pass 
 away : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
 and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy 
 strength, and thy neighbor as thyself.'' These words ought 
 to contain the fundamental constitution of all lands and of 
 all nations. The great events at the birth of Jesus Christ, 
 during His earthly life at His resurrection and ascension, 
 are also so many pledges and facts of the infallible truth of 
 the book which we regard as the record and deposit of our 
 faith, as a light that shineth in a dark place until the day 
 dawn and the day star arise in our hearts. Therefore let 
 us accept this word of the divine message, and try by it all 
 our own views, and those of others, every sermon and every 
 book, whether they conform to it. Then He will be able to 
 work within us after His spirit a new and certain spirit, 
 " that we be not tossed to and fro, and carried about with 
 every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning 
 craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;"! then we 
 shall have a firm foundation for our faith, and a conviction 
 which cannot be shaken, and a certain spirit then rules us all 
 the while, causing us to acknowledge the truth everywhere, 
 
 2 Cor. iii. 18. f Eph 
 
230 APPENDIX A. 
 
 and to walk after the truth, and thus all our efforts and en- 
 deavors will also be renewed. Love as the motive force of 
 them all begins to be operative, and is the fulfilling of the 
 law. Then we shall have no other mind than that of doing 
 the will of our heavenly Father, and in every relation and 
 circumstance of life there will arise the thought that we love 
 and serve Him who first loved us, and render those happy 
 who are near and around us. 
 
 O dear and precious book, would that thou didst return to 
 our homes and families ! then the spirit who dwells in thee 
 would be shed on our age, and the great change for which 
 we yearn, be wrought in our fellow-men, even the change 
 promised in the words of our text — there would be created 
 in us a tender, clean and good heart, and a new and a cer- 
 tain spirit. 
 
 II. 
 
 But how does this change take place within us ? It is well 
 worth while that we grow familiar with what transpires in 
 our mind, and take a view of our true condition there. It is 
 not by any means general, this introspection, for as has been 
 already intimated, our age is wont to dispatch religiousness 
 into the realm of sentimentality and imagination, just as a 
 former age had locked it up in formality, and another allowed 
 it to perish in cold rationalism. For men are prone to avoid 
 worshipping God in spirit and in truth, prone to delude 
 themselves in this matter, because the vital remembrance of 
 God places them at His bar, and therefore they seek, as it 
 were, to slip away. But our heavenly Father wants us to 
 worship Him that way. On that account it behooves us to 
 study ourselves, to inquire if the great change we have en- 
 deavored to portray, has really taken place in us, if we have 
 received His spirit to know and adore Him, as we ought. 
 In his incomparably beautiful epistle to the Romans the 
 Apostle St. Paul describes the different states of our spiritual 
 nature (ch. vii. 7, 8) and their study is not only an appropriate 
 
SERMONS. 231 
 
 meditation at tills pentecostal season, but fraug-lit witli bless- 
 ings not only to-day but for our whole life. He distinguishes 
 the state of total unconsciousness (vii. 7, 8), in which men 
 resemble the brute creation, from that of conscious resistance 
 (vv. 9-14) in which they recognize a law which prompts 
 them to do the will of God, accompanied, however, by the 
 speedy discovery of another law in their members at variance 
 with the law of God, warring against the law of their mind, 
 and bringing them into captivity to the law of sin, and con- 
 straining them severally to exclaim with the Apostle : "O 
 wretched man that I am ! Who shall deliver me from the 
 body of this death ?" (vv. 23, 24). He further draws a 
 distinction between the state in which we begin to awake to 
 true Christian consciousness by the knowledge of Jesus 
 Christ as our Saviour, and, as it were, stretch forth the hands 
 of our mind to serve the law of God (v. 25), and the state 
 of those who are fully awake, and of whom he felt war- 
 ranted to say: "There is therefore now no condemnation 
 to them which are in Christ Jesus " (viii. i) ; and it is with 
 these that we are more especially concerned to-day in our 
 endeavor to attain a clear conception of our own spiritual 
 condition. 
 
 The state in which we begin to grow awake differs from 
 the latter in this way, that the Spirit of God operates in the 
 former on the heart in the destruction of its stony nature, 
 while in the latter the selfsame spirit dwells in it and has al- 
 ready produced a good and tender heart. The first state is 
 indispensably necessary in the work of our regeneration, but 
 those who rest content therewith, and indulge the notion 
 that momentary or transitory ebullitions of feeling, good in- 
 tentions, and impressions of holiness will suffice, run great 
 danger of relapsing into a state of death. No, we must ad- 
 vance to victory, to a full and absolutely clear state of being 
 awakened and awake, and it is the Spirit of God who pre- 
 pares us, by warnings or persuasive entreaties, for this condi- 
 tion. 
 
232 APPENDIX A. 
 
 Bald mit Lieben, bald mit Leiden, 
 Kamst du, Herr mein Gott zu mir, 
 
 Dir mein Herze zu bereiten, 
 Mich ganz zu ergeben dir ; 
 
 Dass mein innerstes Verlangen, 
 
 Mog' an deinem Willen hangen. 
 
 Standing still, under the circumstances, means going back; 
 Vv'hen He speaks we must hear, when He beckons we must 
 follow ; when He causes us to learn and experience the 
 misery and wretchedness of forsaking Him, the obstacles 
 caused by foolish and idle talking, when He threatens us 
 with the terrors of His law or sends us those who by kindly 
 speech inflame our hearts, or directs some friend to strengthen 
 and encourage us, or when He enables us to derive comfort 
 from His blessed promises — under all these kindly leadings 
 of His good providence, we are bound to follow Him, and not 
 only once, but always. It is thus that we are ever awakened 
 anew, that there is a sounding and a stirring, and the dead 
 bones start into life — but woe to those who fail to respond to 
 His monitions. Then, in order to terrify us into obedience. 
 He lias recourse to menace, and brings to our consciousness 
 the threatenings of His Word, which are sometimes very aw- 
 ful and heartrending, e. g. : " Our God is a consuming fire ;" 
 " It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God ;" 
 " Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in 
 hell ;" which depicts to us sin in its most repulsive forms, in 
 its exceeding sinfulness, in its ravages which undermine and 
 destroy our peace, the happiness of the family, and the pros- 
 perity of nations, and causes us occasionally to experience in 
 our own life the misery and sorrow which overtake men for 
 their contempt of God, and not fearing Him, or to convince 
 us of the sinfulness of sin by filling us with loathing of all 
 imbruting carnality, to let us feel the deadening influence of 
 trifling, ungodly speech, and to estimate aright the perverse- 
 ness of a worldly spirit in our domestic and social relations — 
 so that we are unable any longer to doubt that sin is the ruin 
 of men. 
 
SERMONS. 233 
 
 But, on the other hand, we should learn that it is right- 
 eousness which exalteth a people. Therefore the promises of 
 God concerning happiness and salvation give us most friendly 
 greeting, bidding us expect it both now and hereafter, in this 
 world and the next, and directing us to the assurance and 
 example of the happy estate of those who fear the Lord and 
 walk in His ways. God is pleased to delight us with the 
 spectacle of happy mortals, who in consequence of unfeigned 
 piety have been blessed by Him in their temporal and spiritual 
 affairs, in order that their conduct and example may move 
 and incite us to imitate them. He leads to us kindly folk 
 who by sweet, gentle and edifying words fill our heart with 
 rapturous delight, and inflame it with the love of God ; dear 
 friends who sympathize with us, and lovingly draw us along 
 with them to the sunny realms of the heavenly life. He 
 causes us to experience blissful hours, which yielding to our 
 hearts the antepast of heaven, secure them for it forever- 
 experiences causing us to perceive and feel within ourselves 
 the covenant of peace, which has never been abolished by 
 God, and needs only to be set up by us in order to save us, 
 render us happy and exalt us to the glorious liberty of the 
 children of God. 
 
 This then, dear brethren, is God's way, the way of our 
 heavenly Father, to drive and terrify iis from the region of the 
 shadow of death and to entice us into life. Happy are those 
 who attend to it, and yield themselves to His gracious pur- 
 poses. " Lo ! there is a noise, and a shaking, and the dead 
 bones grow alive again." But the careless and indifferent, 
 unwilling to move forward, and satisfied to remain at a stand- 
 still where favoring circumstances have placed them, deem- 
 ing this enough, and deluding themselves into the belief that 
 they have the divine life, they, I say, will continue in death, 
 unless they turn this very day, while they hear this voice, 
 unless they do it now. But if they really and truly turn from 
 their evil way, God will certainly succeed in bringing them 
 to their senses, to a state of perfect waking, and create in 
 them a new heart, a new and constant spirit. 
 
234 APPENDIX A. 
 
 This being awake, dear friends, renders us conscious that 
 the lore of God and the love of man are dominant within us. 
 If the love of God has been shed on us through the Holy- 
 Spirit in Christ Jesus, and we have learned to know and be- 
 lieve how precious we are unto God, then we experience that 
 wonderful and glorious change of mind which thenceforth 
 makes it our supreme delight to love Him, who first loved 
 us ; then the beautiful power of love manifests its full strength, 
 and we advance to a position in which we are able to control 
 our desires and passions, to crush the enemy under our feet, 
 and to exclaim triumphantly with the Apostle : " I live, yet 
 not I, but Christ liveth in me." He is my pattern, Jesus Christ 
 is to me the First and the Last, the Author and Finisher ot 
 my faith, His will and purpose is my will and purpose ; I seek 
 not my honor, but the honor of my God and Saviour Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 It was the conviction that God loves us, and was manifested 
 in that He sent His only-begotten Son into the world that we 
 should live through Him, which caused the mighty increase 
 of believers and servants of the Lord on the first day of 
 the Christian Pentecost. And the miraculous power of that 
 conviction is still operative and destined in our time to breathe 
 upon the slain that they may live, and so many among us as 
 open their hearts to the entrance of that love, so many it will 
 render heavenly minded and operative in the service of God. 
 
 They have found the Father, who is full of tenderness and 
 love to His children in evil days or in good. They rest in 
 His heart, quickened and refreshed in the blissful possession 
 of His love, and in the joyous hope of their incorruptible in- 
 heritance in heaven above, they delight in the assurance that 
 the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be com- 
 pared with the glory which shall be revealed in us, freely 
 confess that all things \vork together for their good, and join 
 in the burst of rapture which caused St. Paul to exclaim: 
 " If God be for us, who can be against us ? He that spared 
 not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall 
 He not with Him also freely give us all things ? Who shall 
 
SERMONS. 235 
 
 lay anything to the charge of God's elect ? It is God that 
 justifieth; who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died, 
 yea, rather that is risen again, who is at the right hand ot 
 God, who also maketh intercession for us ! Who shall separate 
 us from the love of God ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or 
 persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? 
 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through 
 Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, 
 nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, northings 
 present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any 
 other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love 
 of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Amen. 
 
 The congregation then sang these stanzas of Luther's 
 Hymn : 
 
 Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist, 
 
 Und den rechten Glauben allermeist, etc. 
 
 Du werthes Licht, gieb uns deinen Schein, 
 
 lychr uns Jesum Christum erkennen allein, 
 
 Dass wir an ihm bleiben, 
 
 Dem treuen Heiland, 
 
 Der uns bracht hat 
 
 Zu dem rechten Vaterland. Kyrie eleison. 
 
 Du slisse Lieb' schenk uns deine Gunst, 
 
 Lass uns empfinden der Liebe Brunst, ^ 
 
 Dass wir ims von Herzen 
 
 Einander lieben 
 
 Und in Friede 
 
 Auf einem Sinne bleiben. Kyrie eleison. 
 
236 APPENDIX A. 
 
 II. 
 
 A PARADOX. 
 
 "When I am weak, then am I strong," 
 
 2. Cor. xii. lO. 
 
 Considered at Matins. 
 
 O, Jesu Christ, mein schonstes Licht, 
 
 Der du in deiner Seelen, 
 So hoch uns liebst, dass man es nicht 
 
 Aiissprechen kann nocli zahlen: 
 Ach ! dass das Herz dich wiederum 
 
 Mit Liebe und Verlangen 
 ^ Mog' umfangen 
 
 Und als dein Eigenthum 
 
 Nur einzig an Dir hangen. * Amen. 
 
 The Lord who has mercy on us, dear brethren, causes His 
 face to shine upon us, to shine upon us all, that we get well, and 
 yet many among us are ill, and only a small number of Chris- 
 tians realize the powers of the world to come, and have been 
 strengthened and are strong in the inner man. Yes, He causes 
 His face to shine upon us, and we feel how far we still are 
 from health, how little light there is within us, although the 
 splendor of the light of His countenance is shed over us, and 
 His peace is intended to benefit us all. How is it to be ac- 
 counted for, unless it be by our perverse disposition ? For 
 we must occupy a certain position or attitude of heart in 
 order to be able to receive the radiance of God which goes 
 out towards us from the face of Jesus Christ, His Son. 
 
 As many of you, then, as desire the proper frame of mind in 
 which the loving kindness of God glorifies itself and reflects 
 in us with open face the glory of the Lord, I entreat to unite 
 with me in prayer, that there may be revealed to us a proper 
 insight of our nothingness and His loving heart, that we may 
 
 * These words had been the subject of a sermon the day before. 
 
SERMONS. 237 
 
 become more and more one with Him, and that He sup with 
 us, and we with Him. Otir Father, etc. 
 
 Text : II. Cor. xii. 10. 
 
 " Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in reproaches, in ne- 
 cessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake : for when I 
 am taeak, then am I strong." 
 
 Apparently these words are a paradox, contradict and 
 nullify each other. How can lie that is weak be strong ? 
 But it is nevertheless a pure and divine truth which the 
 Apostle here presents to us, a truth based on profound ex- 
 perience, betokening the very frame of mind and disposition 
 of our heart which we desire, and must possess, if the wisdom 
 from above is to dawn in us like a clear light. We must^be 
 weak that we may be strengthened in our weakness, accord- 
 ing to the strength of Him who is able to do exceeding abund- 
 antly above all that we ask or think. That v/as St. Paul's 
 own experience, and therefore he preferred to glory in his 
 weakness. Notwithstanding the great advances he had made 
 in the spiritual life, he reverted again and again to this frame 
 of mind as leading to yet greater progress, as unfolding yet 
 greater treasures of knowledge. " Most gladly," he said, in 
 the verse preceding our text, " will I rather glory in my weak- 
 7iess that the power of Christ may rest upon me.'' The per- 
 fection, acknowledgment and sense of our own weakness is 
 the indispensable prerequisite of our participation of the divine 
 power, and on this account, when he had besought the Lord 
 to deliver him from the Angel of Satan, who, in his graphic 
 language, was smiting him with the fist, from the woe that 
 caused him so much internal struggle and anguish, he was 
 told : " ]\Iy grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is 
 made perfect in v/eakness " (vv. 7-9). Now if this truth was 
 the cardinal and central point of the divine life in which St. 
 Paul stood, and, as is emphatically intimated in the text, 
 caused him to derive therefrom more and more knowledge, 
 how much the rather may it conduce to the growth of our 
 knowledge of spiritual things. With this end in view we 
 
238 APPENDIX A. 
 
 have chosen for our present meditation the words of the 
 Apostle : 
 
 " When I am weak, then am I strong," 
 
 to ascertain : i. The grounds of this truth ; and 2. By what 
 means we may become weak in order that the power of God 
 may grow mighty in us. 
 
 I. 
 
 Man is a creature of God, but a free being endowed with 
 the powers and capacities of consciousness. This double 
 truth solves the riddle and removes the seeming contradic- 
 tion of the apostolic declaration, " When I am weak, then am 
 I strong." 
 
 Man is a creature of God, His handiwork, and in Him he 
 lives and moves and has his being. Originally, therefore, his 
 existence is derived from the will of the Most High, no less 
 than all his powers. What have we then which we did not 
 receive ? And how may the wants of our body and those of 
 the soul be supplied and gratified unless the co-operating 
 power of God cause them to turn to our profit and blessing ? 
 The Lord from heaven is before all, and all things in Him do 
 consist. Life and all its benefits flow from Him, and the lift- 
 ing up of His countenance preserves our breath. But though 
 this is generally allowed in respect of our outward life, it is 
 as generally disputed concerning the inward life of the soul ; 
 nevertheless that inward spiritual life which we are destined 
 to lead, the striving after the perfection of our being in the 
 Holy Spirit, though we may resist it, and by our sinfulness 
 render the gracious purposes of God of none effect, is, for all 
 that, the work of divine grace, and has never been begun, 
 furthered and completed without the assistance of God. This 
 is agreeably to reason and the teachings of the Holy Spirit. 
 And in this sense St. Paul declares: " Not that we are suffi- 
 cient of ourselves to think anything, as of ourselves, but our 
 sufficiency is of God." " For it is God which worketh in you, 
 both to will and to do of His good pleasure.'' 
 
SERMONS. 239 
 
 The reasonable reception of this well-founded truth into our 
 hearts affords us a hint to the understanding of the seeming 
 paradox : " When I am weak, then am I strong." For it is an 
 unreasonable delusion to think that our strength is independ- 
 ent and our own. Whence does it come if not from God ? 
 Those who refuse to believe that God must work in us every 
 good thought and honest resolution, cannot, of course, under- 
 stand the meaning of the Apostle when he says : " When I 
 am weak, then am I strong." But those who consider that 
 God must work in us faith and the divine life after the work- 
 ing of His omnipotence, and remember that without His help 
 we cannot do anything, but with it everything, are already in 
 a position, from one side at least, to comprehend the sense of 
 the great truth of our text. 
 
 But again, man, with all his powers, is not only a creature 
 of God, but also a free and rational cr-eatiire, according to 
 his endowments. He is able to become conscious of his Cre- 
 ator, of his relations to his fellow men and to the laws, which, 
 in this respect, and for the ends of his existence in general, 
 are founded in the universe. He is equally capable of becom- 
 ing conscious of his ability to regulate his conduct according 
 to these laws or relations, or to act in opposition to them ; of 
 becoming conscious of his liberty, or the power, upon due re- 
 flection and deliberation, to choose one course or another, 
 to yield himself to the operations of the Divine Spirit, or to 
 counteract them, to follow or resist them. 
 
 Since his present condition is one of corruption, man is 
 wont, in the misapplication of the powers accorded to him, 
 frequently to prevent the influence of the Divine Spirit, both 
 through restlessness and wilfulness. Restlessness or disquiet, 
 easily produced from without or from within, renders us 
 unable consciously to receive light and power from above. 
 When under the influence of peculiar circumstances or rela- 
 tions, the mind is perturbed and thrust into violent com- 
 motion, it resembles the stormy sea, in which the sky and 
 the stars cannot be reflected, and in like manner we are un- 
 able in such a conflict of emotions to receive the image of 
 
240 APPENDIX A. 
 
 God. The maddened powers within, the wild freaks of the 
 imagination, contending ebullitions of feeling and tumultuous 
 passions raging within him do not obey him, but carry him 
 along with them. 
 
 Though endowed with liberty or free will, yet having, in a 
 state of disquiet, formed some purpose, we are prone to fall 
 into wilfulness, and wilfully to oppose the will of God with all 
 our strength; through outward entanglements or inward 
 confusion, when bound in the fetters of pernicious prejudice, 
 and under the influence of false views, we pursue crooked 
 ways and do many things that are unprofitable. Wilfulness 
 and self-reliance disturb the operations of the Holy Spirit, not 
 only in respect of the immoderate pursuit of secular and sin- 
 ful aims and enjoyments, but also in respect of the general 
 purpose of amendment ; and this explains the phenomenon 
 that even those who desire the better part are frequently 
 checked in their progress through self-will, and through the 
 self-complacent direction of the powers accorded to them, to 
 remain estranged from God, to grow perturbed and confused 
 in their ideas, and under the delusion of doing good in ac- 
 complishing one thing or another, removing one or restoring 
 another, virtually work against the purpose of God, and in- 
 stead of drawing nearer to the divine life, drift more hope- 
 lessly away from it. 
 
 Whoever contemplates himself in this mirror will perceive 
 how when he is strong, or exerts his powers in a wrong way, 
 and strives to work according to the dictates of his own will, 
 he may do unspeakable mischief ; for the main thing is not to 
 work with power and to exert the power of which we are 
 conscious, nor is it the measure of our strength of will, but it 
 is its judicious direction, conformably to the divine will, to ac- 
 complish His gracious purpose. It is only when we surrender 
 our self-will and self-work, and, looking up to God, calmly 
 allow Him to influence us, convinced that of ourselves we 
 have not and cannot do anything, and must receive every- 
 thing from His free grace, that we behold the glory of the 
 Lord with unveiled face, and are glorified into the same light. 
 
SERMONS. 241 
 
 On this, account, dear brethren, it behooves us to grow weak 
 in ourselves that the power of God may the more mightily 
 work in us, for "when I am weak, then am I strong." 
 
 2. 
 
 If, then, we deem it desirable to maintain that frame of mind 
 and disposition of heart which render us capable of receiving 
 the divine and sanctifying influence, the question comes up 
 how and by what means we may reach the position of be- 
 coming weak in order that the power of God may work in us 
 mightily ? And we answer that it comes to pass in this way : 
 becoming more and more conscious of our own nothingness, 
 seeking to grow more familiar with our sinful corruption, and 
 endeavoring to check all distraction, we open our hearts to 
 the love of God in order to be influenced, penetrated and 
 melted by it. 
 
 For this purpose let us search and investigate our hidden 
 blemishes, uncover the depths of sin, the secret lurking-places 
 of our hearts alienated from God and so utterly perverted, 
 that we may know the depth of our fall and the inveterate- 
 ness of our pollution. When our dear Lord trod this earth 
 of ours he sought sinners, for it is not the whole, but the sick 
 that need a physician. But we must be animated through 
 and through by the. sense of our sinfulness before we can 
 hear the voice of the Good Shepherd ; that gladly and with- 
 out a will of our own, convinced of our inability, we suffer 
 Him to take us in His arms and carry us on His shoulders. 
 And towards this knowledge of ourselves, this familiarity 
 with our true state, everything may minister in turn, our 
 temptations, our stumblings and lapses, and all our trials. 
 
 Our temptations, especially by tracing them to their deep 
 sources, remembering that the proper information concern- 
 ing our true nature flows not so much from our outward 
 actions, as from the secret and hidden springs of motive of 
 which they are only the expressions. These temptations in 
 their curious, foolish, envenomed and variegated character 
 disclose to us more and more the intensity of our natural 
 
242 
 
 APPENDIX A. 
 
 depravity and corruption, our inability to work good in virtue 
 of our own strength, and of our entire dependence on the 
 help and support of our heavenly Father. It is then, that 
 with greater willingness, more intense longing, more profound 
 gratitude, Vve yield ourselves to the Father, whose gracious 
 purpose it is to cleanse us in His Son from all unrighteous- 
 ness ; it is then that we cleave to the Son with greater fidelity, 
 as unto one that is able to save to the uttermost, any and all 
 desiring to come to God through Him, it is then that we receive 
 with greater joyfulness the spirit of grace and of prayer, 
 gladdened by the bright beams of divine love, and convinced 
 of the desperate and inveterate wickedness of our heart, attain 
 to the beatific assurance that our safety and salvation depend 
 not on our willing or running, but on the mercy of God. 
 
 Our stumblings and lapses also may serve to promote our 
 self-knowledge ; they will uncover the weakest points, the 
 most vulnerable spots of our hearts, and disclose the dangers 
 to which we are exposed. Our stumbling will perforce im- 
 press us with a sense of weakness in perceiving that though 
 aroused and awakened by the Spirit of God, though, as it 
 w^re, miraculously changed in the bent and disposition of 
 our will, which instead of seeking its own, turns God-ward, 
 longs for the attainment of the highest felicity, desires to run 
 with alacrity and joy in the way of the divine commandments, 
 and the paths of peace — in perceiving that in spite of all this 
 there comes over us a certain lassitude and apathy which in- 
 terferes with the proper and energetic use of our powers, and 
 causes us to yield to momentary ebullitions of feeling, or to 
 the seductive influence of plausible counter-representation. 
 And lastly, dear brethren, the trials, afflictions and calami- 
 ties to which we are subjected may serve to promote our 
 humility. This we may perceive from the degree to which 
 they are able to touch us, the depth to which they reach, and 
 the extent of the decisive, and frequently perverted influence 
 they exert both on the frame of our mind and our outward 
 behavior. In this way we become gradually convinced of 
 our weakness, and learn more and more of the poor avail of 
 
SERMONS. 243 
 
 our own power in bearing our burden and casting away the 
 sin which doth so easily beset us. 
 
 Let not pride prevent us from thus looking at ourselves, for 
 we are prone to look at ourselves in the best light, and this 
 inclination, this indulging of our self-love does not wholly 
 leave us, even after the principal and capital change of our 
 heart has already set in. Men fondly cherish the feeling of 
 seeing themselves arrayed in loveliness, and of taking delight 
 in the contemplation of their virtues ; they are prone to eye a 
 certain degree of excellence ihey intetid to acquire, rather 
 than divine grace compassionating them in their natural 
 misery, and the blessing of which they would enjoy, though 
 its fruit in quality or quantity may not come up to their ex- 
 pectations. For we do not desire to be that which under the 
 circumstances we may be after the will of God, but we covet 
 accomplishments to gratify our vanity and self-complacency. 
 Hence we find many that complain of themselves and their 
 condition; they complain, not because they abhor sin, but 
 because they grieve, and are disappointed in appearing so 
 meanly in their own eyes. It is pride which causes them 
 to despair of themselves, if they are unable to present them- 
 selves in their coveted excellence. But this grieving is very 
 different from the godly sorrow which worketh repentance 
 to salvation not to be repented of; for this latter calmly, 
 meekly, patiently and resignedly endures the sight of sinful- 
 ness, convinced that where the work of God has begun to 
 operate, it will gradually gain the ascendency, occupy more 
 room, forbidding sin to reign in us, and plainly showing us 
 whence we are fallen, and how much we are stained and 
 polluted by sin. But the former is impatient because the 
 plant of righteousness is not immediately blooming in the 
 perfection of its beauty, and exhibiting the riches of its fruit- 
 age. Let us beware of that frame of mind; let us keep the 
 seed of the divine in a good and honest heart, and bring forth 
 fruit with patience. Our Lord, when He trod this earth ot 
 ours, came to seek sintiers, and He will seek us also, if we 
 feel that we labor and are heavy laden. Therefore let us re- 
 
244 APPENDIX A. 
 
 member what weak vessels we are, how ready to break, and 
 how much we resemble a bruised reed, and smoking flax (/. <?., 
 a glowing wick ready to go out) ! Then we shall humble 
 ourselves, and our soul will recover health when with opened 
 eyes we behold the filth that pollutes us, do not deceive our 
 selves as to our hurt, and become familiar with our depravity 
 and our natural nothingness. 
 
 Moreover, it behooves us to sJnni distraction as much as 
 possible, for that is the root of the evil. If we fail to seek re- 
 tirement, to commune with our own heart and to collect our 
 hidden powers, we are not able to use them at all. Allow your 
 thoughts to range abroad where they may list, fly from one 
 thing to another, and you are like a reed shaken with wind. 
 But as we are destined to be plants to the praise of the Lord, 
 firmly rooted trees of righteousness, we must, in order to re- 
 cover our health, check distraction and diversion, shun it as 
 much as we may, and erect a dam against it within. This is 
 indispensable to the obtaining of that sense of weakness in 
 which we grow strong, observe, mark, receive and apply to 
 our salvation the drawings of divine grace. Preaching is 
 plainly inadequate to meet the requirements of the case, if 
 distraction is not checked; for were it adequate, the many 
 thousand sermons preached to so great a multitude of hearers 
 ought to produce a far greater and more efficacious influence 
 of the Spirit of God on their hearts and lives. It is while men 
 are distracted that the enemy cometh and taketh away the 
 word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be 
 saved — and in time of temptation, through the distractions of 
 cares and riches and pleasures of this life, they fall away and 
 bring no fruit to perfection. 
 
 Therefore, keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of 
 God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of 
 fools, and keep thy heart wnth all diligence, for out of it are 
 the issues of life. Neither the word of the divine revelation, 
 nor the experience of life will be profitable and conduce to 
 to our melioration if we are distracted in mind. If then we 
 are seriously desirous to know how matters stand within us, 
 
SERMONS. 245 
 
 how poor we are and how dependent on God, to cultivate a 
 sense of reasonable dissatisfaction with ourselves and main- 
 tain a consciousness of weakness, we should be peculiarly on 
 our guard to drive away everything- from without that may 
 hurt us and disturb our quietness, I say everything that 
 may be misused or perverted in that direction, not excepting 
 even strong pious emotions, for they also may lead astray. 
 For just try and examine yourselves, dear brethren, after you 
 have wept in seeming grief, if you know why and for what 
 purpose your tears did flow? Under the influence of such 
 vehement and tumultuous emotion, all orderly thought is apt 
 to vanish, and from the first good thought that touched you 
 and caused you to be so profoundly moved, you yielded to 
 the influence of the excitement which made you deaf to all 
 further attention, and if you did not hear any more, you did 
 not think any more, and if you did not think any more, you 
 did not understand and comprehend, and if you did not com- 
 prehend you cannot possess anything or derive any blessing 
 from it. Oh, that Christians would consider that the life of 
 the Spirit must be received in full consciousness, and that 
 every distraction must be checked and avoided, of whatever 
 kind it be. Where that is done, the sense of weakness is sure 
 to manifest itself, we look deliberately and consciously around 
 and weigh the proportion of our strength to meet the im- 
 portant requirements which here or there are expected of us. 
 Therefore, dear friends, seeing that we are naturally inclined 
 to be distracted and possessed by currents of thought and 
 feeling, by fanciful illusions and delusions, driven from one 
 fantastic vision to another, and cast from one frame of mind 
 into another without knowing why or how it all comes to 
 pass, let us take care and beware lest by such violent alter- 
 nations of tumultuous excitement we cease to be human be- 
 ings. For in such a state of chaotic distraction, which carries 
 us headlong hither and thither, our mind may be here or 
 there, but we are not conscious of it; not personally conscious, 
 and it is only personal consciousness that makes us truly 
 men. The tension, moreover, of this spiritual excitement is 
 
246 APPENDIX A. 
 
 inevitably followed by a reaction and relaxation, and the more 
 we imagine that in virtue of such mental excitement, of such 
 an upheaval and depression of mind, to have attained some 
 extraordinary degree of excellence, the more egregiously do 
 we deceive ourselves, and stray away from the end of our 
 heavenly calling. Let us then earnestly and honestly strive 
 to avoid every kind of distraction, outward distraction by the 
 careful regulation of our outward rule of life, and inward 
 distraction, by the vigilant observation of what transpires 
 within ; by regulating our feelings, by endeavoring to con- 
 centrate our thoughts on Christ, and we shall feel our Vv-eak- 
 ness, and be able to grow strong in the same. 
 
 Finally, dear brethren, let us yield ourselves to the love of 
 God, our Heavenly Father, as it is shed over us all through 
 Christ Jesus our Lord, that, thoroughly humbled, we may ap- 
 pear unto ourselves small and weak that the power of God may 
 all the more mightily dwell in us. For there are in our nature 
 depths that can hardly be fathomed, and hardnesses that can 
 only be melted by that sacred fire. It is on this account that 
 we must yield ourselves to the influence of the love of God in 
 Christ, would we grow weak, for as it is the nature of love to 
 yield itself to its object, to surrender self and to belong wholly 
 to the beloved, so ought our heart to aspire after most inti- 
 mate union with God, to surrender and present itself as an 
 offering to our dear Father, to suspend all self-seeking and 
 self-working until His Power operates in us, then both what 
 we will and do is sure to succeed, to our joy and felicity in 
 the omnipotent power of love, according to the good pleasure 
 of His will. And this love we shall know by attending to the 
 proofs of the same which everywhere surround us, and by 
 considering that we are not worthy of the least of all the 
 mercies, and of all the truth which He is showing unto us. 
 Once in the way of this direction, the perceptive power of our 
 eyes will grow more intense, and enable us to discover the 
 traces of His kindness and the blessings of His love, and to 
 become more receptive of its vitalizing beams. And as we 
 contemplate the great work of Redemption, and seek to pene- 
 
SERMONS. 247 
 
 trate the Love which bore our sins on the tree, and remitted 
 them to us, and has called us to its peace and blessedness, the 
 heart that is hard begins to melt, that which was dead is 
 quickened, and the motions of tender and sweetest yearning 
 draw from the depths of our soul this prayer of a godly poet : 
 
 Zeuch midi ganz in Dich, 
 Dass vor Liebe ich 
 Ganz zerinne und zerschmelze, 
 Und auf Dich mein Elend walze, 
 Das stets driicket mich ! 
 Zeuch mich ganz in Dich. 
 
 Let this be also our prayer and the daily sighing of our 
 heart : " Grant that Thy Love alone dwell in my soul." And 
 in order to nourish and feed this sacred fiame, let us read and 
 meditate on the words of divine revelation, or the glorious 
 hymns of our Hymn Book, in which the love of Jesus is so 
 touchingly portrayed, to edify our hearts, and to lay us under 
 increasing obligations of fidelity. If this love begins to glow 
 within us, the heat thereof is sure to melt the hardest hard- 
 ness and subdue the proudest mind, and we shall recover our 
 health and grow strong in the inner man. 
 
 Gracious Father, who desirest us to become sharers of 
 thy salvation and felicity, thou knowest how many of thy 
 children, through self-will and self-work, miss the mark 
 which thou hast set them. May thy Good Spirit preserve us 
 from such a lot, and may thy grace make us weak in order 
 that we may grow strong. May it please thee to uncover our 
 secret faults, to bless us with quietness, to collect our wander- 
 ing and scattered thoughts, that we may know thee and see 
 thee in the love with which thou hast regard unto thy ser- 
 vants, carriest the sick and the weak in thine arms, and givest 
 power to the weary and strength sufficient unto the weak. 
 O Lord Jesus Christ, grant that with all our sorrow and 
 misery we may fall into thine embrace, and in thy bosom find 
 rest unto our souls. 
 
 There is no other rest anywhere but in thee, we therefore 
 
248 APPENDIX A. 
 
 pray thee let the fire of thy love melt us into a living sacrifice, 
 holy and acceptable unto God! 
 
 Also v/ird es noch geschehen, 
 Dass der Herr uns wird ansehen, 
 Und wir werden noch auf Erden, 
 Gottes Liebesopfer v^erden. 
 
 III. 
 
 FIDELITY IX THE LEAST. 
 St. Luke, xvi. 10-13. 
 
 Preached ill 1832. 
 
 "Although the Christian religion is founded on knowledge 
 and the conviction that 'God is Love,' not a few of our the- 
 ologians and writers on ethics are in the habit of represent- 
 ing our duty to God and to our neighbor as if duty and love 
 \vere not essentially identical. For the declaration of Holy 
 Scripture, that all the commandments are comprehended in 
 that of the love of God and of our neighbor, imports that the 
 practice of love is enjoined as a duty. But this love could 
 not have been enjpined as a commandment or a duty, if it 
 were only an appetite or passion, and therefore this com- 
 mandment of love simply implies that every man is endowed 
 with the faculty of admitting or repelling the affection of this 
 love, which is freely offered to him, and freely solicits him. 
 Moreover the identity of duty and love is indicated by the 
 circumstance that both denote a connection. For the word 
 duty {Pfiicht=^debituni) or obligation is derived from being 
 bound or connected {verpflichtet, verbundeii) and the sole 
 difference between them is, that duty (obligation, i. e. the law) 
 as a pervading power only incites connection, while love, as a 
 
SERMONS. 249 
 
 fulfilling and indwelling power attracts ; hence love delivers 
 us from the pressure of the law, just as the entrance of air 
 into a body void of air delivers it from the pressure of the 
 air. The connection which in duty is one-sided and enforced 
 becomes reciprocal and free in love." Fr. Baader. 
 
 As many of us, gracious Father, as are here assembled in 
 thy presence, while we continue here, are stewards of the 
 manifold gifts which thou hast committed to our keeping, 
 and it is expected of a steward that he should be found faith- 
 ful. Oh that we might be faithful in that which is entrusted 
 to us ! Thou art faithful, O God ; thou art faithiul and true, 
 and without iniquity; just and right art thou ; and it is wrong 
 to turn away from thee and not to requite thy faithfulness 
 with faithfulness in return ; they that act thus crookedly are 
 blots, and not thy children. But our trust is in thee, O Lord, 
 and we would fain be faithful to thee ; for such as be faithful 
 in love shall abide with thee. Amen. 
 
 St. Luke xvi. 10-13. 
 
 "lie that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in 
 much ; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If 
 therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, 
 who will commit unto you the true riches ? and if ye have not been faith- 
 ful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is 
 your own ? No servant can serve two masters ; for either he will 
 hate the one and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one, 
 and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." 
 
 We hav^e here a condition of our salvation which cannot 
 be gainsaid, for we have it from the Lord's self-own lips. 
 What He requires is faithfulness, fidelity in the least, if He is 
 to set us over much, fidelity now that we may be able to be 
 received into everlasting habitations. "Be thou faithful unto 
 death, and I will give thee the crown of life,'' said the First 
 and the Last unto His Church. This word concerning fidelity 
 is addressed in the first instance to those on whom He lifts up 
 
250 APPENDIX A. 
 
 the light of His countenance, upon whom the gracious and 
 merciful Lord casts the bright beams of His lovingkindness, 
 in whose heart He has already kindled a spark of His love, 
 to whom He has given a pound to trade withal for spiritual 
 ends ; they are to be faithful and persevere to the end that 
 they may be saved. But it bears also on others, it applies to 
 every one, this word concerning fidelity, and especially con- 
 cerning fidelity in that which is least ; for there is none 
 among us destitute of the ability or opportunity to do good, 
 and none may say : I have had little intrusted to me, and 
 therefore I am not responsible; for though much is expected 
 of him to whom much is committed, yet the servant who re- 
 ceived less, to whom only one talent was given, had to render 
 account of his stewardship. 
 
 We have to deal with " Fidelity in the Least,'' and propose 
 to inquire : 
 
 1. What are we to understand by it ? 
 
 2. Why is this fidelity so necessary ? 
 
 3. How may it be acquired ? 
 
 I. 
 
 What is fidelity, and fidelity in the least ? Fidelity is hold- 
 ing fast and standing, persevering in love. When out of 
 heaven, down from the Father of Light, love with its sacred 
 beams lights hither and thitherto kindle a spark in the hearts 
 of men, fidelity denotes the stirring and keeping, the tending 
 of the sacred flame of grateful return-love in our breast, the 
 standing in the love wherewith He has loved us. Withdraw- 
 ing from the noise and the distractions which assail us within 
 and without, and threaten to make us lose out of sight the 
 glorious prize of our celestial vocation, to the stillness of re- 
 tirement, we collect our thoughts that we may receive the 
 blessings of the love of God and muse upon what is right and 
 well-pleasing before God and our Father — we shall collect 
 ourselves, if we are faithful. And having thus collected our- 
 selves and learnt His gracious will to us-ward that believe, 
 
SERMONS. 251 
 
 both within and around us, fidelity will go forth to meet Him, 
 requite His love with return-love, and strive to think and act 
 carefully and conscientiously according to our knowledge of 
 the truth. In word and deed, in thought and aim, even in 
 the most secret motions of his heart, a faithful man will ap- 
 prove himself pure and unblamable, and readily and cheer- 
 fully aspire to self-denial to accomplish the gracious purposes 
 of his Heavenly Father ; yea, in the conflict with obstacles 
 and difficulties, if they arise, the faithful man will strain every 
 nerve, and in spite of suffering and adversity, in dishonor 
 and persecution, persevere unto the end in love. 
 
 It is this fidelity which Jesus commends to us in the text, 
 even in the least. He was then speaking of the proper use 
 of earthly goods, and bade the rich Pharisees do good and 
 gather riches for the future. Earthly goods He called an- 
 other s, for they are only lent, and the tmrighteous inaimnon, 
 because of their unequal distribution, in consequence of sin 
 having disturbed the relations of the world. Yea, He would 
 say, though a man's possessions have not been acquired by 
 dishonest means, yet he is bound to trade therewith as a 
 faithful steward ; for God, in allowing the present state of the 
 world to continue, set the poor by the side of the rich, that 
 in the mutual exchange of temporal and spiritual gifts they 
 might lovingly aid one another, and that the rich through 
 the communication of their abundance might make friends 
 with the unrighteous mammon, and through the blessings of 
 love be exalted to everlasting habitations. 
 
 Nor does this hold good of riches only ; it bears alike on 
 every temporal good and relation, all of which should be duly 
 estimated, carefully and conscientiously used for our own 
 benefit and that of others, and most faithfully husbanded in 
 the least. No matter how little and insignificant appear our 
 professional duties, domestic affairs, or business concerns, let 
 them be trifling or seem even contemptible, and our office so 
 small and unimportant that it may seeni almost exaggeration 
 to describe it by that term, yet the precept of fidelity applies 
 to all. It imports that we be faithful to God in the careful 
 
252 APPENDIX A. 
 
 and conscientious discharge of our work, for His sake, and 
 not with eye-service as men-pleasers, in things great and 
 small, even the very least. "Whatsoever ye do in word or 
 deed," exclaims the Apostle, " whether ye eat or drink, or 
 whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God," " do all in the 
 name of the Lord Jesus," * in the spirit and mind in which 
 He would have done it in your place. In this case the secon- 
 dary ceases to be secondary and rises to the first importance; 
 the least is not so little but that it must be watched, observed, 
 conscientiously regarded, and faithfully used ; here your ac- 
 quaintance and your privacy, your recreation and your work, 
 your speech and your silence, what you do or omit to do, will 
 have to pass muster and be judged by the will and law of 
 your God, t that it may please Him, benefit your neighbor, 
 and promote your happiness ; and here comes in that saying, 
 that things may be lawful to you but not profitable, and you 
 may do much, but it will be unprofitable unless you do it 
 heartily. So, this is fidelity in the least. 
 
 II. 
 
 Why is this fidelity so necessary ? 
 
 The time of our earthly pilgrimage, and everything that 
 belongs to it, is a time oi probation, this is the primary reason 
 of the great necessity of faithfulness. It is all of God's own 
 guiding, conforms to His gracious plan of educating us, and 
 designed, according to His paternal counsel, to be a school 
 and discipline for our improvement and ultimate success. 
 From the first moment of our consciousness until we lay the 
 pilgrim-staff aside, wherever we be, and whatever we meet. 
 He has foreseen it all, provided and ordered it to our sancti- 
 fication through the exhibition of faithfulness. The final de- 
 cision will not depend upon ivhat we have done, but upon 
 how we have done it ; " Whosoever shall give to drink unto 
 one of the least a cup of cold water only in the name of a 
 
 * Col. iii. 17-23 ; i Cor. x. 31. 
 f Cf. Reinhardt, Ueber den Werth der Kleinigkeiten, etc. 
 
SERMONS. 253 
 
 disciple, verily he shall in no wise lose his reward."* And 
 even as in the education of our children little and insignifi- 
 cant circumstances and occurrences afford us a sure measure 
 of their heart and mind, so in like manner the judge of the 
 quick and dead will observe a similar rule and standard of 
 judgment : " He that is faithful in that which is least, is faith- 
 ful also in much ; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust 
 also in much." 
 
 It is, moreover, characteristic of love to be charmed and 
 delighted by taking note of little and seemingly trifling things, 
 and to proclaim itself not only by great sacrifices, but also 
 by tender carefulness in the least. It will manifest itself by 
 fidelity, if, for instance, in the narrow circle of our home we 
 try to make trifling circumstances profitable to our fellow- 
 men, to develop the least into the great, and as to ourselves, 
 give heed to place every step we take, and every word we 
 utter, under the guardian care and inspection of the good 
 Spirit who moves the hearts of the children of God. Who- 
 ever you are, young or old, husband or wife, and whatever 
 your station, high or low, whether little is committed to you 
 or much, if you are faithful, you will have praise of God in 
 that day which will bring to light the hidden things of dark- 
 ness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart. 
 
 Again, the least, the most trifling and insignificant, is part 
 of the great and whole. Every day is linked in the chain of 
 your life, and not an hour of it may be wasted without some 
 loss to you of what was intended for your good. Every 
 providence, likewise, that befalls you, is a drawing nigh of 
 the Father's heart to your own, a look of His eye into yours, 
 beckoning you, a pressure of your hand by His, bidding you 
 draw nearer to Him, enter into friendship with Him and 
 make your calling and election sure. Where is the situation 
 and where the relation that is not connected with the supreme 
 end of our existence, and that cannot be utilized for it ? Can 
 you name anything in the experience and the incidents of 
 
 * Matth. X. 42. 
 
254 APPENDIX A. 
 
 your daily life unsuitecl to God's plan of educating us, or no 
 calculated to promote His purpose with us ? Reflect on all 
 the events marking the whole course of your life from tender 
 infancy through all the years of your development, from the 
 cradle in which you were rocked to the altar before which 
 you ratified your vows, from the happy unconcern of child- 
 hood, free from sorrow and from care, to the anxieties ot 
 your riper years ; reflect on them and you will be constrained 
 to own that they are wonderfully and intimately interlinked 
 and interwoven ; a single circumstance, even the least, had it 
 taken another turn, might have entirely changed your course 
 of life ! But His eyes were open over all your ways, and He 
 saw you, yet being imperfect, and in His book all your days 
 were written which were to come with all their events ; * but 
 He nevertheless has placed your destiny into your own hands. 
 It is then abundantly clear that there is absolutely nothing 
 which you might deem to be immaterial, or not fraught with 
 important results ; everything affects you inevitably for good 
 or for evil — and this proves the necessity of faithfulness in 
 the great and in the least — and in the least that we may 
 gain the great. 
 
 And it is necessary, in the last place, because it is an exer- 
 cise preparatory for eternity. If ye have not been faithful in 
 that which is another man's (German : a stranger's posses- 
 sion), ye that are strangers on earth, who will give you that 
 which is your own ? 
 
 The elementary parts ot school instruction, the beginnings 
 of art or of a trade, are apt to be little thought of in later 
 )-ears ; but he that has not mastered them is hindered in the 
 progress, and having failed to lay a good foundation, he will 
 remain forever a bungler in his calling. The exercise ot 
 power and its development are starting points and props of 
 fitness and usefulness all through life. The same holds good 
 with respect to the affairs of our immortal spirit. The earthly 
 house of this tabernacle will crumble into dust, our temporal 
 
 * Ps. cxxxix., i6 based on Luther's version. 
 
SERMONS. 255 
 
 relations will be dissolved, and they will ask for us in vain 
 hereafter where once we stood ; but the power exercised and 
 developed in our temporal relations, the mind set and fixed 
 on God, seriousness, strength of purpose, honesty under all 
 circumstances, sincerity, pureness, heeding the voice of con- 
 science, and the warnings and exhortations of the Word of 
 God, the truth and righteousness acquired and maintained in 
 the good fight, divine zeal in the pursuit of good developed and 
 exhibited under the essentially low and oppressive work of 
 our daily life and the sacred flame which animates and im- 
 pels us to action — all these, dear brethren, have become our 
 own ; they are and constitute the true riches which abide, and 
 accompany us to the better, the perfect world. " He that 
 hath been faithful over a few things shall be made ruler over 
 many things, and enter into the joy of his lord."* Oh that it 
 might be your studious and urgent endeavor to be most careful 
 and conscientious in the things that are of the earth, earthly, 
 that you may be found worthy to be promoted to a higher 
 order of things, and entrusted with the eternal, because you 
 did approve yourself on earth a good steward of the manifold 
 grace of God. 
 
 III. 
 
 How may it be acquired ? How is it possible to be 
 faithful ? 
 
 If fidelity is holding fast and abiding in love, let love be 
 practised. Love is of God, and God is Love ; love, therefore, 
 will raise you above appearance, and you will seek and find 
 in it the life and the truth. But it must be the love of which 
 the Lord says : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
 thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and 
 thy neighbor as thyself.'' You cannot acquire or appropriate 
 it by your own effort ; for He is come to kindle this sacred 
 fire on earth. He delights to excite and waken love, and to 
 
 * Matth. XXV. 
 
256 APPENDIX A. 
 
 kindle even in you the divine spark of love, and along- with it 
 freely to give you all things. The cross is set up aloft that from 
 it there may flow a never-failing fountain of love to all that 
 believe in the doctrine and word of reconciliation. The 
 sacred river of that love sweeps along, you also have been 
 baptized in it, and often made to feel the love, wherewith 
 God has loved us. 
 
 Cherish this love and practise it ; this is your work and 
 3'ou are required to do it. The flame of the love of God is 
 destined to burn pure and undivided in your heart, that you 
 maybe found faithful. "No man can serve two masters ; 
 for either he will hate the one and love the other ; or else 
 he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot 
 serve God and mammon ;" you cannot at the same time 
 serve the world and God, or selfishness and love. Take heed 
 then, and watch, lest the sacred flame be damped and choked 
 through distraction or the filth and pollution of sin. " If any 
 man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 
 Separate and decide* within yourself that you may know 
 whether you are serving God or not serving Him ; do not in 
 idle pampering of the flesh confound what God is doing with 
 what you might and ought to do ; do not say : " The Lord 
 will grant me fidelity, for I have asked Him in prayer;" for lo ! 
 it is He that is standing at the door of your heart, entreating 
 you to be faithful, because unless you watch and strive. He 
 cannot make you faithful any more than the slothful servant 
 in the parable, t lest like him, you be cast into outer darkness, 
 where is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, the 
 place reserved for recompense wnto hypocrites, unto such 
 who for a pretence make long prayers, to move Him to pity, 
 as if He were a hard man exacting impossible things — but 
 who nevertheless refuse to be faithful, and to do what and as 
 He bids them — which they are fully able and ought to do. 
 
 Yea, practise love that it root itself in faithfulness. The 
 
 '"' German : Scheide tmd entscheide. 
 \ Matlh. XXV. 
 
SERMONS. 257 
 
 outgoings of the love of God are never ceasing to give you 
 all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Oh! that you 
 would heed it, and keep it, and flee from the transitory lust 
 of the world; that you would guard your immortal soul, and 
 never forget what He has done for you ; that through apathy 
 and idleness you would never obey men more than God, and 
 that in the power of love you would burst and fling aside the 
 shameful fetters of sin, act like a man, and courageously do 
 the work and will of God. 
 
 Loving and beloved you will grow nearer and dearer to 
 Him, become one with Him in spirit, and rejoice in the expe- 
 rience that the faithful and merciful Lord has thoughts of 
 peace to you-ward ; it will be your joy to live near to Him, 
 and raised in that sweet communion, as it were, to heaven 
 above, you will from that higher plane of observation look on 
 the earth and earthly affairs and see them in their true light ; 
 you will realize that the earth and honor with men cannot 
 suffice to satisfy the wants of your soul ; and rising superior 
 to the world, and true to Him that calleth you and is faithful, 
 you also will be faithful in all your ways. "For the moun- 
 tains shall depart, and the hills be removed ; but my kind- 
 ness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of 
 my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on 
 thee." * Amen. 
 
 Is. liv. 10. 
 
APPENDIX B. 
 
 NOTICE OF SCHONHERR, EXTRACTS FROM HIS 
 WRITINGS AND THE WORKS OF OTHERS. 
 
 JOHANN HEINRICH SCHONHERR, A SUMMARY OF HIS LIFE 
 AND VIEWS. 
 
 He was born November 30, 1770, at jMemel. His father 
 was a non-commissioned officer in an infantry regiment, and 
 universally esteemed ; his name was originally Schonhagen, 
 but being a very handsome man, the Austrians, among whom 
 he spent some time as a prisoner of war, called him Schon- 
 herr (/. <?., handsome man, or gentleman) ; the alteration 
 pleased him so much that he retained it, and it became the 
 family name. His wife, Heinrich's mother, was a native of 
 Angerburg, where they went to live afterwards. Heinrich, 
 in his fifteenth year, was apprenticed with a merchant at 
 Konigsberg, but being addicted to books, left his employer, 
 and managed to acquire the necessary modicum of attain- 
 ments to enter the university ; his original design to study 
 theology he soon abandoned, and chose in its place philosophy 
 under Kant. After six months' connection with the univers- 
 ity at Konigsberg he left it in the autumn of 1792 ; but during 
 that stay he had already (in his twenty-second year) com- 
 menced independent researches, and discovered, on his ex- 
 cursions in the neighborhood, the first traces of the truth 
 which he taught afterwards, when after about two years' 
 
 258 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 259 
 
 travels, on which he went to other universities, and six years' 
 occupation as a private tutor, he returned to Konig^sberg". His 
 views he communicated, on a journey through Germany in 
 1817, to a number of professors in different universities ; but 
 they did not commend themselves to their judgment. In 1823, 
 he visited his brother at St. Petersburg, and in 1824 he was at 
 Berlin. During the last years of his life he made mechanical 
 experiments, which were entirely unsuccessful. In con- 
 sequence of an old pulmonary complaint he died at Spittel- 
 hof, belonging to Juditten, near Konigsberg, in the church- 
 yard of which place he was buried. He died October 15, 
 1826. 
 
 He was a handsome man, of tall stature. He wore, on 
 grounds of health, his hair long, and a beard descending to 
 his chest ; this was very becoming to him and in perfect ac- 
 cord with the dignity of his carriage, his expressive face, and 
 his noble stature. 
 
 Though he never held an office, he was a man of active 
 habits, and search for the truth his dominant thought by day 
 and night ; under its influence the claims of nature were 
 neglected, he would forget his meals, and many a night he 
 spent waking. The whole man, in appearance, in his habits, 
 and chiefly in his views, was diametrically opposed to the 
 prevailing spirit of the times. He was like an ancient seer, 
 who had returned to a world that knew him not, neither 
 could understand him. Intellectually he was a giant, and 
 his power of will was prodigious; convinced that his phil- 
 osophical and religious views were true, he could endure 
 anything rather than opposition or contradiction. There lay 
 his w^eakness. In disputations his dialectical skill was un- 
 disputed, and he usually came off victor. Naturally fiery, 
 earnest and impassioned, and gifted with great eloquence, 
 the impress of sincerity and conviction stamped upon his 
 every word, few could resist the influence of his great power. 
 Solemn, devout, impassioned flowed the stream of his elo- 
 quence, stirring the hearts, moving the passions and convinc- 
 ing the understandinsr of his hearers. 
 
26o APPENDIX B. 
 
 Starting in doubts as to the destiny of man, and the im- 
 mortaUty of the soul, and seeking by his own researches to 
 solve those questions, and to harmonize revelation with nature 
 and reason, he published the results of his inquiries in two 
 pamphlets {Sieg der goitlichen O^enbarung, Victory of the 
 Divine Revelation, Konigsberg, 1804), and gathered round 
 himself a circle of friends who twice a week had meetings to 
 which strangers were freely admitted. In 1809 these meet- 
 ings were interfered with on the part of the police, but allowed 
 to take place by express order of the king. 
 
 The essential difference between Schonherr's philosophy 
 and that of other systems is its relative dualism, as the cause 
 and foundation of original existence, and proceeds on the 
 hypothesis of two original Beings, endowed with the properties 
 of simplicity and spirituality, viz. : Primal Light {Primal Fire) 
 and Primal Darkness {Primal Water), the former being pre- 
 eminent as to dominion, the Lord God among the Primal 
 Beings (Elohim), the Creator, Preserver and Governor of the 
 world. 
 
 Schonherr was not a modern gnostic ; the dualism cognized 
 by him in nature and in revelation is entirely free from the 
 errors of the ancient gnostics, and not by any means coinci- 
 dent with Schelling's doctrine of the potencies. He never 
 framed a system, separate, concise and distinct. And there 
 is perhaps no teacher in modern times who has been more 
 flagrantly caricatured and misrepresented than Schonherr ; 
 and it would be well nigh incredible that slander could in- 
 vent what it did invent and cause to be believed, if it were 
 not unfortunately matter of history. Of the nature of those 
 slanderous inventions it is unnecessary to speak here, for 
 that were to give further currency to it ; and if anything is 
 clear as noon-day it is the undoubted and well-established 
 purity of Schonherr and his teaching. 
 
 In the language of a noble Christian lady of uncommon in- 
 tellectual strength, and as to every Christian virtue a very 
 saint upon earth, gifted with graces and endowments rarely 
 encountered in one person, Schonherr's doctrine is distin- 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 261 
 
 guished in its being founded upon the Scriptures and in per- 
 fect accord with their teachings from all other human systems, 
 which, in presence of the great system of the world evolving 
 or involving itself into being, as it were anticipate its original 
 completion, by accomplishing a ready-made world, in order 
 to have done with their own narrow ends, leaving it to others 
 to perform a similar play in its place. Such S3^stems, desti- 
 tute of vital connection with the centre of life, are mostly 
 short-lived, rudely shaken or hopelessly rent by the onsets of 
 younger ones, which, though not strong enough to give them 
 the coup de grace, place them among the ruins where the 
 funeral of their own existence, decaying amid truth and error, 
 is destined to be performed. . . . Schonherr was unable 
 to frame a system based on human laws ; truth cannot be 
 systematized ; it is the tuning-fork of the world and the law 
 of its motion, it regulates life and causes it to articulate in 
 proper forms, influences the individual and stamps its laws 
 on his consciousness and nature. Schonherr, in order to 
 show that he was not a systematizer or a sort of second-hand 
 creator arrogating to himself the honor due to God, called the 
 results of his researches the knowledge (cognition) of the truth, 
 and not his system." {Die Liebe zur IVahrheit, p. xvii.) 
 
 The extracts which follow are drawn in part from his own 
 writings, and from those of others, especially from those of 
 Ebel, Diestel and Countess Ida von der Groben ; from the 
 nature of the case they are only fragmentary, but they will, 
 it is believed, serve to show how Schonherr spoke, and how 
 he thought and reasoned. As to the quality of his thoughts, 
 however much the reader may differ with him in other re- 
 spects, there is no room for difference, and many of his posi- 
 tions and conclusions are entitled to careful examination, and 
 he will find that they contain much that is highly suggestive, 
 if not positively new to him. Indeed, the circumstance that 
 the writings of Schonherr are out of print, and those of the 
 other authors only rarely met with, seemed to impose the 
 necessity of furnishing extracts rather than references, which 
 without access to the books, would be of no use. 
 
262 APPENDIX B. 
 
 SOME DETAILS RELATING TO THE TEACHING OF SCHONHERR. 
 
 The fundamental principle is the reception of the Bible as 
 God-inspired, without any weakening or neutralizing modifi- 
 cation whatsoever. Its inspiration is plenary ; it is through 
 and through the Word of God, the Revelation of Truth, the 
 declaration of His Will. The philosophy of the Bible is the 
 only true philosophy. The Bible is the source of all true 
 knowledge concerning God, the Creation, Providence, and 
 Redemption. In this respect we have only one alternative : 
 either deny that the Bible is the revelation of God in its en- 
 tireness, and turn rationalist, skeptic, atheist, pantheist or in- 
 fidel ; or admit that it is through and through the Word of 
 God, and according to the testimony of Christ and His Apos- 
 tles "given by inspiration of God, profitable for doctrine, for 
 reproof, for correction, for discipUne in righteousness, that 
 the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all 
 good works."* This admission, and believing reception of 
 the Holy Scriptures involves these consequences : 
 
 1. The unconditional acceptance and belief of the strictly 
 literal and grammatical sense of its declarations, unless their 
 spiritual or figurative import is evident, as, e. g., in the 
 parables ; 
 
 2. Their interpretation by themselves, and the general 
 analogy of the Scriptures ; 
 
 3. The exclusion of any and every theory which imputes 
 to the inspired writers a system of accommodation, or arbi- 
 trarily restricts their statements to temporary or local circum- 
 stances ; 
 
 4. Suspense of judgment in things incomprehensible (for 
 all men are not equally gifted, and things still hidden may 
 be revealed) ; the utmost care not to reject as untrue, or un- 
 worthy of God, scriptural statements in seeming conflict with 
 our present state of culture ; for the end is, by searching the 
 
 * 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17. 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 263 
 
 Scriptures and drawing from tlieir pure fountain, to attain the 
 knowledge of the truth.* 
 
 The inquiries, the momentous questions Schonherr sought 
 to answer by an appeal to Holy Scripture, are summarily ex- 
 pressed in the following stanza : 
 
 Hier bin ich ! rief der Mensch— und ward in Gottes Hand ; 
 Wie bin ich ? — frug er schon, als kaum er fertig stand ; 
 Wo bin ich ? — staunt er an die Welt urn sich im Glanze. 
 Wozu bin ich ? — Wozu ist um mich dieses Ganze ? 
 
 I am — how am I made ? Where am I ? What am I made 
 for ? What is the world, and what is it for ? These, and 
 questions of similar import, set Schonherr to think, and to 
 turn to the Bible for light. And thinking, and reading, and 
 praying, the light came to him. Here is one of his secret 
 communings : 
 
 " Thou, O God, revealest to us that only he does not know the 
 truth, who disobediently separates himself from thy workings, who 
 in will and deed seeks to avoid thy lawful order which makes our 
 knowledge consistent and true ; that man, erring, brought sin and 
 its sad consequences on himself, and still brings them on himself 
 as long as he perseveres in sin ; but thou art merciful and gracious, 
 long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, leaving untried 
 no means compatible with our nature, liberty and reason, to lead us 
 back into the way of truth, to draw us out of misery, corruption 
 and woe, to renew us, and graft us anew like a branch into the 
 stem of thy only-begotten Son (thy Word, by Whom thou hast also 
 made all things), that of His Spirit out of His blood we may acquire 
 renewed strength for victory in the struggle with evil, and blessed 
 with the forgiveness of our sins, restored to righteousness and holi- 
 ness, stand as thy children before thee, to enter upon our incor- 
 ruptible inheritance in a new life and a new world. How can I be 
 careless now in the search of eternal truth, disbelieve that I shall 
 find it, and without hope of the eternal enjoyment of its glorious 
 fruits ? No, with unremitting diligence I will now seek the truth, 
 
 *Ebel, Schliissel zur Erkenntniss der VVahrheit, Leipzig, 1837, p. 7. 
 
264 APPENDIX B. 
 
 inquire and search for it in the right way, regard it with admiration 
 and accept it with ecstatic joy. . . . Wrong pride shall not 
 mislead me any more in the vain conceit of grasping it by means of 
 my own reason, or of developing it within myself by my own powers ; 
 that were to lose it. I will seek it reasonably, and not unreasonably, 
 and avoid regarding thy glorious dower as a sundered fragment of thy 
 infinite wisdom, or as a gift wrought by thy omnipotence but separated 
 from it, to be used at my discretion ; I will rather regard it as the 
 operation of Thy Essence near, and intimately blended with my 
 being, identifying it in thy commandments of order, righteousness 
 and holiness, and shunning evil as contained in the opposite tempt- 
 ations, which, though they seek to excuse concupiscence, can never 
 rejoice the mind or be approved by it, but must, if indulged, event- 
 uate in error and misery. Whenever I think, or will, or do any- 
 thing without regard to the difference of these two opposite voices 
 within me, or without the distinct perception that the voice of the 
 Alone Good within me thinks, wills or prompts me to action, then 
 I think of reason as my own faculty, and not as the faculty of God, 
 and therefore abuse it. On this account, then, I M'ill avoid em- 
 ploying my own reason as conducing to evil, but employ reason as 
 thy gift, in full consciousness, all the oftener and more diligently, 
 because it is Thy Will that I shall think, will and act reasonably, 
 and thereby grow wise and happy."* 
 
 Speaking of change, and arguing on the universality of its 
 existence, and the laws which seem to regulate it, Schonherr 
 asks : 
 
 " Whither would the most careful consideration of all the changes 
 within and around us ultimately lead us if we fail to know the true 
 reason of their existence and formative aim ? Simply look back- 
 wards and forwards on our condition of life, and we are constrained 
 to say : I find that I was a child and became a youth ; that I am 
 growing into manhood — and if it be reserved for me that ven- 
 erable gray deck my brow, I shall, arrayed in feebleness, descend 
 into the grave. Into the grave ? a thought fit to crush giant pride! 
 all my feelings recoil from the thought ! Alas ! should May only 
 bloom, and its breath ravish, its shade refresh, and the nightingale 
 
 * *' Grundziige der Erkenntniss dcr JVahrheit,'" p. 14. 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 265 
 
 sing, and the grape grow mellow, to whisper in the flowers, in 
 their balmy fragrance, in the animating breeze, in the warble of the 
 songsters, and the delicious juice, the horrid remembrance, Mor- 
 tal man, to-day you feel as yet a spark of happiness, but remember 
 that irrevocable fate may snatch you to-morrow from every enjoy- 
 ment for evermore ! And you, the most cherished of treasures— 
 love, friendship and virtue — three sister goddesses, wont to scatter 
 roses on the earthly path of the best, tell me, why do you breathe 
 into mortal breast divine feelings which in point of duration can no 
 more measure eternity than a drop of water the unfathomable sea ? 
 What ? did some potent hand raise me from the dust into life only 
 to dash me with the same potency back into my former nothing- 
 ness? Tyrants that cast thousands and thousands of better men 
 into roaring flames were not as cruel, as unmerciful as He would be 
 who gave me life only as the perpetual torture of an uncertain fu- 
 ture ! But I look at the misery of the race in all its magnitude ! 
 Friends and relations, brothers and sisters, companions of my life, — 
 I look at you, and all that came before you, asking ; What murder- 
 arm robbed you of all the highest good of this earth ? Who was it 
 that swept the devastating sickle of terrific death unsparingly over 
 the lives of you all ? Why have you ceased to walk amongst us in 
 the noonday of your strength ? Where are you, brothers and sisters 
 mine, and all your ancestral fathers and mothers up to the first scion 
 of the race ? I see thee no more, Abel the shepherd king and first 
 servant of the Most High God, by the flowery banks of Euphrates i 
 Was it necessary that thy own and first brother should slay thee 
 and give thee the first instruction of the ravages of death ? O hap- 
 less race, how deep was thy fall from the very cradle of thy great- 
 ness into the abyss of woe ! and thou still continuest to slake thy 
 thirst with the blood of thy brethren, and to still thy hunger ,with 
 the toil of the poor and infirm without supplying any possible rem- 
 edies. . . . And is this to be your ultimate lot — the course of your 
 culture and the goal of your destiny — that bom as a child you die 
 even more pitiable than a child, without attaining the lofty dignity 
 of manhood ?— or as an imaginary man, after a few steps on the 
 road to perfection, wander from it as a withered apprentice ?— or 
 that after the happy dream of a few moments of life, you wake no 
 more but to number your steps to your grave ? and what then ? are 
 not your wishes carried on pinions boasting of happiness into eter- 
 
266 APPENDIX B. 
 
 nity ? Does your consciousness long to expect the dust of annihila- 
 tion, or your germinating reason the decay of corruption ? 
 
 " But who furnishes the necessary evidence that, though the 
 nobility of virtue should sanction all your opinions and volitions by 
 an unexceptionable law, and represent all your works as examples 
 worthy of imitation, that you are warranted to expect, beyond the 
 grave, a spark of recollection, or a compensatory emotion ? You 
 do not even know whether your own self was formed by a wise 
 deity or through the concurrence of crude atoms — whether it be a 
 single thinking substance or only a multitude of monads, composed 
 exclusively of spiritual matter under a bodily form, or of really 
 divisible matter. Are you able to know that Charon's trusty boat 
 will take you to the eternally calm and happy shores of 
 Elysium, or that devastating storms will drive you into every part of 
 the earth, and an eternally blind course of nature transform you 
 into a thousand other existences, if you do not know the pilot who 
 brought you to the motley shores of this life, and never saw the 
 great artificer who spun and wove the flower of your life and 
 guided your fortune as with a staff ? Are happiness or unhap- 
 piness, virtue or vice, the daughters of your will ? What a contra- 
 diction do you perceive in the concept of a loving ruler of innumer- 
 able worlds, filled with infinite multitudes of creatures, minister- 
 ing and not ministering, useful and hurtful, life-engendering and 
 life-destroying, moral and immoral ! He that implanted in your 
 heart the sweetest anticipations of the happy continuance of life 
 after seeming death, nevertheless enshrouds the beatific assurance 
 in inexplicable darkness. 
 
 " Here, then, O hapless race, is presented a mirror in which you 
 may observe the degradation of a greatness which began to shun 
 you with the fall of brotherly love ! How will you now rear the 
 scaffold of your happiness and found the throne of your knowledge ? 
 Truly, nothing is able more effectually to check the excesses of 
 your vice and to crown with well-deserved blessing the small rem- 
 nant of your virtue, than learning to understand and practise the 
 good and the right, not in pretended faith, but as the result of well- 
 informed conviction. Then immortality will not merely glimmer 
 on your path as a blessed star of hope, but illuminate it with 
 bright expectation, and the just as well as the unjust may already 
 mete out their recompense of reward this side the grave. And if 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 267 
 
 your earthly happiness is to realize those ideals of perfection which 
 the mind can form and the heart longs for, you must learn to under- 
 stand your origin, the duty of your existence, and the ultimate end 
 of your destination. You must learn to hear and know your noth- 
 ingness and your divine greatness from the indubitable tinith that 
 God is your Father, who has given you all you have, and who can 
 give you everything. Then, and then only, will peace re-enter your 
 tabernacles, concord clasp the hearts of brothers, love unite a people 
 of brothers on earth, joy bound for you in every blade of grass, 
 God live for you in the smallest flower, appear to you in the veiy 
 dust, and the brotherhood of all the earth become a universal 
 Eden."* 
 
 On the subject of happiness I present the following- extract: 
 
 " The innate or implanted desire of all creatures is as plain as 
 possible ; they all desire happiness. This is likewise the secret 
 wish of man, the realization of which depends, however, on his 
 growing fit for happiness and worthy of it, through the full develop- 
 ment of all his faculties, intellectual, spiritual and moral, and the 
 full conviction that this is not his own exclusive privilege, but a 
 privilege he shares in common with every member of the human 
 family. Still it must be remembered that worth alone, either 
 viewed personally as before his own conscience, or relatively with 
 respect to others, cannot be the sole end of moral conduct, for 
 worth is far more than the mere sound of it ; it is a pleasing and 
 delightful emotion, springing from the consciousness of the proper 
 fulfilment of duty with respect to ourselves and others, and assuring 
 us that, as pure and moral beings, we are fit and worthy to live as 
 men amongst men. 
 
 " But if the cognition of moral worth is always accompanied by a 
 pleasing and delightful emotion, or at least by peace and content- 
 ment, does it not seem as if that delightful consciousness, springing 
 from the cognition of moral worth, were the true end of moral con- 
 duct ? Were moral precepts not presented to and inscribed upon 
 our heart and mind in order to make us, with the rest of the human 
 family, partakers of happiness? Or are we to disallow that the 
 
 *1, c. p. 24. 
 
268 APPENDIX B. 
 
 consciousness of moral worth, of peace of mind and contentment, 
 is a delightful emotion and constitutes happiness ? But it is im- 
 possible that there should be consciousness without emotion, and 
 cognition without consciousness, and the cognition of moral worth 
 without consciousness ; every emotion, moreover, must be pleasing 
 or displeasing, and every emotion which springs from the con- 
 sciousness of moral worth, peace of mind and contentment must 
 be pleasing, not displeasing ; and if every pleasing emotion enters 
 into the notion of happiness, it follows that, the pleasing emotion 
 which springs from the consciousness of moral worth, renders us 
 happy. And if it renders us happy at any time, or only once, 
 as it necessarily must, it follows that the ultimate reason of moral 
 precepts sets forth the lofty aim of placing happiness within reach 
 of the whole human family. But as this end cannot be accom- 
 plished otherwise than in conformity with the plan of moral pre- 
 cepts, we learn that for this purpose they are presented to the 
 mind and inscribed upon the heart. The ultimate, true and sole 
 aim of the reasonable activity of every man is, and must remain, 
 the obtaining of his happiness, to be striven for in the assured 
 way of truth and righteousness." * 
 
 The views of Schonherr we have considered thus far do 
 not present anything, at all out of the way, they are just such 
 views, which a thoughtful biblical mind would naturally 
 evolve by hard, compact reasoning, and some of his positions 
 are singularly well taken, and expressed in strong, terse lan- 
 guage. We shall now consider others which characterize 
 the method of his inquiries, and his presentation of doctrine. 
 
 I begin with the term God. God,t according to him, de- 
 notes not absolute, but relative Being, and Being in the sense 
 of Existence. Were it not so, how could Christ — who de- 
 clared that, 
 
 " * To this end was I born, and for this cause came T into the 
 world, that I should bear witness unto the truth ' (St. John xviii. 37) 
 argue as He did with the Jews (Jb. x. 24 sqq.) when He had told 
 
 * 1. c. p. 48. 
 
 f Panier der Wahrheit, etc. Konigsberg, pp. 28, 29. 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 269 
 
 them: *I and my Father are one,' and they charged Him with 
 blasphemy, because He, a man, made Himself God. He stated, 
 in return : ' Is it not written in your law ' (Ps. Ixxxii. where the refer- 
 ence is to persons competent in virtue of their office to exercise 
 rule and authority over others) ' I said, Ye are gods ? If he [or, 
 zV] called them gods unto whom the word of God came {i. e. 
 this declaration ' Ye are gods' ), and the Scripture cannot be 
 broken, say ye of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent 
 into the world, Thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son 
 of God ? ' If the term God did not denote a relation, a relative 
 existence, how could our Lord, who said : * I ascend to my God,' 
 be Himself called God in Holy Scripture ? and again, if called God 
 Himself, how could He call the Father His God ? It will not do 
 to say that Christ said this as man, and that He was not called 
 God until after His Ascension. It was before His ascension that 
 Thomas, under the overwhelming sense of the divine dignity which 
 confronted him in the person of Jesus, exclaimed : ' My Lord and 
 my God ! ' But Christ spoke of God as of His God, when He 
 spoke of His ascension ; and yet He said : * No man hath ascended 
 up to Heaven, but He that came down from Heaven, even the Son 
 of Man which is in Heaven.' It was with reference to His nature 
 and dignity, as the Image of the Glory of God, and to His intimate 
 Union with God, that He testified concerning Himself : * I and my 
 Father are one '; but He regarded the Father in His Personal and 
 all-embracing Being as different from Himself, both as the Cause 
 of His own existence in human form, and as the Cause of His 
 original existence as the Word with God, when He testified of Him, 
 saying : ' My Father is greater than L' The concept of God is there- 
 fore a correlative term, indicating the reciprocal relation of Beings, 
 and it is the true concept of God. But this concept of God leads 
 to a Supreme Being, i, e., to God, in the strictest acceptation of the 
 term." 
 
 Next in order we have to present Schonherr's notion of 
 Diiality.'^ 
 
 " The existence of two original Beings doej not conflict with the 
 Unity of God either agreeably to reason or to Holy Scripture ; for 
 
 * Die Schutzirekr, Konigsberg, 1834, p. 6. 
 
2/0 APPENDIX B. 
 
 God-Being presupposes the reciprocal relation of Beings. A Being 
 may be original, eternal, independent, and endowed with every 
 attribute we can think of in order to raise it to the highest degree of 
 exaltation, without being on that account God ; for so long as there 
 is no other Being beside it, it is only a Being ; but God denotes a 
 Being superior to other Beings. That Being, who among all Be- 
 ings belonging to the universe, is the Supreme Being, and so re- 
 lated to all other Beings as to exercise rule, power and authority 
 over them, guiding and ruling them according to His Will, that 
 Being is God. And this is in exact agreement with the sense Holy 
 Scripture attaches to the phrase ' to be God,' for it represents God 
 saying to Moses : ' He {i. e. Aaron) shall be thy spokesman unto the 
 people ; and he shall be thy mouth and tliou shalt be his God.' (This 
 is agreeably to Luther's version ; the ' instead of of the A. V, 
 cannot be regarded as a felicitous rendering of ?). If, then, we 
 meet with the existence of two Beings, originally eternal and inde- 
 pendent, as revealed in the world of creation, we are not by any 
 means warranted to make it conflict with the Unity of God, for, in 
 common with all believers of all time, the doctrine of the original 
 Beings taught in Holy Scripture notwithstanding, we also find 
 therein only ' the One true God.' 
 
 ' ' This One God * is the Supreme or Most High God, who can 
 create whatsoever He wills, the stronger, and alone governing Orig- 
 inal Being or Jehovah Elohim, to whom the weaker is always in- 
 ferior both as to the design of their harmony (because two ruling 
 centres must produce rupture, not union), and as to his inferior 
 power, being as unable to increase his as God is unable to lessen 
 His. Holy Scripture presents water as the formative matter, in 
 which, and out of which, God rears the bright and fair temple of 
 His sacred dwelling, 
 
 " On this point Holy Scripture teaches the existence of only two 
 Elohim, viz.: one Elohah as fire, and one Elohah as water, for 
 these two are uiicreated {G&n . i. 2); they go before Israel in the 
 pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire (Ex. xiii. 21); they only ap- 
 pear on Sinai (Ex. xix. 21), for the consuming fire was only in a 
 dark cloud, which consists of water ; only two cherubim (a mani- 
 fest instruction as to the number of the Original Beings) are placed, 
 
 ^Sieg der gottlicheti Offenba^'tmg, pp. 30, 31 and passim. 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 2/ 1 
 
 in token of the visible presence of the Elohim, over the ark of the 
 covenant (Ex. xxv. i8), between them the Word speaks and an- 
 swers ; it originates between them, as the Adonai. And what does 
 this incarnate Word teach of the Elohim ? ' Except a man be born 
 of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God 
 (St. John, iii. 3, 5), If a man be born of water and of the Spirit, 
 he must originally consist only of water and of the Spirit ; and 
 though the first man was made of the dust of the earth, the dust of 
 the earth must originally consist of water, and on this account St. 
 Peter declares that by the word of God the earth consisted of water 
 and in water [k^ v^aro'i nai 81^ vdaro?, 2 Pet. iii. 5). If at 
 the end of the works of creation these Elohim, or the two Original 
 Beings, cease to work in concert, Jehovah Elohim, i. e. the more 
 potent one of these Original Beings, appears on a separate day of 
 creation, succeeding the day in which the Elohim rested, alone, and 
 begins not only a new formation of one man from the solid dust 
 particles of the ground, but builds out of him his wife ; Jehovah 
 Elohim alone plants a garden (before that, already some herbs of 
 the field, which as yet were not in the earth), and causes the mist 
 to ascend and the rain to fall. And as all these things prove His 
 pre-eminent power, so He declares Himself at the time of the giving 
 of the Law as God alone, although both the Original Beings under 
 their name of Elohim are also present, and had before conversed 
 with Moses, and though the inferior or weaker Elohah, as dark, 
 was in the dark cloud, when the superior or stronger Elohah was in 
 the midst of it, and so he was likewise present in the dark cloud in 
 the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud for the guidance and pro- 
 tection of Israel. The creation, then, with its preservation, in- 
 crease, perfection, and government, is the work of the stronger of 
 the Original Beings, i. e. of God, or of the Jehovah of the Elohim." 
 
 It would lead me altogether too far to reproduce here the 
 very interesting testimony from nature which Schonherr ad- 
 vances in support of this dualism, which runs through the 
 whole universe and may be traced in every department of 
 natural science ; a few hints in that direction must suffice as 
 embodying principles and results : 
 
 "Investigation shows that two original, /.^..uncreated, elements 
 
272 APPENDIX B. 
 
 enter into the composition of everything created by means of a 
 fonnative law. The two original, uncreated elements are : i. 
 Light and fire (identical as to essence, different only in expres- 
 sion) ; and 2. Darkness or water (essentially identical). Earth and 
 air are not original, but fire and water are ; whatever is created, 
 animate or inanimate, mineral, vegetable, and animal, may be re- 
 ferred to the primary, original, uncreated activity of fire and water, 
 the two Elohim ; they are the only two simple ox primary potencies or 
 Beings ; all other existences are derived or complex. Light is an em- 
 anation or effluetice of fire, simple, not complex, incoi-poreal, spiritual 
 (it is interesting to compare Schonherr's definition with the Milto- 
 nian line, ' Bright effluence of bright essence increate '). Light is 
 simple and spiritual — diffuses itself as the effluence of fire in radiat- 
 ing form, in or through the original darkness, or, what amounts to 
 the same thing, through water, like itself, spiritual. These two 
 primary, original, uncreated Beings act and react each on the 
 other, or in concert, and explain, beyond all contradiction or refuta- 
 tion, the otherwise inexplicable phenomena of sound, color, figure, 
 force, whatever is real, whatever is possible, every change and every 
 effect in man or in nature." 
 
 It will be admitted that the language of Gothe, who cer- 
 tainly cannot be accused of religious fanaticism, runs almost 
 parallel to Schonherr's, when he enunciates in his Farben- 
 lehre the following : 
 
 " Black, as the representative of darkness, leaves our organ in a 
 state of rest ; white, as the representative of light, excites its ac- 
 tivity" (p. 55). Color, he thinks, may be allegorically, symbolic- 
 ally, or mystically explained as a sort of language of ihe p7imary 
 conditions, adding: "Having first thoroughly grasped and exam- 
 ined the separation of yellow and blue, and especially the greater 
 intensity towards red, showing first the mutual inclination of two 
 opposites and their union into a third, we cannot resist a certain 
 mysterious intuition that these separate, opposite beings admit of a 
 spiritual import ; and observing how they produce green down- 
 wards and red upwards, explain the first as the earthly, the 
 second as the heavenly products of the Elohim " (p. 227). In 
 another place Gothe pronounces the view that all colors mixed 
 together make white an absurdity, which, with many other absurd* 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 2/3 
 
 ities, had been received as true for upwards of a century, in defi- 
 ance of ocular evidence to the contrary ; and that he, for his part, 
 felt convinced that color is the joint product of light and that which 
 is opposed to it. Newton's doctrine he declared to possess only the 
 appearance of being monodic and unitory, saying that he began 
 with first charging his unity with the very diversity he sought to de- 
 duce from it, whereas he (Gothe) held that it was better and easier 
 to develop and construct diversity from an admitted duality {ib. p. 
 209, old edition). 
 
 On the subject of the Word,^- Schonherr takes the text, 
 based on Rom. iv, 17; Psalm xxxiii. 6, and Heb. i. 3, " God 
 calls to that which is not, that it be, and upholds (preserves) 
 all things by the Word of His power." Sou 7td \N2iS the be- 
 ginning- of Creation, sound is now everlasting, and will never 
 end. God still creates and upholds all things by the Word 
 of His power (St. John i. 1-4), and in the midst of the inces- 
 sant operations and effects in the universe, God calls to that 
 which is not yet formed, by the Word, that it spring into being. 
 "By faith we understand that the ages, Tov<i aliSva'i, 3.re. 
 framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen 
 were not made of things which do appear." (Heb. xi. 3). 
 This rather difficult verse Schonherr construes, following 
 the original Greek rather than Luther's poor, daring and false 
 rendering that the world was made out of nothing, thus : 
 Whatever now, in time, appears to us as formed, became 
 what it is from something which before had not appeared, 
 and that imports, according to him, that the two primary 
 Beings were at that time not yet reciprocally influencing each 
 other, on that account there was not anything formed visible, 
 but afterwards their united power, operating in or by the Word, 
 produced what does or will appear. But Elohim are fire and 
 water. What ? Are fire and water, if they act in concert, able 
 to produce sound ? Can they speak ? Let those who do not 
 know this read Exod. xx., where the Elohim (v. i) out of the 
 
 *See more on the Word, page 281. 
 
274 APPENDIX B. 
 
 fire and the cloud, and Jehovah, or the consuming- fire- 
 primary Being- (v. 2,sqq.) from out of the midst of that cloud, 
 proclaimed the Law from Mount Sinai to a multitude of six 
 hundred thousand men ; or in Deuteronomy iv. and v., how 
 often Moses reminded them of the speech of Jehovah out of 
 the fire in the cloud at the giving of the Law. God spoke 
 almost daily to Moses out of the pillar of cloud and the pillar 
 of fire, and why should fire and water in concerted action be 
 unable to produce sound, words and speech ? 
 
 Very striking is the circumstance that throughout the his- 
 tory of Creation, Moses presents the act of the Divine speech 
 in the singular of the verb, while there is a plurality of per- 
 sons (i. e. "HON"! is the 3d per, sing., and D^p^S the nom- 
 inative plural). Knowing that there are but two Elohim, 
 we are warranted to conclude that they used but one speech. 
 And here, where Moses narrates the first permanent act of 
 these Elohim, i. e. the production of light by their speaking, 
 seems to be proper place to explain the reason of his correct 
 procedure. 
 
 For if two Elohim, unequal in power, according to their 
 motion in infinite space, come in contact, so that the stronger 
 moves into the weaker, and the weaker moves toward the 
 stronger (for equal powers of the Elohim would rebound from 
 each other), and there ensues from the contact a reciprocal 
 effect, their two different powders combine with one united 
 power — and this united power of the two Elohim is the power 
 of the Word, which in the beginning, at their first contact, 
 at their first reciprocal effect, produced the one speech be- 
 tween the two. 
 
 In support of this position Schonherr now adduces the 
 testimony of nature, of which I give a brief outline. Sowid, 
 this element of speech, if felt or heard, invariably requires 
 more than one Being, one Power, one Body, in order to 
 operate (produce an effect) and sound at the same time ; but 
 one always operates on another, and produces vibration, or 
 reciprocal motion. And this blending of the peculiar man- 
 ner of sound in the one, with the peculiar manner of sound 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 275 
 
 in the other is sound, or the simultaneous expression of their 
 peculiar powers in reciprocal operation. Not a single in- 
 stance can be pointed out to show that the greatest fire, the 
 highest wave, or a projectile of the greatest velocity did ever 
 produce a sound without resistance offered by something else. 
 This is another proof of the necessary existence of more than 
 one Primary Being, for the production of sound and speech, 
 of the world and of creatures. One must always operate on 
 the other, communicate its motion to it, and only by the 
 power of the one, and the simultaneous commotion of the 
 other offering resistance, sound is produced. This runs 
 throughout nature. As every star in the light-track of its 
 lofty course through the heavens speaks and sings, so every 
 flower, every dust-particle on earth touched by its rays of 
 light, makes response ; the flight of the birds answers the 
 roaring of the sea ; the sap in plants, and liquids in animal 
 organisms conducted by the light of life respond to the rush 
 of fire-driven vapors in the clouds, and the whole animate 
 creation is vocal with sound and song. 
 
 Fire, the stronger, ever works within, and Water, the 
 weaker, works around it in the clouds without ; fire by itself, 
 or water by itself has never emitted a sound ; alone, their 
 speech has never been heard ; combined, they invariably 
 produce sound, and all bodies formed of fire and water, 
 always sound and resound by them, though their sound may 
 not may not be heard by gross ears. Human speech and 
 animal sounds mirror it forth. The efficient power of the 
 outward object enters by means of light and darkness through 
 the senses of the body, which is of dark water, into the soul, 
 which is fire or light in the blood. The impressions from 
 all the rays of the veins concentrate in the focus of the heart, 
 under the reaction from all the ends of the ramified watery 
 nerve-tree. Conformably to these impressions the fire and 
 the water in the blood are brought into homogeneous rela- 
 tion to the objects and bound in full flow to the lungs. Here 
 they meet with resistance, they vibrate, /. e., they impart 
 motion to the lungs, the lungs in like manner impart it to 
 
2/6 APPENDIX B. 
 
 the investing air, produce and bring forth the inner word, and 
 then the word analogous to the object, by means of the 
 organs of speech, speeds to the humidity of the air, which is 
 composed of columns of light or fire, and of darkness or 
 water, and to the near objects (also of dark and light matter), 
 which it percusses, and thus, as a word designating its object, 
 it is heard by hearing beings. 
 
 He then shows how fire is able to produce sound and 
 therefore speech, by analyzing the phenomenon of lightning, 
 the more homely one of water in a vessel placed over fire 
 showing vibration and the emission of sound ; the sound of 
 fire when it encounters resistance and causes the adjacent 
 earth to tremble ; the sound of water as it gushes from the 
 earth, and the roaring sound of ignited powder.* 
 
 According to Schonherr Impe7ietrability in the Primal 
 Essence is a foregone conclusion of Christian inquiry. The 
 Bible speaks of a living, a real God ; the mere circumstance 
 that in our conception of Him we cognize Him as operative 
 and real, as a substance, does not render that conception 
 material. The existence of God has, as it were, been evapo- 
 rated into Xh^idea of God, /. e., it has become a mere empty 
 thought, a thouglit without all reality ; this has been for a 
 long while the well-founded complaint of truly religious and 
 thoughtful men. So far from dishonoring God, we glorify 
 Him by making our conception of Him a reality. Power is 
 the c?iUSdi\ {tir-sdchlic/i) or rather the primarily-essential {ur- 
 wesentlich) ability of effect ( Wirkung) ; effect as an effluence 
 or going out (motion) of power, involves a limitation of the 
 same, while this limitation involves an impletion to be limited. 
 Hence power, as primarily-essential, or self-impletion, is 
 tantamount to self-existence, and because it is impossible 
 that where it is, there can be something else, it follows that 
 its operative and, therefore, real being, or its essence, must 
 be impenetrable. According to the Bible, then, God is the 
 primarily essential power in self-impletion and limitation, 
 
 * Grundzuge der Erkenntniss, etc., p. 225, sqq. 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 277 
 
 that is, ill space ; our God is real, and omnipresent, i. e.^ ex- 
 istent (Ps. cxxxix. 7-10 ; Acts xvii. 27, 28). 
 
 Schonlierr admitted space and time only in a certain sense 
 as conditions of presentative thought (/. e. so far as they 
 respect the opposite inconceivable presumption of infinite 
 space, and infinite, inconceivable time) ; he forbade all in- 
 quiry outside the concepts of space and time. That which 
 does not manifest itself within the limits of space and time, 
 ca7i not be the object of human inquiry. But we need not 
 exceed those limits ; the divinely revealed word meets every 
 demand within the full compass of its contents, for resting on 
 the visible and experimental in space and time, it satisfies to 
 the full, and exhausts the spiritual wants of our nature. Out- 
 side of space filled by the Primary Beings and of their opera- 
 tive acts in the process of creation ( lVerde7t=^becom'mg) there 
 is no province where man can seek or find anything. Revela- 
 tion, though it takes us not beyond those confines, leads us 
 nevertheless to the profundities of the Godhead (i Cor. ii. 10).* 
 
 THE LIMITS OF THOUGHT. 
 
 ' We have a book, called the Bible, composed of two rec- 
 ords, an older and a newer, containing revelations of God, 
 from which is derived our knowledge of Him. The more 
 ancient document begins with the creation which took place 
 in the beginning, but gives us no account of anything prior 
 to that beginning ; we are consequently unable to know any- 
 thing of the Being and operations of the Deity prior to that 
 beginning, for reason cannot enlighten us on this head, and 
 we are without a divine revelation which could. If the record 
 testifies that the heavens and the earth were created in the 
 beginnijig, it imports That this occurred before the beginning 
 of time, for the work of the creation marks the beginning of 
 time. Before that beginning was eternity — i. e., ever-during 
 existence, which cannot be computed, cannot be understood.! 
 
 * Ebel, Schlilssel, etc. pp. 19-21. 
 
 fOpitz, Lichtin der Dunkelheit, etc., p. 6, sqq. Leipzig, 1821. 
 
2/8 APPENDIX B. 
 
 ETERNITY, OLAM, ^ON.* 
 
 [The Scripture quotations do not conform verbally to 
 Luther's or to the Authorized Versions. The Hebrew words 
 ?i<, D^iV, etc, and the Greek words aioov, aiaorio?, are for 
 greater convenience given in English letters.] 
 
 " If I consult the Bible, I hear indeed that the Supreme 
 Spirit says of Himself : 'Before me no God (El) was formed, 
 neither shall there be after me ' (Is. xliii. lo) ; 'I am the 
 first and the last, and beside me no Elohim ' (xliv. 6) ; ' I 
 am the Lord, and there is none else, and no God except I* 
 (xlv. 5) ; ' I am the Lord that doeth all these things ' (v. 7) ; 
 'The heavens are my throne, and the earth is my footstool ; 
 . . all those things hath mine hand made ; and all those 
 things have come into being' (Ixvi. i, 2,) convincing me 
 that the Speaker is the Great God, the Creator of the world, 
 who cannot have had a beginning, and must always have 
 been existing, but I do not find that the Bible says of Him : 
 He is Eternal. In neither Testament can be found a word 
 answering to the concept of eternal (everlasting) importing 
 that something will not only exist forever, but that it has al- 
 ways existed, and has had no beginning, for 01am in the Old 
 Testament, and Aion in the New, do not ca'-ry that sense. 
 Attending to the sense of those words in the following places, 
 I find that my conviction is well grounded : ' In that day will 
 I. . . I will build it as in the days of Olajn ' (Amos ix. 1 1) ; 
 ' Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of Olam * 
 (Mic. vii. 14) ; ' The offering . . . shall be pleasant unto the 
 Lord, as in the days of Olam, and as in former years ' (Mai. 
 iii. 4) ; ' from Olam to Olam'' (Ps. ciii. 17) ; or 'continuous 
 generations ' (Luke i.50) ; ' before the days of Olam' Q^\z. v. i); 
 ' in the Ola?ni7n ' (Eccl. i. 10) ; ' man goeth to the house of his 
 Olam' (xii. 5). ' All the land which thou seest, to thee will 
 I give it, and to thy seed,' not 'forever,' but ' unto Olam '(Gen. 
 
 *Opitz, Lichtin der Bunkelheit, etc. pp. 6, 10. Leipzig^. 1821. 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONIIERR. 2/9 
 
 xiii. 15) ; and in Ch. xvii, 8, not 'for an everlasting- posses- 
 sion,' but ' as long- as this Olaiii (this world) lasteth.' " 
 
 The Scriptures manifestly attach to the words Olam and 
 Aion a sense different from that of time in general, or of 
 eternity, for days and years cannot be predicated of eternity, 
 and eternities, like eternal times, are unthinkable. Olam, 
 Aion, and Aionios do not mean/^r se either time or eternity, 
 and it is inconceivable that two such different and opposite 
 terms as time and eternity should be expressed in Hebrew 
 and Greek by one word, denoting in turn time and eternity. 
 There is neither in German, nor in English, a single word by 
 which the true idea of the word could be adequately expressed, 
 for the word, though it does not signify either time or eter- 
 nity, is ambiguous. Olam and Aion not only signify that 
 which has come into being (become, geworden)^ but also the 
 duration of it, which, agreeably to the nature and end of the 
 same, viz., in respect oiwhat it has become, and why^ may 
 be short, long, or for ever. The connection and context of 
 every passage in which they occur determines their meaning 
 {notat integrant ciijiis rei, de qua senno est, durationem; 
 Coccejus). Now, the first thing that became, the whole con- 
 sisting of several parts, is the great Olam, i. e., the heavens 
 and the earth, which the Elohim created in the beginning. 
 Now, since the great Olam, which became in the beginning, 
 {i. e. the heavens and the earth),consistsof many parts, intended 
 to be the abode of spirits, and agreeably to that intention in- 
 vested with the property of duration, the Bible speaks of 
 Olamim and Aions in the plural, i. e. of regions, worlds, and 
 durations. " Is there anything whereof it may be said, see, 
 this is new ? it hath been in the Olamim," (in the durations, 
 Eccl. i. 10) ; " I have considered the days from the beginning, 
 the years of the Olamim" (Psalms Ixxvii. 6) ; " By faith we 
 understand that the Aions (ages) have been framed by the 
 word of God," and that " the Aions (ages) were made by the 
 Son " (Heb. xi. 3 ; i. 2), the wisdom of God which had been 
 hidden, and foreordained "from (before) the Aions" (i Cor. 
 ii. 7) ; and to God Himself is ascribed, i Tim. i. 17, as "to 
 
280 APPENDIX B. 
 
 the incorruptible king of the Aions (worlds), the invisible, 
 only wise {I) God, honor and glory (not " for ever and ever" 
 but) " unto the Aions of the Aions," {i. e. throughout all the 
 durations). 
 
 Man, like any other rational creature, destined to exist 
 always, passes, before he attains salvation (i Thess, v. 9) 
 through two Aions. During the first time of his existence his 
 abode is in the present world, which is his first Aion ; if 
 death removes him therefrom, he passes into the second 
 Aion, the future world, or as it is expressed Eccl. xii. 5, " into 
 the house of his 01am "; there are thus for us two Aions, the 
 present and the future. Matt, xxviii. 20 ; Mark x. 30 ; i Tim. 
 vi. I'] ; 2 Tim. iv. 10; Luke xvi. 8 ; xx. 34, 35. A new Aion 
 begins with the resurrection and appearing of the Judge of 
 the world, and who can tell the number of the coming Aions 
 to the establishment of the kingdom of God ? Hence the 
 Aions of Aions, or the many successive originations and du- 
 rations. 
 
 Now, since Olam denotes not only that which has become, 
 but also its duration, I understand the import of the Scrip- 
 tural declaration to the Israelites : " this shall be to you a right 
 in Olam," according to the rendering, an eternal right, an 
 eternal continuance, z. e., as long as this Olam, which has 
 been instituted {geworden, become) amongst you, as long as 
 this your prescribed mode of worship shall endure — and it 
 did endure until Christ came with the Gospel, and prepared 
 thereby the new way — so long shall this right and this cove- 
 nant remain in operation, and be obligatory on you and your 
 descendants. 
 
 I feel convinced that the word eternal iewig) in our sense 
 is not wanted in the Bible, which begins with the creation, 
 but in the description thereof does not go beyond the great 
 Olam, and reveals nothing of the existence and operation of 
 the Great Spirit before Olam, and therefore it has no use for 
 the word eternal {ewig). 
 
 I might add that the concept eternal is incompatible with 
 our finite understanding ; we say indeed, by way of defini- 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 28 1 
 
 tion, that that which has no beginning- and no end is eternal, 
 but we cannot think it. The moment we attempt to think it, 
 and go backward or forward into ever-during Being or Exist- 
 ence, our thoughts vanish, and our thinking must cease, be- 
 cause we cannot think of anything without beginning and 
 without end. Our understanding can only think of time, and 
 of that which began with, and continues in it, not that which 
 cannot be defined or computed by time. 
 
 THE ORIGIN OF EVIL. 
 
 This dualism, as unfolded by Schonherr, sheds light on the 
 perplexing question of the origUi and existence of evil. The 
 difficulties of the question are tersely put by Ebel :* "What 
 are we to make of the weeds and the enemy that sows them } '' 
 Do the enemy and his work come from God ? Does a 
 fountain yield sweet and bitter ? If sin be defection from 
 God, to whom and for whom does He give laws ? Whom 
 does He teach, punish, judge ? Himself? Or is evil simply 
 illusory and not real ? How are we to reconcile the unde- 
 niable reality of evil with the divine attributes of omnipo- 
 tence, omniscience, love and justice, unless we admit the 
 existence of potential evil outside of God ? What was to 
 prevent an omnipotent God to create perfect creatures ? 
 Where is His wisdom if He did 7iot create them ? Is it 
 wisdom intentionally to introduce an innumerable host ot 
 disorders and corruptions into His works, and then from ab- 
 horrence of them exert all His power to vanquish them ? 
 Would that not be a horrible play with innocent creatures ? 
 Would it not exhibit God contradicting Himself in His dispo- 
 sition and ends of government ? 
 
 The only solution of this otherwise inexplicable and in- 
 comprehensible riddle lies in the acceptation of the Biblical 
 statement that there is an Originator of Evil, the prince of 
 this world ruling in the darkness of this world (St. John xiv. 
 30 ; Eph. vi. 12); and of the duality and real operativeness 
 
 * Verstand unci Vernunft, part 2, p. 62, sqq. 
 
282 APPENDIX B. 
 
 of the primary Beings, in order that God, the Lord, be not 
 charged with sin and blasphemed as the author of sin and 
 death ; and that man may courageously go forth to battle 
 with evil, which entered the world without the instrumen- 
 tality and fault of God (although He allowed it), in expectation 
 of ultimate deliverance from its thraldom, as well of its abso- 
 lute destruction, whenever in God's own good time it can be 
 done without injury to the good (St. Matth. xiii. 29, 30). 
 Schonherr is at special pains to separate the second primary 
 Being from the cause of the existing incongruity in creation. 
 It was not an obscuring of the consciousness of the second 
 primary Being, but the disturbance of the just reciprocal 
 causality, and on that account he gave the utmost promi- 
 nence to the behests of the Divine Will in all our relations, 
 e. g., the necessary supremacy of the spirit over the flesh. 
 He holds that the resistance and opposition of the enemy to 
 the sacred, fundamental laws of God, is the true cause of sin 
 and evil in the world ; while its conquest and destruction are 
 assigned to the reconciling power of the Saviour, the Son of 
 God, who " was manifested that He might destroy the works 
 of the devil" (i John iii. 8). 
 
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 
 
 Schonherr's conception of it is strictly Biblical, and pre- 
 sents it as a life under and in God, according to the degree of 
 spiritual development, and of personal consciousness. The 
 children of God are to be found in true obedience and true 
 love only where the Father is known, who has begotten us 
 after His own image. According to his representation the 
 whole of creation is clearly cognized as truly and really liv- 
 ing, moving and being, out of the breath of God, through 
 the power of God, and iu the Spirit of God, and God Himself 
 truly all-penetrating or pervading the whole ; and the King- 
 dom of God is that condition of man and of the whole 
 creation in which — ist. The ends of God are perfectly at- 
 tained without the least obstruction or disturbance; and 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 283 
 
 2d. All creatures capable of it will, under His influence and 
 government, enjoy the development of their powers and un- 
 mingled happiness.* 
 
 THE PERSON OF THE GOD-MAN CHRIST JESUS. 
 
 The concept " Word " or " Logos " imports : 
 
 1. A living, active, operative, efficient existence (Setn) 
 in God ; for " all things were made through Him, and without 
 Him was not anything made that is made." (John i. 3). 
 
 2. An existence founded in God, necessitated by the exist- 
 ence of God, or, an existence founded in the manifestation of 
 the existence of the Essence (Substance) of God, revealing 
 (before the creation of the world) energizing activity, to which 
 Christ reverts, as to " the glory He had with the Father be- 
 fore the world was" (John xvii. 5). 
 
 3. A determinating existence begotten of God for the pur- 
 pose of creation, or, an existence so far modified as to ener- 
 gizing activity as to involve the springing into being ( Werden, 
 becoming) of all things at the creation of the world ; in this 
 respect Christ is called " the first-born of all creation '' 
 " through whom all things were made," and are preserved, 
 for God iipholdeth all things by the Word of His power (Heb. 
 i. 3 ; Col. i. 17; John i. 3), Who is the effulgence of His 
 glory, and the very image of His substance. 
 
 The Primal Word, accordingly, is confluent with the sub- 
 stance of God, and must not be regarded as substantiality 
 separate from Him, and the creative Word not as a creature 
 but as the first-born. Schonherr distinguishes the creative 
 Word from the Primal Word on scriptural authority, for the 
 Bible names the First-born {Ttp^roroKoz) and the Only 
 Begotten {^ovoyeinj^). 
 
 Such an explanation is neither prejudicial to the Deity, nor 
 to the eternal nature of the Only Begotten, and affords like- 
 wise a view of His Incarnation in the fulness of time, in per- 
 
 * Ebel, SchlUssd, p. 80. 
 
284 APPENDIX B. 
 
 feet accord with Holy Scripture (" for in Him dwelleth all the 
 fulness of the Godhead bodily," Col. ii. 9) ; for, provided the 
 Nature of the Logos be conceived after this manner, it is not 
 at all difficult to harmonize the declarations of Christ and 
 His apostles on this head.* 
 
 Nor does this view of the case involve us in any of the nu- 
 merous contradictions in respect of the human nature of 
 Christ, of which the history of the Church chronicles so many 
 details. The mutual communication of the two natures in 
 Christ becomes self-evident after we have gained a clear idea 
 as to what constitutes a person^ the Ego. The German word 
 for consciousness, " Bewusstsein," recognizes, according to 
 Ebel, the duality of the ultimate, i. e. the primary, reason of 
 it, it carries a dual sense derivatively, viz., Sein, to be or be- 
 ing, and bcwusst, conscious or knowing ; i. e. a being, and 
 the knowing of it, implying a dualism stamped on every law of 
 thought ; for to be and to know are separate and distinct from 
 one another, and presuppose in created h€\x\^s a duality which 
 enters into and coincides with our person into a unity. 
 
 Man cognizes his individuality only by support on another 
 object. Without such support he would, as a merely spiritual 
 being (as a singular {i. e. individual) being without support), 
 dissolve in the substratum of his soul-life into the All j it is 
 only through support on another that his own being (existence) 
 leaves the general being, peculiar, distinct and individual, and 
 according to the measure of his endowments and their de- 
 velopment, with a growing consciousness (Bewusst7£/^r</^;^), 
 which by means of the co-operating energy of his powers 
 through the will, gradually rises into being conscious 
 (BewusstJ-^zVz), and forms individuality {Persbnlichkeit)., dis- 
 tinguished by self-determination and self-consciousness, the 
 possession of which imparts to the Ego its perfect reality. 
 
 But it is not so in the case of the consciousness of the Ab- 
 solute Spirit, wherein the conditions of cognizing Himself co- 
 incide with the unconditioned Essence circling within Itself, 
 
 * Sckutzwehr, p. 7, sqq.; Sckliissel, pp. 122-124. 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 285 
 
 and in as far as Christ is essentially One with the Father, He 
 could speak of the glory He had with Him before the world 
 was, and in this respect, He had a Being absolutely founded 
 in God and determined through the same. His Divinity is 
 indubitable. 
 
 But alike indubitable is his trite huinanity^ for in that there 
 showed itself in Him a determining Being, He entered the 
 rank of persons of our visible world. He became _;?<?.$• /z, and 
 thereby an individual, and His Divinity in so far conditioned, 
 that its revelation appeared dependent on external relations, 
 especially in the development of the indwelling divine nature 
 agreeably to the law of sequence in time ; hence He increased 
 (or advanced) in wisdom (Luke ii. 52) ; and not until He was 
 baptized by John did the fulness of the Holy Spirit descend 
 upon Him to abide upon Him, just as He was not glorified 
 with the glory which He had with God before the world was, 
 until after He had tasted death for us (John xvii. 5). 
 
 So far from regarding the mutual communication of the two 
 natures in the Person of the Saviour as a mutual limitation, 
 the relation may be presented after this manner : the First- 
 born, who is at the same time the Only-born ; the Word which 
 was in the beginning, appears as at first in His operation, so 
 afterwards at His coming into the visible order of things, 
 accepted the condition of earthly existence in such wise that 
 the primal consciousness of His. Divinity was neither dis- 
 turbed nor suspended, and that it was only the Man Christ 
 Jesus (whom God, His God, had anointed with the oil of 
 gladness above His fellows, Heb. i. 2), in whom the fulness 
 of the Godhead dwelt bodily."* 
 
 It is exceedingly difficult to do justice in precise terms, 
 without circumlocution, to these profound abstractions, 
 which are mainly given for the purpose of marking their 
 originality. Their further development and analysis, and 
 comment upon them, would lead me too far. 
 
 The following passage is very striking : 
 
 * Schlussel, etc., pp. 124-127. 
 
286 APPENDIX B. 
 
 " Through the vast space of the universe (out of the fulness of the 
 energizing activity of the united Primal Powers agreeably to the 
 will and pleasure of the Sole Creator and Lord of heaven and earth 
 according to the original law of operation) the developments of be- 
 ing are at work, and as does the heavenly host in the invisible re- 
 gions of the world, so likewise does the countless multitude of differ- 
 ent creatures pervade all the reahiis of nature, culminating in man 
 as the fulcrum of their full co-operation. Everything under the same 
 law, everything in constant development of being, everything moved 
 and engaged in dualism. It is characteristic of time, in its process of 
 germination and development, that all the sciences, and all the 
 directions in which the mind of man travels, ultimately commingle. 
 And may we not identify the red thread that runs through them ? 
 Inquiring into the histoiy of the development of the earth-body, 
 we found at first a period of dead matter without form and life in a 
 rude metallic mass ; in a second period it took form, and law fet- 
 ered it in crystalline combinations ; in a third it became obedient 
 to vegetative life ; plants covered the surface and unconscious ani- 
 mals animated the waters ; in a fourth period the vegetative life 
 developed into animal life, and animals endowed with the capa- 
 bility of joy and sorrow were eagerly occupied with the further 
 refinement of matter by changing the substance of plants into 
 their bodies. In the fifth period the intellectual life of man be- 
 gan to develop its power in the conquest of matter, the subjuga- 
 tion of the elements, the enslaving of living creatures, in order to 
 gather the intellectual harvest in a sixth period, we will say that 
 which began with the art of printing, into a uiiit. Thus the 
 earth-body is only a seed-bed, in which the pleasant heritage of 
 man luxuriates, and the history of nature is only the history of 
 progressive victories of mind over matter. This is the fundamental 
 thought of creation, for the attainment of which individuals and 
 entire generations are made to disappear, raising the present on the 
 scaffolding of an immense past." * 
 
 In the same connection may be read : 
 
 * Schlussel, etc., pp. 193, 194, and citing Baer, Ueber das allgemeine 
 Gesetz der Entwickelungsgeschichte der Natur, Konigsberg, 1834. 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERRo 2Z'J 
 
 *' So schauet mit bescheid'nem Blick 
 Der ewigen Weberin Meisterstuck, 
 "Wie ein Tritt tausend Faden regt, 
 Die Schifflein hiniiber, heriiber schiessen, 
 Die Faden sich begegnend fliessen, 
 Ein Schlag tausend Verbindungen schlagt. 
 Das hat sie nicht zusammengebettelt ; 
 Sie hat's von Ewigkeit angezettelt ; 
 Damit der ewige Meistermann 
 Getrost den Einschlag werfen kann." 
 
 Gothe, Zur Morphologie, I., p. II3. 
 
 SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY. 
 
 According to i Thess. v. 23, we must distinguish between 
 spirit, soul and body. In the soiil the Primal Beings work 
 united, and it is the Ego which dominates both in the forma- 
 tive law of our birth, and in the subsequent choice we make 
 of the use of the divine provision for our proper education, 
 both of soul and body — that is, in our regeneration. 
 
 spirit denotes the dominant, quickening or impelling 
 principle in man ; it is of divine origin (Gen. ii. 7), and the 
 Scripture calls those who submit to the government of the 
 Spirit of God Ttvev/xaziKoi (spiritual); while those who 
 do not submit are called ipvxiKoi (natural) and in their 
 lowest degradation 6apKiKoi (carnal). Yet it is not the 
 body as such that induces those states ; all depends the 
 rather on the inward direction which the individual gives to 
 his heart, which in the Scriptures is regarded as the centre 
 of the soul, the determining faculty, as it were, of the soul, 
 marking, according to the choice he makes, the character of 
 the individual, as spiritual or carnal. This is brought out in 
 Rom. vii. 22, 23, where the soul, i. e. the Ego, in process of 
 becoming {werdend) is placed between the law in the mind 
 (z. e. the law of the Spirit) and the law in the members (/. e. 
 the law in the flesh) moved or influenced by one or the other, 
 until the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Him that raised up Christ 
 from the dead, and thereby established a new principle of 
 
288 APPENDIX B. 
 
 life becomes dominant ; and we are led by Him as the 
 children of God (viii. 14), so that the apostle preached on that 
 account and as a natural and necessary consequence the 
 regeneration of the body (v. 11) through the power of the 
 Risen Christ, as being truly the restoration of man conform- 
 ably to the image of Him who has called us to glory and 
 virtue.* 
 
 Schonherr, says Ebel in a note (p. 203), was wont to dis- 
 tinguish the men of the sixth day from the descendants of 
 Adam (see Gen. iv. 14-17 ; vi. i, sqq). The former he calls 
 Elohim-m^n, the latter Jehovah-m&n, because of the divine 
 breath (tzvsvuo) which distinguished them. The inferior 
 race was designed to be elevated and improved by the 
 superior, but sin having come in, drew down the pneumatic 
 race into the soulish region, and the destruction by means of 
 the flood was necessary, in order to make room for a new 
 planting. 
 
 A very interesting and able contribution to the trichotomic 
 distinction of the nature of man is found in Klaiber, Die Neu- 
 testameiitliche Lehre von der Smide und Erlosimg, Stutt- 
 gart, 1836, p. 22, sqq. 
 
 REGENERATION.! 
 
 The creative elements, according to the Bible, are engaged 
 in our regeneration. Hence Schonherr says : 
 
 " Jesus commanded the baptism with water, and baptizes at the 
 same time with the Holy Spirit and with fire, to teach us that as 
 originally we became out of fire and water, and, in our corrupt state, 
 so we may be born anew, and be wholly restored out of the two, 
 the independent Elohim, and their Word of instruction. It is the 
 power of the Most High, which (in the Holy Spirit) comes over 
 man, uttering light into the darkness of his natural being, and 
 depositing in him the germ of the new life, of the noble graft from 
 
 * Schliissel,^^. 196-198, Appendix A. The Great Change, Part II. 
 f Ida V. d. Groben, Die Liebe zur Wahrheit, pp. 292-297 passim. 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 289 
 
 the heart of Paradise above, unto the resurrection of the new life ; 
 with this difference between the new creation and the first, that in 
 the latter the creature is called into existence without its conscious- 
 ness, whereas in the former, the creature is both conscious and 
 co-operative. . . . 
 
 " When the first drawings of the love of God prompt the yearning 
 within us to live forever in its element — when under the breathing 
 of Life the new life germinating, tender as yet though resolute, 
 eagerly aspires to the anticipated liberty, in order to live forever 
 (Matth. xvi. 24, 25) — that is the time of visitation and preparation 
 for free choice. 
 
 " Man, in the bright beams of divine mercy, begins to take delight 
 in the law of God after the inner man (Rom. vii. 22), and seeks the 
 light, exulting in the joy of his heavenly calling, for the Lord is 
 his Light, and makes his darkness light. But sin as yet holds him 
 bound through the law in his members, until (sincere Christians 
 know this progress) in the extremity of the struggle between hostile 
 assaults and the yearning for deliverance, the only hope of suc- 
 cessful transition from death to life lies in grasping the power of 
 God. ... As the light shining into his natural darkness taught 
 him to be afraid of himself, so love holding up before his heart the 
 indelible image of its holiness, inspires him with longing for 
 it. This is the moment in which it is said, ' Draw nigh to God, 
 and He draws nigh to you ' (Jas. iv. 8), and then faith comes in, 
 with firm confidence concerning that which we hope, and without 
 doubt concerning that which we do not see ; even faith in the grace 
 of God, and the cheerful surrender of our will to the will of God. 
 
 " How little man's fidelity in this the natal hour of his will unto 
 liberty deserves to be called a free act, is evident from the fact that 
 in this his turning to God, so far from being conscious of actual 
 willing, and still less of ability, he is conscious only of his inability 
 to deliver himself from his deadness ; and while under the billows 
 of darkness and death he reaches for a rope of deliverance — like 
 one apparently dead moves in order to be able to move — dreading 
 the worst but for the cheering assurance of the mercy of God, who 
 does not break the bruised reed or quench the dimly burning wick 
 (Is. xlii. 3) . . . he is supported and strengthened with cheer- 
 ful consolation, patiently and courageously to endure the pangs of 
 his regeneration (2 Cor. vii. 10). . . . 
 13 
 
290 APPENDIX B. 
 
 " As a sleeper is wont to be near waking, when he dreams that he 
 dreams, so morning begins to dawn in the case of the spiritual 
 sleeper, when he begins to grow aware of the sleep that lies upon 
 his spiritual life ; he is near his deliverance, when the chains of his 
 sins cause him pain, and his great sickness turns into self -accusation. 
 Nevertheless, God is near him, but according to the law of essential 
 reciprocity, operating not less in the individual than in the whole — 
 man must in the struggles of the hour of the travail of his spiritual 
 life, assert himself. It is the will of God that man look up and 
 seek Him objectively, and love Him in return." 
 
 HEAVEN AND HELL.* 
 
 The law of thought is simple. It runs thus : similars go 
 together, dissimilars do not go together, according to this 
 formula : + a and + b make a sum, but + a and — b 2. dif- 
 ference ; what comes together is united, what does not come 
 together is separated. So likewise the eternal law of thought. 
 According to it God judges on earth, as in heaven, and will 
 judge in the last day ; according to this law heaven and hell 
 are thinkable and real. The positive a, the Godhead, really 
 looks on the negative b, sinful man f (collectively), in mercy 
 and grace, and according to His wonderful Power, effects 
 really that a — b become like a + b, become, not are. The 
 miracles of God are effects not inconceivable, not impossible, 
 but more than possible, transcending human power. There- 
 , — 1_ 
 
 * Diestel, Ursache tind Wirkuug audi im Bereich des Glaubens. 
 Konigsberg, 1835, p. 105, sqq. 
 
 f In order to avoid a dangerous 'misapprehension it is proper to 
 remark, what. to those familiar with arithmetical processes is of 
 course superfluous, that 
 
 1. The negation inheres in b, and is not made to adhere by a : 
 God is not the Tempter to evil ; he does not tempt any man. 
 
 2. The sign minus (the negation in b) does not cancel b, but 
 denotes the character oi b\ b is not canceled (negates), but cancel- 
 ing (negating) ; sin is not as it were, the absence of good, but the 
 presence of evil. 
 
NOTICE OF SCHONHERR. 29I 
 
 fore it is wrong, and a dreadful error to say that + a — b = 
 a + b \ for the negation b is not absolute (the assumption 
 would be nonsensical), but relative, a negation as to « ; en- 
 mity against God. This negation God cancels (He has 
 placed in us the word of reconciliation, 2 Cor. iii. 19) ; the 
 — b \s changed, metamorphosed, reconciled, delivered from 
 the negation, freed from sin, and becomes + b ; with the re- 
 sult that ■\-a-\-b-=a-^b. But where the negation remains 
 there remains the difference ; and where the difference be- 
 comes real, and the operation is finished, where the positive 
 a meets the negative b, the positive a is the more potent 
 negation of the negative b ; then God is a consuming fire, 
 that the ungodly suffer punishment, the everlasting destruc- 
 tion from the face of the Lord and from His glorious power. 
 The terrestrial laws of thought are eternal on earth \ a -\- b 
 is a sum, and a — b 3. difference ; and so likewise in the 
 world to come a + b the sum, the together, heaven \ a — b 
 the difference, separation, hell. 
 
 CONSCIOUSNESS CONTINUES AFTER DEATH.* 
 
 " The consciousness of our dead," said Schonherr of those who 
 are asleep in the Lord, "cannot cease, because the remaining, fixed, 
 imperishable parts of the perishable body exist indestructible and 
 cannot pass away, and further because the law affecting departed 
 souls is grounded on the imperishable formation of thoughts, words 
 and actions, which previously during this earthly life did already 
 exist along with the complements, as the permanent, firm formation 
 of the two Primal Beings. This firm, imperishable, and immediate 
 spirit-product, which during the earthly life had the ability to think 
 and speak, which ability it also retains, because it was formed ac- 
 cording to this law, is and remains both the germ and support of 
 the soul, as an immortal spirit-nature, and as the same conditions 
 of consciousness continue, it follows that in connection with the 
 spirit it retains consciousness." 
 
 * Ebel, Philosophie dcr heiUgen Urkunde, iii., p. iii. 
 
292 APPENDIX B. 
 
 INFERENCES.* 
 
 Most solemn are the inferences bearing on morals which 
 naturally and necessarily flow from the doctrine of the two 
 Primal Beings, with the fullest recognition of the Gospel truth 
 that eternal life must needs begin on earth, in order that con- 
 summation and perfection may be realized in the world to come 
 (John vi. 40, 54). The life of a true Christian infolds the still 
 closed germ of a glorious future, but, on the other hand, all 
 whose eyes are closed in death, cannot be called blessed. By 
 means or out of faith, laying hold of the righteousness of 
 Christ, we are restored lo the faith and righteousness accepted 
 of God — and with this is given the luminous centre of the new 
 life, the sanctifying principle of regeneration, which becomes 
 manifest at the turning point of death. But though the word 
 of faith is not preached to all men, and consequently all men 
 are not placed in such a decisive state of conscious accounta- 
 bility to be either saved or condemned, it is nevertheless not 
 inconceivable that the condition of a filial, confiding surrender 
 to the Supreme Being, of a yielding to the attraction of a 
 presiding power and love enchaining a transforming influence 
 of their nature, should operate upon the individual members 
 of a race living, moving and having its being in God, ena- 
 bling them according to their degree of accountability, to up- 
 build in their hearts heaven or hell even this side the grave. 
 "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, 
 for they shall be filled " (Matth. v. 6). 
 
 * Ebel, Schliissel, etc., p. 238. 
 
en 
 
 APPENDIX C. 
 
 HYMNS. 
 
 JESUS, MEINE LIEBE, LEBET. 
 
 Jesus, meine Liebe, lebet, 
 Dem es ist so wohl gelungen, 
 Dass der Feind nun vor ihm bebet 
 Und der Tod im Sieg verschlung 
 Er, mein Heil, ist wieder Licht 
 Der im Grabe lag verbleichet, 
 Aber jetzt der Sonne gleichet, 
 Mit verklartem Angesicht. 
 
 2. Einen hofifnungsvollen Blicb, 
 Und ein unverganglich Wesen, 
 Bringt mir diese Sonn' zuriick, 
 Und giebt mir ein Wort zu lesen : 
 Dass die Glieder, ihrem Haupt, 
 Gleich im Leben. gleich im Sterben, 
 Gleiches Leben sollen erben, 
 Dessen sie zuvor beraubt. 
 
 3. Liebe, starker als der Tod, 
 Du giebst klare Siegeszeichen, 
 Machst den Feind zum Friedensbot', 
 Lass't den Tod znm Heil gereichen ; 
 Denn wie sollt' zur Sterbenszeit 
 Mich die Botschaft konnt' erschrecken, 
 Die mir sagt von Auferwecken, 
 Nichts von Todes-Bitterkeit. 
 
294 
 
 APPENDIX C. 
 
 4. Sehet nicht auf die Gestalt ! 
 
 Dieser Tod ist nur ein Schlafen : 
 Kcin Feind hat nun mehr Gewalt 
 An den wiederfundnen Schafen ; 
 Denn der auferstandne Hirt, 
 Der sich selbst fur sie gegeben, 
 Fiihrt sie durch den Tod zum Leben, 
 Wo er ewig triumphirt. 
 
 5. Bringt man micb dem Grabe zu, 
 
 Das du, Lebens-Sonn', durchscheinest 
 So komm' ich zur sussen Ruh, 
 Da du dich mit mir vereinest. 
 Wenn du nun die Stimm' erhebst, 
 So wird dies mein Fleisch erwachen, 
 Denn du wirst es lebend machen, 
 Und niich bringen, wo du lebst. 
 
 6. Komm, mein Hirte, flihre mich ! 
 Liebe ! gieb, dass ich dich schmecke. 
 Sonne ! lass mich sehen dich, 
 
 Dass der Tod mich nicht erschrecke ; 
 Fuhrst du mich zum Leben hin, 
 Gieb dass ich dir folgen moge, 
 Durch die dir beliebten Wege, 
 Bis ich ewig bei dir bin. 
 
 JESUS MEINE ZUVERSICHT. (Eastcr Hymn). 
 IVtitten by Louise, Electress of Brandenburg. 
 
 Jesus meine Zuversicht, 
 Und mein Heiland ist mein Leben, 
 Dieses weiss ich, solh' ich nicht 
 Darum mich zufrieden geben ? 
 Was die lange Todes-Nacht 
 Mir auch fiir Gedanken macht. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 2. Jesus, der mein Heiland, lebt, 
 
 Ich werd' auch das Leben schauen, 
 Sein, wo mein Erloser schwebt, 
 Warum sollte mir dann grauen ? 
 Lasset auch ein Haupt sein Glied, 
 Welches es nicht nach sich zieht ? 
 
 3. Ich bin durch der Hoffnung Band 
 Zu genau mit ihm verbunden, 
 Meine starke Glaubenshand 
 Wird in ihn gelegt befunden, 
 Dass mich auch kein Todesbann 
 Ewig von ihm trennen kann. 
 
 4. Ich bin rieisch, und muss daher 
 Auch einmal zu Aschen werden, 
 Das gesteh' ich, doch wird er 
 Mich erwecken aus der Erden, 
 Dass ich in der Herrlichkeit 
 Um ihn sein mog' alle Zeit. 
 
 5. Dann wird eben diese Haut 
 Mich umgeben, wie ich glaube ; 
 Gott wird werden angeschaut, 
 Wann ich aufsteh' aus dem Staube. 
 Und in diesem Fleisch werd' ich 
 Jesum sehen ewiglich. 
 
 6. Dieser meiner Augen Licht 
 
 Wird Ihn meinen Heiland kennen, 
 Ich, ich selbst, kein Fremder nicht, 
 Werd' in seiner Liebe brennen ; 
 Nur die Schwachheit um und an 
 Wird von mir sein abgethan. 
 
 7. Was hie kranket, seufzt und fleht, 
 Wird dort frisch und herrlich gehen, 
 Irdisch werd' ich ausgesat, 
 Himmlisch werd' ich auferstehen. 
 
 295 
 
296 APPENDIX C. 
 
 Hier geh' ich naturlich ein, 
 Nachmals werd' ich geistlich sein. 
 
 8. Seid getrost und hoch erfreut, 
 Jesus tragt euch, meine Glieder ! 
 Gebt nicht Statt der Traurigkeit, 
 Sterbt ihr, Christus nift euch wieder, 
 Wann die letzt' Posaun erklingt, 
 Die auch durch die Graher dringt. 
 
 9, Lacht der finstren Erden-Kkift, 
 Lacht des Todes und der Hollen, 
 Denn ihr sollt euch durch die Luft 
 Eurem Heiland zugesellen ; 
 
 Dann wird Schwachheit und Verdruss 
 Liegen unter eurem Fuss. 
 
 10. Nur dass ihr den Geist erhebt 
 Von den Ltisten dieser Erden, 
 Und euch dem schon jetzt ergebt, 
 Dem ihr beigefugt sollt werden. 
 Schickt das Herze dahinein, 
 Wo ihr ewig wunscht zu sein, 
 
 POEMS. 
 
 From the Morgenwache, 
 by Ida, Grafin von der Groben. 
 
 I. 
 
 ERFULLUNG. 
 
 (Fulfilment, a Christmas Hymn, written 1847.) 
 
 Is. IX. 6, 7. 
 I. NiMMER soil es sein vergessen — 
 Wenn die Finstemisse pressen — 
 Was zu Bethlehem geschehen, 
 Als Gott liess den Stem aufgehen. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 297 
 
 Zwiefach in der Knechtschaft Ban den, 
 Fremdling in den eignen Landen, 
 Schien deni Volk, so hoch erkoren, 
 Die Verheissung fast verloren, — 
 Da ward ihm ein Kind geboren. 
 
 2. Ob auch alle Heiden toben, 
 Ob die Juden Steine hoben, 
 Ihre Zeit war langst gemessen ; 
 Der im Himmel ist gesessen, 
 Spottet ihrer von der Hohe 
 Und bedroht sie in der Nahe ; 
 Doch dem Volk in dessen Herzen 
 Seine Kripp' und Sterneskerzen — 
 Diesem heisst es Wunderbar, 
 
 3. Wunder ist ihm sein Erretten 
 Aus des eis'gen Zweifels Ketten ; 
 Wunder sind ihm seine Wege, 
 Seine schmalen, steilen Stege, 
 Dass die Seinen, aller Enden 
 Sich da zu einander fanden, — 
 Mitten durch der Feinde Mauern, 
 Die von beiden Seiten lauern, — 
 Denn der Retter heisset Rath. 
 
 4. Ob zur Rechten, ob zur Linken 
 Die verschied'nen Geister winken, 
 Es dem Gleise zu entriicken, 
 Und mit Dunkelheit zu driicken ; 
 Ob sich drangen Schreckgewalten, 
 Rathselvolle Truggestalten ; 
 Weisheit stromet Well' auf Welle 
 Aus des Sternleins lichter Quelle — 
 Denn das Kindlein heisset Kraft. 
 
 5. Wo die Liifte Flammen fiihren, 
 Und die Wasser Engel rlihren, 
 
 13* 
 
298 APPENDIX C. 
 
 Wo das Wort dem Meer geboten 
 Und erwecket hat die Todten, 
 Wo das Felsengrab zerrissen 
 Und die HoUe weichen miissen — 
 Dort hat sich der Stem gezeiget, 
 Alles sich zum Sieg geneiget, 
 Denn das Kindlein heisset Held. 
 
 In den Kampf ist er gegangen 
 
 Aus barmherzigem Verlangen, 
 
 Zu des Feindes Lagerstatten, 
 
 Die Gefang'nen zu erretten. 
 
 In des Wortes heil'ger Riistung, 
 
 Vor des Weltreichs finstrer Briistung ; 
 
 Er allein vor Satans-Nesten, 
 
 Durch des Geistes Krieges-Vesten ; 
 
 Der da Ewig- Vater heisst. 
 
 Ewig in des Vaters Wesen 
 Ist das Liebeswort gewesen, 
 Endlich aus des Vaters Herzen 
 Ging der Sohn in Liebesschmerzen, 
 Um auf ewig Vater-Lieben 
 An den Brtidern auszuiiben ; 
 Fiir den Tod will er das Leben, 
 Fur den Zwiespalt Friede geben, 
 Heisset Er doch Friede-Fiirst. 
 
 Es ist vor Ihra hergezogen 
 Jener schone Friedensbogen ; 
 Als ein auss'rer Bundeszeuge, 
 Dass des Hochsten Huld sich neige, 
 Mit ihm strahlt der inn're Friede, 
 Wie in jedem Farbengliede. 
 Also wird Er Friede schaffen 
 Durch der Wahrheit ein'ge Waffen — 
 Friede Seinem Konisreick. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 299 
 
 IL 
 
 HELDENMUTH. 
 
 (Heroic courage. St. Matth. xxii. 1-14. For the twentieth Sun- 
 day after Trinity). 
 
 I. Freiwillige ! hervor "ins Feld, 
 Hervor in Schmuck und Wehre, 
 Es geht zum Konig in sein Zelt, 
 Zum sieggewohnten Heere, 
 Schaut nicht mehr nach dem Heerde um, 
 Schwenkt euer Fahnlein keck herum ! 
 
 2. Wen angestrahlt das hochste Gut, 
 Wem schon're Loose fielen, 
 Wird nicht, wie ein Philister thut, 
 Nach Weib und Aeckern schielen, 
 Er schlagt, was irdisch in den Wind, 
 1st ein frei herrlich Gotteskind. 
 
 3. Verachtet, was die Welt verehrt, 
 Ehrt, was die Welt verhohnet, 
 Schamt dessen sich, was sie bescheert, 
 Ihr Lob er nicht begehret. 
 
 Das ist der ebenbiirt'ge Held, 
 Dem Gottes Einladung gefallt. 
 
 4. Der zieht das Hochzeitkleid sich an, 
 Er ist zum Fest bereitet, 
 
 Die Seele glanzet als ein Schwan, 
 Der sein Gefieder breitet, 
 Und in des Wesens leuchtend Schild 
 Erscheinet Gottes Ebenbild.* 
 
 5. Der Christ, der hochberuf'ne Gast, 
 Hat weiter nicht zu schauen, 
 
 Als nur nach jener Hochzeitrast 
 Und ihrem Morgengrauen ; 
 Das ist's, dass er nicht schlafen geht, 
 Bestdndig auf der Wache steht. 
 
 * An apt portraiture of the fair writer's own character. M. 
 
300 APPENDIX C. 
 
 III. 
 
 DIE WENDUNG. 
 
 (Turning. Farewell to Meran, which, as the Tyroleans sing, lies 
 in the lap of the most beautiful valley of the Tyrol ; see above, 
 
 p. igs-)- 
 
 Du " Mutterlandel " im Tirolerland, 
 
 Auch das Tiroler Paradies genannt, 
 
 Du mahnst mich wie ein eigner Heimathort, 
 
 Du nahmst mich auf, du warst ein Bergungsort ; 
 
 Hier f and der Jugend Sehnsucht ihre Flligel , 
 
 Sich aufzuschwingen zu dem hochsten Felsenhligel ; 
 
 Sie schaute die Verwandtschaf t Himmels und der Erde, 
 
 Sah Wolken rauchen auf dem Felsenherde. 
 
 Und auf der Alpenzinn* 
 Ueber das Schneefeld hin, 
 Tief in der grauen Nacht 
 Halt deine Gemse Wacht. 
 Unterhalb lacht das Griin, 
 Darauf die Wolken zieh'n, 
 Hangend in stiller Mitt' 
 Winket die Sennerhiitt. 
 
 Wenn sich nun niedersenkt des Auges Licht, 
 Sich ob dem griinen weichen Sammet bricht, 
 Der deine Hangegarten ausgeschmiickt ; 
 Dann ruht es wonnetrunken und erquickt 
 In deines schonen Thales Grilnden aus, 
 Wohl schimmemd als ein reicher Blumenstrauss, 
 Da — stark gewunden nach Tiroler Art — 
 Der Mandelbaum sich mit der Pfirsich paart. 
 
 Die ros'gen Arme nach dem Himmel streckt, 
 Daran die Mandel ihre Lilien steckt, 
 Und sie umgiebt des Weingelandes Pracht, 
 In hohen Bogen aus des Erdreichs Schacht, 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 3OI 
 
 Die Thai und Hohen iippig uberzieh'n, 
 Allabendlich* in dunkeln Trauben gluh'n 
 Gesiedet von der heissen Sonnenlust, 
 Feurig ergotzend des Meraners Brust. 
 
 Doch nicht allein viel Friichte edler Art, 
 Viel hohe Burgen mit der stolzen Wart', 
 Wo hier die Lanze der Cypresse ragt, 
 Und dort des Oelbaums helles Silber tagt, 
 Auf hohen Almen schlanke Kirchlein steh'n, 
 Die auf des Felsbewohners Guter seh'n, — 
 Dem drei Mai Friichte bringt der Feigenbaum, 
 Dies ist ringsher der Alpenbilder Saum. 
 
 O schones Land, wo im Kastanienwald 
 Des Schutzen munt'res Jodeln wiederhallt ; 
 Wo seine susse Frucht ihm labt den Muth, 
 Er im bekranzten Mandelschatten ruht', 
 Auf altem Stamm ein neuer Wald sich hebt. 
 Und im Gestein des Baumes Wachsthum lebt, 
 Der Fruchtbaum sich durch seine Spalten drangt, 
 Mit seinen bliih'nden Armen Felsen sprengt. 
 
 Wie schlanker Epheu in dem grauen Stein 
 Untrennlich wurzelt als zu einem Sein, 
 Durchdringend sich zur stolzen Bliithenkron' 
 Und zu des Seidenbaumes grilnem Thron : 
 So wiederstrahlt der Morgenrothe Duft 
 In hellen Eisesspiegels scharfer Luft, 
 Und wie die Sonne hier stets milde scheint, 
 So Liebliches und Grosses hier sich eint. 
 
 Horst du das Brausen tief, 
 Wo einst der Felsen schlief ? 
 Das ist der Passer Bett, 
 Dahin sie sich gerett't, 
 Als jenes Berges Fall 
 Sie wider ihre Wahl 
 
 * In autumn. 
 
302 APPENDIX C. 
 
 Aus ihren Bahnen riss, 
 Und gen Meran verwies. 
 
 War reissend ihre Fluth 
 Vor andern Bergstroms Wuth, 
 So schaumt ohn' Unterlass 
 Durch jenen engen Pass 
 Der wilde Drang bergab 
 Zur starken Etsch hinab, 
 In deren weisses Meer 
 Ihr griines Wellenheer. 
 
 Und in der Wasser Schall 
 Mischt sich der Blichse Knall, 
 Des Felsenkindes Art, 
 So keck zugleich als zart, 
 Doch iiber Allem thront 
 Die in dem Heil'gen wohnt, 
 Der Glockenstimme Laut, 
 Des Felsenlandes Braut. 
 
 Horch, welch' ein Rauschen dort, 
 Welch' vielverschlung'nes Wort ! — 
 Hier war des Stromes Klang, 
 Dort des Gebetes Gang.* 
 Und durch die Lufte wallt 
 Und zahllos wiederhallt 
 Um alle Tagesstund' 
 Der voile Glockenmund, 
 
 Der von der Sonn* erzahlt, 
 Die auf- und untergeht, 
 Tirolers Bergmusik 
 Vom Gliick und vom Ungliick, 
 Von Berg zu Berg in's Thai 
 Und endlich auf einmal, — 
 Das Volk entblosst sein Haupt — 
 An's Unsichtbare glaubt. 
 
 * The "Bittgang" or the procession. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 303 
 
 Im Herzen ach so warm, 
 Den Stutzen in dem Arm 
 Blickt der Tiroler drein, 
 Er schaut so stolz als fein. 
 In seiner kiihnen Brust 
 Schlagt stete Jugendlust. 
 Er spannt das Todesrohr, 
 Sein Jodeln dringt an's Ohr. 
 
 Ja hier ist nocli des Deutschen Vaterland, 
 Hier sind die fremden Klange noch verbannt; 
 Hier ist die schlanke Schonheit der Gestalt 
 Noch Bild der Kindesunschuld und Gewalt. 
 Und wie das Alpenroslein lieblich schaut, 
 Tirol in seinen Kindern nun sich baut. 
 Der Fremdling muss ihm Rede steh'n, wohin ? 
 Auch wo er bleibt, das heisst, wo er vorhin ? * 
 
 Und keiner ist, der weiter wird gekannt, 
 Als wie er in der Taufe ist benannt. 
 Hier steht der Bauer als ein freier Mann, 
 Legt seinen Schmuck auch bei der Arbeit an. 
 Es wirft die Last das Magdlein auf ihr Haupt, 
 Tritt damit hoch einher, von Wein umlaubt. 
 Man trifft die deutsche Sitte hier noch an, 
 Der Welsche ist dem Deutschen nicht der Mann. 
 
 Hier wohnt noch Treu' und Glaube an das Wort, 
 Die Bruderlieb' als gegenseit'ger Hort. 
 Die off'ne Wahrheit ohne Zorn und Neid, 
 Der klare Blick bei Kindeseinfachheit, 
 Die Hoflichkeit des Herzens sonder List 
 Hier allgemeiner Lebensgrundsatz ist. 
 Es bliiht die Kunst aus der Natur empor. 
 Die dranget Bild und Saitenspiel hervor. 
 
 Wie's Kind in Vaters Hause, so vertraut 
 Lebt hier das Volk, ein Tempel hoch erbaut ; 
 
 * Where he lives. 
 
304 APPENDIX C. 
 
 Der Priester steht ihm noch an Gottes Statt, 
 Weil in ihm selbst Gott eine Statte hat. 
 So zieht der frommen Briider braune Schaar * 
 Von Berg zu Berg, an Haupt und Fiissen baar, 
 Ein Wesensband verbindet Schaf und Hirt, 
 Das Lammlein nicht auf eig'nen Wegen irrt. 
 
 Denk ich der Mauer lieb', 
 Wo wild die Passer trieb, 
 Bube die " Kasten "f briet, 
 Sang zu dem Wein sein Lied ! 
 Oder der Zenoburg — 
 Geht mir das Herze durch, 
 Fort ins Passeierthal, 
 Stets meiner Tritte Wahl. 
 
 Schau ich von Berg zu Thai 
 Meraners Feuerstrahl, 
 Festlichen Flammengruss,:j: 
 Dazu den Freudenschuss, 
 Nachtigalls Abendsang 
 Am hohen Felsenhang : 
 Stimm' ich sein Spruchlein an ; 
 'S giebt doch nur ein Meran ! 
 
 Horch ich des Priesters Wort 
 An dem geweihten Ort ; 
 Lausche dem Morgenstrahl 
 Im St. Valentins Thai ; 
 Oder niein stiller Weg 
 Ftihrt mich St. Le'nhard's Steg ; 
 Wenn ich den Jaufen schau 
 Ueber der Riffians-Au, 
 
 Die schone Mendelspitz', 
 Muthbauers Felsensitz 
 
 * The Capuchins, the real pastors of the Etsch valley, 
 f Chestnuts. 
 
 X A festival on the first Sunday in Lent among the valley folk, 
 when at night bonfires appear on all the mountains. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 305 
 
 Vom schonen Marlinger, 
 Schaurig und lieblicher 
 Als and'rer Lander Pracht, 
 Des Etschthals Bild betracht'; 
 Driiben des Naifthals Schlucht, 
 Wildester Schonheit Bucht ! 
 
 Denk der Karthauserzell,* 
 Von deren ernster Schwell 
 Mein erstes lautes Wort f 
 Ausging an feme Ort ; 
 Im Blick Ifingers Thron 
 Mit seiner gold'nen Kron' — 
 Ninimer vergess ich dein, 
 Wo ich mog immer sein ! 
 
 Tragt mich gen Windschgau's Au 
 Der stolze Marmorbau. 
 Strahlt mir mein Dorf Tirol 
 Von seiner Burg : Leb' wohl ! 
 Wo ich so silss geruht, 
 Durch Saumthiers sanften Muth : 
 Ade, mein Rosenstein ! — 
 Zielspitz im Morgenschein. 
 
 Tirol, o mein Tirol ! 
 
 Du Land der Wonne voll ! 
 
 Dahin uns Gott gesandt, 
 
 Und's Herz auf's Neu entbrannt ! 
 
 Land, wo die Jugend stammt, 
 
 Wo der Sternhimmel flammt, 
 
 Wo neue Kraft ersteht, 
 
 Und der Herr weiter geht. 
 
 * Where she lived, in an ancient Carthusian monastery on the 
 Rennweg. 
 
 f Allusion to the Liebe zur Wahrheit, published by the Countess 
 in 1850. 
 
306 APPENDIX C. 
 
 Aus deinem Felsenhaus 
 Auf eine Eck' hinaus,* 
 Frischen Trunk in der Brust, 
 Geht's nun in Fried' und Lust ; 
 Aus stillem Riisttags-Ort : 
 Auf uns'res Gottes Wort, 
 Glaubig wie Kinder thun, 
 Die an der Mutter ruh'n. 
 
 Treten die Wallfahrt an, 
 Wie's im Tirol wir sah'n, 
 Ganz sonder Furcht und Frag', 
 Dahin's Geliibd' uns trag'. 
 Das Gnadenbild in Mitt', 
 Wir haben uns're Bitt'; — 
 Gehorsam ist der Kent, 
 Sein Wille unser Stem. 
 
 THE MINISTER IN COMPANY. 
 
 Extract from a Memorandum Book, written by Ebel, Nov. 
 6, 1820. 
 
 " A minister should be as careful of his conduct and as watchful 
 of his thoughts in company, even the company of his friends, as 
 he is in the pulpit. The whole of his life should be one ser- 
 mon. Let him therefore refrain, as much as he may, from taking 
 part in general conversation, and reflect on every word before he 
 utters It. Let it be his aim at all times to harmonize, explain and 
 mediate. It belongs to his sacred office and ministry to preach 
 reconciliation, first to and amongst men, and then by this very 
 means, to God. Gracious Father, how humble we ought to be in 
 Thy presence in order to avoid giving offence by a single word ! " 
 
 * To Hoheneck, near Ludwigsburg, in Wiirttemberg, where the 
 author of the poem had bought a country seat, and went to occupy 
 it with Dr. Ebel and his family. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 307 
 
 LITERATURE. 
 
 SCHONHERR, J. H., Sieg dcr gottlicheu Offenbarung, etc. (Victory 
 of the Divine Revelation), Konigsberg, 1S04. Out of print. 
 
 The following works may be considered to contain the views of 
 that extraordinary man : 
 
 BujACK, A^a/e^r/^««^i? (Natural Science), in Manuscript, composed 
 after conversations with Schonherr and by his express co-operation. 
 
 De la Chevallerie, Colonel, Denkschrift fiir die gute Zeit, 
 Konigsberg, 1835-6, said to have been dictated by Schonherr dur- 
 ing the winter of 1808-9. Also, 
 
 Sachs, L. W., Grtmdlinicn zu einem natiirlichen dynamischen 
 System der practise hen Mediciii (Outlines of a natural dynamic sys- 
 tem of practical Medicine), Berlin, 1821 ; Ueber Wissen und 
 Gewissejz, etc. (On Knowledge and Conscience), Berlin, 1826. 
 
 Olshausen, CJuisitis der einige Meister (Christ the only Master), 
 Konigsberg, 1826. 
 
 BoCK, Johannes Schonherr, dargestellt in seinem Leben tend 
 Wirken, etc. (Life and Labors of J. H. S.), in Preuss. Pro v. Blatter, 
 
 1833. 
 
 Olshausen, Ein Wort der Verstdndigting, etc. (A Word of 
 Explanation, etc.), Konigsberg, 1833. 
 
 BujACK, Berichtigiingen, etc. (Corrections), in the same journal, 
 1834, also a second contribution to the same periodical. 
 
 DiESTEL, Wie das Evangelium entstellt zvird, etc. (How the 
 Gospel is caricatured, etc.), reply to Olshausen, Konigsberg, 1833. 
 Zur Scheidiing und Unterscheidicng, etc. (Separation and Dis- 
 tinction, etc.), Konigsberg, 1834. 
 
 Olshausen, Die neuesten Schyiften des Henn Prediger Diestel 
 beurtheilt (The recent works of Pastor Diestel criticised), ibid., 
 1834. Leben tmd Lehre des Konigsberger Theosophen, Johann 
 Heinrich Schonherr (Life and Doctrine of the Konigsberg theo- 
 sophist Johann Heinrich Schonherr), ibid., 1834. 
 
 Anonymous, Die Schiitzwehr. Abgenbthigte Bemerkungen uber 
 die in derjiingst erschienenen Streitschiift des Herni Prof. Olshausen 
 gegett Prediger Diestel enthaltenen Darstcllung tmd Beui'theihciw 
 des durch den Theosophen Schonherr an das Licht getretenen 6)'* 
 terns (The Bulwark, or Remarks necessitated by the representations 
 and critique of the system set forth by Joh. H. Schonherr, the 
 
508 APPENDIX C. 
 
 theosophist, as contained in Professor Olshausen's polemical pam- 
 phlet recently published), ib., March, 1834. By the same authors: 
 Das Panier der Wahrheit (The Banner of Truth), ib. , November, 
 
 1834. 
 
 Anonymous, Jok. H. Schonherr ujid die von ihm erkannte Wahr- 
 heit, etc. (Joh. H. Schonherr and the truth cognized by him, etc.), 
 two pamphlets, ib., 1835. 
 
 Anonymous, Gegenseitige Liebe, die Quelle alles Werdens, oder 
 Zeugniss vo7i dcm Ursprimg der Welt (Reciprocal Love, the Source 
 of Being, or Testimony on the Origin of the World), ibid., May, 
 1834. 
 
 Anonymous, Die Blumen ah Verkiindiger tind Zeiigen der 
 Wahrheit (The flowers as heralds and and witnesses of the truth), 
 ibid., June, 1834. 
 
 •DIESTEL AND EBEL, Verstand und Vermin ft im Bunde 
 mit der Offenbariing Goites durch das Anerkenntniss des wortlichen 
 Inhalts der heiligen Schrift (Understanding and Reason in alliance 
 with the Divine Revelation by the reception of the verbal contents 
 of the Holy Scriptures), two treatises, also with separate titles, in 
 one volume 8vo, Leipzig, 1837. By the same authors : Zeugniss der 
 Wahrheit, etc. (Witness of the Truth, etc.), Leipzig, 1838 ; Johann 
 Heinrich Schonherr s Princip der beiden Urwesen, etc. (J. H. S.'s 
 Principle of the two Primal Beings), by Diestel ; and Der Schliissel 
 zur Erkenntniss der Wahrheit, etc. (Key to the Knowledge of the 
 Truth), by Ebel, etc. 
 
 Diestel, Ein Zeugenverhor im Criminalprocesse gegen die Predi- 
 ger Ebel und Diestel, etc. (Examination of the Witnesses in the 
 Ciiminal Suit against Ebel and Diestel), Leipzig, 1838. Abridged 
 in Kanitz's Mahn-wort (Exhortation), Basel and Ludwigsburg, 
 1868. Also, Ursache tind Wirkting atich im Bereiche des Glau- 
 bens geltend gemacht tmd erwiesen (Cause and Effect claimed and 
 proved in Matters of Faith), Konigsberg, 1835. Das Gesetz des 
 Rechts und des Verstandes gegen dialektische Gesetzlosigkeit, etc. 
 (The Law of Right and of the Understanding versus Lawlessness, 
 etc.) Die rationelle Sprachforschung attf ihrem gegenwdi'tigen 
 Standpunkte (Rational Inquiry into the Philosophy of Language in 
 its present state), Konigsberg, 1854. 
 
 Ebel, Die Weisheit von Oben (Wisdom from Above), Sermons, 
 Konigsberg, 1823 ; Der Tagesanbruch (Dawn), Sermons, Essays and 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 309 
 
 Addresses, ibid., 1824 ; Die Gedeihliche Erziehung [^'sXyxi'sx^ Educa- 
 tion), Essay, and Hints to Parents and Teachers, etc., Hamburg, 
 1825; Was gilt im Chfistenthufu? (What does avail in Chris- 
 tianity ?), two Sermons, Konigsberg, 1825 ; Biblische Sprilche (Bible 
 Texts), Guide to primary Christian Instruction, 6th edition, 1842 ; 
 Biblische VVcihnachtsgabe fur Alt tmd Jung (A Biblical Christmas 
 Gift for the Old and the Young), Hamburg, 1827 ; Bibelworte 
 (Bible Words), Guide to Christian Instruction of Youth, Hamburg, 
 1827 ; Das Christejithtwi oder Winke zuni Verstdndjiiss der Bibcl' 
 worte, etc. (Christianity, or Hints to the understanding of Bible 
 Words, Hamburg, 1827 ; Die Apostolische Predigt ist zeitgemdss, 
 etc. (Apostolical Preaching is Timely), a Treatise for the benefit of 
 Christians, Hamburg, 1S35 ; Die Tretie (Fidelity), Sermons, 
 Konigsberg, 1835 ; 2d edition, Basel and Ludwigsburg, 1863 ; 
 Schutzschrift fur die Bibel gegen die Schriftzvidrigkcit tniserer 
 Zeitgenossen, etc., (Apology for the Bible against the unbiblical atti- 
 tude of our contemporaries, etc.) ; Grundziige der Erkenntniss der 
 Wahrheit, etc. (Characteristics of the Knowledge of the Truth, etc.), 
 Leipzig, 1852. 
 
 Die Philosophie der heiligen Urkunde des Christenthiims. I, Die 
 Berechtigtmg. II., III., Das Rdthsel der Erkenntniss, (The Phi- 
 losophy of the Sacred Records of Christianity. I. Title. II., 
 III., The Riddle of Knowledge), Stuttgart, 1S54-1856. This is 
 a most thoughtful and exceedingly valuable book, and a perfect 
 mine of wealth. The Author cannot too highly recommend it 
 to his brethren in the Ministry as very suggestive and full of the 
 choicest illustrations. The contents are : Part I. Relation of Faith 
 and Knowledge. — Knowledge (Gnosis) the want of our time. — The 
 Bible contains the true knowledge, the ancient philosophy. — Coper- 
 nicus and the Christian Thought. — Authoritative faith and liberty 
 of thinking. — Spiritual Experience. — The Regeneration of Thought. 
 — Part II. The end of knowledge. — It is presented in the form of 
 a riddle. — Its solution declined, or a failure, — Monotheism, Panthe- 
 ism, Monism. — Spinoza and Spinozism. — Part III. Absolutism and 
 Christianity. — On the Personality of the Deity, the Continuance of 
 Man, and Free Will. — Helps to solve the riddle. 
 
 The Latin mottoes of these three parts are : I. Res divinas non dis- 
 putatio comprehendit, sed sanctitas, Bernhard. — II. Ut auiemmagman 
 ornamentum est et vita: huinana et ecclesiiv, philosophia, cictn rccte 
 
3IO APPENDIX C. 
 
 erudite, sobfie et tnoderate traditiir, itapestis est et corrtiptela jiidicu 
 orufu, cum pro philosophia instillaiur animis coiifusio opiomitn ver- 
 arum et falsarum et accessitur studium absurda defendendi verboruin 
 prcestigiis^ ut alii Epicurceos furores^ alii Stoicorum deliramentay 
 alii alias opiniones tueri conentur. Talis consuetudo parit sycophant 
 tas, artitwt et vitce cotiturbatores, Melancthon. — III. Non tameji qtiia 
 aliquando erratum est, idea semper errandum. Non enim vincimur 
 quando offeruntur nohis ineliora, sed itistruimur, Cyprianus. The 
 German mottoes are equally pointed : I. " It is not the purpose of 
 God to eradicate nature, but allow the natural to remain and to 
 direct it to its right course. "-Luther. II. " The Godhead consists 
 in the lordship of the To-be, and the ultimate and highest end of 
 all philosophy is to advance from mere being to the lordship of the 
 To-be."-v. SchelHng. III. " Of what benefit can truth be to us, un- 
 less, like the sun in the clear heavens, it shine into the eyes of every- 
 body that looks up to it ? What can it profit us if, flying from the 
 open fields of the human, it is hidden in the mists of an exclusive 
 school ?"-Ph. C. Hartmann. 
 
 Einige Worte iiber Kindererziehung (A few words on the Edu- 
 cation of Children), an abridgment of Gedeihliche ErzieJmng, Lud- 
 wigsburg, 1859. — The last named work has been translated into 
 English (1825), and extracts from quite a number of the other works 
 may be read in French, in Co?jipas de route pour les aniis de la verite', 
 etc., Konigsberg, 1859. — Das Bose tmd sein Anhang siegt nicht 
 (Evil, and those who follow it, do not prevail) ; a posthumous pub- 
 lication, containing a sermon, Basel, 1875. 
 
 Separate Sermons : Besonnen sein — wie heilsam in dieser unserer 
 Zeit (Circumspection, how salutary in our time), on St. Luke xiii. 
 1-9, Konigsberg, 1831. Der wahrhaft christliche Bail (The truly 
 Christian building) on St. Matthew vii. 15-25, ibid., 1835. Gottes 
 Fretinde in dieser Welt (The friends of God in this world) on Acts 
 xix. i-io, 20-40, ibid., 1835. A number of his writings remain in 
 manuscript. 
 
 Kahler, L. a. , Mittheilungen iiber sein Leben und seine Schriften 
 (Information concerning the life and writings of L. A. Kahler) 
 Konigsberg, 1856. This book drew out the following : 
 
 Hahnenfeld, Ein Motnent aus den Mittheilungen des Consis- 
 torialrath Kahler iiber das Leben tmd die Schriften seines Vaters, 
 heleuchtet, etc., (Momentous particulars in the information given 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 31I 
 
 by Cons. Councillor Kahler concerning the life and writings of his 
 father, explained, etc.), Braunsberg, 1856. — Die religiose Bewegung 
 zu Kotiigsberg in Freiissen, etc. (The religious movement at 
 Konigsberg in Prussia, etc.), Braunsberg, 1858. 
 
 Von Bardeleben, E. E., Bin Blickauf die einstige Stellmig der 
 Obc7-prdsidenten Atierstvald tmd Schon, etc. (A glance at the 
 former relations of the Provincial Governors Auerswald and Schon, 
 etc.), Stuttgart, 1844. 
 
 Von der Groben, Ida, Countess, Die Liebe zicr Wahrheit (The 
 love of the truth), Stuttgart, 1850. — Wissenschaft tmd Bibel 
 (Science and the Bible), ibid., 1856. — Morgenwache (Morning 
 Watch), poems, edited by Miss Ebel, Basel, 1878. 
 
 Kanitz, E., Count of, Aufkldrung nach Acienquellen ilber den 
 Konigsberger Religionsprocess (Elucidation by the official record of 
 the Kongisberg Religious Suit), Basel and Ludwigsburg, 1862 ; His- 
 torischer Ausztig, etc. (Historic Abridgment of the former, etc.) 
 ibid., 1864. — Ein Alahnivort zti Ginisten der Nachwelt, etc. (A 
 word of exhortation addressed to posterity, etc.) ibid., 1868. 
 
 Dixon, Spiritual Wives, London, 1868. Answered by : 
 
 Ebel, Wilhelm, Dr., Dixon s tind Dtmckers Seelenbrdtite sil- 
 houettirt (Dixon's and Duncker's Spiritual Wives Outlined), Basel 
 and Ludwigsburg, 1869. 
 
 Anonymous, Wenn die Menschen wider Dick wiithen, legest dii 
 Ehre ein, und wenn sie noch inehr zviithen, bist du atich noch 
 geriistet. Psalm Ixxxvi. 1 1, Luther's version, Basel, no date, contains 
 a capital synopsis of the suit, in four parts, the last giving the 
 names of encyclopcedias and other works in which a true account 
 of the matter narrated in this volume may now be found . The 
 last work of this kind is the American edition of Herzog, which, 
 for the first time, discharges that act of justice to the English 
 reading public. 
 
 Besides this long list of works, there are very many articles in 
 newspapers, reviews, etc., which, for want of space, cannot be 
 enumerated. 
 
INDEX 
 
 iEon, 278. 
 
 ^sthetical Club at Konigsberg, 
 
 35. 
 ApostohschePredigt, etc., quoted, 
 
 77. 
 
 Appendix A, 218. 
 
 Appendix B, 258. 
 
 Appendix C, 293. 
 
 Armenpflege, 114. 
 
 Auerswald Family, 135 ; Ru- 
 dolph's statement, 189. 
 
 Augsburg Confession, 38. 
 
 Aiifkldrung, etc., quoted, 142, 
 160 sqq., 167, 170. 
 
 Autographs of Ebel, 188, 200. 
 
 Awake and Awakened Distin- 
 guished, 52, 53. 
 
 B. 
 
 Baer, Ueber das allgemeine Gesetz, 
 
 etc., quoted, 286. 
 Bardeleben, E. E. Von, 123, 124, 
 
 135- 
 Bible Classes, 39. 
 Bibliotheca Sacra, article on Ebel 
 
 in, referred to, 178. 
 Body, The (soma), 287. 
 Borowski, Rev. Mr., 37, 38. 
 
 C. 
 
 Catechisation, 58, 102. 
 Catechumens, how to 
 
 them, 60 ; classified, 100-103 ; 
 petition of, 182-184. 
 
 Change, 264 ; The Gj-eat Chajige ; 
 sermon, 218. 
 
 Chapel of Frederic College, ser- 
 vice in, described, 73. 
 
 Christ Jesus, the Person of, 283. 
 
 Christmas Celebration, 194. 
 
 Confession, 85. 
 
 Confirmation in the Lutheran 
 church, 100, lOi. 
 
 Consciousness after Death, 291. 
 
 Consentius, Mrs., 143, 204. 
 
 Consistory, 64 ; see also Reli- 
 gious svixi, passim. 
 
 Contemporary Review, 177. 
 
 Crelinger, letter of, 168-9, I74' 
 
 D. 
 
 Deputation, Ecclesiastical and 
 Scholastic, 62 ; assails Ebel, 
 79 ; informs against, 80 ; re- 
 buked, 80-82. 
 
 Derschau, Mathilde von, 216. 
 familv, 134. 
 
 Diestel, Heinrich, Rev., his tes- 
 timony of Ebel's preaching, 
 88 ; details concerning him, 
 132-3 ; his writings, see Liter- 
 ature in Appendix C. 
 
 Dixon, W. H., referred to, 178. 
 
 Dohna, Count von, 32 ; his sons, 
 32-34 ; presents Ebel to the 
 living at Hermsdorf, 37, 38 ; 
 extracts from letters, 45, 46 ; 
 offers Ebel another living, 65. 
 
314 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Dualism, relative of Schonherr, 
 24, sq. ; see also Appendix B. 
 Duality, 269, 272 (Gothe). 
 
 E. 
 
 Ebel, Johann Jacob, Rev,, 7 ; 
 averse to his son's studying 
 theology, 13 ; becomes more 
 evangelical, 86 ; his death, 86, 
 note. 
 
 Ebel, Johannes Wilhelm, the 
 Venerable, Ph.D. ; birth, 7 ; 
 youth, g sq. ; first instruction, 
 9 ; at the Latin school, Ko- 
 nigsberg, 10 ; inventiveness, 
 12 ; early reading, 15 ; school 
 testimonial, 17 ; relations to 
 fellow-students, 18 ; death of 
 his mother, 19 ; doubts, 19-21; 
 becomes acquainted with 
 Schonherr, 21; resemblance to 
 Schonherr noted, 23; a candi- 
 date, 30 ; assistant-master, 30 ; 
 tutor of the Count Dohna, 32 ; 
 made Ph.D., 35 ; pastor at 
 Hermsdorf, 37 ; ordination, 
 39 ; robbed, 39 ; intercourse 
 with the French, 40-45 ; a 
 hostage, 42 ; spiritual crisis, 
 48, 49 ; occupies the parson- 
 age, 56 ; studies hymnology, 
 57 ; his interest in schools, 57 ; 
 catechisation, 58 ; assailed iDy 
 the Deputation, 62 ; applies 
 for the vacancy at Frederic 
 College, 64, 65 ; examined, 66 ; 
 appointment, 67 ; institution, 
 67 ; farewell to Hermsdorf and 
 marriage, 68 ; his catholicity 
 illustrated, 68 ; the only evan- 
 gelical preacher at Konigs- 
 berg, 73 ; estimate of his 
 preaching, 74 ; sermons during 
 the war, 74-76 ; other sermons 
 in full, Appendix A ; comfort- 
 ed by the experiences of Dr. 
 Lysius, 83 ; his popularity, 84 ; 
 chosen pastor of the Old Town 
 
 Church, and his inaugural, 84 ; 
 that church his spiritual home, 
 86 ; associations, 86, 87 ; cure 
 of souls, 87, 88 ; his appear- 
 ance, 88 ; testimonies concern- 
 ing his ministerial efhcieney 
 and success, 89-91 ; his the- 
 ology, 96 ; his preaching, 97- 
 100 ; differences between him 
 and Schonherr, 107-112 ; let- 
 ter to Schonherr, 112, 113 ; 
 care of the poor, 114 ; he and 
 Diestel found the Prediger 
 Krdnzchejt, 146 ; his friends, 
 131-144 ; his enemies, 145- 
 150 ; popular sympathy, 185- 
 191 ; farewell letters, 186, 7 ; 
 letter to Gasbeck, 187 ; auto- 
 graphs, 18S, 200; account of his 
 family, 192 ; moves to Grunen- 
 feld, 193 ; visit to Konigsberg, 
 195 ; to Marienbad, ig8 ; re- 
 sides at Meran, 198-200 ; set- 
 tles at Hoheneck, 200 ; life 
 there, 200, sq. ; jubilee, 205 ; 
 birthday, 205 ; his death, 209, 
 10 ; sepulture, 211, 212 ; list 
 of his works, Appendix C. 
 Ebel, Mrs., her death, 215. 
 
 Adalberta, Miss, 40, 192 ; 
 
 see also Appendix C. 
 
 Lebrecht, 192. 
 
 Theodor, 192, 200. 
 
 Wilhelm, Ph.D., 178, 192 ; 
 
 see also Appendix C. 
 Elohim, 270, 271, 274. 
 Emotional preaching, 77. 
 Erfiillutig, poem, 2g6. 
 Eternity, 278. 
 Evangelical, the term defined, 
 
 64. 
 Ewald's account of the plumbs 
 
 viajestaticusy 26. 
 
 False friends, 121, 122 ; 127-30. 
 Farewell letters, 186, 187. 
 Fast Day discourses, 78. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 315 
 
 Feeling, ranked, 77. 
 Fidelity in the least, sermon, 248. 
 Fink, Count, 144 sq. ; 137. 
 Fire, nature of, 274, 275. 
 Frederic College, 64 ; work there, 
 
 70. 
 French the, near Hermsdorf, 
 
 40-45 ; their irreligion, and 
 
 respect for religion, 47, 
 Friedrich Wilhelm III., 135, 
 
 143 ; 184. 
 Friedrich Wilhelm IV., 135. 
 Friendship explained, 117, 118. 
 
 G. 
 
 Gasl^eck, letter to, 1S7. 
 Gedeihliche Erziehung quoted, 
 
 31, 71, 117- 
 
 Gellert's, Moral Prelections, 15. 
 
 Gichtel and Gichtelians, 6g, 
 
 God, Schonherr's notion of, 268. 
 
 Gothe, Farbenlehre, quoted, 272 ; 
 Morphologie, quoted, 287. 
 
 Groben, von der Ida, Countess, 
 testimony of Ebel's preaching, 
 90-91 ; her character and de- 
 tails of her life, 135-138 ; at 
 Meran, 198-200 ; moves to 
 Hoheneck, 200 ; her death, 
 205 ; her writings. Appendix 
 C. 
 
 Grundziige der Erkenniniss der 
 Wahrheit, quoted, 264, 267, 
 268, 276. 
 
 Grunenfeld, life at, described, 
 193-196. 
 
 H. 
 
 Hahnenfeld, Edward von, his 
 
 youth, 138; testimony of, 179 ; 
 
 invitation from him, 193 ; 
 
 particulars, 197. 
 Hahnenfeld, Friedrich von, and 
 
 his sisters, 19*" 
 Hake, 157. 
 
 Hamann, Johann Georg, Magus 
 of the North, 16, 
 
 Hamann, Dr., 10 ; his method, 
 14 ; a sneerer, 17. 
 
 Happiness, 267. 
 
 Harvesthome at Grunenfeld, ig6. 
 
 Heaven and Hell, 290. 
 
 Heldenmuth, poem, 299. 
 
 Herder, 17. 
 
 Hermsdorf, 37-68 ; the people's 
 joy at Ebel's preferment, 86. 
 
 Heyking, Ernst, Baron von, 40, 
 139, 189, 193. 
 
 Hoheneck, 200-216. 
 
 Holy War, sermon, quoted, 75- 
 76. 
 
 Hufen-Schul-Verein, 117. 
 
 Hymns, study of, 57 ; comfort 
 drawn from them, 94 ; quoted, 
 204, 209, 215 ; also in sermons 
 contained in Appendix A ; fa- 
 mous hymns, Appendix C. 
 
 Impenetrability, 276. 
 Industrial school, 115. 
 
 J. 
 
 Jesus, Meine Liebe, lebet, hymn, 
 
 293- 
 Jesus, meine Zuversicht, hymn, 
 
 295- 
 Joy, described, 104-106. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kahler, Cons. Councillor, ac- 
 count of, 144. 
 
 Kanitz, Ernst Wilhelm, Count 
 von, 121 ; character, 133 ; ob- 
 ituary, 133 ; testimonial, 159 ; 
 his relation to the Suit, 160- 
 162 ; his munificence, 184, 
 
3i6 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 198 ; death, 216. See also 
 
 Literature, Appendix C. 
 Kanitz, Minna, Countess von, 
 
 her character, 134 ZiXvA passim, 
 Kanitz, Charlotte, Countess von, 
 
 135, 145, 198. 
 Kingdom of God, 282, 283. 
 
 L. 
 
 Lackner, Rev. Mr., 184. 
 Lactantius, quoted, 189-90. 
 Larisch, Lieutenant-general von, 
 
 143 ; his children, 143. 
 Leinweber, Auguste, marries 
 
 Ebel, 68 ; see also Mrs. Ebel. 
 Leinweber Bernhardt, 1S8, 213. 
 Liberty, Moral, 95. 
 Licht in der Dunkelheit, quoted, 
 
 278. 
 Liebe zur Wahrheit, quoted, 91, 
 
 261, 288. 
 Light, nature of, 271. 
 Lilienthal, Gufe Sache, 163. 
 Limits of Thought, 277. 
 Literature, 307. 
 Logos, the, 283. 
 Love, the power of, 108, 109. 
 Luther's Version, illustrated, 93. 
 Lysius, Dr., founder of Frederic 
 
 College, 83. 
 
 M. 
 
 Mahnwort, quoted, 132 ; and 
 passim. 
 
 Man, compared to a musical in- 
 strument, 140-141. 
 
 Meran, 198-200. 
 
 Miller, Moral Delineations^ 15. 
 
 Minister, the, in company, 306. 
 
 Ministerium for ecclesiastical af- 
 fairs rebukes the Deputation, 
 81, 82. 
 
 Mirbach, Seline von, 138, 149. 
 
 Mission, Ebel's, as viewed by 
 himself, 94, 95. 
 
 Morgenwache, selections from, 
 
 296, sqq. 
 Miinchow, Carl, Count von ; his 
 
 character, 141, 142 ; invites 
 
 Ebel, 193 ; his autobiography 
 
 quoted, 203. 
 Nicolovius, State Councillor, 64. 
 Noble Christians, 131 sqq. 
 
 Odium Theologicum, 74 ; see 
 also " Religious Suit," 151- 
 190. 
 
 01am, 278-2S1. 
 
 Oldtown Church, at Konigs- 
 berg, 85 sqq. ', Ebel elected 
 preacher, 84; services there, 88; 
 characteristics, 89, 90 ; demol- 
 ished, 124.-2 J ; the congrega- 
 tion, 131, 32 ; the present in- 
 cumbent, 184 ; site preserv'ed 
 from desecration, 184 ; view 
 of the church, frontispiece. 
 
 Origin of Evil, 281. 
 
 P. 
 
 Psedagogical Society, 70. 
 Pajtier der Wahrheit , quoted, 268. 
 Paradox, A, Sermon, 236. 
 Passenheim, birthplace of Ebel, 
 
 7. 
 Petition of Catechumens, 182- 
 
 184. 
 
 Philo Sophie der heiligen Urkun- 
 de, quoted, 291. 
 
 Pleasures defined, 105, 106. 
 
 Poetry, Selected hymns and ex- 
 tracts from Morgenwache, 293, 
 sqq. 
 
 Popular sympathy with Ebel, 
 185, 191. 
 
 Prayer meetings not favored by 
 Ebel, T03. 
 
 Preaching of Ebel, 96-99. 
 
 Prediger Conferenz, 146. 
 
 Prediger Kranzchen, 146. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 317 
 
 Quittainen, birthplace of Mrs. 
 Ebel. 68. 
 
 R. 
 
 Rationalism, 78. 
 
 Regeneration,^ 288. 
 
 Ecinhardt, Ubcr den Werth der 
 
 Kleinigkeiten^ 252. 
 Relii^iose Bewegung, etc., quoted, 
 
 179. 
 Religiose Nebenstmiden, quoted, 
 
 59- 
 
 Religious instruction in gymna- 
 sia ; lecture on, 70. 
 
 Religious Suit, 150. 
 
 Rescripts, Ministerial, 80 sqq. ; 
 against Pietism, etc., 127. 
 
 Responsibility, Ebel's sense of, 
 92. 
 
 Rieger's Sermons, quoted, 50, 
 
 51, 53- 
 Rogge, Professor, extracts from 
 
 letter to him, 130. 
 Romer, Pastor, 211, 212. 
 
 S. 
 
 Sachs, Dr., no, 122, 157. 
 
 Saucken, Miss Salome von, 196. 
 
 Schenkendorf Max von, 36, 202. 
 
 Schleiermacher, 80. 
 
 Schon, his character, 123, 136: 
 passim. 
 
 Schonherr, J. H. His life and 
 writings, Appendix B, 258 ; 
 also Appendix C, ; his acquaint- 
 ance with Ebel, 21 ; his dual- 
 ism, 24-26 ; his personal ap- 
 pearance, 26 ; snubbed by the 
 Eccl. and School Deputation, 
 62 ; his views examined by the 
 Ministerium, 80-82 ; difference 
 between him and Ebel, 107 ; 
 characteristics loS-iio; er- 
 roneous notions, iii, 112 ; 
 Ebel's letter to him, 112, 113 ; 
 
 his death 113. See also " Lit- 
 erature," Appendix C, Bock. 
 
 ScJiliissel zur Erkenntniss, etc., 
 quoted, 22, 263, 277, 283, 285, 
 286, 288, 291. 
 
 Schools, rewards in, 57 ; Ebel's 
 interest in schools, 115, 116. 
 
 Schrotter, Chancellor von, 119, 
 120. 
 
 Schrotter, Mrs. Chancellor von, 
 136, 141 ; her family, 119, 
 
 139- 
 Schrotter, Emilie von, extracts 
 
 from her memoranda, 1 39-141. 
 Schulz, pastor, letter from, 195. 
 Schutzwehr die, quoted, 269, 284. 
 Sectirerei explained, 87. 
 Sentences, the, against Ebel, 174, 
 
 175. 
 
 Sermons of Ebel, Appendix A ; 
 described, gg, 100. 
 
 Sermon themes at Frederic Col- 
 lege, 72. 
 
 Sieg der gbttlichen offenbarwig, 
 quoted, 25, 270. 
 
 Social intercourse, 118, lig. 
 
 Society at Konigsberg, 64, iig. 
 
 Soul, the, 287. 
 
 Sound referred to as illustrating 
 the dualistic principle, 270, 
 
 273- 
 Spirit, the {pneumd), 287. 
 Sprtich - Sammlung, illustrated, 
 
 71- 
 
 Steinwender, Advocate, letter 
 
 from, 214. 
 Steinwender, Mina, Miss, 214. 
 
 T. 
 
 Ta<^es-Anbruch, quoted, 56, 109. 
 Theology of Ebel, 96. 
 Tippelskirch, 122, 123 ; passim. 
 Trescho's Religiose Nebenstunden, 
 
 59- 
 Treue, die, quoted, 61. 
 Trichotomic distinction of the 
 
 nature of man, 287. 
 
3iS 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 U. 
 
 Ursache tind Wirkung auch im 
 Bereich des Glaiibens, quoted, 
 290. 
 
 V. 
 
 Verstand und Vermmft, quoted, 
 54, 281. 
 
 W. 
 
 Wagner's Staats-und Gesellschafts 
 
 Lexicon, quoted, 207. 
 Water, nature of, 275. 
 Weihnachtsbescheerung, 185,194. 
 Wendung, die, Appendix C. 
 Wilhelm I. Emperor, 135. 
 Wollner's edict, 172. 
 Word, the, 273, 283.