"Life pictures of Spener and his times" : Philipp Jacob Spener, a historical life picture

BR 1653. S63 W54 1879

wildenhahn, Carl August,

1805-1868

Life pictures of Spener and

tiff lis f fii til lilt.

PICTURES FROM THE LIFE,
FROM THE GERMAN OF DR. AUG. WILDENHAHN.

EDITED BY

J. K. SHRYOCK, A. M.

{Editor of the "Fatherland Series.")
6 VOLS., 12MO. CLOTH, $1.50 EACH.

1. Philipp Jacob Spener.

2. Paul Gerhardt, ... in preparation.

3. John Arndt, . . . . '.' "

4. Martin Luther, . . . " "

5. The Diet of Augsburg, . . '. " "

6. Aug, Hermann Franks, etc., . " "

Any of the above vols, will be mailed to any address, postage paid, J1.50.

jlipp ^mh ^\Hmt.

"LIFE PICTURES OF SFENER/SD MS TIMES."

PHILIPP JACOB SPENER

A HISTORICAL LIFE PICTURE.

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF DR. A. WILDENHAHN,

By rev. G. a. WENZEL, A. M.

<^OLOG\CM SE^''>>'"

EDITED BY

J. K. SHRYOCK, A. M.,
Editor of the " Fatherland Series.

19821

PHILADELPHIA:

J. FRED'K SMITH, Publisher,

914 FILBERT ST.,
1879.

COPYRIGHT.

J. FRED'K SMITH,
1879.

STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY

INQUIRER P. 4 P. CO.

LANCASTER, PA.

c4 -

PICTURES FROM THE LIFE:

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE WORKS OF WILDENHAHN,

BY C. P. KRAUTH, D. D., LL, D.

THE religious literature in our day, meant for the
people, and especially for the young, is almost
boundless. In no department are there so many
efforts, and so many failures, as in books designed to
make a popular presentation of the doctrines, duties
and history of religion. Few of them strike the true
key-note to which the hearts of the people and of
their children respond. Many of the books meet
neither the demands of popularity, nor of real religious
usefulness. Happily, one of their vices is the antidote
to the other. It would be waste of time to read them;
but they tempt nobody to waste that time. Some
books are healthy enough in their religious character,
but, unhappily, like the first class, are drearily unread-
able. Some are attractive enough to the reader, but
do him very little good, or produce positive harm.
No book is so dangerous as a bad book masked with
the pretences of religion.

Out of the great body of writers, very few have
understood how to arrest the general heart, awaken in
it a deep interest, and make that interest the means of
promoting a genuine religious life. There is nothing

(V)

Vi INTRODUCTION.

rarer than a book at once thoroughly captivating to
the popular reader, and thoroughly wholesome relig-
iously. Some readers are hopelessly fixed in the con-
viction that a good book must be tedious, and that real
spiritual benefit cannot be harmonized with real enjoy-
ment. Such is the conviction of some very devout
people who sit down willingly to their reading as a
salutary task. Such is the conviction of many who,
in consequence of it, decline the task. Of some of
the best of a widely-circulated class of books, the
recommendation in charity can go no further than that
they do no direct violence to the religious life which
may already exist. They are at best neutral. They
let the religious life alone. It cannot be claimed for
them that they in any degree strengthen or nourish it.
Where food is wanted, they do not furnish arsenic,
they simply furnish husks. They do not poison the
soul, they merely starve it. There are other books,
not different in essential character from the ordinary
run of fiction, but with just enough religion to smug-
gle them into Sunday-school libraries, and into relig-
ious families. A few sacred names and phrases are
patched upon the " garment spotted with the flesh,"
and the eye of unpracticed and unsuspicious innocence
catches only these, and assumes that all is right. The
libraries meant for our children are full of catch-penny
books, whose religious elements are mere trade marks
— nothing more than inferior novels with a tincture of
pious common-place. In this way the Sunday-school
is often, without suspicion, undoing the best work of
the Christian home and the Christian Church.

Happily, amid the vast and augmenting array of

INTRODUCTION. vii

failure, our time has not been wanting in very brilliant
achievement. No country has been as rich as Ger-
many in the highest class of effort in this direction,
and none has had more signal successes. Germany
has been rich, in the most recent period, in authors
at once genuinely popular and genuinely Christian.
There are men who draw song and story from the
inspiration of the best life of the Christian people; the
life which has lingered in. true and holy hearts when
spurious illumination has stifled it in the great, gay
crowd, which claims to be the cultivated world.
These men have become the apostles of Christian
faith, the educators of the people in Christian love
and Christian holiness. Among the greatest and most
deservedly admired of these writers is Karl August
WiLDENHAHN. He was born in Stralan, Feb. i6th,
1805; received his primary education in his native
place; studied theology in Leipzig, 1 824-1 829; became
pastor in Schonefeld near Leipzig, 1837; subsequently
was secondary pastor in Bautzen, and then counselor
in its ecclesiastical and educational department. The
title of D. D. was conferred on him by the nomination
of the Theological Faculty of Leipzig, 1846, and in
1852 he received the Cross of Knighthood of the
Order of Albert.

His whole life has been devoted to efficient labor for
the Christian people, and for the thousands who are to
be won to Christ. He has published a number of
sermons, and of devotional works. He has also writ-
ten some minor works of fiction, among which his
"Village Histories of the Erz Mountains," second edi-
tion, 1852, reveal special power of delineation and a
happy tact in touching the real life of the people.

viii INTRODUCTION.

But his master-pieces are his Historical Pictures
from the hfe. The most important of these, arranged
with reference to the chronology of the eras over
which they pass, are :

1. Martin Luther (1483-1546); a life-picture of
the first ten years of the Reformation. 3d Edit. 1858.
This name covers a group of sketches, stories which
have a certain completeness in themselves, yet are but
parts of a great general conception.

2. Hans Sachs (1494- 15 76) — a family tradition,
1865.

3. John Arndt (i 555-1 621); a picture of the times
from the Church and civic history of Brunswick, in the
first year of the 17th Century. 2d Edit. 1858.

4. Paul Gerhardt (1607-1675); a hfe-picture from
the history of the Church in the times of the great
Elector. 3d. Edit. 1857. The "great Elector "was
Frederick William of Brandenburg (1640-1688).

5. Philipp Jacob Spener (1635-1705); a historical
life-picture from the period in which the School of
Spener arose. 3d Edit. 1858.

6. Vollbrecht's Pilgrimage, or the Resurrection
of the Dead Christ. A history for our own day. 1840.

All these works are minute histories of great eras
in the Protestant Church of Germany. The annals
of the times are brought into unity by some com-
manding central figure, and vivified by so much
fiction as can be wrought into strict harmony with
the things actually done, and the things actually said.
In most historical fiction the history waits on the
fiction; in these works tlie fictioii zvaits on the his-
tory. It is not here the novelist using history; it is

INTR ODUC TION. ix

the historian using fiction, not to obscure the history,
but to bring it into full relief. These works cultivate
in the reader, not a love of fiction, but a love of his-
tory. They open to him fascinating pages, to which
our English literature is a stranger. They will make
our people know their Church better and love it more
and will lead thousands to become acquainted with a
glorious record, which would have remained sealed to
them, but for these delightful works. Wildenhahn's
books are in high repute both as history and as fiction,
and are quoted as standards in history, as well as
Christian classics in their walk in fiction. Few books
can give so much sure profit, both intellectual and
religious, wi-th so much elevated enjoyment. They
are pictures showing the master's touch. That is
their charm. They are pictures to the life, thoroughly
accurate, portraits strictly historical. That is their
value to the thoughtful seeker of knowledge. They
are life-pictures from the greatest eras of the great
Church of the Reformation, reproducing their strug-
gles, which were struggles for the common heritage
of a pure faith and a holy life. This makes them
treasures for the Christian heart and home, for old
and young. While they have a pre-eminent attraction
for our own household of faith, they will elicit an
extraordinary interest and sympathy in the hearts of
God's true children in all communions. No path in
our best religious literature could be more completely
unbeaten, and more delightful and profitable to traverse
than that which a translation of Wildenhahn's works
will open to the English reader.

X INTRODUCTION.

The above comprehensive introduction was written
some years ago, at the time of the pubHcation of "The
Blind Girl of Wittenberg ; " and as the publisher has
no idea that he cam improve upon it, he uses it bodily
as an introduction to " Life Pictures of Spener and His
Times." He has chosen "Spener" as the most timely
of Dr. Wildenhahn's works to bring before the public,
and has confidence that their verdict will justify his
selection. The following authorities have been given
in the author's preface :

HossBACH ; Ph. J. Spener and His Times : 2 vols,
Berhn, 1828.

Bretschneider ; Die Grundlage des evangelischen
Pietismus. Leipzig, 1833.

Freiherr von Canstein ; Vorrede zu den letzen
theologischen Bedenken Speners. Halle, 171 1; a
later edition with notes, by Joachim Lange, 1740.

Gerber ; Historic der Wiedergeborner in Sachsen :
Th. n., Historic viii.

Gleich ; Annal. eccles., Dresden u. Leipzig, 1730;
Th. n., pp. 429-484.

SuABEDissEN ; Ph. J. Spener, in Rochlitz ; jahrliche
Mittheilungen. Jahrg, 1823 (3 Bd.) ; pp. 1-120.

Knapp; " Life and Character of Some Pious Men of
the Eighteenth Century." Halle, 1829; pp. 1-38.

Spener's theol. Bed. (Halle, 1838).

Dr. Aug. Wildenhahn; Biographic Speners, 1845.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. '''^''•=-

The Spenerites, ..-.-- 9

CHAPTER II.
The Acquaintance in the Carriage, - - - 35

CHAPTER III.
Wooing, .-..-.- 49

CHAPTER IV.
The Interview, .-.--. 68

CHAPTER V.
A Peep into the House and Heart, - - - 86

CHAPTER VI.
The Entertainment, - . . - . 105

CHAPTER VII.
The Elector and his Confessor, - - - - 134

CHAPTER VIII.
The Voice of Conscience, - - - - 157

CHAPTER IX.
The Mortal Wooing, - - - - - 173

CHAPTER X.
Repentance and Confession, ... - 191

CHAPTER XI.
Evening Prayer, ..---- 205

CHAPTER XII.
The Trial, ...--- 226

(xi)

CONTENTS.

LHAl-TKK Xlll.

PAGE.

The Impoverished Family,

- 244

CHAPTER XIV.
The Difficult Office, . . . -

261

CHAPTER XV.
The Letter, ------

- 275

CHAPTER XVI.

The Work of Defamation,

292

CHAPTER XVII.
The First Efifects, . . - _ ,

- 304

CHAPTER XVIII.
Church and House, - - . .

325

CHAPTER XIX.
The New Trial, _ _ - . .

- 340

CHAPTER XX.
The New Life, - - _ . .

354

CHAPTER XXI.
A Call from the North, . - . .

- 373

CHAPTER XXII.
Cliildren's Trials, .. . . .

386

CHAPTER XXIII.
The Second Call from the North, - - - - 407

CHAPTER XXIV.
The Painful Proposal, ----- 422

CHAPTER XXV.
The Fruitless Mediator, . - . . - 438

CHAPTER XXVI.
The Departure, ------ 452

CHAPTER XXVII.
The End, -.--.-- 463

PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

CHAPTER I,

THE SPENERITES.

" Every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his
lahor; it is the gift of God." — Eccles. iii. 13.

ABOUT the hour of noon, on a pleasant, autumnal
day, in the year 1688, there might have been
seen traveling on the road that leads from the small
village of Dohna to Dresden, a young man, whose
dress and general appearance betokened him a joy-
ous, careless, wandering student of the fine arts or of
science. A knapsack, containing a few scanty articles
of clothing, was slung over his back, less as a sign of
that Diogenian frugality which discards all superflui-
ties as unnecessary, than as a betrayer of that youth-
ful improvidence, which, not unfrequently, classes
things necessary among things superfluous. Pos-
sessed by that spirit of independence, which does not
concern itself about the fashions of the world, he wore
his dark hair altogether contrary to the prevailing
custom of the times, permitting it to fall in flowing
ringlets over his breast and shoulders. His staff he
seemed to carry more for pleasure and as an orna-
ment, than as a support, though his limping gait gave
evidence that much travel had told upon one of his feet

(9)

lO PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

Having arrived opposite the inn of Lockwitz, a
town occupying an exceedingly romantic site, about a
league from Dresden, he paused for a few moments,
looking along the highway, apparently, as if calculat-
ing the distance yet to be overcome, with a view to
his remaining strength, but really and more especially,
as we shall see presently, with a wise reference to the
condition of his stomach; for he suddenly turned
towards the door of the inn, entered the guest-room
with a hasty salutation, and, with that youthful assur-
ance which imagines itself master of the whole world,
demanded of the hostess the best her kitchen and
cellar could afford.

There was only one other guest present, except
himself, a man somewhat past the prime of life, and
dressed in a dark and well-worn suit of clothes. He
occupied a table in one corner of the room, discuss-
ing a frugal meal, at long intervals, which he was fill-
ing up by earnestly reading in a book. He did not
appear to notice the new-comer, and had, besides,
assumed such an austere and sombre look, that a
stranger felt no disposition to address him. Our
traveler seated himself at another table, counted the
contents of his purse (an operation which seemed
attended with a not very flattering result,) took a
survey of every part of the room, bestowed a hasty
glance on his gloomy-looking companion, and seemed,
as none of the family made their appearance, to grow
weary of his presence; whilst the other appeared to
become more and more absorbed in his book, his
brow meanwhile continuing to assume a darker shade.

Suddenly the traveler rose from his scat, took from

THE SPENERITES. 1 1

a shelf above the door a piece of chalk, and, whilst
casting a few hasty glances at his fellow-guest, rapidly
drew with it some lines upon the table, and, when he
had finished, nodded his head, as if in satisfaction.
The other now also rose, crossed his hands on his
back, after taking a few turns up and down the
room, paused before the table of the traveler, exam-
ined, for a moment, the grotesque figure he had
drawn, and then remarked, " My nose might be a
little sharper; otherwise you have hit me pretty well,"
So saying, he returned to his seat in the corner, and
began his alternate eating and reading as before. The
perfect composure with which these words had
been uttered, somewhat disconcerted the presuming
sketcher, and the result was that he rubbed out, with
his handkerchief, the well-executed sketch of the
reading-eater, or rather eating-reader.

The hostess now entered with his dinner, and
wished him " a blessed meal," and departed, once
more leaving her two silent guests by themselves.
As the artist commenced eating without further cer-
emony, the other, looking to where he sat, said,
"Young man, have you forgotten to say, 'AH eyes
wait upon Thee' — and ' your gratias' ?"

"And if I have," answered the artist, in a somewhat
irritable manner, " what matters it to you ?"

" You are right," added the other, and continued his
eating and reading as before.

The presence of this singular man began to be pain-
ful to the artist. Though far from being of a timid
disposition, the austere look and cold composure of
his silent companion nevertheless oppressed him, and

12 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

closed his lips. Fortunately, however, relief from his
awkward position was at hand; for the door opened,
and a tall, lank individual, his head surmounted by a
well-powdered wig, entered the room, haughtily bow-
ing a silent salutation, and, as neither of the occupants
seemed rightly to please him, seated himself at a third
table ; but presently, turning to the artist, he said,
" You are, doubtless, a traveler, sir ?"

"That is just as you may please to take it," replied
the youth ; " for after this day, I intend to lay aside
my traveling staff for a long time to come."

" May I ask whence you came?" continued the man
with the fashionable wig, at the same time whisking
the dust from off his silver shoe-buckle with his hand-
kerchief

" I come," was the reply, " direct from Italy, the true
home of art."

" You are then, I presume, a traveling artist, a pro-
fession which I almost envy you; and the more so,
because I had, at one time, a very strong inclination to
follow it myself, and was only prevented from doing so
through the persuasion of my relatives, especially of
my mother, who was a member of the noble house of
Langendorf"

" Then, I presume you are a gentleman of noble
birth ?" inquired the artist.

"As you please," replied the other in a careless tone.
"One-half of myself takes pride in the nobility of
my ancestors, but the other half in the nobility of
my scientific attainments. You perceive that these
two halves make an entire whole. You are gazing at
my dust-covered shoes," he coi^tini|ed, on noticing

THE SPENEJilTES. I^

that the artist was engaged in a somewhat quizzical
examination of the exterior of this " entire whole."
"All this is owing to my passion for roaming about
over mountains and valleys, to drink in the beauties
of nature. In such a passion you perceive there is
something noble, which undeniable fact reconciles me
to all the various inconveniences to which said passion
exposes me. However, I have an equally strong pas-
sion, just now, for imitating the example of the Apos-
tles, by shaking the dust from off my feet, inasmuch
as the hostess of this house seems to pay but little
attention to her guests. For it is written in the tenth
chapter of the gospel according to St. Matthew, 'and
whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words,
when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the
dust of your feet' "

"It is also written," suddenly interrupted the morose-
looking guest, '.Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor
brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey;
neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves* — and
shall we add ' nor a wig?' "

"Sir," exclaimed the fashionably-dressed gentle-
man, starting up and turning full upon the uninvited
speaker, — "what concern have you with our dis-
course?"

"You are right," was the quiet reply, as the speaker
began to eat and read as before.

Just at this time the sound of voices was heard from
without, when the door opened, and a company of men
and women entered the room with courteous greetings.
Most of them at once approached, with the familiarity
of old friends, the grave-looking guest, who immedi-

I A PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

ately laid aside his book, and gave the new-comers a
most cordial welcome, and whilst shaking hands with
the men, said, — " You are very late to-day."

"And you seem very early," replied one of the men.
"Did you not stay till after the close of the examina?"

"Of course I did," was the reply; "who could have
left before Spener had pronounced the benediction and
the Amen? I have apprised the hostess of your
coming, and told her that you wish to dine here; for
the distance from here to Dohna is too great to be
traveled without eating."

The elegant-looking gentleman, who upon the en-
trance of the new-comers, who proved to be simple
peasants, had, with ostentatious haste, left his table
because some of them had given signs of occupying
part of it, and taken a seat at that occupied by the
artist, now whispered in his neighbor's ear, "These are
Pietists, and have just returned from Spener's examina.
Now you only wait, whilst I quiz them a little, and we
shall have some sport."

In the mean time the hostess appeared, spread a
clean white cloth upon the table, placed the knives and
forks, arranged the eatables brought in by a maid-
servant, and said, " Now, good people, eat, and may
God add His blessing."

The guests, without heeding the artist and his neigh-
bor with the silver shoe-buckles, now ranged them-
selves, standing around the table, for saying grace.
The men, holding their hats between the thumbs of
their folded hands, raised their eyes in joyful gratitude
to heaven, whilst the women, crossing their hands
upon their breasts, dropped their eyes, in pious mod-

THE SPENERITES.

15

esty and humility, to the ground. Whilst in this posi-
tion, one among their number, an aged man, with long
and silvery locks, but of a vigorous and comely stature,
began to repeat, in a loud and solemn voice, the words
of the Psalmist: "The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and
Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou
openest Thy hand and satisfiest the desire of every
living thing."

To this was added, by a young woman, with an
humble, downward look, —

" Come, Lord Jesus, be Thou our guest,
And let what Thou dost give be blessed."

"Amen!" responded the entire company, as with
one voice. Hereupon, they interchanged friendly and
inviting glances; whilst some, including husbands and
wives, gave each other an affectionate pressure of
the hand, and sat down to their simple meal, which
they began to despatch in silence.

"So you come from Dresden," at length remarked
the fine gentleman with the wig, in a tone which was
intended to appear polite, but which, nevertheless,
betrayed a forced reserve ; " where, doubtless, you
attended the examina of the very reverend court-
chaplain, Dr. Philipp Jacob Spener?"

" You are right, sir," answered the man who had
said grace. "Perhaps you also were present?"

"I?" asked the other, with an easy and affected
smile. " Have you ever heard of one master becoming
the pupil of another ?"

"I do not rightly understand your meaning," replied
the old man. "For, inasmuch as all of us have only
one Master, I cannot comprehend why you will not be

1 6 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

a disciple. Since, however, this heavenly Master does
no longer dwell among us visibly, and consequently
cannot teach us in person the way, the truth, and the
life, others, imbued with His Spirit, must do it in His
name, and in accordance with His commandment; and
this is what our Right Reverend Dr. Spener has just
done, who, though much he may be entitled to it, is
far from assuming the name of master; for which
reason we also call him only our spiritual father."

"And yet," added the elegant gentleman, "he is,
nevertheless, a very able master, namely, a school-
master; a title and office to which His Electoral High-
ness did, of course, not appoint him. He wanted a
competent and learned court-chaplain, but obtained
instead, unfortunately, only a competent school-master,
a mistake which may easily occur."

At this, the gloomy-looking man, who had hitherto
maintained his place in the corner, cast a withering
look upon the speaker, and half-raised himself from his
chair, as if about to reply; but as if suddenly recol-
lecting himself, he quietly resumed his seat, whilst the
old man replied : " Young sir, it seems that you are no
friend to Dr. Spener, therefore I pardon you this
unjust attack upon him, though you ought, especially
since you are, as appears by your dress, a clergyman,
to be among the first to obey the divine injunction :
* Honor all men ; love the brethren.' "

"According to the First Epistle of St. Peter," added
the clerical gentleman, " It is also written in the third
chapter of the Romans, ' Honor to whom honor is ditc!
Think you I do not fulfill this commandment ? Have
I not called your spiritual father, master?"

THE SPENERITES. jy

"1 repeat to you," continued the old man, mildly,
"that the reverend gentleman does not desire such
honor as is meant to be confessed by this title. He
understands too well the injunction of our Redeemer,
' Let no man call you master, for one — ' "

"Right," interrupted the other, "as it is written in
Matthew, thirteenth chapter. But tell me what you
have learned to-day at the examina?"

" Every part of it," was the reply, " I cannot repeat,
yet, we know that we have again learned how difficult
it is to be a true Christian."

"Ay! ay!" exclaimed the elegant gentleman, in
learned astonishment, " Do you not know that in the
fifth chapter of the First Epistle of St. John, Lt is writ-
ten, ' His commandments are not grievous ?' Does
not, according to this, your spiritual father put forth
teachings contrary to Scripture ?"

This objection seemed to confuse the old man ; for
he bowed his head as if reflecting, and remained silent,
when the reserved-looking man in the corner suddenly
rose up and exclaimed, in a tone of ill-concealed pas-
sion, " You may be right, reverend Sir Master of Arts ;
for I believe such is your title. To devour widows'
houses, and, for a pretense to make long prayers, is not
hard. To strain at a gnat and swallow a camel, is not
hard. To pay tithe of mint and cummin, but to omit
the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and
faith, is not hard, and may, as you will readily grant,
be acquired with but little pharisaical skill. But to
fulfill God's commandments will remain a difficult task,
as long as one has not yet learned to /o7^e God. You
understand what I mean, Sir Master?"

,g PHIL IP F JACOB SPENER.

" Of course," answered the Master of Arts, in visible
embarrassment. " Yet, nevertheless, — that is, I intend
to say, I cannot comprehend why these good people
should go all the way from Dohna to Dresden, for the
purpose of learning all this. Have they no ministers
and teachers in their own town? Moreover, what is
there about this Spener, more than others? Is it his
learning? Pro/i dolor ! Why, he is not even able to
converse properly ia Latin, for which reason he has
undertaken to examine candidates in the German
language. Have you ever heard of His Electoral
Highness' former chaplains, such as Drs. Weller,
Geier, Lucius, and others, having been guilty of such
a scandalous proceeding?"

" Do you suppose," rejoined the former speaker,
"that true learning is to be judged of by such a cri-
terion ? In what language, think you, did Christ
examine His disciples ? In that which they daily con-
versed, and which they were able to speak most
fluently and correctly, or in a foreign tongue, in the
speaking of which the understanding only is engaged,
because the heart cannot join ? He who speaks to
God, and of God, can do it best in that language which
he acquired as a child; in this he speaks as a child of
God, and needs no interpreter."

" One can see," replied the Master of Arts, with a
supercilious smile, after having again put on his dis-
tinguished air, " that you have read or are a believer
in the Pia Desidcria. It is a pity, that the learned
court-chaplain does not find many adherents among
the learned and noble, and that even His Electoral
Highness himself is any thing but friendly to his
confessor."

THE SPENERITES.

19

"There you are altogether mistaken," contended the
other. "That our gracious Elector protects our Right
Reverend Mr. Spener, and encourages his measures,
which are promotive of true Christianity, is already
evident, from the fact that His Electoral Highness has
set apart the chapel of his gracious mother, the wid-
owed Electress, for the special purpose of holding the
examina therein, his own dwelling being much too
small to afford adequate accommodation for the in-
creasing num.bers of such as are concerned for their
salvation. And did he not, only a few weeks ago,
issue a decree, making it the duty of every minister in
his dominions, to introduce and attend to the same
sort of catechetical instruction ? And that the rev-
erend Doctor, in his capacity as confessor, understands
how to influence the heart of his Electoral Highness,
and that his religious instructions are cordially received
by him, is evident from his Electoral Highness' own
acknowledgment, inasmuch as he has, as you, Sir
Master, are well aware, openly declared to his court,
' that he should not have believed any one capable of
so moving his heart, as Dr. Spener has done?' "

" Your proofs rest upon a weak foundation," con-
tinued the Master of Arts. " The general introduction
of catechisation is a measure which originated during
last year's Diet, and to which His Electoral Highness
was graciously pleased to offer no opposition. And that
the influence upon his heart, of which you so much
boast, is rapidly diminishing, I might show by a variety
of facts, if certain considerations, as, for instance, my
most confidential intimacy with my highly esteemed
cousin, Herr von Langendorf, the favorite of His

20 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

Electoral Highness, did not impose silence upon me.
Moreover, it would be difficult to comprehend how it
could be otherwise. Our gracious Elector, who is
such a stout-hearted warrior, and who, as the sainted
Dr. Weller used to say of him, it is difficult to lift out
of his saddle when once firmly seated in it, Fortissimus
in prima acie, as we find in the Maccabees — but you do
not understand Latin, — our gracious Elector, who,
about five years ago, when the Turks were defeated at
Vienna, planted the first Christian banner within the
enemy's camp ; could such a valiant man, who does
not bear the sword in vain, as is written in Romans the
thirteenth, find pleasure in the doings of these Pietists ?"

"And what do you understand by the doings of the
Pietists?" queried the gloomy speaker, somewhat hotly.

" The ruin of learning," was the ready reply. " If
these Pietists gain the mastery, which they are, of
course, not very likely to do, then Wittenberg and
Leipzig might as well close their theological Auditoria.
They care neither for logic, nor metaphysics, nor apolo-
getics, nor polemics, by the aid of which latter science,
the noble Christian art of disputing, the minister can
alone perform what is written in Matthew the fifth, viz.:
' Let your light shine before men.' "

"And why," quickly interrupted the other. " Why,
hozv, and by what is this light to shine ? ' That they
may see your good zvorks, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven,' adds the Lord. Now this is just
it, Sir Master: the good works, axia tas metanoias erga,
as Paul says, which means, as you know full well,
works meet for repentance; these alone constitute true
learning, and the true light before men."

THE SPENERITES. 21

"As is written in Acts, chapter the twenty-sixth,"
added the Master of Arts, at the same time regarding
his opponent with affected astonishment. " Who are
you," he continued, " that you understand Greek,
though you should pronounce it more correctly, that
is, according to the Reuchlian method."

" My name can be nothing to you," quietly replied
the other. " But do you know how true logic is de-
fined?"

"Well?" asked the Master of Arts, at the same time
crossing his right foot over his left with an affected air.

" You think," continued the other, "that logic is the
art of thinking and reasoning correctly, so that one
thing may be deduced from another, clearly and
methodically. Perfectly correct; such is human logic.
But that 2. pure and pious thought i?, dilso followed hy a
pure and pious zvork, so that there is always the most
perfect agreement between the will of God and that of
man, that ye are doers of the word, and not hearers or
preachers only ; this, sir, is Christian logic."

" You ought to apply for the chair of the professor
of philosophy at Wittenberg," ironically remarked the
Master of Arts.

" And why not ?" asked the other. " For I can also
tell you what Christian metaphysics is. You regard it
as the first and noblest philosophical science, because
you pretend to have found out by means of it, the
Almighty, and discovered the secrets of His govern-
ment. Well, yes, this is human metaphysics. But to
submit humbly to God, to worship God in spirit and in
truth, and to become daily more certain of victory in
our warfare against the lusts of this world, so that we

22 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

may be able to do all things through Christ, who
strengtheneth us, and know that the fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom : this, sir, is Christian
metaphysics. Do you follow me, Sir Master?"

" Truly," he replied, with haughty scorn. " I should
scarcely have believed it possible that I could learn
from you so much of what is new to me. May I beg
you to proceed ?"

" With pleasure," continued the other. " You im-
agine that the Pietists, for by this term you charac-
terize those who endeavor to lead a life of piety,
according to the instruction and example of Dr.
Spener, also care nothing about apologetics. What do
you understand by apologetics ? The art of defending
our Christian faith against its enemies. Veiy well.
And how do you do this? You write books upon
books, and know how to prove by a thousand argu-
ments, nicely arranged in battle array, that you are in
the right. This is liiunan apologetics. But how does
the Christian apologist defend his faith ? Not with the
tongue, not with books, but with his own life and con-
duct. He pursues his way quietly and submissively,
and receives with gratitude and a contented spirit his
daily bread ; he becomes rich in God, the more his
riches in worldly goods and friendship decrease; he
loves his enemies ; he blesses them that curse him ; he
does good to them that hate him, and prays for them
that despitefully use and persecute him ; he loves sin-
cerely and fervently just as he believes sincerely and
fervently, and so lives, that even his very enemies shall
be constrained, in view of his patience in the Lord, his
penitence and fruits of righteousness, to pay him the

THE SPENERITES. 23

same tribute of praise, which was aforetimes paid by-
heathen hps to our Saviour on the Cross by acknowl-
edging and confessing, of a truth, this is a righteous
man. The Christian's faith must, after all, come from
God. This is Christian apologetics. Shall I now tell
you in what (Zhx'isWzxi polemics consist?"

" I will not exhaust your learning to its dregs," peev-
ishly replied the Master of Arts, " especially since I do
not know even to whom I am indebted for such pro-
found instruction."

" My name can in no way concern you," repeated the
other, casting, at the same time, a friendly glance towards
the peasants, who were nodding their gratitude.

The Master of Arts, completely nonplused, was at
a loss what to do. It may be that he felt somewhat
ashamed, before his young neighbor, of having come
out of the conflict without that promised victory, and
yet his tongue refused to give utterance to the words,
by which he would have liked to have secured it.
" Here you can see," he at length said to him in a half-
whisper, "that one gains no honor by disputing with
this sort of men. They are ignorant of the principal
thing, namely, logic. How can we gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles, as is written in Matthew the
seventh. If you have no objection, we will leave this
house together, and enter again into another city."

" Let us stay a little longer," replied the artist, " for I
like it here very well ; besides, I perceive that these peo-
ple are preparing to depart, and when they shall once be
gone we can more quietly continue our conversation."

The peasants had finished their repast ; the old man,
the same who had said grace, now made a sign to his

24 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

companions, whereupon all rose up and ranged them-
selves around the table as before for returning thanks.
The old man began: "O give thanks unto the Lord, for
He is good; for His mercy endureth forever. Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. What
shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits towards
me ? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the
name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord
now in the presence of all His people." •

The same woman who had taken part before added :

" Lord Jesus, Thee our thanks we bring
That Thou our gracious guest hast been."

When all responded. Amen. They now paid the host-
ess for their repast, shook hands with the grave-looking
gentleman in the corner, bade the others a friendly good-
bye, and took their departure. But the Master of Arts
turned to his neighbor, and remarked in an angry voice,
"That man yonder does not budge an inch. Yet it will
not do for me to leave before he does, else he might
think that I am afraid of him."

The subject of these remarks seemed, however, alto-
gether unconscious of the presence of others, for he had
already again taken up his book, and was engaged in
its perusal more earnestly than ever.

"Are you willing to give up to that man?" asked the
artist of the Master of Arts in a very low whisper.
" Were I in your place, I would not give over till I had
driven him from the field ; for you are, doubtless, so
much superior to him in learning, that you will not be
long in gaining an easy victory."

The rofjue — one miijht have read this in his light

THE SPENERITES. 2?

smile — cared far less about the Master of Arts carrying
off the victory, than for the dispute itself, which had be-
gun really to amuse him. But the Master of Arts, thus
reminded of his literary fame, drew his hand across his
brow, as if endeavoring to find the most effectual means
by which to drive his adversary from the field. At
length, turning towards him, he said, " May I ask what
book that is you are reading ?"

" Why not ?" was the reply. " Its title is, Pia Desid-
eria, or sincere desire for such reform of the true Evan-
gelical Church as is acceptable to God. And the name of
the author is Dr. Philipp Jacob Spener, court chaplain
and confessor to his Electoral Highness of Saxony, and
counsellor of the Consistory. And, if you desire it, I
will tell you what I have just now been reading."

And, without waiting for an answer, he immediately
continued, not without a touch of irony in his voice,
" ' Chapter third. Defects of ministers. As there is a
lamentable state of things among the laity, so also it
must, alas, be confessed, that there is much corruption
among the clergy, and much of the evil now found
among the common people must be ascribed to the
example of the higher classes.' "

" I want none of your moralizing," interrupted the
Master of Arts. But the other did not heed him, and
continued :

" ' It must be confessed, that there are not only to be
found in the office of the ministiy, here and there, men
who are by no means free from giving public offence, but,
also, that the number of those who have no proper
appreciation of Christianity, which does not merely con-
sist in abstinence from open vice, and in a moral life, is
not so large as at first view appears.' "

26 nilLIPP JACOB SPENER.

"Save me from your uncalled-for sermon," the Mas-
ter of Arts again interrupted him. But the other did
not suffer himself to be disturbed, and said, " I must at
least finish the sentence: 'Thus, then, there are many,
whose lives, when viewed with common eyes, eyes influ-
enced by the prevailing fashion of the times, appear
without reproach, among whom is yet apparent, although
in a subtle form, so much of the spirit of the world
shown in the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye and
the pride of life, that it is evident that they have never
seriously undertaken to comply with the very first re-
quirements of the gospel, namely, with that of self-
denial' "

" How flat this sounds !" criticised the Master of Arts,
who found it necessary to give a different turn to the
conversation, "precisely like the sermons of that cele-
brated man. It lacks point, power and unction. It is
neither Leipzig nor Wittenberg style. It must be
Frankfurt style. What a different kind of man was our
sainted Lucius. Even the very titles, or, if you choose,
the themes of his sermons, were full of life and power,
and every word was poetic. I always carry a few of
them about with me, not so much with a view of receiv-
ing any instruction therefrom, as for enjoyment."

The Master of Arts hereupon drew forth from his
pocket a few small tracts, assorted them carefully, and
then continued : " Here is a funeral sermon from this
same Dr. Lucius, referred to, on 2 Cor. iv. 8-10, where
we are told that Paul was enabled to submit to all kinds
of sufferings. Now, what theme, think you, that learned
man has deduced from these words. Here it is — ' TJie
most effectual cooler under the heat of affliction f How
sublime and forcible and pointed !"

THE SPENERITES. 27

"Truly," assented the artist, "I am instantly reminded
of a scorching summer's day in Naples, when one
plunges into the sea to cool off."

The Master of Arts cast an inquiring look at his
neighbor, but seeing that he appeared altogether serious,
he continued, " The second sermon of the sainted Lu-
cius was preached on the words, ' Be not overcome of
evil, but overcome evil with good !' And what is the
theme ? 'Glorious victory of the chariots of Israel and
the horsemen thereof What originality ! What
poetry."

" Undoubtedly," said the artist. " I can picture to
myself, how the Israelites are laying about them with
their halberts and war-clubs, and how King Pharaoh is
drowning in the Red Sea; and then the smoke of battle
and the roar of cannon ! What a fine picture this would
make on canvas !"

"You look at this matter," replied the Master of
Arts, " in a somewhat too worldly light. Moreover,
you must remember that in Moses' time gunpowder
had not yet been discovered ! But the most elegant
sermon which I have ever heard Dr. Lucius deliver,
or even read, is this one, on the death of the court-
chaplain, the sainted Dr. Weller. The very selection
of the text, shows consummate taste and tact. It is
taken from Isaiah xxxviii. 14, and reads thus : ' Like
a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn
as a dove !' And now comes the theme. ' The mourn-
ing dove, jfesiis ! or the anxious anxiety and groaning
of a believing soid in misery and death !' Can you
imagine anything more striking and appropriate for a
funeral sermon than this ?"

28 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

" Certainly not," answered the artist. " One really
sees the soul anxiously fluttering about like a dove."

" You are again viewing the subject in a too worldly
light," said the Master of Arts, reprovingly. " But what
say you to it?" he continued, turning to the third guest,
who seemed, however, not to have paid the slightest
attention to the discourse about the sermons ; for he
continued to read so earnestly in his book, that he did
not hear the question addressed to him.

" Here you have the Pietist," said the ill-natured
questioner to his neighbor. " Only a word about learn-
ing, science and poetry, and they are like clouds without
water — like trees, whose fruit withereth, without fruit,
twice dead, plucked up by the roots, as may be read
in the epistle of Jude. * They have ears, but hear
not' (Psalm 115.)" With this he returned his cele-
brated sermons to his pocket, favored the impolite
reader with one of his most contemptuous scowls, and
muttered between his teeth : ^ Nolite porcos margaritis
ornare^ Matthew the seventh."

The artist could not conceal, by a smile, which he
vainly strove to repress, how greatly he enjoyed the
impotent wrath of the Master of Arts. When, there-
fore, profound silence had ensued among the guests,
he turned to his neighbor with the question, " Honored
Master of Arts, you have several times made use of the
term 'Pietist,' a term which is altogether new to me.
Will you explain its meaning ?"

"A Pietist," quickly replied the scholar, seizing the
opportunity thus afforded to revenge himself on his im-
movable opponent, " a Pietist is one who regards it as
a mortal sin to wear an embroidered handkerchief and a

THE SPENERITES. 2Q

wig ; one who fasts every other day, and wears shabby
garments ; one who talks from morning till night about
godliness, and who, on Wednesdays and Saturdays,
attends Spener's examina. This is a Pietist."

" Mr. Nullenbrecher, (for such, I believe, is your
name,)" cried the excited guest, " you understand Latin
and Greek, Hebrew and Chaldaic; but with all your
learning, you are still not worthy to loose the latchet
of the shoes of a man like the reverend Spener."

" Who are you," asked the Master of Arts, his face
crimson with rage, " that you address to me such in-
sulting language — to me, a well-approved candidaUis
of the holy ndnistcnuin — to me, a rite practised Magis-
ter of the liberal arts, and pJulosophice Doctor — to me,
the everywhere highly respected cousin of the favorite
courtier of his Electoral Highness, Herr von Langen-
dorf?"

" Who I am," replied the other, more coolly than be-
fore, " can be, as I now tell you, for the third time, of
but little concern to you. It suffices you to be told
that I am a Spenerite ; or, if you prefer it, a Pietist ; for
I do not, as you see, wear a wig. You are, doubtless,
a very learned man, and lack, of being also a learned
Christian, at least one thing. In order to find out what
that is, you need only attend on next Sunday, the Elec-
toral Chapel, and after you have sung the f(5llowing
verse, from a h3aTin by Schamelius, viz. :

'Alas! how sore afraid am I,

My inmost soul is moving,
Because so many days passed by.

Which I've not been improving.
Wisdom can none but God supply,
Yet I, in self-love, did rely
On my poor strength to gain it.'

^Q PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

"And after you shall have asked yourself the question,
' What lack I yet, that I may have eternal life ?' you
need only turn your eyes towards the pulpit. There
you will see a man, whose name is Philipp Jacob
Spener. And you need not listen long till you shall
have received to your inquiry, what you still lack to
be a Christian — the answer, ' Everything.' "

"I ask you once more, who are you?" exclaimed
Master NuUenbrecher, in a furious rage, at the same
time leaping from his chair.

" Well," was the reply, " if you attach so much im-
portance to my name, know, then, that it is Andreas
Petermann, and that I am the school-master of the town
of Lockwitz."

"A school-master!" exclaimed the Master of Arts,
disdainfully, and turned his back towards him.

" Oh," continued Petermann, " if you want titles and
honors, I can accommodate you with them also. I have,
in Wittenberg, studied thcologiam ; I am Notarhis Pub-
licus CcBsariiis ; I have learned enough of the Electoral
Court physician, Dr. Buerger, to cure you of any fever,
or to reset any dislocated part of your soul or body.
Again, I have learned enough of the late writing-mas-
ter, Weisshuhn, to write either in Roman or Gothic
characters, or in' running hand, with all sorts of orna-
mental Nourishes, the patent of your pedigree or semi-
nobility ; and, in case you should be a friend to law-
suits. Dr. Nikolai, of Dresden, has sufficiently instructed
me to give you good legal advice, how to let honest
men alone ; and also, at the same time, to set up for
you a letter of apology and honorable amende, for
which I am at your service, free of all charge. I am,

THE SPENERITES. ^I

moreover, sufficiently skilled in music to favor you,
either upon the harp or the organ, with David's peni-
tential psalm : ' O Lord ! rebuke me not in Thine anger,
neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure ; or, if you
prefer to have it in Hebrew : ydiovaJi, albeaphga thoki-
ckeni.' "

After Petermann had, in this wise, enumerated his
titles and honors, he again quietly resumed his book.
But Nullenbrecher behaved like an enraged lion. He
walked up and down the room with such long and rapid
strides, that he shook the powder from his wig. Sev-
eral times he appeared ready to begin his defence in a
powerful manner, but seemed again unable to command
the desired language. At length, with a sudden reso-
lution, he grasped his hat and cane, and said, in a tone
of half-smothered rage, as if soliloquizing, " Why should
I vex myself with him ? He is a Spencrite, a Pietist.
'A man that is a heretic, reject,' (Titus iii. lo,)" and
unceremoniously left the room.

Petermann appeared not to have been in the least
disturbed by this demonstration ; for he continued
quietly to read his book, as if nothing had happened.
But the young artist was visibly affected, and one might
have noticed, by the thoughful expression of his eyes,
that some resolution was maturing in his mind. At
length he arose, approached the school-master with
unfeigned respect, and said, " Mr. Petermann, can you
forgive me for having caricatured you on the table with
chalk?"

" It is already forgotten, young man," replied the
school-master, with unexpected affability, whilst ex-
tendiner his hand.

32 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

" How glad I am," continued the artist, " that you
administered such a sound rebuke to that conceited
Master of Arts, to whom I conceived an aversion at
first sight. It is true I understand little or nothing
about your learned dispute, yet this much is clear to
me, that you are more honest in your profession of
Christianity than Master Nullenbrecher, for by this
name I believe you called him?"

" Yes," said Petermann, " as often as I see him
my blood begins to boil ; not only because he is so
exceedingly vain of his learning, which he displays
on each and every occasion, but also because he has
succeeded, by means of his literary fame and semi-
nobility, to so blindfold a wealthy, but weak artisan
of Dresden, that he promised him his only daughter
in marriage, a maiden who excels in true Christian
piety. You look at me with surprise, my young
friend, and you think me, perhaps, the victim of jeal-
ousy. If so, you may dismiss such thoughts, for the
maiden of whom I speak numbers only about eighteen
summers, whilst I have seen fifty, and am, as you
perceive, already gray, if not with Jioiior, at least with
joyr

"What is the name of this maiden?" hastily asked
the artist. " Since I have seen, in Italy, Madonnas
painted from life, for I myself have never ventured
upon such a subject, tlie very expression, 'pious
maiden', fills me with enthusiasm."

" The name need but little concern you," replied the
schoolmaster. " It is enough for you to know that
she is somewhat related to mc on her mother's side.
If your stay in Italy has not altogether spoiled you,

THE SPENERITES. ^^

SO that you still find pleasure in gazing upon the
scenery around Lockwitz, and if you have besides
no aversion to the solitary and somewhat rough life
of an old bachelor, a condition, which, in my case,
is more the result of circumstances than choice, pay
me an early visit ; you shall be heartily welcome to
my house."

" You show me much kindness, Mr. Petermann,"
said the artist, " and yet do not even so much as
know who I am, and what my name is."

" Your name can concern me but little," replied the
old man, with his stereotyped expression. " I care for
the thing, the reality, the inner man, as my favorite
Apostle Paul expresses himself; after the external
man I never inquire, and therefore also, only make
answer concerning my own, when people, such as
Master Nullenbrecher, "make inquiries concerning it."

" Do you occasionally visit the city," inquired the
youth.

" Often," was the answer, " yet always only with a
view to one object, and for the sake of one man. The
object is to slake my thirst after the knowledge of
true Christianity, and the man's name is Spener."

" Well," added the artist, with confiding frankness,
"add to this man one other, or rather only a young
fellow — myself. If you would visit me only once in
the house of my father, I would willingly visit you ten
times in return. My father resides in Pirna street, and
is an able goldsmith ; Guldenmeyer by name."

" And are you George Guldenmeyer, his only son ?"
asked Petermann, quickly.

" Yes. I am," was the reply. " Do you know me ?"

2*

34 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

Petermann rose up, crossed his hands behind his
back, shook his head thoughtfully, and said in a low
voice, " Wonderful Divine Providence," and then, turn-
ing to the youth, he added, " I shall very soon pay
you a visit, George Guldenmeyer. God protect you.
Hasten on, that father and sister may soon rejoice in
seeing you." Then the singular old man shook the
youth warmly by the hand, placed his book under his
arm, and passed hastily out of the house.

George Guldenmeyer, deeply moved, followed him
with his eyes through the window, cast a remorseful
look at the remains of his chalk-sketch upon the
table, and said: "I would give something if I had
never drawn this caricature," as he rubbed out, with
his handkerchief, the last trace of that unsolicited,
but, as it appeared, well-paid sketch. Handing to the
hostess the last of his money, in payment of his
entertainment, he once more resumed his journey to
Dresden.

CHAPTER II.

THE ACQUAINTANCE IN THE CARRIAGE.

"He was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith." —
Acts xi. 24.

GEORGE GULDENMEYER continued his jour-
ney at a much slower pace than was agreeable to
his anxiety to meet again his father and sister. His
sore foot began both to pain him and retard his
progress, and he often halted and looked back to see
whether there was not some chance vehicle coming
up behind him, in which he might secure a seat for
the remainder of the way. When, therefore, after
some time, a sound, like that produced by running
wheels, struck upon his ear, and when, soon after, a
carriage, drawn by two horses, drove in sight, just after
having rounded a curve in the road, which was hidden
by a clump of trees laden with fruit, thus leaving no
longer any doubt of his wish being realized, his cour-
age revived, and he was now only impatient at the
tardiness of the approach.

" It really seems," he peevishly exclaimed, " as if it
contained an invalid." For the horses, besides giving
evidence, by their appearance, of being a well-fed and
strong pair of animals, were with difficulty restrained,
by the driver, from running.

The carriage had now approached so near that
George Guldenmeyer could distinctly recognize, as its

(35)

36 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

only occupant, a gentleman dressed in black ; and, on
looking closer, he noticed with a smile, that he was
again iibout coming in contact with a person who was
intellectually employed, at a time when others usually
attend only to the physical part of their natures ; for
the gentleman in the carriage was engaged in atten-
tively reading in a small, gilt-edged volume. Our
traveler had calculated on being noticed by the distin-
tinguished gentleman, and invited to a seat beside
him ; but the occupant was so intent upon his book,
that he did not even see the pedestrian at the road-
side, to whom, now, no other alternative remained,
than that of boldly asking for the coveted favor.

" Pardon me," shouted George into the carriage,
" does your way take you to Dresden ?"

" Yes, my friend," replied the gentleman, starting up
in some surprise, but adding immediately in a tone of
kindness, " If you wish to accompany me, jump in."

" If you have no objection," said George, at the
same time placing one foot upon the carriage-step,
and drawing the other one up after him with a
somewhat rueful expression of countenance. " You
do me a great kindness," he added, apologetically,
" for my sore foot would scarcely have carried me to
the city. Besides, the weight of my whole body will
prove less burdensome to your sprightly horses, than
this shoe is to my poor foot. And if my presence
does not otherwise incommode you — "

" Not in the least," replied the gentleman, " you
may already see, by this book, that I am fond of trav-
eling in company,"

"But," suggested the artist, very politely, "will my

ACQUAINTANCE IN THE CARRIAGE. ^7

companionship make amends for that of which I am
about to deprive you ?"

" If you love candor," returned the other, " I cer-
tainly feel constrained to say no; that is, in case I had
reason to be apprehensive of sustaining any loss ; for,
should any thing contained in this book become lost,
no man on earth could ever replace it."

This reply caused George some little uneasiness.
Might not this very candor, on the part of his com-
panion, be an indication of ill humor or vexation, on
account of his intrusion? He cast an inquiring look
toward him. But the kindness that beamed from his
noble countenance could not be mistaken, especially
by one gazing into those soft, mild, large, open eyes.
He wore no wig — a circumstance that appeared singu-
lar, at a period when the fashion of wearing them was
at its height; but his thick, soft, auburn hair being
parted over his forehead, fell in long and natural
ringlets upon his shoulders. On his head, he wore a
close-fitting, black skull-cap, which, however, did not
hide his broad and lofty forehead. Although his chin
and upper lip were somewhat shaded by short tufts
of hair, he was far from presenting a martial appear-
ance; on the contrary, the mild and kindly expression
of his countenance seemed to be made up of such a
well-ordered combination of tranquillity, equanimity,
submissiveness, and truthfulness, that the idea of the
presence of worldliness, restlessness, fear, or of any evil
passion did not occur to the beholder.

The artist, whose observation these features did, of
course, not escape, could not, in his embarrassment,
find an answer ; he therefore extricated himself by

^8 PHTLIPP JACOB SPENER.

alluding to his sore foot, saying, " Nothing can be
more disagreeable to the pedestrian than tight shoes.
I shall have cause to remember a certain shoemaker
in Prague a great deal longer than he deserves."

" Have you then made this long journey entirely on
foot?" asked the elder of the two.

" Yes, and a much longer one," was the answer.
" I am, by profession, an artist, just returning from the
true home of art. I come from Italy. Ah, sir, have
you ever been there ? Have you ever breathed the
ambrosial breezes of Italy?"

" I have inhaled a little, continuing your figure,"
said the other, smiling, "as far as this is possible,
in going from Geneva to Lyons."

" What a delightful country! what a beautiful sky!"
exclaimed George, with visible rapture, called forth by
the remembrance. " Had I not been obliged to return
to this bleak and dreary country, I would have built
me a cottage, and remained in the only land where
men know what life is."

" Well, and what is life ?" asked the other.

" Life !" exclaimed George, his eyes sparkling with
enthusiasm, " life, is to understand the language of
the earth and sky, mountains and valleys, forests and
fields, rivers and oceans. Life exists only where man
emerges from his night of fretfulness and unworthy
anxiety into the genial sunlight, drinking in, with eyes
and lungs, vigor and energy ; life is only a marriage
between the soul and the wonderful glory of heaven
and earth. Have you ever heard of the statue of
Memnon, in the land of the Ethiopians ? When the
first beam of the rising sun sheds his light upon it, it

AlOQUAINTANCE IX THE CARRIAGE.

39

utters loud and joyous sounds, but sings a mournful
funeral dirge at his setting. Hence, it is called the
Son of th-e inoniing. Thus, also, should man be
called ; for it is only with the morning light, that man
awakens to true life ! Surely, life is only when there
is light and warmth. Hence, Sons of the morning are
only to be found in Hesperus, in Arcadia, in the home
of the Muses and Graces, but not in this bleak and
cheerless Saxonland, which lies between heat and
cold, and is, therefore, naturally lukewarm."

"Ay, ay, my young friend," said his companion, "is
it thus you disparage your fatherland ? Do you not
think that God, in His wisdom and goodness, has so
formed the earth that men can be happy on whatever
portion of it they dwell ? And that every country is
arched over by just such a sky as is most in harmony
with it ? Do you not think that man with his religion
becomes a son of the morning, and that, in general,
our religious faith is the morning-light of the new
heaven ?"

" It is easy to see," remarked the artist, evasively,
" that Saxony is your fatherland."

" You are mistaken," continued the other. " My
fatherland lies beneath a milder sky than that of
Saxony, but precisely like Saxony, beneath the same
sky which the hand of God has spread out above the
whole earth, and which is illumined and warmed by
the same sun as Hesperia and Arcadia. For, my
young friend, everybody's Arcadia is — if the express-
ion be proper — wherever God has placed him, and
said, ' Here live and labor, and run after that which is
above,' for the earth is everywhere the Lord's, and
everywhere a good place to prepare for heaven."

40 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

The artist regarded his companion with a doubtful
look and with evident embarrassment; but when he
beheld beaming from his mild eyes the tenderest
kindness, and a quiet, almost fascinating good-nature,
he blushed at his false suspicions, dropt his eyes and
asked: "Are you a resident of Dresden, dear sir?"

" I have been such for about three years and a
half," was the response.

"You are then, perhaps, acquainted with my father,"
continued the artist with his accustomed frankness.
" I mean Mr. Guldenmeyer in Pirna street. And do you
know my sister Elizabeth ? How the girl must have
grown by this time ! When I left home for Italy she
was just sixteen, and as I have been absent for three
years, she must now be nineteen. You cannot con-
ceive how rejoiced I am at the prospect of again see-
ing her. I intend to surprise her, and if you have no
objection, I will dismount at the city gate, and in spite
of my lame foot, make my way by stealth into my
father's house. There is only one thing about the
girl which does not please me," he continued, without
giving his companion time to reply to his questions :
" Elizabeth used to be such a cheerful, merry thing,
full of life in all she said and did ; a true daughter of
the morning," he added timidly. " Her first letters to
me (I carry them all here next to my heart) breathe
nothing but life and joy: they are a real fountain of
delight. But gradually these ceased ; her later letters
became continually more serious, I might almost say
indifferent, though ever full of a sister's love. Yet she
talked so very much about religion, true Christianity,
and at one time even sent me a book of sermons,

ACQUAINTANCE IN THE CARRIAGE. 41

entitled, I believe, 'The Frankfurt Memorial,' written
by a certain Dr. Spener, but I found it impossible to
read the tedious book through. This same Spener is,
I think, the present court chaplain at Dresden. Do
you know him ?"

"Very sh'ghtly," replied the elder, with an almost
mournful smile. " However much I exert myself
daily to find him out, his real character still remains
a mystery to me."

" What do you think of him ?" asked George fur-
ther, not seeming to heed the intimation his language
contained.

"I know only this much about him with certainty;
that he means well with himself and others, and that
the daily recurring consciousness of his imperfections,
as well as his ever increasing dissatisfaction with him-
self, in the discharge of his duties, is to him a source
of the deepest sorrow, in which he finds some relief
only by the exercise of the liveliest trust in the grace
of God and in the blessings derived from fervent
prayer."

"This sounds very strange," remarked the artist,
"and appears to me as unnecessary as it is extrava-
gant. Why this needless mortification of one's self?
A man can do no more than he is able ! But," he
continued after a short pause, " the name of this man
is very extensively known. He is spoken of in almost
every country through which I passed, by some in
favorable, and by others again in unfavorable terms,
as the leader of a sect denominated Pietists. I have
almost become curious to know him, especially since
my dear sister Elizabeth praises him beyond measure
in every letter she writes."

42 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

"And what is the nature of the unfavorable reports
about him?" inquired the elder.

"The unfavorable!" repeated the artist, looking
doubtfully at his companion. " You are, perhaps, a
friend, or an acquaintance of the gentleman? If so, I
should think you would rather inquire after those
which are favorable."

" Not at all, my young friend," rejoined the other,
with a quiet look. "The good which one man says
of another is almost always mixed up with error.
Our judgment with regard to mankind is often warped
or misguided either by a decided prepossession in his
favor, or by a conscious or unconscious partiality, or
by the want of a correct knowledge of human nature
in general ; whereas, it is, on the other hand, part of
our natures to perceive the faults, shortcomings and
sins of others much more readily and truly than their
good and praiseworthy qualities. This is certainly
very wisely so designed by God ; for it is not by being
praised that man becomes better and holier, but rather
by being censured. Therefore, tell me, what evil is
spoken of the court-chaplain."

" I have," replied George, " hardly the courage to
repeat the evil spoken by others. For, though I am
still young, and have but little experience, I yet know
enough to convince me that it is, in all cases, more
prudent and advantageous to repeat only the good.
An evil report is, as I once heard, like an arrow which
flies in a curve, till finally it turns its point back upon
the slanderer."

"That may be so," assented the other, "yet not in
this instance. For, having, after an absence of three

ACQUAINTANCE IN THE CARRIAGE. 4-5

years, become almost a stranger in these parts, it is
impossible for you to know whether what you call
slander may not, after all, be a true and just verdict.
At all events," he continued, " I give you the assur-
ance that your communication shall do you no harm
of any kind. Therefore, tell me frankly, what evil do
men speak of the new court-chaplain?"

"If you insist upon it," said the artist, "I must
needs tell you. Some whom I heard speak of him
said that he was not fit for the court-chaplaincy at all,
but only for being a schoolmaster; yea, that he was
not even a learned theologian, inasmuch as he could
not converse in Latin. Others said he was a hypo-
crite outwardly, seemingly pious, but, inwardly full of
deceit and depravity ; that he appeared fair without,
but was, within — well, now, let me see; what were
the words they used. They were, as far as I can
remember, a quotation from the Holy Scriptures about
the Pharisees."

"Within," composedly added the other, "full of
dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."

"Precisely so," said George; "that was it. Again,
others said that in Dresden he had not a single true
friend ; neither among the nobles and men of rank,
because he abused them in his sermons; nor, and
especially, among the clergy, because he had on the
occasion of his introductory sermon spoken disparag-
ingly, not only of all his predecessors, but also of all
the resident ministers, by saying that no one had, as
yet, preached true Christianity in Dresden, but that he
would make a beginning. I also heard from the lips
of some clergymen that they dislike him because he

44 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

considers himself better than they. They could not,
they said, comprehend how the Elector should over-
look so many meritorious and learned men in his own
dominion for the sake of such a hypocrite from a
foreign country — from Lunneburg, I believe."

" From Frankfurt," said the other, correcting him.

"Yes, you are right," continued George, "from
Frankfurt — thus verifying again the saying that ' a
prophet is not without honor, save in his own country.'
Some clergymen were also displeased with him for
having been commanded, in obedience to his recom-
mendation, and in imitation of his example, to hold
examina with the children. Such puerilities, they said,
were not becoming the office of the ministry, but
belonged only to that of the school master. Also,
that the Elector himself was not too favorable to him,
since he but seldom attended his preaching, nor other-
wise held much intercourse with hmi, which had not
been the case with his predecessors; whilst others
maintained that the Elector must certainly be favorable
to him, because he had permitted the use of the court-
chapel for his examina, and had, besides, ordained that
he should be exempted from the paying of postage.
All this, and a great deal more, I heard about him;
for you have no idea how much is said concerning this
man. I passed through Switzerland, Suabia, Fran-
conia, Bohemia, and scarcely ever entered a place of
entertainment where he was not made the subject of
conversation — and where there was frequently said
of him as much good in one place as there had been
of evil in another. I, observed, however, upon the
whole, that he has his bitterest enemies among the
clergy themselves."

ACQUAINTANCE IN THE CARRIAGE. * ac

"Alas, that this should be so!" said the elder, with
a mournful look, rather to himself than to the com-
municative guest, and bowed his head.

"I am sorry," continued the artist, "if by my tat-
tling I have caused you pain. You are, perhaps, a
friend of the court-chaplain, and though I do not
believe that you will repeat to him — "

"Make yourself perfectly easy," interrupted the
other, smiling. " He already knows all this. It was
only your remark that the minister has always his
bitterest enemies among his fellow-ministers, which
made me sad, because I feel that it is true."

"But," asked George, "how does this come? I
should think that those who preach from their pulpits,
'Love one another, and judge not, that ye be not
judged,' would, most of all, practise this among them-
selves."

"How this comes, you would like to know?" asked
the other, whilst a deep shade of sorrow passed over
his countenance. " Frequently it proceeds from a feel-
ing of envy and jealousy, if one meets with greater
approbation as a preacher than another, or derives in
general more pecuniary gain from his office; some-
times from a sense of pride on account of their wisdom
and knowledge, in consequence of which they become
inclined to inveigh against others, in that in which
they are of a different opinion ; frequently from a love
of ease, when another introduces something new, — not
indeed because they really regard it as wrong or
unchristian, but because they are afraid of being obliged
to imitate it, in the event of its finding favor with the
people, in which case their labors would be somewhat

^6 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

increased. But sometimes it may, of course, also pro-
ceed from a true zeal for the cause of the Lord. Yet,
in instances of this kind, it but rarely occurs that the
declaration of Paul, ' they have a zeal, but not accord-
ing to knowledge,' finds an appropriate application.
What, however, on the whole, the individual causes
may be, it must be confessed that this bad feeling, after
all, proceeds from a want of true charity ; for charity
suffereth long, is kind, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed
up, — and those whose calling requires them to preach
reconciliation to God, should first practise it toward
man."

George felt himself deeply affected by the discourse
of his companion. " How admirably," he at length
said, " your description applies to an incident which I
witnessed at an inn shortly before you had the good-
ness to give me a seat in your carriage. It happened
at the inn in Lockwitz, where I had stopped for dinner.
Whilst there, some peasants, with their wives, who, as
1 learned, had attended the examina of the court
chaplain, entered the guest-room. Beside me sat a
clerical gentleman from the city, Nullenbrecher by
name, who severely censured these peasants on account
of their attendance upon the examina, and endeavored,
at the same time, to belittle the court-chaplain. But he
found in a certain schoolmaster, whose name is Peter-
mann, such a stanch opponent, that he was forced to
yield the field, and fairly foaming with rage, left the
room, I must confess that the controversy afforded
me considerable amusement, especially the fact of that
vain, swaggering Master Nullenbrecher's meeting with
his well-deserved reward. The principal point of con-

ACQUAINTANCE IN THE CARRIAGE. 47

troversy arose, — and about this I desire yet to ask
you, — the principal point arose about the word ''Pietist^'
a designation, I beheve, apphed to the followers of the
court-chaplain, Spener. I had asked Master Nullen-
brecher as to the real meaning of the word, but he
gave me such a venomous definition, that Petermann
flew into a passion, and disputed the master clear out
of the house. Perhaps you will be kind enough to tell
me truly what a Pietist is."

"A Pietist," replied the other, "does not pretend to
be any thing more than a good Christian; one who is
truly pious, who seeks true Christianity, more in the
exercise of virtue than in learned controversies; who
always submits humbly to the will q{ God, even in
cases where he does not comprehend it, and who takes
the revealed Word of God for his only guide, in his
spiritual and m.oral conduct."

"According to this," added the artist, " I see nothing
in the least objectionable in the name; and yet, it
seems to me as if it were used mostly in a sense of
ridicule."

"Malice," continued his companion, "first invented
this word; for those whose lives cause them to be
called Pietists, call themselves by a different name, and
desire to be nothing but Christians."

" I thank you for this explanation," said George : "it
has again quieted my apprehensions in regard to my
sister, — for I will not hide it from you, that as Eliza-
beth made such frequent mention of this Spener, in
her letters to me, and as he is commonly regarded as
their leader, I feared that she also belonged to the
Pietists ; that is, as I have hitherto been led to believe,

48 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

to these canting hypocrites. Since, however, such is
not the case, I shall so much the more joyfully press
her again to my heart. For nothing is more disgust-
ing to me, than that kind of piety which consists only
in words. But I see we are at the city gate, and if you
will allow, I will leave you here, in order to reach my
father's house so as to surprise them."

"As you like," said George's companion, and ordered
the coachman to halt. Whilst dismounting, George
repeated his thanks and shook cordially the hand that
had been offered to him in token of separation. But,
just as he was about leaving the carriage, he turned
quickly to his companion, and said: " Pardon me, dear
sir, your acquaintance has been, to me, a source of such
great pleasure, that I should esteem myself happy, if
you would allow me to cultivate it still further. May
I ask you who you are, and your name ?"

The gentleman leaned out of the carriage, and, with
a smile full of kindly humor, said: " I hope you will
not be frightened, my young friend! My name is
Spener, and I am the new court-chaplain. Remember
me kindly to your sister, and the Lord be with you."

George blushed again and again; he felt himself
rooted to the spot, meanwhile the carriage, which he
irresolutely followed with his eyes, having long since
gone out of sight. Having entered the gate, the youth
exclaimed, with a vexed shake of the head : " I, fool that
I am, might have suspected it ! I trust I have not said
or done anything silly!" Then he turned to the right,
and limped upon his way to his father's house, where
awaited him a very strange surprise.

CHAPTER III

WOOING.

" Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain ; but a woman that feareth the
Lord, she shall be praised." — Prov. xxxi : 30.

MR. NULLENBRECHER had, as we have seen,
left the inn, at Lockwitz, in a great rage. To have
been vanquished by a school-master he regarded as the
most disgraceful circumstance that had ever befallen
him. With flushed cheeks and rapid strides, he hast-
ened toward the city, as if he there expected to find
either shelter or consolation. At the Pirna gate, he
was met by a young man who greeted him with a
friendly bow; but Nullenbrecher rushed past him
without returning it, and muttering to himself: "He,
too, is a Spenerite, and a thorough one at that. Like
master, like servant. Really," he continued, deris-
ively, "this is just to the point; for he is his amanu-
ensis."

Arrived at Pirna street, he turned toward a large
house on his right, opened the door without knocking,
and entered the room, exclaiming: "The Scribes and
the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, Matthew the xxiii.
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye
escape the damnation of hell?"

"Halloo, Mr. Nullenbrecher," called out a man, who
was seated in a corner of the room near a table, with
a mug of wine before him, "pardon me, but to whom
do you allude?"

3 (49)

^O PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

"To whom do I allude?" asked NuUenbrecher.
"To these new Conscientiarians, these secret adherents
of that studiosus Matthias Knutzen, who want to settle
everything by an appeal to conscience, and yet they
are only children in intelligence and knowledge! I
allude to these Labadists, who boast of their being
regenerated daily. Yea, verily, they are Labadists !
Has not this very Spener, as is commonly reported,
made the acquaintance of this arch-hypocrite, Labadie,
in Geneva? Has he not even translated his miserable
book, entitled ' Devotional Exercises', into German ?
But what am I saying? Woe unto you. Scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land,
to make one Pietist; and when he is made, ye make
him two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves,
Matthew the xxiii. 15."

"Have you again come in contact with the Piet-
ists?" queried the other.

"Can one avoid it, sir?" replied the Master of Arts.
"Wherever you go, you are sure to meet with Pietists :
in private houses, in the open field, upon the highway,
at the gates of the city, and especially in taverns,
which they enter by legions."

"Well, well, never mind," interposed the other, con-
solingly. " My principle is, Live and let live ! I pur-
sue my course, and what course others may pursue
does not concern me. Come here and take a drink.
You see, I take my evening wine a little earlier than
is usual with me ; but that is your fault, not mine."

" How so ?" inquired the Master of Arts, at the
same time regarding the mug with a look which was
far from beinsf disdainful.

WOOING. r I

"Only take a drink," continued the other, "and then
you shall know it. I have a gospel to proclaim to you,
as you are wont to call it."

Nullenbrecher took up the mug and began, at first,
slowly and deliberately to sip the golden beverage ;
gave a nod of satisfaction ; snapped his small, black
eyes, good-humoredly ; then took a vigorous draught,
saying, " Your evening drink stands, to-day, in the
comparative degree ; it is really a spiritual beverage,
poma pneianaticon, as it is written in the Epistle to the
Corinthians."

" You like it, then ?" asked the other, smilingly.
" You have hit it ; it is intended to be a spiritual
drink ; for it was on your account that I, this day,
mounted a tier higher in my cellar. Here, read this,
and see what it contains." Saying which, he handed
his companion a small hastily-folded billet.

" From my high and noble cousin !" exclaimed
Nullenbrecher, in some surprise, whilst reading the
superscription. " From the favorite of His Electoral
Highness ? From the noble Lord of Langendorf ?
How came you by this letter ?"

" He was here in person," replied the other, with an
air of pride. "Your high and noble cousin did me
the honor to enter, in person, the lowly dwelling of a
plain and humble citizen. He inquired for you," he
continued, as he saw that the Master of Arts was still
looking at the superscription. " He said that he had
good news for you, in reference to the pastor of Altle-
ben, who has lately departed this life for a better.
But when the right honorable Herr von Langendorf,
your well-beloved cousin, did not find you here, and

52 PHIL IFF JACOB SPENER.

being in great haste, he condescended to enter my
Elizabeth's chamber, for the purpose of writing you
this letter. And now please to read aloud, if its con-
tents are agreeable."

The Master of Arts was still intently gazing with
enraptured eyes on the superscription, and read aloud:
" ' To the high and noble-born, the high and learned
Master of Arts, Nullenbrecher, well-approved Candi-
datus of sacred theology, present' Do your hear
this ?" he added, whilst opening the letter : " such is
the custom among the high-born and noble. Here
you may know the court-cavalier by every word."

"Only read the contents !" insisted the other, at the
same time treating himself to another drink.

The Master of Arts threw himself into a chair,
coughed a few times, and began to read as follows :

" High and noble Master of Arts, especially highly
esteemed cousin : not finding you at the house of your
intended father-in-law, and being this evening espec-
ially engaged to His Serene Highness, the Elector, I
considered it best, as the subject concerning which I
wished to speak with you is of pressing importance,
to write you a few lines, and that, too, in the chamber
of your future wife, there being neither ink nor pen
to be found in any other part of the house. I only
intended to inform you, high and most honored cousin,
that the minister at Altleben has departed this life, and
that, in consequence, a pastorate, to which I most
heartily wish you may be appointed, has become
vacant. It yields a considerable income, whilst its
duties will occupy but a small portion of your time.
I have already proposed you to His Serene Highness,

WOOING.

53

and the Elector appears very favorably disposed to-
wards you. His Serene Highness gave me, however,
to understand, that he concerned himself but little
about it, and left such matters, generally, to the dispo-
sition of the Consistory. I would, therefore, advise
you to pay a visit, to-morrow, to Dr. Spener, who, at
present — though we trust it may not always be so —
possesses great influence. To-morrow you may report
progress to me at my private lodgings, when we shall
see what is to be done further. Sabit de ma part,
your intended, /(^rMv^, line belle figure !
" Ever ready to serve you, I am,
" Your cousin,

" Hans von Langendorf."

"Success to you, my intended son-in-law," exclaimed
the artisan, as soon as Nullenbrecher had finished, and
was once more viewing the superscription with a beam-
ing countenance, "This is, indeed, glad tidings, and
it becomes us to welcome it with joy." And having
said this, he rose from his chair, took a long staff from
a corner behind the stove, and with it gave three loud
knocks against the ceiling.

" What are you doing, friend ?" exclaimed the
Master of Arts, whom the noise had frightened out
of his ecstasy.

" What, do you not yet know the sound of my
house-bell ?" said the artisan, with a cheerful smile.
" Its sound, I confess, is rather dull, yet you will soon
.see that it has been heeded."

And so it was; for rapid steps were soon heard
upon the stairs, then in the hall, and the door opened,
and a young and lovely maiden, plainly and neatly

tA PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

clad, and of about eighteen summers, entered with the
question: "What would you have, dear father?" But
when her eyes fell upon the guest, she was frightened,
and blushing deeply, cast them toward the floor, and
made a motion to retire.

" Stay, Elizabeth," called out her father in a some-
what authoritative tone. "Are you afraid of Mr. Nul-
lenbrecher? If you only but knew what that letter
contains, which his reverence holds in his hand ! But
I will not betray a friend's secret. Here, my child,
take this mug and fill it out of the cask on the left,
second tier."

Elizabeth received the mug with reluctance. She
evidently had something on her mind, but feared to
give it utterance. " Is it, mayhap, too much trouble
for you to go into the cellar ?" said the father, angrily.

" I have not declined to go, dear father," replied
Elizabeth, trembling, and with downcast eyes, " I only
thought — "

" Well, what did you think ?" harshly interruped
the father.

"Pardon me, dear father," answered the maiden, "I
only thought you would not send me to the cellar
again to-day; for this is the anniversary of my good
and sainted mother's death."

"What mean you?" passionately exclaimed the
father. " Do you consider it a sin to drink a glass of
wine on a day like this ? My maxim is, ' Let the dead
rest;' also 'Live and let live.' But who has appointed
you spiritual guardian over your father? Have you
no more filial obedience towards me, and respect for
our reverend guest here, than to make use of this kind
of language ?"

WOOING.

55

Elizabeth kept back the tears that were fast filling
her eyes, and, taking the mug, left the room in silence.

" Ay, ay, my dear sir," said Nullenbrecher, " you
feed your little lamb with the stave-bands, makel
choblim, according to Zechariah, the eleventh. If I am
not mistaken, I think I saw her weep."

" Women's tears !" ejaculated the father, ill-humor-
edly, and pacing rapidly up and down the room. " My
principle is, the wife must learn to obey. And you,
sir, will one day thank me for having been strict.
Obedient daughters make obedient wives ; that's my
principle. Am I to suffer myself to be reprimanded
by my own child? But whose fault is it? Our court-
chaplain is at the bottom of it all. He has spoiled
her. But she shall henceforth no longer attend his
lectures."

" In this you may be correct," said the Master of
Arts. "These lectures, which are, alas, becoming
daily more popular, both among high and low, old
and young, are a wicked contrivance ; and Elizabeth's
regular attendance, both on Wednesdays and Satur-
days, has long been a matter of dislike to me, and I
am sorry to see that she finds pleasure in such puer-
ilities."

" And why, sir, did you not tell me this sooner ?"
rejoined the father, as he remained standing before his
reverend guest. "Up to this moment I did not suspect
that these juvenilities would be fraught with such evil
consequences to my daughter. But I am getting tired
of this talk about these Pietists, I intend to have
nothing more to do with them ; and what is more,
neither shall my family."

^5 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

Just then Elizabeth entered, placed the replenished
mug silently and with downcast eyes upon the table,
and was in the act of retiring, when the Master of Arts
detained her by saying :

" Beautiful and honored Miss, you have doubtless
brought us the best of wine, royal wine in golden
vessels, as it is written in the book of Esther, first
chapter; for, as you entered, I saw one of your tears
drop into the mug. You have done what is said in
the I02d Psalm: 'I have mingled my drink with
weeping.' There can possibly be no better aroma, real
gkiicos, new wine, from which one becomes drunken,
as it is written in Acts the second."

Nullenbrecher smiled in self-satisfaction at his suc-
cess in delivering himself of this speech, a circumstance
which did not often happen to him. The artisan, how-
ever, seemed to take no delight in it, and, therefore,
addressed the poor girl by saying : " Elizabeth, you
know me to be a kind-hearted and indulgent man, but
everything has an end ; that's my principle. From this
day forward I forbid you to attend Spener's meetings.
You have outgrown all such juvenilities. Do you
hear?"

The maiden cast an astonished and deprecating look
upon her father, and said: "You are surely not in
earnest, dear father?"

" Indeed, I am," he rejoined with increased vehem-
ence. " In such matters, I never jest. I want an
industrious and obedient daughter in my house, but no
praying woman."

" Dear father," said Elizabeth, attempting to take
hold of his hand ; " by what act of mine have I merited

WOOING.

57

such a reproof? I pray you, take back these words,
and — do not deprive my poor heart of its last and only
source of comfort."

" What is that you say ?" the father exclaimed,
angrily. "Deprive your heart of its last and only
source of comfort? Are you then unhappy in your
father's house ? Am I a tyrant who robs you of your
peace? This is another of those Spenerite expressions
which is calculated to disturb family peace ! Go ! If
you have really learned anything in your meetings,
practise the precept, ' To obey, is better than sacrifice.' "

"As we find it in Samuel, first chapter and fifteenth
verse," Nullenbrecher quickly interrupted: " Obedientia
melior est sacrificio."

"Silence, I pray you," said the artisan, in a half-
polite and half-angry manner to his guest; "and do
not mar my pleasure entirely on this day!" Then,
turning to his daughter, he added, " Go back to your
chamber and learn the fourth commandment."

'^ Parentcni iitruniqiie honorato," mumbled the Master
of Arts to himself, whilst Elizabeth, weeping, left the
room.

" Tell me, I entreat you, sir," continued the father,
" what sort of wedded life you expect to lead, if you
begin to blunder at the very outset. The wife must
learn early that she is in duty bound to obey her
husband, otherwise there can be no happiness on earth ;
that's my principle! But we'll let this rest. Come,
now, and take a drink with me. Your name is Nullen-
brecher, and this golden friend is called sorrow-extin-
guisher. Here's success to you, and abundance of
honor !"
3*

5 8 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

" All this might, indeed, easily come to pass," sug-
gested the Master of Arts, after having pledged his
friend in a hearty draught. " Here you may learn
what an advantage it is to have distinguished, and
especially noble-born connections, who are favorites of
his Serene Highness, the Elector."

" And so, to-morrow, you intend paying a visit to
the father of the Pietists, as you call him ?" asked Mr,
Guldenmeyer, as he took another hearty draught from
the sorrow-extinguisher.

" It must be done," was the reply, " however un-
pleasant it may be. Altleben, you know, is a good
situation, a fact of which I am not ignorant ; and our
much-esteemed Miss Elizabeth will, doubtless, be
pleased with it. I should, of course, have been much
better satisfied if my high and noble-born cousin, Herr
von Langendorf, had himself finished this business with
his Serene Higness, the Elector. However — "

" Do you know that an idea," interrupted the artisan,
"has just now occurred to me, which may be of benefit
to you, and save you the trouble of paying a visit to
the court-chaplain ? I can boast of standing in high
favor with our superintendent, the Rev. Dr. Carpzov.
I have but lately manufactured a gold chain for his
youngest daughter, with which he was greatly de-
lighted. I'll go and request him to prepare the way
for you with the court-chaplain."

"What are you thinking about?" replied the Master
of Arts, in the greatest astonishment. " Carpzov and
Spener ! What an incongruity ! Day and night
would much sooner mingle than these men. You
may also believe me when I tell you that Spener has

WOOING. eg

not one friend among all the clergymen of this city,
and I can blame none of them for it ; least of all, Dr.
Carpzov. After the decease of Dr. Lucius, no one
had a prior and more valid claim to the occupancy of
the first ecclesiastical station in the Electorate than he,
or rather his father, that eminent scholar and professor
at Leipzig. But Spener must be brought hither from
Frankfurt ; the Pietist was preferred to the scholar, or,
in other words, the prophet was also, with us, without
honor in his own country, a fact that might be estab-
lished by evidences which I might adduce from my
own experience, if my high and noble-born cousin,
who has the honor of being the favorite of his Serene
Highness, the Elector, should not succeed in procur-
ing for me the prophet's chair, I mean the curacy of
Altleben. And now it just occurs to me — do you
think, my dear sir, that my much-esteemed and well-
approved Miss Elizabeth would be willing to remove
to Altleben ?"

" You do me great honor, great honor," exclaimed
the artisan, who was beginning to feel the effects of
the wine. " Drink, noble son, to a happy marriage
with my daughter ! But take my advice, and do not
indulge her too much. She is really at heart a good
girl, but has, like all other women, somewhat of a pro-
pensity for complaining and shedding tears, and seems
determined to go to heaven by singing and praying.
As to her dowry — well, you shall find that you are the
son-in-law of the goldsmith Guldenmeyer. But how
do you stand with my daughter ?"

" Very well, I think," replied the other, vainly
endeavoring to keep his tongue from stammering.

5o PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

" She is as yet only a little shy and bashful, like a
fond little turtle-dove in the clefts of the rock, and in
the secret places of the stairs, as it is written in the
Song of Solomon concerning Christ's bride; for she
has, whenever I made any tender advances towards
her, thus far refused to turn her soft eyes upon me."

"Ay, ay, my dear Mr. Nullenbrecher," said the gold-
smith laughing; "I see, you have been advancing a lit-
tle too modestly and without showing sufficient tact.
You must change your course, and that soon ; yes,
even this very day, especially since your expectations
are so near being realized. If you have no objection,
my son, we will celebrate your betrothal this very
day."

" My heart trembles with joy," replied the Master
of Arts, whilst a flash of light shot from his little eyes,
"I feel like the children of Israel when Moses de-
clared unto them the words of the covenant, as we find
them in Deuteronomy : ' The Lord shall give thee
there a trembling heart, and failing eyes and soi-row
of mind,'"

" Take this, then, and drown the sorrow of your
mind," suggested the goldsmith, handing him the
mug. And, rising from his seat, he took hold of his
wooden bell in the corner with an unsteady hand, and
with it gave the three significant thumps against the
ceiling.

" Do you think your little daughter will come
down ?" asked Nullenbrecher. " You sent her away,
awhile ago, rather harshly."

" You shall see directly, my right reverend son,"
replied Guldenmeyer, throwing himself again some-

WOOING. 6 1

what awkwardly into his arm-chair. " My child," he
continued, " is a good and obedient child. To obey is
better than sacrifice ; that's my principle. Only you
present your suit in a neat and becoming manner, as
you always do. My blessing I have already given you."

"As Isaac says to Esau, in Genesis," added the Mas-
ter of Arts, and, hearing steps on the stairs, he hastily
adjusted his wig, which had become somewhat de-
ranged during their animated discourse.

Elizabeth entered, endeavoring, in vain, to conceal
that she had been weeping, by keeping her blood-shot
eyes fixed upon the floor. " You have called me, dear
father," she said, remaining standing near the door.

" Come nearer, my child," exclaimed the father,
" come nearer to me. You know, Elizabeth, I love
you with all my heart ; for you are my o)ily child."

" Does your heart not think of my brother, also ?"
asked Elizabeth.

"Of George?" repeated the artisan, his wine-flushed
countenance suddenly assuming a lowering and con-
fused expression; "of your brother George? When
I call you my only child, I mean, of course, that
George is abroad, where he is, doubtless, better con-
tented than he would be with us. He is, perhaps,
this very day, making merry either in Rome or Naples,
or wherever else he may be lounging about, the frivolous
fellow."

"Are you angry with him ?" asked the daughter,
who seemed determined to prevent the Master of Arts
from taking part in the conversation. " In his last
letter, which was written at Florence, he holds out the
hope of a speedy return."

52 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

"You are, then, keeping up a frequent correspond-
ence," said the father, with a sullen look, as he raised
himself, with some difficulty, from his chair, in order
to pace across the room.

" Not more frequent than you yourself know," re-
plied Elizabeth.

" Well, never mind this now," rejoined the father.
" I did not call you for the purpose of speaking to you
about your brother George, but because our noble and
right reverend guest, Mr. Nullenbrecher, has some-
thing to say to you. And now," turning to him, he
added, " you must speak for yourself, and allow me to
resume my seat; for wine possesses the singular virtue
of making the heart light and the body heavy."

Elizabeth's countenance became, suddenly, flushed
with a crimson color, and a slight trembling of her
hands betrayed the deep agitation of her mind. Nul-
lenbrecher, however, rose, moved his left foot a little
backwards, whilst making a graceful forward inclina-
tion with his head, drew his right foot after it, and
commenced by saying, " Honored and esteemed, hon-
ored and most virtuous Miss Elizabeth! you know it
is written in Genesis the 2d, verse i8 — ' It is not good
, that man should be alone.' Now it must be confessed
(»2f — ' that the Hebrew word Adam is not often so applied
as to mean simply a man, though koheleth 7, Adam
stand undoubtedly for isch — that is, a man, and Luther
should have so translated it ; it is evident that in this
passage, namely, in Genesis 2, v. 18, Adam stands for
isch, especially since Eva or rather Heva, that is life,
because it ought to be pronounced cJiava, a mistake
which Luther copied after the Vidgata, which got it

tf(-

WOOING.

63

from the Septuaginta — thus, then, for this reason, I
say, because Eva — to abide by the customary express-
ion— was at that time not even created, and, conse-
quently, in using the word Adam, a man could only
have been meant. Accordingly the entire passage
may be rendered thus : ' It is not good that the man
be alone' — a rendering which conveys a meaning
highly honorable to women."

Having thus delivered himself, the Master of Arts
paused, and cast an inquiring look upon Elizabeth,
doubtless for the purpose of seeing what an impression
his polite and learned speech had made upon her.
But the poor girl stood before her learned companion
like one spell-bound. At first the violent beating of
her heart had forced her to drop her eyes to the floor ;
but as she listened to his learned harangue, she grad-
ually regained her self-possession, and looking inno-
cently up into his face, said, " Right reverend sir, you
may laugh at my stupidity, but really I do not under-
stand you."

Just as Nullenbrecher, with a degree of patience
unusual to him, was about commencing a repetition of
his sermon, there was heard, in the direction of the
corner where the arm-chair was standing, a sharp,
nasal sound, which repeated at regular intervals
sounded very like a snore. The weary head of the
worthy artisan had sunk upon his breast, whilst his
hands lay folded across his well-fed body.

Mr. Guldenmeyer was indulging in a sound sleep ;
an unfavorable omen for the expected betrothal, and,
for the time being, painful to the maiden, who, under
the circumstances, now considered herself as good as

54 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

alone with her unwelcome wooer. Nevertheless, this
circumstance only tended to inspire her with the
necessary courage. She knew that she must now rely
upon herself, "and, though her words and actions bore
on all other occasions the stamp of innocence and good
humor, she was also naturally of a somewhat playful
disposition, and knew, when occasion required, and
without bitterness, how to make good use of it.
Already had her answer, that she could not under-
stand the Master of Arts, betrayed her humor, in so
far as she knew perfectly well what his frequent visits
meant. That, however, her father had already given
away her hand to him, she knew not, because he had
considered it best to do so by virtue of his parental
authority, without her knowledge and consent. Whilst,
therefore, she was approaching the arm-chair, as if to
put herself under its protection, her discreet suitor
» continued :

r*'Ti r "Highly respectable, honored and most virtuous
'^ Miss! If the rendering of that passage be correct,

and if every one is at liberty to apply to himself the

1 declaration it contains, you will allow me to make
use of a slight privilege, in which case the citation
from Genesis — I mean the first book of the Pentateucli
— will read, ' It is not good that I am alone.' "
' Cy- f " Nor are you alone, sir," replied she. " But allow
' me to put a pillow under my father's back ; his head

seems very uncomfortable. My dear father knows
that he cannot bear much wine, and yet he has forgot-
ten himself to-day. I hope it will not injure him, sir?"
" Oh, no, minime gentium" assured the Master of
Arts. " This is a very natural connexion of things,

WOOING. 5e

which we already find in the case of Lot, Genesis the
19th. But to return again to Genesis the 2d, verse 18.
I think I told you, most honored and virtuous Miss
Elizabeth, that I was fully justified in applying that
passage to myself, j ust as if it read, 'Lo tJiov hejot ani
lebadi! Now if this rendering "

" But, I pray you, remember," interrupted the maiden,
"you are such a very learned man, that you can have
no idea how utterly impossible it is for a simple maiden
like myself to comprehend your learning."

" I wish to show you," continued the indefatigable
suitor, "that I have established upon the author;ty of
that passage from the Bible, as is proper that a Theo-
logian should do, not only my loneliness, but also the
distastefulness of it to me, especially with reference
to my future residence in Altleben. If, therefore "

But our poor Master of Arts was not permitted to
gain his end this time. A knock being heard at the
door, Elizabeth started with affright, and sought refuge
behind her father's chair. " Please go and see who
knocked," she begged her unfortunate suitor. But
before he could reach the door, it opened, and a young
man entered.

" George, my brother George !" exclaimed Elizabeth,
and flew into his arms. "Angel, sent to me by God
just in the hour of need," she continued, and tears
coursed down her cheeks.

" My beloved, my dear Elizabeth," said George, in
broken accents, " my cherished sister, how have I
longed to see you again. Thanks to God a thousand
times that I meet you in health. But," he added, as
his eye fell suddenly upon the sleeper, who had not

66 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

been in the least disturbed. " What is this ? Is our
father sick ?"

" No," repHed the sister; "compose yourself; father
has taken his afternoon nap, to-day, a little later than
usual. Is it not so, sir?"

But before the Master of Arts, who had opened his
little black eyes as wide as possible, when he had
made the disagreeable discovery that the newly-ar-
rived individual was an old, or rather a new, acquaint-
ance, was able to return an answer, George turned to
him and said:

"Ay, Mr. Nullenbrecher, do we meet again here ? I,
of course, do not know," he suddenly added, in an
altered tone, and with a displeased expression of coun-
tenance, " how it happens that you are here alone with
my sister ! Am I intruding ?"

"Brother!" exclaimed Elizabeth, hiding her face on
his breast ; " George, why this bitter drop in the cup
of my joy?"

" It was not my intention to give you pain," said
George, caressingly, kissing her brow.

" You shall know all," she whispered to him, taking
him by the hand and drawing him nearer to where the
father was seated, who now exhibited some signs of
awakening. But he only changed his position to a
more easy one, and continued his nap.

The Master of Arts now began to feel that any fur-
ther progress towards his betrothal was, at least for the
present, at an end. The entrance of George, who had
witnessed his discomfiture and flight from the Inn at
Lockwitz, was anything but agreeable to him. He
therefore took his hat and cane and said, " Most hon-

WOOING.

67

ored Miss, at another time I may find an opportunity
to resume the subject, where to-day it has been broken
off. Remember me kindly to Mr. Guldenmeyer, your
much beloved father. And you, too, Mr, George
Guldenmeyer, accept my most respectful compliments.
My departure will be accounted to me for pain, as
may be read in the Book of Wisdom." And with a
polite bow, he left the room.

What happened further in the house of the gold-
smith will be related hereafter.. At present we must
follow our somewhat crest-fallen Master of Arts,
Nullenbrecher, who found a healing balm for all his
wounds in thinking of his cousin, the favorite of His
Electoral Highness, the noble Herr von Langendorf.

CHAPTER IV.

THE INTERVIEW.

"This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he
desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless."— i Tim. iii.

1, 2.

THERE is a sort of courage which exhibits itself
towards those whom we regard as our inferiors,
that is, a sort of intellectual superciliousness, but which
is often by a single word converted into pusillanimity.
With such a feeling of imagined superiority do we
find our Master of Arts, Mr. Nullenbrecher, on the
afternoon of the following day, standing in the ante-
chamber of the parsonage near George's gate, in
Schlosse Street, opposite the royal chapel of the wid-
owed Electress, Anna Sophia, where at that time the
court-chaplain resided.

With Nullenbrecher's external self, a marked change
had taken place. Instead of the embroidered necker-
chief, upon which he at other times so much prided
himself, he now wore one exceedingly plain, and per-
fectly free from all ornament ; his wig was so short
that it might almost have been called shabby, and in
place of his gilded shoe-buckles, which he had invari-
ably worn on special occasions, his shoes boasted only
of a pair of very unpretending silver ones. Mr. Roth-
ner. Dr. Spener's amanuensis and private secretary,
who received and showed Nullenbrecher the door of
the room in which Spener was accustomed to receive

(68)

THE INTERVIEW.

69

his visitors, was this time favored with an exceedingly
courteous salutation.

" Will you not first announce me to his right-
reverend magnificence ? " asked Nullenbrecher.

" That' is not necessary," replied Rothner, " you
have just arrived at the hour in which the Doctor has
requested that all who wish to see him shall be
admitted."

" But," objected Nullenbrecher, courteously, " I do
not know whether his right reverend magnificence has
any personal knowledge of me; had you not bettei
first announce my name ? "

" That is also not necessary," was the reply. " You
will know best how to announce yourself Only
knock." And bowing politely, Rothner withdrew to
another room.

Our distinguished friend being thus left alone,
became somewhat disconcerted, and felt undecided
what to do ; though out of doors he was ever ready
to sit in judgment upon the court-chaplain, now, when
he was about to meet one of the most decried, but
nevertheless also one of the best and most sincerely
esteemed among his contemporaries, his courage for-
sook him. He first took a survey, as far as possible,
of his corporeal self, adjusted once more his wig and
neckerchief, and then gave a scarcely audible knock at
the door. Notwithstanding, a voice from within called
out, "Come in!" Nullenbrecher hesitated, when the
door opened, and the noble and truly venerable
Spener, dressed in a plain morning gown, his head
covered with a black skull-cap, from beneath which
protruded his beautiful hair in natural curls, made his

jQ PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

appearance, and with a countenance radiant with kind-
ness and unaffected affabihty said, " Come in, dear
sir."

Now although Mr. Nullenbrecher had carefully-
studied the speech he had intended to make, his
tongue, nevertheless, refused him utterance, and he
remained silent and embarrassed.

"Take a seat," continued Spener, pointing to a
chair. "And what is it that has brought you to me ?"

" Right reverend Magnificence," now stammered
the Master of Arts. " Since your — "

" Pardon me," here Spener interrupted him in a
tone of mild earnestness, " that I so soon find fault
with you. I cannot permit you to address me by
such titles, which in reality should not be applied to
any man, and least of all to me. If you choose to
give me a title, you may in that case address me as
the Elector's court chaplain, or if you prefer it, as
Doctor of Divinity; at least I endeavor to the best of
my ability, to become one step by step. What station
do you occupy ? You seem to be a clergyman."

" I am indeed a Candidatus Ministcrii and Master of
the liberal Arts," replied Nullenbrecher, at the same
time rising from his chair, " but the time having
arrived, that I should assume the responsibilities and
dignity of the sacred office, and since my high and
noble-born cousin, Herr von Langendorf, the favorite
of his Electoral Highness, has informed me, per letter,
that the pastor of Altleben is deceased, I have come

"To apply for that post?" Spener again broke in,
at this time with more interest than before.

THE INTERVIEW.

71

" Certainly !" replied Nullenbrecher, bowing as po-
litely as it was possible for him to do. Spener shook
his head with a painful smile and paced silently up and
down the room. Then pausing before the petitioner,
he said, "Keep your seat, sir! keep your seat. Let
not my standing offend you. I do it on account of
my health. Constant sitting at my writing desk com-
presses my chest, and a little exercise is therefore
occasionally necessary. Be seated, then; we will con-
tinue our conversation in reference to your request a
little longer."

Whilst Nullenbrecher was thus obliged to resume
his seat, Spener commenced his walk up and down
the room, and continued it with few exceptions during
their entire colloquy. "Are your parents still living?"
he said.

" My father has* been dead for many years," replied
the Master of Arts, " but my mother, who is a de-
scendant of the noble house of Langendorf, in conse-
quence of which the favorite of his Electoral Highness
is my high and noble-born and much-esteemed cousin;
yes, my mother, a pious, godly woman, still lives."

" You may esteem yourself happy," said Spener,
" at being able to award this tribute of praise to your
mother, and you call to mind the image of my own
good, sainted mother. I look upon a pious mother as
the child's visible angel ; her eye keeps the most faith-
ful vigils of any on earth over the child's cradle, and
indeed, over its whole future life. She possesses the
power of sowing deepest the seed of the Word of God.
A boy, that has been reared without the attention and
guidance of a pious mother, can only with difficulty

7 2 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

acquire in after life that true spirit of piety which
is the Christian's most precious ornament. A boy,
whom his parents design setting apart for the ministry,
should be separated from the vain things of this world,
while yet in his cradle, so that the chief end and aim
of his life, his future calling, may ever be present to
his mind. How long is it since you determined to
devote yourself to the Gospel ministry ?"

NuUenbrecher, in order to appear to better advan-
tage, felt himself obliged to resort to a falsehood ; for
the truth was, that he had only fully determined upon
assuming the gown after he had entered the Univer-
sity, having first, guided by various selfish and ambi-
tious considerations, manifested a preference for juris-
prudence ; and when he finally determined in favor of
theology, it was done only because he hoped that his
semi-nobility, together with the influence of his high
and noble-born cousin, the favorite of his Electoral
Highness, would advance him so much more speedily to
honor and dignity. " It was a long time ago," was his
answer, " inasmuch as my pious mother has reared me
with a view to the ministry."

"God bless your mother!" said Spener, who, in
his exceeding good nature and honesty, never once
thought of the possibility of being deceived, and who,
besides, possessed so little knowledge of the world,
that he understood correctly but seldom, or perhaps
never, even strongly-marked characters. " A minis-
ter," he continued, "cannot, I repeat it, begin too early
to inure himself to the leading of a pure, moral life.
Our calling directs us to a more constant employment
with heavenly and eternal things — to a more thorough

THE INTERVIEW. 73

contemplation of the Holy Scriptures, and to a greater
frequency in prayer, than does that of any among those
of our brethren who are committed to our care, so that
we stand only too much in need of the divine protec-
tion and consolation. For the minister is to become
an example to his congregation, and must therefore
avoid everything that might prove a stumbling-block
to them. If he find this denying of self continue diffi-
cult, then he is not fit to be a minister, just because he
cannot be an example to others. Or if he does deny
himself, but complains on account of it, or claims for
himself any special merit, because he, for Christ's sake,
does not love the world and its lusts, he had better not
•^eek the ministerial office at all, or relinquish it, if he
has already entered the ministry, and learn first to
love Christ before he attempts to preach love to Christ.
For every servant of the Word of God must submit to
the rule which Paul has laid down in the words. 'AH
things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expe-
dient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be
brought under the power of any.' How do you ex-
plain this passage, sir?"

This question took Nullenbrecher by surprise. The
practical exposition of a passage of Scripture did not
seem to be his forte. But he soon collected himself,
and proud with the pleasure that he could let his light
shine, replied, ^"Panta inoi exestin, aW ou panta syviph-
erei' i Cor. vi. Sympherein properly means to carry
together; also to carry, comportare, smnil portare, as it
is also used in Acta Actorum — Actoriini."

" You mean," said Spener, smiling, prompting him,
" that passage in the Acts of the Apostles, where it is
4

j^ PIIILIPP JACOB SPENER.

related that many of them that had used curious
arts — "

" Ta pcricrga praxantcs" interrupted Nullenbrecher.

Spener, who had here expected no interruption,
manifested surprise, discontinued his walk, and gazed
silently and earnestly at the Master, so that, for a few
minutes, deep silence reigned. Then he resumed his
walk, and said quietly, yet with dignity : "Master
Nullenbrecher, believe me, it is not my intention to
subject you to a learned examination ; but I only
wished to assure myself of the manner in which you,
who design to take charge of a congregation, would
explain the Scriptures to the peeple. Therefore, allow
me to repeat my former question. How do you under-
stand that passage from Paul which you correctly
quoted as being found in the sixth chapter of the first
Epistle to the Corinthians ?"

Nullenbrecher, with downcast eyes, hesitated for
some time with his answer. Then he said, rather
despondingly : " Exo2isiazesthal means, in potcstatcni
rcdigi, to be brought under subjection, /. c, we are
not to permit ourselves to be subjugated by anything."

Spener shook his head, remained again standing
before the Master, and said, with an almost melancholy
smile : " My dear sir, you prove by your explanation
just the reverse, inasmuch as you permit yourself to
be so completely subjugated by your learning that
you are unable to enter into the true spirit itself All
knowledge, sir, all learning, is dead and useless, as
long as it does not impart true life to the heart, or
promote the cause of practical Christianity. The min-
ister is called to preach the gospel to the poor. On

THE INTERVIEW. -75

the rostrum science may pursue its course, for there
knowledge is in its proper place ; but the Church
stands in need of a holy and active faith. If you will
not take it amiss, I will endeavor to explain to you
what I understand by the practical exposition of this
passage."

And after having again resumed his walk up and
down the room, he said: " That which thousands may
do, without any one thinking it amiss of them, the
minister might do also, but had better not do. Thus,
for instance, if any one else should go once a week, or
even once a day, to an inn, and drink his glass of beer
or wine, no one would take offence at it, provided his
circumstances permit it and he conduct himself withal
in a proper and becoming manner.* yVhy could the
minister of the gospel not do likewise ? For, granting
that the thing, in itself considered, is, in reality, not
sinful, or for argument, even allowing that health
requires a stimulant after the performance of arduous
toil ; — yet what would the members of a congregation
say of the minister who should, in company with them,
visit places of worldly pleasure ? The place does not
do it, my dear sir ; neither does beer or wine, nor the
coat he wears, but the office he holds. And though
the minister should sit ever so well behaved and be-
comingly before his glass — and though he should only
take half as much as every other temperate man

* The reader will bear in mind that the scene of our story is laid in
the seventeenth century, and that the German places of public enter-
tainment are vastly different from the drinking establishments of our
own country. In the former there are no bar-rooms such as we find
here, where liquors are displayed before the guest, but only guest-rooms,
where men assemble and call for whatever refreshment they wish.

^5 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

enjoys; yea, though he should, whilst thus indulging,
even engage in an instructive and edifying conversation,
he would still become a stone of stumbling to his
people. For would not then the presence of the min-
ister in the drinking-room be an invitation to his entire
congregation to imitate his example ? And must not
these be offended that the same hand which, at the
altar, blesses the bread and wine, offers in the bar-
room, the glass in a welcome draught to others ?
Wine is a mocker, says Solomon, and may cause even
the best of men to say, if not positively wicked, at
least foolish things. But a foolish word spoken in a
drinking-room does not remain there, but goes from
house to house, and gains, by the fact of its having
been uttered in the presence of the minister, the seal of
special importance. And how is the minister to act on
such occasions ? Is he to smile at them ? Certainly
not; for even the appearance of taking pleasure therein
throws, in the eyes of the people, a shadow upon his
earnest preaching of the Cross in the sanctuary. Or
is he to reprove them ? Still less ; for a foolish word
will, if assailed, call forth seven other foolish words —
and it shall be worse than it was at first. Or is he to
remain indifferent, as if he had not heard them ? Who
will believe that he who has ears does not hear? To
sum up, all things are indeed lawful unto the minister,
but all things are not expedient. Therefore the min-
ister acts much more wisely and advantageously if he
goes into the Lord's Inn ; — I mean, out into the woods
and fields, up upon the mountains, and down into the
valley. There heaven and earth are uttering only good
words, to which one dare listen. Do you agree with
me, Sir Master ?"

THE INTERVIEW.

77

The disconcerted Nullcnbrecher looked as if sitting
on burning coals. To him it seemed as though Spener
had looked into his very heart, and there read that it
was just in this very particular that he did not
put such a rigid construction on that passage. He
did, indeed, console himself with the thought that he
was personally unknown to the Doctor; yea, that he
had so far not even asked him his name ; but he felt,
from his accusing conscience, that, in order to accomp-
lish the object for which he had come, it would be
best again to resort to a white lie. " Well and highly
honored Doctor," he said, rising from his seat, " your
words have deeply affected me, and, at the same time,
afforded me solace in view of the numerous attacks by
my colleagues, who have frequently found fault with
me on account of my retired mode of life."

" Let not that trouble you," continued Spener,
soothingly, asking him again to be seated. "It is
true, the words of a tale-bearer, says Solomon, are as
wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of
the belly ; but I, for my part, hold to the words of
Paul, where he says : ' Who art thou that judgest
another man's servant ? to his own master he standeth
or falleth.' Think you, Master, that I am suffered to
remain unmolested ? If I would have regulated my
life and actions according to the opinions of the world,
I should have been obliged to have renounced just
that in which I regard myself to be most engaged in
the service of Christ and my brethren, and which has
hitlicrto crowned my labors with the happiest results.
I mean the catechetical examina, of which evil -dis-
posed men say, that they indeed became a school-

7 8 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

master, but not me, the court-chaplain. Will you,
when once in charge of a congregation, entertain a
like opinion ?"

Nullenbrecher cast down his eyes. He scarcely
entertained a doubt of Spener intending these remarks
for his special benefit. If, he thought to himself, it
were really known to the court-chaplain that he was
one of his bitterest defamers, his prospects, in regard
to the rich pastorate at Altleben, were at an end.
And yet there was, withal, so much kindness and
unaffected tenderness in the Doctor's tone, that he
again took courage and replied: "Well and highly
esteemed Doctor, you have accomplished so much
good by your catechetical examina, that your name
is mentioned throughout the entire holy Roman
empire with reverence and respect."

" This is not what I wished to know," rejoined
Spener. "I simply desired an assurance on your
part, to the effect, that when once engaged as pastor,
you will not look upon catechetical examina, as being
an employment only fit for a schoolmaster."

" Certainly not !" answered the Master. " Certainly
not. It happened only yesterday that I had occasion
to vigorously repel such attacks directed against your
most blessed work. It is painful to reflect that the
good ever meets with more opposition than the evil,"

"And why ?" asked Spener. " The good meets but
seldom with opposition, on the ground of its not being
recognized as such; but most of the obstacles that
impede its progress, are thrown into its way by those
who, instigated by pride, or offended vanity, or love of
ease, or the fear of sustaining temporal loss, decline to

THE INTERVIEW. yg

co-operate in its promotion ; and then, in order to con-
ceal from the world the true reason of their opposition,
these calumniators betake themselves to all sorts of
objections, which they raise ostensibly against the
cause to be promoted, but really against the individual
who endeavors to promote it. This evidences a great
perverseness of human nature, which can only be suc-
cessfully opposed by the Spirit of God, who works in
us both to will and to do. If ministers, in all this, do
not always succeed in setting a good example, the
blame, though much they may attempt to throw it on
the world, will yet most attach to themselves, because
they either do not select or refuse to employ the
proper means for that purpose, and especially also
because they are, in their whole life and conduct, so
completely entangled in the ordinary concerns of the
world, that they cannot assail it, without, at the same
time, assailing themselves. This applies more espec-
ially to the cultivation of too close an intimacy with
the rich, who are addicted to worldly pleasure, to the
participation in their social banquets and luxurious
pleasures of every kind, such as extravagance in dress,
as well as in the expensive arrangement of their do-
mestic establishments generally. Now, it will also be
your vocation, my dear sir, some day, to set in all this
a good example to your congregation. Have you
well considered this subject, and are you, in regard to
it, of my opinion ?"

"Entirely so, most honored Doctor," replied Nul-
lenbrecher, whilst putting his hand to his plain, unem-
broidered neckerchief

Spener now took a few turns up and down the

3o PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

room, and then halting suddenly before the candidate,
asked ; " Do you feel within yourself any inclination to
covetousness?"

Nullenbrecher again cast down his eyes, as if he
had become aware of how severely his conscience
condemned him, but extricated himself by means of
his learning, and replied : " Beware of covetousness,
phylassestJie apo tds pleonexias, as we find in Luke the
1 2th."

" Very true," said Spener, " for a man's life consist-
eth not in the abundance of the things which he pos-
sesseth. Believe me, dear Master, no one has greater
cause for bewaring of covetousness, and of every and all
appearance of greediness, than the minister of the gos-
pel. I am certain that the world would sooner pardon
in a clergyman any other fault than that of covetous-
ness. For money is such a sensuous, and, in itself
considered, such a very insignificant thing, that the in-
ordinate desire for its possession is most disgraceful to
him whose duty it is to preach about those treasures
which moth and rust do not corrupt. True, the minis-
ter, in common with the rest of the world, cannot
live without money, but he should endeavor to be con-
tent with- a penny where another one spends a shilling.
The minister should look, first of all to God, then to
his church, and if after that anything remains, he may
also think of his family and of himself For, dear sir,
the minister is never to be concerned about leaving his
heirs earthly treasures, but only to be useful to the
souls confided to him ; and he should write upon the
very door-posts of his heart the prayer, that the mere
suspicion of covetousness may not rob him of the con-

THE INTERVIEW. 3 1

fidence of his flock. Do you know, sir, what I have
ever most deeply regretted in a minister? It is, when
he involves himself in litigations and lawsuits for the
sake of worldly possessions. I hold, that rather than
do this, an honest clergymen would yield a part, or, if
need be, the whole of his claim. God will not permit
His faithful servant to suffer want, but help him bear
the burden He lays upon Him. The Kingdom of
Christ, in which we have been called to serve, is not of
this world; it can, therefore, also not be becoming in
the minister to contend about temporal things; for he
has an abundance, if supplied with what he needs, and
this need be very little, if we choose. Our standing
never depends upon that which the world regards as
necessary, but upon the one thing needful to us as
ministers, as pastors, and as examples to the church,
namely, upon the preservation of the dignity of our
sacred office, and the power of the Word of God which
we preach."

As the court-chaplain said this, his countenance was
lighted up by a holy fervor, and from his eyes beamed
the light of a soul, happy in God, so that even though
the poignancy, which his words here and there pos-
sessed, might, indeed, inflict a wound, yet they could
not excite any feelings of animosity and bitterness.
The tone of his voice was as mild as his soul was
calm, and every expression and gesture bore evidence
of the most inoffensive frankness. Such, however,
seemed not to be the case with the Master: a transient
shade of anger flitted over his countenance ; and then,
as if sensible of the danger in regard to his future
prospects, his features assumed again the most humble
4*

82 PHILIPr JACOB SPENER.

smile. Spener himself may have been apprehensive
of perhaps having wounded the feelings of his visitor,
and therefore turned again to him with the remark:
" Dear Master, 1 do not know your opinion; yet what-
ever it may be, I hope you will receive, kindly, my
well-meant and friendly remarks. You called me,
awhile ago, 'Right reverend magnificence;' I repeat
to you, I, least of all, am worthy of such vain, honor-
ary titles. You may believe me, that, in examining
myself, I am often frightened, when I compare that
which I ought to be, with that which I am."

Sfener's eyes gave evidence of deep sorrow; he
had laid his folded hands upon his breast, and a slight
motion of his lips appeared to indicate that he was
engaged in silent prayer to God. For a few minutes
deep silence reigned throughout the room, which Nul-
lenbrecher had not the courage to break, although he
burned for an opportunity to present his request to the
Doctor, in the speech which he had prepared before
his coming. However, the opportunity again passed
by, for Spener resumed: " You have prepared your-
self for the pastoral office; do not forget, dear sir, that
you cannot prepare yourself too well for the worthy
discharge of its sacred duties. I would particularly
recommend to you an attentive perusal of the Holy
Scriptures, with a devout mind, uninfluenced by the
wisdom of this world, and, with fervent and constant
prayer, which does not only wonderfully comfort, but
also supplies our souls with an abundance of holy
energy, and, in every temptation with persevering
courage."

As Spener here ceased, and resumed his chair,

THE INTERVIEW

83

Nullenbrecher regarded it as a sign for him to retire.
He rose with a somewhat hesitating manner (for there
had, as yet, nothing been said about the pastorate at
Altleben), and cast a half-inquiring and half-timid look
toward the court-chaplain, who rising again from his
chair, went to the Master, offered him his hand, and
said: "Pardon me, dear sir, if I have wounded you in
anything I have said ; it surely was unintentional.
Prove it to me, by occasionally paying me a visit. At
this hour, you shall daily be welcome." ^

Nullenbrecher had risen and bowed most humbly
to the court-chaplain. Should he leave, without hav-
ing his object accomplished? He took courage and
said: "Very and Right Reverend Doctor, since the
pastor at Altleben has died a blessed death, and since
the place thus vacated cannot remain unprovided for,
I—"

"Dear Master," somewhat earnestly rejoined Spener,
" I wish you had not again reminded me of this. Since,
however, you have done so, I will openly and honestly
tell you my opinion in regard to it. As to the situ-
ation at Altleben, you need not, as far as my influence
is concerned, entertain any hope. Not, indeed, because
I have any objections to urge against your doctrinal
position, or against your walk and conversation (for
I see you now only for the first time, and do not even
know your name), but for other reasons, which I
will state to you. The ministry of reconciliation does
not come from men, but from God who controls the
hearts and minds of men. Now, though I do not,
under certain circumstances, regard any one modestly
offering himself as absolutely objectionable, I yet do

8^ PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

not, as a general thing, like to see a minister obtaining
a charge by these means, much less would I consent
to aid him in so doing."

Nullenbrecher was as one petrified ; he pulled at his
unembroidered neckerchief, and betrayed, by the quick
working of his features, that this candor was as
unpleasant to him as it had been unexpected. But
Spener, who had not the remotest idea of wounding
the man's feelings, continued calmly, and in a tone of
mildness : " My view, in regard to the matter, is this :
let every one foster and improve faithfully, carefully,
and prayerfully the talents with which he has been
endowed ; let him never esteem himself worthy of a
situation, but, instead of this, call upon God, in the
simplicity of his heart, for the sanctification of his
studies and their profitable application, and then leave
the manner of his preferment entirely to the Lord,
waiting humbly till He advance him. For, believe
me, dear sir, God forgets no one who has properly
prepared himself to be His servant. Pay me an
occasional visit, so that we may mutually become
better acquainted. Your time will come too. Mean-
while, I would like to note down your name; will you
be kind enough, sir, to favor me with it?"

The face of the candidate turned first pale and then
crimson ; as he finally said hesitatingly and with down-
cast eyes, " My name is Nullenbrecher, Master of Arts."

" Nullenbrecher?" repeated Spener, beginning to
reflect. "It seems to me, as if some one had only
recently mentioned this name to me ! Only yesterday,
if I mistake not, as I was returning to Dresden, from
a short visitation tour! Yes, I believe, the young

THE INTERVIEW.

85

artist, whom I took with me, mentioned your name to
me. I also just now recollect that the President of the
consistory has already spoken to me about you, with
the assurance, however, that he has no personal
acquaintance with you. Now go. Peace be with you,
Master Nullenbrecher, and I shall be pleased to have
you call soon again."

Nullenbrecher, in consequence of the working of his
features, presented a strange mixture of shame, vexa-
tion, rage, and forced respect due the court-chaplain,
as the head of the evangelical ministry of Electoral
Saxony. Silently, and with a scarcely perceptible
bow, he left the room ; and what kind of fruit this visit
bore him, we shall see hereafter.

CHAPTER V.

A PEEP INTO THE HOUSE AND HEART.

" Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their con-
science also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accus-
ing, or else excusing one another." — Rom. ii. 15.

WE will again return to the house of Mr. Gulden-
meyer. Within a small chamber on the ground
floor, which commended itself at once to the heart and
mind of the visitor by its neatness and cleanliness, we
behold Elizabeth, buried in deep thought. Her fea-
tures betrayed neither the emotions of joy nor of sor-
row, and yet her bosom heaved, as if something dis-
turbed her greatly. She had taken up "Arndt's True
Christianity," her usual companion in trouble, a book,
at that time, to be found in every Christian family, and,
as Spener had highly recommended it, exceedingly
popular. She attempted to read, but her eyes wan-
dered unsteadily over its pages. " I cannot read," she
at length exclaimed; " my anxiety, and — why should I
hide it from myself? — my joy is too great. Why did
the wicked old man reveal it to me? It would have
been better for my peace of mind if I had never
known it."

Just at this time the sound of foot-steps was heard
in the hall. "Dear me," she exclaimed, "if this should
be he ! And yet no one but himself would dare to
venture within my chamber."

The door opened, and peorge entered, and, hastening
*(86)

PEEP INTO HOUSE AND HEART. gy

towards her, exclaimed : " The few hours during which
I have been separated from you, dear Ehzabeth, have
almost seemed an eternity to me ! Are you really
deserving of such love ?" he added, attempting at the
same time, to embrace his sister, whilst the deepest
crimson mantled her face. She, however, timidly
retreated. " What," continued George, " is this the
answer to my question ?"

Bright tears fell from Elizabeth's eyes, and, without
looking up she replied, in a trembling voice, " George,
if you — if you love me, leave me now! Leave me! I
beseech you, George, go ! I shall, by the help of
God, soon be more calm."

George stood still as if petrified. At length he
exclaimed : " What does all this mean ? Has any mis-
fortune befallen you, Elizabeth?"

" No, no !" she replied ; " and yet it is not much
else. Please, George, leave me. Some day, perhaps,
you may know all."

"And why not now?" persisted George, in a sor-
rowful tone. " Has the brother become a stranger to
you ? Has my absence deprived me of my right to
your confidence? or have I ceased to be worthy of it?
Is it possible, Elizabeth, that you should regard me
with distrust?"

" God preserve me from committing such a wrong,"
replied the maiden. "But, if you have any pity for
me, leave me alone for the present. It is all too new to
me yet. Go, dear George, go!"

George moved towards the door; but, turning back
again, he said, in a tone full of the deepest sorrow,
"Elizabeth, if you knew how dearly I love you, you

38 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

could not cause me so much pain. How often, when
pursuing my soHtary journeying in distant lands, how
often, when in fair Italy, I gazed with rapture upon its
landscape, its seas and sky, my thoughts would revert
again and again to my far-off home, into your little
chamber, to you, and I would ask myself, 'Is her heart
as full of you as is yours full of her?' I held a holi-
day as often as I received a letter from you, reading it
daily for weeks, and carrying it about with me much
oftener than I did my prayer-book. Besides this, the
only way I could remember you was in my prayers to
God, that He might ever preserve to me my sister's
love. Returning, I traveled with the greatest speed,
for I thought, ' every mile further on my way brings
me one mile nearer to my dear sister Elizabeth.' And
now, since your presence has calmed all my anxious
thoughts — now, that I, with conscious pride, know
myself your brother — now, that I study, day and night,
how I may please you and render you happy and con-
tented— now it is that your heart repulses me, and
rears a wall of distrust between us. Elizabeth, you
know not how deeply you grieve me."

" You know not how greatly you wrong me,"
replied Elizabeth. " You shall know all, only do not
insist upon it now."

"I know," continued George, "what makes you so
reserved towards me. Master Nullenbrecher has been
appointed to the pastorate at Altleben, He is a dis-
tinguished and learned gentleman, is regarded with
high favor by our father, whose will, I know, you
esteem sacred."

Elizabeth looked at her brother with surprise and

PEEP INTO HOUSE AND HEART. 89

astonishment, and attempted a reply, but only shook
her head, and, with a painful smile, cast her eyes to
the floor and remained silent.

" Elizabeth," exclaimed George, approaching nearer
to her, " you do not love Master Nullenbrecher, and I
am again satisfied with you. But how could I, even for
a single moment, have given way to the idea, that your
pure, chaste and pious soul could have found pleasure
in the ostentatious displays of that vain, presumptuous
and heartless man ? You, Spener's most faithful pupil;
he, the most malicious traducer of that worthy
and good man's life and labors ! No ; it would be
easier to reconcile day with night, than to harmonize
your soul and his. And now, dear sister, since trouble
has been removed, will you not tell me what misfortune
has befallen you ?"

"Do not urge me," answered the sister; "for, even
though I could persuade myself to tell you my secret,
I would still not dare to do it ; for he who imparted it
to me, forbade it, and I feel that he has acted well in so
doing."

" Who has imparted it to you ?" continued the inde-
fatigable and unsatisfied brother. "Father? Yet, what
secret could the father have between his children?
Hold, now I have it. During my absence the Lock-
witz school master has been with you ; the maid told
me so. It was he, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth blushed deeply, and returned a scarcely
audible affirmative to the inquisitive questioner.

" What possible secret can this man have to com-
municate to you?" said the brother. "Much as I
respect him; yea, much as, notwithstanding the short-

pO PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

ness of our acquaintance, my affections incline with
unusual and unaccountable fervor towards him, as
little am I pleased with him for playing the secret-
monger between sister and brother. I shall hunt him
up immediately, and call him to account. I know the
house where he puts up when in the city. I must see
him, though I should have to go to Lockwitz."

"You will not do it, George," importuned the maiden.
" Will you not believe me, if I tell you, that some day
you shall know all ? And that you may know that I
wish to conceal nothing from you of all that weighs
upon my heart, I will tell you something, of which you
never had even so much as a presentiment. I dare
say, George, you have always regarded father as being
a very rich man."

"And is he not?" asked George, in surprise.

"He was," she replied. "Alas! dear George, durmg
your absence, many changes have taken place in our
house, which changes were not always for the best. I
fear there are dark days before us — before me. I have
made a discovery, which fills me with very grave
apprehensions."

George held his breath, in anxious expectation, and
exclaimed, " Go on, go on !"

" You do not yet know," continued the maiden,
"that, since the death of our dear, blessed mother, our
household has been going backward, instead of forward.
This might seriously reflect upon myself, who, from
the time of the occurrence of that, to me, more than
mournful event, have had the entire charge of the
house; but I assure you that I am not so much
to blame; though, since I know how it stands with

PEEP INTO HOUSE AND HEART.

91

father, I cannot but blame myself somewhat. Father is
good ; but, God forgive me for saying it, almost too
good, too careless of the future."

Do you refer to his future beyond the grave ?"
asked the brother, interrupting her. " Our father
(may I be pardoned,) did not always think much of
the word of God."

" I was not thinking of that just now," she replied,
" though I know only too well that this ivant of
genuine Christian piety, which sanctifies men's thoughts
and dispositions, has become to him the source of
another want. Formerly, when father attended to the
shop himself, working from morning till night, all went
well. His work passed for the best in the city; he
had more customers than he could well attend to.
But, since our blessed mother's death, all this has been
changed. He enters the shop but seldom, and leaves
everything to unskillful journeymen, by which means
his earnings day by day grow less, because the work
daily grows poorer, and people cannot be blamed for
going elsewhere with their orders. Father does not
see this, or will not see it; but continues to esteem
himself as rich as ever, and is, withal, excessively
liberal towards all, and carries everywhere an open
purse. How praiseworthy soever this may be in a
certain sense, it can, nevertheless, not continue with-
out injury to himself; and this is already the case.
Mr. Petermann has positively assured me, that the
sums, which he has, little by little, borrowed on his
house, have accumulated to an amount so large, that
he is not able to pay it. Unfortunately, his principal
creditor is a hard and ungodly man, and has already

Q2 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

intimated that he intends shortly to take possession of
our house."

"That is bad," said the brother. "Such a thing had
never entered my mind. The prospect of being turned
out of house and home is not very pleasant. How-
ever, tell me truly, Elizabeth, do you regard it as a
very great misfortune ?"

"Certainly not, dear George," replied the maiden:
" Father Spener has, thanks be to God, taught me
that there is a still greater misfortune than that of being
poor in temporal goods. I am not afraid of being
poor, but to become poor, that is sad."

"Are you then afraid of not having sufficient forti-
tude to bear it ?" asked the brother.

" O, as for me, I am not afraid, nor for you, but for
father. His property and estate are daily growing less,
whilst his wants are increasing, especially since this
disagreeable Master Nullenbrecher has been honoring
our house with his visits. All this must come to an
end some day, and that perhaps soon. Will father,
who, from his youth, has been accustomed to abund-
ance, be able to accommodate himself in his old age
to poverty and want? And must it not make me
doubly unhappy to hear him complain and see him
suffer, without the ability to relieve him ?"

" No, no, dear sister," said George, soothingly, " our
aged father shall not suffer as long as I live. I will
not have spent my father's money in Italy, for three
years, in vain. Perhaps it is on this account that his
pecuniary affairs are so unsettled."

" God forbid," she exclaimed, " that father should
ever reproach you with this. The worst is, he has no

PEEP INTO HOUSE AND HEART. g^

idea of his approaching ruin; for which reason, I think it
would be well if his eyes were opened to his situation."

"Who shall undertake this?" asked George, sadly.
" Father is now more irritable than I ever knew him
before, and becomes so violent in his expressions, that
one loses all courage to confer with him on such mat
ters. It was only this morning, that I had a renewed
proof of this. I spoke to him on the subject of his
having forbidden you to attend Spener's examina, and
endeavored to explain to him respectfully how unjustly
he was acting. But I had to suffer for it, by being
obliged to listen to some very hard words."

" Is it then settled," interrupted Elizabeth, in a dis-
tressed voice, " that I am to attend the examina no
more ?"

" Compose yourself, dear sister," said the brother,
soothingly. " Continue to do as heretofore, and I will
accompany you. The dear, good man, gained my
confidence so completely, when it was my good fortune
first to meet with him, that I feel as though he had
thrown a charm around me. At a more favorable time,
I will get father into a different mind, and also seek an
opportunity to confer with him on the subject of the
unfortunate condition of his finances. It would, of
course, be better if a spiritual family friend would
undertake to influence his heart. O, if the Reverend
Spener could only once speak to him !"

"That will never happen," said the raaiden, decidedly.
" That hateful Master Nullenbrecher has taken care of
that. Father is so completely prejudiced against him,
that he makes a public boast of his never having heard
him."

Q4 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

" But, why?" asked the brother.

" He has, in reahty, no good reason for it," con-
tinued Ehzabeth. " But having heard that Father
Spener had most of his enemies among the rich and
noble, and especially among the learned, he chimes in
with them, and — " here she suddenly hesitated, and,
weeping copiously, fell on her brother's neck, and said,
" O George, am I not most unfortunate in being obliged
to say these things about my father ?"

"Take heart," said George, affectionately: "all will
end better than our fears permit us at present to hope.
Have you not read in the holy Scriptures, Trust in the
Lord with all thy heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding? In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and
He shall direct thy paths. And now, my good, dear
Elizabeth, remove the only secret now between us, by
telling me what else weighs yet upon your mind ?
Open your heart to me, your brother, as a true sister
should do."

At this, as if again coming to herself, she tremb-
lingly tore herself away from her brother, covered her
eyes with her hands, and said in a voice scarcely audi-
ble, " Alas, I am not that!"

" What ?" asked George, in great eagerness. " What
are you not? I pray you for mercy's sake, speak
plainer !"

"Shall / speak plainer?" suddenly exclaimed the
father, who had* just entered. "What are you about,
that you don't even hear the door-bell any more ?
Have you nothing better to do, George, than to be
here indulging in idle conversation, and as it seems
vying with a woman in crying? Up, and hasten

PEEP INTO HOUSE AND HEART.

95

quickly to the Rev. Master Nullenbrecher, give him
my compHments with the request to honor my house
forthwith with his presence, inasmuch as his high and
noble-born cousin, the favorite of his Electoral High-
ness, the right noble Herr von Langendorf, has been
graciously pleased to expect him here, in my humble
abode, because he has something very important to
say to him. And you, Elizabeth, provide us with
something out of the well-known cask, to the left,
second tier, and, also, with whatever else your kitchen
may contain."

George, who in consequence of this sudden inter-
ruption, was not particularly disposed to obedience,
had, nevertheless, been so intimidated by his father's
command, that he left the chamber without a word
of opposition. When the artisan, approaching a step
nearer, said : " Elizabeth, I know that Petermann has
been to see you! Should he have talked with you
about certain matters, you will do well not to speak of
them before I give you permission ! Do you under-
stand me?"

The poor girl trembled all over, and cast a look of
anxious entreaty upon her father. This may have had
the effect of somewhat softening his heart ; for he
stroked her brow with his hand, and said, " My child,
my principle is, ' honor gone, all's gone !' Is your
father to lose everything through you ? Obey me,
and do not throw away j(??^r happiness a'nd my honor."

When Mr. Guldenmeyer had returned to his noble
guest, he said, " I beg your gracious pardon, for having
been obliged to leave your high and well-born grace
alone, in consequence of my daughter not having

g5 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

heard the ringing of the bell, whilst I repeat, with all
due respect, my thanks for the high honor which your
right noble grace has been pleased to confer on my
humble house."

" You must not entertain such a mean opinion of
yourself," replied the courtier, who lay carelessly
stretched upon the big arm-chair, with his head bent
a little to one side, in order that his elegantly curled
wig might not suffer derangement, whilst his shining
sword, with its heavily-gilt hilt, dangled by his side.
" You are an artisan of this city, well-skilled and
highly respected, both on account of your wealth and
particularly on account of your beautiful daughter,
who is justly looked upon as the crown among the
maidens of the capital, and who would not compare
unfavorably even with the ladies of the court. For
this reason I too have most cheerfully consented that
my highly distinguished and learned cousin, Master
Nullenbrecher, should become your son-in-law, and
myself, in consequence, a connection of your house.
Since Altleben is not removed from here at too great
a distance, I think of paying frequent visits there
myself, in obedience to my cousinly affection. But
where stays your dear little daughter?"

" She will soon make her appearance," replied the
artisan, with a profound bow. " Your right noble
grace does my house too much honor."

"And have you also sent for my cousin ?" asked the
cavalier.

"At your service," was the reply. " My son George
has himself gone to hunt him up."

" I am curious to know," continued Herr von Lan-

PEEP INTO HOUSE AND HEART. gj

gendorf, "what success he has met with at the court-
chaplain's. His Electoral Highness has had the grace
repeatedly to assure me that he will most willingly con-
sent to the election of my cousin, as pastor at Altleben.
But where stays your daughter, Mr. Guldenmeyer?"

"I wonder at it myself," replied the goldsmith, "that
she has not yet made her appearance. However, it is
the fashion of these women — perhaps she is, in honor
of our distinguished guest, exchanging her simple dis-
habille, for a more becoming dress."

"Ah ! but tell me, Mr. Guldenmeyer," exclaimed the
courtier, "your daughter is reputed to be a very pious
Christian maiden, and a constant attendant upon all
the examina of the court-chaplain, where she always
gives the aptest answers. Of this I have been assured
through various sources ; for I, myself, you must well
understand, cannot consistently listen to a man who
likes to point his sharpest weapons at the court, and
who, in so doing, does not even spare his Electoral
Highness. This makes Dr. Spener, of course, popu-
lar among the people, who are attached to all who rail
against the government, the nobility, and the reigning
Electoral House. Are you also a Spenerite — a pietist,
Mr. Goldenmeyer?"

" May God preserve me from this pietistic abomina-
tion," replied the artisan. " I can give your right noble
grace the assurance, that I have never yet heard even
one syllable from the lips of this court-chaplain, and
that I have not the remotest hankering after his pious
teachings. As regards my daughter — "

"Sure enough!" exclaimed the cavalier, " where is
your daughter ?"
5

p8 PniLIPP JACOB SPENER.

"She is just at hand," replied the father, "for I hear
steps in the hall." But the noble Herr von Langen-
dorf was doomed to be again disappointed, for the
door opened and in stepped Master Nullenbrecher.
" Right honored cousin," he exclaimed, and his quick
breathing gave evidence that he had come in great
haste, " I lament from the bottom of my soul, that the
high and right noble Herr von Langendorf, has been
necessitated to wait here for my humble person ; I am,
however, only in part to blame, inasmuch as I called
at his dwelling, without finding him in."

"No matter, my dear cousin," said the cavalier. " I
knew that we would be most likely to meet here, in
the house of your father-in-law. But tell me, first of
all, with what success have you met at the court-chap-
lain's?"

" With none — none at all," was the answer.

"What!" passionately exclaimed Herr von Langen-
dorf— " did he dare to disregard my recommendation,
and especially the wishes of his Electoral Highness ?"

" Even so, right noble cousin," assured the Master.
" The very reverend gentleman had the rare considera-
tion to tell me plainly that I need not cherish any hope
in regard to Altleben, probably because I have not yet
advanced so far as to be a pietist. A little leaven
leaveneth the whole lump, according to Galatians, fifth
chapter ; a single learned look has deprived me of the
favor of the pietist. Believe me, my right noble cousin,
in these times it is exceedingly difficult for a real theo-
logian to attain to station and honor."

"Is it then really true that you have been rejected?"
again asked the cavalier, raising himself from his chair,

PEEP INTO HOUSE AND HEART. qq

and, in his anger, pressing, with his left hand, the hilt
of his sword so violently, that its point touched the
elegant curls which had fallen over his back. "On the
honor of a knight, the insolent pietist shall rue this.
The consistory sits to-morrow morning, for the pur-
pose of holding an election; I will try some other
means; if this does not succeed, then let me not be a
branch of the noble house of Langendorf, if I do not
overthrow the throne of this pietist."

" High and right noble cousin," said Nullenbrecher,
"you show me such great favor and honor, by your
unmerited kindness, that I shall never be able to
return it."

" My affection, as your cousin, constrains me, mon
cher ami," assured Herr von Langendorf, " and, more-
over, I have accustomed myself to the thought of see-
ing you at Altleben, and — but Mr. Guldenmeyer, where,
in all patience, stays your beautiful daughter ? I hope
my humble presence has not frightened the timid
maid?"

" Pardon, your right noble grace !" begged the artisan.
" I will myself go and see ;" and he hastily left the room.

" How far are you on with the maiden ?" asked the
knight of his cousin, in a somewhat subdued tone.

Nullenbrecher shrugged his shoulders, and replied :
" I have not quite reached the goal yet. Our betrothal
was to have been celebrated a few days ago, and I was
just in a fair way of drawing from her virgin lips the
bridal yes, when her brother George unexpectedly en-
tered, and entirely disconcerted my well-laid plan. I
have hated the young man ever since, and am heartily
glad that he did not follow me hither."

lOO PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

" But you certainly made sure of the father ?" que-
ried von Langendorf

" Entirely so," declared the Master. " Moreover, I
also flatter myself that Miss Elizabeth, herself, is not
altogether averse to me, at least so I conclude from
that exceeding shyness with which she, on all occa-
sions, avoids me !"

" Very true," added the knight. " Things which are
externally repellent, are internally attracted. You will
not be jealous, cousin, I hope, if I should occasionally
visit your wife, as ma chere cousine."

" I would regard it as a great honor to myself, per-
sonally !" said NuUenbrecher, with a profound bow.

And now there was heard, in tolerably loud and
harsh tones, in the hall, the voice of the artisan. Soon
after the door opened, and he entered, followed by
Elizabeth, who, pale and with downcast eyes, placed
quietly and in silence, two bottles of wine upon the
table.

"Ay, my pretty maid," said the cavalier, addressing
her, " whither have fled the roses from your cheeks ?
However, these lilies become you still better. Are
you sick ?" he continued, raising her chin with knightly
politeness. "Why has the pretty Elizabeth made us
wait for her such a length of time ?"

The poor girl was in great agony. Forced by her
father, by threats and main strength, into the room,
she found herself in the midst of three men, neither of
whom could offer her protection or sympathy; the
first, a nobleman, whose flattering speeches and atten-
tions entered her heart like red-hot iron ; the other, an
uninvited, contentious and heartless suitor, from whose

19821

PEEP INTO HOUSE AND HEART. jqi

first visit to the house, she dated all their domestic dis-
cord, and the third, her own father, who, blinded by
mere rank, and perhaps also goaded by the upbraiding
of an awakened conscience, was, by his harshness, far
from exciting love and confidence in the heart of his
child. Elizabeth stood there, mute and patient, like a
lamb led to the slaughter, but in her heart, she prayed
to the Lord.

" I told your right noble Grace," the artisan made
answer, speaking for his child, " that my daughter
had delayed only because she did not wish to appear
before our distinguished guest in dishabille."

" My pretty child," said the knight, " do you not yet
know that real beauty appears to best advantage in
simple garb ?"

" I beg your pardon, my well-esteemed cousin," ex-
claimed the Master, devouring Elizabeth with his little
eyes, " the beautiful Judith washed and anointed' her-
self with precious ointment, and braided the hair of
her head, and put a tire upon it, and put on her gar-
ments of gladness, and put about her her bracelets, her
chains, and her rings, and her earrings, and all her
ornaments."

"You forget, my dear cousin," added Langendorf,
with an affected smile, " that in comparing your pretty
bride with the beautiful Judith, you predict not the
most desirable fate for yourself; for Judith, if I remem-
ber right, was a young widow."

" Of course," assured Nullenbrecher, who, in his
zeal to display his knowledge, altogether forgot both
his bride and himself, " the beautiful Judith was
a widow, in the time of the unbelievino- Holo-

I02 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

femes, for the period of three years and six months,
and her husband's name was Manasses, who died dur-
ing harvest, in consequence of the great heat."

While the knight was speaking of the Master's
young bride, a quick flash of thought suddenly passed
over Elizabeth's countenance, and her cheeks crim-
soned; she essayed a reply, but a look from her father
bound her to silence. She was, however, to be relieved
from her painful situation, at least for the present.

After a sounding knock, the door opened, and with-
out waiting for an invitation to enter, in stepped a
man, whose uniform betokened him to be an officer of
the court, who, turning to Mr. Guldenmeyer, said,
"Mr. Guldenmeyer, you are summoned to appear be-
fore the court to-morrow morning, at ten o'clock."

" I ?" asked the goldsmith, in astonishment, " you
must be mistaken, friend! What have I to do before
court? At whose order do you summon me?"

"That is no business of mine, sir," replied the official,
" neither would it be proper for me to tell you, even if
I did know; yet I can inform you that Mr. Bennhofer
has recently been about the court-house, and it may be
he who entered complaint against you."

Guldenmeyer turned pale, and began to tremble
from head to foot. He, however, soon regained his
self-possession somewhat, and replied, " Very good,
my friend, I shall appear ; I suppose it concerns a
certain guardianship, which Mr. Bennhofer and myself
have assumed. Go, my good fellow, go; I shall be
there at the hour appointed."

The official took his departure. In the mean time,
Elizabeth, utterly forgetful of her own sorrow, turned
to her father, and said, " Dear father, are you ill ?"

PEEP IXTO HOUSE AND HEART. 103

" Who says that anything ails me ?',' he roughly
demanded. And then, as if recollecting himself, he
added in a milder tone, " You may be right, my child;
my old complaint ; I felt it this morning already, im-
mediately on getting out of bed. Where is George?"

"I do not know, dear father," replied the daughter.

" He was at my lodgings, a short time ago," inter-
posed the Master, " to announce to me that my high,
and right noble, and much-honored cousin desired to
see my humble self, here in your house. And when I
asked him whether I should have the honor of his
company, he replied that he was very sorry, inasmuch
as he was obliged to make another call."

"My child," continued the goldsmith, without fully
succeeding in regaining his composure, " could you
not, in case that George should return too late,
write a few lines for me to Mr. Bennhofer? I feel as
though I had been too hasty in promising to appear on
to-morrow, in consideration of my old complaint,
which usually keeps me confined to bed for several
days. Is it not so, my child ? You can testify to the
truth of what I say."

" You have, dear father, it is true, at times been
afflicted with slight attacks of sickness," replied Eliza-
beth, "yet God, in his goodness, has always speedily
restored you."

" True, true," continued the goldsmith, " yet the
attack has sometimes lasted for eight days. And lest
I should want an additional witness for to-morrow, you,
Rev. Master, and perhaps also your right noble Herr
von Langendorf, would not hesitate to attest my indis-
position. For the same reason you will also pardon

I04 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

me, noble sirs, for not having invited you to partake
of some refreshments, though they have long been
waiting for us upon the table. Having no appetite to-
day myself, I was simple enough to suppose that you
too — . If I may, however, beg of you — "

" Not at all, my dear sir," interrupted the nobleman,
"that you do really feel unwell is evidenced by the
sudden change of your color, a symptom indicating
disordered blood. You had, therefore, better retire to
rest, and let your pretty daughter nurse you, when
your complaint will doubtless soon give way. More-
over, my time is up, and I am expected by his Elec-
toral Highness. Perhaps my cousin will accompany
me."

Nullenbrecher asserted his readiness to leave, and
the two noble gentlemen politely took their departure.
Having passed some little distance beyond the house,
the knight asked, " Do you know the real cause of his
sudden indisposition?"

" No !" returned the Master.

" There is something behind all this," continued
Langendorf, " some secret, I dare say, and it is ever an
advantage to be privy to another's secret. Perhaps
you arc acquainted with some member of the bar."

" I cannot say that I am," replied Nullenbrecher.

"Well," added the cavalier, "I will look out for that.
As regards the charge of Altleben, you must not yet
resign all hope : I will interest myself for you. For
it seems to- me advisable that Elizabeth leave her
father's house as soon as possible, and become your
faithful spouse. Now, farewell ; and if otherwise not
prevented, come to-morrow morning about this time
to my private lodgings." Thus these two men sepa-
rated.

CHAPTER VI.

THE ENTERTAINMENT.
Is not the life more than meat? — Matt, vi : 25,

A BOUT noon on the following day, the dining table
t\ at the house of the court chaplain contained
rather more covers than usual. The house-wife doubt-
less expected some guests. Any one, not knowing
her, but seeing her moving about among the children
(all of whom esteemed it a favor if they could only
take her hand), modestly arrayed in a simple gown,
perfectly free from all display of fashionable finery,
and wearing a plain, unpretending head-dress, trimmed
with blue ribbon, would never have taken her to be
Susannah Spener, the wife of the first clergyman in
the Electorate, and daughter of the distinguished sen-
ator Ehrhardt of Strasburg. Although a wife for four
and twenty years, although at the age of forty-five (she
being born Jan. 8, A. D. 1644, in Strasburg,) and the
mother of eleven children, six sons and five daughters,
of whom the youngest was only six months old, she
had, nevertheless, retained that fresh, unimpaired bodily
vigor, which presages a long life and happy old age.

The choice of Spener's wife was really made by his
mother, with whose wishes he however, did not render
immediate compliance. For Spener, in his retired
bachelor life, which had been exclusively devoted to
study, had settled down in the firm conviction that his
habitual seriousness, and even severity of countenance
5* (105)

I06 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

(though he was the very picture of the most winning
gentleness), altogether unfitted him for conducting
himself as lovingly towards a young woman as he
should. It had, therefore, become his fixed determina-
tion to marry only a widozv, who had been united to a
rude and unkind husband, and who might conse-
quently on that account the more readily be contented
with this habitual seriousness. However, Susannah,
though at that time a maiden of only twenty, neverthe-
less knew well how to accommodate herself, without
much difficulty, to this seriousness of her husband;
for she loved him with her whole heart.

Mother and children were standing in expectation of
the arrival of the guests, when the door opened, and
Spener, accompanied by two gentlemen, entered. The
one, a man tolerably advanced in years, betrayed by
the elegance of his apparel, by several brilliant badges
of honor about him, but more especially by the unmis-
takable dignity expressed in his noble countenance,
that he was a personage of high distinction. The
other, a man of middle age, could at once be recog-
nized as a country clergyman. Whilst Spener intro-
duced both these gentlemen to his wife, he said, " My
dear Susannah, this is the noble Baron von Sccken-
dorf, whom you have long known as a kind well-
wisher to our family ; and this is the Rev. Mr. Gerber,
from Schonberg, one of the first among my ministerial
brethren in this vicinity, who has esteemed me worthy
of a visit."

"Your Excellency confers an undeserved honor
upon our house," said Mrs. Spener, addressing the
Baron. " If our pleasant Dresden was not such a very

THE ENTERTAINMENT. 10/

lovely place of sojourn, I might ask your Excellency
how it was possible for you to leave, even for a time,
your delightful Meuselwitz?"

" My Susannah certainly is right," added Spener.
" Since you have retired from public life, you have
seldom or never left your estate, or rather your
books."

The Baron replied with a smile, '* I answer, with my
beloved Horace,

" ' Beatus ille, qui procul negotiis

Paterna rura bobus exercet suis.' "*

" Procul negotiis?" repeated Spener with a hearty
laugh. " Your voluminous commentary de Lutheran-
isino bears evidence to the contrary, and does not per-
mit you to enjoy so soon this desired rest, for you still
owe us the conclusion of your admirable work."

" I bid you a hearty welcome, Mr. Gerber," said the
housewife, now addressing herself to that gentleman.
"We are glad that the distance of the way did not
prevent you from taking a look at our beloved Dres-
den, and more especially that, whilst here, you did not
forget to honor us with a visit."

" It is more than likely I would," replied Grerber,
" not have come to Dresden at all, if it had not been
for your husband."

" Not so, my dear friend," said Spener, " save me
the pain of that of which I am daily conscious — that my
friends esteem me much more highly than I deserve;
and do not increase my fears, that this undeserved
praise may be fraught with evil to myself."

* Happy is he, who far from business cares, ploughs paternal fields
with his own oxen.

I08 PIIILIPP JACOB SPENER.

"Are all these your children?" interrupted the
Baron, who in the meantime had engaged himself with
that portion of the family.

"All," replied the Doctor; "and yet half of our
children are absent. Our eldest daughter, Susannah
Catharine, was married something more than two years
ago, to Professor Dr. Rechenberg, in Leipzig ; the
second and our youngest, (for it has pleased the Lord
to leave us only two of five daughters,) Elizabeth Sybilla,
has been, for these three months, the wife of the
Superintendent Birnbaum, in Colditz. My eldest son,
John Jacob, is studying Physic and Mathematics, in
Leipzig ; and to complete the list, our youngest child,
Ernst Gottfried, who, to the joy of my old age, was
given to me by the Lord only a few months since, is
now in the care of his nurse, inasmuch as my wife
Susannah, the truest and best nurse of her children,
would not forego the pleasure of being with us at
table."

" I have already noticed," said the Baron smiling,
"that your good wife stands very high with your child-
ren. Take care that you do not suffer by it! But,
pardon my curiosity, dear friend, you have only thus
far mentioned your absent children ; will you not also
introduce me to those present? These four promise
you a happy old age! Have you yet determined on
their future calling ?"

" In regard to this one, I have," replied the Doctor,
pointing to a youth of eighteen, who bowed politely
to the Baron, " Philip Lewis, who "

" Pardon me, my dear husband," interrupted the
wife, "you are mistaken; Philip's middle name is not
Lewis, but Reinhard."

THE ENTERTAINMENT. IOq

"Very true," said Spener, laughing. "You women
have, in such matters as this, a far better memory
than we men. Well, then, this Philip Reinhard has
devoted himself to the medical profession, and already
prepares," he added, jestingly, "pills and powders.
A similar desire, probably from fraternal attachment,
is also evinced by this one, Maximilian, who is attend-
ing the high school in this place. The other two,
William and Jacob, are intended, with the help of
God, to enter the church, if our hopes should not be
disappointed. However, we show these children a
great deal more attention than they deserve. Come,
gentlemen, or my Susannah will chide us for letting
the dinner get cold."

Spener now took off his skull-cap, folded his hands,
and said, "Let us pray! Almighty and great God,
faithful an"d loving Father ! Unto Thee would we
offer our humble thanks for Thine eternal love. Thou
hast in all things dealt most fatherly with us. Thou
hast provided for us, both in spiritual and temporal
things, not only according to our need, but bounti-
fully, for all of which we cannot be sufficiently grateful.
The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them
their meat in due season. Thou openest Thy hand
and satisfieth the desire of Q.wQ.ry living thing ! Con-
tinue to give us our daily bread, and keep us ever in
mind, that we are utterly unworthy of all Thy mercy
and faithfulness, which Thou hast shown unto us.
Let us thankfully receive whatever Thou dost send,
meat and drink, good and evil days, life and death ;
and teach us to deal our bread to the hungry, and
comfort them, even as Thou dost comfort us, through
Thy dear Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen."

no PIIILIPP JACOB SPENER.

"It seems," said the Baron, after having seated him-
self opposite the clergyman, and to the right of the
court-chaplain, "it seems as though we obtained the
proper courage to receive the gifts of God, for the
refreshing and satisfying of our bodies, only after hav-
ing offered a hearty prayer. If all were, at all times,
as much concerned that their petition, 'Give us this
day our daily bread,' might find acceptance, as is now
the case with us, we think men would pray oftener,
and learn, too, to cherish the certain hope, that every
other believing and Christian prayer will, sooner or
later, be answered."

"Very true," replied Spener. "If, however, people
complain that even their most devout prayers fre-
quently remain entirely unanswered, it is because they
do not pay sufficient attention to how the good God
answers them, and also because they have, at the time
of their being answered, forgotten what they had pre-
viously asked of Him. I mean, there is no such thing
as an unanswered prayer, if men would only always
endeavor to know the will of God, and rightly com-
prehend the Apostle's declaration : ^All things shall
work together for good, unto them that love the Lord.'
For then every new cross which He lays upon us, will
only be, in answer to our prayer, a removing of the
old one. God sends an answer only in His oiun good
time, but never in 07irs ; and, if you have no objection,
I will give you, from my own history, a very striking
example."

After all, and especially the Baron, had expressed
an anxious desire that he would do so, Spener, whose
bodily wants were soon satisfied, thus continued :

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in

"It was about the year '74 or '75, when I was still
at Frankfurt, that I met one evening, whilst taking a
solitary walk, a peasant by the name of Veit Martin,
as I afterwards learned. He was about twenty years
my senior. We walked for some distance in company,
and he told me how it had hitherto fared with him,
and this was dark and dreary enough. He was at that
time very poor, with little or no prospect of ever being
anything else. But he alluded to this in a spirit of
such piety, that I became quite interested in him, and
tendered him the little money I had about me. He
could not, however, be prevailed upon to accept of it,
but said, 'As long as it should please God to preserve
his health and strength, he hoped to be able to earn
his daily bread, especially as fortunately it did not
require much to satisfy his wants. Yet, should he in
time become too old and frail to work, he had the
joyful confidence in God, that He would surely not
forsake him, but open the hearts of good men in his
behalf With this he left me, and I have not seen
him since. But I have never forgotten him ; in all my
prayers I remembered him, and have done so this
very morning. Now, about two weeks ago, a member
of the city council of the city of Frankfurt called
upon me, and, after having related to me many things
about the good old city, where the grace of the Lord
enabled me to preach the gospel of His Son for twenty
years, he also mentioned that a pious woman, who
recently died, had left a handsome legacy for the use
of the poor, at the same time appointing the Mayor
executor of her will. Hereupon so many had pre-
sented themselves, that they were altogether at a loss

112 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

how to make the sums to be distributed sufficiently-
small, and yet concerned that the more worthy among
them should receive the largest share. I then asked
him whether he could give me the names of some of
the applicants, when the first he mentioned was that of
Veit Martin. My heart leaped for joy that that pious
man was still living. * Well, ray dear sir,' I said to
the gentleman, ' if you will allow me to make a
request, permit me to speak a good word for this
Veit Martin.' And, in short, the noble councilman
promised me that Veit Martin should receive the
largest portion."

" You should add," remarked Mrs. Spener, " that
the councilman expressly assured you that he con-
ferred the favor on the poor man, only for your sake."

" Not for my sake, dear Susannah," replied the Doc-
tor. " God preserve me from ever claiming such a
merit for myself, who know best of all how unworthy
I am of His grace. But for the sake of my fervent
prayers God has so controlled events, that I can thank
Him and say : 'The Lord has atistvered my prayer! "

" You are surely a good man," said the Baron, as he
gave the court-chaplain a hearty pressure of the hand.
" Really, when one hears you speak thus — you, whom
thousands in the land bless as a man after God's own
heart, who has re-awakened men from the sleep of
dead knowledge and a proud and fruitless security of
a mere faith in the letter, to a new life in Christ ; you
who can justly say, •' I believe, therefore, I speak;'
you "

"I pray your Excellency," interrupted Spener, with
a serious smile, " do not speak thus. Could you only

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once look into the depth of my heart, you would find
how little I have as yet apprehended, notwithstanding
I may say that I have been apprehended of Christ.
Yes, my noble sir, I have truly a delight in the law of
the Lord, according to the inner man. Thus much I
venture to testify concerning myself; yet the law in
my members is bringing me, in spite of my fervent
prayers, far too often into captivity to the law of sin,
and my faith stands in daily need of the assistance of
Him who strengtheneth us. For if I compare what I
am, with what I should and might be, I can really not
comprehend what others find in me that is so worthy
of praise."

" Worthy of praise ?" exclaimed the Baron. " If I
could only do it, I scarcely know what to mention first.
I shall never forget how you in Frankfurt — it may be
about six years ago — first won the Elector by the
power of your preaching ; a man who partly through
the influence of most of his courtiers, and partly on
account of the warlike times in which we lived, was
not so very fond of the Word of God. And when, a
short time after, I had occasion to propose to you to
come here, a voice within me said : ' This man goes a
blessing mto your Fatherland.'"

Spener blushed at these words, and cast down his
eyes, as if ashamed to meet the gaze of any one ; and
laying down his knife and fork, clasped his hands and
said : " Noble sir, the blessing does not come with the
outward man, but only with the divine Spirit tvithin us,
and also comes only to those who, led by the Spirit of
God, learn to understand the word in Christ : ' We are
the children of God !' The Lord has sent me to Dres-

1 14 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

den ! And if my labors here are really attended with
a blessing, it comes solely from Him. His be the
glory for evermore !" .

" Reverend Doctor," now began Mr. Gerber, after a
short pause. " I must ask a favor of you. You say,
God has sent you to Dresden ! I have already been
made familiar with some things in reference to this
fact; but if you would relate to us in full how it was
brought about, you would greatly oblige us."

" Most willingly," replied Spener, as Seckendorf
joined in the request. " My good wife will, however,
have to assist me ; at least, she had also considerable
to do with it." And, whilst all forgot their eating and
drinking, and even the eldest sons manifested the
closest attention, the court-chaplain thus began, as he
turned to the Baron:

" Your Excellency well knows, how I, with due
respect and gratitude, declined the first call. I found
it difficult to imagine that the Lord, who knows my
incompetency, should have called me to such an ex-
alted and important position, for which He had not
fitted me. A short time after, it pleased the Lord to
send me a very severe sickness, which prostrated me
to such a degree that I thought the hour of my
redemption had drawn nigh."

"I remember it as well as if it had occurred only
to-day," joined in the wife. "You had just, dear
Philipp, finished your sermon for the following Lord's
day, when you called me to you. You said you had
suddenly been overcome by great weakness, and would,
therefore, not have sufficient strength to occupy your
pulpit. And so, also, unfortunately, it proved. You

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115

were obliged to betake yourself to your bed, where
you were kept confined for thirty weeks. Alas, that
was a sorrowful time for us all. All the medicines you
took produced no effect, and we at last began to believe
that you would die."

"But what was it," asked the Baron, addressing
Spener, " that so suddenly prostrated your strength ?"

" I can scarcely say," replied he. " It could not
have been the weakness of old age ; for I numbered,
at that time, only fifty years. Much less could it have
resulted from the effects of over-exertion in the per-
formance of my labors, for I have never felt any fatigue
from them. But the cares of my pastoral office, to
which I can devote myself only very imperfectly,
anguish of conscience, on account of the great respon-
sibility resting upon me, in regard to the many souls
confided to my keeping; the mournful experience that
the desirable fruits of repentance cannot always, or at
least only very seldom, be produced ; add to this the
consciousness that, with greater energy, and with a
little more pains and application, much more might
have been achieved ; and to crown all, I do not deny it,
my anxious fears about the Church of Christ, together
with the intelligence I received, during my sickness, of
the abolition of the edict of Nantes, — all these may have
caused a prostration of my physical ■ strength, and re-
tarded my recovery. Though I spent, during this
trying period, many days and nights in prayer, the
Lord did not even at last send me an answer for my
own sake, but for the sake of my dear people in Frank-
furt, whose fervent intercessions, in my behalf, had
found acceptance in the sight of God. After a con-

Il6 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

finement of about seven months, I again arose with
renewed vigor and encouragement."

" And," added the wife, " you must not forget to
mention that the spring at Ems completed your
restoration to health."

"But just at that very time," resumed Spenek,
" when I considered my departure out of this world
most imminent, it pleased the Lord to assure me, in
several dreams, that He would spare my life yet awhile
longer. These were, so far as I can remember, my first
and my last dreams ; for God has ever blessed me with
exceedingly quiet and sound sleep. During one night
I dreamed that I was passing out of my chamber into
the one adjoining, to look after my sick son, little Jacob.
On entering the chamber, I immediately noticed another
door, from which a broad stairway led upward, where I
beheld' many splendid and elegant rooms, and, farther
on, a bright light. Just as I was in the act of ascending
to these wonderful apartments, I heard a voice calling
to me, ' Stay where you are ; you are not yet permitted to
enter there! I replied, ' Only permit me but to ascend
that I may see that beautiful light more distinctly;' and,
after I had said this, such a brilliant glare burst upon
my eyes, that I awoke. 'What is the meaning of this?'
I said to myself And then I thought, ' Perhaps you
are not yet to go up, to walk in the light,' and soon
again fell asleep. But God designed to reveal His will
still further to me. I then dreamed that I was lying on
a bed upon a very high mountain. Above me was the
beautiful blue sky, so clear and pellucid, that it seemed
as though I could penetrate to the very glory of the

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117

Lord; but, far beneath me, deep down steep precipices,
stretched out a beautiful, splendidly cultivated country;
fields, meadows and human habitations, in countless
numbers, 'Alas!' I said to myself, 'must I then stay
up here, so entirely alone? How is it possible for me
to get down to these people?' And then again I heard
a voice, saying to me, ' A soft wind will come and
carry you down,' and presently I felt my bed raised
up and moving slowly down with me. And when I
thought myself near the people, my eyes caught the
summit of a high mountain, around which dark clouds
were rolling up one upon another, whilst above and
beyond these, the same brightness again burst upon
my view, and I awoke from my dream a second time.
Then I understood the Lord — I was not yet worthy to
behold Him in His light, and should still abide on the
earth. A month after this, His Electoral Highness
sent me a second call to this place. Now, though, I
could at once have regarded this call as coming from
the Lord, inasmuch as I had received it without my
seeking ; yea, even against my wish and will, I had,
nevertheless, not the courage immediately to follow it,
a sense of my incompetency still holding me back. I
looked upon the position offered me as an exceedingly
difficult one, which would burden my conscience with
great fear before God. But now I see it all. God has
brought me hither, not to exalt, but rather to humble
me."

Here the narrator paused, whilst pouring a little
wine into a tumbler partly filled with water, with which
he evidently refreshed himself A deep silence pre-
vailed among the company, who had long since ceased

Il3 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

their eating, and gazed fixedly at the speaker. No
one, not even the Baron, ventured to request him to
resume his narrative; for all noticed, that, in his
inmost soul, he was living over again the entire occur-
rence. However, after a pause, he, of his own accord,
continued thus :

" Since I could not within myself arrive at a con-
clusion, I submitted the whole matter to the noble
council of the city of Frankfurt, with the request, to
give me their advice. But those dear good gentlemen
declined, and now — "

" You forget, my dear husband," the wife exclaimed,
"that the council, nevertheless, sent you a distinct
answer. They informed you, that, if you felt a con-
viction that the call which had been tendered you
came from the Lord, they could not have the courage,
but rather regard it sinful to oppose it. But if, on the
other hand, it depended upon their wish, they would
never permit you to leave Frankfurt; for a man like
you, they said, was needed at all times."

Spener cast upon his wife an earnest, almost
reproachful look, as if he was far from being pleased
with her for having related this circumstance, and
then replied, "You know well, Susannah, that I could
not altogether see my way clear as to whether that
call came really from God. No alternative was, there-
fore, left me, amid these my conscientious doubts and
fears, than to submit the subject, with the consent of
the city council, to five of my beloved brethren in the
ministry, for decision. None of them knew of the
others having been called upon for their opinion, nor
were they to know it, so that each might be the more

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free and untrammelled in commimin<j with God. As I
knew all of them to be honest and godly men, who
were just as anxiously concerned for the best interests
of the Church as I was, and as we, moreover, cherished
the sincerest fraternal love for one another, I enter-
tained the hope, that every one among them would
advise me, only after the most earnest and prayerful
deliberation, either to remain in Frankfurt or to go to
Dresden. And here you may see how wonderful the
Lord is in counsel. My brethren were unanimous in
their several conclusions, though each without the
others' knowledge, that my call was from God, and
that I was consequently, in duty bound to follow it,
which, as you all know, I did."

The Baron, with a sad smile said, as Spener
here paused : " Reverend and excellent friend, what
would the world be, if every man, yea, if only every
minister of the gospel, were like you? How many
others, whom I could easily name, would not have
delayed their answer as long as you did! They would
have looked much more to the splendor and honors
that awaited them, and the large salary offered, than
to their capacity and the Divine call."

Spener replied, " The Church of Christ would be in
a sad condition, indeed, if your apprehension were in
general well founded. I think that a minister of the
Word of God should never personally interest himself
in seeking a situation, but wait until a Divine call is
extended to him, either in one way or another. Noth-
ing but the consciousness of having been called of
God to a charge imparts to us genuine freedom and
cheerfulness in action. I have, therefore, never sought

120 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

any of the situations which I have hitherto occupied.
Had I, however, at that time (to bring my narrative to
a close,) still entertained a doubt, whether or not the
decision at which my dear ministerial brethren had
arrived was the correct one, I might soon afterwards
have become still further convinced from the Word
of God itself, that it was His will; for, on the day
after his Electoral Highness had, in pursuance of my
declaration, that I was perfectly willing to obey his
commands, despatched to me a solemn call, accom-
panied by a passport, and even a kind invitation from
the high consistory — on the very next day a wonder-
ful revelation from the Lord took place. On entering
the room occupied by my family, I found my oldest
daughter, the same who is now married in Leipzig,
entirely alone, and occupied with the sacred Scripture.
Now, it happens that my children are accustomed to
open the sacred volume at times, for the purpose of
seeing what particular verse just falls under their
finger, with a view to apply it to cimrnt events.
I am well aware that this is also sometimes done
by ignorant people, with the view of finding out
future events; but my children are only permitted
to do this by way of encouragement in their efforts
to acquaint themselves with the Word of God, that
they may more seriously take to heart the passages
which are in this way brought to their immediate
notice. The copy which my daughter Catherine had
just then before her, was the small Liineburg edition
of the New Testament. She said she would, just for
once, open a verse for me, and that with special refer-
ence to my prospective removal to Dresden. And

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when she had done so, she showed me the passage,
which was in the seventh chapter of the Acts, and, as
I looked, the verse that met my eye was the third,
where we read — however, Jacob, you may read it to
us."

And the boy arose cheerfully from the table, took
up the Bible, and readily turned to the verse in ques-
tion.

" Come here, my son," exclaimed the Baron, and,
having placed him between himself and his father, the
boy read as follows :

" And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country
and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I
shall show thee."

" Wonderful !" exclaimed the Baron, at the same
time looking musingly upon the sacred book.

" Wonderful, indeed, my noble sir," said Spener.
" I was not a little astonished when I read it ; for, were
we to search the Scriptures through with all diligence,
no passage more directly indicating that God wanted
me to go, could possibly be found than this. And, as
I then turned to the right, the tenth verse met my
eye "

And the boy, without being particularly requested,
read :

"And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and
gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh,
king of Egypt, and he made "

" That will do, my son," said Spener, interrupting
the juvenile reader. "What follows was not written
for me."

"And yet what does follow?" asked Seckendorf.
6

122 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

Jacob looked inquiringly at his father ; but when he
saw him shaking his head, he, in silent obedience,
closed the book. However, Mr. Gerber supplied the
remainder of the passage from memory, and said :

" And he made him governor over Egypt and all
his house."

" Perfectly right," exclaimed Seckendorf " Have
you not been appointed spiritual governor over the
whole of Electoral Saxony ? Are you not the spiritual
adviser of the entire Electoral house?" But when the
baron noticed how painfully this application of the pas-
sage affected the court-chaplain, he continued, " I ac-
knowledge, my heart is filled with adoration of the
power of God. But tell me, my dear friend, is it your
opinion that the will of God may always be recog-
nized in this manner ? or may it not lead to many
superstitious and dangerous misinterpretations?"

" Certainly not always," replied Spener, " for the
reason, that our hearts are not always worthily pre-
pared for understanding the counsel of the Lord, and
ignorance and worldly-mindedness may, therefore, fre-
quently sadly and sinfully abuse the Word of God in
the Scriptures. Yet, when I reflect how wonderful the
Lord is in counsel, and how excellent in working;
when I feci convinced that, Jn the moral training of
man, nothing, not even the very least, happens by
chance, but all, all by the direction of our all-wise
Father, I cannot regard such like observations as
superstitious, though I myself search for and find the
excellent working of God more in the manner of lioiv
it lays hold of, affects and comforts our hearts. More-
over, the sacred volume possesses such wonderful effi-

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cacy, that it scarcely presents a passage which does
not afford admonition and instruction, consolation and
peace, at one and the same time, to every heart zvilling
to understand."

" We must, of course, depend upon a right under-
standing," remarked the Baron.

"And the solemn frame of our hearts," added Mr.
Gerber; "without this the Word of God passes by
and leaves no trace behind."

"Both are necessary," continued Spener; "and to
these two a third must yet be added — namely, an entire
submission of our own will to the will of God. He
who searches in the Bible for that which he before
called his own, and which he loved as his own, will
never fail in finding it. Hence both good and evil,
both that which is Christian and unchristian, has been
defended by an appeal to the holy Scriptures. But the
Lord says, ' Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God ;' which means here, blessed are those who
search the Scriptures free from the lusts and wisdom
of the world ; they only shall find therein the revealed
will of God."

Here ensued a deep silence, Gerber regarding the
pious man with visible marks of the deepest reverence.
The amanuensis, Master Rothner, who, having been
unavoidably detained, had only lately joined them at
table, sat as if entranced, and with his eyes so intently
fixed upon Spener's lips, as if determined that not one
word should escape him. Seckendorf had laid his
hands upon the head of the boy, who still continued
to stand beside him, and, wrapped in deep thought,
gazed upon the Bible before him. Then, as if speak-

124 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

ing to himself, he repeated in a low voice, the words
of Scripture, " ' and delivered him out of all his afflic-
tions' Tell me, my friend, has this too been realized
in your case ?"

"Yes, truly," replied Spener, "Alas, the Church of
Christ was then in a sad condition, which has not been
materially improved since. What at that time was
happening along the Rhine, where the Evangelical
Christians were driven from hearth and home by a
rude and dissolute soldiery, who committed murder
and arson everywhere, together with the fact that the
majority of the Evangelical clergy found godliness
merely in faith in the dead letter; this and much more
had ever weighed heavily upon my heart. And so it
happened that I, on a certain Sunday afternoon, was on
my way to church, to superintend the prayer-meeting.
Deep sorrow filled my heart as I reflected on the
troubled and distressed condition of Christ's Church on
earth, and I silently asked the Lord, 'Wilt thou not
soon pity us as a father pitieth his children?' And as
I, with these words in my mind, entered the church, I
heard the choir sing the fourth verse of that beautiful
hymn, ' Oh, God, look down from heaven, we pray,'
which Luther composed after the second Psalm, and
which reads:

" God, therefore, saith, ' I will arise,

My poor they do oppress.
I see their tears, I hear their cries;

Their wrongs shall have redress.
My healing word shall now appear;
The proud shall think its truths severe,

But it shall save the liumble.' "

"If I mistake not," said the baron, " I think I heard

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125

the choir sing this same beautiful hymn a little while
ago, before your house."

" Yes," replied the court-chaplain. " This was done
agreeably to my wish. For these words entered at
that time so deeply into my sorrowing soul, that it
appeared to me as if dark night had suddenly been
changed into a bright day of sunshine. I can say, in
truth, that never in all my life had words fallen upon
my ears, which seemed so little like any uttered by
human voices as these — and I accepted them forthwith,
with great inward satisfaction, as God's answer to my
complaint. This hymn was also destined to become
my favorite hymn of consolation ; for when, later, as I
was on my way to this place, I reached the Saxon
frontier, a choir composed of school-children appeared
around my carriage, and, strangely enough, repeated
the same hymn; and thus it became so very dear to me,
that I get our school-children to sing it for me weekly.
Therefore, my noble and dear sir, I can truly say, the
Lord has delivered me out of all my afflictions."

Just as Spener had concluded, a voice was heard in
the ante-chamber. Rothner hastened out, and after a
few minutes returned with an exceedingly perturbed
manner.

"What has happened. Master Rothner?" asked the
court-chaplain, with a somewhat troubled look ; for
Spener was naturally very timid and easily alarmed.

"His Electoral Highness," replied the amanuensis,
"desires to see you at the castle in the course of an
hour."

Spener rose at once from his chair, not without
signs of disagreeable surprise. "What can he mean?"
he exclaimed. "Who was the messensrer?"

126 nilLlPP JACOB SPENER.

" Hear von Langendorf," reported Rothner. " He
took his leave immediately upon hearing that his
Excellency, Baron Seckendorf, was here, and, upon
the whole, did not look very pleasant."

"Alas!" exclaimed Mrs. Spener, "what does all this
mean? Can it be that his Electoral Highness has
anything against you, dear Philipp ?"

" Compose yourself, my good wife," said the court-
chaplain, though he was far from feeling easy in his
own mind. " I am not conscious of having done any-
thing wrong, except it be in that I have not done
enough of good."

" Herr von Langendorf?" asked Seckendorf, with a
smile, after Spener had again resumed his seat,
" does, in all probability, not belong to the flock to
whose wants you minister, my dear friend? I already
know him full well as a child of the world; and it is
much to be regretted that there are many more like
him near the person of his Electoral Highness."

"And yet," remarked Mr. Gerber, "there may be
now more piously-inclined courtiers than could be
found thirty or forty years ago, during the time of the
Doctor's predecessor, the Rev. Dr. Jacob Weller."

"Have you any particular evidence of this fact?"
inquired Seckendorf.

" The wife of Dr. Starke in Freiberg, who was the
daughter of the sainted court-chaplain. Dr. Weller,
related to me a singular incident which occurred
between her father and his Electoral Highness, John
George H., of blessed memory,"

"Tell it, my dear brother!" exclaimed Spener, with
every mark of excited attention. " Your memory may
perhaps serve you."

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127

" It may have been in consequence of the thirty
years'war," began Mr. Gerber, " that true godHness had
suffered shipwreck among both high and low, and that
an exceedingly worldly life was being led, especially
at the courts of kings and princes — so much so, that
in many places, for instance, a particular honor was
attached to a man's being able to imbibe the greatest
possible quantity of wine. Such a mode of life did
not, of course, accord with the penitential sermons
which Dr. Weller was in the habit of preaching; and
the courtiers especially exhibited great enmity against
him, wherever they could, so that he was obliged to
suffer a great deal of inconvenience and vexation.
Yea, some of them, like Haman of old, sought to heap
calumny upon the dear and faithful servant of Christ,
so as to injure him with the. Elector — and that, too,
not without the desired result. For it became soon
noised abroad that the Elector had really exhibited
some signs of ungraciousness towards the court-chap-
lain, on which account the latter felt naturally much
grieved. Now it so happened that his call contained
a clause to the effect that he should, as the Elector's
confessor, enjoy the privilege of visiting his gracious
Master unannoimced. He therefore communed with
his God, and prayed with his wife and children ; and
then, putting his call into his pocket, went straightway
to the castle. Having arrived in the ante-chamber, he
was at once admitted to the Elector's private cabinet.
He looked surprised at his confessor's unexpected visit.
But Dr. Weller, after offering the usual salutation, and
paying his proper respects, asked ' whether his Electoral
Highness was satisfied with him in the discharge of the

128 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

duties of his office ?' The Elector replied, ' Yes ! only he
wished the court-chaplain would not declaim so con-
stantly and severely against drunkenness; for, at court,
where so many and diverse people were congregated,
things could not always be conducted just as he wished,
and he only made himself enemies among the courtiers
with his too earnest zeal' Dr. Weller replied, ' If God
only is my friend, the ill-will of all the courtiers — yea,
even that of the Elector himself, cannot harm me ;'
and appealed to Ezekiel xxxiii., where the Lord says,
*So then, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman
over the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the
word of my mouth, and warn them from me ; if thou
dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that
wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will
I require at tliy hand.' One of the ministers present
was highly offended at the plain dealing and boldness
of the confessor, and endeavored to prejudice the
Elector against him. When Dr. Weller perceived that
his Highness seemed inclined to listen to the insinua-
tions of his minister, he took his call from his pocket,
laid it upon the table, and said, 'In this document it is
written that I shall faithfully discharge the duties of
my office, watch over and care for the precious souls
of his Electoral Highness and those belonging to him,
and neglect nothing that may be necessary to their
benefit and salvation. This I have hitherto honestly
endeavored to do, and intend to do in future. If I am,
however, to be restrained from this, I can no longer,
with a clear conscience, retain my office, and therefore
pray humbly that your Electoral Highness will take
back this call, and thus graciously release me from the
further discharge of the duties of my office.' "

THE ENTERTAINMENT. j2o

As the narrator here came to a short pause, and the
most profound silence reigned throughout the room,
all eyes were turned on Spener, who sat immovable,
with his head somewhat bowed on his breast. At
length he looked at Mr. Gerber, and asked, " And
what was His Electoral Highness' answer ?"

"The Elector," Mr. Gerber continued, "returned
such an answer as can only proceed from a pious
prince. ' Dr. Weller,' he said, 'you are an honest and
conscientious pastor, and mean it better with us than
do all of our courtiers. Only continue to preach, as
your office requires it. We have certainly gone too
far. We cannot justify ourselves, and therefore deserve
reproof and correction. Now you may go, dear
Doctor, with the assurance that we are favorably dis-
posed toward you."

" What a pious, genuine Christian, true princely
bearing!" exclaimed Spener. "Blessed art thou, O
land, when thy king is the son of nobles !"

" You have," added the Baron, turning to Gerber,
" given us a very correct statement. For all did really
transpire just as you have related."

" And," continued Gerber, " in this respect the son
is like the father. It is well-known that our present
beloved Elector is by no means sensitive, but, on
the contrary, very tolerant; and that he is neither
inclined to sudden outbursts of anger nor revenge, I
had full opportunity to learn only last autumn, whilst
he was engaged in a general hunting expedition, near
Schonberg, on which occasion he sojourned two weeks
at the castle of that place. His Electoral Highness
frequently sent for and engaged with me in devout
6*

130 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

and edifying conversation. And, though some matters
would now and then go contrary to his orders and
arrangements, he, nevertheless, continued always kind
and gracious."

" You have forgotten, dear brother," here interposed
Spener, who appeared to be absorbed in the self-
sought audience of his predecessor, and to have over-
heard his estimate of George III., "you have forgotten
to tell us how, after this, the courtiers conducted them-
selves towards Dr. Weller."

"The courtiers," replied Gerber, "stood from that
hour in great fear of him, and were awed into silence,
so that they did not venture again to calumniate him
to the Elector. And in addition to this, he continued
to enjoy the gracious favor of His Highness to the day
of his blessed death, which happened on July 6, 1664."

" You have," said Seckendorf to Gerber, " recalled
to my recollection a period in the events of which I
was often forced to take an active part. John George
II., who esteemed me worthy of his special confidence,
was, on the whole, a pious prince. He had caused an
edition of the Bible to be printed for himself, in quarto
form, upon fine paper, with beautiful large type. This
he used for his daily devotional readings, and also
distributed many copies among his courtiers. It was
also his custom to present a richly-bound copy to
every ambassador upon his departure from court.
I remember, in connection with this, a most beautiful
incident. It happened that one of the imperial ambas-
sadors was on a certain occasion, taking leave of the
Elector, when he presented him with a precious
diamond instead of a Bible, because he thought that the

THE ENTERTAINMENT.

131

ambassador, being a Roman Catholic, was not per-
mitted to read the Bible, and would, therefore, not care
to receive one, and, still less to retain it. The ambas-
sador, however, politely declined to accept the dia-
mond, and earnestly besought the Elector graciously
to bestow upon him the same gift which had been
received by other ambassadors, namely, a copy of the
Bible, with the assurance that he would esteem it the
most acceptable keepsake. This so greatly delighted
the Elector, that he, with his own hand, wrote upon
its fly-leaf a beautiful dedicatory verse, with his name,
and then caused both the Bible and the jewel to be
presented to the ambassador."

" I have also been credibly informed," added Gerber,
" that, as often as Dr. Weller paid his morning visits to
the Elector, he found him with a copy of the Hebrew
and of the German Bible before him, frequently inquir-
ing of the former the meaning of this or that Hebrew
word."

"Very true," remarked Seckendorf "I know that
the Elector often sent for M. Bohemus, at that time
the rector of the University, who was a most finished
Hebrew scholar, and who acted as his instructor in
this most difficult language for a period of three years,
until he was able to read the Scriptures in the orig-
inal."

A pause here ensuing, Mrs. Spener, who had hith-
erto regarded her husband with much uneasiness, said,
" Dear Philipp, do not forget that you have been sum-
moned to appear at the castle!"

Spener rose hastily, as if awakened out of a dream,
and said, " You are right, Susannah. I was in a fair

1^2 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

way of forgetting- my duty. I am sorry, my dear
friends, that I must leave you. May God give me
strength and courage to become a worthy follower of
Dr. Weller, and preserve in the Elector's son the
spirit of his pious, sainted father. But let us first give
thanks unto the Lord."

With this, Spener took off his skull-cap, folded his
hands, and when all present had arisen from their
seats, prayed : " We thank Thee, our blessed God and
Father, that Thou hast once more satisfied us with
meat and drink, and hast done great things unto us,
none of which we deserve. Lord ! by Thy word Thou
hast magnified Thy name above all. In the day when
I cried Thou answeredst, and strengthened me with
strength in my soul. All the kings of the earth shall
praise Thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of
Thy mouth. For though the Lord be high, yet hath
He respect unto the lowly ; but the proud He know-
eth afar off. What shall I render unto the Lord for
all His benefits toward me ? I will take the health-
giving cup, and call upon the name of the Lord, and
praise Him forever. Amen."

This prayer was, of course, the utterance of that
which now more immediately engaged his mind. It
seemed as if he stood in spirit already in the presence
of his Electoral Highness. When he had finished he
gave each of his guests a hearty pressure of the hand,
and said, to the Baron, particularly, " I am very sorry
that I must leave you. May I .hope to see you again
during the day?"

" Hardly, my dear friend," replied Seckendorf " I
came to Dresden with the intention of spending only

THE ENTERTAINMENT. i-,^

a few days here, and especially to see you once again.
I may perhaps return to my beloved Meuselwitz dur-
ing the course of this day, but certainly on to-morrow.
If it please God, I shall return again on the first day
of spring for a more protracted stay; yet, if you allow
it, I will remain a little while with your good house-
wife and Mr. Gerber. Go, with God as your guide,
and let me hear from you soon by letter."

Spener hastened to his study, where he threw him-
self upon his knees in prayer. He then rose, calm and
cheerful, arrayed himself in his robe of office, and
departed on his way to the Elector.

CHAPTER VII.

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR.

" He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips, the king
shall be his friend." — Prov. xxii. ii.

AS the court-chaplain entered the large castle gate
the Swiss guard posted there reverently gave
way, and some even saluted him with the hand placed
on their halberds, as they would have saluted an
officer. When the lieutenant of the guard, who was a
brother of Herr von Langendorf, saw this, he imperi-
ously stept out before them and exclaimed, " Weapon
for weapon, a soldier's honor for a soldier's deserts.
Whoever in future salutes without orders will be
placed under guard," and then withdrew with a feeling
of self-satisfied authority.

Meanwhile, Spener quietly traversed the well-known
passages and saloons, noticing everywhere an unusual
and somewhat noisy activity.

" Things about here seem almost to have a martial
appearance," he smilingly remarked to a courtier with
an official business air, whom he knew, as they met
along the corridor which led to the Elector's apart-
ments. "Is His Electoral Highness about preparing
for another warlike expedition?"

" Not exactly, reverend sir," replied the knight, with
affected politeness. " An expedition will doubtless
come off to-night, but it will be of a very pacific char-
acter; we are to have a theatrical performance and a

(134)

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR. jor

dance. I am almost inclined to believe," he added,
with an ironical sneer, " that you, too, have been
invited," and then, without waiting Spener's reply,
passed smilingly on.

Spener cast his eyes with a pained look to the
ground, and having arrived at the ante-chamber, he
requested the chamberlain in attendance, to announce
to the Elector that he was awaiting his commands.
The official complied in a sullen and haughty manner,
and when he returned he opened the door and gave
the Elector's confessor silently to understand that he
was to enter; after which he again closed the door.

Spener found himself alone, and all sorts of uneasy
reflections passed through his mind. His sullen and
scornful reception among the courtiers was not
very well calculated to dispel accumulating doubts.
He strove, by searching every recess of his heart, to
discover that of which he might possibly have been
accused. But however seriously he reflected, he could
not think of any direct offence.

While thus engaged, a side door suddenly opened
and John George HI. entered. He was a man of com-
manding exterior, whose warlike propensity shone
from his flashing eyes, and was still heightened by
his full-grown moustache. The Elector was at that
time in the forty-second year of his age, and his
appearance indicated that the hardships of war, to
which he had constantly exposed himself, had left
their traces behind by greatly exhausting his youthful
vigor.

" Enter, Doctor," he said in a loud tone of voice,
without particularly noticing the other's salutation

136 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

and bow. " What we have to say to you had best
be said without the presence of witnesses."

The Elector preceded and Spener followed, not
without some palpitation of the heart. " Be seated,
Doctor," the Elector continued, after having himself
taken a seat in his broad arm-chair. " Be seated."

After Spener had rendered compliance with the will
of the Elector, His Highness turned his piercing eyes
full upon him and said, " Dear Doctor, we have never
forgotten how you edified and comforted us by your
words in Frankfurt, during the celebration of the Sup-
per of our Lord. Neither will we conceal from you
how you by your first sermon, preached in this place,
affected our heart as no one has since been able to
affect it. We have called you to our possessions with
the confident belief that you would be a protector and
defender of our evangelical faith, and a faithful pastor
of our house. We have no intention in stating this to
lay anything to your charge, and we are heartily
pleased with the manner in which you discharge the
duties of your office as preacher and pastor."

The Elector here ceased, as if to see what effect this
introduction would have upon Spener. As he, how-
ever, waited quietly and with a look of expectation for
further developments, the former continued: "But tell
us, Doctor, why is it that the people have so much
against you? We have been informed that scarcely
one of your resident brethren in the ministry is on
friendly terms with you. It is even alleged that you
do not preach the word of God according to the
Scriptures, and especially according to the unaltered
Augsburg Confession and the other Symbolical Books

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR.

^17

of our Church, for which reason your orthodoxy is
called in question. It is known to us that the minis-
ters of the Church of the Cross have lodged complaint
against you before our High Consistory, on account of
some defamatory expressions that are said to have
fallen from your lips. You are represented as having
said, that true Christianity was in a very gloomy con-
dition in our land, and that in consequence of this
declaration you had found, especially in Carpzov, the
superintendent, a zealous and dangerous opponent.
Yea, even your catechetical examina, to the holding of
which we gave our most willing consent, have not
been without giving offence ; and what surprises us
most of all is the fact of your scholarship as a theolo-
gian being called in question. We arc greatly con-
cerned that you should vindicate yourself against these
charges in our presence, especially as we are exceed-
ingly reluctant to relinquish the good opinion which
we have hitherto entertained concerning you. Speak,
therefore, dear Doctor, and be assured, in advance, of
our favor."

At first, Spener had listened with considerable un-
easiness to the remarks of his spiritual son. As soon,
however, as he understood what the Elector actually
wanted with him, his mind recovered its serenity, for
he now knew what he had to bear, as well as that God
would aid him in bearing it.

" Your Electoral Highness," he replied, calmly and
respectfully, "it grieves me to have excited in so many
respects the distrust of my gracious sovereign, and
that so much the more, because the consciousness of
my imperfections in the high offices with which I have

138 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

been graciously intrusted, are already becoming to me
a burden, which weighs upon me daily with increasing
heaviness, and which I am able to bear only by the
Divine aid and protection; yet the charges which your
Electoral Highness has specified in detail as being pre-
ferred against me are so manifold, that I am somewhat
at a loss to know to which I may first be permitted to
say a word in my defence."

" Well," said his Highness, " I am most concerned
about the charges affecting your orthodoxy. In what
estimation do you hold the Symbolical Books of our
Church?"

" I do not hesitate," replied Spener, " to frankl)^
communicate my views on this subject to your Elec-
toral Highness. To me the Holy Scripture is the
only book upon earth which contains direct Divine
revelations, such as were communicated through the
agency of the Holy Spirit to the authors of the differ-
ent books composing it. Such a theopneustic, as
theologians call it, I can, however, not allow to be
ascribed to the Symbolical Books, nor can I regard
them as of such indispensable necessity, that the
Church could not have existed without them. Just as
little can I regard the Symbolical Books as universally
binding, but only in so far as they are in agreement
with the Holy Scripture."

" Only in so far as they are in agreement with the
Holy Scripture!" repeated the Elector, in a tone of
astonishment. "According to this, then, you belong
to those who are more in favor of the qnatanis, than
the qiiia? Perhaps, to those who hide themselves
behind the qiiatemis, the better to dispose of their own

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR.

139

wisdom, and who find the q^iia somewhat uncomfort-
able, because they are unwilhng to bow to the Word
of God?"*

"God forbid!" exclaimed Spener. "I trust your
Electoral Highness has not misapprehended my mean-
ing, and will, therefore, graciously permit me to explain
myself still further. We must discriminate between
two classes. There may be some, who, though not
regarding the teachings of the Symbolical Books
entirely correct, but mixed up with error, do yet hide
themselves behind the quatcnus deceitfully, and from
worldly motives merely, perhaps for the sake of obtain-
ing a situation, whilst in their consciousness they
reserve to themselves the liberty of rejecting whatever
does not accord with their views. In this sense, a
clergyman might also subscribe to the Koran, or to
the articles of the Council of Trent, for there is, in both
of these, to be found more or less of divine truth.
Then again, there are others who receive the teachings
and principal contents of the Symbolical Books as
divine truth, but who are, nevertheless, willing to
subscribe to them only in so far as they agree with
the Holy Scripture, because they fear that this sub-
scription might be taken as referring to every syllable

*The two Lalin words quia, i. e., because, and quateniis, i. e., IN
SO FAR AS relate to the theological controversial question, in reference to
the Symbolical Books, according to which the one party, who deny the
entire agreement of the Symbolical Books with the Scriptures, are will-
ing to acknowledge these confessional writings of our church, as a rule
of doctrine only, in so far as [quatenus) they agree with the doctrines
of the Bible, whilst our church has maintained, in these her confessional
writings, the entire agreement of their doctrines with the Bible, and
required subscription to them, because {quia) of this agreement.

I40 PHI LIP P JACOB SPENER.

and word, as also to such quoted passages as are
therein contained, and which can better be pardoned
than defended, because these incidentals do not agree
with the Holy Scripture and its sense. Now, he who
would not violate his conscience, cannot possibly con-
sent to an unconditional and absolute subscription.
And in this latter sense, your Electoral Highness may
regard my opinion."

" But how," asked the Elector, "will you distinguish
the hypocrite from such as are honest ?"

"It is indeed true," replied Spener, "that the eye
of God is alone able to see into the human heart;
nevertheless, there is, according to human regulations,
a way by which false brethren may be prevented, at
least to some extent, from entering the church. Thus,
for instance, if any one being called upon to declare
himself, in general, with reference to the truth of the
doctrine in the articles of faith contained in the
Symbolical Books, should attempt to dissemble with
such a quatcmis, of him we would be fully justified in
assuming, that he was not honestly disposed towards
the doctrines of our church."

" What is, therefore, peculiar in your opinion on this
subject?" asked the Elector.

" I myself," replied Spener, " do not hesitate to sub-
scribe to the Symbolical Books with quia, because
I have convinced myself that the teachers of our
church, who have composed and received these writ-
ings, were far from intending to lay the conscience
under constraint. Besides, our reformers have com-
plained against the Papists, for attempting to bind the
conscience to the decisions of men. Furthermore, our

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR.

141

church declares no where, that she considers her
Symbohcal Books fully equal to the Holy Scripture,
or that she looks upon them as infallible. She rather
left in them only a testimony, in order to set forth in a
summary statement, the doctrines she confesses; yet,
always so, that if any doubt should arise, the Holy
Scripture is not to be interpreted by the Symbolical
Books, but these by the Holy Scripture, which is, after
all, the one and only rule and plummet of our faith.
Now, being fully convinced that such was the inten-
tion of our reformers, I receive the Symbolical Books,
because I regard their teachings, in articles of faith, as
in agreement with the Holy Scripture. In connection
with this, however, I must guard against the idea, that
this obligation extends to subordinate matters, which
do not properly belong to doctrines. But for the sake
of weaker brethren, who, by virtue of their quia, also
consider themselves, in conscience, bound to these
subordinate matters, I regard it as fair to be satisfied
with the subscription of quatenus, so soon as they have
given a formal confession that they believe in the
Biblical truth of the doctrine itself, which is taught in
the Confession. For, no matter in what form the
thing be expressed, it is our common fundamental
position, that nothing whatsoever is to be accepted,
except what is in accordance with the Holy Scripture,
understood in its own proper sense. From this it
follows, that I have no right to regard as errorists, and
exclude from the communion of our church, all such
as hold to our doctrines, but who yet scrupk to bind
themselves, in all things, to the Symbolical Books.
But, on the other hand, I must justly regard as

1^2 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

enemies to our Lutheran church, all who, in toto and
unconditionally, reject the Symbolical Books, refuse
to obligate themselves to them, and desire to have
them abolished from the church altogether. For if
they are properly understood, and if their obligation
be rightly comprehended, they are of great advantage,
especially in our time; whilst their abolishment would
be attended with great mischief Besides, there is a
great difference between non-introduction and abolish-
ment. As regards the charge that the doctrines I
inculcate, do not agree with the teachings of Luther,
or still further, with those of the Holy Scripture, I
trust your Electoral Highness will be able to give me
a better testimony."

" We certainly feel constrained," replied the Elector,
"to bear testimony, that we have ever found your
teachings in accordance with the Holy Scripture.
What you say concerning the Symbolical Books,
appears to us to be fair; yet we, at the same time,
can very easily comprehend how the views you enter-
tain may give offence to many of your learned and
hyper-orthodox brethren in the ministry. Do you,
then, really despise science as much as you are
accused of doing?"

Spener gave a mournful smile, and replied : " It
pains me to be accused without a cause. No one can
more highly esteem every human science, which may
be applied to a good use, than I do; for I recognize
such as a precious gift from God, and sincerely pray
to Him for its preservation. Were it otherwise, I
would be ungrateful to all my teachers who instructed
me in Divine and human knowledge. Yet, I regard

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR.

143

only such science as estimable and worthy of attention,
which may be employed for the glory of God ; and this
must be possible with all true science. As often as I
have had occasion to declare myself, in reference to
universities, I always expressed a desire that the youth
should, above all things, have their attention specially
directed to the Holy Scripture, so that theology might
not merely consist in a knowledge of the letter, or be
only such as belongs to the theologian, but a real liv-
ing knowledge, and that all their studies should be
pursued in the fear of God. I esteem, honor and love
science, but I prize a godly life far more, if only for the
sake of the people, to whom heaven would be forever
closed, if there was nothing besides learning to unlock
it."

"There you are right, my dear Doctor," replied
John George, " and when one hears you speak in this
way, one cannot comprehend how it is that you have
so many enemies. For we will not conceal from you
the fact, that you have in the castle, apart from our-
selves and family, not many advocates, and that it is
just on account of the incessant intimations of dissat-
isfaction with you on the part of our courtiers, that we
have been induced to have this conversation with you
in regard to it. How do you account for this opposi-
tion ?"

" My gracious sovereign," replied the court chaplain,
with more frankness and cheerfulness than hitherto, " I
would have to perish under a sense of my offences, did
I not possess the comforting consciousness, that I have
called forth these evil reports, by being honestly en-
gaged in the service of Christ. Your Electoral High-

144 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

ness, there have nearly always been two kinds of Chris-
tians in the church of Christ ; namely, such as rest
satisfied with the letter, and who live according to their
wisdom, and those who regard the fear of the Lord as
the highest wisdom, and who are anxious to live ac-
cording to this wisdom. The first hold to the form,
the latter, to the essence ; those desire to be known by
their wisdom, these, by their true. Christian godliness ;
those boast of their strength, these of their weakness.
My gracious sovereign, if my enemies could convict
me of any departure from the true Evangelical doc-
trine, I could not have the courage to open my lips
before your Electoral Highness. But God be thanked,
this they cannot do. Yet because I, from my inmost
conviction, war against a strait orthodoxy, which finds
salvation more in an unfruitful faith in the letter, than
in that genuine faith which works by love; simply be-
cause I regard the pulpit as a sacred place, where only
the Word of God is to be preached and explained
plainly, purely and powerfully, and not as a place where
human wisdom should exhibit its dialectical skill, and
show off its wrangling phrases ; because I endeavor to
edify and comfort my hearers, and lead them, through
the consciousness of guilt and sin, to the necessity of
the grace of God in Christ, and not, as is often the case,
offer my people, instead of the preaching of Christ and
in Christ, learned crumbs about Christ, which are more
injurious to Christian life, than promotive of it; there-
fore, do they hate me, and speak all manner of evil
against me, and all who are of the same mind with me,
and designate us by the name of Pietists, and in such a
way too, that we are regarded as a new heretical sect."

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR. j^c

" Since you yourself have mentioned this name,"
said the Elector, with a faint smile, " we will inform
you, that a definition of the word Pietist has been sub-
mitted to us, which we will read to you." And the
Elector took from his writing-desk a legal document,
opened it and read as follows : " By Pietists, nothing
more is meant, than people who, by praying, sighing,
hanging of the head and fasting, also by their dress
and other matters, pretend to be holier, more righteous
and godly than all others, whereas, it is nothing but
affectation ; people who attempt to lead others to piety,
but have not the skill to do it ; people who, to the neg-
lect of all necessary studies, speak only of stiidiiim pie-
tatis."

" The enemy hath done this !" replied Spener, calmly
and with dignity, "and," he added, "your Electoral
Highness, I am almost surprised, that, in said defini-
tion, the name Spenerite is not alternately employed
with that of Pietist. They abuse me on account of my
zeal, and yet they cannot, in anything, convict me of
error. To abuse any one, is much easier than to con-
vict him of error. If there are a few, or even many,
who seek to show their piety in the manner specified
in the definition read by your Electoral Highness, why
is the whole cause denounced for the sake of a few
hypocritical individuals, and thus impede the power of
the gospel of Jesus Christ to save that which is lost ?
Is it, then, absolutely unchristian and condemnable, to
manifest outwardly, by simplicity and temperance, by
praying and fasting, that we also endeavor to overcome
the lust of the world within, and thus show, by our
works, the nature of our faith ? It is, apart from this,
7

146 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

lamentable enough, that true Christianity has not yet
so thoroughly permeated the people, that in their
search after truth, they avoid all delusive appearances,
and that piety rather than learning may be pretended.
But most painful of all is the circumstance that min-
isters, instead of uniting in mutual love and mild for-
bearance, in the one thing needful, should bear enmity
toward each other, and thus bring the sanctuary of the
people, I mean the Christian faith, into such bad
repute."

" What do you intend to do ?" asked the Elector.

" What I have hitherto done — courageously perse-
vere," replied Spener, " and unremittingly continue
what I, with the help of God, have begun. My main
efforts are specially directed towards correcting the
abuses that have crept into the ministry, and towards
gradually restoring the office, as far as I can do so,
by precept and example, to that original purity and
sanctity which the Lord enjoined and upon which
its success mainly depends. Then see to it, that the
students in our universities are led more and more
to the study of the Bible, and the cultivation of true
godliness, instead of either applying themselves to
subjects which will eventually prove of but little
advantage to them in the ministry, and entangle them
only in scholastic trifles and subtleties ; or by leading
an ungodly life, render themselves unfit for the prepar-
ation of the Holy Spirit, who alone forms the true
theologian."

"Are you," asked the Elector, as if these remarks
had recalled a question previously meditated, "are you
acquainted with a certain Master Nullenbrecher ? He

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR.

147

has been represented to us as an able and learned can-
didatus, and we should have been pleased if you had
appointed him pastor of Altleben."

"If," replied Spener, "your Electoral Highness
command such to the Consistory, it will and must be
done."

" What have you against this candidate?" asked the
Elector, somewhat testily.

" So far as I know him," replied Spener, " which is,
at most, but slightly, I cannot withhold from him the
testimony of being a learned theologian, as our time
makes them. Yet, in a country pastor, who is to in-
struct his people not so much in learning as in true
godliness, in which he is at the same time to show
them a good example, something further is requisite,
which Master Nullenbrecher does not yet seem to
possess, namely, a pious heart, free from the lust of
this world, a sincere love for the pastoral office, and,
above all, an humble modesty, which does not boast
of its own strength, but which, in earnest prayer, asks,
and in believing confidence, expects, the blessing on
his office from the Lord. Besides, and your Electoral
Highness sees, that I have nothing to conceal; besides,
I was not very well pleased with the impetuous eager-
ness with which the candidate, in question, seeks, and
the means he employs, in gaining possession of Altle-
ben. I entertain the firmest conviction that the Lord
knows every one whom He intends to call to His ser-
vice, and that He will Himself call him, whenever his
time has come."

The Elector remained for a time in thoughtful silence,
then he rose from his chair, walked with folded arms

148 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

up and down, and said, rather to himself than to
Spener: "It is true the eagerness with which Lan-
gendorf presses the cause of his favorite, does not
altogether please me. A too vehement solicitation of
a spiritual office, does not always arise from the best
motives. Stay Doctor," he said, interrupting himself,
as Spener had respectfully risen from the chair, '* keep
your seat a little while longer ! We have still some-
thing to say to you. Do you know our worthy knight,
Langendorf?"

" But slightly, my gracious sovereign," replied Spener.

" Have you any recollection," continued the Elector,
"of ever having personally offended him ?"

" None in the least," assured the court-chaplain.
" I even believe that we have never so much as spoken
to each other."

" Incomprehensible !" said the Elector. " We are
really truly sorry that you, dear Doctor, have so few
friends among our courtiers. Can you not assign us a
reason for this ?"

Spener looked thoughtful for a moment, as if in
doubt whether he might venture an open and honest
reply. Then quickly collecting himself, he said:
"Your Electoral Highness has ever been gracious to
me beyond my deservings. This emboldens me also
in this instance, to open my heart to you fearlessly and
without reserve."

" Ay, how else. Doctor ?" said the Elector, with a
smile, such as he rarely gave, but which apparently
proceeded from pure kindliness. "I have often enough
permitted you to look into my heart; why should you
not also permit me to look into yours ?" And with

-^^^-,^'7:N^C.-y-i^>^

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR.

149

this he again resumed his seat, crossed his legs so
vigorously, that his golden spurs clattered, and re-
garded the Doctor with a look of unfeigned affection.
" Well, my gracious sovereign," now began Spener,
in an easy and pleasant manner. " John says, ' Love
not the world, neither the things that are in the world. \
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is \
not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of '
the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.' These
words, your Electoral Highness, explain why the King-
dom of God, and such as proclaim it, are in conflict
with the children of this world. The world loves 1
sensual enjoyment, and that not merely as a means of /
temporary recreation and repose, but as the object of /
the whole of this earthly life; but the Kingdom of God!
enjoins self-denial and abstinence, and requires thej
heart to raise itself above all sensual desires, and to,
become more and more convinced of the wretchedness >
of all temporal enjoyments. The eyes of the children
of this world delight most in the pomp, magnificence,
and glory of this earth, and love to feast upon what-
ever excites and promotes sensual enjoyment, and take
the poison of damnation into the heart, which was
designed only for a temple of the Holy Ghost. But
the Kingdom of God requires that our eyes should
look to His ways and righteousness. Oiir bodily eyes
are to make the beginning, by lifting themselves up to
heaven, so that our spiritual eyes may find their way
thither with the greater certainty. The Christian is to
have God and His Word always before his eyes, and
in his heart; but the world finds this injunction uncom-

I^o PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

/Tortable, tedious, and troublesome. All pride is an
abomination in the sight of the Lord, for that which
engenders and promotes our pride, belongs only to
earth, and is dust and ashes ; and even the pride and
self-conceit of our wisdom refer merely to an earthly
good; for true wisdom is the fear of the Lord, which
ever consists in humility and the believing subjection
of our own wisdom and will to the wisdom and will
of God the Father, as Christ has revealed it to us. Is
it then to be wondered at, your Electoral Highness,
that the ministers of the Word of God give offence to
the children of this world? We assail them at their
most sensitive point; we wish to deprive them of the
very things they hold most dear; we inflict just such
wounds upon them as will either never heal at all, or
only with difficulty, because they despise the balm
offered them in the Word of God! If I were told
that all the world applauded me and my preaching, I
would ask myself, with fear and trembling. Are you
then such a vacillating reed, that you are tossed to and
fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by
the sleight of men and cunning craftiness ? and then,
if this were so, I would not be worthy to be called a
servant of Christ. Or I would say to myself, What a
miracle ! Have all men suddenly become godly ?
Since, however, neither is the case, these evil reports
concerning me are my consolation and my joy. For
I regard them as an evidence that I teach the way of
the Lord aright."

The Elector had attentively listened; but his counte-
nance assumed a frowning look when he rejoined by
saying, "According to this, then, you require a man to
lay aside all that is human. How is this possible ?"

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR. jci

" Oh, no, my gracious sovereign," replied the court-
chaplain, with unruffled cheerfulness ; " that would, of
course, not be possible. We are so utterly dependent
on the world for all our wants ; yea, even for our moral
improvement, that we cannot do without it. But, your
Electoral Highness, it concerns the dominion of the
spirit over the body; it concerns that faith which over-
comes the world ; it concerns a struggling and battling
for freedom from that which would bring us under
subjection to the lust of this world. The world with
its pleasures is to serve us, wherever it is necessary
for the preservation and invigoration of our physical
life ; but we are not to be slaves to lust, that it may
control us. A pure heart is full of exceeding great
joy."

The Elector gazed for a time fixedly at his confessbf,
as if to assure himself whether he was in earnest, or as
if himself had not yet determined whether or not to
agree with him. He unmistakably considered the
words in his heart, but was at a loss what to reply to
them, when, all at once, his eyes fell upon the glitter-
ing coat-of-arms, ornamented with gold, which stood
in a corner of the room, and glad to have found an-
other subject for conversation, he quickly asked, in
almost a commanding tone, "What is your opinion
about war. Doctor ?"

Spener was taken by surprise. The frowning look
of the Elector had not escaped him, and he knew well
that his spiritual son was somewhat passionately fond
of war. As his conscience, however, did not accuse
him of any dereliction of duty or respect, he quickly
rallied, and replied, boldly and unembarrassed, as one

152 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

who, knowing himself engaged in the service of his
Lord, also feels assured of His protection and aid,
" Your Electoral Highness knows that I am a servant
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which proclaims peace,
and has only one law, the law of love toward all men.
I, therefore, cannot be a panegyrist of war. Since,
however, God, in His wisdom, permits such bloody con-
flicts, since the history of nations and states teaches me
that war is often unavoidable, and since it may even be
a work of love, correction, order and righteousness, I
humbly bow to the inscrutable will of my God, assured
that also wars belong to the ways of that Providence,
by which He conducts men to Himself. My gracious
/ sovereign, as long as the individual kingdoms in this
^ world do not constitute the one real and true kingdom
of God on earth, the sword of justice will have to
govern, instead of the word of love ; and so long will
there be, both in Church and State, a different road to
{ human greatness. The warrior, the prince, becomes
' great through the consciousness of his power, with
which he knows how to guide the reins of govern-
ment, hold nations in subjection, and establish, pro-
,' mote and secure national prosperity. The prince be-
comes great through the wisdom and courage with
which he wards off and overcomes the dangers that
threaten his realm, and curbs troublesome neighbors,
i With the Christian, it is, of course, different. The
' Christian becomes great through the consciousness of
his weakness and unworthiness before God, which con-
tinually urges him to go on unto perfection, that he
may abound more and more in the grace of God. The
i Christian becomes great in his humility and faith, with

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR. 153

which he knows how to endure tribulation and an-
guish ; he becomes great through his subjection to the
will of Him, who is able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think. Both, however, the
greatness of the prince and of the Christian, must be-
come one; and the beginning of this is already to be
found in the circumstance that the warrior, after he
has gained a victory, throws himself upon his knees,
and exclaims, ' Not unto me, O Lord ! not unto me, but
unto Thy name give praise and honor !' "

When Spener, in his enthusiasm, almost forgetting
where he was, here concluded, the Elector arose,
crossed his arms, and, lost in thought, began again to
walk back and forth. Spener, regarding it as impolite
to retain his seat, arose also ; but the Elector again
called to him, "Stay, Doctor; keep your seat; we
may have something more to ask you."

Spener obeyed, and waited respectfully for his sov-
ereign to resume the discourse. Several minutes,
however, elapsed, during which the Elector continued
his walk in silence, yet with a significant working of fiis
countenance. At length he stopped before his con-
fessor, and said, " What is your opinion about dancing^
and theatrical performances?"

The Doctor was startled. He remembered that
these very amusements were to come off at the castle
in the evening; and he had, moreover, been informed
that the Elector always heartily enjoyed them. When
he, therefore, hesitated with his answer, the Elector
continued, with some bitterness in his tone, " Well,
Doctor, you hesitate to give us an answer. It seems
to us that you have, thus far, maintained your cause
pretty courageously,"
7*

154 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

\J

"It would sorely grieve me," replied the confessor,
whom the ill humor of the Elector had not escaped,
" if your Electoral Highness had taken offence at my,
it may be, awkward frankness. Though the most
humble, I am, nevertheless, a faithful servant of your
Electoral Highness, and God, the Searcher of hearts,
knows that I never lift up my heart to Him in prayer,
without asking Him to exercise protection and care
over your Electoral Highness."

"I know it. Doctor," replied the prince, in a milder
and kindlier tone, " and I thank you for dealing hon-
estly and uprightly with me, which may not be the
case with all about me. But give me an answer to my
question."

"It would be wrong," continued the court-chaplain,
"yea, even contrary to the expressed will of God and
the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, if Christians
were to regard every innocent amusement as sinful.
But the mistake lies in the fact, that there is scarcely
an innocent amusement which does not also at the
same time awaken impure thoughts and feelings.
Dancing and theatrical performances are in themselves
harmless and indifferent things, and Solomon even
classes among honorable things, which have their time,
the exercise of dancing. Yet, when we reflect how
the preparations for such thmgs enslave the heart and
and mind, days, and even months before, so that, dur-
ing all this time, the pleasure in the word of God must
utterly give way to the lust of the world ; when we
reflect how even the enjoyment of these pleasures
almost always transcends the limits of a pure, innocent
cheerfulness of the heart, and how at such times only

THE ELECTOR AND HIS CONFESSOR.

155

sensual and impure thoughts take possession of the
human breast ; if we reflect, especially, how afterwards
the remembrance of these pleasures occupies heart,
mind and sense so exclusively, that godliness can find
no entrance, and that thus weeks, and even months
pass by, during which, among the great majority of
men, the thoughts about their heavenly calling, about
repentance and amendment, and the building up of the
kingdom of heaven within them, are entirely neglected ;
and if, in addition to all this, we call to mind the dec-
laration of Scripture, that we shall give an account for
every unprofitable word, we might well hesitate in
regarding such amusements as harmless and indifferent."

The Elector, who had hitherto walked back and
forth with some rapidity, paused when Spener had
ended, stood before him and Ipoked him steadily in
the eye; and when he saw the earnest dignity with
which the frank confessor endured the look of his
sovereign, he seized a silver bell upon the table, and
gave it a loud and violent ring. Herr von Langendorf
entered and bowed to the Elector in the most graceful
and obsequious manner.

"The dance and theatrical performance, which were
to have taken place to-day," said the Elector to him,
distinctly, " are herewith forbidden, and you will take
care that it becomes speedily known."

"Your Electoral Highness!" replied the courtier, in
the greatest amazement.

"What mean you?" haughtily demanded the prince.
" Do what we command you."

The knight bowed obedience, and silently, and with
a sinister scowl at the court-chaplain, left the room.

156 PHI LIP P JACOB SPENER.

" Now, my good Doctor, you may go," said the
Elector to Spener, in a tone of unusual kindness; "go,
and accept our thanks ! Are you satisfied with us ?"

" My most kind and gracious sovereign," replied
Spener, whilst his countenance was lit up with a
happy joy, " God protect and keep your Electoral
Highness ! Oh, Solomon, how deeply do I feel the
truth of thy declaration : ' Blessed art thou, O land,
when thy king is the son of nobles !' "

"And I," said John George, " will add : ' Blessed art
thou, O king, when thy servants are faithful and noble !'
Now go, and may God be with you !" He waved his
hand kindly, and Spener left the Electoral apartment
in blissful satisfaction.

As he traversed the passages and apartments, he ex-
perienced, from all whom he met, slights which bor-
dered on scorn and contempt ; for the sudden and
entirely unexpected interdict upon the amusements
which had been prepared for that evening, ran through
the castle like a flash of lightning, threatening to burst
upon him who had been the more immediate cause of
this dire misfortune ; but the peace of God richly com-
pensated him for every insult.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE.

" They died for fear, denying that they saw the air, which could of
no side be avoided; for wickedness, condemned by her own witness,
is very timorous, and, being pressed with conscience, always forecasteth
grievous things; for fear is nothing else but a betraying of the succors
which reason offereth." — IVisd. of Solomoti, xvii : 10-13.

WE return again to the house of Mr. Guldenmeyer,
where was in progress an event of which few
had even the remotest suspicion.

During the afternoon of one of the following days,
there might have been seen a man entering the city
by the Pirna gate, who by his earnest look, his bowed
head, and by his arms crossed behind his back, could
easily have been recognized as Petermann, the Lock-
witz school-master. When he had arrived at the house
of the goldsmith, he stood still, gazed thoughtfully
and irresolutely through the open door, and then con-
tinued his way about twenty paces further on, then
turned suddenly about again, and walked into the
house he had just passed. Upon entering the lower
room, he found the goldsmith alo-ne, who, with a
gloomy air, seated in his arm-chair, with his head
resting upon the palm of his hand, started with sur-
prise when he beheld his unexpected visitor.

" God bless you," said Petermann, and, without wait-
ing for an invitation, took a chair near the window.

" You are welcome," replied the artisan, with a look
which did not appear to correspond with his words.

(157)

1^8 PIIILIPP JACOB SPENER.

" How comes it that you honor me with your visit on
this particular day ?"

Particular day!" repeated the schoolmaster. "It
seems to me you might say, with reference to every
day, 'particular day!' To-morrow neither of us might
be living; and, since I have something special to say
to you, this day appears as suitable as any. But, first
of all, I hear you have been sick : or are you still so ?"

" How did you hear of it ?" asked Guldenmeyer,
somewhat troubled.

" I yesterday," replied Petermann, in a careless tone,
"had a conversation with Mr. Bennhofer, who had ap-
pointed a certain day upon which you were to meet
him at court, and he informed me that you could not
keep the appointment, on account of sickness."

"Mr. Bennhofer," said the goldsmith, in a sullen and
scornful manner, " must be in extreme haste, to com-
municate to everybody what is not for every one to
know."

" But yet, perhaps, for me," continued Petermann,
with an ironical smile; but immediately added, in a
kindly manner, " Mr. Guldenmeyer, something troubles
you. Will you not confide it to me ? Perhaps I can
assist you, if not so much in deed, for you know that
I am a poor man, at least with advice ; and, if it were
nothing more than a forcible passage of Scripture, as,
for instance the words of Solomon, 'An inheritance
may be gotten hastily, but the end thereof shall not be
blessed ;' or something from Sirach, such as : ' Riches
are good unto him that hath no sin.'"

" What do you mean by this ?" angrily demanded
the goldsmith. " Think you that you are in your

THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE.

159

school-room at Lockwitz, or do you wish to convert
my house into a school-room ? If so, you had better
look out for another place, for I want none of your
wisdom."

" It is not my wisdom I bring you," quietly replied
Petermann. " It is the wisdom of a book, to which
you seem to have become somewhat of a stranger. I
mean the holy Scriptures."

Guldenmeyer passionately arose from his chair, and
exclaimed, " If you have come to make a pietist of me,
then you may return again some other time."

"Just so," added the school-master; "precisely what
Felix, the Tetrarch, said to the Apostle Paul : ' Go thy
way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I
will call for thee.' However, rest easy, my old friend;
you are already aware that I do not so easily permit
myself to be frightened. We have been acquainted
with each other for more than thirty years, and know
precisely how we stand, though we have not met for
more than ten years, if we except the last few weeks.
You already know why. And what you say about the
pietists, I will willingly pardon you, for the reason that
you are utterly ignorant of what a pietist is."

" Nor do I entertain the least desire to find it out,"
replied the goldsmith, as he resumed his seat.

Petermann now seated himself a little more comfort-
ably on his chair, crossed his legs and arms, and said,
with cold composure, "If you have no objection, I will
relate to you an incident, which occurred some thirty
years ago," and, without waiting for a reply, continued:
" Well, then, about thirty years ago, there lived in a
certain capital of our holy Roman German empire, a

l6o PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

maiden, by name — well, I will call her Beata; for so,
at least, I now call her in my heart, trusting in the
mercy of God. This maiden was the child of pious
parents, and, as wealth and piety are not very frequently
found together, also the child of poor parents. This
maiden, morever, had a brother, whose name was An-
drew, just like my own, and these two children were
their parents' only treasure. The maiden was healthy
and vigorous in body and mind, had black hair and
black eyes, and grew up in the fear and admonition of
the Lord. She had already attained her twentieth
year, without knowing that there are men on earth
who speak and act differently from what they think
and feel."

" You can save yourself the trouble of relating your
story," interrupted Guldenmeyer, in a scornful tone.
" It is the same old story, which you have already
more than once repeated to me."

" Indeed ?" asked Petermann. " Well, that must
have been more than ten years ago; for it is this long
since we two have met to have a talk. However, I
will repeat the story, with a few additions and new
expressions, that it may appear to you as new, Beata
was, as I said, twenty years of age, and with a face so
beautiful, that, whenever she went to church, which
she did oftener and far more willingly than her brother,
both old and young delighted to gaze at her, and
would say, ' What a lovely child is Beata !' So it
happened, at a certain time, that her brother Andrew,
in a company of jovial fellows, met and became
acquainted with a young man, by name — yes, I will
call him Sigismund; for he could talk like a book, and

THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE. jgj

always came off victorious with his tongue in the
presence of young maidens. I say, with his tongue;
for his heart knew nothing of it."

"I do not wish to hear your story," again inter-
rupted the artisan, more violently than before, and
rising from his chair. " I have something more
important to think about and do just now, than listen
to your old women's gossip."

"Old women's gossip!" exclaimed Petermann, with
earnestness. " God preserve you from this old women's
gossip rising up in judgment against you, so that you
will have no excuse. As God liveth, you shall listen
to my story."

And without hesitation the schoolmaster continued,
"But this young fellow, Sigismund, was the son of
rich parents, dressed splendidly, and drew upon him-
self the eyes even of the daughters of the opulent and
noble. One day he told Andrew, that he loved his
sister Beata above all others, and, as his parents urged
him to find himself a wife, he had determined to take
Miss Beata. Hereupon, Andrew went to his sister, and
asked her whether she would unite herself in marriage
with young Sigismund ? To which she answered,
" Yes," for she was sincerely attached to him, and felt
the more happy because she had never supposed that
such a rich citizen's son could give his heart to so poor
a maiden. Andrew then introduced young Sigismund
to his sister (for these two had lost both their parents,
and were orphaned and forsaken,) and, joining their
hands together, said, 'Be happy, and God be with
you.' "

Here Petermann paused and drew his hand across

1 62 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

his eyes. This the goldsmith noticed with dark and
troubled glances, and put on an evidently forced look
of disdain, like one who endeavors to beat down, in his
own heart, some rising emotion with the weapons of
irony. At length he turned his back upon the school-
master, and muttered to himself, " It v/as not my fault
that it turned out differently."

Petermann most likely did not hear this ; for he
continued as though uninterrupted, "For some time,
these two affianced young people lived exceedingly
happy. Sigismund could scarcely pass a day, without
seeing his bride, and Beata assured her brother Andrew,
almost daily, that her happiness was too great to last
long. And she was right. Sigismund was a very
skillful goldsmith, and was, according to the wishes of
his parents, to set up for himself He, however,
declined for the present, on the ground of desiring
first to spend a year at Augsburg with the. celebrated
Dullinger, for the purpose of perfecting himself still
further in his art. This he did. Sigismund took
leave of his bride, and said, in parting, ' As surely as
I hope that God will not forsake me, so surely will I
also not forsake you.' "

"That is not true," Guldenmeyer protested vehe-
mently, but immediately added, in a calmer tone, " and,
even if true, it is no fault of mine."

" What do yo7i know about this story .?" asked
Petermann, in a tone of melancholy bitterness. " I
promised you that I would relate it with new chosen
expressions. Wait, therefore, till I have done. Sigis-
mund went to Augsburg, whence he soon despatched
a very tender letter to his bride. The second letter

THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE.

163

arrived only after an interval of two months, from
which it was evident that the tender feelings of the
writer were tending somewhat toward the freezing-
point. Three months after this, the third letter came
to hand, and in this Sigismund wrote, ' I am extremely
sorry that I can no longer cherish the same tender
love for Beata that I did before. This must doubtless
be owing to the fact of our separation, and as besides
my parents have given their consent only with great
reluctance to our marriage, and since I, as a dutiful
and obedient son, feel exceedingly anxious to enter
that niost important relation with the blessing of my
parents, (for the blessing of the father establisheth the
houses of children, but the curse of the mother rooteth
out foundations,) and since it is still time to make a
change, I thank Beata sincerely for the great confi-
dence she has reposed in me, and wish, with all my
heart, that it may ever fare well with her. My engage-
ment ring I return enclosed to her ; whilst she, if such
will afford her any pleasure, may retain the one she
received from me, and wear it for my sake."

" You lie !" exclaimed the goldsmith, in an unmis-
takable rage, " your pietistical tongue perverts every-
thing."

" Guldenmeyer !" exclaimed the schoolmaster in a
loud voice, at the same time drawing forth from his
pocket-book a soiled and shabby-looking letter, " do
you know this letter, and the hand that penned it ? and
this ring, which I have myself attached to this letter
in affectionate remembrance of her ?"

The goldsmith turned pale at the sight of such wit-
nesses, and said with an insolent, but by no means

164 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

steady look : " I have not dishonored her. Had she
not degraded herself, my love would have returned to
her."

" Slanderer !" cried Petermann, scarcely able to con-
tain himself. "God will judge betwixt you and her."
And then, his anger suddenly giving way, whilst glist-
ening tears gushed from his eyes, he looked up, and
extending his hands toward heaven, solemnly said:
" Sainted sister, thou art beyond the reach of the igno-
miny and shame of this world. God has more merci-
fully judged thee than this man's callous heart."

Guldenmeyer cast an angry look at his visitor, rose
from his chair, went toward the door, and said : "If you
like, sir schoolmaster, to occupy my room, you are
perfectly welcome to do so ; as for myself, I have other
affairs requiring my attention."

But Petermann sprung from his chair, seized the gold-
smith as with the arm of a giant, and said : " Gulden-
meyer, you know the strength of this arm ! I bid you
stay, and as God lives, you shall sidiy. You must hear
my story to the end." And he drew him back to his
chair with his strong hand, and, with calm composure,
resumed : " Sigismund after a few years returned, and
in two months betrothed himself to the very handsome
daughter of the wealthy Mr.* Hammerlin. That was
an occasion of great hilarity and joy. The trumpets
sounded, as if the wedding was already in progress,
though owing to certain difficulties, it did not take
place, as you are aware, until two years later. But on
the self-same day, on which the parents of the newly
affianced pair sat in consultation as to the amount of
the dowry their children were respectively to receive, a

THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE.

165

few peasants brought to the city a young girl whom
they had found sitting under a tree upon the open heath,
returning not a single answer to all their questions, but
persistently engaged in shifting a gold ring from one
finger to another. They had taken pity on her, and
brought her to the city, where they soon discovered
that her brother's name was Andrew. He took his
sister to his home, and asked her, ' Dear Sister, why
are you so haggard and pale, and why do you act as
if you no longer knew your brother?' She, however,
made him no answer, but continued shifting her gold
ring from one finger to another. Then Andrew knew
that his sister had lost her reason."

With these words Petermann's voice became faint
and trembling; he bowed his head upon his breast
and wept bitterly. Guldenmeyer sat as if riveted to
his chair; it seemed, indeed, once or twice, as if he
wanted to get up and go away, but he had not the
courage, and said to himself, with a frown : " If I have
done a wrong, I have made amends a thousand times."

The schoolmaster composed himself again, and con-
tinued : "After this, Andrew did not leave his sister
day or night; for, beside him, she had not a soul on
earth who cared for her. And when Andrew had oc-
casion to go abroad, he would lock the door and leave
his sister alone. But on a certain day, when suddenly
summoned before the court-physician. Dr. Burger, he
forgot to lock the door, and when he returned he
found his sister gone. He tore his hair, sent out
messengers, and ran about in every direction like one
distracted; but all in vain. Andrew mourned her as
dead. He indulged in bitter self-reproaches, and grief

1 56 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

nearly broke his heart. Alas ! why was she not dead ?
Nearly a month after, some peasants brought again to
the city a young maiden whom they had found wan-
dering alone and forlorn through the forest. She was
Andrew's sister. The brother asked her where she
had been so long, but she was silent as before, and
shifted, as before, her golden ring from one finger to
another. Some months after this she died, after having
first given birth to a boy; and on the day of her burial
the shrill blast of the trumpet sounded loud and long,
for young Sigismund celebrated his wedding with the
beautiful daughter of the wealthy Mr. Hammerlin."

"Are you done?" asked the goldsmith, attempting
a scornful smile. "And what is the purpose of this
old story ? That I was in no way implicated in the
degradation of your sister, the whole city bears me
witness. Should, however, as you give me to under-
stand, any guilt attach to me on account of this dread-
ful thing having come to pass, I can only say that I
have already made amends. I took your sister's son
when he was still a babe ; took him as if he were my
own child, and forbade all, under a severe penalty, to
tell him that he was not my son; and he does not
know it to this day, nor will he ever know it. For
you yourself made the proposition to me, in order, as
you expressed it, that the child might not be disgraced
by the memory of his mother. I consented, though
no one could have compelled me to it. I spent a
large amount of money on his education. I sent him
three years, at great expense, to Italy, and have done
much more for him than for my own child, my Eliza-
beth ; yea, I have done more than I was able, and I

THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE.

167

suffer greatly for it now. And still you are not satis-
fied ; still you rehash your old long-forgotten story,
and act as if I were greatly in your debt. It is you
who are George's uncle, his mother's brother; he is
your sister's child, and not mine."

" How much have you done, Mr. Sigismund Gul-
denmeyer," said Petermann, with cold irony, " more
than you owed ? You deceived, with your pretended
love, a poor but virtuous girl. You cast her off with-
out cause or provocation; you broke her heart and
drove her to madness. You are to blame that, in her
madness, she became the victim of a miscreant. You
are the cause of her untimely death, stained with igno-
miny and shame ! All this is, of course, very little in
comparison to the large amount of money which you
have spent for George's education, or rather for the
silencing of your evil conscience."

" It is now about time that you set bounds to your
venom !" exclaimed Guldenmeyer, in a violent passion.
" 1 will have nothing more to do with you."

" But I so much the more with you," continued
Petermann, with icy composure. " Softly, Mr. Sigis-
mund, I have still somewhat to tell you. Your daugh-
ter knows that George is not her brother "

" Who is the infamous betrayer ?" quickly inter-
rupted Guldenmeyer.

" I," quietly replied George's uncle ; " and I had my
good reasons for doing it ; and I, moreover, tell you
that you will not give your daughter in marriage to
Master Nullenbrecher."

The goldsmith smiled ironically and said, " Mr.
Schoolmaster, the loss of reason is doubtless an hered-
itary' malady in your family."

1 68 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

These words affected Petermann like an electric
shock. It seemed as if some wonder-working agent
had suddenly deprived him of his former boldness. He
cast a mournful look upon the goldsmith, drew' his
trembling hand across his brow and eyes, and then let
it fall as if powerless. A shade of deep melancholy
overspread his countenance, and in a painful tone of
entreaty, which indicated plainly that the memory of
his unfortunate sister, so suddenly awakened in his
mind, reverted upon his own soul with a crushing
weight, he said almost with the piteous persuasion of a
little child, " Mr. Guldenmeyer, I have still something
to communicate to you. I know your daughter Eliza-
beth loves my sainted sister's son with all the fervor of
her heart, and George does not yet even suspect that
his love to her arises from a different cause than that
of being her brother. You will make two beings
happy, if you will give your blessing to their union ;
yea, I venture to add that, by placing the hand of her
son into that of your daughter, you will cancel the last
debt you owe to my sainted sister. Will you do it,
Guldenmeyer?"

However bitter the sorrow, and pathetic the plead-
ing, which these words expressed, they produced upon
Guldenmeyer the very opposite effect from that which
had been intended. For no sooner had he noticed that
Petermann resorted to entreaty, than he felt himself
released from the shackles of fear which that powerful
man had thrown around him, and perceived with ill-
concealed joy the advantage he had gained over him.
This inspired him with courage to abide by what had
long been his darling wish, and to accomplish which

THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE.

169

he had already made so many sacrifices. " Never," he
rephed, in a firmer and more decided manner than be-
fore, "as long as I live! And if my child desires to
bear her father's curse to all eternity, she may do it
after my death."

" Guldenmeyer," replied the schoolmaster, in the
same tone of pathetic entreaty, " let me impart to you
yet another secret. Do you know who George's
father is ?"

"No !" sullenly replied the goldsmith.

"Well, then, listen," continued Petermann. "About
ten years ago there came to me late one night, from a
certain village distant about two leagues from this city,
a messenger with the request that I would come in-
stantly to the bed of a dying man. I went. The dying
man, amid a flood of tears, confessed himself to me to
be George's father, and asked me, by the mercy of God,
to pardon him in the name of my sister — that he could
not die without forgiveness. In great agony I did as
he requested, and in an hour after the poor wretch was
a corpse. Do you know the man's name ? His name
was Langendorf, and his sons, who serve here as cour-
tiers, are George's brothers. Guldenmeyer, believe
me, if only this once ! You intend to give your
daughter in marriage to Master Nullenbrecher ; very
well ! But do you know that his cousin, the courtier,
meditates nothing less than to bring your daughter to
shame ? A Langendorf has dishonored and ruined my
sister, your once affianced bride ; can you suffer your
own child to become the victim of a Langendorf — you
who once loved the poor, unfortunate girl ? And this
will happen ; for Nullenbrecher is only the creature of

Ijro PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

this dishonorable knight, a man to whom nothing on
earth is sacred, save the letter of his deplorable con-
ceit."

" Spare your calumny!" rejoined the goldsmith, in the
consciousness of the advantage he had gained, " Your
motives are too transparent not to be penetrated. My
child must obey inc, and no one else ! This is my prin-
ciple, Mr. Schoolmaster."

Petermann writhed as if under the influence of
a spasm ; but he suppressed his anger, and pro-
ceeded calmly and beseechingly : " Mr. Guldenmeyer,
I know what it is that just now so much op-
presses you. Since the death of your sainted wife,
your domestic affairs have not appeared to prosper, or
rather they have taken such a turn that you are no
longer the rich goldsmith you once were. I know
that you are sorely pressed by your creditors, and that
Mr. Bennhofer, especially, who would like to possess
your house, has, for that reason, taken out a summons
against you. If he persist, the rest of your creditors
will join him, and, in that case, there will be little left
to you, except your cane, with which alone it is not
quite so easy to get through the world, especially in
your old days. Guldenmycr, do not reject the hand
which would save you — do not reject me. I have,
with many a drop of sweat, acquired and saved a little
money, and besides received, a few days ago, a small
legacy from my aunt; I have not told any one, but I
tell you, that I possess five thousand dollars. Accept
it from me, and with it save your name and reputation
from disgrace, and fulfil my last and greatest wish on
earth, by making two beings happy with your blessing."

THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE.

171

The goldsmith presented, during this unexpected
speech, an image of the most contradictory emotions :
vexation and joy, rage and hope, shame and fear and
pride, were expressed alternately in his features and
motions. The better spirit had once more seized
upon his soul, but it did not conquer. False shame,
as well as false pride, gained the victory, and he replied
scornfully and with derision : " How cunning you are,
Mr. Schoolmaster. You seem to know all about my
circumstances, and have certainly ferreted them out
in a masterly manner. But you have, nevertheless,
miscalculated ! Miserable trafficker in souls ! You want
to buy my child of me ! And for whom ? For a boy
who has brought me so far down that I have ceased
to be called the rich goldsmith ; whom, in an evil
hour, and moved by pity, I took into my house ; who,
for a long time, brought me a bad name, not only with
my sainted wife, but also with my friends and acquaint-
ances, because they supposed him to be my own son ;
and who, for the last twenty years, has marred my
domestic peace ! Fool that I was, and blind ! Only
now I see what an enemy I have been to myself, by
nursing a viper in my bosom! I tell you, I hate the
fellow from the very bottom of my soul! He shall
leave my house this very day ! Take him with you ;
he has, as to my great joy I have lately been informed,
splendid talents for a pietist, and could, consequently,
not do better than to place himself under your instruc-
tion, in which position he would learn how to traffic
in souls. Yes, shame on me, that I was blind enough
to conceal the dishonor of a wanton ! Take him
along with you forthwith, your apprentice and protege,
the offspring of a vile woman."

1^2 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

Petermann stood as though petrified; his whole
body then trembled, his hands moved in undetermined
rage ; a strong temptation came over him. But the
good Spirit of the Lord touched his heart. Down his
pale cheeks, fiarrowed with pain and grief, coursed a
tear of the deepest anguish. He turned his eyes
upward, folded his hands and said : " Father, forgive
us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass
against us," and then passed slowly out of the room.

CHAPTER IX,

THE MORTAL WOOING.

"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto
thyself wrath against the day of wrath." — Rom. ii. 5.

SHORTLY after the above incident, we again meet
the worthy Master Nullenbrecher in the house of
the goldsmith. Something must have greatly vexed
him, for he looked gloomy and reserved as he walked
along Pirna street from the new market. He had
passed many of his acquaintances without either salut-
ing them or returning their salutations, described, with
his long arms and bony fingers, all manner of strange
figures in the air, and forgotten to notice even that the
silver buckles of his elegant shoes were thickly cov-
ered with dust and dirt. Without a word of greeting
he entered the room of his future father-in-law, ex-
claiming, " Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hyp-
ocrites; for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against
men ; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye
them that are entering to go in" (Matthew xxiii. verse
1 3) ; and with this he walked, in great excitement, up
and down the room.

" What mean you by this ?" asked the goldsmith,
not just in the most courteous manner. " I pray you.
Master, deal somewhat gently with me to-day, by
reason of my head being already somewhat heated."

" Only think," continued Nullenbrecher, without
paying particular attention to the other's request,

(173)

174 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

" only think, Mr. Guldenmeyer, my plans have fallen
through. My hope has become like a spider's web,
beth acabisdi, as may be read in Job. But woe to the
rebellious children, that take counsel, but not of me,
and that cover with a covering, but not of my Spirit,
that they may add sin to sin, as saith Isaiah, chapter

XXX."

"Of whom do you speak?" asked the goldsmith, in
a harsh and angry tone. " Of whom, if you will con-
descend to explain yourself a little intelligibly — "

" Of whom ?" repeated the Master. " Of whom ?
There is only one in the city who adds sin to sin. I
speak of that pietist, kaf exochin ; of the patriarch of
the pietists."

"I plainly perceive," rudely exclaimed Guldenmeyer,
"you are determined to keep your great secret to
yourself, and I am sure I have no special desire to
know it." And, having said this, he made a motion
as if he intended to leave the room.

"Stay, Mr. Guldenmeyer, I pray you!" exclaimed
the Master, " and comfort me, if you can. Do you
know who has been preferred to me ? Do you wish
to know who ? One who is not worthy to unloose my
shoe-latchet ! But he possesses other important quali-
fications ; he wears no wig, he wears no embroidered
neckerchief, he wears no metal buckles on his shoes, but
prays daily seven times seven times, seventy times seven
times, as Matthew tells us. Stay, Mr. Guldenmeyer, I
beseech you," he continued, when he perceived that
the goldsmith was angrily turning away from him.
" Give me this one comfort ; for you must know that
Rothner, that contemptible Rothner, the pietistic

THE MORTAL WOOING.

175

amanuensis of the pietistic chief, the soft, smooth gen-
tleman, with the unembroidered neckerchief and the
long fair hair, has become pastor of Altleben; and I —
I, who in Grczcis et Latinis, in He braids et Chaldaicis —
I ; no, Guldenmeyer, Have you no consolation for
me ?"

" Is that it ?" exclaimed the goldsmith, drawing sev-
eral steps nearer. " You are, then, not going to Alt-
leben, and can, consequently, not yet get married.
That is bad, very bad, just now; beyond all measure,
bad."

" Yea, verily bad," added the Master, who did not
comprehend in what sense the artisan meant it. " Bad
for me, bad for your daughter ; but worst of all, bad
for the church. What is there to hope for the victory
over the apocalyptical beast, what for the lustre of
Protestant learning, if such canting weaklings are to
feed Christ's flock? And all this through that man,
who, himself a barbarus in Uteris, should have become
a schoolmaster, and not a court-chaplain. Oh, have
you nothing to say that can soothe me, dear Gulden-
meyer ?"

" I should think," rejoined the artisan, with a short
and bitter smile, " that all this was already sufficiently
sedative, both for you and me." He paced up and
down the room, with his hand to his brow, and said,
rather to himself, "Just to-day, just now; but — should
it cost me my life, I will not yield !" Then, suddenly
assuming a cheerful look, he said to the Master, " Do
not let this affair trouble you too much. If it be not
to-day, it may be to-morrow ; that's my principle. And
since you have expressed a desire for something of the

1^6 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

nature of a sedative, I will tell you that I have still
something of a buzzing in my head — one of those
freaks to which one is apt to be subject. Only wait a
little ; we will soon drive out these unclean spirits."

"Dceviones inipiu^os, as is written in Luke, chapter
the fourth," the Master repeated.

But Guldenmeyer took from a shelf above the door
a large, heavy cooper-knife, and said, " This time I will
go myself I have, down there, still something, well
sealed and secured for a time of need, that shall settle
both of us soundly." And he left the room.

Nullenbrecher, in the mean time, paced up and
down, and soliloquized, "What good have I now of all
my labor, my night-watchings, my sweat and my toil,
with which I have already cleaned and examined my
text and worked it up into a theme ? Could I have
selected a more appropriate text than that found in the
Prophet Jeremiah, 50th chapter, verses 22 and 23: ^A
sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.
Hozu is the hammer of the zvhole earth cut asunder and
broken ! How is Babylon become a desolation among tJu
nations f How forcibly, how pointedly, how poeti-
cally have I arranged the theme :

" ' The war-hammer, broken by the sound of bat-
tle, AGAIN RESTORED !'

"The sound of battle in the land, kol milchamah;
this is the clamor of the pietists in Saxonland ; baarez,
the great destruction, schdber gadol. Here I might
have shown how Luther has incorrectly translated; for
scJidber is fractio, syntribe, syntrimma, as also the Sep-
tuaguinta has rendered it; therefore the breach, which
this pietistic sect has caused in the Evangelical Church.

THE MORTAL WOOING.

177

And the war-hammer, patisch baarcz, this is the ham-
mer of learning, as may be seen from Jeremiah 23 : 'Is
not my word like as a fire, and like a Jiarnmer that
breaketh the rock in pieces ?' Which means Spener and
his whole sect, with their hypocrisy ! And, in the first
part, I would have raised the war-cry, and in the second,
shown clearly how the mighty war-hammer — I mean,
sancta theologia polemica — shall break all the wicked and
perverse in pieces. But now all is useless — defeat, in-
stead of victory. How long is the abomination of
desolation yet to last — bdelygma, as it is called in Mat-
thew ?"

The Master, who had here interrupted his learned
groans, and was pacing silently up and down, gesticu-
lating, however, with his arms, as if he were laying
about with the broken and again restored war-hammer,
was just in the act of resuming his homiletical solilo-
quy, when the goldsmith, holding in one hand the
cooper-knife, and in the other a large mug brimful,
re-entered, and exclaiming, " Now, my dear Master,
here is a sedative," placed the wine upon the table.

It requires, of course, no special mention, that the
Master interposed no very strong objection against this
invitation, nor that both were soon earnestly engaged
in alternately settling what had arisen in their respec-
tive hearts and consciences : in the heart of the Master,
vexation, anger, passion and rage, together with a tinct-
ure of resentment; in the conscience of the artisan, a
loud, uncomfortably disquieting voice, out of the long
past, transient penitence and persevering obstinacy.
Both these desperate drinkers persisted, amid conversa-
tion in which Guldenmeyer wisely abstained from let-
8*

178 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

ting his guest see the bottom of his heart as clearly as
he permitted him to see that of his glass, in the busi-
ness of solacing themselves, until they had nothing left
but an empty mug.

"Who knows," here remarked the goldsmith, ''when
it will ever again happen, that we two may have such
special cause to comfort our hearts with wine ? What
say you, Master, to taking another dose of this sedative,
which, as I perceive, seems so fully to meet your ap-
probation ? It may serve, perhaps, as a preventive
against future attacks."

" y^ajin simmach Icbav enosch" answered Nullen-
brecher, with a comfortable smile ; for the wine was
just about beginning to open the lid of his knowledge-
box; "which, being interpreted, means. Wine maketh
glad the heart of man."

" Never mind your learning to-day," exclaimed the
goldsmith. " I am, just now, calling to mind another
subject, which we will discuss as soon as I shall have
brought the second dose."

And, as he soon after returned with the newly-
replenished mug, he remained standing before his
learned guest, with an air of importance, and said,
" Master NuUenbrecher, my dearly beloved friend, and
especially highly esteemed son-in-law, it is true, the
very praise-worthy Consistory has left you in the lurch
this time, a circumstance which is not very agreeable
to me; but, that you may see that I am still as good as
my word, we will, nevertheless, if it prove otherwise
acceptable to you, celebrate this very day, yea, this
very moment, your betrothal. Are you agreed ?"

" Verily," replied NuUenbrecher, with a deep sigh,

THE MORTAL WOOING. • lyg

"what King Solomon says in his canticles, chapter //

fourth, concerning Christ's bride, even that does my
soul address in spirit to your daughter : ' Tii inihi cor
vulnerasti mea sororada sponsa! ' Thou hast ravished,'
as Luther renders it, ' Thou hast ravished my heart, my
sister, my spouse.' * Tii mihi cor vulnerasti altera ocel-
lorum tuorum, altera coinariim tucz cerviculoe! * Thou
hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with
one chain of thy neck.' Can there be any words bet-
ter suited to your daughter and myself than these ?
Yes, with one chain of her neck hath she ravished my
heart."

" It is a piece of my own workmanship," added the
goldsmith, flattered by the allusion. " My Elizabeth
has two neck-chains, and I would like to see the earl's
daughter who can show any finer. You shall see
directly."

And, leaving his guest in a state of uncertainty
whether he meant his daughter or her neck-chain, he
seized his well-known staff, and thumped with it
against the ceiling. Soon after the obedient daughter
entered, with great trepidation, as if she had a presen-
timent of what was about to happen.

" Tu Thirza formosior" exclaimed Nullenbrecher,
heated and emboldened by wine, " arnica mea. Thou
art beautiful, O my love, as Thirza, tu Hierosolyma
venustior ; comely as Jerusalem, as it is written in
Canticles, chapter 6th."

" Come nearer, my child," said the father, address-
ing her, as the poor girl stopped timidly near the
door. " Come nearer, Elizabeth, and pledge us in a
cj^lass."

l8o PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

" You know, dear father," she repHed, " that I never
drink wine."

"That is not right, my most honored Miss," said the
Master. " Know you not what the son of Sirach says,
in his 31st chapter: ^Qiiid est vita, si non est vinum?
What is Hfe without wine ?"

Without noticing him, Elizabeth turned to her
father, and said, in a tone of almost melancholy en-
treaty, " If you want nothing further with me, dear
father, permit me to retire. The house is open, and
brother George is absent; and beside, I have just now
something important to attend to."

"Ay, not as important as what I wish you to do

here," interrupted the father, less kindly than before.

" And you shall hear directly why you are to remain,

and what I expect you to do. However, that is, first

of all, your business. Master Nullenbrecher."

t Nullenbrecher understood the hint, and, excited and

( encouraged by love and wine, he arose from his chair,

1 coughed a little, and began, " Dearest, most charming

/ Miss Elizabeth, Solomon says: ' Hinnag, japhah

rajathi, Jiinnag japhali ! Einaig jojiini^ which means:

' Behold, thou art fair, my love ; behold, thou art fair !

Thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks.' The original

has only: 'Thy eyes are doves'; however — ' "

" Never mind that now," interrupted the artisan,
smiling. " You always forget that your learning is
sadly out of place with us. But what say you, my
daughter?"

The poor girl was so frightened, that she trembled.
She saw, only too plainly, what was about to be done.
She felt that her safety depended entirely upon candor

THE MORTAL WOOING.

I8l

and courage; and truly, as if wonderfully strengthened,
there came over her such a dignity and lofty bearing
as testified to the purity and firmness of her heart.
She replied, " Dear father, though the Master has not
yet actually declared what his intentions are, I cannot
but suppose that he wishes to have me for his wife."

"Right, my child," rejoined the father; "I am glad
that you have so readily discovered and unaffectedly
declared it."

But Nullenbrecher, joyfully rubbing his hands and
gazing fixedly at her, mumbled to himself: " Qualis
flos Saronius, what a rose of Sharon ! qualis rosa
vallium, what a lily of the valleys ! as is written in
Canticles second."

" Master Nullenbrecher !" exclaimed Elizabeth, turn-
ing full upon that gentleman, with the resoluteness of
a heart relying on divine assistance, " by asking my
hand in marriage, you confer upon me and our house
a great honor. But have you well considered what
you are doing? I am far too plain and ignorant to
make a suitable companion for you : you, whose great
learning I am far too simple and ignorant to appreciate,
and who look for honors and distinctions, which are as
becoming to a learned man as they are unbecoming to
a maiden like me. Believe me, God has not designed
us for each other."

The goldsmith regarded
greatest astonishment. Her
unexpected as. the firmness
usually so timid and obedient a daughter, expressed it.
He was, in fact, not prepared for such a reply. But
Nullenbrecher, assuming what he thought to be a win-

his daughter with the
refusal was to him as
with which Elizabeth.

/

1 82 PHI LIP P JACOB SPENER.

ning smile, said: "In one respect, you may be per-

/fectly correct, honored maiden. Solomon says, some-

) where, if I mistake not, in his Proverbs, Sapientia est

J hominibus incxhaustiis thesaiirus, wisdom is a treasure

] unto men that never faileth ; and further on, he says,

Juvenis per sapientiam apud vidgiis gloriam consequitiir,

a youth shall have for the sake of wisdom estimation

among the multitude — et apud seniores honorem, and

honor with the elders : all of which means, that a

young man, by virtue of his learning, is justly honored

both by old and young."

"And then," continued Elizabeth, laboring under the
delusion that the Master had fully conceded the point,
"then there is still something else which widely sepa-
rates us. I know that you are very unfavorably dis-
posed toward our most worthy court-chaplain — yes,
that you are even his enemy ; that you abuse him and
deny his having the true faith."
/ " He is a heterodoxus" interrupted the suitor. " A
" JieteTodoxiis, I say; to speak mildly, a pietist; yea, the
, chief and patriarch of the pietists, who denies the
' eternal punishment of hell, and insists only on good
works as a means of salvation, in direct opposition to
the Apostle Paul, who teaches that it is gained accord-
ing to Romans third — clioris ergoii nomou, which
means, without the works of the law."

" I do not understand you," replied the maiden,
calmly, yet firmly, and with flashing eyes, while the
father still continued sitting, as if spell-bound with
astonishment, before his glass. " You, Mr. Nullen-
brecher, hate Dr. Spener, and I love him; you regard
i him as an unbelieving Christian. I revere him as the

THE MORTAL WOOING. 1 83

most worthy servant of Christ our Lord in our city; /
you denounce him as one who creates discord and
strife among famihes and in the congregation, and I \
have for the first learned from him what a wonderful !
comfort the word of God brings to the heart. When ,
you pray — that is, if you pray at all — you remember '
him only as one who walks in the way of the ungodly ,
and erring, whilst I never pray to God without most \
heartily beseeching Him to protect, bless and preserve
the dear man in that way to heaven in which he leads
us. You, with your great learning, say No, where I, j
in the simplicity of my heart, say Yes. You go to
heaven to the right, and I to the left. How, then, is
it possible that our ways should, in this world, run
side by side? The Holy Bible says, 'Walk in one
faith and in one love! "

"You do not quote quite correctly, honored Miss,"
replied the scholarly suitor, who, in his learned faith,
was altogether forgetful of that which he endeavored
both to feel and teach. " You doubtless refer to what
is written in Ephesians fifth : peripateite en agape, walk
in love."

"And then," rejoined Elizabeth, without paying any
attention to his criticism, " there is still a third obsta-
cle between us ! Pardon me, for dealing so openly
and candidly with you ; but the question is, happiness
or misery, peace or anguish. I cannot now, nor will
I ever be able to love you."

Now, for the first time, Mr. Guldenmeyer found his
tongue. Inflamed by wine and the unexpected refusal
of his daughter, he hastily rose from his chair, and
said : " You cannot love the honored Master ! You

1 34 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

are insensible to his great learning ! You are insensi-
ble to the great honor, to be the wife of a man who is
a pillar in the church, whose mother was descended
from a right noble family, and who calls the most
distinguished knights his cousins ! Elizabeth, you
know me ! Are you aware of what I have power to
do?"

" Dearest father," replied the daughter, in a mild
and beseeching tone, yet with a serenity of counte-
nance which bore witness to the fearlessness of a heart
submissive to God, " if you command me to become
this man's wife, I shall obey you, and pray to God to
give me strength to bear, with Christian fortitude, the
loss of earthly happiness. But you will not do this ;
you cannot do this, dear father. You cannot make
your child, your only child, miserable ; and the Master
here, whose learning opens for him the door to nobler
houses than our own, will surely not press his suit with
a maiden who so frankly tells him that she can neither
now nor ever love him."

" You, my only child !" hissed the father, whilst
his eyes, made brighter by wine, flashed with rage.
"This, then, is the fruit of your secret meetings with
the schoolmaster of Lockwitz ! This is the breaking
out of the conspiracy against me ! Well, well, we
will see who, in this unnatural contest, carries off the
victory. You think I would or could not do it !
deceived, misguided child! I shall command you;
yea, I command you now ! Those who are blind must
be led, is my principle. Those who would deprive
themselves and theirs of honor and distinction, must
be compelled."

THE MORTAL WOOING. ig^

" I seek neither honor nor distinction," said the /
maiden, with undaunted courage, but yet in a respect-
ful and child-like tone, " I seek, dear father, a quiet,
simple domestic happiness, in which you, too, are to
have a share. I seek as much earthly felicity as man,
in this sinful and imperfect state, is able to attain. I
seek it in the spiritual oneness of two hearts, which
are sanctified by one pious faith. I seek a bosom-
friend, a true confidant of my inner and outer life.
But he who does not understand my heart, he who
ridicules my faith, and lays the impious hand of the
scornful' upon that which to me is most sacred, he
never, never can become my friend, my confidant."

"These are," the artisan added, with a contemptuous
look, " the fine fruits of your pietistic nonsense, which
you have learned of that court- chaplain. The Master
here is right. That man brings only discord and strife
into families with his new heresy. Elizabeth, once
more I ask you, will you become Master Nullen-
brecher's wife ?"

"Of my will I shall not," quickly and firmly replied ^
Elizabeth ; " but if you, my father, really determine to
force me to it by virtue of your paternal authority — ^
me, your own child, the legacy of your wife, my goody
sainted mother, then I shall do it; and God, in His
mercy, will give me strength to bear my misery as be-
comes a Christian."

"Ay, ay, honored maiden," said Nullenbrecher, with f
a look of offended pride, " you are not very difficilis in
your mode of expressing yourself Moreover, you do
not what Sirach says : Noli contemfiere quod diamt
sapie?ites, despise not the discourses of the wise. It

1 86 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

may be that, like your apostate teacher, you do not
care any thing about learning, and rather associate
with those who do nothing but pray, because they do
not know any thing else. And I should not be sur-
prised if you would not rather bestow your love as
exempli gratia upon the exceedingly pious and light-
haired servant of your beloved court-chaplain."

" If it were as you say," replied Elizabeth, with
a smile of noble pride, " I should certainly not con-
ceal it from you. I should be proud if such a
pious and worthy man would esteem me worthy of
his love and friendship. But you are mistaken, Mr.
Nullenbrecher. If you, however, mean to intimate
that my heart is no longer free, then you are perfectly
right. I belong here on earth only to one, whom God
Himself has made the possessor of my heart and life."

"What?" passionately exclaimed the goldsmith.
" You have disposed of your hand without my know-
ledge and consent? Shame on you, and a curse upon
the faithless child that would despise her father!"

" The blessing of the father establisheth the houses
of children, according to Sirach third," added Nullen-
brecher. But Elizabeth cast a look of contempt upon
the intrusive speaker, and, turning toward her father,
continued : " You wrong me, dear father. I have not
disposed of my hand, as you think. I am not bound
by any words of my lips. Yea, he to whom I refer,
has not even a presentiment either of the conflict of my
heart, or of its defeat."

" I understand you, miserable creature," the father
passionately continued. " The sworn enemy of my
house, that canting schoolmaster, has broken his oath

THE MORTAL WOOING.

187

and revealed to you a secret which has only brought to
light his own shame and that of his crazy sister. I know
you speak of George, your ungrateful brother, who
has robbed me of more than the half of my property.
But as true as I live, and have power over you, sooner
your and my death than that I should suffer such a
thing."

" I am in God's hand," said the maiden.

" If I have rightly comprehended your words, dear
Mr. Guldenmyer," remarked the Master, "you seem to
think that your daughter. Miss Elizabeth, is con-
spiring against you with your son and the pietistic
schoolmaster from Lockwitz. If so, then I will not
conceal from you the fact that I yesterday saw these
three coming from the Electoral chapel, consequently
from the Spenerite examina, conversing together a
long time."

" What is this I hear ?" exclaimed the goldsmith,
whilst he clenched his hands, and a withering look
shot from his eyes. " Have you resumed your visits
to the examina in violation of my command ?"

" I cannot, nor will I, deny it," replied the maiden,
with a little unsteadiness in her voice; but soon
regaining her fortitude, she continued : " Dear father,
I found it impossible to believe that you were really
in earnest when you forbade mc, in future to attend
the examina of the reverend court-chaplain. We are
forbidden only to walk in the way that leads to
destruction, and not in that which leads to eternal life.
Oh, if you had only once heard from the lips of
Dr. Spener the teachings of true Christianity — if you
had only once witnessed how none that are weary and

1 88 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

heavy-laden depart uncomforted — how the Spirit of
God works effectually in all who hear his voice, and
creates a willingness to fulfill the commandment of the
Lord, and to bear, in a becoming. Christian spirit, weal
and woe, suffering and death — and how all who listen
for the first time to his explanations of the Scriptures,
forthwith acknowledge that they are only now begin-
ning to experience what true Christianity is ; and had
you only once seen how, in that large assembly, there
is not one eye from which does not beam forth the
peace of God ; and, above all, had you seen himself,
the dear man of God, the true witness of his Lord,
how his face shines with heavenly brightness ; and had
you heard his voice, how, in its softness and tender-
ness, even whilst uttering those words of reproof which
cause the heart to thrill in its innermost depths, it still
goes to the soul as a loving messenger from God
surely, dear father, you would have learned to under-
stand concerning him what the believing Paul declares
concerning himself, *I believed, and therefore have I
spoken.' Indeed, my father, it does one good; it
creates a most blessed feeling to hear a minister who
has faith, and is not merely preaching about it."

"There you have the whole pietistic heresy," quickly
put in the Master, turning to the goldsmith. " Is not
this a covert attack on all other ministers of this city?
It will not be long, my dear friend, before your little
daughter will cast a compassionate look upon you, as
a child of perdition ; for it is the nature of these
Spenerites to condemn all who do not hold to their
pietistic faith ! And what kind of fruit this heretical
abnormity bears, you see already in that disobedience

THE MORTAL WOOING. 1 89

with which she treats your commands. ' Children,
obey your parents,' as is written in Ephesians sixth."

" In the Lord," quickly added Elizabeth. " God
will judge whether I merit your reproof."

"Silence! you apostate!" called out the infuriated
father. "You have transgressed my command; you
have, without my knowledge and consent, entered the
house where the seed of a heretical faith is sown; you
dare to spurn my care for your future happiness ; you
tear yourself away from your father's heart. Be it so !
My curse upon you, you despicable, ungrateful, apos-
tate creature ! Away ! begone from this I May your
path lead you over serpents and adders ! Begone, I
tell you, before I, in my righteous displeasure, lay
violent hands upon you."

Elizabeth, who, on former occasions of this kind, had
her eyes filled immediately with tears, remained this time,
as if wonderfully supported, firm and immovable, and
replied, resolutely, though with the greatest humility,
" My father, if you drive me out of your house, I, of
course, must go, and God only knows where I shall lay
my head. But I hope, by the mercy of God, that I
have not merited your curse. Ask of me what you
please, I bow to your will. Demand my life's blood,
and I will give it to you; demand my entire earthly
happiness, and you shall have it ; for you are, next to
God, lord of my body and life. But," and, as she
spoke, a holy fervor revealed itself in her entire person,
" my soul's salvation you have no right to demand ; in
this, God alone is our Judge. If I have sinned in
going where my heart, my faith, and my heavenly
desires urged me, may God forgive me. I thought

IQO PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

myself engaged in the one thing needful, and I enter
with this, my sin, into the presence of God, the omnis-
cient and righteous Judge. But you, my father, I
repeat it, are indeed lord over my body, but not over
my soul."

"Curse you!" shrieked the unhappy father, as in
the heat of his rage he seized the heavy cooper-knife
which lay on the table before him ; " a three-fold curse
upon you ! and — death !"

Saying which, he hurled the terrible knife with full
force at his poor child, who, though seeing the threat-
ening movement, stood motionless and resigned before
the cruel father.

Elizabeth fell to the floor, the blood gushing from her
neck and shoulder.

NuUenbrecher precipitately seized his hat and cane,
and rushed out of the room.

But the father, on seeing what he had done, sud-
denly turned deathly pale. With one wild look of
horror, he threw himself upon his daughter, and cried,
" Great God ! I have murdered my child !"

CHAPTER X.

REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION.

" The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit : a broken and a contrite
heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." — Ps. li. 17.

IT was on the morning of the following day, that the
famulus, Mr. Rothner, pale and trembling, and with
his eyes suffused with tears, entered the study of the
court-chaplain.

"What ails you, my dear Rothner?" asked Spener,
surprised and troubled.

" A young man," he replied, " the artist, Gulden-
meyer, desires to speak with you immediately."

"Conduct him hither at once," demanded the Doc-
tor. " But what has happened to you ?"

" Mr. Guldenmeyer, in a fit of anger, has killed his
child — his only daughter !" replied the famulus, giving
free course to his tears.

" In the name of God !" exclaimed Spener, " what
madness is this you are telling me ?" and, with this,
he himself hastened to the door, to admit Elizabeth's
brother. " Is it true," he inquired, " what I have just
now heard?"

" Reverend sir," replied the youth, bowing low, to
the man whom, in a few weeks, he had learned to
love sincerely, "excuse me for calling on you so very
early; but my agony is too great. You alone can
help ; you alone can comfort. My unhappy father, in
a mad fit of passion, has inflicted a severe and danger-

ip2 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

ous wound on my sister. The surgeon shakes his
head in doubt, and I am left to fear the worst — and
that worst is more than I can bear ! But this is not
all. My poor father is perfectly beside himself. Tor-
mented by anguish and grief, he would, ere this, have
laid violent hands upon himself, if we had not watched
him. We could not persuade him to leave the bed of
my sister, and when she, this morning, opened her
eyes again, for the first time, though as the physician
declared, in a state of unconsciousness, my father cried
aloud, and threw himself upon her bed. His physical
strength, all at once, gave way. We spoke to him,
yet he made no answer, but only continued to weep
like a child. We therefore carried him to his own
chamber, that Elizabeth might be out of his sight.
After many hours of the most dreadful anxiety, which
I spent now at my father's, now at Elizabeth's bed-
side— and after my father had continued for some time
silent and listless, paying no attention to what was
going on around him, refusing to make answer to any
of our prayers and entreaties, he at length beckoned to
me with his hand, made me hold my ear to his lips,
and said, 'I wonder whether the court-chaplain would
condescend to come to see me?' "

" Certainly, and at once," said Spener, as he hastened
into the adjoining chamber to robe himself.

"Have you really no hope for your sister?" asked
Rothner, with the sincerest sympathy.

"Very little," replied George, his eyes filling with
tears. "It was only day before yesterday, whilst at-
tending the examina, that we were conversing together
on the declaration of the Holy Scriptures, 'There is

REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION. jg^

but a step between me and death' (i Sam. xx. 3),
which the Doctor had been explaining to us, when
EHzabeth remarked to me, ' How would it be, dear
brother, if this declaration should prove a reality to
me ?' At this I felt somewhat alarmed and displeased,
and said, * Elizabeth, it is not right in you to court
death.' And now, alas, it may come to pass. O God !
I cannot bear it! Ah, why did I not stay in a foreign
land ?"

" Do not despair," comforted the famulus. " It is
unchristian to doubt the omnipotence and mercy of
God, and still more unchristian to say, ' I cannot bear
it' Know you not that you are able to do all things
through Him who strengtheneth you — Christ?"

" But oh, how difficult it is !" exclaimed George, in
deep sorrow, " how very difficult to suffer in silence
and uncomplainingly when your very life is torn away
from you ! — for, sir, it is my own life which is ebbing
away."

The amanuensis did not, of course, fully comprehend
the deep sorrow which rent George's soul. He gazed
on him compassionately, and was about to utter a few
words more of censure, as well as consolation, when
the court-chaplain, arrayed in a plain black coat, and
with hat and staff in hand, re-entered and said to
George, " Come, my young friend, and may God be
with us."

When they had reached the front door, they per-
ceived, for the first time, that a heavy rain was falling,
and that the streets were flooded with water. " If you
will wait a few minutes, reverend sir," said George, " I
will get a carriage for you."
9

ip4 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

"What are you thinking about, my young friend?"
rephed the Doctor, with unfeigned astonishment. "As
long as God gives strength to our hmbs, so long are
we to use them. Come, let me take your arm, and tell
me, meanwhile, the particulars of what has happened."

And the court-chaplain, who, of course, did not
know what luxury, splendor and ease meant, neither
regarded the falling rain from above, nor the running
water beneath ; but, led by the young artist, waded
vigorously and courageously through Kanzler street,
across the New Market, towards Pirna street, and soon
after entered the chamber where the unhappy and
trembling father awaited the desired arrival of the man
whom he had hitherto hated without a cause, and only
in foolish agreement with many, because they were
people of consideration.

When the court-chaplain approached the bedside of
the miserable man, he found him lying with his face
turned to the wall, quiet and silent as if asleep. When,
however, George had convinced himself that his eyes
were not closed, he called to him, "Father, dear father,
will you not turn your face this way?"

He did not answer, but remained motionless, whilst
a scarcely audible sigh proceeded from the direction in
which his head was lying.

" The reverend court-chaplain," continued George,
" whom you, dear father, desired to see, stands before
you."

At this the sick man turned himself round ; but
when he saw the grave and dignified man, who, with
the entire fullness of his trustful look, sought to catch
the eye of the invalid, he quickly and with signs of the

REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION.

195

greatest terror covered his face with both hands, and
said, "Merciful God! I am a sinful cast-away; I have
murdered my own child!"

" Not quite so bad as that," replied Spener, with all
the sincere kindness of his manner; "your child is still
alive ; and God will answer our prayer, and, for your
sake, will not permit her to die."

"Sir," said the goldsmith, in a husky voice, "I can-
not pray."

" Well," added the Doctor, " then God will give me
strength to bring your v^ants before Him. Take
courage, my friend, and pray with me."

And Spener, without- further talk, threw himself
upon his knees, and, after George had followed his
example, lifted up his folded hands, and began :

"Almighty and righteous God, faithful and merciful
Father! Thou art our only comfort and our only
refuge. Thou knowest and seest how great is the
anguish of our hearts. We have neither help nor con-
solation in our deep distress. Thy name is called
Lord Sabaoth, great in counsel, and wonderful in
working! O Lord, we plead Thy promise, where
Thou hast said, ' Ye shall seek My face.' Therefore do
we seek thee, O Lord. Hide not Thy face from us —
cast us. Thy children, not away in Thy just displeasure ;
for Thou art our help. Lord, forsake us not, and take
not Thy hand away from us, O Thou God of our salva-
tion ! for all help has forsaken us ; but do Thou take us
up. Lord, it is because of our iniquities, that Thy chas-
tisements are upon us, and of our disobedience, that we
are scourged ; but Thou, who art gracious and mer-
ciful, long suffering, and of great goodness and faith-

ig6 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

fulness, Thou hast no pleasure in the death of the
wicked, but desirest that the wicked may turn and
live ! Thou art a God that doeth wonders. Thou
hast made known Thy power among the nations.
Comfort us, God, our Saviour. Compassionate us in
our misery and distress. Help Thy people and bless
Thy heritage! O Lord, our Lord, send us aid in our
need. Show us Thy great mercy, as our hope is in
Thee! Thou hast said, * Because he hath set his heart
upon Me, therefore will I deliver him. I will set him
on high, because he hath known My name. He shall
call upon Me, and I will answer him. I will be with
him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My
salvation.' Behold, this is Thine own word. Answer
us in this our prayer — answer us through Christ Jesus,
our Lord. Amen."

When the court-chaplain had ended, he rose and
regarded the unhappy man with manifest joy. George
also rose and threw himself upon the bed, and, sob-
bing, buried his face in his father's hands. Gulden-
meyer could now bear Spener's look, and anxiously
asked, " Reverend sir, think you God will answer my
prayer?"

Spener laid his hand upon the man's forehead, and
replied, " The Lord is nigh unto all them that call
upon Him — to all that call upon Him in truth. And
James comforts us with the words, 'The effectual,
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.' "

"Of the righteous!" exclaimed the goldsmith, wring-
ing his hands in agony. "Alas, how, then, can my
prayer come up before the Lord ?"

REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION.

197

"Righteous," replied the court-chaplain, "righteous,
as now your conscience, oppressed as it is with guilt,
understands it, you of course, are not before God.
But your sincere repentance and amendment will
surely open to you access to God through Christ. Do
you, from the heart, believe in Christ as your Re-
deemer, Mediator, and reconciliation ?"

" I believe," answered the goldsmith, in whose
memory language almost forgotten was again awak-
ened, and he raised himself up, folded his hands — " I
believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God,
our Lord, conceived of the — "

" Not so, my dear friend," interrupted Spener, with
a painful smile and a shake of the head. " Your faith
now comes from your memory, and not out of your
heart ! Your faith consists in words, but not in
works."

Guldenmeyer regarded him with surprise. " Yes,
my dear friend," continued the court-chaplain, " to
believe in Christ is something quite different from what
you suppose ! I entreat you, answer me truly, — what
do you regard as being the chief aim of a man's life?"

" That he may be saved," replied the goldsmith, after
a little hesitation.

"This we hope as the end of our earthly pilgrimage,"
said Spener, "and that not on account of our works,
because we cannot, by our best works, lay claim to
salvation, but only for Christ's sake, through the grace
of God, who alone can effect such works within us, as
follow us into eternity. But what have we to do on
earth ?"

" To confess Jesus Christ," answered the aged pupil.

igS PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

"And in what does the confession of the Son of
God exhibit itself ?" continued the Doctor. " Does it
exhibit itself merely in the words of the confession of
faith, or also in works ?"

" Certainly, also in works, reverend sir," confessed
the artisan.

"And if this be so," inquired Spener, "that the
Christian is to confess his Lord on earth in words and
works, in deed and in truth; what truth, what works
will, in this case, be required of us ?"

Guldenmeyer regarded the court-chaplain with a
doubtful and inquiring look. But Spener continued,
" Perhaps you will reply in your heart, 'good works.*
But what are good works ? Simply that you pray,
sing a pious hymn, give alms to the poor, and commit
no wrong towards others ? Oh, no, my dear friend.
The old adage says, ' pray and work.' But now to
work does not mean merely that we should labor for
our daily bread, but also, and rather, that we should
labor on ourselves for our improvement, honestly ac-
knowledging our sins, heartily repenting of them, and
showing forth fruits meet for repentance; and all this
out of love to Christ, the Saviour of sinners, the only
Redeemer of the lost! It rheans — to receive the Spirit
of Christ, into our hearts, so that the whole inner man
may be sanctified ; it means — to purify our hearts from
the world and its lusts, and to tear ourselves away from
the world; it means — to strengthen and confirm our
faith in joy and sorrow; it means — to be patient in
suffering, to hope in the Lord in time of need, to be
submissive to the Lord's will when it runs in opposi-
tion to our desires : it means — to trust in the Lord

REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION.

199

when God does for us abundantly above all that we
are able to ask or to conceive ; it means — to submit in
all meekness to the world's abuse and scorn, to take
upon ourselves the cross of Christ, and follow Him;
and, above all, to love our neighbor heartily, and to
forgive him sincerely as we hope that God will finally
forgive us our trespasses. It means, in short, to be
born again, that we may enter into the kingdom of
God, and then fervently pray, ' Lord, I am altogether
unworthy of Thy compassion and faithfulness which
Thou hast shown toward me; but be Thou merciful
unto me for the sake of Christ, my Redeemer.' Have
you, my dear friend, thus believed in Christ ?"

The goldsmith, deeply affected, cast down his eyes ;
his quick and heavy breathing indicated that there was
a severe conflict within. At length he turned, with a
sorrowful look, toward the court-chaplain and said,
" No, no, reverend sir ! Ah, what a mystery you have
disclosed to my eyes! And what a pang you have
sent through my soul ! Give me comfort in my dis-
tress ; heal again the wound you have inflicted."

" I, too, am a sinful man," replied the Doctor, laying
his left hand upon his breast. " Such wounds only He
can heal, who has done no sin, and in whose mouth
there was found no deceit : He who came to seek and
save that which was lost. But take courage and con-
fide in Him. His Spirit will dwell with you. Pray
fervently to the Lord and He will answer you."

Steps being now heard in the hall, George hastened
out. This, however, revived in the unhappy father,
who had thus far been so deeply concerned about the
immediate regeneration of his soul, that he had, for the

200 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

time being, entirely forgotten the cause of his distress,
the unpleasant memory of the crime he had committed
— "Alas!" he exclaimed dejected, " how can I bear the
terrible sin of being the murderer of my own child-!
This load weighs upon my soul : I cannot pray as long
as God suffers this dreadful consciousness to haunt me.
I cannot live, I cannot die, for anguish at the thought
of my child appearing at the judgment bar of God with
the accusation that her own father has been her mur-
derer."

"Take courage, and hope for the best, my good
friend," comforted Spener. '* Hold fast the divine
declaration, 'The Lord is not slack concerning His
promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-
suffering to US-ward, not willing that any should per-
ish, but that all should come to repentance' (2 Peter
iii . 9). And if I am interpreting the joy of my own
heart aright, I can say to you, 'Your child will not die,
but live to your salvation and to her own.' "

" I do not deserve to live," mournfully replied tlie
goldsmith. " I am not worthy of this grace of my
God. O, reverend sir, you do not know how good my
child, my Elizabeth, is. It is only now, whilst tor-
mented by the agonizing fear of losing her in conse-
quence of my own sinful treatment of her, that I am
fully conscious of what a treasure I possessed in her.
And how little have I regarded it I She is meek and
I am passionate ; she loved me, and I have daily
grieved her; she was always a grateful, obedient child,
and I never felt that I owed gratitude and obedience to
God for her ; she has nursed and watched over me in
every sickness and sorrow, and how often have I vexed

REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION. 2OI

her till she wept bitter tears. I saw her tears, but did
not regard them ; and, O, these burning tears of my
poor child now scald my heart. No, no, I do not de-
serve to have her preserved to me."

" It is indeed, true, we are not worthy of what we
pray for," said Spener, " but "

" You do not yet know all," interrupted the gold-
smith, whose conscience, with all its fears, had been
fully aroused, and urged him to unburden himself " I
am an exceedingly wicked man, and entirely unworthy
of the grace of God. My wife will accuse me before
His throne for the wrong I have done my child. It is
my fault that my good pious wife went down to her
grave with a broken heart. Reverend sir, I was at one
time a rich man, but now I am poor, poor in temporal
and spiritual goods ; yes, I cannot hide it, I am in dan-
ger of becoming a beggar in my old age ! And all
through my own fault, through ' my wicked pride,
through my profligacy and sinful extravagance in liv-
ing. I have plunged myself and children into misery.
Alas ! God cannot forgive me the wrong I have com-
mitted."

" Dear Mr. Guldenmeyer," remonstrated Spener in
the mildest possible manner.

" Let me speak," hastily interrupted Guldenmeyer,
" I beseech you, for pity's sake, reverend sir, let me
speak, that my heart may be relieved of its anxiety. I
have still a greater guilt resting upon me. George is
not my son, but the son of a woman who was once my
affianced bride, and whom I perfidiously, and without
the least cause of provocation, cast from me, simply be-
cause she was a poor and humble maiden. O, sir, I
9*

202 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

drove her to madness, and in this condition she fell
into the hands of a greater miscreant even than my-
self, and became his victim. I took pity on her child,
thinking thereby to atone for my crime in the sight of
God ; yes, I acknowledge it, I spent half of my prop-
erty on this son, to silence my conscience, which would
not be quieted. But the more sacrifices I brought, the
louder did my crime cry to God. Then I endeavored
to drown my guilt in strong drink, and became thereby
a tyrannical father, a useless citizen, and a lazy artisan.
O, my merciful God, what a load of guilt is heaped
upon my conscience! What an endless catalogue of
sins and transgressions is spread out before my eyes !
And do you know, reverend sir, from what all this has
arisen ? My heart trembles, and yet I must confess it:
I was destitute of religion, of faith, and sat in the seat
of the scornful. O, give me some comfort, that the
anguish of my soul may not consume me."

In this deep anguish the Lord of lords was about
sending better comfort than anything man could have
brought. George returned to the chamber, hastened
quickly to his father's bed-side, and weeping aloud,
threw his arms around his neck, crying, "My dear,
dear father, God has graciously had mercy upon us.
Elizabeth will not die ! The consulting physicians
have just now agreed that her wound is not dan-
gerous."

The goldsmith, for the moment, became deathly
pale, whilst his eyes assumed a wild and wandering
stare. He seemed suddenly deprived of all vitality.
After a few moments his furrowed cheeks became
slightly tinged with red, he folded his hands over his

REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION.

203

breast, tears gushed from his eyes, and he said, " Lord,
I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my
roof!"

Then he started from his bed with the buoyancy of
youth, and exclaimed, " Where is my child ? I must
see my child ! On my knees I must ask her pardon !"
and he hastened towards the door. But George held
him back, saying, " For the love of God, dear father,
do not go ; the excitement might cost Elizabeth her
life. I entreat you remain here till you have become
more calm."

The goldsmith mournfully bowed his head, returned
to his bed, and said, " You are right, my son ; this
punishment too I have deserved. I will bear it with-
out a murmur. But tell me, George, what does she
say about me ? Can she forgive me ?"

" She is very anxious to see you, dear father,"
replied George.

" My dear, good, pious child !" exclaimed the old
man, sobbing, and extending his arms as if to clasp
her in spirit to his heart.

" My dear friend," said Spener, " the Lord has done
great things for you. Murmur not because of the sor-
row of your heart, for it is a godly sorrow, which will
cause you to know what pertains to your peace. And
think on the word of Scripture, ' Now no chastise-
ment, for the present, seemeth joyous, but grievous;
nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.'
And now," he added, whilst taking up his hat and
cane, "farewell: God be with you. It would give me
pleasure to prolong my visit still further, but urgent

204 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

labors call me hence. If, however, I can, at any time
in future, assist or advise you, come to me." Saying
which, he extended his hand.

" Reverend and dear man of God," replied the gold-
smith, " I am too weak to thank you worthily ; you
have given me new life."

" I ?" added Spener. " God in heaven forbid that
I should thus sin against Him. All of us are only the
servants of His holy will. Whatever He causes to be
accomplished by man is the result of His grace and
mercy alone."

"And now allow me one question more, reverend
sir," continued the goldsmith. "You appeared in my
house like an angel of the Lord; I now comprehend
why I could not keep my child away from your
examina and sermons. Every one of your words falls
like a healing balm upon the wounds of my heart.
Ah ! why was I so blinded as to deprive myself of the
peace which your words impart? And this Nullen-
brecher — God forgive him the sins he has committed
against me ! You, reverend sir, are a messenger of
peace! How does it come — pardon me — that men
speak so much evil of you ?"

Spener smiled mournfully, and said, " The evil they
speak does not so much concern me as it concerns the
Word I preach. For the Word of God is quick and
powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword, pierc-
ing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart."

With these words the court-chaplain left the room.
Had this truly good man a presentiment that he was
soon to suffer a hard experience ?

CHAPTER XI.

EVENING PRAYER.

" Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matth. v. lo.

WE must now introduce the gentle reader to the
sanctum of a learned bachelor, the most labored
description of which will, however, not leave us a very
flattering result. We find a small room, around whose
walls, disgustingly black with greasy lamp-smoke, are
ranged different-sized shelves for books. In one cor-
ner are a few large nails, from which depend the coats
and hats of the occupant ; in another, a small table
with three wig-stands, upon which are neatly arranged
the characteristic head-marks of that time in general,
and those of their owner in particular, ready to grace
his noble head. Before the only window stands a
writing-table, so well covered with manuscripts, books,
brushes and hand-ruffles, that there is scarcely space
enough left for writing. At this table the tenant of
the cell, Master Nullenbrecher, is seated, earnestly
engaged in reading from a ponderous quarto, by the
aid of a very sickly light ; for it is a raw autumnal
night, and near the commencement of a winter of
which historians of that time write, " it was terribly
and continuously cold, with a very deep snow, so that
there was great difficulty in going abroad."

The Master wrapped himself in his somewhat seedy
dressing-gown, for the sharp wind sensibly penetrated

(205)

2o6 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

his room, and was, to one engaged in quiet labor,
uncomfortable. As this did, however, not afford him
sufficient protection, he rose and measured, with rapid
strides, the narrow space of his cell, an operation
which, as may be imagined, scarely paid for turning
around; for, wherever he turned, his world was at an
end. This filled his soul with some indignation and
anger, which he was generally in the habit of plunging
into the waves of his learning for the purpose of
drowning, an expedient to which he had already
successfully resorted in his late affair with our little
friend Elizabeth.

But just as he was in the act of opening the flood-
gates of his profundity, the door opened and a sprightly
matron, his landlady, entered with a letter. After she
had repeatedly assured him that she could not possibly
guess from whom it could be, since the hand-writing
was altogether strange to her, and being finally obliged
to depart without having her curiosity satisfied, the
Master broke the seal, looked at the signature, and was
no little alarmed when the name of John Sigismund
Guldenmeyer met his eyes.

"From the old hot-head himself!" he exclaimed.
"Can it be that his daughter has put off mortality in
consequence of the wound he inflicted? It would be
a pity for the young thing, though the flock of Christ
would not lose an orthodox sheep by it." And then
he began to read as follows :

" Respected Sir : — Especially Right Honored Master:
I have just come from the sick bed of my daughter,
to which my unfortunate blindness and unchristian
passion has consigned her. I cannot thank God suffi-

EVENING PRAYER.

207

cieutly for having thus far removed from her the
danger of death, and reheved my heart from the burden
of having committed a most terrible crime, though I
pray God hourly to preserve her Hfe and mine, so that
I may make amends for the evil I have done. Yes, I
must tell you that God, in His mercy and love, has
protected my child, though you will not care a great
deal about these glad tidings, as you have, since that
unhappy hour, (now about eight days,) avoided my
house, nor once inquired after me or my child, whether
she were dead or alive. Instead of this, I must to my
great joy inform you that the reverend court-chaplain
has honored my house with a visit ; and, by the won-
derful power of his prayer, and the consolation he
administered, saved me from despair.

" I can, therefore, now no longer feel indebted to you
for confirming me in my hatred against this excellent
man, whom I assisted in slandering, because you, as a
learned man, set me the example ; still less do I feel
indebted to you, that you, who are ever taking the
word of God upon your lips, never opened to me the
true knowledge of the Holy Scripture, though you
were ever boasting of your great learning. You will,
therefore, greatly oblige me, if, in future, you will cease
to act as my instructor and guide in these holy things.
I, moreover, think it necessary for me to inform you,
that I have no longer any intention hereafter, if it
should please God fully to restore my daughter, to put
her under any constraint in regard to her betrothment
and marriage, but will leave her entirely to the exercise
of her own judgment.

" You will, I trust, not misinterpret this, and not mar

2o8 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

my joyful hope, with which I shall to-morrow attend,
for the first time, the preaching of the reverend court-
chaplain.

" I remain your very humble servant,

"John Sigismund Guldenmeyer."

" Apostate, treacherous creature !" shouted NuUen-
brecher, throwing the letter on the table. " Wolves in
sheep's clothing, liipi in pellibus ovium, genuine Phar-
isee souls, pietistical hypocrites, heretical Spenerites !"

He paced his cell with long and rapid strides : but
the misfortune of not having sufficient space wherein to
outwalk his wrath, only fanned it into a still greater
flame. The wound which the unlearned goldsmith
had inflicted upon him, by doubting his learned author-
ity, smarted him infinitely more than that which he re-
ceived from his blasted hopes in regard to the possession
of Elizabeth ; and he gave vent to his pious grief in all
sorts of learned expressions, which, though loudly ad-
dressed to the walls, have, nevertheless, been entirely
lost to posterity.

"What are you scolding about?" suddenly ex-
claimed Herr von Langendorf, who had just then en-
tered. " You are so completely absorbed in your learn-
ing, my dear cousin, that you do not even hear one
knock. What is it that has so excited you ? You
seem altogether changed."

" True, true, most honored Herr von Langendorf,
and especially highly esteemed cousin," replied the
Master. " One might become an alter homo, from pure
anger and vexation."

" Well, age* will come soon enough without such

*The word alter, which in Latin, means other, in German means age.

EVENING PRAYER.

209

helps," replied the unlatinical cavalier, " I hold still
with youth and a merry life, in spite of the penitential
sermons of the pious Electoral court-chaplain. Do
you know what has happened ?"

" No !" answered Nullenbrecher. " Has Spener
suddenly met a happy death?"

" Alas, no!" said Langendorf " But one, you know,
might die of vexation. He is guilty of high treason,"

" What !" exclaimed the Master, joyfully, ''of crimen
lessee majestatis f Tell me, I pray you, what has hap-
pened. So then it is true that the pietists despise and
seek to subvert all governments, and hold his Electoral
majesty in contempt?"

" Only think, cousin," replied the knight, who knew
admirably how to mix up truth with falsehood ; " this
Spener had the audacity, nay, what am I saying, the
treasonable fool-hardiness, to force himself into the cab-
inet of his Electoral Highness, and to take our o-ra-
cious master to task about the management of both his
public and private affairs, in a manner in which not
even a school-master would permit himself with his
scholars."

" Spener is nothing but a schoolmaster," interrupted
the Master, with a derisive smile and an air of proud
contempt. "Well, and how did the Elector receive
his arrogance ?"

"At first, very graciously," replied Langendorf, " un-
deservedly graciously, so that the theatrical perform-
ance and the dance, which had been appointed for the
evening of that day were remanded by the Elector's
order only a few hours before the time appointed.
You can scarcely conceive what a terror this spread

2IO PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

among the courtiers, and especially among all the
beautiful ladies. Only think, cousin, weeks, yea,
months, had been devoted to the preparation of cos-
tumes, and the study of the newest French dances;
weeks, yea, months, of joys, hopes and anticipations —
and all in vain! In vain had been the expenditure of
many bright pieces of gold ; in vain the expectations
of many timid souls to form suitable beginnings for
flirtations ; in vain everything — and do you know
why? On account of your dear, excellent Spener,
who, in his hypocrisy, succeeded, in a moment of weak-
ness, in softening the heart of our good Elector, and
filling it with his sombre piety. I tell you, the whole
court breathes vengeance against this gratuitous mor-
alist, who wishes to convert the world into a vale of
tears. Master Nullenbrecher, cousin, I am sure you
too, have also studied ; tell me, is this Lutheran relig-
ion? Has not that excellent man, Dr. Luther, pro-
claimed it sufficiently loud through all the world, " He
who loves not wine, woman and song, remains "

"I remember," interrupted Nullenbrecher, the jeal-
ous Lutheran, "to have shown you, when on a recent
occasion you were pleased to apply this same couplet,
that this unbiblical inversion of Luther from Sirach the
nineteenth — "

" Pshaw, away with your learned aversion, my dear
cousin!" deprecatingly said the knight. "L have, at
present, altogether a different matter on hand, if it only
were not so cold and windy here, that a man's very
thoughts freeze up. Allow me, therefore," he contin-
ued, at the same time opening the door and calling to
the landlady, " Make haste, good woman, you know

EVENING PRAYER. 211

already, corner house at the market: mention my
name, and they will give it you."

^'Asina aim pullo^' suggested the Master, " the ass
with the colt."

"What do you mean by this.?" asked Langendorf in
surprise.

"Ay, I speak of the ass," replied the other. " You
surely must know, that in Matthew the twenty-first it
is written nearly as you have just been pleased to
speak. There we read, Ye shall say, the Lord hath
need of them, and straightway he will send them.
Have you ever reflected," he now continued in his
learned zeal, " my noble cousin, how it was possible to
ride upon the ass and the colt at one and the same
time? For this must be assumed according to Zechariah
nine, where is found the prophetic counterpart to this
passage. There it also clearly appears that by air
must be understood the male, for the explanatory
apposition follows in the words ben athonoth, i. e., the
son of an ass. But, on the other hand, it is doubtful
whether the word chanior — "

" Well," here interposed Herr von Langendorf, who
had hitherto listened to his learned cousin with open
mouth and staring eyes, " tell me, for pity's sake, what
you are driving at ? May I never more be knight if
I can comprehend what connection there is between
you, or th-e Russian temperature of your room, or the
wine which the landlady will soon bring in, and the
ass r

"All this happened," rejoined Nullenbrecher, ''per
analogiam, or rather per coimminicationem idcaruju."

"Away with your learned exposition," again inter-

212 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

rupted the impatient cousin. " Pardon me, but one is
in the end really at a loss to know whom to like or
rather dislike most; the pietist, who embitters one's
life with his praying and preaching penitential sermons,
or the ordinary theologian, who does the same thing
with his stupid learning."

" Pardon me," rejoined the Master, with a somewhat
offended air. " What do you mean, my much honored
cousin, by ordinary theologians and stupid learning?
It is true, ordinary comes from ordo, ordinarius, and
is therefore originally nearly synonymous with ' ejtno-
mos,' as the church or the congregation is called in
Acta the ninth."

" Here," exclaimed Langendorf, as the landlady en-
tered the room with the desired beverage, " Here is
what I mean ! And now do me the favor to lock up
your learned drawer, or, if you do not, I'll drink this
golden nectar alone. Come, here's to your health and
that of your bride."

"Eheu.f" exclaimed Nullenbrecher, again putting
down his cup. " It is well, my honored cousin, that
you remind me of it. It almost seems as if that project
had undergone somewhat of a change. Read this let-
ter, which I received shortly before your esteemed
visit."

"What does all this mean?" asked the cavalier,
when he had read Guldenmeyer's letter. " What has
happened ?"

" Much, very much," replied the Master. " I have
not had the honor of seeing you during these last
eight days ; and if you have no objection, I will relate
to you the whole affair." And now he related what

EVENING PRAYER. 213

had happened, in his presence, at the house of the
goldsmith ; wisely conceahng, however, his own part
in the affair.

" So then, here too, we discover the influence of this
Spener," said Herr von Langendorf " I tell you,
cousin, this man meddles with everything; he creates
disturbance near the throne of the Elector, no less
than in the dwelling of the citizen; he sows the seeds
of discord between the sovereign and his servant, as
well as between parents and children. This cannot
possibly continue ! And will you endure all this so
patiently ? Will you submit to being treated, by this
paltry goldsmith, in such a dishonorable and perfidious
manner?"

" What can I do ?" asked the Master. " If he could
be combated with the weapons of science, I would soon
know what course to pursue. But what is to be done
with such blockheads as this goldsmith, who has,
moreover, gone over to the pietists ? Science and
Pietism, learning and Spenerism, are like day and
night; tliey turn day into night, and night into day, as
is written in Job the seventh."

" Well, my dear cousin," said the other, " in this I
may perhaps be able to aid you! And in return
something else may soon occur, in which you may
render good service to me, and, let me tell you, to the
entire court. That vain, proud citizen shall feel what
it is to reject, with such scorn, you, the son of the sister
of my own father. Do you know what was the cause
of that sudden indisposition which he exhibited before
our eyes ?"

" No," answered Nullenbrecher, "and I must, more-

214 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

over, confess that I have since never once thought
about it."

" Well, know then," continued Langendorf, " that I
found ways and means to find out the reason. You
may congratulate yourself that it turned out as it has ;
the rich, boasting goldsmith is so deeply involved in
debt, that he cannot save himself from beggary. You
would have been obliged to support the father and son,
as well as the daughter. I know that Guldenmeyer
owes a citizen, Bennhofer by name, two thousand dol-
lars, and many others such considerable sums, that his
whole indebtedness reaches the amount of five thou-
sand dollars. This, as I have been credibly informed,
will take all of what is still left to him. Now, there is
indeed a possibility of his creditors being silenced ; as
you tell me that old Guldenmeyer has joined the
pietists, it is probable that some of these may make an
effort to save him, at least by satisfying his most
clamorous creditors. For it is said that these pietists
hold strongly together, and esteem it an honor to sac-
rifice themselves for their brethren in the faith. How-
ever, five thousand dollars is such a considerable sum,
that these people, who mostly consist of poor, impov-
erished burghers, will find it difficult to raise it. Hence
everything depends upon all the creditors demanding
the settlement of their respective claims at one and
the same time, and that on the shortest possible notice,
so that the law may step in and attach his entire prop-
erty."

"And how is this to be done?" asked NuUenbrecher,
who, it is but fair to say, was very inexperienced in
such schemes.

EVENING PRAYER.

215

"How can you ask such a question?" replied Herr
von Langendorf. " The creditors must be induced to
claim this money of this boastful goldsmith on the
same day, and, if possible, in the same hour; and if he
does not satisfy them, which he certainly cannot, they
must immediately enter complaint against him before
the magistrate. Do you know Mr. Bennhofer?"

" No !" replied the Master.

" No matter," continued the crafty knight, " all will
be right. Bennhofer, who fortunately has a strong
hankering after the goldsmith's house, is the principal
creditor. He has, moreover, thus far, manifested great
unwillingness to come to terms, and a word is suffi-
cient to set him on fire. For further success, I depend
on the service of a few individuals, who are skilled and
feel a delight in such matters."

" But," interposed Nullenbrecher, " how will this
affect Elizabeth? Will she also suffer by it?"

" Doubtless," replied Langendorf " But do not be
frightened on that account ; for it seems to me that
you still cherish some attachment to this perfidious
and ungrateful woman. Perhaps this sudden misfor-
tune comes in good time, to soften the hardness of
her heart and open her blinded eyes. And in case of
necessity — I tell you this to show my affection for you —
I might on certain conditions step in and save the old
stubborn-head from disgrace and shame. You see,
therefore, my dear cousin, that my attachment to you
is a reality, inasmuch as I am zealously endeavoring
to avenge the insult which has been offered you. In
return for all this I, of course, expect that you look
upon one good turn as deserving of another; especially

2i6 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

as this other good turn works for your interest as well
as mine."

"What do you mean by this?" asked Nullenbrecher.

"Tell me your real opinion of the court-chaplain,"
said Langendorf

" In regard to this I cannot tell you any thing new,"
returned the Master. " You will scarcely find ten
ministers in the whole of Electorate Saxony who
adhere to him; for he is the head, the patriarch of a
dangerous sect, which seeks nothing less than the ruin
of science, and the establishment of a new Pharisaism
in Christendom. How His Electoral Highness can
permit himself to be led by this dangerous sectarian is
more than I can comprehend; and that the most illus-
trious High Consistory is led by him, is evident from
the fact that the arch-pietist's famulus, Mr. Rothner,
and not I, has become pastor of Altleben, in spite of
your recommendation of myself to the Elector."

" Is it indeed so ?" exclaimed the knight. " Here
then you see, what an influence Spener and his
adherents are already exerting in the land. Yet, in
confidence be it said, the Elector is beginning to
change his opinion. He perceives that the pietists
aim at nothing less than the enslavement of the heart
and conscience, and the controlling of men according
to their will alone. The Electress still persists in her
attachment to this proud and audacious confessor, but
here too there will come a change ; and if I am not
deceived in my presentiments and calculations, the
time is not far distant when the spark now smouldering
in the ashes will burst forth into a bright flame; and
then, my reverend cousin, we shall have work for you !
Are you prepared for it ?"

EVENING PRAYER. 21/

"Though I do not know precisely to what you
allude," replied the Master, "yet if you, my much hon-
ored cousin, can in any way make use of the humble
store of my wisdom, I shall always be at your service.
And should it be desired that my efforts be directed
principally ac^ainst the hypocritical cant of these
pietists, I can only say that I would account it a
great honor to be permitted to apply myself to the
ask with untiring zeal."

"That is right!" said Langendorf "Union and
harmony against a common foe. Yet I would recom-
mend silence on this subject. When I need your
valued services I will inform you of it, and your
reward shall not be withheld from you. However, I
see that my time is up; His Electoral Highness
expects me! Pardon my unceremonious departure:
if possible, I will see you again to-morrow at the same
hour as we met to-day. An plaisir de vous revoir, mon
cher cousin^

Whilst these two cousins, in a certain sense the
representatives of the two chief foes to Spener's work,
namely, dead and deadening orthodoxism and the lusts
of this world, which he had assailed in their very found-
ation, were weaving their plans for the destruction of
an individual whom the better class of his time
regarded as a man after God's own heart, and who
was honored and loved as a divinely commissioned
deliverer from spiritual distress ; at about the same
evening hour in which the ruin of an already unfor-
tunate family was determined upon ; how did it look

2i8 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

in the quiet dwellings of those who were the several
objects of this conspiracy?

Elizabeth was asleep upon her chair ; before it stood
a youth, watching her breathing, and somewhat further
back, near the door, an aged man, with downcast eyes
and folded hands, praying inwardly : " In Thee, O
Lord, do I put my trust ; let me never be put to con-
fusion."

And in Spener's house ?

Follow me thither, gentle reader, and join in the
evening worship of a pious family. We find parents
and children, and the famulus Rothner, assembled in
the parlor. Upon the large, square table, near the
stove (for the proximity of winter had already made
fires necessary), stood the large pewter lamp, which
gave sufficient light to the room. The head of the
family, attired in his simple dressing-gown, and his
noble head covered with a black skull-cap, sat in his
arm-chair, holding upon his knee his little seven-year
old boy Jacob, who was amusing himself in winding
his father's soft, long hair around his fingers, and
stroking the short beard upon his upper lip and chin.
The two other sons, William and Maximilian, sat to
the right and left of the famulus, and the good wife,
sitting nearer the stove, was busily engaged in mend-
ing linen, and in casting, from time to time, an anxious
look toward a cradle by her-side, in which the young-
est of their children, a little six-months-old, was
sleeping.

Maximilian, before whom lay the Bible, had just
read the passage from the Sermon on the Mount, as
recorded in Matthew: " For 1 say unto you, that

EVENING PRAYER. 210

except your righteousness shall exceed the righteous-
ness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise
enter into the kingdom of heaven."

"Stop there a little, my son," remarked the father.
" I can never listen to this verse, without being wonder-
fully affected thereby. What do you think, Master
Rothner? I find in this passage, if rightly interpreted,
the distinctive fundamental doctrine of our Lutheran
Church. Do you not think so ?"

" Certainly, reverend Doctor," replied Rothner. "As
far as, in my weakness, I am able to comprehend its
import, the Lord understands by better righteousness,
nothing but a godly and righteous life, which can only
proceed from a sincere faith in Him. The righteous-
ness of the Pharisees is a spiritless and heartless obedi-
ence to the letter of the law, a work which proceeds
from external motives, and not from a sincere love to
God and man ; a seemingly righteous life, but none of
the voluntary righteousness of the children of God."

" Do you know," continued Spener, "that I owe to
the interpretation of this passage one of the most
blessed reminiscences of my life? You are aware that
this verse is part of the gospel for the sixth Sunday
after Trinity. So it happened that, in 1669, the third
year of my ministry in Frankfurt, I preached on this
text, on the Sunday in question, taking as my theme,
'The false righteousness of the Pharisees, and the true
righteousness of the children of God.' The power of
the Lord was upon me, as I described the false and
insufficient righteousness of the Pharisees ; and whilst
I was speaking on the works of righteousness, my own
inner man became so enlightened, that I perceived

220 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

with horror that my righteousness was but little better
than that of the Pharisees themselves. And I felt con-
strained, for very shame, to cast down my eyes, be-
cause I thought every one was reading in my counte-
nance what was passing in my mind, and some one
might even call out, " He preaches purity to others,
and is himself unclean." Never have I felt more
deeply and painfully how unworthy I am to be a
servant of Jesus Christ, than during that sacred hour,
in the house of my God; and though nearly twenty
years have since passed away, and though I have, as
God is my witness, during all this time, not grown
weary in pressing forward toward the mark, I must
still confess with a sorrowing heart, ' To will is present
with me ; but how to perform that which is good, I
find not.' I often imposed upon myself the painful
tajk of taking up some one of my individual acts,
which I thought I could call to my mind without any
compunctions of conscience, and examined and con-
templated and analyzed it in every way, in order to
discover my motive in beginning, continuing, and con-
cluding it. But I have, as yet, not found one single
act, which was, in all respects, righteous before God.
I always found self, my own honor, my pleasure, my
advantage at the bottom, however little I at first be-
lieved it. And yet it is only love to God and Christ,
and not any consideration of self, that should constrain
us to do whatever we do."

"How difficult," remarked Rothncr ; "how exceed-
ingly difficult! But who is there that can boast of
such disinterested love ?"

"None, my young friend," replied the court-chap-

EVENING PRAYER. 221

lain ; for the only one on earth who possessed and
exercised such love, did not boast of it. He became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, with
the calmness and majesty of a God-man."

"But," interposed Mrs. Spener, "our hearts can at
least feel this disinterested and faithful love even unto
death. Do you not think, my dear Philipp, that a
mother could suffer death for her child ?"

"Certainly, my dear wife," replied Spener, "and I
know that your love to me and our children has
already, more than once, urged you to encounter
dangers which might have cost you your life. But
mark me well, dear Susannah, you have done this,
and you could really give your life for me and our
children; but would not all this, after all, be an act
of selfishness ? And there are, besides, many other
circumstances and motives which might influence us
in the performance of such an act, and thus lessen the
value of the sacrifice in the eyes of a righteous God.
Therefore, I believe," continued he, turning to the
famulus, "that we should daily thank the Lord that we
do not here walk by sight. For if we were to have
such a thorough knowledge of ourselves that nothing
could escape our spiritual vision, and if all this were to
be reflected back upon us, by the mirror of the Word
of God, to show us its imperfection, I think we could
never enjoy life nor its labors. And, therefore, I can
easily comprehend how that sermon, preached in
Frankfurt, and which was afterwards also printed,
affected almost every heart, though producing a two-
fold and opposite result; inasmuch as some resisted
the truth, and never afterward attended my preaching,

222 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

whilst others, becoming convinced that they had hith-
erto unwittingly played the Pharisee, became exercised
by a wholesome fear, were awakened to sincere repent-
ance, and endeavored, ever after, with all diligence, to
walk in the truth as it is in Jesus."

" Alas," said the famulus, " I fared no better with
this passage than you did. When I had finished my
studies in Leipzig, and reflected upon what I had
acquired that was good and useful, and how I might
now become, to my fellow beings, a worthy instructor
and guide to the kingdom of heaven, I was, in the
consciousness of my weakness, so overcome by shame,
that I liad well-nigh relinquished my intention of pre-
paring myself for the ministry, when your sermon fell
into my hands, which, I must honestly confess to you,
damped my ardor still more, instead of increasing it,
as I had hoped. Then I thought, the man who can
so effectually move the heart, must also possess the
power to tranquilize it. And I ventured to come to
you ; and you not only received me into your house,
and admitted me to your table, but also, I am proud to
say, to your heart ; and I can never forget what you
have done for me, I came to you weak in faith
and good works, and now I look up to my God with
a free and strong soul. God bless you, dear man of
God; yes, most sincerely, reverend Doctor; you over-
whelm me with benefits, and, what is more, I have not
even so much as thanked you for having remembered
me before the Consistory, with a kindness which I
have not deserved, and "

"You speak of your appointment as pastor of Altle-
ben," interrupted the court-chaplain. " As regards

EVENING PRAYER. 223

that, I am altogether undeserving of your gratitude.
For I will not conceal it from you that I spoke in
opposition to your appointment, and that I only
yielded, because all the rest of the gentlemen persisted
in sending you there. For, although I must give you
my testimony that you would not enter upon such a
holy and important office unprepared, I, nevertheless,
thought that you were yet somewhat too young."

" How much I thank you for this, dear Doctor,"
replied the famulus. " Yea, I must say with Jeremiah,
* I cannot speak, for I am a child.' Besides, the Lord
has not said to me, ' Say not, I am a child, for thou
shalt go to all that I shall send thee ; and whatsoever
I command thee, that thou shalt speak.' My whole
heart keeps me back with you."

"And what do you intend to do?" asked Spener,
with surprise.

"To stay with you," replied Rothner ; "that is, if
you do not thrust me from you — to stay with you, and
learn what I shall do."

" You should not," rejoined Spener, " disregard this
call altogether. Meanwhile I will seek counsel of
God for you on the subject, and tell you sorhe other
time what I think of your refusal."

" You manifest, towards me, a father's concern," said
the famulus ; " and when I reflect how highly princes
and nobles commend and honor you, and how favored
all esteem themselves whom you regard worthy of
your society and correspondence, I am overwhelmed
with shame, on account of my insignificance in your
presence, who are known over half of Europe."

"Ay, ay, my dear Rothner," remarked Spener, smil-

224 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

ing, "it seems you are bent, to-day, on flattering me.
How often must I repeat to you tliat I am not really
deserving of all this ? Do you praise the trees for
bearing fruit? Certainly not, for the tree only yields
what is expected of it; but you praise God, who
causes it to bear fruit. And yet, such a tree is never-
theless deserving of more praise than man; for it bears
its fruit willingly and patiently, and cannot be blamed
when unfavorable weather and storms rob it of its
blossoms and fruit. But man favors too much the
storms of sensual pleasure and self-will, which destroy
most of the healthy blossoms and fruits on his life's
tree before they have matured. And the small amount
of fruit which he will finally still retain, is so poor and
insignificant, that we cannot sufficiently adore that divine
grace which still permits the barren tree to stand, that
it may bear fruit. When you shall have heard my
sermon on next Sunday, we will speak further on this
matter. But, my children, I see it is already nine
o'clock, and I have still some important letters to
write. - Let us now, before we separate for the night,
unite in prayer."

And after the children had ranged themselves in
order around the mother, and all had reverently folded
their hands, Spener took off his skull-cap and prayed:

" Merciful, and gracious God, and Father ! By Thy
grace, another day has passed away, on which Thy eye
has watched over, and Thy Almighty hand has pro-
tected us. O Lord, we are utterly unworthy of all
Thy mercy and faithfulness, which thou hast shown
toward us. Forgive us all our sins, which we have
committed this day, in thought, word, and deed, and

EVENING PRAYER. 225

grant, that after having enjoyed Thy protecting care,
during the night, we may rise again to an evermore
godly, holy, and righteous life. Bless our slumbers !
We remember Thee upon our beds, and meditate on
Thee in the night-watches. He that keepeth thee,
will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel,
shall neither slumber nor sleep. Let Thy holy watch-
man keep us, and Thy angels encamp round and about
us, and deliver us. Protect, O God, my wife and
children, at home and abroad, and preserve unto me,
according to Thy grace, the friends of my heart, and
prosper the work of my hand. And if our hour to
depart and be out of the body should come during
this night, grant unto us a blessed departure from this
earth, and a merciful judgment through Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Amen."

"Amen, amen!" responded wife and children and
Rothner. Then Spener kissed all his children, and
laying his hand on each, blessed them separately, and
then, as he was in the act of leaving the room, he
called to his wife : " Dear Susannah, charge the maid
to waken me at four in the morning, and that she must
not leave off calling till she hears me getting up. For
you know how very difficult it is for me to rouse my-
self from sleep. And now, God bless you and me."

And with this, the godly man went to his lonely
study with a cheerfulness such as is only possessed by
good men, who know that they are in God, and God
in them.

CHAPTER XII.

THE TRIAL.

" Blessed is the man that endureth temptation : for when he is tried,
he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to
them that love him." — James i. 12.

IN the house of the goldsmith the former appearance
of things had undergone a very marked change.
On previous occasions, when overcome by uncom-
fortable thoughts, Guldenmeyer had recourse to his
sorrow extinguisher, as he was pleased to call the
juice of the grape. But since that unhappy day, wine,
in which he still occasionally indulged, would no
longer extinguish his sorrows. Wherever he looked,
he saw only the threatening tempest gathering above
his house. He desired deliverance, and yet felt that
most depended, after all, upon himself And what had
he done ? He had discharged all his journeymen but
one, and had once more put his own hands to the
work ; he kept aloof from all company, attended
church diligently, and retrenched his household ex-
penses as much as possible. But it seemed as if, with
all this, no blessing attended him. He had become
unaccustomed to work, and as he applied himself to
his business with the melancholy feeling that it was
done only to save himself from downright poverty, he
lacked both the will and the energy necessary to
insure success. His retired mode of life and his
regular attendance at church, especially the preaching

(226)

THE TRIAL.

227

and examina of Spener, were such sudden changes,
that the world's verdict in regard to him was anything
but favorable. It was justly concluded, that the
pecuniary condition of the proud goldsmith could not
be as flattering as had been alleged, especially since
his creditors were far from making a secret of it.
Even his inclination to pietism, which was regarded
as the resort of all who had been reduced in conse-
quence of their own misdoings, and who now sought
to reconcile God and man by singing and praying —
even this newly awakened religious sense contributed
towards degrading him in the eyes of the world. And
though it so happened that owing to his retired life,
but few of these rumors reached him, the weight rest-
ing upon his conscience only oppressed him so much
the more ; and, as is sometimes the case, and that
doubtless in conformity to a wise design of the divine
wisdom, that when a look has once been cast into the
heart and conscience, the eye of the better spirit then
seeks relentlessly and penetrates the most secret
depths of our offences, so was it also with Gulden-
meyer. That which had slumbered for years, and
which he had almost for a lifetime so skillfully inter-
preted that he had not only felt at ease about it, but
had actually began to look upon it as worthy of
praise, bexame suddenly alive within him, and ap-
peared to his soul as a heinous crime. He looked
upon himself as the sole cause of his approaching
misfortune, and the public disgrace that might be
heaped upon his name. Whichever way he turned,
his guilt stared him in the face; and especially the
last crime, by which he had well nigh become the

228 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

murderer of his own child, who was slowly, yet
surely recovering. All this was illy calculated to
allay his anxiety.

And it, indeed, seemed as if God designed that he
should drain the cup of tribulation to its very dregs.
We find the unhappy father on a raw December
morning in the year 1688, in his room, dispirited, de-
jected and helpless, almost ready to despair. The
door opened and George entered with an almost timid
tread.

" Pardon me, my dear father," he said, " but I can
no longer endure it ; my anxiety about you consumes
me. Speak, I pray you ; consider me not altogether
unworthy of your confidence; perhaps I may, after all,
be able in some way to aid you."

" No one can aid me," gloomily replied the father.

"Why not?" asked George. "Help is possible in
all cases, if not from man, at least from God ; and if
it be not for this life, then it is surely for the life to
come."

" Neither for this life, nor for that which is to come,"
replied the artisan, in a disheartened tone.

" My father," resumed George, "you are on a dan-
gerous road, on the road to despair ! I beseech you,
for God's sake, speak, and trust in the Lord. What
has happened ? What did the sheriff bring you this
morning ?

The goldsmith regarded his son with a sullen look ;
but when he read in his countenance the deepest sor-
row and the sincerest sympathy, his heart melted
within him ; he turned away to hide his face, and re-
plied, " You want to know what the sheriff brought
me ? Beggary !"

THE TRIAL. 22Q

" God preserve you from that!" exclaimed the son.
" It shall not come to this, as long as I have hands to
work."

"Not come to this ?" asked the father, with a painful
smile. " It has already come to this. Here, take, this
and read, and — know my disgrace."

George took the paper which his father held out to
him. He glanced hastily over it, then bowed his head
sorrowfully and exclaimed, "This is hard, very hard!"

" Well," resumed 'the father, "what have you read?
How do you like the threat it contains, namely : that
all my goods and chattels, house and lands, must be
sold if I do not satisfy my creditors within fourteen
days ?"

"And cannot you do it ?"

This question made upon the unfortunate man the
deepest impression. The necessity of confessing his
insolvency to his son was almost too humiliating, and
his former pride tempted him anew to have recourse
to a falsehood. But the better spirit, for the time be-
ing, gained the ascendency. With a degree of self-
denial of which he had before not considered himself
capable, he replied, " No, my son, I can not. I will
not conceal from you that I have become so far re-
duced in my pecuniary affairs by my own fault, that
if assistance does not soon come, I am lost. My
credit is gone ; all my creditors, who only three
weeks ago would have unhesitatingly trusted me
with double and treble the amount of their claims,
are now afraid of losing even what I do owe them.
I might still save myself, if they would give me time,
but they have no longer any confidence in me. Even

230 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

my penitence, even my endeavors to make amends for
the evil I have done, is interpreted to my prejudice.
The fact of my avoiding their society, of no longer
frequenting drinking saloons, but of attending the
preaching and examina of Spener, for the purpose of
confirming my good resolutions, all is adduced as so
much evidence that I am a ruined man, which I cer-
tainly am, for they make me one. Ah, my son, why
is it, that all these heavy troubles must befall me, just
at the time of my spiritual regeneration?"

"Why?" asked George, and his eyes beamed with
holy fervor. " O, if I could only tell you what I feel,
or repeat to you what I so often have heard from the
lips of the reverend doctor. First, dear father, we
should not ask this question at all ; for who hath
known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been His
counselor? As long as we still ask the Lord impa-
tiently, * Why dost Thou this?' so long will we also
find no rest for our souls. ' Every affliction,' says
Spener, ' is designed to aid the Christian in glorifying
God; for it is just in our afflictions that God keeps
His wisest designs concealed for our real good ; and it
is made the business of the Christian to search, submit
and wrestle until he has learned to know the ways of
the Lord." "

" Alas, what courage this requires !" exclaimed the
goldsmith, sorrowfully.

"Courage indeed," continued the son; "but a believ-
ing heart is never wanting in courage. Faith saves
only after it has imparted strength and courage to the
heart of man, both to perform the works of faith and
to endure to the end."

THE TRIAL, 23 I

" Do you mean to say," asked the father, " that I am
wanting in faith ?"

" If I may be candid, dear father," replied George,
" I answer yes. It is only lately that the bandage has
been removed from my own eyes. What we have
hitherto been accustomed to call faith is only such as we
find, for instance, in Master Nullenbrecher; a knowl-
edge of the Bible, a treasuring up of a multitude of
passages of Scripture in our memories, without refer-
ence or application to a Christian life. The reverend
father Spener remarked at one time in one of his
examina, the first which I attended in company with
Elizabeth, 'That the faith of many individuals in our
day, appeared to him like a magnificently built house
in which everything is as judiciously and neatly ar-
ranged as can be desired.' ' But,' added he, ' it is not
occupied by suitable tenants to keep it in order and
maintain a proper government. The proper tenants
are Christ and His Word, and the Spirit of the Father
and the Son. But as a general thing it is occupied by
man himself, with his self-conceit and caprice. Hence
it comes that the house, however sensible and hand-
some in its arrangement, has nevertheless, no solid
foundation, and will fall into decay as soon as it
becomes exposed to the storm.'"

" Though I do not altogether understand what you
say," remarked the father, who, whilst earnestly reflect-
ing on these words, had, for the moment, entirely for-
gotten his miseiy, "yet I feel as if it contained much
truth."

" Well, dear father," continued George, "I will tell
you how I understood it. According to the teachings

232 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

of the Holy Scripture, I look upon the human heart as
the proper and only temple where God's honor and
our salvation dwell. For all faith comes from the
heart alone. Spener said, in his last examina, at
which you also were present, that the whole of Chris-
tianity, with its commandments and promises, was
designed only for the heart, and not for subtle reason.
For if one were ever so learned and wise, he still could
not find out God and His essence ; and all we knew of
it, was only revealed, and that not to the understand-
ing, but to the religious sense of man. Hence there
could not any passage be found in the whole Bible, in
which Christ said that He had come to make learned
men of us, except where allusion is made to that wis-
dom of which the fear of the Lord is the beginning.
For this reason the Scripture defines faith as the sub-
stance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen."

As the father continued to observe a pensive silence,
George resumed : " If I could only, dear father, make
it as clear to you as it is to my own mind, why it is,
just now, that affliction has come upon you ! I think,
my good father, you should be thankful to God for not
letting you wait long for a trial of your faith. For it
is an evidence of the grace of God that bringeth salva-
tion, that it teaches us, and makes it difficult for us
to live soberly, righteously and godly in this world.
Moreover, I beseech you, do not give up all for lost.
If you should succeed in satisfying your most clamor-
ous creditors, would the rest put off their claims ? I
know an expedient. Send me, or go yourself to Eliza-
beth's godfather, Mr. Albcrti; he is a rich man, and

THE TRIAL.

233

has besides received many acts of love and friendship
at your hands. Frankly confide your situation to him,
and perhaps he may be willing to go your security,
and then, with the help of God, we will be able to get
out of this difficulty."

The goldsmith gave a melancholy smile and replied,
" Mr. Alberti is one of my most clamorous creditors,
and has already sent me two letters. They are all of
them heartless and unfeeling men. No, my son, I
have already thought over all the names of my former
friends, without finding a single one to whom I could
unbosom myself I see plainly that there is no help
for me; and yet," he continued, after a short pause, "I
know one who might help me, if he would; but I doubt
whether he would be willing, for I have too grievously
insulted him."

" Whom do mean, dear father," asked George.

"Mr. Petermann," replied Guldenmeyer, in a de-
jected manner, at the same time coloring deeply, " the
school-master of Lockwitz."

" There you are doubtless mistaken," remarked
George. " Petermann is poor, and the office he holds
does not leave him much to spare. If he could help
you, you would have been helped already."

"Yes, indeed, my son," said the father, with a melan-
choly look, "I might have been helped already, if I
had only been willing to be helped." And he was on
the point of relating the whole of his last interview
with Petermann, but his courage failed him, and he
only said, " I know to a certainty that Petermann can
help me, if he will."

"Well," said George, cheerfully and earnestly, "send

234 PIIILIPP JACOB SPENER.

me instantly to him. For you must know that Mr.
Petermann is very kindly disposed towards me, and
manifests such a paternal solicitude in my behalf, that I
am altogether at a loss to know how or by what means
I have made myself worthy of it. Send me to him, and,
I warrant you, I shall not return empty-handed."

" My dear son," said the father, whilst his voice
trembled, " has Petermann never yet told you why he
thinks so much of you?"

"No," replied the son, in the greatest surprise. "It
is true, since my return from Italy, much has appeared
mysterious to me ; and I confess to you, that my heart
trembles at the solution which I myself would give ;
therefore, have pity on me, dear father, and relieve me
of the anxiety which consumes me."

" George," continued the goldsmith, " Petermann is
the brother of your sainted mother — alas, that I must
make such a confession to you — George, my son,
child of sorrow of an unfortunate woman — George, I
am not your father."

George stood before the speaker as if paralyzed ; his
breast heaved convulsively, and glistening tears coursed
down his pale cheeks. Silently, unless tears be re-
garded as an eloquent speech, he fell on the goldsmith's
neck, and wept like a child that had lost its father.

" Yes, dear George," Guldenmeyer continued, "if you
knew what a heavy and terrible crime rests upon my
conscience, you would turn from me with abhorrence.
May God give me strength, some day, to tell you all,
for I am not able to do so at present. And now,
George, what do you intend to do ? Thousands will
not blame you if you turn away from me in my mis-

THE TRIAL.

235

fortune. Will you remain faithful to me in the day of
my calamity ?"

"God pardon you this doubt," replied George; "I
have not deserved it. My heart will call you father as
long as it beats. Yet one thing more," he suddenly
exclaimed, and it seemed as if life and death depended
on the answer to his question. " Elizabeth — is not my
sister ?"

" If your love does not make her such, no !" replied
Guldenmeyer, " you are as little related to each other
by ties of consanguinity, as an otherwise melancholy
fate has united you."

" Do you speak truth ?" asked George, with trembling
excitement. " Is it indeed so, that Elizabeth — your
daughter Elizabeth — my precious Elizabeth — is not my
sister ?"

" Certainly not," replied the artisan, " as I hope for
mercy at the throne of God."

" O, where shall I carry the joy of my heart?" ex-
claimed he, in an ecstasy. " To her ! to her !" he con-
tinued, and rushed towards the door.

" For pity's sake, George, stay," remonstrated the
father, as he drew him back. " Do you wish to kill
my child with the storm of your joy ? Besides, you
are too late ; Elizabeth already knows it.

" So this, then, was her secret !" said George, in
great surprise. " Now, I for the first comprehend you,
Elizabeth, good, pure Elizabeth, I comprehend your
conflict, and stand abashed before the magnitude of
your victory. And you, my dear father, you, the
creator of my present blissful joy, my bq;iefactor and
protector, as far as memory carries me back, should

236 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

you be unhappy, whilst I can scarcely contain myself
for happiness? No, allow me to leave you; I must go
to Lockwitz, I must speak to Petermann ; you must
have help, and that this very day."

" Hold, my son," said the father ; " do not be rash ;
I fear your efforts will be vain. And yet," he contin-
ued, putting his hand to his eyes, " if he would save
me — save me from shame and disgrace — how willingly,
how very willingly and gratefully would I accept his
help! Do you know, my son, what I feel that I ought
to do ? I will go with you to Lockwitz."

George accepted this proposal with the greatest
pleasure, and urged an immediate departure. And
now, after both had vied with each other in their
care and attention for the comfort of Elizabeth, and,
especially after George had charged the nurse, by all
that was sacred, to exercise all necessary watchfulness
over her, both men might have been seen passing out
at the Pirna gate, pursuing, with all possible speed,
their way to Lockwitz.

On they go, these two, urged onward by one motive,
for the attainment of one end ! And yet how different
their feelings ! The son, with the full conviction that
his plan would succeed; the father, with a just appre-
hension that his visit would be in vain: the first, in the
consciousness of his love ; the other, in the knowledge
of his guilt. Is this not a picture of mankind in gen-
eral, in their journey through life? Look around you,
O, Christian, and you will find many a one who does
not walk upon a bed of roses, and, who, in the sweat of
his brow and with anxious thought, toils early and
late for his daily bread and that of his family, and

THE TRIAL.

237

upon whose shoulders rest, besides many other heavy-
crosses of human injustice, protracted sickness, and
whatever else enters alike the hut of the'poor and the
palace of the rich against our wishes ; and yet he pur-
sues his- difficult way courageously and undismayed,
eats his bread with a contented mind, and says, " It
might be much worse." Whence comes this courage,
this contentment, this joy in the midst of tribulation ?
It proceeds from the consciousness of love from and to
Him who first loved us, who numbered our days
when, as yet, in continuance, they were not, who draws
us to Himself by His love; it proceeds from the con-
sciousness of the comforting assurance, that the Lord,
who has helped us hitherto, will continue to help us in
the future; it proceeds, in a word, from the conscious-
ness of intimate communion with God. And, do you
wish for a counterpart, the mournful picture presented
by those who begin even the good they do with fear
and trembling, who have no faith, neither in them-
selves, nor in God, nor in humanity? Whence comes
this desponding, this faint-heartedness ? It arises from
their consciousness of the great gulf which has opened
between themselves and their Father in heaven; it
comes from a feeling of a lack of being accustomed to
endure and suffer with God to the end; it comes from
that timidity which arises from a want of acquaintance
with the Spirit of the Lord; it comes from ignorance
of Him who died upon the cross for our sins, and was
raised again from the dead for our justification. If a
celebrated poet, who has examined and made himself
familiar with this earthly life in its entire compre-
hension, calls life a sweet and agreeable habitude of

2^8 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

being and working, then the Christian who has learned
to view this temporal life in its relation to heaven,
can say with' equal truth, the Christian life is a sweet
and agreeable practice of being and working in God
through Christ.

We direct our attention again to those two men,
who, in consequence of the raw autumnal winds which
already swept with wintry coldness across the barren
fields, found their walk so unpleasant, that George
more than once insisted on his father's turning back,
with the assurance that he unaided would be able to
bring the affair to a happy end. But the goldsmith
abided by his resolution to lay his request in person
before the schoolmaster, because he felt that he had
too much to atone for.

When they had arrived near the schoolhouse the
father restrained the son in his haste, and said, " Wait
a little, George; I feel too heavy about my heart. I
have been studying all the way here how to lay my
request before him, but my thoughts have utterly for-
saken me ; I know not howto begin."

" Let me see to that," said George, with a cheerful
look, as he stepped up to the house. The father, with
his head bowed down, followed. On knocking, how-
ever, no one answered. " Can it be that he is absent
from home?" anxiously asked the father.

"No," replied George; "I know his way. Let us
enter in God's name." They did so, and found the
room empty.

" He is not in the house," said the goldsmith, confi-
dently. "It is so ordered that we are not to meet
with him."

THE TRIAL. 239

" Do not despair," comforted the son. " He must be
about the house somewhere, for I see his cane stand-
ing in the corner, and he never goes out without it.
The door to his chamber is half ajar, he must certainly
be there !" And with this he called out, " Mr. Peter-
mann!"

"Who calls?" replied a faint voice from within the
chamber.

" It is he," said the artisan, softly and anxiously to
George. " Go you alone into his room, whilst I stay
here ; for I must first collect my thoughts before I can
enter."

George entered the chamber. " Ah, me !" he ex-
claimed, on beholding the schoolmaster lying sick in
bed. "What has happened you, Mr. Petermann ?"

"A slight indisposition, my dear son," replied the
schoolmaster, smiling. " To-morrow, God willing, I
shall get up again. But what has brought you to
me ? How is your sister Elizabeth?"

" God be thanked," replied the brother, " she is
gradually improving. She still experiences some diffi-
culty in speaking, but the physician assured me this
morning, that, in a few weeks, she would be able to
leave her bed."

" How does she bear her affliction?" asked Peter-
mann, further.

" Like a true disciple of Spener," said George.
" She needs no consolation, for she does not even
admit that she is afflicted, and comforts every one
who approaches her bed-side with regrets and com-
plaints. O, what a good and pure soul that girl
has !"

240 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

"And how is it with yourself, my son ?" continued
the schoolmaster.

" With me ?" replied George. " O, dear Mr Peter-
mann ! — " He interrupted himself, for he was on the
point of communicating the secret, which had only
recently been revealed to him, and, at the same time, to
assure himself of its correctness. But his courage sud-
denly forsook him, and a deep blush crimsoned his face.
He again took up the question of the schoolmaster,
and said : " Well, God has ever manifested towards
me His mercy and faithfulness; but, dear Mr. Peter-
mann, why do you not also inquire after my father?"

" God has already inquired after him," replied he,
gloomily.

"You seem to be angry with my father," said
George. " That would be doubly distressing at this
time, when he and all of us have counted on your
kindness. Mr. Petermann, a great misfortune is about
to befall us."

" Thank God for it," quickly exclaimed the school-
master, " that He makes such haste with you ; for it is
not every one whom the Lord above treats with such
favor."

"Mr. Petermann!" exclaimed George, in painful sur-
prise, " you cannot be in earnest, in what you say, for
you surely would not wish any one to be unfortunate."

" Certainly not," replied the other, " for, on earth,
there is no such thing as misfortune."

" No misfortune on earth ?" asked George, in aston-
ishment.

" Well, then, my son," continued Petermann, " name
me a misfortune ! Is poverty, or sickness, or lowliness,

THE TRIAL.

241

or ignominy and shame, or scorn, or even death, a
misfortune ? There is, in fact, only one real misfortune,
and that is one which reaches up to heaven, namely,
that of standing afar off, and not being able to lift up
one's eyes, and smite upon one's breast, and say:
" God, be merciful to me a sinner." But there is, for-
tunately, the very best remedy for this one misfortune,
offered to all who are willing to be helped. Whatever
else the world calls a misfortune is only the world's
notion, the world's error, the world's baseness."

"And what do you call it," remarked George, in a
sorrowful tone, whilst he looked beseechingly into the
old schoolmaster's eyes — " what do you call it, when
an old man is driven out of house and home, when he
must lose his good name, and be dishonored, and go
forth, broken-hearted, to earn a miserable subsistence
— what do you call all this, if it be not a misfortune ?"

" I would call this exceedingly fortunate," replied
Petermann, with the most quiet composure.

" Mr. Petermann," continued George, with painful
vehemence, grasping his hand. " What do you call
him, who can save from ignominy and shame, misery
and despair, but does not do it? — what do you call
him ?"

Petermann turned away his face and remained silent.
Then the goldsmith tottered into the chamber, grasped
his hand, and said : " Andrew, I am that unfortunate
one who begs for help ; can you forgive me ?"

When Petermann heard his voice, he seemed terror-
stricken. After a short conflict of indecision, he turned
his face again, raised himself on his couch, and re-
plied firmly: "God knows, I have forgiven you."

242 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

" Then save me, Andrew," exclaimed Guldenmeyer,
" You can do it."

"Ask salvation from the Lord!" said Petermann,
with steady calmness.

" Friend, brother," continued the goldsmith, " have
pity on me ! In the name of your sainted sister, com-
passionate me in my distress — suffer me not to be pub-
licly disgraced."

" In the name of my blessed sister !" repeated the
schoolmaster, covering his eyes with his hands. "She
has left you a legacy, Sigismund. The time has now
come to deliver it to you." With this he handed him
a discolored and shabby-looking letter, which he had
taken out of his under waist-coat. " You tremble,
Sigismund," resumed Petermann, quickly, as the gold-
smith remained standing as if turned to stone, before
this witness of his heinous crime. " Had you trembled

when you wrote this letter, yet, who am I," he

interrupted himself, and again resumed his former
calmness, "who am I, that I should judge another
man's servant ! Sigismund, take this letter and destroy
it; the ring of which you know, I have taken out of
it. In due time it too shall be disposed of"

" Andrew," now began the goldsmith, " if you felt
my torment, you would once more have compassion on
me. I pray you, for the sake of the days of our
youth, for the sake of my hope in the mercy of God,
save me from ignominy and shame."

Petermann turfied away, and said, in a low, hollow
tone, "It is too late; I cannot."

'" Yes, you can," interrupted George, in a beseeching
tone; "dear Mr. Petermann — yes, now I have the cour-

THE TRIAL.

243

age to say it ; brother of my sainted mother, for her
sake, for mine, for Elizabeth's sake, be entreated."

" It is too late, I tell you," replied the schoolmaster,
with fixed determination. " Sigismund, listen to me !
Do you know the saying, 'Whosoever endures unto
the end shall be saved?' Go, then, and God's Holy
Spirit lead you in a plain path!"

After having uttered these words, the singular man
again stretched himself upon his couch, turned his
face toward the wall, and drew the cover up to his
chin. The goldsmith, tormented by gloomy thoughts,
stared vacantly about, and then, as if moved by a sud-
den resolution, took George by the hand, and hastened
with him out of the house.

After the two had left, Petermann folded his hands,
saying : " Forgive me, merciful God ; I said — it is too
late! but Thou knowest my heart meant — it is too
soon! For Thy Son has Himself said: ' He that en-
dureth unto the end, the same shall be saved.'"

CHAPTER XIII.

THE IMPOVERISHED FAMILY.

" Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to
sleep ; so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want
as an armed man.'' — Prov, vi. lo, ii.

DURING the latter half of the month of February,
of the year 1689, the unusually severe winter,
which at that time had held Northern Europe, and
especially Germany, in its icy embrace, had somewhat
relaxed its merciless rigor. Humanity awoke to a
new life, and impatiently counted the days that were
yet to pass before the commencement of spring. The
goodly city of Dresden, too, looked, with anxious
longing, towards the Bohemian mountains, as if to
implore the balmy south wind to remove the icy
covering from off the River Elbe, and thus again
restore navigation ; for grain began to rise in price,
notwithstanding the many heavily-laden boats, both to
the north and to the south, which were intended to
provide the capital with provision.

That, during such severe winters, the poor citizen
must suffer most, and, consequently, also looks with
the greatest impatience for longer and warmer days, is
as true as that the humane relief, extended by the rich
and noble, may, indeed, to some extent, alleviate, but
cannot altogether remove the general want.

We enter the Pirnaien subui"b, where we find, in St.
John street, nearly opposite St. John's church, in a very

(^44)

THE IMPOVERISHED FAMILY. 245

humble dwelling, a poor family, sharing in this same
impatience, and having, besides, another heavy cross to
bear. Within a small chamber, poorly, but very neatly
furnished, and in which a few articles spoke of better
circumstances, we find a man whose appearance seems
to indicate that he is fast approaching old age, earnestly
engaged in mending broken chains and rings. As skill-
ful as he showed himself at his work, and as contented
as he might have been over it, so little did this content-
ment exhibit itself in his countenance. He now laid
aside his work and said, " What I once would scarcely
have required of my poorest journeyman, yea, what is
really nothing but apprentice-work, must now be per-
formed by the master, and all this for that scanty bite
of bread which is daily growing less, in spite of all my
toil. This grief gnaws away my life, and will destroy
it, much as I endeavor, with Divine assistance, to bear
my self-inflicted misery. My strength is broken. A
righteousness, which passes current with God and
man, is difficult to be acquired in old age."

Hereupon, he assumed a pensive look, as if think-
ing of past times, and then said, " God grant that
George may succeed in disposing of his work."

The door opened softly, and a voice said, " May I
come in, dear father?"

"My child, my good child!" exclaimed tlie artisan,
and Elizabeth rested upon the breast of her father, and
wept aloud for joy. " How dare you venture," he
added, gently reproaching her, " to leave your chamber
so soon ? Have you forgotten, that you must still be
very careful ?"

*'0h," she replied, "I could hardly wait to bid you

24.6 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

a good-morning ! Oh, my good, dear father, my heart
is almost bursting with joy, so happy do I feel to-day!
Every trace of pain has entirely disappeared ! And do
you not remember my becoming nineteen years of
age to-day ? Where else, then, could I first of all go
but to you, to whom under God, I owe my life?"

" Dear, good child !" said the father, kissing her,
" blessed be your out-goings and in-comings. Praised
be the God of grace and mercy, that He has preserved
you, and, in so doing, has removed the dreadful con-
sequences of my heaviest guilt from my heart."

" So, then, you are no longer angry with me ?"

"I angry with you, my child!" repeated the artisan.
"Alas ! alas ! it is myself who must ask you, whether
you have pardoned me the wrong I have done you, in
my unhappy blindness and wicked anger ! Nothing —
neither prayer, nor work, nor joy, can ever efface that
horrible memory' from my mind. As often as I see
you, that deed passes before me."

"Do not torment yourself unnecessarily, dear father,"
importuned the maiden. " Know you not what Joseph,
at one time, said to his brethren : ' But as for you, ye
thought evil against me ; but God meant it for good.'
Yes, the Lord has done all things well. The short
pain I endured, has become to me the source of the
most blessed joy ! Who knows, dear father, if that
dark day had not dawned upon us, whether I could
rest as blissful on your breast as I now do, or enjoy
the happiness of seeing you reconciled to me ?"

" You say this with a kind intention," interposed the
artisan, "because you would soften the just reproaches
of my conscience."

THE IMPOVERISHED FAMILY.

247

" If you mean by this, that I dearly love you,"
replied Elizabeth, " then you are right. But you
should also remember, that beautiful assurance, that
all things work together for good to them that love
the Lord ; which means, as my dear Doctor Spener
once explained it : That he, who is truly godly, knows
always how to overcome the evil with the good, and
finds every misfortune fruitful unto righteousness."

Guldenmeyer shook his head doubtfully, and said,
" In every misfortune ? Elizabeth, look around you.
What a sad difference there is between the last and
present anniversary of your birth-day ! You are no
longer in the house of your birth, no longer in the
house of my fathers. Wherever you look, poverty,
want, and misery stare you in the face, and God only
knows how far we may still have to come down. May
He forgive me the guilt I have incurred in the bring-
ing of this about, and also may He pardon those who
were heartless enough to drive us forth, in the cold of
winter, from house and home and estate. I shall never
forget what my soul suffered when we were obliged to
carry you hither, weak and sick ! You think, that
misfortune would be fruitful unto righteousness. This
may be a great consolation to one suffering innocently;
but with what shall he console himself, who has caused
his own sorrow?"

" In that case," replied the maiden, " the fruit of
righteousness will be the more perfect, so soon as we
are not ashamed to confess that we have done evil,
and strive, by faith, to engage in better works of love.
You must know, dear father," she quickly added, as if
she felt that she had wounded his feelinsfs and violated

2^8 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

filial love, " you must know, that the human heart is
like a field ; both are to bring forth good fi-uit. But,
if the field does not do it, it is to be attributed to all
manner of unfavorable weather ; but that, which may-
serve as an excuse for the non-productiveness of the
field, will only tend to heap reproach upon the human
heart, because the time of misfortune is its most favor-
able season for bearing the fruits of righteousness."

"Where have you learned all this, my child?" asked
the father, pressing her again to his heart. " Such
words enter one's very soul, when, in times of distress,
we stand in need of consolation."

" Where have I learned this ?" asked Elizabeth,
with a pleasant smile. " Surely, I would be but a poor
pupil of my dear teacher, Doctor Spener, if, after so
much instruction, I had failed to understand the
Christian's hope, and also to explain it to such an
indulgent listener, my good father, as you are."

As she here ceased, the door opened, and George
entered, holding under his arm a painting on canvas.
" You come back without having accomplished your
object," the father quickly called out to him.

"Unfortunately," replied George, leaning the paint-
ing against the wall, "my walk was fruitless. The
Privy Counselor said, if a pictistical subject had not
formed the basis of it, he would have bought it ; that,
in these times, one could not be careful enough, so as
not to be classed among the sectarians and Spenerites,
and he had good reasons of his own to avoid even the
appearance."

" Is it possible ?" exclaimed the artisan. " Has it,
then, already come to this? Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do !"

THE IMPOVERISHED FAMILY.

249

And what was the subject of the painting? A small
chamber, supplied with only the most indispensable
articles of furniture, the window curtained, the door
secured by a heavy bolt. Before the window knelt a
youthful maiden, with her hands folded, and bending
her eyes meekly to the floor. The whole expression
of her pale but noble countenance, was that of one
engaged in believing and trustful prayer. Beside her,
upon the table, lay an open Bible, and underneath, the
reference, Matthew vi. 6.

While the goldsmith was regarding the painting
with a melancholy look, his eyes became suddenly
dilated, and he exclaimed, " What have you painted
here, my son? What a resemblance does this maiden
bear to our Elizabeth ! See for yourself, my dear
child, whether I am not correct."

Elizabeth had probably noticed the same thing ; for,
without heeding her father's request, she blushed
again and again, and remained silent,

" Why should I deny it ?" said George. " If you
do really see a resemblance to Elizabeth, you reward
me far more richly than the Privy Counsellor could
have done. I acknowledge that Elizabeth, though
unconsciously, served me as a model for this maiden,
I have, during the days of your sickness," he con-
tinued, turning to Elizabeth, " when I approached your
bed-side, so frequently observed you in the attitude of
prayer, that it would be a severe reproach to me if I
had not retained you, my dear sister, in my heart, as
an object of constant mental contemplation."

Elizabeth trembled with confusion. It was the first
time that George had presumed, in the presence of

250 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

her father, to use expressions at which she, in her
maidenly purity of soul, might almost have had cause
to feel abashed. But she quickly relieved herself from
her embarrassment by a pleasant sally. " Well, now,"
she said to George, "is that what you call brotherly
love — first secretly to steal me, and then as secretly to
attempt to sell me?"

" Happy child," interrupted the father, in a melan-
choly tone, thus saving the pilfering painter an embar-
rassing answer. " You can still be cheerful, while I am
oppressed by care. How will it be if George does not
find purchasers for his labors ? The landlord presses
me for the rent, our provisions have given out, and
what I earn will hardly pay for the oil I use in my
lamp. Petermann, Petermann," he added, " may God
forgive you your hard- heartedness !"

"I still believe that you wrong my uncle," said
George. " If it had really been in his power to aid
us, he would not have permitted matters to have gone
thus far ; for he is very philanthropic and liberal. Be-
sides, where is a poor schoolmaster like him to get the
means?"

" So much the worse," hastily rejoined the gold-
smith. " If Petermann has really not the means to aid
us, then he is a liar and a hypocrite, and has attempted
to deceive me."

"Surely, he is none of these," Elizabeth maintained.
" Mr. Petermann thought, perhaps, of aiding you
through others, but did not find it possible to do so.
He must be a good, honest man, because our Reverend
Doctor Spener esteems him very highly, and holds
frequent intercourse with him."

THE IMPOVERISHED FAMILY. 25 I

"I agree with Elizabeth, dear father," said George.
" It is now about a week ago, that he came to my
room, just as you had gone out, and examined my
work with great care and inteUigence. In doing so,
he also found the small painting, or rather hasty
sketch, intended to represent Dr. Spener. You know
I had drawn it from memory, and considered it some-
what of a failure. But Petermann praised it beyond
measure, and called it an excellent likeness of the
court-chaplain. Now, since tlie good Doctor, in his
extreme modesty, cannot be prevailed upon to sit for
his likeness, Petermann thought that I might dispose
of my painting at a great pecuniary advantage, for, he
said, he knew many among the rich and noble who
would be willing to purchase Dr. Spener's likeness at
almost any price. And, though much as I was con-
vinced of the imperfections of my work, my dear uncle
at length, nevertheless, persuaded me to leave the pic-
ture at his disposal, promising, at the same time, to sell
it at the highest possible price. Since then, I have not
seen him. He certainly cannot yet have sold it, and,
what is more, I wish he may not sell it at all, for I
am really ashamed of it."

George had scarcely ceased speaking, when there
was a knock at the door. "That is he!" simultan-
eously exclaimed George and Elizabeth. And it was
the old schoolmaster. Petermann entered, saluted
them kindly, and said : " I am glad that you have a
warm room, for I feel somewhat cold. I have just
come from the church of St. Sophia ;" and, with this,
he took a chair near the stove.

The arrival of the schoolmaster made, upon those

252 PHI LIP P JACOB SPENER.

present, different impressions. Petermann himself
moved about with all ease, and acted as if he had a
perfect right to do so — was otherwise affable and inof-
fensive, and conducted himself as if nothing of an un-
pleasant nature had ever passed between him and the
goldsmith.

George, as soon as he had welcomed his uncle by a
hearty pressure of the hand, returned to his painting at
the wall, and turned it round as though without de-
sign, so as to withdraw it from Petermann's sight, in
which he was, however, but illy successful. The gold-
smith presented a picture of the most oppressive em-
barassment. He, in spite of all his children had said
in defence of the old man, still secretly hated the
schoolmaster, to which was added that dread, inspired
by superiority, which he invariably experienced in
Petermann's presence, and which was painful to him.
And yet, he also felt that he had reason to deal softly
v/ith this singular schoolmaster, a feeling which his
burdened conscience was greatly instrumental in pro-
ducing. He crossed his hands upon his back, and
looked through the window at the sky above, as if
examining the state of the weather. Elizabeth alone
was all cheerfulness; she hastened toward the school-
master, and said: "Mr. Petermann, I know why you
come to see us to-day. You know that I celebrate my
nineteenth birthday, and you have come to congratu-
late me."

"Assuredly," replied Petermann. "This, too, is one
of the days, my daughter, which God has written in
your book, which, in continuance, were fashioned,
when, as yet, there was none of them. A difference

THE IMPOVERISHED FAMILY.

253

there undoubtedly is between this day and the day of
your birth. What say you to it, brother Sigismund?"

The goldsmith started; then cast down his eyes, and
said, as mildly as possible: "It is not Christian-like to
mock those who are in misery."

"You are right, Sigismund!" replied Petermann,
very composedly. " He who can mock those who are
miserable, has never yet been miserable himself. Do
you believe, Sigismund, that you are in misery ?"

" Uncle," interposed George, beseechingly, when he
saw how deeply the schoolmaster's question pained his
father, " you surely do not expect to find among us,
prosperity, pomp and affluence, however different I
know your views to be from those usually entertained
by other men in regard to what constitutes prosperity
or misfortune. Yet, by whatever name you may
designate what you find in our house, we have thus
far, thanks be to God, not been discouraged, and bear
our cross quietly and in hope, as is meet that the
Christian should, though it, at times, seems somewhat
heavy."

'^This is because you are not yet accustomed to it,"
added the schoolmaster, "and impatience performs its
part too. However, Paul says, 'tribulation worketh
patience and experience.' "

"And hope, dear Mr. Petermann," quickly and good-
humoredly, added Elizabeth. "And hope maketh not
ashamed, especially the hope of the Christian."

The schoolmaster cast a look of the highest satis-
faction upon the pious maiden, and said : " Right, my
child. I would not like to live here, if I had no hope
in regard to yonder. But, dear Sigismund," he sud-

254 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

denly broke off, and turning to the artisan, " have you
obHged me by mending the chain which I sent you by
George ?"

"Here it is," rephed Guldenmeyer, handing a plain
gold chain to the schoolmaster.

Petermann arose and took it from the artisan's hand.
"Sigismund," he said, "this chain, almost my mother's
only heirloom, and saved with much difficulty, I fast-
ened round the neck of my sister, on the day of her
betrothal. Wear you it, Elizabeth. May you, here, be
happier than she was. There you will doubtless share
in one and the same happiness, if God does not with-
hold His grace." And, with this, he placed the chain
round Elizabeth's neck.

Elizabeth, to whom the more immediate allusions of
these expressions and wishes were as strange as they
were to George, blushed deeply, being unable to utter
a word either of joy or gratitude. George, too, cast
down his eyes before that singular man, who appeared
to take special delight in throwing people into a state
of embarrassment. The goldsmith, tormented by the
most poignant grief, stood at a distance, and cast a
mournful look upon Petermann. When the school-
master saw it, he went up to him, gave him his hand,
and said : " Sigismund, I intended no harm ! God
bless our children!"

" God bless them !" repeated the artisan ; and these
two men, after many, many years, pressed again each
other's hand.

When Petermann again resumed his chair, a painful
silence ensued, which no one seemed willing to break.
At length, Elizabeth said : " You were in St. Sophia's
Church, Mr. Petermann; did you hear a sermon?"

THE IMPOVERISHED FAMILY. 2^5

" Certainly," replied he, " and I wish you had all
heard it."

"Who was the preacher?" asked George.

" He was a stranger from Liibeck," replied the
schoolmaster ; " by name, August Hermann Franke.
His name has already an agreeable savor in the church,
although he is hardly over twenty-five years of age."

" Franke ?" asked Elizabeth, " it seems to me as if I
have heard our dear Doctor Spener mention that
name."

" Very likely," suggested Petermann, " for the court-
chaplain is his true, paternal friend, protector and
patron. Both are engaged in the same service, as
servants of the same Master, having one faith, and one
love to mankind. He is the same Franke, who, nearly
three years ago, together with two other Christian
men, Anton and Schade, of Leipzig, established, with
the advice and consent of Spener, the Bible Society,
in which most of the students took part."

" Will this Mr. Franke be stationed in our city as
minister?" asked Elizabeth.

" It appears not," was Petermann's answer. " On
the contrary, it is said that he is Professor at the Uni-
versity at Leipzig, and is only here for a short time, in
order to obtain advice, comfort and encouragement
from the court-chaplain. I wish you had heard his
sermon."

"Will you not repeat some of it to us ?" begged
George.

"Ah ! if I could only do that !" said the school-
master. " However, I will repeat to you what I am
able. The dear, good man spoke on genuine joy of

256 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

faith, which he said, in general, consisted in this —
namely, that faith was not dead and slothful, but
showed itself active and busy in love. By faith, he
said, man becomes lord of all things ; yet, as the power
easily tends to evil, love must be added, by which
means man becomes again the servant of all ; that is to
say, by faith he becomes a king, and through love a
spiritual priest, who does not lord it over, but serves
in, God's heritage."

" How impressive is this truth !" said Elizabeth,
" How sacred the Christian's duty to continue in love,
so that he may also continue in faith!"

"Nearly the same," Petermann exultingly exclaimed,
" that the dear man explained at length. He said, if
man did not continue in this love, but permitted him-
self to be excited to sinful passions, such as wrath,
hatred, abuse and revilings, he could not possess true
joy or faith ; and even when such joy had previously
been experienced, it would be marred by such ungod-
liness. In such cases man must humble himself before
God, and enter again through the renewal of his mind
in the spirit of love and divine peace, into this true
joy. Worldly temptations of every kind would arise
to discourage him in the attempt ; but then he must
overcome them by a steadfast faith, humble himself
still more before God, acknowledge himself guilty in
His sight, and then continue confidently in the work
of faith, the exercise of love, and the patience of hope."

" Go on, dear Andrew !" begged the goldsmith.
" Oh, how grateful are these words ! And why has no
one heretofore spoken these to my heart ? How much
better it might be with me to-day !"

THE IMPOVERISHED FAMIIY.

257

" Mr. Franke," continued Petermann, looking stead-
ily at the goldsmith, " also said that ' that could not be
true faith which is not based upon sincere repentance ;
neither could there be a true joy of faith, as long as a
man had not experienced true repentance and exer-
cised himself in it daily, till the spirit of man humbles
itself under the mighty hand of God and becomes
broken and contrite ; there alone dwelt the power of
Christ and manifested itself most gloriously, so that no
flesh might glory. Therefore,' he concluded, ' let no
man deceive himself Repentance cannot be avoided,
and it is therefore not worth our while to attempt to
avoid it. Whatever does not rest on a true, divine
foundation, cannot eventually endure, though ever so
attractive in appearance.' "

It was not to be mistaken, if one might judge from
the emphasis with which he pronounced particular
words, and from the significant glances of his lively
eyes, that Petermann, though using Franke's words,
nevertheless did so with special reference to the gold-
smith. For it seemed as if he had come with the inten-
tion to stir up the conscience of this poor man, already
so grievously tormented, to its very centre. As Guld-
enmeyer continued silently to gaze into vacancy, Peter-
mann resumed: "In conclusion, Franke said, 'We
have all a day of reckoning before us, on which every
one must give an account to the Chief-Bishop of his
stewardship. Now, methinks, he will justly require of
us to have sought nothing in this world but the salva-
tion and good of mankind, just as He sought nothing
else. But will we be able to appear in His presence
with joy, if we have in this world paid more attention

258 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

to our fields than to the souls of men, or been more
anxious in amassing money and putting it out at inter-
est than in laying a good foundation for the future?
We see it everywhere that men have departed from the
gospel, and that in all places there exists that condi-
tion of things described in one of our church-hymns,
where it is said:

" To make men holy, God hath given
His precious gospel from high heaven.
On earth this treasure is not prized;
By most it is outright despised."

A sign that the judgment is coming."

"You may be right, Andrew," said the goldsmith.
" The world has departed from the gospel, and the
smallest number know what joy of faith is, such as
has only to-day been made clear to me. But, as little
as I will excuse the world, (for I am not able even to
excuse myself,) I say still it has departed from the
gospel, because it lacked the right kind of Evangelists
— and it cannot have any joy of faith, because it does
not learn to know the true and living faith."

"Well, Sigismund," said the schoolmaster, cheer-
fully, "this is a word in the right place, and, I think,
one which proceeds out of a right mind and under-
standing. If there had been at all times such Evan-
gelists as our Spener is, and as his pupil Franke
undoubtedly will be, the spiritual condition of man-
kind would be in a better state. More than three
hundred years ago, similar complaints were raised in
Germany. I have an old book of sermons, by a
Dominican monk of the name of Johannes Taulerus,
who died at Strasburg. In it are found these words,

THE IMPOVERISHED FAMILY.

259

which I have read at least ten times : ' It would indeed
be proper that a minister should glow with the fire of
divine love to such a degree, and also be inwardly and
outwardly so much like unto God, that on any one
coming to him, they would hear of nothing but God ;
or .that his heart and mind, out of ardent love, were
only directed to God, and prepared to do nothing but
the will of God faithfully and in all things, so that any
other one having a cold or luke-warm heart would,
through him, be warmed and kindled like the cold
dead coals, from which they soon receive light and
heat, as we all know.' Is not this out and out the
language of our godly Spener? And is not Spener
just such a man as, with his fire of divine love, ignites
cold and half-warm hearts, as a certain Andrew Peter-
mann, and latterly, also, a certain Sigismund Gulden-
meyer, can amply testify?"

"And why do you not also include me and my
brother George ?" asked Elizabeth, " and hundreds,
yea, thousands, of others, in our city?"

"Well," replied Petermann, "most of all, I should be
pleased also to include a certain Nullenbrecher, if — "

" Do not mention that name," quickly interrupted
the goldsmith, " His name alone can mar my joy.
That ungrateful, proud Master has not even once
inquired after us since that unhappy day."

" Nor is it necessary that he should," remarked
Petermann. . " He is what Taulerus calls a cold and
dead coal, and will continue one, if God does not
Himself put him among live ones. However, I see my
time is up. On the day of fasting and prayer, which

26o PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

occurs on the twenty-second of this month, we will
meet again. God be with you."

And with this he hastily arose, shook each one by
the hand, and hastened toward the door. But just as
he was on the point of stepping out, he turned back,
drew a purse from his pocket, and handed it to George,
saying, " I had nearly forgotten it : my son, I have
fortunately disposed of your painting, and received for
it the sum of fifty guilders. Here it is."

And without waiting for a word of thanks, he hast-
ened quickly away.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE DIFFICULT OFFICE.

"Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another,
even as also ye do. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them
which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish
you." — I Thes. v. 11-12.

IT was Thursday, the 21st of Februar)^, in the afore-
said year, 1689, during the forenoon, that Rothner,
the famulus of the court-chaplain, was summoned to
the latter's study. When he had entered, Spener
handed him a few sheets of paper, with the remark,
"Dear Rothner, I beg that you will copy these docu-
ments immediately. I know your character for secrecy
and honesty; yet I pray you this time, particularly, to
lock securely and deeply into your heart every word
you may find herein contained. Endeavor to have it fin-
ished by this evening so that you may dispatch this let-
ter to-morrow morning, by the courier to Moritzburg."

Rothner promised to be, as ever, faithful and punc-
tual, and took his leave.

"God prosper my work!" exclaimed Spener ; "for
it is not my honor I seek, but Thine, my God and
Lord. Moreover, thou hast comforted and encouraged
me by Thy word : ' Fear not them that kill the body,
but are not able to kill the soul.' Though my soul is
agitated, it is not because of the fear of man, but from
holy zeal for Thy word, and the anxious longing for
the righteous fruits of my work."

f26l )

262 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

Spener folded his hands, and continued in silent
prayer to that God who was his only friend, amid all
his distresses and temptations. Soon after, he was
aroused from his silent devotion by a faint knock at
the door. A young man, arrayed in traveling apparel,
entered.

"My dear Franke!" exclaimed Spener, "do you,
then, really intend to leave us ?"

" I must, my dearest Doctor," replied the new-
comer. " I abuse your kindness and hospitality be-
yond measure. In a few hours a conveyance will be
leaving, which will, if it so please God, take me back
to Leipzig. Ah, my beloved, my paternal friend and
instructor, with what a heavy heart do I separate my-
self from you ! How can I ever again repay you and
your family the good you have done me, both in body
and spirit?"

" Do not speak of it, my good friend," replied
Spener. " The two moons you have spent in my
house will be to me more than two years of pleasure
and bliss. With what hopes do you go to Leipzig ?"

" With the best," rejoined Franke. " For I go with
God; and His wonderful guidance is so apparent in all
things, that I can no longer delay. But, if the Lord
should vouchsafe to me to labor successfully in His
vineyard, I can only bless you, my dearest friend, and
my beloved Uncle Gloxin, as having been the instru-
ments in God's hand. Without my uncle's undeserved
generosity I should want the pecuniary means to enter
the University once more ; and without your consola-
tion and instruction, my inner man would have re-
mained timorous, discouraged and unenlightened."

THE DIFFICULT OFFICE. 263

" I am glad," said Spener, who seemed not to have
heard the last sentence, " I am glad that your choice
has again fallen on Leipzig; for it is just there a man
like yourself is greatly needed."

" The Lord himself calls me there," said the other.
" You know, dearest Doctor, that, although I was born
and raised in Lubeck, I must, nevertheless, call Lune-
burg my actual spiritual place of nativity ; for it was
only under the guidance of the beloved Sandhagen, to
whom my uncle sent me, that the right understanding
of the Holy Scriptures was vouchsafed to me. And
when my good uncle, in conferring upon me the sti-
pend, also gave me the choice to go with it whither I
listed, my heart immediately turned toward Leipzig,
and I thought of the words which the Lord, on a cer-
tain occasion, addressed to Peter : ' And when thou art
converted, strengthen thy brethren.' "

" You can certainly, in this, no longer hesitate in
your choice," said the court-chaplain. " Go, boldly
and confidently. The Lord will be with you. Where
Carpzov keeps watch upon Zion, you will not remain
unmolested, and, like myself, find, by sad experience,
that the successful labors of the minister of the gospel
are most violently and bitterly opposed by his own
brethren. But be not discouraged. Seek strength by
prayer, and the power of God shall be made perfect in
your weakness. As for the rest, you will find in Leip-
zig a kind and Christian people ; for I shall never for-
get the pleasure with which I preached, about two
years ago, on Cantate Sunday, in the church of St.
Nicolai, to an unusually large congregation, who after-
wards insisted for so long a time, that I finally con-

264 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

sented, though with a heavy heart, by reason of my
weakness, to give them my sermon for pubhcation."

" I heard that sermon myself," added Franke. " Not
long after however, I, in company with my friend An-
ton, left the city. You said, in it, that we ought, at all
times, to look out rather for such theologians for
preachers and pastors as have become truly dead to the
world, their own honor, interest and pleasure, and such
as do not merely lead a moral life, but a life according
to the truth as it is in Jesus, than for such as merely
possess great learning, which is, indeed, a precious gift
from God, but which can only answer the end intended,
if sancLified in this way. It was just this passage which
had such a wonderful effect upon me, that I hastened
to Luneburg in great anxiety, in order to learn from
the lips of my dear Sandhagen what it is to live ac-
cording to the truth as it is in Jesus."

" Be assured, dear Franke," continued Spener, " the
word of the Lord still finds acceptance wherever it is
preached out of a pure heart and mind, and no attempt
is made to proclaim the dry wisdom of man in holy
places. But, tell me, is it still your intention to deliver
practical lectures on the Bible ?"

"With the help of God, yes," replied Franke. "I
am, indeed, apprehensive that, in certain quarters, the
truth will not be palatable, nor will many like to be
told that those who devote themselves to the study
of theology, must have experienced a true change of
heart, and that the simple fact of having passed
through a University course of study, is not sufficient
to constitute a man a useful servant of God."

" Let not that frighten you," said the court-chaplain,

THE DIFFICULT OFFICE.

265

encouragingly. "Think of the Apostles, who, though
scourged because they preached the gospel, left the
presence of the council, rejoicing that they were
counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. If the
seed is to grow, then it needs, in addition to a good
soil, also rain and sunshine. The sunshine is the
miraculous power of the word of God itself, which,
like warmth and heat, makes its way into the heart of
man; and ignominy and persecution are the salutary,
refreshing and invigorating rain, both for the seed and
sower of the word of God on earth. And if you, dear
friend and co-laborer, still stand in need of human aid,
and think that I can render it, I will most cheerfully
testify publicly that I perfectly approve of your labors."

" How kind, how good and obliging you are," said
Franke, grasping Spener's hand, and pressing it.
" May God bless what we undertake for the real good
of mankind. Let the beauty of the Lord be upon us.
Establish Thou the work of our hands upon us : Yea,
the work of our hands, establish Thou it ! "

" Oh, how sincerely do I unite with you in this
prayer to the Lord ! Know, my friend, I have a cer-
tain work before me, to-day. Yea, Lord, do Thou
bless it, the work of my hands, my heart, my faith,
my calling, establish Thou."

"Of what do you speak, dear Doctor, if you allow
me to ask?"

" If it succeeds, you shall know it," replied Spener,
after some little hesitation. " But pray to the Lord
that He may give abundant success to it. And now,
since you are determined to go, may the blessing of
God accompany you."

266 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

Both now fraternally embraced, and were not ashamed
of their tears; for they bore witness to the deep sorrow
they felt in separating.

But, just as Franke was on the point of leaving the
room, Spener, who had gazed after him with a mourn-
ful look, and, as it seemed, been seized by a suddei.
feeling of alarm, called after him, with unusual haste
" One more word, dear friend. Can you really not
postpone your journey for several days?"

Franke regarded him with surprise, and remained
standing at the door.

"I do not know," continued Spener. "The thought
has suddenly forced itself upon me that I may, in a
few days, stand in need of your advice and consolation.
If it be possible remain with me a few days longer."

" It is possible," replied Franke, with the kindest
sympathy. " What do you wish, dear Doctor ?"

" Be seated," begged Spener, whilst he himself
paced rapidly to and fro ; the working of his features
at the same time betraying that he was undergoing a
severe conflict. At length he stopped before his guest,
and said, " My dear friend, I will not be committing a
sin by telling you what so exercises me. Besides, it
will be locked up in a faithful and silent breast. You
know that the day appointed for national fasting and
prayer falls on to-morrow. Read the text appointed
for the occasion, Judith v. 20, 21."

Franke opened the Bible, which Spener had handed
him and read :

" Now, therefore, my lord and governor, if there be
any error in this people, and they sin against their God,
let us consider that this shall be their ruin, and let us

THE DIFFICULT OFFICE. 267

go up, and we shall overcome them. But, if there be
no iniquity in their nation, let my Lord now pass by,
lest their Lord defend them, and their God be for them,
and we become a reproach before all the world."

" What do you regard as the true sense of these
words?" asked Spener.

Franke replied quickly, "A godly nation, in the
day of calamity, finds in God a protector and helper;
but a nation that forsakes God, hastens to its own
destruction."

" I understand them in the same way," contined the
court-chaplain. "But do you not think, that these
words are, just now, most strikingly applicable to
Saxony ? What say you to my calling the attention
of His Electoral Highness to this fact, in pointed but
respectful language?"

"You mean in your sermon for to-morrow," sug-
gested Franke.

"No," replied Spener. "The Elector, unfortunately,
never attends divine service on such days — at least not
since I have officiated here. He left, yesterday, for
Moritzburg, where he will probably remain until Sun-
day. I therefore intend to do it in an especial address,
to be placed in his hands by to-morrow morning."

Franke regarded Spener not without some surprise,
and asked, " Have you the authority to do this, my
dear sir?"

" Methinks," replied Spener, " His Electoral High-
ness having called me to be his confessor, I shall only
be doing my duty, and no more than what my prede-
cessors, and among these, especially, Dr. Weller, did
before me. Only call to mind what I told you con-

268 PHILIPP JACOB- SPENER.

cerning the interview between the Elector and Dr.
Weller, as related to me by Rev. Mr. Gerber, and cor-
roborated by Baron von Seckendorf. And whilst I
lack the courage of that man to face the Elector in
person with language so bold, though enjoined by the
Christian religion, I do not lack, thanks be to God, the
Vi'xW. to use the license of my office, openly and hon-
estly to knock at the heart of a prince with the word
of God. And though this official privilege is not
accorded to me in my call in so many words, as it was
in that of Dr. Weller, it is so, nevertheless, in my heart
and conscience. I am therefore in good hopes and
joyful confidence that the Lord will bless my work
and cause it to meet with a kind reception."

" It will ever continue to form a difficult part of our
official duties," remarked Franke, "to approach the
mighty of the earth with the words of John : ' Repent
ye, for the kingdom of heaven is near at hand!' Never-
theless, Christ has commanded us to ' Fear not them
which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul.' "

" Oh, no, my dear Franke ! Much, however, as a
natural weakness takes hold of me in all my under-
takings, I yet cannot admit that it is fear of man which
intimidates me — but due want of confidence in my
strength and wisdom in spiritual things. But then, if
I again call to mind the consolations and promises of
my Lord, I am both comforted and emboldened. And
the fact, dear Franke, that you repeat the same divine
call to me, which I have already so often repeated to
myself, affords me comfort, inasmuch as it shows that
I have properly applied to myself a passage of Script-
ure."

THE DIFFICULT OFFICE.

269

"And what have you reason to expect from the
Elector ?" asked Franke.

"Everything that is good," repHed the court-chap-
lain. " Our gracious Elector is a good and true man,
and is sincerely devoted to the word of God. I have
a number of evidences that my affectionate exhorta-
tions have deeply moved and affected him, as he has
frequently mentioned to his courtiers; besides, I had,
last autumn, a very encouraging evidence that his heart
is by no means closed to the admonitions of the gospel.
The Electress, especially, is a truly pious and God-
fearing woman ; and the princes, particularly the crown-
prince, are also kindly disposed towards me. Methinks
I may feel assured of a favorable result."

When Spener had said this, he relapsed into a re-
flective mood. According to his custom, he walked to
and fro, and his countenance showed signs of conflict-
ing emotions. Franke did not venture to interrupt this
silent conflict, and regarded with sympathy and rever-
ence the dear man for whom God had laid up some
very severe trials of faith. At kngth he broke the
silence himself, and said, "And yet, dear friend, it
seems to me as if the seed which I am about to sow is
to bear for me personally most bitter fruit. Perhaps it
would be wiser and better if I could address the Elec-
tor orally. But how can I venture to Moritzburg ?
And if I would defer it until his return, I would lack
the opportunity. Besides, to be frank with you, I want
the necessary courage for a personal interview in this
matter ; and when I imagine myself presenting person-
ally to the powerful prince and sovereign what I think
of bringing to the notice of his Electoral Highness in

2^0 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

writing, I cannot open my mouth. For this, Dr.
Weller was far better suited than I am. Therefore, I
have written what my conscience dictated, and a merci-
ful God will overrule all for good." *

" Are you not, perhaps," timidly suggested Franke,
" carrying to excess your want of confidence in your-
self, and in the power of your word which God has
given you ? Think of the numerous and often power-
ful enemies of your labors : how they have hitherto
been much more of a benefit than an injury to you.
Think of the Deacon of Nordhausen, Mr. Ditfeld, who,
in consequence of your reply and written defence, has
lost so much in respect, even among many learned
theologians, that he can bring nothing more against
you, and even finds no longer any support among
his learned friends and such Professors as have clearly
shown themselves your enemies."

"You are right," replied Spener. "I am also
ashamed of this timidity — this natural weakness,
which I might possibly conquer by greater earnest-

* This vacillation — yea, this almost unchristian irresolution of a man
who, by the power of his prayers, was enabled to endure the severest
sufferings, would be inexplicable, if it did not find its full explanation
in his bodily and mental constitution. Spener has himself, in many
places, bitterly mourned over this. For example, in his " Theolog.
Bedenken," Vol. I., p. 358 — Vol. III., p. 416, and in his last "The-
olog. Bedenken," Vol. III., p. 765.

This fact makes appear so much more malignant and malicious what
the court-chaplain, Gleich, says in his Annal. Eccles. (in the life of
Spener) on this natural timidity — and where he describes it as so un-
becoming, that he thinks Spener should, on account of it, not have
accepted the position of court-chaplain. Besides, Gleich's entire work
shows how exceedingly difficult it was for him to make proper mention
of Spener's good traits, and the general blessed effects of his labors,
which his enemies assail, but which they are notable to obscure.

THE DIFFICULT OFFICE.

71

ness in prayer. I have, however, by watching myself,
found, to my comfort, that this fear, if you will call it
so, only torments and unnerves me before anything is
put into execution ; but after I once know what I have
to bear, though it be a cross ever so heavy, God, in
His grace, has thus far always given me the necessary
strength and courage to endure to the end. As little,
therefore, as this apprehension concerning the result of
my epistolary admonition of the Elector will prevent
me from doing what my office and conscience so ur-
gently constrain me to do, so much the more does the
just reproach torment me that my faith is still too
weak, and that I, in such severe trials, stand continu-
ally in need of a dear friend, who, by my love to him,
and by the power of his sympathy, would compel me
to do that which I have once learned to know as my
duty before God and man. Therefore have I ventured
to request you to stay with me a few days longer, so
that I may have some one with whom I can converse
to the strengthening of my faith. Ah, dear friend, I
am at times greatly pained that my brethren in the
ministry in this city reject the hand of peace and love
which I continually offer them. I sometimes appear
to myself as the Lord's preacher in the wilderness —
not because no one is willing to listen to my preaching,
but rather because I stand alone in the midst of my
brethren, like one in the wilderness. What might be
accomplished for the kingdom of God, if all of us were
unitedly engaged in laboring for the one thing needful !
Believe me, dear Franke, when I seriously reflect on
the dissensions among our ministers, even my most
earnest prayers fail in affording me real consolation

2^2 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

and joy in the faithful and fearless continuance of my
efforts."

Franke regarded the good man with a pained look,
and said, " This, my dear instructor, is the common
lot of all faithful servants of Christ. The word of God
is indeed a two-edged sword. It must wound wherever
it strikes, and that so much the more severely among
those who, called to wield it, suddenly find it turned
by others against themselves. The same has happened
to me with regard to my sermon which I a few days
ago preached, through your kind intercession, in St.
Sophia's church, here in Dresden. Much reason as I
have to be satisfied with the opinions expressed by
some, I have nevertheless also been told of many harsh
remarks concerning it. Some said I displayed no
learning in my sermon, which was an evidence of
great mental poverty. Others thought that my sermon
had little efifect, because it was not arranged according
to the method prevailing in Leipzig, which means that
adopted by Dr. Carpzov. That the word of man
should meet with censure and opposition, is indeed
natural; but that the word of God should as unfre-
quently meet with the approbation of man — "

"Is just as natural, dear Franke," interposed Spener;
"because it is not every one's business to distingui.sh
between the word of God and that of man. Hence
mere dogmatical sermons, which treat on the true faith
only according to the letter, and that even merely with
all sorts of learned embellishments, produce little or no
effect, if, at the same time, the life and actions in faith
and out of faith, together with all the religious wants
of the heart, are not regulated according to it. A

T^E DIFFICULT OFFICE. 273

sermon which does not arouse the heart from its false
security, and drive it to repentance and amendment,
and which does not bring about a closer union with
Christ by faith, cannot even be called a Christian
sermon. For this much is incontestably true, that he
who has only faith, and no love, i. e., true godliness, is
as far from possessing true faith as he who has love
without faith. For faith is a virtue, and, as such, com-
prehended in love, as my beloved James says : ' Faith
without works is dead.' Hence, my dear friend, in
saying that the word of God proceeding from the lips
of an honest minister is a two-edged sword, you are
indeed correct; for the genuine word of God always
requires a degree of humility and self-denial, of which
even the best Christian is but seldom or never capable ;
yet, in the mean time, I nevertheless regard it as a
part of Christian wisdom, that the minister, in all
things, use persuasive, instead of violent and severe
language. Whoever desires to accomplish successfully
that which is good and right, must never resort to
scolding; for harsh language exasperates, and tends
rather to increase the evil. If our Lord at times
denounced the sins of his cotemporaries in unusually
strong terms, he could only in this serve us as an
example, if we, like Him, were without sin; and if
among the Apostles, Paul, more especially, defended
the gospel of Christ by employing terms equally strong,
or even stronger, it must, in his case, as a chosen
Apostle of the Lord, who had given himself wholly to
the Lord, in the most ardent zeal of his sincerest love
and obedience, certainly be passed over as right and
proper; but we possess neither this strong faith nor

274 PHIL IFF JACOB SFEN^.

this ardent love of Paul ; neither the time and place of
his labors. The more affectionately a congregation is
addressed, the deeper the seed will penetrate; whilst
harsh language is disheartening, and proves a hinder-
ance to edification. Solomon says that kind words
and looks rejoice the heart more than precious gifts.
And Paul himself adds, 'Let nothing be done through
strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind.' There-
fore I hope to God, my Lord, that He will bless and
make effectual the kind words which I design to ad-
dress to my gracious Elector. And now, my dear
friend, will you not continue your stay at my house a
few days longer ?"

" With all my heart," was the reply, " if your good
housewife will not weary of protracting her hospitality
to me. Where should I rather wish to stay than with
you ?"

" Well, then, go," said Spener, " and rejoice my Su-
sannah with this intelligence. I need to be a while
longer alone."

Franke went. We will, in our next chapter, repair
to the Elector's apartment at Moritzburg, in order that
we may learn what Spener effected by the exercise of
his office as father confessor.

CHAPTER XV

THE LETTER.

" A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth : and a word spoken in
due season, how good is it!" — Prov. xv. 23.

THE castle of Moritzburg, nearly three centuries
old, commenced by the Elector Moritz in 1542, and
finished about fifty years after by the Elector Christian
I., distant from Dresden about two leagues, and situ-
ated in the so-called Friedwald, was at that time the
favorite retreat of the Saxon sovereigns, to which they
frequently resorted, even during winter, on account of
the abundance of game. The Elector John George,
having, about thirty years prior to the opening of our
story, erected a church within the castle, continued to
reside there with his family for months.

Now, indeed, that entire magnificent structure pro-
claims, if not the decay of all human works, at least
the mutations of human pleasures ; and a walk along
the dense wood, or within the pleasant garden near the
new castle, or through the deer park, will recall to the
memory a variety of glories past, never to return, and
fill the mind of the wanderer with feelings of sadness
rather than of joy ; and if Moritzburg is ever now men-
tioned, it is more on account of the many and large
ponds which enliven the country in the vicinity of the
castle, than on account of the remarkable times which
have passed over it.

(275)

2^6 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

At the time from which our story is dated, about a
century and a half ago, Moritzburg was nothing more
than a hunting castle; and John George III. carried there
with him the most confidential of his privy counselors
and courtieVs, though rather for consulting with them
on affairs of state than for the Elector's personal ser-
vice and entertainment.

It was at early morn on the 22d of February, when
the church bells of the metropolis had tolled out their
first call to repentance and peace with God, whilst
within the electoral department at Moritzburg peace
with man was somewhat endangered. The Elector was
particularly cheerful in his conversation, and was at
that moment discoursing on the prospect of a new mil-
itary expedition against France, in favor of the German
emperor, which he, in company with his two princes,
actually undertook in the spring of this year.

"The German empire," said the Elector to the gentle-
men around him, " is destined to have no rest. Scarcely
has the Turk been quieted by the victory of the im-
perial army in Bosnia (and the Turk ought to lose all
relish for war, when he thinks of Vienna!) when the
ever restless and never satisfied King of France again
s-ends his hosts, thirsting for conquest, into Germany.
We are exceedingly sorry that Hcilbronn, Mainz, Hei-
delberg, and the cities along the Rhine, especially
Spcier and Worms, have again fallen into his hands.
We can scarcely wait until better roads and more fav-
orable weather permit us to drive our greedy neigh-
bor back within his old boundaries, and especially to
take from him, first of .all, the strongly fortified city of
Mainz. What think you of it, Griuirode ?"

THE LETTER.

277

" Your Electoral Highness," replied the one ad-
dressed, a tolerably aged man, who had grown gray in
the faithful service of his sovereign, " I fully share your
just anger against our wicked neighbor. Yet if my
gracious sovereign will allow me to remark "

" Speak !" quickly exclaimed the Elector, casting
toward him a look full of expectation.

"The whole German empire knows," continued the
privy counselor, " with what personal courage and
knightly valor your Electoral Highness has endured
the dangers and hardships of war. It will never be
forgotten how you, my gracious sovereign, about six-
teen years ago, effected your escape, with uncommon
bravery, from the hands of the enemy ; and how you, a
few years after, took the field a number of times with
great renown. Especially will, at all times, grateful
mention be made of your Electoral Highness, how in '83,
on that memorable second of September, you gained,
at the head of your faithful Saxons, for his Imperial
majesty, the victory over the Turks at the battle of
Vienna, and with your own valiant hand planted the
first Christian banner upon Turkish soil, and afterwards
pursued the enemy with great skill. My gracious sov-
ereign has also, since then, given frequent proofs that
he does not regard danger, or even death itself, where
the Fatherland is to be defended, or just aid is to be
afforded. But now, your Electoral Highness, you
should allow yourself some well-merited rest and nec-
essary recreation, a wish which, as I well know, is
shared by the whole country."

"And why?" asked John George, impatiently, and
with a piercing look.

2^8 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

" May God preserve me," replied Griinrode, whom it
had not escaped, that the Elector was not well pleased
with the wish just expressed. " May God preserve
me from incurring the displeasure of my gracious sov-
ereign. But I have grown old and gray in the faithful
service of your sainted father, and would feel deeply
grieved if my gracious sovereign should have cause to
doubt my sincere devotion during the eight years of his
reign."

" No, no, my dear Griinrode," said the sovereign, in
a mild and conciliatory tone. "Speak plainly; what
would you."

" The spirit of man," now continued the privy coun-
selor, " becomes strong, and requires vigor in time of
need and trial; but the body is a fragile tenement.
Physical strength may, indeed, for a time, brave the
elements and bear up against calamity; but sooner or
later, the inherent weakness appears ; it succumbs and
wastes itself like everything else that is temporal and
born of the dust."

"We are almost induced to believe," suggested the
Elector, playfully, "that you have taken, to-day, the
place of our confessor, from whom we had intended, by
all means, to escape. However, you are right; your
gray hairs, my dear Griinrode, which you carry with
honor, should indeed be a warning to us that a day is
coming when my shoulders will no longer be able to
support the weighty armor."

"Certainly, my gracious sovereign," assured Griin-
rode; " and even at the risk of my saying something un-
seemly, I cannot but remark, that your Electoral High-
ness has been visibly affected by the severe and unusu-

THE LETTER.

279

ally fatiguing hardships of war, to which you have
been almost constantly exposed. Why will you, my
most serene sovereign, take so little care of your health
and life, and thus shorten the time of your prosperous
reign? The gracious princes have, doubtless, under
the wise guidance of their most august father, acquired
so much experience that they are fully capable of aid-
ing and assisting your Electoral Highness: especially
may it be presumed of prince August, that he has
richly inherited his gracious father's courage and
bravery."

"You doubtless mean well," calmly replied John
George, though not without some sensitiveness — for
who likes to hear of his being old and frail? — "yet,"
he continued, "your precaution for us and our country
goes a little too far. We feel ourselves, thanks be to
God, still sufficiently strong to wield the sword, and to
mount into the saddle. What think you, sirs ? "

The other gentlemen, among whom we know only
the noble Herr von Langendorf, bowed, and at first
whispered their consent, before one among them, a
strong and vigorous man, gushing over with health,
answered in the name of all : " Certainly, your Elec-
toral Highness ! We, at least, cannot agree with the
opinion expressed by Herr Griinrode, but, on the
contrary, find your Electoral Highness much more
active and vigorous now than a few months ago.
Besides, the necessity of his Electoral Highness main-
taining his dignity over against the enemy, and of
animating the courage of the soldiers, who are accus-
tomed to the noble presence of their august master,
should also be taken into consideration."

28o PHIL IFF JACOB SFENER.

" Do you think so, Senkwitz ?" asked the Elector,
sminng kindly upon him. " Though you are by no
means an impartial judge in this matter, for we know
your knightly inclination and unwearied delight in
taking the field against the enemy."

Though Griinrode found himself standing entirely
alone and unsupported against the Elector, with his
views and wishes, he was still not discouraged from
expressing himself further. " My gracious sovereign,"
he began anew, with the frankness of an aged and
faithful servant, "though I should incur your dis-
pleasure, I must venture to say another word. I am
an aged man, and have been unable for several years
to say with the Bible, * The days of our years are three
score years and ten.' And when I now look upon my
pilgrimage of more than seventy years, what do I find?
Scarcely aught but war and bloodshed. I have passed
through a great part of the unspeakably dreadful Ger-
man war, and hoped to God that the peace of West-
phalia would restore quiet and harmony in the German
empire. But how many storms of war have since then
swept over us, especially those provoked by Turkey
and France ? And, your Electoral Highness, what
has been gained by it for the advancement of the
welfare of the people, and the prosperity of their sov-
ereigns ? Little or nothing. Happiness and prosperity
are not to be expected as long as princes, eager for
conquest, take more pleasure in war than in peace."

"Of a truth," here interrupted John George, showing
plainly by his frowning looks and knit brows, how dis-
tasteful to him were the remarks of his privy counselor
— "Of a truth, Griinrode, you put our patience and

THE LETTER. 28 1

forbearance to an unusual test to-day. Do you then
think that we begin the war or desire it ? Are we the
parties who encroach on the possessions of others, or
are we only endeavoring to protect and re-conquer our
own? Really we cannot comprehend for what reason
you have just to-day undertaken to supply the place
of our Reverend Dr. Spener, whom you perhaps miss
among our privy counselors. We would rather wish
you to refrain from giving your opinions, since they
stray too much into the province of learning and the
confessional."

These words, and more especially the last, which had
not been uttered without some harshness, evidently
produced among all the rest some excitement, not at all
favorable to Mr. Griinrode, and they regarded the old
man with great astonishment and disapprobation. But
the old counselor, either because he knew, by long
experience, how quickly the anger of the Elector
passed off, or because he really believed himself priv-
ileged above the rest on account of his age and more
than fifty years of faithful service, suffice it to say,
continued unappalled, laid his hand upon his heart,
and said : " My most serene sovereign, to-day, for the
first time, I incur your displeasure, and perhaps also it
is the first time that I have allowed myself such frank
expression on this subject. But I would cease to be a
faithful servant of my sovereign should I speak other
than that to which my heart and conscience urge me.
It is said that age loves rest and peace, and justly;
and that not so much from a love of ease or on account
of weakness, as because it has arrived at the convic-
tion that neither individual happiness nor the prosper-

282 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

ity of the state can be advanced as long as, I must
repeat it, our sovereigns themselves love war. And
now your Highness, humble my gray head, and chas-
tise me with the full weight of your displeasure, my
heart will still not cease to love you, as only a father
can love his son."

The Elector sprung from his chair, and paced with
long strides to and fro. His eyes sparkled with fire.
He spoke not a word in reply, but his features showed
what a mighty conflict was passing within; whilst
Griinrode respectfully, yet fearlessly continued : " My
most gracious sovereign, at this hour the whole nation
is hurrying to the house of God ; this is the day of
humiliation and prayer! Now if 1, constrained by my
conscience, have spoken of that peace which the world
has not, neither is able to give, but which the world
should labor and strive to possess, will you, on that
account, withdraw your favor from me?"

Again a deep silence ensued. The rest of the privy
counselors and courtiers were in great fear and em-
barrassment, and cast restless glances at the Elector,
who appeared unable to determine, within himself, how
to receive the remarks of his aged and faithful servant.
At length his features began to relax their severity;
his face grew milder, and he was about to address
some kindly words of pardon to the old statesman,
when the door opened, and the valet-de-chambre of
the Elector appeared with a large letter in his hand.
Herr von Langendorf hastened towards him, took the
letter from him, listened hastily to what the servant
whispered in his ear, and then signified to him quietly
to retire. All this transpired so rapidly and noise-

THE LETTER. 283

lessly, that the Elector, who was lost in deep thought,
had not even noticed it. This dead silence was truly
painful, since Griinrode, too, seemed to have lost the
disposition to say any thing further. At length Lang-
endorf ventured to say:

"Your Electoral Highness, here is a letter upon
which I recognize the hand-writing of the court-
chaplain, Dr. Spener; it has just arrived by the
carrier."

These words, spoken at a most unseasonable mo-
ment, aroused the Elector from his revery. He hastily
snatched the letter, glanced at the address, cast an
angry look towards Griinrode, and said, in a tone of
bitterness : " Herr Griinrode, you have posted your
reserve forces well." And immediately after, before
the aged counselor could recover from his surprise,
he added, angrily, " You are dismissed !"

" God is my witness !" replied the old man, in a
mournful but fearless tone, "that I do not deserve this
reproach." And then, bowing respectfully, he left the
apartment.

The incensed Elector began once more to pace up
and down the room, when an idea seemed suddenly to
strike him. " Langendorf," he called out, " call him
back."

And when immediately after, Grunrode reentered the
room in company with Langendorf, the Elector went
hastily up to him, turned his piercing eyes full upon
him, handed him the letter, and said : " Read this letter
to us!"

Grunrode, at first, regarded the Elector hesitatingly;
but when he perceived his stern earnestness, he quickly

284 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

determined to comply — he therefore opened the letter
and read, as follows :

" Divine grace, peace, light, strength and life from
our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ :

" Most serene prince ;

" Most gracious Elector and sovereign ;

'"Blessed art thou, O king, whose servants are faith-
ful and noble.' With these ever memorable words,
uttered by your Electoral Highness, I left, a few
months ago, the cabinet of your Electoral Grace, and
have repeated them ever since in my prayers. Blessed
art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles !
With what sincere joy and devout gratitude to God
can I do this 1 The Lord has vouchsafed to me a
profound look into your noble and truly princely heart,
and, in consequence of this precious reward of my
labors, hitherto performed in your service, and in that
of my Lord Jesus Christ, I venture, with all due sub-
mission, and the honest assurance of my sincerest
respect, and all due obedience, to employ the celebra-
tion of the present day of humiliation and prayer, by
addressing myself, with the parental love of a con-
fessor, to the Christian heart of my Electoral son."

Griinrode ceased reading at this point, in order to
await a renewal of the summons to proceed ; for the
old and experienced man felt that the letter might per-
haps contain something which the Elector would after-
wards regret having come to the knowledge of others,
though he had commanded it to be read entire. In
this the shrewd statesman had not been mistaken.
When he had ceased reading, the Elector cast a dark
look upon him, and, as if he understood Grunrode's

THE LETTER. 285

inquiring gaze, went up to him, took the letter out of
his hand, seated himself on his chair, and began to read
to himself.

Whoever, among those present, understood how to
read the innermost thoughts by the play of the human
countenance, could easily perceive that the Confessor's
letter made a deep, though varied impression on the
Elector. At times he would cease reading, and be-
come lost in earnest thought; then he would rise up
and walk meditatingly to and fro; then again he would
resume his seat and begin to read anew. Thus more
than half an hour passed away — half an hour of the
most painful suspense for all present; among whom,
not one ventured to move, much less to leave the room.
When the Elector had finished reading the letter, he
threw it angrily upon the table, ejaculating, " By
Heaven, the man is bold !"

And then again a pause of the most oppressive
silence, during which the Elector paced silently, and in
communion with his own thoughts, to and fro. At
length he said, in a tone rather entreating than com-
manding: " We would be alone."

When those present had nearly all respectfully with-
drawn from the apartment, John George called out,
" Griinrode, you may remain !" The old man tarried,
and finally, in obedience to the Elector's command,
took a seat.

"Be honest, Griinrode," kindly said the Elector to
him. " Did you know aught of this letter of our Con-
fessor ?"

" As God is my witness," replied the aged statesman,
"no, my gracious master!"

286 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

The Elector remained silent for some time, then con-
tinued : " Yet, how does it happen, that you express
pretty much the same thoughts as the Doctor, and
that, moreover, just on this day?"

" I am entirely ignorant," replied the privy counselor,
" what the reverend Confessor of your Electoral High-
ness, whom I very highly esteem, has written. But,
if my gracious sovereign would permit me to say, why
I have just on this day allowed myself such bold ex-
pressions "

" Speak openly !" quickly interrupted John George.
"We shall not forget the faithful service which you
have rendered to our sainted father and to ourselves."

" Your Electoral Highness," now began the old man,
" I conclude, to-day, the seventy-fifth year of my life,
and, if my presentiments do not deceive me, the one
upon which I am just entering will be the last of my
earthly pilgrimage. In such a frame of mind, one looks
at his earthly life with widely different eyes than ordi-
narily; and I asked myself only this morning, "What
have you done in these seventy-five years, which, by
the grace of God, you have been permitted to spend,
for your own salvation, for the well-being of your fel-
low-men, and the advancement of the kingdom of God
on earth in general ? And notwithstanding I sought for
the least thing of which I might boast before God, I
was, nevertheless, forced to say with Paul, * It is not ex-
pedient for me, doubtless, to glory; but if I must needs
glory, I will glory of the things that concern mine in-
firmities.' Oh ! my most gracious sovereign, what, in
the end, is human life ? Having passed out of the par-
adise of childhood, and become conscious of our

THE LETTER.

287

power and abilities, it seems as if we intentionally strive
to be our own enemies. It is true, the heart, under the
influence of the intoxication of worldly enjoyments,
for a time forgets many a crime, with which it has
burdened itself; and yet, how soon and how often does
a ray of light from above break through the darkness
of our souls, and point out to us the proper path we
should pursue. But then we are oftentimes tormented
by cares and anxieties for temporal power and glory ;
sometimes afflictions cause us pain and sorrow, and
consume a goodly part of our lives; at one time it is
love of honor; at another, temporal gain, love of tem-
poral power; now selfish caprice of our hearts; and
again, unchristian prejudice; at times it is hatred and
cruelty which determine and control our actions ; but,
in all, it is the world and the things that are in the
world which take possession of our thoughts and feel-
ings and desires. And, though we have done much
that is good, it must, after all, in the end, be referred
to our own advantage, or to our own individual pleas-
ure, for the sake of which we made the sacrifice.
Thus, days, years succeed each other, and suddenly
we become aware that our hairs have grown gray, and
the vigor of our bodies has become dried up ; and as
often as one after another is carried out to his grave,
the heart, disgusted with itself, and anxious, exclaims :
' This night God may also require thy soul of thee !'
Oh, my gracious sovereign, this will ever be a painful
summons to mortals!"

A dark frown had gathered upon the Elector's
countenance which, however, seemed to refer more to
his own thoughts than to the remarks of his aged

288 PHIL IFF JACOB SFENER.

counselor; for, after some time, he inquired: "What
is it then of which you have to accuse us ?"

"God forbid," repHed Griinrode, "that I should har-
bor in my heart such an intention against your Elec-
toral Highness. Whatever I have presumed to say,
was said only in consequence of an earnest retrospect
of my own life, which will soon draw to a close ; and
if, in so doing, I wished that peace to others, of which
I myself was so often destitute, it was only the sin-
cerest love for your Electoral Highness which caused
me to forget that such remarks did not belong to my
station."

"And yet," continued John George, with the kindest
condescension, "you have, nevertheless, a high calling
to make them; for you have the Bible on your side,
where it is said that * Much experience is the crown of
men, and the fear of God is their glory.' * Yet," he
quickly added, with some irritability, "you may also
apply to yourself another passage from the Bible,
' Miss not the discourse of the elders, for of them thou
shalt learn understanding, and to give answer as need
requireth.' f What think you, can we learn from
you ?"

Griinrode perceiving at once that these words had
not been uttered without asperity, and as he well knew
how quickly the feelings of his sovereign changed,
and how a single word would often be productive of
great mischief, and as he not improperly understood
the Elector's question to refer to his previous remarks,
he replied: " My most serene and gracious sovereign,
I am far too insignificant, both as regards my knowl-

* Ecclesiasticus xxv. 6. \ Ibid 8, 9.

THE LETTER.

289

edge and power, to presume to set myself up as the
instructor of my august sovereign and master. What
I, a Httle while ago, undertook to say, was meant more
in general than in particular. God is my witness, how
sincerely, yea, how paternally, I love your Electoral
Highness — and how I, from the firmest conviction,
appreciate your great and noble qualities. But one
thing, only one thing "

" Name it !" exclaimed the Elector, when he saw
that the other hesitated.

" My most gracious sovereign," now continued
Griinrode, " I know that you love your people like a
father, and that you are willing to do anything for the
good of your country; yet you are, I must repeat it,
you are too much in love with war, and the noise and
tumult of battle."

The aged statesman feared that these remarks might
excite anew the ire of the Elector; but he was mis-
taken. John George smiled good-humoredly, and
said : " Is that our greatest fault, Griinrode ? If so,
make yourself easy as we do. First, you will remem-
ber, that we have never taken up the sword wantonly,
and without just cause. And if we, in such instances,
did it willingly and zealously, you should rather com-
mend us for it ; for it was done out of paternal solici-
tude for our country, with a view to maintain the
dignity and fair fame of our Saxon people and its
sovereigns, in duty to his Imperial Majesty, and in just
opposition to the pretensions of rapacious nations ; it
was done in fulfillment of the duties of the office to
which God has called us on earth. We feel that wars
and sanguinary conflicts are intended to constitute the

290 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

element in which we have to discharge our duty as
sovereign."

"And my most serene master," added the aged
statesman, "has" only too often discharged this duty
faithfully, with a too great disregard for his own life.
However, in our general vocation, which the Christian
holds higher than the special calling, we are sometimes
led astray by the idea that we cannot do otherwise in
this or that particular; because we imagine ourselves
specially called to it of God. I mean what our rev-
erend Dr. Spener recently said in his edifying sermon
— ' The Christian has only one calling, namely, to
follow Christ; and this calling consists in every one
w^arring against his own self until he is able to deny
himself in all things, take up his cross, and follow
Christ."

"Of a truth," said the Elector, with a spice of irony,
"you have a great talent for a Confessor! However,"
he immediately added, in a kindlier tone, as if he
regretted having uttered even this innocent reproach
against the faithful old servant, " we know, Griinrode,
you mican it honestly, and we thank you. Should you
see Dr. Spener before ourselves, which is very possi-
ble, tell him that his letter has been received, and that
we reserve it to ourselves to speak to him in regard to
it as opportunity may permit."

And with this he kindly extended his hand to the
Privy Counselor, who pressed it, exclaiming, with
heartfelt feeling: " God bless your Electoral Highness!
May I still venture upon a request of my gracious
sovereign ? Will his Electoral Grace permit me to
return to Dresden until to-morrow evenincf?

THE LETTER.

291

" Do you wish to leave us ?" asked the Elector.
" Do you find it too lonesome here ?"

" No, my gracious sovereign," was the reply ; " but
this is the day of humiliation and prayer, and I have
an ardent desire to hear one more sermon."

The Elector cast a frowning look upon the old man ;
and unkind thoughts, indicatmg suspicion, seemed to
pass through his mind ; but he collected himself and
said, ' Go, in God's name. He who would serve his
God should not be prevented from so doing by man.' "

CHAPTER XVI.

THE WORK OF DEFAMATION.

" A froward man soweth strife, and a whisperer separateth chief
friends." — Prov. xvi. 28.

ON the morning following the day of humiliation
and prayer, which was fraught with so much im-
portance to the ecclesiastical relations of Saxony, we
again find the Elector, John George III., in his cabinet
at Moritzburg, surrounded by some of his courtiers,
called together for his personal service, among whom
our noble Herr von Langendorf justified his fame as
favorite knight to His Electoral Highness, in so far
that he fastened the golden spurs of the Elector with
very officious and dexterous hands.

" What success think you we will meet with in the
chase to-day ?" sportively asked the Elector, in a tone,
however, which indicated that he did not expect a
reply to his question ; for he immediately continued,
jestingly, "as it happens just between the day of
humiliation and prayer and Sunday, great success
should, perhaps, not be predicted. Yet our body longs
for such an exercise to-day. To-morrow we will
listen to the sermon of our worshipful Confessor so
much the more attentively."

Those present bowed respectfully, and in silence,
casting, however, mutual glances towards each other,
which were unmistakably expressive of an invitation
and encouragement to speak, but for which no one

(292)

THE WORK OF DEFAMATION. 293

seemed to have sufficient courage. This unusual con-
duct had not escaped the hasty but comprehensive
glance of the Elector. " What is the matter, noble
sirs?" he inquired, in a quick and commanding voice.

Langendorf, who had just finished buckling on his
master's spurs, had, as he rose fi'om his work, and
stepped back a few paces, pushed, as it seemed, with
well-calculated awkwardness, against a paper which
protruded from the Elector's writing-table, in such a
way, that it fell to the floor. He picked it up hastily
and returned it to its place. This had not escaped the
Elector. His features suddenly grew dark as he said,
" Langendorf, perhaps you are desirous of seeing
Spener's letter?"

This question threw the wiiole company into a state
of embarrassment, and they now resumed their sig-
nificant ocular intercourse so much the more vigor-
ously, as if it were high time to speak. But it seemed
as if their lips were closed with a lock — and the Elec-
tor, observing this, continued, in a commanding voice,
" Must we ask you again what is the matter? Speak,
Senkwitz! you are the oldest."

Senkwitz now took courage and said, " Your Elec-
toral Highness seems, then, determined to attend the
preaching of the Rev. Dr. Spener to-morrow morning?"

" Why not ?" quickly asked the Elector, whilst a
mixture of irony and seriousness passed in rapid suc-
cession over his countenance. " Our worshipful Con-
fessor would not readily pardon us the delinquency,
especially since we did not, despite the earnest invita-
tion to do so, attend church yesterday, on the day of
humiliation and prayer."

294 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

" If His Electoral Highness will graciously pardon
me," continued Senkwitz, " I would say it has seemed to
us that yesterday's letter from Dr. Spener, as far as
we were favored by your Electoral Grace with its con-
tents, did somewhat transcend the limits of the Elec-
toral Confessor's privilege."

" Do you think so ?" asked John George, knitting
his brow. " This may be so," he then continued more
earnestly and calmly, " yet we will not conceal from
you that this letter has deeply affected us."

"And yet," added another among the courtiers, "if
your Electoral Highness will graciously permit, it
would seem to us all that a letter, such as Dr. Spener
presumed to address to your Electoral Highness, is
not compatible with that same profound respect which
we all, as most faithful and obedient servants, so will-
ingly and cheerfully accord in all due deference to our
most serene master."

"You forget, Bennewitz," replied the Elector, with
firmness and earnestness, "that the Confessor enjoys
the privilege of employing freer speech to those under
his care ; and though — why should we conceal it ? — we
did, indeed, at first, view it in the same light as you,
yet, when we reflected that the entire letter emanated
from a sincere and submissive heart — a heart feeling a
parental solicitude for our well-being — we regarded it a
Christian duty to receive it in all kindness, and to give
attention to the hints he has proffered ; for we are all
subject to the King of kings."

" We are only too happy," said Herr von Bennewitz,
"to hear such pious. Christian expressions from the lips
of our most gracious master. Yet — however, it does

THE WORK OF DEFAMATION. 295

not become me to pass judgment on a man who enjoys
the distinctive favor of being His Electoral Highness'
Confessor."

"What have you to say?" quickly dem.anded John
George, with flashing eye. "If you have just grounds
of complaint against our Confessor, let us hear them.
If not, you would have done better to be silent."

Bennewitz had not expected this well-merited re-
buke ; for he cast down his eyes in confusion, and, with
him, the faithful band of co-laborers in the work of the
defamation of the man they hated. The conviction,
too, that their mode of procedure was not altogether
legitimate, and that it was, after all, not so easy as they
had imagined to bring the intrepid Confessor into dis-
favor with the Elector, increased their embarrassment.
However, to retreat was now impossible ; at least, it
would have been disastrous to themselves. All they
could do was to press boldly on, especially as they
were not ignorant of how suddenly the Elector often
changed his views and feelings. Senkwitz, therefore,
began by saying :

" We are, all of us, most deeply affected at the dis-
pleasure which your Electoral Highness appears to
show toward us. Nevertheless, the consciousness of our
faithfulness and devotion inspires us with the courage
to say a word in our justification. Your Electoral
Highness will remember that your court-chaplain has
already, in Frankfurt, given great offence to the Church
by his so-called " Collegia pietatis," and that he thereby
became the cause of like public offences in other Ger-
man cities, such as Augsburg, Ulm, Schmalcalden,
Meiningen, Marburg, and many others. It is, as the

296 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

most learned theologians, whom I have consulted in
regard to it, have assured and explained to me, a very-
bad sign if the church permits itself to be split up into
little sects, and lets these pietists entertain the idea that
their private meetings in houses stand higher than the
public service. And I cannot conceal it from your
Electoral Highness, that such pietistic conventicles are
greatly on the increase, especially in Leipzig, and are
the cause of much uneasy apprehension. To this is
added the fact that these people are fond of disregard-
ing all law and public order, refuse obedience to those
in authority, and, in a measure, pride themselves upon
slighting the Electoral authority to the greater glory
of God. And this is not done merely by students, but
by citizens, and even women, who hold, especially on
Sundays, suspicious meetings, under the pretext of
mutual edification and the promotion of true Christi-
anity. In these gatherings they explain the Scriptures
to suit their own notions, and introduce all sorts of
novelties, hitherto not customary in the orthodox Evan-
gelical Church. Of all this. Dr. Spener, your Elec-
toral Highness' Confessor, is the cause; he it is who
approves of all this disorder, and who, in his gloomy
misanthropic disposition, denounces as sinful even the
most innocent enjoyments, and aims at nothing less
than to conceal behind the word of God his ambitious
love of power over ruler and subjects."

" You are very eloquent, Senkwitz," rejoined the
Elector, coldly, and with a frowning look. " Have you
considered that it is easier to impeach than to acquit?"

"Certainly, my gracious master," replied the knight.
" I have long desired to communicate this to your Elec-

THE WORK OF DEFAMATION. 297

toral Highness, but always considered my so doing an
act of too much boldness. However, yesterday's letter
inspired me with courage to give utterance, even at the
risk of incurring your displeasure — which would, of
course, make me in the highest degree miserable and
unhappy — to that which engages the heart and mind
of almost every subject of your Electoral Highness."

"Why do you let me know this now for the first
time?" demanded John George, as he paced thought-
fully to and fro. "A faithful servant conceals no kind
of danger and evil from his sovereign."

"Pardon me, your Electoral Highness," replied
Senkwitz, with more boldness, when he saw that he
had hit upon the right course to gain his end. " As
long as only people of the lowest grade favored this
disorder, the whole affair appeared to me of but little
importance. But now, when even the nobility of the
land permit themselves to be drawn into it, in by no
means inconsiderable numbers ; now, when especially
some of the highest officers of your Electoral High-
ness"—

"Hold!" quickly and decidedly, interrupted John
George. " You go further than you have license to
go." And, with this, a dead silence ensued.

After the Elector had, for several minutes, walked
to and fro with his hands crossed upon his breast, dur-
ing which time the countenances of the courtiers pres-
ent expressed emotions alternating between fear and
hope of victory, he at length resumed his seat, took up
Spener's letter, and read it with the most undivided
attention. When he had finished reading, he asked:
" Who are those high officers to whom you refer ?"
13*

298 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

" I have learned," replied Senkwitz, " that Baron von
Seckendorf and Dr. Spener are most intimate and
devoted friends."

" What care we for that ?" replied the Elector.
" Seckendorf has, since the commencement of our
reign, retired from public life, and sustains no longer
any familiar relation to us."

"And yet," continued the knight, "if your Electoral
Highness will permit me to speak, Herr von Secken-
dorf takes the most active part in all the changes Dr.
Spener undertakes to introduce in the affairs of the
church. Your Electoral Highness remembers that
Seckendorf has shown himself an excellent government
counselor. The man who wrote the ' Government of
German Princes,' a few years ago, published the ' Gov-
ernment of the Church ;' and, although this book has
been professedly written with a view to the welfare
and increase of our Evangelical Church, it is, never-
theless, designed, as among others Dr. Carpzov, of
Leipzig, has explained to me, to promote the enlarge-
ment of spiritual power. Thus, for instance, it is therein
maintained that church discipline does not belong
alone to the higher authorities, but to the whole
church, so that the congregations or their representa-
tives are not to be excluded from the exercise of this
privilege. But now it is greatly in the power of the
minister to control the congregation confided to his
care, at will, under the pretext, of course, of acting
according to the word of God. All this is intimately
connected with the designs of the pietists, who, in
church affairs, reject entirely the regulations and gov-
ernment of secular authorities. And I have been

THE WORK OF DEFAMATION.

299

credibly assured that Dr. Spener has been urged by
the Baron von Seckendorf, who has already some-
where else allowed himself to express an unbecoming
opinion in regard to your military glory, to employ his
vocation as Confessor to the same end."

When Herr von Senkwitz ceased speaking, the
Elector regarded him with a piercing and inquiring
look, as if he wanted to convince himself, from the
expression of his features, of the truth of what he had
heard, and said : " With what evidence do you prove
your allegation?"

" If your Electoral Higlmess will permit me to speak,"
here interposed Herr von Langendorf, " I myself have
been an eye- and ear-witness to it. When, last Autumn,
your Electoral Grace summoned Dr. Spener, through
me, to appear in your cabinet, I overheard, in the ante-
chamber, whilst awaiting the return of his famulus, the
voice of Baron von Seckendorf; after which the
famulus, whose name is Rothner, also informed me,
upon inquiry, of all those who were present, so that I
cannot be mistaken. Afterwards a cousin of mine,
Master Nullenbrecher, whose name I took the liberty
several times to mention to your Electoral Highness,
also informed me of what formed the subject of the
conversation of those present: he having heard it in a
family where Rothner had publicly repeated it."

"Well, and what was the subject?" asked the Elec-
tor, as Langendorf ceased speaking.

" The conversation had turned upon Dr. Weller, the
former chaplain of your Electoral Grace's sainted
father," replied the courtier, " and it was mentioned
how he, on a certain occasion, had, in a very bold

300 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

manner, called to account your most serene father,
upon which, it is said, Herr von Seckendorf advised
and encouraged Dr. Spener to do the same with your
Electoral Highness : which he did a few hours after.
This happened," he added, with ill-concealed malevo-
lence, " on the day when your Electoral Highness was
pleased to stop the preparations in progress for the
theatrical performance and ball."

John George drew down his brow, and over his
countenance passed a {qxn rapid flashes, as if some
doubt had suddenly been cleared up. " There is cer-
tainly a coincidence in this," muttered he to himself
" Spener said to me a great deal about useless military
glory, for which I was not displeased with him ; but
could he really have acted in the service of another ?"
" Well !" he continued in an audible and inviting tone.

" I am sorry," now resumed Senkwitz, " that I am
obliged, even at the risk of incurring the displeasure
of my supremely reverend Elector, to mention the
name of Griinrode. All of us, who, with the most
unfeigned reverence, are the most faithful and obedient
servants of your Electoral Highness, and much more
solicitous for your serene Grace's prosperity and
renown than our own welfare, — could, yesterday,
scarcely restrain our deepest indignation, when Herr
Griinrode, relying, perhaps, upon the great favor which
he has, at all times, so abundantly enjoyed at the
hands of your Electoral Highness, forgot, in his piet-
istical zeal, that respect which he owes to his most
gracious sovereign."

"You are too severe, Senkwitz," reprovingly said
the Elector, with a mixture of mildness and ill-humor

THE WORK OF DEFAMATION. ^qI

in his tone. "Griinrode is the oldest servant of our
house, and was a faithful and esteemed counselor to
our sainted father, even before we were born. And
though his remarks may not always be in harmony
with that respect which he owes us, his parental love
to us fully atones for his pardonable deficiency."

" Certainly, my most gracious Elector and sover-
eign," added Senkwitz. " Moreover, the high favor
which Herr Griinrode enjoys should incite us to the
most active emulation, so as to become more worthy
of it ourselves, did not another circumstance permit it
to be viewed from a different point of view."

"And what is that ?" asked John George, in a quick
and angry tone.

" Griinrode," continued the accuser, " is the confi-
dential friend of the court-chaplain ; and it is said that
he had, only day before yesterday, the day prior to
that of humiliation and prayer, a protracted interview
with him. On what subject is, of course, not known
to us; yet Spener's letter of yesterday, and Herr
Griinrode's remarks to-day, seem to afford a clue to
the subject of their consultation."

This last touched the heart of the Elector more
deeply than anything that had, as yet, been said. He,
himself, had before entertained a suspicion that Griin-
rode and Spener had mutually conspired to preach a
penitential sermon to him ; and this preconcerted
assault by two men, of whom the one presumed on his
age, and the other on his office, wounded his self-
respect, and undermined at once that better self-
knowledge which had begun to arouse his pride. "Am
I, then, really such a great sinner," he said to himself,

302 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

" SO exceedingly wicked, that I am on the way to
destruction ?"

As the Elector, lost in his own thoughts, and with
an angry and gloomy countenance, was pacing to and
fro, while a dead silence had reigned for several
moments, Bennewitz, considering the time propitious,
began by saying: "I am exceedingly sorry that in
making these, perhaps improper, communications, we
are in danger of exposing ourselves to the suspicion
of being envious of Herr von Griinrode, whom we all
otherwise sincerely respect, on account of the extraor-
dinary favor with which he is regarded by your Elec-
toral Highness. Nevertheless, the most submissive
love which we cherish for our most gracious master,
inspires us with the courage of giving utterance to
what has, for a length of time, oppressed us. And, in
doing this, we are greatly pained at not being able to
find an apology for him, notwithstanding all our efforts
to do so. Herr von Griinrode left Moritzburg yester-
day with your Electoral Highness' permission, and
went to Dresden, ostensibly, as he himself informed us,
to attend church. But we are greatly tempted to
believe that Dr. Spener was very much concerned to
learn, as soon as possible, and that, too, from the most
reliable source, what impression his bold and uncalled-
for letter had made on the mind of your Electoral
Highness. And to conceal nothing of what I, upon
good grounds, am justified in believing, no one could
well make a better and more desirable report than he
who has been the prime mover in the affair."

Again a deep silence ensued, during which John
George, pondering, paced to and fro. At length he

THE WORK OF DEFAMATION.

303

made a sign with his hand to his courtiers, who
instantly, and with the profoundest respect, left the
cabinet, rejoicing in their victory.

In the ante-chamber Herr von Langendorf remarked
to the other courtiers : " The reverend court-chaplain
will, I think, no more interrupt theatrical performances
and balls."

CHAPTER XVII.

THE FIRST EFFECTS.

" And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake. But there
shall not a hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye
your souls!" — Luke xxi. 17-19.

ON the afternoon of the same day during which the
events, related in our last chapter, transpired at
Moritzburg, Franke entered the study of Dr. Spener,
and said : " My most reverend Doctor, envy is a very
despicable vice; but, if at all excusable in any one, it
is in him who envies you the good you accomplish
by your preaching. Dear man of God, you cannot
estimate the high regard in which you are held, both
by high and low, in this city. Wherever one goes,
one hears people talk about your sermon of yesterday;
and I have found quite a number who were able to
repeat whole passages from it, word for word, equally
as well as I can do it myself What a blessing you
are to this city !"

Spener turned to his young friend with a pained
look, and said : " I ? My dear friend, never have I been
more dissatisfied with myself, as regards the result of
my labors for the cause of our Lord, than this very
day. Wherever I look, I see only fragments and
imperfection, the will but not the performance ; often,
indeed, a good beginning, but no end. Whatever I
may have done, and however good it may seem, I yet
should, nay, could, have done still better. Believe me,

(304)

THE FIRST EFFECTS.

505

dear friend, nothing is more painful to the Christian
than to be found unfaithful, weak and desponding, in
the service of the Lord."

"This is, indeed, a painful truth," said Franke, "and
a confession which even the best among Christians
must daily make. But, my dearest friend, how does it
come that you are more than ever alive to this feeling,
on the very day on which I have met with so many
cheering evidences of your efficiency ? Pardon me
the question, but has anything specially disagreeable
happened to you ?"

" No," replied the court-chaplain ; " and I might
almost say, ' unfortunately, not yet.' For when I only
once know the nature of the evil which I have to bear,
my courage increases, and, with God's gracious assist-
ance, I have thus far borne everything. But it is just
this uncertainty, this doubtful, unaccountable appre-
hension that God may, somewhere, have prepared a
new cross for me, which unmans and makes me
melancholy. And even this despondency is to me a
source of great pain, because I cannot but look upon it
as unchristian. I do not know why I cannot dismiss
to-day from my mind an incident which happened to
me about thirty years ago."

"May I ask you to communicate it to me?" asked
Franke.

" Willingly," replied Spener " Perhaps this may
contribute somewhat towards making me more calm.
I had always entertained a great dread of special
pastoral duties, because I regard it as the most im-
portant and difficult task, to minister to the spiritual
wants of an individual, especially in sickness. It was,

3o6 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER

therefore, my ardent desire, that God might relieve me
from such labors, and assign me a position in the
Christian ministry, in which I might have work, in-
deed, but none of these cares and responsibilities.
This I did, I assure you, not because I dreaded the
work, or because I was afraid of contagious disease;
for, whilst I officiated in Frankfurt, where dangerous
and contagious diseases had infected entire families, I
visited a great many of the sick in their houses, and at
their bed-side administered the Holy Supper, and
spoke words of consolation and encouragement to
them ; but it was owing to a great want of confidence
in my own ability and fitness, and a dread of the great
responsibility which the minister assumes through a
sorrowing soul confiding itself to his care for deliver-
ance. Now it happened, in the year 1662, when I was
at Tubingen, that I received, through the interposition
of some friends, a call to a vacant congregation in
Strasburg, with which pastoral duties were not only
connected, but were fraught with greater difficulties
than was the case in any of the other congregations in
that city. Here, then, was a severe struggle. On the
one hand was the longing for freedom in my labors,
and dread of the great responsibility, which appeared
to me too heavy a burden to a man of my age, I being
only twenty-seven at that time; on the other hand, I
had to consider, that this call had come to me without
any desire or seeking on my part, and that it might,
after all, be the Lord's doing, and that the call to that
charge emanated from Him. Hence, the more oppo-
sition I felt in my mind, the more I feared that flesh
and blood refused obedience to the will of God, merely

THE FIRST EFFECTS.

307

on account of the hardness of the labor. In this state
of mental anxiety, I despatched an express to my dear
sainted brother-in law, Rev. Joachim Stoll, then court-
chaplain in my native place, Rappoltsweiler, who,
being twenty years my senior, had always acted like a
father to me, and in whose judgment and advice I
placed more confidence than in that of any other,
requesting him to relieve me of my anxiety. He sent
me word, that it was evident that the hand of God was
in this whole matter, and that I should, therefore, not
refuse compliance. Then it was that God, by His
grace, enabled me to overcome my aversion and fears,
by accepting the call, and soon after moving to Stras-
burg. Yet every thing was, notwithstanding, to turn
out differently from what I had expected and believed
myself called for. For when the duties entering into
my office were enumerated, it was found that the labor
and exertion they required really exceeded my phys-
ical strength, a fact which the president of the Church
council himself acknowledged. In consequence of this,
my honored friends, who had thus far acted in the
matter, felt themselves constrained to withdraw their
request, and thus the whole affair fell through, and
some one else was appointed to the charge."

"This was a singular trial," here remarked Franke,
as Spener paused, and appeared lost in deep thought,

"The Lord wanted, evidently, to try my obedience,"
resumed Spener, after awhile; whilst, as was his custom,
he began to pace to and fro. " And much more than
this. For, on my return to the university at Tubingen,
where my rejection had become known throughout
the city, I had to undergo some disgrace, because

3o8 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

such things are readily misinterpreted. However, I
looked upon it as a design, on the part of God, to try
me, whether I was prepared, in obedience to His will,
to change my mind; and that, after the good and
gracious God had found me sincerely willing to obey
Him, He again set me free."

"According to this, then, you did not remain in
Strasburg?" asked Franke. "I have been assured
that you had, for several years, conducted the office
of a minister in that city."

" So did I !" replied the court-chaplain. " God
intended to show me, in this. His providence in the
most striking manner. For, during the year following,
I was, at the instance of these same friends, and with-
out any personal effort on my part, called to another
charge in Strasburg, and that, moreover, to just such
a one as I desired, one in which I was altogether
relieved from all special pastoral duties. It is true
that the salary it brought me was so small, that I was
obliged to maintain myself principally by delivering
lectures on theology, for which reason I was obliged to
have myself created Doctor of Divinity. Nevertheless,
I was pleased with my situation. I was, however, per-
mitted to enjoy it only for three years. During the
time of my stay and labors in Strasburg, it also hap-
pened that I, mainly in obedience to the urgent wishes
of my good, sainted mother, united myself in marriage
with my beloved wife of the same city. Oh, what
great and wonderful things has the Lord, since then,
done for me ! Lord," he added, whilst laying his
folded hands upon his breast, " who am I, O Lord
God, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought
me hither ?"

THE FIRST EFFECTS.

309

"Will you not tell me," began Franke, after a time
of deep silence, during which Spener seemed engaged
in mental prayer; "will you not tell me, dear doctor,
how your removal to Frankfurt, the place where your
labors for the promotion of true Christianity bore their
first glorious fruits, was brought about ?"

" In the beginning of the year 1666," began Spener,
obligingly, "the honorable Philip Schultze, of Frank-
furt, counselor of the ten united cities of Alsace, and
afterwards imperial aulic counselor, unexpectedly and
without any desire on my part, addressed me in the
name of the magistracy of that city, on the subject of
taking charge of the very important and laborious
position of senior of the ministerium. I replied to him
that his proposal had caused me, who desired any-
thing but such an important office, not a little uneasi-
ness, and that I, being convinced of my inability, could
not, for the moment, accept of it, or, at least, not until
I felt convinced that the call came from God. I also
frankly expressed my doubts as to my possessing the
requisite amount of learning for such a position, as well
as the necessary pastoral experience, in the acquire-
ment of which my position, simply as preacher, had
afforded me no opportunity, and that I had, besides,
repeatedly promised to the magistracy of Strasburg,
that I would never, of my own accord, seek another
charge, and that, consequently, the final determination
of this matter must be submitted to my superiors. In
answer to this letter, the same Philip Schultze, about
two weeks afterwards, informed me that the magistracy,
notwithstanding my objections, abided by their re-
quest; and, also, that what I had mentioned in regard

3IO PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

to the magistracy of Strasburg, would soon be disposed
of. This was done ; and, being forced to regard the
call, in every respect, as coming from God, and having,
besides, my conscientious scruples removed, I, after a
few months, ventured, in the name of God, to take the
place of the faithful and sainted pastor and senior,
Christian Gerlach. And thus was I, who stood so
much in dread of special pastoral cares, placed in just
such a charge in which these cares were unusually
great, till, after the lapse of twenty years, it pleased the
Lord to call me to this post, where my cares and labors
are still greater, but where the blessing of God does
not seem to attend my efforts in a corresponding de-
gree."

" Do you not think you are mistaken in this, my
dear friend?" suggested Franke. "I have abundant evi-
dence that your labors here have been attended with
success."

Spener gave a sad smile, and replied : " Here, where
I have more immediately been called, my labors have
borne but little fruit. During the present year, of which
two months have not yet elapsed, the Elector has
already been twice absent from divine service. Yester-
day's day of humiliation and prayer I dare not even
take into the account, for on such general occasions he
never comes to church at all."

" So much the more diligent is the Electress in her
attendance," observed Franke. " That noble and pious
woman listened yesterday to your sermon with unusual
attentiveness. Her eyes were fixed on your lips as if
her heart longed to feel your words even before you
gave them utterance. I noticed her more especially,

THE FIRST EFFECTS.

311

during those passages in which you so beautifully de-
scribed the sense of unmerited grace which ought to
be cherished even by the best of men, engaged in
repeatedly wiping her eyes, whilst her whole counte-
nance indicated the sincerest devotion."

" She is," said the court-chaplain, " the very picture
of her truly royal sister, the queen of Sweden, whose
letters, with which she favors me, always afford me
consolation and peace, of which I stand more frequently
in need, my friend, than you imagine. Thus I feel
greatly cast-down to-day; I have received no informa-
tion as to the reception of my letter to His Electoral
Highness ; and, unless a certain presentiment deceives
me, the Lord holds a new cross in reserve for me."

And as if this presentiment was instantly to come
true, the door opened, and the famulus, Mr. Rothner,
entered and handed the court-chaplain an unusually
large letter. Spener seized it hastily, anxiously ex-
amined the address and seal, and said, in an agitated
voice : " May the Lord overrule all for good ! This is
the Elector's own hand- writing. Who brought the
letter, dear Rothner ?"

"Herr von Langendorf has just now handed it to
me," replied the famulus, " And though he charged
me three times to deliver the letter safe into your
hands, he was, nevertheless, unwilling to comply with
my request, and deliver it to you in person. He also
addressed me with a smile which did not appear to
proceed from a kind heart."

" What can this mean ?" exclaimed Franke, after the
famulus had withdrawn, and whilst the court-chaplain
musingly contemplated the letter. "You seem to ap-

312 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

prehend some evil," he added. " Your hand trembles !
Do you wish to be left alone ?"

" No, no, dear Franke !" hastily replied Spener, in
an anxious tone. " Stay, I pray you. I am, indeed,
with regard to this, not conscious of any evil, yet my
heart beats with uneasy apprehension. I wonder what
this letter of our gracious sovereign may contain ?"

" Do not fear to open it !" said Franke, soothingly.
" Is not the comforting conviction of having a good
conscience enough to inspire you with courage ?
Besides, it is possible that the letter may contain
something very agreeable to you."

Spener shook his head doubtingly; he was just in
the act of opening the letter when he suddenly turned
to his companion with the question : " Do you know
whether the Elector has returned from Moritzburg, or
whether he is, at least, expected to-day?"

"I have, indeed, heard," replied Franke, "that the
Elector intends to prolong his stay for a few days
at Moritzburg, and will, consequently not attend your
preaching to-morrow."

" My fears do not deceive me," remarked the court-
chaplain in a tone of painful sadness. " In God's name
be it so !" And as he here hastily opened the letter,
something enclosed fell to the floor, which Franke
quickly picked up and handed to the doctor. " Ah
me !" exclaimed Spener, when he had looked at the
paper, "this is my own letter."

And, as if seeking protection and rest, Spener sunk
into his chair, holding the open letter of the Elector
in his hand without reading it. Franke was deeply
affected by the painful surprise of his friend, and not

THE FIRST EFFECTS. jl^

knowing what to say or do, thought it best silently to
withdraw, whilst Spener seemed altogether absorbed
in his own thoughts. He, however, noticed it, and
called after him : " Stay with me, dear friend ! God
knows I do not ask this from any fear of man, for
since I know what I have to expect, all anxiety has
left my mind. But should I be found guilty, you shall
be witness to it."

Franke turned back, and regarded the court- chaplain
with a look of doubt, as if he did not comprehend the
meaning of his last remark. Spener now continued,
as if in explanation: "The Christian minister knows
of no more beautiful reward for his exertions and
labors than the acknowledgment on the part of a
fellow being that he has saved his soul. This is the
highest, and, indeed, the only reward for all Christian
activity ; for this consists in nothing more than in the
most zealous and indefatigable endeavors to save the
souls confided to him. If the conviction should once
force itself upon my mind that I could no longer,
either by preaching or teaching, affect the hearts of
any, or bring the erring back to the right way, or give
rest to the doubting, or speak peace to the heavy-
laden, my heart would break with grief. For then I
must either assume that the word of God was no
longer strong and powerful like a two-edged sword
to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart, or I
would have to believe that I was altogether an un-
worthy servant of the Lord, who is only unable to
impart anything to others because he has nothing him-
self. And I know not in which instance I should be
most sorrowful and unhappy."
14

214 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

" Might there not be a third view?" asked Franke,
with the deepest concern.

"Hardly!" replied Spener. " For if it be true that
there is a way of access to every heart, by which the
word of God may enter, it appears to me to be more
especially the proper task of the minister to make
himself, first of all, acquainted with the human heart,
so that he may give to every one just what he most
stands in need of Much of the zeal expended for the
promotion of that which is good, and many efforts
made to bring back the erring to the right way, prove
abortive, only, because the proper course has not
been adopted. Herein the example of the Apostle
Paul should especially be followed by ministers,
namely, with the interpretation to be all things to all
men, and not give meat where it would be better to
give milk. Now, suppose I had given meat instead of
milk?"

Here he ceased and relapsed into silent reflection, in
which, as Spener did not appear to expect an answer,
Franke did not interrupt him. Then he took up the
letter and began to read. At first his countenance
betrayed no sign of unusual mental agitation ; soon,
however, he quickly raised his head, opened his eyes
wide, and, in token of the deepest sorrow, clapped his
hands to his knees. Then he arose, and paced uneasily
to and fro.

" This I had not expected !" he at length exclaimed,
in deep pain.

" Does the letter contain harsh language ?" asked
Franke, in a tone expressing concern.

" No !" replied Spener. " Thanks to God, that He

THE FIRST EFFECTS.

3IS

has so controlled the Elector's pen and hand, that he
has employed no harsh language against me. Painful
to me is the threat, that he will never hear me again;
but most painful of all the circumstance, that he sus-
pects some innocent individuals of having informed
me of some things of which I made mention in my
letter, and that he, in consequence, threatens them with
severe displeasure."

"Is it possible!" exclaimed Franke. "You had
not, surely, been requested by any one to w^rite it ?"

"God is my witness!" replied Spener. "I had
only considered and determined this matter in the pro-
foundest secrecy of my heart, and experienced a
blessed joy when I had finished a letter -which my
calling, my conscience, and the example of my prede-
cessors, constrained me to write. How willingly will I
bear all displeasure! But I can never endure that
the innocent should suffer on my account. Leave me
alone now, dear Franke ; I will, I must take counsel of
my God, as to what may be best for me to do."

Franke immediately withdrew, while Spener having
locked the door, fell upon his knees to engage in
prayer.

A few days after this occurrence, nearly at the close
of February, Franke entered a second time the study
of the court -chaplain. " You are then determined to
take your departure ?" Spener called out to him.

"Alas !" replied Franke, " in a few hours the stage
leaves for Leipzig. As willingly as I go there, and as
impatiently as I desire to enter upon my labors, so
rtiuch does it pain me that I must there forego that
kind consolation and instruction with which you, dear

3i6 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

Doctor, have favored and encouraged me. I regard the
two months which you have permitted me to spend
in your house and at your side, as a divinely appointed
period of the situation which awaits me. God grant
that the trouble, which seems to have come upon you,
may soon and happily pass away. It at least appears
that the Elector, in not writing any thing against you
personally, has again changed his mind in your favor."

" Do not hope too soon !" suggested the court-
chaplain, " My presentiment tells me that my troubles
are only just beginning. God is my witness that, as
for myself, I bow willingly and submissively to His
will. For it is His honor and not mine that I seek.
In doing what I did, I have only discharged my duty.
That which pains me most is, that others should be
made to suffer on my account. I am very anxious to
save these gentlemen from such a heavy suspicion and
the displeasure with which they are threatened. I have
therefore — but why should I conceal it from you ? — but
a short time since, despatched my famulus with a letter
to His Electoral Highness, who returned this morning
from Moritzburg. Mr. Rothner has not yet come back,
and I greatly long for his answer."

"I do not know," remarked Franke, "but, in reflect-
ing upon all this, the thought came into my mind, that
that day of humiliation and prayer might become a
second 31st of October, of the year 1517. You know
better than I, my dearest friend, what important ques-
tions at present agitate the minds of men. It is not,
as often heretofore, the old quarrel between knowledge
and faith, but rather a struggle between faith and
works. Your enemies have long since arrayed them-

THE FIRST EFFECTS.

317

selves in well prepared opposicion against you, and
are, unfortunately, led on by the ministers themselves.
But put on the breast-plate of righteousness ; take the
helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God. Take unto you the whole armor
of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and, having done all, to stand. Methinks you are
called of God as a reformer of His Church, which is
languishing in the fetters of a dead faith in the letter.
It must come thus, if the gospel of love and peace is
again to take root in the hearts of men."

"As a reformer?" quickly repeated the court-chap-
lain, while a sorrowful smile overshadowed his coun-
tenance. " No, my dear Franke, I am not so foolish
as to set myself up as a reformer. I am too well
aware of my weakness, and too fully convinced that I
possess neither the talents nor the ability. It suffices
me to belong to those voices who assist in arousing
to the work of reformation those whom God has fitted
for it. And, let me tell you, dear Franke, when I con-
sider your great scholarship, your thorough acquaint-
ance with the holy Scriptures, and, allow me to say it,
your unaffected piety, I feel inclined to regard you as
one of those whom the Lord has fitted out for the
purpose of becoming the reformers of His Church."

"Do you not entertain too humble an opinion of
yourself?" asked Franke, whilst a deep blush over-
spread his countenance, and as if he thought by this
question to turn away attention from himself

" One cannot," replied the court-chaplain, " put too
low an estimate upon his own talents and abilities, so
as not to deceive himself and others by it. If God had

2i8 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

given me the ability of our sainted Martin Luther, how
much more faithful would I be found in the service of
my Lord than I have hitherto shown myself to be.
But I do not merely want the necessary talents and
ability for such a work, but also the natural gifts. You
may believe me, dear Franke, when I tell you with
what painful feelings I observe this want in the per-
formance of my official duties, and how much I am
ashamed of myself for not being able to overcome it.
Of what then should I boast, if not of my weakness ?"

" You are an humble servant of the Lord !" replied
Franke. "But, in one thing, you should concede to
yourself a little more than you do ; I mean in your
joy in believing, which gives you strength to endure
and to suffer, to wrestle and to conquer."

"Alas, how much you are mistaken in me, my
friend !" continued Spener. " It is just this power of
the Spirit from above which I lack. And I find
it exceedingly difficult, notwithstanding my fervent
prayers, to overcome, even in small things, this natural
timidity. I would sin against the Lord my God, were
I to undertake an enterprise which calls for genuine
heroic courage. And if I were to tell you that I
entertained, just now, no fears in regard to myself, I
would deceive both you and myself. It is just at thi?
time that my fears outweigh my hopes, and I do not
at all regard it a trifling matter to have lost the con-
fidence of my Electoral spiritual son."

" Your fears are too extravagant, my dear sir!" said
Franke. "John George, has always shown himself a
noble man; and, if what I have heard among the
people be true, his present displeasure is only the

THE FIRST EFFECTS.

319

fruit of a mean and malevolent misrepresentation. The
noble Prince cannot possibly mistake the good inten-
tion which you had in writing that letter. Besides, I
place much confidence in the pious and kind Electress,
of whom you know that she regards you with sincere
respect and true friendship."

" Do not deceive yourself with your extravagant
hopes," replied Spener. " My enemies are too many.
If God does not come to my aid, I have not much
to hope for. My greatest fears concern my brethren
in the ministry, who manifest so little inclination to
become my fellow-laborers in the vineyard of the
Lord. But I hear steps in the ante-chamber. Is it
you, dear Rothner ?" he said to the approaching famu-
lus, with a trembling voice. " What success have you
had with your message ?"

" I have, indeed, safely delivered the letter ; but,
pardon me, most reverend Doctor, I feel as if I had
just escaped from the lion's den."

" Have you seen his Electoral Highness in person?"
asked Spener, quickly.

" No," replied the famulus ; " but the courtiers and
privy counselors treated me with a great deal of un-
kindness. All I met regarded me with sullen and
contemptuous looks. Yea, Herr von Langendorf,
whom I met in the ante-chamber, even refused to take
the letter in charge. Then came the noble and vener-
able Herr von Griinrode, who, when I had addressed
myself to him, and stated my errand, received the let-
ter, and was about to take it to his Electoral Highness,
in person, whom, in consequence of indisposition, he
had not, as I understood, attended for several days,

320 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

when Herr von Langendorf informed him that he had
express orders from his Electoral Highness not to
admit Herr von Griinrode into his presence. I was
terrified and could have wept from pure grief, when I
saw that noble and Christian old man now turning to
me with the remark, ' If such be the case, I am, of
course, unable to serve you. However, Herr von
Langendorf, will you do this last favor, for my sake?'
So it happened that the knight, though with a sullen
look, took the letter in charge ; and, as I was passing
out through the large gate, I heard the officer of the
watch, who may have known me, say to some other
gentleman, * This fellow is also a Spenerite.' "

Spener paced to and fro in great agitation. " Did I
not tell you," he said to Franke, when the famulus had
left the room, "the time of trouble is only beginning?"

And he was right. Scarcely had Rothner left the
room, than he again re-entered, and announced one of
the Elector's privy counselors. And before the court-
chaplain could utter a word, Herr von Senkwitz
entered, gave a hasty salutation, and cast an inquiring
look towards Franke. After Franke had retired to
the adjoining apartment, and Spener was alone with
the privy counselor, von Senkwitz handed the court-
chaplain a letter, with the remark, "His Electoral
Highness has sent me to return this, your letter, and,
as you perceive, unopened. His Electoral Highness
desires me, in addition, to say to you, that he does not
wish to be further enlightened by any more letters on
the subject in question."

Spener's countenance assumed a look of deep and
painful sadness, as he answered, "I am, in duty, bound

THE FIRST EFFECTS.

321

to render all due obedience to my most gracious sov-
ereign, and shall submit to his command, however
difficult I, in consequence of my office and calling,
may find it. Only one thing I beg of your excellency,
not for my sake, but for the sake of the truth — that
you will do what may lay in your power to induce his
Electoral Highness to be graciously pleased only to
read this letter. It does not contain anything in my
own defence, but is simply a vindication of several
gentlemen, who suffer innocently on my account."

" I am very sorry," replied the privy counselor,
"that it is out of my power to comply with your
request. I have the most peremptory orders from his
Electoral Highness to return this letter to you. Fare-
well !" And, with this, he hastily left the room.

And Spener? He cast a look of amazement towards
the door, through which the privy counselor had van-
ished. Silent as death, he folded his hands ; even his
lips did not quiver. "This is hard," he at length
ejaculated, and seated himself, as if he stood in need
of the support of a chair.

Franke again entered. A look at the unopened
letter, which Spener held in his hand, told him all that
had happened.

" What ails you, dear sir ?" sympathizingly inquired
Franke. But Spener remained silent, communing ap-
parently, with himself. " Speak, my dearest friend,"
continued the other. " My anxiety for you is great,"

Spener now opened his eyes, folded his hands, and
said, in a soft and agitated voice :

" When human help seems at an end.
Then God a helping hand doth lend.
14*

322 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

If no one helps, my help is He,

Who from my sorrow sets me free.
Why should I long man's favor seek,
Who is, at best, but frail and weak ?

'Mongst men there is no friend to find.

Who always is sincere and kind.
Go, make the Lord thy only stay;
He'll all thy sorrows take away.

Choose Him alone to be thy Friend,

Who with His help is e'er at hand.
If God be with thee as thy Friend,
What matters all thy foes intend ?

Ten thousand though their number be.

They cannot harm one hair of thee.
Whatever God wills, that He does.
Though the whole earth should Him oppose.

Then let Him reign, and hold thou still.

Bowing submissive to His will."

When Spener paused, and again cast down his eyes,
Franke said, " Dear sir, how I envy you this word of
consolation!"

"Do you know," remarked Spener, while the joy of
faith lighted up his countenance ; " do you know who
composed this hymn, and upon what occasion ? Shall
I inform you?"

Before Franke could reply, Spener continued, with
quiet earnestness, " It is now about a century ago, that
a faithful servant of the word of God was banished,
with his wife and child, beyond the gates of Badeborn,
because his conscience did not permit him to comply
with the demands of his sovereign and master. Like
a rejected messenger of the Lord, he went away from
his house and hearth into an uncertain future. He
might have asked. What shall we eat, or what shall we
drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? But,

THE FIRST EFFECTS. ^23

instead of this, he raised his heart and mind to heaven,
and sung:

" ' When human help seems at an end,
Then God a helping hand doth lend.'

The name of the sovereign was Joachim Ernst, Prince
of Anhalt, and that of the exile was John Arndt, of
Ballenstadt."

" How came you to think of this, dearest Doctor?"
asked Franke. "Are you apprehensive that a similar
fate awaits you?"

"The Lord is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in
working," replied Spener. "I am prepared for any-
thing, my dear friend. What is to be feared from the
displeasure of my sovereign is not difficult to divine.
I should not be surprised if His Electoral Highness
would cause my dismissal to be forwarded to me this
very day."

" Why do you at once suspect the worst?" interposed
Franke. "Surely, what you have done is justifiable,
both in the sight of God and of man. And then, since
you yourself have thought of the pious John Arndt,
do you not know that, soon after, when he was wan-
dering about with his faithful wife, houseless and home-
less, a messenger from Mansfield came to him, and
another from Quedlinburg, in both of which cities
they wished him for their minister, and that, in Qued-
linburg, he found consolation and rest*?"

Spener regarded his young friend with a sad smile
took his hand, and said : " My good Herr Franke, you
do, assuredly, mean it well with me, and I thank you
with my whole heart for every word of consolation you

324 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

utter; and, believe me, whatever God may have ap-
pointed for me, I bear it cheerfully and willingly ; for I
know that I stand and suffer in the service of my
Master. And now I perceive that the time of your
departure has come. God protect you ! Who knows
what may await you in Leipzig? We part in very
trying times. The Lord give us grace, peace, light
and strength that we may meet again as those who
have come out of tribulation, tried as gold in the fire !"

And Franke lay in the arms of his pious friend, and
upon both rested the Spirit of the Lord, in feelings of
unspeakable blessedness.

It was the consecration to the cross that awaited
both.

CHAPTER XVIII

CHURCH AND HOUSE.

" Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom ; teaching
and admonishing one another, in psalms and hymns, and spiritual
songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." — Col. iii. i6.

A FEW months after the last vestige of that severe
winter had departed, and the warmth of May-
caused the ravages of January to be forgotten, we
behold, during the morning hours of Wednesday, a
large crowd, composed of young and old, rich and
poor, citizens and nobles, pouring out of the chapel
of the widowed Electress, and disappearing along
the various streets which diverged from the Schloss-
gasse into the different parts of the city. They all
came from Spener's examina; and even one unaware
of it, might at once have inferred, judging from the
cheerful, happy countenances of the church-goers, that
they had drawn peace and joy from the fountain of
religious instruction. Some, lost in the remembrance
of what they had heard, pursued their way in silence.
Others conversed earnestly about this or that part of
the biblical explanation, as they heard it from the lips
of Spener. But all carried the word of God away
with them, as seed fallen upon good ground, and, like
Mary, kept the words in their hearts.

Among these church-goers we notice a young maiden,
carrying in her hand a Bible provided with a large
silver clasp and other ornaments, contrasting strangely

(325)

226 FHILIFP JACOB SPENER.

with her apparel, which, though clean and neat, did not
evince a condition in life to which such ornaments
were common. Who was this maiden pursuing her
way, whilst meditating on the word of the Lord ?

We notice, too, at the corner of the Market, where
the maiden passed, two men who, judging by their
mutual greeting, had just then accidentally met there.
They too, and especially one of them, observed the
maiden. " Is that not Miss Guldenmeyer ?" asked the
one.

" It seems so, my highly esteemed cousin," replied
the other, turning rather an indifferent look towards
the passing maiden who, in the simplicity of her heart,
and engaged with other thoughts, had not even noticed
the two gentlemen.

"And you say this with an air of indifference. Sir
Master?" said the other. "Does not such a sight
remind you of old times, and does it not touch some
tender chord in your heart ?"

"My time has gone by, as Isaiah says," complained
the Master. "I did, indeed, think I might welcome
the right honorable Herr von Langendorf as my much
beloved cousin at Altleben ; but all that has happened
to the contrary."

" It seems almost as if it grieved you," said the
knight. "Of course it has turned out otherwise, but
evidently to your advantage. Only have a little
patience, and you shall be richly compensated for
your disappointed expectations in regard to Altleben.
That your engagement with the goldsmith's daughter
has been broken off should not cause you any regret.
The proud girl is now obliged to support herself by

CHURCH AND HOUSE.

ZV

the labor of her hands ; and the haughty citizen who,
encouraged by our occasional visits, sought to gain an
honorable position by means of his little daughter,
fills, as I have been assured, a not very brilliant situa-
tion, and has been forced to return to his handiwork.
What good would it now do you if you had married
such poverty? But tell me, did you ever return to
that house ?"

" Never !" replied Nullenbrecher. " I will not deny
to you that that incident which occurred before my
eyes, frightened me to such a degree that I lost all
courage ever to return to that house again ; perhaps
because I cannot bear the sight of blood."

"I know also to a certainty that your wooing of her
would now but little avail you," continued the knight.
"It is said that young Guldenmeyer, who is not Eliza-
beth's brother, has taken your place, and that they will
soon be married, at least so soon as they shall have
succeeded in providing for their daily bread, which
may yet be a long way off."

" Let that go," added Nullenbrecher, " I have recon-
ciled myself to it. My love for her was mostly spirit-
ual pity, for I had great hope of leading the young pi-
etist back to the true faith. Since, however, the whole
of the family now hold to those apostate Spenerites, I
am the more pleased that it has so turned out."

" You have then," said Herr von Langendorf, " not
changed your views in regard to the court-chaplain. I
am rejoiced at this. You doubtless heard that our
most gracious sovereign, having at length had his pa-
tience worn out by the arrogance of his confessor, has
formally broken with him. His Electoral Highness

328 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

has — I say this to you in strict confidence — declared
with a solemn oath, that he will never again attend
Spener's preaching, nor even consider him any longer
as his confessor. The entire court is most heartily
rejoiced at his change of mind, for I dare say, that had
Spener retained over the Elector his former influence,
we would not have spent such a glorious carnival. But,
my dear cousin, our work is only half finished. I
may," he continued, after having looked carefully
around that no one might hear them, " I may tell you
that His Electoral Highness would not be sorry to find
a sufficient cause for dismissing?- his confessor altog-ether.
Say, dear Master Nullenbrecher, you have assuredly
heard of those letters that passed between the Elector
and the court-chaplain: the majority of the court would
like much to know their contents, and, if possible, to
obtain a copy of the same. I have been assured that
Spener keeps copies of most of his letters, and that
these are taken by his famulus. Do you know him,
cousin ?"

" Of course !" replied the cousin. " He is the very
M. Rothner, who, in preference to myself was offered
the appointment to the charge at Altleben, but who, as
I have been informed, refused to accept, on account of
his pietistical attachment to the court-chaplain."

" Precisely so !" added Langendorf. "Now do you
not think that you might succeed in getting a copy of
these letters, through this famulus ? What think you?"

Nullenbrecher shook his head and said, " Most
honored cousin, I am not very well fitted for that kind
of business ; besides, Mr. Rothner is a real thorn in my
flesh, and I cannot well make friends with him."

CHURCH AND HOUSE. 220

" That does not matter!" said the knight. " However,
as I have still an hour's leisure, and, as it seems, you
also, suppose you accompany me into this cellar, where
we will treat ourselves to a glass of good wine, and
meantime chat a little while longer."

And NuUenbrecher followed his cousin into the
wine house, where we are so much the less able to ac-
company them, because history has thrown over this
incident a veil which no one has, as yet, been able to
draw aside, and which may, perhaps, have been too
boldly handled by what has just now been said.

We prefer to accompany the pious maiden, who
formed the first object of conversation for these two
men. She takes the familiar way across the New
Market along Pirna street. There, in passing a certain
house, she drops her eyes to the book she was carry-
ing, as if in deep shame, but in reality to conceal from
passers-by the tears that were fast suffusing them ; for
it had been the house of her parents, but was now the
property of a man to whose inflexible hard-heartedness
she principally owed her present distress. When she
came to the city gate she turned to the right, to-
ward the small church of St. John, at which point she
entered the house already designated, and within it the
well-known little room, and hastened towards an old
man who was earnestly reading in a book which was
lying on his work-bench among his tools.

" God bless you, dear father !" she exclaimed, kissing
him upon his cheek.

"Welcome from the word of God," replied the father,
and folded his child with a passionate love to his heart.
" But what ails you, Elizabeth ? You have been weep-

330 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

ing! You come from the examina of our beloved Dr.
Spener with tears ! Surely these can only be tears of
joy."

"And yet they are not, my good father!" replied
Elizabeth. " But never mind that. If you have no
objection, I will tell you what I have to-day gathered
anew for our peace in God."

"This, my child," said the father, "you may do after
awhile. First tell me why you have been weeping.
Perhaps I can relieve you."

This remark cast a still darker shadow upon her
soul ; for this kind offer of her father seemed of course
to her mind, the bitterest and most cutting irony.

" I ought to reproach myself for my foolishness,"
she replied, and then continued, hesitatingly, " I went
through Pirna street."

"And passed by our house," the goldsmith quickly
added, "and thought of my great and grievous guilt,
and wept for your poor, unhappy father."

"As God is my witness!" exclaimed the maiden in
her anxiety, appealing to heaven, after this mode, per-
haps, for the first time in her life, and only now with
the view of disabusing her father's mind, as soon as
possible, of an erroneous impression. "As God is my
witness, I never thought of this. I only thought of my
childhood, of my sainted mother, and of my cradle ;
and if, in so doing, I permitted tears to start to my
eyes, I committed a great wrong, for it was almost
murmuring against God's dealings."

It may be, that the maiden, in thus reproaching her-
self, hardly did herself justice, for she might well be
conscious of pious submission to the will of the Lord;

CHURCH AND HOUSE.

331

but her kind heart quickly strove to allay the pain,
which she had unwittingly caused her father by ac-
cusing herself in order to lead him into a different
train of thought. In this she succeeded, inasmuch as
he exclaimed, " Murmuring against God's dealings ?
No, my child, you cannot do this. I have learned first
from you how to conduct myself amid all troubles and
trials."

Elizabeth, whose tender conscience, like that of
Spener, reproached her, when she heard herself com-
forted and excused on account of a pretended fault, for
which she needed no consolation, anxious to free her-
self from this embarrassing situation, at once changed
the conversation by saying: "What have you been
reading, dear father ?"

"Ah !" he replied, and his eyes sparkled with joy.
" Do you not at once recognize my favorite book,
Arndt's True Christianity? I was just reading about
the work of the first day of creation, the creation of
light. O, how refreshing is the language of that pious,
divinely inspired man ! Read to me these passages
which I have marked : I cannot read them often
enough."

And Elizabeth took the book and read, " Thus then
the light of the sun sends forth nothing but the pure,
warm, fervent love of God. For whom has God cre-
ated the sun? Not for Himself He needs no sun
nor any created light. He is Himself the eternal —
the infinite light. Therefore, has He created the sun
for us. He shines for us. Therefore the love of God
shines out through the sun.

"Behold, how richly, mildly, and abundantly the

332 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

light flows from the sun ; in Hke manner the love of
God is shed abroad over us, but only more abundantly
and infinitely. The sun is impartial, grudging his
light to none ; in like manner the love of God extends
over the whole world. Behold, how intense the light
of the sun, flowing from his innermost essence; so
ardent and tender is the love of God."

"And this," interrupted the artisan, quickly, and
with beaming eyes, " this, my child, you must read
also, and this, and this, and this; it runs through my
very soul."

Elizabeth followed the direction and read : " The
light awakens those who sleep; so Christ, our light,
awakens us out of the sleep of sin. Awake, thou that
sleepest, and Christ shall give thee light.

" The light shows us the way. So Christ our Lord
says, I am the light of the world : he that followeth Me,
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life.

" The light possesses a hidden vital power. So is
Christ our Lord a light, in whom is the life; and the life
is the light of the world.

" The light cannot be seen without light. So God
cannot be known without God, without Christ, and
without the Holy Spirit. In Thy light shall we see
light."

As Elizabeth here concluded, the father immediately
added, "Tell me, my child, how was it possible, that I,
for so long a time, had neither taste nor sense for such
glorious and blessed truths ? Am I not to be pitied for
enjoying the blessedness of the Word of God only in
my old age ?"

CHURCH AND HOUSE.

333

" I reply in the words of the Holy Scripture," said
the daughter. " The Lord is wonderful in counsel, and
excellent in working."

" Amen !" suddenly exclaimed a deep manly voice.
Petcrmann, the Lockwitz schoolmaster, had silently and
noiselessly entered the room. He went up to the gold-
smith, reached out his hand to him in fraternal kind-
ness, and said, " I salute you, Sigismund. How do
you do?"

" Well !" replied the artisan. " I have just now been
reading in this book; and thus engaged, one cannot
help feeling well, even though this or that' in his condi-
tion might easily be better."

" And, for instance, what ?" asked Petermann.

As the artisan, somewhat embarrassed by this ques-
tion, silently dropped his eyes, Elizabeth took up the
conversation, and said, " For instance, Mr. Petermann,
when you come into this room, and see, besides my
father, me, whom you do not shake hands with, and
ask me how I am. Had you done so, I would have
given you a different answer from the one father gave
you."

" Well, and what would that have been ?" asked the
schoolmaster.

" I would have said," replied the maiden, " it is high
time that you come and ask after us once again ; for,
day after to-morrow, it will be two weeks since you
have concerned yourself about us."

" So !" said Petermann, whilst crossing his hands on
his back, and walking up and down the room.

" Do you deny that you have been in the city during
that time ?" continued Elizabeth. " Who then was it,

334 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

that this day a week ago, sat nearly opposite to me in
the Electoral chapel, as Dr. Spener was explaining the
visit of Nicodemus to our Lord, and who, when I
bowed to him, seemed as if he did not know me ?"

" So !" again said Petermann as before.

" And," continued the indefatigable plaintiff, " who
was it, that I on last Sunday met at the Pirna gate call-
ing to me, 'My respects to you and yours!' and who,
when he saw that I desired to stop and talk to him,
acted again as if ,he did not know me ?"

"So!" again repeated the schoolmaster.

" No ! dear Mr. Petermann, no more so's !" said
Elizabeth. " If you treat me so distantly another time,
George shall never again visit you at Lockwitz."

"And who will prevent him ?" asked the school-
master.

" I !" replied the maiden. "And that you may see
that I have such power, he shall not show you the new
painting which he finished yesterday."

"And suppose I should absolutely refuse to see it?"
asked the other.

"Well, then, I would just make you," was the
positive reply, as she hastened into the adjoining room,
from which she soon returned with a veiled picture.
" Guess whose portrait this is ! It is that of a man
whom you very well know, a tolerably old and fretful
gentleman who would like to quarrel with everybody,
if they would give him an opportunity; an old
grumbler from Lockwitz, who comes twice a week to
Dresden, without visiting his best friends; a school-
master who, when he explains the Holy Scripture to
his children, shuts up the book because he knows it by

CHURCH AND HOUSE.

335

heart, from beginning to end ; yea, what is worse than
all, a Spenerite, as the people call him; one who is,
perhaps, to blame that the courtiers hate and persecute
our dear Dr. Spener so much, and that even ministers
begin to rail at him from the pulpit."

"Alas, you are right, my child!" said Petermann,
referring to her last remark. "Just because we love
him, he is hated and persecuted. But all these things
must come to pass, so that the Scriptures may be ful-
filled also in regard to him: 'Then shall they deliver
you up to be afflicted, and ye shall be hated of all na-
tions for My name's sake.' From which may be learned
that afflictions are an evidence of the love of the
Lord."

" For these words," said Elizabeth, " I most cheer-
fully forgive you all I have charged you with on my
account."

"Yes, my dear father, afflictions are an evidence of
the love of God. I have never felt so grateful to the
Lord for the afflictions He has sent us, as I do now."

Saying this, she wound her arms about her father's
neck, looked pleasantly into his face, and said, " Do
you remember what you made me read to you a little
while ago? 'The Lord is my light and the strength
of my life.' "

" I know it, my child !" replied the artisan, and a
tear moistened his cheek : " I feel it, and will never
again forget it. May God preserve to me His light."

Elizabeth, whose feelings were rapidly overcoming
her, turned quickly away from her father, removed the
veil from the painting, and handed the picture to the
schoolmaster, with the words : " Dear Mr. Petermann,

336 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

since you are so good in making amends for the mis-
chief you have done, I will show you the man in the
picture, whom I love a great deal more than he may
deserve. Do you know this man with the half-serious
and half-playful countenance, and whose eyes one does
not know whether they want to laugh or cry?"

Petermann beheld with surprise his own portrait,
and, as if about to verify Elizabetli's description of him-
self, he, with ill-concealed kindliness, said : " Foolish-
ness, useless waste of time!"

" You are doubtless aware that George has a peculiar
talent for kidnapping people; and so your turn has, at
length, come."

" At length ?" repeated the schoolmaster, with an
unusually tender smile. " Methinks it was begun last
autumn at the inn in Lockwitz. As I said then, so
I must again say to-day. My nose might be a little
sharper; otherwise, the rogue has hit me well. How-
ever," he continued, peevishly, as if he was ashamed
of his kindliness, " what good will this portrait do
him? He has to work for his daily bread! Who will
buy this poor old schoolmaster from him ? Not I, for
I have neither the inclination, nor the money for such
a purchase."

" Why, now, Mr. Petermann," rejoined Elizabeth, in
seeming reproach, " who, I would like to know, has
told you that this portrait is for sale ? It is my prop-
erty !"

" Useless, foolish tomfoolery !" growled the school-
master, as he crossed his hands upon his back, and
Avalked surlily and gloomily up and down the room.
Presently he stood still and asked, " Where is George?"

CHURCH AND HOUSE. 337

" He was with me at the examina," rephed Elizabeth,
"and then went, as he informed me, to purchase paints.
He must soon be back."

" I have some new work for him," continued Peter-
mann, "and that, too, a work for the sake of which I
would like to turn painter myself, if I were not already
too old. He is to paint the court-chaplain."

" What ?" joyfully exclaimed Elizabeth, "did you
not tell us the last time, that the Doctor would, on no
account, consent to have his portrait painted, though
urgently requested by a noble gentleman ? "

"Certainly!" assured the schoolmaster. "But it so
happened that I met this gentleman somewhere, and
learned how very sorry he was, that he could not
obtain the Doctor's likeness. So I took courage to call
on the Doctor after the examina, and, after having
conversed with him on some other matters, I at length
addressed him on his refusal to sit for his likeness,
begging him to do it out of Christian sympathy, and
thus perform an act of real kindness to a young painter,
who, with his family, was in great need. And when
he inquired who he was, I replied that his name was
Guldenmeyer, and that he formerly resided in a large
house on Pirna street."

With these last words, however harmlessly they
might have been meant, he wounded the feelings of
the goldsmith, who saw in them an allusion to his
guilt, and turned away sad and sorrowful. Elizabeth,
too, felt hurt, and said, " Dear Mr. Petermann, it almost
seems to me as if" you went begging for us."

" If you choose to call it so, my child," replied the
schoolmaster, coolly, " then you are right. But I call
15

-.,3 r II I LIP P JACOB SPENER.

it a sincere and well-meant endeavor to obey the
apostolic injunction, ' Minister to the necessity of the
saints ;' or rather, as the expression necessity of saints
might create false pride — the apostolic desire, * as we
have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all
men, especially unto them who are of the household of
faith.' Have I done wrong in this ?"

" No!" replied Elizabeth: "forgive me my improper
remark, George will scarcely know how to contain
himself for joy, when he finds what an honor awaits
him. Is it not so, dear father ?"

The goldsmith turned to the schoolmaster and said,
"Andrew, your words are, indeed, like a two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul
and spirit. But I have richly deserved them, and will
earnestly strive to receive them in future without
murmuring."

Instead of an answer, Petermann took up Arndt's
True Christianity, turned over its leaves like one who
feels sure of at once finding what he looks for, then
handed the book to Elizabeth, and said, whilst pointing
to a passage, " Read this to us, child."

And Elizabeth read: "Now, if a Christian has been
impelled by the spirit of God to that which is good,
he will soon be able to notice the difference between
the strivings of the Holy Ghost and those of the evil
spirit, between the old man and the new, the spirit of
the world and the Spirit which is of God; as Paul tells
us, in I Cor. ii. 12: ' Now we have received, not the
spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that
we may know the things that are freely given to us of
God.' And it certainly becomes every Christian to

CHURCH AND HOUSE. o^o

mark this difference, so that he may recognize the
workings of the grace of God within himself, thank
God for it, and humbly pray to God for an increase
and preservation of His gifts, that he may be strength-
ened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that
being rooted and grounded in love, he may be filled
with all the fullness of God."

"And now," resumed this singular man, as soon as
Elizabeth had ended, " farewell. God be with you !
Remember me kindly to George, and tell him that he
shall soon hear more about the subject in question."
And just as he was at the door, he turned back again,
drew a small purse from his pocket, placed it on the
table, and said, " I had all but forgotten it. I have
disposed of the other painting, the praying maiden, or,
as it should be rather called, Elizabeth Guldenmeyer
at her morning devotions, to the same gentleman, and
received for it these fifty gold guilders."

" You should not have done that," said Elizabeth,
reproachfully. " Moreover, George did not give you
the painting for the purpose, that you should sell it.
Pray, who is the gentleman to whom you sold it ?
I shall redeem it again,"

" Who is the gentleman ?" asked the schoolmaster.
" He is no gentleman at all, but an unworthy servant
of his master. And as for his name, that need not
concern you, God be with you !"

And, having said this, the mysterious schoolmaster
quitted the room, leaving father and daughter, pleased,
indeed, on account of the unexpected and opportune
assistance in time of need, but yet not without some
suspicions as to the reported sale.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE NEW TRIAL.

" There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to
man ; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above
that ye are able ; but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that ye may be able to bear it." — i Cor. x. 13.

THE rupture of the Elector with his confessor had
spread, with the rapidity of a hurricane, over the
whole country, and even beyond it into others, where
Spener's name was mentioned with love and esteem,
as well as with hatred and censoriousness. Whoever
contemplates and estimates human destinies merely
with the human eye, might say that the cause of
practical Christianity, as taught and exemplified by
Spener, was just now in the greatest and most immi-
nent danger. For, though the court-chaplain had,
from the very commencement of his labors, and espec-
ially since the time of the publication of his ^'Pia desi-
deria" aroused against himself a large number of
enemies and opponents among his ministerial brethren,
and particularly among the professors at the universi-
ties, whose hostile attacks had followed him to Saxony;
still, his position as court-chaplain protected him against
the attacks of such as did not appear to consider it
altogether advantageous to themselves to oppose too
strenuously the labors of a man who enjoyed the favor
of his sovereign. But when the Elector's change of
mind, in regard to his confessor, became known, every

(340)

THE NEW TRIAL. 241

secret mine was sprung to accomplish the destruction
of a man whom the people who had been awakened
by him to the joy of Christian faith and life, loved and
revered as a deliverer sent from God at a time of great
need ; and it was to be expected that the displeasure
of the sovereign would operate as an invitation to
weak, prejudiced and speculating men, to rise up
against the holy cause, and destroy indiscriminately
both what was laudable and censurable.

Thus human short-sightedness would have reasoned.
But he who, with the mind of a Christian, pays closer
attention to the wonderful ways of God, must confess
to himself with joyful confidence that the work which
Spener had called forth needed just such a touch-
stone for its confirmation, whether the pure Christian
gold would now, as ever before, stand the test. To
show how this did also, amid many trials, and in every
respect, prove itself such, is not the business of this
book: those, however, who desire to enlighten them-
selves further on this subject, will find in other writings
much of what they seek.

This conviction — namely, the necessity of such tests
- — had also forced itself upon the mind of the court-
chaplain ; and he bore this trial, which, although only a
personal one, exerted, nevertheless, the greatest influ-
ence upon the whole of his labors as a minister, the
more calmly and cheerfully, the more he was honestly
assured that he had done only his duty, and no more
than what his predecessors had done before him, per-
haps even in stronger language, and with more happy
results than had been permitted to him.

One morning, just as the court-chaplain had con-

342 PHI LIP P JACOB SPENER.

eluded his private devotions, in which he was in the
habit of engaging several times during each day, and
in which he especially remembered those, concerning
the salvation of whose souls he felt particularly inter-
ested, his famulus announced to him a visit from Herr
von Griinrode. Spener immediately hastened to re-
ceive the venerable gentleman, and conducted him into
his room. " Blessed be the entrance of your excellency
into my house," said Spener, his voice giving evidence
that his blood was not altogether tranquil.

" My reverend and dear Doctor," replied the privy
counselor, " I may truly say, that I have greatly de-
sired to have once more a long conversation with you.
For some months past, you, as well as myself, have
been not a little tried ; and though I may confess,
with regard to you, even more than with regard to
myself, that this trial, however severe, may neverthe-
less be borne, still a word of comfort and consolation
is agreeable to every heart."

" Would that I could do this for you in the high-
est degree," replied the court-chaplain; "for it is still a
heavy weight upon my conscience, that I, though with-
out the remotest comprehension or intention, should
have been the cause of your incurring the displeasure
of our sovereign ; and it grieves me deeply, that His
Electoral Highness has utterly refused to listen to a
vindication of these falsely-accused gentlemen."

" Let not this grieve you, my dearest friend," com-
forted the privy counselor. "As far as I am concerned,
you have, both by precept and example, sufficiently
taught me to bear an undeserved calamity with Christ-
ian cheerfulness. Besides, I have the joyful confi-

THE NEW TRIAL. 243

dencc, that our gracious sovereign will soon change
his mind, and thus restore that former harmony and
mutual confidence, so necessary to the exercise of
your important office, which, I need not conceal it,
malicious calumnies have impaired."

" Does your excellency hope this ?" asked the court-
chaplain. " I must confess, that I do not find it easy
to give place to such a hope in my heart. Mistrust
is an evil weed, which is not easily eradicated, and I
should not be at all surprised, if your excellency should
be the bearer of my dismission."

"What do you think, my dear Doctor?" exclaimed
Griinrode. " No, it will never come to this : to the
adoption of such an extreme measure His Electoral
Highness can never resort."

"Why not?" continued Spener. "A beginning to
this end has been made in more ways than one. I
have been assured, that His Electoral Highness has
declared, under a most solemn oath, never again to
hear me preach, and to break off all and every inter-
course with me. And when I reflect, how pertina-
ciously our gracious sovereign refuses to listen to every
vindication and defence of the accused, how he, at
times, expresses himself in regard to myself before his
court, and how he, since the reception of that unfor-
tunate letter, has never attended church, nor even
expressed a desire for the Holy Supper, I am fully
justified in my fears that so sad a beginning will be
followed by as sad an ending."

"As respects the partaking of the Holy Supper,"
said the privy couselor, with some embarrassment, " it
is the object of my present visit to inform you of the

344 PHIL IP P JACOB SP EATER.

Elector's desire to receive it. You are aware that my
gracious sovereign intended to leave, in a few days,
with both their Highnesses, the Princes, for the Rhine,
whither the troops have already preceded him. There
is to be a military expedition against France, prepara-
tion for which has long since been made, and which,
in consequence of the rapacity of the King of the
French, may be a work of necessary protection.
Before his departure hence his Electoral Highness, of
course, desires the holy communion."

"I am daily, nay, hourly, at the service of my
gracious sovereign," said Spener.

"This is why," now continued Griinrode, falteringly,
" I have asked from his Electoral Highness, the per-
mission of coming to you myself At first Herr von
Langendorf had been selected to bring you this infor-
mation ; and that my prayer to send me instead of him
has been granted, is to me a favorable sign that the
Elector will gradually forget his grudge against me
altogether."

"I am heartily rejoiced at it," assured the court-
chaplain, " and, although we are commanded to be
courteous towards all men, consequently also, towards
our enemies, and, although I always endeavor to be so,
I yet must confess to your Excellency that your visit
affords me greater pleasure than that of Herr von
Langendorf who, without my knowing precisely why,
has manifested a hostile disposition towards me almost
irom the commencement."

The privy counselor,, who seemed to have no dispo-
sition to enter upon an explanation of this last remark,
was evidently engaged in thinking of how he might

THE NEW TRIAL. ,45

best communicate what he had still unexpressed. At
length he said, " Reverend sir, you were correct when
you called distrust an evil weed, which can be eradi-
cated only gradually and with difficulty. For, even
after distrust and its cause have been removed, there
still remains between persons who for a time have been
estranged from each other, a certain coldness, a hesi-
tancy to come together; and this mutual approach
cannot be forced, but must be left to some fortuitous
circumstance. That this is the condition of things
between you and our gracious sovereign, I cannot
deny, since I know of its existence from actual exper-
ience. Hence, though I could, from my most honest
convictions, assure you that his Electoral Highness
could by no means resort to those extreme measures
to which you a little while ago alluded, I dare, in the
meantime, not conceal from you that for the moment,
and, indeed, for some time to come, a perfect reconcil-
iation must not be expected."

" Only tell me plainly," here interrupted Spener, in
as calm a tone as possible, " whatever of evil you have
to communicate. I am prepared for everything, and
shall not refuse to submit to whatever his Electoral
Highness has determined in regard to me."

" Do not be too apprehensive, at once, of evil, my
dearest friend !" said Griinrode, encouragingly. "And
that you may not needlessly torment yourself any
longer, I will tell you that his Electoral Highness
communicates to you his desire, for the time being, to
receive the Holy Supper, and, as a necessary conse-
quence also, the absolution, from your colleague, the
Rev. Mr Green."
15*

246 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

At these words the court-chaplain started, and his
face turned pale. After a pause, he replied : " I am
under obligation of obedience to my gracious sover-
eign. If he has lost confidence in me, I am deeply
grieved ; yet, I cannot be angry with him in refusing
to receive, prior to the solemnization of a sacred act
which requires a peaceable heart, the absolution from
the lips of a man whose presence is hateful to him."

"Do not, my dearest Doctor, pass so severe a sen-
tence either upon yourself, nor yet upon the Elector,"
entreated the privy counselor. " You know our
gracious sovereign is, at heart, affable and kind, and
not at all disinclined to be earnestly admonished. You
have already learned to know him as such in Frankfurt,
where he, for the first time, received the Holy Supper
at your hands, and you have surely noticed, during the
time of your labors here, especially in the beginning,
how your words entered his heart, and how kindly he
received them. Moreover, you must also be aware
that your letter, on the day of humiliation and prayer,
at first most deeply affected him, and that the same
would most undoubtedly have been attended with the
happiest results for you on the day following, if a few
of the courtiers who surround the person of our
gracious sovereign had not, from motives of personal
animosity to you and your labors, and your influence
over the mind and heart of the Elector, embittered
him against you, under pretext that you had, in your
writing, cast aside that respect due to him. I am also
free in asserting that it never would have gone so far,
if I had not, unfortunately, been absent on that day.
Your enemies knew well that his Electoral Highness

THE NEW TRIAL. ^.j

was most vulnerable on this point, and could most
easily be gained for their ends in being thus assailed.
And you, my reverend Doctor, will readily compre-
prehend that those gentlemen are most anxious to keep
the Elector in his present frame of mind. But do not,
on that account, fear the worst; God will dispose all
things well. As soon as I shall have succeeded in
personally regaining the confidence of our gracious
sovereign (which I do not now possess, in so far as
the Elector avoids being alone with me), so soon do I
hope to be able, with the help of God, who will bless
my efforts and give efficacy to my words, to remove
the bandage from the eyes of our misguided sovereign."

" Your Excellency speaks very hopefully," replied
the court-chaplain, " yet I have a presentiment that
your expectations will never be realized."

"And yet they may be !" added Herr von Griinrode.
" For the circumstance of His Electoral Highness'
being, in consequence of the military campaign just
commenced, removed from your immediate presence,
can only be favorable to our wishes, inasmuch as new
impressions and incidents naturally take the place of
old ones."

Spener hesitated to express his opinion in regard to
the hope of the privy counselor. After a pause, he
turned to him and said : " Your Excellency has ever
treated me with kindness and affection; permit me,
therefore, to speak openly to you, and do you give me
your candid opinion. I have always regarded it as a
most difficult task on the part of an evangelical min-
ister to maintain over powerful princes and gentlemen,
proper authority and respect in the conduct of his

348 PHI LIP P JACOB SPENER.

office, because the evangelical minister has no other
power at his command than that of the Word of God
which he preaches; and it is very possible that one
may be either too severe or too indulgent, and there is
grfeat danger of entirely overlooking the court-chaplain
on account of the courtier. Hence, it has been my
opinion, that we ministers, in our intercourse with indi-
viduals of distinction, should not conform to their
manners and customs ; but, dealing as servants of God
with them, we should, whilst paying all necessary and
proper respect, avoid all vain compliments and adula-
tion, and conduct ourselves with becoming Christian
simplicity and dignity. And since the doctrine and
instruction we bring to the high and mighty ones of
the land, is the same gospel which we preach to the
poorest and humblest, it is but fitting that our conduct,
in our necessary intercourse with them, should be as
free from flattery and worldly politeness as from incon-
siderate severity. Does your Excellency agree with
me?"

" Certainly, my dearest friend," asserted the privy
counselor, warmly. " You have designated the only
possible proper course, the golden mean, which a min-
ister can adopt in his intercourse with the high and
noble. And if there have been court-chaplains who
conformed to court-customs more than was becoming,
their labors were assuredly not crowned with the de-
sired success."

" And now permit me," continued Spener, after hav-
ing taken from his writing-desk a paper and referred to
a certain passage in it. " When yet in Frankfurt I pre-
pared my desired answer to the call which my gracious

THE NEW TRIAL. 249

sovereign had extended to me, I inserted among items
the following : ' I declare to your Electoral Highness,
with all due deference, that it shall be my most anxious
concern to discharge all such functions and all their
attendant obligations with fidelity, assiduity and care,
according as the Lord of lords, in answer to my earnest
prayers, may give me strength ; in the which I feel
fully confident that, as your Electoral Highness has
been graciously pleased to appoint me your court-chap-
lain, confessor, counselor, and judge lateral of your
high consistory, and as you have also graciously
granted me the exercise of that liberty which is based
upon divine authority and belongs to all spiritual
offices, to preach the Word of God freely and as con-
tained in the law and gospel, as my Christian con-
science may constrain me, in the fear of God, and in so
doing render first of all obedience to the will of the
Highest; yea, I feel assured that, as your Electoral
Highness, as a Christian and evangelical prince, will
suffer the pastoral care which your most humble ser-
vant is to assume over you, to become ever fruitful ac-
cording to the knowledge of the will of God to your
own eternal salvation, so also will you graciously up-
hold whatever may be necessary to a vigorous conduct
of the sacred office, according to the divine require-
ments among all, both high and low, so that I may
bear so heavy a burden, which justly weighs upon my
conscience before God, and has made me reluctant to
accept with joy and not with grief; and by divine
grace, and with the co-operation of your Electoral
Highness, to bear blessed fruit for my comfort and to
the praise of God. In addition to this, I moreover en-

350 PHILTPP JACOB SPENER.

tertain the most humble confidence that your Electoral
Highness, in accordance with your well-known and
highly commended benignity, will always graciously
regard me and mine, during and after my life. This
plain language," added Spener, after having restored
the paper in question to his desk, " his Electoral High-
ness did not only graciously receive, but afterward
kindly endorse by his hearty consent. If now your
Excellency considers all this, taking also into consid-
eration the example of my predecessors, namely, that
of Drs. Weller and Geier, do you think that I have
been wanting in proper respect to my gracious sover-
eign in sending my letter ?"

"Certainly not, reverend sir!" assured the privy
counselor; "and if a not inconsiderable number of the
courtiers of the Elector have represented the discharge
of this particular duty of your office as a violation of
becoming respect, I can also give you the comforting
assurance that the other part, who are honestly disposed
towards the Elector, give you all due credit for what
you have done, and permit no opportunity to escape
them to enlighten the Elector on the subject. All
this, and more especially the sincere regard in which
you are held by the Electress, affords me a sure hope
that the Elector, with his love for the right, will become
reconciled to you, and that, in consideration of the
present state of affairs, you will willingly consent that
your colleague should, for the time being, officiate as
confessor in your stead."

" Certainly, certainly," replied Spener, with un-
affected sincerity. "As painful as it is to me that even
a temporary misunderstanding should have occurred

THE NEW TRIAL.

351

between my gracious sovereign and myself, I am yet
pleased that the Elector does not neglect sacred things
for the sake of a personal disagreement. Your excel-
lency may, therefore, present my most humble respects
to his Electoral Highness, and assure him that I most
sincerely wish him the grace and assistance of God in
this solemn rite. I myself will, at the same time, while
my colleague is officiating in my stead, pray to God in
my closet to direct the heart of my gracious sovereign,
and restore his favor again to me, his unworthy sub-
ject."

"May God bless you for these words!" said the
privy counselor, giving the court-chaplain an affec-
tionate pressure of the hand. " When we shall once
meet above, God will render to every one according
to his deeds; to them who by patient continuance in
well doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immortality,
eternal life. For God is no respecter of persons."

With these words the privy counselor left Spener's
room.

A few days after, the Elector returned, for a short
time, to Dresden, for the purpose of receiving the
Holy Communion from the hands of Mr. Green.
Spener, in the meantime, cherished the secret hope,
that he would not again leave without a word of con-
solation and comfort to himself. In this he was, how-
ever, mistaken. The Elector left Dresden soon after,
and joined the army near the Rhine. Spener's pas-
toral conscience mourned, and he could not refrain
from sitting down to his desk, and writing the fol-
lowing':

" Divine grace, peace, salvation, life, and the strength-

352 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

ening influence of the Holy Spirit of our ascended and
glorious King, Jesus Christ, be with you, and grant
vou a prosperous and blessed reign.

"Most Serene Prince.

" Most gracious Elector and Sovereign : Since the
shortness of time, and the many pressing engagements
before the departure of your Electoral Highness, did
not permit me to pay my humble respects to you, I
regard it as my duty to communicate by letter the
sincere and earnest wishes, which I could not com-
municate in person. And herewith I humbly call upon
the Lord of Hosts, our faithful and heavenly Father,
and will continue to do so from day to day, that He
will, for the sake of His Son Jesus Christ, preserve by
his grace and almighty power, not only the bodily
health of your Electoral Highness, during the military
expedition upon which you are about to enter, and
command His holy angels to guard you against every
possible danger; but by His Holy Spirit guide you,
during your whole life, in the administration of your
government and warlike enterprises, in such a way,
that all may redound to the glory of God, to the sal-
vation of your soul, and to the general welfare of your
people. May He, the Most Mighty, be Himself the
captain of your expedition, your counselor, and inspire
you with courage, and discomfit the enemy, who has un-
justly assailed the empire. May He crown your arms
with victory and restore to your realm, to the great joy
of your subjects, Your Electoral Highness, with little
loss, and crowned with many noble and glorious deeds.
May His blessings upon you be abundant, that your
soul and body may be in health, and that you may

THE NEW TRIAL.

353

continue, for a long time to come, the protector of His
church, the joy of the nation, the ornament of your
noble house, and the benefactor of your subjects. And
now, sincerely committing you to the gracious pro-
tection and guidance of the Most High, I remain,
prayerfully,

" Your Electoral Highness'

" Most humble servant,

" Philipp Jac. Spener.

*^ Dresden, May i6, Anuo i68g."

Spener sent to the Elector this well-meaning letter,
which contained not the most distant allusion to the
mortifying neglect with which he had been treated.

And what effect did it produce ?

None! The Elector deigned not a syllable in reply,
either orally or by letter.

CHAPTER XX.

THE NEW LIFE,

" As every one hath received the gift, even so minister the same, one
to another, as good stevifards of the manifold grace of God." — i Peter
iv. lo.

THE gentle reader will have retained, from the com-
mencement of this history, a pleasant memory of
the road leading from Dresden to Lockwitz; a road
which, on a fine summer evening, or during any season,
will cause the traveler to indulge in agreeable reveries ;
and a sight of the romantic sandstone mountains, with
their valleys and defiles, and the joyous Elbe, will even
force a foreigner to exclaim, Saxonland is truly a beau-
tiful land !

On a bright forenoon, during the pleasantest season of
the year, we might have seen upon the road in question
three wanderers, who, though it was not Sunday, never-
theless gave evidence, by their Sunday apparel, that
something festive occupied their minds. One was a
man tolerably well up in years, though still of a firm
step ; at his side walked a young maiden, who carried
something carefully concealed in a basket. Before
them walked a youth, bearing a large, square, well cov-
ered case, which he frequently, yet with the utmost
caution, shifted from hand to hand. The burden he
bore seemed, however, not to weary him; for his open,
noble countenance was radiant with the most happy
contentinent and cheerfulness, which so accelerated his

(354)

THE NEW LIFE.

355

steps, that he was often obliged to stop and wait till his
companions came up with him. At a point where the
road, running along fruitful fields, made an abrupt turn,
the young man came to a sudden halt, and said to his
companions : " Here it was, precisely on this very spot,
where he took me into his carriage. Alas, nearly a
year has passed by since then, and many are the
changes it has wrought."

"Yes, indeed, my son!" said the elder, with a mix-
ture of joy and sorrow in his tone. "I at that time
should not have believed that we would this day jour-
ney together to Lockwitz on our present errand."

"Yet, all three of us," quickly added the maiden,
" will acknowledge with joyful gratitude, that the Lord
has done all things well. Is it not so, dear father ?"

"I, above all, should acknowledge it," replied he.
"I have never before, during all my life, contemplated
or admired the works of God in nature with such a
cheerful, happy mind, as to-day. And yet this emotion
of joy in the Lord, my God, is also mingled with one
of sadness, though I do not really know why, for my
soul is at present truly cheerful."

"Perhaps I can explain it to you, dear father," said
the daughter, who, as it seemed, was exceedingly anx-
ious to remove every sting which threatened to wound
the old man's heart. "The joy which you and all of
us experience at beholding these lovely scenes, arises
from a sense of the wonderful majesty of our God, who,
by the power of His word, has called all these things
into being, whilst the sadness mingling with it is pro-
duced by the humiliating consciousness of how little
and insignificant man, with all his works, is before this

356 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

wonderful God of power and glory. Yet, in the Chris-
tian's heart this mournful joy unites itself witlt the
blessed consciousness, that we are the children of this
God, and can find access to Him, as our father, through
Him, who, for our sakes, came into this world, that
through Him we might have eternal life."

" God only knows whence you have such comforting
words!" exclaimed the father. "I have lived in this
world three times as long as you, and though I do
now, thanks be to God, feel how full of the most joyful
consolation these words are, yet my heart is barren of
such thoughts."

"They are not my words," said Elizabeth. "Father
Spener taught them to me. I remember how he,
when explaining the second petition of the Lord's
Prayer, also said of the visible and imperishable King-
dom of God on earth that after the knowledge of God
and His will, the knowledge of nature and all created
things, was the noblest employment in which man
could engage, provided he did so with a view to the
proper end. And this end he said, was the recognition
of God, in all His works — of His wisdom, His omnip-
otence. His bounty, or, as it were, his foot-prints in the
earth, that thereby our love and reverence to Him
might be increased and confirmed, and mankind be
induced to praise Him more heartily. But, dear father,
I see George has got so far ahead of us that he is
altogether out of sight. I hope he will not prove
faithless to us, now when we have reached the town?"

" He has, doubtless, gone ahead," suggested the
father, " to make inquiries whether Petermann is at
home, or if not, where he may be found. But see, he

THE NEW LIFE.

357

is now coming toward us, and that, too, with empty
hands ; he must have left his picture somewhere."

So it was. George informed them that Petermann
was still engaged with his school children, and as he
did not like to be disturbed when so employed, they
had now no alternative but to wait at the inn, where
he had already deposited the picture. Thus the three
entered the guest-chamber, with which we are already
somewhat familiar, and which was, just now, entirely
deserted, and called for some refreshments.

" How vividly this day brings everything to my
mind !" remarked George. " There, in yonder corner,
sat the morose and gloomy-looking old gentleman, for
whom I felt an instinctive liking, even then, in spite of
his sour looks, and before I knew that he was my
sainted mother's own brother. Here, at this table, the
simple-minded peasants from Dohna discussed their
frugal meal; and just on this very spot, dear Elizabeth,
where you now stand, stood the young woman whose
short prayer so affected me that I felt really ashamed
at not having first asked a blessing on my own meal.
Here, at this table, I offended against my good uncle,
whose likeness I had, according to his own admission,
hit well, all but the nose. And here, on this chair, sat
he, in all the elegance of his newest wig, whose name

At these words George suddenly stopped, and,
blushing deeply, cast down his eyes. For the door
opened and Master Nullenbrecher entered. When he
saw our three friends he started in surprise, and made
a motion to retreat. But suddenly a better or wiser
idea may have struck him, for he stepped pompously

358 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

into the room, saluted to the right and left with a stiff
and supercilious inclination of the head, and took a
seat near a table in the corner. To the rest, especially
to old Mr. Guldenmeyer and his daughter, this meeting
was just as embarrassing; and whilst the father, in his
confusion, turned his back upon the newcomer, by
looking out of the window, Elizabeth's face turned
crimson as her eyes dropped to the floor. George
alone, whose surprise had as quickly passed away as
it had come, betrayed no embarrassment. Secure in
the possession of the prize, he could boldly confront
his former rival. He even felt a disposition to indulge
in a little ridicule and raillery; but his better self over-
came the temptation, and, turning to the Master, he
said, quite innocently : " Master Nullenbrecher, you
have doubtless indulged in roaming over our beautiful
mountains, and, by a singular accident, we meet here a
second time, quite unexpectedly."

"Very true," assured the Master, crossing his long
legs with an air of affected carelessness, and, at the
same time, arranging a stray lock of his wig. "This
is one of my favorite walks. What is declared in
Proverbs, I think in the third chapter, concerning the
ways of the man who finds wisdom and gets under-
standing; ' Vice ejus et scmitcB omncs sunt amcencB
atque pacatcs' which means, since you probably do not
understand Latin, ' Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace,' is also applicable to the
ways and paths of these mountains and valleys. More-
over, I will not deny that these ways and paths have
long constituted my favorite walk, because I have often
pursued them with my well-esteemed cousin, the favor^

THE NEW LIFE.

359

ite of his Electoral Highness, the noble Herr von
Langendorf."

" Did this Herr von Langendorf," asked George,
" not accompany the Elector on his military expedi-
tion ?"

"Of course!" replied NuUenbrecher. "His Elec-
toral Highness could not dispense with the company
of my most honored cousin, from whom I received a
letter only yesterday, in which he assures me that he
continues to enjoy good health, as well as the favor
and love of his most gracious sovereign, of which,
indeed, those only can be deprived who are wanting in
paying proper respect to His Electoral Highness, and
who, under the pretence of exercising pastoral care,
attempt to lord it over their sovereign. But in Luke,
the fourteenth, it is said: 'Quisquis se ipsiini cvexcrit,
dcprimeticr,' which means, as you do probably not, as I
have already remarked, understand Latin, * Whosoever
exalteth himself, shall be abased.' "

" What you mean by this," replied George, in sup-
pressed anger, "is not difficult to guess. But you have
forgotten the other half of the verse, which reads : ' and
he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.' "

"'Qui s^ depresserit, evehetiirf Right," added the
Master. " If I neglected to cite the second half of the
passage, it was done from motives of Christian modesty,
which well becomes every Christian, but more especi-
ally the learned."

George was greatly tempted to return a suitable
reply to this self-complaisant remark, but a hasty
glance from Elizabeth warned him to desist. The old
man appeared, however, of a different opinion ; with a

360 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

boldness which was before altogether foreign to him,
he said to the Master, " Mr. Nullenbrecher, that certain
occurrences have dissolved the relations formerly ex-
isting between us, must already be evident to you,
from the fact that you, who, in the days of my pros-
perity, were my daily guest, did not even so much as
inquire after me in the days of my adversity. I have
heartily pardoned you not only this, but also all other
offences against me, of which I might accuse you,
even to the allusion which you in your remarks just
now appear to have made to my misfortunes. But if
in what you said you also intend to lay a charge
against our revered Dr. Spener, and cast reproach
upon him, I pronounce your remarks as unjust and
unchristian calumny,"

"Quid tumiiltuantur gentesf^ mumbled Nullen-
brecher to himself, and then continued aloud, " Of
course you cannot speak otherwise, since you have
become a Spenerite. Only inquire in the dwellings of
the noble and learned, and you will obtain a more cor-
rect estimate of the court-chaplain, or more properly,
court-schoolmaster, who has just fallen into disgrace.
However, access to such places is closed to you, and
that now more than ever."

Before the deeply mortified goldsmith, who trembled
all over with anger, could reply, George began by
saying: "Shame on you, Master Nullenbrecher, for
ridiculing the unfortunate ! You who boast of your
wisdom and semi-nobility. You — "

"Dear George!" suddenly exclaimed Elizabeth, with
a trembling voice. "You forget that our time has ex-

* Why do the heathen rage ? Psalms ii. i .

THE NEW LIFE. ^61

pired. Uncle is doubtless relieved from his occupation
by this time. Had we not better leave ?"

George blushed, for he knew what Elizabeth meant.
"You are right," he replied, "we will go. Master
Nullenbrecher," he then continued, in a not very calm
tone, " what I had intended to tell you was not a very
agreeable truth. But that I withhold it, you owe to
the tender-heartedness of my dear and beloved bride.
Miss Elizabeth Guldenmeyer, who is perhaps not
altogether unknown to you. And so farewell."

And with these words, George and his party left
the room as hastily as possible. The Master, with a
forced smile, affected indifference, and said, " They are
pietists."

But we will leave the learned Master to his further
monologues, and accompany our three unlearned wan-
derers on their way.

These are nearing the school-house. According to
George's arrangement, the father and daughter, to
whom he had handed the picture, remained concealed
behind an adjoining house, in order, afterwards, to steal
secretly into Petermann's dwelling, and thus carry out
their preconcerted plan, whilst he entered the school-
house, just as Petermatln was in the act of going out.
"God bless .you, dear uncle," he called out to him.
"You will do me the favor to turn back. I come to
you on a very important affair, and need your advice."
And before Petermann could say whether he would or
not, George had forced him back into his little room,
the door of which stood accidentally open, and into
which the uncle had heretofore never admitted him.

" What is this ?" exclaimed George, when he beheld,
16

262 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

hanging on the wall, his own two paintings — Spener,
and Elizabeth at her devotions — disposed of by Peter-
mann. "You, then, dear uncle, are the foreign noble
gentleman who bought my daubs. And from you too
came the twice fifty guilders, which always arrived in
the very time of need. It always did look a little
suspicious to me, that you each time succeeded in
effecting a sale, just when I had parted with my last
penny. Uncle, you are a noble man."

" Nonsense !" replied Petermann, vexed, and with his
hands crossed over his back, pacing up and down the
room. " I — I am a poor schoolmaster, and have no
money for such unnecessary parlor ornaments."

" But how did you get these pictures ?" asked
George, hesitatingly.

" How I got them, that is just the secret which need
but little concern you !" answered the schoolmaster.
" On the other hand, it concerns me to know what has
brought you here to-day ?"

When George perceived that it vexed his uncle to
hear anything said about the pictures, he refrained from
questioning him further, and replied : " My dear and
beloved uncle, though you look cross enough to
frighten anybody, you still lo^e me, and that too a
great deal more than I deserve. Hence, nothing is left
me but to love you in turn with all my heart, and to
show you that \ love you. You have, indeed, kept
secret the event you celebrate to-day, but we have
nevertheless found it out, and have come to congratu-
late you."

" Who has come ?" asked Petermann.

" Well !" continued jrcorge, " the visitors will not be

THE NEW LIFE.

363

unwelcome to you. Will you not accompany me ?"
And with this he took him by the arm, and drew him,
in spite of his resistance, into the larger room.

Here a great surprise had, indeed, been prepared for
him. Spener's life-size likeness, tastefully decorated
with wreaths and festoons of flowers, had been placed
upon the table, in an admirable light. Beside it stood
Mr. Guldenmeyer and his daughter Elizabeth.

After they had entered, George said, "Dear uncle,
whom this picture represents our grateful hearts tell us.
It is a copy of the picture, which, through your assist-
ance, I painted for the Count, and for which Father
Spener sat. Now, since you, my dear uncle, scarcely
love and esteem any one on earth more than our rever-
end Doctor, I thought of giving you, on this, the anni-
versary of your birth-day, a real pleasure, by placing
the man who is lastingly enshrined in your heart, vis-
ibly before your eyes. I, of course, did not know," he
added, half in jest and half in earnest, " that you had
expended fifty guilders in the purchase of a miserable
daub of a likeness of the most godly man of our
time."

"My dear, good Mr, Petermann," now began Eliz-
abeth, when George had ceased speaking, and the
schoolmaster stood there in great embarrassment, " it
is true you can pretend to be so very sullen and cross,
that one feels almost afraid of you ; moreover, you
communicated to me, nearly a year ago, something
about a certain George Guldenmeyer, for which I have
sometimes been greatly displeased with you; and when
you visit Dresden, you also frequently forget to ask us
how we are, and whether we are still angry with you,

364 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

and whether I am still determined to give my hand to
your sainted sister's son who has stolen my heart; for
all this, and much more, I tried to be very angry with
you, but then, when I saw you again, at Dr. Spener's
examina, how you drank in every word he uttered;
how at particular passages, the tears would glisten in
your eyes ; and how you would, now and then, cast a
stolen glance at me, whilst you were, perhaps, at the
same time, carrying a certain fifty guilders in your
pocket, with which you would afterwards, as a genuine
doer of the Word, hasten to a certain small room,
occupied by a certain impoverished and sorely stricken
family, and then — then "

Here Elizabeth faltered, unable to proceed further.
Fearing that she might be overcome by her feelings,
she had begun her remarks in a tone of pleasantry, but
her strength failed her, and she finally broke down in
the attempt, and throwing her arms around her father's
neck, she hid her burning face in his bosom.

Petermann paced the floor with rapid strides, crossed
and re-crossed his hands over his back, and murmured
angrily to himself, " Nonsense !"

Then the aged goldsmith took up the conversation,
and said: "Andrew,, when Beata shall accuse me before
the throne of Eternal Justice, will you not then unite
in interceding for me by saying, ' Sister, forgive him !
He knew not God, therefore, he sinned against man.'
Will you do this, Andrew ?"

But Andrew, instead of a reply, silently extended his
hand to the artisan, and, in a moment, both men were
lying in each other's arms, cementing anew, this time
as sorely tried men, the bond of sincere friendship.

THE NEW LIFE.

365

Rut the quiet joy of this small company was inter-
rupted by the noise of a carriage halting, just then, in
front of the house, and before any of them had time to
see what it meant, the door opened, and the court-
chaplain entered with, " The Lord be with you, dear
people."

Agreeably surprised, all started up, but not one of
them could find words to return the salutation. When
Spener continued: "I had no intention of disturbing
you. Since, however, my way led me past the dwell-
ing of my dear Mr. Petermann, I felt constrained to
spend a few moments in the company of my honest
Christian schoolmaster. But what is this ?"• he sud-
denly exclaimed, as his eyes fell upon the decorated
picture, and a shade of sorrow darkened his counte-
nance. "Dear people, what idolatry is this you are
practicing?"

"Not idolatry, reverend Doctor!" replied Petermann.
"It is only a sincere homage paid to a man whose like-
ness does not need to be placed before the bodily eye,
since all of us hold him enshrined in our hearts. How-
ever, this pleasure has unexpectedly been prepared for
me by my nephew."

" Ay, ay, my young friend," said the court-chaplain,
turning to George ; " did you not tell me that you
wanted to paint my likeness for an altogether different
gentleman."

"Certainly, reverend sir," answered George, blushing
deeply; "so I did, and what you here see is only a
copy of the other, and I painted this for my dear uncle
because I knew that I could make him no more accept-
able and valued present on his birthday than this,"

366 PIIILIPP JACOB SPENER.

"Your birth-day!" exclaimed Spener, turning to
Petermann. " Then was my visit indeed opportune !
The Lord's blessing rest upon you, my dear friend.
With what gratitude must you look back upon your
past life !"

" With the gratitude of one who has been brought
from darkness to light!" replied the schoolmaster.
" Yes, reverend Doctor! I may well say so, when I
think back on the time of my hard captivity, when, car-
ried about, like a reed, by every wind of doctrine, and
by the slight of men and cunning craftiness, I wandered
in the midst of the land of the Lord, as in a desert, un-
til God, through you, opened my eyes. I can never
forget (for it was the date of my regeneration), when
you, reverend sir, during the spring of last year, in the
course of one of your examina, said of true repentance
and conversion, that such must be from the very bot-
tom of the heart, and that thereby man often becomes
a hypocrite before God and man, and that, accordingly,
true repentance is not so easy as is supposed, and that
it requires not only a knowledge of one's great and
grievous guilt, but also a sincere sorrow for sin, and an
entire change of heart, which sanctifies the whole man,
and presents him as one born again through the Spirit
of the Lord. Ah, every one of your words entered
my heart like molten iron ; I at once saw myself in all
my nothingness in the sight of God. My past life ap-
peared to me as time lost, and as many days as I num-
bered, so many accusers rose up before the throne of
the Judge of all the earth, saying, 'Judge him accord-
ing to his deserts.' In my distress I had nothing but
tears to offer, the first I had shed for many years, and

THE NEW LIFE.

367

the first I had ever shed for myself. I imagined that
my condemnation in the house of God was witnessed
by none, save Him who knows our thoughts afar off,
and sees in secret ; but God directed your eyes, rever-
end sir, so that you saw my tears, and took compassion
on me. For, after the examina, you called me to you,
and like a true friend and physician of souls, inquired
after the condition of my inner man. And I opened to
you my whole heart, and you addressed to me words
of consolation, such as I had not imagined man capable
of uttering, and unloosed in that hour all the fetters of
my degrading slavery which I had borne till then, vol-
untarily and in great blindness.

"It was not my work and word," said the court-chap-
lain, " but that of the good Spirit of God who guided
you into His truth. We serve one another only in His
name and in obedience to His command, and can im-
part to others only what we have first received from
Him. And you, dear Mr. Guldenmeyer," he continued,
turning to the goldsmith, " you have also passed a
season of severe trials. You are to be accounted happy
in having endured them."

"A thousand thanks to you, reverend sir," added the
goldsmith, " that you did not disdain to enter the house
of an unfortunate citizen, that you did not break the
bruised reed and quench the smoking flax, but kindly
and mercifully raised me up, at a time when I was
almost in despair. Oh ! how can I ever sufficiently
thank you for this ?"

"I desire no thanks," replied Spener, with a smile,
" except that when in your prayers you think of others,
you may also remember me before God."

368 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

" This I would have to do," replied the goldsmith,
"even though I should be unwilling; for I owe it to
you that I am again able to pray. Reverend sir,
though I should live a thousand years, I could never
forget that dreadful hour, in which my poor child,
dangerously wounded by my own hand, must have ac-
cused me before God ; nor that other burden, which
weighed upon my conscience, and "

"But, dear father," timidly interrupted Elizabeth,
"can you still believe that I accused you, as you say,
before God, even by one syllable ? I would not give
the afflictions which we have suffered within this year,
for all the happiness in the world ; for now I have ex-
perienced, and you have experienced with me, that
those who sow in tears, shall most certainly and truly,
reap in joy."

" God preserve you in this joyous faith, my pious
child !" said the court-chaplain to the maiden. " I
have known but few maidens to whom, at so early an
age, the Lord has vouchsafed such joy in believing.
Happy the man who wins your love and respect, and is
permitted to share with you the joys and sorrows
of life."

Elizabeth blushed crimson, and dropped her eyes, as
if she had committed a crime. But Petermann, who
generally knew how to throw people into a painful
state of embarrassment, came this time to the rescue,
by saying: "That happy man has already been found,
reverend sir. My nephew, here, whom God Himself
has selected for her, and whose history I have recently
communicated to you, has gained Elizabeth's respect
and love, and father Guldenmeyer has the comfortable

THE NEW LIFE. ^60

hope that my sainted sister, George's mother, will bless
him for having freely given his paternal consent."

"God bless you, too, my dear children!" said
Spener, joining George's and Elizabeth's hands. "Con-
tinue in this faithful, truly Christian friendship to the
end ; bear one another's burdens in the spirit of meek-
ness and keep mutually in the way that leads to eternal
life. Be and remain each to the other a mirror and
admonition of communion with the Son of God, our
Redeemer. Build up one another into a temple of the
Holy Ghost; comfort one another by mutual prayer.
May your house be a sanctuary for the Lord, and your
final separation in death the sure seal of your hope to
meet again in the everlasting mansions on high."

"Amen! Amen!" exclaimed the goldsmith, weeping
like a child. But Petermann hastily unlocked his
desk, took from it a document, and handed it to Eliza-
beth, with the words, " One's own hearth is worth its
weight in gold, my daughter. After a great deal of
trouble, I finally succeeded about a week ago, in pur-
chasing a house in Pirna street, which formerly be-
longed to a certain Mr. Guldenmeyer; and, since I
have no use for it myself, I have caused the deed to be
made out in your name. Here, take the paper! and
if the house should be too large for you two, why then
you may set apart a room for Mr. Guldenmeyer and
the ill-natured and cranky Andrew Petermann, should
he, now and then, wish to spend a night in Dresden."

"Andrew !" exclaimed the goldsmith, throwing him-
self weeping on his breast, "you are heaping coals of
fire upon my head. Can you pardon me my despond-
ency, my distrust, my doubts ?"
16*

370 PHILTPP JACOB SPENER.

" Sigismund!" replied the schoolmaster, "when you,
last autumn, visited me for the purpose of asking mc
to assist you, I told you it was too late, but, God
knows, that in my heart I said it was too soon. And
my hope of being able to answer to God for my apparent
hard-heartedness, is evidenced in the joy with which I
can now say, ' To-day is just the proper time.' "

Elizabeth and George had become almost speechless
for joy. George with folded hands was gazing with
a dreamy smile upon vacancy. Elizabeth was the first
to regain her voice ; and, turning to the schoolmaster,
she said : " May God reward you for your love, for I
cannot do it; for my indebtedness to you is greater
than I can repay you in a life-time. But what shall I
say to you, reverend sir?" she continued, addressing
herself to the court-chaplain. " You are the author of
my actual, true life — my life in God — through my Lord
Jesus Christ. Through you, the Scriptures and the
Christian's hope have first been opened to me. To you
I owe that my father has again taken me to his recon-
ciled heart. To you I owe that my dear George, long
my precious friend, may now be the partner of my
earthly life. To you I owe that my dear Uncle Peter-
mann, who was first led by you to the Lord, did not
forsake us in the hour of need ; and that at last we, too,
were found faithful, so far as it is possible for us frail
mortals to be. Wherever I look, I find that your
words enlightened, strengthened, and comforted ' us,
that your hand guided and blessed us. All of us are
your debtors. My most sincerely revered, paternal
friend and instructor, what can we ever do to repay
you ?"

THE NEW LIFE. ^^I

The court-chaplain was evidently deeply affected,
so that he seemed, for the moment, at a loss to find
language to express his feelings. At length he laid his
hand upon the maiden's head, and said: " Not to me,
Elizabeth, not to me, but give the glory to Him who is
able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask
or think. For no man can say but by the Holy Ghost
that Jesus Christ is Lord. The good Spirit of the
LjDrd lead you into the land of uprightness."

And, hereupon, he shook all present by the hand,
bade them a kind good-by and left the room. When
he reached the front door, he found a new surprise
awaiting him. A large number of the villagers had
congregated about the house; for, as soon as it had
become known that the court-chaplain was with the
schoolmaster, both old and young hastened to see and
greet the beloved man. As Spener stepped to the
door, all the men took off their caps and the wom-en
greeted him. They had blocked up the space between
the house and carriage so completely that Spener
could not get through. The timid, modest man stood
there, altogether at a loss what to do, when an aged
man from the crowd called out, " Reverend sir, give us
your blessing !"

"Dear people!" spoke the court-chaplain, "I have
no other words of blessing for you than such as I have
for myself May the word of the Lord be a lamp
unto our feet, and a light unto our path. Endeavor
always to obtain a right understanding of the divine
will, recognize it in all the events of your lives, and
especially in those which are brought about without
your instrumentality and prayers. Rejoice in tribula-

372 PHILIP P yACOB SPENER.

tions, for they are sent to you by God to try you,
whether you will also be faithful to Him in the day of
adversity. Seek the strength to endure in the world,
not in yourselves, but in Him whose strength shall be
made perfect in our weakness; and grow up, in all
things, into Him who is the Head, even Christ. Re-
member that only then will it be well with you and
your families, when you build yourselves on your most
holy faith, and walk together in love. Be, therefore,
doers, and not hearers only, of the Word which your
worthy pastor proclaims to you. And the very God
of peace sanctify you wholly; and, I pray God, your
whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is
He that calleth you, who also will do it."

When Spener ceased, and was moving toward his
carriage, the throng increased, every one endeavoring
to approach near enough to take hold of his hand. At
length he succeeded in getting into his carriage, which
now moved off at a more rapid rate than usual, as if
the good man was ashamed of the marks of distinction
he had just received.

CHAPTER XXI.

A CALL FROM THE NORTH.

"Wherefore, brethren, look ye out men of honest report, full of the
Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business." —
Acts vi. 3.

IN the autumn of the same year (1689), we see two
young men, in somewhat foreign dress, moving along
Schloss street and inquiring anxiously after the resi-
dence of the court-chaplain. After it had been pointed
out to them, they entered. The famulus announced
them to the Doctor as two Swedish gentlemen, who
had been commissioned to lay certain proposals before
him ; and though it was not the usual hour in which
Spener, owing to his many and continually accumulat-
ing engagements, was in the habit of admitting visitors,
yet he ordered them to be immediately presented.

The two young gentlemen gave evidence, by their
entire bearing, that they were men of refinement and
education, and their exterior showed at a glance that
they bore the stamp of true nobility. Upon entering,
they bowed to the court-chaplain with unfeigned rever-
ence, whilst one of them addressed him in much purer
German than is spoken in southern Germany at least,
by saying :

" Yes, reverend sir, you must be he. With just such
a look of kindness and affection as you now bear, my
master has pictured you to himself God's blessing
upon you, dear sir !"

(373)

274 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

" How is it possible for you to recognize me in this
way?" asked Spener in surprise, and with flushed
cheeks.

"Ah, reverened sir!" was the reply, "you have no
conception with what joy your name is pronounced,
and with what avidity your writings are read. If only
a thousandth part of the good wishes which are offered
to God in your behalf be realized, your life must pass
away in perfect happiness."

" God forbid !" replied Spener, " that this should be
so; for as long as I suffer affliction, I know that God
still loves me. But should I be permitted to go en-
tirely undisturbed, and should my life be one of con-
tinued worldly pleasure and enjoyment, how could I be
assured of the love and favor of God ? No, dear sirs,
it is wisely ordered by the Lord of lords, that here we
only anticipate that which is perfect, but which we can
behold by faith, as prefigured in the holy life of our
Saviour, so that the desire for a new heaven and a new
earth may become stronger within us ! But, first of all,
be seated : and then, what is your wish ? "

One of them now delivered a letter to the court-
chaplain, with the words, " We bring you kind greeting
from our gracious Queen. You will, perhaps, be
pleased to confer with us further in reference to its con-
tents."

"A similar greeting," added the other, at the same
time handing him a second letter, " I bring you from
the Aulic counselor, Pufendorf, of Berlin, oW whom we
called, in obedience to the special command of our
Queen, as well as because he is an old acquaintance of
your reverence."

A CALL FROM THE NORTH.

375

Spener took the letters, asked permission to read
them, and in doing so, stepped near the window. When
he had finished, his countenance was overspread with a
melancholy joy, and he said : " Noble sirs, the contents
of these letters affect me deeply. I confess to you, that
the proposal they contain has been made contrary to
any and every expectation on my part."

" But," remarked the second gentleman, " you will
give us hope of its acceptance ?"

" God knows," replied the court-chaplain, " that it is
altogether out of my power to give you, at this mo-
ment, a decided answer. Herr von Pufendorf asks me,
as you are aware, whether I am disposed to accept a
call to the pastorate of the German Church at Stock-
holm, and Her Royal Majesty deigns to express the
same desire on her part. I am at a loss to comprehend
how it comes that such a distinguished honor is con-
ferred upon me, since there are many other servants of
Christ who are much more worthy of it than I am.
And if I had the honor of being better known to Herr
von Pufendorf, he scarcely would have addressed me
on the subject of a call."

"And why not, reverend Doctor?" asked the first,
"Pardon me, but are you not the principal person
to be addressed ? Must not your consent first be
obtained ?"

" My consent ?" asked the court-chaplain, with a
serious smile. " Dear sirs, I have, in obedience to the
will of God, been already obliged to submit to two
changes ; but as long as proposals and negotiations
were attempted with me, personally, nothing ever came
of it; but the difficulty was thereby only increased.

T^y^ PHILIP P JACOB SPENER

When, however, at length, a call was actually sent me,
which was done in a manner contrary to the custom
of all royal courts, it was then that not my counsel, but
God's, prevailed ; for I do not deny that I would each
time have preferred a different result. Yet I regarded
it my bounden duty to submit to the will of the Lord ;
and since I have thus far never entered upon a charge
of my own accord, I have also never experienced any
regret, however heavy the burden which the Lord has
thereby always laid upon my conscience."

" What, then, are we to do ?" asked both gentlemen,
simultaneously, and in a tone of painful disappointment.
"Are we to understand you as unconditionally refusing
compliance with our proposal ?"

" I venture neither a refusal nor an acceptance,"
replied Spener; "for it is my fixed determination to
pursue, in all matters affecting a change, the same
course which I have always heretofore pursued ; and
that is, never to take it into my own hands, by follow-
ing my own choice. Should an actual call be extended
to me, and should I, after having honestly considered
it, be persuaded that it is the Lord's doing, it then
remains no longer a matter of choice, for the recogni-
tion of the will of God at once decides the question.
And when this is done, I must needs go whither the
Lord calls me."

" According to this, then," remarked the second
gentleman, " it would, first of all, be necessary, on our
part, to see to it that a call be extended to you ?"

" I can not even decide as to this !" replied the court-
chaplain. " It does not become me either to invite you
to do so, or to dissuade you from it."

A CALL FROM THE NORTH. oyy

" Pardon me, reverend sir," continued the same
gentleman ; " are you not, perhaps, already disinclined
to accept of a situation which a congregation, anxious
for salvation, tenders you ?"

"Certainly not, noble sir," answered Spener. "The
aulic counselor writes me that the German congrega-
tion in question, is very large, and that it consists
mostly of plain citizens ; and since God has given me
more courage and tact to deal with these than with
great princes and noble gentlemen, it is but natural
that I should be prepossessed in its favor. Moreover,
the elders of that church are to be chosen from its own
members, with whom the pastor might confer upon
whatever appertains to the government of the church ;
an arrangement which would be most acceptable to
me, and which, in my opinion, is most in accordance
with the design of Christ. And, if so, in addition to
all this, it be true what Herr von Pufendorf appears to
intimate, namely, that the ministers of that congrega-
tion have nothing to do with the confessional and with
whatever may be therewith connected, I would regard
this circumstance as an additional inducement on my
part, to accept the situation. For, in order to be
released from attending at the confessional, I would
rather perform twice the amount of labor elsewhere.
You see, therefore, noble sirs, that I am, personally,
not disinclined to accept the position in question."

" Though we are residents of Stockholm," remarked
the first gentleman, "and though we read with great
pleasure and devout attention, Germa-n devotional
books, especially those written by Arndt and yourself,
circumstances do, nevertheless, not allow us to belong

-,•78 nilLIPP JACOB SPENER.

to the German congregation, for which reason we are
not so intimately acquainted with its regulations. We,
therefore, in obedience to the advice of our gracious
Queen, requested Herr von Pufendorf, who resided
about sixteen years in Stockholm, to place you in
possession of all the particulars, and we doubt not that
whatever that noble gentleman has communicated to
you is strictly correct. There, reverend sir, there, in
our de^r fatherland, you will find kindlier people than
here."

" Do you think," replied Spener, with a slight smile,
" that I have met with no kind people here ?"

" Oh, certainly you have !" replied the other. " But
permit me to speak frankly. When we left home,
every one who had learned to know you through your
labors, blessed your name ; but as soon as we stepped
on German soil, we seldom heard any one speak of
you in terms of praise, without at the same time also
hearing some one else speak of you in terms of con-
demnation; and the nearer we approached Saxony,
and finally this very city, the more violent enemies and
opponents of your person and labors did we meet.
This may, of course, be principally owing to the dis-
pleasure of the Elector! But, reverend sir, how ignoble,
how ungrateful, how unjust ! And I think that, in our
country, such treatment would be impossible."

Spener smilingly shook his head, and said : "Young
gentlemen, wheat and tares grow together everywhere.
That, however, my enemies inveigh more against my
person than my labors, is to me a source of painful
regret, in so far as it shows that they find much that is
worthy of censure in me ; though God knows with

A CALL FROM THE NORTH.

379

what earnestness and assiduity I labor to become more
and more undeserving of it. Yet I would rather have
them inveigh against me than my work, for this affords
me the comforting assurance, that this is better than T
am. And if I prove myself, by my work, a faithful
friend to a few, or even to many souls anxious for salva-
tion, why should I not, for the pleasure thus afforded,
gratefully submit to some injuries against my person?
And what you, noble sir, said touching the displeasure
of His Electoral Highness, is indeed true ; yet I have,
for some months, experienced no additional proofs of
it, so that it seems as if my gracious sovereign de-
signed to restore me again to his favor."

"You put the most favorable construction upon
everything," remarked the first gentleman ; " and
there is, of course, nothing to be said against it. But
tell me how we can induce you to go with us, to our
dear, beautiful Stockholm."

" I have, noble sir," replied the court-chaplain, with
great seriousness, " already told you that nothing can
induce me to consent to change the field of my labors,
save the conviction that it is the will of God. If, how-
ever," he added, with a smile, " I would still further
confer with flesh and blood, I might also find as many
objections to my going, as I have already found argu-
ments in its favor,"

"What might these be, reverend Doctor?" asked
the second, with some surprise and anxiety.

" I have reached," replied Spener, "by the grace of
God, the fifty-fifth year of my life, and am beginning to
feel that my bodily strength is failing. Accordingly,
it would be a very important question with me, whether

380 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

I, after having thus far spent all my days in a mild
climate, could expose myself, frail as I already am, to
a rougher climate, and begin an entirely different mode
of life, without danger to my health. I know, indeed,
that life and health are in the Lord's hand ; and, I can,
moreover, truly say, that I am willing, at any time, to
sacrifice both, if He should require it; but just because
the will of the Lord has not yet been revealed to me
in this affair, and in regard to which other and more
distinguished individuals must necessarily also be first
consulted, I have still my doubts whether, after all, it
would not be tempting the Lord to undertake any-
thing when it is evident that we are physically unfitted
for it ; and in such a case we have no right to expect
that God will perform a miracle."

" How conscientious you are," said the first. " O,
why do not all men thus examine in all their undertak-
ings, what is divine and what is human !"

" This should certainly be so," added Spener. " For
as long as God does not reveal to us His will, in every
respect, so clearly and distinctly that there can no
longer be any doubt on our part in regard to it, so long
should every one, and particularly a Christian minister,
who, especially in these troublous times, is anxious to
depart and be with Christ, make it an invariable rule,
wherever he is required, to prefer the interest of others
to his own wishes, to look as much as possible, and as
far as human precaution may enable him to do so, to
the preservation of his life — not so much for his own
sake as for the sake of others. Accordingly, youT
countrymen, who desire to have me, would have done
better by sending me a call, without first consulting mc

A CALL FROM THE NOR TIL 33 j

on the subject; for I will not deny, that such a call,
coming to me without any previous knowledge of it on
my part, would at once have been regarded by me as a
strong evidence that it was agreeable to the divine will;
and doubts, such as I have expressed, would never have
entered my mind. And in the event of this having
been done, everything would have depended upon my
dismissal here, on which I can neither base an accept-
ance nor a refusal, but would be obliged to commit all
to the divine guidance."

"We are only now beginning to feel," said the sec-
ond, " how little we have reflected on the importance
of our commission, and how we were only too sanguine
in our hopes of success. We understand, then, that
you, reverend sir, dismiss us with a positive refusal ?"

" How could I do that, my noble sirs !" replied the
court-chaplain. " Nay, how could I suffer you to hold
me in much higher esteem, than I do now or ever can
deserve ! My position in reference to this whole matter
is simply this : I am not my own master. It being evi-
dent to me, beyond all doubt, that I hold my present
charge in accordance with the will of God, I must con-
tinue here, how heavily soever the duties of my office
may fall upon me, till God Himself again sets me free.
Then, and not till then, will I go, and that, too, wher-
ever He sends me."

" You design, then, to remain always in Dresden ?"
asked the first speaker.

" I cannot give any assurance as to that !" replied
Spener; "for not knowing whether it is the pre-
determined will of God to keep me here, I do, conse-
quently, also not know whether I ought to dismiss

382 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

from my mind all thoughts of making a change. God
has, so far, given me no indications of this ; yet I know
that He who has conducted me hither, has also power
to conduct me hence. Should His will be revealed to
me, or should a call really be extended to me in any
way, I would, in such a case, commit to paper my rea-
sons for and against, and leave the decision to others.
This I did when I was called from Strasburg to Frank-
furt, and again from there here. I would commit this
matter to the decision of my gracious sovereign, and
to whomever else he might wish to consult in reference
thereto."

" May God direct all according to His will !" said the
first. "As for us, we will faithfully perform whatever
our duty requires. Ah ! reverend sir! our dear, glorious
fatherland would surely offer you an agreeable home."

"I do not doubt it," answered Spener. "I account
the theologian happy who has the opportunity of serv-
ing the Lord and such a sovereign as the King of
Sweden and his excellent royal spouse, with whose
genuine piety I have long since been acquainted. We
will submit the whole matter to the guidance of Him
who holds all hearts in His hand, and who has also
power over me. He will, in His own good time, make
all things right, and also supply the dear congregation
in Stockholm with the man whom He has chosen for
Himself, and whose labors He has deigned to bless
most abundantly, and thus reward the kind solicitude
of Herr von Pufendorf "

As Spener here ceased speaking, there occurred a
short pause; and it appeared as if the strangers intended
to make still another request, but hesitated at doing so;

A CALL FROM TILE NORTH.

183

whereupon the court-chaplain, to whom this silence was
painful, suddenly exclaimed: "Your honored queen,
noble gentlemen, has mentioned your names in her
letter. I am heartily glad to have recognized by them
two truly noble and Christian gentlemen, and will always
remember you in my prayers."

"Of what importance, reverend sir, can our names
be to you ?'' now began the first. " But your name, or
rather a few words from your hand and heart, would be
to us the dearest and most precious gift to remind us of
this hour. Will your reverence grant us this request?"

"With all my heart, noble sirs!" replied Spener.
The stranger handed him two beautifully embossed
pieces of paper : " Yet I have nothing but the word of
my Lord; and this I will most cheerfully give you."

Then he took a scat at his writing desk, and wrote
upon the one leaf:

"/ remembered Thy judgments of old, and have com-
forted 7ny self ^ Ps. cxix. 52,

And upon the other :

"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead, because of
sin ; but the spirit is life, because of righteousness."

Upon each he wrote his name and his motto, which
he always added on such occasions, and which at the
same time expressed his religious opinion. It was as
follows :

Tu A cquisivisti ]\Tos TAomine "P^

tmpore _/^ccepto ]_\' obis J^eus _L/xauditioncm

Mundo
aturat.

Ex.: John xv 19; xvii. 14-16. Gal. i. 4. Isaiah xlix. 8. 2 Cor.
vi. 2. Ps. cxix. 12.*

* The capital letters give the word Tandem (at length, finally,)

384 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

"Here, gentlemen!" he said, whilst handing to them
the slips of paper thus inscribed: "may these words of
Holy Writ impart to you consolation, peace, strength
and courage, as often as they have done to me, amid
the many severe trials of my life. The one passage,
taken from the Old Testament, shall continue to be my
comfort whilst my life endures, and my labors last;
and the other, taken from the New Testament, shall be
my consolation in death. And now may God guide
you in safety. Give my kindest regards to Herr von
Pufendorf, as also my most humble respects to your
most excellent queen; and, as soon as time and cir-
cumstances shall permit, I will reply to the letters they
have respectively addressed to me."

The two Swedish gentlemen left the room, deeply
impressed with the court-chaplain's affability and kind-
ness, and took away with them the conviction that true
Christianity confers upon man true nobility.

The ultimate object of their mission remained, how-
ever, unaccomplished, since, in the mean time, the
wonderful dealings of God, with regard to Spener, so
manifested themselves that Baron von Samuel Pufen-
dorf afterwards interested himself, as the sequel will

doubtless, in the sense of God finally answering us in our distress, and
of our final redemption by death from all evil. The words attached
to these capitals give the respective sentences: Tu acquisivisti nos,
domine, ex mundo, (Thou, O Lord, hast chosen us from the world,)
and Tempore accepto nobis Deus exauditionem maturat (In an accepta-
ble time the Lord heareth us) ; thoughts which are more fully ex-
pressed in the Scriptural passages annexed. In our time this might,
indeed, be characterized as pious trifling, but in those days it was quite
common among the learned. When Spener chose his motto, his soul
may have been filled with very serious thoughts, thoughts altogether
becoming the dignity of the Christian.

A CALL FROM THE NORTH. ^85

show, as much in securing Spener's spiritual labors for
another country as he had before done to secure them
for Stockholm in Sweden.

In Dresden the feeling which had been aroused
against the court-chaplain had gradually calmed down.
The Elector had returned from the war, after having
won a glorious victory. He maintained silence in
regard to his sentiments respecting his confessor
(which was, no doubt, the cause of the moderation of
his other opponents), but adhered to his resolution
never again to hear Spener preach. How this amiable,
sorely-afflicted man bore all this, and what was the
condition of his mind at the close of this, to him, most
eventful year, may be learned from the letter which he
wrote to the queen of Sweden, and which may be found
in his "Last Theological Opinions," Vol. HI., p. 265.
17

CHAPTER XXII.

CHILDREN'S TRIALS.

" For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." — Rom.
viii. i8.

IN 1690, about the close of the Easter Fair, at Leip-
zig, a new trial awaited our beloved Dr. Spener,
and that, too, at a time when he least expected it.

On a certain forenoon, a portion of the day which he
usually devoted to his labors, he entered the family
room, and said to his wife, "Dear Susannah, I have
such a longing desire to-day to be with you and our
children, that I can scarcely await the time when we
shall assemble at dinner."

" Have you had some unexpected pleasure, dear
Philipp?" she asked.

"Certainly!" replied he; "as God always sends us
unexpected pleasure ; for all pleasure must come unex-
pectedly to the Christian, because, as he has no right to
ask any of the Lord, so also, has he no right to expect
it."

" And what has happened to you ?" continued the
house-wife.

" Not that I know of anything in particular," he as-
sured her. " But my heart feels lighter and more
cheerful to-day, than it has done for a long time. All
the pleasant and beautiful days of my life are passing
before me, as if some one held them up in a picture.

(386)

CHILDREN'S TRIALS.

387

I behold myself in the house of my sainted parents at
Rappoltsweiler, surrounded by my dear brothers and
sisters, and my sainted brother-in-law, Mr. Stoll, who
had become a second father to me ; and, at the side of
my sainted god-mother, the dear Countess Agathe,
whose death I shall never forget. Though thirty-two
years have passed since then, I still hear the words she
addressed to me on her death-bed, as she gave me her
dying blessing ; and even after she had lost her speech,
and I noticed that she still wanted to say something to
me she laid her hand upon my head, bowed her own,
and died. Ah, dear Susannah, that affected me so
deeply, that for a long time afterwards, I prayed for
nothing so much as for an early death. It had been,"
he added, as if he felt that such a wish needed an
apology, " it had been the first time that I saw any one
die ; and to see a godly person die, robs death of its
terror, and creates a desire to be absent from the body,
and to be present with Christ."

" Dear Philipp !" said the house-wife, " the joy you
felt was soon changed to sorrow. You are thinking
only of the dead; do then the living afford you no
longer any pleasure ?" —

"O, certainly, my good wife!" replied he. "All of
you whom God has given me, are my greatest joy and
comfort on earth. Had I not a cheerful home, and in
my children and in you, my pious Susannah, faithful
friends, I would often not know how to bear the world's
abuse. And think you that the remembrance of the
departed makes one sad? Never, surely; for the death
of the Christian is a triumph, a glorious victoiy over
all temporal and perishable things. Only in one

^88 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

instance may the memory of the dead cause sadness ;
and that is, when the grave sends forth accusing voices
against us ; and such voices you, certainly, have no
reason to fear."

"Thanks be to God, no!" exclaimed she. "If your-
self, my dear husband, will not one day accuse me of
having loved you less than you love me — "

"My good wife!" interrupted Spener. "I know
best how much I am in your debt, and how cheerfully
you bear with my infirmities. God knows I am kindly
disposed towards all men ; but yet my disposition is
somewhat grave, and consequently, it may at times
have happened, that you thought me guilty of unkind-
ness, when my heart knew nothing of it. Yea, even
my timidity, my being so easily discouraged, has a
tendency to cause a tender wife many an anxious
thought; and it was just because I felt that I require
more love and indulgence than I show to others, that
I hesitated to enter the married state at all, and thus
prepare for my wife sorrow and pain, instead of happi-
ness and joy. You, however, Susannah, ventured to
enter, with this gloomy man, upon the journey of life.
Have you not regretted it?"

" How can you ask such a question, dear Philipp ?"
she replied. " To you I owe all my happiness ; not
only the happiness of my life, but even my joyful hope
in view of eternity. Yes, friend of my soul, faithful,
dear father of my children, through you I first learned
to understand this life and the life which is to come.
O, can you then not imagine that when I see so many,
many thousands loving you, and thanking you for the
deliverance of their souls, that I, the wife of your

CHILDREN'S TRIALS. ^go

bosom, which God permitted me to become, feel happy,
nay proud, that you are mine, and that the hand which
has blessed so many leads me through life ?"

"Susannah, Susannah!" said Spener, with cheerful
earnestness. " Do you also belong to my enemies and
tempters, that you attempt to induce me to think more
highly of myself than I ought? It is to the Lord, and
not to ourselves, that praise is due. To Him be honor
for evermore !"

" The Lord ?" repeated the wife. " Well, yes, the
Lord ! But have you not often said, that those only
find the Lord who seek Him, and that He helps only
such as will let Him?"

"Certainly, my good wife!" replied the Doctor.
"• We have the comforting assurance, *Ask, and ye shall
receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.' This
is often done by man to his fellow man ; and how much
more will God give His Holy Spirit to those that ask
Him ? But you thought, when a little while ago I
spoke of the dead, that I was sad. Indeed I was not;
yet I know not how it comes, that whenever I feel
really joyful in God, my Lord, death comes involun-
tarily into my mind, as if only then, as I indeed also
hope, real joy was first to begin. Hence I have already
frequently desired to ask you to see to it that after the
Lord shall have called me hence, and when my remains
shall be borne to the grave, that there may not be a
single black thread about me, and also that my coffin
may not be painted black, as is usual. For I have
mourned enough over the condition of the Church
during my life; and if I then, which God in mercy may
grant, enter the Church triumphant, my white shroud

3Q0 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

and my shining coffin shall bear witness, that I have
died in the hope of better days to come for the Church
on earth. Will you perform this act of love for me,
Susannah ?"

"Philipp!" she exclaimed, weeping aloud; "how
can you, before me, and in view of your children, speak
so calmly of your death. God will not take you away
before me.* How could I fill your place among our
children? How could I endure my solitude, my lone-
liness ?"

" Dear wife," said Spener, gently reproving her,
"you seem to sorrow, as do those who have no hope.
Know you not that God is a husband to the widow,
and a father to the fatherless? No, my timid Susannah;
anxiety and care is useless and unchristian here; but
for this let us care, that we may meet again yonder.
Let Christ be and continue your and my life ; then will
death be to us gain. And let me communicate another
of my last wishes. If a faithful friend and brother
should one day be found willing to preach my funeral
sermon, request him to take for his text the words:
'If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin ; but
the Spirit is life because of righteousness' (Romans viii.
lo). And now be cheerful and happy. Our days are
in God's hands. His will be done."

But these comforting words would not take root in
her heart. She did indeed dry her tears, but her soul
remained sorrowful. And just as Spener was about
uttering additional words of comfort, the famulus
announced the Rev. Mr. Gcrbcr, whom he had already
shown into the study.

* She outlived him only a few months.

CHILDREN'S TRIALS. ^OI

"I will be there immediately!" replied Spener. And
then, turning to his wife, he said, " Susannah, may I
ask Mr. Gerber to stay for dinner?"

Instead of an answer, she reclined her head upon his
bosom, and gave free vent to her tears. But Spener
imprinted a kiss upon her brow, and said, " God bless
you and our children !" and left the room.

When he entered his study, Mr. Gerber met him
with sincere reverence, and said, " Reverend sir ! your
own heart must tell you, that my visit at this time is
owing to an act of unmerited friendship on your part,
towards me. I know that it was through your kind
intercession, that I have been called to my present
charge, which is the more agreeable to me, because it
brings me nearer to you. Accept my hearty thanks."

"My dear brother," replied the court-chaplain, "it
may be that my influence in the collegio has contrib-
uted somewhat toward your removal from Shonberg to
Lockwitz. But as you did not employ any personal
efforts to obtain the situation, and as you were pro-
posed with others by the President, I felt myself the
more constrained to advocate your claim, because I
have long known you as a worthy Christian minister
and pastor. Yet it is, after all, the Lord only who
controls the thoughts and minds of men; and the fact
of your having so willingly followed the call, is to me
a proof that you understood the will of the Lord in
reference to yourself. As for the rest, you will find in
Lockwitz a very faithful co-laborer in the vineyard of
the Lord. I mean the schoolmaster Petcrmann, whom
I hold in very high esteem. Would that our school-
masters were all like him! It would then be more

392 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

easy for us ministers to continue to build upon the
good foundation which a pious teacher had laid in the
hearts of the children. But tell me now, how you
have fared since we last met ?"

"I and my house fared better than we dared to
hope," replied Gerber. " But, pardon me, reverend
sir, if I tell you that we felt somewhat apprehensive in
regard to your welfare ; less, indeed, about your bodily
health than about the tranquillity of your mind. Since
our Serene Elector views your faithful labors of love
and your anxious solicitude in such an unfavorable
light, many false witnesses have risen up against you
who charge upon you all the extravagances of those
who injure the cause of practical Christianity ixova.
ignorance or from dishonest and hypocritical motives,
ascribing all to your public recognition of Frankc,
whose labors in Leipzig are attended with such blessed
results. The real Christian, the honest man, sees, of
course, in all this, only a good and acceptable work,
but the malicious slanderer seizes the opportunity to
attack you and your labors, which he has hitherto
regarded with a secret hate, the more greedily, the
more he imagines himself thereby able to secure the
favor of the Elector."

"Has anything new happened, in reference to this
matter?" asked Spener, not without some uneasiness.

" There has," continued Gerber, " as I have been
credibly assured, an edict was issued a few days ago,*
to the university, to the district bailiff and the council
at Leipzig, in which the Elector declares all con-

* On the loth of March, 1690.

CHILDREN'S TRIALS. 3^3

venticles, and private meetings in which the holy-
Scripture is explained, as dangerous, interdicting them
on pain of imprisonment and recommending immediate
enforcement of the law."

" I am aware of all that," said Spener, smiling ;
"and am rejoiced that the mischief which is growing
out of these unauthorized and ignorant attempts to ex-
plain the Bible, is to be prevented. Yet, it cannot be
otherwise than painful to me, that these extravagances
and this abuse of the Word of God is charged upon
me, who have not the remotest idea of forming a sect,
or of favoring any meeting which disturbs the peace
of the Church, by producing discord and giving offence.
But the most painful circumstance of all is the fact,
that individuals, who according to their station and
education are able to distinguish truth from error,
should also be throwing stones at me, and denouncing
my life and conduct, which I endeavor to regulate only
in accordance with the Word of God, as pietism.
Among these, especially. Dr. Carpzov, a man whom I
have never wronged, and who, only a few years ago,
in his Moral Lessons, not only approved of the Collegia
which I had proposed in my pia dcsideria, etc., in
which the laity were also allowed to speak, but actually
denounced such as would not promote or discourage
them as incurring a weighty responsibility. That such
a man should not only preach against me and my
labors, but even accuse me, as Rector of the Uni-
versity, in his programme, of the most unjust things —
all of which might greatly depress me, if I did not
enjoy the consolation of an approving conscience.
Thus far I have not attempted a defence against him.
17*

294 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

Indeed, you may believe me, I ask myself daily, why is
it that they defame me and bear me such ill will?
What have I done that my name and office should be
so calumniated ? Yet, however closely I search my
heart, I find indeed that I am weak and full of imper-
fections ; though God is my witness, that I seek only His
glory, and that I am ambitious of nothing but to be
found a faithful steward of the mysteries of my God,
and a faithful servant of my Lord Jesus Christ. The
consciousness of this alone keeps me from yielding to
despondency in my deep distress; and I feel assured
that the Lord permits all this to my enemies for the
exercise and trial of my patience. To Him will I,
therefore, ascribe all grateful praise, and continue to
commend myself to His grace."

"O," said Mr. Gerber, "would that I could bear
every affliction with such joyful courage as you do,
reverend sir. For whatever may still befall you can-
not dishearten you in fearlessly continuing to labor for
the one thing needful. And it does really appear as if
the Lord had prepared a new trial for you."

" What do you mean ?" quickly inquired the court-
chaplain.

"The Elector has lately returned from Leipzig,"
remarked Mr. Gerber, "and is said to have, since then,
made some remarks in regard to church discipline and
to yourself, reverend sir, which did not seem to prom-
ise either peace or joy. I have been assured, that
when the aged privy counselor, Herr von Griinrode,
that worthy and godly man, desired to announce him-
self this morning to His Electoral Highness, he was
informed by Herr von Langendorf that the Elector

CHILDREN'S TRIALS. ^95

wished never to see him again. The old gentleman,
who had already on a previous occasion incurred the
displeasure, but had again gradually regained the con-
fidence of his sovereign, though not in the same
measure in which he once enjoyed it, has been so
deeply grieved and affected thereby, that he, already
weak in health, has suddenly become dangerously ill."

" Ah me !" exclaimed the court-chaplain, greatly
moved. " What do you tell me ? This stroke is
aimed at me ! I feel it. I will cheerfully bear all
that my gracious sovereign believes himself obliged
to do against me; but that others should suffer, inno-
cently, for my sake, deeply grieves me. Do you
think Herr von Grunrode would accept a visit from
me at this time ? I would very much like to address
to him a word of comfort."

But such was not to be, at least, for the present!
The famulus, M. Rothner, hastily entered the room to
announce the two privy counselors, Herr von Senkwitz
and Herr von Langendorf, or rather only to precede
them, for they had followed close behind the famulus ;
almost, as it were, to show that they did not deem it
necessary to ask permission to enter. They entered
with a hasty salutation, and without asking to speak
with the court-chaplain alone, and without awaiting
the departure of the famulus, Herr von Senkwitz began
by saying: "Dr. Spener, we have come on a special
mission from our gracious sovereign. His Electoral
Highness desires that you will give us a frank and
definite reply to a few questions which we are instructed
to direct to you."

" I have always served my sovereign faithfully and

296 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

sincerely," replied Spener, with more firmness than
was his wont on occasions when troubles seemed to
threaten him. " What does his Electoral Highness
desire of me?"

"His Electoral Highness," continued Senkwitz, "has
hitherto entertained the conviction that you would
keep secret the correspondence which has passed
between him and you, as becomes his confessor."

"And have I not done so?" asked Spener, in sur-
prise.

"It does not appear so!" replied the privy counselor.
" Else, how could so many other people have been
made acquainted with it ?"

"I should think," said the court-chaplain, "that what
has transpired during the last year, between my gra-
cious sovereign and myself, his unworthy servant, has
been so generally made known by his Electoral High-
ness himself, without any fault of mine, that the
unhappy difficulty between us, in its deplorable con-
sequences could not but be noised abroad, that I, for
my part, find nothing inexplicable in it."

" The question is not about what has transpired
between you in general," remarked the privy coun-
selor, with an inquisitorial air, " but about the contents
of your letter to his Electoral Highness, in particular,
and the answer to it."

" Of that," replied Spener, firmly, " no one can know
anything, save the omniscient God. I have always
regarded that a profound secret; and what my famulus,
who took a copy for me from the first letter, had neces-
sarily to learn concerning it, was not divulged by him,
for Mr. Rothner has ever served me most faithfully."

CHILDREN'S TRIALS. 307

" How then is it possible," interrupted Herr von
Langendorf, with a derisive smile, " that there are
actually copies of these letters in circulation ?"

" Copies !" repeated the court-chaplain, in the great-
est astonishment. " Your excellency can surely not
be in earnest."

"And yet!" added Herr von Senkwitz, "his Electoral
Highness, during his stay at Leipzig, conversed with a
person of distinction who positively assured him of
having read copies of the letters in question."

Spener smiled mournfully and said, " Noble sirs, I
am well aware that in your hearts you accuse me of
many faults, though God is my witness that I am not
able, after the most thorough self-examination, to find
anything in which I did or intended to wrong you.
Yet, whatever else you may think of me, I hope in
God that you will not consider me capable of lying.
And, therefore, I tell you that I have communicated
not one word of the contents of those letters to any
one, save to my God in my prayers. The letters them-
selves, if you except my famulus, who was acquainted
with the contents of the first only, were read by no
one, nor did I ever allow even one paragraph of them
to be transcribed."

" Might it not," now continued Herr von Senkwitz,
in a somewhat milder tone than before, " have been
done by others without your knowledge, and, as I will
readily believe, without your will !"

" Hardly," replied the court-chaplain, " for that could
only have happened through the neglect of my faithful
Rothner, which I cannot believe. However, to do you
justice also in this, allow me to call Mr. Rothner."

3q8 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

When this had been done, and the famulus had
entered, Spener said : " Dear Rothner, I am sorry to
be obliged to ask you a few questions which might, as
I know you, wound your feelings; but it intimately
concerns your honor and mine. Therefore I ask you :
have you ever communicated to any one aught of the
contents of that letter which I, last spring, on the day
of humiliation and prayer, addressed to his Electoral
Highness, and of which you, at my request, took a
copy ? Or have you permitted any one to read the
letter itself, or copy it for others; or have you per-
mitted others to copy any part of it? Speak, and fear
nothing for yourself; for whatever your answer, you
shall not suffer on account of it."

" Reverend Doctor," replied the famulus, in a clear
and firm voice, " God is my witness that I am not con-
scious of having been guilty of any of these charges."

" I believe you without hesitation," said Spener,
" and beg your pardon for having directed these ques-
tions to you. And see here, noble sirs, here, in this
repository, are all the letters of which I have preserved
a copy, and here," he added, whilst taking from a
drawer a package of papers, " Here are all the letters
in question, in the same place and order in which I
myself placed them there."

"All this appears truly mysterious," remarked the
favorite knight of his Electoral Highness, with a
singularly peculiar look. " For the same credence
which you, well-esteemed Doctor, and your famulus
deserve, we also owe to that distinguished person who
assured his Electoral Highness of having seen a copy
of the letters ; and we have been expressly commis-

CHILDREN'S TRIALS. ^gg

sioned to express to you the just and profound dis-
pleasure of our gracious sovereign in reference to this
whole transaction. Since that day when his Electoral
Highness was pleased, in compliance with your request,
to interdict a festivity at court, for which great prepar-
ations had been made, he has had to hear many things
not in accordance with that respect which is due to
him, as our most gracious ruler; and he can, therefore,
not be blamed, if what has occurred between you
becomes the talk of city and country."

" No one can feel this more than I do," replied the
court-chaplain, " or regret it more deeply. But, noble
sirs, will you then not, in view of my innocence, modify
your accusation ? Nay, I pray your excellencies, ear-
nestly to bear to our gracious sovereign the assurance
of my innocence. God alone knows where the solu-
tion of the mystery is to be found. He will bring to
light what is hid in darkness."

" God grant it !" added Herr von Senkwitz, not
without sympathy. " We shall make a faithful report
to his Electoral Highness." And with this, he and
his companion took their leave. But when they had
reached the ante-chamber, he remarked : " The words
of this man have, after all, a singular sound and a
peculiar power; I confess that I sincerely believe in
his innocence, notwithstanding the great obscurity in
which this whole matter seems to be involved. His
words have deeply affected me, and if I were often in
his company, as I have been to-day, I really would not
know why I should oppose him."

"It is just this which makes pietism dangerous,"
asserted Langendorf, without, however, showing in

400 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

what the danger actually consisted, or whether Spener
in his labors deserved having such a name applied to
him. Perhaps he was not quite clear about it him-
self! Or did, perhaps, his conscience speak a different
language?

We leave these two gentlemen to go their several
ways, and return to the study of our beloved Spener.
" Do you know," he said to Mr. Gerber, who during
the entire interview had stood as far off and kept as
quiet as possible. " Do you know what all this signi-
fies? This is the sure precursor of my dismission.
O Thou, good God, if all forsake me. Thou wilt surely
abide with me, according to Thy promise !"

" God forbid that it should proceed so far !" ex-
claimed Gerber, with deep emotion. " We would then
be a scattered flock without a shepherd ! As for you,
reverend sir, we need apprehend nothing; for no wound
is too deep, which in your case the Word of God can-
not heal."

"I thank my God, that it is even so," replied the
court-chaplain, " that wherever the Lord permits some
suffering to befall us for His name and truth's sake,
there the consolations administered to us by our
heavenly Father in His Word are so abundant, that
they far exceed our sufferings. This may also be the
cause why we for His sake, who has loved us, over-
come all things ; and it is therefore meet that, when-
ever God accounts us worthy to endure sufferings for
His Son's sake, we should rejoice at it, rather than
mourn."

"Ah," continued Mr. Gerber, " it must have required
a great many trials before you became so strong in

CHILDREN'S TRIALS. 4OI

faith and patience. I must confess that, when those
privy counselors, and especially Herr von Langendorf,
brought their complaint in such offensive language, I
felt greatly indignant, and was astonished at the calm-
ness with which you declared your innocence."

" Do not ascribe too much honor to me," replied
Spener, " nor make my trials severer than they really
are. My having hitherto been enabled by the grace
of God to withstand opposition, affords me but little
cause to boast in the sight of men, and still less in the
sight of God. For all that the Lord has so far per-
mitted to befall me has been but light."

" But light !" exclaimed Gerber, in surprise.

" Well, what then has it been, my dear sir ?" asked
the Doctor. " If you sum it all up you will find that
it was only contempt, evil reports, calumny, hatred,
menace and indignation. All these are only children's
trials, and the lightest sufferings of grace. Really
severe sufferings, such as faithful servants of the Lord
before me have endured, have, thus far, not been per-
mitted to fall upon me. Perhaps the Lord has hitherto
found me too weak for them, and mercifully exempting
me from heavier trials, has laid upon me only such as
are suited to children. Think of what the beloved
John Arndt and the faithful Paul Gerhardt had to
endure ! Of Martin Luther I dare not even speak, for
I am not worthy to unloose his shoe latchets. Yea, it
seems to me that even my dear Franke, at Leipzig, is
accounted worthy by the Lord of severer trials."

" Yet you do not know," said Gerber, " what heavy
trials the Lord may still have in store for you."

"Should He have," said the court-chaplain "(and ap-

402 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

pearances do certainly indicate something of the kind),
He will at the proper time give me strength from on
high in proportion to the sufferings appointed for me.
God is, perhaps, even now preparing me for severer
trials, by the consolations which pious hearts are
already offering me, and of which my present suffer-
ings are not worthy. And, therefore, I gratefully
acknowledge it as an unmerited favor."

" Do I, then, understand you to say that you actually
pray to the Lord for severer trials ?" asked Gerber.

" No !" replied Spener. " I do also, in this, not
prescribe to Him by praying for severer sufferings, for
this would be tempting the Lord my God ; yet, on the
other hand, I do not fear them ; and, if they should
come, I will not, like a hireling, fly away from them.
I willingly leave all to His gracious direction. He
will order all for my own good and that of others.
Do you not remember Paul Gerhardt's hymn of con-
solation ?

" ' Let Him alone the world control,

None wiser reigns than He ;
The dealings of His hand thy soul

With wondering eyes shall see,
When at the time that He shall choose.

His kind and wise decree
Thy heavy burdens shall unloose,

And bid thy sorrows flee.' "

" But do you, then, mean to say," continued Mr,
Gerber, " that the Christian is quietly to wait for all
things in such a way as not to concern himself about
the future at all?"

" By no means, my dear friend," was Spener's reply.
"For not only those who inculcate godliness must

CHILDREN'S TRIALS.

403

expect to be prepared to suffer for its sake, but also
those who endeavor to exercise themselves in it.
Therefore, it is our duty to ask God in our prayers, so
much the more earnestly, to let His gracious will be
done in regard to us, to impart to us a living knowl-
edge of it, and to supply us at all times from above
with a needful measure of faith and consolation to sup-
port us amid all our trials. And all this, with the
comfortable assurance that God cannot lie, but will
surely perform His promise toward us."

"As He has already so richly performed them to-
ward you !" added Gerber.

" Very richly, my dear friend !" assured the court-
chaplain. " So very richly, indeed, that I almost regard
it as sinful to complain at the small measure of my
sufferings. Surely, I can never sufficiently estimate
and extol the precious and unmerited favor of my dear
heavenly Father, manifested in inclining so many of
the souls of His children toward me, that they, as I
feel assured, pray for me as I pray for them. And the
Lord has graciously answered our united prayers ; for
since my enemies have appeared in open opposition
against me, I have become more courageous than be-
fore. The Lord, who is beginning more and more to
pour out His grace upon His children, inspiring hope
by the very opposition He thus excites, will again be
favorable to his afflicted Zion, and also harmonize more
and more all His faithful servants among themselves in
the unity of the Spirit and the bond of holy love in
such a way, that our gratitude and prayers, thus com-
bined, will come up before Him more effectually, so
that we will eventually realize, in time and in eternity,
all that has been promised to us."

404 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

Gerber here grasped the Doctor's hand, and said:
" Reverend sir, how shall I thank you for this consola-
tion— a consolation of which, especially among us min-
isters, those stand in need, who have now, more than
ever, to contend with difficulties in our vocation ! O,
would that all could enjoy the happiness with which
you favor me ! If all could only hear you speak, they
would cease writing against you, for they would be
forced to love you. God has so richly endowed you
with spiritual gifts, that you are never at a loss either
to give advice or impart consolation. And this too,
like one who receives immediately, and always receives
the gift of the Holy Ghost."

"Dear sir," replied the court-chaplain, with kind
earnestness, "that you do not hate me, is certainly
very agreeable to me ; yet, permit me to say that true
love rarely manifests itself by indulging in commend-
ation and praise. If you, therefore, really love me,
and, in future, esteem me worthy of forming a subject
for conversation, speak rather of my faults and weak-
nesses, and imperfections of every kind. If you, how-
ever, suppose that this comes readily and quickly to
me, you are very much mistaken. How often, when
asked for advice and consolation by others, am I my-
self without either, and must frequently spend many
days before I am sufficiently enlightened to advise and
console."

" For this reason it is unaccountable to me," said the
minister, " how you find time for all you do ; for there
is scarcely a day on which you do not write volumin-
ous letters, besides attending to the duties of your
threefold and very important and onerous office."

CHILDREN'S TRIALS.

405

" Nor do I !" said Spener. " I have still nearly
three hundred unanswered letters lying over from last
year, notwithstanding I wrote, as my diary will show,
six hundred and twenty-two in this one year."

Gerber clasped his hands in astonishment, and said,
"How very insignificant do I appear compared with
you ! Yes, reverend sir, even at the risk of offending
you, I must say, how very insignificant do I appear
when I compare my labors with yours !"

Just as the court-chaplain was about to reply, the
door opened, and Mrs. Spener entering, said : " Gentle-
men, dinner is ready, — are you ?"

" Will you be my guest, dear friend?" asked Spener;
and without waiting for an answer, he turned to his
wife, saying, " Dear Susannah, you will find in me a
great eulogist to-day of your culinary skill. I have
not had so good an appetite for a long time as I have
to-day."

"You often speak in this way, dear Philip," said the
wife, smiling; "and yet, when you come to eat, it seems
scarcely worth while. Now come, and meanwhile you
must not be angry with me, that I have detained an-
other guest for dinner, who arrived a short time ago.
But I hope you will rather be pleased than otherwise."

" Whom do you mean ?" asked Spener,

" The fact is," replied she, with a pleasant jest, " I had
determined to reply to you by saying, * Come and see ;'
for it is written, * Blessed are those who, not seeing, yet
believe.' And you have only to come in order to see.
However, the heart of a mother cannot long keep
silent. Can you not guess that it is Doctor Birnbaum's
wife ?"

4o6 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

" Our dear daughter Elizabeth !" exclaimed Spener,
joyfully. " Dear Lord and God, how full of loving-
kindness art Thou !" he continued, folding his hands,
whilst in his eye glistened a tear of joyful emotion.
" Just on this very day, on which I have experienced
such a small and trifling affliction, is so much bliss pre-
pared for me. Come, dear Mr. Gerber, and see with
me."

And the three left the room.

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE SECOND CALL FROM THE NORTH.

"Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count
you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His good-
ness, and the work of faith with power." — 2 Thess. i. ii.

A FEW weeks after the events related in the last
chapter, the famulus, M. Rothner, announced, on
a certain afternoon, two young people to the court-
chaplain who, though requested to enter, still hesitated
to do so. When, therefore, Spener went out to meet
them, he, immediately recognizing them, exclaimed:
"Ah! it is you, my young friend Guldenmeyer, and
your dear sister, or rather your dear bride ! Come in,
and tell me what brings you here."

"At this time not a weary and heavy laden, but a
joyful and grateful heart," replied George, as he tim-
idly presented the court-chaplain with a small, neatly-
covered package.

"For what do you think yourself indebted to me?"
asked Spener.

"Were I to attempt, reverend sir," said George, "to
enumerate, one by one, the particulars of our indebted-
ness to you, I would not know where to end."

" We are indebted to you," added Elizabeth, " for all
our true earthly happiness, the peace of our hearts, the
prosperity of our house, the sincere joy of our faith;
all, all of which I can, indeed, feel, but am not able to

(407)

4o8 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

express ; all is owing to your kind labors for us, rever-
end sir."

" Miss Elizabeth !" exclaimed Spener, in surprise ;
and then added, with affectionate earnestness, " you
have often called yourself my pupil. Have I taught
you to give to man the glory which alone belongs to
God ?"

" Certainly not!" replied the maiden, blushing deeply.
" But, can it be wrong to manifest respect, gratitude
and love for a man whom God has employed as an
instrument in executing His gracious will toward us ?
T think not, reverend Doctor. And this has embold-
ened us to call on you, and " here she faltered,

and cast a bashful look toward George. He, compre-
hending her appeal, uncovered a small painting, and
said, whilst handing it to the court-chaplain : " We
pray you, reverend sir, kindly to accept this very small
token of our gratitude for the love and kindness which
you have shown us and our whole house."

"What are you thinking of?" said Spener, declining
the proffered gift. " Would I not have to be ashamed
of myself, before God, if I were to receive pay for a
kind word addressed to you in the hour of distress ?
No, my dear friends, I have never yet accepted pay for
any counsel or advice, or whatever else the unmerited
confidence of my brethren required of me ; and the
fact of being able to say that I perform these offices,
which are daily making an increased demand on my
time, for the love of God, affords me some consolation
for the pain I feel when I think of the imperfection of
my advice and spiritual aid."

" Indeed," assured George, " we never intended this

SECOND CALL FROM THE NORTH. 409

as a remuneration, for perishable silver and gold can
never yield an adequate return for spiritual favors.
We only intend this as a token, not very skillfully
executed, it is true, but still as a token to commem-
orate the first really happy hour of my life ; only look,
I beg you, at the subject !"

Spener now undertook to examine it. Before a city
gate, which was easily recognized as Pirna gate, stood
a carriage, out of which was leaning a man with long
curling hair, the crown of his head covered with a
black velvet skull-cap, and with a countenance beam-
ing with kindness, apparently engaged in conversation
with a young man. The resemblance of the elder
gentleman to the court-chaplain could not be mistaken,
just as the young man could at once be known by his
traveling equipments and striking features as the
young artist Guldenmeyer.

" Do you remember yet," said George, " what you
said to me at that time ? You said, ' I hope you will
not be frightened; I am the new court-chaplain.' In-
deed, reverend sir, frightened I was not, but ashamed,
deeply ashamed, both on account of on unmerited
favor conferred upon me, as well as on account of the
awkwardness of my conduct throughout. But that
shame became to me only the seed of a sincere joy and
a happy heart. I can never forget that moment ; for it
was the first ray of the morning twilight of a true day
of God, a true child of a heavenly, divine aurora," he
added, with an allusion to their conversation on that
occasion. " Will you now, reverend sir, refuse to ac-
cept this trifling offering from a grateful heart ?"

" My singular young friend !" replied the court-
chaplain, with an assuring smile.
18

4IO PIIILIFP JACOB SPENER.

"The truth is, I am somewhat angry with my dear
George," here interrupted EHzabeth, "because he was
so full of self-love, that he painted hiijiself, or rather
only himself with you, on this picture. Why could he
not have painted one in which I, too, might have
occupied a place, even though it had been in the
farthest corner?"

" Why, you are also on it," said George, " though
invisible to the eye; for, as I have borne your letters
upon my heart, so I bore you in it."

" If you are allowed to put this interpretation upon
it," added Spener, taking up the friend's jest, " then
you are twice on the picture, dear Elizabeth ; for so
soon as your George had mentioned your father's
name, I immediately thought of you, and, consequently,
also, bore you in my heart."

Elizabeth blushed deeply, and, in order to conceal
her embarrassment, said, quickly : " The ornamenting
on the frame is the work of my good father. He in-
sisted on doing it, and I can sympathize with him, for
I know not what I would give if I, too, could have
done something in getting up this picture."

"You have done something!" insisted George, as he
showed the back part of the picture, where Elizabeth
had written, i Thess. v. 12, in a clear, beautiful hand:

"K?toiu them wliich labor among yon, and are over
you in the Lord, and admonish yon; and esteem them
very highly in love for their zvork's sake."

" This present," said Spener, kindly, " I cannot any
longer, of course, refuse to accept. And I thank
you for this evidence of your pious devotion. I will
hang it where it will ever be near me, so that in the

SECOND CALL FROM THE NORTH.

411

hour of new trials it may sustain and encourage me.
And now, how is your father ?"

"God has preserved his health thus far," answered
Elizabeth, " and he wishes to be kindly and gratefully
remembered to you."

"And how is my Christian schoolmaster in Lock-
witz, your Uncle Pctcrmann ?" continued Spener.

" He is well," replied George, " and said that he
would soon again be obliged to trouble your reverence,
in order to renew his failing strength."

" He shall be, as ever, most heartily welcome," said
the court-chaplain. Remember me to him. And how
goes it with yourselves?" he continued, smiling. "You
will, doubtless, be soon preparing your marriage feast?"

" Our father," replied George, " and also Uncle
Petermann, desire that our wedding should take place
in autumn, and that the new minister at Lockwitz
shall unite us."

" Well, if I find it possible," said Spener, whilst ex-
tending a hand to each, " I will be a guest at your
wedding feast. Now you may go in peace, unless you
have something else to tell me ; do not forget to
remember me to Mr. Guldenmeyer. I am obliged to
write several important letters yet to-day."

The two young people, full of happiness in their in-
most hearts, left the room ; but Spener was not des-
tined to resume his labors on this day as soon as he
had expected, for just as he reached the ante-chamber
with his friends, a gentleman entered, and Spener,
taken by surprise, exclaimed : " Herr von Pufendorf !
does your excellency come from Berlin ?"

" Of course, my dear Doctor," replied the privy

412 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER ,

counselor, at the same time asking permission to enter
his study.

" Can you imagine what has brought me to you ?"
asked the privy counselor, as soon as they entered.

Spener blushed, and asked, quickly, "Is it true that
Provost Teuber is dead ?"

" Yes !" was the reply. " God has removed him sud-
denly, and before he had been long at his new post.
Last year, after the Lord had removed his predecessor,
Dr. Schrader, you were asked to become his successor;
but you declined. Now, if the call should be renewed
at this time, would you not recognize in it the will of
God, that you should go to Berlin ?"

" I cannot sufficiently thank your Excellency for
your kindness and undeserved consideration for me,"
replied the court-chaplain ; " but, at the same time, I
must also frankly confess to you, that you cause me a
great deal of uneasiness." And with this, he began, as
was his custom, to pace to and fro, evidently greatly
exercised, and saying, in a low voice to himself, " The
Lord gives me no rest."

" Nor do your enemies in Saxony," quickly added
the privy counselor.

" That is most true," replied Spener, with a sigh.
" God, in His wisdom permits it. How wonderful are
His dealings !"

" How does it stand with the Elector, my dear
friend?" asked Pufendorf

"I, myself," replied the court-chaplain, "have never
yet ceased, nor will I ever cease, to remember him affec-
tionately in my prayers. But His Electoral Highness,
unfortunately, continues to persevere in his aversion to

SECOND CALL FROM THE NOR TIL

413

me, and has, for a year and a half, neither attended my
preaching nor received the Holy Supper from my hands.
Yea, his displeasure against me seems to increase, just
as his unjust suspicions against several other gentle-
men, which, to my deep regret, are only too often ex-
pressed, have gained renewed strength. The good and
pious old Herr von Griinrode has gone down to his
grave with the displeasure of his sovereign resting
upon him."

" Well, my dear and reverend sir, his Electoral High-
ness of Brandenburg has been graciously pleased to
commission me to confer with you in reference to the ac-
ceptance of the vacant Provostship of St. Nicholas, and
the inspectorship connected therewith, as well as the
office of counselor of the consistory. Ought not your
sufferings here, and the anxious desire to have you at
Berlin, afford sufficient proof that the goodness of God
has provided for you, and that He marks out the
course you are to pursue ?"

" I can, of course," replied Spener, " not praise God
enough for comforting and strengthening me, His hum-
ble servant, by these new evidences of His loving care,
at a time when my enemies, especially here in Saxony,
are so greatly increasing ; and I feel confidently assured
that He will do all things wisely and well. Then I
owe humble thanks to His Electoral Highness of
Brandenburg, for his kind intentions in offering me a
situation as a servant of the Church in his dominions.
And then again I am under great obligations to your
Excellency for this additional proof of your generous
interest in my behalf Yet I cannot deny that I am
altogether unable to decide in the matter, inasmuch as

414 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

I do not yet clearly discern what is the will of my Lord
and Master."

" Should you really have so much difficulty, reverend
sir, in arriving at a knowledge of the will of the Lord?"
asked Pufendorf, sympathizingly.

"Ah, noble sir," replied Spener, "the correct under-
standing of the divine will has ever cost me the severest
conflicts, especially at the time when I was called from
Frankfurt to this place. And I acknowledge that I
entertained a hope that God in His goodness would
not again permit me to undergo a similar trial."

" But if, after all, it should really appear that it is the
Lord's will that you should go to Berlin, would you
do so ?" replied the privy counselor.

" In such an event," replied the court-chaplain, " I
would, of course, feel constrained to bow reverently to
His holy will; for I would then see in it an evidence
of His subjecting my faith and obedience to a new trial.
And I praise His infinite goodness in having inclined
me, both then and now, to submit to His will, either
by staying or going, as soon as I shall have clearly
apprehended it. But this is just the ground of my
fears and anxiety; how shall I know the will of my
Heavenly Father, without self-deception and the
danger of after-doubts? Let me but know with cer-
tainty that this or that is the will of God, and I shall
be most willingly the Lord's servant. His will be
done."

" Should the long increasing desire of a large con-
gregation to have you," suggested Pufendorf, "coupled
with the ardent wish of a truly pious prince, who is
really concerned for the true welfare of his people,

SECOND CALL FROM THE NORTH.

415

together with the sudden and unexpected decease of
the Provost Teuber — -should all this not appear to you
as a clear indication of the divine will, especially since
the call is extended to you without any instrumentality
of your own?"

" My noble and dear friend," replied Spener, " if I
were entirely free, or if I, in the providence of God,
were dismissed from my present charge, or altogether
rejected, you may feel assured that I would imme-
diately and most cheerfully go with you. Yea, I
would regard it as a special mark of divine grace to
be assured of the favor of such a Christian potentate
as his Electoral Highness of Brandenburg, and to serve
under his patronage in the ministry of the gospel.
For I have long since known how zealously the noble
son of the great Elector labors for the promotion of
the glory of God and the kingdom of Jesus Christ on
earth, so that all who feel an interest in this matter
cannot but love and honor him. Yes, indeed, were I
free, or had my sovereign cast me out, so that, like
John Arndt and Paul Gerhardt, I should be obliged to
wander about, homeless, it would require little or no
further consideration on my part to accept the call."

" And do you think," asked Pufendorf, " that there is
any danger of this ?"

" The Lord is wonderful in counsel," replied the
court-chaplain. " Should my gracious sovereign in
future persist in refusing to listen to my vindication,
and should my enemies succeed in keeping alive the
prejudice of his Electoral Highness against me, all
this may possibly happen, though several of the most
distincfuished ministers have assured me that his Elec-

41 6 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

toral Highness is too noble-minded to permit matters
to come to such a pass."

" But how," continued the privy counselor, " could
such a conviction in regard to what is the will of the
Lord be produced in your mind, reverend sir?"

" How?" repeated Spener. "Alas, I know not
whether it is weakness of the flesh or want of faith —
yet I can assure your Excellency that I find it by no
means an easy task to discover the will of God in
regard to such proposals. That I was torn from my
dear congregation at Frankfurt, and brought to this
place by a wonderful providence, and not by any
means of man's devising, I have become fully con-
vinced in various ways by striking evidences. I am as
confident that the call which brought me to Dresden
came from God, as if I had heard it issuing directly
from heaven — for which reason I am also equally con-
fident that the Lord had His wise and weighty reasons
for bringing me here. And it is on this account that I
find it difficult to give up my present position."

" Do you judge this by the blessing that has attended
your labors here ?" asked Pufendorf

" The amount of what I have accomplished," said the
Doctor, " during my four years' residence here, is, of
course, not as great as might be expected. Moreover
I see, to my great regret, that what is still left undone
is much more than that which has been done. Yet I
entertain the comfortable assurance that our faithful
God has not left the imperfect labors of His miserable
servant here and there without His blessing — yea,
many an opposition which I have experienced may be
regarded as an evidence that the work of the Lord

SECOND CALL FROM THE NORTH. ^ly

which I have performed has been unusually painful to
the arch enemy of all good, wherefore he is also con-
tinually offering mc increased resistance. It is just on
this account that I am inclined to hope that if I only
patiently and humbly submit to my God, and continue
to labor on, much good will yet be accomplished. If I
should, therefore, leave my post before the Lord's time
would I not assume a great responsibility, and take a
step which I might afterwards have cause to regret ?
Your Excellency sees, therefore, plainly, that I cannot
give up my present charge without mature deliberation,
and not before I have become perfectly convinced that
God, who has brought me here, intends to send me
somewhere else."

" My most excellent and pious friend," said the privy
counselor, " how happy would all mankind be, if all
were as anxious to know and do the will of God as you
are ! How many hundreds of your brethren, situated
as you are, and laboring under similar disadvantages,
would unhesitatingly accept another call ! It is painful
that such difificulties are in your way."

" It is painful, my noble sir," continued Spener,
"that my gracious sovereign, whose actual pastor I
am, has been for so long a time disaffected towards me.
Painful, especially, that so many others have thereby
been emboldened in their hatred against me, and pain-
ful, above all, that my own brethren in the ministry
show such great opposition to me in my labors. But I
must not complain ; for the Almighty has hitherto pro-
tected me in the discharge of my calling by His mighty
arm, and so disposed the hearts of many among the
high and noble, that no injury has befallen me. Thus

4j8 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

far, my hands have not been tied in my spiritual minis-
trations ; and I have, moreover, the happiness of know-
ing, by almost daily experience, that I have gained a
goodly number of grateful hearts. Therefore, I would
go too far if I were to complain of persecution ; and
though the Lord should have determined to try my
faith and patience still further, yet I cannot in con-
science feel myself justified, for these reasons, in resign-
ing a charcfe to which the Lord has called me."

" But could it," suggested Pufendorf, " really be
regarded as a sin against God, if, in your decision, you
should somewhat consult your own bodily and mental
health ?"

"Not unconditionally!" replied the court-chaplain.
" I most readily acknowledge, that the situation which
has been graciously offered to me, is preferable both
on account of my disposition, and mode of life in gen-
eral, especially as it releases me from the duties of the
confessional, as well as on account of the numerical
superiority of the congregation, from which I might
expect an enlargement of my sphere of usefulness ; so
that personal considerations could not prevent me from
going to Berlin, especially since there can be no doubt
of finding there, no less than here, the necessary sup-
port for myself and family. But, my noble sir, neither
our own advantage, nor our comfort, nor our inclina-
tion, should determine our choice ; nor are we to con-
clude that a large congregation holds out a surer pros-
pect of usefulness than a small one. Therefore, your
excellency sees again, that to satisfy my conscience in
regard to the proposed change in my field of labor, I
must have still more and clearer evidences of its being

SECOND CALL FROM THE NORTH. ^ig

the will of God. All depends upon my being certain
on this point. Should I remain or go in opposition to
the will of God, I could not look for His blessing."

" In that event all labor would of course be in vain,"
remarked the privy counselor. " Yet, pardon me, rev-
erend sir, may you not, after all, require too much, and
magnify the difficulties in the way of your decision."

" It is true," replied Spener, " God has imparted to
some of His servants so much light and strength, that
they can, in cases of this kind, see their way perfectly
clear, and feel, as it were, an internal call, as soon as
they have prayerfully and seriously considered the
subject ; but to me God has not given this grace,
wherefore, I must submit everything to His decision."

" What, then, is to be done ?" asked the privy coun-
selor.

"I would," replied Spener, "first of all, humbly
request His Electoral Highness of Brandenburg, or
whomsoever he has intrusted with this matter, to seri-
ously and solemnly reconsider the whole subject of
my call and situation in all its bearings, whether I may
really, as far as it is possible for man to determine,
accomplish more good in the situation offered, than in
the one I now hold, and whether the will of God may
or may not be apprehended in reference thereto.
Should the result of such a reconsideration incline to
the opinion that it is my duty to remain here, God will
then certainly also point out the individual who is to
labor there in my stead, and I would ever be under
obligations of profound gratitude, obedience and prayer
to His Electoral Highness, for the attention with which
he has been graciously pleased to regard me. Should,

420 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

however, on the other hand, the result lead to a
determination to send me a call, His Electoral High-
ness of Brandenburg would, in such an event, not
hesitate to address himself to my gracious sovereign,
His Electoral Highness of Saxony, in whose service
I am engaged, on the subject of my dismission. And
to the adoption of whatever course the great God
would incline the heart of my gracious sovereign, I
would, with a conscience perfectly at rest, either stay
or go."

" I feel," said the privy counselor, " how indispens-
ably necessary such a conviction is, to a faithful per-
formance of the work of the ministry, and the weighty
responsibilities connected therewith. I thank you, rev-
erend sir, for having, by your kind and frank com-
munication at least given me, and all who are cast-
ing longing looks towards you from Berlin, the hope
of eventually seeing you in our midst. An all-wise
God will direct all for the best. You, my excellent
friend, will allow me to pay you another visit, before
my final departure ?"

"Your excellency shows my humble person too
much honor," replied the court-chaplain to his visitor,
who had risen to depart. "As for the rest, I will, with
you, humbly call on the great God our heavenly
Father, that He will direct this entire, and certainly
most important affair, and the hearts of all those whose
duty it is to speak and advise in reference thereto, in
such a way, as may best tend to the sanctification of
His name, the extension of His kingdom, and the
accomplishment of His will. But of you I ask more
especially a continuation, in future, of that friendship

SECOND CALL FROM TILE NORTH. 42 1

with which you have hitherto honored me. And now,
my noble sir, may God bless you."

" How vividly you recall to my mind the image of
my good, sainted father," remarked Pufendorf, moving
to depart, and shaking the court-chaplain heartily by
the hand. " Would that he had enjoyed the happiness
of an acquaintance with you and your labors."

"By the grace of God," replied Spener, "we shall
meet above."

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE PAINFUL PROPOSAL.

" How then, can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God ?"
— Gen. xxxix. g.

THE manifold trials and painful sufferings of this
pious man, as we have here faithfully recorded
them, cannot have failed in eliciting the deepest interest
and most hearty sympathy of the gentle reader. It
may be asked, Why was he hated and persecuted ?
He was assailed on account of his teachings; yet he
had given the most ample proof that he stood upon
the sure foundation of the Word of God. He was
censured for the manner in which he conducted his
office; yet, where was there a minister, at that time,
if we except August Hermann Franke, who could
compare with him in true piety, in genuine devotion,
and in untiring activity in promoting the kingdom of
God ? It is almost incredible to what extent malevo-
lence, vindictiveness, blind zeal for the maintenance of
the so-called true faith, envy, jealousy, and many other
still baser impulses, had conspired for the purpose of
opposing and crushing a man who labored, as far as
mere Christian piety could, for the true welfare of
mankind with the greatest devotion and self-denial.

In Leipzig the pleasures and perverseness of the
world had, indeed, sown many tares among the wheat
sown by Franke and his friends, and found means to

(422)

THE PAINFUL PROPOSAL.

423

bring the good cause of practical Christianity into bad
repute. A formal and extensive investigation had
been commenced, and all upon whom rested the sus-
picion of participating in any of the private meetings,
convened for mutual edification, were punished; if lay
members, with arrest; if students, with the forfeiture
of their benefices; if officials, with suspension. Count-
less bills of indictment were filed, in which those con-
cerned were charged with every imaginable offence
against the sovereign, the ministerium, the church, the
secular authorities, discipline and order. Instead of
earnestly and impartially examining the cause of the
avidity with which the people received religious in-
struction as imparted by Spener and Franke, namely,
the sterile and unfruitful faith in the Word, with which
they had hitherto been supplied; instead of exercising
a zealous care that Spener's work, that true, sincere
and active faith of the Christian which enters into his
very heart and life, might be maintained as taught by
the gospel, and not abused by ignorance, perverseness
and the pleasures of the world, and changed into one-
sided and hypocritical pietism, but into its true essence
— instead of this they preferred to pluck out the tares
with the wheat, with a ruinous severity, as if it con-
cerned the extermination of a fearful heresy or the
punishment of the greatest crime.

Amid all this, Spener's name and simple-hearted
labors suffered the most vulgar and disgraceful abuse,
much as the pious man strove to separate his word
and work from the word and work of his misguided
friends. In obedience to the command of the Elector,
the reports of the examination were sent to the court-

424 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

chaplain with the view to have him express his judg-
ment and opinion in reference thereto, and suggest the
best means of correcting the existing disorders. This
was, of course, commendable. Spener, in two detailed
reports, established the innocence of most of the ac-
cused, as well as the original purity of the work which
had been attacked, and suggested, for the correction of
the abuses that had crept in, a most excellent remedy.*
He asked that the term "Pietism" should be abolished,
and the charges against it withdrawn, and that every-
thing should be restored to the position it occupied
before these abuses existed. But his request received
little or no notice; least of all did it succeed in regain-
ing the confidence of the Elector. When the latter
returned in the autumn of this year (1690) from his
campaign, he expressed loud and publicly the continu-
ance of his displeasure with the court-chaplain, visited
Dresden but seldom, and then only for a few days at a
time, and was heard repeatedly to express himself to
the effect that it was much to be regretted that he could
no longer reside in Dresden on account of his confessor.
His friends in Berlin hesitated to pursue the course
which Spener "had recommended, because a request of
this kind, made by one sovereign to another, was rather
a hazardous undertaking, and also because it was feared
the Elector might refuse compliance. These fears
were not without foundation, inasmuch as the bitter-
ness of the Elector's enmity towards Spener was cer-
tainly not uniform, and his feelings seemed gradually
again to grow milder. Spener himself bore this trying
situation with all the calmness and submissiveness of a

*See his Theolog. Bedenken, Vol. iii., pp. 777-817.

THE PAINFUL PROPOSAL.

425

pious heart and a good conscience, continued unwearied
in his labors, and did every thing calculated to restore
himself to the favor of his gracious sovereign.

In the month of February of the following year
(1691), the Elector was taken ill during his stay at
Moritzburg. Spener hearing of it, burned with a de-
sire to address to his sovereign words of comfort, and
hoped to be favored, if not with a special request, at
least with a favorable opportunity for carrying his de-
sire into effect. But in vain. The Elector recovered
and returned, for a few days, to Dresden. And as
Spener was here also disappointed in finding an oppor-
tunity to speak with the Elector, and as His Highness
soon again left Dresden, his feelings constrained him
to testify in writing what he had not been permitted to
disclose by word of mouth.

He addressed to the Elector the following letter :

" Grace, peace, salvation, and life from our most
faithful Saviour, Jesus, who has purchased all these
with His blood.
" Serene Prince, Gracious Elector and Sovereign : — ■

"That which would have afforded me the greatest
happiness to have testified to your Electoral Highness,
during your late and agreeable sojourn in this place,
by paying my humble respects to you in person (had I
not had reason to be apprehensive that my presence
might still be unwelcome), I do now, in all due submis-
sion, by this present writing.

" I herewith humbly thank our heavenly Father, from
whom alone life and every good gift emanates, that He
in His fatherly goodness, as, to my great joy, I have

426 PHIL IFF JACOB SFENER.

been informed, has so far again nearly delivered you
from your late illness, and by so doing strengthened
anew the hopes of the country in regard to you.
Next I humbly entreat the same God, from my inmost
soul, that He, as the great physician and preserver of
our lives, will not only pour all manner of temporal
and spiritual blessings upon your august government,
but also, and especially impart anew to your Electoral
Highness, His enlivening power, remove wholly what
still remains of your former illness, continue and daily
increase your restored strength, grant you grace to em-
ploy it in a manner acceptable to Him, effectually turn
aside from you all further afflictions and dangers, pre-
serve in you a faithful father to your subjects, and the
blessed head of your august family, and in fine answer
all my prayers which I offer many times daily on my
knees (which He alone knows), and according to the
measure of the Spirit each time given me, to His
Divine Majesty, for your temporal, spiritual, and eternal
happiness.

" May He, the Father of all goodness, who has com-
manded us to pray in confidence, and promised to an-
swer us in mercy, permit none of these words to fall to
the ground, but cause them to be a blessing for time
and for eternity, for the sake of His dear Son Jesus, to
whose divine protection, consolation, care, and guid-
ance, I most sincerely commend your Highness, to-
gether with your whole august house.
"Your Electoral Highness'

" Most humble and obedient servant,

" Philipp Jac. Spener.

** Dresden, March 2d, 1691."

THE PAINFUL PROPOSAL. 427

Could that pious, sorely tried man have addressed
his princely sovereign in language more affectionate,
more tender and more free from resentment for the
wrongs he had received ? Certainly not ! Yet this
letter, too, was destined to fall short of producing the
desired effect. The wall of partition between the
Elector and his confessor once raised, could only with
difficulty be thrown down by human hands. The con-
fidence between two hearts resembles too closely a
tender plant, from which, by some mishap, the fertiliz-
ing dust has been shaken, and which no human wis-
dom and skill can ever again replace. The wound in-
flicted by distrust retains its hidden sting, even though
external friendliness should indicate a reconciliation of
the heart. Why is this ? Has God so ordered it, that
existing differences cannot be adjusted, and severed
souls cannot again be united? Surely not; for Chris-
tianity is that divine institution which is designed to
unite again what has been separated, to reclaim the
lost, and reconcile those who are estranged. It is
man's own doing, man's obstinacy, if such wounds
are not entirely healed. A complete reconciliation
requires, of course, a mutual and honest acknowledg-
ment of guilt, sincere repentance and brotherly love,
which continually, and with every sacrifice, tend to
make amends for the evil that has been done, by giving
way to hostile feelings. Such is, however, but seldom
the case ; for even though one of the parties should ar-
rive at this genuineness of reconciliation, the other will
be wanting in a like genuineness. It is painful that
two individuals, who are equally in the fault, so rarely
possess the courage and ability to make mutual confes-

428 PHI LIP P JACOB SPENER.

sion of their fault. They are wanting in humihty and
self-denial, and so the declaration of the Scripture finds
its application: "God resisteth the proud, but giveth
grace to the humble." James iv. 6.

If we apply these reflections to the relation in ques-
tion between the Elector and Spener, it can, of course,
only be properly accounted for, by forming a correct
estimate of the then existing condition of things — the
lamentable schism between faith and practice, and the
great agitation in the Church in general — subjects into
which we cannot here enter, just as little as we allow
ourselves to sit in judgment on the merits of a contro-
versy which has not yet been brought to a conclusion.
We say not yet ; for in our own times, more, almost,
than then, every earnest endeavor to regulate faitJi and
life, as one in itself, according to the gospel, yea, even
loyalty to the glorious Confession of our Evangelical
Lutheran Church, is branded with the invidious party-
name of "Pietism;" so that even the most pure and
sincerely pious Christian is, on that very account, un-
ceremoniously denounced as a Pietist. It seems as if
the word piety has been formally interdicted.

We again resume the thread of our narrative, and
learn first what an unexpected reply our esteemed
Doctor received to this kind letter.

About eight days after it had been written two gen-
tlemen entered Spener's study. He was alarmed when
he recognized in them the president of the high con-
sistory, von Beuchling, and the privy counselor, von
Senkwitz. Both greeted the court-chaplain with un-
feigned kindness, though they could not altogether
conceal an expression of sorrow over the cause of

THE PAINFUL PROPOSAL. 429

their visit. Spener, generally much inclined to timid-
ity, noticed this, and said:

" Your excellencies are certainly the bearers of an
unpleasant message."

"Our mission," returned the president, "is certainly
not altogether agreeable to us, and we regret exceed-
ingly that it is not in our power to avoid executing it.
However, I hope that God will in this, as He does in
all other matters, dispose all for the best."

"What has happened?" quickly asked the court-
chaplain. " His Electoral Highness sends me my dis-
mission; is it not so, noble sirs?"

"No, reverend doctor!" replied the president. "I
dare assert, that our serene Elector and sovereign,
however greatly he may regret the existing relation,
entertains still too much respect for you and your
labors, to resort to such extremes. And had our
gracious sovereign selected me as the bearer of such a
message, I should scarcely have possessed the courage
to communicate it to you, my reverend colleague."

" Nor should I ! " added Herr von Senkwitz, and
continued : " I know well, reverend doctor, how diffi-
cult it will be for you to give credit to this, my assur-
ance; for I regret to say that you find no evidence
from the past for so doing. Yet I am not ashamed to
confess that I have done you great injustice. Since I
have learned to know you better, I have sincerely
repented of whatever I may have done against you in
word and deed, and have spared no effort to make
amends for the injuries inflicted. But the Lord has,
thus far, not seen fit to crown these efforts with success,
though He has in so far comforted me, as to enable me

430 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

to behold in you, reverend sir, His instrument, and to
love and esteem you with my whole heart. O, why is
it, that your affectionate, pious utterances, do not enter
the hearts of all who come near you ? "

Spener stood before these two gentlemen in silence,
and with folded hands, whilst his face was beaming
with the reflection of heartfelt gratitude to God. After
some time, he said, " Well, and what is the object of
your mission, noble sirs?"

" The estrangement between our most gracious sov-
ereign and yourself," now said the president, "has
already, as you know, continued for two years ; and
greatly as I at first had reason to hope that all would
be restored again to its. former condition, and much as
appearances indicated such a result, these hopes have,
nevertheless, not been realized. And it cannot be
denied that the assurance which our gracious sov-
ereign received from a certain noble person in Leipzig,
namely, of having seen a copy of the letter in question,
has revived and increased his animosity towards you."

" But," remarked Spener, " why did his Electoral
Highness not cause this matter to be more fully
investigated ? God is my witness, that I am not con-
scious of any unfaithfulness in reference thereto."

" God alone knows," said the privy counselor, "where
the key to this mystery is to be found. That there is
some foul play connected with it, is almost beyond a
doubt; but this only increases the difficulty, as neither
our gracious sovereign, nor that other high personage,
can be laid under suspicion, because the conscientious-
ness of both is placed beyond all doubt. A more min-
ute investigation was not feasible, because it would have

THE PAINFUL PROPOSAL.

431

had to be commenced with that high personage.
Since, however, I am perfectly convinced of your
honesty, reverend sir, as well as of that of your famulus,
I must acknowledge, that I can scarcely conjecture
how the mystery can possibly be solved."

" However that may be," added the president, " it
was, in every respect, a most deplorable circumstance
that this should have occurred, again to unsettle his
returning confidence, just at a time when the Elector's
mind had become quite calm. Besides, it cannot be
denied that the scandalous proceeding instituted in
regard to the conventicles of the so-called pietists,
who, in ignorance, perverted your good work, as well
as the complaint publicly preferred against Master
Franke and his friends, have filled the mind of our
serene sovereign with doubts and fears, especially be-
cause a certain party, as you are well aware, my
honored colleague, have taken great pains to implicate
you and your work, in''it. Hence, it may easily be
seen why distrust, once created, inclines more to those
who accuse, than to those who acquit."

" Is it then true," asked the court-chaplain, "that his
Electoral Highness has repeatedly said that he can no
longer reside in Dresden on my account?"

" Unhappily, I cannot deny this," replied Herr von
Senkwitz, " having myself heard him make such a
remark, though not recently."

" How deeply this grieves me !" said the court-chap-
Iain, with an expression of the sincerest sorrow. " I,
who am called to bring my most gracious sovereign
consolation and peace, must be told that my presence
causes only uneasiness and confusion."

432 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

" Might not this be an indication," the president now
continued, somewhat timidly, "that your labors should
end here, and begin somewhere else ?"

" What does your excellency mean by this ?" quickly
asked Spener,

" Let me be candid with you, my dear friend. Unfor-
tunately, it cannot be denied that there is a breach be-
tween you and our most gracious sovereign, and that
there exists but little hope, in view of the present ex-
cited state of feeling, of a reconciliation being brought
about, at least for some time to come. This state of
things, as may easily be perceived, must lead to many
inconveniences, and even cause much disturbance in
the church. I have, therefore, been commissioned by
his Electoral Highness, to induce you, reverend doc-
tor, voluntarily to resign your office. The execution
of this commission would be doubly painful to me, if I
had not, at the same time, been authorized to assure
you of the gracious continuation of your support, as
well as of that of your wife, during life, and if I did
not, in addition, entertain the comforting assurance,
that your friends in Berlin are only waiting for your
release here, in order to call you immediately to an
equally honorable ix)st there."

Even before the President concluded, Spener's coun-
tenance had assumed a look of the greatest aston-
ishment, which was immediately followed by an ex-
pression of the deepest sorrow. He folded his hands
upon his breast, and said : " This is hard and grievous.
But, noble sirs, humbly as I have always submitted to
the will of my gracious sovereign, in matters where it
concerned human regulations, in this case I cannot do

THE PAINFUL PROPOSAL.

433

it. This is the Lord's business. I MUST STAY,
AND INTEND TO STAY TILL HE HIMSELF
CONDUCTS ME HENCE, OR TILL I AM
DRIVEN AWAY."

"Is this your fixed determination?" asked the presi-
dent, in surprise.

" Most assuredly, your excellency!" assured Spener,
with unusual firmness. "That I am here, is not owing
to my own choice. I have contributed nothing in
the least, neither by word of mouth nor in writing, to-
wards leaving my congregation in Frankfurt. I have
the strongest evidence that God Himself brought me
here by means of the Electoral call. And this same
God is my witness, even though men should refuse to
acknowledge it, that I have hitherto labored faithfully,
according to the strength given me, and that no one
can accuse me of having been a hireling. Were I vol-
untarily to resign my office, I should be sinning against
my God, who has Himself said to me : ' Go and feed
my flock.' "

" But, my dearest friend," replied the President,
" should you not recognize in the desire manifested to
have you in Berlin another call from the Lord ?"

" If I were free," replied the court-chaplain, " or if
my most gracious sovereign were to drive me away
from here by the power of his word, I should, of course,
examine this desire further, whether the will of God
could be recognized in it. But, I am not free. I am
still the divinely called servant of my Electoral sov-
ereign. I cannot voluntarily resign, without incurring
a sin which would follow me to the land of eternal
righteousness. If I have deserved my dismission, I
19

434 'PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

shall unmurmuringly submit to the will of my most
gracious sovereign, and go whenever he bids me do so."

The president stood with downcast eyes, and, after
awhile, said : " I can offer nothing in opposition to
such a firm and pious declaration, for I feel in my
inmost soul that you are right."

" Reverend sir," added the privy counselor, " I knew
beforehand that you could not speak otherwise. I
should leave you with a sorrowing heart had I not the
firmest conviction that your stay among us, or your
departure from us, will be in accordance with the will
of God. Since we, however, do not know the will of
God beforehand, it becomes us to do whatever our duty
before men and our consciences requires. God grant
that I may succeed, by better informing him, in dis-
pelling the suspicion kept alive in the Elector's mind,
by certain individuals near his person."

The president expressed his regret also, that it had,
in a manner, been made his duty to remove a man from
a country to which he had been so great a blessing,
and that he could not give up the idea that this bless-
ing would depart from it with him. He would, there-
fore, still endeavor to do what he could, but would, at
the same time, request the Doctor to submit his views
in writing to the college of privy counselors. Upon
this, the two gentlemen left the room with expressions
of the deepest sympathy.

Meanwhile, all hope appeared vain. On the next
day Spener was requested anew to comply with the
wish of the Elector, and, after he had once more taken
the subject into prayerful consideration, he addressed
the following letter to the college of privy counselors :

THE PAINFUL PROPOSAL. 4^5

"When their excellencies, the Director and President
of the High Consistory, commissioned by your body,
informed me of the explicit demand of our most
gracious sovereign, that I might be induced voluntarily
to resign my office as court-chaplain, in order to avoid
difficulties, and, when they solicited my views in refer-
ence thereto, I at once stated them verbally, in all due
obedience and out of the simplicity of my heart. Since
then, I have not ceased to lay the whole matter in
frequent and earnest prayer, before the Almighty, in
whose hands all things are, and in His fear deliberated
upon and maturely considered what I ought to do.
But after having weighed everything, I find that I can
give no other answer than that already verbally sub-
mitted, namely, tliat I cannot conse^it, zuith a good con-
science, to a voluntary resigjtation. For however willii'vg
I am, and however much in duty bound to obey the
gracious will of His Electoral Highness in all matters
not belonging to God, yet I cannot do so in this,
because this belongs to God.

"The office I hold is not of my seeking, nor have I
contributed anything towards gaining it, but it has
been divinely conferred on me, through the call of his
Electoral Highness, and I was therefore sent here by
the Holy Trinity, in whose name the call had to be
made out. Hence, I have hitherto endeavored to labor
faithfully according to the strength given me; and,
unless God Himself remove me, I do not feel myself
at liberty to resign, but must wait patiently to the end.
And as my dismission, which I have not deserved — for
I do not apprehend that any charge against me can be
sustained — could not take place without an offence

436 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

against Him, whose servant I am by virtue of His
highest call, nor without causing not only regret but
scandal among many; and, besides making an unfavor-
able impression at home and abroad, among our own
and other churches, yea, even upon posterity, I cannot
do anything towards it without violating my conscience
and becoming a partaker of such guilt before God.
But if the Lord of lords, in His holy will, which is
always good, and which also knows how to bring good
out of evil, should have determined otherwise concern-
ing me, by assigning me another field, I must at least
expect it in such a way that I may not thereby expose
myself to the displeasure of God, the regret of Chris-
tians, and the just condemnation of the world and
of posterity; but be able to go, if need be, with
my whole heart, wherever the holy will of God, which
I had first recognized by these signs, should lead me.
"Being therefore of opinion, that the illustrious col-
lege is not only desirous of knowing what conclusion
I have arrived at in reference to this matter, but also to
have my opinion in writing, I have therefore regarded
it as my bounden duty to repeat, in this letter, my un-
alterable determination. But the whole subject in
which I am unable to act, I commit in humble and
childlike submission and in sincere prayer, to the Lord
of lords and Chief Bishop of all His servants, beseech-
ing Him to control his Electoral Highness, together
with all his ministers, in regard to this important mat-
ter in such a way as may best promote His will and
kingdom, keep all consciences free from being violated,
and produce a blessing upon Church and State.

THE PAINFUL PROPOSAL.

437

"Committing your illustrious persons and families to
the care and blessing of God, I remain yours, etc.,

" Phil. Jac. Spener, D.

^* Dresden, March i^th, i6gi"

A few days after this document had been despatched,
the court^chaplain was summoned to appear before the
Electress. What there transpired, shall appear in our
next chapter.

CHAPTER XXV.

THE FRUITLESS MEDIATOR.

" Wherefore goest thou? Return to thy place and abide with the
King." — 2 Sam. xv. 19.

''T^HE Electress, Anna Sophia, the eldest daughter
X of Frederick III., King of Denmark, who had
been affianced to her royal consort as early as 1663,
when he was on a visit to Copenhagen, being only in
his sixteenth year, had been reared, like her royal
sister of Sweden, by pious parents, in the fear of the
Lord, and had approved her pure piety, hitherto, as also
at a later period, amid all those severe trials which had
been laid up for her maternal heart. Her soul clung
to her pastor with special reverence, and true confi-
dence, and it must, therefore, have been doubly painful
to her that her serene consort, unfortunately prompted
by various vexatious occurrences, had withdrawn from
him that implicit confidence which he, at one time,
reposed in him, and was even contemplating to dismiss
him from his office.

As Spener entered her apartment, she met him with
great kindness, and said : " My dear Doctor, I have
been impatiently expecting you. What do you think
of me?"

"What do I think of your Electoral Highness?"
repeated the court-chaplain; "certainly every thing
that is good. I have only this morning prayed for
your Electoral Grace, with increased earnestness."

(438)

THE FRUITLESS MEDIATOR.

439

"For what special reason?" asked the Electress.
" Have you discovered a new weakness in me, and,
therefore, kindly interceded for me with God? "

"All of us," replied Spener, " stand continually in
need of intercession with God, and if men should forget
to offer it, we have the promise that our Lord Jesus
Christ will do it for us. We all commit many faults,
and our secret sins are more numerous than our public
offences. However, your Highness, I have not had
occasion to-day even to think of this. I thanked God
on your account, and besought Him to continue to
give you light, strength, love, grace and life, and if I
may venture to express it, preserve to me your favor in
the future."

" How could I be otherwise than kindly disposed
towards you?" replied the Electress. " I owe you so
much that I can never repay it with any earthly
treasure. You first have opened to me the true under-
standing of the Holy Scriptures. You have made the
Christian's duty plainer to me than it had ever been
made before. You have taught me rightly to examine
my heart. You have always explained the will of
God to me in such a way that I recognized it with my
whole soul. Your prayers with and for me have
always been effectual in bringing me strength and the
necessary measure of faith and confidence from the
Lord. In my trials and temptations you have ad-
dressed to me such words of Christian consolation,
that I could always find again my joy in God. All
this constitutes a debt so great that I shall never be
able to forget or to discharge it."

" If my words," replied Spener, " have proved a

440 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

blessing to your Electoral Highness, a fact which I
acknowledge with the deepest gratitude, the praise be-
longs only to Him who has promised us salvation,
grace and deliverance, for the sake of His dear Son. I
am only the Lord's poor and humble servant, and find,
alas, that there is still so much before me unaccom-
plished and unfinished, that I have just reason to be
afraid, if the Lord should this day call me to account."

"Ah, I feel," said the Electress, "to what you
allude, dear Doctor. And this is the reason why I
asked you what you thought of me. My Electoral
lord and consort has been prejudiced against you by
your enemies and opponents, and you know "

" It does not become me," Spener respectfully inter-
rupted the Electress, " to pass judgment upon the rea-
sons which may have induced your serene lord and
consort to adopt his present course towards me. I
know well that I am too weak to regain the lost confi-
dence of my most gracious sovereign, and to remove
effectually the difficulties that have arisen between us.
This is the only thing that deeply pains me ; as for the
rest, I wait quietly for whatever the Lord has dcr
termined concerning me."

" Do not leave us !" entreated the royal suppliant.
" Do not leave me and my children. God knows how
often I have attempted to remove the seeds of mistrust
against you out of the heart of my lord and consort;
but I was too weak. I, of course, feel that this state of
things cannot continue as it has done during the last
two years ; but, dear sir, is there no way, that even in
the event of your laying down your office, you might
still remain in Dresden. You have refused to resign ?"

THE FRUITLESS MEDIATOR. 441

" Could I do otherwise ?" said Spener. "A volun-
tary resignation, under the circumstances, would be
nothing short of a virtual dismission, and this, I trust,
I have not deserved. If my most gracious sovereign,
whose will I have neither the power nor the disposition
to oppose, discharge me, I must needs go, and shall go
without a murmur. But to aid personally, I cannot. I
cannot commit such a sin against my God, who has
called me here."

" God forbid," exclaimed the Electress, " that any
one should persuade you to do so. But there is still an-
other way to keep you here, and that too. Reverend Sir,
spiritually engaged, although in an official capacity dif-
fering from that which you now occupy. Will you al-
low me to state my proposition ?"

" Your Electoral Highness can desire only what is
just before God and man," replied the court-chaplain.

" Well, then !" continued the good Electress, " sup-
pose your office as confessor to my Electoral lord and
consort, and also, to our entire house, should be, in
consequence of this lamentable state of things, trans-
ferred to some one else, though this latter has not yet
been determined upon ; you might still retain your office
as court-chaplain. And in the event of the use of our
royal chapel being denied you, there are other churches
in Dresden where you could preach. For, my dear
Doctor, if I am no longer to hear your sermons, I shall
lose much of my peace."

Spener remained silent and thoughtful for a mo-
ment, and then replied : " If this should be brought
about and ordered without my assistance, I will concur
with heartfelt pleasure, and willingly stay and labor,
19*

442 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

where and in whatever sphere God may call me.
Still, I dare not conceal from your Electoral High-
ness, that I fear, that if my gracious sovereign is
anxious to have me away, he will not accept this pro-
posal."

" I shall do what lies in my power," said the noble
woman, with unaffected kindness, "now that I know
your disposition. For, you see, my dear Doctor, if
Sunday comes, and I can no longer hear you explain
the Scriptures, and edify the congregation, it will be a
sorrowful Sunday to me."

"But if, after all, it should still be the will of God
that I should go ! " suggested the court-chaplain.

The Electress seemed strucTc by this remark. A
change in her color showed that she was unusually
agitated. " If this should be so ! " she said, as if
speaking to herself " With you peace came into my
heart — suppose this peace were again to depart with
you ?"

"God forbid!" replied the pastor. "Those who
seek the peace of the Lord, find it at all times. 'Ask/
says the Saviour, ' and it shall be given unto you.' "

But these words seemed not to chase the shadow
from the soul of the Electress. And it was not until
three months after Spener's departure, that both under-
stood what had so agitated their souls.

For a time deep silence reigned, which the court-
chaplain did not venture to break, and during which the
true-hearted woman, engaged with her own thoughts,
kept her eyes fixed on her folded hands. Then she
said : "As the Lord wills it, so let it be. I cannot exist
and labor for the kingdom of my God without your

THE FRUITLESS MEDIATOR.

443

instruction and consolation. Will you promise me,
that in whatever situation you may hereafter be placed,
I may always apply to you for advice ; and will you,
also, if I give you opportunity, favor me, at times, with
a visit and spiritual consolation?"

" If God gives me life and strength, with all my
heart!" replied Spener, giving a fraternal pressure to
her- proffered hand.

" Now I feel more at ease," continued the Electress.
" God direct you, and dispose all for the best. I desire
now to be alone, to commune with my God. Remem-
ber me kindly to your dear, good wife."

Spener withdrew with a joy in his heart, greater
than that which he had left in the heart of the pious
princess. How, and in what way, God enabled him to
redeem his promise, we shall relate hereafter.

Spener's presentiment that the Elector's displeasure
would not give place to renewed confidence, approached
more and more to a certainty. The Electress was not
successful in removing the distrust of her lord and con-
sort, and her proposal met with an unconditional
rejection. Thereupon, the privy counselors, and among
these, more especially, Herr von Senkwitz and the
president of the High Consistory, Herr von Reuch-
ling, made two attempts, by means of a petition, to
change the Elector's mind, but in vain. They, too,
may now have felt, that under existing circumstances,
an entire and sincere reconciliation was barely possible,
and, therefore, desisted from their entreaties, for they
had reason to fear that by these very representations
they were only making bad worse. Had the Elector

444 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

known, indeed, that the time of his own departure was
so very near, he would not have hastened that of
Spener, nor would it have first required the entreaties
of his serene spouse and ministers to prevail upon him
to do what in the innermost depth of his heart he
doubtless desired, but which, owing to the influence of
external circumstances, he was prevented from doing.

In this embarrassing situation, the privy council
itself, without the knowledge of either the Elector or
court-chaplain, sent an intimation to the committee in
Berlin, that the time for the adoption of the measure,
which Spener had himself suggested, had now arrived.
This was done, not without some misgivings that
possibly it might be too lat*. For they had learned
that, under the conviction that the Elector might, after
all, again change his mind, and thus refuse compliance
with their request to give Spener up to them, strenuous
efforts had been made to supply a post, which had
been already too long vacant.

But here it became most clearly apparent how God
Himself had assisted in the matter, and how all had been
prepared by Him in advance. On the 14th of March,
Spener had submitted a written statement to the Col-
lege of privy counselors, and on the 21st of March,
just one week after the Elector of Brandenburg, en-
couraged by the letter of the privy council, had de-
spatched his request to the Elector of Saxony ; and
again, a week after this, on the 28th of the same month,
the Elector Frederick HI. signed-the call, which was
placed into Spener's hands on the 2d of April. Pre-
viously, however, the court-chaplain received the fol-
lowing autograph letter from his gracious sovereign :

THE FRUITLESS MEDIATOR.

445

" By the Grace of God, John George the Third, Duke
of Saxony, Jiihch, Cleve, and Berg, also Engern, and
Westphaha, &c., Elector,' &c.
" Worthy, Very learned, Dear, Devout and Faithful : —
" We have received, from our well-beloved, the Elec-
tor of Brandenburg, a letter, dated Collu an der Spree,
on the 2ist of this month, in which they kindly request
us to deign to give you up to them, inasmuch as they
design to appoint you Provost and Inspector of the
church of St. Nicolas, in their capital, the city of Ber-
lin, and Counselor of the Consistory. Not wishing to
deny the request of their Serene Highness, we have
already given our consent to your removal; in conse-
quence of which, we herewith give you notice of the
same, so that you may act accordingly, when you shall
receive your call from the Elector of Brandenburg.
And yet, that you and yours may also be assured of our
favor, even when no longer in our service, we have
ordered that, in addition to your traveling expenses,
your wife shall receive the annuity we have promised
to be paid to her, not only from the date of this our
gracious letter of dismission, in regular quarterly in-
stallments, but to be continued to her to the day of her
death.

Still further, we shall favorably remember you and
yours, in all other matters.

" Given at our Castle of Hartenfelt, at Torgau, this
31st day of March, Anno 1691.

"John George, Elector.
" To the worthy and profoundly learned chief Court-
chaplain, Confessor, Counselor, and Assessor of the
High Consistory, well-beloved, devout and faithful,
Philipp Jacob Spener, D. D."

446 PHILIP P JACOB SPENER.

And now, since our dear doctor was fully convinced
that God was about calling him from Dresden to Ber-
lin, his soul had again become perfectly calm, and he
patiently bore all opposition in word and deed, raised
against him in increased violence, especially by a great
part of his ministerial brethren, with Dr. Carpzov, ot
Leipzig, at their head. Our Lord says, " wheresoever
the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered."
When the displeasure of the Elector with his confessor
had become known, the entire host of his secret ene-
mies mocked him who was afflicted. But thanks be to
God, that this calamity, which, if it had befallen his
revilers, would have appeared to them an unheard of
and insupportable misfortune, was for the court-chap-
lain, only a " child's trial" of his faith and patience.
We could, moreover, feel assured that the displeasure
of his Electoral sovereign proceeded from other causes,
than the scorn of his learned and distinguished ene-
mies; and the sincere attachment of the Electress
and of both the princes, which he still retained, the
true love of the people, the respect he commanded
in other countries, the confidence with which he had
been received by the Electoral house of Brandenburg,
the comforting consciousness of a pure heart and con-
science, and, above all, the firm conviction that he was
engaged in the service of his Lord, and by Him chosen
for this, richly compensated him for every injustice,
and enabled him to draw consolation and courage from
the words of divine inspiration, " If God be for us, who
shall be against us? "

And this man, who might well have been proud of
the blessed results with which he had already labored

THE FRUITLESS MEDIATOR.

447

for the kingdom of God on earth, and who, from the
communications he received from kings and princes,
and learned laymen of all countries where the German
language was spoken, in such numbers, that though he
wrote over six hundred letters per annum, he was still
sometimes six months in arrears with his answers,
might have concluded that his name was far and favor-
ably known — this man writes to his future colleagues
in Dresden, in a spirit of such humility, and almost
child-like entreaty to receive him into their favor, and
reports the leading events of his life in a way, as if he
was not conscious that they had ever been brought to
public notice before, that one might have been led to
believe that the letter came from an obscure and un-
known country clergyman, who had suddenly been
raised from his quiet and retired field of labor to the
highest spiritual office.*

A like spirit of humility and affecting modesty is
breathed in another letter, addessed by him, on the
1 8th day of May, in the same year, to the burgomaster
and council of Berlin, and in which he assures them
with childlike simplicity that the very wise council of
Frankfurt would undoubtedly bear him witness to this
day, that he had in no way interfered with their pre-
rogatives, or given them cause to utter any complaint
against him.

His removal to Berlin was now hastened with all
earnestness, because the pastorate there having been
already vacant an entire year, called loudly for a
supply. He had taken formal leave of the Electress
and the princes, at Cossdorf, a country-seat, and favor-

* See Theol. Bed. III., p. 854 f. "

AAg PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

ite resort of the Electoral family, in the vicinity of Tor-
gau; being, however, at that time too deeply affected
to say all he in his capacity as confessor felt constrained
to say, he wrote, on the 25th day of May, to both
princes, as only a father can write to his children. To
the crown prince, afterwards Elector, John George IV.,
among other things, he wrote that he could testify be-
fore God, that he had earnestly desired and sought the
salvation of his soul, though he sincerely wished he
had done so with greater energy and wisdom, and that,
in the discharge of this duty, he had never been neg-
lectful; for he was well aware of his weakness and
errors, which the pure eye of God could not but have
everywhere detected in his labors, but hoped for par-
don from the fatherly goodness of God and the kind-
ness of the serene crown-prince. Then he exhorts
him to constant and earnest prayer, beseeches him to
exhibit, in all things, the fruit of the Word of God and
its influence, and closes with the kindest instructions
for the promotion of the prosperity of his future life
and reign.

A similar humble request for the pardon of his errors
and short-comings, he addressed to the second prince,
Frederick August, afterwards Elector and King of
Poland, at the same time exhorting him to be ever
mindful of the holy omnipresence of God, and giving
him the most earnest exhortations and directions for a
truly godly life. In both letters, however, he commits
the princes to the faithful care and love of their pious
mother, who, he prayed, might long be preserved by
the all-merciful Father, for the good of the Electoral

THE FRUITLESS MEDIATOR.

449

house, and meet with an abundant reward for the faith-
fulness displayed by her in their careful training.

Eight days after, on Whit-Monday, the ist of June,
1 69 1, Spener preached his farewell sermon, in the
Electoral chapel, with a sincerely affected heart, to a
deeply affected audience. He preached on the gospel,
John iii. 16-21, his theme being the sum of the
WHOLE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION. In it he Confessed,
in reference to his removal to Berlin, that at the time
of his being called from Frankfurt to Dresden, he had
already had a presentiment that inasmuch as he was
compelled to go one mile, he would be forced to go
twain. (Matt. v. 41.)

On the day following he addressed a farewell letter
to his most gracious sovereign which, for the satisfac-
tion of the reader, we here subjoin :
"Divine grace, peace, salvation and life, with a rich

measure of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ,

our most faithful Saviour:

" Most Serene Prince, Most Gracious Elector and
Sovereign: — The time having arrived, that I, in ac-
cordance with my dismission by your Electoral High-
ness to his Highness the Elector of Brandenburg, from
whom I have received a call, and in obedience to what
a concurrence of events indicates to me as the will of
God, should, in the name of God, enter upon my de-
parture. I feel constrained, before doing so, to take
my humble leave of your Electoral Grace.

"First. I humbly thank you for all the favors of
which I and mine have hitherto been the recipients, as
well as for those which you have most graciously
secured to us in the future, and pray that for all these

450 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

many favors the Lord of lords may abundantly reward
you. As regards the private reasons that induced the
determination to dismiss me, I have not to inquire into
them, but leave them to the conscience of your Elec-
toral Highness, and to whatever God may yet reveal
in reference thereto; I yet, at the same time, assure
your Electoral Highness in the presence of the omnis-
cient and great God, before whose judgment-seat we
must appear (and I know not when this may be the
case with me), that during the whole course of my
ministry (though I am not able to justify myself before
His high judgment-seat, since He required much more
earnestness and discretion than I have shown), I meant
well for your Electoral Highness in all my sermons
and other addresses, and have done all from the hum-
blest love with the most honest intentions, and accord-
ing to the promptings of my conscience in the sight
of God, and without selfishness ; nor taught I any-
thing, at any time, before your Electoral Highness or
the congregation, either in public or private, except
what, according to my best understanding, was, in all
points, in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and the
symbolical books by which I am bound, of which I am
prepared, at any time, to give account to God the King
of truth, to your Electoral Highness, and to the Church
at large.

"Though I herewith humbly lay down my office, I
shall, nevertheless, hold myself, at all times, bound to
pray for your Electoral Highness, at the throne of
grace, as long as I live, that the great God and Lord
of lords, who, in His pleasure, has appointed you to
a high position and confided to you an important trust,

THE FRUITLESS MEDIATOR.

451

will, according to His holy will, not only continue to
preserve you, prolong your health, lighten or alto-
gether relieve you of the cares which have hitherto
rested upon you, but will pour every needed blessing
upon your august house, and prosper your reign in
every possible respect.

"But, above all, may He impart to your soul a rich
measure of His Holy Spirit, that, through Him you
may truly learn to know how you appear in the sight
of God ; especially purify yourself of all that is dis-
pleasing to Him, so that you may daily lift up your
face to your heavenly Father with joy, be washed with
the blood of Jesus Christ, and be enabled to serve him
during your whole life with a peaceful heart, and enter,
at last, as one of the redeemed into glory. To meet
you there is my most ardent wish, with which I seal
my sincerest desires ; and, finally, commending you to
the protecting, preserving and controlling grace of God
the Highest, I remain, prayerfully and devotedly,
" Your Electoral Highness'

" Most humble servant,
" Philipp Jacob Spener.

"Dresden, Jiaie ^d, 1691."

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE DEPARTURE.
Go in peace. — 2 Kings v. 19.

WEDNESDAY after Whitsuntide, on the 3d day
of June, 1691, at early dawn, two travehng
wagons, laden with luggage, were standing before the
house of the court-chaplain, in Dresden. Early as it
was, a large concourse of people, both high and low,
old and young, had assembled in such numbers that
the entire street seemed blocked up. All the windows
of the neighboring houses were open and filled with
human faces ; whilst, directly opposite, at the Elec-
toral palace, a woman, dressed in black, appeared for a
few minutes at a closed window, casting a long and
painful look across towards the parsonage, and then,
hiding her eyes in her handkerchief, slowly retired.

" Was not that the Electress ?" asked a voice from
the crowd.

"It was!" replied another. "Alas, she sustains a loss
even greater than we do!"

The assembled multitude was, otherwise, as quiet as
it was earnest ; many, very many eyes were filled with
glistening tears, of which none seemed to be ashamed.
Only now and then expressions of lamentation were
heard. These came especially from a small group of
four individuals, who, keeping close together, appeared
mutually to comfort each other.

(452)

THE DEPARTURE.

453

"Alas ! why must it have come to this !" said a
young man, in a tone of the deepest sorrow.

"With him departs the joy and comfort of my old
age," added an aged citizen.

" Dear father," said a young woman, " God forbid !
The words he addressed to us yesterday, for the
last time, should not have failed to inspire you with
consolation and courage sufficient to enable you to
bear his departure with Christian fortitude, and to
adore, though with a sorrov/ful, yet still with an hum-
ble heart, the wonderful ways of the Lord. And
should not the grace of God enable us, by our love, to
be the joy and solace of your old age !"

" You are right, Elizabeth," replied the father ; " yet
if you could comprehend and feel my sorrow at the
departure of this man !"

" If I could ?" repeated the young woman, mourn-
fully shaking her head. " God will give strength to
console us for that which we lose. Uncle," she said,
turning to the fourth, a man advanced in life, " say
something to comfort us."

But the personage addressed kept his hands crossed
upon his back, and his eyes bent to the ground. After
awhile he said, as if to himself, " The Lord needs
laborers in His vineyard."

Not far from this group, nearer to the castle gate,
stood two men, who, having just met, hastily saluted
each other.

" Well, sir Master," exclaimed the one, pointing with
a malicious sneer towards the traveling wagons op-
posite, "at last!"

" Yes, indeed, tandem aliquando, my highly esteemed

454 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

cousin," replied the other. " But when will my time
come ? Tempus plcnmn, as it is written in Galatians,
fourth?"

''Yojtr time?" asked the other. "That will come
too, AT LAST," he added, assuringly, with a distin-
guished air; and hastened through the crowd, as rapidly
as an occasional detention would permit.

The crowd now became more noisy and restless.
The door of the court-chaplain's dwelling opened. A
woman in a traveling dress, and with tearful eyes,
stepped out, carrying upon her arm a boy about three
years old. She was followed by her other older
children, whom she seated in the two wagons. After
she had settled herself in the first wagon, a man came
out of the house ; a black skull-cap covered his head,
and soft auburn hair fell in natural ringlets over his
shoulders and back. When he beheld the large con-
course of people, his large blue eyes filled with tears;
he cast a long and lingering look towards^the windows
of the castle, opposite, whilst the spirit of silent prayer
was hovering upon his lips. The multitude was as
silent and earnest as he. At length, he entered the
wagon, solemnly repeating, " Lord, thy will be done, as
in heaven, so on earth ! "

And now the wagons wended their way through the
George's gate, at a slow rate, on account of the people
who followed, pressing on both sides, making loud
demonstrations of sorrow. Near the bridge which
crosses the Elbe, the throng increased, and the further
the wagons passed along Meissner street towards
White gate, the larger became the multitude of fol-
lowers. When the travelers had passed beyond the

THE DEPARTURE.

455

gate, where the street enters the open country, and
the great concourse pressed continually closer around
the wagon, our traveler commanded a halt and de-
scended from his wagon. He was immediately sur-
rounded by the sorrowing multitude, among whose
immense numbers a silence reigned, so profound, so
breathless, that the song of the lark overhead could be
distinctly heard. Then he opened his lips, and said :

" Do not, I pray you, weep, and break my heart !
One thing I ask of you, that you do not place too high
a value on the loss you may sustain by my removal ;
for, though my God has imparted unto me some
spiritual gifts, of which I dare not even esteem myself
worthy, yet the measure of them is not so great as to
justify you in your complaints. But I entreat the Lord
of lords, who bids me go hence, that He will impart to
His remaining servants so many gifts, and bless them
so abundantly, that no soul which truly seeks Him,
shall, in the least, be deprived of anything that may in
any way tend to its encouragement and edification.
And though you may be obliged to dispense with some
of the exercises in which we have engaged, such as the
examina, in regard to the continuation of which I am
not able to give you any hope, you may still, easily,
make up for the benefit hitherto derived therefrom,
either by devoutly reading the Scriptures and other
devotional books privately, or in company with other
intimate Christian friends ; engaging at the same time
in Christian conversation and prayer, for your mutual
edification. Believe me, I have abundantly experienced
that such exercises are attended with incalculable
benefit, and that wherever they are not engaged in, a

456 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

great deal of good is prevented from being accom-
plished. In short, my dear friends, our Saviour loves
the souls, who endeavor to grow in His communion,
far too heartily to permit them to want anything that
may be calculated to promote it. The seeming want
must only increase and intensify your desire so much
the more; for the more fervent this desire becomes,
the more closely the Lord approaches and unites Him-
self to you. Hence, wherever you meet with edifying
exercises, do not despise them, but engage in them
diligently and cheerfully. But if, on the other hand,
3/0U should be deprived of them, be satisfied, and
endeavor to be contented with that which the Lord
gives you always. This I wish, from the bottom of
my heart, to all among you, who view my departure
with regret; and it shall greatly contribute to my
happiness to hear, hereafter, that the work of the Lord
is increasing within you. And, if there should be
some few among you who have been edified by my
ministering, I shall thank God for giving me oppor-
tunity of having some fruit among you, after my
departure. And now, may the Lord abide with us and
be our friend and comforter. Those who are separated
from each other on earth, the grace of God will again
unite in heaven. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all ! Amen."

As he here concluded, and the multitude continued
standing in silent prayer around him, his eyes caught
sight of a few who had made their way close up to
him.

" My dear Petermann," he said to one among
them, extending his hand, "you shall hear from me

THE DEPARTURE.

457

from Berlin; and you, Mr. Guldenmeyer, and your
daughter — O, you are here, too, EHzabeth, and you
too, George — my love and my prayers shall continue
with you. Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace. Remember me in your prayers.
God be with you."

Hereupon he shook hands with them, cast one more
regretful look upon the sorrowing crowd, one of faith
and hope to heaven, and then re-entered the wagon,
which now proceeded more rapidly on its way.

His route led him through Colditz, where he took
leave of his son-in-law, the Superintendent Birnbaum,
and through Leipzig, where he did the same of his
other son-in-law, Professor Rechenberg.

Saturday, the 6th of June, he arrived in Berlin.

And what was the fate of those he left behind ? It
need but be mentioned that George and Elizabeth not
only led a truly Christian life, as husband and wife, by
mutually assisting each other in their preparation for
heaven, but also, that they nursed their aged father
with real child-like tenderness till the day of his death,
which found him, at a very advanced age, well prepared
to enter into the eternal mansions, with the comforting
hope in the pardon of his sins, for the sake of his
Redeemer.

John George HI., was destined to resign his earthly
crown much earlier, and only a few months after
Spener's departure from Dresden. The fatigues of
the camp, to which he was continually exposed, had
completely destroyed his constitution. He did, indeed,
seek repose at the springs of Toplitz, but in vain.
New warlike events, in the western part of Germany,

458 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

forced him again to the field of battle. About the
30th of June he crossed the Rhine, with his faithful
Saxons, was victorious in several small engagements,
and pursued the flying enemy as far as Landau. On
the 1 6th of August he took sick in camp, whence he
caused himself to be removed to Tubingen, with the
view of receiving more careful attendance. On the
25th of the same month he received the Holy Supper,
at the hands of the Rev. Dr. Haberlein, and died on
the 19th of September, of the same year, 1691, at the
age of forty-four years and nearly three months. Oc-
tober the 22d his remains were removed to Freiburg,
where they were deposited in the Electoral vault, in
the Cathedral of that place.

The Electress retired, soon after the death of her
serene consort, to her widow's estate at Lichtenburg,
an Electoral domain, with a castle and beautiful garden,
not far from Prettin, where Hedwig, also a Danish
princess, and widow of the Elector Christian II., had
lived in widowhood for thirty years (from 161 1 to
1641). Here she carried on a regular correspondence
with her former confessor, of whose consolation she
stood constantly in need. Her eldest son, the Elector
John George IV., died of small-pox on the 27th of
April, 1694, at the age of twenty-five, and about two
and a half years after his father's death. His wife,
Eleanor Erdmuthe Louise, Princess of Sax-Eisenach,
and late widow of the Margrave of Brandenburg-Ans-
pach, followed him five months later, on the 9th of
September in the same year. The life of this Christian
princess was one of severe trials, and Spener's letters,
as well as his frequent visits to Lichtenburg, where he

THE DEPARTURE.

459

was accustomed to administer the Holy Supper to her,
doubtless contributed much toward enabling her, amid
these trials, one of the severest of which was the apos-
tasy of her son to the Catholic church, to continue
faithful to the end. She died on her estate, on the ist
of July, 1 7 17, after having, twelve years before, exper-
ienced the pain of losing, by death, her esteemed and
cherished confessor. A marble sarcophagus in one of
the apartments of the vault, already mentioned, within
the cathedral at Freiburg, encloses her mortal remains,
near which also repose those of her pious sister, Wil-
helmine Ernestine von der Pfalz.

George Green, a native of Holstein, at whose hands
the Elector had received the Holy Communion, in con-
sequence of his displeasure with Spener, had been in-
tended as his successor, but was destined never to
enter upon that office. After Spener's departure,
death inflicted many wounds, frustrating this as well as
many other plans. Green had to accompany the Elec-
tor in his expedition to the Rhine. But the great heat
and heavy marches, to which he was continually ex-
posed, so seriously affected his health, that he was
removed from the camp to Heidelberg, for the purpose
of receiving better attention. Here his call to the
chief court-chaplaincy reached him ; whereupon he
made arrangements for being promoted, by the Univer-
sity at Tubingen, to the Doctorate of Divinity. But
death promoted him to the citizenship of another
world. He died in Heidelberg, on the 22d day of Au-
gust, 1 69 1, three weeks before the Elector, and was
buried in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of that
place. The court-chaplaincy was now conferred upon

460 PHILIPP JACOB SPENER.

Dr. Samuel Benedict Carpzov, Superintendent at Dres-
den, who died August 31st, 1707. The funeral ser-
mons he preached were published by him, under the
title oVThe Thriving Bones !'

After the death of the Elector, John George III.,
the noble Herr von Langendorf, failing to rise to the
distinction of becoming the favorite courtier of the new
Elector, retired to his paternal estates; and as Master
Nullenbrecher also did not succeed to office and honors
elsewhere, his noble and high-born cousin at length
conferred upon him the pastorate of his village, where
he declaimed and contended with great zeal and world-
renowned learning, for the true faith of his church, till,
according to Second Corinthians, five, he was called
from the land of faith to that of sight.

Spener's famulus, Mr. Rothner, who out of love to
his dear Doctor had declined the call to Altleben,
received, shortly before Spener's departure, his reward
for his honest fidelity to the Lord ; that is, if he in his
sincere humility could have regarded it as such. He
died the faithful pastor of a congregation, who had
learned to know and love him as their best friend on
earth.

And Petermann, the faithful schoolmaster of Lock-
witz, to whom Spener, in accordance with his promise,
had addressed several letters from Berlin, out-lived, by
many years, his esteemed Doctor Spener ; and if
Lockwitz has kept his grave in well deserved remem-
brance, it may, doubtless, still be found in its church-
yard, as will also that of the pious Gerbcr, who, at the
instance of Spener, had been called from Schonberg to
Lockwitz, where he labored faithfully for a period of

THE DEPARTURE. 46 1

fifty years, for the kingdom of God, and where he is
doubtless held to this day in grateful remembrance.

The noble Baron, Vett Ludwig von Seckcndorf,
whom Spener was wont to call '^ tJie Christian states-
man," was chosen by the Elector, in the year 1692, as
the chairman of a commission appointed to investigate
the disputes in regard to Pietism, and died in the same
year, immediately after these investigations, which
resulted in the entire acquittal of the accused, had
been concluded, having been appointed Chancellor of
the newly established University of Halle.

The learned and celebrated Minister's son, the true
and upright privy counselor, Samuel Pufendorf — for
we must also not forget this noble Saxon — was raised
by the Swedish king, Charles XL, to a baronetcy, and
died, on the 26th of October, 1694, in Berlin, renowned
alike for his learning and piety. Though one of the
first and greatest natural philosophers of Germany, yet
he failed at the commencement of his career, notwith-
standing all his exertions, to obtain a position in his
fatherland.

Dr. John Benedict Carpzov (for we must also not for-
get this the most pertinacious of all the opponents of
Spener and his labors), died Professor of Theology,
and pastor of St. Thomas', at Leipzig, on the 20th day
of March, and after he had only a week before preached
a funeral sermon at the burial of the wife of a printer,
whose name was Richter, on the theme of " The False
Prophets," in which he took occasion to hurl his thun-
ders especially against August Hermann Franke,
though without naming him.

Yet Franke and his work, continue to live, unfor-

462 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

gotten, in the hearts of all grateful and pious Christians.
The lasting monument of his Christianity is the orphan
house at Halle. Franke died on the 8th of July, 1727,
a pastor of the suburb Glaucha, near Halle, where his
institutions are established. Over one of the main en-
trances are inscribed these words :

" Stranger, zuhat you behold, faith and love have
accomplished. Honor the founder's spirit, believing and
lovhig like him."

CHAPTER XXVII.

THE END.

" Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful
over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord." — Matt. xxv. 21.

THOUGH it does not form part of the task which
we originally imposed upon ourselves, to relate
any of the events connected with Spener's life in Ber-
lin, a brief account of a few of its closing scenes may
nevertheless not be unwelcome to the reader. And we
give this account the more willingly, because the con-
templation of the death of a pious man constitutes one
of the ways and means by which God designs to con-
duct the living to their own blessed death.

As early as in the summer of 1 704, this indefatiga-
ble laborer in the kingdom of God was subject to
attacks of faintness, which were regarded by himself as
a sure indication that the time of his departure was not
far distant. He, therefore, on the nth of June of the
same year, sent for his colleagues of St. Nicolai — the
ministers Blankenberg, Schindler, Cunow and Mau —
expressing to them a desire to make confession of his
faith, and impart to them whatever other instruction
might be necessary for them to know subsequent to his
death. After having audibly called upon God to bless
his intention, he, first of all, expressed his gratitude to
Him for having permitted him to be born of evangel-

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464 PHIL IFF JACOB SFENER.

ical and Christian parents, and reared by them, and that
he had, in consequence, at so early an age, obtained a
correct knowledge of evangelical truth, to which he
had adhered to the end. Hereupon he confessed his
faith, point by point, and said, among other things,
"At first I did not believe in more prosperous times for
the Church ; for so my instructor, Dr. Dannhauer, had
taught me. But two of my colleagues in PVankfurt,
induced me to investigate the subject further, when I,
it rejoices me to state, found the hope of brighter pros-
pects for the Church well founded. In consequence of
these prejudices, it happened, too, that I, at the com-
mencement of my ministerial labors, delivered a very
severe sermon on bewaring of false prophets. I con-
fess, however, that I was too severe, and even unjust —
for our Lord Jesus would be but a poor Saviour, if
there were not more souls belonging to Him than those
found in the visible evangelical church. I do, there-
fore, no longer regard that sermon as expressing my
present views, and its being recently reprinted in Stock-
holm was in opposition to my will.

" The duties of my office," he continued, " I en-
deavored to discharge with fidelity — yet I must
acknowledge before God that I neglected many things,
which I trust my God may graciously pardon me.
This refers more especially to my pastoral care for
individual souls, which I consider the most important
duty of the Christian ministry, but which, in Frank-
furt, I discharged very imperfectly. In Dresden and
here I was relieved of it — but whether or not this will
meet with the Divine approbation, God will in mercy
decide."

THE END.

465

In regard to the manner in which he conducted
his office, he gave the assurance that the result
showed that much more could be accomplished by
mildness than by severity. Then he referred to his
successor, and requested his colleagues to submit
to him in love, and exhorted them to mutual love
and unanimity among themselves, and to avoid what-
ever might give offence. " If I have," he continued,
"offended any one of you, I trust you will sincerely
pardon me, for I cannot rely upon my own righteous-
ness. Being accustomed from my youth up to lead a
quiet life, it often happened that I was pointed out as
an example. Yet this was, after all, nothing but
Pharisaical righteousness. I have nothing — nothing
on which I rely — save the mercy of God in Christ
Jesus. For of all that has been accomplished by me,
I ascribe nothing to myself To me belongs nothing,
saye what is wanting."

Hereupon he sincerely pardoned all his enemies and
opponents, and wished from the bottom of his heart
that they might be raised far, far, far above him in
glory. "Ah, how heartily would I praise God," he then
said, "if He would graciously visit me in this, my last
sickness, a few moments before my end, with some
sweet consolation."

He, however, recovered from this attack.

When later, God granted him this wish, a few days
before his death, all who were about him had the con-
viction forced upon them that his last hour was fast
drawing nigh.

On the 22d of January, of the following year, (1705,)
he entered upon his 71st year. When the clock struck

456 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

five in the evening (the hour in which he was born,) his
eyes suddenly overflowed with tears, and he thanked
God with a loud voice for all the mercies He had
vouchsafed to him from his birth, and earnestly be-
sought Him for the forgiveness of all his sins. " My
God," he added, "how little or almost nothing have
I done for Thee! How have I failed to apply the
greatest portion of my life to the promotion of Thy
glory and honor ! "

Four days after, his wife brought his dinner to him,
but he refused it, saying, "that he was now too near
eternity to eat and drink." Then he prayed, with
visible emotion, for the King of Prussia, and asked
that two hymns might be sung to him ; one by Paul
Speratus —

" Lord Jesus Christ, on Thee I call."
and that beautiful hymn by Schneesing :

"Alone to Thee, Lord Jesus Christ."

His illness was not of such a nature as to keep him
continually confined to his bed. Though unable any
longer to attend to the duties of his office, he still con-
tinued to write many letters. Thus he had taken leave
of the King of Prussia in a very affectionate letter, on
the 25 th day of January.

Before his last illness confined him to his bed, he was
favored with a special token. He had seated himself at
his writing desk, in order to apprise one dear friend of
the death of another. But just as he was about to write
down the word " dead," and had already formed the first
letter, he was obliged, from sheer exhaustion, to lay
down his pen and leave his chair. During this, his
last illness, God manifested His goodness towards him

THE END.

467

in not permitting him to suffer much or severe pain —
for which reason he often smihngly asked his friends
how they could regard him as being sick, since he was
still able to eat, drink and sleep? " How kindly," he
would say, "God is dealing with me! God be praised
that there is no one in the world toward whom I
cherish feelings of enmity."

"And have you, dear Philipp," said his wife, "for-
given all your enemies ? And do you wish that God
may convert them ?"

" Yes, dear wife," he replied; " I wish it with all my
heart."

On the evening of the 4th of February he had the
seventeenth chapter of St. John's Gospel read to him
three times in succession. This was his favorite por-
tion of the Bible, though he could never determine
within himself to preach on it. He declared that he
did not understand it, and that the correct understand-
ing of it transcended the measure of faith which the
Lord had designed to impart to His people on their
journey through life. Then he spoke much about
Simeon's joy in death, as it is related in Luke ii. 25,
though in a voice so feeble that he could scarcely be
understood. Nevertheless, he still possessed sufficient
strength not only to listen to the conversation of those
who visited him, but also to pronounce a few words of
blessing upon them. Soon after, he fell into a sound
sleep which lasted till nearly morning.

On awakening he called for some nourishment, of
which he also partook. Then he asked to be taken
once more out of his bed, and placed on a chair.
When he, however, desired to be carried back again.

468 PHIL IP P JACOB SPENER.

he suddenly became stiff and helpless, closed his eyes
in the arms of those who were lifting him, and thus
yielded up his spirit without a struggle into the hands
of his Father, on Sunday, the I2th of February, 1705,
being the morning of the very day on which he had
been called to preach the Word to his beloved congre-
gation.

He had reached the age of 70 years, 12 days and
10 hours.

On the 15th of February his mortal remains were, in
compliance with his request, clothed in white, placed
in a light-colored coffin, and interred, not within the
church, but in a spot in the church-yard of St. Nicolai,
previously selected by himself, and his funeral sermon
was preached three days after by his adjunct, Rev.
Blankenberg, on Rom. viii. 10 — a text also long since
selected by himself

His wife, who had been so faithful to him in life,
soon followed him in death. She died on the 5th day
of November, in the same year, at the age of nearly 62
years, 40 of which she had lived the faithful friend
and companion of his heart, and the truly pious
mother of their children. Her youngest son, Ernest
Gottfried, born in Dresden, honored her memory in
an elegy, entitled —

"Tears shed by a child at the grave of his

MOTHER, BY E. G. SpENER."

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