Johann Martin Boltzius Quotes

All wooden parts are being prepared according to the design of this surveyor and engineer, and [7th-GGF Georg] Kogler prefers following his instructions rather than his own head, since he is convinced of Mr. Avery's skill, experience and honesty

Most members of our community are genuinely dear souls who love the Lord Jesus with their whole heart and honor in pious conduct. Also in external things everything is completely orderly and Christian. And even when Satan sometimes wishes to sow his seeds of some discord, they resist him and follow our counsel imparted to them from God's Word. Their exactness in public worship on Sundays and in the daily evening prayer services is indeed uncommon, and their attention during the proclamation of the divine Word is so great and persistent that we ourselves are not little encouraged through it and consider ourselves completely unworthy of the grace of God that He demonstrates to us in our calling through these upright souls.

Everybody living at the orphanage . . . are fully convinced of the selection of men to salvation ex absoluto decreto. . . . They claim to find much comfort and refreshment in this theory that serves the Roman heresy (secus sentientes roman.); yes, they would even say that they cannot look upon a person as converted who does not believe it. I showed my pity for them and told them of our dogma, sufficiently well founded in Holy Scriptures, of the everlasting, impartial love of God in Jesus Christ to all mankind and held up to them some evident verses . . . which they answered in a shallow manner. Since they pray that God may convert all the children entrusted to them and lead them to salvation, I asked them whether they believe that God would like to have those children saved.

Their answer was that they did not know, but it was their duty to make such intercession. However, I showed them: 1. that they, with their theory, do not have any joy in praying for the salvation of all men. 2. If they would do it and wished for all men to be helped, then their love would have to be greater than the love of God, who nevertheless effects this impartial and general love in them. 3. Their prayer was against the will and command of God: God has, according to their opinion, decided from eternity, by virtue of His sovereignty and great power, to let only a few be saved and these alone and no others to be redeemed by Christ. How could they now pray (without acting against the will of

Because the Indians are planning to start war now, the common people want all of them destroyed so that they can live in peace; however, this is probably a sinful and not at all decent wish. Not to mention the fact that the Indians were the first and legitimate inhabitants and hence are the rightful owners of this land. . . . If the English traders treated the Indians better, the Indians would behave better.

The severe frost last February destroyed many branches as well as young trees that had already been full of sap as a result of the warm weather. In addition to this punishment by God, there is another one, namely, an unbelievable number of caterpillar-type worms which do very great damage to our wheat, barley, and oats. They also eat down to the ground the Indian corn sprouts and whatever young plants we have in our gardens. It would be even worse except for the birds, particularly the starlings, which fly over the fields in large numbers and eat the worms. . . .

Last month the unusually large number of worms threatened to ruin our crops completely, but it pleased God (for, according to the Second Book of Chronicles 7:13, He commands the locusts to devour the land and, according to Verse 14, He promises to heal it) that a large number of starlings and other small birds came to the fields and gradually ate all the worms. Thanks be to God for His merciful regime!

God is only mocked at most weddings. For the word of God, singing, and praying are almost empty ceremonies, as I could well observe in Germany during and after the wedding feast of most so-called Christians.

In Abercorn things are very profane, they do not celebrate Sundays and holy days. . . . It is a shame that Sundays are esteemed so little by most people in Christendom. Some of them drone it away loosely, others [the freethinkers] believe it is a day like other days, even though our dear God has promised to bless it if it is celebrated in the right way as, thank God, many people in Christendom and also among us can say from experience. May our dear God restrain all desecrations of the Sabbath and avert the judgments which are to come upon Christianity because of it.

Some dislike our insisting on the word of the Lord and true fear of Him; and they say they do not wish to be inconvenienced and to live under this yoke. See Malachi 3:14.

If such reasons were to be believed, fear of God and virtue would count for nothing. And who will believe that?

The shoemaker [Johann Ludwig] W[eidmann, 6th-GGF]. has been having some serious scruples about some verses of Holy Scripture, about which I set him right today by reminding him that he should first profit from the easy and clear verses of Holy Scripture and then gradually he will learn to understand the difficult ones better. In all learning, in fact, one should begin with the easy material.

I hope that our descendants, insofar as they fear God, will find much material for the recognition of the wonderful and blessed ways that He has gone with us from the beginning from the printed reports of Ebenezer, . . . and that they will be thereby awakened to the praise of God and to faith in Him.

Oh, may the Lord never let us, nor our descendants, forget what spiritual and material benefits we have received in this wilderness through Christian hearts and hands.

Cursing is common with most people of this country. From Savannah Town, a town situated up near the Indians, such things are so often reported that one is shocked and cannot be surprised that the heathens do not come to a better recognition but become more and more wicked, because those who bear the name of Christians live frightfully godlessly.

I translated the laws which pertain to our people into German and plan to read them aloud in our next community meeting. Whenever impudent people have to be kept in order, they like to refer to English freedom. However, in the future they will be confronted with the actual laws and will be forced to concede that English laws do not encourage undue licence and libertinism.

Do not think that Christianity is something slavish and irksome, and conversely that the consummation of youthful desires is something upon which the heart can graze.

At the order of the Lord Trustees a parliament is again to be held in Savannah on the 2nd of March, for which deputies from every district in the colony are to be elected per plurima voca. . . . Unfortunately, there are in this country, as in England, two parties; and I am learning in a small way what a great effort it must cost in England to have a favorable parliament.

I well believe, dear Mother, that it is somewhat painful for you that I have travelled so far away from you and was not even able to bid you farewell. Indeed, do not think as though I had no filial love for you or else I would not have accepted this call or at least would have asked for your advice. I could not possibly refuse the call, otherwise I would have been disobedient to the heavenly Father who has sufficiently assured me of His will. Time did not permit me to bid you farewell in person. I had to hurry with my dear colleague to my congregation that was already underway. . . .

My congregation, to which the wonderful God has led me, is indeed still small but consists mainly of such people who already have suffered much for Christ's sake and therefore have their Christianity not in the mouth but in the heart and demonstrate it in deed. For that reason I not only have love for these upright people with my heart and with joy want to live and die with them in America, but they also love me more than I am worthy and would share their heart with me if they could. . . .

[I]f the wind remains good, we will arrive with God's help in 5 or 6 weeks to the place and location for which we rather earnestly yearn because it is said to be a good, fruitful, and blessed land.

Brief worldly pleasure is followed by pain and disgust. If only people would believe it rather than experience it.

Lochner is not a good man and will not be brought to repentance whether by the word of the Lord or physical chastisement, although he is not short of good feelings, resolutions, and promises.

We gladly conform to the people's needs in all things if it can be done in conformity with the word of God and for the sake of God's kingdom.