The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1884-10-23
For the Newberry Herald and News.
THE LUTHERAN SUIT.

one hundred and thirty years ago,
George III, King of England,
granted to John Adam Lpting and
Christian Dickert-the former,
Lutheran, and the latter q Presby-
terlan-one hundred acres Of land,
then Granville, now Lexington Co.,
S. C. According to tradition, in
1856. these adventurous gentlemen
assisted by the few settlers, all Ger
man immigrants, built small log
house for the purpose of worship
ping God according to the Presby-
terian and Lutheran creeds, and
named it St. Johns church. The
Presbyterians were few in number,
and found great difficulty in pro-
curing the services of one of their
own ministers to occupy the pulpit
in their humble log cabin Perhaps
on account of their profound The
illogical learning" their services
were required to supply the churches
in the few towns and cities then
in S. c.: hence, Faber, Hoheimer,
Houser, Wallorn and others, all
Lutherans, were the principal min
listers, who had the pastoral charge
of the members Of St. Johns
church, until about 1924. Then
Jacob Mouser, Lutheran minis
ter, who hailed from n. c., q man
of very limited education; but with
al man of some practical "Theo-
logical knowledge, who possessed
ample religious qualities to edify
his congregation in that day.
| remember we'll, the first sermon
| ever heard was preached by the
Rev. Jacob Mouser, at St. Johns
church in 1882, when | was mere
boy
In 1926 the descendants Of these
old German settlers, built new
house for worship, which was also
named St. John Church. The
name Of St. Johns will not surprise
any one who is familiar with some
Of the old settlers of the Dutch
Fork. ] knew a very elegant old
man who was so passionately fond
Of the name John, that he named
all Of his sons John, which were
seven in number, J ohm, John Jacob,
John George, John Frederick, &c.
About the time, when nearly all
of the vacant land had been taken
up. some Of the members of st.
Johns Church suspecting that the
Eptings and Dickerts, might at
some future time assert a claim to
the church land under the title Sc
cured bv their ancestors, surveyed
it in the night, and cleared it out Of
the Land Office, as it was called,
and claimed it as vacant land,
which however, was as worthless as
the paper it was written on,a there
were no laws in S. c. confscating
the Kings grant, and the Kings
title had long before been regis
tered in the Land Office at Colum-
bia, S. G.
In 1881 or 80, the Rev. Godfrey
Dreher was called to the pastoral
charge Of St. Johns Church, who
l believe at that time was pres
ident of the Lutheran Synod Of
S. G. This change created dissat-
isfaction with some of the members
who preferred the Rev. Mouser. .
The objection against the Rev.
Godfrey Dreher was that he preach
ed the doctrine that Christ was ac-
tually spiritually present in the eu.
charist, while the Mouser party was
led by the Rev. John C. Hope, who
had just entered clerical life,
just from Gettysburg Theological
Seminary, Penn, with some talent
as a pulpit orator, who in 1852
gave up the ministry, and chose po-
litical life, which on account Of his
sensual desires was more appro-
pirate, and who gained some notorie-
ty as a legislator, being always on the
side of economy, and low taxes.
He was popular with the people Of
Lexington County, and represented
them in both Houses of the Legis-
lature for a number of years. He
believed or rather preached that
the bread and wine was only an
emblem Of the body and blood of
Christ, and that He was in no wise
present at His own established
feas'. This condition of affairs
tended to widen the breach between
the followers of the two factions,
and continued with hostile feelings
between the parties until 1887,
when the Rev. Godfrey Dreher
withdrew from the S. G. Lutheran
Synod and attached himself to the
Tenn. Synod. 1 think that, how.
ever, the S. G. Synod notwith.
standing his withdrawal preferred
charges, and ordered his expulsion
from their Synod.
III withdrawing from st. Johns
Church, the Rev. Dreher drew
with him a little more than one.
third of the members; however, not
like Satan, who withdrew with his
tail one third Of the stars from
Heaven, when his Satanic majesty
was cast down, but by his affa
Bile manners, and gentle voice teach
ing them the fundamental princi-
Piles of Christianity taught by four
ffths of the most learned Protes-
tant Theologians at the present
time, and unanimously by the
Church Of Rome, who believe that
Christ is personally present at the
supper, and is in the bread and
wine.