4. RATIONALISM AND UNIONISM. In no way had the devil succeeded in smothering the Lutheran church in its own blood or in destroying it by false doctrine. Again and again courageous witnesses arose, and in loud and clear words testified that man is justified and saved by grace alone, for Christ's sake, through faith. At the end of the seventeenth century, however, men arose in England who craftily sought to abolish the Christian faith. These were the so-called Deists, or Freethinkers. Their doctrine, at first, passed from England to France, and then to Germany. Human reason was to take the place of the Bible. Luther's prophecy was fulfilled: "Until now you have heard the true, faithful Word; now beware of your own thoughts and your own wisdom. The devil will light the candle of reason and deprive you of faith." Not the Scriptures, the revelation of God, but human reason was to decide matters of faith and salvation. Whatever did not agree with human reason was simply to be rejected as superstition. Whoever confessed his faith in the truths of the Bible was called an obscurant. Those were sad times. In addition, the so-called "Union" in Germany, by sacrificing the biblical truth, made the attempt to unite the Lutheran and the Reformed churches into a mixed church, which was called the Evangelical church. In this way the ruin of the church of the pure Gospel was to be completed. Faithful Lutherans who would not join in this apostasy were violently persecuted, cast into prison, cruelly punished, or compelled to emigrate into foreign countries, Australia or America. CHAPTER XX. The Lutheran Church in America. 1. THE MUSTARD SEED. When the Lutheran church in Germany was in its prime it was transplanted also across the waters, into the wilds of America. As early as 1638 the first Lutheran Swedes emigrated to America and founded the first Lutheran congregation in the valley of the Delaware. In 1650 the Dutch had also founded Lutheran churches in the State of New York. The most important of these churches was in the city of New York. It was cruelly oppressed by the Reformed officials. The true Lutheran confessors were frequently fined and imprisoned. As soon as England, however, took possession of this Dutch colony the Lutherans were granted liberty of conscience and freedom of worship.