THE MENNONITE BROTHERHOOD IN RUSSIA (1789 - 1910), P. M. Friesen, 1911

e, did not receive less of the fruit of the lips; yet he also saw danger in it, which did not fail to appear later. Nothing could remedy the situation any more: the little flock, happy for such a long time, was now split into two camps, the first of which came to be called ‘Huepfer’ by the world. A number of Mennonites also inclined to this party.” c) The late August Lenzmann of Gnadenfeld writes to the publisher of the Mennonitische Blaetter, March 16, 1863: “. . . Pastor Wuest, mentioned in the above-named article in the Friedensglocke, was nevertheless a talented, distinguished, and blessed instrument in the hand of the Lord amongst the separatists who had settled near Berdiansk. Indeed, his zeal drove him beyond the designated limits of his own congregation in order to win souls for his Lord and Savior— to whom he clung with all his heart— among the Mennonites and the surrounding Lutheran congregations. At the same time, however, one cannot deny that for a time the favorite theme of his sermons was the teaching of the free grace of God in Christ Jesus. Unfortunately, the spiritual food offered the ignorant and inexperienced masses was not always imparted with the necessary Christian wisdom. This gave occasion to those inclined toward fanaticism— who, although not willfully, also naturally misunderstood him— to move in a direction which could only lead to their own destruction if they did not return to sanity in time. In spite of this I must confess to the glory of God that the memories of the Pastor Wuest 209 brotherly fellowship, in which I stood with the dear Pastor Wuest until his departure from the militant into the triumphant church, will always be blessed ones." 12 [The complete letter follows under XXV.] d) The late evangelical Lutheran Pastor Dobbert of Prischib, Molotschna, who died in Zarkoie Selo, wrote as follows to his superiors in July, 1864, concerning Wuest: “. . . Much was said of this man at one time; friend and foe alike made much-to-do about him. But one day it will be revealed how many of the accusations raised against him were true. One cannot deny, and in this friend and foe agree, that he was a mem of extraordinary talents; the power of his speech wets both charming and convincing. At the setme time he was also a person who had eillowed himself to be captivated by the love of Jesus; his words inflamed because he directed his listeners away from the emptiness and despair of their own hearts to the fullness of divine mercy, which had been revealed in the Savior on Golgotha, as the central and focal point of all of God’s dealings with the lost and the stray. Years later a colleague, in whose church Wuest had been a guest speaker, told me about the impact, upon him and everyone else who had heard him, of his powerful witness. In addition, Wuest was an out and out man of the people; affable and friendly in their company, he disliked being alone and seldom was alone; and