# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1880_S22 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 22 ee The Lutheran Pioneer. My Dear Bible. _A devout reading of the Bible, accompanied by prayer, is not only my daily occupation, but my daily highest joy and pleasure. I know right well, how very needful and useful this daily reading of the Bible is for me; for when, with fervent prayer, I have very devoutly read the Bible, I always have so much more peace and joy in my soul, so much more power to fight against sin, the world, and the devil, so much more hating of all sin, so much more de- light in all that is good, so much more Jight and clearness of understanding, so much more love for the Lord Jesus, and so much more blessedness in the sure hope of eternal life,— that I would not give these hours of devout Bible-reading for any amount of money, or for any joy of this world. In the preciousness to me, because they always bring the Lord Jesus so near to one, painting Him so that our eyes can see Him, and writing Him into our very heart. And to have this dear, Saviour so near our eyes, and in our heart, is, after all, the highest joy and blessedness this earth can give us. We listen to every one of His blessed words; we see, as it were, with our own eyes, all the gracious deeds of His merci- ful love; and it seems almost, as if we saw Him walking before us, and as if he was preach- ing before our very eyes; and everything He does and says, is so exalted and glorious, so lovely and pleasant, so full of love and com- passion, so pure, so holy and beautiful, that the heart is ready to burst with joy, and the eyes to overflow with tears of gratitude, that we have such a Saviour, who is so great and morning it is my first, and in the evening my last employ- ment, or I should rather say, it is my first and last pleasure; and as often as I have a little time through the day, as often as the labors of my calling make me very tired, I go to my dear Bible, and I never lay it aside,. without being glad- dened, refreshed, strength- ened and comforted, in my in- most heart; in short, I could not, and would not like to’ live in this world—I could not stand it in this sinful world, without my dear, prec- ious Word of God. When my faults and imperfections press heavily on me, when my sins grieve me, when my soul is in great need of comfort, I go to my dear Bible. When the sius of other men, especially the sins of my congregation torment me, when the disobedience and hardness of heart of those for whose souls I am Jaboring with such faithful love; when the public offences given by world- liness and Jove of sin, in spite of all my heart- felt entreaties and exhortations, return again and again, and fill me with the deepest grief, and press out tears and sighs, I go to my dear Bible; and so I do in all things, in joy and sorrow, in prief and care, in weakness and in “need, and the Bible helps me to bear all things, and to overcome all things, to believe all things, to hope all things, and to endure all things. ‘He who does not read the Bible every day, does not know at all what an unspeakably glorious treasure we have in this precious Word of God. Ido so with the whole Bible, with the Old and with the New Testament, for the whole Bible is God’s Word, and given by inspiration of God; and is profitable for doctrine, for re- proof, for correction, for instruction in right- eousness. But, before all other parts, the Holy __ Gospels are always of special importance and mighty, so meek and lovely, so pure and holy, and yet so full of grace and love; and then our knees bend low in the dust, and the lips speak out of the abundance of a devout heart, say- ing: yes, ‘‘the Word was made flesh, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only be- gotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.’’ : Pastor L. Harms. -_———=— + 0-0 > - On Mount Sinai. Our picture shows us Moses receiving the Ten Commandments, or the law of God, on Mount Sinai. The people of Israel encamped near that mountain in the third month after they had gone out of Egypt, and three days afterward there was a thick cloud on the mountain, and a sound as of a loud trumpet was heard. God came down on the top of the mount in fire. And there were thunders and lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and louder, and louder, and the whole mountain shook greatly. And God spoke the words of the Law. And all the people trem- bled, and stood afar off, and said to Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear. But let not God speak with us, lest we die. And the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mountain, and gave him two tables of stone, . on which the Ten Commandments were written with the finger of God. =< +e 0 ee Shun the Skeptic. First, I warn you to shun the skeptic—the young man who puts his fingers in his vest and laughs at your old-fashioned religion and turns over to some mystery in the Bible and says: “Explain that, my friend ; explain that,”’ and who says, ‘‘Nobody shall scare me; I am not afraid of the future; I used to believe in such things, and so did my father and mother, but I have got over it.’’ Yes, he has got over it, and if you sit in his company a little longer, you will get over it, too. Without presenting an ar- gument against the Christian religion such men will by their jeers, and scoffs, and carica- tures, destroy your respect for that religion, which was the strength of your father in his declining years, and the pillow of your old-mother when she lay dying. _ Alas! a time will come when that blustering young infidel will have to die, and his gold ring will fiash no splendor in the eyes of Death as he stands over the couch waiting for his soul. Those beautiful locks will lie uncombed upon the pillow; and the dying man will say, ay cannot die— I cannot die.’’ Death stand- ing upon the couch says, ‘‘You must die; you have only half a minute to live; let me have it right away—your soul.’’ ‘No,’ says the young infidel, ‘‘here are all my gold rings, and these. pictures, take them all.’’ ‘‘No,’”’ says Death, “What do I care for pictures?—your soul.” “Stand back,’’ says the dying infidel. ‘I will not stand back,” says Death, ‘for you have only ten seconds now to live; I want your soul.”” The dying man says, ‘‘Don’t breathe that cold air into my face. You crowd me too hard. It is getting dark in the room. O God!’’ “Hush”, says death; ‘‘you said there was no God.’? “Pray for me’’, exclaims the dying infidel. ‘‘Too late to pray’’, says Death; ‘but three more seconds to live, and I will count them off—one, two, three.’? He has gone! Where? Where? Carry him out and bury him beside his father and mother, who died while holding fast the Christian religion. They died singing, but the young infidel only said, “Don’t breathe that cold air into my face. Wan crowd me too hard. It is pecsne dark i in the room.’ ae eee ee ee 1 i”