# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1884_S11 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 11 A Noble Confessor. | How a Story grows. When Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, was law. With this intention he went to Molly Sanders, the washerwoman, who had been busy A farmer was once told that his turnip field |in spreading the report, to know the whole standing before the Judge into whose presence | had been robbed, and that the robbery had been truth; but Molly denied ever having said any- he had been summoned, the latter said to him: | committed by a poor inoffensive man, of the | thing about a wagon load of turnips. It was “I will give you free if you will but curse) name of Palmer, who many of the people of | but a cart load that Palmer had taken, and ad taken, Christ, and swear.’’ with deep emotion, said: “I have served Him | of turnips sut the aged Christian, | the village said had taken away a wagon load | Dame Hodson, the huckster, had told her so J < ne yh ? Farmer Brown, much exasperated | over and over again. The farmer hearing this, for 86 years, and He never did me any harm: | by the loss of his turnips, determined to prose-| went to Dame Hodson, who said that Molly » ehs LYS > Ki , ¢ q » Pe ew « severity ? S H < z x how shall I curse my King who has blessed | cute poor Palmer with all the severity of the | Sanders was always making things worse than me?’’ The judge then declared that if Polycarp would not yield, he would tame him with fire, to which the Confessor of Christ re- plied: ‘‘You threaten me with fire which burns but 1 moment, and is soon extinguished, but you know nothing of the eternal fire which is reserved for the godless.’ Hereupon the Proconsul com- manded it to be made known by his herald, that Polycarp had confessed that he was a Christian. The enemies of Christ then eried out: ‘This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods, who has deceived many so that they no more sacrifice or pray to them. Let him be burned alive.’’” Wood was now hastily gathered by the multitude. As they were about to bind the aged martyr to the stake, he said: ‘‘Leave me as I am. He who gives me strength to endure the flames, will also give me power to stand in the fire without being bound with - cords, or fastened by nails.” Then, with his hands tied upon his back, he prayed: ‘‘Lord God Almighty, Father of Thy beloved and blessed Son, Jesus Christ, Thou God of Angels and of Prin- cipalities, and of all Creatures, and of all Saints that walk be- fore Thy face, I thank Thee, that Thou has deemed me worthy on this day, and in this hour, to re- ceive my heritage, among Thy martyrs to the resurrection unto O Virgin-born, eternal life both of body and soul, Thy death we mourn, and to incorruptibility through Thou lovely Star of gladness, the Holy Ghost. For this I praise Thee; Iexalt Thee; I glorify Thee through the Eternal High Priest, Who could see Thy reeking blood Void of grief and sadness? Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, to Yea, blest shall he whom, with Thee and the Holy Forever be, Ghost, be honor and praise both Who ponders well this story, now and for ever more. Amen.” That into a tomb was laid —The fire was kindled and the ,— He, the Lord of Glory. soul of the noble confessor soon © i ee passed into the presence of Him esus blest! who has said: ‘Whosoever shall My help and rest! : confess me before men, him will I With tears, Lord, I entreat Thee: confess also before my Father Let me love Thee to the last, which is in heaven,’’ Matt. 10, 32. Till in heaven I greet Thee! they really were; that Palmer had taken only a wheelbarrow full of turnips, and that she had her account from Jenkins, the tailor. Away went the farmer to Jen- kins, the tailor, who stoutly de- nied the account altogether; he had only told Dame Hodson that Palmer had pulled up several tur- nips, but how many he could not tell, fur he did not seé him him- self, but was told it by Tom Slack, the plowman. Wondering where this would end, Farmer Brown next questioned Tom Slack, who, in his turn, declared he had never said a word about seeing Palmer pull up several turnips; he only said, he had heard say that Palmer had pulled up a turnip, and that Barnes, the Barber, was the per- son who had told him about it. The farmer, almost out of pa- tience at this account, hurried off to Barnes, the barber; who won- dered much that people should find pleasure in spreading idle tales which had no truth in them! He assured the farmer all he had said about the matter, while he took off the beard of Tom Slack, was, that for all he knew, Palmer was as likely a man to pull up a turnip as his neighbors. —s-o