# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1886_S7 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) The Lutheran Pioneer. Prayer and Breakfast. Some years ago, when the country around Cincinnati was newer than it now is, a farmer was very busy clearing his land. He had a number of hands employed, and was anxious to accomplish a large amount of work while the weather was favorable. He called them early, and went out with them before break- fast was ready. A horn was blown, and they came in and returned to their work. The farmer had been accustomed to have prayers every morning in his family. But to keep so many men from chopping and logrolling while he read and prayed was more than he could afford; so Satan suggested and the man yielded. His pious wife saw with grief that the altar was neg- lected; that her husband, in haste to get rich, was departing from God. She talked with him; she pleaded with him, but in vain. At last she determined to try another experiment. The next morning the farmer and his men went out, as usual, to their work. The sun began to climb up the sky, but no breakfast horn was heard. They grew hungry, and looked anxiously toward the house; they list- ened, but still the expected summons did notcome. After waiting an hour or two beyond the usual time, they went into the house. No table was set, no coffee was boiling on the fire, no good cook was over or before it. The good wife was knitting quietly, with the Bible on her lap. “‘What does this mean?’’ cried the husband; ‘‘Why isn’t our breakfast ready ?”” “TY thought you were in such a hurry about your work that you would not have time to eat it.’’ ‘‘Have time to eat it! Do you think we can live without eating?’ ‘You can live without eating as well as without praying. The soul needs the bread of heaven as much as the body needs the bread of earth.’ ‘‘Well, well,’’ said the farmer, ‘‘get us the breakfast, and we will have prayers again every morning, no matter how busy we are, or how many workmen I have.” Scriptures found in the hands of the people) should be burned. The day when the priests | came to search this woman’s house she was just preparing bread to bake. She took her pre- cious Bible, wrapped it up carefully, put it in the centre of a great batch of dough, and placed the whole in the oven. Of course, the priests} never dreamed of searching in loaves of bread, so the book was saved. It came out of its hiding place uninjured, and is now more than a hundred and fifty years old. A Native of Australia Worshipping an Idol. What a Church Means. A crew of sailors who, to use their own She got the breakfast, and he kept his word. | phrase, ‘‘did not take any stock in missions to The lesson was a good one, and was never for- gotten. ——- +o o> oo A Remarkable History. There is 2 German woman living in Ohio the cannibals,’ by a somewhat rough experi- ence changed their minds. Cruising among one of the Pacific groups, their vessel struck a reef and foundered. ‘There was no alternative but to tdke to the boats and row ashore, al- though, according to their information, it was who owns a Bible having 2 remarkable history. |a choice between the sharks and the natives. It belonged to her grandmother, who lived in Bohemia, at a time when there was a great Persecution by the Catholics. This woman was| selves in a The part of the coast where they landed happened to be uninhabited. They hid them- hollow until it hecame necessary to 8 faithful Protestant, and dearly loved her Bible. | procure something to eat, even at the risk of A law had been passed that all copies of the | being eaten themselves. At length one of the boldest ventured to climb to the top of a hill, where he could look over into the populous valley beyond. All at once his fear-stricken companions saw him spring to his feet and swing his hat, shouting, ‘‘ Come on, boys, I see a church!” —————s +> o> The Missionary and the Infidel. I remember, says a pastor, many years ago listening with delight to a story I heard from a missionary in North Canada. He said that some years before then an humble missionary was traveling through the Canadian backwoods. He lost his way but presently was rejoiced at the sight of a glimmering light. Soon reaching it, to his surprise, he found a large congregation of settlers gath- ered around a fire listening to an eloquent discourse. To the horror of the missionary, he found the man was trying to prove that there was no God, no heaven, no hell, no eternity. A murmur of applause went through the audience as the orator ceased. The missionary stood up and said: “My friends, I am not going to make a long speech to you, for I am tired and weary; but I will tell you a little story. A few weeks ago I was walk- ing on the banks of the river not far from here. I heard a cry of distress and to my horror I saw a canoe drift- ing down the stream and nearing the rapids. There was a single man in the boat. In a short time he would near the water-fall and be gone. He saw his danger and I heard him scream: ‘‘O God, if I must lose my - life have mercy on my soul!” I - plunged into the water and reached the canoe. I dragged it to land and saved him. That man whom [ heard, when he thought no one was near, praying to God to have mercy on his soul, is the man who has just ad- dressed you, and has told you he be- lieves there is neither God, nor . ° heaven, nor hell.’’ A Brand Plucked from the Fire. A plain countryman who had been converted by divine grace, by means of a sermon from Zech. 3, 2., was some time after solicited by an old companion to accompany him to the ale- house; Mat the good man strongly resisted every persuasion, saying, ‘‘I am a brand tact from the fire.’? His old companion not understanding this, he explained it to him thus: ‘‘Look ye,’ said he, “there is a great difference between a brand and a green stick. If a spark flies upon a brand that has been partly burnt, it will soon catch fire again; but it is not so with a green stick. I tell you Lam that brand plucked out of the fire, and I dare not venture into the way of temptation, for fear of being set on fire again.”