# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1886_S30 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 30 The Lutheran Pioneer. SSS ee ——— Our Mission at Meherrin, Va. one by one, they struggle over and make a safe | Christian’s patience reveals the fact that there landing. Notice those little lambs. They re-|is a ‘‘rest for the people of God,’ that there ig fuse to enter and must be driven into the stream |a ‘‘victory that overcometh the world, eyen by the shepherd’s dog, mentioned by Job in| our faith.”’ his “‘parable.”” Poor things! how they leap,| Christians are sometimes put into places and plunge, and bleat in terror! That weak | where nothing active is required, where indeed one will be swept quite away, and perish in the|it would seem unfitting. But if we cannot sea. But the shepherd himself leaps into the | speak or work for Jesus, one thing we can do, stream, lifts it into his bosom, and bears it|we can shine for Him. ‘Ye are the light of trembling to the shore. All now are safely | the world,’’ said Christ. We can never be so over, and how happy they appear! The lambs | situated that we cannot ‘show forth the praise frisk and gambol about, while the older ones |of Him who has called us out of darkness into gather round their faithful shepherd and look | His marvellous light.’’ up to him in subdued but expressive thankful-| The mother in the seclusion of her home, the ness. domestic in the kitchen, the day-laborer at his Can you watch such a scene and not think | toil, the invalid on the couch of weariness and of that Shepherd who leadeth Joseph like a] pain, may often preach more eloquently, by flock, and of another river which all His sheep | patience, by long suffering, by kindness, by must cross? He, too, goes before, and as in|love unfeigned, without the articulation of an the case of this flock, they who keep near Him | idea, than the scholarly divine by his most fear no evil. They hear His encouraging voice | finished discourse. Is not this the apostle’s saying: thought when he says, “That ye may prove “When thou passest through the waters, I] what is that good and acceptable and perfect will be with thee; and through the rivers, they | will of God.”’ shall not overflow thee.”’ Without words! A voiceless testimony for With their eyes fastened on Him, they| Christ! Possible everywhere, always; ever scarcely heed the stream, or feel its cold and | beautiful and acceptable in the sight of God, threatening current. Many, however, “linger | offending and effective with those about us. shivering on the brink and fear to launch away.’ Then they cry for help, and not in vain. The good Shepherd hastens to their rescue, and none of all His flock ever perish. Even the weakest Jambkins are carried safely over. I once saw flocks crossing the Jordan “to Canaan’s fair and happy land,” and there the scene was even more striking and impres- sive. The river was broader, the current stronger, and the flocks larger, while the shep- herds were moré picturesque, and their occu- pation more Biblical. The danger, too, with which many poor sheep were threatened—of being swept down into that mysterious sea of Death, which swallows up the Jordan itself— was more certain and suggestive.’’ From Thompson’s ‘‘Land and the Book.” Our mission among the colored people at Meherrin, Va., has not been as successful as many expected. Yet our work has not been in vain. For several months the mission has been in charge of Mr. Hoernicke, a student of our Seminary in Springfield, Il]. From a letter of his we clip the following: — It might be of interest to Lutherans to sce what zeal their colored brethren show for the pure doctrine of God’s word. The mission at Meherrin had made very little progress and the colored people were therefore told that the mission might be discontinued in the near future. Upon hearing this they all expressed great anxiety, but also their willingness to work together with the missionary and to try their utmost that they might not lose the preaching of the Gospel by which their souls were rescued from the way of sin and from the darkness of unbelief. An old colored auntie, who is a fervent Christian and a zealous worker, said: ‘We will pray to the dear Lord that this "may never happen. I am certain that He will hear our prayer. He will not forsake us and will not let us fall back into the darkness from which we were rescued.” Then she added: “Tf you quit mission work here, all these chil- dren around us, who now are baptized, will grow up in darkness as we once did. No, I know the Lord will not forsake us. We must pray to Him.” ¢ Another one, who is not yet a member of our mission church, said: ‘‘I can’t understand these people out West; they send us mission- aries: they have sent us an organ, papers and Christmas gifts; and we don’t give them any- thing for it, and so they don’t gain anything by it. I see, they must be true followers of Christ, because they do just like He did and as He taught us to do.” From this we see that the colored people appreciate the pure doctrine of the Gospel and that they are thank- ful for all that is done for them. May the bless- ing of God that is resting upon our work move us to greater zeal in our mission among the col- ored people. —+- ~ eo - A Child’s Faith. In the town of Holland there lived a very poor widow. One night her children asked her in vain to give them bread, for she had none. The poor woman loved the Lord, and knew that He was good; so, with her little ones around her, she earnestly prayed to Him for food. On rising from their knees her eldest child, a boy about eight years of age, said softly, ‘‘Dear mother, we are told in the Holy Book that God supplied His prophet with food brought by the ravens.’’ ‘Yes, my son,” the mother answered, ‘“‘but that was a very long time ago.”” ‘But, mother, what God has done once may He not do again? I will go and un- close the door to let the birds fly in.””? Then dear little Dirk, in simple faith, threw the door wide open, so that the light of their lamp fell on the path outside. Soon afterward the burgomaster passed by, and noticing the light, paused, and thinking it very strange, he en- tered the cottage and inquired why they left the door open at night. The widow replied, “My little Dirk did it, sir, that the ravens might fly in to bring bread to my hungry chil- dren.”’ ‘‘Indeed,’’ cried the burgomaster, ‘‘then here’s a raven, my boy. Come to my home, and you shall see where bread. may soon be had.”? So he quickly led the boy to his own house, and then sent him back: with food that filled his humble home with joy. After supper little Dirk went to the open door, and looking up, he said: ‘‘Many thanks, good Lord,” and shut it fast again; for, though no birds had come, he knew that God had heard his mother’s prayer, and sent this timely help. —— soo oe Without Words. Ina letter giving an account of the trials of a Christian laborer, in an obscure position, the writer says, ‘‘His three children were sick with scarlatina, his wife ill, and he himself Jaid up for severai days; but his faith and patience never gave way, and he preached his best dis- course without words; so that his physician, a downright infidel, one day could not help seiz- ing his hand and saying with tears in his eyes, ‘J wish I had your faith.’”’ Christians are witnesses for Christ; but in this witnessing, words are not always needed. The life that is within can make itself known “That shepherd is about to lead his flock through the river;’”’ as our Lord says of the good shepherd, “‘he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him; for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not fullow.’’ They follow, but not all in the same manner. Some enter boldly or come straight across. Those are the favored ones of the flock, who keep "hard by the footsteps of the shepherd through mn meadows, by the still waters, feeding ‘upon the mountains, or resting at noon beneath . “the shadow of great rocks. And now others| without the utterance of the lips. Eyes, hands, en tf in doubt and alarm. Far from| feet, the whole carriage and deportment of the they miss the ford and are carried} individual may testify of the faith and hope, rer, some farther than others, yet,| the joy and peace reigning in the soul. ‘The Ng Rt