# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1886_S39 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) ra The Lutheran Pioneer. ——————— ee eee Chiefs of Viti. ters came in. Supper ended, a clearance was | made, the big Bible and the psalm-books were | brought out, and the family was seated. ‘‘But where are the servants?”’ asked Moffat. “Servants! What do you mean?” “‘T mean the Hottentots, of whom I see so many on your farm.’’ ‘“‘Hottentots! Do you mean that, then! Our readers would hardly suspect that the two portraits—for such they are, and true to| life— which accompany this article, represent persons nearly related to one another. They would very likely suppose the one, tatooed, | and distorted, and hideous, to be a cannibal of the most savage and degraded type. The other} Let me go to the mountains and call the face would pass anywhere for that of an in-| baboons, if you want a congregation of that telligent, loving-hearted, Christ-like missionary | sort. Or, stop, I have it. My sons, call the dogs of the gospel. Yet are these two father and/| that lie in front of the door—they will do.”’ s0n. ~brought such a son forth from the house of such a father? Truly not! It was that miracle, wrought by the power of the Gospel. The younger man is Thakaumba, chief of Bau, and Tui Viti; that is, King of the Viti Islands, a group of over three hundred, in the Southern Pacific ocean. The father’s name we do not know. He was chief of Bau, and with his tribe practiced can- nibalism within this half century ; thatis, less than « twenty-five years ago; and at which time the tribe were worshiping idols, stocks and stones. A few years earlier a missionary had landed upon the island, bearing in his hand the blessed Bible, and with the old, old story of Jesus and his love, upon his lips. For a little time he stood in hourly danger of being killed, roasted, and eaten by the wild, fierce, wretched people, but God’s providence was over him, and the message he brought in time accomplished its powerful effect. The people relinquished their idols, to worship our true and only God, and also the practice, revolting to us, but fascinat- ing to those who have been trained to it, of eating the flesh of their fellow men. Thakaumhna, the old chief’s son, was educated at the Mission home, and rose to the dignity of King of the whole group of islands. ——~>+ ¢ pe Preaching to the Dogs. / ‘ The following is told of the famous African Missionary, Robert Moffat: One evening he halted at a farm which showed signs of. belonging to a man of wealth and importance who had many slaves. The old patriarch, hearing that he was a Missionary, gave him a hearty welcome, and proposed that in the evening he should give them a service. No proposal could have been more acceptable, and he sat down to the plain but plentiful meal with a light heart. The sons and daugh- Could anything short of a miracle have | The Missionary quietly dropped an attempt which threatened a wrathful ending, and com- | menced the service. The song was sung, prayer | was offered, and the preacher read the story of j} the Syro-Pheenician, and selected more espe- | cially the words: ‘‘Truth, Lord, but even the |dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the He had not spoken many | master’s .table.’’ minutes when the voice of the old man was again heard. ‘‘ Will Mein Herr sit down and wait a little? He shall have the Hottentots.’’ The summons was given. The motley crowd trooped in, many who probably had never been within the door of their master's house before, and many more who never before had heard the voice of a preacher. When the sermon was over, and the aston- ished Hottentots had dispersed, the farmer turned to his guest and said: ‘My friend, you took a hard hammer, and you have broken ‘| a hard head.’? tt 0 The Dying. General. General C— was a man of very determined character and of somewhat eccentric habits. He had imbibed infidel principles while. at college, and his friends regarded him as im- moveable in-his skepticism. Believing prayer, however, had been offered in his behalf by a Christian wife, and mother, ‘and sister, all of whom had gone down to the grave without seeing an answer to their supplications. It pleased God at length to lay the rough grasp of disease upon him, and as he contemplated the slow but steady approach of death, he found that his infidelity was worse than non- sense, and that it left him to drift out upon a dark and turbulent sea without a single star of hope in his sky. Sending for a minister of the gospel he asked him the great question almost in the very words of the Philippian jailer, ‘‘ What must Of course the reply was, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved’’ (Acts 16,31). ‘I will not do it,’ he answered, angrily; ‘‘you require me to believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and I will not do it.’’ ‘*No,”’ said the minister, ‘“‘I do not require you to be- lieve anything; but I can tell what God re- quires; and if I were to tell you anything else, I would tell you a lie.”’ “Well,’’ he responded, “T will not believe it.” ‘« My visit is ended then,”’ said the minister; ‘‘ but anytime you would like to hear about the only way by which a sinner can be saved, send for me, day or night.” Within less than a week he sent for the minister again, and on entering the room; the sick man, reclining in an easy chair, abruptly said, ‘‘ Why do you be- lieve that Jesus Christ was the Son of God?”’ ‘*Because He says s0,’’ was the answer. The next quick question was, ‘Where does He say so?’’ ‘Oh,’’ replied the minister, ‘‘it is easy enough to show you that;”” and turning to his Bible, he read passage after passage affirming in the most positive and un- equivocal manner the eternal sonship and ab- solute divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Much to the sur- prise of the reader, the proud and self-willed man before him covered his face with his hands; and at last looked up with a peaceful expression of countenance, and said, “T am satisfied; I know that Jesus Christ would not tell a lie; I accept the truth upon His testi- mony.” From that moment his only desire to live was to show his gratitude to the dear Say- iour who had plucked him as-a brand from the burning.—J. H. B. : I do to be saved?’’ —> + o