# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1896_S21 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) Che Autheran Pioneer. A MISSIONARY MONTHLY. PuBLisHED By THE EvANGELICAL LutHerAN SynopicaL CoNnFERENCE OF NortH AMERICA. R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor. Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter. Vol. XVIII. Hasten, 0 Sinner. “Hasten, O sinner, to be wise, And stay not for the morrow’s sun; The longer wisdom you despise, The harder is she to be won. “Oh, hasten, mercy to implore, And stay not for the morrow’s sun, For fear thy season should be o’er Before this evening’s course be run. “Hasten, O sinner, to return, And stay not for the morrow’s sun, For fear thy lamp should fail to burn Before the needful work is done. St. Louis, Mo., June, 1896. concerned, for their necks were broken by the fall. Too late! How sad! Ah! this will be the experience of many that now hear the Gospel in unbelief and indifference, delaying their acceptance of the Saviour from day to day, until it is too late, and they are suddenly launched into an eternity of woe. ‘‘Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the -| door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and “Hasten, O sinner, to be blest, And stay not for the morrow’s sun, For fear the curse should thee arrest Before the morrow is begun.’? —> + oo > Too Late. We recently read of two criminals, who were sentenced to be hanged, and whose friends made great efforts to get from the Governor & pardon, and, failing in this, a brief respite. Their friends worked day and night, but all seemed in vain. ‘The Governor gave no sign of yielding. Hence preparations for carrying out the Sentence of the law went on, and the fatal day arrived. The sound of the hammer and the saw was heard in the cell of the doomed men.. The officers entered, and the two men were led forth to the scaffold. The steps Were mounted; they stood upon the trap- door, trembling with terror; the ropes were put around their necks; when suddenly the bell of the jail was rung violently, and rapid knocking at the large door was heard. The sheriff, Supposing that some of the mob in the street were trying to get in, paid no at- tention to the noise, and the next moment the two men were launched into eternity. But the ringing and the loud knocking went on, and a policeman was sent to quiet the dis- turbancer. Almost immediately he came back with a messenger from the Governor bringing A reprieve, but it came too late. Only half a minute late, but it might have been a thou- sand years late so far ag the two men were He shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in Thy pres- ence, and Thou hast taught in our streets. But He shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are: depart from me all ye workers of iniquity’? (Luke 13, 24—27). Just as cer- tainly as Jesus came the first time to die on the cross, so surely will He come a second time in glory to judge the world. The many great disturbances in nature are signs of His coming. And when once He is risen up, and hath shut to the door, it will be too late to seek to enter. Even half a minute late will be an eternity late. ‘‘Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man re- garded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity ; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh unto you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seck me early, put they shall not find me’’ (Prov. 1, 24—28); “He that being often reproyed, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that withqut remedy’’ (Proy. 29, 1); ‘‘Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: but it shall not be well with o. 6. ‘the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God’’ (Ecc. 8, 11—13). The days of life are but a shadow. That shadow will soon pass away; yea, it may pass away suddenly. Men have been carried off into eternity by explosions and storms with- out the least warning. Blessed are they that were prepared for the change by faith in their Saviour. But for some, who imagined that they had time enough, the shadow of their days has been turned into ‘‘the blackness of darkness forever.’’ ‘Therefore, dear reader, heed the voice of God saying: ‘‘Behold, xow is the accepted time; behold, Now is the day of salyation.’’ Do not say ‘‘to-morrow,’’ and still ‘‘to-morrow,’’ until it is too late, and the voice is heard no more. ‘‘Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, To-pay, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts’’ (Hebr. 3, 7. 8). “To Jesus come, make no delay, He waits to welcome you to-day; His mercy try, no longer doubt; He will in no wise cast you out!’ ————> - oo - Luther and Satan. Luther once reported a colloquy he had with the devil in his characteristic manner, as follows: “Once upon a time the devil said to me,’” says Luther: ; ‘Martin Luther, you are a great sinner and you will be damned !”’ “Stop! stop!’’ said I, ‘tone thing at the time. Iam a great sinner, it is true, though you have no right to tell me of it. I con- fess it. What next?’’ “Therefore you will be damned.” “That is not good reasoning. It is true, I am a great sinner, but it is written, ‘Jesus came to save sinners,’ therefore I shall be sayed. Now go your way. *So I cut the devil off with his own sword, and he went away mourning because he could not cast me down by calling me a sinner.”