# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1898_S27 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) Che Autheran Pioneer. A MISSIONARY MONTHLY. PusBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN SynopicAL CONFERENCE OF NortH AMERICA. R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor. Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter. Vol. XX. Rest. “Rest remaineth—oh! how swect! Flowery flelds for wandering feet, Peaceful calm for sleepless eyes, Life for death and songs for sighs. Rest remaineth—hush that sigh; Mourning pilgrim, rest is nigh; Yet a season, bright and blest, Thou shall enter on thy rest. Rest remaineth—rest from sin— Guilt can never enter in; Every warring thought shall cease, Rest in purity and peace. Rest remaineth—rest from tears, Rest from parting, rest from fears; Every trembling thought shall be’ Lost, my Saviour, lost in Thee. Rest remaineth—oh! how blest! We believe, and we have rest. Faith, reposing faith hath been *Mongst the things that are not seen. Thus, my Saviour, let me be Even here at rest in Thee; And, at last, by Thee possessed, On Thy bosom sink to rest.’’ _ ooo Rest. In summer time thousands seek rest for body and mind on the mountains, in the val- leys, and at the sea shore. But there is a rest which you may enjoy without going to any summer-resort. It is the sweet and pre- cious soul-rest which is found in Jesus. Sin is the cause of the soul’s restlessness, and we can not enjoy true rest until we have found forgiveness of sin by faith in the Saviour. He calls all laboring and heavy laden sinners to come unto Him and promises to give them rest. These are His words: ‘‘Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy Jaden, and I will give you rest.’’ - Precious words! Could any invitation be plainer, kinder, more far-reaching? How many weary, sin-burdened souls it has helped! It is an invitation to all heavy laden sinners. Are you laboring under the knowledge of your sin and have you become heavy laden with the sense of your guilt? Instead of that being a Teason for staying where you’ are, and perish- St. Louis, Mo., August, 1898. ing forever, it ought to cause you to come to Jesus at once and have rest given you, by forgiveness being granted. You are of the very class invited, no matter who you are, nor what you are. To you Jesus says, ‘‘Come unto me, and I will give you rest.’’ Precious words! He does not say, come, after your labors have accomplished some- thing that satisfies you; come, when you have thrown off your burden by your own strength ; but come while laboring, come, while heavy laden. Nor does He say, I will sell you rest, I will grant you rest under certain conditions. No. He says, come just as you are, come without a moment’s delay, and I, not you, I will give you rest. Rest is the free gift of Him who stands ready with outstretched arms to receive all that come, and who says, ‘‘Him that cometh to me,’’ however bad he is, ‘‘him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.’’ And it is not the manner of our coming, but Christ that gives rest. ‘‘I will give rest,’’ He says. We may stumble and fall, but no matter, so we get to Him, to Him in whom we have forgiveness of all our sins and life everlasting. The moment we come to Him, that is, the moment we trust in Him as our Saviour, we have rest, peaceful rest. This He pledges by His own promise, ‘‘I will give you rest.’? Take Him at His word. That is faith. He can not lie. The rest which the believer enjoys by faith in Jesus in the kingdom of grace is but a fore- taste of the rest in the kingdom of glory. “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God,”’ Hebr. 4, 9. When the weary week of the believer’s life in this world comes to an end, he enters upon the everlasting Sab- path, the everlasting rest in the glories of heaven. There I shall lie, in my sweet home above, On Jesus’ breast; There I shall fully know my Saviour’s love, There I shall rest. ———>- oo + Sins Blotted Out. “J, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins,’’ Isaiah 43, 25. No. 8. Two young men were once walking by the sea-shore; one was a true Christian, but his companion was still unsaved, though he often thought of his sins. After walking along some time, they both turned, and looking back, saw the long-line of foot-prints they had made on the sands behind them. At once it flashed on the mind of one, ‘‘That is just like my sins— what a life-time’s record!’’ They both sat down on the sea-shore, and the Christian be- gan to talk to his companion, and show him the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, and how simple it was. As they were speaking together, they noticed the tide coming gradu- ally in, and the water quickly covering, and ‘“‘hlotting out’’ the footprints on the sand, and thus the young man who was unconverted was led to see that the blood of Jesus was suffi- cient to cover all his sins, however great and many, and he was saved through faith in His atoning death for him. + oa Ten Good Friends. “Qh, that I also had a few good friends that would help me through life,” sighed lazy Jack. ‘Good friends ?—why, my dear, you have ten,’’ replied his neighbor. ‘Nonsense! I haven’t so many, and those that I have are too poor to help me.”’ said, ‘‘Yes, I have ten fingers.” “Then never again say that you haven’t ten good friends that are ready to help you. They are given to you by God for work. friends before you look to others for help. Remember the Bible says, ‘‘If any would not. work, neither should he eat,’’ 2 Thess. 3, 10. —__2—- oo Jesus. “What the hand Is to the lute, - What the breath is to the flute, Fragrance to the sense of smell, Secret spring to bubbling well, Honeyed flower to hungry bee, That is Jesus Curisr to me.” ‘Count your fingers, thumbs and all,’” said his neighbor. Jack looked at his hands and Therefore see what you can do with these your ~