# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1903_S14 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) ; i f his own brothers from starvation. _ Joseph could say to his brothers later on, ‘‘Ye The Lutheran Pioneer. The First Article. Or Gop's GovERNMENT. We praise, we worship Thee, we trust, And give Thee thanks forever, O Father, that Thy rule is just, And wise, and changes never: Thy boundless power o’er all things reigns, Done is whate’er Thy will ordains; Well for us that Thou reignest! Thus we sing in the well-known hymn of our church. God rules over all, and all things are done according to His will; for ‘‘the Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all,’’ Ps. 103, 18. But as God rules the universe, so He also rules each individual creature’s life. ‘‘He de- fends me against all danger, guards and pro- tects me from all evil.’” God prevents the falling brick from killing me, and protects me from the plague that walketh in darkness. He protected Daniel in the lions’ den, He defended David against the spear hurled against him by Saul. He that keepeth us shall neither slum- ber nor sleep; He will preserve our going out and our coming in. Let us not think that there is anything too small and insignificant for God’s care; for eyen the hairs on our head are numbered. The psalmist tells us that God saw us before we were born and that all our members were written in His book when as yet there was none of them. Nothing, nothing happens without God’s will. There is no such thing as chance. God sends sorrow and suffering upon the ungodly as a punishment, upon the godly as a chas- tisement. God does, indeed, not want evil done upon earth, for He forbids and punishes evildoing. Often He also brings to naught the evil plans of men. Pharaoh, who would bring back the Israelites, must drown in the Red Sea; Herod is prevented from slaying the Christ-child, by its flight into Egypt; Peter, who had been cast into prison, is liberated by the angel of God. And when the Lord does not prevent the evil, He makes it serve His designs of wisdom and love. When Joseph’s brothers would kill him, God turned their hearts from this evil design; but when the Ishmaelite merchants appeared upon the scene, the brothers de- cided to sell Joseph. This evil plan God did » not prevent from being executed, but had it to serve His good purpose. Joseph rises to great honors in Egypt, and becomes the means of saving the Egyptians, his old father, and Therefore thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good,’’ Gen. 50, 20. Ee The most awful crime that ever was com- mitte was not done without God’s will. The 8 Son of God was nailed to the cross ugh He were the greatest of criminals. et God so ruled all that by the greatest of crimes the greatest blessings were brought to all mankind. In killing the Son of God the devil destroyed himself and brought destruc- tion upon his kingdom. God everywhere has sway, And all things serve His might; His every act pure blessing is, His path unsullied light. F. J. L. CHRIST IS RISEN. “He is risen! He is risen! Tell it with a joyful voice; He has burst His three days’ prison, Let the whole wide world rejoice. Death is vanquished, man {is free, Christ has won the victory.” —_———s>~-+ Pe Do You Want Peace? You can find peace in Jesus only, for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into this world of sin, and misery, and woe, to procure peace for sinners. At His birth the angels sang, *‘Peace on earth.’? On the cross He became a sacrifice for sin— a substitute for man— enduring the judgment of God against sin, and having put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, He is raised again from the dead by the glory of the Father, and is seated in the glory at the right hand of God, as the proof of God’s satisfaction with the work He has accomplished for sinners. Do you want peace with God? You can find itin Jesus. ‘‘He hath made peace by the blood of His cross.’’ ‘‘He is our peace.’’ See Him by faith, on the cross for you. Behold Him suffering for you that great agony which pressed from His lips that ery of woe: ‘‘My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?’ Look at the empty grave, look up into glory, by faith see Him there for you, beyond death, and you may say, ‘‘He loved me,’’ ‘‘He was delivered for my offenses, He was raised again for my justification. ‘Therefore, being justi- fied by faith, I have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’’ ——s+-<—>er oo A Searching Question. A reader sends us the following simple lines, calling them a searching question: ‘What kind of a church would my church be If every member were just like me?”’ Our friend is right. The lines present a searching question, which has a wide applica- tion, and which includes many other questions. For instance: If-every member were just like me, would the services of the church be well attended? If every member were just like me, would there be hearty singing at the church services? If every member were just like me, would the pastor find help and encouragement in his efforts to lead souls into the kingdom of Christ? How about the parish school if every member followed my example? How much money would there be in the church treasury if all the rest gave as Ido? If every member were just like me, would the congregation do its duty in regard to the institutions and mis- sion work of the Church? It is a searching question, but a wholesome one: “What kind of a church would my church be If every member were just like me?” “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth.” Early on Easter morning of April 1, 1548, Sigismund, King of Poland, 81 years old, en- tered along with his courtiers into his beauti- ful chapel, and looked reflectively into his marble tomb, which he had ordered to be made for himself. He felt that the hour was near at hand when he must exchange his throne for his coffin, his royal robe for his shroud, and deeply sighing, said: ‘‘I know that my Re- deemer liveth; He will clothe me again with this my skin. He will wake me up out of this little chamber in which I shall rest, and with these mine eyes I shall see my Saviour, who on this day rose from the dead.”’ Then he fell upon his knees, and whilst he was praying, the hour had come which he had anticipated ; his soul ascended to the presence of Him who is the resurrection and the life.