# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1903_S15 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) The Lutheran Pioneer. eee —eoO8S SSO 0m “Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense.” ~ When, at the time of the Schleswig-Holstein War, in the year 1864, the city of Schleswig was taken and the Danish soldiers were forced to withdraw, a Prussian artillery officer and his men camped in the castle of Gluecksburg. The beautiful castle made a sad appearance. The Danish soldiers had played sad havoc within. With a sad look the officer went through the devastated apartments and finally entered the chapel of the castle. Here, too, everything was destroyed, with the exception of a fine organ, which had been left untouched. Long- ing to hear its beautiful strains, he called one of his gunners to blow the organ for him, and soon the chapel resounded with the full notes of the choral: ‘Jesus Christ, My Sure De- fense.’’ It had already grown dark and the player had just started to leave, when sud- denly a man, with tears in his eyes, approached him, and firmly grasping his hands, said, ‘‘You probably have no idea of the kindness you have just now shown me; God bless you!”’ With this remark the man hurried from the chapel. Some months after, our artillery officer, who for several weeks had been in Jutland, was ordered to withdraw his men to Schleswig. Here he was quartered at the house of a prom- inent official, who, together with his feeble wife and two daughters (all dressed in mourn- ing), treated him very kindly. “The Prussian officers are no strangers to us any more,” said the woman; ‘‘my husband loves them, and so dowe.’? ‘Yes, but not for political reasons,”’ added her husband with a smile; ‘‘we love them because a Prussian officer once showed me a kindness for which I am indebted to him for life. Permit me to tell you my story. “My wife was afllicted with a severe illness. Medical skill afforded her no relief, and death seemed to be nigh. I was greatly troubled by the loss of property during the war. More sickness came and our oldest son died of the scarlet fever. At this time the struggle at Schleswig took place, and in that battle my last son fell. I followed him to his tomb, full of sadness, and returned from his burial with a broken heart. Soon after this I was called to the castle of Gluecksburg. I thought to myself, Both sons lost, and at my home a poor afllicted wife! Oh, it is more than I can bear! What could I do? The temptation assailed my despondent heart, ‘Why not pring all this ‘misery to an end?’ I glanced through the window and beheld the waters below which seemed to beckon me. A leap—and all would be over! —But hark! ‘The soft notes of an organ: ‘Jesus Christ, my sure Defense, and my Saviour ever liveth.’ My comfortless heart was stirred by the tune of this Easter hymn. It lifted up my despairing soul. I thanked God on my knees for this hour in which I was born anew. But much as J desired to do so, I could not, at the time, express MY thanks to the man who played that hymn- Still, I have heaven to finish the work which His father not forgotten him, and I have often wished that I might have on opportunity to express my thanks to him.’’ When he had ended the officer arose from his seat, saying, ‘‘In the household of our Lord certainly nothing is wasted. Though it be but a word or a hymn—it brings forth fruit in due season.’’? Then he went to the organ and again played the Easter hymn: ‘‘Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense.”?” Geo. Sracu. gave Him to do. He came to work our salva- tion; neither did He rest till all was done. To-morrow, dear John, is Easter day. It tells us that Christ is risen. By raising Christ from the dead the Father said, ‘The work is done.’ I did not really doubt you when you said your work was done; your folded hands proved to me at once that your week’s labor was over. And a pleasant thing it is, on a Saturday night, to sit down and say, It is all done; to-morrow I can rest! But strange it is that you, who speak so confidently upon your work being done, cannot trust the Son of God. To-morrow is Easter day, dear John. The Lord is risen, He is risen indeed! ‘The work of our redemption is done, perfectly done. The Father in heaven is perfectly satisfied with that work of His Son. He accepted that work as perfectly done and finished, by raising Christ from the dead. Now, why are not you satisfied, John?” Old Uncle Brown looked at his friend in silence for a while and then cried out, ‘‘I am satisfied, I am satisfied !’’ The simple illustration was used by God to give peace to old Uncle Brown’s soul. May it bring peace to you also, dear reader. Instead of toiling, striving, laboring, day by day, may you rest in the finished work of Christ. Christian Youth. The Child’s Prayer. ++ eo oe Easter Talk with Old Uncle Brown. John Brown, the saddler, was known in his village as a trustworthy workman, who took an honest pride in doing well whatever he had to do. But John was in trouble about his soul; he was not satisfied about himself; he feared death, and, for the unsaved, that aw- ful certainty after death—‘‘the judgment.” Though old Uncle Brown professed to believe in Jesus, yet he was doubting and longed for peace. One Saturday evening—it was the evening before Easter day—a friend of the saddler, who knew his anxiety of soul, called on him. The week’s work was just oyer, the last stroke had been given to the piece in hand, and John was putting down his tools, exclaiming, “That job’s done,”’ and as he set his harness upon the table, his friend saw that he looked at it with the satisfaction of one whose hard week’s labor was ended. Looking at the work, and then at the work- man, his friend exclaimed, “Why, John, how is this? What, you fold your hands, and sit down? Do you mean to call this harness finished ?”’ “Sir,” eried the saddler, with some little indignation, ‘‘when I-say a job is done, it is done. It means done, and well and properly done, too.” ‘“‘How so, John?” said the friend in a ques- tioning tone; ‘what! you call it finished, do you?’’ “To be sure, I do—I am not one of the scamping sort — and it is finished,’’ John warmly replied, viewing his work with greater satisfaction. ‘Then I am to believe you, am 1?”’ was the question, and again put in a doubting tone. Now, old Uncle Brown would never allow anybody to question his word, and he was not at all pleased with the way his friend talked. He considered his word true and honest, and his work the very best he could give his cus- tomers. Observing his feeling his friend continued, ‘tAh, John, sol am to believe you, am I? and yet you won't believe the Lord Jesus?”’ Here Uncle Brown was perplexed. What was his friend driving at? “Yes,” he continued, ‘‘you say you believe Him, and yet you doubt His word. He said upon the cross, ‘It is finished.’ He came from James and his two little sisters were ac- customed to saying their evening prayers at mother’s knee before going to bed. Dear mother was taken so sick one day that she was not able to leave her bed nor see to herchildren. Evening came and the children not thinking of such a thing as going to bed without saying their prayers knelt at mother’s bedside and prayed as they had been taught. When they were through, there was a slight pause, and little James continued: ‘‘Dear Lord, you know father cannot cook and we children can’t either; so please make mother well, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.” The child’s ‘‘prayer of faith’? was answered, mother was soon well again and able to care for father and the children. —- oe oe Tell the News. Huber, the great naturalist, tells us, that if a single wasp discovers & deposit of honey or other food, he will return to his nest and im- part the good news to his companions, who will sally forth in great numbers to partake of the fare which has been discovered for them. Shall we who have found honey in the rock Jesus Christ be less considerate of our fellow men than wasps are of their fellow insects? Ought we not rather, like the Samaritan woman, hasten to tell the good news?— Spurgeon. — 2-0 or oe Wuex I am too sad to pray, then I begin to sing. — Martin Luther.