The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1879, Page 13

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The Lutheran Pioneer,

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PuxsiisHED BY THE HvanceLicaL LuraeraN SynopicaL ConFERENCE or Nortu AMERICA.

Edited by Prof. R. A. BISCHOFF.

Vol. I.

Sie ciseNnros TaneeT Om

Senp, 0 God, a gentle shower,

For my heart is dry as sand;
Father, bathe Thy drooping flower,
Water Thou Thy thirsty land;

Let Thy Holy Spirit’s boon

O’er me from Thy heavenly throne
Like abundant streams be flowing,
Blessings on my heart bestowing.

If e’en human fathers, being
Naturally evil, know

How to give unto their children
Only good gifts here below:

How much more dost Thou the same,
For “Good Father” is Thy name!
Thou wilt send to me Thy Spirit,

His good gifts I shall inherit. *

Jesus, who for my salvation
To Thy Father didst ascend,
Hear my earnest supplication,
Unto me Thy Spirit send.

Let the Comforter for aye

Be with me and teach me stay
Steadfast in the truth forever,
That in faith I may not waver.

Holy Ghost, strength of the simple,
Make abode in my poor heart;

Let me ever be Thy temple,

A most welcome guest Thou art.

Do Thou purify my heart,

Cast out all things that might part
Me from those sweet joys of heaven,
Which by Thee to faith are given.

With Thy gifts my heart endowing,
Make it new and clean and fair;
Let it in true love be glowing

And enjoy Thy grace fore’er;
Grant me courage, bold and good,
Sanctify my flesh and blood,

That I, trusting in Christ’s merit,
Worship God in truth and spirit.

Thus myself I will deliver,
Lord; to Thee; my heart shall strive
Only after heaven forever,
Until there I shall arrive,

~ Where the Father and the Son
And Thyself in heaven’s high throne
I shall praise and all Thy treasures
In angelic, heavenly measures.

_M. Kramer, 1683.
A. Crull, Tr., 1879.

el

© Matth. 7, 11.

(For the ‘‘Lutheran Pioncer’’.)

Whitsuntide.

Pentecost.

In the second chapter of the Acts we find the
glorious event recorded which the Church of the
New Testament joyfully commemorates on the
great festival day of Pentecost.—Pentecost
means the fiftieth day, and was celebrated by
the Jews of the Old Testament in memory of
the giving of the law at Mount Sinai, fifty days
after they had eaten the passover and left the
land of Egypt. Our Pentecost, the Pentecost
of the Church of the New Testament is a far
more joyful festival. It is not a festival of the
Jaw, but a festival of the Gospel. We on that
day commemorate the great event of the out-
pouring of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles,
the messengers of the Gospel, fifty days after
the resurrection and ten days after the ascen-
sion of Christ. They were on that day assem-
bled together in a certain house, waiting for
the promised Comforter; when ‘‘suddenly there
came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing
mighty wind, and it filled all the house where
they were sitting. And there appeared unto
them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat
upon each of them. And they were all filled
with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utter-
ance’. As this happened at the time of the
great Jewish festival, there were then in Jeru-
salem many people from all parts of the known
world, having come to visit the temple. Upon
the report of what had happened, the multi-
tude hurried to the place, and how astonished
were they, when they heard the Apostles
speaking to the mixed assembly in a great var-
iety of tongues. Men of Europe, men of Asia,
and men of Africa were there, and every one
of them heard the Apostles speak to him in his
own language the wonderful works of God.
Some, indeed, mockingly said, These men are
full of new wine. They must have thought
that a man could learn to speak different
languages by getting drunk. But Peter lifted
up his voice and told them that they were not
drunk, it being but the third hour of the day,
that is 9 o’clock in the morning; but that this
was the fulfillment of that which was spoken
by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass
in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my

in the Sacrament of Baptism.

are the infallible Word of God.

this working of the Holy Spirit!

No. 4.

Spirit upon all flesh. And Peter then spoke to
the multitude about Jesus, the Son of God,
whom the Jews had crucified and put to death,
but whom God had raised up, and who now
sitteth on the right hand of God and had on
this day sent down the Holy Spirit and had
shed forth what they saw and heard. The
truth pierced through the hearts of many like
a dagger; many were baptized for the remission
of sins, and thus three thousand souls were con-
verted on that day.—Thus the foundation of
the Church of the New Testament was laid by
the power of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel and
This Gospel
was then spread by the Apostles from Jerusalem
to the uttermost part of the earth, and the
Church of Christ was built up in different lands
and among different nations. Having been
called to lay the foundation of this Church, the
Apostles received miraculous gifts by the out-
pouring of the Holy Ghost. They before knew
no language but their own, now, however, they
had suddenly been enabled to speak the lan-
guages of different nations. They before were
timid and easily frightened, but now they had
courage and boldness to speak the truth in the
face of all their enemies; they were no longer
cowards, but a noble band of heroes marching
out into the world, not with swords and helm-
ets, but with God’s Word, calling sinners to
repentance; they were no longer afraid of the
wisdom and the power of the men of this world,
but bravely did their work in the very face of
death. They before did often not understand
the sayings of Christ, but now they understood
all perfectly; they received wisdom from
heaven; they were inspired and enlightened, so
that they could not err whenever they spoke
and wrote as the Apostles of Christ. We there--
fore know with certainty that all their writings

The Church having been established, such
extraordinary gifts of the Spirit were no longer
needed. But is not the Spirit still active in
the Church? Yes, in the Word of God and in
the Holy Sacraments the Holy Spirit still
works, bringing sinners to repentance and to
faith, and giving strength and comfort to all’
believers. Happy are they that do not resist

Happy are