The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1879, Page 31

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

31

ner, so that he can rejoice in his Lord and
triumphantly say with the words of Paul, “If
God be for us, who can be against us? He that
spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up
for us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay any-
thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God
that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth?
It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen
again, who is even at the right hand of God,
who also maketh intercession for us.’’

As an auxiliary means the Lord will also use
afflictions to convert a sinner. Concerning this
the prophet Isaiah says chapter 26, 16.: ‘‘Lord,
in trouble have they visited Thee, they poured
out a prayer when Thy chastening was upon
them.’’ In poverty, sickness, and pain many
have turned unto God who would not obey his
gracious call in days of health and prosperity.

How is it with you, my dear friend, are you
converted? I now ask you before the omniscient
God, and upon the evidence of your own con-
science: 1) Whether you are truly sensible,
and with a contrite heart acknowledge and la-
ment not only that you are by nature a sinner,
but that you have in various ways, by the
omission of duty, and by sinful thoughts, de-
sires, words, and actions grieved and offended
the Lord, your God and Saviour, and that you
have deserved that He should banish you from
His presence and condemn you to everlasting
punishment?

2) I ask you: Whether you truly believe
that Jesus Christ has come into the world to
save sinners, and that all who believe in His
name do receive the forgiveness of their sins?
Is it, therefore, your fervent desire to be de-
livered from your sins and guilt; and are you
persuaded that our heavenly Father is willing
for Jesus Christ’s sake to be gracious unto you,
to forgive you all your sins, to cleanse you from
all unrighteousness, and to sanctify you unto
Himself?

8) I ask you, Whether you are fully re-
solyed henceforth to submit yourself to the
gracious direction of the Holy Spirit, that so
you may evermore strive to hate and to forsake
all manner of evil, to walk circumspectly before
God, and daily to grow-in holiness of heart and
life? You are converted if you can answer
these questions in the affirmative with an up-
right heart.

But what will you do ifso far you have served
sin and Satan on the broad road that leads to
hell? Will you continue in your wickedness?
Will you die in your sins? Will you neglect,
despise, and reject that great salvation which
Jesus has procured for you by His sufferings
and death? Will you be lost and condemned
forever? I hope not. I hope you will turn
unto God before it is too late, that your sins
may be forgiven for Jesus’ sake, and your soul
may be saved forever. Amen. J. F. D.

—— + 0 oe

‘Tr a man chooses to oppose the will of God,
he need not wonder if he will once find the will
of God opposed to him.”

The Life of Dr. Martin Luther.

Vit.
BEGINNING OF THE REFORMATION.

Luther had found peace and comfort for his
troubled heart only in the grace and mercy of
God through the merits of our dear Saviour.
The notion that forgiveness of sins could be
bought and sold for money was horrible to him,
and his heart was saddened to see the poor
people led away from the only way to salvation
by the preaching of John Tetzel. He wrote to
several bishops of the church begging them to
make Tetzel stop his selling Indulgences; but
they paid no attention to him. Luther now
considered it his duty as pastor of the congre-
gation at Wittenberg and as Doctor of the Holy
Scriptures to defend the truth, and resolved to
act alone. He drew up ninety-five Theses, or
propositions on religious doctrine. On the 31st
of October, 1517, Luther nailed those 95 Theses
against the abuse of Indulgences to the door of
the Castle-Church at Wittenberg. Stroke!
stroke! stroke! went the hammer, and the
strokes of that hammer rang in the new day of
pure Gospel-light. It was the beginning of the
Reformation, and therefore the Lutheran
Church still celebrates every year with joy and
thanksgiving the festival of the Reformation on
the thirty-first day of October.

The next day being a festival day, many
people came to the city from far and near, and
read, and discussed the Theses nailed to the
chureh-door. The first thesis reads thus:
‘When our Lord und Master Jesus Christ said,
Repent ye, His will was that the whole life of
His believers on earth should be a continual
repentance.” In another thesis Luther says:
‘Every true Christian, whether living or dead,
is partaker of all the blessings of Christ and of
the Church, through the gift of God; and that,
too, without a letter of Indulgence.’’ Thus
Luther confesses that faith alone saves and
justifies before God. Thousands of anxious
souls who had been tormented by doubts wel-
comed this precious Gospel-light. Their poor
hearts had long since sighed for this doctrine,
and with joy they heard the sound of the Gospel
coming from Wittenberg. In a few days the
Theses had spread over all Germany, and in a
few weeks they were read throughout all Eu-
rope. It was as though the angels had become
messengers and borne them before the eyes of
all men. No pen can describe the noise they
made; nearly every person was pleased with
them. When the pious monk, Dr. Fleck, read
the Theses, he cried out in the height of his
joy: Ho, ho! this man will do it: he comes,
upon whom we have waited so long.’’ He then
wrote a very consoling letter to Luther and

the right path, and God and all the prayers of
the captives in the Romish Babylon would be
with him.

Others again were alarmed and frightened.
‘A celebrated Doctor, who received Luther's

told him, to go on in good cheer, as he was on:

Theses on his death-bed a few days before his
death, cried out: ‘‘Go to your cell, good brother,
and pray: Lord, haye mercy upon me’, by
which he meant that the poor monk, Martin
Luther, could not succeed in his battle against
the mighty pope.
“My dear brother Martin, if you can abolish
purgatory and the papal hawking and huckster-
ing, you will be a great hero indeed.”’
said to his friends: ‘If the work is not begun
in God’s name, it will soon come to naught;
but if it is begun in His name, let Him do as
seems to Him good.’’
pitz he says: ‘Let Christ see to it whether the
cause be mine or His. To the kind admonitions
of my friends who warn me of danger, my
answer is, ‘The poor man has no fears’.
test, that property, reputation, and honors shall
all be of no estimation with me, compared with
the defence of truth. I have only a frail body
to lose, and that is weighed down with constant
fatigue. Ifin obedience to God I lose it through
violence or fraud, what is the loss of a few
hours of life? Sufficient for me is the lovely
Redeemer and Advocate, my Lord Jesus Christ,
to whose praise I will sing as long as I live.’’

An old clergyman said:

Luther

In a letter to Dr. Stau-

I pro-

When Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the

church-door at Wittenberg, he did not do it
out of pride, he did not do it with the intention
of becoming a great man.
because his conscience would not allow him to

Oh, no! He did it

remain silent when he saw thousands cheated,
not only out of their money, but out of their

soul’s salvation. He himselfsays: ‘‘Who was I,
a miserable and despised brother, looking then
more like a corpse than a man, that I should set

myself against the majesty of the pope, who

was a terror not only to the kings of the earth
and to the whole world, but also to heaven and
hell, if I may so speak, and at whose nod all
must obey.
in that first and second year, and in what hu-

What and how my heart suffered

mility, which was not false nor feigned, but
most real, I would almost say in what despair,
I Inbored, about this the secure spirits who

afterwards with great pride and presumption
attacked the majesty of the pope, know, alas!

but little.’’

Trust in God’s Word!

Some time ago a doctor was called to see a
young lady who was very sick andjmear her
death. Being an old friend of hers, he also
talked to her about the state of her soul.

Are you quite happy? he asked.

No, sir, she said.

Why, are you not saved?

I am not sure of it.

But why are you not sure of it? Do you be-
lieve in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Yes, but I do not feel as if I was saved.

Do you feel as if you were lost?

Yes, I feel so, she said, and then began to
cry.

setae do you know that you are lost?
Because I am a sinner and God's Word says 0.