The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1880, Page 9

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MI

SSIONARY MONTHLY.

PuBLIsHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LuTHERAN SynopicAL Conrerence or Norta AMERICA.

Edited by Prof. R. A. BISCHOFF.

Entered at the Post Oflice at St. Louis, Mo., a3 second-class matter.

Vol. Il.

St. Louis, Mo., May, 1880. No. 3

Ascension.

On Christ’s ascension, hopeful cheer!
I ground my hope of heaven;

This trust dispels all doubtful fear,
To which at times I’m given:

For where He is, the risen Head,

His members, rising from the dead,
Will in good time be gathered.

Since Christ, my Lord, to heaven has gone,
And there with great gifts reigneth,
My longing heart in heaven alone,
Else nowhere rest obtaineth;

My Treasure and my Joy is there,
There is my heart, and all my care
Is hourly to be with Him.

Dear Lord, still Jet such loving grace
From Thy ascension cheer me,
That steadfastly before Thy face
I press through faith more near Thee ;
And when Thou’rt pleased to come
for me,

- Let me with joy depart to Thee:

Lord, hear my supplication!
(Ev. Luth, Hymnal.)

>. ~<a oo

Ascension.

Our picture shows us Christ
ascending into heaven from a
mountain called Olivet. After
having shown Himself alive to his
disciples for forty days, He was
there visibly present with them
for the last time. He spoke with them about
the Kingdom of Heaven, and told them to stay
in Jerusalem and wait for the outpouring of
the Holy Ghost. ‘‘And it came to pass, while
He blessed them, He was parted from them.”
Their eager eyes saw Him rising higher and
higher into the air, until a cloud took Him out
of their view. The King of glory entered the
majesty on high, and with shouts of triumph He
was welcomed to the glory which He had with
the Father before the world was. For it is
written, ‘‘God is gone up with a shout, the Lord
with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to
God, sing praises!’” (Psalm 47, 5. 6.) So we
rejoice on Ascension Day; for we know that
Christ, ascending on high, ‘has led captivity

captive,’ and has “received gifts for men; yea, | righteousness, with your own good works, with
for the rebellious also’? (Psalm 68, 18.). He] your own good feelings, or with anything that
came into our world of sin to snap the chains by | you find in your sinful self? Oh, throw away
which Sin, Death, Devil and Hell held us cap-| those filthy rags! How can you dare to try to
tivesand slaves. By His life, His sufferings and | adorn that bright, that beautiful finished work
His death He redeemed us out of this slavery, |of Christ with those dirty rags of your own?
and having finished the work of our redemption, | God will tear them away and fling them from
He, the great Conqueror, ascended on high | Him in His wrath. He wants nothing beside
leading our captivity captive. Iv ts Frntsep! | that finished work of Christ. This He offers
This is the ery of victory from the cross. Ir]unto you in the Gospel. Oh, then, take it
Is FInisHeD! This is the cry of triumph fromi | with the hand of faith! Finding nothing good
the empty grave on Easter morning. Ir ts|in your own sinful self, come as a poor sinner
and trust in that finished work
of the Saviour! You will then
be a happy man; you will have
forgiveness of sin and life ever-
lasting. ‘‘He that believeth on
the Son hath everlasting life’’
(John 3, 36.). And in all the
tempests and sorrows of this world
you can be a happy child of God,
for you have the sure hope of
eternal joy in heaven. There will
be a day—and that day is at
hand—when Jesus will come in
like manner as he was seen going
to heaven. He will take His
faithful children to their heavenly
home, and, having become happy
children of God, we shall then be
“forever with the Lord,” saved
by the finished work of our Say-
iour. In this sure hope you, too,
may sing rejoicingly :

FINISHED! - This triumphant shout we hear
again from the Mount of Olivet on Ascension
Day. Yes, it is finished, the work of our
redemption is finished, and nothing has been
left undone. Christ therefore, before His as-
cension, told His disciples to go out into the
world and preach the Gospel to all creatures. ,
That Gospel is the glad news of the finished Ler us follow the Lamb by setting our af-
work of our redemption. Will you reject this | fections on heavenly things, for the world prom-
Gospel? In that Gospel the finished work of] ises delights which it never gives. It deceives
Christ is offered unto you, and if you reject it, } all who trust in it. But, oh! the riches of di-
oh, if you reject it, you thereby reject your vine grace and glory which Christ will bestow
salvation; for outside of that finished work of} on his own! There is no honor like a relation
Christ there is nothing in the universe of God | to Christ; no riches like the graces of Christ;
that can save you. Or will you try to adorn |no learning like the knowledge of Christ; no
that finished work of Christ with your own persons like the servants of Christ.—w. ©.

‘ta, LITTLE while’ our Lord shall come
And we shall wander here no more;
He’ll take us to our Father’s home,
Where he for us has gone before—
To dwell with Him, to see His face,
And sing the glories of His GRACE.”

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