The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1880, Page 10

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10 ‘The Lutheran Pioneer.

that is able to read, so that each may consider
one Bible as exclusive property and use it as
such. Train your children to read the Bible
themselves when alone, and not only to hear
it read during the morning or evening devotion
of the whole household. Young man, don’t be
ashamed to place a Bible among your books:
don’t be ashamed of using it. Young lady,
throw away that trashy novel or book, and use
the Bible, which a pious mother admonished
you to read and, perhaps, has even made you
a present of. Get one, if you have none. Don’t
pack it away in your trunk, to be brought to
light only once a year. Don’t think that to be
seen with a Bible disgraces you with your
mistress or your friends.

But we must remember, too, that we pur-
chase a Bible for use. Therefore, if you pur-
chase a Bible for your own use, or for others,
then don’t procure one of so fine print, that it
cannot be read without great effort, and injury
to the eyes. Such small print Bibles, of course,
are small in size and very convenient. But
though it may be called a triumph of the
printer’s art’ to produce a Bible which can be
carried about in the vest-pocket, yet there is
no service done thereby to those using their
Bibles every day; too fine print will either
keep them from reading often, or else injure
their eye-sight. On the other hand, it is not
less inadvisable to purchase one of those large,
costly, gilt-edged Bibles, without or with en-
gravings, unless you can afford to use the
same daily, or have another for common use.
Generally those costly Bibles are bought for
show, or to be laid away snug and safe, never
to be touched except to admire the beautiful
binding and finish of the book. F. B.

~~ ~<a 0 >

On Prayer.

a DIVINE Person. Our Lutheran Catechism,
therefore, gives us the true Bible-answer to the
On the festival day of Pentecost the Church | question, Who is God the Holy Spirit? The
commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Ghost | answer is this: ‘1 IS THE THIRD PERSON IN
upon the apostles, which event we find recorded | THE GODIEAD, who from eternity proceeds
in the second chapter of the Acts. By that| from the Father and the Son, and regenerates
outpouring of the Holy Spirit the apostles and sanctifies us through the Word and the
received extraordinary gifts which were neces-| Sacraments.”
sary for establishing the Church. They were ~——+ + oo
enabled to speak different Janguages; they (For the ‘Lutheran Pioneer.’’)
were enlightened with infallible wisdom; they What to Buy and How to Buy.
were filled with courage to preach the Gospel
in the very face of death. The Holy Spirit,! Though you have ever so many books and
however, is still active in the Church and does) yet have no Bible, go and purchase one. The
His work of regenerating and sanctifying men | Bible is the first and best of all books that have
through the means of grace—the Word of God} been written- or ever will be written. It is
and the Holy Sacraments. Now, some people} THE Book, the book of books. God is its
have false notions about the Holy Spirit. Let) author, nota man. It is the only book written
us therefore see who the Holy Spirit is. by God, it is the Word of God. It contains

HE IS A PERSON. that information about sin, redemption, for-

‘Some people think Him to be but a mere giveness of sin, heaven, hell, Christian holiness,
power, a mere influence; but we can’t see how yea of God himself, which cannot be obtained
an attentive reader of the Bible can deny that from any other source. It is the most useful
He is a PERSON. ‘There are many passages book. It is a guide-book for the seekers after
that go to prove this. We shall only quote a truth, and for those who want information in
few.. Jesus says to His disciples in the 14th regard to what becometh a Christian under all
chapter of John, 16th and 17th verses: “J wil] | Possible circumstances. It is an infallible text-
pray the Father, and He shall give you another book of doctrine. : It admonishes the fallen; it
Comforter, ‘that He may abide with you for-| Proves and terrifies the wicked. It comforts
ever. Even the Spirit of Truth, zxhom the|! distress of every kind; it sooths the fears
world cannot receive because it seeth Him not, and pangs of conscience by the gospel; it cheers
neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him, for the Christian, when afflicted with bodily suffer-
He dwelleth with you and shall be in you.’’|9& and want. The Bible is also the most
Here we hear Christ in speaking of the Holy | entertaining and instructive book. Do you
Spirit, using the words ‘‘He”’ and ‘‘Him”’ and prefer to read history? The Bible is full of
“whom”, From this it is plain that the Holy history, as it describes, for instance, the earliest
Spirit isa person. Again, Christ says in the} 28% of the world i the history of the people of
28th chapter of Matthew, 19th verse: ‘‘Go ye Israel from its origin to the coming of Christ; the
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them life, words, and deeds of Jesus; the beginning
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and growth of the earliest Christian Church.
and of the Holy Ghost.’ From this we learn} D0 you love poetry? The poetry of the Bible,
that the Holy Spirit is a Person as truly as the particulary in the Psalms, surpasses that of all
Father and-the Son, and we learn, too, that|@ucient or modern poets. Are you a philo-
He is a Person distinct from the Father and the|®°pher, a thinker? The Bible contains the
Son. Again, in many passages of the Bible soundest reasoning and infinitely deep thoughts.
men are said to vex, to blaspheme, to grieve Are you a lawyer? The Bible contains those

the Spirit, which they could not do, unless He laws that are the foundation of all human
infalpERSON. legislation and institutions. By all means, add

the Bible to your collection of books. Your

ne US EN See bgnG library will be incomplete without it—When
He is called God. We could quote many} you are buying books and you recollect that
passages, but Jet us only read Acts 5, 3. 4.:| you have no Bible, purchase it first of all, even
‘Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled} though this will require all the money you have.
thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep| You cannot get better and more suitable read-
back part of the price of the land? While it) ing for your leisure hours, for Sunday, for the
remained was it not thine own? and after it} morning when you have just risen, for the
was sold, was it not in thine own power? why | evening immediately before retiring.—The best
hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?/ present to a friend is a Bible.—If your son or
thou hast not lied unto men but unto God.’’| daughter leaves your home to become servants,
From this it is quite plain that the Holy Spirit! or to travel, or to seek a new home, or after
is a Divine Person, that He is God; for Peter} marriage, see that, above all, a Bible is among
tells Ananias, that, in lying to the Holy Ghost, | their things, and admonish them to use it often
he had lied ‘unto God.” Again, in the Biblejand well. For a wedding gift to a newly
the attributes, works, and honors of God are| married couple, the most appropriate, because
also ascribed to the Holy Spirit, the same as to| of its necessity and as the best token of friend-
God the Father and to God the Son, which| ship and love, is the Bible. Parents, if possible,
could not be done, if the Holy Spirit were not} get a Bible for each member of your family

The Holy Spirit.

Do not say you cannot pray, because you
cannot speak much, or well, or long. Prayer
is wrestling with God; the heart is the wrestler;
holy faith is the strength of it; if by means of
this strength thy heart be a good wrestler,
though thou art ever so tongue-tied, thou wilt
be a prevailer. Rhetoric goes for little in the
heavenly court, but sincere groans have a kind
of omnipotence. A man of little eloquence
may be the best praying Christian. —Selected.

a 6 0 ee

No Puzzle.

An infidel tried to confuse a Christian colored
man by telling him that there were many
contradictory passages in the Bible. ‘‘For
example’’, said he, ‘chow can it be that we are
in the Spirit and at the same time the Spirit
in us!’’ The old colored Christian man made
a very good answer. He said, ‘‘Oh, dar’s no
puzzle ’bout dat. It’s like that poker. I put’s
it in de fire till it gets red-hot. Now, de poker’s
in de fire, an’ de fire's in de poker.’? This was
as good an answer as any profound theologian
could have given. ‘The infidel had no more
to say. :

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