The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1880, Page 20

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‘The Lutheran Pioneer.

Moved by Song.

The simple melody of sacred song has gained
victories that the finest eloquence could not
have won.

‘ In one of the hospitals of Edinburg lay a
wounded Scottish soldier. The doctors had
done all they could for him. He had been told
that he must die. He had contempt for death,
and was proud of his fearlessness in facing it.
A rough and wicked life with none but bad

it comrades had hardened his heart. To hear him
- speak one would have thought he had no pious
childhood to remember, and that he had never
looked upon religion but to despise it. But it
was not so. e

A noble and gentle-hearted man came to see
“the soldier. He spoke kindly to him, and
talked to him tenderly of the life beyond death.
But the sick man paid no attention or respect.
He bluntly told him that he did not want any
religious conversation. - ‘‘I know,’’ he said,
‘‘how to die without the help of religion.”

And he turned his face to the wall.

Further conversation could do no good; and
the man did not try it. But he was not dis-
couraged. After a moment’s silence he began
to sing the old hymn, so dear to the people in
Scotland: :

**O mother dear, Jerusalem,
When shall I come to thee?

He had a pleasant voice and the words: and
melody were sweet and touching as he sung
them. Soon the soldier turned his face again,

% but its hardened expression was all gone.

‘Who taught you that?’’ he asked when the
hymn was done.

“My mother,”’ said the man.

‘*So did mine,”’ said the soldier. ‘‘I heard
it of her when I was a child, and I used to
sing it with her.’? And there were tears in
the soldier’s eyes.

The ice was thawed away. It was easy to
-talk with him now. The hymn had opened the
door. Weeping and with a hungry heart, he
listened as the Christian pointed out to him the
only way to heaven, and in his last moments
he turned to Jesus, the sinners’ friend.

——— <r oe

To ME the Bible shall be a mirror, wherein I
will behold what I was in Adam before the fall
of man; what I became through the fall; what

. Imay become through Christ and what I ought
to be; lastly, what I shall be in eternity. The
first will awaken in me a pure love of God and
that repentance of sin whili groweth out of love.
The second will make me hate myself, mortify

s my flesh, and create in me humility, meekness,

: and patience.: The third will plant in me faith
and piety. The fourth will teach me to despise
vanity and vain things and to seek after eter-
nity. All Christianity consists of these four

—_———2 +0 o>
To confess that you were wrong yesterday is
_ toacknowledge that you are a little wiser to-day.

The Bible.

This Book unfolds Jehoyah’s mind,

This Voice salutes in accents kind,

This Friend will all your need supply,

This Fountain sends forth streams of joy,

This Mine affords us boundless wealth,

This Good Physician gives us health,

This Sun renews and warms the soul,

This Sword both wounds and makes us whole,

This Letter shows our sins forgiven,

This Guide conducts us safe to heaven,

This Charter has been sealed with blood,

This Volume is the Word of God.
——_s-~-o<4 o> oe

The Dying Soldier and the Bible.

During the war there was a soldier at City
Point Hospital near his death. He wished some
one to read the Scriptures and pray with him.
One of the men that were present read the 23d
Psalm—that sweet psalm in which David speaks
of the Shepherd of our souls. When the man
had read the fourth verse—‘Though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear ‘no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy
rod and Thy staff comfort me’’,—‘‘Stop’’, said
the soldier, ‘‘read that verse again.’’ The man
did so. ‘Read it again’, said the dying soldier.
It was read the third time. The soldier then took
the precious Book in his hand, opened it wide
and gazed at it for a moment, then laid it open
upon his breast, folded both his arms tightly
over it, and there held it till the ‘trod and

staff’? had comforted him to the other side of

the valley of death.

7+ oe

Bow to God’s Word.

The Holy Ghost acts through the Word.
The word of God is His word. It is the word
of the Spirit, and therefore, if we are ignorant
of the Word, we cannot know the leadings of
the Spirit. Neither does the Holy Spirit re-
veal truth apart from the Word. If we cavil
at the Word, that is, if we foolishly try to find
fault with the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Spirit
cannot teach us. The subjection of our souls
to the word of God is subjection to the Holy
Spirit, subjection to God. God’s word should
be read and obeyed with as much reverence
and promptitude as if we heard God speak.
Believe that you are reading words from the
lips of Jehovah, the living God; and bow to
what youread. Do not play with the Scriptures
as you would play with a problem in algebra.

H.W. 8.

—>_- oc 0 +

WueEn the Apostle Paul was converted, he
declared that he was ‘unworthy to be called an
apostle.’” As time rolled on and he grew in
grace, he said he was the “least of all saints’’;
and just before his martyrdom, when he had
reached the stature of a man in Christ Jesus,
he exclaimed, ‘‘I am the chief of sinners.’’

——s oe oe

A PRUDENT man is like a pin: his head pre-

vents him from going too far.

The Carpenter’s Dream.

A poor man was a carpenter; and he often

said to himself and others, ‘If I was only rich,

I would show people how to give.’’ In his

dream he saw a pyramid of silver dollars—all

new, bright and beautiful. Just then a voice
reached him, saying—‘ Now is your time! You
are rich at last; let us see how liberal you are!””
So he rose from his seat and went to the pile to
take some money for charitable purposes. But
the pyramid was so perfect that he could not
bear to break it; he walked all around it, but
found no place where he could take a dollar
without spoiling the heap. So he decided that
the pyramid showd not be broken!—and then he
awoke. He awoke to know himself, and to
see that he would be liberal only while he was

poor.
(0 9 +

By putting on Christ you will put off the
love of this world; you.will live above the world
while you live in it.

0 0 pe

“How can I best train up my boy in the way
he should go?”’ said a gentleman to his pastor.
“By going that way yourself’’, said the pastor.

. —_—__———- <> o -— —___

Gop may “‘Jead us about’; but he will never
lead us wrong. :

THE saving of a soul is worth more than the
conquest of an empire.

Letter-Box.

L. A.—You make a distinction where there is no
difference. :

D.—That Easter Hymn, came too late for our
Easter number. :

Miss E.—We are glad you find some beauties in
our Pioneer; any one, you know, can point out
faults where there are so many, but it takes a good
eye to find beauties where there are so few.

W. L. iy A.—You ought to subscribe for the
Pioneer.

To our Frienps.—Our friends would greatly ob-
lige us by sending daily papers containing a de-
scription of the celebration of our Jubilee in the
different parts of.tho country. It would enable us
to present 2 summary in our next number.

THE SMALL CATECHISM of Dr. Martix
Lurner., For Pastors and Preachers. In
the translation authorized by the Evan-
. pelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of

orth America. Price 10 Cents. Address:
“Concordia Publishing House,’’ (M. C.
Barthel, Agt.), St. Louis, Mo.

TERMS:
Tue Lutieran Pioneer is published monthly,
ayable in advance at the following rates, postage
included, to-wit:

1 Copy
12 “
25 “

Club rates only allowed if all copies are to be sent
to one address. :

All business communications to be addressed to
»Luth. Concordia Publishing House“, M. C. Bar-
saree Agt., St. Louis, Mo. et .

All communications concerning the editorial de-
paren to be addressed to Pror. R. A. Biscnorr,

mcordia College, Fort Wayne, Ind.

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