The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1880, Page 22

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

My Dear Bible.

_A devout reading of the Bible, accompanied
by prayer, is not only my daily occupation, but
my daily highest joy and pleasure. I know
right well, how very needful and useful this
daily reading of the Bible is for me; for when,
with fervent prayer, I have very devoutly read
the Bible, I always have so much more peace
and joy in my soul, so much more power to
fight against sin, the world, and the devil, so
much more hating of all sin, so much more de-
light in all that is good, so much more Jight
and clearness of understanding, so much more
love for the Lord Jesus, and so much more
blessedness in the sure hope of eternal life,—
that I would not give these hours of devout
Bible-reading for any amount of money, or for
any joy of this world. In the

preciousness to me, because they always bring
the Lord Jesus so near to one, painting Him
so that our eyes can see Him, and writing Him
into our very heart. And to have this dear,
Saviour so near our eyes, and in our heart, is,
after all, the highest joy and blessedness this
earth can give us. We listen to every one of
His blessed words; we see, as it were, with our
own eyes, all the gracious deeds of His merci-
ful love; and it seems almost, as if we saw
Him walking before us, and as if he was preach-
ing before our very eyes; and everything He
does and says, is so exalted and glorious, so
lovely and pleasant, so full of love and com-
passion, so pure, so holy and beautiful, that
the heart is ready to burst with joy, and the
eyes to overflow with tears of gratitude, that
we have such a Saviour, who is so great and

morning it is my first, and in
the evening my last employ-
ment, or I should rather say,
it is my first and last pleasure;
and as often as I have a little
time through the day, as often
as the labors of my calling
make me very tired, I go to
my dear Bible, and I never lay
it aside,. without being glad-
dened, refreshed, strength-
ened and comforted, in my in-
most heart; in short, I could
not, and would not like to’
live in this world—I could
not stand it in this sinful
world, without my dear, prec-
ious Word of God. When my
faults and imperfections press
heavily on me, when my sins
grieve me, when my soul is in
great need of comfort, I go to
my dear Bible. When the sius
of other men, especially the
sins of my congregation torment me, when the
disobedience and hardness of heart of those for
whose souls I am Jaboring with such faithful
love; when the public offences given by world-
liness and Jove of sin, in spite of all my heart-
felt entreaties and exhortations, return again
and again, and fill me with the deepest grief,
and press out tears and sighs, I go to my dear
Bible; and so I do in all things, in joy and
sorrow, in prief and care, in weakness and in

“need, and the Bible helps me to bear all things,
and to overcome all things, to believe all things,

to hope all things, and to endure all things.
‘He who does not read the Bible every day,
does not know at all what an unspeakably
glorious treasure we have in this precious Word

of God.

Ido so with the whole Bible, with the Old
and with the New Testament, for the whole
Bible is God’s Word, and given by inspiration
of God; and is profitable for doctrine, for re-
proof, for correction, for instruction in right-
eousness. But, before all other parts, the Holy

__ Gospels are always of special importance and

mighty, so meek and lovely, so pure and holy,
and yet so full of grace and love; and then our
knees bend low in the dust, and the lips speak
out of the abundance of a devout heart, say-
ing: yes, ‘‘the Word was made flesh, and we
beheld His glory, the glory as of the only be-
gotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.’’
: Pastor L. Harms.

-_———=— + 0-0 > -
On Mount Sinai.

Our picture shows us Moses receiving the
Ten Commandments, or the law of God, on
Mount Sinai. The people of Israel encamped
near that mountain in the third month after
they had gone out of Egypt, and three days
afterward there was a thick cloud on the
mountain, and a sound as of a loud trumpet
was heard. God came down on the top of the
mount in fire. And there were thunders and
lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet sounded
long, and louder, and louder, and the whole
mountain shook greatly. And God spoke the
words of the Law. And all the people trem-

bled, and stood afar off, and said to Moses,
Speak thou with us, and we will hear. But
let not God speak with us, lest we die. And
the Lord called Moses up to the top of the

mountain, and gave him two tables of stone, .

on which the Ten Commandments were written
with the finger of God.
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Shun the Skeptic.

First, I warn you to shun the skeptic—the
young man who puts his fingers in his vest
and laughs at your old-fashioned religion and
turns over to some mystery in the Bible and
says: “Explain that, my friend ; explain that,”’
and who says, ‘‘Nobody shall scare me; I am
not afraid of the future; I used to believe in
such things, and so did my father and mother,
but I have got over it.’’ Yes,
he has got over it, and if you
sit in his company a little
longer, you will get over it,
too. Without presenting an ar-
gument against the Christian
religion such men will by their
jeers, and scoffs, and carica-
tures, destroy your respect for
that religion, which was the
strength of your father in his
declining years, and the pillow
of your old-mother when she
lay dying.

_ Alas! a time will come when
that blustering young infidel
will have to die, and his gold
ring will fiash no splendor in
the eyes of Death as he stands
over the couch waiting for his
soul. Those beautiful locks
will lie uncombed upon the
pillow; and the dying man
will say, ay cannot die—
I cannot die.’’ Death stand-

ing upon the couch says, ‘‘You must die; you

have only half a minute to live; let me have it
right away—your soul.’’ ‘No,’ says the young
infidel, ‘‘here are all my gold rings, and these.
pictures, take them all.’’ ‘‘No,’”’ says Death,

“What do I care for pictures?—your soul.”

“Stand back,’’ says the dying infidel. ‘I will

not stand back,” says Death, ‘for you have

only ten seconds now to live; I want your
soul.”” The dying man says, ‘‘Don’t breathe
that cold air into my face. You crowd me too

hard. It is getting dark in the room. O

God!’’ “Hush”, says death; ‘‘you said there
was no God.’? “Pray for me’’, exclaims the

dying infidel. ‘‘Too late to pray’’, says Death;

‘but three more seconds to live, and I will

count them off—one, two, three.’? He has

gone! Where? Where? Carry him out and
bury him beside his father and mother, who
died while holding fast the Christian religion.

They died singing, but the young infidel only

said, “Don’t breathe that cold air into my face.

Wan crowd me too hard. It is pecsne dark i in

the room.’

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