The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1881, Page 17

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PusiisHep By THE EvANcELIcAL Lurueran SynopicAL ConFERENCE oF NortH AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

Vol. III.

Thou art gone up on high.

Thou art gone up on high,

To mansions in the skies,

And round Thy throne unceasingly
The songs of praise arise:

But we are lingering here

With sin and care oppressed;

Lord! send Thy promised Comforter,
And lead us to Thy rest!

Thou art gone up on high:

But Thou didst first come down,
Through earth’s most bitter misery
To pass unto Thy crown:

And girt with grief and fears

Our onward course must be;

But only let that path of tears
Lead us at last to Thee!

Thou art gone up on high:

But Thou shalt come again,

With all the bright ones of the sky
Attendant in Thy train.

Lord, by Thy saving power

So make us live and die,

That we may stand in that dread hour
At Thy right hand on high!

—_—> o> 0 a

Heavenly Minded.

In the castle-church of Wittenberg there
was a memorial tablet fastened against the
wall, and put there in honor of the old Luth-
eran theologian, George Major. The picture
represents the ascension of Christ. The dis-
ciples are seen standing around the spot from
which the Saviour had just ascended, and di-
recting their eyes up to their Lord. But around
the disciples a still wider circle of 54 persons
is formed, all of them looking up to heaven
and beholdins the wonder of their Lord’s as-
cension with anxious yet hopeful eyes. These
fifty-four persons all belong to the family of
Dr. Major. It is a beautiful picture and has a
deep and beautiful meaning. It teaches us
what the condition of every Christian family
mond be. The eyes of all its members should

© directed to Him who went before us to pre-
ae place for His own in His Father's house,
that x hearts of all should be set upon things
TERETE above, where Christ sitteth at the
and of God. The natural man cannot

St. Louis, Mo.; May, 1881.

but be worldly-minded, seeking the pleasures,
and honors, and riches of this world; but Christ-
ians, true Christians are heavenly-minded. By
faith in Jesus they are on the way to heaven
which has been opened to sinners by the Sav-
iour. Heaven is their hone—and a beautiful
home it is—and they pass through this world
as pilgrims and strangers, their affections being
set upon the treasures and beauties of heaven,
and their hearts longing to be at home with
the Lord. Look up, dear Christian reader,
And

look up to Jesus, our ascended Saviour!
teach your family to look up to the mansions
in our Father's house!

—s-+e-<aa or oe -
(For the ‘‘Lutheran Pioneer’’.)

Salvation only in Jesus.

God teaches us in His Word in the clearest
language that Jesus alone is our Savior:
‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for
there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.’
Acts 4,12. Weare saved through Jesus, the
Son of God, alone, because He alone is the
‘‘propitiation for our sins and for the sins of
the whole world.’’ We are pardoned and saved
through Jesus, when we believe in Him. ‘He
that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see
life; but the wrath of God abideth upon him.”’
John 3, 36.—O how foolish thousands of people
are, who are continually seeking after other
Saviors. Many think they can please God,
and be saved from their sins, through their
works. But God says: ‘‘Not of works, lest
any man should boast.” “By the works of
the law shall no flesh be justified.”” No one
can fulfill God’s law, for it demands perfect
holiness and righteousness. Jesus fulfilled the
law of God perfectly and died for all our sins.
No one can do good works but the believer in
Jesus, and his works, although imperfect, are
only pleasing to God, because he is justified by
faith in his Savior. The believer in J esus leads
a godly life, and is continually engaged in de:
ing good works, but not to attain pardon ani
to be saved thereby, but only to praise God
and to benefit mankind. The believer knows

No. 5.

that he is pardoned continually only by faith
in Jesus, whose righteousness is imputed unto
him. Such faith alone in Jesus makes us sure
of our pardon and salvation.

“Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress:
’Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.”
8. B.

_——s—+o-< or oe

Saving Lost Sheep.

“The Son of Man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost.’’ I once asked a shepherd,
‘how do you find sheep that are lost in the
snow?’’ ‘‘Oh,’’ he said, ‘‘we go down into the
deep ravines, where the sheep go in the storms;
there we find the sheep huddled together be-
neath the snow.’’ ‘‘And are they able to come
out when you take away the snow.’’ “Oh,
no! if they had a single step to save their lives
they could not do it. So we just go in and
carry them out.’’ Ah! this is the very way
Jesus saves lostsheep. He finds us frozen and
dead in the deep pit of sin. If we had to take
a single step to save our souls we could not do
it. But He reaches down his arms and carries
usout. This He does for every sheep He saves.
Glory, glory, glory be to Jesus, the Shepherd
of our souls! Oh! let Jesus gather you.

ae 0

Jesus.

“Talk to me of Jesus,”’ said an aged Christian,
when on the banks of the river that was soon
to bear him away. ‘Tell me of Him whom my
soul loveth, and of the many mansions ‘where
He dwells with his own’ in glory, and where I
shall ‘soon see Him as Heis.’ Itis the news
of the Master's household, I long to hear; ad-
vancement of His cause, and the progress of
His kingdom. Do not tell me of things’ that
are passing away. I care not forthem. This

world and all its possessions must soon be burned
up, and wherefore should they dwell in my
affection? I havea home that fire cannot touch;
a kingdom and a crown that fade not away;
and why should I be concerned about affairs of
the day?”