The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1881, Page 29

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Ghe Lutheran

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PuBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LuruERAN SynopiIcAL CoNnFERENCE OF Norta AMERICA.

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

St. Louis, Mo., August, 1881.

Vol. Ill.

The Gospel Stream.

“TI was once stopping,”’ says a lady, ‘‘at a
village on the Welsh coast, where the people
had to bring all the water from the well.”

“Ts the well ever dry?” I asked a young
girl, who came to draw water.

“Dry? Yes, ma’am; very often in hot
weather.”’

“And where do you go for water then?”

“To the spring a little way out of town.”

“And if the spring dries up?’’

‘‘Why, then we go to the stream higher up
—the best water of all.’”’

‘But if the stream higher up fails?”

“Why, ma’am, that stream never dries up,
never. It is always the same, winter and
summer.”

I went to see this precious brook which
‘never dries up.’’? It was a clear, sparkling
rivulet, coming down from the high hill—not
with torrent leap and roar, but with soft mur-
mur of fulness and freedom. It flowed down
to the highway side. It was within reach of
every little child’s pitcher. It was enough for
every empty vessel. The small birds came
down to drink. The sheep and lambs had trod-
den down the little path to its brink. The
thirsty beasts of burden, along the dusty road,
knew the way to the stream that ‘‘never dries
up”? And as I stood by the little stream, I
thought of the waters of life and salvation,
flowing from the ‘‘ Rock of Ages’, and brought
within the reach of sinners;—the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. Every other brook may grow
dry in the days of drought and sorrow; but
this heavenly spring—the Gospel stream—
never dries up.

Dear reader, have you drank from the Gos-
pel stream? ‘Those fresh and sparkling waters
of a free and full salvation flow for all sinners
in the Word of God and in the holy Sacra-
ments. In these means of grace eternal salva-
tion is brought to you, and by them God works
in your heart true faith with which you take
the free gift of God. Thirsty soul, come and
drink! Wearied and fainting, lingering dis-
Appointed around the broken cisterns of human
hope and human consolation, Jesus calls you
to Himself. ‘‘If any man thirst let him come

Gospel stream that ‘‘ never dries.”
ean say: ‘‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall
not want. He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters,”’
Psalm 23.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

unto Mr and drink.’’ The water from Jacob’s
well was refreshing! but to the sinful woman

of Samaria, coming to that well to draw water,
Christ offered living water.
her, ‘‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall
thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst;
but the water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water springing up into ever-
lasting life,’ John 4, 18.14. This water of
salvation Jesus offers to you in the clear and
full Gospel stream.
bride say, Come.
say, Come. And let him that is athirst come.
And whosoever will, let him take the water
of life freely,’’? Rev. 22, 17.

Jesus said unto

And “the Spirit and the
And let him that heareth

Dear reader, have you drank from this
Then you

——_2s--e-<3 e+ oa

The Rainy Sunday.

It is Sunday morning. The churchbells are

ringing. The pastor, who so joyfully worked
at his sermon during the -week, looks rather
gloomy as he leaves his study.
it is a rainy Sunday, and he knows this rain

Why? Well,

will make the church rather empty. The

church-members, it is true, all know Luther's
explanation of the Third Commandment: “We
should fear and love God, that we may not de-

spise preaching and His Word; but hold it
sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.’” And
they know that there is preaching on rainy
Sundays. Yes, they do. And the rain ona
week day will not prevent them from attending
to their business. Oh,no! The umbrella can
protect them from the rain on such a day, but
a Sunday rain—well, a Sunday rain seems to
be an extra kind of a rain, against which the
umbrella can give no protection. It is strange
that a little rain and heat and head-ache will
not keep men from attending to their business
during the week, but will keep them from at-
tending the Lord’s services on Sunday.

There was Miss Susan. She was an ex-
cellent singer. In fact, the congregation could

No. 8.

hardly get along without her. But on a warm
or rainy Sunday Miss Susan did not attend the
services. And the folks were sorry to miss her;
for, as I said, she was the best singer they had.
Well, on a cool Sunday evening Susan was
present. The hymn was given out. Miss
Susan threw back her head and sang away
lustily:
Through mighty floods and burning flames
I'll pass when Jesus leads.”?

After services old Uncle Brown, passing up
the street with her, said, ‘‘I was glad to see
you in church this evening, Miss Susan, we
missed you badly Sunday before last.’’

‘Well, Mr. Brown,” said she, ‘‘ you know it
was such a rainy Sunday, I could not come.”’

‘And last Sunday ?”’ said old Uncle Brown.

‘Last Sunday? Oh, yes. Last Sunday it
was so hot; it was so very hot, Mr. Brown.”

‘‘Well, suppose there had been ‘ mighty floods’
Sunday before last and ‘burning flames’ last
Sunday, what then, Miss Susan, what then?”
said the kind old Uncle, as he slyly looked up
to the young lady.

Miss Susan passed on silently, and on next
Sunday—it was a rainy Sunday—she was in
her seat. Old Uncle Brown was glad to see
her there. She had learned a lesson from what
he had told her.

a+» + o-oo

God Not Dead.

At one time I was sorely vexed and tried by
own sinfulness, by the wickedness of the world,
and by the dangers that beset the Church. ~
One morning I'saw my wife dressed in mourn-
ing. Surprised, I asked her who had died.
““Do you not know?” she replied; ‘‘God in
heaven is dead.’’ ‘‘How can you talk such
nonsense, Katie!’’ I said; ‘‘ How can God die?
Why, He is immortal, and will live through all
eternity.’’ ‘‘Is that really true?’’ she asked.
‘Of course,’’ I said, still not perceiving what
she was aiming at; ‘““how can you doubt it?
As surely as there is a God in heaven, so sure
is it that He can never die.” ‘‘And yet,’” she
said, ‘‘though you do not doubt that, yet you
are so hopeless and discouraged.’? Then I ob-
served what a wise woman my wife was, and
mastered my sadness.—Luither.