The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1881, Page 42

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42 The Lutheran Pioneer.

(For the ‘‘Lutheran Pioneer’’.)

Paraphrase of the 124th Psalm.

through the entire three years’ course of study in| Besides, having mastered these languages, the
their Theological Seminaries. very one of the} missionaries can now preach fluently to the na-
leaders is a firm believer in the verbal inspira-| tives in their several tongues, and can more
tion of the Sacred Scriptures, and hence they | easily impart to other missionaties a knowledge
bring to the study of the very words of the] of those languages. This was a tedious and la-
Holy Ghost a delight and diligence and rever-| borious undertaking. ~S
ence, which is impossible to those who hold the] Third, the missionaries of the Church of
loose and infidel view of inspiration, now so| Christ have, by God’s blessing, made con-
commonly accepted by preachers, and alas! too| verts, planted churches, and established schools.
Srequently taught in our Theological Seminaries.|In Asia Minor, in India, in China, in Africa,
That there is a growing disregard of the author-| churches are organized, schools established, and
ity of God’s word among many who are calledj native youths are going forth to proclaim “‘ the
to train young men for the Gospel ministry is} unsearchable riches of Christ’’. The first mis-
unhappily too obvious to be denied. The pride} sionaries, as they preached in the valley of dry
of intellect, the conceit of learning, the ‘‘oppo-| bones, had their faith severely tried. The time
sitions of science falsely so called’’ (1 Tim. 4,| seemed long, before any decided impression was
20.), the glamour of German rationalism or} made. But the work of preparation has been
rather irrationalism, have blinded their eyes to} done, and now converts are more rapidly multi-
the truth; and well might the Holy Ghost} plied. The churches already organized become
write to them, as He did to the Corinthians, | efficient in extending the work. Prejudice shave
‘I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent be-| been overcome, and heathen children come in
guiled Eve through his subtility, so your minds | increasing numbers under Christian instruction.
should be corrupted from the simplicity that is} Fourth, the Church in Christian lands has
in Christ’ (2 Cor. 11, 3.). the means of carrying forward the good work
“As there is a growing disregard of the Bible} with greater rapidity. For instance, the British
in Theological Seminaries, so there is a grow-| and Foreign Bible Society, organized in 1804,
ing disregard of Theological Seminaries among }and the American Bible Society, organized in
Christians who love the Bible above all other | 1816, are two noble institutions by whose labors
books in the world, and who know that ‘all| copies of the Sacred Scriptures are very rapidly
scripture is given by inspiration of God’’| multiplied, and sent abroad amongst the nations.
(2 Tim. 8, 16.). In the light of such testi-| There are many other societies, for instance, the
mony they walk rejoicing every day, and they | ‘‘German Evangelical Lutheran Bible Society’’
would turn neither to the right hand nor to the| at St. Louis, Mo.—engaged in the same work
left, though all the Professors on the face of|—multiplying copies of the Sacred Scriptures,
the earth were to deny the truth of verbal in-}sending forth tracts and religious books. Col-
spiration. When God speaks, it becomes Doc-| porteurs are employed in carrying these publi-
tors of divinity to bow their little heads in si-| cations to the doors of the people.—Besides all
lence.’’? — this, the Church has much talent, much learning,
May God keep our dear Lutheran Church in| many literary and religious institutions, in which
the Truth and make her to see the great mis-| to train the rising generation. Indeed we-may
sion she has in this our land over against the| truly say—that God has put into the hands of
spread of infidel views. His people all the means and instrumentalities
necessary to the work to which He is now loudly
calling them. The fields are white to the har-
vest, and the reapers must go forth to the work.
May the people of God be led, in the course of
k | time, more correctly to understand the commis-
e| sion given by our Saviour to His Apostles, and
through them to His Church—‘‘go, teach all
nations’’—and may all the people say: ‘‘God

bless the Church and HER MISSIONARIES.”
OBE.

If God had not been on our side,
Says Israel with gladness,

If God had not been on our side,
We had despaired in sadness;
For we are but a handful small,
Held in contempt and scorn by all,
All men rise up against us.

Their wrath against us kindled was;

If God but had permitted,

They quickly would have swallowed us,
We would have been outwitted;

Like men, o’er whom a stream doth roll,
The waters had gone o’er our soul,

And proudly overwhelmed us.

Blest be the Lord, who to them ne’er
Us as a prey hath given!
As birds out of the fowlers’ snare
Our souls escaped; for riven
Now is the snare, and we are free.
Our help, O Lord, is e’er in Thee,
Who madest earth and heaven!
(Dr. M. Luther, 1525. Tr. by A. C., 1881.)
—__—+— o~< o>

The Bible and the Seminaries.

The Bible is God’s word. Every word of
that precious Book is inspired by God himself.
This is the firm belief of every true Lutheran.
It is the secret of Luther's strength in the war
of the Reformation. Thank God, the Lutheran
Church of our land still holds fast to this doc-
trine, and in her Seminaries, where the pastors
and teachers of the Church are trained for the
service of the Lord, no other doctrine can be
taught. It is not so, we are sorry to say it, in
all the Seminaries of the other denominations
of our country. The infidel view of the inspi-
ration of the Bible seems to creep into those
Seminaries and threatens ruin to the Church.
At the late trial of Dr. Thomas, a Methodist
preacher in Chicago, who among other doctrines
also denies the verbal inspiration of the Bible,
professors of theological Seminaries of the Meth-
odist church were openly accused of holding
the same infidel view in regard to the Holy
Scriptures. There are men in those denomina-
tions who see the great evil and the coming
ruin and raise their voice against it. We know
of a Conference of pastors and laymen who hold
yearly meetings “for Bible Study,” and al-
though we do not agree with those men in all
the doctrines that they proclaim, we are glad
to see them hold fast to the doctrine of verbal
inspiration. ‘The Rev. Dr. Brookes, of St.
Louis, one of the leading members of the Con-
ference, gives us a report of its last meeting,
which was held this summer at Old Orchard
on the coast of Maine. From his report we
quote the following:

“Representatives from almost every state in
the Union attended the meetings, among whom
were found a considerable number of ministers
of the gospel. It was a common remark made
by these at the close of the Conference, that
they had heard more Bible, and received more
Bible instruction during the eight days, than

———— o<me

(For the ‘*Lutheran Pioneer.’’)
The Church and her Missionaries.

The Church of Christ has done a great wor
of preparation, and now has in her hands th
means of a very rapid advance in the work of
evangelizing the nations.

First, her missionaries have become well ac-
quainted with the manners, the habits and the
errors of the different nations. This was neces- ;
sarily the work of years; but until it was done, Reason and God’s Word.
every attempt to convince those nations of their thon wrote to Oeco-
errors and of the truth of Christianity, had to Teen aor eapeeea che Lutheran Bible-
be made under great disadvantages. doctrine of the Lord’s Supper: ‘‘ You gather

Second, her missionaries haye made them-| many incongruities, which tes deduce Hodes
selves familiar with the languages of the different fais saith ie eee cueecliaithe Lord's
nations, and have translated the Bible, and pub- Su y er). You also quote some extracts from
lished tracts, religious books and school-books. nee Leste s of the saints, which seem to sustain
There is scarcely a language spoken by any] you. But incongruities are less offensive ore
considerable number of the human family, into} who considers that Resveniys ue read nat
which the whole Bible, ora considerable portion | judged according to the Word OS Da" who
of it, has not been translated. In a number of to rae in enenaOurA of affliction that no
instances, the missionaries have formed a written reasoning can sufficiently instruct his conscience
language, and then translated the Bible into it. | when he deviates from the Word of God.

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