The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1882, Page 21

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PuBLisHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LutHERAN SynopicaAL CoNnFERENCE OF Nort AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

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

Vol. IV.

: St. Louis, Mo., June, 1882.

No. 6.

Spring Time.

Spring time hascome! Beautiful and happy
Spring time! The forests and the plains and
the mountains and the valleys and the waters
are full of new life. The gardens are decked
with flowers, the trees are loaded with foliage
and bloom, all nature is filled with brightness
and with the sweet songs of the welcome birds
that come back to spend the summer with us.

AnD with the happy Spring time came the
beautiful festival of Whitsuntide. It is the
festival which reminds us of the Gospel Spring
time of the New Testament. On the day of
Pentecost the apostles were filled with the Holy
Ghost and thus became witnesses of the Gospel.
And wherever they preached this Gospel of
the Saviour, cold winter passed away from the
heart of many a sinner and there came a beau-
tiful Spring time of new life.

Tue Gospel still resounds throughout the
world. We still live in the time of which we
read in the Song of Solomon: ‘‘Lo, the winter
is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers
appear on the earth; the time of the singing
of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is
heard in our land; the fig-tree putteth forth
her green figs, and the vines with the tender
grape give a good smell.’’ Alas! there are
many who prefer the cold winter of infidelity
and sin, and reject the life-giving power of the
Gospel. Cold winter reigns in their souls and
the flowers of true peace and joy cannot bloom
there.

Inrwetrry has no life-giving power. It can-
not reclaim the drunkard frem his misery; it
cannot give peace to the awakened conscience
of the sinner; it cannot dry the tears of the
bereaved and heart-broken; it cannot make the
smile of joy take the place of sadness on the
face of the sorrowing. The Gospel only, the
Gospel of Jesus, the Saviour of sinners, brings
Spring time to the soul; it brings peace and
joy and comfort and eternal life.

Mr. Brapiavas, the well-known infidel,
Was once lecturing in a village in the north of

Sngland, and at the close challenged discussion.
An old, bent woman went up to the lecturer
and said, “Sir, I have a question to put to you.”

‘Well, my good woman, what is it?’’? ‘‘Ten

years ago,’’ she said, ‘‘I was left a widow, with

eight children utterly unprovided for, and noth-

ing to call my own but this Bible. By its di-

rection, and looking to God for strength, I have

been enabled to feed myself and my family.

I am now tottering to the grave; but I am per-
fectly happy, because I look forward to a life
of immortality with Jesus in heaven. That's
what my religion has done for me. What has
your way of thinking done for you?” ‘Well,
my good lady,’’ said the lecturer, ‘‘I don’t want
to disturb your comfort; but—’ ‘O! but
that’s not the question,’ said the woman; “‘ keep
to the point, sir. What has your way of think-
ing done for you?’’ The infidel endeavored to
shirk the matter again, the feeling of the meet-
ing gave vent in uproarious applause, and Mr.
Bradlaugh had to go away discomfited by an
old woman. Brave, noble Christian woman!
She enjoyed the happy Spring time of the
Gospel. ;

————q@qz oe -

“He Died For Me.”

In the cemetery at Nashville, says a Southern
paper, a stranger was seen planting a flower
over a soldier’s grave. When asked, ‘Was
your son buried here?”’ ‘‘ No,”’ was the answer.
“A relative?’ ‘‘No.’’ After a moment the
stranger laid down a small board which he held
in his hand, and said: ‘‘Well, I will tell you.
When the war broke out, I was a farmer in
Illinois. I was poor and had a wife and seven
children. I was drafted and had no money to
hire a substitute. Then there came a young
man to me and said: ‘You have a large family
which your wife cannot take care of. I will go
for you.’ He did go in my place and, at the
battle of Chickamauga, he was wounded and
taken to Nashville Hospital, but, after a long
sickness, he died and was buried here. Ever
since I have wanted to come and sce his grave,
and so I saved up all the spare money I could,
and yesterday I came on and to-day found my
dear friend’s grave.” :

With teara of gratitude running down his
cheeks, he took a small board and pressed it
down into the ground in the place of a tomb-
stone. Under the soldier's name were written

only these words: ‘‘ HE DIED For ME.’”’ These
words told the whole story.

Dear reader, there is One who in a far higher
sense took your place and became your sub-
stitute. It is Jesus. He died for you. And
you can never think rightly of Him, if you
leave out of the account that crowning act of
His love. May you with tears of gratitude
accept this Saviour who loved you and gave
Himself for you.

> oe

The Sun of Righteousness.

A certain heathen in India made many jour-
neys over different parts of his country and
visited many temples with a view to find rest
for his soul. Failing to find what he sought so
eagerly, he, at length, was so happy to hear
the Gospel, that glad tidings for all poor sin-
ners who labor and are heavy-laden. In Jesus
he found rest and peace. After some time he
was asked why his fasting, prayers and pilgrim-
ages could not drive the darkness from his
mind. To this he replied: Of a night the full
moon shone, and all the stars of the sky gave
their light, and the burning mountains cast
forth their flames of fire—yet it remained night.
But when the sun rose, the moon and the stars
and the burning mountains lost their splendor,
and it became day. Thus it was with me. In
spite of all my wisdom, my exercises of pen-
ance, pilgrimages, and mortifications, the gloom-
iest night reigned in my soul, until Jesus, the
Sun of righteousness, arose—then night was
changed into day.

Working Cheap.

“What does Satan pay you for swearing?’’
asked a man of a swearing boy.

“Nothing,”” was his answer. i

“Well,’”’ said the man, ‘‘you work cheap.
To lay off the character ofa gentleman, to give
so much pain to your friends and all civil folks,
to wound your conscience and risk your soul,
and all for nothing, you certainly do work
cheap—very cheap indeed.”

———_2_+ 0-9 se

Lirz is but short, therefore crosses cannot be

long.—Flavel.