The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1882, Page 27

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(For the ‘‘Lutheran Pioneer’’.)

What is the World to Me!

What is the world to me,
And all its vaunted pleasure,
As long as Thou alone,

Lord Jesus, art my treasure!
Thou only, dearest Lord,

My soul’s delight shalt be,
Thou art my peace, my rest—
What is the world to me!

The world is like a smoke,

A fleeting exhalation,

A shadow faint and dim

Of very short duration.

My Jesus doth abide,

Though all things fade and flee,
My everlasting Rock—

What is the world to me!

The world strives to be praised
And honored by the mighty,
Nor ever doth reflect

How frail they are and flighty;
But what I glory in

Above all things, is He,

My Jesus, He alone—

What is the world to me!

The world seeks after wealth,
And unto Mammon offers

Its all, content, if gold

Is hoarded in its coffers;

I know a better prize,

Which e’er my joy shall be,
My Jesus is my wealth—
What is the world to me!

The world is sorely grieved,

If ever it is slighted,

As if an enemy

Its honor would have blighted;
Christ, 1 bear Thy reproach,
While thus it pleaseth Thee!
If honored by my Lord—
What is the world to me!

The world cannot extol

Too much its sinful pleasures,
And cheerfully resigns

For them the heavenly treasures.
Let those that love themselves,
Side with such foolery ;

I love the Lord, my God—

What is the world to me!

What is the world to me!

It rapidly must vanish,
With all its gorgeous pomp
Pale death it cannot banish;
Its pleasures pass away,
And all its joys must flee;
But Jesus doth abide—
What is the world to me!

What is the world to me!

My Jesus is my treasure,

My life, my own, my all,

My friend, my love, my pleasure,
My heavenly happiness

And bliss eternally.

Therefore I say again:

He Left It All.

The following incident, says an Eastern pa-
per, recently occurred in New York city ata
meeting of gentlemen, who have. under their
management the most extensive system of rail-
ways on the continent. It is related by one
who was present, and who vouches for the truth
of the story. The directors had assembled from
many parts of the country, and together rep-
resented millions upon millions of dollars. Per-
haps any one glancing at the company, with a
knowledge of their great power and riches,
would have fancied that they were all happy.

Before proceeding to business, while await-
ing the arrival of some director who was ab-
sent, one said to another in a leud tone that
instantly commanded attention, ‘‘Have you
heard that Mr. is dead?”’ “Why, no;
you surprise me. I saw him on the streets last
week, apparently in ‘the enjoyment of perfect
health: when did he die?’”’ ‘‘ He died day be-
fore yesterday.’ There was a moment of
silence, and one of the gentlemen said to the
first speaker, ‘‘ He was very rich, was he not?’
““Oh, yes, very.’’ ‘‘ How much did he leave?”’
“He left it all,’ was the answer, uttered with a
deep solemn voice, as if on purpose; and an-
other silence fell upon the company of mil-
lionaires.

Yes, he left it all, and so must the richest
man on the earth leave it all very soon; ‘‘ for
we brought nothing into this world, and it is
certain we can carry nothing out.” (1 Tim. 6, 7.)
Death makes the rich king and the poor hod
carrier dependent upon others for burial and
sweeps away all distinction between a Roth-
schild and a beggar. True, the dead body of
the one may be borne in royal pomp from the
doors of a palace, and the dead body of the
other may be trundled off in a cart from the
poor-house; but of each it must be said, ‘‘He
left it all.”’

It.is sad that so many men often fail to see
the purpose for which wealth has been put into
their hands. They often cling to it with a
grasp that grows tighter and tighter, and when
they at last must leave it all, they have done
far less good in the world than if they had
never hada cent. Yes, it is sad that so many
make money their god and reject’the eternal
riches of heaven which are revealed to us in
the Gospel of Jesus.

oe

“‘T also am a Christian.”

About the year 280 a number of Christians
were tortured in a public place by order of the
heathen emperor Maximianus. Among the
emperor's soldiers, who stood by, there was
also a young officer by the name of Adrianus,

The Lutheran Pioneer. 27

midsts of your sufferings.’ The martyrs re-
plied, ‘‘ Our dear Lord Jesus Christ in whom
we believe.” ‘And what is the end of all
your tortures?” asked the young officer. The
martyrs said, ‘‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man, the things which God hath prepared for
them that love Him. But God hath revealed
them to us by His Spirit,’ 1 Cor. 2, 9. 10.
When the young officer had heard this answer,
he stepped up to the heathen judges and said,
“Take down my name; I arso am A Curis-
TIAN !””

The emperor, having heard of this incident,
ordered Adrianus to be thrown into prison.
Here he was more fully instructed in the Chris-
tian faith by his fellow-prisoners and strength-
ened in his love to the Saviour. All the great
tortures which he had to suffer at the hands of
the heathen, could not make him deny his
faith. Amid his sufferings he died a noble
martyr’s death and entered the joy of his Lord
whom he so nobly confessed.

“| Have Found it at Last.”

A missionary was selling Bibles for the first
time in a town in India. A Hindoo seeing the
books rushed eagerly forward, and said, ‘‘ Have
you a copy of the New Testament of Jesus
Christ? How much must I pay? I will give
you whatever you ask.’’ On the money being
paid, and the book given to him, he said, ‘‘I
have been looking for a copy of this book for
years, and now, thank God, I have found it at
last!’’ He did not stop, but went away eagerly
kissing the book on all sides as he went.—Dfis-
sionary Magazine.

The Simplicity of Greatness.

Many years ago some students of Princeton
Seminary were in the habit of preaching at a
station some distance from that place. Among
their habitual hearers was a sincere and humble,
but uneducated Christian slave, called Uncle
Sam, who, on his return home, would try to
tell his mistress what he could remember of -
the sermon, but complained that the students
were too deep and learned for him. One day,
however, he came home in a great good humor,
saying that a poor wnlarnt old man, just like
himself, had preached that day, who he sup-
posed was hardly fit to preach to the white
people; but he was glad he came, for his sake,
for he could remember everything he had said. On
inquiry it was found that Uncle Sam’s ‘‘un-
larnt?’ old preacher was Rey. Dr. Archibald
Alexander, who, when he heard the criticism,
said it was the highest compliment ever paid

28 years of age. He stood there wrapt in deep | *@ his preaching.

thoughts, whilst his look was fixed upon the 2 ee eae

Christian martyrs. All at once he quickly| DrocEnes, of old, being asked, “The bit-

stepped up to them and said, ‘‘I beseech you|ing of what beasts is the most dangerous?”
Wuar to others are disappointments are to} by the God whom you worship that you tell me} replied, ‘‘If you mean wild beasts, it is that of

believers intimations of the will of God. who gives you this strength and joy in the|the slanderer; if tame ones, of the flatterer.’”

What is the world to me!
(AL. G. M. Pfefferkorn, 1667. Tr. by A. Crull, 1882.)

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