The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1882, Page 42

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42 The Lutheran Pioneer.

(For the ‘Lutheran Pioneer’’.)

“To do Good and to Communicate
forget not.”

The Difference Between the Law and the
Gospel.

The Master’s Call.

Up and be doing! the time is brief,
And life is frail as the autumn leaf.

The harvest is white, and the field is wide,
‘And thon at thine ease mayst not abide.

Through the law the Holy Spirit is never

True Christians, walking through faith’ in given. It cannot, therefore, quiet the con-

the path of life, are by the good Spirit enabled science or justify before God, for it teaches

and made willing to bring forth the fruits of only what we shall do. Through the Gospel,
good works. Their desire is to prove them- however, the Holy Spirit is given, for it teaches

selves thankful to God and useful to their what we shall receive from God. He, there-
neighbor. Mindful of the goodness of the liv- fore, who teaches that we must be justified by |
ing God, ‘‘who giveth us richly all things to the law, does nothing else than fight against
enjoy,” they strive to comply with the divine the Gospel, for Moses with his law ever con- {
will, which admonishes them “that they do tinues driving us; insists upon it that we fulfill

good, that they be rich in good works, ready the law, and pay God that which we owe Him;

to distribute, willing to communicate.”” They in short, he will have us good and holy. On
endeavor to follow the example of their Saviour the other hand, the Gospel demands nothing

of whom it is said in the sacred Word, that|0f us, but brings to us forgiveness of sin by

‘He went about doing good.”” (Acts 10, 38.) | grace and freely, and asks us to open our

Moved and guided by the Holy Spirit they hands, extend them, and lay hold of that
embrace every opportunity of doing good and which God has offered and given us in Christ.

thus, in the performance of good deeds too, But now, to demand and to present, to give

they desire to obey the request of their Lord: and to take, are diametrically opposed. That

Follow thou me! If we love Him because He which is given me I take, but that which I f
first loved us, we are willing to please Him. give some one else, I do not receive, but pre-
Willingness proceeds from love. If we are sent it freely and gratuitously. If, now, the 4
willing to please Him, the obligation on our Gospel be a gift, and offers us a gift, as it truly

part to do good unto others for Christ’s sake, | does, it is certain that it demands nothing of

will not be looked upon as a burden, but rather | US; but the law neither gives nor presents us

as a delightful privilege, which spurs the anything, but demands of us, and demands

followers of Christ ‘to prove the sincerity of | that which it is impossible for us to give.

their love,” both by a readiness to will and by Lather.
—___—=>_—- <a

The Master has given his pledge divine—
Who winneth souls like the stars shall shine.

—» ao

Scriptureless Preaching.

Scriptureless preaching is spreading rapidly
and widely among the sectarian churches of
our land. It is not confined to city churches,
but can also be heard in country congregations.
A pastor recently had an opportunity to learn
something of the character of the preaching of
sectarian ministers in small towns. He says:
Two villages were visited, in one of which the
Pastor of the Presbyterian Church preached a
sermon which did not give to the people a
single verse of scripture. After haying read
his text he made no more use of God’s word,
than if there was not a Bible on the face of the
earth. In another village the Pastor of a
Baptist Church made the following statement
to his congregation: ‘‘If there is a hell, and

AGod were to invite me at death to enter heaven,
T would ask, are those your creatures who are
suffering? Should He reply, ‘They are,’ I

would say, ‘No, sir, please excuse me; I pre- :
‘fer to be damned.” It is needless to say that a readiness to do. (2 Cor. 8, 8.11.) In what- ; 7m.
he did not refer to the Bible in the foolish and ever manner or way they make themselves use- Snares of the Devil.
‘wicked discourse that contained such monstrous fal in accordance with the charge of their only :
blasphemy. ‘he Pastor of another church in Master, they give evidence that they are the Have you ever watched a wasp caught ina
the F =. villa meealnthistonenin ne salt of the earth, the light of the world, and spider’s web? Have you noticed how slowly
«<Q Father a ney SO tes rt 2 ith good trees which bring forth good fruits, and and relentlessly the single threads of that
A ated that they are like unto a living spring, which fragile net, which seems so easily broken, cling a

round the imprisoned insect, till it becomes the
spider’s prey? Surely you think the wasp is
strong enough to break through the snare. i
But the spider lies hidden in a corner, and does
not move until the wasp has exhausted itself
by its efforts to escape. Then see, how, com-

tunities of doing good? Are we ready to bring | ing nearer, it flings first one thread round the

such sacrifices with which God is well pleased? | wasp’s wings, binding them to its side, then

Or does our conscience upbraid us for neglect- another and another, till the slowly winding
ing the godly art of doing good? Are we in- threads have converted it into a helpless mass, \
terested in the prosperity of the Church and do | and the spider can saw off wings and legs, and i
we put our shoulders to the work to strengthen | devour it at its leisure. ]
her stakes and to lengthen her cords? (Is.| What you saw there is but the history of |
54, 2.) Are we doing good to all men and|many a man’s soul taken captive by the devil’s , |
especially unto them that are of the same | Snares. It is one of God’s parables in nature: | +

household of faith? Do we distribute according | its lesson is, Watch, lest the first slight threads | }
to the means bestowed upon us and in com-|of sin become the chain of misery and iron ° L

pliance with the opportunities surrounding us? which binds you hand and foot, so that you be

the stars.’ Ofcourse the ass did not have an
idea that the words possess any meaning, but
he had seen them in Emerson, or in some silly
book, and, as they seemed to him to be pretty,
he dragged them into his prayer, and entirely
dispensed with the Bible in the speech that
followed. The Pastor of the Methodist Church
in the same place publicly ridiculed the miracles
of the Old Testament, and denied the inspira-
tion of the Bible.

We pity the poor people who Sunday after
Sunday listen with itching ears to the foolish,
wicked talk of speakers leading their souls on
the way to eternal perdition. How dearly
ought Lutherans to love their church in which
the pure Gospel is preached. ‘Their pastor
may not be a great pulpit orator, and their
church building may be a small log house. But

never is without a supply of refreshing waters
for the weary wanderer.

Are we such salt, such light, such good trees?
Do we, like the gentle brook, serve, by words
and works, those that need our assistance? Do
we cheerfully embrace the ever-recurring oppor-

CO a are Beet nee ae Are we weary in well doing? Do we faint? | cast into outer darkness.
church building a true house of God in which Are we Saithfall servants? ‘She hath done| ‘‘The wicked shall be holden with the cords ~~
Christ pours out all the riches of His grace; what she could,””—such was the praise the |of his sins.” (Prov. 5, 22.)

?)Lord Jesus Himself awarded to that woman SSS ao

for there the promise is fulfilled: ‘‘Thy King
cometh unto thee.””
——+ oar oe
Waen you find an unkind feeling towards
another person rising in your heart, that is the
time not to speak to a fellow being, but to talk

to God in prayer.

that had anointed His body to the burying.| Gop does not promise to save by miracles
Here is a glorious lesson for us all! May the | those who will not be saved by his appointed

grace of God be multiplied upon us, that we |™°*2* eee

ae, Pe thoroughly furnished unto all good) row Srrancx.—The lamb will not, follow | mo
i Ga the soo the chicken will not follow the fox:
ares the ill not follow the dog—why then wilt |
SALVATION can be inherited but never earned. |man follow the devil? Nee

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