The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1882, Page 46

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46

A Happy Christmas Day.

Yes, it was a happy Christmas Day to John
Collins when he received the Governor's pardon.
He had been sentenced to work in -the State
Prison twenty years ago. Twenty Christmas
days had passed by him during his dreary life
within those granite walls. And when the
twenty first Christmas day came, there was a
festival held in that same prison, a number of
citizens being present. The uniformed prison-
ers sat in their places. The chaplain conducted
the services, after which the warden gave an
address, at the close of which he said that a
pardon had arrived from the Governor. And
now every eye was on the speaker, as he said
in a clear voice, “The Governor pardons John
Coliins, who will please step out.”

From the body of the prisoners a form was
seen rising, careworn, sad, pale, and trembling.
He looked at the warden for a few seconds,
hope and fear working in his breast, and then
cried in a voice of deep emotion, ‘‘Me, sir; me!
Is there no other John Collins here but me?”

‘© You, John, it is you,”’ said the warden, and
then the prison rang with the cheers of pris-
oners and citizens, whilst the old man sank
into his seat overcome with joy at the thought
of pardon and freedom. And on that day he
left those granite walls. It was a happy Christ-
‘mas Day to him. During his stay in the prison
he had come to the knowledge of his sin and
to true faith in his Saviour.

Why have I told you this story of a happy
‘Christmas Day? I wish you to learn a lesson
from old John Collins. He knew that there
‘was pardon from the Governor of the State.
The question with him was whether he was

meant, whether that pardon was for him. |

Soon as there was no doubt about this, then
was he assured of pardon and his heart was
filled with joy.
There are many who know they are ‘‘con-
demned already,’’ and are in need of God’s
free pardon. They hear the glad Christmas
tidings of a Saviour in whom pardon is brought
to the condemned prisoners. But their trouble
lies here, ‘‘Is that pardon for me? Oh, that
I knew those glad Christmas tidings were for
me!’ Yet the angel, proclaiming the good
tidings, plainly said, ‘‘I bring you good ti-
dings of great joy, which shall be to all people.””
ALL PEOPLE—that certainly includes you. It
‘is unbelief only that is shutting so many out
from enjoying the glad Christmas tidings. If,
like John Collins, you are asking, for ‘‘me, sir,
me!”? I reply, Yes, for you. For the angel
said, ‘‘Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people,

For unto you is born this day,-in the city of

“David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lo dd
Luke 2,10.11. 0 Ga , ‘
Tr does not make a happy Christmas to en-

carousels which only injure body and

Is the Bible true?

The truth of the Bible can also be seen from
‘the fulfilment of all the prophecies concerning
the birth of Christ. Immediately after the fall
of our first parents in Paradise, Christ was
promised as the seed of the woman which would
bruise the head of the serpent. And from this
first prophecy in Genesis down to the last
prophet we find Him prophesied throughout
the Old Testament. In the most glowing terms
He is sung of by the psalmist, and soon after
the beautiful strains of Isaiah’s harp announce
Him. ~The prophet, as if standing at the
manger of Bethlehem and looking down upon
the new-born Babe, cries out with joy, “‘ Unto
us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,”
Isa. 9, 6. It was also foretold that He should
be born of a virgin-mother. ‘‘ Behold, a virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call
his name Immanuel,” Isa. 7, 14. Even the
time of His coming was foretold. He was to
come when ‘‘the sceptre had departed from
Judah’’ (Gen. 49, 10.), that is, when the Jews
were subject to the rule of a foreign nation.
This was foretold by Jacob on his dying-bed,
1700 years before the event. Daniel, too, pre-
dicted the time of Christ’s coming. He says
that ‘from the commandment to restore and
to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the Prince,

shall be seventy weeks,’’ meaning weeks of
years, or 490 years. (Dan. 9, 25.) And more-
over the exact place of Christ’s birth was fore-
told by the prophet Micah, ‘‘Thou Bethlehem
Ephratah, though thou be little among the
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He
come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Is-
rael, whose goings forth have been from of old,

from everlasting,’’ Micah 5, 2.

in the field, calls “‘Christ the Lord.”

seven hundred years before.

time when Christ was to be born.

that the Bible is true.

From the Christmas Gospel in the second
chapter of St.. Luke we see: that all these
prophecies concerning the birth of Christ were
fulfilled. The virgin Mary, the espoused wife
of:Joseph, brought forth her first-born Son,
whom the angel, in his message to the shepherds
He was
born at Bethlehem as the prophet had foretold
He was born
there by means of a special providence. A
decree went out from the Roman Emperor
Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
And all went to be taxed, every one into his
own city. And so Mary had to go from Naza-
reth to Bethlehem, her native city, just at the
And in re-
gard to the time foretold in the Old Testament
we know that Christ was'born 490 years after
the commandment to restore Jerusalem. He
was born when “‘the sceptre had departed from
Judah.” For from the Christmas Gospel we
see that at the time of His birth. the Jews were
subject to the rule of'a foreign nation. They had
to obey the Roman Emperor's decree of taxation.

Surely the Book that contains such prophe-
cies, which were all fulfilled, must be a Book
of Truth. At Bethlehem’s manger we learn
It is the Word of God.

The Lutheran Pioneer.

Lesson from a Christmas Gift.

I went to see a lady once, who was in deep
trouble and in much darkness on account of
great afflictions which had come to her from
the Lord. She had fallen into deep melancholy.
When I went in she was working a bit of
embroidery, and as I talked with her she
dropped it the wrong side up and there it lay,

a mass of crude work, tangled; everything
seemed to be out of order.

“Well,”’ said I, ‘‘what is this you are en-
gaged at?”’

“‘Oh,’’ she replied, ‘‘it’s a pillow for a
lounge. I’m making it for a Christmas gift. :

I said, ‘*I should not think you would waste
your time on that. It looks tangled, without
design and meaning,’’ and I went on abusing
the whole bit of handwork,. and belittling the
combinations of colors, and so on.

“Why, Mr. P.,’”’ she said, surprised at the
sudden and abrupt change of the subject on
which we had before been talking, and the per-
sistency with which I had opposed her work —
“why, Mr. P., you are looking at the wrong
side. ‘Turn it over.”’

Then I said, ‘‘ That’s just what you are doing ;
you are looking at the wrong side of God’s
workings with you. Down here we are looking
at the tangled side of God’s providence; but
He hasa plan—here a stitch, there a move-
ment of the shuttle, and in the end a beautiful
work. -Be not afraid; but be believing. Be- _
lieve Him in the darkness; believe Him in the
mysteries. Let him that walketh in darkness,
and seeth not the light, yet trust in the Lord.””—

Selected.

——> - o> 0 a

On Christmas Day,
in the year 1538, Doctor Martin Luther was
very joyous, and all his sayings, songs, and
thoughts were about the incarnation of Christ
our Saviour. And he said, with a deep sigh,
«Ah! we poor human creatures, how coldly _
and tamely we greet this great joy which has
come to bless us! This is the great act of
beneficence which far excels all other works
of creation. And shall we so feebly believe it,
when it has been announced to us, preached,
and sung by the angels? (Heavenly theologi-
ans and preachers, indeed!) And they have
rejoiced on our account, and their song is verily
a glorious song, wherein is briefly enfolded the
sum of the whole Christian religion. For the
‘Glory to God in the highest,’ is the highest
worship, and this they bring to usin this Christ.’’

+» o> om

Axx the ways and works of God are:of such
a kind that the world and human reason must
find something to despise and ridicule in them,
and thus they become offended. Butithe re
why God acts so marvelously is, that they
have an occasion to humble themselves, to rise
by God’s grace from their error, and to ac-
knowledge the work of God'perfected in foolish-
ness and in weakness, and thus praise Him
alone.—Olearius.. Bares