The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1884, Page 6

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

Luther’s Dying Prayers.

Luther was a man of prayer. He was a
most prominent example of a man who com-
bined working with praying. He prayed all
his life long. He constantly breathed the spirit
of devotion. He prayed much in the chamber
at Eisleben in which he died February 18th,
1546. Many of the prayers which he there
uttered, are recorded. His sermons, his table
talks, his prayers, were taken down by loving
hands, and are preserved to us. ‘The prayers
which he uttered in his dying chamber, and
within a few hours of his departure from earth
to heaven, are rich legacies left to the church.
They reveal the internal working of faith in
his heart. They present to us the man as he
was, strong in the faith, devout in spirit, res-
olute for the right, self abased in soul, and
faithful to the end in the work that God gave
him todo. We present them together as they
were reported by eye and ear witnesses of the
death of one of the greatest of uninspired men.

The following was uttered by him a few
hours before his death, as he stood at the win-
dow of the little room, or library, of the house
at which he stayed at Hisleben. It was his
custom in summer and winter, to stand at the
window, and looking out, and up towards the
heavens, to offer his prayers. This one was
uttered with clear voice, and was written down
as he spoke it, by the family servant of Dr.
Justus Jonas, who was present in the room and
heard it. It is as follows:

"QO Lord God, heavenly Father, I implore
Thee, in the name of Thy dear Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ, whom I have, by Thy grace, con-
fessed and preached, that, according to Thy
promise, and to the glory of Thy name, Thou
wilt be pleased graciously to hear these my
prayers: Thou wilt hear me, since Thou hast,
in Thy great mercy, according to Thy gracious
will, revealed to me, the apostacy, blindness,
and gross errors of the popes, before the great

' day, which is not far off, but just at the door,
and which shall follow the light of the Gospel
which now shines in all the world. Be gra-
ciously pleased to preserve the church of my
dear fatherland, even to the end, without any
falling away, in the pure truth, and in the con-
stant and faithful confession of Thy word, so
that the whole world may know that for this,
Thou hast sent me. Grant this, O dearest
Lord God. Amen. Amen.’’

The next was uttered by him soon after,
when he could no longer stand, but Jay on his
bed in his chamber, only a short time before
he breathed his last. His mind was still clear,
and he spoke these words very distinctly:

**O my heavenly Father, everlasting, merci-

_ fal God; Thou hast revealed to me Thy dear

Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom I have

_ preached, whom Ihave confessed, whom I love,

‘whom I honor as my dear Redeemer and Sav-

jour, whom the ungodly persecute, revile, and
blaspheme. ©, take my poor soul to Thyself.

O heavenly Father, although this body must

of this life, nevertheless I know certainly, that
Iam to remain with Thee forever, and that no
one is able to pluck me out of Thy hand.”
Having uttered these words, he closed by
saying: “Into Thy hands I commit my spirit,
Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of Truth.
God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.’’
These, except the word ‘‘yes,’”’ in answer to
the question of Dr. Jonas, whether he died as
he lived, in the confession of Christ as the Son
of God and Redeemer and Saviour of the world,
were his Jast words. They prove that he was
not only a great, but also a godly man. Christ

was his all. With simple faith he trusted
wholly in Him. His soul was in most intimate
communion with God. He was a chosen instru-
ment. God wrought by him. As he lived, so
he died, a godly man. With St. Paul he could
say: ‘‘Be ye followers of me, even as I also
am of Christ.’’ —E. G.

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Liberality of Heathen Converts.

One of the most noticeable things about the

churches in missionary lands is their liberality.
From Southern India Mr. Rendall reports to
the Missionary Herald that most of the 2,501
church members connected with the Madura
Mission ‘are from the lowest castes and are
day laborers, earning not more than ten cents
aday. Yet most of them give something, and
they are giving more and more liberally each
year.’ Mr. Howland speaks of certain Christ-
ians in this region who live on $6 a year, who
yet contribute of what they have—possibly at
times a few handfuls of rice from their scanty
store.

From a letter written by Mr. Tracy, of Tiru-
puvanam, the Herald gives the following inter-
esting extract:

“Through the year they did what they could
in their ordinary offerings. The total amount
was fully up to the sum pledged: an advance
of one half of the previous year!

One congregation consisting mostly of women
whose dependence is wholly upon their daily
labor as coolies, gave $3.50 and a little over.
They had pledged $3. If any boily is disposed
to say that three dollars and fifty cents is not
much, let me say that it is at least ten per
cent of their probable earnings for the whole
year. They are poor: they own no fields:
their clothing is of the scantiest and often in-
sufficient: the house in which they live, though
clean, are such as in any civilized country
would be disowned as human habitations. Yet
being constantly reminded of God’s love, and
of his gifts to them, they have given gener-
ously. Nor is it aspasmodic effort: they have
been growing into it, theirs is a spirit of real
self-denying benevolence. Idoubtifany church
or congregation in the home land can show so
good a record.

*} be surrendered to decay, and I will be deprived | ‘Another congregation in less favorable cir-

cumstance, because less able to obtain work,
and one which has given generously of its labor
toward the building last year, of a small church,
gave between $1.50 and $2. Of their poverty
I need only say that their women have not suf-
ficient clothing to properly cover their persons.
They would clothe themselves if they could.
Their houses are the merest hovels, well ven-
tilated over head, indeed, but not otherwise
well at all. Their contribution was probably
ten per cent of.all the money which they had
received during the year. Besides this they
had given nearly half'as much in Sunday offer-
ing during the year. No mean record, it seems
to me.

“TI will not multiply illustrations. I am con-
vinced that the Christians of this district are
having the matter of benevolence kept faith-
fully before them, and that in proportion to
their means they are making a far more gener-
ous response than thousands upon thousands in
America.”’

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To Those Who do Not Believe in Missions.

You say you do not believe in Missions.
Then there are certain other things which you
cannot believe: .

1. You cannot believe that God so loved the
world that He sent His Son to save it, or that
it is His wish that none should perish, but that
all should come to repentance. You deny
God’s universal love.

2. You cannot believe that the Gospel is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth. You deny its efficiency.

3. You cannot believe that He was the Son
of God, or has any claim upon your obedience,
who said: ‘‘Go ye into all the world and preach
the Gospel unto every creature.’’ You deny
His authority.

For it is as clear as noonday that if you be-
lieved these things, namely, God’s loving wish
to save all men, and the power of the Gospel,
to save them, and that it was God’s Son, and
not an impostor, who gave the command to
preach the Gospel throughout the world, then
you must believe in Missions. Think, therefore,
how many denials are involved in your denial
of the claims of Missions. What is there left
in Christianity for you? To you it-has neither
efficiency nor authority; it has no crowning
glory as a revelation of God’s infinite love to
the race of man.

Unless you find in the Gospel something
which makes it worthy of being preached to all
men, you have not found in it that which
makes it of any worth to you; you have missed
its meaning; you do not know its power. The
root of unbelief in Missions is want of faith in

the Gospel.—Church Messenger.

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ADVERSITY does not take from us our true
friends: it only disperses those who pretended
to be so.