The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1884, Page 14

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14

Letter from New Orleans.

DEAR PIONEER: —

The death of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, to
whose memory these lines are written, was a

great loss to the Colored St. Paul’s Church.

Alfred Anderson was the first adult member

that the Lord added to our congregation here,

and alas, the first one which he was pleased to
take away. The loss is the more severely felt

as the deceased was not a mere well-wisher of
the church as many term themselves, but an
active member and a faithful ‘‘worker together
» with us for the welfare of our church.
pioneer mission work the cooperation of active,
zealous members is very much needed.

lose him. When we most needed him he was
taken fromus. Unsearchable are the ways of
the Lord!

The deceased was a native of Baltimore, Md.
Some time before the war he emigrated with
his mother into Louisiana. Attending a re-
ligious meeting once he was brought to the
consciousness of his lost condition and to faith
in his Savior. Shortly after he was baptized.
He now began to frequent churches of the Bap-
tists and Methodists, but could never consent
to become a member of either, though often
urged upon. It was the noisy, disorderly con-
duct carried on in the house of God that kept
him back. He was of a quiet disposition, hum-
ble and modest in his manners; noise and un-
becoming gayety of any kind was disgusting to
him. He visited churches of other denomi-
nations; but the result was thesame; he found
not what he sought: a plain setting forth of
the Gospel truth. At last his visits to any
church became more and more rare. Care-
Jessness and indifference was the consequence.
In this state he was found at the time we began
our mission work here. A neighbor of his,
then a little school girl, now a prominent mem-
ber of our church, invited him to the Ey.-Luth.
St. Paul’s Chapel. The Lutheran name was
entirely new to him; but like many others who
visited our church at that time, he came more
for the sake of curiosity than for any desire to
have his soul saved. Yet this day became a

» turning point in his life. In his boundless
mercy God had not withdrawn his hand from
the erring sinner. After years of carelessness,
indifference and unbelief the Savior here sought
him and found him. ‘For the first time in my
life,’” he stated afterwards, ‘‘I experienced the
truth of the words of the Psalmist: ‘How
amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts.’””
He resolved henceforth to dwell in His house
the remaining days of his life; nor did he vio-
late his promise. But his days were soon
numbered. His health, which had begun to
fail several years'ago, became s0 seriously im-
‘paired’ as to compel him to suspend his labors

_ in the Custom House where he was employed.
_ An attack of pneumonia confined him to the
ed; he recovered sufficient strength to walk
ibout, but his former physical vigor he never

”

In our

It
seemed to us as though we could not bear to

regained. One Sunday afternoon, in the month
of September, he was seen working his way to
the church. Now and then he paused to take
breath and to rest. But he reached the church
and listened as usually with attention and at-
traction to the Word of God. It was his last
walk and his last visit to the church militant.
From that day the old disease assumed a more
dangerous form and he sank rapidly. During
his illness we visited him frequently and we
always found him strong in the Lord and
in the power of his might, though deeply
humbled because of his sins. But a few mo-
ments before he expired we heard him repeat
the words of Paul: ‘This is a faithful saying
and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners; of whom
Tam chief.’’ To this he added a short prayer.
The words were indistinct and the voice was
faint, but plain and audible to him who heareth
before we ask. On the 20th day of November
he committed his soul to the Savior, who had
redeemed it and cleansed it with His blood.

On the day following his mortal remains were
conveyed to the St. Paul’s Chapel where a
funeral sermon was delivered to a large au-
dience, after which they were consigned to the
society tomb.—Mary Anderson, the wife of the
deceased, survived her husband but for a short
time. On the 27th day of February this year
she peacefully and joyfully fell asleep. For
some time she visited our church in company
with her husband. It was his fervent desire
that she, too, should join hischurch; and shortly
after his death she became a member. But she
was not a diligent church goer. Being left to
battle her way alone through the world she
was ‘careful and troubled about many things
and the one thing needful’’ was neglected. Be-
fore her leaving this world however she under-
went a great change, that change which every
one must experience who is to enter the king-
dom of God. Days of sickness and two trials
were in store for her, but they were days of
wholesome visitation in which God knocked at
her heart more loudly and peacefully than ever.
And he was admitted. For three weary months
she was confined to her room suffering from
dropsy. As to her recovery there was little or
no hope and she knew it, and set her house in
order. Fourteen days before her decease we
administered to her the Lord’s Supper. This
greatly strengthened her faith. She declared
now that she was prepared to depart at any
moment and besought the Lord to come quickly.
Her last days were of heartrending agonies.
Her disease made it impossible for her to be in
any other than a standing position. Night and
day alike she stood leaning onachair. At last
God came to herrelief. She asked to be brought
to the bed being unable to stand any longer,
but before she reached it she expired. With-
out any struggle she calmly yielded up her
soul into the hands of Him who gave it, in the
sure hope of eternal life.

The funeral discourse was delivered at the
house where she resided and her mortal remains

cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.’’
sentiment and language of Paul be ours.

‘The Lutheran Pioneer.

put with those of her husband in the society
tomb, awaiting the great resurrection day.

New Orleans, La., March 17th, 1884.
MIssionary.

o<me-

The Spanish Artist and the Last Supper.

A Spanish artist was once employed to paint
the ‘‘Last Supper.’’ It was his object to throw

all the sublimity of his art into the figure and
countenance of the Lord Jesus; but he put on
the table in the foreground some chased cups,
.the workmanship of which was exceedingly
beautiful.
picture on the easel, every one said, ‘‘What

When his friends came to see the

beautiful cups!’’ ‘‘Ah!’’ said he, ‘‘I have

made a mistake; these cups divert the eyes of

the spectator from the Lord, to whom I wished
to direct the attention of the observer.’? And
he forthwith took up his brush and blotted them
from the canvas, that the strength and vigor

of the chief object might be prominently seen
and observed.

Thus all Christians should feel
their great study to be Christ’s exaltation; and
whatever is calculated to hinder man from be-
holding him, in all the glory of his person and
work, should be removed out of the way!

“God forbid that I should glory, save in the
Let the

“Him in all my works I seck,
Who hung upon the tree;
Only of His love I'll speak,
Who freely died for me;
While I sojourn here below,
Nothing I desire beside;
Only Jesus will I know,
And Jesus crucitled.”

——2— comm or ei

An Image of the Resurrection.

In the year 1539, on the 11th of April,
Doctor Martin Luther was in his garden, and
with many a deep thought, he looked at the
trees—how fair and lovely they were, budding
and blossoming and growing green. He said,
“Praised be God the Creator, who in the spring-
time out of dead creatures makes all living
again. Look at the little twigs so sweet and
full; pregnant with new life. There we have
a beautiful image of the Resurrection of the
dead. The winter is death; the summer is the
Resurrection of the dead, for then all live again
and grow green.”

—_ ~~ oo pe

Love for the Bible.

A blind girl, who had received a copy of the
Bible in raised letters, read it so eagerly and
constantly with her fingers that they were soon
so worn that every line she read was marked
with blood; and ere long her fingers became so
sore that she could no longer use them. Think-
ing that for weeks she could not read her Bible
again, she raised it to her lips for a loving good-
bye kiss. As the raised letters of the page
touched her lips, a thrill of surprise flushed her
face, for she found she could read the page
with her lips; and so, while her fingers re-
covered, she moved the pages across her lips;
with greater relish than for physical food.
God’s words were found, and she did eat them,
and they were unto her the joy of her heart—
“sweeter than honey and the honey-comb.”

That girl read her Bible not merely as a duty,
but as a delight.