The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1884, Page 29

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Vol. VI.

Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED BY THE EvANnGeLicaAL Lurueran SynopicaAL ConFERENCE oF Nortu AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

St. Louis, Mo., August, 1884.

Entered at the Post Oftice at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

No. 8.

The Open Door.

Within a town of Holland once
A widow dwelt, ‘tis said,

So poor, alas, her children asked
One night in vain for bread,

But this poor woman loved the Lord,
And knew that He was good;

So, with her little ones around,
She prayed to Him for food.

When prayer was done, her oldest child,
A boy of eight years old,

Said softly, ‘‘In the Holy Book,
Dear mother, we are told

How God, with food by ravens brought,
Supplied His prophet’s need.”’

“Yes,” answered she, “but that, my son,
Was long ago, indeed.”

“But, mother, God may do again,
What He has done before,

And so, to let the birds fly in,
I will unclose the door.”’

Then little Dick, in simple faith,
The door threw open wide,

So that the radiance of the lamp
Fell on the path outside.

Ere long the burgomaster passed,
And, noticing the light,

Paused to inquire wherefore the door
Was open so at night.

“My little Dick has done it, sir,’’
The widow, smiling, said,

“That ravens might fly in to bring
My hungry children bread.”

“Indeed,”’ the burgomaster cried,
“Then here's a raven, lad;
.Come to my house, and you shall see
Where bread may soon be had.”
Along the street to his own house
He quickly led the boy,
And sent him back with food that filled
His humble home with joy.

The supper ended, little Dick
Went to the open door,

Looked up, said, ‘Many thanks, good Lord,”

Then shut it fast once more. .
For though no bird had entered in,
He knew that God on high
Had hearkened to his mother’s prayer,
And sent this full supply.

—— + oo >

He that sincerely gives his heart will not
deny his money.

“Come As You Are.”

We recently read the following story which
suggests an important lesson:

Early one morning a fire broke out in one
of the houses in a narrow street in London.
The alarm was given by a policeman on duty,
and speedily the engines were heard rattling
along to the scene of action; but ere they could
get to work, the flames began to break forth,
and rise high into the air. Presently a young
man was seen to appear at one of the upper
windows of the house in his night-clothes. The
fire-escape, which had also arrived, was placed
against the house, when a fireman went up the
ladder, and called the young man to make all
haste, and escape for his life. But to his sur-
prise, the young man refused to come away
just then, saying he wished to dress first. The
fireman repeated his warning with greater
earnestness, ‘(Come as you are! come as you
are!’’ but in vain, for he still said he would
come when he got dressed.

When one below in the street heard this, he
broke open the front door, and tried to go up
the stairs. But the wind coming through the
open door soon fanned the flames into greater
fury, and compelled the man to retreat. The
youth within had gone to his bedroom to dress,
and the fireman could not enter through the
window on account of the heat and smoke.
The flames rose higher and higher, when sud-
denly the stairs gave way, and the roof fell in
with a terrible crash, burying the poor young
man beneath the ruins. A day or two after,
when search had been made for his body, it
was found amid the wreck and rubbish, all
charred and blackened.

A sad and awful death surely! But for his
own foolish refusal the young man might have
escaped, if with noughtelse, at least'with his life.

Reader, may not this picture forth to you
the still greater foolishness of those who, from
youth to manhood, and from manhood to old
age, and on to death itself, refuse to ‘‘flee from
the wrath to come!’? Many are convinced of

their sin by the law of God. They know the

danger in which they are. They know that at
any moment they may be carried away into
eternal death. Still they refuse to go to the

know not what a day may bring forth.
escape for your life!
In the Gospel an Almighty Saviour stands
ready to receive you, and His word is, ‘‘Come

Saviour of sinners who in the Gospel calls upon
them to come just as they are.
do this and to do that before they come. Oh,

They want to

how foolish! ‘‘The time is short;’’ and you

Then
Look not behind you!

As You Are! Come As You Are!”’

A Receipt in Full.

There is a story of Martin Luther that Satan
came to him, as he thought, with a long black
roll of sins, which truly might make a swad-

dling band for the round world. To the arch
enemy Luther said,—

“Yes, I must own to them all. Have you

any more?”’

So the foul fiend went his way and brought

another long roll, and Martin Luther said,—

“Yes, I must own to them all. Have you

any more?’’

The accuser of the brethren, being expert at
the business, soon supplied him with a further
length of charges, till there seemed to be no

end to it.

Martin waited till no more were forthcoming,
and then he cried:

‘‘Have you any more?”’ :

‘‘Were these not enough?”’ said the fiend.

“Ay, that they were. But,’’ said Martin
Luther, ‘‘write at the bottom of the whole
account, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth
from all sin.’”’

Cripples in the Church.

In treating the subject of what it calls
“Cripples in the Church,” the Golden Rule says
that some are without arms; they have never
helped any one over the rugged places in life.
Some are without feet; they have never gone
an inch out of their own way to serve others.
Some are voiceless; they have never, even by
word, encouraged any one who was cast down.
Some are deaf; they have never listened to
the voice ofsuffering. Some are without hearts;
they do not know what sympathy and generous
feeling are. What an appearance a procession
of such characters would make, if they could
be seen as they are on the street!