The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1884, Page 30

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30

The Lutheran Pioneer.

First Persecutions.

Christ, the great Head of the Church, had
given full warning to His disciples that in the
world they should have tribulation. He had
told them, ‘‘The time cometh, that whosoever
killeth you will think that he doeth God
service.”

We are not, therefore, surprised to read of
two violent persecutions of the Christians in
Jerusalem in the first twelve chapters of the
Acts of the Apostles. The first we all well
remember, because to it Stephen, the first
Christian martyr, fell a victim. Good results
sprang, however, from their bitter sufferings,
for the Christians were scattered in all direc-
tions, and wherever they went they were found
telling those around them of the Saviour. The
man who was very active in this persecution
was Saul of Tarsus, and we know the wonderful
way in which God called him to be a Christian
and an Apostle.

The second persecution was raised by the
wicked King Herod. St. Peter was miracu-
lously delivered by an angel the night before
his intended martyrdom; but St. James was
really put to death: There is a beautiful story
told in history about this first of the chosen
twelve who suffered death in His Master’s cause.
The man who had been the principal means of
his seizure and condemnation was standing near
by when he was dragged away to the place of
execution. There he saw the happy peaceful-
ness of the apostle’s face and manner in the
midst of the frightful tumult and deathly prep-

aration. He was struck with remorse and
turning round he loudly confessed his faith in
Jesus to the angry crowd. They seized and
bound him and carried him also away to exe-
cution. On the way he earnestly begged the
apostle James to forgive him the harm he had
brought upon him. The answer he received
was, ‘‘Peace be unto thee,” and an affectionate
kiss. Ina few moments both were beheaded.

eo ae

The Christian’s Heaven and Hell on Earth.

The Christian has two Heavens, while the
world has none. Or is the elegant table of the
worldling, bending under the weight of good
things, his heaven? Then what will his heaven
be, when he is sick and unable to eat? If power,
honor, or splendor, be his heaven, he must
always stand in fear of falling from his heaven
into the opposite hell, viz., from honor into
shame. That constant fear is already a suf-
ficient hell for him. Or may the money-chest
be his heaven? Surely a worthless heaven
which cannot protect itself against moths and
thieyes. And where will his heaven be when
he must leaye all? The heaven of the wicked
is not worth a penny.

The Christian, however, has two and much
better Heavens. One he already possesses here,

on earth; the other he hopes for beyond. On
earth his heart is his heaven. Where God

dwells with His grace and merciful love, there
Heaven must be, Isaiah 57,15. Now, God
dwells in the Christian’s heart through faith in
Christ Jesus, Ephesians 3, 17. Hence the
Christian already sits in Heavenly places, in
Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2,6. He has a Heavenly
Spirit (the Holy Ghost) dwelling within him,
as the pledge of his inheritance. He partakes
of Heavenly nourishment, of the bread of life,
of the hidden manna, John 6, 51. He has
Heavenly guardians and servants about him,
the holy angels, who bear him upon their
hands, Ps. 91, 11. He wears Heavenly cloth-
ing, being clothed with the Sun of righteous-
ness (Jesus), with the garments of salvation,
and covered with the robe of righteousness. He
has a bridegroom from Heaven, Jesus. He
already tastes the powers of Heaven, and, one
by one, sweet drops of joy enter his heart. He
daily lays up for himself treasures in Heaven,
Matth. 6,19. Still more. He has not only
his heart in heaven (Matth. 6, 21.), but also
his feet, Philippians 3, 20.—Will you deny
still that the Christian, the child of God, has
a Heaven here on earth besides the one he
hopes for in the world to come?

That Hell which awaits the wicked after
death or the hell they carry within their bo-
soms (their souls being veritable hells where-
in as many devils dwell as sins rule therein),
the Christian knoweth not of. Yet he has also
a hell to contend with here on earth, namely.
Sin. Sin is as painful to_him as the torments
of Hell are painful to the damned. Like Paul,
he sighs daily, ‘‘O wretched man that I am!
Who shall deliver me from this body of death?’’
Romans 7, 24. Oh! when will the time appear,
that I may take off the sviled garment of my
flesh, and shine in white garments? Revel-
ations 7,9. Iam waiting for my end at every
hour of the day; I desire my last hour to come
at every moment; it will bring me eternal life.
God grant it!—Dr. H. Mueller.

——— ~ o<amo -

Dangerous Reading.

A story is told of a resident of Lexington,
Ky., who, being importuned to subscribe for
one of the daily papers of that city, consented
to take it if the publisher would send him the
sheet blank. They agreed, and it goes to him
regularly unprinted. He as regularly keeps it
on file, and pays for it with punctilious exact-
ness. ‘This is amusing, and at the same time
seriously suggestive. It may well be a question
whether most of the secular papers, which
come into our homes, would not ‘‘pay”’ better
if they came in the unprinted form preferred
by the eccentric Kentuckian.

We begin to think that some of the most
dangerous reading is to be found in the daily
newspapers. With flaming head-lines and de-
tailed particulars, these relate stories of crime
with every accompanying horror sensationally
told. Nothing worse, or more depraving, than

some portions of our leading and influential | Testament has its honey. Every verse contains
journals can possibly be set before the eyes of |a spiritual truth, fit to nourish some soul or other.

boys and girls. And, as if there were not
enough of this filth to be dragged out of our
own gutters, one of these papers, which pro-
fesses to be the champion of morality, and is
accepted as such by a very large proportion of
our religious families,—is accustomed to regale
its readers from time to time with letters from
Paris, devoted mainly to minute detail of the
worst social and domestic scandals of that city.
The fastidious parent, who would not suffer
a questionable story-paper or novel to enter his
dwelling, is not alarmed when he sees his young
people absorbed in the sheet which brings them
the news of the day. Indeed, he probably feels
pleased when he observes them thus engaged.
Yet there is need of espionage, since,—con-
ducted as journalism now is,—those newspapers
have the largest sale which tell in the most en-
tertaining way the stories of evil.
——s~ oa or oe

Believing, but Not Understanding.

“T will not believe anything but what I
understand,’ said a self-confident young many)
in a hotel one day.

“Nor will I,’ said another.

“Gentlemen,” said one who sat close by, ‘‘do
I understand you correctly, that you will not
believe anything that you don’t understand ?”’

“T will not,’’ said one, and so said each one
of the trio.

‘‘Well,’’ said the stranger, ‘‘in my ride this
morning, I saw some geese in a field eating
grass; do you believe that?’’

“Certainly,’’ said the three unbelievers.

“T also saw the pigs eating grass; do you be-
lieve that?”’

“Of course,’’ said the three.

“T also saw sheep and cows eating grass; do
you believe that?’’

“Of course,’ was again replied.

‘Well, the grass which they had formerly
eaten, had by digestion turned to feathers on
the backs of geese, to bristles on the backs of
swine, to wool on the sheep, and on the cows
it had turned to hair; do you believe that,
gentlemen?’

“Certainly,” they replied.

“Yes, you believe it,” he rejoined, “but do
not understand it?”’

They were confounded, and silent, and
ashamed.

Honey from the Scriptures.

Do not think it enough if you learn to spell
and read, and tosay the words of the Scriptures,
but seek to learn the truths of the Scriptures.
Do as the bees do. A bee, when it sees a flower,
does not fly round and round it, and then fly
off again, like foolish, idle butterflies. It settles
on the flower and sucks the honey out of it.
You should do as the bees do; you should settle
your thoughts on what you read, and try to suck
the honey out of it. Every verse in the New

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