The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1885, Page 5

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PusuisHeD BY THE EvancenicaL Lurneran SynopicaAL ConFERENCE or Nort AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., 2s second-class matter.

Vol. VII.

St. Louis, Mo., Hebruary, 1885.

No. 2.

Only Trust Him.

“BLESSED IS THE MAN THAT TRUSTETIL IN HIM.”
Psalm 34, 8.

Trust in the Loving One,
Jesus, thy Friend,
Who loyeth thee always,
And loves to the end.
John 13, 1.

Trust in the Dying One:
Atonement He made:
The wrath He has borne,
Thy debt He has paid.
Rom. 5, 6.

Trust in the Risen One,
Mighty to save;
¥or He did destroy
Both death and the grave.
1 Cor. 15, 55—57.

Trust the Ascended One,
Seated on high;
Through Him to the Father
Alone we draw nigh.
Heb. 4, 14—16.

Trust in the Living One:
None can thee sever .
From Him who was dead,
But now liveth ever.
John 14, 19.

Trust in the Coming One,
Coming for thee;
Soon with Him in glory
Safe home thou shalt be.
John 14, 3.

Trust in the Reigning One,
Never to fall;

Trust, love, and praise Him,
Christ, All in All.

Col, 3, 11. —Selected.

————+ +e o> oe -

Salvation Prepared.

In Christ salvation is fully prepared for all
sinners. In the second chapter of the Gospel
according to St. Luke we read that Simeon,
a just and devout man, waiting for the conso-
lation of Israel, took the child Jesus up in his
arms, and blessed God, and said: “Lord, now
lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, ac-
cording ‘to thy word; for mine eyes have seen
thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before
the face of all people; a light to lighten the

Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”’
The sinner is not to prepare his salvation. It
is prepared already. Neither is he to add any-
thing in order to make it perfect or suited to
his need. It is a salvation which God has
prepared, and hence it must be perfect, and
exactly suited to the need of every sinner.
Simeon taking the Christ-child up in his arms
in true faith; and the outcast woman, weeping
at the feet of Jesus; and the chief of publicans,
welcoming the Saviour to his home and to his
heart; and the dying thief, looking to the Cru-
cified One, found salvation prepared in Him
and rejoiced.

Not only for the Jews, but also for the Gen-
tiles—for all sinners this salvation is prepared
in Christ, who united our human nature with
His divine nature in His own Person. There-
fore all sinners are called to the marriage feast
of the Son of God. The Father invites all.
‘‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen
and my fatlings are killed, and all things are
ready: Come unto the marriage,’ (Matt.
22, 4.). The dinner is already prepared; the
sacrifice has been offered and accepted; the
Father's arms are ready to welcome the sinner;
the Holy Spirit is ready to comfort him; the
angels are ready to minister unto him; all
heaven is ready to receive him. Reader, how
can you escape if you neglect this great sal-
vation? If you make light of it, you will be
speechless with shame and confusion and ter-
ror, when the King comes. Do not reject this
salvation in unbelief or in selfrighteousness.
God is satisfied only with the salvation pre-
pared in His beloved Son. Be you also satis-
fied with this full and free salvation and rejoice
over it. An old saint was asked by a skeptic,
‘What is the Gospel you believe, and how do
you believe it?”? The answer was, “‘God is
satisfied with the work of His Son; this is
what I believe, and I am satisfied with it; this
is how I believe.”

—_s +o o oe

. Communion with God.

The editor was busy in his study, when his
“sweet pet’? suddenly came into the room.
‘‘What do you want, little one?’’ he asked,

as he raised his eyes. ‘‘Nothing, papa,’’ she
answered, ‘‘I just want to be with you.”’

She
did not come to ask for something, but simply
wanted to be with him, and this sent a joyful
thrill through his heart.

It is the sweet privilege of every child of

God, not only to come to our heavenly Father

in supplication, but to be in constant com-
munion with Him. And what is the ground
of this communion? Jesus Christ in whom
God is well pleased as His beloved Son, and
when we are well pleased with Him as our
beloved Saviour, God and we have 4 common
interest and delight, there is Communion with
God. We will then just want to be with Him,
apart from all thought of personal advantage.

A story of the excellent commentator Bengel
is going the rounds that is in illustration of a
true Christian’s communion with God. ‘An
American minister was once a guest at Bengel’s
house, and had an intense curiosity to see and
know more of the secret life of the man whose
simple and saintly piety was even more remark-
able than his learning. One night after he
had taken leave of his host, he lingered in an
adjoining apartment with the door ajar so that
he could hear the last words of his evening
devotions. In a little while Bengel put aside
his papers and books, and closing his Bible
knelt down and uttered this simple prayer:
‘Lord Jesus, things are still the same between
us;’ and then retired for the night.’’ :

Beautiful fellowship! The childlike Christian
walked so closely and constantly with his Lord
that neither business nor conversation could
interrupt his communion, and life was all one
service and devotion.

ee

Children.

‘These are my jewels,” said a poor Roman
lady, pointing to her two boys, when she was
asked by a rich lady to show her treasures.
Her children were not baptized. How much
more may the Christians look upon their
children as treasures after they have been
baptized and made heirs of heaven.

ee

Gop is more willing to give than we are to ask.