The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1885, Page 15

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

15

An English Bible Reader.

He lived and labored in the great city of
London. With his Bible under his arm he
was visiting one day a large tenement house
occupied by the poor. As he reached the land-
ing in the fourth story, he saw a rough-looking
man, with his arms folded, leaning against the
wall. Holding the Bible in his hand he went
up to him and said, ‘‘My friend, I have a book
here which tells the secret of true happiness.
May I not read some of it to you?’’

With a frown upon his face the man replied,
“Get away with your book, or I'll kick you
down stairs.”’

Several doors opened into that landing. One
of these stood ajar. From the room to which
it led he heard a feeble voice saying, ‘‘Come
in here with your book.”

He entered the room. In one corner of it
he saw a sick woman lying on a heap of straw.
Picking up a wooden stool, he went and sat
down by her side. As he did so, she looked
at him earnestly, and asked, ‘‘Does your book
tell anything about the blood that cleanseth
from all] sin?’

“‘And why do you want to hear about that
blood, my friend?” asked her visitor.

Leaning on her arm and looking earnestly
towards him, ‘‘Why do I want to know about
it?’’ she asked. ‘‘Why, man, I’m dying. I
have lived a very wicked life, and with all my
sins about me, I’m afraid to go into the pres-
ence of God. One day, in going through the
streets, I was overtaken by a heavy shower of
rain. Seeing an open door near me, I stepped
in to avoid the rain. It proved to be a church.
It was the only time I ever was in one. The
minister was preaching about ‘the blood that
cleanseth from all sin.’ This is what I need
now. Oh, sir, does your book tell anything
about that blood ?”’

Her visitor turned to the first chapter of the
first epistle of St. John and read it. In the
seventh verse of that chapter are found these
precious words, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ,
his son, cleanseth from all sin.’”’ Then he
talked to her about Jesus, who suffered and
died for our sin and rose again for our justifi-
cation. While he was doing this he noticed
that the man who had spoken so roughly to
him on the landing had entered the room and
was listening to what he was saying. It seemed
he was the son of the sick woman. The Bible
reader visited the poor woman every day for a
week. Then she died a happy death, rejoicing
in the thought that her sins were all forgiven
through the precious blood, of Christ.

The Bible reader attended her funeral, and
at the close of the service, the son of the poor
Woman came up to him and said, ‘‘Sir, I want
to thank you for your kindness to my mother.

‘The words that were such a comfort to her have
been a great blessing to me. “They have brought
me to Jesus. I am now happy.in him. And
I wish to spend the rest of my life as a Bible
xeader.’’—_Dr. Newton.

“My Mother’s God.”

At a fashionable party, a young physician
present spoke of one of his patients whose case
he considered a very critical one. He said
he was ‘“‘very sorry to lose him, for he was a
noble young man, but very unnecessarily con-
cerned about his soul, and the Christians in-
creased his agitation by talking with him and
praying with him. He wished Christians would
let his patients alone. Death was but an end-
less sleep, the religion of Christ a delusion, and
its followers were not persons of the highest
culture and intelligence.”’

A young lady sitting near said, ‘‘Pardon me,
doctor, but I cannot hear you talk thus and
remain silent. My mother was a Christian.
Times without number she has taken me to her
room, and, with her hand upon my head, she
has prayed that God would give her grace to
train me for the skies. Two years ago my
precious mother died, and the religion she so
loved during life, sustained her in her dying
hour. She called us to the bedside, and, with
her face shining with glory, asked us to meet
her in heaven, and we promised to do so. And
now,” said the -young lady, displaying deep
emotion, ‘‘can I believe that this is all a delu-
sion? that my mother sleeps an eternal sleep?
that she will never waken again in the morn-
ing of the resurrection, and that I shall see
her no more? No, I cannot, I will not believe
it.’’..Her brother tried to quiet her, for by
this time she had the attention of all present.
“No,’’ said she, ‘‘brother, let me alone, I must
defend my mother’s God, my mother's religion.

The physician made no reply, and soon left
the room. He was found shortly afterwards
pacing the floor of an adjoining room in great
agitation and distress of spirits. ‘What is the
matter?” a friend inquired. ‘‘O,’” said he,
“that young lady is right. Her words have
pierced my soul.’’ And the result of the con-
viction thus awakened was, that he became a
useful member of the church of Christ.

Young friends, stand up for Jesus at all times
and in all places, wherever you hear His name
reviled, or His word set at naught. Rather let
the language of your heart be, ‘‘God forbid
that I should glory, save in the Cross. of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’’—Selected.

Duke Wellington, the Hero of Waterloo.

The Duke of Wellington, who with Bluecher,
gained the memorable battle against the great
Napoleon on the field of Waterloo, in the year
1815, was an exemplary character. Being
advised to buy an estate adjoining his own, he

agreed and bought the estate. The manager

of his affairs congratulated {him on this profit-

able bargain, because need had compelled’ his
neighbor to make the sale. The duke asked
his manager: “What do you understand by a
“Well,”? sald the man-
ager, ‘‘the estate is worth 1100 pounds of ster-

profitable bargain?”’

Bethlehem, Pa.
age, full of scars, and all over tattooed with
the scenes of the actions in which he had been

engaged.

ling ($5500), and we got it for 800 ($4000).’’
The duke replied, ‘‘If such be the case, then I
want you to pay the former owner the other
800 pounds ($1500), and never speak again to
me of such profitable bargains.”’

s+ o-oo

Asking God’s Blessing.

Charlie was going home with his uncle. They

were on the steamboat all night. A steamboat
is furnished with little beds on each side of the
cabin.
When it was time to go to bed Charlie un-
dressed himself.

Those little beds are called berths.

‘‘Make haste and jump into your berth, boy,’’

said his uncle.

“‘Mayn’t I first kneel down and ask God to

take care of us?’’ asked Charlie.

‘‘We shall be taken care of fast enough,’

said his uncle.

“Yes, sir,’’ said Charlie, ‘‘but mother always

tells us not to take anything without first
asking.”

s’ Uncle Tom had nothing to say to that, and
Charlie knelt down, just as he did by his own
little bed at-home. God’s bounty and goodness
and grace you live on day by day, my children,
but never take it without first asking.

——— > +o o>

The Converted Indian.

In the year 1742, a veteran warrior of the

Lenape nation and Monsey tribe, renowned
among his friends for his bravery, and dreaded

by his enemies, joined the Christian Indians at
He was now at an advanced

All who heard his history thought
that it could never be surpassed. This man
was brought under the influence of religion;

and when he was afterwards questioned re-

specting his warlike feats, he modestly replied,
“that being now taken captive by Jesus Christ,
it did not become him to relate the deeds done
while in the service of the evil spirit: but that
he was willing to give an account of the man-
ner in which he had been conquered.”

What a Strange Man!

The Gallas in South America were much
amused when Mr. Wakefield, a missionary,
entered their country.

‘‘How many toes have you?”’ they asked.

«Just as many as you have,” he answered.

‘Will you pull that off, and let us see???’
they said, pointing at his boot and shaking
their heads.

When he had done 80, they all laughed; for
even now they could not, for his stockings, see
his toes. At last one exclaimed,— ~~

‘What a strange man this is, to put his foot
in a bag! We never heard of a man putting
his foot in a bag before!”