The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1885, Page 21

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHILY.

PusiisHep BY THE EVANGELICAL LurHeraAN SyNopICAL CoNFERENCE oF NortH AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

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

Vol. VII.

“Send For Our Coachman.”

A pastor relates the following touching nar- |

rative. A gentleman of wealth and of high
social position, living in the suburhs of London,
was suddenly stricken down by a dangerous ill-
ness. Darkness as from an overhanging storm-
cloud fell upon the bright and happy home,
and the children crept noiselessly through the
elegantly furnished rooms, or sat in silence
waiting the result. Through the long night
the faithful wife sat by the bed-side, and the
next morning again, as already before, ven-
tured the request that a clergyman should be
called. ‘‘No,’’ the husband replied; ‘‘send for
our coachman.’”’

Not knowing what to think of the strange
command, she did as she was directed, and
soon the humble servant stood respectfully at
the foot of the bed. ‘‘John,’’ said the master,
“three weeks ago I heard you speak to some
‘poor people. You did not see me, but I stood
near by, and listened to every word you said.
You told ‘them ‘that on account of what Jesus

_ Christ did on the ‘cross, every sinner may be

saved just now, and just as he is, and that he
may know’he is saved by the sure word of God.
I have sent for you that you may prove to me
out of the Bible the truth of what you said.”

This was ‘a delightful service to the grateful
coachnian, who ‘at*once began‘ to read, ‘‘Man,
thy ‘sins! ‘re! ‘forgiven’ thee,” (Luke :5, -20:):

“And he! said ‘to! the’ woman,’ Thy-faith ata

saved thee} goin pence,’” (Luke 7, 50.); ‘For
the Son of man is come to seek and to save that
which was Lost,’ (Luke 19, 10.); ‘‘He that
believeth on the.Son»narn everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see
life; but the wrath of God abideth) on him,”
(John 8, 36.); ‘God commendeth his love
toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us,’”? (Rom. 5, 8.); ‘For what

the law could not do, in that it was weak

through the flesh, God, sending his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, con-
demned sin in the flesh,’ (Rom. 8, 3.); ‘“Who
his own self bare our sins in his own body on
the tree,’’ (1 Pet. 2, 24.); ‘‘And the blood of,
Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin,’

_ @ John 1, 7.); ‘These things have {I written

~

St.

Louis,

unto you that believe on the name of the Son| undesired, and undeserved.
of God, that ye may KNow that ye have eter-| love of God!

nal life,’ (1 John 5, 18.).

Mo., June, 1885.

_ No. 6.

Oh, the amazing
God has given the gift already
—the gift of His Son. As I write these lines

Many similar passages did the happy servant | to you, unsaved one, I hold in my hand a gift,

read from his Bible, for he was ‘‘deeply read
in the oracles of God.’’ He showed clearly
that we are not saved by doing,
ing, and that through believing alone, without
the addition of feelings, resolutions, or any-
thing else, we have a present and certain sal-
vation, of which we are assured by the word
that liveth and abideth forever. “The Scrip-)
tures, unlike any other book, contain living
words, because they are the words of the liv-
ing God, and the words of the Gospel, which
is a power of God unto'salvation, brought com-
fort and assurance to the heart of the sick list-
ener, and soon master and servant rejoiced to-
gether in the common salvation.

Thus the poor coachman, giving testimony
in love for Christ and for souls, was the in-
strument in God’s hand to bring the soul of his
master into the way of salvation.

Jesus is still saying to every. one whom He
has delivered from the power of the .deyil,
“Go home to thy friends, and tell them how
great things the Lord hath done for thee, and
hath had compassion’ on thee,’’ (Mark 5, 19.).
He who has heard and accepted the Gospel
call to salvation will consider it his duty and his
privilege to bring, that Gospel to others., ‘!Let
him that heareth,\-say, Come,’’ (Rev. 22, 19.).

——> -o< +

. God Loves You.

“For God ‘so loved the world that He gave
His only-begotten'Son.?’ You are not lovely,
but you are one of that loved world; neither
may. you desire to be loved, and yet you are
one of that “so loved’ world. Nor do you de-
serve to be loved; yet still loved you are, in
spite of all; yes, loved by God, and you know
it not, ‘and have never yet believed it. But,
dear reader, you are not left without proof of it
(John 3, 16.). You have often been told by
others that they loved you, but they as often
failed to prove it; sometimes rather proved the
reverse. Not so ‘with God. ‘He gave His
ues Son;’? yes, as a free gift unasked,

but by believ-| I did not ask for it; nor did I offer to

it was offered me three months ago by a child
of God. Iaccepted it with thanks on the spot.
pay for
it; nor did I reject it. No! I prize it much.
It is to me a token of the giver’s love; but,.
dear reader, God’s priceless gift He offered and
pressed me to accept for many years, and I all
that time kept rejecting it until I saw without
Him I must perish eternally. Christ was given
by God to the World:more than eighteen hun-
dred years ago; therefore, given to you as one
of the world; you have been till now rejecting
Him, and if you reject Him until the end, you
will perish in Hell for ever. You cannot re-
ject him and be happy or safe; neither can
you accept Him and be unhappy or perish.
Mark these words— Whosoever believeth on Him
shall not perish, but have everlasting life.’’
“He that believeth on Him is not condemned.’
‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that be-
lieveth on Me hath everlasting life.’ Mark this,
dear reader, for you may be saved as you read.
It is not needful for you to weep one tear; to.
pray one prayer, do one good work, or take
one step to the right or to the left; but where
you are, and as you are, all you have to ‘do is
to accept God’s gift, Christ, and you are saved
for ever. Then you may pray, and praise,
and work for Him who died for you’ on Cal-
vary’s Cross, and tell other poor sinners that
they, too, are loved of God. —W. a

-—-——& + oe -

No Middle Ground.

The man who is not in Christ is in his sins.
There is no middle ground. You must be
either in Christ or out of Him. There is no
such thing as being partly in Christ. If there
is a° single hairs breadth between you and
Christ, you are in an actual state of wrath and
condemnation. But on the other hand, if you
by faith are in Him, then are you “as He is’?
before God and so looked upon in the presence

of anit holiness.