The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1885, Page 38

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_ choosing as his theme: The glorious and com-

3s The Lutheran Pioneer.

of ordination assisted by Rev. Prof. A. F.
Hoppe and the Pastors Roesener and Bakke.
The Female Choir of the German Ev. Luth.
Zion Church under the direction of Mr. Hiitt-
mann added greatly to the solemnity of the oc-
casion by the beautiful rendering of the anthem,
“Glory be to God on high.’

After services the members of the Church
thronged around the newly ordained Mission-
ary, and words of welcome, congratulation, and
cheer were poured upon him in abundance.
May God grant His rich blessing to him and
his arduous labor to the glory of His holy
name and to the spread of His kingdom among
our Colored fellowmen. May they avail them-
selves more and more of the gracious visitation
God sends them through the Ev.-Luth. Church.

New Orleans, La., Oct. 12. 1885.

Missionary.

(For the ‘Lutheran Pioncer.’’)

Another Laborer in the Field of our Colored
Mission.

The cry of Christendom in general and of
the Ey.-Luth. Church especially has been and
is still: ‘‘The harvest, truly, is great, but the
laborers are few;’’ and whenever a young man
responds to these cries, saying: ‘‘Lord, here
Iam, send me,” it creates joy in the hearts of
Christians far and near, and thanksgiving and
praises are offered up to the throne of Him who
hath thus bent His ear to their cries, and merci-
fully visited His people.—

From the Freedmen of the South the Mace-
donian cry, ‘‘Come over and help us,’ has
been loud as well as pitinble. The Ev.-Luth.
Synadical Conference, however great the de-
mands have been upon its generosity and its
educational institutions for laborers in the vast
field of Home Mission, has found means and
laborers also for educating and christianizing
the Southern Freedmen. For years a promis-
ing work among them has been carried on.
Missionaries and teachers have been commis-
sioned, churches erected, congregations or-
ganized, Christian schools established, and
through the grace and blessing of God a goodly
number of redeemed souls have heen won for
the Saviour. And when on the 18th Sunday
after Trinity Rev. Aug. Burgdorf, a graduate
of the Theological Seminary at St. Louis, pre-
sented himself for ordination in their midst,
there went up from every Christian heart
Witnessing it those exultant words of the
Psalmist: ‘‘This is the day which the Lord
hath made, Jet us rejoice and be glad in it.’”’

The ordination took place in the Colored
Ey.-Luth. Mount Zion Church, which for the
occasion had put on a festive appearance. For
days in advance the hands of the sisters were
busy with cleaning and decorating it. Many
flowers and green garlands were tastefully ar-
ranged on the pulpit, the altar and the walls,
spreading sweet fragrance round about. To
correspond with the festive attire of the sanc-
tuary, a new gown had been ordered for the
Pastor, and a full Lutheran Form of worship
introduced. It being a bright, beautiful even-
ing the seating capacity of the church was
tested to the utmost. At the appointed hour
of service every available seat was occupied.
The colored sister congregation, St. Paul, as
well as the German mother, Zion, were fairly
represented. But the greatest portion of the
audience was composed of our Colored friends
from the vicinity. Services opened with the
Hymn: ‘Blessed Jesus we are here,”’ followed | had been in the adjoining bed to the sufferer
by Responses, Scripture Lesson, and the Creed. | after the occurrence now to be narrated. A
After the singing of the Hymn: ‘‘ Lord Jesus} poor man was paralysed, nothing did him any
Christ with us abide,” Rey. N. J. Bakke de-| good, he had lost all hope; he was advised to
livered the sermon, based on Isaiah 41, 16.,| go to Lourdes in the hope of a miracle; he was
taken there in a carriage, carried to the grotto,
the centre of an eager crowd surrounded by

The Pope’s Lying Wonders.

“*Whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all
power, and signs, and lying wonders.’’—2 Thess. 2, 9.

Speaking of the Romish ‘‘miracles’’ per-
formed on sick persons in the French village
of Lourdes, a well known writer in an English
paper relates the following two cases of the
lying wonders of the pope’s church, which can
be thoroughly authenticated.

A poor girl had been long under treatment
in the hospital at Bordeaux for hip disease.
Her case had received great care and attention,
and after a while she left her bed, taking to
crutches; then she got steadily better; and at
last was able to lay aside her crutches alto-
gether. She was not discharged from the hos-
pital, but was employed to help the sisters,
and an arrangement was in contemplation, by
which she should be retained, at any rate, for
some time in the hospital as an assistant. One
day she asked leave to go and see her friends
for a few days, and added the strange request
that she might be allowed to take her crutches
with her, to show her parents what she had
used so long. Two days later a marvellous
miracle was reported from Lourdes. A girl
who had.been a long time an inmate of the
Bordeaux hospital, who was suffering from in-
curable hip disease, and for whom medical skill
had availed nothing, had come to Lourdes, had
made her vows and prayers to the Virgin, had
drunk the water of the spring, had been then
and there perfectly cured, and had left her
crutches behind her in attestation of the miracle.

Another case was related by a Zouave, who

forting promise of God to his servant: ‘‘Fear
thou not, for Tam with thee.” Rt. Rev. T.| priests. After the usual offerings he is made
“Stiemke, President of the Southern District of | to drink the water and it is poured upon him.
‘the Synod of Missouri, etc., performed the act ‘‘ Don’t you feel better?” they ask, and before

he can reply he finds himself lifted upon his
feet and supported. ‘‘A miracle! a miracle!”

they cry; ‘‘see, he is standing.’”? The crowd

close around him, and he is fairly borne along

by them. ‘See, he is walking! he is cured!”

and before he had time to say or do anything

he was hurried away, on pretence of giving
thanks, to be dragged back to the hospital in

a state of acute suffering, and far worse than

when he left it. These two instances make it
not difficult to understand how many of the
miracles are produced, and whence come many

of the crowd of crutches which garnish the

roof of the grotto of Lourdes.

———

The Word of God.

A. ‘The written Word of God is the only
rule and standard of the faith and life.’’

B. ‘‘The written Word of God is the only
source of Christian knowledge.’’

C. “The Word of God is always to be
understood literally.’’

D. ‘The Word of God is its own interpreter.
It is not to be interpreted by reason, tradition,
or new revelations.”’

The Lutheran Church believes that the
written Word of God is a sufficient directory
in all matters of faith and life,—that nothing
beyond and outside of this is necessary to guide
men in the way of salvation. No revelation
is now being given by God to man. Special
revelations which some pretend to receive, do
not now come. All pretensions to immediate
revelations from God, are delusions and are
condemned.

Lutherans prove their doctrines by the
Scriptures. We believe that Baptism ‘‘worketh
forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the
devil, and confers everlasting salvation on all
who believe,’’ as God in His Word declares.

We believe that Christ in His Holy Supper
gives Body and Blood to be eaten and drunk by
all communicants, because He plainly says so.

The interpretation of the Scriptures is bound
up within itself. No man has a right to say,
this is the true meaning or that is the correct
interpretation, because I make it thus. The
Scriptures interpret their own declarations.

—Church Messenger.

— ~~» -o< o>
Care for the Little Ones.

‘J passed a florist,’’ says one, ‘‘so absorbed
with his ‘cutting’ that he did not hear my ‘good
morning’ till twice spoken. ‘I beg your pardon,
sir,’ said he, ‘but you see, one must put his
whole mind on these young things if he would
haye them do well; and I cannot bear that
one should die on my hands, for I should feel
almost as if I had murdered it by neglect.
Young plants need a deal more care than old
ones that are used to storms and- blight.’”’
Here is a word for usall. Tenderly, patiently,
perseveringly, wisely, let us care for the little
ones in our schools and in our homes,