The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1886, Page 2

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_ as these, though all others fail us in the hour

2 The Lutheran Pioneer.

f, .

Are you a Partner in our Mission Work?

new year with more of this unfailing love fill-
ing our hearts, so that if it please Him to tarry
for another twelve months, or to keep us in
our place of testimony and service on the earth,
we may be drawn nearer to Him each succeed-
ing day, and ‘‘ walk in love, as Christ also hath
loved us, and hath given Himself for us, an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet
smelling savour’? (Eph. 5, 2). May we be
able to say in the fulness of an unreserved
consecration, ‘‘ The love of Christ constraineth

us!”’ (2 Cor. 5, 14). —J. H. B.

nor forsake thee’’ (Heb. 13, 5). No wonder
the believer is strong and of a good courage,
and goes on his way singing—
“With Thee I can not feel alone,
I can not be forgot;
Though friends are changing one by one,
Thou, Saviour, changest not.”’

Second, His word fails not. ‘‘There failed
not ought of any good thing which the Lord
had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came
to pass’? (Josh. 21, 45). ‘‘Ye know in all
your hearts, and in all your souls, that not one
thing hath failed of all the good things which
the Lord your God spake concerning you; all
are come to pass unto you, and not one thing
hath failed thereof’? (Josh. 23, 14). So it is
always, and there is not a child of God on the
face of the earth who will say that a single
word of our Father has ever failed. It is as
stable as the eternal throne, as unchanging as
Jehovah Himself. Moreover, it is with us day
and night, a dear companion and safe coun-
sellor, so that it is said, ‘‘ When thou goest, it
shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall
keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall
talk with thee’’ (Prov. 6, 22). The tenderest
mother could not do so much for us, nor yet
the strongest and wisest father.

Third, His compassions fail not. ‘‘It is of
the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not’’ (Lam. 3, 22).
It is blessed to have a text like this, for if God
loves us we shall most certainly. be chastened
(Heb. 12, 6.); and it is very gracious in Him
to whisper to us, when called to listen to the
voice of the rod, that His compassions fail not;
for ‘‘like as a father pitieth his children, so
the Lord pitieth them that fear him’? (Ps.
103, 13).

Fourth, A treasure in the heavens fails not.
«Sell ‘that ye have, and give alms; provide
yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure
in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief
approacheth, neither moth corrupteth’”’ (Luke
12, 33). It ought not to concern believers in
the Lord Jesus Christ if they are poor in this
world’s goods, for He had not where to lay His
head, and ‘‘it is enough for the disciple that
he be as his master” (Matt. 10, 25). Why
should we complain of poverty for a very little
while, when we have a magnificent inheritance
that faileth not, and an eternity of bliss in
which to enjoy the treasure? Even here we
have exceeding great and precious promises,
for ‘‘My God shall supply all your need, ac-
cording to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”
(Phil. 4, 19). He does not say He will supply
all we want, but all we need; for there are
many things we want we do not need, and
many things we need we do not want.

Fifth, Love fails not. ‘Charity [love] never
faileth”’ (1 Cor. 13, 8).. Tongues shall cease;
faith shall give place to the beautiful vision;
hope shall disappear in the rich fruitage of
eternal glory; but love will still bind us to
Jesus and to one another through the ages of
ages. Oh that all of us may go forth into the

Please answer that question, dear reader?
You know the Lutheran Church is carrying on
a mission among the colored people down South.
Are you a partner in that work? That is the
question. We want you to take an interest in
that mission. We need your help; we need
your money. Yes, we do; and we are not
ashamed to say so. You may drive our dear
little ProneEER out of your house as a begging
tramp. We don’t care. We want to put that
question to you, Are you a partner in our mis-
sion work? Every reader of this paper ought
to be a ‘‘partner in the concern.’” Are you a
partner? You may reply by putting the ques-
tion to us: How can I be a partner in that
work? Well, now, we could give you the short
answer: By putting money into it. But this
answer might frighten you; for some people,
you know, are easily frightened when called
upon for contributions for some church work.
And s0 let us tell you a short story from which
you can learn how to become a partner in our
mission work. We know that you have al-
ready made up your mind to become a partner.
You only wish to know how this can be done.
Well, here is the story :—

In Belfast a little boy, a chimney sweep,
was attracted by missions, and contributed to
a mission-box a sum not inconsiderable for a
chimney sweep, the sum of twopence. One
afternoon a friend met him going along the
street, with hands and face washed, dressed in
very good clothes, and said to him, ‘‘ Hallo!
where are you going?’”’ ‘‘Oh!” he said, ‘I
am going to a missionary meeting.”” ‘‘What
are you going to a missionary meeting for?’
“Well,” the sweep said, ‘‘you see, I have
given some money to that mission and have
therefore become a sort of partner in the con-
cern, and I am going to see how the business
is getting on.” That is what we want. Let
us be partners in the concern and see how the
business is getting on.

—__~* +0-<ao

- Things That Fail Not.

—<=>-e

An old Man Changing his Home.

He was very rich, and his gold was his God.
His heart was filled by the love of the things
of earth; in these he had delighted for more
than fourscore years. ‘To the Word of God he
was an utter stranger; nor could his friends
turn his thoughts from his earthly treasure.
But the old home is to be taken down;. he
would not believe it, he lay struggling with
death, talking of his riches. ‘‘ Bring me,”
said he, ‘‘my bundle of notes.’’ They were
brought. While he was looking at them, he
said, ‘‘I believe we shall not lose it.’’ While
holding his notes, and examining them in his
withered hand, he died.

Where can his home be? He loved gold
here and will not walk the golden streets of
heaven. But, dear reader, where will your
home be next year?

Only One Day at a Time.

A certain lady had met with a very serious
accident which necessitated a ‘very painful
surgical operation and many months’ confine-
ment to her bed. When the physician had
finished his work and was about taking his
leave, the patient asked:

“Doctor, how long shall I have to lie here,
helpless?”’

“Oh, only one day at a time,’’ was the
cheery answer, and the poor sufferer was not
only comforted for the moment, but many
times during the succeeding weary weeks did
the thought, ‘‘ Only one day at a time,’’ come
back with the quieting influence of God’s
promise of grace for every day.

Jesus said: ‘‘Take, therefore, no thought
for the morrow, for the morrow shall take”
thought for the things of itself. Sufficient
unto the day is the evil thereof.’”’

Let us refresh our hearts for the race set be-
fore us in the new year upon which we have
entered, by meditation upon things that do not
fail.

First, The Lord faileth not. ‘‘The Lord,
he if is that doth go before thee; he will be
with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake
thee: fear not, neither be dismayed,’”’ (Deut.
81, 8). ‘‘There shall not any man be able to
stand before thee all the days of thy life: as
I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will
not fail thee, nor forsake thee,’’ (Josh. 1, 5).
What matters it when we have such assurances

——s +o or oe -

‘(Ip is a welcome thought to the true child
of God, that with every year which passes that
last day comes nearer when time shall be no
longer, that Jast'day when all true children of
God shall go into an eternity of bliss and hap-
piness. “There the light of the Lamb will be
in the place of the sun, and that light will
cast no shadow.”’

fneed? Faith has but to lay hold of the
romise, and amid all fears and perplexities
stant peace comes to the soul; for we know
m who hath said, ‘‘I will never leave thee,