The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1886, Page 19

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

19

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Seek Christ First.

Before I left the farm, talking one day to a| foot of Cader Idris. She was born in 1782,
man who was working there, and who was| nd early in life began to learn her father’s

weeping, I said to him, ‘‘ What is the trouble?”
And he told me a very strange story. When
he started in life he left his native village and
went to another town to find something to do,
and was unsuccessful. The first Sunday, he
went to a little church, and the minister

* preached from this text: ‘Seek ye first the

kingdom of God;’’ and he thought the text
and the sermon were for himself. He wanted
to get rich, and when he was settled in life, he
would seek the kingdom of God. He went on,
and the next Sunday he was in another village.

It was not long before he heard another minister | making up the sum necessary to buy a copy

preach from the same text, ‘Seek ye first the
kingdom of God.’’ He thought surely some
one must have been speaking to the minister
about him, for the minister just pictured him
out. But he said when he got settled in life
and had control of his time and was his own
master, he would then seek the kingdom of
God. Some time after, he was at another
village, and he went to church again, and he
had not been going a great while, when he
heard the third minister preach from the same
text, ‘‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness, and all things else shall be
added.’’ He said it went right down into his
soul; but calmly and deliberately made up his
mind that he would not become a Christian
until he had got settled in life and owned his
farm. This man said, ‘‘Now I am what the
world calls rich, but my heart is as hard as a
stone.’’ J was a young man and did not know
what it meant.

When I was converted, I thought when I
should go back home I would see this man and
preach Christ to him. When I went back

_ home, I said to my widowed mother, naming

this man, ‘‘Is he still living in the same place?”
My mother said, ‘‘He is gone mad and has
been taken away to the insane asylum, and
every one that goes to see him he poiuts his
finger at and says, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom
of God.’”’ I thought I should like to see him,
but he was so far gone it would do no good.
The next time I went home, he was at his
home idiotic. I went to see him. When I
went in I said, ‘‘Do you know me?’”’ He
pointed his finger at me and said, ‘‘ Youn
man, seek ye first the kingdom of God.’’ Three
years ago, when I visited my father’s grave, I
noticed a new stone had been put up. I stopped
and found it was my friend’s. The autumn
wind seemed whispering the text, ‘‘Seek ye first
the kingdom of God.’—D. L. M. -

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The Origin of the Bible Society.

An exchange relates the following incident, | good things G
which led, it is alleged, to the organization of] men went one

the British and Foreign Bible Society.

“Mary Jones was the daughter of a poor
weaver living in an humble dwelling at the

trade. She attended a Sunday-school, and
was soon distinguished for her readiness to
learn and repeat large portions of the word of
God. As yet, although there had been many
editions of the Welsh Bible published, it was
an exception to see a copy in a poor man’s
house in Wales. The nearest Bible was two
miles distant from Mary Jones’ house. She
had permission to read it as often as she chose.
Meanwhile she carefully set aside all her pence,
determined if possible to buy a Bible of her own.

“After years of saving she succeeded in

of the Welsh Bible. She ascertained that
Bala was the nearest town in which a copy
might be got; and it was twenty-five miles
away. But, nothing daunted, the girl set off,
and walked all the way footbare, carrying her
boots in a bag in order to put them on just be-
fore entering Bala. She arrived at Bala late
in the evening—too late to see Mr. Charles,
from whom the Bible was to be had. In the
morning she went to Mr. Charles, and he was
touched by her simple story. He said, ‘I am
sorry that you have come all the way to obtain
a Bible, seeing I have no copy to give you. All
the Bibles I received from London have been
sold months since, excepting one or two which
I have promised to keep for friends.’ Mary
Jones wept bitterly. -The disappointment was
too much for her. But Mr. Charles could not
withstand her tears, and he at last gave her
one of the promised Bibles. Mary placed the
Bible in her bag, and bade good-by to the good
Mr. Charles, feeling grateful to him for letting
her have what she considered the greatest of
treasures. Her visit to Mr. Charles left a
lasting impression on both. Often afterward
did Mr. Charles refer to that touching incident
to convince his English friends of the intense
craving of the Welsh nation for the word of
life. In December, 1802, Mr. Charles laid be-
fore the Committee of the Religious Tract
Society the pressing needs of his country, and
related the story of Mary Jones. The story
awakened sympathy in every breast, and it
was then resolved not only to have a Bible
Society for Wales, but for the whole world.
“Mary Jones’ Bible is now in the library of
the British and Foreign Bible Society, and on
her tomb at Brynerwg is an inscription stating
that her journey to-Bala in 1802 led to the
establishment of the British and Foreign Bible

Society.”
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The Little Hero.

The following story should teach happy, well

cared-for little children to be grateful for all the
od gives them. Two Christian

day away up toa small garret

room.

A feeble voice said, ‘Come in,” and they

went in.

There was no light, but as soon as their eyes

were dilated to the gloom, they saw, lying on
a heap of chips and shavings, a boy about ten
years of age, pale, but with a singularly sweet
face.

They asked the boy, ‘‘What are you doing

there?”’

“Hush, hush! I am hiding.”
“Hiding? what for?’
The child showed his white delicate arms

covered with bruises, and swollen.

“Who was it beat you like that?’

“Hush! don’t tell him; my father did it.’?

“What for?’’

“*Poor father got drunk and beat me because
I wouldn’t steal.’’

“‘Did you ever steal?”’

‘Yes, sir, I was a thief once.’’

“Then why don’t you steal now?”’

‘‘Because I went to the ragged school, and
they taught me, ‘Thou shalt not steal,’ and told
me about God in heaven. I will not steal, sir,
if my father kills me.’’ >

One of the men said, ‘‘I don’t know what to
do with you. Here is a shilling. I will see
what I can do for you.’’

The boy looked at it a moment, and then
said:

‘*But, please, sir, wouldn’t you like to hear
my little hymn?”’

They thought it strange that, lying there
without food, without fire, bruised and beaten,
he could sing a hymn. But they said, ‘‘ Yes,
we will hear you.”

And then, in a sweet, low voice, the child
sang:

“Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,
Look upon a little child;
Pity my infirmity,
Suffer me to come to Thee.
«Fain would I to Thee be brought,
Gentle Lord, forbid it not;
In the kingdom of Thy grace
Give a little child a place.’?

‘That's my little hymn; good-bye!’’

The gentlemen went again in the morning,
mounted the stairs, knocked at the door—no
answer; opened it, and went in.

The shilling lay on the floor, and there, too,
lay the boy, with a brave smile on his face, as
if to make the best of it; and so he had—for
he was dead.

In the night he had gone home.

Beautiful Heaven.

A little Swedish girl, walking with her father
on a starry night, was so attracted by the
brilliancy of the sky, all lit up with twinkling
stars from one end to the other, that she seemed
to be quite lost in her thinking. Her father
asked what she was thinking of so intently.
Her answer was:—‘‘I was just thinking if the
trong side of heaven is so glorious, what must
the right side be!”