The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1887, Page 33

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

~The Zutheran Pioneer,

‘ A MISSIONARY MONTHILUY.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

PususHepD BY THE EVANGELICAL LuruEeRaAN SynopicaL ConrerENcCE oF Nort AMERICA.

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

Vol. IX.

St. Louis, Mo., September, 1887.

A Worker’s Prayer.

Lord, speak to me, that I may speak
In living echoes of Thy tone;

As Thou hast sought, so let me seck
Thy erring children, lost and lone.

O lead me, Lord, that IT may lead

The wandering and the wavering feet;
O feed me, Lord, that I may feed

Thy hungering ones with manna sweet.

O strengthen me, that while I stand
Firm on the Rock, and strong in Thee,
I may stretch out a loving hand
To wrestlers with the troubled sea.

O teach me, Lord, that I may teach
The precious things Thou dost impart:
And wing my words, that they may reach
The hidden depths of many a heart.

O give Thine own sweet rest to me,
That [ may speak with soothing power
A word in season, as from Thee,
To weary ones in needful hour.

O fill me with ‘Thy fulness, Lord,
Until my very heart o’erflow

In kindling thought and glowing word,
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.

O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where;
Until Thy blessed face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.
Selected.
——> 0- o> oe

Come, Though Unworthy.

“T thought not myself worthy to come unto
Thee,”’ said the centurion to our Lord. And
what he said many feel. But let no sense of
unworthiness keep you back. Jesus looks for

nothing in you. He asks nothing of you. He

simply invites you to come unto Him, that He
may make you happy. His heart is set upon
making poor sinners rich, miserable sinners
happy, polluted sinners holy, and guilty sin-
ners righteous. :

Wait as long as you please, you will never
find any worthiness in yourself. Come as soon
as you will, you will never find Jesus refuse

"you because of your unworthiness. If you were
the most unworthy creature that sin ever de-
‘filed, or that Satan ever led captive at his will,

a

t,
Vv

~

No. 9.

you would be most welcome to Jesus. Saving
great sinners gets Him great honor.

Speaking to some who thought themselves
worthy, He said, ‘‘ Publicans and harlots enter
into the kingdom of God before you;”’ and
when he sent forth His apostles, ‘‘ Repentance
and remission of sins must be preached among
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”’ At Je-
rusalem, where they mocked Him, spat in His
face, smote Him with their hands, insulted and
scourged Him, crowned Him with thorns, and
at last crucified Him!

Could sinners be more vile than these? Could
any be more unworthy than such? Butif you,
my dear reader, were the most unworthy wretch,
your unworthiness would be no barrier in His
way, nor would you be rejected because of it.
Come, then, unworthy sinner, with all thy
deep and bitter sense of unworthiness, come
to Jesus, and thy soul shall live.

—_—>- - <a =

Two Pairs of Fetters.

More than eighty years ago, a fierce war
raged in India between the English and Tippoo
Sahib. On one occasion, several English offi-
cers were taken prisoners; among them was one
named Baird. One day, a native officer brought
in fetters to be put on each of the prisoners,
the wounded not excepted. Baird had heen se-
verely wounded, and was suffering from pain
and weakness.

A grayhaired officer said to the native offi-
cial, ‘‘You do not think of putting chains upon
that wounded man?’”

there are captives,’ was the answer; ‘Cand
every pair must be worn.’’

‘“‘Then,’” said the noble officer, “put two
pairs on me; I will wear his as well as my
own.”? ‘This was done. Strange to say, Baird
lived to regain his freedom—lived to take that
city; but his noble friend died in prison.

Up to his death he wore two pairs of fetters!
But what if he had worn: the fetters of all in
the prison? What if, instead of being a cap-
tive himself, he had left a glorious palace to
take their place in the horrible prison, to wear
their chains, to bear their stripes, to suffer and

4

“There are just as many pairs of fetters as,

die for them, that they might go free, and free
forever!

Reader, such a thing has been done. ‘‘There
is one God, and one Mediator between God and
man, the man Christ Jesus;’’ ‘‘ who gave Him-
self a ransom for all.’ ‘Christ died for our
sins, according to the Scriptures.”’ ‘‘ Our Sav-
iour, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us,
that He might redeem us from all iniquity.’’

_—__ > + oo >

God is Love.
By Dr. Martin Luther.

If we will only consider Him in His works, °
we shall learn that God is nothing else but é
pure, unutterable love, greater and more than
any one can think. The shameful thing is, that
the world does not regard this, nor thank Him
for it, although every day it sees before it such
countless benefits from Him; and it deserves
for its unthankfulness that the sun should not
shine another moment longer, nor the grass to
grow; yet He ceases not, for one’ moment, to
love us and do us good. Language must fail
me to speak of His spiritual gifts. Here He ~
pours forth for us, not the sun and moon, nor
heaven and earth, but His own heart, His be-
loved Son, so that He suffered His blood to be
shed, and the most shameful death to be in-
flicted on Him, for us wretched, wicked, thank-
less creatures. How, then, can we say any-
thing but that God is an abyss of endless,
unfathomable love?

—_—_—s +o or eo

Christ for Me, the Sinner.

God knows us much better than we know
ourselves. ‘None of us have an idea how really.

bad we are! You think you have some idea;

but what you see of yourself is only a peep, and 77 —
nothing at all compared with what is there; ~
but God knows you thoroughly. Your whole
life, with all its failure, is before Him; but,

oh! the comfort! God, who knew these sins,
laid them on Christ,-and believing, thou art
free. Jesus only knows how heavy our debt
is, for He had to pay it. 3 Homey ay aed: