The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1888, Page 2

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2 The Lutheran Pioneer.

Let the Light Shine.

All around our rock-bound coast light-houses
have been built. When dark night comes over
the earth, and moon and stars hide, those lamps
are carefully lighted, and send their timely
warning far out over the deep. And many a
tempest-tossed vessel would be yearly dashed to
pieces, and many a hapless crew would sink to
watery graves were it not for those lights that
warn the men in their ships to stand out to sea
or all must be lost.

But what should be thought of the keepers
of those light-houses were they night after night
to hide those Jamps behind a curtain, and to
suffer vessel after vessel to be driven against the
rocky coast, and altogether be lost in the deep?

To just such unfaithful ones may we be com-
pared, if by careless neglect and sleepy service
we suffer those around us to go uncared for and
unwarned down to death. Lutherans have the
pure Gospel light. Let that light shine, that
sinners may see the way of peace and safety,
and be rescued for eternity from destruction
and woe. This is done in many ways. It is also
done in our mission work among the colored
people. Dear reader, are you helping the
Church in this work? There is much to be

done, and we need the help of every Christian

The Good Shepherd.

We will Jet Dr. Luther ‘give us the text for
our picture. Speaking of Christ, the good
Shepherd, he says:

“What a beautiful, comforting Gospel that
is in which the Lord Christ depicts Himself as
the good Shepherd; showing what a heart He
has toward us poor sinners, and how we can do
nothing to save ourselves.

The sheep cannot defend nor provide for it-
self, nor keep itself from going astray, if the
shepherd did not continually guide it; and
when it has gone astray and is lost, it cannot
find its way back again, nor come to its shep-
herd; but the shepherd himself must go after
it, and seek it until he finds it, otherwise it
would wander away and be lost forever.

Too Late!

Last evening, writes a pastor, I went down
to a steamboat to see a gentleman who had
promised to carry a letter toa friend for me,
and just got there in time to hand it to him as
the captain cried out, ‘Let go!’’ and off went
the boat. Iam glad I was not late, thought I,
when a gentleman ran past me crying out:
‘‘Hold on! hold on!’’ but the captain shook
his head and cried: ‘‘It is too late.’’ Then the
poor man looked very sad, bit his lip, and
stamped his feet; but all would do no good—
it was ‘‘too late.”’ Perhaps he had friends on

board, perhaps valuable baggage, perhaps he _

wished to go in that boat that he might see
some sick friend before he died; but alas! he
was too late! Ah, how often is that the case!
It is an old saying that ‘‘Time and tide wait
for no man.’’

An old man was called upon by a young
Christian friend, who, finding him very sick,
began to speak to him about religion and his
soul’s salvation. ‘‘Ah! my young friend,”’ said
the old man with tears, ‘‘had I thought on
these things many years ago, happy I might
now be; but it is now too late! And so he died,
crying, ‘‘I am lost forever.”
o<per em

;

in the Synodical Conference. Southern papers Wind Your Clock Daily. ;
recently published an appeal for missionary :
work among the colored people. The churches The watch in your pocket or the clock on the {
are reminded that the colored man is here, and mantel-piece needs to be wound every day or .
that he is for the most part hardly more than a every eight days. Neglect them over the day, i
savage, so far as religion is concerned. He in- or over the week, and soon the tell-tale hands :
dulges in religious exitement, but receives little will remind you, and the confusion in your 5
moral elevation. He is being educated, but his household or business would loudly call for the  .2
education ‘‘gives no Christian character;’’ it re-winding. Do you think that your private i
simply fits him for rascality. It ‘will not do devotions or family prayer or social and public ;
to say that nothing can be made” of him. Dr. worship would be more faithfully attended to, :
Sanderson, of Tuscaloosa Institute, stated ‘that if there were some tell-tale hands to show that !
he had taught a good deal, and that a young you were not coming upto time? Because God _, |
colored man, twenty years of age, one of the does not treat you like a machine, and does not i
students at Tuscaloosa, was as smart a pupil as remind you in a way that cannot be overlooked, i
he had ever seen.”’ 4 And when he has found it he must carry it, | Will you therefore give more attention to your '
Yes, it will not do to say that the work is|Jest it should again be frightened away from | time-piece than to your altar? Shall your own -
done in vain. No. From the reports of our| himself, and stray, or be devoured by the wolf. | Pleasure and convenience and eecular business =
missionaries we learn again and again of the| So also is it with us. We can neither help| be of more regard to you than your religious :
blessed results of their missionary Jabors among} nor counsel ourselves, nor come to rest and conduct, your spiritual happiness, or your devo- .
the colored people in church and school. There| peace of conscience, nor escape the devil, death | tional duties to yourself, to others, and toGod? > §
are immortal souls to be saved! Reader, what| and hell, if Christ Himself, by His word, did Cc. S. ;
- are you doing for this work? Let the Gospel | not fetch us, and call us to Himself. And even :
Tight inal Re when we have come to Him, and are in the One Stick at a Time. - ee is i
—> -o-a 0-2 _ faith, we cannot keep ourselves in it, unless He} y compare the troubles which we have to 4 :

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lifts and carries us by His word and power, | undergo in the course of the year to a great
since the devil is everywhere, and at all times/ bundle of fagots far too large for us to lift.
on the watch todo us harm. But Christ is 2/ Rut God does not require us to lift it all at
thousand times more willing and earnest to do/once, He mercifully unties the bundle, and
all for His sheep than the best shepherd.” gives us first one stick which we are to carry _
Happy is he who, OR OMILYS the new year, to-day, and another which we are to carry to-
can say, ‘‘The Lord is my shepherd.”” morrow, and so on. This we might easily -f
manage if we would only take the burden ap-

Iz is right, of course, when entering upon s0
long a period as that of a year, to consider the
possibility that we may not live through it.
We do not know what a day may bring forth,

' much Jess a year. To-many of us, no doubt,
| ~____a voice is saying, ‘‘ This year thou shalt die,’
z which, if we could hear it, would impress and
perhaps alarm us. But what is before us is our
duty, and if we do that with a proper devotion| As EVEN the sparrows are not overlooked by | pointed for us each day; but we choose to in-
_ to God, we can leave all that relates to ex-| our Heavenly Father, so nothing, whether good | crease our troubles by ~carrying yesterday! 5
_istence in His hands. We are to live unto the| or ill, ever happens to His children without His|stick over again to-day, and adding to-™m0r
eee Lord; then, whether living or dying, we will] provident care and will, and all things are surely | row’s burden to our Joad befure we are required= 5
be His. , aS : working out, in the end, their highest good. _| to bear it. ter

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