The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1888, Page 14

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14 The Lutheran Pioneer.

fancy the dish of which he partakes, helps him-
self with moderation. For the dinner a fixed
sum is charged, about thirty-nine cents; but
wine, beer and coffee being extras, the guest
tells how much of each he has drank. His
word is taken without question, as no one
watches him. :

On board the steamboats three meals a day
are served, which, however, are not included
in the price of the passage. After each meal
the passenger who has partaken writes his
name in a large book, and records under it
what he has eaten or drank.

When he is ready to go ashore, he calls one

Is there a Real Presence in the Holy Supper? | Christ say that by the body and blood He only
means a spiritual, figurative body and blood?

Christ says there is, and we teach that His|It is against this very error that the words of
body and blood are truly present under the| Christ guard, for He says, ‘Take, eat, this is
form of bread and wine, and are communicated | my body which is broken for you,’ ‘‘Take and
to those who participate in the Lord’s Supper. | drink, this is my blood which is shed for you.’’

It is just here that most of the doctrinal | Christ’s real, substantial body was given for us,
differences arise as to this holy sacrament. The|not a figure of it. His true life’s blood, not
feast that should have been the bond of union | spiritual blood, delivered us from sin.
among Christians has become through the evil| St. Paul, to whom was granted a special
one an apple of discord. revelation upon the most vital point, is very
_ Satan has always tried to cheat men out of |clear in enforcing the above truth. Writing
great blessings by darkening God’s word and | to the Corinthians he says: ‘The cup of bless-
misrepresenting His promises. God plainly |ing, which we bless, is it not the communion
forbade our first parents to eat of a certain|of (means of communicating) the blood of
tree in Eden. Satan wishing to raise doubts, | Christ? The bread which we break, is it not
whispered, ‘‘ Yea, hath God said ye shall not|the communion of the body of Christ?”” What
eat of every tree of the garden?’’ God spake | he intended to teach is freed from all doubt by
from heaven clearly affirming: “This is my | his following words in another place: ‘‘Where-
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”’ | fore, whosoever shall eat of this bread and drink
Satan in that great temptation boldly said: |of this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be
“Tf Thou be the Son of God, command that/ guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.’’
these stones be made bread.’? And when|Then the body of the Lord is present, for un-
Jesus, almost in His dying hour, said to His| worthiness in eating and disrespect to a little
disciples: ‘‘Take, eat, this is my body, take, | bread and wine would not incur such a penalty
drink, this is my blood,’’ does it not seem like | as that spoken of in another place, for St. Paul
Satan’s old device to hear the suggestion: ‘‘ Did | says, ‘‘ He that eateth and drinketh unworthily
Christ really mean what He said?” ‘‘How|eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not
could He; He only meant to say ‘this repre-| discerning the Lord’s body.’’
sents my body, this is a symbol of my blood.’””} We cannot evade the fact, nor do we desire

Now, if these words were dark or equivocal; |'to, that in, with and under the bread and wine
if they had been spoken in haste or by a/the body and blood of Christ is given to and
thoughtless, impulsive man, we might have | received by each communicant at the table of
put some other meaning into them. But they | the Lord.
are the words, the solemn testamentary words} And, let us ask, where, if any one is allowed
of God Himself and are so plain, so clear, 80] to change or twist or explain away these solemn
simple that they cannot be plainer, clearer, or | words, where will a halt be called? If one has
more simple. A child can understand them, |p right to explain Christ’s clear words ‘‘ this is

but no angel dare change them, no creature} my body,’’ into this represents or symbolizes
has any authority to expound them otherwise | my body, why has not another the same right
than as they read. to so change the word of God where it posi-

What other language could Christ have used | tively asserts that Christ is the Son of God,
to express this mystery: ‘‘ Consider, if a person | that He is the Saviour of the world, as to teach

were to hand you a cup, without stating ex-|that Christ only represents what a Son of God
plicitly that there was anything in it, saying, | should be, or He symbolizes the saving power
‘Take, drink, this is wine,’ could we under-| of virtue in a sinful world. Beware! You are
stand the words to mean anything else than |treading on dangerous ground. “If any man
“that there is wine in the cup, that the wine is| shall add unto these things, God shall add unto
offered to us in and at the same time with the| him the plagues that are written in this book.”
cup, and that we are to drink thesame. Would Worlnan
it not be a piece of mockery if the cup really i
contained no wine? Now can we, dare we be-
‘lieve that the dying Redeemer only wished to
mock His disciples and His whole Church,
‘when handing bread He said, ‘Take, eat, this} The traveler in Lutheran Sweden and Nor-
‘is my body,’ and extending the cup, said,|way sees many customs which indicate that
“Take, drink, this is my blood’?’’ Christ gave | the people are unusually courteous and honest.
‘and the disciples received His true body and | At the railway dining stations a large table is
‘blood: set in the centre of a spacious room. Upon it
"> There are some who try to escape the force | are displayed a variety of tempting dishes and
‘of this plain statement by saying that Christ | piles of warm plates, with knives, forks and
calls Himself the door, the vine, a rock, and | napkins.
as we are to take these figuratively, so with| The passengers enter without confusion, walk
‘the words “‘this is my body, this is my blood.’’|around the central table, select what dishes
“We admit that Christ is not an ordinary door, they like best, and then seat themselves at little
but the spiritual—but no less actual and real| marble tables scattered in the room. Every
—entrance into His kingdom. But where does | person, remembering that his neighbor may

against every item, adds up the amount, and
puts the sum she receives into her pocket.
When the money becomes too heavy, she gives
it, without counting, to the stewardess.

All is left to the honesty of the people. In-
stead of this confidence begetting laxity, it
makes every one careful to pay to the utter-
most penny. His honor is at stake; therefore
he feels obliged to be very particular.

Mr. Du Chaillu tells of a servant-girl who
brought him a gold locket, which he had
dropped on the kitchen floor the previous even-
ing, while displaying his curiosities.

““Why did you not keep it?’’ he asked, play-
fully.

“How, then,’’ she answered, ‘‘could I ever
walk erect and look people in the face?’’

He once had hard work to make a man ac-
cept a small sum of money which he had
earned. The honest fellow had traveled on
snow-shoes in the soft snow for an hour to re-
store to Mr. Du Chaillu his gold watch and
chain, which he had left under his pillow at
the house where he slept the evening before.
Only by showing him that he was paid for his
loss of time, and not for returning what did
not belong to him, could he be persuaded to
accept the money.

Such traits as these cause us to look with
pleasure upon the statistics which tell that
hundreds of these honest, courteous Lutheran
people leave their native land to become
dwellers in the United States.

—_—* + 0am o ~~

Walk with God.

Scandinavian Honesty.
If we are to walk with God, we must go

nowhere that Christ will not go. Oh, how
many venture beyond the territory in which
they ought to walk, and they wonder why they
have not the enjoyments of religion? They go
where Jesus will not go. ‘‘ Blessed is the man
that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly ;””
Christ is not there. ‘‘Nor standeth in the way
of sinners;”’ Christ is not there. ‘‘Nor sitteth
in the seat of the scornful;’’ Christ is not there.
If you would walk with Christ, keep out of all
evil company, of all evil associations; keep

you cannot go in the Spirit of Christ.

of the waiters—a girl—who puts the price

from all evil places—from every place where —