The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1889, Page 2

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

Four, Six and Two Tracks.

Of this the picture in this number of the
PIONEER reminds us. How so? Let me tell
_you. Avsheep is lost upon the mountains. It
cannot get back to its home, for of all creatures
it is the most helpless, when once out of the

way, if left to itself. Ifit goes on it must die, |

if it stands still it must die, Above it is the
cold storm, before it is the fierce wolf, around it
are the steep rocks and deep
pits. There are but Four
tracks in this wild place,
for the sheep is alone; and
it calls to mind what is writ-
ten in God’s word of every
one of us, whether man or
child, ‘‘all we like sheep
have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own
way,’ Isa. 53, 6.

But there is a good Shep-
herd, who says, ‘‘ What man
of you, having an hundred

| but two tracks, the tracks of the good shop | An Epiphany Lesson.
herd. ‘When he bath found it, he Jayeth it
lon his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he

‘cometh home, he calleth together his friends

The Epiphany festival is celebrated on the
6th of January. The Gospel of that day tells

and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with | us of the coming of the Gentiles to Bethlehem
me; for I have found my sheep which was| to worship at the couch of the infunt Saviour.
lost.’? He bears us all the way to heaven, for|The festival is the missionary festival of the
“He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and
carry them in His bosom,” Isa. 40, 11.

Yes, it is a beautiful picture which can com-

Church. It reminds the church of her duty to
bring the Gospel to those who now sit in dark-
ness. It is every Christian's duty to aid in this
mission work by praying and
by paying. Do not forget
the paying part. It takes
money to carry on mission
work. Missionaries must
be supported, chapels and
school-houses must-be built.
The Christian’s new nature
gladly contributes to this
work, but the old nature is
opposed to giving and must
be fought and put down.
There was old Uncle
Brown. He was in church

sheep, if he lose one of them,
doth not leave the ninety-

on Epiphany Sunday and
listened to 2 missionary ser-

and nine in the wilderness,
and go after that which is
lost, until he find it?”’ Luke
15, 4. ‘The Son of man is
come to save that which was
lost,”’ Matth. 18, 11. -
Here, then, we have six
tracks, made by the lost
sheep, and the seeking Shep-
herd, who says, ‘‘I am the
good shepherd: the good
shepherd giveth his life for
the sheep,” John 10, 11.
~ Yes, ‘‘the Lord hath laid
on Him the iniquity of us
all.” He did not wound
the poor sheep when He
found it, but ‘‘He was
wounded for our transgres-
sions;’’» He did not bruise
it, but ‘He was bruised for
our iniquities;’” He did not
chasten it, but ‘‘the chas-
tisement of our peace was
upon Him;”’ He did not
strike it, but ‘‘with His stripes we are healed,’
Tea. 58, 5.6.  ~
The sinner then, old or young, is not told to
do anything to save himself, but only to trust
in the Lord Jesus Christ to save him. He is
forbidden to do anything, to wait for feelings,
‘or to put confidence in his good works, for
‘this is the work of God, that ye believe on
Him whom He hath sent,”’ John 6, 29. We
do good’ works because we are saved, but so far
from doing good works that we may be saved,
it is written, ‘‘To him that worketh not, but
_ believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness,” Rom.
4, b.
Hence, after the sinner believes, there are

mon. He was nearly deaf,

and was accustomed to sit
facing the congregation,

right under the pulpit, with

his ear-trumpet directed up-

ward toward the preacher.

The sermon moved him con-
siderably. At one time he
said to himself, ‘I'll give

$10;’’ again he said, ‘I'll

give $15.’’ At the close of
the appeal he was very much
moved,and thought he would

give $20. Now, the boxes
were passed. As they moved
along, his charity began to
ooze out. He came down
from twenty to ten, to five,
to one, to zero. He con-
cluded that he would not
give anything. ‘‘Yet,’’ said
he, ‘“‘this won’t do—I am in
a bad fix. This stinginess
will be my ruin.’’ The boxes
were getting nearer and
nearer. The crisis was upon him. What should
he do? The box was under his chin—all the
congregation were looking. He had been hold-
ing his pocket-book in his hand during his talk,
which was half heard by those sitting near him,
though in his deafness he did not know he was
heard. In the agony of the final moment, he
took his pocket-book and laid it in the box,
saying to himself as he did it, ‘‘ Now squirm,
old nature!??

All honor to old Uncle Brown! ‘The old
nature had to go under. It often takes a great
giving to put stinginess down. A few experi-
ments of putting in the whole pocket-book
may, by-and-by, get the heart into the mission-
box.

The Good Shepherd.

fort us as we enter the new year. Ursula, a
German lady of great prominence, had deco-
rated her chamber with many beautiful pict-
ures, and in her last sickness she derived much
comfort from them. Just opposite her bed
there hung a picture representing the Saviour
bearing upon His shoulders the lost sheep which
He had found. Of this she said, “‘I too am on
the strong shoulders of my Saviour; He Him-
self will bear me safely into the Paradise of
God. Of this I am fully convinced.”
oR

A BEAUTIFUL Sayise: ‘‘ When you are in-
sulted, cast the affront into the unfathomable
depths of God's love, from which it will have
no resurrection.