The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1889, Page 19

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 19

Lions in Africa.

The daughter of one of the missionaries
among the Basutos, in South Africa, went to
see her sister, who lived more than a hundred

miles from her father’s station. She set out}
in her wagon, taking with her two Buchusna |
~ young women besides the wagoners. They had '
often to unyoke their team, and while the men'

went to sleep, the oxen would wander about in
search of food and water.

One day the oxen could not be seen, and the
wagoners were obliged to go in search of them,
leaving the three young women alone in the
wagon. Those who are used to the wilderness
do not think much of being left alone, but the
poor girls had not been left very long, when
‘they received a most unexpected and unwel-
come visit; for up walked,
in a very leisurely way, a
large lion, who sat himself
quietly down among the har-
ness close to the wagon.

As you may suppose, the
girls trembled at the sight
of the terrible creature, and
lifted up their heartsin prayer
to Him who could stop the
lion’s mouth. Happily they
did not lose their presence of
mind; and as they knew that
fire would terrify the wildest
animal, they thought they
would try its effect upon the
lion. They, therefore, drew
out one of their mats, and
having set it on fire, threw
it upon the savage creature.
The king of the forest seemed
very much astonished at the
flames, and walked backward

|
| where they were going. God had directed
| their steps, and had spread his protection over
|them, though they had spent the whole night

jin the desert amidst many such lions as had |
| visited them in the wagon.

As | have Sung, so | Believe.

| On the 80th of May, 1416, Jerome of Prague,

| after bearing a noble testimony to the truth for |

| which he was ready to suffer, was led to the

| place of execution, through a crowd which
heaped upon him every kind of insult. As he
went along, he sang the Apostles’ Creed, and |
some hymns of the church, ‘‘with a loud voice

}and cheerful countenance.’

| On reaching the stake, a mitre was given to

Chinese Pupils Taught by a Missionary Lady.

a few steps as if he would go
away; but his courage was not shaken, and he
soon came to his former station.

The girls now kindled a second mat and
threw it upon him, but it seemed to have little
effect upon the watchful beast. But a third
mat was more successful. It probably burned
him, and put him in such fear that he now
scampered off and came back no more. But
no sooner was he gone than the girls’ courage
began to give way. The thought of the danger
they had just passed, seemed to take away all
their prudence, and they became so full of fear
that they got out of the wagon and fled away
into the wilderness. A few hours afterward
the drivers returned with the oxen, but when
they came to the wagon they found no one
in it. ‘They were much distressed, and sought
for the girls on every side.

Happily, at length, with that wonderful
power which the native tribes have of diecover-
ing the direction of the flight of any one by
the marks of their footsteps, they found out
the way the girls had taken. They followed
this trail, as itis called, and the next morning
they discovered the fugitives at the very station

him, probably in mockery.—He placed it, with
his own hands, on his head, saying:

“The Lord Jesus Christ, my God, was
crowned for my sake with a crown of thorns,
and I will gladly wear this crown for his glory.”’

He then threw himself on his knees, and
kissed the stake, remaining in prayer for a
few minutes. He was then bound with wet
cords and a chain, and Jarge pieces of wood,
intermixed with straw, were piled around him.
—The executioner was about to set fire to the
pile behind his back, but the martyr saw his
intention, and cried: _

“Come forward and kindle it before my face!
If I had feared this, I should not have been
here, for I might have avoided it.””

The fire was kindled; and as the smoke and
flame arose, s0 once more did the martyr’s
voice, in his last earthly hymu, so soon to be
followed by songs of triumphant glory:

“Welcome, happy morning!’’ age to age shall say;
Hell to-day is vanquished, heaven is won to-day!

Poggius of Florence, formerly secretary to
Pope John XXIII., himself a papist, wrote

that same day, to his friend, Aretin: ‘‘ His
voice was sweet and full. Every ear was cap-
tivated, every heart touched.”

When he had ended the hymn, he said, in

| the German language: ‘‘My beloved children,
jas I have sung, so, and not otherwise, do I

believe.’’
Then he looked up, and said, with a loud

| voice: ‘Into thy hands, O God, I commit my

spirit.”

There was an awful interval; the testimony
was not yet complete, the crown was not yet
won. The flames, fanned by a strong wind
into intenger heat, were yet by that very wind
ever and anon driven aside, exposing their ter-
rible ravages upon that ‘‘temple of the Holy
Ghost,”’ and prolonged the torture. Once more
he cried out (a golden link of prayer and faith
between the praises ended
and the praises to begin):

“‘O Lord God, have mercy
upon me; have mercy upon
me! Thou knowest how I
loved thy truth. Thou hast
redeemed me!”’

And then a fiery veil cov-
ered him from view, once
more parted by the wind
disclosing blistered lips yet
moving as in prayer; and
then—charred and black-
ened remains below, and an-
other glorified spirit, holy
and beautiful and victorious
above.

Oh, that the dying testi-
mony of all who sing the
church’s ‘‘songs of grace and
glory”? may be like that of
Jerome of Prague, ‘‘As I
have sung, so, and not other-
wise, do I believe!” Let this
be the standard of our singing; the expression
of ‘‘true and lively faith’’ in Him ‘‘ who, by
his death, hath destroyed death, and by his
rising to life again, hath restored us to ever-
lasting life.”

2 oo

Only One Soul.

A man has two eyes; if he lose one, he can
use the other. He has two hands; if he lose
one, he can use the other. He has two feet;
if he lose one, he can use the other. He has
but one soul. If that is lost, what then?

I HAVE a pledge from Christ, have His note
of hand, which is my support, my refuge, and
heaven; and though the world should rage, to
this security I cling. How reads it? ‘Lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world.’ If Christ be with me, what shall I
fear? If He is mine, all the powers of earth
to me are nothing more than a spider's web.

St. Chrysostom.