The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1891, Page 1

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Che Autheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PusiisHeD BY THE HivANGELICAL LUTHERAN SyNODICAL CONFERENCE oF NortTH AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

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

Vol. XIII.

Another Year.

Another year is dawning!
Dear Master, let it be,

In working or in waiting,
Another year with Thee.

Another year of leaning
Upon Thy loving breast;
Of ever-deepening trustfulness,
Of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of mercies,

Of faithfulness and grace;
Another year of gladness

In the shining of Thy face.
Another year of progress,

Another year of praise;
Another year of proving

Thy presence ‘all the days.’

Another year of service,
Of witness for Thy love;

Another year of training
For holier work above.

Another year is dawning!
Dear Master, let it be,
On earth, or else in heaven,

Another year for Thee!
F. R. i.

<0

The Time is Short.

Another year passes away, and the bells that
ring in the new year tell us that the time of
our livesis short. Yes, the time of life is short.
It is therefore likened to the wind -that rushes
by, to the eagle hastening to its prey, to.the
ship that swiftly passes by, to a flower of the
field that flourishes, and the wind passes over
it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall
know it no more. It is likened to a tale that
is told, to foam upon the waters that is scarcely
seen ere it is gone, to the grass which flourishes
and grows up in the morning, and is cut down
in the evening and withers. ‘‘Go to now, ye
that say, to-day or to-morrow we will go into
such a city, and continue there a year, and buy
and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not
what shall be on the morrow. For what is
your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth
for a little time, and then vanisheth‘ away,”
das. 4, 13. 14. :

The time is short, then, for winning Christ.
To win Christ is the greatest gain. St. Paul

St. Louis, Mo., January, 1891.

No. 1.

says, ‘‘What things were gain to me, those I
counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and
I count all things but loss, for the excellency
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
do cast them to the dogs, that I may win
Christ,’ Phil. 3, 7. 8. The man who wins
Christ wins all that he needs for this world,
and that which is to come, for He of God ‘‘is
made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption,’’ 1 Cor. 1, 30.
The most important question, therefore, for
every man at the beginning of the year is,
whether he has won Christ, for “‘ he that hath
the Son, warn life; and he that hath not the
Son of God, hath not life”’ 1 John 5,12. The
time is short, and the years are swiftly passing
by, and we are all coming nearer the grave and
that great day when an account must be ren-
dered of the deeds done in the body. May it
not be to us a dreadful day, when our sins
shall rise up as witnesses against us and, hav-
ing rejected or neglected the great salvation
which is in Christ Jesus, every refuge fails us!
The time is short! ‘‘To-day, if ye will hear His
voice, harden not your hearts.”

The time is short for winning souls. ‘‘He
that winneth souls is wise,’’ says the Bible. It
is to Christiana, the Lord Jesus has given this
work to do. And a great work it is indeed.
Compared with it other things of this life are
but trifling. They will in a little while pass
away forever, but the soul must continue to
exist for weal or for woe, while eternity endures.
“Let him know that he which converteth the
sinner from the error of his way shall save a
soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of
sins,’ Jas. 5, 20. The time is short! Let us
be up and doing, for ‘“‘the night cometh when
no man can work.” Would to God that all of
ug could lay more to heart the solemn words of
the Bible, ‘‘ Whatsoever thy hand findeth to
do, do it with thy might; for there is no work,
nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the
grave, whither thou goest.”’ God has spared
us another year that we might live under Him
and serve Him inthe winning of souls and in
the spreading of His kingdom. May He make
us more zealous in our mission-work in the year
upon which we enter.

Minnie’s New Year’s Gift.

‘‘Mother gave me a Bible last New Year’s,’’
said a little girl, complacently, ‘and Aunt
Lou gave cousin Harry one at the same time.
Just look at them now, and see the difference!’’

Harry’s was worn. Its gilt edges were tar-
nished, and the newness was gone from the
cover, but it looked as if it had been read very
often. Here and there I saw pencil-marks near
favorite verses, and in one or two places it
seemed as if tears might have fallen. Little
Harry Gordon was a Christian, and his Bible
had evidently been very precious to him.

Minnie said triumphantly, after I had fin-
ished my look at Harry’s, ‘‘ Now, see mine!”’
She unfolded the tissue-paper from it, and there
it was, just as fresh and fair and uninjured as
when it came out of the shop.

“T’ve never had it out of the drawer but
once,” said Miss Minnie, ‘‘and that was to
show to somebody.”

“‘Minnie,’’ said I, ‘‘if your father were away
from home, and should send you a letter, telling
you just what he wanted you to do and be,
would it be good treatment never to break the
seal, and to lay it away in a drawer unread?
Would it not be better to take it out every day
and to read it over and over, trying each time
to obey its injunctions?”” _*

‘“‘Yes,’’ said Minnie, blushing, as she began
to see my meaning.

“This is God’s letter to you, my love. Like
the man who folded away his talent in a nap-
kin, you have folded up your precious Bible.
Hereafter, my child, use itas God wants you to.
It was given to us to be read and studied.”

—_—>--o-< o> oe

A Boy’s Faith.

Two little boys were talking together about
the Bible story of Elijah’s going to heaven in a
chariot of fire, which their mamma had lately
told them. :

“J say, Charlie,” said George, “but wouldn’t
you be afraid to ride on a chariot of fire?”

‘Why no,’’ said Charlie, “ I shouldn’t be:
afraid if I knew the Lord was driving it.”

~