The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1891, Page 27

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 27

“Thou, God, Seest Me.” “True enough, Bessus bad killed bis father!}  ‘‘How do you know I have so good a son?”

His conscience troubled him so much, and he| ‘‘Because I have seen his works, and I know
Cora and Jim were talking earnestly about| was so full of terror lest some one should suspect | that he must be good and clever if he has done
. something; no one could tell just what. him, that he thought the birds knew his secret, | all that you have showed me.’
“Are you sure, Cora?’’ Jim asked. and were telling it to the world. No, dear} ‘‘But you have never seen him.’’
“Yes, I am sure,’’ said Cora, decidedly. children, we can not hide from God nor from| ‘‘No. But I know him very well, because
“But how are you sure, Cora?”’ conscience.”’ I judge him by his works.’’
“Why, just as sure as I am alive,” said Cora.| We should think of this whenever we are| ‘‘True,’’ replied the Baron, ‘‘and this is the
But even this did not satisfy Jim. tempted to do wrong. God sees us at all times | way I judge of the character of our heavenly
“What are you so puzzled over?” asked|and at all places. But if we as true believers| Father. I know from His works that He is a
Cousin Ray. in our Saviour walk in the way of God’s com-| being of infinite wisdom, power and goodness.’’
“Cora says there isn’t a spot anywhere where | mandments, then we can be glad in the truth,| The Frenchman felt the force of the reproof,
we can hide from God. Mind, Cousin Ray, | ‘‘Thou, God, seest me.” and was careful not to offend the good Baron
we are not talking about a spot in this world, ++ oo any more by his remarks.—From the German.
but anywhere! Now it seems to me if we could God Seen in All His Works. SS oo ee
just get far away, off from the world, you know, .
there might be a place where one could be quite Story 7 Abou LAS ible:
alone.’’

In that beautiful part of Germany which
borders on the Rhine, there is a noble castle,
‘Alone, without God, Jim? What does Da-| which, as you travel on the western bank of
vid say in that beautiful Psalm?” the river, you may see lifting its ancient towers
Jim was not sure he could say the Psalm. _| on the opposite side, above the grove of trees
“Do you mean the one where David speaks | about as old itself.
of going away, and flying to the uttermost parts} About ninety years ago there lived in that
of the earth?’’ he asked. castle a noble gentleman, whom we will call
“*Yes,’’ said Cousin Ray. ‘If you like, I] Baron ——. The Baron had only one son,
will repeat two or three verses, it is so beauti-| who was not only a comfort to his father, but
ful. ‘If I take the wings of the morning, and/| a blessing to all who lived on his father’s land.
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even| It happened on a certain occasion that this
there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right| young man being from home, there came a
hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the dark-| French gentleman to see the castle, who began
ness shall cover me; even the night shall be} to talk of his heavenly Father in terms that
light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not} chilled the old man’s blood; on which the Baron
from Thee; but the night shineth as the day; | reproved him saying, “Are you not afraid of
the darkness and the light are both alike to} offending God, who reigns above, by speaking
Thee!’ It is the one hundred and thirty-ninth| in such a manner?” The gentleman said that
Psalm, children. Read it this evening for your| he knew nothing about God, for he had never
evening chapter.”’ seen Him. The Baron did not notice at this

“I am so glad it is that way,’’. said Cora.|time what the gentleman said, but the next
“Tt would be dreadful to be in a place where| morning took him about his castle grounds,
God is not!” and took occasion first to show him a very

“Yes, but when one has done wrong one] beautiful picture that hung on the wall. The
feels like running away to hide,” said Jim,| gentleman admired the picture very much, and
thoughtfully. said, ‘‘Whoever drew that picture knows very

“That only makes the wrong worse,’’ said| well how to use his pencil.”

Cousin Ray. ‘Do you not knowa better way?”| ‘‘My son drew that picture,” said the Baron.

“Yes,” said Jim. ‘We should go to our| ‘Then your son is a very clever man,” re-
heavenly Father and confess our sins; He will| plied the gentleman.
forgive us for Jesus’ sake.’’ The Baron then went with his visitor into

“But even if we do not think of God’s eye| the garden, and showed him many beautiful
when we sin, we are quite sure to hear a voice| flowers and plantations of forest trees. -
telling of our wrong deeds.’’ “Who has the ordering of this garden?

‘A voice?’’ said Cora. asked the gentleman.

‘Yes, the voice of conscience; and conscience| ‘‘My son,” replied the Baron; “he knows
seems to tell other folks, too; at least it seems| every plant, I may say, from uno cedar of
to us as though’ many people knew just the| Lebanon to the hyssop on the vc es
naughty things we have done. In old times “Indeed,” said the gentleman, T shall thin
there lived aman named Bessus. He was rich,| very highly of him soon. 3 :
and among other things owned a large number} The Baron then took him into the ee
of birds. They sang in every corner of his| and showed him a small, neat cottage, where

: i tablished a school, and where he
Soni Re MUR HITT killed a ced At ae children who had lost their

es i i illed| caused all y A
oat nae 5: ajlongias rossicle, at a parents to be received and noun at * om

‘What harm had the birds done?” asked one.| expense. The children in the house it tt)
th, Ah!” said Beseus, ‘they were telling me sll) 0 bappy tat © SO aa anceinitn
nay time that I had Killed my father. I could | pleased, mS TT Uiwvact a happy man you

G0 to a corner of the grounds that I did not said to the ood eon
far the same tory !?? are to have 80 :

There was a little boy who wanted a Bible
very much indeed—wanted it more than any-
thing else he could think of. But he was a
poor boy and could not afford to buy one, for
he lived a good many years ago when Bibles
cost more than they do now.

One day two strange gentlemen came to his
house and asked his mother for something to
eat. Although she had only plain food, she
gave them a welcome to what she had. As
they ate, they saw that the little boy looked sad.
They asked him what he wanted and he told
them, a Bible.

His mother said, ‘“Never mind. Don’t fret
about that. Tl take you to see General
Washington next week.’’

“But I’d rather have a Bible than to go to
see General Washington,’ the boy said.

One of the gentlemen seemed much pleased
with this and told him he hoped he would
always be as fond of the Bible.

The next day the little boy received a
beautiful Bible, and on the fly-leaf was written,
“From George Washington.”

The little boy did not know it, but he had
been talking to General Washington himself
the day before.—C. If

A Righteous Judgment.

Two German farmers had a difference about
a piece of meadow which they could not settle.
One day Franz came to Casper and said:

“J have got the judges to meet here to-
morrow, and decide between us. Be ready to
go before them with me, and present your side
of the case.”

“Well, Franz,” said Casper, ‘“‘I have mowed
all this hay you see. I must get it in to-morrow.
T can not possibly leave it. You go before the
judge to-morrow, and tell them both your
reasons and mine, and then there'll be no need
of my going.” -

Franz actually did so, and pleaded faithfully
both for himself and against himself—and lost
his case. Returning to Casper, he said:

‘‘The meadow is yours. I am glad the affair
is finished.”” And the two men were friends
ever afterwards.—From the German.

eR ES ne ete