The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1891, Page 31

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‘The Lutheran Pioneer. 31
—————EESESESE——————————————— ee ————_"
Tried and Proved. life will be as worthy of my trust in respect to|and was baptized a Christian. Directly this
all the future life, on which it has made my | was known at home, his father was very angry.
“An aged widow was thinking of the faithful-| soul to hope, and therefore this holy Bible is|‘‘Go,” he said, ‘‘you are no longer my son;
ness and love of God, with her Bible open be-| precious to my soul.” leave the house and return no more.’ His
fore her. It was an old Bible—a very old one} Happy old saint! Such faith as hers has| mother and sisters dared not speak, and turned
Which bore the marks of much handling; | ever been honored and ever will be. away, lest their looks should betray them, for
but it was a very precious one to its owner, not} Reader! you, too, doubtless have a Bible. | the father’s word was law.
only because it had been her mother's Bible, | Have you tried and proved for yourself the} Soalone, and almost penniless, he found him-
but because in it she had, for many years, | faithfulness of God to the soul that trusts in|self standing in the street. He had ‘put his
found the comfort which she could find nowhere | that Bible? hand to the plow,’’ and would not look back.
else. So this one holy book was dear to her| The Bible has the same truths and promises | There were rich merchants in the city, men at
heart, and a treasure in her home. And so| for you it had for this.aged widow. It speaks | whose houses he had spent pleasant evenings;
well did she know her Bible that she could | to you for the same purpose as it spoke to her. | he could easily get employment in any of their
easily find almost any passage she desired. It says that Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is| offices, he had but to ask. So the next morn-
Throughout her Bible there were many words | the Saviour of all sinners. That “God so loved | ing he called upon an old friend, and told his
and marks, which she had written with her | the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, | want.
pencil, the most numerous of which were ‘“T.’’|that whosoever believeth in him should not} ‘‘You astonish me,’”’ said the merchant,
and “‘P.”’ perish, but have everlasting life,’’ (John 3, 16). | ‘surely your father's gon need not ask me for
‘While the widow was thus thinking of God’s| ‘The Bible tells you that God hears and | work!” j
ove, a friend came in, who, seeing the open| answers prayer. That He isa present helpin| For a moment the young man was silent,
Bible before her, said something about the| trouble. That He is the Father of mercies and | then he looked the questioner in the face and
‘Bweetness of that book; and in turning over | the God of comfort. Do you know this in your|said, ‘‘I have become a Christian.’’ It was
Some of its leaves in order to find a passage, | own soul’s history and experience? enough. The merchant waved his hand toward
saw ‘‘T.’’ and “P.” written in several places} Have you not proved these things? Then it) the door, and coldly turned away.
upon the margin, and, therefore, took the|is because you have not tried them. Seek in| It was the same elsewhere, even the (so-called)
liberty of asking what it meant. the Bible, the Word of God, for the truth that | Christians spoke of him as a ‘“‘turncoat,’’ and
The widow's reply was simple and beautiful. | maketh wise unto salvation. Trust in that | at last he felt obliged to leave his native land
“That means Zried and Proved. For many | Bible! You will find God faithful to His|and seek employment amongst strangers. In
years past I have come to this Bible for in-| promises and faithful to you; peace and joy | London he is now earning his living by work-
struction and comfort, and have always found | and hope will fill your soul with gladness, and | ing as e carpenter, and is content that it should
what I sought. It has never failed me. It|you, too, will be able to write on the margin | be so, ‘‘for the disciple must be as his Master.’?
was in its blessed pages that, through the Holy | of that book which brings you God’s promises, | It is counted by him a privilege to walk some
Spirit’s help, I found myself to be a lost and “TRIED AND PROVED.’ distance when his day’s work is done, to tell
ruined creature; a sinner by nature and prac- his own countrymen about the Pearl of great
tice; exposed to the wrath of God without price which he has found by searching the
being able to save myself; and here I also The Forgotten Testament. Scriptures.
learned that Jesus is mighty to save. I read ERE STL
His own sweet words of invitation, ‘Come unto] A young man, the son of a wealthy Jew “That’s Me.”
me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and | living in Amsterdam, was walking one day —
I will give you rest.’ I believe that He meant] with a friend through the streets of the town,| A poor Hottentot in Southern Africa lived
what He said. I cast my helpless soul upon| when he saw a man earnestly speaking to a| with a man who had family prayers every day.
Him, and found salvation, found the rest He| group of people, while he held in his hand a|One day he read: ‘‘Two men went up into the
had promised, and proved His faithfulness; | book, from which every now and then he read | Temple to pray.”
and at the side of that invitation and promise|some sentence. ‘‘What is that man talking} The poor savage looked earnestly at the
I wrote my first ‘T.’ and ‘P.’ about?” asked the young Jew. ‘‘Oh! I’ve|reader, and whispered:
“He promised His disciples that if they|heard him,” replied his friend, ‘‘he is trying} ‘‘Now I'll learn how to pray.’’
asked they should receive. Ihave asked Him|to make good Jews into bad Christians, and} The man read on: ‘‘God, I thank Thee that
for blessings, and He did not let me ask in|he sells some books which tell you about his|I am not as other men.’’
vain. I became a widow and my children|religion. I have one of them at home; you) ‘No, Iam not; but I am worse,” whispered
were fatherless. My heart was full of bitter-|can have it if you like.’ So the New Testa-| the Hottentot. avi
Ness and sorrow. I read these blessed words: |ment exchanged owners, and the young Jew} Again the man read: “‘I fast twice in the
‘Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve | took it home, but only to throw it on one side week, I give tithes of all I possess.””
them alive; and let thy widows trust in me.’ | (as his friend had done) and forget all about it.| ‘‘I don’t do bal I don’t pray in that way.
‘A father of the fatherless, and a judge of} One day he was seeking for a lost volume | What shall I do?’ said the distressed savage.

———+s +o oe > oe

:the widows, is God in His holy habitation.’|in his bookcase, and knocked down the long-| The man read on, until he came to the pub-

usting myself and my children to His care, | forgotten Testament, sending up & cloud of | lican, who rould not so much as lift his eyes
T found God was faithful; and here in both|dust. He opened it and read, ‘“‘As saith the | unto Heaven.

“Cases you see I have written ‘T.’ and ‘P.’ Prophet Isaiah.”’ His curiosity was roused,| ‘‘That’s me!’’ said his hearer.

i i i “Stood afar off,” read the other.
“I have h d , yet, in|and taking his own Hebrew Bible, he began | Stood 2 i the
the mC “th Tete been left a Ttout to compare the passages quoted in the New} “That's where I am, ” said the rea
Comfort, J ive trusted in God’s promise and | Testament with those in his own Bible. oe “But Rae upon beeen saying, ‘God, be
xe i sed in this way, and that night he| mercifu i ome & sion r. at
faith See a pes : hee ee +, aaa ar rest, and determined that before} ‘‘That’s me! that’s my prayer! - ie the
fail a e Bible, and ; ave nero) my |another day passed he would find the man who | poor creature; and, smiting on his dar! breast,
testimoni therefore mi BO wsatkes in sold the book and ask his help. He did #0, )he prayed, “God, be mereifed ie me * sinus :
Ven = to the) faithfulness) of man have|and after some weeks of careful study he be- until, like the poor publican, he went down to
fen 80 risus ates of eee aileeee fh this came convinced of the truth as it is in Christ, | his house, a saved and happy man.
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