The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1893, Page 43

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

- “There will be Room in Heaven.”

She was a little old woman, very plainly
‘dressed in black bombazine that had seen much
‘careful wear, and her bonnet was very old-
fashioned, and people stared at her tottering
‘up the aisle of the grand church, evidently
bent on securing one of the best seats; fora

was filled with splendidly-dressed people who
had heard of the fame of the preacher, his
learning, his intellect and goodness, and they
wondered at the presumption of the poor old
woman. She must have been in her dotage,
for she went into the pew of the richest mem-
ber of the church, and took a seat. The three
ladies who were seated there
beckoned to the sexton, who
bent over the intruder and whis-
pered something; but she was
hard of hearing, and smiled a
little withered smile, as she said,
gently:

“Oh, I’m quite comfortable
— quite comfortable.’’

“But you are not wanted
here,’’ said the sexton, pomp-
ously ; ‘there is notroom. Come
with me, my good woman ; Pil
see that you have a seat.”’

‘Not room!’’ said the old
woman, looking at her shrunken
proportions, and then at the fine
ladies. “‘Why,Iam notcrowded |
a bit. I rode ten miles to hear
the sermon to-day, because —’’

But here the sexton took her
by the arm and shook her roughly
in a polite, underhand way, and
then she took the hint. Her
faded old eyes filled with tears,
her chin quivered ; but she arose
meekly and left the pew. Turn-

ing quietly to the ladies, who :
were spreading their rich dresses

over the crowd of worshipers gathered in the| conclude it with prayer, and proposed that
vast church, he seemed to scan every face.|the native should pray. He did so; and as
His hand was on the Bible, when suddenly,}he poured out his heart to God, the lawyer
leaning over the reading desk, he beckoned | could not conceal his feelings. ‘Tears started
to the sexton, who obsequiously mounted the | from his eyes, and he sobbed aloud. All pres-
steps to receive the mysterious message. And /|ent wept too, and when they separated, the
then the three ladies in the grand pew were| words, ‘‘What will you say, sir?’ followed

felectrified to see him take his way the whole|the lawyer home, and did not leave him till
great man preached on that day, and the house |

length of the church to return with the old| they brought him to the Saviour.
woman, whom he placed in the front pew of | Reader, what will xou say?
all, its other occupants making room for her. | oe
The great preacher looked at her with a smile| Spilling the Sermon
of recognition ; and then the service proceeded, ;
and he preached a sermon that struck fire from
every heart.

| ‘There is a Sunday School in Siam taught by
j the missionaries directly after their return
‘Who was she?” asked the ladies who could|from church. The children attend the church,
and then in Sunday School they
are asked what they can remem-
ber of the sermon. On most
Sundays they have something to
tell; but one day not a child
could tell a thing that had been
said by the preacher. The si-
lence grew longer and longer.
At last a little fellow piped up:
‘eTeacher, while I was there I
caught a whole bowlfull, but I
spilled it on the way home.”’

Do any of you children spill
the sermon or the Sunday School
lesson on the way home?

nt

Eternity.

‘‘Q mother,’’ said one, ‘‘I
do not know how to think of
eternity, for there is no ¢ill in
eternity —till next year; till
to-morrow; till New Year’s
day.’”

’ Yes, there are measures for
time. We know none to measure
eternity. It is enough for us
to know that heaven or hell are

SEA OF GALILEE. there. One of these will be our

over the space she left vacant,

she said, gently:

“I hope, my dears, there’ll be room in
heaven for us all.’’

Then she followed the pompous sexton to
the rear of the church, where, in the last pew
she was seated between a threadbare girl and
a shabby old man.

“She must be crazy,’’ said one of the ladies
in the pew which she had firstoccupied. ‘“‘What
can an ignorant old woman like her want to
hear Dr. preach for? She would not be
-able to understand a word he said.”

_ Those people are so persistent! The idea
of her forcing herself into our pew! Isn’t
that voluntary lovely! There’s Dr. —— com-
ing out of the vestry. Isn’t he grand ?”’ ©

“Splendid! What a stately man! You

‘know he promised to dine with us while he
is here.” : :

.. He is a commanding-looking man, and as
the organ voluntary stopped, and he looked

“Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?’ Now,

final home. How can we reach
not make room for her, as they passed the!the one? Mow escape the other? Jesus
sexton at the door. says, ‘‘Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
“The preacher’s mother,”” answered that} perish.”? ‘‘I am the way, the truth, and the
functionary, in an injured tone.— Selected. life: no man cometh unto the Father but by
Me.”? If you reach heaven, there will be no
fear of a “‘till’’ to disquiet your perfect peace;
if you are among the lost, there will be no
hope of ‘‘till’? to end your sorrow. Oh, do
not delay to choose the better part till it be
forever too late.

What will YOU Say?

While Hopu, 2 young Sandwich Islander,
was in that country, he spent an evening in
a company where an infidel lawyer tried- to
puzzle him with difficult questions. At length
Hopu said, ‘‘I am a poor heathen boy. It is
not strange that my blunders in English should
amuse you. But soon there will be a larger
meeting than this.. We shall all be there.
They will ask us all one question, namely,

sao om _-

God's Shadow.

Inthe bright sunlight a father stooped down
to kiss his child, and as he did so his shadow
fell on the little one—a true parable.

The misfortunes that we meet with are not
God going away from us, but our dearest
Father in heaven stooping down to kiss us—
God’s shadow falling onus. ~~ fers

sir, I think I can say ‘Yes.’ What will you.
say, sir??? When he had stopped, all present
were silent. At length the lawyer said that
as the evening was far gone they had better

~