The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1895, Page 5

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The Autheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED BY THE HVANGELICAL LuTHERAN SYNODICAL CONFERENCE or Nortu AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

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

Vol. XVIL.

My Refuge.

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath aces eae
eee eenng arms.” ‘The Lord is my defense, and my G
is the Rock of my refuge,” Deut. 32, 27; Ps. 9, 2

When the heart is tossed and driven,
And the restless waves run high,

Let Thy voice, amid the tempest
Saying, ‘‘Fear not: itis I!”

Calm the tumult of my breast,

And Thy presence give me rest.

When the enemy assails me,
And his poisoned arrows fly,
May the shield of faith protect me
While to Thee, my God, I cry. ;
Jesus, refuge of my soul,
Thou canst make and keep me whole.

When the desert sands arc burning, “>
And there’s neither bush nor tree,
I would seek the cooling shadow
Of the Rock that shelters me.
‘Rock of Ages,’’ Thou shalt be
Shelter evermore for me.

Should my soul grow dry and thirsty,
There’s no water here for me.

I would not hew broken cisterns,
But at once fly unto Thee,

Whence the living waters burst

Which alone can quench my thirst.

° Should the death-stroke overtake me,
Thou, my life, art ever near.
Thou art my eternal refuge,
What have I from death to fear?
Thou hast conquered death for me,

And I share Thy victory.
H. McD.
————> + oo >
°

“Sweeter than Honey.”

This is what the Psalmist says of the Word
of God: ‘‘How sweet are ‘Thy words unto my
taste, yea sweeter than honey to my mouth,”
Ps. 119, 108. He surely had great delight in
the words of God. They satisfied the deepest
yearnings of his soul. He had more joy in
God’s Word than in anything else.

Some people think the Bible a dull, dry
book. ‘They read it, perhaps, as a duty, but
they do not take any pleasure in it. They
may even admire its beauties, but they have
no care for jts bread. It is not sweet to their
taste. They are not attracted by it. 4

But God’s children love God’s Word. The
Lord Jesus said, ‘‘He that is of God heareth

,

St. Louis, Mo., February, 1895.

God’s Word.’’ To hear, to love the Word is
a token of spiritual life. The natural’ man
has no liking for the truths of Holy Scripture.
But those who are born again love the Bible.
The man of God says, ‘‘I have esteemed Thy
words more than my necessary food.”’ Again
he says of God’s words: ‘‘More to be desired
are they than gold, yea than much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.’’
Again he says, ‘‘Thy words were found and
I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me
the joy and rejoicing of mine heart; for I am
called by Thy name, O Lord of hosts.’”” And
Christians are charged by the Holy Ghost to

‘desire the sincere milk of the Word that they |,
.|may grow. thereby.”’

Every true Christian
loves the Bible. He has been ‘‘born again
by the Word of God,” and by that same Word
he is nourished. His life is a life of faith,
and faith feeds upon God’s truth. The Holy

Ghost sanctifies the children of God by the

truth of God. They have:a taste for Holy
Scripture. ‘They know it to be the living
Word of Him by whom they have been born
anew. ‘The sweetest experiences of spiritual
life are in the study and meditation of God’s
Word. Often, when Christians ponder it, it
flashes light upon their souls. Often, as they
think upon its holy sayings, the Holy Ghost,
the Comforter, takes of the things of Christ
and shows them unto their hearts. Then they
realize that the Word of God is ‘sweeter than
honey.”

In this way the children of God also realize
that the Bible is inspired of God. They know
that itis true. They can not be reasoned out
of it. As they know that honey is sweet to
their mouth, so they know that the words of

| the Bible are the quick and powerful words of

God. They have experienced the life-giving,
life-sustaining, life-gladdening, and purifying
power of God’s Word, and they are ready to
declare of it that it is ‘sweeter than honey.

Reader, is it so with you? Do you read
God's Word, search it, ponder it, tore it?
If not, “why not? "

— ><

“Every step of our journey, though it may
be full of toil and discomfort, is: leading us
homeward.”’

+?! nal life, and this life is in His-Son-

Trust in God's Word. ,

The Lutheran Church tells every poor sinner
to trust in God’s Word alone for the assurance
of salyation. In no other way can the sinner
find peace and rest. As long as he trusts in
his feelings or in anything he finds in his own
sinful self, he will not enjoy the true happiness
of the children of God. Good feelings easily.
pass away, but God’s Word can never pass
away. It is as immovable as Jehovah’s throne.
On God’s Word, therefore, the believer’s faith
does rest, and by resting his faith on the eter-
nal Word of God the believer enjoys the as-
surance of salvation. He accepts as true, and
true for himself, the promises of the Gospel;
and he knows by the testimony of God who
can not lie, that he has passed from death
unto life. He does not say: ‘‘I have felt re-
ligion and will go to heaven because I feel
good.’? No! To every accusation, to every
doubt, to every fear his triumphant answer
is: ‘I know that I am a saved sinner, a child
of God, and an heir of heaven, because the
Sayiour in whom I believe says so in His
word, and He can never tell a lie.”’

What does that Word say? In John 3, 16 we
find, ‘‘He that believeth on the Son hath ever-
lasting life.’’ And then turn to chapter’5, 24:
‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth
my word, and believeth on Him that sent me,
hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
judgment, but is passed from death unto life.”
Then look at the next chapter. In verse 40 it
says, ‘‘This is the will of Him that sent me,
that every one who seeth the Son and believeth
on Him may have everlasting life; and I will
raise him up at the last day.”” And then see
verse 47, ‘‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, he
that believeth on me, ath everlasting life.’”
And in 1 John 5, 11—18 we read: ‘‘And this
is the record, that God hath given unto us eter-
He that

hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not
the Son of God, hath not life. These things
have I written unto you that believe on the —
name of the Son of God, that you may know
that you have eternal life.’” “How were they
to know it? They were to know it from what
is written. And so every believer knows from