The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1896, Page 15

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

“And thus itis, dear friend, with the terrible
qdlebt of your sins over which you mourn, and
ffor which you own you have nothing to pay.
That debt is paid, for the blood of God’s Son
Uhas been shed for our sins. Jesus has paid
tthe price of all our sins in His own blood.
“That payment of our debt has been accepted
tiby God the Father; for by raising Christ from
tthe dead He has declared that our debt is paid
sand that He is perfectly satisfied. Why are
Zyou not satisfied? Why do you not believe
ywhat God says in the Gospel? Does He not in
ithe Gospel give you a receipt in full? The
Imoment you believe what God says and accept
tthe Gospel you will enjoy the freedom from

the debt of sin.’’

The anxious sinner soon did believe, and
-henceforth rejoiced that her debt was paid.

—>+0<o +

Testing God’s Promises.

Among the hills of New Hampshire there
was a noble farm, whose thriving cornfields
were the pride of the neighborhood. The
farmer was a rich man, and his fine barns,
granaries, wood-piles and well-kept fences
showed that he looked well to his business ;
he was rich also in a warm heart; for, having
no children of his own, he and his excellent
wife took one little motherless child after
another to their hearts and home, until six
adopted children sat at their table and filled
their house with gladness. Nor did their
tiches end here. We had a treasure laid up
in heaven. ‘The farmer was rich in faith,
and his pious example shone with a beautiful
light all around. ‘The little church not far off
loved and honored him, and made him one of
its officers. The people loved and honored
him, and appointed him selectman of the
village. A useful and happy life was his.

Time went by with its changes, and some
it brought to the deacon. His children one
by one married and settled. At last his wife
died, his companion for forty years, and he
was left alone. Old age had crept on, and
he began to need the affectionate care, which,
in other days, he had so freely given to others.
A son inyited him to make his house his home;
and friends invited him to go and spent the
Test of his days in that ease and comfort which
he could so well afford. It was hard to sell
“the old place ;”? but he could do what seemed
best, since, loving it as he did, he looked for-
ward to that sweeter rest which remains for
the people of God beyond the grave.

In a few years, the son failed in business,
and the failure Swept away the larger half of
the old man’s Property. Other losses followed
in its wake, and, like Job, he was wellnigh
stripped of everything. Scarcely enough was
left for his daily bread. Unwilling to be a
burden, he yearned for his early home, and
Only wished he might end his days there.

Back he traveled to his native village. He
knocked at the o

ld farm. gate, and begged

for lodgings beneath the old farm roof. The
young farmer bade him weleome. A bargain
was struck, and the old man became a hired
servant where he was once the master. But
no complaint of a ‘hard lot?’ ever fell from
his lips. A sweet contentment filled his soul.
At morning, midday, and evening, snatches of
prayer and praise floated from his bedroom
into the kitchen and over the green, catching
the ears of the young farmer and his wife,
who often stopped und hearkened to the
strain.

But what could the old man do? He could
no longer swing the axe, handle the hoe, or
turn the furrow, as he once had. ‘The hard,
rough work of life must be done by stronger
hands than his. Ah, there was work to he
done, precious work, that he could do. There
were little children to be watched and tended,
and a burdened mother to relieve. And be-
before many months it was plain how their
little hands and hearts were stretched lovingly
toward him, and even baby chirped more
cheerily in his arms. It was a touching sight
to see him on the log under the old beech-
tree, one in his bosom, another hugging his
knees, a third kneeling at his side, listening
with eager face to ‘‘little Moses hid in the
bulrushes,’’ or ‘‘Samuel hearkening to God,’’
or the ‘mocking children ate up by the bears,”’
or ‘‘that sweet story of old,’’ the infant Jesus
in the manger, their own blessed Saviour.
The old man was never tired of these labors
of love. And do you think the father and
mother could help hearing what pleased their
children so? No, no. His good words, and
simple, godly talk sunk into their hearts as
well as the children’s, like small seeds into
the bosom of the earth.

“Oh,’’ sighed the young mother in her
innermost heart. ‘‘I want to be like that
Christian man.”

“That’s the religion for me,’’ said the
strong farmer, thinking of it over his plow.
Then they asked him to come and pray with
them. And the good deacon fetched out his
old family Bible, and set up the family altar
once more, as it used to be under the old roof
in his day.

And this pleased God, and he sent his Holy
Spirit down into the little household; Jesus
was there; and the young farmer and his
wife sought Jesus and found Him; and by
and by they united with the little church
hard by. Then they called the old man
‘“father,”’ and the little ones called him ‘‘dear
grandfather,”” and he had the best seat in the
chimney corner, and nothing was too good for
him to have.

You observe, when “hard times’’ came to
him, he did not grumble and complain, or
lose faith and get discouraged; he did just
what David tells us to do, ‘*Z'rust in the Lord
and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land,
and verily thou shalt be fed.’? And didn’t he
find it true?

The Blood of Christ.

An old Shepherd in England was taken to
a London Hospital to die. His grandchild
would go and read to him. One day she was
reading in the first chapter of the First Epistle
of John, and came to the words: ‘‘And the
blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us
from all sin.’ The old man raised himself
up and stopped the little girl, saying with
great earnestness:

“Ts that there, my dear?’’

“Yes, grandpa.’’

‘*Then read it to me again—TI never heard
it before.”’

She read it again: ‘‘The blood of Jesus
Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’’

‘*You are quite sure that it is there?’’

‘Yes, quite sure, grandpa.’’

‘«Then take my hand and lay my finger on
the passage, for I want to feel it.’’

So she took the old blind man’s hand and
placed his bony finger on the verse, when
he said:

‘‘Now read it to me again.’’

With a soft, sweet voice she read: ‘‘And
the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth
us from all sin.”

‘*You are quite sure that it is there?’’

‘*Yes, quite sure, grandpa.’’

‘Then if any one should ask how I died,
tell them I died in the faith of these words:
‘The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth
us from all sin.’’’

With that the old man withdrew his hands,
his head fell softly back on the pillow, and
he silently passed into the presence of Him
whose blood cleanseth from all sin.

—>- ae -

Risen with Christ.

True believers know that they are risen with
Christ. They therefore also know that they
must live as those whose citizenship is in
heaven, who are seated with Christ in heavenly
places, who have left the cross, and death,
and the grave behind them! St. Paul says,
“Tf ye then be risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ sitteth
on the right hand of God. Set your affection
on things above, not on things on the earth,”’
Col. 3, 1.2. Mark well: ‘‘On things above,
not on things on the earth.””

————> + oo +

Romanism.

Here lies one of the dangers of popery,
that it holds a doctrine according to which
men can free themselves from their guilt by ~
their own merits and works of satisfaction ;
whereas the only way to obtain forgiveness
of sin is—to look to Christ in penitence and
faith, and with the publican—to pray: God
be merciful to me, a sinner. — Luther.