The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1897, Page 17

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— The Lutheran

A MISSIONARY

ionecy.

MONTHLY.

PousiisHep By THE EVANGELICAL LurHeran SynopicaL ConFERENCE OF Nort AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

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

Vol. XIX.

St. Louis, Mo., May, 1897.

No. 5.

The, Ascension.

By P. NICOLAT, 1699.

As they were looking, He was taken up. <Acts1,9.

O glorious Victor, Prince of peace,
Whose kingdom nevermore shall cease,
On clouds to heaven ascending!
We sce Thee soar above the sky,
While angels ‘‘Alleluia!’’ cry,
Thy royal state attending.

Upon the mount of Olives stand
The holy apostolic band
To take Thy parting blessing;
The eternal gates lift up their heads,
High heaven its glory o’er Thee spreads,
The stars their King confessing.

On God’s right hand, Thy chosen place,
Divine Redeemer of our race,
Thou art in Triumph seated;
Oh, lead us upward by Thy grace,
Where saints and angels see Thy face,
In bliss and joy completed.

O great High Priest, still intercede,
Send down Thy Comforter to plead,
And aid our weak endeavor;
That when as Judge Thou shalt descend,
When earth and time and death shall end,
We rejgn with Thee forever!

—> co oe

‘Our Lord’s Ascension.

The Bible tells us after our Lord’s resur-
tection from the dead He sojourned yet forty
days on earth, then ascended into heaven.
His work of redemption was done, His days
of humiliation and suffering were ended, and
He went to the Father and entered into His
glory. ‘‘So then after the Lord had spoken
‘unto them, He was received up into heaven
and sat at the right hand of God,”’ Mark 16, 19.

We do not look upon this as a subject of
sorrow. On the contrary, Ascension day is
aday of joy. He that goes up to heaven is
the same that came down from heaven to re-
deem the world of sinners. From His as-
cension we learn that His work is finished.
Therefore the psalmist cries out rejoicingly:
“Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led
captivity captive; Thou hast received gifts
for men; yea, for the rebellious also,”’

Psalm 68, 18. The captivity which Christ
has led captive is the captivity of sin, death,
devil, and hell. In this captivity all men are
held by nature. They all are captives and
slaves, for they all have sinned and become
the slaves and captives of Satan and have de-
served to pass eternity in the prison of hell.
Christ in His great love came as our Deliverer
to snap our bonds and to set us free. By His
life, sufferings, and death He redeemed -us
from our captivity. In His glorious resur-
rection we see Him as the Conqueror over all
our enemies, and in His triumphant ascension
we see Him leading our captivity captive.
He has made our enemies captives and slaves.
He is crowned as the mighty Hero and as the
Lord over all things: our enemies are put
under His feet. Through Him deliverance,
forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting are
procured for all sinners. These are the gifts
which He received, not for Himself, but for
men, for all men, yea, for the rebellious also.
These gifts are brought to every sinner in the
Gospel. Therefore Christ, before His ascen-
sion, told His disciples to go into the world
and preach the Gospel to every creature.
The Gospel brings to every sinner the glad
tidings: Your captivity is led captive, your
enemies are conquered, your prison is de-
stroyed, you are free, heaven is opened to
you.

Blessed are they who by faith accept this
Gospel.. They enjoy the gifts which the as-
cended Saviour received for all men and which
He in the Gospel offers to all. They are
no longer captives and slaves, but the free
children of God. They may pass through
many sorrows and tribulations in this world,
still they rejoice in the presence of their
Saviour, who makes all things work together
for good to them that love Him. He that as-
cended into heaven and thus withdrew His
visible presence, is at all times present with
His children, though they see Him not. He
has not left us orphans. ‘‘Lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world.”
These are His own words. His ascension into
heaven is not a separation from us, but rather
the entrance of our Brother into His glory,
that He may be with us at all places and at

all times, and bless us, and keep us, and guide
us to the place which He has gone to prepare
for us. ‘In my Father’s house aré many
mansions; if it were not so I would have told
you. I goto’prepare a place for you, I will
come again and receive you unto myself, that
where I am there ye may be also.” =
Yes, there is a good time coming for God’s
weary pilgrims. When the disciples stood
gazing up into heaven after their Lord: had
left them, two angels appeared to ‘them and
said, ‘This same Jesus, which is taken up
from you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.”
He will come and take His children home.
They shall see Him in whom they have be-
lieved. ‘They shall behold His glory and en-
joy forever the fruits of His labor and suffer-
ing and victory on earth.
«© little while,’ our Lord shall come,

And we shall wander here no more;

He’ll take us to our Father’s home,

Where He for us has gone before —

To dwell with Him, to see His face,

And sing the glories of His grace.”

Read the Word.

Never has the world had so many Bibles as
now. Never have so many Bibles been printed
in so short a time as now. They drop from
the press of the American Bible Society like
leaves from the frost-nipped stem of the forest
tree. Never have so many Bibles been owned
as now. ‘They are as cheap as novels, and
the family without one is often reckoned as a
heathen family. And yet, with all this granted,
how little is God’s word read!

All people ought to read the Bible. We
ought to go to it as a thirsty man goes to the
fountain, as the hungry man goes to the table,
as the sick man goes to his physician, as the
sea-faring man goes to his compass and chart,

‘as the traveler goes to his guide-book.

The great old Bishop Ambrose says truly:
“Many streams meet in the Scriptures, —
rivers of sweet and clear waters, and snowy
fountains which spring up to eternal life.”

—Ex.