The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1897, Page 19

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 19

full and complete salvation is brought to the
sinner, and by which faith is wrought in the
heart of the sinner, a faith that trusts not in
feeling or in any human efforts, but in the
Word alone. We also know that in his mis-
sionary labors he would tell Germans whom
he met and with whom he spoke about their
souls’ salvation, to go to one of the pastors
of our Lutheran churches at St. Louis. ‘“Those
people,’’ he said, ‘‘have the pure Gospel.’’ We
also remember that when we one day ex-
amined the books of his large library, he said
he thanked God that through the testimony of
the Lutheran Missouri Synod he had learned
to appreciate Luther’s Works, and that
he was very sorry he could not read
German. He then pointed out a book,
which he said was dearest to him, next
to the Bible. It was a translation of
Luther’s Commentary of St. Paul’s Epis-
tle to the Galatians. ‘That is my favor-
ite book among all the books written by
men,’’ the Doctor said, ‘‘I read it daily.
Luther so excellently teaches the Bible
doctrine of Justification. Other com-
mentaries which you see there, are as
clear as mud; but Luther’s Commen-
tary is as clear as sunlight. And then I
gladly read Luther, because he never
handles any one with kid gloves.”’

We know that the Doctor differed
with us in not a few points of doctrine.
In his sermons and writings there was
not only ‘‘gold, silver, and precious
stones,’’ but also ‘‘wood, hay, and
stubble.”” We have written the fore-
going simply to point out an instance
in which the testimony of the Lutheran
Missouri Synod bore some fruit un-
known to many.

God has graciously given us the knowl-
edge of His truth in all the doctrines of
the Bible. May he make us more thank-
ful for this precious gift, and may he
also make us more zealous in the work
of making known the pure Gospel to
those that know it not.

—> + oo

The Kingdom and Blessing of the
Ascended Saviour. ~ :

The ascension of Christ, His going up-
Wards, indicates beyond all doubt, that He
will have nothing to do with this world and
its kingdom; else He would have remained
here, wielding the power of earthly kings and
Potentates. But He leaves all this below, and
ascends into heaven, where we see Him not.
By this He teaches us what His kingdom is
and how we should regard it; that it is not of
this world, as the disciples at first imagined
that it would yield them wealth and power
and honor, but a Spiritual, eternal kingdom,
in which He distributes spiritual blessings to
-all who are His subjects. He blesses us with
heavenly gifts, with the forgiveness of sins,

with rightousness and everlasting life. Such
are the blessings in store for us through Christ,
who would not remain on earth, but ascended
on high to establish a spiritual, invisible, eter-
nal kingdom. He ascended on high to pro-
mote His kingdom, that through the Word
and the Sacraments His Church might be
established and preserved.

The benediction of our Lord Jesus Christ
bestowed upon His disciples at His parting
from them still continues, and is eflicacious
wherever the Gospel is preached in its purity,
so that this preaching is not in vain. This
blessing is full of consolation for us. He

Our Lord’s Ascension.

thereby invites us to keep in mind His going
to the Father, and to rest assured under all
tribulation that the blessing of His ascension
is with us, and that He will employ its glori-
ous effects for our benefit. If His purpose
were otherwise, if He were angry with us and
would not use us in His kingdom, He would
certainly not have departed on high with these
tokens of love towards us. The fact of His
raising His hands in blessing over His dis-
ciples, thereby promising them all prosperity
and success in their holy oflice, to which He
had called them, is an assurance unto us that
the Lord is our faithful, true Friend, whose
blessing is ever upon us as long as the Gospel
is preached. Dr. Martin Lutuer.

_—— oe

‘Tne liar wears the devil’s livery:

Counting Every Hair. -

In the early years of my ministry there was
a most interesting woman, eighty-seven years
of age, blind and bed-ridden for fifteen years,
whom it was a great privilege to know. She
was so bright and cheerful, so quaint in her
sayings, and her mind and heart had become
so stored with the knowledge of God’s word,
upon which she had fed daily by her own
reading, and then by the reading of others
in her blindness, that it was a blessing to visit
her, not to impart, but to receive, comfort
and strength in the disheartening battle of life.

On one occasion she said to me, ‘I
have been in a horrible darkness since
you were here last.’’ ‘‘ You in horrible
darkness?’? was my reply. ‘‘Why, I
can not imagine that you are ever in
darkness; while I know, alas! too well
that my steps often walk in darkness
through unbelief. It discourages me to
learn that an old saint like you, just on
the borders of everlasting light, gets
into darkness.’’

She then stated that a young married
lady, an earnest and useful Christian,
who lived near her, had been sum-
moned out of the world. Some one had
told her of the death, and she began
to wonder why she, an old, and blind,
and bed-ridden woman was suffered to
remain. ll of a sudden it occurred to
her mind that God had forgotten her,
that He has so many people to look
after, He had ceased to remember her
in her worthlessness; ‘‘and,’’ she added,
‘you can not know the dreadful dark-
ness that overwhelmed my soul at the
thought.’’

‘But you are out of the darkness now;
how did you get out?’”’ ‘‘There is but
one way to get out of darkness,’’ she
answered; ‘‘and that is by going to the
Word.’’ ‘‘What particular part of the
Word led you into the light?” ‘‘I re-
membered that the Lord Jesus said, ‘Are
not two sparrows sold for a farthing?
and one of them shall not fall on the
ground without your Father. But the very
hairs of your head are all numbered.’ A long
time ago I had children of my own,: and
I loved them as much as most mothers love
their children, I suppose. I washed their
faces many a time, and brushed their hair
many a time; but I never thought enough of
one of my children to count every hair on its
head. Since my Father thinks enough of me

to count every hair on my old gray head,”

I told the devil to go away; and he troubled
me no more.”’

So the tempted saint rested her soul on the
Word of our Lord Jesus Christ, and found
peace. _ James H. BRooKEs.

——s +e er oe -

Tne beggar on the street and the king on

his throne will alike perish, if out of Christ.