The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1897, Page 33

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PuBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LutueRaN SynopicaL CONFERENCE OF Nortn AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

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

Vol. XIX.

“St. Louis, Mo., September, 1897.

" No. 9.

Mission Prayer.

Use me, O God, in Thy great harvest-fleld,
Which stretcheth far and wide, like a wide sea;

The gatherers are so few I fear the precious yield
Will suffer loss—oh, find a place for me—

A place where best the strength I have will tell,
It may be one the other toilers shun;

Be it a wide or narrow place —’tis well—
So that the work it holds be only done.

Selected.
——s+c<—Pe

Faith in the Word.

He that believes in Jesus knows that he has
forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. He
knows that he is a child of God and an heir
of heaven. He does not doubtfully hope that
he is saved. No. He knows it. How does
he know it? He knows it by believing what
God says. His assurance is based, not on his
feelings or on anything he finds in his own
self, but on the infallible, never changing
Word of God.

A Christian merchant, having lost his way
while traveling in the country, looked about
him for some house, where he might get food
and rest, and also be shown the right road.
On he went till he came in sight of a farm-
house, toward which he at once bent his steps.
Upon asking the kindly-looking folks to allow
him to rest, and give him some bread and
milk, he was at once invited inside and made
to sit down.

While the refreshment was being prepared,
he looked around and noticed an old woman
sitting in a corner, with a large Bible before
her, and a big pair of spectacles on her nose.
The milk and bread were soon before the
traveler; upon which he bent his head to ask
a blessing upon the food. The old woman
thought he was examining the milk and was
doubting its sweetness. She therefore said,
“The milk is good, man; it’s just as God
sent it; drink it up, man!’ .

The traveler assured her he did not fora
Moment doubt the sweetness of the milk and
would gladly ‘drink it up,’ and, in return,
asked her whether she did the same with the
“sincere milk’? of God’s Word which she

then had before her. Did she simply believe
it, and thus drink it up as her own to live
upon and grow thereby?

“Yes, [hope I do,” said the old lady.

‘Well, then you know, of course, that all
your sins are forgiven, that you have eternal
life, have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, and are just waiting for God’s
Son from heaven?’’

“No, no,’’ said the old lady, ‘‘I can not
say all that; I wish I could. Indeed, man,
I think no one can go as far as all that.””

Our friend asked her to turn to the third
chapter of John’s gospel, and lovingly pressed
her “to drink up just as God sent it,’’ the
16th verse: ‘‘God so loved the world, that
He gave His only begotten Son, that who-
soever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.’” Then other Scriptures
were looked at, such as ‘‘Being justified by
faith, we have peace with God.” ‘Christ
died for the ungodly.”? ‘God commendeth
His love, in that while we were yet sinners
Christ died for us.’? And again, ‘‘He that
believeth Aath everlasting life.”’ And, ‘“These
things have I written unto you that believe
on the name of the Son of God, that ye may
know that ye have eternal life.””

The Christian merchant earnestly begged
the old lady to take these truths as from God
himself, whose words they were. They were
brought home to her soul, and she began to
be glad and at the same time to wonder she
should have read her Bible so many years,
and not have seen such sweet and glorious
truths before.

A happy time these two had together over
that old Bible—our friend delighted to be
thus used of God; and the dear old woman,
with tears of joy, thanking God that she by
simple faith in His Word had gained the
assurance of the forgiveness of all her sins,
and of life everlasting.

Dear reader, have you “drunk it up, just
as God sent it”? I mean His loving simple
Word as you find it in the Bible. It is no
proken cistern which holds no water. It is
the deep, deep well of God’s love to you. It
is the ‘‘sincere, pure, unadulterated milk.”’
Oh, drink it up, just as God sent it! Have

faith in that Word which tells you that ‘‘God
so loved the world’’— that means you, for
you surely belong to the world—‘‘that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever’
—mark well that word whosoever — ‘‘believeth
in Him should not perish, but have everlast-
ing life.” é
——__—2 -o~<mm-0-

A Noble Choice.

Julitta, a noble lady in the third century,
known to be a Christian, was despoiled of
her property by one of the Roman Emperor’s
officers. In seeking redress before the judges
her right was denied, and even protection and
life, unless she would worship idols and re-
nounce her Christian faith. Hearing the de-
cision of the judge, she said, ‘‘Farewell, life ;
welcome, death; farewell, riches; welcome,
poverty. All that I have, were it a thousand
times more, I would rather lose than speak
one wicked and blasphemous word against
God, my Creator. I yield the most hearty
thanks, O my God, for this gift of Thy free
grace, that I can contemn and despise this
frail and transitory world, esteeming Christian
profession above all treasures.”” Her friends
urged her to change her mind, but in vain.
She was condemned -and led to execution.
Addressing the spectators from the place of
suffering, among other things, she said, ‘‘O
sisters, labor after true piety and godliness.
Be weary, my sisters, of a life led in dark-
ness, and honor Christ, my God, my Re-
deemer, my Comforter, who is the true light
ofthe world. Persuade yourselves—or rather,
may the Spirit of the living God persuade you
—that there is a world to come, wherein the
worshipers and servants of the most high
God shall be crowned eternally.”

oe oe

Love One Another.

A little child of four years was asked by an
older sister what the text meant, ‘Love one
another.’? ‘Why,’ said the little one, ‘I
must love you, and you must love me; and
7’m one and you’re another.” pee