The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1897, Page 37

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«The Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY

MONTHLY.

PusiisHep By THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN Synopica 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., O

ctober, 1897.

No. 10.

The Children’s Song.

God of heaven, hear our singing;
Only little ones are we,

Yet a great petition bringing,
Father, now we come to Thee.

Let Thy kingdom come, we pray Thee;
Let the world in Thee find rest;

Let all know Thee and obey Thee,
Loving, praising, blessing, blessed!

Let the sweet and joyful story
Of the Savior’s wondrous love
Wake on earth a song of glory,

Like the angels’ ‘song above.
Selected.

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Hold fast what thou hast.

The last day of this month is Reformation

Day. ‘This festival reminds us of the bless-
ing which God bestowed upon His Church
through His servant Dr. Martin Luther, and
admonishes us to hold fast what we have.
Which is this blessing? It is the pure Gos-
pel truth restored to the Church through the
work of the Reformation.
* What a great blessing it is! Human rea-
son could never discover it. Nature knows
nothing of it. The Gospel is the truth that
God gave us by revelation from heaven. Itis
the truth unto salvation, through faith in the
Savior‘whom it sets forth. It brings Christ
to'us, and is therefore the power of God unto
salvation to all them that believe. It sets the
Savior before us as our Savior and gives the
faith with which we embrace Him. It is this
that makes it so precious.

This Gospel had for centuries been hidden
from the people during the dark and cruel
Teign of the pope. People were not allowed
to read the Bible, in which the Gospel is re-
yealed. Sinners were not pointed to Jesus, in
whom alone salvation is found. They were
told to trust in their own works and in the
Works of the saints. Human saviors that
an do the sinner no good were put in the
Place of the divine Savior of whom it is
written: ‘*Neither is there salvation in any
Other; for there is none other name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must
be saved.’” : :

Thus sinners were led in a way in which
they could find no peace. Luther went this
way. Anxious to find salvation, he entered
the cloister. He fasted, he prayed to the
saints, he heard mass, he became a priest,
and read mass. He did all the Romish church
told him to do. But there is no peace to be
found in the way pointed out in the pope’s
church. Luther found no rest, no peace un-
til he found the Gospel.

When Luther was near despair, God opened
to him the Bible, and there he found the
Gospel. He learned that the sinner is saved
by grace through faith in the Savior who
has redeemed us from all sins. In this Gos-
pel Luther found rest, and peace, and salva-
tion. Paradise was opened to him, and he
rejoiced. The Gospel that filled his soul with
joy he made known for the salvation of sin-
ners. He believed, and therefore he spoke.
Thus he became the Reformer of the Church.
God led him out of the darkness of the Ro-
mish church into the pure Gospel light and
made him a witness of this light ‘‘unto then
that dwell on the earth, and to every nation,
and kindred, and tongue, and people.’’

We still have the Gospel restored to His
Church through His servant Dr. Martin Luther.
The Lutheran Church has it in all its purity,
without any human additions. Let us hold
fast what we have. Let us heartily embrace
the Gospel truth as well as boldly confess it
before men.’ If we believe, we shall also
speak. He who knows the sweetness of the
Gospel will confess the Lord Jesus that others
too may be drawn to Him. He will also
earnestly labor and pray and contribute for
the spread and preservation of the Gospel.
We keep what we have by preserving it in
the world, as well as in our hearts. We must
therefore not only continue in the true faith
ourselves, but also’do what lies in our power
that others may know the truth and by it be
saved. We must not only confess Christ be-
fore men, but also contribute to the mission
treasury that others may preach the pure
Gospel truth where our voice is not heard.
Reformation Day admonishes us to hold fast
what God has graciously given and tO do our
utmost that all men may enjoy the teasure.

'

Better Poor than Unfaithful.

When Duke George of Saxony, the great
enemy of the Lutheran doctrine, was on his
death-bed, he desired to make his brother
Henry heir of his land, on condition that
Duke Henry, who was a Lutheran, would
not permit the Gospel to be preached in the
land. If he were not willing to agree to this,
the Emperor was to receive the country. The
nobility undertook to speak to Duke Henry
about it, and put forth every effort to induce
him to agree to the condition. Among other
things they told him, that besides the beauti-
ful country, there was also on hand much
money and silver, which would be ‘his if he
agreed to his brother’s wish. But the honest
Lutheran Prince replied: ‘You remind me of
Christ’s temptation in the wilderness, when
the devil approached Him and said, All these
things will I give Thee if Thou wilt fall down and
worship me. If my brother can, with a good
conscience, disinherit me, he may doso. But
do not think that for the sake of money and
property I will hinder God’s Word in its
course. I would rather remain poor, than
to give up God and His Word.”

But, what occurred? Duke George died
before his testament was completed, and
Duke Henry was the lawful heir. He as-
sumed the government, and at once per-
mitted the preaching of the Gospel in his
country.

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God’s Storehouses.

‘Each step in the life of faith is toward
richer blessing. Are you God’s child? There
is nothing before you in the unopened future
but goodness. Every new experience, whether
of joy or sorrow, will be a new storehouse of
goodness unfolded. Even your disappoint-
ments will disclose truer, richer blessings than
if your own hopes had been realized. Here is
a lens through which every true Christian may
see his own path clear to the end— from good-
ness to richer goodness, from glory to glory,
the last step through the opening door of
heayen into the presence of the King.””