The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1897, Page 39

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

The Lutheran Pioneer.

39

and mighty of the world, and the fact that his
own life was in great danger. The secret of
his faith was his constant dwelling in the at-
mosphere of God’s Word. He was confined
there for about six months. He had his
room written over with Bible promises. On
the walls, over the door, above the windows,
everywhere his eyes chanced to light they fell
upon words of Scripture. ven on his bed
he had written the words, ‘‘I will both lay me
down in peace and sleep, for Thou only, O
Lord, makest me to dwell in safety.’ Hun-
dreds of men were thirsting for his blood, and
the cause he had at heart, to human judgment,
was bound to fail, yet Luther was hopeful
and confident. He helieved what he sung:
“A tower of strength our God is still!
A mighty Shield and Weapon;
He is our help from all the ill
That hath us now o’ertaken.””

Little Missionary.

—— «0e<rer

Don Carlos de Seso.
October 8, 1556.

De Seso was a nobleman of an ancient
family in Spain. He rendered excellent serv-
ices as a statesman under the Emperor Char-
lesV. The Emperor, feeling under obligations:
to him, furthered his marriage with Donna
Isabella, of Castile, of the royal family of
Castile and Leon. The reading of the Bible
and of Luther’s writings brought him to the
conviction that Luther’s doctrine is the true
doctrine. With great zeal, by oral instruc-
tion and by the circulation of Lutheran writ-
ings, he spread this doctrine in Valladolid,
Valencia, Zamora, and surrounding places.
When in the year 1555 the small Lutheran
congregation at Valladolid was discovered
by the Romish Inquisition, he, his wife, and

their niece Donna Catelina, were also cast

into the prison of the Inquisition. The latter
two yielded in a few points of doctrine, and
were sentenced to imprisonment for life, in-
stead of being burned alive. But not for
one moment would Don Carlos de Seso deny
his Lutheran faith. On the 25th of June he
was examined for the first time by the Inqui-
sition. At this, and at all subsequent exami-
nations, he remained faithful to the pure doc-
trine of the Gospel. For over a year he had
to suffer in that terrible prison, because the
Inquisitors still hoped that he would give up
his Lutheran faith—an event which would
especially have pleased them, because he was
& man of such eminence.
Almighty God, he did not waver. Finally on

the 7th of October, 1556, it was announced to

him, that on the following day he should be
publicly burned at the stake.

and thus to save his life. A]l in vain.

terrified him. Calmly he asked for pen, ink,
and paper, wrote down his confession of faith

But by the help of

All that night
efforts were continued to induce him to recant
He in-
sisted that he had found the truth. No threats

and handed it to the priests, saying: ‘‘ This is
the true doctrine of the Gospel, in opposition to
that held in the Romish Church.- Jn this doc-
trine Iwill die and in the remembrance of, and
in living faith in, the sufferings of Jesus Christ
Iwill deliver my now emaciated body to God.”’
De Seso was held in the Father’s hand and no
one could pluck him from it.

When led out to the market-place they
gagged his mouth, so that his joyful confes-
sion might not move others to the same Luthe-
ran faith. When he was tied to the stake,
the gag was removed. Thereupon the monks
again began tormenting him with their efforts
to ‘‘convert’’ him. But he replied with a loud,
firm voice: ‘‘Z could prove to you that you are
bringing yourselves into destruction, because
you do not follow my example, but time is
wanting. Hangman, set fire to the wood pile
which is to consume me.”

De Seso died in the flames without a sigh
or murmur in the 43d year of his life. As in
his life he led many to Christ, so even in death
he gained souls for the great Shepherd. Rea-
der, would you thus remain faithful to your
Lutheran faith?

dren of the buried men and despair at their
own balked efforts.

A great mob of ignorant men and women
assembled at the mouth of the mine, on the
evening of the third day, in a condition of
high nervous tension which fitted them for
any mad act. A sullen murmur arose that it
was folly to dig farther, that the men were
dead, and this was followed by cries of rage
at the rich mine-owners, who were in no way
responsible for the accident.

A hasty word or gesture might have pro-
duced an outbreak of fury. Standing near
me was a little German girl, perhaps eleven
years old. Her pale face and frightened
glances from side to side showed that she
fully understood the danger of the moment.
Suddenly, with a great effort, she began to
sing in a hoarse whisper, which could not be
heard. Then she gained courage, and her
sweet, childish voice rang out in Luther’s
grand old hymn:

“A mighty Fortress is our God.”

There was a silence like death. Then one
voice joined the girl’s, and presently another
and another, until from the whole great mul-
titude rose the solemn cry:

_—_— Pee
An Incident in Luther’s Life. “With might of ours can naught be done,
- Soon were our loss effected;
But for us fights the Vallant One,
Whom God Himself elected.
Ask ye, Who is this?
~ Jesus Christ it is,
Of Sabaoth Lord,
And there’s none other God,
He holds the field forever.’’

It is stated that Catherine (wife of Martin
Luther) was much dejected on one occasion,
by the intelligence that.adear friend had died.
She wept and was much distressed; Luther
consoled her by telling her that God’was not
dead, and for his part he would never be de-
jected as long as God lived. Not long after-
ward everything looked dark and gloomy in
the Church, and Luther came home very much
castdown. Catherine said nothing, but clothed
herself in mourning and went into his study.
Luther looked at her in amazement. ‘‘Why,
Katic! who’s dead?’”? She replied, ‘‘God!”’

‘What! God dead:?— What do you mean,
are you beside yourself ?’’

‘““Why, dear husband, did you not tell me
that you would never be cast down as long as
God lived ?”’

“Yes.’”

‘Well, to-day I saw you were very much
dejected, and I took it for granted that God
was dead.”’

“God bless you, my dear Katie, you have
taught mea lesson, I will never be discouraged
again.””

A great quiet seemed to fall upon their
hearts. They resumed their work with fresh
zeal, and before morning the joyful cry came
up from the pit that the men were found—
alive. — Y. C.

——2 + oo +

Speak the Truth.

An old minister liked his visits to members
of his flock to be as informal and homely as
possible. Once, when calling unexpectedly,
he surprised a member in the midst of wash-
ing a lot of clothes. She hurriedly hid be-
hind the clothes-horse, and told her little boy
to say that she was out.

‘Well, Jamie,’’ the pastor said, ‘‘and
where’s your mother?’’

‘My mother is not in,’’ said the boy, “‘she’s
down the street on a message.””

‘“Indeed,”? replied the minister, with a
glance at the bottom of the screen, “‘well,
tell her I called; and say, that the next time
she goes down to the village, she should not
forget to take her feet with her.”

—_— —- oe ae

A Girl's Song.
At the time of the terrible accident a year
or two ago at the coal mines near Scranton, Pa.,
several men were buried for three days, and
all efforts to rescue them proved unsuccessful.
-A:spectator wrote: .
The majority of the miners were Germans.
They were’ in a state of intense excitement,
caused by sympathy for the wives and chil-

a ee

Ir a man say, I love God, and hateth his
brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not
his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he
love God, whom he hath not seen?— Zhe Bible.