The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1899, Page 19

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

19

Directly to Christ.

- Some people think that we poor sinners dare
not come to Christ with our desires and cares.
The Romish Church will tell you that you must
ask the Virgin Mary or some other saint to go
to Christ for you and plead your cause. This
is a very false and foolish notion. ‘The Lord
Jesus says: ‘‘Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”’
Matthew 18,28. He does not say that we shall
ask some saint to come to Him for us, but that
we shall ourselves come.

That you may understand this im-
portant lesson, I add the following
story translated from the German.

A Roman Catholic nobleman in
Scotland employed a Protestant
man to farm his lands. It came to
pass that the farmer ran largely in
debt to his employer. In his dis-
tress he went to an inferior oflicer
of the nobleman with the request
that he should please speak a good
word for him to his-master. But in
vain. Then the poor farmer went
to the superior oflicer, asking him
to plead his cause; but with the
same sad result. Then the poor
man, not knowing what to do, took
courage, and himself went to his
lord, the nobleman. He made a
clear, honest statement of his cir-
cumstances, telling the nobleman
how it came about that he was not
able to pay his debt. ‘The noble-
man, moved with compassion, re-
mitted the whole debt. When the
farmer was leaving the mansion his
lord, in passing out, showed him
quite a collection of pictures rep-
resenting saints and martyrs.
~ “Do you know,’’ he inquired of
the farmer, ‘‘whom these pictures
represent???’ ‘*No!’’? ‘‘They are
the pictures of the saints to whom
I pray that they may ask the Lord
God for me to forgive me my sins,’”
Continued the Romish nobleman. ‘But why
do you not pray to God yourself?’’ asked
the farmer. ‘That would be presuming too
much! Itis much better to have mediators,
like the saints, whom we can ask to go to
God for us, and plead with Him for us.”
“I do not think that that is the best way,
kind master, and I will prove to you that I
am right,’’ responded the farmer. ‘‘I, in my
trouble, first went to your inferior oflicer, de-
siring, that he should speak to you for me;
but he did not. Then I applied to your supe-
tior officer, with the same result. Last of all

I came to you myself, and you forgave me
all my, debt.’?

—— ~<a oe
Tne glory of Christianity is to see the hand

of God in all things and all events and calmly
to leave all results with Him.

From a Pastor’s Journal.

Pastors find much unbelief and indifference
in human nature, but there is a silver lining
to it all. That brightness is frequently found
in the side room. A few days ago I was in-
vited to visit a sick lady, who lives in my
neighborhood. The directions led me to a
small white frame building, occupied by two
families, my patient dwelling in the basement.
}In response to my rap a sweet, clear voice
asked me to ‘‘come in.’’ I was greeted by
a lady about 70 years of age, seated in an

took and the remaining three are scattered.
‘But every trial,’’ she said, ‘‘made God draw
to me and brought Him nearer.’ I took’ her
well-worn Bible and indicating a few comfort-
ing passages, turned to the fourteenth chapter
of John. She said, ‘‘O yes, read that. I can-
not hear it too often. It is such a comfort
tome. I daily pray that ‘the Lord may open
my eyes that I may behold wondrous things
| out of His law.’’’ I knelt in prayer and felt
inspired by her strong faith, unbounded hope
and deep-seated love in God. I told her how
{much I enjoyed my visit, and how greatly

I was benefited; to which she re-
plied that my visit was like that of
an angel to her. This woman was
in the hospital for six months; she
received all the care possible, but
was told that she could not live
more than a year or two. She is
slowly dying of cancer, has intense
pain, but comforts herself by say-
ing, ‘‘I am willing gladly to endure
it, for my Saviour suffered much
for me.”’

Be not deceived, God is not

mocked.

When in the year 1872 a certain
steamer sailed towards America,
one of the sailors was necessitated
to climb the mast. While carefully
spying about whether there was any
danger, suddenly a dreadful storm
arose, breaking the mast. While
falling, he cried in his distress: ‘‘O
God, help!’””? At this moment he
grasped one of the ropes on the
sail. When, however, he saw that
he had a firm hold, and was out of
danger, he cried, mockingly: ‘‘God,
I need your help no longer!”’ At
this instant the rope broke and he
fell into the deep.

The Ascension of Christ.

—— oo

armchair, amidst modest but scrupulously Comfort in a Cloud.
clean surroundings. I introduced myself,
shook hands and was greeted with one of the} A friend of mine, says a recent writer, told
sweetest smiles that it was my fortune ever) me of a visit he paid to a poor woman, over-
to receive. Love and peace and happiness} whelmed with trouble in her little room; but
were radiantly blended in it. I inquired after|she always seemed cheerful. She knew the
her physical and spiritual condition, and with | Rock. ‘““Why,’’ said she, ‘‘Mary, you must
the same sweetness and hope she said: ‘This; have very dark days; they must overcome
earthly tabernacle of mine will soon be dis-} you with clouds sometimes.”’ ‘‘Yes,’’ she
solved. I look fora more glorious, an eternal | said, “but then I often find there is comfort
one. I am waiting until my Saviour sees fit to} in a cloud.”? ‘Comfort in a cloud, Mary?’
release me. I am happy here. Since I can ‘tYes,’’ she said, ‘‘when I am very low and
no longer worship my God in His temple, this | dark I go to the window, and if I see a heavy
room has become his dwelling place. I amj|cloud I think of those precious words, ‘A
happy all the day. For me to live is Christ | cloud received Him out of their sight,” and
and to die is gain.”’ I learned from her that look up and see the clouds sure enough, and
her husband died a soldier in the Anderson- | then I think—well, that may be the cloud
yille prison. She raised seven children by daily | that hides Him, and so you see there is com-
toil and a meagre pension; four of whom God | fort in a cloud.’’