The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1899, Page 23

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

What He Forgot to Feed. Fatter than any of the stock were the hogs,
some of them being hardly able to stand be-
cause of their great weight.

‘No bones to rattle there,’’ said Mr. Marsh,
with a grim smile. ‘‘Now come in to break-
fast.’’

The breakfast which Mrs. Marsh brought
steaming on the table was bountiful and ap-
petizing. The half a dozen hired men, to-
gether with Mr. Marsh and his sons, who par-
took of it, certainly relished it, and none of
them had a sickly or staryed look.

“Now, boys, all ready for your day’s
work!’ exclaimed Mr. Marsh, after they had
finished their meal. Then turning to his guest
he added, ‘‘You are satisfied, I suppose, pas-
tor, that somebody has been lying about me.’’

‘Pretty nearly,’’ was the answer, ‘‘but
wait a moment. I suppose you read a por-
tion of God’s Word and had prayers before
I came this morning.”

‘‘No,’’? acknowledged Mr. Marsh, quite
taken by surprise again.

“Then I suppose you intend to do it this
evening after your busy day is over,’’ per-
sisted the pastor. :

‘“‘No,’’? Mr. Marsh was again compelled to
answer. ‘We haven’t been in the habit of
doing that.’’

“Then I suppose,’’ resumed the pastor,
‘that each one has been given an opportunity
and encouraged to read and pray for him-
self.’’

‘Not that I know of,’’ replied the farmer.
“It takes considerable hustling to get the
chores done up in the morning ready for the
day’s work.”’

“Then,’’ said the pastor, the serious look
upon his face deepening, ‘‘I think I have dis-
covered where the starvation is. You have
been feeding your horses, your cattle, your
sheep, your hogs, your hired men and your
family generously; but you have been starv-
ing the most precious thing of all—your own
soul and the souls of those under your roof.
It was not the slanderous tongue of any of
your neighbors that led me to know this, but
your own remark which I overheard yester-
day, that you were too busy to read the
Bible.’’ — Selected.

= 0 +

Plucked out of the Fire.

“The minister’s sermon was very good for
those who can take it; but as for me, I’m too
busy to read the Bible every day as he said.”

As he finished this speech, John Marsh hap-
pened to glance over his shoulder, and there
stood the minister within hearing distance.
He expected an immediate reproof, and was
somewhat surprised and relieved when Mr.
Brown walked away without saying anything.

Next day he was still more surprised at re-
‘ceiving an early call from his pastor.

‘*Good-morning, Mr. Marsh,’’ was the salu-
tation.’”’

‘‘Good-morning, Mr. Brown,’’ replied the
puzzled man.

‘I have come on very serious business,’’
began the pastor; ‘‘it may seem like meddle-
some interference, but I believe it is my duty.
I have been told there is starvation on this
farm and I have come to see about it.”

‘“Starvation!’’ exclaimed John Marsh in
amazed tones, ‘‘who in the world has been
putting you up to such nonsense as that.
If there is anything that goes hungry on this
farm, I can assure you that I do not know
anything about it. Why, even the grass-
hoppers and potatobugs are well fed.”

‘tNevertheless,’’ said Mr. Brown, ‘‘I shall
be compelled to believe that the report is
true, as I got it at first-hand, unless I am
allowed to investigate and satisfy myself to
the contrary.’’

‘Oh, certainly, investigate all you please,”
replied Mr. Marsh. ‘‘Come along with me
and I will show you.’’ ~

With long angry strides he Jed his pastor
‘to the stable where his plump, sleek horses
stood with their mangers full of hay and a look
of lazy contentment in their eyes. ‘‘There,’’
he said, pointing to his row of handsome
‘steeds, ‘‘is there anything like a starved look
about them? You’ll not find brighter, cleaner
hay or better oats in the county than they
get.’’

“You are right,’’? replied Mr. Brown, ‘‘I
-am satisfied that whatever else starves on
this farm, the horses do not.’’

“Well, come along and see the Cattle,
then.’”

So saying Mr. Marsh led his pastor to the
large shed where the cattle stood contentedly
‘chewing the cud over piles of fragrant timothy.

“I see it is not the cows cither,’’ said Mr.
Brown, with a smile.

“Then we will go and visit the sheep,’ said
Mr. Marsh, a smile of satisfaction beginning
to show itself upon his face.

In the sheep-pen as elsewhere the long rack
was filled with the very best of fodder, and
the sheep were as well-fed and sleek-looking
as the cattle and horses had been.

“Now come along and see my hogs,’’ con-
tinued Mr. Marsh, ‘and then we’ll go into
the house where breakfast is ready, and you
shall see how the rest of us fare.’’

In a certain town there lived a boasting
infidel. He was a mocker of religion; he
paid no attention to the Word of God; he
cared nothing for judgment and for eternity.
Whenever he came in contact with Christians,
he tried to entice them into the broad road
that leads to hell.

A Lutheran pastor was called upon to hold
a service in that place, and for some time
after, the folks talked about the sermon.
They spoke about it also to the infidel, tell-
ing him that, if he had heard the sermon, he
would no longer talk so boastingly. ‘This did
not disturb the infidel in his godless ways;

he considered himself safe in his infidelity
and said, “If that devilish fellow preaches
here again, I shall go and hear him, and you

will see that I am not afraid of him.’’
Some time after this, the pastor was again

called upon to hold a service in that town.
The infidel came to hear the preaching. Dur-

ing the sermon the pastor saw a man pressing
forward who was evidently moved by the Word
of God; for tears ran down his cheeks as he
came nearer the pulpit. After the service the
pastor looked around, but the man was gone,
and the folks told him that that man was the
boasting infidel.

The pastor had to leave for ‘this home on
that same day. Some weeks later he received
a letter bringing him the glad news that the
former infidel had died as a true Christian,
confessing on his dying-bed his faith in Christ
as his Saviour and Redeemer. He had died
as a believing child of God, having found for-
giveness of all his sins in the blood of Jesus.
As the pastor read the letter, he thought of
the words of the prophet: ‘‘Is not this a brand
plucked out of the fire?’’ Zechariah 3, 2.

a

A Lesson in Giving.

A minister says that in one of his charges
a good man regularly gave, every Sunday,
five dollars for the support of the church.
A poor widow was also a member of the same
church, who supported herself and six chil-
dren by washing. She was as regular as the
rich man in making her offering of five cents
per week, which was all she could spare from
her scant earnings. One day the rich man
came to the minister and said that the poor
woman ought not to pay anything, and that
he would pay the five cents for her every
week. The pastor called to tell her of the
offer, which he did in a considerate manner.
Tears came to the woman’s eyes as she re-
plied: ‘‘Do they want to take from me the
comfort I experience in giving to the Lord?
Think how much I owe to him! My health
is good, my children keep well, and I receive
so many blessings that I feel I could not live
if I did not make my little offering to Jesus
each week.’’ How many there are who know
nothing of the privilege of regularly giving
something to the Lord’s work, because they
have never tried it!

a ee

My Redeemer.

Christ is made the law of the law, the sin
of sin, the death of death, that He might re-
deem from the curse of the law, justify me
and quicken me. While He is the law, He is
also liberty ; while He is sin, He is righteous-
ness; while He is death, He is life. For in
that He suffered the law to accuse Him, sin
to condemn Him, and death to devour Him,
He abolished the law, He condemned sin, He
destroyed death, He justified and saved me.
Tuther.