The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1899, Page 38

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38

The Lutheran Pioneer.

Climbing the “Sacred Stair.”

Near the church of St. John de Lateran at
Rome is the famous ‘‘Sacred Stair,’’ said to
have been brought from Jerusalem, and to
be the same steps down which our Saviour
walked from Pilate’s hall of judgment. The

steps are twenty-eight in number, made of}

solid marble, and covered with wood to keep
them from being worn away by the knees of
the climbing pilgrims. And why do they
climb these stairs? They expect thereby to
get forgiveness of sins. In our picture you
see Luther and others climbing those stairs.
When Luther came to Rome, in the year 1511,
he was still anxiously
seeking salvation in
the way pointed out
to him in the Romish

church. He also
climbed the so-called
Sacred Stair. But
while he was creeping
up those marble steps,
hoping thereby to
calm his troubled con-
science and to work
his way to heaven, the
words which he had
read in the Bible came
to his mind: ‘The
just shall live by
faith.”” In despair
and disgust he left the
city of Rome. God
had mercy upon him.
He led him into the
full knowledge of the
Gospel and through
him restored the Gos-
pel to His Church.

Yes, Luther found
the way to heaven,
not by climbing that
Sacred Stair,’’ not
by any work of his
own, but by simple
faith in Jesus, who says, ‘‘I am the way, the
truth, and the life; no man cometh to the
Father but by me.’’ If you would ever enter
heayen, you must do it by the same way.

_ Oo oe

Luther at the Death-bed of his Daughter
Magdalena.

When the sweet little daughter was very
sick Luther said: ‘‘I love her dearly, but if
it is Thy will, O Lord, to take her from us,
Iwill be glad to know that she is with Thee.”
Thus the pious father quiets his troubled
heart, and then says to his beloved child:
‘Dear little Magdalena, my daughter, you
would gladly stay here with your father, and
yet you are glad to go to your Father in

heaven, are you not?” She said: ‘Yes, my
; dearly beloved father, as God will.”” *‘Then,’”
said the father, ‘‘you dear little daughter, the

spirit is willing but the flesh is weak,’’ and,
turning away, he said, ‘‘O but I do love her. |
If the flesh is so strong, what must the spirit} It has pleased the Lord to take unto Him-
be?’ ‘Dear daughter,’’ said he again after | self the little daughter of Pastor J. C. Schmidt,
a little while, “‘you have another Father in| of Greensboro, N.C. Little Elsie, as she was
heaven, you are going to Him.’’ As the final | called, had spread sunshine in the missionary’s
struggle drew near and she was just at the home for eleven months, and it was a severe
point of death, the father fell upon his knees) trial to her parents to give her up. But when
before her bed, wept bitterly, and prayed that | the will of God was manifest they did not
God might release her. She died thus falling | complain, being assured that their treasure
asleep in her father’s arms. Her mother was| was safe among the angels in heaven.

also in the same room farther from the bed,| It was on Sept. 16, that the child died,
overcome with grief. This occurred a little| after a short but painful illness; the funeral

Obituary.

while after nine o’clock on the Wednesday | took place on Sunday afternoon at half past
following the 17th Sunday after Trinity (Sep-| three o’clock, Pastor J. I’. Pfeiffer, of Win-

‘ ston, N.C., ofliciating
at the house, the un-
dersigned at church
and at the grave.
The text for the occa-
sion was Jer. 29, 11.
A large number of
friends of the mis-
sionary’s family at-
tended, both white
and colored; the flo-
ral offerings were
beautiful and appro-
priate.

May the Lord com-
fort and sustain the
parents in their hour
of grief with the hope
of a glad reunion in

heaven.

C. A. WEIss.
Conover, N. C., Sept.
19, 1899.

_—_ so oe

The Righteous Judg-
ment.

Two German farm-
ers had a difference
about a piece of
meadow which they
One day Franz came to

Climbing the ‘Sacred Stair.”’

tember 20), 1542. Observing that his wife|could not settle.
was now overwhelmed with grief, weeping and | Casper and said:
crying, Luther said to her: ‘‘Dear Katie, re-| ‘‘I have got the judges to meet here to-
member whither she has gone! She has gone| morrow, and decide between us. Be ready
to a better world! It is but natural that flesh | to go before them with me, and present your
and blood sheuld weep and groan; but the} side of the case.’’

spirit bows submissively. Children do not} ‘Well, Franz,’’ said Casper, ‘‘I have mowed
dispute. ‘They believe what is said to them. | allthishay yousee. I must get it in to-morrow.
To them everything is plain and simple. They|I can not possibly leave it. You go before
die without anxiety or regret, without mur-|the judge to-morrow, and tell them both your

muring, without any fear of death, without
bodily pain, just as though they were falling
asleep.’’ When the friends came to assist in
preparing the body for burial, and addressed
the Doctor in the customary way, assuring
him that they sympathized with him in his
affliction, he said: **You ought to rejoice with
me! I have sent a saint to heaven, yes, a liv-
ing saint. O that we might have such a death!
Such a death I would welcome this very hour.’’

reasons and mine, and then there’ll be no need
of my going.’’

Franz actually did so, and pleaded faith-
fully both for himself and against himself —
and lost his case. Returning to Casper, he
said:

“The meadow is yours. I am glad the
affair is finished.’? And the two men were ”
friends ever afterwards.

From the German.