The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1900, Page 15

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 15

sacrifices for us that which is dearest to Him,
how can we for a moment doubt His willing-
ness to give us those necessaries which are in-
finitely less? And as to His ability to help us,
how can we doubt that! He is omniscient, He
knows all our needs; He is omnipotent, He
can do what He will.

And still, for all this, how often must we
say to ourselves: ‘‘Why art thou cast down,
O my soul? And why art thou disquieted
within me ?’’ How often must we lift up our
drooping spirits and exhort our fainting heart:
‘““Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise
Him, who is the health of my countenance,
and my God!’’

And how many examples have we to prove
that they who trust in God shall not be put
to shame! David went forth against Goliath,
trusting in the help of the Lord,.and he trusted
notin vain. ‘he three Hebrew men who would
not bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s image trusted in
God's deliverance, and wonderfully did God
preserve them. Abraham trusted in God’s
promise and left his home and country, and
he was not put to shame..- Luther sang: ‘‘A
mighty fortress is our God,’’ when dangers
beset him upon all sides, and never did he
have to retract his words, for God did indeed
help him free from every need that had over-
taken him. Paul Gerhardt, when without shel-
ter and food, sang: ‘‘Wait thou His time, so
shall this night soon end in joyous day,’’ and
while his words were yet echoing in the air,
the darkness was dispelled by the dawn of
day. How passing strange, then, that despite

move us to stand fast in the faith, to be strong
in the Lord and in the power of His might.

A native Christian, a lady physician, in Cal-
cutta was offered $2500, if she would accom-
pany her patient, a princess, when she would
go to worship her gods and offer sacrifices to
idols. But the Christian declined the offer
for Christ’s sake.

There is a little kingdom in the Khasia Hills.
The king’s son had become a Christian in his
youth. His wife also was a Christian. When
the old king died, his subjects came to the
heir and said, ‘‘We like and respect you very
much indeed; but we dare not allow you to
be king, as long as you are a Christian. We
must offer sacrifices to all our gods, lest they
will send plagues on us, kill our children, and
ruin our crops. You are aChristian, and there-
fore cannot sacrifice. Give up your faith and
we will receive you with open arms.’’ But
the prince steadfastly refused to comply with
their entreaties; he gave up all his claims to
the throne and became a private citizen for
Christ’s sake.

This young man was a true prince after the
order of Moses, who chose ‘‘rather to suffer
aflliction with the people of God than to enjoy
the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt.”” How many Christians
are willing to forego easy gain, to suffer loss,
to endure reproach for Christ’s sake? It is
a good thing that the heart be established by
grace. May God increase our faith and make
us steadfast.

In the divine service at night Rev. W. P.
Phifer preached on 2 Pet. 3, 18. After serv-
ices the discussion on the Fourth Command-
ment was continued and the following points
were treated: 1. The promise of the Com-
mandment, and, 2. That as according to the
Fourth Commandment children should honor
their parents, it follows that parents should
prove themselves worthy of this honor. This
Commandment therefore implies certain duties
of parents towards their children.

Saturday morning conference again met in
private session. A name was adopted, namely:
‘Immanuel Conference.’’ Also a constitution
was adopted and the programme for next con-
ference. Whereupon the admittance of lay
delegates to conference was discussed. It was
resolved that the congregations be encouraged
to send delegates, but that only one from each
pastorate could vote. — The necessity of home
visits was also discussed.

In the afternoon divine services were held,
with sermon by Rev. J. C. Schmidt on John
15, 14. After services a treatise on Baptism
was read by Rey. N. J. Bakke. He showed,
1. That the command and promise of God
added to the water make it a baptism, and,
2. he enumerated the benefits of baptism.

Saturday night divine services were held,
Rev. Geo. Schutes preaching on Matt. 25,
1—13. After services, Rev. N. J. Bakke con-
tinued his treatise on baptism, in which he
refuted the arguments of the Baptists against
infant baptism.

Sunday morning Rev. Geo. Schutes preached

all God’s promises and despite His faithful
help in the past, we are so faint-hearted and
despondent! God says: ‘Call upon me in
the day of trouble: I will deliver thee,’’ and
yet how dejected we are in the day of trouble!
May God drive out all faint-heartedness
from us, and by the workings of His Holy
Spirit, through the blessed Gospel of Christ,
teach us to say, even in our darkest days:
“In God, my faithful God,

I trust when dark my road;

Though many woes o’ertake me,

Yet He will not forsake me;

His love it is doth send them,

And when ’tis best will end them.”

¥. J. L.

++ or oe -

Be Steadfast.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast, unmovable,”’ says the apostle. That
is a much needed exhortation, especially for
those that on Confirmation Day promise faith-
fulness to Christ and His church. Alas! among
the trials of pastors and missionaries are to be
found the ineonsistent lives, the instability,
the backslidings of so many of their converts.
But the story of missions also present many
cheering and even striking examples of stead-
fastness and loyalty to Christ. These exam-
ples show the power of the Gospel to establish
Souls in the grace of God, and they may well

(<8 9
(For the LUTHERAN PIONEER.)

Conference of Missionaries in North
Carolina.

From Feb. 2d to 5th the missionaries work-
ing among the colored people met in con-
ference at Concord, N. C., by invitation of
Grace Church of that city.

Friday morning a private session was held
and the following oflicers were elected: Rev.
N. J. Bakke, Pres. ; Rev. J. C. Schmidt, Vice
Pres. ; Rev. Geo. Schutes, Secr.; Mr. E. F.
Rolf, Treas. Rey. N. J. Bakke then took the
chair, and after a short, but appropriate ad-
dress, delivered a discourse on ‘‘The require-
ments of applicants for membership in our

‘| congregations.’’ He said in short: Generally

we require the applicant to know the six chief
parts of the catechism; the least, however,
that we require is a thorough understanding
of the Law and Gospel, or sin and grace.

In the public session, Friday afternoon, Rev.
Geo. Schutes read his paper on the Fourth
Commandment. He showed, 1. That the re-
quired honor of children for parents includes
respect, reverence, obedience; 2. that by
parents are meant not only parents according
to the flesh, but also persons who, by a divine
ordinance, are placed over us, as our supe-
riors; as, guardians, civil government, pas-
tors, teachers, masters, etc.

theConfessional sermon, and Rev. J.C.Schmidt
a mission sermon on Matt. 28, 18.

In the afternoon Rey. N. J. Bakke preached
the pastoral sermon on Acts 8, 35: ‘‘And he
preached unto him Jesus.’’

At night divine services were held with ser- -

mon by Rev. P. Engelbert on Matt. 13, 24—30.
After services, the members of conference
delivered brief addresses to the congregation.
Monday morning conference was taken out
by Mr. Coleman, a wealthy colored man of
Concord, to look at a site which he had prom-
ised to give for the erection of a college.

In the afternoon conference met in private
session and passed the resolution to establish
a Theological-Normal-Industrial college for
the colored people snd to kindly petition the
Board of Mission to advocate the same, so that
this much needed institution might be erected
in the near future.

The public sessions of conference were all
well attended, also the services. Members
of our congregations had come from far and
near, from Elon College, Greensboro, Salis-
bury, Gold Hill, and Rockwell. They all took
great interest in the discussions.

Grace church of Concord especially deserves
our heartiest thanks for the hospitality it has
shown.

Immanuel— God with us!

P. ENGELBERT.