The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1900, Page 38

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

38

The Lutheran Pioneer.

(For the LUTHERAN PIONEER.)

The Fourth Commandment.

(Concluded. )

As we have already learned, the Fourth Com-
mandment refers not only to our parents, but
also speaks of our masters, that is, of those
who are placed over us in home, state, school,
and church. According to God’s ordinance
they, too, are our superiors whom we shall treat
with due honor, and hold in love and esteem.

Many of those that read these lines are
house-servants, apprentices, or employees of
some kind or other. These should now re-
member that their employers, to a certain ex-
tent, occupy the position of parents. Because
of this position, it is God’s wish and will that
due honor be shown them. In Elieser, the serv-
ant of Abraham, the Bible gives us the exam-
ple of a true and faithful servant (Gen. 24).
Such a faithful servant was also Jacob. Even
Laban was obliged to confess that the increase

- of his substance, next to the blessing of God,

was due to the faithful services of Jacob
(Gen. 30). A faithful servant always strives
for his master, a faithful employee is ever
anxious to see the prosperity of his employer.
He will not only work when his master or em-
ployer is about, but his service will be ren-
dered with singleness of heart; that is, his
service will ever be the same, whether his em-
ployer be about or not. His will be no eye-
service, but a service as in the sight of God.

“The master is gone,’’ said a heathen sery-
ant to a Christian fellow-servant, ‘‘now let us
stop working and rest.’’? ‘‘My Master is still
here,’”’ replied the Christian, ‘‘He is looking
upon me from above, and will one day ask
me to give an account of what I have done;
therefore I shall continue with my. work.’’
Tiius the Christian servants will ever bear in
mind that in serving their employers they are

‘serving God (Eph. 6, 5—8), and, remember-

ing this, they will serve with faithfulness, not
only the good and gentle masters, but also
those that are froward and cross.

On the other hand, all masters and employers
should remember what Paul writes Col. 4, 1:
‘*Masters, give unto your servants that which
is just and equal; knowing that ye also have
a Master in heaven.’’ This Master in heaven
is looking down from above upon master as
well as servant, upon the employer as well as
the employee, and will on the great day ask
the former as well as the latter to give account
of his deeds. ‘The command of God that em-
ployers be honored, obeyed, served, loved,
and esteemed implies that it is equally God’s
will that the employers earnestly strive to de-
serve the love, esteem, honor, obedience, and
service of their employees.

_ We also have superiors in the state. Such
superiors are the President of the United

- States, the Governor of the state in which we

live, ‘and all others in authority. These men
“constitute the civil government which God
mmands us to honor, serve, and obey. Civil

government is an ordinance of God; ‘‘for
there is no power but of God: the powers that
be, are ordained of God. Whosoever there-
fore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordi-
nance of God’’ (Rom. 13, 1. 2). ‘‘Give unto
Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,’’ says
Christ to the Jews, notwithstanding the fact
that Caesar, that is, the Roman emperor, had
gained control over the Jews by war of con-
quest and ruled over them through tyrannical
governors. Though the powers over us make
unjust laws, yet shall we obey such laws as
long as they exist; though in this country of
ours, where the people elect their own officers
and where there is freedom of speech, there
is no reason why we should not make use of
all proper means to annul such unjust laws.
If, however, our government should enact
laws which would require us to do things con-
trary to God’s Law, then we must refuse to
obey; with the apostles we must then de-
clare: ‘‘We ought to obey God rather than
men’’ (Acts 5, 29). When Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon, requested the three young
Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,
to worship an image which he had set up, these
three pious men refused to obey, since obe-
dience would have made them idolaters. —

In school God has placed the teachers, in
church the pastors over us. ‘Therefore we
should also honor them, and hold them in love
and esteem. A faithful Christian teacher is
concerned about the welfare of the children
intrusted to his care, knowing that he must
one day give account of every lamb in his fold.
Woe unto those children, therefore, that de-
spise their teachers and provoke them to an-
ger by their disobedience, slothfulness, and
wickedness! Such children God will surely
punish. Rather obey your teachers, children,
be grateful to them, and honor them as long
as you live. :

And what has been said concerning teachers
also applies to pastors. 1 Thess. 5, 12. 13
Paul writes: ‘‘We beseech you, brethren, to
know them which labor among you, and are
over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and
to esteem them very highly in love for their
work’s sake.’’ We shall gladly obey them
when they instruct us according to God’s
Word, and cheerfully accept their reproof
when they take us to task for our wrong-
doings. ¥. J. L.

—_—+~+ oo >

(For the LUTHERAN PIONEER.)

Dr. Martin Luther's Exposition of the Epistle
of Paul to the Galatians.

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist
Church, confessed that under God he owed
his conversion to the reading of Dr. Martin
Luther’s exposition of the Epistle to the Gala-
tians. Mr. Spurgeon, one of the most vigor-
ous preachers, prolific writers, and successful
pastors of his time, recommends in one of his
sermons the reading of Luther upon the Ga-
latians. ' :

He says: ‘‘How many have been brought to
Christ in the old times by reading Martin Lu-
ther upon the Galatians! That is a book in
a rough enough style. What sledge-hammer
words Martin uses! Only the other day I met
a man who came to me like one of the old Pu-
ritans, and he said to me that he had traversed
the line of the two covenants. He began to
converse with me in that antique majestic
style which comes of Puritanic theology. I
thought—Bless the man! He has risen from
the dead. He is one of Oliver Cromwell’s gray
Ironsides. He will be able to tell me of Naseby
and Marston Moore. So I said to him, ‘Cove-
nant and law, where did you pick that up,
friend?’ ‘Not at any church or chapel,’ said he.
‘There are none round about where I live who
know anything at all about it. They are all in
the dark together, dumb dogs that cannot
bark.’ ‘How did you stumble on the true
light?’ I asked. The man replied, ‘In the
good providence of God I met with Master
Martin Luther on the Galatians. I bought it
for sixpence out of a box in front of a book-
seller’s shop.’ Oh, it was a good find for that
man! Six pennyworth of salvation according
to the judgment of men, but infinite riches ac-
cording to the judgment of God. He had in-
deed found a jewel when he learned the truth
of salvation by grace through faith. I recom-
mend persons whether they will read Martin
Luther or any other author, to be especially
careful to read the Epistle to the Galatians it-
self. Paul hammers there against all hope of
salvation by the law, and puts salvation on the
basis of grace, and grace alone, through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.’’ ’ iN. J. B.

——s-o2e- oe

Romish Relics.

During the days of John Tetzel, the great
preacher of indulgences, the most absurd rel-
ics were found in the Romish church, and their
genuineness was stoutly maintained.

The Bishop of Metz boasted that he had a
flame of the bush that Moses beheld burning.

One monastery claimed to possess some rays
of the star which appeared to the Magi.

Another had the face of aseraph, with only
part of a nose, another convent being in pos-
session of the missing feature.

One monastery had the slippers of Enoch,
and another a tear of our Lord, shed over
Lazarus, preserved in a phial by an angel,
and given to Mary Magdalene. "

A story is told of a Dutchman who received
from a priest a leg of the ass’ colt upon which
Christ rode into Jerusalem. He was wonder-
fully elated, until, boasting of his possession;
he found four others had each a leg of the
Same colt, and they inquired with astonish-
ment, ‘‘Had this colt five legs?’”

Such little difficulties as these, howeve! did
not daunt the friars, for they asserted that
God was pleased to multiply and reproduce
such relics. ‘ sh? iow TER aes