The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1900, Page 46

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

(For the LUTHERAN PIONEER.)

The Fifth Commandment.

(Concluded. )

In the Fifth Commandment man is also
forbidden to take his own life. Rom. 14, 7
St. Paul says: ‘‘None of us liveth to himself,
and no man dieth to himself.’’ Our life be-
longs to God and is not ourown. The suicide
isa murderer. With the awful crime of mur-
der upon his soul, he steps before his Maker.
But if the taking of one’s own life is forbidden,
so is also the hurting and harming of one’s
own body. He that shortens his own life by
careless living, and destroys his health by in-
temperance, unchastity, and the like is also a
self-murderer before God. —

But if we are forbidden to hurt or harm our
neighbor, is it a sin for a parent to whip his
child? Certainly not; for Prov. 13, 24 the
Lord says: ‘‘He that spareth his rod hateth
his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth
him betimes.’’ Likewise would it be a false
conclusion to suppose that the Fifth Com-
mandment prohibits the infliction of capital
punishment by the civil government. For thus
we read in God’s Word: ‘‘Whoso sheddeth
man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed’”’
(Gen. 9,6). ‘‘All they that take the sword,
shall perish with the sword’? (Matt. 26, 52).
‘tHe beareth not the sword in vain: for he is
the minister of God, a revenger to execute
wrath upon him that doeth evil’’ (Rom. 13, 4).
While these passages in plain language deprive
all other men of the power of taking life, they
most outspokenly confer this power upon the
civil government of a state or country. But
if the government of a country has the power
to deprive individual enemies of the state, such
as murderers and other criminals, of life, it also
has the power to wage war against a greater
number, such asa whole country. Such being
the case, the soldiers of a government, fight-
ing the battles of their country, are no mur-
derers, but the duly authorized protectors and
avengers of their country.

The Fifth Commandment enjoins us to help
and befriend our neighbor in every bodily
need. When Lot was taken prisoner and car-
ried away, Abraham upon hearing of it at once
pursued the enemy and rescued Lot (Gen. 14,
12—16). He helped his neighbor in bodily
need. The good Samaritan likewise gives us
an example of what this Commandment re-
quires of us. He helped one who was his
enemy. He did what Paul admonishes us all
to do, when he says, Rom. 12, 20: “If thine
enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him
drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of
fireon his head.’” A most beautiful example

"did David also give us when he spared the life
_ Of Saul who was even then pursuing him to
kill him (1 Sam. 26).

_ What great importance God attaches to the
practice of true neighborly love as enjoined in
Commandment is apparent from the fact
at it is just the absence of the works of this

Commandment which according to Christ’s de-
scription of the judgment will condemn the un-
believers on the last day (Matt. 25, 31—36).

Not only shall we prove our love, however,
by helping our neighbor when he is in trouble,
but we shall befriend him whenever we can.
Whenever we see an opportunity for him to
better his condition, we shall be of service to
him in whatever way we can, that he may take
advantage of such opportunity.

Finally, we must bear in mind that this Com-
mandment, in forbidding hatred, malignity,
and revenge, on the other hand enjoins virtues
which are to take the place of these. Such
virtues are meekness, mercifulness, and placa-
bleness. Concerning these virtues Christ says:
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit
the earth. Blessed are the merciful: for they
shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the peace-
makers: for they shall be called the children
of God’’ (Matt. 5, 5. 7. 9), and His whole life
was a beautiful exemplification of these vir-
tues. Even when on the cross and in the throes
of death, he answered the taunts and jeers of
His persecutors by praying for them. And
looking upon Him let us say:

‘And I will study to adorn
My heart with meekness under scorn,
With patience in distress,
With faithful love, that yearning cleaves
To those whose sin my soul aggrieves,
Who shock me by their wickedness.

“When evil tongues with stinging blame
Would cast dishonor on my name,
My restive heart 1’1l still,
And take injustice patiently,
And pardon, as Thou pardon’st me,
My neighbor for his every ill.’’
F. J. L.

What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?

Throughout the world the birthday of Christ
will be observed with joyous festivity. But
the question arises, Who is Christ? Some an-
swer as did the Jews, the Son of David. This
is true, but He is also the Son of God. He is
both God and Man. ‘Two natures are insepa-
rably united in Him, the divine and the human.
So that we can truly call Him the God-Man,
and can say that in Him God is Man, and Man
is God; that Mary bore the Son of God; ‘‘the
Lord of Glory” was crucified, and that ‘‘God
has redeemed”’ us with ‘‘His own blood.’’ By
virtue of this personal union of the two na-
tures, Christ, according to His humanity, has
received all power in heaven and on earth, and
has been made partaker of the majesty, honor,
power and glory of God. He has ascended
up, not only into heaven, but far above all
heavens, that He might fill all things, and He is
with us always, even unto the end of the world.
And the two natures, divine and human, con-
stitute the One, true Christ, they cannot be
separated from each other, for Christ is not
divided. He who was born in Bethlehem, suf-
fered, was crucified, dead, buried, descended
into liell, rose from the dead and ascended on

high, was not God alone, nor J/an alone, but
both Gop and Man; and He remains such for-
ever. And we Lutherans can acknowledge no
other Christ than Him of whom, according to
the Scriptures, the above is true.

Those sects who deny this, and who, among
many other false doctrines concerning Christ,
teach of the Christ in whom they believe, that
he is not able to give His body and blood in
the Sacrament, must have another Christ, an
unreliable, weak and false Christ.

Our Christ, however, is the almighty Christ,
who was made flesh and dwelt among us, and
we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

—Church Messenger.

— — + oe - —

Christmas Eve.

One afternoon in Christmas week, a clerk
in the Leipzig postoflice, whose duty it was to
sort the letters, found a tawdry little epistle,
and put it in the dead-letter box. The letter
went the usual way to the black cabinet, where
serious, silent men are seated, endowed with
power to decide upon the fate of packets un-
claimed or unaddressed. ‘The letter bore the
direction to ‘‘Jesus Christ, at Leipzig,’’ and
being opened, displayed the following con-
tents:

“Drar Hory Cunist: —Christmas is draw-
ing near, and as I full well know, Thou art
now going about and presenting good children
with bon-bons and nice little toys. O! dear
holy Christ, I wish Thou wouldst come to us.
We are so anxious to see Thee, and I more
than my sister, as I want a satchel to put my
books in. But I believe that my sister Selma
wants one, also. We should also like to have
a pair of shoes, each of us, as the weather is
very bad. ‘To my brother Curt, please bring
a box full of tin soldiers. He is ill and must
not go out of the room. But, above all, Thou
shouldst look after the health of my mamma,
who is worse than Curt, and cannot move ex-
cept on crutches. Dear holy Christ, I pray
Thee, do not forget us. I shall be very obe-
dient to my mother, and IL live at Green street,
No. 10, in the courtyard.

“MARIE. Curr.”

SELMA.

The letter, as appears from the signatures,
although written by the eldest sister, had after-
wards gained the approval of the younger chil-
dren, who attached their names in token of
assent. Some few dayspassed. At lastit was
Christmas eve. A knock came to the door of
the mother of the three little children, and #
gentleman with a lady entered, and put the
satchel, the shoes, and a great many other
things on the table. The German Christmas
tree was lighted and merriment filled the
house. For once, official secrecy had beep
violated, and the dead letter, being shown to
a charitable Samaritan, caused more joy and
gladness than pen can describe. — Selected: