The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1902, Page 2

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

(For the LUTHERAN PIONEER.)

Original Sin.

Man as he came from God’s hands was the
image of his Maker, the masterpiece of the
Creator and the joy of the angels. God had
crested him in holiness and righteousness, and
his was a perfect knowledge and unalloyed
blessedness. But all this was changed when
man of his own free will suffered himself to
be misled by Satan into sin.

Gen. 3, 1—7 we are told how the fall of man
was brought about. Hiding himself in the
serpent, the devil first approached Eve with
the words, ‘‘Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not
eat of every tree in the garden?’’ God had
placed our first parents in the garden of Eden,
and had given them the full use of all it con-
tained, only excepting the fruit of one tree,
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The devil’s purpose now was to arouse doubt
in the mind of Eve as to this one exception
made by God. He would say: Eve, are you
sure that God forbade you to eat of any fruit
growing in the garden? Did you not mis-
understand Him? But as Eve is positive that
God really did forbid her and Adam to eat of
the tree of knowledge and as proof cites God’s
own words, the devil grows even bolder and
says, ‘Ye shall not die.’’ Satan’s meaning
is: From your words, Eve, it really does seem
that God forbade-you to eat of the tree of
knowledge, hard as it was for me to believe
that God should do such a thing; but let me
tell you this, It is not true what God told you
concerning the consequences of your eating of
the tree of knowledge. It was nothing but
jealousy on God’s part which prompted Him
to forbid you this particular fruit; ‘‘for God
doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then
your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as
gods, knowing good and evil.”” By means of
these words the devil would instil in Eve’s
heart a desire for more than God had given,
and awaken in her the ambition to be God’s
equal, in fact, cause her to fall by the same
sin by which he had fallen.

And alas! Eve allowed herself to be de-
ceived. She believed the devil and distrusted
God. The desire to eat of the forbidden fruit,
once awakened, grew stronger and stronger.
The more she looked at the fruit the more in-
viting it appeared. ‘The idea that by partak-
ing of the fruit she would become like God so
nourished the ambition awhkened in her that
she stretched forth her hand, plucked it, and
ate thereof. And having eaten of it herself,
she next beguiled Adam to do likewise. Thus

did man disregard the command of God and
listen to the devil. Trusting the devil more
than God, he turned from God and clung to
the’ devil.

What an awful change did this fall of man
into the world! His turning from God
lowed by the loss of God’s image.
stan now became the master of man’s heart.
in’s tinderstanding became darkened, his

will perverted, and his love toGod was changed
into hatred. The heart of man became the
throne of the devil, and his soul no longer re-
flected the glory of God, but the hideousness
of his new master.

But through Adam and Eve sin has come
upon all men, Rom. 5, 12. Sinful Adam’s
children were begotten in his likeness, after
his image, Gen. 5,3. Himself a child of wrath,
all his descendants are likewise by nature the
children of wrath, Eph. 2, 3. There is nota
man, calling man his father, that is not born
with original, or inherited sin; for what is
born of flesh is flesh, John 3,6. As are the
roots, so are the trunk and branches. We are
sinful even before we enter into this life. What
David says of himself is true of all: ‘‘Behold,
I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my
mother conceive me,’’ Ps. 51,5. There is
not a man who must not say, ‘‘In my flesh
dwelleth no good thing,’’ Rom. 7,18. Sin has
permeated us through and through as a foul
leaven. As a hideous leprosy it has laid hold
upon our whole body and soul, and as a power-
ful poison it has penetrated every fiber of our
nature. Our body, mind, heart, and soul are
polluted by sin through and through, so that
it cannot be wiped off nor turned out. Our
will has become perverted and completely
estranged from God, and our every thought is
evil from our youth, Gen. 8, 21.

‘‘Man’s life and nature by the fall
Is sin-corrupted wholly;
This bane’s entailed upon us all,
And we recoyer solely
By Jesus’ grace, that sayes our race
From Eve's severe aflliction,
When on her heart the serpent’s art
Drew down God’s malediction.’’

F. J. L.

——> -o-e —

The Seven Brothers.

Once upon a time, seven brothers lived to-
gether. Six went to their daily work, and the
seventh kept house. When the six returned
from their toil, weak and weary and hungry,
they found the house clean and in good order,
the welcome meal prepared, the lights burn-
ing, and comfortable beds waiting to rest and
strengthen their weary limbs.

But one of the six, who pretended to be
wiser than the rest, began to abuse the seventh
brother, calling him an idler and a day-thief,
and demanded that he be made to work and
earn his bread with the rest.

The other five chimed in with this sentiment,
and the seventh brother, with ax and tools in
hand, went forth with the rest to their daily
work. At evening they wended their way
homeward; but no cheering light greeted their
eyes, no table invited them to a bounteous re-
past, and no soft beds were in readiness to
receive their aching limbs. The soul and
guardian of the home had fled.

They at once discovered the folly of their
conduct, and realized that by their own hands
they had destroyed the home which had be-
fore this meant so much to them. Without

further deliberation, they asked their brother’s
pardon, and besought him to remain as the
guardian of the home. He took charge of the
home as before, and the blessings that had fled
once more returned.

That brother is the day on which we hear the
preaching of God’s Word and gather strength
for the labors and trials of ensuing days.

Adapted from the German.

a owen

Where Shall | Spend Eternity?

At a time when the flowers were in their
highest glory, a lady had written on a card,
which lay on the top of an hourglass in her
garden house, the following simple verse:

“To think of summers yet to come
That I am not to see!

To think a weed is yet to bloom
From dust that I shall be!’’

The next morning she found on the back of
the same card the following lines, which all
would do well to ponder:

“To think when earth has passed away
And seasons all are o’er;
To think of the last judgment day,
When time shall be no more!
Oh, where will then my portion be?—
Where shall I spend ETERNITY?”’

——> - om oe

George’s Prayer.

A poor widow was once anxious about her
rent. She had no money to pay. While she

was one day sitting and thinking what was to.

be done, she heard a low voice coming from
the next room. She went to the door to listen.
Lo, it was her dear little son George. He was
engaged in prayer. Heloved Jesus. He spoke
to God about his mother. He thanked God for
giving him such a dear, good mother. Then
he told the Lord how much his mother was
troubled because she had no money to pay her
rent; then he finished his prayer in this simple
way: ‘‘O Lord, pay mother’s rent. Please do,
for Jesus’ sake. Amen.’’

This prayer touched his mother. She went
away and said nothing. The prayer was heard
in heaven. The next day a lady came, who
had heard of her troubles, and gave her enough
money to pay the rent. God hears prayer.

Children should be diligent in prayer.

+ oo

Our Father which art in Heaven.

Once in a great storm at sea the passengers
on board a ship were all terribly alarmed and
distressed. One of them observed that a little
boy was the only person who seemed calm and
happy.

“Are you not afraid, my child?”

‘*No, sir.’’

““Why not, when we are in such danger?”’

“Because my father ts at the helm.”

He was the captain’s son, and he trusted
that his father would bring the vessel safely
through the storm. So those who know God as
their Father may always feel safe and happy-