The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1903, Page 2

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2 ‘The Lutheran Pioneer.

The First Article.

Or THE Evit ANGELS.

Of all that God made we hear that it was
good. And yet the Bible speaks of evil angels.
That God made these evil angels is sure, but
it is equally certain that they were not evil
when they left His creative hands. They be-
came evil afterwards, just as man sinned after
his creation. This we learn from Jude 6:
‘tAnd the angels which kept not their first
estate, but left their own habitation, He hath
reserved in everlasting chains'under darkness
unto the judgment of the great day.’’ In what
particular way these angels sinned against
God we do not know, since God’s Word does
not tell us; only this is certain, they sinned
and therefore had to leave their habitation to
make their home in hell, which God prepared
for them. There in hell they are bound in
everlasting chains under darkness. They are
castaways and have no hope
of deliverance; the day of
judgment will but confirm
the sentence already passed
upon them.

These evil angels have a
chief who is called the devil,
or Satan, and among them
there are such as once occu-
pied a high rank among the
angels of God ; for Eph. 6, 12
they are referred to as ‘‘prin-
cipalities and powers.”’

Of their attributes the Bible
also speaks. Thus Peter com-
pares the devil to a lion in
strength, and Paul warns us
against his wiles.

Deep guile and great might

Aré his dread arms in fight;

On earth is not his equal.

Scripture also does not leave us uncertain as
to the occupation of the devil and his angels.
They are ever busy in opposing God and His
kingdom. The devil is anxious to spread out
his own kingdom. He is truly called the
tempter. No sooner did the devil see the bliss
of our first parents than he tempted them to
disobey God and eat of the forbidden fruit.
He envied them their happiness and was anx-
jous to make them evil, that they might be
cast out of God’s kingdom and become his
subjects. As the father of lies he deceived
them and seduced them into misbelief and
disobedience. Thus did sin and the wages
of sin, death, come into the world through

_ the devil.

And as he then began, so has he continued.
The deyil is always at work taking the good

_ seed of God’s Word from men’s hearts, lest

they believe and be saved. He does not want
any of us to be saved, and so he is busy night

ind day to prevent our salvation: tempting,
‘and seducing men. And oh, how
the is in most cases! How many
vent from ever entering into God’s

kingdom, and how many of those who had al-
ready been rescued out of his power has he
succeeded in bringing back again into his king-
dom of darkness!

How are we to protect ourselves against his
temptations and murderous attacks? ‘‘Watch
and pray,’’ says Christ to Peter and to us.
‘Be sober, be vigilant,’’ says Peter. Christ
overcame Satan by the power of the Word,
and thereby calls our attention to the only
means wherewith we can successfully with-
stand the devil.

With might of ours can naught be done,
Soon were our loss effected;

But for us fights the Valiant One,
Whom God Himself elected.

Ask ye, Who is this?

Jesus Christ it is,

Of Sabaoth Lord,

And there’s none other God,

He holds the field forever. F. J. L.

The Wise Men from the East.

“From the Eastern mountains
Pressing on they come,
Wise men in their wisdom
To His humble home,
Stirr’d by deep devotion,
Hasting from afar,

Ever journeying onward,
Guided by a star.

Light of light that shineth
Ere the worlds began,

Draw Thou near and lighten
Every heart of man.’

———2 ~~ oo >

While the Day Lasts.

will bring its own duties. Let the work of to-
day be done to-day, and then we may calmly
await the coming of the morrow, if the morrow
shall ever come.

“The time is short —

If thou wouldst work for God, it must be now.”

T. C.

Even in Affliction.

A girl, belonging to a church society, went to
call upon a cripple, taking some sweet spring
flowers to the invalid. After a little conver-
sation the visitor asked:

“Don’t you get tired of béing tied to that
bed day and night, Miss Grey, week after
week ?”’

‘Yes, I think I do sometimes; that is, I
grow bodily tired,’’ was the response. ‘But
I try not to think of that. I only want to
remember that God is good
and merciful. In His love
He spared me, even though
I am a cripple, to live that I
might learn to know Him
here. You see, before I was
hurt, I never thought about
Him as being a real Friend
and Helper. But since I
have been compelled to lie
here quiet and helpless, I
can even find joy and thank-
fulness in my aflliction;—I
live to serve Him, and that
crowds out almost every
other thought.’’

And the one who had come
to minister went away feel-
ing that she had received
more than she had given dur-
ing that brief visit. ‘‘Joy
and thankfulness in affliction.”’ Truly, only
those who know Him for the loving Saviour
that He is, can say this.

—————s+c< oe + oe

Count Your Mercies.

“Count your mercies, count your mercies,
my dear,’? was good old Grandmother Com-
fort’s neverfailing advice when things went
wrong with those around her. She was not
unsympathetic or unkindly —quite the re-
verse; but she knew that, if she could only
get people to count their ‘‘mercies,’’ the list
would be so long that it would crowd out
altogether the ill that at first sight loomed up

It will not last long. Your day, my day, 80 large. It is a simple remedy for real or

the world’s day, the day of opportunity, the
day of salvation, all days are swiftly passing
away, and the great day, the last day, will
surely and speedily come.
portunity for us to work, by and by the time
will be past. The neglect of to-day may never
be repaired. The morrow will bring the work
for to-morrow, and every day and every year

Now there is op-

fancied ills, and easily applied, —‘-Count your

mercies.’”
—_——_-<P oo

Tue best name by which we may think of
God is Father. It is a loving, deep, sweet,
heart-touching name; for the name ‘-Father’’
is, in its nature, full of inbred sweetness and
comfort.— Luther.