The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1903, Page 15

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

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“Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense.”

~ When, at the time of the Schleswig-Holstein

War, in the year 1864, the city of Schleswig was
taken and the Danish soldiers were forced to
withdraw, a Prussian artillery officer and his
men camped in the castle of Gluecksburg. The
beautiful castle made a sad appearance. The
Danish soldiers had played sad havoc within.
With a sad look the officer went through the
devastated apartments and finally entered the
chapel of the castle. Here, too, everything
was destroyed, with the exception of a fine
organ, which had been left untouched. Long-
ing to hear its beautiful strains, he called one
of his gunners to blow the organ for him, and
soon the chapel resounded with the full notes
of the choral: ‘Jesus Christ, My Sure De-
fense.’’ It had already grown dark and the
player had just started to leave, when sud-
denly a man, with tears in his eyes, approached
him, and firmly grasping his hands, said, ‘‘You
probably have no idea of the kindness you
have just now shown me; God bless you!”’
With this remark the man hurried from the
chapel.

Some months after, our artillery officer, who
for several weeks had been in Jutland, was
ordered to withdraw his men to Schleswig.
Here he was quartered at the house of a prom-
inent official, who, together with his feeble
wife and two daughters (all dressed in mourn-
ing), treated him very kindly. “The Prussian
officers are no strangers to us any more,” said
the woman; ‘‘my husband loves them, and so
dowe.’? ‘Yes, but not for political reasons,”’
added her husband with a smile; ‘‘we love them
because a Prussian officer once showed me a
kindness for which I am indebted to him for
life. Permit me to tell you my story.

“My wife was afllicted with a severe illness.
Medical skill afforded her no relief, and death
seemed to be nigh. I was greatly troubled by
the loss of property during the war. More
sickness came and our oldest son died of the
scarlet fever. At this time the struggle at
Schleswig took place, and in that battle my
last son fell. I followed him to his tomb, full
of sadness, and returned from his burial with
a broken heart. Soon after this I was called
to the castle of Gluecksburg. I thought to
myself, Both sons lost, and at my home a poor
afllicted wife! Oh, it is more than I can bear!
What could I do? The temptation assailed
my despondent heart, ‘Why not pring all this

‘misery to an end?’ I glanced through the
window and beheld the waters below which
seemed to beckon me. A leap—and all would
be over! —But hark! ‘The soft notes of an
organ: ‘Jesus Christ, my sure Defense, and
my Saviour ever liveth.’ My comfortless heart
was stirred by the tune of this Easter hymn.
It lifted up my despairing soul. I thanked
God on my knees for this hour in which I was
born anew. But much as J desired to do so,
I could not, at the time, express MY thanks to
the man who played that hymn- Still, I have

heaven to finish the work which His father

not forgotten him, and I have often wished
that I might have on opportunity to express
my thanks to him.’’

When he had ended the officer arose from
his seat, saying, ‘‘In the household of our
Lord certainly nothing is wasted. Though it
be but a word or a hymn—it brings forth fruit
in due season.’’? Then he went to the organ
and again played the Easter hymn: ‘‘Jesus
Christ, My Sure Defense.”?” Geo. Sracu.

gave Him to do. He came to work our salva-
tion; neither did He rest till all was done.
To-morrow, dear John, is Easter day. It tells
us that Christ is risen. By raising Christ
from the dead the Father said, ‘The work is
done.’ I did not really doubt you when you
said your work was done; your folded hands
proved to me at once that your week’s labor
was over. And a pleasant thing it is, on a
Saturday night, to sit down and say, It is all
done; to-morrow I can rest! But strange it is
that you, who speak so confidently upon your
work being done, cannot trust the Son of God.
To-morrow is Easter day, dear John. The
Lord is risen, He is risen indeed! ‘The work
of our redemption is done, perfectly done.
The Father in heaven is perfectly satisfied
with that work of His Son. He accepted that
work as perfectly done and finished, by raising
Christ from the dead. Now, why are not you
satisfied, John?”

Old Uncle Brown looked at his friend in
silence for a while and then cried out, ‘‘I am
satisfied, I am satisfied !’’

The simple illustration was used by God to
give peace to old Uncle Brown’s soul. May it
bring peace to you also, dear reader. Instead
of toiling, striving, laboring, day by day, may
you rest in the finished work of Christ.

Christian Youth.

The Child’s Prayer.

++ eo oe

Easter Talk with Old Uncle Brown.

John Brown, the saddler, was known in his
village as a trustworthy workman, who took
an honest pride in doing well whatever he had
to do. But John was in trouble about his
soul; he was not satisfied about himself; he
feared death, and, for the unsaved, that aw-
ful certainty after death—‘‘the judgment.”
Though old Uncle Brown professed to believe
in Jesus, yet he was doubting and longed for
peace.

One Saturday evening—it was the evening
before Easter day—a friend of the saddler,
who knew his anxiety of soul, called on him.
The week’s work was just oyer, the last stroke
had been given to the piece in hand, and John
was putting down his tools, exclaiming, “That
job’s done,”’ and as he set his harness upon
the table, his friend saw that he looked at it
with the satisfaction of one whose hard week’s
labor was ended.

Looking at the work, and then at the work-
man, his friend exclaimed, “Why, John, how
is this? What, you fold your hands, and sit
down? Do you mean to call this harness
finished ?”’

“Sir,” eried the saddler, with some little
indignation, ‘‘when I-say a job is done, it is
done. It means done, and well and properly
done, too.”

‘“‘How so, John?” said the friend in a ques-
tioning tone; ‘what! you call it finished, do
you?’’

“To be sure, I do—I am not one of the
scamping sort — and it is finished,’’ John
warmly replied, viewing his work with greater
satisfaction.

‘Then I am to believe you, am 1?”’ was the
question, and again put in a doubting tone.
Now, old Uncle Brown would never allow
anybody to question his word, and he was not
at all pleased with the way his friend talked.
He considered his word true and honest, and
his work the very best he could give his cus-
tomers.

Observing his feeling his friend continued,
‘tAh, John, sol am to believe you, am I? and
yet you won't believe the Lord Jesus?”’

Here Uncle Brown was perplexed. What
was his friend driving at?

“Yes,” he continued, ‘‘you say you believe
Him, and yet you doubt His word. He said
upon the cross, ‘It is finished.’ He came from

James and his two little sisters were ac-
customed to saying their evening prayers at
mother’s knee before going to bed.

Dear mother was taken so sick one day that
she was not able to leave her bed nor see to
herchildren. Evening came and the children
not thinking of such a thing as going to bed
without saying their prayers knelt at mother’s
bedside and prayed as they had been taught.
When they were through, there was a slight
pause, and little James continued: ‘‘Dear
Lord, you know father cannot cook and we
children can’t either; so please make mother
well, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.” The child’s
‘‘prayer of faith’? was answered, mother was
soon well again and able to care for father
and the children.

—- oe oe

Tell the News.

Huber, the great naturalist, tells us, that if
a single wasp discovers & deposit of honey or
other food, he will return to his nest and im-
part the good news to his companions, who
will sally forth in great numbers to partake of
the fare which has been discovered for them.
Shall we who have found honey in the rock
Jesus Christ be less considerate of our fellow
men than wasps are of their fellow insects?
Ought we not rather, like the Samaritan woman,
hasten to tell the good news?— Spurgeon.

— 2-0 or oe

Wuex I am too sad to pray, then I begin to

sing. — Martin Luther.