The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1903, Page 39

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 39

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Luther at Home. but he met his death firmly and cheerfully.
To a friend bewailing his lot the martyr re-

plied, ‘‘Death is bitter and life is sweet, but

Luther Anecdotes. |
|

THE FARMER WHO WOULD BE WISER The world would have lost a great deal-if
THAN GOD. | Luther had never married. It would have lost| alas! consider that death to come is more
There was once a farmer who was never|one of the most beautiful pictures of home| bitter, and life to come is more sweet.’”” In
satisfied with God’s arrangement of the/life that history has ever painted. There was | another conversation he said, “I am well
weather and begged the privilege of control-|true piety in that home. God's Word ruled thank God; and death to me for Christ’s ake
ling the elements for a while, and his prayer | in it. The Bible was more than simply an lis welcome.”
was granted. The farmer began, and did as|ornament on the parlor table. It was the} His martyrdom was witnessed by a large
he wished; and everything went agreeably to/| daily spiritual bread of the great Reformer’s| throng of people. The martyr was forbidden
his desires. It rained and snowed when he’ household. |to address the crowd. A pardon was prom-
wished, and it was fair weather when he! Luther’s home was a home of prayer and | ised him if he would recant the Bible doctrines
wanted it, and everything succeeded so well) praise. The great Reformer loved music and he had preached, but he spurned it away, say-
that he thought there would be the most fruit-| believed in making melody with instrument, ing, “If you love my soul, away with it!’
ful year ever known. But when the harvest| voice, and heart. Our picture beautifully | He remained faithful, although his agony was
came, he found nothing but empty ears and/| represents this feature of his home life, which greatly prolonged and increased by the slow

mere straw. He then thought of it, for the
first time, that he had forgotten the wind.
Thus it went with him who was too wise for
God.

THE THREE ROBINS.

A man sent his serv-
ant, Idleman, to hunt up
the cows that were lost;
but as he stayed away so
long the master went
after him. He asked
the servant, ‘‘Have you
found the cows?”’ ‘‘No,”’
said he; ‘‘but I have
found something better.”
‘What is that?’’ He an-
swered, ‘Three robins.’”
“Where have you them ?”’
His reply was, ‘‘The one
I see, the other I have,
and the third I am chas-
ing.’’ Where masters do
not look after their busi-
ness, Brother Idleman
will have the sway.

THE DONKEY’S SHADOW.

One man hired his donkey to another, and
walked beside him on their journey. The
man who rode, as the sun was scorching hot,
begged the other to ride, that he might also
enjoy the benefit of the shadow. But he would
not consent and said he had hired him the
donkey to ride, and not his shadow; if he
wanted the latter also he would have to pay
for it. In this fable we have a picture of the
world: it will do nothing without pay— not
even allow a man to enjoy a shadow without
compensation.

TRUST IN GOD.

Towards evening two birds came flying into
the Doctor’s garden, where they were build-
ing a nest, from which, however, they were
frequently scared away by persons passing by.
The Doctor, observing it, said, ‘‘Ah, dear
little bird, do not fly from my heart. I wish
thee well, if thou couldst but believe me.
Likewise we also do not trust and believe the
Lord our God, notwithstanding He grants us
every blessing. He will not kill us— having
given for us His Son.”

was a splendid example of what should char-
| acterize the Christian family life.

Luther at Home.

Last Words of John Hooper, the Martyr.

This great preacher was born in Somerset-
shire, England, in 1495, and died at the stake
February 9, 1555, in Gloucester. He was a
great scholar and writer, and a diligent study
of the Scriptures convinced him of the errors
of the pope’s church and made him an ardent
advocate of the Reformation. It is said of
him, ‘In his sermons he corrected sin and
sharply spoke against the iniquity of the world
and the corrupt abuses of the church. The
people in large numbers came daily to hear
him and the church would often be so full that
none could enter further than the doors.””

Hooper and Rogers were the first to be cited
under Queen Mary, who was called Bloody
Mary. because of the many, Protestants put to
death under her reign. On August 29, 1558,
Hooper was thrown into prison, where he
received harsh treatment, and contracted a
painful sickness. In January, 1555, he was
condemned on account of his Protestant faith.
He had called the mass ‘‘the iniquity of the
devil.» He was sentenced to die at the stake,

progress of the fire on account of the green
fagots, which had to be rekindled three times
before they did their horrible work.

oe

What the Bible Can Do.

Irecently read a story
which I think will do my
little friends good. It
will show you what the
Biblecando. Sometime
ago there was a mis-
sionary preaching to the
heathen in India about
Jesus. One day a man
came to him and asked
to be baptized. The mis-
sionary was glad to hear
that the man wanted to
be baptized. So he asked
him to sit down, ard they
had atalk together. The
missionary could not
baptize the man until he
was sure that he believed
in the Lord Jesus. But how could a man
in that heathen land become a Christian? It
was this way. This man belonged to a band of
robbers. One night these robbers got a great
deal of spoil, and hid itin a woods. The next
day they met to divide it. Among the things
given to this man was a copy of the Bible. He
had never seen a Bible before. But he had
heard of it. He knew it was the book out of
which the Christian missionaries preached.
He felt curious to know what was in the book.
So he set about to read it. But long before he
had read the good Book through he learned
from it that he was a simner, and that his only
hope was in Christ Jesus. He quit his bad life,
and was truly sorry for his sins. When the
missionary had heard this, he baptized him,
and the man who bad been a robber became a
member of the church and a useful Christian.
He then lent his Bible to his brother, who was
also a heathen, and he, too, became a Chris-
tian. The Bible can do wonders.— C. P.

—— eee ———-——“<i—

SatyaTIon can be inherited but never earned.