The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1904, Page 2

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2 The Imtheran. Pioneer.

concerning the way of man’s salvation. We find
Peter in the house of Cornelius telling his hearers
of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and adding,
“To Him give all the prophets witness, that through
His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive
remission of sins,’’ Acts 10, 43. We find Paul stand-
ing before the Jews and saying, ‘‘Be it known to
you therefore, men and brethren, that through this
Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins;
and by Him all that believe are justified from all
things,” Acts 13, 38. We find Paul and Silas preach-
ing to the terrified jailer, ‘‘Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved,’’ Acts 16, 31. We
find Philip telling the Ethiopian that the Suffering
One of whom the prophet speaks as the Lamb upon
whom the Lord hath laid the iniquity of us all, is
none other than Jesus. He ‘‘preached unto him
Jesus,’’ Acts 8, 35.

Thus it is everywhere, whether Jews or Gentiles,
old or young, rich or poor, black or white are ad-
dressed. For all there is salvation in Jesus only.
Peter could say, ‘‘We believe that through the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ we [Jews] shall be saved,
even as they” [Gentiles], Acts 15,11. Paul wrote
of Jews and Gentiles, ‘All have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God; being justified freely by
His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus,’’ Rom. 3, 23. ‘‘In whom we have redemp-
tion through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace,’’ Eph. 1, 7.
“Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid,
which is Jesus Christ,’’ 1 Cor. 3, 11.

Since there is salvation in Him only whose name
was called Jesus, it is of the greatest importance that
you as a poor sinner trust in Him alone for salva-
tion. Upon this hangs your eternal destiny. And
remember that every passing year, yea, every pass-
ing hour brings you nearer to that eternity which
will be to you either an eternity of bliss and joy or
of woe and misery. ‘‘There is no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus;”’ but it is equally
true that there is nothing but condemnation for
them that are not in Christ Jesus. Therefore, ‘‘be-
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be

sayed.’?
en

Your Sundays.

Did you ever think of the many Sundays that
have come to you during your lifetime? They were
your Sundays. Since every seventh day is a Sun-
day, 4 person seven years of age has had a whole
year of Sundays, a person 21 years of age has had
three years, and a person 35 years of age has had

five years, and a person 70 years of age has had ten
years of Sundays. Think of the many Sundays of
your lifetime—your Sundays. On how many of
these Sundays did God’s grace come very near to
you in His Word and Sacrament? Do none of
these Sundays bear witness against you as a de-
spiser of God’s Word and preaching? Have you
always been diligent in the use of these Sundays
for the salvation of your soul?

Another year comes to you with its many Sun-
days. You may not live to see them all; they may
not all be your Sundays; your Sundays may come
to an end before the close of the year 1904. Consider
the things which belong to thy peace, and neglect
not the time of thy visitation!

———___-~~-

“God Knows What is Best.’’

Little Dora lay on the sickbed for several weeks.
She was very ill and suffered much pain. One day
when her father was sitting by her in her illness,
she said to him, ‘‘God knows what is best, papa.’’

What simple trust of that little child in sickness,
suffering, and pain! By simple faith she held fast
to the comforting truth, ‘‘God knows what is best.’’
And may not every child of God learn from her to
trust with a simple faith as she trusted?

Days and weeks of suffering and grief and sor-
row may come to us in the new year, but they come
from God who knows what is best, and they must
therefore work together for our good. In the blessed
assurance that God knows what is best, the Chris-
tian may joyfully go forward on his journey through
another year. That blessed truth that God knows
what is best will calm and quiet his heart in the
dark hours when he does not know the whys and
wherefores of God’s ways, and when God says to
him, ‘‘What I do thou knowest not now, but thou
shalt know hereafter.’’

“Not now, but in the coming years,
It may be in the better land,
We'll read the meaning of our tears —
Some time, some time we'll understand.”’

——————

The Better Country.

Of Old Testament saints it is said: ‘Truly if
they had been mindful of that country from whence
they had come out, they might have had opportu-

_nity to have returned. But now they desire a better

country, that is, an heavenly; wherefore God is not
ashamed to be called their God; for He hath pre-
pared for them a city,’? Hebr. 11, 15.16. It was