The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1904, Page 89

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The Lutheran Pioneer,

TS.

MISSIONARY

—_-

MOONTHLY.

PUBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL Lurneran Synopicat CoNFERENCE oF Norrm AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

v ol. XXVI.

St. Wouisshton TDeceamber 1904.

“No. 12.

The Holy Christ - child.

O heart of mine! lift up thine eyes
And see who in yon manger lies!
Of perfect form, of face divine—
It is the Christ-child, heart of mine!

O dearest, holiest Christ-child, spread
Within this heart of mine Thy bed;
Then shall my breast forever be

A chamber consecrate to Thee! Luther.

—- 0+

A Saviour for All.

The Saviour whose birth the angel made known
to the shepherds in the holy Christmas night is a
Saviour for all. If it were not’ so, the Christmas
tidings would not be tidings of great joy, and Christ-
mas Day would not be a day of gladness. If there
were one exception, if one sinner were excluded,
then every sinner might think himself that one, and
how could the Christmas festival then be a joyful
festival? But there is no exception. The Saviour
born at Bethlehem is a Saviour for all. Therefore
the angel who brought the glad Christmas tidings
said that these tidings shall be ‘“‘to all people.’’
And Christ Himself, when speaking of His coming
into the world, said, ‘‘God so loved the world, that
He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever be-
lieveth in Him should not perish, but have ever-
lasting life.’? As God loved the whole sinful world,
so the Saviour, the gift of His love, is for the whole
sinful world, “‘that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.’’ That word
‘‘whosoever”’ includes even the greatest sinner and

has brought comfort to many a poor trembling soul.
Says a Southern army physician: There was an’

old soldier lying on his cot, sick and full of trouble.
- He was sad, although the Christmas season had

“ come and there was rejoicing in the camp, as there

generally is throughout the South on Christmas Day.
He had lived quite a Jong life in sin; but his con-
science was now awakened, and he trembled at the
wrath of God. He had formerly, no doubt, -cele-
brated many a'Christmas Day and had heard of the
Saviour, but he thought he was too great a sinner,
and that there was no salvation for him. A Christian
comrade stood near, who, seeing his friend very rest-
less, asked what he could do for him.

“T don’t know; I want something,’’ answered
the sick man, “I am miserable.”’

His friend brought a cup of water, saying,
‘*Wouldn’t you like a drink?”’

The soldier took the cup in his trembling hand,
but said, ‘‘No, this isn’t really what I want.”’

“Tt is almost time for the surgeon to come in,’?
said his friend kindly.

‘“Well, he can’t do much for me,’’ sighed the
poor man; ‘‘it ain’t such help that I want. Oh, I’m
a dreadfully wicked man; and the way is all dark
before me—all dark.’’

His Christian friend sat down beside him and
asked if he would not like to hear what the Bible
had to say to wicked men who want something the
surgeon cannot give.

“Oh, yes,’ moaned the sick man; ‘‘but I’m afraid
there is no use in it. It/s a long time since I have
had anything to do with the Bible, and I’m the”

-greatest sinner in the world; and it’s all dark ahead,

all dark!”’ ; 4

“But listen to what Jesus says,’’ said his friend;
and he read the sixteenth verse of the third chapter
of the Gospel according to St. John: “‘God so loved
the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life,”’ = :