The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1905, Page 28

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

28

The Lutheran Pioneer.

The poor, desolate mother wails, ‘‘My baby is
lost; I can never find him again.”’

That black-eyed baby’s mother is a heathen, not
knowing the Gospel of Jesus.

A few days later another baby lay moaning on
the downy pillows of its little crib, and it was whis-
pered softly through our mission, ‘‘Baby is dying.”

With sorrowing hearts we gathered in the stricken
home, but it was a Christian home that knew the
comfort of a living Saviour.

“Our baby is going home,’’ said the mother,
and though her voice trembled, she smiled bravely
upon the little sufferer.

‘‘We gave her to the Lord in baptism; He has
but come for His own,”’ said the father reverently,
as he threw his arms lovingly around his wife.

As we watched through our tears the little life
slipping away, someone began to sing softly :

*‘Jesus, Lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly.”

While we were singing the child passed away to
the heavenly fold.

‘Let us pray,’’ said a low voice. \e knelt to-
gether and approached the throne of grace in prayer
and thanksgiving.

The next day we followed the little coffin to the
cemetery. With a song of hope and words of cheer
and trust, and a prayer of faith, we comforted the
sorrowing hearts.

“The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord,’’ said the child’s
father, and the mother answered, ‘‘Yes, our baby
is safe; we shall find her and have her again some
glad day.’’

That child’s parents are faithful members of our
mission. They have been brought out of heathen
darkness into the light of the Gospel, believing in
Him who is the Resurrection and the Life, and who
in His resurrection hath abolished death, and hath
brought life and immortality to light.

The Saviour’s Love.

A missionary in Africa preached on the Saviour’s
Joye. An old man among the hearers paid very
close attention. When the missionary told of the

sufferings and death of Jesus for the salvation of
‘sinners, the old African was very much moved.
Suddenly he sprang up and cried out with a trem-
bling voice: ‘‘Is that true?”’
‘¢Yes,’? said the missionary, ‘‘it is the truth.”
. ‘Did it all really happen as you say???

“*Yes, I tell you the very truth.”’

Tears rolled down the cheeks of the old man,
and again he asked, ‘‘Can you swear that what you
say is true?” i

“T can swear to it in the presence of Almighty
God.”

Deeply moved, the old African cried out: ‘‘O ye
Christians, are you so heartless as to speak of such
love without tears?”’

For a moment deep silence prevailed. Then
these earnest words came as a solemn vow from the
lips of the old African: ‘‘Jesus, God of the Chris-
tians, Saviour of sinners, I will be Thy disciple and
follow Thee, and if I must die for my faith, I will
not leave Thee!”’

On the day of his baptism he was suddenly
attacked and murdered by the enraged heathen.
Trusting in his Saviour’s love, he passed into the
presence of Jesus, where there is joy and peace for
evermore.

i

“J Will Trust and not Be Afraid.’’

A certain man was worrying about the future
life, because he did not trust God’s promises. He
and a friend were walking along a double-track rail-
way, and heard a train in the distance. The friend
wanted to get off the track, but the man who could
not trust God said, ‘‘No, stay where youare. That
train is coming toward us, and is on the other track.
The company has an invariable rule.’’ ‘‘I see,’’
said his friend, ‘‘you trust the railroad company
more than you trust God. And yet God’s ways are
more unfailing than those of any human concern.”’

For Me.

A ship was on its way from Bremen to South
America. During the voyage Peter Jensen, the
captain, took seriously sick. He lay in his cabin
suffering much pain, and it seemed as if he would
not reach the port the ship was bound for. In high
fever he tossed about in his bed. He was very rest-
less, and something seemed to trouble him.

One day he said to the first mate who, during
the captain’s sickness, had taken command of the
ship: ‘‘My life is coming to an end; I know shall
not reach the port. But how can I reach that other
port above — the heavenly harbor? Oh, do help
me.”” With an anxious look he grasped the mate’s
arm and said, ‘‘Help me! Tell me what I must do
that I may not perish!’’

“‘Captain,’’ replied the mate, ‘“‘that I do not
know. I have always tried to live honestly and to