The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1905, Page 38

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38

“Not Now.”
MARK 5, IS. 19.

Not now, my child —a little more rough tossing,
A little longer on the billows’ foam,

A few more journeyings in the desert-darkness,
And then the sunshine of thy Father’s home!

Not now; for I have wanderers in the distance,
And thou must call them in with patient love;

Not now; for I have sheep upon the mountains,
And thou must follow them where’er they rove.

Not now; for I have loved ones sad and weary;
Wilt thou not cheer them with a kindly smile?

Sick ones, who need thee in their lonely sorrow;
Wilt thou not tend them yet a little while?

Not now; for wounded hearts are sorely bleeding,
And thou must teach those widowed hearts to sing;
Not now; for orphans’ tears are thickly falling;
They must be gathered ’neath some sheltering wing.

Not now; for many a hungry one is pining;

Thy willing hand must be outstretched and free:
Thy Father hears the mighty cry of anguish,

And gives His answering messages to thee.

Not now; for dungeon walls look stern and gloomy,
And prisoners’ sighs sound strangely on the breeze —

Man’s prisoners, but thy Saviour’s noble freemen;
Hast thou no ministry of love for these?

Not now; for hell’s eternal gulf is yawning,
And souls are perishing in hopeless sin —

Jerusalem’s bright gates are standing open;
Go to the banished ones, and fetch them in!

Go with the name of Jesus to the dying,
And speak that Name in all its living power;

Why should thy fainting heart grow chill and weary?
Canst thou not watch with me one little hour?

One little hour! and then the glorious crowning,
The golden harp-strings, and the victor’s palm;
One little hour! —and then the hallelujah!

Eternity’s long, deep thanksgiving psalm!
Selected.

God’s Terms of Peace.

After one of the fierce battles in Northern Africa,
two young British soldiers were conversing together
in one of the tents. The younger of the two, little
more than a boy, had received a fatal wound, and
lay all comfortless and weary in his blood-stained
uniform. His comrade, who was a Christian and
acting as a nurse, sat by his side, trying to cheer
and soothe his suffering companion by reading pas-
sages from the New Testament.

“Shall I read a little more to you, Davie, my
lad? It’s a comfort in the dying hour, you know,”’’
said the Christian soldier.

Davie nodded assent, and his friend went on
reading from the eleventh chapter of Matthew’s
Gospel. Presently he came to the twenty-eighth

The Lutheran Pioneer.

verse, and read over slowly the words: ‘‘Come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest.”’

“Stop, Jamie,” said the dying youth, ‘‘these
words were never meant for me. You know I have
been God’s enemy all my life, and I’ve fought hard
against Him; these words can never be meant for
me. No, no, I’ve been His enemy —they cannot be
for me.’’

‘‘Enemy or not, Davie, my lad,’’ said his friend,
“*T assure you, God speaks these words to you. You,
no doubt, have been His enemy as I once was; but
here God offers you His terms of peace.’’

“‘Terms of peace, Jamie, did you say?” mut-
tered the dying lad; ‘‘terms of peace? Let me hear
them again.’’

“That I will, Davie, just listen to them, lad.”’
And Jamie read aloud: ‘‘Come unto me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’’
Then turning to other chapters of his Testament, he
read: ‘‘Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you,
in Christ’s stead, Be ye reconciled to God. Tor He
hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin,
that we might be made the righteousness of God in
Him.’’ ‘‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved.’’

The dying lad’s face changed, and raising him-
self partly on his couch, he clasped his hands and
looking up to heaven, said, ‘‘I accept the terms!
I accept the terms! Oh! Christ, Saviour of sinners,
I surrender to Thee, my Lord and my God!’’ He
then sank back exhausted.

All through that day he lingered in life, at
times, in a whisper, saying, ‘“Thank God, at peace,
at peace!’’

As the setting sun threw his parting rays on the
marble brow of the dying youth, a sweet smile
played on his countenance, and ere the morning
dawned on the busy camp, he was absent from the
body, and present with the Lord. Amid the hor-
rors of the blood-stained battle-field, within a few
hours of eternity, he accepted God’s terms of peace
and surrendered himself to Christ who has made
peace through the blood of His cross.

God’s terms of peace are just the same to you
to-day as they were to that young soldier on the
far-off deserts in Africa. Do not reject the peace
offered to you in the Gospel. Neglect not the
things which belong to thy peace.

_—__o-+-o
‘CW HEREVER there is divine grace there is also
divine strength to bear the cross and endure the .
pain.”