The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1905, Page 46

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46 The Lutheran Pioneer. 2

Our Missionaries.

Blest are ye, ye chosen bearers
Of God’s Word to lands afar,
Bidding all men to be sharers
Of the joyful news ye bear.
Onward, onward, boldly pressing
Through the howling desert speed,
God will crown your work with blessing,
And give increase to the seed.

High your Saviour’s banner waving,
Tell it forth, intrepid band,
That His name alone is saving,
That all power is in His hand!
Be to all the world a witness
Of the everlasting Word,
Teaching all to taste its swectness,
And confess that He is Lord.

Arm, ye soldiers, though your weapons
Be not spears or glittering swords,

Press on still, though danger threatens,
For the whole earth is the Lord’s.

He who sent you will defend you,
And your King and Shepherd be;

Though like sheep ’mid wolves He send you
Ye shall wander glad and free.

Love it was for one another
Which first moved and urged you on,
That to tell to your poor brother
Which the Lord for him hath done.
Therefore seek ye neither pleasure,
Honor, wealth, nor earthly good,
No; ye bear a nobler treasure,
Peace through Jesus’ precious blood.

Bear all hardships unrepining;
Scoffed at, answer not a word;
Heathen lands shall soon be shining
With the glory of the Lord.

Blest are ye, brave standard-bearers,
Witnesses for Christ to men,

Ye shall in His joy be sharers,
When your Lord shall come again.

After all their tribulations,

Thousands shall Hosanna sing,
And the heavens with acclamations

To their God and Saviour ring.
Thousands then shall hail the teachers

Who first brought them to the Lord;
They shall be, ye faithful preachers,

Your bright crown and sweet reward.

From the German.

The Spanish Pilot and the Bible.

Some years ago a number of Christian ladies in
London were in the habit of going to the hospitals
every morning, taking with them a small bunch of
flowers to cheer the weary hours of the sick-room.
To the flowers a card was tied, on which were

written words of comfort from the Bible. The heart
of many a sick person was gladdened at the sight
of the beautiful flowers and by the comforting words
of God’s Book.

One of the ladies one morning found a Spanish
pilot in one ofthe hospitals, laid up with a linger-
ing disease. He was a Roman Catholic, sick among
strangers. He had often longed to hear again his
native language, to see again his native country.
The lady brought him a bunch of flowers with a
card, on which was written a passage from the Bible
in Spanish. How glad the sick stranger was when
he saw the fresh flowers which reminded him of
the sunny land of Spain! How he rejoiced when
he read the comforting words in his mother-tongue!
He asked from where these words came. When he
was told that they were from the Bible, he indig-
nantly threw the flowers and the card far away.
Romish priests had told him that the Bible was a
bad book, and that he should never read it. The
next day flowers with a card were again brought,
and again he threw them away.

The weary days wore on in the sick-room, and
at last the stranger accepted the flowers, and even
read the words on the card, setting his conscience
at-rest with the thought that the card was not the
Bible itself. As he read, the words became sweet
to him like the comforting words of a mother. He
longed for the next day and for another Bible-word.
At last he asked for the book written in such won-
derful language. He thought it surely could not
be that same Bible which the priests had forbidden
him to read.

A Spanish Bible was given him, and during the
long days of his recovery he read that wonderful
book again and again. By the grace of the Holy
Spirit the truth of God’s Word was brought home
to his heart; it brought peace to his soul and joy
to his life. The holy Book became dear to him,
more precious than gold, sweeter than honey. Later
on he became a Bible agent in his native country,
and made known the Gospel among his country-
men.

Is the Bible precious to you? Christ says:
‘Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye
have eternal life; and they are they which testify
of me.’? Read your Bible!

; There you may learn
What Christ has done
To save your soul from hell;

Not all the books on earth besides
Such heavenly wonders tell.

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‘“TueE dearer the child, the keener the rod.”