The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1905, Page 51

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

51

therefore, who does not use the means of grace the
Holy Ghost will not perform His gracious work; he
that despises the means of grace cannot become or
remain a partaker of grace. God grant us grace dil-
igently to use the appointed means unto our soul’s
salvation. F. J. L.

— 2 0- —

The Lord Will Provide.

In the summer of 1851, great scarcity prevailed
in many parts of Wuertemberg. Among others who
suffered, a poor widow was in deep distress. She
had already spent her last penny for food for her-
self and her children, and had nothing left to pay a
small debt that lay heavy on her mind. There was
nothing to do but to sell her cow; with the cow,
however, her chief means of support would go. Full
of care and anxiety on this account, she sat alone
in her little room, pondering over her position, and
praying to God for help in her time of need.

While she was thus occupied, her little boy came
running in from the garden, exclaiming, ‘‘See these,
mother; what are they? I found them in the gar-
den, in a mole-hill.”’

What he had found were several ducats of very
old coinage. They had doubtless, at some time of
war, been hidden in the ground at the foot of a tree,
in the widow’s garden, by some one who had hoped
thus to preserve the buried treasure till the war
and the fear of plundering hands were over, but
who had not lived to dig up his gold. Thus it had
lain hidden till, just at the right time, by means of
the mole, the treasure was brought to light.

The poor widow’s distress and want were re-
lieved by the gold, and she was able to praise God
who, according to His promise, ever helps His
people in time of need, in answer to their cry.

From the German.

The Power of Small Gifts.

It is a great mistake, a wrong, not to give to the
cause of Christ because one can give only a little.
He that makes this his excuse for not giving when
appealed to must be very indifferent to the cause of
Christ. God’s children should know that Christian
giving is to be a thing of love, of obedience to God’s
Word, and not a thing of quantity. Give as God
has blessed and prospered you. That is the rule.
If God has so blessed and prospered you that you
can give only a little, should it not be a glad duty
to give that little? Give that little cheerfully, out
of love to Christ and His kingdom. ‘‘God loveth
a cheerful giver.’

-If all in the Church who refuse to give because
they can give only a little, would give that little,
there would not be an empty mission treasury, our
sorely needed college could soon be built, and much
could be done for the spread of the Gospel which,
for lack of means, cannot now be done. There is
a wonderful power in small gifts, especially when
laid on God’s altar.

We read of a minister who sent out 237 envel-
opes for the mission cause. Of these, 100 contain-
ing a noble offering were returned. Suppose that
each of the 137 not returned had come back with an
average of ten cents ineach. This would have added
$13.70. And who could not have given the ten cents,
especially when it was asked for Him who gave all
for us? The pastor knew that a number to whom
these envelopes were sent were able to give dollars
instead of cents. Put the average at 25 cents, and
the total swells to $34.50; put it at 50 cents, and
we have $69.00. Realize the same result from ten
congregations, and we have the sum of $690.00.
That would have been more than “‘a little.’ The
small gifts would have become one large gift.

Oh, that Christians would give from principle,
because they love Christ and His cause, and would
not refuse to give because they love the world more,
or because they can give only a little!

“Give, though thy gifts be small,
Still be a giver;
Out of the little founts
Proceeds the river. .
Out of the river’s gifts i
Gulfs soon will be

Pouring their waters out,
Making a sea.

“Out of the sea again,

Heaven draws its showers,

And to the fount imparts
All its new powers.

Thus in a cycle borne,
Gifts roll around,

And in the blessing given
Blessing is found.’’

Comfort from the Bible.

Lockhart, the son-in-law and biographer of Wal-
ter Scott, when speaking of the last hours of the
great poet, novelist, and historian, writes: ‘“He
expressed a wish that I should read to him, and
when I asked from what book, he said: ‘Need you
ask? There is but one.’ I chose the 14th chapter
of St. John’s Gospel; he listened with mild deyo-
tion, and said when I had done: ‘Well, this is a
great comfort.’”’