The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1905, Page 73

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

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PusBuisuep BY THE EVANGELICAL LuTierAN SyNopiIcaL CONFERENCE OF NortH AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

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

Vol. XXVII.

Battle Song of the Church.

Fear not the foe, thou Flock of God,

Fear not the sword, the spear, the rod,
Fear not the foe!

He fights in vain who fights with thee;

Soon shalt thou see his armies flee,
Himself laid low.

Come, cheer thee to the toil and fight;

’Tis God, thy God, defends the right;
He leads thee on.

His sword shall scatter every foe,

His shield shall ward off every blow;
The crown is won.

His is the battle, His the power,
His is the triumph in that hour;
In Him be strong.
So round thy brow the wreath shall twine,
So shall the victory be thine

And thine the song. Sel.

ee

Salvation By Grace, Not Works.

The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is by
grace, not by works. The Apostle Paul says: ‘‘Not
by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to His mercy He saved us,’’ Tit. 3, 5.
Again he says: ‘‘By grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God; not of works, lest any man should boast,’’
Eph. 2,8. 9. -

So long as the Church was loyal to the Bible
this doctrine of salvation by grace was proclaimed
for the comfort and salvation of sinners. But there
came a time when the Bible was hidden from the
people, and when man’s word was put in the place
of God’s Word. It was the time when the pope at
Rome made himself the supreme ruler in the temple
of God, ‘‘exalting himself above all that is called

St. Louis, Mo., October, 1905.

No. 10.

God.”’ For centuries the darkness of error and su-
perstition covered the church, and in this darkness
men groped about, seeking in vain the true way of
salvation. In the way pointed out to them in the
Romish church their souls could never find comfort
and peace. They were not told of God’s grace in
Christ Jesus, the Saviour of sinners, but were told
that they must earn salvation by their own works.
A writer who had been brought up in the Romish

. church, but who later in life came to the knowledge

of the Gospel, says: ‘‘In the papacy we were taught
to trust in our works for salvation, and charity was
said to be the only guide into heaven. And since
we were never sure whether we had done enough
works, we could never rejoice in the assurance of
salvation; yea, we were taught that no one could
be sure of his salvation. Thus our souls were tor-
mented by doubts and fears.’’ Here and there a
voice was raised against the corruption in doctrine
and life which prevailed in the church, but such a
voice was soon silenced in death by the Romish
church, which became ‘‘drunken with the blood of
the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of
Jesus.”’

But when God’s time of deliverance came, a
voice was heard which the pope and all the ene-
mies of the Gospel could not silence. It was the
voice of Dr. Martin Luther, God’s faithful mes-
senger, ‘‘having the everlasting Gospel to preach
unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.”’

Luther had been brought up in the Romish
church, and becoming anxious for his soul’s sal-
vation, he went the way the Romish church taught
him to go. He sought salvation by his own works.
But it was all in vain. He could find no rest, no
peace for his troubled soul. He himself says: ‘‘If