The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1906, Page 18

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18

The Imtheran Pioneer.

leads to everlasting death. Repent and turn to
the Savior in whom there is life and salvation
for you.

“Sinners, turn; why will ye die?

God, your Savior, asks you— Why?

He, who did your souls. retrieve,

Died Himself that you might live.

“Will ye let Him die in vain?
Crucify your Lord again?

Why, ye ransomed sinners, why
Will ye slight His grace, and die?”

The Cross of Christ.

There is only one cross upon which the work of
our salvation was wrought and finished — the cross
of Christ, of Him who is God and man. There is
no other way to be delivered from the burden of

* our sins, —no other way to grace and holiness and
blessedness, — no other way to come to God, than
by the cross of Jesus.

By this way, and by this way alone, have all
the saints drawn near to Ged. How much might
I not say of this, the cross of Christ, and yet never
could any man say enough! For it is far beyond
the mind of the high angels to understand how the
eternal God in His great love became a man and
suffered the deepest shame and the bitterest sorrow
for us.

See Him hanging between two thieves, that the
sin might be laid on Him; for He, in His love,
desired to bear it in the place of His enemies. What
greater and more perfect love could He have shown
us than to take upon Himself the mighty burden,
and bear it, not for His friends, but for those who
hated Him? :

He who knew no sin bore Himself thy sin,
O sinner—bore it as if it were His own. And

thus thy sin was His sin, and the work He did for ©

thee is the only work thou canst bring .to God.
Thy sin, His sin; His work, thy work. For He
suffered for thy sin as if He Himself had been the
sinner.

And see how the chains were broken which
bound us in our sits, when He was bound on the
cross for us— how the curse and the wrath of God
that lay upon us was borne away, for He made
peace between God and sinners by the blood of His
cross — peace, perfect peace. And the sign that
the peace is made is the blessed gift of the Holy
Ghost come down from heaven.

Therefore bear in mind, no works of ours, no
merits of ours, have any value in the eyes of God;

for all is of grace, and all the merit is that of the
Lord Jesus, flowing not from us to God, but from
God to us.

See also how, by the Lord’s death of shame and
suffering, the devil was overcome, and thus was
the wisdom of God made known in all its fullness,
For it would seem as if the devil had gained the
day when of all men upon earth the Lord Jesus
was the accused and forsaken one. When He cried,
“My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”
He was forsaken as no saint has ever been forsaken
by God. It was to this forsaking He looked for-
ward when He sweat great drops of blood upon the
Mount of Olives —and yet all the while He never
ceased to be that which He is now in heaven — God
over all!—John Tauler (1300—1361).

—

Where the Church Is to be Found.

We have learned that only the true believers
belong to the holy Christian Church, and since
God alone can search the heart, only He can know
those who are His. No man can tell whether an-
other person has actually accepted Christ or not.

Such being the case, it might seem impossible
to know or decide where the Church of God is to
be found. But it only seems so. Though the
Church is invisible, we may, nevertheless, always
be sure where to find it. We cannot see God, and
yet we know that He is, for the heavens declare
His glory, and the firmament showeth His handi-
work. The whole creation is proof to us that there
is a God. So it is also with regard to the Church.
Though the Church is invisible, there is a certain
mark by which we may always know where to
find it. Wherever we find this mark, there, we may
be sure, is also the Church. And this sure and cer-
tain mark is the Word of God, the Gospel of Christ.
Wherever the Gospel is in use, there is also the
holy Christian Church.

The Gospel and the Sacraments, as we know,
are the means of grace, the means by which the
Holy Ghost calls, enlightens, sanctifies, and keeps
man. By the Gospel we are made believers of
Christ, and by it we are kept with Christ in true
faith. Besides the Gospel there is no means of
bringing men to Christ and salvation. Wherever
this Gospel, therefore, is not used, there can be no
true Christians, no true believers, no members of
the holy Christian Church. As you can only ex-
pect to reap grain where you have sown the seed,
so also you can expect to find true believers, mem-