The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1906, Page 30

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30

The Lutheran Pioneer.

The Hazletts looked very grave as they ap-
proached the church, and were determined to be
reserved. They were not in the spirit of the day,
and did not want to be. In the burial lot, just
below the church, rested the earthly remains of
their loved one, and thither they meant to direct
their steps, but the bell’s ringing reminded all
that it was time for the service to begin, and they
entererd the place of worship.

The pastor was at the door to greet them, and
the Easter greetings that resounded on every side
awakened new thoughts in their hearts. The
hymns of, praise to the conquering Savior, and the
reading of the familiar story of His resurrection,
and the prayer for believing hearts to appropriate
the Easter joy, all helped to prepare those cold,
unhappy hearts for the preacher’s message. It was
the old story that the Hazletts had almost forgotten
that now again fell upon their ears, “He is risen.”
“Because He lives, ye shall live also.” “But now is
Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-
fruits of them that slept.” “Why seek the living

.among the dead? Why grieve for your departed
loved ones as though they had perished ?”

By such words the preacher found his way to
those hearts that had been so long locked to God’s
grace. The spark of faith began to glow with new
life, and at last Hiram and Sarah Hazlett had
Easter joy. — Ez.

It Was for Me.

It was on Palm Sunday afternoon, at the hour
when a class of young persons usually gathered in
a little mountain cottage for instruction by a
traveling missionary. On that afternoon only one
young girl had come and was waiting for the
preacher. She had been learning during the week
the comforting words contained in the 53d chapter
of Isaiah; and as she toiled up the hillside, she
had been repeating the verses to herself; but her
heart did not yet realize the comfort they contain.
She did not know the meaning of being “healed
with His stripes.”

After prayer, with which the hour of instruc-
tion always began, Mary repeated the first four
yerses in her chapter. When she reached the fifth
verse —“‘He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement
of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes
we are healed,’ tears filled her eyes, and before
teaching the end of the verse her head sank down,

and the fast falling tears dropped on the Bible
before her, as she sobbed out: “It was for me, it
was for me.”

“Let us thank Him, dear child, that it was for
you and for me,” said the aged pastor. And they
knelt down and poured out their hearts in prayer
and thanksgiving to Him who through His Word
had revealed Himself to Mary as her Substitute in-
His sufferings and death. Peace filled her heart,
peace through faith in Christ Jesus, who was given
“for our offenses and was raised again for our
justification.”

Only when we can say by faith, “It was for me,
it was for me. He was wounded for my trans-
gressions, He was bruised for my iniquities” —
only then will the joy and the comfort of Christ’s
resurrection truly enter our hearts.

—_——~+- 0-2

Preciousness of the Bible.

An old colored man in the West Indies, residing
at a considerable distance from the missionary, but
exceedingly desirous of learning to read the Bible,
came to him regularly for a-lesson. He made but
little progress, and his teacher, almost disheartened,
intimated his fears that his labors would be lost,
and asked him, “Had you not better give it over?”
—“No, massa,” said he, with great energy, “me
never give it over till me die;” and, pointing with
his finger to John 3, 16,—“@od so loved the
world,” etc.,— added, with touching emphasis, “It
is worth all de labor to be able to read dat one single
verse.”

Confirmation at Gold Hill, N. C.

The Lord’s blessing is crowning the work of
Rey. J. H. Doswell at Gold Hill with success. On
the second Sunday in March, five adults, who had
been previously instructed in the Christian doc-
trine, confessed their faith and were confirmed.
Two children were also added to the church by
holy baptism. A very interesting fact about this
was, that two of the adults who were confirmed
had for years been seeking for conversion at the
“mourner’s bench” in different sectarian churches,
but to no avail. Tfinally, they attended instruc-
tions and divine services in our church. Here they
learned the true way to salvation. May God keep |
them steadfast in their faith, and give them the
crown of life! J. MoD.