The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1906, Page 50

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50

both inwardly in His heart and outwardly in words
and deeds.” Yes, Christ is the only One of whom
it can be truthfully said that He was “holy, harm-
less, undefiled, and separate from sinners.” All
others must cry with the psalmist, “Enter not into
judgment with Thy servant; for in Thy sight shall
no‘man living be justified,” Ps. 143, 2. Of all the
children of men it is written: “The Lord looked
down from heayen upon the children of men, to
see if there were any that did understand, and seek
God. They are all gone aside, they are all together
become filthy; there is none that docth good, no,
not one,” Ps. 14, 2. 8. But twice the Father’s voice
was heard from heaven saying of Jesus: “This is
my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

Therefore, look unto Him, and be saved! There
is salvation in none other. The less we think of
self and the more we fix the eye of faith solely on
Jesus, the sweeter will be our comfort, and the
greater will be our assurance of salvation.

It is said that Martin Boos, who died in 1825,
was led into the comforting light of the Gospel in
a strange way. He was a Catholic priest in South-
ern Germany, and was known as a sincere man,
who earnestly tried to merit heaven by good works
and by spending his life in the service of others.
But he found no peace and no assurance of his
salvation. One day he yisited a dying woman
noted for her piety. He said to her that she must
find great comfort in looking back upon a well-
spent life.

“JT do,” she replied, “very great comfort that
robs death of its sting. Not, however, in looking
back upon my well-spent life, for that is full of
failure, but in looking back upon the well-spent
life of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

The woman’s words opened to the young priest
the Gospel way of salvation, and ever after he was
occupied in making known the grace of Him who
spent His life in doing the will of God for us and
who in our stead was “obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross.”

Walk Worthy of Christ.

It is recorded of Alexander the Great that when
a soldier was brought before him and accused of
cowardice, he asked him his name.

“Alexander,” the soldier replied.

As soon as the King heard it, he reproached
him with great anger for his conduct, and told him
either to change his name or his behavior; for a

The Lutheran Pioneer.

person called Alexander should never behave in a
manner so unworthy.

We are called Christians. Think, then, how
you ought to behave, so as to walk worthy of Christ,
after whom you are called Christians. Remember
that He is especially dishonored by those who pro-
fess to be His followers, but walk not according to
This will.

eo -

“I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins.”

It is an undeniable fact that “we all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God;” it is equally
sure and certain that “by the works of the Law no
flesh living can be justified.” If it is my duty to
obey God’s Law at all times, then my present re-
pentance cannot release me from the punishment
of former transgressions. My repentance of to-day
cannot make undone what is past. The most I can
do by present obedience is to acquit myself of
present obligations. If I am engaged to work for

a man two days, but leave the first day pass in -

idleness, I cannot say to my employer at the end
of the second day: “It is true, I did not work the
first day; but you saw me work hard the second
day, and this fact ought to cause you to overlook
my idleness on the first day and prompt you to
treat me as though I had worked two days.” Nay,
my diligence on the second day cannot make the
first day’s idleness to be anything else but idleness.

Neither can the contrition I experience for past

"wrongdoing, added to the positive duties I dis-

charge, constitute a surplusage of merit, which may
be transferred to the reduction of my former de-
merit. :

Should my tears forever flow,

Should my zeal no languor know:

These for sin cannot atone.
What is past, is past, and all my tears, all my zeal,
cannot make amends for my past sins. A man
might as well say that his former obedience makes
amends for his present sins, as to say that his
present obedience atones for his past transgres-
sions. No man can pay an old debt by simply tak-
ing care not to contract fresh ones. If you owed
the grocer a bill of $10.00, and you would tell him,
“Look, Mr. Merchant, I owe you $10.00; from now
on I will pay you cash for all I get, and because I
shall do so, I want you to cancel the debt,” — do
you think your dealer would be satisfied and feel
that you had done your duty? But, now, sin is
a debt to Divine Justice, which demands perfect
holiness, and when once incurred cannot be cian-