The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1906, Page 75

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

a rey

The Lutheran Pioneer.

This doctrine of forgiveness by grace, through
faith in the merits of Christ, is the miglity fortress,
the most precious jewel of our Lutheran Church.
Luther says: “From this doctrine we cannot recede
or depart, though heaven and earth fall and all else
perish. I am wholly wrapped in this doctrine; by
day and night it is the subject of my thought, and
as long as I live I will ponder upon it and teach it.”
This doctrine of free forgiveness was the element
in which Luther lived; he saw in it “the chief
article of Christian doctrine, by which the Christian
Church distinguishes itself from all false religions,
and which gives all the glory to God alone, and
affords enduring comfort to poor sinners.” This
doctrine was the theme of Luther’s preaching, the
keynote of his hymns, the sunshine of his life. The
certainty of forgiveness gave him peace of con-
science and filled his heart with the sure hope of
salvation; this certainty made him the strong hero
and happy child of God, and enabled him to calmly
close his eyes, saying: “Into Thy hands I commend
my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, Thou faith-
ful God.” F. J. L.

Luther at Home.

Luther married in 1525, and his married life
was a very happy one. His home was a truly
Christian home, in which God’s Word ruled, and
where the children were brought up in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord. His wife was a faith-
ful helpmate to him, and he loved her dearly, often
thanking God for giving him such a “treasure.”
He cheerfully wrote to a friend: “Thank God,
everything has prospered with me, for I have a
pious, faithful wife, such a one as the heart of a
husband can safely trust in.”

In his six children Luther took great delight
as “precious gifts of God.” “Children,” he says,
“sre more learned in faith than we old fools are.
They do not trouble themselves. God gives them
grace, so that they would rather eat cherries than
count gold. They do not care for the price of corn,
for they feel perfectly sure that they will get
enough to eat. God, who has given them life, and
such graceful limbs, will care for and support them,
yea, everything is prepared for a little child, even
before it enters this world; and the old proverb
holds good: ‘The more children the more bless-
ings.’ 3)

When his children stood around the table, look-
ing at some peaches that were lying on it, they

75

seemed to him a true picture of those who are “re-
joicing in hope,” Rom. 12, 12. “Ah,” he said,
“that we could look forward with such joyous hope
to the last day!” He was much edified by the pure,
simple faith with which a child regards God, heaven,
and death, and took great pleasure in the childlike
conceptions which the little folks have of heaven.
So he once was greatly delighted when one of his
little boys spoke of the great pleasure one would
have in heaven, in eating, running, leaping, and in
rivers of milk, and in trees full of rolls. He re-
minded those around him of the words of Jesus,
that we must be converted, and become like little
children, if we wish to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Well known is the charming letter he wrote to his
little boy John, describing heaven as a beautiful
garden in which happy children play and enjoy all
kinds of sweet fruit. The great historian Froude
calls it the prettiest letter ever addressed by a father
to a child. It reads thus:

GracE AND Peace IN Curist. My Dear Litre
Son : —

I am very glad to know that you learn your
lessons well, and love to say your prayers. Keep on
doing so, my little boy, and when I come home I
will bring you something pretty from the fair.
I know a beautiful garden, where there are a great

-many children in fine little coats, and they go under

the trees and gather beautiful apples and pears,
cherries and plums; they sing and run about, and
are as happy as they can be. Sometimes they ride
about on nice little ponies, with golden bridles and
silver saddles. I asked the man whose garden it is,
‘What little children are these?” And he told me,
“They are little children who love to pray and learn,
and are good.” Then I said: “My dear sir, I have
a little boy at home; his name is Johnny Luther;
would you let him come into the garden, too, to
eat some of these nice apples and pears, and ride
on these fine little ponies, and play with these chil-
dren?” The man said, “If he loves to say his
prayers, and learn his lesson, and is a good boy, he
may come. And Philip and Jocelin may come too;
and when they are all together, they can play upon
the fife and drum and lute and all kinds of in-
struments, and skip about and shoot with little
cross-bows.” He then showed me a beautiful mossy
place in the middle of the garden, for them to skip
about in, with a great many golden fifes, and drums,
and silver cross-bows. The children had not yet
had their dinner, and I could not wait to see them
play, but I said to the man, “My dear sir, I will go