The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1907, Page 26

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26

The Lutheran Pioneer.

as the fruit of His great victory. In that word,
“peace,” He gave them all-the blessings which He
has secured for sinners: forgiveness of sin, de-
liverance from death and the devil, everlasting sal-
vation.

These blessings Christ secured, not only for the
disciples, but for all men; for He is the Savior of
all. The peace which includes all blessings shall
be brought to all, for the Gospel shall be preached
to every creature. He therefore said to His disci-
ples: “As my Father hath sent me, even so send
I you.” They were made His messengers bringing

. peace through the preaching of the Gospel to a
peaceless, restless world of sinners. ‘Through them
Christ Himself preached peace to them that were
afar off, and to them that were nigh, Eph. 2, 17.

We still have the Gospel in which Christ speaks
peace to our souls. His Gospel words are not
empty words, but are filled with all the blessings
which He secured for us through His sufferings
and death. ‘They bring pardon and peace to all.
Those who reject them thereby reject the peace
secured for them and offered to them. ‘They will-
fully remain in their sins as the enemies of God,
and if they thus die without peace, they cast them-
selves into the everlasting restlessness of hell, where
there is no peace. “There is no peace, saith the
Lord, unto the wicked,” Is. 48, 22. But all who by
faith accept the Gospel have peace and enjoy all
the blessings of the redemption which is in Christ
Jesus. ‘They are no longer under the wrath of
God, but have forgiveness of sins and are “justified
from all things,” Acts 18, 39. And “being justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ,” says the apostle, Rom. 5, 1.

May you, dear reader, by faith enjoy the peace

which we have through Christ, and which the world
cannot give and cannot take away. You will then
as a happy and thankful child of God also help to
bring the Gospel of Christ to those who are yet in
the misery of sin and know not the way of peace.
All our mission work is “the preaching of peace”
to poor restless sinners, and our missionaries in
‘church and school are messengers of peace for
whom we should pray and whom we should help
in their mission of peace. “How beautiful upon

_ the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth

good tidings, that publisheth peace,” Is. 52, 7.

* Gop pardons and takes to heaven real sinners,
not pretended ones; for His mercy is not a pre-
_ tended, but a real mercy. — Luther.

The Nature of Faith.

It is the nature of faith that it relies on the
grace of God and trusts Him with full assurance
that God would look upon him and not leave him.
Without such confidence there is no true faith,
neither is there a true prayer and seeking after God.
But where faith is found, there it makes the heart
bold and daring, that man brings his need freely
to God and earnestly desires His help.

Again, it is the nature of faith, that it does
not want to be assured beforehand whether it be
worthy of God’s grace and its prayer be answered,
Hebr. 11, 1. God’s goodness must be proclaimed
by the Word, and we must build on it without feel-
ing or trial.

Again, it is the nature of faith, that it does
not advance any merits, to obtain God’s grace
through human works. It comes in utter unworthi-
ness, clinging to the pure, unmerited grace and
goodness of God. — Luther.

ee

Of Prayer.

(Continued.)

To Wiom Suoutp We Pray?

God answers this question for us very plainly
through Asaph, Ps. 50, 15. There, namely, the
Lord says to us and to all men: “Call upon me
in the day of trouble: TZ will deliver thee, and thou
shalt glorify me.” It is to God, to God alone, that
we shall address our prayers. And this God has
revealed Himself to us as the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost. ‘This triune God is the only true God,
the only God to whom we have a right to pray.
Those people who pray to God, but do not thereby
understand this triune God, are addressing their
prayers to some idol, to some god whom they only
imagine. ‘The Jews and Mohammedans do not,
therefore, pray to the true God, neither do such
secret societies, as the Free Masons, Odd Fellows,
Knights of Pythias, and many others. ‘The triune
God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, says, “Call upon
me!” ‘This honor He reserves for Himself alone,
and whoever gives worship to. any other is com-
mitting idolatry.

“Call upon me,” says God. That also means:
Do not call upon saints or angels to help you. To
pray to saints and angels is tantamount to saying
that they are omnipresent and omniscient; for how
should they else hear our prayers? But now we
know. that only God is omnipresent and omniscient;