The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1907, Page 75

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

_Luther in the Garden and in the Field.

With all his great labors Luther found time to
refresh himself in the contemplations of nature in
his garden and in the open country. He saw the
hand of God in all the works of nature, and dis-
covered wonders and impressive lessons in every-
thing. He rejoiced when the rain came to nourish
the growing crops, and said: “Now God is giving
us hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth; now
it is raining wheat, and oats, and barley, and wine,
and onions, and grass, and milk.” Upon sceing
the herds on the pasture, he remarked: “There go
our preachers, the producers of milk and butter, and
cheese, and wool, who are preaching to us every day
and exhorting us to depend upon God as our
Father.” He was especially interested in birds.
One evening at sunset a little bird had perched for
the night, and Luther said: “That little bird has
had its supper and now folds its little wings and
goes trustfully to rest there as in its home. It
takes no thought for the morrow, but sits quite
satisfied upon its little twig and lets God take care
of it.” THe also kept a dog, which, he said, had
“looked at many books.” He commended the dog
as a faithful animal, saying: “The dog is the most
faithful animal we have, and it would be highly
valued if it were not so common; the most useful
gifts of God are the most common.” He was fond
of standing and looking at the beehives; he ad-
mired their industrious ways, and said, “The bee is
such a delicate little treature, it cannot endure any
unsavory smell; it is so cleanly in its work, so
complete in its police, so loyal and devoted to its
king.” The beauties of earth reminded him of the
far greater beauties of heaven. He said: “If God
has made this fleeting world so beautiful, how much
more beautiful will He make that world that shall
endure forever. O that we could confide in Him
with the whole heart! As God has given us so much
to delight in, in this state of our pilgrimage, what
may we expect in the life that is to come?”

The Pope’s Love for America.

The people of our country are often informed
that the pope, in addressing American pilgrims,
“expressed great love for the United’States.” Well,
the pope’s love for our country is like the love of
the fox for the chicken yard. Do you remember
the story? The sly fox said to the rooster: “I am
so very fond of poultry and want all of your hens

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to think well of me. They may all be sure that I
have a very deep and warm affection for them.
Why will they harbor such base suspicions of me?
I am so fond of them that I would do almost any-
thing to induce them to permit me to dwell among
them.”

“So, so,” said the rooster, “you are fond of us,
are you? Are you not the fellow that stole into
the coop the other week and carried off the plumpest
hen? Is that your fondness for us?”

Raising his warning cry, the rooster called the
farmer, who soon had the sly robber driven away.

So the pope professes great tenderness and love
for Americans, “Protestants and all.” But we know
that it is the pope who every year curses all Prot-
estants with a solemn curse. We know that it was
the popes who caused the blood of the Lord’s saints
to be shed. The pope’s church is “the woman
drunken with the blood of the saints and with the
blood of the martyrs of Jesus,” Rev. 17, 6.

“Lord, keep us in Thy Word and work,
Restrain the murderous Pope and Turk
Who fain would tear from off Thy throne
Christ Jesus, Thy beloved Son.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Thy power make known,
For Thou art Lord of lords alone;

Shield Thy poor Christendom, that we
May evermore sing praise to Thee.”

The Only Weapon Against Heresy.

“Heresy,” says Luther, “can never-be-restrained
by foreé. It must be grasped in another way. This
is not the sort of battle which can be settled with
the sword. The weapon here is to be God’s Word.
If that does not decide, the decision will not be
effected by worldly force, though it should drench
the whole earth with blood. Heresy is a thing of
the soul; no steel can cut it, no fire can burn it out,
no waters can drown it. God’s Word alone can de-
stroy it.”

God’s Word the Only Rule.

If the Church loses the Word of God and admits
idle talkers into her pulpits, who set forth their own
artifices, the Church is lost and the people will be
like their preacher. likewise, if men neglect to
order their lives according to the Word of God,
each one in his own vocation, only seeking to become
rich, they will soon be cold and lazy Christians, fall
into error, and finally despise God, His will and
Word. — Luther. ‘