The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1908, Page 73

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Che Lutheran Pioneer,

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

Pup.isuep BY THE EvANGELIcAL Lurweran SynopicaLt ConFERENCE or Nortn AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

Entered at the Post Office at St. Louls, Mo., as second-class matter.

Vol. XXX

50 Ge ae St. Louis, Mo. October, 1 1908. -y .

No. 10

The Lord’s Vineyard.

See the Vineyard Thou hast planted,
God of Mercy, Lord of Hosts!

Let Thy people’s prayer be granted,
Keep it safe from hostile boasts.
Hear Thy people when they pray,
Keep Thy vineyard night and day!

Drooping plants revive and nourish;
Let them thrive beneath Thy hand;
Let the weak grow strong and flourish,
Blooming fair at Thy command;

Let the fruitful yield Thee more,
Laden with a richer store.

Further, Lord, be Thou entreated; °
Plant the barren waste around.
Let Thy work be thus completed,
And Thy blessing still abound.
May we all more fruitful be,

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Selected.

> 2 >—__—__

Reformation Day.

The last day of this month is Reformation Day,
because on the 31st of October, 1517, Dr. Luther
nailed his 95 theses against abuses and false doc-
trines of the Romish church to the church-door at
Wittenberg. That was the’ beginning of the Refor-
mation. Not that the thought of beginning the
Reformation at that time entered Luther’s mind.
No. He himself says: “Who was I, a miserable and
despised brother, looking then more like a corpse
than a man, that I should set myself against the
majesty of the pope, who was a terror not only to
the kings of the earth and to the whole world, but
also to heaven and hell, if I may so speak, and at
whose nod all must obey.”

As Luther did not set up to be great at all, so.

‘their soul’s salvation.

he did not set up to be a reformer. He was a will-
ing instrument of God, leaving it to God to deter-
mine what he should do and what should come of
his deed. He simply felt it his duty as Doctor of
the Holy Scriptures and pastor of the church at
Wittenberg to lift up his voice against doings and
false doctrines by which men were cheated out of
He even hoped that the
pope would side with him and put a stop to the
scandalous doings carried on in his name. But the
pope proved himself the Antichrist opposing the
pure Gospel of Christ and pronouncing a curse
upon him who preached that Gospel. So Luther
was forced step by step to defend the pure Bible
doctrines and to proclaim louder and louder the
glad Gospel tidings of free grace and salvation
in Jesus. Luther says: “I, Doctor Martin Luther,
was called and forced to become a Doctor from
mere obedience, without any choice of mine. I was
forced to swear loyalty to my beloved Holy Scrip-
tures, and to vow that I would preach them faith-
fully and purely. While doing this, popery ob-
structed my path and desired to stop me; but you
see what has happened to it, and worse still will
befall it, it shall not hinder me.”

Holding fast to God’s Word, Luther very well
knew that his cause was God’s cause, that his work
was God’s work, and that no one could hinder it
Therefore he triumphantly sang:

“With might of ours can naught be done,
Soon were our loss effected;

But for us fights the Valiant One
Whom God Himself elected.

Ask ye, Who is this?

Jesus Christ it is,

Of Sabaoth Lord,

And there’s none other God,

He holds the field for ever.”