The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1910, Page 35

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

35

a Christian, just as he is not a Christian who
refuses to believe or to hear the Gospel. For Christ
did not say, Omit this, or, Despise this, but, “This
do ye, as oft as ye drink it,’ ete. Truly, He wants
it done, and by no means neglected or despised.
‘This do ye,’ is His command. Whoever does not
highly prize the Sacrament thus shows that he has
no sin, no flesh, no evil, no world, no death, no
danger, no hell; that is, he does not believe that
they exist, although he is in them over head and
ears, and is doubly the devil’s. On the other hand,
he needs no grace, life, paradise, heaven, Christ,
God, nor anything good; for if he believed that
he has so much evil, and needs so much that is
good, he would not thus neglect the Sacrament,
by which such evil is remedied and so much good
is bestowed. Neither would it be necessary to
force him to the Sacrament by any law, but he
would hasten to it of his own accord, and con-
strain himself and compel you to administer it
to him.” FP. J. L.

+ e- -__ -—_

God Is Love.

It is related that a certain man placed on one
of his buildings a weathervane, which, you know,
turns with the wind. On the weathervane he had
inscribed the words: “God is love.”

Some one criticised him, saying, “You have
placed a never-changing truth on a very change-
ful thing.”

“No, it is all right,” the man replied, “it means
that God is love, whichever way the wind blows.”

Yes, the Christian knows that God is love in
good and in evil days. His is a love that can be
relied on in every condition of life. His love to
His children is strong like a father’s. “Like as a
father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth
them that fear Him,” Ps. 103, 13. His love is
very tender like a mother’s. “As one whom
his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you,”
Is. 66, 13.

Pity the Poor!

We are to have pity on the poor by helping
them in their need with the means God has given
us, remembering the words of Scripture: “He
that hath pity upon the poor lendeth to the Lord;

and that which he hath given will He pay him-

again,” Prov. 19, 17. :
Now, who is so poor as the poor heathen and

the many in our own land, also of the colored
race, living without the means of grace? They
are in spiritual need — the greatest, saddest of all
needs. They are really the poorest of the poor.
These can all be helped if the means are given
which the Lord has bestowed upon the members
of the church. But Mission Boards are pinched
and the cause of Christ suffers and languishes,
because the means which the Lord has given to
do His work are withheld. Let Christians re-
member that God gives them gifts in order that
they may pity the poor, use their gifts in His
service, for the spreading of His kingdom, and thus
lend to the Lord. It is the best investment. For
it is written: “He that hath pity upon the poor
lendeth to the Lord; and that which he hath given
will He pay him again.”

The Sermon of Love.

A few years ago, two Swedish Lutheran mis-
sionaries in China were killed by enemies of the
Gospel. A heathen Chinese woman, who heard of
the pious, self-denying life of these martyred mis-
sionaries, was so touched that she traveled to a
distant city, in order to inquire from the missiona-
ries there what kind of religion that was which had
such followers and teachers.

She was received in a very friendly manner and
treated with great kindness. At this she was still
more surprised and soon asked the missionaries,
“How is it that you Jésus-people are so different
from us? We hate you foreign devils; our people
have murdered two of your teachers who had done
them nothing but good, and you do not seem to
think of revenge at all, but receive me as a friend!”
The answer was: “Jesus has told us to love
our enemies; He died for us when we were His
enemies.”

For two weeks the woman stayed at the mis-
sion-house. ‘Then she went back home and told
her folks, “These Jesus-people love their enemies !””
Touched by the sermon of love, she and others
became friends of the Christians and, later on, fol-
lowers of Jesus.

Hope.

No farmer would sow a grain of corn, if he
did not hope it would spring up and bring forth
the ear. How much more are we helped on by

hope in the way to eternal life! — Luther.