The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1910, Page 59

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

59

of the heart, which discerns this treasure and de-
sires it.” (Large Catechism, $$ 35—37.) God
offers the treasures of His grace to all that partake
of the Sacrament, but the communicant must take
the treasure that is offered him, if he would possess
it, and this taking is done by faith. While the
Sacrament is a sacrament, whether we believe or
not, the blessings it offers can only become ours if
we accept them by the hand of faith; for only “he
that believes these words has what-they say and
express, namely, the forgiveness of sins.”

O Christ! may we the food receive ©

With childlike faith in Thee,

And humbly still Thy word believe

When ’tis not ours to see.

F. J. L.

a

A Missionary Church.

The Lutheran church in America was from the
very beginning a missionary church, active, not only
in the home mission field, but also among the
heathen of our land.

As early as the year 1637 a small colony of
Lutheran Swedes sailed up the Delaware River, and
in the following year they had finished, on the pres-
ent site of Wilmington, Del., a little log building,
which was consecrated as a church by their pastor,
the Rev. John Campanius. It is said to have been
’ the first Protestant church built in America. The
little colony flourished, and soon other pastors were
sent over from Sweden, and other churches were
erected along the river, until in the spring of 1677
a church on the present site of Philadelphia was
dedicated to the service of God.

These little church buildings were surrounded
by savage Indians, and an effort was at once made
to reach these heathen people; for no sooner had
the pious Swedish immigrants provided for their
own households than they began to preach the Gos-
pel of Christ to the Indians. “They learned their
language, sought them out in their camps, and fol-
lowed them through dark forests, over streams and
mountains in their hunting expeditions, everywhere
seeking to lead them to the knowledge of the truth.
It was by Swedish Lutheran missionaries that the
first book of Christian instruction ever’ translated
into any Indian tongue was published. It was Lu-
ther’s Small Catechism.”

So the church, from its first planting on Ameri-
can soil, became missionary in its character.

A Wonderful Rescue.

Several years ago, a ship took fire near the
mouth of the English Channel. Among the pas-
sengers was a family consisting of father, mother,
and a little daughter only a few months old. When
the fire was discovered, there was great confusion
on the ship, and the family was separated. The
father was saved and taken to Liverpool, but the
mother with the child was pushed overboard and
was not noticed by those that had come to the rescue.
Clinging to a fragment of the wrecked ship and
pressing her little child to her bosom, the mother
was carried by the waves out into the sea.

Late in the afternoon of that same day a vessel
from Wales, on its way to America, was sailing
slowly along. There was hardly a wind stirring,
and the captain was pacing the deck with impatient
steps, when, all at once, he noticed at some dis-
tance an object in the water which looked almost
like a human being. Members of the ship’s crew
also observed it for a while. But there being no
ship near by from which any one could have been
lost, they all thought the object could not be a
human being. However, as the ship hardly moved
along, a boat was at-Jast lowered, and several sailors
were commanded to look after the matter. From
the deck every eye followed them closely. They
were seen rowing near the object, taking it into
the boat, and returning to the ship. They brought
the mother and the little child, both safe.

When the seamen rowed towards her, the mother
was singing the hymn:

Jesus, Lover of my soul,

Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the waters nearer roll,
While the tempest still is high!
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide;

O receive my soul at last!

The seamen heard the song, listened in amaze-
ment, and saved mother and child. The ship soon
reached America. The woman wrote to her friends
in England. From these the husband also received
the glad news of the wonderful rescue. About four
months after the time of their separation the family
was again united, and heartily thanked God for His
great mercy .and almighty protection.

- Missron Prospect. — The prospect is as bright
as the promise of God. — Missionary Judson.