The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1910, Page 93

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 93

Comfort in Death.

When Haendel, the famous composer, lay on his
dying-bed, in April, 1759, he requested his faithful
servant John to read to him the 91st Psalm. After
the reading Haendel said, “That was beautiful!
That is food which nourishes and refreshes. Read
some more! Read the fifteenth chapter of St. Paul’s
First Epistle to the Corinthians.” John read the
whole chapter, whilst the sick man now and then
interrupted him, saying, “Stop; read that again!”

After a while Haendel requested that from his
mother’s hymn-book her favorite hymn be read to
him: “I am certain in my faith; I am assured of
my salvation.” During the reading the sick man’s
lips moved, as he softly spoke with the reader as
many of the words as he knew by heart. Then he
said: “Oh, it is indeed beautiful to have certainty
How
glorious is our church with its preaching of God’s
free grace in Christ, the sinner’s hope! If we had
to rely on our works — dear God, what would then
become of us? All the good that we have, is it not
all God’s gift? And then, have we really done all
that we could and should have done? Alas, how
much there is to accuse us! If there is nothing in
the Gospel of grace, then farewell hope! When L
was still young, they tried to make me a Catholic
in Italy. Lord, my God, I thank ‘Thee that Thou
didst help me that I was not caught in that net, for
then I should now lie here without hope. Truly,
Dr. Luther found the true Gospel that to faith in
Jesus Christ salvation is given by grace. ‘To this
grace I firmly cling.

Lord Jesus Christ, in Thee alone
My only hope on earth I place;

For other comforter is none,
No help have I but in Thy grace.”

of faith and the assurance of salvation!

In this faith he fell asleep in Jesus on Good
Friday, 1759. His last words were: “Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit. Oh, let me die and rise with
Thee!” He was buried in Westminster Abbey, Lon-
don, where his resting-place is marked by a beau-
tif{ul monument bearing the inscription: “I know
that my Redeemer liveth.”

A Change.

A few years ago, on Christmas Day, the ven-
erable Lutheran missionary Ramseyer, in Africa,
baptized a young man by the name of Carl Sebe.
He is the great-grandchild of the cruel Adu-Bofo,
the chief of an African tribe, who, in the year 1869,

threw into prison the two missionaries that came
to his people with the Gospel of peace. His son,
the grandfather of Carl, at first also opposed all
mission work in his district. But by the faithful
labors of the missionaries a change soon came. He
became the missionaries’ friend. In the year 1896
he himself presented his grandson to the missionary,
saying, “Take him; he is my grandchild. I give
him to you. Make of him what you can. You may
even take him along to Europe.”

The boy became a gifted and beloved scholar in
the mission school. When he was offered a well-
paid position with an English officer, he declined,
in order to continue his attendance at school. He
made good progress and was a joy to the mis-
sionaries.

In the mission field the change wrought by the
Gospel is often seen in the children and grandchil-
dren of cruel heathen ancestors.

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Comfort from a Lutheran Hymn.

Writing of the value of our Lutheran church
hymns, a German woman says: I once met a Cath-
olie woman, who, among other things, told me that
at a school in Germany she had learned a beautiful
hymn which had often given her much comfort.
She then recited a few stanzas of Paul Gerhardt’s
hymn: Commit’ thou all thy griefs
And ways into His hands,

To His sure truth and tender care,
Who earth and heaven commands;

Who points the clouds their course,
Whom winds and seas obey,

He shall direct thy wandering feet,
He shall prepare thy way.

The Catholic woman was yery much astonished
when I told her that the author of that hymn was
a Lutheran pastor. Still the hymn remained to her

a source of sweet comfort.

God's Gift of Love.

What is the reason that God gives? What moves
Him to it? Nothing but unspeakable love, be-
cause He delights to give and to bless. What does
He give? Not empires merely, not a world full of
silver and gold, not heaven and earth only, but His
Son, who is as great as Himself — that is, eternal

‘and incomprehensible, a Gift as infinite as the Giver,

the very spring and fountain of all grace, yea, the
possession and property of all the riches and treas-

“ures of God. — Luther.