The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1911, Page 27

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

What Love Will Do.

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that
she should not have compassion on the son of her
womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not for-
wet thee,” Ts. 49, 15.

It was the morning of a festival. At an early
hour the villagers had assembled on the green.
Above them the peaks of the Alps towered in ma-
jestic grandeur. The happy children were sporting
in groups, when a loud scream arrested the atten-
tion of all. A mountain eagle had swooped unper-
ceived, and to the horror of the bystanders rose with
a child struggling in its talons. In the terror and
confusion it was some time before it was known
who it was, and a deep groan burst, from the crowd
when it was found that it was a beautiful child,
the sole comfort of a widow.

“My child! my darling child! she cried, as,
wringing her hands in agony, with streaming eyes,
she watched the flight of the powerful bird, while
the pastor vainly tried to comfort her. Several
mountaineers instantly sprang to the cliffs, and all
eyes followed them as slower and slower they as-
eended. At length asthe eagle disappeared beyond
the abrupt precipice, they were seen to pause and
all but two gave up the attempt. At last, as rocks
towered above rocks these gave up the desperate pur-
suit, and a groan from the beholders told that all
hope was over. With her face blanched: by despair,
her gaze riveted upon the precipice, the mother had
stood motionless until now; but when she saw the
pursuers falter, with a cry of agony she sprang up
the almost perpendicular ascent. Upward, still up-
ward, she held her perilous way until she gained
the point which seemed to defy further progress, and
there the cliffs rose high and bold before her; but
where effort failed in others, she, impelled by love,
nerved every power, and, pausing not at danger,
her bare and tender feet caught upon the lichens,
and upward she pressed to the admiration and terror
of the beholders. Once, and once only, she paused
to glance below. When midway to the summit what
a startlingly beautiful view greeted her eyes. Far
down the winding valley was a dense mass of human
beings. Not one was standing, not a head was coy-
ered, but sire and youth and child were kneeling
in fervent supplication, while from the village the
tolling bell met her ear calling on the neighboring
inhabitants to rally. At length she gained the sum-
mit, and to her speechless joy she beheld her child
still alive in the nest. On rapid wing the eagle was

wheeling and circling above her. ‘To grasp the
child, clasp it to her bosom, and bind it to her with
her shawl was the work of a moment. Commending
herself to the loving Father, she turned to descend.
Fearful had been the ascent, but more fearfully
perilous seemed the descent. On reaching the diffi-
cult spot, with a dizzy brain and sinking heart she
paused, clasping her child to her bosom with a shud-
der. At that moment her ear caught the faint bleat
of a goat guiding its kid down another way. With
unspeakable gratitude to God she crossed over to
descend by that before unknown path, and she
heard the distant shouts of joy from the villagers
below. Soon strong arms were by her side, and she
was safe with the child. ¢

Love had borne her aloft where Alpine climbers
could not.go. Yet the love Divine goes far beyond.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
my thoughts than your thoughts, saith the Lord.”
Dear suffering one, believe it and rest on Christ,
your Substitute, for “He taketh pleasure in those
that hope in His mercy.”

His is love beyond a mother’s,
Faithful, free, and knows no end.

J.B. P.

Giving God Her Best.

A missionary in China writes: —

In the Lord’s work in China we often have
bitter disappointments, but we have also much joy.
A friend tells of a thanksgiving service they held,
where one gift that was presented to God was the
little son of a young Christian mother, who had
but recently come to faith in her Savior, and whose
heart was filled with gratitude to God for His great
mercy. This is the substance of her prayer: “O God,
my heavenly Father, Thou hast given Thy best to
me, ‘Thine own Son, to be my Savior. I can never
offer Thee anything in comparison with Thy gift.
I am unworthy to offer anything, but, Lord, take
my little one; it is such a poor offering, but it is
my best. Lord, take him and keep him all his life
Thine own. Lord Jesus, put Thy hands on my
little child and bless him!”

As her child was to be given to God in baptism,
she, with her husband, had searched the Bible to
find a name for the little boy, and had fixed on
“Pahfu,” which means Beatitudes. When told that
was not really a name, she said: “We found it was
one of the headings of Matthew 5, and thought it
far nicer than any of our ordinary Chinese names.
So we decided to call him this.”