The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1912, Page 75

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. The Lutheran Pioneer.

v5)

As soon as she recovered, she went to the Lu-
theran pastor. She told him all that had hap-
pened and asked him, “What shall [ do now?”

He advised her to speak openly with her father
and to tell him that she could not with an honest
heart remain in the Romish Church. So she went
home and spoke with her father. He had hardly
learned what she had to tell him when he took
her by the hand and again led her into the barn.
There he fastened her with chains and ropes to a
wagon. ‘Then he said to her sneeringly, “There
you may now stay until your cursed soul passes
away. I am curious to see if your Lutheran God
will help you.” After having’ beaten her severely,
he went away.

For three days she thus remained locked up.
No one brought her anything to eat or to drink.
Only her father came every morning and asked her
if she still wanted to remain Lutheran. When she
said yes, he beat her severely and left her.

‘The Lutheran pastor had waited day by day
for Victoria to bring him news. When she did not
come, the matter seemed suspicious to him, as he
knew her hot-headed father from what she had told
him. On the fourth day he went to ‘see the man.
But before he could enter the house, the man cried
out to him, “Do you want to seduce me also? As
soon as you come in here, I shall sick the dog
at you!”

The pastor turned and left. He took another
way home, which led him past’ some of the village
barns. When he came to the barn of Victoria’s
father, he heard a soft groaning. Stepping nearer,
he said, “Is that you, Victoria?” With a weak
voice she replied, “Yes, it is 1; they want to starve
me here. For three days I have had nothing to
eat’ He comforted her, saying, “Be steadfast, my
daughter; to-morrow there shall be a change.”

As soon as he came home, he reported the case
to the magistrate, who did not hesitate to act im-
mediately. On the same day Victoria, the young
martyr girl, was set free. But she was so pale and
weak and miserable that she had need of good nurs-
ing before she fully recovered..

Her father was punished with imprisonment. :

When he came out of prison, he cursed his daughter
and said he never wanted to see her again.

Faithful Victoria soon found employment with
‘a Lutheran family, attended regularly the Lutheran
services, which had become dear to her, and when
she became of age, she joined the church in which
her soul had found salvation.

A Wise Christian Chinaman.

A, Chinaman, by the name of Han-meng, had
been instructed in the Christian religion in a
Protestant mission. He was baptized and became
a helper in the mission field. One day some Catho-
lies tried to persuade him to give up his faith and
join the Catholic mission. ‘They told him that the
evangelical doctrine of redemption was quite in-
sufficient, and. that the ignorance of Protestant
teachers must lead their followers to destruction.

Han-meng admitted that human teachers may
err, but, he said, just for that reason we have God’s
Word, the infallible rule of doctrine and faith.
Following the Bible, we cannot err.

“Tt is well,” said they, “but there are points
which are important for salvation and yet are not
found in the Bible. ‘The pope only can inférm us
on those points, for he knows God’s thoughts.”

“What points are those?” asked the Chinaman.

“For example, purgatory,” said they.

“Purgatory?” said the Chinaman, “what is
that?” ;

“There you see,” said one of the Catholics, “that
your Bible tells you nothing about it. It is a place
of probation or torment where believers atone for
their sins before they enter heaven. He that gets
to hell is hopelessly lost, but out of purgatory be-
lievers continuously go to heaven after they have
been purified from.their sins.”

“That cannot be,” said the Chinaman; “God
cannot have spoken one thing to-day, and another,
quite different thing to-morrow. The Bible tells
us that the blood of Christ, the Son of God, cleanses
us from all sins. God may have spoken also outside
of the Bible; I don’t know. But it is impossible
for Him to say in the Bible that Christ has done
and finished all, and then say that Christ had done
only a part of thé sinner’s redemption. Don’t you
talk to me about purgatory. Away with your pur-
gatory! I do not and cannot believe it.”

Nothing But Christ. .

When the learned Rev. Dr. Whately, of Dublin, ©
was near his end, a clerical friend who sat beside
him said, “It is i great mercy that, though your
body be weak, your intellect is vigorous still.”

The dying man replied, “Don’t talk to me any -
more about my intellect; there is nothing now for
me but Christ.”