The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1913, Page 49

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

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PuBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN SyNopicaL ConrereNcE or Nortit AMERICA.
REV. F. J. LANKENAU, EpiItTonr. '
s
Entered at the Post Of_ice at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.
No. 7.

Vol. XXXV.

Tell Me the Story.

Tell me the old, old story
Of things unseen above;
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love.

Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child;

For I am weak and weary,
And helpless and defiled.

Tell me the story slowly,
That I may take it in—
That wonderful redemption —
God’s remedy for sin.

Tell me the story often,
_For I forget so soon.

The “early dew” of morning
Has passed away at noon.

Tell me the story softly,
With earnest tones and grave;
Remember, I’m the sinner
Whom Jesus came to save.

Tell me the story always
If you would really be
In any time of trouble
A comforter to me..

Tell me the same old story
When you have cause to fear ,
That this world’s empty glory
Is costing me too dear.

Yes, and when that world’s glory
Shall dawn upon my soul,
Tell me the ‘old,-old story,

“Christ Jesus makes thee whole.”
Anon.

Why Do You Hope to be Saved?

Almost everybody hopes to be saved. But have
all a good foundation for their hope? Let us sce.

Many base their hope of heaven on the love and
goodness of God. Now, it is true that God is Love,
but it is equally true that God is just; and being
a just God, He can take nobody to heaven that
does not come up to the strictest demands of His
commandments. God cannot exercise His love at the
expense of His justice.

Others hope to be saved because their past ex-
perience tells them that they are, as they think, par-
ticular objects of His benevolence. God has helped
them when they were in trouble, and has blessed
them in their temporal enterprises; He has given
them wealth and good health, and has in many
other ways bestowed His favor upon them. But
these people altogether misunderstand God’s good-
ness. God is good to the evil as well as to the good ;
He lets His sun shine upon the just and upon the
unjust. His goodness is no guarantee of heaven,
but rather.an exhortation to repent. The rich man
was highly favored of God in temporal things, and
yet after death he lifted up his eyes in hell, because
he had not permitted God’s goodness to lead him
to repentance.

A third class of people base their hope of heaven
on their morality and piety. Like the Pharisce,
they hope to get to heaven because they outwardly -
keep God’s commandments tolerably well. But let
these remember that the Pharisee went down to his
house unjustified. “Not the labors of our hands
can fulfill the Law’s demands.” God’s Law demands
perfection, and this no man can show.

Still others hope to be saved because of the many
trials and afflictions they have had here on earth.