The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1933, Page 42

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

42

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

mediate cause of his death was an attack of in-
fluenza, though he had not been in the best of health
for some years. The death of Dr. Wessel will, first
of all, be keenly felt by his faithful helpmeet of
many years and his four children; then, too, his
colleagues on the faculty of our Springfield Con-
cordia Seminary and his many former and present
pupils will mourn the loss of a wise counselor,
fatherly mentor, and well-equipped and enthusiastic
teacher. Our Colored Missions had in him a staunch
supporter, and many a time he showed this in a
practical way. During the early years of his pro-
fessorship he often filled the pulpit of our Colored
Trinity Church at Springfield and, if we have been
correctly informed, even served as supply pastor
during vacancies.

Dr. Wessel’s outstanding ability was early recog-
nized by his Church ;
for at the early age
of only twenty-eight
years he was called
to the English theo-
logical professorship
at Concordia Semi-
nary, Springfield, a
position which he
faithfully and_ efli-
ciently filled for over
forty years.

Dr. Wessel also
served the Church
along literary lines.
He completed the
practical commen-

tary on the proof-texts of our Synodical Catechism
which had been begun by the sainted Dr. A./L. Graeb-
ner and continued by Dr. W.H.T. Dau. He took up
this work with the exposition of the proof-texts
under Question 109. This practical commentary
was first published in the Theological Quarterly, but
later appeared in book form. ‘The departed also
published several volumns of sermons: Festival and
Occasional Sermons, Sermons and Addresses on
Fundamentals, and The Living Hope. He was a
pulpit orator of outstanding ability, and his services
were in frequent demand at anniversaries and on
other special occasions. Finally, we must not for-
get that he served at a number of District conven-
tions as leader of the doctrinal discussions.

God comfort the bereaved as only He can com-
fort and grant the departed the bliss of seeing Him
face to. face whose name he extolled here below!

F.J.L.

Dr. L. Wessel.

The Call.

The call for funds to carry on the Lord’s work at
home: and abroad is loud and insistent. I must de-
cide what attitude I shall take to it. I want to be
loyal to Christ and my Church, I want to help make
my fellow-countrymen real followers of Christ, and
I want to help bring the Gospel of the only Savior
to the world. To help me come to a decision, let me
set my blessings over against the wants of my fel-
low-men : —

My Bressines.
Forgiveness in Christ.

My hope in Christ.
My church-fellowship.

Tue WANTS OF OTHERS.
Many are without Christ.
Many are without hope.
Many have no spiritual

blessings.

Many live in squalor, sor-
row, and vice.

Many are offered no helping
hand.

Many need what the Lord’s
money, now in my trust,
would provide.

My Christian surroundings.
My prosperity.

My ability to give.
My stewardship of the Lord’s
money.

If I say no to the call for funds to carry on the
Lord’s work, what will that mean to ME, to my
needy FELLOW-MEN, and to my LORD?

FJ.

Christian Frederic Schwartz’s
Last Achievement.

In his life of the great German missionary to
India Dr. C. B. Gohdes gives the following account
of his last great victory over the powers of evil in
India : —

“Southwest of Tanjore mountains rear skyward.
Wild forests cover their slopes, wild streams gurgle
in the valleys, and in the days of Schwartz wild
people lurked in the fastnesses of rocky height and
tangle of wildwood. These wild people were known
as Kallers. The name signifies thieves, or robbers.
And such they were, finding it more to their liking”
to prey on the people that worked or traveled near
the boundaries of their mountainous dominions
than to drain their swamps and cultivate their hills.
Again and again the heathen and Mohammedan
rulers in the neighborhood made war upon them;
but they were secure in their mountain fastnesses,
and again and again their assailants were sent home
with diminished ranks. In order to maintain a
show of sovereignty, the Sultan of Tanjore winked
at the predatory habits of these independent sub-
jects of his, but exacted an annual tribute, which,
however, had to be collected each time by an army