The Lutheran Witness Volume 5 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1886 Excerpt: ...is not to be denied that many a Christian who once was a zealous lover of our Lord Jesus Christ and who by the grace of God victoriously withstood all other temptations of the evil one, gradually permitted the love of money and the cares of this world to take possession of his. heart and so erred from the faith. Thus St. Paul writes sorrowfully of one of his companions: "Dem'as hath forsaken me, having loved this present world," and of those like unto the seed sown among thorns the Lord says that they "are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection' If the devil sees that he can not fell a Christian by'reducing him to infidelity or some flagrant sin, he will frequently try to get him entangled in money making, or worldly business, or anxious cares about making provision for his family, and but too often he is successful. The old man is always ready to give his whole attention to earthly things, and so soon as a Christian gives way to him he begins to grow lukewarm in spiritual things. Therefore, the sermoni which the Lord preaches in this text is not only necessary for the children of the world, but also highly important for Christians, those who are not earthly minded, but who, so long as they live on earth, are always in temptation of becoming eanhly minded again. To warn and to secure His dissiples against this temptation is the Lord's object in our text, in which lie inculcates both the harmfulness of the service of mammon and the vanity and uselessness of anxious cares for food and raiment. But the most effectual safeguard against these He mentions in the second last verse, saying: "Seek y- first the kingdom of God, and his righteousiiess; and all othtr things shall be added unto y...