THE FAMILY ALTAR

June 10.

"Then they that gladly received his [Peter's] word were bap-

tized; and the same day there were added unto them about three

thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles'

doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

Acts 2:
41-42.

So effectually did God the Holy Ghost work through the

Gospel which Peter and the rest of the apostles preached on Pente-

cost Day that three thousand sinful souls were converted and added

to the number of Christ's believing disciples. Pentecost, then, is

the birthday, so to speak, of the New Testament Church, of the

holy Christian Church; and that is the third glorious Pentecostal

gift that demands our sincerest gratitude. For what a blessed

institution is the Church of Christ in the Sodom and Gomorrah

of this wicked world ! It is God's city of refuge, our Zoar, whither

we and all poor sinners can fly in order to escape the wrath to

come. Here our blessed Savior Himself resides in His holy Word

and Sacraments to feed and nourish our languishing souls with

the Bread of Life. Here we are united in the sweet bonds of

one faith, one hope, one love with all fellow-believers, no matter

what their sex, or age, or tribe, or language may be. Here all

earth-born walls of partition crumble and fall away; for all are

brothers and sisters in the one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one

God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in

you all. (Eph. 4, 5. 6.) On a crowded Eastern steamer ploughing

its way through the Indian Ocean a Christian Hindu and a Chris-

tian Chinaman were among the passengers. They could not under-

stand each other's language, but when the Chinaman saw the Hindu

pull out his New Testament, he did the same, and said, "Jesus"

to the Hindu, who joyfully exclaimed, . "Hallelujah !" What a

wonderful, happy Church that will be in heaven when the last

sinner is brought home, and all the ransomed hosts sing in one

tongue the song of Moses and of the Lamb! May we be among

that adoring multitude — by the Grace of our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ.