forgotten by some people, and when their de votion is tried they fail both in love and duty.

Faithfulness is greatly honored by God and is the secret of the world's best service. Let us pray for more love and faithfulness in the homes of our land.

3. A pure heart.

We have been talking of keeping sacred the marriage relation, and so keeping this commandment. But, as St. Matthew tells us in our Scripture lesson from the New Testament, the place to start is in the heart. The first thing that is required is purity of heart. When the heart and life are pure this sixth commandment will not be broken.

We fall sometimes into the error of thinking that the danger and wrong of impure thinking is because of what it may lead tothe act itself. But while there is danger here, the wrong goes deeper, for it is in the thought itself. The sin, before God, is in the wrong position of the heart. Therefore we need to purify our hearts. This is best done by putting out the evil by God's grace, and filling our hearts with Jesus Christ.

Suggested Questions:

I. How did Christ teach the sacredness of marriage?

2. What was the penalty for breaking the marriage tie in Christ's day?

3. What makes purity in heart and life such a vital thing?

4. What things in our modern life are dangerous to clean thinking?

5. How can we best guard against impure thinking?

Sixteenth Week after Trinity. Sept. 22, 1912.

Lutheran Worship

Rev. 5:1-14. Reprint from Luther League Review, February, 1904. Worship is the communion of man with God. God invites man to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, and couples his gracious invitation with the assurance of His favor. Man responds to the invitation and worships. Two elements, therefore, enter into all true worship; the sacramental and the sacrificial. God is ever graciously giving, and man is ever thankfully receiving. In the worship of the Church of the Reformation, God's side, the sacramental element, is always the prominent and dominant feature. God speaks. Man responds. Then God speaks again. That is the Lutheran conception.

Accordingly, the Word of God and the Sacraments form the chief part of worship. They

represent the divine action and confer the rich benefits of our communion with Him. But the human side, the sacrificial element, is by no means overlooked in our service. We bring to God the sacrifice of our prayer, praise and thanksgiving, of our confession and adoration, of our gifts. Prompted by the mercies of God, we present cur bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. As a congregation of spiritual priests, we worship God in spirit and in truth.

In the study of this topic, the distinction between these two elements, the sacramental and the sacrificial, should be kept clearly in mind. In the former, the minister stands as the representative of God; in the latter, as the representative of the congregation. The Church of the Reformation holds very clearly that the main end of worship is not our rendering to God the devout homage of grateful hearts, but our receiving from God the New Testament grace of forgiveness, life and salvation. Not the prayers and hymns of the people, or even the word of the pastor, but the Word of God, is the chief feature of every service.

In the Order of Worship provided in the Common Service there is a rich and impressive unity. No part is redundant, none is irrelevant. Each has its own logical and spiritual relation to all the others. All, united, blend as the seven bands of the rainbow, and form a complete and edifying service. In outline and substance, and partly in every wording, the Common Service has preserved the same liturgical forms with which the Church of Christ came into existence, and which the apostles used and taught to their converts, and which have been handed down to us through the great reformers.

In analyzing the topic assigned, note that the Church of the Reformation begins its worship "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." The words are few, but mighty. They give the keynote of the entire service, the foundation of the whole edifice. They tell by whose authority we do these solemn things, to whose honor they are all intended, and on whom we rest for the grace and hope in which we thus propose to edify ourselves and each other. St. Paul declares, “Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus." The triune God is the object of our adoration, the Being contemplated in the whole service,

and the divine Majesty whose bidding we obey and whose favor we would seek. So momentous are the implications that it is necessary for each worshipper to make the language his own by responding, Amen.

Some portions of the service are permanent, while others are variable and change with the Sunday or season of the Church year. To the former belong the Confession of Sins and the Declaration of Grace, the Kyrie, the Gloria Patri and Gloria in Excelsis, etc. Among the latter may be mentioned the Introit, the Collect, the Epistle and Gospel, etc.

No true worshipper can approach God without recognizing and acknowledging his sinfulness. Coming into the divine presence, we cannot but feel the contrast between God's holiness and our guilt. But having made confession of sin, our heart yearns for some assurance of forgiveness. This we receive in the Declaration of Grace which follows, announcing the mercy of God, the gift of His Son, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and the comforting assurance of full and free forgiveness. It concludes with a brief prayer that what God has thus provided may be savingly enjoyed by all present.

The service proper begins with the Introit, which means, to enter. The language of the Introit is taken from Scripture. Its office is to announce the theme or main thought of the day. Many Sundays of the Church year derive their names from the opening words of the Introit, e. g., the Sundays in Lent, Invocavit, Reminiscere, Oculi, Lactare, Judica, and the Sundays after Easter, Quasimodogeniti, Misericordias, Jubilate, Cantate, Rogate.

The first part of church worship concludes with the Kyrie and the minor and major Glorias, and is chiefly sacrificial in character. Now God comes to us with His Word, and we meet His approach with prayer as contained in the Collect. The Collects are condensed, impressive and edifying prayers of the Church which have come to us through the lapse of many centuries. The reason why many Lutheran congregations stand during the reading of the Gospel is because it contains the very words of Christ.

Note the connection between the Scripture lessons, the Creed and the sermon. The Creed is based on the Word, and the sermon is based on the Creed. A careful study of all the parts of the service, including the Communion service, will be found instructive and suggestive. FRANKLIN F. FRY.

13th Week after Trinity. September 1, 1912. The Taking of Life

Exodus 20:13; Matt. 5:21-26.

Hints for Leaders.

Hymns 14 and 50 (Luther League Hymnal). Psalm 91: Read responsively, all standing (p. vii, Hymnal).

Gloria Patri.

Lesson for the day, Job 38:1-11 (from old Lutheran Liturgy).

Prayer (have pastor read both lesson and offer prayer).

Music (selected and arranged for in advance).

Reading of Topics Lesson by leader; Ex. 20:13; Matt. 5:21-26.

Hymn 178.

The Fifth Commandment and Luther's explanation (assign this to some one in advance to recite).

Ask some one to discuss: "What is implied in this Commandment?" Point out our duty to befriend our neighbor; consult Eph. 4:32; I John 3:16; Lev. 25:35-43, 47-49; Rom. 12:19-20; Matt. 25:35, 36, 40; Luke 10:33-35.

Ask some one to discuss: "How we transgress this Commandment?" Seed thought: By robbing our neighbor, or any kind of injurious conduct toward our neighbor, or by doing him some bodily harm.

Summarize briefly discussion in Topics.
Summarize briefly discussion in REVIEW.
Hymn 150.

If you have an attorney who is a member of your congregation ask him to discuss this, setting forth the relation of God's law and the law of the State (ten to fifteen minutes).

Ask some one to set out the positive side in preserving life in hospitals, in Good Samaritan Homes, etc.

to realize what medical missions mean. Consult the report of your own Board of Foreign Missions, Lutherans in All Lands, Laury's Foreign Missions. Have some one do this and present the facts. Give the names of your medical missionaries.

Special music (duet or quartet, previously rranged).

Invocation by pastor.

Hymns 7 and 62 (Luther League Hymnal). Topics Scripture, Col. 4:14, II Tim. 4:19-18, read by the leader.

Collect for missions (from the Church hymn book).

Hymn 216.

Have the leader summarize the discussion in Topics in his own words.

Have the president or other officers of your Local summarize the discussion in THE REVIEW in his own words.

Special music (instruments suggested). Address by doctor (fifteen minutes). If you have a doctor in your congregation ask him to speak to you on "The Medical Profession and Its Work in the Far East." From time to time leading medical journals have articles on this.

Address by pastor (brief) on what your own Synod is doing in medical mission work.

Hymn 213.

Read responsively Luke 10:25-37, or John 9:1-38, or John 5:1-9.

Close as in "Closing Service" in Topics or Luther League Hymnal.

15th Week after Trinity. September 15, 1912. Purity of Heart and Life

Ex. 20:14; Matt. 5:8; 23:25-28.

Hints for Leaders.

Open as in "Opening Service" in Topics. Hymns 63, 65 (Luther League Hymnal). Psalm 1.

Gloria Patri.

Scripture lesson, Proverbs 31:10-28, read by the leader.

Collects: "For Aid Against Temptation" and "For Purity" (Luther League Hymnal, p. x). Hymn 224.

Have two persons selected, one to recite Ex. 20:14, Luther's explanation of the Sixth Commandment, and Matt. 5:8; and another person to recite Matt. 19:5, 6 and 23:25-28.

Hymn 231.

Have one person summarize discussion in Topics, and another in REVIEW. Be brief, but give the main points.

Hymn 193, sing a solo or quartet.
Bible reading:

I. What does the Sixth Commandment concern? Eph. 5:3-5; I Thess, 4:35; I Cor. 6:19-20. Comment: It enjoins us all to lead a chaste, pure life in thought, word and deed. 2. Does God never tempt any one? Jas. 1:13, 14. Comment: This is contrary to His holiness. Evil desires of our own flesh and nature tempt us.

3. How may we tempt others to violate this Commandment? I Tim. 5:22; I Thess. 5:22; Prov. 1:10; Rom. 13:13; Be careful of dress. behavior and conversation.

4. How does the devil tempt us? John 13:2; Luke 21:34; Gal. 5:19-21. Comment: By exciting evil thoughts.

5. What shall he do who is tempted? Matt. 26:41; Philip. 4:8. Comment: Cultivate pure thoughts, and habits of prayer.

Address. Ask the pastor to summarize the teachings of the catechism. Hymn 30.

Close as in "Closing Service" in Topics.

1. What was the character of worship in the Apostolic Church? See Bible and a Church history (Kurtz).

2. What are the principles of Christian worship (see Horn's Liturgics).

3. Difference in worship in Reformed and Lutheran Churches. Consult Kurtz's History, and use in thse answers available material. Hymn 52 (have quartet render this).

Address (fifteen minutes), The Ministry in Relation to Worship.

Hymn 56.

Recitation, "Vo'k A-Comen Into Church." W. Barnes in Palgrave's Treasury of Sacred Song.

Hymn 46.

Close as in "Closing Service" in Topics.

17th Week after Trinity. September 29, 1912. Honesty

Exodus 20:15; Isa. 33:13-16.

Hints for Leaders.

Open as in "Opening Service" in Topics. Hymn 64 (Luther League Hymnal). Psalm 72 (read responsively).

Gloria Patri.

Collects: "For Grace to Use Our Gifts," and "Thanksgiving" (on pages x and 14 in Luther League Hymnal).

Scripture lesson (Exodus 20:15; Isa. 33:1316), read by leader.

'Hymns 157, 222.

Remarks by leader (summarizing discussion in Topics and REVIEW).

Repeat the Seventh Commandment in con

cert.

Have some one repeat Luther's explanation. Questions given out in advance for brief

answers:

1. What is stealing?

2. What is implied in this Commandment? 3. Can a person steal from himself?

4. May not every one do what he pleases with his own property? (For answer to 3 and 4 see Balfour's Pontoppidu's Catechism). Quartet 158 (Luther League Hymnal). Recitation, "Honest Poverty," Burns, or other selection.

Hymn 107.

Bible reading:

1. What is enjoined in the Seventh Commandment? (Acts 20:34,35; Hebr. 13:16; I John 3:17, 18).

2. How is fraud and dishonesty practiced? (I Thess. 4:6; Jer. 22:12; Hab. 2:6; Prov. 11:1; Lev. 19:15.

3. What are some of the blessings promised

keepers of this Commandment? (Luke 6:34, 35; 12:33, 34; Prov. 19:17; Hebr. 13:16).

Question: Is it a sin to be a partner with a thief? (Prov. 29:24.) Example of honesty: Abraham giving Lot his choice. (Gen. 13). Remarks by pastor on the subject. Hymn 31.

Close as in "Closing Service" in Topics.

A Live and Active League (Continued from page 17.) League $246, most of which was used to purchase a supply of the Book of Worship for the use of the congregation.

The League's seventeenth anniversary was appropriately celebrated May 26 last. The sermon on this occasion was preached by Rev. W. D. C. Keiter, D. D., of Muhlenberg College. His text was "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of the children." (Isaiah 54:13.)

In all its teaching the League emphasizes knowledge of religion, consecration to God, fervor in service, the blessedness of the worker's reward. And the teaching of these ideas undoubtedly accounts in a great measure for the gratifying success of this League.

This year the officers are: President, Warren H. Davidheiser; secretary, Miss Emma W. Fritz; treasurer, Clarence H. Swavely; organist, George H. Romig.

Luther League of Minnesota
(Continued from page 15.)

by Dr. Trabert, of Minneapolis, on "Our Home Mission Field-the Outlook."

He said in part:

We should not be slack in sending missionaries to foreign lands, but while sending we must be careful that our own country becomes not heatenized-our Church not to hide her treasure in a napkin. It has been given to Lutheran Church to defend the faith. We have a positive religion, not negative. There may be a reaction, but Lutheran Church will be brought together by oneness of faith. We need, first, more theological students to fill gap; second, more liberality; third, active lay workers; fourth, broader outlook, see not only our own city, but State and country.

Rev. Luther Malmberg, of St. Peter, then spoke on "The Will of God and Our Luther Leagues' Life Work."

Is it God's will that heathen should be without Gospel? It is the same as it is for us. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "God would have all men saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth." Our life work-what it is. Is it not to save them that it is God's will to save?

Rev. Gruber then read a greeting from Miss Margaret Haupt.

The convention closed with the singing of the Luther League rally hymn.

The men and women who have consecrated their lives to missionary work and have toiled on missionary fields, whether foreign or home, until they have become old and feeble, are entitled to the love and care of all the churches. Nearly all those enjoying the benefits of our ministerial relief funds have been active pastors or they have been missioners either on the home or foreign field. They have received meager salaries as a rule. The nature of their work and the smallness of their financial remuneration has made it impossible for them to provide for the period of advanced years and disabling infirmities. It is the aim of the Church to conduct this work along lines that are just and to make it worthy of the larger and more generous support of our people. This is not a charity. It is a recognition of

to sustain her veterans until the end. Their just claim ends only with death. Provision is made for the veterans and their widows based upon services and need. To the extent of available funds aged and infirm ministers in regular standing should be entitled to consideration when age and disabling conditions disqualify them any longer for services. This is a recognition and honor due them from the Church. In all respects except in the amount provided it may justly be classed with the Carnegie Foundation for teachers. Our veteran ministers constitute a roll of honor. They are not paupers. They are veterans of the holy war against the powers of evil and darkness. They should be loved and honored by all the churches. The denominations should take great pride in providing for them generously and graciously.

God, who has taught us to ask for daily bread, can make all grace abound, but at the base of Christian giving is the necessity of giving our own self to the Lord. Our giving should be an expression of our faith and love and obedience to God, who takes into account the spirit of the gift far more than the size of the gift. Too often both the dignity and purity of the Church is marred and corrupted by methods of giving that are secular and selfish. Often, too, the humble, lowly saint rather than the rich disciple is a great giver when the offering is a mere mite because of the method and spirit manifested in the gift.

"It has been our privilege frequently to officiate at Church dedications. After the discourse, some other brother, supposed to have rare gifts for the work, has taken his place in chancel or pulpit and, with preliminary statements disposed of, he has commenced what to some in the audience was the fun of it. After the deliverance of such wit and humor as he could command, and the tossing of the debt from one side of the house to the other as a rubber ball, and a real good