Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-11-30
Ihe Jree hlv1:is.
MARTIN LUTHER.
The Protestant Hero as Judged by
Catholics.


The Protestant Hero as Judged by
catholics.
To the Editor OF tile Free Press and Times;
You gave us the other day I'm interesting
citation from DIR. Hedges recent paper on
Luther. DIR. Hedge, as everybody knows, is
a Protestant of the Protestans. Possibly
you can find place for two or three extracts
from the writings of minded Catholics.
1t is well to know what the more honorable
among mans opponents say of him.
And first, the oriuion of Michelet, the his
torian;
1T is not incxac; to say that Luther was.
in poiut of fact, the restorcr of liberty to the
ages which followed his era. lie denied it
theoretically, indeed, but he established 1t in
pract &c il he did not absolutely create, he
at lenst couragcously signed his name to the
great revolution which legalizcd in Europe
the right of free examination. To him it is,
IN great measure, owing that we OF the pres
ent day exercise in its plenitude that first
great right of the human understanding, to
which all the rest are annexed, without which
all the rest are naught. We can not think,
speak, write, read, for a single moment,
without gratefully recalling TO mind this
enormous benefit of intellectual enfranchise-
mcnt The very lines here trace, to whom
do | owe it that | am able to send them
forth, if not to the hberator of modern
thought
egve next an extract from Audin, one
of his biographers:
"Thc Catholic himself, if lie will for mo-
ment forget the sectary in the man, cannot
but contemplate with admiration, in this
grand historical scene of the Diet OF w orms,
that black robed monk, standing face to face
with, and boarding the throng of princes and
mobiles in their steel panoply, their gaunt-
lCted hands grasping the mass i've handles of
their swords and his heart will swell within
him as lie hears the clear firm voice of the
obscure brother Martin defyng all the
powers Of the earth"
Over against the oft-rcpeatcd, and often-to-
be-rcpeated calumnies respecting Luther's
moral character,-of which, by the way, one
find no trace in the pages of the candid
Michclct-it is well TO set the testimony OF
Erasmus
"All the world is agreed among Il. in
commencing his moral character. lie hath
given us good advice on certain points; and
God grant that his success may be equal to
the liberty which he hath taken"
Luther's attitude toward forms and cerc-
monies of all sorts, when not involving the
essentials of religion, is well shown by the
following from one of his letters of advice;
LAS to the chasublc, the professions, and
other external matters that your prince will
not abolish, my opinion is this Ii he al
lows You to preach the gospel of Jesus
Christ in its purity without any human ad-
dltions, to administer baptism and the COM
munion in the way appointed by Christ if
he allows you to suppress the alteration of
saints and masses for the dead, to relinquish
the blessing of water, salt and herbs no
longer to carry the host in professions, and
TO sing only the divine canticles, pure from
all human doctrine, then | say: Go through
whatever ceremonies he requires; whether
they relate to carving a gold or silver cross,
to chasublc of velvet, or silk, or linen, to
COPE or what not. If he is not satisfied with
one cope or chasuble, put on three, after the
fashion of the high priest Aaron, who wore
three robes, one upon the other, all beautiful
and gorgeous garments. If his grace does
not think one noisy procession enough,
make your prcgress seven times over,
after the fashion of Joshua and
the children of Israel, who marched
seven times round the walls of Jericho,
singing and sounding trumpcts. And if
his grace has any particular fancy that way,
ny Hll ilcabs lct nun DlHseli neal Inc pro-
ccssion, dancing before the rest to the sound
of harps aud timbrels. as David did before
the ark of the Lord have no sort of objec-
ton TO his doing 50. These things, when
kept from 'schevJus abuse, neither take
from nor add TO the gospel. All we need do,
is to guard ourselves from deeming them
essentials, from making them CHAINS and
letters for the conscience. If l could only
achieve this last point with the pope and his
adhcrcn,s, how thankful should be to God ,
His holiness, in that case, might ask me to
carry whatever he pleased" &.
Burlington, Nov. 1888.