National Republican., 1883-11-12
THE MEMoRIAL CuuRCu.


ADDRESSES by REV. DRs. BARTLETT, RAN
KIN, M'KINNEY, POWER, AND BUTLER,
AND JUSTICE STRONG.
Tho Memorial church, corner of Vermont
avenue and Fourteenth street northwest, was
crowded last evening by the large congrega-
tion assembled to take part in the jubilee
services in honor of tho four hundrcdth natal
day of the great reformer, Martin Luther.
The church was beautifully decorated for the
occasion, the space in front of the altar being
filled with flowers and foliage plants in
ornamental vases, and the choir gallery
draped with trailing vines and garlands.
Within the altar were seated Associate
Justice Strong Rev. w. A. BARTLETT, Rev. j.
L. Rankin, Rev. w. l. Mckinney, Rev. F.. d.
Power, and Rev. j. g. Butler, the pastor Of
tho church. On the left of tho altar was
placed upon the baptismal font beautiful
statuette of Luther. Long before the time
fixed for the service to begin every available
space in the church was packed with solid
mass Of people, and tho aisles fillod with
chairs and camp stools. At 1880 o'clock the
choir, followed by tho sentence, 80, come lot
us sing unto the Lord" the GLORIA Patr,"
and -thG apostles creed in concert trb-'
, iortysixth psalm was then read by y. ...'~--
Claybaugh, and the hynp "Jcs' sn
Where Fer The Sun, "sswas"I the
Bishop Andrews,
Rev. w. A. Bartlett then delivered brief
address, in which he contrasted tho lines Of
Luther and Calvin. DIR. Bartlett said that
Luther and Calvin wero hardly two charac-
ters that would be suggested for comparison
or contrast. He had visited tho birth. place
of the great reformer, the church in which he
last preached, and the spot whero he had
rendered up his spirit to God. The place
seemed pervadod by the intense spirit
Of that great man. At Geneva
he had wandered over tho ground where
Calvin had performed his great works; The
character OF Luther was that of tho largest
German man, and in his sphere Calvin was
the largest Frenchman. One was man of
the people, working with Drawn and brain.
The other worked in narrow lines, but to the
same great end by different means. The
criticism that Luther was narrow thco-
logian was an absurdity, for with oil his rich
German blood and intellect bo would have
seized tho Greek language oven as he would
have seized tho devil to make tho Bible
plain to his people, and his work
at Wartburg boro testimony of his
indomitabo energy and rare intellect
AT the ago of 81 Calvin had produced the
clearcst system of divinity ever published tc
tho world Calvin and Luther were alike IN
their courage each feared only to do wrong
At Worms, before Charles V, and in every
situation that surrounded him, he had hurled
his defiance at all who opposed his life work
Calvin worked under other conditions, whicl
involved the giving up of every worldly
prospect. and Il life of sacrifice and self
denial. Yet he had organized tho thoo
logical body to the reformation. which
up TO tho present moment, commanded
the admiration of the intellectual world. Some
deeds, il was true, could be admitted of botl
that in the light OF to-day were grea
wrongs, but these were the flies in tho amhe
of their manhood, and by tho preponderanc
of tho good showed that they werc but mon
These two men never met, but in their fellow
ship in Christ, made majestic by tho grca
truth to which they devoted their lives, Cal
vim was tho great theologian, Luther tn,
great reformer, for no one mentioned reform
but his namo was the only one suggested. Ill
was the heart, the center, and the motive
power that had sent down to us civil and re
ligous liberty.
Associate Justice Strong was then intro
duced, and in short address on the them
of Luther and Civil Liberty" said that IL
all times some man came forward who, as
leader, was greater than all his fellows
Martin Luther was the most conspicuous in
stance Of how God brought such leaders up t.
do his work. Luther was tho father of Pro
testantism, and breasted tho opposition Of th
whole world, and brought man face to fac
with his God without tho intervention o
priests. Such man was one of the mos
benehcont gifts of God to mankind. Hun
dreds of millions to-day all over the worlC
thanked God for Luthor's life and work
Luther could bo regarded as tho author of tn
civil liberty that was enjoyed to-day. At TIN
time no wrought the world was under tn,
dominion of tho Catholic church, which
claimed to rule the thoughts and actions o
men, both in civil and religious things. ii
translated tho Bible into the German Ian
guage, and spread before his country
men tho ethics and principles undor
lying religion and freedom of life
From the hour that this publication
was made civil liberty sprang into birth ant
became possibility for men. There can b
no perfect civil liberty any where except il /
founded on tho general ethics and teaching
of the Bible. The golden rule was the basi
of all good government, and tho admOnitioI
of "As ye would have men do TO you, do y
even so TO them" is tho COrnor stone upol
whichs the civil liberties of the world rest
to-day and in distributing the Bible S
widely Az has been in the United States,
follow as u natural consequence that in II
country has civil liberty and that freedom
(which is bound to flourish reached sue
growth.
An anthem was then rendered by the choir
aud Rev. j. L. Rankin was introduced an
mado short address upon the subject
Luther and Religious Freedom" in whic
ho gayo Il summary of tho initiation
LutheT's work, when he inauguratod I'll
principle that man had tho right to oxeI