The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-12
THE RIGHT OF PROTEST.


Rev. o. C. McCullOch's Consideration of the
Reformation and Its Leader.
Rev. o. C. McCuoch devoted his evening
service at the Grand Opera-house 10 a consider
alton of the general subject of the reformation
and the character OF Luther. He said
Why should we honor Luther2 What is it to
us that 400years ago, November 10, AT Eislehen.
this miners son was bOru2 Because he Is one of
the heroes OF faith, one of the leaders of human
thought. beware" says Emerson, "when God
let's loose thinker on the planet" Martin
Luther was such a thinker let loose. BY his
word of classification by FAITH he brought on
the reformation. l call him nero of faith. As
/ read the roll of the heroes in tine eleventh OF
Hebrews feel that in the Bible of the ages his
name will be added with many others. Every
brave man or woman who. looking into things, is
dissatisfied and with voice and life makes pro
test, takes place on this roll,
BY faith Peter Waldo, of LYONS, moved OF God,
In he twelfth century, formed little compan9
called the Poor men OF Lyons" and spread
copies OF the gospel, and was driven INTO the
Alps, BY faith John Wycliife gave to the world
the first English Bible, and had his bones burned
and the ashes thrown into the river Swift. BY
fai;h John Huss endured the stake; and time
would fail me TO tell of SavOnarola, of Zwinglus
and Knox.
We nOurished on the lives of the heroes.
Our children bear their names; our institutions
record their deeds They are the noble pictures
hung on the walls of time, and say to us You are
encompassed bent with great clOud OF wit
nesses-run well. This man, Luther was such q
hero, of intense conviction When a
thing seemed wrong he could not be silent,
though Pope affirmed il. POpes are human
and have erred. He nails his propositions upon
q church door and all Germany iocks to read.
Through him has come whaE we call protest.
antlsm. The Christian world is regiOusly di-
yided into Catholic and Protestant. The
Professionals take their name from the protest
which the six German princes made TO the de-
cjsion of the Diet of Spires, April l5 1929. So
the name "Protestants' was given TO the new
religious movement. Professionalism is not IL re-
llglOn, but an lnsistence upon the right to make
a religion for oneself Says Carlyle, "a man
protesting against error is in The way to unite
himself with all men who heliev 10 the truth"
Every one is protestant who denies the truth
or justice of a thing 1t is is duly to protest
to protest with voice or with life. Abraham
was the earliest protestant; shall not the judge
of all the earth do right2 Jesus protestant.
abe silent" they said. 81 will not he silent"
"Ihen de" So his death protest. Luther
then stands out as insisting the right to
protest against untrutn, injustice.
He there protested against the religious views
put forth by the Roman Catholic Church. There
was corruption In that church, but it had had
noble history. II is our free study which sees
in the Catholic Church the mother of evil 1t
had done noble work 1t inherited the splendid
organizing power of the Roman mind. The bar
barians swarmed in from the north; overthrow
the empire. But the church crushed them,
changed them, Goth and Ostragoth, Frank and
Lombard 1t sent out It's missionaries. 1t fos-
tered agriculture. It's monks were the first col
onists The black forest of Germany was made
habitable. They swung the censor and they
rang the bell, and baptized ~ China. Japan aud
America. Under its protection learning revived,
art and literature blossOmed in the ''renais-
saDce." But the church had grown drunk with
power, as all churches do when there is none TO
oppose. In high places form had taken the place
OF reality. Salvation was through penance, pay
ment. "phe hungry sheep look up and are not
fed" This Luther was born at Esleben in 1888
the son OF a miner At nineteen he became a
monk. The forms of things did not satisfy him.
He found Bible, and read and re-read it The
touch OF its words upon his heart was like
inspiration. A holy fire burned in his words
The great eyes, 'demoniac eyes" black, with a
rim ofyellow ike lions, cleaned with great
nnh RE~ nd htrn -,
Leo y was bulldog church, the grandest
earth, and needed money. "ChristIanity is a
profitable fable" he said; so he sold indulgenoes
1oI ziTeness Tor slns. Against this Luther nailed
his protests on the door of the Wittenberg
church, "WhO can forgive sin but God alone2"
So the issue was Joined, little German monk
against the holy church and the holy Roman
empire. But here the quality of rhe man.
"Here stand. L cannot do otherwise. God
help me-"
1t is this we call bravery. He believed in the
devil but not to fear HIM. Many time he said
he had caused devils to flee by his flute music
AT Wartburg he threw an inkstand at the devil
When DIXIE George, of Lelpsic, sent a threatning
message he said: "Who is Duke GeOrge7 Gle is
not as much as one deyil. Ii | had business in
Leipsic would ride there though it rained Duke
Georges for nine days running" Full of toer-
ance and human sympathy-lOying nature and
the little things of Coda very human man he
insists on religion as cheerful thing. No cell
bacy, Or fasts or long prayers.
who loves not woman, wine and song,
Remains fool his whole life long"
what mas DIS lire Tor uST 1t teaches the
right, the necessity of protest. John Mill said:
II will never call that good in God which is not
what 1 mean by that word when I apply it to
the actions of my fellow creatures" That is
protest The anti-slavery men and women were
pro-testauts.
1t is only by the protestants that the earth is
kept alive. You ana l must protest against re-
llglous wrong, against political wrong, against
social wrong. Then will cume the reformation.
There is need OF reformation, else there viii be
revolution.
To be not afraid of Duke Georges or devils
that is for us to Learn. What are Duke Georges
or anyone else II one mas business any where?
And fidelity to on"'s e'nvietioaa Here I
stand-I cannot do otherwise. God help mel
1t was his opportunity. Many have lost this op
portnnity. Ii was lost to SavOnaroa, Webster
lOstit.
I'VE shall march onward, but not through your
presence;
Songs shall insprit us: not from your Tyre:
Deeds shall be done, while you boast your qu
escence;
Still bidding crouch, while the rest bid aspire"
But Luther stands as thestFOng, faithful man.
and and lls work are in non or