Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-11-14
MARTIN LUTHER'S LIFE AND
WORK.
A Lecture by Rev. Rober. co,Iyer.


Rev. Robert Collyer, lectured Sunday
evening at the New York Church of the
Messiah On the early life of Martin Lu-
ther. "ln few days" he said, "maDv
! thousands Of persons in Saxony will be
celebrating the four hundredth anniver-
sary OF one of the greatest men that ever
lived. And not only there but through
out the world, kindred feeling of iov
will be felt. There IS nothing more pro
ftable than the study of the youth of
great men. 1t is like watching the trick.
ling mountain rill speeding on its way,
enlarglng as it goes, until it swelIs into
the Magnificent, stream. Sometimes the
rlll gives no indica ton of its future de-
velopment, but more frequently it does.
1t may he said without disparagement
that there was little of anything in the
childhood Of Martin Luther indicative of
tie mighty work to which he was called.
he could never have dreamed that four
centuries after his death we should be
able to say, and say it with all our hearts.
that but for him we should have no re-
llgion as we have it now. Luther was
the torerunner of the mighty hosts of
prophets and teachers that during those
ages have fought for God, yet standing
like Saul among his countrymen, head
and shoulders above them all. We
therefore ought to feel grateful to Luther
for freedom-mental freedom, the grand
est Of all freedom
'In the dull little town of Eisleben, in
the wild forest mountains of Thuringia.
the Reformer saw the light on November
lO, 1883. He says, "My father was
peasant, so was his father before him
lie had hardy stuff In him. Hans Luther.
his father, appears to have been a fine old
man, Samething like cur stern Puritans.
one IN whom the sense of righteousness
was strong, but unmixed with any softer
mood. 1t is certain that while Martin
owed much to their training, their severi-
tY stlf1ed all the enthusiasm of his ma
ture. His mother, good, commonplace
woman, whose ideas revolved around a
small mental pivot, seemsss to have been
something Of Tartar, too, for she whipped
young Martin till the blood came. when
he was only 6 years old, for stealing a
hazel nut. Martin soon found that be.
was no good at wood-cutting, and that
h's thirst fol knowledge could not be.
satisfied in the dull little mountain vii
lage, so he set out to work his way to the
university, singing for his supper many a.
time IN vain. 1t was while singing his
carols out night in the dark streets that a
hospItabe door was opened and the kind
ly voice Of Dame Ursala Cote babe him
welcome. God had kept His promise to
him, Thy bread shall be given thee, tby-
water shall be sure From that day he
never wanted bread.
"He entered the University of Erflrth,
in 1901, and began to study law. but
while walking through the woods, a fa-
Vorlte friend was struck dead by lightning
at his side, and he felt it was a fearful
thing to faIl into the hand of the living
God. He joined the Augustine Friars on
July II, 1905. Old Hans Luther was
much displeased at the step and when
Martin pleaded his call from God, he re-
piled God also SAID, Thou shalt honor
thy father and mother All through his
lite he took refuge, not in the church, not
IN dogmas, not in doctrines, not even in
prayer; but in God It was while in
the Augustlnlan monastery, in that lowly
cell which SO many thousands have visited
since, that he underwent that stern dis
clpline which was necessary to train him
as a spiritual athlete for his work. The
morning of truth was to come only after
the long bitter night of weeping. He
was to learn by processes the full mean.
ing of the Divine Word which was hence
forth to be the motor of his own conduct
and the source of his unbounded energies.
Thou just shall live bv faith
'The beginning of his mighty career
was when his mind bad grasped the SIM
pie Gospel, disinterred, so to speak, from
the grave of ages, when it became
power, Transforming his own life, and
destined also to revolutionize Europe and
he world