The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-12
REV. A. H. CARRIERS ADDRESS.

His Opinion of Luther and the Reformation,
Expressed at the Second Church.
Rev. A. II. Carrier, of the Fourth Presby terrain
Church, addressed the congregations of the Sec
ond and Fourth churches, yesterday morning, on
the subject of Luther and the reformation. He
took his text from Ezekiel, xxi-26, 27:
"1hus saith the Lord God: Remove the dia-
dem and take off the crown; this shall not be the
same exait him that is low, and abase him that
is high. VIII overturn, 'overturn, overturn it,
and IL shall he no more until he come whose
right it IS; and will give it him."
What was the reformation2 What. in relation
to it, was Luther. Our field of vision includes
battle and hero. The standard of victory too,
is seen emerging from the smoke of conflict.
Often at historic places, like great battle-ields,
some column or more elaborate structure marks
the event. Has the reformation any adequate
structure to mark its surprising eminence? The
answer may surprise you. For, at present, as in
years past, and as will be for years to come, the
building which has the closest re-
lation, as of to effect, in
developing the reformation, is in the hands
of the Pspal hierarchy. 1t is the church of ST.
Peters. Standing though 1t does upon what we
may call the enemy's soil, this building, EN-
lnent IN It's way in relation TO modern buildings
as the great pyramid OF Egypt to the structures
of antiquity, Is intimately associated with the
birth OF professionalism. 1t was the demand for
money to continue to build ST. Peters which
gave impulse TO the sale of indulgences; il was
the sale of indulgences which most stirred the
monk, Martin Luther, to begin his methods as a
reformeF; it was this attitude which led logical
ly to a rupture with the Pope, the whole ROmish
hierarchy, the Latin Church-and thereby the
Protestant reformation WAS born. Says Roman
Catholic statement, in the instance or Rev. Ber-
nard O'Reily: THE building OF the new hasica
of St. Peters was pushed forward, and the Law
ish expenditure of the Pope having ex-
hausted his treasury, an indulgence wass
offered to all who would give
Vnr1 finn TIsfa
occasioned the quarrel in Germany between the
Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, and the
DOnlinlcans, and led, step by step, to the refOr-
nation"
But Luther was not happy accident. The
times were ready for him, and God created him
for the times, Huss, n hundred years before
Luther; Wycliff a century before HuSS, his
fOrerunners Sayonarola, when Luther was an
infant three years Old. was earning the mar
tyr's crown. The unspeakable wickpdnpss of
Pope Alexander VI, the PoDtiH of Lutber's boy
hood: the fierce wars of Pope julius II, the ruler
of the Vatican in Int hers youth; the elegant
heathenlsm of Leo X, who said of religion,
"This superstition is profitable TO u.s." prepared
for the hour and the man The signs of the OK
ford reformers, John Colet and Erasmus, and
Others, indicated what was IN the heart of the
better men of Christendonl. Juan d. BaldOs,
brother of the secretary OF Charles V, tells IN
numerous graphic items 1--WE can scarcely get
anyth thing from Chrst'S ministers but for money.
Erasmus said: The court OF Rome clearly has
lost all sense of shame. ! see that the very
height of tyranny has been reached. The Pope
and kings count the Deop.e not a. men hut as
cattle in the market" Erasmus was nor, how
ever the man 10 prove the leader. Timii vacl-
lating. he chose rather, he said to Colef, "to
keep in retirement" God was meanwhile train
ing the man and hero. Nothing can br, however.
more inadequate, even absurd, than that RO-
manist claim that the reformation sprang from
nothing other than . Jealousy between Au-
guStin ian monk and Dominican seller Ofindul-
gences. The preceding personal history OF Lu-
Their is the record of the deepest sOul-struggle
concerning those questions of faith ana destiny
which came to the front in the corfllct. Luther,
who already had spoken again ana again right
out from his heart To thousands of the common
people, consistent with himself
when standing, hammer IN hand,
before tie great chnrch-doOrs, nails
Ing his theses there. quarrel, forsooth, be-
tween an Augus1inian and Dominican monk! A
personal squahble does not thus fire nations
heart. change the course of history, wake echoes
round the world
Luther has been accused of base reasons In be-
coming reformer. He stands in the nonntide
blaze of history. Look at him all round. Bring
together his savings, and take their meaning in
length and breadth and depth and height. 1
challenge the sentiment which, reckoning M
the sum, can call it base. His ia large manure,
tiles. Says FrOude: ION reading the Gahle-tdlk
of Luther one ceases to wonder how this single
man could change the face of Europe. So far
was he from being a demagogue. MS has been
charged. that his rigid adherence to the letter OF
Scripture concerning obedience to the p0wers
that be constrained him to lean back perhaps