National Republican., 1883-11-12
CoNconD1A cIIunCn.

REV. MR. SCHNEIDER ON LUTHER's IN.
FLuENCE THEoUGH FOUR CENTURIES.
The Concordia church, corner of Twentieth
and G streets northwest, was decorated with
evorgrcons and flowers, beautiful boil hang.
ing suspended over tho pulpit. Tho services
were we'll attended. The subject Of tho dis.
course by the pastor, Rov. l.. il. SCHNEIDER,
was "Luthor's Influence Through Four Cen.
turies." Ho said We are living in the
political contcr Of the now world, the capital
Of the greatest and frccst country on the
face of the globe. At no othof place can
we bottcr conceive tho bcnelits con-
iorred on mankind by Luthors labors than
here. This is u country in which conscience
and speech are free in religion rs we'll as in
politics. Tho very principles of liberty
which our declaration Of Independence de-
claro TO DO self evident, for the first time
were successfully asserted against the ty-
ranny of the principalitics and powers of the
world and the church by Martin Luther. In
considering the blessings which have resulted
from both civil and religious freedom in
these four centuries, we consider tho fruits
of Luther's labors. Yet such principles wcro
not tho invention of Luther. The Bible
first taught thOm, and on this authority
Luther preached it, lie showed tho way to
spiritual freedom, and this in turn led to
civil liberty.
Luther caught that the freedom of the
Christian could not be purchased by ducats,
but must be purchased by regcnerate heart
and by faith; that Christianity was not q
thing of form, of dollars and cents, of cring-
ing to papal dccrotals, but q thing of life and
of truth, of fearlessness of men, and of fear of
God. Uo warned tho church that its aim
must not be the increase of temporal power
but the salvation of souls. He placed Gods
word high above tho docroos of councils and
spiritual princes by freeing it from chains
and the bondage of an unknown tongue. A
second Hercules. he cleaned the Augean sta
bles, the corrupt and foul church. The Cor
manic spirit thus reused by him stood firmly
at his side and assorted itself over the Ro-
manic. The people of German blood were
in sympathy with tho solitary monk. The
Scandinavians aud tho Anglo.Saxons were
not behind in reforming. Germany is tho
heart of Europe, and its martial beat reused
the world LuthcPs influence spread John
Wesley was moved to his immortal labor by
the zeal which WIS inspired by tho reading
of Luthor's commentary on Romans. In
Switzerland, Zwingli aud Calvin followed
the wake of Luther. The thirty-nine
articles of the Anglican church arc
founded on the Augsburg con-
babes and sucklings more of the way of life
than priests knew before are adopted in all
tongues and all denominations. Luthor's
labors oven opened the eyes of Pope Adrian
VI. to tho vileness of the church, and if tho
Romish church reformed in anything il must
be credited to Luther. What there is of
Professionalism to-day, its mighty influence
for good, its strength, its missions its zeal
and energy, its churches and schools, and the
salvation of millions of souls arc duly led
back to the liberating efforts, the God.given
successes of Luther in his opposition to
Romish tyranny.
And please God, this celebration shall still
more quicken the Christian church.
lie then graphically portrayed tho effects of
the reformation upon temporal affairs, and
sketched the changes in governments result
ing from Luther's work.