Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1888-11-08
"son gADEs FEEL"
A memorable Event for tho German
Lutheran flhurcl

Lutheran Church.
Sunday was big day OF the Gprmsn
Lu,h,ran Church, Sixth and French
streets.
The pulpit and all the space within the
altar rail- looked as II they had been
caught In o horticultural cvclone. There
were red flowers, white flowers, yellow
flowtrs, tropical looking plants with long
and broad leaves, and lots of things that
cniyagardener or botanist tould deacri .e.
They made o mass of pleasing color that
would have loaded wagon, and they filied
ths church with grateful perfume. b.
sides, the walls were festooned and gar.
landed In evergreen.
ahe words, "Sohulden Frei, y on strip
Of duck streiohs d across the top OF the
aroh behind the pulpit, explained this
display. an old mortgage OF 81, 800 had
been paid off during the preceding week
by contributions from the members, and,
for the first time since its erection, the
church was out Of debt.
The occasion was further sipDalized by
0 sermon, IN the morning, by the Rev.
Alr. kuendig Of Reading, wnera he has
enjoyed long and deserved popularity.
His text was Matthew xr ii Is, his theme
the reformation, and his mauner jealous,
earnest, at timeB impassiored.
Thrte hundred and segsnty-ons years
have passed, he said, since Martin Luther,
on the 3lst of October 1917, nailed 10 The
palace door at WittenbArg the 95 theses
Goat insusurated the Reformation. 10
his contemporaries Luther was rsvoiu
ZIONIST. 80 had Elias, John the Baptist
and Jesne Christ been regarded by the
men of their day as rev1lutionists. nut
was the Reformation rsligions revou.
tioD or was il, In the providence aud
season OF God, work of necessity
Luther fought, not eg ainst the church
instituted by the apostles, but against
tho prostitution Of thst church, He at,
tackled the snpfemacy Of the ecclesiastical
ever the temporal power, the pops's claim
10 interpret the scriptures, the csrpslizs.
ton OF the sacrament, the suijUgation of
religions liberty, and most especially he
attacked the degrading sale Of iudul-
gancss. He recognized no mortal medi
atur between God and man; bat he did
not raise hand or voice against the old
apostolic church Lu'her did not divide
that church; the Reformation did not
utNiuo its a kutt hh9 BtoWu
between the so-ealled Protestant
churches and the church of Rome, but
that guilt was opened by Rome itself after
the Reformation. The work OF the Refor-
nation was to lop off abuses aud restore
the church to lis pristine purity. The
head Of the true church is now, as nine.
teen centuries ago, jesus Christ. Neither
sinner nor saint needs any sub-head TO
etand between. The penitent need pay
no tribnte for absolution to any mortal
He must GO where the Bible tells him, in
prayer to Him whose gracIousness and
forgiveness are as free to the penniless
ontcast as to any other of His crestures.
The Reform ltion disenthralled Christian.
iiy, II is the duty Of the church TO mp.
hold this freedom thus won; TO uphold IL
against the so-cniled liberalism Of thought
as we'll as against the ens'ayement Of
thought. True reliaious liberty mus,
proceed on the lines laid down In Gods
! wuru. Tne Uhristian who lives tine
nearest to that word Is the moat religi
ously free.
The sermon was proceeded by the sirg
ing Of huthef's grand hymn, ''Eln fests
| Burg ist unser Gott,"
In the evening the Sunday-school ami.
versary was held and attended by as
many people as could get inside the
building.