The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-30
NEAR FOUR HUNDREDYEA
LuthGTanS Celebrate the Anniversary
Of the Reformation.


Rev. DR.. schaeffer breaches on the
Great Reformer and His Works-The
Strength of the Lutheran Church To-
Day-What It is Doing-The People
1t Contains.
The Evangelical Lutheran church of
the Ascension celebrated the 376th ami
versary of the reformation yesterday. 1t
was on Oct. 81, 1917, Martin Luther
nailed his IS theses to the door of the
church at Wurtemburg as a p'otext
against what he considered the corrup-
tion of the church and the times.
Rev. DIR. 'Schaeffer delivered an able
sermon yesterday morning upon the sub
iect of God in the Church" as exempli-
fed in the results of Martin Luthers
work and the history of the Lutheran
church. His text was from the 46th
Psalm, 9Th verse, God is in the midst Of
her she shall not be moved"
There was a large congregation present.
A feature of the occasion was the fine
music furnished by the choir, under the
direction of Mr.. w. H Readick
After discussing Luther's work and the
great results which it'll TO, Dr. Schaeffer
referred to reforms in other than religious
matters, in which Luther had taken pO-
sitiOn far in advance of his time. On this
line DIR. Schaeffer said:
Luther's work was not confined to re-
forming the church and furnishing the BIZ
bic 10 the people. 1t was not only the over
throw of usurped ecclesiastical power and
the restoration of religious liberation and
freedom in Europe. 1t was all this and
much more. There is not an interest of
reform affecting human welfare in mod
ern civilization, whether educational, So
cial, industrial or political, upon which
Luther did not shed the light of his
great intellect and soul, enlightened by
the word and spirit of God.
He taught that it was the duty of the
state to educate all the children of the
people, that they might become inteli-
gent and useful citizens, and so was the
pioneer advocate of universal educa ton
nearly 400 years ago
In quelling the outbreak of communism
in Germany, known as peasants war;
he declared it to be the duty of all to be
subject to the powers that be, and to ac-
qdire property, not by plumber and rob-
berry of others, but by industry, frugality
and honesty.
AN ADVOCATE OF LIBERTY.
In an address to the princes and mobiles
of Germany, he taught the reciprocal
duties of rulers to their subjects and of
subjects to their rulers, suggesting the
fundamental principle announced in the
Declaration of Independence, that gov
ernments, though ordained of God, derive
their just powers from the consent of the
governed-a government by the people
and for the people.
Jules Michelet, the French Catholic
historian, said: "Luther has been the
restorer of liberty in modern times"
The source of modern freedom and pro-
gress among mankind can be traced to
the soul of the Saxon monk, by whom as
inspired of God, the gospel of life and
salvation was proclaimed and became
mighty after ages of suppression and
peryersion. All who now enjoy civil and
religious liberty throughout the world
are indie bted for their privileges directly
and indirectly to the son of the Saxon
miner who became the leader of the
greatest liberating movement among men
since Jesus of Nazareth died on the cross.
BLESSED be the day Of Martin Luther's
birth, exclaimed Robert Southey, while
poet laureate of England 1T should be a
festival only seconded by that of the ma
tivity of Jesus Christ"
THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION.
The Augsburg Confession presented at
the Diet of Augsburg, June, 25, 1880, pre-
pared by MelanctOn and approved by
Luther, a confession now world-renowned
may be justly styled the Mother Sym Dol
of the Reformation and Professionalism,
and so satisfactorily and clearly does it
exhibit the doctrines of Gods word that
in all these centuries no suggestion of
change or revision has ever been proposed.
1t is to-day the accepted confession of
faith of more than 30, 900 600 of people
Dr. Schaeffer said that while William
Carey is generally credited with being
the father of missions, in July 1905
Liegenbauld and Plutschan, two Danish
Lutheran missionaries, sailed for Tran
qubar India, almost century before
William Carey began his work in 1898.
Christian Schwarz, in whose honor anon
ument was afterwards erected by the
British government in India, began his
work in 1850
The foreign mission work of the I.u-
therans now consists of forty general So
cieties, 457 stations, 500 ordained minis
tiers, 200 native ordained pastors, 300 lay
workers, 1000 native lay workers, 200 OO)
baptized members, 800 schools with 70
600 pupils and 10000 annual receipts
and fields of work in India, Burmah, Sand
witch Islands, Africa, Abyssinia, China,
Japan, Polynesia, South America, Alaska
and Greenland.
STRENGTH OF THE CHURCH.
DR.. SchaefTer gave the following figures
of the present strength of the Lutheran
church:
In Europe, $4,000 ministers, IS. 600
churches. 10000 ,0000 members; in Asia.
$50 ministers, l75 churches, 1000 mem
bers; in Africa, $50 ministers, 27O
churches. 100000 members; in Oceanica.
40 ministers, 40 churches, 13S, 600 mem
bersr in SouthsAmerica. 90 ministers. 90
churches 1l5.000 members. In North
America. Greenland and West Indies.
1900 ministers, 10000 churches and 1000
600 members; making a grand total Of
H,3l5 ministers. 1874 churches and 3d.
BAKING
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