Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-08
LUTHER AND HIS WORK
The Opening Lecture in the Columbian uni
versity Course.
Rev. DIR. Mckim's Account of the
Great German RefOrmer's Work
and His Times.

The initial lecture of the course under
| the auspices of the Columbian University
| was given in the university hall yesterday
| afternoon before large and appreciatiVe
| audience.
| Rev. Dr.. Randolph H. McKim was the
lecturer, and the subject of his discourse
was Luther and the Reformation
| DR.. McKim was introduced by Prof. Mon
| tague.
ut is not wise, it is not safe for man
to do anything against his conscience"
These words" said the speaker, strike
| the keynote of the Reformation, which was
| pre-eminently the rights of the individual
| conscience. They carry with them the vim
| dication of the right of every man to claim
| direct access to God, who speaks to each
| by His spirit They sweep away the claim
and his God as the exclusive channel of
| communication. They sound the death
| kneu of priestcraft and proclaim glad It'd
| ings of liberty to the enslaved conscience.
THE story of Luther and the Reforma-
| tion," continued the speaker. was written
| by st. Paul when he said: God chose the
| foolish things OF the world that He might
| put to shame them that are wise; and God
| chose the weak things of the world that
| He might put to shame the things that are
| strong, and The base things of the world
| and the things that are despised did God
| choose; yea, and the things that are not
| that he might bring to naught the things
| that are; that no flesh should glory before
| Cod"
Luther belongs to no sect or denomna
ton of Christians. the speaker said but to
| the ChristeEdom itself-to no nationality,
| but to mankind
The work God sent him to do was not
| fer Europe or for Germany, much less for
the Lutheran denomination, but for the
| world.
| The Man and the Time.
Martin Luther, he said, was man sent
from God to. prepare the way of tbs LORD.
He must be studied in connection with his
q e and as manifestation of move
ment greater than himself The time was
ripe for the coming Of Luther when
Luther came. Had he blown his trumpet
| in another age, he had not awakened the
world as he did. He was not the first re-
| former. He had his forerunners, who had
made noble protest against the corruptons
| of the church, but their efforts had been in
| vain. God had been silently preparing the
| way by various instrument for the work
| of reformation The revival of letters, the
| reminding of interest in classical study,
| the first movements of modern science,
| the general awakening of the mind OF
| Europe after the sleep offs ages-al con-
! tributed the speaker said, to prepare the
| world TO listen to the voice which was
about to issue from Germany.
Luther proclaimed that Christ. the son of
righteousness, and not the church, is the
| center of our faith and hope and that to
| Him alone is due the allegiance of the SOUL
| The speaker referred to the divine COM
mission of Luther, which. he said, certified
| that he was no eccentric genius pursuing
| an idea born in his own brain, but one
whom God has called and commissioned
| to do a work for Him.
| Luther, properly speaking, is not pro-
| duct of his age, though his age furnished a
| proper soil for growth such as he. He
was a distinct and mighty force moving
| the age onward. 1t was emphatically the
age of Luther. No one else of the time
| could have taken his place, so deeply is his
| personality impressed upon it. said the
| speaker, that it would be nearer the truth
| to say thai the age was nodded by Luther,
| the age
. The great strength OF Luther lay in the
depth and force, the vivldness ana reality
of his religious experience, kindling and
| fusing all The great forces of his great
nature. At twenty Luther was lecturing on
philosophy at the University of Erfurth,
| when his mind became profoundly agitated
by the inquiry: What shall it profit a man
il he gain the whole world and lose his
| own soul?" He could get no answer to his
inquiries. The gospel OF grace and pardon
| was unknown to him. He answered them
for himself and determined to enter a
closter. where, by prayer and fasting, he
might fit himself for heaven. This he did
| being known as Brother Martin at the
| Augustineap monastery. While here he
| CHANGED upon Bible and was surprised
that contrary to the church and her learn
ed doctors. this book of God teaches men TO
hope for salvation by faith, through grace,
and not by works. 1t did not prescribe
penance but penitence, nor teach men TO
work out their own salvation, but TO &C
cept the salvation wrought by ChrlSt.
| Slowly Luther reached the conclusion that
Eternal life is the gift of God bestowed
out of His mere mercy. This chapter from
the heart history of Luther throws flood
| 81 liol,t ,1rnn
the Reformation itself, and makes 1t clear
why he was able to speak so straight TO
the heart of his countrymen. Right here,
also was the heart of the Reformation. 1t
| was the mighty effort of the human soul
to recover the truth of salvation through
Christ by faith.
The Famous Theses.
The speaker referred to another chapter
in the life of Luther-that which tells of
his external conflicts, his great battle with
tte colossal power of the Church of Rome,
waged with intrepid courage and unfag-
cling energy for thirty years. Ten years
| had elapsed before Luther came into col
| lision with the church. During that time
he diligently taught at Wittenberg the doc
| trine OF forgiveness by the blood of Christ
through faith. 1t was the shameful traffic
in indulgencics which precipltated the
breach with Rome. He denounced the traf-
tic with voice and pen. He prepared nine
ty-five theses against indulgencies, and
with his own hand nailed them against the
door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg.
Such an act, he said, was fraught with
| danger and meant that the doer was pub
licIy assailng the stability of the Catho-
lie Church, which claimed absolute suprem-
acy over the conscienceS OF men. Thus it
was that the first act of the drama of the
| reformation was ushered in. Then follow
ed a period of exciting discussions in pulpit
and press. The pope, the speaker said,
rises i'll his wrath and demands that Luther
recant. He refuses, saying he must obey
| God rather than man. In 1o2O Luther was
excommunica ted. His answer to the pope
for this was speedily given, and building a
funeral pyre he publicly burned the bull of
excommuncation before the holy cross at
the east gate of Wittenbarg. The burning
of the papal bull Eliminates second great
blessing, said the speaker, which we owe
to the reformation. and especially to Luz