The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-16

Rev. DIR. James Mcleod. whose oc-
casional lectures on historical charac-
ters have been received with much ia
vor by his congregation, that of the
First Presbyterian church and by 9TH
ers who have been his listeners.
preached last evening on Martin I.u-
ther, Reformer and Hero" He dis
cussed the great character and his ac-
complishments more dispassionately
than do most ministers, his apparent
aim being to draw a moral lesson from
the reformer's faith and fearlcssness
rather than to inveish against the fal-
lGcies of the old Roman church in its
strife against him.
DIR. Mcleod evidenced careful
study of Luther's life and a wide
knowledge of historical authority on
that character. His text was The
just shall live by faith" Romans. /, II.
Following is a portion of his address:
1T is $50 years since Martha Luther
died. He fell asleep in Jesus in 1915
and before the year 1896 closes it seems
fitting that something should be said
from this pulpit touching the life and
character of that extraordinary man.
IN LUTHERS TIME.
"The condition of the church and
widely from the condition of the
church and the world today. that no
sensible person will suppose that a
criticism of the past is equivalent to a
criticism of the present. The absurd
superstitions and bitter prosecutions in
which the church of Rome so freeiv in
dulged three centuries ago, ought not
to be charged to the church of Rome of
today; and no sensible person. whether
Protestant or Roman Catholic, Will be
guilty of making such charge. Leo
XIII and Cardinal Gibbons are not re-
sponsible, in the least degree, for the
crimes committed by Leo X and John
TetZel. They are separated by 800
years, not only in respect of time, but
In respect of their spirit and conduct.
By bearing this i'm mind ii will disarm
criticism: for. l take it, that no intelli-
gent Christian, nowadays. will under
take to Vindicate the atrocities that
were committed three centuries ago by
a body that called itself the only true
church. and whose head claimed to be
the vicar of Jesus Christ
There were heroes in those days,
and Luther stood in the foremost rank.
He was a mighty man of valor, and he
being dead yet speaks unto us.
Luther was q Monk in the Angus
tinean monartary at Wittenberg when
he read in an old Latin Bible these
words: "The just shall live by faith
He was amused; he meditated; he was
perplexed; he tasted, he prayer long
and earnestly. He went ON Il pilgrim
age to Rome, longing for relief, and
for his souls salvation. He found his
hearts desire, but not in the way lie
expected. On his knees, he climbed
the alleged Pilates stairs. when this
sentence, The just shall live by faith.
rang in his ears. and instantly ne
leaped up and instead of climbing
Pilates stains any farther he walked
down, rejoicing in God, his Savior He
found Christ. His chains We're brOk-
en-. He learned the truth, and the truth
made him free: and from that mo-
ment he consecrated himself to the
service of Christ He made it his life
work to proclaim the glorious gospel
truth that The just shall live by faith.
A MEMORABLE DAY.
''The 31st of October 1917. is a mem
orable dav in the history of Germ
any; indeed, it is a memorable day i'm
the history of the world and of the
church. Neither Carlyle nor Froude
has erred in pronouncing that day as
the most memorable in modern Euro
pean history On that day Luther
struck a blow at priestly arrogance,
and at priestly pretension that made
tyrants of both church and state trem-
BILE. On that day he struck a blow on
behalf of civil and religious liberty for
which he deserves to be held i'm ever
lasting remembrance. On that day he
nailed his ninety-five theses to the door
of the church in Wittenberg, and that
auspicious day marks the fearlessness
and the heroism of Luther, and the
bold beginning OF the great reformation
of the sixteenth century.
Luther cOntended earnestly Tor three
cardinal principles, to each of which
the Church of Rome was bitterly OPP
posed: O A free and open Bible. (2)
The right of private Judgment r(3) The
doctrine of justification by faith.
For maintaining and preaching these
doctrines. he was arraigned as a her
etic. His answer to his accusors was:
'Popes have erred. and Councils have
erred a statement that but few. now
adays, will deny. Prove to me out of
Scripture he said, that I am wrong
and / will submit. Until then, my
conscious binds me. Here I stand. ]
cannot do otherwise. God help me.
The man who uttered these words i'm
the circumstances in which he was
placed was hero. He spoke i'm the
presence of a power that had dethroned
kings.
Luther, at the Diet of Worms, speak
ing in his own defence, and i'm de-
fence of Gods truth, is one of the fin
est figures in human history. The
grand results of the great battle Luth-
er fought and won that day cannot
be overestimated. For one thing Prot
estant Christendom is the outcome of
that mighty conflict. Good reason have
Germany and England and the United
States to remember Martin Luther and
to thank God for his stalwart char
acter. for his mighty intellect and for
his holy life.
PRESENT BLESSINGS.
cit is well to remember that 1t is to
Martin Luther. more than to any other
man, we owe, under God, the privileges
and blessings we enjoy in this coun-
try today. Here Protestants and Ro-
man Catholics enjoy equal rights and
privilege. and that we owe to the ref
ormatiOn for which Luther fought with
such skill and with such success.
Il will call this Luther a true. great
man. says Carlyle. great in intellect
in courage. affection and integrity: one
of our most lovable and previous men;
great, not as hewn obeliSk but as an
Alpine mOuntain-a right spiritual
hero and prophet-for whom these cen
turies and many that are to come will
be thankful to Heaven
But the very best way to commem-
crate Luther is to hold fast and to
hold forth the principles and the faith
which We're 50 precious unto him. and
for which he so earnestly and so sue
cessfully contended. These principles
and this faith are as much opposed to
the worldly spirit of this age as they
were to the spirit of the age in which
he lived. The most dangerous foes of
.is.4i fai4 i1.l.... l.