The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-11-21
Il ||l !!
III tles GlealS elligent Views Upon
| s ! the orbias ..y
a SSIss S'.Ss Question. 5s .s&
5LDTnER's 4 CHARACTER I il SHOVE

Elements Of the Reformation Clearly
Pointed Out in the plainest RI
4 Language.
3. The Catholic Church and the Reforma-
ton" was Father Cleary's topic last Sun
day evening at st. Charles church. He
stated that he had announced this topic
last Sunday evening without any knowl-
edge of the fact that reference had been
/. Tade last Sunday by two clergylnen Of
this city to Martin Luther and his revolu-
tion of the sixteenth century. His remarks,
therefore, could not be considered as re-
plies to the reverend gentlemen. He said,
however, that a truthful presentation Of the
much discussed topic was very timely,
that Funprejudiced men might understand
how false and partisan is the theory that
aseribes all the splendid development Of
the human mind to resistance
church, by fallen, Iicentious, drunken
monk, the idolzed, patron saint OF Protes-
tantis1n. Continuing he said:
fs3 Martin Luther was a daring revolu-
zionist, an INSCRIPTIONS defamer Of sacred
life and morals must cause a blush of
shame to mantle the brow oil any man who
pretends to accept him as the founder Of
his religious creed. Strange inconsistency
o. the human mind, when once it has be-
cone ensnared in the meshes of the relig-
ious error! Men of Wanted liberal tenden-
cies in this nineteenth century, who boast
that creeds are dying or dead, that it mat
tiers little what men believe, it they only
do what is right, extolllng, withrmost ex-
trayagant praise the life and'Work Oh
Martin Luther, who claimed that conduct
was unimportant, and faith alone would
save all men! 1t is a fortunate circum-
stance that the art Of printing was in
vented and put in operation by a CATHOLIC
priest, more than forty years before Marlin
Luther was born, or we would be gravely
Informed by imaginative enthusiasts Of to-
: day that.5to tae reformation We owe that
great invention. Fortunate that Columbus
set sail from the port OF "a
los, with the blessing of the
church upon his bold enterprise,
when Luther was only 8 years old, OR; We
would be told that Pro.e5tantism had emaa-
cipated the human mind for the discovery
Of America. -
II "The Catholic church had reclaimed the
world from barbarism had spiritttalized
architecture. sculpture, painting, and all
the arts, long before the bibulous Saxon
monk had fallen so low as to- spend his
evenings with his boon companions'at' tue
Black Eagle tavern in Wittenberg, darnn-
ing the pope, and singing the praises. Of
lust and of drunkenness. '%-.i' J..
Frederick the Great of Prussia, a Prot
estant, is the author of the Well-knoWn
saying that Pride and ayalice had caused
the reformation in Germany, lawless love
in England, and the love Of novelty in
France -.
i2.t.No candid student of history viii deny
that some reformation, or improv ement IN
morals was mucl needed at the opening
Of the sixteenth century. In fact, no epoch
of human history is known to lis, in which
reformation in morals would not have
proven blessing to human society: Most
!; OF the abuses however. Whioa had en-
grated themselves upon the church, We're
the sad fruit OF unnarranted interference
on the part of the civil power with the gov
eminent Of the church. Kings and EN-
perors had left nothing undone for ages to
try to make tie church subject to their
will and control, just as the Church of Eng
land today is the servi.e tool Of the English
parliament, one of the CO. ordinate branches
Of the government This the church had
always stubbornly resisted, and always will
stubbornly resist. This resistance Of the
church to the encroa chnents Of the German
emperors explains the readiness with
which the authorities in Germany. eSpoused
Llther's cause They hoped to destIqy'the
mower of the papacy, and thereby aLemeve
the most Formidable obstacle between them
and arbitrary despotism. They aimed TO
make the church what the Lutheran church
became in Germany and Scandinavia, and
the. established church in England, 1.-The
servile tool of their political purposes.
Most Of the abuses in church government
had crept in with unworthy incumbents in
Iecclesiastical positions. Such incumbents
=. re. in most cases, forced upon the church
by the civil power. (. :,
"The church Of the living God can never
submit to the degradation Of being a po.it-
iical machine. A free church in a free
state was the ideal condition, such as we
enjoy In this country, that. the Catholic
church always demanded. IT, !.
t'In studying the history Of I4uther's re-
bellion against the authority of the church
it is well to bear in mind at least three
salient considerations. First, the character
ot, the men WHO were leaders in the revolt;
secondly, the methods they adopted, and
thirdly, the, results Of their work. Il. ~. ,:j,s
t'Ail men must candidly admit that
i Martin Luther's character was reprehena
/ sible But his apologists tell us that his
numerous faults were simply faults Of his
age. Strange, indeed, that they did not
develop during his loyalty to Catholic
teaching and practice and broke out only
| after; he tried to, enla ncipate reason and
sthe conseisnces Of men from the restraint
of {selfadenial inculcatad by the Catholic
church All admit that Luther was chaste,
studious, man Of prayer and penance
while a good Catholic these were the
faults (?) OF his age then. He was the
very reverse after he rebelled. His cour-
age was sublime while he was protected
by the elector of Saxony, or the land
ssrave of Hesse. whom he graciousiy per-
rl1itted to have two wives at the same
time. It was the courage of a paltroon,
when he was not protected by civil au-
thority. He preached private interpre-
SStation Of the Bible, but insisted that his
private Interpretation was the: only one
worthy of respect. Vulgar, obscene and
SSribaId diatribes against the pope, bishops
I ana clergy were his principle weapons Of
reform He was the most shameless and
calnninator of his day. His
ssferoeioals temper led him into the most
EE,e1traRagant viii :fication Of the church.