The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-08-21
LUTHER's STATUE AT WORMS
How the German Apostate Monk
Loved the Holy Bible.
SANCTIONED BIGAMY BY KINGS
Taught the Doctrine That Faith
Alone is Sufficient.

The sensuous figure of the aposLate
monk forms the central attraction of
memorial group at Worms, the holy
city of reform! Here pious Americans
turn aside to worship, not holy coat,
but statue of the champion of Gospel
liberty, says Rev. Philip O'Neill in the
Baltimore Mirror. His hand rests upon
Bible to enforce the idea that he was
champion of the Gospel. His Bible
de Lyra, which was circulating in
Worms ten years before he was born.
His unchaining the Bible is another
Protestant catchword that can only
catch those who are ignorant and re-
fuse to learn.
Judge Grosscup, in an address at
indianapolis, speaking of the Reforma-
tion, said: Luther led, holding the
Bible to his heart
Martin Luther taught that faith
alone is sufficient, and this doctrine was
accepted by the English church. 1t is
against Scripture. St. Paul wrote Il.
Cor, xiii, p: "If l should have all
faith, SO that could remove mountains,
and have not charity am nothing"
St. James wrote (ii., 14): ''What shall
it profit, my brethren, If a man say he
hath faith, but hath not works? Shall
faith be able to save him?" In verse IL
the Apostle says: $50 faith also, If it
have not works, is dead in ITSELF" and
verse "a: do you see that by works a
man is justified, and not by faith only?"
He called the epistle of st. James 'an
epistle of straw" because it declared
faith not sufficient. Thus he loved the
Bible!
Our Savior said (St. Mark, x, II,
12): "Whosoever shall put away his
wife and marry another, committeih
adultery against her; and if the wife
shall put away her husband and be mar.
-rIed to another, she committeth adul-
terry"
Yet all the reform kings put away
ives and took others. This was
a striking feature of the reform of the
sixteenth century, and this doctrine, be-
fore unknown, became an institution in
Protestant civilization. The Scripture
tells us that "the nation that will not
serve God shall perish" Notwithstan6-
ing this, every nation with Protestant
rulers have adopted the law of divorce
against the express teaching of Christ,
and this crime against the divine law,
against the family and society, goes on
daily with the sanction of law and with
the consent of all Protestant churches.
Thus while holding the Bible to mis-
heart" according to Judge Grosscup,
but contrary to the Bible, he advised
Henry VIII. to take another wife and
gave permission to the Prince of Hesse
to have two wives!
The Lord spoke to Moses saying:
Speak to all the congregations of the
children of Israel and thou shalt say to
them: Be ye holy, because I, the Lord
your God, am holy!" Our Savior said
on the Mount: "Be ye therefore perfect
as your Heavenly Father is perfect
Thus we find that sanctity is quite pos
sible, as it is enjoined in both dispensa-
tions of the divine law, and that it
should be the rule, and not the excep-
tion as now developed. Our Savior
said: "Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father who i.
in heaven
Father and Son, and shows disre-
gard for the Bible. Luther wrote (Vol.
H., p. 17D: Let this be your rule
where the Scripture commands the do
ing of good work, understand it in
this sense, that it forbids these to do a
good work, because thou canst not do
it." This is free Interpretation of Gods
commands in the Bible; this is free
gospel!
We have seen that the king of Eng
land, Philip of Hesse and William the
Silent, who commenced and supported
reform, were bigamists, not only as
heads of the civil power of the state.
but they were bigamists as heads of
their churches. Luther, who was the
mentor Of the German princes, COM
mitted seduction and fornication. For
breaking his VOWS of priestly chastity,
vows taken after a long probation,
which he kept for fifteen years, and
yielding at the age Of forty-two to his
passions, we are forced to call him the
worst of the lot.
The three sovereigns who were heads
Of churches in England, Germany and,
Holland, the religion Of these churches
being Anglican, Lutheran and Calvin
ist, these bigamist sovereigns are also