The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-30


Yesterday, at the First English Luth-
eran church, the postor, Rev. Samuel
schwarm, preached two strong dis
courses appropriate to the occasion
the Ss2nd anniversary Of the Lutheran
Reformation. At both morning and
evening services the church was crowd
ed. In the morning, Mr.. schwarm's
topic was "The Supreme influence Of
the Word of God In the Reformation"
In conclusion he said:
Three hundred ana elghty-two years
ago the first thrill of the earthquake OF
the Reformation was felt in Europe.
Men knew so little of Its nature that
they imagined 1t could be suppressed,
They threw their weight upon the
heavlng earth and hoped to make 1t lie
still. They knew not that they had a
power to deal with which was made
more terrible in It's outburst by the at
tempt to confne it. AS the result OF
the opposition to the Reformation, Eu-
rope was made desolate in the Thirty
Years war. Its fields were drenched in
blood, its cities laid in ashes, Its faml-
lies divided, its hercest passions
aroused. 1t appeared as though uuiver-
sal destruction could be the only OUT
come, but out of the ruins sprung mod
ern Christian civilization, a civilization
whose good has had It's origin in the
omen Bible Queen Victoria expressed
this great truth when, in reply to the
question Of the African chief as to the
secret of Englands greatness, she gave
him Bible and said. Here 1t Is"
And how instructive this is to us in
the struggle Of our day to maintain the
truth in the open Bible restored by the
reformation. Not alone Rome. but
also heresIes, fanatics, false critics and
false Professionals are assailIng this old
Bible with the same guilty passions and
violent anger with which 1t was assail-
ed in the days OF the Reformation: but
we need not fear, they cannot de-
stroy it.
Had a war of 800 years, instead Of
thirty. been necessary to sustain the
Reformation, we now know the Re-
formation would have been worth It,
Had our fathers surrendered the truth
even under the awful pressure in which
they were placed, we would have cursed
their memory as we contrasted what
we were with what we might nave
been.
And shall we now despond, draw back
and give our names to the recroach OF
the generations to come, because,
through Incidence. or through oppost-
ton, we abandon the Word of God and
its presclous heritage, brought us
| through the Reformation? God forbid!
If others are ready to yield, we children
Of the Reformation dare not. We must
maintain the Word of God for which
our forefathers bted and died. 1t must
be defended and maintained at any and
every cost, No price is too high to pay
for it. And IL our forefathers gave
their blood to preserve its authority
and to hand It down to their children
and children's children, shall we not ac-
cont the precious heritage and guard
II against Romanlsts, Rationalists'
Atheists, Infdels, Agnostics' destruc-
tive critics and the whole ilk, with our
lives, also, II necessary?
Tho Evening Services.
| Az the evening services, Mr.
-, NO., "'rhe Rise and
Growth Of the Lutheran Church III
America" He said:
,rhe first settlement Of Lutherans N
this country was by emigrants ATst
fJ0I,ond In 162l-one year after inc
landing OF the Pilgrims on PlymOuln
Rock-in New Amsterdam, now NV
YORK. But the Hollanders were larEsiS
Reformed, and they refused tne LUZ.
Grams the privilege to nave Pa i',ea
and to build church. what llt1le WI
ship they had was held N PILI ,,',
houses. It was not untll loS4. M W. 81,
New Amsterdam fell into me haHu rs, VI
tho English. that the Lutherhns were
S S,a TO have pastor ana q
church OF their own. They built a ioG
bnuse for n church in 1911 and called .
nostor. by the permission of the duke o.
Work. from Germany by the name OF
Erabicius. This log house was later re-
nIarrd by n stone building. THESE hol'
Inrd T.utherans came over among th'
!, Srst settlers. They left Europe near tn'
beginning of the thirty years war, y
was no doubt religious freedom INA INA
thcv sought in the new land, but theS
Sai,ed 10 find 1t, owing to their blSgot
Tod brethren, This has been n chaInc
ter,stic OF the Dutch (Hollnnders). l5u
thpse Holland Lutherans remained
faithful TO their church until religious
liberty was secured. But they wer'
never numerous. ,...,,uo =,
The second settlement OF Lutherah'
In this country was that OF the Swede
, along the Delaware In 1886. rms colOh!
was projected by that noble Sweuis'
: king. Gustavus Adotphus, VINO gave hi
hiood for the cause Of the Reformation
on the battle field Of Lut2en. he tnui
was not permitted to carry out hi
cherished plan OF establishing colon!
here in America. This plan, however
was partially carried out by his prim
minister, Oxtenstirn. These Swede
brought with them their own pastors
And one OF the very first things the,
did, after building fortress to protec
them from the Indians, wns TO build
church. This church stood somewhor
near where the city of Wilmington
Del, now stands. In 1916 they built
second church farther np the river an
in 1900, they built n third on what j
now the site of Philadelphia. In al
these Swedes built six or sevel
churches. The colony prospcred 10
many years, but receiving no emil
grants from Sweden the descendants o
the first families began to call Tor ENG