The Washington herald., 1913-11-03
SOUND
/ LUTHERSPRAISE
Protestant Churches Of Dis
Hict Join IN Services
for Reformer.
MANY PASTORS SPEAK
Rev. Dr.. Wallace Radcliffe Discusses
Religious Conditions Before
Time of Reformation.
MANY PASTORS SPEAK

Protestant churches Of the District yes
terday observed the three hundred and
ninety-stxth anniversary Of the mailing
Of the ninety-five theses on the door of
Martin Luther's church in wittenberr.
saxony- In some of the churches. the
pastors delivered special sermons. either
at the morning or evening services, while
In others mention was made of the an
niversary
The Rev. c. II. Butler. Of the Columbia
aeignts Lutheran Church, delivered an
illustrated sermon last night. ..The stcry
OF Martin Luther" During the course OF
his sermon he said:
Luther was loyal son OF the Roman
Church. and he did not want to break
away from IT, His whole idea was tn
purify, and his action brought a great
light which is now accepted by the civil
lied wcrld"
\ sermon on Martin Luther. with a re-
view Of his life was also preached at ST.
MARX Lutheran Church by the Rev. DIR.
J. j. Muir, and at the Metropolitan Bap-
tist Church the Rev. John Compton BAH
| delivered a sermon. Martin Luther
Worldwide Benefactor."
The Rev. DIR. w. II. Bates at the Gen.
tral Presbyterian Church, preached on
the life and works Of Martin Luther.
Conditions of Church.
"Luther's Hammer was the subject
Of the sermon at the New York Avenue
Presbyterian Church delivered by the
Rev. DR.. Wallace Radcliffe, pastor OF that
church. He spoke Of the conditions which
existed at the time OF Luther's action
saying that the disturbing conditions at
that time were, "worldliness. perversion,
pride, corruption. destruction, supersti-
tion. and unfaithfulness. OF Luther, ne
said In part:
His family coat-of-arms gives a good
picture OF Luther's character and work
a hammer lying upon a rock of granite
That church door was the symbol of the
sad conditions OF the religious and church
life of the sixteenth-century worldliness,
perversion, pride, corrupted doctrine, SUI
perstition. and unfaithfulness. When the
tale OF bricks Is doubted, Moses comes;
when the sin OF indulgence was forced,
Luther came.
only a peasants son against princes
and cardinals; only a cleansing attempt
ed, but II brought regeneration: only a
protest, but II became a revelation: only
voice, but It carried the tones OF
divine truth. These humble hands had
been trained and they grasped the ham,
ilcE VI Tie DlNlle NOTQ winch DreakeSt
the rock in pieces. God has His own way
Of doing things.
His an Imperial Life.
The troubles seemed not only to Leo
X, but to the multitude only a quarrel
among the monks but the hammer
strokes on that church door echo and
reach around the world, awakening hu-
manity, creating crisis, ordaining epochs,
reformations, histories. destroying
thrones and Hberating peoples, and writ
ing the new volume of civilization and
religion.
His was a grand imperial life That
hammer Of the Word of God, is still the
highest reality and power. The Bible
man Is still the man of resources in
finite and invincIble. In the pressure Of
modern needs. We must learn to turn
from scholastic devices and political ex-
pedients and find our solution and tri-
umph in the Word. Social and govern
mental problems have not exhausted and
cannot exhaust the wisdom of the Scrip
lures.
'Tt is written and it is written
again 1t pierces. breaks, skaters; it
builds, strengthens, crowns with en-
durance and vitality. Out of the break
age from Luther's hammer we have to-
day an unclaimed Bible, the restored
mercy seat, the Illuminated gospel. and
liberated humanity"