El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-11-10

la'ai
T certain that God is pleased with oui
, praises2
We certainly can. Open your BibI,
and you VIII find in the Old Tesla
ment Goo commanded Israel 10 cele.
D. brate every 50th year I'm remembrance
OF tnelr Qe-lEerance out OF the bond
age or Egypt The whole year wa.
to be a year OF rest during which Is.
! rael was TO praise God who had
brought them out Of darkness Int,
dis marvellous light Surely, If Israe
was commanded to celebrate the de-
) lYerance from an earthly bondage we
nave right to celebrate that day
which reminds Us Of the deliverance
from . spiritual yOke-that act by
Whlcn We received liberty OF con-
science.
celery Is God's.7
Whilst some may gIorify Luther
I true Lutherans should and do give
I all glory to God. For Luther was
Gods messenger, sent by God The
reformation was me work Of Cod
Let me impress this truth upon your
/ minds.
We justly consider the reformation
Of the church the work Of God be-
cause God prepared q Luther for the
. work he was 10 do.
God often. In wonderful way, pre-
] pared HIS prophets for the work they
I were 90 perform. God selected a
.
] out OF the land Of bondage. He so
] shaped events that Moses was rescued
/ from an early death and raised at
Z PharaOhs court Moses had TO see
I with his own eyes the cruel treatment
the people Of Israel received. Later
7 God gave him the power TO perform
I miracles and sent him to Pharaoh.
We read also how st. Paul was
raised Phartsee, Tersed In all the
/ learning OF the Jews. how Christ ap-
I d DIM D HH
mascus, and how the perscutor OF the
church became the greatest apostle
Of the GentIles.
Sees the Sin Covered Up.
John the divine writes. u saw an
other angel fly In the midst OF
heaven" These words are a proph-
ecy Of the reformation OF the church.
The reformer Is here called an AN
gel. messenger sent by God him
SELF But before God sent this mes
senger He prepared him for the work
ne was 20 do Let US see how won
derfully this was done.
II was Gods purpose In preparing
Luther that he should see with his
own eyes and hear with his own ears
the awful deDravity that reigned in
the Church OF Rome. Attending the
common schools Of his day, the high
schools and colleges, he was COM
PEELED to see the blindness OF the rel
iglous teachers who were suppos al
70 be the guardians OF the truth. Hel
entered q monastery and was orr
dained priest and thus spent many
days In the most secret retreats OF
the MONKS where he saw how the
most shameful service Of sin was
covered ug by an outward Pharisaical
Righteousness AS pastor iu WitLen-
berg he saw how the Golfers Of the
chuCch were filled by the sale Of ln-l
dulEence. and how his own people
thought that a letter OF Indulgence
made repentance unu ecessary. Finally
Luther was sent 10 Rome He saw the
deception, the lying, the hypocrisy.
the infldelitv AID the shameful de-
pravity that had Its home In the holy
city He beheld the earthly pomp OF
the Vicar Of Christ" He heard the
dllsgracefui stories that were told I
ne :----5--cd himself Of the truth
OF tne saying current IN his day "IfI
there Is a hell Rome Is built on top
OF Il" The AuEustinian monk turned 4
aside In disgust and later on he de-
cLared that Tor nothing IN the world I
would he have missed seeing the ethyl
OF Rome This was the first lesson
Luther was 20 learn.
Furthermore God taught Luther the |
utter nopelessness Of salvation byl
works At Erfurt Luther was greatly
troubled about his soul He watched I
and prayed and tasted. but the morsi
be worked the less satisfaction heI
mad the greater his sins and the
T.
I'll finally we behold him IN his dark /
cell reading the scriptures BY the dim I
light c. candle. There he finds the 4
words The just shall live by his
faith Now the light became brighter
and brighter. for he now learned that
his sins were washed and cleansed In ]
the blood Of Christ, forgiveness was
MS through grace. The Just shauI
live by his faith" he rejoices, and hisl
troubled soul had found peace with I
mo- 1Hn
into the arena with the shield OF the
gospel and the sword OF the spirit. and
10 raise the battle CRY, BY grace are
ye saved, through faith"
And IN order that he might DO this
successfully, God also endowed him
with the necessary gifts God had
given him 9 splendid mind q keen
intellect and he had acquired 4 vast
amount Of learning So that one Of
his enemies saids AS an interprerer
OF the scriptures. Luther surpasses
any writer o. theological literature,
and one page OF Luther's writing con-
tanned more theology than an entire
book OF the church fathers" God had
also given Luther an untiring dill
gence. an excellent memory. a loving
disposition, . dauntless courage. God
had given him the faith OF q hero, a
faith that detied the wrath Of the
Iul OF the earth, that laughed 20
scorn the very gates OF he'll; a faith,
that enabled him 20 say: IF 7 had a
hundred heads ! would gladly give.
them all for the word OF Cod" a
faith that made him cast the pope'si
bull into the fire; q faith that when he
was warned OF the fate Of a Huss,
enabled him 20 say: IF my enemies
would build a fire from Wittenbergi
10 worms that feached Up 70 heaven.
yet VIII 7 appear IN the name of the
Lord II there were as many devils
IN Worms as there are tiles upOn the
-oOfs, yet viii I enter in: a faith that
when his enemies ragged in fury and
MS friends trembled and feared for
lis safety. enabled him to sing hymns
II defiance and triumph
God Protected Luther.
That the reformation OF the church
vas the work Of God is further evil
lent from the fact that God protected
md defended Luther.
Luther had 70 fight q great host
y enemies. 10 man ever commended
With enemies more powerful more de-
.eltful, more blOOdthirsty. There Wasl
he pope OF Rome. who acted as a
5od on earth, who had made the en-i
ire church his f0otstoOI. whose voice.
urseS were feared as Gods curses.
whose letters OF ezcommunication
lade whole empires tremble. ut
hose command there were armies
cardinals bishops. priests and
lonksy all eager and willing TO exc
srminate those whom the pope had
ondemned. Furthermore, Luther
ad 20 contend against a powerful
mperor, OF whom 10 was said that
he sun never set IN his vast do
lains. Charles v had formed an al