The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1880, Page 19

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 19

The Life of Dr. Martin Luther.

XVI.
TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE.

Luther labored for the spread of the Gospel
not only by the powerful words which fell from
his eloquent lips, but also by the mighty writ-
ings that came from his most able pen. He
was one of the most industrious of men. From
1517 to 1526, the first ten years of the Re-
formation, his published writings numbered
300; from 1527 to 1537 they numbered 232,
and from 1537 to 1546, the year of his death,
183 books were published by him. This makes
715 books in those 29 years, on the average 25
in every year, or one book every fourteen days
of his public life. Some of those works, it is
true, were written down by others listening to
his discourse, and some are but short tracts;
many of them, however, are large books written
with the greatest thoroughness and diligence.
We cannot, in this article, give an outline of
all his writings, we only wish to call the atten-
tion of our readers to that great master-work
of his, the German translation of the Bible.
In all the languages of the’world there is no
better translation of the Bible than that trans-
lation made by Dr. Martin Luther. He was
best fitted for the work. He was not only a
man of great learning, an excellent scholar of
the Greek and Hebrew languages, a master of
the German, but he was also a man of the
people and, most of all, he was a man of great
piety, a man of powerful prayer, a man of
strong faith. The Bible was the firm rock on
which he’ stood unmoved by all the attacks of
his enemies. From the Bible he had learned
the way of salvation and had found peace for
his troubled heart. It was to him the only light
of eternal truth. His great warm heart, there-
fore, soon longed to give the people that dear
Bible in their own tongue. The translations
existing at that time were unintelligible and
could not be used by the people. So Luther
began the translation of the Bible with all the
ardor of his soul. In 1517 he translated the
seven penitential Psalms, and during his stay
at the Wartburg, in 1521, he translated the
whole New Testament in about three months.
On his return to Wittenberg he revised this
translation with the help of his learned friend
Melanchthon. It was then. given to the printer.
Although there were no steam-presses at that
time, the printer did his work well. Three
presses were constantly employed, and ten
thousand sheets were struck off every day. On
the 21st of September, 1522, the New ‘Testa-
ment was published in two volumes. It was
hailed with delight through all Germany. The
copies of the first edition were soon sold and

other editions followed.

In the following years Luther devoted much
of his time to the translation of the Old Tes-
tament. He encountered great difficulties, so
that he often spent four weeks in reflection and
inquiry upon a single word before he was satis-

fied how it should be translated into the German.
The demand for the translation was so urgent
that Luther could not wait until the whole was
completed before he published. As one part
was finished, he gave it to the press. In the
year 1534, four years after the Confession at
Augsburg, the work was completed; the whole
Bible was translated. It is surely ‘‘one of the
greatest wonders which God accomplished
through Dr. Luther.’’ God’s blessing rested
upon the work, By it the Word of God was
scattered over all Germany. The interest
created by Luther’s translation awakened the

their own languages. It was soon translated in
all the languages in which the Gospel was
preached. ‘Through Dr. Luther the Bible be-
came an open book. Ivery one may now have
the Bible in his hand and read the sweet Gospel
truths in his own tongue. Do you read the
Bible? Do you value the Bible? Oh, how
eagerly those people at Luther’s time read the

desire of other nations to have the Bible in|

Bible! Poor mechanics and women committed
it to memory and were soon able to prove their
faith from the Bible and to confute the priests
of the Romish Church. Read the Bible! Value

Little Sermons.

It has been a time of great trial, loss of
money and ill health. I sat alone sewing and
thinking, until the burden was unbearable, and
I said aloud: ‘‘I can bear this no longer!’’
I went to my room, locked’ my door and fell on
my knees, and told the Lord all my troubles.
I went back to my work, but the burden was
not gone. I said to myself: ‘‘What does this
mean? I never went to my heavenly Father
before with all my heart, without leaving my
burdens at his feet.’”’

Scarcely had these thoughts come to my
mind, when my little daughter came bounding
into the room, with one single blade of grass,
with its beautiful blossoms so dainty, yet so
lovely in form and color that it had attracted
her attention. ‘‘Isn’t it beautiful, mamma?’’
she cried out.

I gazed at it for one single moment, and then
came the answer to my prayer. With tears stream-
ing down my cheeks I clasped the little blos-
soms in my hand and said again and again:
“Tf God so clothe the grass of the field which
to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven,

the Bible! And whilst we read the wonderful shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little

words and works of God, let us never forge

that, next to God, we owe thanks to Dr. Martin

t faith!”

My little daughter stood by, filled with won-

Luther for this privilege of reading the Word der, and I could only say: ‘Dear child, you

of God.

— — + o> 0 a

Only Two Classes.

We are either accepted by God or con-
demned; forgiven or not forgiven; in Christ or
out of Christ; saved or lost. There is no state

have brought me a sermon.’’ This happened
a year since, but a few weeks ago, she came
shyly to my side and laid a handful of the same
grasses in my lap, saying: ‘‘Mamma, here are
some of your little sermons.”’

TEMPTED BY DEGREES.—John Newton says:

between. No margin outside. We are either; Satan seldom comes to Christians with great
one or the other. There are two classes} temptations, or with a temptation to commit a
amongst us, and only two. Is it not wisest to} great sin. You bring a green log and a candle

know to which of these classes we belong? Is| together and they are very safe neighbors; but
it not the greatest folly to leave a question like} bring a few shavings and set them alight, and
this unanswered? It is not a question of how} then bring a few small sticks, and let them take
to'die. But what are we while we live? What) fire, and the log be in the midst of them, and
are you, dear friend, just now? There are two| you will soon get rid of your log. And s0 it is
classes—only two. In which are you numbered?| with ‘‘little’’ sins. You will be startled with
Think of this. Be decided about it. For there| the idea of committing a great sin, and so the
are only these same two classes in eternity. | devil brings you a little temptation, and leaves
There is heaven and there is hell; the bright| you to indulge yourself. ‘There is no harm in
glory and the burning fire; the hill of Zion and| this’’; ‘‘no great danger in that’’; and so by
the pit of destruction; everlasting life and ever-| these little chips we are first easily lighted up,
lasting punishment; existence with angels or| and last the green log is burned. “Watch and
with devils; with God or with Satan. There| pray that ye enter not into temptation.”
are two states here and two hereafter—only
two.— J. E. 8.
oe

A man who forgets that he may die at any
moment is very foolish. A man’s business ought
to be kept so closely in ‘hand that he will be
able to leave it at any moment in such condition
that it can be settled up. Much more is that
man most foolish who does not live with: his
soul prepared to meet God. ‘The most uncer-
tain of all is the time when we shall die.

———————»>__

00

Aras! how many act themselves into hell
from the theatre; sing themselves into hell
from the opera; drink themselves into hell from
the tavern; play themselves into hell from the
card-table; dance themselves into hell from the
ball-room; laugh themselves into hell from the
evening carousal.—Z. Harms.

—> + oo

Tue Word of God must be nearer to us than
our friends, dearer to us than our lives, sweeter
. Tue trees that are most in the sun bear the| to us than our liberty, and pleasanter to us than
sweetest fruits. all earthly comforts.

mints