The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1883, Page 37

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Che Autheran Pioneer,

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN SynopicaAL CONFERENCE OF Nortn AMERICA.
R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., a8 second-class matter.

Vol. V. St. Louis, Mo., October, 1883. No. 10.

The Reformer. church-door at Wittenberg. This was the be-| he writes: ‘‘I, poor brother as lam, have now

ginning of the Reformation. But the thought] started a new fire; I have made a large hole
of beginning the Reformation did not at that| in the pope’s pocket, and what is: to become of
time enter Luther’s mind. He himself says: |me? Where will they get brimstone, and pitch,
“ Who was I, 2 miserable and despised brother, | and fire, and wood enough, to burn the ‘heretic”
looking then more like a corpse than a man, | to ashes? Kill him, kill him, kill him! is their
that I should set myself against the majesty|cry. But the time is not yet, my hour is not
of the pope, who was a terror not only to the| yet come. I have to stir up the rage of the
kings of the earth and to the whole world, but generation of vipers yet more deeply.”” Luther
also to heaven and hell, if I may so speak, and | did not fear his enemies, for he knew that his -
at whose nod all must obey.”? Luther simply | cause was God’s cause and that God could pro-
felt it his duty as Doctor of the Holy Script-| tect him. When, therefore, the Elector of
ures and pastor of the church at Wittenberg to|Saxony warned him not to leave his place of
lift up his voice against the scandalous doings| safety on the Wartburg because he could no
of Tetzel. He even hoped that the pope would| longer protect him at Wittenberg, Luther
side with him and puta stop to the doings of | wrote to him: “I go to Wittenberg under a
his agent in Germany. But the pope and his| much higher protection than that of the Elec-
men opposed the true Bible teachings, andj tor.” And God did protect him against all
Luther was forced step by step to defend the| enemies. Witnesses of the truth had in former
old Bible doctrines and to proclaim louder and| times been put to death by the pope. But
louder the glad Gospel tidings of free grace in| Luther could not be harmed. God’s time for
Jesus. Luther says: ‘I, Doctor Martin Lu-| the reformation of His Church had come. And
ther, was called and forced to become a Doctor| Luther was God’s chosen servant to carry out
from mere obedience, without any choice of | this Reformation. ‘I saw another angel fly in
mine. I was forced to swear loyalty to my|the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
beloved Holy Scriptures, and to vow that I Gospel to preach unto’them that dwell on the
would preach them faithfully and purely. |earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and
While doing this, popery obstructed my path| tongue and people, saying with a loud voice,
and desired to stop me; but you see what has| Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour
happened to it, and worse still will befall it; of his judgement is come; and worship him
it shall not hinder me.” that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and
the fountains of waters,’’ Rev. 14, 6. 7. There
is but one Reformer of the Church, and that
Reformer is Dr. Martin Luther.

Luther was the Reformer of the Church,
raised up by God Himself for the great work
of the Reformation. God prepared him for
the work. God led him into the work, God
guided his steps, and protected his life against
all his enemies.

Gop PREPARED LUTHER FOR THE WORK OF
THE REFORMATION.

In the schools and in the university Luther
learned to know the wisdom of the wise men
of this world, but he found nothing in it which
could satisfy the yearnings of his soul. An-
xious for his salvation, he entered the cloister.
He got acquainted with the rottenness of the
Romish system. He became a monk and a
priest, and tried hard to find peace and rest by
praying to the saints, by fasting, and by his
own good works. But all in vain! There was
no peace to be found in the way which was
pointed out by the Romish church. And when
Luther was near despair, God opened to him
the Bible, which had been hidden from the
people for centuries under the Jong reign of
popery. Luther now learned to know the
great difference between the true doctrine of
God’s Word and the false human doctrines of
the Romish church. He learned that the sin-
ner is justified and saved, not by the deeds of
the law, but by faith in Jesus, the Saviour of
sinners. Henceforth he took his stand on
. nothing but the bible. And having himself
found peace and salvation for ‘his soul in the
Gospel of Jesus, this Gospel became dear to
his heart. He himself says: ‘In my heart
reigns, and shall ever reign, this one article
alone—faith in my dear Lord Jesus Christ,
which is the beginning, middle and end of all
- my religious thoughts, by day and by night.”

Gop PROTECTED LUTHER AGAINST ALL HIS
ENEMIES. 2

or oe

In the year 1520 Luther was expelled from
the pope’schurch. The emperor and the princes
were commanded by the pope to either deliver
Luther up at Rome or to. put him to death
themselves. A year later, after the Diet of
Worms, the ban of the empire was pronounced
against him. ‘‘No one is allowed to give him
food or protection; every man is ordered to
arrest him and to deliver him up to the em-
peror.’ Luther writes: ‘‘According to human
laws my enemies around me are authorized to
kill me at sight. If Jesus Christ, under whose
feet the father has put all things, wills my
death, His will be done. But if this is not
His will, who then can murder me?” Again

Poor and Needy.

When the richest American of his day was
in his last sickness a Christian friend proposed
to sing to him; and the hymn he named was,
“Come, ye sinners, poor and needy.” ‘‘ Yes,
yes,” replied the dying millionaire, ‘sing that
for me, I feel poor and needy.’’ Yet, at that.
moment the stock markets of the globe were
watching and waiting for the demise of the:
man who could shake them with a nod of his
head. ‘Poor and needy!’? How the sand
sweeps from under a man’s soul in such an hour
as that.—Dr. Quyler. .

Gop Lep LurHER INTO THE WORK OF THE
REFORMATION.

When Tetzel, the pope’s agent, travelled
through Germany, selling forgiveness of sins
for money and thus cheating the people out of
their souls’ salvation, Luther, on the 31st of
October, 1517, nailed his 95 Theses against the