10. Says John, "Thou say'st the thing I mean, This world, which clouds thy soul with doubt, 11. "As, when we view these shreds and ends, 12. "No plan, no pattern, can we trace; Nor see the beauteous upper side. 13. "But when we reach that world of light, And view those works of God aright, Then shall we see the whole design, And own the workman is divine. 14. "What now seem random strokes, will there Then shall we praise what here we spurned, 15. "Thou'rt right," quoth Dick, "no more I'll grumble That this sad world's so strange a jumble; My impious doubts are put to flight, For my own carpet sets me right.” Hannah More. CX.-LUTHER'S LAST DAYS, DEATH AND BURIAL. quo-ta'-tion, words repeated from a book or speech; Citat; Anführung. ex-hort', to caution; ermahnen. in-firm'-i-ty, weakness; Gebrechlichkeit. sub'-ject, one who is under the authority of a ruler; Unterthan. ret ́-i-nue, a train of attendants; Gefolge. el'-o-quent-ly, speaking with fluency and power; beredt. sac-ra-men-a-ri-an, one who rejects the true doctrine in regard to the sacraments; Sakramentsschwärmer. fa-nat'-ic, a person possessed of wild notions; Schwärmer, com-mit', to give in trust; übergeben. pil'-grim-age, the journey of a pilgrim; Wallfahrt. ti'-dings, news; Nachricht; Botschaft. pro-found', deep; tief. pre-lim ́-i-na-ry, preparatory; vorbereitend. chant, to sing; singen. dirge, a hymn expressive of mourning (funeral dirge); Grabgesang. 1. "I am weary of the world, and the world of me; it is therefore easy to part, as when a guest quits his lodgings." In that very sermon from which the above is a quotation, Luther exhorted his hearers, if they should ever hear of his being sick, not to pray that his life might be prolonged, but that a happy death might be granted him. 2. Although the Great Reformer was not so very old then, yet he had sufficient reason for considering himself drawing to the brink of the grave. In later years his health had rapidly given way; his physical strength had been broken by several severe attacks of disease. During the last months of his life, infirmities had fallen thick upon him; his sight had failed, and at the age of sixty-three he describes himself as "very old, feeble, and having only one eye." 3. Notwithstanding his declining health, Luther did not have the rest he so much needed. The spirit within him was strong, and he kept on preaching and writing. Business of various kinds required his attention. Persons of rank as well as the humble applied to him for advice. Early in 1546, he received an invitation from the counts of Mansfeld to come and settle some disputes regarding their titles to some silver mines in the neighborhood of Eisleben. 4. Being born one of their subjects, Luther would not refuse to comply with the request, and accordingly set out for his native town. His companions were his three sons, John, Martin, and Paul, and his constant friend, Justus Jonas. The river Saale having overflowed, he was five days on the road. 5. Upon his arrival at the Mansfeld estate, he was met by the two counts with a retinue of horsemen, and escorted to the lodgings provided for his reception. Many a proof of affectionate veneration was shown him. The people of Eisleben vied with each other in manifesting the grateful esteem in which they held their fellow-townsman. But the joy which his presence at the place of his birth called forth, was soon to be turned into mourning. 6. The fatigue of so long a journey, undertaken in a severely cold season, over almost impassable roads, proved too much for the health of the reformer. While yet on the road, he became unwell. On entering Eisleben, he grew worse. He recovered, however, and spent his time in prayer, in the business of the counts, and in cheerful conversation. 7. Twice during his stay, he partook of the Lord's Supper, and preached four sermons. In these he touched most eloquently upon all the chief articles of the Christian faith, and protested against all the errors of the Papists, Sacramentarians, and other fanatics. In his last sermon, three days before his death, he took formal leave of his friends at Eisleben, and concluded with the words: "May God grant us His grace, that we may receive His word, increase in the knowledge and faith of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and firmly abide in the confession of His blessed word to the end. Amen." 8. On February 17th, his weakness visibly increased, and he became unable to leave the house. In the evening he complained of a severe pain in his chest. He felt that the end of his life was nigh. 9. Sometime after midnight he was heard to say the following words of prayer: "O my heavenly Father, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom I believe, whom I have preached and confessed, whom I have loved and extolled, whom the pernicious pope and all the ungodly dishonor, persecute, and blaspheme. I pray Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, receive my soul into Thy care. O heavenly Father, although I must leave this body and be torn away from this life, I nevertheless know assuredly that I shall be with Thee forever, and that no one can pluck me out of Thy hands." 10. Thrice he repeated the words: "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth." He then lay quietly, with folded hands and closed eyes, until the question was put to him in loud tones: "Reverend Father, are you willing to die in firm adherence to Christ and the doctrine which you have preached?" to which he answered so distinctly that all could hear: "Yes." This was his last word. 11. Soon his face became deadly pale; his hands and feet became cold; he drew one more deep gentle breath; and yielded up his spirit into the hands of his faithful God. He thus fell asleep in the Lord, Thursday, February 18th, 1546, between two and three o'clock in the morning, in the 63d year of his pilgrimage on earth. 12. The sad tidings of Luther's death rapidly spread and caused general consternation and profound sorrow. The Elector ordered the burial to be at Wittenberg. Accordingly, the corpse was removed, after preliminary funeral services had been held. Princes, nobles, and thousands of common people accompanied the dead hero, weeping and chanting funeral dirges as they moved along. In nearly all the villages bells were tolled, and the people came out and stood with uncovered heads as the remains of their beloved Luther were borne past them. 13. The mournful procession finally reached Wittenberg on the 22d of February. The family of the deceased, the city council, professors and students of the university, with almost the entire population of the city, followed the corpse to the Castle Church. 14. The funeral services were conducted with great solemnity. Dr. Bugenhagen preached a consolatory sermon on 1 Thess. 4, 13. 14. In conclusion Melanchthon delivered a Latin address, after which Luther's remains were lowered into a grave near the pulpit, and thus were sown in weakness, that they might arise on that day to eternal glory. Selected. CXI.-EDDYSTONE LIGHTHOUSE. bea'-con, a signal fire; Leuchtfeuer. droll, queer; sonderbar. a-dorn', to beautify; schmücken. in-tend', to mean; bestimmen. be-nev'-o-lent, kind; wohlwollend. pred-e-ces'-sor, one gone before; Vorgänger. in-scrip'-tion, words written or engraved on a solid substance; 1. Far out in the great harbor of Portsmouth, on the coast of England, at a distance of over fourteen miles from the town, there rises amid the stormy channel waves a group of rocks, the dread of all sailors, and the scene of sad disasters. For more than two centuries, efforts have been made to place a beacon there, to warn vessels and to prevent further loss of lives, and not less than ten structures have been erected on the ill-fated spot. 2. The first of these experiments was perhaps the drollest ever made. E. Wistanley, its author, was already well known all over England as a man of wonderful learning; his home in Exeter was looked at with fear by his neighbors, and visitors whom curiosity or friendship had drawn |