HARMS, GEORG LUDWIG DETLEV THEODOR (commonly known as Ludwig Harms): German Lutheran and founder of the Her- Early Life. mannsburg mission; b. at Walsrode (45 m. s.w. of Luneburg), Hanover, May 5,1808; d. at Hermannsburg (50 m. s. of Hamburg ), Hanover, Nov. 5, 1865. He studied theology at Göttingen from 1827 to 1830; but while at first influenced by the prevailing rationalism, his trial sermon of 1833 emphasized justification by faith. Harms became private tutor at Lauenburg, in the house of Chamberlain von Linstow, where he met a small circle of Pietists. He shared at this time their views of a living faith and of the gratuitous justification of the sinner by faith, but also their indifference toward confessional distinctions, their other-worldliness, and their lack of appreciation of the Church and its ordinances. He soon became the leading personality in this circle, and developed especial interest in missions. In 1834 he founded a missionary society in Lauenburg, which in 1836 became a branch of the newly organized North German Missionary Society. In 1839 Harms re turned to the home of his parents and assisted his father during the winter. In 1840 he again became private tutor at Luneburg, where an active Christian life had developed under the influence of the Lüneburg preacher Deichmann. Harms now became the leading spirit of this circle. He preached often, and was also active in the practical duties of the ministerial office; but at the same time he did not lose sight of the cause of missions, to which he at tributed the greatest importance for the development of the Church in modern times.

In spite of his successful activity at Lürieburg, however, he longed for a position as preacher, but owing to the superabundance of candi-

Pastor in dates, it was impossible for him to Ltineburg. realize his desire. He declined a call as teacher at the missionary institution at Hamburg and another as pastor in New York. He wished to preach among his own Lüneburg people, and his longing was fulfilled in 1844 when the consistory made him his father's assistant. His great activity now began, and with it an awakening such as has seldom been seen in North Germany. His father had prepared the way, but Harms himself

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worked unremittingly, not only by sermons and services which took up the whole Sunday, but also by his personal association with his congregation. A feature of his work was the meetings held in his house every Sunday afternoon. Harms always used the Low-German dialect, the common speech of the peasants, and his gift of popular story-telling aided him greatly in these social gatherings.

But after all his main power lay in his sermons. Harms understood, as few have done since Luther, how to preach to the people, especially

His to the peasants. Popularity formed Preaching. the fundamental trait of his manner of preaching, which was based upon simplicityand clearness. His sermons were not artistic from the homiletic point of view, the themes being in most cases mere headings, the different parts only loosely connected, and the structure simple, nor were his sermons above the average from the exegetical standpoint. The range of thought was narrow, the same ideas occurring again and again, often, even in the same words. The main theme was the necessity of a thorough conversion, justification by faith, and the proof of faith in Christian conduct. In bodily gifts Harms was sadly lacking. His voice was hollow and at times shrill, his manner in the pulpit somewhat stiff. But the result of his devoted labor soon showed itself in a real change of life in his congregation. Regular attendance at church, regular devotions at home, and strict observance of Sunday became a fixed rule in his congregation. The charitable work of the congregation assumed large dimensions. People from other parishes poured into his, church, and Harms became their spiritual father, and even in their absence remained their faithful adviser by an .extensive oorrespondence.

In this way Harms laid the basis for his missionary congregation; for that was his idea from the beginning: a parochial mission, a mis-

The sion of the State Church. In his earlier Hermanns- years he had been asked to found a burg missionary institution, but he declined Mission. until he became the official pastor of Hermannsburg in 1849, after his father's death. In his report to the consistory he stated his reasons for founding his own missionary establishment instead of joining one of the existing institutions. He cherished the idea of colonial missions, holding that missionaries should not be scattered, but form a Christian colony in heathen countries. In this way, he thought, it would be easier to gather a strong congregation. After its development a second colony should be founded in the vicinity of the first, and after the second a third, and so on, so that a connecting chain of congregations would come into existence. Harms thought that by virtue of the close connection of these colonies with the mother congregation, the solidarity of Lutheran confessionalism would be guarded against the disintegrating influences of other denominations. But the consistory did not agree with him; and he was compelled to follow substantially the plan of other missionary societies. He lived long enough to see the growth of his missionary enterprise, but he might have lived longer

if he had not undermined his health by excessive work, without even temporary recreations. His publications were sermons and devotional writings, which achieved an extraordinary popularity in Germany.

(G. Uhlhorn†.)

Bibliography: T. Harms, Lebenabeschrsibung des Pastors Louis Harms, Hermanmsburg, 1874 (by his brother); H. Kpaut, Louis Harms, Göttingen, 1899.