New-York daily tribune., 1859-08-04
"LTTHERANS AND SABBATH OBSER-
VANCES" REVIE WE'D.
r, t,e Ed,,o. Of ne ". Y. T,bsxa


To At Edi,O- Of rns N Y T,,s.nA
SIR: II Nj. Schaum is in reality Lutheran Minis
ter, as is conteDded why does not Mr.. H. furnish us
with the psme Of tie Synod of which he is memher'
Ttat will decide the matter. If It cannot be shoxa
ths. he ards in connection with some accredited
Lutheran Sypod 10 this country he is entitled
TO pass for Lutheran, thao for Presbyterian or
Methodist minister. While Mr.. II. gathering
information from the Rev. Mr.. Steemle, did he ask
him whether Mr.. Schsum known and recog NSed
a. Lutheran minister or PASTOR ard 80, what ~as
bis reply
ton of it, in the Up'e States doe. not approve of
cur Sunday laws why does not Mr.. Ii get Mr. Steemie
some OF her numerous other ministers IN tnw Guy
and vcinisy TO sgr his counter memorial and joan htn
in his crusade against the observance OF the Sab
bath
Again: what authority has Mr.. II. for saying that
Lutherans are followers Of Lutherl We are fol-
low els Of the Lord Jesus Christ we own and follow
DO other master But, even If We were ouly Latser's
followers we ,hcud still have the satisfaction OF know.
leg that in supporting the enforcement ot our sunday
laws, we stand exactly where the ilasuipus retormH
stood Hear him: "Tbe irst case in which q nsn u
excusable for dopg work the sacred day is taa, Of
hsccssHy Yet thou mu- undertand that thou art nos
to devse for self work Of necessity 6nt me Hes-
sny must Be thrust on thee 6y dccideHf. Physicans,
&C.. these all excusable of necessity. But
here we asked whether Wttenbergers are excusa-
BILE in shooting at the popnso with the crossbox on
the sacred dsyor that could be done another day
and there is necessity. love, moderation to
excuse such a thing. and the atierRopa Of the day
should be koly 10 God rel the forenoon. Ia the
same way is 10 be garded the practice of iapsc ing
arms ard accoutTements on Sunday, as 1t tnat, too,
coud lot be done on week day. TINS is q matter to
which ne magistrates skouid direct attention" The
Ten Commandments, ruth a Brit Exposition.
Again: "They violate the commandment to kesp
the Sabbath holy who indulge in surferiog drunkeo-
ress dancing, loi eriog abou, wan.ouDess they Who
in hlassinps the sacred DfnOo
by sleeping, negligent OF the ordinances, take
pleasure walks engage IN idle talk; they who ~nhoat
special necessity ab,r and des they woo DO nos
pray, do not mediate on Chrsts suforags do not
mourn over their siLs, and long for grace &c. Larger
Cdfeckism, 1879. .
Again: "Tbe command of the Sabbsth is in itself
a command to all the world. For the proper iosa o.
the comInsud tnat sha teach ami hear the WORD
on Gods day. in order that may sauctify both tue
day and ourselves" Against the Sabatartdns, toSS.
Again: THE Sabbath is ordained from the begia-
" ming OF tire world tor the service " uod. -Co"-
ment0ry on Genesis
These quotations, with many others that might %
made both from Luthers writings aud the Confessions
of the Lutheran Church, show very clearly tna gen
ercsly considered, be regarded the Sabbath o per-
petual and universal divine obhgauon; 500 tna' under
the New.Testameot oi peusatlon, IS obligatory upos
all to keep holy the first day OF the week. 70 con.
secraie il to God, and to this end to ABSTAIN upon
from all works except those oi necessity uotcy o"~
the service Of God.
No; the Sunday of Luther ia not voluntary, ou. ae
obligatory Sunday. II is au entire day, not nan
day Dot a morning for the church aud an ateraooe
for the beer saloon or the dance the idle saunter
holy day, not a holiday. And this is the sunday "
the Lutheran Church III America
The orly feature of the popular theologcA view ~
the Sabbath winch Lulhsr rejected, is the specific
cereu obia Oblig aGd intrinsic morit01Jusnsss q
the Jewish Sabbath; and il was while decls,miaG
against it that he used the language quoted by Mr.
H.. if indeed be ever did it at all, for the book
called Lutber's Tabe-Talk" from winch the quots-
ton is taken, is not much relied upon by any ot his
bographers and altogether rejected by others Bsn0p
After bury says: Luthers Tabe-Talk is book that
has not bet receic into the by the learned.
II depends purely upon the credit of one Won Spar,
who tells blind s'ory Of his finding it in the ruins
" Of old house, many years after Luther, and Aurt
Z" faber, the pretended compiler, were dead. It's
also worthy OF observation tnat Mehelet himself
acknowledges that many Of the stories which he has
taken from the Table Talk" aud incorporated into
his book not voucbed tor by the eJitor as having
been obtained directly from Lu her. admitting tnen to
have been set down from common report; aud we au
know how little confidence is to be reposed in such
statements.
Asst the quotation from DR.. Mems book, ths
portion Of the Lutheran Church has uni ed on what s
called the ID, finite Platform, 1t has only this muce
of truth in it-tbat such an attempt was made about
the lime the Doctor wrote hir book but hProved 70
be miserable failure "a ell well know who arc &C.
auainted with the history Of the movement.
When Luther SAYS There is no necessity for keep.
irg the sabbath" and the Augsburg Confession thss
:" the Scripture has sbrogated The Saooatn reference
il bad of course to the ceremonial Sabbsfh of the
jews Is it fair tear expressions from their proper
con cton and thus make their author tetch difsr-
ent doctrine from what he in'eDded
The writer would only yet add that he has no malice
IN crafty against Mr. Sc6aum He has been put forth
by his iiiendp il not by himself Lutheran minis
ter in connection calculated 10 mislead tue Christian
public as to The position of the Lutheran Church res-
tive to the Sunday laws. To prevent su IN missppFe-
hepsion was my sole for suggesting course OF
inquiry which thus far clearly shown that Mr. s.,
however worthy he may besn other respects, is not
Lutheran err sDd therefore has no right to SPEAK
for the Lutheran Church on this or any oher ques-
t;on A LUrHERAs MINISTER.