The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-09-20

spiritual progeny that the Word has not
been Suffered to stand" If it be true, to !
quote the saying of q recent Broad Church |
essayist, that "the doctrine of plenary in
spiration (the fundamental tenet of the Re-
formatiOn) has broken like packthread be-
fore the rising gales of scientific discovery
and historical research" the children of the
believed in the great Protestant prophet
they are content to disbelieve and build his
sepulchre. One of the Inscriptions is:
"Those that rightly understand Christ will
not be moved by what man may eDjOln.
They are free, not in the flesh, but in the
vim and Ulrich Zwingli care APPLY placed
under this MOTTO" We quite agree with
him. The collocation is exceedingly apt,
whichever way it be taken. If it be in
tended to represent Luther's toleratlon OF
their differences from himself, it is sufficient
pressing it. If their own iberality OF senti-
ment is referred to, it was strikingly exem-
plified when Calvin sent Servetus to the
stake. BY rejecting &C. what man may en-
join," Luther meant rejecting what the
Pope may enjoin. Those who rejected his
own testimony might be free in the
spirit" but it was no fault of bis if they
were "free in the flesh /" to indulge their
heretical proclivities. He insisted that no
government could tolerate heresy without
becoming responsible for the souls 1T de-
stroyed, and that it was a duty to put down
denominations, among which he expressly
reckoned denial of his own theory OF JUS
LITIGATION, and the idolatry" of the mass.
Beza and Zwingli wrote strongly in the
same sense; and the "mild and temperate
Melanchtllon," as he is called in the descrlp-
ton of his figure on the monument, main
tanned, with strange inconsistency, that
"new opinions" should be punished with
death, and highly extolled the "pious and
memorable example" of the burning of Ser
vetus.
Luther, as we have seen, cannot be held
to represent any single positive conviction
of the German Protestants of to-day. But
we have more direct, not to say grotesque,
evidence, in the account of the recent fes-
tival, that he was glorified, not as a religious
prophet, but as a nationalhero. According
to one narrative of the celebration, the
most striking speech delivered was that
of the mayor of the city. I" who is a Catho-
lic," adds the writer, |" as are three -fourths
of the citizens of Worms" The mayor
said, in substance, that he considered Luther
very fine fellow, and hOnored him for his
boldness and sincerity. So do we, on the
whole, though his boldness was apt to de-
generate into bravado, and his sincerity
often took the form of what, in anybody
else, would be termed outrageous coarse.
ness. There is no reason why Germans
both Catholic and Protestant, should not
| unite In paying homage TO their natlOna
hero. And if the Queen thinks it due tc
the memory of the departed descendant o.
Frederick the Wise to express persona
interest in the solemnity, no one can com
| plain of her doing SO. But 1T Is not obvious
why Her Majesty should send telegram
expressing the sympathies of Protestan
England :" with German national festival
Protestant England has no more concern
with the matter than Orthodox Russia O.
Catholic France. One point OF contact, bu
hardly of sympathy, there is between Lu
ther and our English sovereigns. He
{ Majesty owes her title of "Defender OF tn
Faith" to a book written by one OF he
/ royal ancestors to refute his novel doctrln
of the sacraments. If we sympathize wit
the inauguration of Luther's monument q
: Worms, it is in just the same sense that W
= sympathize with the ceremony held til
f other day at Orleans to celebrate the mem
1 DRY of Joan of Arc; and we did not hear {
n any telegram being dispatched on that OF
o casion to the French Emperor. A nation;
t, fete is very proper thing, IN its way, b,
8 it is always better to call things by the
q right names. The Germans are not cell
o bratpg the triumph of Lutheran doctrine
e which they have long since rejected; al
e the triumph achieved by Luther hlmse
1T was that of particularly narrow and into
y Grant theological system, not OF rellglo
t. liberty.
Id PURCHASE OF CHURCH.-Thc Bost'
t. Pilot says: We are glad to learn that Nc
oil Hampshire is not behind the other Stat
n of the Union in the progress of our he
n religion. We have heard with pleasu
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