The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-05
ARcmarknbIe New Sect.


the followers OF GRUNDTvIG repudiate the
authority of the Scriptures, yet they cling
devoutly to the divinity of CHRIST and
regard the infdel with passionate abhor-
renee. In some respects analogous TO the
Quakors, they by no means concur in
counting social isolation, for their zeal
and activity have been signallzed in all
the functions Of national life. While they
reject the cardinal tenet Of LUTHER, they
have contrived to steer clear OF schsm
and continue to propagate their hetero-
dox opinions within the pale Of the Lu-
theran communion. And finally, the
founder and apostle Of their creed, who
affected in some sort the character Of n
prophet, was so far from being without
honor that he died "A bishop of the estab-
lished church. loved and venerated by his
peculiar people and respected by the en-
tire nation.
Like SwEDENBoRo, GRuNDTvIG was
rather poet than n philosopher, and he
seems 10 have had n useful knack of COM
binng politics with theology. The son Of
country vicar, and himself educated ut
the divinity school OF Copenhagen, he
showed no aptitude for the paternal pro-
fession. hut devoted the best years of his
youth and manhood to literary work. In
the wide circuit of his secular writings the
central aim is TO impress his couniiymen
with lively sense of their majestic past,
and furthermore with a conviction that
the heirs and sole trustees of the antique
virtues are TO be found in the peasant
class untainted by admixture of blood,
and uuwarpcd by foreign principles or
| customs.
GRUNDTvIG was more than forty years
| OF age when the publication of n rational
| istic book impugning the credbility OF the
| Scriptures reused the latent piety of his
nature, and transformed the man OF letters
into the hcterodo X champion of the Chris
tan faith. Profoundly although unwill-
ingly shaken by the arguments which i'm
| peached the sacred writings, yet recoilng
| from a skeptical inference, he managed TO
extricate himself from the dilemma by n de-
vice which had, at all events, the merit OF
| ingenuity. Observing that Biblical exc
gesis conducts, for the most part, TO d.
| vergent opinions, and holding scholastic
discussions and potterings over words in
| great contempt, GRUNDTvIG came to the
conclusion that GOD could not have in
| trusted his revelation 10 a parcel of mis-
| cellaneous and often incomprehensi
| books. He bethought himself that there
must have existed ut least one generation
Of Christians before the compilation of the
gospels, and he infers that there must be
rule OF faith outside OF the Scriptures. that,
namely, by which believers Of an earlier
| day were guided. This rule he finds i'm the
symbolic lesson which he supposes CHRIST
| to have confided by word of mouth to his
| disciples after the resurrection, and which
he assumes TO have been perpetuated by
tradition.
This constitutes the basis OF GRuNDrvre's
doctrine, and this it is which his adherents
are fond OF calling his incompatible dis
covery." Next to the Quantum Of truth
possessed and orally transmitted by the
apostles, which supplies the living source
of faith, he makes baptism the second con-
dItion Of salvation. Baptism being an
| terror TO the New Testament, since JESUS
himself received this sacrament from
! JONI, II passes, like oral tradition, un-
scathed by the doubts cast on the sacred
texts, and ascends directly to CHRIST him
self. In the view Of the Grundtvigians
the gospels although not holy, are still
venerable as the broken and uncertain
echo OF Cons spoken word, but their sense
can only be detected by the ear of faith-a
faith grounded on the unwrittcn uttennce
piously treasured in the hearts Of true be-
| levers.
| Fantastic az these ideas appear-and
even grossly illogical, since the fact of
CHRIsT's baptism, as well as the cardinal
| fact n hiq raatirpaatian N M NJ at.
evidence than that OF the Evangelists
whom GRuNDTvIG abjures-they found
| prompt ana widespread acceptance. A
corps Of disciples was speedily recruited,
not so much from the more enlightened
classes, as from those tender and pious
souls frightened by rationalism. and TAX
| ing refuge from the perils of Independent
investigation in the facile doctrine here
| presented. As converts became numerous
and Jealous, the scheme OF u separate or
ganization was mooted; but GRUNDTvIo
| preferred 20 develop his opinions within
| the established church. His influence with
the King procured an ordinance which
accorded 10 the denizens Of any parish the
right of receiving the sacraments from
other hands than their own vicar's-a
measure tantamount TO the sanction OF
dissent. This was followed some years
later by more decisive legislation, which
allowed a stated number of citizens TO elect
and support their pastor.
GRUNDTvIG's death, which occurred
three years ago, did not arrest the impetus
of the propaganda; and although 1t is
hardly possible to determine the precise
number Of his followers, II is certain that
they constitute an important fraction of
the population of Denmark. They have
secured no insignificant representation In
Parliament, and possess several organs in
the press. Separate churches they do not
affect, but they maintain some sixty high
schools for the incubation OF their found
er's tenets. The movement has even ex-
tended beyond the sea, and in Norway has
made notable progress. On several occa-
sions congress Of theologians from the
three Scandinavian kingdoms has assem-
BLEED at the instance of GRUNDTvIG 20 dis
cuss the principles OF the new dogma,
The Grundtvigians profess profound at
nTl.W