Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-03

principles as did Luther and his fellow reform
| ers. Private judgement was their wetchwOrd,
but each one had curses and vile epithets for
| those who did not blindIy accept his own dog
mas.
| AUTHORIZING BIGAMY.''
| Unyielding before men whose power he had to
dread, Luther, when his interests were at stake,
could bend his pride into most servile syce-
phancy. He was ready to find new meanings in
the scriptures at the bidding of princes whose
protection he required in his defiance of the en-
peror and the Pope. His sanction of the bigamy
| of Philip, the Landgrave of Hesse, reveals his
| loyalty to principle. Philip had been married
for sixteen years to Christina of Saxony; he
now felt that he should take also to himself Mar
garet de Sael, one of the fascinating beauties of
| the court. Private Interpretation of the Word
served him well, for he read in Genesis, he said,
| ''now Lamech said to his wives" 1t was clear
| duty for him to be able to speak also to ''hls
wives,' and Margaret must be welded as well as
Christina. However, good Protestant though
he was, he did not rely altogether on his reading
of the Bible, and he denied the authorization of
Wittenberg. Bucer, the reformer of Strass-
bours, gave his consent to the proposed mar
riage, but Luther was higher than Bucar in
Philips esteem. He sent pressing letters to
Luther, with strong hints as to what he might
do in case of refusal.
Luther's letters, with bis own and the signatures
of Melancht-n N and Wittenberg doctors attach
ed, says ''If your highness is determined to
marry a second wife, we judge that it ought to
be done privately, that is, that there be no per-
son but the celebrant and few witnesses. x =
+ You have therefore in this writing not
only our appreciation of your wish in all the ex
gencies that may occur, but also the reflections
we have made on it'' This is not 'scondoning''
bigamy-an act sufficiently disgraceful in re-
former. but positively authorizing it. Luther was
ashamed of his servility; hence his request that
the matter be kept secret. But Philip had no
such fear of public opinion, and he made his
marriage known to his friends and subjects.
When walking to church he was won't to take
with him the two wives, one each arm. Had
Carlstadt been consulted he would have hesitat-
ed less than Luther, as he professed the doctrine
that Christian need put no limit to the num-
ber of his wives.
LUTHER AND THE PEASANTS"
he gall in Luther's nature made itself mani
fest III his views the public questions of the
day in which, if ever, we should
have expected from the reformer
an enlighte ed beneficent policy
There can be no doubt but hat his own teach
ings, to a very great extent, were the cause of
the uprising of the German peasants, known
TIE peasant war. Mupzsr, their leader, accused
him of having been the 1Lstigator of the insur-
reetlon. Ihe religious Ii ierty preached by
Luther" says Menzel in his history of Ger
many, twas understood by the peasants as also
implying the political freedom for which they
sighed" His book on the Secular Magistracy''
directed against princes who opposed his
reformation, exhibits his principles regarding
the temporal as well as the spiritual authorities
IN Germany: .God Almighty has made our prin-
ces mad, SO that they imagine they can act and
command their subjects they please Since
fhr.h
prince is rare upon earth, but still, prince
who was a good man. They commonly the
greatest fools and rascals upon earth, of whom
we need expect but little goods The peasants
had, beyond doubt, many serious causes of
complaint, and apart from the fact that they
were following out his own teachings, they had
reason on the ground of general kindness to the
poor and distressed to expect from Luther COM
passionate tenderness. Far otherwise YVES it with
him. AS the war began he published pamphlet
against 1.-THE furious peasantry'' sin which says
Menzel he called upon all the citizens Of the en-
pire to strangle, to stab them secretly and eper-
Iy, as they can, as wonld kill a mad dog"
His writings no longer SAVIOR of liberty, of re-
sistance to oppression. ''A rehel'' he says sis
under the ban Of God and the emperor.
He who strangles him first
does right well. Strike, slay, front
and rear" The war ended in most bloody butch
erings of the unfortunate peasants. II, Mar
tin Luther" the reformer wrote, Shave slain all
the peasants, because commanded them to be
killed. Their blood is upon my head" Luther,
wrote Caspar Won Sohwenkfeld, s'has led the
people out of Egypt 1.-The papacyl through the
Red sea, 1.-THE peasant warl but has deserted
them in the wilderness" Luther, according to
Menzel, never forgave Won Schwenkfed for
this bitter satire. Strange perversion of history
that Luther could ever come to be considered
an advocate for popular liberty. He despised
| the masses, and preached de>potic treatment of
| them. In a letter to John Ruhel he says: ga
wise man YES to the ass, food, a pack-saddle
and the whip, to the peasant oat-straw. If they
are not content, give them the cudgel and the
| carbine. 1t is the due.'
JEWS AND TURKS
! The Jews in Germany were another class up
on whom rested many odious civil restrictions.
| Luther hated them. He proposed to Danish
| from Germany all who bore the name of Jew.
''We ought not,'' he says in the Tisch- Reden
| ito suffer the Jews among US, ought neither
to eat nor drink with them'' He often refers to
the Jews in the ''Reden,'' but L do not dar G
| quote from the work literally.
| He loved the Turks, however, and when their
armies were invading the Christian states of
Europe and threatening with fierce destruction
| all Christian civilization, Luther raised his
voice loud and frequent to oppose the war
agains; tbs Turks. He forbade his followers to
contribute toward repUislDg them, called them
the instruments of providence, and declared
that to oppose them was to oppose providence
| His love for the Turks was his hatred of Chris
ten ON.
Luther's private life and character surely. af
ford no theme to the panegyrist nor do they
! indicate the man raised up by heaven to re-
form Chrisiendom.
LUTHER AS TEACHER.
We will consider his official teaching and ask
if Luther at least as teacher is entitled to the
esteem and reverence of intelligent God-fearin 8
christians. He taught rebellion against the
Catholic church and his war led away from hel
bosom legions of her children. The right ane
merits of Luther's rebellion against the church
will examine in another lecture. But what
ever our views on this one point rebellion is al
best a mere negative work; it is destruction
atearing down. Merit properly consists in build
lug up, in giving hoiier and batter system o.
religion than the one which has been set aside.
| There vera hundreds of rebels against the
church before Luther, from Arius and hacido o
MUS in the east, to the Albingeses and tbs Hus
sites in the west. The prieciole of rebellion IL
itself constitutes title to pra Sc In olden o
modern ii nes. The positive principles il
religion which Luther specially advocated wer
the private interpr tation of the scriptures
servitude of will and Justification by fai t
only.
| PRIVATE INTERPRETATION.
The private Interpretation of Scriptures. Th
! aT,r,ravos ItsalF fborOuohlv IN tha RI