Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-24

god. the preaching of the gospel to saw
age nations, the instructing of the ignor-
ant, the building Of asylums and hospitals,
the whole work of Christian civilization
has followed from the hope sustained by
Christs promise, and now the world 10
told that good works Of whatever kind
avail nothing for eternity.
When to these teachings on total de-
pravity and justification by faith alone,
we add those of Luther on the index VIZ
tue of all morality, chastity-his approval
OF bigamy, his authorization of adultery in
his sermon on marriage, his preaching the
impossibiiity of continence-we stand
aghast with horror at the thought that he
was received as a teacher of Christianity.
How Luther and those who with him re-
belled against the church and its sweet
doctrine Of hope and love have come to be
called by ages reformers, and to be looked
upon as apostles of pure morals and pure
doctrines. is to my mind ine1pllcabie,
unless it be through the same phenomenon
which sometimes allows satan to pass as
an angel of light.
MORALS AMONG LUrHKR's DISCIPLES.
For the practical effects of Luther's
principles upon morals l will confne my
remarks to the immediate epoch of the re-
Iigiols revolution of the sixteenth century,
when his principles were fully adopted by
his followers. A reformation was pro.
posed, consequently the least to be ex-
pectsd was state of morals superior to
what had existed in the Catholic church.
Sir Vim. Hamilton (Discussion)
and Hallam, Lisersture) both Protest
ant writers, have spoken in strong
terms Of the dissolute manners which fol-
lowed the reformation IN Germany. Hal
lam tells US with truth that "Munzer and
KipperdollIng and the whole rabble of An
abaptist fanatics were the legitimate
brood of Luther's early doctrine.
And even," he continues, "if we
set those aside it Is certain that We find no
testimonies to shy reform of manners IN
the countries that embraced it. This great
practical deficiency in the Lutheran refor-
nation is confessed by Its OWE writer's"
Menzel, the German Protestant historian,
gives distressing picture of the morals
at the courts of the princes who abetted
the Lutheran movement: "A new species
of bsrbarism had found admittance into
the Protestant courts and universities.
The Lutheran chaplains shared their infu-
ence over the princes with mistresses,
boon comparisons, astrologers. The Prot
estant princes, rendered by the treaty of
Augsburg unlimited dictators in matters
of faith within their territories, had lost
all sense of shame. Philip of Hesse mar
ried two wives. Bcandenburg and pious
Saxony yielded TO temptation. The
princes em1lateG each other in drunken
ness. y j X The Ascsnian family of
Laueuberg was sunk in vic5. Ths same
license continued from one generation to
another. y * = ThS Protestant clergy
of this duchy were proverbjai for ignor
auce, license and immortality" Dollinger
IN his history OF the reformation has gath
cred together eli testimonies OF the reform
ers themselves and theiI disciples upon the
morals among the early Professionals of
Germany. They leave no a doubt
that the period WAS most corrupt, and two
things in relation to it became evident
from their stsleme nts-that the morals Of
the reformation were far below those of
previous Catholic periods of time, and
that as Justification Of their acts the
disciples of the reformers ap-
pealed TO their own religious
principles upon sin and good works.
luther himself says, Everything is
reversed, the world grows every day worse
for this teaching; and She misery of it is
that men are nowadays more covetous,
licentious, and more wicked than OF old
under the Papacy." "Our evapgelicals,"
Luther again says, ''are now seven-fold
more wicked than they were before. In
proportion as we hear tbs gospel, We steal,
lie, cheat, gorge, swill and commit evsry
crime. If one devil has been driven out OF
US seven worse ones have taken their
place, to Judge from the conduct OF
princes, lords, mobiles, burgesses and
peasants, their utterly shameless acts, and
their disregard of God and his menaces."
Under the Papacy men were charitable
and gave freely; now all aims giving is at
an end, everyone aeeces his neighbor. The
longer the gospel is preached the deeper
do men sink IN Ryarice, pride and osten-
tation. 1 often wish that these flthy
swine bellies were back again under the
tyranny of the pope" Luther makes
startling acknowledgement as to the effect
of his doctrines upon morals. "The peas
ants have become utterly beyond restraint,
and think they can do what they please.
They no longer fear either he'll or purga-
tory but content themselves with saying Il
believe, shall be saved" The last year
of his life he wrote-"my only hope is In
the near approach of the last day-the
world has become SO barbarous, so tired of
the word of God"
Melanchton writes, "the morals Of the
people, all that they do, all that they neg
lect to do, are becoming every day worse;
gluttony, debauohery, RIGHTEOUSNESS
wantonness are gaining more and more
the upper hand"
Sarcerius, writing in 1854, says, "We
Germans nowadays can boast but little of
the virtue of chastity, and that little is
disappearing so fast chat We can hardly
speak of it any more. The number who
still love it are so small that it would be
matter not of surprise, but of absolute
horror. Debauchery prevails without fear
and without shame" Flaccus Illyricus
wrote that the immortality of Wittenberg
was great cause ID the decay of the uni
yer5ity, parents seeing no difference be-
tween sending their sons to dens of vice and
sending them to Wisten berg. Cor refer
ences vide Dollinger.)
THE EASY ROAD To SALVATION.
The easy road to salvation preached by
Luther was the great cause of til, rapid
spread of his reformation. Melanchtons
definition of it as "a convenient mode OF
living" was powerful sid for followers