Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1884-01-23
MeIancthOn.

There ID inspiration to any one who
turns his thoughts for moment from
these puriie times of softness and mercen-
airy self seeking, TO look back upon some
of these grand old heroic characters that
loom in the back ground of our ecclesias.
tical history, chastened as they were, in
the purifying fires of the spirit of martyr
dom; and especially so, when we are
Privileged to regard a character so excep-
tionally great and pure AS that of Mel
ancthon, the friend OF Martin Luther and
the learned layman of Wittemberg. Ger
tain.y indeed he ought not to be quite lost
to view in this year of jubilee. Melanc-
lhon was, easily, the leading star,of second
magnitude, in the constellation of great
names that cluster in the armament OF
the reformation. Luther said of him he
is n wonderful man in whom everything
is almost supernatural.
In his acumen as a philosopher and
critic and in his varied and marvellous
erudtion he surpassed all the scholars of
his day and yet with all this combination
of great qualities, there was associated an
artless grace and elegance of speech, a
simple piety and sweetness of temper
that casts charm around his name. His
was not only a great and splendid intellect
whio h before all the scholars of his time.
who could take in with ease the most sub.
tie philosophers, clear them of all irrele-
want and extrancous matter, reduce them
to simplicity and then hold them up before
his class like transparency in his lucid
dicticn, but he had a soul, gifted with a
tineness and delicacy of sensibllity quite
as remarkable. Born in Bretten, in the
province of the Rhine, February 10th,
1897, he received the degree of A. B. at
the university of Heidelberg. when IA
years of age, then "oeing d distinguished as
a linguiSl' and attracting the attention of
eminent scholars. He identified himself
with the reformation in the second year,
from its origin, accepting about the same
time the professorship of Greek in Wittem
berg university, refusing calls 10 the same
chair from two other universities, and this
in his 22l year. He wrote various text
books. and according TO Hallam, the his
torian, was "far above ali others. the
founder of general learning throughout
Europe" Hence Protestant Wittemberg
became the light of nations. Two years
after the great debate between Luther and
DR.. Eek at Leipsic, in 1921. he published
work which proved 10 be the foundation
of Protestant systematic theology. We
are told that Luther often remarked of this
that, "here" was 'more solid doctrine
contained in this little book than in any
other doctrine since the days of the apos
tles.'
In 1880 Meancthon met the emperor at
the Diet of Augsburg and composed the
Augsburg confession, while Luther was
hid away by his friends in Coburg Castle
This confession, after some revision,
finally became the confession of faith
among the Lutheran churches. Beside
this large number of pamphlets, books
and treaties came from his fruitful pen,
covering all the ground of theological dis.
puation. He took active part also in the
great controversies and debates and lectured
regularly to his students. The great thee.
Logan of the new rising Protestant world,
he was too finely wrought for bold
aggressive leader,--yet true as lem.
pered steel when under the leadership of
the "Lion of the Reformation" they,
Luther and Malancthon were the compli-
ments of each other, and were mutually
necessal y to each others success and fame
Malanc thon was Luther's teacher, though
IA years his junior, of whom, as teacher
Luther said II desire no other so long as
he SHALL live" For IA years after Luther's
death he bore the burden as the acknowl-
edged head of the reformation, weighed
down with insuperable burdens. At the
close of life he remarked two reasons why
he desired TO leave this life. First, that
may enjoy the sight of the son of God
and the church in Heaven" Next, that
may be set free from the monstrous fury
of the theologians." From Luther and
Luther's work, he had not been estranged
in life, aud in death they were not separa-
rated, for he was buried by the side of
Luther in the old church yard, at Wittem-
berg April 10Th, 1860, where on the 300,h
anniversary Of his death a monument was
erected over his grave. A parallel is
drawn by ap able historian between these
two distinguished characters, in which it
is remarked that Luther communicated
vigor to Melancthon :-Melanclhon mod
Grated Luther. They were like positive
and negative agents in electricity, by
whose reciprocal action an equilibrium is
maintained" "Melanchon's appearance
wrought revolution in the learned world
The sweet spirit of the gospel fer,ilized
and animated all his reflections. The
crility that the scholastic philosophy had
spread over instruction was gone. Thanks
to him, Nuremberg became the school OF
the nations "
ERNEsTUs.