Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1884-02-21

inform him that he found fault with it
on the ground that il was not true.
And if true, as now admitted, pray
wherein consisted its offensive boldness2
Is il offensive, then, to speak the truth
of Luther? And my crime, it now
seems, consisted, in part. at least in my
daring to say OF Luther what Rev f.
did not want said, though true. Unfair.
ness he calls il, as IL seems, because, rs
he alleges, Luther did not remain pre-.
destinarian. He says. you might rs
well charge him with being n Roman
Catholic or a Monk. He was these, but
did he remain them?' answer most
emphatically, Luther lived and died an
unconditional predcstnarian. This is
candidly admitted, also, by a majority
of "out and out Lutherans." Butsomc
Lutherans have claimed otherwise for
two reasons /. That in later years he
allows the doctrine to fall more into the
background: and 2d, that it is not con.
sisteut with his doctrine of the Sacra-
ments. Beyond this, they have moth
ing to rest their claim upon-not ono
line he ever wrote, nor single utter.
ance that has been preserved to our
hRNs lhNli 10 tAlfNf u - All7ff lfNF VIZ
the other side, that making less account
Of a doctrine is not retraction; and as
for logical consistency, all the worlt
knows he never asked about logical con
sistency. The evidence on,the other side
is most conclusive. In the year 1887,
Luther reaflirmed his book "De Scryip
Arh,trio." ms one OF his very best In
l5ll. only two years before his death,
in his commentary on Genesis--hls last
great work-he still maintains and d..
fcnds his former views on predcstiua.
ton. Dr.. Luthardt, in his book, "On
the Freedom Of the Will p. LAG, says
he never recalled but retained his
earlier views of predcstinatIon.' DR..
Kocstlin aflirms the same thing in most
explicit language. In Hcrzogs Cyclic
pedia, vol. ;, p. GA, he says that in later
life be no longer repeated those hard.
sounding phrases concerning the rela
ton of the divine will to sin. and dis.
couraged also the discussion of the grs a.
mystery, considering it something not
10 be discussed but rather to be receiy.
cd in reverent submission; but koest.
lin goes on to say, she never in any way
makes any declaration which is intend
ed by him as retractlon or even mod.
iiicalion of the doctrines of that book
De Servo Arbitrio.l Yea, say most
there j. no evidence what
ever that Luther ever changed on the
subject OF prcde-tinatism. lie lived
and died an unconditional prcdc-tinn-
rian. The Smalcald Ariicicle- once
more. Rev. +. has tried 20 make capi.
tai out of the fact that | had no copy
of these Articles bat relied on the au.
thortiy Of others. But | have them
now. In Part 3d. Art |, Luther denies
as q scholastic error. that man has free.
dom of will To forc-akc the evil and do
the good, and to for.ake the good and 10
the evil. l"Dass der mcnsch frcieu
willie habr das bocse zu lasscn und das
CUTE "a CUTE und wi.dcrum da,
CUTE "a las~cu uud das hoc-e zu thun. "
There i the slavery of the human will
in plaincst language. II lies not in tLc
first but in the last clause. Wemust all
admit that man has no power to forsakc
the evil and do the gool-that he can
do 30 only through divine grace: but II
we deny that he has no freedom or pow.
cr to torsakc the good and do the evil.
the freedom Of the human will in IL re-.
lation 10 the divine sovereignty j.
absolutely gone. and man becomes q.
responsive and obcdicnt 10 the divine
will n the planets in the heavens
And that such unfrcc, absolute
Of the human will
to the divine. can be logically con.
nected only with unconditional predes. !
it is hardly necessary for me to /
sdd. So SchaH and Dorner were .afe |
guides after all, and the Smalisld art'. |
rles do involve predestiUation. Rev.
F.'s assertion that DR.. Walther admits 1
his doctrine To BE- un. Lutheran is simply /
IauRhable. DR.. wAlther and the Mis-. !
souri, Synod Nre the strictest Luther.
ans in the world-"the out and nut
Lutherans.' They charge all non pre-.
Lutherans with being no |
Luthsrans at all. but simply synergistic |
herstics; aud these charges, they aAy, |
they can prove both by Scripture and |
by Luther. A special press hiss been
10 6ght DIR. Walihers, and |
papers, pamphlets and books have been
hurled at him In vain.
Rev. T. mskcs q long quotation |
aRainst the charge OF "consubatantia. |
ton am not aware that / even
'mooted" the muoh.hated word, and | |
DO not know why he indulges in such q !
long quotation. gnless IL be 10 keep up |
-pPsarances-to create big smoke aua !!
noise aad great show Of battle 10 make !
believe that he is doing tremendous exc.
cutlgn. De perchance be feels that part
Of the Juthef6n bulwafk to be some
what weak and ID need Of strengthen. !
ing. That would explain Why as soon
As he catches sight Of abpfoaching dan
ger even in the dim dislGhce, he imme-
diaiely rushes thitheT with Nas heaviest
artillery and fires II off.
He also renews bis charge that ( said
The Lutheran church had largely come
over TO Zwingli's view Of the Lords |
supper Now | have the most distinct
recollection Of that part OF my address, |,
md ] must once for all pronounce his
charge wholly and absolutely untrue.
He says he has Il in his notes. an.
iwer a mans notes are no more reliable
han Is the man himself. He says he
an bring dozen to support his charge.
answer that bis position would be very