New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1894-04-11

Martyr is next called and says that each
one of the human race shares in the ORR
ginal transgression. Tertullian caps inc
climax by expert testimony to the erect
that sin is conceived simultane ously VIII
the seed of flesh. Latin and Greek doc
umentary evidence follow in abundance
at the same time that all evidence intro
duced or proposed by the other SIDE IS
ruled out as irrelevant, incompetent ana
immaterial while in some cases the tes-
timony as well as the witnesses are de-
stroyed by fire. .. III. ~. I.
Now, according to Mr.. Sheran, a coun-
Gil can define and make explicit what
has already been taught-that is it can
sum up and pass Judgment in the prem
ises-andss that is just the way in which
creeds have been formed. Previous to
the councils, this belief regarding sin
was only the opinion of individuals; with
the councils it became the official doc
trine of the church. 1t may have been
preached before and an opposite idea
entertained, but no one was condemned
as hereto for not accepting itnntil the
doctrine had been adopted and pro-
claimed by the infallible authority as
| the official creed of the church.
NV statement that the doctrine of IN
heritance of sin and depravity granting
for arguments sake that the ''total'' is a
protestantic amendment) was framed at
the councils of Carthage and Ephesus is
therefore notabsurdly untrue. Mr.. Sher-
an will probably insist that creed
formed in this manner is just the con-
sensus of human reasoning, but it has no
right to such claim, because theinspir-
alton idea, backed by an infal]ible au-
thority, dominates the framing of it and
human reason serves only as very sub
ordinate factor.
But human being is what it is in
spite of all creeds. The above doctrine
was not adopted without protest. An
appeal was entered against the judgment
and it was an appeal to the tribunal of
reason. The appellant was Pelagius, an
English monk, the representative of a
far more level-headed nationality than
the South European fanatics. He insist
ed that there was no such thing as inher-
itance of SIN, that the fall of Adam ef-
fected only one man and that human
nature is just as good now as before the
fall; that mans reason and will is not
perverted and that man by his own rea-
son can find the truth and has the power
to do good and be good if he desires to
II is taught in that direction. Pela-
rjus was condemned by the church, of
course, as hereto, but the appeal is
pending still and the trial goes on where
ever intelligent and Independent men
are found. I do not claim to be man
of learning, but nevertheless man of
average common sense. It may seem to
| be prepOsterous for me to attempt to
point out what human reason, pure and
simple, dictates in the matter, but some
truths are self-evident; that is, they are
of such character as to need only to be
stated in order tc be accepted by the or
binary human mind. A man is brought
into existence by natural forces. He is
the product of the operation of natura
laws. Natural laws are the laws of Goo
and must be presumed to be perfect
Perfect laws must bring right results
Now if this reasoning is correct, man, il
his normal state, must be what natures
law or Gods law intended him to bell,
must be normal, not an abnormal, be
ing. -.
| When commenced this article I hat
not read the second edition of Mr.. Sher
ans reply. He seems to have changed
his character during the course of his ar
guments, and when he comes to the lat
ter part of it, the gentleman seems t.
disappear and nothing remains but tn
priest in embryo. respect the man AM
; the gentleman, but the priest only so ia
as he IS an honest man. A priest havin,
taken solemn oath as to what he shall
believe and teach, no matter what hi
own convictions may be, man who's
soul and conscience is owned by the in
fallible authority, being the subject Q
foreign potentate, and being compelle
as part of his duty to deny his own hu
man nature ana lead an unnatural life
must unavoidably become false char
acter, and wherever he appears as prizes
and not AS man, be is false.
In several instances, Mr.. Sheran al
tcmpts to lay to my door things / neve
L 1