The Irish standard., 1907-02-16

Stang, was the kernel of his religious
system"
| Let ii therefore be We'll understood
that the preaching of ndulsences was
in no way the cause, but only the
occasion of the change in Martin
Luther. "Indsed' concludes Father
/ Denhe, the doctrine OF indulgenccs
in the catholic Church was only 81
| trifiins thing in comparison with Luth-
ers plenary unlimited intugences not
only of the temporal punishment due
to- sin. but of all sins already COM
lntted. or still TO be committed, on
the one condition to believe and have
confidence in Christ"
The false doctrine I'VE cannot and
need not observe the commandments
OF God" Christ fulfilled the whole law
for us Luther got not from outward
scandals Or abuses, nor from misun-
! derstanding Scriptures on the teachings
of tie Fathers. but in his own heart.
| which had grown cold and consequent
| ~ weak. 1t is true he tried to inter
| pref some words of st. Paul in his
favor, but in order TO do so he had TO
! contradict the unanimous interprattl-
tion of the Fathers of the Church.
| The books written since 1891 reflect
/ character Martin Luther practiscd
| what he preached. He kept. or at least
pretended to keep, y strong faith in
| Christ, but had no regard for virtue.
One Of the first qualities Of minis
ter Of God, preacher of the Gospel,
and reforlner of the Church is love for
truth and lrutllfulness. Martin Luther
believed in the lawfulness of telling
good strong lies: recommended such
lying TO others. and practiced it hm-
| self. We shall mention a few or the
! many instances we find on almost
every page of Father Denifle's book To
explain and illustrate these statements.
| 1t is we'll known that Luther gave
a written perUlisson to the Count
| Phillip Of Hesse to marry a second wife
while his first Wife was still living.
| 1T was not a case of divorce: it was
Il case Of bigany The understa nding
was that llle second marriage should
be kept secret. When the strange news
of the second marriage began to be
Whispered about. the retormr gave
Philip the simple advice to tell "a
good strong lie and to deny it," When
Philip hcsitatsd to tell that good
strong lie" and threatened to make
known the written permission signed
| by Luther. lie Gutler) calmly an
Swered that he would lie himself out
of il. and leave him tPhlip) tn bear
The responsibility. When Il few young
| men We're about to receive the order
Of sub deaconship. which implies the
vow "f celibacy. Martin Luther coun-
selled them to make a mental restric-
tion We can not and sllell not keep
it," His greatest admirers must ad-
init that he had no respect for truth
10 show how This preacher of the
Word of Eternal Truth could tell good
strong lies" in important re,igious mat
ter. TO deceive innocent nuns and ig-
noranl people We shall briefly nnrrat G
| Two facts.
Martin Luther in his better and hap
pier days said ''rhe herelics in order
to shine before the world as good
must represent the Church in their own
false and deceitflll way. as bad" ''rhe
hereto takes Olfense at that which
contradirts him: he gels provoked and
tights for the spectre Of his imagina
liun. Ny prosecuting. culunniating and
ni,lring his opponents" In these
words Martin Luther, the relig ious. de-
sc,ibas and condemns Martin Luther
the heretic.
Hardly had Luther left the religious
state. which he had praised and de-
Tended. not as a novice. but as q uni
against the good religious With all the
weapons at his command. The rri-
vate life of the good religious COM
delnned his private life, and the work
and popularity "f the religious opposed
: I he progress of his new religion. There
fore he Tried To make them either
leave the monastery. or to make them
hateful in he eyes Of the people.
In 1918 Luther wrote THE breaking
: of Il vow is for a religious the grea :
est sacrilrge. because he takes away
from God what he had given to God
OF his own free Will" In l5.t that
/ same Luther wrote what he calls Ibis
: best book" on religious VOWS To in
uucc every religious to commit the
! greatest sacriisge by leaving the con.
vent.
IN this. his best book. Luther gives
as one of his principal arguments al