The Irish standard., 1917-12-29
Luther Immoral,
Preached immortality
Attacked Sacramento Character Of
Marriage.
Sanctioned PoIygamy in Many In.
stances.
Morals Are ConventionaIities.
Looseness Of Principles, ExempIfiec
in His Own Life.

The complete breakdown of all
moral restraint in the teachings OF
Luther found practical application in
the advice given to Henry VIII of Eng.
land on the question OF his divorce
from Queen Catherine and in the cele
DRAFTED bisamy case of the Landgrave,
Philip OF Hesse. Even the most ar
dent admirers Of Luther can find moth.
ing to approve in the case of the Land
grave Philip, although some of his BIZ
oSrapherS use much milder terms OF
condemnation than the atrOcious con-
duct of Luther deserved. Julius Koest-
lin, the Wittenberg University biog-
rapher, admits that it was grave mis-
take, and Linsay in the eleventh edi-
ton OF the Encyclopedia BRITANNICA
says it was blot" on the character
OF Luther, while Smith, another biog-
rapher calls it a "blunder" 1t was
| neither blunder nor mistake. The
very spirit of immortality is found in
all frank hideousness in the CORE
spondence of Luther with the Land
grave of Hesse and others who ad-
vised or advocated the bigamy of Phil
ip. 1t is not a particular error, as in
previous heresies, but it is error in
general, and destructive of every prin-
ciple OF faith and morals. Philip con-
fessed that from his earliest years he
had lived in fragrant immortality and
that he had broken his marriage VOWS
within three weeks of his wedding He
complained that his wife, who had
Eorne him many children, was dis
agreeable to him, that his temper was
uncomfortable, and unless he could
lawfully have more than one wife he
must continue to live in sin. A dis
pensation to take second wife, sign
ed by Luther, was granted, and the
bigamOu5 marriage took place on
March 4, 1910. The great concern of
Luther was to keep the matter as Sc
cret as possible. On April 10, 1910,
he wrote Philip: I'VE want to keep
the business a secret for the sake of
the example which everyone would fol
low, even at last the coarse peasants"
On June 20, in the same year, Luther
wrote Anthony Lauterhach, saying.
that Philip had done right in taking
q second wife. and concluded: Zone
must not pronounce rashly the doing
of princes In spite of the efforts of
Luther, the bigamy became scandal
The elector Frederick of SaXony, the
chief prop Of Luther, asked for an ex
PLANTATION. On June 10, 1910, Luther
wrote a long letter to Frederick. He
tried to play the priest by saying he
had kept the matter secret because
it was an affair Of the confessional.
He makes no protest against the idea
expressed by Philip that it was i'm
possible to remain chaste, but on the
contrary agrees with him. There never
was written a more open defense of
sexual sin than the following sentence
in Luther's letter to Frederick: Had
known that the Landgrave had long
satisfied his desires and could well
satisfy them with others, as had
just learned that he did with her at
Eschwege philips mistress), truly no
angel would have induced me to give
such counsel; | gave it only in Cons:d
and Weakness
This was not the only occasion in
which Luther prea ched a doctrine that
was vicious and immoral. He wrote
to Chancellor Brueck: Our sins are
venial, but those of the Papists I'M
forgivable. They Stay men; we labor
to have them born and thus marry
several wives" At the Conference at
Eisenach, July Is, 1910. Luther de-
Tended his entire course of action and
proclaimed: what is it if for the
good and sake of the Christian Church
we should tell good, strong lie?"
Here is the sum and substance of the
gospel of Luther. Everything is law
full in the war against Rome. Henry
VIII did not accept the advice OF Lu
Their in the matter of the divorce of
Catherine, which was practically the
same as in the matter of the Land
grave. An English friend of Luther,
Richard Barnes, was commissioned by
Henry to secure an opinion on the
proposed divorce. In a long letter.
dated September 9, 1881, Luther an
swered Barnes and denied the le2ti-
macy of the proposed divorce, saying
that even if the king sinned in taking
his brothers widow to wife it would
be cruel to put her away. He con
tinues: Rather let him take another
queen, following the example of the
Patriarchs." On August IL, 1882, Lu-
Their write to Paget: 81 advise the
king it would be better for him to take
a concubine.' In the cases of both
Philip and Henry, Luther nowhere
takes stand on the side of the strict
binding force of the moral law. If the
conduct of the Landgrave and the
king could be squared with the con-
ventions of society and public opinion
could be conciliated, all would be we'll.
Luther bid high when he sacrificed
purity to concupisence in support of
his pure gospel. 1t was winning
bid Luther may or may not have
been immoral, whichever way the crit
In 1ool,c Of hic 1ifo. tho pocpol thof