American Lutheranism Vindicated; or, Examination of the Lutheran Symbols, on Certain Disputed Topics - Including a Reply to the Plea of Rev. W. J. Mann by S. S. (Samuel Simon) Schmucker
page 121 of 200 (60%)
page 121 of 200 (60%)
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without such ordinances, no one can be righteous before God? This is
the chief inquiry, and when this shall have been finally answered, it will be easy to judge whether the unity of the church requires uniformity in such ordinances." [Note 7] Here again the Lord's day (_a_) is classed in the category of _human_ ordinances, the observance of which is free, and may differ in different places. (_b_) Yet uniformity in general ceremonies is pleasing, such as "the mass, the Lord's day, and other great festivals." (_c_) It is classed again with _human_ ordinances which promote good external discipline among the people. And now having proved that the lax views of the Christian Sabbath, charged by the Platform on the Augsburg Confession, are attributed to it by the learned in Germany generally, that Luther and Melancthon teach them in their other writings: in view of all these evidences, we ask every impartial, conscientious reader, whether it is possible to doubt the accuracy of the positions maintained by the Platform on this subject--namely, that the Augsburg Confession treats the Sabbath, or religious observance of the _seventh_ day of the week, as a mere Jewish institution, an institution appointed of God for the Jews alone; whilst the propriety of retaining the _Lord's day_ or Christian Sabbath, as a day of religious observation and worship, in their judgment, rests on the appointment of the church, and the necessity of having some one day for the convenience of the people in assembling for public worship. The act of keeping any one day _entirely_ for religious observance, they regard as ceremonial and temporary, and the moral or common part |
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