| Show A PROTES DISPUTE A recent number of a published iu in copenhagen contains pap paper or an account of a serious in the ranks of the Grundtvig iaus a body of prominence io in den religious rel lelous mark and with followers in norway and sweden and perhaps in germany the fact to is but one more evidence dence of tho the impossibility of keeping the abe pro structures compact the foundations on which they rest on and tor for abil reason it is of general interest old bishop grundtvig Grundt vu assumed a position his researches peculiar quite mythology ana his studies in corthern nor Dor ibern thern of icelandic lee laDdle and anglo saxon and his hig taste for german aby were probably more potent his mode of thinking framing in u his theological ex than were but nevertheless he pl made orations a fair start on the road of truth result of his reasoning he as a announced abo conviction that the church of god nee doe a something more lor for the written word than it ita guidance Bul dance characterized as the dead which he be letter ff this position was a bold step from protestantism whose very es refer to the bible as the bence ce is to final arbitrator of all questions of faith grundtvig con contended tended for a living dg present in the church word always to animate it and guide it Andas and as the standard of 0 that living word he be curi cun bosly enough pointed to the three the holum articles of sym apos this venerable confes conf of alib faith I 1 he be heli held was formulated by our lord and memorized apostles and by bv them further by bv his transmitted to the church to be re all ages to come as the cor carded in reel of what a christian expression in order to be saved must believe beelike or lope lees than that whet whether her what Is moro more stated elated in holy writ or elsewhere was criticism it may be true or it 0 open iny may n be to f false 1 oo on this general principle theological system was waa built new a to I 1 te e a connecting link seems which lutheranism and roman arman between lam sm although awe we believe the grundt never formally separated themselves from the Luth lutheran bran church the idea of the old bishop bichop when standard of the narrowing rowina down nar to the symbol of the apostles undoubtedly to nod a basis bamis broad aa waa christian to stand enouch tor for any upon asa thereby prevent the consta t and secure unity he died in iu voiad 1879 gaind now dow after twenty years his fal kware are engaged in a dispute about that very standard of unity the is stated thus thue are we to Almighty ever formulated the that appa condition for the salvation of r A wag man some of Grundt viKs followers reply in the affirmative they bold that if the lord has reven revealed lod himself he has certainly told us exactly what to believe his H la word is riven given in the three articles of faith and those who do not believe ahse artic Its must be damned others say that those articles of faith are not given as ae a condition but as an offer of salvation that those thae who believe in them will certainly be saved but it doe snot follow that others must necessarily be damned it is in of co courdle urile the business buol nees of the be only to fight out this tylel distine distinction tion between themselves but as they engage in the controversy they teach others that no philosophy however broad can save the christian world from crumbling to pieces it to Is true that mankind needs something more than the written word but what it needs is revelation in the same sense of the term in which it is applied to former ages we need men whose minds are so prepared that they are capable of reflecting the divine mind whenever circumstances cum stances require it men through whom our father in heaven can communicate muni cate his will to his people and manifest his power to the world revelation alone is the remedy against error and schisms sms by revelation israel was saved from egypt and the mossic mosaic era instituted in the same way the gospel was introduced and by that means the present confusion of creeds and churches and systems will be terminated As in the beginning the spirit brooded blooded over chaos and a beautiful world was created so by the same spirit the inharmonious religious elements will at last be brought to submission and give room fr for a now new and glorious dispensation this is the hone bore of all who believe to in the written word and it is the testimony of the spirit through the living oracles oracle alli of our lord |
