CHAPTER XXXVI.
SOMETHING MORE OF MELANCHTHON'S MERITS.
The reader has had sufficient evidence in the life of our Reformer, that he was indeed a learned man, and performed most valuable services in the church and school. He labored especially to combine science with the work of the Reformation, and to render the study of the Greek and Latin writers serviceable to the cause of Christianity. And he proved very satisfactorily, that these studies can be attended to without sacrificing true Christianity. Of course, there is a very great difference between him and those scholars of our own day, who diffuse a knowledge of heathen authors apart from true Christianity. While the latter are training up a generation which is filled with heathen ideas, and but too often lives a heathenish life, Melanchthon trained pupils who also possessed a thorough knowledge of the ancient languages, but at the same time loved Christian truth. This "Teacher of Germany," as he was called, would still be able to show the teachers of our modern youth, that extensive attainments, and true, living Christianity, are not necessarily opposed to each other, but may be brought to harmonize with each other in the most beautiful manner. How earnestly he labored to instil a thorough knowledge into the minds of his pupils, is manifest from his own words: "To neglect the young in our schools is just like taking the Spring out of the year. They indeed take away the Spring from the year who permit the schools to decline, because religion cannot be maintained without them. And a terrible darkness will fall upon society, if the study of the sciences should be neglected."
As he himself had attained solid knowledge in his youth, he was also anxious that his pupils should be well grounded in the various branches of knowledge. He was therefore not ashamed to instruct young men in the rudiments of the dead languages. For this purpose he wrote a Greek and a Latin grammar, which were used in the schools until the beginning of the last century. He was instrumental in securing cheap editions of the Greek and Roman authors. But he did not confine himself entirely to the study of languages; he also devoted himself to other branches of knowledge, particularly History. He was very anxious to direct greater attention to German History. A number of excellent scholars were prepared under Melanchthon's superintendence, one of whom, Valentine Friedland, called Trotzendorf, became very distinguished.
We will not enter into the consideration of his services in Philosophy, the promotion of Eloquence, Ethics, Psychology, Natural Philosophy, and Astronomy, but shall merely say a few words more of the influence he exerted upon true Theology.
He was mainly instrumental in introducing the knowledge of the Greek language among the Protestants, and also in encouraging them to study the Hebrew, because he saw that a knowledge of the original languages was absolutely essential in order to understand the Holy Scriptures properly. Besides this, as we have heard before, he wrote critical expositions of most of the books of the Bible. His Latin comments upon the Gospel lessons appointed to be read in the Churches, were delivered before the Hungarians, who did not understand the German language. Christopher Pezel informs us of their origin: "When the University was re-established after the war of Smalkald, Philip Melanchthon began to explain the Gospels for Sundays and festival days, in his own house, for the sake of a number of Hungarians, who were not able to understand the German sermons in the churches. As a large number of other persons also began to attend these lectures or sermons, in which he explained the principal truths of his text in a familiar conversational manner, he was obliged to hold them in the public Lecture-Room. As he was very skilful in instructing youth, and thoroughly supplied with every kind of learning, he was careful to suit his explanations to the capacities of his hearers, the greater part of whom were young men, and many of them boys."
These lectures were very numerously attended. He was in the habit of beginning to explain the separate verses according to their literal meaning. He then proceeded to inquire whether his explanation agreed with the context, and then went on to develop the doctrines of faith. He laid great stress upon this analogy of Scripture truths. And this alone, which the ungodly commentators of later times did not recognize, throws a full light upon exposition. We are already sufficiently well acquainted with his system of doctrine. Although, as we have seen, he yielded in some points in an improper manner, he nevertheless adhered to the substance of divine truth. The Augsburg Confession was his Confession. Whenever therefore any one attacked the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, as they are represented in the confessions of the first centuries, he would become very much excited, and thought that such persons ought to be punished. Therefore he decidedly approved of the burning of Michael Servetus, who rejected and blasphemed the doctrine of the Trinity. He acted in the spirit of the Old Testament, and forgot, that although such persons cannot be regarded as members of the Christian church, they must be borne with patiently.
He was also in favor of using the strongest measures against the Anabaptists, and other fanatics and heretics. Although he did not look upon this in the light of the New Testament, his view rested in a warm zeal for the purity of the Christian Church, which he looked upon as of the utmost importance. It is true, the objection might be raised here that he himself should not have been so inconstant in many doctrines. But this was very agreeable to many in his own days, who became his followers. He thus became the leader of a party, no doubt against his own will. His followers were afterwards called Philippists. It does not belong to our task to write the history of this party, and to present its sad destiny. There are still some divines who esteem Melanchthon's faults as his highest perfections, and look upon him as a man far in advance of his own time, or in other words, as a man who occupies their own position. But if these extollers of Melanchthon would take the trouble to examine his writings, and the additional trouble to compare their own amount of faith with that of the Master of Wittenberg, it would not only result to their own disadvantage, but it would be apparent that they are not even worthy to loosen the latchets of his shoes. For the fundamental doctrines of the Divinity of Christ, of the Atonement, Justification by Faith, and the like, were so fully established in his view, that he would not suffer the least doubt in regard to them. How steadfastly he adhered to them, and how faithfully he relied upon his Saviour, is proved by his last illness and death-bed, which no doubt may be regarded as among the most edifying upon record, and which we therefore propose to describe at length.
CHAPTER XXXVII.