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 PROTESTANTISM

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PROTESTANTISM

Philip Schaff (in "The Xew Schaff-Herzog Ency- clopedia of Religious Knowledge", s. V. Reformation), Bums up the principles of Protestantism in the fol- lowing words: "The Protestant goes directly to the Word of God for instruction, and to the throne of grace in his devotions: whilst the pious Roman Catho- lic consults the teaching of his church, and prefers to offer his prayers through the medium of the \'irgin Mary and the saints.

"From this general principle of Evangelical free- dom, and direct individual relationship of the be- liever to Christ, proceed the three fundamental doctrines of Protestantism — the absolute supremacy of (1) the Word, and of (2) the grace of Christ, and (3) the general priesthood of believers. . . . (1) The [first] objective [or formal] principle proclaims the canonical Scriptures, especially the Xew Testament, to be the only infallible source and rule of faith and practice, and asserts the right of private interpreta- tion of the same, in distinction from the Roman Catholic view, which declares the Bible and tradi- tion to be co-ordinate sources and rule of faith, and makes tradition, especially the decrees of popes and councils, the only legitimate and infallible interpreter of the Bible. In its extreme form Chillingworth ex- pressed this principle of the Reformation in the well-known formula, 'The Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible, is the religion of Prot- estants.' Protestantism, however, by no means despises or rejects church authority as such, but only subordinates it to, and measiu-es its value bj', the Bible, and believes in a progressive interpretation of the Bible through the expanding and deepening con- sciousness of Cliristendom. Hence, besides having its own symbols or standards of public doctrine, it retained all the articles of the ancient creeds and a large amount of disciplinary and ritual tradition, and rejected only those doctrines and ceremonies for which no clear warrant was found in the Bible and which seemed to contradict its letter or spirit. The Calvinistic branches of Protestantism went farther in their antagonLsm to the received traditions than the Lutheran and the Anglican; but all united in re- jecting the authority of the pope [Melanchthon for a while was willing to concede this, but only _/Hre humayio, or a limited disciplinary superintendency of the Church], the merit oriousness of good works, indulgences, the worship of the Virgin, saints, and relics, the sacraments (other than baptism and the Eucharist), the dogma of transubstantiation and the Sacrifice of the mass, purgaton,', and prayers for the dead, auricular confession, celibacy of the clergy, the monastic system, and the use of the Latin tongue in public worship, for which the vernacular languages were substituted. (2) The subjective principle of the Reformation is justification by faith alone, or, rather, by free grace through faith operative in good works. It has reference to the personal appropria- tion of the Christian salvation, and aims to give all glory to Christ, by declaring that the siimer is justi- fied before God (i. e. is acquitted of guilt, and declared righteous) solely on the ground of the all-sufficient merits of Christ as apprehended by a living faith, in opposition to the theory — then prevalent, and sub- stantially sanctioned by the Council of Trent — which makes faith and good works co-ordinate sources of justification, laying the chief stress upon works. Protestantism does not depreciate good works; but it denies their value as sources or condi- tions of justification, and insists on them as the neces- sary fruits of faith, and evidence of justification. (3) The universal priesthood of believers implies the right and duty of the Christian laity not only to read the Bible in the vernacular, but also to take part in the government and all the public affairs of the Church. It is opposed to the hierarchical svstcm, which puts the essence and authority of the Church

in an exclusive priesthood, and makes ordained priests the necessary mediators between God and the people". See also Schaff, "The Principle of Prot- estantism, German and English" (1S45).

III. Discussion of the Three Fundamental Principles of Protest.\ntism. — A. The Suprem- acy of the Bible as source of faith is unhis- torical, illogical, fatal to the virtue of faith, and destructive of unity. It is unhistorical. No one denies the fact that Christ and the Apostles founded the Church by preaching and exacting faith in their doctrines. Xo book told as yet of the Divinity of Christ, the redeeming value of His Pas- sion, or of His coming to judge the world; these and all similar revelations had to be believed on the word of the Apostles, who were, as their powers showed, messengers from God. And those who received their word did so solely on authority. As immediate, implicit submission of the mind was in the lifetime of the Apostles the only necessary token of faith, there was no room whatever for what is now called private judgment. This is quite clear from the words of Scripture: "Therefore, we also give thanks to God without ceasing: because, that when you had received of us the word of the hearing of God, you received it not as the word of men, but (as it is indeed) the word of God" (I Thess., ii, 13). The word of hearing is received through a human teacher, and is believed on the authority of God, who is its first author (cf. Rom., x, 17). But, if in the time of the Apostles, faith consisted in submitting to authorized teaching, it does so now; for the essence of things never changes and the foundation of the Church and of our salvation is immovable. Again, it is illogical to base faith upon the private interpretation of a book. For faith consists in submitting; private interpretation consists in judging. In faith by hearing the last word rests with the teacher; in private judgment it rests with the reader, who submits the dead text of Scripture to a kind of post-mortem ex- amination and delivers a verdict without appeal: he believes in himself rather than in any higher au- thority.

But such trust in one's own light is not faith. Private judgment is fatal to the theological virtue of faith. John Henry Xewman says " I think I may assume that this virtue, which was exercised by the first Chris- tians, is not known at all amongst Protestants now; or at least if there are instances of it, it is exercised toward those, I mean their teachers and di\-ines, who expressly disclaun that they are objects of it, and exhort their people to judge for themselves" ("Dis- courses to Mi.xed Congregations", Faith and Private Judgment). And in proof he advances the instabihty of Protestant so-called faith: "They are as children tossed to and fro and carried along by every gale of doctrine. If they had faith they would not change. They look upon the simple faitli of Catholics as if unworthy the dignity of human nature, as slavish and foolish".

Yet upon that simple, unquestioning faith the Church was built up and is held together to this day. Where absolute rehance on God's word, proclaimed by his accredited ambassadors, is wanting, i. e. where there is not the virtue of faith, there can be no unity of Church. It stands to reason, and Protestant his- tory confirms it. The "unhappy divisions", not only between sect and sect but within the same sect, have become a bjTVord. They are due to the pride of private intellect, and they can only be healed by humble submission to a Divine authority.

B. J ustijication by Faith Alone. — See article Justification.

C. The Vnii'ersal Priesthood of Believers is a fond fancy which goes well with the other fundainental tenets of Protestantism. For. if every man is his own supreme teacher and is able to justify himself by an