American Lutheranism Vindicated; or, Examination of the Lutheran Symbols, on Certain Disputed Topic | Page 7

Therefore, it was then sinful to divide and separate true
Christians from one another, and must be so at present, as a general rule.
Now, as human creeds, when extended so as to embrace minor
doctrines, on which good men differ, necessarily do divide, them, such
creeds are inconsistent with the precepts of Christ. The result of these
two principles, the duty to exclude fundamental errorists on the one
hand, and the command not to separate, but to unite the true disciples
of Christ on the other, by reciprocal limitation, affords us the rule, to
employ a human creed specifying the cardinal truths of the Scriptures,
but not to include in it minor doctrines, which would divide the great
mass of true disciples of Christ; nor to introduce more specifications of
government or modes of worship, than are necessary to enable
enlightened Christians to walk harmoniously together.
Accordingly, we find that such was the character of the earliest
uninspired creed of the church, the only one that was extensively
employed in the admission and exclusion of members during the first
three centuries of her history. We allude, of course to the Apostles'
creed, so called, not because the Apostles were at first supposed to have
written it, but because, it confessedly contained doctrines promulged by
the Apostles. This creed, which was for along time circulated orally
among the churches, embraces only fundamental doctrines, forms less

than half a page in the Definite Synodical Platform, and is believed by
all evangelical denominations at the present time. Here then we have
the christian church in her _golden age_ of greatest purity, the first
three centuries, relying on the word of God alone, with only this brief
human creed.
In the fourth century, (A. D. 325,) the Council of Nice adopted a creed,
which is but a paraphrase of the above, following the order of its
subjects, and adding various specifications to repel heresies which had
arisen. Yet even this does not amount to one page in the Definite
Platform. Near the close of the fifth, or perhaps in the sixth century, the
so-called Athanasian Creed was adopted, which would form less than
three pages of the Platform. During the subsequent, centuries of
Romish corruption, different councils made various enactments for the
church, but they generally related to the multitudinous rites and
ceremonies introduced into the popish worship, or to the functions,
rights and privileges of the pope, the different ranks of priests, bishops,
arch-bishops and the inferior officers; and in the progress of time, men
were allowed to adopt almost any error, provided they paid their dues
to the priests, and performed the superstitious ceremonies of the
church.
In the age of the Reformation, Luther had obligated himself to the
entire Romish system, yea, had at the receipt of his Doctorate, taken an
oath to _obey the Church of Rome, and not to teach any doctrines
condemned by her_ [Note 2] But having been enlightened by the study
of the Bible, which providentially fell into his hands, he saw his errors,
and wisely judging that _an oath to do any criminal deed ceases to be
obligatory after the sinfulness of the contemplated act is seen_, he
renounced those errors one after another, as fast as the light of truth
illumined his mind. This work he commenced in 1517, and continued
from year to year till near the close of his life. In 1530, eleven years
after, he began the work of reform, and sixteen before his death, he
approved the Augsburg confession, as drawn up by Melancthon,
although he told him in a letter during the diet, that he had yielded too
much to the papists, as will be seen in the sequel. But Luther never
signed any confession of faith; nor was a pledge to the Augsburg

confession or to any other symbol required of the ministers of the
church during his lifetime; although the Augsburg confession was
regarded as the exponent of the prevalent views of the Protestant
churches in Germany. It was not until a quarter of a century after
Luther had left the church militant, and not until the Lutheran church
had been established in Germany for full half a century, that the
so-called symbolic system was regularly and generally introduced by
the civil authorities of the major portion of Protestant Germany. Now it
is in regard to the import of this Confession of Augsburg, published
before the middle of Luther's labors as a reformer, that some
differences of opinion have been entertained. To ascertain the true
sense of such passages according to the most impartial and just
principle of exegesis, is one principal object of our investigations in the
following pages.
It has often been affirmed by some, who have not examined the history
of that eventful diet with