48.

And again, on p. 67, he affirms this more liberal view of the Lord's
Day, to be the more general one in Germany at the present time. "So
far," says he, "as we know, the most important, living, theological
writers, of the present day, entertain this so-called more liberal or
lax view, (namely, that of Luther.)"

_Dr. Hengstenberg_, the well-known editor of the Evangelical Church
Paper at Berlin, Prussia, and author of numerous learned and valuable
works, uses the following language: "What Luther's views were, on the
law concerning the Sabbath, may easily be inferred from his views of
the Old Testament law in general, and of the Decalogue in particular.
The distinction which became current after his day, between the moral
and ceremonial law, according to which Christ abrogated only the
latter, whilst the former is regarded as universal and binding on all
ages, was distant from his views. He regards the whole law as an
external, coercive letter, designed only for the Jews." "How _Luther_
regarded the Sabbath from this general view, is so clearly exhibited in
his Larger Catechism, that the introduction of other passages from his
writings, is entirely superfluous." He then quotes the passages which
will be given in full in our next section, in which Luther declares the
Sabbath to be designed only for the Jews, and that in its outward sense
it does not concern Christians. (Darum, says Luther, gehet nun dies
gebot nach dem groben Verstande uns Christen nichts an, &c.) Melancthon
(continues Hengstenberg,) agreed with Luther, and this view was
introduced into the Augsburg Confession." See Hengstenberg, ueber den
Tag des Herrn, Berlin, 1852, pp. 108, 109, 110.

But the accuracy of the Platform will no longer be disputed, when even
_Dr. Walter_, [sic; should be Walther] the leader of the old Lutheran
Synod of Missouri, and editor of their periodical, a man of acknowledged
theological learning and rigid advocate for the entire Augsburg
Confession, bears testimony in favor of our position. In the March No.
of the Lehre und Wehre, p. 93, he thus expresses his views: "We cannot
agree with him (the author, whom he is reviewing) in the views he
expresses concerning the Sabbath. He asserts that the Sabbath or
Christian Sunday _is a divine institution_, and that this is the
doctrine of the Lutheran Symbols: That the Lutheran Church differs from
the Calvinistic only in the mode of observing the Sabbath, the former
advocating an eva