and only his teachings remained
to corrupt the young and injure the mature of the land. While his love
of money controlled his matrimonial alliances and literary labors, his
hatred of revealed religion distorted his whole moral and intellectual
nature. He is illustrative of the certain doom which awaits the man who
commits himself to the sole guidance of his doubts. Semler's moral life
was _in spite_ of erroneous opinions; Bahrdt's was in _conformity_ with
them. And what the latter was in his career and death is the best
comment that can be written on the natural effect of Rationalism. Would
that he had been the only warning; but he had his followers when his
creed became the fashion of the German church. The depth of his infamy
is only aggravated by the holy sphere in which he wrought fearful havoc
upon the succeeding generation. The Old Play says truly:

"That sin does ten times aggravate itself,
That is committed in an holy place;
An evil deed done by authority
Is sin and subornation; deck an ape
In tissue, and the beauty of the robe
Adds but the greater scorn unto the beast;
The poison shows worst in a golden cup;
Dark night seems darker by the lightning's flash;
Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds;
And every glory that inclines to sin,
The shame is trebled by the opposite."

CHAPTER VI.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY.

The views of Semler, possessing great power of fascination, soon gained
popular strength. As a result, the strictly literary tastes of the
people took a theological turn and the Bible became the theme of every
aspirant to authorship. As no system had yet been advanced by the
Rationalists, there was wide range for doctrinal and exegetical
discussion. The devoted Pietists, who were now in the background, looked
on in amazement as they trembled for the pillars of faith. They knew not
what to do. Many of their number had proved themselves fanatics and
brought odium upon the revered names of Spener and Francke. Their
enemies were traveling in foreign lands, ransacking the libraries of
other tongues to bring home the poisonous seeds of doubt. At home, the
University was the training school of ungoverned criticism. History,
science, literature, and philology were only prized according to the
measure of strength they possessed to combat the great claims of the
orthodox church. Besides, the Rationalists seemed to be i