THE 
 
 LUTHERAN CHURCH 
 
 No. 6.— APRIL, 1883. 
 
 V. 
 
 IN MEMORIAM, 
 
 CHARLES PORTERFIELD KRAUTH, D. D., LL. D. 
 
 The profound sorrow which the death of the Rev. Dr. 
 C. P. Krauth has awakened in the Lutheran Church, and, 
 wherever he was known, among Christians, and the friends 
 of learning in general, may be regarded as a fair and unaf- 
 fected indication of his personal worth, and of the value of 
 his services. Though never inflamed by any consuming 
 ambition to make himself great, or to exalt himself at the 
 expense of other men, he nevertheless sought to be worthy 
 of their respectful consideration ; and, by a wonderful com- 
 bination of talent, integrity, diligence and suavity, he suc- 
 ceeded so well, that now, as he has gone, the lament has 
 become wide-spread, "a prince and a great man has fallen." 
 
 " Blessings brighten as they take their flight ; " and 
 although, in this early season of our sorrow, it may be too 
 soon fully to estimate the value of his work, nevertheless a 
 combined view of some of the more important positions he 
 occupied, and with such distinguished ability, may give us a 
 more correct measure of the man than we have been wont 
 to take, deepening, it may be, our sorrow for what we have 
 lost; but at the same time elevating our gratitude for what 
 we have so long enjoyed. 
 
 Among the circumstances that contributed to qualify Dr. 
 Krauth for the several prominent positions he filled with 
 such distinction, we may enumerate his descent, his natural 
 gifts, and that unwearied and aspiring diligence by which, 
 
144 THE LUTHERAN CHURCH REVIEW. 
 
 forgetting the things that were behind, he ever pressed 
 onward and upward towards the things that were before. 
 
 His father, the Rev. Dr. Charles Philip Krauth, had 
 himself been for many years a bright ornament of the 
 Lutheran Church. A man of warm and tender nature — of 
 devout spirit — of profound and varied learning — he shone 
 with attractive lustre, alike in the pulpit and in the chair of 
 the professor. Y ars have passed since he entered into his 
 rest. Yet, there are many still living, who cherish fond 
 recollections of his faithfulness as a pastor — of his learning 
 and grace as a professor,— and who could readily recognize 
 the admirable qualities of the father in the divers excellen- 
 cies of the son. The death of the mother of the latter, in 
 the early years of his childhood, might have prevented the 
 cultivation of those gentle graces of character which are 
 believed to depend mainly upon earl)' maternal influence, 
 and which, in the midst of the rude turmoil of life, are so 
 mighty in controlling the force of direct action. Yet, even 
 here, the natural grace, the delicate taste, the refined culture 
 of the father bore so directly and constantly upon the train- 
 ing of the son, that he grew up to man's estate, and lived a 
 model of courtesy and gentleness, retaining the attractive 
 charm of the childlike spirit throughout all the changes of 
 his maturer years. 
 
 Whilst the relations between the father and the son were 
 strongly marked by the exercise of the paternal and the 
 filial virtues, they also partook largely of the element of 
 companionship; and to this circumstance may be attributed 
 the fervor of Dr. Krauth's piety, the prompt determination 
 of his theological tendencies, and the scientific accuracy 
 with which his position was taken, even in the early years 
 
 of his activity. 
 
 With the delicate perceptions of a poet he combined the 
 
 patience of a scholar, the thoroughness ^( a philosopher; 
 
 and so, the soundness, the harmony, the completeness of 
 
 his char; resulted from his practical application <.^\ the 
 
 precept: " Prove all things, hold fast that which is good." 
 
 Whilst Dr. Krauth, as yet quite a youth, was actively 
 
 eng 1 in the work of tin' pastor, the whole Lutheran 
 Church in the United States was deeply agitated by a 
 
IN MEMORIAM. 145 
 
 system of operations commonly described as " New Meas- 
 ures." This system, passionately defended and strongly 
 urged by men who held the pen of the ready writer, who 
 understood the power of the press, whose learning, position 
 and experience were supposed to invest them with authority 
 in the Church, soon became so popular and prevalent that 
 its advocates began to indulge the agreeable assurance of 
 its early and complete triumph. Scarcely a young pastor 
 could be found who was not, for a season, carried forward 
 headlong by the tide ; and even among the older men, the 
 proportion was small of those who were not its passive 
 advocates. The subject of our sketch was himself caught 
 by the current; and, to use his own expressive and solemn 
 testimony, " almost became its victim." In this position, 
 however, he embraced the opportunity which his own 
 experience offered, to make full proof of the whole system. 
 The result of this was, the discovery of its emptiness, and a 
 deep and abiding conviction, that the hope of the Church, 
 and her success in bearing witness for Christ depended, 
 first and last of all, upon her own hearty reception of the 
 Truth in its purity, and upon her bold and unwavering 
 advocacy of the wonderful doctrines of the Divine Word. 
 This conviction of his early years attained such depth and 
 firmness, as time passed on, that in the'calmness of his later 
 life, and in the full maturity of his powers, he uttered a 
 judgment that suits the wildness of fanaticism as well as it 
 does the heartlessness of rationalism, in language that will 
 long be read with interest, for the beauty of its form and the 
 truthfulness of its substance : 
 
 " When Spener, Francke, and the original Pietistic 
 school sought to develop the spiritual life of the Church, 
 they did it by enforcing the doctrines of the Church in their 
 living power. The position of them all was, that the doc- 
 trines of our Church are the doctrines of God's Word, that 
 no changes were needed or could be allowed in them. 
 They wrought their great works, the praises of which are 
 in all Christendom, through these very doctrines. They 
 did not mince them, nor draw subtle distinctions by which 
 to evade them, or practically ignore them, — but, alike, upon 
 the most severely controverted, as upon the more generally 
 
I46 THE LUTHERAN CHURCH REVIEW. 
 
 recognized doctrines, they were thoroughly Lutheran." 
 Because these his convictions were so freely proclaimed and 
 so uniformly maintained, there were some who were ready 
 to cast out his name as evil ; but he faltered not, for he was 
 inspired with the assurance that " truth is mighty and must 
 prevail." If there were those with whose views the noble 
 principles thus announced came into direct conflict, who 
 regarded Dr. Krauth as the mere champion of a faction, or 
 the partisan of a contracted notion, they could have had but 
 a low estimate of the glory of Divine truth, and of the deep 
 and ever increasing power with which that truth can work 
 upon an earnest mind and a believing heart. 
 
 " The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth 
 more and more unto the perfect day ; " and the movement 
 of Dr. Krauth in the direction of pure doctrine, which was 
 begun in his earlier years, was diligently, prayerfully main- 
 tained, without wavering, until, at last, he gave the Church 
 and the world his clear, elaborate and impressive testimony 
 in Tin: Conservative Reformation. That work, indicat- 
 ing such familiarity with the whole history of the Church, 
 such sympathy with the spirit of the Gospel, such versatility 
 in the departments of theology, of science, of logic, and of 
 law, — such candor in contending for the faith, and such 
 courtesy towards men of opposite views, will long stand a 
 noble monument of his learning as a scholar, his mag- 
 nanimity as a man, and his enlightened zeal as a Christian. 
 
 It was an observation of Aristotle's, that ''all who have 
 meditated upon the art of governing mankind have been 
 convinced that the fate of empires depends upon the educa- 
 tion of youth." The whole process of education, from be- 
 ginning t<> end, of course, is important ; yet, however high 
 may be the requirements and valuable the services of those 
 who superintend the operations of the mind, in the first 
 
 stages of its advancement, the qualifications demanded in 
 the tea< her whose work it is to aggregate, to systematize, to 
 perfect all that has gone before, to supply defects, and to 
 arrange every thing in complete order, suited to the wants 
 of practical life, are of vastly greater value. The qualifica- 
 tions of Dr. Krauth for such work were so decided and so 
 
 manifest, that his services were importunately demanded in 
 
IN MEMORIAM. 147 
 
 two institutions of learning, both, in their respective depart- 
 ments, occupying honorable positions among .the most 
 prominent institutions of the land. To one of them, the 
 Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Philadel- 
 phia, his name gave lustre in the department of theology ; 
 to the other, the University of Pennsylvania, he rendered 
 a service, both in literature and science, that has endeared 
 his name to hundreds of scholars at home and abroad. 
 
 In 1868 Dr. Krauth was elected Professor of Mental and 
 Moral Philosophy in the University, and his estimate of the 
 responsibilities of his position, as well as his ability to meet 
 them, may be discovered in his edition of two standard 
 works immediately connected with the duties of his chair. 
 His edition of Fleming's Vocabulary of Philosophy, pub- 
 lished in 1878, and supplemented by an original compilation, 
 entitled Vocabulary of the Philosophical Sciences, is a 
 standing memorial of the ability, the diligence, the enthu- 
 siasm with which he addressed himself to the duties of his 
 professorship. Well versed himself in the intricacies of 
 German philosophy, and familiar with its terminology, he 
 observed that the work of Fleming was specially weak in 
 this direction, and yet, that it was German philosophy which, 
 beyond any other, was engaging the attention of the think- 
 ing world. His own valuable library and the large libraries 
 of Philadelphia, which he knew so well how to use, afforded 
 him the ready means to present the results of the labors of 
 German Schools of Philosophy in such manner as to meet 
 the demands, and indeed to excite the enthusiasm of the 
 diligent and inquiring student. Scattered throughout the 
 volume thus edited, there are many features of special value, 
 of which our limited space forbids the mention ; but, alto- 
 gether, they constitute a hand-book of philosophy, the use- 
 fulness of which, the earnest student of philosophy will 
 promptly and cheerfully acknowledge at every turn. 
 
 Dr. Krauth's edition of Berkeley's Principles of Human 
 Knowledge, edited in 1874, with its elaborate Prolegomena, 
 in some fifteen chapters, covering 147 pages 8vo., received 
 promptly, as it deserved, the hearty, complimentary ac- 
 knowledgments of distinguished scholars and professors of 
 mental philosophy beyond the seas. The contribution to 
 
148 THE LUTHERAN CHURCH REVIEW. 
 
 the interests of solid education in the department of mental 
 science, given in the Prologomena, by the exposition of the 
 various developments of Idealism as represented in the sys- 
 tems of Kant, Fichte, Jacobi, Schelling and Hegel, will ever 
 be acknowledged by students of philosophy to be of per- 
 manent value ; whilst the notes of Ueberweg, so accurately 
 and admirably translated, beam forth a fresh lustre upon 
 every page of the original. 
 
 The whole work may be regarded as a most kindly ser- 
 vice, not only to the laborious student, but also to the in- 
 telligent reader ; for the style is, throughout, so graceful, 
 the manner of argument so attractive, so full of conscious 
 strength, so highly enlivened by rare incident, and some- 
 times, even by playful humor, that the reading of it might 
 well be what the preparation of it was to the Editor him- 
 self, a pleasant way of spending a summer vacation. 
 
 Dr. Krauth's position then, as Professor of Mental and 
 Moral Science, and as Vice Provost of the University, after 
 1873, gave him a sphere of influence that extended far be- 
 yond the walls of the University itself; — a sphere of influ- 
 ence which, we can say, upon the best authority, he filled 
 up with elements and principles most pure in their origin, 
 most true in themselves, and most wholesome in their re- 
 sults His colleagues of the learned Faculties of the Uni- 
 versity, his personal acquaintances of the Honorable Board 
 of Trustees, themselves, generally, scholars, whose hearts 
 and minds are nobly enthusiastic in the interests of higher 
 education, whose time and means are freely given to its ad- 
 vancement, have been in frequent and familiar contact with 
 him, for years, observing his methods and noticing the 
 
 ults of his work. The estimate of his services which 
 these men have formed and deliberately expressed is, at 
 once, a testimonial of the late Vice Provost's worth and of 
 their own intelligence and heartiness : 
 
 " During the fifteen years of his connection with the Uni- 
 versity as Professor of Moral and Metal Philosophy, ami 
 the ten years of his Vice Provostship, we have grown in 
 our appreciation of his vast erudition, the soundness of his 
 judgment, his conscientious attention to duty, his gentle- 
 
 ., and patience in his intercourse with his students and 
 
IN MEMORIAM. I49 
 
 associates, and his Christian consistency and humility. We 
 feel that his loss is irreparable to our University, while we 
 rejoice in the influence he has exerted over so many hun- 
 dreds of our graduates in the direction, of sound learning 
 and high principle. We shall cherish as a precious posses- 
 sion the memory of his faithfulness and his thoroughness in 
 his work as a teacher, and his abounding kindness in all 
 social and official relations." 
 
 "The Board desires to place on record its sense of the 
 grievous loss incurred by the University of Pennsylvania in 
 the death of our honored associate Charles Porterfield 
 Krauth, D. D., LL. D. Having served as a member of the 
 Board of Trustees from February 6th, 1866, to December 
 1st, 1868, he was elected at the close of 1868, to the chair 
 of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy, and in 1873, to the 
 additional position of Vice Provost of the University. In 
 each of these positions his rare gifts of mind and character 
 were conspicuously manifested. Wise in council, moderate 
 and conciliatory in discussion, eloquent, clear and inspiring 
 as an instructor, skillful and sagacious as an administrator, 
 he combined dignity with rare sweetness of character, and 
 lofty abilities and profound learning with humility and cour- 
 tesy. His influence upon all who came in contact with 
 him was singularly powerful and elevating, for he showed 
 plainly in every word and act the operation of that earnest 
 Christian faith which was the ever-animating principle of 
 his holy and most fruitful life." 
 
 Dr. Krauth's connection with the Theological Seminary of 
 the Lutheran Church at Philadelphia began with the organ- 
 ization of the school itself in 1864, and continued until the 
 time of his death, January 2d, 1883. As being thoroughly 
 sound in the faith, he was convinced that, " except the Lord 
 build the house, they labor in vain that build it." So, as 
 has been gathered from the confidential communications of 
 fraternal intercourse, his very first work in connection with 
 the Seminary was mighty wrestling with God for the Divine 
 Blessing. When it was first organized he contemplated the 
 feebleness of its infancy with fond and cheerful hope, be- 
 cause it had been sanctified by prayer ; and in the large 
 number of earnest men who, for nineteen years, have been 
 
150 THE LUTHERAN CHURCH REVIEW. 
 
 enjoying its advantages, and going forth from its walls to 
 preach the Gospel to the world, he was ever happy to dis- 
 cern the continuous evidence that the early, the persevering 
 prayer of faith was not in vain. His position in the Fac- 
 ulty, being that of Professor of Systematic Theology, led 
 him, of necessity, to bestow great labor upon the defining 
 and the defense of the Truth. Sermons, tracts, elaborate 
 articles in Reviews of high character, monographs spark- 
 ling with originality and commanding by their essential 
 force, issuing from the press, almost without number, bore 
 ample testimony to his diligence and his extraordinary abil- 
 ity as Professor of Theology. As Professor in a Lutheran 
 Seminary, his one uniform principle unequivocally stated, 
 and constantly maintained, was " The basis of the Evangel- 
 ical Lutheran Church is the Word of God, as the perfect 
 and absolute rule of faith ; and because this is her basis, 
 she rests, of necessity, on the faith of which that Word is 
 the rule, and therefore on the confessions which purely set 
 forth that faith. She has the right rule, she reaches the 
 right results by the rule, and rightly confesses them. The 
 confession then, is her immediate basis, her essential char- 
 acteristic, with which she stands or falls." lie had thor- 
 oughly studied the structure of Lutheran Theology, and 
 discovered for himself the correctness of the comparison 
 that likens it to an imposing Gothic dome, grand in its pro- 
 portions, harmonious in all its parts, everywhere beaming 
 in the clear light, and vocal with the true echoes of the 
 Divine Word. Through such a structure it was his delight, 
 for years, to lead young men of ingenuous, appreciative 
 spirit, ever largely enjoying for himself that quickening of 
 mind, that refreshment of heart which he so largely imparted 
 to them. 
 
 Asa Lutheran divine he rejoiced in the explanation of 
 the many points of doctrine which the adversaries of the 
 Lutheran Church have always been willing to concede. 
 Yet, he took special interest in "those which are most 
 
 strictly distinctive of our Chinch, which have been the 
 
 object of fiercest assault, in which also, her position is so 
 pure- and scriptural, to wit, the Person (A Christ, and the 
 
 Sacrament Standing then upon this linn foundation, the 
 
IN MEMORIAM 151 
 
 Word of God, his every act in the Seminary was done with 
 the view of "sending forth men who should be living illus- 
 trations of the power of the Gospel they preach, men of 
 reverential spirit, of holy activity, of fidelity in the pulpit 
 and pastoral life, men grounded in a thorough knowledge, 
 in an ardent love, in a practical exhibition of all that belongs 
 to the true idea of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, of the 
 Evangelical Lutheran Christian, and of the Evangelical 
 Lutheran pastor." His personal work is done; but the 
 good that good men do lives after them, and in the faithful 
 ministry of scores of earnest men whose studies he directed, 
 and whose hearts were refreshed as they received instruc- 
 tion at his lips, the seed he supplied will be scattered broad- 
 cast over the land, and will bear fruit an hundred-fold. The 
 Faculty of the Seminary, having for so many years stood in 
 most intimate official relations with him, and to whom his 
 companionship was ever so attractive, deplore his departure 
 as a personal bereavement. They cherish the remembrance 
 of him as " being wholly devoted to the interests of learning 
 and the service of the Church; of his attainments as illus- 
 trious for their extent and solidity; and of his life as emi- 
 nent for its purity and usefulness. They recognize the 
 lasting influence so happily produced upon the administra- 
 tion of the Seminary, by the wisdom of his counsels and 
 the value of his services; whilst the pleasant memories they 
 have of him have become only the more precious, now that 
 he has gone, to return no more." The students too, at 
 present, connected with the institution, have sadly united* 
 with all who mourn his loss, recording their "deep sense of 
 his heartiness and courtesy as a personal friend; of his 
 learning, his aptness to teach, and his generous sympathy 
 as an instructor; his experience, and purity, and faithfulness 
 as spiritual Mentor and Guide." 
 
 Dr. Krauth's direct connection with certain large and 
 influential ecclesiastical bodies, at a time when important 
 principles of polity and practice engrossed public attention, 
 was of great advantage to the Lutheran Church. Cool as a 
 philosopher, he was never swayed by passion; as a Chris- 
 tian, truly devout, he was as little influenced by prejudice; 
 and as an Evangelical Lutheran, he bowed with unhesitating 
 
152 THE LUTHERAN CHURCH REVIEW. 
 
 obedience to the authority of the Divine Word. It was for 
 this reason that he acquitted himself so nobly, of the re- 
 sponsibilities with which he had, by general consent, been 
 invested in the General Council, and in the Ministerium of 
 Pennsylvania; developing and confirming, in both bodies a 
 spirit of confessional intelligence and fidelity, hostile alike 
 to a confessionless unionism on the one hand, and to a 
 confessional bigotry on the other. His sermons before the 
 General Council, his theses on Pulpit and Altar Fellowship, 
 his explanation and defence of the same, both oral and 
 through the press, present a literature which commanded 
 prompt attention when first uttered, and which will yet be 
 more carefully studied and admired in the Church for the 
 genuineness of its biblical character and the purity of its 
 Christian tone. 
 
 As a son of peace, Dr. Krauth was never disposed to 
 rush rashly into the arena of strife. Vet his love for the 
 truth and his ability to stand up in its defence were such, 
 that circumstances did occasionally arise that required him 
 to gird on his armor. When he did so, it was in the capac- 
 ity of a leader whose sole aim was, not to acquire distinc- 
 tion for himself, but to secure the triumph of the truth 
 alone. If, at times, he resorted to the use of a terrible 
 weapon, when, through the obtuseness of an adversary, 
 other weapons failed, he nevertheless was scrupulously 
 careful, even in the heat of controversy, to observe all the 
 amenities of Christian fellowship. Of this, the correspon- 
 dence, as we may call it, between himself and the late Prof. 
 Dr. Charles Hodge, of Princeton, is a striking example. 
 Dr. Krauth, in reviewing the "Systematic Theology" of 
 Dr. Hodge, paid special attention to " Infant Salvation in 
 the Calvinistic System." Upon this there arose a differ- 
 ence of opinion between the two professors as to what was 
 really the teaching of Calvinistic Divines upon the subject. 
 Tlr- manner in which Dr. Krauth proved and established 
 
 the position which he had first taken was SO clear and un- 
 answerable, that Dr. Jlodge promptly accorded him the 
 palm, in a manner that was as honorable to himself as it 
 was complimentary to Dr. Krauth. 
 
 He has gone; but his memory remains, and shall Hour- 
 
IN MEMORIAM. 1 53 
 
 ish. Fraternal affection might well be permitted to indulge 
 itself, for a season, in fondly pondering upon his virtues 
 and in modestly extolling his worth. There is a melan- 
 choly pleasure to be found in observing how often the feat- 
 ures of his character and the labors of his life will call up 
 the memory of other men, the great and the good of other 
 times, who were faithful whilst they lived, and at whose 
 departure there were many to mourn. He was like that 
 noble Roman, a man of lofty lineage, of simple habits, of 
 blameless life, of singular personal attractiveness, whom 
 Tacitus describes as " beloved when heard, admired when 
 only seen, great without arrogance, and never giving envy 
 reason to repine at his success." He was like Simon, the 
 high priest, the son of Onias, of whom the son of Sirach 
 says that "in his life he repaired the house, and in his days 
 fortified the temple, he stood high amongst the people, and 
 shone like a star in the midst of a cloud, or like the moon 
 at the full." He was like Judah "worthily extolled of his 
 brethren." He was like Ambrose, of Milan, the bishop, of 
 whom St. Augustine testifies, that "he is known in the 
 world as among the best of men." He was like the brother 
 commended by St. Paul, "the brother whose praise is in the 
 Gospel throughout all the Churches." 
 
 C. W. SCHAEFFER. 
 
VI. 
 
 RECENT PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 I. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 BlBLIOTHECA THEOLOGICA. A Select and Classified Bibliography of Theology 
 and General Religious Literature. By John F. Hurst, LL. D. Now York : 
 Charles Scribnors' Sons, 1883. For sale by J. B. Lippincott & Co., Philadel- 
 phia. 8vo., pp. 417. Price, $3.00. 
 
 Dr. Hurst is a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who was 
 a number of years professor in Drew Theological Seminary. He 
 was for some time a student of theology in Germany, where he trans- 
 lated into English Hagenbach's History of the Church in the Eight- 
 eenth and Nineteenth Centuries. While there he projected an elabo- 
 rate work on Theological Bibliography, to comprise all the chief 
 works in the English and Continental languages, with selections from 
 the patristic period. The scheme proved too extensive for the time 
 at his disposal. A more elementary plan was therefore adopted, as 
 the result of the author's experience for fifteen years, as an instructor 
 of theological students, whose reading it was his duty to direct. The 
 aim has been to make a selection of the best English books in all 
 departments of theology, which could be readily procured from the 
 book-trade. The book is not intended for advanced scholars, but 
 for students, teachers and pastors. No two authors would agree in 
 selections made with such an object in view. The theological stand- 
 point, the caste of mind, the range of reading, and the circle of 
 Students the compiler has in mind must all be taken into account. 
 It is idle, therefore, to speculate concerning reasons for omissions. 
 It is sufficient to say, that the book is certainly a most valuable aid 
 for the classes intended, while it will also not be without service even 
 where the more elaborate work which the author projected is more 
 desirable. It is symmetrical, thorough — as far as its scope will allow 
 — and fair. For the history and doctrines of the Lutheran Church, 
 we are referred t<> the two English translations of the Symbolical 
 Hooks, Hazelius' History, SchsefTer's Early History, Seiss 1 Ecclesia 
 Luth., Schmucker's Amer. Luth. Church, Morris' Bibliotheca, Schmid's 
 Dogmatik, and Flutter's Compend. Krauth's Conservative Reform- 
 ation, which belongs here, is found with the history of tin- Reform- 
 ation. The American student who learns of us from an examination 
 of all tlu-so sources will not be apt to go farastiay. II. E. J. 
 
 A Religious lopjGDIA "i Dictionary of Biblical, Historical, Doctrinal 
 
 and Practical Theology. Based on the Real Encyklopadie ol Herxog, 1'iltt 
 1 Hauck, Edited by Philip Schaff, l> l».. II. l> , Professoi in the Union 
 Th< al Seminary, New York, Associate Editors : Rev. Samuel^M. fack 
 
 154