purity with all the power and skill at command. See Adam, Vitm Theol. Germ. p. 457 sq. ; Eettemeyer, Kir- chen-hisiorie, iii, 207 ; Salig, Historic der A ugshurg Con- fession ; Naton, Gesch. der Concordienformel ; Schrockh, Kirchengesch. seit d. Reformation ; Planck, Protest. Lehr- legiiff, iv, 291 ; v, pass. ; and his Gesch. Protestantischer Thcologie, vi, 60 sq. ; Kurtz, Ch. Hist, ii, 134 ; Dijllinger, Die ^(formation, ii, 453 sq. ; Gieseler, Eccles. Hist. vol. iv (Harper's ed.); Erdmann, Biog. sdmvitlicher Pastoren zu Wittenberg (Elberf. 1869, 8vo). (J. H. W.)
Morlin, Maximilian, a younger brother of the preceding, was born at Wittenberg Oct. 14, 1516. He received his classical education at the Wittenberg Gym- nasium, and studied theology under Luther and Melanc- thon, both of whom esteemed him highly, though sub- sequently he was one of Melancthon's most determined opponents. After his ordination he preached at Pegau and Zeitz, and in 1543 received a call to Schelkau, in Franconia, where he was so universally beloved for his piety and eloquence that the people would not let him go when in 1544 he was called to Coburg as court- preacher. In 1546 the theological faculty of his alma mater conferred the honorary degree of S.T.D. upon him, and two years later he was nominated superintendent of the churches and schools of Coburg. Like his brother Joachim, he was very decided in all his peculiar relig- ious views, and the words which he inscribed (1530) on a copy of the Augsburg Confession give an insight into his strict Lutheranism : " Huic sacrosanctie confession! et indubitatae assertioni ex verbo Dei toto pectore assen- tior et subscribo et Deum oro, ut in illius constant! con- fessione et immutabile professione per spiritum S. me perpetuo servet," etc. Everj'thing outside of Lutheran- ism he considered heresy, and treated as such. In the same copy of the Augsburg Confession we find the fol- lowing marginal note, which is significant of his char- acter : "Ad banc subscriptionem impulit me impia pro- fanatio, corruptio et mutatio prrecipuorum hujus con- fessionis articulorum per ipsum autorem in coqjore suiB doctrinse, quam ut hujus confessionis negationem detes- tor et abjicio et damno in articulis mutatis." His strict Lutheran views led him to subscribe the so-called Cen- surcE passed upon Andreas Osiander by the Saxon theo- logians at Weimar and Coburg, and with the same zeal- otism he fought against Justus Alenius (q. v.) at the Syn- od of Eisenach (1556), determined to have him cut off from the Church for heresy. When this plan failed, he, nothing daunted, drew up a paper in which Menius's heretical views were set forth and his condemnation called for, and then travelled with Stolz, of Weimar, through all Saxony, to gather subscriptions thereto. As an undoubted champion of the genuine theology of Saxony, as taught by Luther, he, by order of his prince, went to the Worms Colloquy (q. v.), and so strictly fol- lowed the instructions of Flacius (q. v.) that the confer- ence had to be abandoned as hopeless. Like Flacius, he was sincere and deeply in earnest, and as a true follower of Luther espoused the cause of his deceased teacher, showing by the severest logic that the Lutheran Church was, under Melancthon's guidance, drifting away from its moorings. Like a great many Lutherans of this period, he was mercilessly, though conscientiously, con- tentious. He was a born polemic. In connection with Flacius, Stossel, and Musiius, he published the Sdch- sische Confutationsschrift (1559), which was afterwards declared law by the prince of Saxony, and as such proved injurious both to the university and Flacius. About this time the elector Frederick prepared to introduce the doctrines of the Reformed Church into his territory. His zealous Lutheran son-in-law, prince Frederick of Saxony, tried his best to prevent him, and in 1560 went with Morlin and Stossel to Heidelberg to meet Peter Boguin and other Reformed clergymen in open confer- ence. The disputation, which was afterwards published under the title of P?-opositiones, in quibus vera de ccena Domini sententiis juxta confessionevi A ugustanam, etc., piropositce 1560 in Academia Heidelb, (Magdeb. 1561),
MORLOT
618
MORMONS
led to no result. Shortly after his return, Morlin sepa- rated from Flacius, who had made himself odious by the rash statement (in his discussion with Strigel at Wei- mar in 1500) that original sin is the very substance of man in his fallen state, thus laying himself open to the charge of Manichajism. Morlin openly denounced Fla- cius, and the duke established a censorship, of which Morlin was made a member. Flacius and his followers were deposed. March 3, 1562, he signed Strigcl's dec- laration, and in liis official visits tried to prevail upon the different ministers to sign the same, and to desist in future from all public denouncements of the Synergistic heretics. In 15(!9, when the government of Saxony was placed into the hands fjl" John William, than whom there was no more ardent friend of Flacius, Morlin was deposed, but yet in the same year was called as court- preacher to Dillenburg. llis strict Lutheranism did not, however, prove acceptable to the count of Dillen- burg; and when in 1572 John William extended a call to him to resume his former position, he gladly accepted it But the clergy of Coburg, mostly followers of Flaci- us, with Musaus at their head, opposed him so decidedly that he had to leave Coburg again. At last (in 1573) Musaus and all the clergymen opposed to Jliirlin were dismissed, and Morlin resumed his former position. He died April 20, 1584. It cannot be denietl that Morlin was a consistent upholder of the doctrines which he originally learned from Luther. In his theological views he opposed Melancthon, asserting that if that re- former was great, truth was greater. He seemed to consider it his special mission to call every man to ac- count who either openly or secretly attem|)ted to destroy what Luther had built up. See IJcck, Johann Fried- rich der Mittkre, i, 94, 213 s(j. ; ii, 12 scj. ; Steubing, Bioff. Nachrichten aus d. l&ten Jahrhundert, 1790, p. 57 ; JiJcher, Gelehrten-Lexikon, s. v. ; Gieseler, Ecclesiastical Ilistn- »7/, vol. iv (Harper's edition) ; Kurtz, Church History, ii, 134.