¥ram Ihr ttbranj of 
 
 JlrnfrBBur Srntamin iBrprkinnftgr IHarftrlb 
 
 Srqupathfh Inj htm to 
 
 thr ttbrary uf 
 
 ^1?**?n*r** nihi>.iinniral g^rmtnarn 
 
 BR 325 .H39 1898 
 
 ^f^:/^^^les Ebert, 1851- 
 1934. 
 
 Luther, the reformer 
 
LUTHER, THE REFORMER, 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLES eThAY, D.D, 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 LUTHERAN PUBLICATION SOCIETY. 
 
Copyright, 1898, 
 
 BY 
 
 TIIK MTIIEUAN PUBLICATION SOCIETY. 
 
Xutbcr, tbc "Kctormcr. 
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PERIOD I. 
 
 Prepa RATION von Action. 
 
 A. I). 14s:}-1.j17. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter I. Boyliood •') 
 
 " II. Early Student I ):i.vs 11 
 
 •' 111. Advanced Studies 11 
 
 " IV. Monastery Life 1'.) 
 
 V. I'rofessorship at Wittenberg 21 
 
 PERIOD II. 
 
 Assertion of Puinciples. 
 
 A. I). 1517-1521. 
 
 Chapter I. The ("all to Action 32 
 
 II. The Hold ( hallenge 'M> 
 
 III. Aiic^ry Responses 10 
 
 IV. Taticnt Lalmr ... 43 
 
 V. A r.rowheating Cardinal 46 
 
 VI. Milder Measures 52 
 
 VII. Public Debate 56 
 
 VIII. Open Enmity 64 
 
 IX. Ericnds New and Old 67 
 
 X. .\ Tirelt>S!4 Pen 72 
 
 XI. The Papal Hull 77 
 
 XII. The Hero at Worms 79 
 
 (iii) 
 
IV CONTENTS. 
 
 PERIOD III. 
 
 Practical Keformation. 
 A. I). l.VJl-154r,. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ( Iwiplrr I. TIk" Wartlturj; Kxilc 85 
 
 " II. A TfmiK>st Siilktl 90 
 
 *• III. Iii-m-\vi(i .Vrtivity at WiltLMjlKTK .... 95 
 
 " IV. KxtiiKliiiK' Infhunce 99 
 
 V. TIr- (Hil Kiu-my 104 
 
 \I. Faltcrinj,' AUii-s 109 
 
 " VII. Ka^iiiK Peasants 11 j 
 
 •' VIII. n«.ly Ii<.iuls 121 
 
 " IX. Hi'Mtr^'-aiiiz-iiion of the Churt-h 125 
 
 X. Political Kvcnl.<* 131 
 
 •' XI. i'ersonal AiUitiions Pio 
 
 •' XII. Thi' SacniiiKtiUii (oiitroversy 137 
 
 " XIII. Lutlur ami ZwiiiKli 142 
 
 " XIV. The I^ravc- I'rotcst 14G 
 
 " XV. The Marburg ('<»llo{juy 151 
 
 " XVI. Prei»aring to Meet the Emperor 157 
 
 " XVII. A Second Imprisonment 101 
 
 •• XVIII. The(Jreat (Vmft^Mon PIS 
 
 •• XIX. \Var-<loij(ls Staye<l 172 
 
 *' XX. Harmony among Brethren 17G 
 
 " XXI. Parhyiiig with the Papists ISO 
 
 '• XXII. Standard of .Monility ISG 
 
 •• XXIII. Home Life I'.'I 
 
 •*XXIV. Sicknejss and Death I'JG 
 
LUTIIKK, THE KKFUKMER 
 
 PERIOD I. 
 
 PREPARATION FOR ACTION. A. D. 1483-1517. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 BOYHOOD. 
 
 KvKN ^vlK'n at the sumnnt of his renown, 
 Lilt 1m r never hesitated to aeknowh'd.L^e his hum- 
 ble origin. His aneestors for several generations 
 "vvere sini])le peasants — not paupers, however, hut 
 owners of the soil whose cultivation furnished 
 them a modest livelihood. His father, Hans 
 Luder (Lothar: leader), engaged also in mining 
 in the vicinity of his xineestral home, Mohra, on 
 the horder of the Thuringian forest, hut soon 
 after his marriage removed witli his young wife, 
 Margaret (Ziegler), to Eisleben, in search of 
 steadier employment. Here, on Nov. lOtli, 14<S3, 
 they greeted with delight their tirst-horn child, 
 who was baptized on tlie same day in St. Peter's 
 church, receiving the name Martin, it being the 
 anniversary of that saint in the Church's calendar. 
 
 Six months later, the family settled ])erma- 
 nently in the town of Mansfeld, a few miles dis- 
 tant, where the father was shortly afterwards en- 
 abled to rent two smelting furnaces, and gradually 
 improved his temporal circumstances. We find 
 
6 
 
 liiin a few yt^an? later f>eeupyinp a repponsilJc po- 
 sition in the villajri" and its eonjrrejration. He was 
 a stunly son of the Cliurch, faithful in ohservinj; 
 all its appointed ordinances, hut withal linn in 
 maintaining; his jKTsonal eon\ietions. His wife 
 was niodt-st in demeanor, cariust in her j>iety and 
 mueh given to prayer, lioth were sineenly de- 
 votcnl to the welfare of their children, altli<>ugh 
 excessively stern in the exercise of discipline. 
 They resolved to give their son the advantage of 
 a liheml education, and prepare him for the prac- 
 tice of law. 
 
 Young Martin accordingly entered tlic village 
 school at a very early age. His treatment licro 
 exciidcil in severity that which he had received at 
 home. He was iuatcn fifteen times in one morn- 
 ing, as he himself relate s, for failing to recite what 
 liad not heen taught him. He was speaking from 
 experience when he afterwards descrihed tho 
 schoolmasters of that time as tyrants and execu- 
 tioners, from whom nothing was learned in spite 
 of stripes, tren)l)ling, terror and tears. 
 
 It was thus in a sechided, narrow valley of the 
 Harz Mountains, in the very centre of Ger- 
 many, that the early years of the great Re- 
 former were spent. He was here in daily contact 
 with nature and with the sim]>le-minded (lennan 
 I)easantry, phiin in their manners, hlunt in 
 speech, hut distinguished hy native honesty and 
 devoutness of spirit. He was one of them, and 
 even in his maturer years always felt perfectly at 
 liome in his heloved Mansfeld. He is descrihed 
 l»y one of his most intimate associates as a 
 merry, romping boy, fond of companionshij). 
 His natural (iisjtosjtion may he clearly enough in- 
 ferred from the originality and vivacity of his 
 '"'■'d '" 1 ''' r v.-ars, from his ke(»n delight in the 
 
BOYHOOD. 7 
 
 works of naturi', and from the unfailin*,' Ijiunor 
 wliith marks liis iitttranccs even amid the severest 
 trials and most exhausting lahors. 
 
 The poverty of liis parents and the rigor of 
 the discipline to whi(.h he was subjected seriously 
 afrectt'd liis native buoyancy of spirit. He grew 
 ex<H'e<hngly timid, and his conscience became so 
 Sensitive that he constantly uitbraided liimself for 
 the slightest, and often for mere imaginary 
 otfences. 
 
 For the distress of mind which was thus occa- 
 sioned, tlie religious teaching of the day afforded 
 no real relief. Children were, indeed, taught the 
 Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed and the Ten 
 Connnandment.s. On festival days the congrega- 
 tions joined in the singing of certain appropriate 
 hynms, and there was some preaching in the lan- 
 guage of the ])eople. Luther always gratefully 
 acknowledged the benefits whicli he had thus re- 
 ceived. But the scriptural truth presented in 
 these ways was almost lost sight of in the great 
 mass of outward ceremonies and idle fancies. 
 
 There was a growing tendency to saint-wor- 
 ship, whicli threatened to leave no place for sim- 
 ]>le faith in Christ as the divine Redt emer in whom 
 is revealed the fulness of the Father's love and 
 mercy. Cireater contidence was felt in the sup- 
 pose(^l more tender love of the Virgin Mary, who 
 was addressed as the "Mother of God," and im- 
 plored to intercede for her petitioners with her 
 kSon, who was regarded as a stern judge and ruler. 
 At the very time of Lutli(T's boyhood, it })ecame 
 a po])ular custom, ])articularly among the hardy 
 mountaineers of that part of (lermany, to address 
 prayers especially to Anna, the mother of the Vir- 
 gin Mary; and the countless hosts (»f minor saints 
 were parceled out as the patrons of particular 
 
8 LVTIIEK, THE REFORMER. 
 
 Icx'alitii'S, cluirches, persons or occupations. The 
 minils of the younjj were IiIUmI with legends of the 
 Faints, some of wliich were really jmthetic or jxx^tic 
 in character, hut the j^reat mass of which were 
 mere empty, silly tales. 
 
 There privaihd amon^ the common people of 
 that ilay an implicit belief in witchcraft. Kvil 
 spirits were suppostvl to he eonslaiiily attive in 
 inllicting injuries upon cattle, crops and human 
 being's, sending sickness, storms, hail, etc. 
 Luther's own mother liveil in constant dread of a 
 neighbor whom she accused of bewitching her 
 children, making them cry themselves almost to 
 death. Thus the imagination of the lad wa.s 
 storetl with frightful forms, and a dark cloud of 
 ever-threatening calamity overshadowed his early 
 life. 
 
 pompous processions were used to imi)ress the 
 minds of the multitude with the majesty of the 
 Church, and vast multitudes were induceil to join 
 in pilgrimages to suj>])oseil sacred places, bearing 
 oiTerings for various images or relics (^f ancient 
 saints which were said to be endowed with mirac- 
 ulous healing i)ower. 
 
 Even when the Lord's Prayer, Creed, etc., were 
 taught by the monks or priests, there was no at- 
 tempt to lay stress upon the sjiiritual truth which 
 they contain, but the whole aim was to bring the 
 rising generation into absolute submission to the 
 ordinances of the Church. It was particularly 
 insisted, that all who desire to be saved must appear 
 at least once a year before the j)riest, confess to 
 him all their sins, receive from him al>solution, or 
 the assurance of pardon, and have such j)enances 
 imposed upon them as the regulations of the 
 Church might re«|uire. These penances were ex- 
 eni-<-^<'f \:iri(,iw Ivlti.l^ vii.l, :m particular praycFS 
 
BOYHOOD. 9 
 
 ropoatctl a certain iniinbrr of times, pilp^rimapcs, 
 fasts, etc., and it was tauf^ht tliat only by a con- 
 scientious fulfilment of these could the demands 
 of a righteous (Jod he satisfied and His favor en- 
 joyed. \\'hoever failed in strictest obedience to 
 these re<iuirements would at death be cast into the 
 fires of purgatory, tliere to remain until the meas- 
 ure of his auMiiy should sulliciently atone for his 
 6hortcomin«:s. 
 
 It was taught tliat a higher degree of morality 
 and sanctity than ])()ssible under the ordinary 
 conditions of life might be attained by the renun- 
 ciation of marriage, and the surrender of all 
 earthly ])roperty and personal independence. 
 Some eagerly embraced the opi)ortunity thus af- 
 forded to gain rrpute fur ]'iety, assuming the three- 
 fold vow of poverty, chastity (so-called) and 
 obedience (to superi(»rs in the Church). Others 
 enteral ui)on the monastic life to escape the nec- 
 essity of earning for themselves an honest liveli- 
 hood. But there were always many who sincerely 
 sought, by enduring the i)rivations and discharg- 
 ing the exacting duties imposed upon them by 
 this cruel system, to gain the favor of God and 
 secure true peace of conscience. 
 
 It was in a religious atmos])here thoroughly per- 
 meated with these false ideas that the childhood 
 of Luther was j»assed. His sus(e}>tilile nature was 
 readily moulded by them; but he could discover 
 in them nowhere an answer to the deepest yearn- 
 ings of his heart. The home of his youth could 
 afford neither counsel nor sympathy where both 
 were so sorely needed. 
 
 To the Church and its ordinances alone could he 
 l<K)k for help. His whole training had tended to 
 cultivate a deep resjteet for its authority. There 
 was, indeed, a growing tendency among the com- 
 
10 LUTIIEK, TIIK HEFOHMER. 
 
 mon people to make merry over tlie inconsistent 
 lives (»f tlie monks and prii'sts, while eiirnest 
 nunds were cKeply jzrieved l»y tlu' notorious abuses 
 which were tolerate<l, and even encoura«:ed, l)y 
 the Church. But in the secluded re^'ion in which 
 Luther live<l, these ahuscs had not become so 
 glaring as in many i)laces, and his jiarciits and 
 their a.«sociat»s at Mansfcld nmaintd Iminblc and 
 zcalnus subjects of the tHclesiaftical government 
 under whieli they had always live<l. Whatever 
 suspicions may liave been excited in their own 
 minds must have been carefully concealed from 
 their children, whom they sought to rear in un- 
 questioning faith in that Church with whicli, in 
 their view, w:ls inse]»arably associated the whole 
 divine j)lan of salvation. Yet how little encour- 
 agement was to be hoped for fnan this ijuarter, 
 may be inferred from what has l)een already said. 
 Against all the sombre iniluences of his early 
 years the strong, hopeful nature of this boy 
 bravely struggled. NW- have no evidence that In* 
 became morose, or gave any hint of the inward 
 struggles which he silently endured. He dutifully 
 accepted the calling which his father had marke«l 
 (»ut for him and sought to make the best use of the 
 meagre educational advantiigcs at lirst alTorded 
 him. 
 
r-TIAlTKrv TT. 
 
 EAKLY STLDKNT DAYS. 
 
 When fourteen years of a<re, T utlier liad ac- 
 quired all the knowledge to ])e obtained in the 
 sc-hool at Mansftld. lie was then, in l')U7, sent 
 to a school in Magdeburg, in liiLdi niiutc for its 
 cultivati(»n of the Latin lan<;ua^'e and literature, 
 and for the prohity of its instructors, who l)clon«red 
 to a society of pious priests known as the "Null 
 Brethren." Of his studies here, we have no 
 record. 
 
 Sufferinj]^ on one occasion from a burning fever, 
 the use of water was strietly ])rohil)it(d. \\'at<h- 
 in<r his oj^portunity, he sli])])('d down stairs and 
 drank a wlmle ])iteherful. The fever was ])roken 
 and he (piickly recovered. This is the llrst re- 
 corded illustration of the Reformer's inde]tendencc 
 of character, and furnishes a striking^ ])icture of 
 the eagerness with which liis thirsting spirit after- 
 ward (juafTcd the living water forbidden by the 
 religions doctors of tlie day. 
 
 Magdeburg was a ilourishing city of forty thou- 
 sand inhabitants, and the young student was here 
 for the first time brought into contact with the 
 busy life of the coinnnniMl w(»rld. This must 
 have exerted a broadening influence upon him, 
 but the only incidents of the ])eriod which he has 
 deemed worthy of record clearly indicate what 
 was then already the bent of his mind. 
 
 .\ prince of Anhalt who, having surrcndtn^l 
 bis patrimony, had for twenty-five years subj<'cted 
 himself to tiie most riu'id ascetic discipline and 
 
 (11) 
 
IJ LITIIEU, THK HEFORMER. 
 
 was wastoil to a more skeleton, passe<l through the 
 streets of the eity liare-footol, iniserahly clad ami 
 bowed to the earth lu'iicath a lu-avv hiirdoii. 
 Luther was stirn»d to unhounded admiration, and 
 severely upbraided himself for the worldHnt'Ss of 
 his own life. 
 
 Somewhere, }>rol>al»ly upon a panel in one of 
 the numerous churches, he saw a ]»aintinp: of a 
 great ship repn-senting tln' ( atholie Church sail- 
 ini; for the ci'lestial port. On l>oard were the Pope 
 and cardinals with a j^oodly numht-r of bishops. 
 The crew consisted of priests and monks, and the 
 Holy Ghost was the j)ilot. Stru^jrling in the 
 waters were a host of ]>oor laymen, some just sink- 
 ing, and others desperately clinging to roj)es 
 thrown from the ship and afTording the only hope 
 of salvation. As he gazed in horror, his soul 
 yearned to share the security of the holy mc^n on 
 board, among whom, however, not a single lay- 
 man was to be seen. 
 
 In the following year he entered an excellent 
 school in Eisenach, where some relatives of his 
 mother resided, with whom he was probably able 
 to live more cheaply than among strangers. They 
 were, however, themselves in moderate circum- 
 stances, and he was comjx'lled also to help him- 
 self, which he did by singing in comjiany with a 
 circle of his school friends uj)on the streets of 
 Kisenach and in the surrounding country, receiv- 
 ing in retm-n small contributions of money from 
 benevolent burghers. Upon one occasion of this 
 character, the fervor with which he sang the de- 
 vout hyinns selected attracted the attention of a 
 refined* and wealthy lady, Madam Ursula Cotta, 
 who invited him \n her table and p( r.-iKidrd him 
 to make fre(|Uent visits to her home. This kind- 
 ness was an inealeuhihle blessing to the lonely 
 
EARLY STUDENT DAYS. 13 
 
 hoy. It sootiicd his sj»irlt and at the same tiiiu' 
 gave hiin his lirst ac<iuaiiitaiR-e witli the usagi-s of 
 cultivatcMl society. 
 
 The institution at Kisenacli was in synipatliy 
 with that entliusiastie revival of interest in seien- 
 titie and ehissieal studies whicli is known as 
 Humanism. Anionj^ liis teachers liere wen; 
 Pastor Wiegand, witli wliom lie maintained 
 fiicndly relations for many years, and John Tre- 
 bonius, a j)oet and most faithful instructor, who 
 is said to have always removed his cap when com- 
 ini^ hefore his jtupils, imi)ressed with the thought 
 tliat there might l)e among them some future city 
 magistrate or learned doctor. During the four 
 years spent at this place, his quick j)ercej)tion, 
 vivid imagination and i)Ower of apt and ])ictur- 
 csipie exi)ression hecame manifest to all. lie ac- 
 (juinMl a full knowledge of Latin, writing it 
 freely in both prose and versie. 
 
rTTAPTKR TTT. 
 
 ADVANCED STUDIES. 
 
 Not far from Mansfclil was tlio University of 
 Erfurt, then one of the most illustrious of Cer- 
 inany. Among its prominent professors were 
 Ijulieus Truttvetter and Arnoldi von Usin«r,.n. 
 The institution a(l}iere<l to tlie principles of^tlie 
 later Scholasticism which accepted the tradi- 
 tional (loLMuas of the ("hunh and exhausted its en- 
 ergies in hair-splitting and profitless discussions 
 of the external forms of doctrine. Lutlier here 
 ac(|uired a thorough ac(juaint;ince with this sys- 
 tem, which was invaluahle to him in liis suhse- 
 (jueiit labors, and his natural powers of discern- 
 ment were greatly (juickened hy the keen encounter 
 with his academical opponents. 
 
 Hut it was anjong the zealous advocates of the 
 Humanistic stu<lies,which were also here encour- 
 aged, that Luther found his nio>t coiig.-nial 
 friends, including Crotus Rubianus. George 
 Spalatin and John Lange. lie was a welcome 
 comrade in the circle to which they belonged, be- 
 ing regarded by them as the philosopher and 
 musician of the company. 
 
 The wide-s})read int<'rest in classical litera- 
 ture and the liberal sciences which had spread 
 through the more intelligent cla.sses of all the great 
 western nations opened an inviting field t<) tlie 
 ambitious youth of the univei-sities. The ancient 
 mythology of (ireece and Koine kindled their im- 
 agination, the poets and orators of anti(piitv be- 
 came the models of style, and the moral and relig- 
 (10 
 
A1>V.\N(K1> STUDIES. IT) 
 
 ious ]>rin(ii>U'S of the ancient culturt'd licathcn 
 world Wire inK'(^ns(iouslyinil>il)(»I. Tlie movement 
 tlius tended to divert the minds of its adhen-nts 
 entirely away from the C'hristian relij^ion. When 
 the scriptural ideas of sin, atonement, fellowship 
 with Ciod, and a future life were ijrnored, hut little 
 respect could l)e longer entertained U)T the Bihle. 
 It was ])laeed ui)on a par with the sacred hooks 
 of other reliizions. (lod Himself and the proi>hets 
 and saints of the Church were hy many classed 
 with the L'ods and liemes of heathen nations. Tlie 
 verv foundations of morality were thus under- 
 minetl. Tlie voice of consi'ience was smothered 
 and all serious views of life hanishcd. The jtleas- 
 ures of intellectual culture were extolled hy some; 
 social enjoyment l)ecame the sole aim of others; 
 while not a few, freed from all moral and reli«:;ious 
 restraint, induljred in gross immorality under the 
 garh of sui>erior enlightenment. 
 
 Yet this new godless culture found it (juite ]tos- 
 Fihle to thrive under the outward forms of relig- 
 ious observances then prevalent in the Cliureli. 
 Its adherents formed a sort of intellectual aristoc- 
 racy among the liigher civil and ecclesiastical 
 orders, whilst the ordinances of the Church were 
 considered a valuahle means of preserving good 
 order among the niasses, their ohservance by the 
 enliLditencd classes being only for the sake of ex- 
 ample. Thus there had sprung U]>, es])ecially in 
 Italy and notably in Koine, before the Reforma- 
 tion a new heathenism under the forms of Chris- 
 tian life, which in utter hypocrisy exceeded any- 
 thing ever known in the heathen world, and which 
 afterward boasted a foremost representative in that 
 so-called Head of tlie Church, Pope Leo X., I'y 
 whom Lutlicr was condemned as a heretic. 
 
 In Germany, however, these destructive ten- 
 
16 Lin'HEH, THE HEFOHMER. 
 
 dencics had not yet been developcMi. Tlic young 
 Humanists and "poets" (as tlicy etylctl tlieiii- 
 si'lvt-s) of Krfurt wvrv moral and studious, and, 
 wliilo j^lorifying the ancient classical authors, 
 maintained the most friendly relations with their 
 schohu^tic j)rofessors, seeking oidy to give a more 
 reliuLHl antl poetic expression to the truths taught 
 by the Church. Thus Luther felt the (luiikcning 
 iinjmlse of the movement in its purest form. 
 
 \\'ith characteristic ardor, the young student now- 
 entered upon the general philosophical course, 
 which included granmiar, rlnimie, logic, the 
 physical scienei^ and moral ]»hilosophy. Among 
 classical writers, he ])referred Ovid, Virgil and 
 Cicero. In studying these and other ancient au- 
 thors, it was not his aim to imitate their elegance 
 of diction, hut to glean from them ]>ractical lessons 
 of every-day wisdom. His own style, though 
 classic in purity, was forceful rather than elegant. 
 His friends regretted greatly that he did not allow 
 the spirit of classical culture to more largely mod- 
 ify the hluntness of his speech and the ]>assionate 
 energy of his nature. But it was just tliese qual- 
 ities which kept him in full symjuithy with the 
 common ]>eoj)le and which enabled him to deal 
 such terrilic blows against error and breast the 
 storms which terrified his more fastidious associ- 
 ates. Although the lirst book printed in (iermany 
 in (ireek characters left the j)ress of Krfurt in the 
 very yi'ar of Luther's admission to the Lnivcrsity, 
 the study of that language was ])ui-sui'd by very 
 few at that time, and it wm* only in later years 
 that he beciime j)r()ficicnt in it. 
 
 In the general branches of the course his pro- 
 gress was so rapid that in his third se.-^sion he 
 readied the lirst academic degree, that of Haehelor. 
 This was followed, in 1503, by that of Master, 
 
ADVANCED STl'DIES. J / 
 
 which was ((juivah'nt to oiir " Doctor of IMiil- 
 osophy." Mclanchthon testifies that liis extraor- 
 dinary ahihty won the achniration nf the whole 
 I'niversity. 
 
 Tlie cuhure of his taUnt for music furnislicd 
 rcHef from severer hil)ors. Iksieles the further 
 training of his voice, he h-arned to J'lay upon the 
 hite. 
 
 In acconhmce witli his fatlier's desire, lie now 
 deterniined to apply himself to the study of the 
 Law, which had in Ilenninj: (ioede a most dis- 
 tin<:uished representative in tlie faculty at Krfurt; 
 hut he had scarcely entered upon the new course 
 of study when he was led to a reniarkahle step 
 which changed the entire current of his life. 
 
 Throuizhout his whole career as a student, con- 
 science had given him no rest. He hegan every 
 day with private prayer and attendance U])on 
 early mass, it heing even then a favorite maxim 
 with him: "To liave ]traycd well is to have 
 studied well.'' Yet a fellow-student testilies that 
 he often said with dee]) earnestness as they 
 washed their hands: "The more we wai>h our- 
 selves, the more unclean do we become." II(» 
 one day discovered in the lihrary of the University 
 the first entire coj)y of the Bihle which he had 
 ever seen, and pored over its j)ages with eager de- 
 light. l>ut he still foun<l nf) j)eace of mind. He 
 thought of (iod only as a stern and righteous 
 Judge. 
 
 A number of incidents increased his anxiety. 
 During a severe sickness he thought himself dying 
 and was greatly alarmed. One Piaster, as he was 
 on his way to visit his parents, he accidentally 
 severed an artery of his leg with his student 
 sword. Lying uj»on his hack and pressing th(» 
 wound, he cried out in agony, "Mary, hcli)!" 
 2 
 
18 H'TIIKK, TlIK KEFOHMER. 
 
 Soon iiftiT roiH'ivin;^ liis Master's dojxrcc, he was 
 profouinily move<l by the sudden death of an in- 
 tiinato friond. Ht'turning fn)ni a visit to Mans- 
 feld, on July 2d, loOo, he was cau«rht in :i terrific 
 thunder-storm, an<l, as a vivid Hasli of lijrhtning 
 dailed ln'fore him, lie fell to the earth and ex- 
 claimed: "Help me, dear St. Anna; 1 will hccome 
 a monk.'' Fifteen days afterward he bade fare- 
 well t«> the world, and entered the Augustinian 
 nionastrrv of \]\v town. 
 
CHAPTER TV. 
 
 MONASTERY LIKE. 
 
 The talented university student was cordially 
 welcomed to the cloister. For the first year, iis a 
 "novice," he was compelled to perform the most 
 menial services, sueh as s('rul>l)in<]^ the lloors of 
 the eonvi'iit, and traversing the streets of the town 
 ill (•oin})any witli an older hrotlier of the order 
 gatheriiiL^ ^nfts of hread and cheese for the iiunates 
 of the monastery. The envy of his lussoeiiites, or 
 the su})])osed necessity of sj)ecial strin<xeney in his 
 ease to overcome the temptiition to s})iritual pride, 
 led to the imposing of sucli duties upon him even 
 after he had heen consecrated to the priesthood. 
 He performed all these tisks without murmuring;, 
 and was zealous in meeting all the rehdous re- 
 (juirements of his jxjsition. Seven or eii-^ht hours 
 daily were set apart for tlie repeating of prescribed 
 prayers, the Lord's Prayer and the Ave Maria he- 
 ing regularly recited twenty-live times every day. 
 
 When the year of prol)ation was en<led, the 
 novice was solemnly received into the order of 
 Augustinian monks, taking the vow of un(|uestion- 
 ing ohedience to Almighty God, the Virgin Mary 
 and the Prior of the convent. II(^ was now given 
 a cell hy himself, containing a tdile, a hed-stead 
 and a chair. He; could afterward declare: "If 
 ever a monk eould have entered heaven through 
 moniLstic tortures, I should have done so," and 
 fearlessly appeal to his former associates to attest 
 his scrupulous fidelity in obeying all the minutest 
 rules of the order. 
 
 (10) 
 
20 M'THKK, Tin-: kekokmek. 
 
 At least onct' a week, every l)rotluT was coni- 
 pelle<l to make confession j)rivatcly to a desijr- 
 nateti priest. Luther aekimwledjied so many trans- 
 gressions to his "confessor," that the well-meaninj; 
 old man grew tired of hearing him. He was guiUy 
 of no gross outward sins, l»ut aeeused himself of 
 (|uiekness of temjK-r, envy, impatience, and a host 
 of insignilicant olTenses against the rules of the con- 
 vent eoneerning the daily exereises(>f worship, etc. 
 
 It was the tloetrine of the Church, that the peni- 
 tent nmst confess all his sins, with inward peni- 
 tence, or contrition. The confessor then ])ro- 
 nounce<l ahsolution, or the pardon of sin, hut at 
 once also imposed as temporal i)i'nalties yet to be 
 re<iuire<l various mortilications of the llesh. com- 
 monly called penances. The imperfect j)erforn»- 
 ance of these j>cnanc« s wouM incur the wrath of 
 (iod, and, if not leading to final perdition, would 
 at least re(|uire the soul to endure uns})eakal»le tor- 
 ment in j)Urgatorial fires. Luther accepted this 
 teaching with umpiestioning faith, and sought in 
 the prescribed way to make sure of his accei»tance 
 with (lod. But he wju^ too honest to believe that 
 his jKiiitence was as dee|) as it should be, and 
 although it was taught that tlie absolution j)ro- 
 nouiiccd would atone for any imperfection in the 
 contrition of the sincere penitent, yet he was de- 
 prived of the comfort which he might have found 
 in this assurance l»y the immediate imposition of 
 further penances, in the fulfihnent of which he 
 again realized his own inlirmity. In tlii' desper- 
 ate effort to find inward peaci', he lunhrtook far 
 more than was re(iuire<l of him. lie thus gainetl 
 much repute for sanctity; l»ut in all these e(T<»rts 
 hv afterwanls recogni/cd the i>ri«le of his own 
 Ijeart, which sought in this way t<» attain a right- 
 eouHncKS of it- ..un ;ni,l t.. iniiit tli«' divine favor. 
 
MONASTERY LIFE. 21 
 
 In May, I.'jOT, LutluT w;is formally iiiductcd 
 intn the priesthood, wln-n the svnav of addcii iv- 
 spoiisibility ;,'itatly hiirdt'm'd him. \\'ho was he, 
 that he should dare to aj>i»roaeh (Jod and j)resent 
 to llim, in the sacrifiee of tlie mass, the body of 
 His dear Son? He trembled, and almost i)erished 
 at tlie tlioiifjht. The aceidental omission of a 
 word of the prescribed formula he regarded as a 
 ^Tievous sin. He selected twenty-one out of the 
 lonjx eatalo«rue of saints, and at each daily mass 
 implored the intercession of three of these, thus 
 eom]»letin;z the list every week. 
 
 Meanwhile, he studied diligently the scholastic 
 theology, and soon knew the works of liiel and 
 I)'Ailly almost by heart. He found great delight 
 in the keen dialectics of Occam. He read faith- 
 fully, but with some impatience, the voluminous 
 works of Tlu>mas Aquinas and Duns Scotus. lUit 
 all these celebrated teachers of tlieology failed to 
 bring peace to his troubled heart. They all 
 taui:lit him to rely on liis own efforts to procure for 
 himself the favor of (Jod. Preaching not the love 
 of (Jod, but His majesty and absolute power, tliey 
 led the anxious student to imagine that the tor- 
 tures of mind which he had so long endured were 
 indications that he was hoplessly given over to 
 eternal destruction by an unchanging decree of the 
 Almighty. 
 
 His despondency was doubtless increased by the 
 im|iaired condition of his bodily health. Long 
 fa>ting and arduous labors, cond)ined with an al- 
 most unexampled devotion to study, reduced his 
 vitality and naturally inclined him to gloomy 
 forebodings. Thus many circumstances cond)ined 
 to m.ike him for all time an exam]»le of the utter 
 helplessness of the man who thinks by his own 
 iiMble.-( and most self-denying elTorts to sceure the 
 .ipproval of a holy (Jod. 
 
22 Ll'TIIEK, TIIK KEFORMEIl. 
 
 But the mercy of the lA)nl whom he thus 
 i^^norantly sou«;lit to worship was j)re|)arin«; cle- 
 Hveranci*. Wliile yet a novice, he was permitted 
 for a sexsoii to liave the use of a liihle, ami, 
 thouj^li he faileil to ^rasp tlie central thouj^'ht of 
 the (iospel message, he stored up many })assages 
 in his faithful memory. A brother in the mon- 
 astery, to whom he confided somethin*^ of his 
 spiritual trouhle, urj^ed him to make his own the 
 declaration of the Creed, '' 1 helieve in the for- 
 giveni'ss of sins,'' reminding; him that it is not 
 the sins of Peter or of Paul of which we are to 
 tiiink when makini? this ci^nfession, hut ()ur own, 
 and insistiuL^ also that " Ciod commands us to 
 hope," and that despair is therefore disohedience. 
 
 But it was from the vicar-general of his (»rder, 
 John von Staupitz, a man of earnest practical 
 piety and of sympathetic nature, that he received 
 the most suhstantial ai»l. The latter, on his regular 
 visits to Erfurt, encouraged the confidence of the 
 young monk and hecame deeply interested in hini. 
 He advised him, instead of worrying ahout prt'dcs- 
 tination, to view the mercy of Clod in the wounds 
 of Clirist; inst^^ad of his own scrupulous ohserv- 
 ance of outward ceremonies, to seek that inward 
 renewal of heart which is, according to the New 
 Testiunent, the essence of conversion; and to trust, 
 not in the preti*ntious works of his own prouil self- 
 righteousness, hut in the grace of (Jod as reveaU'd 
 in Christ. This was timely advice, and to his old 
 age IjUther acknowledged it as the chief means hy 
 which (tod led him to a knowledge of the saving 
 truth. In the light of his experience we can un- 
 derstand why he so frecpiently speaks of the value 
 of wise Christian counsel in hours of spiritual 
 distress and of the henelits of confession and ahso- 
 lution. 
 
MONASTERY I.IFK. 23 
 
 With a new hope stirring within liini, Luther 
 now turui'cl with fr»>h intiTrst to the Seriptuns. 
 He discovered tliat the st riptural word for re}>ent- 
 anee in the ori«iinal CJreek liad no referenci' to 
 outward ohservanees, hut could mean only a 
 chan«;e of niintl, or heart. Everywhere he found 
 clearest revelations of the grace of (lod, and his 
 whole concej)tion of the i>lan of salvation was 
 cliange<l. Looking away from himself with a 
 faith genuine yet timid, he found a measure of 
 inward comfort utterly unknown hefore. This 
 was the crisis period of his new spiritual life. 
 He now advanced steadily in his ])ercej)tion of 
 scriptural truth, although he had not the remotest 
 idea of the revolulinnary character of his new 
 princi]>les. 
 
 The intellectual attainments of the Erfurt 
 monk had meanwhile hecome widely known, and 
 he was regarded as the most talented and learne(l 
 man in the Augustinian order of (lermany. His 
 zeal for the proper understanding of the Scriptures 
 led to the purchase of a Hebrew lexicon, then a 
 great rarity, and his diligent ai>]>lieation to the 
 study of that language without an instructor or 
 associate. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 rUOFESSOHSlIir at WITTENREnn. 
 
 At the close of the year 150S, Luther was, \i]>nn 
 tlic reeoininendation of Staiipitz, aj)p()inte(l a Pro- 
 fessor in the newly-('stal»Hslieil rnivei*sity of 
 M'ilt('n)»('r«:. II*' at first taii^Mit only the so-ealU'tl 
 
 1»hil(>s(>j)lii(al hranchcs, which he had pursued at 
 u-furt. His j)rt'f(renee was, however, for the- 
 olojzy, whieh, as he was aceustonieil to say, deals 
 with the kernel of truth, whereas the other 
 sciences are concerned only with the shell. In 
 connection with his oflicial duties, he at once 
 entered uj^on the course of study necepsary in 
 order to secure the academic rank nMjuircd for the 
 hi-jlicr })osition. The de<:re('of Bachelor of The- 
 ology could he ohtained only tlirou;_di three stai:i's, 
 each occupying at least six months, and each 
 closing with an examination and a ]iu)>lic discus- 
 sion. These recjuirements weri' easily met, and 
 the haccalaureate degree ol)tained witliin eighteen 
 months. \\'ithin this jjcriod he gave theological 
 instruction for three sessions at the University of 
 Krfurt, when lie was recalled to Wittenherg, where 
 he now outranked all the other instructors in the 
 faculty. 
 
 In January, IT)!!, he. in conipany with anotlier 
 delegate, was sent to Rome upon an important 
 mi.'^sion connecte(l with the government of the 
 Augustinian monasteries of (lermany. He re- 
 joiced in this opi)ortunity of visiting the fountain- 
 head of Christian authority and life, and hojK'd 
 for great spiritual henelit from contact with the 
 (21) 
 
PKOFESSOKSIIIl' AT WITTENBEKG. 25 
 
 holy leaders of the Cliunli. At the lii-st si^dit of 
 the capital he j)r()strateil hiiiisrlf Ujxni the j^ruund, 
 CTvinir, ''Hail, holy Hoinc!'' The four weeks 
 spent ill theeity were (liliL'eiitly utihzfd. He ran 
 ahoiit, he afterwards tells us, like "a stupi<l 
 Srtint," from church to churc-h, helievin;^ all the 
 silly fahles told him, and striving to gain the 
 8j)ecial hlessings offered to the worshijters at each 
 sacri'd shrine. He almost wished that his mother 
 and father were dead, that he might emhrace the 
 oi)portunity to ])ray them out of ])urgatory. As 
 lie was reverently climhing U})on his knees up the 
 stair-case saiil to have heen brought from Pilate's 
 judgnunt-hall at Jerusalem, an exercise which ap- 
 peared to him the very acme of holy service, in- 
 stead of the sense of the divine favor which he 
 had anticipated, he was overwhelmed with a con- 
 viction of the utter inconsistency of all such works 
 of supi)osed merit with the great declaration of the 
 Apostle: "The just shall live hy faitli." 
 
 His fond belief in the sanctity of Rome was 
 now rudely disj)elled. Hi' was amazed at the 
 reckless luxury of the ]»apal court, and greatly 
 scandalized by the trilling way in which the priests 
 conducted sacred services, even jesting as they 
 celebrated the solemn mass. He discovered that 
 Pope Julian was a shrewd, worldly-minded man, 
 and that cardinals were guilty of gross, open im- 
 morality. He heard it said upon the streets that 
 "if there is a hell. Home is built over it." His 
 j)atriotic spirit was stirred when he heard theder- 
 man people sneeringly spoken of as "stujjid" Utr 
 their simple and r<>verent obedience. Yet all this 
 did uoi shake his conlidence in the divine author- 
 ity of the Church, but oidy led him to grieve over 
 the unworthiness of those occu]»ying its chief 
 j)laces of honor, and to long more earnestly for 
 reform. 
 
26 LUTHEH, TIIK KEFoKMEU. 
 
 Roturninp to Wittt-nhor^. he was aj)j>ointcd 
 Sub-prior <>f tho nmna^tcry at that ^)lacH', and on 
 (Jctohcr ISlh and r.Hh, loTJ, was solciiinly in- 
 vested with the title. Doctor of Theology. He 
 aeoeptiH.1 this vtTv unwillingly, hut, as it involved 
 both the authority and a sole inn oath to defend 
 the truth of the (Ii>sik'1, it aftenvard gave him 
 great contidince when compellrd to maintain his 
 eonvictions against the traditional teachings of the 
 Church. 
 
 In the theological lectures whidi he now be- 
 gan to deliver, an entirely new nulliod was intro- 
 ducc«d. The exjK)sition of the 8cri})tures had been 
 previously connnitted to instructors of lower rank, 
 whilst the doctore of divinity were expcx.ted to 
 base their instructions upon the developed system 
 of the great s(h(>la>tic authorities. Luther, on the 
 contrary, conlined his lectures to the Herijitures 
 themselves, and aimed especially to present in the 
 clearest possi})le form the great saving truths of 
 revelation. In the very first course of instruction, 
 full notes of which have haj>]>ily been preserved 
 to us, he declares the Word of ( Jod to be for the 
 eeeker after truth what i»asture is to the ox, its 
 nest to the bird, or a stream to the fish. 
 
 He chose for his first course of lectures as 
 "Doctor <»f tlic Sacred Scriptures," in \i')]'.\ and 
 l')!-!, the Psalms, l)eing attracted by their devo- 
 tional sj>iiit. He had a special edition of the 
 Psalter printed for the use of his students, in which 
 large spaces were left between the lines and upon 
 the margin. A copy of this editi(»n is still pre- 
 served in the library at Wolfeiibilttel, the pages of 
 which are crowded with comments in the liand- 
 writing of the Kcfornier, evidently forming the 
 !>asis for tlic fuller expositions given to his classes. 
 The euinments du not manifest that anxiety to 
 
PROFESSOItSlIll' AT WITTENBERG. 27 
 
 discover the oriLMnal meaninjj: of tlic text wliidi 
 afti rwanls tliaractcrizAMl LiUIut's expository writ- 
 iiiL's, l)Ut tlicy display tlit' cli'ej)C'St sympathy witli 
 the inward stru«:«;lt'S of the saered writers and a 
 constant elYort to detect, wherever possible, projdi- 
 I'cies and types of that Saviour in wliose fellowship 
 his own soul had now found rest. 
 
 In l')!'), he hejran to lecture upon the Epistle to 
 the Romans, havinjx found the key to a i)roper 
 undrr>tandin«^^ of this profound theological treatise 
 in the 17th verse of the lirst cha}>ter. He had for- 
 merly conceived of the righteousness of Ciod as a 
 revelation only of sttTU, uncompromising justice, 
 lie now, in the light of Paul's argument, beheld 
 in it the righteousness imputed to every one who 
 believes in Christ, as the sure i)ledge of his accept- 
 ance as a child of (4od. 
 
 In 1510, he undertook an exposition of the 
 Epistle to the Galatians, developing especially 
 the scriptural discrimination between tlie Law and 
 the (ios])el — between the bcaulage of the letter and 
 the freedom of the s})irit. As the original epistle 
 swept away the pntensions of the Pharisees of old, 
 so Luther's strong presentation of its principles 
 now placed in clear light the perversions of the 
 entire i)apal system of human ordinances, and 
 taught men to render even to the divine law not a 
 servile, l>ut a willing and loving obedience. 
 
 These three early commentaries all discuss the 
 great question which in j)ractical importance 
 overshadows all others: How shall man become 
 righteous before (iod and inherit eternal life? They 
 clearly state tin; scri])tural doctrine of justilication 
 by faith. They teach that Christian character de- 
 pends, not U])on outward works of self-inortilica- 
 tion, but upon the state of the heart; that sins 
 are forgiven freely by the grace of CJod; and that 
 
28 LUTIIKU, TIIK UKKOK.MKU. 
 
 \hv faith wliich acot'j>ts j)aril()n as a free ^'itt )>e- 
 comos an active jjroinotor of all p^xl >vorks, just 
 as a pMul trof will prudiu'e pxuj fruit. 
 
 Frnin the celehrate«l teachers of theolojjy of the 
 Mi<Ulle A«;es, who ha<l hliiully adojtti'*! the ideas 
 ami inetlKxl of the ancient heathen i)hilosoj)her, 
 Aristotle, and who failed, in eonseijuenec, t*> un- 
 derstand the nature of sin and the real purpose of 
 the Gospel, Lnther turned to Augustine, whose 
 name was slill honored, hut wlM)se works had 
 fallen into neglect. He was delijihted to lind in 
 this j^reat teacher a clear confi'ssion of the de|tlh 
 of human de)>ravity and helplessness, and a nia;,'- 
 nifyinjj of tiie free mercy of (iod. lUit evi-n 
 Au«,'ustine had not so fully prasped as did Luther 
 the apostolic conception of faith alone as the 
 means of appropriatinj; the freely-offered grace. 
 
 But the mind and lieart of the great Keformer 
 were suhjected also to a j)owerful influence from 
 another (piarter. During the thirteenth and four- 
 teenth centuries there had arisen in (iermany a 
 numher of men of deep contem]»lative l>iety, 
 known as the German Mystics. They sought to 
 attain fellowsliip wiili (iod l.y renunciation of the 
 world and of their own desires. They too often 
 carried out this i«lea to great extremes, endeavor- 
 ing to lose all sense of exist^'nce in a dreamy re- 
 verie, to dissolve away "into nothingness." 
 Alrea«ly in the cloister Luther had felt the im- 
 pulse of this system from his study of the works of 
 Gerson (f A. I). LLiD), und from his intercourse 
 with Staupitz. The sermons of mic of the n(»h!cst 
 of its representatives. John Tauler (t A. D. 
 1361 ), now fell into his hands and he read it with 
 avidity. In strong contrast with thee(»ld formulas 
 of the scholastics and the empty external works of 
 the papal system, the deep religious sj.irit of these 
 
PROFESSORSII I r AT W ITTKNHKIU}. 29 
 
 men oncliantcd him. lie was so niuch plcasril 
 witli a little anonyiuttus tract in which their views 
 were advocated that hi' himself, in l')l(), puidished 
 a portion of it, and, two years later, tin* entire 
 work, under the title of ''German Theology." 
 Whilst he avoided the cmj)ty j)hilosophical con- 
 clusions in wliich the system of the Mystics linally 
 evaporated, his sympathetic study of its hetter 
 literature was of Lcreat henetit in adding deptli and 
 fervor to his piety. Its iniluence may ]»e traced 
 in all his future writing's in his })rofound yearning 
 for fi'llowship with (lod and in the recognition of 
 self-will as the very essence of sin. lie rose ahove 
 it, however, when he tauglit that Clod is love, and 
 that we are not only to prostrate ourselves before 
 Him, hut to allow Ilini to lift us uj) and inspire 
 us with a new and joyous life. Whilst the piety 
 of tlie Mysties led tliem to withdraw from the 
 w(»rld, that of Luther sent him forth to valiant 
 service in the cause of truth. 
 
 With his learned lahors was combined a glowing 
 zeal in the ]»ractical application of the Gospel to 
 the connnon peoi)le. At Krfurt, he had ]»reache(l 
 in the dining hall of the convent; during his first 
 years at Wittenl)erg,in a little building of logs and 
 clay, and afterwards in the I'niversity Chureh. It 
 was his custom at times to ]>reach every day for a 
 week or more, sometimes delivering two daily ser- 
 mons in addition to his regular hctuns at the 
 Cniversity. His sermons were plain and prac- 
 tical, addressed not to the learned ]»rofessors in the 
 front pews, but to the ])easants and servants who 
 occupied the hundder seats. He spoke with great 
 fervor and with convincing power. 
 
 In a series of diseourses upon the Ten Com- 
 mandments and the Lord's Prayer, eonehidt d in 
 the early part of A. D. 1517, the sins of every- 
 
30 UTIIKU, TlIK HKKOKMEH. 
 
 day life wore vividly j>ortray('<l, ^vitll tlio manifest 
 purix>se of awakniinp in tln' hearers a deep sense 
 of j»ers(»nal sinfulness with distrust in any pnssihle 
 effort of their own, and thm l«adin«; thmi to tho 
 excicisr of simple, joyous faith in Christ. The 
 glaring abuses of tlie prevalent saint-worship and 
 the niueh-laudrd jiil^'riniaps-are freely denounee<l, 
 and the sanctity t)f the ordinary daily life ot the 
 hmnhle believer is exalti'd in eontrast with the 
 sup])osed FujKTior holiness of the nionastie and 
 clerical orders. Thus, lon<r before Luther dreamed 
 that he should he called to occuj)y a j)ositi(>n of 
 World-wide inlluence as a reforuier, he was known 
 in the (•(•niniunity in which he lived as a man 
 utterly fearless in Ids denunciation of j)opular 
 errors. In this, many brave men had, indee<l, 
 preceded him, but he dilTered from them all in his 
 fervent prescntiition of direct, personal faith in 
 an atoning and triumj)hant Saviour as the all- 
 suHlcient basis of a p'uuine relipous life. 
 
 The rejxular monastic duties were still faitlifully 
 discharged, although he no longer sought thus to 
 merit the f;ivor of (lod. lie was in lolo ch^ted 
 District Vicar for 'i'huringia and Misnia (Meis- 
 sen), having eleven Augustinian monasteries un- 
 der his care. lie dis])layed a deep ]>ersonal inter- 
 est in the spiritual welfare of the inmates of the.'^e 
 in.stitutions, as well as practical wisdom in gov- 
 ernment and disei])lin«\ 
 
 He was still a faithful subject of the Ivoman 
 Catholic Church, bowinLT before her authority and 
 acknowledging the vali<lity of all her ordinances. 
 He wore his monk's cowl, and urged his associ- 
 nt*^ and subordinates as strongly as ever to faith- 
 ful f)!)edience. He still thought it proper to 
 implore the saints to intercede for men witli CJod, 
 and he himself in his sermons o])enly invoke<l 
 
PROFESSORSIIir AT WITTENDEKG. 31 
 
 the ;ii<l of the Virgin Mary. IIuss and tho I>o- 
 liemian lirt'thren, wlio had renoinuvd tlie pupal 
 authority, hv rc^zarded as " wri'tc-hcd heretics." 
 It" li«' invi'ight'd a«:ainst the corruptions of the 
 monks and c'K'r«ry, and warned a<;ainst the preacli- 
 iug of idh' U'«rends instead of the sinipK' truth of 
 tlie Gospel, he thought himself in this fully sus- 
 tained hy the hetter sentiment of the Church at 
 large. If he (juoted Augustine against Aijuinas 
 and Scotus, he did not imagine that he was 
 tlierehy assailing the accci)ted dogmas of the 
 C'iiurch, or <|Uestioning its authority. 
 
 r.ut tlic Reformation was now essentially 
 completed in the soul of Luther. He had for 
 years l»een leading a life of joyous faith in Christ. 
 He had found himself in full spiritual accord 
 with Paul and David. \\'ith unwearying delight 
 he had been unfolding to all about him the con- 
 solations of the glorious CJospel. Within the still 
 narn^w circle of his inlluence, the truth had been 
 gladly welcomed by many. The time had come 
 when, in the providence of God, the light thus en- 
 kindled was to break through the heavy shrouds 
 of mediaval darkness and shine forth to the ends 
 of the earth. 
 
PERIOD 11. 
 
 ASSERTION OF PRINCIPLES. A. D. 1517-1521. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 TIIK CALL TO ACTION. 
 
 It was tlic pul)lic Sale of Indulgences, or oor- 
 tificates <»f jjanlon for sin, l)y oflicial rcprrscnta- 
 tives of the Pope, tluxt suniinoned the studious 
 professor and earnest pastor to the field of contro- 
 versy. That an ahuse so flaf^rant should find 
 intelligent defenders even in that ajro, or that op- 
 position to it should lead to a transformation of the 
 whole civil and reliirious aspect of the modern 
 world, seems almost inore<lihle. Yet it was just 
 here that the hattle for (iospel liherty was joined. 
 The sliameless ahuse of the traditional indulg«'iu<'S 
 led to an examination of the theory upon which 
 they were l)ased, and this involved a direct scru- 
 tiny and rejection of th(; claims upon which rested 
 the whole system of mediieval theology, and the 
 entire fahric of the papal authority. 
 
 The accepted theology of the day taught that 
 repentance is a sacrament, or churchly ordi- 
 nance, consisting of three parts: contriti«>n of heart, 
 confession hy tlie lips (to a priest), and satisfac- 
 tion hy works. Upon the first part hut little stress 
 was commonly laid. It was understood to he 
 merely a dread of punishment, and if sufficiently 
 deep Uy lead to confession, the ofliiiating priest 
 (.•J2) 
 
Tin: (ALL TO A(TION. 33 
 
 was aullinriz(Ml t<> jintiKtuiu'e absolution, l>y wliidi 
 act, it was tauj^^ht, any dt'tiiii'ncy in tlir sinrt-rity 
 or depth of thv contrition was fully supplied, and 
 the profess* '< I jieniteiit positively released from the 
 penalty (»f eternal death. In plaee of the latter, 
 iiowever, were now ai)i)ointed vari<>us tenijtoral 
 penalties, such as fastings, preseril»e<l religious 
 exiTeises, the giving of alms, ete. The meeting 
 of these demands constituted the third necessary 
 part of repentance. If the works of satisfaction 
 thus re(|uire(l he not fully rendered in the present 
 life, the neglect must he atoned for hy an indefinite 
 perio<l of suiTering in the lires of purgatory. 
 
 There was thus, after all, ui»on this theon', no 
 such thing as the free and full forgiveness of sin 
 hy the grace of (Jod. The confessing penitent 
 was, indeed, declarctl free from the j)enalty of 
 eternal death; })ut for every slightest defect in the 
 atoning work still re(iinre(l of liim he must face 
 the ])rospect of purgatorial fires. Unless his ohedi- 
 ence was ])erfect, he was therefore still, and must be 
 for :in iiidetiiiite ]MTiod after death, a subject of 
 punishment, <'nduring the wrath of ( iod. As the 
 penalties imposed hy the Church grew heavier, the 
 \enrs of prosjMX'tive purgatorial jtains grew longer. 
 Since the obedience of the masses to the mandates 
 .•f the Church de]>ended largely upon their desire 
 to avoid the aggravation of the agonies of jnirga- 
 l(»ry, it was hut natural that zealous partisans of 
 the hierarchy should ])aint those agonies in the 
 deejicst lines, until they became, to the imagina- 
 tion of the common pe<>]>le, practically equivalent 
 to the unending pains of hell. 
 
 Hut tlie !'()])(•, it was further taught, might re- 
 mit ecclesiastical j)enalties in view of distinguished 
 -t-rvice rendered to the Church, or generous gifts 
 to her coffers. The merits of Christ and the g(jod 
 3 
 
34 LUTUEU, llIK KKFOKMER. 
 
 works of those eminent saints who liad done more 
 than was re<juiri'ii of tlitni were Mii»p«»sr<l to con- 
 stitute a sacT(d ** treasure of the Church," 
 which the Pope was authorized to apply in nuiking 
 up delicieneies in the lioliness or ohedienee of 
 others. He might even thus lij;hten or altogether 
 remove the penalties yet resting uiM»n souls already 
 in purgatory, in view of the devotion or gifts of 
 their surviving relatives. 
 
 (Jradually, this theory of pajKil )»anlnn, nr in- 
 dulgence, was modified in two inijMntant particu- 
 lars. It was nuule applicahle, not only to the 
 imperfect ohservance of ihurchly j)enalties, hut to 
 transgressions of the divine law as v.cU. Thus 
 contrition, or sorrow for sin, hecame a secondary 
 matter, and repentance a mere outward ceremony 
 — a penance rendered hy the sinner himself, and 
 even this avoidaide uj)on the }»ayment of money 
 for the henelit of the Chunh. 
 
 Thus, hundreds (.f lliMU>aiids of indulgences, as- 
 suring the full pardon of all sins, were granteil 
 to those who participated in the Crusades. At a 
 later day, they were freely hestowed in return for 
 generous contrihutions of funds to aid in war 
 against the Turks. The guardians of sacred 
 sln-ines and of the re])uted relics of the saints in 
 various ]»laces were authorized to dispense to all 
 visitors there njaking confession on certain days, 
 •or to deceased frii'uds of thi' latter, indulgences 
 covering varying terms of years in purgatory. 
 
 Pope Leo was at tliis time /.<al(>usly pr(>secuting 
 the erection of St. Peter's Cathedral, at Home, 
 and gracicKisly ofTered to all who should j)ay to his 
 accredited agents appropriate sums of money cer- 
 tilicati'S entitling them to claim at the hands of 
 any priest (penit«nee heing prudently mentioned 
 in the jiapers, hut as jirudtntly overloukid in the 
 
THE CALL TO ACTION. 3.5 
 
 jireacliinp of tlu' auctionoerinp aj^cnts) abpolution 
 for all their sins and particij)ati(»n in all Xhv Mcss- 
 ini^ of salvation. I'rincu All>Lrt, Archliislnip of 
 Mayence, had undortakin for one-half the j)ro- 
 ceeds (this private harjrain being unsuspected by 
 Luther) the distribution of these indulj^ences 
 throujrh a large j)art of Germany, and had engaired 
 a bold and unscrui)ul<)us j)riest, John Tetzel, to 
 urge the j)eo]>le to avail themselves of the oppor- 
 tunity thus ofTered. The latter, prosecuting his 
 wnrk with fiery zeal, reached Jiiterbog, a few miles 
 from \\'ittenberg, in the fall of the year 1517, and 
 was there literally selling " grace for cash." lie 
 wrought especially upon the tender regard of his 
 hearers for their deceased friends, crying: "The 
 moment the groschen rings in the chest, the soul 
 llies out of j)urgatory." 
 
 Members of Luther's parish jmrchased these 
 ]»apers, and then, boldly confessing sins which 
 tliey had no idea of forsaking, demanded absolu- 
 tion at his hands. Ilorrilied at the impiety, he 
 utterly refused to absolve them and earnestly 
 admonished tliem to repentance. This they 
 ]>romptly reported to Tetzel, who declaimed fuTcely 
 against the presumptuous monk daring thus to 
 treat with contemj>t the ])rinted mandate of the 
 Vn\H'. But the nn»nk maintained his ground, and 
 from the |)uljtit denounced the shauieless traflic 
 He thus discharged his duty as a pastor; but he 
 felt a larger responsibility resting upon him as a 
 I)«tetor <»f Theology, sworn to ])roclaim ami to tli- 
 IVnd the (Jospel l"f..n. all the world. 
 
riTArTKn ir. 
 
 Tin: r.ni.i) challenge. 
 
 The most jjroiniiunt biiililiup in Wittrnl>erg 
 was the Castle Church. Ori^'inally tstal»li>ln<l 
 ns a <l(|H)sit«trv f«»ra ''sacnil lljorn," said to liave 
 \tvvu takni fnun the crown prcssitl u]>on the Sav- 
 iour's )>ro\v, it liatl for more tlian one hundred and 
 fifty years been a centre of suixrstitious (Kvotion, 
 when, in the closing; <lecade of tlie tiftecnth century, 
 the Elector ?>ederick the Wise greatly enlarped it 
 and at enormous expense gathered within its walls 
 relics from all j>arts of the world to the number of 
 more than iive thousand, including a piii-e of the 
 burning bush seen by Moses, i)art of the liery fur- 
 nace of Nebuchadiu'zzar, arms and lingn-s «»f the 
 babes of Hethhlicni slaughtered by IIcn»d, hair of 
 the Virgin Mary, fragments t)f tlie Saviour's swad- 
 dling cl<»thes, his beard, the purple rol>e, toes and 
 hair of various saints, etc. Whoever worshiped 
 reverently in this sacred e<lilice on the days innne- 
 diately preceding or following the festival of All 
 Saints, was entitled to j)a])al indulgence extending 
 in some cases for one hundred years. This chun h 
 stood in close relation with the I'niversity, the 
 public exercises of the latter being held within its 
 walls, and academic announcements being upon 
 the great festival days posted upon its d(K»rs. 
 
 Here was lutw the oj.portunity for the bravo 
 young Doctor. Appointed to preach in this 
 church on the .'Hst of October, lolT, the afternoon 
 proce<ling All Saints' day, he discourses fervently 
 upon true inward rejMntancc as distinguished 
 
THE noLI) < HALLKNC.K. 37 
 
 from outward fnnnsof peiKiMcc, and foarlossly coii- 
 dciniis tlu* trallic in induljjrnces, altliou^di well 
 knowing that he is thenl^y rohhing the treasured 
 relies of the phice of all their value and exposing 
 to ridieule the folly <>f his patron, the Kleetor. 
 
 Some tinje hefore entering the chureh he had 
 (|uietly perfornie<l the aet which is now universally 
 reoognizrd as the actual starting-point of the 
 Reformation. Stei)j)ing uj) to the great door, he 
 nailed upon it a j)roelamation inviting all jxrsons 
 interested to participate in i)ei*s()n or hy writing in 
 a public discussion of the "Virtue of Indulg- 
 ences." As a basis for the disputation, he pre- 
 sented Ninety-five Theses, or brief j)r()posi- 
 tions, bearing upon tlie subject. He did not him- 
 self realize that the j)rinciples which lie announced 
 must eventually abolish the j)raetice altogether 
 and undermin<' the whole system of church organ- 
 ization by which they were sui)j)orted. It was 
 not his calling to forecast the results of his con- 
 duct, but simply to be faithful to the light which 
 he had and to his ])osition as a teacher and de- 
 fender of scriptural truth. 
 
 The Theses are moderate and respectful in 
 tone. The author freely grants the right of tlu^ 
 I'ope to issue indidgences, and denounces only the 
 llagrant abuse of then). Upon some j)oints he is 
 not clear in his own mind, and hence states them 
 in interrogative form, hoping by thorough discus- 
 sion to arrive at right conclusions. Starting with 
 the Saviour s call to repent^ince, he maintains that 
 the latter is to l)e an exjMTience continuing all 
 through life — an inward sorrow for sin, manifesting 
 itself outwardly in the ov<'rcoming of the sinful 
 impulses iti the flesh; that the indulgences issued 
 l»v the Pope have nothing to do with this, but can 
 remit only the outward penalties imposed by the 
 
38 LUTIIEK, TIIK KKFORMER. 
 
 Church; that tlu'v cannot in any way afTcct the 
 souls of the departed; that every true Christian 
 enjoys the ]>anlon of all his sins without any in- 
 dulpMice from the Pope; that it is far hetter to ex- 
 pend one's in(»ney in works of Christian love than 
 to Sijuander it in the purchase of indulgences; that 
 the true ''treasure of the Church " is not any ex- 
 tra merits of the saints, hut is the (iospil; that, if 
 the Pope can release so many souls from purga- 
 tory for money, pure Christian love should impel 
 him to set them all free; and that it is not by 
 seeking to av(»id suiTcring and trial, hut hy hearing 
 them with patience, that we can hope to enter 
 heavm at l;i>t. 
 
 The reception accorded tlic Tin scs far ex- 
 OtH'<led the expectations of their author. Within 
 two weeks they had heen scattered throughout 
 all (lermany and in an incredihly short time had 
 penetrated to the most distant portions of the 
 Church. 
 
 The friends of tlie hrave monk were thoroughly 
 frightened, and thought he had gone too far. Said 
 the jurist, Jerome Scheurf : " What do you ex])ect 
 to accomplish? The authorities ()f the Church 
 will not endure such holdness." The ])rior and 
 suh-prior of his cloister hegged him to desist and 
 not thus hring disgrace upon their entire order. 
 The theologian, Alhert Krantz, upon hearing the 
 Theses read, exclaimed: "Thou speakest the 
 trutli, goo<l hrother, hut thou wilt accomplish 
 nought hy it. CJo to thy cell, and cry: ' (iod have 
 mercy Uj»on me.' " On the other hand, no one 
 venturcil to acc<'j)t the challenge to a puhlic dis- 
 putation at Wittenhcrg. The Theses, with their 
 author, stood for a time alone before the world. 
 Nothing terrified, although sincerely regretting the 
 wide an«l, as he thought, premature, publicity 
 
THK noi.D (IIALLKNGK. 89 
 
 given to tlio matter, Lutlier at oiico i.ssued a Dis- 
 course u}xm Indnhicnces iind (irnrc, einl)0(lyin^ tlie 
 same ideas, and set himself to the preparation of 
 a careful elucidation and tlefeucu of the positions 
 >vhich he had taken. 
 
ClIAl'Tl'R 111 
 
 AXGUY KESPONSES. 
 
 Althouj^h the j)artisans of tlie Pope at first rr- 
 panlini the Theses with hhmk aiuazenient, and 
 soujrlit to (liscreiUt thtin as the idh* vajmrin^^s of a 
 eontrntioiis monk, it s<»(»n hccaine eviih-nt that 
 nmre serious attention must he «riven to them. 
 
 Tetzel, after seeking to add (lignity to his jmsi- 
 tinn an<l autiiority to his utterances ]>y scH'urinj^ 
 from the Tniversity at Frankfort tlie <h\trrees of 
 Lieintiate and l)oet«>r of Theolojry, issue<l two 
 8eri(^ of counter-tlieses in wlneh he l)oldly de- 
 clared that the repentance spoken of ))y Clirist was 
 hy Ilim meant to include confession to the j)riest 
 and theohservance of all the jMiiances imj>osed i»y 
 tlie Church, an<l that the I'ojte is infallihie in his 
 utterances an<l >^u|irenie in his power. Tliree hun- 
 dn-d Dominician friars, assemhii'd at Frankfort, 
 espoused the cause of Tetzel; hut the \Vitteid»crj^ 
 Htudents, Beizin«r the entire stock of his theses 
 brought to that place, hurned tiicm in the puhlic 
 square. 
 
 I\arly in January, ISIS, there was issued from 
 liome an ollicial document f;ir more fornii(l;il.lc in 
 character. Its author was Sylvester Prierias, 
 Masti'F of the Sacred Palace, to whom had heen 
 given a censorship over all ])uhlicati<»ns upon the 
 territory of the Romish Church. It advocated the 
 most extnine views concerning the suhjiM-tion of 
 the Clnirch to the Pa]>ncy and the nhsolute neces- 
 nity of priestly ordinances to salvation, whilst de- 
 nouncing Luther iu< a leper and a vicious dog. It 
 (10) 
 
ANGKY HF^PONSKS. 41 
 
 ^(•(1 
 
 f)nifully (Ux'larrd tliat if tlu- r<>|t(lia<I only jrivcn 
 tliis monk a fat Msliopiic and allowed him to sell 
 in(lul<ienc('s, he wouM now Ix* a most suhscrvient 
 vassal of the ]»aj)al throne \\'h('n t(in}>t('<l U> 
 rriticisi* severely the harsh lan.miajfe scunetimcs 
 employed hy Lutlier in eontroversy, it will be well 
 f«»r us to rememher that it was tlie j>apal party 
 whose oflieial rejtresentatives first descended to ]>er- 
 st»nalities and the hurlin*; of opprobrious nanus. 
 
 The Pope himself, in the following,' month, 
 instruete«l the \'iear-(leneral of the Augustinian 
 Order to take prompt measures for the suppression 
 of the eontumaeious monk of Wittenberg'. This 
 was not known by Luther, however, until some 
 months afterward. 
 
 Perhaps the most unexpected attack was that of 
 John Eck, a distin<:uislied theolojrian of In<,'ol- 
 stadt, with whom Luther had a pleasant ac<iuaint- 
 ance, and for whose attainments he entertained 
 sincere respect. This suj)posed friend prepared in 
 March, ISIS, under the title, Ohdlsci (from the 
 custom of markinfr condemned passages in books 
 with the obelisk, f), a criticism of tlie Theses, 
 denouncing them as full of the poison of Bohemian 
 heresy, regardless of the restraints of Christian 
 love, and destructive of all churchly order. 
 
 During the following July, Tetzel, emboldened 
 by the cont<nij)tuous silence with which liis former 
 assault had Ixen received, returned to the charge, 
 decrying Luther as an arch-heretic, ignorant of 
 the Scriptures and of the writings of the Chureh 
 Fathers. Hoogstraten, meanwhile, who had al- 
 ready gained repute as a i>ersecutor of the renowned 
 Hebrew scholar, Keuchlin, called upon the P()])e 
 to institute a bloody inciuisition, and cleanse the 
 Chureh from the new leaven of heresy. 
 
 To all these rude attacks Luther made reply, 
 
42 LLTIIKH, TlIK KKKOKMKR. 
 
 adaptin;! liis tono, in each capo, to tlio temper and 
 capacity of liis opponent. IVtzcl and Iloojzstratcn 
 recti vtd very suniniary treatnunt. A^aint?t Kck 
 he jiulilislicd a formal, scliolarly treatise entitled 
 Astrrisri (the mar^Miial astt-risk, *, indicating' ap- 
 proval), whilst in response to tlie otlicial assault 
 of I'rieriap, lie diu^hed oil within two days a 
 leiiL'thy and indijrnant rejoinder, fortifying his 
 positions hy abumlant quotati(»ns frrmi the Scrip- 
 tures and from the arknowled^'«d authorities of 
 the Chuah. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PATIENT LABOR. 
 
 The months which followed tlie piihlication of 
 tlie Tluscs were for Lutlier iiioiitlis of unremit- 
 ting toil. To the duties of liis j)osition in the 
 UniviTsity and the lahor devolving upon him as 
 ]);i>t(>r was now added tlie «rrave rcsjjonsihility of 
 hadiTsliip in the movement for reform which 
 centred in him as its intrepid leader. He had not 
 dreamed of hcinj^ hrought into such prominence, 
 l)Ut lie was not the man to shrink from any path 
 of dutyopenin<^ plainly hel'orc him. Ilis f^reatest 
 concern now was to discover the exact truth upon 
 all tlie j)oints in controversy, and, to this end, he 
 applied himself with all the ardor of his nature to 
 the work of investiiration. 
 
 As the Thi'ses had not heen desifrncd as a final 
 statement upon the sul)jects discussed, he l)e<;an 
 it once the preparation of an extensive exposition 
 uf them, emphasizing what was fundamental, and 
 candidly confessinir his uncertainty upon some 
 less essential points. He re<rarded this work as 
 most important, and it was not until the follow- 
 iuL' sprini? that it was <(»m]il('t('d and pven to the 
 press under the title, '* Elucidations (tf the Theses 
 concerninj]^ the Virtue of In(lul«;ences." On May 
 22d, he sent a ])artial coi)y to his superior, the 
 Archhishop of l^randenhurg, and on the 8()th of 
 the same month addressed another copy to the 
 Poi)e, to whom the entire work was dedicated. 
 In an accomj)anyinp letter, he suhmits his ea.sc 
 with the most earnest protestations of his loyalty 
 (43) 
 
•M UTIIKK, TIIK KKFDUMKK. 
 
 to the Churth ami his willingness to rocoive cor- 
 riH'tion, or even eondcmnation, at the liands of the 
 Pope. He expresses, however, unshaken eonli- 
 denee in his cause, and antieipati-s a favoniMc 
 judgment when his prin(ii)les shall have received 
 candid exaniinatinn. 
 
 A discourse upon '^repentance," jmhlishcd 
 in Fi'itruarv or March, alT<»nlrd liini opportunity to 
 present in a positive form his favorite d(»etrine of 
 the supreme importance of faith, which the special 
 purpose of the Theses had not enahlcd him there 
 to discuss at large. He here clearly shows that 
 without faith neither contrition nor confession nor 
 any sacramental act can have saving eflicacy. 
 
 A very suggestive and comforting ex])osition of 
 th(? iioth Psalm appi-ared witliin the same 
 j)eriod. 
 
 With great simplicity and fervor he continued 
 to unf«»hl the central truths of the (lospel in his 
 friKjUcnt sermons and in his academical lectures. 
 His wide repute for scholarshi]) and the courageous 
 act which had so suddeidy made him famous at- 
 tracted students to W'ittenherg in constantly in- 
 creasing numiters, and these nearly all hecame 
 earnest advocates of his evangelical views. When 
 anxious friends suggested that his course must 
 ultimately hring upon him puhlic condemnation, 
 he re])lied: "I neither htgan for the sake of glory 
 or shame, nor will 1 desist for either." 
 
 A pleasing variation of the routine of his official 
 duties occurred in April an<l May. when he was 
 summone«l to a convention of the Augustinian 
 Order at Heidelberg. Kemindccl that hiscnt'mies 
 might end»race the oj>|nirtuiiity to intlict jiersonal 
 violence upon him, he (Iceland : "The more they 
 rage, the ujore will I pre.'^s forward." Ten days 
 were re«jnir''l •"■"• O"- journey, which was made 
 
PATIKNT LAHOR. 45 
 
 mostly on foot. During' the visit lie was tivatcd 
 with much kindness l»y his hrcthrcn, hut no ivfcr- 
 ( nee was direetly made to the jrreat controversy 
 w ith which his name had hecome so closely con- 
 nected. W'lien the husiness of the convention 
 was comj>lete<l, he was invited, according to the 
 
 ustom of the day, to conduct a disputation, the 
 .-erious work of his calliu}^ thus followini: him 
 u{M)n what l)y less devoted men mi<rht havi' l)e(n 
 reirarile<l as a well-earned vacation. He prc|»and, 
 accordin^dy, a series of theses upon the futility 
 nf the works of the law and the true doctrine of 
 liie cross. Tln» theologians of Heidelherg com- 
 hate<l his views with jrreat acuteness, yet in a 
 friendly spirit; hut the result was seen in the 
 ( onversion (jf a nunduT of young theologians pres- 
 ent to the views of Luther, some of whom after- 
 wards hecame very prominent in jtromoting the 
 Reformation. After an ahsence of ahout live 
 weeks, he returned, greatly refreshed in body and 
 mind, and applied himself with renewed vigor to 
 his studies. 
 
 Meanwhile, neither attacks from without nor 
 his ahsorhing interest in his own deparlint nt 
 could make him forgetful (»f the general welfare 
 of the institution in which he lahored. \\'ith a 
 I'rnad ( (»nipr< hension of the re(iuirements of tin' 
 age, he earnestly advocated jirogressive measures 
 in the scientilic and jihilological dei»artments of 
 the University, fully convinced that the most lih- 
 
 ral education could but promote the interests of 
 true religion. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 A nUOWREATINT. rAKPINAL. 
 
 Meanwhile, in Kniiic, formal proceedings 
 wtTi' instituttil apiinst Lullur for liiit.^y. On 
 Au^just 11th, l)c ri'C'civrd an oflicial citation t<Ki|)- 
 j)rar in the holy city witliin sixty <lays and make 
 answer to tlie charjics a«:ainst liini hcforc a special 
 commission, consistin*; of ihv Paj»al Auditor and 
 the Master of the Sacred Palace, the ahove-nien- 
 tioned Prierias. As the former of these was merely 
 a fiscal otlicer, with no aptitude nor experience in 
 matters of doctrine, it was evident that the decis- 
 ion of tlic case must rest with Prierias, wlio had 
 already in such a puhlic and ofTensive way pro- 
 ni)Unced jud.LMnent airainst the accused. 
 
 Luther, always ready to suhmit his ])rincij>lcs 
 to the calm jud.i:ment of friend or foe, was yet un- 
 willing to make himself the victim of a mock-trial 
 at the hand of his sworn enemy. :ni<l 1m ncc very 
 promptly resolved that he would not obey the 
 summons. He requested that a trial he panted 
 him upon German soil and hefore unj)rejudiced 
 judges, and sought the good oflices (jf his sovereign, 
 the Elector Frederick, in securing this reasonahle 
 concession. The latter was ])rovi<lentially just at 
 this time in ]>osition to wield a peculiarly ])owerful 
 inlluencc upon hoth the civil and the ecclesiastical 
 authorities. There was even then assemhed at 
 Augshurg an Imju'rial Diet, to which Pope Leo 
 was a])pealing f«»r funds to carry on a ])rolonged 
 war with the Turks, and from which the Emperor 
 Maximilian wua endeavoring to secure the election 
 (40/ 
 
A BROWHEATING (AKIUNAL. 17 
 
 of Ills graiulsnn, Cliarles of Spain, as his own suc- 
 ' <ss(»r. Both lia«l, tlieiffon', every reason to con- 
 ciliate the KKitnr Frederiek, of Saxt>ny, who was 
 llie aeknowh'dged ehief of the electoral princes and 
 was himself nuiitioned as a prohahle candidate 
 for the coveted imperial throne. 
 
 Thus the scheme to entrap Luther at Rome 
 failed, and it was agree(l that he should he tried at 
 AuL^hurir, hythe]>apal representative then ]>resent 
 at the Diet, Cardinal Cajetan This olheial was 
 a man of recognized ahility, the acknowIe<lge(l 
 leader of tlu- Tliomisl party anion.L' the scholastic 
 tlieolojrians of the day. For his hij^di ofliee Luth<r 
 t iitertaintHl sincere respect, and it was with n(j 
 little trej)id-ition that tlie lattef now for the first 
 time ]trej>are<l to ap]>ear in j»ei*son before a direct 
 repri'sentative of the Pope, whom he still re<:arded 
 as the rightful head of the Church. 
 
 Disreganling the warnings of sus]>ieio\is friends, 
 he set out on foot, and on Octoher 7th arrived at 
 Augsburg weary and sick. He at once notilled 
 the Cardinal of his jjresence by a messenger, refus- 
 ing however to apj»ear in person until furnished 
 with the injperial safe-conduct to which he was 
 entitled. The Km]>eror being absent from the city 
 upon a hunt, four days elapsed before the irritated 
 and im])atient Cardinal could secure the oppor- 
 tunity of dealing with the tr<»ul)lesome monk. 
 
 In the nieantinie, a trusted friend of his. Urban 
 of Serralonga, called rejieatedly upon Lutlnr 
 ;ind endeavored to induce him to take a less serious 
 \ iew of the situation. The whole matter could be 
 
 ttled, he declared, by one little word of six let- 
 .ei-s, " revoco" (I recant). Wlun Luther j)leaded 
 for the common i>eople, who were !)eing so sliame- 
 fnlly deluded, the trilling ecclesiastic laughingly 
 maintained tliat it is allowable to deceive the 
 
l^ LITIIKK. TlIK HEFOKMER. 
 
 |H'<»pK\ if by lljat means money ean !>e inaile to 
 How into the oolTers of the Chiireh. Finally, he 
 reniinilcil Luther tliat lie eould not cxptvt the 
 Elirtor to iio to war for his defenee, and taunt- 
 injxly inquired where In- would lind a refu^ri' when 
 the strnnj^ arm nf the Kmpire shiKild he invoked 
 a«;ainst liim. To this Luther ealndy rej)lied: 
 *' Under the open sky.'' 
 
 At lenjrtli. on Octnln r Titli, the aeeused and his 
 jud«,'e stood face to face. Luther, wearing' a rohe 
 whieh he had lM)rrowed for the occasion, ])ri>st rated 
 himsi'lf hefore the great s)>iritual j>rince and ex- 
 presseil his readiness to make any c«>ncessions 
 which his conscience should allow. The Cardinal 
 addressed him j)atronizin<rly as his "dear son," 
 and proposed to hcl]> him out of all his trouble if 
 he wouM simply retract his errors and j)romise to 
 refrain from all conduct tending; to create dissatis- 
 faction in the Church. In resjujuse to Luther's 
 demand for a specilication of his su]>posed errors, 
 the Cardinal limited his charfres to two points: — 
 Luther, he said, had denied that the merits of 
 Christ constitut<' a treasure from which the Church 
 may draw in the dispensin«r of indulirences. and 
 had maintaincfl that the sacraments cannot benetit 
 unless then- be faith in the recipient, lie declared 
 that he would not condescend to enp»<r(» in any ar- 
 liumcnt uj)on these j)oints, but demanded simply 
 the distinct revocation of the heretical utterances. 
 A conference of three days' duration provinir utterly 
 fruitless, theenraired Cardinal bade Luther depart 
 from his presence and never return unless to nnant. 
 
 A little reflection, however, convinced the 
 hau|;hty pnlate that In- had been too hasty. It 
 was tin- (Icsin* of his master, tlw l*o|ie, tlial Luther 
 nhouM in some way be hnm^ht to silence; an<l 
 Cii. tin li ..] midc not the slightest progress in that 
 
A nuownEATiNc; cahdinal. 49 
 
 (liroctioii. llr sent, tluTofons upon tlio panic day 
 fur two of Liitlu'i-'s most trusted frit'uds, Staupitz, 
 the Vicar-(Ji'iieral of Luther's order, and Link, 
 the Prior of the Auj^ustinian eonvent at Nureni- 
 l>er^', hoth of whom were witli Luther at the Car- 
 melite monastery of the eity. As tliey resi)onded 
 ]>rom])tly to Ins summons, he assured tliem of Ids 
 kindly feelin<,'s toward Luther and his own desire 
 for pcaec, and ur^ed them to exert their inlluenee 
 to eoneiliate the liery monk, whose " deej) eyes 
 and' wonderful speculations" he was unwilling 
 a^ain to eneounter. They ri'])()rted aecordin.Ldy at 
 the convent, and Luther, always easily moved hy 
 kindiu'ss, a<ldn\<scd a courteous letter to the Car- 
 dinal, apologizing for any lack of propriety in his 
 speech or demeanor, re-ailirming his willingness 
 to recall anything which he had said if convinced 
 of his error, an<l agreeing to remain silent upon 
 the «|Uestion of indulgences provided his adver- 
 saries would do likewise. 
 
 On ()ct(>her ISth, he notified the Cardinal that 
 he could not remain much longer in Augshurg, 
 and, his letters receiving no attention, he two days 
 later left the city quietly hy night, — not, however, 
 1)( fore he had ])r<']>are(l a formal ap])eal from th(^ 
 Pope illy-informed to the Pope better-in- 
 formed, sentling one copy l>y a trusty friend to 
 ( ajtlan and posting one for the information of the 
 )»ui>lic upon the wall of the catheclral. V\nm his 
 journey homeward, he received a copy of the in- 
 structions which the Poju* had given to Cajetan, 
 hearing date of August 'ioth, authorizing hin» to 
 arrest Lnther and clothing him with full jiower to 
 ' xeonnnunicate any and all adherents of the lat- 
 ter at his discretion, and to place undir the han 
 any prince, city or university that should alTonl a 
 refuge to the condemned monk. 
 
60 U'THEH, TIIK KKKOHMER. 
 
 The oficct «»f llu' transactions at Aiijrslnir*: upon 
 Luther was to ^rrcatly diiiiinish liis rt sprct for the 
 papal autli(»rity and to encourage him in hoUlly 
 priH'lainiing the prin(ij>l('S which he had then* so 
 successfully niaintaineil. If rrierias and C'ajetan 
 were ahle to jnesent no stronger aiirunients a;:ainst 
 him, what couhl he have to fear from other adver- 
 saries? 
 
 On \\vj. 'J'tth, the Cardinal addressed a letter 
 to the Elector Frederick, warning' him a^^ainst 
 aiTordinj; shelter to the incorrigible m<»nk, urj:in<x 
 his immediate surren<ler to tlie Romish authori- 
 ties, or, at least, his hanishment from the electoral 
 dominions. The faithful Frederick, ])erplexed as 
 to his duty but sincerely attached to his fearless 
 subject, sent the Utter to LutluT, allowing him to 
 re]>ly for himself, and three weeks later dictated a 
 di«:nified and non-committal n ply to the Cardinal 
 in his own name. 
 
 After })uhlishin^ a full account of the occur- 
 rences at Au«;sburj;, Luther now, utterly distrust- 
 inf? the Pope, and beginninfj even to suspect that 
 the latter was the Antichrist spoken of in Revela- 
 tions, niade a formal appeal, in his own hihalf 
 an<l in that i>f the large numlM r of his countrymen 
 who shared his views, to a General Council of the 
 Church to he held in some secure and accessible 
 locality. 
 
 Whilst at Augsburg, Stau]»itz, as Vicar (li-neral 
 of the Augustinians, had absolved him from his 
 vow of obedience to that order, that, in the 
 event of his excomnnmication, the standing of the 
 onler in (iermany might not be compromised, and 
 that he might not feel bouml by his solcnni oath 
 t<» sulunit to the discipline thus administere<l. 
 
 Lutli" r now .seriously nHMlitateil :i departure 
 from Wittenberg in order that the Klc( tor and 
 
A BROWHEATINd CARDINAL. 51 
 
 tlie University mi^^'ht not be coiiijmIIcI to share the 
 • xliuin wliifh he had l)r()ii.L;]it upon liiinsclf. It 
 was, howevtT, dccick'd tliat lie should remain, at 
 Irast until the edict of exeouniiunicatiou should he 
 actually issu<'d. He aeeordiu;:ly l)ade a eondi- 
 tinnal farewell to his eon«;re^Mtion and, ready for 
 lliL^ht at any inoment, (|uietly applied himself to 
 his ordinary duties, his soul ''Idled with joy and 
 peace/' the sure reward of conscious rectitude. 
 
( iiAiTKi: vr. 
 
 MIl.KKi: MEASURES. 
 
 Anxious to arrest the ])roprcss of the new doc- 
 trines, yet fearinpj to deal liarshly witli Luther, the 
 Pope now entered upon a eanipaiLni of eoiuihation. 
 
 On Nov. Uth lie issued a proclamation (pul>- 
 lished in (iiTniany Dee. loth), (•<)U( li(<l in ^^cneral 
 terms, and niaintainin.L', airainst tin* errors of ecr- 
 tain monks and jnvachers, that tlie divine penal- 
 ties for sins may )k' remittcil l>y induljrt'necs, and 
 that the ''treasure of the C'hureh," eonsi.^tin^^ of 
 the merits of Christ and of the saints, is availahle 
 for this j)Urpose. He thus arrayed the Cliureh 
 more distinetly than hcfore in support of these 
 doctrines, hut avoided all dinrt nuntion of the 
 name of Luther. 
 
 'Die efforts of C'ajetan having: failed, a new en- 
 voy was despatched from Kome in the pt rson of 
 the Pope's ehamherlain, Karl von Miltitz. He, 
 hein«? a Saxon nohleman and familiar with the 
 temi>er of the (lerman people, wiu* well suited for 
 till' task assigned him. He hore with him letters 
 from the Poi)e, addressed to the Elector Frederi<'k, 
 the nia<ristrates of W'ittenherg, and many otlu'rs, 
 in which Luther was denounced as a "son of 
 Satan," and "son of perdition," and the recipi- 
 ents were adjured to render all possihle assistance 
 to Miltitz in proceedin«r ajiainst him. As the 
 Elector Frederick was regarded as the chief pro- 
 tector of the heretic, a special effort was made to 
 ensure his good-will hy the presentation to him of 
 the Golden Rose, an emliKin bebtuwcd annually 
 (52) 
 
MII.nKK MKASl'IJKS. 53 
 
 l)y tlic Tope ui)on sonu' ])riiR'c as a mark of .-pirial 
 l"av(»r. 
 
 Miltitz, iii»(»ii liis arrival, first of all soii^'lit a 
 conference with Cajetan. As he travilcd 
 tlmniL^li (ifrin-my he discoviTi'd to his dismay 
 that fully oni'-half the i>ojnihK'e seemed to he 
 upon the side of Luther, and saw in this an addi- 
 ti(tnal reason for the greatest eaution. He sum- 
 moned Tetzel hefore him and severely repri- 
 luanded him for his ajipro])riation of money 
 received from the sale of indulgenees, and for his 
 immoral life. The latter retired in disgraee to the 
 Dominican monastery at Lei])zig, where he died 
 a few months afterward. If the papal authorities 
 ima.Ldned that their heartless ahandoument of the 
 poor monk when he could no longer serve their 
 purposes would appeas(» Luther, they were greatly 
 mistaken. lie was stirre<l with indignati(»n and 
 ]>itv, and addressed a cordial letter of sym})athy 
 to Tetzel. 
 
 It was not until the opening week of the year 
 1519 that Miltitz and Luther met hy ai)point- 
 ment at Altenherg. The hearing n[ the envoy was 
 extremely courteous. lie im])lored Luther with 
 tears to assist in cheeking the rising tide of dis- 
 content, and at the conclusion of the interview 
 dismissed him with a kiss. He agreed to use all 
 his influence at Rome to secure for Luther a hear- 
 ing hefore a German hishop, who should after an 
 impartial hearing decid*^ which, if any, of the 
 utterances of the latter were really in coniliet witli 
 the teachings of the Church. Pending the )>ro- 
 j)os«'d arititration, Luther agreed to refrain from 
 furtlirr attacks, j>rovidcd his opponents sh(»uld also 
 niiiain silent. lie ])romised to write an apolo- 
 getic letter to the Po|»e, and to ])uhlish an 
 appeal to tlie common people exhorting them to 
 
54 I-ITHKU, Tin; KI:F(»UMK1{. 
 
 rnnain faithful to the Uuinan CathoHr Cluircli. 
 In the hittor, written noon afterward, Luther 
 acknowledges the autliority of the Pojn* as sub- 
 ordinate only to that of Christ himself, encour- 
 ages the connnon j)eoi»le to seek the intercession 
 of the saints for themselves and the souls in 
 j»urpitnry, and ur.L'es them to leave the settlement 
 of tile disturl>in^^ <iuesti<)ns of the day to the thcH)- 
 logians, and to interpret his own writings, not as 
 hostile to the Chnrch, hut as designed to promote 
 her welfare. 
 
 15y mutual consint the Archbishop of Treves 
 was selected as a suitaltlc ju rson t<» conduct the 
 proposed investigation, and during llie weeks fol- 
 lowing Miltitz earnestly hut fruitlessly sought to 
 perfect the necessary arrangements. Luther, 
 while assenting, took but little interest in the 
 matter, as the result would at best be no more 
 than the spmfication of distinct charges against 
 him, the final decision being still left to his 
 enemies at Rome. The Poj)e, on March 29th, be- 
 fore receiving Luther's letter, which was written 
 on the 3d of that month, addressed to him a 
 friendly c«»mmunication, expressing himself as 
 highly gratified that his " beloved son " has made 
 such large concessions and is now willing to re- 
 tract his errors, assuring him of full pardon for 
 the violence he had displayed under the ])rovoca- 
 tion of Tiitzel's imi)rudent utterances, and then in 
 a tone of con<lescending kindness njieating the 
 demand for his appearance at Rome for the 
 purpose of renouncing his errors in the }>resence 
 of the supreme TontifT. This letter, alth»>ugh 
 never delivi red to Luther, furnishes the clearest 
 evidence that the project of Miltitz for a hearing 
 Upon (ierman soil met with no favor at Home, and 
 that the seemingly friendly ajiproaches were but 
 
MILDER MEASURES. 66 
 
 an attempt to secure hy fliittfry ^vhat could not 
 be j;ain('(l l>y viokiice. 
 
 Lutlur luul so re^rardctl the wlmle movtiuent 
 from the be«rinning, deehirin^ to his frinids that 
 the tears of Mihitz were crocodile-tears and liis 
 kiss a Judas-kiss. Yet he met courtesy with 
 courtesy, and madf all concessions possible in the 
 interest of peace, still however employin<r his time 
 in further preparation for the conlliet which he 
 now saw to be inevitable. 
 
CIIArTKn VTT. 
 
 PUBLIC DEBATK. 
 
 SrARfELY had tlio interview with Miltitz heeii 
 coiiehidcd, wlieii Luther heard anew tlie blast of 
 ^var in another <juarter. Carlstadt, his associate 
 at Witten))er^, liad forsome time l>ein eoiuhieting 
 a j»amphKt controversy with John Eck, of In«:ol- 
 stiidt, and arnin<,'enients liad now l»een ina(h' ft)r 
 the lioldin^ of a joint (U'hate \\\um the jM^ints at 
 issue. Tlie time and j)lace had not yet heen 
 agreed uj)on, hut the energetic cliampion of 
 Roman ortho(h)xy had already issueil a series of 
 twelve theses (afterwards increased to thirteen), 
 wliich were very evidently aimed, not at ( arl- 
 stadt, hut at Luther. A copy was sent hy Eck to 
 Luther with an invitation to he present at the dis- 
 cussion. As the latter well knew that C arlstadt 
 was a man of more ZA'al than learning and hy no 
 means a match for Eck in dehate, and as the as- 
 sault was chietly desijrne<l to hring his own teach- 
 ing into <lisrcitute, he, fueling no longer hoimd hy 
 his conditional pledge of silence, resolved not only 
 to he present, Init to claim the privileg«' of taking 
 an active j)art in tlie discussion. Many ditli- 
 culties were tlirown in liis way, hut Ids indomit- 
 able persistence overcame them all. 
 
 It was finally agreed that the disputation 
 sliould !)c held at Leipzig, Ixginning June 'iTth. 
 This city, convenitiitly 1(m ;itcd and famed for its 
 University, was in itsilf a suital>Ie place for such 
 a tournament; hut the sentiment of tlu" stu(h'nts 
 and burghers was stronglv with the dominant 
 ( oC. ) 
 
PL-BLIC DERATE. o7 
 
 party, not only on the score of doctrine, but l»e- 
 < ausc of the jealousy with which the new Uni- 
 versity at Wittenherj: was rciranlcd. 
 
 The last of the thesis ])nn)osc(l Ijy Eck contro- 
 vertetl a ])«»sition wiiich only Luther had darc(l to 
 assume, and from which even C'arlstadt shrank 
 liack in dread, namely, that the supreme j»(»\ver 
 wielded hy the Pope did not rest upon divine 
 right, but was the result of a j)urely human 
 arran«(ement. The introduction of this subject 
 into the controversy, intended by Eck to form the 
 climax of the debate and to concentrate upon his 
 op})(»ni'nt the whole power of the Papacy, whose 
 very foundations were thus assailed, compelled 
 Luther to make a thorough investipition of the 
 oriL'in of the jiapal power. He read over the 
 wln)le series of the "decretals" issued by the 
 popes, and on March 13th, only ten days after his 
 submissive letter to Leo, amazed at the violence 
 done to the Scrii)tures by these supposed infallildc 
 utterances, he wrote to a friend that he was un- 
 able to decide whether the Pope is Antichrist him- 
 self or only his apostle, lie was at lirst tempted 
 to withhold the discoveries thus made forcfTective 
 use in the a]»j)roachin<j: debate, but, his desire for 
 tlie dissemination of the truth overconiin}^ his 
 ]>rudence, lie published in advance a series of 
 ariruments apiinst the accepted teachin<r U]^on this 
 ]»oint, and presented his own broad conception 
 of the Church, as embracinpj all true believers, 
 and as dependent for its existence and authority 
 upon no form of outward orL^anization whatsoever. 
 
 This was by far the most radical ])osition 
 which he had yet assumed, and for the time be- 
 in;; it absorbed all the interest of the opposing 
 parties. The final decision ujton all ])oints of 
 doctrine had been hitherto supposed to lie with 
 
58 LUTIIEU, TIIK HEFOIIMER. 
 
 the visiMo liond of the Chiiuli, Fittinp as the 
 Vicar of Clirist in the chair of St. Peter at Koine. 
 If, now, it could l)e slwiNvn that tlie ( laims of the 
 Pope ucre witht»ut the sanction of tlie Serij>ture, 
 or even of Instory, the way would appear to he 
 open for the unsettling of confidence in the 
 Church itself, and men would ask hy what 
 authority, then, truth could ever be cstahlished. 
 It was l»ut jrradually that Luther himself aban- 
 doned the idea of findinjx somewhere an external 
 tribunal for the final determination of vital fjues- 
 tions of doctrine. Finding the Po])es so sadly un- 
 reliable, he yet cherisliecl the idea that a general 
 council representing; the whole Church, although 
 n<'t ill itself infallible, would always be i)reservcd 
 from error in doctrine, and lienee the contidiiice 
 with which he had himself aj>}»ealed to such 
 a tribunal. 
 
 The coming disputation was looked forward 
 to by both jtarties with the keenest interest. It 
 was to be a great occasion for Leipzig. Kck was 
 on hand several days in advance. Carlstadt 
 entere<l, with Luther and ^blanelitbon, on June 
 24th, accom])anied by two liumlred \\'ittcnberg 
 students armed with swords and halberds. From 
 every direction came j^rofessors and students, 
 monks an<l tradesmen. A number of the followers 
 of IIuss, from liohemia, eager to see and lu^ir the 
 brave man who seemed to them about to a.'^sume 
 the work of their slain leader, ventured to j»rcss in 
 with the great throng. A large hall in the palace 
 had been gorgeously decorated by onlcr of l)uke 
 (ieorgc, wh<» himself watchctl the )»roceedings with 
 deep sr»licitude. 
 
 Luther and his frimds desired that the entire 
 discussion !»<• taken down by competent notaries, 
 in order that there might be no misunderstanding 
 
rri'.LIC DKHATE. 59 
 
 or misropresontations. To this Eck ol)JLH.'tL'(l, Imt 
 he was liiially ovi'irulcil. Ho was more successful 
 ill the clenian<l, in which lie was supi>orte(l by 
 Duke (JeorL'O, that the whole |)rocee(liii<;s be 
 afterward submitted to some prominent uni- 
 versity, whose tlieolo;;ians should decide which 
 |)arty wiis victorious. Luther, (Ui the ccmtrary, 
 desired to submit the case to the judgment of the 
 Church at lari;e. It will be oljserved that he was 
 tlius far in advance of his age in his confident 
 appeal to eiiliixhtcnt'd ])ul>lii' (>[>ini()n. 
 
 Tlir proceedings began on the a])pointi'd <lay 
 witli an opriiiim adihcss in the hall of tlie I'lii- 
 versity, a solemn mass in St. Thomas' church, and 
 a grand ]>roeession of citizens, students and 
 stran<rers, with ilarin*^ banners and Mare of 
 trumpets, to the scene of conflict. 
 
 Four days were consumed by Eck and Carl- 
 stadt in a fruitless discussion of the relations be- 
 tween the divine sovereignity and the free will of 
 man, in which the superior adroitness and 
 scholastic erudition of the former «iave him a great 
 advantage. lUit little interest was manifested by 
 the spectators until July 4th, when the real 
 (•hami)ion of the new doctrines stood face to face 
 with his now exultant antagonist. 
 
 A graphic j)ortraiture of the two men from the 
 ])en of an eye-witness, Mosellanus, has fortunately 
 l>een ])reserved. Luther is described as of 
 morlerate stature, his body worn by care and 
 study. Yet he is apj)arently in the strength of 
 early manhood. Ilis voice is clear and penetrat- 
 ing. He has a well-stored and ready memory, 
 and is lluent in speech but needlessly caustic at 
 times. In social intercourse he is affable, viva- 
 cious and witty. He ap])eared during the contro- 
 versy always at his ease, and his countenance, 
 
60 LirilKU, TIIK KEKOKMKIl. 
 
 evon undtT the fiercest attacks of liis assailant, 
 wius composed ami cluHrful. lie coininoiily luld 
 a hunch of lh>\vers in his hand, with whose fra- 
 grance he frequently rei:aled hinisrlf, to the appar- 
 ent (Hsioniliture of his enemies. 
 
 Eck, on tlie contrary, was of j)Owerful physiipie, 
 with a full, deep voice. The features of his coun- 
 tenance sujjpested tlie meat-shop rather than the 
 theologian's chair. His memory was remarkahle, 
 hut lie was neither ipiick in apprehension nor 
 clear in judgment. lie would heap »|Uotation 
 upon quotation from the Church Fathers and 
 scholastic teachers, without regard to order «>r 
 relevancy to the matter in hand, his a])j)art nt 
 ohject heing to astound the hearer with an empty 
 show of learning. When hard pressed, he did 
 not hesitate to shift his ground and claim the 
 position of his assailant as his own. To an ad- 
 mirer of the Ingolstadt champion, on the con- 
 trary, he appears as a veritahle Hector, hold as a 
 lion, guarding the citadel of the Church's faith, 
 his (juiver full of thunderholts for the extermina- 
 tion of the W'itteiihergers. 
 
 For four days the discussion hetween Kck and 
 Luther was confined to the crucial (piestion of the 
 divine right of the papal supremacy. Fek 
 claimed that the divine ideal of government hail 
 always heeii a monan hy — that heaven itself is a 
 monarchy, and that Christ can have istahlished 
 His kingdom on earth in no other form. Luther 
 easily met this argument hy pointing out that the 
 Church is indeed a monarchy, hut that Christ 
 Himself is its only Head, and that otherwise the 
 Church would he a headless hody w henever a j)ope 
 dies. The (»j)posin^ interj)retations of the pas- 
 sage in Matthew concerning the rock upon whicli 
 Christ declared tliat He wouM huiM His Church 
 
PrRLIC DKRATE. 01 
 
 were PUj>port«Ml upon hoth sidos hy almndant 
 « I notations from the j;roat teachers of the Church. 
 In maintaining' that the su]»remacy of the Tope 
 was a mo(UTn idea, Lnther (piotcd from tlie (ireek 
 Fathers and from ('y]>rian. An.Lnistine, the Conncil 
 ««f Nice, etc.; hut wh«n l^ck cited St. IJernard, for 
 whom Lnther was known to liavea special rej^ard, 
 the latter, undismayecl, appealed from Ht-rnard, 
 and all human authorities, to the Scriptures 
 rpon a reference hy Luther to the indrjKndcnt 
 jtosition of the Eastern Church, Kck passionat«ly 
 declared that all the (Ireeks who refused alle;^dance 
 to Home were heretics, a view which Luther pro- 
 nounced utterly shanu^ful. 
 
 The critical point of the discussion was reached 
 when Kck declared that among the doctrines of 
 I hiss, condenmed as heretical hy the Council of 
 Constance, were those now heing maintained hy 
 Luther. This was a masterly stroke of dialectic 
 jiuliey. The Condemnation of IIuss met with the 
 approval of the great mass of the German j)eoi)le, 
 and his Bohemian followers were regarded with 
 the greatest ahhorrence as schismatics and heretics, 
 a prejudice which Luther himself still largely 
 shared. Yet the facts oi the case were as stated 
 hy E.k. What should Luther do? Pvight hravely 
 does he meet the issue, declaring that among 
 the j)roi)ositions of IIuss condenmed at Constance 
 were some that were thoroughly Christian and 
 evangelical, particularly those concerning the 
 nature of the Church and the primacy. Eagerly 
 does his adversary seize ui)on this hold assertion 
 as indicating contempt for the solemn declaration 
 of a great Council. Cnwilling to appear in this 
 light, and strongly Itound hy his own life-long 
 reverence for the decisions of such a general repr<'- 
 sentative hody of the Church, Luther tried in 
 
62 LUTIIEH, THE REFORMER. 
 
 every possible way to defeml the Council from the 
 charge of error, hut linally referred this phase of 
 the (juestinn hack to Kek, stoutly inaintaininj^ 
 that, at all event**, these propositions of IIuss anil 
 his own were true and confirmed hy the hi^diest 
 of all authorities, the Sacred Scriptures. 
 
 The discussion of other doctrines which fol- 
 lowed constantly drifted hack to this ahsorhin;: 
 question of the final source of authority in the 
 Church. In refusing to recnuMii/.f tlie Second 
 Hook of Maccahccs, Luther foun<l himself ai^ain in 
 open conlliit with the Chunh, an<l upon theijues- 
 tion of pur<;atory he was compelled to face the 
 clear declaration of anoth(*r Council, that of Flor- 
 ence, held in 1438. In Ixitli cases, he calmly 
 maintained his groun<l. 
 
 On July 14th', Lutlier yicMed liis place to Carl- 
 stadt, whose privilei^e it was to have the linal word 
 U{)on the side of the Reformers, an«l after a day 
 or two the disputation was hrou«:ht to a hurried 
 close. Luther returned to his work. K( k re- 
 mained for nine days in Leijizij^ as the honored 
 guest of the city, everywhere greeted as victor and 
 loaded with honors. The Universities of Paris 
 and Krfurt, to which the reports of the trans- 
 actions were referred, refused, upon various 
 grounds, to render any decision. 
 
 The great conflict from which so much had heen 
 expected appeare(l to have heen fruitless. Me- 
 lanchthon, Mosellanus and others greatly depre- 
 cated the unseemly strife as not calculated tx) 
 promote the interests of true ])iety. Much good 
 was' however accomplished hy the great interest 
 awakened in many earnest minds. 
 
 Hut important nsults were at once manifest in 
 th«' iiitlneiiceof tin- discussion upon the two chief 
 champions. Kck ftdlowed up his supposed 
 
PUBLIC DEBATE. 63 
 
 triumph with rcU^ntloss ent'rpy. IIo attempted 
 l>y thitterv of C'arlstadt to win him from the suj)- 
 port of Luther. \lv wrote to the Kkrtor Fred- 
 critk, expressiujr re«;ret tluit he had hecn com- 
 pelled to administer sueh a erushin*^ defeat to a 
 memher of the hitter's university, and admonish- 
 in*; him to hum all the hooks of tlie reckless pro- 
 fessor ujion one hea{). To Rome he sent a full 
 report of Ids great achievement, and urp<'d the 
 Tope to j»rocee<l vigorously in the prose<ution of 
 the heretic. In short, we must from this time 
 onward regard Kek as Luther's most bitter 
 enemy. 
 
 Luther declared tt) his friends that he had never 
 heen so shamefully treated as at Leipzig. He 
 had learned to regard p]ck with contem|»t for Ins 
 vanity and du])licity. He was disgusted with the 
 general course of the Dis]Hitation, declaring that 
 it had a had heginning and a worse endini^ With 
 only one feature of it was he satislied, namely, the 
 comparatively full di.^cussion of the grounds of 
 the ]»a]>al auihority. By this he had heen diiv. u 
 to the clearest conviction that even the general 
 councils were unreliable and to take his stand 
 -imply u|)on the unassailahle testimony of the 
 Divine ^\'ord itself. This conviction in the mind 
 of Luther gave a new direction to his energies 
 and exerted an incalculahle inlluencc upon the 
 course of events. It was the great achievement of 
 the Leipzig Dihputatiun. 
 
CTTAPTKn VTTT. 
 
 Ol'KN KNMITY. 
 
 The encounter at Leipzig gerved to fix tlic 
 gaze of multitudes anew upon Lutlier. It 
 proved that he could not only assail the great 
 errors of tlie day in written j)ropositions, l»ut that 
 he could h(»ld liis own in free discussion with tlie 
 foremost (U'l>ater in (ierinany. The very to])ie 
 whicli Eek liad so shrewdly introduced in order 
 to entra]) his anta«:onist, /. r. , the supremacy of 
 the I'ope, prove<l most fruitful in lea(Hng the Re- 
 former to an advanced j)osition of hostihty against 
 thefundamental principleof the Romish hierarchy. 
 Tlie hattle evidently was not yet closed, hut the 
 pale Wittcnherg professor now stood forth to the 
 view of the world as a ^va^^io^ fully armed and 
 eager for the fray. 
 
 During the three years which followed, he was 
 never without an assailant, and the heaping of 
 maledictions U]>on his name was considered the 
 surest way to ecclesiastical jtrefernu nt. 
 
 In April, 151.S, a large convention of Fran- 
 ciscan Monks, held at Jiiterhog, drew up formal 
 charges against him to he laid hefori' the liishop 
 of Rrandenhurg. accusing him, in coarse terms, of 
 heresy upon eight articles of the Catholic faith. 
 Luther rehuk<*(l their presumption and threatened 
 to exjjose their ignorance if the (jfrence win- re- 
 peatecl, l)ut not until Kck had rushe«l to their de- 
 fence did he deign to make a formal reply to the 
 slanderous attack. 
 
 Jerome Emser, a friend of Kck, who had heen 
 (Ol) 
 
OPEN ENMITY. 65 
 
 present at the Lcijizi*: Disputation, jjulilished 
 wliat purjH)rt((l to l)e a frii-ndly dcfrnce of Luther 
 a^rainst the suspicions of synijiatliy with tlie Bohe- 
 mians awakened l»y his championship of certain 
 propositions of John lluss. It was really a 
 treacherous attempt to brin<j: upon Luther all the 
 odium attachin*^ to the very name of the Bolic- 
 mians in the minds of the common jieople. The 
 coat-of-arms of Kmser, an ihex, was ])rinted upon 
 the title pa;je. The malice and hy]H)crisy of the 
 j)uhlication aroused in Luther the intensest indi<^- 
 nation, and lie replied with lierci' denunciation in 
 a tract entitU'd, To Kinsrr, the (loat, proposing; to 
 Inmt down this impertinent l)east. Emser re- 
 j)lied with coarse slander, calling Luther a dog, 
 and Eck soon came to his assistance with caustic 
 comments uj)on Luther's ridiculous chase, declar- 
 ing that the latter, with only a few ignorant lay- 
 men in his foll<>wing, was attemj>ting to over- 
 whelm the whole body of the intelligent clergy. 
 Eck then set out in person for Rome, there, as 
 Luther said, to stir up the al)yss of the lower 
 worM against liim. 
 
 Within a very short period nearly all the uni- 
 versities of Germany and France became in- 
 terest<'d in the (|Uestions at issu(\ Realizing only 
 too well the occasion for protest against theal)Uses 
 of the day, yet wedded to the traditional doctrines 
 and dej)endent largely U])on tlu' favor of the Rom- 
 ish Church, they connnonly avoidiMl definite ofli- 
 eial utterances. In August and Sei>tend)er, 1519, 
 however, the universities at Cologne and Louvain 
 formally condemned Luther's works, and de- 
 manded that tiieir author be forced to a ])ublic re- 
 eantation. Their action was at once aj)prov(Ml by 
 Hadrian, of Tortosa, the chief official of the 
 Church in Sj)ain. Luther did not receive a copy 
 5 
 
66 Ll'TIIEH, THK KKK<»1JMER. 
 
 of the (liKiiinent until \\w ftjlowing March, when 
 he n-pli* (1 hrictly ami srornfully. 
 
 Duke George, of Saxony, who lieforc the 
 Lfipziu' Disputation had hccn (lisj»osc(l to give the 
 new doctrines at least a fair hearing, hecanie stjon 
 afterward a determined opponent, and in Deceni- 
 ix'r, 151U, wrote to the Elector urging him to Uike 
 j)ronij)t measures to free himself from the re- 
 proach of cherishing heresy in his domains. 
 
 In January, 1520, the Bishop of Misnia is- 
 sued a decree condenming LuIIut's demand for a 
 restoration of the cup to the laity in the celehra- 
 tion (^f the Lord's Supj)er. This was of special 
 signilicance as heing the first otlicial utterance of 
 a (ierman hishoj) against Luther. He replied 
 vigorously, refusing to acknowledge the document 
 as genuine, attril>uting it to some suhordinate offi- 
 cial of the episcoj)al residence at Stolpe, and as 
 such condemning it. 
 
 Meanwhile a defence of "the apostolic chair" 
 apj>eare(l in Leipzig, written hy a Franciscan 
 monk, Augustine of Alveld. It was weak in 
 argument, and as it was written in Latin, which 
 only the educated could understand, Luther did 
 not regard it as worthy of notice until it appeare<l 
 in a (Jerman translation, when he j)repared, as an 
 antidote, a tract for the ci^nnnon |)eople setting 
 forth the nature of the Church as the invisihle as- 
 seml>ly of true holievers, all of whom are, hy virtue 
 of their (Christian calling, priests hefore (iod. 
 
 IjUther's ai)peal from tlie Tope and his re]>re- 
 sentatives to a general c(»uncil hrought out a fresh 
 attack from his old enemy at Rome, Prierias, in 
 which the latter reiterati'd his extravagant views of 
 the su|)reme power of the Pope. Luther scornfully 
 repuhlished tin* entire docununt, with a few run- 
 ning (omments, allowing tlie ridiculous claims of 
 the fanatiad j)api.st to furnish their <»wn refutation. 
 
( Haiti:!! ix 
 
 \'i:ry ]M'(\ili:ir indeed were tlit' ]KTsonaI rdationR 
 of Frederick the Wise, the KIcttor of Saxony, 
 with his iriTpressil>It' siil)jert. Once had he heard 
 the latter i)reat'h. He read liis writings with deep 
 interest, aeeei)ted the fundamental articles of his 
 teaching, communicated with him frcijuently 
 through intermediaries, sent him ])resenti<, re- 
 (juested favors of him, protected him, — and yet 
 never met him j)ersonalIy. The foremost of the 
 j)rinces of Germany, ruling over a peoi>le hound 
 in thraldom to the existing Church, j)rovidentially 
 placed in a ])osition t(M'onimand the greatest con- 
 sideration for his wishes at tlie hand of hoth Pope 
 and Emperor, he could serve Luther and the 
 cause of evangelical liherty hest hy refraining from 
 puhlic demonstrations of sympathy, and simply 
 demanding an ojien hearing and fair treatment for 
 the reputed heretic. Luther aj)])reciated the 
 measure of favor thus granted him and asked no 
 more. He trusted the honest heart of his sover- 
 eign, hut never depended uj)on him for actual 
 protection against his enemies. In the hour of 
 greatest ])eril, he regarded himself rather as the 
 protect<^)r of his ])rince. 
 
 A few weeks heforcthe Leii)zig Disputation, the 
 University of Wittenherg had welcomed as ]>r<>- 
 fessor of aiu-ieiit languages, etc., a young man of 
 reiii.irkahle attainments in scholarship, Philip 
 Melanchthon He was the direct eounteri>art of 
 Luther in physical and mental endowments, but 
 (07) 
 
68 LUTHEK, THE UKFORMEK. 
 
 of an t'fiiially «arnest and trnth-loving teni]KT. 
 Kacli at iiwcv n'cn«:nizt'<l in the otliur tlu' (jualitics 
 ncnltMl to siipplcnicnt liis own (letkiencies, and a 
 ht'autiful friendship wius formed which endurc<l 
 tlirough life. The advanta^'e to Lutlier of havinj; 
 constantly at his right hand this (piiet and pains- 
 takin«; student, versfnl in the current lanj^uages nf 
 the (lay and in the ancient tonj^ues nf Seriptvn-e, tlie 
 master of a clear and flowing style in composition, 
 sincerely devotinl to the tlefence of the same ])rin- 
 ciples, cannot he overestimated. His htri Com- 
 luuues, forming the first systematic {jresentation of 
 the doctrines held hy the Reformers, was pro- 
 nounced hv Luther an "insi)ired" l)ook. In 
 Septcmher, 1519, he t(K)k a position in advance 
 of Luther himself in holdly declaring that the 
 Komisli doctrine of Transuhstantiation (or the 
 actual transformation of the elements in the 
 Lord's Sup|»er into the hody and hloinl of Christ) 
 was entirely without scrijjtural warrant. From 
 this time forward Melanchthon clung to Luther, 
 ren<hring suhstantial and timely aid in many a 
 conflict. 
 
 The hold spirit (»f the Uef(>rmer, seconded by 
 the amazing talent of his youthful e(»-lal)or»r. en- 
 listed the hearty sympathy of the Humanists, 
 and words of encouragement flowed in upon him 
 from distant regions. \\'ittt'n)»erg was nrognize*! 
 as a centre of learning as well as of i)iety, and it 
 wa.s of immense importance that the " IVireptor 
 of (Jermany" shouhl he seen not only in hearty 
 accord with its chief religious teacher, hut humbly 
 following him as a ]>lanet follows the sun. 
 Luther ngoiced in all this sympathy, hut never 
 for a moment accommo<lated his own earnest 
 jiractieal spirit to the trifling and worldly temper 
 which marked the leaders of the Humanistic 
 
FRIENDS. NKW AM) oLI). 69 
 
 niovrnient. I'liless inspirrd with stiin«'tliiii«,' of 
 liis rt4ij;ious fervor, they could not wiilk very f:ir 
 ill his c-onijumy. With him, l«ari)iii<^ must he 
 tlie han(hnai(l of reh^'ion. 
 
 The hirixe dcmaml for the writings of Lutlier, 
 hoth in their ori<;inal form and in transhxtions, in 
 France, Knirland and Sj)ain, attrstcd the rapid in- 
 rnase in tlie numher t)f his adherents among 
 the intelligent class of the CIn-istian worhl, and 
 llic t iilhusiasni ol" the tl^'on.L^^ of stu<ients at his 
 <»\vn University liUed him witli tlie hriLditest hopes 
 Inr the re«5enerati(>n of his heloved Fatherland. 
 
 The true character of John Ihiss, who had been 
 hurned as a heretic in 1415, now becoming known 
 to Luther throui^h the study of his works and in- 
 tercourse with i»rominent men amont? his followers, 
 he acknowh'd^M'd that he had himself lon<: been 
 t«'aclnng the doctrines of lluss without knowing 
 it. He, in conse(iuence, entered into the friend- 
 liest relations with the Christians of Bohemia, 
 who welcomed liim as the successor of their 
 lamented leader. 
 
 As the rage of his enemies increased, Lutlier 
 was much concerned lest his course should prove 
 injurious to the interests of his kind jtatron, the 
 I'^leetor Frederick, and he fre<piently thought of 
 withdrawing from Wittenberg on that account. 
 Yi\ \u- f.lt that he had l>.cii divinely called to the 
 work in which he was engaged, an<l dare not sur- 
 lender it without the clearest indications of the 
 will of (lod. He knew that he would be cordially 
 received in liohemia, and would there be in com- 
 parative safety, l)Ut his influence in Germany 
 would be forfeited were he to acc(«pt hospitality in 
 that ([uarter. Just at this junctun', two fearless 
 y"iin(_r ( icrnian nobles eanie to hi< aid. Ulrich von 
 Hutten and Francis von Sickingen. 11 utten 
 
70 LrniKH, THE reformer. 
 
 IkkI in Ill's youth Ix'on ]»ln('<Ml in a cloistor, Init 
 flTrrte<l his escape from the tyranny of tlie monks. 
 He visite<I Koine nj)on several oeeasions and was 
 familiar with t]»ocorruj>ti«)n which there ])revaile(l. 
 Hein«: present at tlie Diet of Aup^hur^' in 1518, 
 and hearin}.; Cajetan's contemj)tuoiis reference to 
 the stupid CJennans, he resolved tx) cast aside all 
 considerations of prudence and devote himself en- 
 tirely to the work of arousing' the (ierman Nohil- 
 ity to an uneomj»n»misin«: resistance of the ]>roud 
 Italians. In l')17 he had puhlishe<l a treatise 
 of I>aurentius Valla, exposing the utterly fraudu- 
 lent eharacter of the re])uted " Donation of Con- 
 stantine," hy whieh that emperor was said to 
 have eonveyed the imperial eontrol of the western 
 l>ortion •»f liis domains, or the '' Roman Empire 
 of the (Ierman Nation," to the Pope, and whieh 
 was relied upon as the hasis of the ]>apal authority 
 in (lermany. Luther was amazed lieyond meas- 
 ure to discover from this document that the 
 hau<rhty j»ower which had for centuries heen op- 
 j>ressing his countrymen was founded upon a 
 forgery, and he set him.self at once to the tiu^k of 
 utterly demolishing the entire structure of the 
 Tapacy which had heen erected upon this sandy 
 foundation. Ilutton, upon his ])art, assured 
 Luther that he would stand hy him at all hazards. 
 He was imfortunately not himself in ])osition to 
 he of much practical service, hut he had a jM)wer- 
 ful ally in his friend Sickingen. The latter was a 
 knight of abundant nneans, a courageous warrior, 
 th(» po.s.sessor of several strong fortresses, and a 
 zealous champion of the i)olitical rights of the 
 (Ierman States. His attention having h«-en called 
 lo Luther's perilous situation, ln» in January, 
 I'j'JO, cordially invite«l the latter to accept his 
 hoHpiUility ancJ protection. The opening of this 
 
FKIKM)?!, MOW AM) OLD. 71 
 
 iinexpoctc<l place of refuge appeared to Lutlur 
 providential, and greatly cncoiiraj^ed him. He 
 was thus enal)led to continue his l)(»ld assauhs 
 upon tlie i»apal ini(|uities, j>n'pan'<l at any mo- 
 ment to retiri' from \\'ittenl)ert,' and still prosecut(; 
 liis work upon (icnnan soil, sustainccl hy the very 
 foremost of his country's brave defenders. 
 
rTTArTKPv x. 
 
 A TIIJELI-iiS TKN. 
 
 Aftku the Lc'ipzijr Disputation, LutluT, now 
 tlnnoiiixhly aroiisi'd, ami irritated l»y the false 
 reports circulated in ri'<:ard to tlu' course of the 
 'lehate, determined to carry his cause before a 
 wider trihunal. He tlien fore set aluait the pre- 
 paration of a series of Elucidations (rci<ohtti(m€s) 
 of the theses which he had maintained, discussing 
 at th(^ same time one or two important doctrines 
 not tlien t«Ki(hed upon, i. e., justification hy 
 faitli antl the im])urity of all human efforts. He 
 now in the stronirest terms allirmed that the Holy 
 Scriptures constitute the only infallil>le authority 
 in matters of faitli. 
 
 In the sprin»: of lolH appeared his Comment- 
 ary upon Galatians, as the (>ut<i:rowth of his 
 academic lectures. Knterinir fully into the spirit 
 of the apostle, he declared that this was his own 
 ej)istle — that he was wedded to it. It siH'nied to 
 him to have Keen written exjjressly for the ]>ur- 
 pose of comhatini: the very errors then ]>revalent 
 in the Church. With i^lowinj^ earnestness, he 
 applied its doctrine of free «^race, and traced the 
 fundamental distinction Ix'tween the demands of 
 tlie Law and the life-pvinj; message of the (iospel. 
 
 Ahout the same time, he hej^an the j>uhlication 
 f a running commentary (modestly entitled, 
 ■Lah(»rs'') upon the Psalms, seekini; thus to 
 deepen the spirit of true devotion and thankful- 
 ness among those who had heen delivered fruiu 
 the bondage of idle eeremonies. 
 (72) 
 
A TIKHLESS PEN. 73 
 
 In Si'j)triul)(.'r, r<.r(.iviii<x word of ihr st'iious 
 illiu'ss of till' Kk'ctor, lie j>roj)ar(Hl, as a inessage 
 of comfort which ini^^lit j)rove tinu'ly for liis 
 lionontl friciul and lu' hcljiful to others in similar 
 distress, one of the most strikinL'ly orij^nnal of his 
 compositions. As the snpcrstitious populace were 
 accustomed to call upon fourteen special saints in 
 time of trouhle, he desij;nates his tract Tessara- 
 dekas (The Fourteen), and depicts the comforts 
 ot the Gosi>el in view of the evils that threaten 
 man from seven directions, i. e., from within, 
 hefore, behind, heneath, to right, to left and 
 ahove, and then dis])lays the manifold blessings 
 that reach us from the same directions, last and 
 chi«f amon<r which is Christ Himself. 
 
 In May, 1'>L*(). aj^peand an exhaustive disser- 
 tation ujton "Good Works," which vividly por- 
 trayc<l the necessity of faith as the basis of all 
 Christian activity, and as the never-failing motive 
 lor the cheerful fulfilment of every duty devolving 
 upon the child of (iod. It was a complete vindi- 
 cation of the Evangelical doctrines against the 
 charge of encouraging the neglect of moral obliga- 
 tions. Yet how different these works of faith 
 from the slavish exercises by which multitudes 
 were vainly seeking to merit the favor of Cod! 
 
 lUit the course (»f evmts was rai>idly l»earing 
 the Reformer on to bolder utterances. Within 
 the closing months of the year lo'iO, he gave to 
 the j)ress the three documents which are by com- 
 mon consent acknowledged as his gn^atest reform- 
 atory ])ublications. These are entirely distinct in 
 character, full of life and (lurgy, and together 
 cover the whole Held of nee<led reformation — in 
 secular alTairs, in the administration of the ordi- 
 nances of the Churcli, and in the conce])tion of 
 the individual Cliristiaii life. 
 
74 M'TIIKU, THE IlKFnKMKU. 
 
 Tho lirst of these was tlu* Address to the 
 Nobihty of the (lerinan Nation. Many cin inn- 
 stanccs had conjliiniMl to stir the national ft'cHnj^ 
 in CJennany. T\\v pnlitical etunphcations nsuU- 
 ing from the constant interference of Uonum 
 le^'ates, their (h'niand for money to carry on tlie 
 supposiMl tlireatenin*; war witli tlie Tnrks. tlie 
 ecclesiastical taxes exacted upon all manner ai 
 ])retexts — were holdly denounced hv many of the 
 most inlluential knightti of the reahn. Luther 
 now, impelled hy a deej)er motive to resist in 
 evrry way the sacrilc^nous pretensions of the 
 ])apacy, ^'ave free sco|h' to his j)atriotic instincts. 
 He calls upon all the Xohlesof the land, including 
 the Kmi»eror himself, to recognize the sacre<lness 
 of their hiirh ollices, and holdly espouse the cause 
 of the people jiLMinst their foreipi opprt^ssors. He 
 notes '* three walls" of defence with which the 
 papists had fortified their modern Jericho: first, 
 the claim of se<iular supremacy; secondly, the sole 
 ri^ht of the Po]>e to interpret the Scriptures; 
 thirdly, the assertion that (►nly the Pope can call 
 a general council of the Church. He himself 
 demolish(S these walls with a few stirring hlasts 
 upon the trumpet of the divine \\'ord, and then 
 urges the Nobility to assert their (Jod-given rights, 
 summon a general council, and address themselves 
 in earnest to the work of reformation. He th^n 
 j»resents a catalogue of crying ]>olitical and social 
 ahuses of the <lay, denouncing them in {ho scath- 
 ing languag«> of intens(»st ])assion. The cfTeot was 
 ind<scril>al)le. The Address was at once the suh- 
 jei't of discussion in every handet. Multitutles who 
 cared hut little for the religious <|Uestions of the 
 day rallie<l around the standard of Lutlier. hailing 
 him as the coming deliverer of their fatherland. 
 
 But Luther was alreadv occupied in ani»thcr 
 
A TIKKLESS PEN. 75 
 
 (liroction. It was the Cluinli, after all, that lay 
 nearest to liis h<*art, and he utters a hitter lain<'ntn- 
 tion over the Babylonian Captivity which has 
 rolihed even her sacred ordinances of th<ir power 
 to hlcss the hnnihle followei*s of ("lirist. lie 
 hewails a three-fohl hondajre in which the ll««lv 
 Supper is held: first, the withholdinir of one- 
 half of the sacrament — the euji — from tlu^ laity; 
 siH'ondly, the ahsurd doctrine of transuhstantia- 
 tion; thirdly, the impigus transformation of the 
 simj)le feast of love into tlie saerifiec of the nias8. 
 The discussion here hnids liim to assail the very 
 f<»un<lations of thi* Roman ('ath<»lic system. Ilav- 
 inir heard that he is to Ix^ very shortly summont^l 
 to reiant, under ]>enalty (^f excomnnmication, lie 
 mockiuLdy ofTers this fresh assault as the beginnin<^ 
 of his recantation. 
 
 Amid the storm of invective wliich now poured 
 ui>on him, and the new perils to which he was ex- 
 j)osed hy the publication ai the bull of exeomnni- 
 nication, Luther was unruflle<l in his joyous con- 
 fidence in Go(l. Havinir smitten the enemy, he 
 now tvu'ns to the more con<;enial task of dejiictini,' 
 the bh^sscdness of the true believer. His Lib- 
 erty of a Christian Man, apjKarinjr in Novem- 
 ber, is a })n-t<nind portraiture of the hi«;her s]»ir- 
 itual life which lifts above the cares of earth and 
 releases from slavish fear of the Law. It thus 
 met directly the <leepest religious longings of the 
 age. The author fonvarded a co])y to the Po])e, 
 ac<-om]>anying it with a letter expressing personal 
 regard for the character of Leo. 
 
 A larg<' number of tracts upon practical 
 themes were given to the )»ress during the years 
 ni»w under consideration, discussing in vigorous 
 (lerinan the defective and o])pressive marriage 
 laws, usury, private confession, preparation for 
 
76 LITIIEH, TIIK l:KK(HiMKU. 
 
 (Icjitli, tlir projH-r iisr of tlic sacraiiu'iits, etc. A 
 su^jji'stinii from tlu- l']l< < tnr led t<» the jMcj.anition 
 ot a sirii's of jMijuilar discourses upon the peri- 
 copes, or ajtjtointnl scriptural nadin^s for each 
 Sunday in tlu- year, in which liis fervent (hvo- 
 tional si)irit found scope for exercise and which 
 attained a wide circulation. 
 
CHAITKK Xr. 
 
 THK r.Vl'AL lU LL. 
 
 Almost t'lcvcn years liiul ('la])S('(l after the Leip- 
 21*1 Disputation wImmi, <m June loth, l.")2(), tlic 
 l(>ii<i tlinatineil Bull of Excommunication was 
 issued at Rtnnc. A- its prcitaiation liad Ixcn cu- 
 trusti'd to Luther's hitterest enemies, ineludin*^ 
 tlie relentless Kek, it laeked nothin*,' in severity of 
 tone. Starting with an impious ap])cal to the 
 offended majesty of the Lord, it invokes His aid 
 and that of Peter, Paul and all the saints against 
 the wild l»east that has heen devastating the vine- 
 yard. It l»rands forty-one of his Theses as '' heret- 
 ical, false or ctfTensive," condemns them all, and 
 orders that all his hooks he })urned wherever 
 found. Sixty days were allowed to him and his 
 adherents for recantation, under penalty of final 
 excommunication. All faithful suhjects of the 
 Church, secular and ecclesiastical, are summoned 
 to use their utmost efforts to j)lace the person of 
 the stubborn heretic in the i)Ower of the Pojm\ 
 
 To Eek was assigned the task (►f ])romulgating 
 the fateful document in (iermany; but the zealous 
 eiTorts of the willing emissary served liut to reveal 
 the amazing revulsion of feeling whicli had 
 already l)een effected among the once submissive 
 (lermans. Many, enlightened by the writings of 
 Luther himself, utterly denied the authority of 
 the Pope in the premises, (ierman patriots were 
 lille<l with fiery indignation at this attempt to 
 condemn a fellow-countryman without a hearing. 
 The extravagant language of the document and 
 (77 ) 
 
78 Ll'THKU, TIIK HKFOUMEH. 
 
 the t'inplovment of a personal enemy in its jironiul- 
 piition jjavi' cxiusi' for qiK-stionini^ its ;:enuiiu'i 11*88. 
 Tlio pi'oplf scornfully talkd it ''Kok's Hull/' 
 LuIIkt, in a stirring tract, sunnnono<l llii' Kinpemr 
 aiul i)rinc'eii to resent the impertinent presumption 
 of this 'MUill of Antichrist." On Nov. 17th, he 
 drew uj), and immediately i)ul>lish( d in Latin and 
 (Jernian, a renewal of his appeal to a general 
 council, denouneinp: the Pope as an unjust judge, 
 a ht rriie, an anti-Christian opponent »>f tin- Holy 
 Scriptures, and a despiser of the true Chun li. 
 
 It was not until Si'ptend>er that the publica- 
 tion of the Bull in (lermany was actually hegun, 
 encountering then almost universal oj)pni;ition. 
 Th»' j)aj»al legate, Aleander, secured autliority from 
 the Kmjxror for the hurningof the hooks of Luther 
 in the Netherlands. Luther nspnnded hy j)uh- 
 licly casting to the frames the l)ull, and with it 
 the entire hody of the papal laws, amidst the 
 wild jul>ilati(tn (tf the stutleiits <>f the Univei-sity. 
 
 The battle was now joined in earnest. 
 Luther was, indi'cd, surroimded hy friends. His 
 own i)rince, the Elector Frederick, though care- 
 fully avoiding any public endorsement of Ids 
 t<'a('hing, c(>uld he relied U])on to demand at least 
 the ordinary forms of justice in the treatment of 
 his loyal sul»ject; l»ut even lie could n«»t perma- 
 nently resist the mandate of his superiors. 
 
 ^^'ith the keenest anxiety all eyes were now 
 turned upon the young I'anperor, Charles V. 
 The latter was indebted for his im})erial crown in 
 no small degree to the suj)i)ort of the (icrman 
 princes, and it was fondly hoped that, U])on 
 fuller information, he would ]>rove a valiant de- 
 fender of at lea.st tht» political rights of the op- 
 pressed (iermans. which now found their boldest 
 advocate in the monk of Wittenberg. 
 
ClIAITKi; XII 
 
 THK in;i;<» AT \\(U:.Ms. 
 
 .\« <()i;i)iN(; to tlic ]K\\K\\ tlicnry, it was \]\v duty 
 of the Emperor to iisc all his power in the sup- 
 pression of heresy. A hull of excommunieatiou 
 should he followed hy the nnieh-dreaded Han of 
 the lMnj)irc. To secure this was now the chief 
 aim of the new jtapal le<:ate, the unscrui»ulous 
 and tireless Aleandcr. 
 
 The Emperor cared little for the reli«iious dis- 
 putes of the day, and had no sympathy with the 
 national feeling of his (Jerman suhjeet,«. Trained 
 as a zealous Roman Catholic in Spain, he would 
 under ordinary circumstances have Siicriliced 
 Luther without hesitancy at the hidding of the 
 r< »])••. He now, however, resolved to make 
 political capital out of the discontent of (ler- 
 niany. He was himself just at this juncture very 
 desirous of securin<^ some concessions fn^n the 
 l'o|)e, which the latter was little disi)osed to ;^q'ant. 
 Presuming that he could at any time quiet the 
 rising storm, he refused therefore to speak the 
 word of command, and even fanned the ihunv of 
 hostility toward the ])a|)acy. 
 
 In accordance with this ]>olicy, he on Nov. 
 2>>th sent a message to the Elector Frederick, 
 requesting him to liring his Wilteiilx ig i»rofes.-<tr 
 with him to tlu' Diet soon to asseml)le at Worms. 
 This <»rder was, however, upon the urgency of the 
 j»apal party, afterwards n voked. 
 
 On Feh. l.'Jth, Aleander, presented to the 
 l>iet an ollicial connnunication from the I'ope, 
 
80 LlTllKK, THK KKFOlOIER, 
 
 callin.; upon tlio Kinpcror and prinros of the 
 realm to at oner take iiu'asurt's to make the second 
 and linal Jiull aj^ainst the Reformer (issue<l in 
 January) ofTeetive. The ap])eal was supported hy 
 tlie lejrate in a wily oration throe hours in len«,'th, 
 in whieh he traced the resemblanee of Luther's 
 teaehini^ to that of the hated I^)hemians, and 
 emphasized his reji'ction not only of the papal 
 supremacy, hut of the final Jiuthority of a general 
 e«>uncil :us well. As desii^ned, this addri'ss alien- 
 ated from Luther not a few who sympathized with 
 him in his assaults upon the papacy, hut who 
 still regarded the general councils as infallible and 
 as their only resource for the correction of griev- 
 ances. The Emperor, who had meanwhile se- 
 cured the desired favors at the hands of the I^ojjc, 
 expressed himself as now ready to meet the desire 
 of the latt-r, and accordingly laid before the Diet 
 the draft of an edict, condemning the books of 
 Lutiier and onlering his arrest. 
 
 After a heated discussion, which almost led to 
 l)lo\vs, it wjus reported to tlie Emperor that such 
 a course wouM produce disturbance throughout all 
 (lerraany, and lu; w;us n^iuested to allow Luther 
 the privilege of publicly recalling his heretical 
 utterances. Shoul I he do this, it was hinted that 
 it might be well to hear his views "upon other 
 pcjints," i. g., upon national questions. To this 
 the Emperor agrce(l, and a courteous sunnnons 
 w:ls at once forwarded to the Reformer, assuring 
 hitn "safe conduct" to and from the Diet. The 
 papists were enraged, but helpless. 
 
 Luther promptly decided to obey the call. 
 Hearing that he woidd be expected to recant, 
 he sai<L "This shall be my n «aiitation: I ba\e 
 said that the Pojx' is the representative of Christ 
 (on earth); this I now recall, and declare that the 
 
Tin: IIKKO AT won MS. 81 
 
 Popo is tlie eiR'iny of Christ and an einissarv <>f 
 tlu' devil." 
 
 On Aj)iil '2d, after cnniplttini: an uneoinjtromis- 
 in«; rejoinder to the pamphlet of an a.^sailant, 
 Catharinus, lie set out upon the journey, pre- 
 cecknl l)y the iini)erial lierald, and ^Mcetrd on 
 every hand l>y jireat thron;:s of his fellow-country- 
 men. Received with enthusiasm at Krfurt, he 
 reniained there over Sunday, and j)reached a fer- 
 vent sermon U])on the text: "Peace he uuio 
 you.'' Just as the party drew near to Worms, 
 tliere was puhUshed an edict forl)idding the dis- 
 semination of the books of Luther and tlius 
 clearly indieatinj^ the temi)er c)f the monarch. 
 In face of this, even the herald hesitat<'d to ad- 
 vance. S])alatin, the Elector's cha]»Iain, sent a 
 warning', |)ointin^' to the fate of Huss. But the 
 dauntless cham}>ion of the truth replied: *'I 
 would enter \\'orms, thoutdi there were as many 
 devils there as tiles uj>on tlie roofs of the houses." 
 
 In the streets of the city he was met l)y a 
 cavalcade of ]>rominent pcrsonaj^es and, sur- 
 rounded hy a thronj? of two thousand of the 
 jjopulace, conducted to his inn. As he alighted 
 from his carriage he ferventlv ejaculated: "(lod 
 will l>e with me." 
 
 On tlie next day, A]>ril 17th, he wai* summoned 
 before the Diet. It was a notahle a.ssendtly — 
 the Kmperor, six electoral princes, whole ranks of 
 the lower nohility of (lermany, and an imposing' 
 array of ))apal ollicials. Luther fully appnriated 
 the jrravity of the occasijjn and at first appeared 
 overawed. He was tohl that he was merely to 
 answer two questions : first, whether ho was 
 the author of certain hooks, whose titles were 
 read to him; and secondly. wh<ther, if ho, he 
 was willing to recall their content^. To the finst 
 6 
 
(jiu^tion lie replied in the afTirmativc. As the 
 -econd was of siieh iinportanee, he rcHiuestwl that 
 a sliort time he j^ranted him for the j)rei)aration 
 of his answer — a favor which was rehutantly 
 jranted. 
 
 W'lien recalled late on the fnllowinj; day, he 
 was asked: '' Do you defend all of y«)ur hooks, or 
 ire you willing; to recall some thinj^s. '* Adapting 
 his nply («;iven in Latin) to the new form nf the 
 question, he deelared that some of his hooks are 
 purely devotional in eharaeter, and commended 
 even hy liis enemies. The second class of his 
 writiuL's are those directed ajjainst the corruptions 
 of the papacy: to re<"all these would hut jrive en- 
 coura«;ement to that horrihle tyranny. The third 
 class consists of his j)ul>lii'ations a«rainst individ- 
 uals. In these he confessed to have sometimes 
 used intemperate lan<;ua;ie. The doctrines tau«;ht 
 in these he is willing; to recall whenever refuted l)y 
 ( itations from the projdiets or evan<,'elists. He 
 ( losed with an eloquent and fearless appeal to 
 tlic Kmjtcror and ])rinccs to nuct hravi ly the re- 
 -])onsil)i]ity which (iod ha«l laid upon them. 
 I pon re<juest, the response w;is repeated in (ier- 
 man. The papal spokesman, after consultation, 
 j»ronounced the reply of Luther irrelevant, de- 
 clared that a refutation of his teachin«:s was un- 
 necessary, as they had heen already condemned 
 hy the Council of Constance, and demanded a 
 plain, direct answer to th(» ijuestion whether he 
 Would recant or not. Ki>in;i to the luiiiht of the 
 '•ccasion, he then uttered the immortal words. 
 
 " I'nh'ss convinced hy the testimony of Scrip- 
 ture or evident reasons (for I trust neither the 
 I'ojie nor councils alone, since it is certain that 
 they have often ern'd and contradicted thein- 
 ttcivesj, I am hound hy my own writinirs, as 
 
THE IIKKO AT WoKMS. »3 
 
 C'it('<l, and my conscienro is IkUI ('aj)tivc by tlie 
 Word (»f (iod. Hccant I ncitluT can nor will, 
 since it is unsafe and dislioiust toad ;i ,'aiiist (•(►n- 
 sciencc. * * I cannot do otherwise. Here I 
 stand. So help me God! Amen." 
 
 In the midst of tlie tmipt-st that cnsiir*!, the 
 Emperor rose and dissolved the Diet. Summon- 
 ing the meml)ers attain very early the next morn- 
 ing, he expressed his regret at having t^o long 
 juirleyed with the contumaeicnis monk, and de- 
 clared his )»urpose, after returning the latter to 
 WittrnhtTg according to his i)ledge, to at once 
 proceed to final measures against him. 
 
 Movetl in j>art hy sympathy, more largely hy 
 fears of insurrection, the I)iet ]»leadcd for delay, 
 in order to elTect, if i)ossible, some compromise. 
 The Emperor granted a respite of three days. 
 Now it was that the fortitude of Luther was most 
 severely tested. A large commission of prom- 
 inent officials known to he kindly disj)osed to- 
 ward him was app(»inted hy tlie Diet. For days 
 these men j»leaded with him, exhausting all their 
 skill in endeavoring to shake his resolution. They 
 waived entiri'ly the point of submission to tlu* 
 pope, and implored him to suhnnt his writings 
 without reserve to the judgment of a general 
 council — as he had once been willing to do. 
 They argue<l that bloodshed would thus be ])re- 
 vented; that (piite a time must elaj)se before such 
 a council could !)<• assembled, and that the delay 
 would l)e favorai»l(; to his cause; that tin* very 
 calling of a council, in face of the (oiidemnation 
 already pronounce(l by tlie Tope, would be a 
 great victory for him; and that its decisions would 
 in all ]irobal>ility i»e in his favor. JUit in vain! 
 Luther was willing to submit his writings to any 
 candid tni»unal, but insist<'d that \\\vy and all 
 
84 LITIIKH, THK HKFOUMER. 
 
 Jiuinan (locuindits must l)o finally tosti'd l>y llic 
 Word of God alone. Upon this ])rin(ipio he 
 sjtakr«l lifi- and all, K'aviiii; tin- results with (Io«l. 
 
 Hut what would now become of Luther, was 
 the «jUt'stion upon every han«l. Kven th(»uj;h the 
 jiKnlLie of safe-eon<luet, violated in the ease of 
 lluss, should now be faithfully kept, it would 
 ( xpiiT within twenty-one tlays Should he then 
 l»e left ut the mercy of Ins foes? 
 
 A plan was soon perfected. Luther started off 
 amid the j)laudits of his friends. After some 
 days' travel the imperial fruard was dismissed. 
 As the eoaeh in which he rode with his traveling 
 companion from the monastery and his friend, 
 Amsdorf, was j)assing throuj^h a shaded roa<l in 
 the forest, a hand of horsemen suddenly fell upon 
 them. The monk, territied, was alloweil to es- 
 cajK'. Amsdorf made a show of noisy resistance 
 for a tim<', and was then suffered to proceed with 
 the fri^rlitened coachman. Luther was led hy a 
 circuitous route to the Wartburg, a strong castle 
 overlooking: the town of l'j-« ikh li. 
 
 Meanwhile, the ban of the Empire was pro- 
 nounce<l. The severest pi nalties were threatened 
 to any person who should harbor the outlaw, or 
 ^dve him food or drink. Every faithful subject 
 was connnanded to aid in arresting him antl send- 
 ing him to the Km])eror. His books were to be 
 burned and their printing forever interdicted. 
 The language of the document was certainly suf- 
 lieiently vigorous, but not unwillingly doi'S tin* 
 j.en of history record the facts, — that it harmed 
 no nne, that it was the last of its kind ever pr<»- 
 mulgated, and that its dark anathemas can to-<lay 
 be deciphered only in tin* radiance rellected from 
 the name of ittf intended victim. 
 
PERIOD m. 
 
 PRACTICAL REFORMATION. A. D. 1521-1546. 
 
 CIIAPTKPv I. 
 Tin-: WAKTHruc kxilk. 
 
 Tin-: sikMcu disai^poanmre of Lutlier awakened 
 intense feeling thnnij^diout Germany. Many at 
 once coneludi'd tliat he had heen murdered. The 
 shrewd Aleander surmised tlie truth, and re})orted 
 to Rome: "The Saxon fox has hidden the monk." 
 Very effect ually was he concealed, his nearest 
 friends havin,^ for a lon*^ time no certain knowl- 
 edge of his j)laee of refuir*'. Tlie Kmperor and 
 liis advisers, fully (»ceui)ie(l with the political dilli- 
 culties surrounding,' them, made no serious attem})t 
 to capture the fugitive, hein<; satisfied to have, as 
 they supposed, imposed silence upon him. 
 
 For the Reformer him.self the cham^e of sur- 
 roundin«rs was exhilarating. For the lirst time in 
 Ijis life he now lived in ease and luxury. lie 
 roame(l through the cai)acious grounds of the cas- 
 tle overlooking his heloved Eisenach, gatliering 
 berries in the woods and listening to the warhhng 
 of the hirds. Attired as a knight, with sword 
 by Ids side and a goliUn chain al)out his neck, he 
 rode at will with his valet through the neighbor- 
 ing villages, greatly enjoying the humor of the 
 sHuatiun. Occasionallv he joined in the chase, 
 (85) 
 
86 LUTIIKU, Tin: HKFOHMEK. 
 
 l»ut accoiinti'*! it ponr sport. His syinpatliios 
 NViTe all with tlic ])onr hunted harc^, wliich scnncd 
 to liini a picture of thi' pt-i-sti-utecl Christians of 
 the day, while tlic cruel hounds were cardinals 
 and hishops. lie would rather liave hunted the 
 ht-ars and wolves that were devastating the 
 Church. Thus even his diversi(»ns were con- 
 -lantly made to furnish illustrations and su*r<rcs- 
 ii«»ns for the great w<»rk in which his whole soul 
 was enlisted. 
 
 JJitterly does he lament his enforced "idle- 
 ness;" yet he was always busy. \\ ith no hooks 
 at hand hut his (Ireek and llehrcw Bihles, heat 
 once addressed himself to earnest work, and 
 within three weeks had several important docu- 
 ments well under way. lie completed his com- 
 mentary upon the " Magnificat," sendini: it to 
 the puhlisher early in June. This had heen pre- 
 criled l>y an exposition of Psalm Ixviii.. which 
 hreathed the sj»irit of triumjihant joy, and consti- 
 tuted one of the j)roft>undest of all his writings 
 upon the experience of Christ. 
 
 With im]>atienc(\ hut with unsparinix severity, 
 In- replied to various publications of his ad- 
 versaries, who were appalled to (ind that the ex- 
 communicated and outlawed monk was as terrihle 
 in exile as when holding his seat of honor in the 
 University. 
 
 Among the positive results of thc<piiet hours of 
 rellection in his " Patmos," was a clear conviction 
 upon the suhjtHi't of monastic vows. He had 
 long lield that the enforced celihacy of the priests 
 was, according to 1 Tim. iv. 1, a doctrine of 
 devils; hut the vows of monks and nuns, having 
 heen voluntarily assumed, appeared to him to ho 
 of hinding force. H<' felt that their results were 
 evil, and longed to break the yoke of bondage 
 
Tin: WARTHUKCJ KXILK. 87 
 
 uikKt wliifli so many thoupands were proaninpj; 
 yet he wouUl not countenance wront^ nor advance 
 a sinj^le step without clear scnptural authority. 
 The ar«;unient8 adduced l)y Carlstadt and Mr- 
 lanelithon seemed to liim insullicient. At h'n«:th 
 he found an adequate ground for tlie ahrogation 
 of these vows in the mistaken views with whicii 
 they had l)een assumed. They were regarded as 
 works of merit — a means of <^ainiii<: tlic favor of 
 (lod — and were lience directly opposed to the 
 gospel plan of salvation hy faith. Heini; oj»poscd 
 to tlic (Josprl, they were sinful and could have no 
 hindiuix authority. 
 
 For Luther, to see the truth was to he resistlessly 
 impelled to announce it heforc the world. With 
 no regard for the ]Kissil)le consecpicncc^s, his calm, 
 logical argument is hurled as an emancipation 
 proclamation from the castle walls. On every 
 hand, convent doors are thrown open, and the 
 entire structvue of monasticism is doomed. 
 
 The Komish priesthood had long maintained its 
 hold U])on the masses through an unscru])ulous 
 use of the confessional. It soon hecame known 
 that this secret agency was being employed to 
 warn the multitudes against the arch-heretic, and 
 to command them, under ]>enalty of eternal death, 
 to destroy his writings. To.counteract this scheme, 
 the great father-confessor of awakened (iermany 
 i.'^sued his Instruction for the Confessing. 
 He did not, as some others, advocate the aholitiMii 
 of the custom of auri<'ular confession, as he re- 
 gard<'d it, when rightly <'mploy«Ml, as a valuable 
 means of consohng and strengthening the weak. 
 He insi.sted only that it should he purely volun- 
 tary, and that every Christian layman was em- 
 powered to conduct it, sinc<' its authority was 
 derived not from the station of the administrant, 
 
MS MTHKU, TIIK KEKOHMEH. 
 
 l»iit soK'ly fmni tin* divine words of pardon wliidi 
 it announciil to the pi-nitcnt. Thus concciv(*d, 
 till' ordinance was (le|>rive<l entirely of its vahie 
 to the hierarchy a.s a means of terrifying and con- 
 trolling the masses. In this form, it has continucnl 
 in the Clinrch to the ])resent day, exci'pt where 
 siipplante*! hy the general confession of the " pre- 
 paratory service." 
 
 With amazement I^nther now learned that the 
 ('ardiiial-areh)>ishop, All)rei']jt of Mayenee, the 
 former patron of Tetzel, had hej^un the sale of in- 
 dulgences upon a irrand scale at llalle. That the 
 foremost e<'c]esiastieal princ*e of Clermany should 
 have the i-tfrontery to thus ignore all that had 
 occurri'd in the stirring half-diH'ade just passed 
 seen)(^l incredilde, Th<' author of the Ninety- 
 live Tliesesat once prepare<l a lieree denunciation of 
 the ''new idolatry at llalle," hut, induceil hy the 
 alarmed Elector, consentt»<l to delay it8 puhliea- 
 tion an<l content himself with an exccHilingly 
 plain letter to the Arehhishop. He demands 
 from him a reply within fourteen davi^, Und de- 
 dans that, if a siUisfactory response is not riveivcd 
 within that time, he will show the whole world 
 tin- dithrenee hetweeu a hishop and a wolf. Tho 
 jiroud cardinal hastt-ned to prostrate himself as a 
 "poor sinful worm" at the feet of the outlawed 
 heretic, and the side of indulgences ceiLsed. 
 
 Hut it was only under compulsion that Luther 
 " wa.sted " th(? pn^ious hours in controversial 
 writing. His favorite lahors were those devoted 
 to the eililication of the little hand of j>ersecuted 
 hrlicvers. He n'joieed in the opj>ortunity now 
 alT<ird<-d of continuing his l>;itin Exposition of 
 the Psalms, hut soon turne<l from this to the 
 still more congenial task of preparing sermons in 
 German upon the appointed scripture lessons for 
 
TlIK WAlCTHLiai KXILK. 89 
 
 the successive Sundays of the chiircli-ycar. Tliese 
 w«'iv publislied in sirtions uncliT tlu* title, Church 
 Postils, the series l)eing completed in later years 
 hy frirnds of the Hifornier. Bcsiilcs being eaj^erly 
 bouirht by the laity, they were read from many 
 j)ulpits and became models for thousands of sim- 
 ilar discourses, j)rovin«; thus a most elTcctive 
 means of brin^irini^ the great truths of salvation 
 home to the hearts of the })eople. Luther him- 
 self considered them the best of all his writings. 
 While outspoken in di-nuneiation uf }>ai>al errors, 
 they emphasize the great doctrines of rejientance 
 and grace, and are pervaded by a tone of lofty 
 confidence in the final triumj)h of the truth. 
 
 Toward the close of the year 15*21 was begun 
 the greatest work of tbr Reformer's life, the 
 translation of the Bible from the original 
 tongues into the language of the connnon peo|>le. 
 F()r such a task he had jx'culiar fitness. His 
 vivid imagination and his deep spiritual nature 
 enabled him to catch the spirit of the sacred 
 writers, while his thorough familiarity with the 
 conmion language and the aspirations of his own 
 beloved countrymen enabled him to express the 
 inspired thought in simple, toucliing phrase 
 which made it appear almost as a new revelation. 
 No j)ains were spared to make the work as nearly 
 ])erfect as possible. lie studied the language of 
 the })easants in their homes and upon the street, 
 and talked with meclianics as they plied their 
 trade. Portions of the work were given to the 
 press from time to time, and within less than 
 three months the entire New Testament was com- 
 ])lete(b It was only, however, after th(»rough 
 revision in conjunction with liis learned associ- 
 ates at Wittenberg, tliat the work appeared in 
 September, 1522. 
 
niAiTrn ii 
 
 A TKMPICST STILLED. 
 
 The unrif?]ito<nis edict of Worms served to rc^ 
 veal alike to friend and foe how thoroiiudily tli(» 
 teaehinjxs of the desj)ised monk had permeated 
 all classes of the (hrinan nation. Feel»le ctVort.s 
 wri'v made here and tliere to enforce its reiiuire- 
 inents in the hurnini^ of the hooks of Luther, ))ut 
 these could hut awaken ridicule. On every hand 
 the power of pope and Emperor was dehe<l. 
 Anonymous ])amphlets, passinj^ from hand to 
 hand, depicted with keenest satire the course of 
 events at Worms. 
 
 The University at Wittenberg, deprived of 
 its illustrious h«'a<l, was still rri^arded as the cen- 
 tre of spiritual illumination. To it eajzer students 
 Hocked from distant lands. The course of study 
 was greatly enlari^ecl under the direction of liUther, 
 and vigorous young scholars of evan<r<'li<'al views 
 were called to till the newly-estahlished profes- 
 sorial chairs. The popularity of the youthful 
 professor of Circek, Melanchthon, was unhounded. 
 All learning was there made subservient to the 
 proper understanding an<l illustration of the Scrip- 
 tures, and the dauntless spirit of the great He- 
 former appeared still to jtervade the wliole eom- 
 niunity. 
 
 Sueii ( ntliusi:ism couM not long remain with- 
 out practical results. Why should the ahuses 
 he longer tolerated which ]>ul)lic sentiment now 
 8o heartily condemnecl ? Should all tins throb- 
 bing energy l)e wasted in mere wortls? O, for an 
 (IK); 
 
A TKMrKST STILLKI). 91 
 
 intrepid leader! Mehmchthon, the timid student, 
 couki not undertake such a task. Where should 
 the new Luther he found? 
 
 How natural that iiuompetent, impetuous spir- 
 its should now eome to the front, and that, as the 
 exeitc'd }>opula('e followed them, reekless violence 
 should mark the lirst assaults U])on lon^-estab- 
 lished customs. In the Auirustinian monastery 
 of the town, a monk, named Gabriel Zwilling, 
 cnterinjj; the jiulpit which Luther had Ioiil,^ Idled, 
 assailed with vehemence the abuses of the mass, 
 demanded that the cup be granted to the laity, 
 denounced the monastic system, and finally, with 
 twelve associates, publicly renounced his allegiance 
 to the monastery. The incident caused great ex- 
 citement in the connnunity, and was accompanied 
 with violent demonstrations. Similar scenes were 
 eiiaete.l at Krfurt and elscwh.re. A general 
 convention of the Augustinian Order ol" (Jer- 
 niany, held at Wittenberg in January (at which, 
 however, but few ollicials from al)road were i)res- 
 ent), proclaimed that no one should be compelled 
 to remain in a monastery against his own con- 
 victions of duty, and admonished all, whether 
 dej)arting or remaining, to conduct themselves 
 j)eaeeably and devote themselves to useful labors. 
 This action was taken in pursuance of advice re- 
 ceived directly from the absent "brother" at the 
 Wartburg, an<l was in reality an entire surrender 
 of the principle upon which the maintenance of 
 the monasteries depended. Many of the monks 
 availed themselves of the liberty thus granted, 
 but failed to ol»scrve the aecomjianying admoni- 
 tion, and the disturbances continued. 
 
 Among the ])rofessors at th(? University was 
 Carlstadt, a man of marke«l talent and restless 
 energy, but fickle, conceited and imprudent — in 
 
\)1 LlTIIKi:, TIIK 1IEF(1RMER. 
 
 arjiunicnt or action always taking \\\v socond step 
 iK'fore tho first. After the Leipzig Disputation 
 he ha«l withdrawn his support from Luther and 
 again courted the favor of tlie I'hureh, hut he 
 now sudtU'nly appeared as a reformer far in ad- 
 vance of Lutlier. lie declared it to he not only 
 a privilege hut the duty of the clergy to marry, 
 ]»ronounced it a sin to remain in a monastery, 
 and ]>roposed all manner of social innovations. 
 He upon liis own res])onsihility administered the 
 cup to the laity, made contempt for the estah- 
 lislied fast-days a test of piety, and urged the 
 jM.pulace to tear down the ])ictures in the churches 
 an«l destroy the altars. 
 
 In the midst of the tumultuous scenes w Inch fol- 
 lowed, there appearcil three men from Zwickau, 
 calling themselves prophets. Tliey claimed to 
 have received direct revelations from (iod in vis- 
 ions, and to he authorized to estahlish a new 
 spiritual kingdom. They denounced infant ]>ap- 
 tism as especially ohnoxious, and announced that 
 the end of the world was at hand. Mullitu(U»s 
 were deceived hy the exalted claims of these men. 
 Va'vw Melanchthon waviTcd and knew \\o\ how to 
 meet their arguments, receiving one of them, a 
 former pupil of his, into his own house. C'arl- 
 stadt at once hecame a zealous convert, adopting 
 the wildest mystical notions, and advising his 
 students to ahandon their studies and ai>i)ly them- 
 selves to useful lahor. Soon all was in confusi«»n. 
 Hundreds forsook the University and departed to 
 their homes, carrying the fanatical id(\»s through- 
 out all (rcrmany. It was reported that even Me- 
 lanchthon was ahout to leave in despair. 
 
 And all thiswasat Wittenherg, thecentreof evan- 
 gelical truth. The natural result, exdaimed the 
 adversaries, of the teachings of the heretical monk! 
 
A TKMPEST STILLED. 93 
 
 "Put a^ovo the tumult tlicrf was ono unclouded 
 mind — one heart undaunted. As hv instinct, 
 Lutlier, from the m<'a«:re reports reaehin«; him, 
 comprehended the situation of his heloved 
 A\'iltcuhcrj4crs, and resolved to prove liis loyalty 
 to them and to the greater cause imperiled hy 
 their folly. Already in Deeeniher he had, in 
 knightly disguise, journeyed to Wittenherg an<l 
 made personal investigation of the condition of 
 affairs. r])on his return, he had puhlished his 
 Faithful Warning against Insurrection. He 
 had cahnly viewed the vagaries of the Zwickau 
 prophets ; hut now, as the agitation overleaps 
 all hounds, he notifies the Elector that he pro- 
 poses to hid farewell to his secure retreat and 
 return to the post of duty. A hold stc]), in- 
 deed I lie is still an outcast from the Church and 
 an outlaw in the land. The disturhances at ^^'it- 
 tenherg have alienated many of his friends and 
 encouraged his enemies to fresh z<'al. The repre- 
 sentatives of the nation, assemhled at Nuremberg, 
 have just resolved on aggressive measures to make 
 the edict of \\'orms effective. The P'lector can 
 afford no protection outside of the castle walls, 
 and j)lainly tells Luther so. Promptly comes the 
 resjjonse: " I go forth under a far luLdier than an 
 Elector's protection. * * ^> He whoso faith is 
 strongest will in these davs prove the best pro- 
 tector." 
 
 Arriving at Wittenberg, March bth, a few days 
 are spent in (juiet consultation with friends. On 
 Sunday, the Oth, he ascends the ])ul|»it of tlu^ 
 parish church and in a series of eight daily ser- 
 mons announces his own views upon the (pies- 
 tions in disi)Ute and carries with him ri'sistlessly 
 the convictions of his hearers. He first sunnnons 
 them to serious rellcction in view of a])proaching 
 
'.♦4 I.rrHKK, THK hkfoumkk. 
 
 • loath and jinlpiu'iit, and presses liome tlic jrreat 
 tluMnes of repentance and faith. He tlien cordially 
 apphuids the enerjrv of their faith and their eoiir- 
 aixe in hein;; the lirst to aholish the ahoniinahle 
 idolatry of tin* mass. With the tone of an ag- 
 grieved father, he deplores their readiness to follow 
 stranL'e leailcrs and censures their Mind zeal and 
 their lack of Christian love in demanding; outward 
 compliance with the new order of things upon 
 the part of those whose con.scicnces are not yet 
 -ulliciently enlightened. He dirlares that no one 
 can he driven to faith, hut tliat the Word must he 
 diligently prcacheil an<l allowed t«> gradually, hy 
 its own i)owcr, jmt error to ilight. 
 
 The success of tins }iatcrnal appml was im- 
 mediate and complete. The calm dt-mcanor of 
 thi- great leader, his persuasive el(njUcnce, and 
 the clearness of the j>rinciples announced — in 
 striking contrast with the inconsistent ravings of 
 the i)rophcts — proved irresistihle. Not a single 
 voice was raised in opp(»sition. Zwilling ahan- 
 <loncd his wild notions and hecamc a disciple of 
 Luther and a humhle j)reacher of the (lospel, 
 Carlstadt relapsed into silence. The storm was 
 stilled. All fears vanishecl, and peace reigned at 
 Wiltiiiherg. The pilot was at tlie In Im. 
 
ClIAl'TKi; III. 
 
 RENEWED ACTIVITY AT WITTENBERO. 
 
 XATruAi.LY, without fear and witlioiit exulta- 
 tion, Luther now resumed his place as the 
 rulini^' spirit of the University and villaire. His 
 word was law, and the stormy i)ast seemed like a 
 dnam. He does not appear to have at once 
 midrrtaken regular academic lectures, as that por- 
 tion of his earlier lahors was hein^^ well done hy 
 others. Before many months, however, we find 
 him expounding whole hooks of the Bible to 
 eager throngs of students. 
 
 The first practical (juestions «leinandinfr atten- 
 tion were thos(^ relating to the public worship of 
 the e()ngregations, particularly of the ])arish 
 church, of which th(; Reformer was the ]>astor. 
 Here he preached twice every Sunday, and as 
 soon as ])ractical)le arranged for a daily devotional 
 service, in which the chief place was assigned to a 
 practical exposition of the Scriptures. He con- 
 ducted also an early morning service in tlic 
 Auixustinian monastery every Sunday. 
 
 Disapproval of th(^ reckless course of the late 
 self-appointeil lead(.>rs foimd ]»ositive ('X])ression in 
 the restoration of nearly all the customs which 
 had been violently ahan<loned. Luther insisted 
 that scrupulous regard must in all cases he mani- 
 f(?sted for the prejudices of the unenlighten(Ml, and 
 that no long-established c(Temonies should be 
 changed until the mass of the congregation had 
 by faithful preaching been prej»ared t<» accept the 
 advanced measures. Subordinating entirely his 
 (<Jo) 
 
96 Ll'TIIEK, THE REFORMER. 
 
 own personal preferences, he restored the services 
 of llie public mass, rt'tnininj: as harmless the 
 name, whirh ilio extninists had rejected, and 
 omitting only those portions which savored dis- 
 tinctly of idolatry and human j)resumption. The 
 pictures which liad escaped the ictnioelastic storm 
 were permitted to remain, with merely a warning 
 from the j)ulj>it and through j)uhlishe«l tracts 
 against tlic al»iiscs ct)nnectcd with them. The 
 Latin language was again introduced in tlie fa- 
 miliar liturgiial formularies. The cup was ad- 
 ministered in the Lord's Supj>er only to those who 
 desired it, and to such at sj)ecial times, in order 
 not to offend the consciences of those who clung 
 to the old method. Even the elevation of the 
 host, which had heen so closely linked witli tho 
 Worship of the conseciate<l elements, was ntained 
 for several years as an ixj>rcssion of reverence and 
 thankfulness. Candles and the ordinary clerical 
 vestments found their j)lace again as ancient cus- 
 toms. All these outward forujs were regarded as 
 matters of indifference, not worth contending 
 about, to he regulated from time to time in ac- 
 cordance with the growing intelligence of tho 
 people. 
 
 The chief aim was to give ]»rominence to tho 
 proclamation of the pure Word of (Jod, and 
 ill the new onit r of woi>hip which Luther him- 
 s<lf prepared in 1023, he demanded a jilace for 
 this in the very mi<lst of the service, al)hreviating 
 and simplifying the latter, and providing for thi' 
 gradual superseding of the Latin hy appropriate 
 f«>rms in the national t<»ngue. 
 
 Kspe<'ially did Luther seek to cniourage tho 
 participation of all the assemhled people in tho 
 services of praise, lie pleaded personally with 
 tljo.Ho ol lii- a->«H iales who were known to pitssess 
 
KXTKNDTNG INKI.rKNCK. 97 
 
 iMutical or nuisical talent to prepare suitable Oer- 
 iiiaii livmnR, hiused upon tlie Psalms, or other por- 
 tions of the Seriptures. KaiHn.ir to secure adiMjuate 
 rrsponse, he himself undertook the work, display- 
 ing,' a «:ift hitherto entirely inisusj)ccted l)y himself 
 or others. The martyrdom of two brave young 
 eonfessoi*s of the truth at Hrussds, in the summer 
 of ir)23, impelled him to jrive utterance to his 
 «leej> feeling in a stirring ode in connnemoration of 
 their fidelity, which was soon ujion the lij>s of the 
 multitude. Karly in lo'it a]i])ean'd at Witten- 
 berg the first collection of evangelical hymns 
 in the (ierman language, there being but eight in 
 all, live of which were from the \)vn of Luther. 
 He com])osed and j»ublished twenty more within 
 the same year, by which time the enthusiasm of 
 others had been aroused to activity in this new 
 field, and the foundations laid for the rich and 
 matchless hymnology of the German Lutheran 
 church. The lal)ors of the Reformer in this di- 
 reetion culminated about iry27, in the j)reparation 
 of his immortal battle hynni: ''lun feste Burg ist 
 unser (Jott." 
 
 Hut the chief energies of the period now under 
 review were devoted to the continuance of the 
 translation of the Bible The work done at the 
 \\'artl)urg was thorougidy revised, appearing in 
 complete form in SeptcndxT, 1522. The more 
 serious task of giving idiomatic ex])respion to the 
 ruggetl and often doubtful forms of the ancient 
 Hebrew writers was coiiragcously undertaken. 
 .\urogalIus, the new ])r(>fessor of Hebrew at the 
 I'niversity, and Melanchthon rendcretl constant 
 and valuable assistance, especially in fixing the 
 exact meaning of the original text, and in discov- 
 ering the nearest equivalents in Clerman for un- 
 usual terms, but the imprctsii of the Reformer's 
 7 
 
98 LUTIIEK, TIIK REFOUMER. 
 
 mind was upon every line of the oomplctod work. 
 As it K'ft tljc pnss, appoarinj; in sections durinj^ 
 tlic vtars l'>L'.*i-ir)i>4, it was fn)ni first to last 
 Luther's version of the sacred volume. Thouj:h 
 publishid without mention of the translator's 
 name, the introductions to the separate hooks, the 
 terse marpnal notes, and the general preface ex- 
 altinj; the Kpistic to the Romans, witli its doe- 
 trine of justification l»y faith, as the k«'y to the 
 whole Scriptures, left no (lou)>t in any mind as to 
 its source. No one stopped in that age to think 
 of the excellence of the tran.^lation. It was 
 accepted by all classes, save the i»ronounced 
 paj.i>l.<, as tlie i>ure and simple Word of (lod res- 
 cued from the mass of human traditions hy the 
 fearless champion of the truth. Its condemna- 
 tion hy tlie authorities of the corrupt church hut 
 eontirmed the conviction that the latter were de- 
 ceivers who could not endure the light, and in- 
 creased the jtopular demand for the work. It 
 remains to-day, substantially unchanged. Not 
 only has it heen the channel through which the 
 message (»f divine grace has reached the ma.«ses of 
 theCJerman nation; hut it has given fixed literary 
 form to the (lerman language itself, which was at 
 that time in a formative stage. The peasant's 
 son, who felt his nation.ality tingling in every 
 vein, who had ahsorhe<l the wisdom of the schools 
 and sounded the depths of foreign ttnigues with- 
 out surrendering his native power of forceful ut- 
 terance, here voiced the highest truths in forms 
 8o natural that even his enemies could hut accept 
 them as final, and the th(Hilogian, seeking the 
 eternal well-heing of his countrymen, unwittingly 
 became the literary dictator of tlie nati«»n. 
 
("Iiaiti:k IV. 
 
 KXTKNI)I.\(; IMHENCE. 
 
 TnE consciousness of his liij^li callinir as tlio 
 leader of a ^reat movement emhracini; not ( Jermany 
 alone, l>ut the entire Western Cluncli, \vas now 
 fully awak( ned in Lutlier. and his position as 
 such was recognized even l>y his ])itti*rest ene- 
 mies, 'i'he zealous paj)ist, Kin«^ Ferdinand, who, 
 in theal)scnce of his brotlier, the Emperor, wielde<l 
 the imperial sceptre, informed the latter in l.ri.'J 
 that scarcely (»ne man in a thousand could he 
 found in the realm who was not in some measure 
 infected with the new heresy. 
 
 Luther fully realized* the responsibility 
 ■which thus rested ujm.u him and cai-nestly s(tu,L,dit 
 to lay deep foundations for the future welfare of 
 Church and State. 
 
 The cpicstion of the proper training of the 
 young and the instruction of the ipiorant mass«>s 
 in the rudiments of savinir doctrine pressed 
 heavily U))on him. He had these classes mainly 
 in view in his exj)osition of the Ten Comman*!- 
 ments from the ])ul])it in 151(). A\'ith character- 
 istic distrust of his own fitness for the undertaking:, 
 he now earnestly requested various friends to 
 jirepare for general use a scries of simple (piestions 
 and answers coverinfir the cliief articles of Christian 
 faith. He at leuL'th secured the oflicial appoint- 
 ment of Justus Jonas, the ])rovost of the Cni- 
 vcrsity, and his talented friend. Aj^ricola, for the 
 work of preparing: uj)on this plana "children's 
 catechism,'' and ea<_'erly awaited the result of 
 their labors. 
 
 (99) 
 
100 Ll'TIlKK. Till-: KKKOKMKR. 
 
 W"i\]\ the ij^norant fanatirism whicli regards 
 gt'iHTal I'lliication as liostilf to i»i<'ty, Liitlicr had 
 nevtT the sh^rhtest syinpatliy. He hewailcd tlie 
 illitcniry of the masses. Alrcajly in 1520, in his 
 Addrc'is to thr yohi/idf, he had ur^^ed tlie necessity 
 of the eareful trainiii«r of the younp, and now tliat 
 he found men dceryinj; all edueation, and the 
 town school of Wittenherj^ transformed into a 
 bakery, he was tilled with the deejx'st anxiety. 
 Ajjain and airain he lifted up his voice in hchalf 
 of the ncirlectcMl youtli, and in l.")24 pul>lisln'd an 
 earnest a|»|)eal '"to all hur^nniastcrs an<l councilors 
 in (icrnian lands." imj»lorin«^ them to estal>lish 
 local schools at the puhlie expense. lie ar;:u(<l 
 that hut a portion of the money once so freely 
 s<iuandered ui)on in<lulg<Mices, masses and pil- 
 grimajxes would sufliee to ensure an ade<juate 
 training of the risin<; ireneration, and maintain<<l, 
 with a convincing energy never since excelled, 
 that the puhlie safety was far more dependent 
 upon the general intelligence than uj)on arma- 
 ments or hoarded wealth. Nor were these ap- 
 peals in vain. Pastor lUigenhagen re-opened the 
 school at Wittenherg. Educati<>nal work wjls 
 organized on abroad basis at Magdeburg, Nurem- 
 berg, and other inlluential centres under the 
 direction of Luther nnd Melanchthon, the Tni- 
 versity of A\'ittenberg furnishing enthusiastic 
 teachers. Luther himself in 1.')!.'') traveled to 
 Eislcben to participate in the estal»lishmcnt of a 
 8cho(>l in thei)laceof his birth, which was at once 
 committed to the oversight (»f his friend, .\gricola. 
 
 Full recognition was al.<o given by the Reformer 
 U) the claims of higher education He main- 
 tjiined the importance of the study of the ancient 
 languages, not only because they are the sheath 
 in which the keen blade of the Spirit is carrie<l, 
 
EXTENDING INKIAKNCE. Idl 
 
 l)Ut for tlic'ir l)r(iaiU'nin<: inlUu'ncc upon tlio mind. 
 While (k'lioiiiuin^ philosophy as sliocr folly, and 
 human culture as vanity, wht^n they attcnijjt to 
 usurp the plaei' of rdiirion, he regarded all science 
 antl art as natural allies, an<l ur^'ed their eifltiva- 
 tion as tending to develop the ])owers which the 
 Creator lias wisely and L^raeioiisly hest«)We«l upon 
 man. 
 
 Serious financial questions wi re involved in 
 the great chan^'es wrouudit hy the new doctrines. 
 What should l)e done with the al)andoned monas- 
 teries and their valuahle j^roperty ? The lar.La^ en- 
 dowments for the support of ])ul>lic and private 
 masses could in many ])laees no longer he em- 
 ployed in accordance with the will of the testators. 
 Many bequests to monasteries had heen made hy 
 nohle families, mainly as a ])rovision for the sup- 
 port of their indigent nuinhere who, it was 
 thought, would find in these institutions a seeure 
 home through life. Those who still cherished the 
 expectation of a return to the old order of things 
 protested against the employment of these funds 
 in any other than a literal accordance with the 
 terms upon which they had heen given. lUit it 
 soon heeame evident that such were hut idle 
 dreamers. The whole organization of society had 
 heen j)ermanently changed, and some new dispo- 
 sition must he made of these now useless posses- 
 sions. 
 
 No one realized the extent of these difficulties 
 more keenly nor faced them more hravely than 
 di<l Luther. He maintained, as a general ]>rinci 
 j)le, that endowments estahlished for the sup- 
 port of unchristian methods «>f diviiu^ worship 
 could now he rightly apj>lied oidy for the further- 
 ance of the same ultimate end hy ])rojK'r and 
 Chri-tian niel]i<»ds. lA:iii<j(]i<:d p.istois, regularly- 
 
102 LimiEK, THE HEFORMER. 
 
 called, were eiititlrd to the income of parishes 
 on<-e uiuKr the jurisdiction of Ktuiiish priests, hut 
 cuuKl not lUniand this where the okl order 8till 
 prevaiK'd. Monasteries should hecoine 8eh(K>ls 
 lor the eoninjon iK-ople, and tlieir endowments 
 might 1k' emi»h»ye(l f(»r any of tlie legitimate pur- 
 poses t»f edueation or religion. First of all, how- 
 ever, a suitahle portion <>f the invcstitl funds 
 shouUl he nturnnl to tlie indigent luirs of those 
 from whom the donations hail originally eome, 
 sinee the support of these was a j)art of the design 
 of the donors. Si'C'ondly, jirovision should hemaiie 
 for the maintenanee of the aged inmati's of the 
 eloisti'rs and of the j>oor and unfortunate in every 
 community. Only when these j)rimary demands 
 of justice and charity should have heen justly 
 met might the claims of education and worship 
 V)e asserted. The views of Luther U]>on these 
 questions were widely inllucntial, hut sehloin 
 attained com]>lete triumjth over the schemes of 
 grasj)ing oflicials or the ru«h' violcnee of an ex- 
 cited populace. IIelament<'d : ''The world mu.st 
 still he the world, and Satan its prince : I have 
 done what I could." 
 
 In the midst of thtsc general cares, I.uthrr wa.s 
 constantlv hesieged l)y a multitude of escaped 
 monks and priests deposed for the expression 
 of evang( li« al views. He felt a njcasure of per- 
 sonal responsihility for the helples*^ condition of 
 such, welcomed them to his tahle, and spare<l no 
 effort to secure for them o])|K)rtunities of earning 
 a livelih*o<Ml. We still }H»ssess many letters writ- 
 t**n hy him in the interest of such individuals to 
 princes, past<»rs and the <lire<tors of manufactur- 
 ing j-stahlishments throughout (iermany. He was 
 jM'<-uliarly intereste<l in the case of nine nuns who 
 at East4.'r, in 1523, after appealing in vain to their 
 
EXTEXm.NC INriA'ENcE. lOo 
 
 relatives to scciiro tlicir iL-lcase from unwillin«^ 
 hondage, oscaiK'd l»y iii«;lit fn»in a convent at 
 Niniptzsc'h and came to Wittenberg. lie pn))- 
 licly commended their courageous course, found 
 temporary shelter for tlicm, and was soon gratified 
 in seeing them nearly all well and j)ermanently 
 I)rovided for, several having heen married t<» hon- 
 orable and well-to-do citizens. 
 
 People in all manner of distress ap]>lied to 
 him for aid. To some lie secured the restoration 
 of proj)erty wrongfully taken from them ; others 
 were by his intercession relieved from the l>ay- 
 ment of oppressive fines. Mothers appealed to 
 him for counsel in regard to the marriage of their 
 children, and young ladic^s enlisted him as an 
 advocate in overcoming the oj (position of relatives 
 to their chosen suitors. He wrote many letters of 
 consolation to th(» sick, the imi)risoned and the 
 ]>ereaved, displaying the most delicate sympathy 
 and always connecting his counsel intimately with 
 some ai)propriate passage of the divine Word. 
 These private letters not infre<iuently found their 
 way ([uickly into print and carried comfort every- 
 where to the homes of the afllicted. They give 
 us a profound insight into the KefoniKT's tenderly 
 sensitive nature, and mark him as the most in- 
 tensely human of all the world's great leaders, 
 the Ai>uslle I'aul alone excepted. 
 
CIIAITKr. V. 
 
 THE OLD ENEMY. 
 
 When Lutlicr liad so heroically niaintaiind In's 
 j>ositi(»n at Worms, the breach with the Church 
 of Koine was rceo^nizcil on all liaixls as (•(•niplctc 
 and <in:il. On all essential points hf had fortified 
 his doctrinal position, and had no di'sire to rcn<'\v 
 discussion with his adversaries, who could hut 
 re-assert their views and cite in their suj)j)ort the 
 utterances of fallihle men and the notoriously 
 unreliahle deliverances of po]>es an<l councils. 
 He soUL'ht now only the further development of 
 the doctrines which he had found so mnnistak- 
 al»ly tau.Ldit in the divine Word, and their appli- 
 cation to the necessities of the awakening church 
 life. True, his opinions of the ini<|uity (»f the 
 papal hierarchy and the hlasj)hemous character 
 of its claims were hut confirmed in the course of 
 his studies, and he l(»st no suitahle opportunity 
 to pive open utterance to his implacahle hostility. 
 Ihit he souj^ht not controversy. As his now ex- 
 ult.'int foes ass:ule<l him on every hand, he re- 
 plied their elTusions with silent contempt, or 
 turnrd tliem over for refutation to the hands of 
 his followers. A few prtunincnt assailants were, 
 however, still prante<l the honor of a direct reply, 
 lest the dijrnity of their names should pive cur- 
 rency to their perverh'd views. 
 
 The University of Paris had loni: dis]»layed 
 
 a decree of indeju-ndenee in its relati<»ns to the 
 
 papacy which led Luther and his associates to 
 
 iinticipate a favoral»le disposition upon its part 
 
 (104) 
 
Tin: (>M) KNKMY. Ill") 
 
 toward their ofTorts to t'lnancip.-itc tlio enslaved 
 nations. At the tirn«' of the Leipzig Disputation, 
 Luther had l)een wilHnir to suhniit liis views for 
 critical examination to tliis unjjrejudieed and en- 
 liirhtened trihunal. The theoloLnans of the insti- 
 tution then avoided an expression of tlieir views, 
 hut had since i)raetieally ran,ire<l tlienjselves upon 
 the side of his enemies. Now, in A)>ril, 1521, 
 they east olT all reserve, ])ul>lishinLX a ioui^ list of 
 citations from his writini^s, which tiiey denounced 
 as "poisonous, outrageous and ])estilential here- 
 sies." As these learned men, however, contented 
 themselves with denunciation, and did not under- 
 take to refute any of the heretic's ern^rs, the 
 latter r(\i^arded their assault with unconcealed 
 contempt. He allowed Mclanchthon to re)»ly in 
 Latin, and then })ui)lished a translation of hoth 
 documents, })receded and f(>llowed hy a few 
 caustic comments of his own, pronouncinf? the 
 faculty of Paris ''full of the snow-white lejtrosy 
 of antichristian heresy from the crown of the head 
 to the sole of the foot." lie shrewdly called 
 puhlic attention to the fact that, whereas his chief 
 contention with the enemy had hitherto heen 
 upon the suhject of papal su])remacy, this valiant 
 <lefender,of the faith was entirely silent u])on that 
 point, thus practically concedin<i: his ])()sition in 
 the great controversy, and revealini: the Imllow- 
 ness of the hoasted miity of the Romish Church. 
 An annual l)ull had for a luunlter of years heen 
 issued from Rome just hefore the Kaster festival, 
 entitled the Bull of the Supper of the Lord, 
 emhracing a list of all the (hunnahle heresies 
 which had ])revailed in the Church. In the year 
 loJl, the name of Luther a])peared in this t<'rrilic 
 d«Hument, following those of \\'icklilTe and IIus.s. 
 Ueceiving a copy at the Warthurg, Luther i)uh- 
 
100 LUTHKU, THK KEKOKMKK. 
 
 li.sli(Kl, as ft *'Nt'w Year's (Jrcctinp*' for tlio 
 rn|M\ a r«j..in<l,T cutitltMl : The Bull of the 
 Evening Gormandizing of our Most Holy 
 Lord, the Pope, ciuotiiij^ in tlie caidion iIk* 
 ^vo^(ls nf the Uuth I'sahn: *' His nioutli is full <»f 
 cursing and deceit and fraud,'' and representing 
 the great head of tlio Chureh, after a luxurious sup- 
 per, opcninjx his mouth in drunken frenzy to curse 
 all the world in harharous and incolierent Latin. 
 
 A new assailant apj)ean-d in the same year — no 
 less a j»ers(>na.i:e than King Henry VIII., of 
 En<;lantl, who at this jun< turc had special rrasniis 
 for eultivatin^' the <^ood will of the Pope. Layinj^ 
 aside the di,LMiity heeoniini: his stati(»n, and j»rid- 
 ing himself upon his rather meagre literary attain- 
 ments, this monareh of a great nation, who during 
 the session o( the Diet at Worms had urged the 
 Kmperor to employ the severest measures for the 
 suppression of the heretic, now condescends to a 
 personal attack upon the poor monk in a foreign 
 land. Professing to defend the Roman Catholic 
 doctrines of the Lord's Supper, indulgences and 
 the supremacy of the Pope against the strictures 
 of Luther in his Jiahylonidn Oiptivitt/^ he de- 
 nounces the Reformer in the coarsest and vilest 
 terms. The work was dedicated to the l*ope, and 
 earned for its author the title, " Defendt^ of the 
 Faith," which is still j)roudly wt>rn hy the Pro- 
 testant monarchs nf England, not without some 
 aversion, we mav fancy, ils they recall its rathiT 
 duhious origin. A special Hull was issued fn»m 
 Ronje, assuring to every (»ne wliosht)uld read tliis 
 royal defence nf the truth an indulgence releas- 
 ing him from ti-n years' pain in purgatnry, a favor, 
 we may surndse, not so readily granted when, thir- 
 teen years latrr, this same king severetl i\\o Kng- 
 lish chunli fn»m all allegiance to the papal throne. 
 
THE OI.I) KNKMY. 107 
 
 To cnaMi' all (Icnnans to socuro {hv j.roiiiiscfl iii- 
 (lulgt'iice, the docuinent was, hy tliirction of 
 Lutiu'i's inveterate- enemy, Duke CJeoi}^e of Sax- 
 ony, translateil into their lan^ua-^'c and widely 
 seattereil. It never, however, apj>r«)aehed the eir- 
 euhition of the counter-i)ublieation of Luther, in 
 wliich, after a patient re-statenient and defenee of 
 the views assailed, the supreme importanee of 
 faith was stron;^dy asserted, and full ])lay tlien 
 j^iven to the Reformer's indiLMiation and eontempt, 
 eoverin«^ the royal antagonist with opprohrium. 
 *' These two,"* he declared, "Henry and the 
 Pope, just suit to<^ether — two donkeys hrayin*; to 
 one another." So terri})le was the rehuke thus 
 administered, that Luther's own friends were af- 
 frij^hted, and the iistonished monarch comi>lained 
 hitterly to the German j)rinees of the grievous in- 
 jury he had received at the hands of the sliame- 
 less monk. 
 
 A peculiar means of attack employed by a 
 j)aniphleteer, ())r/ihni.^, in 1523, deserves passing 
 notice, as illustratiuL; a cliaracteristic of the age. 
 The helief in the significance of portents, or any 
 unusual a])pcarance in the natural world, was 
 aluKJst universal. The puhlieation referred to 
 describes a calf, born at Freiburg, having a bald 
 pate, a 'monk's cowl hanging about its neck, a 
 mouth like a man's, and frcijUently gesticulating 
 like a preacher in the i»ulpit. Of course this 
 could only ])orten«l dire disaster to the land, indi- 
 (*ating clearly enough the monk of Wittenberg as 
 the cause of the coming calamities, Luther |tn)ved 
 more than a match for his antagonists, however, 
 even in the interpretation of such profound mys- 
 teries, lie replied that the calf was a symbol of 
 the absurdities of monasticism, foun<l a counter- 
 part of each diiformity in some featun; of the 
 
108 Ll'TlIEU, THE IlEFOKMEK. 
 
 effete system, and puMishcd his cxplanati<»ii with 
 a strikinjx j>ictiirc of the famous heast ainl lA an 
 etjually strange creature found dead in the Tiher 
 a (juarter of a century before — an ass, having 
 some remarkahle resem!)huu'es to the person of 
 the I'oi»e, the latter case being eh^arly described 
 l)y tlie jx'U of Melanchthon. As may be imagine«l, 
 this ilhistratid pul»htation proved very p<>j)ular, 
 and pik^sed through a number of editions. 
 
CIIAITKli V 
 
 FALTEin.NX; ALLIE:?. 
 
 We have scon tlio sympathy of Luther with tlie 
 Iliiinaiiistic movement. Its leaders in (ierniany 
 were anionic his early assoeiates at the University, 
 and with many of them he eontiiUKMl to maintain 
 the friendliest relations. He share<l their love of 
 learninir, and they sympathize<l with him in his 
 free eriticism of the blind do<;matisin of the past. 
 
 I>ut the Humanists, as a rule, weri' strangers 
 to the moral earnestness of Luther. They were 
 Epicureans in temper, if not in profession. They 
 dreade<l strife and were ready to make almost any 
 saerifice of their eonvietions if they might only 
 pursue undisturbed their favorite studies. Not a 
 few of them were, in the course of the conHiet, 
 drawn into full sympathy with the religious 
 moveuK'nt and became very valuable promoters 
 of the Reformation. P)Ut the majority gradually 
 withdrew their su})port from Luther, and either 
 amused themselves by satirizing the contestants 
 upon either side, or avoided the cpiestions of dis- 
 pute entirely. Luther spoke scornfully of the 
 pusillanimous spirit of these enlight<'ned men, but 
 did not seriously grieve over their departure, as he 
 had never fully trusted them. His deeply reverent 
 nature had always been re])elled by the trilling 
 way in which they dealt witli sacred themes. 
 
 More serious was the widening breach between 
 
 himself and Erasmus, the acknowledged leader 
 
 of the Humanists. The latter was a man of 
 
 really extensive and accurate learning, a diligent 
 
 (lO'.l) 
 
11<) I I rHKI{, TIIK REFORMEH. 
 
 stiulcnt. and tl»e master of an elegant Latin diction. 
 He liad rmderiHl lurinanent scrvite hy his investi- 
 gatinns of ancient vt'rsit»ns of tlie Scriptun s and l>y 
 the puhliiation of a(Jrcck New Tistanunt. \\v had 
 travclc<l wi(h ly, rcsidini; and teaching in London, 
 Oxford, ('ainl)ridgc, in France, Italy and llolhnul. 
 He, and tlie great llehrew scholar, Kcuclilin, 
 were called the " Kyes of (Jermany." By his 
 keenly satirical writings against prevailing ahuses, 
 whicli were most widely circulated, he had j)re- 
 pared the minds of many among the educated 
 classes foranopen ru]»ture\\ iththechurchof Koine. 
 Luther entertained a liigh regard for the attain- 
 ments of Erasmus, ami tlie latter at lirst welcomed 
 the \H)h\ utterances of tlie monk as tending to 
 hreak tile sliackles of n)e<na'val dogmatism. An 
 occasional correspondence sprung up hetween 
 the two men, initiated hy Luther, who was very 
 anxious to secure as far as possihle the scholarship 
 and iniluence of the celehrated scholar f<»r the 
 cause of the CIospcl. As early as 1517, however, 
 he ex])resse<l to his friends distrust of the moral 
 sincerity of Erasmus, and he soon hecame con- 
 vinced that no active support was to he expected 
 from tlie sage of Kottenlam. In 1024, he ad- 
 dressed to him an exceedingly can<lid U'tter as a 
 last appeal, hegging him to confmc himself to 
 the sfilu re for wliicli his talents so j)eculiarly fitted 
 him, and not to yield his pen to the service of the 
 enenjy. Hut this plea came too late, if indeed 
 it< imperious tone did not, l.y wounding the pride 
 of Erasmus, give additional eni'rgy to the assault 
 which he was even then engaged in ])rej>aring. 
 He had heen urged hy many to avenge the in- 
 juH'd honor of Enghunl's king hy entering the 
 lists against Luther. This now appeared a per- 
 fectly safe and politic thing t«»do, as Erasnnis had 
 
FAI.TEHINC, AM.IE.^. Ill 
 
 finally concliulod to rast in his lot with the j)a]ial 
 l>arty, ami fonld of connsc ]»roinott' his jicrsonal 
 interests hy aidinir thcin in tlu-ir cU'siuTati' conflict 
 with tlu' invinciitic monk. 
 
 TIm' point of attack was most skilfully clioscn. 
 Krasmiisdid not dare to ('X])ost' himself to ridicule 
 hy rushinj^ to the tlcfcnce of the papal ahsurdities 
 over which he had himself so often made merry, 
 lie must select st^me thenu^ which would call for 
 -cholarly treatment ami which had not heen 
 already discussed hy men less celehrati'd than 
 himself. Luther had very hroadly denied the 
 ahility of man hy his own strcnirth to choose or to 
 do that which is ri^ht. Erasmus, the self-reliant 
 r(>j>resentative and exponent of the culture which 
 man may attain hy a proper discii)line of his na- 
 tural powei^s, would take up the cause of human 
 ahility. In Septemher. ir)'24, a])peared his book 
 entitled: Of the Free Will. Luther at once re- 
 coLHiized that he had here an antaironist more 
 worthy of his steel than any who had yet assailed 
 liim. He declared openly that Erasmus was the 
 lirst of all his enemies to touch the real hcjirt of 
 the controversy. All others had disj»uted ahout 
 outward trilles, hut here the very citadel of his 
 teachinj:^ was assailed, and he rejoiced in the op- 
 portunity to write upon themes of real importance. 
 Nevertheless, the arguments of Erasmus, though 
 l)eautifully exi)ressed, appeared to him sur])ris- 
 ingly weak, and he did not lu^sitate to op])ose to 
 them a thorough statcmmt of his own vi(■^v< in 
 the treatise entitle.l: Of the Enslaved Will. 
 This document contains the most uncjualilied as- 
 sertions of man's utter heli)lessncss and of the ab- 
 solute sovereignty of (Jod. The most extreme 
 views of Augustine touching the eternal divine* 
 decrees are cordially endorsed, and tlu' autlun* is 
 
IIJ LVTHKK, THE HEFOKMEK. 
 
 at no pains to reconcile tlie fretiiient tifclaration, 
 that "all things come to i)a.ss of necessity," with 
 that conviction of five aj^uncy upon which nsts 
 the universal sense of |u'rsonal responsihility. 
 
 In estiniatinj? the positions here assumed l»y 
 Luther, it is imj»ortant to remember that they are 
 not the (le<lucti(»ns «>f abstract reasoning', hut were 
 maintained so zealously as seemingly essential 
 to the integrity of the fundanu'iital doctrine (»f tht- 
 Gospel, 1. <•., salvation hy pure ^race, without any 
 admixture of human worthiness. This doctrine, 
 he felt, must he defendeil at all hazards, however 
 trying to the human reason may he the inferences 
 n'^juired. It is very noticeable that in the later 
 utterances (»f the Reformer the extreme statementi^ 
 here defended in tin; heat of controversy d<t not 
 ri'<*ur, although they were never formally recalled. 
 Their assertion at this time, as in llie eiiually 
 strict statements found in the theological works of 
 Mclanchtlion, did much to eni]>hasize the line of 
 demarcati<»n between the shallow work-righteous- 
 ness of the Romish church, and the liumble yet 
 conlident dependence upon the free mercy of CJod 
 which distinguished the genuine Reformers, and 
 wliich has pervaded all Lutheran thciiloL'v. The 
 docunn-nt is not lacking in the personal invec- 
 tive which entei*s so largely into all the contro- 
 versial writings of the ju'iiod, and which Luther 
 felt to be the more needful the ujorc exalted the 
 reputation of those who dared to arisi' as the 
 champions of error. To have spoken lightly now 
 would have seemed to indicate fear of his illus- 
 trious antagonist or indiiTerence to the labored 
 attempt of the latter to lay a logical foundation 
 for the religion of human merit. From this time 
 onward, Krasnuis is to be numbere«l among the 
 open foen of th*' Ref<)rmation, though always 
 
FALTKKI.V; A LI. IRS. 113 
 
 couiis« lini: iiKKU'ration in tlio oiitwanl measures 
 adopted for its suj»})r('ssi()n. 
 
 Lutlur was more di^jtly pained l»y tlio defec- 
 tion of Ids old friend, Staupitz, thron^di wliose 
 wise counsels lie had l>een so ^'really aided in the 
 days of his spiritual distress in tiie monastery. 
 Tlie latter, after following the f(trtunes of the Re- 
 former for some yeai*s, thoujrh with faltering ste]), 
 heeame alarmed by the increasing rancor of the 
 strife and longing to end his days amid the 
 l»eaeeful activities of an established ecclesiastical 
 order, had returned to tlie service of the })apal 
 church, beconnng al)bot of a cloister at Salzl»urg, 
 and vicar to the cardinal-archhishoj). Lutlu'r con- 
 tinued to maintain correspondence with this gen- 
 ial hut faint-hearted man until the latter, disap- 
 ]iointed and self-rei>roachful, was released from 
 his trying jiosition by death in December, 1524. 
 Luther's sad comment was: "God has slain him," 
 yet he always spoke of him with tenderest reganl. 
 
 Luther was well aware tliat Staupitz wjis the 
 representative of a large number of i)ersons who, 
 fully e(»nvinced of the righteousness of his cause 
 and kindly inclined toward himself, were yet 
 shrinking back into the camp of the enemy, 
 frightened by the extent of the general ui)heaval 
 of society and alienated, in i)art. by the seeming 
 arrogance of his own bearing and the rude vigor 
 of his speech. Yet he refused to moderate in the 
 least the bluntness of his language, convinced that 
 no smoother ]»hraseology would suHiee to arrest 
 the insolence of the unscru])ul«)Us defenders of the 
 apostate church nor to arouse timid believers to 
 open and uncomj»romising resistance. Others 
 might flinch before the foe; he must l)Ut stand the 
 morelirmly, and, though he stand alone, hurl de- 
 liance into the face of every champion of error. 
 
fllAITKIt VI 
 
 RAGINC; PEASANTS. 
 
 Vigorous ns were the protests of Lutlicr a^raiiist 
 prcvailin«x errors, In' always consistently main- 
 tainc*! that no sword hut that of the Spirit n)ust 
 he used in difenee t)f thr truth. Ahuses and in- 
 juri«'s must hv endured in Christian meekness 
 until tliey can he nin<'<lit(l hy lawful means. 
 Obedience to the powers that be, he ur»red as 
 a primary duty of every Christian eitizen. When, 
 in his Aflilrejis to the XuhlUtj/^ he so fervently ajn 
 peals to his countrymen to throw of! the yoke of 
 foreiirn oppn^ssors, lie always has distinctly in 
 view an onlerly resistiince conducteil hy the law- 
 ful lea«lers of the nation. ]UU nut all the a«ritatnrs 
 of the day were thus conscientious, and the j)a- 
 tient peasantry of (lermany had already a hundred 
 years l)efore given evidence that their wrath, whm 
 fully aroused, could hrook no resistance. The 
 grievances were manifold, and mainly of a politi- 
 cal nature. The ancient feudal system, still in 
 part maintained, involved the ahject sul»je<'tion of 
 the common man to his lie<re-l(»rd and the su{»|»nrt 
 • tf a laru'e hody of prtly nohility. Thr imperial 
 taxes were unscrupulously levied. The Church 
 was never done with its exactions, an<l njain- 
 taincd its sway over the supei-stitious masses hy 
 ••alhnp to its const^mt aid the shadowy forms of 
 departed saints, and painting in lurid colors the 
 pangs of purgatory and perdition. 
 
 When I.utlu'r now snatched the keys of heaven 
 un«l hell from the hands of sordid ecclesiastics and 
 (114) 
 
KAGINC. rtJASANTS. 115 
 
 proclaiiiHMl tlint a Christian man is l>y viriiu' of 
 liis faith a fret' lord over all tliin;^'s, niultitinlcs 
 wlio IkkI no spiritual aspirations cauglit U]) the 
 cry of lilitrty, ami, ij^norini; tlio carrful t-ountcT- 
 -tatt'iucnt, that tlu' same Christian man isl)y virtue 
 nf his lovt' a ministering servant of all, demanded 
 in the name of the Reft)nner the demolition of 
 the whole social fahrie. Carlstadt, vanquished 
 at Wittenberg, found admittance t(> a ])ul])it in the 
 neijrhhoring town of Orlamund, and hepui anew 
 the i>roclamatit)n of his revolutionary i)rinciph's. 
 Kxjx'hed from Saxon territory, he traveled 
 throuixh Southern (i(Tmany, gaining followers 
 in many of the larger cities, lie assailed the 
 Church and her outward ordinances, holding that 
 true religion consists in a withdrawal of the soul 
 within itself, a losing of one's self in dreamy list- 
 lessness, thus appealing to the deep mystical ten- 
 dency which is so marked a trait of the German 
 national character. Yet with all this lauded and 
 unworldly (piietude he comhined a spirit of reck- 
 less violence, maintaining that the existing laws 
 must he ignored and the ancii iit M<'-;iic law he 
 rigidly enforced. Meanwhile Thomas Munzer, 
 having heen expelled from Zwickau early in 1521, 
 lia<l heen diligently spreading liis fanatical ideas 
 and gaining a large following. In lo'J.S, ho set- 
 tled at Alstedt in Thuringia and, still later, in 
 the imi)erial city of Miihlhausen. lie and his 
 .issociates claimed to be "overshadowed" by the 
 Holy Spirit, to receive frequent direct revelations 
 from (lod in dreams, and, in obedienc(» to these, 
 they procee<led to l)infl the "elect" everywhere 
 in solemn league, not only for tlu* overthrow of all 
 existing authority, but for the actual extermina- 
 tion of alhthe ungodly, /. r., all who should i^ot 
 swear allegiance to their new sjiiritual kingdom. 
 
1 Iti UTIIER, THE KEFORMER. 
 
 riio oaFO with which such hlindly fanatical notions 
 were propagated is one of the nio^t impressive 
 evidences of tlie dense ignorance and superstition 
 of the masses. A faithless Church had lu'en for 
 centuries sowinf^ to tlie wind, and must now reap 
 tlie wliirlwind. 
 
 None so clearly saw tlie terril)le nature of the 
 
 ;itherin<r storm as Luther, lioldly he traversed 
 the disaffected regions, urging; tlieiluty of suh- 
 iiiissinii tn lawliil authority. At Orlamund the 
 
 < xcited multitude greeted liim with jeers and 
 
 < urses. Carlstadt and Aliinzer, as chamj)ions of 
 the i>eople, assailed him in more hitter terms tlian 
 had ever ))een employed hy his j»apal antagonists, 
 
 ikI their malignant tracts were eagiTly read hy 
 tlie excited multitude. Luther met theui with all 
 his accustomed vigor in liis h-ngthy treatise: 
 ' Against the Heavenly Prophets." 
 
 l^arly in l'>2.'), {]\r jMasants gatlierrd in aiiiiiy 
 mohs in Swahia and Franconia and oth«r regi«»ns 
 where Miinzer had i)repared the way. The hurgh- 
 
 is of the large cities, opj)ressed hy tlie grasping 
 merchants, and jealous of the ])Ower of the ])rinces, 
 made ccniimon cause with tliem. Their dcmantls 
 v. ere formulate<l in T^velve Articles, which he- 
 
 ime the standard around wliidi all the discon- 
 '••nted elements in the land were soon rallying. 
 These articles jiromincntly demanded unrestricte(l 
 lil>erty in the preacliing of tlie (Jospel, and the 
 right of every congregation to ele<-t its own pastor. 
 Only undercover of thi'se Christian j)ropopitions, 
 learned from Liithcr, aj)pear the sociahstic and 
 n-volutionary prin(ij>les which were the real mo- 
 tives of tlu! \iprising. Mingled with the fanatical 
 ideas were found, however, various suggestions of 
 economic ref(»rm which met the approval of Luther, 
 and which a later age Ikls ( inhodied in the statu- 
 
KAdlNC. PEASANTS. 117 
 
 f(»rv lawp of (ItriiiMiiy. Luther at once jjrcparod 
 a response to tliis piil»lic (locuiiicnt, cxprcssinj^ 
 liis jud^'iULnt wiilioiit fear or favor. lie pro- 
 nounees the disorderly asseinhhijres of the j)easants 
 Hi* acts of open and mifjodly insurrection, hut hiys 
 the chief hlanie U]»on the niercih'ss exactions of 
 tlie ruK'rs, whom lie faithfully warns aL'ainst con- 
 linuin;^ thus to invite the terrihlc visitations of 
 divine wrath. Then, turning to th(^ i)easants, he 
 plrads with tlK'Ui to pursue <»nly orderly methods 
 for the redress of their L^ievances. 
 
 Ikit all pleading was in vain. The multi- 
 tudes continued to flock together throughout 
 southern and central Germany, hurning and ])il- 
 laging on every hand. Miinzer's visions hecame 
 raj)turous. It was revealed to him that victory was 
 just at hand and that the whole order of the world 
 was to he changed. The j)rinces hesitated. Should 
 they venture to me«'t violence with force? Vs'vrc 
 they ahle to (juell this almost universal uprising? 
 Then was heard a commanding voice ahove the 
 din. Although the ])easants sang and prayed and 
 professed to he contending for the defence of the 
 Gospel, they had hecome rohhers and murderers, 
 and must he suhdued at all hazards. Luther 
 called ui)on the princes, regardless of their relig- 
 ious diiVerences, on the hasis of the secular calling 
 which had hcen hestowed upon them, to draw the 
 sword and smite the rehels to right and left with- 
 out mercy. To preserve the j)eace and quell dis- 
 order he pronounced the first duty of the civil 
 ruler. 
 
 At length the princes assumed the ofTensive. 
 Philip of Hesse, after <iuelling the outhreak in his 
 own domini«»ns, joined his forces with those of his 
 father-in-law, l)uk(; (Jeorgc; of Saxony, Duke 
 Henry of Brunswick and the Count of Mansfihl, 
 
]\^ LUTHER, THE KEKOHMER. 
 
 ami tho iinitrd army was soon faco to face witli a 
 band of .S(KM) pt-asants intniuli»<l laliind a lino 
 of farm wagons at Frankenhausen. KlToits at 
 conciliation were maile with i)rosj)ects of succi'ss 
 by the njjn'scntiitivo of tlu' nuw ckctor, John of 
 Saxony, and by Luther's personal friind, tho 
 Count of Mansfold, when the arrival of Miinzor 
 from Miihlhausen awakened anew the frenzy of 
 the multitude. On May loth, the assault was 
 made; the insur^^nts met it only with the sinjrin^ 
 of a hynni to the Holy (Ihost, then lied in ]»anie, 
 Miuizer himself heiii<i taken ea|»tive. The Kleetor 
 John, haviuL,' (|uiete«l the disorder in his own do- 
 main without bloodshed, now arrived from the 
 south. On May 2oth, Muhlhausen surren- 
 dered, an<l Miinzer, after abjeet confession of his 
 errors, was, with other rinirkaders, execute<l upon 
 the field. From cam]> to camp marcluHl tho vic- 
 torious tn»ops. Similar scenes were enacted in 
 other portions of the land, and in a few wi-eks the 
 insurrection was at an end. Fearfid was the ven- 
 j^eance of the princes, njultitu<les of helpless pris- 
 oners beinjr ruthlessly slain, apunst the earnest 
 protest of Luther. It was estimated that the 
 movement cost the lives of at least 1(K),000 of the 
 infatuat4'd peas:ints, while many of the fairest 
 portions of (lerniany had deen devastated. 
 
 Tlie results of the, insurrection were far- 
 rea<liin«r for the cause of the Kcformation and in 
 their inlluence upon the personal career (»f Luther. 
 The fear of an uprisin«rof the connnon peoi)le had 
 for years re.<train(Hl the Roman Catholic ]>relates 
 and ])rinces from violent measures; but now, 
 flushed with victory and charLMnir the disturb- 
 ance itself to the teaching (»f Luther, they were 
 eapT to crush out the last vesti^<' of the l*'van- 
 j:<'lical party. The I'ope sent his ctingratulations 
 
RAC;iN(; PEASANTS. 119 
 
 to Philip of Ilesso uj^on tlic \w\)\o stand which he 
 had taken a^'ainst the 'Mni<;odly Lutherans." 
 On July WHh, LVio, a leaj^'ue was formed at 
 Dessau hetwcin thr j)rinces, Cieor<:e of Saxony. 
 Joaehini of lirainlenhurL'. Alhert of Mayrnce, and 
 the nukfs of Hrunswick for mutual dcfiiier and 
 for the extermination of the "accursed Lutlx ran 
 sect." 
 
 Meanwhile, the personal influence of Luther 
 had Imcu neutrali/A'd in many tjuartcrs. Not a 
 few of his warmest adherents were alienated hy 
 his advocacy of the use of the sword, failing; t(» 
 comprehend his doctrine of the divine riL'ht of 
 civil rulers. He was charjred with (lesertin«r tlu' 
 cause of the j)()or and the oj>])resscd in the hour 
 of tlieir sorest need in order to gain the favor of 
 the rulin<>: classes. Those who had heen won hy 
 his fearless denunciations of ojipression, hut who 
 did not sympathize with his religious views, 
 now lost all interest in the cause of the Kefor- 
 niation. 
 
 From t]ii< time onward, Luther ceased to be 
 the popular hero of the (Jerman nation. l'>ven 
 his life was fretpiently threatened hy those who 
 liad once itlolized his name. He had stirred up 
 in turn j)riests, princes and peasants to hitterest 
 enmity, and all the good that he had accom- 
 plished seemed to he forgotten. Doctrinal dis- 
 putes ha<l meanwhile hopelessly divided the 
 Kvangelical party, and the socialistic agitation 
 liad left W'ittenherg almost deserti'd. The l'>lector 
 Frederick, faithful friend and ])rotector, died on 
 ^hly 5th, and was huried in the castle-church 
 amid the lamentations of the njultitude, the 
 funeral services being conducted l»y Luther and 
 Melanchthon. 
 
 Again the Uefoiiner seemed to .-tand alone. 
 
120 Ll'TlIKH, THE REFOKMEK. 
 
 Ho had faced the fury of fanaticism as fearlessly 
 as he liad once br.ived the thmuiers i)f the iiapaev 
 — had smitten wroni: on every hand until tlie 
 wln)lr AVitrld scrnicd arrayed apiinst him. It 
 \va> the darkest hour in tl" lii-t..i\- ..f Luth«r. 
 
CIIAITKR VTTT. 
 
 llnLV HONDS. 
 
 Nkveii was the dauntless spirit of the Re- 
 former more clftirly nKUiit\'stt»l than in these 
 days of univei*sal gloom. \\'ith (hinders tliicken- 
 ing on every side, he wrote to a friend on May 
 4th: "To spite the devil, I mean to take my 
 Katie to wife before I die. They sliall, at ail 
 events, not roh me of my courage and good 
 cheer." Kvtm this most ])t'rsonal step could not 
 In; taken without direct reference to the reforma- 
 tory work to whose advancement all else in 
 Luther's life was held sul)ordinate. 
 
 He had for several years distinctly maintained 
 liberty of marriage for the priesthood. lie ha»l 
 encouraged many of his friends to avail them- 
 selves of this lii)erty, hut at the same time 
 wondered at their temerity in assuming tlie re- 
 sponsibility of the married state in such troublous 
 times. Ills conception ot the cares and bur<lens 
 incident to wedd<'d lif(» was such as almost to 
 overshadow its advantages. When extremists at 
 Wittenberg pronounced marriage a duty, he ex- 
 claimed in indignation: " They shall never force 
 a woman upon me." To the kind incpiirv of a 
 friend in November, ]')24, he replied that, tiiough 
 he was neither wood nor stone, and his heart was 
 in the hand of the T.ord, yet he had no thought 
 of marrying and should not do so unless his feel- 
 ing in the matter should be entirely ihanged. 
 
 \U\t wlnii friend after friend assumed the sacred 
 bonds, anil he wa,s pernntted as a guest to share 
 (11>1) 
 
122 LrTiiEii, tin: hkfohmer. 
 
 tin* warmth and l>rijrhtncss of tlioir hap]\v homos, 
 insiuh strikinjr contract \\\\h his own <:lcMnny (juar- 
 ters; wht'n ciuinij's tauntL'<l him ]>uhH(ly with 
 cowardice in shrinking' from a course to which he 
 hail ur^'cd so many others; and when he learned 
 throuj^di the medium of trusted^riends that Cath- 
 arine von Bora, one of the escaped nuns of the 
 Nimj»tzseh convent, for whom lie had made fruit- 
 less etT«»rts to seeuri^ a hushand, would ]»n)l)altly 
 he wiihn.i: to share the trials of his own l»>nrly lot 
 — his resolution wavered. Mysterious hints 
 and ])layful l)anter !•< ;^an to eriej* into his j>rivate 
 correspondence, and, with characteristic hardi- 
 hot)d, just when his ifrieiuls were all tremhlin*: in 
 terror and his foes most juhilant, he startled the 
 world with the sudden news: "The monk of 
 W'ittenherf]^ has married a nun!" 
 
 The simple marriage rites were ]Mrf<>rm<'d in 
 the monastery in tlic ]»r(sence of lUi.^enha«:en, 
 the pastor of the parish church, Justus Jonas, the 
 provost of the Inivcrsity, a lawyer named Ape), 
 and the painter, Lucas Cranaeh, with his wife, on 
 th<' eveiiinj,' of June VM\\. The marriage fes- 
 tivities to which a lar<rer nund)er of frien<ls. in- 
 chnhn*: the parents of Luther, were invited, w«re 
 held two weeks later. Venison for this occasion 
 was furnished hy tlie Elector; the town council 
 sent a keir of ICimiuck hcer and twenty gukli'iis; 
 the Lniversity ]»resented a silver cup plated with 
 gold, ami the LHiots liroUL'ht apprnpriati' wcdilin^i- 
 gifts. 
 
 Tlic public announcement of the event f«.r 
 the time heing overshadowed all other topics of 
 conversati(»n. Knemies, including Krasmus, at- 
 trihuted Luther's whole course of opi>osition to 
 the Romish church to his passionate frettin:' 
 under the restraints of celihacy and his admim- 
 
ifoI.Y I'.oNDS. l2'-> 
 
 lion for tlic "licaiitiful nun" (a dcsij^nation 
 wliirli her l)L'st friiiuls i-ould scarcely have claimed 
 for Catharine), while his Iririids almost without 
 exception lamented the step as lowerinj^ the di^^- 
 nity of the j^reat leader. Those least disj)osed to 
 criticize were heard to say: "If it oidy had not 
 lia])pened just now, or if he had chosen some 
 other than a nun!" Melanchthon thou«iht liis 
 friend heartless to indulge in we(Min«i: festivities 
 when the whole land was in m()urnin_L^ V>ui 
 Luther was undisturhed. He had the a])proval 
 of his conseienee, his father and his (iod, and had 
 been enabhil to strike another sturdy hlow at the 
 foundations of the perverted system of the paj)acy. 
 Th«' married life of Luther i>roved a hap]»y 
 one. lie entertained a cordial resj)ect for his self- 
 reliant and capable com])anion, whom he play- 
 fully called his "Lord Katie," and to whom he 
 committed the unreserved charge of the domestic 
 economy. Nor was it a slijrht undertaking for 
 this maiden of six and twenty years to enter into 
 life-])artnership with so famous a man, her senior 
 by sixteen years, accustomed from early youth to 
 masculine society alone, and confirmed in his 
 liabits of life by the loufi: discipline of a monas- 
 tery. But Catharine possessed a dauntless spirit. 
 Her capacity for the discharjie of household 
 duties had )»een displayed in the home of the city 
 ejerk, Keiehenbach. Her attractive ])ersonality 
 had secured her marked favors at the hand of 
 Christian, the exiled kintj of Denmark, and she 
 had always been perfectly at ease in the ])resence 
 "f the leanK'd men who ^^athered at Wittenberjr. 
 She had discovered, too, what a warm heart beat 
 beneath the stern exterior of the Reformer, and 
 ^he had never, like lier associates, felt overawed 
 in his presence. He, upon his part, rei)elled at 
 
IJI IIIIIKK, TIIK HKKOUMEH. 
 
 first hy her dignity, wliidi ho attrihultMl to prido, 
 seems to have Ikvii won at lenjrtli by her (hnision 
 and eandor. If slie (Hd not enter very heartily 
 into the tlieoloj^ical disenssions of the (hiy, she 
 yet knew tliat Luther was always right, and slie 
 entertaine<l a hearty aversion to the tyranny of 
 that ehureh whieh had imprisoned her for ten 
 years within the dingy walls of a eonvent. Her 
 liighest amhition now w:i.s to ]>r(>ve hcrsilf a nal 
 helpmeet to her overhunh'ned husband. 
 
 It was no luxuriously-furnished home to 
 which the bride w:is h-d. F<>r snim- months 
 Lnth(M-\s only assoeiat<'S had been his eloister- 
 brother, Jacob Praepositus, and a little dog. For 
 more than a year no one had made the Reformers 
 l)ed. There were still dust-covered dishes in the 
 closet^!, and Iumv and there some pieces of modest 
 furniture which the departing monks had hem 
 unable to carry with them. Onler and comfort 
 now (piickly si)rung into being at the magic touch 
 of a woman's hand, and a tone of rencwc«l hope- 
 fulness soon l)ccame noticeable in the Reformer's 
 bearing, alternating, however, with j)eriods of de- 
 pression and anticipations of approaching death, 
 lie himself found it dillicult to realize that he was 
 actually a married man, a fact of which Katie was 
 not slow to remind him from time to time, lli^ 
 work went on without interruption. 
 
CIIAPTKrv IX 
 
 KE-OROANIZATION OF TIIK rinUCIL 
 
 LrTllEu's j»lan of iciticnt tolcratiun in iii;itt<'rs 
 of extornal form luul now Ix'cn pursiud for sev- 
 eral years. I'lulcr the faithful i)r('ac-lunjT of the 
 (lospel and the l)ol<l denuiieiation of ]>apal ahiises, 
 the great hotly of the j^eople at \\'itten)>er«,^ ami in 
 many other centres of inlluenee had gradually 
 lost interest in the old forms and learned to tlnnk 
 of the Church as independent of the Roman hier- 
 arehy. Released from their ancient hondage, they 
 were scattered as sheep without a shepherd. 
 
 It was evident that the time had come lor a 
 re-organization upon the hasis of evangelieal 
 piineiples. Arrangement must he made for the 
 supply of capahle ministers and for their ade- 
 (|Uate support. There must also he some hond of 
 union hetween the scattered congregations, and 
 some means of awakening renewed interest in 
 localities where the poj>ulac(» had long heen in- 
 (hlTerent to all religious life. 
 
 Tlie task was a stupendous one. Lutlier 
 shruid< from it, not only hccause he himself had 
 little talent for organization, hut heea use he feared 
 that the new life of the Church might he again 
 stitle*! under a system of outward laws and regu- 
 lations. He dei^ired to allow in external things 
 the largest liherty consistent with order and 
 (Hicient oversight. In his own home, Saxony, 
 any movement in this direction was hindered hy 
 the extremely conservative spirit of the aged 
 iHeetor, who pleaded that no unnecessary imio- 
 (125) 
 
126 LrTIIEK, TIIK KEFOUMElt. 
 
 vations sIkhiUI l)c iiiade in worsliij) or the govern- 
 ment of llic conprejrationF until the voiee of the 
 Chureli at large eould he heard through a peneral 
 couneil. While in the parish chureh at Witten- 
 })erg. under the ininicdiatf dinetinn of Luther, 
 the services were gradually divested of nil oh- 
 jeetionahle features, the castle chureh continued 
 to ohserve all the ancient cireinonies. Nearly a 
 thousand masses for souls were annually cele- 
 hrated, and o'>,(KX) pounds of wax were hurned 
 each year in honor of departed saints. Luther 
 could, at length, no longer endure this inconsist- 
 ency, and, regardless of the displeasure of the 
 Klcx*tor, he denounced from the ])ulpit the idolatry 
 thus enci»uraged in his prince's church. After 
 an entire year of ceaseless and determined agita- 
 tion, the authorities of the church yielded t<» the 
 force of jtuldic ojtinion, and at Christmas, 1024, 
 the masses were abandoned. With this con- 
 cession Luther was satisfied for the time being, 
 although in all other j)oints the ancient Romish 
 customs were continued. 
 
 Upon the death of the heloved Elector, Fred- 
 erick the Wise, the accession of his more ])osi- 
 tive and aggressive I'rotlnr. John the Sttndfast, 
 opened the way for more efficient measures of 
 nform, and, despite the t<rrors of the Peasant 
 War, then just inaugurated, and the important 
 changes in Luther's ]»rivate life, the latter was 
 not slow to improve the j)r()vidential oj)jK)rtunitv. 
 Already on the 2(nh of May he s^nt to the 
 camp of the new Elector hifore Miihlhausen, a 
 jilan for the re-organization of the I'niversity, 
 which at once received cordial cndoi-senicnt. The 
 popish ceremonies at the castle church were now 
 at once ahandon<'d, and spe<ial instructions issued 
 to pastor- tlir..n"lM.nt S;iv..nv t.. i.i. i.-l. ..nU" the 
 
KE-OKtJAMZATloN (»F TIIK ClirUClI. \ 2~ 
 
 )>uiv (l«>sj)(l aiul to ;i(liniiiistt'r tlic siUTainciits in 
 tlu' fnrni in wliii-h Chrisl hud institutfcl tluni. 
 
 On October 'JOth, :i new order of worship, 
 prepaivil hy Luther an<l approved hy the l-'lector, 
 was introdueed into the })arish ehureli at W'itten- 
 l)eri;. It was adaj)ted particularly to the exislin«^ 
 cir«-uinstanct»S()f the eon^n-e^Mtion, and I^uther did 
 not re;<ard it as a final, tixed form, nor did he de- 
 sire that "any i)etter orders" in use elsewln're 
 sln>uld 1)0 disjilaced by it. The use of vestments, 
 candles, etc., was to be continued " as long as they 
 last, or until we choose to alter them." He re- 
 connnended that, for the sake of j^ood order, only 
 • •neformof servict^ should be em]>loyed in each 
 t ity or |)rineii)ality. His own formula was widely 
 distrii)Uted and adopted, with «;reator or less vari- 
 ation, in many other ])laces. It was, however, in 
 direct contravention of his own desire, when, in 
 the Lenten season of 1520, an electoral mandate 
 required the introduction of the latter throughout 
 tlie realm. In Southern (lermany, the necessities 
 <»f the case had already led to tlie adoption of var- 
 ious forms of worship, which were commonly 
 simpler an<l prepared with less regard to tradi- 
 tional customs. However diversified these new 
 orders, tboy were all distinctly evangelical in char- 
 aett r, and tlieir employment in<licated a final sep- 
 aration from the Komish church. 
 
 P>ut Luther felt that far more essential mat- 
 ters than these demandetl attention. Most im- 
 portant of all was the proper instruction of the 
 jK'ople, and especially th(i training of the young. 
 To this end, he had already furnished valuable 
 <-ontributions in various publications which after- 
 wards formed tlie l)asis of his catechisms. It was 
 now felt tliat there should be some system ot reg- 
 ular i)v<r<ldit, Tin- bi-li(.i.^ bad lull" iH-Lrlectod 
 
128 UTiiKH, TiiK i{KF(H{Mi:n. 
 
 tlioir dutio?, and tlic masses of tin* jxojilo wvra 
 sunken in almost incndil*!^ ignorance. LutliiT 
 ]\in\ liimsi'lf, in 1524, visitoil a ninnlxT of commu- 
 nitit's and learned from his own o!)8ervation how 
 8ore was the need of spiritual traininjr. He now 
 enlled upon the Elector and )»rinees of the realm to 
 act as " emerjxeney hishops" in estahlishinj? j)as- 
 toral districts, ap])ointini: ministers, and or^^aniz- 
 \n*l schools, basin«r their ri^rht to act in such mat- 
 tirs. not upon their secular ollices. hut uj)on their 
 posititui as the most iiillucntial nmonir the p'Ueral 
 congrej^ation of helievers. When the jjrinces re- 
 fused to undertake such work, he urged congropja- 
 tions to pclect from their own numher competent 
 men and solenmlv set these a|»art as pastoi*s to 
 administer the Word and sacraments. In some 
 cases, the councils of cities in which evangelical 
 views were in the ascendancy assumed the author- 
 ity of calling ministers. Luther ajjproved of all 
 these methods, well content when in any onlerly 
 way the (Jospel was permitted to have free course 
 among the people. He as little thought of de- 
 nian<ling uniformity in church organization as in 
 liturgical formulas. 
 
 In Saxony, tlu' cordial sympathy of the court 
 opened to the Reformers a witlc Held of usefulness. 
 Committees of visitation were a|)point»'d, tinhrae- 
 ing theologians and laymen, Luther and .Mclanch- 
 thon themselves accepting tin ir share nf tlu' active 
 w<»rk. The formal visitation, hegiiming in 
 1527, revealed a state of spiritual destitution far 
 heyond all anticipations. Ignorant tradesmen 
 who had for years hei'U acting as ivomish priests, 
 falling in with tin- popular current, had ])rof«'ss«'*l 
 adherence to the ( lospel, hut were imahle to preach 
 — in some eases, couhl not even read. The rude 
 peasantw had in n)any places lost all regard for re- 
 
RE-UKCAMZATIUN OV TlIK ('HrK( II. 1 'JD 
 
 lij^on, :in<l were so utterly altaiulonc*! t«» vice that 
 tlio visitors drspaired of c'lTirtinf]^ their reformation 
 and directed tlieir own etTorts almost entirely to 
 the reselling: of the ehildnii. 
 
 Many practical difficulties were oncounterod. 
 The peasants, freed from the exactions of the 
 hishops, were unwilling to make any free-will of- 
 ferings for the support of an evangelical ministry, 
 an<l the ])ro])erty of the monasteries had been 
 already in great part apj^ropriated hy the secular 
 ]>rinces. The local noliility, many of whom still 
 held allegiance to the liomish church, eiaime<l the 
 right of appointing the ])arish ])riests, or j)astoi*s. 
 Melanchthon, almost in desi>air at the })revail- 
 ing disorder, wius at times ready to compromise 
 with the hishoj»s, allowing the re-instatement 
 of the ancient ceremonies and of the episco- 
 j>al authority, if but the free preacliing of the 
 (lospel shcuild be conceded. The Instructions 
 for Church Visitors, prejtared by him, was made 
 the basis of a moic general and tliorough prosecu- 
 tion of the Work in the following year. The organ- 
 izing talent of Bugenhagen, the ])astor at Witten- 
 berg, rendered invaluable service, as also the 
 coun.sels of the practical Hausman, under whose 
 alile ministry almost the entin; ])opulation of 
 Zwickau had been won to the side of the Reforma- 
 tion. Similar efforts in other portions of (Jermany 
 were influenced more or less directly by the j)rin- 
 eiijhs amiounced in Saxony, and thus the evangel- 
 ical movement LMadually as-uiiicd something like 
 a definite and permanent form, by its inherent 
 power superseding tlu- everywhere discredited 
 jurisdiction of the Homish bisho|>s. When, in 
 1521), the catechisms of Luther appeared, they 
 found a cordial rweption and formed an in- 
 di4>solul)le bond oi spiritual unity between the 
 9 
 
l.'^O H'TIIKR, TIIK HKFORMER. 
 
 8oatt('ro<l congrej?atinnH throughout (irrni.iny. In 
 our own day, the rhunh \'isitalinns (tf Sax«»ny 
 from l.'>24 to 152*), witli all thcaiixiity ami uncon- 
 jrcnial toil which tliey inv<»lv(.Hl u|M»n the i»art of 
 many noble men, are remembered ehielly as liaving 
 given occasion for tlie j>rei)aration of this little vol- 
 ume, whieli has done more than all other writinjrs 
 of the Reformer to j;ive unity of faith to the pri'at 
 and frrowinj: connnunion which yet hears his 
 name. The fact is a most impressive illustration 
 of the j>rinci|ile, that not or^^anization, hut char 
 statement of the truth, is the surest basis uf abid- 
 ing power. 
 
CHAi'Ti:i: \. 
 
 •oi.rriCAL EVENTS. 
 
 Tlow was it jtossible for those bold measures of 
 rcfoiiii to ln' prostvuted in a land povcmcd by 
 a lionian C'atliolic Knipcror and the l^)pe? The 
 <lii('stion rcijuircs us to glance at the course of 
 political events. 
 
 Upon the death of Leo X., in December, 1521, 
 the papal dignity was conferred uj)on Adrian, 
 who, having been the religious instructor of the 
 Knjpcror, might be expected to find in the latter 
 a willing tool in the enforcctncnt of extreme 
 measures against the new heresy. The legate of 
 the new Poi)c, a])pearing at tlic Diet of Nurem- 
 berg in 1522. denianded tlie strict enforcement of 
 the K<lict of \\'orms, denouncing Luther as worse 
 than Mohammed. He urged tlie immediate 
 arrc»st of the beloved pastor, Osiandcr, and the 
 other evangelical jireachers of Nuremberg. The 
 lK)ld denunciation of tliis ])roposition by the en- 
 raged citizens antl their (hterminati(»n to i)rotect 
 tlu'ir ]>astors at all hazards revealed to the 
 assembled ])rinc<'s the temper of the ])eople at 
 large, and the afTrighted legate, laying asi(h' his 
 haughty air, began to pose as a "martyr" in the 
 midst of a j)erseeuting rabble. Although the 
 majority of the Diet were zealous adherents of th(^ 
 estal)hshed order, they "feared the people" and 
 had, moreover, various grievances of tlicir own 
 which they were anxious to have j)ublicly dis-. 
 cussed. They therefore finally agreed that the 
 Lutheran errors couM be exterminated oniv by a 
 
 Ci;u; 
 
132 M'TIIKl:, THK ItFFOHMEFl. 
 
 general council held on German soil, in which 
 eviTV one jjIiouM he enjoined to speak out what 
 he helieved to he ''divine and (Jos[)el truth." 
 This ollieial deelaration, made within eigliteen 
 months after the eondenmation at Worms, was a 
 n(»tal)le testimony to the progress of Luther's 
 cause. 
 
 When tlie Diet re-assembled at Nurem- 
 berg, in 1521, llic evan<^elieal preachers j»f the 
 eity had hecoine ]K)lder, and adininistere<l the 
 conmiunion in l)oth elements U) tliousands of per- 
 sons, conspicuous anionic the throni^ l)ein«x the 
 Queen of Denmark, a sister of the Km|)eror and 
 Ferdinand. The Pope, throui^li his ie<:ate, a«rain 
 dcmandeil the execution of the KtUct of Worms, 
 l»ut was ohliired to he content with the assuram-e 
 that it should he exei'uted "as far as po.<sil>le. " 
 Arran<:ein«>nts were tlien holdly made for a "<^en- 
 eral a.^soml>ly of tlie (ierman nation," to he held 
 at Spires in the autumn of the s;ime year. Thi.s 
 compromise satisfied no one. Luther at onee 
 pul)lishe(l the e<Iict with annotations, denouncing 
 in sc^ithini,' terms thi' inconsistency of first sanc- 
 tioning Ills ccmdemnation and then arranging for 
 an examination of his teachings. The Pope hit- 
 t<'rly complained of the pn'sum|»tion of theder- 
 mans in c:illing a council without his advice, 
 while the Emperor declared the edict void and 
 prohihit<^<l th(^ proposi-d gathering. Thus per- 
 isiiecl the last hope of the peaceful organiz:ition of 
 Germany jus a political power. 
 
 In July, LVil, under the leadership of the 
 [)apal legate, Cainpeggio, a partisan league of 
 Catholic princes was f«»rmetl at Ratisbon, in 
 ^vhich the <'onfederates resolved that n«»t the 
 slightest deviation from the prescrihed order of 
 Worship should he t4)lerated in their domains, and 
 
POLITKAL KVKNTS. 133 
 
 l»le<l<;e(l tlirir unitt'd clYorts for the utter extinction 
 of tlie Lutheran heresy. IJoth Pope and Emperor 
 eiinhally approved this action, wliich must of 
 course compel the ori^anization of the evangrUcal 
 prin<-es in self-defence. 
 
 Philip, the energetic youn«^ Mari^ravi* of Ile.'^so, 
 havim,' l)een won for the cause of the Ueformation 
 lari^ely throu^^h a conversation with Melanchthon 
 it an accidental mcetinj< upon a journey, formed 
 an alliance with the Elector of Saxony at Gotha 
 in Fehruary, lo2o, which was joined hy other 
 princes at Mag:<lel)urg in the following; Juno, and 
 l»eeame the l)asis of a formal league of all the 
 Evangelical Estates, including the laruje cities, 
 conrlu'l""! at Torgau in Feljruary, 1520. 
 
 Thus, by the action of the papal party, the 
 nation had l)een divided into two distinctly 
 liostile camps when the Diet lussemhled at Spires 
 in June, 1526. It was now no longer Luther 
 who was t(3 be subdue<l, hut a valiant hand of 
 princes, supported by the foremoHt cities of the 
 realm, and resolved under no circumstances to 
 surrender their (Jospt'l liberty and how their 
 necks again beneath the yoke of papal bondage. 
 The church (pU'Sti<»n took precedence of all others. 
 It appeared, for a time, as though an undi-rstan*!- 
 ing might l)e reached by which both parties slutuld 
 l>e tolerated until the sunnnoning of the general 
 < ouncil whieh the Pope and Enii)cror had so often 
 agreed to call. Just upon tin? eve of the adoption 
 '•f such an agreement, the presiding oflicer, Ferd- 
 inand, produce*! an imperial httrrof instructions, 
 iM'.iiinLT ,l:itc (.f .March 27th, whieh strictly forbade 
 any action in regard to the I'Mict of W'ornjs or 
 any decision of pending church «piestions. This 
 was rightly interpret«'d :is indi<'ating the purpose 
 '<t" the ICmpeior to enforce the lou-j-'le-piscd edict 
 
134 LUTIIEU, TlIK RKFOKMER. 
 
 without fiirtlnT parley; Imt the princes sliriwdly 
 suspected that the eoiirse (►[ mure recent events 
 mi^dit have already weakened the imperial ri'so- 
 lution. The letter was written, they ohservetl, 
 under the stimulus of the Peace of Madrid, when 
 the Kin«r of France was a prisoner in the hands 
 of the Kmperor, and the latter was upon cordial 
 terms with the Pojm'. Since then, the wheel of 
 politieal fortune had reversed the situation. The 
 released Kin«^ of France and the I'ope were now 
 in leai^ue ai^'ainst the Empi'ror, who mi<;ht 
 urj^ently need the «;ood-will of all his (ierman 
 suhjects. It was therefore formally decreed that, 
 until the calling' of the council, every one should 
 '• so act in matters relating; to the Edict of Worms 
 as to he able to render an account to (Jod and 
 the Km})en>r." As anticipated, the I'jnperor was 
 too larj^ely occupied witli his wider political com- 
 plications to assert his jxjwer in Clermany, and 
 for the next three years the work of instruction 
 and organization })roeeeded unhinderi <1 under the 
 protection of the hr(»ad Edict of Toleration. 
 Meanwhile, the drift of j)uhlic st ntiment was 
 steadily in the (lirection of evan^relical liherty, and 
 the hearts of the Tn fnrniers Wt-re eheere«l hy many 
 notahle advances. Albert of Brandenburg, the 
 (Irand Master of the famous ( Ierman Order, under 
 the a<lvice of Luther, transformed his domini()ns 
 into a stvular duchy, severed all relati(»ns with the 
 ]»apaey, and made provisi»»n for the rej^ular 
 preaching of the pure (iospel, tlius laying: tlw 
 foundation of the powerful I'rotrstant state of 
 Prussia. One hy one, the cities of Lower Ger- 
 many fell into line, and their church life was 
 or;,'ani/,ed in many cases hy personal friends of 
 liUthtr, while the hynms of the latter on the lips 
 of th(* people hnre down hrfore them all oppo,^iti(»n. 
 
niAPTKK XI 
 
 PERSONAL AFKLKTIONS. 
 
 TiiK yoars lo'iO mid 1 ')i^7 cover a pi'ri(»(l of ])e- 
 culiar trial fertile Krfnniicr. lie sullVrcfl from 
 a nuinl)er of physical ailments, some of wliirli 
 were accompanied with excruciating pain, others 
 with fulness and rin<;ing sounds in the head, 
 tightness ui)on the chest and fainting. These at- 
 tacks now hecame more frecjuent and serious, 
 Iteing usually })reeeded hy seasons of great sjtir- 
 itual (le])ressi()n, which he himself regarded as 
 direct assaults of the devil, and in which he de- 
 ( lare<l that lie ex])erienced the very tortures of 
 hell. At such times, he would sunmion his 
 friends to comfort him, and receive ahsolution at 
 the hands of liis ])astor. With the actual out- 
 hreak of the physical symptoms, his inward agony 
 gave j)lace to calm and triumphant faith. 
 
 In July, lo'JT, after a severe attack of his mal- 
 ady, he felt convinced that his end was at hand. 
 To his friends he then expressed himself as ready 
 to obey the Master's summons, although he 
 would gladly remain to help ihem light the Lord's 
 hattles against the Fanatics. He acknowledged 
 that lie had often written harshly, hut insisted 
 that he had done so only to terrify the hlas- 
 ijlK'mei-s. "(iod knows," he declared, *'that T 
 have wished harm to no one." More trying still 
 to his earnest spirit was the weakness which en- 
 sue<l, incapacitating him for rea<ling or writing, 
 and compelling him to lose many ])recions hours. 
 
 At just ahout this time, also, the pestilence 
 (i:5o) 
 
13G LITIIKH, TIIK RKFOinrER. 
 
 l>roki'()ut at Witt('nlMr<;. The University was ro- 
 iiiovtH.1 to Jena, and Luther was iir<:('il to accom- 
 pany his associat«'S. As pastor of the parish 
 chureli, however, ho felt ImuukI to remain, and, 
 despite his own weakness, he was, with Hui^rn- 
 haj^'en, the associate pastor of tlie vilhip\ unre- 
 mitting in Ids attentions to the sick. The wife 
 ' 'f the hur;j:omaster died ahuost in his arms. Two 
 women in Ins own h(>me fell sick with the disease. 
 His wife w;ls helpless, and the care <»f their infant 
 sun, Hans, occasioned the greatest anxiety. The 
 hirth of a dauirhter (Klizaheth), while welcomed 
 with dclii^dit as a ray of sunshine amid th" dark- 
 ness, did not lij^liten the hurden of r«'Sponsil>ility 
 resting upon the isolated household. ''Conllict 
 without and terrors at home, thus tloes Christ try 
 us," he exclaimed, *'hut one comfort remains, 
 with which we can o]>posc the nging Satan — we 
 have the Word for tlie salvation of the souls of 
 tliem that helieve, even though he devours their 
 hodies." Under these circumstances, he rejoiced 
 greatly when Hugenhagen, whose house had be- 
 come infected, moved with his family into the 
 monast<ry. Several children, also, whose parents 
 had fallen victims to the scourge, here found a 
 refuge. 
 
 It appears to have heen amid these trying 
 -eenes that the indt)mital>le faith of Luther in- 
 -i»ind tlie nohlest of his poetic productions, the 
 
 I. at Battle-hymn of the Reformation: "A 
 Mighty Fortress is our (lod." Although ha.seti 
 upon I*salm xlvi, it is hy no means a mere re|)n)- 
 luetion of the inspire(l original, hut rather a 
 
 pontaneoUH outl»urst of the ileeixst feelings of 
 LutluT himself, like him in its rugged simplicity 
 of diction — like him in its lM»ld defiance of all the 
 |M)wers of evil and in its joyous confidence in the 
 final victory of the ** Lon! (lod of H..st**." 
 
(■iiAP'n:K XII. 
 
 Tl I K SACRA M KNT AL CONTUOVEUSY. 
 
 ScAKiKLY liad the Rcformatinn l)(';^'\in to assert 
 its power as a ^reat ])0})iilar movement, wlicii 
 there arose a controversy in the ranks of its ad- 
 herents wliich diverted the attention of many 
 from the ^m-at fundamental (juestions at issue and 
 wrouLdit untold injury to the cause. Strangely 
 enougli, the Holy Supper, instituted by our 
 Lord as a bond (»f union anionu' l)elievers, became 
 the occasion of dissensions uhieli alienated the 
 h'aders of the evangi'lical movement in that day 
 and have ever since divided the great Protestant 
 hnst. This sad fact can be understood only in 
 the light of j)receding history. 
 
 The Koman Catholic Church had taught tlie 
 doctrine of transubstantiation, that is, that in 
 the act of consecration by the priest the bread 
 used in the Lord's Sup]>er is transformed into the 
 verita}>le ihsh of the Saviour's body, and the 
 wine into His blood. The sacred wafer, or 
 "host," was then "elevated" for adoration and 
 oiTered to (Jod anew in sacritice by the ])ricst. 
 This 'sacrifice of the mass" was supposed to 
 lie especially acceptable to (lod, securing from 
 Him remission of sins for those in whose b(>half 
 the sacrilice was made. The celebration of the 
 Lord's Supper thus l)ecamo a "good work," or 
 means of gaining the divine favor. It did not 
 rrijuin^ the ]»articipation, nor ev<n the presence, 
 of tlie ])ersons to be benelited. The agency of the 
 ])rie.-«t alone was n( cessarv. and this eould be se- 
 (137) 
 
138 U'TIIER, ThK IlKFORMER. 
 
 ciin'<l — for tlic liviiiir <»r for the «l(':i<l, f«»r a term 
 t>f ycai-s or "in j>crp('tii<) " — by the donation of 
 money to the cofTers of the Church. In connec- 
 tion with every cathedral or monastery there 
 were shrines at wliicli private masses were said, 
 and the endowment of these was a fruitful source 
 of the Church's revenu<'. 
 
 In this "idolatry of the mass" was concen- 
 tratt'd the whoK' perverted development of the 
 pai»al church. Here was the citadel of the 
 enemy — the stron^diold of the system (tf Siilva- 
 tion hy works. If salvation hy faith was to l»e 
 maintained, the Reformers must i)rescnt some 
 radically difTerent view of tlie Lord's 8uj>]ier. 
 They are not responsihle, therefore, for makinjr 
 the saere<l ordinance a suhjeet of strife. It had 
 hcMii ))ound in a worse than '' Hahylonian ca])tiv- 
 ity," and they were com|>elled to address tlu^m- 
 selves to the task of freeing' it from its fetters of 
 human tradition. 
 
 lk'ne:ith the Ihiirrant error and ahuse lay, how- 
 ever, a great truth, i. e., the presence of the 
 lyord Ilimsi'lf in the H()ly Su]»]>er. II<>w was 
 this presen<'e to he conceived? 
 
 Luther at first accepted without «piestionin<r the 
 traditional theory of transuhstantiation. He very 
 ~ooi], however, foUowin^^' a hint received from the 
 uritinjfs of D'Ailly, ri'alized that there is no ne- 
 cessity for ima^inin*; a miraculous transformation 
 of the elements, nor for discre<litinj^ the testimony 
 <»f our own sen.scs, which so clearly attest that the 
 l>read and wine remain unchanu'cd. The I/onl's 
 ImmIv is a sj)iritual l>o«ly, and could he present 
 just as well unseen with the earthly elements 
 f He can he present ( veryulic re wlim and as He 
 \Nill. This conception seeme«l to Luther to meet 
 ill the re(|uireiin nts of the scriptural laiiL'Uat'e 
 
THE SACKAMKNTAL CONTROVERSY. 139 
 
 concerning' the ordinance, iind, at tlu' same time, 
 to explain tlie importance attached to it hy tlie 
 Saviour and its acknowledged ])()wer to comfort 
 and .strengthen the liumlde communicant. From 
 this simple conception he never afterwards wav- 
 ered. To maintain it intact was his sole ohject in 
 the wearisome controversies which ensued. 
 
 But this exj)lanation of tlie sacred ordinance, so 
 satisfying to the child-like faith and deej) mysti- 
 cal nature of Luther, was not to stand unchal- 
 lenged. Already in the summer of 1522, a letter 
 was addressed to Luther by a theologian of Hol- 
 land, named Honius, arguing tliat the words used 
 hy Christ in instituting the Sup])er arc to he in- 
 tr'ri)reted tiguratively and do not at all imply His 
 iH.dily ]»resence. The views of the Bohemian 
 Brethren were also calli'd to his attention us lack- 
 ing in clearness and strongly inclining to a rejec- 
 tion of imj)ortant aspects of this doctrine. Carl- 
 stadt and his fanatical associates went much 
 farther. When not des])ising the sacrament alto- 
 gether, they regarded it as simply a memorial 
 meal, whose chief advantage lay in the rapt con- 
 templation of Christ upon the jmrt of the recip- 
 ient. To some, it was merely an o]>portunity for 
 a renewal of their ])rofession of faith, or a badge 
 of loyalty. To the most radical, it was a mere 
 ceremony, utterly needless in the case r)f those 
 who had attained to real s]>iritual life, and who 
 could commune with (Jod directly without (he in- 
 tervention of any outward means. 
 
 Against these views, Luther maintained that 
 God deals with us only through special ext<'rnal 
 means of His own apjiointment; tliat the Lord's 
 Supper is a transaction in whicli (lod hestows a 
 gift and man is merely the reci|)ient; that the gift 
 l)«*stowed is the foTL'iveness of sins and a share in 
 
1 }0 I.rTHKH, TIIK KKroKMKH. 
 
 the fc'llDWsliip of C'lirist an<l His saints; that the 
 IhkIv of Christ is truly jjiven as a seal and j)h'(Ijr(» 
 of the iniparte<l spiritual hlessin*:. He would 
 have men "direetly and ini]>licitly helieve that in 
 the sacrament of the altar the hody an<l l)lood of 
 Christ arc truly present, and that we shouhl not 
 in<iuire further how or in what form they are i)res- 
 ent, since Christ has not told us esjx'eially any- 
 thinji ahout that." Had this counsel heen ^^mut- 
 ally heeded, what interminable controversies 
 would have been avoided, and how diiTerent would 
 liave been the history of the Protestant church! 
 
 But when Carlstadt began to publish flippant 
 misinterpretations of the words of institution, to 
 ridicule the eonseeration of the elemi-nts. and deny 
 that the eeU-bration of the Sup])er had any rela- 
 tion to the f(trgiveness of sins, the indignation of 
 Luther was stirred, and he denounced in vigorous 
 terms the ignorant luu'dc who, in tlu-ir blind zeal, 
 sought to exclude the Lord from His own ordi- 
 nance. 
 
 In the year \i)24, word was brought to Luther 
 that Zwingli, the Swiss Reformer, had adopted 
 Carlstadt's view. About the same time, GEco- 
 lampadius. a former jtujiil and warm friend of 
 Luther, now j)rea«hing in Strassl>urg, and Martin 
 Bucer, also a firm friend of the l\ef<»rmation, an- 
 nounced that they no longer believid in the bodily 
 presenile of tlie I^)rd in the Holy Supper. They 
 cjuoted against it irrelevant passages, such a.s "the 
 llesh proliteth nothing," and argued that the body 
 of Christ could not be in so many places at one 
 time, nor could it be anywlure (»n earth, since it 
 )iaH ascended visibly to Heaven. 
 
 These scholarly assaidts conipelle<l Luther to 
 imdertake an exhaustive study of the subject. 
 
 W'itli k. . n. >i In-i. li.' ^..i;/]m t.. Iiiret eViTV erill- 
 
TIIK SACKA.MKNTAL CoNTKOVKUSY. Ml 
 
 cisin aiul carefully (U'voloped his own view. ir<! 
 endeavored to show how Christ's hody eould, hy 
 pharinj; in the attrihiites of the divine nature, l>e 
 j)resent in lu-aven and also, at the same time, at 
 many ]»laces upon earth, and stoutly maintained 
 that, wliether his particular theory ))e acce})ted or 
 not, all Christians are hy the sim])le langua«re of 
 Christ hound to reeo<j:nize that, in some way, 1 1 is 
 hody is present and distrihuted wherever the sac- 
 rament is properly administered. His interest 
 deepened as the strife })roceeded, and he became 
 thorou.irhly convinced that the views of his op- 
 jM)nents spranj^ from an exaltation of reason above 
 the sim])le divine Word, and that they were in 
 conflict with the fundamental doctrine of the in- 
 s<*]»aral)le union of the human and divine natures 
 in the person of Christ. 
 
 He was the more ready to condemn the views 
 of his distinguished antagonists since he had |»re- 
 viously met them, supj)orted largely by the very 
 same arguments, in connection with the fanatical 
 vagaries of Carlstadt and Miinzcr. lie regarded 
 the (;ntire movement as essentially one — a fresh 
 outl)rcak of the very tendencies which he had so 
 earnestly combated in the Pioman Catholic 
 church, transforming an ordinance of God's free 
 grace into a work of human merit: The sacra- 
 ment of the Ix)rd*8 Supper seemed to him, as be- 
 fore, the point upon which all the new forms of 
 error converged, and lie boldly met the issue by 
 planting himiself firmly here, and treating all 
 wlio varied essentially from what he conceived to 
 ])e the scriptural basis of this doctrine as alike the 
 enemies of Christ and of His church. 
 
CHAPTKn xiir. 
 
 LUTIIEU AM) ZWIN<'.L 
 
 Side by side with the advance of evan.Lnlical 
 j)rinciples in Germany was progressinj^ during 
 tliese years a great reformatory movement in 
 Switzerland, under the leadership of Ulrich 
 Zwingli. The latter was a man in temperament 
 and training the very opposite of Luther. His 
 parents were in comfortahle eironmstances, and 
 lie enjoyed the hcnefits of a thorough classical 
 training at Ikisel, Heme and \'ieima. Having 
 < omplcted his theological course, he at the age of 
 iwenty-two became pastor at Glarus, in Switzer- 
 land, where he diligently prosecuted his studies 
 in the Scriptures. He took an active part in pub- 
 lic alTairs and twice accompanied the men of his 
 village upon military campaigns. The experience 
 thus gained le(l him to protest with jKitriotic 
 ardor against the mercenary employment of his 
 countrymen in the service of foreign princes, a 
 
 ustom which, mainly through his influence, was 
 .il)olished in the canton of Zurich. In lolfi, he 
 removed to Einsiedlein, a famous centre of Rom- 
 ish ])il;iri manes, where he attracted much Jitten- 
 tion by boMly assailing the superstitious worship 
 "f the \'irgin Mary. AN'hen, in lolS, the venders 
 
 f indulgences appcaretl in Ins neighborhood, he 
 cxpose<l their iniijuitics with e<|ual zeal. Trans- 
 ferred in loll) to Zurich, he continued to j)reach 
 witlj em-rgy against tlje al)Uses in the Church, 
 i'asting, enforced celibacy, and the withholding 
 • •f the cup from the laitv, beciunc in turn the ob- 
 (142) 
 
M TIIKK AM> ZWINca.I. 148 
 
 jfH'ts of liis attack. His fRTv i'1(M|Ui'1kc', aided liy 
 a free distribution of Luther's writings, carried ail 
 before it, and in 1524 the canton of Zuricli re- 
 nounced its allejxiance to Rome and re-orj:anized 
 tlie church witliin its hounds in accordance with 
 Zwin^H's ideas. Other cities followed suit, the 
 le<ral civil authorities in each case formally declar- 
 ing in favor of the Kcformation and assuming the 
 direction of all religious alTairs. Thus the move- 
 ment in Switzerland was chietly concerned in the 
 abolition of external abuses and hore from the 
 ^n•:^t a njarked jiolitical cliaractcr. It was the aim 
 of Zwingli, further, to reject everything not ex- 
 pressly commanded l)y the Word of (iod, and 
 thus i'lcak away as completely as possible from 
 the establislied religious customs; whereas Luther 
 a<lvocated the retention of whatever was harndess, 
 and laid all the stress of his ministry by voice and 
 pen upon the underlying d(K'trines of repentance 
 and faith. 
 
 It was in connection with the doctrine of the 
 Lord's Supper that the difTerence between the 
 \\\i) movements was to tind its culmination. 
 Luther, whose deep spiritual nature lived and 
 njnved in the realm of divine mysteries, found no 
 dilliculty in conceiving of the Ixxlily presence of 
 the Lord with the earthly elements of the commun- 
 ion.^ Zwingli's j)ractical mind, on the contrary, 
 welcomed the theory which removes all mystery 
 and makes the sacred meal but a memorial celebra- 
 tion. The conception was more congenial, also, to 
 the restless superficial s|)irit of the martial cantons 
 of the Swiss and to the minds of self-complacent 
 I liinianists. It found ready accei)tance in South- 
 western Germany among the pupils of Eras- 
 mus, who were then very widely scattered and 
 inthlential. It was oroclaimcd as the na.-t. liable. 
 
Ill l.rTIIKH, Tin: HKKolJMKU. 
 
 advanced view, wluTcns T.utlur was supposed to 
 he ill this, as in liis treatment of ntlier external 
 ceremonies, hut half-awakened from his j)opish 
 dreams. 
 
 The unseemly strife hetween hnthren grew 
 more hitter as the years rolled on. The argu- 
 ments of Zwingli apj>eared to Luther, hy pevering 
 the two natures of Christ, to roh I lis atoning 
 work of its ellieaey and thus destroy the very hasis 
 of the (;osi)i'l. His susjiieions were conlirmeil 
 when he found Zwingli wavering upon the doe- 
 trine of original sin, and so exalting the virtues 
 of the heathen as to ap])arently deny alt«)grther 
 the necessity of the atonement. lie failed to note 
 in the writings of the latter any evidence of that 
 deep sense of personal guilt which lay at the very 
 foundation of his own experience and which even 
 yi't at times so entirely overpowtred him. When, 
 in addition, he ohserved Zwingli's constant exal- 
 tation of the P})iritual, as entirely a])art from all 
 relati(»n to outward ordinances, and found him 
 teaching a direct inlluence (»f the Holy Spirit, in- 
 dependent of the divine Word, ami looking to 
 ])olitical schemes for the furtherance of thedospel, 
 lie hecame more than ever convinced that the 
 spirit of the latter wjis identical with that of the 
 Fanatics and woidd eventually lead to the samt» 
 excesses. He, therefore, waged a nlentless and 
 undiscriminating warfare against the "Sacramen- 
 tarians,'' who, up«»n their part, le<l hy Zwingli and 
 (ICcolampadius, nev<r wearied of ridiculing the 
 superstition nf the *' Hihl<'-tyrants" at Wittenherg. 
 
 None lamented the strife more sincerely than 
 Luther. He declared that *' the gates of lu'll, the 
 entire papacy, the Turks, the world, the tlesh and 
 all the powers of evil, could imt hav«' wrouiiht such 
 injury," and that he would gladly lay down his 
 
UTIIKK AND ZWlNtJLI. 145 
 
 life many tiinis over to restore liarinonv; ''luit," 
 he added: "the Word is too strong;; it liolds me 
 captive." In March, \i)2X, lie jni)>lishe<l an ex- 
 liaustive treatise, entitled: "Confession upon 
 the Lord's Supper. M. Luther." This he 
 desiLMH'd to he his tinal utterance upon the suh- 
 ject, and in it he warns all tlu- world to ahandon 
 the iilea that he can c\'er ])e induced to depart 
 from the positions here maintained. Should he 
 do so, he he^'s posterity to attrihute the wavering 
 to hodily or mental infirmity, and still rcL^ird this 
 treatise as the exj)ression of his immovahle con- 
 viction. To the further replies of Zwinirli and 
 othei-s, he paid no attention. He had home his 
 testimony, and could do no more. 
 10 
 
ClIAITKrv XIV, 
 
 TiiK iu;ave protest. 
 
 While tliis ])l()0(ll('ps conflict was heing wa^rrd 
 between the (>j)p()sing chani])i<>ns within the ranks 
 of those wlio had escaped frnni the dominion of 
 paj)al errors, their common enemy was not idle, 
 liavaria had furnishc*! a luuulK'rof martyrs to the 
 ( an<(' of the Uelormatiou, amon.ij tliem Leonard 
 Kaiser, a jn-rsonal ae(iuaintanee of Lutlur's. 
 Tlif latter pul»hshe<l a ;;raphic account of Kaiser's 
 arrest wliile on a visit to liis dying father and of 
 his cruel death at the stake, ])raying that (lod 
 might enahle Inm, when his hour should come, to 
 meet death with hut half the fortitude of his 
 heroic friend. Tnder a new wave of persecuting 
 zeal, a nund)er of evangelical ])reaehei*s were 
 driven out of Austria. Paul Winkler, a pastor 
 in llalle, sumnione(l to AsehalT(iil»nru' to answer 
 for having administereil the conniumion in hoth 
 forms, was assassinated upon the homeward jt)ur- 
 nev. His death was extttlled hy Luther as peeu- 
 liarly glorious, hiK'ause eneountered while in ohe- 
 dience to the lawful authority and in defence of 
 the doctrine of the Lord's Supj)er. 
 
 rpon tln' other hand, the lU^formation had 
 made notable conquests. Margrave (leorge, t»f 
 Frankfurt- ^l^Uldenl.uI•L^ in lo'JT, re-organized the 
 ehureh upon his t<rritory under the direction of 
 ministers furnished hy Luther, and became a 
 zealous adherent of the cause. Hrunswiek, Ham- 
 burg, (Joslar, LubcH'k and CJocttiugen openly 
 espoused the truth. 
 
 (lie; 
 
TIIK P.IJAVK riJHTR-T. 117 
 
 Hut the I'jniMM'or IkkI iiuniiwliilc ncrnin nsolvc^i] 
 upon a<:ixivssive nicasun'S. llavini^'cnpturi'd Konic 
 and ukkIc tlu* I'npt' a j)ris()ii('r, he IkkI concliKU'd 
 t«'niis with tlu' latter cniln'acinir a plcd^^^e of strin- 
 •zcnt n'u'ulations anainst tlic Lutlicran heresy. The 
 Diet assenil)liMl at Spires on February 21st, 
 1529, was calK'd upon to face a stern imperial 
 mandate, requirinjj: the ahro<;ation of the edict of 
 toleration issued three years before, and express- 
 in«r in no measured terms the displeasure of the 
 monareh at the spread of the revolutionary doc- 
 trines. The Romish |)arty at the Diet, eneour- 
 atred l)y this assurance of the Emperor's support, 
 and bein^ in the majority, resolved that, in sec- 
 tions in which the Edict of Worms had hitherto 
 i»een lionored, its re«juirements sh(>uld still be 
 carried out, wliile in other places no further in- 
 novations sliould be made until the meetini^ of a 
 L-^cneral council. Doctrines and sects which deny 
 tile ])resence of the true body and blood of Christ 
 in the sacrament were not to !)e tolerated in the 
 kinirdoin. No ruler was to <^ive shelt«T to reli^dous 
 fujritives from a nei.i_dil)orinL; territory. 
 
 Thus, wliile the Diet did not unilertake to re- 
 store the old order of thinj^s where already aban- 
 doned, it pb^d^ed its authority to ])revent the 
 spread of th(» new principles, and to perform ])oliee 
 service for the persecuting princes in the restora- 
 tion of such ;is mii^ht escape from their grasp. 
 It was, further, very broadly binti'd that severer 
 measures would ere long be adopt<'<l. 
 
 The evangelical members of the Diet could not 
 be thus terrified into submission. To yield nuw 
 w(»uld l)e to surrender all that had been won by 
 the arduous toil of years. Only one (piestion 
 divi<le<l their counsels for a time. Should the 
 followers of Luther make common cause with 
 
148 LUTHEK, THE IlEKOHMER. 
 
 the Zwinglians, who, ncconhiifj to the resohition 
 aiiiml sokly at them, were to he driven from the 
 kingdom? Tlie I^imlgrave Pliihp pleaded for 
 their recognition, while the Elector John was in 
 douht. The (juestion was referre<l to Melanch- 
 thon, and npon his advice it was decided to in- 
 clude these in any defensive measures which 
 niiL'ht he adojUed. 
 
 On the 19th of April, John nf Saxnuy, Thilip 
 of Hesse, Margrave Cieorge of Hrandenherg, Duke 
 Krnest of Liineberg, Prince Wolfgang of Anhalt. 
 and fourteen imperial cities presented a solemn 
 protest against the action of the majority. They 
 dt'clan-d tiiat, in matters which concern the honor 
 of Ciotl and the salvation of souls, they were com- 
 pelleil hy conscience to regard the will of (lod 
 above all else, and hence couM not agree to carry 
 out the resolutions of the Hiet. They further 
 maintained that in such matters every one must 
 give account of himself directly to CJod, and that 
 no one can excuse himself hy appealing to the 
 decisions of a majority. The Zwinglians, they 
 contende<l, should not he condenmcd without a 
 hearing, nor any such violent measures adoj)te<l 
 against them until a council shoidd have ])ro- 
 nounecil judgment upon their teachings. The 
 signers of this document were spoken of as the 
 '• Protestants," and tlieir hold, honest course has 
 1m tn innnortalized in the adoption of this term as 
 the distinctive designation of the moilern Christian 
 ('hurch of the western world outside of the Roman 
 Catholic connnunion. That which has excited 
 tlie admiration of jiosterity is not merely the<(»ur- 
 age with which this little hand st«M)d up against 
 superior numhers and against the Kmperor, now 
 lluslu'<l with victory, hut the ground upon which 
 their action waa bahcnl, /. <., the clear enunciation 
 
TIIK HKAVK PIJOTKST. 1 10 
 
 of \ho sacred rights of conscience, as against 
 tlic (l<tininati<»n of majorities (»r tlic inandatt'S of 
 tyranny, in tliis it l»ut irave formal and unitccl 
 utterance to tlie principles wiiieh the Monk of 
 W'ittonheri,' had holdly proclaimed eight years be- 
 f( )re. 
 
 Three days later, the Elector John, the Lantl- 
 ^rave Philip and the representatives of the cities 
 of Nurember^r, Ulni and 8trassbur<; pledged 
 united resistance against any j^ower wliieh 
 shouM attack eitlier of the confederates ui)on the 
 ground of adherence to the (iospel. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, that Luther failed to 
 recognize either the genuine heroism or the far- 
 reacliing signiiieance of the great i>rotest. The 
 rejection of the imi)erial demands appeared to him 
 as merely the discharge of a plain, unavoidal)le 
 duty, and with its performance he would have had 
 the adherents of the Gospel rest content. The 
 subscMpKMit organization of the princes and cities 
 for defence alarmed him. lie could not be ])cr- 
 suadcd that the danger was so imminent as to re- 
 (|uire this, and it appeared to him to imply dis- 
 trust in the divine power. Had not (iod wonder- 
 fully protected them hitherto without any human 
 aid? Were it not far better to conlide in Him 
 now than to lean ui)on an arm of llesh ? lie 
 greatly feared, further, that the cause of truth 
 would sutTer by alliance with the HefornuTS whose 
 views wen' at such variance with his own. 
 Melanchthon, too, became very uneasy, and re- 
 gretted the ])art which he had taken in encourag- 
 ing the "terrible protest." Thus Luther's cour- 
 age and the natural timidity (»f Melaiulitli<.n 
 (ombiiu'd, in this as in later ])erio(ls. to discoun- 
 tenance political combinations which might 
 transfer the conlliet fmm the tribunal of free dis- 
 cussion to the arbitrament of arms. 
 
150 M'TIIKU, TlIK HKFOHMFR. 
 
 But tho lionzon wasalnady dark with throaton- 
 \u\l clouds. The Kmpcror and the I'ope liad no 
 i?cruj)les to restrain lluni from rt'li«;i()us warfare, 
 anil tlie Proti^stant^s miglit at any moment l»e 
 called upon to draw arms in self-defence. How 
 important then that they he unite<l and j)rcpared 
 to act in concert aiiainst their common enemy! 
 Resistance of sucli «lriiiands as tliose now made, 
 Would not, it was claimed, l>e insurrection. Hut 
 Luther was immovalde. lit; maintained that it 
 is the duty of su))jects to endure wroni^ when per- 
 petrated by those in lawful authority, and to look 
 ft)r delivemnce to llim who can control the hearts 
 of princes and overrule the trials of His j^eople to 
 their own linal advantage. But the incrcasin*]j 
 jcravity of the situation led to a careful scrutiny of 
 this sweeping doctrine of submission, as applied to 
 political alTairs, and no one could lonirer douht 
 that, if driven to <les|)eration, the majority of the 
 princes W(»uld l»e ready to lift the sw(»rd in self- 
 defence. 
 
 The most serious difliculty in the way of a 
 cordial confederation of all the evangelical forces 
 now lay in the doctrinal dilTerences which yet 
 divide<i the j^reat emancipated host. How these 
 could 1m' reconciled became the jjressing tiuc>ti»>n 
 of the hour. 
 
CIIAPTFR XV. 
 
 THK MAHHl'liG COLLOQl'Y. 
 
 In all the ])(>liti;al j)lans of tlir Prot<'stiints, 
 Philip of Hesse now Ir-IiI the ]>lacc of undis- 
 j.utcd Ira.lcrsliip. His youthful t'nerjzy, his uu- 
 llinching courage and his sagacity well fitted him 
 for the ]uTilous |»re-eininence. He had honestly 
 enihraced the fundamental teachings of Luther, 
 i)Ut rather from intellectual conviction than from 
 <lee]) religious motives; yet he was willing to main- 
 tain his convictions at all hazards. None realized 
 more clearly than he the serious dangers now 
 threatening, and he was untiring in his efforts to 
 unite all the anti-})a|)al elements. It seemed to 
 him an incredible infatuation that such a union 
 should he prevented l)v a mere doctrinal dispute 
 among the theologians, and he cast about for 
 means of overcoming this needless obstacle. 
 Already Ix-fore tlie Diet of Spires he had declared 
 that there must be a conference between Luther 
 and (Ecolampadius, if it cost him ()(K) guldens to 
 < fleet it. After the lines had there been so deeply 
 drawn i)etween the two great parties, the necessity 
 of harmony among the friends of the Reformation 
 became still more evi<lent, and Philip at once 
 cautiously a«ldressed himself to the Uisk of bring- 
 ing the warrini: theologians face to face. 
 
 Tiie Wittenberg men had no sympathy what- 
 ever witii tilt; movement, and sougiit in ev<ry imn- 
 onible way to avoid a meeting which they felt 
 <ould ;iccom])lish nothing more than further alieii- 
 ..li'.n. l>ut they could not resist the urgency of 
 (151) 
 
152 Ll'THEU, THE HEFOUMER. 
 
 the I^n<l^ra\'e an<l tlic wishes of their own 
 prince, who felt tliat the refusal of a rcMjuest so 
 seeiniii^ly reasonahle would certainly be misin- 
 trri-n t.-.f. 
 
 Zwingli, on the contrary, was filled with de- 
 light ujHin re<"eivin«: the invitati<»n. Having suc- 
 r»«dr<l in extending; his inlhu-nc r in Switziiland, 
 he had conceived the idea of fnnninir a ^reat in- 
 ternational confederacy to resist the Kn»j>eror's 
 encroachments. He had even made propositions 
 of alliance with the King of France on the east 
 and Vienna on the west, ignoring thus the most 
 extreme religious difTerences for the accomplish- 
 ment of his ])<>litical dream. If the pr<»pose<l con- 
 ference should achieve no more, it would at least 
 enahle him to piin the sym})athy of Philip, and 
 with it the support of all Southern and Western 
 (lermany. History accords to Zwingli a jrenuine 
 religious zeal, hut for him religion and politics 
 were one, and his patriotism and piety were now 
 alike aflame with the idea of grasping the golden 
 opportunity to throw oiT the yoke of media*val 
 hondaire. 
 
 Fearing opjiosititni to the project upon the j»art 
 of his friends, the Swiss reformer slipped away 
 from Zurich secretly on Se|»tend)er 1st. He sjMut 
 twelve days at Strasshurg seeking to advance his 
 cause, and, arriving early at Marhurg, the j>lace of 
 meeting, swured an audience with the I.an<lgmve 
 before the arrival of Luther with his j)arty. On 
 Friday, October 1st, by a ]>rudent arrangement of 
 IMiilip, Luther was closeted for three hours with 
 (F/dlampadius, while in an<»ther ro«»m Zwingli 
 and Melanchthon compared views. 
 
 On the following day, the formal discussion 
 l»cgan. It was, according to the olVu iai instruc- 
 tions, to be an *'out*<iK)ken, friendly and undis- 
 
TiiK MAunnn: coLUKiiY. 153 
 
 putatioiis conversation." A nuinlxTof tliroloiiians 
 and scholars were present, and the Landgrave 
 himself followed the discussion with unflagging 
 interest. Directly l»efore the latter, at a se]mratc 
 tahle, were seated Luther, Zwingli, Mclanchthon 
 and Ov'olanipadius. Luther, who had written 
 with clialk u])(»n the tal)le-cover: " Hoc est cor- 
 pus meum " (This is my body), o])en«(l the col- 
 loquy l»y announcing that he ])ro])()sed merely to 
 maintain the positions which he had assumed in 
 his writings, and that, if the opposite ])arty had 
 anytliing to advance against the truth, he was 
 ready to hear and refute them. He proposed that 
 a wide range ]>e given to the discussion, as he 
 understood that the Swiss entertained erroneous 
 views upon a number of the most vital su])jects, 
 such as original sin, the nature of Christ, bajttism, 
 etc. The latter expressed themselves as willing 
 to testify their helit^f upon these subjects, but 
 desired to begin the discussion with the doctrine 
 of the Lord's Sup])er, to which Luther agreed. 
 
 For two days the debate continued, without 
 developing any arguments not ])reviously ad- 
 vanced. Again and again, Luther ])ointe<l to the 
 words upon the table, and at length tore ofT the 
 cover and dramatically held it up as the final 
 answer to all the objections of his opponents. A 
 private meeting of the theologians on the f«»l- 
 lowing nmrning |)roved e(|ually fruitless. 
 
 Zwingli and his party then desired that they be 
 heard in regard to the other articles of faith to 
 which reference had been made, and Luther, upon 
 re(juest, at once ])repared a statenunt in fifteen 
 brief articles for mutual consi«leration. They 
 covered the leading topics of his own teaching, 
 and, Ui his amazement, wen» acc<'pted on the sam(^ 
 day, with a few slight verbal changes, by all the 
 theologians present. 
 
154 LUTIIKH. TIIK ItEFOKMER. 
 
 Thus tho (lifTrronces had been narrowcil i\n\\n 
 to tlie one point, /. e., Xhv IxKlily ])rrs('nce of 
 Christ in xlw Lord's Sn]»])('r. The Lan<lL:nive was 
 (ltli«:htc(l, and exhorted l>oth ])arti(s to t»>h'ration 
 an<l llie exercise of hrotlierly love. Zwin«;H and 
 liis friends readily ajxreed to so conduct themselves, 
 and proposed that all should consent to acknowl- 
 eil<re one another as hrethren, and that each ]K\rty 
 sln»uld welcome the other at the Tahle of the 
 Lord. With this proposition, Zwin«;li extended 
 his hand to Luther, hut the latter refused to make 
 such acknowled^Miient of fraternity, declarinji, as 
 he had frtHpuntly done during' the colliMjUy, 
 "You liave a different spirit from ours." 
 Zwingli ])leaded, even with tears, and, turning to 
 the Landjxrave, declared: ''There are no men in 
 the world with whom I would rather he in har- 
 mony than with the ^^'ittenherJ:ers. " Hut in 
 vain. Luther was ready to jrrant to the o])posite 
 ]»arty oidy such exhihitions of Christian love as 
 are due to one's enemies. To the declaration of 
 the fifteenth of the adopted articles, acknowledg- 
 ing the spiritual presence of the Lord in the Holy 
 Supper, was ad<led the statement: " lUit, although 
 we have not agreed at this time whether the true 
 body and hlood of Christ are hodily in the hrcatl 
 an<l wine, yet each ])Mrty promises to exercise to- 
 wanl the other Christian love, in so far as th(» 
 con.'icicnce of each will at all allow, and h«»th 
 parties earnestly implore (Io(l, the Almighty, that 
 lie may through His Spirit grant us the right 
 understlinding." The articles were then 
 signed hy Luther. Melan<hthon, Jonas, Osiander, 
 Hrenz, Agricola, (iMolamjuidius, Zwingli, Huccr 
 and IL'dio, and at once given to the press. 
 
 No act (»f Lutlier's life has been subje<te(l to 
 more divei-su comment than his refusal to take 
 
TlIK MAKIUIU; ("oM.fK^rV. 1 ') .') 
 
 tlic profTorod hand of Zwiiiirli at Marl)ur^'. In tin* 
 light of our modern ideas of mutual toleration, it 
 has the a]>i><'aran(e of insutTerahle ))i,i:otrv; hut a 
 eandid consideration of the eireumstanees nuist 
 j^reatly modify, if it do not entirely reverse, such 
 harsh judirnient. Let it he rememhered that the 
 colloquy was not an unbiased gathering of 
 theolojrians to discuss nliLMnus suhjccts for their 
 own sake. It was ]»lann<'d in furtherance of a 
 j)olitical scheme which Luther did not approve, 
 i)Ut which his opponents considered vital. The 
 desire upon their ])art for Luther's endorsement 
 did not therefore s])rin^ from pure Christian love. 
 Ajrain, the point at issue was not a vital one in 
 the juilgment of tlie Swiss, while to Luther it ap- 
 peared to involve the very foundations of the 
 Christian faith. The denial of it seemed to him 
 to indicate contem]»t for the j)lain language of the 
 Scriptures, the rejection of the divinity of Christ 
 and a proifanation of His most sacred ordinance, 
 as well as to open the door for all manner of god- 
 less fanaticism. Nor did the assent of these men 
 to the other articles satisfy him. Tlis astonish- 
 ment was mingled with deep suspicions, ;is he 
 knew how strongly p(>litical considi-rations 
 prompted them to seek at Icjust ajtpan-nt harmony, 
 rpon the one j)oint which had for years heen 
 made the test-(piestion hetween the diverse ten- 
 dencies, and in view of which alone the conference 
 had been called, not the slightest ap])roximation 
 to harmony had been made. 
 
 Should Luther now allow the rejiort to go 
 abroad, that he had at the critical moment com- 
 promised with the enemy ? Should he thus cast 
 the weight of his influence in favor of what he 
 believed to be an uidioly alhance which woidd 
 deluge the land in bldtMJ :iiid incur the \\r;itli of 
 
156 LUTIIEH, THE REFORMER. 
 
 the Aliniuhty ? No! he would not allow his name 
 t«> l)t' tlms misused. \lv would niakt* no com- 
 promise with error, even under the ;ruise (»f 
 charity. He whom tlie tlireats of an Emperor 
 could not terrify was not to Ik- suhdued hy the 
 tears of a di.sai)j)ointed politician. He was im- 
 movahle — as ever, true to his convictions. 
 
 That those who hear the name of Lutlier to-(lay 
 should he le<l l>y liis example upon this critieal 
 (K-easion to permanently refuse fellowship at 
 the Lord's Tahle with all win* do not accept in 
 full the strictest Lutheran view of the sacred ordi- 
 nance, can he consistently maintained only upon 
 the supposition that the j)ersons thus excluded 
 really occuj)y the position attrihuted to Zwinjxli 
 and his followers, i. e., that they are insincere in 
 their j)rofessions of piety, despisers of (lod's 
 Word, inspired hy Satan in their stuhhorn oppo- 
 sition to the truth. Luther's denial of altar fellow- 
 ship was no mere ]»nttest a^^unst the error of an 
 aeknowled«r(.(l Cliristian l)r«)ther: it was an indiji- 
 nant rejection of all fellowship with those whom 
 he conceived to he the inost danj^erous enemies 
 of Christ. He is a hold partisan who would to- 
 day ascrihe such a character to all professing 
 Christians without the hounds of our own Luth- 
 eran church. 
 
C'lIAlTKrv XVT. 
 
 PHErAKINC. TO MKKT TIIF. KMrKKOH. 
 
 The colloquy at Marl)ur<r rcMKk'rcd a licrmancnt 
 service in leadiiif? to the j)reparation of a concise 
 statement of the chief points of evangelical doc- 
 trine. Prepared in haste, within at most a few 
 hours, hy the master hand of Lutlicr, this lirief 
 formula j)roved the living germ t'lciii which \v;is 
 develo])ed the remarkalilc confessional literature 
 of the sixteenth century, which has moulded the 
 entire suhse<iuent history of the Protestant church. 
 
 Before leaving: Marhur.L', Luther and his associ- 
 ates received instructions from the Elector to ]>re- 
 pare a statement of the articles of faith which 
 niifrht serve as a hond of union for the Protestant 
 Leajzue, a meetinfr of which was to l)e held at 
 Schwahach on Octoher Kith. To meet this r<'- 
 quirement, Luther simjtly recast the Marhur;^ 
 Articles. The latter had Ix'cn ]>rejiared with a 
 view of securin.L' as far as ]»ossihle th(» assent of 
 the Swiss theolo<:ians. No lon^^'cr restrained hy 
 such considerations, Luther now expressed more 
 positively his own convictions, especially upon 
 the suhject of the Lord's Supper. He inserted 
 also an article setting forth the Church as the 
 general fellowship of helievers, in contradistinction 
 from the hirrarchical view of the Romanists — a 
 doctrinal |»osition which has maintain<Ml its place 
 suhstantially in all the preat Protestant confes- 
 sions. Theseventeen articles tlm- oriL'inatecl, after- 
 wards known as the '• Schwabach Articles," 
 were acceptahle to tlie Saxon court, but, on ac- 
 (lo7) 
 
158 Ll'TIIKU, TIIK KKFonMKK. 
 
 count of tlu'ir ptricttr tone, ])rovcil unsntisfnctory 
 to the 8out)j (icnnan (U-legatcs at the convention, 
 and action upon them was po8t]>one<l. They 
 failed of aeceptiinee also, for the same reason, at 
 a larjrer convention luM at Smaleald, on Novem- 
 h(T L'^Uh; hut, while rejected hy those who in- 
 eliiu'd to Zwin;ilian views, tliey were inlluential 
 in str<'n«:th( nin<r the convictions of those who 
 still followed the leadership of Saxony. 
 
 As Luther returned t(^ Wittenberp, all eyes 
 were turned in a new direction. The Sultan 
 Soliman was storming Vicima. The imaginary 
 war with the Turks, for which the roi)e had so 
 often collected large sums in (iermany, had he- 
 come a reality, and the land was lilltMl with terror. 
 Luther, who had in his earlier writings ridiculed 
 the insincere (»uteries of the ]mpal emissaries, and 
 who might have foreseen advantage for his own 
 cause in this new cmharrassment of the Emj)eror, 
 now i)roved his patriotism hy ]ni!>lishing a 
 '* Martial Sermon against the Turks," sum- 
 moning his countrymen as (iermans, regardless of 
 their religious dilTerences, to respond to the call of 
 the l''m|iiror and defend their tin-sides from the 
 harharous fo<'. The Landgrave IMiilip ])roposed 
 that no aid he given to the Km]>eror against the 
 Turks uidess he should lii*st guarantee religious 
 peace to his suhjects in (Jcnnany; hut Luther 
 was unwilling to enter into any negotiations of 
 this character, maintaining that the support of 
 the lawful authority of the land is a simple duty 
 which must he discharged at all hazards. He 
 sought to overcome any scru]»les which might he 
 <*ntertained against warfare un<ler such circum- 
 staiHi's, although it might he just as clearly a 
 duty to dis(»hey the Kmperor shouM he summon 
 Itis suhjects to war against the (iospel. Soliman 
 
IMJKl'AKI.NC TO MKKT TIIK KM I'KKt )K. l.")!l 
 
 was ilcft'iitcd, and tlic tlii\ati'iiiii^^ peril for tlic 
 tiino ln'in^ avt-rtod. 
 
 On Frhruarv 24tli, the Kniixror was crowned 
 by the Pope at liolo<ina, and at onei' announeid 
 his purpose of visiting (iennanv in jterson. A 
 Diet was summoned to meet at Augsburg on the 
 8tli of April, professedly to " heal tin* (hvisions in 
 tlu' C'hureh, committinj^ the errors of the past to 
 the jud«rnient of the Lord, and, after ])atiently 
 hearing the opinions of all parties in the spirit of 
 love anil forl>earanee, to arrive at harmonious 
 views of Christian truth." The Elector John, 
 uiK)n receiving the imj)erial notice on March 11th, 
 inuncdiately instructed Luther, Jonas, lUigen- 
 fiagen and Melanchthon to prepare a statement 
 of the ])oints in controversy for the use of himself 
 and his friends at the Diet. The result of their 
 lahors in response to this call, handed to the 
 P^lector ten days latiM', is known to history as the 
 *' Torgau Articles." 
 
 'i'ii»- l^lictor and his counselors, realizing what 
 a wide field of discussion would he oi)ened up if 
 the terms of the oflicial summons were ohserved 
 at Augshurg, and resolving to he prepared for 
 every possible emergency, gathered in advance 
 all hnoks and papers within tlieir reach thr(>wing 
 light upon the religious c]Uestions at issue or upon 
 the mutual relations of the I'jnjxTor and the es- 
 tates of the realm. Three chests were refpiired to 
 carry these valual)le documents. 
 
 In April, Luther, Melanchthon and Jonas 
 j«»urneyed with the electoral retinue as far as 
 Coburg, near the border of Saxony, where the 
 KeftMiMt r was to find a secure refuge in the castle. 
 It was hi.s desire, and that of his j)rince as well, 
 that he should accompany the party to the Diet, 
 hut, as he was still under the ban of the empire, 
 
160 UJTIIKK, THK KKKnKMKlJ. 
 
 it wa« not thoiiplit best to so openly <lefy the aii- 
 tliority of the nionareh. Luther niiively expri'ssetl 
 ti) a friend his suspieion that he was left hehind 
 heeaiise he was known to have a truuhUsouie 
 tongue. 
 
CHAPTER XVTT. 
 
 A 9f:coxd imprisonment. 
 
 Another ri<l<' in the iiijzlit, wliidi must Ikivo 
 vividly rcrallrd the evriits of niiR' years hcfore, 
 and Lullicr found liinist'lf a_l,^'lin in a "r('i:i(»n of 
 birds." The tine old castle on the l)ank of the 
 Itz met every re«|uirement of quiet comfort. 
 His frien«l, Veit Dietrich, and a nephew, C'uriaeus, 
 Were connnissioned to keep him company, while 
 the thirty servants stood ready to do his hiildin«^. 
 After surveying the grounds, the ]»ris()ner-guest 
 -pent the atternoon in writing clieerful letters to 
 his friends and ma])ping out a scluMue of work fnr 
 the idle hoin-s hefore him. To Melanditlion he 
 wr<»te : "We have arrived at our Sinai, hut we 
 will make a Zion out of it." 
 
 I li< first eoncern was for liis unfmislied lahors 
 ill the translation and expounding of the 
 Scriptures. During the tive months of his iso- 
 lation here he accomplished no little in this direc- 
 lioii. When liis j>hysical ailments incapacitated 
 liini fnr severe mental lah<>r, he turned fn»m the 
 interpretation of the intricate j»rophecies of K/a- 
 kiel and rested himself hy further elucidation nf 
 the I'salms. He wrote in Latin upon the walls of 
 his study the «juotations fnun his heloved I'salter: 
 * I shall not die, hut live, and declare the works 
 of the Lord." " The way of the ungodly .--hall 
 perish." 
 
 He had l(»ng cherished the idea of translating 
 the fables of iEsop and puhlishing them witji 
 appropriate comimnts, in order that the chiMren 
 11 CKil; 
 
1(12 LrTHEU, TlIK UEFOHMEU. 
 
 miplit in this attractive fomi be taught the duty 
 nf livin;r *' wisely and ]ieaceal>ly anion;: the wicked 
 niultitudi' in this false and evil world/ ' He found 
 time, h(»wever, to tlius treat hut tliirtccn <>f the 
 aiuient colleetion. 
 
 For exercise, he amused himself hy ])raeti<ing 
 with the cross-bow, and his attendant triumph- 
 antly recorded a masterly shot which pierced a 
 hat directly throu^di the heart. It was here, lus 
 always in his warfare, a creature of darkness that 
 suffered at his hand. 
 
 He found unfailing deli^dit in listening to the 
 twitleriiiL' of the hinls. He di'scrihes in detail a 
 ••Diet of Rooks," assembled in a cluster of 
 hushes beneath his window, screaminir day antl 
 night witliout ceasing, as though they were all 
 roaring drunk. (Jreat and mighty lords they 
 seemed to him, although he was unable to discern 
 the emperor among them. It afforded him great 
 amusement to observe with what lordly dignity 
 they swung their tails and wiped their bills as 
 they broke down the hedges and ])repared to gain 
 a glorious victory over the grain fields. " Success 
 to tlieir |iilfering." he cries, ''and may they all 
 together be impaled upon a hedge-pole ! " 
 
 Pieking up a stray leaflet with a snatch of an 
 old song upon it, set to music of three parts, he 
 recast the music, added notes for the fourth voice, 
 appended a few dogi;erel lines to suit the measure, 
 and sent it to Augshurg, gravely rci'ommentling to 
 his friends its jmblication there as a welcoming 
 ode to the Knijierorand F»rdinand. 
 
 His letters to the family circle at Wittenberg 
 are full of tJM' .piaintest liunior and unfailing 
 go(xi cheer. His j»ower of entering into sympathy 
 with the feelings of innocj'nt chihlhooti is strik- 
 ingly sliown in a letter to Ids son, Hans, dcscrib- 
 
A SECOND IMPRISONMENT. 163 
 
 in;: a hraiitiful jjanb'n, with all manner of fruits 
 and tlowers, in wliich were at j»lay liappy little 
 chiklren having liorses witli golden hridles and 
 silver saddles. But, of course, tlure nuist be a 
 moral even to this fairy tale, and little Hans is 
 j)lainly warned that the charniing place is open 
 only to chiMren who are good and who ])ray and 
 study well. A j)icture of his infant daughter, 
 Magdelena, hung above his table in the dining- 
 room. 
 
 On January oth, word was brought of the 
 death of his aged father. Deeply moved, he 
 grasj)ed his Psalter and hastened to his room to 
 weep. He bewailed the death of such a father, 
 through whom God had bestowed U])on him life 
 and all his faculties, and who by hard toil had 
 nourished his tender years and supported him at 
 the I'niversity. He recalled the hours of sweet 
 fellowship enjoyed with him in later years, and 
 rejoiced that his father had lived to see the light 
 of truth, and had died ])eacefully in the faith of 
 Chri.st. While thus finding comfort, he realized 
 more keenly than ever the awful j)ower of death, 
 and praised (iod for the grace which enables i>oor, 
 weak men thus to triumj)h over it. 
 
 But the walls of the Coburg could not confine 
 tlie Reformer's thoughts to his personal relati<»ns. 
 He could not forget the great conflict without. 
 Never was he more confident, more intrepid, more 
 conscious of Ins special calling. Within three 
 weeks he had prepared an Address to the Clergy 
 at Augsburg, by which he proposed to make 
 amends for his bodily absence. He trenchantly 
 reviews the events of the past years; reminds the 
 bishops of the service which lie has ren<lered them 
 in freeing them from the swarms of monks that 
 had, like llcas, infisted Cliribtendum; recalks the 
 
164 LUTHEK, THE REFORMER. 
 
 loii;; list (»f uhominations agiiinst which lie had 
 protested, many of whieh they wen* in their folly 
 still seekinj,' to holster U]); and warns them of the 
 (lisonlers which must result if they continue to 
 disjiute the riizhteous claims of the (Jospel and its 
 adherents. " Vou know as well as we that you 
 are living without the Word of (Jod, whereas we 
 liave it. It is, therefore, our earnest desire and 
 most liumhle prayer that you may give (iod the 
 glory, consider, repent and reform. If not, then 
 you will have to deal with me. Livin«r, I will he 
 your jtestilence, and dying, I will he your death. 
 You will have no rest from my name until you 
 eitlur reform your ways or j^erish miscrahly.'' 
 
 Such was Luther's lirst contrihution to the pro- 
 posed reconcilation of Christ and lielial at the 
 Diet. We shall have occasion to ohserve how 
 potent was his inlluence in all its deliherations. 
 lie had, indeed, little hope that the Diet would 
 accomplish any real good. He still spoke of the 
 ICmperor as "the good and pious Charles," hut 
 h< lieved him hel}>less as a lamh surrounded hy 
 ravening wolves. His only concern was that the 
 representatives of the trutli might make a bold 
 and fearless profession of their faith. When 
 rejM<rl.s of wavering ami compromise reached him, 
 he hecame impatient, and sent message after 
 message to stimulate tlie courage of his friends. 
 To Melanchthon he wrote : " 1 hate your fears. 
 It is not the greatne.'^s of the cause which awakens 
 them, Imt the greatness of our uidulief. If our 
 cause is wrong, let us recant ; if it is ri^zht, why 
 do we make(l<»d a liar hy douhting His promises? 
 Was it to the wind, or to dumh l)easts, that Ho 
 gave the command, 'Cast your care upon the 
 Lord?' I a<ljure you, wlio are in all else so 
 valiant, fight against ycturself, your own worst 
 enemy." 
 
A SKCOM) IMPinsONMKNT. lOo 
 
 T<> Chancelor Kriick, the most liopcful in spirit 
 among the little ((unpany, ho wrote: "1 have 
 lately seen two wonderful things. First, as I 
 was looking out of my window, 1 saw the stiirs in 
 the sky and the whole heautiful firmament of 
 Ciod ; and yet I saw nowhere any ])illar set up hy 
 the Master to suj)i)ort this lirmament. Still, the 
 sky did not fall, and the lirmament is yet stand- 
 ing securely. Now, there are some who look for 
 such pillars, and would like to la}' hold of them 
 and feel them, and hecause they cannot do this, 
 they tremhle and go into convulsions, as though 
 the sky would now certainly fall, for no other 
 reason than hecause they cannot lay hold u]>on or 
 see the i)illars. * * * The other wonder which I 
 saw was this : Great, thick clouds were floating 
 over us, so heavy that they might he com})ared to 
 a great ocean, and yet I saw no foundation upon 
 which they rested or stood, nor any tuhs in which 
 they were held. Nevertheless, they did not fall 
 upon us, hut greeted us with a threatening coun- 
 tenance and tied away. When they were j)ast, 
 there shone out that which held them up, as hoth 
 their su])port and our roof, the rainhow. * =i^ * 
 Yet there are some who, in their fear, look ujxin 
 and regard the thick and heavy weight of waters 
 and cloutls more than this thin, narrow and light 
 shadow. They would like to feel the strength of 
 this shadow, and hecause they cannot do this, 
 they are afraid that the clouds will produce an 
 everlasting del uge. ' ' 
 
 Hut this holdncss of Luther was niaintain(Ml 
 only hy earnest prayer. His a.ssoeiate, I)ietri<h, 
 has recorde(i that thre(M)f the hours most valuahle 
 for study were daily spent in this exercise. Once, 
 by acci<lent, he caught the very language of the 
 earnest, hold petitions: "I know tliat Thou art 
 
KJn LITIIEU, THE HEFORMER. 
 
 onrCiojl and Fatlicr. I :un ((Ttain, tliorcforo, tliat 
 Tliou wilt l>rin'; to sliaino tlie piTsccutors of Thy 
 cliildrrii. If Thou dost not, the peril is Ixith 
 Thine and ours. The whole alTair is Thine." 
 
 Several vij^orous controversial tracts issued 
 from the Col)urir. In one of these the subject of 
 purgatory is thoroughly treated. Luther, held 
 by his traditional einu'eptions, had long been 
 willing to grant the existence of sueh a plaee of 
 torture, but he now repudiated the i<lea entirely, 
 and with unllinehing severity uncovered the 
 "shameful lies and abominations" that were 
 based upon the doctrine. He elucidated also 
 more fully than heretofore, in special publica- 
 tions, th(» sphere of the Church's power and 
 its limitations, with sjtccial reference to the exist- 
 ing state of things. The tone ami contents of 
 these clocuments must have efTectually allayed 
 the fears of any who may have been alarmed by 
 Zwingli's charge that Luther was shrinking back 
 toward the Roman foM. 
 
 Numerous ]>ersonal letters of consolation 
 may be traced to these fruitful m(»nths, as well as 
 a careful selection of scriptural j)assages calcu- 
 lattMl to bring comfort to those in distress, and a 
 fervent admonition to all to meekly bear the cross. 
 The latter may have Ix-cn suggested by the arrival 
 of a handsome seal-ring j>rescnted by the prince, 
 John Fredcriek. The original coat-of-arnns of 
 the Luther family liad been a cross-ltow with a 
 rose upon each side. The new design, elaboratinl 
 l>y Luther as an embodiment of his theology, he 
 Idnjself thus explains: First, let tiiere be a cross 
 in black within a heart of natunil color, that I 
 may be reminded that faith in the ('rucilie<l saves 
 US. Although it is a black cross, which crucilies 
 and may be t'Xpctrtid to give pain, yc t it leaves 
 
A SECOND IMrUISoNMKNT. 167 
 
 tlio lioart in its own color, does not destroy 
 nature, i. e., it docs not kill, hut urosorvcs alive; 
 for tlie just lives hy his faith in the Crucified. 
 Let the lieart stand in the midst of a wliitc rose, 
 to indicate that faith «xives joy, comfort and i)eace. 
 Let the rose he white, and not red, for white is 
 the C()l(»r of spirits and all angels. The rose 
 stands in a field of celestial color, })ecause such 
 joy in tlie Spirit and in faith is a foretaste of the 
 heavenly joy now assured to the heliever and to 
 he freely revealed hereafter. Around the field of 
 hlue let there he a golden circle, to indicate that 
 the hlessedness of heaven endures forever, and is 
 precious heyond all joy and wealth, as gold is the 
 nohlest and most precious metaL 
 
ciiAP'ri:i: xviii 
 
 THE CHEAT CONFESiJlON. 
 
 At liMiiitli tho Kinporor arrivo^l with crn^at pomp 
 at Aiiirsl»urir. His first onlcr forbade the preach- 
 ing nf tln' i*n»tr>t:int )>:irty, and rctpiircci iIrmm all 
 to join in the procession on the following: day, 
 wliicli was the festival of Corpus CMiristi. The 
 latter linally a«:reed to yield the liherty of preneh- 
 iniX for the time heinir, jirovided the same restrie- 
 tion were laid upon their adversaries. In the 
 iclolatrous procoHsion, however, the Kvaniielieal 
 Princes declined to participate, asserting:: that their 
 consciences would not allow them to do so. Tin* 
 concession was reiMrded as a great victory by the 
 Komish party, who tiiemselves cared l)Ut little for 
 tlie privilcLT** of preaehinj:; hut the absence of so 
 lari^'e an<l respectahle a ]>ortion of the Diet from 
 the procession was a striking evidence of the wide- 
 spread defection from th<' pajial ranks. 
 
 Melanchthon had toiled faithfully in recasting 
 the Articles of Smalcald and Torgau. The result 
 of his lal)ors, since known to the world as the 
 Augsburg Confession, having nx'eived the en- 
 dorsciiient of I.ntlnr, was signed hy the Protest- 
 ants on .lune 2.*M and presented to the Diet June 
 30th. The Kmperor desired that it he (juietly 
 handed to him, hut, upon the demand of the sign- 
 ers, permi.ssion was given for tlie reading of the 
 (lerman copy, a duty which was admimhly per- 
 formed hy the Saxon Chancellor. Priick. 
 
 The document, in the first twenty-one articl(»s, 
 presents the leading doctrines of the Scriptures 
 (IDS) 
 
Tin: CHKAT (X)NFESSION. 1()9 
 
 witli judicial calmness and diLMiily, in languap' of 
 transjuiivnt simplicity, and then, in seven articles, 
 dt'siirnatcs the leading abuses aj^ainst which tes- 
 timony had been borne by the Heiormcrs. Luther 
 read and re-read the articles, deliLdited witli their 
 lucidity and liti'rary tinish, declarinu^ that he could 
 not have troddi-n so lightly, yet well satisfied to 
 tind in tliem the essentials of the faith. When he 
 learned that they had actually been presented to 
 the Diet as the unanimous confession of the Evan- 
 p'lical Estates, his exultation wils unbounded. 
 He saw in the act a fulfilment of the declaration 
 of tlie Psalmist : "I will sj)eak of thy testimonies 
 also before kint;s, and will not be ashamed," and 
 thanke<l God that he had lived to see the day. 
 
 The course of history has fully justified his esti- 
 mate of the event. The })olitical combinations 
 ami }tlans, which to many seemed matters of su- 
 jtreme importance, are now well nijzh for^^otten, 
 but tlie Augsburg Confession yet stands befori' 
 tlie World as the vital embodiment of the spirit of 
 the Reformation and one of the grandest trophies 
 of the Christian ages. In it we find, in perfect 
 combination, Luther's prophetic vision of pro- 
 foundest spiritual truth and Melanchthon's 
 matchless skill in accurate exjjression. It has 
 been j»ractically the model for all subse(]uent 
 Protestant confessions, and, translated into many 
 languages, tlie firm bond of union between all 
 l>ranches of the great Lutheran communion. 
 
 The reading of the Confession made a deep im- 
 pression upon the a.ssenjbly. Its ])rin(iples were 
 so large ly in accord with the accej>ted doctrines of 
 the Church, so reasonable, and so convincingly 
 stated, that prejudices faded away before it, and 
 the bitterest enemies were inspired with deep re- 
 spect for their antagunistd. 
 
170 LrTHER, TIIK HKFORMER. 
 
 Fonrcitios, led hy Strnssl>ur<?, proscntj^l thronpli 
 tlu'ir rcprcst'iitalivt'S an iinltjxii.lriit cniifcs.-ii.n, 
 known to history as the Tetrapolitana, au'l 
 Zwingli a<l(lr«-ssi'(l to tliu Kinporor a statement of 
 hisown vifwsand those of liisininiediateassociates. 
 Of the hitter, nothing; more was lieard, while the 
 former attained some importance at a hiter (hiy as 
 an exposition of views intermediate between those 
 of I.uther and Zwin<:li. Neither played any further 
 part in the ])roeeedin,«rs of the Diet. 
 
 The KmjKTor appointed a eonnnissJMn of lend- 
 in*; Komish theolo^dans to ])repare a Refutation. 
 The result of their labors, after having heen 
 several times referred haek to them as imsatisfac- 
 tory, was finally accepted and read to the Diet on 
 Aujiust 8d as the expn^ssion of the Emj)eror's 
 views, in accordance with which he ])roposed to 
 regulate his course in the matter. The re<|U(\^t of 
 the Reformers for an oflieial copy was refused. 
 Three days later, Philip of Hesse, in disgust, Kft 
 the city without imperial pfTinission. 
 
 \'arious efforts were made to effect a com- 
 promise between the opposing parties — a result to 
 wliich the Emperor would have ))y no means been 
 averse. The Romanists, under the direction of 
 the papal legate, Campeggio, who was extraordi- 
 narily liberal in his own views, ma<le larL'c eon- 
 c<'Hsi(»ns upon points of d(M'trine, whil«' Melanch- 
 thon was ready to yield much in tlu* sphere of 
 outward obs«Tvances, even to the ext«'nt of recog- 
 nizing the jurisdiction of the Roman bishops in 
 the temponil alTairs of the Church. Wet ks of 
 t^nliouH negotiations proving utterly fruitless, the 
 Emperor on September ITlh announce<l that he 
 wouM labor to scM-ure the calling of a general 
 council, but that the Prot4'stants must meanwhile 
 conform U) all the ri'«iuirements of the estal>lishetl 
 
THE (iHKAT (ONFKSSION. 171 
 
 Chunli. The latter ri'plied, :is at Spires, that 
 tlu'V coiiM not disobey their eonscienees. 
 
 Afti'r further ])arley, the KniixTor on September 
 22(1 (leelared tliat the Confession had been re- 
 futed and rejected, and that he proposed to 
 unite with the Pope and other Christian jirinees 
 in exterminating the troublesome seet that had 
 ,L:iven it l>irth. The Elector Jolni left Au<rsl)urg 
 on the followinfr <hiy. Luther joined his retinue 
 at Cobur«?, and, after si)endin^ some days with the 
 court at Torgau, returned to Wittenberg. He had 
 taken no interest in the proceedings following the 
 }>resi'ntation of the Confession, exce}>t to examine 
 ami passionately condenm the various formulas 
 of eomjjromise suggested and constantly urge his 
 fri( nds to steadfastness in maintaining the truth 
 which they had so gloriously confessed. 
 
 Tlie formal edict was j)romulgated Nov(Mnber 
 VM\\. It allowed the Protestants live months for 
 rcilection, })romised earnest effort to secure the 
 calling of a council within six months, l)ut for- 
 l)ade in the meanwhile tlie printing or sale of 
 evangelical documents or the making of j)rose- 
 lyt<s, and demanded the restituti<jn of cloisters, 
 submission to the authority of Uomish l)ishops, 
 etc. Luther set the exanjjjle of obedience (?) by 
 publisliing at once a scathing review of the 
 '•so-called iiuperial edict," in the name of the 
 trutli defying "all emperors, wliether Roman, 
 Turk or 'fartar, Pope, cardinals, bishops, i)riest*<, 
 princes, lords, and the whole world, with all the 
 devils l)esides." He denounced the apparent 
 friendliness of tln' ])apal party, as l)ut manifest- 
 ing their willingness to sacrilice the very ci'utral 
 doctrines of their system touching salvation if 
 tiny miu'ht but secure their Imld upon the bene- 
 liccs AWi] ni:iiiit;iiii tlitii- >c.iii(lal(»iis d is>.ip;ition. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 WAH eL«»l i>- M \ 1 M'. 
 
 Thk qnostion wliothcr armed resistance of 
 the Emperor would uiuU'r any circuiiistanccs Ik* 
 justilicMl, now }>ecanie an intensely j)ractiial one. 
 Luther still ur^^cd the duty of sulmiis.^ion to law- 
 ful authority at any sacrilice. liut wlnn the 
 counselors of the Elector jjointed out tliat the 
 Emperor's course itself was illepd as he was 
 transcending the limits of the authority vested in 
 his otfice hy the constitution of the empire under 
 whicli he had heen elected, Luther iinally with- 
 drew his opposition, casting the responsjltility of 
 deciding the legal (juestions involve<l ujton the 
 jurists, within whose j>rovinc(' such matters lay. 
 Scrupk's of consciences l)eing thus allaytnl, the 
 princes were not slow in prejiaring fur the worst. 
 At a convention of the Smalcald League, held in 
 Decemher, the confederates resolved to resist with 
 their united forces any attempt to execute the 
 edict of Augshurg. 
 
 Duke Ferdinand was in January, loiU, in 
 acconlance with the Enij»vror's desire, hut in dis- 
 regard of the constitutional rights of the (ierman 
 jtrincts, < rownrd King of the Roman Empire 
 of Germany at Cologne — a st« p calculated to 
 greatly facilitate the execution of the Emperor's 
 plans on (Jcnnan territory during the prolonged 
 abHcnccH of the latter. The Evangelical Princes 
 were strongly averse to the new arrangement, hut 
 only the Saxon Elector ventun*d to enter public 
 protest againat it. The lines were now lirinlv 
 (172) 
 
WAIi CLDIDS STAVKI). 17.'> 
 
 drawn U]»on l>')th sides, and all looked forward 
 witli anxiety to the inevital)le elash of arms. 
 
 The cities of Southern Germany were still 
 oxeluded from the cniifcdiratinn of the ovan«:eli- 
 cal princes npon doctrinal ^'rounds. ThroiiL'h the 
 active mediation of Bucer, they were uow induced 
 to a<lopt a new fornmla, suhscrihed also hy <Eco- 
 lam])adius, in which they ai)proached much more 
 nearly to Luther's view of the Lord's Supper. 
 This document, thoujxh not altogether satisfactory 
 to the latter, led him to assume a more tolerant 
 attitude, and was regarded hy the princes as a 
 sutlicient concession to entitle its signers to repre- 
 sentation in the Smalcald League, which was thus 
 greatly strengthened. 
 
 All efforts to prevail upon Zwingli to m<»(lify 
 the statement of his extreme vi<ws proved futile. 
 lie became, however, more deei»ly involved in 
 the political contlicts of his native land, an<l 
 met a patriot's death upon the field of Cap- 
 pel, October 3Lst, 153L CEcolampadius died a 
 few weeks later, and the influence of Switzerland 
 in the doctrinal discussions of (Jermany rapidly 
 waned, while the crushing defeat of Zwingli's 
 plans banished all thought of political combina- 
 tions in that (piarter. 
 
 Having entered the field of politics, the League 
 now cmbrace(l the o])portunities soon afforded of 
 forming strange alliances. The Dukes of lia- 
 varia, althou<;h strict Romanists, were exceed- 
 ingly jealous of th(i encroachments of the Emperor 
 and stood ready to join the Protestants in resist- 
 ing the latter, while the Kings of France and 
 Kngland, impelle'l by similar motives, sent mes- 
 sages of encouragement. All such movements 
 couM but increase Luther's instinctive distrust 
 of the entire method of political mnf. .brMtioii. 
 
17 i Ll'TlIKK, THE HEFOHMEU. 
 
 He insisted tliat the cause of truth would he much 
 safer if left Fimply in the hands of (Jod. 
 
 lUit the cry for peace now eanie from the camp 
 of the adversary. Tlie Turkisli arnjy again in- 
 vaded Austria in tlic sjirinj^ of 1532, and the 
 services of tlic Snialcald heroes were sorely 
 needed by the Emperor. He j)roposed tlnre- 
 fore to grant to the actual mend)ers of the League 
 immunity from persecution until the assemhling 
 of the proj)osed council. The latter were not 
 satisfied with the concessions granted, hut in- 
 sisted that similar privileges should he accorded 
 to any others who might in the future join their 
 ranks. It was only hy the m(>st strenuous elTorts 
 of Luther that they were linally induced to accept 
 the terms thus offered. The *' Religious Peace 
 of Nuremberg," which was then guaranteed, 
 while hut a temi)orary arrangement, was a great 
 trium|»h for the cause of the Reformation. It 
 gave ollieial recognition and political standing to 
 the followers of the hniely monk win) had eleven 
 years hefore heen j»roelaimed an accursed outlaw. 
 Yet it came unsought, and was ])ossihle at last only 
 heeause that same monk exerted all his inlluence 
 to hold the princes firm in their allegiance to the 
 Emperor who had condemned him. The papal 
 representatives wept in mortification to see all 
 their ])lans of pei*secution thus thwarted, hut 
 Luther gratefully exclaime<l: ''(Jod has merci- 
 fully answire<l our poor juayers." 
 
 The Elector John the* Steadfast, through 
 whose unfaltering zeal the renewetl Church had 
 he<'n so firndy estai»lishe(l upon Saxon territory, 
 iVu'i\ in the faith, August KUh, LW2, his life's 
 Work heing well rounde<l out in the achievement 
 of the long-desin-*! n'ligious peace. Luther we]»t 
 like u child us he delivered the funeral address, 
 
WAK (LidDs STAVED. 17") 
 
 ill wliicli lie attested in ^lowiniz tmiis the Clnis- 
 ti;iii chiiractcr ;iiul the fuitliful frimdsliij) of ihc 
 departed prinee. The son, John Frederick, 
 who succeeded his honored father, had been from 
 childhood an ardent admirer of the great Re- 
 former and continued to maintain relations of 
 the greatest intimacy with him, combined with 
 almost reverent regard. However storms might 
 beat without, in his own home-land T.uther was 
 now, and t<> the end of his days, assured of a sym- 
 l)athy as cordial as ever existed between a gener- 
 ous prince and his most honored subject. 
 
riTAPTKI^ X\. 
 
 HARMONY AMONG BRETHHEN. 
 
 With the year 1532 hej^an for Luther a period 
 of conijmrative ininuinity from distracting con- 
 llicts. He was now inahlcd to devote liinisclf 
 anew to conirrnial literary lal•(.r^^ In lo-'U lie 
 finished Ins translation of the Bible, including 
 the Apocrypha, and ]>ultlished the tirst complete 
 edition. In the following year appeared the 
 richrst ])rodu(t of his academic Urtures, his large 
 Commentary upon Galatians, in which lie 
 develojis with all the ardor of his earlier days 
 the supreme importance of simj)le faith, and de- 
 jjicts in glowing terms the atoning work of Christ, 
 lie found great delight also in prosecuting liis 
 lectures upon Genesis, i)reached frcipiently in 
 his own house and in the church, and conducted 
 a wide an<l constantly growing correspondence. 
 
 T«^ the hroadcning intluencc of these devotional 
 labors is doid)tless to he in large measure attri- 
 buted the remarkable mildness now disj)laycd 
 by the Keformer toward those who difTered with 
 him upon imjxntant points. Nor was this merely 
 a i)assing mood. During the years now l)cfi»rt' 
 UH, the desire that all earnest friends of the 
 (ioH|)el might \tv united in bon«ls of mutfial 
 confidence liuils frnpn-nt expression in Ids cor- 
 r(*Hpondence. T<> atl^iin this, he declares tliat he 
 wouhl gladly lay down his life. Not for the sake 
 of political advantage does he desire it, but for 
 the honor of Christ's name an<l the 8]»iritual ad- 
 vancement of llitt kingdom among men. While 
 (170) 
 
IIAKMoNV AMnN(; lUlKTIIIlEN. 177 
 
 not al):itinu' JV tittle of his own views, lie nut 
 witli candid cordiality the cfTorts of lUicer and 
 othei-s to secure harmony ainon<r all who ])ro- 
 fessed with him the cardinal doctrine of salvation 
 tlirou«:li faith alone. 
 
 A collo(|uy of tlieolojxians, held at Cassel under 
 tlie leadership of Melanchthon and liueer, pre- 
 pari'd the way for a fuller conference, whicli was 
 called hy tlie authority of the Elector John Fre<l- 
 erick and Philip of Ilcsse, to meet at Eisenach in 
 May, 1536. As Luther was unahle to leave his 
 liome at the appointed time, the theoloirians as- 
 semhled at Wittenberg The timorous Melanch- 
 thon, who dreaded a fresh outhreak of the earlier 
 strife, having used every efTort to delay the 
 assemhlini? of the conference, failed to aj)i>ear at 
 its ojM'nin^' session. It soon hecamc apj)arent 
 that a irreat advance had been made l)y the min- 
 isters of SoutluTU (Germany in the direction of 
 Luther's views. After a free cxjiression of senti- 
 ment nj)on the doctrine of the Lord's Supper and 
 a private consultation of the Wittenberg theo- 
 lojrians in an adjoinin^^ apartment, Luther, with 
 l>eamin^' countenance, announced that he and his 
 associates were prepartd to extendi the hand of 
 fraternal recognition to all the asseml»l<d 
 brethren and tliose whom tliey rei)resented. The 
 declaration was received with tears of joy, with 
 folded hands, and reverent ejaculations of thanks- 
 giving to God. 
 
 On the following day, no diiliculty was exj)eri- 
 enced in att;iininL' hariii«>ni<ius eon<'lusions in the 
 statement of other leading doctrines upon which 
 opinions had dilTcred. Tiie next day, being the 
 festival of the Ascension, Luther preached with 
 more than his usual ])ower fnun tlw great com- 
 mission of the departing L«»rd to His Church: 
 12 
 
178 LUTIIEH, THE HEFOUMER. 
 
 **Go ye into all the world and preach the Oospcl 
 to every creature." It was, further, brought to 
 li^dit that even in Switzerland the extreme views 
 of ZwinirH had hcen aliandoned hy many, an<l 
 all aj^n-ed to d(»al kindly and patimtly with any 
 who mi;:ht still cling to the teaching of their 
 former leader. 
 
 The eelehration of the holy communion with 
 the Wittenherg conirreL'ation on the Lord's day 
 was a public confirmation nf the happy con- 
 clusion of the delil)erati«uis. The use of candles 
 and clerical robes in the services awakene<l some 
 anxiety among the delegates from remoter sck^- 
 tions, hut their fears were allayed when tlu'y were 
 assured that hut little importance was attached 
 to these ancient forms and that they were often 
 dcsigne(lly omitted. 
 
 On >h)nday morning a fornnda drawn liy the 
 hand of Melanchthon was signed by all the par- 
 ticipants. It was understood, indeed, that the 
 little company there j)resent could speak only for 
 themselves, and that their conclusions would he 
 hinchng upon others only when f(»rmally accepted. 
 Hut tlie •* Wittenberg Concord," with its cor- 
 dial endorstiMciit of pulpit and ahar f(ll»>wship, 
 efTcML'ted a practical union of the evangelical 
 churches of (iermany, which was maintained 
 until the outbreak of new controversies after the 
 <leath of Luther. 
 
 The movement thus happily consummated 
 must be credited, in its inception, to the zeal of 
 the practical Philip of Hesse and the mediation 
 of the indefatigable Huccr. Their planning would 
 have lK»on futile, however, had it not been for the 
 remarkable persistency of Luther in advocacy 
 of the conferent-e and his readim-.-s to toKrate the 
 utmost divergencies of statement which did not 
 
IIAK.MONY AMONd lUnMUKKN. 17*.> 
 
 for liiin iu'(.'i'?;sarily involve :i denial of funda- 
 mental truth. It is a circumstance not to be 
 overlooked, that the first efTectual summons to 
 harmony and toleration within the ranks of the 
 reformed Church went forth from Wittenberg. 
 
(•nAPTi:i: xxi. 
 
 rAKi.i:vi.\(; w nn thk rArisxs. 
 
 The Peace of Xur(Mnl)iir^ assured iinnuinity 
 from perseeiition only to those who were already 
 attached to the cause of the Reformation. As if 
 in mockery of this fechle attempt to clieck the 
 risim: tide, the followini: years were marked hy 
 almost constant defections from the ranks of 
 the Romanists. Philij) of Hesse found occasion 
 to snatch Wiirtemher^ from the control of the 
 Haps))urg8, and at once re-organized its churches 
 upon evancflioal principles. One after another, 
 the imi)ortant cities aloni^ the Rhine, includin«^ 
 Au«:sl)ur^', and whole sections of Northern (ler- 
 many threw off the yoke. The Smalcald Leairue 
 had become a power to he r(\><pected. Even the 
 Emperor and the Pope l)e<;an to realize that it 
 would he impossible to crush this vij^orous move- 
 ment by force of arms. Events in the political 
 horizon were constantly reminding; the former 
 that he mi«;ht at any moment sorely need the 
 support of a united (Jermany. 
 
 W'itliin the same period tlirrc IkhI arisen an 
 iiillu< ntial party within the Roman Catholic 
 church which sincerely desired a reform of lla- 
 granl abuses, and was willing:, to this en<l. to 
 welcome even the Protestants to a general coun- 
 cil, in the hope that by duo concessions they 
 miglit yet l)e induced to acknowledge in some 
 Fcnse the authority of the Pope. Upon the drath 
 of Ch-ment VII. in I'M, his successor, Paul III., 
 prumiHcd to summon a cnuncil to nnct at Mantua 
 (ISO) 
 
rAKLKViNc wrm riii: rAi'isi-s. 181 
 
 and clispatrhcd a diploiiiiitic messenger to (Jcr- 
 nuuiy to iiwaken an interest in the project, or at 
 least i)revent the threatened caHin*^ of an inde- 
 pendent council of the (Jernian churches. The 
 legate, Vergerius hy name, exceeded his in- 
 structions wlieii, led hy curiosity, he visited 
 Wittenberg and invited Luther and his friend 
 Ikigenhagen to breakfast with liim. The Re- 
 former, appreciating the humor of the situation, 
 had himself smootldy shaven that he might ap- 
 pear young and vigorous, put on his best clothes, 
 with a golden chain about his neck, and, to use 
 his own expression, "])Iayed the genuine Luther" 
 to the dismay of the disconci-rted dignitary, treat- 
 ing him with scant courtesy and sliucking his 
 sense oi j)ropriety by tlie l)oldest self-assertion. 
 The legate left in indignation, in his report of the 
 interview denounced Luther as a "beast," but 
 thirteen years later renounced a lucrative ])osition 
 and jmblicly adopted the i)rinciples of his un- 
 manageable guest. 
 
 The Poj)e having ])roclainied May 23d, 1537, as 
 thi! date for a general council, the Elector re- 
 (juested Lutlier to prepare a statement of the 
 doctrines which he would maintain at all hazards 
 before a council or when brought face to face with 
 death and the throne of judgment, and to j>resent 
 the same to his foremost associates for their en- 
 dorsement under the same solemn sanctions. The 
 result was the document known to history as the 
 Smalcald Articles. It ])resents the doctrines of 
 the Augsburg Confession in Luther's own vigor- 
 ous style, with an additional pungent article 
 U])on the papacy. It was carrie<l l>y the IClector 
 to a convt'Ution of the Protestant allies held at 
 Smalcald in February, l^.'^T, but there was no 
 occasion for itt> presentation, as the heroic princes 
 
1S2 Ll'TIIEH, Tin: KEKOItMKIl. 
 
 at oiu'o (Kvhircd that tlicy would liave nothing to 
 do with a founcil ])hMl^i'd in advance to the (•t)n- 
 denination of the truth and so constituted as to 
 Im) subservient to the will of tlie Pope. The 
 sijrnificancc of this Smalcald Convention lies 
 chiclly in the fact that it jircscntrd the lii>t direct 
 and open defiance of the ])apal authority upon 
 the j)art of the Protestant Estates, 
 
 Luther, who with Mdanclithon and P>iiir<ii]iaL't n 
 had acconipanicfl the I'^icctor, was taken seriously 
 sick soon after liis arrival at Smalcald, and it was 
 thoufjht for a time tliat the attack would certainly 
 prove fatal. He longed to die upon Saxon soil, 
 and with many misfrivinfrs the liomeward journey 
 was undertaken. The mcnd)ers of the conven- 
 tion feathered about as he was placed in his car- 
 riage, when, sitting uj), he made the traditional 
 sign of tlie cross al)ove tlie throng, saying : "The 
 I^)rd fdl you with His blessing, and with hatriKl 
 of the Pope." 
 
 The aj)|)arent <]isposition upon the part of tlie 
 Papists to compromise arouse<l all tlie old lire of 
 the Reformer. He i»ublishcd in rapid succession 
 a series of pamplilets in vigorous polemic tone, 
 fnllnwe.l in 1'):;'.) I .v a large work entitled, *' Of 
 Councils and Churches," in which lie utterly 
 shattered the claim of infallil»ility made in behalf 
 <»f the papal councils, and marked out in broad 
 lines the cliaractcristics of the true Christian 
 Cliurdi. 
 
 While Luther continued thus t<i storm the 
 tottering fortifications of tin* papacy, the hand of 
 I*rovidi'nce was w<»rking wondrous transformations 
 in th«- jiolitieal aspect of the nation. Duke 
 (leorge, of Ducal Saxony, the bitterest i>ersonal 
 enemy of Luther an<l his cause, died suddiidy 
 soon after, follow iiiL' hi'-, two sons to the irrave. and 
 
PAKLKYINC; WITH THK I^ATISI-S. 1S3 
 
 his })n)f]u'r Honry at once jxnmtcd to the jjt'oplo 
 of the nahn the CJosjx'l j)riviU'u«'s lon^j denied 
 them. :in<l now eagerly welcomed. Branden- 
 burg, Mecklenberg and distant Denmark had 
 also become Protestant tcrrit«»ry. 
 
 At a convention of the Smalcald League held 
 at Frankfort in April, 1531), a dele«^ate from the 
 Emperor gave the assurance that no active meas- 
 ures would he taken against the Protestants for 
 the next eighteen months, and that the (Jerman 
 testates should be i)ermitted, at a convention called 
 for the purpose, to name a connnittee who should 
 endeavor, in conjunction with a commission ap- 
 pointed by the Em})eror, to f(^rmulate a basis of 
 union between the oj)posing j)arties in Germany. 
 This was a large concession. It made provision 
 practically for what the Reformers had long de- 
 sired — a council of the German Church, with 
 no reference to the authority of the Pope. The 
 latter was furious, but the Emperor was in posi- 
 tion, at that particular juncture, to profit by the 
 alarm of His Holiness, and hence continued to 
 encourage the hopes of the Protestants. 
 
 After a series of ])reliminary meetings, includ- 
 ing a four-days' colUxjuy at \\'orms between Mel- 
 anchthon aad the old arch-enemy of Luther, 
 Jolm Eck, the Emj)eror at length decided that the 
 religious (|Uestions should be freely considered at 
 a regular Diet of the Empire, to be held at Ratis- 
 bon in the spring <»f \i')i\. He himself a])j>ointed 
 a commission of three representative men from 
 each party, Eck, King and (;ru]>per on the on<» 
 side, and upon the other Melanehthon, Pueer and 
 Pistorius. The selection indicated a real desire 
 ujion the part of the Emperor to elTect a reconcili- 
 ation of the opposing parties, and the attempt 
 was made under the most favorable circum- 
 
184 LUTIIKH, THK KKKoKMKK. 
 
 stances. It is of special interest for us to note that 
 Luther, wlio wius at tliis time so tolerant toward 
 variant factions in the Kvan«;elieal party, had no 
 faith whatever in any favoralde result from these 
 n«'<r<»tiatinns with the Tapists. While advising his 
 friends to meet tlie advances of the ICmperor in a 
 kindly spirit, and always wi-leominf? opj>ortunitit's 
 to discuss the points at issue, he cahnly warned 
 his hopeful iussociates that these schemes would 
 not succeed unless a reconciliation could first be 
 brought about between Christ and IJelial. 
 
 The work of the commission at first proceeded 
 with astoundinix rapidity. Formulas were 
 adopted upon tlic subjects of thr oriLMiial state' 
 of man, freewill, the origin of evil, am! ••liLnnal 
 sin. Upon tin* vital (juestion of justification by 
 faith, the Komish theologians yielded the tra- 
 ditional dcjctrine of their church, and agreed to a 
 sUitement which might be understood in a strictly 
 evangelical sense, though leaving some room for an 
 un<lue e.\altation of man's own works of love. 
 
 At tliis sta-ji' of tlir work, its results were sub- 
 mitted to the Elector John Frederick. His 
 attention was at once fixed ui)on tlie cumbrous 
 article upon justification by faith. Too many 
 words! — sai<l the honest, straightf«)rward man — 
 and the force of its positive statements neutralized 
 by the " l)ut " in the last clau.se. He sent it post- 
 haste to Luther, who fully endorsed the judgment 
 of his prince. No pat<'hwork for them! Still, the 
 Reformer, waited upon l>y a special connnittee 
 sent from Katisbon, ri*sponded in terms so court- 
 eous that they were almost mistaken for approval, 
 and advised his own frientls t«» interpose no oIh 
 Htacle to the work of the commission. Let tluin 
 go on. The Papists will surrender everything 
 that concerns merely tlie salvation of souls, but 
 
rAULKYiNt; WITH Tin: rAi»ii>Ts. 185 
 
 tlu'v will j^row stuM>nrn when it comos to the dis- 
 cussinn of the jmpal authority and the idolatntus 
 massi'S. The j)roi)lu'('y was fully justilitd. Thu 
 further eolhxjuy served only to l)rin;r out into 
 the elearer light the irreconcilable differences 
 hetween the eontendin;^ j)artit'S. Tiie Minju'ror 
 (h'sired that the artieles U])on which harmony 
 had heen attained should he adopted by the Diet ; 
 hut the j)apal party declared that the doctrines 
 upon which no a])proach to agreement could be 
 made were the most important, and the Tojk^ 
 sent messa<:es denouncing the concessions already 
 made. The wIk-Ic attempt was linally al)andoned, 
 and the Diet sini})ly conlirmed for an indelinite 
 iK-riod the religious peace granted at Nureml)erg. 
 
 The result of these tedious negotiations was 
 doubtless, upon the whole, favorable to the cause 
 of the Reformation. They proved that it was 
 not personal feeling nor mere stubbornness that 
 actuated the Reformers, but their devotion to a 
 great jjrinciple, a principle now more clearly 
 than ever seen to be totally irreconcilable with 
 the hierarchical system of Rome. They sug- 
 gested further, only too ])lainly, that were it not 
 for her lust of power, Rome herself, as repre- 
 sented by her foremost theologians, would be 
 almost j)rei)ared to acknowledge that, in the great 
 doctrinal battle of a (juarter of a century, Luther 
 hatl already gained the victory. 
 
 It remained only for the Rope to rally his 
 forces, and in a c(»uncil of his own (o]»ened at 
 Trent, December loth, 15-15) to repair if possil)lo 
 the l)reaehes made in ihe doctrinal defences of 
 his own j»arty and set up a new standard with 
 which to meet the victorious hosts that now 
 marched with the enthusiasm of deep conviction 
 beneath the banners of the Augsburg Confession. 
 
CHAITKII XXII 
 
 STANDAHI) (»F MOLALITY. 
 
 Thk critir?! of Luther wt-rr ii<>t slow to cliarixj* 
 upon liis doctrine of jiistirKatinii l.y faitli :i t»ii- 
 (leney to undermine tlie foundations of moral- 
 ity. His unsparinj: assaults upon the )»(>asted 
 j^ood works of the Papists seemed to jrive coun- 
 tenance to the cliarge of comparative indifference 
 to the outward dej)ortment. 
 
 In nieetin<; this ohjection of Ins adversaries, 
 Luther found liimsclf in tlie very worthy com- 
 panionship of tlie Apostle Paul, and was as 
 little disturheil hy it as was the latter. Koth 
 alike rejected the idea of hasin*? salvation upon 
 any work of man. lioth ^ave all the glory to the 
 unmerited grace of (iod extended to all who sin- 
 cerely depend upon the all-sulHcient sacrifice of 
 Christ. Only wilful l)lindness could fail to see 
 that such faith as they advocated nnist hring 
 forth gof)d works as surely as a good tree will 
 hear good fruit. 
 
 The assertion of one of Luther's former asso- 
 ciates, Agricola. tliatgood works are not necessary 
 at all. gi\ing rise to the annoying Antinomian 
 Controversy, was refuted )»y Luther to the sat- 
 isfaction of all hut its author ; and tlie history of 
 the Trotestiint Church is a standing witne.»*s to tlie 
 truth, that the faith that justifies is a faith that 
 ah()un<l- also in the work of the Lord. 
 
 Tin* personal life of Luther liimself was ahove 
 re|)roach. lie was ahstemious in his <liet, hahit- 
 ually »o abhorhcd in his work as to have little re- 
 (186) 
 
STANDAKl* OK MoHAI.ITV. 187 
 
 rranl for tlio |»lcasurt'S of the palatf. Of dissipa- 
 ti<»n \\v woiil«l, even as a studi'iit, know nothing. 
 Purity of thoii<:lit and stronj: control of all carnal 
 j>assions marked his entire career, and lifted him 
 ahove the aspersions of his bitterest foes in an age 
 when tlagrant lapses from the ])ath of social recti- 
 tude were accounted venial olTences. 
 
 He was, however, no ascetic. He was con- 
 stantly assailing the ]»rtvaKiit error of the day, 
 which mistook a ])routl austerity for virtue, and 
 k«i»t the consciences of men in bondage by the 
 minute nciuirements of the code of monastic self- 
 mortilication. He claimed for himself and others 
 the right to enjoy the good things of life, and 
 .-onutimes .shocked the sensibilities of those who 
 yet clung to the gloomy ideals of the past by the 
 boldness f>f his language in defence of personal 
 lilxTty. H we ourselves are startled l)y the refer- 
 <nces of his biograj>h('rs to the gifts of beer and 
 wine that were gratefully accepted, we must re- 
 member that the idea of total abstinence from 
 intoxicants for the sake of the weak brother was 
 foreign to that age, and that Luther himself was 
 most guarded in the use of alcoholic stimulants — 
 was, in fact, regarded as a model in this resj>ect. 
 
 M'ith a clear conscience, therefore, he could lift 
 uj) his voice in earnest warning to his countrym«n 
 against the ravages of the •• drink devil," who 
 notr>riously held the poor (lerniaiis in >U(h abject 
 Itondage to his dominion. At the time of Ids 
 death, he had in contem]>lation the ])reparation of 
 a special treatise upon tin* subject. 
 
 His terril»le arraignment of tlic monastic sys- 
 tem as a nursery of vice is too well known to 
 n«|uire n)ore than pa.'^sing mention. Already in 
 l.")'J(), in his Address to the yulnlitif, he demands 
 action by those in authority for the supprc^^sion of 
 
188 LITIIEK, TlliC UEFOKMER. 
 
 licentiousness ; and one of the first fruits »»f tlie 
 Kt'fornuition in the territory of Saxony was the 
 closing of (lisreputahlc |ihu('S of resort 
 
 In later years, when i)rinees were his friemls, 
 his re^Mrd for them could not restrain him from 
 scathing denunciation of the loose morality of 
 courts. The growing luxury of the commercial 
 cities, and the rirkless exjKnditures of even the 
 j>oor peasants, drew from him indignant protests. 
 The frivolity of tin' rising generati«»n, tiie tendency 
 to immodesty in (hrss or in deportment, the 
 koepiiii: of late hours and the frequenting of 
 public houses, wen- all fre(|Uent suhjects of un- 
 sparing condemnation from tin- })ulj»it. 
 
 The duty of filial obedience learned in his 
 early home and strictly enforced in his own 
 household, he maintained with unllinching 
 fidelity. The duty of a child to its i»arents he 
 j»laced far ahove any claim which the Church or 
 society might have upon it. One •►f the most ser- 
 ious charges which he hrought against the |)apal 
 church was that it claimed the right, like the 
 Pharisees of old, to make this commantlment of 
 Goil of none effect by its traditions. He regarded 
 his own njonastic vow on this account an impit)us 
 one, and sought to make some slight anjcnds for 
 his early filial impiety hy displaying the most 
 seru)>ulous regard f(»r his father's wishes through- 
 out the renjaindcr of his life. 
 
 The custom of secret espousals recognized 
 by the jurists of the day upon the basis of the old 
 canonical laws, aroused Ids indignation. Mere 
 children were thus pennitted to enter into the 
 most solemn ccjmpacl of life without the knowl- 
 e<lg(? of their parenU*. Luther fiercely assailed 
 the practic*', and from tin- pulpit l)oldly ctiisurtMl 
 the juri.»ts and the civil authorities for cncourag- 
 
STANDAHD OK MnUAMTY. 189 
 
 in«: such violations of the Fourth C'oniniandnitnt. 
 Thr latter retorted ant^rily, hut finally were eoin- 
 pelh'd to sueeunih hefore the tremendous moral 
 eneriiy of the faithful j)astor, and the ahuse was 
 aholishe<l. 
 
 We have seen how Luther, hy teaching: and 
 (xainple, honored \hv institution of marriage. 
 It should not surprise us to find his eonreptioii 
 • •f this Paered relation somewhat limited hy the 
 earlier distorted ideas in regard to the normal 
 relation of the sexes. The eonjugal hond was 
 reirarded too exelusively in its lower, carnal as- 
 ]»eets, or as a matter of social economy, and the 
 spiritual relationshi]> uj>on which it should he 
 hased, and which irives to it its highest sanctity, 
 had not yet come to due reconriiition. This de- 
 ficiency, so natural in a carnal age and among 
 men trained under tlie false system of monastic- 
 ism, hecame painfully manifest in the assent of 
 the Reformers to the bigamous marriage of 
 Philip of Hesse. The latter, having found the 
 com]>anion of Ids youth uncongenial, proposed, 
 with her cons<'nt, to wed anctther, and inquired 
 of Luther and his associates whether the Ciospel 
 forhids polygamy. They re])lied that sucli a 
 practice is contrary to the general divine order 
 and sure to W(^rk incalculahle injury; hut they 
 cr)uld lind no ex])ress scriptural prohihition. 
 Tiny inferred from its i)ermission in the lives of 
 the early patriarchs that it might he allowahle in 
 exceptional cases. I'hilip naturally inferred that 
 his own ca.'ic fell under the latter category, and 
 the ceremony was ]M'rformed in the ])resencc of 
 Melanchthon. It must he acknowledged that, in 
 this single instance, the judgment of the Ke- 
 formers was inferior to that of the ]»rinces and 
 simple laity and to the ]>««-iti'>?i of the Roman 
 
190 LUTHEH, TlIK KKKOUMKU. 
 
 Ca^liolic churcli. They f< 11 int<» the error l»y 
 failinj; to note tlie iinj)erf((tion in the moral en- 
 li^'htennient of (ijxl's |)e«)ple in tlie early ages and 
 through their own iniperfeet eoneei)tion of the 
 liigh moral unity involved in the marriage rela- 
 tionship. Th«' unfortunate afTair brought per- 
 plexity and shame upon all connected with it, 
 and, as Thilij) was the leader of the Smalcald 
 League, it cast dis(r«'<lit upon the entire cause of 
 the Protestants. Mclanclithon's distress on ac- 
 count of it very nearly co.st him his life. Lutlier 
 afterwards saw his error, but found consolation in 
 the fact that lie had acted conscientiously. 
 
 In estimating the zeal of the Reformer for i)rac- 
 tical morality, we must remember that it was 
 not his chief providential mission to rebuke 
 the o])en vici'S of his day, but rather to uncover 
 the hidden wickedness that lurked beneath the 
 boasted superior holiness of the }>rofessed teachers 
 of morality ami religion. It was only when this, 
 his peculiar work, had been alm<>st accomjdisluMl, 
 and his eniTgies concentratetl more and more upon 
 his own more immediate surroundings, that he 
 came into really close contact with the vices of the 
 rude multitude. His cjistigations of these ofTenses 
 among his own i)eoj)le was then fully as unsparing 
 as had Ix-en his <lenunciation of his bitterest 
 enemies. Nor was his vehemence in vain. The 
 authorities of the city and Tniversity adopte<l 
 more stringent measures for thi' restraint of dissi- 
 pation. Thus, thrnugh all the yeai*s of conllict 
 with ini«|uity, whether found lurking in the dark 
 or parading in the light of day, this Man of Faitli 
 was continually l>y his intense moral earni'stness 
 overthrowing the works of the devil. 
 
CHAPTKR XXIII. 
 
 IIOMK LIKE. 
 
 No portraituro of Lutlier can l»o com])l(t(' wliich 
 docs not Itrinir distinctly into view tlic husband 
 and father, tindin<^ daily rcfrcslnncnt in the circle 
 of loved ones in his humble hut always hospitable 
 home. The monastery in which his active career 
 had been be<run remained his j)lace of residence, 
 and became his i)ersonal property by pft of the 
 Elector John shortly before the hitter's death. 
 Its construction accordinj^ to the ori<,nnal plan had 
 never been com])leted, and extensive ro])airs were 
 frecjuently nccessar}'. Yet it was commodious, and 
 connwtcd with it was an excellent garden. T«) 
 its bare walls we have seen Luther lead his brave- 
 hearted Katie, but, by the blessing of God, the 
 dark spectre of want was ere long banished. The 
 annual salary from the electoral treasury was from 
 time to time increased, and gifts from various 
 sources added to the cipiipment of the home. 
 Additional land was bought immediately adjoin- 
 ing and in the neighboring village of Zulsdorf. 
 Luther himself estimated the value of his estate 
 shortly before his death at al^out 1(),U(KJ ll«»rins, 
 his income from other sources being at the time 
 40() florins. He might, as his wife was accus- 
 tomed to lament, have been (piite rich had he 
 been like other men; but he always refused to 
 accept any m<»ney for his books, although others 
 m.idr fnitunes liv the sale of them. His free- 
 handed generosity was known far and wide, an<l 
 not seldom abused. Judged bv ordinary stand- 
 (V.)\) 
 
l'^2 LITHKH, THK KKKOKMEU. 
 
 nrds, his donations t<> tlio needy wen- far ])eyoiul 
 liis ability. To the protests of his fnipd wife he 
 was areiistonied to replv : " W'c liave a rich 
 Father." 
 
 To his own household he weleomed an aunt 
 of his wife, Bcveral children of a deceased sister 
 named KaiifTman, at onetime four orphans whose 
 parents had died durinj: a siepe of j)estilence, 
 tutors of his ^n-owin.L' children, students at the 
 Tniversity, and tlie fu^dtive wife of the Elector of 
 Jkandenl)urfr. His friends often made lontr visits, 
 jiassin^ strangers were always cordially welcome<l, 
 escaj)ed monks and nuns found a comfortahle 
 refuge until homes or employment could he 
 secured for them, and there were frequt^nt celebra- 
 tions of fannly birthdays and sindlar occasions of 
 festivity. 
 
 The lunden of all this hospitality fell U])on the 
 faithful Katie, whose tireless enerpy and wise 
 econ<nny alone could save the household from 
 bankruj)tcy. She found especial deli}_dit in her 
 "kinplom," as Luther ])layfully called it, at 
 Zulsdorf, witli its cattle, poultry and croj)s ; while 
 Luther himself was content to amuse himself in 
 the nu)nasterv jjarden, <rraftini; the trees and 
 watching the birds. They both enjoyed hshing 
 in a litth' ])ond near the monastery. lb* himself 
 bore loving testimony to lier lidehty in minist»'r- 
 ing to all his wants, and his cordial lettei-s, written 
 to her whenevtT duty called him from his hom<*, 
 give al)undant <'vidence at onc<' of Ins genuine re- 
 spect for her charactiT and liis sincere alTection. 
 
 Six children were borne to them, of whom 
 Elizabeth died in infancy and ^bigdalena at the age 
 of thirti-en. The father was in each case heart- 
 broken. Tbe scene at the dcath-bcd of Mag- 
 dalcna wa.s dee]»ly touching. Lending tindt riy 
 
HoMK I.IFK. 193 
 
 over luT couch, the man before wlioin princes 
 • jiuiilcd hinisclf trembled like a leaf. '' Lena, 
 dear," he said, "you would like to stay with 
 your father here, and yi-t you will ^dadly «x<> to 
 your Father in heaven." " Yes, dearest fatlier," 
 she replied, "just as (iod wills." ^Vith stream- 
 ing; tears he then prayed for her release from pain 
 and weakness, and, as she breathed her last, 
 turned to comfort the weeping family. " I liave 
 ^'iven heaven a saint," he exclaimed. " O, that 
 we mi^zht die thus ! Such a death I should wel- 
 come this very hour." No other event in his 
 life so (lc<'})ly moved him. He sou^'ht to allay 
 his j^rief by reliecting upon her happy state, but 
 there were times when his tears could be stayi'd 
 only by his swelling indignation at the ravages of 
 death, and of him that hath the power of death, 
 the devil. Thus even sorrow could but stimulate 
 to more earnest warfare against the ])rince of evil. 
 
 Tlie daily intercourse of the Reformer with 
 his children was unrestrained and cordial, lie 
 dilighted in watching their innocent ]»ranks, 
 rompcfl with them, t(jl(l them wondf.'rful tales 
 emi)ellished by the rich hues of his ever-vivid im- 
 agination, and in every way sought to make their 
 early years as bright as his own had been stern 
 and cheerless. He taught them faithfully from 
 tile liibleand the catechism, and encouraged them 
 in the cultivation of whatever musical talent they 
 j)ossessed, his own lute and clear tenor voice 
 always leading in the family chorus. 
 
 The inlluence of the peaceful evening hours 
 thus Kj)ent in njaintaining the joyous, hopeful 
 spirit of the great witness for the truth, who 
 found in the world without little but corruption 
 and strife, can scarcely be overestimate*!. Luther 
 as a lonely monk would have been crusiied with 
 18 
 
VJi LITHKH, THK HKFOIJMKK. 
 
 discourajjomcnt beneath the burdens wliich Luther 
 as thr hajipy head of a Christian home carri«Kl so 
 liplitly. Here he was kept in touch with what is 
 ])uri'st and best in liuman life. Here his hinder 
 heart found sympathy and poured out in return 
 more than it received. Here, as in a Httle world, 
 he studied human nature and learned to speak 
 words of comfort and clieer that echoed in many 
 other homes when clouds of sorrow lowered. 
 
 Here, too, was manifested most clearly the sin- 
 cere, child-like piety of the man. Merrily and 
 unreproved miglit pass the jest and sonp from lij) 
 to lij), but the Unseen Presence was never for- 
 gotten in that home. The most trifling,' incidents 
 were made to teach lessons of reverence and trust. 
 The Scriptures were quoted naturally and aptly as 
 illustratinjx all manner of j)assin^ thenn^. Kvery 
 eveninj^ closed with j)rayer, and at nine o'clock, 
 however popes and emperors mi.^ht ra<:e without, 
 the sentiment of David found literal fultilment in 
 the experience of this royal servant of Daviil's 
 Lord: "I will both lay me down in peace an<l 
 sleep; for thou, Lord, onlv makest me dwell in 
 safety.*' 
 
 The results of this home training, as seen in 
 the lives of Luther's < hildrrn, wen- not disappoint- 
 ing. None of them wius endowe<l with extraor- 
 dinary talent. John became a lawyer, meeting' 
 with a fair measure of success in his callinir. 
 Martin studied for the ministry, but never assumed 
 its active responsibilities, dying at the age of 
 tliirty-three years. Paul ln'i-ame a physician of 
 considerai)le not<', filling j)ositions of trust at sev- 
 cnd courts. Margaret was married to a Prussian 
 no!)leman, Von Kuidieim. They all !)ore excel- 
 lent reputations, and lived as worthy members of 
 tb" <1iurch, enjoyini' ;ind i»<'t il.n-iiP' \]m> lilurty 
 
IIOMK I. IKK. 195 
 
 of conscience won for thoni, as for many millions, 
 hy the dauntless eoura«;e of their revered father. 
 
 Nor should we fail to thank (Jod ft)r the exam- 
 ple of that Christian home. It was a city set 
 ui>«.n a hill, whose li;;lit slione far and wide, dis- 
 I.ellin(]j clouds of error which had darkened thX3 
 nations for centuries. It did more i)erhai)s than 
 even Luther's ponderous words to crush out the 
 "doctrine of devils" which dared to cast dis- 
 honor ui)on tliat state which (lod had distinctly 
 pronounced holy. It encouraged thousands of 
 j)riests to estahlish family altars, and emancipated 
 multitudes from the stilling' moral atmos])here of 
 convents. It pive hack in the Church, instead of 
 the prying j)riest, the sympathizing friend and 
 pastor. L<3fty indeed was the vocation of the 
 man, who not only j)ointed the way to a heavenly 
 home, hut whose intluence was destined to dot the 
 sinful earth with domestic temples resounding 
 through the ages with carols of peace and anthems 
 of praise. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 SICKNESS AND DEATH. 
 
 'I'liE lIcTriilcan tasks aoconiplisliod by T.utlicr 
 un<l(T nianifoM distractions aiul uikKt burdens of 
 rcHponsihility such as had rested upon no other 
 champion of the truth since the days of the 
 apostles, imply the ])ossession of a bodily constitu- 
 tion naturally vigorous. He could scarcely, 
 however, have Ixen pronounced at any stajze of 
 his career a healthy man. The excessive rigor of 
 his monastic days had told upon him. His 
 pale face and ha*z<:ard frame were a subject 
 of comment when he stood before the Diet at 
 Worms. The seasons of deep spiritual struggle 
 through which he jKissed at intervals had j>n)bably 
 some c(mnection with incipient physical disorder. 
 We recall the helpless condition which so often 
 interrupted his labors at Coburg in lo.'U). From 
 that date onward his bodily ailments increased, 
 and he was coinjK'llcd t<» (•••ndition all liis engage- 
 ments for travel or literary labors uj»on the state 
 of his health. Again and again, at important 
 junctures — while in the pulpit, upon his journeys, 
 or engaged in negotiations witli representatives 
 from distiuit churclies — he wjis suddenly overcome 
 with intense pain «»r dizziness. Several times he 
 appeared to be at the ]>oint of death, and bade 
 solemn farewi 11 to bis family an<l assix iates. I>ur- 
 ing the last twenty years of his life theshadi»ws 
 of the apjiroaching en«l were seldom lifted. To 
 liis friends he habitually s|>oke of hiniself as an 
 oM an<l worn-out man, and often sighctl for de- 
 livrniiiri fn.iii an <vil world. 
 
 (190) 
 
SICKNESS AM) DKATII. 1!>7 
 
 Yet of tliis no trace is to he found in the cliar- 
 acttT of liis polemical or devotional writings. 
 AVhcn he «rras])rd his ])vn for ])ractical work, he 
 was ever the same Luther still. His hand wa.s 
 steady, and liis t^itat soul poured itself out in 
 clear analysis, in terrihle invective, or in the joy- 
 ous utterances of a triumphant faith. His hody 
 was but a feeble instrument, (juite for<^otten when 
 the glowin<^ sj)irit rose to deal with the great 
 themes of salvation and eternal life. His latest 
 writings are in eviTV respect as vigorous as any 
 which })rcceded them. 
 
 The clear conviction that the hour of his de- 
 j)arture was rapidly a|))>roaching had, however, a 
 marked influence upon his disposition toward 
 those whose views differed in some respects 
 irom his own, but who yet accepted the funda- 
 mental doctrines of liuman helplessness and divine 
 grace. With the Roman Catholic Church he had 
 no longer the faintest desire of reconeilation. He 
 recognized more clearly than any other in that age 
 tlie imj)assable chasm that separated him from 
 the ])apal fold. It was not only the glaring 
 abuses of that Church against which he i)rotested, 
 but the entire conception upon which it was based 
 he regarded as the j)roduct of impious deception 
 and human pride. In his dying hours he beggeil 
 his friends to pray the Lord to i)rotect His Church 
 against the mad assaults of the Poj)e and his 
 <ounselors then assembled in the Council at 
 Trent. JUit, from the time when the truth had 
 been so boldly confessed at Augsliurg and com- 
 j>romisc with extreme error reje<ted at Marburg, 
 the desire for harmony with all who held the 
 essential truths of the (iospel grew constantly 
 stronger, until it became the passion of his soul. 
 He longed to sec the emancipated hosts of 
 
198 LUTHER, TIIK REFORMER. 
 
 Chrises truo followers hound in loving fellowship 
 hefore his eyes should elose in death. Tiiis in- 
 ward yearning in tlie mighty soul in which the 
 Kefonnation itself had its hirth found concrete 
 expression in the " Wittenherg Concord," which 
 remains for all time a monumental witness to the 
 hroad spirit of hrothcrly love which lay heneath 
 the often stern exterior of the great Reformer. 
 
 Ill the closing years of his life, however, the 
 old spirit of distrust was re-awakened. Inci- 
 dental references in his writings of the years 
 looD— 11 to the tlieory of Zwingli, whose views he 
 regarded as ahandoned by all hut a few of the 
 latter's inunediate followers, aroused angry j)ro- 
 tcsts in Switzerland. The discussion which fol- 
 lowed developed the fact that some German th»-o- 
 logians still inclined more to the views of Zwingli 
 than to his own. It was whispered that some of 
 his intimate a.'^sociatc^, notably Melanchthon, 
 were no longer sound u]>on the doctrine of the 
 Ixjrd's Suj)per. When the custom (»f elevating 
 the host was (juietly discontinued in the ^^'itten- 
 burg church, the re]>ort was circulated that even 
 Luther himself had abandoned the d(K'trine of 
 the bodily presence of (^irist in the sacrament. 
 This was too much for the brave, bold man. 
 His charity was being misinterpri'ted. The ]>eac»' 
 which he had ailvocated seemed, after all, to 
 be basecl ujton hy])ocrisy. His own testimony 
 wa.s being beclouded. He shuddi-red to think 
 that death might overtake him while apparently 
 blindly loitering in the camp of the enemy. It 
 must not l>e. With terrific energy lie hurled 
 new thunderbolts to right and left, regardless of 
 resulting ali. nations. He rejected all overtures of 
 j)eace, and njoiced tlie more, the more l»itterly he 
 was denounccHl by the '*Sacramentariaii.s." He 
 
SICKNESS AND DEATH. 199 
 
 wanted all the world t<» know that tlicst* rationalistic 
 interpretiTs were his foes, and to this end s«tu.L'ht to 
 arouse tlicir animosity to the hii^hcst ])it(h l)y 
 statinir his own ])ositions in the hoMcst and most 
 offensive terms |)ossihU'. The lon<z;in<; to dej)art in 
 peace was now supplanted hy the passionate de- 
 termination to die in armor, wavinj^ his gleani- 
 inf; sword in defence of tlie whole truth as God 
 had <riven him to see it. IIow lar<r<'ly this change 
 of attitude was justified by the real situation is a 
 ])oint upon which historians have differed; hut it 
 would certainly he an occasion for lament if the 
 tone of these lati' passionate utterances were to be 
 adopted as the normal tone of theological discus- 
 sion in times of peace. It is suflicient for us to 
 see in them the Reformer's dying plea for sincer- 
 ity and openness in the expression of religious 
 convictions. 
 
 The closing scene of this dramatic life is hap- 
 pily one of reconciliation. Serious alienations had 
 for some time ])revailed in the mutual relations of 
 the Counts of Mansfcld, Luther's early home-land. 
 It was finally agreed to submit the matters in dis- 
 pute to his decision. Despite his weakness, the 
 extreme cold, and the j)rotests of his friends, he 
 gladly undertook the mission, leaving his home 
 with his three sons and other mend)ers of his 
 household January 23d, ir)40. Floods in the 
 Saab' — a great Anabajjtist, Luther called it — de- 
 layed them for som(? days in Halle, where be 
 preached a vigorous sermon against pajml 
 abuses. A violent attack of sickness upon the 
 journey be attributed to tlu; devil, wlio, he de- 
 clare<l, always assailed him when he had any 
 great work on band. At Eisleben, where tin* 
 negf>tiations were con<lucted, be preached four 
 sermons, the hist on February 15tb, an<l also or- 
 
200 LrTIIEH, TIIK KKFORMEU. 
 
 (lained two yoiin;: men to tin' (iospel ministry. 
 Twice he i)artook of tlic Lord's Sujiper. He 
 maintained an almost continuous eorrespondenee 
 in liis most genial style with his wife and his 
 bosom-friend Mehinclithon, and enhvened the ser- 
 ious hibors of his errand by frecjuent salUes of his 
 unfaihn<x humor. lie found an intensely embit- 
 tered feeling between the j)arties at strife, which 
 had been greatly aggravated by the interventiun 
 of otliers. Trayerful earnestness and jnitience 
 U])on his jtart, and the boundless regani of all fnr 
 his eharaeter and Cdunsel, at length elTected a com- 
 plete reconciliation. 
 
 Luther, feeling indisposed, wa.s excused from 
 attendance at the linal meeting on the 17th, in 
 which the details of the agreement were arranged 
 in legal form, and remained in his room during 
 the morning. lie was present at the evening 
 meal, leading the conversation as usual, int< r- 
 mingling serious themes with sallies of j)layful 
 humor. At eight o'clock he withdrew to his 
 room, and spent some time standing before the 
 window engaged in audible prayer. He then re- 
 joined thecomj)any, and sj)ent an hour with them 
 in j)leasant sociability. During the night his con- 
 dition became serious, and frientis and neighbors 
 were called to his side. His last connected 
 words were: "Father, into thy hands 1 mm- 
 mend my snirit. Thou hast redeemed me, Thou 
 faithful Clod." As his bodily senses were raj)idly 
 failing, one of the company called loudly to him: 
 •'Reverend Father, do you still hold linnly to 
 Christ and the doctrine which you have preached?'' 
 to which he replied distinctly: *'Yes," — then 
 turned upon his side ami pjacefully expired. 
 
 As the tearful funeral procession movecl out 
 of the village, the rc« oucilcd C'ounl."^ of Mansf«M 
 
SICKNESS AND DEATH. 201 
 
 rodr ill ;i<lvaiice, a puMic testimony tliat the last 
 triumph of tlie Hero of tlu- Reformation was a 
 triumph of peace. Dyinj; in tlie i)lace ui liis birth, 
 liis remains were fitly borne to the scene of his 
 hibors and solemnly interred within the walls of 
 the Castle-church, upon whose doors he had nailed 
 his great proclamation of the Church's emaiKij)a- 
 tion. His toil was ended, but his life's work was 
 but be«run. The j)rinciples which he jtroclaimed 
 have directed the course of modern proirress, and 
 so long as the world loves liberty, or the Church 
 rejoices in the doctrine of free j^^ace, can neither 
 fail to cherish the memory of Luther, the Reformer. 
 
 End. 
 
Date Due 
 
 9 
 
BW2220