And yet Luther, imbued with the prejudices of his day, had from his

youth up considered the acts, whose impotence he now experienced, as

sure remedies for diseased souls. What was he to think of the strange

discovery which he had just made in the solitude of the cloister? It

is possible, then, to dwell in the sanctuary, and still carry within

oneself a man of sin! He has received another garment, but not another

heart. His hopes are disappointed. Where is he to stop? Can it be that

all these rules and observances are only human inventions? Such a

supposition appears to him at one time a suggestion of the devil, and

at another time an irresistible truth. Struggling alternately with the

holy voice which spoke to his heart, and with venerable institutions

which had the sanction of ages, Luther's life was a continual combat.

The young monk, like a shade, glided through the long passages of the

cloister, making them echo with his sad groans. His body pined away

and his strength left him; on different occasions he remained as if he

were dead.[164]

[164] "Sæpe eum cogitantem attentius de ira Dei, aut de mirandis

pœnarum exemplis, subito tanti terrores concutiebant ut pene

exanimaretur." (Melancth. Vita Luth.) Often when meditating more

attentively on the wrath of God, or striking examples of punishment,

he was suddenly shaken with such terror that he became like one dead.

Once, overwhelmed with sadness, he shut himself up in his cell, and

for several days and nights allowed no one to approach him. Lucas

Edemberger, one of his friends, feeling uneasy about the unhappy monk,

and having some presentiment of the state in which he actually was,

taking with him several boys, who were accustomed to chant in choirs,

went and knocked at the door of his cell. No one opens or answers.

Good Edemberger, still more alarmed, forces the door. Luther is

stretched on the floor insensible, and showing no signs of life. His

friend tries in vain to revive him, but he still remains motionless.

The young boys begin to chant a soft anthem. Their pure voices act

like a charm on the poor monk, who had always the greatest delight in

music, and he gradually recovers sensation, consciousness, and

life.[165] But if music could for some moments give him a slight

degree of serenity, another and more powerful remedy was wanted to

cure him effectually--that soft and penetrating sound of the gospel,

which is the voice of God himself. He was well aware of this, and,

accordingly, his sorrows and alarms led him to study the writings of

the apostles and prophets with renewed zeal.[166]

[165] Seckend., p. 53.

[166] "Hoc studium ut magis expeteret, illis suis doloribus et

pavoribus movebatur." (Melancth. Vita Luth.) His griefs and fears

urged him to prosecute this study with greater eagerness.

CHAP. IV.

Pious Men in Cloisters--Staupitz--His Piety--His

Visitation--Conversation--The Grace of

Christ--Repentance--Power of Sin--Sweetness of

Repentance--Election--Providence--The Bible--The Old

Monk--The Remission of Sins--Consecration Dinner--The Fête

Dieu--Call to Wittemberg.

Luther was not the first monk who had passed through similar

struggles. The cloisters often shrouded within the obscurity of their

walls abominable vices, at which if they had been brought to light,

every honest mind would have shuddered; but they often also concealed

Christian virtues which were there unfolded in silence, and which, if

they had been placed before the eyes of the world, would have excited

admiration. These virtues, possessed by those who lived only with

themselves and with God, attracted no attention, and were often even

unknown to the modest convent within which they were contained.

Leading a life known to God only, these humble solitaries fell

occasionally into that mystical theology, sad malady of noblest minds,

which formerly constituted the delight of the first monks on the banks

of the Nile, and which uselessly consumes those who fall under its

influence.

Still, when one of these men happened to be called to an eminent

station, he there displayed virtues whose salutary influence was long

and widely felt. The candle being placed on the candlestick gave light

to all the house. Several were awakened by this light, and hence those

pious souls, propagated from generation to generation, kept shining

like solitary torches at the very time when cloisters were often

little better than impure receptacles of the deepest darkness.

A young man had in this way attracted notice in one of the convents of

Germany. He was named John Staupitz, and was of a noble family in

Misnia. From his earliest youth, having a taste for science and a love

of virtue, he longed for retirement, in order to devote himself to

literature;[167] but soon finding that philosophy and the study of

nature could do little for eternal salvation, he began to study

theology, making it his special object to join practice with

knowledge. For, says one of his biographers, it is vain to deck

ourselves with the name of theologian, if we do not prove our title to

the honourable name by our life.[168] The study of the Bible, and of

the theology of St. Augustine, the knowledge of himself, and the war

which he, like Luther, had to wage against the wiles and lusts of his

heart, led him to the Redeemer, through faith in whom he found peace

to his soul. The doctrine of the election of grace had, in particular,

taken a firm hold of his mind. Integrity of life, profound science and

eloquence, combined with a noble appearance and a dignified address,

recommended him to his contemporaries.[169] The Elector of Saxony,

Frederick the Wise, made him his friend, employed him on different

embassies, and under his direction founded the University of

Wittemberg. This disciple of St. Paul and St. Augustine was the first

Dean of the Faculty of Theology in that school which was one day to

send forth light to enlighten the schools and churches of so many

nations. He attended the council of Lateran, as deputy from the

Archbishop of Salzbourg, became provincial of his order in Thuringia

and Saxony, and ultimately vicar-general of the Augustins all over

Germany.

[167] "A teneris unguiculis, generoso animi impetu, ad virtutem et

eruditam doctrinam contendit." (Melanct. Adam. Vita Staupitzii.) From

his earliest years, with generous intellectual impulse, he tended to

virtue and learning.

[168] (Ibid.)

[169] "Corporis forma atque statura conspicuus." (Cochlœ., iii.) He

was remarkably tall and handsome.

Staupitz lamented the corruption of manners and the errors in doctrine

which were laying waste the Church. This is proved by his writings on

the love of God, on Christian faith, on resemblance to Christ in his

death, and by the testimony of Luther. But he considered the former of

these evils as greatly the worse of the two. Besides, the mildness and

indecision of his character, and his desire not to go beyond the

sphere of action which he thought assigned to him, made him fitter to

be the restorer of a convent than the Reformer of the Church. He could

have wished to confer important stations only on distinguished men,

but not finding them, he was contented to employ others. "We must

plough with horses," said he, "if we can find them; but if we have no

horses, we must plough with oxen."[170]

[170] Luth. Op. (W.) v, 2819.

We have seen the anguish and inward wrestlings to which Luther was a

prey in the convent of Erfurt. At this time a visit from the

vicar-general was announced, and Staupitz accordingly arrived to make

his ordinary inspection. The friend of Frederick, the founder of the

University of Wittemberg, the head of the Augustins, took a kind

interest in the monks under his authority. It was not long ere one of

the friars of the convent attracted his attention. This was a young

man of middle stature, whom study, abstinence, and vigils, had so

wasted away, that his bones might have been counted.[171] His eyes,

which at a later period were compared to those of the falcon, were

sunken, his gait was sad, and his looks bespoke a troubled soul, the

victim of numerous struggles, yet still strong and bent on resisting.

His whole appearance had in it something grave, melancholy, and

solemn. Staupitz, whose discernment had been improved by long

experience, easily discovered what was passing in the soul of the

young friar, and singled him out from those around him. He felt drawn

towards him, had a presentiment of his high destiny, and experienced

the interest of a parent for his subaltern. He, too, had struggled

like Luther, and could therefore understand his situation. Above all,

he could show him the way of peace, which he himself had found. The

information he received of the circumstances which had brought the

young Augustin to the convent increased his sympathy. He requested the

prior to treat him with great mildness, and availed himself of the

opportunities which his office gave him to gain the young friar's

confidence. Going kindly up to him, he took every means to remove his

timidity, which was moreover increased by the respect and reverence

which the elevated rank of Staupitz naturally inspired.

[171] Mosellani Epist.

The heart of Luther, till then closed by harsh treatment, opened at

last, and expanded to the mild rays of charity. "As in water face

answereth to face, so the heart of man to man."[172] The heart of

Staupitz answered to the heart of Luther. The vicar-general understood

him; and the monk, in his turn, felt a confidence in Staupitz which no

one had hitherto inspired. He revealed to him the cause of his

sadness, depicted the fearful thoughts which agitated him, and then in

the cloister of Erfurt commenced a conversation full of wisdom and

instruction.

[172] Proverbs, xxvii, 19.

"In vain," said Luther despondingly to Staupitz; "in vain do I make

promises to God; sin has always the mastery."

"O my friend," replied the vicar-general, thinking how it had been

with himself, "more than a thousand times have I sworn to our holy God

to live piously, and I have never done so. Now I no longer swear; for

I know I should not perform. Unless God be pleased to be gracious to

me for the love of Christ, and to grant me a happy departure when I

leave this world, I shall not be able with all my vows and all my good

works to stand before him. I must perish."[173]

[173] Luth. Op. (W.) viii, 2725.

The young monk is terrified at the thought of the Divine justice, and

lays all his fears before the vicar-general. The ineffable holiness of

God, and his sovereign majesty, fill him with alarm. Who will be able

to support the day of his advent--who to stand when he appeareth?

Staupitz resumes. He knows where he has found peace, and his young

friend will hear it. "Why torment thyself," said he to him, "with all

these speculations and high thoughts? Look to the wounds of Jesus

Christ, to the blood which he has shed for thee; then thou shalt see

the grace of God. Instead of making a martyr of thyself for thy

faults, throw thyself into the arms of the Redeemer. Confide in him,

in the righteousness of his life, and the expiation of his death. Keep

not back; God is not angry with thee; it is thou who art angry with

God. Listen to the Son of God, who became man in order to assure thee

of the Divine favour. He says to thee, 'Thou art my sheep; thou

hearest my voice; none shall pluck thee out of my hand.'"[174]

[174] Luth. Op. ii, 264.

But Luther does not here find the repentance which he believes

necessary to salvation. He replies, and it is the ordinary reply of

agonised and frightened souls, "How dare I believe in the favour of

God, while there is nothing in me like true conversion? I must be

changed before he can receive me."

His venerable guide shows him that there can be no true conversion

while God is dreaded as a severe Judge. "What will you say then,"

exclaims Luther, "of the many consciences, to which a thousand

unsupportable observances are prescribed as a means of gaining

heaven?"

Then he hears this reply from the vicar-general, or rather his belief

is, that it comes not from man, but is a voice sounding from

heaven.[175] "No repentance," says Staupitz, "is true, save that which

begins with the love of God and of righteousness.[176] What others

imagine to be the end and completion of repentance is, on the

contrary, only the commencement of it. To have a thorough love of

goodness, thou must, before all, have a thorough love of God. If thou

wouldest be converted, dwell not upon all these macerations and

tortures; 'Love him who first loved thee.'"

[175] "Te velut e cœlo sonantem accepimus." (Luth. Ep. i, 115, ad

Staupitzium, 30th May, 1518.) We have heard thee, as it were, speaking

from heaven.

[176] "Pœnitentia vero non est, nisi quæ ab amore justitiæ et Dei

incipit," etc. (Ibid.) There is no repentance save that which begins

with the love of God and of righteousness.

Luther listens and listens again. These consoling words fill him with

unknown joy, and give him new light. "It is Jesus Christ," thinks he

in his heart. "Yes, it is Jesus Christ himself who consoles me so

wonderfully by these sweet and salutary words."[177]

[177] "Memini inter jucundissimas et salutares fabulas tuas, quibus me

solet Dominus Jesus mirifice consolari." (Ibid.) I recollect during

your most pleasing and salutary conversation, with which the Lord is

wont wondrously to console me.

These words, in fact, penetrated to the inmost heart of the young

monk, like the sharp arrow of a mighty man.[178] In order to repent,

it is necessary to love God. Illumined with this new light, he

proceeds to examine the Scriptures, searching out all the passages

which speak of repentance and conversion. These words, till now so

much dreaded, become, to use his own expressions, "an agreeable sport,

and the most delightful recreation. All the passages of Scripture

which frightened him seem now to rise up from all sides, smiling, and

leaping, and sporting with him."[179]

[178] "Hæsit hoc verbum tuum in me, sicut sagitta potentis acuta."

(Ibid.) Your word stuck fast in me, like the sharp arrow of a mighty

man.

[179] "Ecce jucundissimum ludum, verba undique mihi colludebant,

planeque huic sententiæ arridebant et assultabant." (Luth. Ep. i,

115.) When, behold, a most pleasing sport! the words coming from all

sides, sported with me, obviously smiling and leaping at the

sentiment.

"Hitherto," exclaims he, "though I carefully disguised the state of my

heart, and strove to give utterance to a love which was only

constrained and fictitious, Scripture did not contain a word which

seemed to me more bitter than that of _repentance_. Now, however,

there is none sweeter and more agreeable.[180] Oh! how pleasant the

precepts of God are, when we read them not only in books, but in the

precious wounds of the Saviour."[181]

[180] "Nunc nihil dulcius aut gratius mihi sonet quam pœnitentia,"

etc. (Ibid.) Now nothing sounds sweeter or more agreeable to me than

repentance.

[181] "Ita enim dulcescunt præcepta Dei, quando non in libris tantum,

sed in vulneribus dulcissimi Salvatoris legenda intelligimus." (Ibid.)

For thus do the divine precepts become sweet, when we understand that

they are to be read not in books merely, but in the wounds of a most

gracious Saviour.

Meanwhile, Luther, though consoled by the words of Staupitz was still

subject to fits of depression. Sin manifested itself anew to his

timorous conscience, and then the joy of salvation was succeeded by

his former despair. "O my sin! my sin! my sin!" one day exclaimed the

young monk in presence of the vicar-general, in accents of the deepest

grief. "Ah!" replied he, "would you only be a sinner on canvass, and

also have a Saviour only on canvass?" Then Staupitz gravely added,

"Know that Jesus Christ is the Saviour even of those who are great,

real sinners, and every way deserving of condemnation."

What agitated Luther was not merely the sin which he felt in his

heart. The upbraidings of his conscience were confirmed by arguments

drawn from reason. If the holy precepts of the Bible frightened him,

some of its doctrines likewise increased his terror. Truth, which is

the great means by which God gives peace to man, must necessarily

begin by removing the false security which destroys him. The doctrine

of election, in particular, disturbed the young man, and threw him

into a field which it is difficult to traverse. Must he believe that

it was man who, on his part, first chose God? or that it was God who

first chose man? The Bible, history, daily experience, and the

writings of Augustine, had shown him that always, and in every thing,

in looking for a first cause, it was necessary to ascend to the

sovereign will by which every thing exists, and on which every thing

depends. But his ardent spirit would have gone farther. He would have

penetrated into the secret counsel of God, unveiled its mysteries,

seen the invisible, and comprehended the incomprehensible. Staupitz

interfered, telling him not to pretend to fathom the hidden purposes

of God, but to confine himself to those of them which have been made

manifest in Christ. "Look to the wounds of Christ," said he to him,

"and there see a bright display of the purposes of God towards man. It

is impossible to comprehend God out of Jesus Christ. In Christ you

will find what I am, and what I require, saith the Lord. You can find

him nowhere else, either in heaven or on the earth."[182]

[182] Luth. Op. (W.) xxii., p. 489.

The vicar-general went farther. He convinced Luther of the paternal

designs of Providence, in permitting the various temptations and

combats which the soul has to sustain. He exhibited them to him in a

light well fitted to revive his courage. By such trials God prepares

those whom he destines for some important work. The ship must be

proved before it is launched on the boundless deep. If this education

is necessary for every man, it is so particularly for those who are to

have an influence on their generation. This Staupitz represented to

the monk of Erfurt; "It is not without cause," said he to him, "that

God exercises you by so many combats; be assured he will employ you in

great things as his minister."

These words, which Luther hears with astonishment and humility, fill

him with courage, and give him a consciousness of powers, whose

existence he had not even suspected. The wisdom and prudence of an

enlightened friend gradually reveal the strong man to himself. Nor

does Staupitz rest here. He gives him valuable directions as to his

studies, exhorting him in future to lay aside the systems of the

school, and draw all his theology from the Bible. "Let the study of

the Scriptures," said he, "be your favourite occupation." Never was

good advice better followed. But what, above all, delighted Luther,

was the present of a Bible from Staupitz. Perhaps it was the Latin

Bible bound in red leather, which belonged to the convent, and which

it was the summit of his desire to possess, that he might be able to

carry it about with him wherever he went, because all its leaves were

familiar to him, and he knew where to look for every passage.[183] At

length this treasure is his own. From that time he studies the

Scriptures, and especially the Epistles of St. Paul, with always

increasing zeal. The only author whom he admits along with the Bible

is St. Augustine. Whatever he reads is deeply imprinted on his soul,

for his struggles had prepared him for comprehending it. The soil had

been ploughed deep, and the incorruptible seed penetrates far into it.

When Staupitz left Erfurt, a new day had dawned upon Luther.

[183] Seckendorf, p. 52.

Nevertheless, the work was not finished. The vicar-general had

prepared it, but its completion was reserved for a humbler instrument.

The conscience of the young Augustin had not yet found repose, and,

owing to his efforts and the stretch on which his soul had been kept,

his body at length gave way. He was attacked by an illness which

brought him to the gates of death. This was in the second year of his

residence in the convent. All his agonies and terrors were awakened at

the approach of death. His own pollution and the holiness of God anew

distracted his soul. One day, when overwhelmed with despair, an old

monk entered his cell, and addressed him in consoling terms. Luther

opened his heart to him, and made him aware of the fears by which he

was agitated. The respectable old man was incapable of following him

into all his doubts as Staupitz had done; but he knew his _Credo_, and

having found in it the means of consoling his own heart, he could

apply the same remedy to the young friar. Leading him back to the

Apostles' Creed, which Luther had learned in infancy at the school of

Mansfield, the old monk good-naturedly repeated the article, "_I

believe in the forgiveness of sins_." These simple words, which the

pious friar calmly repeated at this decisive moment, poured great

consolation into the soul of Luther. "I believe," oft repeated he to

himself on his sick-bed, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins." "Ah!"

said the monk, "the thing to be believed is not merely that David's or

Peter's sins are forgiven; this the devils believe: God's command is,

to believe that our own sins are forgiven."[184] How delightful this

command appeared to poor Luther! "See what St. Bernard says in his

sermon on the annunciation," added the old friar; "the witness which

the Holy Spirit witnesseth with our spirit is, 'Thy sins are forgiven

thee.'"

[184] "Davidi aut Petro ... Sed mandatum Dei esse ut singuli homines,

nobis remitti peccata credamus." (Melancth. Vit. Luth.) Not to David

or Peter, but the command of God is, that every one of us believe that

our sins are forgiven.

From this moment light sprung up in the heart of the young monk of

Erfurt. The gracious word has been pronounced, and he believes it. He

renounces the idea of meriting salvation, and puts implicit confidence

in the grace of God through Jesus Christ. He does not see all the

consequences of the principle which he has admitted; he is still

sincere in his attachment to the Church, and yet he has no longer need

of her. He has received salvation immediately from God himself; and

from that moment Roman Catholicism is virtually destroyed in him. He

goes forward and searches the writings of the apostles and prophets,

for every thing that may strengthen the hope which fills his heart.

Each day he invokes help from above, and each day also the light

increases in his soul.

The health which his spirit had found soon restores health to his

body, and he rises from his sick-bed, after having, in a double sense,

received a new life. During the feast of Noel, which arrived shortly

after, he tasted abundantly of all the consolations of faith. With

sweet emotion he took part in the holy solemnities, and when in the

middle of the gorgeous service of the day, he came to chant these

words:--"_O beata culpa, quæ talem meruisti Redemptorem!_"[185] his

whole being said _Amen_, and thrilled with joy.

[185] "O blessed fault, to merit such a Redeemer." (Mathesius, p. 5.)

Luther had been two years in the cloister, and must now be consecrated

priest. He had received much, and he looked forward with delight to

the prospect which the priesthood presented of enabling him freely to

give what he had freely received. Wishing to avail himself of the

occasion to be fully reconciled to his father, he invited him to be

present, and even asked him to fix the day. John Luther, though not

yet entirely appeased, nevertheless accepted the invitation, and named

Sabbath the 2nd May, 1507.

In the list of Luther's friends was the vicar of Isenach, John Braun,

who had been his faithful adviser when he resided in that town. Luther

wrote him on the 22nd April. It is the Reformer's earliest letter, and

bears the following address:--"To John Braun, Holy and Venerable

Priest of Christ and Mary." It is only in the two first letters of

Luther that the name of Mary occurs.

"God, who is glorious and holy in all his works," says the candidate

for the priesthood, "having designed to exalt me exceedingly,--me, a

miserable and every way unworthy sinner, and to call me solely out of

his abundant mercy, to his sublime ministry, it is my duty in order to

testify my gratitude for a goodness so divine and so magnificent, (as

far at least as dust can do it,) to fulfil with my whole heart the

office which is entrusted to me."

At length the day arrived. The miner of Mansfield failed not to be

present at the consecration of his son.... He even gave him an

unequivocal mark of his affection and generosity, by making him a

present of twenty florins on the occasion.

The ceremony took place, Jerome, Bishop of Brandebourg, officiating.

At the moment of conferring on Luther the right to celebrate mass, he

put the chalice into his hand, uttering these solemn words, "_Accipe

potestatem sacrificandi pro vivis et mortuis_"--"Receive power to

sacrifice for the living and the dead." Luther then listened

complacently to these words, which gave him the power of doing the

very work appropriated to the Son of God; but they afterwards made him

shudder. "That the earth did not swallow us both," said he, "was more

than we deserved, and was owing to the great patience and

long-suffering of the Lord."[186]

[186] Luth. Op. xvi, (Walch.) 1144.

The father afterwards dined at the convent with his son, the friends

of the young priest and the monks. The conversation turned on Martin's

entrance into the cloister, the friars loudly extolling it as one of

the most meritorious of works. Then the inflexible John, turning

towards his son, said to him, "Hast thou not read in Scripture to obey

thy father and thy mother?"[187] These words struck Luther; they gave

him quite a different view of the action which had brought him into

the convent, and for a long time continued to echo in his heart.

[187] "Ei, hast du nicht auch gehort das man Eltern soll gehorsam

seyn." (Luth. Ep. ii, 101.)

By the advice of Staupitz, Luther, shortly after his ordination, made

short excursions on foot into the neighbouring parishes and convents,

both for relaxation, to give his body the necessary exercise, and to

accustom himself to preaching.

The Fête Dieu was to be celebrated with splendour at Eisleben, where

the vicar-general was to be present. Luther repaired thither. He had

still need of Staupitz, and missed no opportunity of meeting with this

enlightened conductor who was guiding him into the way of life. The

procession was numerous and brilliant. Staupitz himself carried the

holy sacrament, and Luther followed in his sacerdotal dress. The

thought that it was truly Jesus Christ that the vicar-general was

carrying--the idea that Christ was there in person actually before

him--suddenly struck Luther's imagination, and filled him with such

amazement that he could scarcely move forward. The perspiration fell

from him in drops; he shook, and thought he would have died with agony

and terror. At length the procession ceased. This host which had so

awakened the fears of the monk was solemnly deposited in the

sanctuary, and Luther, as soon as he was alone with Staupitz, threw

himself into his arms, and told him of his consternation. Then the

worthy vicar-general, who had long known that Saviour who breaketh

not the bruised reed, said to him mildly, "It was not Jesus Christ, my

brother. Jesus Christ does not alarm--he consoles merely."[188]

[188] "Es ist nicht Christus denn Christus schreckt nicht, sondern

tröstet nur." (Luth. Op. (W.) xxii, pp. 513, 724.)

Luther was not to remain hid in an obscure convent. The time had

arrived for his being transported to a larger theatre. Staupitz, with

whom he was in constant correspondence, was well aware that the soul

of the young monk was too active to be confined within so narrow a

circle. He mentioned him to Frederick of Saxony, and this enlightened

prince, in 1508, probably towards the close of the year, invited him

to a chair in the university of Wittemberg. Wittemberg was a field on

which he was to fight hard battles; and Luther felt that his vocation

was there. Being required to repair promptly to his new post, he

answered the appeal without delay; and, in the hurry of his removal,

had not even time to write him whom he called his master and beloved

father--John Braun, curate of Isenach. Some months after, he

wrote--"My departure was so sudden, that those I was living with

scarcely knew of it. I am far away, I confess: but the better part of

me is still with you."[189] Luther had been three years in the

cloister of Erfurt.

[189] Luth. Ep. i, p. 5, March 17, 1509.

CHAP. V

The University of Wittemberg--First Employment--Biblical

Lectures--Sensation--Preaching at Wittemberg--The Old

Chapel--Impression.

In the year 1502, the Elector Frederick had founded a new university

at Wittemberg, declaring, in the act by which he confirmed it, that he

and his people would turn to it as towards an oracle. He thought not

at the time that these words would be so magnificently realised. Two

men belonging to the opposition which had been formed against the

scholastic system, viz., Pollich of Mellerstadt, doctor of medicine,

law, and philosophy, and Staupitz, had great influence in founding

this school. The university declared St. Augustine its patron; and

even this choice was a presage of good. In possession of great

freedom, and regarded as a tribunal to which, in cases of difficulty,

the supreme decision belonged, this new institution, which was in

every way fitted to become the cradle of the Reformation, powerfully

contributed to the development of Luther and his work.

On his arrival at Wittemberg, Luther repaired to the convent of

Augustins, where a cell was alloted him; for though professor, he

ceased not to be monk. He was appointed to teach philosophy and

dialectics. In assigning him these departments, regard had, no doubt,

been had to the studies which he had prosecuted at Erfurt, and to his

degree of Master of Arts. Thus Luther, who was hungering and thirsting

for the word of life, saw himself obliged to give his almost exclusive

attention to the scholastic philosophy of Aristotle. He had need of

the bread of life which God gives to the world, and he must occupy

himself with human subtleties. How galling! How much he sighed! "I am

well, by the grace of God," wrote he to Braun, "were it not that I

must study philosophy with all my might. Ever since I arrived at

Wittemberg, I have eagerly desired to exchange this study for that of

theology: but," added he, lest it should be thought he meant the

theology of the time, "the theology I mean is that which seeks out the

kernel of the nut, the heart of the wheat, and the marrow of the

bone.[190] Howbeit God is God," continues he, with that confidence

which was the soul of his life, "man is almost always deceived in his

judgment; but he is our God, and will conduct us by his goodness for

ever and ever." The studies in which Luther was at this time obliged

to engage were afterwards of great service to him in combating the

errors of the schoolmen.

[190] ... "Theologia quæ nucleum nucis et medullam tritici et medullam

ossium serutatur." (Luth. Ep. i, 6.)

Here, however, he could not stop. The desire of his heart must be

accomplished. The same power which formerly pushed him from the bar

into the monastic life now pushed him from philosophy towards the

Bible. He zealously commenced the study of ancient languages,

especially Greek and Hebrew, that he might be able to draw science and

learning at the fountain-head. He was all his life an indefatigable

student.[191] Some months after his arrival at the university he

applied for the degree of Bachelor in Divinity, and obtained it in the

end of March 1509, with a special injunction to devote himself to

biblical theology, _ad Biblia_.

[191] "In studiis literarum, corpore ac mente indefessus."

(Pallavicini, Hist. Conc. Trid. i, 16.) In literary pursuits, he was

indefatigable in mind and body.

Every day at one, Luther had to lecture on the Bible,--a precious

employment both for the professor and his pupils--giving them a

better insight into the divine meaning of those oracles which had so

long been lost both to the people and the school.

He began his lectures with an exposition of the Psalms, and shortly

after proceeded to the Epistle to the Romans. It was especially when

meditating upon it that the light of truth entered his heart. After

retiring to his quiet cell he spent hours in the study of the Divine

Word--the Epistle of St. Paul lying open before him. One day, coming

to the seventeenth verse of the first chapter, he read these words of

the prophet Habakkuk, "_The just shall live by faith_." He is struck

with the expression. The just, then, has a different life from other

men, and this life is given by faith. These words, which he receives

into his heart as if God himself had there deposited them, unveils the

mystery of the Christian life to him, and gives him an increase of

this life. Long after, in the midst of his numerous labours, he

thought he still heard a voice saying to him, "The just shall live by

faith."[192]

[192] Seckend., p. 55.

Luther's lectures, thus prepared, had little resemblance to those

which had hitherto been delivered. It was not a declamatory

rhetorician, or a pedantic schoolman that spoke; it was a Christian

who had felt the power of revealed truth--truth which he derived from

the Bible, and presented to his astonished hearers, all full of life,

as it came from the treasury of his heart. It was not a lesson from

man, but a lesson from God.

This novel exposition of the truth was much talked of. The news spread

far and wide, and attracted a great number of foreign students to the

recently founded university. Even some of the professors attended the

lectures of Luther, among others, Mellerstadt, often surnamed, "_The

Light of the World_." He was the first rector of the university, and

had previously been at Leipsic, where he had vigorously combated the

ridiculous lessons of the schoolmen, and denying that "the light of

the first day of creation could be theology," had maintained that this

science ought to be based on the study of literature. "This monk,"

said he, "will send all the doctors to the right about. He will

introduce a new doctrine, and reform the whole Church, for he founds

upon the word of God; and no man in the world can either combat or

overthrow this word, even though he should attack it with all the

weapons of philosophy, the sophists, Scotists, Albertists, Thomists,

and the whole fraternity."[193]

[193] Melch. Adam. Vita Lutheri, p. 104.

Staupitz, who was the instrument in the hand of Providence to unfold

the gifts and treasures hidden in Luther, invited him to preach in

this church of the Augustins. The young professor recoiled at this

proposal. He wished to confine himself to his academic functions, and

trembled at the thought of adding to them that of preacher. In vain

did Staupitz urge him. "No, no," replied he, "it is no light matter to

speak to men in the place of God."[194] Touching humility in this

great Reformer of the Church! Staupitz insisted; but the ingenious

Luther, says one of his biographers, found fifteen arguments,

pretexts, and evasions, to excuse himself from this calling. The chief

of the Augustins, still continuing his attack, Luther exclaimed, "Ah!

doctor, in doing this, you deprive me of life. I would not be able to

hold out three months." "Very well," replied the vicar-general, "so be

it in God's name. For up yonder, also, our Lord has need of able and

devoted men." Luther behoved to yield.

[194] Fabricius, Centifol. Lutheri, p. 33. Mathesius, p. 6.

In the middle of the public square of Wittemberg was a wooden chapel,

thirty feet long by twenty wide, whose sides, propped up in all

directions, were falling to decay. An old pulpit made of fir, three

feet in height, received the preacher. In this miserable chapel the

preaching of the Reformation commenced. God was pleased that that

which was to establish his glory should have the humblest origin. The

foundation of the church of the Augustins had just been laid, and

until it should be finished this humble church was employed. "This

building," adds the contemporary of Luther who relates these

circumstances, "may well be compared to the stable in which Christ was

born. It was in this miserable inclosure that God was pleased, so to

speak, to make his beloved Son be born a second time. Among the

thousands of cathedrals and parish churches with which the world

abounded, there was then one only which God selected for the glorious

preaching of eternal life."[195]

[195] Myconius.

Luther preaches, and every thing is striking in the new preacher. His

expressive countenance, his noble air, his clear and sonorous voice,

captivate the hearers.

The greater part of preachers before him had sought rather to amuse

their auditory than to convert them. The great seriousness which

predominates in Luther's preaching, and the joy with which the

knowledge of the gospel has filled his heart, give to his eloquence at

once an authority, a fervour, and an unction which none of his

predecessors had. "Endowed," says one of his opponents,[196] "with a

keen and acute intellect, and a retentive memory, and having an

admirable facility in the use of his mother tongue, Luther, in point

of eloquence, yielded to none of his age. Discoursing from the pulpit

as if he had been agitated by some strong passion, and suiting his

action to his words, he produced a wonderful impression on the minds

of his hearers, and like a torrent, carried them along whithersoever

he wished. So much force, gracefulness, and eloquence, are seldom seen

in the people of the north." "He had," says Bossuet, "a lively and

impetuous eloquence, which hurried people away and entranced

them."[197]

[196] Florimond Raymond, Hist. Hæres. cap. v.

[197] Hist. des Variat. l. 1.

In a short time the little chapel could not contain the hearers who

crowded to it. The council of Wittemberg then made choice of Luther

for their preacher, and appointed him to preach in the town church.

The impression which he produced here was still greater. The power of

his genius, the eloquence of his diction, and the excellence of the

doctrines which he announced, equally astonished his hearers. His

reputation spread far and wide, and Frederick the Wise himself once

came to Wittemberg to hear him.

Luther had commenced a new life. The uselessness of the cloister had

been succeeded by great activity. The liberty, the labour, the

constant activity to which he could devote himself at Wittemberg,

completely restored his internal harmony and peace. He was now in his

place, and the work of God was soon to exhibit its majestic step.

CHAP. VI.

Journey to Rome--A Convent on the Pô--Sickness at

Bologna--Remembrances in Rome--Superstitious

Devotion--Profaneness of the Clergy--Conversation--Disorders

in Rome--Biblical Studies--Pilate's Stair--Influence on his

Faith and on the Reformation--The Gate of Paradise--Luther's

Confession.

Luther was teaching both in his academic chair and in the church, when

his labours were interrupted. In 1510, or, according to some, not till

1511 or 1512, he was sent to Rome. Seven convents of his order having

differed on certain points with the vicar-general,[198] the activity

of Luther's mind, the power of his eloquence, and his talent for

discussion, made him be selected to plead the cause of these seven

monasteries before the pope.[199] This Divine dispensation was

necessary to Luther, for it was requisite that he should know Rome.

Full of the prejudices and illusions of the cloister, he had always

represented it to himself as the seat of holiness.

[198] "Quod septem conventus a vicario in quibusdam dissentirent."

(Cochlœus, 7.)

[199] "Quod esset acer ingenio et ad contradicendum audax et

vehemens." (Cochlœus, ii.) Because he was of a sharp wit, and bold and

vehement in reply.

He accordingly set out and crossed the Alps, but scarcely had he

descended into the plains of rich and voluptuous Italy, than he found

at every step subjects of astonishment and scandal. The poor German

monk was received in a rich convent of Benedictines, situated upon the

Pô in Lombardy. This convent had thirty-six thousand ducats of

revenue. Of these, twelve thousand were devoted to the table, twelve

thousand to the buildings, and twelve thousand to the other wants of

the monks.[200] The gorgeousness of the apartments, the beauty of the

dresses, and the rarities of the table, all astonished Luther. Marble

and silk, and luxury under all its forms! How new the sight to the

humble friar of the poor convent of Wittemberg! He was astonished and

said nothing, but when Friday came, how surprised was he to see

abundance of meat still covering the table of the Benedictines! Then

he resolved to speak out. "The Church and the pope," said he to them,

"forbid such things." The Benedictines were indignant at this

reprimand from the rude German, but Luther having insisted, and

perhaps threatened to make their disorders known, some of them thought

that the simplest plan was to get rid of their troublesome guest. The

porter of the convent having warned him that he ran a risk in staying

longer, he made his escape from this epicurean monastery, and arrived

at Bologna, where he fell dangerously sick.[201] Some have seen in

this sickness the effects of poison, but it is simpler to suppose that

it was the effect which a change of living produced in the frugal monk

of Wittemberg, whose principal food was wont to be bread and herrings.

This sickness was not to be unto death, but for the glory of God.

Luther's constitutional sadness and depression again overpowered him.

To die thus far from Germany, under this burning sky in a foreign

land, what a fate! The agonies which he had felt at Erfurt returned

with all their force. The conviction of his sins troubled, while the

prospect of the judgment-seat of God terrified him. But at the moment

when these terrors were at the worst, the passage of St. Paul which

had struck him at Wittemberg, "The just shall live by faith," (Rom.,

i, 17,) presented itself to his mind, and illumined his soul as with

a ray of light from heaven. Revived and comforted, he soon recovered

his health, and resumed his journey to Rome, expecting he should there

find quite a different life from that of the Lombard convents, and

impatient by the sight of Roman holiness to efface the sad impressions

which had been left upon his mind by his residence on the Pô.

[200] Luth. Op. (W.) xx, p. 1468.

[201] Matth. Dresser. Hist. Lutheri.

At length, after a painful journey under the burning sky of Italy in

the beginning of summer, he drew near to the city of the seven hills.

His heart was moved, and his eyes looked for the queen of the world,

and of the Church. As soon as he obtained a distant view of the

eternal city, the city of St. Peter and St. Paul, and the metropolis

of Catholicism, he threw himself on the ground, exclaiming, "Holy

Rome, I salute thee."

Luther is in Rome; the professor of Wittemberg is in the midst of the

eloquent ruins of the Rome of the consuls and emperors--the Rome of

the confessors and martyrs. Here lived that Plautus and Virgil, whose

works he had taken with him into the cloister, and all those great men

whose exploits had always caused his heart to beat. He perceives their

statues, and the wrecks of monuments which attest their glory. But all

this glory and all this power are past, and his foot treads on their

dust. At every step he calls to mind the sad forebodings of Scipio

shedding tears at the sight of Carthage in ruins, its burned palaces

and broken walls, and exclaiming, "Thus, too, will it be with Rome!"

"And in fact," says Luther, "the Rome of the Scipios and Cæsars has

been changed into a corpse. Such is the quantity of ruins, that the

foundations of the modern houses rest upon the roofs of the old.

"There," added he, casting a melancholy look on the ruins, "there were

the riches and treasures of the world."[202] All this rubbish, which

he strikes with his foot, tells Luther, within the walls of Rome

herself, that what is strongest in the eyes of men is easily destroyed

by the breath of the Lord.

[202] Op. (W.) xxii, pp. 2374, 2377.

But he remembers that with profane ashes holy ashes are mingled. The

burial-place of the martyrs is not far from that of the generals and

triumphing heroes of Rome, and Christian Rome, with her sufferings,

has more power over the heart of the Saxon monk than Pagan Rome with

her glory. It was here the letter arrived in which Paul wrote, "_The

just is justified by faith_," and not far off is the Appii Forum and

the Three Taverns. There was the house of Narcissus--here the palace

of Cæsar, where the Lord delivered the apostle from the mouth of the

lion. Oh, what fortitude these recollections give to the heart of the

monk of Wittemberg!

Rome then presented a very different aspect. The pontifical chair was

occupied by the warlike Julius II, and not by Leo X, as it has been

said by some distinguished historians of Germany, no doubt through

oversight. Luther often told an anecdote of this pope. When news was

brought him of the defeat of his army by the French before Ravenna, he

was reading his Hours. He dashed the book upon the ground, and said,

with a dreadful oath, "Very well, so you have turned Frenchman. Is

this the way in which you protect your Church?" Then turning in the

direction of the country to whose aid he meant to have recourse, he

exclaimed, "Holy Switzer, pray for us."[203] Ignorance, levity, and

dissoluteness, a profane spirit, a contempt of all that is sacred, and

a shameful traffic in divine things; such was the spectacle which that

unhappy city presented, and yet the pious monk continued for some time

in his illusions.

[203] "Sancte Swizere! ora pro nobis." (Luth. Op. (W.) xxii, pp. 1314,

1332.)

Having arrived about the feast of St. John, he hears the Romans about

him repeating a proverb which was then common among the people:

"Happy," said they, "is the mother whose son says a mass on the eve of

St. John." "Oh! how I could like to make my mother happy!" said

Luther. The pious son of Margaret accordingly sought to say a mass on

that day, but could not; the press was too great.[204]

[204] Luth. Op. (W.) Dedication of, 117 pages, vol. vi, L. G.

Ardent and simple-hearted, he went up and down, visiting all the

churches and chapels, believing all the lies that were told him, and

devoutly performing the requisite acts of holiness; happy in being

able to do so many pious works, which were denied to his countrymen.

"Oh! how much I regret," said the pious German to himself, "that my

father and mother are still alive. What delight I should have had in

delivering them from the fire of purgatory, by my masses, my prayers,

and many other admirable works."[205] He had found the light, but the

darkness was still far from being entirely banished from his

understanding. His heart was changed, but his mind was not fully

enlightened. He possessed faith and love, but not knowledge. It was

work of no small difficulty to escape from the dark night which had

for so many ages covered the earth.

[205] (Ibid.)

Luther repeatedly said mass at Rome, taking care to do it with all the

unction and dignity which the service seemed to him to require. But

how grieved was the heart of the Saxon monk, at seeing the profane

formality of the Roman priests in celebrating the sacrament of the

altar. The priests, on their part, laughed at his simplicity. One day

when he was officiating, he found that at the altar next to him seven

masses had been read before he got through a single one. "Get on, get

on," cried one of the priests to him; "make haste, and send Our Lady

back her Son," making an impious allusion to the transubstantiation of

the bread into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. On another

occasion, Luther had only got as far as the Gospel, when the priest

beside him had finished the whole mass. "On, on," said his companion;

"make haste, make haste; are ye ever to have done?"[206]

[206] Luth. Op. (W.) xix, von der Winkelmesse, Mathesius, 6.

His astonishment was still greater when, in the dignitaries of the

Church, he discovered the same thing that he had found in common

priests. He had hoped better of them.

It was fashionable at the papal court to attack Christianity, and, in

order to pass for a complete gentleman, absolutely necessary to hold

some erroneous or heretical opinion on the doctrines of the

Church.[207] When Erasmus was at Rome, they had attempted to prove to

him, by passages from Pliny, that there was no difference between the

soul of man and that of the brutes;[208] and young courtiers of the

pope maintained that the orthodox faith was merely the result of

crafty inventions by some saints.[209]

[207] "In quel tempo non pareva, fosse galantuomo, e buon cortegiano

colui che de dogmi, della chiesa non aveva qualche opinion erronea ed

heretica." (Carraciola, Vit. MS. Paul IV, quoted by Ranke.)

[208] Burigny, Vie d'Erasme, i, 139.

[209] "E medio Romanæ curiæ sectam juvenum ... qui asserebant, nostram

fidem orthodoxam, potius quibusdam sanctorum astutiis subsistere."

(Paul Canensius, Vita Pauli II.)

Luther's employment, as envoy of the Augustins of Germany, caused him

to be invited to several meetings of distinguished ecclesiastics. One

day, in particular, he happened to be at table with several prelates,

who frankly exhibited themselves to him in their mountebank manners

and profane conversation, and did not scruple to commit a thousand

follies in his presence, no doubt believing him to be of the same

spirit as themselves. Among other things they related, in presence of

the monk, laughing and making a boast of it, how when they were saying

mass, instead of the sacramental words, which should transform the

bread and wine into the Saviour's flesh and blood, they parodied them,

and said, "_Panis es, et panis manebis; vinum es, et vinum manebis_:"

Bread thou art, and bread wilt remain; wine thou art, and wine wilt

remain. Then, continued they, we raise the _ostensorium_, and all the

people worship it. Luther could scarcely believe his ears. His spirit,

which was lively and even gay in the society of his friends, was all

gravity when sacred things were in question. He was scandalised at the

profane pleasantries of Rome. "I was," said be, "a young monk, grave

and pious, and these words distressed me greatly. If they speak thus

in Rome at table, freely and publicly, thought I to myself, what will

it be if their actions correspond to their words, and if all, pope,

cardinals, courtiers, say mass in the same style? And I, who have

devoutly heard so large a number read, how must I have been

deceived!"[210]

[210] Luth. Op. (W.) xix, von der Winkelmesse.

Luther often mingled with the monks and the citizens of Rome. If some

extolled the pope and his court, the great majority gave free

utterance to their complaints and their sarcasms. What tales they told

of the reigning pope, of Alexander VI, and of many others! One day his

Roman friends told him how Cæsar Borgia, after having fled from Rome,

was apprehended in Spain. When they were going to try him he pleaded

guilty in prison, and requested a confessor. A monk having been sent,

he slew him, and, wrapping himself up in his cloak, made his escape.

"I heard that at Rome, and it is quite certain,"[211] said Luther. One

day passing through a public street which led to St. Peter's, he

stopped in amazement before a statue, representing a pope under the

form of a woman holding a sceptre, clad in the papal mantle, and

carrying an infant in her arms. It is a girl of Mentz, said they to

him, whom the cardinals chose for pope, and who had a child at this

spot. Hence no pope ever passes through this street. "I am

astonished," said Luther, "how the popes allow the statue to

remain."[212]

[211] "Das habe Ich zu Rom für gewiss gehört." (Luth. Op. (W.) xxii.,

1322.)

[212] "Es nimmt mich wunder, das die Päbste solches Bild leiden

können." (Ibid., p. 1320.)

Luther had expected to find the edifice of the church in strength and

splendour, but its gates were forced, and its walls consumed with

fire. He saw the desolations of the sanctuary, and started back in

dismay. He had dreamed of nothing but holiness, and he discovered

nothing but profanation.

He was not less struck with the disorders outside the churches. "The

Roman police," says he, "is strict and severe. The judge or captain

every night makes a round of the town on horseback, with three hundred

attendants, and arrests every person he finds in the streets. If he

meets any one armed he hangs him up, or throws him into the Tiber; and

yet the city is full of disorder and murder, whereas, when the word of

God is purely and rightly taught, peace and order are seen to reign,

and there is no need of law and its severities."[213] "It is almost

incredible what sins and infamous actions are committed at Rome," says

he, on another occasion; "one would require to see it and hear it in

order to believe it. Hence, it is an ordinary saying, that if there is

a hell, Rome is built upon it. It is an abyss from whence all sins

proceed."[214]

[213] Luth. Op. (W.) xxii, p. 2376.

[214] "Ist irgend eine Hœlle, so muss Rom darauf gebaut seyn." (Ibid.

p. 2377.)

This sight made a strong impression on Luther's mind at the time, and

the impression was deepened at a later period. "The nearer we approach

Rome the more bad Christians we find," said he several years after.

"There is a common saying, that he who goes to Rome, the first time

seeks a rogue, the second time finds him, and the third time brings

him away with him in his own person; but now people are become so

skilful, that they make all the three journeys in one." A genius, one

of the most unhappily celebrated, but also one of the most profound of

Italy, Machiavelli, who was living at Florence when Luther passed

through it on his way to Rome, has made the same remark: "The

strongest symptom," says he, "of the approaching ruin of Christianity,

(he means Roman Catholicism,) is, that the nearer you come to the

capital of Christendom the less you find of the Christian spirit. The

scandalous examples and crimes of the court of Rome are the cause why

Italy has lost every principle of piety and all religious sentiment.

We Italians," continues the great historian, "are chiefly indebted to

the Church and the priests for our having become a set of profane

scoundrels."[215] At a later period Luther was fully aware how much he

had gained by his journey "I would not take a hundred thousand

florins," said he, "not to have seen Rome."[216]

[215] Dissertations on the first Decade of Titus Livy.

[216] 100,000 Gulden. (Luth. Op. xxii, p. 2374.)

The journey was also of the greatest advantage to him in a literary

view. Like Reuchlin, Luther availed himself of his residence in Italy

to penetrate farther into the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. He

took lessons in Hebrew from a celebrated rabbi named Elias Levita; and

thus, at Rome, partly acquired the knowledge of that Divine word under

whose blows Rome was destined to fall.

But there was another respect in which the journey was of great

importance to Luther. Not only was the veil torn away and the sardonic

smile, and mountebank infidelity which lurked behind the Roman

superstitions, revealed to the future Reformer, but, moreover, the

living faith which God had implanted in him was powerfully

strengthened.

We have seen how he at first entered devotedly into all the vain

observances, to which, as a price, the Church has annexed the

expiation of sins. One day, among others, wishing to gain an

indulgence which the pope had promised to every one who should on his

knees climb up what is called Pilate's Stair, the Saxon monk was

humbly crawling up the steps, which he was told had been miraculously

transported to Rome from Jerusalem. But while he was engaged in this

meritorious act, he thought he heard a voice of thunder which cried at

the bottom of his heart, as at Wittemberg and Bologna, "_The just

shall live by faith._" These words, which had already on two different

occasions struck him like the voice of an angel of God, resounded

loudly and incessantly within him. He rises up in amazement from the

steps along which he was dragging his body. Horrified at himself, and

ashamed to see how far superstition has abased him, he flies far from

the scene of his folly.[217]

[217] Seckend., p. 56.

In regard to this mighty word there is something mysterious in the

life of Luther. It proved a creating word both for the Reformer and

for the Reformation. It was by it that God then said, "Let light be,

and light was."

It is often necessary that a truth, in order to produce its due effect

on the mind, must be repeatedly presented to it. Luther had carefully

studied the Epistle to the Romans, and yet, though justification by

faith is there taught, he had never seen it so clearly. Now he

comprehends the righteousness which alone can stand in the presence of

God; now he receives from God himself, by the hand of Christ, that

obedience which he freely imputes to the sinner as soon as he humbly

turns his eye to the God-Man who was crucified. This is the decisive

period in the internal life of Luther. The faith which has saved him

from the terrors of death becomes the soul of his theology, his

fortress in all dangers, the stamina of his discourse, the stimulant

of his love, the foundation of his peace, the spur of his labours, his

consolation in life and in death.

But this great doctrine of a salvation which emanates from God and not

from man, was not only the power of God to save the soul of Luther, it

also became the power of God to reform the Church; a powerful weapon

which the apostles wielded, a weapon too long neglected, but at length

brought forth in its primitive lustre from the arsenal of the mighty

God. At the moment when Luther stood up in Rome, all moved and

thrilling with the words which Paul had addressed fifteen centuries

before to the inhabitants of this metropolis, truth, till then a

fettered captive within the Church, rose up also, never again to fall.

Here we must let Luther speak for himself. "Although I was a holy and

irreproachable monk, my conscience was full of trouble and anguish. I

could not bear the words, 'Justice of God.' I loved not the just and

holy God who punishes sinners. I was filled with secret rage against

him and hated him, because, not satisfied with terrifying us, his

miserable creatures, already lost by original sin, with his law and

the miseries of life, he still further increased our torment by the

gospel.... But when, by the Spirit of God, I comprehended these words;

when I learned how the sinner's justification proceeds from the pure

mercy of the Lord by means of faith,[218] then I felt myself revive

like a new man, and entered at open doors into the very paradise of

God.[219] From that time, also, I beheld the precious sacred volume

with new eyes. I went over all the Bible, and collected a great number

of passages which taught me what the work of God was. And as I had

previously, with all my heart, hated the words, 'Justice of God,' so

from that time I began to esteem and love them, as words most sweet

and most consoling. In truth, these words were to me the true gate of

paradise."

[218] "Qua vos Deus misericors justificat per fidem ..." (Luth. Op.

(L.) in Præf.) By which a merciful God justifies you through faith.

[219] "Hic me prorsus renatum esse sensi, et apertis portis in ipsum

paradisum intrasse." (Ibid.) Here I felt that I was completely born

again, and entered by open doors into paradise itself.

Accordingly, when called on solemn occasions to confess this doctrine,

Luther always manifested his enthusiasm and rude energy. "I see," said

he on a critical occasion, "that the devil is incessantly attacking

this fundamental article[220] by the instrumentality of his doctors,

and that, in this respect, he cannot rest or take any repose. Very

well, I, Doctor Martin Luther, unworthy evangelist of our Lord Jesus

Christ, hold this article--_that faith alone, without works, justifies

in the sight of God_; and I declare that the emperor of the Romans,

the emperor of the Turks, the emperor of the Tartars, the emperor of

the Persians, the pope, all the cardinals, bishops, priests, monks,

nuns, princes, and nobles, all men and all devils, must let it stand,

and allow it to remain for ever. If they will undertake to combat this

truth, they will bring down the flames of hell upon their heads. This

is the true and holy gospel, and the declaration of me, Doctor Luther,

according to the light of the Holy Spirit.... Nobody," continues he,

"has died for our sins but Jesus Christ the Son of God. I repeat it

once more; should the world and all the devils tear each other, and

burst with fury, this is, nevertheless, true. And if it be He alone

who takes away sin, it cannot be ourselves with our works; but good

works follow redemption, as the fruit appears on the tree. This is our

doctrine; and it is the doctrine which the Holy Spirit teaches with

all true Christians. We maintain it in the name of God. Amen."

[220] Gloss on the Imperial Edict. 1531. (Luth. Op. (L.) tom. xx.)

It was thus Luther found what all doctors and reformers, even the most

distinguished, had, to a certain degree at least, failed to discover.

It was in Rome that God gave him this clear view of the fundamental

doctrine of Christianity. He had come to the city of the pontiffs

seeking the solution of some difficulties relative to a monastic

order, and he carried away in his heart the safety of the Church.

CHAP. VII.

Return--Doctor's Degree--Carlstadt--Luther's Oath--Principle

of Reform--Luther's Courage--First Views of Reformation--The

Schoolmen--Spalatin--Affair of Reuchlin.

Luther quitted Rome and returned to Wittemberg, his heart full of

sadness and indignation. Turning away his eyes in disgust from the

pontifical city, he directed them in hope to the Holy Scriptures, and

to that new light of which the word of God seemed then to give promise

to the world. This word gained in his heart all that the Church lost

in it. He detached himself from the one and turned towards the other.

The whole Reformation was in that movement. It put God where the

priest had hitherto been.

Staupitz and the elector did not lose sight of the monk whom they had

called to the university of Wittemberg. It would seem that the

vicar-general had a presentiment of the work that was to be done in

the world, and, feeling it too much for himself, wished to urge on

Luther. There is nothing more remarkable, and perhaps more mysterious,

than this personage, who is ever found hurrying on the monk into the

path to which God calls him; and who himself ultimately goes and sadly

ends his days in a convent. The preaching of the young professor had

made an impression on the prince. He had admired the vigour of his

intellect, the nervousness of his eloquence, and the excellence of his

expositions.[221] The elector and his friend, wishing to advance a man

who gave such high hopes, resolved to make him take the honourable

degree of Doctor of Divinity. Staupitz repairing to the convent, led

Luther into the garden, and there alone with him, under a tree which

Luther was afterwards fond of showing to his disciples,[222] the

venerable father said to him--" It is now necessary, my friend, that

you become a doctor of the Holy Scriptures." Luther recoiled at the

idea; the high honour frightened him. "Look out," replied he, "for a

more worthy person; as for me, I cannot consent to it." The

vicar-general insisted, "The Lord God has much to do in the Church,

and has need at present of young and vigorous doctors." These words,

adds Melancthon, were perhaps used half in jest, and yet the event

realised them. Many omens ordinarily precede great revolutions.[223]

It is not necessary to suppose that Melancthon here speaks of

miraculous predictions. The most incredulous age--that which preceded

our own--saw this sentiment verified. There was no miracle; and yet

how many presages announced the revolution with which it closed?

[221] "Vim ingenii, nervos orationis, ac rerum bonitatem expositarum

in concionibus admiratus fuerat." (Melancth. Vita Luth.)

[222] "Unter einem Baum, den er mir und andern gezeigt." (Mathes. 6.)

[223] "Multa præcedunt mutationes præsagia." (Vita Luth.)

"But I am weak and sickly," replied Luther, "and have not long to

live. Seek a strong man." "The Lord," replied the vicar-general, "has

work in heaven as well as on the earth; dead or alive, God has need of

you in his counsel."[224]

[224] "Ihr lebet nun oder sterbet, so darff euch Gott in seinem

Rathe." (Mathes. 6.)

"None but the Holy Spirit can make a doctor of theology,"[225]

exclaimed the monk, still more alarmed. "Do what your convent asks,"

said Staupitz, "and what I, your vicar-general, command. You promised

to obey us." "But my poverty," replied the friar. "I have no means of

paying the expences attendant on such promotion." "Give yourself no

trouble about them," said his friend. "The prince has been graciously

pleased to take all the expences on himself." Luther, thus urged, saw

it his duty to yield.

[225] "Neminem nisi Spiritum Sanctum creare posse doctorem theologiæ."

(Weismanni Hist. Eccl i, p. 1404.)

This was towards the end of the summer of 1512. Luther set out for

Leipsic to receive the money necessary for his promotion from the

elector's treasures. But according to the usages of courts, the money

came not. The friar getting impatient would have left, but monastic

obedience detained him. At length, on the 4th of October, he received

fifty florins from Pfeffinger and John Doltzig, and gave them his

receipt for it, in which he designates himself merely as a monk. "I,

Martin," says he, "friar of the order of Eremites."[226] Luther

hastened back to Wittemberg.

[226] Luth., Ep. i, p. 2.

Andrew Bodenstein was then Dean of the Faculty of Theology, and is

best known under the name of Carlstadt, being that of his native town.

He was also called A. B. C. It was Melancthon who first gave him this

designation, which is taken from the three initial letters of his

name. Bodenstein acquired the first elements of literature in his

native place. He was of a grave and gloomy temper, perhaps inclined to

jealousy, and of a restless intellect, eagerly bent, however, on

acquiring knowledge, and endowed with great ability. He attended

different universities in order to increase his acquirements, and

studied theology even at Rome. On his return from Italy into Germany

he established himself at Wittemberg, and became doctor in divinity.

"At this period," says he himself afterwards, "I had not read the Holy

Scriptures."[227] This account gives a very just idea of what the

theology of that day was. Carlstadt, besides being a professor, was a

canon and archdeacon. This is the person who was at a later period to

make a rent in the Reformation. In Luther at that time, he only saw an

inferior, but the Augustin soon became an object of jealousy to him.

"I am not willing," said he one day, "to be a smaller man than

Luther."[228] When Carlstadt conferred the highest university degree

on his future rival, he was far from foreseeing the celebrity which

the young professor was destined to obtain.

[227] Weismanni Hist. Eccl., p. 1416.

[228] Ibid.

On the 18th of October, 1512, Luther was admitted a licentiate in

theology, and took the following oath:--"I swear to defend evangelical

truth by every means in my power."[229] The following day, Bodenstein,

in presence of a numerous assembly, formally delivered to him the

insignia of doctor of theology. He was made Biblical doctor, not

doctor of sentences, and in this way was called to devote himself to

the study of the Bible, and not to that of human tradition.[230] The

oath, then, which he took was, as he relates,[231] to his well-beloved

Holy Scripture. He promised to preach it faithfully, to teach it

purely, to study it during his whole life, and to defend it by

discussion and by writing, as far as God should enable him to do so.

[229] "Jure me veritatem evangelicam viriliter defensurum." I swear

that I will manfully defend evangelical truth."

[230] "Doctor Biblicus," _and not_ "sententiarius." (Melancthon.)

[231] Luth., Op. (W.) xvi, p. 2061. Mathesius, p. 7.

This solemn oath was Luther's call to be the Reformer. In laying it

upon his conscience freely to seek, and boldly to announce Christian

truth, this oath raised the new doctor above the narrow limits to

which his monastic vow might perhaps have confined him. Called by the

university and by his sovereign, in the name of the emperor, and of

the See of Rome itself, and bound before God, by the most solemn oath,

he was thenceforth the intrepid herald of the word of life. On this

memorable day, Luther was dubbed knight of the Bible.

Accordingly, this oath taken to the Holy Scriptures, may be regarded

as one of the causes of the renovation of the Church. The infallible

authority of the word of God alone was the first and fundamental

principle of the Reformation. All the reformations in detail which

took place at a later period, as reformations in doctrine, in manners,

in the government of the Church, and in worship, were only

consequences of this primary principle. One is scarcely able at the

present time to form an idea of the sensation produced by this

elementary principle, which is so simple in itself, but which had been

lost sight of for so many ages. Some individuals of more extensive

views than the generality, alone foresaw its immense results. The bold

voices of all the Reformers soon proclaimed this powerful principle,

at the sound of which Rome is destined to crumble away:--"Christians,

receive no other doctrines than those which are founded on the express

words of Jesus Christ, his apostles, and prophets. No man, no assembly

of doctors, are entitled to prescribe new doctrines."

The situation of Luther was changed. The call which the Reformer had

received became to him like one of these extraordinary calls which the

Lord addressed to the prophets under the Old Dispensation, and to the

apostles under the New. The solemn engagement which he undertook made

so deep an impression on his mind, that, in the sequel, the

remembrance of this oath was sufficient to console him amid the

greatest dangers and the sharpest conflicts. And when he saw all

Europe agitated and shaken by the word which he had announced; when it

seemed that the accusations of Rome, the reproaches of many pious men,

and the doubts and fears of his own easily agitated heart, would make

him hesitate, fear, and give way to despair, he called to mind the

oath which he had taken, and remained firm, tranquil, and full of joy.

"I have advanced in the name of the Lord," said he, on a critical

occasion, "and I have put myself into his hands. His will be done. Who

asked him to make me a doctor? If He made me, let him sustain me; or

if he repents of having made me, let Him depose me!.... This

tribulation terrifies me not. I seek one thing only, and it is to have

the Lord favourable to me in all that he calls me to do." Another time

he said, "He who undertakes any thing without a divine call, seeks his

own glory; but I, Doctor Martin Luther, was compelled to become a

doctor. Papism sought to stop me in the discharge of my duty, and you

see what has happened to it; and still worse will happen. They will

not be able to defend themselves against me. I desire, in the name of

the Lord, to tread upon the lions, and trample under foot the dragons

and vipers. This will commence during my life, and be finished after

my death."[232]

[232] Luth. Op. (W.) xxi, 2061.

From the hour when he took the oath Luther sought the truth solely for

itself and for the Church. Still deeply impressed with recollections

of Rome, he saw indistinctly before him a course which he determined

to pursue with all the energy of his soul. The spiritual life which

had hitherto been manifested within him was now manifested outwardly.

This was the third period of his development. His entrance into the

convent had turned his thoughts towards God: the knowledge of the

forgiveness of sins and of the righteousness of faith, had emancipated

his soul; and his doctor's oath gave him that baptism of fire by which

he became the Reformer of the Church.

His thoughts were soon directed in a general way to the subject of

reformation. In a discourse which he had written apparently with a

view to its being announced by the Provost of Litzkan, at the Council

of Lateran, he affirmed that the corruption of the world was

occasioned by the priests, who, instead of preaching the pure word of

God, taught so many fables and traditions. According to him the word

of life alone had power to accomplish the spiritual regeneration of

man. Hence, even at this period, he made the salvation of the world

depend on the re-establishment of sound doctrine, and not on a mere

reformation of manners. Luther was not perfectly consistent with

himself; he entertained contradictory opinions; but a powerful

intellect was displayed in all his writings. He boldly broke the links

by which the systems of the schools chained down human thought, passed

beyond the limits to which past ages had attained, and formed new

paths for himself. God was in him.

The first opponents whom he attacked were those famous schoolmen whom

he had so thoroughly studied, and who then reigned as sovereigns in

all universities. He accused them of Pelagianism; and, forcibly

assailing Aristotle, the father of the school, and Thomas Aquinas,

undertook to tumble both of them from the throne on which they sat,

the one ruling philosophy, and the other theology.[233] "Aristotle,

Porphyry, the theologians of sentences," (the schoolmen,) wrote he to

Lange, "are the lost studies of our age.[234] There is nothing I more

ardently long for than to expose this player, who has sported with the

Church by wrapping himself up in a Greek mask, and to make his

disgrace apparent to all." In all public disputations he was heard to

say, "the writings of the apostles and prophets are more certain and

more sublime than all the sophisms and all the theology of the

school." Such sayings were new, but people gradually became accustomed

to them. About a year after he could triumphantly write--"God works.

Our theology and St. Augustine make wonderful progress, and reign in

our university. Aristotle is on the decline, and is already tottering

to his speedy and eternal overthrow. The lessons on the sentences are

admirable for producing a yawn. No man can hope to have an audience if

he does not profess Biblical theology."[235] Happy the university to

which such a testimony can be given.

[233] "Aristotelem in philosophicis, sanctum Thomam in theologicis,

evertendos susceperat." (Pallavicini, i, 16.) He had undertaken to

overthrow Aristotle among the philosophers, and Thomas Aquinas among

the theologians.

[234] "Perdita studia nostri sæculi." Ep. i, 15. (8th Feb., 1516.)

[235] Ep. i, 57. (18th May, 1517.)

At the same time that Luther attacked Aristotle, he took the part of

Erasmus and Reuchlin against their enemies. He entered into

communication with these great men and others of the learned, such as

Pirckheimer, Mutian, and Hütten, who belonged more or less to the same

party. At this period he formed another friendship also, which was of

great importance to him during his whole life.

There was then at the court of the elector a man distinguished for

wisdom and candour, named George Spalatin. Born at Spalatus or Spalt,

in the bishopric of Eichstadt, he had at first been curate of the

village of Hohenkirch, near the forest of Thuringia, and was

afterwards selected by Frederick the Wise to be his secretary and

chaplain, and also tutor to his nephew, John Frederick, who was one

day to wear the electoral crown. Spalatin retained his simplicity in

the midst of the court. He appeared timid on the eve of great events,

circumspect and prudent like his master,[236] when contrasted with the

impetuous Luther, with whom he was in daily correspondence. Like

Staupitz he was made for peaceful times. Such men are necessary,

somewhat resembling those delicate substances in which we wrap up jems

and trinkets to protect them from injury in travelling. They seem

useless, and yet without them the precious jewels would have been

broken and destroyed. Spalatin was not fitted to do great things, but

he faithfully and unostentatiously acquitted himself of the task which

had been assigned to him.[237] He was at first one of the principal

assistants of his master in collecting those relics of saints, of

which Frederick was long an amateur, but gradually, along with the

prince, turned toward the truth. The faith which was then re-appearing

in the Church did not take the firm hold of him that it did of Luther.

He proceeded at a slower pace. He became Luther's friend at court, the

minister through whom all affairs between the Reformer and the princes

were transacted, the mediator between the Church and the State. The

elector honoured Spalatin with his friendship; when on a journey they

always travelled in the same carriage.[238] In other respects, the air

of the court often half suffocated the good chaplain. He took fits of

melancholy, and would have liked to quit all his honours, and be again

a simple pastor in the woods of Thuringia; but Luther consoled him,

and exhorted him to remain firm at his post. Spalatin acquired general

esteem; the princes and the learned of his time testifying the

sincerest regard for him. Erasmus said, "I inscribe the name of

Spalatin not only among those of my principal friends, but also

amongst those of my most venerated patrons; and this not on paper but

on my heart."[239]

[236] "Secundum genium heri sui." (Weismanni Hist. Eccl., i, p. 1434.)

[237] "Fideliter et sine strepitu fungens." (Weismanni Hist. Eccl. i,

p. 1434.)

[238] "Qui sum principe in rheda sive lectico solitus est ferri."

(Corpus Reformatorum, i, 33.)

[239] Melch. Ad. Vita Spalat. p. 100.

The affair of Reuchlin and the monks was then making a great noise in

Germany. The most pious men were often at a loss as to the party which

they ought to embrace; for the monks wished to destroy Jewish books

which contained blasphemies against Christ. The doctor of Wittemberg

being now in high repute, the elector ordered his chaplain to consult

him on this subject. The following is Luther's reply. It is the first

letter which he addressed to the preacher of the court.

"What shall I say? These monks pretend to drive out Beelzebub, but not

by the finger of God. For this I cease not to lament and groan. We

Christians begin to be wise abroad, and we are void of sense at

home.[240] On all the places of Jerusalem are blasphemies a hundred

times worse than those of the Jews. The world is filled with

spiritual idols. Inspired with a holy zeal, we should put away and

destroy these internal enemies, whereas we leave the matter which is

most pressing; the devil himself persuading us to abandon our own

business at the same time that he prevents us from amending what

belongs to others."

[240] "Foris sapere et domi desipere." (Luth. Ep. i, p. 8.) To be wise

abroad and fools at home.

CHAP. VIII.

Faith--Popular Declamations--Academical Instruction--Moral

Purity of Luther--German Theology or Mysticism--The Monk

Spenlein--Justification by Faith--Luther on Erasmus--Faith

and Works--Erasmus--Necessity of Works--Practice of Works.

Luther did not lose himself in this quarrel. Living faith in Christ

filled his heart and his life. "In my heart," said he, "faith in my

Lord Jesus Christ reigns sole, and sole ought to reign. He alone is

the beginning, the middle, and the end, of all the thoughts which

occupy my mind night and day."[241] He was always heard with

admiration when he spoke of this faith in Christ, whether in the

professor's chair or in the church. His lessons diffused light, and

men were astonished at not having sooner perceived truths which in his

mouth appeared so evident. "The desire of justifying ourselves," said

he, "is the source of all anguish of heart, whereas he who receives

Jesus Christ as a Saviour has peace, and not only peace, but purity of

heart. Sanctification of the heart is entirely a fruit of faith; for

faith is in us a Divine work, which changes us, and gives us a new

birth, emanating from God himself. It kills Adam in us by the Holy

Spirit, which it communicates to us, giving us a new heart, and making

us new men. "It is not by hollow speculation," exclaimed he again,

"but by this practical method that we obtain a saving knowledge of

Jesus Christ."[242]

[241] Præf. ad Gal.

[242] "Non per speculationem, sed per hanc viam practicam."

At this time Luther preached discourses on the Ten Commandments, which

have come down to us under the name of _Popular Declamations_.

Undoubtedly there are errors in them; for Luther himself was

enlightened only by degrees. "The path of the just is like the shining

light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day." But in these

discourses what truth! what simplicity! what eloquence! How easy to

conceive the effect which the new preacher must have produced upon his

audience and his age! We will quote only one passage taken from the

commencement.

Luther goes up into the pulpit of Wittemberg, and gives out these

words, "Thou shalt have no other god before me." Then addressing

himself to the people who filled the church, he says, "All the sons of

Adam are idolaters, and guilty of violating this First Commandment."[243]

This strange assertion no doubt surprises his hearers. He must therefore

justify it, and accordingly proceeds:--"There are two kinds of idolatry,

the one without, the other within.

[243] "Omnes filii Adæ sunt idololatræ." (Decem Præcepta

Wittembergensi populo prædicata per R. P. D Martinum Lutherum, Aug.

anno 1516.) These discourses were pronounced in German, but we quote

from the Latin edition, i, p. 1.

"The one without is, when man worships wood and stone, beasts and

stars.

"The one within is, when man, fearing punishment or seeking his ease,

does not give worship to the creature, but loves it internally, and

confides in it.

"What religion is this? You do not bend the knee before riches and

honours, but you offer them your heart, the noblest part of you. Ah!

you worship God with the body, and with the spirit you worship the

creature.

"This idolatry reigns in every man until he is cured of it freely by

the faith which is in Jesus Christ.

"And how is this cure performed?

"In this way. Faith in Christ strips you of all confidence in your own

wisdom, your own righteousness, your own strength. It tells you that

if Christ had not died for you, and so saved you, neither yourself nor

any creature could have done it.[244] Then you learn to despise all

those things which remained useless to you.

[244] "Nisi ipse pro te mortuus esset, tequs servaret, nec tu, nec

omnis creatura tibi posset prodesse." (Ibid.) Had he not died for

thee, and did he not preserve thee, neither thyself nor any creature

would be able to do thee good.

"There now remains to you only Jesus; Jesus alone; Jesus fully

sufficient for your soul. No longer having any hopes in the creatures,

you have now Christ only, in whom you hope all, and whom you love

above all. Now Jesus is the sole, the only, the true God. When you

have him for God you have no longer other gods."[245]

[245] "At Jesus est verus, unus, solus Deus, quem cum habes non habes

alienum deum. (Ibid.) But Jesus is God, sole, only, and true; having

him you have no strange god.

It is thus Luther shows how, by the gospel, the soul is brought back

to God its sovereign good, agreeably to the words of Jesus Christ, "I

am the way; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." The man who

speaks thus to his age is not merely desirous to overthrow some

abuses; he is first of all desirous to establish true religion. His

work is not negative merely--it is primarily positive.

Luther afterwards directs his discourse against the superstitions with

which Christendom then abounded, against signs and mysterious

characters, observations of certain days and certain months, familiar

demons, ghosts, the influence of the stars and wizards, metamorphoses,

incubuses and succubuses, the patronage of saints, etc., etc. He

attacks these idols one after the other, and vigorously casts down

these false gods.

But it was at the university especially, in presence of enlightened

youths, eager for truth, that Luther laid open all the treasures of

the word of God. "His mode of explaining the Scriptures," says his

illustrious friend, Melancthon, "was such, that in the judgment of all

pious and enlightened men it was as if a new light had risen upon

doctrine after a long dark night. He pointed out the difference

between the Law and the Gospel. He refuted the error then prevalent in

churches and schools, that men merit the forgiveness of sins by their

own works, and are rendered righteous before God by means of external

discipline. He thus brought back the hearts of men to the Son of

God.[246] Like John the Baptist, he pointed to the Lamb of God, who

had taken away the sins of the world. He explained how sins are

pardoned freely for the sake of the Son of God, and how man receives

the blessing through faith. He made no change in ceremonies; on the

contrary, the established discipline had not, in his order a more

faithful observer and defender. But he laboured more and more to make

all comprehend the great and essential doctrines of conversion, of the

forgiveness of sins, of faith, and the true consolation which is to be

found in the cross. The pious were charmed and penetrated with the

sweetness of this doctrine, while the learned received it gladly.[247]

One would have said that Christ, the apostles and prophets, were

coming forth from darkness and a loathsome dungeon."[248]

[246] "Revocavit igitur Lutherus hominum mentes ad Filium Dei."

(Melancth. Vita Luth.)

[247] "Hujus doctrinæ dulcedine pii omnes valde capiebantur, et

eruditis gratum erat." (Ibid.)

[248] "Quasi ex tenebris, carcere squalore, educi Christum, prophetas,

apostolos." (Ibid.)

The firmness with which Luther fortified himself by Scripture gave

great authority to his teaching, while other circumstances added to

his power. His life corresponded to his words--his discourses were not

merely from the life,[249] they came from the heart, and were

exemplified in all his conduct. And when the Reformation burst forth

many influential men, who were much grieved at seeing the rents that

were made in the Church, won over by the Reformer's purity of conduct,

and his admirable talents, not only did not oppose him, but even

embraced the doctrine to which his works bore testimony.[250] The more

they loved Christian virtue the more they inclined to the Reformer.

All honest theologians were in his favour.[251] Such is the testimony

of those who knew him, in particular of Melancthon, the wisest man of

his age, and Erasmus, Luther's celebrated opponent. Yet prejudice has

dared to speak of his debauchery. Wittemberg was changed by this

preaching of faith, and became the focus of a light which was soon to

illumine Germany, and diffuse itself over all the Church.

[249] "Oratio non in labris nasci, sed in pectore." (Ibid.)

[250] "Eique propter auctoritatem, quam sanctitate morum antea

pepererat, adsenserunt." (Melancth. Vita Luth.)

[251] "Puto et hodie theologos omnes probos favere Luthero." (Erasmi,

Ep. i, 652.)

In 1516, Luther published a treatise by an anonymous mystic

theologian, (probably Ebland, priest at Frankfort,) entitled _German

Theology_, wherein the author shows how man may attain perfection by

the three methods of purification, illumination, and communion. Luther

never plunged into mystical theology, but he received a salutary

impression from it. It confirmed him in the disgust which he felt for

dry scholastics--in his contempt for the works and observances so much

dwelt upon by the Church--in his conviction of man's spiritual

impotence, and of the necessity of grace, and in his attachment to the

Bible. "To the schoolmen,"[252] wrote he to Staupitz, "I prefer the

Mystics and the Bible;" thus placing the Mystics by the side of the

inspired writers. Perhaps the _German Theology_ also assisted him in

forming a sounder idea of the sacraments, and especially of the mass.

For the author of that work insists that the Eucharist gives Christ to

man, but does not offer Christ to God. Luther accompanied this

publication with a preface, in which he declared, that next to the

Bible and St. Augustine, there was no book he had ever met with, from

which he had learned more respecting God, Christ, man, and all things.

Already several doctors had begun to inveigh against the Professors of

Wittemberg, and to accuse them of innovation. "One would suppose,"

continues Luther, "that there never were men before us who taught as

we do; yea, verily, there were. But the wrath of God, which our sins

have deserved, did not permit us to see them, and to hear them. For a

long time the universities kept the word of God lying in a corner. Let

them read this book, and then tell me if our theology is new; for this

book is not new."[253] But if Luther took all the good that was in

mystical theology, he took not the bad that was in it. The great error

in mysticism is, to overlook a free salvation. We are going to see a

remarkable example of the purity of Luther's faith.

[252] "Illis præfero mysticos et Biblia." (Luth. Ep. i, 107.)

[253] Die Deutsche Theologie, Strasbourg, 1519; Præf.

Luther, possessed of a tender and affectionate heart, was desirous to

see those whom he loved in possession of the light which had guided

him into the paths of peace; and availed himself of all the

opportunities which he had, as professor, preacher, and monk, as well

as of his extensive correspondence, to communicate his treasure to

others. One of his old brethren of the convent of Erfurt, the monk

George Spenlein, was then in the convent of Memmingen. After having

spent some time at Wittemberg, Spenlein had asked the doctor to sell

different articles which he had left, viz., a tunic of Brussels cloth,

a work of a doctor of Isenach, and a monk's frock. Luther carefully

executed this commission. "I have received," said he to Spenlein, in a

letter, 7th April 1516, "a florin for the tunic, half a florin for the

book, and a florin for the frock, and have remitted the whole to the

father-vicar," to whom Spenlein owed three florins. But Luther passes

quickly from this account of monastic spoils to a more important

subject.

"I should like much," says he to friar George, "to know how it is with

your soul. Is it not weary of its own righteousness? does it not

breathe at length and confide in the righteousness of Christ? In our

day pride seduces many, especially those who do their utmost to become

righteous. Not comprehending the righteousness which is freely given

us of God in Christ Jesus, they would stand before him by their

merits. But that cannot be. When you lived with us you were in this

error, as I also was. I am still constantly fighting with it; and have

not yet completely triumphed.

"O my dear brother, learn to know Christ and Christ crucified. Learn

to sing unto him a new song; to despair of thyself, and say, 'Thou, O

Lord Jesus! thou art my righteousness, and I am thy sin! Thou hast

taken what is mine, and given me what is thine.[254] What thou wert

not thou hast become, in order that what I was not I might become.'

Take care, O my dear George, not to pretend to such a purity as will

make you unwilling to acknowledge yourself a sinner; for Christ dwells

in sinners only. He came down from heaven, where he dwelt among the

righteous, that he might dwell also among sinners. Meditate carefully

on this love of Christ, and thou wilt derive ineffable blessing from

it. If our labours and our afflictions could give us peace of

conscience, why should Christ have died? Thou wilt find peace only in

him, by despairing of thyself and of thy works, and learning with

what love he opens his arms to thee, takes upon him all thy sins, and

gives thee all his righteousness."

[254] "Tu, domine Jesu, es justitia mea; ego autem sum peccatum tuum:

tu assumpsisti meum, et dedisti mihi tuum." (Luth. Ep. i, p. 17.)

Thus the powerful doctrine which had already saved the world in the

days of the Apostles, and which was to save it a second time in the

days of the Reformers, was expounded by Luther with force and

clearness. Stretching over numerous ages of ignorance and

superstition, he here shook hands with St. Paul.

Spenlein was not the only person whom he sought to instruct in this

fundamental doctrine. He felt uneasy at the little truth which he

discovered in this respect in the writings of Erasmus. It was of

importance to enlighten a man whose authority was so great, and whose

genius was so admirable. But how was he to do it? His friend at court,

the elector's chaplain, was respected by Erasmus; and it is to him

Luther addresses himself. "My dear Spalatin, the thing which

displeases me in Erasmus, that man of vast erudition, is, that by the

righteousness of works or of the law, of which the apostle speaks, he

understands the fulfilment of the ceremonial law. The justification of

the law consists not in ceremonies only, but in all the works of the

Decalogue. When these works are performed without faith in Christ,

they may, it is true, make Fabriciuses, Reguluses, and other men of

strict integrity in the eyes of the world, but then they as little

deserve to be called righteousness, as the fruit of a medlar to be

called a fig. For we do not become righteous, as Aristotle pretends,

by doing works of righteousness; but when we have become righteous we

do such works.[255] The man must first be changed, and then the works.

Abel was first pleasing to God, and then his sacrifice." Luther

continues, "I pray you, fulfil the duty of a friend and of a

Christian, by making Erasmus acquainted with those things." This

letter is dated "In haste, from the corner of our convent, 19th Oct.,

1516." It gives a true view of the footing on which Luther stood with

Erasmus, and shows the sincere interest which he felt in whatever he

thought truly advantageous to this distinguished writer. No doubt, at

a later period, the opposition of Erasmus to the truth forced Luther

to combat him openly, but it was only after he had sought to enlighten

his opponent.

[255] "Non enim justa agendo justi efficimur: sed justi fiendo et

essendo, operamur justa." (Luth. Ep. i. p. 22.)

At length those views on the nature of goodness were propounded which

were at once clear and profound, and the great truth was distinctly

proclaimed, that the real goodness of a work consists not in its

external form, but in the spirit in which it is done. Thus giving a

mortal blow to all the superstitious observances, which had for ages

choked the Church, and prevented Christian virtues from growing and

flourishing in it.

"I read Erasmus," again writes Luther, "but he is every day losing his

credit with me. I like to see him, with so much skill and firmness,

rebuking priests and monks for their loathsome ignorance, but I fear

he will not do great service to the doctrine of Jesus Christ. What is

of man has more hold on his heart than what is of God.[256] We live in

dangerous times. A man is not a good and judicious Christian because

he understands Greek and Hebrew. Jerome, who knew five languages, is

inferior to Augustine, who only knew one, though Erasmus thinks

differently. I am very careful to conceal my sentiments concerning

Erasmus, lest I should give an advantage to his opponents. It may be

the Lord will give him understanding in his own time."[257]

[256] "Humana prævalent in eo plusquam divina." The human prevails in

him more than the divine.

[257] "Dabit ei Dominus intellectum suo forte tempore." (Luth. Ep. i,

p. 52.)

The impotence of man, and the omnipotence of God, were the two truths

which Luther wished to re-establish. It is a sad religion and a sad

philosophy which throws man back upon his natural powers. Ages have

made trial of these boasted powers, and while man has of himself

succeeded wonderfully in things which concern his earthly existence,

he has never been able to dissipate the darkness which hides the true

knowledge of God from his mind, nor to change a single inclination of

his heart. The highest degree of wisdom attained by ambitious

intellects, or minds inflamed with ardent longings after perfection,

has only plunged them into despair.[258] The doctrine, therefore,

which unveils to us our impotence, in order to acquaint us with a

Divine power, which shall enable us to do all things, is a generous,

consoling, and perfectly true doctrine; and the reformation which

exhibits the glory of heaven on the earth, and pleads the rights of

Almighty God with men, is a great reformation.

[258] Τι ουν; δυνατον αναμαρτητον ειναι

ηδη. What, is it possible then to be without sin? asks

Epictetus, (iv, 12, 19.) Αμηχανον Impossible! he replies.

But nobody was better aware than Luther of the intimate and

indissoluble tie which unites the gratuitous salvation of God with the

free works of man. Nobody showed better than he that it is only by

receiving all from Christ that man can give much to his brethren. He

always presented the two acts, that of God and that of man, in the

same picture. Thus, after having explained to friar Spenlein wherein

saving righteousness consists, he adds "If you believe these things

firmly as you ought to do, (for cursed is he who believeth not,)

receive thy still ignorant and erring brethren as Jesus Christ has

received thee. Bear with them patiently, make their sins thy own, and

if thou hast any thing good, communicate it unto them. Receive one

another, saith the Apostle, as Christ hath received us to the glory of

God. It is a sad righteousness which will not bear with others,

because it finds them wicked, and which thinks only of seeking the

solitude of the desert, instead of doing them good by patience,

prayer, and example. If thou art the lily and the rose of Christ, know

that thy dwelling is among the thorns. Only take care that thou do not

by thy impatience, thy rash judgments, and thy hidden pride, become

thyself a thorn. Christ reigns in the midst of his enemies. Had he

been pleased to live only among the good, and to die only for those

who loved him, for whom, I ask, would he have died, and among whom

would he have lived?"

It is touching to see how Luther himself carried these precepts of

charity into practice. An Augustin of Erfurt, named George Leiffer,

was subjected to severe trials. Luther learned it, and eight days

after he had written the letter to Spenlein, went up to him kindly,

and said--"I learn that you are agitated by many tempests, and that

your spirit is tossed up and down upon the billows.... The cross of

Christ is portioned out over all the earth, and each one receives his

part. Do not you, then, reject that which is fallen to you. Rather

receive it as a holy relic, not in a vessel of gold and of silver, but

what is far better, in a heart of gold--a heart full of meekness. If

the wood of the cross has been so sanctified by the blood and flesh of

Christ, that we consider it to be the most venerable relic, how much

more ought we to regard the injuries, persecutions, inflictions, and

hatred of men as holy relics, since they have not only been touched by

the flesh of Christ, but embraced, kissed, and blessed by his

boundless love?"[259]

[259] ... "Sanctissimæ reliquiæ ... deificæ voluntatis suæ charitate

amplexæ osculatæ." (Luth. Ep. i, 18.)

CHAP. IX.

First Theses--The Old Man and Grace--Visit to the

Convents--Dresden--Erfurt--Tornator--Peace and the

Cross--Results of the Journey--Labours--The Plague.

The instructions of Luther bore fruit. Several of his disciples

already felt themselves urged publicly to profess the truths which the

lessons of their master had revealed to them. Among his hearers was a

learned youth, named Bernard of Feldkirchen, professor of the physics

of Aristotle in the university, and who, five years afterwards, was

the first of the evangelical ecclesiastics who entered into the bond

of matrimony.

Luther, while he was presiding, desired Feldkirchen to maintain theses

in which his principles were expounded. The doctrines professed by

Luther thus acquired new publicity. The disputation took place in

1516, and was Luther's first attack on the reign of the sophists and

the Papacy. However feeble it was, it gave him considerable

uneasiness. "I allow these propositions to be printed," said he, many

years after, on publishing them in his works, "principally in order

that the greatness of my cause, and the success with which God has

crowned it, may not puff me up. For they fully manifest my shame; that

is to say, the infirmity and ignorance, the fear and trembling, with

which I commenced this struggle. I was alone, and had imprudently

plunged into this affair. Not being able to draw back, I conceded

several important points to the pope, and even adored him."[260]

[260] "Sed etiam ultro adorabam." (Luth. Op. (L.) p. 50.)

The following are some of these propositions:[261]--

[261] Luth. Op. (L) xvii. p. 142; and in the Latin Works, tom. i, p.

51.

"The old man is vanity of vanities--he is wholly vanity, and renders

all other creatures vain, how good soever they be.

"The old man is called _the flesh_, not only because he is led by

sensual lusts, but also because, even though he were chaste, prudent,

and just, he is not born anew of God by the Spirit.

"A man who is without the grace of God cannot observe the commands of

God, nor prepare himself, in whole or in part, to receive grace, but

necessarily remains under sin.

"The will of man without grace is not free, but enslaved, and that

voluntarily.

"Jesus Christ, our strength and our righteousness, who trieth the

hearts and reins, is alone the Searcher and Judge of our merits.

"Since everything is possible through Christ to him who believeth, it

is superstitious to seek other aid, whether in the will of man or in

the saints."[262]

[262] "Cum Credenti omnia sint, auctore Christo, possibilia,

superstitiosum est, humano arbitrio, aliis sanctis, alia deputari

auxilia." (Luth. Op. (L.) xvii, p. 142.)

This disputation made a great noise, and has been considered as the

commencement of the Reformation.

The moment approached when this reformation was to burst forth. God

was hastening to prepare the instrument which he meant to employ. The

elector having built a new church at Wittemberg, to which he gave the

name of "All-Saints," sent Staupitz into the Netherlands to collect

the relics with which he was desirous to enrich it. The vicar-general

ordered Luther to take his place during his absence, and in particular

to pay a visit to forty monasteries in Misnia and Thuringia.

Luther repaired first to Grimma, and thence to Dresden, everywhere

labouring to establish the truths which he had ascertained, and to

enlighten the members of his own order. "Don't attach yourself to

Aristotle, or to other teachers of a deceitful philosophy," said he to

the monks, "but diligently read the word of God. Seek not your

salvation in your own strength, and your own good works, but in the

merits of Christ, and in Divine grace."[263]

[263] Hilscher's Luther's Anwesenheit in Alt Dresden, 1728.

An Augustin monk of Dresden had run off from his convent, and was

living at Mayence, where the prior of the Augustins had received him.

Luther wrote to the prior[264] to demand restitution of the lost

sheep, and added these words, which are full of truth and charity, "I

know that offences must come. It is no wonder that man falls; but it

is a wonder he rises again, and stands erect. Peter fell, in order

that he might know that he was a man; and we still see the cedar of

Lebanon fall. Angels even (a thing which surpasses our comprehension)

fell in heaven, and Adam fell in paradise. Why then be astonished when

a reed is shaken by the wind, and the smoking flax is quenched?" From

Dresden, Luther proceeded to Erfurt, to do the duties of vicar-general

in the very convent where, eleven years before, he had wound up the

clock, opened the door, and swept the Church. He appointed his friend,

bachelor John Lange, a learned and pious, but austere man, prior of

the convent, exhorting him to affability and patience. Shortly after

he wrote him, "Show a spirit of meekness towards the prior of

Nuremberg. This is fitting, inasmuch as the prior has put on a sour

and bitter spirit. Bitter is not expelled by bitter, that is to say,

devil by devil; but sweet expels bitter, that is to say, the finger of

God casts out demons."[265]

[264] 1st May 1516, Ep. i, p. 20.

[265] (Luth. Ep. i, p. 36.) "Non enim asper asperum, id est, non

diabolus diabolum, sed suavis asperum, id est, digitus Dei ejicit

dæmonia."

It must perhaps be regretted, that on different occasions Luther did

not remember this excellent advice.

At Neustadt on Orla there was nothing but division. Quarrelling and

disturbance reigned in the convent. All the monks were at war with the

prior, and assailed Luther with their complaints. The prior, Michael

Dressel, or Tornator, as Luther calls him, translating his name into

Latin, on his part explained all his grievances to the doctor.

"Peace! peace!" said he. "You seek peace," replied Luther, "but you

seek the peace of the world, and not that of Christ. Know you not that

our God has placed his peace in the midst of war? He whom nobody

troubles has no peace. But he who, troubled by all men, and by all the

things of life, bears all calmly and joyfully, possesses true peace.

You say, with Israel, Peace, peace; and there is no peace. Say rather

with Christ, The cross, the cross; and there will be no cross. For the

cross ceases to be a cross as soon as we can sincerely say with joy, O

blessed cross, there is no wood like thine!"[266] After his return to

Wittemberg, Luther, wishing to put an end to these divisions allowed

the monks to elect another prior.

[266] "Tam cito enim crux cessat esse crux quam cito I tus dixeris:

Crux benedicta! inter ligna nullum tale." (Ep. i, 27.)

Luther returned to Wittemberg after an absence of six weeks. He was

grieved at all that he had seen, but the journey gave him a better

acquaintance with the Church and the world; gave him more confidence

in his intercourse with men and furnished him with numerous

opportunities of founding schools, and urging this fundamental truth,

that "the Holy Scripture alone shows us the way to heaven," and to

exhort the brethren to live together holily, chastely, and

peacefully.[267] Doubtless, much seed was sown in the different

Augustin convents during this journey of the Reformer. The monastic

orders, which had long been the stay of Rome, perhaps did more for the

Reformation than against it. This is true especially of the order of

Augustins. Almost all pious men of a free and exalted spirit who were

in cloisters, turned to the gospel, and a new and noble blood soon

circulated in their orders, which were in a manner the arteries of

German Catholicity. The world knew nothing of the new ideas of the

Augustin of Wittemberg, after they had become the great subject of

conversation in chapters and monasteries. In this way, more than one

cloister was a seminary of reformers. At the moment when the great

blow was struck, pious and brave men came forth from their obscurity,

and abandoned the retreat of the monastic life, for the active career

of ministers of the word of God. Even during the inspection of 1516,

Luther by his words awoke many slumbering spirits, and hence this year

has been called "the morning star of the gospel day."

[267] "Heiliglich, friedlich und züchtig." (Mathes. p. 10.)