Luther as Teacher.
1. LUTHER CALLED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF WITTENBERG. After three years
spent in this cloister Luther was called upon the stage where his battle
with popery was to be fought. In 1502 Elector Frederick of Saxony had
founded the University of Wittenberg. He charged Staupitz with the
selection of learned and able men for this school. One of those
recommended for his learning and piety was the well-known Augustinian
monk Luther, who now became professor at Wittenberg. As Staupitz urged
him to remove at once to Wittenberg, Luther did not even find time to
bid farewell to his friends at Erfurt. Moving caused him little trouble,
for a begging friar has few possessions. And thus, on an autumn day of
the year 1508, we see the pale and emaciated form of the 25 year old
monk traveling the road from Erfurt and entering Wittenberg by the
wooden bridge. He hurried through the long street to the Augustinian
cloister, where he found shelter and lodging.
[Illustration: Elector Frederick the Wise.]
2. LUTHER AS PROFESSOR AND PREACHER. In obedience to his superiors
Luther at first lectured on philosophy although he would have preferred
to teach theology. And this wish of his heart was soon granted. Already
in 1509 he received permission to expound the Scriptures to the
students. With joyful devotion he gave himself up to the study of the
Bible and diligently searched for the ground of salvation. And, indeed,
he very soon created such a sensation that Dr. Mellrichstadt exclaimed,
"That monk will confound all the doctors, and introduce a new doctrine,
and reform the whole Roman church, for he devotes himself to the
writings of the prophets and apostles, and stands upon the Word of Jesus
Christ." Thus God had led Luther to the Scriptures, and he made them his
guiding star. He felt that they alone could give him what he sought:
truth and peace. Staupitz also tried to persuade him to preach, but
Luther at first lacked courage. Finally, however, he consented and
preached the Word of Christ in the little chapel of the cloister. Its
appearance was very similar to the pictures which the artists paint of
the stable at Bethlehem in which Christ was born. In such a poor, little
church that man began to preach who was to thrill countless souls and
point the way to true peace. Very soon citizens and students gathered in
such numbers to hear him that the church could not hold them. He was
then called to the large parish church of Wittenberg, whose doors were
now thrown open to him. Here he had abundant opportunity to preach the
Word of Life in his powerful sermons to many thousands of hearers.
3. LUTHER IN ROME. By the study of the Bible and diligent preparation
for his sermons Luther steadily grew in the knowledge of divine truth,
and yet he was firmly held in the bondage of popery. He still considered
the Pope the viceregent of Christ upon earth. When he was therefore
directed to visit Rome in the interest of his order it filled his heart
with greatest joy. For he hoped by this visit to the holy (?) city to
find rest and comfort for his conscience. He had to make the journey on
foot, and he took the pilgrim staff in hand, and together with a
companion started out for Rome. They had no need of money, for shelter
and lodging they found in the cloisters by the way. But Luther did not
enjoy the journey, for the words kept ringing in his ears: "The just
shall live by his faith." After a long journey through beautiful
landscapes the way finally wound about a hillock, and before the eyes of
the German monks lay the Roman plain where, on the banks of the Tiber,
appeared the resplendent houses, churches, and fortresses of the city of
Rome. How his heart must have leaped when, in the radiant glow of the
evening sun, the city lay before him! He prostrated himself upon the
ground, lifted his hands, and exclaimed, "Hail, holy Rome! Thrice holy
because of the martyrs' blood that was shed in thee!"--In Rome Luther
devoutly sought to satisfy the cravings of his heart. With what
sincerity he went about this we see from his own words: "In Rome I was
also such a crazy saint. I ran through all churches and caverns, and
believed every stinking lie that had been fabricated there. I even
regretted at the time that my father and mother were still living, for I
would have been so glad to have redeemed them from purgatory with my
masses and other precious works and prayers." How revolting it must have
been for him to see the priests read mass with such levity and get
through hurry-skurry (_rips-raps_), as if they were giving a puppet
show! Luther relates: "Before I reached the Gospel the priest beside me
had finished his mass and called to me, 'Hurry up! Come away! Give the
child back to its mother!'" So it happened that his faith in Rome began
to waver more and more, and God again and again led him there where true
comfort can be found. The following is an example. On the Place of St.
John's there was a flight of stairs, called Pilate's Staircase, which
was said to be the same on which our Savior went up and down before the
palace of Pontius Pilate at Jerusalem. Now, while Luther was crawling up
these steps, hoping in this way to reconcile God and atone for his sins,
it seemed to him as if a voice of thunder was crying in his ears, "The
just shall live by his faith!" Thus this passage more and more became
the light which revealed to him the true way to heaven. This was his
opinion of the so-called Holy City: "No one believes what villainy and
outrageous sins and vices are practiced at Rome. You can convince no one
that such great abominations occur there, if he has not seen and heard
and experienced it himself." Thus Luther learned to know popery itself
in Rome, and was, therefore, the better qualified to testify against it
later on. He said: "I would not for a thousand florins have missed
seeing Rome, for then I would always fear that I were wronging the Pope
and doing him an injustice; but now we speak that which we have seen."
4. LUTHER IS MADE DOCTOR OF DIVINITY. After his return to Wittenberg
Luther took up his work with renewed diligence. One day, while sitting
with Staupitz under the great pear tree in the cloister garden, his
superior took his hand and said, "Brother Martin, I and all the brethren
have concluded that you ought to become Doctor of Divinity." Luther was
frightened and excused himself because of his youth, his need of further
study, and, also, because of his weak and sickly body, and begged him to
select a man more qualified than he was. But when his paternal friend
continued to persuade him, he said, "Doctor Staupitz, you will take my
life; I will not stand it three months." To this prophecy of approaching
death Staupitz playfully remarked, "In God's name! Our Lord has
important business on hand; He needs able men also in heaven. Now, if
you die you must be His councilor up there." Finally, Luther submitted
to the will of his superior and, on the 18th of October, 1512, Dr.
Carlstadt with great solemnity bestowed upon him the degree of Doctor of
Divinity. How important this was Luther himself points out when he says:
"I, Doctor Martin, have been called and forced to become a doctor
without my choice, purely from obedience. I had to accept the degree of
doctor _and to swear and vow allegiance to my beloved Holy Bible, to
preach it faithfully and purely_." Luther, later on, often comforted
himself with this vow, when the devil and the world sought to terrify
him because he had created such a disturbance in Christendom.
Luther now devoted himself entirely to the study of the whole Bible, and
by the power of the Holy Spirit he soon learned to distinguish between
the Law and the Gospel. And it was only now that he clearly and fully
understood the passage: "The just shall live by his faith." With great
power he now confuted the error that man could merit forgiveness of sins
by his own good works, and be justified before God by his own piety and
civil righteousness. On the contrary, he clearly and pointedly showed
that our sins are forgiven without any merit of our own, for Christ's
sake only, and that we accept this gift by faith alone. He proved that
Scriptures alone can teach us to believe right, to live a Christian
life, and to die a blessed death. Thus the light of the Gospel grew
brighter and brighter in Wittenberg, and, after the long night and
darkness, the eyes of many were opened. The beautiful close of a letter
which Luther wrote in 1516 to an Augustinian monk is a proof of the
clear knowledge, which he already had at that time, of eternal and
saving truth. It reads: "My dear brother, learn to know Christ, the
Crucified; learn to sing to Him; and, despairing of thyself, say, 'Thou,
Lord Jesus Christ, art my righteousness, but I am Thy sin. Thou hast
taken upon Thyself what is mine, and hast given me what is Thine.'
Meditate devoutly upon this love of His, and thou wilt draw from it the
sweetest comfort. For if we could gain peace of conscience by our own
works and sufferings, why did He die? Therefore thou wilt find peace in
no other way but by confidently despairing of thyself and thy works, and
trusting in Him."