Luther's Last Days and Death.
1. LUTHER'S PRESENTIMENT OF DEATH. Eight days after his last birthday,
which he celebrated on the 10th of November in the company of his
friends, he finished his exposition of Genesis and closed his lecture to
the students with these impressive words: "I am weak! I cannot continue;
pray God to grant me a blessed death." And he wrote to a friend: "I am
sick of this world, and the world is sick of me; it will not be
difficult for us to part, as a guest quits his inn. Therefore I pray for
a peaceful end, I am ready to depart." At the close of his last sermon
in Eisleben the thoughts of his heart are expressed in this wish: "May
God give us grace that we gratefully accept His beloved Word, increase
and grow in the knowledge and faith of His Son, and remain steadfast in
the confession of His holy Word unto our end! Amen."
2. LUTHER'S JOURNEY TO EISLEBEN. In the beginning of 1546 the counts of
Mansfeld requested Luther to come to Eisleben and settle a dispute which
had arisen between themselves and their subjects. Luther consented to
go, and, together with his three sons, on the 23d of January, he set out
on his last pilgrimage on this earth. In Halle he visited his friend Dr.
Jonas. While there he preached on the conversion of Paul and praised the
writings of this apostle as the holy of holies. On the 28th of January,
when crossing the swollen Saale in a small boat, his life was in great
danger. Luther said to Jonas, "Dear Jonas, how it would please the devil
if I, Dr. Martin, with you and our guides, would fall into the water and
drown!" Not far from Eisleben he became so weak that fears were
entertained for his life. But he soon regained his strength. In Eisleben
Luther preached several times, and took great pains to settle the
dispute between the counts and their subjects. When matters were
settled Luther began to think of returning home; but God had decided
otherwise.
[Illustration: Luther's Death.]
3. LUTHER'S ILLNESS AND DEATH. Already on the 17th of February Luther
could not attend the meetings because of his increasing weakness. In
accordance with the advice of his friends and the counts he remained in
his room and rested. About eight o'clock in the evening he took his
medicine and lay down on his couch, saying, "If I could sleep for half
an hour I believe I would improve." He now slept calmly till ten
o'clock, when he awoke, arose, and went into his bedroom. As he entered
the room he said, "In the name of God, I am going to bed. Into Thy hands
I commend my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, Thou faithful God." At one
o'clock he awoke and said, "O Lord God, I feel so bad! Ah, dear Dr.
Jonas, I believe I shall die here at Eisleben where I was born and
baptized." Again he left his bedroom and entered the sitting room,
saying again, "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit, Thou hast redeemed
me, Thou faithful God." When he was again resting on his couch his
friends hurried to his side, with Count Albrecht, the countess, and two
physicians. When, upon repeated rubbings, he began to perspire freely
Dr. Jonas thought he was improving, but Luther answered, "No, it is the
cold sweat of death; I will give up my spirit, for the sickness is
increasing." Then he prayed thus: "O my heavenly Father, the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Thou God of all consolation! I thank
Thee that Thou hast revealed to me Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, in whom I
believe, whom I have preached and confessed, whom I have loved and
extolled, whom the wicked Pope and the ungodly dishonor, persecute, and
blaspheme. I pray Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, receive my poor soul into Thy
hands. O heavenly Father, although I must quit this body and be torn
away from this life, I nevertheless know assuredly that I shall be with
Thee forever, and that no one can pluck me out of Thy hands." Then
three times he repeated the passage: "God so loved the world, that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life," John 3, 16, and the words of the
68th Psalm: "He that is our God, is the God of salvation; and unto God
the Lord belong the issues of death." When the physician gave him a
cordial he took it and said, "I pass away; I shall yield up my spirit,"
after which he rapidly repeated these words three times: "Father, into
Thy hands I commend my spirit, Thou hast redeemed me, Lord, Thou
faithful God." Now he lay quiet, when spoken to he did not answer. Dr.
Jonas called into his ear, "Reverend father, are you firmly determined
to die upon Christ and the doctrine you have preached?" Loud and
distinctly Luther answered, "Yes!" Having said this he turned upon his
side and fell asleep, saved in the faith of his Redeemer, on the 18th of
February, 1546, between two and three o'clock in the morning.
4. LUTHER'S FUNERAL. The sad tidings of Luther's death spread rapidly
through town and country. A great multitude of people of all classes
gathered to view the previous remains of the man who had again brought
to light the saving Word of God. When the news of Luther's death reached
Wittenberg and Melanchthon told the students, he exclaimed, "Alas, he
has been taken from us, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof,
by whom the church was guided in this last age of the world!" On the
19th day of February the corpse was laid in a metallic coffin, borne
into the Castle Church of Eisleben, and placed before the altar. On the
following day Dr. Coelius preached an excellent sermon, after which the
corpse was carried in solemn funeral procession to Wittenberg. With
weeping and wailing a countless multitude surrounded the hearse, and in
nearly every village the bells were tolled. When, late at night, the
funeral approached the gates of Halle the clergy, the city council, the
schools, and the citizens, together with women and children, marched out
to meet it and escorted the corpse into the church. The service opened
with Luther's hymn, "Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee," the weeping being
heard more than the singing. On the 22d of February the funeral train
reached Wittenberg. Amid the tolling of the bells it moved toward the
Castle Church, the hearse being followed by Luther's widow, his four
children, and other relatives. Then came the faculty, the students, and
the citizens. Dr. Bugenhagen preached a comforting sermon, which was
frequently interrupted by his own tears and the weeping of his audience.
At the close Melanchthon delivered a Latin oration, after which the
corpse was lowered into the vault near the pulpit, where it awaits the
coming of the resurrection morn.