Holland, the progress of the gospel was marked with the blood of its
disciples. But in the countries of the North it found a peaceful entrance.
Students at Wittenberg, returning to their homes, carried the reformed
faith to Scandinavia. The publication of Luther’s writings also spread the
light. The simple, hardy people of the North turned from the corruption,
the pomp, and the superstitions of Rome, to welcome the purity, the
simplicity, and the life-giving truths of the Bible.
Tausen, “the Reformer of Denmark,” was a peasant’s son. The boy early gave
evidence of vigorous intellect; he thirsted for an education; but this was
denied him by the circumstances of his parents, and he entered a cloister.
Here the purity of his life, together with his diligence and fidelity, won
the favor of his superior. Examination showed him to possess talent that
promised at some future day good service to the church. It was determined
to give him an education at some one of the universities of Germany or the
Netherlands. The young student was granted permission to choose a school
for himself, with one proviso, that he must not go to Wittenberg. The
scholar of the church was not to be endangered by the poison of heresy. So
said the friars.
Tausen went to Cologne, which was then, as now, one of the strongholds of
Romanism. Here he soon became disgusted with the mysticisms of the
schoolmen. About the same time he obtained Luther’s writings. He read them
with wonder and delight, and greatly desired to enjoy the personal
instruction of the Reformer. But to do so he must risk giving offense to
his monastic superior, and forfeiting his support. His decision was soon
made, and erelong he was enrolled as a student at Wittenberg.
On returning to Denmark, he again repaired to his cloister. No one as yet
suspected him of Lutheranism; he did not reveal his secret, but
endeavored, without exciting the prejudices of his companions, to lead
them to a purer faith and a holier life. He opened the Bible, and
explained its true meaning, and at last preached Christ to them as the
sinner’s righteousness and his only hope of salvation. Great was the wrath
of the prior, who had built high hopes upon him as a valiant defender of
Rome. He was at once removed from his own monastery to another, and
confined to his cell, under strict supervision.
To the terror of his new guardians, several of the monks soon declared
themselves converts to Protestantism. Through the bars of his cell, Tausen
had communicated to his companions a knowledge of the truth. Had those
Danish fathers been skilled in the church’s plan of dealing with heresy,
Tausen’s voice would never again have been heard; but instead of
consigning him to a tomb in some underground dungeon, they expelled him
from the monastery. Now they were powerless. A royal edict, just issued,
offered protection to the teachers of the new doctrine. Tausen began to
preach. The churches were opened to him, and the people thronged to
listen. Others also were preaching the word of God. The New Testament,
translated into the Danish tongue, was widely circulated. The efforts made
by the papists to overthrow the work resulted in extending it, and erelong
Denmark declared its acceptance of the reformed faith.
In Sweden, also, young men who had drunk from the well of Wittenberg
carried the water of life to their countrymen. Two of the leaders in the
Swedish Reformation, Olaf and Laurentius Petri, the sons of a blacksmith
of Orebro, studied under Luther and Melanchthon, and the truths which they
thus learned they were diligent to teach. Like the great Reformer, Olaf
aroused the people by his zeal and eloquence, while Laurentius, like
Melanchthon, was learned, thoughtful, and calm. Both were men of ardent
piety, of high theological attainments, and of unflinching courage in
advancing the truth. Papist opposition was not lacking. The Catholic
priests stirred up the ignorant and superstitious people. Olaf Petri was
often assailed by the mob, and upon several occasions barely escaped with
his life. These reformers were, however, favored and protected by the
king.
Under the rule of the Roman Church, the people were sunken in poverty, and
ground down by oppression. They were destitute of the Scriptures; and
having a religion of mere signs and ceremonies, which conveyed no light to
the mind, they were returning to the superstitious beliefs and pagan
practices of their heathen ancestors. The nation was divided into
contending factions, whose perpetual strife increased the misery of all.
The king determined upon a reformation in the state and the church, and he
welcomed these able assistants in the battle against Rome.
In the presence of the monarch and the leading men of Sweden, Olaf Petri
with great ability defended the doctrines of the reformed faith against
the Romish champions. He declared that the teachings of the Fathers are to
be received only when in accordance with the Scriptures; that the
essential doctrines of the faith are presented in the Bible in a clear and
simple manner, so that all men may understand them. Christ said, “My
doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me;”(357) and Paul declared that
should he preach any other gospel than that which he had received, he
would be accursed.(358) “How, then,” said the Reformer, “shall others
presume to enact dogmas at their pleasure, and impose them as things
necessary to salvation?”(359) He showed that the decrees of the church are
of no authority when in opposition to the commands of God, and maintained
the great Protestant principle, that “the Bible and the Bible only,” is
the rule of faith and practice.
This contest, though conducted upon a stage comparatively obscure, serves
to show us “the sort of men that formed the rank and file of the army of
the Reformers. They were not illiterate, sectarian, noisy
controversialists—far from it; they were men who had studied the word of
God, and knew well how to wield the weapons with which the armory of the
Bible supplied them. In respect of erudition they were ahead of their age.
When we confine our attention to such brilliant centers as Wittenberg and
Zurich, and to such illustrious names as those of Luther and Melanchthon,
of Zwingle and Œcolampadius, we are apt to be told, these were the leaders
of the movement, and we should naturally expect in them prodigious power
and vast acquisitions; but the subordinates were not like these. Well, we
turn to the obscure theater of Sweden, and the humble names of Olaf and
Laurentius Petri—from the masters to the disciples—what do we find?...
Scholars and theologians; men who have thoroughly mastered the whole
system of gospel truth, and who win an easy victory over the sophists of
the schools and the dignitaries of Rome.”(360)
As the result of this disputation, the king of Sweden accepted the
Protestant faith, and not long afterward the national assembly declared in
its favor. The New Testament had been translated by Olaf Petri into the
Swedish language, and at the desire of the king the two brothers undertook
the translation of the whole Bible. Thus for the first time the people of
Sweden received the word of God in their native tongue. It was ordered by
the Diet that throughout the kingdom, ministers should explain the
Scriptures, and that the children in the schools should be taught to read
the Bible.
Steadily and surely the darkness of ignorance and superstition was
dispelled by the blessed light of the gospel. Freed from Romish
oppression, the nation attained to a strength and greatness it had never
before reached. Sweden became one of the bulwarks of Protestantism. A
century later, at a time of sorest peril, this small and hitherto feeble
nation—the only one in Europe that dared lend a helping hand—came to the
deliverance of Germany in the terrible struggles of the Thirty Years’ War.
All Northern Europe seemed about to be brought again under the tyranny of
Rome. It was the armies of Sweden that enabled Germany to turn the tide of
popish success, to win toleration for the Protestants,—Calvinists as well
as Lutherans,—and to restore liberty of conscience to those countries that
had accepted the Reformation.
14. LATER ENGLISH REFORMERS.
[Illustration: Chapter header.]
While Luther was opening a closed Bible to the people of Germany, Tyndale
was impelled by the Spirit of God to do the same for England. Wycliffe’s
Bible had been translated from the Latin text, which contained many
errors. It had never been printed, and the cost of manuscript copies was
so great that few but wealthy men or nobles could procure it; and
furthermore, being strictly proscribed by the church, it had had a
comparatively narrow circulation. In 1516, a year before the appearance of
Luther’s theses, Erasmus had published his Greek and Latin version of the
New Testament. Now for the first time the word of God was printed in the
original tongue. In this work many errors of former versions were
corrected, and the sense was more clearly rendered. It led many among the
educated classes to a better knowledge of the truth, and gave a new
impetus to the work of reform. But the common people were still, to a
great extent, debarred from God’s word. Tyndale was to complete the work
of Wycliffe in giving the Bible to his countrymen.
A diligent student and an earnest seeker for truth, he had received the
gospel from the Greek Testament of Erasmus. He fearlessly preached his
convictions, urging that all doctrines be tested by the Scriptures. To the
papist claim that the church had given the Bible, and the church alone
could explain it, Tyndale responded: “Do you know who taught the eagles to
find their prey? Well, that same God teaches His hungry children to find
their Father in His word. Far from having given us the Scriptures, it is
you who have hidden them from us; it is you who burn those who teach them,
and if you could, you would burn the Scriptures themselves.”(361)
Tyndale’s preaching excited great interest; many accepted the truth. But
the priests were on the alert, and no sooner had he left the field than
they by their threats and misrepresentations endeavored to destroy his
work. Too often they succeeded. “What is to be done?” he exclaimed. “While
I am sowing in one place, the enemy ravages the field I have just left. I
cannot be everywhere. Oh! if Christians possessed the Holy Scriptures in
their own tongue, they could of themselves withstand these sophists.
Without the Bible it is impossible to establish the laity in the
truth.”(362)
A new purpose now took possession of his mind. “It was in the language of
Israel,” said he, “that the psalms were sung in the temple of Jehovah; and
shall not the gospel speak the language of England among us?... Ought the
church to have less light at noonday than at the dawn?... Christians must
read the New Testament in their mother-tongue.” The doctors and teachers
of the church disagreed among themselves. Only by the Bible could men
arrive at the truth. “One holdeth this doctor, another that.... Now each
of these authors contradicts the other. How then can we distinguish him
who says right from him who says wrong?... How?... Verily by God’s
word.”(363)
It was not long after that a learned Catholic doctor, engaging in
controversy with him, exclaimed, “We were better to be without God’s laws
than the pope’s.” Tyndale replied, “I defy the pope and all his laws; and
if God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the
plow to know more of the Scripture than you do.”(364)
The purpose which he had begun to cherish, of giving to the people the New
Testament Scriptures in their own language, was now confirmed, and he
immediately applied himself to the work. Driven from his home by
persecution, he went to London, and there for a time pursued his labors
undisturbed. But again the violence of the papists forced him to flee. All
England seemed closed against him, and he resolved to seek shelter in
Germany. Here he began the printing of the English New Testament. Twice
the work was stopped; but when forbidden to print in one city, he went to
another. At last he made his way to Worms, where, a few years before,
Luther had defended the gospel before the Diet. In that ancient city were
many friends of the Reformation, and Tyndale there prosecuted his work
without further hindrance. Three thousand copies of the New Testament were
soon finished, and another edition followed in the same year.
With great earnestness and perseverance he continued his labors.
Notwithstanding the English authorities had guarded their ports with the
strictest vigilance, the word of God was in various ways secretly conveyed
to London, and thence circulated throughout the country. The papists
attempted to suppress the truth, but in vain. The bishop of Durham at one
time bought of a bookseller who was a friend of Tyndale, his whole stock
of Bibles, for the purpose of destroying them, supposing that this would
greatly hinder the work. But on the contrary, the money thus furnished,
purchased material for a new and better edition, which, but for this,
could not have been published. When Tyndale was afterward made a prisoner,
his liberty was offered him on condition that he would reveal the names of
those who had helped him meet the expense of printing his Bibles. He
replied that the bishop of Durham had done more than any other person; for
by paying a large price for the books left on hand, he had enabled him to
go on with good courage.
Tyndale was betrayed into the hands of his enemies, and at one time
suffered imprisonment for many months. He finally witnessed for his faith
by a martyr’s death; but the weapons which he prepared have enabled other
soldiers to do battle through all the centuries even to our time.
Latimer maintained from the pulpit that the Bible ought to be read in the
language of the people. The Author of Holy Scripture, said he, “is God
Himself;” and this Scripture partakes of the might and eternity of its
Author. “There is no king, emperor, magistrate, and ruler ... but are
bound to obey ... His holy word.” “Let us not take any by-walks, but let
God’s word direct us: let us not walk after ... our forefathers, nor seek
not what they did, but what they should have done.”(365)
Barnes and Frith, the faithful friends of Tyndale, arose to defend the
truth. The Ridleys and Cranmer followed. These leaders in the English
Reformation were men of learning, and most of them had been highly
esteemed for zeal or piety in the Romish communion. Their opposition to
the papacy was the result of their knowledge of the errors of the “holy
see.” Their acquaintance with the mysteries of Babylon, gave greater power
to their testimonies against her.
“Now I would ask a strange question,” said Latimer. “Who is the most
diligent bishop and prelate in all England? ... I see you listening and
hearkening that I should name him.... I will tell you: it is the devil....
He is never out of his diocese; ... call for him when you will, he is ever
at home; ... he is ever at his plow.... Ye shall never find him idle, I
warrant you.... Where the devil is resident, ... there away with books,
and up with candles; away with Bibles, and up with beads; away with the
light of the gospel, and up with the light of candles, yea, at noondays;
... down with Christ’s cross, up with purgatory pick-purse; ... away with
clothing the naked, the poor, and impotent, up with decking of images and
gay garnishing of stocks and stones; up with man’s traditions and his
laws, down with God’s traditions and His most holy word.... O that our
prelates would be as diligent to sow the corn of good doctrine, as Satan
is to sow cockle and darnel!”(366)
The grand principle maintained by these Reformers—the same that had been
held by the Waldenses, by Wycliffe, by John Huss, by Luther, Zwingle, and
those who united with them—was the infallible authority of the Holy
Scriptures as a rule of faith and practice. They denied the right of
popes, councils, Fathers, and kings, to control the conscience in matters
of religion. The Bible was their authority, and by its teaching they
tested all doctrines and all claims. Faith in God and His word sustained
these holy men as they yielded up their lives at the stake. “Be of good
comfort,” exclaimed Latimer to his fellow-martyr as the flames were about
to silence their voices, “we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s
grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”(367)
In Scotland the seeds of truth scattered by Columba and his co-laborers
had never been wholly destroyed. For hundreds of years after the churches
of England submitted to Rome, those of Scotland maintained their freedom.
In the twelfth century, however, popery became established here, and in no
country did it exercise a more absolute sway. Nowhere was the darkness
deeper. Still there came rays of light to pierce the gloom, and give
promise of the coming day. The Lollards, coming from England with the
Bible and the teachings of Wycliffe, did much to preserve the knowledge of
the gospel, and every century had its witnesses and martyrs.
With the opening of the Great Reformation came the writings of Luther, and
then Tyndale’s English New Testament. Unnoticed by the hierarchy, these
messengers silently traversed the mountains and valleys, kindling into new
life the torch of truth so nearly extinguished in Scotland, and undoing
the work which Rome for four centuries of oppression had done.
Then the blood of martyrs gave fresh impetus to the movement. The papist
leaders, suddenly awakening to the danger that threatened their cause,
brought to the stake some of the noblest and most honored of the sons of
Scotland. They did but erect a pulpit, from which the words of these dying
witnesses were heard throughout the land, thrilling the souls of the
people with an undying purpose to cast off the shackles of Rome.
Hamilton and Wishart, princely in character as in birth, with a long line
of humbler disciples, yielded up their lives at the stake. But from the
burning pile of Wishart there came one whom the flames were not to
silence, one who under God was to strike the death-knell of popery in
Scotland.
John Knox had turned away from the traditions and mysticisms of the
church, to feed upon the truths of God’s word; and the teaching of Wishart
had confirmed his determination to forsake the communion of Rome, and join
himself to the persecuted Reformers.
Urged by his companions to take the office of preacher, he shrunk with
trembling from its responsibility, and it was only after days of seclusion
and painful conflict with himself that he consented. But having once
accepted the position, he pressed forward with inflexible determination
and undaunted courage as long as life continued. This true-hearted
Reformer feared not the face of man. The fires of martyrdom, blazing
around him, served only to quicken his zeal to greater intensity. With the
tyrant’s axe held menacingly over his head, he stood his ground, striking
sturdy blows on the right hand and on the left to demolish idolatry.
When brought face to face with the queen of Scotland, in whose presence
the zeal of many a leader of the Protestants had abated, John Knox bore
unswerving witness for the truth. He was not to be won by caresses; he
quailed not before threats. The queen charged him with heresy. He had
taught the people to receive a religion prohibited by the state, she
declared, and had thus transgressed God’s command enjoining subjects to
obey their princes. Knox answered firmly:
“As right religion took neither original strength nor authority from
worldly princes, but from the eternal God alone, so are not subjects bound
to frame their religion according to the appetites of their princes. For
oft it is that princes are the most ignorant of all others in God’s true
religion.... If all the seed of Abraham had been of the religion of
Pharaoh, whose subjects they long were, I pray you, madam, what religion
would there have been in the world? Or if all men in the days of the
apostles had been of the religion of the Roman emperors, what religion
would there have been upon the face of the earth?... And so, madam, ye may
perceive that subjects are not bound to the religion of their princes,
albeit they are commanded to give them obedience.”
Said Mary, “Ye interpret the Scriptures in one manner, and they [the Roman
Catholic teachers] interpret in another; whom shall I believe, and who
shall be judge?”
“Ye shall believe God, that plainly speaketh in His word,” answered the
Reformer; “and farther than the Word teaches you, ye neither shall believe
the one nor the other. The word of God is plain in itself; and if there
appear any obscurity in one place, the Holy Ghost, which is never contrary
to Himself, explains the same more clearly in other places, so that there
can remain no doubt but unto such as obstinately remain ignorant.”(368)
Such were the truths that the fearless Reformer, at the peril of his life,
spoke in the ear of royalty. With the same undaunted courage he kept to
his purpose, praying and fighting the battles of the Lord, until Scotland
was free from popery.
In England the establishment of Protestantism as the national religion
diminished, but did not wholly stop, persecution. While many of the
doctrines of Rome had been renounced, not a few of its forms were
retained. The supremacy of the pope was rejected, but in his place the
monarch was enthroned as the head of the church. In the service of the
church there was still a wide departure from the purity and simplicity of
the gospel. The great principle of religious liberty was not as yet
understood. Though the horrible cruelties which Rome employed against
heresy were resorted to but rarely by Protestant rulers, yet the right of
every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience
was not acknowledged. All were required to accept the doctrines and
observe the forms of worship prescribed by the established church.
Dissenters suffered persecution, to a greater or less extent, for hundreds
of years.
In the seventeenth century thousands of pastors were expelled from their
positions. The people were forbidden, on pain of heavy fines,
imprisonment, and banishment, to attend any religious meetings except such
as were sanctioned by the church. Those faithful souls who could not
refrain from gathering to worship God, were compelled to meet in dark
alleys, in obscure garrets, and at some seasons in the woods at midnight.
In the sheltering depths of the forest, a temple of God’s own building,
those scattered and persecuted children of the Lord assembled to pour out
their souls in prayer and praise. But despite all their precautions, many
suffered for their faith. The jails were crowded. Families were broken up.
Many were banished to foreign lands. Yet God was with His people, and
persecution could not prevail to silence their testimony. Many were driven
across the ocean to America, and here laid the foundations of civil and
religious liberty which have been the bulwark and glory of this country.
Again, as in apostolic days, persecution turned out to the furtherance of
the gospel. In a loathsome dungeon crowded with profligates and felons,
John Bunyan breathed the very atmosphere of heaven; and there he wrote his
wonderful allegory of the pilgrim’s journey from the land of destruction
to the celestial city. For over two hundred years that voice from Bedford
jail has spoken with thrilling power to the hearts of men. Bunyan’s
“Pilgrim’s Progress” and “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners” have
guided many feet into the path of life.
Baxter, Flavel, Alleine, and other men of talent, education, and deep
Christian experience, stood up in valiant defense of the faith which was
once delivered to the saints. The work accomplished by these men,
proscribed and outlawed by the rulers of this world, can never perish.
Flavel’s “Fountain of Life” and “Method of Grace” have taught thousands
how to commit the keeping of their souls to Christ. Baxter’s “Reformed
Pastor” has proved a blessing to many who desire a revival of the work of
God, and his “Saints’ Everlasting Rest” has done its work in leading souls
to the “rest that remaineth for the people of God.”