The preaching of young Professor Luther made a great impression on the Elector of Saxony, who said to his friends that Luther ought to be a Doctor of Divinity. Dr. Staupitz went to the convent to speak to Luther about it. Taking him into the cloister garden the venerable father said he must now become Doctor of the Holy Scriptures. Luther was overcome at the thought of such a dignity and said: “Seek one more worthy of it; for my part I cannot consent to it.” The Vicar-General pressed the point, silenced all his objections, so Luther was obliged to submit. In October, 1512, Brother Luther was appointed Doctor of the Holy Scriptures and took the oath, promising to study and proclaim them all his life; also to defend the Holy Christian faith against all heresies.
Luther had already learned the true secret of sound theology, namely the diligent and reverend study of Holy Scripture. When
he was young he read the Bible over and over again, and was so perfectly acquainted with it that he could, in an instant, have pointed to any verse that might have been mentioned. Then he read the commentaries, but soon threw them aside, finding many things his conscience could not approve, as being contrary to the sacred text.
At one time Luther said: “I did not learn my divinity at once, but was constrained by my trials and temptations to search deeper and deeper, for no man without these trials and temptations can attain a true understanding of the Holy Scriptures. Without these we are only theorists and speculators in divinity, and according to our vain reasoning dream that so and so it must be, as the monks and friars in monasteries do. The Holy Scripture of itself is certain and true; God grant me grace to catch hold of its just use.”
The Ninety-five Theses
In the collection of Luther relics in the British Museum there was an original copy of the printed broadsheet which Luther fixed on the church door at Wittenberg on the memorable 17th October, 1517. Luther used this method to bring before the learned at Wittenberg the doctrine of indulgences and other points raised in his conflict with Tetzel. The discussion could not fail to establish and to spread the doctrines maintained in opposition to Rome, and was a notable event in the history of the Reformation.
When Luther undertook to write against the gross errors of indulgences Dr. Jerome Schurff stopped him and said: “Would you then write against the Pope? What are you about? It will not be allowed.” Luther replied: “What if they must allow it?”
When the theses were posted up some laughed at him, and thought he could never destroy a work which the Pope and the bishops maintained. When one of the senior professors of the University saw the theses, he said: “Brother, creep back into your cell, and pray ‘Lord have mercy on me!'” An old monk said: “My dear Brother Martin, if you can overthrow the doctrine of purgatory and this papal system of peddling souls, you will indeed be a great man.”
The effect of Luther’s silencing Tetzel was his being denounced by the Pope, who sent documents intended to ruin him, especially the famous bull, the burning of which gave signal of open rupture with the papal see. It was in 1520 he burnt all the Pope’s books, decrees, decretals, etc., and said: “If anyone ask me why I have done this, my reply is, that it is an ancient custom to burn bad
books. The apostles burnt 5,000 of them.” He was cited to Rome but the influence of the Elector obtained the withdrawal of his going to answer the charges against him.
In less than a fortnight after the burning of the papal bull, Luther heard of a citation to appear before the new Emperor Charles V. It was then doubtful what part the German nation, represented by its chief and princes, would take in a conflict with Rome. The Emperor paid great deference to the Elector, Frederic the Wise, and it was by his advice that he refused to obey blindly the papal commands, but decided first to examine into the matters at issue. This is one of the greatest events in Luther’s public life, and an important one in the history of the world and the Church, his appearance before the Emperor and an august assembly at the Diet of Worms.
His enemies thought he would be for ever silenced, and peace restored to the Church. His friends were all panic-struck. Luther alone was unmoved and undaunted. He had counted the cost, and was ready even to lay down his life for the cause of Christ. Observing the distress of his friends he said: “The papists have little desire to see me at Worms, but they long for my condemnation and death. Pray not for me but for the Word of God. My blood will scarcely be cold before thousands and ten thousands in every land will be made to answer for the shedding of it. The ‘Most Holy Father,’ the adversary of Christ, the master and chief of manslayers, is resolved it shall be spilt. Amen! The will of the Lord be done. Christ will give me His Spirit to overcome those ministers of Satan. I despise them while alive; I will triumph over them in death. They are striving hard at Worms to force me to recant. My recantation shall be this: ‘I said formerly that the Pope was Christ’s vicar, now I say that he is the adversary of the Lord, and the apostle of the devil.'”
Luther bade farewell to his colleagues, and to Melanchthon he said: “If I never return, and my enemies should take my life, cease not, dear brother, to teach, and stand fast in the truth. Labour in my stead since I can no longer work. If thy life be spared, my death will matter little.”
Warnings on the Road to Worms
Some of the crowd who accompanied Luther in the outset of his journey said: “There are many cardinals and prelates at Worms! You will be burnt alive, and your body reduced to ashes, as they did with John Huss.” “Though they should kindle a fire,” he replied, “whose flames should reach from Worms to Wittenberg and rise up to Heaven, I would go through it in the name of the Lord, and stand before them.”
One day, when he entered an inn, and the crowd was as usual pressing to see him, an officer addressed him thus: “Are you the man who has taken in hand to reform the papacy? How can you expect to succeed?” “Yes,” said Luther, “I am the man. I place my dependence upon the Almighty God, whose word and commandment are before me.” The officer, deeply affected, gazed on him with a look of kindly sympathy, and said: “Dear friend, there is much in what you say. I am a servant of the Emperor Charles, but your Master is greater than mine. He will help and protect you.”
At Naumberg a priest of stern zeal met him and in silence held forth a portrait of Jerome Savonarola, who was burnt at Florence in 1498 by order of the Pope. Luther saw the import of his solemn and silent action, but his intrepid spirit was unmoved. “It is Satan,” he remarked, “who seeks by these terrors to hinder the confession of the truth in the assembly of the princes, for he sees the effect it will have on his kingdom.” The priest replied: “Stand fast in the truth thou hast professed and thy God will never forsake thee.”
From Frankfort he wrote to Spalatin, “I am arrived here, although Satan has sought to stop me on my way by sickness. From Eisenach to this place I have been suffering, and I am at this moment in worse condition than ever. I find that Charles has issued an edict to terrify me; but Christ lives, and we shall enter Worms in spite of all the councils of hell, and all the powers of the air. Therefore engage me a lodging.” Spalatin became alarmed and sent a message by a servant advising him to abstain from entering the city. Luther, still undaunted, answered the servant: “Go tell your master that though there should be as many devils at Worms as there are tiles on its roofs, I would enter it.”
The Critical Moment of the Reformation
After Luther made his first appearance before the Diet, and had delivered the addresses prepared by him in defence of himself against the charges made, he was required to retire. He went to an inn and sought the quiet of his chamber. There he wrote a letter and told he vowed he was the author of his books and promised to give an answer the following day as to recantation, but added, “By the help of Jesus Christ I will not retract a single letter of my writings.”
On the morrow, the solitary monk was ushered into the presence of the Emperor and great assembly of six Electors, eighty dukes, thirty archbishops and other Romish prelates, many princes,
barons, counts, knights, seven ambassadors, including those of France and England, the Pope’s nuncios.
The question was asked: “Will you, or will you not, recant?” Luther answered unhesitatingly, “Since your Most Serene Majesty and your High Mightinesses require of me a simple, clear and direct answer, I will give one, and it is this: I cannot submit my faith either to the Pope or to the Councils, because it is clear as noonday that they have often fallen into error, and even into glaring inconsistency with themselves. If, then, I am not convinced by proof from Holy Scripture, or by cogent reasons, if I am not satisfied by the texts I have cited, and if my judgment is not in this way brought into subjection to God’s Word, I neither can nor will retract anything, for it cannot be right for a Christian to speak against his conscience.” Then turning a look on that assembly before whom he stood, and which held in its hand life or death, he said: “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise, God help me! Amen.”
The assembly for a time was motionless with astonishment. Luther’s friends were proud of their champion, yet felt painful anxiety as to the result. Several of the princes present could scarcely conceal their admiration. The Emperor, who had the day before listened to Luther with marked attention and interest, on recovering from the first impression made by this declaration of firmness, exclaimed, “The monk speaks with an intrepid heart and unshaken courage.” “If you do not retract,” resumed the Chancellor, “the Emperor and the States of the Empire will proceed to consider how to deal with an obstinate heretic.” At these words Luther’s friends trembled, but the monk repeated, “May God be my helper, for I can retract nothing.”
The Elector Frederic had expected that possibly Luther’s courage would have failed him in the Emperor’s courage; however, he was the more deeply affected by the Reformer’s firmness. He felt proud of having taken such a man under his protection and afterwards said to Spalatin, “Oh! how Luther spoke before the Emperor and all the States of the Empire. All I feared was that he might go too far.”
In the Wartburg
In none of the events of Luther’s life is the hand of God more remarkably visible than in his enforced imprisonment in the Wartburg. The honour of the Emperor had allowed his safe departure from the Diet of Worms, although some of the prelates sought to induce him to violate his safe-conduct, as had been done in the case of John Huss. The good and wise Elector knew that the malice of his enemies still caused Luther’s life to be in
peril. At the Diet any attempt at violence would have been resisted by the armed guards of the Elector, and by Ulric von Hutten and other gallant knights, who would have been ready to die in defence of the Reformer. It was thought advisable, however, now to remove him to a place of safety. The romantic episode of his being seized by armed men in masks, and hurried off to the secluded castle of Wartburg is well known. There he lived in disguise, under the name of Knight George. In the overruling Hand of Providence he now found leisure to translate the Scriptures, a work which he had long meditated, but could never find time to commence. In a letter to a Strasburg lawyer he writes: “You inquire so anxiously and kindly after my circumstances; but I think you must have been informed of them. At the advice of good friends, I have allowed myself to be concealed, though reluctantly, and with doubts whether I am doing God service. I thought I should have to surrender my head, in order to appease public rage; but those by whose advice I have been captured on the road, under a semblance of violence, have thought differently. They have conveyed me to a place of safety, where I am treated most kindly.”
All doubts as to whether he was doing God service were dispelled when he was able to spread the light of truth by translating the Bible into the German tongue, so that the people might have in their own hands the Word of God.
Celibacy and the Married State
Luther saw that the enforced celibacy of the priesthood was opposed to the Word of God, the only standard of faith and practice. He therefore maintained the nullity of monastic vows and denounced the laws of clerical celibacy.
Many evangelical clergymen, under his advice, had married. Later he determined to set the seal to this Christian idea by his own example, and was betrothed to Catherine von Bora, formerly a nun, of whom further particulars will (D.V.) follow. Their marriage took place on 13th June, 1525, and their home was a scene of love, peace and happiness of the highest Christian type.