Collected Works of Martin Luther

by Martin Luther

  3. Life in the Monasteries. Already in the time of the great persecutions many Christians had fled into the forests, caves, and among the cliffs in order to spend their lives in pious meditation and devotion. When, in the time after Constantine, the church grew more and more worldly, the number of those increased who thought that they could serve God better in quiet seclusion than amid the noise of a corrupt world. These were the so-called hermits. As a rule, they led a life of privations and self-inflicted tortures. In time, numbers of them united and adopted certain rules and laws by which their communities were governed. They also lived in their own buildings, called cloisters. These were generally built in inhospitable regions. Whoever joined the order had to forsake all his worldly possessions, and vow to lead a life of celibacy and of absolute obedience to his superiors. These are the so-called monastic vows.

  This monastical life was regarded very highly by the people, and all kinds of legacies added gradually to the lands and riches of the cloisters. Their number increased rapidly; and in the twelfth century there were thousands of them. The monks were the most zealous and the most faithful tools of Antichrist, and everywhere endeavored to spread the Pope’s heresies. They incited the people to rebellion against their lawful government and spied out and persecuted those who would no longer submit to the Pope. But it was above all the halo of false holiness which it possessed in the eyes of the people that made monkery such a curse to the church. Men, women, and children ran into the cloister in order to be sure of eternal life; for the delusive notion prevailed that man could justify himself before God and be saved by his own works. And, at that, they regarded the works commanded by God of little account, esteeming their self-chosen, monkish practices of the highest importance. Life in the monastery is, therefore, condemned by the words of Christ: “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

  CHAPTER V.

  The Forerunners of the Reformation.

  1. PETER WALDEN. Peter Walden, who was a rich and pious merchant of the twelfth century, lived in Lyons, an important city in Southern France. One day he was sitting at meal with his friends and conversing on the evils of the time and the corruption of the church. Suddenly one of his companions fell dead before their eyes. This occurrence made a deep impression on Walden, and he sought now, more than ever before, the one thing that is needful. Through diligent reading and study of Holy Scriptures he came to a knowledge of the truth, and his heart was filled with heavenly comfort and joy. The deeper he entered into the true meaning of the Holy Scriptures the more he recognized the errors and the decay of the Roman Catholic church. He saw that Christendom had departed from the true way of salvation. He, therefore, felt constrained to bring the sweet Gospel of Christ to lost souls. In 1170 he sold all his possessions and traveled through the country, teaching and preaching. He had the four Gospels translated into French and spread them among the people. The scattered seed sprung up and bore rich fruit; for very soon thousands wanted to hear of no other doctrine than the pure doctrine of God’s Word.

  Walden and his adherents, called Waldensians, taught: “In all questions pertaining to our salvation we dare trust no man or book, but must believe the Holy Scriptures only. There is but one mediator; the saints must not be worshiped; purgatory is a fable invented by men. There are but two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.” Their life conformed so well to their doctrine that King Lewis of France exclaimed: “Truly, these heretics are better than I and all my people!” The following is another beautiful testimony for the Waldensians: “They lead a purer life than other Christians. They do not swear, except necessity demands it, and beware of taking God’s name in vain. They keep their promises faithfully; they are truthful in their words and live peacefully together in brotherly love.”

  But the more their doctrine and life testified of their faith, the more the hatred against them increased. Peter Walden was forbidden to preach or explain the Scriptures, and when, in spite of this, he continued to sow the seed of the Word of God, he was excommunicated by the Pope. He fled from one place to another, and everywhere proclaimed the Gospel with signal blessing. His followers were most cruelly persecuted by the Roman church, which used every means to destroy them. About a million of them were slain in continuous wars of persecution. Seven thousand were slaughtered in a church at one time. A judge in Spain had 10,000 of them burned alive and imprisoned 97,000 who perished enduring the most frightful tortures. But in spite of fire and sword they could not be extirpated, and exist unto this day. Removed from the markets of the world, and distant from the great highways, the descendants of the Waldensians live in the unapproachable mountain glens of Savoy and Piedmont.

  2. John Wyclif. John Wyclif was Doctor and Professor of Theology at the University of Oxford. He directed his attacks chiefly against monkery, and unsparingly denounced the idling, the begging, and the perversion of religion by the monks. They therefore entered complaint against him with the Archbishop, and Wyclif was deposed from his chair at the university. From now on he testified even more decidedly against the errors and abuses of popery. He maintained: “The Roman church is not superior to the other churches; Peter had no preeminence over the other apostles, and the Pope, as far as his power to forgive sins is concerned, is but the equal of every other pastor.” He spoke very emphatically against indulgence, against the adoration of relics, and reproved the popular errors by which the poor souls were deceived. Wyclif was now denounced as a heretic at the court of the Pope, but his eloquent and masterful defense at the trial procured his release. He translated the Bible into English and taught pious men to preach the Gospel to the people. He died in 1384 at Lutterworth, where he had been pastor. His numerous writings were spread by his followers throughout all Europe, and especially Bohemia, where they bore rich fruit. But the hatred against Wyclif did not cease with his death. In compliance with an order of the Council of Constance, where his doctrines were condemned, his bones were exhumed, burned, and the ashes thrown into the river.

  John Huss.

  3. John Huss. Huss was born in 1369 at Hussinecz, in Bohemia. Through reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of Wyclif he came to a knowledge of the truth and boldly lifted his voice against the errors and abuses prevalent in the church. He preached against indulgences, purgatory, and the ungodly life of the priests. Thereby he became an object of hatred to the Pope. He was soon excommunicated by the Pope, and when he continued to preach in Prague, where he was pastor, and was supported by that city, it was also placed under the ban. The churches were closed, the bells were silent, the dead were denied Christian burial, Baptisms and marriages could only be performed in the graveyards.

  Huss was cited to appear at the council to be held at Constance. Although Emperor Sigismund promised him safe-conduct, nevertheless Huss undertook the journey to Constance foreboding no good. And indeed, in spite of the safe-conduct, he was taken and thrown into a foul prison immediately upon his arrival. When Sigismund expressed his disapproval the monks told him that faith need not be kept with a heretic. Huss defended himself before the council with great steadfastness, and as he would not recant he was condemned to die at the stake. He was deposed from the priesthood and made an object of ridicule and scorn. On his head was placed a paper cap painted with numerous devils who were tormenting a poor sinner. He was led out to execution, and on the way frequently called upon the Savior for mercy. He was then chained to an upright pole, and hay and straw, saturated with pitch, were piled about him. Once more he was tempted to recant and thus to save his life. But Huss remained faithful. Now the flames surrounded him. The smoke curled above him. “Christ, Thou Lamb of God, have mercy upon me!” the faithful witness sang twice with a loud and clear voice. But when he began the third verse, he was overcome by smoke and flames and gave up the ghost. It is reported that while at the stake he prophesied: “To-day you are roasting a goose, but after a hundred years a swan will come, which ye will not roast.”

  4. Jerome Savonarol
a. In Italy a man arose who was to startle the proud Pope and his priests out of their security. This was Jerome Savonarola. The misery and the corruption in the church had driven him into the cloister. Through the Word of God he learned the truth, and then publicly denounced the depravity of his time. He was an eloquent and passionate preacher. He cried out: “Before long the sword of the Lord will come over Italy and over all the earth, and then the church will be renewed!” The Pope of that time lived in the grossest vices. Rome was the hotbed of all sins and crimes. Savonarola complained: “The poison is heaped up at Rome to such an extent that it infects France, and Germany, and all the world. Things have come to such a pass that we must warn everyone against Rome. Rome has perverted the whole of Scriptures!”

  By the Pope he was anathematized, and by the temporal court condemned to die at the stake. With two of his companions he was to be hanged on the gallows, and then their corpses were to be burned. Savonarola entertained the sure hope that judgment would come upon Rome, and the Lord would renew the corrupt church. He said: “Rome will not be able to quench this fire, and if it is quenched God will light another; aye, it is kindled already in many places, but they do not know it. Before long the desolation and idolatry of the Roman Pope will be reproved, and a teacher will be born whom no one can resist.” On Ascension Day, May 23, 1498, with cheerful resignation, he met death at the hand of the hangman.

  CHAPTER VI.

  Luther’s Childhood.

  1. LUTHER IN the House of His Parents. When Savonarola breathed his last in the Market Place at Florence, God had already chosen His servant who was to destroy the tyranny of the Pope. The swan, prophesied by Huss, appeared. For on November 10, 1483, a son had been born to poor peasants in Eisleben, at the foot of the Hartz Mountains. Already on the following day he was baptized, and received the name Martin, in honor of the saint to whom this day was sacred. His parents were Hans and Margaret Luther. They came from the village Moehra, having emigrated to Eisleben. When Martin was six months old they moved to the neighboring town Mansfeld, where his father hoped to support his family by working in the mines. Luther said of his ancestors: “I am the son of a peasant; my father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather were all industrious peasants. Later on my father moved to Mansfeld, where he worked in the mines.” Again he said: “My parents, at first, were very poor. My father was a poor miner, and my mother often carried the wood upon her back in order to raise us children. They endured many hardships for our sake.”

  The child was a great joy to its parents, and they loved it dearly. The father would often step to the cradle and pray loud and fervently that God would grant grace to his son that, mindful of his name, he might become a true Luther and live a pure and sincere life. From earliest childhood both parents trained their boy to fear God and love all that is good. Parental discipline, however, was most severe, and tended to make Luther a very timid child. In later years he said: “My father once chastised me so severely that I fled from him and avoided him until he won me to himself again.” And of his mother he said: “For the sake of an insignificant nut my mother once whipped me till the blood came. But their intentions were the best.” Luther at all times gratefully acknowledged this.

  2. Luther at School. Little Martin was not yet five years of age when, followed by the prayers of his parents, he was brought to the school at Mansfeld. This school was situated upon a hillside, in the upper part of the city, and quite a distance from the boy’s home. In inclement weather, when the road was bad, he was often carried there by his father or by Nicolas Oemler. Here he zealously learned the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer; he was also instructed in reading, writing, and the principles of Latin grammar. The school even surpassed his home in the severity of its discipline. The schoolmaster was one of those incapable men that treated his children as hangmen and bailiffs treat their prisoners. In one forenoon Luther received fifteen whippings. Such tyrannical treatment filled him and his fellow pupils with fear and timidity.

  The religious instruction which he received also served to intimidate and terrify him. He scarcely learned more than popish superstition and idolatry. True, at Christmas time the church sang: “A Child so fair is born for us to-day,” but instead of the glad tidings: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,” hell-fire was preached in the school. Luther says: “From youth I was trained to turn pale at the very mention of Christ’s name, for I was instructed to regard Him as a severe and angry judge. We were all taught that we had to atone for our own sins, and because we could not do this we were directed to the saints in heaven and advised to invoke dear Mother Mary to pacify the wrath of Christ and obtain mercy for us.”

  CHAPTER VII.

  Luther’s Student Days.

  1. LUTHER IN Magdeburg. When Luther was fourteen years of age he bade farewell to his parents and home and, with his friend Hans Reinecke, went to Magdeburg; for his father wished to give him a thorough education. Having received no spending money from home, they were forced to live upon the alms gathered on the way from charitable hands. In Magdeburg Luther attended the high school, a noted school of that day. But here, as everywhere, the false doctrines of popery prevailed, and the sweet comfort of the Gospel was not preached. The poor pupils were directed to perform such works and penances as the Roman church considered meritorious. Luther relates the following incident as illustrating the monastic sanctity of those days: “With these my eyes I saw a Prince of Anhalt in a friar’s cowl begging for bread in the streets, and bending under the sack like an ass. He looked like a specter, nothing but skin and bones. Whoever saw him smacked with devotion and had to be ashamed with his secular calling.” — In bodily things also little Martin had to endure much hardship. It is true, lodge and shelter were supplied by the city, and the instruction, given by the monks, was free of charge, but the pupils themselves had to provide their support. Because of his father’s poverty Luther received but little assistance from home and was compelled to sing for his daily bread at the doors of the citizens. He relates the following story of his experiences at that time: “During the Christmas holidays we made excursions into the neighboring villages and sang at the doors the Christmas carols in four parts in order to obtain our living. At one time a peasant came out of his house and called to us in a rough tone of voice, ‘Boys, where are you?’ This so terrified us that we scattered in all directions. We were so frightened that we did not notice the sausage in his hand, and it required no little coaxing to recall us.”

  While at Magdeburg Luther was taken sick with a violent and distressing fever. Although he suffered great thirst he was forbidden to drink water. But on a certain Friday, when all had gone to church, his thirst became so unendurable that he crept upon his hands and knees into the kitchen, seized a vessel filled with fresh water, and drank it with great relish. Then he dragged himself back to his bed, went soundly to sleep, and when he awoke the fever was gone. — Lack of support forced him to leave Magdeburg at the end of the year.

  2. Luther in Eisenach. After a short stay under the parental roof Luther complied with the wish of his parents and attended the high school at Eisenach. His mother had many relatives there, and hoped that they would do something for poor Martin. But these hopes were disappointed, and, therefore, at Eisenach also he lived in great poverty. Again he had to gain his daily bread by singing and saying prayers before the houses. The gifts so received were called particles, that is, crumbs. In after-years Luther said: “I have also been such a beggar of ‘particles,’ taking my bread at the doors, especially in Eisenach, my beloved city.” At times, however, his poverty so depressed him that he determined to return to his parents and help his father in the mines. But at last God graciously provided for him. For some time already his earnest singing and praying had won for him the heart of a pious matron, Frau Cotta. One day, therefore, when, together with other scholars, he was again singing at her door she took him into her house and gave him a place at her table. Thus by God’s wonderfu
l providence he was relieved of this care for his daily bread and could now joyfully devote himself entirely to his studies. Luther never forgot his benefactress, Mrs. Cotta, and in later years, when her son studied at Wittenberg, he received him into his house.

  Frau Cotta Taking Luther into Her Home.

  Luther delighted in attending the Latin school at Eisenach. He was especially fond of the principal of the school, John Trebonius, who treated his scholars with the greatest love and consideration. Upon entering the schoolroom he would remove his academical cap, and did not replace it till he had taken his seat at the desk. To the other teachers he said, “Among these young pupils sit some of whom God may make our future mayors, chancellors, learned doctors, and rulers. Although you do not know them now, it is proper that you should honor them.” Luther outranked all his fellow pupils, and when, at one time, the celebrated Professor Trutvetter of Erfurt visited Eisenach Luther, being the most fluent Latin orator of the school, was called upon to deliver the address of welcome. After the reception Trutvetter said to Trebonius, “Sir, you have a good school here. It is in excellent condition. Keep an eye on that Luther. There is something in that boy. By all means, prepare him for the university and send him to us at Erfurt.” Thereupon he patted Luther on the back and said, “My son, the Lord has bestowed special gifts upon thee; use them faithfully in His service. When thou art ready and wishest to come to us at Erfurt remember that thou hast a good friend there, Doctor Jodocus Trutvetter. Appeal to him, he will give thee a friendly reception.”