Chapter 10 - Progress of Reform in Germany

Progress of Reform in Germany
Luther’s mysterious disappearance excited consternation throughout
all Germany. Inquiries concerning him were heard everywhere.
The wildest rumors were circulated, and many believed that he had
been murdered. There was great lamentation, not only by his avowed
friends, but by thousands who had not openly taken their stand with
the Reformation. Many bound themselves by a solemn oath to avenge
his death.
The Romish leaders saw with terror to what a pitch had risen the
feeling against them. Though at first exultant at the supposed death
of Luther, they soon desired to hide from the wrath of the people.
His enemies had not been so troubled by his most daring acts while
among them as they were at his removal. Those who in their rage
had sought to destroy the bold Reformer were filled with fear now
that he had become a helpless captive. “The only remaining way of
saving ourselves,” said one, “is to light torches, and hunt for Luther
through the whole world, to restore him to the nation that is calling for
him.”—D’Aubigne, b. 9, ch. 1. The edict of the emperor seemed to
fall powerless. The papal legates were filled with indignation as they
saw that it commanded far less attention than did the fate of Luther.
The tidings that he was safe, though a prisoner, calmed the fears
of the people, while it still further aroused their enthusiasm in his
favor. His writings were read with greater eagerness than ever before. [186]
Increasing numbers joined the cause of the heroic man who had, at
such fearful odds, defended the word of God. The Reformation was
constantly gaining in strength. The seed which Luther had sown sprang
up everywhere. His absence accomplished a work which his presence
would have failed to do. Other laborers felt a new responsibility, now
that their great leader was removed. With new faith and earnestness
they pressed forward to do all in their power, that the work so nobly
begun might not be hindered.
But Satan was not idle. He now attempted what he has attempted in
every other reformatory movement—to deceive and destroy the people
153
154 The Great Controversy
by palming off upon them a counterfeit in place of the true work. As
there were false Christs in the first century of the Christian church, so
there arose false prophets in the sixteenth century.
A few men, deeply affected by the excitement in the religious
world, imagined themselves to have received special revelations from
Heaven, and claimed to have been divinely commissioned to carry
forward to its completion the Reformation which, they declared, had
been but feebly begun by Luther. In truth, they were undoing the very
work which he had accomplished. They rejected the great principle
which was the very foundation of the Reformation—that the word of
God is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice; and for that unerring
guide they substituted the changeable, uncertain standard of their own
feelings and impressions. By this act of setting aside the great detector
of error and falsehood the way was opened for Satan to control minds
as best pleased himself.
One of these prophets claimed to have been instructed by the angel
Gabriel. A student who united with him forsook his studies, declaring
that he had been endowed by God Himself with wisdom to expound
His word. Others who were naturally inclined to fanaticism united with
[187] them. The proceedings of these enthusiasts created no little excitement.
The preaching of Luther had aroused the people everywhere to feel the
necessity of reform, and now some really honest persons were misled
by the pretensions of the new prophets.
The leaders of the movement proceeded to Wittenberg and urged
their claims upon Melanchthon and his colaborers. Said they: “We are
sent by God to instruct the people. We have held familiar conversations
with the Lord; we know what will happen; in a word, we are apostles
and prophets, and appeal to Dr. Luther.”—Ibid., b. 9, ch. 7.
The Reformers were astonished and perplexed. This was such an
element as they had never before encountered, and they knew not what
course to pursue. Said Melanchthon: “There are indeed extraordinary
spirits in these men; but what spirits? ... On the one hand, let us beware
of quenching the Spirit of God, and on the other, of being led astray
by the spirit of Satan.”—Ibid., b. 9, ch. 7.
The fruit of the new teaching soon became apparent. The people
were led to neglect the Bible or to cast it wholly aside. The schools
were thrown into confusion. Students, spurning all restraint, abandoned
their studies and withdrew from the university. The men who
Progress of Reform in Germany 155
thought themselves competent to revive and control the work of the
Reformation succeeded only in bringing it to the verge of ruin. The
Romanists now regained their confidence and exclaimed exultingly:
“One last struggle, and all will be ours.”—Ibid., b. 9, ch. 7.
Luther at the Wartburg, hearing of what had occurred, said with
deep concern: “I always expected that Satan would send us this
plague.”—Ibid., b. 9, ch. 7. He perceived the true character of those
pretended prophets and saw the danger that threatened the cause of
truth. The opposition of the pope and the emperor had not caused
him so great perplexity and distress as he now experienced. From the
professed friends of the Reformation had risen its worst enemies. The
very truths which had brought him so great joy and consolation were [188]
being employed to stir up strife and create confusion in the church.
In the work of reform, Luther had been urged forward by the Spirit
of God, and had been carried beyond himself. He had not purposed
to take such positions as he did, or to make so radical changes. He
had been but the instrument in the hand of Infinite Power. Yet he often
trembled for the result of his work. He had once said: “If I knew
that my doctrine injured one man, one single man, however lowly and
obscure,—which it cannot, for it is the gospel itself,—I would rather
die ten times than not retract it.”—Ibid., b. 9, ch. 7.
And nowWittenberg itself, the very center of the Reformation, was
fast falling under the power of fanaticism and lawlessness. This terrible
condition had not resulted from the teachings of Luther; but throughout
Germany his enemies were charging it upon him. In bitterness of soul
he sometimes asked: “Can such, then, be the end of this great work
of the Reformation?”—Ibid., b. 9, ch. 7. Again, as he wrestled with
God in prayer, peace flowed into his heart. “The work is not mine,
but Thine own,” he said; “Thou wilt not suffer it to be corrupted by
superstition or fanaticism.” But the thought of remaining longer from
the conflict in such a crisis, became insupportable. He determined to
return to Wittenberg.
Without delay he set out on his perilous journey. He was under
the ban of the empire. Enemies were at liberty to take his life; friends
were forbidden to aid or shelter him. The imperial government was
adopting the most stringent measures against his adherents. But he
saw that the work of the gospel was imperiled, and in the name of the
Lord he went out fearlessly to battle for the truth.
156 The Great Controversy
In a letter to the elector, after stating his purpose to leave the
Wartburg, Luther said: “Be it known to your highness that I am going
to Wittenberg under a protection far higher than that of princes and
electors. I think not of soliciting your highness’s support, and far
[189] from desiring your protection, I would rather protect you myself. If I
knew that your highness could or would protect me, I would not go to
Wittenberg at all. There is no sword that can further this cause. God
alone must do everything, without the help or concurrence of man. He
who has the greatest faith is he who is most able to protect.”—Ibid., b.
9, ch. 8.
In a second letter, written on the way to Wittenberg, Luther added:
“I am ready to incur the displeasure of your highness and the anger of
the whole world. Are not the Wittenbergers my sheep? Has not God
entrusted them to me? And ought I not, if necessary, to expose myself
to death for their sakes? Besides, I fear to see a terrible outbreak in
Germany, by which God will punish our nation.”—Ibid., b. 9, ch. 7.
With great caution and humility, yet with decision and firmness, he
entered upon his work. “By the word,” said he, “must we overthrow
and destroy what has been set up by violence. I will not make use
of force against the superstitious and unbelieving.... No one must be
constrained. Liberty is the very essence of faith.”—Ibid., b. 9, ch. 8.
It was soon noised through Wittenberg that Luther had returned
and that he was to preach. The people flocked from all directions,
and the church was filled to overflowing. Ascending the pulpit, he
with great wisdom and gentleness instructed, exhorted, and reproved.
Touching the course of some who had resorted to violent measures in
abolishing the mass, he said:
“The mass is a bad thing; God is opposed to it; it ought to be abolished;
and I would that throughout the whole world it were replaced by
the supper of the gospel. But let no one be torn from it by force. We
must leave the matter in God’s hands. His word must act, and not we.
And why so? you will ask. Because I do not hold men’s hearts in my
hand, as the potter holds the clay. We have a right to speak: we have
not the right to act. Let us preach; the rest belongs unto God. Were
I to employ force, what should I gain? Grimace, formality, apings,
[190] human ordinances, and hypocrisy.... But there would be no sincerity
of heart, nor faith, nor charity. Where these three are wanting, all is
wanting, and I would not give a pear stalk for such a result.... God
Progress of Reform in Germany 157
does more by His word alone than you and I and all the world by our
united strength. God lays hold upon the heart; and when the heart is
taken, all is won....
“I will preach, discuss, and write; but I will constrain none, for
faith is a voluntary act. See what I have done. I stood up against the
pope, indulgences, and papists, but without violence or tumult. I put
forward God’s word; I preached and wrote—this was all I did. And yet
while I was asleep, ... the word that I had preached overthrew popery,
so that neither prince nor emperor has done it so much harm. And yet
I did nothing; the word alone did all. If I had wished to appeal to force,
the whole of Germany would perhaps have been deluged with blood.
But what would have been the result? Ruin and desolation both to
body and soul. I therefore kept quiet, and left the word to run through
the world alone.”—Ibid., b. 9, ch. 8.
Day after day, for a whole week, Luther continued to preach to
eager crowds. The word of God broke the spell of fanatical excitement.
The power of the gospel brought back the misguided people into the
way of truth.
Luther had no desire to encounter the fanatics whose course had
been productive of so great evil. He knew them to be men of unsound
judgment and undisciplined passions, who, while claiming to
be specially illuminated from heaven, would not endure the slightest
contradiction or even the kindest reproof or counsel. Arrogating
to themselves supreme authority, they required everyone, without a
question, to acknowledge their claims. But, as they demanded an
interview with him, he consented to meet them; and so successfully
did he expose their pretensions that the impostors at once departed
from Wittenberg.
The fanaticism was checked for a time; but several years later it
broke out with greater violence and more terrible results. Said Luther,
concerning the leaders in this movement: “To them the Holy Scriptures [191]
were but a dead letter, and they all began to cry, ‘The Spirit! the Spirit!’
But most assuredly I will not follow where their spirit leads them. May
God of His mercy preserve me from a church in which there are none
but saints. I desire to dwell with the humble, the feeble, the sick,
who know and feel their sins, and who groan and cry continually to
God from the bottom of their hearts to obtain His consolation and
support.”—Ibid., b. 10, ch. 10.
158 The Great Controversy
Thomas Munzer, the most active of the fanatics, was a man of
considerable ability, which, rightly directed, would have enabled him
to do good; but he had not learned the first principles of true religion.
“He was possessed with a desire of reforming the world, and forgot, as
all enthusiasts do, that the reformation should begin with himself.”—
Ibid., b. 9, ch. 8. He was ambitious to obtain position and influence,
and was unwilling to be second, even to Luther. He declared that the
Reformers, in substituting the authority of Scripture for that of the
pope, were only establishing a different form of popery. He himself, he
claimed, had been divinely commissioned to introduce the true reform.
“He who possesses this spirit,” said Munzer, “possesses the true faith,
although he should never see the Scriptures in his life.”—Ibid., b. 10,
ch. 10.
The fanatical teachers gave themselves up to be governed by impressions,
regarding every thought and impulse as the voice of God;
consequently they went to great extremes. Some even burned their
Bibles, exclaiming: “The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.” Munzer’s
teaching appealed to men’s desire for the marvelous, while it
gratified their pride by virtually placing human ideas and opinions
above the word of God. His doctrines were received by thousands. He
soon denounced all order in public worship, and declared that to obey
princes was to attempt to serve both God and Belial.
The minds of the people, already beginning to throw off the yoke
of the papacy, were also becoming impatient under the restraints of
[192] civil authority. Munzer’s revolutionary teachings, claiming divine
sanction, led them to break away from all control and give the rein to
their prejudices and passions. The most terrible scenes of sedition and
strife followed, and the fields of Germany were drenched with blood.
The agony of soul which Luther had so long before experienced
at Erfurt now pressed upon him with redoubled power as he saw
the results of fanaticism charged upon the Reformation. The papist
princes declared—and many were ready to credit the statement—that
the rebellion was the legitimate fruit of Luther’s doctrines. Although
this charge was without the slightest foundation, it could not but cause
the Reformer great distress. That the cause of truth should be thus
disgraced by being ranked with the basest fanaticism, seemed more
than he could endure. On the other hand, the leaders in the revolt hated
Luther because he had not only opposed their doctrines and denied
Progress of Reform in Germany 159
their claims to divine inspiration, but had pronounced them rebels
against the civil authority. In retaliation they denounced him as a base
pretender. He seemed to have brought upon himself the enmity of both
princes and people.
The Romanists exulted, expecting to witness the speedy downfall
of the Reformation; and they blamed Luther, even for the errors which
he had been most earnestly endeavoring to correct. The fanatical
party, by falsely claiming to have been treated with great injustice,
succeeded in gaining the sympathies of a large class of the people, and,
as is often the case with those who take the wrong side, they came to
be regarded as martyrs. Thus the ones who were exerting every energy
in opposition to the Reformation were pitied and lauded as the victims
of cruelty and oppression. This was the work of Satan, prompted by
the same spirit of rebellion which was first manifested in heaven.
Satan is constantly seeking to deceive men and lead them to call
sin righteousness, and righteousness sin. How successful has been his
work! How often censure and reproach are cast upon God’s faithful
servants because they will stand fearlessly in defense of the truth! Men [193]
who are but agents of Satan are praised and flattered, and even looked
upon as martyrs, while those who should be respected and sustained
for their fidelity to God, are left to stand alone, under suspicion and
distrust.
Counterfeit holiness, spurious sanctification, is still doing its work
of deception. Under various forms it exhibits the same spirit as in
the days of Luther, diverting minds from the Scriptures and leading
men to follow their own feelings and impressions rather than to yield
obedience to the law of God. This is one of Satan’s most successful
devices to cast reproach upon purity and truth.
Fearlessly did Luther defend the gospel from the attacks which
came from every quarter. The word of God proved itself a weapon
mighty in every conflict. With that word he warred against the usurped
authority of the pope, and the rationalistic philosophy of the schoolmen,
while he stood firm as a rock against the fanaticism that sought
to ally itself with the Reformation.
Each of these opposing elements was in its own way setting aside
the Holy Scriptures and exalting human wisdom as the source of
religious truth and knowledge. Rationalism idolizes reason and makes
this the criterion for religion. Romanism, claiming for her sovereign
160 The Great Controversy
pontiff an inspiration descended in unbroken line from the apostles,
and unchangeable through all time, gives ample opportunity for every
species of extravagance and corruption to be concealed under the
sanctity of the apostolic commission. The inspiration claimed by
Munzer and his associates proceeded from no higher source than the
vagaries of the imagination, and its influence was subversive of all
authority, human or divine. True Christianity receives the word of
God as the great treasure house of inspired truth and the test of all
inspiration.
Upon his return from the Wartburg, Luther completed his translation
of the New Testament, and the gospel was soon after given to
[194] the people of Germany in their own language. This translation was
received with great joy by all who loved the truth; but it was scornfully
rejected by those who chose human traditions and the commandments
of men.
The priests were alarmed at the thought that the common people
would now be able to discuss with them the precepts of God’s word,
and that their own ignorance would thus be exposed. The weapons of
their carnal reasoning were powerless against the sword of the Spirit.
Rome summoned all her authority to prevent the circulation of the
Scriptures; but decrees, anathemas, and tortures were alike in vain.
The more she condemned and prohibited the Bible, the greater was the
anxiety of the people to know what it really taught. All who could read
were eager to study the word of God for themselves. They carried it
about with them, and read and reread, and could not be satisfied until
they had committed large portions to memory. Seeing the favor with
which the New Testament was received, Luther immediately began the
translation of the Old, and published it in parts as fast as completed.
Luther’s writings were welcomed alike in city and in hamlet.
“What Luther and his friends composed, others circulated. Monks,
convinced of the unlawfulness of monastic obligations, desirous of
exchanging a long life of slothfulness for one of active exertion, but too
ignorant to proclaim the word of God, traveled through the provinces,
visiting hamlets and cottages, where they sold the books of Luther and
his friends. Germany soon swarmed with these bold colporteurs.”—
Ibid., b. 9, ch. 11.
These writings were studied with deep interest by rich and poor, the
learned and the ignorant. At night the teachers of the village schools
Progress of Reform in Germany 161
read them aloud to little groups gathered at the fireside. With every
effort some souls would be convicted of the truth and, receiving the
word with gladness, would in their turn tell the good news to others. [195]
The words of Inspiration were verified: “The entrance of Thy
words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Psalm
119:130. The study of the Scriptures was working a mighty change in
the minds and hearts of the people. The papal rule had placed upon its
subjects an iron yoke which held them in ignorance and degradation. A
superstitious observance of forms had been scrupulously maintained;
but in all their service the heart and intellect had had little part. The
preaching of Luther, setting forth the plain truths of God’s word, and
then the word itself, placed in the hands of the common people, had
aroused their dormant powers, not only purifying and ennobling the
spiritual nature, but imparting new strength and vigor to the intellect.
Persons of all ranks were to be seen with the Bible in their hands,
defending the doctrines of the Reformation. The papists who had left
the study of the Scriptures to the priests and monks now called upon
them to come forward and refute the new teachings. But, ignorant
alike of the Scriptures and of the power of God, priests and friars
were totally defeated by those whom they had denounced as unlearned
and heretical. “Unhappily,” said a Catholic writer, “Luther had persuaded
his followers to put no faith in any other oracle than the Holy
Scriptures.”—D’Aubigne, b. 9, ch. 11. Crowds would gather to hear
the truth advocated by men of little education, and even discussed by
them with learned and eloquent theologians. The shameful ignorance
of these great men was made apparent as their arguments were met by
the simple teachings of God’s word. Laborers, soldiers, women, and
even children, were better acquainted with the Bible teachings than
were the priests and learned doctors.
The contrast between the disciples of the gospel and the upholders
of popish superstition was no less manifest in the ranks of scholars
than among the common people. “Opposed to the old champions
of the hierarchy, who had neglected the study of languages and the [196]
cultivation of literature, ... were generous-minded youth, devoted to
study, investigating Scripture, and familiarizing themselves with the
masterpieces of antiquity. Possessing an active mind, an elevated soul,
and intrepid heart, these young men soon acquired such knowledge that
for a long period none could compete with them.... Accordingly, when
162 The Great Controversy
these youthful defenders of the Reformation met the Romish doctors
in any assembly, they attacked them with such ease and confidence
that these ignorant men hesitated, became embarrassed, and fell into a
contempt merited in the eyes of all.”—Ibid., b. 9, ch. 11.
As the Romish clergy saw their congregations diminishing, they
invoked the aid of the magistrates, and by every means in their power
endeavored to bring back their hearers. But the people had found in the
new teachings that which supplied the wants of their souls, and they
turned away from those who had so long fed them with the worthless
husks of superstitious rites and human traditions.
When persecution was kindled against the teachers of the truth,
they gave heed to the words of Christ: “When they persecute you in
this city, flee ye into another.” Matthew 10:23. The light penetrated
everywhere. The fugitives would find somewhere a hospitable door
opened to them, and there abiding, they would preach Christ, sometimes
in the church, or, if denied that privilege, in private houses or in
the open air. Wherever they could obtain a hearing was a consecrated
temple. The truth, proclaimed with such energy and assurance, spread
with irresistible power.
In vain both ecclesiastical and civil authorities were invoked to
crush the heresy. In vain they resorted to imprisonment, torture, fire,
and sword. Thousands of believers sealed their faith with their blood,
and yet the work went on. Persecution served only to extend the truth,
and the fanaticism which Satan endeavored to unite with it resulted
in making more clear the contrast between the work of Satan and the
[197] work of God.