Life Of Luther - free ebook by Gustav A. Just

GUSTAV JUST.

(Translated from the German by S. and H.) St. Louis, Mo. CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE. Copyright, 1903, by CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, St. Louis, Mo....

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Motto:

Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation. Hebrews 13, 7....

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The Christians of the First Century.

1. The Apostles of the Lord. When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ bid farewell to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, and ascended into heaven, He commanded them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. In this power they were to go forth into all the world and bear witness of that which they had seen and heard. He said unto them: "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all

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The Persecutions.

1. The Persecutions under Nero, Decius, and Diocletian. About the year 100 A. D. the apostles of the Lord had all fallen asleep. The preaching of the Gospel, however, had not ceased, but was carried on vigorously everywhere, and now persecutions against the Christians arose also among the heathen. They began already under Nero . In 64 A. D. this cruel tyrant set fire to Rome, the great capital of the then known world, and amused himself with the spectacle. The conflagration raged for six days, a

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Constantine and the Spreading of Christianity in Germany.

1. Constantine. After many anxious years a time of refreshing peace finally came for the Christians. For by God's wonderful providence a man kindly disposed toward the Christians ascended the Roman throne. This was Emperor Constantine. His father had already been a friend of the Christians, and his mother had even accepted the faith. After his father's death, Constantine was proclaimed Emperor by the army. This was in the summer of 306. When, in 312, he marched against Maxentius, who had dispute

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Popery and Monkery.

1. The Origin of Popery. When, in the course of time, the Christian church continued to expand, it became necessary for the larger congregations to engage more than one pastor. An immediate consequence was that one of them attained to higher eminence and was called the bishop by preference. Great deference was especially paid to the bishops of Rome, of Jerusalem, of Alexandria, of Antioch, and of Constantinople. The smaller congregations frequently sought their advice and requested their decisio

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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 Scripture

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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 L

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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 comfo

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Luther in the Cloister.

1. Entrance into the Cloister. Luther erroneously felt himself bound in conscience to keep his vow, and therefore, on July 15, 1505, once more invited his intimate friends to meet him, in order to bid them farewell. They passed the time with song and instrumental music. As Luther seemed to be happy and in the best of spirits no one dreamed of what was passing in his soul. But before his friends parted from him he informed them of his intention. At first they thought he was joking, and laughed at

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Luther as Teacher.

1. Luther Called to the University of Wittenberg. After three years spent in this cloister Luther was called upon the stage where his battle with popery was to be fought. In 1502 Elector Frederick of Saxony had founded the University of Wittenberg. He charged Staupitz with the selection of learned and able men for this school. One of those recommended for his learning and piety was the well-known Augustinian monk Luther, who now became professor at Wittenberg. As Staupitz urged him to remove at

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Luther the Reformer.

1. Papal Indulgences. At that time the papal chair was occupied by Leo X. What this Pope believed we may gather from his words addressed to one of his bishops. He exclaimed, "What an immense sum have we made out of this fable about Christ!" Luther relates this of him: "He would amuse himself by having two clowns dispute before his table on the immortality of the soul. The one took the positive, the other the negative side of this question. The Pope said to him who defended the proposition, 'Alth

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Luther the Mighty Warrior.

1. Luther Before Cajetan in Augsburg. Pope Leo X at first treated the affair with contempt, thinking that the quarrel would soon die out. He once said, "Brother Martin has a fine head, and the whole dispute is nothing else than an envious quarrel of the monks." At another time he said, "A drunken German has written these theses; when he sobers up he will think differently of the matter." But when he noticed that his authority was endangered, because many pious souls became attached to the true d

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Luther the Staunch Confessor.

1. Luther Cited to Appear at the Diet at Worms. In 1521 Charles V held his first diet at Worms. Among other matters Luther's case was also to be discussed. The elector therefore asked Luther whether he were willing to appear at the diet. Luther answered: "If I am called, I shall, as far as I am concerned, go there sick if I cannot go there well, for I dare not doubt that God calls me when my emperor calls. You may expect everything of me save flight or recantation: I will not flee, much less wil

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The Fanatics and the Peasants' War.

1. Disturbances at Wittenberg. The sound of the glorious Gospel had gone out through all the lands. Satan indeed had tried to suppress it in every way, by help of Pope, emperor, and learned men, but it had spread only the more. Then the devil chose another means to suppress the truth by creating schisms and offenses in Luther's own congregation. During Luther's absence the Augustinian monks at Wittenberg had abolished the papal mass and again introduced the right manner of celebrating Holy Commu

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The Colloquy at Marburg.

1. Zwingli. At the same time that Luther issued his powerful theses against popery a man lived in Switzerland whose eyes had also been opened to the corruption of the church. This was Ulrich Zwingli, pastor at Zurich. He also wished to help the church, but did not abide by the pure Word of God. In many things he followed his own reason. Assisted by the city council he changed the church service at Zurich after his own fashion. The processions were abolished. Pictures, crucifixes, and altars were

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The Augsburg Confession.

1. The Drafting of the Confession. In 1530 Charles V assembled a diet at Augsburg. Contrary to common expectation his proclamation was very friendly, saying that in this assembly all animosity was to be put aside and everyone's views were to be heard in all love and kindness. Elector John the Steadfast thereupon commissioned his theologians to draw up a brief and clear summary of the principal doctrines of evangelical truth, that he and his party might be ready to confess their faith and their h

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Bible, Catechism, and Hymnbook.

1. Bible. Among the many priceless treasures for which all Christendom owes thanks, under God, to Luther, the translation of the Bible into German is one of the grandest and one of the most glorious. In the churches of that time Latin Bibles were used exclusively. The people, however, were not acquainted with them; for, in the first place, laymen could not read them, and, in the second place, they were forbidden to read the Bible. In addition to this, the Bibles of that time were far too expensi

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Luther's Family Life.

1. Luther Enters Holy Matrimony. According to the Pope's doctrine all so-called religious, like the monks, nuns, and priests, dare not marry. Luther, on the contrary, proved from the Word of God that this doctrine is false, that matrimony is God's institution and honorable in all men. 'Tis true, of himself he declared: "I have no disposition to marry, because I may daily expect death as a heretic." But many of his friends urgently requested him for the sake of strengthening many weak hearts also

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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 peacefu

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Afflictions of the Lutheran Church in Germany after the Reformation.

1. The Smalcald War. Already during the life of Luther clouds of war had frequently arisen, threatening to destroy the Lutheran church. But as long as Luther lived the storm did not break. His prophecy was fulfilled: "I have fervently prayed to God, and still beseech Him daily, to check the evil counsels of the papists and permit no war to come upon Germany while I live, and I am sure that God has certainly heard my prayer, and I know that as long as I live there will be no war in Germany. Now w

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The Lutheran Church in America.

1. The Mustard Seed. When the Lutheran church in Germany was in its prime it was transplanted also across the waters, into the wilds of America. As early as 1638 the first Lutheran Swedes emigrated to America and founded the first Lutheran congregation in the valley of the Delaware. In 1650 the Dutch had also founded Lutheran churches in the State of New York. The most important of these churches was in the city of New York. It was cruelly oppressed by the Reformed officials. The true Lutheran c

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