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Chapter 47—Luther and the Great Reformation
Foremost among those who were called to lead the church from
the darkness of popery into the light of a purer faith, stood Martin
Luther. Zealous, ardent, and devoted, knowing no fear but the fear
of God, and acknowledging no foundation for religious faith but the
Holy Scriptures, Luther was the man for his time; through him, God
accomplished a great work for the reformation of the church and the
enlightenment of the world.
While one day examining the books in the library of the univer-
sity, Luther discovered a Latin Bible. He had before heard fragments
of the Gospels and Epistles at public worship, and he thought that
they were the whole of God’s Word. Now, for the first time, he
looked upon the whole Bible. With mingled awe and wonder he
turned the sacred pages; with quickened pulse and throbbing heart he
read for himself the words of life, pausing now and then to exclaim,
“Oh, if God would give me such a book for my own!” Angels of
heaven were by his side, and rays of light from the throne of God
revealed the treasures of truth to his understanding. He had ever
feared to offend God, but now the deep conviction of his condition
as a sinner took hold upon him as never before. An earnest desire to
be free from sin and to find peace with God led him at last to enter a
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cloister and devote himself to a monastic life.
Every moment that could be spared from his daily duties, he
employed in study, robbing himself of sleep, and grudging even
the moments spent at his humble meals. Above everything else he
delighted in the study of God’s Word. He had found a Bible chained
to the convent wall, and to this he often repaired.
Luther was ordained a priest, and was called from the cloister
to a professorship in the University of Wittenberg. Here he applied
himself to the study of the Scriptures in the original tongues. He
began to lecture upon the Bible; and the book of Psalm, the Gospels,
and the Epistles were opened to the understanding of crowds of
delighted listeners. He was mighty in the Scriptures, and the grace
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