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Chapter 7—Luther, a Man for His Time
Foremost among those called to lead the church from the dark-
ness of popery into the light of a purer faith stood Martin Luther.
Knowing no fear but the fear of God, and acknowledging no foun-
dation for faith but the Holy Scriptures, Luther was the man for his
time.
Luther’s early years were spent in the humble home of a German
peasant. His father intended him for a lawyer, but God purposed
to make him a builder in the great temple that was rising slowly
through the centuries. Hardship, privation, and severe discipline
were the school in which Infinite Wisdom prepared Luther for the
mission of his life.
Luther’s father was a man of active mind. His sterling good
sense led him to regard the monastic system with distrust. He was
displeased when Luther, without his consent, entered a monastery. It
was two years before the father was reconciled to his son, and even
then his opinions remained the same.
Luther’s parents endeavored to instruct their children in the
knowledge of God. Their efforts were earnest and persevering to
prepare their children for a life of usefulness. They sometimes ex-
ercised too great severity, but the Reformer himself found in their
discipline more to approve than to condemn.
At school Luther was treated with harshness and even violence.
He often suffered from hunger. The gloomy, superstitious ideas of
religion then prevailing filled him with fear. He would lie down at
night with a sorrowful heart, in constant terror at the thought of God
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as a cruel tyrant, rather than a kind heavenly Father.
When he entered the University of Erfurt, his prospects were
brighter than in his earlier years. His parents, having by thrift and
industry acquired a competence, were able to render him all needed
assistance. And judicious friends somewhat lessened the gloomy
effects of his former training. With favorable influences, his mind
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