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From Here to Forever
yourself on account of your sins, throw yourself into the Redeemer’s
arms. Trust in Him, in the righteousness of His life, in the atonement
of His death. ... The Son of God ... became man to give you the
assurance of divine favor. ... Love Him who first loved you.
His
words made a deep impression on Luther’s mind. Peace came to his
troubled soul.
Ordained a priest, Luther was called to a professorship in the
University of Wittenberg. He began to lecture on the Psalms, the
Gospels, and the Epistles to crowds of delighted listeners. Staupitz,
his superior, urged him to ascend the pulpit and preach. But Luther
felt himself unworthy to speak to the people in Christ’s stead. It
was only after a long struggle that he yielded to the solicitation of
his friends. He was mighty in the Scriptures, and the grace of God
rested upon him. The clearness and power with which he presented
the truth convinced their understanding, and his fervor touched their
hearts.
Luther, still a true son of the papal church, had no thought he
would ever be anything else. Led to visit Rome, he pursued his
journey on foot, lodging at monasteries on the way. He was filled
with wonder at the magnificence and luxury that he witnessed. The
monks dwelt in splendid apartments, attired themselves in costly
robes, and feasted at a sumptuous table. Luther’s mind was becoming
perplexed.
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At last he beheld in the distance the seven-hilled city. He pros-
trated himself upon the earth, exclaiming: “Holy Rome, I salute
thee!
He visited the churches, listened to the marvelous tales
repeated by priests and monks, and performed all the ceremonies re-
quired. Everywhere, scenes filled him with astonishment—iniquity
among the clergy, indecent jokes from prelates. He was filled with
horror at their profanity even during mass. He met dissipation, de-
bauchery. “No one can imagine,” he wrote, “what sins and infamous
actions are committed in Rome. ... They are in the habit of saying,
‘If there is a hell, Rome is built over it.’
4
Ibid., bk. 2, ch. 4.
5
D’Aubigne, bk. 2, ch. 6.
6
Ibid., bk. 2, ch. 6.