discharging the duties of his order. A providential opportunity was offered of propagating Divine Truth, and it behoved him not to neglect it. While, therefore, he remained at this place, he wrote fome propofitions, in which he opposed the prevailing notions* concerning juftification, faith, and works. His capital object in them was to demonftrate the doctrine of juftification, before God, by faith, and not by our works and defervings. The thefes or pofitions, which he intended to defend, were publicly expofed to view in writing according to cuftom; and he called upon Leonard Bejer, a monk of the Auguftinian order to be his refpondent. The profeffors of the university dif approved of the controverfy; and therefore it was held in the Auguftinian monaftery. A large concourfe of people attended, and a number of the learned bore a part in the difputation. Among the hearers were Martin Bucer, and John Brentius, men, afterwards eminent in the work of reformation. Thefe and other perfons, who in procefs of time became celebrated theologians, admired the acuteness, promptitude, and meekness of Luther, were ftruck with the truths of the gofpel which were new to their ears, and defired further inftruction of him in private. This was the feed-time of the gofpel in the Palatinate; and these were the beginnings of the reformation in that electorate. Luther's difciples cultivated and taught the fame doctrines in private, and after a time ventured to teach them publicly in the university. While the cause of evangelical truth was thus making gradual advances in Germany, two celebrated Romanifts, Eckius of Ingolstadt, and Prierias a Dominican, mafter of the facred palace at Rome, Seckend. 29. from a MS. Hift. of the Palatine Churches by Altingius. Rome, took up their pens against the Thefes of Luther, who, by thefe means was led into a fresh literary conteft. Luther published elaborate anfwers on all the difputed points; and managed this part of the controverfy with fo much moderation and gentlenefs, that his inimical hiftorian Maimbourgh, has no way left of reviling the man he diflikes, but by faying,-On this occafion, he acted" contrary to his natural difpofition." Let the reader infer the real difpofition of Luther from authenticated facts, and not from the infinuations of prejudiced papifts. At this time, he wrote alfo to his own diocefan, and to his vicar-general. To his diocefan, the bifhop of Brandenburgh, he declared, that he did not DETERMINE, but DISPUTE, ufing the liberty allowed to fcholaftic men in all ages. "I fear not," fays he, "Bulls and menaces; it is the audaciousness and the ignorance of men, that induce me to ftand forth, though with much reluctance: Were there not a weighty cause for it, no one, out of my own little fphere, fhould ever hear of me. If the cause I defend, be not the work of God, I would have nothing to do with it; let it perish. Let him alone have glory, to whom alone glory belongs." He endeavoured to roufe the fpirit of his vicar-general, thus: "When I first heard you say, that true repentance begins with the love of righteoufnefs and of God,' the words made a deep and durable impreffion on my heart, as if they had come by a voice directly from heaven." Hence, he faid, he was filled with grief to fee the true doctrine of repentance, fuperfeded by indulgences. He expreffed his great unwillingness to be drawn into the conteft; but, being defamed as an enemy of the pope, he felt himself constrained to defend his own character. He, therefore, begged Staupitius to tranfmit his trifling writings, as he calls them, them, to pope Leo X., that they might speak for In a private letter of this kind, written to a friend much older than himself, and whom he honoured as his father, every candid person must fee that Luther would open the genuine feelings of his foul. This fingle fact, therefore, is decifive against the conftant, but groundless, affertion of his adverfaries," that he was fecretly encouraged and fupported in this perilous conteft by Staupitius." There is no doubt, that both his diocesan and his vicar-general valued him extremely for his talents and piety;-nor were either of them deftitute of fome evangelical light: The latter efpecially, as we have feen,-had been ferviceable to the young Auguftine monk in his early conflicts of temptation. But neither the former, nor the latter, had the knowledge, the courage, the faithfulness. of Luther. His controverfial writings, published in the year 1518, in explanation and fupport of the various A, D. doctrines he had advanced, are full of important 1518. matter, and very much lay open the real state of his mind at that time. And thefe writings alfo,fuch was his regard for ecclefiaftical difcipline,-he thought proper to tranfmit both to his Ordinary and to his vicar-general. Among many other pofitions maintained in them, are the following; "That every true Chriftian may become partaker of the grace of Chrift without pontifical indulgences. A Chriftian," fays he, " may glory that in Chrift he has all things; that all the righteousness and merits of Chrift are his own by virtue of that fpiritual union with him, which he has by faith: On the other hand, that all his fins are no longer his, but that Chrift, through the fame union, bears the burden of them. And this is the confidence of Chriftians, this is the refreshment of their confciences, that by faith our fins ceafe to be ours judicially, because they are laid on him the Lamb of God that taketh away the fin of the world." "I was compelled," continues Luther, "in my confcience to expose the scandalous fale of indulgences. I faw fome feduced by them into mifchievous errors, others tempted into an audacious profaneness. In a word, the proclaiming and felling of pardons proceeded to fuch an unbounded licentiousness, that the holy church and its authorities became fubjects of open derifion in the public taverns. There was no occafion to excite the hatred of mankind against priests to a greater de"gree. The avarice and profligacy of the clergy had, for many years past, kindled the indignation of the laity. Alas! they have not a particle of respect or honor for the priesthood, except what folely arifes from fear of punishment; and I fpeak plainly, unless their diflike and their objections be attended ro and moderated, not by mere power, but by fubftantial reafons and reformations, all thefe evils will grow worfe." From From these extracts the reader will be enabled to form his own judgment of Luther, as a divine, as a statesman, and as an honest man.-He wrote a letter to the pope himself, respecting the fame tranfactions, in which he expreffes himself in fo dutiful and ceremonious a manner, and even in ftrains of fuch fubmiffive and proftrate fubjection, as fufficiently show, that at that time he was far from meditating a feparation from the church of Rome. Maimbourg himself appears to have very much felt the force of Luther's ingenuous declarations and general conduct in thefe proceedings. He thinks, he probably might have been fincere in his profeffions of obedience to the Roman See, "becaufe," fays he, "it was fo contrary to his nature to play the hypocrite for any confiderable time together." The fame author adds, "Whether he was really fincere, or not, his modest and plausible manner of expreffing his doubts, procured him the approbation of many. He was looked on as an honeft inquirer after truth who had detected the frauds of his adverfaries, and, in that way, had unjustly brought upon himfelf the name of heretic." The preceding detail of facts and obfervations unavoidably lead, the mind to this conclufion. Luther was far advanced in evangelical knowledge, and appears to have been an experienced Christian fome time before he became known to the world. Yet was he ftill ftrongly wedded to the habits of fuperftition; and he flowly admitted the conviction of the Anti-chriftian character of the hierarchy. He The extracts here given are almoft literal translations. But every one, who has been used to the making of extracts, knows, that in many cases where a great deal is omitted for the fake of brevity, it is neceffary to add a few words to prevent obscurities. This, however, fhould always be done with the greatest care, fo as not to affect the fenfe. † Maimb. p, 28. in Seck. |