The sixteenth century work under Martin Luther has been
pointed to as the date of the Reformation; but it may be
well to observe that prior to Luther's time the Lord
raised up certain reformers and that these prepared the
way for the work that was consummated under Luther. Among
them was John Wyclif, who was born in 1324. He was one of
the greatest of the reformers before the Reformation. He
was a man of great learning, and by his writings he
fearlessly and successfully exposed the wicked and
unchristian pretensions of popes, prelates, and Roman
officers and the corruption of the Romish church. He was
professor of divinity at Oxford, which university he
defended against tile insolent pretensions of the
mendicant friars. He boldly remonstrated with the pope.
Wyclif rendered to the church the greatest service that
was possible in the order of instrumentality. Besides
restoring the true doctrine of justification by faith in
the atonement and righteousness of Christ, he translated
the whole Bible into English. By the circulation of the
Word of God, especially of the New Testament, a permanent
foundation was laid for the future destruction of Romish
idolatry and superstition. The principles of this reformer
did not perish with the death of their advocate. Though
his doctrines were condemned in popish counsel and his
books destroyed, his bones dug up and burned to ashes, yet
he had kindled a flame that continued to grow brighter and
brighter until it became the blazing light of the
Sixteenth Century Reformation.
Among the other reformers who
preceded the Reformation was John Huss. He was converted
by reading the writings of Wyclif. Huss raised his voice
in Bohemia a hundred years before Luther offered to speak
in Saxony. He seemed to have been able to penetrate deep
into the real essence of Christian truth. The flames which
rose from his funeral pile kindled a fire that spread
through dense darkness a distinct light, the glimmerings
of which were not readily extinguished. From his dungeon
he sent forth to the world words of pathetic import. He
foresaw the needs of the Reformation. Among the prophetic
declarations of Huss are the following: "The wicked
have begun by preparing a treacherous snare for a goose;
but if even the goose, which is only a domestic bird, a
peaceable creature, and whose flight is not very far in
the air, has nevertheless broken into their toils, other
birds soaring more boldly towards the sky, will break
through them with still greater force. Instead of a feeble
goose, the truth will send forth eagles and keen eyed
vultures." This was fulfilled in the Reformation a
hundred years later. When Huss was brought to the stake
and the fagots were piled up around him, he said to those
doing it, "You are now going to burn a goose [Huss
signifying goose in the Bohemian language], but in a
century you will have a swan, whom you can neither roast
nor boil." This surely was fulfilled in Martin
Luther.
We might mention many other
forerunners of the Reformation, but space will not permit.
These men who preceded the work of Luther were only
preparing the way for a mighty overturning of the powers
of the papacy, a work which was effected in the Sixteenth
Century Reformation.
Martin Luther was born at Eisleben
on Nov. 10, 1483. He was educated in the university at
Erfurt. In 1507 he was ordained a. priest; in 1509 he
became a bachelor of theology and commenced lecturing on
the Holy Scriptures. God revealed to this man the glorious
truths of justification by faith. The Roman church and
religion was made up largely of works, doing penance etc.
But when God revealed to the reformer the truth of
justification by faith, he began to herald forth the same
with all the powers and energies which God gave him. From
the time he nailed the ninety nine theses on the church
door in Wittenberg, Germany, a new epoch in the church
began.
Luther had a faithful colaborer by
the name of Melanchthon. Their works spread rapidly over
Germany. Thousands upon thousands threw away the galling
yokes imposed upon them by the Catholic church and came
out into the clear light.
About the same time that Luther was
preaching the truth revealed to him, Menno Simons came out
and also began to preach salvation from sin. About this
time Zwingli began to preach the truth of salvation from
sin throughout Switzerland. Thus the Reformation rapidly
spread in every direction.
Among the noted reformers who
followed Luther may be named John Calvin. Though he held
some doctrines which were not Scriptural, as
predestination, yet he effected a great work and led
thousands out of darkness. Religious liberty came as a
result of the Reformation. The great Babylon of popery was
declared by Luther to be fallen, and there is no question
but that at his time there was a fulfilling of the
Scriptures in the calling of God's people out of her.
Not only was a great reformation
the result of preaching the glorious truth of
justification by faith, but those who came out under this
teaching began to protest against the superstitions, the
false doctrines, and the evil practices of the papacy.
This set them in direct opposition against the church of
Rome, and thus those who came out under the reformers were
called Protestants.
There is no question but that God
was in the Reformation and that he raised up such men as
Luther, Melanchthon, Zwingli, Menno Simons, and Calvin to
lead the people of God out from under the galling yokes
imposed upon them by the church of Rome into a blessed
Christian liberty and enjoyment of the privileges of the
gospel. Though the reformers did not have the clear light
as it shone in the days of primitive Christianity, yet the
truth that they did preach, coming as it did out of the
utter darkness that had covered the earth for more than
one thousand years, was like brilliant rays of light from
heaven. Thousands upon thousands rejoiced in that light
and embraced it. Thus the church of God emerged from the
great wilderness of obscurity in which she had been held
fast so long, and songs of deliverance filled the hearts
of the redeemed.
This naturally stirred the camp of
the Roman church into a state of hatred against the
reformers and their followers. Persecution at once began.
Soon after tile death of Luther there came a great war in
Germany between the Protestants and the Catholics. It is
known in history as the Thirty Years' War. In tile
beginning of this great conflict it seemed that the work
of the reformers would be crushed, but through the
assistance of Gustavus Adolphus, from Sweden, who, with
his armies, came to the rescue of the Protestants in
Germany, they eventually gained the victory and secured
their religions liberty.
It has become customary to
denominate all the religious systems that have arisen
since the Reformation, Protestants; therefore
Protestantism is properly all the so called Christian
churches that discard at least some of the doctrines of
their mother, the Roman church.
