The life of Luther Author:Alexander Bower Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. - YEAR 1517. ,.' WE are now arrived at that part of Luther's history when, from a state of obscurity, he ventured to come forward as the antag... more »onist of the doctrines of the church. We shall find him promulgating his opinions from the outset with a boldness which attracted the attention of all Germany, yet nothing was farther from his wish than to proceed to the extremity of a quarrel with the See of Rome. He was in many respects not only a sincere but a zealous Catholic. Besides, the power of the church was so transcendent as to render almost ridiculous any deliberate project of opposition on the part of an individual. To question the foundation of her authority had been hitherto accounted not only an aggression on the laws of civil society but rebellion against the will of God. The papal decrees were ratified, it was believed, in heaven; nay, the presence of the Almighty, it was affirmed, attended his church and protected her from error. She was thus considered to possess the right of demanding unlimited submission to her decrees. The antiquity of her doctrine was deemed incontrovertible evidence of its truth; and above all, it was accounted the duty of every Christian to maintain the " unity of the faith." The memory of those who had attemptedto propagate new doctrines was held in detestation, and even Luther, as we shall see hereafter, was retarded in his bold career by the dread of incurring the name of schismatic. In addition to this powerful hold over public opinion, the leaders of the church possessed the command of more direct weapons of offence. Excommunication and capital punishment had, in former ages, been employed with fatal success in crushing the spirit of innovation. The Bohemians were now silent. .The Waldenses and Albigenses were contented t...« less