In the mean time, however, throughout the 15th c., new seeds of preparation for the great work were everywhere ripening. The literary movement begun in Italy was in Germany, in England, and elsewhere. ileuclilin arose in Germany. Eras mus in Holland; England welcomed the latter as a student in the early reign of Henry VIII., while he was engaged in preparing his edition of the Greek New Testament. Various manifestations of spiritual life showed themselves, especially in the Rhine coun try. The brethren of the Common Lot took up in a more evangelical form the succes sion of the brethren of the Free Spirit, whose teaching had degenerated into a species of spiritualistic pantheism. Gerhard Groot and Thomas ti Kempis represent this compara tively evangelical tendency, and springing from them, various men—the best known of whom is John Wessel of Griiningen—have been called "reformers before the reforma tion." If we add to these influences the internal political agitations of the Germanic empire—whose traditional opposition to the papacy was by no means forgotten—the growth of a healthy political activity in many of the great municipalities of the empire, we shall find abundant incitements to the reformation in the social state of Europe. especially of Germany, and in the church in the beginning of the 10th c. It required only fl definite spark to kindle the slumbering agitation, and this was not long wanting.
Whatever may be said of the doctrine of indulgences as theoretically stated, it is not denied by the most zealous defenders of the institution that it has at all times been liable to the gravest abuse; and it so happened that at the period in question the abuse had risen to a scandalous height. See INDULGENCE. An agent of this system, of the name of Tetzel, a Dominican friar, came into Saxony in the year 1517, and established him self not far front Wittenberg, for the purpose of disposing of papal indulgences. He was a madI of low and unscrupulous character, gifted with great volubility, mind he carried on bas traffic in a peculiarly offensive and shameless Planner. Luther, who had been recently created a doctor in the Holy Scriptures, and entered upon his career as a teacher in the university of Wittenbein was roused to indignation by what he heard of the doings of this man. He saw the evil influence of the system upon the members of his own flock, and determined to /raise his voice against it. " God willing, I will beat a hole in his drum," he exclaimed, with reference to the coarse vehemence with which Tetzel commended the value of his wares. He posted on the door of the church of Wittenberg his famous 95 theses, and thereby created such a popular excitement that Tetzel was silenced, and obliged to retreat from the field. This was the beginning of the reformation in Germany. Luther's attention once aroused to the working of the papal system, he proceeded to examine it in different aspects, and the result was, that his resolution to assail it strengthened as he advanced. Neither cajoling nor threats, t neither the bland softness of Cajetau, nor the blundering polemics of Eck, were of avail to silence him. A papal bull was at length fuhninatcd against him; and he consimm mated his audacity by burning the bull at one of the gates of Wittenberg, on the mem orable 1Sth Dec., 1520.
About the same time, and without any concert whatever, a similar movement against the sale of indulgences took place in Switzerland. In 1520 the Franciscan friars, who hail the charge of promulgating the indulgences there, were opposed by Z•ingli, a preacher in Zurich. His opinions were declared to be heretical by the two great universities of Cologne and Louvain; but he declared himself unmoved by the voice of Catholic authority; the magistrates and people of the city supported him; and the result was the active spread of the reforming spirit, not only throughout Zurich, but the neighboring cantons of Schaffhausen, Basel, and Bern.
In the mean time Luther advanced in his work. Ile addressed the "Christian nobles" of Germany, loudly declaring that the time to rise against Rome was come. " Talk of war against the Turk," he cried; "the Roman Turk is the fattest Turk in the world; Roman avarice the greatest thief that ever walked the earth: all goes into the Roman sack, which has no bottom, and all in the name of God too!" Step by step he opened his eyes to the errors of the papacy, and uo sooner reached a new conviction himself, than he launched it forth into the world. He pronounced against the seven sacraments, in favor of only three—baptism, the Lord's supper, and penance. He contended for the use of the cup to the laity. His rapid writings—no fewer than three—in the same year, which he closed by burning the papal bull (1520), circulated in thousands, and were eagerly read. Nearly all Germany was aflame with the new spirit, and it seemed as if the empire would be wholly lost to the papacy.
The interposition of Charles V. produced at this crisis a temporary interruption in the progress of the reformation. Charles was crowned emperor of Oennany in Jan., 1521, and immediately summoned at Worms a diet of the sovereigns and states of time empire. The papal leaders exerted themselves to have Luther summarily condemned at the diet. They succeeded so far as to make the emperor issue an edict for the destruc tion of the reformer's writings; hut the estates refused to publish it unless Luther was allowed an opportunity of meeting his adversaries, under safe-conduct, and answering before the diet to the charges preferred against him. Luther was accordingly sum moned to meet the assembled authorities of Germany at Worms. He gladly and proudly embraced the summons. His journey thitherwa•d was a kind of triumphal procession, so enthusiastically did the people, and even some of the priests, greet him along the route. He is said to have entered Worms chanting, "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott"—the ifarseilialse of the reformation, as has been remarked. The same night, however, the intrepid monk was heard in an agony of prayer in his room, overwhelmed by the solemnity of his circumstances. On the afternoon of the following day lie made his appearance before the diet, and confronted its assembled statesmen and princes—a scene grand and striking in its features, which has been often painted. He was urged to retract; but he was immovable. In a speech. first in German. and then in Latin, he expressed his determination to abide by what he had written, and called upon the emperor and the states to take into consideration the evil condition of the church. lest God should visit the empire and nation with his judgments. A direct answer was demanded from him whether he would retract or not. " I neither can nor dare retract anything," he replied, "unless convinced by reason and Scripture; my eon science is captive to God's Word, and it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. There I take my stand. I can do no otherwise. So help me, God. Amen." It was evident that Luther was not to he intimidated. He remained some days in Worms; but neither persuasion nor threatening availed with him. He received orders to depart; and in the end of April he set out on his way home. As he left Eisenach a few days afterward, and was passing through a narrow defile near the fortress of Alten stein, he was seized by two armed horsemen with attendants, carried to the neighboring castle of the Wartburg, and there lodged in safety. This apparently violent seizure was the friendly act of his sovereign, Frederick of Saxony, to protect him from the destruction that his intrepid conduct was certain to have called down upon him had be remained at liberty. The ban of the empire had followed him, and temporary obscurity was his only safety.