THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES IN MEMORY OF MRS. VIRGINIA B. SPORER fa >s&&^ A^ &t fi/MvmL. t *~~s ~~*~ Q^^iC' / ^ i^i*.t ^^^O Martin Lntlier in his Study. The Reformation Series. MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. TALKS ABOUT \t Reformation in (Sermanj. BY MARY C. MILLER, AUTHOR OF " THE ARNOLD-FAMILY SERIES," " THE BASKET OF BARLEY-LOAVES," ETC. MB. ARNOLD'S STORIES. IN GENEVA AND FRANCE. GRANDMOTHER MORRIS'S BUNDLE. JUDGE GREENE'S NOTEBOOK. PHILADELPHIA : PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, No. 1334 CHESTNUT STREET. COPYRIGHT, 1884, BY THE TRUSTEES OF THE PKESBYTEEIAN BOABD OF PUBLICATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WESTCOTT & THOMSON, Stereotype and Electrotypers, Philada. PREFACE. THE author of the "Arnold-Family Series " now enters upon a new series of volumes on the events of the great Reformation of the sixteenth century. The clearness, vivacity and naturalness with which facts were pre- sented in the former volumes made them attractive whilst instructive ; the same qualities will ensure popu- larity for the present Series. In this first book of the four proposed to be issued Mr. Arnold's Stories Miss Miller notes the first glim- merings of reformation-light in the British Islands, and then takes up the youth and the conversion of Martin Luther and follows the story of the life and the work of this great apostle of the gospel in Germany, closing with the closing scenes in his life and his peaceful death. Originality is not claimed for the statements ; for who can be original with regard to the facts of the life of Luther ? The works of Merle d' Aubigne and others have been freely drawn from, but it is hoped that the familiar form in which the old facts are here presented will make them attractive to many who would not read more ambitious volumes. "As for the truth, it endureth, and is always strong ; it liveth and conquereth evermore." J. W. D. 3 2039163 CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. GRANDMOTHER MORRIS 5 II. CULDEES ; JOHN WICKLIFFE ; FIRST GLIMMER- ING OF EEFORMATION LIGHT 14 III. THE YOUTH AND CONVERSION OF LUTHER 25 IV. LUTHER AT HOME; PENANCES AND INDUL- GENCES 54 V. TETZEL; LETTERS OF INDULGENCE; THESES.... 72 VI. PHILIP MELANCHTHON 100 VII. LUTHER GOES TO AUGSBURG 110 VIII. LUTHER BEFORE THE LEGATE, CARDINAL DE Vio 120 IX. MODERN ROMANISTS; CRUELTIES AND SUPER- STITIONS 155 X. MILTITZ: MAXIMILIAN'S THRONE; WILLIAM COBBETT; A LETTER FROM GOD ; GALILEO 173 XI. DR. ECK AND LUTHER DISPUTING AT LEIPSIC. 197 XII. THE PAPAL BULL ; ULRIC ZWINGLE ; LU- THER'S BOLD WORDS; LUTHER EXCOMMU- NICATED 202 XIII. NUNS AND CONVENTS 231 XIV. THE DIET OF WORMS 237 XV. LUTHER IN THE WARTBURG; THE REFORMA- TION GAINING GROUND 266 XVI. LUTHER AT WITTEMBERG ; IGNATIUS LOYOLA. 293 XVII. TROUBLES IN GERMANY ; ADRIAN VI. ; INSUR- RECTION OF PEASANTS; DEATH OF THE ELECTOR FREDERICK 302 XVIII. LUTHER'S MARRIAGE ; THE DIET OF SPIRES ; AUGSBURG CONFESSION 317 XIX. THE CLOSING SCENES OF LUTHER'S LIFE 333 4 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. CHAPTER I. GRANDMOTHER MORRIS. pRANDMOTHER MORRIS was dead. ^ There was no gloom in the house when she died, though they all loved her very much. Eddie said, " We won't cry, be- cause grandma's gone to heaven ;" and Mrs. Arnold said, " I cannot wish her back." Why should they wish grandma to come back? She had lived a long and useful life, and had gone home to get the bright crown which the Lord promises to each one who loves him. They all missed her very much, but they thought of the blessed rest to which she had gone. One day, after Grandmother Morris had left them, Mrs. Arnold opened a little trunk which held Grandmother Morris's papers ; and there she found What do you think ? A bundle of paper written in a small, clear 6 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. hand, and the paper looked very old. On the outside Mrs. Arnold read, "Stories for my Grandchildren." Mrs. Arnold sat down, and, as she held the bundle in her hand, said, " Yes, mother told me about this. I am so glad she has written these for my chil- dren ! I hope my children will all be as good and useful as she was." She sat still for a long time, thinking about Grandmother Morris when she was young and strong. She remembered the day when she kissed her good-bye, and could even remember the very words of parting : " The Lord bless thee and keep thee, my child ; and if we never meet again, may the covenant God be yours for ever !" Then Mrs. Arnold was gently led off the vessel, and, standing on the wharf, she blind- ly saw through her tears the form of her mother growing dimmer and dimmer as the ship sped back to the heathen, as if in haste to take her mother and her father to tell the good news of a Saviour to those who had not yet heard of him. " How slowly it starts !" said some one ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. " standing near. Mrs. Arnold thought she had never seen a ship sail so swiftly. And then she heard another voice say, " I am so glad to have Mr. and Mrs. Morris go back ! They seem devoted to their work. I am sure they must do a great deal of good." " Glad to have them go back I" Mrs. Ar- nold cried out, in the bitterness of her heart. " You would not be glad if it were your mother ;" and then she sobbed as if her heart would break. Every one within sound of her voice turned to look at her, and her friends led her back to the carriage, where she cried aloud until she reached her new home. She was then only twelve years old. How distinctly she recalled it ! How often had she thought about that sorrowful part- ing! The day grandmother died she said to Mrs. Arnold. " Lucretia, we must part to-day, but it must not be a sorrowful parting. Do you remember, my child, the day your father and I left you to return to India?" And Mrs. Arnold answered, "Yes, mother; I can never forget that." 8 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. "Then I was going to my work." "Yes, mother, and now you are going to your reward," answered Mrs. Arnold. But her mother did not seem to hear ; her mind wandered, and she murmured, " O God of the covenant, keep my little Lucretia and give me strength and cour- age to go back to my poor people in India. Dear little Jumme ! I wonder if she remem- bers all I told her ? I hope she will keep on praying for her father, who beats her so horribly." " Mother," said Mrs. Arnold, " do you not remember that you had a letter from Jum- me, and that she told you her father and mother were converted and she herself had become a Bible-reader?" "Is it so?" said grandmother, wonder- ingly. " Does not her father beat the poor little thing any more?" " No, mother ; Jumme is a woman now. That was thirty years ago." " Was it, child ? And you are Lucre- tia?" "Why, yes, mother; do you not know me?" MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 9 " Oil yes, child ; I must have been dream- ing. I am tired now ; kiss me, Lucretia, and let me go to sleep." Mrs. Arnold kissed her mother and re- mained very quiet. Grandmother folded her hands and seemed to sleep. Several times she stirred, and once, in a low tone, she chanted something in the strange musical language she had once used so familiarly. Grandmother awoke in heaven. "Mother, tea's ready," called Charlie, from the foot of the stairs. Mrs. Arnold started, wondering how long she had been sitting there. She still held the bundle of old papers, and she locked the little trunk without putting it back. She noticed that it had grown dark since she had opened the trunk. Mrs. Arnold came down to tea bringing the papers with her ; and when she told the children that these were the stories their grandmother had written for them, they were delighted, and Mr. Arnold promised to read them after tea. 10 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. " I'm sure they are splendid," said Mag- gie ; " grandmother's stories always were. Lillie' Ray hasn't any grandmother, and I tell her she does not know what she misses." " You haven't any now, either," said Charlie. "Well, it does not seem exactly as if I hadn't," said Maggie; "I can think about her stories and look at the presents she gave me. And sometimes," here Maggie's voice sank almost to a whisper "sometimes it seems as if she were close by me." "So it seems to me, Maggie," said her mother. " It will be 'most like having her here again," said Josie, " when we hear her sto- ries." " I suppose they tell all about her life in India?" " Yes; she wrote them after she returned," said Mrs. Arnold. " She did not seem to know what to do with herself at first, and as she gained strength I proposed writing the story of her life. You, Stephen, were a very little boy then, and Josie was a baby." MB. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 11 " Why did she come home from India, mother ?" asked Stephen. " Was she too old to do any more good there?" "She was only sixty-two, Stephen, but the heat of India and overwork made her seem much older than that, and after fa- ther's death she had an attack of fever which brought her very near to the grave. The doctor said she would never again be strong enough to work there and the only hope for her was to come home." " You were glad to have her come home, I know, mother," said Josie. " Indeed she was, Josie," said Mr. Arnold. Tea over, Mr. Arnold carefully unrolled the papers, glanced over some of them, and then said, " Why, Lucretia, there is nothing about India here. It seems to be about Scotland and Denmark and Norway." The children looked disappointed, except- ing Charlie, who always was ready to hear about strange countries. Mrs. Arnold said, " Oh, I am very glad." "Why, mother, I didn't know grand- 12 ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. mother ever went to those countries," said Stephen. " She never did, Stephen ; but these must be stories which were told by her grand- parents, and perhaps by her father. I am sure they will interest you." " Her mother's mother was Scotch, I be- lieve you said, Lucretia?" "Yes, and her father's ancestors were Scandinavians," said Mrs. Arnold. "Who are they?" asked Maggie, with surprise. " I never heard of them before." "That's because you're a girl," said Ste- phen, contemptuously, "and never studied history." Charlie gave a little grunt at this, and said, " Girls don't know much, any way." Their father reproved them both for this. He reminded Stephen that when he was Maggie's age he did not know any more than Maggie. And he added, " When you are a little older, Stephen, I hope you will find out how little you do know, and then you will be more patient with others." ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 13 Mr. Arnold saw that Stephen looked thor- oughly ashamed, so he said no more to him, but, turning to Maggie, told her that the people who lived in Denmark, Sweden and Norway were called Scandinavians. Maggie was so pleased with the rebuke papa had given Stephen that her eyes fair- ly danced with delight, and she wondered why he had not scolded Charlie at the same time. Her papa never made fun of her for asking questions ; he was "just the nicest papa in the world." "And are grandma's stories about the Scan I forget it. Papa, what do you call them, again?" " S, c, a, n, scan ; d, i, di ; n, a, na ; v, i, vi; a, n, s, ans Scandinavians. Spell it after me, Maggie." Maggie did so, several times; and then her father picked up and unrolled a sheet that had curled itself up as soon as he dropped it, and began to read. CHAPTER II. CULDEES.JOHN WICKLIFFE. " F AM going to tell my grandchildren J- stories which my grandmother told me." "What a memory grandmother must have had!" said Stephen, interrupting his father. "Wait a moment," said Mr. Arnold. "She explains that;" and he continued reading : " Not that I have remembered every word of what she told me so long ago. But as, in later years, I read the history of Scot- land, these stories came back to me with more or less distinctness. I remember she used to tell me about the Culdees away back in the second, third and part of the fourth centuries. These people, having been driven by persecution from the southern part of Great Britain, took refuge in Scotland. They built for themselves humble and soli- 14 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 15 tary hermitages on the steep mountains or in the green valleys, and devoted themselves to the service of God. They instructed the ignorant and strengthened the weak. In the Gaelic tongue they were called Gille De servants of God. In Latin their name was Cultores Dei worshipers of God; and here we find whence comes their name, Cul- dees." Stephen looked very wise over this. He was very much interested in the study of words. " In token of respect to the Culdees, their cells were, after their death, turned into churches. Several hundred years passed away. The influence of the Culdees grew less and less. The gospel light became dimmer and dimmer, until it was like a mere speck, a feeble glimmer. " I must tell you about St. Margaret, the Saxon wife of the Celtic king Malcolm III. or Malcolm Canmore, as he was called who lived in the Middle Ages. Margaret was a woman of high intellectual endow- ments and earnest piety. It had been her wish to enter a nunnery and spend her whole 16 ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. life in devotion ; and when she became a queen, she took under her special care the interests of religion. " Under Margaret's reign Romanism was greatly advanced in the kingdom. The old doctrines taught by the Culdees were heret- ical in her eyes. She called councils of the Scottish clergy, often appearing in person in these assemblies and arguing in her own Saxon language, while her husband, with his native Gaelic, acted as interpreter. The king sustained the queen and added his royal sanction. But the Saxon party was hated by the Celtic population ; and when Malcolm died, Margaret's sons were denied the throne, and as soon as the Scottish peo- ple had secured control of Church affairs they rejected almost all the changes Mar- garet had made. " It used to be the custom in the early Celtic Church to keep Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, as a day of rest from labor, and Sunday as a day of rejoicing in memory of the Lord's resurrection. They under- stood the commandment to mean that they must rest from work on the seventh day, MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 17 instead of on the resurrection-day. Queen Margaret insisted upon the single and strict observance of the Lord's day. People and clergy submitted, but without giving up their reverence for Saturday, which soon became a half holy day preparatory for Sunday. " Queen Margaret was the first among the sovereigns of Scotland to interfere in spirit- ual matters, and Rome rewarded her for her services by making her a saint. "After this we read of monks and nuns imported into Scotland from abroad. Mon- asteries and abbeys were erected, and a large portion of the best land in the country came into the hands of these foreign monks and nuns. Papacy spread its wings over the country. A second reinforcement of friars brought in a number of Dominicans and Franciscans. The pope received a large revenue from Scotland, and his hand was quite heavy upon the people. This was in the thirteenth century. " In the fourteenth century God raised up a Reformer in England John Wickliffe. One of his followers, John Resby, came into 18 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. Scotland, preaching Christ. 'The pope is nothing/ he dared to say. John Resby had to suffer death for putting Christ before the pope." " How dreadful !" exclaimed Maggie. " Oh, that's nothing," said Charlie ; "they did that lots of times." " Did what, Charlie ?" inquired his father, giving him a curious look. " Burnt people for believing such things," said Charlie. " I think you wouldn't have called it noth- ing if you had been John Resby," remarked Stephen. Mr. Arnold continued reading: "The Lollards, the disciples of Wicliffe, gave the second impulse to the Reforma- tion." " Did they call the disciples of Wickliffe 'Lollards'?" asked Charlie. "Yes," answered Mr. Arnold. "Soon after John Resby's day Paul Crawar came from Prague into Scotland. His preaching was no more acceptable than Resby's. He was led to the stake to be burned. This bold Bohemian, with the fire kindling at ME. AENOLD'S STOEIES. 19 his feet, told the priests who stood around him that they were enemies of the truth. ' Generation of Satan,' he said, ' you, like your fathers, are enemies of the truth.' To prevent the crowd who gathered at the exe- cution from hearing any more such bold words, the priests ordered a ball of brass put into the martyr's mouth, and in silence the spirit of Paul Crawar escaped from his tortured body and went up into the pres- ence of his God. " But some of Paul Crawar's words spoken from the pulpit made a deep impression on the heart of the archbishop, who was a nephew of James I. This archbishop of St. Andrew's Patrick Graham by name was a great and good man. The word of God took deep root in his heart. He thought to reform the Church, but the anger of priests and bishops rose against him, and he was sent to prison for life." "There goes three already," exclaimed Charlie " John Resby, Paul Crawar and Patrick Graham. How many more will we have before we get through?" Mr. Arnold continued : 20 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. "After this came struggles between kings and nobles. Priests provoked kings to fight against nobles, and through the reigns of James II. and III. of Scotland these strug- gles continued. But a change came in the reign of James IV. He thought the nobles the ornament and strength of Scotland. "And now appears the first glimmering of the Reformation light. Some pious men began to say openly that the pope, who pre- tends to be greater than God, is against God. The priests say the bread in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper changes into Christ's body ; these men declared it did not change. The priests say priests must not marry ; these men say they may. Of course the anger of the Romish Church fell on those who dared to think and say these things. "The great and wealthy landholders in Scotland were called lairds ('lords'). I must tell you about one of these lairds, whose name was John Campbell. He was not naturally a brave man, but he was very kind and merciful to the poor ; and, being fully impressed with the truth of the gos- pel of Christ, he did what he could to pro- ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 21 tect those who opposed Romanism. His wife was well acquainted with Bible truth, and every morning the family and the ser- vants assembled in a room of the mansion, while a priest who acted as their chaplain read and explained the New Testament. The Testament was a very rare book at that time. After worship and breakfast the Campbells used to visit the sick and the poor. At dinner they invited neighbors and friends monks as well as gentlefolks. " One day the monks, suspecting John Campbell of heresy, asked crafty questions until they led him to say things they called heretical. They hastened from the dinner- table to denounce the laird of Cessnock and his wife, and their lives were in great danger. " The king of Scotland at this time was James IV., who married Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII. of England. As this king looked back upon his past life he remembered with remorse his great sins, and he had no peace because he did not believe in the blood of Jesus washing away the 'stains of sins that are past;' so he tried 22 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. by acts of justice to make amends for his unrighteousness. " Campbell appealed to the king to pro- tect him. The king called Campbell and the monks to appear before him. The laird was timid before the monks, but the laird's wife, who went with him, was full of courage. When the king requested her to speak, she answered the monks boldly and fully out of the Bible she knew so well. The king then clearly saw the falsehoods of the monks, and he declared to them that if ever again they persecuted honest people they should be severely punished. He praised the lady for her part in this matter, and presented the laird with the revenues of several vil- lages. " The Campbells joyfully went home, while the monks were filled with shame and vexation. Others were accused by the monks at this time, but unsuccessfully. "This happened about the year 1512 the year in which Luther, toiling up Pilate's Staircase at Rome, heard these words sound- ing in his heart : ' Now the just shall live by faith.' " MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 23 "I know about that," exclaimed Charlie. "So do I," responded Maggie. Mr. Arnold laid down the roll of papers and looked from one to the other, but said nothing. After a pause Maggie said, " Papa, what are you thinking about ?" " I was thinking about making a bundle of Reformation stories for you." At this proposal mother and all joyfully exclaimed, "Oh, do!" " When will they be ready ?" asked Paul. Father smiled and said, "Wait till grandma's bundle has become exhausted." " I hope your bundle will have Luther in, and Melanchthon," said Josie. " It seems to me, George, the children ought to have your bundle first, unless you stop and explain many things as you read, for they do not know anything about the Reformation." " I believe you are right. Well, I am willing to begin at the very beginning : the children can ask me all the questions they 24 ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. like. Or they can read D'Aubigne's His- tory of the Reformation. There it is." The children looked in the direction in which he pointed, and several deep sighs were heard, which made both father and mother laugh. " Thirteen volumes !" exclaimed Charlie, and Maggie fairly looked doleful. Stephen proposed that his father should read them all, and then give them the best of it in his most interesting way. When Stephen said, " In your most interesting way," there was another laugh, his manner was so droll. When father consented to this arrange- ment, there was an expression of relief on the faces of the little group ; and Paul, who delights in history, looked as if he antici- pated a great treat. So grandmother's sto- ries were put back in the trunk. CHAPTER III. THE YOUTH OF LUTHER. THE next Sabbath, Mr. Arnold noticed the children occasionally reading vol- umes of the Reformation history and then looking at him as if they were preparing questions ; but he made no remarks about it. In the evening, as they came in from tea, he sat down in his easy-chair, folded his arms and said, "Now for questions. Who takes the lead?" Instantly Maggie and Charlie opened a volley of questions : " What was the use of the Reformation, any way ?" " There wouldn't have been any if it hadn't been for Luther, would there?" "What made them have priests and pope if they did not like them ?" " How did they all get to be Roman Catholics ?" and a host more that I cannot remember. Mr. Arnold shut his eyes and put up 25 26 ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. both hands in front of his face, as if to ward off the questions that flew so thick and fast. Then he said, "We will try to answer all your ques- tions ; only give us one at a time. Char- lie's question is a good one for a beginning. There was great need for the Reformation, and Luther was the chief instrument in God's hands to accomplish it. As D'Au- bigne expresses it, 'the Church of Rome is seen under Leo X. in all its strength and glory. A monk speaks, and in half of Europe this power and glory suddenly crumbles into dust." Paul looked intently at Mr. Arnold, but said nothing. " Paul, do you know anything about Lu- ther?" "No, uncle." " Oh dear !" exclaimed Stephen ; " how long is it going to take us, if we have to stop and explain everything?" "I don't see what difference it makes how long we take," said Josie ; " we have plenty of Sunday evenings before us." Paul looked at his uncle, as if waiting to MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 27 hear an explanation of who Luther was; but he still said nothing. Mr. Arnold noticed his look, and began : "Luther was born in the little town of Eisleben, Saxony. His father was an up- right man who read every book that he could lay his hands upon." "I don't see how he found time," re- marked Paul. " Books were rare then, Paul," said his aunt. " I've seen a picture of Luther holding a Bible that had a chain fastened to it. What did that mean, father ?" questioned Maggie. "It was chained to a pillar in the con- vent, Maggie." " Didn't he have any Bible of his own ?" asked Paul, opening wide his round eyes in astonishment. "No." " When did he first see one ? Was that chained one the first he ever saw?" asked Charlie. " When he was eighteen years old, study- ing in the university at Erfurth, he used to spend all the time he could spare from his 28 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. studies in the university library. One day, after he had been there two years, he was opening books in the library, one after the other, in order to read the names of the authors, when he found a Bible. He read the title, examined the volume, and was as- tonished to find more than the fragments of the Gospels and Epistles which the Church had chosen to be read at Sunday services. Until that time he had thought that they were the whole of the word of God." "I wonder what was the first thing he read?" said Paul. "It was the story of Hannah and little Samuel. He read as long as he could spare the time, and then went away with a heart full of longing for a Bible of his own." "It was a Latin Bible," said Stephen. "Yes. 'This book,' says D'Aubigne, * deposited upon the unknown shelves of a dark room, is soon to become the book of life to a whole nation. The Reformation lay hid in that Bible/ Perhaps," added Mr. Arnold, "the book had never been moved since it was first placed there." " Not since they cleaned house," remarked MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 29 Maggie ; and then she added, thoughtfully, " Perhaps they didn't clean house at the university, because they were all men there." " I guess you're right, puss," said her fa- ther. "What kind of a mother had Luther?" asked Josie. " Yes ; that I'd like to know," said Paul, looking at his aunt as he spoke. " She was called a model mother by the mothers of her neighborhood a modest, pious woman." " In what year was Luther born ?" asked Stephen. " In 1483, on the eve of St. Martin's day. His father carried him the next day to St. Peter's church, and there he was baptized, and was named in memory of the day." " Not St. Peter's at Rome," said Charlie, looking at Paul. " That would be too far off to carry a small baby." " Was it in summer ?" asked Maggie, in thoughtful consideration of the baby's health. " No ; it was in November," said Mr. Ar- nold. " Oh, well, Mag, you know how they wrap 30 ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. up babies head and all. I suppose it didn't make any difference." " Were his father and mother rich ?" asked Maggie. " If they were, I suppose they took a carriage." " No ; they were poor peasants. Luther wrote about them : ' My parents were very poor. My father was a woodcutter, and my mother often carried the wood on her back she might earn wherewith to bring up us children. They endured the hardest labor for our sakes." " I suppose little Martin helped carry the wood," remarked Paul. "It would be just like him, Paul," said Josie. " Martin's father worked hard in order to earn enough to send him to school, and both his parents were very careful to train him in the fear of the Lord. At the same time, they often punished him in a way that seemed cruel to the child, and that was cruel, though they did not intend to be so. At school, too, he used to be treated severely. One day his teacher flogged him fifteen times " MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 31 " Now, he couldn't have been a good boy," remarked Paul, " to need so many whippings." " But he did grow to be a good man," said Maggie. " I think parents and teachers were more severe in old times," said Mrs. Arnold. " Poor little Martin was cruelly treated both at home and at school." " Well, any way, I guess his goodness didn't come on till he grew up. Besides," added Maggie, " he hadn't any Bible, you know." " But his father and mother were good," said Paul, " and I suppose they hadn't any Bible." "The Bible was read at least, parts of it at the public services," remarked Mrs. Arnold. "At school," said Mr. Arnold, "he was taught the ten commandments, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, some hymns and some forms of prayer; he also studied Latin. The only feeling he had about God was fear; he said he used to turn pale with terror at the sound of the name of Christ, 32 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. for he thought of him only as being an an- gry judge." Tears came into Josie's eyes ; she was thinking of all Christ had done for her. That night, before she fell asleep, she won- dered what she could do to show the Sa- viour her gratitude ; for he was daily becom- ing more precious to her. She loved him because he first loved her. " John Luther sent his son to the Fran- ciscan school at Magdeburg when he was fourteen years old. At Magdeburg he heard Andreas Proles preach about the necessity of reforming religion and the Church." " Perhaps that set him thinking," sug- gested Mrs. Arnold. " No doubt it did. We read that during this school-life Luther and his companions used to beg food from door to door. One day, about Christmas-time, they were go- ing through the neighboring villages, from house to house, singing carols about the infant Jesus. They stopped in front of the door of a peasant, who, when he heard them sing, came out with some food. In a rough voice he called them, and the boys were MB. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 33 terrified and ran as fast as they could, they were so used to blows and tyranny from their teachers. At last, however, as he con- tinued to call, they came back, and received the. food he offered them. Before the first year was over, Martin Luther's parents sent him to another school, at Eisenach, think- ing he would find it easier to support him- self there. He also had relations at Eise- nach, but they did not trouble themselves about him, or else they were too poor to help him." " I have read that in many German towns this custom of singing for bread is still kept, and sometimes very good music is heard along the streets," said Mrs. Arnold. "Oh," said Josie, "I have read about Luther's singing at Ursula's door." "Who was she?" asked Maggie. " She was a kind woman who heard some one driving Luther away with harsh words. He felt real sorrowful and discouraged, and was wondering whether he would have to give up his studies and go to work with his father in the mines, when this woman opened her door and called him into her house. She 3 34 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. gave him more than bread : she gave him a home." " What a good woman !" exclaimed Paul. Mr. Arnold said, " Luther always looked back with pleas- ure to the time when he lived in the peace- ful home of the Cottas." "Was that her name?" " Yes, Paul ; her husband's name was Conrad Gotta. And I think Josie read that story in the Sckonburg- Gotta Family." Josie said she had read it. Not long after, Maggie read the whole book aloud to Judge Green, who was suffering from in- flammation of the eyes. You remember, the judge and Maggie were warm friends, and Maggie said if he were willing to spend a whole evening riding down hill with her she ought to be willing to do something for him ; so she read aloud to him, and they both seemed to enjoy it very much. " When Luther became a great man, he used to say that the early trials of poverty and toil had done him great good." " I don't see how," said Charles. " Per- haps you do, Paul, for you're such a funny MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 35 little chap you see more than I do some- times." " Sometimes things we don't like are good for us," said Paul, looking at his aunt as he spoke ; and Mrs. Arnold and Paul both glanced at the little leg, now growing more shapely and straight. " Mother and Paul always understand each other," remarked Josie. " Did you say Luther went into a con- vent ?" asked Charlie. " Josie," he said, turning to his sister, " I thought you said you had read all about him?" " I did read some, but I have forgotten." "At Eisenach one of the professors used to take off his hat and bow to his scholars when he entered the room. That was a great condescension in those days, and very different from the treatment Luther had formerly received. Asked one day why he did this, the professor replied, ' There are among these youths some whom God will one day raise to the rank of burgomasters, chancellors, doctors and magistrates, and it is proper to treat them with respect.' Luther was much impressed with this answer. His <3b MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. father wanted him to study law, and in the year 1501 he went to the University at Er- furth. He was eager for knowledge, and soon outstripped his schoolfellows. The whole university admired his genius." "There was where he found the Bible," said Charlie. " Yes," said Paul ; " we will not forget that." " He won't forget any of it," whispered Charlie to Josie. "At this time of his life Luther was very thoughtful," continued Mr. Arnold. " He began every day with prayer, and went to church every morning before he began to study." " Church every day !" exclaimed Charlie ; and a little sigh escaped him. "Luther studied so hard that it made him sick," said Mr. Arnold. " I hope Charlie won't do that," dryly re- marked Stephen. Charlie was just going to be angry, when he looked at his mother and saw a merry twinkle in her eye. And then his father said, MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 37 "I think Stephen is growing pale over that composition of his." At this Stephen blushed, for he had not yet commenced his composition, and his father knew it. " He doesn't look very pale now," said Paul ; and they all laughed, excepting Ste- phen, who was now pretty red in the face. " Did Luther get well ?" asked Maggie. " Oh, you goose ! Of course he did, or how could he have been a Reformer ?" said Stephen. " I forgot," said Maggie. " Please go on, father." " Luther thought he was going to die, and he told his fears to an old priest who visited him. But the priest answered, ' Take cour- age ; you will not die this time. Our God will yet use you to comfort others, for God lays his cross upon those whom he loves, and those who bear it patiently gain much wis- dom.' When Luther rose from his sick-bed, some new thoughts were in his heart. He returned to his law-studies to please his fa- ther, but God had other things in store for him. His conscience troubled him ; he be- 38 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. gan to feel that he ought first to seek the salvation of his soul." "Was that when he climbed the Staircase ?" asked Josie. " What was that for ?" inquired Paul. " I will tell you soon about that," said Mr. Arnold. " Just at this time one of his col- lege friends, named Alexis, was shot. This sudden death made him ask himself, 'What would become of me if I were thus suddenly called away ?' When his next vacation came, he took a journey home to see his parents ; but he seems not to have told his father of the desire he had to be a priest, for the idle life of most of the priests was very offensive to the industrious miner John Luther. On his way back to Erfurth he was overtaken by a violent storm. The thunder roared ; a thunderbolt sank into the ground by his side. Death, judgment and eternity seemed before him in all their terrors, and he vowed that if God would keep him from death he would forsake the world and devote himself to God's service. He felt now that he must become holy ; he thirsted for holiness as he once thirsted for knowledge. But where ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 39 shall he fiiid it? The only way he knew was to enter a convent." " If only some one could have told him how Jesus saves !" said Josie, timidly. / " Yes, Josie ; but no one at this time was near to tell him that the just must live by faith. He went back to Erfurth, and kept his resolution secret for a time; but one evening he invited his friends to a simple, cheerful supper. It was his farewell to the world. All merry society he is now ready to give up ; God calls, and he must give up all things. While the friends are in the midst of their gayety, Luther tells them of his determination. They oppose it with all their might, and that very night he secretly leaves the university and goes to the convent of St. Augustine." " I wonder if he carried his trunk on his back, as Dr. Goodell did?" said Maggie. Mr. Arnold walked to the bookcase, and, taking down the first volume of D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation, soon found the place and read, " ' He leaves his books and furniture, tak- ing only Virgil and Plautus.' ' 40 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. "What were they?" asked Maggie. " Two Latin books ; he had not yet a Bible. Furnished with these two books, he goes alone in the darkness of the night to the convent of the hermits of St. Augus- tine. He asks admittance. The door opens, and closes again. Behold him for ever sepa- rated from his parents, from his companions in study and from the world. It was on the 17th of August, 1505. Luther was then twenty-one years and nine months old. At length, he thinks, he is with God. His soul is safe. He is now to obtain that holiness he so ardently desires. The monks who gathered around him were filled with admi- ration, commending his decision and renun- ciation of the world. "As soon as Luther was in the convent he wrote to his friends, bidding them fare- well. He sent away the clothes he wore at the university, that nothing might remind him of his past life. Full of grief, his friends hastened to the convent to beg him not to bury his talents there. But the doors were closed against them, and no one was allowed to see him." MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 41 " Was his father angry ?" asked Charlie. " Yes, he was very angry ; he had other plans for his son, and he never liked the monks' life." .' "What did he do about it, father?" "He wrote him an angry letter, with- drawing his favor and love. I do not know how his mother felt about it. Some time after this, two of Luther's brothers died of the plague, and some one told the father that Luther also was dead. His friends thought in this way to make him willing that Luther should be a monk. " ' If it is a false report,' they said, ' at least sanctify your present affliction by con- senting that your son should be a monk.' ' " ' Well, be it so,' said his sorrowful fa- ther, ' and God grant that he may prosper.' "And when, some time after, Luther told his father what had led him to a monastic life, his father said, " * God grant that you may not have mis- taken a delusion of the devil for a sign from Heaven.' " " Father," asked Charlie, " was it right to shut himself up in a convent ?" 42 ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. " He thought it was going to save his soul," replied his father. "Yes, but was it right?" " I will leave you to answer that for your- self by and by, Charlie. Wait till you know more about what convent-life is like. The Luther of that time was not the Luther of later years." " Was he a Roman Catholic?" asked Paul. " He had been brought up in the Romish Church," replied Mr. Arnold. "Suppose you keep your questions until you have heard more of Luther's life, and then ask me as many as you like." The children agreed to this, and Mr. Arnold took up the History of the Ref- ormation and read : " ' Luther was then looking for salvation in himself in works and observances ; he knew not that salvation cometh of God only. He sought to establish his own right- eousness and his own glory, being ignorant of the righteousness and the glory of God. But what he was then ignorant of he soon learned. It was in the cloister of Erfurth that the great change in his heart came." MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 43 Paul wanted to ask what " cloister " meant, but he thought he would remem- ber it and ask his uncle afterward. " Martin Luther changed his name when he entered the convent, and took that of Augustine. The monks received him joy- fully ; nevertheless, they made him do the hardest kind of work. Perhaps they wished to humble him and teach him that his great learning did not make him any better than his brethren. And, though they were proud to see one of the greatest scholars in the university coming to join their order, yet the convent could get no profit from his studies ; it was better to have his labor. He was obliged to be doorkeeper, to open and shut the gates, to wind up the clock, to sweep the church and to clean the rooms. Then, when the poor monk, who was at once porter, sexton and servant of the clois- ter, had finished his work, ' With your bag through the town !' cried the brothers ; and, loaded with his bread-bag, he was obliged to go through the streets of Erfurth begging from house to house, and perhaps at the doors of those very persons who had been 44 MR. ARNOLD'S STORTES. either his friends or his inferiors. But he bore it all. Inclined, from his natural dis- position, heartily to devote himself to what- ever he undertook, it was with his whole soul that he had become a monk. Besides, could he wish to spare the body, to regard the satisfying of the flesh ? Not thus could he acquire the humility, the holiness, that he had come to seek within the walls of a cloister. " The poor monk, overwhelmed with toil, eagerly availed himself of every moment he could snatch from his degrading occupations. He sought to retire apart from his compan- ions and give himself up to his beloved stud- ies, but the brethren soon perceived this, came about him with murmurs, and forced him to leave his books : ' Come, come ! It is not by study, but by begging bread, corn, eggs, fish, meat and money, that you can benefit the cloister ;' and Luther submitted, put away his books and resumed his bag." "And was that the way they who lived in convents supported themselves?" cried Stephen. "Yes." ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 45 "No wonder Luther's father hated to have him become a beggar," said Charlie. " God was leading Luther in his own way ; the great Reformer had first heavily to: feel the burden of Romish errors and abuses before he began to deliver others from them," remarked Mr. Arnold. " When his fellow-students at the university learned of his severe toils at the convent, they in- terceded with the prior, who freed Luther from his labors and gave him time for study. He read and studied much, especially the chained Bible he found in the convent. Sometimes he would spend a whole day thinking over a single passage. He learned portions of this Latin Bible by heart, and also studied the Scriptures in Greek and in Hebrew." Holding in his hands the volume of the Reformation history, Mr. Arnold looked up and met Paul's eager, questioning eyes. " Do you want to ask anything, Paul ?" he said. " Yes, uncle, ever so much ; but I'll wait till you get through." Mr. Arnold continued reading : 46 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. " The young monk applied himself to his studies with so much zeal that often for two or three weeks together he would omit the prescribed prayers." " What kind of prayers are they ?" asked Maggie. " Why, they are obliged to spend just so many hours every day saying prayers," said Josie. " How tiresome !" exclaimed Charlie. "After neglecting prayers for a time, Lu- ther used to be alarmed by the thought that he had broken the rules of the convent, and he did penance by shutting himself up and repeating all the prayers he had neglected. Once he passed seven weeks almost without sleep." "They must have had a large book of prayers," said Maggie. " No ; they said one prayer over a great many times," answered Mrs. Arnold. "Doing penance is as bad as Bridget. Why, father, Luther was a regular Roman Catholic, wasn't he ?" said Maggie. " He was brought up one, and he did not yet know any better," remarked Stephen. MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 47 " He was all the time longing for holiness," said Mr. Arnold, " but he did not know how to get it. He fasted and prayed and pun- ished his flesh, hoping he could in this way earn heaven." " Didn't he get to be a great eater when he became a Protestant ?" asked Charlie. His father smiled, and Stephen said, " To make up for lost time, Charlie ?" " No ; Luther never cared much about his eating. He never was used to a generous, rich diet, and even after he had learned that heaven could not be earned in this way he contented himself with the poorest food, sometimes going four days together without eating or drinking." " I don't believe it !" exclaimed Charlie. " History says so," answered his father. "And Luther wasn't the man to take a sly bite," said Stephen, " or to make a Dr. Tanner of himself just for a sensation." "Why did he do it?" asked Paul. "He was too busy to think or to care about himself, and, as I said before, he was always used to scanty fare. Melanchthon mentions it in his Life of Luther. 48 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. " We don't know who Melanchthon is yet," said Paul. " The little chap doesn't feel inclined to believe him till he knows all about who he is," said Stephen, laughing at his own conceit. "When Luther became a Reformer, he wrote once to the duke of Saxony, ' I was a devout monk, and followed the rules of my order so strictly that I cannot tell you all. If ever a monk entered into heaven by his monkish merits, certainly I should have ob- tained an entrance there. All the monks who knew me will confirm this ; and if it .had lasted much longer, I should have be- come literally a martyr through watchings, prayer, reading and other labors.' " But Luther did not find peace : he wanted to feel sure that he was saved. This was the great need of his soul ; without it he could not rest. But the fears that had shaken him in the world pursued him to his cell. They increased there. The Bible taught him what it was to be holy, but he was filled with terror at finding neither in his heart nor in his life the holiness he saw ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 49 portrayed in the sacred word. No right- eousness within ; no righteousness in works ; sin sin, everywhere. " The monks encouraged him to do good works and in that way satisfy divine justice. ' But what works/ said he, ' can proceed out of a heart like mine ? How can I stand before a holy Judge?' With astonishment the stupid monks watched his distress, while they complained of his silent and unsocial manners. " One day, while mass was being performed in the chapel, Luther sat in great anguish. The priest had bowed before the altar, the incense had been offered, the Gloria chanted, and the Gospel was being read, when sud- denly Luther fell upon his knees, exclaim- ing, ' It is not I ! It is not I !' The monks were amazed ; the solemn service was for an instant interrupted. The Gospel being read was an account of the dumb mm out of whom Jesus cast a devil. The monks used to say the distress of mind, which they saw but could not understand, was owing to se- cret intercourse with the devil. '"I tormented myself to death to procure 50 ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. peace for my troubled conscience, but no- where found peace/ " read Mr. Arnold. "I hope he'll find peace soon," said Paul. " He used to shut himself up in his cell, and would not allow any one to come near him. One day they brought some young boys to sing at his cell-door. They knocked and knocked, and then some one broke open the door and found Luther lying senseless on the floor. "About this time the vicar-general came to inspect the convent. He noticed the pale, thin Luther and talked with him. He had passed through distress like Luther's, and understood now the way of peace. When Luther told him of all his fears and tor- ments, the vicar-general said, ' Why do you distress yourself? Look to the wounds of Christ, to the blood which he has shed for you. Instead of torturing yourself for sin, cast yourself into the arms of the Redeemer. Trust in him, in the righteousness of his life, in the expiatory sacrifice of his death. God is not against you : it is you who are against God. Listen to the Son of God. If vou MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 51 wish to be converted, do not do penances, but love Him who has first loved you.' " Joy now came into Luther's heart. ' It is Jesus Christ,' he says, ' who comforts me so wonderfully by these sweet words.' And now the Bible verses which once alarmed him 'seem to spring up and play around him.' " "I am so glad!" said Paul. The little boy had eagerly listened to every word, though he could not understand all. " Doubts came and went : it was not all joy; but by daily careful Bible study the way of salvation gradually grew plain to him." " What was the vicar-general's name, fa- ther ?" inquired Josie. " John Staupitz. He gave a Bible to Lu- ther, who at last had one of his own and was no longer obliged to go to the chained con- vent Bible or to the cell of some brother- monk. But all these anxious thoughts and fastings broke down his health, and he be- came severely sick. Then all his terrors came back. He was afraid to die. Thoughts of his sins and of God's holiness distressed him greatly. 52 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. "One day, when overwhelmed with de- spair, an old monk entered his cell and spoke kindly to him. After some conver- sation the monk repeated these words of the Creed: 'I believe in the forgiveness of sins.' On his bed of suffering Luther found consolation, and as the aged monk added, 'Thy sins are forgiven thee,' light shone in on his soul : he believed the word and trusted in the grace of Christ Jesus." " I thought he was converted when he went up the Staircase?" said Josie. "Wait till uncle gets through," said Paul, without turning his eyes from his uncle's face. " When he was comforted, he quickly re- covered. Soon the time came for him to be ordained priest. He invited his father to come to the ceremony, for he wanted to be perfectly reconciled to him. He came, and brought Luther a present of money. " When the bishop, at Luther's consecra- tion, put into his hand the cup and gave him power to celebrate the mass, he ad- dressed to him these solemn words : ' Re- ceive the power of offering sacrifice for the ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 53 living and the dead.' 'At that time,' says Luther, ' I listened calmly to those words, but now they make me shudder. I wonder the earth did not open and swallow us both. It. was an instance of the patience and the long-suffering of the Lord.' "After three years in the convent, Lu- ther was chosen professor in the Wittem- berg University. Here, daily, at one o'clock, he lectured on the Bible. At this time his home was in a convent, and he spent many hours in his peaceful cell studying the Bible. John Staupitz invited him to preach in the church of the Augustines. This he dreaded to do, but finally was persuaded. Crowds went to hear him. Then he was called to preach in one of the city churches." Mr. Arnold suddenly stopped : " It is past the children's bedtime, and I am making my story too long." Without waiting for any one to speak, he put down the book and left the room. CHAPTER IV. LUTHER AT ROME. " TINGLE, it was well you went out of the U room, for we would have asked you lots of questions and auntie never would have got us to bed." Mr. Arnold smiled as Maggie said, " I do believe that was the reason father went out." "And Stephen went too," said Charlie. " But he took the History with him," said Josie. " I couldn't wait," answered Stephen. "And you read the rest about Luther?" questioned Paul. "Yes." Paul looked disappointed. " Where did we leave off last Sunday ?" asked Mr. Arnold. " Where Luther was called to preach in one of the city churches," answered Josie. "Luther's preaching changed the city of 54 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 55 Wittemberg, and the pure word of God soon spread over Germany and over other coun- tries. Other teachers and preachers were raised up by God," read Mr. Arnold. , " I would like to know about the other countries," said Paul. " What a boy you are for history !" said Josie. Mr. Arnold, holding the first volume of D'Aubigne history in his hand and point- ing to the other twelve, said, " You will have history enough before we get through all those books." "Are you going to read them or talk them?" inquired Paul. "Talk them, for the most part. I am going to read them to myself, and then tell you all I can remember that will be inter- esting. For fear of forgetting, I will keep the book in hand, and then I can read short extracts that I want you to hear word for word." " I wonder what kind of a preacher Lu- ther was?" said Josie. " He was very earnest and eloquent and had a clear, loud voice and a dignified man- 56 ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. ner. His fame spread far and wide, and crowds flocked to hear him. His busy life was very different from the life he led in the convent. Teaching and preaching filled up all his time, and he was happy. He was now at last in his right place, and the work of God was about to open out its majestic course before him. "A difference having arisen between the Augustine convents and the vicar-general, Luther was sent to Rome to have it settled. Luther looked upon Home as the seat of ho- liness. Rome was the head of the Church, you know." " I thought the pope was ?" remarked Maggie. " Well, Mag, the pope lived at Rome, you know. I suppose the reason Luther went there was because he wanted to see him," said Charlie. " That journey to Rome was full of sur- prises to Luther. To a poor German monk the table of the wealthy Benedictines in Italy was a scandal as well as a surprise. The monks lived in the greatest luxury- rich dresses, magnificent furniture, delicate ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 57 food ; what did the humble Augustine think of it ? At first he looked on in silent amaze- ment ; but when Good Friday came and he saw an abundance of meat on the table, he could keep still no longer. ' The Church and the pope forbid such things,' he said. This offended the Benedictines. Luther repeated it, and threatened to report their conduct. They soon made him feel that they did not care to have him stay any longer ; so he journeyed to Bologna, where he was taken sick. Some have thought the offended monks gave him poison, but it is more likely that the rich food made him sick ; for he was more used to eating dry bread and herrings. His doubts and fears came back during his sickness; his sins again disturbed him, and he was afraid of the judgment. But when his terror was the highest, for his comfort God sent these words of Paul : ' The just shall live by faith.' It beamed into his dark soul like a ray of light from heaven, and he was consoled. Rapidly his strength returned, and again he set out for Rome." "There was where he went up the holy 58 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. stairs," exclaimed Charlie ; " I've read about that." " I'd like to hear it," said Maggie. Paul said nothing, but he listened with all his might. Mr. Arnold continued : " Have patience and you will hear it all. As Luther came in sight of the city he threw himself on the ground, exclaiming, 'Holy Rome, I salute thee!' He visited all the churches and chapels, believed all the sto- ries told him, and performed many pious acts. One day, wishing to obtain an indul- gence promised by the pope to any one who should ascend on his knees what is called ' Pilate's Staircase,' Luther undertook it." " Why, I didn't think he would be so silly," exclaimed Maggie. " How it must have tired him !" said Paul. " Did he get all the way up ?" "No. On the way a voice of thunder spoke to his soul : ' The just shall live by faith.' Twice had these words done him good; this time they were to have more power over him than they had had before. He started up in alarm, was horrified at MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 59 what he was doing, and was filled with shame. He fled from the scene of his folly. "And now this monk, who has sought so long after holiness, understands that the perfect righteousness of Christ is the only righteousness that can stand in the sight of God, and that it freely passes upon every penitent sinner who looks to Christ to save him. The grand doctrine of justification by faith became the power of God for Luther's salvation, and it also became the power of God to reform the Church." " Luther used to say," remarked Mrs. Ar- nold, " that this text was to him as the very gate of heaven." "When Luther received with joy the knowledge that Christ's righteousness saves us, he did not perceive the consequences of such a belief; he was still attached to the Romish Church." " I don't understand you, father." " Why, the Romish Church teaches that we can be saved by good works." " Does it, father ?" "And Luther worked hard to be saved in that way," said Mrs. Arnold. 60 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. " Father, I don't exactly see how the Ro- man Catholic religion began," said Stephen. " It must have begun in Rome, didn't it ?" inquired Josie. " I see you have not yet given the subject much thought," remarked Mr. Arnold. " Paul preached in Rome," said Stephen, " and didn't he start a church there ? That must have been a Protestant church." " The term ' Protestant ' was not then known. It arose when men began to pro- test against the errors of the Romish Church." " What means ' protest ' ?" asked Paul. "Men who saw where the Church was teaching different doctrine from that which Christ taught boldly declared their opinion ; they protested against error. So they were called ' Protestants.' ' "Were the monks and priests all bad people ?" asked Maggie. " Not all of them ; I have read of some very good Romanists." " Were the popes bad ?" asked Charlie. " The vices and the crimes of the popes would make a chapter I would not like to have you read. MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 61 " Paul founded a church in Rome, and its first pastors, or bishops, employed themselves in efforts to convert to the faith of Christ the towns and villages around the city. Naturally, the churches established in these neighboring places looked with gratitude to the mother-church at Rome ; its bishops were their guides and teachers. The bish- ops soon began to demand reverence and submission ; were they not bishops of the greatest, richest and most powerful city in the world?" " I remember father's reading about Paul's going a prisoner to Rome, and the ship- wreck," said Maggie. " I remember about the shipwreck," said little Paul. " They were shipwrecked at Melita. Wasn't that Malta, father ?" asked Stephen. " Yes." " When he got to Rome, did he preach ?" asked Paul. " They stayed on the island of Malta three months," said Stephen. " I suppose he preached there," said Char- lie, " for he preached wherever he went." 62 ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. " Yes ; he preached everywhere. No doubt he preached to the soldier to whom he was chained," said Mr. Arnold. " Chained to a soldier !" exclaimed Paul. " Yes ; at Rome, during his imprisonment, he was chained to a soldier. When we re- member that, and also remember that he was surrounded by military sights and sounds, we are not surprised at his remarks in the sixth chapter of Ephesians about the whole armor of God and our spiritual war- fare." "Doesn't the Bible say he dwelt in his own hired house at Rome?" asked Josie. " Yes ; but yet he was a prisoner under military keeping, and day and night was chained by the arm to one of Nero's body- guard. Some think two soldiers guarded him by night. He was allowed to see all who came to him, and was able boldly to preach and teach the gospel of Christ." "Mother doesn't say a word," remarked Charlie. " You know all about it, don't you, mother ?" " Yes, I have read D'Aubigne's history," answered Mrs. Arnold, smiling. MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 63 " True enough, Lucretia ; you are not do- ing your share," said her husband. " I am satisfied with the way it is going," replied Mrs. Arnold. " Let us come back to the bishop of Rome," said Mr. Arnold. " The next thing was to claim that all the bishops derived their authority from the bishop of Rome, and must be under him. He was proclaimed * ruler of the whole Church.' ' " Then they called him 'pope,' ' said Josie. "Yes; the word in Greek is papa 'fa- ther.' Who was the first pope, Josie ?" asked her father. " I do not know, sir." Mr. Arnold looked at each one, but no one answered. At last Charlie said, " Pius I., I suppose." " No, no ; farther back than that. I have seen a list of popes, and the first one on it is St. Peter." " What do they mean by penances and indulgences?" abruptly asked Charlie. " The Romish Church claimed the power of granting forgiveness for sins committed ; 64 MR, ARNOLD'S STORIES. salvation was taken out of the hands of God and put into the hands of the priests. Works of penance were ordered on account of sins committed. Men were commanded to fast, to go bareheaded, to wear no linen, to go on pilgrimages, crawl up the holy Staircase, or to go into monasteries or con- vents," replied Mr. Arnold. " What means ' monasteries or convents'?" asked Paul. " Houses where they lived shut out from the world. They spent the greater part of their time in prayer and meditation." "I wouldn't like that," said Charlie. "In Italy, during the eleventh century, nobles and peasants, old and young even children five years old went in pairs through the villages, towns and cities by thousands without any other covering than a cloth tied round the middle, and visiting the churches in procession in the very depth of winter. Armed with whips, they lashed themselves without pity, and the streets resounded with cries and groans, which drew forth tears of compassion from all who heard them." " I shouldn't think the people would have ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 65 been willing to do such things," exclaimed Charlie. " They expected to be saved in that way. And when they began to sigh and groan under it, and the priests feared they would resist it, they invented a system of barter known by the name of 'indulgences.' In the time of John, called the Faster, arch- bishop of Constantinople, we see its first commencement. The priests said, ' O peni- tents, you are unable to perform the pen- ances we have imposed upon you. Well, then, we, the priests of God and your pas- tors, will take upon ourselves this heavy burden. Who can better fast than we? Who better kneel and recite psalms than ourselves? But for a seven weeks' fast such as are rich shall pay twenty pence; those who are less wealthy, ten pence ; and the poor, three pence. And in the same proportion for other things.' ' " Did no one oppose it at first ?" inquired Mrs. Arnold. "Some did, but it was in vain. The priests saw too much money in this device willingly to give it up." 66 ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. " Father, what do they mean by ' works of supererogation ' ?" asked Stephen. Mr. Arnold turned over a few pages of the volume he held, and read: " Christ, it was declared, had done much more than . was necessary to reconcile God and man. One single drop of his blood would have sufficed for that, but he shed his blood abundantly that he might form for his Church a treasury that eternity it- self could not exhaust. The supererogatory merits of the saints, the reward of the works they have done beyond and additional to the obligations of duty, have still further en- riched this treasury." "And the pope,'* said Mrs. Arnold, " takes care of and distributes these treasures of grace these merits of Christ and his saints." " Rapidly this system grew to perfection. The burden of many years bowed down the penitent. But suppose death comes before the penance is all performed? Well, the hard taskmasters soon found out a way to gain even by death. The Church declared that there was a fire that purified. In pur- gatory men would suffer until their sins were MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 67 purged away, or until money enough had been given by the living to pay for pray- ers to get them out. Men actually paid money into the treasury of the Church to end the torments of friends who were dead." " Does the Bible say anything about pur- gatory?" asked Maggie. " No, but by a bull the pope declared it." "'By a bull'!" exclaimed Maggie; and she looked so funny when she said it that they all laughed at her. " The pope's bull, Maggie, is a law he gives to his people. It is so named from the lead ball or seal affixed to it, which is called a bulla. If he says there is a place called ' purgatory,' they are bound to be- lieve it; and if he says the prayers of the Church can lift souls out of purgatory and place them in heaven, the people gladly pay for these prayers. Pope Boniface VIII. pub- lished a bull by which he declared that all who would join in a pilgrimage to Rome, which was to take place every hundred years, should there receive full and complete indul- gence or forgiveness, we might call it." " Did anybody go ?" asked Charlie. 68 ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. "In one month two hundred thousand visited Rome. They flocked there from all countries, and brought money for offerings. The sight of so much money led the popes to arrange for pilgrimages oftener. They fixed upon fifty years, afterward on thirty- three, and at last on twenty-five. Then they agreed to sell indulgences at every mar- ket-place ; so it was no longer necessary to leave home : forgiveness could be bought at one's own door. When this evil was at its height, the Reformer arose." " People used to pray to saints and to the Virgin Mary, didn't they, father ?" " Bridget prays to the Virgin Mary," re- marked Maggie ; " I heard her." " Yes ; Christ was represented as a stern judge, and the mother of Christ and the angels were prayed to instead of Christ. " I forgot to tell you that there was a list of sins made with prices attached. One might commit the most horrible sin ; if he declared himself penitent and paid the price, it was all forgiven. This led to a great in- crease of sin. Alexander VI., who was pope when the age of the Reformation began, tried MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 69 to poison one of his cardinals. The cardi- nal, hearing of the plan, caused the box of poisoned sweetmeats to be placed before the pope, who ate them and died." " How Luther must have scolded at that !" said Maggie. " We want to hear the rest about Luther at Rome," said Paul. " Please, uncle, tell us more about him." " Luther left Rome full of grief and in- dignation on account of the evil he had seen in the Church. He loved the Bible more and more, and studied it more carefully when he returned to Wittemberg. After this he was made doctor of theology, and the sol- emn vow he then made led to his work as a Reformer." " What was the vow ?" asked Josie. " He promised to preach Bible doctrines faithfully, to teach them in all purity, to study them all his life, and to defend them so far as God should enable him by arguing and writing against false teachers." "Oh, that made him fight against the priests," said Charlie; "they were false teachers, weren't they, father?" 70 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. "Yes. And from this time Luther saw the path in which the Lord meant him to walk. He fought one evil after the other with a strong arm." " Did he go next to Scotland ?" inquired Maggie, thinking of her grandmother's pa- pers. " No ; he preached and taught in Ger- many, and studied the Bible carefully and prayerfully. The elector Frederick built a new church at Wittemberg, and sent Staupitz to the Low Countries to collect relics to put in the church. Staupitz was the vicar-gen- eral who gave Luther the Bible." " What are relics ?" asked Paul. " Bones of men and women whom the Church considered unusually holy hair, skulls and such things." " How silly to care for their bones !" said Josie. " The vicar-general told Luther to take his place in his absence, and part of Luther's work was to visit forty monasteries. You may be sure he tried to make the way of salvation as plain to these monks as it had become to him. Salvation by faith in Jesus MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 71 Christ was discussed in many monasteries; and so, when the great battle came, many brave and pious men went out from the mon- asteries into the world and became active ministers of God's word." " I read about that," said Stephen. "And the year when Luther visited the convents was called ' The Morning Star of the Refor- mation.' ' " What year was it ?" asked Josie. "The year 1516," answered Stephen. " Luther went to Erfurth, where he used to sweep the floors and trim lamps." " I suppose the monks didn't dare order him about if he was vicar-general," said Maggie. "I hope he ordered them." " ' The devil is not cast out by the devil ' was one of Luther's sayings," said Mrs. Ar- nold ; " I hope he did not forget it this time." " Why, Charlie has gone to sleep," ex- claimed Josie. "And Paul can hardly hold up his head," said Mr. Arnold. " I have talked too long. Good-night, all." CHAPTER Y. TETZEL.IND ULGENCES. WHEN the Arnold children gathered around their father the next Sabbath evening, he opened the Reformation volume and read : "A great agitation reigned at that time among the people of Germany. The Church had opened a vast market on the earth. Judging from the crowd of buyers and the noise and jests of the dealers, we might call it a fair, but a fair held by monks. The merchandise they extolled, offering it at a reduced price, was, they said, the salvation of souls." The children were shocked and began to ask questions, but Mr. Arnold said, " Wait a moment, until you hear more about it." And the only question he answered was Jo- sie's, " In what year was this, father ?" and he said, "It was in 1517. The dealers passed ME. ARNOLD'S STORIES. 73 through the country in a gay carriage, es- corted by three horsemen, in great state and spending freely. One might have thought it some dignitary on a royal progress with his attendants and officers, and not a com- mon dealer or a begging monk. When the procession approached a town, a messenger waited upon the magistrate. ' The grace of God and of the holy Father is at your gates/ said the envoy." " I suppose by ' holy Father ' he meant the pope?" said Mrs. Arnold. " Yes. Instantly everything was in mo- tion in the place. The clergy, the priests, the nuns, the council, the schoolmasters, the trades with their flags men and women, young and old went forth to meet the mer- chants with lighted tapers in their hands, advancing to the sound of music and of all the bells of the place ; * so that,' says an his- torian, ' they could not have given a grander welcome to God himself.' Salutations being exchanged, the whole procession moved to- ward the church. The pontiff's bull of grace was borne in front, on a velvet cush- ion or on a cloth of gold." 74 MR. ARNOLD'S STORIES. " What means that ?" asked Paul. " ' The pontiff' is another name for the pope, and the paper on which was written his forgiveness was laid upon this velvet cushion. The chief seller of indulgences followed, supporting a large red wooden cross, and the whole procession moved in this manner amidst singing, prayer and the smoke of incense. The sound of organs and a concert of instruments received the monk- ish dealer and his attendants into the church. The cross he bore with him was erected in front of the altar ; on it was hung the pope's arms, and as long as it remained there the clergy of the place, the penitentiaries and the sub-