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Life of Luther

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<h3>Constantine and the Spreading of Christianity in Germany.</h3> 1. Constantine. After many anxious years a time of refreshing peace finally came for the Christians. For by God's wonderful providence a man kindly disposed toward the Christians ascended the Roman throne. This was Emperor Constantine. His father had already been a friend of the Christians, and his mother had even accepted the faith. After his father's death, Constantine was proclaimed Emperor by the army. This was in the summer of 306. When, in 312, he marched against Maxentius, who had disputed his power in Italy, he called upon the God of the Christians for help against his opponent. The opposing forces met in the vicinity of Rome. While the sun was setting, it is reported that Constantine saw in the heavens a cross bearing the bright inscription: In hoc signo vinces, i. e., "You[15] will conquer in this sign!" He at once had the eagles removed from the standards, and had them replaced by the sign of the cross. Hereupon his army marched from victory to victory till the power of his enemy was completely broken. And from this time Constantine became a zealous protector of the Christian church. He published a law permitting every Roman citizen to become a Christian. He even went so far as to make the Christian religion the religion of the state. He favored the Christians by appointing them to high public offices. Sad to say, this increased the number of those who accepted Christianity for the sake of worldly gain. The church now, indeed, had rest from without. But Satan tried to ruin it by false doctrine. A bishop, named Arius, arose and taught: "Christ is not true God, but only a creature." Constantine then called a church council to assemble at Nice, in Asia Minor, in 325 A. D. Three hundred and eighteen bishops assembled there with him. In the discussions which followed Athanasius, a deacon, and afterwards bishop, of Alexandria, took a most prominent part. With irresistible eloquence he effected the overthrow of the false doctrine of Arius and the victorious establishment of saving truth. Constantine died on Pentecost Day, 337, having been baptized a short time before. In compliance with his last wish he was buried in the Church of the Apostles, at Constantinople. 2. The Spreading of Christianity in Germany. Now the time had come when the light of saving truth was to shine over Germany and dispel the night of heathenish darkness. For some time already the Gospel had been carried to Germany by Christian merchants and Roman prisoners, and thus it came to pass that at isolated places Christian congregations were founded; but the real spreading of Christianity began in the sixth century through missionaries from Ireland and England.—Among the first to visit Germany was the Irish monk Fridolin. Together with[16] his companions he arrived in the Black Forest among the Alemanni. With visible success he preached the Gospel to these children of the forest. He died in 550, and was succeeded by Columban, who, together with twelve disciples, brought the message of salvation in Christ to the inhabitants of the present Alsatia. But meeting with much opposition he fled to Switzerland, and then to Italy, where he died in 615, a true Christian to the last.—His pupil Gallus had remained in Switzerland and there had founded the farfamed cloister St. Gallus. Here he labored with signal blessing for the spreading of Christianity among the Swiss and Suabian tribes, until, in 640, the Lord called him to his reward. Besides these messengers of the faith others also preached the Gospel in Germany, Emeran in Bavaria, Kilian in Wuertemberg. The latter suffered martyrdom with his followers in 685. Twenty years after Kilian's death the English Presbyter Willibrod, with eleven assistants, went to the Frisians. At first the heathen king Radbod offered stubborn resistance, but in time he had Willibrod to baptize his own son. And after the king's death the mission work met with great success. Because of the multitude of fish Willibrod could scarcely haul in the net. After fifty years of faithful labor he died as bishop of Utrecht, in the year 739. These and other missionaries were the real apostles of Germany, and independent of Rome. Through their labors congregations were founded and flourished everywhere. Before long, however, a man came to Germany who subjugated the German church to the Pope. This was Winifred, also called Boniface. He carried on his work mainly in Thuringia, Hessia, Bavaria, and Frisia. In 755, together with his companions, he was slain by the heathen Frisians. The most stubborn resistance to Christianity was offered by the Saxons. Only after thirty years of continuous[17] warfare were they finally conquered by Charles the Great, and the Gospel gained a foothold amongst them.—Thus the Gospel of Christ sped from people to people, and in the year 1000 great numbers everywhere in Germany confessed Christ Jesus and Him crucified. <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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