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Life of Luther

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<h3>Popery and Monkery.</h3> 1. The Origin of Popery. When, in the course of time, the Christian church continued to expand, it became necessary for the larger congregations to engage more than one pastor. An immediate consequence was that one of them attained to higher eminence and was called the bishop by preference. Great deference was especially paid to the bishops of Rome, of Jerusalem, of Alexandria, of Antioch, and of Constantinople. The smaller congregations frequently sought their advice and requested their decision in difficult matters. But the power and the authority of the Roman bishops soon outstripped that of the rest. In consequence of this they assumed a haughty demeanor, exalted themselves above the other bishops, and, finally, arrogated to themselves the position of supreme judges in the Church of God, and grew very indignant if any one dared to dispute their authority. They now claimed that Peter had founded the congregation at Rome and had presided over it for some time as its bishop; that he had been the chief of the apostles, the authorized viceregent of Christ upon earth, and that his successors, the bishops of Rome, had inherited these powers from him. Although these arrogant claims were by no means generally admitted, yet the Roman bishop succeeded in enforcing his demands. He was pleased to have himself called "Papa," or "Pope." The Western bishops finally submitted and acknowledged him to be the supreme head of the church. In the East,[18] however, the bishop of Constantinople was accorded the highest rank. Both bishops now fought for the supremacy in the church, and as neither would submit to the other a schism resulted. There arose the Roman Catholic and the Greek Catholic church, and this division remains to the present day. When, in 752, Pipin, the king of the Franks, presented to the Pope a large territory in Central Italy, the Pope became a temporal prince. From now on the Popes continually sought to increase their temporal power and speak the decisive word in the councils of the mighty of this earth. The man who raised popery to the highest pinnacle of its power was Pope Gregory VII, formerly a monk called Hildebrand, the son of an artisan. In 1073 he ascended the papal throne. He forbade the priests to marry, and demanded that all bishops, who at that time were also temporal princes, should receive their office and their possessions, even their temporal power, not from their worldly overlords, but from his hands. He asserted: "As the moon receives its light from the sun, so emperors and princes receive their power from the Pope. The Pope is the viceregent of Christ upon earth, where the mighty of this world owe him obedience; he alone has the right and the power to appoint them to office, or to depose them." Gregory died 1085. His successors accepted his principles. Thus Innocent III demeaned himself as the absolute spiritual lord and master over all Christian princes and kings, and forced them to submit to his power. Then the word of Holy Scriptures, concerning the Roman Popes, came to pass, 2 Thess. 2, 4: "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." 2. The False Doctrines of Popery. Sad, indeed, grew the condition of the church under the Popes. Many[19] bishops and priests busied themselves more with worldly affairs than with the Word of God and the welfare of the church. The people were shamefully neglected. Generally speaking, they had no schools, no books, and, especially, no Bibles. There was scarcely any Christian knowledge, for the Word of the Lord was hidden in those days. In consequence of this the saddest ignorance prevailed everywhere among the common people. Such being the conditions, it was a small matter for Satan to sow his tares among the wheat. With increasing frequency false doctrines appeared in the church and displaced the Word of God. For some time already mass had been celebrated instead of Holy Communion. For the superstition had arisen, that Christ was sacrificed anew by the priest when mass was celebrated on the altar. This false doctrine was supported by the other superstition that through his consecration the priest changed the bread and the wine into the real body and blood of Christ. Because they feared that the blood of Christ might be spilled they denied the cup to the laity, and thus mutilated the Lord's Supper. Early in its history popery invented the doctrine that the departed souls went to purgatory, where, by intense suffering, they might be cleansed from the dross of sin. However, it was held that the Pope and the church had the power to shorten these pangs of purgatory by reading countless masses. Whoever paid enough money was told that he need not remain long in purgatory. This proved to be a profitable business for the Pope. For many rich already in their lifetime set aside large sums of money to pay for these masses. Indulgence was another false doctrine. The Popes taught: The church possesses an inexhaustible treasure in the merits of Christ and of the saints. On this the Pope can draw at will for the benefit of the living and of the dead, and with it forgive the sin of those who offer[20] him therefor sufficient money, or other equivalents. In the stead of Christ's suffering and merit, which becomes ours alone through faith, they substituted mere human works. Christ, our true Advocate, was thrust aside, and the saints were called upon for their protection and intercessions. The Virgin Mary, especially, became the refuge in time of need, and this gave rise to the shameful "mariolatry." Nor did idolatry stop here. Even pictures, statues, and real or supposed relics of the saints were set up for worship and adoration. Thus was fulfilled the word of Scriptures, 2 Thess. 2, 10. 11: "Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie." 3. Life in the Monasteries. Already in the time of the great persecutions many Christians had fled into the forests, caves, and among the cliffs in order to spend their lives in pious meditation and devotion. When, in the time after Constantine, the church grew more and more worldly, the number of those increased who thought that they could serve God better in quiet seclusion than amid the noise of a corrupt world. These were the so-called hermits. As a rule, they led a life of privations and self-inflicted tortures. In time, numbers of them united and adopted certain rules and laws by which their communities were governed. They also lived in their own buildings, called cloisters. These were generally built in inhospitable regions. Whoever joined the order had to forsake all his worldly possessions, and vow to lead a life of celibacy and of absolute obedience to his superiors. These are the so-called monastic vows. This monastical life was regarded very highly by the people, and all kinds of legacies added gradually to the lands and riches of the cloisters. Their number increased rapidly; and in the twelfth century there were thousands of them. The monks were the most zealous and the most[21] faithful tools of Antichrist, and everywhere endeavored to spread the Pope's heresies. They incited the people to rebellion against their lawful government and spied out and persecuted those who would no longer submit to the Pope. But it was above all the halo of false holiness which it possessed in the eyes of the people that made monkery such a curse to the church. Men, women, and children ran into the cloister in order to be sure of eternal life; for the delusive notion prevailed that man could justify himself before God and be saved by his own works. And, at that, they regarded the works commanded by God of little account, esteeming their self-chosen, monkish practices of the highest importance. Life in the monastery is, therefore, condemned by the words of Christ: "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <h2>CHAPTER V.</h2> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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