"That whereas they had decreed, that no more books should be published, unless they were first approved and licensed by learned men chosen for that purpose, he was not, indeed, against it; but, however, that he understood it so as not at all to be extended to the books of the Holy Scripture; for that the publishing of those could not be prohibited."

This opposition of the civil authority to the dissemination of Luther's translation of the Bible was promoted by Henry VIII., king of England. For, exasperated by the reply of the reformer to his answer to Luther's treatise "On the Babylonish Captivity," Henry complained to the elector Frederic, and to the dukes John his brother, and George his uncle, of the conduct of Luther. "All Germany," he said, "was in the utmost danger from the spreading of his doctrines. Moreover, they ought by no means to allow Luther's false translations of the New Testament to be dispersed among their subjects." The duke George heartily concurred in the censure of Henry, and returned for answer, "That he had punished the bookseller who first imported and sold an impression of Luther's Testament among his subjects."†

Prince Ferdinand of Austria, the emperor's brother, issued an edict, forbidding the subjects of his imperial majesty to have any copy of Luther's German version of the Scriptures in their possession; and extending the interdiction to the rest of his writings. A similar proclamation was published by Anthony, duke of Lorrain, commanding, That since Luther's doctrine was condemned by the pope, and the emperor, as well as by the most famous universities, none of his subjects should in their sermons teach any such doctrine; and that they also who had any of Luther's books, should bring them in by a certain day, or otherwise incur the penalty by him appointed."‡

Happily, the injury done to the cause of the Reformation, by these interdictions, was more than outweighed by the redoubled zeal of the advocates of the translations of Scripture. They accounted it honourable to devote themselves to preaching and commenting on the sacred volume, and their ministrations were received with cordiality and joy. Others, who had a poetical turn,

* Sleidan's Hist. of Reformation, translated by Bohun, b. iv, p. 64. Milner's Hist. of the Church of Christ, vol. v, pp. 83, 85.

† Milner's Hist. of the Church of Christ, vol. v, pp. 355, 356.

Cox's Life of Melancthon, p. 228. Sleidan's Hist. of the Reformation, b. iv,

p. 75.

composed hymns and sacred ballads,* to be put into the hands of poor people, who made a livelihood by singing them through the country; and perhaps a more effectual way of rendering Scripture history familiar to the minds of the lower orders of society cannot easily be imagined. Among those who exerted themselves in turning such subjects into verse was Paul Spretter, a man of rank, from Suabia, who was indefatigable in forwarding the Lutheran cause in Prussia. On one occasion, it is related, that a poor man, who had received the printed copies of the rhymes, repaired to Wittemberg, and, in the course of his progress through the town, sung them under Luther's window. The attention of the reformer was caught by the subject; he listened with pleasure to the song, and when, on inquiry, he learned the name of its author, he is said to have burst into tears, and rendered thanks to God, for making such humble expedients conducive to the propagation of truth.†

Luther's fondness for music is universally known, and the Old Hundredth Psalm tune, which tradition attributes to him, remains a singular instance of his skill in that science. In an evening, before parting from his family and his friends, he usually sung a hymn; and in his hours of dejection, music frequently proved a delightful restorative. A short time before he ventured to administer the Lord's supper, in the German language, he composed and printed a very useful little book, containing thirty-eight German hymns, with their appropriate tunes, comprising a summary of Christian doctrines, expressed in elegant German metre. In the preface he supports the duty of church music on the authority of David and Paul, but reminds us, that in this devotional exercise our eyes should be directed to Christ alone. "He had subjoined the suitable tunes," he says, "to show that the fine arts were by no means abolished through the preaching of the gospel; but that,

* The word ballad in our language was formerly used to signify a sacred song. Thus, in the old English translations of the Bible, Solomon's Song is called the ballet of ballets. Such was the opinion the patriotic Fletcher of Saltoun entertained of the influence of ballads upon the inferior classes, that he is reported to have said, "if he could but make the ballads of a nation, he would care very little who made the religion of it."-Encyc. Perth., v. "Ballad."

+ Bower's Life of Luther, pp. 205, 206.

The following testimony of HANDEL to the excellence of Luther's musical compositions, is given in a letter of Sir John Pringle's to J. D. Michaelis, dated 1769. The late Mr. Handel, that celebrated musician, told me, that Luther had even composed the music of his psalms and hymns, and which he said was so excellent in its way, that he had often borrowed from it, and inserted whole passages in his oritorios." Literarischer Briefwechsel von J. D. Michaelis, vol. ii, p. 240. Leipsig, 1795, 12mo.

in particular, the art of music should be employed to the glory of God; though he knew this sentiment was contrary to the romantic ideas of some teachers, who were disposed to allow nothing but what was purely intellectual."* He endeavoured to introduce the singing of Psalms into the public services of religion; for this end he partly translated, and partly procured to be translated, the whole of the PSALMS into German verse. For the versification, he invited the assistance of Spalatin, and of another friend named Dolzy; and for the composition of the tunes, of which he was an excellent judge, he engaged a person of the name of John Walther. He thus addressed Spalatin: "In my judgment, we ought to copy the examples of the prophets and fathers of the church, by composing psalms or spiritual songs, in the vernacular tongue, for the use of the common people, that the word of God may be sung among them. We are, therefore, inquiring for poets; and since you are favoured with fluency and elegance in the German language, improved by frequent use, we entreat you to assist us, and to endeavour to versify some of the Psalms, in a similar way to that which I send you. I wish novel and courtly terms to be avoided, and simple, common, and well-chosen words to be sung by the multitude. The sense should be clear, and express the mind of the psalmist, adopting the meaning in preference to the words. I have little, but good wishes, yet what I can do, I am willing to do, and I will make an attempt, if you will be Asaph, Heman, or Jeduthun." His wishes succeeded; and his pains were amply rewarded, by the version becoming exceedingly popular.†

In order to spread more generally the sacred writings, and to direct the attention of those who read them to the truths they contained, Luther, at different periods, published commentaries upon particular parts of them. The first which appeared was the "Commentary on the Galatians," in 1519. It had been prepared for the press by those who had attended his lectures, and when shown to him, he allowed its accuracy, and consented to its publication. He afterward considerably enlarged it, and printed it at Wittemberg, 1535, 8vo. The other parts of the Scriptures upon which he wrote commentaries, were Genesis, Deuteronomy, the greater part of the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Solomon's Song, Isaiah, part of Daniel, the Twelve Minor Prophets; some chapters of the Gos

* Milner's Hist. of the Church of Christ, vol. v, p. 392.

† M. Adami Vit. Germ. Theolog., p. 163. Bower's Life of Luther, p. 231.

pels of Matthew and John, the Epistles to the Romans and Corinthians, the Epistles of Peter, John, and Jude. In the commentary on Deuteronomy he has the following judicious directions and remarks: "Let the Christian reader's first object always be to find out the literal meaning of the word of God; for this, and this alone, is the whole foundation of faith, and of Christian theology. It is the very substance of Christianity; the only thing which stands its ground in distress and temptation: it is what overcomes the gates of hell together with sin and death, and triumphs, to the praise and glory of God. Allegories are often of a doubtful nature, depending on human conjecture and opinion; for which reason Jerome, and Origen, and other fathers of the same stamp, nay, I may add, all the old Alexandrian school, should be read with the greatest caution. An excessive esteem for these has gradually introduced a most mischievous taste among later writers, who have gone such lengths as to support the most extravagant absurdities by Scriptural expressions. Jerome complains of this practice in his own. time, and yet he himself is guilty of it. In our days there are some commentators, who, wherever they find in Scripture a word of the feminine gender, understand it to mean the Virgin Mary; and hence, almost all the revealed word is made to treat of the blessed virgin. Wherefore we ought always to observe St. Paul's rule, not to build upon wood, hay, and stubble, but upon gold, silver, and precious stones; that is, an allegory should never be made the foundation of any doctrine, but be introduced as a secondary thing, to confirm, to adorn, to enrich a Christian article of faith. Never produce an allegory to support your sentiment; on the contrary, take care that your allegory rest on some just sentiment as a foundation, which, by its aptness and similitude, it is calculated to illustrate."* Most of Luther's commentaries were written in Latin, and afterward translated into German by his friends.

The pious and fearless zeal of this reformer was crowned, by the great Head of the church, with a success equal to his most sanguine expectations; and he lived to see the cause of Scriptural truth embraced, not only by several of the German states, but by many of the other nations of Europe. The papal power, which had exercised despotic sway over the mightiest monarchs of the world, was deprived of its extensive influence; and the thunders of the Vatican rolled over the heads of the reformed without exciting the least alarm. The Scriptures of truth were generally * Milner's Hist. of the Church of Christ, vol. v, p. 383. Bower's Hist. of Luther, pp. 117, 118. See also Le Long, Biblioth. Sacra; and Walch, Biblioth. Theolog.

circulated, and placed in the hands of persons of every rank, and age, and sex, by translations into the vernacular dialects, the copies of which were rapidly multiplied by the labours of the press; and the traditions of Rome gave place to the gospel of Christ. But while Luther was continuing his important exertions in favour of religion and truth, his incessant occupations and intensity of thought were undermining his constitution, and hastening his death. In 1545 his health began to suffer considerably from severe attacks of the stone, and of violent head-aches. Early in the following year he visited Eisleben, his native place, at the request of the counts of Mansfeld; but his strength was exhausted by the journey; and on the 18th of February, 1546, he expired. Justus Jonas preached the funeral sermon; and after the removal of the body to Wittemberg, Melancthon pronounced the funeral oration; and the corpse was committed to the grave by several members of the university, amid the most unfeigned expressions of sorrow and regret; princes and nobles, doctors and students, mingling their tears with the thousands of people who wept over the remains of the man of God.*

After the decease of Luther, his great work, the German trans lation of the Scriptures, was circulated through the Germanic states with a diligence and assiduity at least equal to that which had been manifested during his life. Before his death, one or more European versions had been made from his translation; it afterward became the ground-work of others. Walch enumerates the Low-Saxon, the Pomeranian, the Danish, the Icelandic, the Swedish, the Belgic or Dutch, the Lithuanian, the Sorabic or Wendish, the Finnish, and the Lettish. Of these, we shall at present notice only the Low-Saxon, the Swedish, and Danish, the two former being undertaken during the life of Luther, and the latter being completed under the inspection of one of Luther's coadjutors in his German translation.

Editions of the Bible in the Low-Saxon dialect had been printed at Lubeck, in 1494, and at Halberstad, in 1522, two vols. fol.; but as the translation had been made prior to the Reformation, Bugenhagen, at the request of Luther, superintended a new translation,

* Milner's Hist. of the Church of Christ, vol. iv, and v.; Bower's Life of Luther; and Melchior Adam's Life of Luther, in his Vit. Germ. Theolog. ; are the works to which the writer is chiefly indebted, in addition to those already quoted, for the above account of this great reformer; except that he has occasionally consulted Seckendorf's Comment. on Maimbourg's Hist. of Lutheranism.

† Walchii Biblioth. Theolog., tom. iv, pp. 95–99.