Chapter 13
The Netherlands and Scandinavia
In The Netherlands the papal tyranny very early
called forth resolute protest. Seven hundred years before Luther's time
the Roman pontiff was thus fearlessly impeached by two bishops, who,
having been sent on an embassy to Rome, had learned the true character
of the "holy see": God "has made His queen and spouse,
the church, a noble and everlasting provision for her family, with a
dowry that is neither fading nor corruptible, and given her an eternal
crown and scepter; . . . all which benefits you like a thief intercept.
You set up yourself in the temple of God; instead of a pastor, you are
become a wolf to the sheep; . . . you would make us believe you are a
supreme bishop, but you rather behave like a tyrant. . . . Whereas you
ought to be a servant of servants, as you call yourself, you endeavor to
become a lord of lords. . . . You bring the commands of God into
contempt. . . . The Holy Ghost is the builder of all churches as far as
the earth extends. . . . The city of our God, of which we are the
citizens, reaches to all the regions of the heavens; and it is greater
than the city, by the holy prophets named Babylon, which pretends to be
divine, wins herself to heaven, and brags that her wisdom is immortal;
and finally, though without reason, that she never did err, nor ever
can."--Gerard Brandt, History of the Reformation in and About the
Low Countries, b. 1, p. 6.
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Others arose from century to century to echo this
protest. And those early teachers who, traversing different lands and
known by various names, bore the character of the Vaudois missionaries,
and spread everywhere the knowledge of the gospel, penetrated to the
Netherlands. Their doctrines spread rapidly. The Waldensian Bible they
translated in verse into the Dutch language. They declared "that
there was great advantage in it; no jests, no fables, no trifles, no
deceits, but the words of truth; that indeed there was here and there a
hard crust, but that the marrow and sweetness of what was good and holy
might be easily discovered in it."--Ibid., b. 1, p. 14. Thus wrote
the friends of the ancient faith, in the twelfth century.
Now began the Romish persecutions; but in the midst
of fagots and torture the believers continued to multiply, steadfastly
declaring that the Bible is the only infallible authority in religion,
and that "no man should be coerced to believe, but should be won by
preaching."--Martyn, vol. 2, p. 87.
The teachings of Luther found a congenial soil in the
Netherlands, and earnest and faithful men arose to preach the gospel.
From one of the provinces of Holland came Menno Simons. Educated a Roman
Catholic and ordained to the priesthood, he was wholly ignorant of the
Bible, and he would not read it for fear of being beguiled into heresy.
When a doubt concerning the doctrine of transubstantiation forced itself
upon him, he regarded it as a temptation from Satan, and by prayer and
confession sought to free himself from it; but in vain. By mingling in
scenes of dissipation he endeavored to silence the accusing voice of
conscience; but without avail. After a time he was led to the study of
the New Testament, and this, with Luther's writings, caused him to
accept the reformed faith. He soon after witnessed in a neighboring
village the beheading of a man who was put to death for having been
rebaptized. This led him to study the Bible in regard to infant baptism.
He could find no evidence for it in the Scriptures, but saw that
repentance and faith are
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everywhere required as the condition of receiving
baptism.
Menno withdrew from the Roman Church and devoted his
life to teaching the truths which he had received. In both Germany and
the Netherlands a class of fanatics had risen, advocating absurd and
seditious doctrines, outraging order and decency, and proceeding to
violence and insurrection. Menno saw the horrible results to which these
movements would inevitably lead, and he strenuously opposed the
erroneous teachings and wild schemes of the fanatics. There were many,
however, who had been misled by these fanatics, but who had renounced
their pernicious doctrines; and there were still remaining many
descendants of the ancient Christians, the fruits of the Waldensian
teaching. Among these classes Menno labored with great zeal and success.
For twenty-five years he traveled, with his wife and
children, enduring great hardships and privations, and frequently in
peril of his life. He traversed the Netherlands and northern Germany,
laboring chiefly among the humbler classes but exerting a widespread
influence. Naturally eloquent, though possessing a limited education, he
was a man of unwavering integrity, of humble spirit and gentle manners,
and of sincere and earnest piety, exemplifying in his own life the
precepts which he taught, and he commanded the confidence of the people.
His followers were scattered and oppressed. They suffered greatly from
being confounded with the fanatical Munsterites. Yet great numbers were
converted under his labors.
Nowhere were the reformed doctrines more generally
received than in the Netherlands. In few countries did their adherents
endure more terrible persecution. In Germany Charles V had banned the
Reformation, and he would gladly have brought all its adherents to the
stake; but the princes stood up as a barrier against his tyranny. In the
Netherlands his power was greater, and persecuting edicts followed each
other in quick succession. To read the Bible, to hear or preach
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it, or even to speak concerning it, was to incur the
penalty of death by the stake. To pray to God in secret, to refrain from
bowing to an image, or to sing a psalm, was also punishable with death.
Even those who should abjure their errors were condemned, if men, to die
by the sword; if women, to be buried alive. Thousands perished under the
reign of Charles and of Philip II.
At one time a whole family was brought before the
inquisitors, charged with remaining away from mass and worshiping at
home. On his examination as to their practices in secret the youngest
son answered: "We fall on our knees, and pray that God may
enlighten our minds and pardon our sins; we pray for our sovereign, that
his reign may be prosperous and his life happy; we pray for our
magistrates, that God may preserve them."--Wylie, b. 18, ch. 6.
Some of the judges were deeply moved, yet the father and one of his sons
were condemned to the stake.
The rage of the persecutors was equaled by the faith
of the martyrs. Not only men but delicate women and young maidens
displayed unflinching courage. "Wives would take their stand by
their husband's stake, and while he was enduring the fire they would
whisper words of solace, or sing psalms to cheer him." "Young
maidens would lie down in their living grave as if they were entering
into their chamber of nightly sleep; or go forth to the scaffold and the
fire, dressed in their best apparel, as if they were going to their
marriage."--Ibid., b. 18, ch. 6.
As in the days when paganism sought to destroy the
gospel, the blood of the Christians was seed. (See Tertullian, Apology,
paragraph 50.) Persecution served to increase the number of witnesses
for the truth. Year after year the monarch, stung to madness by the
unconquerable determination of the people, urged on his cruel work; but
in vain. Under the noble William of Orange the Revolution at last
brought to Holland freedom to worship God.
In the mountains of Piedmont, on the plains of France
and the shores of Holland, the progress of the gospel was
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marked with the blood of its disciples. But in the
countries of the North it found a peaceful entrance. Students at
Wittenberg, returning to their homes, carried the reformed faith to
Scandinavia. The publication of Luther's writings also spread the light.
The simple, hardy people of the North turned from the corruption, the
pomp, and the superstitions of Rome, to welcome the purity, the
simplicity, and the life-giving truths of the Bible.
Tausen, "the Reformer of Denmark," was a
peasant's son. The boy early gave evidence of vigorous intellect; he
thirsted for an education; but this was denied him by the circumstances
of his parents, and he entered a cloister. Here the purity of his life,
together with his diligence and fidelity, won the favor of his superior.
Examination showed him to possess talent that promised at some future
day good service to the church. It was determined to give him an
education at some one of the universities of Germany or the Netherlands.
The young student was granted permission to choose a school for himself,
with one proviso, that he must not go to Wittenberg. The scholar of the
church was not to be endangered by the poison of heresy. So said the
friars.
Tausen went to Cologne, which was then, as now, one
of the strongholds of Romanism. Here he soon became disgusted with the
mysticisms of the schoolmen. About the same time he obtained Luther's
writings. He read them with wonder and delight, and greatly desired to
enjoy the personal instruction of the Reformer. But to do so he must
risk giving offense to his monastic superior and forfeiting his support.
His decision was soon made, and erelong he was enrolled as a student at
Wittenberg.
On returning to Denmark, he again repaired to his
cloister. No one as yet suspected him of Lutheranism; he did not reveal
his secret, but endeavored, without exciting the prejudices of his
companions, to lead them to a purer faith and a holier life. He opened
the Bible, and explained its true meaning, and at last preached Christ
to them as the sinner's righteousness and his only hope of salvation.
Great was the
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wrath of the prior, who had built high hopes upon him
as a valiant defender of Rome. He was at once removed from his own
monastery to another and confined to his cell under strict supervision.
To the terror of his new guardians several of the
monks soon declared themselves converts to Protestantism. Through the
bars of his cell Tausen had communicated to his companions a knowledge
of the truth. Had those Danish fathers been skilled in the church's plan
of dealing with heresy, Tausen's voice would never again have been
heard; but instead of consigning him to a tomb in some underground
dungeon, they expelled him from the monastery. Now they were powerless.
A royal edict, just issued, offered protection to the teachers of the
new doctrine. Tausen began to preach. The churches were opened to him,
and the people thronged to listen. Others also were preaching the word
of God. The New Testament, translated into the Danish tongue, was widely
circulated. The efforts made by the papists to overthrow the work
resulted in extending it, and erelong Denmark declared its acceptance of
the reformed faith.
In Sweden, also, young men who had drunk from the
well of Wittenberg carried the water of life to their countrymen. Two of
the leaders in the Swedish Reformation, Olaf and Laurentius Petri, the
sons of a blacksmith of Orebro, studied under Luther and Melanchthon,
and the truths which they thus learned they were diligent to teach. Like
the great Reformer, Olaf aroused the people by his zeal and eloquence,
while Laurentius, like Melanchthon, was learned, thoughtful, and calm.
Both were men of ardent piety, of high theological attainments, and of
unflinching courage in advancing the truth. Papist opposition was not
lacking. The Catholic priest stirred up the ignorant and superstitious
people. Olaf Petri was often assailed by the mob, and upon several
occasions barely escaped with his life. These Reformers were, however,
favored and protected by the king.
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Under the rule of the Roman Church the people were
sunken in poverty and ground down by oppression. They were destitute of
the Scriptures; and having a religion of mere signs and ceremonies,
which conveyed no light to the mind, they were returning to the
superstitious beliefs and pagan practices of their heathen ancestors.
The nation was divided into contending factions, whose perpetual strife
increased the misery of all. The king determined upon a reformation in
the state and the church, and he welcomed these able assistants in the
battle against Rome.
In the presence of the monarch and the leading men of
Sweden, Olaf Petri with great ability defended the doctrines of the
reformed faith against the Romish champions. He declared that the
teachings of the Fathers are to be received only when in accordance with
the Scriptures; that the essential doctrines of the faith are presented
in the Bible in a clear and simple manner, so that all men may
understand them. Christ said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His
that sent Me" (John 7:16); and Paul declared that should he preach
any other gospel than that which he had received, he would be accursed
(Galatians 1:8). "How, then," said the Reformer, "shall
others presume to enact dogmas at their pleasure, and impose them as
things necessary to salvation?"--Wylie, b. 10, ch. 4. He showed
that the decrees of the church are of no authority when in opposition to
the commands of God, and maintained the great Protestant principle that
"the Bible and the Bible only" is the rule of faith and
practice.
This contest, though conducted upon a stage
comparatively obscure, serves to show us "the sort of men that
formed the rank and file of the army of the Reformers. They were not
illiterate, sectarian, noisy controversialists--far from it; they were
men who had studied the word of God, and knew well how to wield the
weapons with which the armory of the Bible supplied them. In respect of
erudition they were ahead of their age. When we confine our attention to
such brilliant centers as Wittenberg and Zurich, and to such illustrious
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names as those of Luther and Melanchthon, of Zwingli
and Oecolampadius, we are apt to be told, these were the leaders of the
movement, and we should naturally expect in them prodigious power and
vast acquisitions; but the subordinates were not like these. Well, we
turn to the obscure theater of Sweden, and the humble names of Olaf and
Laurentius Petri --from the masters to the disciples--what do we find? .
. . Scholars and theologians; men who have thoroughly mastered the whole
system of gospel truth, and who win an easy victory over the sophists of
the schools and the dignitaries of Rome."--Ibid., b. 10, ch.4.
As the result of this disputation the king of Sweden
accepted the Protestant faith, and not long afterward the national
assembly declared in its favor. The New Testament had been translated by
Olaf Petri into the Swedish language, and at the desire of the king the
two brothers undertook the translation of the whole Bible. Thus for the
first time the people of Sweden received the word of God in their native
tongue. It was ordered by the Diet that throughout the kingdom,
ministers should explain the Scriptures and that the children in the
schools should be taught to read the Bible.
Steadily and surely the darkness of ignorance and
superstition was dispelled by the blessed light of the gospel. Freed
from Romish oppression, the nation attained to a strength and greatness
it had never before reached. Sweden became one of the bulwarks of
Protestantism. A century later, at a time of sorest peril, this small
and hitherto feeble nation--the only one in Europe that dared lend a
helping hand--came to the deliverance of Germany in the terrible
struggle of the Thirty Years' War. All Northern Europe seemed about to
be brought again under the tyranny of Rome. It was the armies of Sweden
that enabled Germany to turn the tide of popish success, to win
toleration for the Protestants,--Calvinists as well as Lutherans,--and
to restore liberty of conscience to those countries that had accepted
the Reformation.
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