The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 127

Scriptures that he loved. He had taken a solemn vow to study carefully
and to preach with fidelity the word of God, not the sayings and doctrines
of the popes, all the days of his life. He was no longer the mere monk
or professor, but the authorized herald of the Bible. He had been called
as a shepherd to feed the flock of God, that were hungering and thirsting
for the truth. He firmly declared that Christians should receive no other
doctrines than those which rest on the authority of the Sacred Scriptures.
These words struck at the very foundation of papal supremacy. They
contained the vital principle of the Reformation.
Luther saw the danger of exalting human theories above the word of
God. He fearlessly attacked the speculative infidelity of the schoolmen
and opposed the philosophy and theology which had so long held a
controlling influence upon the people. He denounced such studies as not
only worthless but pernicious, and sought to turn the minds of his hearers
from the sophistries of philosophers and theologians to the eternal truths
set forth by prophets and apostles.
Precious was the message which he bore to the eager crowds that
hung upon his words. Never before had such teachings fallen upon
their ears. The glad tidings of a Saviour’s love, the assurance of pardon
and peace through His atoning blood, rejoiced their hearts and inspired
within them an immortal hope. At Wittenberg a light was kindled whose
rays should extend to the uttermost parts of the earth, and which was to
increase in brightness to the close of time.
But light and darkness cannot harmonize. Between truth and error
there is an irrepressible conflict. To uphold and defend the one is to
attack and overthrow the other. Our Saviour Himself declared: “I came
not to send peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34. Said Luther, a few
years after the opening of the Reformation: “God does not guide me, He
pushes me forward. He carries me away. I am not master of myself. I
desire to live in repose; but I am thrown into

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