Signs of the Times, Book 1 - Ellen G. White

June 7, 1883
Luther at Wittenberg
After two years in the cloister, Luther was consecrated to the priest's
office, and a year later he was called to a professorship in the University of
Wittenberg. Here he applied himself diligently to the study of the ancient
languages, especially Greek and Hebrew, that he might study the word of
God in the original tongues. He began to lecture upon the Bible; and the
book of Psalms, the Gospels, and the Epistles, were opened to the
understanding of crowds of eager listeners. From all parts of Germany and
even from foreign countries, students flocked to the university.
Staupitz, the friend and superior of Luther, urged him to ascend the
pulpit, and preach the word of God. But Luther hesitated, feeling himself
unworthy to speak to the people in Christ's stead. It was only after a long
struggle, that he yielded to the solicitations of his friends.
The pulpit in which he first preached was an old rostrum made of rough
planks, in a dilapidated chapel propped on all sides to keep it from falling.
Here the Reformation preaching was entered upon. When Jesus came to
earth, he was cradled in a manger. And the gospel was not first proclaimed in
imposing churches, but from the swaying seat of a fisherman's boat, and
upon the mountain side, in the plain, and by the highway.
Already Luther was mighty in the Scriptures; and the grace of God
rested upon him. His surpassing eloquence delighted and captivated his
auditors; the clearness and power with which he presented the truth
convinced their understanding, and his deep fervor touched their hearts. The
little chapel could not contain the crowds that sought admission, and he was
called to preach in the parish church. So wide-spread had his reputation now
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