pure a man thought himself so great a sinner. But a sinner he was, as
we all; and to avert the just anger of God he fasted, prayed, and
mortified himself like an anchorite of the Thebaid. And yet no peace
or comfort came.

A chained Bible lay in the monastery. He had previously found a copy
of it in the library of the university. Day and night he read it,
along with the writings of St. Augustine. In both he found the same
pictures of man's depravity which he realized in himself, but God's
remedy for sin he had not found. In the earnestness of his studies the
prescribed devotions were betimes crowded out, and then he punished
himself without mercy to redeem his failures. Whole nights and days
together he lay upon his face crying to God, till he swooned in his
agony. Everything his brother-monks could tell him he tried, but all
the resources of their religion were powerless to comfort him or to
beget a righteousness in which his anguished soul could trust.

It happened that one of the exceptionally enlightened and
spiritual-minded monks of his time, _John Staupitz_, was then the
vicar-general of the Augustinians in Saxony. On his tour of inspection
he came to Erfurt, and there found Luther, a walking skeleton, more
dead than alive. He was specially drawn to the haggard young brother.
The genial and sympathizing spirit of the vicar-general made Luther
feel at home in his presence, and to him he freely opened his whole
heart, telling of his feelings, failures, and fears--his heartaches,
his endeavors, his disappointments, and his despair. And God put the
right words into the vicar-general's mouth.

"Look to the wounds of Jesus," said he, "and to the blood he shed for
you, and there see the mercy of God. Cast yourself into the Redeemer's
arms, and trust in his righteous life and sacrificial death. He loved
you first; love him in return, and let your penances and
mortifications go."

The oppressed and captive spirit began to feel its burden lighten
under such discourse. God a God of love! Piety a life of love!
Salvation by loving trust in a God already reconciled in Christ! This
was a new revelation. It brought the sorrowing young Luther to the
study of the Scriptures with a new object of search. He read and
meditated, and began to see the truth of what his vicar said. But
doubts would come, and often his gloom returned.

One day an aged monk came to his cell to comfort him. He said he only
knew his Creed, but in that