Page 21 - 10 Progress of Reform in Germany

The Romanists exulted, expecting to witness

the speedy downfall of the Reformation; and

they blamed Luther, even for the errors

which he had been most earnestly

endeavoring to correct. The fanatical party,

by falsely claiming to have been treated with

great injustice, succeeded in gaining the

sympathies of a large class of the people, and,

as is often the case with those who take the

wrong side, they came to be regarded as

martyrs. Thus the ones who were exerting

every energy in opposition to the

Reformation were pitied and lauded as the

victims of cruelty and oppression. This was

the work of Satan, prompted by the same

spirit of rebellion which was first manifested

in heaven.

Satan is constantly seeking to deceive men

and lead them to call sin righteousness, and