1. Entrance into the Cloister. Luther erroneously felt himself bound in conscience to keep his vow, and therefore, on July 15, 1505, once more invited his intimate friends to meet him, in order to bid them farewell. They passed the time with song and instrumental music. As Luther seemed to be happy and in the best of spirits no one dreamed of what was passing in his soul. But before his friends parted from him he informed them of his intention. At first they thought he was joking, and laughed at him. But when Luther once more solemnly declared, "To-day you see me, and never again," they urgently besought him to give up his resolution. All their endeavors, however, were in vain, Luther remained firm. On the evening of the 17th of July, therefore, they weepingly escorted him to the gate of the Augustinian cloister within whose dark walls Luther now sought rest and peace for his soul. When his father was subsequently asked to give his consent he became very indignant that his son had entered the cloister. On a later occasion, when Hans Luther paid his son a visit at Erfurt and those about him praised his present monastic state, the father said: "God grant that it may not be a deception and Satanic illusion. Why, have you not heard that parents should be obeyed, and that nothing should be undertaken without their knowledge and advice?" After some time, however, he was somewhat pacified by his friends and said, "Let it pass; God grant that good may come of it."

2. Disappointments in the Cloister. Luther was scrupulously exact in the performance of every work and penance prescribed by the cloister. He acted as doorkeeper, set the clock, swept the church, yes, he was even compelled to remove the human filth. The greatest hardship for him, however, was to travel the streets of the city with a bag, begging for alms. The monks told him, "It is begging, not studying, that enriches the cloister." And yet Luther found time for diligent study of the Bible. He learned to know the page and exact place of every verse of the Scriptures, and he even committed to memory many passages from the prophets, although he did not understand them at that time. The prior of the cloister, Dr. John Staupitz, came to love him, released him from menial labors, and encouraged him to continue in the diligent study of Holy Scriptures. Others thought different and said to Luther, "Why, Brother Martin, what is the Bible! You ought to read the old fathers, they have extracted the substance of truth from the Bible. The Bible causes all disturbances."

Thus Luther soon learned that the piety of most monks was nothing but pretense. In later years he wrote: "The monks are a lazy, idle people. The greatest vanity is found in the cloisters. They are servants of their bellies, and filthy swine." But if others sought carnal lust in the cloister Luther led a most rigid and holy life. In the simplicity of his heart he sincerely worshiped the Pope. He regarded Huss as a terrible heretic, and he considered the very thought of him a great sin. And yet he could not resist the temptation to read this heretic's sermons. He confessed: "I really found so much in them that I was filled with consternation at the thought that such a man had been burned at the stake who could quote the Scriptures with so much faith and power. But because his name was held in such horrible execration I closed the book and went away with a wounded heart."

In 1507 Luther was ordained to the priesthood, which made him very happy, for he supposed that now, as a priest, he could please God with greater and more glorious works. So thoroughly was Luther enslaved in the bondage of popery. Who could break these fetters? By his own works Luther endeavored to gain the grace of God. Day and night he tortured and tormented himself with fasting and prayers, with singing and studying, hard bedding, freezing, and vigils, with groanings and weepings. He wanted to take heaven by storm. He could afterward truthfully say: "It is true, I was a pious monk, and if ever a monk could have gained heaven by his monkery I would have gained it. If it had lasted any longer I would have tortured myself to death with vigils, prayers, reading, and other works." The peace of his soul, however, which he had not found in the world he found just as little in the cloister with all his works. Later on he describes his condition at that time in the following words: "Hangman and devil were in our hearts, and nothing but fear, trembling, horror, and disquiet tortured us day and night."

3. Luther Finds Comfort. Staupitz one day found Luther in great distress of spirit and said to him, "Ah, you do not know how salutary and necessary such trials are for you; without them nothing good would become of you. For God does not send them to you in vain. You will see that He will use you for great things." At another time Luther complained, "O my sin, my sin, my sin!" when Staupitz told him, "Christ is the forgiveness for REAL sins. He is a real Savior and you are a real sinner. God has sent His own Son and delivered Him up for us." When, because of great anxiety for his sins, he became sick, an old friar comforted him with these words, "I believe in the forgiveness of sin," and explained these words to mean: "It is not enough that you believe God forgives sins in general, for the devils also believe that. You must believe that your sins, your sins, your sins are forgiven. For man is justified by grace through faith." So, even at that time, a ray of light fell into Luther's soul benighted with the darkness of popery, and from this time on his favorite passage remained Romans 3, 28: "Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law."