Church History, Volume 3 (of 3)Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
History
Church History, Volume 3 (of 3)
Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
Church history
§ 187.2. =Evangelical-Revival Tendencies.=--A movement much
more evangelical than that of Sailer, having the doctrine of
justification by faith alone as its centre, was originated by
a simple Bavarian priest, =Martin Boos=, and soon embraced sixty
priests in the diocese of Augsburg. The spiritual experiences
of Boos were similar to those of Luther. The words of a poor old
sick woman brought peace to his soul in A.D. 1790, and led him
to the study of Scripture. His preaching among the people and his
conversations with the surrounding clergy produced a widespread
revival. Amid manifold persecutions, removed from one parish
to another, and flying from Bavaria to Austria and thence into
Rhenish Prussia, where he died in A.D. 1825 as priest of Sayn,
he lighted wherever he went the torch of truth. Even after his
conversion Boos believed that he still maintained the Catholic
position, but was at last to his own astonishment convinced of
the contrary through intercourse with Protestant pietists and the
study of Luther’s works. But so long as the mother church would
keep him he wished not to forsake her.[545] So too felt his
like-minded companions =Gossner= and =Lindl=, who were expelled
from Bavaria in A.D. 1829 and settled in St. Petersburg. Lindl,
as Provost of South Russia, went to reside in Odessa, where he
exercised a powerful influence over Catholics and Protestants and
among the higher classes of the Russians. The machinations of the
Roman Catholic and Greek churches caused both Gossner and Lindl
to leave Russia in A.D. 1824. They then joined the evangelical
church, Lindl in Barmen and Gossner in Berlin. Lindl drifted
more and more into mystico-apocalyptic fanaticism; but Gossner,
from A.D. 1829 till his death in A.D. 1858 as pastor of the
Bohemian church in Berlin, proved a sincere evangelical and a
most successful worker.--The Bavarian priest Lutz of Carlshuld,
influenced by Boos, devoted himself to the temporal and spiritual
well-being of his people, preached Christ as the saviour of
sinners, and exhorted to diligent reading of the Bible. In
A.D. 1831, with 600 of his congregation, he joined the Protestant
church; but to avoid separation from his beloved people, he
returned again after ten months, and most of his flock with him,
still retaining his evangelical convictions. He was not, however,
restored to office, and subsequently in A.D. 1857, with three
Catholic priests of the diocese, he attached himself to the
Irvingites, and was with them excommunicated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account