Such language seems quite unwarranted by the facts. There was no justice in this persecution of Carlstadt. He did for a brief time hold some fanatical ideas, but these he did not afterward maintain. The same writer speaks further in the same strain:— “It cannot be denied that in many respects he was apparently in advance of Luther, but his error lay in his haste to subvert and abolish the external forms and pomps before the hearts of the people, and doubtless his own, were prepared by an internal change. Biographies of him are numerous, and the Reformation no doubt owes him much of good for which he has not the credit, as it was overshadowed by the mischief he produced.”[1002] Important truth relative to the services of Carlstadt is here stated, but it is connected with intimations of evil which have no sufficient foundation in fact. Dr. Sears speaks thus of the bitter language concerning him:— “For three centuries, Carlstadt’s moral character has been treated somewhat as Luther’s would have been, if only Catholic testimony had been heard. The party interested has been both witness and judge. What if we were to judge of Zwingle’s Christian character by Luther’s representations? The truth is, Carlstadt hardly showed a worse spirit, or employed more abusive terms toward Luther, than Luther did toward him. Carlstadt knew that in many things the truth was on his side; and yet, in these, no less than in others, he was crushed by the civil power, which was on the side of Luther.”[1003] D’Aubigné speaks thus of the contest between these two men:— “Each turns against the error which, to his mind, seems most noxious, and in assailing it, goes—it may be—beyond the truth. But this being admitted, it is still true that both are right in the prevailing turn of their thoughts, and though ranking in different hosts, the two great teachers are nevertheless found under the same standard—that of Jesus Christ, who alone is TRUTH in the full import of that word.”[1004] D’Aubigné says of them after Carlstadt had been banished:— “It is impossible not to feel a pain at contemplating these two men, once friends, and both worthy of our esteem, thus angrily opposed.”[1005] Sometime after Carlstadt’s banishment from Saxony he visited Switzerland. D’Aubigné speaks of the result of his labors in that country, and what Luther did toward him:— “His instructions soon attracted an attention nearly equal to that which had been excited by the earliest theses put forth by Luther. Switzerland seemed almost gained over to his doctrine. Bucer and Capito also appeared to adopt his views. “Then it was that Luther’s indignation rose to its hight; and he put forth one of the most powerful but also most OUTRAGEOUS of his controversial writings,—his book ‘_Against the Celestial Prophets_.’”[1006]