His father had designed him for the law. To this end he had gone
through the best schools of Germany, taken his master's degree, and
was advancing in the particular studies relating to his intended
profession, when a sudden change came over his life.

Religious in his temper and training, and educated in a creed which
worked mainly on man's fears, without emphasizing the only basis of
spiritual peace, he fell into great terrors of conscience. Several
occurrences contributed to this: (1) He fell sick, and was likely to
die. (2) He accidentally severed an artery, and came near bleeding to
death. (3) A bosom friend of his was suddenly killed. All this made
him think how it would be with him if called to stand before God in
judgment, and filled him with alarm. Then (4) he was one day overtaken
by a thunderstorm of unwonted violence. The terrific scene presented
to his vivid fancy all the horrors of a mediæval picture of the Last
Day, and himself about to be plunged into eternal fire. Overwhelmed
with terror, he cried to Heaven for help, and vowed, if spared, to
devote himself to the salvation of his soul by becoming a monk. His
father hated monkery, and he shared the feeling; but, if it would save
him, why hesitate? What was a father's displeasure or the loss of all
the favors of the world to his safety against a hopeless perdition?

Call it superstition, call it religious melancholy, call it morbid
hallucination, it was a most serious matter to the young Luther, and
out of it ultimately grew the Reformation. False ideas underlay the
resolve, but it was profoundly sincere and according to the ideas of
ages. It was wrong, but he could not correct the error until he had
tested it. And thus, by what he took as the unmistakable call of God,
he entered the cloister.