The continuation of the German Bible undoubtedly helped his cause greatly.

In many things he could appeal to it against the Roman tradition, and the very fact that he claimed to do so while his opponents by their attitude seemed to {112} shrink from this test, established the Protestant claim to be evangelical, in the eyes of the people.

Next came his hymns, many popular, some good and one really great.

[Sidenote: Hymns, 1528] _Ein' feste Burg_ has been well called by Heine the Marseillaise of the Reformation.

The Longer and Shorter Catechisms [Sidenote: Catechisms, 1529] educated the common people in the evangelical doctrine so well that the Catholics were forced to imitate their enemy, though tardily, by composing, for the first time, catechisms of their own.
Having overthrown much of the doctrine and discipline of the old church Luther addressed himself with admirable vigor and great success to the task of building up a substitute for it.