and the world looked on, nothing doubting that he would perish or be
forced to yield. But with terrible power he flung back upon herself the
sentence of condemnation, and publicly declared his determination to
abandon her forever. In the presence of a crowd of students, doctors, and
citizens of all ranks, Luther burned the pope’s bull, with the canon laws,
the decretals, and certain writings sustaining the papal power. “My
enemies have been able, by burning my books,” he said, “to injure the
cause of truth in the minds of the common people, and destroy their souls;
for this reason I consumed their books in return. A serious struggle has
just begun. Hitherto I have been only playing with the pope. I began this
work in God’s name; it will be ended without me, and by His might.”(193)
To the reproaches of his enemies who taunted him with the weakness of his
cause, Luther answered: “Who knows if God has not chosen and called me,
and if they ought not to fear that, by despising me, they despise God
Himself? Moses was alone at the departure from Egypt; Elijah was alone in
the reign of King Ahab; Isaiah alone in Jerusalem; Ezekiel alone in
Babylon.... God never selected as a prophet either the high priest or any
other great personage; but ordinarily He chose low and despised men, once
even the shepherd Amos. In every age, the saints have had to reprove the
great, kings, princes, priests, and wise men, at the peril of their
lives.... I do not say that I am a prophet; but I say that they ought to
fear precisely because I am alone and that they are many. I am sure of
this, that the word of God is with me, and that it is not with them.”(194)
Yet it was not without a terrible struggle with himself that Luther
decided upon a final separation from the church. It was about this time
that he wrote: “I feel more and more every day how difficult it is to lay
aside the scruples which one has imbibed in childhood. O, how much pain it
has caused me, though I had the Scriptures on my side, to justify it to
myself that I should dare to make a stand alone against the pope, and hold
him forth as antichrist! What have the tribulations of my heart not been!
How many times have I not asked myself with bitterness that question which
was so frequent on the lips of the papists: ‘Art thou alone wise? Can
every one else be mistaken? How will it be, if, after all, it is thyself
who art wrong, and who art involving in thy error so many souls, who will
then be eternally damned?’ ’Twas so I fought with myself and with Satan,
till Christ, by His own infallible word, fortified my heart against these
doubts.”(195)
The pope had threatened Luther with excommunication if he did not recant,
and the threat was now fulfilled. A new bull appeared, declaring the
Reformer’s final separation from the Roman Church, denouncing him as
accursed of Heaven, and including in the same condemnation all who should
receive his doctrines. The great contest had been fully entered upon.
Opposition is the lot of all whom God employs to present truths specially
applicable to their time. There was a present truth in the days of
Luther,—a truth at that time of special importance; there is a present
truth for the church to-day. He who does all things according to the
counsel of His will, has been pleased to place men under various
circumstances, and to enjoin upon them duties peculiar to the times in
which they live, and the conditions under which they are placed. If they
would prize the light given them, broader views of truth would be opened
before them. But truth is no more desired by the majority to-day than it
was by the papists who opposed Luther. There is the same disposition to
accept the theories and traditions of men instead of the word of God as in
former ages. Those who present the truth for this time should not expect
to be received with greater favor than were earlier reformers. The great
controversy between truth and error, between Christ and Satan, is to
increase in intensity to the close of this world’s history.
Said Jesus to His disciples: “If ye were of the world, the world would
love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I
said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have
persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying,
they will keep yours also.”(196) And on the other hand our Lord declared
plainly: “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did
their fathers to the false prophets.”(197) The spirit of the world is no
more in harmony with the spirit of Christ to-day than in earlier times;
and those who preach the word of God in its purity will be received with
no greater favor now than then. The forms of opposition to the truth may
change, the enmity may be less open because it is more subtle; but the
same antagonism still exists, and will be manifested to the end of time.
8. LUTHER BEFORE THE DIET.
[Illustration: Chapter header.]
A new emperor, Charles V., had ascended the throne of Germany, and the
emissaries of Rome hastened to present their congratulations, and induce
the monarch to employ his power against the Reformation. On the other
hand, the elector of Saxony, to whom Charles was in great degree indebted
for his crown, entreated him to take no step against Luther until he
should have granted him a hearing. The emperor was thus placed in a
position of great perplexity and embarrassment. The papists would be
satisfied with nothing short of an imperial edict sentencing Luther to
death. The elector had declared firmly that “neither his imperial majesty
nor any other person had shown that Luther’s writings had been refuted;”
therefore he requested “that Doctor Luther should be furnished with a
safe-conduct, so that he might appear before a tribunal of learned, pious,
and impartial judges.”(198)
The attention of all parties was now directed to the assembly of the
German states which convened at Worms soon after the accession of Charles
to the empire. There were important political questions and interests to
be considered by this national council; for the first time the princes of
Germany were to meet their youthful monarch in deliberative assembly. From
all parts of the fatherland had come the dignitaries of church and state.
Secular lords, high-born, powerful, and jealous of their hereditary
rights; princely ecclesiastics, flushed with their conscious superiority
in rank and power; courtly knights and their armed retainers; and
ambassadors from foreign and distant lands,—all gathered at Worms. Yet in
that vast assembly the subject that excited the deepest interest, was the
cause of the Saxon Reformer.
Charles had previously directed the elector to bring Luther with him to
the Diet, assuring him of protection, and promising a free discussion,
with competent persons, of the questions in dispute. Luther was anxious to
appear before the emperor. His health was at this time much impaired; yet
he wrote to the elector: “If I cannot go to Worms in good health, I will
be carried there, sick as I am. For if the emperor calls me, I cannot
doubt that it is the call of God Himself. If they desire to use violence
against me, and that is very probable (for it is not for their instruction
that they order me to appear), I place the matter in the Lord’s hands. He
still lives and reigns who preserved the three young men in the burning
fiery furnace. If He will not save me, my life is of little consequence.
Let us only prevent the gospel from being exposed to the scorn of the
wicked, and let us shed our blood for it, for fear they should triumph. It
is not for me to decide whether my life or my death will contribute most
to the salvation of all.... You may expect everything from me ... except
flight and recantation. Fly I cannot, and still less retract.”(199)
As the news was circulated at Worms that Luther was to appear before the
Diet, a general excitement was created. Aleander, the papal legate to whom
the case had been specially intrusted, was alarmed and enraged. He saw
that the result would be disastrous to the papal cause. To institute
inquiry into a case in which the pope had already pronounced sentence of
condemnation, would be to cast contempt upon the authority of the
sovereign pontiff. Furthermore, he was apprehensive that the eloquent and
powerful arguments of this man might turn away many of the princes from
the cause of the pope. He therefore, in the most urgent manner,
remonstrated with Charles against Luther’s appearance at Worms. About this
time the bull declaring Luther’s excommunication was published; and this,
coupled with the representations of the legate, induced the emperor to
yield. He wrote to the elector that if Luther would not retract, he must
remain at Wittenberg.
Not content with this victory, Aleander labored with all the power and
cunning at his command to secure Luther’s condemnation. With a persistence
worthy of a better cause, he urged the matter upon the attention of
princes, prelates, and other members of the assembly, accusing the
Reformer of “sedition, rebellion, impiety, and blasphemy.” But the
vehemence and passion manifested by the legate revealed too plainly the
spirit by which he was actuated. “He is moved by hatred and vengeance,”
was the general remark, “much more than by zeal and piety.”(200) The
majority of the Diet were more than ever inclined to regard Luther’s cause
with favor.
With redoubled zeal, Aleander urged upon the emperor the duty of executing
the papal edicts. But under the laws of Germany this could not be done
without the concurrence of the princes; and overcome at last by the
legate’s importunity, Charles bade him present his case to the Diet. “It
was a proud day for the nuncio. The assembly was a great one: the cause
was even greater. Aleander was to plead for Rome, ... the mother and
mistress of all churches.” He was to vindicate the princedom of Peter
before the assembled principalities of Christendom. “He had the gift of
eloquence, and he rose to the greatness of the occasion. Providence
ordered it that Rome should appear and plead by the ablest of her orators
in the presence of the most august of tribunals, before she was
condemned.”(201) With some misgivings those who favored the Reformer
looked forward to the effect of Aleander’s speech. The elector of Saxony
was not present, but by his direction some of his councilors attended, to
take notes of the nuncio’s address.
With all the power of learning and eloquence, Aleander set himself to
overthrow the truth. Charge after charge he hurled against Luther as an
enemy of the church and the state, the living and the dead, clergy and
laity, councils and private Christians. “In Luther’s errors there is
enough,” he declared, to warrant the burning of “a hundred thousand
heretics.”
In conclusion, he endeavored to cast contempt upon the adherents of the
reformed faith: “What are all these Lutherans? A crew of insolent
pedagogues, corrupt priests, dissolute monks, ignorant lawyers, and
degraded nobles, with the common people whom they have misled and
perverted. How far superior to them is the Catholic party in number,
ability, and power! A unanimous decree from this illustrious assembly will
enlighten the simple, warn the imprudent, decide the waverers, and give
strength to the weak.”(202)
With such weapons the advocates of truth in every age have been attacked.
The same arguments are still urged against all who dare to present, in
opposition to established errors, the plain and direct teachings of God’s
word. “Who are these preachers of new doctrines?” exclaim those who desire
a popular religion. “They are unlearned, few in numbers, and of the poorer
class. Yet they claim to have the truth, and to be the chosen people of
God. They are ignorant and deceived. How greatly superior in numbers and
influence is our church! How many great and learned men are among us! How
much more power is on our side!” These are the arguments that have a
telling influence upon the world; but they are no more conclusive now than
in the days of the Reformer.
The Reformation did not, as many suppose, end with Luther. It is to be
continued to the close of this world’s history. Luther had a great work to
do in reflecting to others the light which God had permitted to shine upon
him; yet he did not receive all the light which was to be given to the
world. From that time to this, new light has been continually shining upon
the Scriptures, and new truths have been constantly unfolding.
The legate’s address made a deep impression upon the Diet. There was no
Luther present, with the clear and convincing truths of God’s word, to
vanquish the papal champion. No attempt was made to defend the Reformer.
There was manifest a general disposition not only to condemn him and the
doctrines which he taught, but if possible to uproot the heresy. Rome had
enjoyed the most favorable opportunity to defend her cause. All that she
could say in her own vindication had been said. But the apparent victory
was the signal of defeat. Henceforth the contrast between truth and error
would be more clearly seen, as they should take the field in open warfare.
Never from that day would Rome stand as secure as she had stood.
While most of the members of the Diet would not have hesitated to yield up
Luther to the vengeance of Rome, many of them saw and deplored the
existing depravity in the church, and desired a suppression of the abuses
suffered by the German people in consequence of the corruption and greed
of the hierarchy. The legate had presented the papal rule in the most
favorable light. Now the Lord moved upon a member of the Diet to give a
true delineation of the effects of papal tyranny. With noble firmness,
Duke George of Saxony stood up in that princely assembly, and specified
with terrible exactness the deceptions and abominations of popery, and
their dire results. In closing he said:
“These are some of the abuses that cry out against Rome. All shame has
been put aside, and their only object is ... money, money, money, ... so
that the preachers who should teach the truth, utter nothing but
falsehoods, and are not only tolerated, but rewarded, because the greater
their lies, the greater their gain. It is from this foul spring that such
tainted waters flow. Debauchery stretches out the hand to avarice....
Alas, it is the scandal caused by the clergy that hurls so many poor souls
into eternal condemnation. A general reform must be effected.”(203)
A more able and forcible denunciation of the papal abuses could not have
been presented by Luther himself; and the fact that the speaker was a
determined enemy of the Reformer, gave greater influence to his words.
Had the eyes of the assembly been opened, they would have beheld angels of
God in the midst of them, shedding beams of light athwart the darkness of
error, and opening minds and hearts to the reception of truth. It was the
power of the God of truth and wisdom that controlled even the adversaries
of the Reformation, and thus prepared the way for the great work about to
be accomplished. Martin Luther was not present; but the voice of One
greater than Luther had been heard in that assembly.
A committee was at once appointed by the Diet to prepare an enumeration of
the papal oppressions that weighed so heavily on the German people. This
list, containing a hundred and one specifications, was presented to the
emperor, with a request that he would take immediate measures for the
correction of these abuses. “What a loss of Christian souls,” said the
petitioners, “what depredations, what extortions, on account of the
scandals by which the spiritual head of Christendom is surrounded! It is
our duty to prevent the ruin and dishonor of our people. For this reason
we most humbly but most urgently entreat you to order a general
reformation, and to undertake its accomplishment.”(204)
The council now demanded the Reformer’s appearance before them.
Notwithstanding the entreaties, protests, and threats of Aleander, the
emperor at last consented, and Luther was summoned to appear before the
Diet. With the summons was issued a safe-conduct, insuring his return to a
place of security. These were borne to Wittenberg by a herald, who was
commissioned to conduct him to Worms.
The friends of Luther were terrified and distressed. Knowing the prejudice
and enmity against him, they feared that even his safe-conduct would not
be respected, and they entreated him not to imperil his life. He replied:
“The papists do not desire my coming to Worms, but my condemnation and my
death. It matters not. Pray not for me, but for the word of God.... Christ
will give me His Spirit to overcome these ministers of error. I despise
them during my life; I shall triumph over them by my death. They are busy
at Worms about compelling me to retract; and this shall be my retraction:
I said formerly that the pope was Christ’s vicar; now I assert that he is
our Lord’s adversary, and the devil’s apostle.”(205)
Luther was not to make his perilous journey alone. Besides the imperial
messenger, three of his firmest friends determined to accompany him.
Melanchthon earnestly desired to join them. His heart was knit to
Luther’s, and he yearned to follow him, if need be, to prison or to death.
But his entreaties were denied. Should Luther perish, the hopes of the
Reformation must center upon his youthful co-laborer. Said the Reformer as
he parted from Melanchthon: “If I do not return, and my enemies put me to
death, continue to teach, and stand fast in the truth. Labor in my
stead.... If you survive, my death will be of little consequence.”(206)
Students and citizens who had gathered to witness Luther’s departure were
deeply moved. A multitude whose hearts had been touched by the gospel,
bade him farewell with weeping. Thus the Reformer and his companions set
out from Wittenberg.
On the journey they saw that the minds of the people were oppressed by
gloomy forebodings. At some towns no honors were proffered them. As they
stopped for the night, a friendly priest expressed his fears by holding up
before Luther the portrait of an Italian reformer who had suffered
martyrdom. The next day they learned that Luther’s writings had been
condemned at Worms. Imperial messengers were proclaiming the emperor’s
decree, and calling upon the people to bring the proscribed works to the
magistrates. The herald, fearing for Luther’s safety at the council, and
thinking that already his resolution might be shaken, asked if he still
wished to go forward. He answered, “Although interdicted in every city, I
shall go on.”(207)
At Erfurt, Luther was received with honor. Surrounded by admiring crowds,
he passed through the streets that he had often traversed with his
beggar’s wallet. He visited his convent cell, and thought upon the
struggles through which the light now flooding Germany had been shed upon
his soul. He was urged to preach. This he had been forbidden to do, but
the herald granted him permission, and the friar who had once been made
the drudge of the convent, now entered the pulpit.
To a crowded assembly he spoke from the words of Christ, “Peace be unto
you.” “Philosophers, doctors, and writers,” he said, “have endeavored to
teach men the way to obtain everlasting life, and they have not succeeded.
I will now tell it to you.... God has raised one Man from the dead, the
Lord Jesus Christ, that He might destroy death, extirpate sin, and shut
the gates of hell. This is the work of salvation.... Christ has
vanquished! this is the joyful news; and we are saved by His work, and not
by our own.... Our Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘Peace be unto you; behold My
hands;’ that is to say, Behold, O man! it is I, I alone, who have taken
away thy sin, and ransomed thee; and now thou hast peace, saith the Lord.”
He continued, showing that true faith will be manifested by a holy life.
“Since God has saved us, let us so order our works that they may be
acceptable to Him. Art thou rich? let thy goods administer to the
necessities of the poor. Art thou poor? let thy services be acceptable to
the rich. If thy labor is useful to thyself alone, the service that thou
pretendest to render unto God is a lie.”(208)
The people listened as if spellbound. The bread of life was broken to
those starving souls. Christ was lifted up before them as above popes,
legates, emperors, and kings. Luther made no reference to his own perilous
position. He did not seek to make himself the object of thought or
sympathy. In the contemplation of Christ, he had lost sight of self. He
hid behind the Man of Calvary, seeking only to present Jesus as the
sinner’s Redeemer.
As the Reformer proceeded on his journey, he was everywhere regarded with
great interest. An eager multitude thronged about him, and friendly voices
warned him of the purpose of the Romanists. “They will burn you,” said
some, “and reduce your body to ashes, as they did with John Huss.” Luther
answered, “Though they should kindle a fire all the way from Worms to
Wittenberg, the flames of which reached to heaven, I would walk through it
in the name of the Lord; I would appear before them; I would enter the
jaws of this behemoth, and break his teeth, confessing the Lord Jesus
Christ.”(209)
The news of his approach to Worms created great commotion. His friends
trembled for his safety; his enemies feared for the success of their
cause. Strenuous efforts were made to dissuade him from entering the city.
At the instigation of the papists he was urged to repair to the castle of
a friendly knight, where, it was declared, all difficulties could be
amicably adjusted. Friends endeavored to excite his fears by describing
the dangers that threatened him. All their efforts failed; Luther, still
unshaken, declared, “Even should there be as many devils in Worms as tiles
on the housetops, still I would enter it.”(210)
Upon his arrival at Worms, a vast crowd flocked to the gates to welcome
him. So great a concourse had not assembled to greet the emperor himself.
The excitement was intense, and from the midst of the throng a shrill and
plaintive voice chanted a funeral dirge, as a warning to Luther of the
fate that awaited him. “God will be my defense,” said he, as he alighted
from his carriage.
The papists had not believed that Luther would really venture to appear at
Worms, and his arrival filled them with consternation. The emperor
immediately summoned his councilors to consider what course should be
pursued. One of the bishops, a rigid papist, declared: “We have long
consulted on this matter. Let your imperial majesty get rid of this man at
once. Did not Sigismund cause John Huss to be burnt? We are not bound
either to give or to observe the safe-conduct of a heretic.” “No,” said
the emperor; “we must keep our promise.”(211) It was therefore decided
that the Reformer should be heard.
All the city were eager to see this remarkable man, and a throng of
visitors soon filled his lodgings. Luther had scarcely recovered from his
recent illness; he was wearied from the journey, which had occupied two
full weeks; he must prepare to meet the momentous events of the morrow,
and he needed quiet and repose. But so great was the desire to see him,
that he had enjoyed only a few hours’ rest, when noblemen, knights,
priests, and citizens gathered eagerly about him. Among these were many of
the nobles who had so boldly demanded of the emperor a reform of
ecclesiastical abuses, and who, says Luther, “had all been freed by my
gospel.”(212) Enemies, as well as friends, came to look upon the dauntless
monk; but he received them with unshaken calmness, replying to all with
dignity and wisdom. His bearing was firm and courageous. His pale, thin
face, marked with the traces of toil and illness, wore a kindly and even
joyous expression. The solemnity and deep earnestness of his words gave
him a power that even his enemies could not wholly withstand. Both friends
and foes were filled with wonder. Some were convinced that a divine
influence attended him; others declared, as had the Pharisees concerning
Christ, “He hath a devil.”
On the following day, Luther was summoned to attend the Diet. An imperial
officer was appointed to conduct him to the hall of audience; yet it was
with difficulty that he reached the place. Every avenue was crowded with
spectators, eager to look upon the monk who had dared resist the authority
of the pope.