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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 4
Protestants of Spires, “May the Almighty, who has given you grace
to confess energetically, freely, and fearlessly, preserve you in that
Christian firmness until the day of eternity.”
Had the Reformation, after attaining a degree of success, con-
sented to temporize to secure favor with the world, it would have
been untrue to God and to itself, and would thus have insured its
own destruction. The experience of those early reformers contains a
lesson for all succeeding ages. Satan’s manner of working against
God and his word has not changed; he is still as much opposed to the
Scriptures being made the guide of life as in the sixteenth century.
In our time there is a wide departure from its doctrines and precepts,
and there is need of a return to the great Protestant principle,—the
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Bible and the Bible only as the rule of faith and duty. Satan is
still working through every means which he can control to destroy
religious liberty. The anti-christian power which the protesters of
Spires repudiated, is now with renewed vigor seeking to reestablish
its lost supremacy. The same unswerving adherence to the word of
God manifested at that crisis of the Reformation, is the only hope of
reform today.
There appeared tokens of danger to the Protestants. There were
tokens, also, that the divine hand was stretched out to protect the
faithful. It was about this time that Melancthon hurried his friend
Grynaeus through the streets of Spires to the Rhine, and urged him
to cross the river without delay. Grynaeus, in astonishment, desired
to know the reason for this sudden flight. Said Melancthon, “An
old man of grave and solemn aspect, but who is unknown to me,
appeared before me, and said, ‘In a minute the officers of justice
will be sent by Ferdinand to arrest Grynaeus.’” On the banks of the
Rhine, Melancthon waited until the waters of that stream interposed
between his beloved friend and those who sought his life. When he
saw him on the other side at last, he said, “He is torn from the cruel
jaws of those who thirst for innocent blood.”
Grynaeus had been on intimate terms with a leading papist doc-
tor; but, having been shocked at one of his sermons, he went to him,
and entreated that he would no longer war against the truth. The
papist concealed his anger, but immediately repaired to the king, and
obtained from him authority to arrest the protester. When Melanc-
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thon returned to his house, he was informed that after his departure