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92
From Here to Forever
he said, “I should act imprudently were I to reply without reflection.
I might affirm less than the circumstance demands, or more than
truth requires. For this reason I entreat your imperial majesty, with
all humility, to allow me time, that I may answer without offending
against the word of God.
Luther convinced the assembly that he did not act from passion
or impulse. Such calmness and self-command, unexpected in one
bold and uncompromising, enabled him afterward to answer with
wisdom and dignity that surprised his adversaries and rebuked their
insolence.
The next day he was to render his final answer. For a time his
heart sank. His enemies seemed about to triumph. Clouds gathered
about him and seemed to separate him from God. In anguish of
spirit he poured out those broken, heart-rending cries, which none
but God can fully understand.
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“O almighty and everlasting God,” he pleaded, “if it is only in
the strength of this world that I must put my trust, all is over. ... My
last hour is come, my condemnation has been pronounced. ... O
God, do Thou help me against all the wisdom of the world. ... The
cause is Thine, ... and it is a righteous and eternal cause. O Lord,
help me! Faithful and unchangeable God, in no man do I place my
trust. ... Thou hast chosen me for this work. ... Stand at my side, for
the sake of Thy well-beloved Jesus Christ, who is my defense, my
shield, and my strong tower.
Yet it was not the fear of personal suffering, torture, or death that
overwhelmed him with terror. He felt his insufficiency. Through
his weakness the cause of truth might suffer loss. Not for his own
safety, but for the triumph of the gospel did he wrestle with God.
In his utter helplessness his faith fastened upon Christ, the mighty
Deliverer. He would not appear alone before the council. Peace
returned to his soul, and he rejoiced that he was permitted to uplift
the Word of God before the rulers of the nations.
Luther thought upon his answer, examined passages in his writ-
ings, and drew from Scripture suitable proofs to sustain his positions.
Then, laying his left hand on the Sacred Volume, he lifted his right
15
D’Aubigne, bk. 7, ch. 8.
16
Ibid., bk. 7, ch. 8.