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From Here to Forever
“Far from being dismayed, I rejoice to see that the gospel is now,
as in former times, a cause of trouble and dissension. This is the
character, this is the destiny, of the word of God. ‘I came not to
send peace on earth, but a sword,’ said Jesus Christ. ... Beware
lest, by presuming to quench dissensions, you should persecute
the holy word of God, and draw down upon yourselves a frightful
deluge of insurmountable dangers, of present disasters, and eternal
desolation.
Luther had spoken in German; he was now requested to repeat
the same words in Latin. He again delivered his speech with the
same clearness as at the first. God’s providence directed in this.
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Many princes were so blinded by error and superstition that at first
they did not see the force of Luther’s reasoning, but the repetition
enabled them to perceive clearly the points presented.
Those who stubbornly closed their eyes to the light were enraged
at the power of Luther’s words. The spokesman of the diet said
angrily: “You have not answered the question put to you. ... You are
required to give a clear and precise answer. ... Will you, or will you
not, retract?”
The Reformer answered: “Since your most serene majesty and
your high mightinesses require from me a clear, simple, and precise
answer, I will give you one, and it is this: I cannot submit my faith
either to the pope or the councils, because it is clear as the day
that they have frequently erred and contradicted each other. Unless
therefore I am convinced by the testimony of the Scripture, ... I
cannot and I will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak
against his conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other; may God
help me. Amen.
Thus stood this righteous man. His greatness and purity of
character, his peace and joy of heart, were manifest to all as he
witnessed to the superiority of that faith that overcomes the world.
At his first answer Luther had spoken with a respectful, almost
submissive bearing. The Romanists regarded the request for delay
as merely the prelude to his recantation. Charles himself, noting
half contemptuously the monk’s worn frame, his plain attire, and
19
Ibid., bk. 7, ch. 8.
20
Ibid., bk. 7, ch. 8.