The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

in their revilings, you have not returned evil for evil. In brief, you have
worthily done God's holy work as becometh saints. Be glad then in the
Lord, and exult, ye righteous. Long have ye borne witness in the world,
look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh. I will
canonize you as faithful members of Christ, and what greater glory can ye
have than to have yielded Christ faithful service, and shown yourself a
member worthy of him?"
12. In his Table Talk Luther said: "Such is the efficacy and power of
God's word, that the more it is persecuted, the more it flourishes and
spreads. Call to mind the Diet at Augsburg, where the last trumpet before
the judgment-day sounded. How the whole world then raged against our
doctrine! Our doctrine and faith were brought forth to light in our
Confession. Our doctrines fell into the souls of many of the noblest men,
and ran like sparks in tinder. They were kindled, and kindled others. Thus
our Confession and Defence came forth in the highest glory." 171
13. In the year 1533, 172 Luther united in demanding of candidates as
a pre-requisite to entering the ministry, the declaration, "that they
embraced the uncorrupted doctrine of the Gospel, and so understood it, as
it is set forth in the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, and as it is
repeated in the Confession, which our Churches offered to the Emperor at
the Diet of Augsburg, 1530, and the promise that. with God's help they
will remain steadfast in that conviction to the end, and will faithfully
perform their duty in the Church."
It is not wonderful that Melanchthon himself considered the
Confession as rather Luther's than his own, and called it "the Confession
of the revered Doctor Luther." 173
This, then, is the result of the whole: The Holy Ghost in His ordinary
illumination through the Word, is the true source and original of the
Augsburg Confession; its secondary source is the whole Evangelical
Church of 1530, the main organ
171 Leipz., xx, 200. Tischreden (Foersternman,) iv, 354.
172 Buddeus, No. 178.
173 Melanchthon Orat. (1553.) Pref. to Confessio Doctrine, 1551, in Corp. Ref., lib. xii, No. 5349.