The Great Controversy - Righteousness is Love

1088Luther Before the DietA new emperor, Charles V, had ascended the throne of Germany, and theemissaries of Rome hastened to present their congratulations and induce themonarch to employ his power against the Reformation. On the other hand,the elector of Saxony, to whom Charles was in great degree indebted for hiscrown, entreated him to take no step against Luther until he should havegranted him a hearing. The emperor was thus placed in a position of greatperplexity and embarrassment. The papists would be satisfied with nothingshort of an imperial edict sentencing Luther to death. The elector haddeclared firmly that "neither his imperial majesty nor any other person hadshown that Luther's writings had been refuted;" therefore he requested "thatDr. Luther should be furnished with a safe-conduct, so that he might appearbefore a tribunal of learned, pious, and impartial judges."–D'Aubigne, b. 6,ch. 11.The attention of all parties was now directed to the assembly of the Germanstates which convened at Worms soon after the accession of Charles to theempire. There were important political questions and interests to beconsidered by this national council; for the first time the princes ofGermany were to meet their youthful monarch in deliberative assembly.From all parts of the fatherland had come the dignitaries of church andstate. Secular lords, highborn, powerful, and jealous of their hereditaryrights; princely cclesiastics, flushed with their conscious superiority in rankand power; courtly knights and their armed retainers; and ambassadors fromforeign and distant lands,–all gathered at Worms. Yet in that vast assemblythe subject that excited the deepest interest was the cause of the SaxonReformer.Charles had previously directed the elector to bring Luther with him to theDiet, assuring him of protection, and promising a free discussion, withcompetent persons, of the questions in dispute. Luther was anxious toappear before the emperor. His health was at this time much impaired; yethe wrote to the elector: "If I cannot go to Worms in good health, I will becarried there, sick as I am. For if the emperor calls me, I cannot doubt that itis the call of God Himself. If they desire to use violence against me, andthat is very probable (for it is not for their instruction that they order me to