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From the Diet of Worms to the Augsburg Confession - James Aitken Wylie

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edict against Lu<strong>the</strong>r. It was now that <strong>the</strong> Lu<strong>the</strong>ran<br />

princes unfurled <strong>the</strong>ir great Protest, and <strong>to</strong>ok up<br />

that position in <strong>the</strong> Empire and before all<br />

Christendom which <strong>the</strong>y have ever since, through<br />

all variety <strong>of</strong> fortune, maintained. Every time <strong>the</strong><br />

emperor puts forth his hand, it is not <strong>to</strong> kill but <strong>to</strong><br />

infuse new life in<strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> movement; it is <strong>to</strong> remove<br />

impediments from its path and help it onward.<br />

Even <strong>the</strong> dullest cannot fail <strong>to</strong> perceive that<br />

<strong>the</strong>se most extraordinary events, in which<br />

everything meant for <strong>the</strong> destruction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Protestant movement turned out for its fur<strong>the</strong>rance,<br />

did not originate with Lu<strong>the</strong>r. He had nei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong><br />

sagacity <strong>to</strong> devise <strong>the</strong>m nor <strong>the</strong> power <strong>to</strong> control<br />

<strong>the</strong>m. Nor did <strong>the</strong>y take <strong>the</strong>ir rise from Frederick<br />

<strong>the</strong> Wise, Elec<strong>to</strong>r <strong>of</strong> Saxony; nor from Philip <strong>the</strong><br />

Magnanimous, Landware <strong>of</strong> Hesse. Much less did<br />

<strong>the</strong>y owe <strong>the</strong>ir origin <strong>to</strong> Charles, for nothing did he<br />

less intend <strong>to</strong> accomplish than what really <strong>to</strong>ok<br />

place. Let us <strong>the</strong>n indulge in no platitudes about<br />

<strong>the</strong>se men. Lu<strong>the</strong>r indeed was wise, and not less<br />

courageous than wise; but in what did his wisdom<br />

consist? It consisted in his pr<strong>of</strong>ound submission <strong>to</strong><br />

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