07.03.2019 Views

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

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

nothing. Then <strong>the</strong> emperor, supported by <strong>the</strong><br />

testimony <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se arbiters, will pronounce against<br />

you; and <strong>the</strong>n will you hear boastings on all sides<br />

that will ascend up <strong>to</strong> heaven, and threatenings that<br />

will descend even <strong>to</strong> hell."<br />

The same issue was now shaping itself <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

eye <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r two men– Melanchthon and <strong>the</strong><br />

Emperor Charles. But though all three–Lu<strong>the</strong>r,<br />

Melanchthon, and Charles–had arrived at this<br />

conclusion, <strong>the</strong>y had arrived at it by different<br />

roads. Lu<strong>the</strong>r in <strong>the</strong> Coburg, like <strong>the</strong> astronomer in<br />

his watch<strong>to</strong>wer, with eyes uplifted from earth and<br />

fixed on heaven, deduced <strong>the</strong> future course <strong>of</strong><br />

affairs from <strong>the</strong> known laws <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Divine<br />

government, and <strong>the</strong> known facts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Protestant<br />

and Popish systems.<br />

Melanchthon came <strong>to</strong> his conclusion <strong>to</strong> a large<br />

extent by sense. At <strong>Augsburg</strong> he had a close view<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> parties arrayed against him; he heard <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

daily threats, and knew <strong>the</strong> intrigues at work<br />

around him, and felt that <strong>the</strong>y could have only a<br />

violent end. The emperor divined <strong>the</strong> denuament<br />

480

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!