LUTHER. 



the profcflors and ftudcnts of the univerfity of Wiitcm- 

 burg, and with much ceremony, in the prcfcnce of a pro- 

 digious multitude of people of all ranks aiid orders, com- 

 mitted to the flames the pope's bufl, and the decretals and 

 canons relating to his fupreme jurifdiftion : the example 

 was foon followed in feveral cities of Germany. He next 

 collefted from the canon law fome of the moll extravagant 

 propofitions with refpeft to the omnipotence of the papal 

 power, and the fubordlaation of all fecular jurifdidion to 

 the authority of the holy fee, which he publiOicd with a 

 commentary, pointing out the impiety of fuch tenets, and 

 their evident tendency to fubvert all civil government. 

 Within a month after this, a fecond bull was idued agaiiilt 

 him, by which he was expelled from communion with the 

 church, for having infulted the majefty, and difowned the 

 fupremaey of the Roman pontiff. The intimidating power 

 of papal condemnation had now loft its effect in Germany, 

 and the bull of Leo put his antagonift upon the projeft of 

 founding a church upo'. iirinciples direftly oppofitc to thole 

 of Rome, and to eftabiiili in it a fyllem of doftrine and 

 ecclefiaihcal difcipline, more confonant with the fpiril and 

 precepts of the gofpel. 



From this time Luther never ceafed to attack the cor- 

 ruptions of the church of Rome, and his reafoning made 

 deep ii'ipreflions upon the minds of the people; their r'.'frefi 

 and revf'ence for ancient iiillitutions and doctrines in which 

 they had been educated were fhaken. Students crowded 

 from all parts of the empire to Wittemburg, and under 

 Luther, Melaniflhon, Carlolladt, and other eminent, and, 

 for the tiine, truly enlightened profeiTors, imbibed princi- 

 ples, which, on their return, they propagated among their 

 countrymen with zeal and ardour. On the arrival of 

 Charles V. in Germany, the firll aft of his adminillration 

 was to alTemble a diet of the empire at Worms. This 

 meeting was fixed tor the hxth of January 1521 ; in the 

 circular letter to the different princes, the emperor informed 

 them that the expref? p.irpofe of this meeting, was to con- 

 cert with them the proper meafures for checking the pro- 

 grefs of thofe new and dangerous opinions, which threatened 

 to difturb the peace of Germany, and overthrow the reli- 

 gion of their anceftors. At the fame time the pope gave 

 notice to the eleftor of Saxony, of the decree which he had 

 iiTued againll the herelies ot Luther, and requelled that he 

 would lo far concur with him as to caufe ail the writings of 

 Li:ther to be publicly burnt, and that he would either put 

 the author of them to death, or imprifoi him, or at leail 

 fend him to Rome. He fent a fimilar meffage to Wittem- 

 burg, but neither the eleftor nor the univerfity paid any 

 attention to the exhortations of his hohnefs. To tiie eleftor 

 of Saxony Luther was under infinite obligations, as by 

 him alone was the einperor prevented from taking fteps, 

 which would have been fatal to the progrefs of his caufe. 

 As foon as the diet was affembled at Wormr, the papal 

 legates infilled that they were bound, without deliberation, 

 to condemn a man who ii the pope had already excommuni- 

 cated as an obilinate heretic. The emperor in this was 

 ready to acquiefce, but the eleftor again flepped forth in 

 defence of Luther, and not only prevented the publication 

 of any unjull edift againil him, but infilled that he ought 

 to have his caufe tried by the canons of the Germanic 

 church, and the laws of the empire. It was therefore re- 

 lolved, that Luther fhould be fummoned before the diet, 

 and be allowed a hearing before any final fentence (hould be 

 pronounced againil bim. To proteft him againil the vio- 

 lence of hi; enemies, the emperor, and all the prince? 

 through whofe territories he was to pafs, granted him a lafe 

 cundud, and Charles himfelf wrote to require his immediate 



attendance, renewing, in the moft folcmn manner, his af- 

 furances of protedlion from injury or ill-treatment. Luther 

 had no fooner received the f\immons than he prepared to 

 obey it. Nor could the rcinonftrances of his friends pre- 

 vent him from running the ri(l< of being treated as his books 

 had been already treated. Some of them, anxious for his 

 fafety, reminded him of the fate of the celebrated Hufs 

 under fimilar circumftances, and protcfted by the fame 

 fecurity of an imperial faft-condudl, and tilled with folici- 

 tnde, advifed and entreated him not to rufli wantonly into 

 danger. But Luther with calmnefs and dignity replied, 

 " I am lawfully called to appear at Wor • s, and thither 

 will I go in the name of the moft hi, h God, though as 

 many devils, as there are tiles on the lioufes, were there- 

 combined againil me." 



On the i6thof April I.,nther arrived at Worms, where 

 greater crowds are faid to have affembled to beiiold lr,ni,lhan 

 had ever appeared at the emperor's public entry. While he 

 continued in that city, he was not only treated with refpeft, 

 but his apartments were rcforted to by pcrfons of !. '^Ii 

 rank, and by the princes of the empire, l.fiore tludiet he 

 behaved with becoming refpeft ; he acknowledged that he 

 had fometimes been carried away by the ardrmr of his tem- 

 per, and that the veln-n,( iice o{ his writii.gs could not al- 

 ways b- jiiflified. While, iiov\ ever, he readily admitted his, 

 errors, he (hewid n 1 inclination to renounce a linijle import- 

 ant principle which he had b'.en promulgating, and he dif- 

 played the utmoft prefence of mind when he was called on 

 to plead his caufe before the grand aftembly, on the 1 7th and 

 18th of April. That his redfoniiigs Ihould not change tha 

 minds of thole who came to condi.mn, cannot be a matter of 

 iurffi-ize, but when he was called on to recant, he folemnly 

 declared, that he would neither abandon !ii^ principle'!, nor 

 materially change his conduft> unlets he were previoufly con- 

 vinced, by the fcriptures, or the force of realoning, that his 

 fentiments were erroneous and his conduit unlawful. En- 

 raged at his unbending fpirit, lome of the ecclefiaftics pro- 

 pofed, notwithllandmg the promifes made to the contrary, 

 to avail theinlelves of the opportunity of having an enemy iu 

 their power, to deliver tlie church at once from fuch a pefti- 

 lent heretic. But the members of the diet and the emperor 

 alfo refuted to aft irl a manner that muft blaft their charafter 

 for ever with the world, and Luther was permitted to depart 

 in fafety. Scarcely, however, had he left die city, when, 

 in the emperor's name, and by the authority of the diet, he 

 was, in a moll fevere edift, pronounced an obilinate heretic, 

 a member cut off from the church, de: rivid of the privi- 

 leges which he had enjoyed as a fubjeft of the empire, and 

 the fcvereft punifhments were denounced againil ihofe wha 

 ftiouM receive, entertain, or countenance him, eith'-r by afls 

 of hofpitality, by converfation, or writing, and all wrre re- 

 quired to conc'jr i'l feizing his perfon, as foon as the eim of 

 his i.ife-conduft expired. This decree produced fcarcfly any 

 elfeft ; the emperor was too much engaged by the ct : 'mo- 

 tions in Spain, and in the wars in Italy and the Low C ;in- 

 tries, to attend to Luther, and the fovereign princes v ho 

 had not been prefent at the diet, and who felt for the liber- 

 ties of the empire, and the rights of the Germ.anic church, 

 treated it with the highetl indignation, or the utmoft con- 

 tempt. Luther was lid', to the eleftor of Saxony, the 

 ohjeft of his moll anxious folicitude ; and the meafures 

 which he adopted at this critical j.unfture, effeftuatly fe- 

 cured him from the threatening llorm. Li confequence of a 

 preconcerted plan, and, as fome hiftorians have imagined, not 

 without the knowledge of the emperor, as I,,uther was on 

 his journey, near Eifenach, a number of horfemen in malks 

 Tufhed out of a wood, and furcoundiug his company, car. 



i;ied 



